South Africa: Africa is on the move President Ramaphosa President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africas support for Canadian companies wishing to trade, invest and do business on the African continent for mutual growth and development. The President said South Africa is Africas most industrialised economy with a well-regulated banking and financial system, developed infrastructure, sound legal and regulatory frameworks, and strong linkages into both the global and continental economies. South Africa stands ready to support Canadian companies wishing to trade, invest and do business on the African continent. This is the time to work together, as we did when we confronted the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, to realise the many opportunities that exist for mutual growth and development, the President said. The President was delivering a pre-recorded message at the Africa Accelerating 2022 Conference on deepening trade and investment between Africa and Canada. The annual three-day summit brings together high-level leaders every October at venues in Canada and on the African continent, broadcast live to thousands of delegates in addition to in-person attendees. President Ramaphosa said the global fight against COVID-19 demonstrated both the need for and the value of solidarity, collaboration and cooperation. He said African countries were united around a common continental response that resulted in unprecedented initiatives to ensure access to lifesaving medical supplies, equipment and vaccines. Working with partners across the globe, including Canada, the President said that African continent worked in unison to save lives and safeguard livelihoods. With the pandemic in abeyance, our focus now is on advancing shared prosperity through bilateral trade and investment. Africa is committed to work together to advance its own development and meet the needs of its people, he said. President Ramaphosa emphasised that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a critical part of efforts to raise Africas growth, and is one of the 15 flagship projects of the African Unions Agenda 2063. He noted that there has been important progress towards the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System was launched in January and has been successfully piloted in the West African Monetary Zone. The President said work is underway to dismantle intra-African trade tariff barriers as well as non-tariff barriers that hinder market access. The World Bank and AfCFTA Secretariat estimate that if fully implemented, the Continental Free Trade Area could increase Africas exports to the rest of the world by 32 percent and more than double intra-African exports. Canada is a longstanding development partner with Africa, joining the African Development Fund in 1973 and the African Development Bank in 1982. Canada has supported all capital increases and contributed regularly to the African Development Bank replenishments. This history, together with the strong trade and investment ties between Africa and Canada, provides a firm platform to expand cooperation and accelerate growth. As Africa pursues economic integration, the opportunities for Canadian investors and companies will steadily expand, the President said. As this conference demonstrates, the President said, there are many opportunities for Canadian companies in Africa beyond the extractives sector. On a continent where around 60 percent of arable land remains uncultivated, there is huge potential for climate smart agriculture and agro-processing. As continental supply chains become increasingly integrated, Africas manufacturing capacity will expand rapidly, presenting opportunities in areas like petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, textiles, fabricated metals and many others, he said. The President added that this will drive infrastructure investment, not only in the roads, rail lines and ports that will handle the movement of goods and people, but in the energy and telecommunications networks needed to facilitate production and exchange. President Ramaphosa wished the conference well in its deliberations saying he looks forward to the many new partnerships and ventures that are expected to emerge from the conference. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-10-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. China will not export model of growth, official says By XU WEI (China Daily) 08:37, October 25, 2022 China will not export its model of development or require other nations to emulate its practices, and efforts made by each country to independently explore its own path to modernization should be respected, a senior official said on Monday. Sun Yeli, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told a news conference in Beijing that China will not import the model of development from other nations and will resolutely oppose other nations imposing their models on the nation. He explained that the Chinese path to modernization, a central task for the Party laid out by General Secretary Xi Jinping in his report to the 20th CPC National Congress, has provided a new choice for the global community in achieving modernization. Sun said that it is a proposal for the diversity of humankind and it seeks exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations and countries. "If the global community is willing to learn about or emulate China's experience and practices, we will open our heart and share in an objective manner. Meanwhile, we will also sincerely learn about, research and borrow experiences from other nations." Sun added that there is no model of modernization that would fit all circumstances or overarching standards on modernization. The Chinese path to modernization contains elements that are common to the modernization process of all countries, but "it is more characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context", he said. China, with its mammoth population of 1.4 billion, faces restrictions related to its resources and environment during its modernization process, which means that the nation cannot blindly copy the model of modernization from other nations, he said. "The modernization of such a huge population could be unprecedentedly difficult and complex. Its significance and implications will also be unprecedented, and modernization on such a scale will make a huge contribution to human society," he added. China will hold high the banners of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes in its modernization process, which is determined by the Chinese system and culture, Sun said. "Pursuing a path of peaceful development fits into the fundamental interests of China, and we will continue to follow this path going forward. We hope other nations will follow a path of peaceful development as well," Sun said. He said China will remain unwavering in pursuing a path of green development to promote harmony between mankind and nature during the modernization process. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming) Mauritius has secured its position once again as a leading Indian Ocean destination, with the tropical island paradise scooping three prestigious destination awards at the 2022 World Travel Awards (WTA) - Indian Ocean region. The annual awards recognise and honour the winners in each category voted as being the best in their travel, tourism and hospitality businesses, since the WTA are regarded as the most prestigious awards of the global tourism industry. The winners, based on votes cast by travel industry professionals and the public, were announced at a prestigious gala dinner held at the recently held Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The lush forests, wild waterfalls, unique wildlife, rugged mountains and palm-fringed white beaches, together with its world-class luxurious resorts, romantic settings and a focus on sustainable tourism, enabled Mauritius to lift the titles of: Indian Oceans Leading Adventure Tourism Destination; Indian Oceans Leading Wedding Destination; and, for the first time, Indian Oceans Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination. We are delighted with the recognition for Mauritius as a leading Indian Ocean Island destination from the WTA and our industry peers across the three categories, as these are all areas within our tourism mandate where we strive to be the best. After almost 18 months, travel restrictions and lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, we are extremely grateful that global tourism is once again on the rise, as we welcome tourists from across the globe to Mauritius, said Arvind Bundhun, Director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA). For the tourism sector on the island to receive all these accolades in the various categories at the highest level by the WTA is a significant achievement, and a tribute to our resilient and recovering industry sector. Following the unprecedented and particularly challenging time for the global tourism sector as we all manage the effects of the pandemic; it is important that we continue promoting our unique tourism offerings to ensure Mauritius remains a destination of choice once again. This included the launch of an interactive digital campaign, #MauritiusNow, to showcase the islands natural beauty in real time, and the introduction of a long-stay Premium Visa option, valid for one year, for those seeking an alternative work, live, play lifestyle option in a safe environment. Beyond the beautiful sea, white sandy beaches and luxurious resorts and hotels are many hidden gems off the beaten track just waiting to be explored. As a melting pot of exotic cultures, the sights, sounds, tastes and experiences one encounters in Mauritius are unique to this small but very special island. With the reopening of the tourism industry, we continue to promote the destination to our key markets globally. These WTA awards reaffirm Mauritius as the leading Indian Ocean Island destination for adventure tourism, weddings and sustainable tourism, Bundhun added. In the airline sector, Mauritius national carrier, Air Mauritius, was also honoured at the regional event, taking home awards in the Indian Ocean region as Leading Airline Brand and Leading Airline Economy Class. Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards, said: The interest in the World Travel Awards 2022 programme shows that the appetite for travel and tourism has never been stronger and bodes well for the industrys future as the global recovery begins. The category winners represent the very best of the Indian Oceans travel and tourism sector and my congratulations to each of them. They have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges. TradeArabia News Service In his resignation letter, Tarar cited personal reasons for stepping down as a minister in the Shehbaz Sharif cabinet. The Dawn newspaper reported that Tarar tendered his resignation citing 'anti-establishment slogans' raised at the event held in Lahore on Sunday. "I am disappointed the way a small group of participants behaved at AJCON22 today by unnecessarily chanting slogans against state institutions n not listing to the achievements so far made for their benefits. We must respect each other's point of view#hallmark of democratic socity," he said in a tweet posted on Sunday. This resignation comes after three Pakistan high court judges were elevated after nine months of deadlock. According to Dawn, Tarar was also said to be under immense pressure for casting his vote in favour of some judges who were being elevated to the Supreme Court. Earlier on Sunday, some people in the audience started shouting anti-army slogans against in the presence of ministers and journalists at the Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the sloganeering and said it was unfortunate that such forums were being used to target the institutions. "It is unfortunate that such forums are being used to target state institutions, especially the armed forces, for partisan political interests," Shehbaz said in a statement. (ANI) Former Minister of External Affairs Natwar Singh on Tuesday called Rishi Sunak becoming United Kingdom's New Prime Minister a 'historic event'. "It is a historic event. Apart from that, he'd only been a House of Commons member for seven years. He's extraordinary. And earlier he was Chancellor of treasury and he was even younger at that time," Singh told ANI. The former foreign minister said given that Conservative Party has a non-white leader is extraordinary, it shows the change that has taken place in the United Kingdom. Although Singh believes that a "very tough" time for Sunak lies ahead as the Prime Minister because of the present economic, and political situation in the UK along with handling disarray in the Conservative Party. On Monday, Britain's Conservative Party choose Rishi Sunak as their Leader, thereby making him first Indian-origin and Hindu Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak became the Conservative Party leader less than two months after he lost to Liz Truss in the Tory leadership race. Sunak's change in fate was triggered by the resignation of Truss after her high-profile sacking and resignation in her cabinet, following a heavily criticised mini-budget that left the UK pound tumbling. After she was forced to step down just 45 days into office, Truss became the shortest-serving British PM. Standing before 10 Downing Street, Truss said that she recognizes she "cannot deliver the mandate" on which she was elected. Truss' ascent to power was paved by the Tory leadership crisis following Boris Johnson's resignation in July, after a series of resignations of cabinet members, who protested against his scandal-plagued leadership. New UK Prime Minister-designate Sunak vowed to work daily to deliver for the British people. "I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility and I will work day in and day out to deliver for the British people," Sunak said at Conservative HQ in London. He also paid tribute to former UK PM Liz Truss for her "dignified" leadership "under difficult circumstances abroad and at home". Sunak said that he is "humbled and honoured" to have the support of his fellow MPs and be elected leader. (ANI) Journalists and politicians across Pakistan have condoled the death of senior Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif who was reportedly shot dead in Kenya. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Punjab Union of Journalists, and Karachi Union of Journalists expressed their condolences calling the incident a "loss for the journalist fraternity" of the country, reported Dawn on Tuesday. Other than these, the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AMEND) and 'Editor for Safety', a joint forum of newspapers and television editors, also demanded an inquiry into the incident. The National Press Club has also announced three days of mourning. Condolences and reactions also came from the political fraternity as several leaders paid visits at the journalist's residence. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan also visited the residence of the slain journalist and expressed his condolences. "Shocked at the brutal murder of Arshad Sharif who paid the ultimate price for speaking the truth - his life. He had to leave the country and be in hiding abroad but he continued to speak the truth on social media, exposing the powerful. Today the entire nation mourns his death," Khan tweeted. "We have descended into a state of brutality, unknown in civilised society, indulged in by the powerful against those who dare to criticise and expose wrongdoings," he said in a subsequent tweet. Other than him, several other politicians also arrived at the residence of the deceased to pay their condolences. It included Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Asad Umar, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Senator Azam Swati of the PTI. While speaking to the media, Shah Mehmood Qureshi praised Arshad Sharif's professionalism. Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also spoke to the late journalist's mother over the phone, sympathised with the family and expressed his grief over the incident, reported Dawn. Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi also condemned the incident and extended his sympathy while praising Arshad Sharif's programmes. Earlier today, the United States also strongly condemned the murder of Arshad Sharif and demanded a full investigation by the government of Kenya into the incident. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said "we're deeply saddened by the death of Arshad Sharif." He expressed condolences to Sharif's family members and his loved ones, and to all those who knew him, reported The Nation. Ned Price also talked about the protection of journalists and the right to freedom of expression. He praised Arshad's work saying "His work was known around the world," reported The Nation. US State Department spokesperson demanded a full investigation by the government of Kenya into Arshad Sharif's death. He said "it's not entirely clear that we know all the circumstances at this point regarding what led to his death, but we urge a full investigation." Earlier on Monday, Arshad Sharif's wife Javeria Siddique informed that his husband died in Kenya after being shot. "I lost a friend, husband and my favourite journalist @arsched today, as per police he was shot in Kenya. Respect our privacy and in the name of breaking pls don't share our family pics, personal details and his last pictures from the hospital. Remember us in our prayers," Sharif's wife Javeria Siddique said in a Twitter post. Pakistan is one of the world's deadliest countries for journalists, with three to four murders each year that are often linked to corruption or illegal trafficking and go completely unpunished, according to a Paris-based media watchdog. "Any journalist who crosses the red lines dictated by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - an intelligence agency offshoot - is liable to be the target of in-depth surveillance that could lead to abduction and detention for varying lengths of time in the state's prisons or less official jails," said Reporters Without Borders. Furthermore, the watchdog said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's leading military intelligence agency, is prepared to silence any criticism. (ANI) External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar on Tuesday recieved a call from UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly wherein both leaders discussed bilateral relations and the Ukraine conflict "Received a call from UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly. Discussed counter-terrorism, bilateral relations and the Ukraine conflict," tweeted Jaishankar. The talks come against the backdrop of the United Nations Security Council which is set to hold a discussion over Ukraine's 'dirty bomb' threat. "Great to speak with India's External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar today. We discussed the Russia-Ukraine crisis and that the UK will be challenging Russia's rhetoric and allegations during the UNSC today," tweeted Cleverly. The US and other Western officials have dismissed Moscow's claim that Ukraine plans to use a so-called dirty bomb as a Russian false-flag operation, reported CNN. Russia's claim this week that Ukraine could use a so-called "dirty bomb" on its own territory is seen by analysts as a new attempt to stoke fear of nuclear escalation among Kyiv's backers, if not a pure and simple distraction. A "dirty bomb" is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials disseminated in an explosion. The term is often used interchangeably with radiological dispersal device (RDD), a bomb where radioactive materials are used. In a joint statement, the US, France and Britain -- three of the other nuclear powers on the United Nations Security Council -- said Sunday that Russia's claims were "transparently false". They and Kyiv suspect that Russia might use a dirty bomb in a "false flag" attack, possibly to justify the use of conventional nuclear weapons by Moscow as it finds itself on the back foot in eastern and southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military claims Russian forces are preparing for a "potential retreat" near a key river in Kherson as Moscow-installed leaders in the southern region step up their evacuation efforts in response to Kyiv's advancing counteroffensive, reported CNN. Meanwhile, the pro-Moscow administration said that five people were injured in a blast Tuesday in the Russian-held city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine. "A car exploded near the ZaMedia media group building in Melitopol", damaging it and nearby residential homes, the local pro-Moscow administration said on Telegram. "Five people were slightly injured, including employees of the media group. One was hospitalised," the administration said. Photos showed a grey building block with windows ripped off and burning debris on the ground. There was no official confirmation or denial by Ukraine that its forces were responsible for the explosion. But the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian administration in exile showed photos from an explosion. It added, "This is what the heating in the buildings of collaborators and propagandists should look like! And it will become hotter". The International inspectors will visit two nuclear sites in Ukraine at Kyiv's request, the UN nuclear watchdog said. Ukraine's foreign minister said Kyiv has "nothing to hide." (ANI) As Rishi Sunak scripted history by becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, world leaders from across the world, from US President Joe Biden to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, congratulated him and extended their wishes. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday congratulated Rishi Sunak on being appointed the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and urged his support on the ongoing war in Ukraine. "Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together, I look forward to enhancing our cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity, including continuing our strong support for Ukraine," he tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted Rishi Sunak following his election as leader of Conservative Party and the next British Prime Minister. "Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership," tweeted PM Modi. French President Emmanuel Macron also extended his wishes to Rishi Sunak and expected his support on several issues including the war in Ukraine. Congratulations to @RishiSunak, who has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Rishi Sunak and wished him to overcome all 'challenges' faced by British society and the whole world. "Congratulations to@RishiSunakon taking office as Prime Minister! I wish you to successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today. I'm ready to continue strengthening the - strategic partnership together!" he tweeted. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked about the partnership between UK and Canada while congratulating Rishi Sunak. "Congratulations,@RishiSunak. The partnership between our two countries is defined by the history - and the priorities - we share. As we work to deliver results for the people who call Canada and the United Kingdom home, let's continue to strengthen this partnership," he tweeted. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also congratulated Rishi Sunak after he was appointed the UK PM. "Congratulations to@RishiSunakon his nomination as leader of the Conservative Party and next Prime Minister of the UK. I look forward to working with him to advance shared interests and further deepen the abiding - partnership," he tweeted. Other than them, Indian MP and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday called Rishi Sunak's appointment as the UK Prime Minister an "astonishing" development. "It's extraordinary at multiple levels. You can see that Britain has outgrown their racism, shown tremendous willingness to absorb & admit people of other religious faiths & on top of that they've looked at their merit," he said. British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis on Tuesday said that Rishi Sunak becoming UK Prime Minister is a sign of "Different United Kingdom that there is today" compared to the country in which he grew up. He also extended his wishes in Hindi which roughly translates as "Rishi Sunak's appointment as the UK Prime Minister is a historic achievement." Sunak on Tuesday scripted history for a series of firsts - the first Indian-origin person to lead the UK, the first non-white, person of colour to become the UK's PM, at the age of 42, he is also the youngest person to take the office in more than 200 years, as well as the first PM to take oath under the new King Charles III. In his statement from 10 Downing Street, Sunak said that he has been elected for the mistakes of former PM Liz Truss. He also lauded former UK PM Liz Truss, paying tribute to her, he said, "I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss. She wasn't wrong to want to improve growth in this country. It is a noble aim and I admired her restlessness to create change but some mistakes were made, not born of bad intentions but mistakes nonetheless." He vowed to earn the trust of Britons, saying, "Trust is earned, and I will earn yours." Sunak said that his government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. "I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future, to put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a govt that represents the very best traditions of my party. Together we can achieve incredible things," said Sunak. "We will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made and fill tomorrow and every day thereafter with hope," he added. Sunak said that he will make the most of the Brexit opportunities. "That work begins immediately," he said, adding, "My government will build an economy that makes the most of the Brexit opportunities." He began his speech by highlighting UK's profound economic crisis. Sunak said, "Right now our country is facing a profound economic crisis. The aftermath of Covid still lingers." He also paid tribute to former PM Boris Johnson. The new UK PM said that he will always be grateful to Johnson for his "incredible achievements" as Prime Minister. He will treasure Johnson's warmth and generosity of spirit. Responding to Sunak's tribute, Johnson tweeted, "Congratulations to @RishiSunak on this historic day, this is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support." Sunak added that he knows the mandate the Conservative Party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of one person, rather "it is a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us". He pledged "a stronger NHS, better schools, safer streets, control of our borders, protecting our environment, supporting our armed forces and levelling up." He became the new UK prime minister after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. Sunak will be the UK's third leader in seven weeks after winning a Tory leadership contest triggered by Truss stepping down. Sunak ruled out an early general election, despite calls from the opposition Labour, the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party. (ANI) The outgoing Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong in his farewell remarks urged to make full use of the communication channels established between India and China to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation. "We should enhance communication and cooperation. China and India have established dialogue mechanisms at various levels and departments. We should make full use of all the communication channels, and deepen mutual understanding in order to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation," said Sun. He further stated to seek common ground while reserving differences and properly handling the differences. "China and India are important neighbours to each other. It is only natural for China and India to have some differences. The key is how to handle the differences. We should be aware that the common interests of the two countries are greater than the differences. Meanwhile, the two sides should strive to manage and resolve differences, and look for a proper solution through dialogue and consultation, instead of defining China-India relations by differences," added the outgoing Chinese envoy. China and India have established dialogue mechanisms at various levels and departments. The Chinese side optimized the visa application process for Indian citizens to travel to China and resumed processing visa applications for students pursuing long-term study, and people conducting business, work and family visits. Up to now, more than 1,800 visas have been issued to Indian students. "If the Western theory of geopolitics is applied to the China-India relationship, then major neighbouring countries like us will inevitably view each other as threats and rivals. Consequently, competition and confrontation will be the main mode of interaction, and a zero-sum game will be the inevitable result. But the reality is that geographical proximity is an objective existence. It should be an opportunity for us to have more interaction and cooperation, tap our potential and learn from and complement each other," said Sun. Over the past more than 70 years since the establishment of our diplomatic ties, the China-India relationship has overall maintained a momentum of development, with high-level exchanges. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached a host of important consensus, including "China and India as opportunities of development and cooperation partners." Speaking about his experience in India, he said, "The past three years and three months have been an unforgettable period in my life. On the occasion of my departure, I would like to express my most heartfelt appreciation to all my friends for your care for China's development and support to the cause of China-India friendship, and to friends for your support and assistance to me in the performance of my duties." (ANI) New UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday reshuffled his Cabinet, retaining Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor, Ben Wallace as Defence Secretary, while appointing Dominic Raab as Deputy Prime Minister and Suella Braverman as Home Secretary. "Jeremy Hunt re-appointed as UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer," tweeted Conservative Party. Hunt was appointed chancellor by former prime minister Liz Truss 11 days ago, after turmoil in the financial markets following the mini-budget and its platform of unfunded tax cuts. Hunt - who replaced Kwasi Kwarteng - junked nearly all of Truss' tax cuts and is credited with restoring some confidence in the markets. As a result, he had been expected to stay on as chancellor by many pundits. "Dominic Raab has been appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary," added the Conservative Party. During the summer's Tory leadership contest, Raab was among the few Sunak-backers who carried on talking him up even when Truss' victory was all but certain. Last week, he pledged his support for Sunak after saying that he couldn't back Boris Johnson as prime minister while the Partygate inquiry continued. Raab is a staunch Brexiteer and was Brexit Secretary in July 2018 - quitting only months later in opposition to Theresa May's Brexit deal. Meanwhile, Ben Wallace has been re-appointed as Defence Secretary by Sunak. Wallace was appointed Defence Secretary in July 2019 and retained his post in Liz Truss' government. Today's continuity was anticipated given he's been leading the UK response to the war in Ukraine. Suella Braverman has been re-appointed as Home Secretary, less than a week after she resigned from the same role in Truss' cabinet. She was appointed Home Secretary, one of the top jobs in government, in September when Truss became the new prime minister. But she resigned last Wednesday over a "mistake". In her resignation letter, she said she had sent an official document from her personal email address, breaking the ministerial code. She also criticised Truss saying her government had "broken key pledges that were promised to voters". Braverman is back as the person responsible for overseeing UK borders, policing and counter-terrorism. Meanwhile, Indian-origin British minister Alok Sharma lost his Cabinet position in PM Sunak's reshuffle. Sunak is reshuffling his Cabinet after many of Truss' ministers resigned or were sacked. Jacob Rees-Mogg, one of Boris Johnson's most loyal supporters, has resigned as Business Secretary while Brandon Lewis has stepped down as Justice Secretary. James Cleverly has been re-appointed as Foreign Secretary, Downing Street said. Cleverly was appointed Foreign Secretary by Liz Truss in September. He's been an MP for Braintree in Essex since 2015. Simon Hart has been appointed as the new chief whip in Rishi Sunak's cabinet, replacing Wendy Morton. Hart has been the MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire since 2010 and served as Secretary of State for Wales under Boris Johnson between 2019 and 2022. Nadhim Zahawi will remain in Cabinet, despite initially backing Boris Johnson in the leadership race. He's been made a minister without portfolio - which grants him a Cabinet position with no specific responsibilities - and also party chairman, replacing Jake Berry. "Nadhim Zahawi has been appointed @Conservatives Party Chairman," Conservative Party. Oliver Dowden has been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Downing Street has confirmed. Meanwhile, Grant Shapps, Oliver Dowden, Steve Barclay, Therese Coffey, Michael Gove and Gillian Keegan visited 10 Downing Street, however, no more appointments have been made yet. Sunak officially became UK Prime Minister after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. In his first speech outside No 10, he said the UK was facing a "profound economic crisis" and vowed to earn the trust of Britons amid economic and political crises. (ANI) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan attacked the Pakistani government while calling the death of Pakistan journalist Arshad Sharif a 'targeted killing'. While addressing the public at a lawyers' convention in Peshawar, the Former Pakistan Prime Minister called Sharif a martyr, Dawn reported on Tuesday. The PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday claimed that slain journalist Arshad Sharif was a victim of a targeted killing. Imran paid tribute to Sharif, calling him "a brave patriot who never compromised his conscience". He also spoke about his immense respect and admiration for the journalist. Imran said Sharif stood for "justice, truth and Pakistan's interests", adding that he himself had received criticism from the journalist on numerous occasions. He attacked the Sharif and Zardari families, the two coalition parties in the current Pakistan government by saying that he exposed these two families. "He never spared any mafia. He exposed these two families (Sharif and Zardari families) in every programme with proof but no one could scare or buy him ... then he started getting threats from unknown numbers to 'not say this or speak the truth' when he started exposing this regime," Dawn quoted Imran as saying. He alleged that Sharif was being given death threats earlier and Khan knew about it. He also gave reference to the alleged plot to "kill" Khan. "Then I received information that they were about to kill him. They invaded his home and scared him in front of his family just so that he doesn't speak the truth. He said that he advised him to leave the country, but he refused. "I told him I have information, the same way I had information about a plot to kill me," Khan said. They wanted to do the same with him what they did with Azam Swati, Shahbaz Gill and Jameel Farooqui," Imran added as per Dawn. Earlier on Monday, Arshad Sharif's wife Javeria Siddique informed that his husband died in Kenya after being shot. "I lost a friend, husband and my favourite journalist @arsched today, as per police he was shot in Kenya. Respect our privacy and in the name of breaking pls don't share our family pics, personal details and his last pictures from the hospital. Remember us in ur prayers," Sharif's wife Javeria Siddique said in a Twitter post. Pakistan is one of the world's deadliest countries for journalists, with three to four murders each year that are often linked to corruption or illegal trafficking and go completely unpunished, according to a Paris-based media watchdog. "Any journalist who crosses the red lines dictated by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - an intelligence agency offshoot - is liable to be the target of in-depth surveillance that could lead to abduction and detention for varying lengths of time in the state's prisons or less official jails," said Reporters Without Borders. Furthermore, the watchdog said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's leading military intelligence agency, is prepared to silence any criticism. (ANI) Newly appointed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a conversation with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy and expressed UK's solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people. "A privilege to speak to the President of Ukraine. Vladimir Zelenskyy this evening. Both he and the Ukrainian people can count on the UK's continued solidarity and support. We will always stand with Ukraine," Sunak tweeted following the conversation. Earlier, in response to the prospects of good relations between Russia and the UK after the appointment of Sunak, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, "No, at present, we do not see any preconditions, grounds or hopes for some positive shifts in the foreseeable future." Earlier, then UK Prime Minister hopeful Rishi Sunak wrote a letter on Ukraine's Independence Day, praising the country's steadfast courage in standing up to Russian "aggression" and promising support from the people of the United Kingdom as the war continues in the country, reported TASS. In a letter published in the Kyiv Post, Rishi had said that he will be a lifelong friend and help Ukraine rebuild into a prosperous, ambitious and forward-looking country. "Your steadfast courage in standing up to aggression has given hope to peaceful and freedom-loving people around the world, and sends a clear message to despots that no matter how the odds may be stacked in their favour, they will never prevail," he had said. "Whatever the changes here in our country, we Brits will always remain your strongest ally," he added. Sunak had vowed to keep supporting Ukraine's brave fighters and said that Britain will keep providing humanitarian aid to ensure you have access to medication and food. "Your place in history is assured as a beacon of freedom. So together, not only must we defeat Putin, but we must also succeed in deterring him from ever hurting your people again with an even stronger, more prosperous Ukraine than stood before," he said. Describing the fatal attacks on civilian areas in Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine as a clear "sign of Putin's desperation," then UK Prime Minister Liz Truss had said that Britain will continue to provide vital military aid in Ukraine's fight for freedom. Amid the escalating tensions, the then-British Prime Minister had reaffirmed her support for Ukraine and said that the country will stand right behind the war-torn nation in its fight for freedom. The war between Russia and Ukraine has escalated after a truck 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. (ANI) "The United Kingdom, as a permanent member of Security Council, is obviously a very important and critical partner to the United Nations on an extremely wide range of issues on our common agenda," he said. "We congratulate him and we look forward to working very closely with the new Prime Minister," Dujarric added. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) --IANS al/vd ( 117 Words) 2022-10-25-22:22:02 (IANS) Safety Leadership has been in focus at the International Air Transport Associations (IATA) 2022 Safety Conference, which opened in Dubai under the theme of Emerging Stronger Safely Transforming to a More Resilient Tomorrow. Safety begins at the top. Aviation executives need to demonstrate safety leadership and a strong commitment to a positive safety culture and then ensure that vision is conveyed across the entire organisation. This is critical to ensuring continued high levels of safety as the industry emerges from the turbulence and disruption of the last two years and demand for air travel accelerates, said Nick Careen, IATAs Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety and Security. IATA has developed a Safety Leadership Charter in consultation with IATA members, and the wider aviation community, to support executives in growing a positive safety culture within their organisations that enhances safety performance and operational resilience. Risk-based model Also high on the agenda at the Safety Conference, which runs till October 27, is the evolution of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) towards a risk-based model under which audits will be tailored to each airlines risk profile. IOSA is a requirement for membership in IATA and safety data confirm that in aggregate, airlines on the IOSA registry have a lower accident rate than airlines that are not on the IOSA registry. In 2021, the all-accident rate for airlines on the IOSA registry was more than six times better than the rate for non-IOSA airlines (0.45 vs. 2.86). Emirates is the host airline. As industry safety levels improve, however, future reductions in the accident rate increasingly will rely on an adaptive, risk- and data-driven approach. Concurrently, in order to be relevant to safety improvements, airlines need IOSA to align with the specific risk factors of their operations. IOSA is recognised as the gold standard for airline operational safety. Today, however, we have access to significantly more operational data than we did when IOSA was created nearly 20 years ago, enabling it to be even more effective. Focusing on pertinent safety risks while maintaining a baseline of safety, will contribute to raising the safety bar even higher, said Careen. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline, Billy Nolen, Acting Administrator, US Federal Aviation Administration and Nick Careen, IATAs Senior Vice President Operations, Safety and Security.-- TradeArabia News Service Rob Cochran has driven east to Johnstown and put his company behind the wheel of a Honda. Make that plural. Western Pennsylvanias largest automotive retailer, #1 Cochran, on Monday confirmed it has acquired Thomas Team Honda in Johnstown. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The deal extends #1 Cochrans footprint to Cambria County and adds the Honda brand to its portfolio. The newly acquired dealership, located at 1920 Bedford St. in Johnstown, has been renamed #1 Cochran Honda. Almost all of the sales and service professionals have come aboard, increasing #1 Hondas total team member count to about 1,300. Read more at Pittsburgh Business Times. TRENDING NOW: Pennsylvania Senate Debate: Fetterman, Oz to face off tonight exclusively on Channel 11 Filming in Elizabeth to include simulated explosives, pyrotechnics Winning Powerball ticket sold in Allegheny County VIDEO: Business owner reacts to 2 recent shootings on East Carson Street DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts STORY: Videos released by the local search and rescue agency showed rescuers pulling people out of the water, including an infant and children, out of the choppy sea. At least 312 people have been rescued, Search and Rescue Agency in Kupang said on Tuesday (October 25), updating the figure from the previous 240. Reuters could not immediately determine why the ship caught on fire and the purpose of the journey. Channel 9 uncovered warrants that revealed an 18-year-old is accused of robbing more than two dozen people across Charlotte while wearing an ankle monitor. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said they couldnt use the ankle monitor to find Kaivon Beltons location that was being monitored by the Department of Juvenile Justice. PAST COVERAGE: 18-year-old accused of string of violent robberies in Charlotte, warrants say The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department refused an interview with Channel 9 Tuesday. However, reporter Dan Matics learned that detectives were trying to work with the juvenile justice system to track his ankle monitor, but the police department said bureaucracy failed. CMPD said they couldnt access Beltons electric monitor due to red tape while the accused criminal was terrorizing Charlottes Hispanic community by robbing multiple people at gunpoint. Jose Vasquez told Channel 9 on Monday that he was shot during an armed robbery attempt outside his house in late September. Then he hit me in the face, and I could no longer react, Vasquez said. He pushed me to the front of the house and then the other guy shot me twice. Detectives said Belton and Cedius Tate, who are now adults, and two others went on a monthlong crime spree preying on more than two dozen victims after they left ATMs and check-cashing stores. Tate was arrested and bonded out Monday night. Channel 9 learned from investigators on Tuesday that Belton, who recently turned 18, was on a GPS tracker that was ordered by the juvenile court system, while he committed the crimes. Its a public safety crisis at this point, said Marcus Philemon, a victims advocate with CharMeck Court Watch. It could have totally been prevented. CMPD said it could only place his location from the device at the crimes after he was arrested. >>Watch Channel 9s LIVE STREAM wherever you are, at this link Investigators had to wait on a search warrant because that information is protected within the juvenile justice system. Story continues Philemon has worked with CMPD as a victims advocate and blames North Carolinas decision in 2019 to send all suspects under the age of 18, no matter how violent the crime, to juvenile court. It tied the hands of law enforcement, Philemon said. It hid information from the public like juvenile record, juvenile activity. VIDEO: 18-year-old accused of string of violent robberies in Charlotte, warrants say Mississippi civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer once said our nation fell woefully short of a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Two cases before the United States Supreme Court this fall could deliver a final blow to our hard-won voting rights, reverting us to the with the handful, for the handful, by the handful government of Hamers time. A North Carolina case could give state legislatures the power to cherry-pick whose vote counts without oversight from the state supreme courts. Another in Alabama could further erode Black voting power in a state where a quarter of its citizens are Black. I refuse to accept that. I refuse to watch my son, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins get cheated out of the right to elect leaders willing to meet their needs. That includes safety from police brutality, equal pay for equal work, access to health care and safe abortions, and the rights all American residents and citizens deserve. Its why I and my staff are on the ground getting out the vote in battleground states. With midterms looming and the 2024 Presidential election season around the corner, right-wing extremist state lawmakers have seized the moment. Theyre using the same 1960s race-baiting playbook from the Southern Strategy arguing for states rights and saying it has nothing to do with color. North Carolina Republicans want the Supreme Court to revoke their state Supreme Courts constitutional authority to review election laws. Alabama plaintiffs say their congressional map violates a section of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) prohibiting procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, thus diluting their political voice. With a population thats more than one-fourth Black, only one of Alabamas seven districts is majority-minority. As it stands, a quarter of the states electorate lacks voting power. So, local community groups want a second Black district to reflect the actual Black population. Story continues A lower court tossed out the GOP-drawn congressional map. But the Supreme Court, favoring the state, halted the lower courts order. Alabama claimed its method for drawing the map was race-neutral. Conservatives in both cases want to reverse the lower court orders that rejected congressional maps drawn by Republican-controlled legislatures. If the Supreme Court agrees, it will destroy the remaining voter protections provided in sections of the VRA. The 1965 Voting Rights Act eradicated poll taxes, literacy tests and Black voter intimidation tactics that white Southern racists used to terrorize Black people and undermine our voting power. Initially, the most vital VRA protection required states or counties with histories of refusing to protect Black voting rights to answer to the Department of Justice. But SCOTUS has been killing the VRA softly for decades. In 2005, Indiana passed a law requiring voters to show a photo ID, which the Supreme Court initially confirmed. Although the state court later struck it down for violating Indianas Constitution, several states followed with their own voter ID laws using the voter fraud justification. In 2013, the Supreme Court knee-capped the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder when it ruled in favor of state Republicans who claimed Alabamas VRA designation based on its voter suppression history was unconstitutional. The decision weakened the VRAs most powerful provision to prevent race-based voter suppression. Moreover, it freed states with histories of race-based voter discrimination to shut down thousands of polling places, intensify their voter purges and change voting laws without federal approval. In short, our country is trending backwards, toward a government elected by a minority of ultra-conservative rich white guys. Welcome back to 1964. Now, white supremacist lawmakers have nothing or no one to hold them accountable. Theyre free to gerrymander spreading voters they dislike across multiple districts or isolating them into one, guaranteeing all-white (and all-conservative) congressional majorities. The object is to dilute the power of the Black vote so we cant elect representatives who protect and fight for our interests. A few things must happen to save the VRA. First, we must expand the Supreme Court and rid ourselves of its conservative majority. And second, Congress must strengthen the VRA so states like Alabama cant hide behind race neutrality while disenfranchising a quarter of its voters. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll revealed that Black voters have cooled toward Democratic candidates. Some may feel Democrats have failed to address the issues Black people most care about. I know how that feels. But right now, if were complacent or dont vote wisely in the midterms, our complacency could cost Black and brown people our voting rights for generations. We showed the potential of our political power when we stood in long lines for hours to elect President Obama in 08 and 12. The political trend to weaken the VRA is a backlash against our proven political power. To keep that power we must now stand up for our citizenship rights, flock to the polls and elect the right folks in the states this November! Vote like your future depends on it because it does! ____ DaMareo Cooper is the Co-Executive Director of The Center for Popular Democracy Action, a national network of more than 50 community organizations dedicated to achieving racial and economic justice through local grassroots organizing. In what police suspect was a double murder-suicide, three people were found dead in a crashed car on a rural Gaston County road Monday afternoon. Officers found two men and a woman dead in the car that wrecked in the 300 block of Robinson Clemmer Road near Dallas, according to a Gaston County Police Department news release. On Tuesday, officials said a 911 call about the wreck was made around 3:15 but its believed the incident and shooting may have happened earlier prior to 1:30. Police said they saw bullet holes in the drivers side window when they were called to the scene about 3:15 p.m. Found dead were the driver, 57-year-old Darlene Hardin of Kings Mountain; front-seat passenger Benjamin Barett Simmons, 65, of Gastonia; and backseat passenger, 34-year-old Kings Mountain resident David James Bright, police said. Bright died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the release, and is suspected of killing Hardin and Simmons. Police havent said how the three knew each other or if they know what prompted the shooting. Police urged anyone with information about the shooting to call Gaston County Police Detective J. P. Brienza at 704-866-3320 or Crimestoppers at 704-861-8000. This is a developing story. Joe Biden delivers remarks on Ukraine, flanked by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley at the White House on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images A group of liberal Democratic representatives wants Joe Biden to negotiate with Russia. They say they want to avoid a prolonged conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The US has provided Ukraine with $60 billion in aid, and says it's up to Kyiv when to negotiate. A group of 30 liberal Democratic representatives urged President Joe Biden to pursue negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, in the first sign of disagreement in the party over the White House's strategy. In a letter to Biden, the lawmakers, led by Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, said that direct negotiations with Russia should be opened in order to avoid prolonging the war even further. "Given the destruction created by this war for Ukraine and the world, as well as the risk of catastrophic escalation, we also believe it is in the interests of Ukraine, the United States, and the world to avoid a prolonged conflict," the members of the House of Representatives wrote. "For this reason, we urge you to pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire," the letter said. The recommendation of seeking a ceasefire contradicts the current US strategy of arming Ukraine and saying publicly that Kyiv must be in charge of when and how to seek negotiations. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly rejected the idea of peace talks with Russia. Last month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia's attempts to annex Ukrainian land meant there was "nothing to talk about" so long as Russia's President Vladimir Putin remained in power. The Republicans, who have a powerful isolationist wing, may win back control of the House in the November 8 midterms, complicating the picture for sending US aid to Ukraine. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has said that GOP backing for Ukraine aid is not assured, remarking recently that there would be no "blank check" for Kyiv. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the opposite last week, pledging to support further funding. Story continues The US has provided Ukraine with more than $60 billion in humanitarian and military aid since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion in February. The White House has said it is up to Ukraine when to negotiate with Russia, but some analysts believe that the US must play a proactive role in leading negotiations. Critics of calls for peace talks say that negotiating at this stage would constitute appeasement, and point to atrocities Russia has carried out and genocidal rhetoric by Kremlin officials and Russian state media. After criticism of the letter from some Democrats, Jayapal released a statement saying that it was not intended to show a lack of support for Biden, and asserting that "we are united as Democrats" behind Ukraine. In a statement to Reuters, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that there was no sign the Kremlin was ready to engage in good faith negotiations. "Right now, we have heard from Ukrainian partners, repeatedly, that this war will only end through diplomacy and dialogue. We have not heard any reciprocal statement or refrain from Moscow that they are ready in good faith to engage in that diplomacy and dialogue," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks leaves the US Capitol after attending a closed door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee on February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis Hope Hicks, 34, was one of President Donald Trump's most trusted advisers. Hicks resigned from the White House on January 12, 2021, but told people it was a planned departure. She was one of the few White House aides who told him he lost the 2020 election. Hope Hicks was the youngest White House communications director in history. But before joining the 2016 Trump campaign, she had no political experience. Hicks, now 34, was born in Greenwich, a town of 60,000 on the southwest tip of Connecticut that's a favorite spot for hedge-fund headquarters. She was a model, actress, and lacrosse player as a child, before getting her English degree at Southern Methodist University. Hicks didn't intend on playing such a large role in a presidential campaign, instead falling into the gig through a job at the Trump Organization. In her time at the White House, Hicks became ensnared in two high-profile White House controversies: the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and her role in crafting the White House's response to abuse allegations against staff secretary Rob Porter. In February 2018, Hicks announced she was resigning one day after she said in testimony she had occasionally told white lies for the president but never lied about anything consequential related to the Russia investigation. After laying low in New York and Connecticut for several months, Hicks headed to 21st Century Fox as executive vice president and chief communications officer. She later rejoined the Trump White House as a counselor to the president, reporting to senior adviser and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Amid a wave of resignations following the January 6 insurrection, Hicks resigned from the White House on January 12, 2021, but told people it was a previously planned departure and not influenced by then-President Donald Trump's response to the Capitol riot as some other departures were, CNN reported at the time. Story continues In October 2022, reports emerged that Hicks was expected to privately testify before the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot. She was one of the few White House aides who broke with the former president, reportedly telling Trump he lost the 2020 election as he allegedly worked to overturn the results. Here's what we know about Hicks. Hicks and her sister, Mary Grace, were successful teen models. Hicks posed for Ralph Lauren and appeared on the cover of "It Girl," a spin-off of the best-selling "Gossip Girl" book and TV series. Trump campaign press secretary Hope Hicks at a rally, Colorado Springs, Colorado, October 18, 2016. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images Source: The New York Times Hicks' first brush with the Trumps came in 2012 when she was at the public-relations firm Hiltzik Strategies working on Ivanka Trump's fashion line. Trump's eldest daughter hired Hicks away in 2014 and she became an employee of the Trump Organization. Hope Hicks, spokeswoman for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, arrives at Trump Tower in New York City on January 2, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Sources: New York Times, GQ, NYMag Hicks met patriarch Trump and quickly "earned his trust," Ivanka Trump told The New York Times for a June 2016 profile on the spokeswoman. Then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with Hicks as he arrives for service at First Presbyterian Church in Muscatine, Iowa, January 24, 2016. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Source: New York Times In January 2015, Trump called Hicks into his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower and told her she was joining his presidential campaign. "I think its 'the year of the outsider.' It helps to have people with outsider perspective," Hicks said Trump told her. Corey Lewandowski, then campaign manager for Trump, stands nearby with Hicks as Trump holds a news conference in Bismarck, North Dakota, May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Source: NYMag Hicks didn't have any political experience, but her public-relations roots run deep. Both grandfathers worked in PR, and her father, Paul, was the NFL's executive vice president for communications and public relations. He was also a town selectman from 1987 to 1991. Greenwich proclaimed April 23, 2016, as Paul B. Hicks III Day. Hicks after a news conference at Trump Tower on May 31, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Source: Town of Greenwich, GQ Hicks started working on what would become Trump's campaign five months before Trump announced his presidency, after he famously rode a golden escalator down to the lobby of his tower on June 16, 2015. Hicks crosses paths with Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (who was fired in June 2016) at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst That made Hicks the campaign staffer who lasted in Trump's inner circle the longest. She outlasted his first campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, and several senior advisers. Trump listens to Hicks as he tours the Flint Water Plant and Facilities in Michigan on September 14, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar People close to her describe Hicks as a friendly, loyal fighter. Trump has called her a "natural" and "outstanding." Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is handed a box of cookies by his press secretary Hope Hicks during a visit Eat'n Park restaurant, Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, in Moon Township, Pa. AP Photo/ Evan Vucci While reporters who worked with Hicks say she's polite, they expressed frustration that she was often unreachable on the campaign trail, not responding to requests for comment, or denying access to the candidate. Kellyanne Conway, campaign manager for then Republican presidential candidate Trump, and Hicks watch during a campaign rally in October 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. AP Photo/ Evan Vucci She said her mom, Caye, told her to write a book about her experience with Trump, like "Primary Colors," the fictional novel depicting President Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. "You don't even know," she said she told her mother. Hicks during a campaign event in Phoenix, Arizona on October 29 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegr's Source: NYMag, Primary Colors During the campaign, Hicks spent most of her days fielding reporters' requests and questions even reportedly taking dictation from Trump to post his tweets. Trump's inner circle celebrates onstage at his election night party. (Hicks is fourth from left.) AP Photo/Mary Altaffer Sources: NYMag, NYT In July 2016, Donald Trump Jr. and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower to get "dirt" on opponent Hillary Clinton. Hicks later told Trump "this is going to be a massive story," and that the emails setting it up were "really bad," but he didn't want the details. The meeting became a key point of investigation in Mueller's Russia probe. White House Communications Director Hope Hicks walks on the tarmac after the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland January 26, 2018. Reuters/Carlos Barria Sources: Business Insider, CNN, BuzzFeed During the campaign, Hicks stayed in a free apartment in a Trump building, though she'd often go home to her parents' house in Connecticut when she could. Hicks departs Trump Tower in New York on November 11, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri She followed Trump to DC. He named her assistant to the president and director of strategic communications in December 2017. Trump greets Conway and Hicks during a USA Thank You Tour event in Mobile, Alabama, on December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson Source: Trump administration She still flew below the radar, directing the spotlight back on Trump. The then president-elect called her up to the microphone to speak at a "Thank You" rally in December 2017. US President-elect Donald Trump's press secretary Hope Hicks speaks during a 'Thank You Tour 2016' rally on December 17, 2016 in Mobile, Alabama. Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images It's been said she can act as a sort of Trump whisperer, understanding his many moods and professionally executing what needs to be done. She still only calls him "Sir" or "Mr. Trump." Hicks deplanes Air Force One for a weekend at Trump's private club in Bedminster, New Jersey on September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Sources: New York Times, GQ, NYMag "If the acting thing doesnt work out, I could really see myself in politics," Hicks told Greenwich Magazine when she was 13. "Who knows." Hicks, Conway, and former senior counselor Steve Bannon arrive for the presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017, in Washington. Win McNamee/Getty Images Sources: New York Times In June 2017, the White House released salary info for 377 top staffers. Hicks got paid the maximum amount that any of Trump's aides received: $179,700. Hicks walk across the South Lawn of the White House to join Trump aboard Marine One with Steve Bannon, former chief of staff Reince Priebus, and Stephen Miller on April 29, 2017. Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images Source: The White House Hicks made as much as Trump's former chief of staff Reince Priebus, former chief strategist Steve Bannon, former press secretary Sean Spicer, senior counselor Kellyanne Conway, and policy adviser Stephen Miller. Hicks and Bannon walk down the West Wing Colonnade after a meeting between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on February 10, 2017. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Source: The White House Some family members and friends expressed concern that Hicks was so closely tied to a president whose policies and statements are unpopular with a significant number of Americans, but were confident that she'll come through unscathed. U.S. President Donald Trump looks up while signing an executive order to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House in Washington January 24, 2017. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Sources: New York Times, GQ "There is just no way that a camera or an episode or a documentary could capture what has gone on. There is nothing like it," Hicks told Marie Claire in June 2016. "It is the most unbelievable, awe-inspiring thing." Conway and Hicks watch the daily press briefing at the White House on January 30, 2017. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Source: Marie Claire In August 2017, Trump asked Hicks to be the new interim White House director of communications, a job that Michael Dubke, Sean Spicer, and Anthony Scaramucci held and left in Trump's first six months in office. Hicks before the start of the daily briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on February 14, 2017. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais Sources: Daily Caller, New York Times, CNN The White House said it would announce the permanent choice for the position "at the appropriate time." In September 2017, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it would be Hicks. Hicks and Sanders walk through the lobby at Trump Tower in New York City on August 15, 2017. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Source: Business Insider That made 29-year-old Hicks the youngest White House communications director in history. Hicks listens while Trump meets with female small-business owners in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 27, 2017. Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images Sources: Daily Caller, New York Times, CNN But she became ensnared in the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. Special counsel Robert Mueller's team interviewed her in December 2017, and she reportedly hinted at concealing explosive emails about the Trump Tower Russia meeting during a conference call with Trump in July 2016. Trump confers with Hicks in the Oval Office on January 17, 2018. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Sources: The New York Times, Business Insider In February 2018, Hicks came under scrutiny for reportedly playing a key role in drafting a statement expressing vehement support for staff secretary Rob Porter after his two ex-wives accused him of physically and emotionally abusing them. Hicks and Porter were rumored to be dating. Hicks in the Oval Office on Feb. 2, 2018. AP Photo/Evan Vucci Sources: CNN, Business Insider In February 2018, she testified behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee on Trump's ties to Russia, and key incidents that she witnessed during the campaign and in the White House. She reportedly said she has told "white lies" for Trump. Hicks arrives at the US Capitol on February 27, 2018. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Sources: Business Insider, The New York Times Though she was front and center in the White House's scandals, Hicks remains a private person, revealing very little about her personal life, and remaining a mystery to many. Hicks arrives at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam on Nov. 12, 2017. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik On February 28, 2018, news broke that she would resign in the coming weeks. Many in the White House were dismayed. Hicks leaves the US Capitol after attending a closed door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee on February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis Source: Business Insider "She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person," Trump said in a statement. "I will miss having her by my side but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood." Hicks in the Oval Office on February 9, 2018. Pool/Getty Images Source: Business Insider "There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump," Hicks said in a statement. "I wish the President and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country." Hicks leaves the US Capitol after attending a closed door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee on February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis After leaving the White House, Hicks returned to her family home in Greenwich, Connecticut before being spotted in New York City, where she was reportedly on the job hunt. Hope Hicks talks on the tarmac as President Donald Trump greets supports as he arrives on Air Force One at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018, en route to a rally at Olentangy Orange High School in Lewis Center, Ohio. Carolyn Kaster/AP Source: Page Six Hicks made a rare public appearance when she boarded Air Force One in August 2018 to travel to an Ohio rally. Reportedly on Trump's invitation, Hicks talked off the record to reporters, even joking about her career prospects. Hope Hicks stands on the tarmac as President Donald Trump is greeted as he arrives on Air Force One at John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018, en route to a rally at Olentangy Orange High School in Lewis Center, Ohio. Carolyn Kaster/AP Source: Business Insider After months of staying out of the spotlight, Hicks was confirmed to be heading to a spinoff of 21st Century Fox as executive vice president and chief communications officer in October 2018. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Source: Business Insider In June 2019, Hicks testified behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee. Mueller's final report on the Russia investigation mentioned her name 184 times, so congressional investigators had a lot to talk to her about. President Donald Trump reacts as he stands next to former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks outside of the Oval Office as he departs the White House for a trip to Cleveland, Ohio, in Washington D.C. on March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Source: Politico But White House lawyers blocked Hicks from answering questions 155 times during her congressional testimony, citing "absolute immunity" and Trump's executive privilege. Hicks leaves following a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 19, 2019. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Source: Business Insider On February 13, 2020, news broke that Hicks was returning to the White House as a senior adviser. She reported to Kushner and worked with Brian Jack, the White House political director. Former White House communications director Hope Hicks leaves after a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee June 19, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images Sources: Business Insider, The New York Times On October 1, 2020, it was reported that Hicks had tested positive for COVID-19 just days after flying on Air Force One with President Donald Trump and his senior staff. (L-R) Assistant to the President and Director of Oval Office Operations Nicholas Luna, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to the President Stephen Miller, and counselor to President Hope Hicks walk to Marine One to depart from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on September 30, 2020. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images Source: Business Insider Hicks resigned from the White House on January 12, 2021, in a previously planned departure. Former President Donald Trump points to former communications director Hope Hicks shortly before making his way to board Marine One on the South Lawn and departing from the White House on March 29, 2018. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images Though her exit from the Trump White House came amid a wave of resignations following January 6, sources said she told people it wasn't because of the violence at the Capitol and instead was a normal outgoing transition at the end of an administration. Sources: CNN, Bloomberg News In October 2022, Hicks was expected to privately testify before the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot. Then-US President Donald Trump laughs as his senior adviser, Hope Hicks, speaks to the crowd during a campaign event at the Ocala International Airport on October 16, 2020 in Ocala, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images The longtime Trump aide was scheduled to be privately deposed and provide a transcribed interview with January 6 House committee investigators on October 25, according to new reports. In the book "The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021," published in September, Hicks reportedly told Trump it was time to move on. "Trump responded bitterly. 'Well, Hope doesn't believe in me,' he would say in meetings," New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker and New Yorker staff writer and CNN global affairs analyst Susan Glasser wrote in their book. "'No, I don't,' she would reply. 'Nobody's convinced me otherwise,'" they continued. "She concluded any further efforts to try to steer Trump would simply be, as she told an associate, 'a waste of time.'" Sources: The New York Times, NBC News, Business Insider Editor's note: This article was first published in February 2017 and has been updated to reflect recent developments. Read the original article on Business Insider Correction: A quote was incorrectly attributed to a former Peace Corps country director, it was by blogger Shanna Loga. The Peace Corps, an independent federal agency, was founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship. It has dispatched more than 240,000 American volunteers to 141 countries. Despite its noble goals, the agency has been plagued by a series of scandals, sexual abuse and violence suffered by employees and volunteers. Here are a few examples: 1. Sexual assaults and the murder of Kate Puzey In May 2011, dozens of volunteers provided written testimony to Congress about problems with the Peace Corps handling of sexual violence, ranging from failures to train volunteers to mistreatment after assaults. In November 2011, President Barack Obama signed the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act, named after a volunteer killed in 2009 after she reported sexual misconduct by a coworker and Peace Corps staff failed to keep her identity confidential. Years later, the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General found continued failures and a deep resentment and mistrust in the agencys sexual assault reduction program. By 2015, one in five of the nearly 7,000 volunteers around the globe reported being sexually assaulted during their service. Another report showed volunteers reported 1,600 incidents of sexual assault between 1990 and 2009. In 2020, the agencys OIG issued a report underscoring recurring issues, including the agencys struggles with volunteer placement, transportation and housing. The watchdog reiterated warnings that overseas staff failed to keep adequate records of security threats in site history files deemed incomplete, disorganized and unused." A dozen Peace Corps volunteers told USA TODAY in 2021 they were placed in dangerous situations and suffered further trauma when the agency bungled the response to their assaults. An investigation by the newspaper found volunteers accusing staff of misrepresenting sexual assaults in official records, failing to explain to rape victims the option of having a sexual assault forensic exam and otherwise violating policies established over the last decade. Story continues 2. John Petersons fatal drunk driving spree An American Peace Corps employee in Tanzania killed a mother of three and injured two others in a series of crashes in 2019 after a night of drinking. USA TODAY unearthed documents and accounts of the incident involving high-ranking Peace Corps employee John Peterson. Within hours of the incident, the American was rushed onto a plane by the Peace Corps and U.S. Embassy staff and was flown out of the country. Neither Tanzanian nor U.S. authorities have filed charges in the incident. The car that John Peterson was driving is seen at the crash site. In the early morning of August 24, 2019, Peace Corps employee John Peterson struck and killed Rabia Issa. He wasn't charged. But USA TODAY confirmed that the former Peace Corps employee, who avoided prosecution after killing a mother of three in a car crash, is the subject of a federal watchdogs inquiry into whether he had a history of hiring sex workers overseas. Peterson was released from a Tanzanian jail after embassy officials wrongfully asserted diplomatic immunity for Peterson, records show. State Department officials then waited until he was airborne before notifying their host nations counterparts. Peterson was suspended from his duties and remained on the payroll for more than a year after the incident before he resigned, collecting $258,000. Since USA TODAY published its exclusive report in December, former Peace Corps members have called for change at the agency and raised thousands of dollars for the deceased woman's family. 3. Nick Castle and substandard medical care Volunteer Nick Castle died while serving in China in 2013 after receiving substandard medical care. After a mysterious gastrointestinal case left Castle unresponsive in city of Chengdu, the Peace Corps hired an outside expert to examine what happened. The review found that despite poor care, the death could not have been prevented. However, an investigation by the New York Times in 2014 raised new questions about how the agency responded to the volunteers illness. Nick Castle graduated in 2012 from the University of California, Berkeley. He died the next year after receiving inadequate medical care as a Peace Corps volunteer in China. His mother, Sue, right, continues to push lawmakers and Peace Corps officials for improvements. Months before his death, Castle had reached out to his Peace Corps doctor due to worrisome weight loss, then again after falling seriously ill. After seeing him, the doctor delayed calling an ambulance, which then got lost trying to reach him, the newspaper reported. In October 2018, President Donald Trump signed the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act. (Farr is a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Congress until 2017). The law expands oversight of medical staff and health care coverage for volunteers injured during service and requires the Peace Corps to train host families on sexual assault awareness and prevention. The Peace Corps inspector general found that before the law, only 21% of Peace Corps staff said they provided such training to host families. 4. Gardner, Kinsey deaths revisited In 1976, Peace Corps volunteer Deborah Gardner, 23, was stabbed to death in Tonga. Witnesses said they saw fellow volunteer Dennis Priven, 24, dragging Gardners body from her house. What followed was what one writer called, the greatest scandal in Peace Corps history. President Gerald Fords appointees at the agency reportedly bottled up news of the murder in the midst of the presidential campaign, then came to Privens defense. Priven was found not guilty by a Tonga jury by reason of insanity and flew back to the United States in early 1977 under a promise from the State Department to have him involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. Once in the U.S. he was released. The case gained renewed attention in 2005 with Philip Weiss book on the incident. A U.S. attorney in Seattle looked into charging Priven but determined there was no domestic jurisdiction. In a second case, Peace Corps volunteer Peppy Kinsey died in 1966 in what was first described as a rock-climbing accident. Police in Tanzania arrested and charged Kinseys husband, Bill. Police believed Bill Kinsey had bludgeoned his wife with a rock and metal pipe they found at the scene caked in blood. A Tanzanian judge found Kinsey not guilty, but contemporary reviews have cast doubt on the independence and breadth of the investigation. Author Peter Reid, who revisited the death in his 2020 book, said Tanzanian politics impacted the case. A team of defense attorneys, expert witnesses and the judge had overwhelmingly more experience than the prosecution. Bill Kinsey maintained his innocence. 5. Abolish the Peace Corps movement A small but vocal group of Peace Corps critics around the globe have in recent years called for disbanding the agency altogether for promoting White saviorism and American exceptionalism. Abolish Peace Corps: A Movement Toward Ending Neocolonialism in International Development is led by returned Peace Corps volunteers including Lindsay Allen and Chiemeka Njoku. It hosts a change.org petition to slowly ramp down Peace Corps operations by 2040. Other critics maintain that Peace Corps now exists to sustain itself and benefits the lives and careers of its volunteers and employees. Some, like blogger Shanna Loga say, if the Peace Corps were genuinely interested in international development, it would have worked itself out of existence by now by empowering locals to do the work rather than US volunteers. The Peace Corps Employees Union has advocated for internal reforms like an updated misconduct policy for employees and increase the civil claim threshold that has been capped at $20,000 for decades. Nick Penzenstadler is a reporter on the USA TODAY investigations team. Contact him at npenz@usatoday.com or @npenzenstadler, or on Signal at (720) 507-5273. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Peace Corps scandals include hit-and-run, mishandling sexual assaults 54gene co-founder and chief executive officer Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong has stepped down from his executive role, the African genomics company confirmed to TechCrunch today. The three-year-old company has appointed General Counsel Teresia L. Bost as interim CEO. She will be supported by Chief Operating Officer Delali Attipoe, the company said. Ene-Obong, on the other hand, will retain his position on 54gene's board while moving to a new role of senior advisor. Ene-Obong's resignation and Bost's ascension comes two months after 54gene laid off 95 employees, or more than 30% of its workforce, in August. The layoffs affected employees, mostly contract staff (in labs and sales departments) recruited to work in 54gene's COVID business line launched in 2020 to complement its flagship product: a biobank of the African genome. Founded in 2019 by Ene-Obong, 54gene addresses the gap in the global genomics market where Africans make up less than 3% of genetic material used in pharmaceutical research despite being more genetically diverse than any other population. The audacious project has received over $45 million from investors such as Adjuvant Capital, Y Combinator and Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF) and partnered with organizations like Illumina, Genentech and Parexel. Biotechs globally tend to have a long-term approach toward making money; in fact, such companies can still be worth billions with little to no revenue. For the Washington-based but Africa-focused 54gene, its primary revenue path involves working with pharmaceutical companies to co-develop drugs and medicine--and that takes time. A typical time frame for a new drug from creation to market entry can take up to a decade, so it made sense for 54gene to turn its lab capabilities to COVID testing as a new source of revenue. However, the decline in COVID testing has presented 54gene with fresh challenges: dwindling revenues and redundant roles. Though it has already let go of 95 employees, the company confirmed that it will conduct a second round of layoffs following restructuring across several departments. According to the YC-backed company, it wants to focus resources on its core mission of African genomics research and equalizing precision medicine. At the same time, its clinical diagnostic arm takes the back seat. Story continues Here's more information on the company's new direction: Going forward, the primary focus will be on the unique genomic research the company has started by further leveraging its genomic datasets derived from 54gene's state-of-the-art biobank, that currently houses over 130,000 unique patient samples and corresponding genomic data, all with the objective of positioning the company to make contributions to precision medicine and drug discovery. This continues the meaningful work the company has invested in, whilst de-emphasizing the clinical diagnostic business line at the time. It's unclear exactly why Ene-Obong is stepping down. Yet, it's not farfetched to assume that the company's recent struggles are a contributing factor. Also, when the company carried out its first round of layoffs, allegations of financial impropriety were leveled against him and his executives from a group of employees. But such claims are unfounded, at least for now. Interestingly, the former CEO's resignation also comes one month after Ogochukwu Francis Osifo, the company's co-founder and VP, Engineering, left the company in September. In response to whether the company's decision to let him go was performance-related or because the ex-CEO was moving on to new projects, 54gene only said, "Abasi has decided to step down as the CEO but will continue to support the company in its go-forward plans such as strategic partnerships and fundraising. We cannot comment on what other new interests he will pursue if any, but we wish him well and still consider him a key team member.". As 54gene shifts into a new phase, Ene-Obong, who consulted for organizations such as Gilead and IMS Health in the past, believes the startup is in the best hands as Bost and Attipoe "have deep insight into the workings of 54gene." Bost boasts more than 20 years of extensive knowledge and experience across pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare industries with companies such as Celgene and Quartet Health while providing strategic support of securities matters, corporate governance and finance matters. Attipoe, on the other hand, brings more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector working with firms like Roche and Genentech. Ene-Obong, addressing his exit and the transition in a statement, said: Protestors react to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 2022. Credit - Jason Andrew for TIME When Greg Horwitch recently spoke with a white Kentucky man in his early 70s, he did not expect the man to support abortion rights. But as he asked the man, who grew up in the South and initially planned to be a Catholic priest, about his life, he learned the situation was more nuanced. He said hes never had need for an abortion. Hes never known anyone who has spoken of having an abortion, Horwitch recalls. It was automatic to be against abortion. But now hes faced with questions like, If my daughter were pregnant, and something went wrong medically, would she have access to the medical remedy to save her life? Horwitch says he then learned that the man hadnt thought about abortion as a political issue until this fall, when he realized Kentucky is voting on a proposed amendment that would change the state constitution to say it does not contain the right to abortion. Ultimately, the man remained ambivalent about abortion, but promised to vote against the amendment and even signed up to call more voters like himself. The call between the two men was part of a joint effort by the network Horwitch co-foundedOrganizing White Men for Collective Liberation along with advocacy group SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), which are working with abortion rights campaigners in Kentucky to reach one million voters as they oppose Amendment 2 ahead of Election Day. But its also an example of what abortion rights supporters see as a new and necessary strategy to help them protect reproductive rights in the U.S.: appealing to men. In the four months since the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization overturned a constitutional right to abortion, progressive activists, researchers, political strategists, and candidates for office have started to try to interest male voters with messages about abortion rights. Previously, abortion was considered a niche, womens issue and often viewed as tangential to major elections since advocates could challenge laws that violated the protections guaranteed under Roe v. Wade. But now that abortion policy has been returned to the states and reshaped political races around the country, male voters opinions about abortion are crucial to the outcomes. Story continues About eight in 10 Americans think abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances, according to Gallup polling, and that support has held steady for years. But even though men are included in that support, researchers have found that they often didnt know how to talk about the issue or viewed it as a topic where women should lead. Its not so much that [men] werent supportive, its that they werent loud about it, says Angela Vasquez-Giroux, vice president of communications and research at NARAL Pro-Choice America, one of the countrys largest abortion rights advocacy groups. What were seeing now is a new segment of that eight in 10 has been given a reason to get active. In Kentucky and elsewhere, advocates say they are seeing more men interested in abortion rights than ever before. Kansas was the first state to have an abortion-related constitutional amendment on its ballot this year, and Rachel Sweet, who ran the successful campaign against that proposal, says she was surprised by how many men volunteered with the effort. Now shes seeing the same thing in Kentucky with volunteers like Horwitch, where she is running Protect Kentucky Access, the campaign against that states proposed amendment. Leaders for Michigans campaign to enshrine abortion rights in their states constitution say theyve seen more male volunteers too. Men are realizing that they also have a role to play in this fight that is bigger than just being on the sidelines and staying out of the way, Sweet says. Read More: Michigan Is Fighting One of the Most Significant Abortion Battles in the Country To capitalize on this interest, campaigners have been experimenting with new messengers in abortion-related ads and with different ways of coaching men on how to speak about the issue. Sweets Kansas campaign used ads including a male physician, a male pastor, and a male narrator framing the amendment as a government mandate. She ran ads there on what she calls dad channels, including Fox News and the History Channel. The Kentucky campaign launched two new ads on Tuesday, similarly featuring a male pastor and a male narrator, and there her campaign is advertising on Fox News and ESPN. Other campaigns, in places diverse as Arizona, Minnesota, and Texas, have also deployed male characters in abortion-related ads this year. Civis Analytics, a progressive data science company, began looking at how male messengers performed after the Dobbs decision. Josh Yazman, a political data scientist at Civis, found that while traditional abortion-related ads featuring a mom talking about having an abortion after her first child worked well with women, ads featuring men born after 1981what he calls broswere resonating with different voters. His team tested an ad featuring a younger man named Conrad with flowing hair talking about fearing for the women in his life after Dobbs. The bro was really doing better with some of those groups like rural voters, men, Republicans, people who dont typically respond well to pro-abortion messaging, Yazman says. Having men talk to each other about abortion rights is critical to their buy-in as stakeholders rather than just allies, says Oren Jacobson, founder of Men4Choice, a group that works to educate and mobilize men in support of abortion rights. We have to recognize the reality in this country that for far too long, men havent been listening to women, Jacobson says. We believe that the most persuasive and effective communicators to help change mens mind about this are other men. Finding the right messages for men Its not just the messenger that matters, but also the message. One of the ideas that campaigns say resonates most strongly with men is the idea of maintaining freedom from government control. This was a central theme of the Kansas campaign, where the coalition fighting the amendment was called Kansans for Constitutional Freedom. Its working in Kentucky too, say Sweet and Horwitch. NARALs research has also found this frame works for men because its not so centered on the physicality of the body, says Vasquez-Giroux. It allows men to think about the issue through a frame of independence, which they may already support. Theres a group of folks who plainly say that they they dont think that abortion would be right for them or their families but they believe that it should be legal, and that everyone should decide for themselves, she says. Another message that works is to highlight the positions of anti-abortion politicians and advocates, says Ryan Irvin, co-founder of Change Media Group, which has worked on ads for candidates that support abortion rights this year. Pointing to how extreme some of the positions of some of the candidates were helping run against has been a really, really key factor, he says. Jacobson notes that one of Men4Choices most effective efforts is its Call Bulls**t campaign, which encourages men to use normal guy speak to call out the men in power who are using that power to control womens bodies. A crowd of anti-abortion and abortion rights protesters are seen in the Indiana State Capitol building on July 25, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jon CherryGetty Images A third message that has been effective is appealing to mens concern for and desire to help the women in their lives who could be affected by abortion bans. Bryan Bennett, a pollster at progressive data firm Navigator Research, says he still sees men about 10 points less affected by most abortion messages than womenexcept those that focus on forcing women to carry pregnancies to term under horrible circumstances. Navigator polling from late September, for example, found that 83% of Democratic women and 77% of Democratic men found it very or somewhat concerning that Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Grahams proposed national abortion ban would require women to carry a pregnancy for nine months even if they found out the baby would not survive birth, while other messages had larger gender gaps. The Civis researchers tested messages related to Kentuckys proposed constitutional amendment and found that strong statements about how the states abortion ban could harm women were more effective with men than less urgent messages, and their national polling found that young men were more likely to support abortion rights if they knew someone had an abortion. NARAL, too, has found that men are powerfully motivated by the idea of supporting women. Jacobson at Men4Choice says that many men enter the conversation in this way because thats how theyve seen other men, especially politicians, talk about the issue in the past. His group, which runs several organizing fellowships each year for men 18-25 years old, tries to help move men beyond what can be seen as paternalistic framing by meeting people where they are, he says. In the long term, its culture change work, Jacobson says. Its training a new generation of men to engage differently on this issue. Some groups are specifically embracing men of color, who havent traditionally been a focus of abortion rights campaigns. NARAL recently released polling in Georgia by EMC research that found that 86% of Black men opposed the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and 79% opposed the states six-week abortion ban. Civil rights leaders and reproductive rights leaders discussed the need to motivate this group at a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris in September, and Planned Parenthood set up a food truck to talk with voters during homecoming weekend for Spelman College and Morehouse College, two historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Atlanta. At least half of Men4Choices fellowship cohort this summer identified as people of color, according to Jacobson, and the group is collaborating with Planned Parenthood to run ads targeting Black men in Atlanta during the final stretch of the midterms cycle. Yazman says this is particularly important because the researchers at Civis found that while men of color do support reproductive rights, they are what he calls pro-choice but persuadable susceptible to messaging from either side. In preliminary research in states with abortion ballot measures, Civis found that millennial and Gen Z men of color were swinging more than other groups when they saw targeted ads. Theyre willing to support restrictions if they hear a compelling argument about abortion restrictions, he says. Theyre willing to fall back to more natural pro-choice views when they hear messaging that aligns with their pro-choice views. This is part of why abortion rights advocates around the country see the work to engage men as having urgent importance for the midtermsbut also potentially big impacts in the future. The immediate goal is to beat this amendment, Horwitch says of Kentuckys Amendment 2. Were also laying groundwork for future political growth, and I think a broader understanding of mens shared interest in protecting abortion rights, fighting for things like universal health care and just greater understanding of collective politics. Demonstrators during a protest calling for the closure of the Guantanamo detention camp in front of the White House on January 11, 2022. NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images T-Mobile had at least 11 contracts providing service to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and prison. A coalition of 22 organizations is calling on the company to end its work in Guantanamo Bay. Almost 800 people have been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay since the prison opened in 2002. A coalition of 22 organizations is calling on T-Mobile to end its work with the Department of Defense providing cell service to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and detention camp. T-Mobile has worked with the Department of Defense more than 4,000 times. At least 11 of these contracts, according to research conducted by the coalition and shared with Insider, are for providing cell service to the Guantanamo Bay prison site. The contracts, identified by the coalition and reviewed by Insider, began in 2016 and are collectively worth less than $700,000. "T-Mobile is the only service provider operational in Guantanamo Bay Cuba," a Navy document from March said. The activist groups Action Center on Race and the Economy, MPower Change, and Little Sis, the leading voices in the coalition, focus on highlighting corporate contractors for the Guantanamo Bay prison 20 years after it opened in 2002. It comes on the heels of their Big Tech Sells War campaign, which highlights tech companies supplying infrastructure in support of the War on Terror. "T-Mobile cannot claim to be working toward anti-racism while simultaneously providing services and telecommunications infrastructure to Guantanamo, a site that is synonymous with racial profiling, torture, and unlawful detention," a letter from the coalition to T-Mobile says. The coalition contacted Jeffrey Neal, T-Mobile's national director of federal sales, on September 23, October 5, and October 13. Ramah Kudaimi, an organizer with ACRE, said it has not received a response. T-Mobile's Guantanamo Bay contracts are worth a meager amount compared to its other contracts worth more than $1 million each. But the company has taken pride in its work for the prison. Story continues The company published a press release about its work in Guantanamo in 2016. T-Mobile's CEO at the time, John Legere, said the company was "honored to be able to serve those who serve this country with the first high-speed connection." Kudaimi told Insider that T-Mobile's work on Guantanamo doesn't align with racial-justice values that T-Mobile's current CEO, Mike Sievert, has tried to project in the past, such as announcing the company would no longer run ads on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show following Carlson's racist comments on Black Lives Matter protesters. "You're providing services and infrastructure to a site that is synonymous with racial profiling, with torture, with unlawful detention, and in particular, around Islamophobia," Kudaimi said. The US has held almost 800 people in the Guantanamo Bay prison, often without being charged with a crime, since it opened in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. In many cases, prisoners at the site have awaited trial for years and experienced torture, beatings, and force-feedings. Currently, 36 people remain imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, despite claims by President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama that the prison would close. Seventy-five House Democrats recently urged Biden to follow through on his stated intent to close the prison. People who eventually left the detention site have reported lingering consequences of their time at the prison, including trouble finding a job, making friends, and restarting their lives. T-Mobile did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Kanye West Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for ADIDAS Adidas' relationship with Kanye West has come to an end. The company said Tuesday it has "immediately" terminated its partnership with West, who is legally known as over the rapper's recent string of antisemitic comments. "Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech," the company said in a statement. "Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness." West's Twitter account was restricted this month after he tweeted that he would go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," which he followed up with further antisemitic comments. Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo pushed back on the rapper in an interview, in which West complained about a "Jewish underground media mafia." In an appearance on Drink Champs on Oct. 16, West also claimed, "I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me." Adidas faced growing pressure to end its partnership with West prior to the Tuesday announcement, and the company said cutting ties with him will result in "a short-term negative impact of up to" $246 million on its net income in 2022. On Monday, the Hollywood talent agency CAA also cut ties with West, Johnny Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez stopped working with him, and MRC shelved a completed documentary about him. "The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or antisemitism in general is dismaying but not surprising," executives from MRC said. In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, West said he is "absolutely not" sorry about his "death con 3" tweet, though he apologized for causing "confusion." You may also like Climate activists arrested after throwing mashed potatoes at Monet painting Who is Rishi Sunak? House Democratic progressives release, walk back letter to Biden on Ukraine war policy Adidas, a major business partner of Kanye West, the rapper who now goes by Ye, is cutting ties with him in the wake of "hateful and dangerous" antisemitic comments. The sneaker giant, which has worked with West since 2013, announced on Oct. 25 that it had immediately terminated their partnership. "Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech," the company said in a statement. "Yes recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the companys values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness." The company said it reached the decision "after a thorough review" and will end production of Yeezy-branded products and "stop all payments to Ye and his companies." Adidas announced on Oct. 7 that it was placing its partnership with West "under review" in the wake of his antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media. Adidas has not released specific sales numbers for West's popular Yeezy line of shoes and clothes, but industry analysts estimate they bring in up to $2 billion a year in sales, around 10% of the company's total sales. The German company said in its statement that ending the partnership with West will have "a short-term negative impact" of up to 250 million euros ($246 million) on the companys net income this year. Street Style - Cologne - January 24, 2020 (Jeremy Moeller / Getty Images) The controversy did not stop Adidas from releasing its latest Yeezy Boost sneaker this past weekend. Adidas had been under fire for its support of West and tolerating his antisemitic comments, particularly given that it was founded in the 1920s by brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, who were members of the Nazi Party during World War II. West had even taunted Adidas on the Oct. 16 episode of the podcast Drink Champs. I can say antisemitic things, and Adidas cant drop me. Now what? Now what? he said. The decision from Adidas comes after West had previously been dropped by his talent agency, CAA, for his comments about Jews. A completed documentary about him has also been shelved following his remarks. Legendary fashion house Balenciaga and mall retailer Gap also cut ties with West in recent weeks. Story continues On Oct. 25, Gap said it was taking "immediate steps" to remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores. "Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values," it said in a statement. "On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination." West doubled down on his antisemitic messages this week in a podcast interview with Jewish MIT research scientist Lex Fridman published on Oct. 24. "Its genocide and population control that Black people are in today in America, that is promoted by the music and the media that Black people make, that Jewish record labels get paid off of," West said. Over the weekend, a group of neo-Nazi demonstrators hung a banner from an overpass on a Los Angeles highway showing their support for West's comments. West's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, condemned his comments on Monday. Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end. Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) October 24, 2022 "Hate speech is never OK or excusable," she tweeted. "I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end." This article was originally published on TODAY.com The U.S. Air Force is deploying MQ-9 Reapers in the Indo-Pacific for the first time under a newly reactivated squadron on the edge of the East China Sea. The 319th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at Kanoya Air Base in southern Japan formally began operations Sunday under the command of Lt. Col. Alexander Kelly, the Air Force said Tuesday. Its the latest iteration of a unit that was first created as a fighter squadron in New York in 1942, and last served as a training squadron in Florida until 1977. US Navy injects first-of-kind unmanned experiments into multinational exercise Now, the 319th will provide eyes in the sky over east Asia in support of joint U.S.-Japan intelligence objectives and to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, the service said. Its patrols could help collect information about Chinese military activity in the area including signs it may be preparing to invade Taiwan and that of North Korea, which recently fired a ballistic missile over Japan. This will enhance the joint ability to respond to threats and emerging situations, while strengthening the alliance, the Air Force said. MQ-9s can be used to cooperatively address regional challenges such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and other issues affecting the Indo-Pacific. Reapers are typically used to conduct airstrikes as well, but will not be armed for reconnaissance missions. Get ready for another fight over the future of the MQ-9 Reaper The Air Force has struggled to chart a path forward for the MQ-9 fleet outside of U.S. Central Command, where the drones have redefined modern war as a pivotal counterterror asset in the past two decades. After multiple attempts to convince Congress to let it cease MQ-9 purchases from drone manufacturer General Atomics, the Air Force may get its wish in the coming year. The service hopes to shrink its Reaper fleet from 351 to 276 aircraft by the end of fiscal 2023, and stop production altogether. It fears the aircraft could become easy targets for Chinese air defenses in a potential war, and wants to funnel that money toward higher-priority acquisition programs. Story continues The most recent briefing to the committee indicated that the Air Force intends to remove well over half of the existing aircraft from the MQ-9 fleet by fiscal year 2027, the House Armed Services Committee wrote in July. Poland leases MQ-9A Reapers ahead of drone buy Despite earlier disagreements with DOD, lawmakers appear willing to curtail the MQ-9 program in the defense policy and spending bills now moving through Congress. But some still want more information about what the fleet has to offer outside of CENTCOM. The Senate Armed Services Committee has asked the Pentagons cost assessment office to produce a financial outlook for the MQ-9 program, including the price of its current and future missions, by Feb. 1, 2023. Some have suggested that the MQ-9 still has a role in great power competition, the panel said in its report accompanying the fiscal 2023 defense policy bill. Supporters of continued MQ-9 employment have asserted that the MQ-9 possesses similar survivability as other fourth-generation aircraft, and there is no reason that they could not operate in threat environments similar to F-15s or F-16s. Marine Corps wants to test out attritable partner drones, new MQ-9 payloads The House Armed Services and Appropriations committees are also looking for more transparency on efforts to modernize the current fleet with upgraded communications and electronic warfare technology, among other gear. The U.S. has included Reapers in its training exercises in the Indo-Pacific for years. The experiments help gauge how well the drones which are far more vulnerable to bad weather and battlefield threats than manned aircraft could perform in the region. The MQ-9 schoolhouse at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, in 2020 rewrote its syllabus with a greater focus on the tactics needed for more challenging missions in the Indo-Pacific. It incorporates maritime interdiction capabilities, it incorporates a lot more major contingency operation capabilities, air interdiction, 29th Attack Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Brian Davis said at the time. It reinvigorates our strike coordination and reconnaissance capability, and it also increases our combat search and rescue capability. Air Force's MQ-9 Reapers are now conducting missions from Romania More recently, the MQ-9 has appeared at major exercises from the Navys massive Rim of the Pacific event to the biennial Valiant Shield. Its been tasked with maritime surveillance and target tracking, among other missions, in a shift away from its usual training over remote strips of land. The data that we have in a simulator feeds off of real-world engagements like [sinking exercises], Air National Guard Capt. Phillip West, the MQ-9 maritime force integration lead at RIMPAC, said in a press release. Theyre trying to build a database of what ships look like. Then they can fit it into a simulator so we can practice it and have more efficient training. PARIS (Reuters) - French authorities are in talks with planemaker Airbus that could lead to the expansion of a record multi-national bribery settlement agreed in 2020, prosecutors said on Tuesday. French publication Mediapart reported that Airbus was facing an investigation into alleged bribery in the sale of 21 jets to Libya in 2007, part of a wider probe into links with Libya under late leader Muammar Gaddafi. Airbus declined comment. Mediapart said Airbus is close to a new settlement - known in France as a Public Interest Agreement or CJIP, which typically involves fines in return for suspending criminal charges - with the PNF financial prosecutor over past dealings in Libya. "I can confirm discussions are underway with Airbus with a view to concluding a CJIP concerning matters that are an extension of those involved in the 2020 CJIP, but which could not be treated at that time," a PNF spokesperson said by email. The prosecutor declined further comment. A person familiar with the discussions confirmed they concerned dealings with Libya, asking not to be named because the talks remain confidential until an agreement is formalised. In 2020, Airbus admitted in jointly agreed statements with prosecutors to extensive past use of bribes and agreed to pay a record 3.6 billion euro ($3.6 billion) fine to France, Britain and the United States, including 2.1 billion euros to French authorities. The 2020 French CJIP cited corruption of foreign officials, fraud and money laundering in the sale of jets and satellites. That came after a four-year probe that highlighted the use of a global network of intermediaries and disguised payments spread over several years, sparking dozens of satellite legal disputes between Airbus and former agents dubbed "business partners". The planemaker has undergone sweeping management changes since the original probe began in 2016 and says it now has a state-of-the-art compliance system. It remains under court-approved monitoring of its activities until early next year. ($1 = 1.0043 euros) (Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro and Tim Hepher; Writing by Tim Hepher; Editing by Richard Lough and David Holmes) The flight was a code-share between Qantas and Emirates with a stopover. Toshi K/Shutterstock A mother says her 12-year-old son was prevented from boarding a flight due to an airline mix-up. The flight was a code-share between Qantas and Emirates with a stopover. Qantas said it had apologized for giving the family incorrect information. Australian airline Qantas has apologized for providing incorrect advice after a mother said her 12-year-old son was prevented from boarding a flight due to him being unaccompanied. Clare Mooney told New Zealand publication the NZ Herald that her son, Charlie Read, had been booked on a flight from Auckland to Bangkok by a Qantas booking agent. The boy had been planning to visit his father. Money said the flight was a code-share between Qantas and Emirates with a stopover and change of carrier in Sydney, per the NZ Herald. After the pair arrived at the airport, Qantas said it could not be responsible for an unaccompanied minor from the stopover in Sydney to Bangkok because Emirates was responsible for this part of the flight, the outlet reported. Per the report, Read's father, who made the booking, said he had originally been assured that the code-sharing wouldn't be an issue. Mooney could not immediately be reached for comment. A spokesperson for Qantas told Insider: "We know this would have been a very frustrating experience and we have apologized to the Read family for providing incorrect advice." While the flights were Qantas-operated, the flight numbers were Emirates, the airline said, and the family should not have been told they were allowed to use Qantas' unaccompanied minor service. Qantas added that the family would be reimbursed for their expenses. Emirates did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment. Mooney told the NZ Herald that Qantas airline staff "found issues rather than solutions from the get-go." Mooney said she was originally told her son could not board because of issues with his vaccination certificate. Staff later said this wasn't the case and her son instead couldn't board because the flight was a code-share with Emirates. Story continues The family said they paid an adult fare for their son and an extra fee for him to be looked after as an unaccompanied minor, per the NZ Herald. Mooney also told the outlet that Qantas would not let her son board the flight unaccompanied, despite both Qantas and Emirates websites stating that young passengers 12 years and over could do so. This is not the first time airlines have faced issues over their unaccompanied minor policies. Last month, Southwest Airlines diverted a flight with an eight-year-old unaccompanied minor on board but failed to let her family know, Insider reported. Read the original article on Business Insider The U.S. military over the weekend struck members of al-Shabaab in Somalia as the terrorist group was attacking Somali National Army forces, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. U.S. Africa Command said the strike occurred near Buulobarde, about 218 kilometers north-northwest of Mogadishu, on Oct. 23. The command initially assessed that it killed two attacking al-Shabaab terrorists, according to a statement. The command said no civilians were injured or killed in the strike. The U.S. operation is the latest in Somalia after a similar airstrike on Oct. 1, when American forces struck and killed top al-Shabaab leader Abdullahi Nadir. And last month, Africom claimed it killed 27 al-Shabaab terrorists who were attacking Somali forces on Sept. 18. About 500 U.S. service members are in Somali to help train, advise and equip partner forces following President Bidens May announcement that the American troops would be redeployed to Somalia, an effort to counter the terrorist group. Bidens order reversed that of former President Trump, who decided to withdraw all U.S. forces from the country in 2020. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. An Amazon worker has been found dead in a yard after a suspected mauling by two dogs. The body of the Amazon worker was found in a yard on a property in the Wood Heights area of Excelsior Springs, Missouri -- approximately 32 miles northeast of Kansas City -- on Monday evening, according to ABC News Kansas City affiliate KMBC. MORE: STORY 2 pit bulls attack boy and grandmother, police say Neighbors told KMBC that they called the Ray County Sheriffs Office to report a delivery truck which had been parked in front of a residence in Wood Heights for several hours on Monday evening. But when authorities responded to investigate the truck, they found the body of the driver in the yard along with two dogs on the property, according to KMBC. MORE: Dog rescued after being thrown off bridge from moving car in plastic container, police say The responding deputy shot and killed both of the dogs after an initial investigation revealed that animal bites were a factor in the Amazon workers death, according to Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers. Were deeply saddened by tonights tragic incident involving a member of our Amazon family and will be providing support to the team and the drivers loved ones. We are assisting law enforcement in their investigation, Amazon said in a statement obtained by ABC News. MORE: Deaf dog named Hobo falls 100 feet into ravine, has life saved by 5 rescuers in hourslong rescue The Amazon employee has not yet been identified and it is unclear if the residents of the home were there at the time of the suspected -- but currently unconfirmed -- mauling or if there had been any history of aggression by the dogs. The circumstances around the death remains under investigation. Amazon worker found dead in yard after suspected mauling by 2 dogs originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Stacy Schiff on the front steps of the New York Public Library, on Oct. 14, 2022. Stacy Schiff on the front steps of the New York Public Library, on Oct. 14, 2022. Credit - Adam Pape for TIME With our foamy little coffees, Stacy Schiff and I have set up at a small round metal table under the trees of Bryant Park, the great green oasis that shares a block of midtown Manhattan with the New York Public Library. Its in that grand building at the other end of the block. Or so one assumes. Were sitting on the stacks, Schiff announces, with a smile and a nod toward the ground. Shes serious. Beneath the walkways and the grass and the squirrelsall the things that make a parkis most of what makes a library. Ive been down there twice, she says. Crazy. Its this amazing warren of books. Its just like miles and miles. This is not only a genuine secret of New York, its one Schiff imparts with a particular kind of arch humor, a pleasure gathered from the information being shared. These are qualities familiar to readers of her best-selling, award-winning, really good biographies, the latest of which, The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, she spent many months researching at the other end of the block. It wasnt easy. Samuel was the Adams who did not save his paperspartly because he cared so little whether he was remembered. In this he differed, Schiff notes, with his cousin John, who like many of the founders turns out to have been deeply preoccupied with what today would be called brand but was known at the time as posterity. The John Hancocks of this world, the John Adamses of this world, theyre always the people who succeed because they seem to let everyone know they succeed, she says. The other reason Samuel Adams is so hard to capture is the reason to try: more than anyone, he led the effort to break the American colonies free of Britain. Much of that work was done in secret, and an effective conspirator takes pains to hide what hes doing while hes doing it. The Revolutionary includes a scene of Samuel Adams scissoring incriminating letters to scatter like confetti out a window, sparing his associates if stopping the biographers heart. Story continues He is the hole in the center of the nations origin story. Every schoolchild remembers Paul Reveres midnight ride. But who recalls whom he galloped to warnthe man the British were coming for? Not even Schiff, who (so embarrassing) grew up in Adams, Mass., a town named for him, began her project with much more than a glimpse of the fellow. If you read his contemporaries, everybody else says he was the most active, the earliest, the most persevering man of the Revolutionthe Father of the Revolution, she says. And hes gone. So what did the founders know that we dont? Thats just pretty much the question I was trying to answer. As a biographer, she is drawn to the underdocumented. Her 2000 Pulitzer Prize was for Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), all of whose letters were lost. In Cleopatra: A Life, Schiff revivified the most powerful ruler of her era by drawing from the likes of images on coins and a text written 100 years after her death. After her last book, The Witches: Salem, 1692, she found herself craving someone noble, someone who I could admire, someone who stood up for what he believed in someone who could fairly be said rerouted history. And thats not that many people. But Samuel Adams filled the bill. About the beer. The real Samuel Adams was not a brewer. He drove the family malt business into the ground and, Schiff writes, was called many names in his life, but one thing he was never called was Sam. He was a downwardly mobile yet powerfully driven man, animated by idealism, liberty, and a Puritan sense of righteous justice. If we dont always know what Samuel Adams did (the Boston Tea Party almost certainly belongs on his resume, but was never put there), it was never hard to see what he thought. He published constantly, if pseudonymously, in the colonial Massachusetts newspapers that drove the Crowns men batty. The officials are often saying, How do you govern a colony with five newspapers? Schiff says. And its not unlike today, where everyone is tweeting, and everybodys on social media. What does that do to government stability? Theres this question of how much does revolution, or at least an upsurge in thinking, coincide with an explosion of new media? The author raises her voice to be heard above the thudder of construction equipment installing the Bryant Park ice rink. There are a lot of resonances, she says, meaning between the 1770s and the 2020s: The feeling that people have that their rights are not being attended to. The whole idea that the elite is deaf to everyone else. She pauses. It seems like its that same kind of crease in history, when some of us are thinking: When is the world going to go back to normal? But its already changed. You dont realize that the evolution has already been done. Samuel Adams has something for every modern patriot. His passion for personal liberty chimes for conservatives. Liberals can hark to his calls for activism. But the man had no truck for insurrection. The revolt he led by, as Schiff puts it, taking ambient ideas and wrestling them on the page was against an overseas despot. When, in 1787, former soldiers attacked courthouses and other government properties in the newly minted United States, Adams urged hanging for the ringleaders of Shays Rebellion. His view, Schiff says, came down to legitimacy: Once it is the government that you yourself have established, theres a legitimate means of redress, and that is called elections. If hed kept his letters, Schiff might have been able to put her finger on what she considers the central question. What is the moment at which resistance melts for him into revolution? she asks. Instead, shes fashioned Adams story from the accounts of others, often his enemies. Youre having to piece together, you know, whos creating a loophole, whos lunging through the loophole, and then theres covering up the loophole after that, she says. So it is a book of skulduggery, in a way. But the hero is finally drawn into the light, having found a biographer who also writes in longhand, and can make fresh the history we all thought we knew already. At about the midpoint of the book, Schiff describes the relationship between the English King and the Massachusetts colony in the mid-1760s. A dangerous dance, familiar to every adolescent, had begun: hints of refractory behavior produced assertions of authority, which produced refractory behavior. Adam Pape for TIME When I ask Schiff what counts as a good day, she lights up. This is the best thing for me about writing ever, ever, ever, she says. You sit down and you have a thought you didnt know you had. Suddenly theres this explosion on the page. And you didnt see it coming. And only as youre writing your way past do you even realize its happening. And, like, youre so excited that you can barely sit to write the next line. My thinking gets done as Im writing, which is perhaps why I write longhand. But thats something that you hope the reader is coming to the same way youre coming to it, fresh and unexpectedly. 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 By Michael Georgy and Tom Perry DUBAI (Reuters) - By tightening curbs on women's rights, President Ebrahim Raisi has boosted his hardline credentials and possibly his prospects of becoming Iran's Supreme Leader, even at the cost of provoking mass protests and driving a wedge between many Iranians and the ruling elite, three analysts and a pro-reform official said. A year after Raisi's election marked the end of what many Iranians recall as more pragmatic, tolerant times, his government's tougher enforcement of hijab wearing in the weeks before Mahsa Amini's death in custody on Sept. 16 reflected a full reassertion of hardline influence. Now, as tens of thousands of protesters call for the Islamic Republic's downfall in response to Amini's death, the hardliners appear to be doubling down, backing their ally Raisi's use of force against the demonstrations, even if policy rests firmly in the hands of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The backdrop is what analysts and insiders close to Iran's decision-makers see as the determination of Khamenei, 83, to shore up the pillars of the Islamic Republic he has led since the death of its founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989. Raisi, an outspoken champion of Iran's system of clerical rule, is widely seen by ordinary Iranians, foreign experts and clerical insiders as a contender to succeed Khamenei, even though he has not publicly declared that ambition. The supreme leader has not endorsed a successor and others are also seen to be in the picture, most notably Khamenei's son Mojtaba. "Raisi truly believes in the supreme leader's revolutionary agenda. He is a hardliner who believes in stricter social and political limitations," said a pro-reform official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivities. "I don't know whether he has personal ambitions to become the next supreme leader, but whether he succeeds the leader or not, let me underline that Raisi himself is an anti-Western cleric that does not believe in a freer society." Story continues Reuters could not reach officials at the offices of Raisi and Khamenei for comment. A Khamenei protege, Raisi was elected president in June 2021 in a tightly managed race that brought all branches of the state under hardline control after years of more pragmatic government under ex-president Hassan Rouhani. Raisi is trusted by the elite Revolutionary Guards, a hardline military force used by the state to violently crush political unrest over the decades, and seen by Iranians as an influential voice in determining the succession to Khamenei. Appointed by Khamenei to the high-profile job of judiciary chief in 2019, Raisi was placed under U.S. sanctions a few months later over the role he allegedly played in the executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Iran has never acknowledged the killings. Asked about the deaths at a June 2021 news conference, Raisi replied that a judge or prosecutor who defended people's security should be praised. 'HIJAB AND CHASTITY' An order by Raisi in July that authorities must enforce Iran's "hijab and chastity law" resulted in more restrictions, such as women being banned from entering some banks, government offices and some forms of public transportation. Then in Tehran, on Sept. 13, morality police arrested Amini - an Iranian Kurd - for "inappropriate attire". Three days later, she died in a hospital in the capital after falling into a coma. Referring to the day Amini collapsed in custody, the coroner said she had briefly regained consciousness but that "cardio-respiratory resuscitation was ineffective in the first critical minute, resulting in brain damage." The family deny the 22-year-old had any heart problems. Women have torn off and burned headscarves during the protests ignited by her death, one of the boldest popular revolts since the 1979 revolution and a symbolic blow against the Islamic Republic, which has sought to impose conservative dress codes on women in public. "While succession is always in the background of Iranian politics, I view the intensified focus on hijab, which began in earnest this summer, as more a reflection of the unification of hardline power," said Henry Rome of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank. The stepped up enforcement under Raisi marked a break not only with Rouhani's times, but also the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was known as a hardliner on many issues but resisted strict imposition of dress codes. "Khamenei is preparing. He wants to leave a legacy, and his legacy should be a strengthening of the Islamic Republic, which translates into a hardening of its internal fabric," said Cornelius Adebahr of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. While the protests have triggered questions over the hijab enforcement policy from some officials - Khamenei adviser Ali Larijani notably asked whether police should be imposing the headscarf at all - hardliners have been unbending. Interior minister Ahmad Vahidi, a former Revolutionary Guards' commander, has accused protesters of creating "hideous scenes" in the name of women's rights, saying protesters saw "freedom in the nakedness and shamelessness of women". The Guards are expected to have a big say over the succession, with the next supreme leader more reliant on their support in the face of anti-government dissent, said Kasra Aarabi, Iran Programme Lead at the Tony Blair Institute. 'RAISI GET LOST' The Guards are also likely to play a major role if Iran decides on all-out repression of the unrest, in which more than 200 people have already been killed, according to rights groups. But the succession has complicated the leadership's thinking about how tough a crackdown needs to be, since the start of the unrest coincided with rumours about Khamenei's ailing health, three analysts and an official told Reuters in September. The establishment - a dual system of clerical authority and an elected president and parliament - has been preoccupied with manoeuvring linked to the succession even as it weighs security policy. Some insiders fear that using more force might expose divisions within its ranks while fuelling more unrest, something it can ill-afford at such a sensitive time, the analysts and official said in September. Raisi encountered protesters' anger himself during a visit to a Tehran university this month, where female students chanted "Raisi get lost" and "Mullahs get lost". Echoing Khamenei, Raisi has repeatedly sought to blame the West for the unrest, accusing U.S. President Joe Biden of sowing "chaos, terror, and destruction", and citing Khomeini's description of the United States as "the great satan". On Raisi's watch, months of indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Vienna on salvaging a 2015 nuclear deal have stalled. Both sides say political decisions are required by Tehran and Washington to settle the remaining issues. Sanctions on Iranian oil have continued to squeeze Iran's economy, driving the currency to record lows. Meir Javedanfar, Iran Lecturer at Reichman University in Israel, said: "Raisi is taking such an extreme position on womens rights because he knows this is what Khamenei wants." "Following Khamenei's position on women's issue would keep him in the race to replace Khamenei." (Additional reporting by Michael Georgy in Dubai and Tom Perry in Beirut; Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by William Maclean) CNN primetime anchor Anderson Cooper enters a secured section of the CNN headquarters in New York after a heckler followed him through the building (screengrab/TikTok) CNN primetime anchor Anderson Cooper told off a man who followed him into CNNs New York headquarters and heckled him over advertisements. In a video shared on TikTok, Cooper can be seen walking through the doors of CNNs headquarters in New York. The man recording the footage follows Cooper through a rotating door while complaining about the newsmans latest 60 Minutes piece. The man asked Cooper why he agreed to run "infomercials" for the manufacturers of eVTOLs, which are electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The "infomercial" was actually a group of business profiles Cooper did for 60 Minutes last year focused on emerging aviation markets. Cooper goes on a test flight in an air taxi as part of the package. After the flight he claimed he just wanted to "like, take off with it." The man heckling Cooper interpreted scenes like these to mean the anchor was shilling to the aviation companies he was profiling. "Did you have investments in Joby, Wisk, or Lyft?" the man asks Cooper. For the majority of their interaction, Cooper ignores the heckler and continues walking toward his destination. That dynamic shifts when the pair have to pass through an interior rotating door. Cooper walks into the rotating door and the heckler tries to follow him, appearing to press himself against the anchor in order to fit in the small space. Thats when Cooper gets mad. "What the f*** are you doing?" Cooper asks, turning to acknowledge the heckler for the first time in the encounter. "Get the f*** away from me." The heckler apologises to Cooper but continues to follow him through the halls, prompting the anchor to again say "No, get the f*** away from me. " Eventually, Cooper reaches a secured entryway into CNNs offices and manages to shake the heckler. The man recording the video asks once again if Cooper owned any stock in the aviation companies he covered. Cooper shoots the man a glance and shakes his head no as he walks into the secured area. Andy Murray battled through (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP) (AP) Andy Murray fought hard for victory over Roman Safiullin in the opening round of the Swiss Indoors Basel tournament, booking his place in the last 16. The Scot, who is on the hunt for the ranking points he needs to gain a top-32 seeding for the Australian Open in the new year, lost the first set but came through with a 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4 win. Murray, whose only previous appearance at the tournament came as a teenager in 2005, dug deep over two hours and 38 minutes, hitting his stride in the second set before finishing with a flourish to take five games in a row at the end of the match. Safiullin wasted no time making his presence felt, starting the match with an opening flurry of three successive aces. Murray gave up the first break in his second service game, but snatched one back at the first attempt as the pair remained in lockstep for the majority of the first set. It took a tie-break to part them, with the Russian edging it 7-5 after a tight battle. Things were just as hard fought at the start of the second, with Murray working ferociously hard to hold his serve. He needed six game points to hang on to his first game, then successfully staved off five break points in his second. Safiullin had looked secure by comparison, but fell victim to a Murray raid in the sixth game of the set. With the advantage secured, the veteran did not let it go to waste and levelled the scores in pleasing fashion with his 10th ace. The pendulum swung back in the decider, with Safiullin racing into a 4-1 lead, protecting his service three times and taking one off Murray to bring the finish line into sight. But Murrays fighting spirit shone through as he went on a three-game streak of his own to square the scores, including a crucial break of his own in the seventh. He claimed the next two as well, banking another break before closing out with a dominant service game. Elsewhere in the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Dan Evans was beaten 6-4 7-6 (3) by Germanys Oscar Otte in the round of 32. Angelina Jolie has earned praise after casually visiting her daughter Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt on campus at Spelman College. Jolie, 47, first announced Zahara, 17, would be attending the university in Atlanta, Georgia, in July. At the time, she shared a photo of her daughter along with her Spelman sisters. Zahara with her Spelman sisters! Congratulations to all new students starting this year. A very special place and an honour to have a family member as a new Spelman girl, the Eternals star wrote. Over the weekend, Jolie visited her daughter for Spelmans homecoming weekend. Photos and videos shared to social media show the actor posing with her daughters peers throughout the visit. Angelina Jolie just casually walking around with her daughter at Spelman during homecoming. (I was doing community service looking an embarrassing mess), Twitter user @coco_michelle wrote alongside a photo of herself posing with Jolie and Zahara. Spelman alum Crystal Toussant also shared a photo of herself interacting with the mother-daughter duo on Instagram, where she wrote: I spoke to Zahara & Angelina about her Spelman Experience!! She said she loves Spelman. I am so happy for her. Spelman is my happy place. The vessel that delivers young girls into extraordinary women who change the world. In another photo shared to Twitter, a Spelman student shared a photo of themselves posing with Jolie along with the caption: I ran into my celebrity crush. Angelina Jolie just casually walking around with her daughter at Spelman during Homecoming (I was doing community service looking an embarrassing mess) pic.twitter.com/JInXUxQhtF Coco Michelle (@coco_michelle__) October 22, 2022 For the visit, Jolie dressed casually in a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants and boots, while she wore her tan coat wrapped around her waist. Story continues Angelina Jolie and Zahara talking to one of the students in Spelman College asking their Spelman experience! pic.twitter.com/Pj8twVtIvk Tres (@DaggerIsLove) October 23, 2022 Angelina Jolie was OUTSIDE with her daughter Zahara at Spelhouse Homecoming this past weekend. pic.twitter.com/Os0WCRQbW2 Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) October 24, 2022 On social media, the photos and videos of the actor taking the time to pose for photographs during her visit to her daughters college prompted praise from students and fans alike, with many applauding Jolie for her down-to-earth behaviour during the visit. imagine that Angelina Jolie attends Spelman College Homecoming that goes through 16-23. Her daughter Zahara Marley is attending the said College. pic.twitter.com/ArIaQi6nVZ Tres (@DaggerIsLove) October 22, 2022 Thats nice to hear that Angelina Jolie is apparently really nice and also being humble while at Spelman and partaking in the parent festivities, one person tweeted. Others expressed their happiness that Jolie was able to visit her daughter at Spelman, a prestigious historically Black university or college, and not make it about her. I appreciate how Angelina Jolie shows up in Spelman spaces and doesnt make it about her. (I kinda hate how we often make it about her.) Theres a lesson there for non-Black folks showing up in Black spaces, one person tweeted, while another said: I love Angelina Jolie being so supportive of her daughter at Spelman. These spaces are so sacred to us so prioritising her daughters experience while immersing herself is just so special. I appreciate how Angelina Jolie shows up in Spelman spaces and doesnt make it about her. (I kinda hate how we often make it about her.) Theres a lesson there for non-black folks showing up in black spaces. the truth is im a dangerous man (@KiaSpeaks) October 23, 2022 This is not the first time that Jolie has visited the school, as she was also present on the campus in August when she dropped her daughter off on move-in day. At the time, the actor, who also shares children Maddox, 21, Pax, 18, Shiloh, 16, and 14-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox with ex Brad Pitt, revealed she was going to start crying if she tried to talk about how she felt about dropping her daughter off at college. Im going to start crying if I talk about today, she said in an August video posted by the schools vice president of student affairs, Darryl Holloman. I havent started crying yet sohopefully I can hold it together. Monopoly is a fun board game you can play where you try to shut out your competitors. Apple released an update to its payment guidelines Monday, demanding that apps use the companys In-App Purchases tool for boosts and promoted posts, which means Apple will take a 30% cut of sales. The move seems to be another policy squarely aimed at Meta (formerly known as Facebook). Apple has update its App Store guidelines to require that social media post boosts be purchased as IAPs, entitling Apple to 30% of that advertising revenue. This is new as of iOS 16.1, which was released today pic.twitter.com/OggqkMRRTW Eric Seufert (@eric_seufert) October 24, 2022 A variety of apps lets users promote their content for a small fee. Want more people to see your tweets, dating profile, or that old video game youre trying to sell? Twitter, Tinder, and eBay will sell you a boost to raise it higher in the feed. For years, that seemed to fall into a gray area in App Store policies. Apps that sell virtual goods are supposed to use the iPhones In-App Payment system, which comes with a big service charge. Thats been true for a long time. But that policy wasnt always enforced when when it came to boosts, and certain apps, like Facebook, got away with taking payments directly and avoiding Apples massive fee. Read more Some apps, including Twitter and Tinder, already use the In-App Payment tool for boosts and promoted posts, but Facebook doesnt. Apple would likely make a nice chunk of change when it starts enforcing this policy more severely, though Meta may challenge the change. The social media giant is already embroiled in a public fight with Apple over the latters recent policy changes, and the the tweak to In-App Payment requirements will probably add fuel to the fire. Another iPhone policy change last year cost Meta billions of dollars in lost advertising revenue, which Apple is now working on gobbling up through a number of new advertising projects. Story continues Apple continues to evolve its policies to grow their own business while undercutting others in the digital economy, Meta spokesperson Tom Channick reportedly said in a comment to The Verge. Apple previously said it didnt take a share of developer advertising revenue, and now apparently changed its mind. We remain committed to offering small businesses simple ways to run ads and grow their businesses on our apps. Apple initially declined to comment, but after this article was published and started gaining traction, the company reached back out to share its thoughts. For many years now, the App Store guidelines have been clear that the sale of digital goods and services within an app must use In-App Purchase, said Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian, in an email. Boosting, which allows an individual or organization to pay to increase the reach of a post or profile, is a digital service so of course In-App Purchase is required. This new update is aimed at advertising that boosts the visibility of social media posts, but theres a carveout for more traditional kinds of ads, so Metas larger business model is unaffected by this move. The policy is an example of Apples market power. They control the App Store, and thats the only official way to get your app onto iPhones. Apple can basically charge developers whatever they want as long as they can get away with it. In some locales, it cant get away with it: South Korean law enforcement raided Apples headquarters after persistent complaints of overcharging from iOS developers. Meta didnt respond to a request for comment. The boosts policy update is part of a broader effort to crack down on apps, forcing developers to kiss Apples ring and use the In-App Payment system or risk getting kicked out of the marketplace. Regulators in other countries, where rules about competition are far more strict, have forced Apple to allow apps to use other payments systems that dont take such a big cut of the revenue. Google has faced scrutiny for similar policies in its Play Store and was even fined $113 million this week for not allowing third-party payments. Last year, Epic Games won a major lawsuit against Apple after Fortnite was kicked out of the app store for providing third-party payment options. A judge ruled that Apple cant stop app developers from including links to other payment systems. Apple says its taking this money just to protect you. The company reviews apps for security, privacy, and fraud issues, including checking in on payment systems. CEO Tim Cook has argued thats expensive to maintain, and a 30% cut is a reasonable fee because the money is necessary to protect consumers, which benefits developers too, because it creates a trusted marketplace. Apple did invent the App Store. Proponents (and Tim Cook) argue the company should be able to charge whatever it wants. But looking at this another way, the App Store isnt a singular, regular service, but rather the portal to every other iPhone app. Critics say 30% is way more than Apple needs to pay for app review, and whats really going on here is a monopoly stomping around, charging protection money for anyone who wants to get through Cupertinos gates. Update: 10/26/2022 9:40 ET: This story has been updated with a comment from Meta. Update: 10/26/2022 1:55 ET: This story has been updated with a comment from Apple. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) says her party has never made an effort to win over Hispanic voters. Speaking on Tuesdays Pod Save America podcast, Ocasio-Cortez addressed why she thinks some Democratic voters are leaving the party. I can at least say with Latino voters, weve never tried as a party. The Democratic Party has not tried in terms of Latino electorates, she said. Ocasio-Cortezs frustration mirrors a longstanding gripe held by many Latino leaders over a lack of investment in wooing their communities. We really need to step up both in our efforts on campaign, but also in our efforts in governance, she said. Ocasio-Cortez raised the lack of legislative results on immigration reform as an example. While immigration usually ranks in importance below health care, education and the economy among Hispanic voters, it is a uniquely mobilizing issue in many Hispanic communities. And I mean, wheres our DREAM Act? Where is our immigration reform? asked Ocasio-Cortez. The lawmaker also took President Biden to task for excluding undocumented immigrants from the blanket pardon he issued earlier this month for people convicted of marijuana possession at a federal level. And even recently with President Bidens marijuana executive order, I very much applaud that he went there, but he exempted people who were convicted if they were convicted while they were undocumented, said Ocasio-Cortez. Bidens executive order earlier this month explicitly excluded undocumented immigrants, despite the fact that foreign nationals are more likely to face federal drug possession charges, while U.S. citizens would normally face those charges at a state level. Were looking at the overwhelming majority of people who have been convicted that would have benefited from that pardon have status, they have status complications, said Ocasio-Cortez. Story continues Speaking to former Obama administration aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor the hosts of Pod Save America Ocasio-Cortez also said Democrats often fail to deliver a clear message to counter a unified Republican Party. Its tough because on the other side they have no qualms. They have no qualms about having an anti-immigrant message, Ocasio-Cortez said. But I think we get scared of that and that segmentation prevents a clear message and that lack of clarity makes it hard to win people over, she added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Arizona could be among the states that benefit most from President Joe Biden's pardons of more than 6,500 people who were convicted in federal court of simple marijuana possession charges, according to federal sentencing data. A little more than 1,450 people in Arizona were federally convicted of at least one count of simple possession of marijuana between 1992 and 2021, an analysis from the United States Sentencing Commission showed. It was the second highest number of convictions in the country, just behind California, with 1,550. Texas was the only other state with more than 1,000 such convictions. It's unclear how many of those convictions included other offenses not covered under the mass pardons. Still, Arizona also had the highest number of citizens with simple possession of marijuana convictions of any state since 2015, data from the Commission showed. Some 93% of the state's 500 convictions during that time resulted in prison sentences. Biden, in his Oct. 6 announcement of the mass pardons, criticized such prosecutions. "As I said when I ran for president, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana," Biden said. "It's already legal in many states and criminal records for marijuana possession have led to needless barriers to employment, to housing and education opportunities," he continued. "And that's before you address the racial disparities around who suffers the consequences. While white and Black and Brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and Brown people are arrested, prosecuted and convicted at disproportionately higher rates." AZ judge ruling: Truckers can't face charges for marijuana possession, but issue still unsettled 'A really welcome relief' President Joe Biden speaks about deficit reduction in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. Biden is flanked by, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, left, and Council of Economic Advisers Chairwoman Cecilia Rouse. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ORG XMIT: DCSA117 The pardons likely wouldn't result in mass prison releases nationwide because no one who'd been federally convicted for simple possession of marijuana remained in custody by the end of January, the Commission's analysis showed. It also doesn't remove a federal conviction from someone's criminal record as Arizona's voter-approved expungement program does for state charges, according to the Department of Justice website. Story continues Still, it could lessen any stigmas associated with a conviction and, in some cases, restore a person's right to vote or help them obtain employment. "For a lot of people out there, I imagine this is a really welcome relief," said Jonathan Udell, an attorney with the Rose Law Group and acting co-director of Arizona NORML. "I think there's a lot of people out there that really feel the sting of being branded a non-law-abiding citizen," he continued. "And this sends a very big message to those people that you're not a bad person because you smoked a plant one time that grew out of the ground or possessed some grass in your pocket." Biden also announced he would ask the Justice and Health and Human Services departments to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law a move that could reduce or eliminate penalties for marijuana possession in the future. But, de-scheduling marijuana altogether would open the doors to interstate commerce between states that have legalized it, Udell said. It'd also allow more banks the ability to grant loans to people in the cannabis industry, he added. Rescheduling marijuana could possibly have similar effects, Udell said. However, it would then need to be approved and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which could result in "earth-shattering consequences" for patients who rely on medical marijuana, he explained. Spokespersons for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Customs and Border Protection's local offices declined to comment. Other federal law enforcement agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Public safety: How recreational marijuana is helping Phoenix fund police and fire pensions Thousands of convictions unaffected by pardons Arizona legalized medical cannabis in 2010, and now recreational weed is on the ballot as the Smart and Safe Arizona Act. Getty Images Arizona legalized medical cannabis in 2010, and is now home to a market packed with a variety of high-quality products. Meanwhile, thousands of federal convictions involving undocumented people in Arizona and those at the state level remain unchanged by Biden's executive action. "If you look at the number of people who have been arrested for marijuana possession in America over the last number of decades, 6,500 is not even really a drop in the bucket," Udell said. Since 2015, just over 4,000 undocumented people in Arizona were federally convicted for marijuana possession, which was the most of any other state, according to the Commission's data. At the state-level, more than 230,000 people were arrested for possession of marijuana between 2006 and 2020, according to annual crime reports complied by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. However, it's unclear how many of those arrests resulted in convictions. In the state's largest county, about 42% of approximately 3,400 marijuana possession cases resolved by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in the last three years resulted in convictions, according to its prosecution data dashboard. People in a majority of those cases entered guilty pleas at their preliminary hearings and only one person during those three years was found not guilty, the dashboard showed. Twenty-one people, including someone who was undocumented, were locked up in an Arizona state prison for marijuana possession as of September, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry's most recent monthly report. Data: Marijuana laws imprisoned more people of color, creating a cycle of incarceration Marijuana expungement efforts ongoing in Arizona Biden has also urged all governors to take similar action with state offenses. So far, 19 states and the District of Columbia have already legalized the recreational use of marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and 37 states have legalized it for medical use. Arizona legalized medical marijuana in 2010 and then recreational marijuana 10 years later with the passage of Proposition 207. It paved the way for hundreds of thousands of Arizonans to clear their criminal records of minor marijuana offenses. But the process was off to a slow start with only a few thousand expungement petitions granted in Maricopa County about 10 months in. It's unclear how many cases have been expunged since then. Udell, who's assisted in various Arizona NORML expungement clinics across the state since the passage of Proposition 207, estimated there were more than 10,000 expungements in Maricopa County so far. However, other smaller counties were likely in the 10s or single digits, he said. The biggest challenge with the expungement process was many people with convictions don't know they're eligible to get their records expunged for free, according to Udell. A universal and automatic expungement program would help but achieving that comes with its own set of challenges, he said. Arizona NORML will be hosting free expungement clinics between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19 at Sunday Goods' location in Tempe, 723 North Scottsdale Road, according to a post on the organization's Facebook page. As for Biden's historic pardons, Udell explained it was only a scratch in the surface. "I think part of the optimism and the outcry of excitement is that it's the first time that we've really made a significant step in the right direction when it comes to drug policy in America," he said. "But that being said, it's a very, very small step." What's in your marijuana: Arizona shops must tell you, but tests might not be accurate Reach criminal justice reporter at chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com or at 480-262-1061. Follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona to benefit from pardons for federal marijuana convictions Multiple Arizona voters have filed formal complaints against armed vigilantes patrolling ballot drop boxes near Phoenix. And with just two weeks to go until the midterm elections, some candidates are even pushing theories of voter fraud in the state. Voters in Arizona have filed formal complaints against armed vigilantes stationed at ballot boxes. / Credit: CBS News Republican Kari Lake, who is running for governor, has been pushing threats of voter integrity throughout her campaign. Arizona's Republican Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem tweeted, "Watch all drop boxes. Period. Save the Republic." Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who is in charge of voter registration and counting early voting, said he's witnessed "Threats, you name it. Threats to harass you online, but also threats to physicaly harm you." Richer, a Republican, told CBS News he's appalled by his own party's election deniers. "It's especially frustrating when people knowingly do it to satisfy a self desire for political office or gain," he added. Early voters are now crowding polls across America. Over the weekend, 80,000 residents in Georgia voted in a single day. It was an increase of 159% compared with the same day four years ago. Other states, like North Carolina and Florida, have reported similar surges amid the fight to control the U.S. Senate. CBS News has learned that former President Donald Trump has encouraged state lawmakers to repeal a law that allows all voters to mail in ballots. Harvey Weinstein's second sexual assault trial begins in Los Angeles Rishi Sunak to become U.K.'s new prime minister 2022 World Series preview: Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies Asim Chaudhry has spoken out against the Tories and Rishi Sunak in an exclusive interview with The Independent. Reacting to the news of Sunak becoming the UKs third prime minister in three months on Monday (24 October), the People Just Do Nothing star said that the former chancellor won by default because no one else was competent. Sunaks triumph was announced after Boris Johnson quit the Tory leadership race on Sunday night (23 October) and Penny Mordaunt dropped out minutes before the deadline to go on the ballot on Monday. Speaking about why he doesnt believe that the countrys first Asian prime minister represents him, Chaudhry said: When Obama became president it was a historic moment because people around the world believed anything was possible. The difference here is that Obama was unashamedly himself and proud of his culture, championed it, represented his people. The establishment had to change for him, with Rishi it feels as if hes had to change for the establishment. This isnt representation, this is Rishi winning by default after no one else was competent. On whether he believes Sunak, whose net worth is valued at 730m, is too rich to be PM, Chaudhry joked: Is net worth relevant? I mean, Donald Trump started with nothing, just a small loan of $10m from his father and that situation turned out just fine! In all seriousness, a man with that much wealth will never be able to relate or empathise with the average British citizen. Rishis wealth is bordering on obscene and further proves how his priorities will always be capitalistic in nature. Cash rules everything around him and not in a cool Wu-Tang kind of way. Read more about Chaudhrys stance on the Conservative government, and about how his comedy creation Chabuddy G is based on his father, in our interview with him from earlier this year. Asim Chaudhry playing Chabuddy G (BBC/Roughcut) The actor also backed The Independents campaign for a general election. Chaudhrys new comments come as Stephen Fry quipped that Wikipedia editors must be exhausted after the recent weeks of chaos in British politics. Story continues Last night (23 October), BBC News presenter Martine Croxall giggled about news of Johnson pulling out of the race live on air, while presenting The Papers, and said it made her feel gleeful. She has been taken off air while the corporation looks into complaints of impartiality. Sunak said he was humbled and honoured to take over from Liz Truss as prime minister, in his first public address since taking the Tory leadership. Speaking ahead of his formal appointment by King Charles which could take place as soon as tomorrow Sunak said: It is the greatest privilege of my life to be able to serve the party I love and to give back to the country I owe so much to. BERLIN (Reuters) - All relevant political actors in Germany, and everyone in government, agrees that Ukraine's territorial integrity must be preserved, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in response to a question about calls from within his own party for more diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Social Democrat caucus leader Rolf Muetzenich caused a stir at the weekend when he pointed in an interview to opinion polls showing many Germans wanted to see diplomacy aimed at ending the war begun when Russian invaded Ukraine in February. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt, Editing by Miranda Muray) Rapper and social activist Killer Mike proudly toes the line of being politically correct although, this time, he might have jumped well over the line of delusion. Mike, legally known as Michael Santiago Render, has not been shy to share his views on each candidate in the Georgia primary. In a recent episode of Comedy Centrals Hell of a Week with Charlamagne Tha God, Mike ran down his thoughts on each candidate: Democrat Stacey Abrams, and current governor, Republican Brian Kemp. He began with criticism of the Democratic partys inability to come through on past promises to the Black citizens of Georgia. He continued to call some of their tactics condescending, including implementing the voting theme, No Voting, No Vucking. Blavity previously reported that the catchy jingle featuring Trina and Saucy Santana was made to get Gen Z excited about voting. The single is included in several voting initiatives led by the dating app BLK. During the episode, Mike continued to harp on whats not working for the Democrats, and he touched on Abrams campaign. His advice was, Whatever white person you got running your Black outreach, fire them. The Go Out on the Town rapper reprimanded Abrams for her lack of Black community involvement and unclear stance on the legalization of marijuana. For every negative stance that Mike pointed out about Abrams, he seemed to have a positive rebuttal about Kemp. He praised Kemp for running an effective campaign. He openly admired Kemp for his recent visit to an all-Black boys school run by a conservative Black man down in Albany, Georgia. He said that he couldnt have been more proud of Kemps work reaching out to the Black community, comparing it to what he saw as a deficit on Abrams end. Mikes approval of Kemp raises eyebrows because the Georgia governor has consistently been accused of voter suppression and specifically preventing Black people from voting. After the episode aired, a 2020 photo of Mike meeting with Kemp and his wife resurfaced. Story continues Today, Marty and I had a great meeting with @KillerMike. We discussed how small businesses and the music industry are weathering the pandemic, the value of our skilled trade workers, and our fight to end human trafficking in Georgia. We look forward to seeing him again soon! pic.twitter.com/yR6iVaAJo1 Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) September 9, 2020 The photo of the governor and Mike shaking hands and sitting down is captioned, Today, Marty and I had a great meeting with @KillerMike. We discussed how small businesses and the music industry are weathering the pandemic, the value of our skilled trade workers, and our fight to end human trafficking in Georgia. We look forward to seeing him again soon! Followers saw the photo op as Mike playing the Black friend role to aid Kemp in refuting racist labels. The picture and Mikes commentary rubbed some fans the wrong way and caused some to even question his motives. In response to the outrage, @AnferneeThaDon attempted to defend Mike. Wild that people take a photo of you meeting with the states leadership in that moment as you supporting them. We as Americans should be meeting with representatives regardless of affiliation, because we are their constituents. Ant (@AnferneeThaDon) October 22, 2022 Mikes reply to the fan was an analogy that only worsened matters. Mikes tweet includes a photo of Civil Rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meeting with the 36th president of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson. The tweet is captioned, That what I thought, appearing to compare his meeting with the governor and Dr. Kings meeting with Johnson. Followers were puzzled by his attempt to make the comparison. Like most, political blogger @iamchanteezy questioned Mikes audacity. The audacity of Michael Santiago Render comparing himself to Dr. MLK meeting with LBJ. Theres a HUGE difference. Dr. King meet with LBJ to get civil rights legislation passed. Michael met with Brian Porter Kemp for a photo op and nothing to advance Black people. https://t.co/xX9c78ltsK The Chanteezy Is Real (@iamchanteezy) October 23, 2022 And @nikkiyo pointed out the significant differences. Nope. Heres the differencedid you talk to Kemp about his voter suppression tactics? Or call him out on efforts to disenfranchise Black voters? The audacityto compare yourself and your good old boy talk to the real work that Dr. King accomplished. Just stop. We see you. NikkiYo (@nikkiyo) October 23, 2022 Amid the firestorm, Mike replied to followers who seemed uneasy about the old photo. Don't waste ya time being mad a 2 year old picture of me. U better get to door knocking and Canvassing for your side. I have not publicly endorsed any candidate and will be keeping my vote a private matter. Twitter aint real so get yo ass out & cast a vote. Killer Mike (@KillerMike) October 18, 2022 What do you think of the ordeal? SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's visit to her country's research station in Antarctica was upended by bad weather that forced the plane she was travelling in to turn back midflight on Tuesday. The C130 Hercules military aircraft carrying Ardern encountered poor weather at McMurdo Sound in Antarctica, the location of several international research stations, according to a government statement. The planned four-day trip was to mark the 65th anniversary of Scott Base, New Zealand's Antarctic research station. "Safety is our number one focus when flying to the coldest, windiest, remotest place on Earth so this is not uncommon," a spokesperson for the government agency Antarctica New Zealand said. The spokesperson did not say whether the trip would be attempted again once the weather clears. New Zealand is one of seven countries, including Australia, France and Chile, with a territorial claim to Antarctica. (Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Edmund Klamann) The Great British Bake Off 2022's Custard Week proved a tough challenge for the bakers. (Channel 4) The Great British Bake Off's Kevin became the latest contestant to be sent home, despite judge Prue Leith declaring his custard to be "amazing". The 33-year-old music teacher failed to make the quarter final after his Showstopper layered custard gateau collapsed, but 82-year-old judge Leith said his honey, bay leaf and thyme custard would "stay with me for the rest of my life". Kevin burst into tears as he confessed: "I'm nothing but proud. Imposter syndrome is real, and coming into this competition I didn't feel like I deserved a place. Read more: The Great British Bake Off custard week's four biggest moments "I feel like I can count myself as one of this talented bunch." Kevin was emotional about getting so far in the competition. (Channel 4) Leith said: "I will be sad to see Kevin go but that custard will stay with me for the rest of my life. I'm going to go home and do it." The Scottish teacher served his honey, nectarine and raspberry custard gateau to the judges on two plates, covered with a mound of fruit and macarons, after he admitted it was not stable enough to support all three layers. The other contestants rallied round to help him pile on his decorations before hosts Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding called time. Kevin's custard wowed the judges, but he was still sent home. (Channel 4) Judge Paul Hollywood said: "Have we had an earthquake? It's literally just been dropped... It is delicious, it's a shame that it looks a mess." Leith said: "That custard is amazing, it's so unusual. The more you have it in you mouth the nicer it is." Head teacher's PA Janusz, 34, narrowly avoided being sent home after his custard was deemed "too gloopy". Janusz had a custard disaster - with Paul Hollywood branding it wallpaper paste. (Channel 4) Hollywood said: "The custard's more like wallpaper paste." Cardiovascular research assistant Syabira, 32, was declared Star Baker for the second week in the row after serving up a spectacular pina colada flavoured gateau with edible floral decorations. Leith and Hollywood both agreed she had achieved the perfect balance of custard that was thick enough to support the cake without being gloopy. Story continues Syabira was made Star Baker for the second week in a row. (Channel 4) Syabira said: "I feel like did I really make that? I'm standing there but I want to drop down to the floor because it's too much to handle." She added: "I wouldn't have imagined I would get a Star Baker second in a row, that is wild." Read more: Bake Off: Who got ghosted from the tent in Halloween Week? Nanny Sandro, 30, admitted he was disappointed not to win the title for his layered cake flavoured with coconut and mango, demonstrating impressive pipework for decoration and in tribute to his late friend. Watch: Former Great British Bake Off contestants reveal who they are tipping to win this year Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp. has updated its post-pandemic return-to-the-office policy, which varies depending on employee roles and functions. Thats after the bank announced in September it planned to issue new guidelines. ALSO READ: Bank of America to shutter one Charlotte branch, open another near NoDa Roles that require in-office work, including employees at financial centers, will continue to be fully based in the office, according to a company memo seen by CBJ. Existing tools and programs, however, will provide flexibility. BofAs senior leaders will continue to be based in the office. For positions that generally need to function inside offices, those employees will be allowed to work from home for a limited number of days a month, the bank said. Read more here --> bit.ly/3TUlaPB (WATCH BELOW: Customer sues Bank of America over Zelle scams) Obama jokes not wanting to host Packers at White House originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago In October of 2011, then-President Barack Obama invited the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears to the White House for a visit. The '85 Bears trip to the White House was canceled due to the Challenger space shuttle tragedy. So, Obama invited them during his tenure in the White House. But, the Packers visited the White House months before the Bears for their Super Bowl win in 2011. Did Obama invite the Bears in spite of the Packers' visit? "It was hard having the Packers and having to be nice to them," Obama said on the Manningcast. The former President is a true Chicagoan. He's an avid Bears and sports fan. With that, he's a known anti-fan of the Packers. He mentioned his non-native to Chicago during the broadcast. The President was born in Hawaii and went to several universities including Colombia University, Occidental University and Harvard Law. It wasn't until 1985 that he moved to Chicago. He worked for a fellowship with the University of Chicago Law School and was eventually the Illinois state senator. After, he became President of the United States. But, most importantly, he is a Bears fan. Click here to follow the Under Center Podcast. Download Download MyTeams Today! Lost luggage complaints have been skyrocketing (The Independent) Five weeks after Lisa Khan jetted off on a family holiday to Europe, she received a surprise text from a stranger. Hello, I wanted to let you know your bag is located in Florence, Italy Airport (Airport of Firenze Amerigo Vespucci, FLR). I lost five of my bags here and decided to take some pictures of the bag tags that were visible when visiting, the message read. Ms Khan had never even travelled to the Italian city. But there her bag was among a vast pile of lost luggage, each item having become separated from its owner somewhere along the journey. Speaking from her home in Florida, Ms Khan tells The Independent the saga all began on 30 June, when her family of four headed off on what was to be their last big trip together before her son went to college. They had booked with Lufthansa to fly from Orlando to Rome, with a connecting flight in Frankfurt, Germany. From Rome, they were going on a two-night stay in Tuscany, followed by a six-night cruise around the Mediterranean. When they arrived at Orlando International Airport, Ms Khan, her husband, son and daughter each checked in a suitcase. Their flight to Frankfurt was delayed, meaning they would miss their connecting flight to Rome, so they were switched to a flight to Florence. However, that flight was also cancelled. Ultimately, the family ended up being booked on to a different flight to Rome with Lufthansa subsidiary Air Dolomiti. But while the family continued the journey to their end destination, it seems their luggage did not. They told us Yes, well make sure your bags are there, says Ms Khan. We took the flight to Rome and when we were waiting at the baggage carousel there, none of our bags showed up. Lisa Khans luggage among a pile of lost bags at Florence Airport (Courtesy of Lisa Khan) A 63-day journey Over the next two months and thanks to hours of phone calls, airport visits and persistence from Ms Khans husband the four bags finally made their way back to the Khans, one by one. First came her sons bag, which arrived one day before the cruise leaving the other three family members to spend their entire eight-day vacation and return home to Florida still minus their belongings. Story continues About a week after they arrived back home, the bag belonging to Ms Khans daughter showed up in Orlando. Several more weeks passed then Ms Khan received that surprise message from a stranger on 10 August. I woke up to this text from a number I didnt recognise. A lady in Florence said she was looking for her own bag and found mine. She then said Oh, Ive found a second one of yours, she says. I was jumping up and down. Finally, having located the last two bags, her husband considered flying to Florence in person to collect them, for fear something else would go wrong. In the end, he managed to work with an agent at Air Dolomiti, who said she would get the familys bags to them. So, the suitcases continued on their European tour, being booked on to a plane from Florence to Munich. But the saga wasnt over yet. While her husbands bag landed in Washington Dulles airport from Munich, Ms Khans bag failed to arrive. Finally, on the night of 31 August, she got a call to say her bag had arrived and was waiting for her at Orlando airport. It was 63 days in total from when we left for our vacation to when we got the last bag back, says Ms Khan. We flew from Orlando to Rome on 30 June and that was the last time we saw my bag until 31 August. The Khan family is far from alone in their plight. Lisa Khan received this text message from a stranger who had found her bag in Italy (Courtesy of Lisa Khan) Summer of lost luggage As holidaymakers have taken to the sky once again, following two years of pandemic-related travel slowdown, lost and delayed luggage appears to have become the norm. More than six bags in every 1,000 pieces of luggage checked in by passengers in July 2022 were at least temporarily lost, according to the most recent data from the US Department of Transportation . The number of delayed or lost bags rose to 0.64 per cent that month, up from 0.59 per cent in the same month in 2021. During one especially memorable incident at Londons Heathrow Airport in June, thousands of suitcases and bags were pictured piled sky-high outside a terminal, in what was infamously dubbed baggage mountain. That particular issue, at the worlds seventh busiest airport, all started with a technical glitch in the baggage system at Terminal 2. This then resulted in a huge backlog of luggage stuck in transit, leaving baggage handlers overwhelmed while trying to sort them out. The Independent exclusively reported how Heathrow responded by asking airlines to cancel 10 per cent of their flights one day that month, so the transport hub could tackle the burgeoning problem. A staggering 15,000 passengers across 90 flights were estimated to be affected by the grounding of planes that day. It was a meltdown that sparked an executive at Emirates to accuse the London airport of creating an airmageddon. Meanwhile, Delta took action by flying a plane (from London to Detroit) containing zero passengers but 1,000 lost bags, in an effort to help reunite customers with their missing luggage. Unsurprisingly, lost luggage complaints have been skyrocketing, with baggage being the number one cause of air travel complaints in July 2022. A staggering 1,842 complaints were lodged that month, more than eight times the 227 complaints received in July 2021, DOT data shows. Such has been the chaos, the 2022 peak travel season earned the unfavourable nickname the summer of lost luggage. Airport workers stand next to lines of luggage arranged outside Terminal 2 at Heathrow in June (Reuters) This isnt new. People have been losing luggage since the beginning of air travel, Guillermo Ochovo, director of Cargo Facts Consulting, tells The Independent. But this year reached crisis levels as the airline industry struggled to cope with the sudden surge in demand from travellers, he explains. More demand, fewer staff The airline industry was one of the hardest hit when Covid-19 spread across the globe and travel ground to a halt. With borders closed and travel restrictions rumbling on, thousands of pilots, air stewards, ground handling staff and airport workers were all laid off. Airlines also terminated or changed contracts with third-party suppliers such as baggage-handling companies as neither party was able to provide a service when no passengers were taking to the sky. Now, travel has returned to almost pre-pandemic levels. On 21 September, almost 2 million travellers passed through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in the US more than three times the amount of travellers (roughly 600,000) on the same day in 2020, and close to the 2.2 million travellers on the same date in 2019. Airlines have seen a strong surge in booking demand in the summer, and so theyve rushed to add capacity and sell tickets, says Mr Ochovo. After two years of losing money, airlines have started to see the light, with the lifting of travel restrictions and people wanting to get back to their holidays and travel again. While this is good news, Mr Ochovo says the industry wasnt expecting such a rise in demand so quickly. The airlines did not anticipate this level of increased demand and they dont have the resources in place to meet it, he says. Thousands of people were laid off during the pandemic and so the main cause of the luggage crisis has been the lack of handling and ground staff at airports. As Mr Ochovo explains, while airlines have been launching major recruitment drives, baggage-handling companies are still grappling with staff shortages. Family members embrace on 8 November 2021 as they are reunited at JFK International Airport after borders reopened between the US and the UK (Reuters) There has been a big disconnection between airlines and their suppliers, he says. Now theres increased travel demand and not enough resources to meet it, as baggage-handling companies do not have enough staff to deal with problems when they arise. Complex industrial ballet Its not only a shortage in volume of baggage handlers, but a loss of experience and skillset, says Gaylloyd Dadyala, chairman of the International Association of Baggage System Companies (IABSC). By the time demand returned, people who were laid off had gotten other jobs and so the institutional knowledge that these people had had disappeared, he tells The Independent. As the industry ramps up hiring, he says it is now new hands on deck trying to learn the ropes without having the experienced hands to teach them the tricks. Mr Dadyala describes the baggage-handling system as a complex one that goes on behind the scenes of the passengers journey. Beneath the levels that the passenger sees is what I call a complex, industrial ballet taking place, he explains. And when the industrial ballet is going to the right tune, things are going very well. But when something gets out of kilter thats where experience comes in. Exactly how this industrial ballet goes wrong, and how luggage such as Ms Khans goes missing, has long been a source of mystery for frustrated passengers who reach their destinations to find their bags didnt make it. So, how exactly does the baggage-handling system work? What happens to your bag after you wave it off at the check-in desk? At what stage can it all go wrong? And where does your bag end up when it goes missing? Behind the scenes of a passengers journey, their luggage is embarking on a far-flung journey all on its own. Behind the scenes of a bags journey Its a journey that goes through three separate stages from the moment of check-in to the moment of arrival with each stage adding an additional layer of complexity and opportunities for bags to go missing. The first stage in the system is when the bag is moved from the check-in desk to the boarding gate. Second comes the stage when the bag is moved from one gate to another during a transfer. And the third and final stage is when the bag is moved from the arrival gate to the carousel at the end-destination airport. During the first stage, the agent registers the luggage with the passengers name and travel itinerary at the check-in desk. Delta flew a plane filled with lost luggage, to help reunite 1,000 missing bags with their owners (Getty Images) Tags and barcodes are printed and attached to the suitcase to connect the passenger and the bag. Next, the bag is placed on a conveyor belt, and disappears from its owners sight. As the passenger heads to the gate to perhaps grab a pre-flight drink or a magazine before boarding the plane for take-off the bags adventure really begins. It passes through an automatic system that scans the bags barcodes to allocate it to an area of the baggage-handling conveyor that will send it on a path to the right gate. Mr Ochovo estimates that around 85 per cent of barcodes are scanned automatically at this stage. But, for the remainder, the barcode is unreadable, meaning human agents have to scan and sort them manually opening up the first possibility of human error or delays in reaching the aircraft. Once a bag has been scanned, a ground handler will then transport it to the gate and load it into the plane. This is where the labour shortage presents another challenge, as there could be too many bags for the limited number of staff to process in time for take-off. If the automatic system isnt working well or too many bags are not scanned automatically, the ground handler workers may not have enough time to scan them all manually and get them to the right plane on time, says Mr Ochovo. If a bag misses its flight, its possible it could end up in a country that doesnt even feature on the passengers itinerary, he says. This can happen when ground handlers place the bag on a new flight, with the aim of getting the luggage to the end destination in the quickest manner. As airlines prioritise the luggage of passengers on upcoming flights, if the quickest, direct flight is fully booked, the best option may be to put the bags on a plane with a different airline or one that has a connecting flight in another country. This adds an extra leg of the journey where something could go wrong. At larger airports, airlines may have a choice of multiple baggage-handling companies they can work with at that hub. Likewise, the baggage handlers at an airport will often be handling luggage for multiple airlines and multiple flights at any given time further opening up opportunities for bags to be misplaced. A baggage handler loads luggage into a plane (Simon Calder) Lets say the first stage went smoothly and the bag made it onto the same flight as its owner, travelling with them to the next destination but the passenger has a connecting flight to reach their end destination. Now, this means the bag must also take that connecting flight. This is where the second stage comes in, as the bag must be transferred from one gate to another. Mr Ochovo says this adds another level of complexity, as it is doubling up the first process in turn, doubling up the chances of the bag being mishandled. Its also likely different baggage-handling companies are operating at each of the airports the bag travels through. So, the chance to lose the bag increases, says Mr Ochovo. Provided the bag makes it onto the connecting flight, it enters the third and final stage of its journey: baggage collection. As the bag reaches the end-destination airport, it is time to be reunited with its passenger. Baggage handlers unload all luggage from the aircraft and place it in an automatic system that scans the barcode again and directs the bag to the correct conveyor belt, so it can be picked up by its owner. Once again, there could be an issue with the barcode, and ground handlers may have to manually scan the bag. Staff shortages could again lead to a delay in manually scanning, potentially resulting in the bag missing the limited time slot its flight had been allocated to use the airport conveyor belt. In that scenario, the bag may have reached the same destination as the customer and be in the same building but they could still be unable to reunite. At every one of these three stages of a journey, one of the big risks is that the barcode could be lost, damaged or unreadable, explains Mr Ochovo. And, to further complicate things, the barcodes arent universally readable. If the bag ends up at the wrong airport and in the hands of the wrong airline, they might not be able to retrieve the information from the barcode, says Mr Ochovo, pointing out this is in part for data protection reasons for passengers. Mountains of luggage at Heathrow Airport in June 2022 (Lori Harito/SWNS) The barcodes are not universal but are usually specific to the airline... usually the airport and luggage system can read the final destination but not the passenger information. So, thats why airports are often unable to tell passengers that their bags are there, if its in the wrong hands. Where does lost luggage go? If the passenger doesnt know which airport a bag is at and the airport isnt able to read the passenger details and contact them, reuniting bag and owner is next to impossible. Where this lost luggage ultimately ends up is a difficult question to answer, says Mr Dadyala. Airports need to keep their operational space clear, so often there are lost-luggage offices or spaces designated to mishandled bags. There, so many bags sit unclaimed and gather dust for months and years, leading some airports to hold auctions where buyers can bid for the items. Ultimately, there is not a lot the passenger can do to prevent their luggage getting lost, says Mr Dadyala. But he does offer some tips to try to narrow down the chances. Tips for passengers Generally speaking, the challenge is going through a transfer hub, he says. Booking a direct flight, or at least avoiding a connecting flight where the transfer window is tight, can help avoid or reduce the risk of losing bags along the way. Travelling off peak is also a good idea. The system and the handlers wont have as much load at those times, so if there is an interruption to the industrial ballet, the handlers will have a bit more time to deal with it, he says. For Ms Khan, she says she will always put a tracking device, Apples AirTags, inside her luggage from now on, so she can find out where it is. While it might not directly ensure the bag reaches its end destination, she says the biggest frustration with her familys ordeal was that she and the airline had no clue where the luggage was. She placed AirTags inside her cases for a trip to Turkey in September and was able to track them the entire journey even seeing mid-flight that they were on the same plane as her. I think AirTags are a game changer. I wouldnt travel without them now, she says. Given the key role the barcodes play in the chances of luggage being misplaced, Mr Ochovo also urges passengers to ensure they observe the agent placing two barcode stickers on two different places on their bags at the check-in desk. That said, even though there are many stages where luggage can, and does, go missing within a single journey, he is confident the summer of lost luggage is now over. June and July were really bad months but by August the situation was alleviated more, he says. I think the fall months will now be good for airlines and ground suppliers, as they hire more people, work together and become better prepared for the next peak season at Christmas. Houstonian Ashley Williams-Booker honed multiple jobs before she switched career paths and hit the jackpot. Booker is the founder of Complete Logistics Service, a multi-million dollar asset-based company that supplies intermodal drayage services in Texas. She is responsible for transporting over 2,500 containers per year, and according to information provided to AfroTech, Booker leads one of the top 25 small business drayage companies in Houston, TX. Before reaching her stature in the business world, Booker had received a degree in accounting from Texas Southern University. She went on to become a geometry teacher and financial advisor simultaneously in different districts. Her pivot toward trucking happened after her friend introduced her, then taught her to dispatch. Within her first week, Booker successfully organized a group of carriers and helped them grow their fleet. She also says earned $8,000 that week alone (ten times her income as a teacher). Once the check cleared, Booker knew there was no going back. She later applied her new-found knowledge and immersed herself fully into the venture launching her own company in 2014. Four years later, she shifted to a specific niche. I am in the intermodal industry, meaning that I assist with the drayage, which is the truck we pick up from the port. We deliver to the receiver or the shipper and we bring it back to the port or I pick it up from rail and sea. I deal with the part of intermodal that basically is needed for every human to survive from tissue paper to what you order on Amazon, all that comes through sea and through rail. So, my niche is mastering the port and the railroads and making sure that everyone receives their product in bulk, Booker told AfroTech. The pivot allowed her to make what she says is around three times her earnings. Yet, it wasnt necessarily the money that was the draw for Booker. Instead, she grew frustrated with the restrictions of the partial loads from box trucks. Story continues The box truck industry is very hard to survive because youre limited on the amount of space and weight that you can put on your truck. So, for a load that will go for $1,500 in an 18-wheeler with a full 53-foot trailer, I would only be able to get $300 or $400 of that because I had a smaller truck that could only limit a certain amount of freight on it. So, it wasnt really the money, it was just the frustration of getting partial loads. I didnt like it. So, I failed, Booker explained. Launching her business was a personal milestone for Booker, but her venture did hit some potholes, causing her to halt her authority for a year. When Booker returned, she secured two semi-trucks and then dispatched for a few months. Booker reveals that she profited $50,000 and invested it to purchase two trucks that would support full loads. It was the revenue from this investment that helped her find security in the industry in 2018. I launched my business actually in 2014, but I had to put it on pause because it wasnt going right. So, I switched up my business plan. I did more research and made sure the next time I came back which was 2018 I was in a better mind frame and I knew the direction that I wanted to go in, Booker said. Booker is now uniquely positioned and does not rely on her hard cash to purchase trucks. Now, she finances her trucks, some valued at $60,000. Within 90 days, the truck pays itself off at little cost to her capital, which is made possible through an early payoff program. What I would do is they were only charging me probably about $2,700 down. So, thats the only capital that I would have to come in, with and I would run the truck approximately a week or two after I got it from the auction, and once the truck has made the money to pay itself off, I would pay it off within 120 days. I never used my capital or my business funds or my personal funds to purchase a truck. I would buy the truck and it will pay itself off, Booker told AfroTech. Now, Booker tells us that Complete Logistics Service is worth $3.5 million. Yet, that may not be what she considers her biggest accomplishment. That was a big accomplishment for me because Ive always been in paid parking where I had to pay $200 per parking spot for my trucks to be safe in house. But when my business began to grow, I was literally triple parking in one parking spot because I had so many containers that didnt kick me out. So, I was able to purchase a 10-acre lot in what we call the mecca of trucking in Houston in the prime real estate area for trucking. Thats when I knew, I made it, Booker said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashley Williams Booker (@ashley_keeptruckn) Alongside running her business, Booker is working to ensure she creates a pathway for others to follow through her Surviving Intermodal course. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashley Williams Booker (@ashley_keeptruckn) My personal mission is to just spread awareness and let people know that anybody can do this. It doesnt matter your color, Booker said. If youre a woman, if youre a man, anyone can do it. She continued: I am not different from my next-door neighbor or from anybody that Im approached by. Im just some regular person. I just took time out to invest in myself and invest in my family and you shouldnt be afraid to do that either. For decades, studies have found that maternal and neonatal outcomes are poor for Black women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women of color are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. I do think about it quite a bit as a woman of color, as a Black woman and also as a mother and somebody who's been on both sides of the coin here, Amanda Adeleye, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago, told Yahoo News. A recent study shows that African American women who receive infertility treatments are at higher risk of losing their baby soon before or after birth. (Getty Images) The maternal disparities are prevalent for women of color facing infertility too, an issue that affects more than 12% of women of childbearing age. Women of color who received infertility treatments have a substantially higher risk of losing their baby soon before or after birth, compared with white women, according to a study published last Wednesday in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal. Adeleye explained: This was a study looking at data retrospectively, so information that already had been provided. They looked at the years 2016 to 2017, and all live births, and also neonatal demises for singleton babies," that is, the birth of a single child. The researchers wanted to know "what sort of association there was between exposure to fertility treatments and whether or not there was an interplay between that and racial and ethnic differences, she said. The study included over 7.5 million singleton births and analyzed the racial differences with assisted reproductive technologies, like in vitro fertilization (IVF), and nonassisted reproductive technologies, like fertility drugs and artificial insemination. A man helps a woman to inject drugs to achieve pregnancy at home. (Getty Images) In births that used nonassisted reproductive technology, Black women were three times more likely to experience fetal death than white women. For births that used assisted reproductive technology, Black women were four times more likely to experience neonatal death compared with white women. Story continues And even in this study, they were able to show that even amongst people that had a spontaneous conception (the birth of a child after a birth conceived through fertility treatments), the risk of neonatal demise and other maternal and neonatal complications was higher in minorities, Adeleye said. After years of researching reproductive medicine and infertility treatments, the findings of the study didnt catch Adeleye off guard. I'm disappointed, of course, but I'm not sure that I'm surprised, she said. The studys lead author, Dr. Sarka Lisonkova, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia, told NBC News that the results of the study did surprise the research team. Originally, Lisonkova and the team hypothesized that women who could afford fertility treatments would also have access to high-quality health care, regardless of their race. A technician injects human sperm into a human egg cell using a technique known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection, used for in vitro fertilization. (Getty Images) According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the cost of fertility treatments ranges from a few thousand dollars to $30,000 for IVF. But for many who achieved successful outcomes, the costs were estimated at approximately $60,000. Isabel Morgan, the director of the birth equity research scholars program for the National Birth Equity Collaborative, told Yahoo News that infertility treatments do not reduce structural racism or the discrimination that Black women may experience in the health care system. We know that racism exists, and that structural racism has been linked to maternal health outcomes more broadly, but specifically, prematernal health and pregnancy outcomes, Morgan said. Technology does not necessarily eliminate the negative experiences that Black women experience across the life course, and as they're specifically going to receive maternity care and reproductive health care, she added. While the new data may seem alarming, experts say it must be framed carefully, because people's lives are at stake. When we stratify the data by race [and] ethnicity, it's important, because it allows us to see we have these disparities and inequities. At the same time, we have to be mindful of how Black women and their families and clinics are going to interpret the data, Morgan said. A technician conducts an ultrasound procedure. (Getty Images) Experts say this is a crisis, but the problem is not in the technology that women of color receive for infertility. There's not great physiologic plausibility behind why IVF would somehow negatively impact embryos of Black women and Black people, more so than non-Hispanic white people. But I think that even within the data presented, there's pretty clear socioeconomic differences, Adeleye said. Studies indicate that Black women experience infertility at double the rate of white women, but a National Health Statistics study found that from 2006 to 2010, only 8% of women ages 25-44 sought medical help to conceive, compared with 15% of white women. It's so clear that we're not giving women of color the same treatment that we do to white women, and that's the disparity, Adeleye said. I think it's in the application of care. It's not in the technology. Phil Rosenthal Tom Caltabiano for EW On the new season of Phil Rosenthal's food and travel show Somebody Feed Phil (which premiered on Netflix Oct. 18) the host has a dream itinerary: fresh seafood in Croatia, extra-hot fried chicken in Nashville, sanguches in Santiago. But on this September evening, Rosenthal is in Los Angeles, sitting at a private table above the grand archways and rustic tablescapes of the dining room of Republique, a modern French restaurant. He chose this location based on his personal answer to the hypothetical question: If you had to eat at one restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be? "Their breakfast, great. Lunch, great. Dinner, great. That's all you need," Rosenthal, 62, says. Over many scrumptious plates, courtesy of Republique chef Walter Manzke, Rosenthal discusses the best dish he tried during the new season, the episode dedicated to his late parents Helen and Max, and the one destination he always recommends to travelers venturing out of the U.S. for the first time. Phil Rosenthal Tom Caltabiano for EW Phil Rosenthal chows down at Republique ROUND 1: HORS D'OEUVRES Baguette with Rodolphe Le Meunier butter, bluefin tuna tartare, 'Eggs On Toast', potato and leek beignets, kanpachi crudo, Munak Ranch heirloom tomatoes, agnolotti with sweet potato, campanelle with Maine lobster, arugula casarecce His eyes wide with glee and his mouth full of baguette topped with soft-scrambled eggs and fresh uni, Rosenthal recounts some of the highlights (and lowlights) of filming the latest season. "This is my revenge on the sea urchin," Rosenthal says. "In the Croatia episode, I went diving for sea urchins, and uni, that's what's inside. On the outside it's spikes. So they give you these special gloves. I grabbed the first one and the spikes went right through the glove and they embedded themselves in my fingers. So now we cut to me on the shore with the nurse pulling out these little spikes with her tweezers, that's the show." Story continues Rosenthal says he embraces the spontaneity and imperfections that can come with filming a travel show. "People say, 'I'd love to see a reel of your outtakes," he says. "We don't have that. All my mistakes are in the show. I don't want you to be intimidated by some expertI'm no expert. I'm a human being and I make many mistakes." It was also in Croatia that Rosenthal tried his favorite dish of the season, a scorpion fish at Gverovic-Orsan in the picturesque waterside town of Dubrovnik. "That was one of the best things I ever ate in my life, because it was probably swimming in the water I was next to an hour or so ago. It was unbelievable." With delicious eats comes some outrageous excursions. On the Austin episode, Rosenthal tried his hand at Formula One racing. "When the driver takes off, it's a rocket ship of g-force," he says. "I'm shaking up these old bones. I'm shaking up organs. That shouldn't happen to someone my age, it was traumatic. After it all it feels like you've been in multiple car accidents. My stomach was not right for a couple of days." Longtime fans of the show know Phil had a close relationship with his parents Helen and Max, who both passed away in recent years. Phil would video call them at the end of each episode in the earlier seasons. Max would tell a couple of jokes, Helen would make a comment or two about Phil's travels, an adorable moment is captured. A special episode is dedicated to them and their story at end of the current season. "I don't think I'm alone in saying [my parents] were the best part of the show," he says. "And these are their greatest hits from the show. Plus outtakes, plus backstory about them, plus a discussion with their surviving friends and me and my brother talking about them with our wives. It's the best one because it's the most personal and it has a little bit to do with food, but it has everything to do with travel." Phil Rosenthal Tom Caltabiano for EW Phil Rosenthal enjoys a delicious meal at Republique ROUND 2: ENTREES Wild local halibut, Liberty duck, red wine braised Wagyu beef cheek Rosenthal was the creator of the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which ended in 2005. In 2015, he hosted I'll Have What Phil's Having, a six-episode travel series on PBS that became the inspiration for Somebody Feed Phil. His second act has inspired many to hop on a plane themselves, according to Rosenthal's daily Instagram stories, where he reposts countless photos of viewers visiting the same spots he's featured on the show. He says at this moment in his life he has the perfect level of fame. "It doesn't happen all the time, me getting recognized, but it happens enough for me to be very delighted by it," Rosenthal says. He'll have more opportunities to connect with fans: His companion cookbook Somebody Feed Phil The Book (which features chef's recipes for food featured on the first four seasons) launched last week, along with a Live Nation book tour and his ongoing podcast Naked Lunch. "I like to know that what I'm doing means something to people. The show and the tour is my way of not just saying thank you, but I want to meet you," says Rosenthal, who will be taking local food recommendations at each tour stop. Phil Rosenthal Richard Rosenthal Phil Rosenthal in Rio de Janeiro, from 'Somebody Feed Phil The Book' As for the book itself, Rosenthal says that some of the recipes are so easy that he, a self-proclaimed non-cook, could try his hand at them and others "are so difficult that I should probably have a contest and give a prize out to anyone who can make them." Many of the book's photos were taken by Rosenthal's brother, executive producer and butt of many jokes, Richard; a particular favorite of Phil's is a snap from the Rio de Janeiro episode in season four, where he sits in a grand cafe eating a spread of savory pastries. "Food's only good if you can share it," he says. "I don't want to ever eat just by myself, it's not fun. So the people in the cafe, they're walking by and I'd just go 'you want?'. And they'd take it and then give me a kiss. They're very warm in Rio." Phil Rosenthal Tom Caltabiano for EW Phil Rosenthal poses at his favorite L.A. restaurant, Republique ROUND 3: DESSERT Strawberry tiramisu, honey cake, almond brown butter cake, apple tart Rosenthal, who has rubbed elbows with the best chefs in the world, including Massimo Bottura to Jose Avillez, says that what separates a good chef from a great one is consistency. "It's a combination of their imagination, creativity and raw talent. They have a kind of inside knowledge of what makes something delicious, so no matter what dish they apply that knowledge to, it's going to be delicious." For those just beginning their international foodie adventures, Rosenthal recommends Italy as the first stop. "Everywhere you look is gorgeous. All of the food is delicious and everybody's hugging and kissing you, so what's not the like? The thing I like about Italian food, it can be the most delicious thing you ever ate and yet it's still rustic, it's not fancy. Very simple, not too many ingredients, letting the freshness of those ingredients shine." Even after many visits to the bel paese, Rosenthal still always adds a new destination to his itinerary each time. "That's how you expand your horizons. If you keep going to the same place all the time, you're not gonna know what you're missing. Visit the places where you made friends, and then go make new friends in a new place. The reason I love travel so much is [it gives me the opportunity] to meet people. And when you meet people, even if you don't go anywhere, you travel because you're getting a point of view and a whole world from the other person that isn't yours." Rosenthal says his goal is to encourage everyone to plan a trip of their own, whether it's a new neighborhood or a new country. "The trick is to become a kind of citizen of the world where you have respect for wherever you are and gratitude for being there," he says. "There's not one thing more mind-expanding in all of life than travel." Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Boston Police identify the victim in Sunday nights fatal shooting in Dorchester. According to the police, Christian Thistle-Kavanaugh, 21, of Dorchester, was fatally shot in the area of 482 Geneva Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Thistle-Kavanaugh was transported to a local area hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident and urges anyone with information to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470. Just last weekend, a 24-year-old woman died following a triple shooting on Geneva Avenue. There have been no arrests made in connection with any of the shootings. The string of violence pushes the number of homicides in the city in 2022 to 33. 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 The Daily Beast Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThe war in Ukraine isnt going the way Russian President Vladimir Putin expected. And hes certainly not the only one who was caught by surprisethe U.S. expected a rapid Russian success, with the Kremlins tanks inside Kyiv within days.Many U.S. officials from the CIA, the Pentagon, and the White House believed Russia would quickly conquer Ukraine when it invaded last February. But Ukraine mounted an effective defense, and the Russian forces have retre A bystander drew his gun on a man accused of beating and stomping on his pregnant girlfriend outside a Publix super market, ending the brutal attack, Florida deputies say. The incident occurred around 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in the parking lot of the Largo grocery store, according to an arrest affidavit. The woman told Pinellas County deputies that her boyfriend, Cole Danisment, 27, got angry and punched her in the face repeatedly. She fell to the ground, and Danisment is then accused of stomping on her head and upper body. The woman told deputies that Danisment knew she was 14 weeks pregnant with his unborn child. A man who witnessed the attack said he feared for the womans life, prompting him to intervene. Danisment didnt stop brutalizing the woman until the witness pulled a gun on him, according to the affidavit. The victim was left covered in large amounts of blood and suffered a possible broken nose in the attack. Deputies said there was a no contact order against Danisment after his arrest on a domestic battery charge a week prior, but it did not stop his pattern of violence toward his girlfriend. He acknowledged attacking the woman but told deputies he saw red and couldnt remember what happened after blacking out, the affidavit said. Danisment was charged with aggravated domestic battery and booked into the Pinellas County Jail, where he remains held on a $20,000 bond as of Tuesday, Oct. 25, online records show. Largo is about 20 miles southwest of Tampa. If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Woman found stabbed to death after welfare check ends in SWAT standoff, GA police say Missing pregnant woman is found shot dead, Virginia cops say. Boyfriend is arrested Mother charged with murder in 5-year-old daughters fatal stabbing, Texas police say Sad alone little girl sitting in school stairs Halfpoint Images/Getty Images October was named National Bullying Prevention Month in 2006. When I was in school, I was bullied for my looks. As a teacher, I know that anti-bullying laws mean nothing if adults aren't going to enforce them. October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a time when school administrators talk a good game when it comes to their "no-nonsense" bullying policies. I'm a teacher, and I know firsthand that anti-bullying policies are only as good as those willing to enforce them. If school officials were serious about bullying prevention, they wouldn't have to pay $1 million in damages to a victim, as was the case with one school district in California that was recently found complicit in the bullying campaign against one of its students. As an educator, I know how ineffective schools can be in protecting their victims. But I also know this as a former victim myself. At 42 years old, I still have the occasional nightmare about being bullied in school all those years ago. I was one of the estimated 20% of all students who have reported being bullied. The impacts of bullying on the developing brain are lasting. The topic continues to crop up during my therapy sessions, and I've only recently begun to deal with the impact of those experiences on my soul. I couldn't be invisible I was a shy, quiet kid; like most shy kids, my goal, above all else, was to remain invisible. Alas, I had a huge head of unruly curly hair that my parents refused to allow me to tame with LA Looks or any other product. My unfortunate blond mop was complemented by massive buck teeth, qualities that earned me an unwanted place in the spotlight among my school's most venomous bullies. Invisibility in the public schools I attended in New York City was simply not an option. My height certainly didn't help matters: At five-foot-one and growing by the time I entered the fifth grade, I was the tallest of all the students, both male and female. My niece, at almost 4 years old, is the height and weight of a 7-year-old and looks exactly like I did at her age. She will start kindergarten in a year; I am terrified for her and what her experiences at school may be. Anti-bullying legislation does absolutely nothing to assuage my fears. Invisibility will not be an option for her the children she attends school with will make sure of that. Story continues I still have nightmares Even as all states have implemented anti-bullying laws, school-aged victims of bullying continue to take their own lives. On some level, I understand. The treatment I experienced during school at the hands of several classmates was life-altering and has stayed with me more than three decades later. I sometimes have nightmares about being that helpless 12-year-old, desperate to change schools but simultaneously resigned to the knowledge that there is no hiding, there is no escaping. Bullying is still a crisis More than 20 years since the state of Georgia became the first to enact anti-bullying legislation, bullying remains a multifaceted crisis. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan revealed that victims cannot often rely on their classmates to come to their defense. The impacts of bullying on a child's brain are well-known: PTSD can be an outcome of chronic bullying and one that our nation's schools have yet to take seriously. Adults continue to fail children in this regard. In one current example, legislators in the state of Virginia have enacted policies that will block schools from accommodating transgender students and their rights. Under these policies, which will go into effect in 133 schools in time for National Bullying Prevention month, transgender students will be required to "access school facilities and programs matching the sex they were assigned at birth." Students will also face an uphill battle attempting to change their name and gender at school. With adults creating and enforcing these inhumane policies, our children are walking targets. With constituents voting for these policies, adults continue to fail our children. National Bullying Prevention month is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. History continues to teach us that national anti-bullying laws are only as useful as the adults willing to enforce them. Read the original article on Insider From lamps with metallic skull chains to brass light switches and phone-holding toilet paper holders, no one does home decor quite like Londons Buster + Punch. Launched in 2013 by architect and industrial designer Massimo Buster Minale, the brand began with edgy but elegant electrical plates and light switches, items with style that he was having trouble finding for his interior design projects. Forked lighting fixture by Buster + Punch. Speaking of his brand philosophy, Minale says: We always start a home or space from the small touch points and metal fittings first and then work outwards, which is more in tune with how an industrial designer would tackle the subject of interior design in short, its reversed. Industrial outlets and toggles from home fashion brand Buster + Punch. Hanging pendant lights by Buster + Punch. The company now has storefront locations in London and Stockholm, offering fittings and furniture for kitchens, bathrooms, and living rooms. Hip light switch and electrical plate alternatives remain their bread and butter, but pieces like the burnt steel Forked pendant are also natural favorites. Minales aesthetic takes its cues from his after-hours hobby of the past few years. I was working as an architect by day and making custom motorbikes by night, he explains. In a garage in East London, I taught myself how to transform stock vintage motorbikes into one-off customs. I made all the parts from scratch and started selling my motorbikes to Londons most notorious. Being an architect, requests soon turned from motorbikes to home fittings, and I set about making everything from door handles to toilet roll holders. The seed was planted and my love child between architecture and motorbikes was born, his name Buster + Punch. Elegant industrial bulb from Buster + Punch. After finding success in his career with architecture firms Foster + Partners and Richard Rogers, Minale launched his home fashion line in 2013, immediately striking a chord with Londons celebrity and sub-culture scenes with knurled knobs in the style of speaker switches and pendant lights that mimicked hand-held microphones. Story continues Chic kitchen space decked out in Buster + Punch fixtures. Elegant industrial bathroom by Buster + Punch. Buster + Punchs glam industrial aesthetic has led to numerous collaborations over the years, including the creation of the Rockstar Bar with Harrods, a liquor console made of solid American walnut with a quilted silk backing, a black-caged light, and 24-karat gold hardware. Another partnership with Rolls-Royce resulted in a bespoke version of the Buster Bulb, an LED lamp with a Royce-patented B22-fitting and a gold-plated bayonet cap. The one-off was available for just one night. Stylish Rockstar Bar designed by Buster + Punch in collaboration with Harrod's. Skull lamp by Buster + Punch, designed in collaboration with Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker. The firms Skull collection is the product of its most recent collaboration this time with LA producer and Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker. Inserting the tattoo and skate culture icon into home decor, the anthology is made up of lights, candle holders, door stops, cabinet knobs, and even necklaces. The Skull Table lamp, for example, comes in all polished brass or solid steel with a distinguishing cranial fob on the end of the pull chain. Full line of Attention to details like these is what Buster + Punch is all about. As Minale says on the company website, In a nutshell, my mission is to reinvent forgotten home fittings into the unforgettable. The post Buster + Punch Brings Bold Motorcycle Vibes to Home Decor first appeared on Dornob. Rapper and fashion designer Kanye West has been released from the talent agency CAA as part of the fallout from the violent antisemitic comments he made earlier this month, according to a statement obtained by Variety. I can confirm that Kanye is not a client, a CAA representative told CNBC on Monday. West, who legally changed his name to Ye earlier this year, signed with the giant talent agency in 2016. MRC, a film production studio, also announced Monday that it was halting a biographical documentary on Ye. In a statement to Variety, MRC studio executives Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley said that,after a discussion with filmmakers and distribution partners, they decided not to proceed with any distribution for our recently completed documentary about Kanye West. We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform, the statement said. Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3,000 years the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain. The 45-year-old record producer and songwriter made antisemitic comments twice earlier this month on Twitter and Instagram. In one Instagram message, he posted what appeared to be a text exchange between himself and Sean Diddy Combs in which West suggested that Diddy was controlled by Jewish people. Then on Twitter, West said he was going death con 3 on Jewish people. Im a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up Im going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE, West tweeted. The funny thing is I actually cant be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda. The posts have since been deleted, and his Twitter and Instagram accounts were locked for violating each platforms policies banning hateful content. British TV host Piers Morgan interviewed West on Wednesday and asked if he was apologetic about his racist comments, to which West replied, Absolutely not. Story continues The rapper then apologized for his comments and said he wanted to give the families he hurt a big hug. I will say Im sorry for the people that I hurt with the death con, the confusion that I, I feel 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, West said. I want to say Im sorry for hurting you with my comments, and I want to word it in not a political way but in a presidential way, West added, referring to the families. West recently drew criticism for wearing a White lives matter T-shirt alongside right-wing pundit Candace Owens on Oct. 4 at his Yeezy runway event during Paris Fashion Week. That same week, on a now-deleted episode of the Drink Champs podcast, West inaccurately claimed that George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis because fentanyl was in his system. If you look, the guys knee wasnt even on his neck like that, Ye said, referring to Floyds death while being restrained by police officers on May 25, 2020, after being accused of using a counterfeit bill at a nearby market. Dr. Andrew Baker, the chief medical examiner who signed Floyds death certificate, has said that Floyd died of cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression. Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyds neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd begged, I cant breathe. Chauvin, a white officer, was fired from the police department and was later convicted of murdering the Black man. The mother of Floyds daughter has filed a lawsuit against West for $250 million, accusing him of spreading falsehoods about Floyd. CAA and MRC join a growing list of businesses that have dropped West or that West has cut ties with, including Balenciaga, JPMorgan Chase and Gap. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... A troubling video made by a group of students at Arvin High School has sparked outrage online, as a teen with special needs was the target of cruel bullying. The situation at the Kern County, California, institution came to light late last week after a student-made video began spreading throughout social media. The video, which was reuploaded and condemned by a TikToker going by @erikaharris14, shows a group of people laughing and recording a student as he shaves patches of hair off of the teens head. In response to the bullied teen wiping tears from his eyes during the distressing ordeal, a classmate can be heard saying, no llores, mijo or dont cry, little boy. @erikaharris14 This young boy has special needs and has been getting bullied. Yesterday they shaved patches of his head and the school did nothing original sound Tik Toker Over the reupload is a message, which reads, This boy was bullied and made fun of to shave his head at school. He was crying!!! You guys think this is funny, he was fkn crying because you people pressure him into doing stuff. This is not okay. I hope the school does something about this and punishes you all, the message continues. Even security laughed and didnt do anything!!! Im so outraged. Arvin high is trash. The user also added further context towards the end of the upload, writing, These kids made fun of his hair because he couldnt afford a haircut. Stand up for whats right. Imagine how that boy felt when he went home, she powerfully added. A boy at Arvin high school who has special needs has been being bullied. And yesterday a group of boys brought clippers to the school and shaved patches off of his hair in front of everyone while people recorded and laughed. pic.twitter.com/ovTETVnGFR Erika Harris (@erikaharris14_) October 20, 2022 Once the video began gaining more circulation online, many expressed their disappointment and outrage including the bullied teens mother, Abe Santiago. Story continues We want those kids to be punished and to understand that what they did was not right, she said, according to 23ABC Bakersfield. They cannot continue to hurt others. Flor Santiago, the bullied teens aunt, also condemned the situation. The parents should see the type of kids they are raising, she expressed, 23ABC Bakersfield reports. Other times, they are telling him things and also hitting him in the stomach, apparently confusing him for someone else. But we both know that you cant just go up to someone and hit them in the stomach and say, I was confused of who it was.' Check out what others had to say on social media. ARVIN HIGH SCHOOL NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND HAVE THESE KIDS EXPELLED. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ALLOW A POOR KID GET BULLIED WHILE SECURITY DID NOTHING?!?? DONT LET THIS GET SWEPT UNDER THE RUG AGAIN!!!! BULLYING IS A REAL THING BUT SCHOOLS DONT DO SHIT ITS TIME SHIT GETS DONE! pic.twitter.com/ssIATLCiRt manuela (@mangosmanny) October 21, 2022 That video of the kid getting bullied at arvin high school here in cali hurt my heart how can kids be so fucked up and force a kid to cut there hair smh ! Thats mental abuse I pray that kid gets passed this and justice ! and them kids better get there ass whopped ! Mar (@chixnaaaa) October 21, 2022 I would absolutely sue the school, sue the kids, get them arrested. There should be laws against bullying. if bullies dont get any type of punishment than why would they stop. Kathy (@Kathy_Dominguez) October 21, 2022 On top of the online outrage, the local community immediately rallied together in support of the teen. HAPPENING NOW-Hundreds are at Arvin High School for a rally in support of a 10th grade student at Arvin High School who experienced bullying. Students shaved pieces of his hair against his will. pic.twitter.com/IYYdKtrdJz David Kaplan (@DKaplanKBAKKBFX) October 21, 2022 There were many signs and parents and students shouting, asking Arvin High School administration to stop bullying and to make the security guard who stood by laughing when a student was getting his hair shaved against his will, get disciplined. pic.twitter.com/LdT9qeBkHe David Kaplan (@DKaplanKBAKKBFX) October 21, 2022 Arvin High School administrators swiftly issued a statement, reading, In regards to the recent event at AHS, please know the school has taken action and will continue to take action. We appreciate your strong emotions and anger toward this incident; the staff at AHS share your feelings. We do not condone these actions and please know er do educate against bullying, the release continued. While the specifics of how the matters being handled are under wraps, its worth adding that the student in question, referred to as Javier, received some help and support from a local barber named Herm Almanza. We should also note that, mere days after this bullying incident came to light, Arvin High School coincidentally held a SALT (Save A Life Today) Walk in memory of a former student who died by suicide shortly after graduating, according to 23ABC Bakersfield. Arvin High School stomps out suicide with SALT Walk https://t.co/qsWT7LTPs8 23ABC News (@23ABCNews) October 25, 2022 What do you think about the situation at Arvin High School? Interstate 405 in Los Angeles. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Leaders in California have condemned an antisemitic hate group that stood above a busy Los Angeles freeway over the weekend with multiple banners, including one that read, "Kanye is right about the Jews." The banner referenced recent remarks made by rapper Kanye West, who now goes by the name Ye. After being criticized for wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt at his YZY runway show in Paris, West tweeted, "I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE." He has since had his Instagram and Twitter accounts locked. The banners were placed on a bridge above Interstate 405 on Saturday, and witnesses recorded several people standing near them raising their arms in the Nazi salute. The non-profit organization StopAntisemitism.org says the Goyim Defense League was responsible for the banners. They are "known for espousing vitriolic antisemitism and white supremacist ideology," the Anti-Defamation League of Southern California tweeted. Political leaders quickly denounced the banners, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) tweeting, "Hate speech opens the door to hateful action. This weekend's antisemitic protests in L.A. were disgusting and cannot be normalized or brushed aside. Words matter, and in California we'll always speak out against racial, ethnic, and religious hate when it rears its ugly head." Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) tweeted that he was "horrified" by the "vile antisemitism" on display, adding, "tragically, it shows the power some hold to amplify hateful language, and how quickly they can persuade others to express their own bigotry." Hollywood celebrities are also speaking out against the rise in antisemitic incidents, including West's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, who tweeted on Monday, "Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end." Reese Witherspoon agreed, posting on Twitter Sunday night, "Antisemitism in any form is deplorable. In person. Online. Doesn't matter where. It's hate and it's unacceptable. Completely understand why my Jewish friends/colleagues are frightened for their families. This is a very scary time." Story continues On Monday afternoon, the talent agency CAA confirmed that within the last month it stopped representing West as a client, but did not say if it was due to his antisemitic statements. You may also like Magic Johnson reportedly in talks to purchase record-breaking stake in NFL franchise 7 brutally funny cartoons about Liz Truss' resignation Climate activists arrested after throwing mashed potatoes at Monet painting RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. (KTXL) A California teacher has been arrested after a Sacramento-area teenager, who went missing in 2020, abruptly reappeared. On June 9, 2020, 15-year-old Michael Ramirez was reported missing. Police asked for help locating the teenager, saying he was last seen leaving his Rancho Cordova home on May 18. His family said he ran away after an argument. Then, earlier this year, on March 11, Ramirez inexplicably returned home, the Sacramento County Sheriff Department said. An investigation ultimately led to the arrest of 61-year-old Holga Castillo Olivares, according to the sheriffs office. She is an employee of Sacramento City Unified School District, the sheriffs office said, and the Alice Birney Waldorf-Inspired K-8 School lists her online as a second-grade teacher. Ramirezs aunt, Katte Smith, told KCRA the teen had been living with Olivares the whole time. You cant just hide someones kid and think thats OK, she said. When we heard she had been arrested, we were floored. KCRA reports Olivares had been questioned throughout the missing persons investigation. The sheriffs office said Olivares was arrested on suspicion of detention of a minor with the intent to conceal from parents, as well as contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The sheriffs office is asking anyone with information to call the Rancho Cordova Police Department at 916-362-5115 For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Cameron Norrie advanced to the round of 16 with a win over Pedro Cachin at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna (Steve Welsh/PA) (PA Wire) British number one Cameron Norrie saw off Argentinian Pedro Cachin in three sets in the first round of the Erste Bank Open. Seventh seed Norrie is still in the running to qualify for the ATP Finals but needs a deep run in Vienna to boost his chances of making next months season-ending tournament. The world number 13 had to fight back from a set down to beat lucky loser Cachin 3-6 6-2 7-6 (1) in over two hours at Wiener Stadthalle. Norrie will face either Netherlands Tallon Griekspoor or American Marcos Giron in the last 16. Cachin, 42 places behind Norrie in the ATP rankings, recorded 19 aces to Norries seven but the Argentines resilience waned as they entered the deciding tiebreak and the Wimbledon semi-finalist prevailed. Norrie saved a break point in the fourth game of the match as the set remained on serve until the eighth game. Norrie was up 30-0 but Cachin reeled off three straight points before breaking the Britons serve for the first time, and he went on to seal the opening set with his fifth ace. Fighting back for the WIN @cam_norrie battles from a set down to beat Pedro Cachin 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(1) in Vienna#BackTheBrits pic.twitter.com/JbO9tEwj1q LTA (@the_LTA) October 25, 2022 Norrie opened the second set with a fine overhead to win the first game and he started to chip away at his opponents confidence, fending off three break points to win game three before breaking Cachins serve for the first time. Story continues The Argentinian clawed back a game but the momentum had shifted and Norrie took the next two games to force a third set. Norrie squandered three break points in the fourth game and he had two more chances to break his opponents serve in game six but could not capitalise as Cachin unleashed his 13th ace of the evening. Cachin battled his way into a tiebreak but by then his energy had waned as Norrie swiftly raced into a 5-1 lead by the change of ends. Norrie quickly set up his first match point and, after faulting on his first serve, wrapped up victory with a powerful forehand. By Divya Rajagopal and Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) -Canada on Tuesday imposed conditions on Rogers Communications' proposed remedy to overcome competition bureau concerns about Rogers' planned C$20 billion ($14.7 billion) purchase of rival Shaw Communications. Rogers has offered to sell Shaw's Freedom Mobile unit to Quebecor Inc's Videotron to allay the antitrust bureau's concerns over reduced competition in the Canadian market following the Shaw deal. Canadian Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told a media conference on Tuesday that Videotron would be required to hold the Freedom Mobile unit for at least 10 years. "Second, I would expect to see prices for wireless service in Ontario and Western Canada comparable to what Videotron is currently offering in Quebec, which are today on average 20% lower than in the rest of Canada," he added. Champagne also said the government has formally rejected the wholesale transfer of wireless spectrum license from Shaw to Rogers under the original deal. Champagne's announcement at a news conference came days before the companies go into mediation at the Competition Tribunal regarding the takeover. Canada Competition Bureau has said the sale of Freedom Mobile to Videotron is not sufficient to overcome its concerns about market concentration. But Champagne has the final say on the deal. "Given the ongoing proceedings, we will decline to comment at this time," Rogers said. Quebecor welcomed the conditions stipulated by Champagne and said it will incorporate those into the new version of the Rogers-Shaw, Quebecor-Freedom Mobile transaction. "We are pleased to see that Minister Champagne recognizes and supports the highly competitive environment created by Videotron in Quebec's wireless market over the past several years," Quebecor Chief Executive Officer Pierre Karl Peladeau said in a statement. Rogers first announced the purchase of Shaw in 2021, but Canada's competition bureau blocked the deal saying it would lessen competition in a market where wireless bills are among the highest in the world. Story continues "Canadians deserve world-class networks, and access to wireless services at affordable and competitive prices. I am resolved to achieve these objectives, full stop," Champagne added. ($1 = 1.3619 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Divya Rajagopal; Additional reporting by Maria Ponnezhath; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Stephen Coates and Sherry Jacob-Phillips) By Anna Mehler Paperny TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT), whose landmark decisions on discrimination against First Nations children set the stage for a historic C$20 billion compensation agreement, threw the deal into doubt after it said the agreement does not fully satisfy its orders. In January, the federal government and First Nations groups announced two C$20 billion agreements, one for compensation and the other for long-term reform of child and family services for First Nations people. Advocates for First Nations had argued before the human rights tribunal and in court for more than a decade that First Nations children were being discriminated against, receiving inadequate care and being removed from their families. The CHRT found evidence of discrimination and ordered compensation. Canada admitted its systems were discriminatory but had fought orders to pay compensation until the landmark deal this year. The CHRT's latest decision, dated Oct. 24 but made public on Tuesday, cited concerns that the agreement could result in some children and caregivers being paid less, the estates of deceased caregivers not getting compensation or payment being denied to children put in care not funded by Ottawa. A government spokesperson said it is not yet clear whether negotiating parties will have to start from scratch or whether they can amend the agreement in a manner acceptable to the tribunal. The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, which spearheaded the human rights tribunal case, welcomed the tribunal's move. "We call on Canada to adopt the tribunal's ruling and take up its clear suggestions to fix the (agreement) to ensure all victims get the human rights compensation and supports they are legally entitled to as soon as possible," it said in a statement. "We are ready to assist Canada and the class action parties in doing so." Tuesday's decision does not stop the work of the agreement on systemic reform, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told reporters in Ottawa. (Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Sandra Maler) CANTON TWP. Scott Hamilton, a Canton Local Board of Education member convicted of misdemeanor theft earlier this year, is facing another theft charge stemming from allegations he stole several yard signs calling for his resignation. The new misdemeanor charge was filed by the Stark County Sheriff's Office in Canton Municipal Court. Hamilton's earlier conviction was in Massillon Municipal Court, and it involved the theft of bales of pine shavings from a Tractor Supply outlet in Massillon. More: Residents want Hamilton outCanton Local residents want Scott Hamilton to resign from school board amid pending case The person who made the complaint to sheriff's deputies is Chris Cole, a fellow member of the Canton Local Board of Education. Cole and Hamilton developed a rift when the latter led a move to not renew a supplemental contract for Cole's wife, a volleyball coach at Canton South High School. Canton Local's Scott Hamilton accused of sign theft "He just got summoned into court," said Maj. C.J. Stantz of the sheriff's staff. "It looks like we took the complaint and did an investigation." The complaint alleges Hamilton on Friday "did steal multiple yards signs that were demanding his resignation." The sign thefts allegedly occurred in Canton Township and the city of Canton. "There is a group of us who don't want him on our Board of Education," Cole said. "We don't want a convicted thief that represents the interest of our kids in Canton Local. Mr. Hamilton decided to help himself to these signs we placed. He actually did it in front of a Canton city police officer." When contacted, Hamilton deferred any comments to his attorney, Daniel Funk. Attempts to contact Funk were not successful. Hamilton has been on the Canton Local Board of Education for 25 years. This is his seventh consecutive term. Canton Local school board member Scott Hamilton, left, was convicted of a theft charge in June for stealing pine shavings from the Tractor Supply Co. To his right is his attorney Daniel Funk. Hamilton is facing a new theft charge accusing him of stealing signs calling for his resignation from the school board. Canton Local board previously asked Hamilton to resign A majority of the Canton Local Board of Education in June voted in favor of a motion asking for Hamilton's resignation. That board vote was not binding, and Hamilton remained on the board. Story continues When asked what the signs state, Cole answered, "Demand Scott Hamilton's resignation. Return integrity to our schools." When Hamilton's case entered Massillon Municipal Court, it started out as a felony theft. Hamilton entered a no contest plea, and the court found him guilty of misdemeanor theft. The Massillon Law Department prosecuted that case. This new charge is to be prosecuted by the Canton Law Department. The Massillon Municipal Court conviction "could impact sentencing (in Canton Municipal Court)," said Jason Reese, lead prosecutor for the Canton Law Department. "As a result of the past conviction, the penalty could be different." Reese also noted that if Hamilton is convicted in Canton Municipal Court on this new charge, he could face some of the suspended penalty given out in Massillon, such as jail time. "They would only do that if convicted here," Reese said. This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton Local school board member Scott Hamilton faces new theft charge Carol Voderman pictured on the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards on 24 October 2022. (Getty Images) Carol Vorderman is no stranger to the Pride of Britain Awards. The former Countdown star has been hosting the annual award show which pays honour to some of the UKs most inspiring heroes since it first aired in 1999. Read more: Lionesses among those to be honoured at Pride of Britain Awards Yesterday, she hosted for the 24th time, this time joined by dancer Ashley Banjo. Voderman, 61, stunned in two dresses: a red gown with a train for the red carpet and a strapless grey dress to present in. On Sunday evening, Vorderman surprised her 247k Instagram followers by showing them exactly what shed be wearing to the award show. And whilst most celebrities like to use events and red carpets to show off new, lavish outfits, Vorderman opted for the sustainable route this year. Voderman wore a dress on the red carpet that she's previously worn to the events before: a red, fitted gown with a fishtail skirt. A new train was added for this year. (Getty Images) In the spirit of hand me downs and sustainability... @ashleybanjogram and I are wearing beautiful outfits for this years [sic] Pride of Britain which weve worn previously Ash is wearing the suit he wore as best man at @jordbanjo wedding earlier this year and Im wearing a stunning gown which I wore on stage for POB in 2018, she captioned the Instagram video. The dress is a lovely silk and its been a great, sustainable process. P.s theyre NOT real gems around the waist....ha ha, she revealed. Watch: Kimberley Walsh praises actual superheroes at Pride of Britain Awards In her Instagram post, Vorderman starts in a T-shirt and leggings before playfully twirling into a stunning floor-length gown. The smoky grey silk gown featured a built in-corset and dazzling diamante trim down the sides. Read more: Carol Vorderman slams trolls who say she is 'too old' to show body: 'Fit and happy' Were doing things a little bit differently this year, weve been working hard to make the whole event as green as we can, the host explained. As part of that, for my red carpet and on-stage outfits, Im wearing two dresses that I have worn before, so weve upcycled two of the amazing dresses that have been made for me. Story continues If you tuned in to the show last year, Vordermans second dress might look familiar. She donned the fiery red design by Suzanne Neville when co-hosting the event in 2021. "Last year I wore this stunning red dress made by @suzanneneville on the stage to host the show. This year were adding a simple chiffon train and wearing it on the red carpet. Im so happy for two reasons. I really love this dress....and it still fits. Ha," she revealed in a second Instagram post. Read more: These Celebrity-Activists Are Giving Sustainable Style New Cred "You know I love wearing the same things many, many, many times over. And I was brought up wearing hand-me-downs," she said. "This year on @prideofbritain we're taking this and upcycling our outfits and quite right too." One of the resources many people who are without homes turn to on Thanksgiving each year is asking the community for help. The Charlotte Rescue Mission said it is running short on food boxes and turkey donations. Every Thanksgiving we give out Thanksgiving food boxes, Tony Marciano, the president of the nonprofit, said. One of our partners who normally provides us with 1,000 Thanksgiving food boxes and turkeys has gone in a different direction. Marciano said the nonprofits goal is to collect 5,000 turkeys and food boxes filled with Thanksgiving staples. Currently, Marciano said the nonprofit has only collected 2,000. Marciano said its not just about building boxes, its about building memories. That Thanksgiving of 2022 was so special because other people cared about me. Thats what this is all about. helping a family create memories around their Thanksgiving table, Marciano said. ALSO READ: How to save money and create a spending plan, no matter your budget I believe its a critical need. I believe we all are in this together, project director of InReach, Keiba Young, said. Young said InReach is a nonprofit that partners with Charlotte Rescue Mission to distribute the boxes to families in need. We were feeding 158 day one, but now were feeding 300 families. And so, if theres a shortage that means half of those may not receive food that theyre going to count on, Young said. Young said that despite the low donations, shes certain the nonprofits will complete their mission. But they will need help from the community. They know that theres a need they will step up so Im confident they should be fine, Young said. You just need to speak louder and they are. Charlotte Rescue Mission says its biggest days for donations will be Nov. 18 and Nov. 19. For instructions on how and where you can drop off your donations email Pam Beam at pam.beam@charlotterescuemission.org. (WATCH BELOW: How to save money and create a spending plan, no matter your budget) Lots of kids are running fevers right now. Marharyta Marko/Getty Images US flu season is off to an early start. Thermometers across the country are spiking temperatures higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Children's ER doctors also say the majority of their cases right now are viral illnesses. Cold and flu season is kicking off early this year. Doctors and parents across the US are noting a spike in pediatric fevers signaling flu, RSV, and other common winter illnesses are already spreading. "What we're seeing most is respiratory viral illnesses," Dr. Melanie Kitagawa, who directs the pediatric intensive care unit at Texas Children's Hospital, told Insider. But it's not just severe, hospitalized cases that are up. Smart thermometer company Kinsa aggregates data from 2.5 million thermometers in households across the country. They're seeing lots of kids' temperatures spiking right now well ahead of a more typical December/January viral illness wave. Thermometer readings are soaring past 100 degrees Kinsa has about 1.5 million pediatric users aged 0 to 12 across the US. Right now, roughly 3% of them are recording "influenza-like illnesses," meaning the child has a fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, plus a cough or sore throat. This is a much higher percentage of illnesses than what Kinsa recorded at this time of year in 2021, 2020, or 2019: Kinsa Texas and DC are hotspots for flu In southern states like Texas, where Kitagawa works, the October virus-spreading trend is even more pronounced. The chart below tracks the proportion of ILI (influenza-like illnesses) that Kinsa thermometers are recording across 17 southern US states, including Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. You can see the pediatric curve here is even steeper than the graph for the entire US: Kinsa Federal flu surveillance done in hospitals and outpatient clinics around the country mirrors Kinsa's tracking, too. The most recent tally of influenza-like illnesses across the US includes "high" levels of ILI fevers in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and New York. Story continues ILI is also "very high" in Washington, DC right now. In nearby Virginia, Stafford High School cancelled all extracurricular activities last weekend after nearly half the school's students and staff called out sick, the Hill reported. Rates of 'influenza-like illness' are high in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and New York, and very high in Washington DC. CDC All this fever, cough, and sore throat data can't really differentiate between who has the flu, who has RSV, and who might have COVID-19, or some other viral illness that causes the same feverish symptoms. But it is a good indication that all those viruses are spreading quickly from person to person right now. If you're not sick yet, "do the preventative things that you can do, like get the flu vaccine," Kitagawa said. Rest, hydration, and Tamiflu can help If you or your child is already sick, rest and hydration is key. Viral illnesses including flu, RSV, and COVID cannot be cured by antibiotics. Instead, while the body fights the virus, symptoms can be eased with over-the-counter medicine including fever reducers, like children's acetaminophen or children's ibuprofen. A damp washcloth over the forehead or tepid bath can also feel good for a fever, while saltwater gargling may ease a sore throat. Staying home from school or work will also help prevent your child from spreading their flu to others. Finally, the antiviral drug Tamiflu works to attack the flu virus and relieve symptoms faster than your body would naturally. The medicine requires a prescription, and needs to be taken within 48 hours after symptoms start. Tamiflu can also be taken as a prophylactic by family members of sick patients, which means it may help prevent them from getting ill. Read the original article on Insider VALENTYNA ROMANENKO TUESDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2022, 13:18 Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, has advised Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-controlled head of Chechnya, to get out of Ukraine and stand up for the independence of his homeland before the aggressor becomes interested in destroying it as well. Source: Danilov on Twitter Quote: "Leave Ukraine and fight for the Independence of Ichkeria before its too late; this is the best guarantee that Russia wont wipe out the city of Dzhokhar (Grozny) for the second time. If the Russian Federation is not destroyed, they will return to kill Chechen women and children again. You havent forgotten, have you" Previously: Kadyrov had accused the Armed Forces of Ukraine of attacking Russian regions and expressed his dissatisfaction with Russias "weak responses". He called for Ukrainian cities to be "wiped off the face of the earth". Background: On 18 October 2022, the Verkhovna Rada [Ukraines parliament] recognised the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation and condemned the genocide of the Chechen people. For information: The first war between Ichkeria and Russia took place in 1994-1996. Ichkeria won and was recognised as independent. Russian troops killed hundreds of thousands of peaceful civilians in Ichkeria. According to the Chechen side, the Russian Federation lost up to 80,000 soldiers, but Russia officially admitted to losses of only 5,500 soldiers. Volunteer soldiers from Ukraine fought on Ichkerias side. Despite the peace treaty, the first President of Ichkeria, Dzhokhar Dudayev, was assassinated by the Russian security services. In 1999, allegedly in order to defend civilians, Russia started a second war with Ichkeria and occupied the country. The guerilla war went on until 2009. Russia declared Ichkeria to be a constituent entity of the Russian Federation and named it "the Chechen Republic", installing Akhmat Kadyrov as its leader. After he was killed, he was replaced by his son Ramzan. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. celebrated the opening of the 1839 Cherokee Meat Company in Tahlequah on Tuesday. The name of the business, is a nod to the year 1839, when a constitution united the Cherokee Nation. The facility cost $8.3 million. The majority of the funding for the new plant comes from CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act, according to Brandon Scott, Director of Communications at Cherokee Nation Businesses. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides relief funds to state, local, and tribal governments that have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The ribbon cutting was held outside the new 12-thousand square foot processing plant located off Highway 51 on repurposed tribal property. The 1839 Cherokee Meat Company was created after Hoskin, Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and the Council of the Cherokee Nation called for its construction to address food security and food sovereignty, and as a way to support local agriculture. What COVID revealed was that we lacked capacity in this country for meat processing, Hoskin said. There are gaps and we need to fill those gaps, and I think we owe it to the Cherokee people to be leaders on this. The new USDA inspected plant will also provide local ranchers, like Cherokee Nation citizen Craig Loftin, with a chance to retail his own beef, a boost he could use after having to sell off over 50 percent of his herd due to drought. You take a steer that you might sell at the sale barn for a thousand dollars, he explained. You can run him through the processing plant, sell it out in packages at home and gain around $3,000 out of that same steer. The USDA says its supportive of meat processing plants like the one in Tahlequah that help to strengthen the food supply chain by getting more processors in the country. As COVID broke out, we didnt have enough meat processors in the U.S. and so stores would run of meat and people didnt have access to it, said Ken Corn, the State Director of the Oklahoma State Office of the USDA. Story continues Its a re-investment in our communities. It is to secure our countrys food supply, and the Cherokee Nations leading the way in Oklahoma in doing this, said Corn. The 1839 Cherokee Meat Company currently employs seven full-time workers, but that number is expected to grow. Given the capacity issues that the region has that this is going to be a plant that works at full tilt, will be able to raise employment, and I think this is just the beginning, said Hoskin. They are processing pork and beef right now, and plan to add deer and elk next year, and eventually bison. You can learn more about the facility at its website. RELATED>>>Biden Administration plan to increase meat processing capacity could benefit Oklahoma ranchers BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday it will promote foreign investment with a focus on manufacturing industries, after President Xi Jinping called in China to "win the battle" in core technologies during the Communist Party Congress that ended over the weekend. China will encourage foreign enterprises to invest in high-tech equipment and components, according to a statement published on the website of National Development and Reform Commission, China's powerful planning agency. China will also strengthen financial support for foreign enterprises, including fund-raising by eligible enterprises through listings on China's stock markets, the statement said. China's economy grew 3.9% in the September quarter from a year earlier, rebounding at a faster-than-expected pace, although the outlook was overshadowed by aggressive COVID 19-related curbs, a prolonged property slump and the global economic downturn. Tuesday's statement also promised support for foreign enterprises posting personnel to China. "China will facilitate the entry and exit to the country of multinational companies' executives, technicians and their families, under the prevention and control of COVID-19." (Reporting by Liangping Gao and Ryan Woo; Editing by Edmund Klamann) A Kuaizhou-1A rocket blasts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to send a satellite into the orbit in northwest China Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Chinas experimental spacecraft launched from the Jiuquan Launch Center in August. Its been nearly eight weeks since we last heard from Chinas spaceplane, which launched from the the Gobi Desert in early August. But things are happening, as the spaceplane recently fired its thrusters to ascend to a higher and more circular orbit, but for reasons that arent entirely clear. The reusable spacecraft took off onboard a Long March 2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on August 4. As Chinas second attempt to launch a spaceplane, the experimental vehicle flew at a higher altitude and for a longer period of time than its predecessor. Read more Shortly after it launched, the spaceplane stayed at an orbit of about 215 miles by 369 miles (346 kilometers by 593 kilometers) inclined at 50 degrees above the equator. But experts monitoring its orbit noted a changed occurring on Sunday, October 23, with the spacecraft raising its orbit to a near-circular 371 by 378miles (597 by 608 kilometers), SpaceNews reported. Mission Update China Spaceplane Test Yesterday at around 07:30 UTC, nearly eight weeks after launch, it used thrusters to raise perigee and produce ~600 km circular orbit, inclination unchanged Detailed figureshttps://t.co/RpUCh03yiP#China #spaceplane #shuttle #orbit #news pic.twitter.com/dUarH1uApT Orbital Focus (@OrbitalFocus) October 24, 2022 China has shared little information regarding its spaceplane, with the Chinese government stating that it would remain in orbit for a vague period of time, state media reported at the time of its launch. Story continues The spaceplane is a hybrid airplane-spacecraft vehicle that launches to space onboard a traditional vertical rocket. While operating like a regular aircraft in Earths atmosphere, the reusable vehicle acts like a spacecraft in space, allowing the reusable craft to complete missions in space and then return to the surface where it performs a horizontal airplane-like landing. Chinas first experimental spaceplane launched in September 2020 and stayed in orbit for about two days before landing back on Earth. It also flew at about 206 miles by 216 miles with a similar inclination (331 km by 347 km), according to Ars Technica. The spaceplane also released a single payload before landing. Chinas second go at launching and testing a spaceplane appears to be more ambitious, with the second vehicle staying aloft for nearly three months and raising its operational orbit. The spaceplane project falls under the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a state-owned vehicle manufacturer that makes both civilian and military space launch vehicles. Similarly in the United States, the Space Force has its own spaceplane, the Boeing X-37. The Space Forces spaceplane launched in May 2020 for its sixth test flight and has been flying nonstop ever since. Both experimental vehicles are still aloft in the skies, with no word on when they may land just yet. More: ISS Moves to New Orbit in Advance of Cargo Mission More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. A Beijing-based sexologist and sociologist who created a nonprofit male virtue program was surprised to find that more than 30 men signed up for his training sessions after the same program flopped around seven years ago. Fang Gang started the first iteration of the program in 2015 to teach the opposite of what female virtue schools at the time did. Those institutions, which caused outrage across China, reportedly upheld patriarchal beliefs and taught women to take a back seat. Many men have shown interest [in the program] as they see this as a way to improve their marriage and their relationship with their children," Fang, who is reportedly a well-known gender equality advocate in China, said. At least from the media and public discourse, I have seen more discussion about gender issues and reflection on the role of men. With his male virtue program, Fang helps men learn how to become better partners through exchanging life stories, taking part in games that simulate labor pain experiences and discussing films they have watched together. His classes advocate social responsibility and male family involvement while also addressing stereotypes. More from NextShark: Facebook Profits From 'Kung Flu' Ads, Report Shows Fang's classes will be available to the general public in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu next year. He has chosen three teams out of 17 teams that reportedly signed up to support him. These teams' members are required to teach other men in their respective cities after attending Fang's training sessions. Their goal is to teach classes that have at least 15 students per class. When Fang launched the first iteration of his program around seven years ago, only two men reportedly registered at the time. I did not expect a big number of men to sign up this time, but I think there are people who do want to change and grow. That is why we choose to start from big cities, where public awareness is better," Fang said. Story continues More from NextShark: Japanese Astronaut Successfully Completes NASA's First Commercial Crew Program Flight Fang hopes that the program will one day spread to other cities and eventually reach men around the entire country. Featured Image via PxHere More from NextShark: Enough is enough: Oakland Chinatown leader calls on Newsom to declare state of emergency over string of violent crimes Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark! Korean Man Left Beaten in Parking Structure at The Source in OC For the first time in five years, Askinosie Chocolate will be taking high school students to the east African country where many of its cocoa beans are grown. Chocolate University a partnership between the local chocolate-making company, The Askinosie Foundation and Drury University announced Monday that it will accept applications from current high school juniors and seniors through Dec. 5 for a summer 2023 trip to Tanzania. High school students from Greene and Christian counties were selected to participate in Chocolate University, an immersive international business program that included a trip to rural Tanzania. Up to 14 students will be selected and there are two significant changes that expand eligibility. The nonprofit Chocolate University will now accept applications from throughout southwest Missouri. In the past, only students in the greater Springfield area were eligible. Also, due to fundraising, students will only have to pay a $500 registration fee, which is just 10% of the cost for the 10-day international business immersion program. A selection committee will decide which students will accompany award-winning chocolate maker Shawn Askinosie, and chaperones, on a cocoa bean buying trip. The experience delivers lessons in entrepreneurship, problem-solving through innovation, craft chocolate, cacao agronomy, Tanzanian culture, leadership, personal reflection, and vision setting for their futures. "The primary deciding factor for us in selecting a student is how will this experience be a catalyst for you in your future. It doesn't mean we want a junior in high school to have it all figured out," Askinosie told the News-Leader. "But we want to discern how this experience will be a catalyst for the student." More:In first book, founder of Askinosie Chocolate details quest for 'meaningful work' Askinosie said he developed business and personal relationships with a group of 40 farmers in rural Tanzania. They play a role in educating the students who travel to the region as part of Chocolate University. "We have a deep relationship with this group of farmers. One of the things that they talked about during my (recent) visit was 'When are the kids coming back?'" he recalled. "It is really important for us and it is really important for them. They really get a lot out of interacting with the students and showing them about cocoa farming and who they are and about their culture." Story continues The last overseas trip for Chocolate University was in 2018. It was put on hiatus during the global pandemic. To apply go to chocolateuniversity.org. Expansion of Chocolate University follows "a lot of requests over the years" The program started in 2008. Over the years, there have been six overseas trips with 80 high school students. Askinosie started the small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate micro-factory located in Springfield, which has national and international attention. "This Chocolate University business immersion experience is maybe my favorite part of Askinosie Chocolate," he said. "It is so gratifying to be part of these students' lives and to be a witness observer watching the transformation happen in a short period of time. It is just nothing short of magical." More:Nixa elementary principal saves life of child choking on grape Teenagers selected for the program participate in a six-month preparatory course that culminates in the trip. Askinosie said the program, which started with just Springfield students, has expanded its eligibility over the years. This is the first time it will be open to any current high school junior from southwest Missouri. He said the decision to widen the geographic area for applicants was spurred by "a lot of requests over the years from teachers, counselors, principals of schools outside of Greene County." By offering the scholarships covering 90% of the cost, Askinosie said the nonprofit can ensure students' family income will not limit their ability to participate. Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Chocolate University relaunches 'magical' Tanzania trip for teenagers The faculty and staff of City Colleges of Chicago will walk off the job next week if they dont secure a new contract, their union said Tuesday. Leaders of the union representing almost 1,500 instructors and other employees of the community colleges said Tuesday that theyve set a Nov. 2 strike date amid ongoing negotiations for a new labor agreement. The prospect of a strike shutting down the college network has intensified in recent weeks after the Cook County College Teachers Union authorized a strike earlier this month. The union reported some progress in talks last week on issues including pay but said the sides remained apart on a number of sticking points, including issues related to remote work. The colleges administration has said little about any contingency plans for a strike that could halt classes for tens of thousands of students. A spokesperson released a statement last week saying the administration is committed to negotiating in good faith with each of our professionals and faculty unions to finalize their respective contracts. Councilman Kevin de Leon at the grand opening of his mayoral campaign headquarters in March. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian had harsh words Monday for his colleague Kevin de Leon, telling the embattled council member in a letter that his continued presence on the legislative body was "causing actual ongoing harm" to the practical operation of the council. Krekorian said he would not grant De Leon's request to be temporarily excused from council meetings. De Leon's office did not respond when asked Monday afternoon about Krekorian's letter. The letter comes five days after De Leon vowed not to resign in the wake of an incendiary leaked audio recording in which city leaders made racist and derogatory comments about a number of groups. Former Council President Nury Martinez and former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera resigned from their posts in the days after The Times first reported on the leak this month. But De Leon and Councilmember Gil Cedillo, who also participated, remain on the council, despite President Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom and virtually all of the local political establishment calling for them to go. De Leon, who has repeatedly apologized for his participation in the conversation, sent a letter to Krekorian Wednesday asking to be excused from future council meetings so that he could "refocus my energy on meeting directly with those I represent to begin the process to help heal those that have been harmed. But Krekorian rejected this request, telling De Leon on Monday that there "is no path forward that includes your continued participation in this council." De Leon, 55, has two years left in his term to represent the 14th Council District, which includes downtown, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock and other neighborhoods. In an interview Sunday with NBC 4's Conan Nolan, De Leon reiterated his position that stepping down would leave his constituents with "no voice in City Hall." De Leon, who finished third in the June mayoral primary, launched his bid to lead the city less than a year after taking office on the council. Should he have won the mayor's race, he would have had to step down in December, leaving his office vacant and probably necessitating a special election. Story continues Despite the outrage, some in De Leon's district described the scandal as overblown and said in interviews last week that De Leon shouldnt step down. But Krekorian saw no way forward for the beleaguered council member, writing in his letter that De Leon's constituents "need to start fresh" and saying a special election would give them that opportunity. Krekorian vowed that the council would schedule a special election immediately if De Leon resigns in order to "minimize disruption" and said he would "ensure that a caretaker provides essential constituent services to the people of the 14th District" in the interim. There does not appear to be any legal mechanism for his fellow council members to remove De Leon, meaning short of him resigning, a successful recall election is likely the only way he would leave office early. A provision in the City Charter deems a council office vacant when the incumbent has been absent from the City without the consent of the Council for more than 60 consecutive days, or when the incumbent has ceased to discharge the duties of the office for 90 consecutive days, except when prevented by illness, injury, or other reasonable cause. City Clerk Holly Wolcott said Friday that that 60-day rule would apply only if someone was actually outside the boundaries of the city without approval, whereas the 90-day rule is interpreted to be about fulfilling the duties of office. But even if De Leon remains absent from the council's thrice-weekly meetings for months, it's unlikely that the 90-day provision would apply. "I think it is reasonable to assume that as long as a council member is fulfilling most aspects of their duty of office such as constituent services, they are considered at work regardless of whether they attend council meetings," Wolcott told The Times in an email Friday. Wolcott said she didn't know of any applicable case law and noted that the section is "subject to interpretation and legal challenge." After a week of virtual meetings following a COVID-19 exposure, the council is set to return to its City Hall chambers Tuesday morning. Pete Brown, a spokesperson for De Leon, said Monday evening that De Leon would not be attending council meetings this week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Justice Thomas briefly froze an order calling on Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify in a Georgia 2020 election probe. Last week, Graham filed an emergency application to block his testimony before an Atlanta grand jury. Graham was one of the lawmakers who asked the state's top election official to question absentee ballots, per a WaPo report. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas temporarily froze an order calling for testimony for Sen. Lindsey Graham before a Georgia grand jury investigating possible criminal efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The Republican senator from South Carolina was reportedly one of the lawmakers who pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to question absentee ballots, the top election official told The Washington Post in November 2020. A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, subpoenaed Graham for testimony in their probe, prompting the South Carolina lawmaker to ask the Supreme Court in an emergency application last week to block the subpoena. "Without a stay, Senator Lindsey Graham will soon be questioned by a local Georgia prosecutor and her ad hoc investigative body about his protected 'speech or debate' related to the 2020 election," Graham's lawyers wrote in the application. "This will occur despite the Constitution's command that senators 'shall not be questioned' about 'any speech or debate.'" Thomas' order on Monday was an "administrative stay," likely to give justices in the nation's top court more time to consider the senator's emergency request to block his testimony before the Georgia county grand jury. The justice acted alone in the temporary order because he has jurisdiction over the lower court that issued the original subpoena. Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Justice Thomas' administrative stay. But last week's appeal to the Supreme Court wasn't Graham's first attempt to avoid testifying before the Atlanta grand jury. Earlier this year, Graham claimed that the Constitution granted him "absolute immunity" in the election interference probe, to which Georgia's district attorney condemned his argument. Story continues "The Senator's extreme position defies the facts, this Court's holdings, Supreme Court precedent, and the interests of the public," prosecutors wrote in court documents. In a 23-page order filed in September, a federal judge rejected Graham's immunity claim, saying she was "unpersuaded by the breadth of Senator Graham's argument." "[T]he Court does not find that it can simply accept Senator Graham's sweeping and conclusory characterizations of the calls and ignore other objective facts in the record that call Senator Graham's characterizations into question," US District Court Judge Leigh Martin wrote in her ruling. Representatives for the Fulton County District Attorney's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider MUNCIE, Ind. Off-year voting looks strong in Delaware County, according to County Clerk Rick Spangler, who said the pattern is reminiscent of 2018, the last mid-term election, which occurred during the Trump administration. Voters have been casting ballots early at the Delaware County Building downtown and by mail. Spangler said that as of Friday night, there had been 1,300 votes cast at the county building and 2,509 mail-in ballots returned by registered voters in the county. Spangler said the vote was the much like it was at this point in 2018, with the exception that the vote total were reversed between the mail-in and machine votes so far. The 2018 election saw a turnout of about 50 percent, he said, which is what is expected in this year's county election. Delaware County sheriff faces re-election challenge from deputy "We're steady all day," said Leisa Meer, voter registration clerk at the Clerk's office gaging the wait voting in the county building. "It's not like a presidential (year). That would be lines. But we are steady." More:Party chairmen need more time to study vote centers for Delaware County The traveling voter board began visiting shut-ins and and nursing homes last Thursday, Meer said. The bipartisan board sets up machines in some nursing homes and lets registered voters cast ballots like its a regular Election Day, she said. Meanwhile, the clerk said that the county has enough poll workers from both Republican and Democratic parties to staff precincts this Nov. 8. It has been more difficult to find the poll workers to run the election at the polls. The county has even increased pay for the day's work. "We have a couple in the bullpen," he said, in case some workers can't show on Election Day. The clerk said he will bring the issue of vote centers back to the top of the agenda at the first County Election Board Meeting, which will be Nov. 21, after the general election. Story continues More:Voters in 3 Delaware County school districts to decide board races The board will meet that day to certify the Nov. 8 election results. The Board is made up of the elected clerk and representatives of the political party chairmen in the county, one Republican and one Democrat. The clerk's office has developed a plan for voter centers, which would allow voters to cast ballots at any one of 25 vote centers set up across the county, The county chairmen say they want to visit each planned polling place before agreeing to the plan. More:Early voting starts Wednesday in county, General Assembly and congressional election "I'm sure they haven't been visiting this past week," said Spangler said, due to the work involved in the upcoming election. The clerk's office has been aiming to get the vote centers readied for the 2023 municipal elections. Meer, who helped develop the vote center plan along with Deputy Clerk Jessica Whitehead, said she had developed a timeline for the two chairmen to approve a plan in time for the primary election in 2023. Meer said the deadline to get the plan submitted to the state will be 5 p.m. March 2, 2023. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Delaware County election turnout on par so far with 2018 BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia could use its restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela to help curb human rights violations in its neighbor, advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday. Colombia and Venezuela reopened a major crossing point to cargo transport between the two countries in late September in a major thawing after years of icy bilateral relations and heavily restricted economic ties. While rebuilding relations with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Colombia's leftist administration should also remain focused on helping to address the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, the rights organization said. "Colombia should prioritize obtaining concrete human rights commitments from Venezuelan authorities," the group said, adding that other key areas would include supporting access of humanitarian assistance, reestablishing the rule of law, and addressing violence, abuse, and human trafficking at the border, among other topics. Colombia's government did not immediately respond to the letter from Human Rights Watch, which also noted the country's "mostly exemplary" response to Venezuela's crisis, which has caused some 7.1 million people to flee the country. Venezuela's government did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters about the letter. In September, the U.N. International Independent Fact-Finding Mission for Venezuela found that state intelligence agencies under Maduro's helm had suppressed the opposition through arbitrary detentions and torture that amounted to crimes against humanity. Previous governments in Bogota have accused Maduro of harboring Colombian criminals and rebel groups, such as the National Liberation Army, accusations he has denied. Caracas broke off relations with Bogota in 2019 after Venezuelan opposition activists tried to send aid trucks from Colombia. Maduro's government said it was a front for an attempted coup. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta and Oliver Griffin in Bogota; Additional reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas; Editing by Sandra Maler) Nine Russian vessels were transferred to the management of the Ukrainian company Read also: Oil tankers with unknown owners being amassed to ship Russian oil, Bloomberg reports The National Agency of Ukraine for finding, tracing and management of assets derived from corruption and other crimes (the Asset Recovery and Management Agency or ARMA completed the transfer of nine Russian vessels. The vessels were seized under sanctions imposed in criminal proceedings conducted by the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation. The sanctioned Russian vessels had been carry household goods. They arrived to Ukraine from the end of 2021 to the beginning of 2022. They are worth more than $13.5 million or UAH 500 million. Read also: Russian invaders destroyed two Ukrainian ships, Presidents Office says The owners of the vessels paid large amounts of taxes to the Russian budget, thereby funding the Kremlins war of aggression against Ukraine, Ukraines government said. Read also: UK sanctions Iran over supplying drones to Russia Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the ships were arrested and handed over to the ARMA. A public tender for the management of the merchant ships was announced in May. In June a winner in the Ukrainian market was selected. The contract period for the management of the vessels will be for a period of one year. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine These are your Coronation Street spoilers for 31 October 4 November, 2022. (ITV) The spectre of John Stape looms large again on Coronation Street next week thanks to a distressing article in the local newspaper. But who on the Street has been selling secrets? Plus, Tyrone lashes out at Nick, and Summer makes a deal. Its your Coronation Street spoilers for 31 October 4 November 2022. Who has sold out Fiz? Tyrone Dobbs [ALAN HALSALL], Fiz Stape [JENNY McALPINE] (ITV) The latest edition of the Gazette is out and it features the first extract of the book about John Stape. Read more: Next week on EastEnders Read more: Next week on Emmerdale When Fiz reads whats been written, her heart sinks and she quickly hides the newspaper from Hope. She then suggests to Tyrone that they get in touch with the journalist who worked on the book and set up a meeting with him. But might the person who did the dirty on them be closer to home? Tyrone punches Nick Tyrone Dobbs [ALAN HALSALL], Nick Tilsley [BEN PRICE] (ITV) In order to halt the publication of more damaging articles, Tyrone and Fiz seek the help of Adam, who tells them it might not be possible to stop the publication of the book itself. But events take an unforeseen turn when Hope runs away from school, having been upset by some of the nasty things her classmates were saying. Nick then makes an already tense situation even worse when he asks that Hope be kept away from Sam! With Fiz upset by Nicks words, Tyrone takes action by punching Nick. But Fiz fears that Tys behaviour may well have cost Hope her friendship with Sam. The week ends with Hope confiding in Fiz that Sam isnt quite the golden boy he makes himself out to be cue the truth coming out about him still writing letters to Harvey in prison. Todd discovers a secret Sean Tully [ANTONY COTTON] (ITV) Sean, Laurence and Dylan are readying themselves for a night out in Mondays episode. But when Todd is asked to take a photo of the trio on Laurences phone, an image pops up that leaves him shocked. By Wednesday, Laurence will be seen catching Sean trying to crack the code on his phone. He snatches his mobile back and storms out, leaving Sean ashamed and red-faced in the process. Story continues Will Summer reveal all to Billy? Summer Spellman [HARRIET BIBBY], Aaron [JAMES CRAVEN] (ITV) Aarons dad needs to go to rehab but the 10,000 fee makes it impossible. Summers solution is to let Mike and Esther adopt her baby but on the condition that they provide financial support, beginning with 10,000 up front. Summer then meets up with Aaron and drops the bombshell that shes still pregnant. And whats more, she now has enough cash to fund a stay in rehab for Aarons dad. But what Summer hasnt reckoned on is severe morning sickness that results in her throwing up in the kitchen sink at home. She secretly seeks advice from Dr Gaddas on what she can do about the situation. But Billy who is currently unaware of Summers pregnancy is convinced that her eating disorder has returned with a vengeance. When Summer returns home later to find Billy, Todd and Paul all waiting for her, will she end up telling them all the truth about why shes been suffering with health problems? Watch: Coronation Street star opens up about mini-stroke All northbound lanes of East Marginal Way South in South Seattle were blocked after a crash Tuesday morning. The closure was at South Hudson Street. At 8:23 a.m., Seattle fire said a three-car crash happened at Alaska Way South. One person was trapped in their vehicle. Firefighters had to rescue the victim, who was stable while they were being evaluated by medics. The injured person was taken to a hospital. The lanes reopened shortly after 9 a.m. More news from KIRO 7 DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP Haiti. Illustrated | Getty Images The small Caribbean nation of Haiti continues to face a slew of deep-seated humanitarian crises, with NGOs warning that the country could be on the verge of a complete societal collapse. Haitian officials have appealed to the international community for outside assistance, and while some have answered the call, there is still a barrage of issues, including supply shortages, rampant gang violence, and famine that threatens to derail foreign aid. Humanitarian crises throughout Haiti are sadly not new, and there are a number of factors that have caused the country to reach this breaking point. Here's everything you need to know: What is the driving force behind the humanitarian crisis? Haiti has long suffered from poverty and economic hardships, stemming from massive external debt to its former French colonizers as well as decades of political instability. It remains one of the world's poorest nations and was ranked 163 out of 191 countries in the 2022 Human Development Index. However, the current blight facing the nation was set into motion this past summer, when armed gangs began seizing control of areas throughout the nation. Most of this trouble was centered in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, where a coalition of gangs called the G9 have taken de facto control of much of the city. While gang violence has been a historic problem, the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in 2021 plunged the country into chaos and created a vacuum that allowed gangs to seize power. The humanitarian crisis began when G9 created a blockade around Varreux, one of the nation's most critical fuel terminals. This resulted in mass shortages of goods such as food, water, and other basic necessities. The blockade came in response to an announcement from Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry that his government would be ending fuel subsidies. G9 surrounded Varreux in protest and demanded Henry's resignation, though he remains in power. Story continues What problems has the blockade caused? Cutting off the Varreux terminal has had a domino effect on the nation, choking the country's supply chain and causing problems in numerous sectors of the economy. Reuters reported that most Haitian economic activity has come to a standstill as a result. Beyond this, there have been reports of hospitals across the country being forced to shut down due to the supply shortage, as most of them are powered by diesel generators a commodity that is no longer available. This has led to a whole host of problems within a nation that already struggles to provide adequate medical care, specifically due to the rampant diseases that are also currently plaguing Haiti. Violence against children, rape, looting, civil unrest, and devastating levels of hunger have also become the norm within the country. More than 4 million people face food insecurity, according to the United Nations, with the U.N. deeming Haiti to be in a Level 5, or "catastrophic," phase of hunger for the first time in its history. People living in Port-au-Prince additionally told Reuters that strong anti-government protests have often devolved into violence, with shootouts between rival gangs and law enforcement becoming a daily occurrence. What other factors have contributed to the Haitian crisis? Sadly, there have been a number of other variables that have added additional angst to the people of Haiti. One of the most prominent is the aforementioned diseases that are sweeping across the country most notably, a deadly outbreak of cholera that has upticked in recent weeks. According to the World Health Organization, cholera is an acute infection "caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae." The crumbling infrastructure in Haiti, combined with the lack of clean drinking water, led to a massive spread of the disease starting in October. CBC News reported that at least 35 people have died and more than 600 people have gotten sick with cholera since the outbreak began. Outbreaks of cholera have particularly been seen throughout the Haitian prison systems, where at least 200 of these cases are thought to have originated. One former inmate told CBC News that the country's main prison in Port-au-Prince had "the most unsanitary conditions you can think of. There's no running water ... the toilet is practically a hole in the ground that runs off into the outside there's no sewage system." If all of this wasn't bad enough, Haiti and the Caribbean in general is smack in the middle of earthquake territory, and Haiti in particular has become known for its devastating quakes. One such earthquake occurred in Aug. 2021, a 7.2 magnitude rumble that killed over 2,000 people and left more than 12,000 injured. Nearly 150,000 buildings throughout the country were destroyed in what would become the year's deadliest natural disaster, and the country was still in the midst of a massive recovery effort when this latest crisis began to unfold. What is being done to try and help? There have been calls for foreign intervention from both around the world and from within Haiti. The United States in particular has been urged by some to weigh in on the affair, and the Biden administration sent a delegation to the country to work on developing anti-gang strategies. The U.S. is also reportedly considering the plea from Prime Minister Henry to provide armed intervention, and has already accelerated the deployment of humanitarian aid to the nation. While the U.S. has taken steps to impose massive visa restrictions in an effort to put pressure on the gangs, the Biden administration has been mostly uncommitted one way or another on armed intervention. It is easy to see why, especially since foreign meddling in Haitian affairs has often caused more harm than good, many times because of the Western assumption that Haiti is unable to govern itself. This plays in line with a long history of American leaders being reluctant to send troops to the country. Despite what seems to be reluctance among some in the international community, the United Nations has taken a more direct approach, and urged countries around the world to assist Haiti via the military if necessary. It seems the U.S. may finally be getting on board with this idea as well, as The Washington Post obtained a copy of a federal government resolution to the U.N. pressuring the body to assemble "a multinational rapid action force." This marks the first real sign that the United States may be willing to involve itself in potential intervention in Haiti that could include a militarized component. You may also like Climate activists arrested after throwing mashed potatoes at Monet painting Who is Rishi Sunak? House Democratic progressives release, walk back letter to Biden on Ukraine war policy Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist, met for their only scheduled debate on Monday, the first day of early voting across the state. One of the hot topics was whether DeSantis, who many believe will run for president in 2024, is paying more attention to getting his name known nationally than to the needs of Floridians. Recently, DeSantis flew Venezuelan migrants to Martha's Vineyard, a stunt that Crist called "inhumane." He pressed DeSantis to say whether he would finish his term if elected, and DeSantis would not answer the question. "His focus is not on Florida," Crist said. Crist, who was a Republican governor of Florida before becoming a Democratic congressman, said he is the moderate voice Florida needs, while DeSantis played up his conservative credentials. DeSantis stated he is "proud" of Florida's 15-week ban on abortion, and is "defending the parents and students" by supporting the Parental Rights In Education law, which has been dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics. Crist pounced on DeSantis' handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, reminding the audience that 82,000 Floridians have died of the disease. DeSantis reopened schools and businesses too early, flouting science and the advice of public health experts, leading to Florida having "one of the highest death rates in America," Crist said. "He called for harsh shutdowns," DeSantis replied. "It would have thrown millions of Floridians into turmoil." Crist also accused DeSantis of not taking Hurricane Ian seriously; earlier this month, the storm devastated parts of South Florida and left at least 100 people dead. "Our message was, 'Listen to your locals,'" DeSantis responded. "It's ultimately a local decision. But I stand by every one of our local counties." Crist, he said, was in Puerto Rico and "wasn't helping his community." Story continues The men found common ground on one topic: both said that Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who in 2018 killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, should have received the death penalty. Instead, he was sentenced earlier this month to life in prison. In Florida, a jury must vote unanimously for the death penalty, and DeSantis said he will "ask the Florida legislature to amend that statute so that one juror doesn't have veto power over appropriate punishment." (Three Cruz jurors voted against capital punishment.) DeSantis won his first term in 2018 by just 32,000 votes out of 8.2 million cast. The Associated Press notes that Florida has made a rightward shift since then, and Republicans have a registration advantage of almost 300,000 voters. You may also like Climate activists arrested after throwing mashed potatoes at Monet painting Who is Rishi Sunak? 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Biden's energy policy MIAMI Democrat Charlie Crist came to his first and only debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ready with just one question about his opponent's political aspirations Monday night. Youre running for governor, Crist said, looking at DeSantis as the governor looked forward. Why dont you look in the eyes of the people of the state of Florida and say to them if youre re-elected, you will serve a full four-year term as governor. Yes or no? DeSantis said nothing as four seconds ticked by and the debate hall started to fall quiet. Yes or no, Ron? Crist asked again. DeSantis asked the moderator about his allotted time. Its not a tough question, Crist said, filling the dead air. Its a fair question. He wont tell ya. That's when the moderator, CBS affiliate WPECs Liz Quirantes, stepped in and pointed out that both sides had agreed they wouldnt ask each other questions onstage. DeSantis then went on the attack. Well, listen, he said, I know that Charlies interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but I just want to make things very, very clear. The only worn-out old donkey Im looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist. The exchange, which came during the first 20 minutes of the hourlong debate, underscored the dynamics of the race: Crist, the former governor trying to make a comeback by needling the sitting governor, and DeSantis, giving as acidly as he got. On topics from housing and insurance to immigration and transgender therapies for kids, the candidates traded insults, precooked one-liners and talking points as each sides supporters in the audience howled in derision of the other guy and approval of their own. Crist called DeSantis divisive and a bully, while DeSantis repeatedly cast Crist as a Biden Democrat who voted with the president 100% of the time before he stepped down from Congress to focus on the governor's race. When Crist blamed DeSantis for rising utility bills and the skyrocketing cost of hurricane insurance, DeSantis faulted Crist for supporting Bidens policies amid rising inflation. Story continues DeSantis is leading Crist in every major poll in Florida, with survey averages giving him as much as a 10 percentage-point lead in a state he won by less than half a percentage point in 2018. Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a televised debate against Democratic opponent Charlie Crist, at Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Fla., Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (Rebecca Blackwell / AP) Time and again Monday night, Crist returned to the issue of DeSantis looming decision about whether he would run for president in 2024. Each time, DeSantis refused to take the bait. It wasnt the only question DeSantis wouldnt answer. DeSantis, who signed a bill to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy without exceptions for rape or incest, wouldnt say whether he would enact further limitations an issue he has ducked from reporters, as well. Asked by the moderator after what week of pregnancy abortion should be banned, DeSantis pivoted to talking about how the mother of his newly appointed state Supreme Court justice, Renatha Francis, had been urged to abort her child but decided not to. I just think were better when everybody counts. I understand not everyones going to be born in perfect circumstances. But I would like to see everybody have a shot, DeSantis said, accusing Crist of supporting sex-selective abortions, which is used to discriminate against little girls. He supports dismemberment abortions, where they literally will tear the baby limb from limb, and he supports taxpayer funding all the way up until the moment of birth, and that is wrong, DeSantis said. Crist accused DeSantis of lying and evading. He wouldnt answer your question. Do you want to ban abortion completely? He never got to it. He talked about Jamaica, Crist said. I dont want to ban abortion. I want to make sure we keep a womans right to choose available to the women of the state of Florida. Crist then highlighted the case of a middle school girl in Jacksonville who said she was raped but couldnt get an abortion because she was more than 15 weeks pregnant. So she was taken to another state. Thats not compassionate leadership, Crist said. Thats not doing the right thing. Thats not even having a heart. Thats callous. Its barbaric, and its wrong, and Florida deserves better. DeSantis hit back by noting that Crist, a former Republican, once ran as a pro-life conservative and was therefore a little bit of a chameleon. The question is, is this an honest change of heart? he said. Or is this the guy thats going to shift with whatever wind he needs to to try to keep his political career alive? I think we all know the answer to that question. Crist was more evasive when it came to the issue of allowing teens to receive hormones or puberty blockers or have operations if they feel their gender identities dont match their birth sex. Democratic candidate for Florida governor Charlie Crist speaks during a televised debate against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, at Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Fla., Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (Rebecca Blackwell / AP) DeSantis has proposed banning the practices in Florida and, on the debate stage, decried double mastectomies on young girls ... chemically castrating young boys genital mutilation. Crist tried to turn the discussion more toward abortion. This reminds me of your position on a womans right to choose, Crist said. You think you know better than any physician or any doctor or any woman in a position to make decisions about their own personal health. DeSantis then told Crist: You support it for minors. You should be honest about the issue." Crist was more direct in criticizing DeSantis for his inhumane use of Florida funds to fly Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts, last month to make a political point about immigration at the southern border, which Crist acknowledged is a problem. I thought what the governor did was a horrible political stunt, Crist said. Youre willing to use people like that and have them as props for your political gain? Thats not the way to change policy. You can change policy and do whats right to secure the border by having comprehensive immigration reform. Thats what I voted for in Congress. When you were in Congress, you wouldnt do it, because you want to keep this issue alive. You want to have it as a wedge issue. And you want to pull political stunts like you did with the taxpayers dollars of the people of Florida. Crist, however, avoided answering whether he thought Florida should be a "sanctuary state." And DeSantis then put the focus on Biden. You say youre for a secure border, but this is all happening under the Biden administration and the policies that Charlie Crist supports, DeSantis said, adding that the Marthas Vineyard flights elevated the issue of immigration. We have elites in this country that want to impose policies on you, but they dont want to have to suffer the same consequences that you may have to in your community, he said. What we did its sad that it comes to this but we did put this issue front and center. DeSantis also proudly touted his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his decision to reopen the state and public schools early, in addition to banning mask and vaccination mandates. Crist, in Congress at the time, opposed those steps. I can tell you as Charlie Crist and his friends in Congress were urging you to be locked down, I lifted you up, DeSantis said. I protected your rights. I made sure you could earn a living. I made sure you could operate your businesses. And I worked like heck to make sure we had all our kids in school in person five days a week. Crist pointed out DeSantis wasnt talking about the people who had died and gotten sick from Covid on his watch. We had one of the highest death rates in America, Ron, and over 6 million of our fellow Floridians have gotten Covid under your leadership, he said. Now thats not something to be boastful and proud about. DeSantis interpreted the data a different way, by age-adjusting mortality rates and saying: Thirty-eight other states had higher Covid mortality rates for senior citizens than we did in Florida. And I think that thats the approach people should have taken: focus on the vulnerable population, but make sure youre not locking down the rest of the people. Weve thrived as a result. That would not have happened if Charlie Crist had got his way and locked down the state of Florida in July of 2020. CORRECTION (Oct. 25, 2022, 8:54 AM): A previous version of this article misstated the television station of debate moderator Liz Quirantes. Its CBS affiliate WPEC in West Palm Beach, not CBS station WFOR in Miami. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist tried repeatedly during Monday nights gubernatorial debate with Gov. Ron DeSantis to portray his Republican rival as more interested in a 2024 run for president than in serving a second term in the Sunshine State. Why don't you look in the eyes of the people in the state of Florida and say to them if youre reelected you will serve a full four-year term as governor, Crist, the former Republican turned Democrat, said during the debate held in Fort Pierce. Yes or no, would you serve a full, four-year term if youre reelected governor of Florida? DeSantis paused for effect, then launched his counterattack. I know that Charlies talking about Joe Biden and 2024, but I want to make things very, very clear: The only worn-out old donkey Im looking to put out to pasture is Charlie, he responded. With just two weeks left before Election Day, early voting already underway and polls showing Crist trailing DeSantis by 8 percentage points in a polling average compiled by 538, the lone debate between the candidates seemed unlikely to change the trajectory of the race. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis debates Charlie Crist, a Democratic former governor, Oct. 24. (Crystal Vander Weiter/Pool via Reuters) Crist has trailed DeSantis throughout the race by sizable margins in most public polling. And despite being a former governor of Florida himself, Crist has struggled to gain traction. Last week, his campaign manager was arrested on domestic violence charges the day before he announced he was resigning his position. DeSantis has also been walloping Crist in the money race by more than 20:1. But Mondays debate gave Crist an opportunity to try to break through with voters, and he used it to try to appeal to female voters, repeatedly returning to the subject of abortion rights. He accused DeSantis of trying to distract from abortion to find more favorable topics for himself. Youre talking about all these other issues because you dont want to talk about taking away a womans right to choose, Crist said to DeSantis. DeSantis, meanwhile, used the debate to focus on economic and cultural issues, the latter of which tend to animate the GOP base that will decide the next nominee in 2024. Story continues He blasted transgender athletes as men competing in womens sports and said that gender reassignment surgery was the result of confused children and families. A lot of kids go through a lot of different things. A lot of dysphoria resolves itself by the time they become adults, and we have a number of people that have spoken out in favor of what were doing to say you should not mutilate minors, and they went through this when they were minors. Now theyre adults and they regret it, DeSantis said. Crist debating DeSantis on Monday night. The Democratic former governor is hoping his performance will boost his standing in the polls. (Marco Bello/Reuters) Throughout the debate, DeSantis, who has regularly been ranked as the strongest potential Republican challenger to former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical primary field, stuck close to issues that animate the far-right, including accusations that public schools are teaching white children to be ashamed of their race and calling gender reassignment surgery for children genital mutilation. In April, DeSantis signed a controversial bill into law that bans the teaching of so-called critical race theory in public schools, and on Monday he defended it. If you look around the country, you do have programs, unfortunately, where they will take a student, look at their race and say, OK, youre white. Youre an oppressor. If youre Black, youre oppressed, DeSantis said to jeers from the audience. And think about what that does to a 6- or 7-year-old kid. Thats wrong and youre seeing that. You have people that are teaching and his [Crists] running mate has said this in the past, teaching the United States was built on stolen land. That is inappropriate for our schools. Its not true and Im happy that were going to be able to have accurate history. The DeSantis-Crist debate in Fort Pierce, Fla., on Monday night. (Crystal Vander Weiter/Pool via Reuters) Crist countered that the law DeSantis signed was itself guilty of politicizing history. Theres an expression those who dont know history may be condemned to repeat it. Usually people use that in reference to the Holocaust, it can just as easily be in reference to slavery in our country. It happened. Its a fact, Crist said. We shouldnt have a whitewash approach to educating our children, thats not right. How are they going to do well in life if they dont even know our own history? As the debate came to a close, it was clear that DeSantis may indeed still cruise to victory in the Florida governors race, but his answers also did little to quell speculation that he may mount a White House bid in 2024. He wouldnt answer you if he would serve four years if he is reelected governor, Crist said in his closing remarks. A former state representative and political consultant pleaded guilty to fraud charges after his company submitted falsified petitions to a political candidate who hired them to gather signatures in 2017, according to federal authorities. Victor Cuevas, 58, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud Tuesday and faces up to five years in prison, according to the Connecticut U.S. Attorneys office. Cuevas co-operated a political the consulting business Yellow Dog Strategies and was paid $5,750 to collect 1,000 signatures for a New Haven probate judge primary candidate, federal authorities said in a statement. Cuevas was overseeing the signature collection operation and was supposed to be using a team of circulators. Circulators are supposed to sign a statement of authenticity claiming all the signatures were collected and witnessed in person, but Cuevas reportedly allowed the forging of registered voters and the supposed circulators signature on the statement of authenticity, the U.S. Attorneys office said in the statement. Rather than collect legitimate voter signatures, Cuevas conspired with others to defraud the candidate by submitting falsified petition forms, the U.S. Attorneys office said. The candidate unknowingly submitted the signatures to be counted. The signatures were quickly detected as forgeries by the New Haven Democratic Registrar of Voters and the candidate withdrew from the primary, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Cuevas then attempted to conceal the scheme by pressuring the fake circulator, whose signature was forged, into signing a false legal document, according to the U.S. Attorneys office. Cuevas was on federal probation for conspiring with others to commit bank fraud at the time of the signature forgery scheme, the U.S. Attorneys office said. The bank fraud scheme involved his home mortgage loan applications. Cuevas he was sentenced in New Haven federal court in 2016 to one year of probation and a $1,000 fine for conspiring with others to commit bank fraud in connection with his home mortgage loan applications, the statement said. Story continues He previously served as a representative of the 75th district in the state House of Representatives before resigning in 2016 after being convicted in the bank fraud scheme. He is free on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing after he pleaded guilty. Mike Mavredakis can be reached at mmavredakis@courant.com or via Twitter @MikeMavredakis. Fancy dress should be fun, not offensive (Alamy/PA) From Kim Kardashians ill-named kimono clothing line to Justin Biebers short-lived dreadlocks, several celebrities have been accused of cultural appropriation at one time or another. While some stars are trying to show solidarity, such as Adele when she wore Bantu knots in her hair in 2021 to mark what would have been the Notting Hill Carnival, these attempts can go disastrously wrong. If celebs can make mistakes, theres a chance that you could be doing something unacceptable too when choosing a Halloween costume for yourself or your family. So, what is cultural appropriation and how can we avoid it? Dr Sandrine Han, an independent researcher in cultural studies and visual culture in British Columbia, defines it as using elements of a culture you dont belong to or appreciate. If you go into a shop, you can easily find examples of it, with objects used in the wrong way or trivialised. One of the most common forms of cultural appropriation, and one we should be mindful of when choosing our Halloween outfits, is clothing identifiable to a specific group. Here in Canada, many people like to use indigenous costumes, Han explains, but people dont understand what theyre wearing and why. Theres a meaning to everything, and [fancy dress outfits] are put together in the wrong way. You dont understand or respect the elements and culture at hand. Its not just about clothes. Appropriating elements of another race or culture can also signal privilege, which is problematic when were striving for equality. Caryn Franklin, fashion and identity commentator and co-author of Skewed: Decoding Media Bias, explains: When everyone chooses to behave in a culturally competent manner, we all benefit. [If youre white] unpicking our white, heterosexual, cis-gender privilege to acknowledge how dominant culture has shaped our ideas about who is important or relevant, and who is seen and listened to, is one way of holding ourselves accountable. Story continues The fashion industry, for instance, has made a habit of ignorant practice, sending white models up the runway in garments as varied as the Sikh turban by Gucci, a Native American headdress by Victorias Secret and false dreadlocks by Marc Jacobs, she says. Designers are now rightfully boycotted for cultural disrespect. Cultural Appropriation is a real issue but its not what most people think it is. Its not when some white boy wears cornrows. Its when Kim K puts on Box braids and gets called a fashion innovator while black women are told that their hair is unprofessional ShonuffKay (@ShoNuffKay37) July 11, 2022 Celebrities often use cultural elements as a way of courting attention. Franklin points to Lady Gagas controversial decision to wear a burqa in 2013. When pop stars play dress-up, they too must avoid disrespecting other cultures. Lady Gaga wore a variety of hijab face coverings and burqa-style garments. Then she sang a raunchy song an insult given the important expression of modesty for Islamic wearers of these meaningful clothes. So for those of us who arent celebrities, how can we avoid making their mistakes for dress-up events like Halloween? Franklin says: Ceremonial clothing that isnt part of our culture, religious garb in general or anything that sexualises anothers cultural appearance these are obvious no-nos. While Han advises: Before you dress up or use another cultural element, stop and try and understand what you are doing, the significance of what youre wearing. Make sure youre respecting that culture. Appreciate it, dont mock it. As a Native American, we are CONSTANTLY fighting the stereotypes of us and trying to get rid of native costumes. Red face and cultural appropriation HURT us. Please try to understand where we are coming from. It is a big issue that we still deal with to this day. justine (@headspces) September 9, 2022 Its just as important to bear in mind when it comes to childrens Halloween costumes too. By all means enjoy your fancy dress frolics. But ask yourself: does the outfit you or your child is attracted to stereotype someone elses culture or experience? says Han. And if were not sure, we can leave well alone and explain our choices to our children. Naturally, they might want to dress up as their favourite book, TV or film character, but some may be problematic and its OK to say no. Perhaps tempted by the currency of a new raft of characters in our more diverse approach to storytelling, you and your children [may be] excited by personalities from cultures that are not your own. Its understandable, says Franklin. Parents dressing their white kids up as [Disneys] Moana, which brings Polynesian culture to the big stage, or Raya [From Raya and the Last Dragon], drawing on south east Asian cultures, are stepping into a wider territory which requires recognition of the deep and ever present wounds of racism. Coco, from the 2017 Pixar film, is a popular costume for children but may be another problematic choice. [The] movie centres on Dia de los Muertos the festive holiday celebrated in Mexico to honour the dead and features 12-year-old Miguel, an aspiring guitarist from a rural Mexican town, says Franklin. The film provides stark evidence of the historical deficit of recognition and empathy for non-white lives and their struggles. One could say the dominant culture and yes, if we are white that means us is only just getting to grips with this dearth of representation and the far-reaching race inequalities behind it.Therefore, parents if its not our culture, and we wish to avoid inflicting further hurt, lets leave well alone and explain our choices to our children, Franklin says. In other words start talking and educating ourselves and our young people about cultural appropriation and acknowledge and understand whats involved before you adopt. Han concludes: When curiosity and humility becomes our assumed position, no one need feel uncomfortable or defensive. After being assaulted by young people on a bus in Washington D. C., a woman speaks out about her ordeal and the need for officials to invest more in public safety. The victim hopes that talking about her trauma will open the eyes of those who are blind to the rise of crime in her city. Video captures D.C. grandmother Kyla Thurston being dragged off public bus (Video Screengrab) On Monday, Oct. 17, Kyla Thurston, 42, was allegedly attacked while riding the W4 bus route, which stretches from the Deanwood Metro station to the Anacostia station, reportedly by six juveniles and two adults. It is alleged, according to FOX 5, that she gave her seat to a woman with her small children and later asked the students on the bus to stop using profane language. Thurston said she hopes no one goes through what she did on that day. I wouldnt want, you know, no one else to have to go through this its emotional just thinking about it. A witness said the youth retaliated after the reprimand, violently shoving her out the rear door of the bus after a stop. Ages of the attackers ranged from teenagers to adults. At that point, the kids became unruly. They started being disrespectful, like saying things to me, said Thurston. Then next thing you know, there were objects being thrown at me, and I was just like, Thank You, Lord, because throughout the whole incident the only thing I could recall was the kids hitting me and kicking me and I had no defense. The children were identified when detectives canvased several schools on the bus route and worked with administrators to assist with their investigation. The investigators used video from bus cameras to help identify those involved in the incident. On Friday, Oct. 21, two persons were arrested in connection to the assault, WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke stated. The two suspects are 27-year-old Emoni Hubbard of Southeast D.C. and 35-year-old Terry Barnes of Wilson, North Carolina. Clarke said, I appreciate the quick work of MTPD in arresting the two adults involved in this reprehensible and unacceptable act on a Metrobus earlier this week. Story continues I personally called the victim to apologize for what happened, she said. This type of behavior cannot be tolerated on Metro or anywhere. We need the help of partners, guardians, parents, schools, and community leaders to prevent this type of behavior. The two men appeared in court on Monday, Oct. 24, and Hubbard was charged by citation. Hubbard was also given a future court date. Barnes has prior convictions in Wilson County for assault, assault on a female, and assault inflicting serious bodily injury. While six juveniles have been identified as being a part of the attack, profile information is being withheld because of their ages. Despite being violated, she said the bus driver did not help her or stop them from hurting her. Thurston complained, The bus driver made no attempt to stop the bus. He didnt alert local authorities or anything to my defense. Even after Im yelling at the top of my lungs, Stop the bus let me off the bus, the bus driver never stopped. The Washington Post said the bus driver might be in trouble for violating safety protocol when he didnt stop the kids from attacking Thurston. According to Metro spokesman Ian Jannetta, the bus driver in this incident did not follow proper training and, as a result, violated protocol. While Jannetta did not specify what protocol was broken, bus operators are prohibited by Metro to intervene during attacks or onboard disturbances (a policy to protect them from getting hurt). They are also required to pull their vehicle over, stop and notify someone at base about the altercation. In a statement, the transit official said, Appropriate administrative action will be taken against the bus operator. As precautionary measures for other bus drivers, transit officials distributed a bulletin to workers to remind them about safety protocols for onboard disturbances. Also, the official said, Metro Transit Police have increased patrol presence along the W4 route, including on buses and at stations. Representatives of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 also released a statement encouraging their members to respect and adhere to the Metros policy, cautioning them to not intervene during disturbances, because to do so may make them a target and lead to operators facing an assault. We strongly support this policy and policies like these because they are intended to keep our operators out of harms way, the union statement said. Our bus operators are not law enforcement officers and they shouldnt have to act like them. Our members are not social workers. Our members arent trained to fight or break up fights. Our members arent trained to resolve the social issues that cause this violence. Thurston hopes the transit agency creates some kind of policy to help passengers that may be in distress. One of her suggestions is to limit the number of youths that can get on a bus at a time. Since the video of her attack has gone viral, Thurston said she is grateful that the offense was captured on footage and released to the public. Watching the video myself personally, it startled me and Im still startled about it, she said. I didnt want to come forth at first. I dont fear nobody but the Lord, she said, before vowing to continue to ride the bus. Im going to continue riding Metro because like I said I dont fear nobody but God. As gang-related violence plagued an increasingly younger population in Erie during the pandemic, Kasir Gambill was 13 years old when he was gunned down on a street in December 2020, and the two defendants charged in his slaying were 15 at the time. The two defendants both now 17 will spend at least 35 years to life in state prison if convicted in the killing, which investigators believe was gang-related. The District Attorney's Office is seeking first-degree murder convictions against the defendants, James I. Garcia and Deangelo J. Troop Jr., a prosecutor said at their formal arraignments in Erie County Common Pleas Court on Monday. Erie police charged the two defendants as adults. Erie resident Kasir Gambill, 13, was fatally shot while walking near East 20th Street and Franklin Avenue at about 9: 25 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2020. The two defendants charged in his death were formally arraigned on Tuesday on charges including first-degree murder. A conviction for first-degree murder, a premeditated homicide, carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no chance for parole if the defendant was 18 years or older when charged in the killing. For defendants who were juveniles when charged, a first-degree murder conviction carries a minimum sentence of 35 years to life for defendants 15 to 17 years old. Defendants younger than 18 can also be sentenced to life with no parole for a conviction for first-degree murder, but such a sentence cannot be mandatory. Monday's formal arraignments started the process that could end with pleas or a trial for Garcia and Troop. Judge John J. Trucilla, who is assigned the cases, arraigned Garcia and then Troop in separate hearings that lasted several minutes each. Trucilla declined to set bond for Garcia and Troop because they are charged with first-degree murder. The two remain at the Erie County Prison. Trucilla said he will set a trial date later. He gave the defense lawyers who handled the arraignments Chad Vilushis for Garcia and Douglas Sullivan for Troop 30 days to file pretrial motions, though those deadlines could be extended. Erie County Judge John J. Trucilla is assigned the cases of the two 17-year-old defendants charged with fatally shooting 13-year-old Erie resident in December 2020, when the defendants were 15. 17-year-old defendants plead not guilty in fatal shooting Garcia and Troop pleaded not guilty at the hearings and said little else, as is typically the case at arraignments. They told the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Emily Downing, that they understood the charges against them. Story continues Downing told Trucilla that her office is seeking convictions for first-degree murder. She said her office has also started providing evidence to the defense as part of the discovery process. The evidence, Downing said, includes digital items. Erie police used video surveillance as part of the probe. Both defendants are charged with homicide, criminal conspiracy to commit homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, possession of a firearm as a minor, possessing a firearm without a license and possession of an instrument of crime. Erie police charged Garcia and Troop in June. They are accused of firing numerous gunshots at Kasir and a 17-year-old boy as the victims were walking in the area of East 20th Street and Franklin Avenue at about 9: 25 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2020. Kasir, who had just left a relative's house, was shot three times and died at a Pittsburgh hospital 10 days later. Police said occupants of a car began chasing Kasir and the other teen and fired gunshots at them. Fighting youth crime:Using Erie High as 'call-in' site, Unified Erie focuses anti-violence effort on juveniles Victim who survived shooting linked to a gang, police said The intended target of the shooting was a 17-year-old boy who was with Gambill, police said. The 17-year-old was connected to an Erie gang called the Stacked Bread Boys, while Troop and Garcia were members of a rival gang called the Five, or the 5ive, according to testimony at the defendants' preliminary hearing on Sept. 21. In addition to the video surveillance, the evidence against Garcia and Troop includes gang affiliations and an ongoing beef between two groups and social media messages and images featuring gang symbols and guns, including the weapons believed to have been used in the killing. The prosecution presented the evidence at the defendants' preliminary hearing. Troop awaiting sentencing in another shooting Troop is facing serious charges in another shooting. He was charged as an adult in February with spraying the neighborhood of East 22nd and Reed streets with 56 bullets at about 4 p.m. on Feb. 20. Investigators said Troop fired toward two juveniles, with some of the shots hitting Holy Trinity Catholic Church, at 2220 Reed St. Troop in September pleaded guilty to the first-degree felony of aggravated assault and other counts. He is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in state prison for aggravated assault at his sentencing Dec. 5 before Judge John J. Mead. Guilty plea:56 bullets found, and a gun fired near a deputy sheriff: Two Erie teens plead guilty in shootings Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNpalattella. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: DA seeks 1st-degree murder against 2 Erie teens in Kasir Gambill case For the Aztecs, Day of the Dead rituals helped people find balance in their personal lives and social ties. Eyepix/NurPhoto via Getty Images Growing up in the United States, I remember on Halloween my mother used to say, Honey, this is not just a day for costumes and candy. You must also remember your relatives. Know their names. She would show me pictures of great-aunts, uncles and other deceased relatives. Meanwhile, my family members in Mexico observed Day of the Dead, a national holiday that is celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. They would build small altars at home to honor their loved ones, and put food, drinks, photos and other personal items on them. They similarly decorated their ancestors graves. These days, I am part of a small group of researchers who are working to recover Aztec philosophy. My focus is on Aztec ethics, which the Aztecs thought of as the art of living well, but we call the pursuit of happiness. Ive learned that Day of the Dead rituals, which date back to Mexicos pre-Columbian peoples and are observed all over the Americas, are deeply rooted in Aztec ethics. A brief introduction to Aztec philosophy Shortly after Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean in 1492, Spanish people colonized the region. In 1521 the Aztec empire fell in a two-year war led by the Spaniard Hernan Cortes. Afterwards, Spanish priests wanted to understand the native population in order to convert them to Christianity. They painstakingly detailed the Aztecs beliefs in volumes of material written in Nahuatl, the Aztec language. The most important of these sources is the Florentine Codex, written between 1547 and 1577. The basic problem of life for the Aztecs, according to these sources, is that humans arent perfect they make mistakes. The earth is slippery, slick, the Aztecs would say. And to avoid falling into error, people need to live a balanced life on three different levels: in their psyches, their bodies and their society. The top individual goal in Aztec ethics, then, is for people to balance their psyche. It is done by aligning the heart, or yollotl, and face, or ixtli. By heart, the Aztecs meant thoughts and desires. By face, they meant the rational organization of those desires. Story continues Where Day of the Dead fits in For the Aztecs, then, a happy life is achieved through balance. Individually, this means balancing ones face and heart, but socially this involves friends, family and ancestors. Day of the Dead rituals help with this social balance. Its important to note that the heart is a metaphor for all of the bodys desires. Also, the Aztecs did not distinguish minds from bodies. They believed each region of the body had its own mind. For example, our eyes think one way, our ears another, and our skin another way still. As the scholar Alfredo Lopez Austin argues, the Aztecs thought of consciousness as the result of this ecosystem of minds, with each mind competing for attention and expressing its own desires. Within this ecosystem of minds, the Aztecs believed that three regions held the highest concentration of the cosmic forces that make humans living, moving beings: the heart (the physical heart, in this case), the head and the liver. The heart houses the yolia, which expresses ones conscious and remembered personality. The head houses the tonalli, which expresses the strength of ones character and destiny. And the liver houses the ihiyotl, which is responsible for our breathing and health. When we die, the Aztecs believed these three powers separate from our bodies. The ihiyotl, or breath, immediately rejoins nature. The tonalli, or vital strength, returns as energy to be called on in need. Ones yolia. or personality, however, travels to the land of the dead, called Mictlan. There, it endures a series of trials, including hunger and cold winds. To help in the journey, each persons yolia is accompanied by a little yellow dog and whatever offerings ones loved ones make. Thats why on various days of the year not only during Day of the Dead family members are supposed to help the yolia of recently deceased relatives by offering them food, drink and other gifts at their home shrines. [Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter.] But after four years, the yolia finishes its journey and rejoins the fundamental energy of the universe ometeotl, or god. All that remains of the deceased, then, is their force of personality as tonalli, which, the Aztecs believed, could be called on by remembering their name. By remembering our ancestors, Aztecs thought, we help balance our lives while were here on Earth and also support our loves ones in their afterlife. This, in essence, is the purpose of the Day of the Dead that many observe today. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters. It was written by: Lynn Sebastian Purcell, State University of New York College at Cortland . Read more: Lynn Sebastian Purcell 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. Idris Elba and director James Gunn on the set of "The Suicide Squad." Jessica Miglio/ & DC Comics James Gunn and Peter Safran will run DC Studios together. The announcement ends Warner Bros. Discovery's search for an exec similar to Marvel's Kevin Feige. The pair inherit a baggage-heavy DC film universe. Warner Bros. Discovery has finally found an executive to lead its DC movie and TV franchise well, executives, plural, that is. Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Tuesday that filmmaker James Gunn, who directed the DC movie "The Suicide Squad" and created its TV spinoff "Peacemaker," and Peter Safran, who's produced a number of movies for Warner Bros. including ones in the DC and "Conjuring" film universes, will run DC's film, TV, and animation division. The division going forward will be called DC Studios, and Gunn and Safran will be co-CEOs and co-chairs. "DC has among the most entertaining, powerful, and iconic characters in the world and I am thrilled to have the singular and complementary talents of James and Peter joining our world-class team and overseeing the creative direction of the storied DC Universe," Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in a statement. He added: "Their decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community, and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the globe make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy across film, TV, and animation, and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling." Since Discovery and WarnerMedia merged earlier this year, Zaslav has been looking for someone to lead DC's movie and TV efforts. He said during the company's first earnings call that it was charting a "10-year plan" similar to what Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gunn jumped to Warner Bros. and DC after getting temporarily fired from the third "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie in 2018. He then made "The Suicide Squad" and its HBO Max spinoff series, "Peacemaker." While Marvel quickly re-hired Gunn to direct "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," which hits theaters next year, Gunn's return to the Marvel universe will seemingly be short-lived. Story continues Gunn and Safran will inherit a DC film universe that carries plenty of baggage. Notably, Ezra Miller, star of next year's "The Flash," recently pleaded not guilty to burglary and petit larceny charges, of which they face 26 years in prison if convicted. The two newly appointed executives also have the messy task of sorting through a lot of different projects in development from different parties. "The Batman" director Matt Reeves is looking to expand the world of the movie with villain-centric films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Henry Cavill confirmed this week that he will return as Superman in future movies after a cameo in "Black Adam," which would compete with a Black Superman movie written by essayist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Read the original article on Business Insider Aussie study highlights role of IgA antibodies in neutralizing COVID-19 virus Xinhua) 08:41, October 25, 2022 SYDNEY, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Immunoglobulin A (IgA) contributed to the neutralizing antibody response of wild-type COVID-19 virus, according to an Australian study published in the Clinical and Translational Immunology journal. Conducted by researchers from Australia's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), the University of Melbourne and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, the study published on Sunday compared different antibody responses to the virus in blood serum from 41 people who had recovered from COVID-19. "In simple terms, we've deconstructed blood in our lab to measure its ability to smother the virus and to activate immune cells to kill SARS-CoV-2," said Samantha Davis, lead author and PhD researcher at the Doherty Institute. "While we knew that IgG (Immunoglobulin G) is very important in the antibody response to clear the virus, we discovered that IgA also plays a key role in neutralizing it in most people," Davis noted. According to a statement by the Doherty Institute on Monday, following COVID-19 infection, virus-specific antibodies are generated, which can both neutralize the virus and clear the infection. While much has been said about the importance of IgG antibodies for protection and control of the COVID-19 virus, the role of IgA antibodies has been relatively neglected throughout the pandemic. Amy Chung, co-author and laboratory head of the Doherty Institute, said the new study opened door to new approaches for the development of future vaccines against COVID-19. "Our findings are particularly important as IgA is the most abundant antibody present in the mucosa of our respiratory tract, which is the main route of virus infection," said Chung. "This means if we're able to specifically make these antibodies at these vulnerable sites, we now know that we can induce a robust immune response to protect against the virus." Researchers also pointed out that the convalescent IgA neutralizing response is highly heterogenous between individuals. Dissecting the IgA response in the context of vaccination and to variants of concern is essential to further understanding the antibody in a protective polyclonal antibody response, according to the study. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) KINSHASSA, Oct. 25 -- On October 24, the UN Day, the medical and engineering detachments of the 26th Chinese peacekeeping contingent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) jointly carried out a rescue drill for the wounded, to test and improve their comprehensive rescue ability in emergencies. The drill was set in the scenario that several wounded foreign peacekeepers were in urgent need of first aid. Upon receiving the wounded, the medical members wasted no time in examining and judging the condition of the wounds, taking emergency treatments, and carrying out surgeries. Every link has been in close connection from reception to admission to the hospital. Su Zhenglin, commanding officer of the medical detachment, expressed that the team would continue to adhere to regular training to improve the members' comprehensive ability to deal with various emergencies. The 26th Chinese peacekeeping contingent to the DRC, composed of members selected from the PLA Xizang Military Command, has accomplished all tasks assigned by the UN with high standards in medical treatment, emergency road repair and engineering construction since its deployment. Lake County deputies said a suspicious incident involving an East Ridge Middle School student waiting for a bus was an innocent misunderstanding. >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<< Read: Lake County deputies search for man who approached boy at school bus stop Deputies said the 12-year-old was waiting for the bus on Third Avenue at around 8:30 a.m. Oct 20, when a man in a silver SUV called his name and told him to get in. See map of area below: The boy ran to a nearby home, where he called his mom while a neighbor dialed 911. Investigators later released a surveillance picture of an SUV they believed to have been involved in the incident. UPDATE: 16-year-old girl ID as victim of deadly shooting in Orange County, deputies say Detectives were later able to identify the driver of the SUV, who told them he was a driver for Lyft. The driver told investigators he was in the neighborhood that morning to pick up a customer when he saw the boy. Read: Family and friends mourn the loss of East River High School star quarterback killed in Orange County Detectives said the misunderstanding arose when the driver pulled over to ask the boy his name, which happened to be the same name as the person who requested the ride. Deputies said they could verify the drivers story about the customer requesting the ride. 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. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) repeatedly refused during a Monday night debate to say whether hell serve a full four years as governor amid persistent questioning from his Democratic rival, former Rep. Charlie Crist (Fla.). Throughout the hourlong showdown, Crist pressed DeSantis on his political future, asking him whether he would commit to serving a full four-year term in the governors mansion amid growing speculation about DeSantiss 2024 ambitions. Youre running for governor, Crist said. And I have a question for you. Why dont you look at the eyes of the people of Florida you will serve all four years? Will you serve a full four-year term? he added. DeSantis never answered that question. The moderator also repeatedly interjected to note that candidates werent allowed to ask each other questions. Instead, DeSantis turned back to his standard talking points. He accused Crist of being a rubber stamp for President Biden and his administration and rattled off a list of conservative policy priorities, hoping to turn the conversation away from his personal political ambitions. DeSantiss profile among Republicans has swelled over the past 2 years, a phenomenon that began, most notably, with his refusal to follow the guidance of federal public health officials. Since then, hes inserted himself into some of the most heated political moments, taking steps that Republicans see as the opening salvo of a campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nod. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. James Gunn, the writer-director who made the Guardians of the Galaxy household names for Marvel and revived The Suicide Squad, will soon be responsible for the future of Batman, Superman and the entire DC Universe for Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio on Tuesday named Gunn and veteran executive Peter Safran co-chairmen and CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios. The roles will have Gunn and Safran developing a long-term plan for the companys DC Comics properties, in film, television and animation. Both will continue to also produce, develop and direct individual projects, the studio said. Were honored to be the stewards of these DC characters weve loved since we were children, said Gunn and Safran in a written statement. Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the rest of the DC stable of characters is only equaled by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility these characters represent. Were excited to invigorate the theatrical experience around the world as we tell some of the biggest, most beautiful, and grandest stories ever told. Safran has produced many films for Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, including Gunns The Suicide Squad as well as Aquaman, Shazam and the horror films in The Conjuring universe. Starting Nov. 1, Gunn and Safran will report directly to David Zaslav, the president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who praised their singular and complementary talents in a statement. Their decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community, and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the globe make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy across film, TV, and animation, and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling, Zaslav continued. For the past four years, Walter Hamada headed what was previously called DC Films but officially departed the studio last week, ahead of the theatrical launch of Black Adam. Story continues Zaslav had promised a reset to the studios DC operations in an overhaul to implement a more Marvel-like 10-year structure and improve quality, and with that, bring in a more centralized creative executive, akin to Marvels Kevin Feige. Some in Hollywood were surprised Tuesday when, instead, two were named. Unlike Marvel, DC has several different threads operating simultaneously in its films with Todd Phillips' Joker sequel and Matt Reeves The Batman, in addition to the films of Henry Cavills Superman, who made an appearance in Black Adam. Gunn, the rare filmmaker to have active projects with both main superhero powerhouses, is also wrapping up his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, which is expected in May, and hell have a Guardians holiday special on Disney+ in November too the trailer was revealed just shortly before the DC announcement. Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairpersons and CEOs of Warner Bros. Film Group, said in a joint statement that, to have them both committing to work together to forge this new era for DC is a literal dream come true. We all share a very similar sensibility and passion for this universe and the stars couldnt have aligned any better." PANAMA CITY HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital will host its fourth annual "Crush the Crisis" opioid take-back event Saturday. "Crush the Crisis" is a nationwide event that raises awareness of the dangers of opioid misuse and the importance of proper disposal of medications. The event, which coincides with Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day held in April, allows the community to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescriptions. Residents can drop off their medications Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the hospital's medical diagnostic and rehab center at 2024 State Ave. in Panama City. HCA Florida Gulf Coast will host "Crush the Crisis" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the hospital's medical diagnostic and rehab center at 2024 State Ave. in Panama City. Related: HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital hires new CEO to take helm of Panama City facility Panama City: Nurse practitioner celebrates milestone anniversary for primary care clinic Garrett Chumney, an emergency room physician at HCA, said the event's purpose is to educate the community on the risk of opioid misuse and provide a safe way to dispose of medications that may be left over from previous procedures or other medical visits. "The message we want to get across is to decrease the potential for abuse of these medications to eliminate further harm to anyone," Chumney said. "What people don't realize is that a large portion of opioid dependence starts with people's medicines being stolen." What you can bring to "Crush the Crisis" opioid take-back event Law enforcement officers from the Bay County Sheriff's Department will be on site to collect tablets, capsules and patches of hydrocodone (norco, lortab, vicodin), oxycodone (oxycontin, percocet), tramadol (ultram), codeine, fentanyl (duragesic), morphine, hydromorphone (dilaudid) and oxymorphone (opana). All medications will be accepted, but needles, syringes, lancets or liquids will not be accepted. "Crush the Crisis" Opioid Take Back Day is a nationwide event that raises awareness of the dangers of opioid misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of medications and allows the communities to safely and anonymously dispose of unused or expired prescriptions. "This event is meant to be safe, and the medicines are never inspected. Anyone and everyone are welcome, even if it's only one pill," Chumney said. "The medications will be bagged and placed into a proper container and you can move on about your business." Story continues Chumney said that the hospital has seen significant participation in the event in previous years. According to the HCA Healthcare website, 96 HCA Healthcare facilities in 17 states collected 15,566 pounds of unused and expired prescription medications at "Crush the Crisis" events in 2021. "Any opioid that can be taken out of circulation is a win for the community," Chumney said. "There's always been a large number of individuals that come through the site to drop off medications, so the outcome is positive that there are less opioids that could potentially be abused and on the streets." For more information on the event, visit hcafloridahealthcare.com. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City opioid take back set at HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital Doctor Who, which will see Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa take on the mantle soon, has a new home on Disney+ for everywhere outside the UK and Ireland. This marks a new partnership between BBC and Disney Branded Television. New episodes will premiere on BBC across the pond and Disney+ for global audiences in late 2023. The show previously aired in the U.S. on BBC America. The show will be produced in Wales by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios Production. David Tennant will return to play the Fourteenth Doctor for three specials before Ncuti Gatwa takes over the role as the Fifteenth Doctor for the 60th anniversary season. Showrunner Russell T. Davies said in a statement: I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK. We are thrilled to announce this exciting global partnership with Disney who are the perfect partners to bring this very British show to the rest of the world, said Charlotte Moore, BBCs Chief Content Officer. Russell T Davies vision for Doctor Who has always been out of this world and we are committed to ensuring that audiences across the globe get the opportunity to enjoy the Doctors epic adventures with the scale and ambition that they deserve. Joining forces with Disney will elevate the show to even greater heights and reach new audiences so its an extremely exciting time for fans in the UK and across the world. Were excited by the opportunity to bring new seasons of this beloved franchise exclusively to Disney+ and introduce the show to the next generation of audiences in more than 150 markets around the world, said Alisa Bowen, President, Disney+. The series is a perfect addition to our ever-growing catalog of global content that continues to make Disney+ the home for exceptional storytelling. Story continues Ayo Davis, President, Disney Branded Television, added: Doctor Who has captivated the imaginations of families around the world for the past six decades. We are so excited about this collaboration with the BBC, and the opportunity to bring this iconic franchise and Russell T Davies brilliant vision to life for a huge new global audience. Grab your sonic screwdrivers and prepare to travel through time and space! Rebecca Glashow, CEO, Global Distribution, BBC Studios said, Were delighted to join forces with a partner who shares our vision and ambition for one of the most iconic shows in British TV history. This is great news for everyone who loves Doctor Who, and for all the new fans we will reach through this powerful partnership. For Doctor Who to have the backing of two of the most innovative and respected media organizations in the world is a testament to the unique drive and vision at the heart of this show, said Jane Tranter & Julie Gardner, Executive Producers and the co-founders of Bad Wolf. Bad Wolf are beyond delighted to be once again working with the genius that is Russell T Davies and, with the exciting new partnership between the BBC and Disney, we can together reach to even greater heights, producing from Wolf Studios Wales ambitious stories through time and space for audiences across the globe. Watch the teaser for what's to come below: By Yubaraj Sharma LALITPUR, Nepal (Reuters) - Dog lovers of Nepal honoured canines on Monday, putting bright orange garlands around their necks and indulging them with treats to celebrate a Hindu festival highlighting the loyalty of dogs to humans. At a dog shelter in Lalitpur, a city on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu, volunteers, residents and tourists took part in "Kukur Tihar", a ceremony that takes place on the second day of a five-day Hindu festival devoted to animals associated with Yamaraj, the god of death and justice. "On the day of the Festival of Dogs, I want to convey the message that humans should show compassion and love to dogs and feed them as much as we can," Lalitpur Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan said after honouring paralysed dogs at the Sneha Care animal shelter. The tradition originates in Nepal, where street dogs are prevalent and dog welfare is struggling. The Sneha Care shelter has around 170 dogs, some of which have been abandoned, owner Sneha Shrestha said. "Today they are worshipped, but the next day they are being left. If they get sick, people leave them," she said. During the festive period, it is considered a sin to act disrespectfully to dogs and other animals that are honoured. "It is fun when we make garlands, wear them, and feed the dogs during the Festival of Dogs," local resident Tirtha Bahadur Khatri said. Beyond the celebrations, dog welfare is starting to receive more widespread attention in Nepal. There are an estimated 20,000 stray dogs in the Kathmandu Valley alone, according to media reports. Authorities in Pokhara have been microchipping canines, while Kathmandu's city council has launched dog management campaigns to control the stray population. (Reporting by Yubaraj Sharma; Writing by Lion Schellerer; Editing by Jamie Freed) When art intimates life. Actress Raven Symone recently opened up about how her younger brother Blaize Pearmans experience with racial profiling helped create a monumental episode of Ravens Home. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA MAY 31: Actress Raven Symone attends the Countdown To Pride campaign hosts Pride Eve celebration to support GLAAD, The Trevor Project and Project Contrast at Poppy on May 31, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images) Ravens Home is a spinoff of Disney Channels hit series Thats So Raven, which follows the life of Symones character Raven Baxter and her children, Nia and Booker Carter. The series premiered on the network in 2017, and is currently in its fifth season. In the Oct. 21 episode of Ravens Home, Booker Carter, portrayed by Issac Ryan Brown, is granted permission by Symones character to drive her car to a school event. All was going well until he was racially profiled and stopped by a police officer. During an interview with Shadow and Act, Symone shared that although she was excited to direct this episode, one thing she wanted to do without traumatizing the younger audience was to make sure this story was told as authentically as possible. Symone said, So with our show, I just remember the process of going back and forth with the different iterations of the scripts and making sure we gave respect to the subject and didnt water it down, but also made it kid-friendly so that we didnt traumatize people. She added, while sharing that Browns character recited previously rehearsed lines of what to say to an officer after being pulled over, And one of the things that we were really excited about is when Booker first got pulled over, he recites the things that his mother told him to do during that situation. The 36-year-old continued the conversation by disclosing that this particular moment was something she could relate to because her brother Blaize Pearman went through the same drill with their mother growing up. I relate to that. I remember my mom drilling my brother when he first got his license on the things that he had to be careful of. Hes tall, hes Black. He wears a hoodie and jeans and maybe a jersey or a skully. And its like, Take your hat off. Put your hands on the wheel. Yes, sir. Yes, maam. Respectful. And dont question anything. Because the color of your skin does not allow that at this time. Sadly, thats the truth. Its too many words. And so we did that for Booker as well. Story continues Symone wrapped up the discussion by saying she did an episode as deep as this to give fans insight into what other people are going through. She said, People have to go through this every day. And its disgraceful. And hopefully, with this episode, they see that we know what theyre going through. Symones stance regarding racial profiling seemed to have changed in recent years. In 2015, the star faced massive backlash after revealing during a discussion panel on The View that she wouldnt hire anyone with ghetto names. After watching a clip that showcased people making fun of potential African-American names, she said, Just to bring it back, can we take back racist and say discriminatory? Because I think thats a better word. And I am very discriminatory against words like the ones that they were saying in those names. Im not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea. Its just not going to happen. Im not going to hire you. Following the scrutiny, Symone would ultimately take to her social media accounts to apologize for her comments and share that she has not discriminated against a name despite her remarks. DUBAI (Reuters) - BitOasis, a Middle East-focused cryptocurrency exchange based in the United Arab Emirates, said on Tuesday it had signed an agreement with Mastercard to launch payment cards linked to cryptocurrencies, they said in a joint statement. The cards will allow BitOasis customers in the Middle East and North Africa to make purchases at points of sale or online, "thereby adding consumer protection - such as provisions for dispute resolution and refunds - which doesn't exist today when paying with a digital asset," the companies said. "Currently, cryptocurrency payments and cash-outs are considered cumbersome, with the overwhelming majority of merchants not accepting such payments directly," the statement said. "The partnership will address these pain points and further drive customer awareness and crypto adoption in the region." The Middle East and North Africa is the region with the fastest-growing adoption of cryptocurrency in the world, with the volume of crypto received there jumping 48% in the first half of 2022, blockchain researcher Chainalysis said in a report earlier this month. The UAE, with ambitions to become a global crypto hub, has been pushing to develop virtual asset regulation to attract new forms of business as economic competition heats up in the Gulf region, particularly with Saudi Arabia. Dubai, one of the UAE's seven emirates and the region's business hub, in March adopted its first law governing virtual assets and established VARA as a regulator for the sector. BitOasis, founded in Dubai in 2015, said in June it laid off nine of its staff, as the crypto sector faced a steep downturn and market turmoil. (Reporting by Yousef Saba; Editing by David Holmes) Valeriano Ferrao died in Maputo, Mozambique, on October 2, 2022, at the age of 83. Charles Sherrod died in Albany, Georgia, on October 11, 2022, at the age of 85. As far as I know, the two had never met. And they were very different people. But for me, they epitomize the shared values of solidarity and integrity that were central to the movements they represented. Updated with additional links on November 11, 2022 Valeriano Ferrao preparing fish for cooking at the FRELIMO school in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Children watching are children of staff members. Thanks to Jan Draisma for this photograph. Charles Sherrod persuading people to register to vote in southwest Georgia. Persuasion was not easy given that African Americans trying to vote were likely to suffer violence and economic retaliation. Valeriano Ferrao I first met Ferrao in 1974, when both he and I were teachers at the secondary school of FRELIMO (the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique) in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. I came to know him better as a friend and comrade when he lived in Washington, DC, from 1982 to 1991 as independent Mozambiques first ambassador to the United States. Songs were central to the community built by FRELIMO in the years of the liberation war leading to Mozambique's independence in 1975. In his memoir, Ferrao recalls how he was admonished by Samora Machel because he had not yet learned to lead the students at Bagamoyo in singing a song. I don't have digital versions of our school singing the sands that we sang, but they included this one in Chinyanja that was also a favorite of Kenneth Kaunda. The lyrics mean "Let's go together with one heart," referring to the struggle for liberation in Southern Africa. Charles Sherrod I knew Sherrod only briefly, during the summer of 1965, when I was among a small group of Union Theological Seminary students he had recruited as volunteers to support the voter registration campaign of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in southwest Georgia. As the first staff member for SNCC, Sherrod focused his lifelong commitment to social justice on Albany, Georgia, and the surrounding region. This video of Sherrod singing the gospel song "One More Time" at the 50th anniversary of SNCC in April 2010 evokes the SNCC community that I was privileged to join at that time. That community has been reinforced over the years through personal meetings and, more recently, through digital media such as the SNCC digital gateway. Additional Background on Ambassador Valeriano Ferrao Media reports after his death had only limited background on Ferrao. So it took me some time to complete additional background to make available to AfricaFocus readers. I have included several in the following Google documents: Valeriano Ferrao - Background Links and Published Obituaries Valeriano Ferrao - Memories Valeriano Ferrao - Ambassador in Washington Additional Background on Charles Sherrod Charles Sherrod's death was accompanied by many tributes in U.S. media, as well as by his fellow SNCC veterans. These include the following: SNCC Legacy Project Washington Post New York Times AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. For an archive of previous Bulletins, see http://www.africafocus.org, Current links to books on AfricaFocus go to the non-profit bookshop.org, which supports independent bookshores and also provides commissions to affiliates such as AfricaFocus. AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please write to this address to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the original source mentioned. To subscribe to receive future bulletins by email, click here. College graduation Getty Images The Education Department announced permanent fixes to PSLF after the waiver expires on Oct. 31. The fixes include a one-time adjustment to correct past payment errors, and simplifying employer eligibility. The department still recommends borrowers make use of the waiver's benefits while they can. A waiver intended to bring public servants closer to student-loan forgiveness is expiring in less than a week but that doesn't mean the relief ends there. President Joe Biden's Education Department announced temporary reforms in October 2021 to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which intends to forgive student debt for government and nonprofit workers after ten years of qualifying payments. While one of those reforms a waiver to allow past payments to count toward forgiveness is expiring on October 31, the department on Tuesday announced permanent fixes to the program going forward. "As we emerge from the pandemic and the waiver period ends, we're focused on making this program work for the long haul," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told reports on Tuesday. "People have asked me, 'are you going to provide an extension to the waiver?' Well instead, today we are announcing permanent changes to reduce the red tape and the confusing rules that riddle the PSLF program. That's not all. We're also unveiling actions that will ensure public servants who are unable to meet the waiver deadline are not left behind." U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) October 25, 2022 If you are enrolled in PSLF, here's what you need to know about the department's proposed changes to the program, which will be implemented July 2023. A one-time adjustment to your account If you missed the waiver deadline, you'll have one more chance to resolve any mistakes on your payments to date. Through a one-time adjustment that will apply to payments made through both PSLF and income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, the department will give borrowers credit for any late payments and payments made during deferment or forbearance. Story continues In order to receive this credit, a borrower must have either a federal direct loan or a FFEL loan held by the department. Other borrowers need to consolidate their loans into an eligible one by May 1, 2023, to receive the account adjustment. Borrowers with spousal loans will receive more information on this process as the department works to implement a recently signed law related to those borrowers. How these changes will work with the PSLF waiver Borrowers who apply for the PSLF waiver by the October 31 deadline will have their payments credited under the waiver. They will also have any periods spent in deferment or forbearance credited under the one-time account adjustments in July 2023. Borrowers who never applied for PSLF and submit an application after the waiver expires will have their PSLF forms processed in the same way they were before the waiver, but they could be eligible to receive additional payment credits if they certify time employed under a public service entity. A key difference between the waiver and these new changes are that the one-time adjustment includes periods of deferments and forbearance that were not counted under the waiver. But as opposed to the waiver, under these new changes borrowers will no longer be able to count the same period of employment toward both PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness. A borrower will also have to be employed by a public service entity when they apply for PSLF. Permanent PSLF improvements through new regulations There are three key improvements the department set forth to PSLF for implementation in July 2023. Those include: Allowing borrowers to receive credit on late payments and counting periods in deferment or forbearance toward forgiveness progress Simplify criteria for certifying employment by establishing full-time employment as 30 hours a week and requiring employers to give adjunct faculty credit of at least 3.35 hours of work for every hour taught Giving borrowers credit for forbearance or deferment periods if they make payments equivalent to what they would have owed at the time, including what might have been a $0 payment. Along with these changes, the department still recommends borrowers take advantage of the PSLF waiver before it expires by checking their eligibility here. Read the original article on Business Insider EBRD will support Ukrenergo and Naftogaz of Ukraine with additional loans Alternate Board Director at the EBRD Artem Shevalev announced the possibility of the new loan on Oct. 25. The announcement came a few days after a visit by EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso to Kyiv on Oct. 21. Read also: EBRD to invest up to EUR 3 billion in Ukraine over next two years One of the things that came out of this visit is the decision to allocate a EUR 300 million emergency loan to Ukrenergo within the next month, Shevalev said on the side lines of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery of Ukraine in Berlin. Shevalev clarified that the decision still needs to be approved by the board of directors. However, according to him, the speed of such a decision is unprecedented for an international financial organization. This is the speed of light, he said. Read also: Next heating season will be worst in history, Naftogaz chief says This decision was made at a pace Ive never seen for all my years working at the EBRD. But we know the client, we know the needs and we want to do it. Again, EUR 300 million is quite a loan for one client, taking into account the fact that we already allocated EUR 150 million earlier. Shevalev said the funds will be directed primarily to the purchase of equipment necessary for the restoration of damaged power grids and support of the companys current liquidity. Shevalev noted the EBRD also continues to work on the allocation of funds to Ukraines state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz of Ukraine for the purchase of gas. Unfortunately, with the selection of those EUR 300 million that were approved in the summer, there was a pause related to the restructuring of oil and gas bonds, but it has already begun, he said. If Im not mistaken, the first EUR 11 million were already selected last week. At the same time, he said the EBRD would provide Naftogaz with an additional EUR 200 million loan. Read also: Latest Russian attack on energy facilities may have done more damage than previous strikes, Ukrenergo says Story continues Were waiting for the Norwegian guarantee for this loan the procedure within the Norwegian government must be completed, Shevalev said. But EUR 200 million will be approved at most in early November. He added the EBRD operates according to the following scheme: Naftogaz purchases, the bank pays the supplier. In mid-June 2022, the EBRD announced the decision to provide Naftogaz with a EUR 300 million loan for the purchase of gas, of which EUR 50 million had to be allocated urgently. EBRD guarantees 66% (EUR 200 million) of the total amount of the loan, which is also supported by Ukraines state guarantee. The EBRD announced on Aug. 26 that it would provide Ukrenergo with a EUR 97.3 million loan to support liquidity amid Russias military aggression. Another EUR 50 million was allocated earlier. Read also: Ukraines energy operator says its ready for any scenario of damage to the energy system The EBRD also plans to invest up to EUR 3 billion in Ukraine in 2022-2023 amidst Ukraines ongoing defense against Russian aggression. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Story at a glance The Environmental Protection Agency just awarded Ohio University nearly $200,000 to go toward a project aimed at reducing methane emissions. The project would target food and brewery sectors near the university using a process called anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion uses microorganisms to break down organic material. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday it will be granting Ohio University $195,736 to help expand the use of anaerobic digestion. The funds will specifically go to the universitys Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service which is working on a project to expand the use of anaerobic digestion in the food and brewery sectors. Anaerobic digestion can help lower the production of methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas, created at farms, landfills and from food waste. America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. In 2020, methane made up 11 percent of the countrys total greenhouse gas emissions, according to EPA data. As food breaks down, it produces methane a major contributor to climate change, said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore in a statement. Anaerobic digesters can help cut food waste, reduce methane emissions from landfills and aid in the fight against climate change. Biogas is made up of methane and can therefore be captured and potentially used as an energy source, according to the EPA. Meanwhile, digestate can be used for animal bedding, fertilizer, or compost. Anaerobic digestion can help lower the production of methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas, created at farms, landfills, and from food waste, according to the EPA. The university will work with local restaurants to figure out the potential for waste diversion at microbreweries and estimate how much biogas or fertilizer an anaerobic digestion system will produce at these neighboring businesses. Story continues There are many opportunities for renewable biogas generation from organic wastes, and we are working to identify the most beneficial designs for microbrewery operations, said Sarah Davis, principal investigator for Ohio University, in a statement. We are fortunate to have a partnership with an innovative microbrewery that prioritizes sustainability and look forward to highlighting their integrated farming-brewery-restaurant operations as a model for others. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Photo of liquefied natural gas storage Natural gas is stored in massive spherical containers in the Europoort industrial area of Rotterdam. Europe has turned a surprising corner in preparation for the continents much-discussed impending energy crisis. The European Union now has more liquefied natural gas than it needs, according to reports from Bloomberg and the New York Times. Ports are reportedly backed up, with tankard ships waiting to offload their gas supply to countries already flush with fuel, said the NYT. The E.U.s gas storage has reached 93.6% capacity overall, with Germany storage at 97.5% full, according to Bloomberg. And natural gas prices have fallen to their lowest level since June, according to the Financial Times, and currently sit at levels less than a third of what they were during Augusts record peak. Read more The U-turn follows months of aggressive global gas imports by Europe, in response to Russian fuel cuts. A fall warm spell, which has meant lower-than-usual energy demand, is also partially responsible for Europes gas recovery. The warmer weather is forecast to continue through winter. Normally, the E.U. relies on natural gas for somewhere between one-fifth and one-third of its energy. And in 2020, more than 40% of that gas was imported from Russia, according to Eurostat. But this year, Russias ongoing war in Ukraine put a squeeze on the E.U.s energy supply. Amid the conflict and Russian threat of slashed shipment, the bloc of nations vowed to reduce their consumption of Russian fuel in March. Russia responded by doubling down in the summer and cutting its E.U. gas exports further. Then, the Nord Stream pipelines failed, releasing a record amount of planet-warming methane and stopping the primary flow of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia to Germany entirely. The pipeline leaks are widely suspected to be the result of intentional sabotage, and multiple European investigations determined explosions were set near the pipe. Europe has blamed Russia, Russia has denied those allegations and in turn blamed the West. Story continues In lieu of its standard supply, Europe bridged some of its energy needs with renewables but also turned back to coal. And the E.U. looked farther afield to import liquefied natural gas. Prices skyrocketed, attracting gas exporters to the blocthe United States, Qatar, and other countries (Russia included) all sent large shipments via boat, according to NYT. Coupled with warm weather, the E.U.s aggressive stockpiling strategy appears to have worked, for nowstaving off the threat of energy shortages. However, near-capacity now doesnt guarantee enough supply later. Even Germanys very full storage is only enough to fulfill demand for about two months of winter weather, according to Bloomberg. The test will come when we have the first cold snap and storage starts to empty, said Jonathan Stern, the founder of the gas program at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, to the NYT. Multiple outlets reported that Europe will need to continue bringing in natural gas through the winter to guard against things like dangerous cold-weather blackouts. And the recent lowered costs for LNG in the E.U. might make that a challenge. Granted, as NYT pointed out, the current natural gas price is still historically elevated, so much so that the European Commission is considering imposing a price cap. Regardless, the ongoing instability of Europes fossil fuels highlights the need for a shift to renewable energy. On top of the obvious climate change downsides to burning gas and oil, LNG is not a reliable energy source in a conflict-filled world. The E.U. hasnt been able to reach energy independence via fossil fuels, yet a diversified and sustainable energy grid could ensure cheap and dependable domestic electricity. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. A gunman shot and killed two victims at a St Louis high school before being fatally shot by police officers at the scene and dying later at a hospital. News video captured students fleeing for safety as the incident took place at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south St Louis, Missouri, on Monday morning. Police respond to shooting The St Louis Metropolitan Police Department dispatched officers to the scene at 9.10am after the alarm was raised. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Sack, the interim chief of the St. Louis Police Department, told reporters that it took just a few minutes for officers to reach the high school near the intersection of Kingshighway and Arsenal, per local news Fox3 Now. The outlet reported that officers immediately entered the school building and students evacuating the scene told them that the male shooter had a long gun. The police chief added that officers heard gunfire and rushed towards it, engaging the gunman when they located him. After exchanging gunfire, the suspect was hit and was taken to hospital where he died. No police officers were hurt in the incident. Investigators later found the gunmans car and were searching it for evidence. Teacher described what happened inside school David Williams, a math teacher at the school, told The St Louis Post-Dispatch that the school principal came over the loudspeaker around 9am and said the code word for an active shooter being in the building. Mr Williams told the outlet he heard multiple shots outside his classroom, and one of the windows on the classroom door was shot out. He then heard a man say, You are all going to f***ing die. What is known about the shooter? Officials initially described the suspect as a slim male in his 20s. The gunman has not yet been named and no motive has been released for the violence. On Monday night the gunman was identified as former pupil Orlando Harris. Harris, 19, of St Louis, was himself fatally shot by responding police officers at the citys Central VPA High School, on Monday morning, according to The St Louis Post-Dispatch. Story continues Taniya Gholston, 16, a student at CVPA, told The St Louis Post-Dispatch that she did not recognise the gunman and escaped when his gun jammed. She told the newspaper that she heard him say something about being sick of this d**n school. Who are the victims? Eight individuals were hurt in total during the shooting. This includes an adolescent girl who was shot and died at the scene, as well as an adult woman who was declared dead from gunshot wounds at a hospital. The other victims sustained a range of gunshot and shrapnel wounds, as well as cardiac arrest. On Monday afternoon the family of the teacher killed in the shooting identified her as Jean Kuczka, according to The St Louis Post-Dispatch. Relatives told the newspaper that Kuczka, 61, was a health and physical education teacher who lived in Dittmer, Missouri. My mom loved kids, her daughter Abigail Kuczka told the newspaper. She loved her students. I know her students looked at her like she was their mom because a lot of them didnt have a good home life. Sixteen-year-old student Alexis Bell was pronounced dead at the scene. The identities of the victims have not been formally confirmed yet by officials. What is Central Visual and Performing Arts High School? The school where the shooting took place is a magnet school specialising in visual art, musical art and performing art with about 400 students. The district website says the schools educational program is designed to create a nurturing environment where students receive a quality academic and artistic education that prepares them to compete successfully at the post-secondary level or perform competently in the world of work. Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu is refusing to publicly disclose emails and texts on his personal accounts that he used for city business before he resigned earlier this year amid a federal corruption investigation. (Karen Tapia / Los Angeles Times) Embattled former Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu has refused to publicly disclose emails and text messages from personal accounts he used to conduct city business, calling into question how thoroughly a city-commissioned investigation can probe a corruption scandal tied to the aborted sale of Angel Stadium and a self-described "cabal" that allegedly steered city politics. In emails obtained by The Times, Sidhu's criminal defense attorney claimed the former mayor's past communications about city business on private devices were no longer public because he has resigned and invoked his client's 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. Public records experts say the refusal flouts California law, leaves a critical gap in public understanding of behind-the-scenes actions that upended the political establishment of Orange County's most populous city, and could encourage other government officials to use private accounts to conduct official business and avoid public scrutiny. Just because Sidhu kept those records on his personal devices doesnt make them his, said Paul Clifford, who has litigated public records cases on behalf of journalists as senior attorney for the Oakland-based First Amendment Project. They are, by law, public records that the government has the right to get back. Its going to encourage public officials to go ahead and do business on their private emails, especially if theyre anticipating no longer being part of the government. That would create a disastrous situation for the public to know what its government is up to." Sidhu resigned in late May after an FBI affidavit supporting a search warrant that targeted him was unsealed. The affidavit, which detailed him using personal email for city business, alleged there was probable cause to believe he had committed honest services fraud, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and other crimes. Anaheim subsequently received several requests under California's Public Records Act for emails and text messages Sidhu sent or received while mayor. Though city officials searched Sidhu's work email for responsive records, the law requires him to do the same on personal accounts. Story continues But Sidhu's attorney, Paul Meyer, refused in a June 22 email to City Atty. Robert Fabela. On the advice of counsel, Meyer wrote, despite the fact that we believe no federal or other criminal violations will ultimately be filed, or proved, against [Sidhu], under the established theory that the 5th Amendment was created for the protection of innocent persons ensnared in a criminal investigation, he asserts his 5th Amendment privilege against self incrimination to the citys request that he produce emails and texts from his personal accounts. Karl Olson, a public records litigator at Cannata, O'Toole, Fickes & Olson in San Francisco, pointed to a California appellate court ruling in 2007 that specifically cited "corruption" as a reason the public has the right to access government records. A decade later, in 2017, the California Supreme Court ruled that communications by public officials on private accounts are disclosable public records. What [Meyer] is saying is the more crooked you are, the less right the public has to know how crooked you are ... and if thats the law, that would just totally turn the Public Records Act on its head, Olson said. Meyer said Monday he had no further comment on the matter. Anaheim hasnt received any records from Sidhus personal accounts since the FBI probe became public, said city spokesman Mike Lyster, and isnt aware if any responsive records exist on them. We are in a unique situation and will continue to evaluate the matter, Lyster said. He added: "Beyond an exchange of letters ... the city has not taken legal action. It is our understanding a federal investigation is ongoing and we have not made any determination at this time." Sidhu has not been charged with any crime and, through Meyer, has maintained his innocence. The affidavit by FBI special agent Brian Adkins sought permission to review records from Sidhus personal email and cellphone. It cited an email Sidhu sent from the account to political consultant Jeff Flint who represented the Angels and then-Anaheim Chamber of Commerce president Todd Ament in July 2020 in an effort to assist the Angels during negotiations for the city to sell Angel Stadium and surrounding parking lots to the team. During a meeting in January, Sidhu assured Ament that emails between the three men wouldnt make their way to an Orange County grand jury investigating the stadium deal. Ament who later accepted a plea bargain for wire fraud, making false statements to a financial institution and submitting a false tax return secretly recorded the conversation at the behest of the FBI. Sidhu told Ament the communications were on his "private emails" and that he "erased everything," according to the affidavit. In a footnote of the affidavit, Adkins wrote: There may have been additional items related to the Target Offenses that SIDHU may have overlooked and thus failed to delete, and therefore are still maintained in the SUBJECT ACCOUNT and on the SUBJECT PHONE. The Times obtained more than 5,000 pages of records from Anaheim in response to public records requests in the months since the affidavit became public. There isnt a single email or text message sent by Sidhu among them, though numerous emails are CCd to his personal account. In one request filed in late May, The Times sought emails or text messages that Sidhu or his chief of staff sent or received regarding an episode detailed in a second affidavit targeting Ament. The FBI alleged Flint wrote a script that Sidhu read during a City Council meeting in March 2021. Multiple drafts were sent to Sidhus assistant, the affidavit said. Despite a diligent search, the city responded, the city is unable to locate records that fall within the scope of your request. The response added that the search efforts were continuing, though no responsive records have been produced. Three days later, Fabela emailed Meyer. After the city attorney requested Sidhu search his personal accounts, Meyer said he needed to review all such materials that are already in possession of the city. Fabela said they could provide Meyer with records from the former mayor's city email account, but I dont understand how that impacts Mr. Sidhus obligations to search his personal devices and accounts. Anaheim eventually gave Meyer thousands of pages of documents the city compiled in response to public records requests for information related to key players in the probe like Ament and Flint. In August, the Anaheim City Council voted to retain JL Group, a Laguna Niguel-based investigative firm, to probe the scandal. The work is estimated to take six months and cost $500,000 to $750,000. The company, which declined to comment on specifics of the investigation, is examining whether Sidhu or City Council members directed city "business and/or activities based on campaign contributions," city staffers were involved in "illegal and/or unethical behaviors in the context of the Federal investigations," and city officials engaged in "communications/meetings" that violated the state's open meetings law. In a written update to the Anaheim City Council before Tuesday's meeting, retired Orange County Superior Court Judge Clay Smith, who is overseeing the city's inquiry, said it is in the "early stages" as investigators have started interviewing relevant individuals and are "actively working to identify documents which should be analyzed." Smith wasn't available for comment, according to his case manager. James Wedick, a retired FBI special agent who spent decades investigating public corruption and consults on white-collar criminal inquires, believes Anaheim needs to obtain Sidhus communications as quickly as possible if the investigation will be credible. He described any emails sent from Sidhus personal account as a crucial link. Youve got plenty of information to go get those records, Wedick said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. ANDERSON, Ind. Seventeen years after he shot a 79-year-old man during a robbery in Muncie, David L. Jones Jr. is the target of a police manhunt after being charged with murder in Madison County. The murder charge against the 54-year-old Jones formerly of Muncie and more recently of Anderson was filed last week in Madison Circuit Court 4. He is accused of fatally shooting Tyreke X. Love, 23, of Indianapolis, at an apartment complex on Anderson's west side on Oct. 9. In Indiana, a murder conviction carries a maximum 65-year prison term. Jones is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony carrying up to 12 years in prison. At the time he was convicted of attempted murder in the Muncie shooting in 2006, authorities said Jones had been convicted of at least 16 crimes, in Madison and Marion counties, since 1993. Muncie crime news:Delaware County jury finds Muncie man guilty of murder, recklessness Guilty plea in 2006 attempted murder case The attempted murder conviction stemmed from an armed robbery 17 years ago this week on Oct. 24, 2005 at a house the victim was renovating in the 300 block of South Beacon Street. Muncie police said Jones shot the 79-year-old victim in the stomach. The senior citizen survived the shooting, and died at the age of 88 in 2015. Jones pleaded guilty to attempted murder in June 2006, as part of a plea bargain that saw three other counts robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, burglary while armed with a deadly weapon and obstruction of justice dismissed. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Delaware Circuit Court 4 Judge John Feick. According to Indiana Department of Correction records, Jones was most recently released from custody in 2020. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Steve Denny, a lieutenant with the Anderson Police Department, at 765-648-6759, of Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477. Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Anderson shooting: Muncie man charged 17 years after attempted murder Assyrian Monastery in Turkey Reopens After 100 Years The Monastery of Mor Efrem (St Ephrem) in Mardin, southern Turkey, an area which was once the heartland of Syriac Christianity, has once again opened its doors to believers. Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, head of the Syriac Catholic Church, presided over the reconsecration of the building, and celebrated its first Divine Liturgy in a hundred years. Founded in 1881, the Syriac monastery was seized by the Turkish army during the First World War. It briefly returned to the Church after the war ended, before being transformed into a military hospital in 1922. In more recent times, it had served as a prison and a warehouse. The ceremony Patriarch Younan consecrated the church according to the Syriac rite on 13 October, anointing the altar, walls, and doors with oil of chrism, before celebrating the Divine Liturgy. In his homily, he drew attention to a Syriac phrase -- , or 'Look at Him and trust in Him' -- inscribed above the large cross behind the altar, encouraging the congregation to keep their gaze on Jesus and put their faith in Him. The ceremony was attended by Syriac Catholic prelates from across Turkey and the Middle East, the Apostolic Nuncio to Turkey, and Syriac Orthodox bishops and clergy. Archbishop Orhan Sanl, Patriarchal Vicar of Turkey, gave a speech before the ceremony began, thanking all those who had made the re-opening of the monastery possible, including members of the laity who had volunteered their time. Ancient history, current struggles The area that is now southern Turkey (along with parts of the Middle East) has been home to communities of Syriac Christians, also known as Assyrians, since the first centuries of Christianity. Many still speak Neo-Aramaic, a language directly descended from that spoken by Jesus Himself. Their numbers have dwindled enormously over the centuries, however, often in the face of violent persecution. Hundreds of thousands were killed by government and local forces during the First World War. Some countries including Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands say the violence was genocide. Today, Assyrian Christians represent only a tiny fraction of Turkey's population. Catholic Central School was placed on lockdown after police received a false report of an active shooter Tuesday morning. The call came in just before 10 a.m. Springfield Police said within two minutes more than a dozen officers were on the scene. Within an hour the building was declared safe. >> What is swatting? Ohio lawmaker introduces bill that makes it a felony If theres any good that came out of this... work with everything we had, Captain Mike Kranz with the Springfield Police Division said. Classes were canceled after the lockdown was lifted. A similar call was made last month. It was also fake. >> Previous Coverage: Active shooter reports at area high schools deemed hoax; FBI investigating Kranz said not only did the police respond to the call but also the fire department and Clark County Emergency Management. I couldnt even begin to put a dollar amount on it, its a lot of resources, the response... Kranz said. He said investigators are working with a phone company to try and track down where the call came in. We will continue updating this story. Oct. 25The family of an Odessa woman who died the day after a laparoscopic hysterectomy have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her obstetrician-gynecologist and Permian Women's Center. According the lawsuit filed last week in Ector County District Court, Rocio Gordillo, 40, went to Dr. Pill Raja because she was experiencing pain and abnormal uterine bleeding and Raja scheduled her for a total laparoscopic hysterectomy on Oct. 22, 2020. During the surgery, Raja is accused of lacerating Gordillo's abdominal aorta with a trocar, the device used to make small, puncture-like incisions, the lawsuit stated. Raja called in a vascular surgeon to repair the aorta and the surgeon found a 1 centimeter laceration in the aorta, a laceration to Gordillo's small bowel mesentery and significant bleeding from the jejunal vein, according to the lawsuit. The vascular surgeon and a general surgeon worked together to repair the abdominal aorta and during the repair, the single mother of two went into cardiac arrest and had to undergo CPR and get multiple units of blood and platelets, the lawsuit stated. She was taken to the cardiac care unit and died the next day. A representative from Raja's office stated she would have an attorney call the Odessa American with a statement. No call was received. The lawsuit alleges Gordillo's death certificate lists her cause of death as acute respiratory failure, multi-organ failure, coagulopathy and trocar injury to aorta. Raja listed her manner of death as "natural," according to the lawsuit. Raja is accused of being "reckless and overzealous" in his use of the trocar during the surgery and the lawsuit further alleges Permian Women's Center is "liable for the negligent acts and omissions of its employees." The lawsuit, which was filed by Gordillo's older daughter, Amber Alexandria Garcia, and her mother, Belen Gordillo Demagallon, are seeking general damages and punitive damages of more than $1 million for themselves and for Gordillo's younger daughter, Dayanara Analy Salido. The far right British activist Katie Hopkins told a cheering crowd at an event on Mannheim, Pennsylvania that she is in the United States illegally and challenged President Joe Biden to Come at me! Lock me up! Ms Hopkins made her remarks at the Great Awakening, a Christian nationalist speaking tour featuring a number of speakers with ties to the far right including MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, and the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor Doug Mastriano. On Saturday, Ms Hopkins made a splash when she told the assembled audience that she had entered the US illegally through its southern border. Right now, I am not allowed to be in this fine country of yours, because the ridiculous administration says that the unvaccinated are not allowed in this country right now, Ms Hopkins said. Well I am pureblood, I am proud, and I am sick and tired of being told what to do. Far-right English commentator Katie Hopkins brags about being in the US illegally because she's unvaccinated and came in across the Southern border, then challenges the Biden administration to arrest her: "Come at me. Lock me up. Do it!" pic.twitter.com/aZV7ds23pR Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) October 24, 2022 The use of the term pureblood has connections to white nationalism, as does Ms Hopkins, who was permenantly banned from Twitter two years ago for hateful conduct on the platform. Ms Hopkins, formerly a columnist for The Sun and the Daily Mail, once compared immigrants to cockroaches in a column. She left her role as a presenter with the London-based talk radio station LBC after making hateful comments about Muslims in 2017. During her speech over the weekend, Ms Hopkins then called Mr Biden an irrational old man who was installed in the White House and is not the rightful president country. Story continues I did what any rational individual would do under the Biden administration, and ladies and gentlemen, I promise you this is a true story: I decided to break my ass into this country via Mexico, Ms Hopkins said to cheers from the crowd. Come at me! Lock me up! Do it! The veracity of Ms Hopkins story is difficult to prove. Non-US citizens and non-immigrants do have to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 before travelling by air to the country. Welp racist Katie Hopkins is on stage now leading the Great Awakening crowd in a dance pic.twitter.com/iQcE8fz6bt Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) October 22, 2022 Before launching into her speech at the event, Ms Hopkins led the crowd in a dance number. According to reporting from HuffPosts Christopher Mathias, Ms Hopkins also asserted during her address that Muslims are reproducing at a faster rate than non-Muslims in the UK and that Black South Africans are attacking white farmers white nationalist tropes designed to promote the conspiracy theory that white people are in danger of being replaced by non-white people. Ms Hopkins has been a fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, who at times retweeted her before they were both banned from Twitter, and called her respected in 2015. A 19-year-old is accused of distributing the drug fentanyl in suburban Lees Summit, including the sale of pills that led to one persons fatal overdose. Lonnie Elijah Siems, of Lees Summit, is charged in the Western District of Missouri with one felony count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. He was arrested Wednesday on the charge following an investigation led by a Jackson County task force focused on drug trafficking. According to court documents, Siems became the target of the task force investigation as police in Lees Summit were searching for a drug dealer who sold fentanyl to a person identified as C.A.H., who died in mid-August of a suspected overdose. Authorities allege Siems was the source of the fentanyl that resulted in death. In September, police began working with an unnamed criminal informant who identified Siems as a local drug distributor, authorities allege in an affidavit filed in support of criminal charges against Siems. A purchase of $100-worth of fentanyl pills was arranged over social media, the affidavit says. The criminal informant wore a wire that allegedly recorded a drug transaction with Siems. Members of the county task force then arrested and searched the vehicle Siems was in. Recovered from the bust was $100 in pre-recorded currency and 38 blue pills stamped with the marker M-30 under the passenger seat, the affidavit says. Authorities allege text messages were also found that showed an arrangement between Siems and C.A.H. to purchase pills shortly before the overdose. On Oct. 6, the Jackson County Medical Examiners Office issued a report saying C.A.H. had died of drug overdose and that fentanyl was a contributing factor. Reached by phone Monday, defense attorney Gregory Watt said his firm would represent Siems to the best of their ability and looks forward to him having his day in court. Siems was released from federal custody on a $20,000 bond following a court hearing Monday. NEW YORK (AP) As wealthy financier Tom Barrack built a private equity empire that relied on his close contact with Middle East leaders, he encountered a stumbling block: his friendship with Donald Trump. Barrack had known Trump for years and admired him. But the Republican former presidents anti-Muslim rhetoric during his 2016 campaign was, in Barracks words, a foreign policy nightmare that worried some of his biggest investors. It was a quandary that Barrack, the onetime chair of Trumps inaugural committee, has sought to explain this week while taking the witness stand on his own behalf at his criminal trial in New York City. Federal prosecutors have accused him of secretly working as a foreign agent who was under orders by the United Arab Emirates to manipulate U.S. foreign policy in its favor. In his second day of testimony Tuesday, Barrack described efforts to arrange for Trump to meet with UAE national security advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other officials from more moderate oil-rich Persian Gulf states to persuade Trump to tone down his outrageous claims about alleged threats from the Arab world. I was trying to get common ground, to try to get him to step back from what he didnt believe, Barrack said. Barrack also repeated his assertion that he wasnt hiding his activities. He and his lawyers say Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and advisor, were fully in the loop. Asked repeatedly if he ever offered his services as a foreign agent for the UAE, Barrack responded, No. The only goal was to create a climate of understanding and tolerance, said Barrack, an Arabic speaker of Lebanese descent. I was so excited that I could be some minor prod in that process. On Monday, Barrack testified that he met Trump in the 1980s while helping negotiate Trumps purchase of the renowned Plaza Hotel. He said he grew to view Trump as "more resilient than anyone I knew. Story continues During jury selection, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan cautioned prospective jurors that Trumps name would come up often, and pressed them on whether they could be fair in a case infused with politics and shadowy international business dealings. Some potential jurors were dismissed after saying it was asking too much because of their distaste for the former president. Barrack, 75, is accused of using his unique access as a longtime friend of Trump to provide confidential information about the Trump administration to the UAE to advance the Emirates' foreign policy and business interests. Prosecutors say that UAE officials rewarded Barrack by pouring millions of dollars into his business ventures. Barrack has pleaded not guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice and making false statements. His lawyers have denied he did anything underhanded. The Los Angeles-based billionaire has known Trump for decades and played an integral role in the 2016 campaign as a top fundraiser at a time when many other Republicans were shunning the upstart candidate. The government rested its case last week. Much of the evidence focused on emails and other back-channel communications between Barrack and his high-level leaders in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors say those communications show how Barrack and his contacts schemed on how to win over Trump. Before being indicted, Barrack drew attention by raising $107 million for Trump's inaugural celebration following the 2016 election. The event was scrutinized both for its lavish spending and for attracting foreign officials and businesspeople looking to lobby the new administration. Barrack's testimony is to continue Wednesday. Juan Grefa, an Indigenous activist who lives near and works to protect the Piatua River, in April. Credit - Andres Yepez for TIME What Clemente Grefa remembers most about his childhood are the sounds of the Piatua River: the hum of insects, the chatter of children playing, the women whistling as they clean clothes, and the burble of water trickling. Living here has always been magnificent, says Clemente, a 67-year-old Kichwa man who lives off the land. Weve been blessed with all the enchantments of the river. The Piatua, a tributary of the Amazon located in the Pastaza region of Ecuador, is thought to be millions of years old. It is one of the most biodiverse areas of the world; scientists believe it is home to many flora and fauna yet to be cataloged by academia. For the Kichwa Indigenous people of Piatua, the river is sacred. It is a living being, with its own temperament, mood swings, and pulse. It is revered and feared, loved and protected. From left: Maria, daughter of Clemente Grefa; Darling Kaniras, a well-known activist in the community; and Clemente Grefa, pictured in Clementes home next to the Piatua River. Andres Yepez for TIME The inhabitants of the Piatua River believe the river is protected by guardian spirits that must be respected. Andres Yepez for TIME Early one morning in 2018, while Clemente and his family gathered around the fire to drink their daily wayusa tea, they heard a crash. Upstream, a hydropower-dam company was blasting dynamite to clear the way for a $60 million project that if built would generate some 30 MW of electricitybut would also threaten the rivers ecosystem, and the lifestyle and cosmologies of the people who inhabit the area. Since 2014, the Ecuadorean electricity company Genefran S.A. has been approved by the Ministry of the Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition to build a hydro dam along the Piatua River. Though the project is part of the governments larger strategy to shift away from fossil fuels toward clean energy, the people of Piatua dont see it as a green endeavor. For them, the dams construction is an environmental death sentence: an estimated 90% of the rivers water volume would be lost, according to Yajaira Curipallo, who works for a governmental environment watchdog, and a potentially dangerous flood risk would be created at the nearby Jandiayacu River. If they destroy the [Piatua] river that gives us life, says Clemente, what will we be left with? For years, the people of Piatua have resisted the dam. In 2018, when the initial construction began, Kichwa people took their case to the provincial courts. The judges granted the river partial protection, ruling the hydro dam could not be built until Genefran S.A. received consent from the Indigenous people. But in interviews, multiple river defenders reported receiving threatening phone calls and being told not to protest. Though they could not prove whom the calls came from, they say they feel the project is being pushed on them. The people of Piatua have not relented: while a date has not yet been set, they hope their case will soon be heard at the Constitutional Court, the countrys most powerful judicial body. It would be the first time a renewable-energy project is accused of violating the rights of nature as enshrined in Ecuadors constitution. This case could set a precedent worldwide for how we think about the impacts of renewables, says Natalia Greene, a rights-of-nature expert and an executive committee member of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature. But for the Indigenous communities, there is a bigger question at stake: Will their voices be heard in the green transition? Ecuador made history in 2008 when it became the first country in the world to recognize, and legally protect, natures right to exist and thrive under its constitution. The goal was to incorporate Indigenous worldviews into the countrys legal system, and to reflect the belief that nature is alive and thus has value that cant be accounted for in a capitalist market system. When were talking about the rights of nature, were not just talking about protecting plants and animals, but about respecting natures cosmologies and its spiritual worlds, says Greene. Although Ecuadors constitution states companies have to get prior free and informed consent from Indigenous communities before an infrastructure project begins, there is no clear definition of what consent entails. Oil and mining companies have exploited this legal loophole by withholding information about their activities when consulting with communities, in order to secure a few signatures of consent, and both Indigenous people and environmentalists have grown to expect this behavior from them. But these groups are disappointed to see renewable-energy companies increasingly taking advantage of the same loopholes. A sign in a local tourist center reading I defend my Piatua River. Andres Yepez for TIME Alexis Grefa, a Kichwa Indigenous activist, takes a dip in the Piatua River, which he seeks to protect. Andres Yepez for TIME Ecuador is not the only country grappling with this issue. Around the world, some clean-energy companies are being scrutinized for wreaking havoc on biodiversity, and perpetuating many of the same human-rights abuses as polluting industries, with Indigenous communities often paying the price. Experts say part of the challenge in holding these industries to account is that people are hesitant to critique the renewables sector over fears this may temper enthusiasm to move away from fossil fuels. But as Greene notes, You cannot justify biodiversity loss and injustice on the basis that a project creates clean energy. Many experts feel the outcome of the Piatua trial will reveal a lot about whether the movers of the green transition will be made to uphold their ostensible commitment to biodiversity and Indigenous rightsor if these companies will drive yet another industry that destroys Indigenous communities. If the judges rule in favor [of the river], it will send the message that no activityregardless of whether its extractive or renewablecan be allowed to cause damage to biodiversity, says Greene. From left: Drawing made by Darling Kaniras illustrating the mobilization that happened in 2019, when a front for the defense of the Piatua was born; Juan Grefa, 68, lives in San Juan de Piatua and tells how they have had to fight for years against the state to defend the integrity of the Piatua River; A mermaid's tail found at a tourist center near the river, which is sometimes used to dramatize the story about Yaku Warmi. Andres Yepez for TIME When a group of men from Genefran S.A. came to visit Ines Alvarados community in 2016, promising jobs for the people of the Piatua River, she was wary. Alvarado, a 58-year-old Kichwa woman living along the river, had heard of outsiders making promises to Indigenous communities, only to turn around and destroy their environment. I might not be educated, but I have the wisdom of my ancestors, she says. It never even crossed my mind to sign their paper. But many others living along the Piatua signed, thinking it would be a financial boon for their families. And many say they didnt know what they were signing. Some didnt even know Genefran S.A. was an electricity-generation company: they say they were told by Genefran S.A. that it would be doing some nonintrusive work upstream, and that if communities agreed, it would bring scholarships and jobs to the region. They didnt hear back from Genefran S.A. for two years. We just assumed they were another group of people promising us things and failing to deliver, says Clemente, who signed their paper. Then, in 2018, the company returned to the region not with jobs or scholarships but with bulldozers and dynamite. We did not know what we had signed, says Clementes brother, Juan Grefa, 68, who lives along the river. They took advantage of our needs and our innocence. But we fought back. Shortly after the first blasts of dynamite were heard that year, over 19 communities in the region gathered in the town of Santa Clara to talk about what they could do to stop the construction. As night fell, around 300 women, men, and children headed to the construction site along the Piatua River, armed with hand-carved wooden spears. People piled onto motorbikes and into cars; taxis gave protesters free rides to the site. When the workers arrived, the crowd surrounded them, as Kichwa leaders told the company they had 24 hours to get out. The government sent in the police, then the militarized police. Eventually, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorean Amazon (CONFENIAE) reached an accord with the head of Genefran S.A., who said the company would remove its machinery from the site if the protesters dispersed. Pablo and his mother Ines Alvarado are residents of the Yayayaku community. They live next to the river and are pictured in their home. Andres Yepez for TIME In the following days, however, CONFENIAE realized Genefran S.A. was not going to comply; it was keeping vital machinery next to the river, suggesting the company was pausing, not halting, its work. Kichwa communities responded by closing the main road between Puyo and Tena, piling rocks into the middle of the street and bringing a critical highway in the Amazon to a stop. It doesnt take very long for people to pay attention when you close that road, says Darling Kaniras, 29, an environmental engineer, river defender, and local tourist guide. Company records show that Genefran S.A. is majority-owned by ElitCorp, an energy and infrastructure company, with a minority share held by Gustavo Rafael Villacreces Oviedo, an ElitCorp executive who appears to be related to the listed general manager for Genefran S.A., Roberto Jose Villacreces Oviedo. TIME reached out to both companies to comment on the nature of their relationship and this story, but did not hear back from either. The battle eventually moved from the road to the provincial court in May 2019, after the case was brought to the courts attention by Curipallo, who heads the provincial office for a branch of the government that serves as a watchdog to ensure the state upholds the rights of people and nature. Curipallo was convinced the evidence clearly showed that Genefran S.A. had failed to explain to those who signed the contracts what its activities in the area would entail. But the provincial court judges ruled in favor of Genefran S.A., on the basis of what they said was insufficient evidence that the river was home to a culturally and spiritually significant community. In September 2019, Aurelio Quito, one of the judges who presided over the hearing, was arrested over accusations by a colleague that Quito had been bribed by the construction company and tried to bribe another judge to vote in favor of the dams construction. A new hearing was held later that month in which the river was granted partial protection: the court ruled that Genefran S.A. could not continue construction until it redid proper technical studies of the projects environmental impacts and got informed consent from communities. Kichwa communities celebrated, but Curipallo was worried there would be further issues on the horizon. A recently rediscovered stone with petroglyphs, found near the Piatua River in April. People from the resistance talked with archeologist Carlos Duche, who said that these reflect some of the petroglyphs in the region, extending from the province of Napo down to province of Morona Santiago to the South of the Piatua River, proving the existence of native people in the region for millennia. It is pre-Columbian, probably from around 800 BC and shares symbols with the other petroglyphs in the region. The spiral, for example, represents the spiral of the seasons, of the traditional woven rooves, and of life. Andres Yepez for TIME Thats because the court had not actually agreed that the Kichwa people of the Piatua constituted a culturally and spiritually significant community. The court cited the Kichwa witnesses lack of traditional dress, and the fact that they gave their testimonies in Spanish, as evidence that these Indigenous cultures no longer exist. The problem is that Indigenous communities have to demonstrate their expansive land-based worldview within the logic of the courtroom, the same logic that has brought about colonization and resource extraction, says Alex Knott, an anthropologist working with Piatua River defenders to document cultural heritage. They are being asked to show that their culture still exists by pointing to things that can be easily seen and heard, but so much of culture is intangible. Curipallo hopes the Constitutional Court will rule in favor of the river, protecting it from exploitation once and for all. But its not just about the outcome for Curipallo; its also about how the case is argued. While the prosecutors could build their case on the grounds that the dam would lead to the extinction of certain plant species and cause irreversible damage to the rivers life cycles, Curipallo thinks there is a bigger argument to be made: The rights of Indigenous people have to be upheld by renewable companies. Monica Tanguila, wife of Clemente Grefa, on the banks near a cable car connecting communities on opposite sides of the river. Andres Yepez for TIME Over the past 10 years, the Ecuadorean government has embarked on a mass effort to introduce hydroelectricity throughout the country. In 2015, then President Rafael Correa announced eight new hydropower plants would be operational in 2016. But the projects have been delayed because of their failure to meet environmental and engineering standards. One of the dams, the Coca Codo Sinclair, caused a river to dry up and the countrys highest waterfall to disappear; erosion from the project also ruptured two pipelines, causing an oil spill. The people of Piatua care deeply about the climate crisis. But for them, the hydro dam is not a path away from environmentally harmful industries: it is a new form of ecological devastation. It is the same injustice and destruction, says Kaniras, the engineer and river defender, its just being called green to get the permissions and satisfy the international community. Along the Piatua River, people young and old repeated that they were not interested in the money a hydro dam would generate. This is partly because they do not believe they would reap the financial benefits of the project. Look at what is happening with petroleum elsewhere in the Amazon, says Clemente. The money leaves. More important, many people living along the river care more about maintaining their spiritual, cultural, and ecological richness than about filling their bank accounts. The river gives us water, and the land gives us food, Alvarado says. Yes, we are poor, but we dont need more. All of the elders who have lived their lives on the banks of the Piatua will tell you stories of the wilder river they knew in their youth: it stole animals and gifted them; it made some people sick and healed others; its spirits appeared in the form of superhuman beings. The people of Piatua fear that a hydro dam could bring an end to their way of life. There are spirits here because there is biodiversity, explains Knott, the anthropologist. If you cut off the river and kill the biodiversity, you would in essence be severing peoples connection to their spirituality. Alexis Grefa, a 26-year-old activist with the Piatua Resiste Defense Front, near one of the rivers sacred rocks Andres Yepez for TIME For the Kichwa Indigenous people of Piatua, the river is sacred. It is a living being, with its own temperament, mood swings, and pulse. It is revered and feared, loved and protected. Andres Yepez for TIME Indigenous communities across Ecuador are watching closely for the moment when the river gets its day in court. Until then, the people of Piatua are continuing to push back attempts by Genefran S.A. to get the project restarted, by organizing gatherings to educate the public about what signing consent forms actually means, and working with anthropologists to help classify the river as a cultural-heritage site. Were doing what we have to do, says Alexis Grefa, 26, a Kichwa river defender (who is not related to Clemente and Juan). Were defending our part of the earth. For many, such resistance has taken a toll. Some of those who have been outspoken about the project report receiving menacing phone calls or being followed, with those threatening them demanding they back down from their activism. Though they do not know if Genefran S.A. is behind these threatsmany river defenders said the actions were carried out by third parties and cannot be traced back to the companythe threats have caused many river defenders to uproot their lives. Cristian Aguinda, the former president of the Native People of the Kichwa Nationality of Santa Clara Canton, spent much of the past decade leading the movement against the hydro dam. But eventually he moved away from the area, fearing for his familys safety. Ive had to give up jobs and have missed my oldest daughters childhood, he says. The younger generation is now picking up the fight. Clementes children had left for Santa Clara, a nearby town, but are now moving back to the rivers banks. For young people, the river is a sanctuary where nature and Indigenous culture can thrive, in a region increasingly under pressure from extractive industries and globalization. Its the only place where there is peace, says Kaniras. The river is like a part of me. Like many others fighting the project, he dreams of a future where the transition away from fossil fuels allows Indigenous communities to finally live peacefully, not in resistance. I dont want my daughter to inherit fights or conflicts, says Kaniras. I just want her to swim in the river, to fish, and to know the people of the communities. A firefighter is in the hospital with a back injury after a fire in Springfield Monday. Crews were called to a fire in the 1000 block of Garfield Avenue around 7:40 p.m., according to Springfield Fire Division Battalion Chief Jeremy Linn. Linn said the fire was located at a large two-story, wood frame structure that housed two units 1127 and 1129 Garfield Ave. He said someone nearby let the people who live at the 1129 residence know a fire was in their home. >> Crews respond to house fire in Dayton Occupants at both units were able to exit the house without injuries. One firefighter, only identified as a 20-year veteran of the department, was injured while battling the fire. Linn said the firefighter was in the attic and low on air so went to exit the building. When doing so he stepped on the fire hose and fell down the steep stairs injuring his back. He was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center where Linn said he is getting scans. His injuries were described as not too serious. >> Crews respond to 3-alarm fire in Darke Co.; No injuries reported Linn said he is hopeful the injured firefighter will be released from the hospital soon but its never easy to hear one of your own hurt. Thats always a high level of anxiety for us, as soon as we identified we had an injury we requested a second alarm which brought additional resources, an additional chief officer ... they had 14 members of the community show up and help us tonight, Linn said. Although the fire was mostly contained to 1129 Garfield, both units are not able to be lived in due to fire and water damage. The Red Cross was called to help out those displaced. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Oct. 25NORWALK Dr. Preet Gudimella has joined Fisher-Titus Family Medicine in Wakeman as a primary care physician. He is board certified in Family Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. "We are pleased to welcome Dr. Preet Gudimella to our Fisher-Titus family," said Dr. Brent Burkey, president and CEO of Fisher-Titus "He brings a wealth of diverse knowledge and a passion for rural health and we are excited to have him as part of the dedicated team serving patients in Wakeman." A graduate of Ross University School of Medicine in North Brunswick, N.J., Dr. Gudimella completed his internship and residency in Family Medicine with University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In addition to his medical studies, Dr. Gudimella has an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and became a Software Engineer through Fullstack Academy in New York City. Dr. Gudimella encourages evidence-based lifestyle practices involving fitness, nutrition and alternative techniques to prevent and alleviate chronic illness with his patients. He sees patients of all ages and is interested in treating both chronic and acute illnesses and performing outpatient procedures. Dr. Preet Gudimella said he is excited to be practicing alongside his twin sister, Dr. Preeti Gudimella, who joined Fisher-Titus Family Medicine Wakeman in 2021. They are both part of the Wakeman team that also includes Dr. Christina Canfield and Dr. Samuel E. Ross. To schedule an appointment, call 419-660-2900 or visit fishertitus.org/schedule. 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. Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz are set to face off on Tuesday evening in the first and only debate of the Pennsylvania Senate race. The race is one of a handful that will decide control of the upper chamber and the debate itself is seen as particularly consequential as Oz gains on Fetterman and the lieutenant governor seeks to dispel concerns about his health after a stroke earlier this year. The debate, hosted by WHTM in Harrisburg, Pa., will be aired nationwide on NewsNation from 8-9 p.m. Eastern. Both WHTM and NewsNation are owned by Nexstar, which also owns The Hill. Here are five things to watch for in Tuesdays Pennsylvania Senate debate in Harrisburg: Does Fettermans health impact his debate performance? Fettermans recovery from a stroke he suffered just before the primary has been closely watched and all eyes will be on him Tuesday to see whether the lingering symptoms affect his performance. Its been widely known the Democratic nominee uses a closed captioning system to conduct interviews with reporters, which his campaign says is to make up for auditory processing issues but does not indicate any cognitive problems. But an NBC News interview with Fetterman earlier this month that showed what the system looked like drew scrutiny from his critics, particularly after NBCs Dasha Burns, who conducted the interview, said it wasnt clear Fetterman could understand the small talk without captioning. Fetterman will use the system onstage at the debate, a first for a televised Senate debate. How to watch: The local stations and websites that will show the Fetterman-Oz Pennsylvania Senate debate live Last week, Fettermans doctor released a letter saying the candidate is in good health and has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office. He spoke intelligently without cognitive deficits. His speech was normal and he continues to exhibit symptoms of an auditory processing disorder which can come across as hearing difficulty. Occasional words he will miss, which seems like he doesnt hear the word but it is actually not processed properly, Fettermans doctor, Clifford Chen, wrote. His hearing of sound such as music is not affected. Story continues How does Oz navigate Fettermans health? Democrats and Fettermans allies have conceded that Oz, who has years of experience in television, has the upper hand in the debate. But they also say voters perceptions of Ozs performance could depend in part on how the Republican nominee conducts himself in regard to Fettermans health. The TV studio is Ozs comfort zone. This guy is a media-savvy performer who literally built his career (and his fortune) by playing to the cameras as a daytime TV host, Fettermans campaign said in a memo on Monday. He hosted his scammy talk show for 13 seasons, filming over 2,000 episodes where he hawked miracle cures and magic diet pills to prey on hard-working Americans. Ozs campaign faced criticism in August after an aide mocked Fetterman over his stroke. Republicans and Ozs allies say the candidate needs to show compassion toward Fetterman while attacking his record as lieutenant governor. Last week, Ozs campaign released a statement responding to the letter, saying it was good news that John Fettermans doctor gave him a clean bill of health. The bad news is that John Fetterman still supports releasing convicted murderers out on the streets and has zero explanation for why he didnt pay his taxes 67 times, Ozs campaign said. And now that he apparently is healthy, he can debate for 90 minutes, start taking live questions from voters and reporters, and do a second debate now too. Does Oz zero in on crime and the economy? Republican candidates in close races across the country have focused in on crime and inflation and Oz, who has seen his poll numbers rise in recent months, is no exception. On Monday, Ozs campaign rolled out a six-point plan to fight crime, which included stopping drug crimes, smart sentencing reform, increasing resources for safer streets, prosecuting crime, victims and users relief, and reducing crime in prisons. The Republican has taken aim at Fettermans record on clemency as lieutenant governor, painting him as a soft-on-crime leader. Oz and his outside allies have run a number of ads drawing attention to cases Fetterman oversaw as head of the state pardons board. GOP Senate nominees in other battleground states have sought to pivot to crime in their own debates and it is likely Oz will try to do the same. Oz will also likely work to tie Fetterman and his Democratic allies to rising inflation and gas prices as well. The Republicans campaign has pledged to cut taxes for working families and lower health care costs, while Fetterman has emphasized strengthening the working class and fighting corporate greed. Ozs attacks on Fettermans record on crime have arguably made the most headlines recently, but its the economy that has proven to be the top issue for Pennsylvania voters. A Monmouth University poll released earlier this month found that 87 percent of Pennsylvania voters see jobs, the economy and the cost of living as extremely or very important to them this election. Will Fettermans attacks on abortion stick? While Oz has zeroed in on crime as a top issue, Fetterman has spent quite a bit of time hitting Oz over abortion, particularly over his stance on Sen. Lindsey Grahams (R-S.C.) proposed nationwide 15-week abortion ban. Democrats in other high-stakes Senate races have also employed the attack line, painting their GOP opponents as extreme on the issue in the wake of the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade. Numerous Democratic Senate candidates have used the issue against Republicans in their own televised Senate debates this month. The topic stands to galvanize the Democratic base and abortion rights supporters, and even attract independent and swing voters from areas like Philadelphias suburbs. Fetterman held a rally for more than 3,000 attendees in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in September where he addressed the issue, vowing to be the 51st vote for abortion rights. However, a divide has emerged among Democrats over how much the partys candidates should focus on abortion as opposed to the economy in the closing days of their campaigns and whether continuing to talk about abortion is an effective strategy when numerous polls show the economy and crime outranking it as a top issue. Will Biden, Trump play role? Like other Senate candidates this cycle, Fetterman and Oz have worked to tie each other to President Biden and former President Trump throughout the campaign. On Monday, Fettermans campaign rolled out a statement on recent reporting from Rolling Stone, which says Trump is pushing Pennsylvania lawmakers to repeal a 2019 no-excuse mail-in voting law. The reporting also detailed how Trump would reportedly plan to challenge election results in the state. Its clear that Donald Trump, Dr. Oz, and the GOP will do whatever it takes to try and steal this race on Election Night. Trump has already said he needs people like Oz in office to challenge the 2024 election, said Fetterman spokesperson Joe Calvello. Trump is trying to steal the 2022 election for Oz so that Trump can steal the 2024 election for himself. On the other side of the aisle, Oz has worked to tie Fetterman to Bidens policies on a host of issues including the economy, crime and energy. Joe Biden and John Fetterman would rather rely on other countries than open up our energy production as PAs next Senator, I will always support American energy, Oz tweeted last week. Biden and Trump have hit the campaign trail for Fetterman and Oz, respectively, in Pennsylvania. In September, Trump held a rally for Oz and the states other down-ballot GOP candidates. Last week, Biden made a campaign stop for Fetterman and stumped for him at a fundraiser. The latest Emerson College-The Hill poll shows Biden with a 43 percent approval rating and a 51 percent disapproval rating. In a head-to-head match-up, Trump leads Biden 46 percent to 45 percent, well within the polls 3-point margin of error. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The statewide faculty union is calling on the University of Florida to release the names of the 12 people who were interviewed for the presidents job before a search committee announced that Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse was the only finalist. The group is also pushing the school to release the age, race and gender of the 700 people that the search committee made contact with during its search. It called on UF to delay the hiring process until the information is released, and threatened legal action if it does not. The union said in a news release Monday that it believed the university has violated both the spirit and letter of a state law passed earlier this year that keeps college and university presidential searches largely secret until a final group of applicants is announced. The university previously declined requests from the Tampa Bay Times for a list of the 12 people considered by the search committee. It cited state law, and said releasing the information would violate the wishes of those in the final group, which included a number of university presidents from other schools. The chairperson of the search committee previously stated no candidate wanted to move forward in the process to become a finalist if they werent the sole finalist. The union joins a growing drumbeat for increased scrutiny of the search process. Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University Professors, said in an interview that shes never seen evidence to support the draconian cloak of secrecy the new law created. A nontransparent process is an illegitimate process in our view, she said. Faculty have to be meaningfully involved in every step of the process and that does not appear to have happened here. It makes it extremely difficult for the person to lead the community. Last week, the student senate held a vote of no confidence against the student body president, who was on the search committee and was part of the unanimous vote in favor of making Sasse the lone finalist. Story continues Members of the faculty senate have voted to schedule an emergency meeting for Thursday to consider a vote of no confidence in Sasse as the candidate. Each member of the search committee was required to sign a form pledging to maintain absolute confidentiality regarding all prospects and candidates for the job, even after the process ends. The committee decided that only its chairperson would be allowed to speak on behalf of the institution. Judith Wilde, a researcher at George Mason University who studies presidential searches and contracts, said nondisclosure agreements have been popping up in other searches across the country with varying degrees of egregiousness, some invoking law enforcement. The arguments for privacy, she said, benefit firms that aid universities in their searches and that often recycle unsuccessful candidates among schools. Wilde said searches with one finalist are becoming more common, even in states with good public records laws. But those candidates dont tend to last long in the job, she said. At the University of Colorado-Boulder, the sole pick lasted two years. One at the University of Oklahoma left after 11 months and one at Oregon State University left after 9 months. What were ending up with is more people leaving the presidency without lasting for their first full contract even, and almost always ending up walking away with money, she said. Sign up for the Gradebook newsletter! Every Thursday, get the latest updates on whats happening in Tampa Bay area schools from Times education reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek. Click here to sign up. This Aug. 30, 2017, file photo shows Christopher Monzon at rally outside Hollywood, Florida, City Hall. (Photo: via Associated Press) This Aug. 30, 2017, file photo shows Christopher Monzon at rally outside Hollywood, Florida, City Hall. (Photo: via Associated Press) The Florida Republican Party paid thousands of dollars over the summer to a far-right activist who attended the white nationalist Unite the Right rally in 2017 and later charged at a crowd of anti-racist demonstrators with a Confederate flag. Christopher Monzon was paid more than $10,000 by the party between June and September, federal campaign finance records show. Neither Monzon nor the Florida GOP responded to HuffPosts request for comment about the payments. Monzon was in the news Monday after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) tweeted that one of our canvassers had been attacked in Hialeah a conservative and predominantly Cuban-American city in Miami-Dade County by 4 animals who told him Republicans werent allowed in their neighborhood. Several prominent Republicans quickly latched onto the story, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who tweeted, Violence has NO PLACE in politics. A police report confirmed an attack had taken place. However, it listed only two perpetrators, one of whom was arrested, and did not mention any potential political motivation. A Hialeah Police Department spokesperson told Local 10 News, Miamis ABC affiliate, that there was no indication as of Monday afternoon that the attack was politically motivated. According to the police report, which cites the victims statements, Javier Jesus Lopez, 25, slammed a man to the ground and punched him in the face after confronting him for passing out fliers in the neighborhood. An anti-fascist Twitter account, Miami Against Fascism, first said it had identified the alleged victim as Monzon, and the Miami New Times confirmed his identity a few hours later. Rubios campaign subsequently told The Miami Herald that Monzon was canvassing for the Republican Party of Florida, not the senators campaign. Story continues The New Times reported that it attempted to interview Monzon in the hospital with the approval of the hospitals media department, but that it was unable to do so because former and current members of the Vice City Proud Boys were at the hospital and refused to grant entry to the room. Federal campaign finance recordsshow seven bimonthly payments of $1,483.34, labeled payroll, were made to Monzon between June 29 and Sept. 30, as were two other payments totaling $115.56 for travel & meals - GOTV, likely a reference to get out the vote efforts. The address listed for the five most recent payments matches the address Monzon used on local campaign finance filings when he unsuccessfully ran for Hialeah City Council in 2021. A video from the deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville shows Monzon wearing a T-shirt for the white supremacist group League of the South. I intend to stand for the South and die for it if need be, Monzon says in a Southern drawl. In the video, hes wearing a helmet and holding a flag bearing both the Confederate stars and bars and the League of the Souths black cross symbol. They will not replace us, Monzon says a reference to the great replacement theory, the fascist and antisemitic belief that Jews are importing immigrants into Europe and North America in order to hasten the end of the white race. Monzon made his statement near a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee while standing among members of the Ku Klux Klan, the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement and the alt-right group Identity Evropa in what amounted to the largest white supremacist gathering in a generation. He and his fellow rally attendees terrorized Charlottesville for two days, chanting Jews will not replace us and attacking counter-demonstrators. Eventually, a neo-Nazi named James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a group of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. Like Monzon, some white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville eventually found entree to GOP circles. In Washington state, James Allsup was elected to a county Republican committee (and was later pushed out). In Idaho, a county Republican committee endorsed Dave Reilly, who once said all Jews are dangerous, for a local school board seat. And earlier this year, white nationalist Nick Fuentes hosted a conference that drew prominent Republican speakers including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). A few days after the Charlottesville rally, Monzon was arrested in Hollywood, Florida, after he charged a crowd of demonstrators whod gathered to advocate for changing street names that honored Confederate generals. Monzon briefly wielded what appeared to be the same flag he had in Charlottesville like a spear before being tackled by police, video showed. He eventually pleaded no contest to an aggravated assault charge and was placed on probation. Monzon, who has called himself the Cuban Confederate, is a well-known far-right activist in Florida, posting about local politics on social media and reportedly serving as vice president of the Miami Springs Republican Club. The group didnt respond to HuffPosts request for comment. Monzon has made some attempt to distance himself from the racist right, telling The New York Times earlier this year that hed been on a path to de-radicalization. But he also told the paper that Proud Boys in the Miami-Dade area looked to him for support as they made inroads in the local GOP apparatus. Ive always been known as the radical one, so they were like, Yeah, man, were going to get more of our people in here, he told the paper. Some of his social media posts from 2017 show Monzon, who often went by the pseudonym Chris Cedeno, being explicitly racist and antisemitic. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Monzon once posted a link to an anti-Black song called Stay Away From Dixie. Heres to all the filthy n****rs out there, Monzon wrote. Dirty n****rs love abusing power, read another post by Monzon, according to The Daily Dot. Thats why in n****r run countries there are always dictators. Too bad Jews decide our foreign policy, read another. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... Visiting the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa is like stepping back in time. It displays a century of military aviation history from World War I through the Iraq War inside two hangars encompassing more than 30,000 square feet. Exhibits chronicle how various aircraft evolved and played instrumental roles in ground and sea operations. The museum also tells the stories of veterans from Arizona and all over the country who served the United States. The museum isn't just for looking. Guests can climb aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress, watch films inside a replica mission briefing room and get up close to an F-4 Phantom, bombers and helicopters. The museum also has six operational World War II aircraft that you can fly in. Heres everything you need to know about the only combat aviation museum in metro Phoenix. Terminal 2's final flight: Phoenix airport passengers, employees mark the end of an era Where is the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum? The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, Oct. 12, 2022, 2017 N. Greenfield Road, Mesa, Ariz. The volunteer-run museum is at Falcon Field at the northeast corner of McKellips and Greenfield roads in Mesa. The museum opened in 1978. Falcon Field was established during World War II as a training base for the British Royal Air Force, according to Bobbie Carleton, a historian and media and community relations manager for the museum. The history of this location is pretty phenomenal," Carleton said. Because on one hand you think it's like, 'What are you doing training British people to fly combat planes here? Why don't they train them in their own countries?' "Well, the reason they were here is because they were being bombed. You couldn't conduct any real training for the amount of people that you needed. It was about 2,000 British cadets who were trained here and went on to fly in combat in World War II over in Europe, and plenty of Americans too. Trolley times: How streetcars changed the face of Phoenix, and where you can see them today Story continues How many planes does the museum have? Visitors tour and photograph a B-17, Oct. 12, 2022, in the maintenance and restoration hanger at the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, 2017 N. Greenfield Road, Mesa, Ariz. There are 15 planes on display that were used from World War I to the Vietnam War, as well as a drone used in the Iraq war. Each has a description that includes its service dates, speed capabilities, armament, how it was used in combat and how many of that aircraft were made. According to museum docent Bill Quehrn, many of the aircraft were either purchased for the museum or privately owned before being donated to it. After World War II, Quehrn said, there was a surplus of military planes that had been used for performing air shows, flying passengers privately or moving cargo across the country. What else can you see at the Commemorative Air Force Museum? Items on display include uniforms, medals and other artifacts that have been donated by individuals and families of veterans. Visitors can see a section of the USS Arizona that was recovered after the Pearl Harbor attack during WWII. Another display tells the story of the Operation Halyard C-47 rescue mission, an allied airlift operation that took place behind Axis lines during World War II. During the Halyard mission, 432 airmen and 80 other personnel were airlifted out of Yugoslavia. There's an exhibit about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots in U.S. military history. They included fighter and bomber pilots who flew in World War II and ground personnel such as aircraft mechanics and logistical personnel. Another exhibit highlights the roles women took on during World War II. According to Carleton, women were radio operators, truck drivers and lab technicians; some flew supply planes. Telling the stories of those who served Tom Webster (docent) answers questions during a tour, Oct. 12, 2022, at the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, 2017 N. Greenfield Road, Mesa, Ariz. While the hardware is what draws visitors to the museum, Carleton said, its most important purpose is to preserve and share the stories of U.S. service members. Every exhibit has got a human element to it, Carleton said. We use names, the names of real people who actually used to be patrons of the museum, or they lived here in the area, or their family members participated in one of the wars. Its that human-centered approach that made Carleton a Navy veteran and museum volunteer of over 10 years, passionate about military and world history. It had a pretty profound effect on me, Carleton said. "So I saw an opportunity here to work on the aircraft and to volunteer, adding exhibits to exhibits that had already been done to help try to tell the stories of the people who served during the war. The more I get to know, the more it makes me feel really good about people. And because you can see how hard they tried, and the level of effort that they put into serving their country, serving in the home front, trying to do the right thing. More: The sky isnt the limit: Goodyear flight program and pilot inspire diversity in aviation 3 highlights of the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum Carleton called attention to these notable exhibits: Col. Margaret E. Bailey was an African American woman from Staten Island, New York, who joined the U.S Army Nurse Corps in 1944, when the Army was segregated. She served until 1971 and devoted her life to improving Army medical care and the advancement of integration. Bailey became the first African American promoted to full colonel in the Army Nurse Corps. The Civil Air Patrol was established on Dec. 8, 1941. It was an organization of civilian pilots and plane owners who were trained to perform missions that included tow target flying, coastal patrol and transportation of personnel and supplies. Sgt. John L. Hicks was a World War II veteran who flew over 45 combat missions, including one in which he scored a hit on a Zero, a fighter aircraft used by the Japanese. Hicks' family donated his uniform to the museum. Book a flight in a historic plane A visitor photographs a C-47, Oct. 12, 2022, at the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, 2017 N. Greenfield Road, Mesa, Ariz. Visitors can schedule flights in a B-17, one of the first planes donated to the museum, as well as a B-25, C-47, C-45, AT-6 and N2S Stearman. The N2S Stearman is Carleton's favorite and she has flown in it many times. She said it has an open cockpit where the passenger can sit in front of the pilot, and it's one of the most thrilling flying experiences offered. The plane was used during World War II to train cadets on the basics of flying. Visitors also can fly in an AT-6 that was used in World War II to teach airmen how to use their plane as a weapon. The museum typically offers flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The schedule is published online two to four weeks in advance. Flights cost $80 to $850 per person, depending on the aircraft. To book a flight, go to https://www.azcaf.org. More: Phoenix history: First flight school opened up worlds to young pilots Things to do at Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum Here's a sampling of activities available at the museum. See the website for a complete schedule. Guided tours: Check at the docent desk to see if tours are scheduled or a docent is available to show you around. Reservations are not required and tours are included with the admission fee. Cockpit tours: These are offered at 10:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. Fridays and are led by a docent who has pilot qualifications. Guests can see inside the plane and learn how and when it was used. Tours cost $10 per person in addition to the admission fee. Tickets are sold first come, first served at the admission desk. Wings and Wheels: This vintage aircraft and custom car show is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29. There will be one-of-a-kind vehicles, antique and World War II aircraft, food trucks, a raffle and music. Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Where: 2017 Greenfield Road, Mesa. Admission: $15, $12 for seniors and veterans, $5 for ages 5-12. Details: https://www.azcaf.org. You can connect with Arizona Republic Culture and Outdoors Reporter Shanti Lerner through email at shanti.lerner@gannett.com or you can also follow her on Twitter. Support local journalism like this story by subscribing today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Aviation museum: Arizona Commemorative Air Force base in Mesa SAN JOSE, CA - (NewMediaWire) - October 25, 2022 - (King NewsWire) - FlyFin, a human plus A.I.-powered tax prep and tax filing service, enhanced its tax resource center by unveiling the first Itemized Tax Deduction Wizard for freelancers and the self-employed. FlyFin's new Itemized Tax Deduction Wizard works with a person answering a few key questions, after which they receive a list of itemized deductions available to them, snippets of deduction categories, and tips on how to take a particular deduction. There are thousands of available deductions, depending on a freelance or self-employed individual's situation. This tool helps them find every possible deduction that applies to them. FlyFin is the first A.I.-based tax engine that combines the human expertise of real CPAs, resulting in a powerful, automated solution that eliminates 95% of the work required. FlyFin's mobile-first app is ideal for self-employed people, freelancers, gig workers, and creator economy free agents, who often have greater tax complexities. Every year, self-employed people across America are unsure about which business expenses qualify as deductible and what tax write-offs they can take. According to the National Taxpayer Advocate, one of the major difficulties taxpayers face regarding tax deductions is that they are unaware of which ones they're eligible to claim. FlyFin's easy-to-use wizard helps taxpayers quickly find tax deductions and learn how to save thousands of dollars in eligible deductions that lower their tax bill. There are so many tax deductions that self-employed people and freelancers can take that some people may be unaware of many of them. Some of the most common tax write-offs fall under broad categories: business expenses, home office expenses, health insurance, educational expenses and retirement savings plans. However, tax deductions for self-employed people and freelancers can quickly become tricky and complicated: Self-employed individuals aren't always aware of all the deductions they can take. The tax laws are constantly changing, so what was deductible last year might not be deductible this year. Self-employed people and freelancers often have complex financial situations, with income from multiple sources and expenses in various categories. This complexity can make it challenging to determine which deductions are available and how to claim them. Ineligible tax deductions often result in higher tax liability for the taxpayer. The taxpayer may have to pay additional taxes and be subject to penalties and interest charges. Tax credits like the Child Tax Credit can also have a significant impact on tax savings. "FlyFin is committed to automating and simplifying the tax filing process for our customers. We hope our new tool will shine a light to help people and our customers determine what types of expenses they're eligible to deduct on their taxes," said Jaideep Singh, CEO of FlyFin. FlyFin's new Itemized Tax Deduction Wizard is part of a larger initiative the company is undertaking to build a comprehensive resource center for tax preparation dedicated to the needs of self-employed people and freelancers. The company recently unveiled a free Tax Form Wizard that shows 1099 taxpayers the IRS tax forms that apply to their needs as self-employed individuals. It also provides recommendations for forms specific to their work and situations. Earlier this year, FlyFin introduced a 1099 Tax Calculator tool that helps self-employed individuals with their taxes. The 1099 Tax Calculator quickly computes quarterly or annual income taxes for freelancers and self-employed individuals, so they know what the amount of their next tax payment needs to be. About FlyFin FlyFin is an A.I.-powered platform that provides self-employed, sub-contractors, independent contractors, gig workers, freelancers and creator economy workers with a convenient, easy-to-use and affordable tax filing solution. FlyFin helps individuals maximize self-employment tax deductions and income tax refunds. With a "Man + Machine" approach, FlyFin leverages A.I. paired with highly experienced tax CPAs to deliver automation that eliminates 95% of the work required for 1099 self-employed individuals to prepare their taxes. FlyFin is a privately-held, venture-backed company based in San Jose, California. Media Contact Name: Carmen Hughes Company Name: FlyFin Phone: +1.650-576.6444 Email: carmen@ignitepr.com Website: https://flyfin.tax/ City: San Jose State: CA Country: United States Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter died Monday evening after a heart attack, according to a family statement. He was 68. Carter, a native of Philadelphia, served in the top Defense Department role under President Barack Obama from 2015 to 2017. He also served in a variety of other Pentagon leadership roles over five presidential administrations. In Tuesdays statement, his family described Carters death as a sudden loss. While he was known for his keen understanding of military technology, nuclear weapons, and international affairs, Secretary Carter loved nothing more than spending time with the troops, making frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan to visit U.S forces with his wife Stephanie, they said. Carters tenure as defense secretary is perhaps most remembered for his order to open to women all military jobs, including combat assignments. The decision came after years of study by military leaders and strong opposition from conservative groups. Months later, Carter also announced the military would end its ban on transgender troops serving in the ranks. That order was later overturned by President Donald Trump when he took office, and subsequently reversed again after President Joe Biden was elected. Carter, who rose from the Pentagons acquisition chief to deputy defense secretary, spearheaded innovation efforts and outreach to the commercial tech sector, including establishing the Defense Innovation Unit. To protect troops from roadside bombs at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he oversaw the rapid development and fielding of mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, known as MRAPs. At Carters swearing-in ceremony in 2015, he said the Pentagon had to think outside this five-sided box, a dig at the Pentagons plodding weapons development process. He later launched the departments Better Buying Power initiative, meant to guide the acquisition workforce to smarter and more efficient purchasing. Terrible news this morning. I had the opportunity to work for Secretary Carter at the Pentagon. He was easily one of my most demanding bosses, who turned out to be one of my biggest champions when I decided to run for office. 1/ https://t.co/CQVXUqRMNj Rep. Elissa Slotkin (@RepSlotkin) October 25, 2022 The high-level organization the Pentagon is using today to rush military aid to Ukraine is based on a bureaucracy-busting model Carter originated to speed supplies to troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Story continues The Senior Integration Group-Ukraine copied the Warfighter Senior Integration Group, which Carter launched in the middle of the war on terror to quickly deploy surveillance aerostats, working dogs and bomb-resistant underwear to troops. It goes back to Ash Carter, Ellen Lord, a former undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and defense executive, told Defense News in a May interview. Since 2017, Carter had worked as director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvards Kennedy School. Family members said Carter believed his most profound legacy would be the thousands of students he taught with the hope that they would make the world a better and safer place. The Associated Press contributed to this story. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Former Republican congressional candidate Jackie Toledo is suing her ex-campaign manager, Fred Piccolo, over sexually explicit pictures he sent her during the campaign allegations Piccolo says are tied to a dispute over her failure to pay him for work during the campaign. Toledo, who left a Tampa-area Florida House seat to run for Congress, filed the lawsuit Monday night in Hillsborough County court. It alleges he sent her unwanted sexually explicit photos and text messages offering advice for breast augmentation, using his own wifes breasts as a reference. At the time he allegedly sent the photos and texts in May, Piccolo was working as Toledos campaign manager. The lawsuit includes more than 20 pages of text messages between Piccolo and Toledo, who lost her Republican congressional primary to former Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee. Many of those pictures include Piccolo in pictures in his underwear and openly suggestive messages. Piccolo did not dispute the authenticity of the photos or texts. Piccolo, who previously served as communication director to Gov. Ron DeSantis, says Toledo released the photos and filed the lawsuit because of a dispute over a disagreement about non-payment for his work on the campaign. I have known Jackie Toledo for 10 years, I thought we were friends. At no point did the banter we engage in exceed those boundaries, he said Monday night. Jackie got wind of intent to file a lawsuit for failure to pay and this is an outrageous attempt to sully my name to prevent that lawsuit. Toledo, who did not respond to requests seeking comment, in the lawsuit alleges that Piccolo sent the pictures to intentionally get fired in order to collect a $100,000 payout he would have received if his employment was terminated. Anthony Pedicini, who served as Toledos top consultant and whose GOP consulting firm Piccolo has worked for, said he does not agree with the allegations outlined in the lawsuit. Story continues I know Fred never quit the campaign or tried to get fired, he said. This is out of left field. This would be the October surprise of my century. Piccolo allegedly sent Toledo the photos via text throughout the summer as Toledo was running in a crowded Republican primary in Tampa-area congressional seat newly drawn as part of the states redistricting cycle. Many of the text messages include both images of what appear to be Piccolo in boxer shorts and explicit messages, some of which are tied to campaign operations. On May 23, Piccolo texted a picture of him shirtless with the message Monday motivation. For every $10k you get to pick any photo. The photo was among several included in the lawsuit, most of which portrayed Piccolo in his underwear in what appeared to be a bathroom mirror. In most instances, Toledo did not directly respond to the pictures. In one July 2022 text, Piccolo sent a smiley face and shirtless picture saying pre gym. In response, Toledo said you are productive already, and immediately sent a second message asking if he had seen the LL ad, a reference to a new TV ad put out by the Lee campaign. In mid-August, copies of text messages included in the lawsuit between Toledo and Piccolo apparently show their relationship deteriorating. In one text message, Piccolo expressed anger over Toledo reaching out to DeSantis office about the governor asking him to work as a communications adviser to Hillsborough County State Attorney Susan "Suzy" Lopez. DeSantis had picked Lopez that month to replace Democrat Andrew Warren, the elected prosecutor who the governor suspended, in part, for signing pledges indicating he would not prosecute people for violating state laws prohibiting gender-affirming care or those who violated the states newly-implemented 15-week abortion ban. Warren is currently challenging his suspension in court. So the governor has asked me to help direct the communications efforts of the state attorney's office here in Hillsboro [sic] after he fired Andrew Warren, Piccolo texted on Aug. 5. Doesnt mean Im leaving the campaign I can still do work for both. I'm working as a consultant for the governor's project. But when the governor calls you dont say no especially when I worked for him before, he added. Toledo expressed shock by the text. I dont even know what to say because I am 17 days out, she responded. And I cant think of anything but. Less than a week later, on Aug. 11, Piccolo texted Toledo, apparently in anger, after she had reacted out to DeSantis office to ask about his contractual relationship with Warren. You called the governors office, he said. That is stepping over the line. I want to know if there is a conflict of interest? Toledo responded. You have an active contract with me. DeSantis communications director Taryn Fenske says she is the one who recommended Piccolo for the position in the Hillsborough County State Attorneys office. I was asked if I knew anyone in communications who could do it, she said Monday night. I made the connection and recommendation. A former New Hampshire naval shipyard sailor was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually abusing a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwees office Tuesday. Mathew Boyd, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen in Portland District Court Tuesday after the former sailor pleaded guilty to having a sexual encounter with a 12-year-old girl. According to court records, Boyd was a 20-year active-duty sailor when he began corresponding with the then-11-year-old girl on MySpace in August 2009. When the minor was 12, she visited Boyd at the shipyard and the two engaged in a sexual act, according to the attorneys office. In October 2020, the now adult victim reached out to Boyd with a therapist. During the ensuing conversation, Boyd confessed to the act. The passage of time will not shield sexual predators, McElwee said in a statement. This case is a fine example of the diligence and commitment to justice we expect to see from our law enforcement community. It is critically important that regardless of the passage of time, sexual predators, particularly those who victimize children, are held accountable for their conduct within the bounds of the law. May the courage of this survivor be an encouraging message to those who have been similarly traumatized that they can seek and achieve justice. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A former Memphis Police Officer is sentenced to 12 Years for criminal civil rights violations, according to the US Department of Justice. According to a release, Sam Blue, 63, pled guilty to conspiracy to violate civil rights by using force, violence, and intimidation, and conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce. The sentence which was announced today is followed by three years of supervised release with no parole, according to court documents. RELATED: Former MPD officer & co-conspirator plead guilty to federal criminal civil rights violations, officials say Former MPD officer sentenced for Criminal Civil Rights Violations This sentencing proves that abuse of law enforcement authority will not be tolerated, said Bryan McCloskey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Between 2014 and 2018 Blue conspired with others to rob drug dealers of drugs or drug proceeds. Before the planned robberies, various co-conspirators would conduct surveillance of the targets, court documents revealed. Officer Blue gave his co-conspirators with information, such as home addresses for the targets of the robberies, that he took from law enforcement-restricted sources. Blue also gave them equipment, including an official MPD badge, and a car dashboard blue light to use during the planned robberies so that they could falsely claim to appear to be law enforcement, according to a release. In July 2018, Eric Cain was selected as a robbery target by the conspirators. The defendants began using surveillance on Cain and put a GPS tracker on his car, according to court documents. Blue provided the gate code used by law enforcement to access Cains apartment complex before the plan to commit the robbery. On July 13, 2018, as Cain was leaving his apartment in Memphis around 4:30 a.m., a black car with flashing blue lights pulled up behind his car. Cain believed he was being stopped by law enforcement, however, two of the defendants, dressed in black clothing with the word police on it and wearing masks and armed with handguns, got out of the car with the flashing lights and ordered Cain to get out of his car and get on the ground. Story continues Cain obeyed and the men handcuffed him, put a hood over his face, and placed him in the back of their car. The defendants then drove Cain to a house on Reese Road here in Memphis. At this new location, Cain was taken inside the house and restrained while the defendants beat him, burned him on his arms, neck, and head, and demanded that he tell them where he kept his money and or drugs, according to a release. Cain was able to escape by jumping through the front window of the house. He was hospitalized for a week in the burn unit and underwent surgery for his injuries. Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Trending stories: A top Russian propagandist who mused about burning and drowning Ukrainian children in a television segment has been suspended from his position with Kremlin-controlled outlet RT, in a rare instance of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric meeting with consequences. Even more unusually, the fallen propagandist Anton Krasovsky was once a hero in the West for coming out as gay on Russian television and speaking out against homophobia. He later unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Moscow. Now he is out of a job on Russian TV and being investigated by authorities for his sharp statements. Sharp statements are the norm in Russia media outlets, which are expected to mimic and amplify whatever message President Vladimir Putin intends to convey to the Russian people, many of whom have no recourse to independent networks, newspapers or websites. Since February, when the Kremlin launched an invasion of Ukraine under false pretenses, top Russian propagandists have called for the destruction of Ukraine and, once the invasion began to falter, nuclear strikes against the West. They have proffered outlandish conspiracy theories while frequently deploying antisemitic and racist tropes. Russian war crimes are met with neglect, while Ukrainian war crimes are routinely invented. Dismissing the very idea of an independent Ukraine, as Putin has done for years, is not only tolerated but celebrated as a form of patriotism. It is widely understood by Russians that the most-watched networks and most-read newspapers are effectively part of the government, their top personalities essentially Kremlin employees. But last Thursday, Krasovsky became the rare propagandist who went too far when he fantasized about murdering Ukrainian children on The Antonyms, a talk show on the Kremlin-owned network RT, formerly known as Russia Today. The clip, which was shared on Twitter by Russian media monitor Julia Davis, featured Krasovsky in conversation with Sergei Lukyanenko, a science fiction writer with strong nationalistic and anti-Ukrainian views. Story continues Meanwhile on Russia's state-funded RT, director of broadcasting Anton Krasovsky suggests drowning or burning Ukrainian children, makes hideous comments about the rapes by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, says Ukraine should not exist and Ukrainians who resist Russia should be shot. pic.twitter.com/BGIaBNok4v Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) October 23, 2022 The segment begins with Krasovsky and Lukyanenko lamenting what they described as hyperbolic coverage of the war, including reports that Russian soldiers have been raping Ukrainian women. Sexual violence and torture against Ukrainian civilians have been documented by Western journalists and human rights observers, but Krasovsky mocked the possibility of such atrocities. Good Lord, those hags would give away the money theyd been saving for their coffins to get raped by Russian soldiers, he said. Lukyanenko then told the story of traveling to Ukraine in 1980, when the country was part of the Soviet Union. While there, he said, he encountered some anti-Russian sentiment, with Ukrainian children telling him that, were it not for Soviet rule, their living standards would rival those of France. Although Ukraine and Russia share deep religious, cultural and ethnic ties, Ukrainians like many other peoples subjugated by Russia and then by the Soviet Union have consistently nurtured their own national identity. To this, Krasovsky responded by suggesting that the children whod made disparaging remarks about Russia should have been drowned in the Tisza River, a tributary of the Danube. Just drown those children, drown them, he said while making a downward motion with his hand. An apartment block that was destroyed by Russian occupying forces looms over a children's play area in Izyum, Ukraine, on Monday. (Carl Court/Getty Images) Krasovsky went on to mock rural Ukrainian life, lamenting that the Carpathian Mountains had been made revolting by the presence of Ukrainian villages. Shove them right into those huts and burn them up, he said, seeming to still speak of Ukrainian children. Krasovskys mirthful delivery only made the moment more chilling. The United Nations estimated in August that some 1,000 children have died in Ukraine as a result of Russias invasion, which was launched under the pretenses of pan-Slavic kinship. The number of slain Ukrainian children has undoubtedly increased as Russia bombs densely populated cities. The clip of the exchange between Krasovsky and Lukyanenko went viral on Twitter after it was shared by Davis, earning condemnation from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Governments which still have not banned RT must watch this excerpt, he wrote on Twitter on Sunday. 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. 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 The most surprising development came on Monday morning, when RT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan, one of Russias most influential journalists and a close Putin ally, announced that Krasovsky was being suspended from further RT appearances. Anton Krasovskys statement is wild and revolting, she wrote in an unusually pointed statement on Telegram, a social media platform popular in Russia. Perhaps Anton will explain what kind of temporary disturbance led to his outburst, she went on. It is hard to believe that Krasovsky sincerely believed that children should be drowned. Simonyan added that she was stopping our collaboration with Krasovsky, without providing any details. To the children of Ukraine, she expressed the wish that all of this will end as soon as possible, and they can again calmly live and learn. Simonyan also shared Krasovskys apology, which he had published on Telegram on Sunday evening. Listen, I am seriously embarrassed that I didnt see that line, he wrote. The one about children. But thats how it goes: Youre on a live broadcast, you get carried away. And you cant stop. Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of RT. (Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) The apology did not save Krasovskys career, at least in the near term. On Monday, Alexander Bastrykin, who heads Russias investigative committee, announced he was launching an investigation into Krasovskys appearance on The Antonyms, according to Russian outlet Vesti. It has been a remarkable downfall for a man once celebrated for speaking truth to power. On Jan. 25, 2013, Krasovsky used a live news broadcast on Kontr TV an outlet of which he was then editor in chief to announce he was gay. Im gay and Im as much a human being as Putin and Medvedev, he said on air, referencing the nations two leading figures. (Dmitry Medvedev had served as president during a four-year period when Putin was forbidden by the Russian Constitution from doing so.) Just months before, Russia had passed a law criminalizing "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations," making Krasovskys revelation an act of both righteous defiance and political resistance. He was promptly fired from his position but became an icon of extraordinary courage for Western media outlets that, in the preceding years, had started to apply increasingly intense scrutiny to Russia under Putin. The sometimes voyeuristic fascination with post-Soviet society, in all its lurid excesses, gave way to concerns about corruption, militarism and human rights. The lying I have been made part of is ruinous for Russia, Kraskovsky told the Los Angeles Times in a 2013 interview. Anton Krasovsky in Moscow in 2017. (Valery Sharifulin/TASS via Zuma Press) In 2016, Krasovsky established a center to help people suffering from HIV/AIDS. The following year, he revealed he had been HIV-positive since 2011. In 2018, he launched a bid to become the mayor of Moscow. Of all politicians I prefer Obama, I am social democrat by my political views, I want to take part in the election to show the current political elite how to fight for human rights and freedom, he told the Daily Beast in an interview, also complaining that everything sucks in Russia. Incumbent and Putin ally Sergei Sobyanin won with 70% of the vote. By 2021, Krasovsky was hosting The Antonyms, and his rehabilitation as a member of the media establishment appeared to be complete. His rhetoric was indistinguishable from that of other Russian propagandists, his legacy as a speaker of truth to power all but forgotten. Loquacious and profane, he called Ukrainians animals and threatened Russians protesting against the war with imagery that would presage his downfall: If I were in power, I would have tied you all up and drowned you. Krasovskys demise highlights the rarity with which violent, even genocidal language encounters any meaningful consequence from Russian authorities. On the other hand, truthfully calling the invasion of Ukraine a war instead of using the state-sanctioned term spetzoperatsiya (special operation) is illegal. That has made some observers wonder if Krasovsky is anything more than a convenient scapegoat for a Kremlin that has faced accusations of war crimes and human rights abuses. Margarita Simonyan no longer wants to cooperate with Anton Krasovsky, who calls for the killing of Ukrainian children, the Russian dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky wrote on Twitter of the RT editor in chief. But Margarita Simonyan wants to cooperate with Putin, who kills Ukrainian children. WhistlinDiesel has over four million subscribers on YouTube. WhistlinDiesel/YouTube; @kellermoore/TikTok A trio of influencers implied they'd been arrested while filming a video in Georgia. But fans of the group expressed skepticism of photos and video of the arrests. A local sheriff's office has now said they're working with the influencers to make a video. Last week, three racing influencers posted a series of photos and videos that appeared to show them being arrested, but a Georgia sheriff's office revealed that it is, in fact, working with the influencers for an upcoming video. Insider previously reported that YouTuber WhistlinDiesel, whose real name is Cody Detwiler, content creator Justin Norton, and TikToker Keller Moore claimed to have been arrested in Dawsonville, Georgia. Fans of the three, however, were skeptical that the group had actually been arrested, and many thought the images looked staged. Insider reached out to the Dawson County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) last week, and the department had no record of arrests for Detwiler, Norton, or Moore. In a follow-up to Insider's query about the three men, DCSO revealed that their team had been working with Detwiler on his upcoming video "that is likely to break the internet. DCSO is excited to be part of this collaboration and encourage safety for car enthusiasts nationwide," they said in a statement. The three influencers began posting about the purported arrest on October 15. Norton posted a photo of himself on Instagram in which he appeared to be handcuffed, and captioned the post, "A night out with @whistlindiesel landed me in handcuffs." Detwiler, a racing and motor-vehicle YouTuber with over 2.3 million followers, posted a series of photos to Instagram that appeared to show the same incident, captioning it: "Whistlindiesel word of the day Imprisonment." Norton posted two videos to Instagram of various vehicles being driven at high speeds, followed by a short clip that appeared to be inside a police car. Those were followed by a TikTok video posted by Moore on October 16, which received over 3 million views, showing a man whose face wasn't visible being handcuffed and led into what looked like a police car. He was heard saying in the video, "We were just trying to film something in Justin's McLaren, and he got in trouble." Story continues Moore posted a second video that showed Detwiler in handcuffs, also being placed into the back of what appears to be a police car. The on-screen text read, "Bro, they got WhistlinDiesel too..." Many viewers were skeptical of the influencers' story, commenting that the footage looked "fake," and that the entire incident was "staged" because they could hear "camera clicks" in the background. One person wrote, "If this was real, there would be more cops, and they wouldn't let people stand around and take pics. When approached by Insider, Moore insisted the arrest was real. He said, "Cody was caught eating large amounts of concrete from the local Bed Bath & Beyond parking lot. He was caught while attempting to flee the parking lot in the McLaren and police took him in for booking." Norton previously confirmed to Insider that the incident occurred in Dawsonville, Georgia, but that he could not "give any details at this time." He added that he would do so once Detwiler releases a video. Detwiler did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the collaboration with the sheriff's office. For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here. Read the original article on Insider BERLIN (AP) German business confidence is stuck at its lowest level in more than two years as energy worries fuel expectations of a difficult winter, a closely watched survey showed Tuesday. The Ifo institute said its monthly confidence index, a prominent health indicator for Europe's biggest economy, edged down to 84.3 points in October from 84.4 last month. That's the lowest level since May 2020, but it was still a better showing than economists' forecast of a bigger slip to 83.5. Managers' assessment of their current situation was a bit worse than in September, though their expectations for the next six months brightened slightly. They are still worried about the coming months. The German economy is facing a difficult winter, Ifo said in a statement, in which it added that sentiment in the German economy continues to be grim. In the manufacturing sector, Ifo said, order books are still full, although fewer and fewer new orders are coming in. And it said that expectations in the retail sector remain markedly bleak. Germany's year-on-year inflation rate hit 10% last month and the government recently said it expects the gross domestic product to shrink for three consecutive quarters. Lawmakers last week cleared the way for the government to provide up to 200 billion euros ($195 billion) in subsidies to households and businesses through 2024 to ease the strain of high energy prices. However, the government has yet to finalize details of that plan. Officials say Germany is well-placed to get through the winter with sufficient energy after Russia cut off gas supplies, but stress that it will still be necessary to save gas. The Ifo survey is based on responses from about 9,000 businesses across various sectors. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin, facing bureaucratic delays and mounting losses, urged his government Tuesday to cut through bureaucracy to crank out enough weapons and supplies to feed the war in Ukraine, where a Western-armed Ukrainian counteroffensive has set back Russias forces. In other developments, Ukrainian authorities asked citizens not to return home and further tax the countrys battered energy infrastructure, and Western countries mulled how to rebuild Ukraine when the war ends. The Russian militarys shortfalls in the eight-month war have been so pronounced that Putin had to create a structure to try to address them. On Tuesday, he chaired a new committee designed to accelerate the production and delivery of weapons and supplies for Russian troops, stressing the need to gain higher tempo in all areas. Russian news reports have acknowledged that many of those called up under a mobilization of 300,000 reservists Putin ordered havent been provided with basic equipment such as medical kits and flak jackets, and had to find their own. Other reports have suggested that Russian troops are increasingly forced to use old and sometimes unreliable equipment and that some of the newly mobilized troops are rushed to the war front with little training. Last week, Putin tried to show all is well by visiting a training site in Russia where he was shown well equipped soldiers. To substitute for increasingly scarce Russian-made long-range precision weapons, Britains Ministry of Defense said Russia was likely to use a large number of drones to try to penetrate Ukrainian air defenses. Russias artillery ammunition is running low, the British report said Tuesday. The Institute for the Study of War, in Washington, added that the slower tempo of Russian air, missile, and drone strikes possibly reflects decreasing missile and drone stockpiles and the strikes limited effectiveness of accomplishing Russian strategic military goals. Story continues The Russian military has still managed to inflict heavy damage and casualties, ruining homes, public buildings and Ukraine's power grid. The World Bank estimates the damage to Ukraine so far at 350 billion euros ($345 billion). Recent Russian attacks have focused largely on Ukraines energy facilities, especially electricity generation and transmission. Electricity shortfalls are so severe that Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk on Tuesday asked citizens living abroad not to return this winter to avoid placing further strain on the power supply. We need to survive the winter but, unfortunately, the (electricity) networks will not survive, Vereshchuk said on Ukrainian television. We understand that the situation will only get worse, and this winter we need to survive. In Berlin, European Union leaders brought together experts to work on a new Marshall Plan for rebuilding Ukraine a reference to the U.S.-sponsored plan that helped revive Western European economies after World War II. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the meeting is addressing how to ensure and how to sustain the financing of the recovery, reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine for years and decades to come. Scholz, who co-hosted the meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said hes looking for nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century a generational task that must begin now. On the diplomatic front, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after arriving in Kyiv that it was important to me in this phase of air attacks with drones, cruise missiles and rockets to send a signal of solidarity to Ukrainians. Later in the day he took cover in a bomb shelter after an air raid siren alerted a possible attack, according to local media. The German president, whose position is largely ceremonial, made it to Ukraine on his third try. In April, he was planning to visit with his Polish and Baltic counterparts, but said his presence apparently wasnt wanted in Kyiv. Steinmeier has been criticized in Ukraine for allegedly cozying up to Russia during his time as Germany's foreign minister. Last week, a planned trip was put off because of security concerns. On the battlefront, residents of the southern city of Mykolaiv lined up for water and essential supplies Tuesday as Ukrainian forces advanced on the nearby Russian-occupied city of Kherson. One of Moscow's allies on Tuesday urged Russia to step up the pace and scale of Ukraines destruction. Ramzan Kadyrov, the regional leader of Chechnya who has sent troops to fight in Ukraine, urged Moscow to wipe off the map entire cities in retaliation for Ukrainian shelling of Russias territory. Authorities in Russias Kursk and Belgorod regions that border Ukraine have repeatedly reported Ukrainian shelling that has damaged infrastructure and residential buildings. Our response has been too weak, Kadyrov said on his messaging app channel. If a shell flies into our region, entire cities must be wiped off the face of the Earth so that they dont ever think that they can fire in our direction. Kyiv wants to step up the fight, but says it needs more war materiel. We need more weaponry, we need more ammunition to win this war, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told reporters in Berlin. He added: We need tanks from our partners, from all of our partners; we need heavy armored vehicles, we need additional artillery units, howitzers. ____ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine BERLIN (Reuters) -German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier vowed further support to Ukraine, especially in the area of air defence, during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, his first since Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24. Steinmeier had originally planned to visit Ukraine in April but Kyiv refused to welcome him then amid disquiet over his past support for a Western rapprochement with Russia. Kyiv and Berlin later patched up their disagreement. "My message to the Ukrainians is: 'Not only do we stand by your side, but we will continue to support Ukraine economically, politically and also militarily," Steinmeier told reporters on his arrival by train in Kyiv. "What matters now is that we help to protect the Ukrainians from air attacks as much as possible," he added, noting that Germany had become one of the largest suppliers of air defence equipment to Ukraine in recent months. The German head of state, whose role is largely ceremonial, condemned what he called Russia's "brutal war of aggression" against Ukraine and said he was looking forward to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during his visit. Besides military support, Steinmeier said, his trip would focus on helping to repair destroyed infrastructure, such as power grids, water pipes and heating systems, as quickly as possible before winter arrives. Steinmeier, a Social Democrat and former foreign minister, has expressed regret for his past support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a project designed to double the flow of Russian gas to Germany but which was cancelled after the Russian invasion. He hails from a wing of the Social Democratic Party that had long argued for closer economic ties to Russia as a way of anchoring it within a Western-oriented global system. Steinmeier's arrival in Kyiv coincided with a conference in Berlin on what its hosts say must be a 'Marshall Plan' to rebuild Ukraine, comparing the challenge to the U.S. funding of Europe's reconstruction after World War Two. Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is attending the conference, said on Monday the estimated cost of rebuilding his country stood so far at nearly $750 billion. (Writing by Miranda Murray and Gareth JonesEditing by Philippa Fletcher) BERLIN (AP) German and European Union leaders gathered experts Tuesday to start work on what Germany's chancellor described as a new Marshall Plan for the rebuilding of Ukraine. The Marshall Plan was a U.S.-sponsored initiative that helped revive western European economies after World War II. A one-day conference in Berlin was convened to discuss how to ensure and how to sustain the financing of the recovery, reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine for years and decades to come, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. Scholz, who co-hosted the meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said hes looking at nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century -- a generational task that must begin now. Von der Leyen said the World Bank puts the cost of damage to Ukraine so far at 350 billion euros ($345 billion). The EU decided in June to make Ukraine a candidate to join the bloc, and needs to firmly embed Ukraine's reconstruction efforts as part of its path toward the European Union, she said. In addition to longer-term help, Ukraine needs fast rehabilitation right now as we speak as Russia targets Ukrainian electricity and other infrastructure ahead of the onset of the winter, von der Leyen said. She called those pure acts of terror. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that point in a video address from Kyiv. He told the Berlin conference participantsthat Ukraine has a $17 billion fast recovery plan to repair damage to hospitals, schools, transportation and energy infrastructure, and other structures. As of now, we havent received a single cent for the implementation of the fast recovery plan, he said, speaking through an interpreter. Scholz underlined Germany's commitment to keep supplying Ukraine with weapons, including air-defense systems, as long as they are needed. The best reconstruction is the reconstruction that does not have to happen at all because Ukrainian cities and power stations are protected from Russian bombs, drones and missiles, he said. Story continues We do not yet know when this war will end, but end it will, the German leader said. From our own historical experience, we also know that reconstruction is always possible and that it is never too soon to tackle this task. Scholz and von der Leyen invited the leaders of Poland and Switzerland, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the U.N. Development Program and others to Tuesday's meeting. Germany currently chairs the Group of Seven industrial powers. We have no time to waste. The scale of destruction is staggering, von der Leyen said. We need all hands on deck the G-7, the European Union, Europe; strong partners like the United States, Canada, Japan, the U.K., South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and many, many more. ____ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine By Christian Kraemer and Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany may allow China's Cosco to take a smaller stake than originally planned in a Hamburg port terminal, in what an economy ministry source on Tuesday described as an "emergency solution" to approve the deal but mitigate the impact. Shipping giant Cosco made a bid last year to take a 35% stake in one of logistics firm HHLA's three terminals in Germany's largest port, but the German coalition has been divided over whether to let the deal go ahead. The compromise would see Berlin approving a sale of 24.9% of the terminal to Cosco, several government sources said. It will be discussed by the cabinet on Wednesday. The sources said Germany's economy and foreign ministries still wanted to block the deal entirely but were unlikely to succeed, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz expected to prevail over the objections from other ministers. "The economy ministry has the position that we should not have Chinese investment in critical infrastructure if possible," Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in Luxemburg on Tuesday on the sidelines of the EU energy ministers' meeting. The German government has not agreed on a joint position yet, Habeck added. HHLA declined comment and a Cosco representative was not immediately available for comment. How the government handles the matter is seen as a gauge of how far Germany is willing to toughen its stance on China, its top trading partner, due to concerns about being overly dependent on the increasingly assertive authoritarian country. The news comes a week before Scholz is due to travel to China. Supporters of the deal say it will allow Hamburg, where Scholz was mayor before becoming chancellor, to keep pace with rival ports that are also vying for Chinese trade and some of which are partly owned by Cosco. "The federal government departments involved see a limit to 24.9% as an 'emergency solution' to prevent worse things from happening," the economy ministry source said, adding a smaller stake would give Cosco less say in running the terminal. Story continues "Of course, this does not solve the actual risk issues, so the departments continue to believe that a complete ban is the right way to go," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter is confidential. A second source said the government could try to attach additional guarantees to the deal to further mitigate Cosco's influence on the running of the port terminal. "Of course it's now up to Cosco to say we're also happy with 24.9%," a third source said. Beijing has previously said it hoped Germany would view the deal in an "objective and rational light" without politicising economic relations. Andreas Audretsch, a senior lawmaker from Scholz's coalition partner the Greens, said his party wanted to ban the deal. "The fact that Cosco should now take over less than 25% of the terminal is not a compromise, but an emergency solution to prevent worse things from happening," he said. "Germany can no longer afford to be naive when dealing with autocracies." (Reporting by Christian Kraemer, Andreas Rinke, Alexander Ratz, Sabine Siebold and Jan SchwartzAdditional reporting by Brenda Goh;Writing by Maria Sheahan, Matthias Williams and Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Miranda Murray, Mark Potter, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Alison Williams) Ukrainian servicemen "With backing from the German government, Rheinmetall will soon be supplying the Ukrainian armed forces with a turnkey modern field hospital, the press-release reads. The hospital is to be delivered to Ukraine in 2023. Read also: Germany to train 5,000 Ukrainian troops by spring 2023, Scholz says The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence awarded the EUR 9 million order to Rheinmetall subsidiary Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH (ZMS) in September 2022. The package includes training on the system. Delivery is scheduled to take place in 2023. The field hospital is a combined tent and container-based system, including high-quality medical equipment built into ZMS shelters. It includes an emergency room, triage room, operating room, an intensive care unit, computer tomography, a sterilization facility and a pharmacy among others. Read also: Steinmeier calls on Germans to see the war through Ukrainians' eyes Tents for administration, care provision, surgery prep, triage, a waiting area and staff accommodation are there, as well as containers for sanitation, transport, potable and non-potable water, oxygen and power supply. German military aid for Ukraine has been increasing lately, following complaints from Kyiv that it badly needed modern air defense systems to protect the country from Russian missile and flying bomb attacks. On Oct. 11 the first out of four IRIS-T air defense system arrived in Ukraine. The Air Defence Forces reported it is already operating "somewhere in the south." Read also: Germany transfers TRML-4D radar system to Ukraine Germany will supply Ukraine with another three IRIS-T air defense systems as soon as possible, the chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz has since promised. Christine Lambrecht, Federal Minister of Defence of Germany, said earlier that the delivery of the IRIS-T air defense system was scheduled for next year. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine By Christian Akorlie and Cooper Inveen ACCRA (Reuters) -A majority of Ghana's ruling party parliamentarians on Tuesday asked the president to sack finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta and his deputy, in order to "restore hope in the financial sector". Ghana is facing its worst economic crisis in a generation. Last week was the cedi currency's worst in 15 years, falling nearly 20% against the dollar, and consumer inflation is hovering at a 21-year high of 37.2%. With nearly half of all government revenue going towards interest payments, concerns that Ghana might need to restructure its debt in order to secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have further strained market confidence. Speaking on behalf of 80 of the 137 NPP members, Andy Appiah-Kubi said the members of parliament would not take part in any business of government and would boycott budget hearings until its demands are met. Parliament is set to begin debating the 2023 budget in the coming days. "We have voiced our concerns to the president...without any positive response," Appiah-Kubi said. "Until such persons are made to resign or otherwise removed from office, we...will not participate in any business of government." Meanwhile, NDC parliamentarians on Tuesday said they would soon table a motion for Ofori-Atta's impeachment, without specifying when. Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo already faces a hung parliament, with membership split down the middle between the two major parties. Even single abstentions often hold back ruling party proposals from becoming legislation. The West African gold, cocoa and oil-producing country is negotiating a support programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a bid to reduce economic hardship that has spurred several rounds of protests. Ofori-Atta, a former banker before being named finance minister in 2016, had repeatedly pledged not to seek IMF assistance before finally engaging the Fund in July. Story continues Yields on Ghana's dollar-denominated sovereign bonds spiked to new highs on news of the parliamentarians seeking to oust the finance minister, with the 2042 maturity climbing the most to 33.49% before slipping back to 33.39% as of 1145 GMT, TradeWeb data showed. "Markets will likely view any change with the potential to slow IMF negotiations as a negative," said Razia Khan, chief economist for Africa and the Middle East at Standard Chartered. "Speedy arrangement of an IMF programme is of the essence, and the current team has been closely involved in those negotiations," she added. (Reporting by Christian Akorlie, Cooper Inveen and Rachel Savage; writing by Sofia Christensen and Cooper Inveen; editing by James Macharia Chege, Bate Felix and Jason Neely) Courtesy of the National Security Agency The National Security Agency, sometimes cheekily called the No Such Agency, has some new secrets to spill. The clandestine agencys museum, which is focused on codebreaking and spying, is reopening its doors to the public this month, after shutting down in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. And in that lull, the museum staff took advantage of the downtime to unearth some secret and previously classified spying gear from the depths of storage. The museum now boasts spying machines from around the globe that, in some cases, nobodyeven at the NSAknew existed. We tore the warehouse apart, Vince Houghton, the director of the NSAs National Cryptologic Museum and former historian and curator of the International Spy Museum, told The Daily Beast in an interview previewing the revamped space, which also underwent renovations and a total redesign in the downtime. An earlier version of the museum had a bit of a busy look, with loads of information to absorb. The new version is sleeker and cleaner. How a Soviet Triple Agent Recruited New Spies in the West The displays focus on three kinds of artifacts, or what Houghton calls the holy trinitythose that are the first of their kind, the only remaining example of their kind, or those used by a specific person. These are the things that you can't see anywhere else, said Houghton. In a curious twist, although the NSA can be quite secretive, its museum is the only U.S. intelligence community museum fully open to the public. In the first gallery, visitors go on a bit of a chronological walkthrough, covering the American Revolution, World War I, World War II, and more. The John Walker display showcases the notes of the former Navy officer who shared secretes with the Soviet Embassy and recruited other spies. Courtesy of the National Security Agency One little teal-blue machine, an Italian cipher machine from 1954 which helped Italy send and receive coded messages, is nested in a display case in the center of one gallery. Its similar to the German Enigma, the Germans cipher machine used to encode messages before and during World War II. Except this machine, called the OMI Criptograph, was thought to be extinct. Story continues No one knew this existed anymore, Houghton told The Daily Beast, recounting coming across it in storage. There are actually articles saying, We know this existed at one point, but theres no known actual artifact anymore. The record is now being corrected, he said. Some of Adolf Hitlers communications devices are also on display, including the so-called B Variant of the German Enigma, which Hitlers high command used to send messages while on the go. The machine on display is the only one of its kind left on Earth, according to Houghton. Another machine the team uncovered, which was used under a codenamed program called CAVIAR, will almost certainly pique the interest of Cold War history buffs. When the Soviets changed all of their codes and ciphers on Aug. 25, 1948, American spies lost access to nearly every single one of the United States signals intelligence sources in the Soviet Union. The machine, known as the Russian Fish, was used to decipher Soviet messages afterwards. As an added bonus, if you fancy yourself a sleuth or have a child who is an aspiring spy, there are five names that some (presumably) former NSA employees etched into a corner of the machine, alongside some group nicknames, including A**HOLES and THE GRUESOME FOURSOME. The museum isnt sure who is behind the nicknames, but they could belong to the operators who spied on the Soviets in the early years of the Cold War. There are even some biblical references in the museum (kind of). One of the most monstrous codebreaking machines on displaystanding at 7 foot high, 10 foot long, and 2 foot wide, according to Jennifer Wilcox, the museums director of educationis the four-rotor cryptanalytic bombe. The machine, whose first two prototypes were known as Adam and Eve, was the solution to cracking some of Germanys communications during World War II. While the British had a way to spy on the Germans, that all fizzled in 1942 when Germany added a fourth rotor to some of their Enigmas, effectively blocking spies from uncovering the Germans movements. A machine known as the Russian Fish. Courtesy of the National Security Agency The museum isnt just about machinestheres also a nod to the spies who turned on the United States, complete with dead drops and Soviet spy intrigue. One display case shows the notes of John Walker, a former Navy officer who walked into the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C., in 1967 with a promise to share secrets on how to read encrypted naval messages. Walker, who was arrested in 1985, also recruited other spies, including friends and family members. There are somber, soft spaces in the museum as well. When visitors enter, a walk down memory lane in a quiet hallway leads right to the fog of war. The museum opted to showcase a replica of the NSAs memorial wall here as a way to pay tribute to personnel and cryptologists who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The hallway honors the casualties from deadly attacks against the U.S. military that involved signals intelligence (SIGINT) operations, such as the attack on the USS Liberty, a technical research ship with NSA personnel on board aimed at gathering intel on enemies. The Israelis attacked Liberty in 1967 while it was patrolling in the Eastern Mediterranean Seaand although it may or may not have been an accident, depending on who you ask, the attack killed 34. Houghton said he hopes that visitors are able to walk away from the museum knowing that although hackers are often depicted sitting in basements or dark rooms, far from front lines, work at the NSAa Department of Defense intelligence agencyis inextricably tied to military operations and sacrifice. The Socialite Spy Who Played So Dumb She Outsmarted the Nazis We wanted to do this to highlight that this is not someone sitting behind a desk, you know, hacking from thousands of miles away, that there actually are real repercussions to this job, Houghton, a veteran of the U.S. Army, said. Although the museum is open to the public, some of the artifacts are still shrouded in mystery; the NSA acknowledges it still doesnt know everything about some of its exhibits. What We Dont Know: Who made it, who used it, if and how it was used, and who owned it, the museum says of one of its artifacts on display, the Jefferson Cipher, which is believed to be the oldest true cipher device. A cipher device. Courtesy of the National Security Agency Houghton acknowledges that one of the main challenges of curating an intelligence agency museum dedicated to codebreaking is that its always going to be a little bit behindespecially as declassification processes can take years. To keep things dynamic, the museum has plans to change up its spaces every couple of months. The museum is currently working on preparations to showcase extremely sensitive documents in the museum, and is currently setting up a case with a sensor to gather data to judge whether rare documents can be stored safely inside. Modern-day mysteries are tucked inside the museum, too. If you take a peek in the third gallery on the tail end of your visit, youll be greeted with flashing lights, a NASA display, and one exhibit where you might even get to drive a car, or try your hand hacking into it. And you might just forget you just toured a history museum. The museum, located in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, is now open to the public and has a parking lot for visitors. But bewareyoull have tough luck if youre trying to order an Uber or Lyft to leave. Your cell service might not be what it usually is when youre sitting a stones throw from NSA headquarters just down the street. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here 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 car crash led to frightening moments for a man and woman Sunday afternoon, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD). MPD said the crash happened on Lamar Avenue near Pearson Road on October 23 around 1 p.m. A woman in one car started recording the interaction between the man she was with and two other men involved in the crash, police said. Those two men got angry when she refused to stop recording and started attacking her, police said. These two men are wanted for aggravated assault, according to the Memphis Police Department. The man she was with stepped in to help and one of the other two men stuck a gun into his stomach and pulled the trigger several times, according to police. MPD said the gun malfunctioned and no shots were fired. The two men took off in a gray Honda Accord with the Mississippi tag MHB3110 and in a white Dodge Charger with the Mississippi tag DAV3907, police said. Memphis Police are now looking for those two men. Both are wanted for aggravated assault. If youve seen these men or know where they may be, Memphis Police urged you to call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH. Any information that leads to an arrest, in this case, could be worth up to $2,000. Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Trending stories: One of Haitis top investigative journalists was the victim of an apparent assassination attempt Tuesday when his vehicle was riddled with bullets during an armed attack while on his way to work. Roberson Alphonse, who works for Le Nouvelliste, the countrys only daily and hosts its popular morning program Panel Magik on Port-au-Prince-based radio station Magik 9, was in stable condition after being shot in the arms by an unknown gunman, said Frantz Duval, the chief editor for the newspaper and its leading editorial writer. I saw him, I spoke to him, he is in shock but not doing too bad, Duval said. The attack happened the same day authorities in the southern city of Les Cayes found the body of missing journalist Garry Tess. Tess used to host a political talk show in the city, and had been missing for several days. READ MORE: He survived a gang ambush in Haiti that killed two reporters. Now this journalist is in exile Both incidents come just weeks after Haiti, with support from the U.N.-Security Council, requested the immediate deployment of a special armed force to help the countrys police battle a powerful gang federation that has been blocking the main fuel terminal, Varreux. The blockade has stopped the flow of fuel, food and drinking water, amid a deadly resurgence of cholera. The head of the gang federation, Jimmy Cherizier, who is known as Barbecue, has said he will unblock the fuel when interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns. Cherizier last week became the first person sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council in five years after it passed a resolution to sanction Haitian gangs and those who arm and finance them. Alphonse is one of Haitis more respected and well-known journalists, who has remained in the country despite the threat of the profession. He was featured in the Miami Heralds Emmy-winning post-earthquake documentary Nou Bouke [Were Tired]: Haitis Past, Present and Future. In a statement, Haitis Ministry of Culture and Communication expressed solidarity with Alphonses family, colleagues and the entire corporation hard hit by this unfortunate event, which threatens all too often the press sector in Haiti. Story continues Roberson Alphonse, the statement said, is a highly respected personality in the Haitian press. His rigor, his effort to be impartial and his sense of perfection make him a model for the profession. Duval says the attack happened in the Delmas 40B neighborhood of Port-au-Prince early Monday morning. The vehicle had more than 10 bullet holes. Despite being injured during the armed attack, Alphonse managed to drive himself to the hospital. Duval said he first became aware of a problem when he received a call from the radio station shortly after 7 a.m. that Alphonse hadnt arrived and was nowhere to be found. Duval immediately started trying to locate the reporter. Duval soon received a call from Alphonse informing him that he had been attacked and was at the hospital. I was in shock, Duval said. As the former president of the Association of Haitian Media, there are two things I always say, he said. Haiti is a slippery terrain for journalists and Haiti is always a complicated place for journalists. The insecurity is such that at any time, any place, anyone can become a victim. When you combine these two realities, journalists are doubly at risk. At least 17 journalists and media workers have been killed in Haiti between 1992 and 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The armed attack against Alphonse is the latest involving journalists amid worsening violence and a deepening humanitarian, economic and political crisis in Haiti, where a powerful gang federation has been blocking the main fuel terminal for over six weeks. In September, Frantzsen Charles and Tayson Lartigue were shot and killed while visiting the Cite Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince after a group of journalists came under attack. In January, two Haitian journalists, Wilguens Louis-Saint and John Wesley Amady, were killed by suspected gang members in the hills above the capital while they were reporting on gang violence in the area. The following month, broadcast journalist Maximilien Lazard was killed and two other journalists injured when Haiti National Police opened fire on a wage protest by textile workers. Hearing aids are now available over the counter at retail stores nationwide due to a ruling made by the Food and Drug Administration this month. Now consumers 18 years and older with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can purchase hearing aids from tech companies without a prescription or a visit to an audiologist. "Traditionally, people wait on average seven to ten years to do something about their hearing loss," Dr. Greg Horton said. Horton is the director of audiology at the Rochester Hearing and Speech Center. He says one of the reasons for the neglect is the traditional costs of hearing aids. The Biden administration hopes the ruling, part of the president's executive order on promoting competition in the American economy, will lower the average price of hearing aids by as much as $3,000 per pair. Retailers like Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and Best Buy quickly provided options in the marketplace. What to know before buying over-the-counter hearing aids Dr. Horton recommends that people use "cautious optimism" regarding the devices. "The devices that are available are not as sophisticated as prescriptive hearing aids," he said. "A big part of the success with hearing aids has to do with the collaboration between the patient and the hearing-health provider." Some devices are being marketed as "listening devices" or "hearing amplifiers" because a company cannot classify a product as a hearing aid without FDA approval. "If patients are purchasing these devices, they're going to want to make sure that there's some well-defined warranty, trial period, and return policy," Horton said. Prescriptive hearing aids in New York state are required by law to give people a 45-day trial period. Over-the-counter devices have no similar regulations. Horton suggests, first, that patients get a hearing test to learn how much hearing loss they have and what is causing the hearing loss before purchasing a hearing aid. Story continues He advises patients to check their insurance to see if they qualify for more affordable prescriptive hearing devices. Thirty million Americans experience hearing loss, including 10 million adults under age 60. "I do think it's a good thing for the community at large," Horton said. "Of the people that could benefit from hearing aids, about 20% of them have actually acquired them. So, there's a huge gap, and people are not taking care of their hearing issues." How much do over-the-counter hearing aids cost? Walmart, Best Buy, Walgreens and CVS prices Best Buy has 20 different hearing devices available in-store and for curbside pick-up locally, ranging in price from $200 to $3,000. Walgreens has hearing aids at stores nationwide and online for $799 per pair. According to the store, comparable models sold by specialists range from $2,000 to $8,000 a pair. CVS and Walmart will offer in-store devices in November. Walmart's products range in price from $199 to $999 per pair; comparable prescription hearing aids are priced from $4,400 to $5,500 per pair. Contact Robert Bell at: rlbell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @byrobbell & Instagram: @byrobbell. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Hearing aids available over the counter. What consumers should know UPDATE: Tareque Parham has been located and is safe at home. McDonough Police Department said they are asking for your helping in locating a 12-year-old boy. Police have issued a critical missing alert for Tareque Parham. He was last seen Monday at his home in McDonough, Georgia. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Parham is five feet tall in height and weighs 135 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gold uniform shirt and black uniform pants. Anyone with information on where Parham might be is asked to contact Detective Rodriguez with the city of McDonough at 470-878-1092. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: (Bloomberg) -- A Hong Kong court found Jimmy Lai guilty on two counts of fraud, adding to the jailed media moguls mounting convictions as the city cracks down on high-profile dissidents. Most Read from Bloomberg Lai made false statements to a landlord about certain business activities, in violation of a special-purpose lease, Judge Stanley Chan said in District Court on Tuesday. Chan set a sentencing hearing for Nov. 24. The 74-year-old had pleaded not guilty to using the former headquarters of his Next Digital Ltd. media company for purposes not specified in the lease. Prosecutors said that activity benefited Lais now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, which closed last year under a pressure campaign by national security police. Lai wore a mask when he entered the courtroom and waved to a crowd of about 30 observers. One person shouted for Lai to take care of himself. Next Digitals former chief administrative officer, Wong Wai-keung, was also found guilty on one count of fraud on Tuesday. The companys one-time chief financial officer and chief operating officer Royston Chow had also faced charges, but they were dropped after he assisted prosecutors in Lais case. He is already serving 20 months in prison for his role in unauthorized assemblies during 2019 anti-government protests. The pro-democracy activist also faces four charges under the citys China-drafted national security law, including conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. The former media tycoons cases have fanned growing concern about press freedom in the once free-wheeling former British colony. Several pro-democracy media outlets closed in the wake of the security law, which has been used to jail much of the citys political opposition. Hong Kong fell 68 places year on year to No. 148 in Reporters Without Borders most recent World Press Freedom Index. Story continues Beijings Assault on Apple Daily Is Hong Kong Cautionary Tale National security police have made some 218 arrests in Hong Kong, and the government has sought to prosecute at least 114 people. Only two defendants have fought security law charges at trial. Both have been convicted and handed sentences as long as nine years in prison, illustrating the high stakes for those who challenge the government. Some 29 democracy activists including former student leader Joshua Wong are expected to enter guilty verdicts over security law charges, local media including HK01 reported earlier this year, with many entering their pleas since the report was released. Lai has indicated he plans to fight the collusion charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, making him one of the few defendants to test the prosecutions case in court. Last month, Lais international lawyers called on Western governments to make his national security trial a greater foreign policy priority. Lai has been denied bail while awaiting trial and his case will be heard by three national security judges handpicked by the citys leader starting Dec. 1. (Updates with date for sentencing.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. House progressives are backtracking on a letter they sent to President Biden asking him to directly negotiate with Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine. The Congressional Progressive Caucus issued an apology and clarification Monday, noting that the bloc wanted to avoid the impression that they supported House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys recent insinuation that a GOP-controlled Congress would discontinue aid to war-battered Ukraine. The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting. As Chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this, Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal, caucus chairwoman, wrote. Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over. The letter was reportedly written over the summer but only went live on Monday for reasons that are unknown. Signed by 40 House progressives, it urged Biden to engage Russian President Vladimir Putin directly to strike a diplomatic deal that would cease hostilities. Given the letters was released days after McCarthy suggested a Republican House majority would reevaluate Ukrainian aid, many observers pointed out that the progressives seemed more aligned with the foreign policy vision of Republicans than their own leadership. I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and theyre not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. They just wont do it. . . . Its not a free blank checkUkraine is important, but at the same time it cant be the only thing they do and it cant be a blank check, McCarthy said during an interview with Punchbowl News. Jayapal acknowledged that the public perception of the letter, which was allegedly drafted when the Russian invasion was in early stages, must be that progressives sympathize with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces. She assured Tuesday that Nothing could be further from the truth. Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too after Ukrainian victory. Story continues While Jayapal took full responsibility for the blunder, several Democrats told Politico that the letter, no matter its intended timing, cost the party and potentially will jeopardize opportunities for her in Democratic leadership. The letters release comes after said a GOP-dominated Congress should consider cutting funding to Ukraine as it fights Russia. More from National Review Dozens of people with signs packed Mondays Charlotte City Council to tell leaders to do more to keep people in homes. One of those people was a single mom who knows firsthand what it is like to lose a home. Charlotte resident Jasmine Johnson shared her story with the Charlotte City Council on how COVID-19 impacted her life and prevented her from working. ALSO READ: Residents forced to move so apartment complex can make improvements I had caught COVID while seven months pregnant and the result of that, I ended up in ICU. I was in a coma and I had to learn how to walk again. I pretty much had to learn my whole life again, Johnson said. Johnson, who already lost her house once, said she lived in Lake Arbor when the landlord shut it down. But after her frightening battle with COVID-19, she found herself needing housing again. Doctors called my mom and said, Get the family together because your daughter might not make it. But here I am. I am here telling my story, and I feel like everyone in here, we all can agree that rent is increasing here in Charlotte, North Carolina and going up and up and up, she said. The Housing Justice Coalition, Action NC and affordable housing supporters called on the Charlotte City Council to do more. LINK: AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCES The groups released a 31-point plan and are calling on the city to be pro-active, such as to create an office for tenant and renter assistance, increase funding for programs preventing displacement, and curtail corporations from buying homes. Do you stand with the people? Or do you stand with developers, with landlords? Resident Ismaail Qaiyim said. The Charlotte City Council did not respond to the speakers and city attorneys said in a memo that some of the requests by the group arent possible due to state law. >> Reading this story in our app? The Follow the Lead feature allows you to tap the blue tag indicated with a + to subscribe to alerts on the very latest breaking news updates. Story continues But the Housing Justice Coalition made it clear the group will continue to push the city to do more on affordable housing. We are not going anywhere and we will not back down on the issue of housing justice, Qaiyim said. While the city council did not address these concerns Monday night, council members did find out they have an extra $6.5 million to spend on affordable housing. A vote may come next month on the projects that will get funding. VIDEO: Shuttered west Charlotte motel gets renovated to help families with affordable housing Housing Justice Coalition Call to Action: Tenants Rights 1. City and County governing bodies shall fund and enact the Right to Counsel: Representation for tenants in eviction proceedings; 2. City and County governing bodies shall facilitate education about eviction process through grassroots organizations and government (i.e. appeal); 3. City Council shall pass an ordinance for Housing voucher acceptance that eliminates source of income discrimination 4. Local governing bodies shall enact Right of first refusal for tenants when landlord decides to sell a property; 5. The City and the County alongside nonprofits and legal advocates shall work toward the establishment of Eviction expungement at the local level; 6. The City shall track and publish annual Housing metrics such as the number of summary ejectments filed in Mecklenburg County Small Claims Court; 7. Housing Justice Coalition CLT shall work toward creating metrics to measure the impact of local housing organizing groups, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations; 8. Landlords shall create incentives for tenants who attend housing trainings on tenants rights and obligations convened by organizations such as TORC, Eviction is Real, Inc, and other tenant advocacy groups; 9. The City shall promote and provide logistical, financial and material support for social housing, land banking, especially as alternatives to selling city-owned land to private developers. 10. The City shall create an office for Tenant/renter assistance and counseling; Gentrification & Displacement 11. Housing Justice Coalition CLT shall create organizing toolkits to empower neighborhoods and community associations with tools to create community power and to hold leaders accountable; 12. The City shall pass Local legislation that increases the oversight & accountability of community members in local decision making impacting displacement; 13. The City and County shall increase funding for programs that are preventing displacement such as RAMP, Tax relief programs and other related programs; 14. The City shall facilitate the procurement of materials, land and resources for local organizations seeking to preserve land/housing and provide additional opportunities for upward economic mobility in rapidly gentrifying areas; 15. The City and County shall aggressively fund community land trusts and provide a right of first refusal to community land trusts when City or County owned land is up for sale; 16. City Code Enforcement shall not enforce demolition of home owner occupied homes in distressed neighborhoods wherein there are high levels of displacement; 17. The City shall increase Down payment assistance funds and speed up the process for these funds to reach prospective homebuyers; 18. The City and County shall take immediate action to curtail corporations from buying homes. This includes but it is not limited to strengthening provisions of the proposed UDO overlay districts, providing logistical support for the use of restrictive covenants in applicable neighborhoods, passing an ordinance to further protect neighborhoods etc; 19. The County shall reinstate and where applicable, make property tax relief plans more available to a wider range of citizens; 20. The County shall increase homestead tax exemptions based on what is exempted by the Homestead Act and the full tax bill in addition to lowering the age requirement for eligibility for homestead tax exemption; Community Benefits & Development Policy 21. The City shall pass a Community Benefits Ordinance that mandates community benefits for projects that receive public incentives similar to the ordinance recently passed in Richmond, VA. (public land, tax incentives etc.); 22. The City shall adopt a robust community benefits package with reference to the Community Benefits Task Force; 23. The City shall expand community notifications and alerts to community groups such as Housing Justice Coalition CLT and the Charlotte Community Benefits Coalition for community meetings regarding developments that impact neighborhoods (such as rezonings, City Council votes on issues that impact neighborhoods); 24. The City shall generate and disseminate a map of pending developments with information about community meetings, project timelines etc; 25. The City shall create a Comprehensive impact assessment for development projects that receive at least $10 million in public funding; 26. The City and County shall establish a cap on campaign donations from developers and create standard accountability metrics on such donations; 27. The City and County shall enact an Excise tax on development projects as an incentive to generate public benefits for development projects that receive public funding; 28. The City shall require any development project that receives public funding to provide a minimum of 20% affordable housing as a contractual obligation for receiving public funds. Final Statements 29. Local governing bodies shall take all available actions and utilize all available resources to make housing as a human right a reality for all citizens; 30. Housing Justice Coalition CLT will continue to work for housing as a human right through education, policy advocacy and community organizing informed by our mission and this platform; 31. Housing Justice Coalition CLT will continually reassess and amend this platform as necessary to address material conditions of houselessness and economic injustice in the Charlotte Mecklenburg area Response from attorneys for the city of Charlotte: ANALYSIS 1. NC law would not permit the city to implement a right to counsel, however the city does provide funding for collaborations with Legal Aid and provides education regarding the eviction process through both the Community Relations Committee (CRC) and Legal Aid. 2. The CRC provides this service. In addition, the city also participates in a courthouse eviction prevention effort through a collaboration with Legal Aid. 3. SOID policy is in process. As previously explained, the city would need to get authority from the General Assembly to adopt an ordinance expanding the policy citywide. 4. The city has no jurisdiction over private real estate transactions. Furthermore, all landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities are set forth in state law. 5. NC law controls the expungement process. In addition, Legal Aid and Legal Services can provide assistance in this area. 6. That information should be available to the public from the Courts (County). There might also be opportunities for collaboration with the Urban Institute. 7. No city action requested. 8. No city action requested, but the city financially supports community partners that conduct housing training. 9. The city cannot create land banks (or land trusts), but it can perform the basic functions of a land bank by buying and holding troubled properties, stabilizing properties by eliminating encumbrances and then conveying properties to a developer who will carry out a specific public purpose such as providing low-income housing. Some of the projects funded by HTF and other funding sources might be considered as already addressing this HJC request. In addition, the NEST Commission is reviewing this as part of its work plan. 10. The CRC already partners with community partners that do this. 11. No city action requested. 12. The overly broad nature of this request raises concerns. For example, it could be requesting community input on an individual eviction or create conflicts with the guiding principles and implementation of the UDO. We dont totally understand what this demand is referencing, but assuming that this is a request regarding zoning and planning decisions, any actions by the developer would have to be voluntary. The city cannot mandate that a property owner mitigate displacement in by right or conventional development projects. However, the city is already considering ways to implement process changes that might allow negotiations between the City and a developer when a conditional zoning project might lead to displacement. 13. The city is re-evaluating its aging in place program and other anti-displacement initiatives are under consideration. The issue of tax relief has legal obstacles that we are trying to work around by carefully tailoring programs to address the needs of low-income residents. 14. Facilitate is a broad word. Procurement statutes are very specific about city procurement processes. NC real property statutes are also quite specific about when and how a city may buy or sell land. That being said, HTF and NOAH programs already do some of this. Additionally, there are federal funds (i.e. CDBG) the city uses to address economic mobility. Lastly, the city provides funding to several nonprofit organizations that make housing repairs for low-income residents. 15. See the answer to Request #9. Furthermore, there is a statutorily proscribed process for disposing of city owned real property that would prohibit the city from granting a right of first refusal to another party. The city has used the RFP process in the past to identify projects for city owned land that line up with stated city goals. 16. Very tricky: the minimum housing code is a health and safety ordinance. Not only would it be problematic for the city to ignore obvious health and safety violations that are brought to its attention, but the city also cannot selectively enforce against certain individuals and not others. The city does work with owners whose property is under housing code enforcement to find resources for repairs/rehab and sometimes alternative housing. 17. The most recent adopted budget increased the funding available for down payment assistance. It would be difficult to speed up the process given the number of parties in these types of transactions (lenders, closing attorneys, etc.) and the fact that the city is not the party driving the process. 18. The city does not have the authority to prevent or interfere in private real estate transactions. In addition, there is NC case law that prohibits local government from placing conditions on conveyances of property that will depress fair market values. The city can provide educational support and is currently investigating opportunities for doing so. 19. See the response to Request #13. 20. No city action is requested, but be advised that neither the city nor the county have authority to change homestead exemptions or to create or expand tax classifications. That power lies solely with the General Assembly and would need to apply statewide. 21. The Community Benefits Task Force is discussing these issues. If you have questions you can contact Robyn Byers (Robyn.Byers@charlottenc.gov) in Planning who is facilitating the task force. 22. This would be a question for the Community Benefits Task Force. 23. Neighborhood leaders and residents can sign up to receive mailed notice of any rezoning requests (and related meetings) that are within 1 mile of the rezoning address. They may register through the website on the HNS page https://charlottenc.gov/HNS/CE/Communityinfo/Pages/Neighborhood-Organization-Contact[1]List.aspx . In addition to the contact list registration linked above, information is spread through the NextDoor platform and city IT is building out the ability for residents to subscribe to notifications based on geography (i.e. registering for notice of rezonings submitted in certain neighborhoods). 24. See the response for Request #23. Nevertheless, the city may not know about all pending developments because not all developments require rezoning. The county receives and reviews building permit requests and may be in a better position to disseminate this type of information. 25. We are not sure what HJC means by comprehensive impact assessment. If it means fees for impacts, those have legal implications. If it means an analysis of costs and benefits, this may already happen since most ED generated development partnerships are based on an impact assessment that is used to justify supporting the public investment. 26. This request would not be within the citys purview. State and federal election laws preempt this kind of action. 27. The city does not have the legal authority to regulate excise taxes. 28. Not all development projects that receive public funding include or would even support housing. For example, the city provides funding for public infrastructure that often supports a private commercial or industrial development that contains no housing. The city does have a density bonus incentive for voluntary inclusion of affordable housing by a developer. Furthermore, the city may (and often does) engage in negotiations for the voluntary inclusion of affordable housing. The University of Dayton Department of Public Safety is notifying the UD community about a reported vehicle theft that happened Monday night. >> Area police department reports over 600% increase in Kia, Hyundai thefts At approximately 11 p.m., a vehicle owner flagged down an officer in A Lot when he was unable to locate his Hyundai Sonata, according to a letter Public Safety sent to students. During the initial investigation, it was determined the vehicle was likely stolen Sunday, Oct. 23 just before a different Hyundai, stolen from Kettering, was found abandoned with its engine running in A Lot, the letter stated. >> False active shooter report locks down Catholic Central School; investigation underway When officers discovered the abandoned vehicle on Sunday, they noted broken auto glass nearby suggesting the perpetrators may have stolen the reporting partys Hyundai Sonata to flee the lot, according to Public Safety. Anyone with additional information regarding this incident, or are aware of similar incidents, is asked to contact the Department of Public Safety dispatcher at 937-229-2121. India's antitrust watchdog has hit Google with a $113 million fine for abusing the dominant position of its Google Play Store and ordered the firm to allow app developers to use third-party payments processing services for in-app purchases or for purchasing apps, the second such penalty on the Android-maker in just as many weeks in its largest market by users. The Competition Commission of India, which opened the probe into Google in late 2020, said mandating developers to use Google's own billing system for paid apps and in-app purchases through Play Store "constitutes an imposition of unfair condition" and thus violates provisions of the nation's Section 4(2)(a)(i) of the Act. The regulator -- which interviewed several industry players, including Paytm, Zomato, Info Edge, Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, Microsoft and Realme as part of the investigation -- said that Google not using its billing system for its own apps such as YouTube amounts to "imposition of discriminatory conditions." The investigation also concluded that: Mandatory imposition of GPBS [Google Play Billing System] disturbs innovation incentives and the ability of both the payment processors as well as app developers to undertake technical development and innovate and thus, tantamount to limiting technical development in the market for in-app payment processing services. in violation of the provisions of the Act. Thus, Google is found to be in violation of the provisions of Section 4(2)(b)(ii) of the Act. Mandatory imposition of GPBS by Google, also results in denial of market access for payment aggregators as well as app developers, in violation of the provisions of Section 4(2)(c) of the Act. The practices followed by Google results in leveraging its dominance in market for licensable mobile OS and app stores for Android OS, to protect its position in the downstream markets, in violation of the provisions of Section 4(2)(e) of the Act. Different methodologies used by Google to integrate, its own UPI app vis-a-vis other rival UPI apps, with the Play Store results in violation of Sections 4(2)(a)(ii), 4(2)(c) and 4(2)(e) of the Act. Story continues India is Googles largest market by users. The company has poured billions of dollars in the South Asian market over the past decade as it aggressively searched to find major untapped regions worldwide to supercharge its growth. The company reaches nearly all of India's 600 million internet users. Android commands 97% of the local smartphone market. Its payments app, Google Pay, is the second largest payments on the UPI network, an infrastructure built by a coalition of banks that has become the most popular way Indians transact online. The antitrust watchdog has directed Google to introduce a series of changes to its Play Store policies, which as with allowing developers to use third-party billing system, requires compliance within three months: Google shall not impose any anti-steering provisions on app developers and shall not restrict them from communicating with their users to promote their apps and offerings, in any manner. Google shall not restrict end users, in any manner, to access and use within apps, the features and services offered by app developers. Google shall set out a clear and transparent policy on data that is collected on its platform, use of such data by the platform and also the potential and actual sharing of such data with app developers or other entities, including related entities. The competitively relevant transaction/ consumer data of apps generated and acquired through GPBS, shall not be leveraged by Google to further its competitive advantage. Google shall also provide access to the app developer of the data that has been generated through the concerned app, subject to adequate safeguards, as highlighted in this order. Google shall not impose any condition (including price related condition) on app developers, which is unfair, unreasonable, discriminatory or disproportionate to the services provided to the app developers. Google shall ensure complete transparency in communicating to app developers, services provided, and corresponding fee charged. Google shall also publish in an unambiguous manner the payment policy and criteria for applicability of the fee(s). Google shall not discriminate against other apps facilitating payment through UPI in India vis-a-vis its own UPI app, in any manner. "The Commission hereby directs Google to cease and desist from indulging in anti-competitive practices," CCI said in a statement Tuesday. Google and Apple have faced heat from developers globally in recent years for requiring them to use their own billing systems and hence accruing considerable commission. In response, Google has started to explore offering developers in some markets including India the ability to use third-party payments system for purchases on Play Store. Last week, the competition regulator fined Google $161.9 million for anti-competitive practices related to Android mobile devices and made a series of stringent redressal measures. The watchdog was investigating whether Google had assumed dominant position in five different markets: licensable OS for smartphones, app store, web search services, non-OS specific mobile web browsers and online video hosting platform in India. Google was dominant in all of those relevant markets, the regulator concluded. The antitrust watchdog said that device manufacturers should not be forced to install Googles bouquet of apps and the search giant should not deny access to its Play Services APIs and monetary and other incentives to vendors. Amazon told the regulator that over half a dozen hardware vendors had indicated that they could not enter into a TV manufacturing relationship with the e-commerce group over fear of retaliation from Google. In response to the last week's order, Google said CCI's decision was a "major setback for consumers and businesses," opened them to "serious security risks" and will raise the "cost of mobile devices for Indians." Google said Tuesday its legal team is evaluating the order and had no immediate comment. It expressed concerns about the evidence the regulator relied on to reach its conclusion, CCI said in the order. Google's pushback on the evidence the competition regulator relied on to reach its conclusion. From the page 177 of the order. In a statement Wednesday, a Google spokesperson said: "Indian developers have benefited from the technology, security, consumer protections, and unrivaled choice and flexibility that Android and Google Play provide. And, by keeping costs low, our model has powered India's digital transformation and expanded access for hundreds of millions of Indians. We remain committed to our users and developers and are reviewing the decision to evaluate the next steps." Google is on the hook for another nine-figure fine after Indias antitrust agency said the company abused the dominant position of the Play Store. The regulator told Google to pay 9.36 billion rupees ($113.5 million) and to allow Play Store developers to use third-party payment systems for app and in-app purchases. After a lengthy investigation , the Competition Commission of India said Google's requirement for Play Store developers to use its billing system constitutes an imposition of unfair condition, as TechCrunch reports. The regulator found that Google didn't use the billing system for its own apps, which it said constituted an imposition of discriminatory conditions. The agency has ordered Google to open up the Play Store to third-party payments within three months. It said Google can't impose any anti-steering provisions on app developers and mustn't hinder them from promoting apps and services to users. Likewise, the company can't restrict users from accessing developers' services and features. The Competition Commission also stated that Google must be fully transparent with Play Store developers and that it can't impose any condition on them "which is unfair, unreasonable, discriminatory or disproportionate to the services provided to the app developers." Furthermore, Google will need to have a clear and transparent data collection policy, and it will not be allowed to use "competitively relevant transaction/consumer data of apps generated and acquired" through the Google Play Billing System to its competitive advantage. The regulator has determined that Google has a dominant position in the spheres of licensable smartphone operating systems, app stores, web searching, video hosting platforms and "non-OS specific" mobile web browsers. Last week, the Competition Commission fined the company $161.9 million after finding that Google abused Android's dominance . It said smartphone makers shouldn't have to preinstall Google's apps and that the company shouldn't withhold Play Services APIs and monetary and other incentives from other parties. Google reportedly has a 97 percent smartphone market share in India, while Google Play is one of the most popular payments services. India is the company's largest market in terms of user numbers. Google told TechCrunch that its legal team was reviewing the most recent ruling. An Indian American lawmaker is calling out the Seattle Police Department for purportedly failing to investigate her report about an unidentified man who allegedly threw plastic bags filled with human excrement onto her property. Kshama Sawant, a 49-year-old member of the Socialist Alternative party and the Seattle City Council since 2014, reported the incident after the suspect repeatedly threw the bags of feces in her yard starting this month an attack she believes is potentially politically motivated, according to reports. Sawants husband claimed to have reported the man to the police after the fourth incident on Oct. 8. Instead of launching an investigation, they reportedly told him, What do you expect us to do? Citing a local TV station, The Siasat Daily reported that Seattle police also did not put a police detail outside Sawants home for protection. More from NextShark: Din Tai Fung in Sydney Closes Due to Pandemic and Underpaying Employees Scandal As a socialist City Council member who has participated in Black Lives Matter protests, I am being told that my case of six threatening incidents involving human excrement doesnt merit even a serious investigation, let alone protection, the City Council member, who is also an activist and an organizer, wrote to Mayor Bruce Harrell, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz and the City Council. Story continues The incident happened six times near the Leschi neighborhood, with the most recent incident on Oct. 13, according to reports. Although authorities opened an investigation on that day, Sawant told KIRO7 that the Seattle Police Department did not pursue the case further. The police also reportedly told Sawant that the contents of the bags could not be sent to a laboratory for investigation. More from NextShark: Man indicted for hate crimes in Dallas Korean hair salon shooting [That] seems quite odd considering that hospital labs do tests on human fecal matter all the time, Sawant said. Most concerning is the very high likelihood that this extreme and hostile behavior is politically motivated. And could turn into more serious and dangerous harassment. In addition to the bags of human excrement, Sawant said she received a "potentially threatening email that called her the queen of sh*t and told her to sit on your throne of human excrement. Sawant shared that she was deeply concerned after the details regarding the attacks were "apparently leaked" to the right-wing media by police. She added that recent articles published by right-wing media about her have motivated social media users to praise the suspect and urge for more attacks on the councilmember. More from NextShark: Asian American Students Who Don't Get in Their First-Choice University End Up Just Fine, Study Says Sawant is reportedly blaming the citys Democratic Party establishment for supporting the Seattle Police Departments alleged apathy. She plans to file a complaint with the Office of Police Accountability. In a statement to KIRO7, a spokesperson for Harrells office said that the reported attacks go against our core values as a city, adding that the Mayors Office was assured by the Seattle Police Department that it will follow all standard protocols and practices regarding these incidents in the appropriate manner. On Thursday, the police department released new details regarding the attack on Sawants home, including a few pictures of the suspect whom they described as an Asian man standing at around 5 feet and 4 inches tall. The department takes incidents involving public officials seriously, and investigators have canvassed for evidence, gathered information from witnesses and reviewed everything collected thus far, the Seattle Police Department wrote. At this time, the department has not found any evidence this case would meet the city or state standards for hate crime laws, but SPD will follow available leads should new information arise. Those who may have information can contact the Seattle police tip line at 206-233-5000. Featured Image via Seattle Police Department, KING5 As more than a billion Hindus around the world this week observed Diwali, the festival of lights, the appointment of one of their own as British prime minister offered a second cause for celebration. Nothing could be more auspicious than the appointment of Rishi Sunak on the day people are celebrating Diwali, Rajiv Dogra, a former Indian ambassador to the United Kingdom, said by telephone from New Delhi. Sunak, a former British finance minister and a practicing Hindu, won the race to lead the Conservative Party on Monday and was officially appointed prime minister by King Charles III on Tuesday. Narendra Modi, the prime minister of majority Hindu India, quickly congratulated him. Special Diwali wishes to the living bridge of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership, he tweeted. Indian newspapers and TV channels were already clamoring for the Sunak era Sunday after scandal-ridden Boris Johnson, whom Sunak served as finance minister, dropped his bid to return as prime minister. The reaction is of admiration, aspiration that they could get to a similar position and happiness that one of their own has got the position, Dogra said of the worldwide reaction among Hindus. paintings of Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Indranil Mukherjee / AFP - Getty Images) In the 1960s, Sunaks family emigrated from Africa to Britain, which, according to the 2021 census data, is home to almost a million Britons of Indian heritage. Born in the southern port city of Southampton, he attended Oxford University, worked at Goldman Sachs and married Akshata Murty, daughter of the Indian tech titan Narayana Murthy, a co-founder of the software giant Infosys. Many Indians are immensely proud when those who trace their roots to the country of 1.4 billion do well abroad, including figures such as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and the new Twitter CEO, Parag Agrawal. Its motivating that we have another Indian success story, and he has a sense of class in the way he conducts himself, Ricky Dhillon, 26, a London-based manager for an energy company, said by Twitter Messenger. Story continues Sunak joins a growing list of national leaders of Indian descent, which includes the leaders of Mauritius, Portugal and Suriname. And while he is often compared to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother was from India, many said his win was far more meaningful. Unlike Kamala Harris, Sunak is the numero uno in the executive, Dogra said. That position, not just in the U.K., has a symbolic value in Europe. After all, the Europeans were the colonizers. Despite his political achievements, Sunak has long avoided celebrity status in India. He garnered attention only when he practiced his religious faith openly and publicly, Ashok Swain, a professor of peace and conflict research at Uppsala University in Sweden, said in a phone interview. Sunak visited different temples in London and was seen participating in a cow ritual during his losing campaign for prime minister against Liz Truss in August. While his Hindu identity is what sets him apart and draws much fanfare, Sunak could also face intense scrutiny precisely because of it, Swain said. As a result he will probably try to protect himself from being branded as someone who always supports India and Hindus. Sunak will also have to grapple with rising tensions between Muslims and Hindus in Britain. Violence exploded on the streets of London last month, when fireworks were thrown, cars were smashed and Muslim religious symbols were desecrated. At least 160 people were arrested, according to Reuters. The coverage of Sunaks connections to India has not been entirely positive, however. Revelations that his wife, an Indian citizen, had not been paying British taxes on her foreign income through her non-domiciled status available to foreign nationals who do not consider Britain their permanent home hurt Sunak in his race against Truss in the summer. Murty, who owns a 0.9% stake in Infosys, later said she would start to pay British taxes on her global income. CORRECTION (October 26, 10:35 a.m. ET):A previous version of this article mistakenly included Jamaica on a list of countries whose leaders are of Indian descent. Its prime minister, Andrew Holness, is not of Indian descent. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com By Muyu Xu and Maxim Nazarov SINGAPORE/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian coal exports to energy-hungry China have jumped by about a third this year but the supply boom is being constrained by transport infrastructure limitations, industry sources and officials said. China is seeking coal supplies from overseas, in particular after recent COVID-19 outbreaks in the major coal mining regions of Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi forced many mines to close, while coal demand at power generation and heating sectors will soon pick up with the coming of winter. The Kremlin plans to increase its energy supplies to Asia, China in particular, to offset a slump in exports to the West, which has imposed sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine. Russia is the world's sixth-largest coal producer and one of top coal exporters, along with Indonesia and Australia. Its share of global coal exports reached 17% last year with supply of 223 million tonnes. But now with more exports heading east towards Asia as opposed to west towards Europe, bottlenecks are appearing. "Many of us were informed by the sellers that there will be delays on loading and arrivals, which causes trouble to our business," a Chinese coal trader said. Another source said that some traders were simply told by sellers or miners that a coal shipment was cancelled due to the lack of rail capacity and could be delayed for weeks. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov has acknowledged the problem with infrastructure constraints, saying this month that the situation with coal exports and congestion on the rail system had not stabilised, though it was improving. China's coal imports from Russia fell to 6.95 million tonnes last month, down from a peak of 8.54 million tonnes in August, according to China's customs data. According to Russian transport industry sources, Russia has increased coal supplies to China by railways by about a third this year, to 27.6 million tonnes in the January-August period. Story continues WINTER DEMAND But the increase in cargo traffic has led to slower deliveries. According to a Reuters analysis, it took about 12.6 days to deliver a coal cargo from fields in Siberia, such as Kuzbass, to Russia's Pacific ports in July-September, compared with 11.3 days on average in the same period last year. On average, delivery time across Russia has increased by a fifth, or 1.4 days, according to Reuters analysis of railway data, and timings may increase in the winter due to the railway congestion and port capacity limitations. "We would expect China's coal imports from Russia to decrease due to the cool weather, which will limit port loading, and the rail logistics cap will also help to put a lid on," the Chinese coal trader said. Of Russia's total of 223 million tonnes of coal exports last year, 49 million tonnes were delivered to Europe, according to the Energy Ministry. But Russia now expects its coal exports to decline in coming years due to the Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, and U.S., European Union and British embargos on Russian coal imports. According to Russian government expectations, coal exports may fall by 22% this year and by a further 31% in 2023. But at the same time, the rush of east-bound exports is getting bogged down. "A lot of railcars accumulate, congestion is formed at port stations ... Turnaround times for railcars are increasing significantly. Shippers are looking for empty railcars," a Russian transport industry source said. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia plans to increase the capacity of its infrastructure, including that of its eastern ports, where capacity is expected to increase by between 55 million tonnes and 211 million tonnes per year by 2031 from 150 million tonnes now. (Reporting by Maxim Nazarov and Gleb Stolyarov in Moscow and Muyu Xu in Singapore; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Robert Birsel) DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian authorities have made more arrests in "the case of French spies", the judiciary spokesperson said on Tuesday, saying those newly detained had been accused of "conspiracy and collusion" with the aim of harming national security. France lashed out at Iran for "dictatorial practices" and taking two of its citizens hostage earlier this month after a video aired in which they appeared to confess to spying. France has condemned their arrest and demanded the pair's immediate release. Irans judiciary spokesperson Masoud Setayeshi, during a weekly news conference, did not say how many more arrests had been made in what he called the "case of the French spies", nor give their nationalities or any other details. "In this case, other arrests have been made and the chain of information is about to be completed and will be announced as soon as it is finalized," he said, adding that the investigation was moving swiftly. Iran's intelligence ministry said in May it had arrested two Europeans for allegedly fomenting "insecurity" in Iran, where people have been protesting since Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police last month. Irans state media often air purported confessions by suspects in politically charged cases. In the video aired earlier this month, one of the two - Cecile Kohler - said they were in Iran to "prepare the ground for the revolution and the overthrow of the regime of Islamic Iran". The video sparked outrage in Paris with the Foreign Ministry saying for the first time that the two citizens, along with two others also being held in Iran, were "state hostages". It said the alleged confessions extracted under duress had no basis and neither did reasons given for their arbitrary arrest. Iran has repeatedly accused foreign adversaries such as the United States and Israel of stoking the unrest ignited by the death of 22-year-old Amini, who died in morality police custody after being arrested for "inappropriate attire". Amini's death and a deadly state crackdown on the protests have prompted several Western states to condemn Tehran and impose new sanctions on Iranian officials, further souring already strained diplomatic ties. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Kari Lake, the Arizona Republican candidate for governor and former Fox 10 Phoenix news anchor, seems to be everywhere lately. Earlier this month, the Atlantic declared her Trumpisms leading lady, then spent more than 3,500 words explaining why. The Washington Post elaborated a few days later. [Lake] has emerged as a Republican phenom by amplifying Donald Trumps lie that the 2020 election was stolen, read the subhead of its even longer profile. Last week, Axios went several steps further and reported that top Democratic strategists now believe Lake has the potential to soar to a vice presidential spot or a post-Trump presidential candidacy. Kari Lake, Republican candidate for Arizona governor, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas in August. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) If you get a candidate who has the performance skills of a major-market local TV anchor and the philosophy and thinking of Steve Bannon, thats a potent and dangerous combination, Barack Obama guru David Axelrod told the site. Look at Italy." By last weekend, Lake was sparring with Dana Bash live on CNN and sparking yet another media tizzy by refusing to say that she will accept the result if she loses in November. Im going to win the election and I will accept that result, Lake said (twice). It remains to be seen, of course, whether she can actually defeat her opponent, Democrat Katie Hobbs. Long considered the frontrunner, Hobbs, the Arizona secretary of state, made her own national headlines for holding the line against relentless right-wing efforts to overturn Trumps 2020 loss there. Until recently, Hobbs had never trailed Lake in the polls; in August, she led by an average of 7 percentage points. But now its Lake who appears to have the momentum and a modest lead. Part of the problem, local observers say, is that the subdued, soft-spoken Hobbs has proved to be a limp campaigner whose unwillingness to debate Lake has become almost as much of an issue as the issues themselves. Arizona gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs, once the frontrunner, is currently trailing Lake. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Hobbs is a mediocre Democratic politician, and shes running a mediocre race, Robert Robb, a longtime columnist for the Arizona Republic and a former GOP political consultant, told Yahoo News. So its no surprise that Lakes competitive. It's still a Republican-leaning state in a Republican-leaning year. Story continues But others see Lakes own telegenic talent as the bigger factor. The national media has made much of what one might call her style: the familiar pixie cut; the large silver cross she took to wearing for protection shortly before she announced her campaign; the impossibly smooth skin showcased in ethereal campaign videos. And then theres the power of her voice deep but still feminine; firm, even severe, but smooth, as the Atlantic put it. Like black tea with a little honey. Shes a local celebrity, Arizona pollster and political consultant Paul Bentz told Yahoo News. Shes great with an audience. Shes great on camera. Shes a more polished version of Trump. And because of all that, she's put herself in a position where shes tied this thing up. For all their primary-season success, MAGA candidates havent exactly been taking purple states like Arizona by storm. In Pennsylvania, for example, hard-right state Sen. Doug Mastriano is lagging well behind his Democratic opponent for governor. And although hes risen some in recent surveys, the GOPs 36-year-old nominee for U.S. Senate in Arizona, Blake Masters, is still polling behind Lake. So what makes Lake different? At first, Arizona Democrats were publicly rooting for her to beat establishment rival Karrin Taylor Robson in the GOP primary; no less of an authority than former Gov. Janet Napolitano told the New York Times in August that Lake was a one-trick pony who would be easier to defeat in November. If this is an election about Trump and 2020 in Arizona, then Democrats will win, Napolitano said. Leading Arizona Democrats even tried to tip the scales for Lake by touting Robsons past donations to Democratic candidates. Donald Trump with Lake at a rally in Mesa, Ariz., Oct. 9. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) Now they may come to regret that decision. We wanted these extreme candidates on the Republican side, Roy Herrera, the Arizona state counsel for Joe Bidens 2020 campaign, told the Times. Now we got them and, you know, are we sure we wanted that? By any normal standard, Lake remains one of 2022s most out-there figures. In the wake of the 2020 election, Arizonas far-right Republican activists and legislators pushed hard to reverse Trumps 10,457-vote loss the narrowest margin of any state in the country. But not a single one of the 24 challenges filed in Maricopa, the states largest county, since Nov. 3, 2020, was upheld in court. Multiple audits (including a private count funded by Trump supporters) found zero evidence of fraud; in fact, the partisan GOP audit actually widened Bidens margin of victory by 360 votes. Yet Lake has described Biden as an illegitimate fool who is president only because the election was stolen and corrupt. She has unapologetically promoted nearly every debunked conspiracy theory about 2020. Years later, she continues to demand the decertification of the Arizona result. Were already detecting some stealing going on, she said in the lead-up to her primary. If we dont win, theres some cheating going on. Lake has also suggested that the Second Amendment protects ownership of rocket launchers. She told a summit of young conservative women that God did not create us to be equal to men. She has threatened to imprison Hobbs for fictional election-rigging offenses. She has threatened to imprison journalists as well. She has appeared with QAnon-linked activists at campaign events. She has vowed to deport undocumented immigrants without federal approval. And she has accused Biden and the Democrats of harboring a demonic agenda. Lake at a campaign stop in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Oct. 7. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) None of these positions is mainstream. Yet Lake may soon show that with the right combination of poise, polish and bravado, none of them has to be disqualifying either not even in a swing state like Arizona. Its all based on personality, Bentz told Yahoo News. I mean, shes an incredible actress. Its not clear how much of this stuff she believes. Maybe its all of it. But she is absolutely the partys next great communicator. And thats why Democrats like Axelrod are starting to think that Lake might be one of the most dangerous politicians in America. The danger, according to democracy advocates, isnt so much that Lake might beat Hobbs and implement the policies we expect from Republican governors. Rather, they worry that, given the chance, she will try to steal the 2024 presidential election for the GOP nominee. If Lake and her Republican ticketmates and fellow 2020 election deniers Mark Finchem (secretary of state) and Abraham Hamadeh (attorney general) win as well, they and Arizonas almost-certain-to-be-Republican-led Legislature could make all kinds of changes to help Trump win the state two years from now, regardless of the actual results. For his part, Finchem who argues that Marxists conspired to manipulate the 2020 election, that people cast ballots with software that flips votes and that Biden is a fraudulent president has already said he would ban early voting and sharply restrict mail-in ballots. More worryingly, hes thrown his weight behind efforts to empower the state Legislature to overturn election results. In May, Finchem assured his supporters that if he had been secretary of state last time around, we would have won. Plain and simple. Last month, he implied to Time magazine that he would not certify the states electoral votes for Biden in 2024. Mark Finchem, GOP candidate for Arizona secretary of state. (Matt York/AP) I'm extremely concerned about candidates who make false claims about the 2020 election and who applaud the things that were done to not only discredit the results, but to undermine the results and change the outcome, Robb, the former GOP strategist, said. [Lake and Finchem] are not forswearing doing that again in the future. Thats deeply worrying. But the stakes go beyond 2024. The hope among Democrats not to mention many Trump-wary Republicans was that only Trump, with his all-consuming celebrity and shameless showmanship, could really sell pure, uncut Trumpism to the masses, and that without him MAGA would wither. Lake's emergence, however, suggests a new way forward for Trumpism after Trump. The youngest of nine eight girls and one boy Lake grew up off a gravel road in rural eastern Iowa. Her father was a public high school teacher; her mother was a nurse. My family was very poor, she has said. You had to work if you wanted shampoo. Describing Lake as someone who sought attention in the newsroom, a former Fox colleague recently told the Washington Post that everything starts with her being the ninth of nine kids. But when a reporter from Phoenix magazine asked Lake how her childhood shaped her, she batted the question away. Ive read that young kids in big families sometimes have to fight for recognition and attention, the reporter asked. We had to fight for food, not recognition, Lake shot back. A sign depicting Lake as Rosie the Riveter, seen at a Tucson, Ariz., rally in October. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters) Either way, the spotlight found her soon enough. A few months after graduating from the University of Iowa, she was on the air as a weekend weather anchor in her native state; by the time she was 25, she was doing the same job in Phoenix. Lake went on to spend 22 years as a Fox 10 anchor, mostly covering the evening news and becoming a household name in the process. I am beloved by people, and Im not saying that to be boastful, she told the New York Times in August. I was in their homes for the good times and the bad times. It was a successful career she was one of the few local news anchors to land interviews with both Obama and Trump but it ended last year in controversy. Although Lake was reportedly a Republican before she donated to John Kerry in 2004 then registered as an independent in 2006, a Democrat in 2008 and a Republican again in 2012 she didnt come off as conservative. In fact, Fox colleagues have described her as a head-over-heels Obama fan who dabbled in Buddhism, wore a red Kabbalah string around her wrist and befriended John McCains son Jimmy as well as popular Phoenix drag queen Barbra Seville. (Lake was the queen of the gays! a former co-worker told the Atlantic.) A primary attack ad in July from the campaign of Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson attempts to portray Lake as a supporter of former President Barack Obama. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) In 2016, Lake pitched mass amnesty as a humane and fair solution for the roughly 11 million immigrants living in America illegally. In 2017, she shared a meme on Facebook declaring Trumps inauguration a national day of mourning and protest. But something flipped after Trump took office. In 2018, Fox 10 hung a widescreen monitor in the newsroom to rank on-air talent by social media likes, retweets and replies; that same year, Lake took to her official Fox 10 Twitter account to dismiss a movement for teacher pay raises as nothing more than a push to legalize pot. Although she later apologized, colleagues noticed a shift. When she found something that garnered attention, one told Phoenix magazine, she gravitated toward that. In 2019, Lake joined the right-wing social media platform Parler. Viewers complained; lawyers got involved. F*** them, Lake said, on a hot mic, when her co-anchor warned that the station could get blowback from outlets like the local alt-weekly. She later described the next year or so when she started retweeting debunked COVID-19 misinformation and clashing with producers over calling Biden the president-elect as the period in which I got canceled. Thats when all of this started going downhill, Fox 10s former human resources director told the Washington Post. Her thing became, Its freedom of speech, I have the right to say what I want to say. In March 2021, Lake resigned. Journalism has changed a lot since I first stepped into a newsroom, and Ill be honest, I dont like the direction its going, she said in a video posted to Rumble. I found myself reading news copy that I didnt believe was fully truthful, or only told part of the story. ... Ive decided the time is right to do something else. She launched her campaign for governor three months later. Lake has explained her transformation as typical: a lifelong Republican becoming disenchanted with the overseas adventurism of the George W. Bush era, then reverting back to her roots. She claims to be in good company, citing other famous party switchers such as Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump and Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward. Lake at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Aug. 5. (LM Otero/AP) None of which, of course, has stopped rivals from questioning her sincerity. I believe shes an opportunist, Robson, her primary opponent, told Fox News shortly before the August election. Shes actually a fraud, a fake. Shes not who she says she is. Shes a fabulous actress. Old colleagues have advanced more nuanced theories. The only thing I can come up with in watching this is that her conservative views, little by little, brought her power and recognition that she had never felt before, Marlene Galan-Woods, another former Channel 10 anchor, told the Post. Its intoxicating. The Kool-Aid is the power and all these people fawning over you you forget what the truth is anymore. Whatever Lake really believes, however, most observers seem to agree on one thing: She knows how to perform. The power of her MAGA magnetism and the unusual skill set she brings to the table have been on full display in the closing days of the campaign. Two moments in particular stand out. The first came Sunday, Oct. 9, at a Trump rally in Mesa, just east of Phoenix. Lake spoke in complete, composed sentences without notes, or a teleprompter, or a single crutch phrase like um. But more important than how the former newscaster spoke is what she spoke about. Or rather, what she didnt. Lake at a rally in Mesa, Ariz., on Oct. 9. (Matt York/AP) Instead of fanciful election denialism, she focused on mainstream, meat-and-potatoes fare: Her plan for more career and technical education opportunities; her plan to counter what she calls Bidenflation by barring local government from taxing groceries or rent payments; her push to secure the border so that fentanyl stops kill[ing] our babies; her desire to replace the woke garbage with common sense in public school education; her call for tough love to get [unhoused] people into treatment. In her framing, the new Republican Party the party, presumably, of Trump and Lake isnt the party of very fine people on both sides and Jan. 6. Rather, its the most inclusive party in the history of politics. I dont care if you think youre a Democrat. If you dont like the way the Democrat Party is going, chances are youre a Republican, Lake said, throwing open her arms. We dont care what color your skin is. We dont care what zip code you come from. We love all of you. And if you like common-sense solutions, then welcome. In July, the last time Trump stumped for her in Arizona, Lake had railed about a stolen election five times during [her] 20-minute speech, according to the Arizona Republic. Now her message was tailored for the broader electorate. One-third of Arizona voters are Latino; one-third are independents. To win in November, a Republican like Lake cant afford to just rile up the base. Lake supporters cheer their candidate in Mesa, Ariz. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) If the focus is on whos a potential rising star within the MAGA universe, Lake is a contender, said Robb. She does unquestionably well with Trump crowds and with Trump. But shes got a way to go in the next few weeks just to squeak out a victory that ought to be a walk in the park for a Republican candidate for governor. The second moment came exactly one week later, after a Black Voices for Kari event at Phoenixs Bobby-Q barbecue restaurant. Lake might not have mentioned 2020, but the press did. Over the weekend your name was trending everywhere, a reporter said right out of the gate. And most of [those mentions] were asking, Is she an election denier? Lake didnt hesitate. Lets talk about election deniers, she said as an aide handed her what was presumably a GOP research document. Heres 150 examples of Democrats denying election results. She mentioned Hillary Clinton saying that Trump is an illegitimate president. She mentioned 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams who is running again in 2022 claiming she never lost. She even invoked Al Gore, who won the popular vote in 2000 but lost the election to George W. Bush after conservative Supreme Court justices stopped the recount in Florida. Since 2000, people have questioned the legitimacy of our elections, Lake said. And all we are asking is, in the future, we dont have to have that happen anymore. Trump has been a big booster of Lake's candidacy. Here they are at a "Save America" rally in July. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Never mind that Lakes argument here that her denialism, and by extension Trumps, is just politics as usual, and nothing to worry about bears little resemblance to reality. Trumps refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, and the embrace of his conspiracy theories by Republicans nationwide, is without parallel in American history. Regardless, Lake sounded like she believed every word of what she was saying. The next morning, she posted a video of the exchange on Twitter. It now has more than 2.1 million views. Coca-Cola's (KO) better-than-expected earnings report on Tuesday could be a sign of what lies ahead for the beverage giant as it rolls out a potential home-run product with Jack Daniel's whiskey. "I think the Jack Daniel's and Coca-Cola [ready-to-drink] cocktail could be something interesting," Wedbush analyst Gerald Pascarelli said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above). "When you just look at the brand equity of the Coca-Cola trademark as well as Jack Daniel's, and you look at some of the trends within alcoholic beverages and distilled spirits in particular, where prepared cocktails are the fastest-growing segment, that could be something meaningful just given the brand equity of both of those products." Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels owner Brown-Forman (BF-A, BF-B) announced a new agreement in late June to distribute the Jack & Coke canned cocktail. The product, which channels a favorite drink ordered at bars for decades, will contain about 5% alcohol and will come in full-sugar and zero-sugar options. The Jack & Coke cocktail. (Coca-Cola) The cans will have "clear responsibility symbols" to prevent underage drinking, the companies noted in a joint statement, which also said they are committed to "responsible marketing practices." Coke told investors on its earnings call Tuesday it was "excited" about the product's launch in Mexico this quarter. The product line will hit additional markets in 2023, Coke said. For Coca-Cola, the Jack & Coke cocktail marks the latest example of the company's long-awaited move into the alcohol market. The company's internal bureaucracy previously held it back from going whole hog into alcohol, a logical extension of its business, but that mindset has changed under CEO James Quincey as he looks to boost sales by selling drinks for different use cases. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola inked a deal with beer and wine maker Constellation Brands (STZ) to distribute alcoholic Fresca. Story continues "First of all, Fresca fits in with a lot of consumer trends," Constellation Brands CEO Bill Newlands told Yahoo Finance Live about the launch. "It's refreshing, it's convenient, and it's low calorie obviously. We were surprised that over 50% of Fresca drinkers already mix it with alcoholic beverages. So it seemed like a natural fit to be able to bring that to market in ready-to-serve form." Around the same time, Coca-Cola also unveiled a deal with Molson Coors to roll out Topo Chico hard seltzer. "We are excited about the potential for this brand," Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley told Yahoo Finance Live about the drink. Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn. Click here for the latest trending stock tickers of the Yahoo Finance platform Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube Chief executive officer of Twitter Inc and Square Inc Jack Dorsey. Photo: Chesnot/Getty Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's new Bluesky Social app is now accepting users for beta testing, and is set to launch "soon". The highly anticipated social media project has been described as a rival to Twitter (TWTR) and is set to challenge existing social media platforms like Facebook (META), Instagram and Snapchat (SNAP). On Tuesday, Bluesky announced the roadmap of its decentralised social network protocol, which will be the underlying code behind the app. Importantly, it says user data will be free from governmental influence and controlled by users rather than commercialised by a corporation, a move which could revolutionise the personal data economy. The app's code will allow user account data to be moved from platform to platform. Bluesky users will be able to use their account to log in to any social media account that adopts the new code. So a single account will give them access to all of their favourite social media. Read more: What will save the metaverse from becoming a 'ghost town'? Furthermore, the owners of those applications would not have control over Bluesky users' data. In 2021 Dorsey said that blockchain was a way decentralised social networks could implement open and durable hosting, governance, and even monetisation". The crypto-sphere lit up with talk of a Twitter-backed decentralised social media platform, but on a closer look, the tech behind the new development will not sit on top of a blockchain. On Thursday, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber tweeted: "I'm confident in our decision to not put social media content on a blockchain." She added: "It's blockchain optional and blockchain agnostic. I personally wouldn't build a system that backs up your posts on-chain." The development team described the app as a protocol for large-scale distributed social applications that will allow for account portability, algorithmic choice, interoperability and performance". Story continues Watch: Martin Scorsese's producer sees NFT's as the future of film finance | The Crypto Mile Will Bluesky Social be a competitor to Twitter? In May 2022, Twitter co-founder Dorsey stepped down as CEO of the social media platform he co-founded in 2006. Dorsey said Bluesky Social will be "a competitor to any company trying to own the underlying fundamentals for social media or the data of the people using it". Dorsey said Twitter could also use the underlying structure of the protocol being designed. He added: The goal is for Twitter to ultimately be a client of this standard". Jack Dorsey responded to the question of whether Bluesky Social will be a competitor to Twitter. Photo: Twitter The development of the new protocol will be conducted in the spirit of transparency and decentralisation. When Dorsey launched the project he said: The work must be done transparently in the open, not owned by any single private corporation, furthering the open and decentralised principles of the internet. The development team tweeted: "The AT Protocol is a new federated social network. It integrates ideas from the latest decentralised technologies into a simple, fast, and open network." The new app could disrupt the world's multi-trillion-dollar data economy If users are able to access social media platforms without handing over control of their data, this could have a big impact on the world's multi-trillion-dollar personal data economy. In 2017 the World Economic Forum (WEF) valued the global data economy at $3tn (2.65tn). A July 2022 policy report from Cambridge University found that data-driven firms based in the US alone were worth over $5tn. According to the WEF, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are produced every day, and 90% of all data that has ever been produced was created in the last two years. The Bluesky move comes at a time of escalating conflict between the value of data and individual privacy and consent. The AT Protocol is a new federated social network. It integrates ideas from the latest decentralized technologies into a simple, fast, and open network.https://t.co/ri1wR4AX3e bluesky (@bluesky) October 18, 2022 While data has no inherent value, its use does, with broad applications from targeted advertising, to manufacturing and the innovations provided by the Internet of Things and agriculture. Many companies are now making the exchange of data the main source or object of their business. Bluesky was organised by Twitter as a non-profit initiative in 2019 and is currently in a research phase. After the 2019 launch, Twitters then-CEO Jack Dorsey said: "It will allow Twitter to access and contribute to a much larger corpus of public conversation, focus our efforts on building open recommendation algorithms which promote healthy conversation, and will force us to be far more innovative than in the past." Read more: This AI tool threatens human creativity and the art world is worried Bluesky is owned by the development team itself, without any controlling stake held by Twitter. The development foundation said that both they and Twitter have realised that independence is important to the success of the project. They deliberately established themselves as an independent foundation in 2019 to ensure that their development was not compromised and could serve the broadest possible interests. What will Elon Musk do? Photo: NTB/Carina Johansen/Reuters Twitter under Elon Musk With Tesla (TSLA) boss Elon Musk possibly becoming the new owner of Twitter, will he support the new decentralised application being developed by Bluesky? An insight into the ethos behind Dorsey's decentralised Bluesky project can be glimpsed in text messages that he sent to Musk amid the latter's bid to purchase Twitter. Last month, documents released amid the ongoing litigation between Musk and Twitter revealed how Dorsey had suggested that Twitter cant have an advertising model". Musk has hinted at a new revenue model for the social media platform if he secures his $44bn acquisition of Twitter. According to The New York Times, Musk plans for advertising as a source of revenue on Twitter to fall to 45% of total revenue, down from around 90% in 2020. Read more: Martin Scorsese's producer Niels Juul sees NFTs as the future of film finance The gap filled by loss of advertising income would be filled by a subscription model, expanding Twitter's payments service and data licensing. In the now-public message exchange Dorsey wrote to Musk: "If Twitter has a centralised entity behind it, it will be attacked". Here Dorsey could be alluding to the growing sentiment towards decentralised web3 organisational models, and his regret at taking Twitter public in 2013. In August he said: "The biggest issue and my biggest regret is that it became a company". Musk said in response: "I think it's worth both trying to move Twitter in a better direction and doing something new that's decentralised." Bluesky did not respond to Yahoo Finance UK's request for comment. Watch: This AI tool could kill human creativity and is worrying the art world | The Crypto Mile James Corden has admitted that he made a rude, rude comment to a waiter in a New York City restaurant, after the owner temporarily banned him for his alleged behaviour. The comedian, who previously said he had done nothing wrong to warrant the ban, added that it was never my intention to upset the staff at Balthazar. The Late Late Show host addressed the incident during the latest episode of his talk show and vowed to apologise to the staff in person the next time he is in the city. It comes after Balthazar owner Keith McNally described Corden as a tiny cretin of a man for allegedly making nasty comments and demands of his restaurant workers on two occasions. In an Instagram post, he declared he had 86d the comedian from his restaurant and Corden was no longer welcome there. However, McNally rescinded the ban shortly after and claimed that Corden had apologised profusely and all was forgiven in a second post. But Corden later told the New York Times: I havent done anything wrong, on any level I just think its beneath all of us. Speaking on his CBS show on Monday night (24 October), Corden said: Because I didnt shout or scream, I didnt get out of my seat, I didnt call anyone names or use derogatory language, Ive been walking around thinking that I havent done anything wrong. But the truth is I have made a rude, rude comment. And it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment, it was ungracious to the server. The Cats star continued to say he contacted McNally immediately after seeing the restaurateurs initial post to tell him how upset I was. [I told him] how upset I was that anybody was hurt by anything that I had done and anything that I had said and we had a good talk, he said. He appreciated the call. I was happy that we got to clear the air. And I felt like we dealt with it privately But by this point, the story was out there and more people were upset. Corden continued: It was never my intention. It just wasnt. I love that restaurant. I love the staff there. Story continues I hope Im allowed in again one day so when Im back in New York, I can go there and apologise in person, which is something I will absolutely do. Following Cordens interview in the New York Times, McNally posted another Instagram update and called on the comedian to apologise to his staff in person. He wrote on Friday (21 October): If this supremely talented actor wants to retrieve the respect he had from all his fans (all four of them) before this incident, then he should at least admit he did wrong. If he goes one step further and apologises to the two servers he insulted, Ill let him eat for free at Balthazar for the next 10 years. McNally, who frequently posts controversial content on his Instagram, has not yet responded to Cordens latest statement. Tuesday is a big day for JetBlue and its customers at Orlando International Airport. >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<< The airline becomes the anchor tenant at OIAs brand new Terminal C. READ: USAF Thunderbirds to headline Orlando Air and Space Show this weekend JetBlue is the only U.S. carrier to operate out of the recently-completed terminal. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. JetBlue officially becomes Terminal C's anchor tenant at Orlando Int'l Airport on Tuesday. The airlines original goal was to fully relocate to Terminal C on Sept. 27. But an approaching tropical depression, which later became Hurricane Ian, dampened that plan. READ: Powerball jackpot hits $680M after no one wins Mondays top prize On Oct. 11, JetBlues international arrivals moved into the state-of-the-art terminal. Airlines Relocation On October 11th, @JetBlue moved their international arrivals to Terminal C. The relocation of JetBlue's international departures & domestic arrivals/departures will be on October 25th. @iflycaribbean relocation to Terminal C will take place on October 28th. pic.twitter.com/SOnmS6aDyB Orlando International Airport (@MCO) October 12, 2022 Now, two weeks later, JetBlues full-on move-in has become a reality, with international departures and domestic arrivals and departures also based at Terminal C. The airline boasts 10 gates there. READ: Central Florida Zoo to reopen weeks after Hurricane Ian flooding forced closure WFTV was at OIA Tuesday morning and watched as JetBlue passengers appeared to pass smoothly through the ticketing area. JetBlue joins other carriers like Caribbean Airlines, Emirates and Aer Lingus that have already settled into Terminal C at Orlando International Airport. 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. Johnny Depp will embark on a UK tour with his band the Hollywood Vampires next summer. The rock supergroup which consists of Alice Cooper, Aerosmiths Joe Perry and Depp were previously forced to cancel their 2020 tour due to the pandemic. The band will visit venues across London, Swansea, Glasgow, and more, covering tracks from some of Britains best-loved rock musicians including David Bowie, The Who and Led Zeppelin. Describing themselves as the best bar band in the world, the Hollywood Vampires formed in 2012. Theyre named after The Hollywood Vampires club, which was a celebrity hot spot formed by Cooper in the 1970s. Cooper explained how it had been difficult to get the tour scheduled due to members clashing schedules. I cant wait to get back with the guys, I really love being in that band. My band is great and wonderful, but playing with the Vampires is an entirely different situation, Cooper said. Itll be great to see Johnny and Joe and Buck and Chris and all the guys, he added. Well be rocking these places, especially the UK, I cant wait to get to the UK! Lock your doors, put garlic all around, because the Vampires are coming!" Perry said: Next Summer it will be finally time for the Hollywood Vampires to rise again! We cant wait to play the songs from our latest album, Rise, for all our fans across the pond. San Francisco band The Tubes will be supporting on all UK Tour dates (excluding Scarborough). Earlier this year, Depp was involved in a high-profile defamation trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard, who alleged that he had abused her. Heard was ultimately found by a jury to have defamed Depp by implying he abused her in a 2018 op-ed published by The Washington Post. The Aquaman star was ordered to pay Depp $10m (8m) in compensatory damages and $5m (4m) in punitive damages. However, the jury also awarded Herad $2m (1.6m) in a countersuit, ruling that one of Depps attorneys had defamed her by characterising her abuse allegations as a hoax. Johnny Depp was pictured visiting his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, over the weekend (Jeff Day/Facebook) Johnny Depp was pictured making a surprise visit to his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, over the weekend as he reunited with his loved ones. Depp, 59, was seen posing for photos with fans during his trip as they were told to keep his visit a secret until his departure, Fox19Now reported. The actor had passed through en route to his next tourstop of Louisville with Jeff Beck. Depps hometown return comes after he won his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard in June, after he sued Heard, 36, over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed article. It is now being rumoured that the actor is set to return to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which he was previously dropped from following his legal battle with Heard. Depp reunited with loved ones in his hometown during a tour pitstop en route to Louisville (Jeff Day/Facebook) Depp is reported to be in talks with Disney over a $300 million deal to step back into the role, which he first took on 17 years ago, before finally bowing out in the 2017 film Dead Men Tell No Tales. According to Poptopic, the actor was reached out to by Disney in the hopes that he would consider returning. An insider said: They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another pirate film or two. The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 and a spin-off Disney Plus series about the early life of the Captain of The Black Pearl. The actor and musician was said to have told locals not to report his Kentucky visit until he left (Jeff Day/Facebook) They added: What I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character. The source said that Disney reportedly also offered to give a sizable donation to a charity of Depps wishes in effort to coax him back into the role. Following Depps boot from the sixth Pirates movie, he told the jury in the defamation trial that he would not work with Disney again, as he felt guilty until proven innocent by Disney executives. Disney production chief Sean Bailey confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Depp was no longer part of the franchise in 2018, in a bid for a new direction of the movies. One of the regions largest construction firms has landed its largest individual project contract ever in the region. Joseph B. Fay, the North Side-based subsidiary of S&B USA, recently was awarded a $270 million contract from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to take on its Beaver River Bridge project. The project, slated for a stretch of the Beaver County community of North Sewickley Township, calls for replacing a steel deck truss bridge built in 1953 with two new parallel cast-in-place segmental bridges. Its a project expected to total 1,645 feet in length and include new 385-foot bridge spans. Click here to read more from the Pittsburgh Business Times. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Pennsylvania Senate Debate: Fetterman, Oz to face off tonight exclusively on Channel 11 Filming in Elizabeth to include simulated explosives, pyrotechnics Winning Powerball ticket sold in Allegheny County VIDEO: Business owner reacts to 2 recent shootings on East Carson Street DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar, center, flanked by Stockton Chief Stanley McFadden, left, and ATF San Francisco Field Division, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson speaks about the arraignment of alleged serial killer Wesley Brownlee during a news conference at the DA's office in downtown Stockton on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. An attorney for the man prosecutors allege shot three men to death in Stockton starting in August urged a judge Monday to bar the district attorney and Stockton Police Department from addressing the media about Wesley Brownlee's case outside of court, arguing it would bias a jury against Brownlee. "What's at risk here is Mr. Brownlee's fundamental right to due process," public defender Allison Nobert told Judge Xapuri Villapudua in San Joaquin County Superior Court on Monday. Nobert described statements District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar made to the media about the case as "a war cry" and "exactly the kind of mob mentality" the court should aim to protect against. Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden speaks at a press conference at the Stockton Police department about a possible serial killer in Stockton. On Monday, Oct. 24, an attorney for a man charged with three counts of murder in connection with three of the killings asked a judge to limit police and prosecutors' communication with media throughout the case. In response, prosecutor Elton Grau said, "all [the DA has] articulated is that the evidence is there, that it is beyond a reasonable doubt, and that we're going to [prosecute] those three murders." A spokesperson for Verber-Salazar could not immediately be reached for comment. Brownlee, who appeared in court for Monday's hearing, was charged with three counts of murder in San Joaquin County court on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Prosecutors claim he fatally shot six men one in Oakland and five in Stockton in isolated areas after dark, and wounded a woman in the seventh shooting in Stockton. Authorities have shared little information about evidence in the case against Brownlee. Suspect 'kept to himself': Man charged with deaths in Stockton, Oakland was isolated and quiet, says neighbor Nobert cited coverage of Verber Salazar's and McFadden's statements in The New York Times, NBC, ABC, The Record and other outlets in urging the judge to limit their communication with the media outside of court. "I'm not asking to keep the media out of the courtroom," she said. Villapudua is scheduled to rule on the public defender's request at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers public safety. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. This article originally appeared on The Record: Gag order could limit DA, police comments in Stockton killings case Shortly after a Cumberland County judge ruled Tuesday that body camera footage be released in a case involving a woman who claims she was wrongly detained by police last month, the woman announced she has filed a lawsuit against the city, Fayetteville Police department, officers and police chief.Ja'Lana Dunlap-Banks, 22, a property manager for AVA Real Estate, says she was unconstitutionally detained and handcuffed by two Fayetteville police officers Sept. 6 while checking on a property in north Fayetteville. Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the city of Fayetteville, the Fayetteville Police Department, Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins, Officer Ryan Haddock, Detective Amanda Bell and "John and Jane Doe's 1-100," Harry Daniels, one of Dunlap-Banks' lawyers and a prominent civil rights attorney, said during a news conference outside of the Federal Courthouse in Fayetteville on Tuesday. Daniels said the John and Jane Doe defendants are stand-ins for the police officers who were at the scene but have yet to be identified by Dunlap-Banks' legal team. Related: Woman says Fayetteville cops wrongly handcuffed her and took her ID; now she plans to sue "We are here seeking justice on behalf of Ms. Dunlap," Daniels said. "What happened to her should not happen." The lawsuit alleges Dunlap-Banks' First, Fourth and 14th amendment rights were violated and claims the officers' actions that day constituted false imprisonment and assault and battery. Additionally, the suit alleges negligence on the officers' parts and says Dunlap-Banks faced "severe emotional distress" as a result. "Ms. Dunlap has suffered significantly in this matter," Daniels said. "I firmly believe that if she was a different color, this would never have happened." According to the lawsuit, Dunlap-Banks, who has sickle cell anemia, began to hyperventilate during her interaction with the officers and vomited on herself. Daniels said Dunlap-Banks had to resign from her position after the incident, as her job as a property manager required her to go to private properties and she feared a similar incident would occur. Story continues The news conference came shortly after a Cumberland County Judge Jim Ammons ruled that video taken by police body cameras be released. The Fayetteville Police Department and Dunlap-Banks filed motions petitioning the court for the release of the footage. In North Carolina, body camera footage can only be released by order of the court. "I think the interest for both of us is to publicly release," Michael Rose Whyte, an attorney for the Fayetteville Police Department, said during the brief hearing. Daniels said he expects Dunlap-Banks and her team would be able to view the footage later Tuesday. During the news conference, Daniels called for Hawkins and the Fayetteville Police Department to further publicly address the matter. In an Oct. 11 news release, issued by the Fayetteville Police Department after cellphone video Dunlap Banks filmed of the incident was shared on social media, Hawkins said that the department's Internal Affairs Unit was expediting an investigation into the matter and that she would be filing a motion with the courts for release of the body camera footage. Hawkins said the encounter with Dunlap-Banks occurred half a mile from a location where a potentially violent person had fled police. "What is she going to do to these officers?" Daniels said. "Is she going to slap them on the wrist and put them back on the wrist until something else happens? If you don't address it now, the next press conference we're going to have, it's going to be a press conference for something these officers have done (while) armed to somebody till they're not standing here to have a discussion." More:Deadly friendship: Fayetteville mother says four charged in son's killing were his friends Dunlap-Banks said she filed the lawsuit to seek justice for herself and others in her position. "I really just want to speak up for people who can't speak up for themselves," she said. "Also, for the people who things happen like this to them and they don't say anything to nobody and they don't tell anybody, I just want to make it clear that you have to speak up for yourself. You have to demand respect, whether they wear a badge or whether they're just regular folks. "If you're wearing that badge, if you're wearing a uniform, then you're supposed to protect and serve, not harm innocent people." Dunlap-Banks' attorney Xavier de Janon said Fayetteville police officers have a long history of attacking innocent Black and Brown people, and this lawsuit is intended to seek justice for those residents, too. De Janon referenced several Fayetteville residents who died or were injured in alleged police brutality cases, including Jada Johnson, 22, who was shot and killed by police in July, and Justin Livesay, 40, who was fatally shot by police in September. "This is not an issue of a couple bad apples, because we're seeing that the tree is rotten," de Janon said. "We're seeing that the roots are rotten. So when we demand justice for Miss Ja'Lana, we demand justice for these people, too, and for the other Black and Brown people of Fayetteville who might suffer when they meet the police, again and again and again." Daniels, by phone Tuesday, challenged the Fayetteville Police Department's claim that the officers involved were looking for a violent suspect who had last been seen half a mile away from the property. He said his team obtained police radio traffic implying there were no potentially violent suspects nearby. "The only person they was looking for was 20 miles away," he said. More:Woman says Fayetteville cops wrongly handcuffed her and took her ID; now she plans to sue Sgt. Alpha Caldwell, a spokesperson for the Fayetteville Police Department, said Tuesday she did not know when the footage would be publicly released. Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com. Special Subscription Offers This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Judge orders body cam footage released in Ja'Lana Dunlap-Banks case PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A judge declined a request by developers of a $1 billion power line to resume construction, keeping the project on hold until a judge's decision next year on the constitutionality of a referendum that halted the project. The judge on Friday rejected an injunction by the New England Clean Energy Connect and said the case is on a "fast track" for a trial in April. In this file photo, a homemade sign is posted on a telephone pole in protest of Central Maine Power's controversial hydropower transmission corridor in Jackman, Maine. Developers suggested the project is at a "tipping point" where delays could cause Massachusetts, which is funding the project, to walk away. The project, which would supply enough Canadian hydropower for 1 million homes in New England, received regulatory approvals but voters rejected the project in a referendum after construction had begun. The proposal calls for a 145-mile (230-kilometer) power line from Canada into Maine, where it could connect to the regional power grid. Most if it would follow existing utility corridors but new section had to be cut through 53 miles (85 kilometers) of woods to reach the Canadian border. Supporters say the project is a bold step in reducing carbon in the atmosphere and would moderate electric rates in the region. Critics say those benefits are overstated and must be weighed against destruction of woodland habitat. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Judge rejects bid to resume construction on $1B power line from Canada into Maine A Milwaukee County judge already facing public criticism has been transferred from hearing major felonies after the State Public Defender's Office raised questions about his conduct in a homicide case. Judge David Borowski ordered a court filing about his actions to be sealed from public view. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has obtained a copy of the document, which details how defense counsel says Borowski berated them, offered his candid and arguably offensive thoughts on witnesses and jurors and cut short the defense attorney's closing statement. One explanation for his actions, the two public defenders imply, was he was upset and distracted by the media scrutiny he was under for allowing a man convicted of sexual assault to remain out of custody while awaiting sentencing. Ten days after he was convicted, that man, Ernest Blakney, killed his girlfriend and tried to burn down her house and some cars, and later carjacked a construction worker at gunpoint. Blakney was fatally shot by police days later, after a chase that ended in the downtown bar district. In late August, Borowski was in the news for what he didn't do in court: After Blakney pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault of a child on Aug. 15, Borowski allowed Blakney to remain free on $5,000 bail, pending his Oct. 20 sentencing. The decision came despite a prosecutor's request that Blakney be detained because the state would be recommending six to eight years in prison. According to a transcript of the hearing, Borowski noted Blakney had no issues while on pretrial release for several months. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski Ten days later, Blakney killed his partner, Nikia T. Rogers, 36, of Milwaukee, set her body and some cars on fire, then committed an armed robbery. He was a fugitive until he led police on a chase Sept. 2 that ended with a shooting in downtown's crowded bar district. Blakney was killed by police after he crashed, exited his vehicle and fired at officers. Both the homicide and child sexual assault cases against Blakney are scheduled for formal dismissal Oct. 31, before Judge Glenn Yamahiro. Story continues The homicide trial of Michael White started Aug. 29, four days after Rogers was killed. That also was the same day Blakney was charged in her death while he was still a fugitive. White was charged in an April 2021 quadruple shooting that left two people dead. A jury convicted White on Sept. 2 of first-degree reckless homicide, reckless injury and recklessly endangering safety. According to the post-trial brief filed by White's attorneys, Borowski held numerous off-the-record discussions with lawyers during the trial. He talked at least twice about the Blakney case, explaining his decision not to remand, venting frustration that a retired judge offered his take on the decision in a news story and acknowledging he was generally distracted by the media coverage of the Blakney matter. The document, titled "Brief to complete the record," purports to summarize numerous off-the-record side-bar and in-chambers conversations Borowski had with lawyers during the trial. Borowski ordered it to be filed under seal. The Journal Sentinel has obtained a copy. Some in-chambers discussions focused on evidentiary issues, topics normally put on the record immediately afterward. They were not, according to the brief. The defense said making them part of the record is necessary for an appeal. In other discussions, he sided with the defense. For example, the judge agreed the prosecutor and state witnesses should not refer to a man who was killed as a victim, since his shooting had been ruled self-defense. Borowski also criticized the lawyers' tactics and strategies, and their cases, and harshly criticized some witnesses and a juror, according to the brief. More:Homicide suspect Ernest Blakney died in a shootout with police following a car chase that ended in downtown Milwaukee It also says he interrupted defense counsel Amanda Parent's closing argument four times. One led to an in-chambers discussion in which Borowski paced and gesticulated while yelling at Parent and calling her closing one of the worst he'd seen. He then chastised Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan for not objecting himself during the defense closing, and told the prosecutor how he should counter Parent's points during rebuttal. Lastly, he told Parent she had 10 minutes left. More:Milwaukee County judge under fire for detaining defense lawyer, who wound up shackled The brief states the interruptions and scene in the chambers prevented Parent from completing her prepared closing argument and effectively representing White. Borowski mentioned during several in-chambers discussions he thought a juror had been sleeping during trial, and he thought the juror might be "slow" or autistic. The lawyers had not initially noticed the juror sleeping, but later did, and agreed the juror would be designated an alternate. During another discussion in chambers, according to the defense brief, Borowski told defense counsel Colleen Cullen that his clerk and court reporter told him that Cullen rolled her eyes whenever he ruled on objections. He said he hadn't seen it himself, which was lucky for Cullen because it's the judge's biggest pet peeve. Several days after the defense tried to file the post trial brief, Borowski's clerk emailed Parent, Cullen and Tom Reed, the regional manager for the State Public Defender's office. It read, "Judge Borowski would like to see the 2 of you NOW. Doesn't matter what your calendars look like. No excuses." According to a transcript of a hearing Oct. 17, Borowski said he was "taken aback and shocked" by the defense's post-trial brief, which was filed without "leave of court." He said his research found no basis for filing such a document, and reiterated that Parent and Cullen should have raised timely objections during trial if they believed there were errors and moved to put certain conversations on the record then. Borowski also said the brief contained private and potentially confidential information about the juror and witnesses as well as "obvious attacks on the court." He said a response from the prosecutor, Vance-Curzan, indicated he didn't recall some of the conversation or that they didn't happen as described by the defense. The judge also denied making some of the statements the defense brief attributed to him. "The defense also, obviously, took it upon themselves to attack me personally. For Ms. Cullen and Ms. Parent, I'm disappointed," Borowski said. He said several evidentiary rulings he made in favor of the defense weigh against any claim that White could make that his counsel was ineffective. One he cited was the decision to allow a doctor to present, "at best, a novel, experimental legal theory" as a defense expert, and to instruct the jury on self-defense. Borowski also addressed his comments about the Blakney matter during White's trial. "The defense took it upon themselves to use my being honest, at that point a vulnerable, frustrated adult who was having a bad week to turn that into an attack," he said. "It's not easy being trashed in the media or on talk radio about a decision you made, to have that turned around on me and act like I'm some bad person is disappointing," he said. "It's hurtful, and, yes, I would expect better from any attorney, any attorney." Lastly, Borowski said the administration of justice required him to seal the documents, and that doing so had bearing on White's earlier public trial. He rejected Parent's attempt to make a further record after his lengthy oral ruling. "You needed to make the record seven weeks ago," he said. " Denied." Both Parent and Cullen have left or are leaving the Public Defender's Office. Parent said the White case was not the sole reason but was kind of a last straw. "The judges that are most vocal about the lack of defense attorneys are the ones that treat them the worst," Parent said. Borowski held a hearing with the prosecutor and Reed. The judge set an Oct. 14 deadline for the defense and prosecution to file briefs addressing what legal authority supported filing its "brief to complete the record." Those briefs were also sealed. Borowski has been a circuit judge since 2003 and has been reelected three times to six-year terms, the current one running until 2027. He is known for the occasional temper and outburst toward parties, lawyers or people in the gallery who he perceives are not behaving properly, but he is generally respected by lawyers as fair and effective at handling serious cases. Borowski has ordered contempt detentions for parties in probate cases and a lawyer in a high-profile fetal abduction homicide case. His decision to hold an assistant public defender in contempt during a bail hearing in 2018 resulted in widespread backlash among the defense bar, and a reassignment to misdemeanor court. On Oct. 4, Chief Judge Mary Triggiano reassigned Yamahiro to Borowski's calendar of major felonies, and Borowski to Yamahiro's civil/probate caseload, starting Oct 31. Yamahiro had just moved to the probate division in August, during the usual judicial rotation period. But Borowski will still handle White's sentencing, set for Nov. 10. Borowski said it was a mutual decision among the three judges and he will be glad to take a break from the major felony calendar. Bruce Vielmetti at (414) 224-2187 or bvielmetti@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ProofHearsay. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee judge seals defense brief about his off-the-record behavior As collected by the Victory Institute, a clearinghouse for LGBTQ candidates and elected officials, the numbers of queer school board members are eye-popping. Of the approximately 90,000 U.S. school board members, 90 0.1% are known to be LGBTQ. Most of those out board members are gay cisgender men. Just 29 are cisgender women, four are trans women, two are trans men and two nonbinary. They serve in 28 states, frequently as the only openly queer school board member in their state. Given that 7% of the adult U.S. population identifies as LGBTQ, to achieve equitable representation on school boards, voters would need to elect 6,300 more. This year, there are 82 LGBTQ school board candidates, up from 34 in 2018. Our year-end campaign starts now! Please make a tax-exempt donation to The 74. In a recent survey, Few and Under Fire, the organization asked LGBTQ board members about their experiences seeking and holding office. Almost half 47% of those who responded told the Victory Institute they had been harassed as candidates, while 51% have been verbally assaulted in office sometimes by a fellow board member. A third have faced threats to their safety, and more than 6% have been threatened with death. Almost all 87% have put forward pro-LGBTQ policies during their time on their board, with 62% saying supporting queer students was a primary reason they ran. One third say that candidates with anti-LGBTQ platforms are currently running for their boards. Elliot Imse, executive director of the institute and an author of the recent report, talked to Beth Hawkins about what the numbers mean and what he hopes will happen. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. The 74: Tell us why you did this survey. Elliot Imse: Right now, LGBTQ people are severely underrepresented on school boards across the country. And the reality is anti-LGBTQ activists are executing on a strategy to flood school boards with extremists who are looking to take away the dignity and rights of LGBTQ students. The best way, perhaps the only way, to counter this is for LGBTQ people to run for school boards, to insert their voices and their votes. Story continues We know from the report that running for school boards is not easy. You face harassment, you face discrimination. But its vital at this point for LGBTQ young people that we do step up. How did you gather this data? Victory Institute houses the most comprehensive database of U.S. LGBTQ elected officials, which is displayed on our Out for America map. We do a ton of outreach to state groups and do surveys to try and find all our LGBTQ elected officials. For this report specifically, we sent a survey to the known LGBTQ elected school board members and received responses from a little more than half of them, which is not bad for an email survey. What did you hear that surprised you? What we found was not as much surprising as reaffirming our fears of what school board candidates and members face. Almost half have been the target of anti-LGBTQ verbal attacks as a candidate. More than half have been the target of anti-LGBTQ verbal attacks as a school board member. That is an extraordinary number. When you think about how local some of these races are, these verbal attacks are often coming from neighbors, or people in their communities, and can be extremely threatening for a lot of obvious reasons. That is a strategy being pushed forward by anti-LGBTQ extremists, where they are trying to get LGBTQ people to be fearful of running for office or to leave office. And we have seen several LGBTQ elected officials recently leave office because of fear for their safety, their lives, because of a plethora of attacks on them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Lets flip this around and make the case for representation on school boards. These folks are isolated voices trying to protect kids and teachers. With very few exceptions, we LGBTQ people are underrepresented in every legislative body in the United States. Its not unusual for us to be the underdog or lone voice in the room. Yet we know that when LGBTQ people are serving on school boards, or in other elected positions, it changes policy debates, it changes hearts and minds, and it leads to more inclusive policies and legislation. When LGBT people run or serve, it changes the perceptions not just of their constituents, but also their colleagues. Which congressman was it who said, essentially, Dang that Tammy Baldwin for not going away? As [Florida Republican Sen.] Marco Rubio was getting into an elevator, he told a reporter, Marriage equality isnt important to be talking about right now. [Wisconsin Democratic Sen.] Tammy Baldwin happened to be in the elevator he was walking into as the doors closed. She told us that she did have some words for him. She wouldnt be specific, but shes like, Trust me, there were words. In the room, in the elevator its hard to say to a persons face. And its no accident right now. With the Respect for Marriage Act in the U.S. Senate, it is no accident that [New York Democratic] Sen. [Chuck] Schumer called on Sen. Baldwin to whip Republican votes. It is much harder to dehumanize someone when youre talking to that person, versus when they are an abstract community in peoples mind. What are you hearing from school board members in states where harmful legislation has been enacted or is dominating debate? Weve heard from a lot of school board members who are exhausted. Its extremely exhausting to be playing defense so often, and when that defense is simply protecting the basic needs of LGBTQ students. Adding to that threats that you receive online, via phone, via email. It takes a toll. And these are not positions that are paying full-time salaries. Its hard to take. It takes a courageous and leadership-driven person to run for these positions, recognizing that it can be an uphill battle. That said, plenty of our school board members are in more liberal districts where theyve been able to get great policies passed, and in purple districts where theyve been able to get basic protections passed for LGBTQ students. Its not all doom and gloom. In our report, one third of school board members said there are candidates running for their school board who are championing an anti-LGBTQ platform. So the importance of having them there is real. Do they have support mechanisms? At the Victory Institute, we try to support our network of LGBTQ elected officials across the country. We hold events, conferences, convenings to bring LGBT officials together, including school board members. Its partially about discussing issues, but part of it is networking, which turns into support. Having them be in touch with each other is really important. They need that solidarity to be able to share what theyre going through. What would encourage more LGBTQ people to run for local office? Awareness. We work to ensure the community knows and understands the importance of LGBTQ people getting elected, and to help train them to run for these hyperlocal, local and state legislative positions. But its also helping LGBTQ people understand that they are qualified for these positions. Whereas a white, straight, cisgender man tends to always think theyre qualified for whatever position is in front of them, we know that LGBTQ people like women, like people of color need to be asked more times before they consider a run for office. Letting people know that if they have been involved in their communities, theyve been involved in their childrens education, if theyre a teacher, they are qualified to serve on a school board. Their perspectives are valid. That is huge. The parents of Erik Cantu, the 17-year-old boy who was shot by a San Antonio police officer in the parking lot of a McDonald's, said the last three weeks have been a "horrific roller coaster" as their son continues to fight for his life. "He's just mutilated, and it hurts us to see our son that way," his mother, Victoria Casarez, said at a news conference Tuesday. His father, Eric Cantu, said that the situation is "very touch and go" and that Cantu recently developed pneumonia, which complicated his progress. It was the first time Cantu's parents have publicly spoken about the Oct. 2 shooting, when Officer James Brennand opened fire on the teen. Brennand has been fired and charged with aggravated assault. Police body camera video showed that Cantu was in a maroon vehicle in the restaurant's parking lot when Brennand yanked the driver's door open and ordered him to get out. Cantu was in the driver's seat eating a hamburger, and a 17-year-old girl was in the passenger seat. Cantu put the car in reverse with the drivers door still open and backed up. Capt. Alyssa Campos, the police departments training commander, said in a video statement that the door hit Brennand. An officer opens the drivers door and orders Erik Cantu out of the vehicle in San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 2, 2022. (San Antonio Police Department) Brennand opened fire five times as the car reversed, the video showed. He fired five more shots as Cantu drove away. Cantu was found about a block away suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He remains in the hospital on life support. "Erik is not our Erik," his father said, adding that Cantu underwent a tracheotomy and is on heavy medication. "As the doctors try to wean him off these things in the last few days, it doesn't seem to counteract as the way we anticipated. Therefore, those little steps we see daily, we just keep going back." Cantu's parents said they believe he was shot four times. His mother said all of the bullets have been removed except one that remains lodged near his heart. "They're unable to get that out right now. It would do more harm than good," she told reporters. Story continues Police said that Brennand was called to McDonalds on Blanco Road for an unrelated disturbance call and approached Cantu's car because he believed it had evaded him the day before when he tried to conduct a traffic stop. Campos said Brennand thought the car was stolen, a claim the family denies. Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the family, said Brennand racially profiled Cantu and "thought he had the right to just eviscerate the Constitution." Partner attorney Paul Grinke said they plan to look into policies and training at the San Antonio Police Department. At the time of the shooting, Brennand had been on the force for seven months and was still on probation, a standard practice for San Antonio officers who graduated from the police academy less than a year ago. He was fired after the shooting, then arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault on Oct. 11. He posted bond and was released. "These incidents don't start at the moment the trigger is pulled," Grinke said. "They start back in the hiring process, in the training process, in the retention process and in the policies and procedures of each police department." CORRECTION (Oct. 26, 2022, 3:50 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the first name of the father of the teen shot by San Antonio police. He is Eric Cantu, not Erik. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Kakhovka HPP area in Kherson region If they blow up [the Kakhovka HPP], supplying fresh water to Crimea will become impossible for 10-15 years maybe forever, Danilov said. Read also: Danilov spells out consequences of Russias possible destruction of Kakhovka dam This invited the question: why do they need Crimea if they are going to leave it without water? When commenting on the situation in Kherson Oblast, Danilov noted that the situation is "not easy" and one shouldnt expect the Russian invaders to "retreat on their own". They have a plan, which, I think we understand, he said. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the Russian invaders planted explosives at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station back in April, and are now carrying out work on mining floodgates and support structures. Ukraine has called on the UN and EU to send a monitoring mission to the facility. Read also: Ukraine calls for urgent UN-EU monitoring mission at Kakhovka HPP On Oct. 20, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the Kremlin was preparing to stage a large-scale terrorist attack blowing up the dam of the Kakhovka HPP in Kherson Oblast, as Ukraine is steadily pushing invading Russian forces out from the region. Ukraines Operational Command South said that Russians would likely blow up the Kakhovka dam as a measure of last resort, should their defenses in Kherson Oblast collapse. Read also: Russia mined Kakhovka Dam, ready to blow it up, Zelenskyy says Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Kanye West has been dropped by Adidas following his antisemitic comments. "Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech," the company said in a statement on Tuesday. "Yes recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the companys values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness." It continued: "After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect." Adidas, West's biggest corporate partner, started working with the rapper/designer in 2013 to make and distribute items from his Yeezy clothing line. The first product from the collaboration was released in 2015, and sales are estimated to be around $2 billion annually, or 10% of Adidas's total sales, according to Fortune. Kanye West's deal with Adidas is over. (Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for ADIDAS) According to Forbes, with the Adidas deal no longer in place, West loses his spot on its billionaires' list. West was estimated to be worth $2 billion one of his favorite things to brag about but $1.5 billion was attributed to his partnership with Adidas that is no more. As a result, he's now estimated to be worth $400 million from his music catalog, real estate, cash and his 5% stake in SKIMS, ex-wife Kim Kardashians shapewear brand. (A source close to SKIMS told the outlet West hasn't been involvement with the business since it launched three years ago. Kardashian filed for divorce in 2021.) West's deal with Adidas was to be in place through 2026, but he has been critical of the German brand for months now, accusing CEO Kasper Rorsted of "copying my ideas" for other products. Ye's rants have escalated in recent weeks, and after his "White Live Matter" T-shirt stunt at the YZY show at Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 3, the company said in a statement that it was reviewing the relationship. Story continues However, West went on to spew antisemitic remarks and taunt the company. On the Oct. 16 episode of Drink Champs podcast, he said, "I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me. Now what? Now what?" Kanye: The thing about it being Adidas I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me. Now what? Now what? pic.twitter.com/a9S1EvzPk2 Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) October 21, 2022 The video led to calls for the brand to drop him immediately. Those calls escalated in recent days after an antisemitic group showed support for West's hate speech on Saturday, posting a sign above Los Angeles's 405 freeway that said, "Kanye is right about the Jews." Adidas joins a list of others severing ties with West. Gap, which ended its partnership with West over the summer after he was critical of the brand, said on Tuesday that the company is actively working to remove Yeezy products from its stores and website. "In September, Gap announced ending its Yeezy Gap partnership," a rep told Yahoo Entertainment. "Our former partner's recent remarks and behavior further underscore why. We are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores and we have shut down YeezyGap.com. Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values. On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination." On Monday, talent agency CAA dropped West as a client. Late last week, Balenciaga cut ties with West. Further, West's music streams and airplay have taken a nosedive. The educational consultant for West's private school, Donda Academy, has resigned. Personally, West's ex Kardashian used social media to speak out against antisemitism on Monday though she didn't mention the father of her four children by name. "Hate speech is never OK or excusable," she tweeted. "I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end." NEW YORK The states first woman governor rarely stops to take it all in. But after signing a package of bills to protect survivors of domestic violence last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she let herself feel proud, knowing her late mother whose work on the issue launched Hochul into public service would have been too. Usually theres not enough time to be so reflective. Hochul has been running for election since she took office in August 2021 following former Gov. Andrew Cuomos resignation amid sexual harassment allegations. In an interview with POLITICO in East Harlem last week, the only time Hochul hesitated to answer a question was when she was asked how she would spend a day off. (She eventually decided on taking a boat out on Lake Erie or whitewater rafting.) In 14 months, the former lieutenant governor and Western New York congressperson passed her first state budget with many of her priorities intact, braced the state for a major weather disaster when Hurricane Ida flooded New York City days after she took office and responded to tragedy after 10 people were killed in a Buffalo supermarket shooting not far from her home. Shes been applauded by other elected officials for her focus on collaboration and relationship-building a dynamic more striking after Cuomos seeming aversion to both. Shes also earned criticism for choosing a lieutenant governor who quickly resigned amid federal bribery charges, quietly closing a deal sending millions of dollars of state funding to keep the Buffalo Bills in New York, struggling to address the states crime problems and choosing to buy millions of dollars worth of state Covid-19 tests from campaign donor Digital Gadgets, despite other options with lower price tags. But Republicans, Democrats and even some of her own advisers say Hochuls biggest challenge in her election bid against Republican foe Rep. Lee Zeldin is that New Yorkers still dont know her. Shes bumped up her name recognition while campaigning over the past several months, but several voters interviewed in recent days still couldnt pronounce Hochul (its like vocal) correctly. There are fast-tracks to fame in New York politics an outrageous personality or penchant for stunning scandal. Hochul shows neither. Story continues I feel like I'm just a regular person in a diner who has a very significant job that I treasure, she said. I love this job, but I'm no better than any person in a diner or the waitress waiting on me. And I think they [voters] know that about me, that there's that sense of grounding that makes me different than other elected officials, I believe, because I haven't changed at this age and I don't plan to change. But with just two weeks before Election Day, she says, voters need to see her as someone who propels New York forward, not just cleans up its messes: They need to know that I also see into the future and have a vision not just as a crisis manager, which is required but also I have a vision to take us into the next generation. Below is POLITICOs interview with Hochul, edited and condensed for length and clarity. Q: What will voters see if they elect Kathy Hochul for another four years? They will see first of all, a bold vision put forth in our State of the State address. The basic lens is that we're going to do everything we can to focus on making New York state a place people want to live, want to come to, can afford to live in, can get a job in, where they can build a business and raise their families. So everything we do is through the framework of what's going to meet those objectives. Within that, tackling public safety; to continue focusing on that, supporting law enforcement efforts and getting more guns off the streets every way we can. Were making progress, but I'm not satisfied yet. Its to give people that sense of security that they don't have right now. And I understand that. People want to live here; they just can't afford it anymore. The cost of housing is up 57 percent in the last seven years. Rent is up, depending on the part of the state, anywhere from 27 percent to 57 percent across New York. And so what that does is it creates a barrier for young people who are raised here, educated here and want to live in the same neighborhood they grew up in Long Island, Westchester, the city and they can't afford it. That's a tragedy. So we have a very ambitious housing plan that we're developing right now with national experts to really just dive into this and build a coalition around all the different ways that we can promote the building of housing and apartments. We need about 500,000 to a million units over the next 10 years across the state. We had $25 billion in our last budget, and that only gets us 100,000 units. So we have to be much more creative and start catching up with other cities and regions in building housing. Focusing on those two areas is primary, but also creating a more pro-business environment for small businesses to start, for MWBEs, but also to continue attracting the large mega projects like Micron, which is staggering in its scale. Q: So people wanting and being able to live in New York starts with housing? That is the number one issue. Its apartments. It's that housing stock is not what it should be, nowhere near what it should be. It is half of Boston's, the building that's going on. We're not building enough new housing, we're not doing conversions, and I directed my team to find all the barriers at the local level, at the state level, and to find what policies are in place that are holding back the growth that we need. It's not that people don't want to live here. That's why you can't find an apartment in the city. If people didn't want to live here, there'd be plentiful apartments, so that narrative doesn't even work. Q: Ive heard every candidate needs to have three issues that every voter should know about them. Out talking to voters in the Hudson Valley this week and a lot of them still don't know that much about Kathy Hochul. What are the issues you want every voter to know about you? That Im tough as nails. I can handle anything that comes my way. And I have the ability now to prove that a woman can do anything. Just because I'm the first, I definitely know I will not be the last. I showed that a woman can govern with the same tenacity and strength required of a job like this, but also govern with heart and compassion and see things through a different lens. Thats how we lift this state up. They need to know I'm tough. I'm battle tested. I love public service Im a public servant to my core, and I'm going to be there for them. I have a strong vision for the future. I have a great vision of how we can take the state to the next level. Well be judged by how we came out of this pandemic, and thats the weight on my shoulders right now. Q: Does it still feel like New York is pulling out of a pandemic? To the extent that there is still fear, whether it's fear attracting Covid or the fact that riders are still not back on our subways. Whatever the motivating force is, I still have to get us through this era where there's still hesitation. People aren't feeling completely unleashed and liberated. I want to be the spark that lets that all open up and lets people know that there's no limit to what we can do. Q: Youre familiar with the very red parts of the state, and youve been talking about the dangers of extremism that you see in your opponent and that you're seeing in parts of the Republican Party. Is there hope for that demographic, a way to draw those voters back into a sort of political world that you would like to see? Its never too late. I understood the people in these areas because I was elected as their congressperson first Democrat they ever voted for, many of them, when I said I'd fight on Social Security and Medicare and protect seniors and protect our farmers. It didn't last because I supported the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act. But I also knew that they were open minded to me at one time. And I know what it's like to come from upstate; those little communities feel forgotten. People feel like no one is their voice and all the clout belongs somewhere else in the state. And I let them know, I come from this. I understand you. Will that mean they'll vote for me? I don't know and it doesn't matter. I'm here to let them know that no matter what you do on Election Day, I'm still your governor. I'll still have your back. The first upstate governor in at least 100 years? That means something to people. I always have hope theres going to be common issues were going to be able to work on together. I really believe that. Q: In the 2018 gubernatorial election, education was a huge topic. Do you support keeping of the charter [school] cap, expanding charter schools or not? We'll be talking about our education policy. We have talked about, you know, giving more options to parents and how important that is. So we'll be having those conversations. But we're not prepared to talk about it right now. Q: Do you think the conversations around bail reform and public safety laws will continue into the next legislative session? Is that something that you're open to? Im sure the conversations will continue. Im going to look at the data. We made some targeted changes. We made changes to give more discretion to judges; we gave more power back to the district attorneys. We did all that. And they've only been in effect since May. Let the system start to work with that, but also the backlog in courts [from the pandemic] has been a real driver of our problem right now. I'm working on that. I'll get a new chief judge. We'll work on that and will have the district attorneys across the state and the judges do their job. That's how we get out of this. Every part of the system has to work. It's not just one area thats oversimplifying it. They [bail reform critics] are not giving any credit for the changes that have been made and need some time to play out. I'm not taking my eye off the ball. I'm laser focused on this. I can focus on public safety, affordability, abortion rights and gun safety all at the same time. Because women can multitask. Q: Who are the top five or six people that have your ear? Who can you call your inner circle? [Secrerary to the governor] Karen Persichilli Keogh is just brilliant, she has a lot of experience in the private sector and in running the statewide [U.S. Senate campaign] for Hillary [Clinton]. Kathryn Garcia, the operations director, whether it's dealing with support for Puerto Rico after a hurricane, cleaning up our own hurricanes, deploying National Guard to help the mayor with the migrant problem, or dealing with homelessness every area where we have complex problems. The two of them have been helping me have major breakthroughs and infrastructure projects that were dead. Those two are the fixers. They know how to go out there and help work behind the scenes, then I'm the closer. Stacy Lynch is my chief of staff. Her insights are incredible in terms of what's happening on the ground and what people need to know. So beyond the chief of staff role internally, she's external facing for me as well. Micah Lasher does policy for us: nonstop working on trying to find creative solutions, so we can always be nation leading no matter what the issue is. Liz Fine, our counsel, is top notch. I didn't know any of these people, other than Karen. I had coffee once with Kathryn when she was running [for NYC mayor]. I just asked for the smartest people. Melissa Bochenski has been with me since my days in Congress, so she has been phenomenal in terms of permanent institutional knowledge and just helping me chart through each day. We just do a lot of events, and I want to do that. I don't want to spend much time in the office I can make decisions driving somewhere on my way to an event. I dont have to sit in the office, processing. I go in for staff meetings, but after that, get me out there with people. Q: What have you done to the Executive Mansion in Albany to make it feel like home? I put in plants. Its an older house from the 1800s. I was thinking about the era you always see these palms like in The Gilded Age I have palms in a few of the corners, ferns on the front porch. I hope theyre still alive. Q: That porch was closed, its chairs were stacked, for the past few years. No one was using it! That porch is gorgeous. I sit out there. I do work from there all the time when I'm back. Its charming and feels like you're in the middle of a Victorian area. There was really historic furniture from the original house. And it had a sign in a rope over it that said do not sit and I said OK, we're going to sit on our furniture. So I tried to warm it up a little bit but I do want to keep the historic nature of it on the first floor. Upstairs I got rid of a really ugly 1970s shag rug, it was dusty raspberry [colored], but I think it had faded in time because it was just so ugly, and it was filled with dust. So I just had that removed and there were gorgeous wood floors underneath. That's all I've had time to do: Move a piece of furniture and put up some nicer paintings. There was one painting ... a big picture, very prominent on the first floor, and it was an image of this young, frightened looking Pocahontas, surrounded by Captain John Smith and all these glaring, intimidating men. I walked in and said, 'Get rid of this subjugation of this child.' And so we replaced it with a beautiful picture of Niagara Falls with Native Americans first discovering Niagara Falls, so they're looking up at the falls like the first time they would have seen it. So it just had a more positive vibe. Q: I've heard it's haunted, but I don't know if you've experienced anything... I dont think so I have not personally seen anything. Q: You dont get tired, youve famously said, but if you have a day off you don't have anything scheduled and its just open what are you going to do? I don't have I don't know what that looks like. Q: You can't even imagine? Ideally, what would it look like? I dont know what it would be like. I just haven't had one. Q: Just try to think of something fun. If it was summertime, Id go out on the boat. Lake Erie is my swimming pool when I'm home. We take the boat out and I jump in the water, way out in the lake, and I just swim, out where the waves are high. I like an adventure. FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) Kentucky's electorate will soon cast decisive votes on something state lawmakers have craved, a ballot measure fiercely resisted by the governor that would let the legislature call itself into special session on topics of its choosing. If the proposed constitutional amendment is ratified Nov. 8, it would shift more power toward the state's Republican-dominated legislature, continuing the evolution of a stronger legislative branch begun decades ago. With a Democrat currently in the governor's chair, that matters more than it might in times of undivided government. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has bluntly called the proposal a "power grab by rival GOP lawmakers in the legislature and said it would disrupt the traditional separation of powers. No branch should be too strong," Beshear said in a video aired Monday night on Kentucky Educational Television. "Yet the legislature wants to give itself more power so that it could call itself into session to change an executive branch decision over the most minute thing. Republican lawmakers say the measure would fix an imbalance that leaves the legislature powerless to act most of the year, unless called back into session by the governor. What if we said to the judicial branch: You cant meet for eight months of the year? Senate President Pro Tem David Givens said on the same KET program. Thats effectively whats been done to us. Currently, Kentucky is among 14 states where only the governor can summon the legislature into special session, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. If Kentucky voters approve the measure, the legislature could be called back under a joint proclamation by the House speaker and Senate president. Lawmakers also could choose topics for such sessions, which could last no more than 12 days. Governors, meanwhile, would retain their authority to convene special sessions. Its a potentially far-reaching measure that would enable lawmakers to meet in regular session longer into the year though the total legislative days would remain the same: 30 in odd-numbered years and 60 days in even-numbered years. Story continues Now, regular sessions end in early spring. Extending the end date of regular sessions would require super-majority support in each chamber. There may be times when theres nothing pressing on the front end of a session, where we dont necessarily need to go in for an extended period of time," House Speaker David Osborne said on KET. "We may go in and do a few things, recess, come back later in the year where there may be more pressing issues to tackle. The measure comes after what GOP lawmakers said was a backlash against pandemic-related restrictions Beshear applied to businesses and gatherings in 2020, seeking to contain COVID-19. Lawmakers basically were relegated to the sidelines, unable to take action on the governor's orders until their next regular session the following year. I argue that this goes to the basis of checks and balances," Givens said Monday night. Thats really what this is about. When you think about the fact that for eight months of the year, we have no ability to act. Pushing back against claims of a power play, Osborne said he also proposed the constitutional measure when the state had a Republican governor, Matt Bevin. Critics say the proposal would move the General Assembly closer to a full-time legislature, making it more difficult for many people to consider running for the House or Senate. They say the current system requiring consensus among the governor and legislators works. They point to this year's special session that passed relief aid for flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky. If we collectively all sit down and have this conversation, we can accomplish what we want to accomplish within the confines of what we have right now, Democratic Rep. Jeffery Donohue said on KET. The proposal's opponents include Eric Hyers, the governors 2019 campaign manager and adviser to his reelection effort for 2023. Hyers formed an issues committee seeking the measure's defeat. Special legislative sessions should be called for rare instances that need emergency action, like natural disasters, Hyers said. This amendment would instead allow politicians to call special sessions to pass their pet projects and issues. Responding to claims there would be no limits on what lawmakers might do in special sessions, Givens said legislators will answer for their actions when running for reelection. Those are our limits, he said. A special legislative session in Kentucky costs up to roughly $68,000 per day. House and Senate members receive $188.22 in salary per each day theyre in session, with leadership receiving between $216 and $235. Lawmakers also receive $170.50 per day for expenses and 62.5 cents for each mile driven to the Capitol. ___ The ballot measure is Constitutional Amendment 1. A yes vote on Amendment 1 would give the legislature the additional scheduling flexibility, including the power to bring itself back into session for a limited time. Yvonne Liu, 1990. Courtesy Yvonne Liu I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30 and received treatment for 10 months. I hid what I was going through from almost everyone in my life due to the stigma in my community. Now, I raise awareness about the importance of screenings, and I help others like me find support. My husband and I had returned home from a romantic anniversary dinner on a Saturday night and were making love when a concerned look crossed his face not what you like to see during moments like that. When I asked him if something was wrong, he winced and said he'd felt a small, solid mass on my breast. I was only 30 years old at the time, so I assumed it was nothing. I hadn't even reached the recommended age for a mammogram. The following Monday, I was heading to my office when my husband stopped me in the kitchen and said I needed to see a doctor. He was clearly more worried than I was. A few days later, a physician used a long syringe to extract fluid from the mass in my right breast while assuring me that because I was young, it was probably just a benign cyst. He was wrong. The next week, when I heard the dreaded words over the phone: "You have cancer," I doubled over in my kitchen, sobbing. I thought I had to go through my cancer diagnosis and treatment alone This was in 1979, before the internet, so I hurried to the library to read everything I could about breast cancer. Fortunately, we had good health insurance, and I was able to see three oncologists, driving around the Los Angeles area with a folder containing my X-rays and pathology report. I'll never forget one imperious, gray-haired doctor's words: "You have a very sick breast; you have to cut it off." The last doctor I consulted, a younger one at a major medical university, said recent research suggested less invasive surgery could effectively treat my type of breast cancer. Three weeks later, an orderly wheeled me into an operating room for a lumpectomy. Ten months of energy-sapping radiation and grueling chemotherapy followed. Story continues Still, during those awful months of treatment, which included days spent wiped out and sick in bed from chemotherapy, I didn't tell the people closest to me, including the members of my Chinese American church, my friends, and coworkers. I was scared they'd avoid me, talk about me, or question my competence. This is because I was afraid of being stigmatized by my Asian American community. I knew only one Asian woman who talked openly about having breast cancer. Her Chinese next-door neighbor refused to speak to her afterward. Perhaps the neighbor believed associating with the woman would bring misfortune to her household. She might have even believed the disease was contagious. I feared some Asian Americans might think I was sick because of karma or my own poor choices. Some followed traditional Chinese beliefs that my ancestors or I did something wrong for such bad luck to fall upon me. Even my mother blamed me. She asked my doctor if I caused my disease because I ate so many sweets. I was ashamed to have a malignant growth in my breast. I was ashamed to be imperfect. For most of my life, I had worked relentlessly to succeed graduating as high-school valedictorian and from one of the top MBA programs in the country. Yes, the model-minority myth had done a number on me, and cancer wasn't supposed to be part of that image. But while hiding my cancer from those around me might have kept some of the shame I was feeling at bay, it also isolated me in my pain. Save for my husband and immediate family members, I was alone and wallowed in depression for much of the time. Almost 3 decades later, I've started to talk about my experiences and opening up has helped others, too After 10 months, my treatment was finally over, and I tried to forget the entire experience. For 28 years, I continued to keep my illness under wraps. And then, five years ago, I was at lunch with a Chinese friend and said I needed to leave for a mammogram appointment. She declared she never gets screened. I was incredulous. This was a smart, dynamic, college-educated woman. After sputtering briefly, I shared my story and urged her to get a mammogram. Moved, she said she would. Liu, 2022. Courtesy Yvonne Liu I finally recognized how cancer stigma and shame hurt Asian Americans Asian American women get breast-cancer screenings at a rate of 64.1% compared to 72.4% of all women in America, and a 2017 study showed that self-stigma affects cancer patients' quality of life. So I decided to tell others about my experience and helped organize a breast-cancer seminar at my Chinese American church. A month later, one attendee was diagnosed with breast cancer after her first mammogram in years. Watching others hug and encourage her at church and hearing that others brought her meals, called, and visited her, I understood how I'd suffered needlessly. Now that they know, every year before my mammogram, my family and I pray for my health. There have been a few scares when a suspicious mass was detected, but thankfully, I have remained cancer-free. I am alive today only by chance. Through sheer luck, my husband found a lump and urged me to see a doctor. When I shower and towel myself dry, my lumpectomy scar reminds me to never take life for granted. I'm grateful to be alive and share my story to help others. Read the original article on Insider WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. climate envoy John Kerry insisted Tuesday the United States was open to seeking middle ground on a controversy that threatens to overtake an upcoming world climate summit: a growing demand from poorer countries that the United States and other richer countries pay compensation as the culprits most responsible for wrecking the Earth's climate. We believe we have to step up, and we have a responsibility. We accept that," Kerry told reporters after an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations, two weeks ahead of an annual U.N. climate conference, this time in Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh. With emissions from coal, oil and natural gas threatening to break through the threshold set in the Paris climate accord, the Biden administration and others are eager to keep summit negotiations on track for deeper emission cuts. Flooding in Pakistan that has killed more than 1,000, displaced a half-million and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage has helped bring the compensation demands to the forefront ahead of the climate summit. Experts say economically struggling Pakistan historically has contributed just 0.4% of the fossil fuel pollution responsible for climate damage, compared to 21.5% for the U.S., 16.5% for China and 15% for the European Union. As with Pacific island nations being swallowed by rising seas, sub-Saharan nations facing a future of droughts, and Arctic communities struggling with heat waves, Pakistan's leaders say they need financial help to deal with climate damage, rather than loans that put them further in debt. The U.S. and European Union for years have slow-walked proposals for formal summit negotiations on compensation, known as loss and damage. Kerry has been increasingly direct on the problems of that demand as the summit in Egypt nears, saying the idea of the U.S. or any other country coming up with a trillion dollars for it is a nonstarter, politically and otherwise. Story continues Any move that threatens to put richer nations on the hook for legal liability is going to be a problem for everybody, not just for us, Kerry said. So how do you do this in a way that actually produces money, gets a system in place? Were totally in favor of that. We are working toward it, and we will in Sharm, he said. We will not be, you know, obstructing. Faten Aggad, senior climate diplomacy adviser for the African Climate Foundation, said in a briefing this month that past statements by Kerry and European leaders make "people doubt the EU and the U.S. commitment to move on loss and damage. She said her expectations are low for progress in Egypt on the issue. Dealing with how rich nations pay for past pollution's harms will be the central issue of next month's negotiations, said David Waskow, international climate initiative director of the World Resources Institute, a think-tank. Loss and damage are happening now, hurting people and economies now, and must be addressed now, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last month as he amped up his rhetoric on the issue. This is a fundamental question of climate justice, international solidarity and trust," Guterres said. In 2009 negotiations in Copenhagen, developed countries promised $100 billion a year in aid by 2020 for developing countries, both to help develop green energy and adapt to future warming. They haven't yet fulfilled the pledge but U.N. officials say it will happen soon. Senior U.S. officials have suggested that negotiators at the Egypt summit could set up a framework for discussion on any special financing mechanisms for reparations and put off negotiations for an actual deal for two years. Kerry emphasized a need to reimagine the role and function of multilateral development banks, organizations of donor nations and borrowing ones that provide development finance. International financial institutions often wind up burying poorer economies in insurmountable debt, or forcing harsh economic reforms at a fast pace that creates social unrest. China, where President Xi Jinping's continued reliance on coal-fired power plants and building of new ones is putting China on track to overtake the United States as the worst wrecker of the climate in history of course should contribute to any such fund, Kerry said. Kerry also revealed what appeared to be a bare-bones level of communication continuing with climate counterparts in the Chinese government. That's despite Xi's breaking off of China-U.S. dialogue on climate and a range of other areas after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angered China with her August visit to self-ruled Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its territory. We've sent each other a few messages about trying to figure out how we might be able to resume bilateral climate discussions, Kerry said. There's been communication about what would help the process, he said. She also broke the cardinal rule of fashion. Out of all the "cores" it seems balletcore is probably the easiest trend to emulate with things you may already have in your closet. And Kerry Washington just stepped out in the chicest example of the dancer aesthetic with an unexpected layering combination that actually worked. On Tuesday morning, the actress arrived at the stage door of Good Morning America to promote her new Netflix film The School for Good and Evil in a bright orange midi dress with a full, voluminous skirt, giving a slight tutu effect. Washington layered a sheer white corset top over the midsection of the smock, which allowed some of the pastel color to peek through. She paired the feminine look with coordinating white pointy-toe pumps (who said you can't wear white after Labor Day?), gold hoop earrings, and a matching bangle and rings. Her dark hair (which was recently styled into the shortest bob ever at the premiere of her film) was pulled into an updo, save for a couple of face-framing strands. She kept her glam simple with dewy skin, full lashes, and a cat eye, as well as a simple glossy lip. Getty Images : During the interview portion of the show, Washington spoke about the fantasy film in which she plays the dean of the school of good at SGE (School for Good and Evil), an establishment that educates both heroes and villains. "One of the messages or ideas that we explore in the film is that nobody is all one thing," she said. Everybody is a little bit of everything. That, I think, is part of the human experience. I'd like to think that I'd mostly be in the school for good and then some electives in evil. Some extracurricular in evil on the side For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on InStyle. Reality star mogul Kim Kardashian on Monday seemingly spoke out against her estranged husband Yes antisemitic tweets. Hate speech is never OK or excusable, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star wrote on her Instagram story. She added, I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end. Kardashian appeared to be referencing antisemitic comments made by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, which have caused a firestorm of controversy in the past month. The statement is the first comment Kardashian has made since the backlash against Ye began, although she did not mention the rapper by name. In the past month, Ye has been dropped from several brands and organizations, including fashion house Balenciaga and leading talent agency Hollywoods Creative Artists Agency. Adidas also announced it placed its partnership with Ye under review. Ye last week issued a reluctant apology during an interview with Piers Morgan after the show host pushed him to do so. Im sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I have been through, Ye said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Kim Kardashian has publicly shown her support for the Jewish community amid her ex-husband Kanye Wests antisemitic comments. The 41-year-old business mogul issued a statement on social media on Monday, in which she condemned hate speech and called for the hateful rhetoric to end. Hate speech is never OK or excusable, Kardashian tweeted. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end. West, who shares four children with Kardashian, has received widespread backlash after he shared a number of antisemitic comments and conspiracy theories on social media and in recent interviews. Following his remarks, the rapper was locked from his Twitter and Instagram accounts for violating the platforms policies. Meanwhile, fashion brand Balenciaga has also severed ties with the Yeezy founder, just weeks after West opened Balenciagas Paris Fashion Week runway show. Fashion publication Vogue has also reportedly indicated it does not intend to work with West again. Over the weekend, an antisemitic and white supremacist group unfurled a large banner above a Los Angeles overpass, which read Kanye is right about the Jews following the rappers widely condemned antisemitic remarks. The group, reportedly known as the Goyim Defense League, was photographed raising their arms in a Nazi salute above the banners. Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end. Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) October 24, 2022 Many celebrities have since issued their support for Jewish people following the rappers comments, including his former sister-in-law, Khloe Kardashian. On Sunday, the Good American founder reposted a statement from Jessica Seinfeld to her Instagram story, which read, If you dont know what to say, you can just say this in your feed, alongside a graphic with the words I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people. Story continues Khloe Kardashian shows support for Jewish community amid Kanye Wests antisemitic comments (Instagram / Khloe Kardashian) Wests latest round of controversy began when he wore a White Lives Matter t-shirt to his Yeezy fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. The rapper then took to Twitter, where he claimed that he could go death con three on JEWISH PEOPLE and alleged in the tweets that he wasnt Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew. On 19 October, West doubled-down on his comments during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, in which he said he was absolutely not sorry for his antisemitic remarks. He then offered some form of apology when he said: I will say, Im sorry for the people that I hurt with the DEFCONthe confusion that I caused. I feel like I caused hurt and confusion and Im sorry for the families that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through. Hurt people hurt people and I was hurt. Kanye West signing albums out of a car window Kanye West arrives at the Balenciaga show on May 22, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images) Credit - GC Images2022 Gotham Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, has been attracting negative attention and mounting calls for companies to cut ties with him following several weeks of troubling statements, many of them anti-Semitic. The ongoing wave of offensive speech began at Paris Fashion Week at the beginning of this month and continued with unaired footage from an interview with Tucker Carlson, false statements made during a podcast appearance about the cause of George Floyds death, and recent anti-Semitic remarks made on social media. Those remarks appear to have emboldened a group of demonstrators to hold a sign over a Los Angeles freeway that read, Kanye is right about the Jews while giving a Nazi salute, according to photos. The comments he made on Twitter and during his since-deleted podcast interview with Drink Champswhere he made unfounded claims that Jewish people hold immeasurable power in mediahave gotten him locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts, and prompted a slew of companies to cut ties with him. He has been posting instead on Parler, the right-wing social media app he has announced plans to buy. This morning, Adidas announced it had ended its partnership with West. On Tuesday, it was announced that West had been dropped by his talent agency, CAA, and studio executives at MRC announced on Monday that they would be shelving a recently completed documentary. We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform, the executives wrote in a joint memo released this morning. West has exhibited erratic behavior and combative statements for several years, and he has said that he struggles with mental health issues. But after he and his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, got divorced earlier this year, his posts became more frequent and controversial. Heres a brief history of Wests problematic behavior and an overview of how companies with business ties to him have responded. Story continues Years of problematic statements The rappers pattern of sharing particularly controversial opinions began in May 2018 when he appeared on TMZ and made comments that slavery was a choice. In October that same year, he surprised many fans by showing his support for President Donald Trump, visiting him in the Oval Office. He continued to make head-turning statements, including announcing his campaign for president in 2019. Earlier this year, when his relationship with Kardashian was coming to an end, his acting out on social media escalated once more. He harassed Kardashian and her then boyfriend, Pete Davidson, online in February. West encouraged fans to yell at Davidson, rapped about him, and gave him the nickname Skete. After Davidson and Kardashian broke up, West began focusing his attention elsewhere. During his Yeezy fashion show in Paris earlier this month, he wore a White Lives Matter t-shirt along with conservative commentator Candace Owens and at least one model, leading many in the fashion industry to condemn his actions. On his now-restricted Instagram account, West made disparaging comments about Adidas, the company that manufactures and distributes his Yeezy line, and later went on to appear on Tucker Carlsons Fox News show, where he made baseless claims about abortion and made fatphobic comments about Lizzo on the show as well as in unaired footage that was later made public. On Oct. 9, West tweeted that he was going to go death con 3 on Jewish people, in reference to the defense system used by the United States to signal military defense, and argued that he isnt anti-Semitic because black people are actually Jew[s] also, leading his account to be locked. On Oct. 11, VICEs Motherboard published leaked, unaired video from his interview with Carlson in which he says Jew is in reference to the 12 lost tribes of Judah who the people known as the race Black really are. He also falsely states that Planned Parenthood was created to control the Jew population. West may have been referencing Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sangers belief in eugenics, which the organization denounces. This past week, he continued to double down on his antisemitic comments in interviews with Chris Cuomo and Piers Morgan. Brands sever ties with Ye Company after company has decided that West has finally reached a level of volatility that they can no longer justify working with. West recently hired Camille Vasquez, who served as Johnny Depps lawyer in his defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard. But after he refused to walk back his anti-Semitic comments, Vasquez reportedly dropped him as a client. One of the biggest brands to cut ties with Ye is Balenciaga. The clothing brand, helmed by creative director Demna, slowly began removing references to Ye from their siteincluding to their collaboration, the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga line. They issued a statement to Womens Wear Daily, stating, Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist. Vogue also vowed not to work with the rapper since Ye berated editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson online after she criticized his controversial Yeezy fashion show in Paris. Page Six reported that a representative for the magazine provided a statement that editor-in-chief Anna Wintour will not work with him again. In wake of his recent comments, Wests G.O.O.D. Music label is no longer a part of Def Jam music group, the New York Times reports, and his music has seen a marked decrease in streaming numbers. Gap also joined the slew of brands that are no longer working with West, but the termination of their deal actually originated from Wests lawyer. West blasted Gap on social media, alleging that the brand was taking his designs and not crediting him and excluding him from the creative process. In September, The Wall Street Journal reported that Gap left [Ye] no choice but to terminate their agreement, according to a letter from his lawyers informing the clothing company of the decision. Adidas finally terminates its relationship with Ye On Oct. 25, Adidas announced that the company was terminating its relationship with West following deafening calls from the public to take a stand. The sportswear brands relationship with Ye was already strained. The company released a statement to CNBC on Oct. 6, stating, After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review. We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period. On Oct. 10, West posted a 30-minute documentary to YouTube titled, LAST WEEK. He can be seen showing the executives at Adidas pornography to make them feel the same discomfort he felt having his designs allegedly stolen by them. The Anti-Defamation League shared an open letter to Adidas on Oct. 20, urging the company to sever ties with Ye. The letter reads: We urge Adidas to reconsider supporting the Ye product line and to issue a statement making clear that the Adidas company and community has no tolerance whatsoever for antisemitism. Despite mounting pressure, the company has so far remained silent until now. The company said the termination of their partnership will deal a financial blow of 250 million ($246 million) to their fourth-quarter sales. Adidas released a statement which read, in part: Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Yes recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the companys values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness. South Korean citizens are pushing to boycott bakery chain Paris Baguette over its alleged mishandling of the death of a 23-year-old factory employee. On Oct. 14, the 23-year-old woman was operating a sauce mixing machine alone at the companys factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi province, during her graveyard shift when her upper body was pulled into the appliance. The next day, her crushed body was discovered by her colleagues. Instead of suspending operations, the factory resumed production the very next day. Other employees who reportedly witnessed their co-workers disfigured body being pulled out of the machine were also required to work by the accident site. According to critics, the machine should be operated by at least two people. The companys response to the incident, perceived as callous, has prompted nationwide boycotts and protests against Paris Baguette and its parent company SPC Group, both of which are based in Seoul. More from NextShark: Vietnamese refugee who vows to 'fight the woke agenda' wins VA GOP nom despite raising less money Boycotters were further outraged after learning that the company tried to reach a settlement with the parents of the deceased employee on the night of her funeral. According to the mother, representatives had offered a settlement in exchange for not pressing any charges. However, she refused and reportedly hired a lawyer the next day. They gave me a specific number Because all of us werent in our right minds, I think they wanted to negotiate with us right there and then, the mother said. The bakery also received backlash for sending bread for the funerals guests. A company representative defended the gesture and said that it was part of a care package when an SPC employee or their family passes away. More from NextShark: Asian population grows 35.5%, fastest rising group according to US Census How can they send bread from the place where she died? Does that make any sense? the mother told MBC reporters. Story continues It was also reported that another accident occurred in a different production line machine a week before the 23-year-old woman died. The other employees hand was reportedly caught in a machine, but they were not sent to a hospital due to their status as a non-full-time worker. Citizens and labor unionists organized a memorial ceremony in front of the companys headquarters, which also included one-person protests in front of 1,000 Paris Baguette stores. Netizens also took to social media to spread the boycott of the company, which is known for its pastries and decorated cakes. More from NextShark: Husband of Atlanta Victim Soon Chung Park Tried to Perform CPR While Police Stood By Dont ever buy or go to the murderous Company SPC! the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions tweeted. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has since ordered an inquiry into the details of the employees death. It is a disheartening event, Yoon told reporters. Were living together in this society, so business owners and employees alike, shouldn't we all have the minimum respect for each other as human beings? More from NextShark: F--- China and Other Hate Speech Left Near Multiple Seattle Churches After the presidents message, SPC Group chairman Huh Young-in publicly apologized and released an apology letter on Oct. 17. I take full responsibility for this accident and deserve criticism from the public, Huh reportedly said at a press conference. I would like to apologize to the factory workers who worked near the victim. The company should have understood their trauma and sadness and should have been more considerate. The company pledged to spend 100 billion won (approximately $70 million) to improve worker safety over the next three years, said SPC President Hwang Jae-bok. According to local news reports, the boycott has been yielding results. An employee claimed that SPC stores have seen a drop in business since the boycott. It is true that sales have decreased, the employee told Koreaboo. In places where it has been particularly affected, I have heard sales have dropped 30%. Paris Baguette has more than 4,000 locations globally. The food company has plans to operate 1,000 stores in the U.S. by 2030. Featured Image via K-POP News LONDON (Reuters) -The Kremlin on Tuesday repeated its claim that Ukraine plans to use a radioactive "dirty bomb", warning the West it was dangerous to dismiss Moscow's position. Ukraine, the United States, Britain and France have all rejected Moscow's claims - voiced by several officials in recent days - that Kyiv could be preparing to detonate a radioactive device in Ukraine. In a briefing call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this was a foolish approach given the gravity of the situation. Moscow has provided no evidence for its claims. "This is an approach that is far from serious," Peskov said of the United States' dismissal of Moscow's claims. "This is an approach that is not permissible against the background of the seriousness of the danger we are talking about ... Once again, we emphasize the great danger that lies in the implementation of Ukraine's plans related to a dirty bomb," he added. A "dirty bomb" is an explosive device laced with radioactive material. Russia intends to raise the issue at the United Nations Security Council later and has urged U.N. chief Antonio Guterres to do all he can to "prevent this heinous crime from happening." Washington and other Western countries have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using the alleged dirty bomb threat as a pretext to escalate the war in Ukraine. (Reporting by Reuters) Research Highlights: A study reviewing data from nearly 3,000 U.S. counties has found an association between lack of access to healthy food and increased rates of death from heart failure. Living in a community with access to more grocery stores and local, healthy food resources was significantly associated with lower rates of death from heart failure. Researchers found that lower levels of food insecurity by county were associated with lower rates of death due to heart failure. Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET October 25, 2022 (NewMediaWire) - October 25, 2022 A study reviewing data from nearly 3,000 counties in the United States has found that living in a community with easy access to grocery stores and affordable, healthy food is associated with lower heart failure death rates, according to new research published today in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal. Food insecurity occurs when healthy food is not readily available on a daily basis, due to poverty or socioeconomic challenges, causing people to go hungry or eat food that is of reduced quality, variety or desirability. While previous research has confirmed that food insecurity is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, little research is available about the local food environment and its potential relationship to death from heart failure. A 2019 paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that, on a county level in the U.S., poverty was the strongest socioeconomic factor associated with heart failure and coronary heart disease, and the association was stronger for heart failure than coronary heart disease. "Heart failure mortality is on the rise in populations that live in socioeconomic deprivation, and, importantly, we believe that nutrition plays a role in heart failure mortality, and food insecurity may be particularly detrimental in this population," said lead study author Keerthi T. Gondi, M.D., an internal medicine resident at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "We know that important relationships exist among food access and food affordability and heart health. This will have to be addressed in order to make changes to the burden of cardiovascular disease in populations that live in socioeconomic deprivation moving forward." Story continues This study is one of the first analyses to investigate the association between local food environments and heart failure mortality. Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle becomes so weak it no longer pumps blood as it should. According to Gondi, he and his colleagues examined the death rate from heart failure because it is a consistent metric reported across all US counties, providing an ability to comprehensively evaluate heart failure outcomes at the population level. In 2019, heart failure death accounted for nearly more than 86,000 deaths in the U.S., according to the Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update for 2022. The researchers sought to determine whether food environment by county level was associated with heart failure death rates. They reviewed 2018 data from the National Vital Statistics System a database of all births and deaths in the U.S. and examined the potential for associations among the heart failure death rates in each county with the county's 2018 Food Insecurity Percentage score and Food Environment Index score. The researchers collected each county's Food Insecurity Percentage score the percentage of the population who lack adequate, consistent access to healthy food and Food Environment Index score an index ranked from 0 (worst) to 10 (best) based on a composite of metrics including affordability of nutritious food, food insecurity, grocery store proximity, transportation and socioeconomic factors from the USDA's Food Environment Atlas and the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings. The Food Environment Atlas assembles statistics on food environment indicators and provides a spatial overview of a community's ability to access healthy food. Evaluated together, the Food Insecurity Percentage and Food Environment Index provide a clear picture of a population's food environment. Of the 2,956 counties in the study, the analysis found: The average Food Insecurity Percentage was 13% for all counties, and the average Food Environment Index score was 7.8. Counties with a Food Insecurity Percentage above the national median of 13.7% had a higher rate of deaths from heart failure compared to counties with a Food Insecurity Percentage below the median (30.7 deaths versus 26.7 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). After adjusting for a range of socioeconomic and health factors including the poverty rate, income inequity, rural vs. urban locations, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and smoking - a 1% decrease in Food Insecurity Percentage by county was associated with a 1.3% lower heart failure death rate. Similarly, a 1-unit increase in the Food Environment Index score by county was associated with a 3.6% decrease in the heart failure death rate. On the county level, decreases in the Food Environment Index and increases in the Food Insecurity Percentage were found to have a stronger association with the death rate from heart failure than with the death rate for other subtypes of cardiovascular disease, as well as with the all-cause death rate. The strongest association between food environment and heart failure death rate was found in counties with the highest income inequity and the highest poverty rate. "The findings of this study are unfortunate yet not surprising. These results are consistent with prior studies that have demonstrated the association of cardiovascular disease and food insecurity," said Anne Thorndike, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, who was not involved in this study, director of the Cardiac Lifestyle Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, immediate past chair of the Association's Nutrition Committee and a member of the Association's Lifestyle Council. "This study provides a robust evaluation of the food environment by U.S. counties and shows that characteristics of the food environment are strongly associated with death from heart failure." A limitation of the study is that it only captures data from one year, before the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore, it may have limited generalization at this time. More studies are needed to examine these associations over a longer period of time. The study also revealed that counties with higher heart failure death rates also had fewer food stores, poorer access to healthy foods for adults older than age 65 and a lower participation rate in SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the U.S. government's program that supplements food budgets to help reduce food insecurity for families and individuals who have an annual income level at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty criteria (for a family of three, those with annual income below $29,940 quality for SNAP). According to the Association's Life's Essential 8, dietary intake, which is affected by food insecurity, is one of the key contributors to cardiovascular disease risk, and the low prevalence of ideal diet drives the overall low prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health in the U.S. Better cardiovascular health helps lower the risk for heart disease, stroke and other major health problems. "Food insecurity and lack of access to healthy food are key contributors to poor dietary quality and what is referred to as nutrition insecurity,'" Thorndike said. "The American Heart Association and others are now acknowledging that to help Americans achieve ideal cardiovascular health, particularly ideal diet, we need to broaden our efforts to address both the psychological and social determinants of our health behaviors and well-being. These efforts need to include policy, health care, and community interventions that improve access to nutritious food for people at every stage of life." Co-authors are John Larson, M.D.; Aaron Sifuentes, M.D.; Neil B. Alexander, M.D., M.S.; Matthew C. Konerman, M.D.; Kali S. Thomas, Ph.D., M.A.; and Scott L. Hummel, M.D. Authors' disclosures are listed in the manuscript. The authors reported no funding sources for this study. Statements and conclusions of studies published in the American Heart Association's scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association's policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association's overall financial information are available here. Additional Resources: ### About the American Heart Association The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public's health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1. For Media Inquiries and AHA/ASA Expert Perspective: 214-706-1173 John Arnst: 214-706-1060, john.arnst@heart.org For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721) heart.org and stroke.org China, Vatican extend agreement on bishop appointment: spokesperson Xinhua) 08:44, October 25, 2022 BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China and the Vatican have agreed to extend a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops for two years, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday. The decision was made on Oct. 22 following friendly negotiations between the two sides, Wang said at a daily media briefing. The two sides will continue to maintain close communication and consultation, promote the smooth implementation of the provisional agreement, and continue to advance the process of improving bilateral ties, Wang added. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) Lilyhammer fans are lamenting its rumoured removal from Netflix as they urge others to watch the series before it is too late. Netflix subscribers have been shocked to discover that the Steven Van Zandt series, which was promoted as the services first-ever original show, is reportedly among those to be taken down next month. Lilyhammer starred The Sopranos actor Van Zandt as Frank The Fixer Tagliano, a former New York-based gangster trying to start a new life in the isolated town of Lillehammer in Norway. Van Zandt, who is also a musician and member of Bruce Springsteens E Street Band, said that while he has not had the news confirmed, it looks like Lilyhammer is about to be disappearing from Netflix. Fans of the show have urged other Netflix subscribers to watch the series before it will reportedly be pulled from the platform on 20 November. At the time of writing, Netflix is yet to confirm whether or not the series will be removed. The streaming giant has not listed a removal date for Lilyhammer. The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment. Might be the last chance to watch (or rewatch) Lilyhammer. Such a good show! Fargo meets Sopranos is an apt description, said one person. Another added: Loved this show, sorry there wasnt more. Check it out while you can. If you havent yet, watch Lilyhammer very, very soon. A f***ing brilliant show! said a third person. Someone else wrote: Lilyhammer is leaving Netflix on November 20th. Watch it while you still can. Underrated gem. Oct. 24LIMA A Lima man who left the scene after hitting and killing a pedestrian in October 2021 will spend 30 days in jail and four years serving community control. John Rondot, 42, hit 18-year-old Ethan Dakota Howard, who was riding a mountain bicycle that did not have a rear light or reflector, on Oct. 16, 2021, according to a police report. Rondot reportedly was traveling southbound on Shawnee Road when he came upon Howard and struck his bicycle in the rear but did not stop. The impact caused Howard to be thrown 170 feet, the police report said. A passing motorist noticed Howard's body in the roadway and called 911. Two hours after the crash, Rondot contacted the police department and said he had struck a deer near the spot where Howard's body was found. Howard died three days later of injuries sustained in the accident. According to statements made in court by Michelle Howard, Howard's mother, a hole was cut in the man's skull to allow room for his brain to swell. The woman said she wanted to share the man's life with everyone in the packed courtroom. She said the past year has been difficult for her family, who had been expecting to attend Howard's graduation but instead visit his grave. "We know that we'll see him again one day," the woman said. "That is the only thing that gives me hope." Robert Grzybowski, Rondot's defense attorney, said Rondot is "devastated" about what happened. He said the man cannot say much due to a potential civil lawsuit. Rondot did share, however, that "there's been countless nights of just me wondering what could've done differently." He said he is "remorseful" and is ready to put the incident behind him and accept the consequences. Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed said Rondot will not be allowed to consume any drugs or alcohol while he is on community control. He must serve 100 hours of community service, in line with Howard's passion for helping the homeless. Rondot's driver's license will be suspended for three years, though he can apply for driving privileges to and from his job. While he serves 30 days in jail, Rondot will be allowed to leave to go to work, but must return to jail immediately after his shift. Reach Jessica Orozco at 567-242-0398. KYIV, Ukraine Ukraines presidential office said Tuesday that at least seven civilians have been killed and three others have been wounded in the latest Russian shelling of the eastern Donetsk region. The attacks came as the Russians pressed their offensive on the strategically placed towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka and also shelled other areas in the Donetsk region, which is part of Ukraines industrial heartland of Donbas. As part of its attacks over the past 24 hours, the Russian military also again struck the cities of Nikopol and Marhanets facing the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant across the Dnieper, damaging residential buildings, a factory and water supply network. In the Mykolaiv region, Russian shelling damaged residential buildings and a kindergarten. ___ KEY DEVELOPMENTS: - German president arrives in Ukraine as tensions rise - EXPLAINER: Dirty bombs sow fear and panic, cause few deaths - Ukraine hospitals staff fight dark memories of occupation ___ OTHER DEVELOPMENTS: BERLIN German and European Union leaders have gathered experts in Berlin to start work on a new Marshall plan for the rebuilding of Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that the aim is to discuss how to ensure and how to sustain the financing of the recovery, reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine for years and decades to come. Scholz, who co-hosted the meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said hes looking for nothing less than creating a new Marshall plan for the 21st century a generational task that must begin now. That was a reference to the U.S.-sponsored plan that helped revive Western European economies after World War II. Von der Leyen said the World Bank puts the cost of damage to Ukraine so far at 350 billion euros ($345 billion). She said that, in addition to longer-term help, Ukraine needs fast rehabilitation right now as we speak as Russia targets Ukrainian electricity and other infrastructure ahead of the onset of the winter. She called those pure acts of terror. Story continues Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that point in a video address from Kyiv. He said that Ukraine has a $17 billion fast recovery plan to repair damage to hospitals, schools, transport and energy infrastructure among other things, but as of now we havent received a single cent for the implementation of the fast recovery plan. ___ COPENHAGEN, Denmark Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said Tuesday that the messages from the Russian leadership indicate that Russia is steering toward a long-term break with the West. An isolated Russia is bad news, Gahr Stre said, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. It is disturbing that today there is so little contact and direct communication with Russia. It weakens the possibility of finding a negotiated end to the war. In a speech to the Norwegian parliament, Gahr Stre said that after Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 28, we clearly see how much is at stake. Russian President Vladimir Putin "takes high risks. And the willingness to take risks seems to increase in line with bad news from the battlefield, he said according to Norwegian news agency NTB. We are now in the most demanding security political situation since World War II. ___ BERLIN -- Germanys president has arrived in Kyiv for his first visit to Ukraine since Russias invasion began eight months ago. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after arriving Tuesday that it was important to me in this phase of air attacks with drones, cruise missiles and rockets to send a signal of solidarity to Ukrainians, German news agency dpa reported. Steinmeier plans to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit. The German president, whose position is largely ceremonial, made it to Ukraine at his third attempt. In April, he hoped to visit with his Polish and Baltic counterparts, but said his presence apparently wasnt wanted in Kyiv. Steinmeier has been criticized in Ukraine for allegedly cozying up to Russia during his time as foreign minister. Last week, a planned trip was put off because of security concerns. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine A Gwinnett County haunted house has been ranked as one of the best in the country, according to USA Today. The publication ranked the top 10 haunted houses as part of its 10Best Readers Choice rankings for 2022. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Netherworld Haunted House rounded out the list in the tenth spot. USA Today said the self-guided attraction is known for its sets, animatronics, special effects and make-up created by professionals from the film and television industry. The Stone Mountain haunted house celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021. According to its website, Netherworld welcomes hundreds of visitors every night. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Heres how the rest of the top ranked haunted houses stack up. Field of Screams Maryland - Olney, Maryland Pennhurst Asylum - Spring City, Pennsylvania Cutting Edge Haunted House - Fort Worth, Texas Headless Horseman Haunted Attractions - Ulster Park, New York Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride - Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Haunted Overload - Lee, New Hampshire Fear Fair - Seymour, Indiana The Dent Schoolhouse - Cincinnati, Ohio Shocktoberfest - Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania Netherworld Haunted House - Stone Mountain, Georgia USA Today also ranked the best haunted hotels in the nation for an overnight scare. The Marshall House in Savannah was third on the list. Its Halloween season, so that can only mean one thing the monsters at Netherworld await your arrival to scare, amaze, entertain and provide all the Halloween haunts theyve provided for more than 25 years. Our main show is called The Undying Horror, Netherworld co-creator Ben Armstrong said. Theres a hideous monster at the heart of the Netherworld launching its tentacles up into the sky. Theyre coming down in our world and creating corruption wherever they hit. So, youll see these massive tentacles, these membranes and all these hideous creatures. There are so many new giant monsters, it will blow your mind. Netherworld is a dark attraction that features over-the-top special effects, unique makeup, elaborate costuming, skilled stunt actors and unusual themes. It was recently named The Hauntfinder Generals No. 1 haunt of all-time. Netherworld routinely wins numerous other industry awards every year. This is the sixth season at the companys Stone Mountain facility. This year, Netherworld features two haunts; the main show, Undying Horror, and the second show, Parasitic. Theres this strange, plant fungal invasion and these plants are taking over everything, Armstrong said. So youll see all sorts of bizarre green monstrosities out to convert you into one of their kind. It is crazy. This years haunts feature new sets, new monsters, a new path and new terrors around every turn. At Netherworld, we love to create new things, things that people have never seen before, Armstrong said. Netherworld employs nearly 400 actors during the Halloween season. Armstrong emphasizes Netherworld is a stage for actors to wear incredible costumes, makeup and masks to scare unsuspecting guests. The haunt includes iconic characters and sets, as well as those youll only encounter inside the Netherworld. In addition to the two haunts, Netherworld includes a festive midway filled with games, creatures, photo-ops, Halloween-themed food and live actors. Theres a laser tag arena, escape rooms and a monster museum, too. Our goal has always been to provide visitors with a seasonal Halloween experience thats beyond compare, said co-creator Billy Messina. And with all the upgrades weve made this year, both inside and outside the haunts, we hope that folks will feel that weve done exactly that. Netherworld is open every night now through Halloween and two weekends after. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. 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Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld haunted house. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Here are some more photos from Netherworld. Louis Theroux wasnt always this cuddly. Time was that public figures would agree to be followed around by his camera crew and come out of it looking like a bit of a tit. Think of his early-Noughties When Louis Met..., full of compellingly eccentric encounters with Ann Widdecombe, Neil and Christine Hamilton and Chris Eubank. But cultural mores have changed: we dont like being mean, and Theroux is now a meme. And if his money dont jiggle jiggle, neither does the opener to his new BBC Two series Louis Theroux Interviews..., which is a surprisingly flat and unengaging portrait of Stormzy, one of the UKs most celebrated performers. Lets hope later episodes, with the likes of Dame Judi Dench and Rita Ora, have more to offer. Ive wanted to meet you for so long! says Stormzy real name Michael Omari when Theroux turns up backstage at his tour. Yeah, me too, he purrs back. Theroux offers a little hug; the UK rap king suggests a big hug. Therouxs lockdown podcast, Grounded, featured guests as various as Rylan, FKA twigs and KSI, and indicated that stars see a Theroux interview as a kind of status symbol, a Desert Island Discs-like signifier of their cultural worth or intellectual depth. Louis Theroux Interviews... is laced with the same mutual hunger for validation. Cosiness isnt necessarily a problem, by the way. Theroux has never been a gotcha journalist; he excels as a documentarian by inoffensively embedding himself in peoples lives, and many of his Grounded interviews went to very personal places. Hes always very watchable, even when, like here, he doesnt land any zingers. We should have known this would be a pally affair when Theroux recently popped up in Stormzys star-studded Mel Made Me Do It video, but the rapper proves a frustrating interviewee. At first, it seems itll all go swimmingly. Theroux has only been roaming around Stormzys house for a few minutes before the performer starts alluding to mental health struggles. But as Theroux asks more questions, the answers get vaguer. Speaking about his break-up with presenter and recently announced new Love Island host Maya Jama, Stormzy admits he made mistakes. Theroux good-naturedly presses him to elaborate. The best he can extricate is this confession: I didnt do what a man should do to fully appreciate, love and care for his woman. What we do learn, at least, is that the pressure has sometimes got to this disciplined, focused performer. He also reveals he is deeply religious, and hosts bible study groups at his home. And he has a poignant keenness to settle down and start a family, perhaps because of his own fathers abandonment. But theres not a great amount here that shows how Stormzy became one of the most thrilling young British stars of our age. What of his politics, which touched such a nerve in his electric Glastonbury set? What about his writing, his musical process? Meanwhile, its hard to shake the suspicion that Theroux is thirsting after another viral moment. As the credits roll, he hammily mentions off the cuff that hes a viral rap star himself. Actual off-the-cuff moments are what the programme needs more of like when Theroux meets Stormzys mum, who drops the bomb that she was on the pill when she got pregnant with her superstar son. Stormzys face is an instant meme. Theres obviously the nosiness value of seeing inside Stormzys house, which contains an endearing amount of Monopoly sets including a special Stormzy edition. But then it turns out he has a bigger house down the road, which hes renovating. Is it mad? Is it fabulous? Is it huge? Theroux asks, a note of desperation in his voice, as though Stormzys other house might be where all the fun things are. At another point, despite the fact its not a particularly strenuous interview, Theroux asks: Hows your energy? Stormzy waves him on, happy to continue. I dont often speak in detail, he admits. You can say that again. The third season of the hit reality dating series Love Is Blind landed on Netflix this week. While the first four episodes have already brought loads of drama, theres one particular moment that has fans cringing. Love Is Blind season three cast member Andrew Liu is a 30-year-old wildlife photographer and director of operations from Austin, Texas. Hes also self-proclaimed sexual kung fu expert. Yes, thats right. In the pods, Liu hit it off with Nancy Rodriguez, a 32-year-old speech pathologist and real estate agent. When Liu asked Rodriguez what forms of physical affection she enjoys, he saw that as an opportunity to share some NSFW details on the most transcendental sex hes ever had. That was my first experience doing orgasmic pleasure, he revealed, as he spoke about his sexual escapades with a 41-year-old woman he dated in Bali. That was also his first experience with something known as sexual kung fu. According to Liu, the ultimate goal of sexual kung fu is to achieve an orgasm without ejaculating. This is also known as edging, but lets not burst his bubble. At this point Im able to have sort of mini orgasms without ejaculating during sex, he told Rodriguez, who couldnt stop hiding her face in her hands on the other side of the wall. So, is sexual kung fu a real thing? Well, it supposedly comes from Taoist tradition. Sex blogger Johnathan White writes that sexual kung fu is the art of mastering your sexual energy, transmuting this energy into all aspects of life, becoming a multi-orgasmic man, and having complete sexual control. The practice is quite similar to edging, which involves sexual stimulation until stopping yourself from reaching orgasm. According to the International Society for Sexual Medicine, edging can actually increase the intensity of orgasm in some people. While there might be some scientific backing to Lius favourite sex practice, that didnt stop viewers from sharing their cringeworthy reactions to the scene on social media. Story continues oh my god andrew in love is blind ep 1 made me giggle with that whole speech if i were nancy i would have got up and left while he was still going on and on about sexual kung fu, one person wrote on Twitter. Andrew is sending me with this sexual kung fu speech, said someone else. Im crying at Andrew talking about sexual kung fu WHAT, another user wrote. oh my god andrew in love is blind ep 1 made me giggle with that whole speech if i were nancy i would have got up and left while he was still going on and on about sexual kung fu zara (@bIackstvirs) October 19, 2022 #LoveIsBlind Andrew is sending me with this sexual kung fu speech brain dead (@mzcoppertone) October 20, 2022 Im crying at Andrew talking about sexual kung fu WHAT *Bit-Bit* (@BrukitdwnBread) October 20, 2022 This wasnt Andrew Lius only awkard moment that had Love Is Blind fans talking this week. After Rodriguez rejected Lius proposal, producers asked the wildlife photographer how he was feeling during his confessional. When he asked the producers if the cameras were rolling, he was seen reaching for his pocket and pulling out eye drops. Liu proceeded to fill his eyes with drops and spoke about how it didnt feel good to be dumped by Rodriguez. I never thought I could care for someone that would bring me to tears, he said, after reaching for the eye drops once more. However, its still unclear whether Liu was faking the tears, or if his eyes were actually dry during the scene. The next three episodes of Love Is Blind season three will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday 26 October. Netflixs "Love Is Blind" pods officially reopened on Oct. 20 with 30 new contestants from Dallas hoping to find love and say "I do," sight unseen. The first three episodes of the shows third season already have some fans rooting for certain contestants while questioning others. And yes, were talking about Andrew Liu. Liu is a consultant and wildlife photographer who raised some eyebrows after he used eye drops during a confessional interview but for what purpose? Was it to relieve dry eyes, or, as some fans suspect, to fake tears? The moment came after fellow contestant Nancy Rodriguez turned down his marriage proposal. Following the breakup, Liu asks producers if the cameras are rolling. He proceeds to take out eye drops from his pocket and use it on his eyes. Its just too much, Liu says. Liu then stops to ask producers, Is it okay that Im doing this? The producers respond by saying, If your eyes are hurting you, by all means. Liu continues to pour more eye drops into his eyes and says, I never thought I could care for someone that could bring me to tears. Love Is Blind fans immediately took to social media to react to Lius seemingly "totally rehearsed" interview, as one Twitter user wrote. Andrew with the eye drops for fake tears saying totally rehearsed to camera I never thought I could care for someone who brought me to tears omg pls help #LoveIsBlind3 #LoveisBlind mich (@mismatchedmich) October 19, 2022 Did Andrew just fake tears on camera? Im screaminng!, one Twitter user wrote. He was ready for the wave of women wanting to heal his broken heart after this aired. He just KNEW in his heart that production would edit this moment into a tender one. Congrats you played yourself. Story continues Did Andrew just fake tears on camera? Im screaminng! He was ready for the wave of women wanting to heal his broken heart after this aired. He just KNEW in his heart that production would edit this moment into a tender one. Congrats you played yourself #loveisblind. The mess Chabba Doo (@ChabbaDoo1) October 19, 2022 Others marveled about the fact that the moment made it onto the show at all, joking that "Love Is Blind" producers were plotting against Liu. One Twitter user used a picture of a winking Agatha Harkness from Wanda Vision to make fun of this alleged dynamic. Andrew putting eye drops in to produce fake tears: youre gonna cut this right? The producers: yeah totally #LoveIsBlind3 #LoveIsBlind pic.twitter.com/NiEbgTD0jY em-iffer walters: attorney at law (@_EMMinem) October 20, 2022 Another Twitter user took the perspective of a cameraman watching the article. Love is Blind cameraman knowing damn well Andrews fake tears are making it on the show. #LoveisBlindS3 #loveisblind pic.twitter.com/XzSIWZRbPR jeigh.eth (@jeighburrow) October 20, 2022 Members of the "Love Is Blind" universe also jumped into the conversation. Speaking to TODAY for their partnership with Hotels.com, hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey weighed in on what did (or didn't) happen. "It was so dry on set," Nick Lachey said, joking. "That was a moment and he certainly is going to have to live with that one for a while." "You're going to get all kinds of people on these shows. But at the end of the day, the cream rises to the top. The people at the end of it are going to be there for a reason because they really wanted to be there and find love," Vanessa Lachey said. Season Two contestant, Abhishek Shake Chatterjee took to his Instagram Stories on Oct. 21 to give his take on the situation. Chatterjee, who had his own controversy on the show, wrote, per E! News, Watching through this season last night ... and...What did I do that was so bad again? For Rodriguez, the scene was confirmation that "something was off" with her potential suitor, she told Newsweek. "When I saw that scene, it just really confirmed and validated that I made the right choice to say no to someone who wasnt in this experiment and this experience for the real reasons," she said. Rodriguez went on to accept Bartise Bowdens proposal. While many fans assumed that Liu was using eye drops to fake cry a technique often used by actors that might not actually be the case. As Vanessa Lachey said, Youre going to have to ask him. Nobody knows why. As for what Liu has to say? The cast member has been sharing fans' reactions to the moment on his Instagram stories, but has not shared what was going through his head in the moment. This article was originally published on TODAY.com The Lubbock Sheriff's Office was dispacted around 2 p.m. on Oct. 14 to the 11300 block of ECR 7300 regarding a deceased person located in a field. LSO secured the scene and any potential evidence and notified Lubbock Police Department. On Monday, LPD was asking the public for help in identifying the male subject that was found. The public is urged to call the Lubbock Crime Line at 806-741-1000. Information provided may be eligible for a reward of up to 5,000 dollars and individuals can remain anonymous. The investigation is still ongoing. This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock sheriff and police asking for help to identify a body The mother of a missing Georgia toddler presumed dead by police said Monday that she still hopes her son will be found happy and alive as investigators search a landfill for the childs remains. Nearly three weeks have passed since Leilani Simon called police to report her son, 20-month-old Quinton Simon, was missing from his playpen at their home just outside Savannah. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Though police have named her as a suspect in her sons death and disappearance, the boys mother said she doesnt know what happened to him. Were in limbo just like everybody else is, Simon told WTOC-TV. Were sitting here every day waiting for answers. She spoke to the TV station as police and FBI agents Monday resumed sifting through trash at a nearby landfill in the search for the boys remains. Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley told reporters last week that police believe the childs body was dumped in a trash bin that was later emptied at the landfill. After police spent days searching the home and surrounding neighborhood, Hadley said that investigators believe the child is dead. He also named Simon as polices sole suspect, though he declined to say what evidence police have to support their suspicion. RELATED STORIES Simon has not been arrested or charged in the case. Im not running and Im not hiding, she said. And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station. Hadley said police had evidence that prompted the landfill search, though he declined to say what it was. I have every belief that we will find his remains here at the landfill, the police chief said last Tuesday. Simon insisted she hasnt given up hope that her son is still alive. Story continues We want him back in our arms, holding us. Thats what we want, she said. Were just hoping that hes in somebodys house and theyre feeding him and maybe they wanted a baby or couldnt have a baby. Maybe they thought they were his savior. Thats our best hope at this point. GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) urged Malaysia on Tuesday to stop deporting refugees back to Myanmar, saying it had received reports of hundreds of such cases over the past two months. The deportations, which included former navy officers seeking asylum, expose those sent away to danger and are a violation of the international law on non-refoulement, according to UNHCR, referring to a law that protects refugees or asylum seekers from being deported. "In the last two months alone, hundreds of Myanmar nationals are reported to have been sent back against their will by the authorities," UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a Geneva press briefing. "People cannot be returned to places where they face threats to their life and liberty and face harm and danger." The latest incident involving an asylum seeker being sent back to conflict-torn Myanmar occurred on Oct. 21, Mantoo added, despite intervention by the UNHCR with authorities. She had no further information on what happened to the deportees upon arrival. Myanmar's junta spokesman and Malaysia's home and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Myanmar's embassy in Malaysia previously said in a post on Facebook that 150 Myanmar nationals were deported by plane on Oct. 6 in cooperation with Malaysian immigration authorities. It did not mention that the group included former navy officers. Myanmar has been gripped by fighting since the army overthrew an elected government early last year. Resistance movements, some armed, have emerged across the country, which the military has countered with lethal force. The junta has arrested thousands of people, including Nobel laureate and deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, along with many bureaucrats, students, journalists and others in an attempt to smother dissent. So far, more than 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including many ethnic Rohingya Muslims, have fled to neighbouring Malaysia. (Reporting by Emma Farge; Additional reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Bernadette Baum) A woman whose body was found in a North Carolina home may have been killed days earlier, officials said. Now, a man who had been living with her is facing a murder charge, according to the Pitt County Sheriffs Office. Deputies in an Oct. 24 news release didnt list attorney information for the man, identified as 34-year-old Robert Edward Rathmann. The case stems back to Oct. 17, when officials conducted a welfare check on Weston Road, near Greenville and roughly 90 miles east of Raleigh. Deputies discovered 39-year-old Samantha Coppola deceased in the home; the victim of a murder believed to have been committed several days prior, the sheriffs office wrote. Rathmann shared the Weston Road home with Coppola and had been in a relationship with her, officials said. Coppola is remembered in an online obituary as a New Jersey native who moved to the Greenville area five years ago. A free spirit, Samantha was a devoted mother, had a good heart and was loved by all, the post on the Smith Funeral Service & Crematory website said. Rathmann was arrested on unrelated charges on Oct. 13 and was in custody before officials tied him to Coppolas death. He was being held without bond on the murder charge, according to the sheriffs office. Devoted mom was taken to a hospital unconscious. Now, NC man is charged in her death Woman killed in apartment when downstairs neighbor fires gun into ceiling, NC cops say A Texas man was hit and killed by an accused drunk driver while helping his sister after her car broke down, according to Houston-area police. The car became stranded on the shoulder of a Harris County toll road on Oct. 15, Ted Heap, Harris County Precinct 5 constable, said in a release shared to Facebook. Obinna Ugbonta, 24, was working on the vehicle early in the morning when a black sedan crashed into the car at a high speed, the release said. The driver of the sedan, 30-year-old Michael Tinubu, was accused of being drunk at the wheel, the release said. Ugbonta was killed and his older sister was injured, Heap said. Tinubu, however, was unharmed. Police arrested him, and hes facing a charge of intoxication manslaughter, according to the release. Husband dies when a roof rack comes flying through windshield, Michigan police say Student crushed by tree he and his cross country teammates knocked down, Ohio cops say Man in living room pinned to wall when car crashes through house, Florida cops say Mother of 2 who was 7 months pregnant dies in car crash, Alabama officials say Patients receive treatment in the quarantine zone at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on April 10, 2022 in Shanghai, China. Shanghai New International Expo Centre has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive COVID-19 patients. Yin Liqin/China News Service via Getty Images A 14-year-old girl died in quarantine in China after she was neglected by staff, her family told the BBC. She developed a fever at a quarantine center and died several days later, per the BBC. Social-media users, frustrated by China's zero-COVID policy, are calling for an investigation. A man says his 14-year-old daughter died after being denied care at a COVID quarantine center in China, and it's sparked outrage on the country's tightly censored social-media platforms. Guo Jingjing and her family were taken to a quarantine center in Ruzhou, Henan, on October 14, the BBC reported. The BBC identified Guo's father as a man named Guo Lele. Guo Lele said his daughter developed a fever on October 16, two days after she was put in a quarantine center, and that his daughter was incoherent by her third day at the facility. According to the father's account, she was finally taken from quarantine to a hospital on October 17 when she was already in critical condition. She died on October 18, the BBC reported. Insider was not able to independently verify the girl's death, or if she had COVID-19 at the time. Her family's social media accounts were not accessible at press time. It's also unclear if Guo tested positive for COVID. The incident comes just as China enters its third year of strict COVID-zero measures and quarantine procedures. China's policies mandate that anyone who's come in close contact with a COVID patient also has to isolate, often at designated facilities. According to local blogger Li Xiaoan, the girl died of pulmonary edema, a condition where too much fluid fills the lungs, and encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. Li reposted an account of the ordeal from the girl's father on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. In this account, Guo Lele alleged that no doctors were stationed at the quarantine center they were taken to, a facility converted from the premises of the Ruzhou Wanji Senior High School. Outrage on Chinese social media was quickly censored Videos went viral on Douyin, China's version of Tiktok, that showed a young girl trembling in bed while an older woman squatted beside her. It's unclear if the girl in the video is Guo Jingjing, but it prompted people online to call for an investigation into the circumstances around the girl's passing. Story continues Li, the blogger, shared a video on Weibo of a man screaming at quarantine staff on October 19. Insider could not verify that the man in the video was Guo Lele. A separate video also went viral on Douyin this week showing a man thought to be Guo Lele accusing healthcare workers in China of neglecting his daughter and calling for an investigation, per the BBC. "I'm requesting the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Discipline Inspection Commission come down to investigate the Ruzhou government's neglect," he added in the video, per the BBC. Many videos of Guo Lele have been taken down on Weibo, which is heavily moderated and often censors dissent. Hashtags related to the girl's death, such as #RuzhouGirl, have been disabled on the platform. However, several posts and videos remain on Weibo and Douyin calling for an investigation. "Have the lessons of Shanghai been forgotten so cleanly? What is even more hateful is that it is so tightly censored," said one popular Weibo post, referring to Shanghai's strict COVID lockdowns in April. "If any violations were committed, I hope there will be severe punishments!" wrote another poster. Ruzhou's authorities have not issued a statement or comment on Guo Jingjing's death. Insider's calls to Ruzhou city authorities were not returned. Anger at China's COVID-zero policies regularly surfaces on social media. However, posts are often quickly censored. In September, 27 people died while being sent to quarantine when their bus overturned on a mountain road in Guizhou province. Social media users said the deaths could have been avoided had no quarantine order been given in the first place. Read the original article on Insider An Opa-locka officer shot an armed suspect Monday night, according to reports and the citys police chief. Around 8 p.m., officers were called to the area of Northwest 147th Street and 22nd Court about a man walking with a gun, according to Miami Herald news partner CBS Miami. Officers followed the man in the warehouse area, confronted him and ordered him to drop the weapon and when he didnt, an officer shot him, Police Chief Scott Israel said at the scene. He did not acknowledge the directions or the orders of our officer, Israel said. The man suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is Investigating. VIDEO REPORT FROM THE SCENE: This report will be updated. Joe Raedle/Getty Images After a volunteer canvassing for Sen. Marco Rubio was assaulted Sunday night, the Florida Republican came out swinging on social media. Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a Desantis hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans werent allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah #Florida, Rubio tweeted on Monday. He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery[.] However, an incident report filed by the arresting officer and provided to The Daily Beast by the Hialeah Police Department makes no mention of a political motive, anyone saying anything about Republicans, or the other three people Rubio claimed were involved. Javier Jesus Lopez, a 22-year-old warehouse worker who lives down the street from where the altercation took place, now faces a felony charge of aggravated battery. A phone number listed for Lopez in the incident reportwhich The Daily Beast has redacted from the documentwent straight to voicemail Monday evening. In an email on Monday, Sgt. Jose Torres of the Hialeah PD told The Daily Beast that the case is open and active, and that investigators soon expect to determine a motive. When Local 10 News asked Torres if the violence was political, he also said the investigation was ongoing, but as of Monday afternoon there was no indication that is the case. Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a Desantis hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans werent allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah #Florida He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery pic.twitter.com/36QpbySg58 Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 24, 2022 Rubio, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, is running for reelection against Democratic challenger Rep. Val Demings. The former police chief of Orlando, Demings is trailing Rubio by just under five points as of Monday night, according to the latest FiveThirtyEight poll. Story continues The alleged attack on the Rubio volunteer occurred around 6:30 p.m. Sunday in a residential section of Hialeah, a city in Miami-Dade County of just under 225,000 residents. When police responded, the Rubio volunteer told officers that he had been walking around the neighborhood handing out fliers when he came across [Lopez] who was blocking the sidewalk, the incident report states. [Lopez] confronted the vic and stated that he could not pass through the sidewalk in front of his residence, it continues. Vic proceeded to walk towards the street to avoid the defendant at which point the defendant stated to the vic, You cant pass by here this is my neighborhood. Vic then stated to the defendant, This is public property and I can be here if I want to. At this point, Lopez and the volunteer began to have a verbal dispute, after which Lopez allegedly grabbed the man and proceeded to slam him against the floor. Thats when a third man stepped in and kicked Lopez, the alleged attacker, in the face, but fled before police arrived, according to the incident report. Lopez then punched the Rubio volunteer multiple times with closed fists causing him to have a severe swelling on the right side of his face and his right eye being completely shut [Lopez] continued striking the [volunteer] on his mouth causing a severe swelling and bleeding. Hialeah Fire Rescue Engine 2 responded to the scene to treat the Rubio volunteers injuries, concludes the report, which does not mention the volunteer being transported to the hospital. Lopez was taken into custody and transported to TGK, according to the report, using the acronym for Miamis Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. The Rubio volunteer is not named in the incident report, but was later identified by Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo to CBS News as Christopher Monzon. The Daily Beast was unable to reach Monzon, a reputed neo-Nazi who is well-known to anti-fascist activists who posted details of Monzons far-right bona fides online following Rubios tweet. FYI, this isnt any ordinary canvasser. This is Christopher Monzon, aka the Cuban Confederate, who marched alongside neo-Nazis at Unite the Right in 2017. And hes deeply active in Miami GOP politics. @MiamiDadeGOP https://t.co/3dCzeB7Qjt Miami Against Fascism (@MIAagainstFash) October 24, 2022 Monzon was spotted at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists held a torchlight procession before one of them killed a counterprotester the next day. He was once a member of the League of the South (LOS), which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, but claimed last year to have resigned. While it is unclear how a Cuban American came to identify as a white supremacist and southern nationalist, it seems apparent that Monzon received some encouragement from his parents, who have participated in League of the South demonstrations, decked out in Confederate battle flags (CBFs) and toting LOS signs, the SPLC wrote of Monzon in 2017. That same year, Monzon was arrested for attempting to assault protesters in Hollywood, Florida with a Confederate flag. He was the lone counterprotester at a gathering organized to push for streets named after Confederate generals to be renamed. The sole counter protester against renaming confederate street signs gets cuff & detained after this... @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/zqmK4EUyNC Shyann Malone (@ShyannMalone) August 30, 2017 The current events, like the violence instigated by these communist individuals who seek to silence us through means of violence and coercion, they have kept them away from here, but they will not intimidate me, Monzon told Local 10 news shortly before he was hauled away by cops. In 2021, Monzon ran for Hialeah City Council, receiving a paltry 3.7 percent of the vote in the primary. Journalists from the Miami New Times attempted to interview Monzon on Monday in his room at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, with permission from the facilitys communications department, but said they were blocked from entering by members of the Vice City Proud Boys, the militant right-wing groups Miami-Dade chapter. Rubio press secretary Ansley Bradwell did not respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment. 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. About 50 Massachusetts employees who left their jobs as a result of non-compliance with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be reinstated to their positions, the Baker administration said Tuesday. The Administration has recently been able to accommodate a small number of positions who previously were not accommodated under the vaccine requirement. These employees have been offered back their positions, and the administration does not anticipate more letters going out for additional positions, said Anisha Chakrabarti, Deputy Communications Director for Gov. Charlie Baker, in a statement. The Administration is pleased that the vast majority of employees have complied with the vaccine requirement and has no plans to make updates to the guidance at this time. Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday that the state has had a mandatory vaccination requirement in place for a long time, with more than 95 percent of the states workforce participating in it. The number of members of our workforce who did participate grew dramatically once we put the requirement in place, Baker said, but theres been a process here for dealing with those who sought exemptions and there are a small number of people who based on continued reviews of those exemption requests we believe we have solutions for. We want to talk to them. Part of the exemption process depends to some extent on medical issues, on religious issues and it also depends on the work you do, and all of those things get taken into this process, Baker said. And there is a small number of people the Commonwealth wants to talk to because we think we may have an answer for them. Last December, out of 41,000 state workers, nearly 1,000 employees left their jobs as a result of non-compliance with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Bakers executive order, which applied to 41,629 Executive Department employees, took effect in October 2021. Story continues According to initial data released in 2021 by the Baker administration, 97% of employees have complied with the mandate or received exemptions. Religious exemptions were granted to 130 of the 2,164 employees who applied for one. Medical exemptions were approved for 126 of the 394 employees who applied. In December, Baker said 988 employees were no longer in their jobs due to their non-compliance. That included 332 voluntary resignations and 656 who lost their jobs involuntarily. The involuntary dismissals included 160 part-time contractors from the Municipal Police Training Committee, the administration said. Another 128 employees are classified as in progress and 72 were serving a suspension as a result of non-compliance. Other gubernatorial candidates on Tuesday commented on reports that certain workers for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation who lost their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates would now be rehired. I applaud todays news that certain MassDOT workers who lost their job due to vaccine mandates will be reinstated, said Republican gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl. Ive been calling for this to take place for more than a year, and for some workers its finally going to be a reality. However, this doesnt excuse the fact that these terminations were wrong in the first place and unjustifiably displaced these workers for many months. It also overlooks the fact that there are many other people, including especially first responders, who are still out-of-work due to these mandates. Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey, said in an email, Its important to remind people that vaccines are safe and, as Governor, Maura will continue to urge people to get vaccinated as a matter of public health and in order to keep our state open for business. We are learning more about the Governors decision, but Maura continues to support people receiving exemptions for religious or medical reasons as it appears todays actions were designed to do. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Massachusetts has been ranked as among the safest states in America, according to a new report. Mass shootings, terrorist attacks, hate crimes, natural disasters and COVID-19 have been making U.S. headlines all year long and putting Americans in danger, WalletHub highlighted in its report on 2022s Safest States in America. Currently in 2022, around 204,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and 15,200 died from gun violence, according to the personal-finance website. The ranking compared all 50 states across 53 different key metrics grouped into 5 different categories. The metrics ranged from Americans who are fully vaccinated to assaults per capita and the unemployment rate. Massachusetts was ranked safest in fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel and in share of uninsured population. Among Massachusetts these are the Top 10 safest states: Vermont Maine New Hampshire Utah Hawaii Massachusetts Connecticut Minnesota Washington Rhode Island For the full report visit the link here. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Monday night was the first of five sessions held by the Gainey administration to gather community input on the search for Pittsburghs next chief of police. During the session held at Carrick High School, Mayor Ed Gainey asked the attending public what expectations they had for the new chief of police. I want that next police chief to be out here with you. Learning about how to better serve and protect you, Gainey told the crowd. Many people said they want to see more diversity on the force, a chief who can address gun violence, a chief who is bilingual. One main thing is we are looking to hire police that specialize in Spanish speakers because the community of Latino has grown in Pittsburgh, said Sofia Ramirez. Another suggestion made: hiring a chief who is local to the area. We are looking for someone who is homegrown and can hit the ground running. Who knows the neighborhoods and knows the city. We want them to be approachable but very clear on what the expectations are, said Michele Traficante. The public input and search for the next chief comes after the retirement of chief Scott Schubert, who had been with the bureau for 29 years, and on the heels of several safety incidents, including a triple homicide on the North Side. The Gainey administration hopes to fill the position by the end of the year. We talked about the end of December, thats true, but I want to make sure Im comfortable in my decision. The decision Ive made so far Ive been comfortable in, said Gainey. Time is of the essence but, at the same time, so is quality. Four more public meetings will be held: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 6 to 8 p.m., PPG Paints Arena Tuesday, Nov. 1, 6 to 8 p.m., Perry Traditional Academy Thursday, Nov. 3, 6 to 8 p.m., Community Empowerment Association Saturday, Nov. 5, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. virtual-only. Register here. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Suspect reportedly at Dallas hospital for babys birth; police identify 2 hospital employees killed Pennsylvania Senate Debate: Fetterman, Oz to face off Tuesday exclusively on Channel 11 Gaping sinkhole swallowing street in Pittsburgh neighborhood for months, neighbors say VIDEO: Explainer: How will closed-captioning system work in Oz-Fetterman debate? DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts ATLANTA (AP) Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, is trying to avoid having to testify before a Georgia special grand jury that's investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally tried to influence the state's 2020 election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened the investigation early last year, and the special grand jury was seated in May to review evidence and hear from witnesses. Willis filed a petition in August seeking to have Meadows testify before the panel. Because Meadows lives outside of Georgia, Willis can't simply issue a subpoena for his testimony. Instead she has to get a judge in South Carolina, where he lives, to order him to appear. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney in Atlanta, whos overseeing the special grand jury, signed off on the petition Willis filed for Meadows, certifying that he is a necessary and material witness for the investigation. After receiving the paperwork from Willis' office, a prosecutor in Pickens County, South Carolina, on Sept. 9 asked a judge to set a hearing to determine whether Meadows must go to Atlanta to testify. In a response filed Monday, a lawyer for Meadows asked the South Carolina judge to deny the request. Lawyer James Bannister argued in the court filing that Meadows has exerted executive privilege, which is currently being litigated in federal court so he is not a material witness. Meadows invoked that privilege in a fight against subpoenas issued by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Video: Former Meadows aide testifies Meadows told her Trump privately admitted defeat The House held Meadows in contempt of Congress for defying the subpoena, but the Justice Department declined to prosecute. Bannister also wrote that the summons before the court is now moot because it sought Meadows appearance on Sept. 27, which has now passed. Will Wooten, a prosecutor in Willis office, said in a sworn statement made Oct. 7 and filed with the South Carolina court Monday that its his understanding that a hearing hadnt been scheduled on the request to compel Meadows testimony because of scheduling conflicts. He provided several dates in November and asked the court to order Meadows to appear on one of those dates. Story continues Bannister also asserted that the South Carolina law governing out-of-state subpoena requests applies only to criminal proceedings and, therefore, doesnt apply because the special grand jury is a civil inquiry. The special grand jury cannot issue an indictment. Instead, it can recommend action in a report when its investigation is complete. It would then be up to Willis to decide whether to seek an indictment from a regular grand jury. Despite the special grand jury's inability to indict, McBurney wrote in response to an attempt by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to avoid or delay his testimony that this is, indeed, a criminal investigation. In the petition seeking Meadows' testimony, Willis wrote that Meadows attended a Dec. 21, 2020, meeting at the White House with Trump and others to discuss allegations of voter fraud and certification of electoral college votes from Georgia and other states. The next day, Willis wrote, Meadows made a surprise visit to Cobb County, just outside Atlanta, where an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes was being conducted. He asked to observe the audit but wasnt allowed to because it wasnt open to the public, the petition says. Meadows also sent emails to Justice Department officials alleging voter fraud in Georgia and elsewhere and requesting investigations, Willis wrote. And he participated in a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump suggested the states top elections official could find enough votes to overturn his narrow election loss in the state. Meadows is among a number of high-profile Trump associates whose testimony Willis has sought. Former New York Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, whos been told he could face criminal charges in the probe, testified in August. Attorneys John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro have also appeared before the panel. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Grahams attempt to fight his subpoena was rejected last week by a federal appeals court, and hes asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Others whose testimony is being sought include former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows urged a South Carolina judge on Monday to block a subpoena from a Georgia probe investigating interference in the 2020 election. Meadows claimed in Mondays filing that the Georgia probe cannot require him, as a South Carolina resident, to testify, because it is not a criminal investigation. Since Meadows does not live in Georgia, the probe must get the approval of a judge in his home state of South Carolina to compel his testimony. However, Meadows urged the court in Pickens County, S.C., to deny the request, arguing that South Carolinas law on out-of-state witnesses does not apply to a civil inquiry such as the Georgia probe. Meadows also sought to assert executive privilege and claimed that the subpoena is no longer relevant since he was originally supposed to appear on Sept. 27. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is running the Georgia investigation, subpoenaed Meadows in late August. She cited the former White House chief of staffs December 2020 visit to Georgia to observe a post-election audit and his participation in a January 2021 call between former President Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in her request for Meadowss testimony. In the now-infamous call between Trump and Raffensperger, the former president asked the Georgia official to find 11,780 more votes for him in the state. Meadows is one of several major Trump allies who have been subpoenaed by Willis in the investigation over the former presidents alleged efforts to pressure state officials into overturning election results. A fellow South Carolinian, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) has also sought to block a subpoena from the Georgia probe. After a lower appeals court declined to halt the testimony, Graham submitted an emergency application to the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas granted Grahams request on Monday, just days before the senator was expected to respond to the investigation. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Researchers have identified a new, rare hybrid of two songbirds found in the woods of western Pennsylvania. The offspring of a rose-breasted grosbeak and a scarlet tanager is the "first-ever documented hybrid of its kind," according to Penn State University. Genetic confirmation of the bird was released in a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Ecology and Evolution Aug. 1. Self-described "diehard birder" Stephen Gosser first spotted the rare hybrid in June 2020 when he thought he heard the song of a scarlet tanager. But when Gosser searched for the bird, its appearance did not match. Instead, he saw what "looked like male rose-breasted grosbeak," the study notes, but with some key differences including a shallower, more elongated bill and yellowish-white underwings instead of pink. "The song was basically the first inkling that this was an odd bird," David Toews, assistant professor of biology at Penn State and lead author of the study, told USA TODAY. He also underlined the hybrid's surprising appearance. The offspring of a rose-breasted grosbeak and scarlet tanager, the first-ever documented hybrid of its kind. "Scarlet tanagers are like bright red ... with black wings. It's hard to miss them," Toews said. "And this was a bird that was a lot paler, a lot of white color and the only red was kind of in the chest area which is much more like where rose-breasted grosbeak would have it." Seeing hundreds of hawks flying overhead? How to watch birds this migration season After locating the bird, Gosser, who is also one of the study's authors, took photos and called for help. A group from the Pittsburgh's National Aviary soon came to get a blood sample from the bird, Penn State's press release says. Through genomic sequencing and audio of the bird's song, the researchers were able to identify the rare hybrid as a healthy, 1 -year-old male offspring of a rose-breasted grosbeak and a scarlet tanager. Does this songbird hybrid have a name? Naming a hybrid is complicated. In academic literature, Toews notes, the bird is referred to as a hybrid of a rose-breasted grosbeak and a scarlet tanager or "we would just put a multiplier between the Latin names which is: Pheucticus ludovicianus x Piranga olivacea." Story continues "But it's affectionally most known as like the 'tanabeak,' a mash up of the tanager and grosbeak ... That's my favorite," he added. How the rose-breasted grosbeak and scarlet tanager got together to create the first known "tanabeak" is a mystery. The two were not previously known to breed, the study said. Birds flying high, do you know how they feel? New app reveals migration routes, dangers. The researchers added that the hybrid's parent species are "highly divergent." The two diverged, or last shared a common ancestor, about 10 million years ago, "and thus it is surprising to find a hybrid formed under natural conditions in the wild." Identifying the parents While both of the hybrid's parent species exist in much of eastern North America, their habitats differ significantly, Toews adds. "I'd love to have been a fly on the wall of these two birds to see how and when this went down," he said. "But unfortunately, we only were able to see the result (with their offspring) a year later ... Finding the parents is impossible." Still, using mitochondrial DNA, the researchers were able to determine that the rose-breasted grosbeak was the hybrid's mother and the scarlet tanager as its father. Mitochondrial DNA is passed to offspring only through the mother, Toews notes. What do birds eat? Here's what to fill feeders with to bring more birds to your yard. The audio of the hybrid's song also played a key role, as a process called bioacoustic analysis is needed in lots of bird identification, Toews said. Audio from the field was recorded and put through a digital program so researchers could visualize and measure the sound to eventually, in this case, confirm the hybrid's song was like that of the scarlet tanager. Where is the 'tanabeak' now? The researchers don't know where this individual hybrid is anymore or whether the "tanabeak" has reproduced. The natural mortality rate of small, migratory songbirds is also high, Toews said. This hybrid was born in 2019, meaning it's over 3 years old now, if it's still alive, "but we wouldn't expect it to go much longer than three or four years," he said. "We weren't able to follow it," Toews said. "These are forest birds that are migratory, (it's) not easy to track certain, specific individuals." But if this hybrid "was able to reproduce, you could imagine it as a bit of a conduit of genes between evolutionarily distinct species," he added. "Over the past decade, we have come to appreciate the role of hybridization in generating novelty and diversity and all the things that we love, in this case, about birds." It's possible that there could be more hybrids like the "tanabeak" out there, but nothing has been confirmed, Toews said. What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day In addition to Penn State, other authors of the study are affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh, the National Aviary, the University of Scranton, Drexel University and the University of New Mexico. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the National Aviary and Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium approved the research's bird handling. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New bird hybrid of rose-breasted grosbeak, scarlet tanager: 'Tanabeak' By Kylie Madry MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Volaris airlines is planning its budget on the expectation that Mexico will regain its Category 1 aviation safety rating by the second half of 2023, the Mexican airline's finance chief said on Tuesday. "We are budgeting for the second half of next year, and we are closely monitoring that," Volaris Chief Financial Officer Jaime Pou said in an investor call. Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at a regular news conference Tuesday that authorities from his country will travel to the United States this weekend to discuss regaining the rating. In May 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico's aviation safety rating, an action barring Mexican carriers from adding new U.S. flights and limits the ability of airlines to carry out marketing agreements with one another. Over the objections of the Mexican government, the FAA downgraded Mexico - one of the most common international destinations for U.S. air travelers - from a level called Category 1, which signifies compliance with international standards, to Category 2, the lowest level. "Things are really advancing," Lopez Obrador said, explaining that the head of the transportation ministry, the deputy minister and the head of the aviation authority would make the trip to Washington. An FAA spokesman said Tuesday the agency continues "to provide assistance to Mexicos civil aviation authority." About 90% of countries rated achieved Category 1 and meet international air safety standards. Volaris Chief Executive Enrique Beltranena said Mexican authorities were "working on required changes to the aviation regulations (and) mechanisms for financing the expenses that they need to spend for getting the category back." Beltranena said things were now "moving along much better" than in previous months following recent shake-ups in Mexico's transportation ministry, which included replacing the head of the country's aviation authority. Story continues The head of Mexico's aviation authority took office last week with the prime objective of recovering the rating, the transportation ministry said in a statement. Last month, the chief executive of Mexican carrier Aeromexico said "the damage done by (the downgrade) is significant." In June, Mexico said it hoped to return to Category 1 soon after seven meetings with FAA officials including a review in June. (Reporting by Kylie Madry; Additional reporting by Raul Cortes; Editing by Sarah Morland, Mark Porter and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis) Oct. 25Farmer Janie Hattery recently directed a $5,000 Bayer Fund America's Farmers Grow Communities donation to the Miami County 4-H Council. The Miami County 4-H Council will use the funds to improve educational opportunities for the youth in the community. "We're very grateful to Janie Hattery for her time and effort spent reaching out for this donation to the council," said Leyna Washburn, Miami County 4-H Council president. "Janie has been a long time, invaluable supporter of Miami County 4-H. These funds will go a long way to promote our goal of providing impactful education and hands on learning opportunities for kids." In 2022, Bayer Fund revamped America's Farmers Grow Communities program, making it easier for farmers across the country to find and fund the organizations and institutions that keep their communities thriving. This included doubling the individual donations to $5,000, up from $2,500 in previous years to provide a greater impact to local rural communities. For more than a decade, Grow Communities has partnered with farmers to direct funds to programs and organizations that contribute to their communities' health and vibrancy, such as food banks, schools and youth agriculture programs. Since the America's Farmers programs began in 2010, the initiatives have awarded nearly $65 million to such programs. Farmers can enroll for the opportunity to direct a 2023 Grow Communities donation starting on August 1. To learn more about the enrollment process and how America's Farmers programs are making an impact, visit www.Americasfarmers.com. A Miami federal court criminal complaint says a prison nurse smuggled drugs in spray form on legal documents. The payment for the alleged criminal courier service: money and use of an inmates Rolls-Royce, McLaren and Lamborghini. Ruben Montanez-Mirabal, 32, is charged with one count of bribery, providing or possessing contraband in prison and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. Montanez-Mirabal posted $250,000 bond. Hell enter a plea at his first formal court appearance scheduled for Dec. 8. Legal documents worth $1,500 per page? The complaint written by FBI special agent Matthew Abbate says an inmate at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami, 33 NE Fourth St., told the Department of Justice-Office of the Inspector General that Montanez-Mirabal was smuggling controlled substances into the prison. The investigation, the complaint said, led to an inmate who the complaint calls CHS1. CHS1, in for violating supervised release after his wire fraud conviction, didnt cooperate out of altruism. The complaint said CHS1 wanted favorable consideration in connection with other crimes for which he/she is under investigation, including firearms possession and Paycheck Protection Program loan fraud and wanted to stay in a South Florida federal prison. CHS1 told investigators that a smuggling arrangement was made with Montanez-Mirabal after learning the nurse did some smuggling for another inmate. That felonious ferrying, CHS1 said, included spray, legal documents drenched with what Abbate believes was K2 in liquefied form. K2 or Spice, the DEA says, is a synthetic designer drug that acts like THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. CHS1 said Montanez-Mirabal brought 40 pages of spray into the prison in February 2022, $60,000 retail value of the drug at $1,500 per sheet. CHS1 told investigators the nurse was paid $1,500 cash and with the use of one of CHS1s high-end vehicles. In March, CHS1 said Montanez-Mirabal was paid $6,000 for his service. Story continues On March 2, Abbate wrote in the complaint, he and Federal Bureau of Prison investigators watched a March 1 video of Montanez-Mirabal entering a mop closet on FDC-Miamis ninth floor while appearing to try to hide a cylindrical object underneath his vest. BOP investigators, the complaint said, immediately searched the mop closet and found 37 discolored pages, held together by rubber bands and hidden under a shelving unit. Abbate submitted the pages to the FBI laboratory, which said a page had ADB-Butinaca, a designer drug. That, the complaint said, matched what CHS1 later told investigators about Montanez-Mirabal leaving the drug documents and, sometimes, cigarettes via a dead drop under shelves in a storage closet. CHS1 stated that as part of his/her responsibilities within the prison,he/she would clean the facility through his/her role as an orderly and would therefore have access to that closet, the complaint said. CHS1 would then pick up the contraband and distribute it. When CHS1 talked to investigators in August about what cars other than a Rolls-Royce were used to pay Montanez-Mirabal, the complaint said, the inmate said the nurse asked CHS1 to arrange for him to be able to use a Lamborghini and a McLaren. The complaint says Montanez-Mirabals Instagram account contained a message conversation on Jan. 30 and 31 that included the nurse sending a picture of himself inside an orange Lamborghini followed by (translated from Spanish) my ride. He tells the friend that they already lent him the orange Lamborghini, and he then mentions a McLaren, and that This week they are giving me a Rolls-Royce. When the friend says something about how much it must cost to use, the complaint said, Montanez-Mirabal said, Absolutely nothing and its all about having the right contact. ROCHESTER, Mich. (AP) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer accused Republican challenger Tudor Dixon on Tuesday of stoking violence and pushing conspiracy theories meant to divide people, while Dixon said voters have felt the pain of the Democrat's failures and you deserve better. Dixon, a former businesswoman and conservative commentator endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is hoping a late surge of support will help her unseat the first-term incumbent Democrat, who has had a multimillion-dollar fundraising advantage. Whitmer and fellow Democrats spent months pummeling Dixon with ads before the Republican and her supporters including the family of former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos responded. The final weeks of the campaign have seemed more like a competitive contest, with both hopefuls on TV and the candidates holding public events around the state. We always knew that this would be a close race, Whitmer told reporters after the debate. This is a great state but its a divided state at times. I take no person, no vote, or no community for granted. Tuesday's debate was the final meeting before the November election. Here's a look at some of the exchanges: ___ ECONOMY With persistent inflation and high prices one of the top issues on voters minds, Dixon said Whitmer has not done anything to help. She criticized Whitmer for vetoing a GOP measure earlier this year to freeze the states 27-cents-per-gallon gas tax and said a recession is at our doorstep. But Whitmer called the measure the Republican-led Legislature approved a gimmick. The legislation would have frozen the tax for six months effective in 2023 a delay Whitmer said wouldn't provide immediate help to people who needed it. I dont have time for games, and I dont think you do either, Whitmer said, adding that inflation is a problem around the globe. She said her administration was able to help people in Michigan by providing help such as free or low-cost child care. Story continues Whitmer questioned how Dixon who supports repealing the states income tax would balance the state budget and ensure sufficient funding for areas like education without the roughly $12 billion the state receives from income taxes. Dixon countered that she would eliminate the tax over time, suggesting it could be done over eight to 10 years, and noted there are other states without an income tax and it's not a radical idea. ___ SCHOOL SAFETY Whitmer delivered one of her sharpest lines of the night regarding school safety. The debate at Oakland University was held about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Oxford High School, where a teenage student fatally shot four students last year. The 16-year-old shooter on Monday pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree murder. During one of several exchanges about education, Dixon was critical of Whitmer's administration for allowing books in school libraries that she says are inappropriate because they reference sex and gender. Whitmer called it a distraction at a time when deadly school shootings occur with regularity. Do you really think books are more dangerous than guns? Whitmer asked. She called for stricter gun laws, including background checks and secure gun storage. Asked after the debate about the remark, Dixon said she doesnt differentiate. I think there are dangers all over for our children. I dont rank one as different than the other, she said. I want to make sure our kids are safe no matter what. Dixon is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and said during the debate that she supports having armed guards at schools and single-entry buildings. She pointed to a report on how to better secure schools and said if it had been implemented at Oxford we might have saved lives. Whitmer, a former prosecutor, countered. Ask yourself, whos going to keep your kids safe? A former prosecutor with plans or a candidate with thoughts and prayers? ___ ABORTION The first question of the night once again centered on abortion, a topic thats dominated the race since the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned the landmark case granting the right to abortion. Prior to the decision, Whitmer filed a lawsuit to stop a 1931 abortion ban from taking effect in Michigan. A proposal on the states November ballot will let voters decide whether to enshrine the right to the procedure in the state constitution. The two candidates disagreed on what the constitutional amendment would allow. Dixon, who opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother, claimed the proposal would allow abortion up to the moment of birth for any reason while calling it the most radical abortion law in the country." But Dixon said voters could vote how they wanted on the proposal while also voting for her. Whitmer said the proposal would return abortion rights that had been in place for 49 years before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade and said none of what Dixon said about the proposal was true. ___ WOMEN CANDIDATES Asked by moderators to say something nice about their opponents, each focused on the others role as a mother. Dixon has four school-aged daughters, while Whitmer has two college-aged daughters and three stepsons. Dixon praised Whitmers emphasis on her daughters and her fight for women, while Whitmer said of Dixon that she appreciates how hard it is to run for office and raise kids." The race between Dixon and Whitmer is the first time two women have faced off for Michigan governor. Nationally, there are five woman-vs.-woman races this fall. Thats more than there have been, combined, in all elections in the countrys history, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. ___ Burnett reported from Chicago. ___ Joey Cappelletti is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. (Reuters) - Michigan jurors on Tuesday began deliberations in the trial of three men accused of assisting in an elaborate plot two years ago to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in opposition to strict coronavirus restrictions imposed during the pandemic. After two weeks of testimony in Jackson County Circuit Court, the court said the jury is weighing the evidence against Joseph Morrison, 28, his father-in-law Pete Musico, 44, and Paul Bellar, 23. The men, charged with gang membership, firearm violations and providing material support for terrorism, face 20 years in prison if convicted. They have pleaded not guilty. The three are among 14 men arrested in October 2020 and charged with state or federal crimes in the alleged kidnapping conspiracy. Prosecutors said the men were members of the Wolverine Watchmen, a militia group that planned to break into the Democratic governor's vacation home, kidnap her and take her away at gunpoint to stand "trial" on treason charges. The alleged conspirators hoped that the abduction would lead to a violent uprising and instigate a civil war, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said the plot was motivated by opposition to coronavirus restrictions imposed by the governor and grievances related to the 2020 presidential election. Defense attorneys for the men argued they did not know of a plan to kidnap the governor and that their actions were protected by the First and Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Detroit News reported. Morrison and Musico were accused of hosting tactical training sessions on their property in a remote part of Michigan, while Bellar was accused of providing plans for tactical maneuvers, coded language for covert communication and ammunition. "They promoted terrorism, they sought out terrorists and when they found them, they trained them," Assistant Attorney General Sunita Doddamani said during closing statements. In August, a federal jury in Grand Rapids convicted Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. of conspiracy in the plot. Two other defendants were found not guilty in the first federal trial. Story continues In September, a federal judge reduced the sentence of Ty Garbin, who pleaded guilty to participating in the plot after his testimony helped convict Fox and Croft. Kaleb Franks, who also pleaded guilty to playing a role in the scheme, was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this month after serving as a key witness in the case against Fox and Croft. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Edited by Alistair Bell) (Getty) As night fell on election day 2020, a crowd of angry pro-Trump protesters gathered outside of an election office in Phoenix, Arizona, while poll workers inside were busy counting votes. Some in the crowd were armed with assault rifles . The conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was cheered as he arrived to stoke the flames. All of them appeared to believe, without a shred of evidence, that the election was being stolen from them. Joe Biden would ultimately go on to win the state of Arizona in a closely fought race, and despite several investigations, no evidence of any foul play was discovered. Two years on from that night, the state has remained at the centre of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and a focal point for so-called election deniers that is, people who refuse to accept the results of elections that they lose. The state also has the dubious honour of being one of the top states for threats against election workers. Many of those election deniers are now running as the Republican nominees for positions that are responsible for oversight of future elections. Had they been in place in 2020, they might have been able to overturn the will of Arizonas electorate and throw the election into chaos. In 2024, they may get another chance. I believe we have every reason to be extremely concerned about Arizona, Lawrence Douglas, an election law expert at Amherst College, told The Independent this week. Holding the line against Trump in 2020 were election officials, many of them Republicans, who were prepared to defend the system against the pressures of Trump and his denialists. What we see now in states such as Arizona is an attempt to oust these officials of integrity, he said. Among the Republican nominees running for the three crucial statewide offices are gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem, and attorney general candidate Abraham Hamadeh all of whom baselessly stated that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, and all of whom received the former presidents endorsement. Story continues Speaking this week, Ms Lake refused to say that she would accept the result of an election in which she loses using the same language and denials as former president Donald Trump before he refused to accept the results of the 2020 election. Im going to win the election, and I will accept that result, she said in an interview on CNNs State of the Union. Ms Lake was asked again by host Dana Bash: If you lose, will you accept that? To which she responded by repeating the same phrase: Im going to win the election, and I will accept that result. If Ms Lake, a former television news anchor, wins her race to become Arizonas governor in November, she would have the power to block or approve legislation that changes how elections are run. Throughout her campaign, she has promoted baseless claims about election fraud in 2020 and called for the imprisonment of the states current Democratic secretary of state, Katie Hobbs. She also has pledged if elected to direct the state attorney general to open a criminal investigation into the election, including seizing all election material, all election equipment, and he should start questioning people immediately. Current Arizona state Rep Mark Finchem, now running for secretary of state, filed legislation to decertify the states 2020 election results, baselessly asserting that illegal acts occurred and that the outcome is irredeemably compromised, and it is impossible to name a clear winner of the contest. He also attended the Stop the Steal rally that preceded the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021. The result, if repeated in just a couple of other swing states, could introduce unspeakable chaos into the 2024 presidential election and mark the collapse of electoral democracy in the US Lawrence Douglas, election law expert As secretary of state, Mr Finchem would be Arizonas senior-most election official. Hed be in charge of maintaining voter rolls, certifying the results and shaping how local elections are run, from auditing results to managing voting machines and materials. At the former presidents first campaign-style rally of 2022 in Arizona, Mr Finchem said his campaign is part of a nationwide populist movement to regain control over our government. We know it and they know it Donald Trump won, he said. Arizona Republicans, right-wing operatives and little-known accounting firms have spent months and millions of dollars studying the outcome of the states election results. They have repeatedly affirmed Mr Bidens win. Abraham Hamadeh has also vowed to use the attorney generals office to prosecute crimes of the rigged 2020 election. "Arizona right now needs a warrior as attorney general. I will fight to secure our elections so when Donald Trump runs again and wins in 2024 everyone will know its legitimate, he said at a July rally attended by Mr Trump. An election denier in any one of those positions could make significant changes to election rules. If Republican candidates win, the changes could be radical. They could alter rules for certifying statewide elections, introduce limitations on access to voting and remove ballot drop boxes, all to favour their preferred candidate. In Arizona, a swing state that Mr Biden won by just 12,000 votes, that could have dramatic implications for the whole country in 2024. Should all three candidates win in the midterms, election law expert Professor Douglas told The Independent, Arizona would have Trump loyalists in all the key positions tasked with certifying the state outcome of the presidential contest in 2024. They could effectively and corruptly refuse to certify Biden as having carried their state. The result, if repeated in just a couple of other swing states, could introduce unspeakable chaos into the 2024 presidential election and mark the collapse of electoral democracy in the US, he speculated. The problem of election deniers running for positions overseeing elections is not just limited to Arizona. Democracy advocacy group States United Action, which has closely tracked the progress of election-denying candidates across the US, finds that 18 of 26 races for governor this year include at least one candidate who has cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election. One-third of all races for attorney general include at least one such candidate, and 12 out of 27 races for secretary of state include candidates who have refused to accept the outcome of that election. The latest States United Action report follows recent analysis from pro-democracy groups finding that GOP-controlled state legislatures introduced at least 244 bills to undermine the electoral process and hand oversight of elections to partisan officials. Twenty-four such bills became law within the last year. Election 2022 Arizona Election Deniers (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) That state-level effort would make it far easier for hyperpartisan actors to stir up the doubt, chaos, and confusion that could be used as a pretext for election subversion, according to the report. Arizona and Wisconsin, which have a combined four election-denying candidates running for statewide office on their respective ballots, have led the country with more than 30 election-related bills each. But election conspiracy theorists are not just seeking office in Arizona. The state has been identified by the Department of Justice and the FBI as one of the top states for threats to election officials and poll workers, according to Axios . Just as armed protesters gathered outside of election offices on election night 2020, poll workers and even voters have faced threats for their work administering elections. DEVELOPING: @abc15 has obtained the security footage of alleged voter intimidation at Mesa drop box. Full video is 20 minutes long, we have edited it and blurred the voter. There's no audio on original video, but voter claims he was photographed and accused of being a mule. pic.twitter.com/sJL2gMlC9W The AZ - abc15 - Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) October 21, 2022 This week, a voter who tried to use a ballot drop box was approached and followed by a group of people, according to a complaint filed by the Arizona secretary of states office. An Iowa man was recently arrested for threatening to hang a Maricopa County election official for lying about the 2020 election result. In July, another man was arrested for threatening to detonate a bomb in Secretary of State Katie Hobbs "personal space" if she did not resign. The FBI has reviewed more than 1,000 threats against people involved with elections nationwide and found that 58 per cent of them were made in states where so-called audits or recounts of the 2020 election results took place, such as Arizona, Colorado and Pennsylvania, per Axios. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Arizona became a hotbed of conspiracy theories and election denialism, from a bogus audit of 2020 ballots to the campaign for a US Senate seat. The mother of Quinton Simon, a 20-month-old boy from Georgia who has been missing for nearly three weeks, says shes not hiding, even as police consider her the prime suspect in the childs disappearance. Im here. Ive been here every day since this. Im not running and Im not hiding, Leilani Simon told WTOC. And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station. Local police in Chatham County and the FBI are actively searching a nearby landfill, where they believe they will find the childs remains. Ever since Simon went missing, she says shes been the target of constant harassment. It makes it hard to even process whats going around us. We get to the point where we have to barricade our own home in order to even feel safe in our backyard because we cant even process what is happening everywhere else, or even have the time to do so. I cant even walk out and appreciate my own sons memorial or put down gifts that I got for him. I cant even go out there and do that without harassment and negligence and everything. Its just devastating to see that this is how the outside world reacts, she continued in her interview with WTOC. Four demonstrators were arrested over the weekend over the weekend for blocking her driveway. People have also left signs calling her a Baby Killer on the boys memorial. The family says theyve also installed security cameras, flood lights, and moved Quintons memorial in response to the unwanted public attention around the disappearance. No charges have been filed against Ms Simon, and Chatham County Police have said they dont consider her a flight risk. Police have been searching a county landfill last week looking for evidence. We know that this is going to be a physically, mentally and emotionally gruelling task for our investigators and team, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said during a press briefing announcing the landfill search on Tuesday. We want justice for Quinton just like everyone else. Story continues Quinton was reported missing on 5 October. His mother made the 911 call reporting that she had woken up to find her son was gone and that she believed someone came in and took him, WJCL reported. Ms Simon has two other children who have since been removed from the home. A photo of Damien Montrell Cameron. Family of Damien Cameron/Monica Lee A Mississippi grand jury declined to indict two sheriff's deputies whose suspect, Damien Cameron, died in custody. "They said they didn't have enough evidence the evidence is in his face," Cameron's mother told Insider. Five people have died after interactions with the Rankin County Sheriff's deputies in 2021. A grand jury earlier this month declined to file charges against two Mississippi sheriff's deputies who tased and beat a Black man in 2021 who later died after the encounter. Jason Dare, who represents the Rankin County Sheriff's department, told Insider that on October 14 a grand jury returned a "no bill" meaning there's insufficient evidence to indict in the case of Damien Cameron, a 29-year-old Black man who died in police custody on July 26, 2021. Insider spoke to Cameron's mother, Monica Lee, who said she was stunned and bewildered by the decision. Lee told Insider that "it hurt my heart" when she found out that the grand jury decided not to indict the officers. "They said they didn't have enough evidence the evidence is in his face," Lee said. "I didn't get it." Warning: Graphic content Lee said she wants more information about what was presented to the grand jury, and that she feels like her son is a victim of the "good old boy system." "I don't know if they have pictures of my son or what," Lee said. Damien Cameron in the hospital after his arrest on July 26, 2021. Monica Lee The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, which oversaw the investigation into Cameron's death, wrote a report that differed from the sheriff's department's initial description of the incident in a press release. The MBI report alleged that Cameron "collapsed" during a pursuit, while the sheriff's department's press release, did not mention Cameron collapsing or falling. Incident report says a deputy punched Cameron at least three times The Rankin County Sheriff's department provided Insider with the incident report related to Cameron's death. According to the report, Sheriff's Deputy Hunter Elward was dispatched to Cameron's home on July 26, 2021 responding to a report of vandalism. When Elward arrived at the home, he went to speak with Cameron's neighbor, who told him that he had arrived home to find a Black man in his house "busting holes in his wall with a pipe" who seemed extremely "out of it," the report said. Story continues The neighbor told Elward that when he approached Cameron and told him to leave the house, Cameron "ran outside and got in the car with his mother," per the report. His mother said Cameron had gone to his neighbor's house on the morning of July 26 to ask him if he could do yard work in exchange for money, according to Lee. Lee told Insider that her neighbor called her 30 minutes after she left his house with Cameron and told him that her home had been vandalized, and said she still doesn't "even know whether my son did that or not." The Rankin County Sheriff's department declined Insider's request for comment citing ongoing litigation. According to the report, Elward accompanied Lee into her home to search for Cameron, but couldn't find him. Elward then made a call to an investigator on call who told him to document the alleged damage but the report does not include any photos. The report said Elward saw Cameron emerge from the woods. Elward then chased Cameron, who had run around the back side of the house. Elward managed to get in front of Cameron and then pointed his Taser at Cameron as he went toward the house, the report said. "I told him not to go into that house or I'm going to tase you," the report said. When Elward got within "arms reach" of Cameron, the report said Cameron swung at the deputy's Taser. Cameron then turned to run into the house when Elward shot his Taser, hitting him in the back and causing him to fall into the porch steps, the report said. The report said Elward then got on top of Cameron and tried to place him in custody before Cameron escaped and ran back into the house. Once inside the living room, the report stated that the barbs of the Taser were still in Cameron's back and Elward shot the Taser a second time with "little or no effect." Cameron then ran into a bedroom and tried to pull the Taser prongs out. Elward then grabbed him and wrestled him to the floor, the report said. Cameron "continued to try and punch" the deputy, according to the report. The deputy then "used a closed fist to get compliance" and struck Cameron "at or near the left eye twice." Elward then punched him in the face a third time and Cameron rolled onto his chest with his hand underneath him, the report said. The report said that a second deputy, Luke Stickman, arrived and "with his assistance we were able to get him in handcuffs." According to Lee, Elward knelt on Cameron's back for around "15 to 20 minutes" while he waited for Stickman to arrive and Cameron complained that he could not breathe. Lee said Stickman "fell" onto Cameron's neck when he arrived and continued to kneel on his neck while he placed him in handcuffs. The report said that Cameron continued to resist while Elward and Stickman walked him to a patrol car, but Lee told Insider that Cameron was still complaining of not being able to breathe as the deputies led him outside. "We made it into my patrol unit and tried to get him into it but he would go back and forth from resisting and kicking to throwing himself on the ground and we tried 6 or 7 times to pick him up," the report said. The deputies took a break from trying to get Cameron into the car for "about a minute" before Elward picked him up "around his waist" and put him into the vehicle, according to the report. Elward tried to close the door, but Cameron continued to stick his legs out of the car, so Elward used Stickman's Taser to tase Cameron again in the back of his thigh, the report said. The deputies then went back into the house to retrieve Elward's Taser. The deputies then went back to the car to check on Cameron before going to collect evidence from the neighbor's house but found him unresponsive, per the report. The report said that Elward then pulled Cameron out of the car and began performing CPR. According to Lee, a deputy asked her if Cameron had any medical issues, and when she said that he did not, the deputy responded, "fuck!" The report said that Stickman assisted Elward with CPR and called for medical assistance. A second incident report from investigator A.J DiMartino said he arrived and found Stickman and Elward muddy and sitting on the bumper of a car. Lee told Insider that Elward stood outside "crying, saying 'why me?' 'why me?'" while paramedics performed CPR on Cameron. Cameron was later pronounced dead at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The state medical examiner said his cause of death was inconclusive, according to Lee. Five people died after interactions with Rankin sheriff's deputies last year Trevor McKinley, Damien Cameron, and Cory Jackson all died after interaction with the Rankin County Sheriff's Department in 2021. Families of Trevor McKinley, Damien Cameron, and Cory Jackson. Cameron's death was the first of five people who died in Rankin County in 2021 after interactions with Rankin County Sheriff's deputies during an eight-month period. Insider sued the sheriff's department in July for records related to three of the deaths, including Cameron's. Insider also previously reported the deaths of Cory Jackson and Trevor McKinley. Jackson died in May 2021 after a sheriff's deputy arrested him while he was experiencing hallucinations and refused to take him to the hospital, his family told Insider. In August 2021, deputies shot McKinley, Cameron's high-school classmate, inside his grandparents' home. In December 2021, while responding to a call of a drug overdose, deputies shot and killed Robert Rushton, who police said was armed with two knives. A fifth man, Adam Coker, died in the Rankin County Jail in September 2021. At a Mississippi Sheriff's Association conference this past June, WLBT reported that Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey attributed his department's rise in officer-involved shootings over the 2 years to "the atmosphere of anti-police, the economy, COVID, and several different factors." Read the original article on Insider Montana on Tuesday detailed several recent incidents involving grizzly bears, including one in which two hunters fired multiple handgun rounds at a charging bear in self-defense. The defensive encounter occurred Oct. 14. The hunters were walking on a trail in the Madison Range when they heard brush breaking and saw a large bear emerge. Both hunters fired repeatedly and the bear fled without apparent signs of injury. The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department stated in a news release that the female bear probably was caught by surprise because of the wind direction, and that her charge was in defense of her two cubs. Remarkably, the bullets seem to have missed the large target. RELATED: Biologists discover huge grizzly bear den with spectacular view On Oct. 15, FWP staff flew over the area and did not find an injured bear. A ground search turned up bear tracks and shell casings, but no blood, hair, or any other evidence the bear was injured. The incident remains under investigation. FWP also reported that a female grizzly bear and two cubs were captured from the town of Gardiner, near Yellowstone National Park, and relocated after repeatedly feeding in apple trees in public areas. The bears did not respond to hazing attempts and instead became more brazen. On Oct. 17, the bears were feeding in apple trees near a school bus stop and prevented children from boarding the bus. They were deemed a public safety hazard, trapped, and relocated to a site pre-approved by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission. On Oct. 21, a female grizzly bear was euthanized after several conflicts with humans in Big Sky. Her two older cubs were relocated to a pre-approved release site. On Oct. 23, an older male grizzly bear was found dead on U.S. Highway 191 after being struck by a vehicle near West Yellowstone. FWP reiterated that grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and more widespread in Montana, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year. Story continues The agency asked residents to take more precautions to protect themselves and the animals. Unsecured attractants such as fruit trees, bird feeders, and garbage are often factors in bear-human conflicts. Generic grizzly bear image is courtesy of the National Park Service List The 50 best movies streaming on Netflix (October 2022) Story originally appeared on For The Win Over three-quarters of U.S. adults say they think scientists act in the public interest. Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images Most Americans 81% think government investments in scientific research are worthwhile investments for society over time, according to the Pew Research Centers latest survey on public perceptions of science. A similar proportion said they have at least a fair amount of confidence that scientists act in the publics best interests: 77% for all scientists, and 80% for medical scientists. As with previous surveys, this puts confidence in scientists at about the same level as in the military 77%. Its also much higher than for any other group pollsters asked about and, unlike most groups, fairly stable over time, despite recent increasing political polarization. Science supporters want researchers to share their insights to help address societal problems. Scientists themselves want their research to have an impact. So public judgments like those identified in the Pew report matter because of what they suggest about how Americans might see evidence-based guidance on issues such as climate change and public health. Dont fixate on the negatives It would be easy for the scientific community to look at this data and lament the 1 in 5 Americans who said they dont think government investments in science are important or who said they do not have confidence in scientists. Same with the fact that confidence in scientists has retreated from a small surge that Pew surveys previously identified starting in late 2018, or the reality that Republicans appear to have increasingly more negative views about scientists and scientific investments than Democrats do. But I suspect there are more shades of gray behind the black and white numbers themselves. For instance, while two-thirds of Democrat-oriented respondents said they supported scientists involvement in policy debates, less than a third of Republican-oriented respondents said they share this perspective, a further decrease from the proportion of Republicans who expressed this view in both 2019 and 2020. Story continues But consider that this specific question only gave people two choices. Respondents could say they want scientists to take an active role in policy or focus on establishing sound scientific facts. Given the choice, I suspect many respondents from across the political spectrum would have given a more nuanced answer. Even the biggest science boosters likely want scientists to devote most of their time to research and teaching. Within this new survey, in fact, only about a third of Republicans said scientists currently have too much influence in public policy debates and about a quarter said scientists have not enough influence. The plurality 39% said they have about the right amount. From my perspective, yes, it is disheartening that about 2 in 10 Republicans think scientists are usually worse at making good policy decisions about scientific issues than other people and that this proportion has doubled since 2019. But about a quarter of Republicans still said scientists decisions are usually better than others, with about half saying scientists decisions are neither better nor worse. And it seems possible that while current Republicans responded to the survey they were thinking about issues such as abortion or COVID-19 policies that involve medicine, but also ethics and economics and personal values. Additionally, many Republicans presumably recognize that most scientists oppose current directions in the party and may be using their poll answers to communicate their sense of alienation. What could improve overall perceptions Data such as those provided by the Pew Research Center point to potential problems; they dont suggest a fix. Taking a positive view, though, puts the focus on potential solutions. As Anthony Dudo and I argue in our new book on science communication strategy, anyone who wants to be trusted including scientists should consider social science research about what enhances trust and perceptions of trustworthiness. Key among these findings: people perceive others as trustworthy if they appear to be caring, honest and competent. Looking back at the Pew Research Centers 2019 surveys on trust in science, which are consistent with other research, it seems that Americans largely perceive scientists as fairly competent. However, Americans tend to be less likely to believe scientists care about peoples best interests, are transparent about conflicts of interest or willing to take responsibility for mistakes. These perceived characteristics help explain the chunk of the American population who dont feel confident about scientists motivations. They are also perceptions that scientists, like others, can take responsibility for through their choices about how they behave and communicate. Further, Americans tend to see research scientists less positively than science-focused practitioners such as doctors, suggesting that they feel more distant from academic researchers. Looking on the bright side for better results Focusing too heavily on the minority of people with negative perceptions is dangerous for those of us who want science to play a strong role in society because attacking ones critics may exacerbate the problem. While it might feel righteous to fight for science, being aggressive toward people who question ones trustworthiness seems unlikely to spur positive perceptions. Unlike politicians, science supporters probably cant win by making others look bad. Just like the press, members of the scientific community want to ensure their fields long-term place in society. Research suggests that for scientists, building real relationships with other members of the public will depend on communicating and behaving in ways that demonstrate caring, honesty and expertise. Loud griping by scientists and their supporters about how too many people just dont appreciate sciences place in society, or insults toward those who dont see its value, are bound to be counterproductive. The stakes are high as humanity confronts a number of science-related challenges, including climate change, infectious diseases and habitat destruction. Anyone who wants scientific evidence to have a seat at the table where solutions are being discussed may need to follow the evidence on how to make that happen. This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: John C. Besley, Michigan State University. Like this article? subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Read more: John C. Besley has received funding from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, The Kavli Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, SRI International, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Science Foundation. A suspected killer, who police nicknamed the Mountain Dew Man, is expected to face a judge Wednesday after he was arrested last week in Vermont for allegedly shooting a New Hampshire couple to death on a hiking trail earlier this year. Logan Clegg, age 26, is slated to be arraigned in Merrimack County Superior Court on two counts of second-degree murder for knowingly causing the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende Reid by shooting them multiple times on April 18, 2022, according to Attorney General John M. Formella and Concord Police Chief Bradley Osgood. Clegg waived extradition after he was faced a judge last week in Vermont on a fugitive from justice charge. Following the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende, Clegg spent months living in nearby woods but disappeared after lying to police just before their bodies were discovered on April 21, court documents indicated. Police nicknamed Clegg the Mountain Dew Man because he was in possession of several cans of Mountain Dew Cod Red soda at the when police investigating the couples disappearance first met him at a campsite. Police noted that a booking photo of Clegg from a 2020 burglary arrest in Utah looked remarkably similar to surveillance images of the Mountain Dew Man, the documents stated. Investigators tracked Clegg down earlier this month after learning that he had booked a one-way ticket to Germany for Oct. 14. They used the phone number he provided in purchasing the ticket to track him down in Burlington, Vermont on Oct. 12. Clegg is expected to appear in court at 1 p.m. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A teacher and a student died following a shooting Monday at a high school in St. Louis. Several others were injured. Alexandria Bell, a sophomore, was on the school dance team. The teacher, 61-year-old Jean Kuczka, appears to have put her body between the killer and students. The suspected shooter was killed by St. Louis police. We mourn the loss of life, and offer condolences to the families and friends of the victims. We join with all Americans in condemning yet another act of gun violence in a school. The facility, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, appears to have been hardened against an attack, yet it happened anyway. The White House called the attack senseless, and it was certainly that. In Missouri, though, senseless shootings in a high school, in a parking lot, at a weekend fair are entirely predictable. Its lawmakers have pursued reckless, senseless gun legislation for years. The states General Assembly, and its governor, have created the violent world in which all Missourians live. It was only a matter of time until something like this happened here, state Sen. Karla May of St. Louis said Monday. To see the violence that is happening everywhere and to act like it wasnt going to come home, I dont know what to say about that. Consider, for example, the Second Amendment Preservation Act, passed in 2021 and now a part of Missouri law. All federal acts, laws, executive orders, administrative orders, rules, and regulations shall be invalid to this state, shall not be recognized by this state, shall be specifically rejected by this state, and shall not be enforced by this state, SAPA says. Theres more. Under SAPA, local officials are prohibited from assisting any federal official in enforcing federal gun laws. In the St. Louis case, that means local authorities risk a fine if they cooperate with the FBI or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in their investigation of the shooting. Story continues This could compromise the work in St. Louis. The shooter may have obtained his weapon illegally, or without a background check, which is generally required under federal law. The seller or sellers could face federal criminal liability. If St. Louis police find such evidence, they may be precluded from sharing it with federal authorities. Had they found such evidence before the shooting, they risked a lawsuit if they shared it with the feds. Its dangerous and appalling. Local and federal authorities are permitted to work together to enforce Missouris gun laws. We hope and expect they will do so in this case. The broader point still matters: SAPA prevents full enforcement of laws designed to prevent tragedies like the one in St. Louis. Republican state lawmakers complain relentlessly and inaccurately about alleged defunding of police, yet they have taken proactive steps to hamstring enforcement of gun regulations. Thats not only defunding the police its disarming them. That has to stop. The Justice Department has sued to stop Missouri from enforcing SAPA. This act impedes criminal law enforcement operations in Missouri, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. The United States will work to ensure that our state and local law enforcement partners are not penalized for doing their jobs to keep our communities safe, he said. SAPA is clearly unconstitutional, and we expect the courts to say so. For now, it is also bad law. After Mondays shooting, several Missouri politicians Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Gov. Mike Parson, Sen. Josh Hawley expressed sorrow and remorse for the shooting. Teresa and I are praying for the victims, their families, and the entire community, Parson said in a tweet. Missourians should join Parson in that prayer. Then they should demand that he, and others in the state, stop making their gun fetish more important than protecting innocent life. Whenever YouTube superstar MrBeast crops up in business or tech headlines, you're guaranteed to find a slew of bewildered comments: Who is this guy, and why is a YouTuber such a big deal? Am I old if I don't know who this is? Why is he younger than me, yet makes so much more money? Is this dude actually giving people free islands, or is he full of it? If you don't know who MrBeast is, that's fine. That just means you probably aren't on YouTube that often, or that you've never wondered what happens if you put 100 million Orbeez in your friend's backyard. But let me ask you this: Have you heard of Cribl, Snapdocs, Sayo Bank or fabric? I haven't either, those are just some names of companies worth more than $1 billion that I pulled off Crunchbase. According to Axios' sources, MrBeast -- the 24-year-old whose name is Jimmy Donaldson -- is trying to raise $150 million for his business, valuing it at $1.5 billion. It might seem hard to imagine how a content creator's business can be worth that much, but the North Carolina resident has built an impressive empire. With 109 million YouTube subscribers, MrBeast runs the fifth most subscribed channel on the platform, and he's the top earner among U.S. YouTubers. Across his five other channels, he's amassed another 82 million subscribers -- and that's not even counting his three Spanish language channels, which have about 33 million subscribers combined. YouTube is one of the most profitable platforms for creators, because you can earn 55% of ad revenue as a member of YouTube's partner program. But MrBeast has expanded his business beyond the realm of social media -- he has leveraged his brand to open up MrBeast Burger, a ghost kitchen food chain, and a snack company called Feastables, which raised $5 million this year at a $50 million valuation from 776, Shrug Capital and Sugar Capital. But MrBeast's business model isn't as straightforward as making videos and raking in ad revenue. His uploads, which center on extreme stunts and competitions for cash prizes, cost an obscene amount of money to make. Last year, his 25-minute "Real Life Squid Game" video required a whopping $3.5 million to produce, including more than $456,000 in prize money. For comparison, the nine-episode "Squid Game" series cost Netflix a total of $21.4 million, averaging out to about $2.4 million per hour-long installment. Story continues A few weeks ago, MrBeast said that he spends $8 million per month on his businesses. Just last September, MrBeast told the creator-focused YouTube channel Colin and Samir that he spent $4 million every month. That's a big jump. Some companies reach unicorn status (a valuation above $1 billion) before even turning a profit. Yet Forbes estimates that MrBeast made $54 million in 2021, so he's already proven to VCs that they can bet on him to return their investment. "The videos get views even if I don't upload, so if I really wanted to, I could just live off of the money that the views made," MrBeast told Insider. But if the 24-year-old wants to grow even more quickly and turn a larger profit, then venture capital funding might actually make sense. MrBeast has already taken funding on a smaller scale from companies like Jellysmack and Spotter. Jellysmack uses AI to maximize top creators' cross-platform growth in exchange for a revenue cut; Spotter gives YouTubers large sums of upfront capital in exchange for revenue from their back catalog. But as one of the most successful content creators in the world, MrBeast can go even bigger with venture capital. But is going bigger always better? MrBeast's business model is like a snake eating its own tail -- no one is making money like he is, but no one is spending it like him either. He described his margins as "razor-thin" in a conversation with Logan Paul, since he reinvests most of his profits back into his content. His viewers expect that each video will be more impressive than the last, and from the outside looking in, it seems like it's only a matter of time before MrBeast can no longer up the ante (and for other creators, this has led to disaster). So, if MrBeast's business really is a unicorn -- I'd wager it is -- then he has two choices. Will he use the cushion of $150 million to make his business more sustainable, so he doesn't have to keep burying himself alive? Or will he keep pushing for more until nothing is left? (AP) It wouldnt be shocking to see a Mercedes Benz convertible parked in the driveway of an Atherton, California, home. A short drive to Palo Alto and San Francisco, where some of the most profitable tech companies on the planet reside, Atherton houses tech moguls who have an average household income that the US Census Bureau estimates to be more than $450,000. Surely these high-paid residents would want a car that would allow them to enjoy that California sunshine that they pay so much to enjoy. But the Mercedes Benz convertible in this story was not found in a driveway or cruising along a California highway it was found buried under five feet of dirt in the backyard of an Atherton mansion. It had been reported stolen in 1992. Landscapers were tending to the rear grounds of the $15m mansion on Thursday when they made the curious discovery. Hidden not even a graves depth below the ground was a car. Odd as that may be, they were further perplexed to find the car had been weighed down with unused bags of concrete mix. Local police were alerted to the find and descended on the mansion later that day. Officers brought cadaver sniffing dogs along on the inspection and the canines reactions indicated the possibility of finding human remains. When it comes to cadaver sniffing dogs, "human remains" takes on a broad definition. A positive woof could indicate anything from a full corpse to the presence of bone, blood, vomit, or any combination of viscera and humour. "They are going through a landscaping project, so its quite possible it could be worker who got cut and dripped some blood on the ground. We just dont know what the dogs are reacting to until we discover it." Atherton Police Cmdr Daniel Larsen told CBS News. Adding to the mire, police officials noted the dogs reaction was far from definitive. The dogs whose noses detect scents at anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000 times that of humans, according to the Florida State University Sensory Research Institute barely registered possible remains. Story continues A full excavation was necessary and scheduled for the following days. In the meantime, police ran the information they could pull from the vehicle and found that it had been reported stolen in 1992 in Palo Alto. This led them to the conclusion the car was likely buried sometime in the 1990s. With a stolen car buried in the backyard of the mansion, police turned their attention to the homeowners. They quickly hit a dead end when police learned the owners only came into possession of the property after the car would have been buried. They then examined the homes previous owner and builder, who officials determined to be Johnny Bocktune Lew. Lew, unfortunately for police, was not available for questioning, as he died in 2015 at the age of 77. However, his daughter, Jacq Searle, was able to offer some insights into her father to the San Francisco Chronicle that could shine some light on the mystery of the buried car. Ms Searle said her family lived at the property in the 1990s when the car was surmised to have been buried. Her father had a history of arrests for murder, attempted murder and insurance fraud dating back to at least 1966. That year, Lew was convicted of murdering a 21-year-old woman in Los Angeles County, for which he went to prison. He was released two years after the murder when the California Supreme Court reversed its decision, citing hearsay evidence leading to his conviction that should not have been included in the trial. But that wasnt the last time Lew would see the inside of a prison cell. A decade after the first murder, Lew was convicted on two counts of attempted murder, again in Los Angeles County, and spent three years in jail, between 1977 and 1980, as a result. In 1999, Lew allegedly hired people to take a 56-foot, $1.2m yacht out west of the Golden Gate Bridge into international waters and put it on the bottom," the Chronicle reports, offering the men $30,000 in cash and $20,000 in gold watches as payment. Lew, who was raised in Hong Kong and claimed he had connections to the Chinese Triad organised crime group, reportedly told his would-be accomplices that if they ratted him out, hed have them killed. Unfortunately for Mr Lew, the men he thought he was hiring to sink the yacht were actually undercover California Department of Insurance agents, according to Recordnet.com. The agents took the yacht onto the water as though they were going to sink it, but brought the vessel back under the cover of night to place it in dry dock storage for evidence. Lew was in China at the time the sinking was scheduled to occur so upon his return, he allegedly reported that the ship had been stolen to American Yachts Limited, which insured the craft, in an attempt to cash out on the loss. "This is the largest single (fraudulent insurance claim) that I know of thats been submitted," then-Deputy District Attorney Franklin Stephenson, said at the time, per Recordnet.com He was arrested for the attempted crime, but its unclear if he was ever prosecuted. San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe told the Chronicle that Lew had never been prosecuted for a crime in the county, and said the San Joaquin District Attorneys Office handled the insurance fraud case. The Independent has reached out to the San Joaquin District Attorneys Office for comment. With one insurance fraud case on the books, a murder, and two attempted murders, that brings us back to the car. Did and if so why would Lew bury a car? Ms Searle could not answer that question, but told the Chronicle that Lews involvement "wouldnt surprise me, just based on how sketchy my father was." On Monday, two days after the car was successfully exhumed, police provided an update on the vehicle. No human remains were found. Police said the current occupants were not considered connected to the car beyond sharing a yard with the vehicle. But was it connected to Lew? Investigators arent saying, at least not yet. "We have heard that name come up, but we have not confirmed through our sources that he in fact owned that vehicle," Mr Larsen said, according to the Press Democrat. For now, the mystery continues. By Steve Gorman (Reuters) - A first-of-its-kind panel organized by NASA opened a study on Monday of what the government calls "unidentified aerial phenomena," commonly termed UFOs, bringing together experts from scientific fields ranging from physics to astrobiology. The 16-member panel, convened with little fanfare, will focus its inquiry entirely on unclassified sightings and other data collected from civilian government and commercial sectors, according to NASA. The team's inquiry is separate from a newly formalized Pentagon-based investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, reported by military aviators and analyzed by U.S. defense and intelligence officials. The parallel NASA and Pentagon efforts highlight a turning point for the U.S. government after spending decades deflecting, debunking and discrediting observations of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, dating back to the 1940s. The term UFOs, long associated with notions of flying saucers and alien spacecraft, has been replaced in official government parlance by "UAP." Announcing the formation of its panel in June, NASA said: "There is no evidence UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin." A Pentagon report issued a year earlier likewise found insufficient data to determine the nature of more than 140 credible sightings documented by military observers since 2004, mostly Navy personnel. Senior defense and intelligence officials testified before Congress five months ago that the list of cataloged UAP sightings had since grown to 400 but many remain beyond explanation, either as advanced earthly technologies, atmospherics or something alien. Among them are video released by the Pentagon of enigmatic airborne objects exhibiting speed and maneuverability exceeding known aviation technology and lacking any visible means of propulsion or flight-control surfaces. NASA said its panel would spend nine months devising its own strategy for how to organize and study sightings before recommending "a roadmap of potential UAP data analysis by the agency going forward." Its first report is to be made public in mid-2023. Story continues "Understanding the data we have surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena is critical to helping us draw scientific conclusions about what's happening in our skies," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate NASA administrator. "Data is the language of scientists and makes the unexplainable explainable." The panel is chaired by David Spergel, who formerly headed Prince University's astrophysics department. Other members include Anamaria Berea, a research affiliate at the SETI (Search for Intelligence Life) Institute in Mountainview, California; retired NASA astronaut and test pilot Scott Kelly; University of Rhode Island biological oceanographer Paula Bontempi; and University of California at San Diego astrophysicist Shelley Wright. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Stephen Coates) New national data has added more proof of the pandemic's heavy impact on America's students. Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress released by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics revealed declines in math and reading scores for a majority of states, including Tennessee, since 2019 when the test was last administered. The test known as the Nation's Report Card is the largest assessment of student knowledge and achievement in both public and private schools. This year's results, which represent include assessments administered to fourth- and eighth-grade students in public schools across the country, provide the first chance for state comparisons of student progress since the onset of COVID-19. But in a briefing Friday, National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr said specific pandemic-era local decisions, like how long to keep a school or district shuttered, aren't solely the cause of these results. Exploring that deserves more research. A group of young students walk through the hall as they are distanced on the first day back to in-person learning at Crieve Hall Elementary School on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn. "We have massive comprehensive declines everywhere," she said. "In some cases, (schools) were in remote learning longer or shorter than others. ... It's just too complex to draw the straight line in the way that I think that people kind of want to do it. "We're gonna study this more that I work for not through with this just yet." While the national report card does not provide district-level numbers for Knox County, previous statewide testing showed Knox County Schools students haven't made as much growth academically as expected despite pandemic recovery programs like free summer school. Earlier this year, the Tennessee Department of Education named Knox County to its list of districts "in need of improvement." TN Ready test scores show that only 45% of fourth graders and 29% of eighth graders met or exceeded grade level expectations for reading. For math, only 38% of fourth graders and 21% of eighth graders met or exceeded grade level expectations. Story continues Knox County Schools shut down for months in spring 2020 as the pandemic ramped up in America but reopened in the fall with masks required. That fall, thousands of families opted to enroll their students in virtual classes because of the uncertainty of the disease and the lack of vaccines. Nationally, this years scores have marked the steepest declines ever measured by the test in terms of average scores in math for both fourth- and eighth-graders, according to National Center for Education Statistics. In fact, no states experienced improvements in math. And students performing below basic, a level considered to be the least stringent of three achievement goals for students set by the National Assessment Governing Board, increased across both subjects and grades nationwide. On Monday, Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said the results weren't surprising. While the scores help to measure a sampling of students in the aftermath of a public health crisis and to compare scores to surrounding states, it's just a sliver of the big picture. Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn and Gov. Bill Lee held a second news conference in a week on the state's efforts to revamp how it funds education on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022 at the Tennessee state Capitol in Nashville. "This measures really the impact of the pandemic, so it's not going to cover a lot of our bigger initiatives like Reading 360 and Tennessee All Corps," she said. "Those either covered grades that were not tested or they started right around this test. So, we expected to see declines because that matches what our spring of 2021 data looks like." Schwinn hopes that intervention efforts not captured by the national report card - those made between when the test was administered in Tennessee in January 2022 and the end of the school year - have made an impact. Regardless, the work to ensure all students recover continues, she said. In Tennessee, eighth-grade math had the sharpest decline, dropping by 8 points when compared to 2019 data. Overall, average scores were not significantly different from the nation as a whole. And in line with national trends, the percentage of students scoring at or below the basic level increased and those scoring at NAEP proficient and advanced levels decreased across the state. Schwinn pointed to a significant decline in math scores for Black students across the state in particular as one of NAEP's key findings for Tennessee. Between 2019 and 2022, average scores for Black students in fourth- and eighth-grade math, as well as fourth-grade reading, all declined by 10 or more points. "2019 told us how we were doing going into the pandemic," Schwinn said. "2022 told us how much the pandemic impacted our students, especially our Black students in the state and then 2024 and 2026 are going to tell us how effective our recovery efforts and interventions have been." The commissioner said alongside student recovery efforts, there's a need to elevate and lift the state's teachers to feel more "supported and energized." She also hopes people continue to ask and consider how students not only recover, get to a place where they're doing even better than before the pandemic, especially in Tennessee with a new education funding formula just around the corner. The NCES offered some district-specific results for several large districts across the United States, including for Memphis-Shelby County Public Schools. And while Tennessees declines were largely in line with the countrys, Memphis were larger. Elizabeth Edkin teaches 3rd grade English and language arts class at Sheffield Elementary School on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. Eighth-grade math suffered the most in Memphis, dropping 14 points from 2019 results the largest drop seen among the list of schools. Overall, 2022 NAEP scores convey a different image than what looked to be progress toward recovery from the pandemic in Tennessee following the release of 2022 statewide testing results earlier this year. "As researchers, as educators, as analysts, will now take a second deeper dive into understand exactly what role it did play, along with all the other factors that were influencing students lives," Carr said. Interested in the raw scores for Tennessee and the nation? Weve got you covered below. By the numbers: Tennessee 4th Grade Reading Average Score: 2022: 219, 2019: 214 41% scored below NAEP Basic in 2022, 34% in 2019 8th Grade Reading Average Score: 2022: 258, 2019: 262 33% Scored below NAEP Basic in 2022, 27% in 2019 4th Grade Math Average Score: 2022: 236, 2019: 240 24% scored below NAEP Basic in 2022, 21% in 2019 8th Grade Math Average Score: 2022: 272, 2019: 280 40% scored below NAEP Basic in 2022, 32% in 2019 By the Numbers: The Nation 4th Grade Reading Average Score - 2022: 217, 2019: 220 37% socred below NAEP Basic in 2022, 24% in 2019 8th Grade Reading Average Score - 2022: 260, 2019: 263 30% scored below NAEP Basic in 2022, 27% in 2019 4th Grade Math Average Score: 2022: 236, 2019: 241 25% scored below NAEP Basic in 2022, 19% in 2019 8th Grade Math Average Score: 2022: 274, 2019: 282 38% scored below NAEP Basic in 2022, 31% in 2019 Reporters Becca Wright and Laura Testino contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nation's Report Card shows decline in math and reading in Tennessee Brittney Griners attempts to appeal a nine-year prison sentence for possessing and smuggling vape cartridges containing cannabis oil into Russia came to a grinding halt after a three-judge panel upheld the summertime sentence. Tuesdays verdict was delivered shortly after the 32-year-old WNBA stars defence team outlined the many reasons why they believed the excessively harsh sentence should either be acquitted or, at the very least, reduced. The punishment imposed on Griner does not correspond to the gravity of the crime, Maria Blagovolina, one of Ms Griners lawyers, said at the Moscow Regional Court. Nine years in prison is a sentence that contradicts judicial practice. The eight-time all-star centre with the WNBAs Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medallist was convicted on 4 August after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscows Sheremetyevo Airport back in February. Ms Griner said while delivering her final statements via video link that she hoped the fact that she cooperated and pleaded guilty to the charges in July would be taken into account when the judges considered her appeal. This has been a very traumatic experience, waiting for this day, waiting for the first court day and getting nine years, began the imprisoned basketball star via a grainy video feed, as she wasnt in attendance in the courtroom and was instead being held at a detention centre outside of the capital. She added in her address that people with more severe crimes had received considerably less harsh sentences. I apologise for the mistake, I did not intend to do this, Ms Griner said. Those pleas, it would seem, would not make a difference to the presiding judges, who returned to announce that the courts earlier sentence would be upheld. The remaining time on Ms Griners sentence, they noted, would, however, be recalculated to account for her pre-trial detention time served. One day in pre-trial detention will be counted as 1.5 days in prison, the Russian court said, so the basketball player will have to serve around eight more years in prison. Story continues Those eight years will likely be served out in one of Russias penal colonies, where inmates are reportedly forced to endure 16-hour workdays and watch nonstop state propaganda. Here, The Independent breaks down where Ms Griner is expected to carry out the remainder of a prison sentence that the White House has branded a sham. Where has she been held until now? On 17 February, the 32-year-old gold medallist was detained in Russia after airport officials allegedly found her to be travelling through the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow with cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. For the past eight months, while Ms Griner was awaiting trial and then later, an appeal hearing, she has been held at a detention centre outside Moscow. US basketball player Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony in August for drug smuggling, is seen on a screen via a video link from a remand prison (AFP via Getty Images) Her wife, Cherelle Griner, told CBS Mornings earlier this month that she has only had contact with her spouse twice during her internment. That recent conversation, she relayed to the news outlet, was so upsetting that it caused her to weep for days afterward. It was the most disturbing phone call Id ever experienced, she told the interviewer, Gayle King, adding that her wife worried about being abandoned in Russia. Conditions inside the detention centre are reportedly slightly better than the harsh prisoner camps where Ms Griner is expected to head in the next few months, her lawyers confirmed outside the courtroom after her appeal was rejected, but theyre still not good. A bed was only recently outfitted to accommodate the athletes 6ft 8in frame, and temperatures frequently fluctuate inside between being too hot and too cold because of the buildings uninsulated stone infrastructure. According to a recent report from ESPN, the basketball star hasnt touched a ball since being locked up in February. The facilities where she has been held have a hoop, and her lawyer said that shed previously offered to provide a ball for the American, but she declined the offer, suggesting that its too painful for her to play the sport she loves in her current conditions. What is a penal colony? Lawyers for Ms Griner confirmed that their client would soon be transferred from the detention centre where shes been held since February to a penal colony, but that that wouldnt happen for another few months. But what the US de facto hostage has to look forward to is something entirely less appealing than the small prison cell shes been hunkering down with two other cellmates in recent months. Prisoner colonies, with about 650 of the institutions scattered largely across the country, are considered to be descendants of the Soviet Union-era gulags, the New York Times reported. A screen shows two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA player Brittney Griner during a hearing of her appeal on vedict at the Moscow Regional Court in Krasnogorsk outside Moscow, Russia, 25 October 202 (EPA) The facilities are constructed to house an overcrowding number of inmates in barrack and dorm-style complexes, where each incarcerated person is expected, if not directly ordered, to carry out manual or hard labour. While Ms Griners fellow inmates are considered to be less dangerous to the public, as the more serious offenders are typically kept in more secure facilities, that does not translate to a safer or more enjoyable experience. Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, insecure heating and food shortages were just some of the systemic issues unearthed in a report released from the US Department of State last year. More troubling, however, were the insidious issues flagged by local human rights groups in the report, which included torture and sexual violence, with political prisoners having a particular mark on their back for these offences. LGBT+ prisoners, such as Ms Griner, are more often targeted in these attacks, the report noted, highlighting a specific instance where a Chechen prisoner who prison guards suspected of being gay was reportedly suffocated and subjected to electrical shock for hours. One of the penal colony systems more famous inmates, opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, detailed in a New York Times interview last year about the harsh conditions he was frequently subjected to. In June, Alexi Navalny was transferred to a maximum-security prison, where he reportedly spends seven-hour shifts working at a sewing machine You need to imagine something like a Chinese labour camp, where everybody marches in a line and where video cameras are hung everywhere, he said while describing how he was forced to follow a gruelling schedule of callisthenics followed by daily sessions of screen time where he and others watched hours of pre-programmed state propaganda. There is constant control and a culture of snitching. Because of poor hygiene and overcrowding most colonies dont meet the Russian required standard of two square metres of space per inmate and even that is 50 per cent of the standard stipulated in the European Convention on Human Rights there are often outbreaks of epidemics that can turn fatal. Can she appeal the decision again? In a statement delivered outside the Moscow courtroom where Ms Griners appeal was rejected, lawyers representing the American decried the verdict as having numerous defects. We are very disappointed, Ms Griners lawyers said in a statement. The verdict contains numerous defects, and we hoped that the court of appeal would take them into consideration. The defence team added that the decision now rests with their client, who they would be speaking with in the next few days, about whether they would go on to pursue a further appeal. We need to discuss this with our client, the statement said. We generally think that we must use all the available legal tools, especially given the harsh and unprecedented nature of her verdict. If Ms Griner does decide to further exhaust her legal options, it would mean taking her case to two higher courts above the appellate vision, with the last option being the countrys Supreme Court. It is not common for higher courts in Russia, however, to overturn cases of such geopolitical import to the Kremlin, which Ms Griners case appears to be given the Biden administrations reported talks with Russian backchannels to arrange a high-profile prisoner swap between the basketball star and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year federal prison sentence in the US. What about a prisoner exchange? Ms Griners lawyers more or less put the fate of their client up to American officials on Tuesday, after they said in a statement outside the Moscow courtroom that the team hoped the 32-year-old could be released in a prisoner exchange with the US. We hope that an exchange is possible, said defence lawyer Alexander Boykov on Tuesday. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan intimated that this option seems to have been actively pursued by the Biden-Harris administration, particularly so in the last few weeks as US officials have been engaging with Russia through every available channel to bring home Brittney. Brittney Griners wife Cherelle shared this photo of herself with President Joe Biden as they met about the WBNA stars detention in Russia (Cherelle Griner via Instagram) President Biden has been very clear that Brittney should be released immediately, said the national adviser in a statement released Tuesday, minutes after the verdict in the sham judicial proceeding had been announced. The President has demonstrated that he is willing to go to extraordinary lengths and make tough decisions to bring Americans home, as his Administration has done successfully from countries around the world, he added, noting that the administration continues to be in touch with representatives of Ms Griner and detained American marine Paul Whelans families. This past summer, as the Biden administration faced increasing pressure to secure a deal to get Ms Griner back home, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unprecedented step of announcing publicly that Washington had made a substantial proposal to get the WNBA star home, alongside Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage. Though the US Secretary of State provided scant details outside of that bold announcement, news outlets like the The Associated Press and others reported at the time that Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the US and once earned the nickname the merchant of death, had been floated as the prisoner to exchange for the two American hostages. There is recent precedent for these kinds of exchanges, as back in April the two Cold War countries carried out a similar arrangement that saw Moscow release Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for Washington turning over Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot who was convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Some legal experts, however, speculate that this kind of exchange wouldnt occur until all legal avenues are exhausted. A 6-foot-6, 320-pound NFL player was arrested early Saturday at a famous downtown Miami nightclub after, an arrest report said, a witness told police the man didnt want to leave the womens restroom. Olisaemeka Oli Udoh, a Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman, was taken into custody at the E11EVEN nightclub, 29 NE 11th St., around 3 a.m. Saturday, according to the arrest affidavit. The 25-year-old was arrested on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest without violence and disorderly conduct. Udohs arrest was first reported Sunday morning by FoxSports 640AM sports radio host Andy Slater. The disorderly conduct charge stems from a security guards account that Udoh went into the womens restroom to continue the conversation he was having with a woman who was standing in the line to use the restroom. When Udoh refused several times, the guard told Miami police, the security staff physically insisted Udoh leave the restroom and the club. The report said two Miami police officers dealing with a different situation outside the club saw a side door open and Udoh resisting ejection from the club. The officers took over, the report says, and Udoh continued to forcefully stop himself from walking, making it difficult for officers to escort him safely. Eventually, Udoh whose full name means God is good, according to the Vikings team website was put in a police cruiser and taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He was released by Sunday morning. Neither spokespeople for E11EVEN nor the Vikings immediately responded to Miami Heralds request for comment. Udoh is in his fourth year with the Vikings after being selected by the team in the sixth found of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Elon University. He became a starter in 2021, starting 16 of 17 games, but hasnt started in any of the Vikings games so far this season. Though listed on the roster as a guard, hes on the current depth chart as a backup at right tackle. The Vikings are coming off a bye week after beating the Miami Dolphins 24-16 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Oct. 16. The Hughes County State's Attorney announced Tuesday there were "no facts to support a criminal prosecution under current law" when it comes to allegations Gov. Kristi Noem had misused the state airplane for personal matters and that flight logs had been tampered with. Jessica LaMie and the Division of Criminal Investigation found the allegations regarding the flight records was frivolous, according to a press release from her office. The complaint had originally been filed with the Government Accountability Board. The group made up of retired judges recommended the complaint be investigated by the Attorney General's office in August. More:Attorney general's office to investigate ethics complaint against Gov. Kristi Noem Acting Attorney General Mark Vargo, who was appointed by Noem after former AG Jason Ravnsborg was impeached earlier this year, recused himself from the investigation and asked LaMie to oversee the inquiry. LaMie informed the GAB of her decision Monday, according to the release. The issue has now been referred back to the board. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Inquiry: No facts to support investigation into Kristi Noem plane use (This Oct. 25 story has been corrected to say 11,000 deaths in February from 11 million in January in paragraph 4) (Reuters) - Daily global COVID-19 infections are projected to rise slowly to about 18.7 million by February from the current 16.7 million average daily cases, driven by the northern hemisphere's winter months, the University of Washington said in an analysis. Far fewer infections are expected than last winter's estimated peak daily average of about 80 million cases in January of 2022 that was driven by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, according to the report. The increase in cases is not expected to cause a surge in deaths, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said. It forecast that global daily deaths would average 2,748 people on Feb. 1, compared with around 1,660 currently. In February, deaths were more than 11,000 per day globally. IHME estimates that daily infections in the United States will increase by a third to more than a million, driven by students back in schools and cold weather-related indoor gatherings. A surge in Germany has peaked already, it said in its report on Oct. 24. IHME expects cases there will fall by more than a third to around 190,000 by February. The report suggests that the recent COVID surge in Germany might be due to Omicron subvariants BQ.1 or BQ.1.1, and will likely spread to other parts of Europe in the coming weeks. A rapid increase in hospital admissions in Germany the highest since the COVID outbreak in 2020 - remains an area of concern, it said. IHME's analysis also found that the new Omicron subvariant XBB, which is currently driving a surge in hospitalizations in Singapore, is more transmissible but less severe. The global impact of XBB is expected to be muted by the fact that people who were previously infected with the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron likely have immunity against it, the report said. (Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; editing by Caroline Humer, Shinjini Ganguli and Bill Berkrot) By Terje Solsvik and Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) -Norwegian police on Monday arrested a suspected Russian spy in the Arctic town of Tromsoe, the PST security service said on Tuesday, describing him as a rare illegal agent. The man, who worked as a researcher at the University of Tromsoe, had posed as a Brazilian citizen but police believe his real identity to be Russian. The news was first reported by Norwegian broadcaster NRK. The man represents a "threat to fundamental national interests" and should be expelled from Norway, deputy PST chief Hedvig Moe told Reuters, describing him as an "illegal agent". An illegal agent is an intelligence operative without official government links who assumes a covert persona, often using a real, dead person's identity. "Typically illegal agents are talent scouts recruiting agents for later, and preparing the ground for other spies to do traditional intelligence work," said Moe. The accused man's lawyer did not return a request for comment. The suspect was involved in a research group that worked with Norwegian government agencies on "hybrid threats" linked to "Arctic Norway", Moe said. NATO-member Norway borders Russia in the Arctic and has ramped up security in the wake of Moscow's February invasion of Ukraine. The head of the research group the man was part told Reuters the suspect arrived in Tromsoe in December 2021 as an unpaid guest researcher, which was unusual but not unheard of, who had recently completed a master's degree in Canada. According to publicly available data, his masters was from the University of Calgary's Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies. "He first contacted me in autumn last year... We assessed him like we would other researchers. One of his references was a professor I knew very well," said Gunhild Hoogensen Gjoerv, a professor of security studies at the University of Tromsoe. Story continues "He was a really lovely guy, very good at his job," she said. "We had no reason to suspect him of being anything else than what he said he was." The man was arrested on Monday, Moe said, declining to say whether a specific event precipitated the decision. "It was the right point to stop the activity he was involved in," she said. The arrest was made possible with the collaboration of "several" international security services, declining to say from which countries. "It is a long-term project to have an illegal agent," said Moe. It costs a lot of money. Major state actors only use them and it is known Russia has used them in the past." (Additional reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Jonathan Oatis) The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio voted to seek an increase in how much school districts contribute into the pension system. The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio will ask state lawmakers to increase the contribution rates that school districts pay into the pension for teachers. System spokesman Nick Treneff said the teachers' pension system has yet to discuss details, such as how much of an increase it wants. "We aren't going to get anything if we don't ask," he said. Currently, school districts contribute 14% of a teacher's salary to the pension system. Teachers kick in another 14%. The employer contribution rate hasn't changed since the mid-1980s, Treneff said. A rate increase would be paid by taxpayers in more than 600 school districts across Ohio. Letters:Retired Ohio teachers get no more money, but system staff deserve $9.6m bonuses The move comes as the Ohio Police & Fire Pension System is heavily lobbying for a bump in the rates paid by local governments for police and firefighters. Public employees in Ohio do not participate in Social Security so the state pension systems are their main retirement funds. State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio is the second largest of the state's five pension systems with roughly $98 billion invested on behalf of 500,000 teachers, retirees and beneficiaries. The system's 11-member board is a combination of unpaid elected and appointed trustees. Three new trustees won election earlier this year. The system has been grappling with controversies: Retirees are unhappy that the system eliminated their annual cost of living adjustment in April 2017 and say that the board's recent approval of a one-time 3% boost falls short of what's needed. The Ohio Retired Teachers Association raised $75,000 for a deep dive into what the association viewed as mismanagement, high investment fees and misinformation. A faction led by board member Wade Steen argued that the system's investment staff miscalculated their performance bonus pay and that information is being withheld from board members. Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio teachers' pension fund to ask lawmakers for rate hike Girls in Wales were the most likely to say they did not feel safe in schools (Getty/iStock) Around one in five girls and young women do not feel safe in UK schools, according to a new survey. The poll found regional differences, with girls in Wales the most likely to say they feel unsafe - 24 per cent - followed by the North of England, where 22 per cent said this. Nationally, girls of colour were less likely to say they felt safe in school. Only 65 per cent did compared to 70 per cent of their white peers, the survey found. Girlguiding, which ran the poll of 3,015 girls between seven and 21 years old, said it was truly shocked at its findings. Have you been affected by this story? Get in touch with zoe.tidman@independent.co.uk Sexual harassment in schools was bought to the forefront by campaign group Everyones Invited last year, which saw thousands of victims share testimonies online. Ofsted. the school watchdog, also carried out a review which revealed the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse for young people. It is concerning that for some children, incidents are so commonplace that they see no point in reporting them, the watchdog said. Some girls told Ofsted they had experienced unwanted touching in school corridors. Girlguiding found 17 per cent of girls in the UK do not feel safe in schools in its Girls Attitudes Survey 2021. More than half did not feel safe outside on their own, while around a quarter did not feel safe online. Meanwhile, more respondents said they see or experience sexism in their education or work - 66 per cent - this year compared to 58 per cent four years ago. Seventeen per cent said fear of sexual harassment holds them back at school. Girls and young women dont feel safe in their daily lives online, in public, when outside on their own or at school, Girlguiding said. Worryingly, not enough is happening to change this: not all girls and young women are learning about healthy relationships and harassment at school. Angela Salt OBE, the groups chief executive, said: Were truly shocked at how many girls dont feel safe at school, on social media or out in public. Story continues A government spokesperson said millions have been invested into community projects to improve the safety of women and girls, including in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber. Schools and colleges should be safe places for every young person, which is why Relationships, Sex and Health Education is now a mandatory part of the curriculum, helping pupils learn about challenging subjects in an age-appropriate way, they said. Weve also strengthened guidance for staff so they are more alert to issues impacting their pupils, including everyday sexism, misogyny and gender stereotypes, and are able to take positive action that builds a culture where these are tackled - never tolerated. Four people in gray robes hang, suspended from ropes, above a cemetery. The Espookys pose as ghosts floating above a cemetery for one of their gigs. Credit - Pablo Arellano SpataroHBO Theres one screenshot from the second season of the Spanglish comedy Los Espookys that I cant stop sending to my friends. The Espookysa group of four friends who stage spooks straight out of B horror filmshave just wrapped up a gig in a graveyard when Ursula (Cassandra Ciangherotti) stumbles across a curious flier. Free radical queer vegan tarot book swap, she reads by flashlight. Glancing around, she folds up the flier and tucks it away, smiling to herself. It feels too good to be trueand it is. The genius dramatic irony here, as loyal viewers know, is that Ursula has a target on her back. Last season, we were introduced to Mira Esto, a sly spoof of sensational Latin American news shows. (Think: Univisions Primer Impacto or El Salvadors Noticias 4Vision.) The conniving producers behind the show, we learn, have kidnapped and hypnotized a string of women (all dubbed Gregoria Santos) to host it. Each woman, apparently indistinguishable from the next, presents outlandish stories about celebrity scandals and the paranormal with deadpan delivery, and the audience laps it up. Now, the producers are on the prowl for the ninth Gregoria Santos, and Ursula fits the bill. So far, though, shes expertly evaded capture. Wait a second she asks the anxious receptionist at the book swap. Dont I know you? No, no! he stutters, frantically waving a rainbow-striped fan. Love is love. Im a dairy-free Sagittarius. Trying to find a risograph workshop in Brooklyn through an unmarked door, I had to wonder: Is this how Mira Esto gets me? The flier is a parody of Ursulas interests, poking fun at the identities of a core demographic of the shows audiencemyself included. The Mira Esto producers try to hypnotize Ursula into becoming the next Gregoria Santos. Pablo Arellano SpataroHBO Los Espookys, which premiered on HBO in 2019 and just wrapped its second season, is self-aware in the smartest way. It never takes itself too seriously, but the topics it skewersfrom the objectification of women to unpaid internships to U.S. interference in Latin American politicsare no joke. The show is open by design, inviting everyone in just to satirize them, all in good fun. Its completely in Spanglishall Spanish lines are automatically subtitled in English and vice versaallowing it to straddle cultures and crack jokes that will land with viewers who speak either language, or both. And its intrinsically queer, a respite for LGBTQ+ viewers among media that still often tokenizes queer charactersor panders to queer audiences. Story continues The series slots into the wave of contemporary queer horror (think: Bodies Bodies Bodies, First Kill, Fear Street) as queer creatives reclaim a genre that has long vilified them. Horror tropesfrom exorcisms to cursed mirrors to spirits in the cemeteryabound in Los Espookys, but theyre more kooky than scary. Theres the water spirit who lives inside one character, Andres (played to raspy perfection by Spike Einbinder), but quits because it wants to focus on its career, and the portal Andres can open to hang out with the moon (personified by Romas Yalitza Aparicio). For queer viewers, comedy lovers, and those looking for something not too spooky, the show makes for a great Halloween binge. Read more: A New Documentary Series Illuminates the History and Evolution of Queer Horror The moon (Yalitza Aparicio) takes an urgent meeting with Andres. Diego Araya CorvalanHBO But its themes arent seasonal. Los Espookys critiques the U.S.s long history of detrimental intervention in Latin America and willful American ignorance toward other cultures. And it manages to do so while maintaining its tongue-in-cheek, oddball charm. Take, for example, Greta Titelmans obnoxious Melanie Gibbons, the U.S. ambassador to the fictional Latin American country where Los Espookys takes place. Dripping in bubblegum pink, Melanie aims to become the U.S. Ambassador to Miamia role she sincerely believes exists. But first, she must dutifully serve her nations interests. We need to influence local elections and make sure their president gets re-elected, Melanie drily instructs her aides. Its what our Founding Fathers wouldve wanted. So, we need to start spreading lies about his opponent in a clear and concise way. OK, so memes? an aide asks. Wait, do these memes have to be in Spanish? asks an embassy assistant. How are we supposed to do that? Just write them in English, another assistant replies. If its in English, its for everybody. Read more: Vampires Are Taking Over Pop Culture AgainBut This Time, the Monster Is Us U.S. Ambassador Melanie Gibbons (Greta Titelman) welcomes the U.S. Secretary of State (Kim Petras) to the U.S. Embassy. Diego Araya CorvalanHBO Stylistically, the show defies categorization, perhaps better explained by its central characters. Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco) is the optimistic ringleader, lover of all things goth, and baffled by his own sexuality. Andres (Julio Torres), Renaldos childhood best friend, was fed from a silver spoon and loves the fabulous and fantastical. Ciangherottis Ursula is the pragmatic one of the bunch, maybe the only one grounded in reality. Tati (Ana Fabrega), Ursulas sister, on the other hand, exists in a world entirely her own. Los Espookys is not a conformist show, Katie Rife writes for Vulture. Its characters are renegades, for one. And the show itself, with its flights of surrealism and head-in-the-clouds point of view, doesnt follow the standard rules of a half-hour comedy, either. Very few other comedies, or TV series, for that matter, tell their stories in pure Spanglish (with few exceptions, including HBO Maxs Acapulco). For those between cultures, the show scratches a peculiar itch, allowing us to exist in a radical space with one foot in each world. The ambiguity of the setting and the unquestioned mix of accents and slang feels more like home than any one defined place. When Renaldos tio Tico (Fred Armisen, a co-creator of the show) moves from the U.S. to stay with his family, Tico speaks to Renaldo in English. Renaldo responds in Spanish, and no one bats an eye. The absent-minded Tati accidentally hits the nail on the head when Tico asks her in English or Spanish? and she replies matter of factly a little of neither. Tio Tico (Fred Armisen), Tati (Ana Fabrega), Andres (Julio Torres), Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco), and Ursula (Cassandra Ciangherotti) gather in a professor's study. Pablo Arellano SpataroHBO Los Espookys doesnt fit neatly into many spaces, but it feels in conversation with the vanguard of young contemporary musicians who sing in Spanglish, from Kali Uchis to Cuco to Omar Apollo. These bicultural artists often play with the gray areas between sexualities, toomuch like the show. Two of Los Espookys creatorsTorres and Fabrega, who both also write for the showare queer, and Torres character, Andres, is gay. Ursula is decidedly queer and Renaldo well, hes not sure yet. There was never any moment of like, how do we want to represent queerness, Fabrega told Pride. It just felt very organic and not like something that we had to calculate. The series is extraordinary because it exists comfortably between binariesEnglish and Spanish, comedy and horror, gay and straightwithout feeling the need to pick one or the other. Instead, it creates something entirely new, an amalgamation of skits and sketches that still allow for a narrative throughline. From Andres literal inner demon to his relationship with the moon, Los Espookys doesnt shy away from imagination, the most radical force of all. A Morning Consult poll released on Monday found that only 29 percent of registered GOP respondents believe the U.S. has an obligation to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. By comparison, 56 percent of registered Democrats and 38 percent of independents believe that the U.S. has a responsibility to assist Kyiv in the war. Overall, 42 percent of respondents believe that the U.S. has an obligation to help Ukraine, according to the survey. When asked about relocating Ukrainian citizens to live in the U.S., 63 percent of respondents said that they support such a move, including 78 percent of registered Democratic respondents, 61 percent of independent ones and 49 percent of Republicans. The Morning Consult poll was conducted from Oct. 22 to Oct. 23 among 2,200 respondents. The surveys margin of error is 2 percentage points. Support for Ukraine in its nine-month war against Russia has remained relatively strong across both U.S. parties, though cracks have begun to emerge, particularly over the issue of cost. Washington has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in military and nonmilitary assistance this year. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) said in an interview last week that Republicans will not write a blank check to Kyiv if they seize the majority in next months midterms, prompting President Biden to say he feared for the future of U.S. support. I am worried about it because they said they would cut it, Biden said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. OLENA ROSHCHINA TUESDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2022, 12:52 The city of Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, has been 70% destroyed due to constant shelling by the Russian army, said Svitlana Mandrych, Deputy Mayor of the city. Source: Svitlana Mandrych in a comment for the Radio Liberty "News of the Azov Region" project Quote: "To date, there are about 2,000 officially registered destructions, but looking at it myself, Orikhiv has been 70% destroyed. A lot of houses have been burning lately because we are also being bombed with phosphorus bombs, and the houses just burn to the ground. Due to the density of shelling, a lot of houses are on fire, and it is impossible to extinguish them." Details: Mandrych said that the city is under fire both day and night, and attacks can last up to seven to fourteen hours in a row. "It is impossible to even get out of the basements, where people are staying for seven to fourteen hours. There are still about 2,000 people in the city and about 2,700 in the hromada [an administrative unit designating, in this case, the city of Orikhiv and its adjacent territories ed.]. This includes the villages of Novopavlivka, Novodanylivka, and Novoandriivka. Villages that remain unoccupied," said the deputy mayor of Orikhiv. According to Mandrych, the entire power grid in the city has been damaged, and transformers have been destroyed. There is no electricity, water, or gas supply in Orikhiv. The deputy mayor stated that there are no problems with food in the city, but the hospital has been evacuated. Earlier, Mandrych reported that the Humanitarian Centre in Orikhiv had stopped its work. To recall: In recent months, Russian troops have intensified shelling of Zaporizhzhia. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! ROCHESTER Former city councilor Chris Rice was arrested last week after allegedly using police data systems while working in the Rockingham County sheriff's office, to try to gain access to personal information of three people. The people he allegedly researched included a female Rochester city councilor who Rice sexually harassed, leading to his dismissal from the council in May. Rice, 32, is free on bail ahead of a December court date. Reached by phone, Rice, said he has been advised by his attorney, Richard Clark of Portsmouth, not to comment. Six charges, all misdemeanors, allege Rice illegally accessed computer systems of police and the department of motor vehicles, seeking to gain information about three individuals, including a current Rochester city councilor Rice served alongside. Rochester City Councilor Chris Rice attends his City Council trial Thursday, May 12, 2022. Previous reporting: Chris Rice removed from Rochester City Council in trial, calls process 'unfair' On Sept. 9, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office requested that New Hampshire State Police conduct an investigation into Rice, employed as a civilian dispatcher for the sheriff's office. It is alleged he used Rockingham County computer systems to access the State Police Online Telecommunication System (S.P.O.T.S.) information on three drivers licenses, without authorization. Rice is charged with three misdemeanor counts of computer-related offenses and three misdemeanor counts of records and certifications. He was released on personal recognizance bail and will appear in the 10th circuit district court in Brentwood on Monday, Dec. 12. From May: Rochester councilor Chris Rice accused of sexual harassment of peers, could face removal Rice was removed from the Rochester City Council after a trial conducted by the council concluded he had sexually harassed one current councilor and another former city councilor, who said he repeatedly made comments about their bodies and appearance over many months, dating back to last year, despite being told to stop multiple times. The current councilor also told investigators hired by the city that Rice had intimidated her during a March meeting with a gun. Story continues Rochester Mayor Paul Callaghan, a veteran in law enforcement, said, "I have great respect for the justice system. I will watch to see how the case unfolds." This story will be updated. This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Ex-Rochester councilor Chris Rice charged in police records violation Authorities are continuing to investigate for the presence of human remains days after a car was found buried in the yard of a mansion in Atherton, Calif. (Nhat V. Meyer / Bay Area News Group) Days after a car was found buried in the yard of a San Francisco Bay Area mansion, authorities are continuing to search for human remains as questions mount about the property's former owner and his violent past. On Monday, San Mateo County Dist. Atty. Steve Wagstaffe told the Mercury News that Johnny Bocktune Lew, who died in 2015, reported the Mercedes-Benz stolen in 1992 and collected $87,000 in insurance on the vehicle. The district attorney described the case as having the elements of a true crime novel, but with missing parts. "This book has 15 chapters in it and weve only got two chapters," Wagstaffe told the Mercury News. "I dont know if were ever going to get the other chapters, but I sure hope we do because it is an interesting story." The Times could not reach Wagstaffe for comment on Monday. Landscapers found the car on Thursday, buried in the backyard of a $15-million mansion in Atherton, a small town of about 7,000 people with a median income above $250,000, according to U.S. census data. The car was discovered 4 to 5 feet deep in the ground behind the home in the 300 block of Stockbridge Avenue, according to the Atherton Police Department. Unused bags of concrete were found inside. Cadaver dogs were brought in to scour the scene and made a slight notification of possible human remains, police said. But so far no remains have been found. Adding to the questions around the car are sordid details from Lew's past. Neighbors told the Mercury News that Lew, who sold the property in 2014, had a history of violence. Court documents revealed he was convicted of second-degree murder in the 1960s in Los Angeles in the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend, Karen Gervasi. The California Supreme Court reversed the conviction in 1968. He was later convicted on two counts of attempted murder in the 1970s, but details in that case were not readily available. In the 1990s, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Lew was arrested again, this time for insurance fraud after he attempted to hire people who later turned out to be undercover agents to sink his $1.2-million twin-engine yacht off the Golden Gate, claiming it belonged to an Asian crime mob. Story continues In Atherton, authorities spent several days excavating the Mercedes before towing it to the San Mateo County Crime Lab on Saturday for analysis, police said. "On Sunday ... ground-penetrating radar was used to examine the scene," police said. "This examination did not reveal anything unusual or suspicious at the scene and no human remains were located. This concluded our on-scene investigation." Wagstaffe told the Mercury News that the lack of a body doesn't mean no crime was committed. "For all I know, he might have killed somebody and disposed of the body," he said. "But why wouldnt you then get rid of the car somewhere else? Its strange." Multiple cadaver dogs have indicated for possible human remains at the site, Wagstaffe told the newspaper, adding that he looked forward to seeing whether a forensic examination of the Mercedes yields any DNA or other evidence. Ultimately, insurance fraud wouldn't explain why the car was buried or why the cadaver dogs continued to indicate for the presence of human remains over the weekend, he said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Packaging Corp. (PKG) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.83 per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. This compares to earnings of $2.69 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of containerboard and corrugated packaging products would post earnings of $2.87 per share when it actually produced earnings of $3.23, delivering a surprise of 12.54%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Packaging Corp. , which belongs to the Zacks Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, posted revenues of $2.13 billion for the quarter ended September 2022, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.73%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $2 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Packaging Corp. Shares have lost about 14.1% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -21.3%. What's Next for Packaging Corp. While Packaging Corp. Has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Story continues Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Packaging Corp. Unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $2.60 on $2.18 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $11.39 on $8.77 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Containers - Paper and Packaging is currently in the bottom 10% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. One other stock from the same industry, Sonoco (SON), is yet to report results for the quarter ended September 2022. The results are expected to be released on October 31. This packaging maker is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.43 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +57.1%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Sonoco's revenues are expected to be $1.92 billion, up 35.8% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sonoco Products Company (SON) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research ISLAMABAD (AP) A plane carrying the body of an outspoken Pakistani journalist who was shot and killed by Nairobi police while living in hiding in Kenya touched down at an airport in Islamabad just after midnight Wednesday, officials said. Arshad Sharif was killed Sunday night when the car he was in sped up and drove through a checkpoint outside the Kenyan capital and police opened fire. Nairobi police expressed regret over the incident, saying it was a case of mistaken identity during a search for a similar car involved in a child abduction case. Sharif was traveling with another Pakistani resident, Khurram Ahmed, when their car failed to stop for reasons that remain unclear despite being flagged down at the checkpoint. Police opened fire and laid chase. Sharif's car flipped over and he was shot in the head and killed. His family in Pakistan said Ahmed, who had initially been identified as Sharif's brother by the Nairobi police, was not a relative but that he was the driver of the car, according to information they received. There was speculation that Ahmed was hurt and taken to a hospital but officials in Kenya have not announced any details about Ahmed's condition or whereabouts. The 50-year-old journalist fled Pakistan in August amid threats to his life. Early Wednesday, his family, friends and government officials received his body at the Islamabad airport. A Pakistani plane departed from Kenya earlier Tuesday, carrying Sharif's body, and was expected to land in Pakistan late Tuesday night, Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said. On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who is not related to the slain journalist, spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto about the incident. Pakistani diplomats were in attendance at the Nairobi airport when the plane with Sharif's remains took off. Later on Tuesday, it stopped in Doha, Qatar, before proceeding on to Pakistan. Sharif's family said his funeral will be held in Islamabad on Thursday. Story continues Arshad Sharif left Pakistan in August after going into hiding in his own country in July to avoid arrest following a citizens complaint against him on allegations of maligning the countrys national institutions, a reference to the military. His whereabouts were not publicly known. Most of his relatives and friends knew only that he had spent time in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and London. A month later, Sharif's employer the private ARY Television fired him, saying he had violated the TV stations social media policy. His talk show POWERPLAY, which aired on Mondays and Thursdays, was discontinued. The station had earlier in the year remained critical of Pakistans prime minister following the ouster of his predecessor, Imran Khan, in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April. Khan claims he was ousted as part of a U.S. designed plot, a charge both Washington and the Pakistani government deny. Sharif the journalist had been a prominent critic of Khan's ouster. Khan on Tuesday announced a convoy of vehicles filled with supporters would descend on Islamabad on Friday from Lahore in a bid to pressure the government to hold snap elections, a demand the government has previously rejected. His announcement comes as the government struggles to provide relief to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by record-breaking floods, which have killed 1,731 people since mid-June. Earlier, Khan told a gathering of lawyers in the city of Peshawar that he had asked the slain journalist to leave the country as his life was in danger in Pakistan. He paid glowing tribute to Sharif, saying the man enjoyed a good reputation and he was among those journalists who never bowed to pressure. Pakistani journalists and the international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders have demanded an independent probe into Sharif's killing while a popular Pakistani anchorperson, Hamid Mir, on Monday said there were contradictions in the Nairobi police statements about the incident. Later on Tuesday, Pakistan's prime minister announced an investigation and promised its findings would be shared with the public. The military and Pakistani journalists had also requested that the government launch a probe into the killing. By Mubasher Bukhari LAHORE (Reuters) - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Tuesday that he would begin a protest march with his supporters from the eastern city of Lahore to Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Friday to call for early elections. Smaller protests by Khan's supporters took place last week after Pakistan's top election tribunal found Khan guilty of unlawfully selling gifts from foreign dignitaries and heads of state, removing him of his parliamentary seat. "I have decided to launch the long march from Friday at 11.00 am from Liberty Square in Lahore to Islamabad," Khan said at press conference in Lahore on Tuesday evening. The distance between the two cities is about 380 kilometres. "I am marching to press the government to announce elections immediately," he said, adding his supporters and party members should avoid violence. Since being removed from office by a no-confidence vote in the legislature in April, Khan has held protests across the country calling for snap elections, but the government has said they will be held as scheduled in October or November next year. Last week's ruling has added to the political and economic uncertainty plaguing Pakistan this year. The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was accused of misusing his 2018 to 2022 premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during visits abroad and worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees ($634,920.63). The Election Commission of Pakistan ruled that Khan would be removed from his seat in parliament but did not order a longer disqualification from public office, which under Pakistani law can be up to five years. The political instability has also fuelled economic uncertainty, with international ratings agencies questioning if the current government can maintain difficult economic policies in the face of political pressure and looming elections. ($1 = 220.5000 Pakistani rupees) (Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; editing by Grant McCool) A member of the Proud Boys fights with student protesters on Penn State University's campus, prior to an event that would feature Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes on campus. (Photo: Wayward Streamer via Twitter) A member of the Proud Boys fights with student protesters on Penn State University's campus, prior to an event that would feature Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes on campus. (Photo: Wayward Streamer via Twitter) A Pennsylvania State University event featuring Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes was canceled Monday night after McInnes supporters attacked students and members of the media. In the hours leading up to the event titled Stand Back & Stand By and featuring the bigoted gang leader and far-right troll Alex Stein the Proud Boys and their allies attacked a throng of protesting students and journalists gathered outside the venue. One person, described as a member of the Proud Boys, pepper-sprayed the crowd. Another video shows a Proud Boy fist-fighting with a crowd of protesters. For weeks, students had been petitioning university administration to cancel the event due to safety concerns. McInnes has a documented history of bringing members of his violent street gang to speaking engagements, where they attack students and protesters. But Penn State administrators allowed the event to continue on the grounds of constitutionally protected speech. Student Affairs Vice President Damon Sims told HuffPost earlier this month that the administration had weighed student safety against campus speech concerns. Our commitment to both freedom of expression and the welfare of our community are equally strong, despite the obvious challenges that brings, he said at the time. Fights broke out Monday almost as soon as a planned student protest of the event began. Images on social media show journalists and students reeling from being hit with pepper spray. Bobby, a student at Penn State, was hit with Pepper Spray moments ago, allegedly by a individual with a group of proud boys. The group has moved away from the entrances for the moment and is chanting between the Thomas building and Huck Life Sciences building pic.twitter.com/Nw4ZWcYFLS Pete Kurtz-Glovas (@PeteKurtzGlovas) October 24, 2022 Police from multiple jurisdictions many in body armor and mounted on horses were criticized by reporters at the scene for failing to intervene. Story continues Got pepper-sprayed by a Proud Boy. Several other media got direct hit, tweeted photojournalist Zach Roberts. My face and body is burning like the worst sunburn. Penn State campus cops watched and did nothing. Police already gotten crowd control horses out pic.twitter.com/tqpbCt2GaB Tess Owen (@misstessowen) October 24, 2022 In a statement Tuesday, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi decried Stein and McInnes for bringing violence to campus, but also accused protesting students of giving the pair visibility. Tonight, Stein and McInnes will celebrate a victory for being canceled, when in actuality, they contributed to the very violence that compromised their ability to speak, Bendapudi wrote. Tonight, counter-protestors also will celebrate a victory that they forced the University to cancel this event, when in actuality they have furthered the visibility of the very cause they oppose. She added: Thankfully, it appears that no one was seriously injured in todays event. Since h was unable to get inside Inna timely fashion it seems like this Penn State Proud Boy decided it was swinging time. As he worked through the crowd he shoved several people, upsetting crowd further. pic.twitter.com/EGMOvMxpuT Wayward.streamer (@StreamerWayward) October 25, 2022 For students, Bendapudis statement represents an about-face from the administration, which previously banned neo-Nazi leader Richard Spencer following his involvement in the deadly Unite the Right rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Administrators released a statement at the time, declaring that Spencer wasnt allowed to speak on campus due to the threat of violence he and his allies posed to students. [Penn State] fully supports the right of free speech and encourages its expression in thoughtful and respectful ways, even when we strongly disagree with the opinions expressed. But the First Amendment does not require our University to risk imminent violence, the statement read. A student group that planned the demonstration issued a statement Monday night, condemning university officials and lauding the hundreds of students who showed up to protest. YOU WON! wrote the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity on Instagram. Despite the extreme irresponsibility of the reprehensible Penn State administrators, who should resign immediately, and who willfully put students at risk. Earlier this month, the student committee characterized the McInnes event not as a speech issue, but a safety issue. Students certainly took issue with McInnes history of violent and bigoted rhetoric, but their concerns centered on the violence exacted by his Proud Boys at similar events on campus and at political events including the gangs outsize role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. A woman on TikTok has shocked the internet after she revealed how the back of her head exploded while she was on a flight due to the air pressure. Weronika, who goes by @polish_99 on the app, posted a TikTok on 20 October showing a brace wrapped around her head and bruising on her face. On the video, she wrote: POV: youre the flight attendant that Ive just had to inform the back of my head exploded from the pressure. She added in the caption: Still not over how gross it was. After receiving more than six million views, Weronika posted several videos explaining how the mishap was caused by her stitches bursting open on the plane due to the air pressure. She had recently undergone a fox eye lift and a neck lift surgery, and she received a fit-to-fly certification by two different doctors one day before the flight. However, a previous consultation with the doctor who performed her BBL surgery had made her late to another appointment with the cat eye surgeon who forgot to give her a fit-to-fly certificate amongst the rush. She was given the go-ahead to fly from the airport doctors and made it to her flight, but while she was asleep on the plane, Weronika woke up and felt a lot of pain coming from her left ear. I wake up and Im in a lot of pain. My actual ear was in pain as well, she said. I got up, went to the toilet, and I heard this audible pop, she said, realising that the incision behind her ear had burst open. Weronika continued: I start feeling this hot liquid dripping down my neck and I grabbed some towels and start wiping it up. Obviously, it was blood, she added. I dont know if anyones had lipo; the fluid that comes out of you is yellow-y with blood. So, I sat there with this towel and it is blood, but its got this lovely yellow ring. Its literally so gross and it smells so bad. Weronika assumed that the reason it happened was because of a drain that was placed in the exact same location behind her ear after her surgery, which is where most of the liquid would accumulate. Obviously, all of that mustve not drained out and when I got on the plane, it swelled up to the extent that the skin was pulling apart and the nylon stitches just couldnt hold it anymore, she shared. Story continues @polish_99 I have really tried to be as concise as possible but I am going to do a part 2 now, I wont make you wait Bad Habit - Steve Lacy When it popped, all the fluid just gushed out, all in one go, Weronika added. And I didnt know what to say because it was so gross. After she informed a flight attendant about the situation, they told her to keep the blank compression band wrapped around her head until the plane landed. She also stuffed tissues in the head wrap where the liquid was bursting out to keep it from leaking. I was in so much pain for the rest of the flight and it felt so hot and all the liquid was draining into this tissue, she said. She sent her surgeon a picture of the hole where the drain had been, after all the liquid had dried up. Long story short, I ended up with an infected oozing hole behind my ear but its clearing up now and its all good. I just have to be careful before it shuts, she captioned her final TikTok. Unsurprisingly, viewers were stunned by Weronikas story and shared their thoughts in the comments section. New achievement unlocked: Fear of head exploding on plane, one TikToker commented. The flight attendant better get a raise, said someone else. Another user joked: Guessing it was a pretty mind blowing experience. Others offered their sympathy to Weronika, and sent their hopes that shes on the mend. Honestly this sounds really scary. Glad youre ok! said one user, while another TikToker wrote: Im so sorry that happened to you! But Im glad youre ok and healing now. UKRAINSKA PRAVDA TUESDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2022, 22:08 A petrol station in the city of Dnipro has caught fire after being hit by fragments of a Russian missile. Borys Filatov, the Mayor of Dnipro said at least two civilians had been killed. Source: Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on Telegram; Borys Filatov, the Mayor of Dnipro, on Telegram Quote from Tymoshenko: "Dnipro. A BRSM petrol station caught fire. Russian terrorists launched their missiles on the city but the fragments of a missile hit a local petrol station. Fire is still being extinguished." Quote by Filatov: "It is currently known that at least two civilians have died: one in a car, and the other one at a car wash next to the petrol station. Were expecting an update from the military administration". Details: The air-raid siren in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast lasted from 21:00 to 22:00. At 22:15, Tymoshenko reported that the fire was localised in an area of 300 square metres. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Great white shark leaping behind surfer captured by photographer Jordan Anast in Southern California (@jordananast) A California photographer captured a Sharknado moment as a great white was seen leaping out of the Pacific behind a surfer. Jordan Anast was taking pictures of a surf competition at San Onofre beach between Los Angeles and San Diego when the dramatic breach occurred. I thought, Thats a big dolphin, the longtime surf photographer said as he took a picture of surfer Tyler Warren calmly riding a wave. Mr Anast says that it was only when he looked back at the images he realized what he had captured. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. Its the kind of shot you only ever get once. It doesnt even look real, its like something out of Sharknado, he told The Independent. Over the decades I have captured some memorable moments for others, but this is one was for me, he added on Instagram. My passion has always been to stop time for one second, capture a memory for someone or something that will last forever and show the world my pics through my lens. These shots will always be a part of San Onofre history and that is pretty cool. (@jordananast) Sharknado is a series of sci-fi horror movies in which man-eating sharks are scooped up by water spouts and dump sharks into cities. Mr Warren, who is also a well-known surfboard maker, told the photographer that he did not even realize that he was in the water with a great white. (@jordananast) The picture was taken during the San Onofre Surf Clubs annual competition on Saturday 22 October. (@jordananast) San Onofre State Beach is a known hot spot for great white sharks in Southern California, according to marine experts. It is thought that the sharks are attracted to the area by a plentiful food supply. King Charles appointed the UK's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday. Charles met with Sunak at Buckingham Palace just seven weeks after Liz Truss took the role. Photos show how Charles and Sunak's meeting compares to the late Queen's meeting with Truss. King Charles III formally appointed the UK's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. At the age of 42, Sunak is the youngest prime minister in more than a century, The Guardian reports. He also makes history as the first person of color and the first Hindu to take on the role, the publication reports. King Charles III meets with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace. AP Images/Pool Charles invited Sunak to form a new administration just seven weeks after Queen Elizabeth performed the same tradition with Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle. The Queen was photographed welcoming Truss into office on September 6, which marked her final royal engagement before her death on September 8. It is tradition for the British monarch to meet with every new prime minister, and Queen Elizabeth welcomed 15 prime ministers during her reign. While the monarch is supposed to remain politically neutral, they work closely with the UK government. For example, Charles will be expected to hold a weekly audience with Sunak and sign government legislation. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and new Conservative Party leader and Britain's Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss meet at Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland, on September 6, 2022, where the Queen invited Truss to form a Government. Photo by JANE BARLOW/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Truss handed her resignation to the king on Tuesday, which "His Majesty was graciously pleased to accept," according to a Buckingham Palace press release sent to Insider. Truss resigned last Thursday just over six weeks after she took the role, making her shortest-serving prime minister in UK history, Insider previously reported. Truss resigned following dissension among members of her own Conservative Party over a vote on fracking last week, as well as the backlash to her proposed mini-budget which led Britain into financial turmoil, The Telegraph reported. Read the original article on Insider Nearly half of South Dakota voters back a law banning most abortions in the state, according to a survey from Emerson College Polling and The Hill released Tuesday. Forty-five percent of voters said they supported the prohibition, which was passed more than 15 years ago but only went into effect over the summer after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 abortion rights case. By comparison, 39 percent oppose the ban, while another 16 percent are unsure about their feelings on the law. While the plurality support for the ban isnt entirely surprising, given South Dakotas deep-red political tint, the poll suggests that efforts to lift or undo the ban are likely to face an uphill battle. Already, at least one group has proposed putting an amendment to the South Dakota constitution on the ballot in 2024 that would permit abortions up through the second trimester of pregnancy. Still, abortion rights are far from the top issue for voters in South Dakota this year. Only 12 percent of respondents said that abortion access was their top concern heading into the 2022 midterm elections. Forty-five percent said that the economy was the most important issue, followed by threats to American democracy at 15 percent, according to the Emerson College-The Hill poll. At the same time, nearly half of respondents 49 percent said that the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade doesnt factor into their likelihood of voting in this years midterm elections, while 47 percent said that the ruling makes them more likely to cast a ballot. Only 4 percent said the Supreme Courts decision makes them less likely to vote, according to the poll. The Emerson College-The Hill poll surveyed 1,500 very likely general election voters from Oct. 19-21. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. MUKONO, Uganda (AP) A fire at a boarding school for blind students killed 11 children in a rural community just outside Uganda's capital, Kampala, the school's administrator and police said Tuesday. One of our dormitories caught fire and burnt at around midnight. The matron made an alarm," Francis Kinubi, the schools founder, said. "This was one of the dormitories for the young girls and it caught and burned down and, very unfortunately, 11 girls, small girls, perished." Police said in a statement that six other people were hospitalized in critical condition. They said it was not yet known what caused the overnight fire that gutted a girls' dormitory at Salama School for the Blind in the district of Mukono. Fatuma Ndisaba, a top official in Mukono, told local broadcaster NTV that the victims, including girls between the ages of 7 and 10, were burned beyond recognition. The victims' bodies will be identified through DNA analysis, she said. You cannot tell who is who, she said, speaking of the charred bodies. A small crowd that included distressed women gathered outside the school's gates. Police cordoned off the scene, and military officials were seen investigating. Britain's Princess Anne, who is expected in the East African country this week, was scheduled to visit the school on Friday. Fires at schools have been a cause of concern for education officials in Uganda, where classrooms and dormitories are often crowded, and theres usually no firefighting equipment in place. Officials have cited poor electrical connections as sparking blazes in some cases. Kinubi, the Salama School for the Blind administrator, acknowledged a lack of safety equipment. I have to admit that we do not have systems like fire extinguishers because we have always been appealing to government to provide us with some of these gadgets, but in vain, he said. Two dormitories at a prominent boarding school in Kampala were destroyed in separate incidents in 2020. No one was hurt. Story continues In 2008, 19 elementary school students were killed in a nighttime fire at a boarding school in Kampala. - Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda. HARTLAND, Wis. (AP) The six people found dead after an apartment fire in a southern Wisconsin village last week had been shot in an apparent case of murder-suicide, according to police. The bodies of a couple and their four children were found early Friday after firefighters were called to their burning apartment in Hartland. Ten of the remaining tenants in the four-unit building made it out safely. Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko said Monday evening that all victims had one gunshot wound. Connor McKisick, a father and stepfather to the four children, had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Misko said. The others who died include Jessica McKisick, a 14-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl and two 3-year-old boys, all who lived with Connor McKisick in one of the apartments. Police did not identify the children, but officials at the schools the girls attended said the older girl was Natalie Kleemeier and her younger sister Sofina Kleemeier. Misko said all of those who died had a single gunshot wound. He said there is also evidence of an ignitable liquid in the apartment where multiple guns were found. This is a tragic incident for the family of the deceased, for our first responders and for the Hartland community, Misko said. The incident remains under investigation by Hartland police with assistance from the Waukesha County Medical Examiners Office, the State Fire Marshal and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Hartland is a village of approximately 9,100 people about 26 miles (42 kilometers) west of Milwaukee. Photograph: Steven Senne/AP Two dogs were fatally shot by police after an Amazon driver was found dead near them on Monday night with what appeared to be wounds from an animal attack. Police in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, said they found a mans body on the front lawn of a home about 7pm after neighbors reported a van had been parked there for many hours. Investigators discovered that the dead man was an Amazon delivery driver. Police also said an English mastiff and a German shepherd were on the scene behaving aggressively before retreating into the house at one point. The owners were not there, and the local sheriff, Scott Childers, said deputies shot and killed both dogs. Authorities have so far stopped short of confirming that the slain dogs killed the Amazon delivery driver. But the sheriff said the mans wounds were consistent with having been mauled by an animal. Officials have not publicly released the mans name. Amazon released a statement expressing sorrow over the drivers death. Were deeply saddened by tonights tragic incident involving a member of our Amazon family and will be providing support to the team and the drivers loved ones, the statement said, according to NBC News. We are assisting law enforcement in their investigation. This is the second time a package carrier has been killed since August, when five dogs attacked and killed a postal worker in Florida after her vehicle broke down. That postal worker, Pamela Jane Rock, was 61, NBC News reported. Dog attacks against package carriers are common in the US. According to the US Postal Service, in 2021 alone, more than 5,400 postal employees were attacked by dogs [across] the United States. Excelsior Springs is a community of about 10,000 people about 25 miles north-east of Kansas City. A teenage girl from Raynham who has been missing since last week could be in danger and may have traveled to multiple New England cities up to a hundred miles away, police said. Every day that goes by is heartbreaking, said Heather McNally, a family friend. Her parents are a mess, theyre beside themselves, they just want her home. Colleen Weaver, 16, was last seen by a family member on Oct. 18 around 1:00 a.m. near her home in the area of Orchard and King streets. On Tuesday, Raynham police provided an update on the investigation and released two new photos of the teen, saying her family has not had any contact with her since her disappearance. Police continue search for missing Raynham teen An investigation has indicated that Weaver may have traveled to a location about 100 miles away from her home. Raynham police are asking the public in Springfield, Provincetown, Bristol, Conn., Hartford, Conn., Wells, Maine, Concord, N.H., Portsmouth, N.H., Manchester, N.H., Keene, N.H., and Brattleboro, Vt. to keep an eye out for Weaver. Weaver is described as 5 feet tall, weighing about 120 pounds, with red/pink hair. It is believed that she was wearing black glasses and possibly a sweatshirt and leggings. Have you seen me? Police searching for missing Raynham teen Colleen doesnt have her own cell phone or computer, and she also doesnt drive. She has impulse control issues because of her neurological diagnoses, she is very suggestable, highly suggestable, so its very easy to lure her, said McNally. She believes Colleen was chatting with someone online that night after her parents found her brothers Chromebook in her room. According to police, Weaver is believed to be in danger, and anyone with information on her whereabouts or who may have seen her recently is asked to contact the Raynham Police Department at 508-824-2717 or call 911. 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 A 32-year-old man who escaped a psychiatric hospital early Monday in Williamsburg was found around 36 hours later at a convenience store 5 miles away. Christopher Feagin who police now say is actually named Michael Lee Corey Malone was found around noon Tuesday inside a store in the 6400 block of Richmond Road in James City County. Malone escaped Eastern State Hospital, located off DePue Drive, around 1:40 a.m. Monday. While details of his escape are sparse at this point, a Virginia State Police spokesperson said search efforts for Malone persisted through Monday night and into Tuesday. James City County Police were alerted that someone matching Malones description was inside the store. City and state police responded and took Malone into custody nearby without incident. Malone was transported to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail. He is charged with a felony for escaping the hospital. Corinne Geller, spokesperson for Virginia State Police, said Malones name was believed to be Christopher Matthew Feagin, but during the investigation into his escape, police learned Christopher Feagin is one of several aliases he has used over the years. While his last address is unknown, Malone has been using the name Christopher M. Feagin in Virginia Beach for more than nine years years. Virginia Beach General District Court records show Christopher M. Feagin was arrested in Virginia Beach as far back as June 30, 2013. It was not until June 2021 that the name Michael Lee Corey Malone began appearing on his Virginia Beach arrest records as an alias. This is the second time this year state police have been called to investigate an escapee from Eastern State Hospital. The first was in April when two men damaged an interior wall of the building to make their escape. Following their escape from the hospital, one man was arrested in Chesapeake and the other in Norfolk. Lauren Cunningham, spokesperson for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, said the hospital has launched an internal investigation into how Malone escaped and how safety and security measures can be improved. Story continues Following an investigation into the April escape, Cunningham said, the hospital reinforced vulnerable internal areas, installed solar flood lights to increase visibility, and hired additional security staff. Cunningham said the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services also secured a contract to install a fence around patient areas on Eastern State Hospital grounds. Cunningham confirmed Malone came to the state hospital through the criminal justice system, but said the facility also houses civil patients, which is someone who comes to a state hospital through a court order such as a temporary detention order. It is important to remember that psychiatric hospitals are not prisons. Security staff make rounds and are present to ensure patient and staff safety, but it is required to be delivered in as therapeutic a way as possible, Cunningham said. Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com St. Louis police say that the 19-year-old shooter who killed two at a high school had an AR-15 style rifle and additional rounds of bullets. St. Louis Police Commissioner Michael Sack told The Associated Press on Tuesday that shooter Orlando Harris, who was killed by police during the shooting at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on Monday, was in possession of more than 600 rounds of ammunition. Harris shot and killed 61-year-old physical education teacher Jean Kuczka and 15-year-old student Alexandria Bell and wounded seven more students. Law enforcement confronted Harris after observing numerous cartridges and casings along with AR type magazines located in the hallways and stairwells, according to a statement from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Sack said that Harris wrote a note explaining the rationale behind his intended mass shooting, where the teen, who graduated from Central Visual and Performing Arts High School last year, described his life as the perfect storm for a mass shooter. Harris was allegedly motivated to commit the shooting by the fact that he had no friends, family or girlfriend and felt isolated. Witnesses told police that the man announced You are all going to die! before beginning to shoot. The FBI is assisting the local police department in investigating the shooting. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Rishi Sunak has vowed to 'work day in day out for the British people' having been named the UK's 3rd PM in seven weeks (PA) Rishi Sunak would suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of Keir Starmer if a general election were to take place immediately, a polling company has said. Sunak won the Tory leadership race on Monday to officially become the UK's next prime minister. But despite being more popular among voters than his predecessor, Sunak trails Labour leader Starmer in the polls. According to a modelling sample of 12,000 people by YouGov, Starmer would win 389 constituencies, and Sunak just 127 constituencies. In 116 constituencies voters would not be sure of who to choose between the two. Rishi Sunak trails behind opposition leader Keir Starmer in the popularity polls as he starts his first day as Britain's new Prime Minister. (YouGov) Read more: The video which shows the big problem facing Rishi Sunak That would be a huge reversal of the 2019 election, in which Boris Johnson lead the Conservatives to an 80-seat majority. Support for Starmer over Sunak is particularly strong in both Scotland and Wales, with the new Tory leader failing to win a single seat north of the border. Sunak told supporters on Monday that the Tory party must "unite or die" after the recent wave of controversy and infighting. Watch: Brits hopeful Sunak can deliver stability as PM In a speech at Conservative Party headquarters, he said: "We now need stability and unity and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together. Sunak won the race to become Britain's new PM on Monday after rivals Penny Mordaunt and Johnson pulled out of the contest. Read more: 'The Rishbot': Rishi Sunak's awkward pause at end of first speech as incoming PM goes viral A YouGov poll of 12,000 UK adults has found that Keir Starmer is a significantly more popular choice for PM than Rishi Sunak (Getty) The modelling shows the scale of the challenge now facing Sunak and suggests he would not triumph in a single one of the 50 constituencies that form part of YouGovs Red Wall definition. Similarly, Sunak starts his premiership in a bad position relative to Starmer in the Blue Wall, winning in just ten. The data revealed that while the former Chancellor just about leads in Harrow East (+4) and Ruislip, Northwood, and Pinner (+3), Starmer is the victor in 43 of the 53 seats, including strong leads in true blue constituencies such as South Cambridgeshire (+13), Winchester (+9), and Wycombe (+8). Story continues Additional polling suggests that the majority of people are disappointed Sunak is the new PM with only half of Tory voters pleased. According to the first YouGov survey taken after Sunak's victory, just 38% of people said they were "pleased or very pleased" while 41% said they were "fairly or very disappointed". Among Tory voters, Sunak fared slightly better, with 52% pleased and 38% disappointed. However, Sunak's supporters will be buoyed by any comparison to Liz Truss who performed significantly worse shortly after being named PM. In that poll, only 22% of the British public were pleased with the new prime minister and 50% disappointed. On Tuesday, Sunak met with the King before returning to Downing Street where he told reporters the country was "facing a profound economic crisis" and there were "difficult decisions" to come. But he pledged to approach the problems with "compassion" and "to place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda". In the televised speech, his first official one since becoming PM, he said: "The government I lead will not leave the next generation, your children and grandchildren, with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves." A postal worker stole nearly $400,000 in tax refund checks that were being sent by mail to Florida residents, according to the Department of Justice. Kevin Mark Streeter, Jr., 38, of Tampa, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in federal prison, according to an Oct. 24 news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office, Middle District of Florida. Streeter, who was working at a U.S Postal Service mail processing center in Sarasota, about 130 miles southwest of Orlando, exploited his position by stealing approximately 40 federal tax refund checks, that were being sent to residents of Floridas Middle District, which encompasses 35 counties, according to the release. The checks ranged in amounts from around $4,000 to over $100,000, the release says. The total amount that he stole was over $398,000, the Department of Justice said. Streeters attorney and the U.S. Postal Service could not be immediately reached for comment on Oct. 24. Streeter took most of the checks around March 2017 and sold them to co-conspirators, according to an indictment. Streeter pleaded guilty in June 2022 to counts of conspiracy, receipt of stolen government property and aggravated identity theft, according to the release. The Internal Revenue Service issued nearly 600.1 million refunds valuing more than $1.1 trillion in Fiscal Year 2021, according to the agency. Duped lottery winners swindled out of $460,000, feds say. Accused scammer gets prison Catholic church worker wrote 198 checks to herself and stole $451K in Oklahoma, feds say Real estate agent stole landlords identity while getting evicted from home, feds say HONG KONG (AP) Pro-democracy Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai was found guilty Tuesday on two fraud charges related to lease violations, the latest in a series of prosecutions apparently aimed at punishing him for his past activism. Lai was arrested during a crackdown on the pro-democracy movement following widespread protests in 2019 and under the citys sweeping Beijing-imposed National Security Law. He is already serving a 20-month sentence for his role in unauthorized assemblies. His media company, Next Digital, published the now-shuttered Apple Daily, Hong Kongs last pro-democracy newspaper. Lai also faces collusion charges under the National Security Law and a separate sedition charge. His former colleague, Wong Wai-keung, was also convicted Tuesday on a single charge of fraud. Lai and two former executives at his company were charged with fraud for subletting part of the office space to a secretarial firm, which was also controlled by Lai, between 2016 and 2020. Their move allegedly violated lease agreements with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp. The second fraud count was for letting the same firm use the media outlets office space in alleged breach of lease agreements from 1998 and 2015. District Court Judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi said the firm's business did not conform with what was stipulated in the lease agreements, and ruled that Lai had hidden the fact that the company was occupying space in the building. He said he did not believe Lai had forgotten the business was using the office. One of the executives, Royston Chow, made a deal earlier this year to help with Lai's and Wong's prosecution in exchange for exemption from criminal liability. Lawyers for Lai are asking the United Nations to investigate his imprisonment and multiple criminal charges as legal harassment to punish him for speaking out. Armed with the National Security Law, prosecutors have brought cases against people for clapping in court, sentenced five speech therapists to nearly two years in prison for their role in the publication of childrens books deemed seditious, and put on trial a 90-year-old Catholic cardinal and five others accused of failing to register a now-defunct fund set up to assist people arrested in the mass anti-government protests three years ago. Story continues That has damaged faith in the future of the bustling bastion of finance, with increasing numbers of young professionals responding to the shrinking freedoms by moving abroad. Electoral reforms have ensured that only those deemed to be patriots by Beijing serve in the citys legislature. China has installed John Lee, a career security official, as the city's new chief executive. Separately, a mainland Chinese man was arrested for allegedly posting three signs carrying seditious words at the protest zone of the city's legislative complex on Oct. 15, police said Tuesday. China's twice-a-decade Communist Party congress began the next day. Some wordings on the posters, which were generally about COVID-19 restrictions, were intended to incite others to hate or despise the central government or leaders of the central government, said Lo Yin-lam, chief inspector of Hong Kong Island's regional public order event investigation team. Lo did not elaborate on the wordings that had been used. Local newspaper Ming Pao said the content of the posters was linked to a protest at Beijing's Sitong Bridge, where someone hung banners calling for freedom and not COVID-19 lockdowns days before the congress opened. National security police also arrested a Hong Kong man accused of participating in terrorist activities. Police said an investigation showed the 22-year-old man was linked to several local crime organizations. He was accused of providing financial support to a group suspected of involvement in bombmaking plans and other terrorist activities. A group of progressive lawmakers withdrew a high-profile letter intended to influence President Joe Bidens Ukraine policy on Tuesday, just a day after it was sent to the White House. The story behind the letter, which 30 House Democrats signed, is one of mismanagement by leadership, an alleged staff error and a failure to appreciate the sensitivities of discussing a brutal ongoing war. Multiple legislators were so surprised by the letters release and the ensuing criticism that they publicly rejected the document and said it was supposed to be sent much earlier under different circumstances. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) ultimately agreed with them. In a statement Tuesday, she blamed her employees for releasing the letter and retracted it. The letter was drafted several months ago but, unfortunately, was released by staff without vetting. As chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this, Jayapal said. Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too, after Ukrainian victory. The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time, and we withdraw the letter. Jayapal had personally approved the letters publication on Monday, a source familiar with the situation told Politico. The letter was drafted several months ago but, unfortunately, was released by staff without vetting. As chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this, Jayapal said. (Photo: Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The letter was drafted several months ago but, unfortunately, was released by staff without vetting. As chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this, Jayapal said. (Photo: Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The timeline of the kerfuffle reflects how the left is still struggling to offer an effective message on foreign policy despite its years-long focus on reforming Americas approach to global affairs and progressives success in shaping some major national security debates. On Monday afternoon, The Washington Post published the letter that the group sent Biden. Led by Jayapal, they asked the president to pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire. Story continues The letter faced immediate backlash online, as fellow legislators, analysts and liberal commentators accused the progressives of being naive at best, or worse, willing to reward Russian President Vladimir Putin for his vicious invasion of Ukraine. By Monday evening, Jayapal clarified, saying the letter did not propose a change in American support for Ukraine and the progressives did not seek to break with the Biden administrations policy. We are united as Democrats, Jayapal wrote. But her colleagues suggested otherwise. Moderate Democrat Rep. Jake Auchincloss (Mass.) accused the progressives of offering an olive branch to a war criminal whos losing his war. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who frequently champions a less hawkish U.S. posture internationally, warned of moral and strategic peril in sitting down with Putin too early. Speaking to Politico, an anonymous member of House Democratic leadership said: That bone-headed letter just put Dems in the same league as [Republican leader Rep.] Kevin McCarthy, who said ... Ukraine funding could be in jeopardy. By Tuesday, letter signatories Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) had all posted tweets questioning the timing of the letters release with Jacobs saying she wouldnt sign it today. To understand how the progressive gambit imploded, HuffPost spoke with five sources familiar with the letter and Ukraine policy discussions among Democrats and reviewed a previous draft of the message. The overall picture: Thanks to a messy process and a misreading of the broader conversation about the war, a relatively anodyne statement became a firebomb that divided the caucus and could threaten leadership ambitions for Jayapal and other signatories. Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail? The timing of the letters development and release was odd. Jayapals team circulated the message to lawmakers in the summer when Russian forces seemed to have the upper hand in Ukraine. We urge President Biden to seek a rapid end to the conflict as a chief priority, all while continuing to respect Ukraines sovereign decisions, read a pitch email seen by HuffPost. The message directed members of Congress and their staff to seek further information about the plan from Keane Bhatt, the policy director for the Congressional Progressive Caucus. (Bhatt declined to comment for this story.) Lawmakers began signing on as early as June 30, Jacobs tweeted. A number of progressives signed in July because of concern over Putins nuclear threats, according to Pocan. A House Democratic aide whose boss signed the message on July 20 said they expected the letter would be released soon afterward. It was supposed to go out Aug. 1. My guess is they just held it open trying to get as many people, the aide told HuffPost. Come September, Jayapals office was still trying to secure more signatures, with discussions continuing late into the month, according to a source. Jayapals team kept the letter largely the same, according to HuffPosts review of the earlier and final drafts, only adding a condemnation of Russias claim to annex Ukrainian territory. Given the reflexively hawkish nature of Washingtons national security discourse, progressives always face an uphill battle in championing diplomacy. (Photo: Photo by AFP via Getty Images) Given the reflexively hawkish nature of Washingtons national security discourse, progressives always face an uphill battle in championing diplomacy. (Photo: Photo by AFP via Getty Images) By the time the letter came out, Ukrainian troops had reclaimed territory in severalstrategic areas in the eastern part of the country. Meanwhile, Russia appeared to be growing desperate, resorting to missile attacks on major civilian areas designed to knock out power and water systems and starve Ukrainians. Several signatories said on Tuesday they werent given a heads up on when the letter would be released. Jayapals team did not appear to expect a backlash, the aide told HuffPost, saying that had they done so, they would likely have given signatories talking points to rebut potential attacks. We had no idea it came out until the maelstrom on Twitter, the aide added. One Democratic source familiar with the letter said the organizers had waited to get about 30 members on board and didnt consider election timing. Coming two weeks before the vote, the letter was especially alarming for Democrats in Republican-leaning districts who fear being seen as too dovish, a senior House Democrat told CNN. What Progressives Said And Didnt Say A striking element of the controversy is that most of the actual letter is not particularly striking. It promotes the U.S.s overall position that Ukraine deserves support, that Russia has behaved horrifically and that ending the war is vital to protect Ukrainians, prevent escalation and ease the global economic shock it has produced. Instead of highlighting that reality, some Democrats quickly accepted and echoed criticisms of the message, equating it to Republicans growing skepticism towards Ukraine and sympathy for Putins war narrative. McCarthy, who will be the speaker of the House come January if Republicans capture the chamber in next months midterm elections, last week said his colleagues are wary of giving a blank check to Ukraine. For months, conservatives like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and GOP Senate hopeful J.D. Vance have loudly questioned Washingtons backing of Kyiv. Right-wing commentators Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens have argued that Russia invaded its neighbor to defend itself. The progressives message squarely blamed Putin for the war and subsequent human suffering and did not suggest ending U.S. aid to Ukraine. It also noted: It is not Americas place to pressure Ukraines government regarding sovereign decisions. In withdrawing the letter on Tuesday, Jayapal said: Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of the military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces. Democrats could have tried to nip that perception in the bud and upheld a clear progressive position on Ukraine, defying fringe activists who call the party pro-war and pundits who cast liberals as soft. The framing around the letter from The Washington Post and the subsequent discussion on Twitter frame the letter as progressives calling for appeasement and giving in to Putin and Russia, but if you actually read the letter, it doesnt do that, the House Democratic aide argued. People dont seem to think that you can hold both positions of arming Ukraine and supporting their sovereignty and pushing for a diplomatic offramp. Given the reflexively hawkish nature of Washingtons national security discourse, progressives always face an uphill battle in championing diplomacy. This time, in making a major statement on the most significant issue in global politics, they were unprepared and the setback has likely damaged their credibility and unity in a lasting way. CORRECTION: A prior version of this article misidentified Sen. Josh Hawley as a Democrat. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... The Congressional Progressive Caucus has officially renounced its call for the US to directly engage in talks with Russia in hopes of finding a diplomatic solution to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In a statement, CPC Chair Pramilla Jayapal said the caucus hereby withdraws a 24 October letter to President Joe Biden calling for negotiations had been drafted several months ago and erroneously released by staff without permission. The Washington state representative said she took full responsibility for the error. In the now-withdrawn letter, 30 signatories including Ms Jayapal, former CPC chairs Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Barbara Lee of California, Democratic squad members Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush, and other high-profile progressives such as Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin called for the US to mount a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a cease fire as a condition of future military support for Ukraine. Ms Jayapal said the timing of the letters release led to the call for negotiations being conflated by some as being equivalent to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthys recent threat to withhold further aid for Ukraine absent policy concessions from the Biden administration. The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces, she said. The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians' just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter. The now-withdrawn letter had laid out a series of concerns, chief among them the fact that the US has not maintained a bilateral dialogue with Moscow as part of efforts to bring the war to a close. The lawmakers relayed these concerns to Mr Biden despite months of statements from the administration stressing that the US would not engage in direct talks without participation from Ukrainian officials. Story continues It drew a swift backlash from defence experts and prominent Ukrainians, including Ukrainian journalist, Anastasia Lapitina, who took to Twitter on Monday to slam the letter, writing that the signatories seem not to understand that Russian operates on a completely different set of assumptions about the world and this war than the progressives who spearheaded the missive to Mr Biden. The negative reaction to the letter was sufficiently swift and intense that Ms Jayapal was forced to issue a statement to reaffirm the progressive caucus support for Ukraine just five hours after it had become public. Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support, she wrote. She added that the progressive caucus continues to support the Biden administrations policy of nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. Top House progressives backed off their position questioning President Bidens Ukraine policy on Tuesday afternoon, withdrawing a letter released Monday that perplexed and angered many Democrats. The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the caucus chairwoman, wrote in a statement, representing a stunning shift in their call for a diplomatic push to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting. As Chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this, Jayapal wrote. Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over. The Hill reported earlier on Tuesday that the letter was written over the summer and released this week without consideration of the timing, two weeks ahead of midterm elections. Jayapal said that her caucuss stance towards the Biden administrations approach to the war unintentionally created the perception that they were aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces. Nothing could be further from the truth, she added. Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too after Ukrainian victory. The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was widely criticized over an interview published last week in which he said a GOP majority would not give a blank check to Ukraine, indicating it would instead focus on relieving economic pain at home. Story continues On Monday, many of the Houses top liberals signed on to an official memo written by Jayapal asking Biden to push harder for negotiations with Russia over the war it started eight months ago. We urge you to pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire, wrote Jayapal. In an unusual backtrack, Jayapal and the Congressional Progressive Caucus sought to clarify their request by issuing a new statement later on Monday reaffirming their support for Ukraine and support for Bidens handling of the war. House sources told The Hill on Tuesday that the letter was circulated in June, and the reason for its release so close to elections was unclear. They waited to get about 30 and released, one source texted. Didnt consider election timing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) released a lengthy statement on Tuesday reiterating the need for continued support for Ukraine, after she attended the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform. Congress on a bipartisan and bicameral basis will not waver in our efforts to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable, she said. On behalf of the Congress, I made absolutely clear that Americas support for Ukraine will continue until victory is won. Updated at 1:15 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A group of 30 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus has had to quickly retreat after a letter calling for direct US-Russia talks to resolve the war in Ukraine touched off a firestorm of criticism. In the 24 October letter to President Joe Biden, the 30 signatories including CPC chair Pramilla Jayapal of Washington, former CPC chairs Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Barbara Lee of California, Democratic squad members Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush, and other high-profile progressives such as Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin called for the US to mount a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a cease fire as a condition of future military support for Ukraine. The letter lays out a series of concerns, chief among them the fact that the US has not maintained a bilateral dialogue with Moscow as part of efforts to bring the war to a close. The lawmakers relayed these concerns to Mr Biden despite months of statements from the administration stressing that the US would not engage in direct talks without participation from Ukrainian officials. A Ukrainian journalist, Anastasia Lapitina, took to Twitter on Monday to slam the letter, writing that the signatories seem not to understand that Russian operates on a completely different set of assumptions about the world and this war than the progressives who spearheaded the missive to Mr Biden. Russia operates on a completely different set of assumptions about the world and this war. They want Ukraine crushed, not independent. They have never accepted our independence, and they won't start now. Our subjugation is their fundamental goal. Diplomacy will not change that Anastasiia Lapatina (@lapatina_) October 24, 2022 They [Russia] have never accepted our independence, and they won't start now. Our subjugation is their fundamental goal. Diplomacy will not change that, she wrote. A former commanding general of US forces in Europe, Mark Hertling, wrote in agreement: These 30 [members of Congress] are exceedingly naive about this crucial point. This is a terrific thread & I completely agree w/ @lapatina_ She is exactly right: Russia operates on a completely different set of assumptions about the world and this war. These 30 MOCs are exceedingly naive about this crucial point. https://t.co/okJH4Usw9l Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) October 25, 2022 The backlash against the letter was sufficiently intense that Ms Jayapal was forced to issue a statement to reaffirm the progressive caucus support for Ukraine just five hours after the letter became public. Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support, she wrote. She added that the progressive caucus continues to support the Biden administrations policy of nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images Progressive Democrats withdrew a letter to Biden urging him to pursue talks with Putin to end the Ukraine war. The letter prompted a wave of criticism, including from fellow Democrats. One Democratic lawmaker said the letter extended an "olive branch to a war criminal." Progressive Democrats faced a wave of backlash over a letter calling on President Joe Biden to pursue negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine including from members of their own party. The letter, which was signed by 30 Democrats led by Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, was released Monday and withdrawn a day later by the progressive lawmakers following the blistering criticism. "The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine," Jayapal said in a statement. Jayapal said the letter was drafted months ago and released by staff without vetting. The Monday letter urged Biden to "pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire." Though Jayapal on Tuesday retracted the letter and said it was drafted "months ago," she also gave a statement to the Washington Post earlier this week that echoed what the letter stated and urged Biden to make a "proactive diplomatic push" to end the Ukraine war. Additionally, Politico reported that Jayapal personally approved the letter's release on Monday, citing a source familiar with the situation. Critics of the letter questioned why Biden should pursue diplomacy with Moscow when Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine and the Kremlin does not appear interested in talks, and at a time when Ukraine is making progress on the battlefield and therefore has few incentives to sit down for negotiations. "This letter is an olive branch to a war criminal who's losing his war. Ukraine is on the march. Congress should be standing firmly behind [Biden's] effective strategy, including tighter not weaker! sanctions," Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts said in a tweet reacting to the letter. Story continues The letter came on the heels of a series of escalatory moves in the war from Russian President Vladimir Putin, including the so-called annexations of four Ukrainian regions that Russian forces do not fully control or occupy. It was also sent as Ukraine has been regaining territory and pushing back the Russian invaders as part of a counteroffensive that's been buoyed by Western-supplied weapons. Arms provided to Ukraine by the US have played a crucial role in the fight. The Ukrainian government has also been clear that it would not agree to any deal that would require it to cede territory to Russia, and which would likely leave it vulnerable to future attacks. By illegally annexing the Ukrainian regions and claiming them as part of Russia, Putin effectively threw the possibility of any negotiations out the window. In a tweet that offered indirect criticism of the letter, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said, "There is moral and strategic peril in sitting down with Putin too early. It risks legitimizing his crimes and handing over parts of Ukraine to Russia in an agreement that Putin won't even honor." Murphy, a prominent Democratic voice on foreign policy in the Senate, added, "Sometimes, a bully must be shown the limits of his power before diplomacy can work." Following the fierce pushback to the letter, a number of its signatories walked back on it and issued statements emphasizing their support for Biden's approach to the war. Some of these Democrats also questioned the timing of its release. Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs of California tweeted, "I signed this letter on June 30, but a lot has changed since then. I wouldn't sign it today." The letter was sent to Biden just weeks before the midterm elections and not long after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy signaled the GOP would move to slash aid to Kyiv if Republicans regain control of the lower chamber next month. Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, released a clarifying statement on Monday evening, stating, "Let me be clear: We are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support." Meanwhile, the Biden administration also slapped down the letter. "In order for diplomacy to take place, there have to be parties ready and willing to engage in diplomacy. Right now, we have heard from Ukrainian partners, repeatedly, that this war will only end through diplomacy and dialogue. We have not heard any reciprocal statement or refrain from Moscow that they are ready in good faith to engage in that diplomacy and dialogue," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. Congress has shown strong support for Ukraine thus far, passing legislation that's paved the way for the Biden administration to provide Kyiv with billions in aid. Polling has shown most US voters are in favor of continued support for Ukraine, but there are also signs that they are concerned about the economic consequences of the war. Read the original article on Business Insider The University of Florida announced that protesters will be banned from campus buildings on Nov. 1, when the universitys board of trustees are expected to consider Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) to become the schools next president. In a statement on Monday, the universitys outgoing president Kent Fuchs informed the schools community that it will enforce a two-decade-old regulation prohibiting protests inside buildings on campus. Fuchs said that students who violate the regulation will face disciplinary action under the schools student code of conduct. UF supports the First Amendment right to free speech and embraces our university as a place where people are able and encouraged to exchange differing viewpoints or express their feelings through peaceful protest, Fuchs wrote in his statement. As our core value of freedom and civility states, We are a community that affirms and embraces openness to an inclusive range of viewpoints. With this commitment comes an obligation to protect the rights of everyone in our community to speak and to hear. I want to be clear that the university holds sacred the right to free speech, and I strongly encourage you to exercise it, Fuchs added. It is a blessing that distinguishes our great country from many others around the world, and as many from those other countries will tell you, we must protect it vigorously. Fuchs statement come after demonstrators interrupted a Q&A session that Sasse attended earlier this month, where they brought up Sasses stance on same-sex marriages and other LGBTQ rights, arguing that hes not suitable to serve as the schools new president. Sasse announced his intention to retire from his position in Congress to become the universitys new president, saying in a tweet that he was courted with intriguing offers from other universities, but felt that UFs offer was more unique. UF is the most important institution in the nations most economically dynamic state. Washington partisanship isnt going to solve these workforce challenges new institutions and entrepreneurial communities are going to have to spearhead this work, Sasse said in a tweet. If UF wants to go big, Im excited about the wide range of opportunities. Story continues In response, Floridas public university faculty union, the United Faculty of Florida, said in a statement that it has considered taking legal action against the school in an effort to learn more about the schools search for a new university president. I stood before committees and legislators earlier this year and told them to their faces what would happen if they passed a presidential searches exemption, but legislators on both sides of the aisle ignored me, their constituents and thousands of members of the higher education community, UFF President Andrew Gothard said in a statement. We didnt want this law, but we without a doubt plan to enforce the shreds of transparency still left in this process. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. In a rare joint appearance, the states entire U.S. House delegation gathered in Hartford Tuesday to show solidarity over future military and humanitarian funding for war-plagued Ukraine. The Democratic delegation was responding to statements by U.S. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy that some Republicans would likely oppose additional aid to Ukraine if they win back the House in the Congressional elections in two weeks. Concerning his fellow Republican members, McCarthy said, Theyre not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. They just wont do it.' The Democrats gathered at the Ukrainian National Home in southern Hartford, including Rep. Jim Himes of Greenwich, who attended remotely to deliver a live message after recently returning from Ukraine. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who has visited Ukraine twice this year, said it was difficult to see mass graves from the ongoing war with Russia. I was repulsed. I was moved to tears to see those sites of mass graves, where Vladimir Putin has murdered, mercilessly, women and children,' Blumenthal said in the national homes auditorium. Vladimir Putin is a murderous, genocidal war criminal. We cannot trust him. We must give Ukraine the support it needs to take back their land and defend the security of the free world. Thats whats at stake our own national security, NATOs security, the rule of law and norms that have been in place since the Second World War.' So far, the United States has provided more than $66 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a New Haven Democrat who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said the House will likely vote for more aid during the lame duck' session after the election, but she said she could not predict the amount of money because no formal request has been made yet. We cannot stand on the sidelines,' DeLauro said. Whatever Ukraine needs, we must be there to support Ukraine. ... Were never going to back down.' Story continues DeLauro quoted famed Jesuit priest Daniel Berrigan, a longtime antiwar activist who delivered a graduation speech in which he said, Know where you stand and stand there.' Based on their various schedules and different locations, it is relatively rare for the entire House delegation to gather collectively in Connecticut. The gatherings are usually reserved for major national and international issues, such as the war in Ukraine. Longtime Ukraine supporter Alex Kuzma of Glastonbury, who serves as chief development officer of the Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation, served as the translator for 25-year-old Dmytro Voitenko, a refugee who arrived in the United States seven days ago. The only way we can win this war is by defeating Vladimir Putin,' he said through the translator. This is why your aid from the United States is so crucial.' In another development Tuesday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus backed away and withdrew a letter that had called for President Joe Biden to negotiate directly with Putin to stop the war. The action by the 30 most liberal House members, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, had been sharply criticized. But Democratic lawmakers said the letter was written in July and they were befuddled why it was suddenly released this week by the staff. In a video link from his Greenwich home, Himes said Tuesday that the letter was an ill-advised statement' at a time when the vast majority' of the Congress supports helping Ukraine. Himes returned recently from Ukraine on a bipartisan Congressional trip that included meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and his senior staff. Five or six missiles are slamming into Kiev every single day with the objective of taking out civilian infrastructure - not military targets - which is a war crime,' said Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee. We are all in, and we will not waver in that regard.' U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, who organized the event Tuesday and gathered his colleagues, said the delegation is a firewall' that would ensure continued funding for Ukraine. Weve got to send a message,' Larson said, that we are united as a Congressional delegation. Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/YouTube Speaking to a crowd at a Holiday Inn in Clearwater, Florida, QAnon influencer Juan O. Savin described his weekly routine. On Friday mornings, I have a call with all my candidates from around the country, Savin told attendees of the Truth Tour 2 on Oct. 14. Some people arent aware, I actually have the largest candidates group in the country: candidates coalition, secretaries of state, governors, attorney generals, all that. Then he set off on a meandering narrative about election fraud, his plan to wage a Fallujah-like military operation on D.C., and his claims to actually have more Trump Points than any other living person on the planet. Savin, real name Wayne Willott, is a longtime conspiracy theorist who rebranded as his current moniker (a QAnon reference) with the rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Some followers of the theory falsely believe Savin to be JFK Jr. Jim Caviezels QAnon Guru Wants to Control Elections But another right-wing group also takes cues from Savin. Hes the founder of the America First Secretary of State Coalition (AFSOSC), an organization working to place election-denying candidates in charge of states elections. Just weeks out from the midterms, some AFSOS-backed candidates have remained in lockstep with Savin and his allies, even as other Republicans draw away from the QAnon-aligned figures. Secretaries of state help run elections and certify their states election results. Following Donald Trumps refusal to accept his 2020 loss, election deniers on the right have eyed secretary of state roles as a possible way to force Republican victories. Jim Marchant, a secretary of state candidate in Nevada, appeared to preview the plan in a speech this month, claiming without evidence to have discovered a rigged election against Trump. When Im secretary of state of Nevada, we are going to fix it, and when my coalition of secretary of state candidates around the country get elected were going to fix the whole country, and President Trump is going to be president again in 2024, Marchant said. Story continues Marchants coalition is AFSOSC, which he founded with Savin. Marchant describes the partnership as forming after he lost a congressional bid, which he blamed on voter fraud. I won election day, I won mail-in voting, Marchant said in a speech at the QAnon-associated Patriot Double Down conference last October. Only after two weeks of fraudulent mail-in ballots did I lose. So, November 4 I got to work. I got a suite in the Venetian hotel across the hall from the Trump attorneys and the Trump people that came in to start investigating the election fraud here in Nevada. Guess who showed up at my suite? It will blow you away. You saw him Saturday, you saw him yesterday. Juan O. Savin. Savin, in his Oct. 14 speech, said he and Marchant tried to overturn Marchants loss. But when they failed, they turned their eyes on secretary of state rolesnot just in Nevada, but nationally. Flynn Group Recruits Cops, Vets for One More Missionto Watch Election Sites The very first candidate I brought into this was Jim Marchant, Savin said. I was helping him on the legal side. Hed run in Las Vegas for U.S. representative and his election he lost. We fought it on the legal stuff because we said, well, something wasnt right. The clerks didnt see it that way. So we werent able to reverse the situation on the vote and get it looked at, so I said, The secretary of states doing all sorts of weird stuff here. We really need to be going after that position. Though Savins origins are on the fringes (hes a QAnon influencer whom a court once deemed not credible enough to investigate insurance claimants), his partnership with Marchant is anything but small. The AFSOSC site solicits donations through another Marchant-run group, Conservatives for Election Integrity. That PAC has raised more than $400,000 since the beginning of the year, recent finance filings show. One of CFEIs largest donors is the America Project, a group co-founded by election deniers and Trump pals Michael Flynn and Patrick Byrne. (CFEI has spent nearly $170,000 on a Las Vegas contractor that previously made headlines for recruiting Proud Boys to attend a rally outside a Nevada election center just days after the 2020 vote, OpenSecrets reported.) Meanwhile, AFSOSC is backing candidates in multiple close races, in swing states where a partisan secretary of state could change the shape of future elections. Some of those candidates are active participants in events with Savin and other conspiracy theorists. The day after his speech in Florida, Savin attended a New Mexico Election Integrity Forum hosted by Lara Logan. Also in attendance (in person or virtually) were Marchant, New Mexico secretary of state candidate Audrey Trujillo, Arizona secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem, and Michigan secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo. All are AFSOSC candidates who have peddled conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. All four candidates promoted election denialism in their speeches at the event, with Trujillo endorsing camp-outs at ballot boxes and Finchem, who backed a bogus 2020 election audit in his state, suggesting that perhaps its time to see a bunch of one-way trips to Gitmo. Finchem credited AFSOSC with a new strategy to stop discussing election fraud and start using the term election tampering because weve got to prove fraud. This is about election tampering. At that moment, the audio on his video call cut out. The deep state does not want to hear us talk, he said, laughing when the audio returned. AZ Secretary of State Candidate Shrugs Off Jan. 6 Attendance During Bonkers Debate Candidates also praised AFSOSC, Savin, and Logan, who has spent recent weeks moving into more explicit QAnon promotion. Less than a week after the forum, Logan was dropped and condemned by the far-right news channel Newsmax after she went on a conspiratorial rant claiming that the open border is Satans way of controlling the world. She later described opponents who want us eating insects, cockroaches and that, while they dine on the blood of children. The comments were reminiscent of claims common in QAnon and antisemitic conspiracy circles. But Savin, the AFSOSC founder, routinely goes further in his promotion of conspiracy theories. During his Truth Tour speech, the day before the candidate forum, Savin described a plan for Trump in which the erstwhile president works out of Air Force One and walls off D.C. with concertina wire like they did in Fallujah. After ordering people to evacuate and submit to screening, anybody thats still left in the city after three days, youre an enemy combatant. Were gonna come get ya. You can come out or we can blow you out, we can drag you out, youre coming out of there one way or another, and thats the way its gonna be in D.C., right [...] Divert the Potomac, flood the city. Its the swamp. Savin also hinted at a conspiracy theory, growing in popularity among QAnon circles, that a national shutdown would postpone the 2022 elections, in which case Trump fans would have to take militant action. Despite the reluctance even of hard-right outlets like Newsmax to platform certain conspiracy theories, several Savin-backed candidates still stand strong chances in their elections next month. Marchant has consistently polled ahead of his Democratic opponent Cisco Aguilar. A survey from Arizonas Family and HighGround in mid-October found Finchem polling one point ahead of the states Democratic candidate. After Savin concluded a rant about George Soros at the Oct. 15 candidate forum, Trujillo took the microphone back. Lets hear it for Juan O. Savin, she told the crowd. Is he awesome? 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. The search for Quinton Simon on a Georgia landfill entered its sixth day on Tuesday. Chatham County police and the FBI revealed last week that investigators believe 20-month-old Quinton was placed in a dumpster and taken to a landfill in the area, prompting a narrowing of the search. His mother, 22-year-old Leilani Simon, is considered the prime suspect, but no arrests have been made so far. After the FBI wrapped up the first day of searching the landfill on 18 October, local news station WSAV reported that Ms Simon was seen drinking tequila at a bar in the neighbouring Tybee Island with his mother. The outlet reported that the pair got flirtatious with staff. On Monday, Ms Simon made her first media appearance, saying shes not hiding and hopes her son is found happy and alive even as police consider her the prime suspect in the childs disappearance and possible death. Here is a timeline of developments in the investigation: October 5 - Quinton is reported missing The toddler went missing on 5 October from his home in Savannah, a coastal city on the border between Georgia and South Carolina, in Chatham County. Quinton was last seen at about 6am that day at an address in the 500 block of Buckhalter Road and was reported missing at approximately 9.40am by his mother, Leilani Simon. She told police her son was playing in a playpen when he was last seen, although earlier reports suggested Quinton had wandered off, CNN reported. A dispatch call by emergency services, which has been obtained by local media, suggested the front door to the family home was found open and that Ms Simon told 911 she thinks someone came in and took him. Quintons babysitter, Diana McCarta, said she received a message at 9am asking if she knew where he was, and immediately went to the familys home to help search for Quinton before his mother eventually phoned police at about 9.40am, she said in an interview with WSAV. Quinton Simon went missing on 5 October from his home in Savannah, Georgia (Chatham County Police Department) Ms McCarta said that the family didnt want that (her help) and she had been due to look after both Quinon and his three-year-old brother that day but was told not to come at 5.30am, about half an hour before he was last seen. Story continues He was wearing a light blue Sesame Street shirt and black pants. October 10 - Quintons grandmother says her daughter hasnt always done the right thing Speaking to reporters days merely after his disappearance, Quintons grandparents said the boys mother hasnt always done the right thing, and expressed concern for the 20-month-old. Sometimes she does really great, sometimes she doesnt, Billie Jo Howell told ABC30. I dont know what to think right now ... I dont know if I can trust her or I dont. I just know Im hurting and I want this baby home. Hes my baby. Ms Howell reportedly lived at the same address as Quinton and Ms Simon along with her husband Thomas Howell, and her daughters boyfriend, WJCL reported. Quinton Simon, aged 20 months, has been missing for almost a week (Screenshot / WJCL / Facebook / Billie Jo Howell) The news outlet obtained court documents alleging an eviction dispute, with Ms Howell seeking to remove her daughter and her boyfriend from the property over alleged damage and a lack of peace. This remains unconfirmed, however. The same documents also stated that Quintons grandparents have custody of the child, according to WJCL. 11 October - Quintons babysitter speaks out Diana McCarta, who told WSAV she babysits the two children, said in an interview on 11 October that she had previously reported the family to Georgias department of families and children services (DFCS) with concerns, but this was unconfirmed. The department told The Independent: DHS/DFCS is bound by both state and federal law to protect the privacy of the people we serve. As such, we are unable to comment on the specifics of any reported abuse or neglect cases nor confirm or deny the existence of any abuse or neglect records. It continued: We take seriously every report that might be made to the Department and work with law enforcement when appropriate to ensure the safety of Georgias children. The babysitter said she was surprised to receive a message on Wednesday morning last week that she would not be needed to look after Quinton and his sibling. Video showing Quintons babysitter (left) and grandmother (right) in a verbal dispute (WSAV3 / Diana McCarta) I got a text this morning saying they would not be here, would not be babysitting them at 5.29 [a.m.], said Ms McCarta, who expressed surprise at the seemingly last-minute decision. She continued: Which was kind of odd because I have them even when she (their mother) doesnt work. And then I get a text at 9am saying have I seen Quinton, said Ms McCarta of her exchange with Quintons mother. I immediately go to their house. I try to help them look, they didnt want that. So, Ive been just waiting around like everyone else. 12 October - Police confirm Quinton is believed dead, mother named as prime suspect Early into the search for Quinton, Chatham County police said they did not believe foul play was involved in his disappearance and that they hoped to find him alive, WJCL reported. Police announced on 11 October the discovery of evidence that we believe will help move this case forward. That evidence went under analysis, police said. We know that thousands of people around the world will be heartbroken by this news, and we share your sorrow, authorities said on Twitter. Authorities announce during a press briefing that Quinton is believed dead (AP) Officials held the first press conference on the case on 13 October, where they reiterated their belief that Quinton is deceased. To the Chatham County community, our heart breaks along with yours trying to comprehend what we believe happened here. The FBI along with our law enforcement agencies have followed every lead, every tip and every piece of evidence to get to this point and we will continue to do so, FBI Supervisor Senior Resident Agent Will Clarke said. Officials did not disclose the nature of evidence suggesting Quinton is dead, or why Ms Simon is the main suspect. October 18 - Police believe Quinton may be buried in a landfill Local Georgia police and the FBI think the 20-month-old was placed in a dumpster and taken to a landfill in the area, prompting a search that is now underway. Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said at a press briefing on 18 October that we know that this is going to be a physically, mentally and emotionally gruelling task for our investigators and team. FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Will Clarke said during the press conference that we, along with our law enforcement partners, go into this process with heavy hearts. We did not want to end up at this point. But the evidence has taken us here, he added. The FBI released this photo of crews collecting rakes to dig through a landfill in their search for Quinton Simon (FBI) The FBI released this photo of investigators combing through garbage in the landfill search for Quinton Simon (FBI) Mr Clarke said that this will not be quick and it will not be easy, and the outcome is uncertain. As the chief said, we want justice for Quinton, and we want to find him a proper resting place, he said. Weve been following the evidence, where it has taken us and the evidence has taken us to this landfill, Mr Clarke added. Chief Hadley said he was unable to share what evidence led the authorities to the landfill. October 19 - Reports emerge that Quintons grandmother and mother were seen drinking at a bar Meanwhile, Ms Simon and her mother were seen drinking in a town near where the toddler went missing three weeks ago. As the FBI searched for Quintons body in a landfill in Savannah, Georgia, local news station WSAV first reported that Ms Simon, by now the prime suspect in the investigation, and her mother Billie Jo Howell were seen drinking at Sting Rays, a bar in the neighbouring Tybee Island. When contacted by The Independent, a staff member said: They were here, they drank, they left. The @WSAV Investigative Unit has learned as federal agents were ending their first day of searching for #QuintonSimon in a dump, his mom and grandmother were taking shots and drinking at a popular Tybee Island beach bar. pic.twitter.com/iQ1nXxFSGO Brett Buffington (@BrettWSAV) October 19, 2022 A server also told the New York Post that Ms Simon and Ms Howell downed tequila shots and stayed at the bar for hours on 18 October, despite other customers voicing that they were upset the pair were drinking in public in the middle of an investigation into Quintons likely death. They were having a great time, like they didnt have a care in the world, a server told the Post. They were drinking Patron shots in the deck area, being loud and laughing. Its almost like they were trying to draw attention to themselves. October 21 - Three people are arrested for protesting outside Quintons home Over the weekend, three people were arrested while protesting outside the home where Quinton disappeared. Chatham County police went to the home in Savannah on Friday night after receiving complaints about protesters, who then left the scene, WJCL reported. But later in the night, three protesters returned and blocked the driveway, preventing someone from being able to leave. The protesters William Garrett, Wanda Boatright and John Boatwright were subsequently charged with disorderly conduct after ignoring officers orders to move. Police did not specify whether Quintons mother or his grandmother were home at the time The Chatham County Police Department also wrote in a statement on Friday: The Quinton Simon investigative case team will spend Saturday and Sunday conducting numerous interviews, and will continue to analyze evidence they have already gathered in this case. October 24 - Leilani Simon breaks silence and says she hopes Quinton is found happy and alive Quintons mother, Leilani Simon, broke her silence on Monday when she spoke to local news station WTOC. Im here. Ive been here every day since this. Im not running and Im not hiding, Leilani Simon told WTOC. And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station. Ever since Simon went missing, she says shes been the target of constant harassment. It makes it hard to even process whats going around us. We get to the point where we have to barricade our own home in order to even feel safe in our backyard because we cant even process what is happening everywhere else, or even have the time to do so, she continued in her interview with WTOC. I cant even walk out and appreciate my own sons memorial or put down gifts that I got for him. I cant even go out there and do that without harassment and negligence and everything. Its just devastating to see that this is how the outside world reacts. Ms Simon said she hopes her son is found happy and healthy, despite local polices announcement on 12 October that Quinton is believed to be dead. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky speaks to the media after the weekly policy luncheons on Capitol Hill July 21, 2020, in Washington, DC. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images GOP Sen. Rand Paul unloaded on Iowa Senate hopeful Mike Franken for mocking him in 2021. Paul suffered broken ribs and lung damage in 2017 during an altercation with a neighbor. Franken asked if the attacker was "more than a little in the right?" which Paul calls disqualifying. Sen. Rand Paul says Iowa Senate Democratic candidate Mike Franken is unworthy of serving in any higher office based on his making light of a 2017 attack that left Paul with broken ribs, lung problems, and lingering pain. "Advocacy for violence should disqualify Franken from holding ANY office," the Kentucky Republican wrote online, calling the first-time candidate attempting to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa "disgusting" for celebrating Paul's misfortune. Colleague and likely 2024 presidential contender Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas concurred, condemning Franken's "alarming behavior" and urging Iowans to return Grassley to Washington, DC for an historic eighth term. "Iowa, send a decent man @GrassleyWorks back to the Senate to keep fighting for you," Cotton wrote online. Franken dinged Paul and Grassley in the response he sent Insider. "Like most Iowans, I'm sick and tired of being lectured by Washington politicians especially by someone who's never served a day in his life in the military and just voted against giving our veterans the healthcare they deserve," Franken wrote in an email. "If that's who's defending Sen. Grassley, it's clear that his 63 years in office is way too long." Paul's anger about the attack he suffered at the hands of disgruntled next-door neighbor Rene Boucher in late 2017 was apparently stirred up by a comment Franken made on Twitter in 2021. Story continues "Wasn't Rand's neighbor more than a little in the right?" Franken posted in January 2021 in reply to a recent Paul appearance on Fox News. Boucher, who said he snapped because of Paul's habit of piling up trash on their shared property line, was sentenced to 30 days in jail for the attack, fined $10,000 and hit with more than $580,000 in jury awarded-damages. The Franken campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the resurfaced tweet or Paul's call to boot him from contention in the midterm elections. Read the original article on Business Insider Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky speaks to the media after the weekly policy luncheons on Capitol Hill July 21, 2020, in Washington, DC. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images GOP Sen. Rand Paul unloaded on Iowa Senate hopeful Mike Franken for mocking him in 2021. Paul suffered broken ribs and lung damage in 2017 during an altercation with a neighbor. Franken asked if the attacker was "more than a little in the right?" which Paul calls disqualifying. Sen. Rand Paul says Iowa Senate Democratic candidate Mike Franken is unworthy of serving in any higher office based on his making light of a 2017 attack that left Paul with broken ribs, lung problems, and lingering pain. Disgusting that Mike Franken would celebrate an assault (from behind) that resulted in 6 broken ribs, a damaged lung that had to be removed, and chronic pain. Advocacy for violence should disqualify Franken from holding ANY office. https://t.co/87qcHpcxy8 Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 25, 2022 "Advocacy for violence should disqualify Franken from holding ANY office," the Kentucky Republican wrote online, calling the first-time candidate attempting to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa "disgusting" for celebrating Paul's misfortune. Colleague and likely 2024 presidential contender Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas concurred, condemning Franken's "alarming behavior" and urging Iowans to return Grassley to Washington, DC for an historic eighth term. Disgusting, but not surprising that Mike Franken would celebrate a violent assault. Thisalong with other alarming behaviorspeaks to Mike Franken's lack of character. Iowa, send a decent man @GrassleyWorks back to the Senate to keep fighting for you. https://t.co/2hJ5kwTODQ Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) October 25, 2022 Story continues "Iowa, send a decent man @GrassleyWorks back to the Senate to keep fighting for you," Cotton wrote online. Paul's anger about the attack he suffered at the hands of disgruntled next-door neighbor Rene Boucher in late 2017 was apparently stirred up by a comment Franken made on Twitter in 2021. "Wasn't Rand's neighbor more than a little in the right?" Franken posted in January 2021 in reply to a recent Paul appearance on Fox News. Boucher, who said he snapped because of Paul's habit of piling up trash on their shared property line, was sentenced to 30 days in jail for the attack, fined $10,000 and hit with more than $580,000 in jury awarded-damages. The Franken campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the resurfaced tweet or Paul's call to boot him from contention in the midterm elections. Related video: Dr. Fauci accuses Rand Paul of sparking death threats Read the original article on Business Insider Immediately after a Peace Corps employee in Tanzania went on a reckless drunk driving spree in 2019 that left one woman dead and another badly wounded, police in Dar es Salaam initiated an investigation that could have put the U.S. citizen behind bars overseas. But U.S. State Department officials acted fast to thwart their efforts to hold John Peterson accountable, according to hundreds of pages of documents obtained by USA TODAY. The records show Dar es Salaam police tried to give Peterson a breathalyzer test but gave up after a U.S. embassy security official asserted that Petersons diplomatic immunity exempted him from such testing. Peterson, however, did not have diplomatic immunity. Police released Peterson from custody and directed him to return to the police station two days later. Instead, U.S. embassy officials that same day put Peterson on a plane and waited to inform their counterparts in Tanzania of the incident until after the plane had left. Once they are airborne, I will notify Tanzanias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the top U.S. official at the embassy in Dar es Salaam, Inmi Patterson, wrote in an email to staff and State Department central operations. We would have to handle their reaction/consequences then. John Peterson's deadly driving spree finally ended when his SUV, pictured here, slammed into a light post. State Department officials who responded to the crash found Peterson sitting in his mangled vehicle with the airbags deployed around him. The State Department and Peace Corps records USA TODAY obtained provide the most complete accounting yet of how U.S. officials spirited Peterson out of Africa and of the destruction Peterson caused on the streets of Dar es Salaam after he brought a sex worker to his government-leased home. With Peterson back in the United States, the records show State Department and Peace Corps investigators put months into building a potential criminal case against Peterson as they tracked down eyewitnesses, interviewed Petersons security guard and colleagues, and even tried to calculate the ounces of sauvignon blanc he drank. Investigators also questioned Peterson fresh off the plane from Tanzania who tried to convince them the sex worker in his vehicle was just a friend and that he drank only two glasses of wine before the crash, even though multiple witnesses said he appeared intoxicated. Story continues And yet the thorough investigation resulted in no charges in Tanzania or the U.S. against Peterson, 68, who resigned from the Peace Corps 18 months after the incident. His responsibility for the death of Rabia Issa, a 47-year-old mother of three whose family received a meager cash settlement from the U.S. government, had been hidden from public view until USA TODAY first reported on the case last year. Much of the State Departments role in helping Peterson dodge accountability in Tanzania remained untold until now. Family members of Rabia Issa and a freelance Tanzanian reporter pray at Issa's grave in Dar es Salaam. State Department officials declined to be interviewed for this story. After providing the documents to reporters, an agency records specialist said portions had been improperly released without approval of the Peace Corps and asked USA TODAY to destroy them. USA TODAY declined the request. Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, blamed the confusion over Petersons immunity on a diplomatic identification card Peterson had been issued by the Tanzanian government. Patel wrote in a statement that embassy staff who responded to the crash were not trying to deceive local authorities "There was never, at any time, any effort on the part of the United States to deliberately mislead Tanzanian authorities as to Mr. Petersons diplomatic status, Patel said. Any statements made by Embassy security officials to local authorities in the immediate aftermath of the incident concerning Mr. Petersons status were based on the information available at the time specifically Mr. Petersons Government of Tanzania-issued diplomatic ID card. In more than 300 pages of State Department records about the incident including detailed accounts from the officials who responded to the crash site there is no mention that Peterson showed embassy staff or local police a diplomatic identification card. Even if he had, Peterson did not have diplomatic immunity, a privilege included in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that is meant to protect diplomats and their families from unfair punishment in foreign justice systems. Peace Corps employees are not typically granted that exemption. State Department officials justified Petersons hasty departure from Tanzania as medically necessary, saying he needed surgery on his injured hand. But even two months later, embassy officials stonewalled Tanzanian police who contacted the Peace Corps seeking clarity on Petersons non-existent immunity status. Emails show a top State Department official cautioned against sending a response, noting that the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had yet to follow up about the crash. And that is frankly a good thing, Janine Young, then the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in Dar es Salaam, wrote. James Gathii, a professor of international law at Loyola University Chicago and Vice President of the American Society of International Law, said embassy officials should have known Peterson did not have immunity. He said the fact that U.S. officials waited until Peterson was out of the country to contact the Tanzanian government suggests they knew they were helping him evade justice. Rules of international law are supposed to be applied in good faith, and this is a very good example of, in my opinion, lack of good faith on the part of those officials who made the decision to spirit him away before contacting the government of Tanzania, Gathii said. They preempted any questions the government of Tanzania might have raised if they had contacted them first. Peterson, who worked for the Peace Corps on and off since serving as a volunteer in 1977, declined to comment through his attorney, Mark S. Zaid. In a statement, Zaid said there are several misleading inaccuracies in the Peace Corps and State Department records, but he did not elaborate. He added that the decision to evacuate Peterson from the country was nothing outside of the norm and consistent with government policy and practices. Peace Corps CEO Carol Spahn, who was nominated earlier this year to lead the agency as a Senate-confirmed director, has repeatedly declined interview requests about Peterson. Peace Corps spokesman Troy Blackwell said in a statement the agency does not have the authority to assert diplomatic immunity and that officials will cooperate if Tanzanian authorities decide to charge Peterson. The Department of Justice, in a November 2019 letter, also noted that Peterson does not have immunity and said the agency will consider any extradition requests in accordance with our legal obligations. Peace Corps CEO Carol Spahn has said the agency was limited in how it could respond to John Peterson's actions by agency policies and laws. Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassans office, the countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tanzanian police did not respond to questions from USA TODAY. Gathii said the power imbalance between the two countries could have influenced how both governments responded to the incident. Tanzania, an East African nation that receives more than $300 million annually in U.S. aid, at the time had a strained relationship with the U.S. that Hassan has sought to improve since taking office in 2021. Governments that are recipients of a lot of donor support from governments like the U.S. are unlikely to ruffle feathers when this type of diplomatic scuffle arises, Gathii said. The officials may calculate that they have more to lose by trying to play by the rule book than not. New details emerge about deadly crash The government documents include a 144-page transcript of an interview with Peterson, witness summaries and internal emails sent after the crash. Despite extensive redactions and some conflicting witness accounts, the records give the clearest picture to date of the chaos and extensive damage Peterson caused on the morning of August 24, 2019. Shortly before 5 a.m., Peterson drove a sex worker from a home the U.S. government rented for him in Dar es Salaam back to the neighborhood where he had picked the woman up earlier that morning. Peterson and his passenger later told investigators that a female pedestrian suddenly jumped in front of Petersons Toyota Rav4. The woman was crushed and severely injured, according to a letter from Tanzanian authorities. An angry crowd gathered and banged on the car. Peterson said he took off and planned to drive to the nearby U.S. embassy before instead turning towards his home. Motorcycle taxi drivers tailed behind. Witnesses said police also pursued, though Peterson later said he did not see them. Rabia Issa was setting up her food stand at this corner around dawn on Aug. 24, 2019, when John Peterson barreled off the street in his Toyota Rav4 and struck her. Bystanders covered Issa's body with a cloth. The drivers caught up with Peterson at a red light, and several laid down their motorcycles in the street to block him. One person smashed in Petersons window, and Peterson drove over the bikes in the road as he sped off. Investigators later heard that Peterson may have struck and injured one of the taxi drivers, but the records do not say if they ever identified this person. Charles Mbunga, a local business owner, was standing near his roadside shop when he saw Petersons vehicle approaching. Nearby, a single street-food vendor had arrived before sunrise and was tending to a fire. Mbunga watched helplessly as Peterson drove off the road and struck the woman, Issa. Her body flew over the hood of the vehicle. As he drove off, Peterson smashed through a fence and roadside stands. He continued about half a mile further before his vehicle slammed into a light pole and came to a final stop. A brief detention and hasty departure Within roughly 30 minutes of the crash, several State Department employees had arrived at the scene, where a crowd of angry onlookers and police officers gathered around the vehicle. A tow truck repeatedly lifted and dropped the mangled Toyota Rav4 while Peterson soaked in blood with the airbags deployed around him was still inside. Issas brother reached through the window and punched Peterson in the face. One State Department employee, a security officer whose name is redacted in the records, approached the SUV and noted that Peterson was very calm and did not appear to understand the severity of the collision nor the accusations of several pedestrians being hit, according to the records. He persuaded Peterson to get out of the vehicle and noticed the stench of alcohol and Petersons bloodshot eyes, unsteady footing and slurred speech. As Tanzanian police swarmed to take Peterson into custody, the security officer said that Peterson was an accredited diplomat who was willing to cooperate with police but needed to go to a hospital first, according to the records. The police nevertheless hauled Peterson into the back of a police truck and allowed the embassy official to climb in behind. On the way, Peterson asked if he had killed someone. The security officer didnt answer. The truck stopped amid another large and volatile crowd. The doors opened, and police loaded Issas lifeless body into the truck bed, beside Peterson. After killing Rabia Issa, John Peterson was taken into custody by Dar es Salaam police and taken to the Oyster Bay Police Station. At the police station, Peterson and the security officer were joined by at least three other embassy employees, including a doctor. Tanzanian police prepared a breathalyzer test even shoving the tube into Petersons mouth while he resisted but the U.S. embassy staffers asserted that Peterson was an accredited diplomat who did not have to comply, records show. As the embassy security officer began to explain the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the police officers laughed but then told Peterson he was free to go. They directed him to return on Monday, two days later. Peterson was taken to a local hospital where he said a doctor assessed his injured hand and recommended he have surgery within 24 hours. On a conference call, embassy officials met with representatives from several State Department offices, part of a flurry of activity as the agency scrambled to address the early-morning chaos. Please if you could advise further if you have any concerns with his diplomatic status or immunity, Young, the acting deputy chief of mission in Tanzania, wrote in an email. She added that because Peterson needed surgery, they wanted a medical evacuation back to the U.S., but understand the legal implications as well." Janine Young, right, was one of several U.S. officials involved in getting John Peterson out of the country on the day he killed Rabia Issa. The records show that numerous people within the State Department, in the hours after the crash, operated under the assumption that Peterson had diplomatic immunity. But one person at the embassy did catch the mistake before Peterson left Tanzania. One point of clarification, an embassy security officer emailed to an agency investigator and other individuals whose names and were redacted from the records. The officer said Peace Corps staff in Tanzania did not appear to have immunity. The revelation did not prompt a change in course. Peterson returned home from the hospital to pack his bags and the same day boarded a flight, according to the records. Inmi Patterson, who as the charge d'affaires was the highest-ranking U.S. official at the embassy, notified State Department central operations that she would contact the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs once Petersons flight was in the air. Please confirm when Mr. Peterson is wheels up, the operations center wrote. At 6:30 p.m. roughly 13 hours after Peterson killed Issa Young sent her reply. Wheels up at 1821, she wrote. Inmi Patterson, former charge d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam. Young, who still works for the State Department, and Patterson, who stepped down from her position at the embassy in 2020, both declined to comment when USA TODAY contacted them about the incident. Two days after Peterson left Tanzania, State Department officials drafted a letter to the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that again claimed Peterson was an accredited diplomat protected under the Vienna Convention. It said the U.S. government had not waived Petersons privileges and immunities, records show. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told USA TODAY that the letter was never sent but offered no further explanation. Ned Price, another agency spokesman, said Inmi Patterson verbally notified the ministry of the incident and of the medical evacuation but that there was no discussion of Petersons immunity. Police in Dar es Salaam, however, remained interested in Petersons immunity status and in October 2019 sent the local Peace Corps office a letter seeking clarity on the matter. We need to know if the driver had Diplomatic Immunity and which type of immunity, a police official wrote. The police followed up in person at the Peace Corps office a few days later, emails show, and the Peace Corps general counsels office drafted a reply. Janine Young, at the embassy, advised against sending it. Janine - I understand the plan is to hold off on responding to the letter for the time being, a person, whose name is redacted in the records, replied. That is ok with me. I would just ask that there be no informal follow up with the local authorities on their request, particularly on the immunities issue, unless we have had a chance to touch base further. We agree, Young wrote back, saying that her staff had no intention of saying anything formally or informally regarding Petersons immunity. 'I asked you how much you had to drink' Minutes after landing at Washington D.C.s Dulles International Airport, Peterson was greeted by two federal agents from the State Department Office of Special Investigations and Peace Corps Office of Inspector General. Peterson, who was headed to the hospital, agreed to be interviewed but said he hoped it would be quick. The tape recorder ran for 2 hours and 14 minutes. ______ After being read his Miranda rights, Peterson told investigators he was driving when a woman darted into the road and in front of his vehicle. He said he fled because he feared for his safety and then lost control of his vehicle as motorcycle drivers pursued. Asked what he had done in the hours before, Peterson said he went to a pub shortly before midnight where he ordered a fish dinner and two glasses of sauvignon blanc. The investigator from the State Department, who in the records is referred to as Agent Nelson, homed in on Petersons drinking. The transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity. ________ AN: I know it is, um, and I know you had probably had more to drink than what you're tellin' me. I get it. I was a cop for years and everybody had two drinks. I'm just tryin' to figure out how much that affected your recall from that night from the accident. At least 33 times in two hours, the agents asked Peterson how much he drank though their counterparts in Dar es Salaam had failed to breathalyze Peterson the day before. Peterson repeatedly said he only had two glasses of wine. The agents told Peterson that witnesses at the scene believed he was intoxicated. They asked if he had anything to drink before going out, or whether the bar had unusually large pours. The agent from the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General, John Warren, asked Peterson to draw a to-scale picture of the wine glasses the bar used. ________ Warren finally reasoned that it would look better for Peterson if he had been drunk, because the alternative was that he deliberately ran someone over while sober. ________ Peterson later acknowledged ordering up to four drinks and indicated he would have been over the U.S. legal limit to drive. The agents also asked Peterson about the woman in the car with him. Peterson said she was just an acquaintance he ran into at the restaurant where he had dinner. ________ Pressed for specifics, Peterson said he didnt recall the womans name. Though the agents would not identify and interview the sex worker for five months, Nelson bluffed and told Peterson that an Embassy security official in Dar es Salaam knew the woman and "probably already interviewed her." ________ Nelson said he knew Peterson lived alone and far from his wife and wouldnt blame him for seeking out companionship, assuring him that everybody's got a little dirt in their closet. Peterson ultimately acknowledged paying the woman for oral sex and to bringing other sex workers to his home. With that crack in Petersons initial account, the agents pressed Peterson again on other details, including the car chase through Dar es Salaam and the final crash. As Peterson again recounted the events, Nelson pointed out how unusually calm he was, considering the circumstances. Others who interacted with Peterson in the hours after the crash would make the same assessment, saying Peterson was remarkably composed. That, perhaps, is because he did not grasp the gravity of what he had done. ________ Peterson appeared to have no recollection of striking Issa, the mother whose body had been loaded beside him in the police vehicle the day before. ______ Over the next few months as Peterson was on paid administrative leave State Department and Peace Corps employees interviewed an array of people in Dar es Salaam: Petersons housekeeper, eyewitnesses along his route, employees at bars he might have visited and two women who said Peterson had paid them in exchange for sex. They investigated Peterson on the allegations of vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, engaging in prostitution and providing false statements. None of the Peace Corps or State Department reviews of the incident appear to have focused on the decisions surrounding Petersons immunity and evacuation. The guard who worked at Petersons home in Dar es Salaam told a security official he had seen Peterson appear drunk several times and noticed whiskey and wine bottles put out with the trash. He also said he was used to seeing various young women come and go from the home in Ubers, on foot, or in Petersons vehicle after a night out. John Peterson's house in Tanzania. John Peterson's house in Tanzania. He said Peterson asked him to not record female guests in the visitors log. But on the morning of the fatal crash, Peterson pulled into his gated compound at 3:13 a.m. and a slender Tanzanian woman got out of his vehicle, pulling at the little clothing she was wearing in an attempt to cover herself. The guard added the guest to the log. Peterson, he noticed, appeared to be drunk. The guard made another entry when the two departed at 4:50 a.m. About five months after the incident, an investigator finally spoke to the woman who was in the car with Peterson. The sex worker said she met Peterson that morning while she was standing on the side of the road and calling out to passing cars, not at a restaurant as Peterson had told investigators. Peterson stopped his vehicle, turned his car around and picked her up. At the house, she said, he paid her about $50 in exchange for oral sex. The Peace Corps and State Department referred their findings to the Department of Justice. In a November 2019 letter to the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General, the agency said it had determined it couldnt charge Peterson because the incident happened outside U.S. jurisdiction. The agency did not say whether it had weighed charging Peterson with lying to federal agents. Its a shame we werent able to prosecute, a State Department assistant regional security officer in Dar es Salaam wrote in an email in January 2020. But at least he wont be representing the [United States] in the future. Peterson's past included warnings about behavior Throughout the investigative file, Petersons past federal employment comes up only briefly in a mention of his time working for the Peace Corps in Togo in the 1990s. Nelson Cronyn, Petersons former boss in Tanzania, told a security official that when Peterson applied for the job, he reached out to a former Peace Corps official who knew Peterson from Togo. The woman, Marcy Kelley, told Cronyn that Peterson liked to drink, though she didnt believe his alcohol consumption was still an issue. Records show Peterson otherwise received positive recommendations including from Kelleys husband, James Bell, a former Togo country director for the Peace Corps. John Peterson helped the Peace Corps open its first program in South Africa in 1997. Peterson, second from the left, is seen here with the first group of volunteers and Vice President Al Gore. Cronyn told the security official that he only received one report about Peterson in the two years they had worked together in Tanzania: A volunteer had seen Peterson at a bar with two younger women who were presumed to be prostitutes. He said he confronted Peterson, who told him the women were relatives. Cronyn, Kelley and Bell all declined to comment when contacted by USA TODAY. The Peace Corps said its own records on Petersons prior employment are incomplete because it has destroyed most documents from that time. USA TODAY contacted other former Peace Corps volunteers and employees in an attempt to better understand Petersons history with the agency, which started when he was a 22-year-old volunteer. In Dec. 1981, while home in Iowa for the holidays, John Peterson gave an interview to the local newspaper about his life in Senegal, where he had decided to live after serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. Peterson grew up in Carroll, Iowa, a small city of about 8,000 people. His mother was a school teacher, his father a Presbyterian pastor who told the local paper he saw ministry as a way of building up after serving in the Army during World War II and witnessing the destruction caused by war. Peterson, thin framed with a neat mop-top and wide-rimmed glasses, was a member of the drama department, concert band and student senate at Carroll High School. After graduating, he attended the University of Iowa and then followed in the footsteps of an older brother who had served with the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone. Peterson arrived in Senegal, a former French colony in West Africa, in 1977. A former peer described him as a dedicated volunteer who embraced the Senegalese culture and learned both French and Wolof, a local language. When I went into the Peace Corps, I thought I went in as open-minded as possible, and with the idea that I would learn a lot. I still thought I could save the world. Thats a good motivational factor, Peterson told his hometown paper in 1981. But you soon realize that its not that easy. I feel that I learned much more than I ever taught anybody as a Peace Corps volunteer. Peterson stayed in the country after finishing his service, for a time working for USAID, and married a Senegalese woman. In the late 1980s he was cast in a minor role in a film by Ousmane Sembene, a famed Senegalese director often referred to as the father of African film. The movie, Camp de Thiaroye, depicted a 1944 massacre of West African soldiers who rebelled while detained by French troops. Peterson played an American soldier who was briefly held captive by the West African forces. Im American, dont you understand? Peterson says in his main scene, as he thrashes around the barrack where he is being held. What do you want with me? Im from the USA! John Peterson, while living in Senegal after finishing his Peace Corps service, appeared in the 1988 Senegalese film "Camp de Thiyaroe." He played an American soldier who was briefly detained by West African forces. By the early 1990s, Peterson was working for the Peace Corps in Togo, federal records show. Sheila Waterman, a physician assistant who spent 27 years working for the Peace Corps as a medical officer, met Peterson there. She told USA TODAY that several Togolese staff told her Peterson was bringing prostitutes to the Peace Corps office at night. Waterman said she asked questions but the employees didnt share more. I tried to keep an eye on it, Waterman said. But it was evident that there was something going on which was disturbing the staff and they were not going to discuss it. Waterman said she sent an anonymous letter to a regional Peace Corps official, sharing what she had heard, but never knew what came of it. She said she also confronted Peterson, who denied the allegations. USA TODAY spoke with a second former Peace Corps employee who worked with Peterson in Togo. The former employee asked to not be named but described being aware at the time that Peterson had a drinking problem and also hearing that he hired prostitutes. Waterman and Peterson both eventually left Togo she for medical school in North Dakota and Peterson for South Africa. Peterson had been selected to help open the agencys first program in South Africa, a historic moment following the end of apartheid. After that post, Peterson worked in the private sector before rejoining the Peace Corps in Tanzania in 2017. Martia Glass, a former Peace Corps regional medical officer who worked with Peterson in South Africa and knew Waterman through the agencys medical community, told USA TODAY that she remembers Waterman warning her about Peterson and sharing concerns related to him and sexual misconduct. She said she kept an eye on Peterson but never personally saw any troubling behavior. Waterman, who left the agency in 2008 and now lives in Australia, only recently learned of what happened in Tanzania. She said it prompted her to contact the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General and share her recollections from Togo. Earlier this year, USA TODAY reported that the watchdog was again looking into Peterson and whether he had a history of hiring sex workers overseas. A spokeswoman for the inspector general declined to comment. Waterman said she contacted the office out of frustration that Peterson hasnt been held accountable for his actions. I felt guilt that I hadnt taken it further [in Togo] because I realized his behavior just had continued, she said. I also felt immense anger that he should be in such a powerful position and able to control and manipulate and continue to be so corrupt with people that we were working with the Peace Corps to help. During lengthy review, Peterson kept collecting paychecks When the U.S. Department of Justice in November 2019 declined to charge Peterson, the agency sent the case back to the Peace Corps to handle administratively. But Peterson would remain employed by the Peace Corps for 18 months after the incident including a year after the agencys Office of Safety and Security finished its investigation, records show. During that investigation, the agency again interviewed Peterson. Five months after he told the agents at Dulles International Airport that he consumed enough alcohol to likely be over the U.S. legal limit to drive, Peterson sought to clarify his level of impairment and said he may have been buzzed on the morning of the incident, but not intoxicated, according to a summary of the interview. Peterson also said he did remember a body being loaded into the back of the police truck but that he didnt know it was someone he had killed. He hoped, he said, to keep his job. The office of safety and security finished its review that month, records show. Seven months later, the agency notified Peterson that it planned to revoke his security clearance. About five months after returning from Tanzania, John Peterson was interviewed by the Peace Corps and sought to clarify his level of intoxication the morning of the incident. Peace Corps spokesman Troy Blackwell, in a statement, declined to explain the delay, saying only that the agency made its decision after reviewing the findings of its own and the inspector generals investigation. Peterson appealed the decision, records show, and roughly five months later a determination sided with the agency. Before his 30-day window to file a further appeal closed, Peterson resigned. In a 93-word letter to the agency that his attorney asked to be placed in Petersons security and personnel file, Peterson expressed his sincere apologies for his unacceptable actions in Tanzania. I know and understand that the ramifications of my actions have greatly affected many and I am deeply sorry for that, he wrote. I fully acknowledge and understand the seriousness of my actions and continuously seek forgiveness ever since I was medically evacuated from there over a year and one-half ago. Over 18 months of paid leave, Petersons salary, unused vacation time and bonuses added up to more than $258,000. The people he hurt got far less. Petersons victims each signed settlements with the Peace Corps, receiving payouts in exchange for agreeing to not make any legal claims against the agency or Peterson. The records make no mention of the victims having their own lawyers, and the Peace Corps has declined to say whether they did. The sex worker received about $2,200. The first woman Peterson hit was paid roughly $6,500. The headstone of Rabia Issa at a cemetery in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Issa, who supported her family selling fried cassava and doughnuts at her roadside stand, left behind three children, two of them minors. The family buried her in a cinderblock-walled cemetery and marked the grave with a simple concrete headstone. On Issas death certificate, the cause of death was summarized in a single word unnatural. The U.S. governments compensation for her familys loss: $13,000. USA TODAY reporter Emily LeCoz contributed to this article. Tricia L. Nadolny and Nick Penzenstadler are reporters for USA TODAY. Tricia can be reached at tnadolny@usatoday.com or on Twitter at @TriciaNadolny. Nick can be reached at npenz@usatoday.com or @npenzenstadler, or on Signal at 720-507-5273. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How feds blocked US citizen's arrest after he killed woman in Africa Jax Weatherby and her boyfriend have money chat nights' (TikTok/JaxWeatherby) An Australian couple have divided social media users after revealing they have scheduled money chat nights to discuss their finances and set saving goals. TikTok creator Jax Weatherby and her partner allocate regular evenings to cook dinner together and discuss upcoming spending events. In a video seen by one million people, Weatherby said her partner plans an agenda to help them become financial baddies. Walking viewers through one recent money chat night, Weatherby said: This money chat was a big one, we both got significant pay rises last month so we needed to reallocate our buckets and make some new savings targets. She said they also accounted for upcoming spending events like Christmas and agreed on a gift budget. The agenda also included the couples budget and saving plan for a six-week trip to Europe next year. [We also] talked about extra expenses and revisited out house deposit plan, Weatherby added. The video has earned criticism from some TikTok users, one of whom described it as dystopian. When your relationship goes corporate, another person wrote. A third user described the couples relationship as bland. Who said romance is dead? another wrote. However, many came to the couples defence and said the money chats were a marker of a mature relationship. What the immature comments dont realise, its actually really fun planning for big things like vacations, trips, weddings with the love of your life, one user wrote. Another said: The couple who budgets together stays together. Congrats on the pay rises. Love the transparency and planning. A third user praised the couple for making their financial futures a priority in their relationship. Story continues Replying to the comment, Weatherby wrote: Thank you! Props mostly go to my boyfriend - he keeps us both accountable with financial things, setting the agenda. The best! TV presenter and comedian Greg James also weighed in on the debate and said that while he thought the money chat nights are undoubtedly a good idea, he took issue with the couple for documenting it. Theres something weird for me about seeing someone having to set a camera up, walk away from the camera and have a natural moment with their partner, James said. Not everything is a bit. Mundane stuff makes the world go round but we dont have to see every bit of it. This app is destroying us. A new watchdog report is calling on the federal government to improve its coordination among agencies when responding to and protecting against cyberattacks targeting K-12 schools. The report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said cyberattacks against K-12 schools are becoming more sophisticated and more widespread and they are having a major impact on students and staff. According to the report, state and local school officials reported that the loss of learning following a cyberattack ranged from 3 days to 3 weeks, and recovery time ranged from 2 to 9 months. Earlier this year, members of Congress heard from cyber security experts about the impact these cyberattacks are having on schools. The impact of cyberattacks on K-12 school districts, teachers and students include lost instructional time, damage to schools reputations, high financial cost of cyber incidents, rising cybersecurity insurance costs, financial and credit hardships for employees from the loss of their personal data, said Amy McLaughlin, Cybersecurity Program Director for Consortium of School Networking, during her May 2022 testimony. The report points to examples of cyberattacks against school districts in California, Texas, Florida and more. In December 2021, the report said a vendor for Chicago Public Schools was hit by a ransomware attack, which led to the personal information of more than 500,000 students and staff members being exposed. The data included students names, schools, dates of birth, genders, school identification numbers, state student identification numbers, and course information from previous school years, said the report. The report highlights four recommendations to improve federal agency coordination. The recommendations include the Secretary of Education creating a collaborative mechanism, such as an applicable government coordinating council, to coordinate cybersecurity efforts between agencies and with the K-12 community. Story continues It also calls for improvements with how federal agencies track metrics to measure the effectiveness of K-12 cybersecurity related services. In response, the Education Department said it has already begun informal interagency coordination with other federal partners and stakeholders, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Office of the National Cyber Director, and is considering the use of other collaborative mechanisms. The report said the total number of cyberattacks against K-12 schools is unknown, in part because of the reluctance of schools to want to report being a victim or fear of being targeted again. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Tristen Shaw was only 17 years old when he died by suicide on May 10, 2021. He was a Republic High School student, who loved coding, art and music from the '70s, '80s and '90s. Tristen's father, described his late son as outgoing, always helping somebody. He recalled fond memories of when Tristen would have friends over to play with Nerf guns in the yard or crowd around a computer together to game. Next month, Hayden Hradek a friend of Tristen's younger brother is hosting an event to raise money for the Tristen's Hope Foundation, a suicide and mental health awareness nonprofit founded by Tristen's father. The event, A Night of Hope and Laughter with Jaron Myers, is Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Republic Community Center, located at 711 E. Miller Road in Republic. Myers is a stand-up comedian from Kansas City. He is known for his viral pranks, comedy music videos and TikTok rants. Hradek is a big fan of Myers' comedic work. He recalled seeing one of Myers' shows a few years ago. At the end of the show, Myers began to talk about his own experiences with suicidal thoughts. This stuck with Hradek. "Whenever I thought of this ... I thought it would be interesting to (host) an event that was going to be (about) such a taboo topic and go with ... comedy," Hradek said. "I just thought it would be a good contrast to the traditional mental health, booster club awareness stuff." The event is a part of a project Hradek is working on through Future Business Leaders of America. Once completed, Hradek will submit the project for his Business Achievement Capstone Award, which is earned by designing, completing and reflecting on a project that aims to solve a real-world problem. The Business Achievement Award program includes four tiers for high school students, which introduce them to the foundations of FBLA, fundamentals of leadership and business skills. The Capstone Award is the fourth and final tier. Hradek said he completed the first three awards as a freshman. Story continues More:Here are the best Halloween decorations in the Ozarks. Submit photos of your favorites. "It's an issue everywhere, mental health is," Hradek said. "If we're able to spread awareness ... to adults about teenage mental health and raise some money to help Tristen's Hope Foundation further their goals, I think we're going to be doing right by our community." Tickets for A Night of Hope and Laughter with Jaron Myers are on sale for $25 on eventbrite at bit.ly/3z61jos. Prior to Myers' performance, folks may enjoy live music and participate in a silent auction. Hradek said his goal is to sell at least 250 tickets. Tristen's Hope Foundation is raising money to build a multi-use building for the Republic community, that would include a gym where events could be held and counseling services. Jason Shaw, Tristen's father, said he founded the Tristen's Hope Foundation about two to three months after Tristen's death. Over the last year, he's visited Republic High School numerous times to speak with high schoolers about the importance of prioritizing one's mental health. In addition, the foundation hosts a weekly student support group. The group meets each Sunday at Black Lab Coffee Company from noon to 2 p.m. Black Lab is located at 545 E. Elm St. in Republic. Jason said occasionally the group meets elsewhere for activities like bowling. To stay updated with where the group is meeting each week, check the Tristen's Hope Foundation Facebook page at bit.ly/3VVvEQo. "(This) is what Tristen would have wanted," Jason Shaw said. "This is the best way for me to be a voice for Tristen and for all these other kids who struggle with some of these thoughts. It's about getting them to be bold and open up and talk about those feelings." To learn more about the Tristens Hope Foundation, visit the organization's website at tristenshopefoundation.org. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Comedian Jason Myers to headline suicide prevention event in Republic Conceptual image of space debris around Earth, not to scale. Two massive, catastrophic problems are set to become one in the near future: Climate change is likely to worsen the issue of space debris, according to a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters last month. Shifts in air density could result in an extra-crowded upper atmosphere, making satellite collisions more likely. Whats more, the recent research projects that, under middle-of-the-road climate scenarios, the upper atmosphere will lose density twice as fast in the future as it has in the past. Read more Space debris is becoming a rapidly growing problem for satellite operators due to the risk of collisions, said Ingrid Cnossen, an atmospheric scientist at the UKs Natural Environment Research Council and the studys lead researcher, in a press release from the British Antarctic Survey. The long-term decline in upper atmosphere density is making [the issue] even worse, she added. Graphic of debris in Low Earth Orbit NASA tracks the approximate number of objects in orbit around Earth. This graphic, based on 2019 data, shows all of the objects currently tracked in Low Earth Orbit. Its counterintuitive, but as humans continue to pump greenhouse gases into the lower atmosphere, thereby heating up the surface of our planet, were simultaneously making the middle and upper atmosphere cooler. The reasons are multifold, but one big contributing factor is CO2 emissions. Carbon dioxide molecules readily absorb heat. In the lower atmosphere, that means more molecules slamming into each other and more heat being reflected back to Earth. But in the upper atmosphere, where there are fewer molecules around to begin with, heat-trapping CO2 holds onto energy so tightly that its more likely to escape to space than run into another particle and warm up the thin air. And as the upper atmosphere cools, its also losing density. Less dense air means satellites and other space objects orbiting Earth face less drag. Our atmosphere is supposed to be self-cleaning, with objects falling out of orbit and burning up on their way down. However, in a less dense environment, satellites and space trash stay aloft for longer. Story continues Accumulating atmospheric space debris is, on its own, a growing, looming crisis. We rely on satellite infrastructure for communications, research and data collection, and weather forecastingand were rapidly running out of real estate. There have already been some worrying collisions and close calls. Currently, there are more than 30,000 pieces of track-able stuff circulating in low Earth orbit, according to the European Space Agency. NASA estimates that about 23,000 pieces of debris bigger than a softball are orbiting Earth, and about 100 million teeny-tiny pieces. And every collision creates even more bits of trash. Add in climate change, and crashes could multiply further. Previous research reached similar conclusions. A 2021 publication, which Cnossen also contributed to, found that objects in low Earth orbit will have lifetimes 30% longer under 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, compared with the year 2000. The recent findings bolster those past conclusions and offer a new quantification of atmospheric change. The upper atmosphere is set to lose heat and density twice as fast over the next 50 years as it has in the past half century, according to the research. This acceleration closely follows the simultaneous expected rise in atmospheric CO2 levels between now and 2070, wrote the study author. Cnossen relied on computer models to come to that conclusion. She used climate, emissions, and atmospheric data to generate one of the most complete models of climate change across the upper atmosphere to date. Changes we saw between the climate in the upper atmosphere over the last 50 years and our predictions for the next 50 are the result of carbon dioxide emissions, said Cnossen in the press release. For the satellite industry and policymakers, understanding climate changebeyond Earths surface is increasingly important, she added. In follow-up work, the scientist is hoping to explore a wider range of climate and CO2 emission scenarios, to better prepare the world for all possible space junk outcomes. And ideally, a greater understanding of the problem will lead to meaningful solutions. I hope this work will help to guide appropriate action to control the space pollution problem, Cnossen noted in the statement. Ultimately, she wants to ensure that the upper atmosphere remains a usable resource into the future. More: What to Know About Kessler Syndrome, the Ultimate Space Disaster More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Days after returning from a trip to Ukraine that included meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Dayton) reaffirmed his stance on the importance of the war in Ukraine and the United States continued support. >> PREVIOUS REPORT: Rep. Mike Turner visits Ukraine, meets with Zelenskyy Turner spoke with News Center 7s Letitia Perry Monday, just days after a trip that included stops in Ukraine and Iraq. Winning in Ukraine means winning for our democracy, Turner said during the one-on-one interview. Turner said the reason for his visit was to exchange security intelligence and show solidarity with the Ukrainian people and their president who have been facing bombardments from air raids, including a recent drone attack to a Ukrainian power plant. >>Ukraine in Need: What you can do to help Ukraine is having some great successes in pushing Russia to the east, out of Ukraine. At the same time, theyre seeing daily attacks from Russia by missiles raining from the sky with the attempts to try to take out their necessary infrastructure as they go into winter heat, electricity and water, Turner said. While I was there, several times a raid sirens would wail and people would run to safety but at the same time. Overall people in Ukraine are going about their daily business. >> Live Updates: Russia-Ukrainian War With stacking loses for the Russians, Turner warns that Ukraine may face increasingly dangerous attacks as Putin escalates the severity of the strikes. They are running out of missiles. Theyre running out of capability. They are retreating, Turner said. And even though that means its even more dangerous right now for Ukraine because of the escalation of what Russia might do, there is a vulnerability there to Russia that will, I believe, result in success and result in a success for Ukraine. During his meeting with Zelenskyy, Turner said he felt a sense of pride in showing the Ukrainian president signs of support from here in the Miami Valley. Story continues It was very cool to be able to sit across from President Zelenskyy and tell him that he doesnt have support just in Washington DC, he has support in Dayton, Ohio. The night I left the Dayton Art Institute was lit up in the color of the Ukrainian flags. I was able to tell him that story, Turner said. I wanted him to know, and he was very touched by this, that this is not just whether or not Washington supports and that the story of whats happening in Ukraine the suffering, the atrocities, the killing of innocent people, that its making its way into the hearts of the people even in the Midwest and that we support him. If you are looking for ways to show your support or provide financial assistance to the people of Ukraine, visit this page for a list of resources and groups assisting. Oct. 25A 62-year-old retired Honolulu police officer was arraigned this morning in Circuit Court on three charges of sexual assault of a minor. Frederick Patrick Apo pleaded not guilty. The court set trial for Dec. 26 before Judge Kevin Souza. Apo was indicted by an Oahu grand jury on Oct. 17 on one count of continual sexual assault of a minor under the age of 14, a Class A felony, and two counts of third-degree sexual assault. The crimes allegedly occurred Aug. 3, 2021, to Sept. 1 in Apo's Kapolei house and involved a child living in his home, the indictment says. Circuit Judge Christine Kuriyama confirmed his bail at $250, 000. He was released on a bail bond posted Sept. 17. She reminded the retired police officer that the firearms provision is invoked. Police arrested Apo on Sept. 16 at his Kaupea Street home. Apo retired Dec. 30, 2019, from the Honolulu Police Department after 25 years on the force. Police booking records show the victim was a 13-year-old girl. Court documents show that when confronted by the teen's family, he denied assaulting her. The court granted on Sept. 14 a temporary restraining order against Apo. The girl's parent filed the petition, accusing him of exhibiting "manipulative, coercive and threatening " behavior. How the CPC's new central leadership was formed Xinhua) 08:49, October 25, 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. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The new central leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been elected, as the Party of over 96 million members and the Chinese people it leads embark on a new journey in China's modernization drive. Xi Jinping was unanimously elected general secretary of the 20th CPC Central Committee at the committee's first plenary session held on Sunday. He was also named chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission (CMC). In April, Xi was elected by a unanimous vote as the delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress in the electoral unit of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and on Saturday he was also unanimously elected a member of the new CPC Central Committee. At the Sunday plenary session, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi were elected the members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Twenty-four members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee were also elected at the session, which endorsed the members of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat nominated by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The session named the members of the CMC. The plenum approved the secretary, deputy secretaries and members of the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the CPC elected at the first plenary session of the 20th CCDI. The new central leadership was elected as the great transformation in the first decade of the new era since the 18th CPC National Congress 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. Faced with a situation of unparalleled complexity and risks and challenges, Xi, with great vision, has led the whole Party, the entire military, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to meet obstacles and difficulties head on with firm confidence, winning their heartfelt support and love. It is the expectation of our times to maintain the long-term stability of the core of the Party Central Committee and of the Party as a whole. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, 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, meet the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) PROCEDURES, PRINCIPLES Starting from early 2022, Xi began seeking advice from other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau on how to deliberate and determine candidates for a new central leadership. On March 24 this year, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau held a meeting, presided over by Xi, and adopted a plan on the recommendation of candidates for the central leadership. Among the principles of recommendation, it was stressed that the core position of the CPC leadership, and the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership should be resolutely upheld. Candidates should be dedicated, impartial and upright. The principles also placed emphasis on merit regardless of background, and on having both integrity and ability, with greater weight given to the former. The CPC Central Committee held that candidates should have firm political faith and be loyal to the CPC, and keep a "high degree of conformity with the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi at the core." In the summer of 2022, a provincial leader was summoned to Beijing for a talk in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound. After studying the name lists of then incumbent leadership and ministerial/provincial leaders, this official had a one-on-one session with a senior leader about recommendations for candidates for the new leadership. This is one example how one-on-one talks played a part in the recommendation of leadership candidates. Starting from April, Xi personally talked to 30 senior leaders to seek their opinions. From April to July, other senior CPC leaders also sought advice from 318 senior cadres and senior military officers. "There was no time limit on the conversation, nor was there a limit to the number of people recommended," said an official attending one-on-one talks. "We can recommend anyone whom we think is outstanding and competent ... We can be open and honest in our views." Xi once stressed that political integrity must be upheld as the primary criterion when electing the CPC's new central leadership. "We should be strict with officials on their political consciousness and clean governance," Xi stressed. Officials attending one-on-one sessions agreed that members of the new central leadership should have firm political beliefs and be loyal to the Party. The readiness to take on responsibilities, the courage to carry on the fight, and the ability to lead the modernization drive are all important considerations for many comrades when recommending candidates. On the new central leadership's makeup principles and plan, Xi exchanged views and deliberated with other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau. After an initial plan was developed, Xi sought advice again from members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and members of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat. The new central leadership's makeup plan was later proposed. The recommended plans for the candidates of the new CCDI's Standing Committee and the members of the new CMC were also proposed to the CPC Central Committee after respective deliberation. On Sept. 28, based on the suggestions, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee studied and discussed the proposal on the makeup of the new central authority. One day later, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee approved the proposal and decided to submit it to the first plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the 20th CCDI of the CPC. During the candidate deliberation and opinion solicitation, some Party and state leaders, bearing in mind the interests of the Party and the people and showing a strong sense of responsibility, offered to retire to make room for their younger colleagues. The Sunday election came after delegates to the 20th CPC National Congress on Saturday elected a new CPC Central Committee, with 205 members and 171 alternate members. A new CCDI consisting of 133 members had also been elected at the congress. Leading the other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee in meeting the press on Sunday, Xi urged the CPC members to remain on high alert and stay sober-minded and prudent in the face of new challenges and tests on the journey ahead. We must make sure that our century-old Party will become ever more vigorous through self-reform and continue to be the strong backbone that the Chinese people can lean on at all times, he said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming) Shutterstock.com Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, who was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991 by then-President George H.W. Bush, is currently the longest serving member of the Supreme Court. He is also the second Black man to serve on the Supreme Court. The first was Thurgood Marshall, who Thomas replaced. See: How Much is Ted Cruz Worth? Explore: How Rich Are President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris and the Wealthiest US Politicians? Recently, Thomas made headlines for temporarily freezing a subpoena requiring Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to testify before a Georgia grand jury regarding efforts to manipulate the 2020 Presidential election results in Georgia. If the election is found to be tampered with, it would overturn the results of the election in the state. The freeze, however, is temporary, CNN correspondents emphasized, and will have the effect of giving the Supreme Court justices more time to consider whether Graham should be forced to testify or not. Net Worth: $1 Million Clarence Thomas net worth is estimated to be $1 million, based on recent financial asset disclosure statements and Celebrity Net Worth. In 2022, Thomas made $274,200 as an Associate Supreme Court Justice, according to USCourts.gov. When he was first appointed as an Associate Justice in 1991, he made an annual salary of $153,600 of the position. That salary increased incrementally over time, with only a few spans when Supreme Court justices did not receive raises. Teaching Income and Book Deals Supreme Court Justices are legally allowed to earn up to roughly $30,000 additional income, largely from teaching and consulting positions. Thomas has earned up to that limit in recent years for teaching at George Washington University School of Law, University of Kansas School of Law, University of Georgia School of Law and Notre Dame. Book advances and income from publishing are not factored into that limit. Thomas also earned a hefty book advance of $1.5 million for My Grandfathers Son: A Memoir, which went on to become a #1 New York Times bestseller. Story continues Investments Thomas amended income disclosure statement for 2018 showed dividend and interest income from investments, with most investments bringing in less than $1,000 per year. These investments include Vanguard money market funds, a Wells Fargo CD, Universal Life Insurance policies that earn between $2,500 and $50,000 annually, plus some stocks and REIT investments. His income disclosure also lists as much as $100,000 in income from rent for a partnership named Ginger, Ltd. Learn: How Rich Are Tucker Carlson, Anderson Cooper and the Biggest Cable News Hosts? Find: Can You Write Off a Political Donation? Thomas is married to Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, a Republican activist who is the founder of Liberty Consulting, a position that is listed on Clarence Thomas amended income disclosure statement. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Rich Is Clarence Thomas? LONDON Former finance minister Rishi Sunak took office as British prime minister Tuesday, the latest leader of the ruling Conservative Party hoping to break a cycle of political chaos and start to address the countrys grim economic mess. Sunak, the first British Asian to assume the role and a multimillionaire former banker, met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace as part of a ceremonial transfer of power known as kissing hands. After receiving Liz Truss official resignation, the new monarch formally appointed Sunak prime minister and invited him to form a government. Sunak is now the U.K.s third leader in seven weeks. King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Aaron Chown / PA) Truss became the 15th prime minister of Queen Elizabeth IIs reign just 49 days ago the shortest term in British political history. Now each of their successors stands in their place, a mark of the tumult that has beset the worlds sixth-largest economy. In a farewell speech outside No. 10 Downing St. early Tuesday, Truss made no apology for her brief and calamitous tenure, instead standing by the raft of tax cuts since abandoned which sent markets spiraling and then spelled her lightspeed demise. Her short time as prime minister had, she said, left her more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the challenges that we face. After meeting with the king, Sunak will return to Downing St., make his first speech as leader and appoint his Cabinet, personnel who will give a sense of how he hopes to tackle the plummeting fortunes of the countrys economy and his own political party. The United Kingdom is a great country but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge, he said in a 90-second speech after winning the leadership contest Monday. We now need stability, and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together. Truss disastrous tenure has helped Sunak take power not long after he lost a previous leadership contest to her. But even in a few short weeks Truss has made her successors job undoubtedly harder. Story continues She attempted to introduce a hardline set of free-market capitalist policies including tax cuts for high earners without explaining how she would pay for it all. That sent markets haywire, with the pound plummeting and borrowing costs rising, something Sunak correctly predicted would happen during their leadership race. It soon became clear that Truss no longer had the backing of her bitterly divided party, let alone her country she leaves office with an approval rating of just 6%, according to one poll. He would have faced a colossal task without this upheaval: The U.K. is already mired in a daunting cost-of-living crisis that means millions of people may struggle to eat and heat their homes this winter. Rishi Sunak meeting with members of the 1922 Committee in the Houses of Parliament, London after it was announced he will become the new leader of the Conservative party on Oct. 24, 2022. (Stefan Rousseau / PA Images via Getty Images) Now he must seek to address this, as well as ameliorate the damage wrought by the rapidly-reversed experiment with Trussanomics. Rishi Sunak really is facing an absolutely gargantuan challenge, Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, told NBC News. He does face really, really big problems that are not just economic but also, of course, electoral. At 42, Sunak will be the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years. The son of African-born Hindus of Indian descent, he is also the countrys first ethnic minority leader in 140 years, after Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in the 1800s, who was of Jewish descent but a practicing Christian. Though Sunak is a former banker, its through his wifes father, an Indian software tycoon, that the couple sits on an estimated 730 million-pound fortune ($825 million) making them richer than the king and Camila, the queen consort. Having a new prime minister is usually a big deal in the U.K. It happened only four times between Margaret Thatcher in 1979 and David Cameron in 2010. But Britons may be forgiven for being far more weary today, with Sunak the fifth Conservative prime minister in a little over six years. The latest round of upheaval started in July when Boris Johnson was forced to quit after a string of scandals prompted mass resignations from his government. Sunak, his finance minister at the time, was first among them. He was also the favorite to replace Johnson but was surprisingly beaten by Truss, whose tax-cutting was more popular among the Conservative Partys 200,000 members. Now, after Truss rapid resignation and Johnsons aborted comeback bid, Sunak has the top job. In the U.K., the party with the most lawmakers in the House of Commons can appoint a new leader without holding a nationwide election. That dynamic has prompted criticism from the left-of-center opposition Labour Party, but with Labour soaring in the polls and the Conservatives demoralized, Sunak is likely to focus on steadying markets and his colleagues. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Just a few days after Liz Truss resigned as prime minister, the UK has a new prime minister. Truss, who lasted a mere 45 days in office, will be replaced by Rishi Sunak, a veteran of Bristish politics and a fellow member of the conservative party. Sunak, the former finance minister, was chosen by fellow members of Britain's Conservative Party, which currently controls parliament. The British people elect a party to power, not an individual, making it possible for the party in power to choose a new prime minister without a popular election. Sunak took office Tuesday, after meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace. Sunak's newly assumed role marks a number of firsts. He is the first prime minister of color, the first of South Asian descent, and the first of the Hindu faith. Here's what else to know about Sunak, from his political views and previous wealth to his age and height. More on Sunak's election: Rishi Sunak completes comeback, to become Britain's first prime minister of color A 'profound economic crisis': Britain's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warns nation Who is Rishi Sunak? Rishi Sunak is the prime minister of the United Kingdom. He was selected by fellow members of Britain's Conservative Party after the previous prime minister, Liz Truss resigned. Sunak previously served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) under Boris Johnson and spent many years prior in the banking sector, working for Goldman Sachs and managing a hedge fund. He attended Oxford University and Winchester College, before traveling to the U.S. to get his MBA at Stanford. Sunak notably resigning as finance minister this past July over what he deemed "fundamentally different" ideas about how to approach the economic crises at hand. His election as prime minister represents a triumphant return to Bristish politics. What is Rishi Sunak's net worth? Sunak and his family boast significant independent wealth. He and his wife have a combined estimated net worth of $1 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. Story continues He is married to Akshata Murty, a tech heiress whose father, Narayana Murthy, founded Infosys, an Indian tech firm. Does Rishi Sunak have kids? Yes. Sunak and Murty share two daughters: Krishna and Anoushka. What religion is Rishi Sunak? Sunak is of the Hindu faith, the first practicing member of the religion to serve as prime minister. He has spoken publicly about his faith and was sworn in on a sacred Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita, according to the Washington Post. Liz Truss vs. lettuce: Vegetable outlasts British PM in tabloid's livestream competition How old is Rishi Sunak? Rishi Sunak is 42 years old, making him the youngest person to hold the office of prime minister in modern times. How tall is Rishi Sunak? Sunak is 5 feet 6 inches tall, according to Bristish GQ, which published an opinion article recently claiming Sunak's election was ushering in the end of the "short king" era. Is Rishi Sunak right wing? Yes. Sunak is a member of Britain's Conservative Party which is considered the right-wing arm of the parliament, with Labour Party forming the left-wing arm. However, British politics are not a perfect mirror image of American politics. While there are parallels, the Conservative Party is not identical to the Republican Party, and 'right wing' can take on a different meaning in the context of the United Kingdom's political environment. Sunak has not yet released the specifics of his plan to combat what he called a ''profound economic crisis," details are expected Oct. 31, when the newly appointed government will lay out its medium-term fiscal plan. He is expected by many to be a pragmatic leader, saying in his inaugural address, "We now need stability and unity." Sunak is expected to be a more moderate in his economic approach than his predecessor, steadying a volatile economy which saw the pound plummet over major tax cuts proposed by Truss, ultimately leading to her resignation. He remains a conservative political thinker though, likely to favor pro-business policies. Did Rishi Sunak vote for Brexit? Yes. Sunak was one of the earliest vocal supporters of Brexit, though he distinguished himself from more right-wing members of his party by supporting a more moderate approach, the New York Times reported. Why did Liz Truss resign? Liz Truss beat out Sunak in a contest earlier in the Summer to assume the post of prime minister, replacing Boris Johnson, who resigned himself over a scandal involving violation of his own COVID-19 lockdown protocols. Truss served a mere 45 days though, entering office with a widely criticized economic plan which involved large tax cuts meant to stimulate an already suffering economy. The cuts had an opposite effect, prompting an intervention from the central bank. In response to plummeting poll numbers and an economy in crisis, Truss resigned her post, saying in a speech, "I recognize, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate to which I was elected by the Conservative Party." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Rishi Sunak? Age, height, views of UK's new prime minister Conor Kennedy attends the party celebrating the 30th anniversary of DKNY Taylor Hill/WireImage Conor Kennedy is speaking candidly about his decision to fight in the Ukraine war. This month, the 28-year-old grandson of Robert F. Kennedy revealed he joined Ukraine's International Legion of foreign fighters in a lengthy Instagram post and said he was "willing to die" for the country. "Like many people, I was deeply moved by what I saw happening in Ukraine over the past year. I wanted to help. When I heard about Ukraine's International Legion, I knew I was going, and I went to the embassy to enlist the next day," he began. Noting how he "told one person here where I was, and I told one person there my real name," Kennedy said that he "didn't want my family or friends to worry, and I didn't want to be treated differently there." "Going in, I had no prior military experience and wasn't a great shot, but I could carry heavy things and learned fast," he added. "I was also willing to die there. So they soon agreed to send me to the northeastern front." RELATED: 'Fear, Pain, Anger and Hate': Kyiv Reacts After Russia Drops 'Kamikaze' Drones on Ukraine Capital Continuing his post, Kennedy detailed that his time in Ukraine "wasn't long," though he said he "saw a lot and I felt a lot." "I liked being a soldier, more than I had expected. It is scary. But life is simple, and the rewards for finding courage and doing good are substantial," he said, without detailing when exactly he left the International Legion. "My friends there know why I had to come home," Kennedy, onetime boyfriend to Taylor Swift, added. "l'll always owe them for their example. I know I'm lucky I made it back, but I would also take all the risks we took over again." 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. Kennedy then called the war between Russia and Ukraine "horrific," as he said that the "people I met were the bravest I have ever known." Story continues "My fellow legionnaires who came from different countries, backgrounds, ideologies are true freedom fighters," he said. "As are the citizens I knew, many of whom have lost everything in their long struggle against oligarchy, and toward a democratic system. They know this isn't a war between equals, it's a revolution." Kennedy added: "This war will shape the fate of democracy in this century. There's more to say about its politics and the role of western governments there. For now, I'll only urge you to help in your personal capacity. Join the legion, help on the border, or send medical supplies. Every day, someone there sacrifices everything for a lasting peace. They can't be asked to act alone." The United States advises against traveling to Ukraine during the Russian invasion as a handful of foreign nationals have been trapped, captured or killed. RELATED VIDEO: Sheltering Kyiv Citizens Unite in Song as Russia Launches New Wave of Missile Attacks at Ukraine Russia's attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 the first major land conflict in Europe in decades. Details of the fighting change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. Millions of Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says. "You don't know where to go, where to run, who you have to call. This is just panic," Liliya Marynchak, a 45-year-old teacher in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, told PEOPLE of the moment her city was bombed one of numerous accounts of bombardment by the Russians. The invasion, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia. With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace talks so far unsuccessful while urging his country to fight back. Putin, 70, insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy, 44, vowed not to bend. "Nobody is going to break us, we're strong, we're Ukrainians," he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, "Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness." The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help. rolling loud During a star-studded press conference at CentralWorld Live in Bangkok last month, Rolling Loud officially announced they will be touching down in Asia for the first time ever with Rolling Loud Thailand. The festival will be held from April 13 to April 15 at the Legend Siam Amusement Park in Pattaya next year. A tentative total of 66 acts are expected to perform on two stages with international headliners. Although the official lineup announcements are to come in November, Rolling Loud announced today (Oct. 25) that presale tickets will be available on Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. ICT on RollingLoud.com/Thailand. The hip hop festival had a massive 2022, hosting five weekends in four countries this year alone. The international expansion into Asia follows suit with Rolling Loud Toronto, which was headlined by Future, WizKid, and Dave. Rolling Loud New York made headlines last month for a number of reasons. Attendees were able to witness sets by superstars like Nicki Minaj, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, and Moneybagg Yo. However, there were some unsatisfied performers like Kid Cudi, whose set was interrupted by people in the crowd who booed him and threw water bottles on stage. He addressed the matter in an interview with Zane Lowe a few days later. Its supposed to be an unspoken agreement amongst artists and fans that youre supposed to give the utmost respect and not interfere with the performance, said the Cleveland-bred artist. The festivals weekend in Miami earlier this year featured headlining performances from Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, and Future, plus special appearances from Ye and Travis Scott. The North American dates are set to return in 2023 with Rolling Loud California at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania will speed up defence procurement and intensify talks with Turkey, Bulgaria and Georgia to counter potential spillovers from Russia's war in Ukraine towards the Black Sea, the country's supreme defence council said on Tuesday. The Black Sea is crucial for the shipment of grain, oil and oil products. Its waters are shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. In the eight months since Russia invaded Ukraine, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria have been defusing mines drifting in the Black Sea. "Proposals to counter potential threats so as to maintain peace in the Black Sea region and avoid conflict expansion were analyzed," the council said in a statement. The proposals include strengthening Romania's armed forces, speeding up military procurement programs, hosting more NATO exercises on its soil, boosting talks with Black Sea neighbours and developing interconnection projects in the extended Black Sea region, the statement said. It did not provide details on military procurements European Union and NATO member Romania shares a 650-kilometre (400 mile) border with Ukraine, is host to a U.S. ballistic missile defence system and, as of this year, has a permanent alliance battle group stationed on its territory. Some 2.65 million Ukrainians have fled to Europe through Romania in the eight months since the war started. Ukraine has sent over 5 million tonnes of grains to the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta since Feb. 24 and over 5.5. million tonnes of other products, including iron ore. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) Charlie Crist and Ron DeSantis Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called gender-affirming care chemical castration and defended the states dont say gay law in a Monday debate with his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist. DeSantis, a Republican with presidential ambitions, has taken many anti-LGBTQ+ stances. When they say gender-affirming care, they mean giving puberty blockers to teenage girls and teenage boys, he said in the debate. Florida regulators are considering banning gender-affirming care for youth. He said doctors are chemically castrating young boys. He added, A lot of kids go through a lot of different things. A lot of the dysphoria resolves itself by the time they become adults. However, studies have indicated that people who initiate gender-affirming care as teens continue with it into adulthood. Also, the effects of puberty blockers are reversible once young people go off them. DeSantis went on to decry top surgery for trans boys, saying, Its inappropriate to be doing that. Breast augmentation or reduction is more common among teens than mastectomies. Crist, a former governor and congressman, responded by turning the conversation to abortion rights, which he supports and DeSantis opposes. This reminds me of your position on a womans right to choose: You think you know better than any physician or any doctor or any woman in a position to make decisions about their own personal health. You want to be the judge, he said. DeSantis also defended the so-called dont say gay legislation he signed into law this year, restricting classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, and other legislation that restricts instruction about racism. The governor said it was a question of parental rights, appropriateness of curricula, and not encouraging hate. Crist responded, Here you go again, Ron. Its all about culture wars, its all about dividing us whether its Blacks against whites, whether its gay and straight, whether its young versus old. Story continues The debate covered a wide range of other topics, including economic issues, DeSantiss presidential hopes, and his sending of immigrants to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts. Watch the debate below. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis refused to say in a debate against Democrat Charlie Crist whether he would seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024. The incumbent governor has become a Republican hero for his lax approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, opposing vaccine mandates, and hardline policies against LGBTQ+ rights. All of this has elevated him in the eyes of major Republican donors who have hoped he would make a run for the White House. During the debate, Mr Crist, himself a former Republican governor from 2007 to 2011 before he switched parties, criticised him for mentioning President Joe Biden so much. Ron, you talk about Joe Biden a lot, he said. I understand. You think youre going to be running against him. I can see how you might get confused. But youre running for governor. Mr Crist asked Mr DeSantis to say he would serve a full four years as governor. But Mr DeSantis did not reply, simply looking straight ahead of him. When Mr DeSantiss time came up, he did not address the question directly. The only worn-out old donkey Im looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist, he said. Rather, he hit Mr Crist for signing what he called the largest taxes and fees in the states history. Mr Crist blew off the accusation. Ron, we know you love to bully people, and the little name-calling you just exchanged, I can take it, he said. But you shouldnt do it when children are standing behind you at a press conference and theyre wearing a mask. Earlier this year, Mr DeSantis was caught on video making fun of students who were wearing Covid-19 masks. You do not have to wear those masks. I mean, please, take them off. Honestly, its not doing anything and weve gotta stop with this Covid theatre. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous, Mr DeSantis said at the time. Mr DeSantis holds a commanding lead against Mr Crist, according to the latest polling and has raised a prolific amount of money ahead of the November election. By Jonathan Landay NEAR KHERSON FRONTLINE, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday took its case to the U.N. Security Council that Ukraine is preparing to use a "dirty bomb" on its own territory, an assertion dismissed by Western and Ukrainian officials as misinformation and a pretext for intensifying the war. Moscow sent a letter detailing the allegations to the United Nations on Monday, and Russia raised the issue at a closed meeting with the Security Council. "We're quite satisfied because we raised the awareness," Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters. "I don't mind people saying that Russia is crying wolf if this doesn't happen because this is a terrible, terrible disaster that threatens potentially the whole of the Earth." He said the evidence was in intelligence information that had been shared with Western counterparts with the "necessary level of clearance." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday repeated Russia's allegations and said the West was foolish to dismiss them. They follow hints from Moscow that it might be forced to use a tactical nuclear weapon against Ukraine, whose president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the dirty bomb allegation showed Moscow was planning such an attack and seeking to blame Kyiv. With Ukrainian forces advancing into Russian-occupied Kherson province, threatening a major defeat for Moscow, Russian officials phoned their Western counterparts on Sunday and Monday to air their suspicions. Russia accused the Kyiv government of ordering two organisations to create a dirty bomb, an explosive device laced with radioactive material, without giving any evidence. France, Britain and the United States said the allegations were "transparently false" and Washington warned Russia there would be "severe consequences" for any nuclear use. "Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake for it (to) use a tactical nuclear weapon," U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. "I'm not guaranteeing you that it's a false flag operation yet, we don't know. But it would be a serious mistake." Story continues INSPECTORS Britain's Deputy U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki told reporters: "This is pure Russian misinformation of the kind of we've seen many times before and it should stop." Russia's defence ministry said the aim of a dirty bomb attack by Ukraine would be to blame Moscow for the radioactive contamination, which it said Russia had begun preparing for. In an apparent response to Moscow's allegation, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said it was preparing to send inspectors to two unidentified Ukrainian sites at Kyiv's request, both already subject to its inspections. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters the inspectors would receive full access, and he called on Moscow to demonstrate the same transparency as Ukraine. Russia's state news agency RIA has identified what it said were the two sites involved - the Eastern Mineral Enrichment Plant in the central Dnipropetrovsk region and the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv. President Vladimir Putin has not spoken publicly about the dirty bomb allegations but on Tuesday said Russia needed to streamline decision-making in what it calls its "special military operation" to rid its neighbour of extremists. Ukraine and its allies accuse Moscow of an unprovoked war to grab territory. Putin, speaking at the first meeting of a new council to manage the government's work, said increased coordination of government structures and regions was necessary. MORE HELP FOR UKRAINE? German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday on his first visit since Russia invaded on Feb. 24 as Berlin hosted what it said was a conference on a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild Ukraine, a reference to the U.S. initiative to rebuild Western Europe at the end of World War Two. Thousands have been killed, and homes and factories destroyed, since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Since Russian forces suffered major defeats in September, Putin has doubled down, calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists, announcing the annexation of occupied territory and repeatedly threatening to use nuclear weapons. Steinmeier said Berlin was working to help Ukraine with air defence equipment and would focus on assisting with repairs to infrastructure such as power grids before winter arrives. Zelenskiy told the Berlin conference via video link that Russian rockets and Iranian-made drones had destroyed more than a third of his country's energy sector, but that Kyiv had yet to receive "a single cent" for a recovery plan worth $17 billion. The European Commission urged EU countries and companies to donate more to Ukraine's energy sector. "When we win this war, history will remember those who stood by our side in our darkest hour as well as those who openly supported the aggressor," the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said in a tweet. "But most of all, it will remember those who stood idly by and pretended they didnt see a genocide happening in the middle of Europe." In southern Ukraine, Russia has ordered civilians in Kherson to evacuate territory it controls on the western bank of the Dnipro River, where Ukrainian forces have been advancing this month after Russia claimed to have annexed the area. A defeat for Russia there would be one of its biggest setbacks in the conflict. A Reuters reporter in a remote hamlet near part of the Kherson frontline heard neither artillery nor shooting. Residents in the village, which cannot be identified under Ukrainian military regulations, said they hoped Russian forces who had shelled them in the past would soon withdraw. "You fall asleep at night and you don't know if you will wake up," said Mikola Nizinets, 39, as dozens of villagers waited to collect water, food packets and simple wood-burning stoves delivered by aid volunteers. With no power or gas and little food or potable water in the area, many residents have fled, abandoning cattle to roam among expended munitions poking from the soil. (Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Doina Chiacu, Andrew Osborn, Nick Macfie and Grant McCool; Editing by Philippa Fletcher, William Maclean and Cynthia Osterman) KYIV (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a conference on Ukraine reconstruction on Tuesday that Russian rockets and Iran-made drones had destroyed more than a third of his contry's energy sector. Zelenskiy also told the conference in Berlin via video link that Ukraine had yet to receive "a single cent" towards a fast recovery plan worth a total $17 billion. "Russia is destroying everything so that it is harder for us to get through the winter," Zelenskiy told the conference, which was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and other senior politicians and officials. (Reporting by Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Gareth Jones) Kremlin sees threat in national liberation movements, GUR says Both in Russia and beyond in Europe, the United States, and Ukraine agents of Russian influence in media and political spheres will be used, the message said. Read also: Russia remains unwilling to end the war, US says Their task is to convey to the broad masses the idea that any national movements are inherently aggressive, terroristic, or even Nazi in nature. According to the report, Moscow wants to use this campaign in order to try to disrupt support for the right of peoples in the Russian Federation for self-determination. Its other objective is to form in Ukrainian society a negative attitude towards the peoples of Russia who suffer from imperial policies. Russian propaganda is primarily targeting the peoples of the Caucasus in particular the Chechen opposition movements. Read also: Ukraine recognizes the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Furthermore, the message added that the regime of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin considers national liberation movements one of the key threats to the unity and even the very existence of Russia, and their emergence is causing a harsh reaction from the Kremlin. At the end of September, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the people of the Caucasus, Siberia and other indigenous peoples of Russia and called on them to resist the mobilization, announced by Putin on Sept. 21. Read also: Russian dictator Putin announces partial mobilization, threatens to use nukes Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine VALENTYNA ROMANENKO MONDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2022, 22:36 The Air Force of Ukraine expects that the Russian Federation will receive a new type of kamikaze drone from Iran "Meraj - 521". Source: Yuriy Ignat (Air Force Spokesman) during broadcast on YouTube channel Fabryka Novyn (News Factory) Quote from Ignat: "There is a risk. There's no doubt, they'll get them [kamikaze drones]. The only question is how many drones or ballistic missiles Iran has that they are willing to give to Moscow." Details: According to Ignat, these drones will not mark any kind of a turning point, but they will systematically, gradually create problems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And they need to be destroyed. According to the Air Force spokesman, in addition to expressing concern, the Western world needs to give Ukraine weapons and air defence systems so that Ukraine can effectively shoot down these enemy air targets. Previously: A new small-sized kamikaze drone Meraj-521 was unveiled in Iran. Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps demonstrated barrage ammunition during exercises. The Ukrainian military blog "Militarnyi" reported that Meraj-521 has a range of five kilometres, and can carry three types of warheads weighing from 500 to 1,000 grams. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! The General Staff reported the details of the affected settlements during the day Objects of civil infrastructure were damaged by enemy fire in the settlements of Vuhledar and Nesckuchne in Donetsk Oblast, Nova Kamianka in Kherson Oblast, and the city of Mykolaiv. Read also: General Staff reports Russian losses in Ukraine in eight months of full-scale invasion Invading Russian forces also fired in the following areas: in the Siversky area, with mortars and artillery near Senkivka in Chernihiv Oblast and Rozhkovychi, Sosnivka and Velyka Pysarivka in Sumy Oblast; in the Slobozhanske area, with tanks, mortars, rockets and artillery near Veterynarne, Vilkhuvatka, Vovchansk, Dvorichna, Kamianka, Krasne, Starytsia, Strilecha, Khatnie and Chuhunivka in Kharkiv Oblast; in the Kupyansk and Lyman areas, with tanks and artillery near Kyslivka in Kharkiv Oblast, Nevske and Stelmakhivka in Luhansk Oblast, and Berestove, Zarichne, Terny, Torske and Yampolivka in Donetsk Oblast; in the Bakhmut area, the territories around Andriyivka, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Bilohorivka, Vesele, Ivanhrad, Kurdiumivka, Mayorsk, Opytne, Soledar, and Yakovlivka of Donetsk Oblast were shelled using tanks, mortars, rockets and artillery; in the Avdiyivka area, with tanks and artillery of various calibers near Vodiane, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, and Pervomaiske; in Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhya areas, with tanks, mortars, rockets and artillery near Vremivka, Vuhledar, Neskuchne, Novosilka, and Pavlivka in Donetsk Oblast and Zelenyi Hay, Novoandriyivka, Olhivske, Stepove, Chervone, and Shcherbaky in Zaporizhzhya Oblast; in the South Buh area, more than 20 settlements were hit by enemy fire, including Bilohirka, Davydiv Brid, Myrne, Sukhyi Stavok, and Ternovi Pody. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Unexploded Russian missile in Kharkiv region, October 21 According to Rustamzade, Moscow is attempting to build up troop reserves using WWII- and early Cold War-era equipment, pulled from long-term storage. Read also: Over 3,000 Russian soldiers already asked to surrender, says Ukraines defense ministry The Russian army is falling back on using second-generation military equipment, said Rustamzade. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, are building up their firepower capabilities through fourth-generation armaments. By some metrics, the Ukrainian army is already a third gen+ military. The deepening technological gap between the two armies heavily favors Kyivs forces on the battlefield, Rustamzade noted. Read also: Russia loses 6,000 units of equipment, suffering from lack of spare parts NYT Id point out HIMARS (U.S.-made rocket artillery) as an example: these weapons have destroyed Russian military logistics, Rustamzade added. Read also: Russian soldier complains about old equipment, lack of winter uniform, in intercepted call They enabled Ukraine to gain an advantage in artillery over Russia an advantage in quality. Earlier media reports said Moscow was forced to start pulling 50-year-old T-62 main battle tanks from storage, sending them to replenish losses in Ukraine. By Oct. 5, Ukraine captured at least nine Russian T-62s. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Consequences of the Russian missile attack on Dnipro on October 25, 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared photos of the aftermath of the deadly attack. Read also: Russian missile attack on Dnipro kills three, injures five Every day we fight (Russian) terrorists who kill civilians, shell cities, destroy the lives of Ukrainians, Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post. We will never forgive this. Retribution will be just and inevitable. Read also: Russia fires 36 missiles at Ukraine, most downed, says Zelenskyy According to Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Valentin Reznichenko, the missile strike killed two people including a pregnant woman. Three Ukrainian were injured, and are being treated at a local hospital. Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Tymoshenko added that the attack also caused a fire at a gas station in the city. Read also: Dnipropetrovsk Oblast comes under Grad and suicide drone attack overnight A gas station caught fire; Russian terrorists launched their missiles at the city, but fragments of the shell fell on the local gas station, Tymoshenko said in a Telegram post. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine OLENA ROSHCHINA TUESDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2022, 08:16 Russian troops carried out 15 missile strikes on Ukraine over the past day. They are conducting offensive operations on the Bakhmut and Avdiivka fronts. The Russians are also setting up defensive positions by placing mines along the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00 on 25 October Quote: "The enemy is trying to hold the temporarily occupied territories and improve their tactical positions, focusing on deterring the actions of the [Ukrainian] defence forces on certain fronts, and at the same time, it is conducting offensive actions on the Bakhmut and Avdiivka fronts. Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian defence forces repelled Russian attacks around the settlements of Bilohorivka (Luhansk Oblast), Bakhmut, Bilohorivka, Verkhniokamianske, Ivanhrad, Klishchiivka, Spirne, Soledar, Mariinka and Nevelske (Donetsk Oblast). The enemy is attacking the positions of our armed forces along the line of contact and conducting aerial reconnaissance." Details: Over the past day, the Russians launched missile and air strikes on the infrastructure and civilian homes in violation of international humanitarian law and the laws and customs of war. The Russians carried out a total of 3 missile and 12 air strikes during the previous day. They carried out more than 60 attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems. Russian forces hit civilian infrastructure facilities in the settlements of Vuhledar and Neskuchne in Donetsk Oblast, Nova Kamianka in Kherson Oblast, and the city of Mykolaiv. The situation on the Volyn and Polissia fronts remains unchanged. There is a continuing threat of missile and air strikes on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine from the territory of the Republic of Belarus, these also may include the use of Iranian-made attack UAVs. On other fronts, the Russians carried out attacks: Story continues on the Sivershchyna front: from mortars and tubed artillery; on areas in and around Senkivka in Chernihiv Oblast and Rozhkovychi, Sosnivka and Velyka Pysarivka in Sumy Oblast; on the Slobozhanshchyna front : from tanks, mortars, tubed and rocket artillery; on areas in and around the settlements of Veterynarne, Vilkhuvatka, Vovchansk, Dvorichna, Kamianka, Krasne, Starytsia, Strilecha, Khatnie and Chuhunivka in Kharkiv Oblast; on the Kupiansk and Lyman fronts: from tanks and artillery, on areas in and around the settlements of Kyslivka in Kharkiv Oblast; Nevske and Stelmakhivka in Luhansk Oblast; Berestove, Zarichne, Terny, Torske and Yampolivka in Donetsk Oblast; on the Bakhmut front: from tanks, mortars, tubed and rocket artillery; on areas in and around Andriivka, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Bilohorivka, Vesele, Ivanhrad, Kurdiumivka, Mayorsk, Opytne, Soledar and Yakovlivka in Donetsk Oblast; on the Avdiivka front : from tanks and artillery; on areas in and around the settlements of Vodiane, Krasnohorivka, Mariinka, and Pervomaiske; on the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhia fronts : from tanks, mortars, tubed and rocket artillery; on areas in and around the settlements of Vremivka, Vuhledar, Neskuchne, Novosilka, Pavlivka in Donetsk Oblast; Zelenyi Hai, Novoandriivka, Olhivske, Stepove, Chervone and Shcherbaky in Zaporizhia Oblast; on the Pivdennyi Buh front, the RUssians fired at more than 20 settlements near the line of contact, including Bilohirka, Davydiv Brid, Myrne, Sukhyi Stavok and Ternovi Pody. According to available information, the Russian invaders are setting up defensive positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. Thus, engineer and sapper units of the Russian occupation troops are placing mines along the bank near the settlement of Hornostaivka, leaving small pathways for the possible retreat of their troops from the right bank. Evacuation of local residents from temporarily occupied Kherson is underway. The equipment and employees of all banks and the occupation administration have been evacuated from the right bank of the city to the settlements of Henichesk and Skadovsk. The equipment of Internet providers was stolen. Emergency services and medical personnel are forcibly evacuated. School funding and the provision of food for children in schools has been stopped. The cases of robberies of local residents and looting have increased. Recently conscripted Russian servicemen are being transferred to the settlement of Lvove to replace the evacuated collaborators. According to the updated information, five pieces of weapons and military equipment have been destroyed and up to 110 Russian occupiers have been killed in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts in recent days. Ukrainian Air Force carried out more than 30 strikes during the past day. Twenty two clusters of weapons and military equipment of the invaders, five ammunition storage points and positions of nine anti-aircraft missile systems are confirmed to have been destroyed. Ukrainian air defence units shot down three Ka-52 Alligator helicopters, a Su-24M bomber, two Orlan-10 UAVs and a Shahed-131 UAV of the occupiers on various fronts. Over the past day, Rocket Forces and Artillery hit six clusters of manpower, weapons and military equipment, two ammunition storage points, an anti-aircraft missile system, a Zoopark-1 radar station, and two other important sites used by the Russian occupiers. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! 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. By Aziz El Yaakoubi, Rachna Uppal and Hadeel Al Sayegh RIYADH (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia decided to be the "maturer guys" in a spat with the United States over oil supplies, the kingdom's energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Tuesday. The decision by the OPEC+ oil producer group led by Saudi Arabia this month to cut oil output targets unleashed a war of words between the White House and Riyadh ahead of the kingdom's Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum, which drew top U.S. business executives. The two traditional allies' relationship had already been strained by the Joe Biden administration's stance on the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Yemen war, as well as Riyadh's growing ties with China and Russia. When asked at the FII forum how the energy relationship with the United States could be put back on track after the cuts and with the Dec. 5 deadline for the expected price-cap on Russian oil, the Saudi energy minister said: "I think we as Saudi Arabia decided to be the maturer guys and let the dice fall". "We keep hearing you 'are with us or against us', is there any room for 'we are with the people of Saudi Arabia'?" Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih said earlier that Riyadh and Washington will get over their "unwarranted" spat, highlighting long-standing corporate and institutional ties. "If you look at the relationship with the people side, the corporate side, the education system, you look at our institutions working together we are very close and we will get over this recent spat that I think was unwarranted," he said. While noting that Saudi Arabia and the United States were "solid allies" in the long term, he highlighted the kingdom was "very strong" with Asian partners including China, which is the biggest importer of Saudi hydrocarbons. The OPEC+ cut has raised concerns in Washington about the possibility of higher gasoline prices ahead of the November U.S. midterm elections, with the Democrats trying to retain their control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Story continues Biden pledged that "there will be consequences" for U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia after the OPEC+ move. Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the kingdom's ambassador to Washington, said in a CNN interview that Saudi Arabia was not siding with Russia and engages with "everybody across the board". "And by the way, it's okay to disagree. We've disagreed in the past, and we've agreed in the past, but the important thing is recognizing the value of this relationship," she said. She added that "a lot of people talk about reforming or reviewing the relationship" and said that was "a positive thing" as Saudi Arabia "is not the kingdom it was five years ago." FULL ATTENDENCE AT FII Like previous years, the FII three-day forum that opened on Tuesday saw a big turnout from Wall Street, as well as other industries with strategic interests in Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter. JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, speaking at the gathering, voiced confidence that Saudi Arabia and the United States would safeguard their 75-year-old alliance. "I can't imagine any allies agreeing on everything and not having problems theyll work it through," Dimon said. "I'm comfortable that folks on both sides are working through and that these countries will remain allies going forward, and hopefully help the world develop and grow properly." The FII is a showcase for the Saudi crown prince's Vision 2030 development plan to wean the economy off oil by creating new industries that also generate jobs for millions of Saudis, and to lure foreign capital and talent. No Biden administration officials were visible at the forum on Tuesday. Jared Kushner, a former senior aide to then-President Donald Trump who enjoyed good ties with Prince Mohammed, was featured as a front-row speaker. The Saudi government invested $2 billion with a firm incorporated by Kushner after Trump left office. FII organisers said this year's edition attracted 7,000 delegates compared with 4,000 last year. After its inaugural launch in 2017, the forum was marred by a Western boycott over Khashoggi's killing by Saudi agents. It recovered the next year, attracting leaders and businesses with strategic interests in Saudi Arabia, after which the pandemic hit the world. (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi, Hadeel Al Sayegh and Rachna Uppal in Riyadh and Nadine Awadalla, Maha El Dahan and Yousef Saba in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous and Michael Geory; Editing by Louise Heavens, Mark Potter, Vinay Dwivedi, William Maclean) Doctors and disease experts are warning that America could suffer a "twindemic" or even a "tripledemic" this winter if another wave of Covid-19 coincides with rising influenza and other viral infections. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week that cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is particularly dangerous to children, have increased rapidly across the US since August. Meanwhile, the widespread relaxation of Covid-19 precautions such as mask-wearing and social distancing is likely to boost the coming flu season, which was suppressed during the last two winters. Scientists also warned of a possible "twindemic" in both of those winters, and it did not occur. New Covid cases are currently flat across the US, according to CDC data, although some states are experiencing spikes. Nevertheless, recent polling suggests that support for anti-infection measures and booster vaccines has dropped since then, and new variants and subvariants are also circulating. "We anticipate a normal flu season, which can be anywhere between 4,000 to 36,000 deaths in the US," epidemiologist Thomas Duszynski told FOX Weather last week. "There is influenza which we see every year. And unfortunately, now we're seeing Covid-19 infections every year as well. So this idea that they're both going to maybe surge over the winter months, that's why we're calling this a twindemic." Dr Alpana Waghmare, an infectious disease expert at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, told The New York Times: "Were seeing everything come back with a vengeance." Another disease specialist, Dr Diego Hijano of Tennessee's St Jude Children's Research Hospital, said: "As of today, we are seeing equal numbers of Covid, flu and RSV. Thats really concerning, because we are very early for flu and RSV activity... its going to be a rough winter." Story continues One big question is whether each different disease will weaken peoples resistance to the others, or whether they will actually impede infection by putting immune systems in a heightened state of alarm. It is possible to get both Covid-19 and flu at the same time, known colloquially as flurona, but its likelihood and severity is not yet clear. Meanwhile, hospitals across the country have reported being overwhelmed by an "unprecedented" wave of RSV infections among children, leading some to consider calling for help from the National Guard. RSV admissions have skyrocketed at Connecticut Childrens [Hospital]," a spokesperson told CNN. "October has been like never before for this virus." The hospital's executive vice president Dr Juan Salazar added: "Ive been doing this for a long time, Ive been at Connecticut Childrens for 25 years, and I have never seen this level of surge specifically of RSV coming into our hospital." He said that children's relative lack of exposure to other viruses during the Covid pandemic may have weakened their resistance. Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital in Connecticut also reported a spike in RSV cases. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Ancient ruins tell only a partial story of the epic sieges and conquests recounted in the Hebrew bible, but scientists are using new dating technology to piece together historical events to see how closely they resemble those described in scripture. Using readings of ancient geomagnetic fields which have been preserved over time in mud bricks from sites destroyed by fire and in two collections of ceramic objects, scientists from the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University have dated these remnants more accurately. The method has been used in the past but never to this extent. "Since we have a very large database, we can compare many different sites according to the magnetic signal and this way reach a very accurate dating method," Yoav Vaknin, of the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, told Reuters. The study's findings indicate, for example, that the army of Hazael, King of Aram-Damascus first mentioned in the Book of Kings, was responsible for the destruction of several cities including Tel Rehov, Tel Zayit and Horvat Tevet. In terms of its modern application, Vaknin says the magnetic field and its activity is one of the biggest mysteries facing scientists and this technology could be used to predict how the magnetic field will change and behave in the future. (Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has reportedly slashed nearly 50 percent of the citys anti-Asian hate crime fund, raising concerns that the issue has fallen out of priority. Harrell, the first Asian American elected into the position, defended the cut as being a result of a $140 million deficit, according to The Stranger. However, he also seeks to fund new initiatives, including $1 million for a gunfire detection system that has sparked controversy for years. Last year, Seattle distributed more than $300,000 among nine local Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations to combat violence. Under Harrells 2023 budget proposal, that amount drops to $166,000. It is unclear whether those nine organizations will be the same ones to get less funding or if there will be fewer groups to receive grants. More from NextShark: Rep. Michelle Steel introduces bill to rename Little Saigon post office in honor of Vietnamese hero Violence against Asians persists in Seattle, with community volunteers saying they happen all the time and are underreported. In July, Michael John Allen, 40, was arrested for attacking multiple Asian women in downtown Seattle. In one incident, he allegedly told two Chinese women to go back to China before punching one of them in the shoulder. More recently, Indian American Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant reportedly fell victim to multiple incidents of feces being thrown at her home. She has called for stronger action from law enforcement. More from NextShark: CEO placed on leave after telling women to go clean rooms and do dishes for International Womens Day Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that tracks anti-Asian hate incidents, has expressed disappointment in Harrells proposed budget cut. As a mayoral candidate, Harrell often spoke against anti-Asian hate, but his use of power as an elected official now shows his true priorities, the nonprofit said. Unfortunately, it sends a message that our community's needs are not important, Stop AAPI Hate cofounder Manjusha Kulkarni told The Stranger. And that investing in community-based organizations is not a priority for the mayor and for local government. Story continues With the budget cut, Harrells office is reportedly implementing a holistic approach to public safety. This entails funds of $5.8 million for community safety solutions, $1 million for victim support services and $7 million for maintaining cops and firefighters, as per The Stranger. More from NextShark: Queens Couple Charged for Forcing Two Korean Women Into Prostitution Harrells full 2023 budget proposal can be found here. Featured Image via KING 5 More from NextShark: South Korean authorities investigating the alleged assault of Chinese student in Busan Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to request top security clearance and collaborate closely with the intelligence community so it can effectively protect Americans data from foreign hacks. In a letter addressed to the FTC and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Wyden called on the intelligence community to share classified information with the agency so it could better detect and secure data that is likely to be targeted by foreign hackers. Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said he was concerned that the FTC was not meaningfully participating with the intelligence community on efforts to prevent U.S. data from being stolen by foreign governments such as China. The U.S. government cannot protect Americans privacy and U.S. national security from the serious threat posed by sophisticated foreign hackers if the FTC does not have a seat at the table, Wyden said. Wyden added that data breaches, which contain sensitive information about Americans and their personal lives, could also be used for espionage and disinformation campaigns. Wyden said he was made aware of the issue after the FTC informed him that only four staffers currently have top-secret clearances, which are necessary for the agency to do its job more effectively. Most troubling, the FTC confirmed to my office that no staff in the agencys Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, who conduct investigations into data security and privacy cases, have even a Secret clearance, which is effectively the lowest level of federal clearance, Wyden added. The FTC also told his office that while it has participated in discussions with the DNI, the FBI and other intelligence agencies, the conversation stayed at the general level and did not include sharing classified information. The letter comes a day after the FTC said it planned to take action against Drizly, an alcohol delivery app, and its CEO, James Cory Rellas, for failure to secure the companys data security. Story continues The FTC alleged that the company and Rellas were notified of the security issues two years prior to a 2020 breach but failed to take action. The agency said the companys security failures exposed the personal data of about 2.5 million customers. Our proposed order against Drizly not only restricts what the company can retain and collect going forward but also ensures the CEO faces consequences for the companys carelessness, said Samuel Levine, director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement. CEOs who take shortcuts on security should take note. This also follows the Department of Justice announcement on Monday that it was charging Chinese nationals with espionage, obstruction of justice, harassment and stealing sensitive U.S. technology. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Wanda Hinson, sister of murder victim Linda Lois Little, joins Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young speaking to the media, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, about the cold case indictment of Michael Townson in Little's killing 31 years ago in Daytona Beach. During a press conference Tuesday, Wanda Hinson thanked the man police described as a suspected serial killer and said confessed to killing her sister for giving the family closure 31 years later. A grand jury on Monday indicted Michael S. Townson, 53, on a charge of first-degree murder in the killing of Linda Lois Little, who vanished Oct. 11, 1991, in Daytona Beach, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department and the 7th Circuit State Attorney's Office. Townson is already serving a life sentence for killing another woman in Brevard County. Townson has confessed to two murders in Memphis, Tennessee, according to a charging affidavit in Little's case. Townson is also being investigated in another homicide in Central Florida, according to police. Cold case indictment: Daytona Beach police solve 31-year-old cold case, suspect charged with first-degree murder Serial killer convicted: Robert Hayes found guilty of killing 3 women in Daytona Beach in serial killer case. Life sentence: Man who kidnapped, killed Daytona Beach grandmother sentenced to life in prison "I know this is crazy but I really want to thank Townson for coming out and letting the families know what happened to our family member," Hinson said. "I've forgiven him." She said that her nephew, Little's son, was angry but she believed "over time" he, too, would forgive Townson. "This is an answer to prayer. I've been praying for closure and God works in mysterious ways," Hinson said. "And I'm hoping others will come forward and give closure for other family members, too." Hinson said she had believed that Oba Chandler was responsible for Littles death. Chandler was living in Port Orange when he was arrested and eventually executed for drowning an Ohio mother and her two daughters by dumping their bound bodies into Tampa Bay. Linda Lois Little Townson is serving a life sentence for beating Sherri Carmanto to death with a steel pipe at her home in Titusville in 2007. A Brevard County jury convicted him of the killing in 2008. Story continues What happened to Linda Little? Little, a North Carolina native, had lived in the Daytona Beach area for two years before she encountered Townson. Little was last seen on Oct. 11, 1991, in Daytona Beach. The 43-year-old woman worked as a waitress at the Chart House restaurant on South Beach Street. She finished her shift at around 1 a.m. and rode off on her beach cruiser bicycle across the International Speedway Boulevard Bridge, stopping at a bar along the road. She was seen a few hours later at a nearby 7-11 that morning, according to earlier stories. But that was it. Little didnt show up for work the next day. She was never seen again. A story in The News-Journal stated that investigators at the time had not found evidence of foul play. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said Tuesday during the press conference that a friend reported Little missing on Oct. 14, 2011. "There were little to no leads for 29 of the 31 years since her disappearance," Young said. Michael Townson asked to speak to Daytona police Young said that in 2020, Townson was transferred to Tomoka Correctional Institution near Daytona Beach. He said that's when Townson requested to speak to Daytona Beach Police. Michael Townson "Our investigators responded out to Tomoka Correctional where Townson provides a full confession to the October 1991 murder of Ms. Linda Little," Young said. "Townson tells investigators that he was sexually abused by his father and grandfather as a child and blames his mother and the other women in his life for not protecting him as a child and as a result he developed a hatred for women. "Townson found God while incarcerated and the Lord placed it on his heart to confess and since he was transferred back to Volusia County that is what ultimately compelled him to confess," Young said. Young said that without the collaboration of the State Attorney's Office, staff at Tomoka Correctional and the work of police investigators, the case might still be unsolved. Little's body has not been found Daytona Beach Police Detective Sgt. Dave Dinardi, who led the investigation, said during the press conference that Little's body has not been found. Dinardi said he did not want to go into details of the confession. Dinardi said Townson told investigators what he did with the body and said police are still investigating, but he did not want to provide more information at this time. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young speaks to the media with Wanda Hinson, the sister of murder victim Linda Lois Little, and Detective David Dinardi, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, about the cold case indictment of Michael Townson in Little's killing 31 years ago in Daytona Beach. Dinardi said Townson was living in Orlando at the time of the murder, but enjoyed going to the coast in Daytona Beach. Dinardi also recounted that Townson said on his birthday he liked to go the Coliseum, a bar that he said gave free drinks to people celebrating birthdays. Dinardi noted that Townson's birthday was the day after Little went missing. He said Little met Townson in a hotel bar in Daytona Beach. "They met randomly, they were enjoying a few drinks together and then something happened that, in his words, just caused him to snap," Dinardi said. "Unfortunately, it just appears it was a random meeting that, unfortunately, on the wrong day, wrong time, just met the wrong person," Dinardi said. He said after the confession, police had to do additional work which is why Townson was not indicted until Monday. Dinardi said some people want attention, so police had to verify whether the confession was legitimate. Dinardi was asked whether the police would call Townson a "suspected serial killer." "I think that would be accurate, yes," Dinardi said. Dinardi said Little's case was the only murder linked to Townson in Volusia County. But Dinardi said Townson was being investigated in another murder in Central Florida. He said Townson gave interviews to many different agencies. Dinardi said he was not aware of Townson being charged in the other cases. Prosecutors in Tennessee stated Townson knew details only the killer would know in the murder of a woman named Michelle Branch, according to a charging affidavit. Prosecutors decided not to prosecute Townson because he was already serving life in Florida. The charging affidavit, which was redacted, also stated that Townson was arrested by Daytona Beach Shores police about 11 months before Little's killing, but it did not say why. Little's sister, Hinson, thanked Dinardi for staying on the case. She said Little has five great-grandchildren who will never know her. "We were just talking about the actions of one person we need to stop the cycle. We need to put out more love and stop the cycle, because just one man's actions has affected generations now," Hinson said. Accused killer has long criminal history Townson has a long criminal history dating back to 1989, according to Florida Department of Corrections records. Townson was sentenced in Orange County on Jan. 20, 1994, to 15 years in prison for robbery with a gun or deadly weapon. On the same date in Orange County, Townson was sentenced to five years in prison each on two counts of grand theft and eight counts of burglary of a structure or conveyance or attempt. The offenses dated from 1989 to 1993. In 1994 in Seminole County, Townson was sentenced to five years in prison each on burglary of a structure or conveyance or attempt and grand theft. Townson was sentenced in Brevard County on March 13, 2008, for the killing in that county, which occurred on Jan. 16, 2007, according to Department of Corrections records. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Suspected serial killer confesses to cold case murder, Daytona police say Oct. 25october, sunset, chugach mountains, alpenglow, snow A winter weather advisory has been issued for parts of the Kenai Peninsula as snow returns to Southcentral Alaska this week. The Anchorage Bowl is also set to get some snow on Tuesday, which will turn to scattered flurries by Wednesday night. Snow accumulation between 2 and 7 inches is expected on the western Peninsula starting Tuesday morning, according to the advisory from the National Weather Service, with the greatest accumulation from Nikiski to Soldotna. The advisory lasts through 5 a.m. Wednesday and also covers Kenai, Homer and Cooper Landing. Western Kenai Peninsula drivers should plan for slippery road conditions and reduced visibility, the National Weather Service said. Northeast winds are expected to be 15 to 25 mph and could cause blowing snow, reducing visibility to a half mile or less. Warming temperatures through the day Tuesday will turn the snow to rain for communities in the Kachemak Bay area, possibly as far north as Clam Gulch. Already the Anchorage area has been experiencing freezing temperatures, and highs will drop into the 20s by the end of the week. ADVERTISEMENT The cold, snowy weather is a marked departure from the warm, wet conditions the Anchorage Bowl had been experiencing so far this fall. SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities warned on Tuesday that flood-affected areas in the country's southeast were set for more rain, as emergency services issued a fresh batch of evacuation orders. Authorities overnight told hundreds of residents to evacuate from the New South Wales (NSW) town of Narrabri, home to 12,000 and about 550km northwest of Sydney, as water released from a full dam nearby worsened flooding. In nearby Gunnedah, residents endured the fifth flood in 12 months, with television footage showing people evacuating homes through waist-deep flood waters carrying pets and personal belongings. A video online showed one resident paddling a kayak through inundated streets and straight into a flooded garage. "Clearly the flood risk and the threat remains across NSW today and will do so for some days to come. The rivers are very, very full and of course our dams are mostly at full capacity at present," Steph Cooke, NSW emergency services minister, said on Tuesday. "Even the smallest amount of rain falling can cause an elevated risk of flash flooding and riverine flooding." A freight train crashed overnight near Naradhan, about 600km west of Sydney, with two crew rescued uninjured after rail tracks came loose because of heavy rain, local media reported. The Bureau of Meteorology expects 50mm (1.97 inches) of rain across swathes of the southeast on Wednesday and Thursday, with 100mm (3.94 inches) or more possible on parts of the mainland and most of the island state of Tasmania. Fresh rain over waterlogged catchments means dozens of waterways in New South Wales and Victoria are at risk of flooding, with 209 flood warnings in place across the two most populous states, with the bulk of evacuations taking place in NSW. Flooding is also expected on several river systems in the adjacent states of Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. (Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Alasdair Pal and Gerry Doyle) Thirty days after spending more than eight years in prison, a convicted bank robber went and robbed another bank, according to federal authorities. Now hes going back to prison for about six more years. Charles Edgar King Jr., 58, pleaded guilty to bank robbery on May 31, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Missouri. In pleading guilty, the Springfield man admitted that on July 10, 2021, he went to a local bank and gave a teller a handwritten note, authorities said. His note read, I have a gun this is a robbery $100 bills down to 20 now, according to the sentencing memorandum. Because of the note, and the implied threat of using a firearm to back up his demand, the bank teller ultimately complied with (his) threat and handed over all the money in his bank drawer, authorities said. He left with $8,815 in stolen money. Authorities shared surveillance images, which led Kings former probation officer to contact the FBI to identify him the same day of the robbery. King did not wear a mask during the robbery, and his bare hands showed a tattoo of a cross that helped identify him. Kings defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Oct. 25. The July 2021 robbery was 30 days after King was released from federal prison, according to court records. He had been convicted of another Missouri bank robbery in 2012 and sentenced to seven years in prison. He served an extra 14 months after repeatedly violating the terms of his supervised release following incarceration. The collective 98 months imprisonment King served for his prior 2012 bank robbery accounts for the longest period of time in his life in which King did not commit or was convicted of criminal acts that placed the overall community in danger, prosecutors said. Following his eight years in prison, King was released without supervision, authorities said. King was found at a Springfield hotel on July 19, 2021, with help from an anonymous source, according to the news release. FBI agents arrested King after seeing him drive away in a purple Scion Cube without a license plate. Story continues He told the FBI that he had used $2,400 from the bank robbery to buy the purple car. He added that he gave some of the cash away, and he said he spent the rest. King is ordered to serve five years and 11 months in prison. He wore his lucky robbing jacket to rob a bank then got caught, Florida cops say Man released from prison after bank robberies accused of robbing more banks, feds say Man uses birth certificate to rob Missouri bank, then throws cash out window, feds say A Springfield firefighter has been released from the hospital after being injured while battling a house fire Monday. >> Previous Coverage: Firefighter hurts back, taken to hospital after fire in Springfield Crews were called to a fire in the 1000 block of Garfield Avenue near East McCreight Avenue around 7:40 p.m. Andrew Cantra, a veteran firefighter with the Springfield Fire Rescue Division, was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center for a back injury he sustained while responding to the fire. Springfield Fire Chief Brian Miller said working in smoky, hot environments with 50-plus pounds of gear on is challenging. So it adds to the level of complexity, which increases our injuries compared to just the average desk job, right, Miller said. >> False active shooter report locks down Catholic Central School; investigation underway This is the second injury the department has faced in the last month. Obviously, you can have some traumatic injuries and sometimes it actually brings the department closer, Miller said. In early October, firefighter Rob Baise severely hurt his neck after he fell down a flight of stairs while battling a different house fire. We still maintain hope that he can make a full recovery, but we know its gonna be a long road, Miller said. Miller says despite both close calls, the department has become a stronger unit. It makes you feel really good that people are taking ownership and lifting one another up. So Im pretty touched at how well our guys have responded, Miller said. Cantra has already been treated and released from the hospital. Miller hopes hell return to work soon. A man accused in the shooting death of Dearius Jones in 2020 was found not guilty of four counts of first-degree murder Tuesday in a four-day bench trial. Sangamon County Chief Circuit Court Judge John Madonia found Johnathan Austin, 28, of Springfield, not guilty on four charges stemming from the fatal shooting on Aug. 8, 2020, outside of Wet Bar on South Fifth Street. The judge found evidence provided during the trial did not prove Austin pulled the trigger in the death of Jones, 32, also of Springfield. More:Here's what Illinoisans need to know about registering to vote and casting early ballots Jones was shot in the upper body following a private event at the downtown establishment. The shooting occurred during a fight involving a large crowd. Jones was transported to HSHS St. John's Hospital where he died. Austin had been indicted on seven felony counts in September 2020, including the first-degree murder charges and three additional felony counts. A pre-trial hearing on those charges is scheduled for Nov. 14. Sangamon County State's Attorney Dan Wright said that while prosecutors respect Madonia's decision in this case, they were disappointed the ruling did not go their way. "My office is not afraid to try tough cases in the fight against gun violence," Wright said. "The court found that the available evidence did not establish the defendants guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. We cannot overstate the critical importance of witness cooperation with law enforcement to support the thorough investigation and successful prosecution of violent crime." Previously on Springfield homicide:Trial of Springfield man accused in homicide outside nightclub to resume after COVID delays The Austin case wasn't the only time that conflict near the Wet Bar property led to legal trouble. The bar's liquor license was revoked by the city in 2017 after a video of women fighting outside the bar surfaced. After seven months of working within strict standards for compliance, the bar's license was restored in April 2018. After the Jones shooting, the city once again revoked the license in September 2020. It was reinstated a few weeks later. This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield man found not guilty in 2020 homicide outside Wet Bar By Rich McKay (Reuters) - The teenage gunman who killed a student and a teacher at a St. Louis high school left a note in his car saying his feelings of loneliness were "a perfect storm for a mass shooting," the city's police commissioner said on Tuesday. Police found a blue notebook in the car that the killer, Orlando Deshawn Harris, drove on Monday to the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, where he fatally shot the 61-year-old teacher and 16-year-old female student, while wounding or causing injuries to seven other people. Harris was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. Describing the handwritten note as a "manifesto," Police Commissioner Michael Sack read a portion of the document to the media at a press conference on Tuesday. "I don't have any friends," Sack quoted the note as saying "I don't have any family. I never had a girlfriend. I never had a social life. I've been an isolated loner my entire life. This was the perfect storm for a mass shooter." Sack said Harris may have suffered from mental illness and the note shed some light on his state of mind. "He feels isolated, he feels alone," Sack said. "Quite possibly angry and resentful of others who have, it appeared to him, to have healthy relationships, so a desire to lash out." Harris, 19, had no previous criminal history, Sack told reporters. He was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and he had 600 rounds of ammunition. The shooting is one of many school shootings that have left dozens dead and wounded across the United States this year alone. One of the deadliest took place in May when a gunman killed 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas. SOUNDS OF GUNSHOTS St. Louis authorities did not disclose how Harris, a former student at Central, entered the locked building at about 9:10 a.m. on Monday. The rampage lasted about 15 minutes before police stormed the school. In a statement on Tuesday, police said officers found Harris barricaded inside a third-floor classroom. Harris did not comply with officers' commands to drop his weapon and surrender. He fired his rifle, and officers shot and killed him. Story continues Many of the students had barricaded themselves in classrooms and some jumped out windows, media reports said. In addition to the two fatalities, four teenagers suffered gunshot wounds and three other youths sustained other injuries. (Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley says the state is investigating a complaint that claims the rights of children with disabilities in the Boston Public Schools are being violated because the districts bus system is in disarray. Riley said at Tuesdays Department of Elementary and Secondary Education board meeting that the agency has 60 days to investigate and either issue a letter of finding or a letter of closure. The complaint filed last week by two advocacy groups on behalf of the parents and guardians of six students with disabilities says children are being being denied an appropriate education because of chronically late or canceled buses. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Frank-Walter Steinmeier assured that Ukrainians can count on Germany "Despite all the hardships that the war also brings for us in Germany let's look through the eyes of the Ukrainians for a moment, Steinmeier said while visiting In Kyiv on Oct. 25 Read also: Zelensky talks by phone with Germanys Steinmeier following previous misunderstandings Then we know that they need our full solidarity and support as long as it is necessary. It's also a matter of the immediate objective to repair destroyed infrastructure, such as power grid, water supply and heating as quickly as possible." Addressing Ukrainians, Steinmeier said they "will continue to support Ukraine economically, politically and also militarily." "My message to the Ukrainians is that we are not only standing by your side," he stressed. Read also: Germany to train 5,000 Ukrainian troops by spring 2023, Scholz says It is Steinmeiers first visit to Ukraine since Russian full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24. He was expected to come on Oct. 20, but the visit was postponed due to security reasons. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine WOODLAND PARK, N.J. A New Jersey teacher accused of telling an Arab American and Muslim student "we don't negotiate with terrorists" is being sued in state Superior Court. The teacher allegedly made the comment last October after the student, Mohammed Zubi, then a senior, asked for extra time to complete homework in math class. In the lawsuit, Zubi said classmates looked on and laughed and that the incident was upsetting and demeaning. The lawsuit, which also names the Ridgefield school district in Ridegefield, New Jersey, alleges that the district failed to properly train teachers about diversity and sensitivity. "Plaintiff, like all students, sought nothing more than to learn without being subjected to racial slurs and stereotypes," says the lawsuit, filed on Oct. 17, calling the teacher's conduct "outrageous." The district did not respond to a request for comment. After the incident last year, teacher Daniel Tracey was suspended and the matter was referred to police, who referred it back to the district because they did not find any crime associated with the incident. 'No tolerance for discrimination': Teacher suspended for allegedly telling Muslim student 'we don't negotiate with terrorists' After the incident, the Ridgefield district released a statement saying it has "absolutely no tolerance for any sort of discrimination against any student or staff member." In February, the district held a 90-minute training session for teachers, aides and administrators to learn about the faith of Muslim students, including religious holidays, misconceptions about Islam and the meaning of commonly used terms. The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group, led the online training. Zubi is seeking damages, but no specific amount was given. The lawsuit called for Ridgefield Memorial High School to obtain an independent manager to institute programs "to train, instruct, discipline, control, and supervise the members of its faculty." Story continues The incident was one of two that took place last October involving a Muslim student and a teacher that captured national headlines and ricocheted across social media. In the South Orange-Maplewood School District, a teacher was accused of pulling the hijab from the head of a second grader. The teacher said it was a misunderstanding and that she was pushing back a hood from the child's eyes because she thought she was wearing the hijab underneath. The child's family sued the district and teacher in April over the incident. Earlier this month, the teacher filed a defamation suit against Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, who posted about it on social media, and separately sued the school district. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Jersey high school graduate sues over 'terrorist' comment NEW YORK As subway crime continues to soar, the Metropolitan Transit Authority is urging judges and district attorneys to help ban certain criminals from the transit system, the New York Daily News has learned. MTA Chair Janno Lieber on Monday called on authorities to enforce an existing ban on people convicted of sex crimes on the system or of assaulting transit employees which hasnt been used to date and to expand the law down the road. As of 2020, New York state judges have the power to bar people from public transit for up to three years if they are convicted of illegal sexual conduct while using the system. Under the law, championed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, judges can also issue bans for people convicted of assaulting MTA workers. The current statute is plainly too narrow, Lieber said in a letter addressed to New York state district attorneys in the metropolitan area. For example, there is no good reason why rider-on-worker assaults are ban-eligible while rider-on-rider assaults are not. Lieber highlighted the growing list of subway attacks that have left commuters on edge and looking over their shoulders. Lieber asked high-ranking Judges Anthony Cannataro, Lawrence Marks and Kathie Davidson to forward the call for enforcement to judges in 12 counties that the MTA serves. The MTA boss also asked district attorneys to promote a policy of pursuing transit bans in appropriate cases, including via plea agreements, as well as designating staff members to collaborate with the MTA legal department. We are aware of no cases in which courts have actually used the ban authority created by the Legislature, Lieber said. That is so despite a steady stream of disturbing, high-profile crimes in the transit system. As of Oct. 16, subway crime this year is up 41%, according to NYPD stats. Felony assaults have increased 17%, with 431 attacks so far this year compared to 370 by the same time last year. On Friday, David Martin, 32, suffered a fractured collarbone when a violent shove from behind sent him flying Friday afternoon onto a Brooklyn subway track while a group of terrified children stood watching, police said. Story continues In another one of the latest disturbing incidents, Heriberto Quintana died Oct. 17 when he fell to the F train platform at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave. station in Jackson Heights during a fistfight with a stranger, according to police. On Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to deploy 1,200 additional cops underground and unarmed guards at certain stations to provide additional security and crackdown on fare evaders. Hochul promised additional money to increase the number of both MTA and NYPD officers position on trains and on station platforms. I wont rest until the subway is a safe place for all, said Adams. People are saying over and over again, We dont feel safe ... Visibility in the system plays a critical role. The suspect in the weekend shooting in a Dallas hospital hit his girlfriend in her labor and delivery room before he opened fire and killed two employees, police alleged. Dallas police on Monday shared a timeline of the shooting Saturday at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, which killed two staffers, identified as Jacqueline Pokuaa, 45, and Katie Flowers, 63. The suspect, Nestor Hernandez, 30, was charged with capital murder. Hernandez is a parolee who was released from jail last October after having served jail time for aggravated robbery, and he was wearing an active ankle monitor, police said. The state Criminal Justice Department said he was granted permission to be at the hospital with his significant other for the delivery of her baby. Hernandez arrived at 10:21 a.m. for the delivery. Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. (Google Maps) During the hospital visit he pulled a handgun from his pants and hit the patient repeatedly, police said in an update. Police Chief Eddie Garcia said it was not clear exactly what caused the gunman to be violent. He was acting very strange throughout the period of time there. He was wondering who else had been in the room, things of that nature. Honestly, we dont know what set him off, Garcia said at a news conference Monday. When Pokuaa entered the room to provide routine services to the patient, Hernandez shot her once, police alleged. Flowers heard the gunfire and looked into the room. The gunman fired from the doorway and hit her in the hallway, police said. Sgt. Robert Rangel was a few doors down investigating a stolen property call when he heard the gunfire. He witnessed Flowers being shot and called for help on his radio, police said. Hernandez then reportedly reloaded his weapon and started to leave the room with the gun, the police statement said. Rangel fired one shot from his department weapon and hit Hernandez in the leg. The gunman went back into the room after he was shot, and after a standoff with police, he ultimately surrendered and was taken into custody, officials said. Story continues Both hospital employees died of their injuries. The American Nurses Association said in a statement Monday that Flowers was a nurse. Police officials described the two victims as a nurse and a case manager. We mourn for the individuals who horrifically lost their lives, and we extend heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims, American Nurses Association President Ernest J. Grant said. Time is up. Violence against health care employees is unacceptable. This must end now. Police said that the patient who was assaulted before the shooting was treated and that the newborn child was not injured. Hernandez was treated at Methodist Hospital, stabilized and moved to another hospital for further treatment. His condition was not clear. It was not clear Tuesday morning whether he had retained an attorney. Investigations into the homicides and the officer-involved shooting continue, police said. Garcia denounced the shooting, saying, We lost two health care workers who were going about their day caring for others. He called the shooting a failure of the criminal justice system. He said Hernandezs criminal history spans aggravated assault of a public servant, burglary, aggravated robbery and several parole violations. "A violent individual such as this should not have been on an ankle monitor and should have remained in custody, Garcia said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The Chanel store in Beverly Grove, where burglary suspects used a stolen van to ram into the store early Tuesday, police say. (KTLA-TV) For the second time in three months, suspected thieves crashed a van into the same Chanel store in Los Angeles' Beverly Grove neighborhood. The suspects were unable to steal anything in the latest incident, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. At least two male suspects crashed a stolen van into the store early Tuesday, the LAPD said. The crash occurred at 2:45 a.m. in the 180 block of South Robertson Boulevard, said LAPD spokesperson Warren Moore. Two males one wearing a white face mask and a yellow jacket and the other in a blue or black hoodie were confronted by the armed security guard inside the store. The suspects fled northbound on Robertson on foot, Moore said. It's unknown whether they were adults or minors. Police also don't know whether the incident was gang related. Authorities said they arrived at the scene and believed there could have been more suspects inside the location. After establishing a perimeter and calling for back-up, they discovered no one else was inside the store. The number of suspects will be determined through the investigation and surveillance video, Moore said. Officers recovered a suspect's hat and stolen property from the store that was dropped at the scene, Moore said. Police didn't release the value of the stolen goods. The stolen van has been impounded, police said. A similar incident occurred on July 20, when six to eight suspects burglarized the Chanel store after using a stolen van to ram into the entrance, according to Lt. Gus Barrientos. About $60,000 worth of merchandise was taken. A male has been identified and arrested in connection with the incident, charged with burglary and released on his own recognizance, Barrientos said. Moore said he couldn't confirm whether Tuesday's incident was connected to the previous one, or whether it involved the same suspects. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. (Bloomberg) -- Canadas capital city elected a new centrist mayor after a surprisingly contentious campaign that divided members of the countrys governing Liberal Party. Most Read from Bloomberg Mark Sutcliffe staved off a strong challenge from Catherine McKenney, a city councilor and social justice activist who had attracted support from many high-profile Liberals, including former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney and two former advisers to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gerald Butts and Tyler Meredith. But Sutcliffe, a former broadcaster with deep roots in Ottawa, had the backing of its business establishment and almost all of the federal lawmakers representing local districts around the city. He is widely seen as the ideological successor to Jim Watson, who is retiring after 12 years as mayor. McKenney, who was seeking to become the first mayor of a major Canadian city to identify as transgender non-binary, was among the most vocal politicians during protests that paralyzed the downtown core of the Canadian capital in February. The weekslong occupation ended after Trudeau invoked federal emergency powers and a massive police operation cleared the streets. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) Taiwan wont back down in the face of aggressive threats from China, the president of the self-governing island democracy said Tuesday, comparing growing pressure from Beijing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tsai Ing-wen made the comment following a twice-a-decade congress of Chinas Communist Party at which it upped its longstanding threat to annex the island it considers its own territory by force if necessary. The party added a line to its constitution on resolutely opposing and deterring Taiwans independence and resolutely implementing the policy of one country, two systems,'" the formula by which it plans to govern the island in the future. The blueprint has already been put in place in the former British colony of Hong Kong, which has seen its democratic system, civil liberties and judicial independence decimated in recent years. Speaking to an international gathering of pro-democracy activists in Taipei, Tsai said democracies and liberal societies are facing the greatest challenges since the Cold War. Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is a prime example. It shows an authoritarian regime will do whatever it takes to achieve expansionism," Tsai said. The people of Taiwan are all too familiar with such aggression. In recent years, Taiwan has been confronted by increasingly aggressive threats from China," she said, listing military intimidation, cyberattacks and economic coercion. The rising Chinese pressure has spurred calls in Taiwan for additional defense spending and a lengthening of the term of national service required of all Taiwanese men. However, even under constant threats, the people of Taiwan have never shied away from the challenges" and have worked against authoritarian forces looking to undermine their democratic way of life, Tsai said. Asked about Tsai's comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said attempts to maintain an independent Taiwan were doomed to fail." Story continues I would like to stress there is no way forward other than reunification for Taiwan," Wang said at a daily briefing in Beijing. Tsai was speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Movement for Democracys steering committee, which is chaired by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa. Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949 and Taipei enjoys strong U.S. military and political support, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties. Despite having just 14 official diplomatic allies, Taiwan has drawn increasing backing from major nations, including Japan, Australia, the U.S., Canada and across Europe. A recent visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged Beijing, which responded with military exercises seen as a rehearsal of a blockade of the island. On Monday, Tsai met with a German parliamentary delegation focusing on human rights, which expressed concern about how Taiwan would handle threats from China. Taiwan is really facing military threats, delegation head Peter Heidt said. From Germanys point of view, changes to the cross-Strait status quo, if any, must be based on peaceful means. Also, these changes must be made after both sides have reached a consensus. Also on Tuesday, Taiwanese Premier You Si-kun met with Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik and Lithuanian politician Zygimantas Pavilionis. Taiwan has strongly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and at least one Taiwanese citizen is reportedly fighting with Ukrainian forces. Rudik expressed Ukraine's gratitude for Taiwan's financial support and backing of sanctions against Russia. Despite Russian attacks on the country's infrastructure, particularly the electrical grid, we will win this war. I promise you," she said. The Ukrainian conflict has focused new attention on whether China might launch military action against Taiwan, given that a solid majority of Taiwanese reject Beijing's calls for peaceful reunification." A full-scale invasion across the 160-kilometer (100-mile) -wide Taiwan Strait remains a daunting prospect for China despite its recent massive military expansion, especially of its naval and missile forces. However, Chinese leader Xi Jinping's securing of another five-year term in office has some observers speculating he may be looking to move up the schedule for bringing Taiwan under China's control. Among the personnel changes at China's congress that concluded Saturday, Gen. He Weidong was elevated to second vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. He was formerly head of the Eastern Theater Command, which would be primarily responsible for operations against Taiwan should hostilities break out. ___ Follow APs coverage of the Asia-Pacific region at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific Michael Ramirez was reported missing in early 2020 at age 15. Police said he returned home this past March and that a local woman had been harboring him at her home. (Photo: Sacramento County Sheriff's Office) Michael Ramirez was reported missing in early 2020 at age 15. Police said he returned home this past March and that a local woman had been harboring him at her home. (Photo: Sacramento County Sheriff's Office) A California schoolteacher is facing charges after being accused of harboring a missing teenager in her home for nearly two years. Holga Castillo Olivares, 61, was arrested Thursday following a monthslong investigation into the inexplicable return of the 17-year-old to his Sacramento-area home back in March, the Rancho Cordova Police Department said. Michael Ramirez, then 15, was last seen leaving his Rancho Cordova home on May 18, 2020, and was officially reported missing a few weeks later, sparking what authorities called an extensive search. You think the worst. You think the absolute worst, Katte Smith, one of the teens legal guardians, told local station KCRA of her familys anguish. Smith said Michael fled home after a disagreement over house rules. When he finally returned this spring, she said he told her that he had gone to stay at the home of his former childhood girlfriend, whose mother is Olivares. We felt so robbed of all this time with him, Smith said. You cant just hide someones kid and think thats OK. Olivares was charged last week with one felony count of concealing a minor and one misdemeanor count of luring a child away from their parents without the parents consent, according to a copy of the criminal complaint. A spokesperson for the Sacramento County district attorneys office was not able to say whether Olivares has an attorney. She was granted a pretrial release from custody Monday and ordered to have no contact with Michael or his guardians, CBS 13 reported. The Sacramento City Unified School District confirmed her employment with the district and said that she has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a district investigation. A district spokesperson declined to comment further on the matter. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. The outside of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. A fatal shooting just after 9 a.m. at the high school forced students to barricade doors and huddle in classroom corners, jump from windows and run out of the building to seek safety. AP Photo/Michael Phillis Central Visual and Performing Arts High School teacher Jean Kuczka was killed in a shooting Monday. Alexandria Bell, a 15-year-old tenth grader, was also killed in the shooting, police said Tuesday. Kuczka's daughter said she was told her mother put herself between the gunman and students. A teacher killed in a St. Louis high school shooting Monday put herself between the shooter and her students to save them, her daughter said. Abigail Kuczka said in an interview with the Saint Louis Dispatch that she was told that her mother, Jean Kuczka, a 61-year-old physical education teacher at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, moved in front of the gunman to protect students in her classroom. "My mom loved kids," Abigail Kuczka told the Post-Dispatch "She loved her students. I know her students looked at her like she was their mom." The St. Louis Police Department said in a press release on Tuesday that Alexandria Bell, a 15-year-old tenth grader, was also killed during Monday's shooting. "Alexandria was my everything," Bell's father, Andre Bell, told KSDK-TV. "She was joyful, wonderful, and just a great person." "I am so upset," he added. "I need somebody, police, community folks, somebody to make this make sense." Four other students aged 15 and 16 sustained gunshot and graze wounds in the shooting, and additional students were treated for "broken bones and abrasions that they sustained while jumping out of the schools' window," the police department said. Police responding to the shooting fatally shot the gunman, the department said. The gunman's cause of death was confirmed as being from a gunshot wound sustained when he and police officers shot at each other inside the school, the department said. The shooter a former student at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School used an AR-15-style rifle in Monday's shooting, Police Chief Michael Sack told reporters at a media appearance Tuesday. In addition to the rifle, he brought in seven magazines of ammunition on a chest rig and another eight magazines of ammunition in a bag he was carrying, Sack said, adding that the gunman dumped further ammunition on school stairways and in school corridors on Monday. Story continues "It appears he came into the building with more than 600 rounds of ammunition," Sack said. Following the shooting, FBI agents searched the car the shooter drove to the school for evidence and found a handwritten document in which he wrote about his desire to conduct a school shooting. Several witnesses said they heard the shooter say "You are all going to die!" just before he opened fire, the Associated Press reported. "This could have been a horrific scene," Sack said of Monday's massacre. He said the reason it was not much worse is that more than the usual number of police officers were nearby and able to respond to the scene swiftly. Sack said at a Monday evening press conference the first 911 call came in at 9:11 a.m. local time. Nearby officers including some off-duty arrived on the scene by 9:15 a.m. They located the gunman at 9:23 a.m. and shot him at 9:25 a.m. He was secured by police by 9:32 a.m. Sack said the school's doors were locked at the time of the shooting but declined to reveal how the shooter got inside because he doesn't want to "make it easy" for any future danger to breach school walls. Read the original article on Insider Ted Cruz and his wife, Heidi Cruz. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Ted Cruz said his wife, Heidi Cruz, laughed off Donald Trump's insult about her looks. Cruz said his "feelings were hurt" but that he moved on to focus on serving Texans. Trump in 2016 posted an unflattering photo of Cruz's wife next to one of his own wife, Melania. Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday said his wife, Heidi Cruz, laughed when former President Donald Trump insulted her looks in 2016. On "The View" on Monday, host Ana Navarro asked Cruz about Trump's 2016 insult. When they were both running for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, Trump shared an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz next to a photo of his own wife, Melania. "A picture is worth a thousand words," read the caption Trump posted, along with the hashtag #LyingTed. Navarro also brought up Trump's baseless accusation that Cruz's father, Rafael Cruz, took part in former President John F. Kennedy's assassination. "I frankly don't know how you get over your wife being called ugly. I don't know how you get over those kinds of calumnies against your father," Navarro said. "But you obviously have gotten over it, today you sing a very different tune. So tell us: Were you lying then, or are you lying now?" Cruz responded that he and Trump "beat the living crap out of each other" when they were both campaigning for the presidential nomination. "I tell you, Heidi laughed when he said that," Cruz said. "My father laughed, by the way my dad didn't just kill Kennedy, he's got Jimmy Hoffa buried in the backyard. It was idiotic." Cruz added, however, that Trump won "in the end." This, he said, motivated him to get over how his "feelings were hurt" and to instead focus on representing Texans in the Senate. Heidi Cruz did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Cruz's claim that his wife laughed off the insult appears to be an attempt to show he has a positive relationship with Trump despite their acrimonious exchanges in the past. Story continues In response to Trump's 2016 insult, Cruz hit back at Trump on Twitter, writing: "Donald, real men don't attack women. Your wife is lovely, and Heidi is the love of my life." In May 2016, Trump also baselessly alleged that Cruz's father was with Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, before Oswald killed the president. Trump continued to rehash this conspiracy theory even after he accepted the GOP's nomination for president. In July 2016, Cruz said he would not back Trump "like a servile puppy dog" after insults to his family. Both men seem to have buried the hatchet. In October 2018, Trump called Cruz "Beautiful Ted," a sharp turn from his campaign trail nickname for the senator, "Lying Ted." Cruz was also seen having dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in May 2021, months after the Capitol riot. Representatives for Cruz and Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider A forthcoming book by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) reveals that shortly after violence broke out on Jan. 6, 2021, he and some of his Republican colleagues gathered to discuss events in a Capitol complex supply closet. While we waited for the Capitol to be secured, I assembled our coalition in a back room (really, a supply closet with stacked chairs) to discuss what we should do next, Cruz writes in Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System, as first reported by Newsweek. Cruz says several Republicans argued during that meeting that the party should suspend objections and vote to certify the 2020 election. I understood the sentiment. But I vehemently disagreed with it, he writes in his book that will be published on Tuesday. I urged my colleagues that the course of action we were advocating was the right and principled one, he writes. The 2016 presidential candidate ultimately joined five other Republican senators in voting against the certification of the 2020 election result in Arizona and six others against the certification of the Pennsylvania result. Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), John Kennedy (R-La.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) voted against certification of Arizona alongside Cruz, while Cruz, Tuberville, Marshall, Hyde-Smith and Hawley were joined by Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) in their votes against certification of Pennsylvania. In his book, Cruz describes Jan. 6 as a chaotic day when tempers were high and some lawmakers were blaming us explicitly for the violence that was occurring. In the fog of the confusion, it was difficult to tell what exactly was happening. We were informed that a riot had broken out and that rioters were attempting to violently breach the Capitol building, he writes. Then, a few minutes later, they instructed us to evacuate rapidly, he writes. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has held a number of public hearings this year in which it has laid out a case detailing former President Trumps role in the riot. The hearings culminated with lawmakers voting unanimously to subpoena Trump over his part in the events. Updated Tuesday at 11:35 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Sen. Ted Cruz. Drew Angerer/Getty Images In his new book, Ted Cruz says he hid out in a supply closet during the Capitol riot. He says he "assembled" a coalition of Republicans in a "back room" to discuss what to do. Cruz has on different occasions characterized the riot as a peaceful protest and a "terrorist attack." Sen. Ted Cruz wrote in his new book that he hid out in a supply closet with several Republican colleagues while rioters poured into the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In "Justice Corrupted," Cruz wrote that he and several Republicans, who he did not name, gathered to plan their next steps amid the chaos. "While we waited for the Capitol to be secured, I assembled our coalition in a back room (really, a supply closet with stacked chairs) to discuss what we should do next," Cruz wrote. He added that he thought to himself that he would be "damned" if he allowed a "handful of violent rioters" to prevent him from fulfilling his constitutional responsibility. Cruz also wrote that "more than one senator expressed rage" at Republicans who objected to the certification of the 2020 election. "As we evacuated the floor, Mitt Romney turned to me and the other objectors and said with a snarl, 'This is what you've gotten us!' And the Democrats were even angrier," Cruz wrote. Cruz has flip-flopped on how he's described the January 6 riot. During an appearance on Fox News in May, he called the rioters "peaceful protesters." And in February, Cruz broke with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, calling it a "mistake" for Republicans like McConnell to describe the Capitol attack as a violent insurrection. But earlier this year, Cruz called the Capitol riot a "violent terrorist attack" at a Senate committee meeting on January 5. This stance was consistent with the Texas senator's statement on the riot on January 7, 2021, when he called the attack a "despicable act of terrorism and a shocking assault on our democratic system." The Texas senator received sharp rebukes from the right after his January 2022 statement. Fox News host Tucker Carlson was one of the first to lash out at Cruz. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz followed, taunting the Texas lawmaker during a press conference that week, saying that Cruz may "bend over" for the GOP establishment but "they'll never love" him. Story continues Cruz went on Carlson's show the same week and walked back his description of the Capitol riot. Speaking with Carlson, Cruz repeatedly said he made a mistake because of "sloppy" and "frankly, dumb" phrasing. Representatives for Cruz did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. "Justice Corrupted" was released on October 25. Read the original article on Business Insider A third arrest has been made in the fatal shooting of a Queens man last year, police said Monday. Jaquan Alston, 22, was arrested for the Aug. 31, 2021 slaying of Broderick Daniels, 28, and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, according to cops. Nasiem Pearson, 22, and Kingsley Ruffin, 21, were both arrested and hit with murder and weapon possession charges earlier this year. Daniels was shot multiple times in the torso in the vestibule of the apartment building he grew up in on 184th St. near 104th Ave. in Hollis, cops said. He was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, but he could not be saved. Police believe the shooting was the result of a gang rivalry. Alstons arraignment in Queens Criminal Court was pending Monday evening. Tinder has launched a new feature for university students looking to meet their soulmate during their studies. Tinder Uni comes after the dating apps research found that more than half (53 per cent) of UK graduates met a current or previous partner while studying. The feature can be found in Tinder Explore and will verify university email addresses to ensure only current students can use it. Users can find the new service by opening the Tinder app and adding their university to their profile through the Education tab. Once they have done that, they can apply for Tinder Uni through the app, where they will be prompted to verify their student email address, which must end with ac.uk. After they have officially enrolled to Tinder Uni, their universitys colours will appear across their profile to show other members where they study. According to a survey conducted by Opinium on behalf of Tinder, involving 1,000 18 to 25-year-olds, nearly three-quarters said they are ready to mingle. Laura Wilkinson-Rea, senior director of communications in the UK at Tinder, pointed to official figures from the Department for Education (DfE) that 2022 is set to be a record year for students going to university, 425,800 to be precise as a reason for the launch. A 2020 YouGov survey found that, despite the rise in popularity of dating apps, most people meet their partner offline. Nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of 18 to 24-year-olds first saw their significant others at university, with a similar proportion meeting their at school. However, older adults (45 to 54-year-olds) were more likely to meet through work (22 per cent), by chance (19 per cent), or through friends(16 per cent). The governments data from August shows that, of the students heading to university this year, nearly 180,000 18-year-olds had their places confirmed, the largest number ever on record for an exam year. It also shows that a record number of 18-year-olds from a disadvantaged background are furthering their studies, with gap between the most and least advantaged narrowing to a record low. The gap narrowed from 2.29 in 2019 to 2.26 in 2022, and from 2.32 in 2021. A British tourist has sparked backlash after she was filmed posing nude on the steps of an Italian cathedral with just a red veil of fabric as coverage. The incident took place on Monday when three tourists visiting Italys Amalfi Coast were seen staging the impromptu photoshoot on the steps of the cathedral of Amalfi. The stunt was captured by locals, according to local news outlet Amalfi Notizie, which shared a video of the photoshoot on Facebook. The shoot included a male photographer, the model and an assistant. In the clip, the woman, who some outlets have identified as an influencer, could be seen posing on the steps near the cathedral doors with the piece of fabric draped around her otherwise naked figure. As she posed for the male photographer in front of doors cast in Constantinople in 1067, the female assistant could be seen artfully arranging the veil. [This] is crazy. Are they crazy? the woman who captured the moment could be heard saying in Italian as she watched the tourists. According to the outlet, the model arrived at the location fully clothed, but began undressing on the steps shortly after. The video shows others in the square stopping to watch the spectacle. The backdrop of the unauthorised photoshoot has added to the backlash, as one local noted the mediaeval cathedral, dedicated to the Apostle Saint Andrew whose relics are said to be kept inside, is a place of worship. per CNN. That it happened at the church is what made the episode so shocking, Laura Thayer, an art historian who lives in Amalfi and writes the Ciao Amalfi blog, told CNN. The Duomo is a place of worship and a place very close to the hearts of the Amalfitani. That specific backdrop touches the historic memory of the locals. The bronze doors hearken back to the days of the Republic of Amalfi. These doors open for processions, for weddings, for funerals - moments that make life. Yes, its beautiful, but Amalfi is so much more than a pretty backdrop for a photo on social media. Story continues The photoshoot was also met with criticism on Facebook, where one person claimed theyd understand if the photos had been taken in front of a beautiful sculpture, but that it was shameful they were staged in front of a church. The scandalous thing is not the fact that she is doing a nude photo shoot, but that she has chosen the facade of a church as the location, another person wrote. Couldnt [they have chosen] the beach or maybe a pastry shop? According to local news outlet Positano News, the tourists were apprehended by police before leaving the town and taken to the municipal police station,where they reportedly told officers they had been trying to create a memory of their trip. A representative for the Amalfi police told CNN that the police had referred the group to the public prosecutors office for obscene acts in a public place. Michael "Mikey" Benedict Separate trial dates have for set for three Crestline residents charged in connection with the beating death of Michael "Mikey" Benedict a year ago. Benedict, a 40-year-old Crawford County native, was found unconscious by Crestline police investigating a 911 report of a beating shortly after 2:20 a.m. Oct. 10, 2021. He died on Nov. 4, 2021. In November 2021, three people were indicted by a Crawford County grand jury on a charge of aggravated murder and two different murder counts in connection with Benedict's death. Each charge is an unclassified felony. The trial of Timothy W. Montgomery, 49, is scheduled to begin on Feb. 6, according to records from the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas clerk's website. Jacqueline Dawn Montgomery, 43, will be tried beginning March 6; and Cameron Everett Davis, 31, on April 3. "On behalf of the state, we feel this is a more accurate way to get justice on behalf of Mikey Benedict," Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall said Tuesday. Aggravated murder is the "top non-death-penalty" charge in Ohio, Crall explained at the time of their indictments. Under Ohio law, it's defined as causing a death "purposefully, with prior calculation and design," he said. It is punishable by life in prison and up to a $25,000 fine. The two murder charges cite different sections of Ohio's criminal code. The first alleges each suspect did "purposefully cause the death of another." It's punishable by life in prison. The second relates to "causing the death of another as a proximate result of an offender committing or attempting to commit an offense of violence, in this case, felonious assault," Crall said. Each suspect also faces a charge of felonious assault, a second-degree felony punishable by up to eight years in prison. Davis' original attorney, Adam Stone, withdrew from the case on Monday, according to court records. Stone announced last week that he intends to resign his law license. Friends and family of Michael "Mikey" Benedict march in front of Just Jokin' in Crestline on Oct. 19, chanting "Justice for Mikey." Crall said that's not expected to impact the trial dates. Story continues "He'll have a lawyer appointed if he doesn't retain his own counsel, as he's entitled to under the law," Crall said of Davis. "That's already been set into motion." Family members reported Benedict died and was revived at the scene, on Union Street between Wiley and Clink streets, then again after being taken to Avita Health System-Galion Hospital. He was flown to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center for additional treatment. On Oct. 22, family members announced doctors had determined Benedict had suffered irreversible damage to three portions of his brain. He was moved to hospice care a few days later, and died there on Nov. 4. The father of six lived in Carey with his longtime girlfriend, Taszia Waaland, though he had been staying with his mother, Karen Murr, in Bucyrus at the time of the beating. After being charged with felonious assault, the Montgomerys were released on bail angering Benedict's friends and family members, who had multiple rallies and protests last fall demanding "Justice for Mikey." This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Trial dates set for three suspects in beating death of Mikey Benedict Hale o Lono, temple at the Waimae Oahu Valley. (photo: Canva) In this weeks Tribal Business News Round-Up, Wells Fargo releases a report on how the lack of data affects investor interest in Indian Country, Native Hawaiian groups place culture at the center of tourism, and marginalized farmers sue the USDA over unfulfilled funds. Lack of data stymies investor interest in invisible tribal economies, Wells Fargo report finds Private investment in Native businesses and tribal economies largely centers on one resource: data. Thats according to Dawson Her Many Horses, head of Native American finance at Wells Fargo, who notes that longstanding accessibility issues and a fragmented financial landscape have created invisible economies on tribal reservations. Hawaiian tourism shifts Native culture to forefront Hiipaka LLC plans to focus on Native Hawaiian culture in the renovation and expansion of a significant cultural site and popular tourist attraction on the island of Oahu. Marginalized farmers sue USDA over broken promises for debt relief Leaders of Native- and Black-led farmer organizations have filed a joint class action lawsuit on behalf of any socially disadvantaged farmer who filed for USDA debt relief included as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, a program that was later repealed. The filing came just as the USDA announced that it has issued $800M in relief to distressed borrowers while opening comment for discrimination relief. Additionally, find out details of Native CDFI Networks partnership with one of the nations largest banks to expand banking services to Native-owned businesses and learn about Indigenous cannabis industry leaders advice to tribal leaders and entrepreneurs during a discussion at Indigenous Biz Con. 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 (Bloomberg) -- One of former President Donald Trumps top lawyers has taken on a role as senior adviser for his new political action committee, pressing his MAGA message even as she defends him in a series of high-stakes lawsuits. Most Read from Bloomberg Alina Habba, who represents Trump in the suit filed by New Yorks attorney general over his asset valuations, has joined the MAGA Inc. team as it spends millions on ads to support Trumps endorsed candidates in key midterm races. Habba made her first appearance on behalf of MAGA Inc. Monday night on the conservative outlet Newsmax, where former Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer asked her about the former presidents political spending ahead of the midterm elections. Alina Habba is an extremely talented individual who has become an important advisor to President Trump, a MAGA Inc. spokesperson said in an email. Whether its on legal matters or political issues, she is more than capable to represent President Trump in a variety of venues. Read More: Trumps Lawyer Leads Counterattack From Her 5-Attorney Firm Habba is also representing Trump in a defamation suit filed by New York columnist E. Jean Carroll, who alleges Trump raped her two decades ago and defamed her by denying it. In addition, she represents him in a fraud suit filed by investors in a multi-level marketing company that Trump pitched on Celebrity Apprentice for years before he was president. The lawyer has been busy preparing Trump for long-awaited depositions in both of those civil suits. The sworn testimony in both cases took place this month at his Florida estate. Habba has been a fierce advocate for Trump, issuing statements calling out the former presidents accusers as politically motivated and echoing his claims about a witch hunt by Democrats. Story continues The lawyer is known for clashing with a New York state court judge in Manhattan who held Trump in contempt of court earlier this year for failing to properly respond to a subpoena and fined him $10,000 a day until he was in compliance. Trump ultimately paid $110,000 over the ruling, which Habba has appealed. Habba also represented Trump in a defamation suit filed by former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos, who also accused Trump of assault. Zervos dropped her case not long after Habba joined Trumps legal team and threatened to counter-sue Zervos. The attorney was involved in the civil lawsuit Trump filed against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party and almost two dozen other individuals and entities for allegedly conspiring to undermine Trumps single term in office with Russia-related allegations. A federal judge tossed the suit out in September. Habba has appealed. --With assistance from Mark Niquette. (Updates with comment by MAGA Inc.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Trump - Credit: Jose Luis Villegas/AP In early September, Donald Trump welcomed a handful of Republican allies to Manhattans Trump Tower with an urgent message: He saw a scam happening with midterm election voting in Philadelphia and elsewhere in Pennsylvania, and he wanted conservatives to do something about it. During our briefing, he was concerned that 2020 is going to happen again in 2022, says former senior Trump administration official Michael Caputo, referencing Trumps debunked assertion that voter fraud in Philadelphia helped win Pennsylvania for Joe Biden. Caputo who attended the meeting alongside Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko and retired CIA officer Sam Faddis says they had a message back to the former president: Our team encouraged him to be concerned [Furthermore], Im advising Republicans to recruit and train election observers and a team of attorneys to oversee historically problematic precincts. More from Rolling Stone But its not just one meeting, and its not just Philly. In recent months, Trump has convened a series of in-person meetings and conference calls to discuss laying the groundwork to challenge the 2022 midterm election results, four people familiar with the conversations tell Rolling Stone. In these conversations, pro-Trump groups, attorneys, Republican Party activists, and MAGA diehards often discuss the type of scorched-earth legal tactics they could deploy. And theyve gamed out scenarios for how to aggressively challenge elections, particularly ones in which a winner is not declared on Election Night. If theres any hint of doubt about the winners, the teams plan to wage aggressive court campaigns and launch a media blitz. Trump himself set the blueprint for this on Election Night 2020, when with the race far from decided he went on national television to declare: Frankly, we did win this election. Story continues 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. Trumps focus on Pennsylvania, however, seems to be more about his own political future than about party allegiance or fealty to his celebrity endorsee. As he hosts meetings on possible 2022 election challenges, hes also been laying the groundwork for a run in 2024 where Pennsylvania again promises to be critical and competitive. As one source who has spoken to Trump several times about a potential post-election-day legal battle over the Oz-Fetterman race puts it, Trump views a potential midterm challenge as a dress rehearsal for Trump 2024. Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 and then lost it to Biden in 2020 by more than 80,000, and if the two candidates rematch in 2024, it could well be the state that picks the next president. At the Trump tower meeting in September, Trump also pushed the officials on their efforts limit mail-in voting, the Morning Times and Semafor report. (The biggest 2022 boon for Trumps 2024 hopes could come if Doug Mastriano the states Trump-touting, 2020 election denying GOP nominee for governor manages to pull off an upset. But the people in Trumps orbit, reading the same polls as everyone else, see little chance of that happening.) Trump is gripped by the belief that he got cheated in Philadelphia in 2020, and this time around, he has privately demanded his allies concentrate additional firepower and legal resources in the commonwealths largest and most racially diverse metro area. In recent weeks, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, the ex-president has asked several advisers and at least one of his attorneys what national and Pennsylvania Republicans are doing to prevent Democrats from in his words steal[ing] it in Philadelphia [like] they did last time. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz. He faces Democratic Pennsylvania Senate nominee John Fetterman. Trumps preparation to undercut the midterm elections is part of a broader GOP attack on electoral democracy. Since Trumps tumultuous and ultimately violent campaign to overturn the results of 2020, he and other prominent conservatives have turned lies about voter fraud and stolen elections into GOP orthodoxy. And that orthodoxy has supercharged existing Republican Party efforts to limit ballot access all in the name of election security. Thats not, however, how team Trump describes its own efforts. Its important to prepare for legal fights that will inevitably arise, says Hogan Gidley, a former White House official who is now vice chair for the Trump-aligned Center for Election Integrity at the America First Policy Institute. The effort that the Center for Election Integrity is focused on started at the beginning of this yearWeve been seeding efforts across the country in important states[because] having people on the ground locally is key to these efforts because if youre not at the table, youre on the menu. Other prominent Trump loyalists also say theyve been gearing up for a potential electoral fight, particularly if there are close races. No matter what happens, Im not giving up on getting rid of those voting machines I will not stop until the machines are gone, says Mike Lindell, who notes he is similarly prepared to spend millions of dollars on lawyers and possible 2022 legal battles. The MyPillow CEO, a personal friend of Trumps, was a major financial supporter of multiple efforts to overturn and delegitimize the 2020 presidential election results. Patrick Byrne the former Overstock CEO who advised then-President Trump when the latter was weighing using increasingly authoritarian means to cling to power is working with Trumps onetime national security advisor Michael Flynn. The duo have formed a group called the America Project, to enlist like-minded activists and Trumpists. We have made proper preparations for post-election challenges if necessary, but our overwhelming focus is on having a clean, transparent election, which obviates the need for post-election legal scuffles, he says. However, the simple Trump and GOP definition of a clean election is typically one in which their side wins. Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Governor Doug Mastriano. For the moment, the most heated battle over Pennsylvania election law is focused on the states rules for mailed in ballots, and is being waged by legal teams for the Republican National Committee. The dispute, which surfaced both in the 2020 election and the 2022 Republican senate primary, Republicans have since tried to stop election boards from counting any mailed-in ballots cast without handwritten dates. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May that tossing out undated ballots violated the Civil Rights Act by disenfranchising otherwise qualified voters over a meaningless requirement that has no bearing on a voters eligibility. The case led the Third Circuit to instruct Pennsylvania election boards to count undated ballots In a ruling last week, the Supreme Court threw out the Third Circuits decision but did not rule on the underlying legality of counting undated ballots. Absent a clear federal position on the ballots, the state is left with conflicting court rulings on whether or not to count them. The states Commonwealth Court previously ruled against the Oz campaign and ordered undated ballots can be counted in a non-precedential case filed by his primary challenger, David McCormack, in May. In a 2020 split decision, Pennsylvanias state Supreme Court ruled that undated ballots would count in that years election but not in future elections. Governor Tom Wolf and Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman have both issued guidance that counties should count undated ballots, citing both the Oz case and Third Circuit ruling. But last week the Republican National Committee and a coalition of Pennsylvania Republicans filed a suit in the state Supreme Court asking it to rule that election boards should not count the ballots. The feud over mailed ballots in Pennsylvania marks a case of deja vu for the state. The GOP is being represented in its undated ballot suit by attorneys Kathleen Gallagher and John Gore. The two previously represented the Pennsylvania Republican party in its attempts to overturn the 2020 election over late-arriving mail-in ballots through a Supreme Court challenge. (Porter Wright and Jones Day, the firms involved in the 2020 suit, both faced an intense public backlash for efforts aligned with Trumps push to overturn the election.) And much like the 2020 fight over mailed ballots, rhetoric in the run up to midterm elections is growing heated. MAGA candidates like Arizonas Kari Lake and Blake Masters, running for the states open governor and senate seats, and New Hampshire senate candidate Don Bolduc have all refused to commit to accepting results on Election Day. Trump supporters in the media have also begun to float a familiar narrative. Fox News Tucker Carlson recently backed Lakes refusal to accept election results, declaring If it is fair, Kari Lakes going to win. In Pennsylvania, Radio host Mark Levin has accusedDemocrats of trying to steal the election for Fetterma over the issue of undated ballots. (Chapman, whose office oversees the states elections, says workers have been receiving a number of violent threats over the issue of undated ballots.) Republicans downplay the similarities to 2020. Its normal for there to be all kinds of challenges heading into an election and after, says Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and a Trump ally. This is good, and this is the way competent campaigns run. Supporters of Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Republican candidate Donald Trump face each other as hundreds gather outside the central ballot counting location at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA on November 5, 2020. Even before the election, conservative and pro-Trump groups have closely monitored state and county election rules. America First Legal, a nonprofit run by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller, launched a successful bid in Chester County to require increased security at ballot drop boxes in the county and segregation of ballots after security camera footage obtained through an open records request showed voters dropping off more than one ballot into boxes. Trumps apparent focus on buttressing Republican legal infrastructure in Pennsylvania stands in contrast to the relatively small sums the former president has put into the race to boost Oz. MAGA Inc, the Trump-backed Super PAC supporting MAGA congressional candidates in 2022, has so far spent just $770,000 in TV ads for Oza small amount relative to the $34 million the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC has pledged to spend on Oz. Trump and national Republicans have also not opened the funding floodgates for Doug Mastriano, who Trump backed in the Republican gubernatorial primary. As governor, Mastriano would have great influence over the states election rules in the next presidential election. But his campaign has operated on a shoestring with little outside funding and a near total absence from Pennsylvania airwaves. At least some Republicans in the state say they have taken notice of the lack of funding from the former president is a sore subject. Theres a lot of people that were Trump supporters, who backed him through thick and thin, one Pennsylvania Republican attorney active in politics tells Rolling Stone. Thats not lost on them. Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. Former President Trump said Florida Gov. DeSantis was making a "mistake" by endorsing Joe O'Dea. O'Dea once said he hoped Trump would not run for president in 2024. Trump called O'Dea, a GOP candidate for Senate in Colorado, a "RINO," or a Republican in Name Only. Former President Donald Trump responded to reports that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed anti-Trump Republican candidate Joe O'Dea, taking to his Truth Social platform on Sunday evening to say it was "A Big Mistake." DeSantis recorded a robocall advertisement for O'Dea, touting the candidate as the right choice for Senate in Colorado. "America needs strong leadership and desperately. That's why I'm endorsing Joe O'Dea for US Senate. Colorado, please vote for Joe O'Dea," DeSantis says in the recorded message O'Dea posted on Twitter. "I've watched Joe from a distance. And I'm impressed." O'Dea, a center-right candidate, has voiced his disapproval of Trump and previously said he would not like to see Trump as president again. "I think that seeing a Biden-Trump rematch again in 2024 would rip the country apart," O'Dea said on "The Ross Kaminsky Show" in August. "I think a lot of people are ready to move our country forward. So, I wouldn't support him running again." On Monday Trump called O'Dea a "RINO," or a Republican in Name Only, and discouraged his supporters from voting for him in the general election. "MAGA doesn't Vote [sic] for stupid people with big mouths. Good luck Joe!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to O'Dea. O'Dea is currently competing to represent Colorado in Congress against incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet. Bennet is currently leading by 7 percentage points, according to a Marist College poll from Oct. 11. FiveThirtyEight predicts Bennett will win the Senate race in November. O'Dea beat his primary opponent Ron Hanks, a pro-Trump candidate who was not endorsed by Trump, in June, and has received support from prominent Republican George W. Bush, who previously denounced the Jan. 6 riots. Story continues A silent war has been brewing between DeSantis and Trump as speculation grows that both Republicans could run for president in 2024. DeSantis has become an increasingly popular option among Republicans, while Trump seems to be going after the Florida governor by insulting him behind closed doors. Representatives for DeSantis, Trump, and O'Dea did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Former President Trump told Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward that he had good chemistry with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Woodward revealed in a clip from his new audiobook. In the clip, Trump tells Woodward, Im the only one he deals with, in reference to Kim. The word chemistry. You meet somebody and you have a good chemistry, Trump added about the North Korean leader. You meet a woman. In one second, you know whether or not its all going to happen. Woodward had asked Trump about his relationship with Kim and told the former president that the CIA thinks Kim is ultimately stupid to which Trump answered the North Korean leader was cunning and crafty. During his presidency, Trump met personally with Kim and pushed for peace talks between the U.S., North Korea and South Korea. Trump also reportedly exchanged what he called love letters with the North Korean leader, who has ramped up his aggression against the U.S. and test fired a record spate of ballistic missiles this year. The new clip was aired on CNN on Monday to promote Woodwards audiobook, The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodwards Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump, which was released on Tuesday. The clip can also be heard in Woodwards op-ed published in The Washington Post, in which he argues the audiobook is integral to understanding the former president, whom he calls a threat to democracy. The audiobook includes the full audio of Woodwards 20 one-on-one interviews with the former president, which he conducted before the release of his 2020 book Rage. It includes discussions around the coronavirus pandemic and other issues toward the end of his presidency. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Turkish Finance Nureddin Nebati told FT his country "acts very carefully within the international financial system." Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images From January to August, a record $28 billion from unclear origins trickled into Turkey, the FT said. Turkey's finance minister believes that unaccounted-for tourism revenues were a key part of such inflows. However, the inflows are all legitimate and legal, Nureddin Nebati, the Turkish finance minister said. A record $28 billion of money from unclear origins has flown into Turkey between January and August this year, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Turkey's finance minister, however, has played down these concerns. Turkish finance minister Nureddin Nebati told the FT that he believed that "unaccounted-for tourism revenues" were a key part of such net inflows, which are categorized as "net errors and omissions" by the Turkish central bank under the Balance of Payments accounts, the FT reported. Some of the money came from Russian tourists who had to use cash, as they were unable to access international financial payments systems due to sanctions, he told the media outlet. Nebati told the FT Turkey and Russia's relationship are just "good neighbourly relations." Russians have been Turkey's second-largest group of foreign visitors so far, accounting for about 13% of total visitors, according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Germans have been the largest group of foreign travelers to Turkey in the first eight months of the year. Nebati also attributed some of the uncategorized inflows to Turkish companies and individuals who where repatriating money some times in cash back to their home country, per the FT. He added to the FT all the inflows was legitimate, adding that Turkey "acts very carefully within the international financial system. It's not a country that behaves in ways that will cause breaches of the international financial system" Turkey's central bank did not immediately respond to Insider's request for information about the breakdown of the inflows from "net errors and omissions." The mystery inflows into Turkey are not new, but they are coming under increasing scrutiny as Ankara and Moscow become cosier. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will be working with Russia to create a "natural-gas hub," Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported. Read the original article on Business Insider Theres never a dull moment on the New York City subway. And anybody who uses it knows to keep their wits about them because its like the wild west on a regular basis. In addition to the concerning spike in crime, some people subject other passengers to venomous rants. The latest example involves an Asian woman who went on an expletive-filled, racist tirade on the train. Hip Hop Vibe, which first reported the incident, wrote, an Asian woman was on a subway making all kinds of insulting remarks towards a group of Black people. During her tirade, this woman held nothing back about how she truly feels about the Black community. The video was posted on Twitter and YouTube. You might want to use headphones if you watch it. What Did The Woman Say? In the video, the woman shouts to an unseen person, you like being called a n*gger, right? Thats cause you act like a n*gger, B-boy! I said to stay the f*ck away from me! The worst was yet to come. Hip Hop Vibe wrote, when this video begins, it is not clear what led to this woman talking and acting this way. Did Anyone Intervene? Yes. A white male passenger taps the woman on the shoulder and politely asks her to tone it down. This only causes her to get more aggressive. I wasnt talking to you! she shouts. Shut the fu*ck up. Other passengers try to calm her as well, but in vain. The man recording is heard saying, shes wylin! Oddly, She Brought A Former President Into It The woman says to a Black man in the distance, Barack sent you? Barack sent you?! Then she tells a woman, everyone who fu*ks your Black vagina, is a n*gger! Additional terms referencing female anatomy are used repeatedly, including c*nt. This is fun right? she exclaims. This is what New Yorkers are like! Twitter Users Had A Range Of Reactions Some Black Twitter users jumped at the chance to find humor in the womans comments. Bigsatchh wrote, I was cracking up, like no way that was the best she got! Story continues Bigeliw remarked, Im not understanding the insult. She seemed pretty obsessed with Black vaginas though. Another person took a swipe at the womans bag which read Dont Worry, Eat Happy. They wrote, that bag is sending me! Some Responses Were Serious Cap_mista tweeted, God knows not to put me in those situations. Because theres only so much I could take. SpoicySamoan said, my fuse is too damn short for this audacity. Others, seemingly lost for words, simply posted memes and videos. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and her South Korean counterpart condemned North Korea's latest missile launch on Tuesday after a meeting in Tokyo in which she pledged continued U.S. support for South Korea and Japan. "The Deputy Secretary and First Vice Foreign Minister Cho condemned the Democratic Peoples Republic of Koreas (DPRK) recent ballistic missile launches as reckless and destabilizing to regional and global security," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu) U.S. forces coordinating with Somalia's government carried out an airstrike Saturday against al-Shabab terrorists who had been attacking Somali National Army forces around Buulobarde, Somalia, about 135 miles from Mogadishu, according to a news release from U.S. Africa Command. Two al-Shabab terrorists were killed in the airstrike, according to U.S. Africa Command's initial assessment, and there were no civilian casualties, but the command said it's continuing to assess the results and plans to provide updates. It will not release more specific information about units and assets used for security reasons. In early October, the U.S. also conducted an airstrike, again coordinating with the Somali government, against al-Shabab militants near Jilib, about 230 miles from Somalia's capital, killing one al-Shabab leader. A U.S. troop presence of under 500 troops has been in place in Somalia since May, when President Biden approved the Pentagon's request to bring troops back to the war-torn country, reversing a decision by President Donald Trump in January 2021 to withdraw the larger contingent of 750 that had been there. After taking office, Trump at first expanded airstrikes in the region but in December 2020, he ordered a drawdown of troops. The Biden administration's decision came amid the persistent and increasing threat posed by al-Shabab. In 2014, President Barack Obama deployed military advisers to Somalia in 2014, the first time there had been boots on the ground there since October 1993, when militants controlled by Somali warlord Farah Aideed shot down two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters, resulting in the deaths of 18 U.S. troops and scores of Somalis. President Bill Clinton pulled U.S. combat troops from Somalia days later. Eleanor Watson and David Martin contributed to this report. Exclusive CBS Mornings Deals on products that could become daily essentials TikTok influencer Isaiah Garza helps strangers with random acts of kindness Pennsylvania voters discuss state of the country WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who became the country's third prime minister in two months on Tuesday. "Together, I look forward to enhancing our cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity, including continuing our strong support for Ukraine," Biden said in a Twitter post. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chris Gallagher) By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with Alphabet Inc's Google resolving a dispute with the search engine giant over the loss of data responsive to a 2016 search warrant. The government said it was a "first-of-its-kind resolution" that would result in Google reforming "its legal process compliance program to ensure timely and complete responses to legal process such as subpoenas and search warrants." "The department is committed to ensuring that electronic communications providers comply with court orders to protect and facilitate criminal investigations, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite, who heads the Justice Department's Criminal Division. The settlement demonstrated the departments "resolve in ensuring that technology companies, such as Google, provide prompt and complete responses to legal process to ensure public safety and bring offenders to justice," he added. Google said it had a "long track record of protecting our users privacy, including pushing back against overbroad government demands for user data, and this agreement in no way changes our ability or our commitment to continue doing so." The company told a U.S. court it had spent over $90 million "on additional resources, systems, and staffing to implement legal process compliance program improvements." The Justice Department said an independent compliance professional will be hired to serve as an outside third party related to Googles compliance upgrades. In 2016, the United States obtained a search warrant in California for data held at Google related to the investigation of the criminal cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e, the department said. Later the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled search warrants issued under the Stored Communications Act (SCA) did not cover data stored outside of the United States. Story continues In 2018, Congress clarified the SCA did cover U.S. providers that chose to store data overseas but the government said "in the intervening time, data responsive to the warrant was lost," the Justice Department said. Google will assemble reports and updates regarding the compliance program that will go to the government, the Google Compliance Steering Committee and Alphabet board committees. (Reporting By David Shepardson and Eric Beech; Editing by David Gregorio and Stephen Coates) "We deserve what other workers in this country get," said one of the drivers represented in the case. NurPhoto/Getty Images New Zealand's employment court ruled that four Uber drivers should be treated as employees. The case was jointly taken by two unions and has been hailed as a victory for the union movement. Uber said it was "disappointed" by the ruling and planned to file an appeal. Four Uber drivers in New Zealand have won a landmark legal victory after the country's employment court ruled that they should be treated as employees, not independent contractors. The case was jointly taken by FIRST Union and E tu union. The unions did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Reporting on the ruling, which was issued on Tuesday, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) hailed it as a victory for the union movement. In her official judgment, chief judge Christina Inglis noted that in New Zealand, employment status is the key to accessing legal minimum entitlements, including a minimum wage, holiday leave, parental leave, and access to union membership and collective bargaining. New Zealand's employment court does not have the right to make broader rulings of employment status beyond the four drivers directly involved in the case. But, according to judge Inglis, the case "may well have broader impact, particularly where, as here, there is apparent uniformity in the way in which the companies operate, and the framework under which drivers are engaged." The decision follows similar judgments in the UK, Italy, and France and relies on similar arguments. A spokesperson for Uber told Insider: "We are disappointed by the Employment Court's decision, particularly considering the same Court in 2020 ruled a rideshare driver using the Uber app was not an employee. We are reviewing the decision in detail and will be filing an appeal. We also note this decision applies to four individuals only." They added: "Gig workers play an important role in our communities and economy, and Uber is committed to improving standards for all independent workers, across all platforms. Kiwi drivers consistently tell us that the flexibility that comes with driving with Uber is what they value most." Story continues In a video released by FIRST Union, one of the drivers represented in the case said: "What brought us together is a belief that drivers deserve better pay, higher pay, job security, dignity and respect at work." "We deserve what other workers in this country get," he added. Read the original article on Business Insider LONDON (AP) A Uyghur organization and a human rights group are taking the U.K. government to court to challenge Britains failure to block the import of cotton products associated with forced labor and other abuses in Chinas far western Xinjiang region. Tuesdays hearing at the High Court in London is believed the first time a foreign court hears legal arguments from the Uyghurs over the issue of forced labor in Xinjiang. The region is a major global supplier of cotton, but rights groups have long alleged that the cotton is picked and processed by Chinas Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in a widespread, state-sanctioned system of forced labor. The case, brought by the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress and the Global Legal Action Network, a nonprofit, is one of several similar legal challenges aimed at putting pressure on the U.K. and European Union governments to follow the lead of the United States, where a law took effect this year to ban all cotton products suspected of being made in Xinjiang. Researchers say Xinjiang produces 85% of cotton grown in China, constituting one-fifth of the worlds cotton. Rights groups argue that the scale of Chinas rights violations in Xinjiang which the U.N. says may amount to crimes against humanity means that numerous international fashion brands are at high risk of using cotton tainted with forced labor and other rights abuses. Gearoid O Cuinn, the Global Legal Action Network's director, said the group submitted almost 1,000 pages of evidence -- including company records, NGO investigations and Chinese government documents -- to the U.K. and U.S. governments in 2020 to back its case. British authorities have taken no action so far, he said. Right now, U.K. consumers are systematically exposed to consumer goods tainted by forced labor, O Cuinn said. It does demonstrate the lack of political will." Researchers and advocacy groups estimate 1 million or more people from Uyghur and other minority groups have been swept into detention camps in Xinjiang, where many say they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion. The organizations say the camps, along with forced labor and draconian birth control policies, are a sweeping crackdown on Xinjiangs minorities. Story continues A recent U.N. report largely corroborated the accounts. China denounces the accusations as lies and argues its policies were aimed at quashing extremism. In the U.S., a new law gives border authorities more power to block or seize cotton imports produced partly or wholly in Xinjiang. The products are effectively banned unless the importer can show clear evidence that the goods were not produced using forced labor. The European Commission last month proposed prohibiting all products made with forced labor from entering the EU market. The plans havent been agreed upon yet by the European Parliament. The British governments Modern Slavery Act requires companies operating in the U.K. to report what they have done to identify rights abuses in their supply chains. But there is no legal obligation to undertake audits and due diligence. In a statement, the U.K.'s Conservative government said it is committed to introduce financial penalties for organizations that do not comply with modern slavery reporting requirements. Lawyers representing the Uyghurs will argue at the High Court on Tuesday that the British governments inaction breaches existing U.K. laws prohibiting goods made in foreign prisons or linked to crime. Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, one of the most vocal China critics in Britains Parliament, said the U.K. has been dragging its feet on the issue because of huge institutional resistance to change after years of dependence on trade with China. Britains Conservative government has not taken the China threat seriously enough, he argued. Treasury and the business department are desperate not to destroy ties with China and (officials) are still living in project kowtow, Duncan Smith said. Compared to the U.S. and the EU, we are bringing up the rear on the cotton issue, he added. Earlier this month, O Cuinns organization made a separate submission to the Irish government demanding a halt to the import of forced labor goods from Xinjiang. Meanwhile, lawyers representing a survivor of detention and forced labor in Xinjiang have also written to the U.K. government threatening to sue over the issue. The claimant in that case, Erbakit Ortabay, said he was detained in internment centers, where he was tortured and beaten, and later forced to work for no pay in a clothing factory. Ortabay, who was eventually released in 2019, is currently seeking asylum in Britain. Clothing is among the top five type of goods the U.K. imports from China, accounting for about 3.5 billion pounds ($4 billion) in imports in 2021. The U.K. does not publish shipping data detailing trade with the Xinjiang region. But Laura Murphy, a professor of human rights at Sheffield Hallam University, has identified 103 well-known international fashion brands including some trading in the U.K. -- at high risk of having Xinjiang cotton in their supply chains because they buy from intermediary garment manufacturers, which in turn are supplied by Chinese companies that source cotton in Xinjiang. What we find is that a lot of Xinjiang cotton is also sent out to other countries to be manufactured into apparel. So its not always coming directly from there -- it might be coming from a company making clothes in Indonesia or Cambodia, Murphy said. In the U.S., the new ban on Xinjiang cotton has forced apparel companies to step up tracking technologies to map out routes for their products origin, according to Brian Ehrig, partner in the consumer practice of management consulting firm Kearney. The ban is also accelerating the migration of apparel production in China to other regions like Vietnam and Cambodia. Some experts believe that the U.S. law has also compelled companies to block Xinjiang cotton products from other markets. Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights monitoring organization, said even if companies want to reroute Xinjiang-linked products to other markets, it would require a substantial reorganization of their supply networks. Figures from the China National Cotton Information Center show that sales of cotton produced in Xinjiang in the year to mid-June fell 40% from a year earlier to 3.1 million tons. The commercial inventory of cotton produced in Xinjiang was 3.3 million tons at the end of May, up 60% from a year earlier, according to Wind, a Chinese financial information provider. ___ Anne DInnocenzio in New York contributed to this report. UK homes are among the worst insulated in Europe. (Getty) UK homes are some of the worst insulated in Europe, leaving families exposed to rocketing heating bills this winter. Research by climate management company Tado sampled more than 80,000 European homes and found that houses in the UK lose heat significantly faster than those in European countries. In addition, new research published on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics analysing energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales found significant disparities in home insulation quality between different UK areas. Tado researchers found that a UK home with an indoor temperature of 20C and an outside temperature of 0C loses on average 3C after five hours. Compared with properties in Germany, UK homes are losing heat up to three times as fast. Research has shown that UK homes lose heat significantly more quickly than most of their western European neighbours (tado). The quality of home insulation will have a significant impact on the cost of heating a UK property this winter. Energy prices increased on 1 October to almost double the level of last year. Under the government's energy price guarantee, the amount providers can charge per unit of energy used has been capped so that the average household's bill will not exceed 2,500. Energy bills will be almost double the level last winter (Yahoo News UK/Flourish) Families that use a large amount of energy may pay significantly more. According to the ONS analysis of local authority areas, median energy efficiency scores in England ranged from 77 for Tower Hamlets in London to 47 in the Isles of Scilly in the South West. In Wales, median scores ranged from 68 for Newport, Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Cardiff to 58 for Gwynedd and Ceredigion. The figures showed that social housing was more likely to have a higher energy efficiency rating. Some 15% of local authority areas had more than half of dwellings at energy efficiency band C or above; two-thirds of these local authorities were in London or the South East. In England, Tower Hamlets and City of London had the highest percentage of dwellings in energy efficiency band C or higher (76% and 65%, respectively), while the Isles of Scilly and Pendle had the lowest percentage (14% and 22%, respectively). Story continues In Wales, Monmouthshire had the highest percentage of dwellings in band C or higher (49%) and Gwynedd and Ceredigion had the lowest percentage (24% and 26%, respectively). Protesters including doctors and health care professionals promoting the insulation of homes joined Extinction Rebellion protests in London this month (Getty). Politics Hub: Live updates and reaction as PM sets out energy plan In June, an independent advisory committee exposed a shocking gap in government efforts to ensure homes are better insulated. The Climate Change Committee said a "fast, sustained push to improve energy efficiency in homes and switch to electric heating" such as heat pumps, was needed "to reduce fossil fuel consumption". This, it said, would help people cope with high energy prices. The average annual energy bill for UK households is around 40 more than it would be if insulation had carried on at rates seen before policy support was removed in 2012 The report also found that British homes are among the most heat-leaking in Europe. The committee called for the government to consider increased funding for energy efficiency in fuel-poor homes, as well as a widespread publicity campaign for its promised new energy advice service and policies to incentivise home-owners to improve their properties. Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets Read also: ICRC did not visit captive Ukrainian POWs in Russia, ombudsman says Writing on Facebook page and on Telegram on Oct. 24, Lubinets said the Russian Red Cross should be expelled from the International Society and prohibited from using its emblem due to "imitation of activity in accordance with the principles of the International Movement, treachery and its misuse." Read also: Russia shells Red Cross base in Slovyansk, Donetsk Oblast He also demanded an end to the international funding of the Russian Red Cross. Earlier, the Russian Red Cross announced a fundraising campaign to support the families of mobilized and military personnel who are fighting in Ukraine. "Therefore, the Russian Red Cross supports the mobilization campaign announced by the Russian President Vladimir Putin, and also funds it, thereby supporting the Russian aggression in Ukraine," Lubinets wrote. Read also: Families of Mariupol defenders urge UN, Red Cross to prevent Russian show trials Media Relations Officer of the ICRC Oleksandr Vlasenko, in comments to Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, said the Russian Red Cross and the Russian ICRC delegation are different organizations that "share only common principles." He said national Red Cross societies are independent at all times. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ukraine in 2022. (Getty Images) Ukraine is set to select its Eurovision 2023 act during a live broadcast from a Kyiv bomb shelter. The country is the current reigning champion of the long-running music contest, but Liverpool will host next year's ceremony on behalf of Ukraine which is currently under attack from Russia. Read more: BBC could be banned from Durdle Door over Doctor Who row Sam Ryder brought the UK to second place in this year's competition and now acts from all over Ukraine are hoping to follow in Kalush Orchestra's footsteps by winning in 2023. The grand final of Vidbir, Ukraine's Eurovision national selection competition, will take place on Saturday, 17 December at a currently undisclosed location in the capital, with national broadcaster UA:PBC having received nearly 400 songs from 299 participants. Watch: Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra thank the world for Eurovision win Pianoboy, the Ukrainian music producer overseeing the selection process, said: I would like this Vidbir to discover new outstanding creative names and make people feel touched and good about this music. I must say, which is quite unexpected for me, this job is based on psychology because you have to raise musicians from sort of a bottom, motivate them. Read more: Chris Moyles confirmed as first I'm A Celebrity star A lot of musicians that you will hear at Vidbir made a song to be heard at Vidbir probably because of this Vidbir and, again because of it, resumed doing music. I see my function in this and I am very happy about it. Sam Ryder got second place for the UK. (Getty) Russia has been banned from competing in Eurovision because of the country's invasion of Ukraine. But North Macedonia and Montenegro have recently had to pull out of the contest over mounting costs which are said to be in part because of the increase caused by large financial backer Russia not taking part. North Macedonia has said its budget could be better spent on helping its citizens tackle rising energy costs. Both countries which have dropped out have also voiced concern over the cost of putting up as delegation in Liverpool - where some hotel costs are said to have soared to 4,000 a night over the Eurovision weekend. Russian war crimes in Ukraine Since the beginning of the (Russian) invasion, investigators of the National Police have launched 39,409 criminal probes into committed on the territory of Ukraine by Russian military personnel or their associates, said Yenin. Read also: Russia guilty of war crimes in Ukraine, UN report says We have already started 1,772 proceedings regarding Ukrainian collaborationists. 324 people have already been charged, and 180 criminal proceedings have already been referred to the courts. According to Yenin, residents of liberated Ukrainian territories consistently report crimes, committed by invading Russian forces, to Ukrainian law enforcement officials. I saw queues of Ukrainian citizens in liberated territories who provided the police with information about committed crimes, the official added. Read also: Wagner mercenary, FSB officer seeking asylum in France, ready to testify on Russian war crimes the Insider We see the sincere desire of our compatriots to help the police to tell us how the invaders, local authorities, and law enforcement behaved (during the Russian occupation). The deputy minister added that the police are one the forefront of restoring the rule of law across the liberated Ukrainian towns. It is the police who take care of law and order, the official noted. For example, the police provide measures of stabilization and the restoration of law and order in 43 settlements that were liberated in Donetsk Oblast. The liberated area is more than 1,500 square kilometers. We are working with the public. We started with doing rounds of each building, apartment, house. We are doing out painstaking work, collecting evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces and their collaborators. Read also: Devastation and evidence of war crimes found in wake of Russian retreat from Kharkiv Oblast In Donetsk Oblast alone, law enforcement officers uncovered more than two hundred alleged collaborationists. Since Sept. 26, in Donetsk Oblast alone more than 212 people have been exposed, who are involved or may have been involved in collaborating with invading Russian forces, Yenin said. Story continues Read also: 146 bodies found in recently liberated Lyman, Donetsk Oblast This includes espionage, collaboration, sabotage and other activities aimed to hurt our state. Some of them are trying to escape along with occupational authorities, while some remain. On Oct. 18, a UN commission found that Russian troops were responsible for the vast majority of human rights violations in the first weeks of the Russian invasion, including attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Read also: Ukraines SBU interrogates PMC Wagner members, digs more proof of war crimes Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine (Bloomberg) -- On the day he became the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and reiterated British support for Ukraine. Most Read from Bloomberg President Joe Biden warned Russia against using a nuclear or radioactive weapon in Ukraine and said hes been in discussions Tuesday about the possibility. I spent a lot of time today talking about that, Biden told reporters after receiving a Covid-19 booster shot, his fifth dose of the vaccine. Let me just say, Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon. Russian defense chief Sergei Shoigu alleged to his US and European counterparts over the weekend that Kyiv might use a so-called dirty bomb in the war -- an explosive device combined with radioactive material. Alarmed US and European officials rejected the claim, saying it may indicate that the Kremlin is planning a so-called false flag operation in which its forces use such a weapon and try to blame it on Ukraine. (See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.) Key Developments Biden Warns Russia Against False Flag Nuke Attack in Ukraine Biden Says Russia Has Given Cold Reception to Griner Diplomacy One Missile Shook Ukraines Grain Trade. Another Might Kill It Too Much Gas. Europes Energy Crisis Takes a Surprise Turn What Is a Dirty Bomb and Why Is Ukraine Worried?: QuickTake On the Ground Russian troops shelled the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region overnight, local authorities said on Telegram. Analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War said that the slower pace of Russian air, missile, and drone strikes may reflect decreasing missile and drone stockpiles and the strikes limited effectiveness of accomplishing Russian strategic military goals. Story continues (All times CET) Possible Mine Reported on Grain-Export Sea Route (1:20 a.m.) A report of a possible mine-like object is being investigated in Ukraines grain-export corridor on the Black Sea, according to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul. The suspicious object was reported earlier Tuesday by a vessel in the area, said the center, which facilitates the Black Sea Grain Initiative. A tugboat and search-and-rescue boat will be dispatched from Odesa to look into the matter. The finding risks further disrupting crop exports from Ukraine, which have already been slowed by a lengthy vessel-inspection holdup in Istanbul. The crop-export deal that has revived Ukraines seaborne trade is up for renewal in mid-November, and officials have yet to verify an extension. Sunak Speaks With Zelenskiy, Expresses Support for Ukraine (11:50 p.m.) Sunak tweeted on Tuesday that he had spoken with Zelenskiy and both he and the Ukrainian people can count on the UKs continued solidarity and support. In his own Twitter post, Zelenskiy described the encounter as an excellent conversation and that the two leaders had agreed to write a new chapter in relations between their countries. He added that the story is the same -- full support in the face of Russian aggression. Sunak became prime minister earlier Tuesday after meeting with King Charles III. Biden Says Russia Has Given Cold Reception to Griner Diplomacy (8:04 p.m.) Biden said US efforts to secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner are ongoing but have not swayed the Kremlin, hours after a Russian appeals court rejected her appeal of a nine-year drug smuggling sentence. We are in constant contact with Russian authorities to get Brittney and others out, and so far were not meeting with much positive response, Biden told reporters Tuesday at the White House. But were not stopping. Zelenskiy Sees Turnaround In Germanys Rhetoric on Ukraine (7:46 p.m.) Berlins rhetoric on Ukraine has significantly improved, Zelenskiy said, as he was receiving Germanys President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Kyiv on Tuesday. In general I think that rhetoric both in Europe and in Germany on Ukraine has changed, Zelenskiy said. It is warmer than the weather outside today. Zelenskiy praised Germanys anti-missile systems Iris-T for their impressive results, urging Berlin to provide more to Ukraine, as the nation is still suffering from often Russias air-raids that are targeting the countrys power infrastructure. Putin Pursuing War With Religious Zeal, Estonia Spy Chief Says (7:25 p.m.) Russian President Vladimir Putin is pursuing his war aims in Ukraine with a religious fervor and is unlikely to change course even as his eight-month invasion is beleaguered by setbacks, Estonias spy chief said. Mikk Marran, Estonias outgoing espionage chief, said that the Baltic nations intelligence indicated that the Russian president isnt having second thoughts about the conflict, despite the lack of strategic accomplishments and a firmer line from an expanded NATO. Hes still on a kind of a religious or a Messianic mission -- and we see that Putin is preparing his country and its army to continue fighting for a long time, Marran, 44, told a group of reporters in Tallinn on Tuesday. Zelenskiy Seeks $17b in Financing to Close Budget Gap (6:15 p.m.) Zelenskiy said his government needs $17 billion in immediate financing to cover Ukraines budget gap as global leaders met in Berlin to map out the nations postwar reconstruction. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who hosted the conference, reinforced his message about creating a Marshall Plan for Ukraine as delegates work to support the war-battered nation for decades to come. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU will develop funding for around 18 billion euros ($17.7 billion) for next year, with the Ukrainian government estimating overall needs at $38 billion. Talks on the EU funding are ongoing, even as the disbursement of loans for this year has been halted -- partly because of resistance from Germany. Putin Chairs First Meeting of Special War Needs Council (5:02 p.m.) President Vladimir Putin chaired the inaugural meeting of a new coordination council on military needs -- and conceded it had missed its first deadline. I remind you that today the coordination council was to have fixed the targets for individual areas of activity, Putin said. These targets arent ready yet, but I have no doubt they will be soon. The Russian leader has escalated his faltering invasion of Ukraine after a series of reverses, mobilizing at least 300,000 reservists, declaring martial law in certain regions and carrying out a devastating bombardment aimed at crippling Ukrainian power and other infrastructure. Ukraine Former Central Bank Chief Says Graft Probe Politicized (4:20 p.m.) Ukraines former central bank Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko, who is being sought by anti-corruption investigators for his alleged involvement in embezzlement, called the probe against him politically motivated. In his first comments after Ukraines National Anti-Corruption Bureau placed him on a wanted list, Shevchenko told Bloomberg News on Tuesday that being added was further evidence of the prosecution being biased and politicized. He didnt elaborate. NABU, as the bureau is known, wasnt immediately able to comment on his statement. Ukraine Documenting Russian Hacks, Eyeing International Charges (3:51 p.m.) Ukrainian officials are documenting suspected Russian hacking incidents as part of a plan to prosecute Moscow in an international court, according Victor Zhora, chief digital transformation officer of Ukraines special communications and information protection service. The government in Kyiv is collecting evidence of malicious cyber activity and sharing the data with the International Criminal Court, he said. Our intention is to bring this to justice after the war, and perhaps this will be the first prosecution of the first global cyber-war and cybercrimes that were conducted with kinetic operations and war crimes in Ukraine, Zhora said during an interview at a cybersecurity conference in Singapore. Russian Envoy Says Moscow Backs Nuclear Plant Safe Zone (3:15 p.m.) A Russian diplomat said that Moscow in principle backs a United Nations proposal to set up a security zone around Ukraines Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Its a reasonable idea, which we support in general, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russias ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, said on state television on Tuesday. The devil, as always, lies in the details. The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europes largest atomic energy station, has been occupied by Russian troops since March and heavy fighting around the facility has raised fears that power disruptions could endanger its safety. Russian Court Rejects Appeal of Jailed US Basketball Star Griner (2:37 p.m.) A Russian court rejected an appeal by WNBA star Brittney Griner against her nine-year sentence for drug smuggling. The ruling means Griner, 32, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will leave pre-trial detention near Moscow and be sent to serve her prison term in a penal colony elsewhere in Russia. President Joe Biden has made a priority of securing the release of Griner and another jailed American in Russia, former US Marine Paul Whelan. Amid a vocal campaign from the basketball stars supporters, the US leader has denounced Griners prison sentence as unacceptable. Akhmetovs Metinvest Sues Russia in European Court (2:24 p.m.) Ukrainian steel company Metinvest, owned by the countrys richest tycoon, Rinat Akhmetov, filed a case against Russia with the European Court of Human Rights, according to an emailed statement. Metinvest is suing for damages caused by Russian forces in its eight-month invasion of the country, including for the destructions of the companys steel mills in the port city of Mariupol. Akhmetov also filed a case against Russia in June. IMF Chief Says Ukraine Manages Well, But Needs Huge Sums (1:58 p.m.) International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that while Ukraine had managed its economy responsibly, huge sums would be needed to support the country. Ukraine would require $3 billion a month in a best-case scenario, though with additional gas imports and reconstruction funding, that figure could climb to $5 billion, Georgieva said at the Berlin conference. (An earlier version corrected spelling of Zelenskiys name, in Sunak item.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. About 40 invaders were killed and more than 60 were wounded, Ukrainian army says Read also: Kadyrov claims he will send his teenage sons to the frontline in Ukraine The Ukrainian military also posted a photo of the aftermath of a missile attack on the Kadyrov troops base, as well as video footage of the first minutes after the attack. It noted that the enemy suffered huge losses both in killed and wounded. Read also: Outspoken Kadyrov in conflict with Putins entourage, says political scientist According to Ukrainian officer Anatoliy Shtefan, about 40 invaders were killed and more than 60 were wounded. No other details about the strike have been reported yet. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine The sterile conference room inside the old retail center in the strip mall was set up with about 30 chairs in several neat little rows. Organizers anticipated a small audience, attentively listening to them explain what resources were being provided and underutilized. By the time the Good Samaritan Village town hall began, hundreds of people had packed into the room, taking every available chair including ones designated for the presenters standing against all five walls and spilling into the hallway. The room was so crowded that 50 seniors stayed on a bus hired to drive them over, listening to a separate batch of presenters deliver the same messaging. The five of us [commissioners] all agreed that there has to be something done, Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry said to cheers, before handing the microphone off to a list of lawyers and nonprofit leaders. READ: Good Samaritan Village residents face uncertain future as evacuation order continues That was the most agreeable the audience felt all night. As one speaker bled into the next, the atmosphere became noticeably chillier and testier. Several people stood up and left, audibly complaining that the information being given wasnt what they hoped to hear. Then, a man in a red shirt stood up. May I say something? one man asked, not all that politely. The seniors have things they want to say to you. READ: Attorneys join fray as Good Samaritan residents asked to sign liability waivers Ferrer said the help from FEMA and the county wasnt enough. Weeks of frustration, anger, sorrow and a cornucopia of other emotions began to pour out from one person after another. The people who lost everything, who felt like they were left to drown in a river of uncertainty, and who felt betrayed by an organization that billed itself as Christian, but since September had reportedly acted as if anything but. The way you disrespect these people is unacceptable, Daniel Ferrer fumed. Do the job. Thats all we asking is do the job. Story continues Ferrer and most others wanted to hear from the one organization that was not represented at the town hall: Good Samaritan. So far, residents said, they had been all but inaccessible, only appearing during moments designed to protect the organization, such as asking residents to sign liability waivers when terminating their leases. READ: Photos: Hurricane Ian flooding, storm damage at Good Samaritan Village Dont tell us or threaten us that we have to leave, Ferrer said. All we want to know is whos going to hold Good Samaritan accountable for what they do? Osceola County officials said communication from the organization was less than desirable, which is why they were doing their best to step in. Choudhry said all options continued to be on the table to holding the nonprofit, a division of Sanford Health, accountable while protecting the senior population. Ive heard from residents that they werent even told there could be a flooding problem in their residence where theyre living, she said, describing an occurrence many residents have repeated to WFTV. We have been talking to Good Samaritan about the repairs that they have to meet, the requirements that they have to do and all the things necessary in order to protect our residents. READ: Were at the tipping point. Family of evacuated seniors desperately searching for next step Sanford Health officials previously said they have been working with FEMA and had done their best to warn residents of the risks of hurricanes and flooding. All independent living residents are provided with comprehensive information about flood and hurricane preparation and are encouraged to obtain appropriate renters insurance to cover such occurrences, Good Samaritan Vice President of Operations Aimee Middleton wrote in a statement last week. Good Samaritan tenants and everyone else interviewed over the past week who werent connected to the nonprofit rejected that claim. READ: We lost everything: 55+ Osceola County community told they wont return home anytime soon After the countys evacuation order was lifted on Monday, Middleton wrote that independent living facility residents whose homes were spared from flooding and damage would be welcomed back to campus, and residents needing more intensive care would be relocated back to Kissimmee from Volusia County later in the week. However, the homes that were flooded will not be rebuilt, putting many of the seniors on the brink of homelessness, many without much to their name. I need a place to stay, Joanne Rayburn said. [The hotel] just informed me today that we only have until November 4th, so we got to get out and find another place. READ: Hurricane Ian: Good Samaritan helps locate 84-year-old woman stranded from rising waters 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. RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is facing criticism from some faculty members after it allowed university branding to be used on a local beer, circumventing the schools own policies. Just over a month ago, VCU paid $1 million to the family of Adam Oakes, a VCU freshman whose hazing-related death from alcohol poisoning led to a reckoning for Greek life on campus. VCU has long barred its branding from appearing on alcoholic beverages as part of university policy, but in May, President Michael Rao instituted interim rules that allowed branded beer for the first time since at least 2013. Now, Hardywood and the VCU alumni association are planning to sell a VCU-branded beer starting on Oct. 26. VCU and Adam Oakes family reach settlement, propose new model for campus Greek life However, according to Everett Carpenter, president of the VCU chapter of the American Association of University Professors, the policy change that allowed that branding has already been rejected by a faculty committee that was supposed to oversee university policy. The proposed changes were voted down unanimously, Carpenter wrote in an open letter to Rao. This action violates the spirit of shared governance with your VCU colleagues. Carpenter wrote that the decision to push through this branding seems incredibly insensitive and disrespectful considering recent alcohol-related tragedies. Michael Porter, a spokesperson for the university, said that such branding isnt unusual in the commonwealth, pointing to three other universities that have made similar deals to brand beer including Virginia Tech, which has worked with Hardywood itself. Virginia Tech is one of several Virginia Universities to have adopted similar deals. (Photo: Zeke Barlow, Virginia Tech) VCU will not market the branded beer directly to students, Porter said. It is designed for alumni and sports fans of legal drinking age as are similar branded beverages already available from three other Virginia universities. Porter added that the launch, which will take place at Hardywood Park on October 26, would be accompanied by a strong message of responsible use. The calendar item on VCUs website does not specify how that message will be conveyed, but does highlight a free beer tasting and a raffle for beer-branded swag. Porter also told WRIC that proceeds from the sale of the branded beer would go directly to student scholarships. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Official representative of the State Department, Ned Price Read also: Dirty nuclear blackmail is a reason for tough preventive steps Asked whether Washington would treat Russias use of a dirty bomb a nuclear weapon that functions more to spread radioactive material than to cause explosive damage in the same way as any other nuclear attack, Price said there would be consequences for Russia in both cases. There would be consequences for Russia whether it uses a dirty bomb or a nuclear bomb. Weve been very clear about that, Price said. Read also: Shoigus claims about dirty bomb intended to intimidate NATO, ISW says Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Oct. 23 held phone talks with his U.S. French, UK and Turkish counterparts. During the calls, Shoigu expressed concern to his colleagues that Ukraine was allegedly preparing false flag attacks with the use of a dirty bomb. Read also: What are dirty bombs and what you should know Shoigu provided no evidence to back his claims. Ukraine immediately said that Russia was setting the stage for its own use of a dirty bomb in Ukraine in a false flag attack that the Kremlin would blame on Ukraine. Following Shoigus unsupported allegations, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held talks with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi on Oct. 24. Grossi agreed to urgently send experts to two civil nuclear facilities in Ukraine that Russia had claimed to be developing a dirty bomb. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine (iStock) Bladder leaks. Burning pain in your vagina. Hair loss. What would you do if these things suddenly started happening to you, but every doctor said there was nothing more they could do to help? This is everyday life for many of the 13 million women currently going through the menopause. And while these afflictions are common, they can be hard to treat particularly for those who do not want to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT), such as those at a high risk of breast cancer. Now many women are turning to a new range of radical and often surprising cures for the frustrations of the ageing body. One in three women over 50 is living with pelvic-floor weakness, for example a condition that can be caused or exacerbated by the huge drop in oestrogen that occurs at menopause and causes those embarrassing bladder issues. The fact that its extremely common doesnt make it any less annoying to deal with, as 53-year-old Sandra, from Kent, knows only too well. The after-effects of two traumatic births started to catch up with her and her bladder once menopause began. The leakage just got worse and worse, probably over a year or so. You just think, oh no, surely Ive not got to use these pads every day for the rest of my life? she says. I got to the point a couple of months ago where I just felt really stressed with it. Frustrated by the lack of support from NHS doctors, Sandra and her husband started researching new treatments for menopause symptoms. Now, twice a week, Sandra travels to a local clinic to sit down for half an hour and flick through a magazine while sitting on the Emsella Chair an electromagnetic seat that sends a current through her body, which forces the entire pelvic floor muscle to contract. A short course of the treatment, she claims, has really changed my life. The seat is occupied while she is fully clothed and a 28-minute session is the equivalent to doing 11,000 pelvic-floor exercises. Its a strange feeling, Sandra explains. The only way I can describe it is like when you have a plastic helix ruler and snap it on the corner of a table the vibrating is just like that. Its not painful its like a drumming in your pelvic muscles, and you can feel them pulling right up. Story continues One course of six sessions on the chair, costing around 1,200 and delivered over three weeks, is enough to help prevent leaking and bladder weakness for at least a year, often longer, and Sandra has seen immediate results. Theres definitely a difference. To be able to not have to worry when youre on the go, in places where theres not a toilet around, is so great, she says. According to Dr Shirin Lakhani, who prescribes the use of the Emsella Chair to patients in her private clinic, the treatment which stimulates the pelvic floor and does supersonic kegels for you has a 98 per cent satisfaction rating among her own clients. She believes the novel treatment should be offered routinely on the NHS, particularly as incontinence is the most common reason for women to be placed in nursing care later in life. The Emsella Chair is just one of a number of radical new approaches being used in private practice in order to tackle troubling menopause symptoms. Another technique used by Dr Lakhani is a new application of the so-called vampire facial, a procedure that takes concentrated plasma from the blood of the patient and injects it at certain sites in the body to help stimulate cell regrowth and regeneration. If youve heard of them already, thank Gwyneth Paltrow she got one on her Goop Lab Netflix show for a very different reason. These PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injectables are hugely popular for aesthetic purposes such as curbing the signs of ageing on the face. But now theyre being used for a whole other purpose. I use PRP for women to inject into the vagina and clitoris to regenerate the whole area Dr Shirin Lakhani Dr Lakhani uses PRP injections to help boost the growth and health of the vulva and vagina after menopause. Its an alternative to using hormone replacement therapy for those suffering from vaginal atrophy and related symptoms such as pain, dryness and recurrent bladder infections. When you take the blood and use the concentrated plasma, which has a higher concentration of platelets, you can use it to rejuvenate different parts of the body, she explains. I use it for women to inject into the vagina and clitoris to regenerate the whole area. The NHS is trialling PRP treatments for joint conditions including arthritis, but it so far lacks the data to prescribe it for the symptoms of menopause a situation Dr Lakhani hopes will change soon. Theres already growing evidence that these injections help to treat more severe, incurable illnesses experienced by women after menopause such as lichen sclerosus, a condition that causes patchy, thinning and discoloured skin around the genital and anal areas. Its something that Denise, who is 70 and from Bedfordshire, suffers from. Before she started treatment, she was sitting on a bidet for almost an hour a day just to calm her symptoms. She had also abandoned wearing trousers, choosing only loose skirts as any restrictive clothing was unbearable for her. The NHS offers little in the way of alternative therapies for people with the menopause (Getty Images) If I sit down for too long, its very uncomfortable and feels like burning. When Im standing up and keeping occupied its not so bad, but when I sit down again it hurts, she explains. Denise is in a Facebook group for lichen sclerosus patients and has tried multiple medical and holistic treatments, but none gave her longer-term relief. She read that PRP treatment has the potential to boost the bodys own healing of the vaginal area, with results lasting for years, so she decided to give the injection known as the O-Shot because it is also used in younger women to increase the sensation of orgasm a chance. At first her sensation of pain increased, particularly around the anus, but after a few weeks the healing began. Now I feel quite comfortable, so Im thinking that its working and it can only get better. I also feel things are a bit plumper, she says. Denise is yet to try on her trousers again, but she thinks as the healing improves that shell be ready to get back into her old wardrobe something that disappeared overnight when she was first diagnosed. Also using PRP in his clinic is hair-loss specialist Dr Furqan Raja. He sees many women who first believe they will need a full hair transplant to treat the hormonal hair loss they are suffering. Dr Raja recommends a less invasive method: he is successfully treating post-menopausal hair thinning with these injectables even though the use of it is still a radical new application of the technology at this stage and, he admits, doesnt work for everyone. Some people do much better than others, he says. But its your own plasma were using, so the side effect profile is [minimal], and were delivering stem cells and growth factors to those areas. We tend to have a good patient satisfaction rate with that treatment. One of his trial patients is Louisa, a 48-year-old from West Yorkshire, who considered her hair pre-menopause as her pride and joy. When it started thinning as a result of menopause it really impacted my confidence, she explains. Louisa tried three sessions of PRP after three months and found the treatment to be successful, describing her hair as now thicker and healthy thanks to injections of the growth-boosting serum. More popular for thinning hair is the use of microneedling, a technique that also injects stem cells into the scalp. Were delivering the bodys healing signals to those areas of loss by injecting stem cells. They will signal the cells to start the healing process and improve the blood circulation. They tend to improve in quality and thickness. You tend to see an improvement in the volume. All these treatments are still in their infancy; their use in tackling the frustrating side effects of menopause remains experimental. But private doctors are reporting exciting results from their clients, and NHS treatment guidelines are considering their introduction to a wider population. And yet, with NHS menopause care currently focused on HRT, women who could benefit from alternative options are missing out. Those who can afford to pay privately are benefiting from a greater quality of life while those who cannot are forced to suffer needlessly, widening the health gap between the richest and poorest communities. As the reports from private practice show, these experimental techniques are having positive, sometimes even life-changing, results meaning its high time that the NHS began to invest in the health and comfort of older women. BEIJING (Reuters) - The chief of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong will visit China next week on the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Vietnam's government said on Tuesday, in a rare overseas trip by the ageing leader. The visit to Beijing will take place from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 the government said, without elaborating. It was also reported in Chinese state media on Tuesday. Trong, 78, on Sunday sent a message to Xi congratulating him on his precedent-breaking third term as party chief, expressing hope of "further strengthening political trust, and setting a great direction for future development of the relationship between the two countries." China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and a key source of imports for its fast-growing economy, including raw materials and machinery for its crucial manufacturing sector. Bilateral trade rose 10.2% in the first nine months of this year from a year earlier to $132.38 billion, according to official Vietnamese data, nearly 70% of that imports to Vietnam. Though the two neighbours have a long history of mistrust and territorial disputes, including over islands and waters in the South China Sea, their Communist parties remain officially close. Like Xi, Trong has also stayed on as party chief beyond the usual tenure of one or two terms, cementing his influence in a party traditionally governed by consensus among its politburo and powerful central committee. His last trip abroad was to Cambodia. Vietnam and China are among the last five communist-ruled states in the world, along with Cuba, Laos and North Korea. (This story has been corrected to reflect Nguyen Phu Trong's last overseas trip was to Cambodia, not Russia in paragraph 7) (Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Khanh Vu in Hanoi; Editing by Martin Petty) A moment of silence was held Wednesday for the two women who were killed at Methodist Dallas Medical Center on Saturday morning. The two women, 43-year-old social worker Jacqueline Pokuaa and nurse Katie Flowers, 63, were shot and killed by a man who was there for the birth of his child, according to police and the hospital. The gunman has been identified as Nestor Hernandez, 30, a parolee who had received permission to be at the Dallas hospital while his girlfriend gave birth to their baby. Hernandez was convicted in a Dallas County aggravated robbery and sentenced to eight years in prison. He was released on Oct. 20, 2021, after serving six years of the term. After violating his probation twice, Hernandez was turned over to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which released him in September with an ankle monitor and approved his hospital visit, authorities said. According to press reports from Africa, Pokuaa was originally from Ghana. The University of Texas at Arlington told KDFW-TV that Pokuaa received her masters of social work from the university in 2019. Jacqueline Pokuaa, a 43-year-old social worker, was shot and killed Saturday at Dallas Methodist Hospital. Flowers, who family members said went by Annette, was a great caring nurse who love her job, a co-worker told WFAA-TV. She loved her daughters and grand-babies, a nurse told WFAA. She recently renovated her house and was looking forward to retirement. A GoFundMe has been set up for Flowers family, with all the donations going to pay for funeral services, costs associated with the estate and any other expenses that might be associated with her death. Annette is a hero in her line of work, a single mother to 4, and Grammie to 5 wonderful grandbabies, her friend Nikki Hinkley wrote in the description of the GoFundMe. The minute of silence, organized by the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, was held Wednesday from noon to 12:01 p.m., according to a release from the DFWHC. This is our way of offering our prayers and condolences to the two healthcare employees who tragically lost their lives as well as to their families and fellow employees, President and CEO of the hospital council Stephen Love said in the release. Its also an opportunity to create awareness of the increasing workplace violence at our hospitals. Our healthcare workforce has been dealing with this dangerous increase for a very long time. Story continues Two vigils that were planned for Wednesday night at the hospital were canceled, KDFW reported. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted that his office is working to help Pokuaas mother get a visa to come from Ghana for her funeral. Pokuaa also reportedly leaves behind a son. This is a big tragedy in the family, the community, in the medical field, Aba Amprofi-Halm of the Ghana Nurses Association told WFAA. When there is chaos, (Pokuaa was) very calm and thats her personality. And thats what she died doing ... she died helping. According to an arrest warrant affidavit reviewed by WFAA, Hernandez was visiting his girlfriend and baby in a room in the labor and delivery department when his behavior became strange. He made ominous phone calls and texts to his family, accused his girlfriend of cheating on him and searched the room for another person, according to the affidavit. Hernandez hit his girlfriend in the head with a handgun that he pulled from his pants, according to the affidavit. His girlfriend told police that Hernandez said, We are both going to die today, and, Whoever comes in this room is going to die with us, the affidavit states. Hernandez shot Pokuaa when she came into the room and shot Flowers when she heard the gunfire and looked into the room, according to the affidavit. A hospital police officer shot Hernandez in the leg before taking him into custody. Hernandezs girlfriend was treated for her injuries, and the newborn was not hurt in the incident, police said. In a statement to KDFW, a Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson said, There was not an indication that Hernandez would act out violently in a hospital and allowing him the ability to visit loved ones in that setting would not be out of the normal course of supervision. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said in a statement Monday that parole decisions and conditions are not made by the Dallas County District Attorneys Office or any judicial officer of Dallas County but by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Hernandez was transferred to another hospital for treatment after the shooting. He was released from that hospital Wednesday and booked into the Dallas County Jail, records show. He faces charges of capital murder. With two weeks until Election Day, incumbent New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) and Democratic challenger state Sen. Tom Sherman will debate live on New Hampshire Public Radio. The event will begin at 12 p.m. ET. Watch the video above. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Standing outside his TARDIS, the Tenth Doctor looks alarmed and confused. Well, this doesnt feel ominous at all. Right on the heels of Jodie Whittakers messy finale outing as the Time-Lord, Disney has announced that the future adventures of Doctor Who will be going straight to the Disney+ streaming service, assuming you live outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland, where the venerable sci-fi series will stay on the BBC. The switch begins with the three-episode Doctor Who special starring David Tennant as the /Tenth/ Fourteenth Doctor airing late in 2023. To be clear, Disney hasnt bought Doctor Who the franchise, just the broadcast rights, so dont worry that the Guardians of the Galaxy will be bumping into the TARDIS in the near future. But, of course, if Disney wanted to, they could literally drown every BBC executive in cash and take over the series the second it felt inclined, so... Read more It is the best of both worlds, returning showrunner Russell T. Davies said of the new teaming. The vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK. A new logo for a new era! Doctor Who returns in 2023 on the @BBC in the UK and @DisneyPlus in the rest of the world Read more here https://t.co/X7Z4Lfzr6J pic.twitter.com/FlGCp6GA5a Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 25, 2022 Davies also debuted the shows new logo, which looks a hell of a lot like the shows old logo from the 70s, during its heyday with Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. What that means for the shows future-past/past-future is anybodys guess. Story continues 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. Pregnancy tissue after an abortion at 6 weeks. (Dr. Joan Fleischman/MYA Network) Photos of what pregnancy tissue from early abortions at 5 to 9 weeks actually looks like have gone viral. The images, which were originally shared by MYA Network a network of physicians who provide early abortion services and published in the Guardian, look like small clusters of white tissue and are vastly different from what most people typically see online. The photos have, unsurprisingly, elicited strong reactions. Feminist author Jessica Valenti came under fire for sharing the images on her TikTok, with people calling her a liar and the photos fake because, as Valenti shared on TikTok, it doesnt align with what theyve been taught an abortion and a pregnancy is. However, several others tweeted about the importance of seeing photos like these. We need to change the images we use when we talk about abortion, one user tweeted, while another wrote after seeing the photos: Its comforting and empowering. Dr. Joan Fleischman, a family medicine physician and abortion care provider for 25 years, who co-founded MYA Network and gathered the tissues, tells Yahoo Life that a lot of imagery of early pregnancy is fully inaccurate. Womens health expert Dr. Jennifer Wider tells Yahoo Life that weeks 5 to 9 is the early time period in a pregnancy. At 5 weeks, the embryo is a mass of cells with a developing neural tube (pre-spinal cord and brain). The forming fetus is no larger than a grain of rice. Pregnancy tissue after an abortion at 5 weeks. (Dr. Joan Fleischman/MYA Network) I had no idea it looked like this Fleischman tells Yahoo Life that she uses a manual aspiration device for abortion procedures, noting its a very delicate device so the tissue does come out quite intact, as pictured in the photos. She adds: Everyone has had the same response, which is, I had no idea it looked like this because that cultural imagery is unchallenged. Some social media users questioned why there wasnt any blood in the images, while several claimed that the embryo must have been removed from the photos. However, Fleischman explains that the blood has been rinsed off and what remains is the gestational sac and the nascent (that is, just coming into existence) embryo, stating that there is no visible embryo at this stage. Story continues Ive never seen an embryo at 9 weeks because of the size, she says, adding that it would have to be magnified and noting that around 9 1/2 weeks you do start to see an embryo with the naked eye. Pregnancy tissue after an abortion at 9 weeks. (Dr. Joan Fleischman/MYA Network) Because of the blowback from sharing these images, Fleischman says she commissioned a report from a pathologist to review them. In the report shared on Twitter by Guardian writer Poppy Noor, the pathologist, Dr. Emily Ryan, a clinical instructor in gynecological pathology at Stanford, wrote: These photos are good examples of what we as pathologists see when looking at curettage specimens. In evaluating pregnancy tissue 9 weeks and under, the tissue is nebulous and identifiable embryos are usually not seen. Fleischman says the image of tissue from an abortion at 6 weeks in particular is profound, since that is when Texas and Oklahomas abortion bans start. The Texas abortion ban has been called the heartbeat bill, which experts have called medically inaccurate. According to MYA Network, There is no heart at 6 weeks of pregnancy, but there are cells that will come together to form the heart, and those cells already beat. This is the motion that is seen on ultrasound and that people refer to as a heartbeat, but again there is not yet a formed heart. She shares that some patients in need of abortion care come into her office with so much heaviness, but if they see what the tissue actually looks like after an abortion, they feel 100% percent relief. Fleischman adds: Its a huge weight lifted. Pregnancy tissue after an abortion at 6 weeks. (Dr. Joan Fleischman/MYA Network) Why do people rarely see images like these? Its a perfect demonstration of choosing images that advance your own perspective, says Fleischman. She explains that when people are excited about their pregnancy, they want to see babylike images, noting that its incredible when youre excited and seeing that imagery and whats going on on this day. Theyre used medically to inspire people to take care of themselves. However, Fleischman says the anti-abortion-rights movement has really used similar babylike images so successfully in every aspect of what they do. Theyve really dominated whats on the internet. Wider agrees, saying: For some people, picturing a babylike image makes the idea of terminating a pregnancy unacceptable [but] at this early stage the embryo does not resemble a baby yet. The overturning of Roe v. Wade, followed by abortion bans being triggered in several states across the U.S., inspired Fleischman to share these images. When the criminality of abortion started to happen I was like, This imagery needs to be known publicly, she says. Fleischman says that while some will doubt the authenticity of these images, she hopes that seeing them will cause people to really grapple with what they thought early abortions looked like. How does this change how you feel? Nobody seems to be asking that question, she says. If you really let [these images] sink in, does that then impact your sense of denying this right to people? However, Wider acknowledges these images may not change the minds of people who are against abortion. Im not sure it changes the pro-life vs. pro-choice argument, because it really centers around the fundamental difference of when does life begin many pro-life people feel it begins at conception, she says. Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Sign up here. Up more than 800% over the last five years, Tesla TSLA shares have been a stellar investment. However, the fun has abruptly stopped in 2022, with the stock down more than 40% YTD and widely underperforming the general market. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Logistical issues have been a thorn in the companys side, with a hawkish Federal Reserve further spoiling the fun. Now, Tesla shares are back in the spotlight following recent news regarding price cuts for its electric vehicles (EVs) in China. As previously known, Tesla upped its EV prices in China due to rising material costs. Further, these reflect Teslas first price cuts in China in 2022, with the companys popular Model 3 and Y seeing their prices drop by as much as 9%. The market didnt react well to the news, with Tesla shares experiencing adverse price action in pre-market trading. Lets dive deeper into Teslas recent quarterly print and see how it currently stacks up. Tesla Q3 Tesla reported quarterly earnings of $1.05 per share, handily beating the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate of $0.95 by more than 10%. Revenue came in under expectations, with the $21.5 billion reported figure missing the Zacks Consensus Sales Estimate by roughly 4% but reflecting a 56% Y/Y uptick. Below is a chart illustrating the companys revenue on a quarterly basis. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Tesla delivered 343,830 vehicles throughout the quarter, which fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 356,163 by approximately 3.5%. Still, it was a quarterly record for the company. Further, over 365,000 vehicles were produced by Tesla during the quarter, which also fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate by roughly 3%. In a press release, Tesla shined a brighter light on the companys logistic struggles, stating, As our production volumes continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly challenging to secure vehicle transportation capacity and at a reasonable cost during these peak logistics weeks. Story continues Valuation & Growth Estimates Its no secret that Tesla shares are pricey, typical of high-growth stocks. The companys 7.9X forward price-to-sales ratio sits well above its 5.1X five-year median but is below highs of 23.9X in 2021. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research TSLA carries a Style Score of a D for Value. Still, Tesla is forecasted to grow at a rock-solid pace; earnings are projected to soar 80% in FY22 and a further 29% in FY23. The projected earnings growth comes on top of forecasted Y/Y revenue increases of 56% and 41% in FY22 and FY23, respectively. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Bottom Line Down deep in the red YTD, long-term investors have been presented with an opportunity to buy Tesla TSLA shares at levels not seen in some time. The companys valuation multiples have fallen extensively, perhaps enticing investors with a long-term horizon. Further, Tesla has a strong growth profile, with revenue and earnings forecasted to soar by double-digit percentages in its current fiscal year and next. Look out for the companys next quarterly print the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate of $1.17 suggests Y/Y earnings growth of more than 35%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The case against the man charged in the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade massacre will soon go to the jury. Here are answers to questions that have come up during Darrell Brooks Jr.'s three-week trial which has featured both heart-wrenching eye-witness testimony and frustrating delays as Brooks, 40, acting as his own attorney, engaged Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow in repeated interruption and argument. Who's the jury? Dorow and the lawyers (Brooks had been represented by two public defenders until shortly before trial) used an extensive questionnaire to help whittle down a much larger than normal pool of potential jurors, before the final selection process, known as voir dire, took place in court. Sixteen people, ten men and six women, all white, have been hearing the case. How will deliberations occur? Four members of the jury will be selected at random as alternates prior to deliberations. While they all have been allowed to go home each night during the trial, after daily admonitions not to read or watch coverage of the case, that will change Tuesday. The jury will be sequestered at an area hotel until it reaches the verdicts. How long will it take for a verdict? Given the paucity of Brooks' defense, many observers expect the jury to decide matters rather quickly. But the fact jurors must go through and consider 76 charges means it could take hours regardless of how quickly the jury might agree on the final outcome. More:Brooks forfeits his right to testify, Dorow rules More:What to know about Jennifer Dorow, the judge presiding over the Darrell Brooks trial Could Brooks face the death penalty in Wisconsin if convicted? No. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty. If Brooks is convicted of any of the six counts of first-degree intentional homicide, he would face a mandatory life sentence. Even if he were acquitted of those counts, he could still face life in prison if the judge gave him lesser, but consecutive sentences on dozens of charges of recklessly endangering safety of other parade participants and spectators. The charge carries a penalty of up to 7 years in prison, plus five more years if a dangerous weapon (like a car) was used. Story continues What is jury nullification and could it apply to Brooks? Jury nullification refers to when a jury ignores the law and acquits someone who is technically guilty. Lawyers can't openly argue for it, and Brooks can't either, but some of his questions and comments during the trial have hinted that he might see that as his only chance. While rare, nullification does come up in emotional cases like those involving anti-abortion activists, tax protesters and some drug cases but also in any case where the jury can be persuaded that to follow the law would be an injustice. There's even a national organization devoted to the topic that believes juries should always be told, not just the law applicable to the case they're considering, but also that they have the power and authority to follow their conscience. According to the Fully Informed Jury Association website, the primary purpose of the jury is "to protect fellow citizens from tyrannical abuses of power by government." That doesn't seem likely for Brooks. How was the trial affected by Brooks' decision to represent himself without attorneys? During the trial, Brooks' behavior ate up hours of time unrelated to the presentation of evidence and testimony. He frequently talked over and interrupted the judge, and repeatedly was removed to an adjacent courtroom where he could participate via audio-visual equipment. Once he would calm down and agreed to observe court decorum, Dorow would allow him back. Why was Brooks constantly bringing up subject matter jurisdiction? Another aspect of the trial's slow pace was Brooks' claim to be a sovereign citizen, and his use of the movement's unfounded legal arguments. Brooks constantly challenged Judge Dorow's credentials and performance. For instance, when she would cite a statute or case law about a ruling, he would respond, "Is that lawful law?" He also made a point, usually several times per day, that he didn't legally recognize his own name or consent to being called Darrell Brooks, in part because it was spelled in all capital letters in some court records. Does Brooks have a legal education? Not a formal one. He testified that he completed 11th grade. But he has been a defendant in criminal cases many times. He clearly picked up enough knowledge of trial procedure to raise some issues and ask some questions during cross-examination of state witnesses that were sharp enough to earn compliments from the judge. Most of those, however, were examples of form over substance, like harassing an elderly woman over a possible misstatement or observation that several other witnesses made or saw. What was Brooks' defense? Brooks made a teary opening statement at trial. Based on his cross-examination of state witnesses, and testimony from the few witnesses he called, he seemed to be looking for a basis to suggest prosecutors haven't clearly established he was the driver of the 2010 red Ford Escape that struck the victims. Will Brooks appeal any convictions? Probably. He appears to enjoy acting as his own attorney, and could try to do the same on appeal. Judge Dorow has tried to make a meticulous record of her rulings to Brooks' arguments, so that doesn't seem fertile ground for a successful appeal. Were Brooks' 6th Amendment rights violated? The sixth amendment entitles criminal defendants a right to a speedy public trial before an impartial jury, and to the assistance of counsel. Brooks very clearly waived his right to an attorney. He has argued that no jury drawn from Waukesha County could ever be impartial. The amendment also requires a defendant to "be informed of the nature and cause" of the charges. Brooks has continually stated he doesn't understand the "nature and cause of the charges." Was there any effort to plea bargain the case? Waukesha County District Attorney Sue Opper said she did extend an offer to Brooks, but it wasn't much incentive for him to avoid trial. It would have dismissed a few counts and all the "use of a deadly weapon" enhancers, but still resulted in six consecutive life sentences upon his guilty pleas to the first 67 counts. Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What's next in Darrell Brooks Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy trial? White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on October 24, 2022 (left) Elon Musk in Stavanger, Norway on August 29, 2022. The White House has said that Elon Musks recent deals, including his takeover of Twitter and operations of Starlink internet in Ukraine, are not under national security review. And while that would seem like a denial of the original reports from last week by Bloomberg News about the deals, theres seemingly still some wiggle room in what was said by President Joe Bidens press secretary on Monday. Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that members of the Biden administration were discussing whether the U.S. should subject some of Elon Musks ventures to national security reviews. The report didnt say that a security review was happening, just that there had been discussions. But the White House insists that the report is wrong. Read more The question from a reporter on Monday, according to the press conference that was livestreamed on YouTube: There have been some slightly conflicting reports about Elon Musk, because on one side theres been a report that he might be subjected to some kind of national security review. Theres been these... hes been kind of trolling on Twitter, communicating with Medvedev on Twitter. So theres been a little bit of confusion about what his role is there. And on the other side, theres been reports that hes in discussions or the government is in discussions with him about providing Starlink to Iran, or to the people protesting in Iran. So could you give an overview of like whats the administrations dealings with Elon Musk, whos obviously not somebody you know, hes an important person. The response from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: No, I... I know theres a lot of interest in this. Weve heard those reportings. Those reportings are not true. So well leave that there. The national security review, that is not true. And I really dont have more to say on that piece, as well... on the Elon Musk and what hes choosing to do and not to do. Im not going to say more from here. Story continues Youll notice that Jean-Pierres answer seems to suggest the White House is denying that a national security review has been instigated. But Jean-Pierres reluctance to elaborate any further seems like there could be the possibility that other members of the Biden administration were considering the possibility of a national security review. Musks financing for the $44 billion Twitter deal reportedly includes Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia and Qatars Sovereign Wealth Fund, two forces that could arguably exert pressure on the billionaire against content they dislike. Musk, who also relies on the Chinese Communist Partys largesse to operate his Tesla factory in Shanghai, has previously said hed like all legal speech to be permitted on Twitter once he takes over. Musk is also likely to reinstate people whove previously been banned from the social media platform, including former president Donald Trump, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and former Grand Wizard of the KKK David Duke. With Musk expected to also cut Twitter staff by 75%, the social media company should become quite the cesspool soon. But only time will tell. More from Gizmodo Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images The White House has said reports of national security reviews for Elon Musk's deals were false. The White House press secretary said in a briefing: "The national security review, that is not true." Bloomberg reported last week the US was weighing national security reviews for some of Elon Musk's ventures. The White House said on Monday reports that the US was mulling national security reviews of some of Elon Musk's deals were false. According to a Bloomberg report on Thursday, people with knowledge of the matter told the publication that Biden administration officials were considering national security reviews of certain ventures led by Musk, including his Twitter takeover deal and Starlink internet network. "I know there's a lot of interest in this. We've heard those reportings. Those reportings are not true," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a press briefing on Monday. "The national security review, that is not true." Jean-Pierre declined to comment any further on the matter. She said, "I really don't have more to say" on Elon Musk and "what he's choosing to do and not to do." The White House didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of US operating hours. Musk replied to the news on Twitter with a rolling-on-the-floor-laughing emoji. Bloomberg reported sources had said US officials were concerned that Musk's plans to purchase Twitter for $44 billion involved foreign investors, including Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and Binance Holdings, which was founded by a Chinese businessman. The people told Bloomberg that SpaceX's Starlink could also face a national security review after Musk tweeted a peace plan that seemed to favor Moscow's talking points and the aerospace company's warning about stopping Starlink in Ukraine, which had both worried officials. Per Bloomberg, which cited sources, Biden administration officials were looking at whether to subject Musk's ventures to a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which reviews foreign takeovers of US businesses. The CFIUS has the ability to recommend to President Joe Biden that he suspend or prohibit the deal for national security reasons, according to federal regulations. Read the original article on Business Insider Climate protesters demonstrate at the National Gallery in London Climate protesters hold a demonstration as they throw cans of tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh's aSunflowersa at the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom on Oct. 14, 2022. Credit - Just Stop Oil / Handout/Anadolu AgencyGetty Images European climate protesters have taken up a new tactic in the fight to curb global emissions: throwing food at famous paintings. The trend started earlier this month, when a pair of activists with climate group Just Stop Oil walked into the U.K.s National Gallery on Oct. 14 and hurled tomato soup at Sunflowers, an iconic painting by Vincent Van Gogh, before gluing their hands to the wall beneath the painting. Then, on Oct. 23, protesters affiliated with the German group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) threw mashed potatoes on Grainstacks by Claude Monet at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam, Germany, before also sticking their hands to the wall. The stunts didnt damage the paintings, which were protected by a pane of glass. These protests have certainly achieved the goal of catching the worlds attention, but for some used to seeing climate activists hold placards in the streets, these creative stunts may be a bit confounding: why throw food at art in the name of the climate crisis? For protesters, the point is partially to get attention, and also to illustrate the degree of complacency among the general public. What is worth more, art or life? one of the activists shouted at the National Gallery in London. Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet? Where did these protests come from? This months events arent isolated incidentsclimate protesters in the U.K., Germany, and Italy have been gluing themselves to celebrated artworks like Sandro Botticellis Primavera, and Thunderscape With Pyramus and Thisbe by Nicolas Poussin this summer, though the stunts hadnt previously involved throwing food. Activists from the 'Just Stop Oil' campaign group, with hands glued to the frame of the painting 'The Hay Wain' by English artist John Constable, but covered in a mock 'undated' version including roads and aircraft, protest against the use of fossil fuels, in the National Gallery in London on July 4, 2022. CARLOS JASSO/AFPGetty Images The art stunts come as perhaps the most eye-catching portions of larger campaigns. In the U.K. protesters with Just Stop Oil have been blocking roads around London as part of a daily barrage of civil resistance over the past month, which the group claims has resulted in 576 arrests. Theyve spray-painted the facade of the famous Harrods department store and an Aston Martin showroom, and, on Oct. 17, scaled support cables on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge outside the city, forcing police to shut down traffic over the Thames River. And this week in London, activists affiliated with the group smeared chocolate cake on a wax sculpture of King Charles III at Madame Tussauds, and splashed paint on the headquarters of a U.K. fossil fuels lobbying group. Story continues Protesters in Germany with Letzte Generation have used similar tactics, blocking roadways, and this June spraying the chancellery in Berlin with a black substance that looked like oil. Whats the goal of these protests? The groups have framed their efforts as campaigns of nonviolent civil disobedience, intended to draw peoples attention to the climate crisis, and what activists say are their governments woefully inadequate efforts to cut emissions. But the more specific goals of the protests differ. In Germany, the stunts have centered on demands to cut speed limits on the countrys highways to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) and to make public transit more affordable. Increasing use of public transportation and lowering speed limits for passenger vehicles would decrease vehicle emissions and cut fuel consumption. A Just Stop Oil demonstrator sprays an orange substance on an Aston Martin store in Mayfair on October 16, 2022 in London, England. Hollie AdamsGetty Images In the U.K., where former Prime Minister Liz Truss decimated much of the nations climate progress during her short tenure, the climate protesters messaging has revolved around spiking energy costs due to the war in Ukraine driving up fossil fuel prices, and the British governments move to allow oil and gas companies access to new drilling locations in the North Sea, which it claims would improve the countrys energy security. (Although the new fossil fuel exploration will not lower U.K. energy prices in the short term.) The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of oil crisis, Phoebe Plummer yelled in the National Gallery after throwing soup on the Van Gogh painting. Fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They cant even afford to heat a tin of soup. Have these protests been successful? While shutting down roadways certainly gets the attention of local commuters and civil authorities, the recent art stuntsboth of which were filmed and posted on social mediaare also clearly aimed at an international audience, with the purpose of shocking people out of complacency as emissions rise and the window to avert catastrophic temperature increases grows smaller. We are in a climate catastrophe and all you are afraid of is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting, shouted Mirjam Herrmann, 25, speaking in German, after splattering the Monet. When will you finally listen and stop business as usual? They certainly have sparked conversations. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly wrote online that people should stop giving these attention seeking adult-toddlers the coverage they clearly crave. Irish musician Bob Geldof, meanwhile, said the activists who threw soup on the Van Gogh painting were 1000% right. Theyre not killing anyone, he told the U.K.s Radio Times. Climate change will. For the activists, that attention is what matters. I recognize that it looks like a slightly ridiculous action, Plummer said in an interview the day after she appeared in court for her actions. I agree; it is ridiculous. But were not asking the question if everyone should be throwing soup on paintings. What were doing is getting the conversation going so we can ask the questions that matter. A pair of right-wing provocateurs pleaded guilty Monday to telecommunications fraud stemming from robocalls made shortly before the 2020 election. Jacob Wohl, 24, and Jack Burkman, 56, each pleaded guilty to one felony count, a spokesperson from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office confirmed. Both men were indicted in October 2020 on eight counts of telecommunications fraud and seven counts of bribery in connection with trying to influence voters through robocalls on Aug. 26, 2020, that included disinformation about mail-in voting ahead of the November election. The remaining charges were dismissed Monday, said Wohls attorney, Mark Wieczorek, who declined to comment on his client's guilty plea. NBC News has asked Burkmans attorney, Brian Joslyn, for comment. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney James Gutierrez said Burkman and Wohl were "held accountable" for infringing on voters' rights. These individuals infringed upon the right to vote, which is one of the most fundamental components of our democracy, Gutierrez said in a statement. By pleading guilty, they were held accountable for their un-American actions. Prosecutors said more than 8,100 of the robocalls went to phone numbers of residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, whose office's consumer protection division referred Wohl and Burkman for prosecution, said in a statement Monday that "voter intimidation wont be tolerated in Ohio. Burkman, of Arlington, Virginia, and Wohl, of Irvine, California, have been accused of trying to dissuade 85,000 voters in urban areas across the country, through robocalls that included misinformation about mail-in voting leading up to the 2020 election in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania and other states. Last year, New York Attorney General Letitia James sought $2.7 million in penalties over robocalls that reached nearly 5,500 New Yorkers and made false claims that personal information of mail-in voters would be given to law enforcement, debt collectors and the government. A settlement was announced this year. Burkman and Wohl have also been accused of targeting critics or perceived opponents of former President Donald Trump, with debunked allegations of sexual misconduct and other criminal activity. Some of their schemes have focused on then-Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren, as well as former special counsel Robert Mueller. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A woman performed an exorcism on a child to purge her of a demon, according to an arrest report from a Florida sheriffs office. The womans roommate told deputies that at around 9 p.m. on Oct. 21 she saw the woman, who is 33, on the phone with her sister praying and talking while a child vomited in the room, according to the report from the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. The roommate left for about 20 minutes, and when she came back, she saw the child had a makeshift noose made out of a robe tie around her neck, the report says. The child told the roommate that the woman was trying to get a suicidal demon out of her, according to the report. The child was scared and felt sick, the report says. The woman later told deputies the child was sick because she had eaten lobster the day before, according to the report. The woman is facing one count of child abuse, according to the sheriffs office. The woman, who lives in Seminole, about 25 southwest of Tampa, was released from jail on Oct. 23 on a $10,000 bond, according to Pinellas County jail records. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800 273-8255 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Bible gift at Atlanta airport was actually a meth-soaked rug, feds say Womans body found in container after family gets odd texts, New York police say Catholic friar blocked entry to Planned Parenthood with padlocks, bike locks, feds say Kenya gears up for expo to boost Sino-Kenya ties Xinhua) 09:13, October 25, 2022 NAIROBI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will host the fifth edition of the Kenya International Industrial Expo (KIIE) that is expected to boost Sino-Kenya ties, organizers said on Monday. Gao Wei, managing director of Afripeak Expo Kenya, told journalists in Nairobi, Kenya's capital that 130 companies mainly from China and other countries will showcase their products for the expo that is scheduled to take place on Nov. 3-5. "The Kenyan pavilion will also accommodate 20 local companies who will present their products and will have an opportunity to link to potential overseas buyers," Gao said. He observed that more than 5,000 professionals and merchants from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and other countries are expected to attend the exhibition, saying that the trade show will display advanced general and construction machinery, hardware, solar and other renewable energy products, auto parts, chemical products as well as medical equipment from China. Pius Rotich, general manager in charge of investment promotion at the Kenya Investment Authority said that the expo provides an opportunity for Kenya to enhance its industrialization drive through linkages and partnerships with Chinese firms. Rotich added that the exhibition also provides a unique platform for both government and private sectors from China and Kenya to cooperate on agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and construction which are the key sectors of priority for Kenya. "This expo is coming at a time when the government is working hard to revive businesses that had been affected by the pandemic and slowed down during the electioneering period," he noted. Rotich revealed that the trading platform is also ideal for Kenyan companies seeking new markets for tea, coffee, avocados and flowers in China. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) David Eby became the leader of the NDP last week, and thus the Premier Delegate for our province. So while we may have to wait a couple of weeks for Eby to be sworn in, he has already launched his 100-day-plan for his first months in office. I was eager to see what would be in this plan, as Eby only released a housing policy platform in his leadership bid. Anjali Appadurai, his disqualified environmental activist opponent (in the NDP leadership race), released far more policy announcements than Eby during the race, with well flushed out plans and ideas on healthcare, the environment, housing and mental health. Appadurai and I would not necessarily be aligned on issues, however I greatly admire her temerity in engagement, as she gave the residents of B.C. an idea of who she is, what she stands for and how she was going to fix the issues British Columbians face daily. Eby did not. So there was much anticipation for his 100-day plan. During his press conference, Eby (after officially becoming leader) he spoke of three major prioritieshealthcare, housing and safety. He also mentioned climate change and the cost of living. I think most would agree with that list, but there were no details of any actions that would work to solve these issues for British Columbians. Based on what little was in his plan, I dont know that his policies and direction will differ from the trajectory of the government under Premier John Horgan. Take prolific offenders for an example. For more than a year, as our cities crime rates skyrocket, the Urban Mayors Caucus asked for meetings with the former attorney general, and begged for action. Its members wrote letters detailing crime in their communities and the small number of prolific offenders responsible for these crimes. In the Legislative Assembly, the B.C. Liberals put forward solutions that could be taken immediately, including MLA Mike Morris asking for dedicated Crown counsel for prolific offenders. Numerous times, I asked for complex care facilities, which would serve those with mental health and addiction issues. And I debated the former attorney general during estimates, asking for municipal funding for those facilities. The B.C. Liberal caucus, through MLA Mike de Jong, suggested the use of a specific directive to Crown counsel. That directive would have Crown counsel asking the courts to hold prolific offenders in custody until their court date, instead of releasing them into the community, where they are likely to re-offend. Instead of considering these suggested solutions, and meeting with the Urban Mayors Caucus, then Eby, as then attorney general, commissioned a report that took four and a half months to be completed. Each day, on average, four people are attacked by strangers in downtown Vancouver. That number doesnt include what happens on our streets in Kelowna or other municipalities around the province. It means, that while Eby commissioned a report and chose inaction, more than 1,000 people were assaulted. And that while our future premier defended his catch-and-release program. So will we see shifts or changes in policy or direction on public safety with this new premier? I wouldnt hold my breath. Eby has been the Minister of Housing and the Attorney General for the last two years and six years respectively. He has been the minister in charge of two of the three areas where he promises dramatic action. I hope he brings that dramatic action. British Columbia needs and deserves action on these, and so many other issues. My question to you this week is: What would you like to see included in the 100-day plan of the new premier? I love hearing from you. Please email me at [email protected] or call the office at 250-712-3620. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. A recipe for spritz cookies is etched into the gravestone of a woman named Naomi Odessa Miller-Dawson, who has been buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York since she died in 2008 at 79 years old. Though the recipe only includes seven ingredients and leaves no instructions, temperature or time in the oven, the idea of the dessert appealed to Rosie Grant, a digital librarian living in the Washington, D.C. area. I think the spritz cookie is my favorite one to make, Grant told TODAY Food. Theyre very pretty. Theyre these cute little butter cookies. Woman bakes recipes she finds on gravestones, says 'they're to die for' (Courtesy Rosie Grant) Grant said that last year, while studying library science at the University of Maryland, a class she was taking had her create a social media account to learn firsthand how networks work. At the same time, Grant was interning in the archives of the Congressional Cemetery in the district, eternal home to such historic figures as J. Edgar Hoover, John Philip Sousa and a whole lot of senators. A professor suggested she combine the two parts of her studies, an idea Grant thought wouldnt have garnered as much interest as it has now. Her TikTok account, called @ghostlyarchive, initially started as a school project and became much more over time. Woman bakes recipes she finds on gravestones, says 'they're to die for' (Courtesy Rosie Grant) Grant said that after posting videos talking about her internship and others containing cemetery facts, like on cenotaphs, which are empty graves meant to commemorate those fallen during wartime, she broadened her horizons and posted lighthearted clips containing cemetery puns and little-known items of charnel interest like the link between beekeeping and graveyards. It was while regularly posting these videos on her TikTok that Grant discovered Miller-Dawsons spritz cookie recipe in her research and decided to make the recipe herself. Im going to start making recipes from gravestones, reads a caption on the first TikTok video in the series, which garnered 1.3 million views. Theres no instructions so Im guessing a lot / if a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie had a baby / theyre to die for. Story continues Grant said that shes new to the whole baking scene let alone baking from literal cryptic recipes forever emblazoned onto someones final resting place, so a lot of her viral journey has been spent troubleshooting and learning as she goes. I didnt know what a spritz cookie was at first, so I cooked it kind of like a sugar cookie, said Grant, adding that commenters on her TikTok suggested she invest in a spritz press. People were recommending different ways to make the cookies, so I read through all the comments to understand how to make the cookies correctly and made it again and again, she said. Grant had never really taken on baking as a hobby, but after such a fulfilling experience learning about Miller-Dawsons recipe gravestone, she discovered that this type of recipe is not exactly an anomaly. Woman bakes recipes she finds on gravestones, says 'they're to die for' (Courtesy Rosie Grant) She discovered the gravesite of Kay Andrews, which has her fudge recipe engraved on a tablet in Utah. Another woman named Ida Kleinman in Israel had her signature nut rolls emblazoned on her tomb. There are so many recipes like these, and Grant plans on documenting her journey in making as many as she can. Just a few weeks ago, a woman reached out and her mother has a savory cheese dip recipe on her gravestone, which is so good, Grant said, adding that shes already cooked it once and was swiftly told by her followers that she made it incorrectly. Ive gotten the ingredients to do it again, which is all part of learning how to cook, she said. Woman bakes recipes she finds on gravestones, says 'they're to die for' (Courtesy Rosie Grant) Grant said she has made "12 or 13" of these recipes, adding that the response to her account has ranged from baking-technique talk to the celebration of the lives (and signature recipes) of late loved ones. More often than not, folks have been looking at these unique headstones as a memorialization of the flavor-packed lives these people lived rather than a signifier of their ending. People will comment what they would want to put on their gravestone if they had to pick a recipe, or some people say things like, Oh, snickerdoodles, my mom made it this way. And so theres just this whole nostalgic connection, which has been really cool, Grant said. Woman bakes recipes she finds on gravestones, says 'they're to die for' (Courtesy Rosie Grant) As for the experience of finding a very atypical niche in the culinary social media space, Grant said the connection of food and loss is as interconnected as life and death itself, if you think about it. When were in mourning, food is very comforting to us, said Grant, pointing to such cultural touchstones as Texas funeral cakes and Black funeral food traditions as examples. These recipes feel like a more tactile, all-senses-included way to remember someone rather than only using your memory. But when youre eating grandmas special cake or cookie or whatever it is, you feel a little bit more connected to her. This article was originally published on TODAY.com A woman sent a scammer she met online $93,000 after he claimed he was her former classmate, according to a South Carolina sheriffs office. The scammer met the woman online in December 2020, telling her that he knew her because they went to high school together, according to a news release from the Oconee County Sheriffs Office. He also told her that he lived in Russia. The two communicated online and texted each other, the release says. He often changed his name and the location where he claimed to be living. In March 2021, he asked the woman for money because he said his son had been hospitalized after a car crash, according to the sheriffs office. The woman sent him a total of $93,000 in bank transfers and gift cards, the release says. The woman filed a report about the scam with the sheriffs office in September, Oconee County Sheriffs Office Master Deputy Jimmy Watt told McClatchy News. The scammer has not been identified and charges havent been filed, he said. Its extremely hard to pinpoint exactly where this person was when they were initiating all this contact, he said. Unless we can prove through evidence that the scams originate inside of our county, prosecution is pretty much extremely difficult. Many peoples personal identifying information can be found by scammers on the dark web, Bailey Parker, director of communications for the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, told the Oconee County Sheriffs Office. The dark web is a part of the internet that requires a special anonymizing browser called a Tor to be accessed. It cannot be viewed via normal search engines. Most information winds up on the dark web through a type of security breach, Parker said. ...[B]usinesses we are using on a daily basis, whether it is the gas stations or grocery store or even the health care organization you go to, they are victims of security breaches, she said. Hackers, and criminals in general, are targeting these large businesses because they know that (these) businesses have tons of your personal identifying information. Story continues Scammers and cybercriminals who get personal information, such as credit card numbers and social security numbers, on the dark web then often sell them or keep them for personal use, the release says. In the release, Watt warned residents not to give money to anyone they meet online. The Oconee County Sheriffs Office is located in Walhalla, about 45 miles southwest of Greenville. Watt also said a telltale sign of a scammer is someone who requests money via a type of prepaid card, such as a gift card. The FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center received an average of 552,000 complaints about a variety of internet scams across the globe each year between 2017 and 2021, according to the agencys latest annual report published in 2021. That year, the agency received 847,376 complaints and reported total losses to scammers of about $6.9 billion. We have seen variations on this kind of scam, from a sweetheart scam or someone who needs money for a family emergency, Watt said. Scammers can be very adept at building online relationships with people. Cryptocurrency scammers are preying on TikTok users, experts say. How to stay safe Catholic church worker wrote 198 checks to herself and stole $451K in Oklahoma, feds say Psychic healer cons couple out of $70,000, and there may be more victims, GA cops say Employees at some of the countrys biggest companies who lacked sick pay or family leave quit at significantly higher rates than other workers during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a congressional report released Tuesday the latest indication how the absence of social safety net policies in the U.S. can affect the labor force. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis issued the report based on internal data from 12 major firms: AT&T, Berkshire Hathaway, Boeing, Chevron, Cisco, Citigroup, Comcast, ExxonMobil, Oracle, Salesforce, Walmart and The Walt Disney Co. (Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.) Such internal data is not typically available to investigators and researchers studying workplace equity. The Democratic-led committee selected the companies based on reports that each had more than 1,000 layoffs during the pandemic. Republicans on the committee did not participate in the report. The subcommittees chairman, James Clyburn of South Carolina, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said in a statement that the report underscored the need to enact a universal paid leave program. American workers deserve to know that, no matter what crisis they may face, they will not have to choose between keeping their families fed and caring for themselves and their loved ones, he said. Leave and retention Most of the companies the committee surveyed said they provided paid sick leave to all workers; a quarter did not. The report found that workers without paid sick leave quit at three to four times the rate of comparable workers from 2019 to 2021. Part-time workers fared especially poorly, with 55% having no access to paid sick leave, compared with 14% of full-time workers, according to Labor Department statistics from early in the pandemic, cited in the report. The report did not break down outcomes by company. The study found similar outcomes when it looked at workers with family and caregiving leave. When workers took advantage of the benefit, they quit at lower rates and had higher rates of raises and promotions. Story continues The report offers another snapshot of how the fault lines of race, sex and class have showed up as inequities in the labor market during the coronavirus crisis. Experts have said many front-line workers lack of robust protections such as sick pay and stringent Covid-19 safety precautions contributed to the countrys struggle to contain the virus during the first two years of the pandemic and to the disproportionate burdens faced by minority and lower-income populations. The U.S. and South Korea are the only two members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development a group that represents 38 countries, including most of the top economies in the world without national paid-leave requirements for workers. About a quarter of workers in the U.S. do not have paid sick leave, a proportion that is higher among lower-wage workers. Congress created a temporary paid sick-leave requirement for companies with 50 to 500 employees at the beginning of the pandemic, but the mandate expired at the end of 2020. After Democrats won back the White House and the Senate, they pushed to make sick leave and family leave policies permanent but dropped the provisions from legislation in contentious negotiations last year. Workers that are the most vulnerable overall on the basis of race or being hourly employees suffer the most when times get tough, whether were talking about the pandemic or anything else, said Rebecca Givan, an associate professor of labor studies at Rutgers University. Employers are not doing anything to undo that. The hourly divide The report also underscores a point some labor activists have made since complaints about labor shortages began dominating political discussions in the middle of last year: Low pay and a lack of benefits were factors in the recruiting challenges and the increase in workforce attrition during the pandemic. Salaried workers who typically enjoy more benefits and stability fared better in the congressional report than hourly workers within companies. Hourly workers were fired more frequently and were more likely to quit, the study found. Black hourly employees, for example, were fired at higher rates than their salaried counterparts 75% of the time, while Latino hourly workers were terminated at higher rates than Latino salaried workers 44% of the time. The divide between salaried and hourly workers highlighted other workplace disparities. Female hourly workers experienced worse outcomes than male hourly workers 30% of the time, but among salaried workers, the difference was less than 10%. Women paid by the hour were far less likely to get raises, compared with their male counterparts, than salaried women were. Both Black and Asian hourly workers were less likely to be promoted than their white counterparts, while Black hourly workers were fired at higher rates than white ones. Aged out Workers who were 55 or older were 17% more likely to become unemployed during the first six months of the pandemic than younger workers, according to a previous study by AARP, and job loss within that demographic was more often than not involuntary, the report said. The congressional survey data backed up the earlier numbers, finding that workers over 50 quit, resigned or retired at lower rates than younger workers from 2019 to 2021. The subcommittee called for better data from companies and federal agencies on workforce demographics and benefits, and it said a universal paid leave program was critical. A universal paid sick leave program would be particularly beneficial to hourly workers, who often lack the ability to stay home when sick, it said. Ensuring that all American workers have access to these benefits would also enhance the nations preparedness for any future health crises. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com BERLIN (Reuters) - The world must not squander time but help Ukrainians rebuild their country swiftly, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, adding the EU was ready to coordinate the reconstruction measures with a secretariat. "We have no time to waste, the scale of destruction is staggering. The World Bank puts the cost of the damage at 350 billion euros ($345 billion)," she told a reconstruction conference for Ukraine in Berlin. Von der Leyen said an international coordination platform for the reconstruction needed to launch "as soon as possible, preferable before the end of the year or early at the beginning of next year", adding the EU's executive Commission was ready to provide the secretariat to it. ($1 = 1.0139 euros) (Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Rachel More; Editing by Maria Sheahan) Columbus Dispatch Metro columnist Theodore Decker This column contains a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a behavioral health crisis, you can call the national Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255/TALK (1-888-628-9454 for Spanish speakers) This time of year I find myself thinking often about a friend of mine, who died 13 years ago yesterday. I've worked with many fine reporters through my 30 years in print journalism. Pete Shellem of The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the finest. He was a courts reporter with a knack for sniffing out wrongful convictions. In Pete's obituary in The New York Times, renowned criminal defense lawyer Barry Scheck called him "a one-man journalism innocence project." I've written about Pete several times, usually in the context of seeking help if you're having suicidal thoughts, or to reflect on the importance of local journalism. Today's column falls in the latter category. In thinking about Pete recently, I Google searched the name of a man he had written about named Barry Laughman. Barry was sentenced to life in prison for the 1987 murder and rape of his elderly relative, Edna Laughman, in rural Pennsylvania. He was released in 2003, after 16 years behind bars. The news that I stumbled across just recently had broken last summer, when Pennsylvania State Police announced they had arrested another relative and charged him in Edna Laughman's death. The arrest came after advanced DNA testing linked this new suspect to the murder. Authorities were puffing out their chests about this break in the case. "Today, nearly 34 years later, due to advances in genetic genealogy and the hard work by the members of the Pennsylvania State Police and other partners, we're here to announce an arrest in this investigation," said Lt. Mark A. Magyar. Reading that, and similarly self-congratulatory remarks, I darn near blew a gasket. Why? Because as much as state police in Pennsylvania would love to change the narrative surrounding the death of Edna Laughman, here's what really happened. Story continues The same agency now taking credit for solving this case was directly responsible for a gross miscarriage of justice that led to the incarceration of an innocent man and the long-unsolved murder of the 85-year-old victim. State police and prosecutors secured the conviction of Barry Laughman, a man with a significant intellectual disability, through a rotten stew of coercion, junk science and investigative tunnel vision. Tangled up in this investigation was an egomaniacal investigator who fancied himself Columbo and a discredited state police chemist with a track record of fudging crucial evidence. They ignored or deliberately twisted evidence that pointed to Barry Laughman's innocence and later attacked Pete's reporting when he called them out on it. It doesn't stop there. Key DNA evidence in the case was lost, and it was Pete who tracked it down to the freezer of a Pennsylvania State University professor who was teaching in Leipzig, Germany. The professor had held onto it, but nobody ever came calling until Pete, that is. That evidence ultimately exonerated Barry. I am not casting aspersions on the work done by the current cast of Pennsylvania State Police in the past few years to identify and charge Chris Speelman, another relative and former neighbor of Edna Laughman who is now accused of her murder, rape and robbery. But the reality is this: if Pete Shellem hadn't started poking around, the Pennsylvania state police would almost certainly not have been looking for the true killer. They had no reason to; they were sure they already had him locked up. Their own employees had railroaded him. The Pennsylvania State Police don't get to claim 'hero' in the case of Edna Laughman. For years after Pete died, I dwelled on the reporting void that he left behind, on the wrongfully convicted inmates who unquestionably remain incarcerated in Pennsylvania because Pete wasn't around to listen to them. In more-recent years though, I've tried to stay positive, to look for Pete's spirit in new reporting. As the date of his death approached again this year, I didn't have to hunt long or hard. Take a look at recent reporting on Ohio's juvenile prisons by Laura A. Bischoff, a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. Her digging has revealed that staffing shortages, chronic violence, and widespread mismanagement have thrown the state's juvenile prison system into chaos, putting youths and prison staff alike in sometimes grave danger. More:'I'm not dropping this.' Wife of guard assaulted in Ohio youth prison blames the state The state of local journalism these days is precarious, marked by declining readership, layoffs and economic setbacks, many that are self-inflicted. Morale, to put it mildly, could be better. But the sort of work that Pete did, that Laura and others do, matters. If you agree, it might be nice to drop Laura an email and tell her so. Theodore Decker is the Dispatch metro columnist. tdecker@dispatch.com @Theodore_Decker This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Just-exposed youth prison system troubles show local reporting matters Family members of three of the four men who disappeared and were later found killed in a river earlier this month have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the person of interest in the case, Joseph Kennedy, and his wife, Sandra Kennedy. FOX23 obtained a copy of the suit, filed in an Okmulgee County court Tuesday morning. The suit names Megan Gordon, Jessica Chastain and Karen Sparks as plaintiffs, on behalf of their relatives Billy Chastain, Mark Chastain and Mike Sparks respectively. The relatives are being represented by Robert Seacat. He said the petition is holding Joseph responsible for the three deaths. Theres a lot of circumstantial evidence at this point that points to Joseph Kennedy as the perpetrator and causing the deaths of these individuals, said Seacat. The petition alleges Joseph knowingly caused the death of Billy Chastain, Mark Anthony Chastain and Mikel Tyrel Sparks, earlier this month. FOX23 has reported extensively since Mark Chastain, Billy Chastain, Alex Stevens, and Mike Sparks disappeared from Okmulgee earlier this month. GPS records traced one of the mens cell phones to two separate salvage yards in Okmulgee, owned by Joseph, in the hours after they disappeared. After several days of searching, authorities found the four mens bodies dismembered in the Deep Fork River. Police also said they found evidence of a violent incident in one of Josephs salvage yards. At that time, Okmulgee police named Joseph a person of interest. Okmulgee police also announced that Joseph had been reported missing. He was later found in Florida, driving a stolen car. Though no criminal charges have been filed on Joseph, and police have not named him a suspect in the murder case, Seacat said the evidence that has come out is enough for him to be sure. He said Josephs abrupt disappearance spoke volumes. He left. He went missing himself, and apparently he was arrested in Florida in a stolen vehicle. Those are the actions, in my opinion, of someone with a guilty mind that knows theyve committed a crime and theyre trying to avoid that, said Seacat. Story continues The petition is demanding $75,000 in damages for each plaintiff and calls for a temporary injunction so both Joseph and Sandra wouldnt be able to liquidate assets. Seacat said the injunction is the only reason Sandra is listed on the filing, and she is not being considered in the wrongful death allegations. I have no information whatsoever that she has any involvement or complicity in the murders themselves. The only reason shes listed as a defendant was to gain person jurisdiction over her so that the injunction could be directed at her as well, he said. Court records show Sandra filed for divorce on Oct. 19, the same day police in Florida arrested her husband. Seacat said that filing made him move quickly. Normally, I probably wouldnt have filed as quickly as I did, but on the 19th Sandra Kennedy filed a petition for dissolution of marriage, and in that filing she alleged that she should be awarded all of their real estate holdings, said Seacat. The divorce filing said Sandra and Joseph had purchased several parcels of real property in Okmulgee and McIntosh counties, and all right title and interest in said real property should be granted to [Sandra.] The wrongful death lawsuit also alleges sometime after the four men were reported missing, Joseph and Sandra sold all of the assets of a dumpster business they owned and operated to D.C. Hauling in Morris, Oklahoma. The suit claims Joseph went missing shortly after that sale. D.C. Hauling confirmed with FOX23 they did buy four containers and one truck from Joseph Friday, Oct. 14. They said they wrote two checks for Joseph, one for $9,500 and one for $5,500. D.C. Hauling said the deal was a normal business deal, and they had no knowledge at the time of any criminal matters that Joseph was involved with. Seacat explained, If I let this man and his family liquidate all his assets, there wont be any compensation. There wont be any justice for [the families]. So thats why I filed as quickly as I did, and why I sought and acquired this temporary injunction. On Tuesday, an Okmulgee District Court judge sustained the request for a temporary injunction, writing there is sufficient, credible information provided to the Court that demonstrates that the Defendants have sold property and have attempted to convey substantial amounts of property in an effort to avoid the Plaintiffs claims. Blaine Frierson, Sandras attorney, said he will fight the injunction. We dont believe the injunction is appropriate. She is half owner of the businesses, and shes carrying them on in day-to-day activity, said Frierson. He went on, We vehemently deny all allegations in the petition to my client as being patently false, and if we have to go to court, well prove that in court. Frierson plans to work with Seacat or take legal action regarding the injunction Im hopeful to work that out with the attorney. Ive known him a long time, and if not, well file a motion to dismiss in Okmulgee County District Court next week, he said. The lawsuit originally alleged in the filing that Sandra pawned numerous guns to a local pawn shop just after Josephs arrest. Seacat told FOX23 that his office believed this because the loved one of the deceased thought they recognized a gun that the pawnshop had posted on social media. Seacat explained that the loved one thought the gun belonged to the deceased. Law enforcement confirmed to Seacat Tuesday that the gun in question does not belong to the deceased and was not sold to the shop by Sandra. Seacat said he will amend the petition and take out any language about the guns and the pawn shop. A hearing for the temporary injunction is set for Nov. 4. Editors Note: This article has been updated with the latest information. All the information in previous versions of this article was taken directly from court documents, which Seacat said will be amended. (NEXSTAR) Actor and WWE wrestler Kevin Nash has opened up about the death of his son Tristen, who passed away last week at the age of 26. Tristen, who had been working on his fathers podcast in recent months, died of cardiac arrest after suffering a seizure brought on by alcohol withdrawal, according to Nash. The seizure caused a cardiac arrest, Nash said on the latest episode of his Kliq THIS podcast. He was basically dead in his room on the floor with EMT working on him. And, they got him back, and got him in the ambulance, and tried to save his life. And, so, to the people at Halifax Hospital doctors and nurses I thank you. University faces blowback over school-branded beer after hazing-related death settlement Nash said he and his son had recently decided to quit drinking cold-turkey after a couple of incidents, including one in which Tristen was drinking beers during the podcast a few weeks back. I got pissed at him because he had had this situation, at the beginning of the year, where he was hospitalized for almost 60 days, Nash said. Nash said both he and Tristen agreed to cut out alcohol, and soon found themselves feeling not great during withdrawal. Nash also noted that alcohol withdrawal can increase the chance of seizures, a severe symptom called the most dramatic and dangerous component of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a study published with the National Institutes of Health. Nash added that he had already lost two friends to alcoholism, and now its taken my son. He is the sweetest, kindest, gentlest human being on Earth, Nash said of Tristen at one point, speaking of him in the present tense. Magic mushrooms could help heavy drinkers quit, study suggests Tristen, who died Wednesday, had been working as a podcast technician on Kliq THIS. He also played in a grunge band called The Builders, according to his Instagram account. Upon his passing, the Nash family issued a statement confirming his death and asking for privacy. Sean Oliver, the co-host of the Kliq THIS podcast, said at the time that Nash would address his sons passing in an upcoming episode. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A mobile vaccination centre in New York City (AP) A New York state Supreme Court judge has ordered that city workers who were fired in for refusing to get vaccinated must be reinstated and receive back pay. Judge Ralph Porzio said in a ruling issued on Monday that a New York City Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygeines order requiring its workers be vaccinated was capricious and arbitrary and had violated the states separation of powers doctrine. The case was filed by 16 employees of the New York City Department of Sanitation who were fired in October 2021 for failing to comply with a vaccine mandate. Its believed the order will also apply to the more than 1,400 city workers who were fired in February for refusing the vaccine mandate. Breaking more to come Photo: Chung Chow/BIV. Line-ups to board planes have become a common sight at YVR. Nearly four weeks after the Canadian government removed all COVID-19 travel restrictions, passenger traffic at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) remains below where it was at this time in 2019, according to the Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA). The VAA expects 382,950 passengers in the week ended October 30. That is down 8.5 per cent from the 418,385 travellers who either boarded or disembarked flights at the airport in the same week in 2019, according to VAA data. The good news is that traffic at the airport is up 76.1 per cent from the 217,442 passengers who either boarded or disembarked flights at the airport in the same week one year ago. Back in October 2021, the Canadian land border with the U.S. was closed to non-essential traffic and there was no cruise ship traffic. That left air travel as the only way for people vaccinated against COVID-19 to leave the country. The Canada-U.S. land border had closed in March 2020 to prevent the spread of the SARS-C0V-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. It then re-opened to non-essential travel by vaccinated people on Nov. 8, 2021. Further travel-restriction loosening happened at the start of this month, when Canada again allowed unvaccinated people to enter the country. Canada also ended its requirement that travellers wear masks on planes, trains and buses, making it more comfortable to travel. Random COVID-19 testing at airports ceased, minimizing inconvenience for tourists. Canada also made using its ArriveCan app voluntary, which was good news to those who found the app cumbersome. October is a shoulder-season month at YVR, as it was the fourth slowest month at the airport in 2019, with 2,064,711 passengers who either boarded or disembarked planes. That total was higher than November, January and February three years ago. Attorney General Jason Miyares was a special guest Tuesday afternoon at Liberty Universitys second annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Lunch. For the men and women that wear the uniform, we have such incredible appreciation for the work you do. I go to work in the morning and put on a tie, you go to work in the morning and put on a bulletproof vest, Miyares said to the audience gathered. Its unlike any job in America today. I call it the hardest job. Law enforcement members from Lynchburg and surrounding areas, including Altavista, Bedford, South Boston and Martinsville, attended the event. Before the event started, Miyares answered questions from local media about drugs, violent crime, voting and Operation Ceasefire, a crime-fighting strategy. In early September, Miyares office announced the Election Integrity Unit, a team of existing attorneys, investigators and paralegals from across various divisions in the attorney generals office that will provide legal advice to the state Department of Elections as well as investigate and prosecute violations of Virginia election law. The announcement came after reports of law enforcement investigations into alleged misconduct in the Nottoway County election office and disputes between an electoral board member and registrar, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. At Tuesdays event, Miyares, a Republican, told The News & Advance he believes ensuring a fair election is a bipartisan issue and he thinks, broadly, most Virginians agree. What I want is everybody to know what the law is, have confidence in our election system, so we can have free, fair elections, Miyares said. Some Republicans around the country have used election integrity as a rallying cry after President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020 and false claims of widespread election fraud spread. Miyares announcement last month about the Election Integrity Unitys creation was met with some criticism that those resources could be better allocated elsewhere. In an op-ed published last week in The Washington Post, Miyares noted there was no widespread voter fraud in Virginia or elsewhere in the country in the 2020 election but said the Election Integrity Unit had nothing to do with that rather, its intended to help his office more efficiently work on election matters and protect voting rights. Miyares on Tuesday also discussed Operation Ceasefire, as Lynchburg is an area selected by the attorney generals office for the effort, which is intended to be a comprehensive strategy to combat violent crime. The attorney general told reporters he and his office looked at the different cities that were affected by violent crime around the commonwealth. Miyares said Operation Ceasefire is as a three-step process: intervention programs for youths so they know not to join gang activity; prosecution for repeat violent offenders; and protection for witnesses of violent crimes, so they can feel comfortable coming forward. Miyares told reporters, What we have found is the best way to lower violence is to go after these repeat violent offenders and prosecute them and get them off our streets. Miyares said there has been an influx of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the commonwealth as well. He said he believes a person selling someone fentanyl knowingly is committing murder, comparing it to giving someone rat poison. What Im seeing all over the commonwealth are people that think they are taking something else, Miyares said. Martinsville Police Chief Eddie Cassady said the opioid pandemic hit his city really hard. There were a few years ago that we were number one in the state for opioid cases, Cassady told The News and Advance. There were about 70 people present and seated at roundtables in the Mountain View room of LUs School of Law on campus. Altavista Police Chief Tommy Merricks praised having an attorney general who wants to work with the police. We have not always had that in Virginia. Its good that he is about law and order, and hes about reaching out and helping and working with local departments to make sure all of the citizens are safe, Merricks said. Lynchburg Police Chief Ryan Zuidema said it was great to be invited to the event and said its always a good time when brave men and women of our departments can be recognized for the great work they do in the community. Zuidema mentioned the last few years have been challenging. Weve seen both the worst of society and at the same time, the best of society, Zuidema said. So its been challenging on the one front, and it required us to really assess a lot of what we did and how we did it. Fourth-graders in Virginia have suffered some of the largest declines in reading and math proficiency in the nation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a newly released national assessment. Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday placed blame for the grim results on his Democratic predecessors, and used the scores as an opportunity to announce plans to overhaul the states school accreditation system and toughen passing criteria for state standardized testing. Our nations children have experienced catastrophic learning loss, and Virginia students are among the hardest hit, Youngkin said at a news conference on Monday. We also must clearly recognize that the underpinnings to this catastrophic performance were decisions that were made long before wed ever heard of COVID-19. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as The Nations Report Card, shows that fourth-grade reading scores in Virginia fell by 10 points, the largest dip in the nation, since the last assessment in 2019. Fourth-grade math scores dropped by 11 points, a mark surpassed only by Delaware and the District of Columbia. Eighth-grade scores also fell in Virginia, with math scores down eight points, equal to the nationwide average, and eighth-grade reading scores down two points, which the National Center for Education Statistics said was not a statistically significant change. Virginias performance on the assessment, Youngkin said, clearly indicates that too many of Virginias leaders did not meet that obligation to provide excellent and outstanding education for our children. Although other research has already shown that the pandemic impeded student achievement, results from the national assessment released Monday give the most detailed and reliable measure yet of the pandemics effect on childrens learning. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said the two previous state administrations, under Democratic Govs. Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, systematically lowered standards for schools and lowered expectations for students. More than 20 years of gains have been completely wiped out, and this massive learning loss cannot be blamed solely on the pandemic because nearly half of the learning loss occurred before anyone in this room ever heard of COVID-19, Balow said. Balows assertions describe the trend in fourth-grade reading scores fairly well, but they do not apply consistently across other subjects and grade levels. Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, head of the state Senates Education and Health Committee, said now is not the time to point fingers at those who are no longer in leadership. In a time where we need proper leadership from the governor, instead of taking time off the road to find solutions to learning loss problems in Virginias schools, hed instead place the blame on previous administrations, Lucas said in a statement. While Youngkin is trying to prove he is fit for national leadership, he isnt dealing with the problems in his Commonwealth. We have staffing shortages in schools across Virginia, students arent receiving the proper resources to set every child up for success, and many schools need funding for structural improvements to increase the quality of education. Math scores in both fourth and eighth grade dipped slightly from 2017 to 2019 decreases of 1 and 3 points, respectively but only fell significantly since the 2019 assessment. And while eighth-grade reading scores fell more sharply between 2017 and 2019, Virginias scores had been roughly the same since 1998. But Republican leaders still took the opportunity to lay the blame on decisions made during the McAuliffe and Northam administrations. Failure is a choice, and past Democratic leaders chose to fail our students by prolonged school closures and lowering academic standards, said House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, in a statement. Look no further than to states that reopened schools sooner and their student achievement during the pandemic. The head of the federal center that administers the assessment said there is nothing in the data that shows a measurable difference in the performance between states and districts based solely on how long schools were closed. Del. Schyuler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, who is also a teacher, said one of the reasons for the decline in scores is a lack of funding. The General Assembly has underfunded public schools since the great recession in 2009. ... You had for over a decade a harshly GOP-controlled General Assembly, where school funding was kind of at the back of the bus, VanValkenburg said. Its like a welcome to the party moment where weve been talking about these things for five or six years. Maybe theyve been going under the radar, but these changes have been occurring. Theyve been occurring in a bipartisan way, and weve been making progress. Youngkin on Monday announced seven concrete actions to build on what he called his commitment to move Virginias educational system in the right direction. The governor, whose administration has said for months that the criteria for determining proficiency on the states Standards of Learning assessments are too lenient, doubled down on that stance on Monday. He called Virginias standards the lowest in the nation and said his top educational priority is for the state Department of Education to establish the highest passing threshold in the country by the time our students take SOL exams next spring. Youngkin acknowledged that such a move might result in further declines in scores in the short term but said he believes it will pay off in the long run. The data shows us that when we challenge our students and our teachers, they rise to the occasion, he said. Youngkin is also directing the Board of Education to overhaul the school accreditation system, which he said has masked the fact that we are failing too many of our students across the commonwealth. Last month, Youngkin and Balow had cast doubt on the states accreditation system, after the first year of ratings since the COVID-19 pandemic began showed that 89% of Virginia public schools are fully accredited a drop of just 3 percentage points from three years ago. Youngkin said Monday that the current accreditation model is difficult to understand, and a new system might include something like a letter grade. It needs to be as simple as understanding that you are not doing well, you are doing OK, or you are doing well, he said. The governor also challenged school divisions to spend the nearly $2 billion in federal COVID relief funds distributed as part of President Joe Bidens 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, saying the funds sit in the bank accounts of local schools. He called out five of Virginias largest school divisions by name including Richmond and Henrico and suggested that they use their remaining funds to bring back retired teachers to provide supplementary instruction before and after school, pay bonuses to teachers who improve test scores, or even provide direct subsidies to families to hire tutors for their children. U.S. Department of Education guidelines for the use of federal relief funds suggest that local school divisions can use the money to implement tutoring programs, including intensive or high-dosage tutoring, to offset pandemic-related learning loss, but it is unclear whether Youngkins suggestion of sending money directly to families to employ outside tutors would fall under the guidelines. School divisions submitted their plans for spending the most recent distribution of relief funds over a year ago and, in many cases, have already spent millions of what was allocated to them, but Youngkin directed Balow to require all school divisions to revamp their plans by Dec. 31. The money is in the bank. It should be spent on things that will get our kids back on track for success, Youngkin said. Thats why the money was given to put it to work. Bellevue University and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce & Community have announced plans to add a new Military Expo event as part of Nebraskas Official Veterans Parade put on annually by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce and Community. Both the parade and the expo will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5. Nebraskas Official Veterans Parade will start at 10 a.m. on Mission Avenue in Olde Towne. The Military Expo will run from noon to 3 p.m. after the parade concludes. The expo, featuring a variety of veteran-facing organizations and resources, is free to attend and open to the public. It will be held at the John B. Muller Administrative Services Building on the Bellevue University campus at 812 Bruin Blvd. Refreshments from local food trucks will be available for purchase. Expo attendees can visit with organization contacts and learn how the organizations support the veteran community and individual veterans. Expo organizer Matt Ritter said the new expo is an opportunity for the community to come together and expand on the Chambers Annual Veterans Parade celebration with an event that supports the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country. There are so many incredible resources for veterans here in Bellevue and Sarpy County," Ritter said in a news release. "Working together with the Bellevue chamber, we hope to let local residents and community members know where they can go to get veteran-focused support and resources. Organizations interested in exhibiting at the expo can register at bellevue.edu/event-forms/veterans-day-expo. There is no cost for exhibitors. Iowa authorities are investigating after a woman claimed that her father killed and buried dozens of women on their property in Thurman, Iowa. According to an article from Newsweek, which broke the story and spoke with the daughter about her allegations, the late Donald Studey had his children help dispose of at least 50 bodies on their rural five-acre property in Fremont County. Studey died in 2013 at the age of 75. His daughter estimated to Newsweek that he killed between 50 and 70 women over three decades, primarily in the 1970s and 80s. Most of the women were sex workers or transients lured by Studey from Omaha to his rural property, the daughter said. She told Newsweek that she came forward to Nebraska and Iowa authorities many times throughout the years but was unable to get anyone to take action. Forty-five years after the daughter says she first sounded the alarm about Studey, the Fremont County Sheriffs Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI are investigating her allegations. Mitch Mortvedt of the Iowa DCI says that available information is still very preliminary, but that law enforcement will follow the evidence wherever it leads. Were open-minded at this point, Mortvedt said. Let the information, and if there is any evidence, lead us in the right direction. Cadaver dogs searched the property on Friday and, according to Newsweek, the dogs signaled where a well once sat. In total, the dogs indicated the scent of decomposition at four sites on the property. Studeys daughter told Newsweek that her father would dump the bodies into a 90 to 100-foot-deep well on the property or bury them in the acres of forested hills. For law enforcement, the deep well presents a challenge. It has since been sealed, and excavation would be an expensive and laborious task. Mortvedt says that the FBI can help identify the best strategy for uncovering whats inside the well. You cant just start digging straight down, he said. The well is approximately 90 to 100 feet deep. Its an extremely large process. We would want to do it in the most effective way possible, as well as the safest way possible. Thurman is located about 40 miles south of Council Bluffs near the Iowa-Nebraska border. New details are emerging in the attack on an East Moline police sergeant who was critically injured Monday. Sgt. William "Billy" Lind and the man now accused of trying to kill him had encountered each other about two and a half hours before the incident, police and court records show. Adrian W. Rogers, 52, of East Moline, is charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery, according to Rock Island County court records. Police and the county prosecutor say Rogers struck Lind in the head, causing severe injuries, including skull fractures. Rogers then left Lind lying unconscious in or near the street, police said, adding that the officer's body camera captured the violence. It happened about 6:30 p.m. in the 1900 block of Morton Drive after Lind approached Rogers, who was a suspect in an arson investigation in Rock Island. The fire had been set just a few hours prior to the two men's encounter, police said. Rock Island firefighters responded to the blaze about 3:40 p.m. in the 1600 block of 12th Street, and Rogers is accused of knowing that a woman was inside the house at the time, police said. She escaped without injury, but the home sustained considerable damage. About 20 minutes after the fire, police said, Rogers walked into the East Moline Police Station and happened to speak with Sgt. Lind. This was about an hour before Lind learned Rogers was a suspect in the arson and more than two hours before Lind was injured. He wanted to talk to someone about a person who he said was a danger to people or children, Police Chief Jeff Ramsey said Tuesday of the encounter. He did not seek out Lind specifically, and it is just a coincidence that Lind spoke with Rogers. The chief said Rogers did not stay in the police station for long, and he was not communicating clearly. At about 5 p.m. Rock Island police issued a notice that identified Rogers as a suspect in the arson, records show. When Lind then located Rogers on Morton Drive about 90 minutes later, Rogers tried to walk away, police said. Lind advised Rogers he was not free to leave and attempted to subdue him, grabbing Rogers upper body, according to court records. Rogers then struck Lind in the face, police said, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. He was discovered by fellow officers who were responding to Lind's call for backup. At last report, Linds injuries were considered life threatening and he remained in critical condition at a Peoria hospital, where he was transported for advanced treatment of his head injuries. Rogers was arrested late Monday in Colona, according to the East Moline police. He also faces charges of aggravated arson and residential arson in relation to the Rock Island house fire, according to court documents. When firefighters arrived at the home, they found smoke and fire on the second story, but it was quickly under control, Rock Island Fire Chief Jeff Yerkey said at the scene Monday afternoon. At that time, the cause was under investigation. A Rock Island Police news release indicates that Rogers left the area before police officers and firefighters reached the scene. He was being held in the Rock Island County Jail late Tuesday but had not yet made a first appearance in either case. His bail was set at $1 million in relation to the attempted murder case, court records show. To be released, he would have to post a $100,000 bond. Rock Island police said the bail for the arson case was $500,000, but it was unclear Tuesday if that amount was in addition to or included in the bail amount set forth in the attempted murder case. This case remains under investigation and additional charges may be filed, Rock Island County States Attorneys Dora Villarreal wrote in a news release Tuesday. Our office would like to thank all our local law enforcement agencies and officers for their rapid response and assistance with these two incidents. Their experience and dedication led to the suspects quick apprehension. Anyone with information regarding the East Moline case can contact the East Moline police at 309-752-1555. The arson case is being jointly investigated by the Rock Island police and fire departments, according to the Rock Island police. Anyone with information can contact the police department at 309-732-2677. People with information can also contact Crime Stoppers of the Quad-Cities at 309-762-9500, or use the P3 Tips mobile app. East Moline Police were assisted by Silvis Police, Moline Police, Illinois State Police, Hampton Police, Colona Police, the Rock Island County Sheriffs Department, the FBI and the East Moline Fire Department. 2021 Officer of the Year Lind earned 2021 Officer of the Year honors from the Breakfast Optimist Club that serves the Illinois Quad-Cities. He was nominated for his work at the Quad-City Federal Gang Task Force. Lind spearheaded one of the largest cases in the task force for illegal drug and weapon distribution in the Quad-City area. He also worked to stop several shootings in the spring of 2021 between two gangs that led to multiple arrests for firearms violations. He also is involved with the Shop With a Cop and Holiday Food Baskets programs. Rogers released from prison in 2021 Rogers was released from the Federal Bureau of Prisons on July 1, 2021, after serving about 26 years for convictions related to drug trafficking and a bank robbery with a firearm. On Nov. 19, 1993, Rogers was involved in the armed robbery of the United Security Savings Bank of Davenport, according to federal court documents. Rogers, then 23, of Rock Island, and Reginald Walton, 25, of Davenport, made off with $53,429. Rogers already had been indicted by a federal grand jury on August 29, 1993, on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute cocaine after a joint investigation by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Internal Revenue Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency. He was out on bond on the drug trafficking-related charges when he committed the bank robbery. Two days after the bank robbery, Rogers attempted to fake his own death, according to news reports from the Quad-City Times and The Rock Island Argus. Those reports said Rogers had been walking along Molines Ben Butterworth Parkway with a female companion when she told authorities she became distracted, heard a splash and noticed Rogers was no longer at her side. Authorities dragged the Mississippi River but doubted the incident from the beginning. Rogers was later captured in Atlanta. On March 1, 1995, a federal jury found Rogers guilty of the bank robbery and of using a firearm during the commission of the crime. He was sentenced to 80 months, or six years and eight months, in federal prison for the robbery, and a consecutive sentence of 60 months, or five years, for the firearms offense. Those sentences were also consecutive to the 240-month (20-year) federal sentence that Rogers received for the cocaine-trafficking conviction. He was found to be a key figure in a Mexico-to-Los Angeles-to-Quad-Cities drug ring. Tom Loewy contributed to this story. 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. 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. Photo: The Canadian Press Ontario Power Generation signage is seen at a facility at the Darlington Power Complex, in Bowmanville, Ont., on May 31, 2019. The federal government's Canada Infrastructure Bank is putting nearly $1 billion toward the construction of the country's first small modular reactor, located at the site of an existing nuclear plant in Ontario. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston The federal government's Canada Infrastructure Bank is putting nearly $1 billion toward the construction of the country's first small modular reactor, located at the site of an existing nuclear plant in Ontario. Ontario Power Generation is developing the 300-megawatt project next to the 3,500-megawatt Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. Small modular reactors are nuclear facilities that are far smaller than traditional plants and this SMR would power about 300,000 homes. Government and industry officials at Tuesday's announcement touted SMRs as being a key part of getting to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. OPG president and CEO Ken Hartwick said this project is the first, but likely won't be the only one. "I think as we move forward on the first reactor, that first SMR, we'll design the site to probably build four at the site, but will only start the second one when we know we are successful on the first one," Hartwick said. The first Darlington SMR is set to start producing energy in 2028. Ontario is headed for an electricity supply crunch in the next several years, with the province and electricity system operator announcing a number of moves recently to try to get ahead of it. The province is seeking to extend the life of the Pickering nuclear station by a year to 2026 and is considering a refurbishment to get another 30 years out of it. It is also procuring more natural gas generation and electricity storage capacity, and rolling out energy efficiency programs. The efforts come as some nuclear facilities are set to go offline, fully or for refurbishment, and other generation contracts expire, while demand for electricity is rapidly accelerating due to growth in manufacturing and electric vehicles. Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith said this small modular technology will help meet those demands. "As we face increasing energy demand in Ontario as a result of a strong period of economic growth and increasing electrification, I know the first SMR here at Darlington will play an important role in providing reliable clean baseload power for our electricity grid," he said. Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the infrastructure bank is investing $970 million in the project. "Small modular reactors can be a key technology in delivering a net zero future," he said. "This is why the government of Canada is actively supporting the deployment and research in this area." Nuclear power is emissions-free, though it is often criticized as being expensive, carrying devastating consequences in the event of an accident, and producing nuclear waste that must be properly sealed away and stored for decades. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner blamed the Progressive Conservative government's cancellation of 750 green energy contracts early in its first term for the looming supply crunch. "People will pay the price in higher electricity bills for Doug Ford's decision to reject low cost renewable energy in favour of high cost SMRs," he said in a written statement. Smith said the cost of the project will be paid for through rates once the facility is producing energy. The Ethiopian government and Tigray rebels have arrived in South Africa for peace talks convened by the African Union (AU) that are hailed as the most serious effort to date aimed at finding a solution to the catastrophic two year-long war in northern Ethiopia On Monday (24 October), negotiators for the Ethiopian government and regional forces from Tigray were due to meet in the South African capital Pretoria for the first formal peace talks since war broke out two years ago. Just ahead of the talks, Ethiopian troops and allied Eritrean forces took two more towns in Tigray previously under Tigrayan forces control, the latest in a series of setbacks for forces led by the rebel Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF). The government has earlier vowed to take control of the Tigray regions airports and federal institutions. Diplomats have urged the parties to agree to a ceasefire, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sounding the alarm Friday (21 October) over reports of significant loss of life, destruction, indiscriminate bombardment, and human rights abuses in the Tigray region. Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed must return to talks immediately and his government has a special responsibility to de-escalate Tigray war, if Ethiopias once-optimistic future is not to be lost in the inferno of a brutal war, writes David Thomas in his latest opinion piece published in African Business. While all observers are careful not to apportion blame to one party, it is clear that there is a special responsibility on the Ethiopian government and its allies to end the latest offensive and to protect civilians in areas that it has already taken, says Thomas. As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the AU have repeatedly pointed out, there is no military solution to a conflict that is destroying the fabric of Ethiopia, its reputation as a business destination and its hopes of a prosperous future. Therefore, Thomas argues, the government must return to talks immediately. Moroccos pioneering role in resolving the Libyan conflict was highlighted by the UN Security Council during a meeting devoted to recent developments in Libya. UN Secretary-General Special Representative for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily, together with several Security Council members, welcomed the meeting, held in Rabat last Friday, between Chairman of the Libyan High Council of State Khaled Meshri and Speaker of the House of Representative Aguila Saleh. They further emphasized the importance of the agreements reached in the Rabat meeting, concerning the implementation of provisions related to the positions of sovereignty and executive power unification. In this respect, Bathily voiced his intention to meet with the main leaders of the Libyan House of Representatives and the High Council of State on the basis of the commitment announced last Friday in Rabat, in relation to preparing for the elections, as soon as possible. The Rabat meeting was commended by several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Mexico, Albania and Brazil, who all thanked Morocco for its efforts in resolving the Libyan crisis and saw tangible progress in the Rabat meeting. The Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution this Friday on the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). During their Friday meeting in Rabat, Aguila Saleh and Khaled Al-Mishri discussed ways to relaunch dialogue and find a political solution to end their countrys long-running dispute. The meeting highlighted by agreement to implement the mechanisms adopted by the second round of inter-Libyan dialogue of Bouznika (October 2020) on the posts of sovereignty and unification of executive power. The mechanisms set criteria for appointments to leadership positions in the states sovereign institutions, including the positions of Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, President of the Audit Bureau, and Head of the Administrative Control Authority, among others. At the end of their Friday meeting, the two Libyan officials recalled Moroccos commitment to helping Libyans find a peaceful solution to the conflict and emphasized the Kingdoms support for Libyas unity and territorial integrity and its firm position against foreign interference in Libyan domestic affairs. Morocco hosted a series of roundtable talks between Libyan parties in Tangier and Bouznika and repeatedly rejected any foreign interference in Libyan affairs. Deputy Assistant Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Javier Colomina Piriz, said Morocco is a key player in the fight against terrorism, and is a very important partner for the Atlantic Alliance. Colomina Piriz, who is on a working visit to Morocco for talks with representatives of national departments that monitor the program of cooperation and partnership with NATO, welcomed the enormous responsibility that Morocco has chosen to take in the field of combating terrorism. In a statement to MAP, he also emphasized the practical cooperation existing between NATO and Moroccan military authorities and the important political dialogue it maintains with the Kingdom, recalling, in this sense, that Morocco is a member of the Mediterranean Dialogue. Colomina Piriz expressed satisfaction at the high-level conversations he had with the Moroccan authorities to intensify this dialogue and make it more regular and more substantial. Stressing the need to revitalize this dialogue, he voiced the wish to continue to deepen the enormously satisfactory partnership relationship that NATO has with Morocco. The United States and other Western embassies on Monday (24 October) advised their citizens to limit travel to Nigeria because of an increased threat of terrorist attacks, although Nigerian authorities sought to reassure them. A note issued by the US embassy warning its citizens of a high risk of terrorist attacks in Nigeria, particularly in Abuja was followed by a similar alert and travel warning by the British High Commission and other European countries diplomatic missions. Also Canada and Australia have also issued similar warnings, advising their citizens in Nigeria, particularly in the capital Abuja, to avoid crowded public areas. According to reports, they are all reducing services and will be attending only to critical needs. It was not immediately clear whether the advice was based on a new security threat or came after recent incidents. Fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have claimed responsibility for several attacks in states near the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in the past half a year. These Western embassies also recalled that schools had been targeted by Islamists in the past. Following these multiple Western warnings, the Department of State Services (DSS) of Nigeria assured that all necessary precautions have been taken. Western diplomats and residents of Abuja and its surrounding areas are increasingly concerned about insecurity following a mass escape, including of dozens of suspected jihadists, in July at Kuje prison on the outskirts of the capital city. Overall, Abuja is also bordered by states facing very high levels of banditry, with heavily armed gangs killing, kidnapping and looting entire villages. At least 10 soldiers died and around 50 were wounded in Burkina Faso on Monday (24 October) in an assault on an army base and other strategic installations in the northern city of Djibo. The terrorist attack hit the 14th regiment at a military base and other strategic installations in the town, which has been under a jihadi blockade for three months, the army said. The preliminary toll is 10 soldiers fallen during fighting and about 50 injured and being treated, the statement said. Air support had been called in to back up the operations after the pre-dawn raiders had fired shells at the Djibo barracks. On the enemy side, at least 18 bodies of terrorists have been counted during mopping-up operations which are still underway, the statement also said. Djibos population of some 30,000 has been cut off for three months with jihadis controlling the main roads after blowing up bridges. An attack on a supply convoy heading for Djibo on 26 September left 37 dead, most of them soldiers. Seventy truck drivers are still missing. This attack helped trigger the latest coup in Burkina just four days later, led by young army captain Ibrahim Traore who became the countrys interim president 14 October, vowing to win back territory from the jihadis. It was the West African nations second coup in eight months. We are confronted with a security and humanitarian crisis without precedent, Traore said at his swearing-in. Our aims are none other than the reconquest of territory occupied by these hordes of terrorists. Burkinas existence is in danger. Moroccos Saharan city of Laayoune and French city of Metz signed, on Monday, a partnership agreement destined to bolster their cooperation ties in the economic, educational, cultural and touristic fields. The three-year renewable deal, part of the decentralized cooperation between Morocco and France, was inked by Head of Laayoune Municipal Council, Mly Hamdi Ould Errachid and the Mayor of Metz, Francois Grosdidier, in presence of elected officials from both cities. Under the agreement, the local officials of the two cities pledged to promote and facilitate dialogue and contacts between private/public investors, businessmen, tourism professionals, artists, academics, civil society representatives They also pledged to hold regular and periodic meetings, exchange experiences and expertise in sectors of common interest. During their visit to Laayoune, members of the French delegation toured several landmark projects and educational, sports, cultural, socio-economic and health infrastructures built within the frame of the development model of the southern provinces. They visited the womens club of Laayoune, the local library and the port and the projects of the school of medicine, the City of Trades & Skills and University Hospital Centre. The steady procession of trucks hauling fill dirt to Sustainable Beef LLCs North Platte meatpacking plant site should start in the next two weeks, CEO David Briggs said Monday. His company meanwhile has filed a begin construction notice with the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, saying work on buildings at the former city sewer lagoon is set to start on or after Nov. 14. The Oct. 5 notice fits within Title 129 state environmental regulations saying structural work can be done while NDEE considers Sustainable Beefs air quality construction permit for the project, an agency spokeswoman and Briggs told The Telegraph. However, the acceptable pre-construction activities do not allow applicants to hook up equipment to (an) exhaust stack or operate equipment in any way that may emit any pollutant prior to receiving a construction permit, NDEE public information officer Amanda Woita said in an email. Briggs said Monday that construction plans call for first selectively building up areas inside the lagoon so structural construction can begin atop them while fill-dirt work goes on. Were going to start building up the building-site pad first, and that will be the concentration of our work for the next month or so, he said. Its going to take us a considerable amount of time to build up the pad. Well build up the building pad first, and that will allow us to begin some construction. We could be filling the site in for up to a year. Briggs reiterated that the plants final elevation will be about 5 feet above the top of the lagoons 8- to 10-foot-high berm. That roughly matches the height of nearby Newberry Access, he said. Since Sustainable Beefs Oct. 4 construction commencement ceremony, bulldozers have been doing work on the site preparing to receive the fill-in dirt, Briggs added. A dirt scraper could be seen Friday through a second entry point to the construction site, carved through the berms northwest corner. Workers had already penetrated the north side for the first entry point at the time of the ceremony. Fill dirt will be hauled from rural properties roughly three miles northeast and southeast of the site. The North Platte City Council and Lincoln County Board last month granted conditional use permits for the operations, which are expected to run 20 to 25 semitrailer trucks on Newberry Access and some other nearby roads from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays. Schmeeckle Bros. Construction of Fort Morgan, Colorado, is the general contractor for the planned 1,500-head-a-day, 875-employee beef plant. Slaughter operations arent expected to start until late 2024. Schmeeckle built the CS Beef Packers plant near Kuna, Idaho, which a North Platte delegation visited a year ago and which is serving as the model particularly in its odor-control machinery and techniques for Sustainable Beefs plant. Sustainable Beef filed its overall NDEE air quality construction permit Aug. 15, detailing the types and workings of odor-control equipment and generally describing the firms plans for treating wastewater onsite. Wastewater operations and some other functions will require separate state permits. Woita, the NDEE spokeswoman, said agency officials are preparing a draft air control construction permit that will undergo reviews and public participation prior to issuance. Public participation, as defined previously by the agency, includes a 30-day public-comment period. A public hearing also could be requested before NDEE could grant permission for Sustainable Beef to proceed with construction work leading to the start of plant operations. The firm also must obtain a full-fledged NDEE operating permit within a year after processing starts. Sustainable Beefs begin construction notice, signed by Briggs, noted that NDEE had received a modeling report on the plants expected air quality dispersion performance on Sept. 23. Based on that modeling, it says, the North Platte plant would operate as a minor air emission source for pollutants covered in state environmental regulations, including hazardous air pollutants. The Idaho environmental regulations under which the five-year-old Kuna beef plant was built are stricter than Nebraskas, Schmeeckle spokesman Tyler Teixeira said last December. The Oct. 5 notice lists construction activities involving buildings and air emission units identified in the air quality construction permit application that could start on or after Nov. 14. They dont include the fill-dirt operation. Local and state officials have said property owners are allowed to move dirt on their own properties. Construction activities listed in the NDEE notice cover installation of: Footings, concrete foundations, steel beam structures, walls and roofs for the buildings and odor-control units. Piping and electrical wiring for those structures. Process equipment, emission units and on-property haul roads. Exhaust stacks associated with the air emission units. Sustainable Beef declared in the Oct. 5 notice that it will not hook up process equipment to exhaust stacks and will not operate equipment prior to receipt of the air quality construction permit. The firm also accepts and acknowledges all liability associated with the possibility of NDEE denial of that permit. Sustainable Beef waives any state of Nebraska liability, it added. Nebraskans can read and download all public documents NDEE has received or issued on the project by visiting ecmp.nebraska.gov/PublicAccess/index.html?&MyQueryID=340. Under DEQ Facility Number, type 116136, Sustainable Beefs assigned NDEE reference number. Photo: The Canadian Press Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller, centre, Minister of Justice David Lametti and and Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu, appearing via video conference at left, participate in a news conference regarding the order from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to compensate Indigenous children and their families, in Ottawa, on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal says a $40 billion child welfare settlement agreement the federal government reached with First Nations doesn't meet all the requirements of the tribunal's orders. The panel is urging the parties to continue negotiating in a decision released today. In 2019 the tribunal ordered Ottawa to compensate children and families three years after ruling that Ottawa had discriminated against First Nations children for years by not properly funding child welfare services on reserves. The federal government, Assembly of First Nations and lawyers for two related class-action lawsuits, announced a deal to pay that compensation in January. It initially awarded $40,000 to each child and their families who suffered. However the tribunal is concerned with the timeline claimants have to opt out of the compensation and whether all children will receive the full amount. Assembly of First Nations regional chief Cindy Woodhouse says the tribunal's decision is devastating and federal ministers also expressed disappointment. To support its growing customer base, Kinaxis welcomes 12 new System Integrators and Value Added Resellers across Asia OTTAWA, Ontario, October 25, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kinaxis Inc. (TSX: KXS), the authority in driving agility for fast, confident decision-making in an unpredictable world, continues to broaden customer value in collaboration with its partner ecosystem by welcoming 12 new System Integrators, Value Added Resellers (VAR) and Referral partners across Asia; bringing the total to 27 Asia-based partners, as well as partners who operate globally, to support the growing region. "These partnerships in Asia are a critical element of our global growth objectives," said Conrad Mandala, Senior Vice President Global Partner Organization, Kinaxis. "We selected these firms to extend and augment Kinaxis professional services and product capabilities, providing support and giving our customers new ways to purchase and implement Kinaxis RapidResponse, as well as expand their investment in our leading concurrent planning platform." These 12 new partners join Kinaxis PartnerLink, a scalable, dynamic and agile partner program that combines the resources, training and business alignment needed to support a global ecosystem. Kinaxis has partnered with five new System Integrators in Asia. These new partners range from large, international firms to regionally focused consultancies, each bringing deep supply chain expertise to help customers mature and digitally transform their supply chains: NTT DATA China Outsourcing was established in 2011 as Japan's base for offshore development in China of the NTT DATA Group, Japan's largest system integrator, providing business solutions to various industries such as manufacturing including automobile, retail and distribution. MaSyCoDa specializes in Supply Chain Management, IT Consulting and Strategies, Resource Consulting, Managed and Professional Services, Digital Analytics & Automation, and Quality Engineering. Kobelco Systems is an IT services provider in Japan that inherits "dedication to monozukuri (a Japanese approach to manufacturing) and good quality" from Kobe Steel and "first-class innovation know-how" from IBM Japan. Risposta Software India Private Limited is a global business partner specializing in providing Supply Chain Solutions for a variety of business verticals across geographies, converting Supply Chain plans into IT and business road maps. Savic Technologies Private Limited is a global system integrator, offering a unique engagement model to help customers simplify their business processes to achieve business objectives. Story continues The Kinaxis VAR program is a global network and community of Kinaxis partners that is focused on helping joint customers execute their supply chain strategy while having the ability to work start-to-finish with a trusted partner in their geographic region. Selected for their expertise in supply chain and the regions they serve, VARs market, sell, deploy and support Planning One, which leverages the RapidResponse platform: CEL is a consultancy & technology firm headquartered in Singapore which specializes in Demand & Supply Chain management, providing clients with expertise insights, perspectives and digital solutions in emerging markets. LG CNS provides comprehensive consulting, system construction and operation services in Korea and around the world with expertise earned from years of large-scale IT project successes. Active Business Solutions is premier software solutions company focused on helping companies transition into becoming true eBusinesses. Metanet Global is the largest digital business platform in Korea that supports companies, the government and public agencies to improve their performance and increase global competitiveness through digital transformation. NTT DATA Taiwan is a top 10 leader in IT and business services, and part of the NTT group of companies with business operations in more than 50 countries. Providing premier professional services from consulting, and system development to business IT outsourcing. Qualitas provides IT services and IT consulting to deliver high quality and innovative business solutions to customers. PT Kualitas Tekhnologi Asia (Qualitas) has offices in Indonesia (Jakarta & Surabaya), Singapore and Malaysia. Additionally, Matasma joins as a Referral partner: Matasma Digital Technologies LLP is a new-age services organization providing consulting and execution services across functional areas around enterprise performance management and business analytics for leading businesses. About Kinaxis Inc. Everyday volatility and uncertainty demand quick action. Kinaxis delivers the agility to make fast, confident decisions across integrated business planning and the digital supply chain. People can plan better, live better and change the world. Trusted by innovative brands, we combine human intelligence with AI and concurrent planning to help companies plan for any future, monitor risks and opportunities and respond at the pace of change. Powered by an extensible, cloud-based platform, Kinaxis delivers industry-proven applications so everyone can know sooner, act faster and remove waste. For more Kinaxis news, visit Kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements as to Kinaxis' growth opportunities and the potential benefits of, and demand for, Kinaxis products and services. These statements are subject to certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including our view of the relative position of Kinaxis' products and services compared to competitive offerings in the industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Kinaxis' actual results, performance, achievements and developments may differ materially from the results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such statements. Risk factors that may cause the actual results, performance, achievements or developments of Kinaxis to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such statements can be found in the public documents filed by Kinaxis with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Kinaxis assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by law. Source: Kinaxis View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005300/en/ Contacts Media Relations Jaime Cook | Kinaxis jcook@kinaxis.com 289-552-4640 Investor Relations Rick Wadsworth | Kinaxis rwadsworth@kinaxis.com 613-907-7613 The Nobel Peace Center invites students across the world to engage in the Nobel Peace Prize and win a trip to Oslo OSLO, Norway, October 25, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Nobel Peace Prize 2022 awarded to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, shines a light on individuals and organizations working for human rights. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005628/en/ Natalia Sobrino-Saab, winner of Last years Ignitor Essay Challenge by Nobel Peace Center in Oslo Photo: Stine Forland The Nobel Peace Center is now engaging with universities students all over the world through the Ignitor Community to take part in the Nobel Peace Prize challenge 2022. The annual essay competition aims to include students globally in the topic of the Peace Prize, and to invite them to contextualize the challenges of the most recent Peace Prize to their own communities. The winners of the challenge will be invited to Oslo in December to take part in the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. Petter Sorum, Project Manager for the Ignitor Initiative says; "Through this essay competition we are inviting students and youth to write an open letter to their leaders, asking for an opportunity for dialogue on important issues related to human rights violations in their home countries." A photo competition is also included in the challenge. Students and young changemakers age 18-28 can learn more about how to join the challenge here: https://ignitor.nobelpeacecenter.org/nobel-peace-prize-challenge-2022/ ABOUT THE NOBEL PEACE CENTER: The Nobel Peace Center is the public face of the Nobel Peace Prize, situated in Oslo, Norway. It tells the stories of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their work through exhibitions, educational programmes, guided tours and digital content. The center is also a meeting place for topical events and conferences related to peace, dialogue, and human rights. The Nobel Peace Center is located in an old train station from 1872, close to the Oslo City Hall and overlooking the harbour. Story continues Visit our press room for updated information and press photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yZ3j7HjopSCUjhL5j9bsLRpPH11J3V_o?usp=sharing View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005628/en/ Contacts Petter Sorum Project Manager - The Ignitor Initiative, Nobel Peace Center E-mail: ps@nobelpeacecenter.org Phone: +47 96010114 The mayors of Alabamas 10 largest cities held a press conference in Auburn Monday urging voters to vote yes on Amendment One on the Nov. 8 ballot. The amendment if passed would allow judges to deny bail to people charged with violent crimes on more occasions. By voting for Amendment One, you will allow judges to keep violent offenders in jail, Auburn Mayor Ron Anders said. He was joined by other mayors from across the state, from Mobile to Huntsville. Amendment One proposes a change to Article One Section 16 of the Alabama constitution, which reads: That all persons shall, before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties, except for capital offenses, when the proof is evident or the presumption great; and that excessive bail shall not in any case be required. Amendment One would expand the language to include those charged with more violent crimes. The mayors also turned the press conference platform to the parents of Aniah Blanchard, who investigators say was abducted in Auburn and killed at the age of 19 in 2019. Investigators eventually arrested Ibraham Yazeed and charged him with the murder, finding that he was already out on bail and awaiting trial from when he was arrested in Montgomery and charged with two counts of attempted murder in a separate case. Supporters of the amendment have dubbed Amendment One Aniahs Law, and it will be referred to as that on the ballot. Three years ago, Aniah Blanchard was simply going into the convenience store to get a late-night snack, Anders said during the press conference. She was kidnapped, and her life was taken by someone who had no business being out of jail, much less being in Auburn. On Nov. 8, the citizens of Alabama have their chance to do something about this. The mayors of the 10 largest cities in Alabama hold regular conferences, dubbing themselves the Big 10 Mayors. Big 10 chairman and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson echoed Anders thoughts. One of the things we recognize, though, is that as government, that public safety is our No. 1 responsibility, Stimpson said. So today, as it stands, the legislation of this amendment, which will be voted on, will be to give judges the option of denying pretrial bail to the most violent offenders to keep them from being released where they would possibly reoffend, he said. According to Stimpson, the Big 10 Mayors had been working collectively since 2019 to change the constitution independently of Blanchards death. State Representative Chip Brown of Mobile originally introduced the bill. About the time the legislation was introduced in 2019, and very unfortunately, we had the death of Aniah Blanchard, Stimpson said. At that time, Aniahs story and this legislation merged and all of a sudden it took on a whole new meaning. Blanchards father Elijah Blanchard also spoke at the press conference. This law means more than just justice, he said. It means that you can do prevention. You can have parents let their children go off to college and they can be at ease, when they give the judges honorable discretion to eliminate the fact that these type criminals be out on the street with our children. Aniah Blanchards stepfather Walter Hill said, ultimately, it wasnt about their family. We never thought it would happen to us, especially on a college campus or in a college town, Hill said. So this is not just about us. Its about our state, its about other kids, its about other families and protecting everybody and thats the ultimate goal. Sunday marked the three-year anniversary of Blanchards disappearance. The family held a candlelight vigil on Samford Lawn on Sunday evening. Anybody can be a victim, said Blanchards mother Angela Hill. This absolutely will save their lives because the world that were living in, the state that were living in now, criminals are out there, theres evil out there and theyre not going to stop. And so, if they do commit a crime, at least we can keep them in jail, so they wont go out and reoffend. The big 10 Mayors of Alabama include 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. The expanded language for the state constitution proposes is as follows: Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body Auburn University expanded its footprint and opened its doors to a new facility in Huntsville on Tuesday with the grand-opening celebration of the Research and Innovation Campus. The nine-acre property, located at 345 Voyager Way NW in Huntsvilles Cummings Research Park, is in close proximity to numerous defense and aerospace collaborators, as well as the Bridge Street commercial development and the Gate 9 entrance to Redstone Arsenal. The grand-opening celebration comes on the heels of the September announcement of the universitys plan to build a Gulf Coast Engineering Research Station in Orange Beach. Much like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did in 1969, today is a monumental day for Auburn as we plant our flag in Huntsville, said Steve Taylor, interim dean of Auburns Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. We might even say that a different eagle has landed. The property, which formerly housed LogiCore, is well equipped to support applied research and development work for Huntsville/Redstone customers, as well as hosting alumni and development events. Designed to foster a new era of interagency and interdisciplinary collaboration necessary to secure the nation into the next century, the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus will serve as a state-of-the-art, multi-million-dollar collaboration engine, conference center and research space that extends Auburns expertise and next-generation resources to the defense, space and law enforcement agencies. The Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus will be where today meets tomorrow, said Auburn University President Christopher B. Roberts. Huntsville has been, and will continue to be, one of the hotbeds for our graduates to work, our faculty to partner with and our students to explore. The facility will fast-track career connections that change the world, not only through the opportunity for next-generation, cross-domain collaboration among agencies, but by supplying our partners access to Auburns most promising young minds. Experimentation with co-located laboratories will allow Auburn research professionals and students to conduct cutting-edge research and development across a range of technology readiness levels to help customers overcome national security, aerospace and biotechnology challenges. These laboratories will facilitate expansion in Huntsville of high-profile Auburn research programs such as advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing, biotechnology, quantum metrology, cyber and critical infrastructure security and assured position, navigation and timing. To elevate Auburns ability to conduct space research, facilities are available for use as an operations center for NASA, Department of Defense and private sector missions. As the largest city in the state, Huntsville is dedicated to also being the leader in jobs and economic development, said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. Across the defense, aerospace, law enforcement, biotech and other sectors, Huntsville is quickly becoming a global leader in innovation, research and development as we unite our rich intellectual capital with new opportunities, such as this partnership with the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus. Rose Allen, a 1985 Auburn industrial engineering graduate who serves as president of deciBel Research and formerly served as chair of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, also welcomed the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus to the Rocket City. As the president of deciBel Research and someone who has spent their entire career in space and defense, Ive seen firsthand the impact Auburn and its graduates have had on this community, Allen said. This is a special place made up of the brightest minds in the nation who are committed to making our world a better and safer place to live. And Huntsville just got better because Auburn is here. Mike DeMaioribus, who retired from Dynetics in 2016 as executive vice president of business operations and currently serves as the Auburn University Board of Trustees District 8 representative, said he is thrilled to see Auburn expand its partnership with a community hes called home for more than 60 years. Our hope is this facility will quickly become the primary connection for the Huntsville community to Auburn University and will be the go-to destination for government and industry entities in the area looking to meet in an unbiased, trusted location for technical interchange meetings and other events, DeMaioribus said. In addition to the research and technical aspects, the Auburn Research and Innovation Campus also showcases rotating exhibits from the universitys Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and original works by famed artist Gamaliel Rodriguez. In this building, we will also find limitless inspiration in humankinds greatest achievements, as told, through art, Roberts said. This facility is for everyone Our hope is that you, too, will call the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus in Huntsville home. Bringing art to Auburns Huntsville campus The Research and Innovation Campus is accentuated by more than 35 art objects from the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts collection, including new work by acclaimed artist Gamaliel Rodriguez. This exhibition outreach initiative is the first in a developing series to share the art collection at other campus locations. Through this campus partnership, administrators seek to stimulate the exchange of ideas and enrich workplace culture by highlighting the intersection of the arts, science and engineering. These parallel disciplines have resulted in the greatest and most awe-inspiring advancements throughout history, said Aaron Levi Garvey, Janet L. Nolan Director of Curatorial Affairs at Auburns art museum. This multi-phase exhibition, Surface to Air, tells that story, beginning with humankinds first innovations on earth to space and advances yet to be discovered. Phase one includes works by Roger Brown, Enrique Martinez Celaya, Beverly Pepper, Maltby Sykes and Mildred Thompson. For its first commissioned artist, the museum selected Gamaliel Rodriguez, a U.S. Army veteran who uses felt and ballpoint pens to create photorealistic aerial views of industrial, military and civilian structures. Focal points for the exhibition, one painting depicts the recognizable yet reimagined landscape of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. The second features the new facility with architectural modifications, including a rooftop greenhouse. From a real image, I start to work, and then I create my ideas, thinking about it from an imaginary perspective, Rodriguez said. Nanotechnology will be the future, so how can I make the building look futuristic? Technology and agriculture are coexisting togetherits very ingrained in the history of the university. The building is evolving with the environment. Rodriguez said he studies plant life to cross-pollinate hybrid species that only exist in the lush vegetation of his work. The third piece Auburn has acquired, masterfully drawn in pen and ink, pushes the boundary of the medium, Levi Garvey said. With these ordinary materials, he explores memory, sense of place and human advances within engineering and science. Rodriguez will be featured in an upcoming group exhibition at The Whitney Museum of American Art in November. His work is also collected by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, SCAD Museum of Art and Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. Looking ahead to the museums 20th anniversary in 2023, we welcome partnerships to share the university art collection at other campus sites, said museum Executive Director Cindi Malinick. Whether through tours of the Museum in Motion or extended loans like Huntsville, The Jule positions the collection as a campus resource for research, outreach and instruction. Located on Auburns campus, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is the cultural heart of an Alabama public research institution serving students, faculty and the constituents of the Southeast. The university art collection includes works spanning the 17th to 21st centuries and is comprised of photographs, works on paper depicting the South, ceramics and Southern visionary art. Last week, the White House caused a splash by announcing that President Biden was ready to release more crude from the strategic petroleum reserve. That would be on top of the largest-ever release of 180 million barrels, approved earlier this year as a tool for bringing down retail fuel prices. Back then, experts warned this tool could hurt its wielder. Now, the danger seems to be even greater. We remain very able, very vigilant: if we need to deal with additional challenges with supply, with affordability, well have additional opportunity with the SPR if we need to do more sales into the future beyond that December time period, one senior administration official told the Financial Times this week. This makes further sales from the SPR virtually a certainty: analysts expect prices to rise in December after the European Union embargo on Russian crude comes into effect, which will happen on the 5th of the month. With OPEC+ reducing output by about a million barrels daily from November, this means that the supply of crude globally will tighten in the coming months. And when supply tightens, prices rise. Many see Bidens latest move as a way of earning credit for the Democrat government ahead of the midterm elections. Biden himself says there is no political motive behind the SPR release strategy. And Goldman Sachs analysts just said this week that SPR releases would have only a modest effect on prices. In a note last week, they wrote that they expected the White House to release another 16 million barrels in 2023 from FY2023 Congressionally mandated sales but that those sales, first, would depend on oil prices and, second, would only have a limited impact on prices of less than $5 per barrel. The biggest problem with using the SPR as a way of regulating oil prices is that, being a strategic reserve, it would be dangerous to draw too much from it. Another 16 million barrels on top of the 180 million approved for release this year should not make a major difference in inventory levels, but observers are already getting nervous about those levels. At a little over 400 million barrels, the current amount of oil in the SPR is not enough for a month of consumption in case of emergency. One might point out that the U.S. cannot consume only locally produced oil for any length of time, which makes the SPR redundant, but it could certainly trade it for other blends should such a need arise. It seems not everyone is really buying the assurance that there is no political motive for the new release plans. Indeed, as early as the original reserve release plan, many commentators in the media argued that with it, Biden wanted to try and make sure the Democrats win the midterms or at least do not lose them very badly because of high retail fuel prices. After the Opec meeting and with the midterms in mind, the administration needed to be seen doing something and that seems to be announcing more SPR barrels that were already planned, Energy Aspects Amrita Sen told the FT this week. What this means is that the administration is, for all its talk of all tools on the table, severely short of actual tools. There must be awareness in the White House that the SPR is a double-edged sword, and wielding it is quite risky. Yet they are wielding it for lack of a better option. There is only one other tool on that White House table that is even riskier: an export ban. The idea has only been mentioned in a general way, with assurances that nobody is seriously considering it, although some legislators have called for precisely that: ban exports, and keep prices low for Americans. Critics have pointed out that the likelihood of success from the use of that tool is rather low, with Goldman analysts warning earlier this month that a ban on exports could push both oil and fuel prices sky-high and still create shortages at home. It is, then, a question of choosing the lesser evil. And the lesser evil appears to be releasing additional barrels from the strategic petroleum reserve responsibly where it makes sense to stabilize markets, per Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk, as reported by Reuters. So, while OPEC tightens supply, the U.S. will stand ready to continue boosting it from its strategic reserve. And it will have to be careful not to deplete this reserve too much because the more oil released now, the more oil will need to be purchased later to replenish the reserve. It is perhaps not the most elegant way of solving the gasoline price conundrum that has made life harder for the Biden administration this year. But it appears to be the only realistic way of trying to solve it. The alternative is even more unpalatable. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: As Oilprice readers know, the price of energy has spiked (to put it mildly) in Europe. Sample residential bills have more than doubled in some places from last year to this. In response, European governments want to help their hard-pressed citizens, not to mention hard-pressed businesses. Russias war against Ukraine caused the spike in prices and in wartime governments often take what they believe to be essential steps to control their economy. So what to do? Right now a Europe formerly dependent on Russian gas has two options. First, put a cap on energy prices. That at least prevents further economic pain because it keeps prices from rising more. But this creates another set of problems. What if the price cap is set meaningfully below current market prices? In other words, if for example gas prices are set by the government at $1 but the supplier of gas has to pay $2 to drill for or purchase gas, who makes up the difference? Either the supplier loses $1 on each transaction or does the government compensate suppliers for all or most of the $1 difference? Obviously, suppliers cant stay in business while losing money on each transaction (they cant make it up on volume) so the government has to step in. But, by government action to cap prices, the customer does not receive an accurate price signal that energy is in scarce supply and perhaps should be consumed more carefully. This well-intentioned policy spares the customer painuntil either the energy supplier or the government decides that this financial burden is too much. But this type of government policy does not address the root cause of the problem which is too much demand relative to a supply scarcity. Related: BofA Sees Drop In Saudi Aramco Quarterly Earnings The other means by which governments can provide relief for high energy prices is to simply give energy consumers cash. This subsidy method, sometimes called a rebate, has a distinct advantage in that it aids the consumer but leaves in place the incentive to use less of the scarce resource due to high prices. Good policy, but now the government has to figure out who should get how much money. By usage? By income? Imagine how well-connected industrialists and the wealthy could manipulate the payments to their advantage. And, of course, the government pays. Some politicians have proposed a windfall profits tax on energy company profits and would use these revenues as energy rebates. The rationale for this is that oil and gas companies and electric generators are reaping huge fortunes at the expense of the citizenry for reasons that have nothing to do with their business acumen or smart investments. Mr Putins recent aggression and stricter Saudis drilling targets are making them rich. So charge a punitive tax on the excess profits being earned now and give the money back to consumers. Its a great idea except for its consequencesit serves to drive away new corporate investment in the long run. Redistributive ideas like this are asymmetrical. No one ever proposes an oil company subsidy or negative windfall tax payment when energy company profitability is weak during an economic recession for example. Who wants to invest in a business in which you can keep large losses but are denied periodic big profits? Related: Colombia Is On The Brink Of An Energy Crisis Another possibility is that the sellers of energy could set up a price scale that raises the price as usage goes up. In other words, you pay $1 per unit for the first hundred units, then $1.50 for the next hundred, and $2 per unit thereafter. In theory, this rising scale creates an incentive for conserving energy. However, we know that electricity and natural gas usages are relatively inelastic to price or income in the short term. That means raising prices will only have a minimal impact on demand. But that is good news in a perverse way because it means the energy supplier will collect more from high volume users (presumably but not necessarily wealthier) and transfer that extra payment to the low-volume (presumably poorer) users in the form of a price subsidy (for their lower volumes consumed). The only trouble with this scheme is that the suppliers have to keep track of use per customer and make sure that customers are not sneaking in extra usage from another supplier. This pricing is common for regulated monopolies but Europeans (and especially the British) dont like monopolies. In the short term, people and industries cannot adjust usage much in the face of higher natural gas or electricity prices or changes in income. Such is the nature of inelastic demand. But in the long term they can. In other words, a 10% price increase affects short term demand by 2% at best but affects long term demand by 12%. A decline in income (expected in the coming year) plus higher prices likely will decrease demand. Continued high prices would tank demand. (Customers need time to buy new furnaces or LED bulbs.) But in the end, continued high prices will do more than shift demand from Russian to Qatari gas. The prospect of continued high prices will destroy demand for natural gas forever. Short term, Europeans could face a winter of lowered thermostats, cold showers, idled industrial facilities, and dimly lit streets. But longer term, we suspect energy managers might want to consider the impact of stranded fossil fuel assets because longer term Europeans will be using a lot less gas than before the Russia-Ukraine war. By Leonard Hyman and William Tilles for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The world is in the middle of the first truly global energy crisis, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, said today in Singapore. The official went on to warn that natural gas and LNG markets would tighten further in 2023, with only 20 million tons of new liquefaction capacity scheduled to come online in that year, Reuters reported. Speaking at the Singapore International Energy Week, the head of the IEA also said that while supply remains tight, demand for gas will continue to be strong, especially in Europe and possibly in China. Birols warning comes amid expectations that this winter will not be the toughest for Europe. Next winter is believed to be potentially much worse because, during the first half of this year, the EU could stock up on Russian pipeline gas, which is unlikely to come back next year, leaving the EU with a supply gap that other suppliers would be hard-pressed to fill. Meanwhile, as many as 60 LNG tankers have turned into floating storage off European coasts as there is not enough regasification capacity on the continent to unload the cargo. This, CNBC reports, is delaying some of the tankers return to the Gulf Coast to reload, and pushes gas inventories higher, Andrew Lipow from Lipow Oil Associates told the network. The wave of LNG tankers has overwhelmed the ability of the European regasification facilities to unload the cargoes in a timely manner, Lipow said. The shortage of LNG import capacity is aggravating Europes gas supply crisis but there is no quick solution to this problem except floating regasification units that Germany, for one, is seeking to deploy by the end of the year. Price is also challenging, with LNG a lot costlier than the pipeline gas Europe was used to. Earlier this month, French president Emmanuel Macron slammed the U.S. for setting double standards in this respect, pointing to how gas cost much less on the U.S. market than on the international LNG market. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Addressing the gathering, EU head Ursula Von der Leyen said the attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure amounted to "pure acts of terrorism." Zelenskiy added that Putin is aiming to make it harder for Ukraine to get through winter. Ukraine President Zelenskiy told a conference of EU politicians that Russi has destroyed a third of Ukraines energy sector. Russian rockets and Iranian-made drones have destroyed more than one-third of Ukraine's energy sector, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a conference on Ukraine reconstruction on October 25. "Russia is destroying everything so that it is harder for us to get through the winter," Zelenskiy said via video link to the Berlin conference, which was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and other senior politicians and officials. Addressing the gathering, Von der Leyen said the attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure amounted to "pure acts of terrorism" and called the scale of destruction in Ukraine "staggering," with the World Bank estimating the toll of the damage at 350 billion euros ($345 billion). Von der Leyen said a coordination platform for Ukraine's reconstruction needed to be launched "as soon as possible, preferable before the end of the year or early at the beginning of next year." Scholz told the conference that Russia's sustained drone attacks represent a new low point in its war against Ukraine but are also a sign of Moscow's desperation. Scholz said rebuilding Ukraine was a "generational task" that must start immediately, even as Russia's invasion rages on. "What is at stake here is nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century -- a generational task that must begin now," Scholz said. Related: Biden Is Running U.S. Energy Security Into The Ground However, Zelenskiy told the conference that Ukraine had yet to receive "a single cent" toward a fast recovery plan worth a total $17 billion. He also asked the international community to cover an expected budget deficit of $38 billion next year for his war-torn country. And the Ukrainian Minister for Communities and Territories Development, Oleksiy Chernyshov, said the reconstruction of Ukraine must begin even while the fighting continues. "It is very important to understand that given the fact the war is still going on, the initial recovery should start right now," Chernyshov told German news agency dpa ahead of the start of the conference. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Photo: The Canadian Press Minister of Public Services and Procurement Helena Jaczek speaks to reporters as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - A parliamentary interpreter was sent to the hospital during a Senate committee meeting last Thursday, and a union blames that on a lax approach to wearing headsets during video conferencing. "I was astonished, because it should just not be happening," Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek said. At the Senate environment committee on Oct. 20, two witnesses testified over video conference with poor sound quality, and did not wear the recommended headphones with a microphone wand. The meeting's chair, Sen. Paul Massicotte, opened the meeting cautioning that it might need to be paused. "I must note that our two witnesses have forgotten or misplaced their headsets. We'll try doing it without the headphones, and hope it won't be too difficult for our interpreters," he said in French. The first witness wore headphones while the second wore earbuds. During questions from senators, a buzz could be heard as the first witness spoke, similar to a smartphone vibrating on a table. As the second witness answered questions from senators, there was a sudden moment of loud feedback. The French interpretation briefly stopped at that point, with another voice taking over. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees said the interpreter, a freelancer who is member of their union, was sent to hospital in an ambulance after experiencing severe symptoms and collapsing. The union said that is due to an acoustic shock, which is when inner ear muscles are startled by sudden noises, such as someone tapping a microphone or suddenly speaking much louder than the rest of their remarks. The meeting should have been stopped, the union argued, instead of proceeding with witnesses using inadequate equipment. The union is calling for an independent investigation with public reporting of the results, and for all meetings be suspended if Ottawa can't guarantee interpreters' safety. In an interview, Jaczek called the incident "entirely preventable" and said it merits followup. "The rules are that nobody should be speaking without using the approved headset," said Jaczek, who oversees the translation bureau. "Whether it's the House of Commons or the Senate, I would have thought that those rules were clear." The Canadian branch of the International Association of Conference Interpreters says that even brief noises can be loud enough to create concussion-like symptoms, loud ringing in the ears or vertigo. Experts have testified to Parliament that the staff who translate meetings between English and French are getting injured because they are straining to hear some voices and are exposed to sudden noises. So many interpreters have been placed on injury leave that the department has hired contract workers, to make up for the staff shortages. General Secretary Xi Jinping has scored an overwhelming victory at the recently concluded 20th Party Congress and the First Plenum of the new Central Committee. Xis picks for the Politburo and its Standing Committee consist of unalloyed supporters, but these officials are also largely apparatchiks with expertise in areas such as ideology, propaganda and party construction, with a near-total absence of pragmatically minded technocrats experienced in finance and economics among them. As a result, most of Xis conservative, quasi-Maoist policies, including the zero-COVID policy, appear set to endure into the foreseeable future. A Clean Sweep for the Xi Jinping Faction In the new Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC)the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) inner sanctum of powerXi remains General Secretary and Chairman of the Partys Central Military Commission (CMC). The other six PBSC members are considered members of the Xi Jinping Faction (XJPF). Shanghai Party Secretary Li Qiang (??), who worked under Xi in Zhejiang Province from 2002 to 2007, will become premier. Other Xi allies in the supreme decision-making body include incumbent PBSC members: Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) Zhao Leji (???), who will become Chairman of the National Peoples Congress; and chief ideologue Wang Huning (???), who will become Chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference. In addition to Li Qiang, three other key Xi proteges earned promotions: Beijing Party Secretary Cai Qi (??), who likely become the new Head of the Central Committee Secretariat; Guangdong Party Secretary Li Xi (??),who will become the next CCDI Secretary); and Director of the CCP General Office and Head of the Xi Jinping Office Ding Xuexiang (???), who will likely become executive vice premier (Xinhuanet, October 23; Ming Pao, October 23; Nikkei Asia, October 23). Among the 24 members of the incoming Politburo and the 205 full members of the new Central Committee, Xi loyalists also predominate (Xinhua Weibo, October 23). The departure of thirteen ordinary (non-PBSC) Politburo members provided Xi with openings to elevate XJPF affiliates into the powerful body. As 133 (or 65 percent) of the 205 full Central Committee members are newly installed, Xi had leeway to eject members from known opposition groups or factions (Xinhuanet, October 22). Almost all of the 24 seats on the new Politburo belong to bona fide XJPF members (Radio Free Asia, October 23). Several Politburo seats are now held by members of the recently ascendant military-aerospace clique, a subsect of the XJPF including the Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region Ma Xingrui (???), who is a former General Manager of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and Director of the China National Space Administration; Party Secretary of Liaoning Zhang Guoqing (???), who is a former vice-president of the China North Industries Group Corporation; Zhejiang Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun (???), a former top executive at the CASC; and Shandong Party Secretary Li Ganjie (???), a respected nuclear physicist (South China Morning Post (SCMP), October 23). There are no representatives on the new Politburo from the two other former major factions within the CCP: the Communist Youth League Faction (CYLF) and the Shanghai Gang. Vice Premier Hu Chunhua (???), a former Party Secretary of Guangdong and former First Secretary of the Communist Youth League, was generally expected to receive a seat on the PBSC and to serve as executive vice premier. However, Hu did not even make the ordinary Politburo, let alone the PBSC (Zaobao.com, October 23; United Daily News, October 23). This unusual phenomenon of only one party running the show ???? (yidangduda) was apparently responsible for ex-General Secretary and CYLF leader Hu Jintao, who was sitting next to supreme leader Xi, being dragged unceremoniously about half-way through the closing ceremony of the 20th Party Congress on Saturday (SCMP, October 22). The official Xinhua News Agency reported it was because Hu suddenly became sick. But the consensus among observers was that Hu was openly expressing his dissatisfaction at the name lists for the new Central Committee and the Politburo Standing Committee, which testified to the sidelining of his long-cherished faction. The kind of public display of dissent that Hu mounted has been a rarity in major party meetings since the Cultural Revolution (Japan Times, October 23; Hong Kong Free Press, October 22). Xis other major triumph is that the CCP Constitution has been revised to enshrine Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era as the guiding principle for the party and state in the future. This is one of the two establishes (????, Liang ge queli). The other establish is to ensure that Xi remains the core of the central party authorities and the core of the entire party, thus elevating him to practically the same status as Chairman Mao Zedong (Gov.cn, October 22; Peoples Daily, October 22). Chinese-style Modernization A key element of Xi Jinping Thought is so-called Chinese-style modernization- ?????? (zhongguoshi xiandaihua), which Xi first raised during his opening report to the Party Congress on October 16 (Xinhua. October 16). In effect, Chinese-style modernization means that only Marxist and socialist precepts that have been rendered suitable for Chinese conditions in the 21st century by supreme leader Xi will be followed in all policymaking. According to the definition laid down by Xi himself, Chinese style modernization is made up of elements such as stern party leadership; upholding Chinese-style socialist precepts; realizing high-quality development; enriching the spiritual world of the people; attaining common prosperity; seeking a balance between man and nature; and pushing forward global peace and the goal of a common destiny for all mankind (VOA Chinese, October 20; Peoples Daily, October 19). Although Deng Xiaopings reform and open door policy was mentioned four times in Xis Congress report, Xi has clearly prioritized national security and waging struggles- ?? (douzheng) against both domestic and foreign enemies ahead of economic development or opening up the country to the international marketplace. Future policy emphasis will be put on quasi-Maoist, autarkist values such as internal circulation, which means self-reliance, particularly in advanced sectors such as semiconductors and AI; party control of the economy, which includes keeping a tight grip on both public and private enterprises; advancing common prosperity; and preparing the people for a complex and challenging global situation, an apparent reference to meeting the challenge posed by the anti-China policies of the U.S. and its allies (BBC Chinese, October 16). In terms of foreign policy, the Xi team will continue to ratchet up nationalism, particularly in relation to Chinas reunification of Taiwan and its resumption of Middle Kingdom status as a global rule-setter. Another priority of the post-20th Congress party is that by the year 2049, the centenary of the establishment of the PRC, China will have closed the gap with the U.S. and become the most powerful country in the world. The revised CCP Constitution pointed out for the first time that Beijing would resolutely oppose and stop Taiwan independence. In contrast, the old charter simply states that the CCP has a responsibility to achieve national reunification (Chinanews.com, October 24; News Radio French International, October 23). Foreign and Military Policy Throughout the 20th Party Congress, including in Xis closing speech, there was no reference to the U.S. However, the rhetoric of the supreme leader and senior officials seemed geared toward intensifying the PRCs all-out competition with the U.S.-led anti-China coalition. Xi repeatedly called on Congress members and all Chinese to counter the hegemonism and bullying of other countries and urged the people to be brave enough to wage struggle, and to be good at waging struggle (NPC.gov.cn, October 24; News.cn, October 18). Even in the area of international business and normal people-to-people interaction between Chinese and Westerners, Xi has indicated the Chinese authorities would put national security well before economic considerations. As Xi and the new Politburo are likely to funnel more resources into military modernization, the chances of the potential outbreak of a hot war over Taiwan or in the South China Sea may increase (VOA Chinese, October 18; Deutsche Welle Chinese, October 16). In a reflection of Xis heavy dependence on a state-of-the-art military to carry out his foreign policies, he has broken with the usual retire at 68 rule to retain CMC Vice-Chairman Zhang Youxia (???) for one more five-year term. General Zhang, who was born in 1950, had long been expected to retire this year. However, given the intimate friendship between the fathers of Zhang and Xi, the former enjoys the total trust of the Commander in Chief. Two other newly promoted generals on the seven-member CMC, Vice-Chairman He Weidong (???; born 1957) and ordinary CMC member General Miao Hua (??; born 1955) have experience serving in the Fujian Province-based 31st Field Army as well as the now-defunct Nanjing Military Region, which covered Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. A high possibility exists that Xi first became acquainted with the two generals while serving in various positions in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces from 1985 to 2007. General He is a former commander of the Eastern Theatre Command, which includes Taiwan in its jurisdiction. General Miao is a veteran political commissar who is Director of the CMCs Department of Political Work (Businesstoday.com.tw, October 23; SCMP, October 23). The other three new members of the CMC are General Zhang Shengmin (???; born 1958), who oversees military discipline and anti-corruption work; former Commander of the Ground Forces General Liu Zhenli (???; born 1964), who is a candidate for promotion to Chief of the Joint Staff Department; and General Li Shangfu (???; born 1958), an accomplished aerospace engineer who is the incumbent Head of the Equipment Development of the CMC (Headline News.HK, October 24; Breakingdefense.com, October 17). Conclusion Despite the fact that many major congresses and conventions in socialist countries feature a plethora of grandiloquent speeches and pledges rather than solid pathways to concrete goals, the 20th Party Congress including Xis and other leaders reports focused almost entirely on theoretical concepts such as Chinese-style modernization, the great renaissance of the Chinese nation, and daring to wage struggles. Although the State Statistical Bureau just announced that GDP growth in the third quarter of 2022 was 3.9 percent, most independent researchers and think tanks, including the World Bank, forecast an annual growth rate for the Chinese economy of around 2.8 percent or lower (Scio.gov.cn, October 24; CNBC.com, August 18). Outgoing Premier Li Keqiang, who has taken charge of the economy in the past four months, has gone against the precepts of President Xi by calling for more foreign investment and a streamlined anti-pandemic regime (China Brief, July 18). Yet the sole trump card that Li and other technocrats on the State Council have recommended is boosting stimulus for infrastructure projects to jack up economic growth (Rthk.hk, August 30; English.gov.cn, July 29). However, government investment is an old tool that is liable to lead to overleverage, waste and diminishing returns on outlays. While Xi and his cronies are celebrating their stunning victory at this Congress, they have to convince the nation and the international community that the economy can be fixed, particularly given the harsh sanctions and boycotts recently imposed on the PRC by the U.S. and its allies. One disturbing factor affecting personnel changes at the Congress is that a host of Western-educated and market-oriented officials have retired. One of retiring Premier Li Keqiangs last remarks was that the waters of the Yellow and Yangtze River wont flow backwards. This was seen as a rebuke of the Maoist restoration undertaken by Xi. Other officials with backgrounds in working with and in the West include outgoing Vice Premier Liu He (??) a Harvard-educated economist, who was once a close adviser to Xi; Governor of the Peoples Bank of China Yi Gang (??), who is a former economics professor at a U.S. university; and top-ranked banking regulator Guo Shuqing (???). Based on the new Central Committee membership list, the Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, He Lifeng (???) is a clear candidate to replace Liu He as the Vice Premier in charge of economics (Xinhuanet, October 22). He, however, gained Xis trust mainly because the two worked together in Fujian Province for many years. He Lifeng has very little reformist credentials. Xis overall preference for professional party apparatchiks over number-crunching technocrats has also led to a paucity of specialists in economic or financial matters on the Central Committee and the Politburo. Unless this situation is remedied, and Xi agrees to make more than token concessions on rigid ideological dogmas ranging from the zero-COVID regime to stringent party-state control over the economy, both Chinese and foreign observers will remain unconvinced that China can realize its dream of attaining superpower status by 2049. By The Jamestown Foundation More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: China ramped up its imports of coking coal and liquefied natural gas from Russia to record levels last month despite a decline in overall LNG imports, Chinese customs data showed on Tuesday. Chinese imports of LNG from Russia rose by one-third in September compared to the same month of 2021, the data cited by Bloomberg showed. All imports of LNG into China were down by 12% last month. Amid tepid demand and high spot prices, China is expected to see an unprecedented slump in its liquefied natural gas imports this year, ceding the worlds top LNG importer status back to Japan, analysts say. China, however, is importing more LNG from Russia while Europe shuns Russian cargoes. Chinese imports of Russian coking coal, used in steelmaking, nearly tripled to 2.5 million tons last month from 900,000 tons in September last year. Coking coal imports this past month were also higher than the 1.9 million tons of imports in the previous month of August, according to the customs data. Combined imports of thermal coal and coking coal from Russia jumped by 20% year over year in Sept to nearly 7 million tons. In recent months, China has been taking advantage of discounted cargoes of Russian energy products, including oil, LNG, and coal. China also imports natural gas via a pipeline from Russia, the Power of Siberia, but Beijing hasnt disclosed its pipeline import volumes this year. China and India have become Russias key energy buyers after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as most Western countries shun, ban, or are about to embargo imports of Russian energy products. The EU implemented a ban on coal imports in August and is set to introduce an embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil starting December 5 and Russian refined oil products beginning on February 5, 2023. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: U.S. energy executives told Jennifer Granholm that shuttered crude oil refineries wont restart, Valeros Chief Executive Joe Gorder said on Tuesday. The comments were made to the U.S. Energy Secretary at a recent White House meeting with energy executives, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The one interesting thing that came out of it, too, was there was consideration for the ability to restart refining capacity that had been shut down, and I think the general sentiment was that wasnt going to happen, Gorder said. Limited U.S. refinery capacityand perhaps more critically, refinery capacity in specific U.S. geographic areas, known as PADDshas spared worry in the United States over high gasoline prices and energy security. US refinery run rates were north of 90% for much of the summer, according to the EIAs Weekly Petroleum Status Report. Shuttered refineries unlikely to start back up are the latest nail in the U.S. refinery coffin. In June, Chevron CEO Mike Wirth posited that there would never be another new refinery built in the United States. Building a refinery is a multi-billion dollar investment. It may take a decade. We havent had a refinery built in the United States since the 1970s. My personal view is that there will never be another refinery built in the United States, Wirth said at the time. Oil and gas companies would have to weigh the benefits of committing capital ten years out that will need decades to offer a return to shareholders in a policy environment where governments around the world are saying we dont want these products to be used in the future, Wirth added. Refinery utilization in the United States for the week ending October 14 was 89.5% of their operable capacity, the most recent EIA data shows. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The global oil market will still need Russian oil to flow even with the planned price cap, Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said on Tuesday. The price cap proposed and pushed by the G7 with the purpose of allowing Russian oil to continue flowing, but at lower than market prices, still has many details to be hashed out, Birol said at the Singapore International Energy Week, as carried by Reuters. Last month, the G7 group of the most industrialized nations agreed to finalize and implement a price cap on Russian oil, aiming to reduce Vladimir Putins oil revenues for his war chest. The G7 will ban maritime transportation services for Russian oil unless the products are purchased at or below a certain price cap. European Union ambassadors also endorsed the price cap after reaching an agreement earlier this month to impose a new package of sanctions on Russia, including banning maritime transportation for Russian oil to third-party countries unless the oil is sold below or at a certain price cap. Many analysts and experts doubt that the price cap would serve its dual purpose of cutting revenues for Putin while keeping Russian oil flowing because top importers China and India havent signed onto the price cap, and because Putin could simply make good on his promise to halt all energy supplyincluding crude, fuels, natural gas, and coalto the countries that sign up to cap the price of Russian oil. Last week, a U.S. Treasury official and industry representatives admitted to Reuters that Russia could largely evade the price cap because it would likely have access to enough own tankers and transport and insurance services to ship its oil. There have been estimates that Russia could continue to ship 80-90% of its oil outside the price cap regime, and those estimates are not unreasonable, the unnamed U.S. official told Reuters. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Saudi Arabias Energy Minister has warned countries against misusing their crude oil stockpiles to manipulate the oil markets. According to the Kingdoms Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who has been sparring with U.S. President Joe Biden in recent weeks, strategic crude oil stockpiles are designed to be used to manage supply shortages, not to bring down prices. It is my profound duty to make clear to the world that losing (releasing) emergency stocks may be painful in the months to come, the Energy Minister said at the Future Initiative Investment conference in Riyadh. The comment was quickly interpreted as a barb aimed specifically at President Biden, who lashed out at OPEC+ over its recent decision to lower its crude oil production targets by 2 million barrels per day after the United States spent months releasing more than a hundred million barrels of crude oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserves to alleviate high prices at the pump ahead of midterm elections. The warning is just the latest in the tiff between Saudi Arabia and President Biden, after the U.S. President said there would be consequences for Saudi Arabias decisionwith Russiato lower crude oil production. I am in the process, when the House and Senate gets back, theyre going to have to theres going to be some consequences for what theyve done with Russia, President Biden said last week, without getting into specifics. The United States has released 192 million barrels of crude oil from its emergency stockpiles so far this year, according to EIA data, with plans to release even more next year. Other IEA countries have released oil from their crude oil stockpiles this year as well to address significant market and supply disruptions related to President Putins war on Ukraine, the IEA said in a March press release. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The United States and Saudi Arabia will overcome the recent rift in relations created by the OPEC+ groups decision to reduce its oil production target by the most since 2020, according to Saudi Arabias Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih. If you look at the relationship with the people side, the corporate side, the education system, you look at our institutions working together. We are very close and we will get over this recent spat that I think was unwarranted, al-Falih, who was Saudi Arabias Energy Minister when OPEC+ was created, said at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum in Riyadh, as carried by Reuters. Early this month, OPEC+ decided to reduce its crude oil production target by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) as of Novembera cut which angered the U.S. Administration. There will be some consequences for Saudi Arabia for its decision with Russia to steer OPEC+ into a large oil production cut, U.S. President Joe Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview a week after the OPEC+ meeting. Saudi Arabia, for its part, came out with a statement that expressed its total rejection of Bidens and other statements from Washington with regard to the decision. Multiple OPEC+ producers have also defended the groups decision to reduce production, saying they had all agreed this was the course toward oil market stability and that the decision was unanimous. The UAEs Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei wrote on Twitter, I would like to clarify that the latest OPEC+ decision, which was unanimously approved was a pure technical decision, with NO political intentions whatsoever. This week, Saudi Arabia holds the FII forum, dubbed Davos in the Desert by the Saudis, with many U.S. finance executives attending, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon. However, there were no officials from the Biden Administration to be seen at the forum on Tuesday, Reuters reports. But Jared Kushner, a former senior aide to former President Donald Trump, was in attendance and is a featured speaker at the event. By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund, could soon have an announcement about a possible sale of part of its 4% stake in Saudi Aramco, which is currently worth around $85 billion, the governor of the fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, told Bloomberg in an interview on Tuesday. Al-Rumayyan said that investors and analysts should stay tuned for news on the fund potentially selling down its stake in the state oil giant, which is the worlds largest oil company by production and market value. At the beginning of this year, the Saudi government transferred a 4% stake in Aramco to the Kingdoms Public Investment Fund to boost its credit rating and financial position. The transfer is part of the Kingdoms long-term strategy to support the restructuring of its economy, in line with Vision 2030, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in February. The shares will bolster the Funds strong financial position and high credit ratings in the medium term, as the PIF relies on the value of its assets and the returns on its Assets under Management for its funding strategy, the Crown Prince was quoted as saying by the Saudi Press Agency at the time. The share injection was part of efforts to boost the Public Investment Funds assets under management from $500 billion to over $1 trillion by the end of 2025. The transferred stake was worth some $80 billion at the time. As of the end of the first quarter of 2022, the PIF had assets under management worth $620 billion. Speaking to Bloomberg, Al-Rumayyan, who is also chairman of Aramcos board of directors, said today that the oil giant has yet to determine the timing of the listing of its trading unit. Last week, Bloomberg reported, citing sources with knowledge of the plans, that Aramco was aiming to list the energy trading unit at the end of this year or in early 2023. The unit could be valued at over $30 billion, according to Bloombergs sources. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The European Commission has issued a warning about the potential negative impacts of a price cap on natural gas used for power generation, saying this could encourage higher consumption and exports of subsidized electricity. This is according to a Reuters report that cited a document from the latest meeting of EU energy ministers to discuss ways of reining in the energy crisis. Per the document, if the EU approves a price cap on the natural gas it uses for power generation, this could lead to an increase in gas consumption of some 9 billion cubic meters. Yet a rise in gas consumption is the last thing the EU needs right now, as it tries to get people to actually reduce their consumption of energy. A price cap on natural gas used for power generation has already been introduced in Spain and Portugal but France has suggested the cap be implemented across the EU. Meanwhile, Bloomberg has reported that the Commission warned the EU would need to get Switzerland and the UK on board with the cap before proceeding. The two are big energy importers from the EU and a potential price cap would affect them, too, by supplying EU-subsidized electricity to non-members. Besides the idea of a specific gas price cap for power generation, the EU is also discussing a broad cap on the price of all importer gas, which could prove even more challenging. In any case, as Bloomberg notes, discussions on the cap for power generation will take at least a few weeks. Before member states settle on the cap, they need to agree on a regulation that the Commission suggested earlier this month and that would allow direct market intervention from the EU as it tries to rein in the energy chaos. Any decision on gas price caps will likely take more than a month, if a decision is reached at all capping gas prices would incur subsidy costs for some countries with a lot of gas-powered generation capacity, such as Germany, and benefit others that import gas-produced electricity, such as the author of the idea, France. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Kyiv has accused Russia of delaying more than 165 cargo ships heading to Ukrainian Black Sea ports to load up with grain under a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. Russian inspectors "have been significantly prolonging the inspection of vessels," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on October 24. "As a result, more than 165 vessels have been stuck in a queue near the Bosphorus Strait, and this number continues to grow daily." Cargo ships carrying grain and other foodstuffs to and from Ukrainian ports must be inspected by teams organized by the four-party Joint Coordination Center (JCC), a group set up under the UN-Turkey brokered deal with Ukraine and Russia that was signed in July amid concerns that the blockage of Ukrainian grain exports was contributing to a global food crisis. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it had reason to believe the delays were politically motivated and were once again threatening food security for millions of people. "Russia's actions undermine global food security, in particular in the Global South," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement added. "The inspection delays have already prevented Ukraine from exporting an additional 3 million tons of grain. Ten million people across the world have not received food in time because of Russia's political agenda." Russia has previously threatened to pull out of the deal, which also gave Moscow guarantees for its own grain and fertilizer exports. The deal is up for renewal next month. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on October 24 that Moscow has asked the United Nations for data on the destination and end-consumers for Ukrainian grain exports. Lavrov said "corrections" needed to unblock shipments would depend on Russia receiving this information. UN spokeswoman for the Black Sea Grain Initiative Ismini Palla said urgent steps were needed to relieve the backlog. The delays "have the potential to cause disruptions to the supply chain and port operations," Palla said. The deal freed up exports from three of Ukraine's ports -- Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdenniy -- which had been blockaded since Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine in late February. The first grain shipments left Ukraine in August. The four parties to the deal -- Russia, Ukraine, and brokers Turkey and the UN -- are currently negotiating a possible extension and expansion beyond its November 19 deadline. Palla said the UN convenes the parties daily "and has urged full and good faith participation in the [deal] and the need for additional urgent measures to be taken so the supply chain does not get disrupted and the initiative continues to deliver more and much needed food to the world." By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Major U.S. refiner Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) reported on Tuesday third-quarter earnings above analyst expectations, thanks to strong product demand exceeding 2019 levels and solid refining fundamentals in the U.S. and worldwide. Valero, which launched the earnings season for U.S. refiners today, said its adjusted net income surged to $2.8 billion, or $7.14 per share, for the third quarter, up from $545 million, or $1.33 per share, for the third quarter of 2021. The adjusted per-share earnings surpassed the analyst consensus of $6.80 compiled by The Wall Street Journal. Revenues surged to $44.454 billion from $29.52 billion for the third quarter of last year, also beating the analyst consensus estimate. The Refining segments operating income soared to $3.8 billion for the third quarter of 2022, compared to $835 million for the third quarter of 2021. Valeros refining throughput volumes averaged 3.0 million barrels per day (bpd) in the third quarter of 2022, up by 141,000 bpd higher than in the same period last year. Valero said that the companys refinery utilization rate was 95% in the third quarter of 2022, compared to 91% in the third quarter of 2021. Most U.S. refiners have operated near capacity this year to meet demand domestically and to meet stronger export demand after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the looming EU embargo on imports of Russian oil and products. Refining fundamentals remain strong as product demand through our system has surpassed 2019 levels, while global product supply remains constrained due to capacity reductions and high natural gas prices in Europe are setting a higher floor on margins, Valeros chairman and CEO Joe Gorder said. We continue to maximize refining utilization in a safe, reliable and environmentally responsible manner to provide essential products. U.S. refiners have been under constant criticism by the White House this year for not passing the record profits onto consumers. Keeping prices high even as input costs fall is unacceptable, and the President will call on companies to pass their savings through to consumers now, the White House said last week. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Photo: The Canadian Press Ballet dancer, choreographer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov, who famously defected from the Soviet Union nearly a half-century ago, called Alexei Navalny insanely brave as a human rights group awarded the jailed Russian opposition leader its annual prize on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022 in New York. The New York-based Train Foundation gave its 2022 Civil Courage Prize to Navalny in absentia, in a ceremony at New York University. (Christine Marie Keeley via AP) Ballet dancer, choreographer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov, who famously defected from the Soviet Union nearly a half-century ago, called Alexei Navalny insanely brave as a human rights group awarded the jailed Russian opposition leader its annual prize. The New York-based Train Foundation gave its 2022 Civil Courage Prize to Navalny in absentia, in a ceremony at New York University on Monday night. Baryshnikov, 74, who is also active on human rights in the region, said Navalnys mission is to champion a more democratic vision for Russia. He said Navalny is insanely brave for fighting another brutal authoritarian Russia. Baryshnikov defected to Canada in 1974 while on a tour with the Soviet state ballet and moved to the United States a year later. The Train Foundation cited Navalnys groundbreaking work for freedom and transparency in Russia in presenting the award, which two colleagues accepted on his behalf. His chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, said Navalny proves his courage every day, holed up in a 7-by-11 foot punishment cell in a Russian prison. Every day is an exercise in civil courage, Volkov said at the award ceremony. Russian authorities have launched several criminal cases against Navalny, leading his associates to suggest that the Kremlin intends to keep him behind bars indefinitely. In the latest case, Navalny reported on social media last week that Russian investigators are investigating him on charges of allegedly propagandizing terrorism, and of calling for and financing extremist actions. Those charges could keep him in prison for 30 years. Also last week, a Russian court rejected his second appeal of a nine-year sentence on other charges fraud and contempt of court. Navalny, Putins fiercest foe, was arrested in January 2021 upon returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been recuperating from a poisoning he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities deny involvement in the poisoning. He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for a parole violation that Western leaders have called politically motivated. In March, he was sentenced to nine years, in a separate case on charges of embezzling money that he and his foundation raised over the years, and of insulting a judge during a previous trial. Navalny has rejected the allegations as politically motivated. Putin has doubled down in his campaign against dissent since invading Ukraine eight months ago, and emergency security powers he authorized last week allow local leaders to take more draconian steps. The Nebraska Homeowner Assistance Fund established in February to reduce homeowner mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures and displacement is available to assist income-qualified, pandemic-impacted homeowners. The program received $50 million from the U.S. Treasury and has distributed more than $11 million so far, according to a news release. The Nebraska Investment Finance Authority is administering the statewide program. Initially, the program provided assistance for past-due mortgage payments, past-due real estate taxes, past-due homeowners or flood insurance and past-due homeowners association dues. After further evaluation over the last seven months, the program has been expanded to better assist homeowners with additional needs. Funds will continue to be available for initially covered items. The aggregate amount of assistance has increase to $40,000. NHAF may also assist with monthly payments for homeowners who have a deferred balance on their existing loan. NHAF has added assistance for past-due utilities and internet. Cellphone bills and trash service are not included in the assistance program. All funds will be distributed until they run out, and they do not need to be paid back. The household income must be equal to or less than 100% area median income for the county of residence to be eligible for assistance. For Sarpy County, that median income ranges from $90,000 for a one-person household through $125,550 for eight people. At least one member of the household must have been financially impacted by the pandemic after Jan. 21, 2020. Assistance can only be provided for the homeowners primary residence. Nebraskans can apply online at NebraskaHAF.com. A call center is also available to provide assistance Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-844-565-7146. A former Omaha police officer facing federal child pornography charges is expected to forgo his criminal trial and plead guilty, according to court records. Christopher Groth was scheduled to begin his trial Monday in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska in Lincoln, but his attorney last week filed a request to allow for a change of plea to guilty at a hearing Dec. 7. Groth faces charges of producing child pornography between September 2020 and December 2020, transporting it on Feb. 2, 2021, and possessing it on June 3, 2021. He initially was indicted Feb. 15 and appeared in court the next day. An Omaha police spokesman has said that Police Chief Todd Schmaderer started the process to fire Groth shortly after Groths arrest. The affidavit in the case still is sealed because it is a child exploitation case, according to Mike Norris, criminal division chief of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Nebraska. The age of the victim or victims is unknown. Groth had worked for OPD for 15 years. Like their peers across the nation, Nebraska students slid backward in math and reading proficiency during the pandemic, according to results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress released Monday. Nebraskas eighth grade math score was the lowest since 2000. Its fourth grade math score was the lowest since 2011. And in reading, fourth and eighth grade scores were the lowest since 2002. But the test results, known as the Nations Report Card, contain some positive takeaways. First, Nebraska students did better than the nation. Nebraskas average math score was 242 for fourth grade, 7 points higher than the national average. In eighth grade, Nebraska averaged 279, 6 points higher than the nation. In reading, Nebraskas average score was 219 for fourth grade, 3 points higher than the national average. In eighth grade, both Nebraska and the nation had an average score of 259. Second, Nebraska kids slid less than their peers across the nation during the past three years. Nebraska kids dropped 2 points in fourth grade math and 6 points in eighth grade math on a 500-point scale. Nationally, math scores dropped 5 and 8 points, respectively. A 2-point slide is small enough that officials at NAEP dont consider it statistically significant. As a result, despite the drop, Nebraska was designated as one of nine states that recorded no significant score change in fourth grade math. No state had its score go up. Nationally, the declines in math scores were the largest since NAEP assessments began in 1990. Miguel Cardona, the U.S. secretary of education, said at a press briefing on Friday that the nations scores are unacceptable, and the low results werent just because of the pandemic. The data prior to the pandemic did not reflect an education system that was on the right track. The pandemic simply made that worse, Cardona said. It took poor performance and dropped it down even further. In reading, the results were mixed for Nebraska. Nebraska fourth graders fell 3 points, same as their peers nationally. Eighth graders in Nebraska fell 5 points, compared to 3 points nationally. Nebraska Commissioner of Education Matt Blomstedt said its reasonable to think that getting Nebraska kids back into classrooms during the pandemic kept scores from falling further. It demonstrates at least what my gut told me: in-school was going to be a better result for students than not being in school, Blomstedt said. In August 2020, Nebraska reopened most of its schools after the spring quarter shutdown despite the advice of some medical experts, protests from teachers unions and worries it could ignite COVID-19 outbreaks. Some kids learned remotely, but it proved a challenge for many kids, with higher course failure rates than students attending in person. Last school year, kids were back in person, though COVID proved disruptive again until it mostly subsided late in the year. Because Nebraska got its kids back in school, educators could turn their attention to addressing learning loss while some of the nations school districts were still in remote learning. The NAEP test is used to track the nations academic progress over the long haul. It is administered in various academic subjects periodically to a representative sample of the nations students. Students took the tests between January and March 2022. The last time students were tested was in 2019, prior to the pandemic. The results provide the most reliable and complete picture yet of the impact of COVID-19 disruptions on the nation. Blomstedt said the bigger eighth grade drops in Nebraska may reflect the challenge teachers faced in engaging middle schoolers during the pandemic. The NAEP scores revealed that certain student demographic subgroups in Nebraska suffered more than others, especially English language learners. In Nebraska, fourth grade English learner students dropped 10 points in math and 16 points in reading. Nationally, that group of students slid only 1 to 4 points. Eighth grade English learner students in Nebraska dropped 3 points in math and 13 points in reading. Across the U.S., English learner students in the same grade lost only 2 to 4 points. The NAEP results reflect the reality in classrooms across our nation in terms of the students, families and communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Bridget Blevins, spokeswoman for the Omaha Public Schools. The district, which has nearly 19,000 students receiving English learner services, anticipated the need for academic recovery, Blevins said. Most demographic groups in the state declined by similar amounts. But one subgroup Asian/Pacific Islander fourth grade students increased their math score by 7 points. In some cases, the gaps between demographic groups narrowed, but that didnt mean that historically low-performing students had scored better. For instance, in eighth grade reading, the gap narrowed between students who were eligible for free and reduced-price lunches and those who were not. Both subgroups dropped, but the subsidized lunch students didnt drop as much. As a result, their average scores were 20 points lower, instead of 25 points. I think what it means is sometimes when you dont have as far to fall, the learning loss was less, Blomstedt said. Also, when you try to grow back out of that, the works harder with that group. He said he wouldnt be surprised if, as schools get back to normal, the gap grows again as students not impacted by poverty recover faster. Jenni Benson, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, said people shouldnt put too much emphasis on the NAEP scores. Among the most hotly contested races across Nebraska this fall are the seats on the Nebraska State Board of Education. The eight-member board has a total of four positions up for grabs this year, and all four have contested races. That includes the Omaha-area District 8 seat, where incumbent Deborah Neary is seeking a second four-year term on the board. She faces a challenge from Omaha resident Marni Hodgen. The nonpartisan board sets policy and ensures that the State Department of Education functions effectively. Districts are geographically set, and members are not paid for their service on the board, though they are reimbursed for expenses incurred as part of their service. Marni Hodgen Age: 43 Party: Republican Occupation: Licensed massage therapist Home: Omaha Elected offices held: None Family: Married, three children Why are you running? Im running because I had concerns after reading the proposed health standards. I found it odd the board thought it was important to bring in curriculum discussing sexuality, gender identity, gender fluidity, and puberty for grades three and younger. I found it alarming that puberty blockers would be discussed in fifth grade. Ive attended meetings expressing my concerns. Despite 90% of stakeholders not wanting CSE, the board continued to ignore the parents. The defining moment for me was when Kirk Penner made a motion to permanently reject the health standards and none of the other board members supported this motion. What is your top priority? My top priority is academic excellence and providing children the world-class education they deserve. I want to strive for all children to have a solid foundation of knowledge in math, science, social studies, and language arts. I also see a need to reach students exhibiting intelligence in building, creating, and repairing. This is why I want to bring back the skilled trade programs. In doing so students who may not be college bound or be able to afford college will still have the opportunity to have a lucrative career and guarantee job security while contributing to the economy. If elected, would you support resuming the state's development of health-education standards including standards on sexuality education for Nebraska schools? Why? I would not support resuming the states development of health-education standards including comprehensive sexuality education. For one, the State Board never should have written standards for health. The board is only allowed to write standards for math, social studies, science and language arts. Secondly, comprehensive sexuality education begins in kindergarten and covers topics of sexuality, gender identity, gender fluidity, and transgender instruction that are cognitively and developmentally irrelevant for young children. With proficiency scores at an all-time low students deserve classrooms that emphasize academics, and they deserve to learn in an environment free from identity politics. In recent years, many parents have expressed a desire to have a greater say in what their kids are taught in school on such topics as sex education, gender identity, history and racism. How much influence should Nebraska parents have on what's taught in their schools? Yes I think Nebraska parents should have an influence on whats taught in schools. Im a proponent of local school board control and parental input working together for what they agree is best for their community. Im also a proponent of curriculum transparency as parents have a right to know the content of the curriculum. I also want to find ways to engage the disengaged parents because studies show children do better in school when parents are involved in their education. What are the most effective steps Nebraska can take now to ensure it has enough teachers for the future, without lowering the bar for certification? Nebraska can ensure it has enough teachers by supporting them. Ive been listening to educators and here is what theyve said. They want authority to control their classrooms because student misbehavior is a factor in their stress and burnout. They dont want to teach curriculum that goes against their conscience. I question the outsourcing and overspending of third party contractors for the development of curriculum and standards. The SBOE can direct funds. We have capable teachers we can financially support instead of third parties. Additionally, reciprocity for certification should be examined as a solution for bringing in more teachers. Deborah Neary Age: 61 Party: Democrat Occupation: Retired, nonprofit executive; currently working as leadership-level consultant for nonprofits Home: Omaha Elected offices held: Nebraska State Board of Education member, 2019-present Family: Married, parent to eight foster youth Why are you running? Within the framework set by the Legislature, the Department of Education, and I as a Board Member, must: Ensure we have strong schools in Nebraska, especially a strong public school system that is welcoming to all students Support our teachers in ways that respect and help them we need to retain all of our professional teachers especially in these challenging times coming out of the pandemic. Help every youth reach their full potential by understanding the range of challenges and needs that students bring into the classroom every day What is your top priority? The current Nebraska commissioner of education, Matt Blomstedt, has recently submitted his resignation. Consequently, hiring a new commissioner that will help school districts across the state in their efforts to equip our students for success by working with all stakeholders including understanding the needs of today's students, listening to parents, and advocating for teachers, is a top priority. If elected, would you support resuming the state's development of health-education standards including standards on sexuality education for Nebraska schools? Why? The health education standards included information on physical health, nutrition, drug prevention, social learning, developing strong emotional and mental health practices, and sex education. Adding health-education standards to the board agenda was prioritized by the current commisioner of education prior to my being elected to the State Board of Education. It is important for the new education commissioner to set their own timelines for writing and updating standards that prioritize the needs of our students. I do, however, hope our local school districts continue to discuss the issues addressed in these standards, such as the dangers of bullying, how to diminish the high teen pregnancy rates, and continue the dialog on ways to keep youth safe from violence. In recent years, many parents have expressed a desire to have a greater say in what their kids are taught in school on such topics as sex education, gender identity, history and racism. How much influence should Nebraska parents have on what's taught in their schools? Parents are crucial to a childs growth and development and a parents support is instrumental to a students success; every school values parental engagement with their childs education. Parents do have control over their child's education. Nebraska is a local control state that supports parental input in choices regarding curriculum, textbooks, library books, district policy and much more; I believe in and support this current system of strong local control in Nebraska. At the state level, there are a wide range of parent voices that are heard on a myriad of issues addressed by the State Board. It is the responsibility of the State Board to balance these individual voices with practices that will facilitate that every student is able to reach their highest potential and to be competitive on a national and international stage when they graduate. What are the most effective steps Nebraska can take now to ensure it has enough teachers for the future, without lowering the bar for certification? All segments of Nebraskas education sector have been working on this topic with urgency, including representatives from public and private schools, universities, school leadership at all levels, NDE, State Board members, and of course teachers. I support the three priority recommendations made in 2021 by the Nebraska Association of Colleges of Teacher Education regarding certification that do not lower the bar: 1) Streamlining processes for out-of-state educators; 2) Developing a tiered system for certification; and 3) Finding more efficient pathways for adding endorsements. I also support their recommendations to remove the Praxis Core, offer more para-to-teacher programs, and modify student teaching. Two seats on the Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors are up for election this year, and both have contested races. The public power utility district serves nearly 400,000 customers in all or parts of 13 eastern Nebraska counties. In Subdivision 4, candidates Matt Core and Jim Grotrian are running to replace Rick Yoder. The subdivision includes most of Sarpy County, as well as six counties south of it. In Subdivision 5, incumbent Craig Moody faces a challenge from Kevin Ryan. The subdivision is in Omaha, with the general boundaries being West Maple Road to the north, Saddle Creek Road to the east, the Union Pacific Railroad track to the south, and 132nd Street to the west. The board is tasked with setting the district's mission and vision. It establishes policy, evaluates the district's performance, makes some operational decisions and decides who serves as the district's president and CEO. Races are nonpartisan, and those elected to the eight-member board serve six-year terms. Editor's note: Each response was limited to 100 words and edited for style. Subdivision 4 Matt Core Age: 36 Party: Nonpartisan Occupation: Lieutenant, Sarpy County Sheriff's Office Home: Papillion Elected offices held: None Family: Married, four children Why do you want to serve on the OPPD board? Family, community, and service drive me. I spent the last 14 years at the Sarpy County Sheriffs Office, and prior to my career in law enforcement, I served in the Air National Guard and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I feel a responsibility to serve my country and my community. My dad worked for OPPD for 32 years and I learned from an early age the important role OPPD plays in our community and in our daily lives. The OPPD Board is another way that I can give back and utilize my skills and experience to benefit others. What is the greatest challenge currently facing OPPD? Ensuring that all of those served by OPPD have consistent, reliable, and affordable power while navigating the quickly changing energy market, extreme weather events that put stress on the grid, and economy-wide and world events that cause volatile pricing for resources like oil and gas. OPPD is targeting 2050 for net zero carbon emissions. Do you support this goal? Please explain your answer. Yes. This is the direction the industry as a whole is going. Credit agencies want to see that the utility is taking steps to decarbonize because they see a high-emitting portfolio as a business risk. A good credit rating reduces the cost of debt and helps keep rates low. More and more, businesses are looking for a decarbonized electricity portfolio when they choose where to locate. OPPD must be careful in their decision-making in the coming years to accomplish this goal so that they can achieve it while continuing to provide ratepayers with reliable and affordable power. Do you feel OPPD is doing enough to prepare for the future surge in electricity demand as more products and people shift to electric? Its clear that OPPD has an eye on the future. Power with Purpose is an important initiative that helps OPPD keep up with demand, and the OPPD Boards decision to postpone shut-down of the North Omaha Station demonstrates their commitment to maintaining a reliable power supply. OPPD needs to make sure that we have a diverse and sustainable supply of energy to be able to provide power to ratepayers without interruption as demand continues to grow. Why should voters pick you to serve on the OPPD board? My priorities are to keep rates low, ensure our electricity is reliable, and protect our quality of life. My years of direct service in law enforcement, the U.S. Air National Guard, and volunteering in the community have given me a lot of experience listening to people and understanding them. I will ensure that proper oversight is provided to OPPD and that you, the ratepayer, are well-represented. If you have any concerns, needs, or ideas, please call or text me at 402-672-6520. Jim Grotrian Age: 56 Party: Republican Occupation: Self-employed, consulting and agri-business Home: Cass County (Buccaneer Bay) Elected offices held: Sanitary Improvement District #5 Board, 2010-present Family: Married Why do you want to serve on the OPPD board? I am a lifelong resident of southeast Nebraska which encompasses the seven counties of the OPPD Subdivision 4. I believe SD #4 of the OPPD service area should have a representative who can authentically represent the rural and urban ratepayer of the utility. It is also important to have an experienced, business minded public servant on the Board that can help shape important energy policy during such a critical time in our communities and country. What is the greatest challenge currently facing OPPD? I think the greatest challenge is to meet current and future demands on our electrical grid and stay focused on the affordability and reliability of our rates and service to our ratepayers. I also think OPPD must be a strong partner with our business community and work collaboratively to grow our economy. OPPD is targeting 2050 for net zero carbon emissions. Do you support this goal? Please explain your answer. A. Having zero net emissions is an admiral goal. I am in support of the plan insofar as it does not jeopardize reliability and affordability for the ratepayers. First and foremost, we owe it to our ratepayers to provide electricity at a rate that doesnt break the bank and comes on when they flip the switch. To accomplish this, we need to maintain a diversified energy portfolio. I will serve as an advocate for ratepayers and look at every decision through that lens. Do you feel OPPD is doing enough to prepare for the future surge in electricity demand as more products and people shift to electric? As a public utility, OPPD exists to serve the ratepayers. We owe it to everyone we serve to continue to look at usage trends and anticipate future energy needs. Failing to do so now would undoubtedly lead to increased rates in the future. The district must maintain a strong, diversified, energy portfolio to meet current and future energy needs. Why should voters pick you to serve on the OPPD board? I have the experience, passion, and conservative vision to lead OPPD during this time of rising cost and uncertain demand on our electrical grid. OPPD must put ratepayers first, I pledge to always stand up for their voice. District 4 is very geographically unique, from suburban Sarpy County to rural Richardson County. But one thing is always true, we need electricity that will reliably turn on at an affordable rate. As a lifelong southeast Nebraskan, I understand those diverse needs, and will fight for the ratepayer. I would be honored to earn the support of the residents of Subdistrict 4. Subdivision 5 Craig Moody Age: 47 Party: Democrat Occupation: Managing partner at Verdis Group Home: Omaha Elected offices held: OPPD Board of Directors, 2017-present Family: Married, two children Why do you want to continue serving on the OPPD board? My first term on the board was heavily focused on reshaping the vision and direction of the organization towards clean energy, affordability, and reliability, and a future that prioritizes our customer-owners and captures all the advantages public power has to offer. With solid plans in place, our focus turns toward execution of those plans, which is undeniably more difficult. The district is building two natural gas plants, decommissioning a nuclear plant, adding 600 MW of solar, and investing in several new technologies. Leading this work requires deep knowledge of the industry and pragmatically moving the organization through the transition ahead. What is the greatest challenge currently facing OPPD? The biggest challenge is navigating a quickly transforming and growing industry. Demand for OPPDs service has grown significantly, and that growth is going to continue as more consumers electrify their homes and drive electric vehicles. Meanwhile, the entire industry is shifting towards clean energy, consumers are demanding new services and products from their utility, and the grid requires continued investment to maintain reliability. The challenge, actually the opportunity, is to meet growing demand while smoothly transitioning the organization to a utility of the future while maintaining the affordability and reliability that our customer-owners expect. OPPD is targeting 2050 for net zero carbon emissions. Do you support this goal? Please explain your answer. I absolutely support this goal. I was heavily involved in leading the board toward adopting our net zero goal, and Im proud that were leading the utility industry towards decarbonization. The good news is that we can achieve it and do so while keeping our services affordable and reliable. This is a finding that was revealed by a significant study the district performed (with the help of industry experts) to examine how we might achieve net zero by 2050. Do you feel OPPD is doing enough to prepare for the future surge in electricity demand as more products and people shift to electric? Yes. We have a great start in our preparations as evidenced by the investments in two natural gas plants and 600 MW of solar. We are also investing in programs to help customer-owners conserve electricity (and save a few bucks) and reduce overall demand. However, the anticipated demand growth is significant, and more work is needed to ensure OPPD continues to meet that demand. We have an obligation to serve, and we take that mandate very seriously. Why should voters pick you to continue serving on the OPPD board? Electricity is a basic life necessity and should not be taken for granted. Given the anticipated demand growth, pace of change in the industry, and technological advancements occurring, OPPD needs board members who have experience, expertise in the industry, and an ability to make sound decisions that will shepherd the district through these changes to best serve our customer-owners. I have the experience, the expertise, and the track record of accomplishments to demonstrate that I can and will continue leading OPPD to a successful future. Kevin Ryan Age: 53 Party: Democrat Occupation: Attorney, private practice Home: Omaha Elected offices held: None Family: Married, two children Why do you want to serve on the OPPD board? First and foremost, I would like to save OPPD customers from unnecessary and avoidable rate increases. The amount of money that OPPD has in reserves, exceeds what a public power utility truly requires. Last year's rate increase was wholly unnecessary due to this fact. I believe that OPPD will almost certainly increase rates again in the coming year, and in subsequent years to come, until the Board has the courage to say no. These rate increases, coupled with rising fuel costs, have the potential of making our electricity bills unreasonable and unaffordable. Lowering customers' electricity bills is my top priority. What is the greatest challenge currently facing OPPD? The greatest challenge that OPPD faces is how to continue to provide enough reliable power to its customers in a time of 1.) increasing electrification; 2.) increasing consumption; and 3.) increasing technological advances and affordability of renewable energy. As the transportation and industry sectors become more environmentally responsible (e.g. electric vehicles), it's the power industry left to provide more electricity than it ever has. The challenge is to always keep power reliable, always keep it affordable, and to welcome smart, reasonable, and economically sensible renewable energy options. OPPD is targeting 2050 for net zero carbon emissions. Do you support this goal? Please explain your answer. Yes. OPPD's plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a long-term goal, not a binding deadline, and as we've seen with the recent North Omaha coal plant closure delay, OPPD is not afraid to extend its goals. I fully support the goal, as it is hardly aggressive (power companies, corporations, cities, states, all over the country have the same 2050 goal, if not sooner) but I also believe every plan for renewable energy must be done within reason, and can never threaten the reliability of our power, nor can it result in electricity bills that we cannot afford. Do you feel OPPD is doing enough to prepare for the future surge in electricity demand as more products and people shift to electric? Rapid electrification is a significant challenge for the entire country. I am currently more confident in OPPD's preparation for providing reliable power in the face of a demand surge, than I am in OPPD's commitment to true affordability for the customers. While the North Omaha coal plant delay is most likely a signal that OPPD will halt environmental progress to guarantee reliability when it has to, I am concerned about OPPD keeping rates as low as possible for ratepayers in the process. And again, that is my top priority the ratepayers. Why should voters pick you to serve on the OPPD board? I have practiced law in the Omaha area for 25 years. My work as a trial attorney in state and federal court has taught me how to help people from all walks of life, and fight for people in need. The OPPD Board needs board members who will fight for the customers. The customers who own OPPD. The customers who need their rates to be affordable, their power to be reliable, and who welcome reasonable renewable energy solutions when they benefit both the environment and themselves. A 27-year-old Omaha man charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of his grandmother and great-grandmother has been booked into the Douglas County Jail. Gage Walter, who was extradited from Des Moines on Tuesday, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Marceline Teeters, 93, and her daughter, Linda Walter, 70. He also is charged with three counts of use of a deadly weapon (not a firearm) to commit a felony and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Walter was arrested Aug. 14 in Winterset, Iowa, after being pursued there in a stolen vehicle by West Des Moines police. Walter had been driving a PT Cruiser taken from the homicide scene, an Omaha police spokesman said. A spokesman for the West Des Moines Police Department said the PT Cruiser had been spotted in West Des Moines, and officers pursued it to a church in Winterset, where police said Walter barricaded himself inside before surrendering about an hour later. Walter was charged with eluding and burglary in that case, but Iowa prosecutors dismissed those charges to allow for his extradition to Omaha from the Polk County Jail. Brenda Beadle, the chief deputy in the Douglas County Attorneys Office, said Walter fought his extradition. He was ordered returned to Omaha following an extradition hearing Monday in Polk County, she said. We had to get a governors warrant (for Walters return) because his attorney fought it, Beadle said. We have 90 days, but we wanted to get him back here as soon as possible. The two women were found dead Aug. 13 inside their home at 1610 Frederick St. Omaha police said a disturbance had occurred, with someone yelling outside the home, which led a third party to make the 911 call. Chris Walter, Walters father, said his son is mentally ill and has a long history of drug use. Gage Walter was released from the Sarpy County Jail about three weeks before his grandmother and great-grandmother were killed despite his fathers warnings to authorities that his son was a danger to the community. I told his attorney that (Gage) is going to hurt someone, Chris Walter said following his sons arrest. Then he attacked and killed the two people who loved him the most in this world. I didnt know he was going to hurt them, but I knew it would be someone. Tuesday, Chris Walter said the family will be following the case throughout the court system. We are happy there is progress with Gages case, he said. We want justice to be served so we can move on with our lives and the family can start to heal. The University of Nebraska Medical Center has been awarded a federal grant of nearly $3 million to recruit 240 community health workers over the next three years. Dejun Su, associate professor in the UNMC Department of Health Promotion, said community health workers are uniquely positioned to help Nebraska address social determinants of health and bridge the gap between the health care system and underserved communities. The grant is separate from a $2.9 million grant that Creighton University announced earlier this month, which also will go to train 240 community health workers over three years. But it came from the same call for applications by the Health Resources and Services Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Su said it was a nice surprise for Nebraska to get two grants from the same federal pool. UNMC has partnered with a number of health care and community organizations across the state on the project, including Nebraska Medicine, which is its clinical partner; CHI Health; Methodist Health System; Nebraska Health Network; OneWorld Community Health Centers; the Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition; the Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System; and Partnership for a Healthy Nebraska. Community Relay, a newly developed online platform, will be incorporated into the training program. The platform allows providers and patients to search for hundreds of free or low-cost community-based services, from food pantries to housing assistance. Trainees participating in the newly developed training and certification program will go though 10 weeks of online and interactive training followed by eight months of individualized, on-the-job training at local community or health care organizations. Participants receive a certificate of completion from UNMC, compensation during training and potential job placement opportunities at the completion of the program. Applications are due to https://redcap.link/CHWTrainingApplication by Dec. 9. Classes start Jan. 9. For more information, contact jessica.ern@unmc.edu. Iowa authorities are investigating after a woman claimed that her father killed and buried dozens of women on their property in Thurman, Iowa. According to an article from Newsweek, which broke the story and spoke with the daughter about her allegations, the late Donald Studey had his children help dispose of at least 50 bodies on their rural five-acre property in Fremont County. Studey died in 2013 at the age of 75. His daughter estimated to Newsweek that he killed between 50 and 70 women over three decades, primarily in the 1970s and 80s. Most of the women were sex workers or transients lured by Studey from Omaha to his rural property, the daughter said. She told Newsweek that she came forward to Nebraska and Iowa authorities many times throughout the years but was unable to get anyone to take action. Forty-five years after the daughter says she first sounded the alarm about Studey, the Fremont County Sheriffs Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI are investigating her allegations. Mitch Mortvedt of the Iowa DCI says that available information is still very preliminary, but that law enforcement will follow the evidence wherever it leads. Were open-minded at this point, Mortvedt said. Let the information, and if there is any evidence, lead us in the right direction. Cadaver dogs searched the property on Friday and, according to Newsweek, the dogs signaled where a well once sat. In total, the dogs indicated the scent of decomposition at four sites on the property. Studeys daughter told Newsweek that her father would dump the bodies into a 90- to 100-foot-deep well on the property or bury them in the acres of forested hills. For law enforcement, the deep well presents a challenge. It has since been sealed, and excavation would be an expensive and laborious task. Mortvedt says that the FBI can help identify the best strategy for uncovering whats inside the well. You cant just start digging straight down, he said. The well is approximately 90 to 100 feet deep. Its an extremely large process. We would want to do it in the most effective way possible, as well as the safest way possible. Thurman is about 40 miles south of Omaha near the Iowa-Nebraska border. Photo: Graeme Wood Surrey's newly elected mayor, Brenda Locke, says the City of Surrey needs a bulwark of policies to defend against future abuse of power by elected officials. Two recently elected B.C. mayors who have been vocal about anti-corruption and transparency measures at the municipal level say its time for the provincial government to provide better tools for city halls to improve oversight and public confidence. Surreys mayor-elect Brenda Locke is proposing several new and renewed measures best categorized as so-called sunshine laws in order to improve transparency and mitigate real or perceived abuse of power at Surrey City Hall. But while Locke endeavours so, she is also calling on the provincial government for reforms to assist municipalities to be more transparent. I think 100 per cent that the Community Charter needs to be beefed up to include more of those measures. I think it has to come right in the Community Charter, in how we do business on a number of fronts, said Locke, who says she looks forward to discussions with the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Policies on whistleblower protection, lobbying, financial oversight and conflict of interest are largely left to municipalities to form a patchwork of bylaws provincewide. The provincial government oversees some measures such as freedom of information and financial disclosures although even those are left to interpretation at the city hall level. Such measures could lessen the risk of corruption in city halls, a matter of concern to the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada, which noted in its 2022 report that corruption (including by organized crime) leads to rising costs of goods and services, misallocation of public resources, weakened policymaking and damage to public confidence in government and law enforcement. Surrey needs more 'sunshine laws,' says Locke Locke first intends to perform an audit of development approvals over the course of the last four-year term, believing there may have been undeclared conflicts and many approvals not recommended by staff. There's been some changes to zoning, that has been extraordinary, said Locke, who will review the last council meeting before the election wherein 50 projects, including about 5,000 pages, were passed by the former council. After hearing broad allegations of corruption from some members of the public, Locke says, the public trust needs to be rebuilt on some of the land use applications that have come before [council]. Locke says with council support she will reverse a $10 freedom of information request charge implemented under the prior council. She will also re-instate the ethics commissioner, whose work was scrapped months leading up to the Oct. 15 election. Locke says the commissioners role was weaponized by councillors and wants to see a more educational role in place for it. That said, Locke is proposing a whistleblower bylaw and a more informative lobbyist registry that can assist the commissioner. Our lobbyist registry right now is just names, no paper. Its never adhered to; theres never a reference to it, said Locke. As it stands Surreys registry is a simple list of people (such as developers, contractors and business representatives) who are engaged in meetings with staff and council members; however, there is no calendar with scheduled appointments. There should be more emphasis on utilizing it and understanding when and when you cannot talk with developers, said Locke. All said, Locke thinks the province can implement many measures for all municipalities. For instance, there could be a municipal lobbyist registry as like the one for the province, and whistleblower protections could be mandated. Locke also wants provincial laws for council nominees to submit a criminal record check and be disqualified if they have a record. Shes also calling for recall legislation for municipal council members. Beneficial ownership, foreign lobbying registries can help city halls: Brad West On Lockes side on such matters, generally, is Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West. Id like to see municipalities derive their authorities and their power from the provincial government. And ultimately, I think it's the provincial government that has the responsibility to ensure that these checks and balances are in place and that people can have confidence, said West. The acclaimed mayor raises the need for a beneficial ownership registry for corporations that municipalities can reference during rezoning applications or contract negotiations. The province has established a beneficial ownership registry for land, which should be fully implemented in November. When it comes to areas that are susceptible to concerns around corruption or undue influence, rezoning is probably the one that would be of the biggest concern as it relates to local government, said West. Another area West wants senior governments to assist municipalities with is foreign influence; worried about covert influence schemes and repression tactics against Port Coquitlam residents by the Peoples Republic of China, West is eager to have city halls be able to access a federal foreign agents registry, which does not yet exist in Canada but could complement a municipal lobbyist registry. Financial disclosures a patchwork West says hes also in favour of better disclosure of financial interests among elected officials a matter thats impacted him when his work (prior to being elected in October 2018) with the United Steelworkers was raised by the Georgia Straight publication, which suggested a perceived conflict of interest between Wests statements about PRC influence and work at a union that's in competition with the PRC. West said he welcomed the scrutiny (and is on unpaid leave from the job since 2019). Still, financial disclosures are not only limited in scope, they are inconsistently accessible to the public across the province, with some municipalities posting them online and others posting redacted versions, if at all. For the election, Port Coquitlam did not post nominee financial disclosures online a matter West said hed like to reverse, if it wasn't an oversight. Surrey, meanwhile, redacted investment properties citing unspecified privacy reasons under the Freedom of Information Act. Vancouver posted its disclosures and redacted personal residences online, although under all circumstances unredacted versions of these public documents should be available for in-person inspections. Anti-corruption measures at UBCM Proposed provincial measures to improve transparency at city halls have largely been met with resistance in recent years. The Union of BC Municipalities shows past resolutions online, including more robust financial disclosures for nominees and elected council members. In 2019, one unendorsed measure from Richmond called for including spousal assets and liabilities and disclosure of family member properties. In 2018, Vancouvers endorsed resolution called for disclosure of funding sources for lobbying and consulting. The provincial government responded by pointing out existing conflict of interest laws, which includes both direct and indirect pecuniary interests of the official. In 2020, municipalities endorsed criminal record checks but it was considered by the province as a substantive policy change requiring much deeper consideration of implication. In 2019, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said it would consider an endorsement from cities to establish a lobbying regulation system for municipal government, similar to the provincial mechanism under the BC Lobbyists Registration Act. The ministry was less receptive to a non-partisan Municipal Conflict of Interest Commissioner or expansion of the scope of powers of the BC Conflict of Interest Commissioner, as endorsed in 2019. Local governments can voluntarily choose to establish their own policies to further manage responsible conduct issues, stated the ministry in response, noting it would be a daunting task with over 180 local governments and in excess of 1,500 local government elected officials. Ironically, one of the times the province has acted on a resolution is to disband an entity that was to provide more transparency: In 2015, municipalities called for the dissolution of the Auditor General for Local Government office following concerns it wasnt meeting its mandate. In 2021, the province closed it with no new measures in place to provide better provincewide oversight of municipal financial records. A range of tools, both voluntary and legislative, continue to be available to help local governments ensure good governance and accountability in their communities. In addition to completing annual audited financial statements, local governments must meet various legislated requirements, including producing a five-year financial plan, stated the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Minister of Municipal Affairs Nathan Cullen said he was unavailable to comment but looks forward to meeting with newly elected local officials. With files from Bob Mackin/Business in Vancouver LINCOLN A federal judge last month dismissed a lawsuit against the University of Nebraska-Lincoln alleging deliberate indifference in how university officials investigated a report of sexual misconduct on campus. Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter Jr. ruled in September that a 2020 lawsuit failed to provide sufficient evidence showing that action or inaction by UNL denied a student the benefits of an education, guaranteed by Title IX. The deadline for the woman, who reported a sexual assault and stalking, to appeal Rossiters ruling passed earlier this month, meaning the case is now final. According to the lawsuit, the unidentified woman formerly enrolled at the UNL College of Law said she was possibly drugged before being sexually assaulted at the apartment of a male student in September 2018. The woman said she was later stalked by the male student who was not charged with a crime and is not being named at friends apartments or at the College of Law, where he was also a student. In October 2018, the woman told another student about the alleged stalking, and that student relayed the report to Marc Pearce, an assistant dean for student affairs at the College of Law. Pearce, according to the lawsuit, spoke directly to the male student and offered the women links to various resources on campus. He also reported the allegations to UNLs Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, which is charged with investigating sexual misconduct on campus. A few months later, in early 2019, Pearce met with the woman, and she told him about the alleged stalking she experienced, but did not mention the alleged sexual assault, according to the lawsuit. Pearce referred to the woman to UNLs Title IX office, where an investigation was initiated, but the woman did not ask for any accommodations at that time, her complaint indicated, believing action would be taken. The woman left UNL in March 2019 and did not return for the fall semester. She reportedly told friends she felt uncomfortable with the male student knowing where she lived as well as her academic schedule. An investigation by UNLs Title IX office concluded in August 2019. In a 53-page report, senior investigator Meagan Counley informed both the woman and the man there was insufficient evidence to determine the woman had been drugged. Counley also informed both parties that the greater weight of the evidence supported the woman was not incapacitated when she engaged in sexual activity with the man, finding there was insufficient evidence to hold the man liable. The woman appealed the decision to Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jake Johnson, who affirmed Counleys decision. Rossiter, in his ruling, said the university did not remain idle after receiving a report of the alleged assault and stalking. While the process wasnt flawless Rossiter noted Pearce failed to immediately forward the accusations on to UNLs Title IX office, but pointed out that an investigation was launched immediately after he did so the judge said it did not rise to the level of deliberate indifference. UNL made reasonable accommodations to the woman, Rossiter added, even as it did not grant her everything she requested, like removing the male student from the university, which he said presented a risk of violating (his) constitutional or statutory rights. Rossiter granted summary judgment to UNL and dismissed the case. UNL has faced several accusations in recent years from female students who have alleged systemic failures in how the university investigated sexual misconduct on campus. The women have criticized UNL for using an investigatory process that placed blame on victims and said investigators were too deferential to alleged perpetrators. Most of the claims filed in those lawsuits have been dismissed. Earlier this year, Rossiter tossed a majority of the Title IX claims made against UNL by nine women, including a former Husker volleyball player, who said the university failed to take action because the reported accusers were male student athletes. Although that case drew a rare filing from the U.S. Department of Justices Civil Rights Division, which accused UNL of misapplying Title IX case law in its investigations, only two womens complaints were allowed to move forward. In another case, filed in 2021, U.S. District Court Judge John Gerrard tossed a Title IX complaint against UNL but allowed other civil rights claims to move forward in a lawsuit filed by a former Ph.D. student who reported being sexually harassed by her adviser. Both cases remain open in U.S. District Court. For the first time in eight years, Nebraska will have a new attorney general come 2023. Current Attorney General Doug Peterson, a Republican, opted not to seek a third term. State Sen. Mike Hilgers, a Republican who previously ran for the seat in 2014, is seeking the office. Hilgers, who has served as speaker of the Legislature since 2021, will appear on the ballot with Larry Bolinger, a candidate with the Legal Marijuana NOW Party. The attorney general is the states chief law officer, responsible for a range of duties from defending the state in court to issuing legal opinions to prosecuting crimes. It pays an annual salary of $95,000. Editor's note: Each response was limited to 100 words and edited for style. Larry Bolinger Age: 53 Party: Legal Marijuana NOW Occupation: Author; student at Bellevue University pursuing masters degree Home: Alliance Elected offices held: None Family: Married, five children Why are you running for this office? I see many of the problems not being addressed in this office. We are not addressing issues of mental illness in our prison system. We have the highest per capita prison overpopulation in the nation with no plan to fix the ongoing problems. We are 20 years behind everyone else in law reform. I see the need for change. I will provide the necessary law reform and the expansion of diversion programs. Diversion programs have proven to reduce repeat offending by 60% and it has reduced crime by 40% according to studies in 20 states. What would be your top priority if elected to this office? My top priorities are law reform and utilizing diversion programs to reduce recidivism in our prison system. I will be addressing mental illness in our prison system, addressing overreaching penalties, conducting law reform, trying essential cases, and expanding diversion programs to reduce recidivism. Develop a specialized team to represent the people properly to help address and protect issues of Consumer Rights, Human Rights, Parental Rights, Defamation, Discrimination, environmental regulations, and individual Amendments. My priority is to make sure the people are properly represented. How would you evaluate the current performance of the Attorney General's Office? Are there specific operations that you think could be improved on? There are several ways to evaluate the current performance. Assessing our overpopulation in our prisons, what is being used for rehab and diversion programs, and our recidivism rate would be addressed. Nebraska has the highest per capita prison overpopulation in the Nation and has an increasing recidivism rate. Thats a failed policy. I would also review what lawsuits the AG supported and if it failed to meet what is Constitutionally correct. Several suits our AG supported failed Constitutionality. I would question if the suits were politically motivated or what was actual lawlessness. Across the U.S. in recent years, both Democratic and Republican attorneys general have moved to challenge the actions of the president when that president belongs to the other political party. Do you think that is a problem? Why or why not? The Attorney General should never choose party politics over what is actual law. If they choose party politics over the law, it is a derelict of duty and they should be removed from office in a vote of No Confidence. If Congress or the President presents a policy that violates Constitutional Law or Nebraska interests, it would be grounds to argue as one of the Attorney Generals' jobs is State interests. I claim Independent and have campaign management support from each party so everyone is treated equally no matter party affiliation. The AG argues what is Constitutionally correct and should not be politically motivated. Why should voters pick you to serve as the next attorney general? I know what people need because I have worked hard to get where I am today. Nothing was handed down to me. I make things better because I have been part of the working class all my life and I know the struggles. I am a Veteran and graduate of the University of Nebraska. I have the education to bring our legal system into the 21st Century. In my two decades of campaigns, I always represented the needs of the people. I will continue to do that as the next Attorney General. Mike Hilgers Age: 43 Party: Republican Occupation: Owner and founding partner, law firm (Hilgers Graben) Home: Lincoln Public offices held: District 21 state senator, 2017-present Family: Married, four children Why are you running for this office? I am running because we need a strong attorney general to protect Nebraskans. From protecting against federal overreach, supporting law enforcement, keeping our communities safe, and protecting our water, I am prepared on the first day to fight for Nebraskans. What would be your top priority if elected to this office? My top priority is to provide excellent legal representation to the people of Nebraska and to take on the urgent and important fights that matter to our families and communities. From keeping our communities safe, to protecting water, to protecting our constitutional rights I'll make a stand for Nebraskans. How would you evaluate the current performance of the Attorney Generals Office? Are there specific operations that you think could be improved on? Attorney General Peterson has done an outstanding job as Attorney General. I am honored to have his support and endorsement, and will build off his excellent work of the last eight years. Across the U.S. in recent years, both Democratic and Republican attorneys general have moved to challenge actions of the president when that president belongs to the other political party. Do you think that is a problem? Why or why not? The rule of law is not partisan, and our state and federal constitutions know no party. It is a problem if any president infringes on the rights of citizens, and when that occurs it should be challenged. Why should voters pick you to serve as the next attorney general? I am ready to step in from day one to serve Nebraska. From building a successful and large law practice, to my over 15 years as a practicing attorney, to my service in the Nebraska Legislature, I am uniquely prepared to be the next attorney general. I respectfully ask for their vote in the general election. Three candidates are seeking to replace Auditor Charlie Janssen as Nebraska's top financial watchdog. Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, who previously served two terms as auditor, is seeking to return to his former office. Libertarian Gene Siadek also is running for the office. They'll appear on the ballot along with Legal Marijuana NOW candidate L. Leroy Lopez. The winner will serve a four-year term. The Office of Auditor of Public Accounts conducts audits of various governmental entities in the state and establishes standards for different financial duties. The Auditor's Office investigates reported allegations of government waste, fraud and abuse. The position pays an annual salary of $85,000 per year. Editor's note: Each response was limited to 100 words and edited for style. L. Leroy Lopez Candidate for the Legal Marijuana NOW. He did not respond to The World-Herald's candidate questionnaire. Mike Foley Age: 68 Party: Republican Occupation: Lieutenant governor, State of Nebraska Home: Lincoln Elected offices held: State senator, 2001-07; auditor of public accounts, 2007-15; lieutenant governor, 2015-present Family: Married, six children Website: None Why are you running for this office? To restore the public's confidence in the government's proper use of public funds What would be your top priority if elected to this office? Manage a team of highly professional auditors who would dig deep into the current use of public funds to insure that the funds are being used in a way that is respectful of the hard-working Nebraskans who pay taxes. Are there any changes you would call for or support to help the Auditors Office catch abuse and waste? As I was during my prior service in this office, I will be an aggressive auditor who will report truthfully to the public on our findings. Nothing will be swept under the rug! How would you evaluate the current performance of the Auditors Office? Have you identified areas where operations could be improved? The Auditor's office is well run but can always be improved. The Auditors Office functions to ensure the responsible operation of government. How would you assure Nebraskans that you are fulfilling the responsibilities of this position? My prior service in this office is the guide to how I will conduct my duties in the new term of office. Gene Siadek Age: 58 Party: Libertarian Occupation: Director, water distribution, Metropolitan Utilities District Home: Omaha Elected offices held: None Family: Married, two children Why are you running for this office? In a state where Republicans currently hold control of all the statewide constitutional offices and a supermajority of the Legislature, and with no Democrat running in my race, I think it's important to get a different set of eyes on the books as the watchdog of the public dollar. I will serve as an INDEPENDENT set of eyes on public accounts throughout our state. What would be your top priority if elected to this office (no more than 100 words)? Tax increment financing (TIF) is one of the most abused tax shelters in the state. The intent was to help blighted areas in desperate need of capital. I would try to shine a light on these abusive policies. Are there any changes you would call for or support to help the Auditors Office catch abuse and waste? The leadership of the agency needs to change. The Auditors Office has become simple placeholder for the Republican Party. I would become extremely proactive in the process of looking for abuse of government agency spending. How would you evaluate the current performance of the Auditors Office? Have you identified areas where operations could be improved? I would rate the staff of the Auditors Office as excellent. I have read many of their reports. They are extremely informative, thorough and very candid. Many reports often point to money handling issues in need of improvement. I would rate elected leadership as below average. If elected, I would become a megaphone for the department when abuse is found. I would encourage the department to push the boundaries in their efforts to find abuse. I would loudly encourage the public to report suspicious government spending behavior. The Auditors Office functions to ensure the responsible operation of government. How would you assure Nebraskans that you are fulfilling the responsibilities of this position? I would ask Nebraskans how often have they heard of the auditor uncovering abusive behavior over the last several years? The answer is probably none. If elected, you will be made aware of our work either by old media or social media. I am confident that significant abuses exist and I will work tirelessly to expose them and make sure they are properly dealt with. Two candidates are running to serve as Nebraska state treasurer for the next four years. Incumbent John Murante, a Republican who served two terms in the Nebraska Legislature, is seeking a second four-year term in the office. Libertarian Katrina Tomsen is challenging Murante. The state treasurer receives and disburses most of the money coming to the state, returns unclaimed property and administers the college savings program. It pays an annual salary of $85,000. Editor's note: Each response was limited to 100 words and edited for style. John Murante Murante, 40, did not return voicemails seeking his participation in The World-Herald voter guide. Katrina Tomsen Age: 48 Party: Libertarian Occupation: self-employed optometrist working part time in Omaha Home: Upland Elected offices held: None Family: Single Website: None Why are you running for this office? I am running for the office of Nebraska state treasurer mainly because I want to be a third party candidate after the polarized election of 2020. I recently moved my residence from Omaha to Upland and needed a state-wide office. Other candidates in the Libertarian Party did not want to see the incumbent treasurer run unopposed, and I took their lead. What would be your top priority if elected to this office? My top priority is to sound the alarm bells loud and clear. As I was studying about the duties of the treasurer in a nonprofit organization, the most important duty of the treasurer is to sound the alarms when there are troubles. The rest of the executive office should know what to do when there are alarms. The red flags are so obvious that any citizen should recognize the problems in our state. Among the responsibilities of the treasurer, what in your opinion is the most important? The most important is to work with Health and Human Services to make child support fair for the payor, the receiver, and the child. I understand that its a complicated issue of which few are ever satisfied. Added to the mix is the troubles of social engineering; and its not going to get any easier if we continue to ignore the algorithms of big data influencing our personal lives. More than just money exchanging hands, we are going to need appropriate counsel. Within the purview of the treasurer, are there any regulatory/legislative changes that you would call for? Our state is losing a layer of government every time a county votes out the township boards. Townships were designed as a 6 square mile patchwork of real estate that was recognized by engineers for telecommunications. The townships were the way to decentralize the government in small, manageable, inexpensive areas across America. Real estate managers and land owners may or may not recognize the value of self-governing. In any capacity, Id like to recognize the township boards and to support them and to call upon them whenever possible. The equivalent to counties without townships is a county district. Why should voters pick you to serve as the next treasurer? I was born and raised Nebraskan. I have seen my small business, and others, under attack since 2015. I have watched farm families struggle and children flee the state for reasons unspoken. As I look around, I am the only one that protects my brain with a Faraday hat. The treasurer cares for resources in Nebraska: children and education. I may even get a bit dogged about unclaimed property because in this day and age I suspect a lot of fraud and abuse. Its no accident that conversations on the future of insurance are happening in Nebraska. Our state has an important story to tell in the insurance space. Nebraska is a national leader in the insurance industry. A states regulated insurance industry is measured by the number and size of companies calling it their home base. Nebraskas domestic insurers are number one in surplus, and soon our insurers will be moving into number two in assets. This is for good reason. Nebraskas culture of consistent, transparent, and fair regulation and standards has been very attractive to companies and means that Nebraska is a national and international thought leader in insurance regulation. Nebraska insurers have long been a key part of Nebraskas economy, with nationally recognized brands such as Mutual of Omaha, Physicians Mutual, and WoodmenLife as fixtures in the Omaha skyline and Assurity and Ameritas in Lincoln. Nebraskans can be justifiably proud of the work that their families, neighbors, and friends have done to make sure that insurance policies are available to cover lifes downsides. Over the last 25 years, thanks to talented Nebraskans from the Universitys Actuarial Science program and other home-grown talent, Nebraska has increased its attractions as a domicile for national insurers. This includes newer standouts in the states business community like Aflac, First American Title Insurance, GEICO and Pacific Life, as well as important subsidiaries from other nationally recognized insurers like MetLife. This is far from a complete list. Were working hard with those companies, and others, to put their resources and talents to work to grow Nebraska. Nebraska can also be proud of the entrepreneurial energy of our people, which has led Boston Mutual to open a corporate office in Nebraska, their first office outside Massachusetts. Likewise, IDEON, a company which provides much of the IT backbone for the insurance industry, picked Omaha for an office. Were also working with entrepreneurs who are looking to start their own new companies right here in Nebraska. At the state level, were continuing to explore new markets to grow our insurance industry. Governor Pete Ricketts recently led a team of insurance leaders to the United Kingdom and Ireland to increase Nebraskas international profile in the insurance space. We met with insurance leaders from the Association of British Insurers and Insurance Ireland to explore ways to collaborate to increase opportunity for all our markets. We also explored new tech ventures using cutting-edge technology to bring insurance products into the future. It isnt very often that a conversation about insurance is described as cutting edge. But we are having that discussion right here in Omaha. On Oct. 24-25, hundreds of thought leaders, innovators and insurance industry representatives from across the country gathered for Insurtech on the Silicon Prairie to discuss the emerging Insurtech market. Its a ripe time to engage in these conversations as we work to bring modernized, affordable insurance products to the world. Insurtech is a growing area working to bring enhanced insurance products to the market by using new solutions to solve old problems in a very old business. Technologies like artificial intelligence, gamification and better customer tools are enabling insurance providers to help more individuals thrive even small farmers in developing countries and small business owners in America. Insurtech-driven solutions are bringing better, less expensive policies to the market that promise to increase economic opportunity for all. At Insurtech on the Silicon Prairie, listeners will hear about these emerging technologies, what new products promise to offer, and how these projects are financed to bring new products to the insurance buying public. Nebraskas insurance footprint is a core, growing part of our states economy. Our regulatory standards are well thought out. And were proud to be part of the cutting-edge conversations happening as we bring insurance into the future. We look forward to showcasing this during Insurtech on the Silicon Prairie. You can learn more about the conference and ways to engage at siliconprairienebraska.com. HOPEDALE Mickis Farm to Table, 112 NW. Main St. in Hopedale, is this weeks pick for Eats of the Week. Owned by Micki Gayon and John Williams, the cash-only restaurant opened on Aug. 19, 2021, and has already attracted diners from Springfield to Chicago. Both have strong Central Illinois ties: Gayon is originally from Pontiac and Williams from Stanford, and he owns bars in Stanford and Danvers. Im just a mom that likes to cook healthy, not a chef or anything. We keep it classy and simple, said Gayon, whose four children all work at the restaurant. This is a great town to own a business in, and everyones always willing to lend a hand. Almost all of the meat for the restaurant comes directly from Williams family farm, which has been in his family for over 200 years. The bar tops and tables also came from their own timber. We make everything ourselves except French fries, cheese curds and kids chicken strips that are brought in. All beef comes from our own cattle, Gayon said. We have good drinks and good food because everything is homemade and delicious. The restaurant location has previously been home to a blacksmith shop in the 1900s and an assortment of other business, including Froggys ice cream and frozen yogurt shop, a retirement building, Spuntino Pizzeria and a restaurant called The Cove. Several items in the restaurant pay homage to the previous businesses, and one wall also features an array of Illinois license plates. Gayon describes the restaurant as a destination bar that has a farm punk theme. It features a variety of old-fashioned farm tools, lights made out of pipes, medallions and leather horse accessories and equipment that act as wall decor. They even have their own butcher block. I enjoy the customers the most and I really like it back in the kitchen. I like feeding the customers food that comes our farm, that we raise, Gayon said. We have fun here and we hope you have a good dinner. Theres nothing better than working with your best friends every day. The restaurant offers seasonal menus, but currently the most popular items include the ribeye, alligator mushrooms and onion rings. The blueberry cilantro margarita and the pecan pie martini are the most popular drinks. The restaurant also offers alcohol-free mocktails. The lemonade is created in-house, Gayon said, as are all of the mixers for the bar. She said they infuse the alcohol and make their own syrups for the bar, which also carries four Little Beaver beers on draft. The restaurant also offers a lunch feature and dinner specials, including fried chicken on Thursday nights and marinated and aged ribeye on Friday nights. Saturday nights are Mickis choice, which was recently jambalaya. Gayon said the restaurant goes through a five-gallon bucket of ranch in three days and 16 liters of lemonade in a week. They hand-ground their own chicken, make their own gravy and sauces, and Williams prepares the steak. Mickis also hosts private parties and events, but only on days when the business is not regularly open for indoor dining and carryout. BLOOMINGTON A hearing can be scheduled on one piece of Barton McNeils potential evidence as he seeks exoneration on murder charges, a McLean County judge has ruled, but most of McNeils arguments supporting a new trial were dismissed. McNeil is currently serving a 100-year prison sentence on murder charges in the June 15, 1998, suffocation death of 3-year-old Christina McNeil. He has long maintained his innocence and argued that his ex-girlfriend, Misook Nowlin, committed the murder. Nowlin is serving a 55-year prison sentence on murder charges for the 2011 strangulation death of her 70-year-old mother-in-law, Linda Tyda. Following an earlier concession by state prosecutors this year, Yoder approved a hearing for two affidavits from the daughters of Nowlin, who supposedly confessed to the murder of Christina to her ex-husband, Don Wang. Yoders ruling, dated Oct. 11, dismissed a number of McNeils arguments; he is expected to appeal. McNeils lawyers, from the Exoneration Project and the Illinois Innocence Project, have maintained that evidence to convict McNeil was based on junk science. They argued that nothing about the autopsy findings supports the basis that Christina was smothered and that newly discovered evidence disputes the states initial report. His lawyers also asked for a hearing on allegations that Christina had been sexually molested, an allegation that authorities cited to bolster the murder investigation. Yoder dismissed both medical claims, saying they failed to meet the standard of new evidence. Other arguments included forensic results showing Nowlins DNA on the bedding used by Christina. Yoder said she could not be excluded as a source of DNA, noting the romantic relationship between the two. McNeil has argued that he washed the bedsheets earlier on the day of the daughters death, as shown in a line item of a credit card statement submitted in court. Hours before Christinas death, Nowlin and McNeil ended their relationship at a restaurant where staff reported witnessing the two arguing. McNeils cousin, Chris Ross, blasted Yoders decision, describing it in a statement as both appalling and egregious. Judge William Yoder has now put a blight and stain on the county of McLean and the entire American criminal justice system and how we citizens believe it should work, Ross said in the statement. If Bart does not deserve a new trial, who in the state of Illinois ever would? The follow-up hearing will focus on statements from Nowlins daughters, but no date has been set yet. BLOOMINGTON A man bitten by a Bloomington Police Department K-9 is set to receive a $65,000 settlement in his federal lawsuit against the city. The Bloomington City Council voted Monday to authorize the settlement, which would include the stipulation that the city continues to deny claims made by the plaintiff, Todd Kelly. The settlement was reached through mediation and is lower than the anticipated costs of defense, according to a memo provided to the council members before the vote. The measure was included on the consent agenda, meaning it was passed without discussion. Kelly filed the lawsuit Feb. 2. In it he said police officers used excessive force during his arrest in the parking lot of a Bloomington hotel on Feb. 7, 2020. BPD officers Justin Shively, Todd Walcott and Stephen Brown were executing an arrest warrant for Kelly for a parole violation at the time. The lawsuit alleges the three failed to intervene when K-9 Ryker bit Kelly for more than 13 seconds, and that Kelly suffered nerve damage to his right hand and arm as a result. Kelly said he jumped out of his hotel rooms window that morning because he heard an unknown individual ram the door, though the citys attorney contended that police identified themselves. The officers and the K-9 met Kelly in the parking lot. Kelly contended in the lawsuit that he obeyed commands to get to the ground and was attacked by the dog anyway, while the city opposed the characterization of the K-9 deployment as an attack. Kelly was not charged with resisting arrest, according to the lawsuit and court records. Federal court records show that attorneys in the case notified the judge of a settlement on Oct. 4. The parties are expected to seek dismissal of the case on or before Dec. 3. Read the motion: Read the lawsuit:(tncms-asset)12d13e65-b859-5b35-b04c-745a308fb2c8[1](/tncms-asset) BLOOMINGTON The approval of a $1.2 million Illinois Department of Transportation grant could be the only thing preventing the construction of a 4,800-foot bike trail along Easy and Bunn streets between Lafayette Street and Hamilton Road to begin in 2024. On Tuesday, city officials and representatives of Hutchison Engineering, who are designing the trail, held an open house-style meeting to gather public feedback on the project. Bloomington Public Works Director Kevin Kothe said this is one of the last steps in the first phase of the planning process for the proposed Constitution Trail extension. Public feedback then will be compiled into a project development report, which will become part of the public record. Former Alderman Robert Fazzini said he is glad to see a project that has been under discussion for years finally move forward. He added that such a project had been under consideration when he served on the council a decade ago. "We're a bike-riding community so I think it's a positive," Fazzini said. Although several attendees were in support of another biking option for the city, some residents voice concerns about the accumulation of litter and possible illegal activities. Some attendees suggested checking the police activity in the area to ensure public safety. The addition of blue light emergency phones along the trail also was suggested. But before the project can move forward, the city must be awarded an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant. This state program offers funding for community-based projects that expand travel choices and improve the cultural, historic, aesthetic and environmental aspects of the state's transportation infrastructure, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation website. The preliminary cost estimate for the Constitution Trail is $1.5 million. The grant would cover $1.2 million of the project's costs, and the city would commit the other $300,000. "At this point, we don't have construction money in the city's budget for this," Kothe said. Kothe added that he will be applying for the grant in September and the city should know this spring whether it is one of the recipients. Even if the project is rejected for grant funding, the city can reapply next year. If the city is awarded the ITEP grant, construction could start this spring and finish in November. Engineering analysis with drawings, maps and aerial photography presented during the hearing will be available for public inspection on the city of Bloomington's website. 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. 25, 1922: Piloted by Dr. William J. Davidson, the huge Wesleyana airplane made a successful flight during chapel services. A unique one-act play given by the Wesleyana staff served to start the drive for the annuals off with a bang. The play was called Up in the Clouds. Dr. Davidson as the pilot and Professor Fiderlick as the passenger were first to appear on stage. They told the students to prepare for a short ride in the clouds and then the Wesleyana airplane was next to enter, with each member of the staff representing a part of the flying machine. Read the story. 75 years ago Oct. 25, 1947: A new chapter is being written in Americas war sacrifice, as villages and cities across the nation prepare to bury the returned bodies of their war dead. Citizens of LeRoy locked the doors of their homes and places of business for the first such funeral in McLean County. Ralph Martin Gaultney, first McLean County man to die in World War II, was the first to be brought home for burial. Also honored was his brother, Leonard, who was lost at sea. Read the story. 50 years ago Oct. 25, 1972: Edward Cox, son-in-law of President Nixon, will be in Bloomington-Normal on behalf of state Rep. Edward Madigan, Republican candidate for U.S. representative. Cox, husband of Tricia Nixon, is scheduled to appear in all three major cities (Champaign, Decatur and Bloomington-Normal) of the new 21st Illinois Congressional District. Cox and Madigan are to be guests of honor at a reception at the Illinois State University student union. Read the story. 25 years ago Oct. 25, 1997: Too many bikes, not enough storage: Thats the problem facing the Normal Police Department. State law requires bicycles recovered by police to be kept for six months, but in Normals case, that means holding onto over 100 bikes with a limited amount of space in the towns Linden Street annex. The town council recently passed an ordinance reducing the time to 60 days to alleviate the crunch. Read the story. Photo: The Canadian Press Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, Monday, October 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is brushing off concerns about an email sent to his office from the RCMP commissioner just hours before the government invoked the Emergencies Act last February. The email from Commissioner Brenda Lucki shows she didn't think police had exhausted all available tools to end the ongoing occupation of downtown Ottawa by protesters demanding an end to COVID-19 restrictions. The email was submitted as evidence at the Public Order Emergency Commission investigating whether the government was justified in using that act to give itself and police temporary but extraordinary powers to bring the protests to a close. Mendicino says the government listened to lots of different advice but ultimately made its own decision to invoke the act. He also says Lucki told a House of Commons committee in the spring that the act was needed to clear out protests. Mendicino told that same committee that the federal Liberals invoked the act on the advice of police. Winter is coming, and so are new COVID-19 variants. Based on the last two years, expect a botched national response when, not if, the winter surge comes. Highly transmissible new COVID-19 variants such as BQ.1.1 and XBB are capable of overcoming immunity from prior omicron infections and are resistant to antibody-based treatments, rendering two of our best defenses far less effective. New estimates by public health experts indicate that if we deploy a robust updated COVID-19 booster campaign that vaccinates 80% of those eligible by years end, we would prevent approximately 90,000 deaths, more than 936,000 hospitalizations, and avert $56 billion in direct medical costs over the course of the next six months. But thats not happening. More than a month after rollout, only 4% of eligible Americans had received these updated boosters. Its not only the American people who are unprepared for the coming wave of infections. The medical system is on track to be more understaffed this winter than ever before. With an exodus of 500,000 nurses expected by the end of the year, the national shortfall of nurses would hit 1.1 million. Now is not the time to get sick. The federal government has shoved the responsibility of calculating individual risk onto each citizen and left public health to the masses. You see the result in schools, workplaces, restaurants, airplanes and grocery stores. The push for distancing, masking, better ventilation, screening, testing and basic safety measures has all but disappeared in most of these places. The rush to get masks off in places frequented by the highest-risk individuals, like nursing homes and hospitals, is particularly appalling. So is the trend in recent months of doctors themselves gathering indoors, with few masks. Colleagues of mine have reported back from various superspreader medical conferences across the nation. Even many who know better arent taking the simplest steps to end this pandemic and save lives. The president himself is touting the false narrative that the pandemic is over. It isnt. About 2,600 Americans have died of COVID in the last seven days. Some use the 9/11 unit of measure to reflect the scale of the tragedy. I prefer to think about all the kids I went to high school with, our teachers and the staff, and then imagine all those people disappeared out of those buildings, the quad, those hallways. This is the national weekly reaping that is our COVID response. The weekly empty high school, the weekly insert your preferred unit of horror. The pandemic is not over. The only people for whom COVID-19 is truly over are the thousands who die each week because of it. As a doctor to vulnerable patients, as an immunocompromised person myself, as a daughter of cancer patients, I cannot accept this as a new normal. I know I am not the only one who has loved ones on chemotherapy, people I care about with organ transplants, with Crohns, with multiple sclerosis, with beloved elders and newborn babies they wish to protect. If the federal, state and local governments are just going to gaslight the most vulnerable among us to an early death, we all have to undertake what amounts to an act of rebellion pushing back against the COVID is over narrative. Refusing to be gaslit doesnt mean ignoring the reality that most people have already moved on. Pandemic fatigue is real. Its also a luxury that the vulnerable cannot afford. A more humane and sane calculation is easy to envision: a huge push for vaccinations, free testing and therapeutics and preventive treatments, universal masking in settings with high-risk populations, better air filtration for shared spaces. There has never been a great time to be medically vulnerable in the U.S., but when even such simple measures arent being taken, the value placed on these lives has unquestionably hit a new low. In August I wrote against Amendment 1 ("Vote against workers' rights bill") because of its dangers. Now I'll address points from the pro side: "It guarantees workers' right to join together and negotiate pay raises": These rights (for public sector unions) are already guaranteed by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act and Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. "It raises wages for all Illinois workers": But it doesn't. (1) It doesn't apply to non-union workers, (2) public sector unions are protected by the laws I referred to above, and (3) private sector employees are protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Not only does the NLRA protect private sector employees whether they're in a union or not, but since it's federal law it isn't affected by Amendment 1 because the amendment is at the state level. "It provides first responders with training": There's literally nothing about any funding or training in the amendment, medical or otherwise. "It ensures workers can speak out without retaliation": This isn't addressed specifically in the amendment. But since its language for protections is the same as the Illinois labor relations acts, it already exists. Please read my previous letter. I explain why Amendment 1 doesn't do what you expect and the dangers in passing it. Steve Geller, Bloomington Kidding, right? Are we seriously supposed to believe that the already economically and politically powerful government unions in Illinois need more protection? From what? There are federal and state laws already in place to protect unions. Vote no on Amendment 1. It does nothing to protect everyday workers, but gives almost unlimited power to union bosses and politicians. Amendment 1 does not belong in the state constitution where it cannot be changed, even by lawmakers. In fact, putting laws like this in the state constitution is the primary reason Illinois is in a downward spiral of increasing taxes forcing citizens and businesses to leave the state. Vote no on Amendment 1. No other state has any constitution laws that even come close to what Amendment 1 provides for a special interest group that represents about 7% of the adult population in Illinois. Amendment 1 will do two things: 1) Raise taxes for all Illinois taxpayers, and 2) Solidify Illinois' reputation as one of the worst states in the union. It's time for citizens and taxpayers to take back our state from untrustworthy politicians and special interest groups. Vote no on Amendment 1 and instead let's consider a taxpayer protection amendment we could all agree on. Dennis Crowley, Bloomington Traders at Kantamanto within the central business district (CBD) of Accra have welcomed calls by the Majority caucus in Parliament for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to relieve Ken Ofori-Atta of his duty as Minister of Finance. They have described the move as lucid and a step in the right direction to help fix the ailing economy. The Majority Members of Parliament (MPs) earlier on Tuesday, October 25 issued a unanimous notice to President Akufo-Addo to sack Mr Ofori-Atta. The MPs, numbering about 80, want the president to sack not only Ken Ofori-Atta but also Charles Adu Boahen, who is a Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, because they have failed. Addressing the media on Tuesday, October 25, MP for Asante Akyem North Andy Appiah-Kubi said they have been compelled to come public on their demands because several appeals to the Presidency through the leadership have failed. He insisted vehemently that should the president fail to heed their call, they will not participate in any business of government by or for the president. The Chairman of the Used Clothes Dealers Association, Micheal Oppong, reacting to this in an interview with Onua FM, indicated that the call by the Majority Caucus is welcoming yet long overdue. He underscored that the Finance Minister should have been rejected or fired a long time due to his abysmal performance. I strongly support the call by the Majority to sack Ken Ofori-Atta because he has collapsed the economy, rendering the business community to suffer. A bale of used clothes sold at GH1000 is now selling at GH4000, which is making it difficult for our members to sustain their capital; so I think Ken should go and allow a better person to take over, he reiterated. He appealed to President Akufo-Addo to heed to the call and sack the Finance Minister to help restore hope in the government. Some members of the Association who spoke with the news team equally expressed joy over the call and prayed that President Akufo-Addo would heed to it and change the finance ministers. They are positive that there are equally better people in the NPP to replace Mr Ofori-Atta. Source: 3news.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 Public basic schools need 100 per cent attention to effectively play their role as the foundation to enable the country to have the best basic education that it deserves. Though it boasts professional teachers, public basic schools lack basic infrastructure, furniture and books, among others, which demotivate teachers. In an interview with the Most Outstanding Teacher for 2022 (National Best Teacher), Stella Gyimaah Larbi, a teacher of the Adentan Community Junior High School (JHS) in the Greater Accra Region, she said it was an irony that in spite of the quality of teachers in public schools, the performances of pupils from those schools did not reflect that position, blaming the situation on the lack of infrastructure. Public basic schools need 100 per cent attention, not 80 or 99 per cent, for the country to have the best basic education that it deserves. If you want to look at the teachers, we have the best in the basic schools but why are some of the teachers not giving of their best? Ms Larbi shared her thoughts when she visited the Editorial Conference of the Daily Graphic last Thursday. Ms Larbi was crowned the Best Teacher at the National Teachers Day in Tamale on October 7. For her prize, she received a three-bedroom house worth GH300,000, an educational trip to Dubai, promotion on return and a Ghana Education Trust Fund scholarship to study abroad. The awards have been instituted as part of activities to mark World Teachers Day (WTD), commemorated on October 5, every year. It has been set aside to celebrate gallant teachers as well as the introduction of the 1966 International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ILO/UNESCO) recommendations concerning the status of the teacher. Performance On why in spite of all the professional teachers in the public basic schools, pupils performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination remained poor compared to the level obtained by private schools, she noted that the situation was due to the lack of effective supervision both at school and at home. Though the SSNIT flats where the Community School is sited is considered a residential area for middle-class workers, the calibre of children that I teach includes learners whose parents are squatters, learners who are squatters and who sell just like me when I was young, before coming to school. They dont know the essence of being in school, and so every child who has passed through my hands for the past decade-plus one, to the glory of God, has excelled, because I dont just teach you in the classroom and leave you. I will encourage you to learn. And so supervision is a great tool that we cant account for, Ms Larbi opined. She stated that compounding the challenge was the fact that the children did not have and could not afford textbooks, unlike their counterparts in the private schools whose parents were buying them the textbooks they needed. How do you expect a child to compete with somebody in a private school who has got all the books? So the top three which are impeding performance in public basic schools are there are no books, supervision and parental care, she stressed. Collaborative role The 2022 National Best Teacher said the situation needed the collaborative effort of all stakeholders and urged the government to allow all stakeholders to come on board to support. The government has a role to play, the parent has a role to play, as well as the community. So if we allow the community and the parent to come in to support, then youll have the best of basic education that we wish to see in the next couple of years, she explained. Background A product of Benkum Senior High School, Ms Larbi gained admission to the teacher training college (the Presbyterian Womens College of Education) for her training. She was posted to the Nana Akobea Takyiwaa School at Mampong Akuapem in the Eastern after her graduation. Realising that teaching was all she wanted to do, she pursued a degree course at the University of Ghana after attaining a diploma at the college. She went back to the University of Ghana for a Masters in the Teaching of English as a Second Language and proceeded to the University of Education, Winneba, where she earned an MPhil in the Teaching of English as a Second Language. Ten years from now this is where I see myself. To be around the table influencing decisions, helping with the foundation, she said. Ms Larbi also said she aspired to be the first teacher with a doctoral degree teaching in a basic school. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The new acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Eric Nkansah, has pledged to work to build on the image of service and improve education in the country. According to him, having taught at various levels of education and also with experience as a director at the Education Ministry, he was familiar with issues relating to education development and thus was in a better position to help improve the sector. Having taught at various levels in the education sector and also worked at the Ministry of Education as a director, I am very much aware of the issues within the service and will work assiduously to achieve the desired outcomes, Dr Nkansah said yesterday[October 25, 2022] when he introduced himself to the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, as he assumed office after his appointment by the President last week Wednesday. Succession Dr Nkansah takes over from Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, whose secondment contract was terminated last Tuesday for him to return to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he was. Until his appointment, Dr Nkansah was the Director of Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education. Career Over the last 15 years, Dr Nkansah has been working in the field of Finance and Education. The 41-year-old Nkansah joined the Ministry of Education in April 2021 on secondment from the Kumasi Technical University, where he served as a Senior Lecturer. During the same period, he served as an Adjunct Lecturer at the Graduate School of KNUST from February 2013. Interaction During his interaction with the minister, he said he would work diligently with all the stakeholders including the teacher unions, agencies and other professional bodies in the education space. He said education was at the heart of every Ghanaian and would work hard to ensure the development of the sector, adding that the inputs and suggestions of the various stakeholders were welcomed. In addition, he said he would engage the stakeholders regularly to see how to improve the sector. For his part, Dr Adutwum congratulated Dr Nkansah on his appointment and pledged to support him in the realisation of the objectives of the government to improve the education sector. Charge He told him that he should get down to the teaching and non-teaching staff of schools to know about their challenges for redress. The minister also told him to endeavour to make employees of the service happy so that they could open up and work towards the development of the nations education. He urged the Human Resource Directorate of the GES to work hard to get the best for teachers. 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 A public health physician specialist, Dr Daniel Mingle, has asked for more oncologists to be trained in Ghana all the while noting the pressing need for the establishment of more oncology centres. He was speaking to Class News Prince Benjamin on the sidelines of the maiden Pink October: Breast Cancer Educational Talk organised by the Duala Medical Centre at the Garrison Methodist-Presbyterian Church, Burma Camp, Accra. Dr Mingle first noted, when it comes to breast cancer disease, There are barriers that prevent people from seeking help and he identified them as: Information access, unawareness, geographical access, and financial barriers. After speaking on the efforts of medical facilities of the Ghana Armed Forces to increase awareness on the disease and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) taking care of the financial burdens of breast cancer consultation and treatment including chemotherapy but excluding radiotherapy, he bemoaned the challenge rural dwellers have in accessing health care regarding their breasts. Across all facilities in the country, once the institution accepts NHIS, you can consult a specialist and seek treatment for free but as a country, we need to look at training more oncologists, the medical doctor noted. Oncologists are doctors who specilise in treatment of cancers, he explained. Dr Mingle holds that currently few medical facilities including the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital [in Kumasi] and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital [in Accra] being the only places where you can manage [cancer] cases," are overburdened. He worried that transportation to far distances to seek oncological care can exacerbate the financial burdens on patients. You diagnose somebody all the way up north, maybe Bawku, and the person has to travel all the way to Kumasi to seek treatment. That part of the financial access [is lacking]. It's not just the treatment [I'm concerned with] but moving from there [to the distant treatment centre], he cited with the illustration: He or she pays for transportation. Where [will they] sleep? How [will they] feed? Where are they going to take a bath? All these access barriers need to be taken care of in such a way that the patient is treated as a human being, his or her human rights are respected, in such a way that there are oncology points anywhere so that the travel is not too much [so] they have [full] access. Returning to the grave need to create cancer centres across the 16 regions of Ghana, he Dr Daniel Mingle stressed: Our point [and what we seek by talking] is to make sure we have early detection centres in all our medical installations so all these [inconveniences] will be cut short. We believe 70 per cent of our clients are [part of the] civilian population. So whatever impact we bring to bear is going to also going to [seen] on the general public and with that we help reduce the cancer burden in the country, the public health physician specialist at the 37 Military Hospital, Accra, concluded. Source: class fm 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 Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi has paid a three-day working visit to the Bono Regional Command of the Service to engage Officers and other stakeholders. The Immigration boss tour saw him engaging with border security Officers and key stakeholders such as the Dormahene Nana Agyemang bad I I I, Overlord of the Dormaa Traditional Area, and MMDCEs in various areas. The CGI, Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi engaged border security Officers at the Kato Checkpoint, the Berekum Sector Office, Jinijini District Office, Kofibadukrom Border Point, Gonokrom Border Point, Kofikumikrom Border Point, Frimpongkrom, Sampa Border Post, Kwameseikrom Border Point, and Kwameprakrom-Atuna Border Point; on the need for vigilance and collaboration in their work. He said, Security demands collaborative effort, entreating that all Officers adopt an integrated approach in playing their respective roles in order to prevent lapses that can threaten Ghanas peace. At all the Commands visited, the Comptroller-General held meetings with Officers and admonished them to collaborate with their counterparts at the various borders and raise their alertness level especially in the wake of the threat of terrorism and even as we approach the festive season. He also directed the various commanders at the border points and inland checkpoints to as a matter of great urgency engage with the border community residence see the border residents as your collaborative partners and team up with them to win their support and trust. This is the way to go in contemporary border control and management, he intimated. The morale of Officers were very high especially in Atuna where it was the first time a Head of immigration had visited. The CGI assured Officers that government in spite of the difficult economic situation has done a lot to improve on the fortunes of the Service especially in the areas of office and residential accommodation and also vehicles and logistical support. He admonished Officers to justify this support by working extra hard to protect the territorial integrity of the country. The CGI also met briefly with the Dormaahene Nana Agyemang Badu II who was in the middle of some communal works with his subjects. The MCE for Dormaa Central, Honorable Dryssa Outtara and the DCE for Dormaa West, Honorable John Oppong Francis were also called on by the Immigration boss. He entreated that Border Security Committees (BORSECs) be given all the necessary supports at the District levels to help keep the country secured, adding that the government on the national level has been very supportive, and same should be reflecting at the very district level. He was grateful to the Chief Executives for their continuous support for the border agencies, particularly the Immigration Service, and encouraged that more be done on sensitization of community members and landlords especially. Speaking during the tour, the Comptroller-General carried the message that all landlords should avoid harboring undocumented immigrants in their houses as it poses serious security threats, especially in light of recent terrorist threats. He called for all citizens to be more circumspect and report suspicious movements and persons to the nearest security agency. MCE for Dormaa Central Municipal Assembly, Honorable Dryssa Ouattara applauded the CGI for his leadership and intimated that the Immigration Service had been very helpful in the region. It took the efforts of your Men for us to combat the spread of COVID-19 effectively, the Chief Executive recalled, adding that the Assembly had allocated an Office within the Municipal Assembly Block for the use of the GIS in order to help their work. He appealed to the CGI to ensure that Officers give due recognition to the sophisticated social settings among people who live along the borders in the course of their duty, even while they are firm in ensuring border security, explaining that most of the families at the borders are related. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area in the Eastern Region, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng lll, has praised the government for initiating and completing numerous infrastructural facilities, especially in the New Juaben area. He said for the first time in the history of the country, Koforidua the seat of the paramountcy and the regional capital was being provided with a modern regional hospital and another first-class administrative block for the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly. Daasebre Boateng III made the commendation when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo called on him at the Yiadom Hwedie Palace in Koforidua last Sunday. The President, who was on the last leg of a three-day working visit to the Eastern Region, took time off to visit the Paramount Chief. Development The Omanhene said the rate of development projects being carried out currently in both the New Juaben South and New Juaben North municipalities and the region as a whole was unprecedented in the history of the area. Daasebre Boateng however, appealed to the President to provide a model Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics senior high school within the two municipalities, and to also set up a new factory in line with the governments One-district, One-factory initiative in the area. Economic situation Daasebre Boateng asked Ghanaians to be patient with the President and have faith in him as he worked to address the challenges with the economy situation. Daasebre Boateng urged the President to continuously update the Ghanaian public about the state of affairs in the country, especially on the economic situation, to remove any lingering apprehension in order to calm the people. In response, the President told the Omanhene that he had come to congratulate him on his ascension to the throne of New Juaben, and to also show his appreciation for the peaceful nature and orderly manner the funeral of the former Omanhene, Daasebre Oti Boateng, and the Queen Mother, Nana Yaa Daani II, was conducted. Inauguration Earlier, the President inspected construction works on the Eastern Regional Hospital, and expressed satisfaction about the rate of work so far. He later inaugurated the administrative block of the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly. President Akufo-Addo also inaugurated the newly constructed New Juaben South constituency office of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), sponsored by the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Kofi Baafi, and a 16-unit classroom block for the Pentecost Senior High School, all within Koforidua. 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 Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has taken a shot at Okyehene, Amoatia Ofori Panin II for describing critics of President Akufo-Addo's governance as villagers and witches. The paramount Chief speaking at the inauguration of the Archeaconry Service held at the St. Martin Anglican Church in Kyebi in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region on Sunday, October 23, 2022, advised Ghanaians to appreciate President Nana Addo's initiatives towards the development of the country. Villagers and Witches Comment We must appreciate the feat of the president and show him an appreciation for what he has done for Ghana. We must defend and protect him", Okyehene Amoatia Ofori Panin II said. To the critics of the President, he said "those insulting the President are children of villagers". He continued; "They are uncivilized. No well-nurtured person will insult an elderly. If you were raised in the church, you will not insult an elder. If you are not a villager then you may be a witch or wizard. But the Chief Linguist to the Okyehene, Nana Kwadwo Antwi Boasiako says his King never used such words on Ghanaians venting their frustrations about President Nana Addos governance. In an interview on NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Montie, he claimed the revered King's comment have been "twisted" and taken out of context. He [Amoatia Ofori Panin II] never said that those people (criticising Akufo-Addo's poor governance) are villagers and witches, listen to the full tape and tell me where he said that, he challenged. Kwesi Pratt's Subtle Jab However, speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme Tuesday morning, Mr. Pratt argued that those villagers that the Okyehene makes reference to are the bedrock of President Nana Addo's governance and must be listened to when they voice their frustrations. "In Ghana, these villagers outnumber the city boys...So, if the children of villagers are incensed and expressing their views, you have to listen to them. It is because of them that you are serving...There is nobody in Ghana, be it a villager, city boy, witch or Prophet...who can say things are going well", he said. Kwesi Pratt further threw a subtle jab at the Chief saying "if you sit on the seat here in the studio to talk and care is not taken, you will be called a witch or children of villagers...Now, we have all turned into witches". Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A traditional Filipino wooden head is displayed alongside face masks with traditional designs at the Field Museum on Oct. 13, 2022 in Chicago. (Michael Blackshire / Chicago Tribune) In the Field Museums archives, about 8,000 miles away from the sprawling tropical islands of the Philippines, sitting on metal shelves and organized in wooden drawers, are more than 13,000 objects from the Philippines. After navigating through a maze of hallways and elevators hidden away from the museums main exhibits, there is a series of rooms filled with weapons, basketry, woodcarvings, musical instruments, smoking pipes and ceramics. Advertisement There are pocket hats and fishing nets, colorful rolled textiles covered in protective plastic, baskets and bowls made of bamboo or wood or clay, and drawers full of carved wooden spoons and forks. There are swords with their sheaths and small brass cannons and armor made with carabao horns. This is the museums Philippine Heritage Collection, one of the largest collections of its kind in the United States. Advertisement Seeing it for the first time can be overwhelming, and its hard to know where to look among the rows and rows of items. Every single one of those objects has their own stories to tell, said Alpha Sadcopen, a community partner and former collections assistant on the collections digital co-curation project. What might just look like just a very old jar might actually be a jar that Filipinos once believed could hold the spirits of their ancestors after saying an incantation. Thats why a household might have a collection of jars because theyre related to each other, explained Lani Chan, a volunteer at the Field Museum who works as a co-curator of the collection. Lani Chan discusses traditional Filipino large pots and pans at the Field Museum on Oct. 13, 2022. (Michael Blackshire / Chicago Tribune) Chan is full of knowledge and stories about the items in storage. She said that by the time she left the Philippines, she was old enough to know about the culture, but in some ways, she didnt understand its importance. Some of the items in the Field Museums collection are things she saw in everyday life, but they were so mundane that she didnt appreciate them until she got to the United States. To me, these objects are a token of me, said Chan, who is retired and started volunteering at the Field in 2012. Taking care of these objects is taking of me. It enables me to have some recentering of my life. My point of view is different. She said volunteering at the Field was also a way for her to combine being Filipina and American. Advertisement Theres Filipina heritage in me, but sometimes I feel American too. I bring the aspects of Filipina work ethics utang na loob, debt of gratitude and those values here, but I feel like an American too. Sadcopen said she too felt a connection to the objects. The moment I walked into the collection space, I smelled like I was back home, said Sadcopen, who moved to from the Philippines to the U.S. when she was 8. The natural materials, the wood, smelled so familiar to me. She said that while many of the items have been in the collection a long time, some may assume that theyre ancient artifacts, but theyre not. A lot of people still use those objects that you see in the collection in the Philippines today, she said. These are not dead practices. Theyre practiced less, a lot of the things that we used to do, we may not do as much anymore, but these objects are still very much alive in the Philippines. Focus on co-curation About three-quarters of the objects were collected between 1907 and 1910 during trips to northern Luzon, central Mindanao, Mindoro, Palawan and Sulu, according to the collections online website. The collection grew as U.S. soldiers who fought in the Philippine-American War from 1899 to 1902 donated their personal items and as others privately donated items from the mid-20th century. Advertisement Much of the museums approach now to adding items centers on the idea of co-curation, which involves working with groups in the Philippines and the U.S. to gather items and add context to them. A lot of the items have not been identified, but theyve been stored in the vaults since the early 1900s, said Ruben Salazar, a community partner who is involved with the Filipino American National Historical Society in Chicago. So a few years ago, the museum reached out to the community for help, and Salazar said local Filipinos were happy to engage with a project about their history and culture. Its a pioneering effort that the Field Museum actually reached out to the community for partnership, Salazar said. The museums collaborative efforts also reach the Philippines. Researchers from Bukidnon State University visited the museum to look at its collection of items from Bukidnon. They used photographs from the museum to create an exhibit in the Philippines and produced an exhibit catalog that included insights from their elders about the various items. Advertisement They were great about providing us information so we can better enrich the information and knowledge about the collection here, said Jamie Kelly, the Field Museums head of anthropology collections. And they shared information about our collection with the elders and the community over there, where these items come from, and who are the descendants of the folks who used these items. Community partners are also helping the museum correct names and spellings that have been used for years but are actually considered derogatory, or remove items that they dont want to be shared, he added. Theres this assumption that the museums are the experts, but were not its the community, Kelly said. Sadcopen recalled how some people who have toured the collections would point out objects that they remember using as kids, or objects that their relatives in the Philippines still use today. It was a constant reminder of, these objects are still alive, there are still people who are experts about these objects who may not be considered experts because theyre not from academia or they may not have gotten the same education as people who are considered experts did, but they lived the culture, they are living the culture still, she said. The most recent additions to the collection are things that represent the past few years of living in a pandemic: masks. Advertisement Filipino face masks featuring cultural designs on display. (Michael Blackshire / Chicago Tribune) When the COVID-19 pandemic began, some communities started making face coverings that featured designs that are important to their cultures. Kelly said they wanted to have something to mark this moment in history. Analyn Salvador-Amores of the University of the Philippines Baguio works on Indigenous textile revitalization in the northern Philippines. She helped the museum collect and purchase hand-woven masks from around the country. Hand-embroidered masks by the Itneg people feature small symbols that are typically found on blankets and skirts, like lizards, frogs, stars, hands and grains of rice. Other masks by designer Ronald Dulay of Baguio City, Philippines, feature a pattern known as binakol, which is believed to keep evil spirits away. Celebrating Filipino American History Month While there was once a permanent exhibit on the Philippines in the museum, there is currently no permanent display of the Philippine Heritage Collection on the museum floor. There are a just few items tied to the Philippines spread across the exhibits, such as a small golden Agusan statue. The museum does host tours of the collection for community and academic groups on request, but because of space constraints, groups are typically small. They have also hosted programs that community members help organize by selecting a few items to focus on and talk about. One group with the Philippine Consulate toured the collection this month in honor of Filipino American History Month. Advertisement The month of October was selected to be FAHM in the U.S. to commemorate the earliest documented Filipino presence in the continental U.S., as Filipinos were believed to have arrived in Morro Bay, California, on Oct. 18, 1587. A Filipino sword is displayed at the Field Museum. (Michael Blackshire / Chicago Tribune) This years theme for FAHM is Celebrating Our History and Legacies. 2022 also marks a series of milestones for Filipino Americans in the U.S.: Its been 50 years since the first Filipino American studies classes were taught at the University of California at Los Angeles and UC Davis, 40 years since Dorothy Laigo Cordova founded the Filipino American National Historical Society, and 30 years since that organization celebrated the first Filipino American History Month. Congress did not nationally recognize FAHM until 2009. Salazar noted how National Hispanic Heritage Month, which ended on Oct. 15, was covered in the news, but little has been written about Filipino American History Month. Its important that we elevate our presence. Were considered a silent minority but we should not be, he said. Its a matter of people respecting that we are part of U.S. history and that we are Americans as well. Connecting with their heritage In the future, Kelly said he hopes to gain more resources to help the collection expand and improve, whether thats adding more items or displaying some of the collection in the main part of the museum. There are parts of the Philippines where the collection lacks items, so another hope is to fill in those holes. Years ago, the museum had a grant that helped support efforts to digitize the collection and create an interactive website where people can browse the artifacts. Kelly said about 80% of the collection has been digitized. Advertisement Our goal is to connect communities with their heritage, Kelly said. And to expand what we know about these collections, both on the museum side and the community side. Chan and Kelly both said people take away different things when they see the collection. Lani Chan discusses the Filipino collection at Field Museum on Oct. 13, 2022. (Michael Blackshire / Chicago Tribune) For some people, you can see in their eyes that theyre not engaged, but there are also groups that are very interested, Chan said. She recalled a time when a group from Baguio City visited and one of the women cried. Kelly mentioned another visitor who took the hand-embroidered head covering he was wearing off to donate it to the collection. Everybodys going to get something different out of it, Kelly said. They may learn something, but we may also learn something from them. These are opportunities for us as well to learn more. They may have stories to share about growing up with these items, or they may have more academic or cultural knowledge they want to share with us more generally. It goes both ways. Sadcopen said she hopes people who have felt disconnected from the Philippines will feel some spark of interest to begin reconnecting with their culture. Advertisement I hope this is a way to start a conversation about your culture where you are actually able to get a sense of pride from it instead of shame because people have othered you at some point in your life because you look different or you eat different food or you speak a different language, she said. You can reclaim your culture back. I hope that people feel some pride or people are able to use these objects as a way to reconnect to some capacity to the Philippines, to their family. To me, if there are three or two or one person, one Filipino who becomes interested in this, Im happy, Chan added. Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here. Davis Ansah Opoku, Member of Parliament for Mpraeso Constituency, Eastern Region has revealed that the continued stay of Ken Ofori-Atta in office as Finance Minister will delay the country's IMF bailout. He explained that the finance minister has lost credibility in leading the countrys restructuring program, In a Facebook post, the lawmaker said Ken Ofori-Atta has lost the trust of many, including Members of Parliament and the whole country hence the need to the president to appoint a new face. Kwasi Kwarteng never wanted to leave his post. His mere resignation stopped the slide of the pound. The same is needed in Ghana to stem the hedging.Ken has spoken against credit rating agencies and the IMF. His continuous presence is delaying the program. He doesn't have the credibility to lead a debt restructuring program, hence his delegation of responsibility to a 5-member committee. He has lost the trust of many, including Members of Parliament and the whole country.A fresh face will bring the 3 C's. Competence, confidence and credibility.He needs to help the President. He must resign now! Davis Opoku posted on Facebook. The Minority and Majority Members of Parliament seem to be on the same page following the call to remove the finance minister from office. While the Minority in Parliament has filed a motion to have Ken Ofori-Atta sacked, the Majority also threatened to boycott the 2023 budget presentation if the finance minister is not relieved of his post. The MPs explained that their position follows several concerns over the poor management of the economy, which has forced the government to seek IMF assistance. While addressing the parliamentary press corps, the minority urged the majority to not relent on calling the finance minister out. The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, noted as representatives of the people and as duty bearers, we must move a motion to call for the end of the Finance Minister. Our brothers in the Majority believe in this. What they should do is to support the call of the Minority Leader and the motion for the Minority Leader for the dismissal of the Finance Minister. Source: Ghanab.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video President of the Global Peace Mission, Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan, has pledged to sponsor this year's Ghana Journalists' Association awards. He has promised an amount of Ghc 500,000 towards the event and underscored plans to organize training programmes for Journalists to build their capacity. He complimented the efforts of the government saying, "we want to help the government in every policy they may implement for a successful governance". Prof. Ato Duncan made the remarks when GJA executives paid a courtesy call on him to invite him to chair this year's Journalists support fund as well as the awards at Owosourkrom in the Abura Asedu Kwamakese district of the Central Region. He thanked the executives for placing faith in him and accepted their invitation to chair the program. Prof Ato Duncan charged Journalists to be circumspect in their reportage. "We should also assess the way we speak against leadership especially government in power or Party in opposition, we should therefore give respect to the seat, and be careful about our speech and utterances," he stated. He also urged every Journalist to be an ambassador for peace. "Every Journalist must see themselves as an ambassador for peace just as the centre of the global peace mission want them to be, to help maintain the peace in Ghana and across the world." President of GJA, Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour on his part thanked Prof Ato Duncan for the kind gesture and promised to put the money in good use. He was optimistic that the GJA will work to protect the lives of Journalists. Source: Sally Ngissah/Peace News 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 OccupyGhana, a pressure group, has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to instruct the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission to support the Police in the prosecution of persons behind the operations of Akonta Mining Limited in the Nimri Tano Forest Reserve in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region. In an open letter dated October 24, 2022, the Group asked the President to direct the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission to furnish the Police and the Attorney-General with evidence concerning the illegal activities of Akonta Mining in the Forest Reserve. OccupyGhana had earlier written to the Ministry to assist the Police with evidence to facilitate the prosecution of officials behind the operations of the Company. This was after the Ministry had directed the Forestry Commission to immediately halt the activities of Akonta Mining in the Forest. The Ministry said in a statement that Akonta Mining had a mining lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, outside the Forest Reserve, but it had no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. OccupyGhana accused the Ministry of failing to act on its request, hence the decision to invite the President into the matter. The Ministry and Commission must have sufficient evidence to back these press statements. That evidence is what the Police and Attorney-General require to launch criminal investigations into the matter, and when satisfied, prosecute that Company and its directors and officers for the requisite offences under the Minerals and Mining Act, it said. The Group said the Akonta Mining case is a key test to the Presidents resolve to end the illegal mining menace. Just like the Aisha Huang matter, it is a key test of your resolve to end illegal mining. If that Company is not engaged in illegal mining, the police investigations will absolve them. If, however, it is engaged in illegal mining, then the police will take the requisite steps, it said. The letter added: We want to see the commitment behind your declared intention to end the menace posed by galamsey, manifested in this matter too. Mr President, we once again urge you to lead the charge, as decisive action is required to save the nation from the dangers of galamsey. 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 A member of the communications team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dela Edem, has raised strong concerns about the eagerness of the General Secretary, Asiedu Nketiah, in launching his campaign to become the next national chairman. Contained in a statement, Dela Edem wondered why the General Secretary feels this is the right time to be pushing such an agenda especially when the party has just come out of national constituency elections that were riddled with many challenges. He also stated that it appears the personal interests of the party CEO seem more important to him than the overall outlook and performance of the NDC. Comrades, at a time when the NDC is holding crucial constituency elections which have so far been fraught with several challenges, including unavailability and delays in the arrival of ballot papers, lawlessness and indiscipline, the General Secretary of the NDC is embarking on a self-seeking launch of his bid to become National Chairman of the party on Tuesday, October 25, 2022. Clearly, appearing to be putting the cart before the horse, Hon. Asiedu Nketiah thinks that his personal ambitions should supersede the larger interest of the NDC to the extent that he is not bothered by the numerous reports of challenges with the constituency elections, he wrote. Dela Edem further wondered what it is that Asiedu Nketiah intends to do about the fact that some constituencies went ahead to hold elections although there were several issues of infractions related to the polls. Also, he questioned the General Secretarys approach to news of how in some places, people arrogated to themselves powers so much that they stopped the conduct of the elections in some constituencies. Have reports of some constituencies going ahead with elections in flagrant disregard for directives by FEC and the National Elections Directorate for postponement due to some infractions, come to the attention of the General Secretary of the NDC, and is he interested in enforcing discipline and upholding the guidelines governing the fair and peaceful conduct of the elections? What about reports of some individuals who have arrogated to themselves the power to stop elections in some constituencies without the knowledge of the party? While these issues linger on and have the potential of throwing the entire internal election timetable off gear, the General Secretary of the party, who is the partys Chief Executive Officer charged with the responsibility of shepherding and steering the successful conduct of these internal elections, is rather so fixated with the pursuit of his personal ambition to the neglect of this all-important internal reorganisation exercise, he added. Also, Dela Edem stated, why does the General Secretary, Asiedu Nketiah, appear to even be launching his campaign for election as the National Chairman of the NDC when not even regional executives have done so. It is worth mentioning that the regional elections of the NDC will take place ahead of the national elections. As we speak, I am not aware of a single aspirant for a regional position who has launched his campaign anywhere in the country, let alone the General Secretary of the NDC. Such a high-ranking party official, should not be getting ahead of himself at this critical time when leadership must show good example. Lets not allow self-interest to drive us at this critical juncture. We must be bold to call a spade a spade and not a digging tool, he added. Asiedu Nketiah is hoping to unseat Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the current National Chairman, in a race that has been described by many as an unhealthy one. In an earlier GhanaWeb poll, respondents believed that Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, will beat the outgoing General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, to the chairmanship position of the party in the upcoming national executive election. Almost 83,000 readers of GhanaWeb took part in the poll, which was held between Monday, October 10 and Friday, October 14, 2022. Out of the over 82,000 participants, nearly 49,663, representing approximately 60 per cent of the respondents, said that Samuel Ofosu Ampofo should be retained in his position. Most of the respondents, sharing why they voted for Ofosu Ampofu, said he had served the party well and deserved to be retained. The national elections of the NDC are scheduled to be held on December 17, 2022. 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 Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Services Board, has received a draft Parliamentary Transition Bill from the Center for Democratic Transitions (CDT). A statement issued by the Communications Directorate at the Speakers Secretariat and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the Draft Bill was presented to him in Accra by Professor Kwamina Ahwoi and Nana Ato Dadzie, both consultants with the CDT. It said transitioning from one parliament to another under the Fourth Republican Constitution had had gaps and doubtful legal validity, that had created challenges from one parliament to another, and for democratic governance in general. It said the purpose of the Draft Bill, therefore, was to ensure a smooth, seamless, and peaceful transition for the legislature. The statement noted that the Draft Bill was like, but different from the Presidential Transition Act, which was passed for the executive for a similar purpose. It said the Parliamentary Transition Bill focuses on the peculiarities of the legislature in periods of changeover, and what the experience had been so far. It said the idea of enacting legislation in a Parliamentary Transition Bill dawned on Speaker Bagbin immediately after he assumed office after the nasty and acrimonious election process on January 7th, 2021. The statement said the idea was shared with the Parliamentary Service Board, which commissioned the drafting of the Parliamentary Transition Bill Speaking after a presentation on the Draft Bill and related documents, Speaker Bagbin said the Parliamentary Services Board commissioned the drafting of the Bill to help bring closure to some of the unregulated and contestable aspects of what had been the processes, procedures, and practices when it comes to parliamentary transition. He spoke about instances, where there had been expectations of the Speaker or the Clerk to Parliament, when in truth that mandate did not exist and said the Draft Bill took a retrospective look at what had happened in the past, considered todays hung parliament, anticipated what could happen in the future and provided direction and guidance. Speaker Bagbin commended Professor Ahwoi and his team for the deep thoughts that went into the proposals and recommendations and looked forward to sharing the proposals and recommendations with the Parliamentary Service Board to chart a path that would sustain parliamentary democracy in Ghana. Presenting the Draft Bill to the Speaker, Professor Ahwoi gave examples of the gaps the Bill would help close. He said the election of the Speaker of Parliament had hitherto been done by elected Members of Parliament (MPs) who had not been sworn into office, which was problematic and could raise legal issues and proposed that election of the Speaker should be by constituting elected MPs into an electoral college to conduct that business to help circumvent the current challenge. Professor Ahwoi also suggested that to avoid unnecessary complications and complexities in the future, consideration should be given to requesting the Electoral Commission (EC) to be responsible for the election of the Speaker of Parliament. The Speaker, once elected and sworn-in, would then supervise the election of the deputies. These, he said, would have to be done at least two days before the Speaker presided over Parliament for the swearing-in of the President-elect of the Republic, in consonance with the Presidential Transition Act. When validated, considered, and passed, the Parliamentary Transition Act would govern how the offices of the Speaker, Leaders of the House, and MPs transition from one person to the other to ensure continuity, sustainability and enhance parliamentary democracy in Ghana. Present during the presentation was Mr Cyril Nsiah, the Clerk to Parliament, and other officers of the Parliamentary Service. 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 Majority Caucus in Parliament has threatened to boycott Parliamentary sittings if President Akufo-Addo does not relieve Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State at the Presidency, Charles Adu Boahen of their positions. Addressing a Press Conference on Tuesday, Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Lawyer Andy Appiah Kubi said the two need to be fired over their failure in dealing with the current economic challenges. Failure to do this, they will stage a boycott, according to a report filed by Peace FMs Parliamentary correspondent, Emmanuel Akorli. Findings made by Emmanuel Akorli indicated that about 80 majority members have signed a petition calling for the dismissal of the two. 2023 Budget Meanwhile, the ruling Government is expected to present its 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy on November 15. However, the NPP MPs claim they won't be present if the Finance Minister and Charles Adu Boahen are not sacked. If our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing, neither will we participate in the debate, Mr Appiah-Kubi indicated. No Reshuffle President Akufo-Addo has already indicated that he has no cause to reassign, reshuffle or sack any of his appointees. He has expressed his satisfaction with his ministers especially: the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Trade And Industry, Alan Kyerematen; Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako Atta; Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah; and the Minister of Food And Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto. Many of them for me have done outstanding work. Their output has been considerable, and that is what I look at. If the output measures expectations, then I dont have any strong reasons to heed the call, he has indicated. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Private legal practitioner who openly supported President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos governance says he is highly disappointed. Lawyer Martin Kpebu who was discussing Ghanas economic crisis on NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie' said Ghana is deeply in a watershed. He insisted the President must resign for his ineffectiveness to steer the affairs of the country. Honestly, what the President is doing is not good, he must resign, if he doesnt, we must stage a demonstration against him . . . At 78 he is weak, he no longer has any fresh ideas and doesn't haven't the strength. He needs relaxation at a holiday destination, he jabbed. Watch video below Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency, Henry Kwabena Kokofu, has criticized the long fleet of cars in the President's convoy whenever he is en route. The President recently visited the Ashanti Region and videos of his convoy surfaced on social media. The viewers claimed they could count over 40 cars in the presidential convoy. The convoy is said to be a complete waste. Addressing this while speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme Tuesday morning, Henry Kokofu explained that, "the official Presidential convoy is a maximum of seven cars", so whenever one sees vehicles more than seven, it means the rest of the cars are Parliamentarians and other people who have decided to go with the President. However, the EPA Boss condemned such activity stating, "it is not proper that way". He advised the MPs to take the lead when the President is visiting their constituencies to avoid the unnecessary long convoy. "We can't continue doing this; embarrassing ourselves," he emphasized. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Member of Parliament (MP) for Team West, Carlos Ahenkorah, has explained why more than two-thirds of the majority caucus, including himself, are demanding that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo sacks the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta. According to Ahenekorah, the MPs came to the decision after feedback from their constituents during their recess disclosed that most Ghanaians were unhappy with the government because Ofori-Atta was still at post. He said that most of the majority caucus MPs spoke about how their constituents were suffering due to the economic challenges in the country. Speaking in a Neat FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Ahenkorah intimated that they had to inform the president of the difficulties of their constituents so that it does not affect the NPP's fortunes in the future. Most of the majority caucus came to this decision because it is what our constituents wanted. This is not something we wanted to do but it is what the people who voted for us, our constituents wanted. This was not by a rebel group in the caucus. There is a lot of pressure on us. If you go to your constituency office and you listen to the concerns of your constituents it is very disheartening. Just yesterday, three women visited my office and they were crying while narrating how they had lost their businesses because the price of a gallon of oil they used to purchase for GH60[600] is now selling for GH1000. The other MPs also shared their experience and we saw that it all boils down to the same thing. So, this is how we came to the decision that we have to let the president know what our constituents want. We had to let him know, otherwise, our people will not listen to us if we go to them again, Ahenkrorah said in twi. A group of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament has petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at the finance ministry, Adu Boahen, to restore public confidence in the economy. This was announced in a media briefing by their spokesperson, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, who is the Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North, in parliament on Tuesday, October 25, 2022. The group said it will not do business with the government nor support the 2023 budget if the president fails to heed their calls. According to them, the move follows previous concerns sent to the government that have not yielded any positive results. 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 Renowned Ghanaian broadcaster, Mr. Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, popularly known as Abeiku Santana, has received an alumni award from the University of Cape Coast (UCC). Abeiku Santana, who has a Masters Degree in Tourism Management from UCC, was honoured for projecting the name of the institution in various endeavours. The media mogul, who currently works with Despite Media, has had a distinguished career in radio broadcasting spanning over two decades, and he is one of Ghanas most popular radio presenters. Abeiku Santana, after receiving the award, said: I deem it a great honour to receive this great recognition from my alma mater, and it further encourages me to do more for the betterment of humanity. This honour means a lot to me and I want to dedicate it to my family, especially my wife, who has been very supportive of the numerous successes I have achieved over the years. Abeiku Santana, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Kaya Tours, has contributed to the growth of Ghanas tourism industry as he was adjudged the Tourism Oriented Media Personality at the 2020 National Tourism Awards. In 2020, he gained a special recognition award as the Exclusive Man of the Year for his exploits in tourism marketing and promotion, using his platform to promote Ghanas tourism. The 2021 Radio and Television Personality of the Year is one of the topmost personalities in Ghanas music space, having contributed to the unearthing of numerous musical talents over his 20 years in the music industry. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Marie Crane, center, holds a candle during a vigil in Tower Grove Park for the victims of a school shooting at Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Oct. 24, 2022. (David Carson/AP) ST. LOUIS A 19-year-old who killed a teacher and a 15-year-old girl at a St. Louis high school was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and what appeared to be more than 600 rounds of ammunition, a police official said Tuesday. Orlando Harris also left behind a handwritten note offering his explanation for the shooting Monday at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, St. Louis Police Commissioner Michael Sack told reporters. Tenth-grader Alexzandria Bell and 61-year-old physical education teacher Jean Kuczka died and seven students were wounded before police killed Harris in an exchange of gunfire. Advertisement Sack read Harris note in which the young man lamented that he had no friends, no family, no girlfriend and a life of isolation. Harris called it the perfect storm for a mass shooter. Sack said Harris had ammunition strapped to his chest and in a bag, and that additional magazines were found dumped in stairwells. Advertisement This could have been much worse, Sack said. The attack forced students to barricade doors and huddle in classroom corners, jump from windows and run out of the building to seek safety. One girl said she was eye-to-eye with the shooter before his gun apparently jammed and she was able to run out. Several people inside the school said they heard Harris warn, You are all going to die! Harris graduated from the school last year. Sack, speaking at a news conference, urged people to come forward when someone who appears to suffer from mental illness or distress begins speaking about purchasing firearms or causing harm to others. Alexzandria was a bright, charismatic girl with a sassy personality who was working hard to improve her dancing and her grades, said Centrals principal, Kacy Seals-Shahid. She was a member of the schools junior varsity dance team, her father said. Alexzandria was my everything, her father, Andre Bell, told KSDK-TV. She was joyful, wonderful and just a great person. She was the girl I loved to see and loved to hear from. No matter how I felt, I could always talk to her and it was alright. That was my baby, he said. The morning of the shooting, Alexzandrias mom brought her daughters glasses to the school when she noticed the teenager had left them home. Her mom got to the school before Alexzandria arrived by school bus. When Alex got off her bus, I asked her, `Arent you going to need these because you cant see without those? Seals-Shahid said. The family was super supportive of Alexzandria. Advertisement Abby Kuczka said her mother was killed when the gunman burst into her classroom and she moved between him and her students. My mom loved kids, Abbey Kuczka told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She loved her students. I know her students looked at her like she was their mom. The seven injured students are all 15 or 16 years old. Sack said four suffered gunshot or graze wounds, two had bruises and one had a broken ankle apparently from jumping out of the three-story building. All were listed in stable condition. The school in south St. Louis was locked, with seven security guards at the doors, St. Louis Schools Superintendent Kelvin Adams said. A security guard initially became alarmed when he saw Harris trying to get in one of the doors. He had a gun and there was no mystery about what was going to happen. He had it out and entered in an aggressive, violent manner, Sack said. That guard alerted school officials and made sure police were contacted. Harris managed to get inside anyway. Sack declined to say how, saying he didnt want to make it easy for anyone else who wants to break into a school. Advertisement Police offered this timeline: A 911 call came in at 9:11 a.m. alerting police of an active shooter. Officers some off-duty wearing street clothes arrived at 9:15 a.m. Police located Harris at 9:23 a.m. on the third floor, where he had barricaded himself inside a classroom. Police said in a news release that when Harris shot at officers, they shot back and broke through the door. At 9:25 a.m., when Harris pointed his rifle at police, they fired several shots. He was secured by police at 9:32 a.m. Police said Alexzandria was found in a hallway and died at the scene. Kuczka was found in a classroom and died at a hospital. Central Visual and Performing Arts shares a building with another magnet school, Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience. Central has 383 students, Collegiate 336. It was the 40th school shooting this year resulting in injuries or death, according to a tally by Education Week the most in any year since it began tracking shootings in 2018. The deadly attacks include the killings of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May. Advertisement Matt Davis, president of the St. Louis Board of Education, said police and school officials acted quickly to Mondays shooting. And yet, we are still left with tragedy, Davis said. For now, the survivors are dealing with the trauma. The gunman pointed his weapon at Raymond Parks, a dance teacher at the school, but did not shoot him, Parks said. The kids in his class escaped outside and Parks stopped traffic and get someone to call the police. They came quickly. You couldnt have asked for better, Parks said of the police response. Ashley Rench said she was teaching advanced algebra to sophomores when she heard a loud bang. Then the school intercom announced, Miles Davis is in the building. Advertisement Thats our code for intruder, Rench said. The gunman tried the door of the classroom but did not force his way in, she said. When police officers started banging, she wasnt sure at first if it really was law enforcement until she was able to glance out and see officers. Lets go! she told the kids. Salter reported from OFallon, Missouri. Associated Press writers Margaret Stafford and Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this report. This story has been corrected to show that Alexzandria Bell was 15, not 16 as police had previously stated. Police also corrected the spelling of her first name. Musician, Black Sherif says buying a luxurious car is not his priority at the moment because he sees no profit in that. According to him, it is not a reasonable thing to do at this point in his career. In an interview on Peace FM with Kwami Sefa Kayi, the Soja crooner said he has been investing his music money back into the business. I havent reached anywhere. I only came to Accra two years ago to make my music. The money I am making. If I buy cars and other things, it wont benefit me. I have money to reinvest in my videos and promote my music because I believe thats the only way forward, he stated. Sherif is currently promoting his maiden album The Villain I Never Was which was on October 6. The album is currently one of the most streamed works on the African continent. Many had thought that he had made huge sums after his breakout, hence he should be enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. However, he says he has no time for that. Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/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 Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A study published in the November issue of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases demonstrates that ticks capable of carrying diseasesincluding Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever and the neurotoxin that causes tick-borne paralysispose an emerging threat in Colorado. The results show American dog ticks are very much present in 16 counties in Colorado, where they were not previously identified by the CDC, and Rocky Mountain wood ticks are found in 38 of the 64 Colorado counties, whereas they had only been identified in 33 previously. The study leveraged several sources for the study, including ticks collected by citizen scientists as part of a free tick testing program offered by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. "The critical takeaway from this study is that Coloradans need to take preventative measures against ticks when outdoors, such as tick checks, and doctors should be more vigilant for symptoms of tick-borne diseases including those carried by Rocky Mountain wood ticks and American dog ticks," said Linda Giampa, executive director, Bay Area Lyme Foundation. "This ecology study illustrates the power of leveraging citizen science, and we are grateful for the more than 20,000 ticks that were submitted to our national program and made this study possible." Conducted by researchers from Colorado State University and supported by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the study aimed to quantify the current county-level distribution of Rocky Mountain wood ticks, Dermacentor andersoni, and American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis. The study evaluated data from ticks collected by citizen scientists and evaluated at Northern Arizona University as part of Bay Area Lyme Foundation's Free Tick Testing program, distribution data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, veterinary surveillance at Oklahoma State University, and literature data. "It was interesting to us to see American dog ticks in unexpected counties in Colorado which appear to be invading from nearby states or traveling with people and pets. And also to show that Rocky Mountain wood ticks appear, for the most part, to inhabit counties at higher elevations than American dog ticks," said co-author Daniel Salkeld, Ph.D., Colorado State University. "This study is a red flag that, on the county-level, it is necessary to increase tick surveillance locally, and, on an individual level, to take precautions and know the symptoms of tick-borne diseases." Rocky Mountain wood ticks and American dog ticks are both known carriers of Rickettsia rickettsii which causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a disease that is on the rise in the US, and Francisella tularensis which causes tularemia, a potentially life-threatening disease that has seen a spike in incidence in recent data, and can cause tick-borne paralysis. According to this study, both species of tick were found on humans and dogs. Rocky Mountain wood ticks appear to be more attracted to humans, with this tick representing 58% of ticks attached to humans, compared to the American dog tick, which represented 92% of ticks attached to dogs. "The citizen science approach has been critical to supporting our efforts as widespread active surveillance programs in Colorado have had difficulty due to the state's diverse terrain and no Colorado counties regularly conduct these," said lead author Elizabeth Freeman, MPH, Colorado State University. "With the knowledge that there is a risk of encountering both the Rocky Mountain wood tick and American dog tick in Colorado, there should be more motivation to further enhance surveillance studies to fully understand the public's risk of disease." Citizen scientists collected and provided the ticks evaluated in the study as part of Bay Area Lyme Foundation's Free Tick Testing program, which collected more than 20,400 ticks, of which 8,954 are Ixodes ticks capable of carrying the most common tick-borne pathogens. This new study expands on previous research identifying ticks capable of carrying Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in 83 counties (in 24 states) where these ticks had not been previously recorded. Some of the new county reports are likely due to travel-associated exposures (e.g., Montana), but many counties, such as those in Colorado, are in close proximity to previously known locations, illustrating either spreading range of ticks or the need for expanded on-the-ground surveillance. The research was conducted through a partnership between Bay Area Lyme Foundation, Northern Arizona University, Colorado State University and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). Interactive maps show the distribution by county of the tick species collected, including western blacklegged tick, blacklegged tick, American dog tick, lone star tick. Prevalence of Rocky Mountain wood ticks in this study were not previously evaluated and reported. Ticks sent to the initiative from January 2016 through August 2019 were tested free of charge. These data were categorized, mapped, and recorded, as well as provided to the submitter. Ticks were submitted from every state except Alaska. The program received a six-fold increase in tick submissions over initial estimates, representing unprecedented national coordination of a 'citizen science' effort and diagnostic investigation. More information: Elizabeth A. Freeman et al, Surveillance of Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni) and American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) in Colorado, Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102036 Interactive maps: www.bayarealyme.org/our-resear esting-program/#maps Provided by Bay Area Lyme Foundation Credit: tommaso79 / Shutterstock Discrimination against and repression of women is a global problem. In authoritarian states, it is also intertwined with regime survival. Take recent events in Iran, where women-led protests against strict hijab laws are challenging the country's ruling powers. Nearly 3,000 miles away in China, a different feminist debate is taking hold, over whether sanitary pads should be sold on high-speed trains. This debate was kindled on September 16 2022 on the Chinese social media site Weibo. A woman posted about her irritation at not being able to purchase period products while traveling on the country's high-speed rail network: "I don't want more women to feel embarrassed, so I'm bringing this up in the hope that it may be addressed". China Railway responded that feminine pads were private items that women should prepare for themselves in advance. Some commenters agreed that it was "inappropriate" and "dirty" to sell sanitary pads on trains. "Only food is served on train. You don't want sanitary pads sold alongside food, do you?" one wrote. Comments revealed an ignorance among men about menstruation, notably evidenced by the question "why can't women just hold it in?" In China, menstruation taboo has roots in a traditional culture that associates the physiological phenomenon with bad luck and uncleanness. Women are excluded during their menstruation from entering public realms such as temples, ceremonies and ancestral halls. Even today, menstruating women are still not allowed to honor the dead in some rural areas. Some accused women of demanding privileges and extra rights by asking for period products to be sold. "Women need feminine pads, so they require that high-speed trains MUST sell those products. It is a hegemonic logic", said a male Chinese social media user with 889,000 followers. Opponents of selling feminine pads on high-speed trains call this demand "pseudo" feminism and dismiss it as taking advantage of feminist movements. Feminism and 'pseudo' feminism In China, the post-2000 growth of consumer culture and the internet has converged with an influx of post-feminist ideas from the west. In such an environment, female digital influencers often use feminist ideals to attract followers on social media. In what's been critiqued as "pseudo-feminism", some influencers have been known to encourage their female followers to use their "gender strengths", such as delicate or fragile beauty, biological vulnerabilities, and sexual attractions, to "tame" men in both romantic relationships and workplaces. This particular brand of feminism, while seeking to help women achieve "happiness" and "success", reinforces traditional gender roles at the expense of women's well-being and social needs. While this criticism is justified in some cases, some opponents have used the label "pseudofeminism" to stigmatize entire feminist movements. In this debate, some opponents consider proponents to be "pseudo-feminists". They argue that truly independent women should be responsible for preparing feminine pads in advance for themselves, rather than taking advantage of their biological vulnerabilities to force companies to provide products specially for them, just as they use "female gender strengths" to "tame" men in relationships. There is a similar dynamic in the disconnect between the positive and negative perceptions of menstruation that persist in China. Menstrual blood is not only considered dirty but also polluting, posing a danger to those come into contact with it. This is the basis for the argument that sanitary pads should not be sold alongside food. At the same time, the celebration of menstruation as a symbol of female fertility reduces women to their reproductive function. "Menstruation is the basis of fertility. For thousands of years, human life and civilization were born from menstruation", said one social media user defending the sale of sanitary pads on trains. The former reflects the misogyny of Chinese society, while the latter panders to the regime's policy of incentivizing women to have more children to address the current population crisis. While the debate over sanitary pads may appear trivial, it reflects a much wider structural system that hurts mothers and all women. On October 3 2022, a social media user happily posted that she was able to find sanitary pads being sold on another high-speed train. While it's not clear if there was a change in policy or simply a positive decision by a different train line, the discussion and responses from influential social media users shows that gender equality and changing menstruation stigma has a long way to go in China. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Paper flood maps such as this extract from the 1982 Lower Hawkesbury Floodplain Atlas, do not include critical details such as water depth, velocity, rate of rise and potential isolation. Author provided Whole towns and cities are seemingly locked into more frequent and severe flooding. Business-as-usual development continues despite extreme weather and sea-level rises due to climate change. While some local councils have online mapping, others are still using outdated paper maps. Repeated floods across eastern Australia have prompted the Planning Institute of Australia to call for a framework to update flood mapping to take climate change into account. A flood map shows areas to be inundated based on risk modeling and past weather data. As well as identifying at-risk areas for land-use planning, these maps are needed for flood responses. The problem with static flood maps is they don't show critical details of the hazard a flood will present. Councils have a duty of care to provide flood maps that accurately identify areas at risk, as well as those that are safe. Yet existing information on riverine and coastal flood risks was "patchy and outdated", the institute said. "[] there is a patchwork of datasets gathered and applied inconsistently by councils and water authorities, who often do not have the budgets to pay for the necessary modeling, or the political authority to apply controls at a local level. This means that new housing and development can occur in flood-prone areas []" For many flooded communities, the immediate priority is to deal with the emergency. However, we should not lose sight of how urban planning has affected them, nor of the urgent need for planning frameworks to catch up with climate change impacts. Who's responsible? The floods have highlighted the glacial pace of adaptation to climate change by planning frameworks at all levels of government. For example, the New South Wales government direction on flood-prone land that took effect in July 2021 still adheres to the principles in the state's floodplain development manual from 2005, which advocates for development on floodplains. The dysfunctional relationships between the different levels of government also continue. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said flood mapping was mainly "a matter for local government". NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet ran the nature-versus-people debate in announcing the wall of Warragamba Dam, Sydney's biggest, will be raised. Those on the front line of the flooding see things differently. The mayor of Wollondilly, southwest of Sydney, said: "Raising Warragamba Dam is not in the interests of Western Sydney, potentially costing over $2 billion and enabling developers to cover rural floodplains with housing, as well as the possibility of creating a sense of complacency from those still at risk of catastrophic flooding." The National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy, based on a 2012 Council of Australian Government (COAG) report, outlines the roles and responsibilities for adaptation of the three levels of government. The strategy states: "Local governments are on the frontline in dealing with the impacts of climate change." So local councils are seen to have a crucial role in adaptation at a local level. But how are underfunded councils to manage the ongoing damage to infrastructure, and the legacy of development in areas hit by supercharged weather systems? It's a legacy that led to $7 billion in insurance claims from floods, storms and cyclones in the past 18 months. This Climate Council report from March 2022 drew attention to the changes planners must contend with. Credit: Climate Council of Australia, CC BY The politics of flood mapping The flood-mapping issue is complicated by a level of political entrenchment related to property rights. Councils are wary of upsetting voters and ratepayers who see their assets devalued by a flood rating. When Gold Coast Council released updated flood maps in 2018, for example, they caused a stir among residents. On the NSW Central Coast, the local council completed a flood study that concluded a majority of the housing lots would be flooded as a result of rising sea levels in coming decades. Yet the council removed the option of retreat or property buyouts under pressure from residents. They preferred adaptations such as levees, walls and raising their buildings. Councils would need to secure additional funding to cover the costs of such measures. On the other hand, there was community opposition to a planned levee in Seymour, because of concerns about the loss of river views, access and habitat. This led the local council to abandon the levee to protect homes and businesses that have now been flooded. We must plan for the long term Current approaches to flood mitigation are not a viable long-term strategy. More development on floodplains means more property damage when the floods come. Increasing populations also put added strain on emergency services and escape routes. Even before the latest floods, the Insurance Council of Australia issued a statement, Building a More Resilient Australia, which said: "[] it's imperative that governments at state and federal level commit to a significant increase in investment in programs to lessen the impact of future events. We also need to plan better so we no longer build homes in harm's way [and] make buildings more resilient to the impacts of extreme weather". If the insurance industry gets it, why are governments still allowing new development in high-risk areas? Some see developing these areas as necessary to solve the ongoing affordable housing crisis. Others consider it entwined with development industry lobbying. And some councils want the rate revenue and fear costly court actions over refused development applications. So to the greater question: how are governments addressing the climate risk of flooding and urban development within the planning frameworks? Regional and state plans take a long time to draft, put out for public consultation, redraft and get approved. A new era demands a new approach Climate change presents vexing problems for communities, governments and urban planning. As ice sheets melt, sea levels rise and climate drivers change, more extreme weather patterns are increasingly a threat to the fabric of our society. Planning frameworks must adapt to the climate crisis. This requires land-use approaches that direct people and property away from hazardous floodplains. As the Planning Institute of Australia has warned: "The decisions planners make now have a lasting impact, and our profession is key to responding to a changing climate." This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Bangladesh authorities managed to evacuate around a million people from their homes before Cyclone Sitrag hit. At least 24 people died after Cyclone Sitrang slammed into Bangladesh, forcing the evacuation of about a million people from their homes, officials said Tuesday. Cyclonesthe equivalent of hurricanes in the Atlantic or typhoons in the Pacificare a regular menace in the region but scientists say climate change is likely making them more intense and frequent. Sitrang made landfall in southern Bangladesh late Monday but authorities managed to get about a million people to safety before the monster weather system hit. Around 10 million people were without power in districts along the coast on Tuesday, while schools were shut across much of the country's south. Police and government officials said at least 24 people died, mostly after they were hit by falling trees, with two dying in the north on the Jamuna River when their boat sank in squally weather. A Myanmar national working on a ship also died by falling off the deck, an official said. "We still have not got all the reports of damages," government official Jebun Nahar told AFP. Eight people are missing from a dredging boat that sank during the storm late Monday night in the Bay of Bengal, near the country's largest industrial park at Mirsarai, regional fire department chief Abdullah Pasha said. Cyclone Sitrang slammed into Bangladesh late Monday. "Strong wind flipped the dredger and it sank instantly in the Bay of Bengal," he told AFP, adding that divers were searching for survivors. People evacuated from low-lying regions such as remote islands and river banks were moved to thousands of multi-storey cyclone shelters, Disaster Management Ministry secretary Kamrul Ahsan told AFP. "They spent the night in cyclone shelters. And this morning many are heading back to their homes," he said. Ahsan said nearly 10,000 homes were either "destroyed or damaged" in the storm and around 1,000 shrimp farms had been washed away in floods. In some cases police had to cajole villagers who were reluctant to abandon their homes, officials said. Trees were uprooted as far away as the capital Dhaka, hundreds of kilometres from the storm's centre. Heavy rains lashed much of the country, flooding cities such as Dhaka, Khulna and Barisalwhich took on 324 millimetres (13 inches) of rainfall on Monday. About 33,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, controversially relocated from the mainland to a storm-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, were ordered to stay indoors but there were no reports of casualties or damage, officials said. Scientists say climate change is making cyclones more intense and frequent. Panic and snakes The cyclone downed trees and brought widespread panic to the southern island of Maheshkhali after power and telecoms were cut. "Such was the power of the wind we could not sleep in the night because of the fear that our homes will be destroyed. Snakes entered many homes. Water also inundated many homes," said Tahmidul Islam, 25, a resident of Maheshkhali. In the worst-affected Barisal region, teeming rains and heavy winds wreaked havoc on vegetable farms, district administrator Aminul Ahsan told AFP. In the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal, thousands of people were evacuated Monday to more than 100 relief centres, officials said, but there were no reports of damage and people were returning home on Tuesday. Last year, more than a million people were evacuated along India's east coast before Cyclone Yaas battered the area with winds gusting up to 155 kilometres (96 miles) an hourequivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. Cyclone Amphan, the second "super cyclone" recorded over the Bay of Bengal, killed more than 100 people in Bangladesh and India and affected millions when it hit in 2020. In recent years, better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced the death toll from such storms. The worst recorded, in 1970, killed hundreds of thousands of people. 2022 AFP Satellite image of the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil. Of all the major river deltas on our planet, the Amazon River delta is the one that contributes the largest amount of organic carbon of continental origin to the ocean. But until now, the efficiency of delta sediments in the long-term storage of organic carbon was unknown. Credit: NASA's WorldWind software. An international research team with participation of the UAB team has succeeded in quantifying the volume of continental organic carbon stored in delta sediments from 75 million years ago. The research, published in Nature Geoscience, demonstrates that deltas are large stores of the planet's carbon and, therefore, important climate regulators over geological time periods. Terrestrial plants use atmospheric CO and transform it into organic carbon for their growth. Once the plants and the living beings that consume them die, most of the organic carbon is returned to the atmosphere, but a small part is transported by rivers to the ocean, where it is accumulates in marine sediments. The burial and storage of this organic carbon of continental origin in marine sediments can reduce the Earth's atmospheric CO levels, and thus regulate its climate cycle over geological timescales, which are intervals generally longer than one hundred thousand years. The largest accumulation site of organic carbon in today's oceans is in deltaic areas, some of which are composed of large accumulations of sediment. Analysis of modern deltaic sediments, however, only provides information on the temporal and spatial characteristics of these complex sedimentary environments for a short period of time in geological terms. This complicates the calculation of their long-term organic carbon burial efficiency. In the now-published study, researchers have determined the volume of organic carbon stored in a deltaic sedimentary succession accumulated during the Upper Cretaceous, 75 million years ago, in the Magallanes Basin of southern Chile. To calculate carbon burial rates on a geological scale, the researchers reconstructed the dimensions of the delta and quantified the organic content of the rock samples, combining this information with their own dating of the rocks from previous work. The results show that up to almost 100 megatons of organic carbon of continental origin were stored in these sediments over a time period of approximately 100,000 to 900,000 years, at an annual burial rate of 216 tons per km/year. These values are of a similar order of magnitude to organic carbon burial rates in modern deltas, such as the Amazon River. "In this study we demonstrate that deltaic areas have been, are and probably will be large natural stores of continental organic carbon on our planet and, therefore, important climate regulators over geological time periods," says Miquel Poyatos. "Governments and institutions of countries with deltas in their territory have the need to protect, maintain and restore them, especially in the current context of climate change, sea level rise and sediment loss due to reservoirs," concludes the UAB researcher. More information: Sophie Hage et al, High rates of organic carbon burial in submarine deltas maintained on geological timescales, Nature Geoscience (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-022-01048-4 Journal information: Nature Geoscience A close-up view of the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope at NTU Singapore and a test sample inside the microscopes ultra-high vacuum chamber. The chamber is needed to reach the ultra-low temperatures for the experiments and to protect the quantum spin Hall insulators tested. Credit: SPMS/NTU Singapore Quantum computers, which can perform calculations much faster than traditional computers, have a big problem: They are prone to data storage and processing errors caused by disturbances from the environment like vibrations and radiation from warm objects. But a discovery by scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), on how electrons can be controlled at very low temperatures, suggests a way for addressing this problem and developing more robust and accurate quantum computers. The team's findings, which were published online in the Nature Communications journal in October 2022, showed, for the first time, that electrons can have strong interactions between them under certain conditions. These interactions, previously only predicted in theoretical models, were observed on the edges of a type of atomically thin and electrically insulating material at ultra-low temperatures close to the coldness of outer space. Headed by Assistant Professor Bent Weber from NTU Singapore's School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS), the research team confirmed that interactions at these low temperatures cause the electrons to flow like a liquid. This means that the electrons tend to move collectively along a line instead of moving individually or haphazardly in different directions. Ripples in an electronic liquid that were probed by the atomically sharp tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope in the researchers experiments. Credit: SPMS/NTU Singapore Getting the electrons "in line" for this special state of matter, dubbed a "helical Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid," is one of the key factors that physicists believe is critical to allowing electrons to group together to form a particle called a parafermion. Besides this special state of matter, another key factor for parafermions to form is needed, which comes into play at even lower temperatures: superconductivity. This property, which refers to the ability to conduct electricity without losing energy, can be found in certain materials. Creating parafermions is a highly sought-after goal of scientists as these particles are predicted to help quantum computers store information in a more robust way than is possible today. Quantum computers, which can solve a complex mathematical problem in minutes compared with thousands of years for supercomputers, currently store information by manipulating electrons or light at ultra-low temperatures close to absolute zero or about -273 degrees Celsius. But the stored data in a quantum computer can be very easily corrupted by disturbances from the environment, including vibrations, radiation from warm objects or changes in electric fields. (L-R) Dr Que Yande, a senior research fellow from NTU Singapores SPMS; PhD student Jia Junxiang, the first author of the study; and Asst Prof Bent Weber from the school who led the research, with a scanning tunnelling microscope at the university. Credit: SPMS/NTU Singapore Parafermions, however, are believed to be much more resistant to such disturbances because the interactions between the electrons that form a parafermion and the way they move in a material make them more stable. If parafermions were used to store information in quantum computers, the machines should be less prone to errors. Scanning electrons In this latest research, the scientists observed how electrons behaved under a scanning tunneling microscope. This was done by bringing the edge of a special class of very thin electrically insulating material incredibly close to the extremely sharp metal tip of the microscope. The distance between the two was just one nanometer or less, even smaller than a strand of DNA. The insulating material the researchers used comprised microscopic, one atom thick crystals of the compound tungsten ditelluride grown on a graphite or graphene substrate. Such materials, which appear almost two dimensional, are classified as "quantum spin Hall insulators," which are electrically insulating on the inside but have electrons present along the materials' edges. (L-R) Dr Que Yande, a senior research fellow from Nanyang Technological University, Singapores School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS); Asst Prof Bent Weber from the school who led the research; and PhD student Jia Junxiang, the first author of the study, with a scanning tunnelling microscope at the university. Credit: SPMS/NTU Singapore The scientists then applied an electric current from the microscope and observed the electrons, while keeping the temperature of the experiment as low as 4.5 Kelvin or about -269 degrees Celsius. This is close to absolute zero, the temperature at which particles slow down so much that they stop moving almost completely. Usually, electrons repel one another as they are all negatively charged, and tend to behave in a gas-like way, not typically grouping together. But as temperature falls, the electrons' movements slow down. At low enough temperatures, strong repulsion between the electrons causes the particles to behave like a liquid. A measure for the strength of the interactions is a value called the Luttinger parameter. When this parameter is 1, the interactions between the electrons are at their weakest. "When the Luttinger parameter is less than 0.5, the interactions are strong and the electrons are forced into collective motion. This is the realm where parafermions are predicted to exist," Asst Prof Weber said. Using different substrates such as graphene or graphite, and checking different edges of the materials, the researchers were able to determine very low Luttinger parameters which could be controlled within a range of 0.21 to 0.33. "This is a truly remarkable range of variation, since the Luttinger parameter can only range between 0 and 1," said Asst. Prof. Weber. "Control of the Luttinger parameter at such low values has never been observed before in any helical Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid." Mr. Jia Junxiang, a Ph.D. student from Asst. Prof. Weber's research group and the first author of the study, said that the experiments were difficult to conduct. "The scanning tunneling spectroscopy was performed at temperatures of 4.5 Kelvin, and we needed to locate features within less than 30 nanometers (nm)," he said. "The edge of the quantum spin Hall insulator tested was only 2nm thick." Probing the surface of materials with the microscope at such distances without losing track of the spot being observed amid changing temperatures is very challenging. "In the future, one of our biggest challenges will be to move to even lower temperatures, which are needed to observe parafermions. For that, we require much more advanced laboratories and equipment," said Mr. Jia. Going forward, Asst. Prof. Weber plans to conduct experiments using such advanced equipment in a new Ultra-Low Vibration Laboratory that was built at NTU Singapore this year. The laboratory will allow experiments to be done at even lower temperatures of 150 millikelvins (mK), which is close to -273 degrees Celsius, where certain materials can become superconducting. Experimenting on superconducting quantum spin Hall insulators will be the next phase of research his team will embark on in the search for parafermions. More information: Junxiang Jia et al, Tuning the many-body interactions in a helical Luttinger liquid, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33676-0 Journal information: Nature Communications Scientists, including those from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, study emperor penguin populations up close in Antarctica. The species has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act based on evidence that the animal's sea ice habitat is shrinking and is likely to continue to do so over the next several decades. Credit: Daniel Zitterbart / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Atka Bay, Antarctica Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that emperor penguins have been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) based on evidence that the animal's sea ice habitat is shrinking and is likely to continue to do so over the next several decades. This listing comes more than one year after a USFWS proposal to list the species, and confirms that the animal is at risk of becoming an endangered speciesin danger of extinctionin the foreseeable future if its habitat continues to be destroyed or adversely changed. The Endangered Species Act is the world's strongest environmental law focused on preventing extinction and facilitating recovery of imperiled species. The ESA has increasingly been applied to provide protection for species threatened primarily or in part by climate change, with the polar bear being the first species listed principally due to global warming (2008). For threatened species, listing under the ESA mandates use of science-based, enforceable tools to reduce climate threats and increase resilience. Changing weather and climate are affecting the extent and duration of sea ice around Antarctica with consequences for the food web, key thresholds for naming the emperor penguins to the ESL. An Endangered Species Act listing for the emperor penguin promotes international cooperation on conservation strategies, increases funding for conservation programs, spurs research and provides concrete tools for threat reductions. Federal agencies are now required to reduce threats to emperor penguins, including ensuring that federal projects that emit large volumes of carbon pollution do not jeopardize the penguin or its habitat and that industrial fisheries don't deplete the bird's key prey species. Decades of studies by an international team of penguin researchers, including Stephanie Jenouvrier, associate scientist and seabird ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), have been instrumental in establishing the need for protections and highlighting that urgent climate action is needed to protect the species. Emperor penguins are an indicator species whose population trends can illustrate the consequences of climate changes. These iconic birds need reliable sea ice for breeding and raising their chicks and are being pushed toward extinction by the climate crisis melting the sea ice they need for survival and reproduction. With sea ice disappearing or breaking up earlier in the year, entire emperor penguin colonies are declining or vanishing in parts of Antarctica. "Listing emperor penguins as a threatened species is an important step for raising awareness about the impact of climate change," said Jenouvrier. "Emperor penguins, like many species on earth, face a very uncertain future, which is dependent on people working together to reduce carbon pollution. We should draw inspiration from the penguins themselves; only together can penguins brave the harshest climate on Earth, and only together can we face a difficult climate future." Research from penguin scientists is key to informing policy around much-needed protections for the emperor penguin. The ESA listing was rooted in foundational research and findings that scientists provided USFWS, including a study published last year in Global Change Biology, and an earlier study in Global Change Biology (November 2019), recommending that emperor penguins be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Another pivotal study in Biological Conservation (January 2020) highlights the need to improve the forecasting of ecological responses to climate change as it specifically relates to the effective management of the emperor penguin. The Center for Biological Diversity has long fought for Endangered Species Act protection for the emperor penguin. In 2011 the Center petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the emperor penguin under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In 2014 the agency agreed that the emperor penguin may be endangered by climate change but failed to make the required 12-month finding on whether to propose protection. In July 2019, the Center sued the Trump administration for failing to act on the petition to protect emperor penguins under the Act. "This is a big win for these beloved, iconic penguins and all of us who want them to thrive," said Shaye Wolf, Ph.D., the Center's climate science director. "At the same time, this decision is a warning that emperor penguins need urgent climate action if they're going to survive. The penguin's very existence depends on whether our government takes strong action now to cut climate-heating fossil fuels and prevent irreversible damage to life on Earth." Scientists have been working for decades to develop technologies that can remotely sense emperor penguins and ecosystem health. Daniel Zitterbart is an associate scientist at WHOI who studies penguin colonies around Antarctica and sub-Antarctic Islands. He and his colleagues use remote sensing of animal group behavior to understand more about ocean and ecosystem health, and this technology will benefit future monitoring programs to measure the conservation impact. His research takes him to Antarctica, often for months at a time, to live and work among emperor penguin colonies. "Emperor penguins are a sentinel species that highlight the vulnerability of ice-dependent species in a rapidly warming world," said Zitterbart. "Although they live far from human activity, the far-reaching effects of climate change present the most substantial threat facing the species' survival." Emperor penguinsthe world's largest penguin speciesbreed and molt on sea ice (frozen seawater). Of the 18 different species of penguins, only two (the emperor and Adelie) are true Antarctic residents. Emperor penguins are extremely vulnerable to a warming climate, because like polar bears in the Arctic, depend on sea ice for vital life activities like breeding, feeding, and molting. They are well adapted to thrive in freezing conditions, but in parts of the Antarctic Peninsula, sea ice cover has reduced by over 60% in 30 years and one colony has virtually disappeared. Emperor penguins are a vital part of the Antarctic food chainthey prey upon krill, squid, and small fish and in turn are preyed upon by predators like leopard seals and killer whales. "The U.S. Government is today ringing alarm bells to the world with its decision to list the emperor penguin as Threatened, under the US Endangered Species Act," said Philip Trathan, Emeritus Fellow (retired) at the British Antarctic Survey. "International action is now urgently needed through the Antarctic Treaty System to protect this species, while globally governments work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Only global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will secure the future for these iconic ice-dependent species." Scientist project that 99% of the world's emperor penguins will disappear by 2100 without major cuts in carbon pollution. "The world needs to take aggressive actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions now, and the Paris Climate Agreement objectives must be met, to help prevent further population declines," said WHOI's Jenouvrier. The folded paper decorated with messages, numbers and fortunes printed under the flaps can spark conversation at gatherings or be given as a birthday card. Credit: Shutterstock Making "fortune tellers"a folded paper game children hold on their fingers and thumbs and practice counting and "telling fortunes" withhas been a time-treasured craft and play activity for generations across cultures. One of the earliest known paper-folding instruction books is Japanese, dated to 1797; German educators also encouraged paper folding in 19th-century kindergarten curricula. In English, "fortune tellers" are sometimes called salt cellars, chatterboxes or cootie catchers; in my own family heritage language, Dutch, they are happertje (meaning "bite"). This single activity integrates and provides a context for children to acquire and apply key concepts and skills from important domains of early development. These include physical health and well-being, including fine motor manipulative skills; language and cognitive development, which includes word knowledge; and social competence. The activity promotes connected, accelerated and robust understanding through guided, engaged play. Experiential learning in a game It is important to underscore that different domains of children's early development are interrelated and interdependent. Orchestrating activities that exploit interaction among the domains supports young children in their quest to unite disparate or discrete "bits and pieces" of concept and skill understanding. In this way children have practice bringing different tasks and embodied knowledge into a coherent conceptual system. In children, experiential learning that engages neurocircuity connecting the brain and hands and is mediated through adult talk is key to learning language for making meaning in the brain. The psychologist Jean Piaget describes the early development needs of children as concrete learners, meaning direct contact with objects and materials in real time. The importance of the "more knowledgeable other" and the role of language interactions in supporting ongoing learning was underscored by the psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Different learning goals Let's isolate some important learning goals that a fortune teller task supports. Fine motor manipulative and fine motor literacy skills are developed through scissor work to cut a square. Working on a good pincer grip through handling crayons and pencils happens when children print messages and numbers. Folding, creasing, cutting, coloring, drawing and writing/printing supported by adults talking with children helps children learn procedural language and specialized vocabulary connected to numeracy and visual spatial concepts like diagonal, triangle, half. And concepts of shape are foundational to children's ability to recognize letters that underpin literacy learning. When children play with their fortune tellers, they practice counting out loud connected to finger movement. How to make a fortune teller video. As a birthday greeting The social and emotional domain can be developed when children write thoughtful wishes for birthdays. Young children can start with drawing balloons, cake and candles to go under the flaps of a birthday greeting fortune teller card. Such activities promote emotional well-being for both recipient and sender. Children could also write many other messages related to affirmations, random acts of kindness, mindfulness and ideas for behavior and stress management. Cognitive development can be nurtured with playful practice of times tables, jokes and riddles that encourage solving a problem, retelling and narrating a sequence of events. Children reveal important information about their developmental readiness and progress, and their learning needs are visible in completing small projects such as making fortune tellers. A weak pincer grip, for example, might signal the need for more focused finger exercises with clothes pegs, games with chop sticks or pick up sticks. Making the fortune teller Making fortune tellers involves about 11 foldsa multi-step task that will involve step-by-step help for young learners. You could use one of many diagrams available online. Or, on YouTube, a video from "Maflingus" (or Miami Flip, as he introduces himself) on how to make a fortune teller explains the folding technique in straightforward language. I was drawn to give this youngster the opportunity to explain the process as I worked with two children in completing the task. He did not disappoint! Children benefit from adults offering them input in multiple ways. As an adult leading the task, you can talk and give hands-on support when making the diagonal folds. Break tasks into manageable chunks or steps. This might involve first creating a model of the final product. Offer specific feedback and encouragement at each step and backing up to review if necessary. Completing this one-shot project was motivating, fun and purposeful for the children who decided to make this into a birthday wish for their father for later that day. Not just for little kids Older students can benefit from using the fortune teller as a study strategy. Under the flaps, students might generate handwritten notes and summaries. Reviewing key concepts and vocabulary or definitions and formulas all promote deep processing and learning. Handwriting creates embodied cognition and memory in the neurocircuitry that we know works as a key study technique. It produces the added bonus of having a handy, permanent external memory support and storage space that can be revisited for quick review. All the boxes Though there are endless free and commercially available resources for making fortune tellers, tailored to different themes including printouts or coloring pages available online. I prefer a heartfelt hand-printed message, joke and a bit of art work, and as this article explains, the many benefits of starting from scratch. Few learning tasks are able to integrate and target many developmental domains at once fortune tellers tick all the boxes. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. NASA's Lucy spacecraft captured this image (which has been cropped) of the Earth on Oct 15, 2022, as a part of an instrument calibration sequence at a distance of 380,000 miles (620,000 km). The upper left of the image includes a view of Hadar, Ethiopia, home to the 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor fossil for which the spacecraft was named. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI NASA's Lucy spacecraft captured an image of the Earth on Oct 15, 2022, and an image of the Earth and the Moon on Oct. 13 as a part of an instrument calibration sequence. NASA's Lucy spacecraft captured an image (which has been cropped) of the Earth on Oct 15, 2022, as a part of an instrument calibration sequence at a distance of 380,000 miles (620,000 km). The upper left of the image includes a view of Hadar, Ethiopia, home to the 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor fossil for which the spacecraft was named. Lucy is the first mission to explore the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, an ancient population of asteroid "fossils" that orbit around the Sun at the same distance as Jupiter. To reach these distant asteroids, the Lucy spacecraft's trajectory includes three Earth gravity assists to boost it on its journey to these enigmatic asteroids. The image was taken with Lucy's Terminal Tracking Camera (T2CAM) system, a pair of identical cameras that are responsible for tracking the asteroids during Lucy's high-speed encounters. The T2CAM system was designed, built and tested by Malin Space Science Systems; Lockheed Martin Integrated the T2CAMs onto the Lucy spacecraft and operates them. On October 13, 2022, NASA's Lucy spacecraft captured this image of the Earth and the Moon from a distance of 890,000 miles (1.4 million km). The image was taken as part of an instrument calibration sequence as the spacecraft approached Earth for its first of three Earth gravity assists. These Earth flybys provide Lucy with the speed required to reach the Trojan asteroids small bodies that orbit the Sun at the same distance as Jupiter. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI On October 13, 2022, NASA's Lucy spacecraft captured an image of the Earth and the Moon from a distance of 890,000 miles (1.4 million km). The image was taken as part of an instrument calibration sequence as the spacecraft approached Earth for its first of three Earth gravity assists. These Earth flybys provide Lucy with the speed required to reach the Trojan asteroidssmall bodies that orbit the Sun at the same distance as Jupiter. On its 12 year journey, Lucy will fly by a record breaking number of asteroids and survey their diversity, looking for clues to better understand the formation of the solar system. The image was taken with Lucy's Terminal Tracking Camera (T2CAM) system, a pair of identical cameras that are responsible for tracking the asteroids during Lucy's high speed encounters. The T2CAM system was designed, built and tested by Malin Space Science Systems; Lockheed Martin Integrated the T2CAMs onto the Lucy spacecraft and operates them. Yemeni gov't forces destroy 1,558 kg of hashish seized in border area Xinhua) 09:43, October 25, 2022 Members of the Yemeni government forces burn the confiscated hashish in the city of Midi, Hajjah Province, Yemen, on Oct. 24, 2022. Yemen's government forces on Monday burned 1,558 kg of hashish seized from smugglers in the past seven months in the northwestern province of Hajjah, a security official said. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua) HAJJAH, Yemen, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's government forces on Monday burned 1,558 kg of hashish seized from smugglers in the past seven months in the northwestern province of Hajjah, a security official said. The destruction was carried out in the government-controlled city of Midi, in the presence of representatives of court, public prosecution, and security services. "Today, we destroyed 1,558 kilograms of hashish that were seized from smugglers during the past seven months," Yunus Ibrahim Ahmed, a military officer of the Fifth Military District of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government, told Xinhua at the site. "Since the beginning of the civil war more than seven years ago, around 40 drug smuggling networks from Yemen to Saudi Arabia have been foiled," he said. Members of the Yemeni government forces burn the confiscated hashish in the city of Midi, Hajjah Province, Yemen, on Oct. 24, 2022. Yemen's government forces on Monday burned 1,558 kg of hashish seized from smugglers in the past seven months in the northwestern province of Hajjah, a security official said. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua) Because of its proximity to both the Saudi territories and the Red Sea, Hajjah has become an important stop for smugglers trying to move drugs into Saudi Arabia from war-torn Yemen. In March, the government forces burned 1,100 kg of hashish and 8,000 narcotic pills seized from smugglers in the same area. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia took control of several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) Chicago police Officers Calla Rounds, background left, Patrise Washington, center, and community member Megan Mathias help paint the garage of Erica Hungerford and Peter Charnley on Oct. 23, 2022, after it was targeted with anti-LGBTQ messages and other political harassment five times in recent months. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Erica Hungerford and Peter Charnleys garage is not just any garage. For months, its been the repeat target of political vandalism that has damaged the couples Jefferson Park home. But now, the defaced garage has newly embellished bright rainbow colors with a large mural reading, Love Wins. For them, their garage is now a symbol of their communitys creativity and support. Since May, the homeowners say they have experienced five separate incidents of anti-LGBTQ harassment. In the latest incident, an unidentified individual spray-painted MA across their garage. Due to past vandalism with MAGA-related messaging, they believe the person intended to write MAGA but ran out of paint. Advertisement In response, about a dozen neighbors, friends and community members gathered Sunday to paint over discriminatory messages with colorful, LGBTQ pride-inspired artwork. I am heartened by the support from everybody, having the community support has been amazing, Hungerford said. I am still astonished at the number of people who wanted to help. Advertisement Erica Hungerford hugs Chicago police Officer Phoebe Flores, an LGBTQ liaison, after they painted her Jefferson Park garage on Sunday, Oct. 23. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Megan Dunning, 43, brought her son and daughter to the couples home to help with the project. She has lived in the area for the past six years and said the incidents are uncharacteristic of Jefferson Park, which is typically very welcoming. This vandalism seems very out of character for the neighborhood, Dunning said. This community supports their LGBTQ neighbors. Everyone should be welcomed. Were not going to tolerate hate. The first time the harassment occurred was back in May, a time when the couple had not installed any security cameras at the house, Hungerford said. Around Memorial Day, the couple found their Progress Pride flag, which stood on the homes front porch, cut up. Hungerford said the person responsible would have needed to move their Michigan flag out of the way to reach the Pride flag, so she believes the act was deliberately targeted at the LGBTQ pride symbol. We went out one morning and noticed that the queer flag had been cut in half, and Michigan flag had been avoided, Hungerford said. The couple decided to go to the police and file a report. Initially, we thought it was some teenagers being stupid the first time, but on the off chance that if somebody does something again, I wanted to have a record of it, Hungerford said. The individual believed to be responsible for vandalizing Erica Hungerford and Peter Charnley's Jefferson Park home is seen waving at a surveillance camera installed by the homeowners. (Erica Hungerford ) The second incident came roughly two months later, in early July. By that time, the pair had set up a Ring doorbell camera. Surveillance footage caught an individual cutting up a second Pride flag they hung. Advertisement By the next month, additional cameras they installed recorded a person walking up to their porch and leaving a banana with the word Republic written on the peel. The person also placed a Lets Go Brandon sticker, a derogatory term used in conservative circles to insult President Biden, on their garage. The sticker contained handwritten messages, including Bidens Clintons for jail and Obama for prison. In a fourth incident in September, Hungerford and Charnley found the words I heart MAGA spray-painted on their garage. We did not have video footage of that because we didnt have video cameras up there, Hungerford said. Weve rectified that. Homeowners Erica Hungerford and Peter Charnley found their Pride flag, which hangs from the front porch of their Jefferson Park home, covered in orange spray paint earlier this month. (Erica Hungerford) The most recent incident happened this month. The individual was caught by cameras spray-painting their Pride flag which they have now replaced several times. The couple had placed the flag on a higher flagpole to make it more difficult to reach. However, the individual was still able to launch orange paint all over the flag. In the process, whether from wind or otherwise, Hungerford said the incident left splatters of paint on their gutters, front awning and porch The couple also found a second banana with Impeach Biden inscribed on one side and Hack Harris on the other side. This person also spray-painted MA on the garage. Advertisement The couple believes the harassment is coming from the same person. Its stressful, its anxiety inducing, its infuriating, Hungerford said. Im glad that we are able to not back down. At this point, I have extra Pride flags at the house, so the same day that he vandalizes a flag, I go out and put another one out there because Im not going to let him intimidate me. Community members and Chicago police officers help Erica Hungerford and Peter Charnley paint their Jefferson Park garage on Sunday, Oct. 23. The garage has been the repeat target of political vandalism with spray paint. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) To bring greater awareness of the continued harassment, Hungerford wrote about her experience in a social media post on Jefferson Park Forward, a neighborhood Facebook group. The couple said they have also talked to dozens of neighbors. While not new to the Chicago area, Hungerford and Charnley had only moved into their Jefferson Park home this past February, so they were looking to gain more insights from those who live nearby. Everyone weve talked to has been super supportive, Charnley said. Theyve all expressed concern like, Why is this happening? It doesnt make sense. Our neighborhood isnt normally like this. Now those around the couple, including Rogers Park resident Megan Fletcher, are helping the couple fight back but not with the anger or hate they have encountered. Rather, Fletcher said the couple is compassionate and intelligent, and so has been their response. Advertisement I saw their posts on Facebook, and it really breaks my heart, Fletcher said. Im a member of the LGBT community, and I thought that this is a really great response to someone being so brazenly bigoted to people who were really not doing anything to them. I like that theres a response that is beautiful and kind. Hungerford said even strangers came by to help with the painting, adding that the event became more than she could have imagined. For her, perhaps the most surprising outcome of the incidents is a phone call they received from Mayor Lori Lightfoot last Friday, where she expressed her support. The mayor has since posted a statement about the issue on social media. I am outraged that this family has endured this hateful and bigoted attack. As a proud member of the LGBTQ community, I cannot help but put myself and my family in the shoes of this family who has been the subject of biased, hateful, and cowardly acts, the Twitter post read. Hungerford said the initial response of authorities was not what they hoped, saying the Police Department had indicated they were limited in what they could do. Advertisement However, Hungerford and Charnley have since seen an influx of support. An officer has stopped by their home to examine their surveillance footage. They spoke with an officer from the city law departments Troubled Buildings Unit. Charnley also had a conversation with Ald. Jim Gardiner, 45th, about their experience this past week. LGBTQ liaisons at the Chicago Police Department have also been working with the couple on the case. Some of those officers, along with a social worker, volunteered on Sunday to help with the painting. The department published a Facebook post condemning the harassment and shared photos of the officers painting the mural. Hate has no place in Chicago. Our LGBTQ+ liaison officers joined residents in the 16th District to stand against this hate and support the diversity that makes us stronger, the post read. Megan Mathias, third from left, laughs with Chicago police Officers Calla Roulds and Patrise Washington, right, while they help Erica Hungerford and Peter Charnley paint their Jefferson Park garage on Sunday. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) The post also identified the offender as male. A CPD spokesperson confirmed the department has five incident reports for that location, all for criminal damage to property. For Dawn Valenti, who has worked as a victim advocate in Chicago for 15 years, it was troubling to learn about the anti-LGBTQ harassment. She is also troubled by the targeting of a couple who she said arent hurting anybody. Advertisement They just seem like great people, you know, loves love kind of people, Valenti said. Valenti felt she had to do something, so she decided to help out with the painting to show her support for the LGBTQ community, as well as Hungerford and Charnley. I think this is the most Prideful house in the city, Valenti said. Everywhere you look, from the tree to the flag to the canopy, to the garage to the side of the garage. Everything says Pride. This hopefully shows this person, especially the mural, that love wins. Thats what its about. Its about love and just loving each other. Jesse Livingston finishes the painting job on the garage of Erica Hungerford and Peter Charnley on Sunday after it was targeted with anti-LGBTQ messages and other political harassment. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Hungerford and Charnley are hopeful the public can help identify the person behind the harassment. Over time, patterns have emerged. The incidents usually happen overnight on Friday or Saturday. The individual also tends to wear the same outfit, which Hungerford describes as a light zip-up rain jacket, gray bandanna and sweatpants. We just want to catch the guy, Hungerford said. We just want to catch him so that he can be appropriately prosecuted. As for Hungerford and Charnley, they feel hopeful that their message of positivity surpasses the hate theyve experienced. With their Pride flag still flying proudly across the front of their home and a new, beautiful mural, Hungerford said she is overwhelmed by the support she has received. Advertisement Im hopeful that sends a message to this guy that the community is behind us and not behind him, Hungerford said. Map of the Baja California Pacific Islands, a seabird hotspot where breeding populations have been systematically monitored for almost two decades. Photos of Coronado Archipelago and San Roque islands are shownbeing the extremes in geographic locationto show the heterogeneous physiography of the regions islands. Arrows depict the southerly flow of the California Current, which has significant influence on the regions marine productivity and thus the seabird populations. Map design: GECI / Gabriela Fernandez Ham. Photos: GECI / J.A. Soriano. Credit: PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258632 Seabirds are the most threatened group of birds and the one with the greatest and fastest decline globally. A study published on October 7th in PLOS ONE shows that a holistic conservation approach, including the creation of protected areas, the eradication of invasive alien species (the primary cause of biodiversity loss on islands), active restoration with social attraction techniques, and long-term monitoring, has a cumulative positive effect on seabird populations on islands in the Mexican Pacific off the Baja California Peninsula. The study, titled "Population trends of seabirds in Mexican Islands at the California Current System," is the most comprehensive and recent assessment of the breeding status and population growth trends of seabirds in the Baja California Pacific Islands, a recognized seabird hotspot that supports 129 breeding populations of 23 species, many of which are shared with Canada and the United States of America. Its conservation is a trinational priority. This study found that 17 islands support between 400,000 and 1.4 million breeding individuals annually of 19 of the 23 seabird species in this region, and more than half of the breeding populations (31 out of 61) are significantly increasing. "Our study demonstrates that collective action, an overarching and long-term vision, and science-driven restoration actions have important positive outcomes for seabird populations and island ecosystems," said Federico Mendez Sanchez, lead author of the paper and Executive Director of Grupo de Ecologia y Conservacion de Islas, A.C. (GECI). "Our findings are a testament to Mexico's commitment to protect and restore its seabird islands for present and future generations." North American seas and islands support nearly half of all seabird species globally, mostly due to the high productivity associated with the California Current System, one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. In particular, the Baja California Pacific Islandsa corridor of around 30 islands, all within Protected Areas managed by Mexico's federal governmentare home to a fifth of the world's 368 seabird species, including fourteen threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This region is more important because it hosts colonies of 10 of the 12 species of seabirds endemic to Mexico, meaning that their global breeding populations reproduce within the country in just a few islands. Examples are the Ainley's and Townsend's Storm-Petrels which only nest on Guadalupe Island and its surrounding islets. The multidisciplinary and interinstitutional team draws its conclusions from analyzing over two decades of monitoring data that was collected while conducting restoration efforts on ten island groups. The data sample included 61 colonies of 19 seabird species, from surface nesting species such as cormorants and pelicans to less-known burrow nesting species such as petrels and murrelets. "The backbone of this study was the biggest and most important seabird restoration project ever formulated and implemented in the world, funded by the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program and the S.S. Jacob Luckenbach Trustee Council," said Alfonso Aguirre Munoz, co-author and former GECI's Executive Director 20022017 and current member of the Board of Directors. "This initial significant funding leveraged other national and international support from the Fundacion Carlos Slim in Mexico and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the U.S." "This regional analysis complements previous findings where we documented that 23 out of 27 (85%) historically extirpated seabird colonies from the Baja California Pacific Islands have been restored and 12 new colonies recorded," said Yuliana Bedolla Guzman, joint senior author on the paper and Marine Birds Project Director at GECI. "We knew seabirds were returning thanks to our conservation efforts, but we were interested on knowing details on their populations' numbers and trends. Now we have a good perspective, and it is a positive and encouraging one." The findings of the research build upon bold conservation actions taken in Mexico through the collective work of government agencies like the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) and the Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR), civil society organizations such as GECI, academic institutions like the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR) and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and local island communities. Such actions include the legal protection of Mexico's 4,500 islands, the eradication of invasive mammals from 39 islands and the restoration and long-term monitoring of seabird populations. "Sustained and long-term monitoring is crucial to understand how wildlife populations respond to both anthropogenic and environmental stressors, but also to assess the outcomes of conservation and restoration interventions," said Alfredo Ortega Rubio, co-author, and Emeritus National Researcher at the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR). "This kind of regional and multi-year studies are only possible when working collectively and joining forces between managers, practitioners, local communities and academia." The key findings of the study suggest that the Baja California Pacific Islands support healthy and growing populations of seabirds that have shown to be resilient to extreme environmental conditions and persistent anthropogenic impacts, and that such resilience has been strengthened thanks to conservation and restoration actions. "The results in our study are an important message of hope and proof that conservation works in light of the recent BirdLife International's State of the World's Birds report that asserts that nearly half of the planet's bird species are in decline, with just 6% of bird species globally increasing," said Alfonso Hernandez Rios, co-author, and Conserva Aves Program Manager at BirdLife International Americas Partnership. "The conservation milestones achieved for seabirds on the Baja California Pacific Islands are an encouraging example for other regions in the world facing the same threats." More information: Federico Mendez Sanchez et al, Population trends of seabirds in Mexican Islands at the California Current System, PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258632 Journal information: PLoS ONE Provided by Grupo de Ecologia y Conservacion de Islas, A.C. The task of creating a warning text that will work for at least 100,000 years is one which mixes questions of technology with existential questions about humanity's future existence, say Anna Storm, professor, and Thomas Keating, postdoc, from Technology and Social Change (TEMAT), at Linkoping University. Credit: Magnus Johansson A landmark with black spikes? A genetically modified blue forest? Or a document in an archive that somebody stumbles across? How can we warn humanity and other living organisms in 100,000 years of dangerous nuclear waste? These are questions that research colleagues Anna Storm and Thomas Keating at Linkoping University are going to try and answer in their unique mission of writing warning texts for coming generations. After a little more than 40 years of research and political negotiations, Sweden's government decided in January to approve a final storage solution for spent nuclear fuel, the most radioactive waste from nuclear power plants. It will be put into copper capsules and then buried in bedrock and bentonite clay 500 meters underground in the Swedish village of Forsmark, in the province of Uppland. A part of this final storage solution is developing a warning text which must be guaranteed to be legible long into the future. It is, to say the least, a challenging assignment, and one which has been given to Anna Storm, professor, and Thomas Keating, postdoc, at Technology and Social Change (TEMAT), at Linkoping University. "This is not the easiest of tasks. Of course, we don't even know if humans will be around in 100,000 years. And at the same time, we have to think in shorter perspectives, so that we also include people 100 and 500 years into the future," says Anna Storm, who has overall responsibility for the project. She has a background in the history of technology and industry, and has run several projects related to nuclear power. As a Ph.D. student, she regularly visited the Baltic countries, and her postdoc project was about the nuclear power plants in Barseback in Sweden and Ignalina in Lithuania. "I discovered that nuclear power is very exciting to study from humanities and social sciences perspectives, and at that time the area wasn't so well researched," says Anna Storm. Thomas Keating is a cultural geographer who looks at the problems that occur in the relationship between people and technology. He is now focusing on the question of how knowledge of the nuclear waste storage can be preserved. For this project, Thomas and Anna have interviewed several experts in Sweden and abroad, and they have arranged workshops with artists, professionals from the nuclear power industry, and young people. "It is important to get young people involved and include their perspectives in such a question that is so crucial for the future," says Thomas Keating. The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) initiated the task of creating a warning texta project related to international discussions about plans for final storage of highly-radioactive spent nuclear fuel and how knowledge of it can be preserved. The nuclear power industry has engaged archaeologists, linguists and artists before, in order to shed light on the question of how we can warn coming generations about the wastewhat it is, where it is, and why it is dangerous. "Before, some people thought it would be best if the buried nuclear waste was simply forgotten about," says Anna Storm. "As far as I know, there is nobody who advocates that today. Today, most people agree that the waste is the result of a choice that our generation has made, and we must take responsibility for making future generations aware of it." Anna Storm and Thomas Keating have lots of questions to consider. Are words and symbols the best way of reaching out with a warning? Or is there a risk that symbols lose their meaning? Which kind of material keeps best? And how should they word things in anticipation of potential paradoxes, such as the fact that when someone comes across something unknown, they want to "lift the lid" and take a look. "A warning can easily give rise to curiosity. However, curiosity may be an important element in keeping the message alive. Another paradox lies in communicating a genuine danger at the same time as avoiding creating panic," says Anna Storm. There are also several other risks, such as the fact that the large amount of copper used to contain the waste may, in the distant future, be regarded as a valuable metal resource. Anna Storm and Thomas Keating are considering a wide array of techniques with different kinds of messages to warn people about the danger of nuclear waste. This includes, for example, an archive with written documentation. "The technical nature and level of detail in this documentation may vary, and it may be stored in various locations. Another strategy involves visual messaging, such as landmarksthat is, various kinds of physical formation that show that a place is special." Anna Storm and Thomas Keating have examined some examples from other countries. For example, France has held a competition where artists have been invited to suggest ways of marking the storage area. "One suggestion was to genetically manipulate a forest in order to make it blue. But then, what kind of message is communicated by a blue forest? Does it provoke warning, curiosity, or something else?" asks Anna Storm. Another idea from the U.S. was to form a landscape that deters people from coming closerfor example, with large, black spikes, or symbols communicating "danger." "But history shows that most attempts to dissuade people from entering places have failed," says Thomas Keating. "One example is the Egyptian pyramids." The pyramids were the burial chambers for the Egyptian pharaohs. The Egyptians believed that if their bodies were destroyed, the world would end. Today, the pyramids are a big tourist magnet. And their warning is barely taken seriously. The third method which Anna Storm and Thomas Keating are working with comprises social practicesthat is, traditions, rituals and different types of activity to preserve knowledge of the nuclear waste. SKB estimates that it will be at least 70 years before it is time to seal the storage facility. However, Anna Storm and Thomas Keating are to submit their proposal for the warning message, or "key information file" as it is called, next year. The document will be around forty pages long, and will be aimed at laypeople without expertise in areas such as nuclear physics. "The key information file will communicate the most important data, and also indicate that more extensive information can be found in archives," says Thomas Keating. Credit: lukaszemanphoto / shutterstock Half-Earth is a proposal by the late naturalist and "father of biodiversity", EO Wilson. In its original context, it proposes that half of the Earth's surface should be designated a human-free nature reserve to preserve biodiversity. The proposal of course raises some pretty big questions. What happens to the people that happen to live in the areas designated to become human free? Would we give up on biodiversity in the other half of Earth? And whose half should be chosen and who decides? Would richer countries continue on their current path and tell poorer nations, especially those in the tropics with relatively intact forests and marine systems, that their part of the world will from now on only be for nature? Perhaps not unexpectedly, the grand idea of half-Earth has attracted a lot of criticism as being unethical and infeasible. It has even led to a distinct counter-proposal: whole-Earth. Sometimes known as sharing the planet, this proposal focuses on things like equitable land management or finance, as its advocates argue that conservation will only ever work if we change the political and economic systems that are driving today's crises. It is difficult to judge the merits of half and whole-Earth without testing what either would mean on the ground. This is what we recently set out to do by applying our interpretations of these two options to the conservation of an animal we have studied for decadesthe orangutan. Expert predictions We focused on Borneo, the world's third largest island (only Greenland is significantly larger) and home of most orangutans. The Bornean orangutan is listed as "critically endangered" as its habitat is being destroyed and many are killed for food, for profit or simply because people fear them (direct killing remains a major problem on a par with deforestation). We gathered a group of 33 other experts, mostly scientists with a specific track record of estimating orangutan population sizes. They were then asked (confidentially) what would happen to Bornean orangutans in the next decade under half- and whole-Earth conditions (translated as half and whole-Borneo) compared to continuing business-as-usual conservation practices. Our results are now published in the conservation journal Oryx. Deforestation in Borneo. Somewhere between 60,000 and 127,000 orangutans live on the island, which is split between Indonesia and Malaysia. Credit: Rich Carey / shutterstock The experts predicted that business-as-usual would mean the total population of orangutans on Borneo would decline by around 27% between now and 2032. That is clearly not sufficient to support the protection of the species. Half-Earth was predicted to strongly reduce orangutan declines. The experts, in fact, concluded that it would be comparatively easy to achieve and would reduce population decline by at least half compared to current management. However, the experts thought whole-Earth would lead to greater forest loss and ape killing and a 56% population decline within the next decade. Whole-Earth approaches are valuable but may not be workable for the short-term orangutan conservation needs, because of political and economic realities on the ground. The good news is that the experts predicted that, if orangutan killing and habitat loss were stopped, populations could rebound and reach 148% of their current size by 2122. Despite more than 100,000 orangutans lost over the past two decades, the experts now see glimmers of hope. Indonesian and Malaysian deforestation rates are down, as are expansion rates of oil palm and other crops. How should orangutan conservation proceed from here? What are the best strategies? Protectionson paper Interestingly, both the Indonesian and Malaysian governments had more or less reached the objective of legally designating half of the land mass as protected in their respective states of Kalimantan and Sabah. Borneo rainforest cover in 1973 and 2016. Credit: CIFOR, CC BY-SA With 67.1% of Indonesian Borneo designated as state forest, Indonesia already exceeds the half-Earth goal of locking in 50%. Malaysian Sabah has also exceeded the half-Earth goal, with 65% of the state remaining forested. This is all on paper though, and a lot of effective conservation investment and management would be needed to ensure that these orangutan habitats would indeed remain permanently forested, and that the other key threatkillingis effectively addressed. This is where elements of the whole-Earth approach are helpful, as it might prompt a more sensitive and equitable engagement with rural communities. Communities need to be given responsibility for coexisting with orangutans and there must be incentives to protect orangutans and their habitats. And companieslogging, mining, or plantationsneed to be made legally responsible for ensuring that the protected orangutan can survive and thrive on the lands that they manage. Ultimately, we need to protect both orangutans and humans' rights and access to their customary lands. In the case of orangutans, half-Earth seems to be a good idea in the short term, especially with regard to habitat loss. Whole Earth-type approaches might be needed in the longer term to ultimately ensure a reduction in the number of orangutans who are killed or have to be captured and relocated. Neither approach is likely to provide a silver bullet. Every conservation context is going to be different and will require its own specific solution. It is therefore also important to just get on with conservation and not spend too much time thinking about ideal solutions. It is not an easy path ahead, but solutions exist that can ensure the long-term survival and even recovery of the Asian red ape. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow down onto our planet. A partial solar eclipse began over Iceland on Tuesday as the rare celestial spectacle started to make its way east across a swathe of the Northern Hemisphere. The partial eclipse began at 0858 GMT and will end off the coast of India at 1302 GMT, crossing parts of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East on its way, according to the IMCCE institute of France's Paris Observatory. Amateur astronomers must not stare directly at the eclipse, which will not darken the sky, and should instead wear protective glasses to avoid eye damage, experts said. 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. At least 95 percent of the Sun needs to be obscured to get a "sense of darkness," Deleflie told AFP. "It won't be spectacular, but it's always an event for amateur astronomersand it can make for beautiful photos." At least 95 percent of the Sun needs to be obscured to get a 'sense of darkness' Chasing eclipses Ryan Milligan, an astrophysicist at Northern Ireland's Queen's University Belfast, is a self-described "solar eclipse chaser" who has travelled the world to witness the rare celestial events. Though Tuesday's eclipse "will be a slight event", Milligan told AFP that as an eclipse chaser, it will be "exciting to get that buzz back again". But even with "the brightest clear skies, you will be none the wiser of what's going on above your head" unless you have the correct glasses, he added. It can also be observed by poking a small hole in one piece of paper and letting the sunshine stream through onto another piece. The holes in kitchen colanders or even Ritz crackers can also be used, Milligan added. Milligan has travelled to countries including Chile to Turkey to see a total of 10 eclipses. To find out when eclipses can be seen in different countries, Milligan recommended the website timeanddate.com/eclipse. This week he booked a camper van for a trip to Western Australia in April next year to see a total eclipse that will last 76 seconds. He is also heading to Mexico in April 2024 for what he calls "the big one"a total eclipse that will pass over North America. Closer to his home in Northern Ireland, a total eclipse will be visible in Spain in 2026. To find out when eclipses can be seen in different countries, Milligan recommended the website timeanddate.com/eclipse. Despite Tuesday not being the most exciting event, Milligan urged those interested to plan for the next total eclipse. "People always talk about the northern lights being on their bucket list," Milligan said. "But a total solar eclipse is the most spectacular sight in nature." 2022 AFP The capacity to perceive rhythm and to produce novel vocalizations are crucial for human speech and music. Do other mammals possess these capacities? Researchers tested rhythm processing in seals; like humans, seals learn vocalizations. It was found that, spontaneously and without training, young seals perceive the rhythmicity of other seals vocalizations and discriminate between more vs. less rhythmic sound sequences. These results show that another mammal, apart from us, shows rhythm processing and vocalization learning and suggest that these two skills coevolved in both humans and seals. Credit: Laura Verga Rhythm is important for human music and speech. But are we the only mammal with a sense of rhythm? In an experimental study published in Biology Letters, a team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen and Sealcentre Pieterburen show that seals can discriminate rhythm without prior training. Seals' rhythmic ability may be linked to their ability to learn vocalizations, skills that may have co-evolved in both humans and seals. Why are we such chatty, musical animals? Evolutionary biologists think that our capacities for speech and music may be linked: Only animals that can learn new vocalizationssuch as humans and songbirdsseem to have a sense of rhythm. "We know that our closest relatives, non-human primates, need to be trained to respond to rhythm," explains first author Laura Verga. "And even when trained, primates show very different rhythmic capacities to ours." But what about other mammals? Seal rhythm The researchers decided to test the rhythmic abilities of harbor seals, animals known to be capable of vocal learning. The team first created sequences of seal vocalizations. The sequences differed in three rhythmic properties: tempo (fast or slow, like beats per minute in music), length (short or long, like duration of musical notes) and regularity (regular or irregular, like a metronome vs. the rhythm of free jazz). Would infant seals react to these rhythmic patterns? The team tested twenty young seals being held at a rehabilitation center (the Dutch Sealcentre Pieterburen) before being released into the wild. Using a method from human infant studies, the team recorded how many times the seals turned their head to look at the sound source (behind their backs). Such looking behavior indicates whether animals (or infants) find a stimulus interesting. If seals can discriminate between different rhythmic properties, they might look longer or more often when they hear a sequence they prefer. The seals looked more often when vocalizations were longer, faster, or rhythmically regular. This means that the 1-year-old sealswithout training or rewardsspontaneously discriminated between regular (metronomic) and irregular (arrhythmic) sequences, sequences with short vs. long notes, and sequences with fast vs. slow-paced tempo. Seals listened to vocalizations combined based on the rhythmic principles of tempo (fast or slow), length (short or long calls), and regularity (metronomic or random rhythm). The sex of the seal producing the vocalisations was added as a non-rhythmic manipulation. Yet, the seals behaviour was only influenced by the rhythm of the vocalizations. Credit: Laura Verga Evolutionary origins "Another mammal, apart from us, shows rhythm processing and vocalization learning", says Verga. "This is a significant advance in the debate over the evolutionary origins of human speech and musicality, which are still rather mysterious. Similarly to human babies, the rhythm perception we find in seals arises early in life, is robust, and requires neither training nor reinforcement." Next, Verga and her team want to find out whether seals perceive rhythm in vocalizations of other animals, or even abstract sounds; and whether other mammals show the same skills: "Are seals special, or are other mammals also capable of spontaneously perceiving rhythm?" The picture reflects the main effect measured with a newly developed instrument ALICE II at BESSY II: A circular polarized soft-X-ray beam scatters off a crystal that exhibits a helical or conical magnetic order. This leads to two scattered beams of different intensity. The difference in intensity of these scattered beams is a measure of the chirality of the equidistant magnetic helices. Credit: F. Radu/HZB Information on complex magnetic structures is crucial to understand and develop spintronic materials. Now, a new instrument named ALICE II is available at BESSY II. It allows magnetic X-ray scattering in reciprocal space using a new large area detector. A team at HZB and Technical University Munich has demonstrated the performance of ALICE II by analyzing helical and conical magnetic states of an archetypal single crystal skyrmion host. ALICE II is now available for guest users at BESSY II. The new instrument was conceived and constructed by HZB physicist Dr. Florin Radu and the technical design department at HZB in close cooperation with Prof. Christian Back from the Technical University Munich and his technical support. It is now available for guest users at BESSY II as well. "ALICE II has an unique capability, namely to allow for magnetic X-ray scattering in reciprocal space using a new large area detector, and this at up to the highest allowed reflected angles," Radu explains. To demonstrate the performance of the new instrument, the scientists examined a polished sample of Cu 2 OSeO 3 . Mott-Insulator examined Cu 2 OSeO 3 is a Mott insulator with a cubic crystal structure which lacks inversion symmetry. This results in the development of helical magnetic ordering: magnetic spins rotating clock- or anticlock- wise with respect to the propagation direction. The magnetic ion is copper (Cu) and the chirality of the magnetic texture cannot be reversed by external stimuli. The sample quality, which is of key importance, was assured by Dr. Aisha Aqueel. Novel way to investigate magnetic textures The scientists could observe helical and conical magnetic modulations as satellite reflections around the specular peak via X-ray magnetic scattering with circularly polarized X-rays. "What's more: the chirality information of the underlying spin textures is encoded as its dichroic intensity," Radu points out. These results pave a novel way to investigate chiral and polar magnetic textures with ultimate spatial resolution and at the very short time scales typical to synchrotron X-ray experiments, and expand a range of materials for the topological spintronics via fast screening of candidate materials. The research was published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. More information: V. Ukleev et al, Chiral surface spin textures in Cu2OSeO3 unveiled by soft X-ray scattering in specular reflection geometry, Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1080/14686996.2022.2131466 Journal information: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain With hundreds of Floridians remaining in shelters weeks after Hurricane Ian devastated swathes of the Sunshine state, the question many residents face is whether to rebuildor retreat. Scientists say Floridians will find it increasingly difficult to keep their feet dry as the effects of climate change cause sea levels to rise and tropical cyclones to become wetter. A soggier Florida, combined with a growing population and the state's famed low-lying geography, means there is nowhere for water deposited by storm surges and rainfall to go, says Stephen E. Flynn, director of Northeastern University's Global Resilience Institute. The lower one-third of Floridaincluding the Fort Myers area hit hard by Ianlies at just about sea level, he says. "There's no high ground to go to," Flynn says. "There's no place that water can go." The built-up environment and loss of marshland means that when the water hits hard surfaces like roads it starts flowing like a river, he says. The phenomenon was evident 150 miles inland in Winter Springs and Orlando during Hurricane Ian, when storm water and sewage systems became overwhelmed and contributed to catastrophic flooding, according to the Washington Post. The hurricane's deadliest effects occurred along the coast. U.S. Today says the storm surge reached 15 feet in Fort Myers Beach. More than 100 people living along the coast died, and hundreds of buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed. Sea level rise will compound the impact of storm surges, says Samuel Munoz, assistant professor of marine and environmental science at Northeastern's Marine Science Center and the Coastal Sustainability Institute. For every foot of sea level rise, add an extra foot to the storm surge projection, he says. Considering that warmer atmospheres are associated with more intense rainfalls from tropical cyclones, flooding is no surprise, especially since there is growing evidence climate change is causing hurricanes to stall once they hit land, Munoz says. Whether water is coming from the sea or sky, "both of those things get worse in a world that's warmer," he says. Multiple media outlets, including Fortune, quote Lawrence Berkeley National Lab climate scientist Michael Wehner as saying that climate change meant Hurricane Ian "was 10% wetter than the storm might have been." But Floridians can take steps to secure their paradise, at least part of it, scientists say. Auroop Ganguly, a civil engineering professor and director of Northeastern's Sustainability and Data Sciences Laboratory, says he sees a combined approach of rebuilding and strategic retreat as the key to Florida's future. Florida's natural ability to absorb water like a sponge has been greatly reduced by building and the loss of habitat, Ganguly says. But he says people can bring back green infrastructure by planting mangroves and oyster beds and even installing herbaceous mats to absorb wave energy, such as those proposed by Northeastern professor Julia Hopkins and the Emerald Tutu project in Boston. "Those things not only help the environment much more than hard structure," they are adaptable to changes in the environment, Ganguly says. Florida building codes already have a good track record of standing up to hurricanes, he says, adding that even more emphasis should be placed on performance-based design or engineering. Nonetheless, Floridians should remain open to the concept of "strategic retreat," Ganguly says. That could mean creating natural spacesand green buffer zones to protect areas from which people do not wish to retreat, Ganguly says. "I would hate to say the future of Florida is predetermined and we have no say." Ganguly says adopting green approachesand reducing greenhouse gas emissionsneed to happen immediately. "It's the double whammy of more frequent, more intense storms coupled with sea level rise" that poses the risk to Florida's future, Flynn says. Inaction means by the end of the century it's likely that "Florida will look a lot different than what we see today," he says. The single-cell electrorotation microfluidic device utilizes an electric field to probe the cells properties. Credit: Texas A&M Engineering The ability to analyze the properties of individual cells is vital to broad areas of life science applications, from diagnosing diseases and developing better therapeutics to characterizing pathogenic bacteria and developing cells for bioproduction applications. However, the accurate analysis of individual cells is a challenge, especially when it comes to a cell's biophysical properties, due to large property variations among cells even in the same cell population as well as the presence of rare cell types within a larger population. Addressing this need, Dr. Arum Han, Texas Instruments Professor II in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, together with his graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, have developed a new technology that can accurately analyze cell properties through the use of a single-cell electrorotation microfluidic device, which utilizes an electric field to probe the cell's properties. The technology works by using an electric field to first capture a single cell in a microfluidic device, followed by applying a rotating electric field to rotate the trapped single cell and then measuring the speed of rotation. By knowing the input electric field parameters and analyzing the rotation speed, accurately analyzing the dielectric properties of a single cell becomes possible. "By knowing how much force was applied and how fast the cell turns, you can extract many basic biophysical properties of cells," Han said. There have been previous efforts to accomplish this, but this technology is the most accurate in measuring these properties because of its capability to apply a high-frequency electric field (up to 100 megahertz) and its use of an eight-electrode-pair design to simultaneously trap a single cell and apply rotational force to the trapped cell. The research team's findings are featured in Biomedical Microdevices. This technology has been fully developed and applied to several different cell analysis applications. Having successfully demonstrated that analysis can be accurately completed on one cell at a time, Yuwen Li, graduate student in Han's lab and the lead author of the work, is now leading the effort to further develop the technology so that this can be executed at a much higher speed and against many cells simultaneously. More information: Yuwen Li et al, Measurement of dielectric properties of cells at single-cell resolution using electrorotation, Biomedical Microdevices (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s10544-022-00621-3 School-age kids who spend hours a day playing video games may outperform their peers on certain tests of mental agility, a new study suggests. Researchers found that compared with children who never played video games, those who regularly spent hours gaming had higher scores on two standard cognitive tests: one measuring short-term memory and another gauging impulse control. Experts stressed that the findings do not prove that gaming sharpens kids' minds. It could be that children who excel in certain mental tasks are drawn to video games. "We're not demonstrating causation in this study," said lead researcher Bader Chaarani, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont. But, he added, past research into the potential effects of kids' video gaming has often focused on the negative: Is it associated with problems like aggression, violence or depression? Fewer studies have looked into the possibility that video gaming, which requires active mental engagement, could have some benefitsat least compared with "passive" screen time like watching TV or scrolling through social media. "Our study suggests that video gaming is at least not worse than other screen time," Chaarani said. "And it may even have some advantages." He and his colleagues report the findings in the Oct. 24 issue of JAMA Network Open. The question of how much "screen time" is too much for kids, and what the content should be, has long been studied and debated. But now that children not only watch old-fashioned TV, but carry their own personal screens everywhere, the issue has only grown hotter. Right now, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends strict screen-time limits for children younger than 6. With older kids, things are murkierpartly because research is mixed as to the possible harms or benefits of various forms of screen time. But the AAP does stress that screens should not interfere with exercise and sleep: Older children and teenagers should get at least an hour of physical activity each day, and adequate sleep (8-12 hours, depending on their age). To get a better handle on how various exposuresincluding screen timemay affect older kids' brain development, the U.S. National Institutes of Health is conducting a study called ABCD. It is following nearly 12,000 U.S. schoolchildren, starting at age 9 to 10, and using functional MRI scans to examine their brain activity while performing various tasks. For the current study, Chaarani's team used publicly available data from that research project. They focused on more than 2,000 children, separated into two groups: Video gamers who played at least three hours a day, and kids who never gamed. On average, the researchers found, gamers scored higher on tasks measuring impulse control and working memory. The latter refers to the ability to temporarily hold information, such as asking for directions and remembering them until the destination is reached. And while three hours a day is a lot of gaming, the study also found no evidence that those kids were worse off in terms of mental health, rule breaking or attention problems. However, the chicken-and-egg question remains, said Dr. Kirk Welker, an associate professor of radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. It's possible that certain brain characteristics make kids gravitate toward video games, said Welker, who wrote an editorial published with the study. He also pointed out that cognitive tests performed during fMRI scans share similarities to video games: They're done while a person lies in a scanner, viewing a display screen or using video goggles, and pushing buttons on a handheld device. It's possible, Welker said, that regular gaming primes kids to perform well in that type of setting. He and Chaarani noted another key question. What role does the "genre" of video game play? A military-style "shooting" game, an abstract visuospatial game, and a fantasy role-playing game are all different in the cognitive skills they engage and the emotional impact. Those caveats made, Welker said a strength of the study was its large size. It's likely that the differences in task performances were real, and not a chance finding, he said. At this point, both experts said, no recommendations can be made based on the findings. And the study does not prove that video gaming causes no harm, Welker pointed out. Instead, he said, the picture is more complex. "There may be certain benefits of video games that we don't fully understand yet," Welker said. "But there are still large knowledge gaps in this area." The ABCD study is following kids to young adulthood. Chaarani said that will allow researchers to see whether video gaming actually precedes any improvements in cognitive abilities. More information: The American Academy of Pediatrics has advice on kids' video gaming. Bader Chaarani et al, Association of Video Gaming With Cognitive Performance Among Children, JAMA Network Open (2022). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.35721 Journal information: JAMA Network Open Copyright 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved. With a pivotal general election only weeks away, one crucial issue among some candidates and voters is the teaching of Black history in the nation's schools. Regardless of where that debate lands after the Nov. 8 election, many in South Jersey are passionate about highlighting their own area's contributions and role in Black history. Assemblyman Antwan L. McClellan, R-Ocean City, believes visitors and residents in this state should have more opportunities to learn about Black history and culture than just the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday, Black History Month and Juneteenth. McClellan was one of the main sponsors along with Sen. Michael L. Testa Jr., R-Cape May, of a bill that was signed into law in September that will see the state spend $1 million to create a Black Heritage Trail with markers on certain trail sites. "People encouraged me to keep going," McClellan said, adding he worked on this for two years. "I felt this was a great opportunity to create a tourist attraction." The original idea did not include a $1 million price tag, but the Governor's Office contributed that, McClellan said. During this time of hyper partisanship and critical race theory controversy, the bill passed by votes of 78-0 in the Assembly and 38-0 in the Senate. "I am not surprised it was a unanimous vote," McClellan said. "I talked to the other side." McClellan's bottom lines were that he wanted uniform markers at sites and a commission to decide the locations. The law requires the New Jersey Historical Commission to establish the Black Heritage Trail. Ralph E. Hunter Sr., founder of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey, has been working behind the scenes with a statewide organization that includes Secretary of State Tahesha Way in preparation for the legislation becoming law. When Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bill into law on Sept. 7 in Newark, Essex County, Hunter was in the same city. "It made me feel very, very good," Hunter said. A list is being compiled of African-American heritage sites dating back to the 1800s that include: the Boiling Settlement, Port Republic, Atlantic County; Springtown, Greenwich Township, Cumberland County; Gouldtown, Fairfield Township, Cumberland County; and Siegtown, Middle Township, Cape May County, Hunter said. Chicken Bone Beach in Atlantic City, also known as Missouri Avenue Beach, deserves to have one of the markers on the statewide Black history and cultural trail, said Henrietta Shelton, president of the Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation Board. The area along Missouri Avenue became the unofficial Black beach from the 1900s through the 1960s, bringing their own food and culture to that section of the beach. There is already a marker on the rail of the Atlantic City Boardwalk that shows photos and gives a brief history of Chicken Bone Beach. Missouri Avenue Beach was declared a historic landmark in 1997. The late civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer's appearance at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City and "KY & The Curb," Kentucky and Arctic avenues, which ruled the East Coast music scene from the 1930s through the 1960s in Atlantic City, also needs to receive recognition, Shelton said. "Especially in Atlantic City, we put a lot of significant value into New Jersey. The Northside (in the mid-20th century) was thriving," Shelton said. When a person looks at the wide variety of contributions Black Americans have made to this state, it's not only logical, but overdue, for there to be such a historical and cultural commemoration, said Jody Alessandrine, Cape May MAC (Museums + Arts + Culture) director and CEO. "Cape May has brought to the fore the back stories of people that were so integral to the community and life in the Lower Cape. Thus, if there's so much to share with the public about their legacies here, there's even more to tell about those of Black Americans statewide," Alessandrine said. Cape May MAC's Underground Railroad Trolley Tour, presented in conjunction with the Center for Community Arts in Cape May, was recently recognized by the National Park Service as one of just 13 sites on its mobile app, Travel with Tubman: Let Harriet Tubman Guide You on the Journey of a Lifetime, Alessandrine said. The Underground Railroad Trolley Tour is also a National Park Service Network to Freedom program, she said. "Considering the tour has been cited as such by the National Park Service, it's more than rational to include our tour on our own state's new trail," Alessandrine said. When Hunter was a part of the group compiling a list of places of African American heritage, the Franklin Street neighborhood in Cape May was included. David Mackenzie and Hope Gaines, executive director and an original member respectively, at the Center for Community Arts, agree with that assessment. The Center for Community Arts sponsors both a private, appointment-only walking tour and a self-guided walking audio tour of African-American Heritage sites in Cape May that include the Franklin Street neighborhood. "History is history. If you leave any part of it out... it is not a good history," Gaines said. Skidmarks are visible in the intersection at Archer and Kedzie avenues in Brighton Park on Oct. 23, 2022, after an overnight shooting involving a car caravan killed three people. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune) Southwest Side Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, has had enough with drag racing. Recently, he and his ward superintendent got permission from Chicago police to block off the entranceway to a hot spot for doughnuts and other stunts the strip mall parking lot on West 71st Street and South Pulaski Road. He encouraged other aldermen to do the same to stamp out such gatherings. As evidenced on Saturday, my biggest fear has come to reality with people getting hurt and killed, Quinn said. Advertisement Quinn was referring to the latest fatal incident involving street racing, which occurred over the weekend in the Brighton Park neighborhood. Five people were shot, three fatally, while participating in a caravan of about 100 vehicles at Archer and Kedzie avenues. [ Three people in Brighton Park car caravan with drifting and street racing are fatally shot, two others injured, police say. ] It was a situation where it was really hindering my constituents and the quality of life. It was dangerous, Quinn said about his wards hot spot for drivers. These caravans pop up instantaneously, all via social media and if you put those parking lots on lockdown, then they have to go somewhere else. Advertisement Thats why Quinn is joining other aldermen, including downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, in co-sponsoring legislation that he said would further crack down on reckless driving. In the proposed ordinance, a broad circle of those involved with the drag-racing or drifting could be penalized. An organizer, defined as anyone who helps plan or promote the event, could be fined $1,000 to $2,000, while a participant could be subject to $500 to $1,000 penalties. A spectator, or anyone present for the purpose of witnessing the drag racing or its preparations, could face $100 to $250 in fines. He added that his pending legislation is crucial because it sends a very clear message that the city is taking this seriously and if youre going to partake then theres consequences. A Ford Mustang does doughnuts at South Clinton Street and West Monroe Street just before 2 a.m. on July 18, 2022, during a drifting event that drew a crowd of hundreds and cut off traffic in all directions. (Max Abrams/for the Chicago Tribune) In July, the City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that would allow Chicago police to impound vehicles they believe were involved with drag racing or drifting, even if the owner is not present. The legislation did not change existing fees on drag racing and drifting violations or subsequent towing. Anyone caught doing either in Chicago is subject to a fine from $5,000 to $10,000, plus a $500 penalty for towing. Less than a month after the Chicago Police Department began enforcing the ordinance, police have impounded more than two dozen vehicles and received more than 70 impound requests. When asked Monday if the ordinance has made a difference in the amount of street racing, a police spokesperson said, We enforce the law, we enforce the city ordinance, we use every tool at our disposal and this is just one of our tools. The spokesperson declined to comment further. [ Chaotic drag races and street takeovers prompt police crackdown: We are going to be relentless. ] According to a police report from the weekends fatalities, video footage shows five people who were engaged in a verbal altercation pull out handguns and shoot at each other. One of the shooters fled the scene, the report says. One of the wounded males told police he was watching drag racing when he was shot. Advertisement Those who died had not been identified as of Monday afternoon, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. All the people shot at the caravan were males, Deering District Cmdr. Don Jerome said at a news conference , and those who died were 15 to 20 years old. The two people wounded were in serious condition at Mount Sinai Hospital, he added, but they are expected to recover. On scene, detectives recovered casings but no guns. No arrests have been made as of Monday, police said. Southwest Side Ald. Derrick Curtis, 18th, said he receives calls in the middle of the night about drag racing all the time, especially close to his wards border with Ford City. He believes that Chicago police are hampered in stamping out reckless driving events because they are afraid of getting in trouble due to too many layers of accountability, he said. I mean, I want them to be accountable for their jobs, Curtis said. I honestly believe that the police officers are more afraid of getting in trouble than they are of actually doing their jobs. Still, Curtis said he had faith last weekends events could be the tipping point that scares drag racing audiences from coming out again. Advertisement If they dont have any audience, itll all die down, Curtis said. I remember saying, All of these people gathered in one place like this, sooner or later, someone is gonna have a gun and theyre gonna bring it out. And thats what happened. Downtown Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, said he was disappointed with Chicago police leaderships strategy to deter drag racing. Although he said he believes recent legislation, such as the impoundment of drag-racing vehicle ordinance he co-sponsored are effective tools, you cant do it with a small unit of police officers. I feel like weve done what we can do as a legislative body by passing new laws to give the police some support and some more tools, but clearly it isnt enough, and the problem has not been solved, Hopkins said. If anything, its getting worse because were seeing more and more of these events gathering large crowds. ... Its not a victimless crime, and were just outmanned and out-resourced. When a police spokesman was asked if additional officers will be added to the neighborhood following the shooting, the spokesperson said the department had sufficient resources in place. ayin@chicagotribune.com pfry@chicagotribune.com Advertisement Twitter @paigexfry Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. A jury last week found a Connecticut man guilty of preparing to sell drugs to a confidential informant outside a Tuckerton Wawa in 2018. After an eight-day trial in Trenton federal court, Luis Payano-Perez, 38, was found guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp of one count of possessing with intent to distribute 100 or more grams of heroin, the U.S. Attorneys Office said Tuesday in a news release. Payano-Perezs trial took place almost four years after the U.S. Attorneys Office said he plotted a drug deal with a government informant. In November 2018, the informant with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, notified the agency that Payano-Perez was preparing to sell him heroin Nov. 8 outside the convenience store, court records say. On that day, Payano-Perez and two informants met in the Wawa parking lot to sell them about 1 kilogram of the drug. Shortly after, authorities converged on Payano-Perezs vehicle and arrested him, court records say. A bag holding about 1 kilogram of heroin was found inside his car, court records say. Payano-Perezs drug trafficking charge carries a term of five to 40 years in prison and up to a $5 million fine, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. No sentencing date was announced. ATLANTIC CITY Music fans can begin planning their Memorial Day weekend 2023 festivities around the Adjacent Music Festival, a two-day set of punk-influenced beach concerts headlined by Blink-182 and Paramore. In total, more than 40 bands will play on three stages May 27 and 28, concert promoter Live Nation said Tuesday in a news release. Two weeks ago, Blink-182 announced a new tour and reunion with founding member Tom DeLonge. Part of that announcement mentioned an Atlantic City stop, but did not give specifics of the show. Fellow headliner Paramore, made up of members Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York, is known for hits including Misery Business, Still into You and The Only Exception. Paramore is set to release a new album, This Is Why, on Feb. 10, 2023. Paramores performance will be somewhat of a homecoming for drummer Farro, who is originally from Voorhees Township, Camden County. Other bands on the bill include Turnstile, Japanese Breakfast, Coheed and Cambria, Jimmy Eat World, Phantom Planet, Wheatus and Motion City Soundtrack, as well as another New Jersey-based band, Midtown. Two-day VIP packages and two-day general admission passes will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at adjacentfestival.com. Tickets range from $249 to $1,199, according to the concert website. Travel packages are also available, Live Nation said. Since 2014, the resorts beach has hosted a series of summer concerts from artists ranging from Blake Shelton to Phish. Blink-182 schedules show in Atlantic City in 2023 ATLANTIC CITY Pop-punk band Blink-182, which has reunited with founding member Tom DeLonge Tourism officials have also worked to evolve the concerts into multiday festivals like Adjacent. This past summer, the TidalWave Music Festival brought in dozens of country music stars from Morgan Wallen to Luke Bryan to Lauren Alaina. And in 2019, Atlantic City hosted the Warped Tour, a two-day punk festival similar to Adjacent. Adjacent is presented by Live Nation in partnership with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and the City of Atlantic City. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, Live Nation said. ATLANTIC CITY After almost two years as interim officer-in-charge, and then three months as acting chief, police Chief James Sarkos has quietly gotten the official title, according to the state. The Civil Service Commission (CSC) determined James Sarkos was the only eligible candidate for the position of Atlantic City Police Department chief of police, said Lisa Ryan, spokesperson for the Department of Community Affairs, which oversees the city under the Municipal Stabilization and Recovery Act. Since Mr. Sarkos was the only eligible candidate, CSC approved the City of Atlantic Citys request to waive the chief examination process. Therefore, Mr. Sarkos is now the Police Chief of the ACPD, Ryan said in an email late Monday. Mayor Marty Small Sr., who has steadfastly advocated for Sarkos to get the job, swore him in privately Monday, Small said Tuesday. I believe hes the right person. We are going to continue to give him the tools to succeed, Small said. There will be a public ceremonial swearing in soon, Small said. Civil Service requirements now hold up Atlantic City police chief appointment ATLANTIC CITY The Civil Service Commission is expected to issue an announcement Aug. 1 for Sarkos could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Now, attention is turning to promotions to other higher ranks. The Atlantic City chapter of the NAACP strongly supports Sarkos elevation to chief, chapter President Kaleem Shabazz said Tuesday, but he has some concerns about a lack of diversity in the higher ranks of the Police Department in general. Shabazz also is vice president of City Council. There are women in top leadership, but there is no ethnic diversity, Shabazz said. The concern is for captains and above, he said. Sarkos named acting chief of the Atlantic City Police Department ATLANTIC CITY James Sarkos has been named acting chief of the Atlantic City Police Departm There are several minority lieutenants, Shabazz said. Henry M. White Jr., who retired in the fall of 2020, was the prior official chief. He was African American, as was the chief before him, Ernest Jubilee, Shabazz said. New recruits have been incredibly diverse, Shabazz said. But with so little diversity in higher ranks, there is not likely to be another minority chief soon, he said. PBA President Jules Schwenger said the department has finally gotten from Civil Service the lists of qualified candidates for promotions to higher ranks, which police have been seeking for years. Those lists are good for making promotions for at least three years, she said. Atlantic City police union sues state over search for new police chief ATLANTIC CITY The citys police union has filed a lawsuit against the state alleging its s There are some really great qualified candidates on all the lists who will make great leaders, Schwenger said. We are over 50% minority police department. ... Diversity is very important to us, but you cannot force it. We have guys who did excellent on the tests, there are minority officers on the captains list, a Black female and a Black male. Lt. Andrew Leonard, president of the Superior Officers Association, which represents lieutenants and captains in the Police Department, said diversity is extremely important, but fairness is at least as important. Nobody should be discriminated against, no matter what race they are, Leonard said Tuesday. The promotional process being used prior to Civil Service (when it was suspended in the first part of the state takeover) led to numerous lawsuits and allegations of bias in promotion. Schwenger said the force has worked hard to have a fair system. We all took the same test. Your score is your score. I studied, and Im not in the top 25 (on the police sergeant exam). I can only blame myself, Schwenger said. There will likely be five promotions to captain as current captains move up and there are other openings, she said. The reality is the top five (scorers) are white males for the captains list, but at the same time the rest of the list is more mixed, Schwenger said. Through attrition and the next round of promotions you will see more diversity. In Atlantic City under the state takeover, promotional decisions will be made by the state and city together, she said, and they should go right down the list. Traditionally the top scorers are promoted first, she said. We need supervision. We have 50 officers with less than a year on the job. Thats a lot, Schwenger said of a force that stands at about 270. With Citistat and Comstat coming, we need people to supervise and be in units, to make it successful. Citistat and Comstat are two new systems for tracking citizen reports of problems in municipal services and policing. The NAACPs legal counsel is looking into how their concerns can be addressed, given the rules of the Civil Service Commission, according to Shabazz. Under Civil Service, promotions are made based on strict criteria, including seniority, discipline history, and test results, Leonard said. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who is also the commissioner of the DCA, had said she was looking at candidates for chief from both inside and outside the department. The citys police unions filed a lawsuit against the state in early 2021, alleging its search for a new chief outside the departments ranks broke tradition and law. Schwenger said Tuesday the union intends to drop the suit now that Sarkos has been elevated to chief. In adopting the first Municipal Stabilization and Recovery Act (MSRA) state takeover law in 2016, the state was allowed to exempt the operations in Atlantic City from the Civil Service Act. Civil Service was reinstated in the city when the takeover was extended another four years through legislation in 2021. The River Bend Food Bank and the Nahant Marsh Education Center are partnering to buy 70 acres of land adjacent to both entities for $1.3 million to expand both organizations. The sale with the Three N Corp., comprised of members of the Nobis family of Davenport, is expected to close by the end of this year. The food bank, which serves a 23-county area in Iowa and Illinois, approached Nahant about a joint purchase because it needs land to expand its warehouse, office space and parking, Nancy Renkes, president and CEO of the food bank, said in an email. For its part, Nahant is always looking for chances to add to its current 300-plus-acre wetland because the bigger it is, the more ecological benefits it can provide more habitat for wildlife and more area to absorb flood waters, Brian Ritter, executive director of the Nahant center, said. More land also allows for additional educational, recreational and research opportunities, he said. Renkes said the deal, is a win-win for both nonprofits. River Bend is buying the property and will sell 60 acres to Nahant for $1,014,500. The food bank will keep 10 acres directly south of its current building at 4010 Kimmell Drive for expansion, making its net cost $339,500, Renkes said. The food bank is in the midst of a capital campaign to raise $8.4 million for its expansion; it has raised $6.2 million so far, Renkes said. We need to optimize our space to ensure that food is rescued, sorted, stored and distributed safely, she wrote. This expansion will allow us to do that. It will take over land south of the existing building that now is a parking lot, pushing it farther south across Kimmel Drive and onto the 10 acres of new land. Even without the expansion, parking has become a critical need, Renkes said. On a regular basis we run out of parking spots, which then requires parking on the grass or the side of the road, which is not safe, she wrote. The food bank hopes to begin the warehouse expansion in April 2023, but we are cautious about that day, due to delays happening in the construction world right now, Renkes said. The food bank, founded in 1982 in Moline, moved in 2014 to the 60,000-square-foot warehouse in Davenport. Working with 400 hunger-relief partners, it provides food where it is needed, including meal sites and food pantries. In fiscal 2021-22, it distributed 17.2 million meals. Nahants plans The 60 acres Nahant is buying border the existing marsh on the north and east sides and have long been viewed as an acquisition priority because the acreage will add to the long-term health of the marsh, Ritter said. They are a missing piece of pie, he said. Ideas for use are included in a new, draft master plan for the marsh that was released earlier this month. To improve the quality of the land currently farm ground and some wetland Nahant is considering turning much of it into a wetland mitigation bank, similar to what it did with about 40 acres it purchased in 2018 between the education center and the Mississippi River. Under that arrangement, Nahant replanted the area in native plant species and will receive income under provisions in the federal Clean Water Act by selling credits to an entity that needs to offset its environmental impact because of wetland destruction. Nahant also expects to re-meander a stream that has been straightened, thereby slowing water flow and creating new habitat for fish and frogs. New public recreational trails would be built in concert with the wetland creation and would use the River Bend Food Bank parking area as a trail head. Further into the future, the high ground of the new acreage could become the site of a nature-based preschool. A similar school at the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids is flourishing and might be a good addition to Nahant, Ritter said. Money for the purchase is coming from previous fundraising and the anticipated receipt of a grant that is pending with Destination Iowa, a state program, Ritter said. The land currently is farm ground with some wetland area; Nahant will rent the land for farming until it is ready to begin its own work, Ritter said. Two men close in age and with extensive backgrounds in law enforcement are running to replace retiring Rock Island County Sheriff Gerry Bustos in the Nov. 8 midterm elections. Democratic candidate Darren Hart is 51 years old, has nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience and is the captain and chief deputy of the Rock Island County Sheriffs Office. Republican candidate Patrick Moody, 52, worked full time in law enforcement for 28 years before retiring from the Moline Police Department in 2020. He works as a project manager for Jansen Roofing in Davenport and has been an independent insurance agent for the past 16 years. Both answered a questionnaire about their experience in law enforcement and how they would apply it if elected. What prior experience do you have that would qualify you for this job? Moody: I worked for the Henry County Sheriffs Department from 1992 to 1995, Colona Police Department from 1994 to 2000 and Moline Department from 2001 to 2020. During my career, Ive worked in patrol, investigations, corrections and dispatch. Ive completed thousands of hours in training throughout my career. Ive held numerous leadership roles, which includes many instructor positions and a field training officer for nearly six years. I was a School Resource Officer and a Community Oriented Policing Officer. Im a certified gang expert, and I also held other leadership positions, such a vice president of the FOP and president and vice president of the Benevolent Association. I served six years in the United States military in the Army Reserves and Army National Guard. The life lessons learned from my time in the military has helped shape my law enforcement career. Hart: My law enforcement career spans nearly 30 years. The last 25 years have been with the Rock Island County Sheriffs Office. I have held various first-line positions as an officer and deputy sheriff; supervisory roles as sergeant and lieutenant; and administrative roles as captain and chief deputy during my career. My qualifications for the office of sheriff include supervising both sworn and non-sworn personnel, employee hiring, managing operating budgets, maintenance operations, 911 dispatch, court security, information technology, grant development, developing capital improvement projects, as well as managing vendor contracts and collective bargaining agreements. What would be your No. 1 priority if elected this term? Hart: Job recruitment, hiring and retention are my top priorities. Services delivered to our communities, whether from law enforcement, corrections, civil process, court security, etc., are all based on having qualified and professional staff members. The Sheriffs Office has incredibly talented employees that meet those community challenges daily. As many know, the public safety profession continues to struggle to attract qualified individuals willing to serve their communities. The Quad-Cities is no different. We must continue to look at every available avenue to attract applicants while streamlining our hiring process to fill open positions within the agency. Moody: Build Employees! I would immediately deputize the correctional staff, which would add value to their positions. With this change, I would restructure job-related responsibilities, provide better work schedules and promote training. Lack of training sets employees up to fail, and its a liability to Rock Island County. What changes would you make to the Rock Island County Sheriffs Office and how it operates? Moody: To further expand on changes, I would actually be open to change rather than staying complacent. My vision is far different than my opponent's, and the things I want to accomplish as sheriff will truly make the department better and more attractive to work for. I will incorporate better communication with the command staff and bring transparency to the entire department. I will be a hands-on sheriff, which includes an open-door policy. I want the best for all employees, but I also want to improve public safety and build incredible connections with the public as well. Hart: I immediately plan to evaluate the agency from the top down, making necessary changes to improve services provided, where feasible, while keeping in mind limitations of both available personnel and financial resources. I mentioned earlier the pressing need to hire additional staff. The Sheriffs Office currently has 10 total openings in both corrections and maintenance. I intend to fill those openings as quickly as possible. I also intend to look at how the agency communicates to those we serve. We need to improve our digital platforms so our citizens have the ability to access vital information from all divisions. I plan to develop a Community Action Team to focus on immediate crime needs within our communities (e.g. stolen cars, burglaries, property crimes, drugs, etc.). I would like to continue or restart programs aimed at reducing recidivism of persons incarcerated within the correctional facility, to include mental health care, the GED program and life skills training, will also be my top priority if elected. Is the Rock Island County Sheriffs Department appropriately equipped and funded to handle the countys caseload? If not, what would you change or what changes would you advocate for? Hart: Yes, the Rock Island County Board has continually provided the necessary financial resources for the Sheriffs Office to be successful in meeting the needs of those we serve. As sheriff, I pledged Day One to continue a conservative fiscal management approach of all expenditures understanding we must be good stewards of our taxpayers money. Accountability and transparency of operation will always be my pledge to the citizens of Rock Island County. Moody: Corrections is understaffed, but filling such positions is nearly impossible under current conditions because the jail has not been given the due respect and attention it deserves. Under my watch, improvements will be made immediately with the correctional staff, which will make hiring much easier in the near future. One of the changes I speak of will provide additional opportunities for the jail staff. I will create a transport team from the jail, which will handle all transports (medical, prisoner, etc.). This change will free up the road deputies and allot them more time for patrol responsibilities (handling calls of service, traffic enforcement, etc.). How can the Rock Island Sheriffs Department contribute to reducing or preventing violent crime? Moody: As sheriff, I have the authority to deputize other officers from other agencies. I will create a posse team that will allow a group effort to target problematic areas anywhere in the county. This team effort can be highly effective when dealing with many crimes, such as shootings, stolen vehicles, drug interdiction, etc. Furthermore, I will use my platform as sheriff in such a way that has never been seen before in Rock Island County. Transparency and real communication have been missing, and this will absolutely change if Im elected. Not only does the public deserve this, but as sheriff, I owe it to every law enforcement official in Rock Island County as well. Hart: Building strong lines of communication and trust between the Sheriffs Office and our citizens is the first step. We must also continue to invest in our youth and collaborate with our local social service organizations, as they truly understand the local needs of our communities. As we develop this level of open and honest dialog, community stakeholders will feel heard, and this will allow the Sheriffs Office to concentrate resources on specific crime needs and offenses. Typically, small fractions of individuals contribute to violent trends within a jurisdiction. Law enforcement alone cannot end crime, however, building lasting partnerships with our citizens can definitely be the starting point for change. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the SAFE-T Act? Hart: Some areas of strength I see within the act include requiring Body Worn Cameras (BWC) statewide. The Rock Island County Sheriffs Office has had a BWC program in place since 2019. Providing additional mental health training and resources is another positive area. The mental health crisis in our country continues to escalate. Law enforcement is typically not in a position to handle individuals in crisis. The SAFE-T Act provides areas for relief and officer training relating to mental health, which is something desperately needed. I see the law enforcement certification/de-certification process as also one that will strengthen the profession by identifying individuals with previous issues and thereby prohibit their employment elsewhere within the state. Again, these are just a few areas I feel the SAFE-T Act provides positive steps forward for the criminal justice system in Illinois. As for areas of weakness, although I support cash bail reform, the current language contained within the SAFE-T Act pertaining to this issue is concerning. The narrow scope for judicial discretion under the act essentially eliminates the process where each individual case be examined on its own merits. Law enforcement and prosecutors statewide have expressed similar concerns and have advocated for clarification. They point to additional language provisions necessary in the act to help protect our local communities while also providing for conditions by which individuals who otherwise would qualify for pre-trial release under the act but are habitual and/or violent offenders, remain incarcerated. Another weakness I see is subjects released on conditional Electronic Home Monitoring (EHM) or home detention programs. According to the bill, those who knowingly remove a monitoring device cannot be charged with an escape offense unless in violation for more than 48 hours. This is a weakness of the bill not to mention the costs associated with starting such a program, and the long-term financial impact it will have on local governments. Moody: The SAFE-T Act needs to be repealed. It was written in such a way that hurts law enforcement, and public safety will suffer as well. There is a section pertaining to body cams in the SAFE-T Act that speaks volumes about the amount of incomprehension and lack of respect to the law enforcement profession. If it were up to those who wrote this bill and voted in favor of it, officers would not be allowed to review body cam footage that involves serious use-of-force situations before writing reports. Body cam footage provides complete accuracy in reports, but it's apparent this is not wanted because the end game is to somehow discredit or crucify officers in highly stressful and difficult situations (sometimes split-second decisions). There are actually many other crime bills that have been created in Illinois since 2020 that are also disastrous for law enforcement. These crime bills (including the SAFE-T Act) were meant to demoralize law enforcement and make their jobs much more difficult. Each concern can be separately written in a bill to be voted on but to leave law enforcement out of the process when it pertains to their profession is unethical, dishonorable, disgraceful and discreditable. The state of Illinois deserves better, and the residents of Rock Island County deserve better. A Davenport man on parole from the Iowa Department of Corrections and who is serving three years on federal supervised release was arrested early Sunday and charged with leading Davenport police on a chase and being found in possession of two firearms, one of which police say is stolen. Brett Lee Roelandt, 31, is charged with eluding and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Both charges are Class D felonies under Iowa law that carry a prison sentence of five years. According to the arrest affidavit filed by Davenport Police Officer Nicholas Mark, at 12:39 a.m. Sunday, officers attempted to perform a traffic stop at 35th and Harrison streets on a 2011 Chevrolet Impala that had no license plates. The driver of the Impala, identified as Roelandt, sped away and traveled down Brady Street the wrong way until the vehicle crashed at West Pleasant Street. Roelandt attempted to run away but was quickly captured. Officers seized a fully loaded AR pistol from the back seat of the Impala and a fully loaded revolver on the floorboard of the front driver seat. A check of the firearms through the National Crime Information Center showed the revolver had been reported stolen. Roelandt also was issued traffic citations for driving on a suspended or revoked license, driving the wrong way, operating without registration, failure to maintain control and failure to provide proof of liability insurance. During a first appearance hearing Monday in Scott County District Court, Magistrate Eric Syverud scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for Nov. 3 in district court. Syverud also set bond at $50,000, cash only. Roelandt was being held Monday night in the Scott County Jail. Roelandt is on parole out of the Iowa Department of Corrections until May 30, 2023, according to Iowa DOC electronic records. He also is serving a term of three years on federal supervised release. According to Scott County District Court electronic records, on June 27, 2016, Roelandt pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree theft as a habitual offender and assault while participating in a felony. On Oct. 7, 2016, District Judge Stuart Werling sentenced Roeland to 15 years in prison for the theft conviction because of the habitual offender enhancement, and a concurrent term of five years in prison for the assault conviction. While on work release, Roelandt was charged with violating his parole and placed on escape status on July 19, 2021, after he failed to return to the Work Release Center after work. Federal authorities took over the case and charged Roelandt with one count of escape. On Feb. 11, he pleaded guilty to the charge. On July 6 during a sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court, Davenport, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose sentenced Roelandt to a term of one year and one day in federal prison with credit for time served while awaiting trial. Rose also sentenced Roelandt to serve three years on federal supervised release. Federal authorities could choose to take over the new weapons charge against Roelandt under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative to combat gun crimes. A federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. There is no parole in the federal system. An East Moline Police officer was injured while conducting an investigation Monday evening, East Moline Police Lt. David Rummery said. Rummery said the incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. in the 1900 block of Morton Drive. The officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but Rummery did not have a condition late Monday. Rummery did not specify what types of injuries the officer suffered. The Illinois State Police Crime Lab was called to the scene to aid in the investigation. Police combed the area looking for surveillance cameras on businesses and homes, and knocked on doors to find any possible witnesses. This is a developing story. The trial of a man accused of a fatal shooting in East Moline began Monday in Rock Island County. Cameron D. Ballard, 36, East Moline, faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm, according to county court records. Authorities allege he shot Christian N. Rex, 25, Coal Valley, in the torso on Sept. 29, 2021, while they were in the 1500 block of 8th Avenue, according to court records and previous reporting. He is also accused of shooting at a gray 2011 Hyundai Genesis that he knew was occupied. Ballard opted for a bench trial, according to court records. That means a judge, not a jury, will determine his culpability. Chief Judge Frank Fuhr is presiding over the trial, which is scheduled at least through Wednesday. A warrant for Ballards arrest in relation to the killing was issued on Oct. 6, 2021, and he was arrested in November after he turned himself in, according to court records and previous reporting. His bail is $2 million, court records state. To be released, he would have to post a $200,000 bond. Gerald Reed sits in a wheelchair while waiting to be picked up by his niece at the visitor entrance at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill on April 2, 2021. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Gerald Reed, a former Illinois inmate who alleged he was beaten by Chicago police detectives who worked under disgraced former Cmdr. Jon Burge, was released from prison last year after Gov. J.B. Pritzker commuted his life sentence amid a series of bizarre turns that saw Reeds murder conviction overturned, reinstated and then overturned again. But Reeds case took another pivot Tuesday when a special prosecutor retrying the double murder case asked a judge to set bond for him. Prosecutor Robert Milan alleged Reed went on a three-state crime spree that involved cases in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin after his release. Advertisement The prosecutors request poses an unusual question for the judge to consider: Should a defendant be held in jail until he can post bail if he has already served the sentence for the crime he is accused of? A Cook County judge previously ruled that even if Reed is again tried and convicted, he cannot serve more time in an Illinois prison in connection with the 1990 case. Reeds defense points out he is already in custody in the new charges. Advertisement Judge Steven G. Watkins denied the prosecutors request to issue a warrant because Reed is already in custody on the new charges, but he took the matter of bond under advisement and said he would issue a written ruling. In this situation, if this defendant could not post bond, and we already know he cannot be sentenced to another day in the Illinois Department of Corrections, he would in effect be incarcerated even though his sentence is commuted, Watkins said. Gerald Reed addresses reporters after being released from Stateville Correctional Center on April 2, 2021, in Crest Hill. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Reed was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of murdering two people in 1990, but he has maintained that two detectives working under Burge beat him until he confessed to fatally shooting Pamela Powers and Willie Williams on the South Side. Judge Thomas Gainer in 2018 threw out his convictions and his statement to police after years of hearings over Reeds allegations that he was tortured by the Chicago police officers. Reed remained in custody while prosecutors said they would bring him to trial again, without the tainted confession. But after Gainer retired, the new judge assigned to the case, Judge Thomas Hennelly, reviewed it and reinstated Reeds conviction and life sentence. Reed, though, was released from prison in 2021 after Pritzker commuted his sentence, freeing him but leaving his conviction intact. Later that year, in another reversal, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Reeds conviction should indeed be thrown out. Former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on June 29, 2010. (Jos M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Reed is one of dozens of defendants who have accused Burge and his midnight crew of detectives of torturing them to secure murder confessions in a sprawling scandal that has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in settlements, legal fees and other compensation to victims. While arguing the new bond motion Tuesday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Milan detailed a series of crimes allegedly involving Reed in August and September that are pending in multiple states, including the theft of $46,000 in tools from a Kenosha water utility department, theft of $100,000 in construction equipment from a business in north suburban Hoffman Estates and an armed robbery and attempted armed robbery of two women in Hammond. Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. > Milan argued that Reed poses a danger to the public and that he shouldnt be allowed to run roughshod over the community after his original sentence commutation. Advertisement How does Mr. Reed thank the governor and the state of Illinois? He does so by committing this three-state crime spree, Milan said. In response, Reeds attorney Elliot Zinger said it makes absolutely no sense to issue another warrant for Reed and set a bond in the double murder case when he is already in custody on the new allegations. Regarding the bond issue, Zinger said he cant speak to the evidence in the other allegations Reed is facing, but noted that high bail amounts in those cases would likely mean Reed remains incarcerated. That doesnt change the status of this case, Zinger said of the double murder the special prosecutor is handling. The governor commuted his sentence indicating there can be no further jail time in this case. mabuckley@chicagotribune.com An East Moline Police sergeant was in critical condition early Tuesday morning after he was attacked by a man suspected of setting a fire in Rock Island, East Moline Police Chief Jeff Ramsey said during a 1 a.m. news conference Tuesday at East Moline City Hall. Sgt. William Lind had located Adrian W. Rogers, 52, in the 1900 block of Morton Drive at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. Lind addressed Rogers and was physically attacked, suffering injuries to his head. Rogers fled the scene. Assisting officers located Lind unconscious. He was taken to Genesis Medical Center, Silvis, and then transferred to another hospital for further treatment. Sgt. Lind is in critical condition, and his injuries are considered life-threatening, Ramsey said. This incident was captured on Sgt. Linds body camera. An extensive search for Rogers ensued that involved East Moline Police and several surrounding agencies. At about 10:50 p.m. Monday, Rogers was located in Colona and taken into custody, Ramsey said. East Moline Police were assisted by Silvis Police, Moline Police, Illinois State Police, Hampton Police, Colona Police, the Rock Island County Sheriffs Department, the FBI and the East Moline Fire Department. Rogers is charged in Rock Island County Circuit Court with one count each of attempted murder and aggravated arson. Both of those charges are Class X felonies under Illinois law that carry a prison sentence of 6-30 years. He also is charged with residential arson, a Class 1 felony that carries a prison sentence of 4-15 years, and aggravated battery to a peace officer, a Class 2 felony that carries a prison sentence of 3-7 years. Rogers was being held Tuesday morning in the Henry County Jail on a bond of $1 million, or 10%. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call the East Moline Police Department at 309-752-1555 or Crime Stoppers of the Quad-Cities at 309-762-9500, or use the P3 Tips mobile app. Lind was named Officer of the Year Lind earned 2021 Officer of the Year honors from the Breakfast Optimist Club that serves the Illinois Quad-Cities. Lind was nominated for his work at the Quad-City Federal Gang Task Force. Lind spearheaded one of the largest cases in the task force for illegal drug and weapon distribution in the Quad-City area. He also worked to stop several shootings in the spring of 2021 between two gangs that led to multiple arrests for firearms violations. Lind also is involved with the Shop With a Cop and Holiday Food Baskets programs. Rogers released from federal custody in 2021 Rogers was released from the Federal Bureau of Prisons on July 1, 2021, after spending about 26 years in federal prison for convictions of bank robbery with a firearm and drug trafficking. On Nov. 19, 1993, Rogers was involved in the armed robbery of the United Security Savings Bank of Davenport, according to federal court documents. Rogers, then 23, of Rock Island, and Reginald Walton, 25, of Davenport, made off with $53,429. Rogers already had been indicted by a federal grand jury on August 29, 1993, on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute cocaine after a joint investigation by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Internal Revenue Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency. He was out on bond on the drug trafficking-related charges when he committed the bank robbery. Two days after the bank robbery, Rogers attempted to fake his own death, according to news reports from the Quad-City Times and Rock Island Argus. Those reports said Rogers had been walking along Molines Ben Butterworth Parkway with a female companion when she told authorities she became distracted, heard a splash and noticed Rogers was no longer at her side. Authorities dragged the Mississippi River but doubted the incident from the beginning. Rogers was later captured in Atlanta. On March 1, 1995, a federal jury found Rogers guilty of the bank robbery and using a firearm during the commission of the crime. Rogers was sentenced to 80 months, or six years and eight months, in federal prison for the robbery, and a consecutive sentence of 60 months, or five years, for the firearms offense. Those sentences were also consecutive to the 240-month (20-year) federal sentence that Rogers received for the cocaine-trafficking conviction. Rogers was found to be a key figure in a Mexico-to Los Angeles-to-Quad-Cities drug ring. Western Illinois University (WIU) named Liz Nolte as its new director of development. She will be based at the WIU-Quad Cities campus, but will serve the entire university and report to the vice president of advancement and alumni relations. Nolte earned her bachelor's degree and was a member of the track and field at WIU, and previously served as the operations and communications director for Renew Moline in Moline, Ill. and the director of alumni engagement and annual giving at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. In late spring 2023, the Rock Island Arsenal will become home to the largest 3D metal printer in the world. The Jointless Hull Large Format Tool will have the capability of printing large parts for military ground vehicles. It is expected to be fully operational in the spring of 2023 and will have the capability of printing metal that is 30 feet long, 20 feet wide and 12 feet high. Maj. Gen. Darren Werner said it would give them the capability in taking manufacturing to the next level and moving toward more modern technology that would provide safer equipment. "It's creating an opportunity for us to build things that we've never been able to build before," Werner said. "We're moving into a space where we can build things in a three-dimensional computer-aided world and then bring it to full maturity as an actual product on the ground." The printer will be capable of fabricating large metal components, including hulls and other equipment for military vehicles in one solid piece rather than requiring dozens of individual parts to be welded together. It will also be faster and more efficient than traditional manufacturing by producing less scrap. U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, said the 3D printer was all about the future and that the printer would help prevent weak points in the welds or joints and create the next-generation combat vehicle. "This is all about the future the Arsenal is all about the future," Bustos said. The printer will be tested in Rockford in early December before it's dissembled and brought to the Arsenal. It will be reassembled and proved out at the Arsenal in April with plans for it to be fully operational in May. The multi-million dollar printer is being manufactured by ASTRO America in partnership with subcontractors Ingersoll Machine Tool in Rockford. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said though he didn't know much about science with being a liberal arts lawyer, the printer was an "evolution" and demonstrated the future toward modernization. "It's the beginning of an impressive commitment," Durbin said. A ribbon-cutting event will be held for the printer in the spring. The Quad-Cities will take one step closer to learning the fate of the Interstate 80 Mississippi River Bridge this week as the Illinois and Iowa departments of transportation narrow down proposed improvement alternatives. Officials from the departments of transportation will present additional findings from the I-80 Mississippi River Bridge study, go over their narrowed list of realignment options and invite comment at the project's third informational session. Those interested in the future of the I-80 bridge can register online at i80mississippibridge.com for the public meeting, which will take place 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27. The I-80 bridge, built in 1967, has an outdated design that falls short of current standards and requires costly maintenance. Illinois and Iowa first asked the public for feedback on plans for the corridor in April 2020, and in May 2022 presented seven improvement alternatives for the bridge alongside four potential plans for the I-88/I-80 interchange. A final recommendation is expected to come in late 2023. The bridge study has no connection to the Bison Bridge project, and the public meeting is not meant to discuss it or any other potential after-uses for the bridge. The Bison Bridge Foundation, headed by Living Lands & Waters President Chad Pregracke, is encouraging supporters to participate in the meeting and show the project has public backing. One of the seven proposed alternatives would halt any Bison Bridge support, as it would have the old bridge razed and a new one built in its place. Other plans would build new spans anywhere from 20 to 2,100 feet from the current bridge, and all include a six-lane crossing, including exit lanes. IOWA CITY A man died at the hospital after he was struck by gunfire outside a bar early Sunday morning, according to an Iowa City Police Department news release. At 1:59 a.m., police were dispatched to the H-Bar, at 220 S. Van Buren St., for a report of multiple shots fired in the alley. Before officers arrived, reports came in that one person was shot. A Hawk Alert also went out at 2:06 a.m., advising the University of Iowa community to avoid the area. At the scene, police found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. They provided emergency medical aid until an ambulance arrived and transported the man to a hospital, where he died. Iowa City police are seeking assistance from anyone who has additional knowledge about the incident. They can be contacted at (319) 356-5275. Also, investigators are asking those with footage from security cameras near the H-Bar and L & M Mighty Shop, in the vicinity of Van Buren and College streets, to review and preserve those recordings and contact the ICPD with any potential footage or information related to the incident. The Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information about the incident that leads to an arrest. Tips can be submitted via the P3 Tips app, online at iccrimestoppers.org or by phone at 319-358-TIPS (8477). The release added, "all tips and calls are held in strict confidence and anonymity is guaranteed. Individuals providing information are not required to reveal their identity to collect a reward." On Aug. 7, a woman was seriously injured in a similar shots-fired incident in the alley outside the H-Bar. Rapid City Central High School is one of 51 schools across the nation that will present the first full-length Broadway version of Disney's "Frozen" before 2024. Justin Speck, artistic director and performing arts teacher at Central, said Monday that the show will replace the originally scheduled "Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" for April 20-22 in the 2022-2023 season. The school was awarded the rights in the United States' "Frozen: Love is an Open Door" nationwide competition that grants one high school in every U.S. state and territory the rights to produce the Broadway musical. It is in partnership with the Educational Theatre Association, Music Theatre International and Disney Theatrical Group. "It's quite remarkable, we're thrilled, to say the least, over here," Speck said. He said all schools were required to complete their shows by January 2024. He said having it in fall 2023 was discussed, but it did not work with marching band, band and choir schedules. Speck said the school was able to get its money back from purchasing the rights to "Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella." Speck said applications went out to schools over the summer but he was not aware of the competition until September when he got a message from an old friend, a Central alumnus, who has Disney connections. He said his friend said he was in a meeting with Disney, that South Dakota did not have a high school represented and encouraged him to apply. "I got online and it took about 10 days to complete the entire application," Speck said. The school sent in pictures, videos, three essays and other requirements, including answers to questions about the school serving underserved communities and the percentage of Black, Indigenous and other minority students. "They want to be able to make theatre accessible and inclusive for everybody and not so much that it's a privilege to go to the theatre," Speck said. Although there's time before the show in April and a number of other productions, Speck said he and technical director and theatre educator Joey Lore are thinking about "Frozen." "It's a brand new show we have to design it, we don't have anything to go on," Speck said. "Of course, everything is copyrighted, so we don't want to copy the set from Broadway, we don't want to copy the choreography. We want to make sure that this is our production of 'Frozen', but we also are adhering to the original creators' wishes of what 'Frozen' is all about and why we were to do it." He said there's a certain amount of audience expectation with any show and there certainly is with "Frozen." However, the show is not the movie. "Even though a lot of people know the movie, we're going to be able to introduce them to a whole other level of what 'Frozen' is about and what its message is about that truly I don't think can exist in another setting other than live theatre," Speck said. "To quote 'Hamilton', 'In the room where it happens,' right? Theatre cannot exist, by definition, without an audience. Any other representation of that is not live theatre, so there's something really special about that." Before auditions are even posted for "Frozen," Central High School will present its fall show, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and its fundraising show, "A Chorus Line." Proceeds from "A Chorus Line" will help send 22 students on a trip to the United Kingdom for 17 days. "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, will have performances at 7 p.m. Nov. 17, 18 and 19. Tickets go on sale Nov. 7 and cost $5. Seats are reserved and limited. "A Chorus Line" tickets go on sale Nov. 17 and performances will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 5-7. Tickets for "Frozen" will be announced by the school's activities office. A South Dakota prosecutor who was overseeing an investigation into Gov. Kristi Noem's use of state government aircraft announced Tuesday that the investigation found nothing to support a criminal prosecution. Hughes County State's Attorney Jessica LaMie said in a short statement that there was no basis to pursue any actions on the allegations that the Republican governor had misused the state plane or that the plane's flight records had been altered. She called an allegation that flight records had been tampered with frivolous. Noem, a potential 2024 White House contender, had used the plane to attend events hosted by political organizations in 2019. Former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, a Republican, had filed a complaint on the plane's use to the state's Government Accountability Board. And the board in August requested the state's Division of Criminal Investigation to probe Noem's use of the plane. State law bars the aircraft from being used for anything other than state business. Noem used the state plane six times to fly to out-of-state events hosted by political organizations, including the Republican Governors Association, Republican Jewish Coalition, Turning Point USA and the National Rifle Association. Raw Story, an online news site, first reported the trips, which the governors office defended as part of her work as the states ambassador to bolster the states economy. Noem also argued that Ravnsborg filed the complaint as political retribution. She had pushed for Ravnsborg to resign for his conduct surrounding a 2020 car crash in which he struck and killed a pedestrian. Ravnsborg was impeached and removed from office earlier this year. An independent prosecutor has confirmed what we have known all along. This was nothing but a political attack in retaliation from a disgraced attorney general, said Ian Fury, a spokesman for Noem's reelection campaign. LaMie said she had informed the Government Accountability Board of her decision and referred the matter back to it. She said she would not comment further on the investigation. LaMie was tasked with overseeing the investigation after Attorney General Mark Vargo recused himself. He was appointed by Noem after Ravnsborg was removed from office. A Charlo man accused of illegally killing a grizzly bear in 2018 pleaded not guilty to the charge against him in federal court on Monday. The man, Kevin Moll, entered his plea at an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Missoula on Monday. Judge Kathleen DeSoto set a trial date of Dec. 9. If convicted of the charge against him one count of unlawful taking of a threatened species Moll faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $25,000 fine. The charge against Moll, filed last month, on Sept. 12, stems from an incident alleged to have occurred around Sept. 26, 2018, in which Moll shot a female grizzly from his vehicle near Charlo, disposed of the carcass on a local dairy farm bone pile, and later removed and discarded the bear's ear tag and tracking collar once he saw wildlife managers looking for the bear, according to charging documents. Grizzly bears are listed as threatened in the Lower 48 states, and federal law prohibits the unauthorized killing of the animals. As a federal class-B misdemeanor, the charge does not qualify Moll for a jury trial. If the case goes to trial, Moll will receive a bench trial, with DeSoto determining his guilt or innocence after prosecutors and Moll's defense attorneys present their case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Weldon is prosecuting the case. Moll is represented by John Rhodes, a federal public defender appointed by DeSoto, and Jessica Polan Wright, a private-practice attorney being mentored by Rhodes for public defense work. Rhodes told DeSoto he had received information from prosecutors during discovery but had not yet had a chance to review the information. The review would take "at least 45 days," he said. If necessary, Rhodes and Weldon said, they were open to Moll waiving his right to a speedy trial a legal requirement that trials commence within 70 days unless a defendant agrees to a later date. Charging documents filed in the case did not explain how officials initially connected Moll to the killing, or why it took four years to charge him with a crime. Asked about the delay after Monday's hearing, Weldon declined to comment, as is standard practice for parties involved in active criminal prosecution. Conflict periodically swirls around the status of the population of Arctic grayling living in the Big Hole River. This distinct population is said to be the last naturally-occurring, river-dwelling vestige in the Continental U.S. of a species that needs cold, clear water and freedom to migrate. For years, conservation groups have tried and failed to prod the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service into adding the Arctic grayling to its list of species protected under the Endangered Species Act. On Monday, three conservation organizations and Pat Munday, a Butte resident and professor long affiliated with Big Hole River advocacy, announced plans to sue the Fish and Wildlife Service in federal court if the agency fails to reconsider within 60 days its past denial of Endangered Species Act protections for the Arctic grayling. It shouldnt take nearly three decades to protect a fish like the grayling thats so clearly on the brink of extinction, said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. The other participants in the notice of intent to sue were Earthjustice and Western Watersheds Project. Munday said the timing of the notice was not significant in and of itself. But there was certainly some urgency after the water conditions this year, he said. Flows were low and temperatures high in many rivers in southwest Montana as summer progressed. The Big Hole is chronically de-watered, Munday said. In years past, the Fish and Wildlife Service has described the river-dwelling population of Arctic grayling as stable, a conclusion conservation groups contend isnt warranted or supported by sound science. The campaign to list the grayling helped launch the Big Hole Watershed Committee in 1995 and encouraged participating ranchers to voluntarily leave some water in the river instead of withdrawing it for irrigation. The alternative to participation, arguably, was the potential for having the Fish and Wildlife Service be involved in irrigation decisions on ranches reliant on hay and alfalfa to feed livestock. The Big Hole Watershed Committee has been involved also in a host of projects designed to protect and restore riparian areas, keep fish out of irrigation ditches, rehabilitate tributaries and more. Participating ranchers say keeping the land in agriculture is better for the health of the river than alternative development, such as subdivisions. Pedro Marques is the executive director for the watershed committee. On Monday afternoon he shared reactions from the committee to the threat of litigation to secure a listing for the grayling. Our first comment is, Here we go again, Marques said. The threat of litigation 28 years ago was effective in mobilizing a grass-roots effort to develop a conservation strategy that has, by most accounts, been a tremendous success and continues to be a model across the West, he said. That model is based on partnerships between local people and local resource managers meeting regularly, building trust and getting work done on the ground, Marques said. He said the Big Hole Watershed Committee has been meeting every third Wednesday for 28 years, has raised more than $8 million in direct investments for the benefit of fish and people and created an unparalleled level of cooperation. Marques added, Litigation does nothing but divide people and, if successful, will quickly erode local cooperation by imposing a big government response. We're the government and we're here to help does not resonate in rural Montana. Marques said listing the grayling would force ranchers off the land, setting the stage for subdivision development for the wealthy. He said its unclear how the grayling would benefit from litigation and described the listing campaign as colonial and elitist. So, here we go again. The Big Hole Watershed Committee will continue to keep our focus on collaborative conservation and getting projects done, Marques said. We certainly have dirt under our fingernails and know our work makes a difference for the fish. Meanwhile, the group threatening to sue the Fish and Wildlife Service contends that climate change, drought and increasing temperatures in addition to population status must be adequately weighed when considering a listing for the Arctic grayling. Those factors have not been fully contemplated in years past, the group said. The agency first determined in 1994 that Montanas grayling population warranted listing as an endangered species, but the agency has continuously delayed granting the fish federal protection. In 2014, the Fish and Wildlife Service reversed its position and denied protection. The agency said there was sufficient state management and increasing population numbers and asserted that the fish could adapt to warming stream temperatures. Conservation groups challenged the 2014 denial of protection, eventually getting a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the agencys descriptions of an increased population were not supported by evidence and that the agency had failed to consider the impacts of climate change on stream temperatures and flows. Theres really no question that the only population of grayling in the Lower 48 states is imperiled, said Emily Qiu, associate attorney with Earthjustices Northern Rockies Office. Too much water is already taken out of the Big Hole River, one of the last places the fish survive, and climate change will only make the situation worse. The group said a listing under the Endangered Species Act would require a federal recovery plan to be created to address chronic low flows in the Big Hole River, among other threats. Munday said he often fishes the Big Hole River and he described the grayling as the jewel of the river. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Montana Arctic grayling has a large, sail-like dorsal fin and colorful body markings. The grayling comes in a wide array of colors. Their dorsal fins are typically fringed in red and dotted with large iridescent red, aqua, or purple spots and markings. These colorful markings are most dramatic on large grayling. Munday asserted that just as the Big Hole River has been chronically de-watered the Fish and Wildlife Service has been chronically under-funded. The Arctic grayling just hasnt been a priority, he said. Fish and Wildlife Service staff in Montana referred questions about Mondays announcement to Joe Szuszwalak, a public affairs spokesmen in Colorado. An automatic message reported he was out of the office. This is part two of the Tribunes endorsements for Illinois Senate. [ [Dont miss] For Illinois Senate: Sara Feigenholtz, Laura Fine, Mike Porfirio, Bill Cunningham and Patrick Sheehan ] 20th Democratic incumbent Cristina H. Pacione-Zayas is not expected to have difficulty in this safe district mostly encompassing the Avondale, Logan Square and Bucktown neighborhoods. Shes been a part of the Crime Reduction Task Force in Springfield and shes done some decent service for her constituents, including sponsoring legislation designating Milwaukee Avenue from Sangamon Street in Chicago to Greenwood Road in Niles as the Milwaukee Avenue Polish Heritage Corridor, boosting Polish American businesses and doing herself a political favor in the process. Advertisement Voters uncomfortable with the progressive positions of Pacione-Zayas have the option of Republican candidate Patrycja Karlin, an attorney. Karlin immigrated from Poland in 1991. Her rather bleak campaign, which depicts a state mired in crisis, puts particular emphasis on education. The woke radicals in control of the Democratic Party are trying to impose their party line on us in a manner reminiscent of the communist Soviet Union, she says. And she is not wrong when she says that Illinois is drowning in crime, corruption and fiscal irresponsibility. That said, Pacione-Zayas is far more experienced when it comes to serving her constituents, and she has our endorsement. 21st Then-Senate candidate Laura Ellman speaks during a Women's March to the Polls rally on Oct. 22, 2018, in Downers Grove. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) The Democratic candidate Laura Ellman, an assessor at Argonne National Laboratory who lives with her family in Naperville, clearly is the best choice in this DuPage and Will County district, shaped like a trumpet player and encompassing some or all of Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Lisle, Lombard, Naperville, Warrenville and Wheaton. Advertisement Ellman tell us she supports ethics reform and term limits for legislators. She blamed the rise in violent crime on Rauner-era budget cuts, which hardly is the whole story. But we find her a sincere and smart public servant. I like to dig into the details on complex issues and find good solutions, she told us, and when I say I support science, I mean it. I read the white papers and consult with the experts who wrote them to make sure we are crafting our policies in a data-driven way. Republicans seem not to be putting much financial support behind Ellmans opponent, Kathleen Murray of Lombard, who has not mounted a strong campaign and whose positions on such matters as gun control are far more extreme that the constituents of this district. Ellman is endorsed. [ [Dont miss] Illinois election 2022: See who the Tribune Editorial Board endorsed plus how the candidates answered our questions ] 23rd Then-Rep. Dennis Reboletti speaks in 2014 at the Illinois Capitol in Springfield. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) Currently Addison Township supervisor, Republican challenger Dennis Reboletti is a former member of the Illinois House, where he represented the 46th District. Hes run for the 23rd Senate District before but lost in the 2004 Republican primary. We think he has smart, moderate, centrist ideas and strong ties to this community. Reboletti tells us he is committed to pension reform: Illinois can fix this problem by electing representatives and senators who will budget based on reality not fantasy. Once the bond houses see stability, so will the business community. This will allow Illinois to become a destination economy. On the issue of violent crime, Reboletti also says he wants to stop the messaging that the police are the enemy, and he correctly says that, in Illinois, the culture of corruption needs disinfectant. He also points out the overreaching dangers of the Democratic supermajority and argues, as do we, that controls on government spending and structural reforms make far more sense that temporary tax gimmicks. Democratic incumbent Suzy Glowiak Hilton, a former trustee for Western Springs, was first elected in 2018 and drew attention when she did not vote, one way or the other, on the SAFE-T Act. Nonetheless, she is highly regarded by her party and many of her constituents. She describes herself as fiscally conservative but socially liberal and she likely will appeal to voters seeking greater gun control in Illinois, among other popular Democratic issues. She also says she is an avid environmentalist. Both of these candidates are moderate pragmatists, reflecting a competitive district. Advertisement But we think Reboletti, who has spoken eloquently about the danger of a Democratic supermajority, deserves his shot to restore some helpful balance in Springfield, especially on fiscal matters, where he shows particular strength. Reboletti is endorsed. 24th The interesting 24th District includes all or parts of Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Elk Grove Village, Glen Ellyn, Itasca, Lisle, Medinah, Roselle, Schaumburg, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton, Winfield and Wood Dale. Both candidates are from Bartlett. Republican Seth Lewis is currently a state representative (45th). He moved to this district to avoid being pitted against a fellow Republican as part of the redistricting process controlled by the Democrats, who have slated in opposition Lauren Laurie Nowak, a graduate student in public policy and public administration at Northern Illinois University and a former member of the DuPage County Board. No candidate ran in the Democratic primary. Nowaks focus is on health care costs, abortion rights and other family-oriented issues. Lewis, an experienced and relatively moderate Republican voice with a strong track record of service, clearly is the best choice in this district. He has our endorsement. Advertisement 25th State Sen. Karina Villa speaks at the Illinois Capitol building on April 7, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) The 25th District includes all or parts of Bartlett, Batavia, Geneva, Naperville, South Elgin, St. Charles, Warrenville, Wayne, West Chicago, Elburn, Montgomery, Sugar Grove and Yorkville. The incumbent here is Democrat Karina Villa, a former state representative and the first Latina to represent her current district, to which she was elected in 2020. Like Villa, the Republican challenger, Heather Brown, is from West Chicago. So far, the debate largely has extended along established party talking points. Brown has, in particular, railed against the SAFE-T Actand is vehemently opposed to sensible gun control; she is at the far-right fringe of the Republican Party. Democrat Villa, who has served her constituents well, is endorsed. 26th State Sen. Dan McConchie speaks at a rally on Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Aug. 18, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Republican Dan McConchie tells us that he is proud of his ability to work with both sides of the aisle to get things done, and that is exactly what his moderate and pragmatic record implies. The 26th District includes all or part of Algonquin, Barrington, Cary, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Hoffman Estates, Island Lake, Kildeer, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Long Grove, Mundelein and Wauconda. It has been represented by McConchie, the Senates Republican leader, since 2016 and it is unlikely to change hands. Nor should it. McConchie has offered stellar representation to his constituents. His Democratic opponent is Barrington attorney Maria Peterson, the founder of an exercise and physical fitness business known as FitCore Inc. She says her key issues are protecting womens rights, the environment, jobs and the economy, health care and mental health care, but she lacks extensive political experience and she does not compare to her opponent when it comes to grasping the issues facing Illinois. McConchie is endorsed. Advertisement 27th Incumbent Ann Gillespie, a longtime resident of Arlington Heights who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, is running against Bill Robertson, a Palatine resident and former board member of Township High School District 211, in this district in northwest suburban Cook County. These are two strong candidates. Gillespie makes much of her support for unions as a means of addressing income inequality and she supports most core Democratic positions. She also has chaired the Senates first ethics committee. Overall, she has been a strong voice for ethical reform, although given the ongoing news of corruption in Springfield, wed argue that committee has not gone far enough. That said, there is no question that Gillespie has served her district well and will have support from those who back progressive causes. Robertson, who has the backing of the states Republican apparatus, says his experience on the school board reveals his bipartisan capacity, and he has clearly said that Joe Biden was elected president and that those who broke the law on Jan. 6 must be held accountable. A moderate, pro-choice pragmatist who vanquished far-right opposition and has a sophisticated understanding of the education crisis in Illinois, Robertson impressed us and had our endorsement in the Republican primary. Robertson is endorsed. Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Downtown Ashland Association recently announced it has received a $25,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to help fund construction of the Railroad Park a walking tour that will reveal Ashlands railroad story in greater vibrancy than ever before. Railroad Park is a joint project of Downtown Ashland Association, Ashland Museum, Hanover County Black Heritage Society and the Town of Ashland. More than 100 individuals and businesses have donated toward Railroad Parks construction. Doswell Limited Partnership is its largest supporter, followed closely by the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation along with CSX and The Port of Virginia. Maggie Longest, executive director of the Downtown Ashland Association, said the project came to fruition due to the communitys generous support. Rail fans really stick together, she said, commenting on how the communitys collective passion for its extensive railroad history brought the project to life. The project has been in the works for around eight years, with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing back its anticipated completion date to 2023, Longest said. Throughout the process, project officials have worked closely with the community, accumulated donations to fund its construction, and collected historical content to feature in the park. Keeping with the spirit of the railroad, the outdoor walking tour will be composed of nine different stops stretching from the Ashland Town Center toward the railroad tracks. Longest said they aim to give visitors a comprehensive view of how the railroad transformed the country throughout time and, ultimately, how the passenger rail built the Town of Ashland up from its humble beginnings as Slash Cottage, a resort town for Richmond travelers to pass through. Longest said she is most excited for the modern freight exhibit, which is supported by the Port of Virginia. We talk about whats actually passing by on the rail as it goes to the port everything from orange juice to car parts, she said, adding that it will additionally give context to how these imports and exports benefit the local economy. Longest believes the walking tour will positively transform tourists experiences when visiting the area. Its a storytelling piece so that if you are on the walking journey, you feel like youve gotten a little bit of that authentic story about our community, and its also a reason that you might stay a little bit longer, she said. The next phase of fundraising will be for posting signage on I-95 that will advertise the park, which they hope will draw in travelers that would have otherwise passed by the area, Longest said. The county as a whole has a really wonderful railroad story, she said. I mean, theres just really cool stories and theyre a really important part of our economy here, so were hoping this will be a tribute to that heritage and that local residents from all over the county will want to come and visit. Exhibits are under construction now, and engineering has begun for site plans. Construction will begin next year with plans to open exhibits by Ashland Train Day on April 29, 2023. The state grant brings current funds raised to $185,000, while the total project cost is expected to be $220,000 with the cost of signage. Halloween on Hanover, the popular trick-or-treating spot in Richmonds Fan District, is back on this year, complete with street closures. Roughly 50% to 70% of houses on Hanover Avenue are planning to be decorated and hand out candy on Halloween, according to neighbors. The 1900 block of Hanover Avenue will be closed to traffic between Granby and Meadow streets from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. From what I hear, folks are excited and new neighbors are also getting in on the fun, Theodora Miller at 2117 Hanover Ave. said via email. Miller and her family decorate their home every year for Halloween and this year are planning a Scooby Doo theme. In the past, the Miller family has done over-the-top decorations set to themes of Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid and Toy Story. Pre-pandemic, the event would draw between 10,000 to 20,000 visitors on Halloween for the decorations and trick or treating. In 2016, The Wall Street Journal even named Halloween on Hanover one of the best places to trick or treat. The neighborhood-led event has been held for over 40 years. In 2020, Halloween on Hanover was canceled. Last year, the event resurfaced, though not with any street closures. Homeowners typically stock up on thousands of pieces of candy to hand out on Halloween. (tncms-asset)dda2339e-471d-545a-a072-8742d258e1dd[2](/tncms-asset) *** All the Saints Theater Company is also hosting its 17th annual Halloween Parade in Oregon Hill. The popular Day of the Dead-type parade features larger-than-life puppets, stilt walkers, a zombie string band and people in costume in a walking parade. The parade will start at 7 p.m. at Laurel and Main streets across from the Altria Theater and will work its way through the Oregon Hill neighborhood. The parade serves as a form of radical street theater to promote social justice. This years theme is A funeral march for the Supreme Court. For the past few years, All the Saints has had a GoFundMe to help cover parade materials and costs. This year, the GoFundMe has raised over $3,600. All the Saints is also selling merchandise like a Halloween parade T-shirt to help raise funds. This years going to be nothing but celebration, amazing music, and the sweet smell of truth, mortality, and community in the air! We honor the dead and believe in the peoples art! All the Saints posted to its Facebook page. If youre looking for more places in the city of Richmond to trick or treat, favorite spots include West Avenue in the Fan, Seminary Avenue in North Side, New Kent Avenue in Westover Hills and Oregon Hill, just to name a few. Henrico County authorities on Tuesday released new details about a shooting in a Glen Allen neighborhood on Monday. Police responded to 4600 block of Halleys Circle at about 9:47 p.m. Monday. A man with apparent gunshot wounds was taken to a hospital, police said. He was listed in critical but stable condition Tuesday afternoon. Police said the shooting had happened in front of the man's residence. The suspect was described as wearing dark clothing, masked and appeared to be wearing gloves. A Virginia State University student was sentenced Tuesday to serve 16 years in prison for fatally shooting a fellow student during a marijuana deal that went sour in a hallway of University Apartments in Ettrick. The victim, Daniel N. Wharton, 19, was with a friend, Daquan Lofgren, 21, who apparently tried to rob Isaac K. Amissah Jr., 22, during a marijuana transaction, prompting Amissah to open fire. He shot Wharton five times, including shots to his head and neck, and he died on Dec. 5, 2021, after being taken to a local hospital. Wharton, from Alexandria, was a freshman majoring in computer engineering. Five months after the killing, Chesterfield County prosecutors obtained indictments against Lofgren, charging him with felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, robbery resulting in death or injury and felony use of a firearm, authorities disclosed Tuesday. Felony murder is killing someone accidentally in the commission of another felony crime. Richmond facing $191 million deferred maintenance bill Shock waves from the Great Recession are still echoing through Richmonds city finances, with a deferred maintenance bill now at some $191 mil In advance of his scheduled jury trial that was to begin Nov. 2, Amissah, a VSU student who was living in University Apartments, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony use of a firearm in Whartons slaying. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Chesterfield Circuit Judge David E. Johnson sentenced Amissh to a total of 43 years with 27 suspended, leaving him 16 years to serve. The punishment was near the midpoint of discretionary state sentencing guidelines, which for Amissah was calculated at between 13 years at the low end and 21 years and 8 months at the high end. In explaining the prosecutions reasoning for the plea deal, Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Matthew Gravens told the court that prosecutors recognized there was a signficant risk that a jury, upon hearing the facts of the case, could have concluded that Amissah acted in the heat of passion as he was being robbed, and he responded to the robbery by firing his gun. In that event, the jury could have found him guilty of a lesser offense, manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, Gravens said. According to Gravens summary of evidence, Chesterfield police responded about 7:30 p.m. to the University Apartments in the 4000 block of J. Mitchell Drive in Chesterfield, which is near the VSU campus. Upon arrival, two officers were directed to the second-floor balcony area where they found Wharton, who was sitting in the fetal position. Wharton asked the officers to move him because he was dying. The officers were able to get him laid out on the floor before administering first aid. Officers asked Wharton who shot him, and he replied, Zach. He also advised that Zach lived in room 1202. Later, as police began their investigation and interviewed all the residents of room 1202, they were able to identify Zach as Isaac Amissah. They also learned that he lived across the hallway in room 1203. Police obtained search warrants for both rooms, and recovered a bullet from the door of 1202. Inside 1203, officers recovered two gun boxes from the bedroom of Kyle Claye, Amissahs roommate. The boxes were for a Glock 21 .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and a Taurus 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Directly inside the door of 1203 on the ground, police recovered a marijuana bud and a cartridge casing. Outside in the hall, investigators found another cartridge casing and two more were located beneath the second-floor balcony were Wharton was found shot. A state forensics investigator would later determine that all five cartridge casings were .45-caliber ammunition and had markings consistent with being fired from a Glock-style semi-automatic pistol. While police were processing the shooting scene, other officers responded to two other locations of interest. The first was Kings Mart, which is directly across the street from University Apartments. The store owner informed police that a distressed man had entered her store and dropped a gun behind a broom and mop bucket. The owner also provided store video surveillance footage, which showed the man depositing the gun a .38-caliber revolver and admitting to a store clerk that he dropped the weapon. The man was later identified as Lofgren. Officers also went to Whartons dormitory room building on the VSU campus. A resident assistant had contacted police about a suspicious male who was asking to get into a room. Officers located the male, who was identified as Lofgren. Police learned that Lofgren was in possession of just under an ounce of marijuana. He gave police consent to download the content of his phone, and a review of the material revealed that he and Wharton were friends. Investigators also learned that Lofgren had come down a few days prior to hang out with Daniel [Wharton], the prosecutor said. The phone contents also showed that Lofgren had reached out to Amissah on the afternoon before the shooting to purchase some marijuana. Amissah and Lofgren had agreed on a quantity and a price. It was also learned that Lofgren reached out to Amissah again just a few moments before the shooting, to let him know that he was there. Amissah told Lofgren to go to room 1202. In an interview with investigators, Claye, Amissahs rooomate, said that he and Amissah were in their apartment on the evening of Dec. 5, 2021. They had been watching television before eventually going to their separate rooms. Claye said he had begun to work on a final exam when he heard a round of gunshots, prompting him to duck underneath his desk. After the gunfire stopped, Claye said Amissah came to the door of his room, advised there had been a shooting and they had to leave. Claye said Amissah had a bag as the two of them left, and he saw Amissah bend down and pick something up. Claye saw the butt of a gun that he later realized was his Glock 21 pistol. The two men left in Clayes car and they drove to a neighboring apartment complex. Claye asked what had happened at University Apartments, and Amissah replied, They was trying to rob me and I got one of them. The two men drove around a while longer before Amissah asked to be dropped off at an intersection in southern Chesterfield, where he was picked up by another friend. Amissah surrendered to police five days later with his attorney, David Whaley. Lofgren is scheduled to stand trial before a jury beginning April 19. Charlottesville police officials have identified the man slain early Sunday morning on the Downtown Mall as 31-year-old Davonn Jamar Wilson and details of how the killing transpired are emerging through a video and witness accounts. Wilson was one of three people shot around 1:30 a.m. Sunday on the 200 block of West Main Street. He was shot multiple times and died at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Two female bystanders were also struck by the gunfire and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Both are in stable condition and recovering at UVa Medical Center, police said. "It was pandemonium," recalled one witness, who asked not to be named out of safety concerns. On Sunday morning, the witness was part of a party of five inside a restaurant/bar called Lucky Blue's at 223 W. Main Street. He said the group, including his significant other, were not paying particular attention to the party at the adjacent table. "It was a noisy, boisterous atmosphere," explained the man, who says members of his party were having a good time after watching a concert at the Southern Cafe and Music Hall. "We were sitting in an open booth," he said, "when we were heard this really loud noise as the table either got flipped or pushed out of the way." One man, now identified as Wilson, began running toward the entrance. "The other guy followed behind him and just started firing away, right in the restaurant," said the witness. "It was like slow motion. He just pulled a gun and almost casually started firing." A video poised in an office window directly above the street caught the events: Two shots are quickly followed by a salvo of three as pedestrians walking west toward the Charlottesville Omni Hotel recoil in terror. The bystanders run back the way they came amid the first five shots and the piercing sound of gunfire resumes apparently seven and perhaps eight additional times. Unless reverberation from adjacent buildings distorted the audio, as many as 12 or 13 shots were fired. Virginia does not limit the legal capacity of the magazine of a handgun or limit the number of guns someone can carry. A photograph posted to Twitter shows the remnants of the restaurant's glass door the following morning. Once bedecked with festive Halloween images of skulls and pumpkins, an inner sheet of glass was shattered while, less than an inch away, the outer layer remained intact. Outside, as the injured Wilson attempted to flee eastward, the gunman opened fire again, striking the two women bystanders. The witness said that after an initial period of taking cover, the patrons of the Lucky Blue's were led outside by bar personnel via a back entrance. After determining that police, who he said arrived quickly, had secured the area, he looked around to see if he could help. The witness said that Wilson fell at the Downtown Mall's Second Street automobile passage. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to contact Detective Sgt. Ron Stayments at 434-970-3939 or the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 434-977-4000. "Community engagement is vital in addressing and preventing future acts of violence," concluded a police release. As for the witness, it was the second time in two weeks he was close to a shooting scene on the mall. On the afternoon of Oct. 15, the man was on the mall to celebrate his 13-year-old daughters birthday with seven of her friends when shots rang out near the Omni parking lot and two teenage boys were shot. Three teens were arrested later in the week for the shooting. For the man, the week-earlier incident had shots ringing out a block away. One week later, shots would ring out just one table away. Now, despite decades of coming to the Downtown Mall, the nightmare of seeing a man gunned down footsteps away has him thinking twice. Sidney Fuchs has tried to live an upstanding life. Well get to the details below, but he spent most of his 74 years in New York City. After retirement, Fuchs (which is pronounced fewks) moved from the Big Apple to Roanoke County. That was three years ago. One of the ways Fuchs stays busy is through volunteer work. And thats why he joined Friends of the Library this past spring, paying the groups $15 dues by check. In August, Fuchs learned the group would hold a semi-annual used-book sale this fall. He volunteered to help. Thats when Fuchs learned he would first have to pass a background check through the Virginia Department of Social Services in Richmond. The county library system began requiring background checks for all volunteers in July 2021, said Amy Whittaker, a spokeswoman for Roanoke County. Our top priority is ensuring the safety of the individuals being served. This is not an unusual practice for a library system to do, Whittaker wrote in an email. At any given time volunteers may be in the presence of children and teens visiting the library, or handling money, such as during the annual book fair. Volunteers working within any of the Countys public facing departments complete a background check. To begin the background-check process, Fuchs had to fill out a two-page form at the Roanoke County government headquarters on Bernard Drive, which he did by appointment one day in August, before the watchful eyes of a proctor. The form asked for his full name, address, prior addresses, drivers license number, Social Security number, date of birth and some other information such Fuchs sex and race. Dutifully, he wrote down all that information. Another question inquired about Fuchs marital status. He checked the box indicating divorced. He and his wife were divorced in 2017, just short of 40 years of marriage. They had one daughter, who now 35. The form also noted: If married, list current spouse. If previously married, list all previous spouses. If you have never been married, write N/A. Fuchs listed his ex-wifes name. But he didnt include her date of birth in the space allotted for that information. Roughly a month passed, before the Office of Background Investigations for the Virginia Department of Social Services in Richmond sent a letter to Roanoke Countys Human Resources department on Bernard Drive. It rejected Fuchs background-check application citing an error. What was the error? The DSS letter said Fuchs had omitted his Spouse Date of Birth on his background-check application form. The library system notified Fuchs of the glitch in an email that included a copy of the DSS letter. So Fuchs called and spoke to a woman in DSS Office of Background Investigations. I said that it was not an error. As I stated in the application, I am divorced. Therefore, I do not have a spouse, Fuchs noted. She did not seem to understand the difference between a spouse and an ex-spouse, Fuchs wrote me in an email, adding She should ask any lawyer. When the woman asked for his former spouses date of birth, Fuchs demurred. I said that I had no right to give out my ex-wifes date of birth because it could subject her to identity theft, Fuchs said he replied. When the woman on the phone disagreed, I asked her for her date of birth, Fuchs said. As I expected, she refused to give it to me. I was quite surprised, however, when she suggested that I say that I did not know my exs date of birth. I told her I would not lie on the application. She then transferred me to her supervisor who did not take my call and did not return my voicemail. And thats where things now stand. Officially, Fuchs failed to get Richmond-level clearance to work as a volunteer for a used-book sale at a Roanoke County library. Because he didnt list his ex-wifes birthday on that background-check application form, because Fuchs refused to (inaccurately) claim hed forgotten it. He turned to yours truly, in an email that began, Dear Mr. Casey, I hope you will help me qualify for volunteer work. Fuchs acknowledges the humor of the situation, which includes a bit a cynicism about bureaucrats and their operations. But he noted theres a serious part to it. The fact that I applied for clearance and didnt get it is concerning. What will happen, Fuchs wondered, if at some point in the future hes asked if hes ever been denied clearance in a background investigation? Thats the kind of question that can come up, Fuchs noted. At this point, he believes he would have to truthfully respond yes. And that could raise a whole bunch of other red flags and cause even deeper investigations. Who knows where that could end? So I decided to help Roanoke County, by performing my own background investigation on Sidney Fuchs. That began with a phone call and a later interview in his southwest county apartment. Below are the results. Fuchs grew up in the Queens borough of New York City. He graduated from Far Rockaway High School in 1965. As a kid, he joined the Boy Scouts of America. Fuchs rose through the scouting ranks from Tenderfoot to Second Class Scout and then First Class Scout. After that, he either dropped out or aged out of the organization. Subsequently, he returned to scouting as an Explorer. After high school, Fuchs served in the National Guard, which involved months of active-duty training, during which he said he was granted certain confidential security clearances. He also attended college, graduating from Hofstra University. Eventually he enrolled at Brooklyn Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1975. I graduated sixth in my class out of seven, Fuchs told me. I was a solid C-student. Peggy Swisher, a spokeswoman for Brooklyn Law School, confirmed Fuchs earned a law degree there in 1975. Fuchs said that as a college student, he joined a service fraternity that operated used-textbook sales. Later, as an adult, he also volunteered with a Cub Scout pack that served youngsters hospitalized for lengthy stretches. An electronic background check I performed on Fuchs listed a treasure-trove of information. Over 14 pages, it detailed Fuchs eight former addresses, all in New York. And Fuchs voter registration information, relatives names and addresses and the assessed value of his former home in the city for real-estate tax purposes. Notably, it listed zero criminal charges, zero civil judgments and zero bankruptcies connected to Sidney Fuchs. From that report, it appears Fuchs has never even had a traffic ticket, or been caught jaywalking or littering or spitting on a sidewalk. Fuchs was admitted to the New York Bar in 1976. Subsequently, he opened a private practice, handling mostly matrimonial law issues. He also handled general civil cases, workers compensation filings and a handful of criminal charges, too. Among the latter, Fuchs told me he won acquittals for clients in two of the three criminal cases that went to trial. After 13 years of private practice, Fuchs left the law to manage pension and health funds for a union. And after six years of that, he sought a job in New York States civil service. He must have passed New Yorks background check, because the state hired Fuchs to be an administrative law judge. He had to pass an exam for administrative law judges, too. Fuchs held that gig for 22 years. For most of that career, he handled drivers-license and vehicle-registration revocations and suspensions for the New York Department of Motor Vehicles. He conducted hearings and levied fines when appropriate. So for the sake of accuracy, perhaps we should be addressing him with the proper honorific, as Judge Fuchs. Who, by the way, is unable to pass the background check to volunteer for a book sale by Roanoke Countys library system. For lack of sharing his ex-wifes birthday. Go figure. The Vinton man who is the subject of Roanoke Countys first red flag case pleaded no contest to a criminal charge in Roanoke County General District Court on Monday. Douglas Paul England, 46, was charged with making a threat and using profane language over the phone, a misdemeanor, on July 21. Virginias red flag statute permits law enforcement to issue substantial risk orders (SROs) to and seize firearms from people who seem on the verge of harming themselves or others. The civil action has occurred rarely in the Roanoke and New River valleys since 2020, when Virginias red flag law went into effect. When England made threats over the phone in July once to the countys commonwealths attorney office and once to the Veterans Crisis Line prosecutors requested an emergency substantial risk order be issued. England voluntarily relinquished five firearms to Roanoke County police officers on July 22. He appeared in Roanoke County Circuit Court on Aug. 5, when the risk order was extended to Oct. 21. During the 90-day extension, England agreed to seek mental health treatment at the Salem Veterans Administration Medical Center. England was scheduled to appear in court on the SRO matter on Friday, but Commonwealths Attorney Brian Holohan indicated that he was waiting to receive a health evaluation letter from Englands doctor. So, the civil hearing was continued to Wednesday. England entered into an agreement regarding his phone threat charge in an adjudicatory hearing in Roanoke County General District Court on Monday. The agreement stipulates that Englands criminal case be taken under advisement for two years. In October 2024, if England has abided by the conditions of the agreement, the misdemeanor charge will be dismissed. Botetourt County Commonwealths Attorney John Alexander served as a special prosecutor on Englands criminal case, to avoid bias or the appearance of bias, he said. Alexander told the court Monday that on July 21, the Roanoke County Commonwealths Attorney Office received two phone calls from England. The first phone call was answered by a secretary, who would have testified had the case gone to trial that England became agitated when she asked him for his information, Alexander said. She also would have told the court that England made threats to start hurting people if he didnt receive help. The second phone call from England to the office was recorded, and a police officer was present as a witness, Alexander continued. During that call, England told Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Aaron Lavinder that his civil rights had been taken away. He cant be scaring the heck out of people on a Thursday afternoon when theyre just doing their job answering the telephone, Alexander told the court. Englands lawyer, Rob Dean, said the phone calls were made while his client, a U.S. armed forces veteran who had served overseas, was in the throes of a mental health crisis. Dean said England has been fully compliant with the court since July. Things have really gotten back on track for him, Dean said, adding that his client fully intends to abide by the terms of his agreement made in general district court. Those terms call for England to be of good behavior and not violate the law of the commonwealth or any other jurisdiction, have no contact with the Roanoke County prosecutors office except through his lawyer and continue counseling and treatment through the veterans medical center or other providers, according to court documents. On Jan. 5, England will return to general district court for a review of his progress. He will be on supervised probation for at least one year of his two-year advisement period. By entering into the agreement, England waives his right to appeal any final order of guilt, according to a new Virginia statute regarding deferred dispositions. Judge Jacqueline Talevi said she thought the agreement was very, very reasonable and told England that she hopes his treatment and counseling will remain a priority. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy The Town of Culpeper will continue to build on a richer telling of its history with this weekends unveiling of interpretative, interactive plaques marking African-American people and places of the past on East Davis Street. Its the official launch of Right the Record project sharing untold stories of notable citizens and locations that shaped Culpepers history and community, according to a recent release from the Culpeper Tourism department. The ceremony will be 10 a.m. this Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Depot. Right the Record was created in an effort to balance our collective histories, said project founder, Reva historian Zann Nelson, African-American Heritage Alliance interim president. Imagine a community that acknowledges and honors the histories of all its sons and daughters. We are inviting visitors to immerse themselves in some of the lesser known African American stories that have shaped the Culpeper community we all know and love today, she said. The Right the Record project is initially focused on the thriving Black business and residential district that operated for decades during segregation at the end of East Davis Street. Known as the Wharf and Fishtown, the area was geographically located around the Depot and Commerce Street. A history investigation project spanning years, Right the Record contributors, in addition to Nelson, included historians Angela Jeffers Chapman, Simone Logan and Michelle Tutt, all members of African-American Heritage Alliance. The group presented a printed document of its findings thus far in February to Culpeper Town Council, which has supported the work being down with the tourism department. The brand new Right the Record interactive public program includes a self-guided walking tour that will take visitors to six notable places throughout the Town of Culpeper and allow them to use QR codes to learn more. The heritage initiative leads to a new page on the town web site at visitculpeperva.com/right-the-record.aspx. The web pages feature photos and Right the Record information documented about downtown sites such asDr. Elijah Barbers Medical Office, Jennings Lunch and Pool Room, the Lightfoot Building, Piedmont Lodge No. 75 Colored Masons at the McCoy Building, Marshall Funeral Service and Skinny Loves Barber Shop. Dr. Barbers office in 1931 was home to the first and at that time only African American doctor in greater Culpeper area. Ruby Beck, Pete Hill, Gerard Alexander Jennings, the Rev. Willis Madden, Henry Ace Payne, Annie Payne, the Holme-Taylor Building (link to come) and more are all featured on the town web site. Scanning the QR codes on the plaques will take history learners there. Some of the highlighted citizens were also featured in a new mural on East Davis Street, Trailblazers, also acknowledging Culpepers rich Black history. Right the Record is a living project, and as such is subject to updates and edits as new information and documentation are uncovered, the Culpeper Tourism release stated. Current stops along the trail take travelers to visit key buildings throughout the Town of Culpeper telling the stories of what was once there. Historians and citizens passionate about the legacy and telling the whole story of African Americans in Culpeper, VA created the African American Heritage Alliance. The group helps raise awareness of Culpepers African American heritage through education, research, preservation, and promotion. AAHA also supports recordation and publication of related research materials and recently started a page on Facebook to provide a place to share stories and learn about little known or unheard Culpeper Town and County African American history. Its also a place to post announcements of upcoming events related to Culpepers African American Community. AAHA encourages and welcomes participation. Information may also be sent to aahaculpeper@gmail.com. RICHMOND Following registration and mailing issues this month, along with letters from a concerned state senator, the Virginia Department of Elections announced the award of a contract in a years-long plan to replace its current voting technology. The Canton Group, a Baltimore-based software development company, was announced Monday afternoon and the new system is expected to go live in early 2025. The announcement comes after the department experienced a few issues this month. In early October the Department of Elections said it had forwarded about 107,000 voter registration applications recently submitted through the DMV, to local registrars to update voting rolls with new registrations, updated addresses and other changes. Commissioner of Elections Susan Beals attributed the problem at the time to intermittent network issues. No voter registration data was lost, but the issue will cause an increase in processing voter registration applications at the local level, she said in a statement earlier this month. Sen. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, chair of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, sent a letter the following day asking for more details, and followed up with another letter this past weekend. Please provide an explanation to what the problem was, what the solution is, and whether the system is now correctly functioning, he wrote in his latest letter. Spruills re-upped request also asked for details about another issue that happened late last week. More than 30,000 residents in Northern Virginia received mail with the wrong polling locations. Some residents in Southwest Virginia also received the wrong information, according to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Meanwhile, Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax said that she, along with local officials in Fairfax County and the town of Herndon are all working collaboratively to make certain that our voters understand where they should be voting and have trust in the process. As a state legislator who represents an area affected by the error, however, Boysko questions why the states election department sent mailers rather than local registrars. Our local jurisdictions know best how to implement these kinds of letters because they do it regularly, Boysko said. I mean, that's my question is why did they why did they feel like they had to do it from the very beginning? Why didn't they let the local jurisdictions handle this? And I don't have that answer. Aside from mailing issues, critiques have long simmered for the Virginia Election and Registration Information System, or VERIS, which was recommended for replacement in 2018. By last year, officials sought to purchase a new IT system to run alongside VERIS for this years elections as part of a process to transition away from VERIS. Requests for proposals opened last year, when Democrat Ralph Northam was governor and before Beals had been appointed as the Commissioner. According to Mondays release, three proposals were received and evaluated. The multi-year project now that a contract has been awarded, is expected to cost $13.5 million, with an anticipated $2.9 million per year for maintenance and hosting for up to 10 years, the release stated. As election technology and security requirements have increased, the need to replace our current voter registration system has become imperative, Beals said in the release. She added that the procurement was reviewed by the Virginia Information Technologies Agency and the Office of the Attorney General. There is broad support for replacing VERIS, and we were determined to obtain the best solution capable of serving the Commonwealth for years to come, Beals said. Amid mounting criticism her office is experiencing major attrition and turnover, Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx on Monday said hiring is on the upswing and that shell continue to be aggressive to solve the problem. Foxxs comments came during the states attorneys annual budget hearing with the Cook County Board of Commissioners where she also defended supporting state laws sponsors say will solve long-term inequities in the criminal justice system but opponents claim will lead to more crime across Illinois. Advertisement Foxx chastised some of the states attorneys in other counties who oppose the so-called SAFE-T Act, saying they are spreading misinformation about the highly politicized legislation that passed in 2021. In the middle of her second term as states attorney, Foxx has faced criticism on multiple fronts, including that a larger-than-normal number of assistant states attorneys and other staffers have resigned and that morale in the office is low. Foxx blamed many of the resignations as part of the Great Resignation that occurred nationwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisement [ Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx struggles to keep up with prosecutor exits ] The states attorneys office has not been spared from the Great Resignation, in which we saw a number of people leave the office and in fact the field during the course of the last two years due to the pandemic, Foxx said. An attrition analysis from the countys budget office recorded 237 vacancies in the office, an amount county Finance Chairman John Daley, who has been on the board for three decades, said, seems a very high number to me, in the years Ive been on the board. Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx shakes hands after answering questions about the SAFE-T Act on Oct. 14, 2022. (Michael Blackshire / Chicago Tribune) Following the hearing, a Foxx spokesperson said that number represented vacancies over time and that as of Oct. 1, the office had 166 vacant positions out of the 1,432 positions budgeted for this year. Of 746 budgeted assistant states attorney positions, 107 are vacant, Foxxs office said. Foxx told the county panel shes been aggressively hiring new prosecutors, poaching civil attorneys and that we have continued to bring in new staff on a fairly regular clip. Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. Were not there in terms of being fully staffed, but were aggressively managing it, she said. The Tribune previously reported that longtime prosecutors were disgruntled and that rosters showed a number of felony courtrooms were understaffed at the same time prosecutors dealt with a case backlog. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkles budget recommendation for 2023 increases the offices head count. Those new positions, including an additional 23 attorneys and 16 staff, will help with the implementation of many provisions in the SAFE-T Act, Foxx said, by working in bond court to be able to do the work that is necessary. Advertisement That extra staff is needed for the detailed dangerousness hearings involving violent crimes. The time, depth and commitment that we need for our assistants to do these reviews with these new standards in place will slow processes if we dont have additional bodies to do it, Foxx said. Foxx, who helped craft the SAFE-T Act, also called out fellow states attorneys who she said had politicized the legislation. The law passed roughly 18 months ago but only now are prosecutors raising objections, she said. Dozens of states attorneys across Illinois have filed lawsuits challenging the measure. I think what has happened in the course of the last several weeks is a misinformation campaign, she said. Foxx said she anticipates more violent offenders will be held in jail without bond after the no cash bail provisions take effect in January, a claim Republican Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison questioned. I disagree with your assessment, professionally, he said. Its one of the number one issues within suburban Cook County, and rightfully so. Violence is certainly spreading. Foxx acknowledged that changes to the legislation should be made and said she is taking part in discussions about what those changes should be. Advertisement We absolutely need to make sure that the language is clear and unequivocal so that there is not this confusion that has crept up again, some intentional, and some because the language needs to be better, she said. aquig@chicagotribune.com RICHMOND Fourth graders in Virginia have suffered some of the largest declines in reading and math proficiency in the nation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a newly released national assessment. Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday placed blame for the grim results on his Democratic predecessors, and used the scores as an opportunity to announce plans to overhaul the states school accreditation system and toughen passing criteria for state standardized testing. Our nation's children have experienced catastrophic learning loss, and Virginia students are among the hardest hit, Youngkin said at a news conference Monday. We also must clearly recognize that the underpinnings to this catastrophic performance were decisions that were made long before we'd ever heard of COVID-19. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as The Nations Report Card, shows that fourth grade reading scores in Virginia fell by 10 points, the largest dip in the nation, since the last assessment in 2019. Fourth grade math scores dropped by 11 points, a mark surpassed only by Delaware and the District of Columbia. Eighth grade scores also fell in Virginia, with math scores down eight points, equal to the nationwide average, and eighth grade reading scores down two points, which the National Center for Education Statistics said was not a statistically significant change. Virginias performance on the assessment, Youngkin said, clearly indicates that too many of Virginia's leaders did not meet that obligation to provide excellent and outstanding education for our children. Although other research has already shown that the pandemic impeded student achievement, results from the national assessment released Monday give the most detailed and reliable measure yet of the pandemics effect on childrens learning. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said the two previous state administrations, under Democratic Govs. Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, systematically lowered standards for schools and lowered expectations for students. More than 20 years of gains have been completely wiped out, and this massive learning loss cannot be blamed solely on the pandemic, because nearly half of the learning loss occurred before anyone in this room ever heard of COVID-19, Balow said. Balows assertions describe the trend in fourth grade reading scores fairly well, but they do not apply consistently across other subjects and grade levels. Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, head of the state Senates Education and Health Committee, said now is not the time to point fingers at those who are no longer in leadership. "In a time where we need proper leadership from the governor, instead of taking time off the road to find solutions to learning loss problems in Virginia's schools, he'd instead place the blame on previous administrations, '' Lucas said in a statement. While Youngkin is trying to prove he is fit for national leadership, he isn't dealing with the problems in his Commonwealth. We have staffing shortages in schools across Virginia, students aren't receiving the proper resources to set every child up for success, and many schools need funding for structural improvements to increase the quality of education." Math scores in both fourth and eighth grade dipped slightly from 2017 to 2019 decreases of one and three points, respectively but only fell significantly since the 2019 assessment. And while eighth grade reading scores fell more sharply between 2017 and 2019, Virginias scores had been roughly the same since 1998. But Republican leaders still took the opportunity to lay the blame on decisions made during the McAuliffe and Northam administrations. Failure is a choice, and past Democratic leaders chose to fail our students by prolonged school closures and lowering academic standards, House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, said in a statement. Look no further than to states that reopened schools sooner and their student achievement during the pandemic. The head of the federal center that administers the assessment said that there is nothing in the data that shows a measurable difference in the performance between states and districts based solely on how long schools were closed. Del. Schyuler VanValkenburg, D- Henrico, who is also a teacher, said one of the reasons for the decline in scores is a lack of funding. The General Assembly has underfunded public schools since the great recession in 2009 You had for over a decade a harshly GOP controlled General Assembly, where school funding was kind of at the back of the bus, VanValkenburg said. It's like a welcome to the party moment where we've been talking about these things for five or six years. Maybe they've been going under the radar, but these changes have been occurring. They've been occurring in a bipartisan way and we've been making progress. Youngkin on Monday announced seven concrete actions to build on what he called his commitment to move Virginia's educational system in the right direction. The governor, whose administration has said for months that the criteria for determining proficiency on the states Standard of Learning assessments are too lenient, doubled down on that stance Monday. He called Virginias standards the lowest in the nation and said that his top educational priority is for the state Department of Education to establish the highest passing threshold in the country by the time our students take SOL exams next spring. Youngkin acknowledged that such a move might result in further declines in scores in the short term, but said that he believes it will pay off in the long run. The data shows us that when we challenge our students and our teachers, they rise to the occasion, he said. Youngkin is also directing the Board of Education to overhaul the school accreditation system, which he said has masked the fact that we are failing too many of our students across the commonwealth. Last month Youngkin and Balow had cast doubt on the state's accreditation system, after the first year of ratings since the COVID-19 pandemic began showed that 89% of Virginia public schools are fully accredited a drop of just 3 percentage points from three years ago. Youngkin said Monday that the current accreditation model is difficult to understand, and a new system might include something like a letter grade. It needs to be as simple as understanding that you are not doing well, you are doing OK, or you are doing well, Youngkin said. The governor also challenged school divisions to spend the nearly $2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds distributed as part of President Joe Bidens 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. He said that the fund sits in the proverbial bank accounts of our local schools. He called out five of Virginias largest school divisions by name including Richmond and Henrico and suggested that they use their remaining funds to bring back retired teachers to provide supplementary instruction before and after school, pay bonuses to teachers who improve test scores, or even provide direct subsidies to families to hire tutors for their children. U.S. Department of Education guidelines for the use of federal relief funds suggest that local school divisions can use the money to implement tutoring programs, including intensive or high-dosage tutoring, to offset pandemic-related learning loss, but it is unclear whether Youngkins suggestion of sending money directly to families to employ outside tutors would fall under the guidelines. School divisions submitted their plans for spending the most recent distribution of relief funds over a year ago, and in many cases have already spent millions of what was allocated to them, but Youngkin directed Balow to require all school divisions to revamp their plans by December 31. The money is in the bank. It should be spent on things that will get our kids back on track for success, Youngkin said. That's why the money was given to put it to work. 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. April Chavez is the Santa Maria City Reporter for the Santa Maria Times. If you have information, or a story idea that you would like to share, send her an email at AChavez@SantaMariaTimes.com. FLORENCE Florence 1 Schools received a District of Distinction Award from zSpace, Inc., Monday during a ceremony at McLaurin Elementary School ZSpace, Inc., is a technology firm based in Silicon Valley, California. The company combines elements of virtual and augmented reality in a computer learning system to enhance the learning experience for students. Florence 1 Schools was recognized as a pioneer in preparing students for the future. The zSpace program gives students a lifelike and immersive learning experience through the use of mixed reality in classrooms. The program is not limited to Science, Technology, Education, and Math programs and offers Career Technical Education programs like culinary, auto and health sciences. Anything one is able to visualize, can be pulled up in the zSpace system and modeled in a simulation for students. Florence 1 Schools is the first in South Carolina district to receive the District of Distinction recognition. It is also the first district to implement the program in all its schools. Three zSpace representatives presented the award to Florence 1 Schools and made three stops starting at McLaurin Elementary then to Royall Elementary and finishing at Moore Middle School The representatives were Sheena Shoemaker, a zSpace Senior Customer Success Manager from Duluth, Minnesota; zSpace Regional Director Kristine George from North Carolina; and zSpace Video Producer from the San Francisco Bay area Sara Lennon. Shoemaker said she is a former teacher who frequently used zSpace in her classroom. Today, we are presenting Florence 1 with the District of Distinction award, Shoemaker said. It is an honorary award that zSpace gives out to districts that are innovative and are willing to be on the cutting edge of technology to showcase to other schools, educators, and people in the community. Shoemaker said Florence 1 Schools zSpace programs are mostly focused on STEM. Florence is using the zSpace program as a way to motivate their students and get them energized, Shoemaker said. When the kids are on the STEMbus using the programs, you can just feel this contagious excitement to learn. It really makes learning fun and engaging for them. Florence 1 Schools is the first school district in the United States to implement one of zSpace programs called studio A3 districtwide. Studio A3 is an application that allows students to experience model and content in 3-D where students compare, dissect, analyze and annotate thousands of 3-D models, complete hundreds of activities and create their own content. They are really fostering equity in this district, Shoemaker said. They are allowing all students the access to 3D modeling to visualize concepts in STEM. Florence 1 Schools STEM Director Chris Rodgers said the program gives students a chance to enter into a virtual reality. When students work with zSpace, they can do everything from dissecting body organs, taking a car motor apart or exploring multiple habits and different types of robotics, Rogers said. Our students really love to work in this 3D world because the computers make the models seem as though students could reach right into the air and grab them. zSpace is used in many ways. It is available on the STEM Bus which travels to all Florence 1 Schools, computers. ZSpace programs are used at Florence 1 elementary, middle, and high schools, and zSpace training is offered to Florence 1 teachers so they may readily offer the experience to students. They are even able to virtually dissect a human heart, Rodgers said. They are doing all of these things virtually that they would have normally been doing in a regular lab setting. The program gives them a chance to practice and then get into a real lab and actually do it. Rodgers said the program serves as a gateway to real life experiences. One of the greatest takeaways from the program is that it motivates the students to want to learn more. Anything that we can add to the curriculum to help our test scores and get our kids to learn is a really good thing, he said. When they are having fun and learning, test scores will excel, and it is a good combination for our students. FLORENCE The University of South Carolina welcomed its largest freshman class in the universitys history this fall,university President Michael Amiridis said. Approximately 6,600 students are first-time freshmen, and if you count the transfers and exchange students, the University of South Carolina has more than 8,000 new students on campus this fall. That is a strong indicator of where we are, Amiridis told the Florence Rotary Club on Monday at Victors. There are 3,500 South Carolinians in the freshman class. He said more than 500 students are from the greater Florence area. One out of three will pay zero tuition and fees, he said. One out of three of our undergraduate students from South Carolina get a free higher education. Amiridis said dont look at the sticker price. Look at what students pay in South Carolina. We have a very strong freshman experience program, he said. The freshman experience program is recognized across the county. He said they have been teaching this for 50 years, and it is recognized at one of the top programs in the country. Every year, Amiridis said, USC has a new group of students, along with returning students, who have a desire to change the world and who lift you up. Love and support is as strong as it has ever been for the University of South Carolina, he said. He said there is a network of universities that the school has a good relationship with, including Francis Marion University. Everyone wants to see the University of South Carolina move forward and do well, Amiridis said. He said the university has excellent infrastructure. It has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, Amiridis said. It has the Taj Mahal of business education and legal education, but facilities are only part of the equation. We are in the sector to provide personalized services, Amiridis said. The most important infrastructure is human infrastructure, he said. We have outstanding faculty members, and we have a very dedicated group of staff members We are recognized nationally and internationally for what we do and what we discover, he said. Amiridis said he is committed to excellence, transparency and accessibility. I think there is a lot of progress that we can make to be more user-friendly, to be more efficient and be more open easy to navigate when you are looking for information, Amiridis said. He said he has been a faculty member, academic administrator and higher education leader and he will use this experience to guide South Carolina into its next era. If you want to remember one thing from today, Amiridis said, Watch what USC will be doing in a number of years from now. Amiridis returned to the University of South Carolina as its 30th president on July 1. He first arrived to USC in 1994 and spent more than two decades at the Columbia campus as a faculty member and administrator, serving from 2009 to 2015 as the universitys executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. Prior to retuning, he led the University of Illinois-Chicago as its chancellor since 2015. His two children are both graduates of the University of South Carolina. Conrad Black has more federal time to do after resentencing | Main | "Gov. Brownback starts faith-based program for parolees" June 24, 2011 To resist capital prosecution, RI's Gov refusing to turn murderer over to feds A real interesting federalism-and-the-death-penalty story is now brewing in Rhode Island, as detailed in this new local article headlined "Chafee refuses to give suspect to feds." Here are the basics: Governor Chafee is refusing to turn over a suspected murderer in state custody to the federal government, declaring that doing so would expose prisoner Jason Wayne Pleau to the death penalty, a penalty he says has been consciously rejected by Rhode Island, even for the most heinous of crimes. In a letter dispatched to U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha Thursday afternoon, Chafee said he is not going to allow the transfer of Pleau, who has been accused of robbing and killing gas station manager David D. Main as he prepared make a deposit at a Citizens Bank branch in Woonsocket on Sept. 20. If prosecuted in the federal system, Pleau would fall under the Hobbs Act, in which conspiracy and robbery can be punishable by life imprisonment or death if a firearm was used in a crime that results in death. In his letter, Chafee said his rejection of the federal request should in no way minimize the tragic and senseless nature of Mr. Mains murder, and declared that the person or persons responsible for this horrific act must, and will, be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law. I extend my deepest sympathy to Mr. Mains family for their unspeakable loss. At the same time, he said Rhode Island would not impose the death penalty. In light of this long-standing policy, I cannot in good conscience voluntarily expose a Rhode Island citizen to a potential death-penalty prosecution. I am confident that Attorney General [Peter F.] Kilmartin and Rhode Islands criminal justice system are capable of ensuring that justice is served in this matter. Chafee has been a longtime opponent of capital punishment. In an August 2006 debate with Cranston Mayor Steven Laffey, Chafee was asked if he would support the death penalty for Osama bin Laden if he were caught and convicted of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Its a highly emotional issue, he said. Rhode Island executed an innocent man in the 19th century, and I oppose the death penalty.... Jarad Goldstein, a professor of constitutional law at Roger Williams University, said its possible Chafee was within his legal rights to turn down the request, given that the federal government didnt get a court order that would have mandated it be given custody, but made the request under another agreement that allows states to request an interstate retainer. This agreement gives each state the discretion to decline a request from another state. It may be that the state is within its rights, though it is still not clear to me whether a state can decide not to turn over a defendant because it disagrees with the federal policy, Goldstein said. Usually, federal law trumps state policy but, in this case, I think an argument can be made either way. Goldstein said the federal prosecutors could get an order from a federal judge that state officials could not ignore. Jim Martin, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney, said Neronha was faxed a copy of Chafees letter prior to his getting a plane to Rhode Island after attending a daylong conference in Washington. He said Neronha told him that his office plans to move forward with the prosecution and had other ways of gaining custody.... Ironically, Pleaus case came up last year as an example of competing federal-state jurisdictions. At a program at the Roger Williams University School of Law in November 2010, Neronha and then-Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch used the case the killing had occurred just about two weeks before as an example of competing state and federal interests. Lynch and Neronha said they would review cases to determine which office had stronger case and better chance to win. Sometimes, state or federal law allows more leeway, or permits more evidence for a particular type of crime, they said, and sometimes the greater sentence available was a factor. With Pleau, Rhode Island had an interest in the murder of one of its citizens, Lynch said, and one of the defendants in the case had a suspended sentence for a previous state conviction. Neronha said the federal government had traditionally taken an interest in crimes involving banks. Banks are important to the United States, he said. People who use them are important to the United States. Some additional layers to this interesting story comes from this follow-up local report, headlined "Man Chafee shielded from death penalty plans guilty plea," which reports these details about how the defendant hopes this case will get resolved: A day after Governor Chafee, citing a possible federal death penalty, refused to hand murder suspect Jason W. Pleau over to U.S. authorities, Chafee's office on Friday released a letter from the public defender stating that Pleau wants to plead guilty in return for a sentence of life with no parole. John J. Hardiman, public defender, notified assistant state Attorney General Randall White of the development on May 17, according to a copy of Hardiman's letter supplied by the governor's office. On Thursday Chafee rejected the U.S. Government's request for temporary federal custody of Pleau, who is charged with murder in the case of a Woonsocket gas station owner killed on the steps of a bank. And the headline of this additional local story highlights yet another element of, and perspective on, this interesting case: "Murdered man's family 'outraged' at gov" June 24, 2011 at 03:45 PM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451574769e2014e895c9dba970d Listed below are links to weblogs that reference To resist capital prosecution, RI's Gov refusing to turn murderer over to feds: Comments This one is easy. The US Attorney subpoenas the Governor and whatever subordinate state official presently holding custody of the defendant to bring the defendant before the grand jury (like a subpoena duces tecum). They then either refuse, in which case they'll be held in coercive contempt, or they comply, in which case the FBI or the US Marshall seize the defendant then and there. Chafee was a notorious political grandstander when he was in Washington, and I see he hasn't changed. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 24, 2011 4:29:16 PM In light of this long-standing policy, I cannot in good conscience voluntarily expose a Rhode Island citizen to a potential death-penalty prosecution. I am confident that Attorney General [Peter F.] Kilmartin and Rhode Islands criminal justice system are capable of ensuring that justice is served in this matter. Because I don't like the death penalty, I can violate federal law. A novel concept. Posted by: MikeinCT | Jun 24, 2011 5:04:30 PM Actually, Mike, there is lots of precedent for state officials defying federal law that is contrary to state policy. It was mostly 1954-1964, and it was called "massive resistance." President Eisenhower sent the Army. President Kennedy sent his brother. Who will President Obama send? Posted by: Kent Scheidegger | Jun 24, 2011 7:51:01 PM Bill, Mike, Kent, etc. Federal Law has become an ass! Look at the Adam Walsh Act. Look at the states prostituting themselves for a few (temporary) Byrne (Biden) bucks because of the aggregate stupidity of the publicly educated and the publicly dependent on these few bucks. Colleges and Universities will be next as there is no ROI in a "college" (read liberal) education. I might even buy a few pencils from starving professors. Posted by: albeed | Jun 24, 2011 9:29:52 PM Maybe the new SCOTUS opinion in Bonds [10amen] answers this: Maybe an as applied challenge based on Equal Protection, as everyone else except me is ineligible for death in a state which abolished the death penalty. Barry Posted by: TucsonBarry | Jun 24, 2011 10:05:46 PM Bill -- Isn't the usual procedure for getting a state prisoner into federal court a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum? Posted by: Jay | Jun 24, 2011 10:30:04 PM Jay -- You may well be right -- it sounds like you are -- but having no personal experience with the writ you mention, I didn't want to put it forward as the solution. As you might suspect, the USAO in EDVA never had a problem with Virginia state authorities. One the other hand, Virginia, in the modern era, never had a Governor who was as big a jerk as Chafee. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 25, 2011 7:05:52 AM I proposed banning lawyers from all benches, legislative seats and responsible positions in the executive. I now propose banning all blacksmiths, as well. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jun 25, 2011 9:25:49 AM "I am confident that Attorney General [Peter F.] Kilmartin and Rhode Islands criminal justice system are capable of ensuring that justice is served in this matter. In an interesting turn, the Rhode Island AG says there are no state murder charges pending. Something tells me he doesn't want to go along with this farce. Posted by: MikeinCT | Jun 25, 2011 9:54:25 AM Brave move by Chafee. Posted by: anonymous | Jun 25, 2011 11:35:18 AM Anonymous -- Brave my foot. In order for an act to be brave, the actor has to be facing some serious pain for what he has done. Chafee faces no pain at all. What he "faces" is being invited to defense lawyer banquets to be given free filet mignon dinners and then lionized in after-dinner speeches for his True Wonderfulness. After that, he'll have to "suffer' the slings and arrows of equally giddy Leftist editorials from all over the state repeating the same air-headed praise. He's being "brave" in exactly the same way Gov. George Wallace was "brave" for defying DOJ and, famously, standing in the schoolhouse door. He knew he was going to have to cave in (as does Chafee), which he did after an appropriately glitzy show. He also knew that the "pain" would consist of making himself even more of a hero to his extremist, "get-those-feds-outta-here" political base. You confuse bravery with self-promoting political grandstanding. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 25, 2011 12:02:52 PM MikeinCT, you are right. Apparently Chafee forgot to check on what already happened in the case before this stunt. The AG already dropped the state murder charge a while back after the federal grand jury indicted the defendant. So there is no state charge left for the defendant to plead to. I believe the state has him in custody on a parole violation, but if Chafee wants to give the family any justice and have the guy convicted on murder charges, then he better give the guy to the feds, or convice the AG to refile the murder charges, if possible. And to Jay, yes the proper procedure is for the feds to have a federal court issue a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum. We do that in my district all the time. As long as federal charges are pending, the judge will issue the writ. If the state doesn't comply, then it'll have to answer to the judge who signed the writ. Posted by: domino | Jun 25, 2011 1:58:33 PM Mr. Otis, Well, I think enduring death threats from the pro-death penalty crowd and condemnation from his party, the right and others (see Ann Coulter's piece from years ago "They Shot The Wrong Lincoln") certainly speaks to Chafee's recurrent willingness, over many years, to take controversial positions that he believes in, at great cost. It would have been of far more political benefit, in many ways, to him to simply sit back and go along with the pre-execution ride, a la Perry, Schwarzenegger, et al. Wallace and Chafee? A really, really inaccurate analogy. Two totally different men historically, and two far different issues and contexts. Like it or not, the death penalty is recognized by most nations as a barbaric violation of civil and human rights. Wallace flagrantly disregarded those rights, and expressedly so. If it's an attempt at some semblance of state-federal comparison you make between the two men, there are many, many other cases and individuals you'll also have to make into modern day George Wallaces - a host of republicans on healthcare, Duval Patrick and the sheriffs of Portland and San Francisco on Secure Communities, state politicos' efforts to legalize marijuana, to name just a few *but* such analogies, like the Wallace- Chafee one, are misplaced, incredibly short-sighted and as said above, historically inaccurate given the contexts and individuals involved. Posted by: anonymous | Jun 25, 2011 2:41:44 PM @anonymous Schwarzenegger faced protests in Europe and the US and the possibility of attacks by the Crips. Far more than what faces Chaffee now. Posted by: MikeinCT | Jun 25, 2011 3:01:19 PM MikeinCT, Facing protests is part of the job, and not an example of courage, in my view. In fact protests I would argue are key to public accountability in this country, and something leaders should face readily and easily. Perhaps the only leaders who do not face a possibility of protests are those totalitarian leaders who prohibit them completely. As for Schwarzenegger, he didn't face any real possibility of attack from any of the executions he mandated. On the contrary he gained a ton in donations and and political support from law enforcement and prison guards unions in exchange for his actions. Not a stretch for Arnold at all. Posted by: anonymous | Jun 25, 2011 3:15:30 PM @anonymous You just said Chaffee is brave for facing condemnation and protests, but now Schwarzenegger isn't? As for threats, I think angering thousands of Crip gang members is a lot more likely to get you hurt than angering pro death penalty advocates. Posted by: MikeinCT | Jun 25, 2011 3:31:18 PM anonymous -- "Well, I think enduring death threats from the pro-death penalty crowd..." I haven't heard of any. Could you quote any credible threat and give the source? "...and condemnation from his party..." He doesn't have a party. You're behind the times. "...certainly speaks to Chafee's recurrent willingness, over many years, to take controversial positions that he believes in, at great cost." Although you subsequently criticize my reference to Wallace, your description above actually fits Wallace better than Chafee. The "great cost" to Chafee has been what, exactly? Being a multimillionaire Governor and former Senator? Wallace actually DID pay a great cost -- he was shot and paralyzed, and died in a wheelchair. "Wallace and Chafee? A really, really inaccurate analogy. Two totally different men historically, and two far different issues and contexts." Not that I ever said they were the same historically, or that they shared similar beliefs. What I said was that they were political grandstanders taking positions they knew would flop in order to gain swooning praise from true believers. And I must say you haven't disappointed. If you want to give kudos to people who actually ARE brave, perhaps you'll join me in saluting the bravery of the Navy SEALS who advanced the interests of the United States, not to mention civilized life, by blowing Osama's head off and dumping his remains in the ocean. And without a lick of due process, I might add. Will you do that? Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 25, 2011 3:33:00 PM MikeinCT, You're wrong about what I said - I did not say at all that Chafee faced protests and was brave for that. I said he has faced death threats. Protests and death threats: two very different things. As I said, The powerful lined up for Arnold both in money and political support, for him, and that is well documented. I haven't seen any documentation of attempted attack on him from Crips or anyone else due to an execution. Posted by: anonymous | Jun 25, 2011 3:41:56 PM Mr. Otis, I will try to reply later to your post when I have more time, but may I just say, with all due respect: I think you've mistaken this blog for the Osama Bin Laden blog. Posted by: anonymous | Jun 25, 2011 4:03:35 PM If you read down to the 7TH and 8TH paragraphs in the quoted article, it looks like Chaffee may be acting lawfully cause the feds requested Pleau under some interstate agreement that lets the governor exercise discretion. Probably a stupid move. If the feds try something else that has teeth, then we'll see what Chaffee will do. Posted by: arfarf | Jun 25, 2011 5:22:33 PM anonymous -- You bought up bravery. What the SEALS did is a recent and quite prominent example of it. If you think they deserve contempt for their "violence" or "brutality" and "disregard for due process" or human rights or the UN and that sort of thing, please feel free to say so, and loudly. It's still a free country (because of brave men like them). Chafee, on the other hand, is a big-mouth grandstanding politician. And far from being brave, he'll cave in a New York minute when the feds show up with actual force. He hasn't done anything brave and he's not about to. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 25, 2011 6:24:59 PM Mr. Otis, I've never even mentioned the U.S. Navy Seals, nor referred to them in any way. There's nothing in the original post, or the commentary that mentions them either. That's all you; and I'm not sure why you go on about it here. Posted by: anonymous | Jun 25, 2011 6:56:43 PM "That's all you; and I'm not sure why you go on about it here. LOL, I really don't have a dog in this fight but I can answer this question for you anonymous. Mr.Otis's forte is dealing in distractions. He has just distracted you from the core issue of this thread and diverted the conversation to one about the Seals. Hang around this blog a while, you'll get used to it. Posted by: Thomas | Jun 25, 2011 7:50:11 PM Ha, Thomas, thank you! I actually did see that happening. Did not want to engage about the Seals necessarily, I just wanted to call him on it. Thank you again for the clarification. Posted by: anonymous | Jun 25, 2011 9:29:14 PM All government officials should lose their self-dealt and inappropriate immunity. I would like to see the victim's family sue the governor for the tort of intentional interference with getting justice. It merits exemplary damages. To deter. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jun 25, 2011 10:16:14 PM anonymous -- When YOU put bravery in issue, you can expect to hear about an example of actual bravery, rather than the phony "bravery" of Chafee playing for kudos from anti-DP ideologues. The real reason you don't want to "engage about the SEALS" is that you have nothing good to say about them, viewing them as barbarians -- you know, militarism, violence and all that -- while still, and absurdly, trying to palm off as "bravery" the political showboating of a left wing pol. And I see that despite what you said here, Jun 25, 2011 4:03:35 PM, and your subsequent posts showing that you do indeed have time, you have yet to answer my reply to you, which pointed out, among other things, that your claim of "danger" to Chafee on account of the "condemnation of his party" is flat-out false, since there is neither danger nor, for Chafee, a party. Other than that, though, you're doing a fine job of praising the "to hell with the feds" George Wallace wannabe. Next we'll see Gov. Chafee stand in the jailhouse door, complete with podium. That'll be a hoot. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 25, 2011 10:17:02 PM In defense of Bill, the Seals are relevant to this post. Chafee viciously attacked the lawfulness of their conduct. He called those who approve of the execution of Bin Laden, including Obama, our Muslim in the White House, of being merely emotional. "Chafee was asked if he would support the death penalty for Osama bin Laden if he were caught and convicted of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Its a highly emotional issue, he said. Rhode Island executed an innocent man in the 19th century, and I oppose the death penalty. Learn to read better. Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Jun 25, 2011 10:19:30 PM SC -- I appreciate your post. What I'm actually doing is pretty straightforward: anonymous said Chafee's action is "brave." In fact it is not "brave" unless that word has lost its meaning. So to test what anonymous thinks "bravery" actually means, I brought up the SEALS, whose bravery is undeniable by normal people. His refusal to say so, which would take all of three or four words, is telling about the very core of his original "Chafee-is-brave" proposition. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 25, 2011 10:36:47 PM @anonymous I haven't seen any proof of an attack on Chaffee either. Still, signing off on the execution of a Crip leader is still more likely to get you killed. Posted by: MikeinCT | Jun 25, 2011 10:48:54 PM MikeinCT -- No, no. Haven't you heard? A Crips leader is Mr. Nicey! The Crips wouldn't, you know, like retaliate or anything -- would they? C'mon, they're all Jean Valjean. Governors do have good security staffs, though. And Chafee is so rich he could personally hire a better security detail than the state could provide. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 25, 2011 10:56:36 PM So let me get this straight: someone commits a murder in Rhode Island. The police arrest the guy they think did it. The state charges him with murder. Then the feds, using some law that lets them punish intrastate behavior, which carries the death penalty, also indicts the guy. Then the state prosecutor drops the charges. Not sure if this is what happened; I'm just going by the discussion above. Sounds like the state prosecutor wants to see this defendant fry, but the law of his state doesn't allow it, so he asked the feds to intervene. Doesn't the federal government have a policy of not prosecuting people who are already convicted by the state of an offense? That would explain why the state prosecutor had to drop the case; if the guy got convicted by the state, then the feds would not pick it up and kill him for the state prosecutor. Whatever the merits (or lack thereof) in Chafee's position, it looks like the state prosecutor doesn't want to see his state's laws carried out, because he disagrees with them. Posted by: Anonymous | Jun 26, 2011 6:14:47 AM As for death threats against Chafee, there are media sites, such as the Providence Journal, where the reader commentary calls for the death penalty for Chafee, as well as that he be shot in the manner that the victim in the case was. This is consistent with other threats that Chafee's office, and I believe law enforcement has stated that he has received death threats on various issues throughout the years. I think it's brave to serve and face that. I actually agree with MikeinCT that any potential CRIP threat to a governor *had that happened* would be pretty scary stuff. But a CRIPS threat against Schwarzenegger didn't happen, and Chafee has received threats. I think it is brave to take the stands Chafee has particularly in light of what happened to Congresswoman Giffords. You may disagree with my opinion, but it's not appropriate and pretty indecent, to falsely attribute things to me that are not true, such as: "The real reason you don't want to "engage about the SEALS" is that you have nothing good to say about them, viewing them as barbarians -- you know, militarism, violence and all that -- while still, and absurdly, trying to palm off as "bravery" the political showboating of a left wing pol." How do you possibly know what I think of the NAVY SEALS? This is not only unattributable to me, but is completely mispresenting, irritating and harmful. I do happen to think Chafee's brave for this act. And many others do, too. You have the right to disagree. We can also disagree about whether Osama Bin Laden is germane to this case in Rhode Island and Chafee. (I happen to believe it is not germane). But, Mr. Otis, I do not believe you a right to treat people in the way you do as in the discussion above. You seem to not be able to hear a difference of opinion without then proceeding to repeatedly mischaracterize others in the pointed and by all appearances, malicious, manner that you do. It is hardly a way to make this blog a place of constructive discussion. I don't know what kind of work you are in, Mr. Otis, but in most of the real world hurling such lies does not fly. Shame on you for that. Posted by: anonymous | Jun 26, 2011 9:41:17 AM anonymous -- -- Public officials receive "death threats" of the sort you describe as a daily matter, the world being full of kooks. Very, very few of them are credible, or otherwise would inspire actual fear. Using such things as proof of "bravery," in Chafee or the zillions of other officials (including of course prosecutors) who receive them is just silly. -- "How do you possibly know what I think of the NAVY SEALS?" Because the ironclad fervor of your opposition to the DP aligns you with the camp that condemned the SEALS' action for its violence, "unnecessary brutality," surreptitious character, failure to consult other nations, failure to capture Osama to allow him due process, and general cowboy vigilantism. That's how I know. "This is not only unattributable to me, but is completely mispresenting, irritating and harmful." Then you can quickly and easily spell out what you actually think, which, conspicuously, again you decline to. -- "We can also disagree about whether Osama Bin Laden is germane to this case in Rhode Island and Chafee. (I happen to believe it is not germane)." Of course Osama per se is not germane (nice try there at subtley shifting what I was talking about). But the definition of "bravery" most certainly IS germane -- indeed it's at the heart of your original assertion. Since you and I seem to have very different ideas of what it means, it's perfectly germane to try to pin that down by discussing examples most people would regard as instances of bravery -- e.g., the SEALS. But you refuse. -- "You seem to not be able to hear a difference of opinion without then proceeding to repeatedly mischaracterize others in the pointed and by all appearances, malicious, manner that you do." Actually, I hear differences of opinion all the time from posters such as John Neff, Marc Shepherd, Res ipsa, DEJ, rodsmith and many others, not one of whom has claimed that my responses were mischaracterizing much less malicious. I guess you missed that. -- "It is hardly a way to make this blog a place of constructive discussion." But calling pro-DP posters bloodlusters, primitives, racists, ghouls, etc., IS? And no, you have not done that sort of thing, but not one time have you objected when others have. You seem to be quite selective in deciding when we need to "make this blog a place of constructive discussion." -- Finally, I repeat that it's ridiculous to claim that Chafee's showboating is "brave." It's a political move designed (seemingly effectively, given your laudatory response) to rev up his support on the Left. When the feds get serious, Chafee's supposed "bravery" will evaporate in the blink of an eye. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 26, 2011 11:36:28 AM "The real reason you don't want to "engage about the SEALS" is that you have nothing good to say about them, viewing them as barbarians -- you know, militarism, violence and all that -- while still, and absurdly, trying to palm off as "bravery" the political showboating of a left wing pol." This is a lie. Seems that's what you're used to, because you have not admitted it, nor apologized. Good luck with that, here and elsewhere. You have your blog back. CDCR/survivor/anonymous. (Oh, and female). Posted by: anonymous | Jun 26, 2011 11:51:08 AM "I don't know what kind of work you are in, Mr. Otis" O'my, O'my. Do you mean to say that you don't know who Bill Otis is? Why, he is the best prosecutor ever to grace the halls of the federal justice department. I am sure that he is devastated to hear that you aren't aware of this LOL. However, kudos for your responses, "You seem to not be able to hear a difference of opinion without then proceeding to repeatedly mischaracterize others in the pointed and by all appearances, malicious, manner that you do." and " This is a lie. Seems that's what you're used to, because you have not admitted it, nor apologized. Good luck with that, here and elsewhere." "not one of whom has claimed that my responses were mischaracterizing much less malicious. I guess you missed that." Say what????? She didn't miss anything. The twisting and mischaracterization of opposition comments is pretty standard fare and is the primary method used to direct the conversation (distraction) away from the subject at hand. I would say that this thread is a pretty good example of that and you have been called on it many times. I suspect that the aforementioned John Neff, Marc Shepherd, Res ipsa, DEJ and rodsmith have been here so long and are so inured to this tactic that they feel no need to comment further. Anon, it seems that you are a quick study. I did warn you about the distraction tactic though LOL (again). Hang around, you are a breath of fresh air. Posted by: Thomas | Jun 26, 2011 12:43:38 PM anonymous and Thomas, don't you realize you are unpatriotic? People like you must support Bin Laden? How can this not be true based on your comments related to this Rhode Island murder case? Posted by: Tim Holloway | Jun 26, 2011 1:14:29 PM @Tim holloway You have got to be kidding right? My comments have only been in response to Bill's distractionary tactics. Are you following in his footsteps? I will put my patroitism up aganst that of anyone on this blog. When was the last time you heard a shot fired in anger? Posted by: Thomas | Jun 26, 2011 3:30:29 PM Could Bill Otis just please shut the hell up for a while? All he does is repeat himself. He has absolutely nothing original to say - ever. His tough-guy demeanor is probably one reason why the only people on here with anything interesting to say choose to remain anonymous. Posted by: anon2.5 | Jun 26, 2011 5:14:27 PM anon2.5 -- "Could Bill Otis just please shut the hell up for a while?" Another member of the muzzle-the-opposition club. Cool. "All he does is repeat himself." When the question gets evaded, it gets repeated. This much is true. "He has absolutely nothing original to say - ever." As if chest-thumping, holier-than-thou opposition to the DP is original. "...the only people on here with anything interesting to say choose to remain anonymous." A truly breathtaking lie. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 26, 2011 5:33:59 PM Feel free to not shut up, Bill. The more you shut up the opposition, the more boring a blog becomes. As one of the many banned from freerepublic, I can attest. Posted by: MikeinCT | Jun 26, 2011 5:41:25 PM MikeinCT -- Thanks. I have come to expect the "shut up" stuff as part of the price of my favoring the death penalty on a site where a number of the most pious/indignant/cocksure commenters oppose it. I appreciate your words of support. Posted by: Bill Otis | Jun 26, 2011 5:56:52 PM I have a major problem with Uncle Sams usurpation of what typically is a state crime. In support of my consternation, I offer the following issues for my personal enlightenment from SLPs readers and contributors. The US Attorneys Manual (USAM), in relevant part, states: 9-131.040 Policy The robbery offense in 18 USC 1951 is to be utilized, as a general rule, only in instances involving organized crime, gang activity, or wide-ranging schemes. The courts of appeals have agreed that proof of a de minimis effect on commerce is sufficient in a Hobbs Act prosecution. See United States v. Baylor, 517 F.3d 899, 901-903 (6th Cir.) (citing cases), cert. denied, 128 S. Ct. 2982 (2008). And recent Supreme Court decisions strongly support the constitutional adequacy of that showing. Nevertheless, it is important to ensure that proof of an effect on commerce in the individual case is introduced, in accordance with appropriate Hobbs Act standards. See, e.g., United States v. Parkes, 497 F.3d 220, 225-231 (2d Cir. 2007) (proof beyond a reasonable doubt that commerce was affected is a crucial part of Hobbs Act prosecution), cert. denied, 128 S. Ct. 1320 (2008); United States v. Peterson, 236 F.3d 848, 852-857 (7th Cir. 2001) (reversing Hobbs Act conviction for failure to prove interstate commerce element). Proof of an effect on interstate commerce is often particularly difficult in prosecutions under the Hobbs Act for the robbery of individuals. See, e.g., United States v. Wang, 222 F.3d 234, 238-240 (6th Cir. 2000), United States v. Collins, 40 F.3d 95 (5th Cir. 1994), cert. denied, 514 U.S. 1121 (1995). If you are uncertain whether a particular case would be appropriate to charge under the Hobbs Act, you should consult with the Organized Crime and Gang Section in the Criminal Division. It is apparent from the USAM that Uncle Sam should not attempt create a Federal offense out a state-law offense just to obtain jurisdiction. I am not certain that the charged offense, which I presume to be under 18 USC 1951, covers this robbery and murder, because of the requisite word through in the statute. Hence, 18 USC 1951(b)(3) (stating: The term commerce means commerce within the District of Columbia, or any Territory or Possession of the United States; all commerce between any point in a State, Territory, Possession, or the District of Columbia and any point outside thereof; all commerce between points within the same State through any place outside such State; and all other commerce over which the United States has jurisdiction.) at least as applied (i. e., perhaps not facially) to certain state-law offenses especially in this case is quite exposed to challenge on Constitutional grounds in the light of, inter alia, Article I, Section 8s enumeration of specific offenses authorizing US Congress to enact criminal laws: To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States; (Clause 5) To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations; (Clause 9); These technically limit the scope of US Congresss legislative power to enact various Federal offenses. Furthermore, the Tenth Amendment (Bill of Rights) to the US Federal Constitution reserves the power not delegated to the US Congress to the several states [and] the people by stating: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. However, we all know fully well that Uncle Sam gets around these prudent (in my opinion) restrictions by and through the powers granted by the US Constitution under the Commerce Clause, in relevant part, stating: To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes; (Article I, Section 8, Clause 2). This is so despite the fact that the US Supreme Court has frequently held and warned that nexus between the charged offense and the statutory jurisdiction should not be indirect and remote, and effectually obliterate the distinction between what is national and what is local and create a completely centralized government. United States vs. Morrison, 529 US, 598 (2000); states: Lopez [514 US, 549 (1995)] emphasized, however, that even under our modern, expansive interpretation of the Commerce Clause, Congress regulatory authority is not without effective bounds. Id., at 557 . Even our modern-era precedents which have expanded congressional power under the Commerce Clause confirm that this power is subject to outer limits. In Jones & Laughlin Steel, [NLRB vs. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp., 301 US 1 (1937)]the Court warned that the scope of the interstate commerce power must be considered in the light of our dual system of government and may not be extended so as to embrace effects upon interstate commerce so indirect and remote that to embrace them, in view of our complex society, would effectually obliterate the distinction between what is national and what is local and create a completely centralized government. Id., at 556-557 (quoting Jones & Laughlin Steel, supra, at 37). While Bond vs. United States, 564 US, ___ (09-1227; October Term, 2010; June 16, 2011) does not provide on-point arguments, it may provide guidance on the limitations of Congresss plenary power to legislate crimes that are primarily within the states purview. Bill Otis states: So let me get this straight: someone commits a murder in Rhode Island. The police arrest the guy they think did it. The state charges him with murder. Then the feds, using some law that lets them punish intrastate behavior, which carries the death penalty, also indicts the guy. Then the state prosecutor drops the charges. Not sure if this is what happened; Im just going by the discussion above. Sounds like the state prosecutor wants to see this defendant fry, but the law of his state doesnt allow it, so he asked the feds to intervene. Doesnt the federal government have a policy of not prosecuting people who are already convicted by the state of an offense? That would explain why the state prosecutor had to drop the case; if the guy got convicted by the state, then the feds would not pick it up and kill him for the state prosecutor. Whatever the merits (or lack thereof) in Chafees position, it looks like the state prosecutor doesnt want to see his states laws carried out, because he disagrees with them. Well, what can I say after you (Bill Otis) put it quite eloquently? Yes, it appears that there is a political tug-of-war at the expense (read: sellout) of states sovereignty. Regardless of that, strictly on law, I believe that the Federal government is overstepping its bounds. Yes, the Federal government has a Petite policy of not prosecuting offenders for the same crime (already prosecuted by the states) pursuant to Petite vs. United States 361 US, 529 (1960). See also Rinaldi vs. United States, 434 US, 22 (1977) and Thompson vs. United States 444 US, 248 (1980). (I am glad that you brought that up, because I had neglected to consider it.) In fact, Rinaldi was also charged under 18 USC 1951! However, the Federal government may invoke the dual-sovereignty doctrine although I am not sure that it could be used in capital offenses. Thompson was prosecuted by the Federal government under a firearms violation. Anonymous, I hear you loud and clear, buddy (and agree with you)! Personally, I am thoroughly and deadly seriously against the death penalty, for the simple reason that convictions are NOT always foolproof. No forensic evidence (read: analytical testing PCR-DNA, GSR, MS, etc.) is 100% accurate. I am reminded of Thomas Jeffersons famous statement about sending an innocent man to the death-row. (By the way, to be sure, I was not always against the death penalty.) Lastly, I feel that this blog is doing the defense attorneys a great service by doing their job! In any event, all defense attorneys should read this blog and the SCOTUS blog! In summary, I believe that Gov. Chafee is absolutely correct in not turning over the defendant, Jason Wayne Pleau, whatever his political conviction may be! While I believe in Federalism (I am sure that Alexander Hamilton is smiling down on me!), I absolutely do NOT think that the States (and most certainly the People) should sell their Constitutionally-guaranteed rights! Posted by: John Marshall | Jun 26, 2011 8:46:19 PM Thomas, I was completely serious . . . . NOT!!! Yes, I was being sarcastic. I thought my comment would generate a laugh or two. Posted by: Tim Holloway | Jun 27, 2011 10:59:00 AM Ok..let me get this straight. Conservatives who are screaming against federal government in their lives now all of a sudden WANT the government to interfere in what is a STATES RIGHTS issue? I THINK I got it... Posted by: SDL | Dec 14, 2011 7:50:30 PM Post a comment "The Innocence Effect in Plea Bargaining" | Main | Second Circuit holds prosecutors cannot refuse extra acceptance point based on PSR dispute In this post last month I reported on Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee's refusal to turn over a suspected murderer in state custody to the federal government because of concern that he would be subject to the federal death penalty. This new local piece, headlined "Lawyers in D.C. debating death penalty in R.I. murder case," provides the latest news on this interesting federalism battle: Federal prosecutors and defense lawyers met before the Capital Case Unit of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., on Monday in the case of Jason Wayne Pleau, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in the robbery and fatal shooting of a Woonsocket gas station manager. It is the role of the Capital Case Unit, comprising senior Justice Department lawyers, to consider whether federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty or life in prison for Pleau.... The capital unit, after reviewing the positions of the prosecutors and defense lawyers, will make a recommendation to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. He can accept or reject the recommendation. Pleau, of Providence, is charged with conspiracy, armed robbery and murder for allegedly plotting with a Massachusetts couple to rob David D. Main, 49, of Lincoln, as he tried to make a deposit of $12,500 in gas station receipts at a Citizens Bank branch in Woonsocket on the morning of Sept. 10. Under the federal Hobbs Act, conspiracy and robbery can carry sentences of life imprisonment or death if a firearm was used in a crime that results in death. On Thursday, federal prosecutors and lawyers from Governor Chafees office will square off before the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. Last month, Chafee refused a request by Neronhas office to transfer Pleau from the Adult Correctional Institutions to federal custody, citing the states longstanding opposition to the death penalty.... Public defender John J. Hardiman told prosecutors May 17 that Pleau would admit to murder and robbery in state court in exchange for a sentence of life without parole in state prison. Six days later, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartins office dismissed the state charges, so the prosecution is now only by federal authorities.... On June 23, Chafee announced that he would not surrender Pleau, now being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions as a parole violator, because it could expose Pleau to the death penalty. He says the state justice system is capable of ensuring that justice is served in this matter. On June 30, acting on a petition by the U.S. Attorneys office, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith ordered the governor to turn over Pleau to federal authorities, ruling that under the Constitutions so-called Supremacy Clause, federal law trumps state law. The governor said he would comply with the order. Mann and Hoose then asked the Appeals Court to stay Smiths order, arguing the case raised questions about a conflict between the powers of the governor in the transfer of defendants and those of federal authorities. On July 7, a three-judge panel of the Appeals Court stayed the surrender order until it can hear arguments July 28. Fascinating discussion of Second Amendment in Tenth Circuit's affirmance of alien-in-possession conviction | Main | "Why I Want a Medical Marijuana Dispensary Near My Children's School" May 7, 2012 En banc First Circuit says RI must turn over murderer to the feds for capital prosecution As reported in this local article, the full First Circuit today "ruled that [Rhode Island] Governor Chafee must surrender Jason Wayne Pleau to federal custody to be tried for the murder of a gas station manager David Main in September 2010." Here is more about the notable en banc ruling (which can be found at this link): The majority of the court rejected Chafee's arguments that the state had the right to refuse to turn Pleau over under an agreement that governs the transfer of inmates between states and the federal government. If Chafee were to prevail, "Pleau could be permanently immune from prosecution ...," the judges wrote, continuing, "Instead of a place of confinement, the state prison would become a refuge against federal charges." Chafee had refused to surrender Pleau based on what he called Rhode Island's longstanding opposition to the death penalty. He could face the death penalty for his crimes under federal law. I suspect an appeal to the Supreme Court may follow, but I also suspect that the Justices may be disinclined to get into this notable fight. Related prior posts: May 7, 2012 at 07:07 PM | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451574769e20168eb49b0d8970c Listed below are links to weblogs that reference En banc First Circuit says RI must turn over murderer to the feds for capital prosecution: Comments The previous post on this subject included this tidbit: "A day after Governor Chafee, citing a possible federal death penalty, refused to hand murder suspect Jason W. Pleau over to U.S. authorities, Chafee's office on Friday released a letter from the public defender stating that Pleau wants to plead guilty in return for a sentence of life with no parole." RI doesn't have the penalty. This is the wish of the people of RI. He argued that it would be wrong to supersede it here. As I noted over at Prawblawg in which a professor used the case to argue for a federalist reading of the 8A, I respect what he is trying to do, but doesn't seem like it holds up. The Supremacy Clause gives the feds the upper hand here, and there is an opening to the death penalty under federal law, though there is some reference to some sort of interstate agreement that might complicate that. Seems to me that it should be a state prosecution, especially if that plea notification report is accurate. But, that's a policy thing. On the law, if the feds want to (misguidedly) press the point, this seems right. Posted by: Joe | May 7, 2012 8:03:23 PM I cannot think of any reason for the Supreme Court to grant cert. There is no Circuit split over this, as I cannot think of any comparable situation in any other Circuit. The majority of the Court is probably happy that Pleau will face the death penalty and that they don't have to make any potentially anti-federalism law to get him there. Although what if Pleau filed an IAD request today? It is clear Rhode Island will eventually be ordered to give Pleau to the feds, but Rhode Island may file a cert petition. Rhode Island could take up to 90 days; if they filed their cert petition on the 90th day then that would eat up half the IAD's six month time limit. Then another couple months while the feds file a memo in opposition, the Supremes formally deny cert, then the District Court formally issues the writ. Pleau formally requesting transfer under the IAD ends the ambiguity over when the clock starts. I know this is a dangerous game of chicken for Pleau to play, but it offers a better chance than hoping the Supremes reverse. Posted by: Paul | May 7, 2012 9:42:32 PM Joe, I appreciate the comments in reference to my post at Prawfs. I'm not sure if you saw this later post, which addresses the Supremacy Clause objection: http://prawfsblawg.blogs.com/prawfsblawg/2012/04/every-time-i-present-my-federalism-themed-approach-to-thecruel-and-unusual-punishments-clause-where-the-word-unusual-referst.html I'll reiterate the last paragraph here: "Ultimately, the Supremacy Clause is irrelevant to this issue. If the best interpretation of a particular provision of the Bill of Rights is that its constraints differ from State to State, the Supremacy Clause cannot change that. So the federalism-based construction of the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause stands or falls on its own. Either it is a valid view of what at least the Anti-Federalists contemplated by the Clause, in which case the Supremacy Clause can stand as no impediment, or it is not, in which case the Supremacy Clause is unnecessary." But please read the whole post if you get the chance. Posted by: Michael J.Z. Mannheimer | May 7, 2012 10:34:13 PM I agree with Paul that this is a distinctly unpromising cert candidate. Indeed, it seems pretty much one-of-a-kind. Posted by: Bill Otis | May 7, 2012 11:12:05 PM || "[A]llegedly plotting with a Massachusetts couple to rob a man as he tried to make a bank deposit. || Pleau is also accused of killing a gas station manager outside a Woonsocket bank." |||| Chafees stated motive is to shield the convict Pleau from a potential death penalty. As Kent Scheidegger blogged: Rhode Island does not get to veto the United States's choice of punishment for federal offenses that happen to occur within the boundaries of Rhode Island. Joe:: "if the feds want to (misguidedly) press the point, this seems right" It is misguided because? Posted by: Adamakis | May 8, 2012 9:46:40 AM It amazes me how notions of "federalism" and "states' rights" so often cited when one seeks RELIEF from federal courts, simply VANISH into thin air when it comes to criminal law. What is the overriding federal interest in this prosecution, besides overriding that state's ban on the death penalty? The totalitarian government the Founding Fathers feared is already here...courtesy of an unelected branch of govenrment: the federal courts. Posted by: F. Valcarcel | May 8, 2012 10:09:55 AM Everyone keeps commenting on this as if it is a federalism case. It isn't. It's an IAD case. The Feds are one of 49 signatories to the IAD (I think two states did not sign it, but I am too lazy to check now). This case should be no different from if New York asked to extradite Pleau to face capital charges. And the dissent is right that a governor can refuse a request to extradite under the IAD. I understand that the battle over Pleau's punishment is the juicy issue, and the regular commenters to this blog are unable to resist blowing a bunch of hot air over the death penalty. But the issues actually presented to the 1st Circuit do not depend on the death penalty. If Virginia had asked Rhode Island to extradite the Lovings to face prison for an interracial marriage, and Rhode Island's governor refused, the issues would be the same. Posted by: Paul | May 8, 2012 10:35:49 AM It is misguided since it seems to be more of a local crime and especially if the person pleas as the report noted, it would seem to be a waste of federal resources and an unnecessary conflict with local government. I appreciate the citation to the professor's post. In effect, he argues that the BOR in various ways provides a 'contemporary community standards' (reference to Miller v. CA, which I'm not a fan of) security as a check on federal power that is also the "law of the land." So, the opposition to his approach -- which was covered there by various replies -- does require additional argument. I'm with respect still not convinced though the spirit is right -- we should honor local discretion when appropriate in criminal law and juries play a big part here and wrong or not on some detail, Breyer was on the right track in Ring v. Arizona. Judges often will be guided by local norms -- some 10th Cir. judge is often likely selected since s/he comes from that area of the country, influenced by the norms there as Kennedy is affected by CA. Leaving prosecutions to the states when appropriate also advances such ends. Local prosecutoral discretion on the federal level also is appropriate. But, for me the 8A sets a basic rule and I have not been convinced that it compels (as compared to it being good policy in part because of "constitutional values") the federal government to take the law of the state in the way argued. The feds still have its own interests and the BOR has many other ways to address the federalist concerns involved. Posted by: Joe | May 8, 2012 11:48:19 AM I believe Paul and the dissent are correct. The federal government is attempting an end-around the IAD, which they cannot do as signatories of the agreement. Posted by: Ron | May 8, 2012 11:49:28 AM `Rhode Island does not get to veto the United States's choice of punishment for federal offenses that happen to occur within the boundaries of Rhode Island.' I have written extensively on why that may be incorrect. Posted by: Michael J.Z. Mannheimer | May 8, 2012 11:49:59 AM Paul is correct that extradition rules would not rise or fall on the death penalty, but the DP does tend to get everyone, including judges, extra concerned about everything, in some ways this has legal implications. I noted that the IAD issue complicates matters. I honestly am agnostic on that issue. It is obviously quite important, but I skipped over it to deal with other issues. One thing though ... "his stated opposition to capital punishment" ... this from the majority opinion. It is my understanding that it is not "his" opinion that is ultimately at stake here but the decision by the state itself not to have a death penalty. I'm sure we can debate motives here, but at least for argument's sake, that's significant. Posted by: Joe | May 8, 2012 11:55:35 AM Michael J.Z. Mannheimer -- Is it your view that the federal death penalty can only be imposed in states that have their own death penalty? Can you cite any presently authoritative case so holding? Posted by: Bill Otis | May 8, 2012 12:59:28 PM Bill Otis, Yes to the first, no to the second. If I had a "presently authoritative case" holding exactly what I argue in my scholarship, then my scholarship wouldn't be particularly interesting or valuable. Good legal scholarship doesn't merely reiterate that which is already "authoritative"; it lays the groundwork for the future. Posted by: Michael J.Z. Mannheimer | May 8, 2012 1:17:04 PM of couse now what is going to happen when he tells the messed up federal court system to take the same long walk on a short pier he told the federal justice department to take? Posted by: rodsmith | May 8, 2012 1:46:45 PM `Rhode Island does not get to veto the United States's choice of punishment for federal offenses that happen to occur within the boundaries of Rhode Island.' Let's assume that's true for the sake of argument (Mr. Mannheimer's comments notwithstanding). Even if that comment is true, RI CAN veto turning over a person in their custody, as contemplated in the IAD. And that's what this argument is about. Simply put: This is not about RI vetoing capital punishment. It's about RI refusing to relinquish custody of their prisoner. Posted by: Ron | May 8, 2012 1:58:39 PM Michael J.Z. Mannheimer -- I am an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown Law Center. I wonder if you could link your work arguing that the feds are prohibited from imposing the DP for a death-eligible federal offense in a state that does not authorized the DP. Perhaps you could give me a head start by telling me the Constitutional provision that ordains this result. Do you know of any other scholars who agree with your conclusion? It is of course true that law review articles often explore conclusions cases have not yet reached (and may never reach). Whether such articles are (1) visionary or (2) dead ends is, of course, something no one can know right now. My own experience is that (2) tends to be the outcome a lot more than (1). Posted by: Bill Otis | May 8, 2012 2:43:18 PM Professor Mannheimer -- Cancel that last request. I was able to find it for myself by going to your page at NKU. But I do have one question: Doesn't your ultimate conclusion have to be that there can be no such thing as federal criminal law at all, with the possible exception of areas exclusively of national concern (e.g., espionage)? There are many libertarian/conservative friends of mine who might agree with that, especially with the apparently limitless sprawl of federal authority, but it would require a ferocious U-turn by SCOTUS in order to get there. P.S. Does your point of view find you hoping that Obamacare gets overturned, on the theory that it's simply too much of a stretch of federal power? Posted by: Bill Otis | May 8, 2012 2:59:54 PM Bill Otis, Certainly. In reverse chronological order: Cruel and Unusual Federal Punishments, 98 IOWA L. REV. ___ (forthcoming November 2012), available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1875868 Self-Government, the Federal Death Penalty, and the Unusual Case of Michael Jacques, 36 VT. L. REV. 131 (2011) (invited submission), available at: http://chaselaw.nku.edu/documents/mannheimer/Jacques.pdf When the Federal Death Penalty Is Cruel and Unusual, 74 U. CIN. L. REV. 819 (2006), available at: http://chaselaw.nku.edu/documents/mannheimer/Fed8A.pdf You may be right about the prevalance of dead ends over visionary works. But I'd rather be courageously wrong than cautiously irrelevant. Posted by: Michael J.Z. Mannheimer | May 8, 2012 3:17:32 PM Bill Otis, "Doesn't your ultimate conclusion have to be that there can be no such thing as federal criminal law at all, with the possible exception of areas exclusively of national concern (e.g., espionage)?" No. There were certainly some radical Anti-Federalists who argued, post-ratification, that the federal government could criminalize only the four activities mentioned in the Constitution: treason, counterfeiting, piracy and other felonies on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations. My reading of the Anti-Federalists, however, indicates that the more moderate elements did not take this stance, and it is the more moderate Anti-Federalists we should look to, because it is they who ultimately acquiesced to ratification of the Constitution in Virginia and New York. Patrick Henry's June 16, 1788, speech at the Virginia ratifying convention is telling. He said: "In the definition of crimes, I trust [Congress] will be directed by what wise representatives ought to be governed by. But when we come to punishments, no latitude ought to be left, nor dependence put on the virtues of representatives. What says [the Virginia] Bill of Rights? `That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.' Are you not therefore now calling on those Gentlemen who are to compose Congress, to prescribe trials and define punishments without this control?" Thus, Henry, at least, was pretty sanguine about the creation of federal criminal law. What he feared was that the protections contained in state bills of rights would not constrain (1) the process by which federal criminal punishments would be imposed (later in the same speech he discusses the right to a jury trial) and (2) the punishments themselves. If the more moderate Anti-Federalists felt that the federal government should be constrained from making substantive criminal law at all, that sentiment did not make its way into the Bill of Rights, whereas constraints on punishment and on the criminal process did. So on my view, the U.S. is free to prosecute Pleau but cannot seek his death. But notice that if the U.S. cannot seek his death, the incentive to prosecute him disappears. That's how the constraints on the federal criminal process and on federal punishments contained in the Bill of Rights should work to reduce the presence of the federal government in the criminal sphere: by removing the comparative advantage federal prosecutors would otherwise enjoy vis-a-vis their state counterparts. On the ACA question, I have very mixed feelings. In short, I think the ACA is likely constitutional based on precedent but unconstitutional based on first principles. But, yes, it would be nice if our Commerce Clause jurisprudence were to get back -- or at least closer -- to first principles. Posted by: Michael J.Z. Mannheimer | May 8, 2012 5:21:14 PM I think, like Prof. Balkin et. al., "first principles" can be shown to justify the PPACA. The fact he uses originalism to do this while the professor here goes the other way ('likely' so) underlines to me the limits of that approach. Thus, we are left with trying to determine what "moderate Anti-Federalists" thought, and determining how much that matters & then how much that should matter in 2012. This all is interesting & helps to determine current day application of the Constitution, but take it all with a grain of salt. Posted by: Joe | May 8, 2012 5:35:21 PM Professor Mannheimer -- Thank you very much for taking the time to put down your thoughts. The course I teach at Georgetown is called, "Conservatism in Law in America," and as you might imagine, we have a good deal to say about the debate between the Federalists and the anti-Federalists. The best student paper I got this year (from a kid who'll be a Sixth Circuit clerk next year) was on exactly that topic. The bigger the government gets, the more I think the anti-Federalists were right. But I am perforce constrained in my enthusiasm, since my wife is a co-founder of none other than the Federalist Society. I also spent a good chuck of my career as a federal prosecutor, enforcing the very law that would give the anti-federalists the most heartburn. The one random thought I have just now, without waging a full-scale debate, is that the bare fact that a state does not have the DP would not necessarily mean that it would be unconstitutional under the state's Constitution, and thus not necessarily a violation of the state Constitution were the feds to impose it. Posted by: Bill Otis | May 8, 2012 7:20:10 PM What do you want RI Gov. Chafee to do in the Jason Pleau case? (406 votes) Refuse to obey: 1.5% (6) Appeal to Supreme Court: 5.2% (21) Turn Pleau over: 93.3% (379) Vote successfully recorded Posted by: Adamakis | May 8, 2012 10:59:11 PM Ceart math tha MJ.ZM., so robbery effecting interstate commerce; conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce; and possessing, using, carrying, and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, death resulting at a federally insured bank no less, are overcome by the IAD, no proceedings necessary. Sounds like justice to me. So, if Tupac returns from the dead, oh but hes still alive--to smoke a ranger of the NPS in the .3 acre national park in RIas he ever liveth to smoke cops then he is as untouchable as Chafee engenders? Posted by: Adamakis | May 8, 2012 11:03:06 PM Bill Otis, You have hit upon a very important issue I had to consider. It may well be, according to my research, that a punishment is "cruel and unusual" in violation of the federal Constitution only if it is "cruel and unusual" in violation of the applicable state constitution. I ultimately decided to tentatively reject that narrower position, but I do address it in the Iowa piece (pp.52-53 of the current draft). Briefly, the language of George Mason's Objections regarding cruel and unusual punishments indicates to me that the main goal of the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause was to preserve state legislative prerogatives regarding punishment, not simply state constitutional constraints. But even if I am wrong about that, the more fundamental idea about the application of the Clause varying by State would still hold true -- and I'll take that. Joe, I absolutely agree that we should take originalist claims with a huge grain of salt. I do not presume to know what people were thinking in 1791, much less assume that there was some kind of consensus then among the 3 million inhabitants of the United States. Hell, there was as little consensus then as there is now, if not less, except that the lack of consensus was expressed, not by cute little tea parties or occupy movements, but by folks in Pennsylvania who tried to overthrow the federal government -- twice in the same decade! All we have to go on are the statements of the three men who said anything about cruel and unusual punishments -- Abraham Holmes, Patrick Henry, and George Mason -- and the general orientation of the Anti-Federalists. But I think the originalist tent is big enough for someone such as me who is honest enough to admit that the historical evidence provides not clear answers but best guesses, and not AN original understand but original understandingS. Posted by: Michael J.Z. Mannheimer | May 9, 2012 9:15:05 PM Post a comment "Locked Out 2022: Estimates of People Denied Voting Rights Due to a Felony Conviction" | Main | "The Efficiency Mindset and Mass Incarceration" October 25, 2022 Just why is it "not in the publics best interest" for the feds to refuse to transfer to Oklahoma a prisoner scheduled for execution? I recall a notable case from just over a decade ago in which Rhode Island was refusing to turn a suspected murderer in state custody to the federal government because of concern that he would be subject to the federal death penalty (see story blogged here and here). As noted here, the en banc First Circuit ultimately ruled that Rhode Island had to surrender custody of Pleau for trial on pending federal charges. Pleau thereafter pleaded guilty to federal murder charges and avoided being sentenced to death, but not before engendering lots of interesting and notable discussion of federal and state criminal justice authority and power (see, e.g., this commentary explaining why "the decision about appropriate criminal sentencing, and particularly about the application of the death penalty, [should be placed] back into the hands of individual states [in order] to reverse the trend toward the federalization of criminal law"). This bit of capital history, and the question in the title of this post, all came to mind when I focused on this notable recent news piece out of Oklahoma. The story is headlined "Federal inmate set for state execution denied transfer to Oklahoma custody," and here are excerpts: The Oklahoma attorney general is asking the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to reconsider a decision his office says could amount to unprecedented federal interference in the states execution process. Federal officials have denied the states request to transfer federal inmate George John Hanson, known as John Fitzgerald Hanson in his Oklahoma death-sentence case. A Tulsa County jury found Hanson guilty of murdering retired Tulsa banker Mary Bowles and Owasso trucking company owner Jerald Thurman in 1999 and sentenced him to death. Hanson, 58, is currently housed in the U.S. Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana, serving a life sentence plus 107 years for a series of armed robberies he committed after the murders but was convicted of and sentenced for while the state case was ongoing. He has since exhausted his appeal opportunities in Oklahoma and is slated for execution by lethal injection on Dec. 15, pending a clemency hearing Nov. 9 where Gov. Kevin Stitt could grant him mercy. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler requested the AGs assistance after receiving a formal notice in late September of the denial that cited a reason set forward in the U.S. Code. The DAs Office provided the Tulsa World a copy of the letter from the Bureau of Prisons. (The law) authorizes the Bureau of Prisons to transfer a prisoner who is wanted by a State authority to that State authoritys custody if it is appropriate, suitable, and in the publics best interest, the letter reads in part. The Designation and Sentence Computation Center has denied the request for transfer, as it is not in the publics best interest. Kunzweiler balked at the vague term and said in a news release that the decision reeked of politics. In the release last week, the DA said he was outraged and has demanded a greater explanation. The crimes for which Hanson is serving time in federal custody were committed after his involvement in the murders of Mary Bowles and Jerald Thurman, he wrote. Of what reasonable purpose is there for him to remain in federal custody at taxpayers expense when he can and should be delivered to Oklahoma authorities for the rendition of the punishment he received here? Kunzweiler listed several state and federal agencies from which he has sought assistance in the matter, and a spokeswoman for Oklahoma Attorney General John OConnor said OConnor has reached out to a Bureau of Prisons regional director to see if he will reconsider his refusal to transfer Hanson to Oklahoma. The bureaus Office of Public Affairs declined to comment for this story, stating that based on privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not comment on inmates conditions of confinement, to include transfers or reasons for transfers. The Tulsa World has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the bureau seeking an internal document that could clarify the conditions under which the decision was made. Like the folks at the Tulsa World, I would like to hear more from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons about just why is has decided that it is "not in the publics best interest" to allow a state to complete a seemingly lawful capital sentence. I am not an expert on prisoner transfer protocol, but I certainly think at least some greater transparency is wholly justified here. UPDATE: I failed to see that Chris Geidner has been writing about this case on his Substack, Law Dork, including a new post with the latest breaking legal developments: "Oklahoma wants the feds to transfer a man in federal prison to their custody so they can kill him" "Breaking: Oklahoma sues the Biden administration in the state's quest to kill John Hanson" October 25, 2022 at 03:52 PM | Permalink Comments The primary custodian protocols are pretty straight forward, and are much like the rules for deeds filed in the public land records: "first in time is first in right"! In criminal law, that means that the first sovereign to arrest and arraign a defendant has primary custody, and the second sovereign to indict or arrest and arraign the defendant has only secondary custody, subject to whatever the primary custodian does, in terms of convictions and sentencing. If Oklahoma arrested and arraigned this death penalty defendant before the U. S. Attorney's Office indicted him (for that series of armed robberies), then Oklahoma has first dibs on him and should be able to get a Federal Court to require the BOP to turn him over for execution. About 2002, I saw a similar (but non-death penalty case) problem happen inside FCI - Manchester, Kentucky. An inmate had been in BOP custody, as an inmate in Federal prison for more than 2 years. He kept telling the staff that he was not supposed to be there, he was supposed to be serving time from a prior state case in a North Carolina state prison. The staff kept laughing at him and telling him that the BOP doesn't make mistakes like that. He filed administrative remedies on the issue, and eventually the BOP in D.C. admitted that he was correct. On his way out the door to North Carolina, the FCI staff apologized to him. At the time, these kinds of decisions and issues of time calculations were made inside the individual prisons. Since then (maybe about 2010), the BOP has opened a Centralized sentencing and time calculation center in Texas, to try to insure correct and consistent calculations and decisions across the BOP's 120-some odd prisons. Posted by: Jim Gormley | Oct 25, 2022 5:57:47 PM In some quick and dirty research on this topic, I came across a good article written in 2019: "Federal-State Sentence Interaction: Concurrent and Consecutive Sentences" (April 25, 2019) by Jamie Markham. Found at http://nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/federal-state-sentencing-interaction-concurrent-and-consecutive-sentences/. The citations include 18 U.S.C. 3584(a), 18 U.S.C. 3621; U.S. v. Evans, 159 F.3d 908 (4th Cir. 1998); Magnum v. Hallembeck, 910 F.3d 770 (4th Cir. 2018); and U.S. v. Lynn, 912 F.3d 212 (4th Cir. 2019). Of particular note is the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in "Setser v. United States", 566 U.S. 231 (2012), where the Court held that when a Federal Judge is faced with having to sentence a defendant in Federal Court before he has been sentenced in the state Court having primary jurisdiction, the Judge should state on the record whether the Federal sentence is to run concurrently or consecutively to the state sentence that has not yet been imposed! Posted by: Jim Gormley | Oct 25, 2022 6:25:42 PM I don't see it. The state officials disagree with the federal officials about where the public interest lies. Theres no APA review, theres no non-discretionary duty for mandamus, and determining where the public interest lies is not ultra vires given that the statute Grant's OP discretion. Posted by: Jason | Oct 25, 2022 10:35:39 PM Are you asserting, Jason, that BOP's determination of the "public interest" is not subject to review by a court in this context? Oklahoma's law suit claims otherwise, but I am not an Ad Law expert and so do not know if OK's claims are sound. Posted by: Doug B. | Oct 26, 2022 10:03:00 AM I, unfortunately, do believe that "public interest" is such a meaningless umbrella that it provides no judicially-enforceable standard and so must be left to the executive to determine in any particular case. Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Oct 26, 2022 11:35:06 AM Doug, I didnt conduct any original research but that is pretty much my impression. Despite the window dressing, the claim boils down to BOP badly misunderstanding the public interest. But the specific exclusion of the APA evidences Congress' intent to foreclose judicial review of BOP determinations in this area. Posted by: Jason | Oct 26, 2022 12:42:24 PM I think this situation goes far beyond mere administrative law and BOP decision making. It implicates Constitutional law, Dual Sovereignty and the legal power and authority between the states and the Federal Government to pursue and enforce their respective criminal laws and punishments. The issue should not be determined by the Supremacy Clause, but it might eventually be so. I would want to read the defendant's Federal Court sentencing transcript, to determine what his sentencing Judge said, if anything, about how his Federal sentence was to be served vis-a-vis the state homicide sentences. I predict that if Oklahoma pursues this, they might make (or confirm) some law at the U. S. Supreme Court. Instead of a Writ of Habeas Corpus Ad Prosequendem, Oklahoma needs to move under the All Writs Act for a Writ of Habeas Corpus Ad Executem! Posted by: Jim Gormley | Oct 26, 2022 1:45:22 PM I am not sure how public interest plays into this. Of course, the easy answer is to blame both sides. The normal rule is that first custody controls, but there are all types of circumstances in which the sovereign with priority concedes priority to the other sovereign. I remember back when dinosaurs walked the earth in the 1990s when we had two defendants with a multi-state murder spree. The executive agreement worked out between the various states provided for the second state to get custody of the defendants for the purposes of their trials and for the two states to exchange custody as needed for collateral review proceedings. Whichever state got an execution date first would get the defendant(s) for the purposes of carrying out the execution. Given how long it takes to carry out a death sentence, there was plenty of time for Oklahoma and the BOP to transfer the inmate to Oklahoma during prior administrations in consideration that only Oklahoma had a death sentence on this defendant. Waiting until now transforms what would have been a routine administrative request into a political issue. One argument that Oklahoma does have on its side would be that the federal action is depriving the Oklahoma death sentence of "full faith and credit." Posted by: tmm | Oct 26, 2022 2:38:53 PM If the state wanted to borrow him from the feds for purposes of facing trial on serious state charges, I can't see any reason that would justify the feds in refusing. And if the feds did loan him out for that purpose, and he died of a sudden heart attack in state custody, well, the feds wouldn't get him back and no serious person would question that. The only thing that makes this case different is that the current bunch running DOJ doesn't like the death penalty, even though both the state and federal death penalties are legal. If the feds can refuse the state request on grounds simply of different politics, then the old refrain of respect for federalism (see, e.g., a zillion posts about pot) seems not to ring particularly true. Posted by: Bill Otis | Oct 26, 2022 6:35:10 PM Post a comment On Jan. 1, a temporary pause on federal student loan repayments is set to expire meaning millions of borrowers are bracing to repay loans after a nearly three-year reprieve. While the Biden administration called the latest extension the "final" one, some experts predict the pause could be extended if the legal uncertainty over a new student loan forgiveness plan continues. On Friday, hours after President Joe Biden announced that 22 million people had applied for forgiveness, a federal court of appeals issued an administrative stay that bars the administration from dispensing with the loans while it considers a challenge to the program. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to discuss the possibility of extending the repayment pause, but she also didn't rule it out when reporters raised questions on Monday. I'm not going to get into hypotheticals, and we have to let the process play out, she said. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves from here. President Joe Biden arrives to give remarks on student debt relief at Delaware State University on October 21. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) In August, the Biden administration announced a plan that would forgive $10,000 of student debt for people making less than $125,000 and an additional $10,000 for those who received Pell Grants, which go to borrowers with extreme financial need. The plan has sparked opposition from Biden's opponents, who contend it's too expensive and oversteps Biden's authority. Others contend it doesn't address the root problems that make college so expensive. The plan has sparked several legal challenges. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is expected to rule on a suit from six Republican-led states aiming to block the program permanently after a lower court dismissed the suit for lack of standing meaning a judge found the states didn't show that the forgiveness plan hurt them. Its very important that the legal issues involving presidential power be analyzed by the court before transferring over $400 billion in debt to American taxpayers, Nebraska's Republican Attorney General Doug Peterson said in a statement after the appeals court stayed Biden's plan. Story continues 'Maybe for the duration of his tenure as president' If the legal logjam continues, experts note the administration would have a right to further extend the pause on repayments. While the Biden administration said that this final extension is a final, final extension, that isn't the first time they said that something was final," student financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz told Yahoo Finance. The Biden administration might issue a temporary extension if the legal questions remain unsettled by January, he said. The pause could continue if a judge ultimately rules against Biden. If they lose in court and the president's loan forgiveness plan is blocked," he says, "well nothing stops them really from extending the student loan payment pause and interest waiver further, maybe for the duration of his tenure as president. While opponents question Biden's authority to forgive debt, it's more clear that the law allows him to issue the pause on repayments. Both efforts derive from the Higher Education Relief Opportunities For Students (HEROES) Act, which allows the Secretary of Education to grant relief to federal student loan recipients in connection with a national emergency. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, then-President Donald Trump invoked the power to delay student loan repayments; Biden has continued extending the deadline since taking office. The Biden administration is also trying to use the HEROES Act to go further and forgive federal student loan debt. But Biden's ability to forgive debt under that law is less clear, and some experts predict the government will lose if the Supreme Court weighs in on the plan. Full steam ahead...for now Biden has only offered minimal comments on the legal setback. He defended the effort and condemned Republican efforts to stop it during a stop Monday at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. President Biden during an appearance at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in Washington on October. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein) The White House press secretary underlined Monday the administration will continue accepting applications for forgiveness and expressed confidence that it would soon be up-and-running. Kyra Taylor, a supporter of forgiveness and a staff attorney focused on student loans at the National Consumer Law Center, takes the administration at its word. "I think the administration will keep moving, she said. Unless a court actually rules against the program, she said, Its full steam ahead. Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, shown speaking to supporters in June, made it a goal to emerge from oversight by the end of his first term. A judge must still sign off on the end of the federal supervision. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) For years, federal courts have kept watch over the Cook County assessors office, making sure that workers werent hired for their political connections, and that job descriptions were clear. That oversight will end on Nov. 1, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi announced Tuesday, meeting a key campaign pledge just before Election Day. As I met with my transition team in 2018, I set a clear goal: compliance with the core principles of Shakman by the end of our first term in office. And so here we are. Weve now met that goal, Kaegi told commissioners during his annual budget hearing Tuesday. Kaegi, who is up for reelection for a second term on Nov. 8 against Libertarian Nico Tsatsoulis, ran in 2018 on an anti-corruption platform. The termination of that monitoring must still be approved by a judge. Advertisement Shakman oversight is named for Michael Shakman, the man who first sued to end the practice of Democratic patronage, under which city and county jobs were filled by faithful party members, and firings or promotions were based on election-time efforts. The suit was first filed in 1969, when patronage was essential to the Democratic Partys machine. Shakman argued the practice unfairly prevented potential employees who didnt do electoral work from getting government jobs. Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez also told commissioners Tuesday she expected her office to exit court oversight in November. Court records indicate her office will file a motion to terminate on Tuesday. A spokesperson says the filing will be made jointly with the plaintiffs in the case. Advertisement In recent years, the Chicago mayors office, as well as offices under the Cook County Board president, sheriffs office and the Forest Preserve District have exited such oversight, sometimes after several decades. As for state of Illinois hiring, a U.S. appeals court ruled this summer that Shakman oversight was no longer warranted ending the consent decree and freeing Gov. J.B. Pritzker and future governors from such monitoring. Shakman, the original plaintiff, was critical of the ruling. This latest round of monitoring of the assessors office began in 2012 under Joseph Berrios, who was then also the head of the Cook County Democratic Party. It was just the latest Shakman chapter for the assessor: The office had operated under various Shakman orders since 1972. For years, the monitor found a persistent pattern in Berrios office of improper hiring and firing, arbitrary staffing decisions and resistance to change, a 2017 Tribune analysis found, thanks to a slow pace of reform and tepid commitments from Berrios to clean up. People wait inside the Cook County assessor's office in Chicago in 2017. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Such oversight is not only cumbersome for the office requiring a lot of paperwork and careful planning it is costly. A hired compliance administrator for the office has cost at least $4.7 million, according to recent Finance Committee records. Patronage hiring had also affected the way the office calculated property values, the 2017 Tribune analysis found. Berrios had also hired relatives for county jobs, including his son and sister. Kaegi defeated Berrios in the 2018 Democratic primaries but faced early reprimand from the Shakman monitor, Susan Feibus, for not grasping the level of scrutiny that came with such oversight. But on Oct. 12, the parties filed an agreed motion to end the oversight, arguing the assessors office had reached substantial compliance. To exit Shakman oversight, the office has to create an employment plan and show it would comply with that plan going forward and processes to prevent backsliding and demonstrate that the office doesnt have a custom or practice of making employment decisions based on political factors. According to the court filing arguing for an end to oversight, the office created an employee handbook, an ethics policy that went above and beyond the countys ethics ordinance, an unusually wide-ranging, expansive time and attendance policy and bak(ed) in ... no political consideration certification on most forms. Advertisement In the four years of my administration, our federal monitors have not found a single instance of politically motivated hiring, Kaegi told commissioners. Kaegis office had hoped to exit court oversight more than a year ago but has faced several delays and roadblocks. The court filing notes the absence of any substantiated complaints regarding political discrimination is notable given the large number of hirings the office has undertaken since Kaegi took office. That doesnt mean the assessor cant hire political allies: There is a certain number of Shakman-exempt positions for policymaking positions. But Shakman compliance is intended to end the practice officewide. The court will hold a hearing at 9 a.m. Nov. 1 at the Dirksen federal court building to decide whether to dismiss the assessor from the Shakman lawsuit. The county clerks office, which is separate from the circuit court clerk, is still under Shakman oversight. aquig@chicagotribune.com Ease into the weekend with RISE Restaurants new weekend lunch buffet, which is serving international and regional delights with a complimentary welcome drink. On Saturdays and Sundays, this Marina Bay Sands venue is serving unlimited seafood on ice together with dishes inspired by cuisines from around the world, with a focus on Southeast Asia. Pair them with a complimentary welcome drink and your choice of prosecco, beer or mocktail. (Image credit: RISE Restaurant) Located in the light-filled hotel lobby, RISE celebrates the rich and diverse food cultures of Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand with elevated signature dishes such as Singapore Chilli Crab, Phad Thai with King Prawns, and Australian Wagyu Beef Cheek Rendang, all prepared with premium ingredients. At the same time, RISE puts worldly delights on their culinary map. Enjoy fresh, responsibly-sourced seafood on ice like Australian crayfish, tiger prawns, New Zealand blue mussels, Venus clams, and scallops, or dine on salmon and tuna sashimi. There is also mezze of hummus and baba ganoush, as well as European staples like Stanbroke Beef Ribeye, Baked Salmon Fillet, and Spaghetti Carbonara, which is tossed in a parmesan wheel in front of diners. Thai-style Boat Noodles (Image credit: RISE Restaurant) Desserts are similarly influenced by the region. Strawberry Shortcake made with intensely sweet Cameron Highland strawberries, and a chocolate ganache prepared with Criollo Java, a white cacao from Indonesia. Local kueh including Kueh Talam and Sago Lapis are also freshly prepared every day. Raise a toast with a complimentary welcome drink, prosecco, beer or mocktail. Or head to the soda bar, which has locally-inspired mocktails like Singapore Lady (Lychee, Rose, Fresh Lemon Juice) and Pina Coco (Coconut, Pineapple, Fresh Lemon Juice). Siam Margarita (Image credit: RISE Restaurant) For the little ones, RISE has a dedicated buffet section set up just for them, serving dishes such as Mini Wagyu Beef Burger, Miso-marinated Baked Salmon with Asparagus, Rainbow Cake, and more. The buffet is complimentary for kids under six years old. A child under 12 years old and accompanied by a paying adult can dine for free too. Story continues From groups of friends looking for a fun lunch to families seeking a comfortable, kid-friendly setting, RISE will make your weekends soar. See below for more details. RISE Weekend Lunch Buffet 1st seating: 12pm 2pm 2nd seating: 2.15pm 3.45pm S$78++ per adult* Includes complimentary welcome drink. S$39++ per child* Complimentary dining for one child under 12 years old accompanied by one paying adult, applicable for lunch and dinner buffet only. Child pricing is applicable to any additional child aged 6 12 years old. * Sands Rewards members enjoy 10% off and 10% earnings. RISE Restaurant is located at Marina Bay Sands Lobby, Hotel Tower, 1 Bayfront Ave, 018972. Book here The post RISE Restaurant elevates regional flavours at its new weekend lunch buffet appeared first on Lifestyle Asia Singapore. Shiseido celebrates their 150th anniversary this year. (PHOTO: Shiseido) Well-known beauty brand Shiseido was founded in 1872 when Yushin Fukuhara, the former head pharmacist for the Japanese Admiralty, opened the Shiseido Pharmacy in Ginza, Tokyo as Japans first Western-style pharmacy. Since then, they have been dedicated to sharing art, science and beauty through innovative formulas, Eastern traditions and holistic philosophies. To date, Shiseido which markets in 88 countries and regions across the globe, will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year with the launch of its campaign From life comes beauty. The campaign will convey to the world Shiseido's enduring focus on life as the essence of beauty and its ongoing pursuit of uncovering the mechanisms that connect beauty and life, together with the global launch of three limited-edition products that were realised from the brands unique Life Science research. I was surprised to learn that Shiseido was initially a medicinal brand when they marketed traditional remedies such as medicines and toothpaste to interested consumers. Today, Shiseido is known for carrying many beauty ranges such as Waso (my go-to brand as they have a travel kit), Ultimune, White Lucent and even a Men's range. To celebrate the brand's 150th anniversary, Shiseido has launched three limited-edition products that individually symbolise Heritage, Living Innovation, and Future, to signify our past, present, and future. Their designs use an arabesque motif featured on wrapping paper created in the Taisho era (19121926) by Sue Yabe, a member of the design department at that time. Using 3D software, that original design was turned into a three-dimensional form, then photographed from various angles and used to decorate the containers and outer cartons. Shop these limited-edition beauty products now: Eudermine 150th Anniversary (Limited Edition) S$75 at Sephora Singapore A photo image of a Eudermine 150th Anniversary (Limited Edition) bottle. Ultimune Future Power Shot (Limited Edition) S$105 at Sephora Singapore A photo image of a Ultimune Future Power Shot (Limited Edition) bottle. Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate (Limited Edition) S$208 at Sephora Singapore A product shot of a Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate (Limited Edition) bottle. Shop for other Shiseido products on Sephora Ted & Luna is a new bedding brand from Singapore. (PHOTO: Lazada Singapore) Singapores online luxury bedding brand Weavve Home is launching a new brand, Ted & Luna, marking its presence in the baby bedding world. The brand's ethos includes products made only from the finest, sustainably-sourced materials and with a focus on great craftsmanship, bringing physical comfort to babies, starting by helping them to sleep better and at the same time providing a sense of security to parents. Ted & Luna strives to be a socially conscious brand whose products and business practices align with the need to create responsibly for future generations. Their two collections feature the use of Bamboo Jersey and Vegan Leather while their packaging are reusable and compostable to reduce waste. According to a study published in the Singapore Medical Journal, up to 46% of parents experience poor sleep due to frequent night-time waking to coddle their babies back to sleep. It is also vital to improve the young ones sleep as their sleep quality inevitably affects the parents sleep and overall mood and stress levels. By resolving the needs of babies with comfortable, functional and durable items, Ted & Luna helps parents achieve a peace of mind and focus on experiencing magical moments with their new bundles of joy, says Ted & Lunas founder Daniel Tan. The Bamboo Jersey Sleep Collection Using the highest quality Bamboo Jersey fabric, this sleep range features the softest and gentle fabric, perfect for little ones. The fabric is antibacterial and antifungal while staying incredibly breathable; the temperature-regulating nature of the fabric keeps the babies warm and snug on cold nights and cool on hot ones. It also has excellent moisture-wicking abilities and is hypoallergenic to keep babies skin dry, fresh and free of irritation. This collection features products like Cocoon Sleep Bags, Cot Sheets, Baby Blankets, Toddler Quilts and Baby Pillows. Ted & Luna Cocoon Sleep Bag - Wise Sage (Medium 6-18m) S$59 at Lazada Singapore Ted & Luna Cocoon Sleep Bag. (PHOTO: Lazada Singapore) Ted & Luna Toddler Quilt - Tickled Pink S$109 at Lazada Singapore A photo of a mother holding a baby in a Ted & Luna Toddler Quilt. Ted & Luna Cot Sheet - Hush Blue S$59 at Lazada Singapore A photo of a baby's cot. Vegan Leather Care & Nursery Collection The vegan leather featured in this collection is made of water-based solvent-free PU leather - a synthetic material consisting of waterborne polyurethane while staying free of toxic organic solvents in its production process. Ted & Lunas vegan leather products are softer than regular PU leather without the indentation and rough grains of regular playmats, are gentle on the skin, and soft enough for babies to rest their heads on. This collection includes Playmats (Round and Rectangle) and Diaper Changing Mats. Ted & Luna Round Playmat - SandCastle S$209 at Lazada Singapore A photo of a baby playing on a Ted & Luna Round Playmat. Ted & Luna Diaper Changing Mat - Curious Grey S$75 at Lazada Singapore A photo of a baby on a Ted & Luna Diaper Changing Mat. Use 'MAGICALCOMFORT15' for 15% off the entire order between 20 October to 13 November. No minimum purchase is required, however, it can be only used once per customer and cannot be combined with other discounts. CEO 11288915.56966.75 11283.5131 11282.25314 A11281786.930.4 77.4 10.4% 104.4 202.8 15.1% 1500 1128565.29232.9 3626.2141.8% 37.6 8.65 1128131.8915.36 1128148.77207.6 1.5514.8% 4067.954.2% 20231200.08 LOCCITANE 6183.23.2% 3604% 2.46 1.57% 2% 37.60 41.70 3% 5% 10 4090 34% 10 SIOUX CITY The Siouxland Humane Society will have a new location for its annual "Paws 'N Claus" fundraiser to support homeless and often neglected animals in Siouxland. With parking available at the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot, "Paws 'N Claus" will be in Suite 109 at the Ho-Chunk Centre, 600 Fourth St. from Nov. 16 - 20. "Paws 'N Claus" features professional photographs and a great opportunity to get new family photos with or without your pet and with or without Santa. The Grinch will also be around on select days. Appointments for weekday evenings as well as weekends can be made online at siouxlandhumanesociety.org. Established in 1889, the Siouxland Humane Society is a nonprofit organization solely supported by private donations. It exists to provide programs and services that promote the humane treatment of animals in the Siouxland area. Money raised from "Paws 'N Claus" will go directly to care for the thousands of homeless, neglected and abused animals it helps each year. CORALVILLE, Iowa A man serving a life sentence for a Sioux City murder was pronounced dead Friday morning at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center. Simon Curtis Tunstall, 66, died of natural causes, according to a statement from the Iowa Department of Corrections. He was in hospice at the correctional facility in Coralville due to chronic illness. Tunstall, 30, of Omaha, and his cousin Steven Frasier, 37, of Sioux City, were convicted in February 1987 of first-degree murder for the Aug. 31, 1986, shooting death of 30-year-old Jeffrey Jones. A Woodbury County jury found a third defendant, James Simpson, 30, of Omaha, not guilty. According to a Sioux City Journal story published on Feb. 19, 1987, the murder was the result of a running feud between Frasier and Jones over the prostitution employment of Jones' girlfriend Chris Buddi. Jones was shot three times at the apartment he shared with Buddi in the 100 block of 16th St., after Frasier and Tunstall broke in the front door. Tunstall began serving his sentence on March 31, 1987. EMERSON, Neb. -- An Emerson man has been arrested on felony charges after a hidden camera was found in a public restroom at the Northeast Nebraska grocery store where he worked. Miguel Vazquez, 21, is charged with three counts of unlawful intrusion, a class IV felony. According to an arrest affidavit filed in Dakota County Court, Emerson police were dispatched to Post 60 Market, 109 N. Main Street, at 6:58 p.m. Friday. A female employee had gone into the store's public restroom and found what appeared to be a camera plugged into an electrical outlet above the sink. She unplugged the device and called the manager to the store. She and Vazquez told police they didn't know anything about the device, but thought it had been in the bathroom since the previous Sunday, the affidavit stated. Police collected the device as evidence. It was confirmed to be a hidden video recording device. At 7:47 a.m. Saturday, the store's manager called police. He told them that Vazquez admitted to being the one who had placed the hidden camera in the bathroom. Vazquez was then arrested at his home and taken to the Dakota County Jail. SIOUX CITY A Sioux City man was sentenced Friday to 12 years in federal prison for selling methamphetamine. Luis Sanchez, 41, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. He was convicted in 2014 of distribution of methamphetamine. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Sanchez and others sold more than 8 pounds of meth from January through September in 2021. Sanchez sold meth to individuals cooperating with law enforcement three times during that time. U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse could receive a vote of no confidence by University of Florida faculty before he even is confirmed as that university's president. The UF Faculty Senate will consider a vote of no confidence regarding the university's presidential selection process at an emergency meeting Thursday. Sasse, a Nebraska Republican, was announced as the sole finalist to become the school's 13th president last month, leading to immediate backlash. During his first visit to campus, Sasse faced a large student protest mainly focused on his stance on same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ+ issues. That prompted current University of Florida President Kent Fuchs to announce Monday he was enforcing a 20-year-old regulation banning protests inside campus buildings. The Faculty Senate resolution focuses on the selection process university officials followed that led Sasse to be the sole finalist, claiming it "undermined the trust and confidence" of the Faculty Senate in Sasse's selection. It also indicated that the body doubted Sasse's qualifications for the role. "The next President should come already equipped to lead an institution of this caliber rather than aiming to learn on the job," the resolution read. Before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Sasse led Midland University in Fremont, a school with roughly 1,600 students. UF's student population is nearly 60,000 students. The resolution claimed that at a Faculty Senate meeting Oct. 20, members were informed that there were other "well-qualified" candidates for the presidency that were eliminated because they were unwilling to be named as finalists within the university's 21-day public notification requirement. This prevented faculty from being informed about the other candidates and their qualifications, the resolution read. Faculty Senate Chair Amanda Phalin did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Sasse faces a vote by the schools Board of Trustees and then must be confirmed by the state Board of Governors before he is officially named president. If approved, hes expected to resign his Senate seat. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has said that if he chooses to pursue the vacant seat, he would leave Sasse's replacement to the state's next governor. Sasse's successor would serve until 2024, when a special election would be held to fill the seat. SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Council unanimously voted Monday to approve plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated cost for the West Eighth Street reconstruction project, which runs from Hamilton Boulevard to Sioux Street. The project includes new sanitary sewer, water main and storm sewer, as well as new sidewalks and fiber conduit. Before the vote, Mayor Pro Tem Dan Moore asked Sioux City Public Works Director Dave Carney to talk about the project's budget. "We were hoping that it was going to start last year. Because we were short funds, it got bumped," Carney said of the project. The city engineer's estimate of probable construction costs for the project is $3,084,503.50 for the PCC (Portland cement concrete) paving option and $3,170,208.50 for the HMA (hot mix asphalt) paving option, according to city documents. The project, which will be individually monitored, currently has a negative balance of $1,365.98. An additional $700,000 for the project has been requested from the CIP in fiscal year 2024. The remaining shortfall will be transferred from another project. "There were some funds that were left over from Morningside that will now come back," Carney said. "When there's funds left over, those are getting pushed back and are going to cover the shortfall of this project." DGR Engineering of Sioux City completed the plans and specifications for the project. The reconstructed roadway will be 39-foot-wide with parallel parking on both sides. A bid letting is expected to take place on Nov. 1. The project has a late start date of April 17. Work is set to be completed within 120 working days, which is anticipated to be in October 2023. The project is being funded through the capital improvement program. HARTLAND The six people found dead after an apartment fire in a southern Wisconsin village last week had been shot in an apparent case of murder-suicide, according to police. The bodies of a couple and their four children were found early Friday after firefighters were called to their burning apartment in Hartland. The 10 remaining tenants in the four-unit building made it out safely. Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko said Monday evening that all victims had one gunshot wound. Connor McKisick, a father and stepfather to the four children, had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Misko said. The others who died are Jessica McKisick, a 14-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl and two 3-year-old boys, all of whom lived with Connor McKisick in one of the apartments. Police did not identify the children, but officials at the schools the girls attended said the older girl was Natalie Kleemeier and her younger sister Sofina Kleemeier. Misko said all of those who died had a single gunshot wound. He said there is also evidence of an ignitable liquid in the apartment, where multiple guns were found. "This is a tragic incident for the family of the deceased, for our first responders and for the Hartland community," Misko said. The incident remains under investigation by Hartland police with assistance from the Waukesha County Medical Examiner's Office, State Fire Marshal and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Hartland is a village of approximately 9,100 people about 26 miles west of Milwaukee. Brenna Bird, the Republican candidate for Iowa attorney general, displayed her support from county sheriffs in two new TV ads. The ads feature Iowa county sheriffs saying Bird will back the blue, and saying Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller has not supported the county law enforcement operations. The ads will run in multiple media markets, according to a press release from the campaign. In one ad, six sheriffs say Bird will support law enforcement and prosecute criminals. Bird has run on a campaign of supporting law enforcement and has endorsements from 74 of Iowas 99 county sheriffs, including six Democrats. The ad features Democratic Guthrie County Sheriff Marty Arganbright saying, Im a Democrat, but I support Brenna Bird, because she always backs the blue. Another ad shows sheriffs saying Miller has not done enough to support them. When Cedar County needed Tom Miller, he wasnt there for us, Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington, a Republican, says in the ad. Unlike the current Attorney General, I have been endorsed by a bipartisan group of 74 county sheriffs, Bird said in the press release. Zero have endorsed my opponent. These last few weeks have shown that Iowans are ready for an Attorney General who stands with law enforcement, stands with victims, and who will take Joe Biden to court when he oversteps. Miller has said Birds focus on law enforcement is more partisan than practical, and says his office works closely with law enforcement and prosecutors to secure convictions for criminals. I think we have a really good relationship with law enforcement thats built on respect, thats built on working together, he said in a recent interview. A mob supporting U.S. President Donald Trump breaks into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) A central Indiana man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to carrying a loaded gun on the Capitol grounds and assaulting police during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. A federal judge in the District of Columbia sentenced Mark Mazza, 57, on Friday to five years in prison, followed by three years on supervised release. The Shelbyville man had pleaded guilty in June to two of the 13 charges he faced assaulting a police officer using a deadly weapon and carrying a firearm without a license. Advertisement Prosecutors had sought a 6.5-year sentence for Mazza, calling his conduct that day extremely violent and pointing to a prior criminal conviction in which he battered an adolescent, The Indianapolis Star reported. According to court records, Mazza brought a revolver loaded with three shotgun shells and two hollow point bullets to the Capitol but lost possession of the weapon. He then made his way to a tunnel area with doors leading into the Capitol Building and joined rioters collective effort to push through at least 20 officers defending the tunnel entrance, records say. Advertisement Mazza then held a door to allow other rioters to attack officers with flag poles, batons, sticks and stolen law enforcement shields, according to court records. He then wrestled a baton from an officers hand and swung it, striking one officer in the arm before police pushed him out of the tunnel. Even though special master Ken Feinberg, who was in charge of the first federal Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund, distributed $6 billion to the estates of those killed on 9/11 an average of more than $2 million to the nearly 3,000 victims the House of Representatives passed its new Fairness for 9/11 Families Act to allow additional claims for the deaths inflicted by the terrorists and set aside $2.7 billion for them. But these politicians so eager to stand by the fallen victims of 9/11 and their families the House roll call was 400 to 31 are derelict in their obligation to the much larger group of still-living survivors and first responders from the World Trade Center. This group's health was permanently damaged by the toxins at ground zero, and they now are suffering grievous, often fatal, medical maladies from cancer to pulmonary ailments. The CDCs World Trade Center Health Program, which is monitoring and treating 118,000 people from heroic firefighters and cops to everyday folks caught in the poisonous cloud, is in need of $3 billion soon, lest health care has to be rationed. So why the rush for solidarity with a subset of 9/11 victims, whose immediate families have already been compensated for their terrible loss, while failing to properly fund the ongoing vital lifesaving treatment for many other victims who are still suffering from the attacks aftermath? The original Feinberg fund, which closed in 2004, was geared to making payments to spouses and dependents so we dont object to the goal of the new bill, which would permit parents and siblings to make claims. But why has Congress addressed this before answering the aching needs of the far larger group of ailing responders and survivors? Over and over again, legislators from both parties insist the WTC Health Program will be made whole. But the calendar is advancing and the shortfall is looming. The living victims of 9/11 must not be forgotten. The sun salutation that forms the basic scaffolding of the ashtanga vinyasa school of yoga is one of the most curious of poses. You may sometimes find yourself wondering, as I have done, whether youre in fact engaged in a very fancy sort of burpee: stretch up, hands to the ground, jump back, do a press-up, jump forwards, stretch upbut make it yoga. And if so, you might have hit upon an interesting knot in the tangled history of yoga and gymnastics. Advertisement Its almost certain that the family resemblance between surya namaskar and a burpee is not just coincidence. The great hatha yoga modernizers of the first half of the twentieth centuryTirumalai Krishnamacharya and his star students, K. Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengardeveloped their practice with reference to a range of influences from both European and Indian physical culture. (This fertile period of cross-pollination has been well documented in recent yearsif youre interested in digging deeper, key figures in contemporary English-language yoga scholarship for this period include Dr. Elizabeth De Michelis and Dr. Mark Singleton.) In later years, Krishnamacharya claimed that his method was derived from an ancient yoga text, which had conveniently been eaten by ants. But although sequences of yoga poses are present in the textual record from around 200 years earlier, the type of fast-moving sequences he pioneered at Mysore in the 1930s were clearly understood at the time as an innovation, and one that borrowed heavily from forms of gymnastics and body-building that were popular in India at that time; so much so that at least one of Krishnamacharyas contemporary critics accused him of promoting circus skills rather than yoga. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone who has observed a taught ashtanga class in progress, in all its swooping, strenuous grace, knows that its a beautiful spectacle. To the hypnotic soundtrack of synchronized ujjayi breathing (a technique to extend the length and refine the quality of the breath, which makes a characteristic Darth Vader sound), the students stretch and fold and jump and float, in unison, through a precise series of poses and linking movements known as vinyasa. This perpetual motion yoga looks very different from the more traditional hatha yoga asanalong-held seated or balancing postures in which the primary discipline is endurance rather than agile movement. But they have something in common: both can be understood as a kind of performanceyoga as spectacle. Advertisement Its fashionable nowadays to talk of postural yoga as a type of inner work from which the outer appearance of the pose is an active distraction. The implication is that yoga-as-performance is not real yoga. Whichever side of that particular argument you find yourself on, its important to recognize that performance yoga is not a modern phenomenon. A very long time before Instagram, people liked to marvel at the strange things that yoga practitioners can do with their bodies. Theres a centuries-long tradition in India of physical austerities as a devotional practice. Holy men became famous for feats like holding one arm up in the air, or standing up 24 hours a day, for months or even years. When pioneering spiritual tourist Theos Bernard travelled to India to learn hatha yoga in the 1930s, the main focus of his training was on posture duration: holding a headstand for a minute longer each day until he could stay in place for three hours at a stretch. Obviously, many if not most devotees practiced their headstands in privatethe fifteenth-century text Hathayogapradipika specifies a secluded hut in the forest for the perfection of yoga asanabut having eschewed possessions and traditional forms of labor, the yogins still needed to eat. Displaying their skills in the public square in exchange for alms was extremely common. Slate receives a commission when you purchase items using the links on this page. Thank you for your support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sun salutationand by extension, the whole ashtanga vinyasa methodmay also owe its format in part to the demands of public performance. In the 1930s, a young Pattabhi Jois was part of an elite troupe of young yogins trained by Krishnamacharya to demonstrate the more impressive aspects of hatha yoga to large audiences all over South India at the behest of the Maharaja of Mysore. To identify the rich stew of cultural influences that helped to shape surya namaskar is in no way to diminish its mysterious power and beauty. It wouldnt be the basic back-beat of (at a guess) half of all global yoga classes if it didnt move us deeply, scratch some kind of itch that our bodies have to stretch and move together. To flow through a dynamic yoga sequence as part of a group, with shared purpose, is an uncanny experience. Like a flock of starlings or a shoal of anchovies, each body is attuned to its neighbors. Moods and impulses can flit across the group without warning. Sometimes this group energy feels like solidarity, sometimes like competition. It can be expansive and exhilarating: can carry you through a tough practice that you would easily have given up if you were attempting it alone and take your practice to new levels. It can also drown out your interoceptive voice and take you beyond your safe physical limits. Likewise, compulsive repetition of sun salutations can be immensely soothing and can also open the door to repetitive strain injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This group dynamic is a relatively recent innovation in yoga practice, which for the previous 1,500 years had always been a rather solitary pursuit, so I think its interesting to compare how your sun salutations feel when youre alone in the room. Its a bit like exchanging the collective discipline of orchestral music for the looser explorations of jazz. Following that metaphor, you might like to experiment with tempo: how insanely sloooowly can you move through the sequence? Or go andante, each movement strolling smoothly into the next with no pauses. Or extemporize around the basic refrain; maybe even linger in one shape for the equivalent of a self-indulgent 10-minute drum solo. Excerpted from Curious Poses: 30 Yoga Postures and the Stories They Tell by Lucy Greeves, run with permission of the author, courtesy of Green Tree, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Lucy Greeves, 2022 Years of unconstitutional abuse at New York Citys jail on Rikers Island have generated national outcry and broad agreement that the facility must be shut down. A plan for this, albeit far from satisfactory, is now formally underway. But at Houstons Harris County Jail, more deaths and arguably even worse conditions than at Rikers have barely registered nationally. There currently exists neither plans nor sufficient political pressure to put a stop to the systematic violence Houstons most vulnerable residents are reportedly experiencing in the jail. Advertisement Today, the Harris County Jail detains more than 10,000 peoplethe highest number of people in more than a decade, presenting a stark contrast to an approximately 10 percent reduction since 2008 in the number of people incarcerated nationally. More than 80 percent of those inside the jail are detained pretrial. Nearly 80 percent of people admitted to the jail are recorded as likely to be suffering from a mental illness, according to the jails own data. Nearly 30 percent are on psychiatric medications. And over the last two years as the Covid-19 pandemic has torn through Texas most marginalized communities, the jails average daily population has increased by 24 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the population has surged, so too have the reported incidents of violence, medical neglect, abuse, and in-custody deaths. Between the summer months of 2019 and 2022, the number of officially recorded assaults in the jail has more than doubled and events involving use of force resulting in bodily injury have more than quadrupled. Advertisement Advertisement We, a community activist and a researcher, have been working with a small group of full-time staff at Texas Jail Project to track the worsening crisis at the Harris County Jail. This non-profit advocacy organization, founded in 2006, provides de facto civilian oversight for incarcerated people, their families, and for officials and jail employees who, disturbed by what they have witnessed, choose to act as whistleblowers. Collectively, we support impacted individuals and families, and seek to inform both the public and lawmakers about civil rights violations occurring inside 240 Texas county jails, where more than 67 percent of the 72,612 people inside are jailed pretrial. Texas is not exceptional in its failure to protect those inside its jails and to hold officials responsible for abuse accountable. As was underlined by a recent U.S. Senate oversight hearing and new reports issued both by the Senate and the Department of Justice that showed thousands of in-custody deaths have been left uncounted, the systems for monitoring carceral conditions and preventing abuse are grossly inadequate throughout the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Still, 22 people are already officially reported to have died while in Harris County Jail custody so far this yeara devastating figure. The last time death numbers at the jail reached this level was in 2006, when 22 people died over the course of a full calendar year. Most of the individuals who have died this year were jailed because they couldnt afford to pay cash bail, including some who remain officially uncounted because they were only released on personal bonds when their deaths became imminent. This is a commonly used tacticin Texas and elsewhereby which law enforcement agencies evade requirements for reporting deaths for which they may be responsible. Advertisement Advertisement One person whose death is not included in the official toll at the jail this year was Damian Lopez. The 29-year-old died last March of COVID-19, shortly after he was charged with a misdemeanor and detained because he couldnt pay the 10 percent of his $10,000 bail required. His detention was in apparent violation of a 2019 federal court order, which was issued after a U.S. district court deemed Harris Countys misdemeanor cash bail system unconstitutional and required the elimination of its misdemeanor bail schedule. Lopezs family learned he had been hospitalized only after he was already unconscious and on a ventilator. Two days later, officials released Lopez from custody as he lay dying, which had the effect of removing his death from their books. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of the officially recorded deaths, the details surrounding the first of this year are among the most gruesome. The custody death report submitted by the jail to the Office of the Attorney General regarding Simon Peter Douglas, who suffered from serious mental illness, reads as follows: While inside the single cell, the decedent removed a piece of lining in his jail issued clothing and attempted to hang himself. Detention officers entered the cell and struggled to handcuff the decedent as he struggled with officers. The decedent was handcuffed and moved to a single cell padded room. While inside the padded room, the handcuffed decedent continually ran his head into the walls, door, and a metal grate on the floor of the cell. Detention staff entered the cell and removed him onto a stretcher. Advertisement Only at this point did staff transport Douglas to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Despite displaying signs of psychotic agitation from the time of arrest until his fatal injuries, there is no indication that Douglas was ever administered an emergency psychiatric medication while under the custodial responsibility of the jail. The media office at the Harris County Sheriffs Office, which oversees the jail, said they were unable to respond to specific questions about Douglas medical careand other individual cases discussed below. The Sheriffs Office has taken many steps to ensure the health and safety of those entrusted into our custody, despite the challenges created by the pandemic and the backlog of cases pending in our criminal courts, Harris County Sheriffs Office chief of staff Jason Spencer wrote to Slate in response to a series of questions about Douglas death and other specific cases. The medical examiner recorded the cause of Douglas death as suicide; died at the hospital; blunt force cephalocervical trauma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The following month, Matthew Shelton, a 28-year-old man with diabetes, also died at the jail. When he was arrested on March 22, according to his sworn financial affidavit, he was unemployed and surviving on $365 per month in government assistance. He was granted personal bonds in his Harris County cases, but he also had a warrant from Walker County with a $10,000 bond. Because he couldnt pay the $10,000 required by Walker County, he was not released. While at the jail, he was not given the insulin he needed to survive. As a result, according to a custodial death report from the Texas attorney generals office, five days after arriving at the jail, he was found dead. Advertisement Kristan Smith, who supported herself and her four children on government assistance when she was arrested on April 27, died in May under unclear circumstances. She was detained at the jail simply because she couldnt afford her bail, whichafter her deathwas lowered from $30,000 to $5,000. The jails sparse incident report doesnt provide any information about the circumstances leading to her death except that she had been in the hospital for eight days before she died. We have even less information about how Willie Fizer died on August 30. As of this month, no information has been provided about the manner or cause of death. All that we know is that he passed away in the intake room of the jail one day after his thirtieth birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These deaths and many others are products of a cruel, dysfunctional-by-design system. Many people have the impression that this abuse serves public safety or that it is simply a consequence of a regrettable-but-intractable system of mass incarceration for which no one in particular bears responsibility. Neither claim is true. Advertisement Advertisement Whats happening at Houstons jail is a direct consequence of ongoing decisions made by a small group of local judges and prosecutors who handle felony cases. Its also the result of a bill passed last year by the Texas state legislature. The officials responsible for felony charges in Harris County have continued to use unnecessary, lengthy pretrial detention, eschewing reforms that have worked in other jurisdictions. This is forcing the jail to detain many people for whom there is no evidence that detention serves any public interest. Advertisement Gov. Greg Abbott, who blocked releases with an executive order signed at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and state legislators, who have supported legislation making it harder to earn release, are also to blame. In 2021, Texas passed a law known as SB 6, which has increased pretrial detention throughout the state. Two provisions of SB 6 are causing jail populations to skyrocket. First, the law requires a cash payment from people charged with certain categories of more severe offensesand thus requires the pretrial detention of poor people charged with those crimes. Some of the charges that are disproportionately levied against people with mental illnesssuch as assault on a peace officerare on the list of included offenses. In this way, SB6s ban has functionally overturned the Sandra Bland Act, which had authorized magistrates to divert people with serious mental illness or intellectual disabilities, regardless of charges faced and without cash payments. Now, partly as a result of SB 6, approximately 300 people in Harris County and 2,540 people statewide are stuck in jail while they await transfer to overwhelmed state psychiatric facilities, according to the Texas Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services. The waiting list for transfer is now approximately two years long. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, SB 6 requires counties to generate a criminal history report for every person arrested. That provision is being interpreted to require review of every single persons criminal history prior to release, which means that everyone is detained pending judicial revieweven if they could pay and even if judges would prefer to release them immediately on unsecured bond. Requiring a criminal history review before release goes against decades of previous practice and is causing huge increased delays. In Harris County, the time it took to get a bail hearing doubled after SB 6s criminal history requirement went into effect in April. This means that people are waiting in the Harris County Jails processing center for days. When we reported this to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, their investigation confirmed that at least 64 people were found to have been waiting in the booking area for well more than 48 hours and one for 99 hoursa violation of the jails legal obligation to enter people into housing within 48 hours of arrival at the jail. Amid these conditions, at least two people have died while waiting in the booking area at the Harris County Jail since May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These provisions of SB 6, combined with the crushing weight of an historic case backlog and the ongoing policy of District Attorney Kim Ogg to relentlessly prosecute a high number of cases that are dismissed by judges or result in time-served or probationary sentences, have created the human rights catastrophe now unfolding in Harris County. The district attorneys office, through Misdemeanor Bureau Chief Nathan Beedle, disputed the characterization of Oggs prosecutorial decisions as aggressive, saying Its victims who decide to press charges, not the district attorney. Its not up to us. The jail has been so full that it has been unable to hold all the people Houston Police and County Sheriff have been arresting and the district attorney has been charging. Shannon Herklotz, the jails Chief of Detentions, told the Houston Chronicle in July, I just dont have any available beds to put inmates that are coming in. So, the rate theyre coming in is exceeding the rate theyre going out. Im just out of room. This has led officials to transfer approximately 600 people to a for-profit jail five hours away in Louisiana. And a contract has now been signed to send hundreds more to another for-profit jail in Lubbock, Texasnearly eight hours drive from Houston. At least one person, 30-year-old Billie Davis, has died after being transferred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The financial costs of these excess detentions have been staggering, with more than 65 percent of the countys budget now going to law enforcement, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. But even reallocating public funds away from punishment and towards violence prevention wont solve the urgent crisis incarcerated people are facing at the Harris County Jail right now. To do that, the county must address the backlog of cases contributing to the crisis and stop the unnecessarily high volume of front-end flow into the facility. Ogg is a major obstacle to addressing the backlog. She holds power to dismiss cases and also exercises considerable influence over judges refusals to hold bail hearings for people facing felony charges or to release people on personal bonds. Beedle, on behalf of Oggs office, argued that prosecution of low-level cases is necessary to prevent higher-level crimes because you cant tell me trespass wouldnt have led to rape if the guy hadnt been arrested. Advertisement According our analysis of data provided by the county, as of August 29 this year, approximately 1,500 people at the jail were being detained on bonds of $20,000 or less. Half of them were being detained on bonds of no more than $10,000, including 364 people whose bonds were $5,000 or less. There were 446 people in the jail charged only with a non-violent theft or drug possession charge. Advertisement Advertisement Ogg could release all these people today. And such proposals dont belong to some sort of radical fringe. Almost 35 percent of pending felony cases (more than 41,000 cases) are more than 360 days old, and even the Harris County Sheriff, Ed Gonzalez, suggested earlier this year that steps be taken to release the 1,000 people detained on $10,000 bond or less. Advertisement Advertisement Gonzalez, however, is not an innocent bystander. Since calling for releases, Gonzalez, who like most county sheriffs in the U.S. is an elected politician, has changed his tune and is now instead calling for more funds to build a bigger jail. Additionally, although Gonzalez has broad power to exercise discretion regarding who is arrested and admitted to the jail so as to stop contributing to the growing case backlog, he has failed to use it to protect vulnerable populations and to stop jailing people for out-of-county warrants that suggest no ongoing risk of violence to others. Due in large part to Ogg and Gonzalezs ongoing choices, the countys case backlog is only growing worse. Between 2010 and 2016, it grew at a rate of 2,300 cases per year. After Hurricane Harvey disrupted hundreds of thousands of peoples lives in 2017, it has been growing even more rapidly at an average of 7,632 cases per year. Beedle, representing Oggs office, stated that any increase in pretrial detention is because a judge has determined that this is in the public interest and not because of Oggs decisions. Advertisement Advertisement But an independent consultant, The Justice Management Institute, concluded in a June 2020 report that the only realistic way to address the growing backlog would be for Ogg to dismiss all non-violent felony cases older than nine months. The report observed that although widespread dismissal may seem unfathomable, only 42 percent of felony cases disposed in 2019 resulted in a conviction. The rest were dismissed (34 percent), deferred (23 percent), or acquitted (3 percent). And even when a person was convicted, the most likely outcome was release back into the community on probation. This trend has continued since. For example, among theft cases filed in 2021, 55 percent were dismissed or acquitted, as were most cases for prostitution (82 percent), trespass (74 percent), cannabis possession (71 percent), all other drug cases (62 percent), and unlawful possession of a weapon (76 percent). In fact, as a result of her unusually aggressive prosecution choices, Oggs office is losing trials at an extraordinarily rate, including 7 of 12 cases in a single week this past summer. Advertisement Advertisement Over the last several years, the proportion of misdemeanor charges resulting in a conviction has dropped off even more dramatically. In 2015, 61 percent of cases resulted in conviction. In 2019, when the new misdemeanor bail rule first went into effect and pretrial release rates shot up, the conviction rate dropped to 29 percent and then to 28 percent in 2020 and 2021. Beedle claimed that declining misdemeanor conviction rates are due to the success of pretrial diversion programs. Although the Harris County Sheriffs Office did not provide comment regarding specific cases, they did state that their death-in-custody ratewhich is now higher than at any point since 2006is below the national average and other Texas counties on a per capita basis. Of course, the issue is that the total population of people incarcerated in Harris County jailsand with it the number of people who have died in sheriffs custodyhave exploded for no good reason. The per capita data is beside the point when the topline numbers are so very high. Although in-custody mistreatment is widespread across Texas jails, this is no excuse for allowing the deaths and other violence towards people incarcerated at the Harris County Jail to continue. The residents of Harris County should refuse to accept any further delay when people are dying from indefensible inaction inside public institutions operated in their name. There couldnt have been a more fitting moment for the ascendance of the United Kingdoms first Indian prime minister, who will also be his countrys first PM of color, the first Hindu to lead its government, and the youngest person to have the role in 200 years. On Monday, when the 42-year-old, 5-foot-7 Rishi Sunak was selected by Conservatives to lead their partyand therefore the former British empireit was also the first day of Diwali. It was only weeks after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. And 2022 marks the 75th anniversary of Indian independence from Britain. Advertisement Now that Liz Truss has been lettuced and Boris Johnson has decided not to call it a comeback, Sunak will head His Majestys Government for at least a little while, assuming general elections dont happen anytime soon. And his fellow Indians across the globe are feeling all sorts of ways about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanghis are proud of Rishi Sunak being the PM of Britain as they always love to claim victories they had nothing to do with just like the indian independence struggle. Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) October 24, 2022 Advertisement Advertisement Rishi Sunak becoming PM isnt a victory for South Asians. How many South Asians have been brought up in a realm of socio-economic prestige & have a 700+ million personal fortune? This is a win for elitism not Mr Mahmood from your corner shop. Now mull that over hot brew/chai. Shuaib. (@ShuaibKhan26) October 24, 2022 Congratulations to Rishi Sunak. My thoughts now with all Indians here for the multitude of Whatsapp messages from family in India we are about to receive in the coming days Sriram Krishnan - sriramk.eth (@sriramk) October 24, 2022 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sorry to say that Rishi Sunak is *hot* nisha (@_nishades) October 24, 2022 Advertisement Advertisement The diaspora has much to consider in this desi power brokers rapid climb in British politicshelped, in part, by years of turmoil on Downing Street and within the Tories ranks. The Southampton-born son of Punjabi medical workers who emigrated from East Africa, Sunak mostly carries a typical Tory pedigree: a boarding-school education, an Oxford degree, and multiple family connections to wealth. Before his election to the House of Commons in 2015, he worked for various international finance firms and married his Stanford Business School classmate Akshata Murthythe daughter of legendary Indian billionaire N.K. Narayana Murthy, who co-founded the tech behemoth Infosys in the 1980s. Sunaks financial career and his wifes fortune made them one of Britains richest couples by the time he became an MP; Murthys assets, including a chunk of her fathers company, made her richer than the queen, according to the Guardian. Advertisement Advertisement In Parliament, Sunaks early support for Brexit gained him favor with the Conservatives postDavid Cameron leadership; Prime Minister Theresa May appointed him to her Cabinet in 2018. After she resigned, Sunak threw his support to Boris Johnson, who as PM appointed him chancellor of the exchequer. He became something of a COVID-era star: His press conferences and public addresses to Britons in the pandemics early months, showing off his clean-cut presence and comforting voice, earned him some Andrew Cuomoesque praise (and public thirst for Dishy Rishi), along with speculation that he could succeed Johnson down the line. As with New Yorks governor, Sunak benefited from mass public perception of competence; only later, during the Partygate scandal, would he be exposed as being not quite public healthconscious. Yet he savvily navigated the U.K.s political crises, resigning from Johnsons cabinet as the oafish PMs approval plungedthen running to succeed his old boss as the Conservative Party leader. Some Tories sneered at his candidacy due to his willingness to (slightly) expand Britains safety net during COVID and readiness to dump Johnson this year; while Sunak made it to a final round against Liz Truss, the party ultimately backed her until, well, it just couldnt anymore. And now here we are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Itd be a strange political origin in any context, but Sunaks is further magnified by his nationality and religion. British Indians, especially its Hindus, have historically leaned toward the Labour Party, given the Conservatives history of blatant racism. But, as in the United States, more British Hindus of South Asian origin have drifted toward the center-right in recent years. Various factors have contributed to this: Hindu nationalism has expanded its global presence, abetted in part by app-fueled misinformation; more privileged Indian immigrants increasingly support pro-business politicians; small-c conservative politicians in Western countries are often perceived as friendly toward Indiai.e., toward the subcontinents right-wing government. Indeed, some of Britains most globally prominent politicians of Indian descent have risen under Tory cabinets: Alok Sharma, who led last years United Nations climate conference; the scandal-plagued Thatcher superfan Priti Patel, a member of both the May and Johnson governments; and Suella Braverman, a Truss Cabinet appointee who was forced to resign just last week for mishandling documents (and after making comments about Indian immigrants that almost scuttled a U.K.-India trade deal). Advertisement So, in the midst of all this, just how are Indians looking at incoming PM Rishi Sunak? Well, all the WhatsApp forwards that fizzled when Truss beat him for the big job are flurrying anew, as Indians incorporate Sunaks kinda hot visage into Diwali wishes to their families. Advertisement Advertisement I've just been sent this on whatsapp so it's officially the worst diwali ever pic.twitter.com/LoY5GWUQIw ngine-arz (@EngineEarz) October 24, 2022 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BBC compiled a number of WhatsApp Indian-family group messages following Sunaks Conservative victory. Some expressed hope that Indians would finally be taken seriously on the world stage, but others were a touch more skeptical of the PM. One such message reads: He is nothing like most of us. Posh and rich and just like the rest of Westminster. (Not far from Slate contributor Imogen West-Knights description of Sunak as a sniveling billionaire.) Even fellow Conservatives are wary of his ample wealth and the scrutiny thats ensued from it; one British Indian party member told Reuters that hes part of the global elite, as opposed to an ordinary person who goes to work and faces the problems which I face. Advertisement Advertisement But many responses across the diaspora have focused on Sunaks ethnicity and Hindu faith, which are highly meaningful on a symbolic level. After all, he now leads the party of Winston Churchill, who helped contribute to the destructive 1943 Bengal famine and infamously referred to Indians as a beastly people with a beastly religion. At least superficially, Sunak represents a major advance in a country that brutalized Indians for centuries. One Delhi businessman told ABC News this was a moment of pride for India: that the country which ruled us for many years is now anointing a prime minister of Indian descent. Sunak is also a proud Hindu who took his MP oath of office on a copy of the Bhagvad Gita, an essential text of Hinduism, and used his social media presence to share photos of himself practicing his faith. This is especially significant in light of the fact that just four years ago, a Conservative politician said that Hindu and Muslim faith-based celebrations had transformed Britain into a crime-ridden cesspool. It may be that Sunaks new position as party leader will help marginalize sentiments like this within his party. But hes also been quickly embraced by Hindu nationalists, including from Indias ruling party, who hope his selection augurs well for more fundamentalist forms of Hinduism. Sunak does not appear to have solid ties to Hindu nationalist organizations. But it seems unlikely hed confront India over its Hindutva agenda anytime soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At any rate, Sunaks honeymoon period as a paragon of British multiculturalism will likely be brief. Hes inheriting a Britain suffering from both economic and energy crises, and as a result his partys approval rating has sunk to the bottom of the Thames. And to the dismay of many Indians in the U.K. and elsewhere, the Tories are still the party of austerity, climate denial, transphobia, crackdowns on citizenship eligibility, andyesracism. Sunak has sometimes bucked the party line on these issues, and at least has far better records on climate and the economy than Truss (which really isnt saying much). But, as evidenced by this summers Conservative Party contest, hes not likely to halt the Tories ever-rightward drift. Meanwhile, the majority of Indian Britons still back Labour, and Britains minority artists and activists, increasingly surveilled and demonized under Conservative administrations, probably wont get relief or empathy from their first PM of color. Sunak has benefited a lot from good timing, savvy image-making, and relative newness to the global stagenot to mention an immense personal fortune. So hes getting quite a bit of love this week. Soon enough, well see how the auntie WhatsApps really feel. John Fetterman meets Mehmet Oz on the debate stage Thursday night for their first and only face-off as the candidates for Pennsylvanias Senate seat this campaign. Theres a lot riding on this momenthow will Fetterman do, post-stroke? How will his performance and incredibly reasonable use of accommodations be judged? Also, how will he go about roasting Dr. Ozwill it be primarily about living in New Jersey? Will we get a crudite moment? There are lots of questions. But in the last hours before the event, the Fetterman-Oz news cycle (upon news cycle, upon news cycle) having worn me down, I have just one! What will Fetterman wear? Advertisement Earlier today, as I edited a piece about debates this campaign season overall, I asked a member of our art team for a photo of Fetterman. How about one of him in a sweatshirt?, she asked. Because on first glance, thats all there was: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sweatshirt has been Fettermans signature, probably for a few reasons. One is that its comfortable. Another is probably that it actually connects to his imagethe everyman, the relatable guy, the inverse of Dr. Oz. Really it leaves me asking: Does this guy even own a suit? Yes, yes he does! He wore one recently to meet President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh. Meeting the president is defintely a good time to wear a suit. And I have to admit, that even though I think the sweatshirt look works for him, John Fetterman should wear a suit tonight too. Maybe even this suit! After all, slightly ill-fitting Mens Wearhouse is also the uniform of the people. Welcome to State of Mind, a new section from Slate and Arizona State University dedicated to exploring mental health. Follow us on Twitter. Recently, I had one of the most successful weeks in my career as an English professor while secretly dealing with some of the worst depression and anxiety I had ever experienced. I hosted a world-renowned scholar at my institution, published an article, and was offered a contract for an academic book. Truly, everything I ever dreamed of came to fruition for my career. Advertisement But I could hardly enjoy it, let alone appreciate it the way I hoped. Months before, I began suffering from prolonged abdominal pain that even today remains unresolved, with the cause unknown. While teaching, my stomach turns in the middle of lectures, at times stopping me midsentence. I think about my mortality more often, my family health history, and whether Id be around next year or the year after that. These thoughts became more frequent, but I just keep moving on as I always have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I find myself more and more in this paradox of success and depression as years go by. The more I accomplish, the more work I create, the more my mind and body weaken, and the more desensitized I am to accolades or recognition. I have wrongly assumed that professional rewardsin my case the publication, glowing evaluations, and praisewould heal me. In reality, work is driving me into mental despair. Advertisement Advertisement The more I accomplish, the more work I create, the more my mind and body weaken. People of color in predominantly white industries and institutions often must work twice if not three times as hard as our white counterparts. We are expected to meet unrealistic standards and goals for being the first of our kind, to prove that we belong, that our existence isnt accidental, and that our roles are merited. But at what expense? My personal relationship with work comes from my parents. We came to this country from the Dominican Republic when I was six. My father worked many labor-intensive jobs to make ends meet. In the early 90s, he was a delivery boy in mid-town Manhattan; in the early aughts, he was a helper for a juice distribution company; in the last years of his life, he, in his own words, settled down, and drove a cab. My father took me to all these jobs, modeling for me how to make it in this country. In his early 50s, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. While in the hospital, he worried about his business and customers. He died three months after his diagnosis, the day before I defended my dissertation and completed my Ph.D. Advertisement Advertisement Before immigrating to the U.S., my mother dropped out of school at 16 to help her family make ends meet as well. She was employed as a servant by a wealthy Dominican family in Santiago. When she moved to the U.S., housekeeping was the only job she could do. She worked all over Manhattan, ultimately finding purpose in this work because it provided for us. Her true passion, however, is singing which she only does at her church. Advertisement Advertisement These arent just family stories. They became a roadmap for how to survive in the world, one that I am still processing, one that hems me in even as it helped. As the oldest of my siblings, I became the one in my family who checked off the list of first accomplishments: first to graduate high school, first to go to college, first to get a doctorate, and first to become a professional. I did this with a sense of responsibility for my family, my students, and the future of my profession without thinking much about my own physical and mental health. On most nights, I wake up in a pool of cold sweat. I want to keep this to myself, bury it somewhere no one can find. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At my recent doctor visits, I find myself with a 10-year-olds vocabulary for speaking about my pain. My acute abdominal pain becomes a ball in my chest; my night sweats become hot sleep. When asked how much pain I have on a scale of 1-10, I nervously minimize it, answering 1 and 2. For someone who writes and reads for a living, I am perplexed by my own verbal inability. My partner becomes my voice. She tells my doctors my symptoms and takes rampant notes. I listen as if they are talking about someone else in the room. Ive always been taught to suck it upto be strong and push through, to not complain, and be gratefulall the while believing that this is the measure of a good person. Advertisement The isolation makes the suffering worse. I dont tell my family because I dont want to stress them out. My brother with two kids working 12-hour shifts, 6 days a week at a supermarket in Harlem, my sister traveling from Brooklyn to Westchester to babysit, and my mother who recently moved to Florida where she gets up at 4 a.m. to cook at a hotelthey, I tell myself, dont deserve more stress. Advertisement I go to social media to post about what Im going througha cry for help, maybe to feel less alone. And junior and senior colleagues, many first gen and BIPOC, reach out to make sure I am okay. Many also tell me that theyve suffered from this same cycle of toxic productivity, that is, when the constant need to do harmfully impacts your physical, mental, and emotional health. They say that the pressures of producing endlessly for job security and a sense of self is very defeating and cyclical. Advertisement I still havent celebrated my book contract or publications, although my partner has tried. She suggested dinner at a nice restaurant, a weekend getaway, or on a new suit for work to commemorate my accomplishments. I tell myself I will celebrate once I figure out the cause of my abdominal pain. My partner tells me that I should consider therapy. I watch her head off to regular sessions and tell myself that I will try it one day. But the day never comes. Depression and anxiety are significant problems among BIPOCs. While depression can affect anyone, a mounting body of research reveals the BIPOC communities in the United States are often hit hardest by this illness. According to the National Institute of Health, Black and Latinx people are at a higher risk for depression than white people. Latinxs (11.3 percent) and Black Americans (10.4 percent) were more likely than Whites (7.1 percent) to meet depressive disorder criteria according to a Preventative Medicine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I still havent celebrated my book contract or publications, although my partner has tried. Black and Latinx communities, however, have the least access to mental health and substance abuse treatments, according to 2021 National Survey of Drug Use and Health data. Rates of prescription treatment for diagnosed major depression are 13 percent lower for Black communities and 33 percent lower for Hispanic communities than for White communities per the Health of America Initiative. Furthermore, although marginalized racial and ethnic communities are more likely to experience severe and debilitating signs of depression, social stigma regarding mental health issues may influence a their chances of seeking care. The other week, I scheduled my first therapy appointment. Ill be the first in family to do this too. Im nervous, scared, and even ashamed for waiting this long. But I need it. State of Mind is a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University that offers a practical look at our mental health systemand how to make it better. The opening is standard for political advertising. A husband and wife sit at a kitchen table. The woman laments that a child spend hundreds of dollars on battleskins, objects purchased within a game to create a different appearance. It used to be that parents had to approve their kids in-app purchases. Then the government got involved. Exasperated, This is how you help me? By making it harder to control my kids in app purchases? Do me a favor, Congress, leave my phone alone. It ends: Call your congressmen and tell them to vote no on S2710. Advertisement S2710, the bill the ad is targeting, is the Open App Markets Act. The advertisement preys on the familiar fear that government regulation will result in consumers getting worse service, losing control of their data, and even being hit with massive bills when their kid goes on a spending binge. But the premise of the ad is a lie. The bill doesnt impact consumers at all; the bill only puts controls on big tech companies (Apple and Google) to stop them from engaging in a series of predatory practices which exploit smaller tech companies (like startup app developers independent of the big tech companies). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Basically, the ad is trying to outrage consumers so that they will call their representatives on behalf of Apple and Google, by misleading those consumers about what the bill does. Advertisement Advertisement The ad was made by NetChoice, which is a group that wants to make the Internet safe for free enterprise and free expression. NetChoice is a lobbying group and trade association; Google Meta, TikTok, and many other major tech companies are members. The earlier version of the video, on NetChoices YouTube page, is identical except for targeting a similar bill, S2992, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. Kids making in-game purchases (usually on mobile games) tied directly to parents accounts is a problem. There have been news stories about kids spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars without their parents knowledge. In 2020, a woman reported that her son made $16,000 worth of in-app purchases; Apples coverage of the story emphasized the parental control options on the Apple AppStore. there is evidence that mobile games, in particular, use various in-game purchase products to target kids and may make them susceptible to gambling addiction. These are reasonable concerns. The problem is that theyre not related to the Open App Markets App. Advertisement Advertisement The Open App Markets App that would impose antitrust restrictions on app-stores and was authored by Sen Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and has broad bipartisan support The bills cosponsors run the ideological gamut from Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Dick Durbin and Amy Klobuchar (who introduced S2992, which would impose restrictions on a different set of companies) to Republicans Josh Hawley and Lindsey Graham. The bill currently sits before the Judiciary Committee, headed by Durbin. Because the bill has support from the far-right wing of the committee (Graham is the second ranking member and hes recruited aggressively to support the bill), its likely to pass easily, even if more tech-company friendly senators on the committee like Dianne Feinstein choose to oppose it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The kitchen-table ads goal is to create a public sense that the bill will result in a serious problem, kids buying battleskins and loot-boxes without parents approval. But this problem already exists; parents methods of payment are connected to their childrens phones, often without clear safeguards or separation in accounts. This problem can be solved within the app-stores, and those solutions are independent of the bill. NetChoice is running ads opposing both the Open App Markets App and the American Innovation and Choice Online Act through their website; whether there is any private lobbying going on in these cases is difficult to say, because private lobbying is still opaque. Advertisement Advertisement But before we can talk about what the bill actually does, we have to look at how the app-buying ecosystem works. Advertisement The state of app-stores is incredibly simple: There are two. The Apple AppStore and the GooglePlay app store control the vast majority of the market (some estimates have them over 99 percent). This isnt surprising. If you have an Apple device, then the Apple AppStore is literally the only place you can download apps. If you have an Android phone, then the Google AppStore is the dominant force. Yes, in theory you could use a different AppStore, but its far more likely that Google will have the applications youre looking for at the price. So basically, there are only two games in town, and consumers cannot actually choose between the two freely, because the choice of which to use is dictated by the platform of the phone. Advertisement Apple and Google have used their control of the marketplace to engage in anti-competitive business practices. These practices include self-preferencing, or using their search algorithms to drive consumers towards the products that they make and away from competitors and charging exorbitant commissions on both the initial purchase of the app and any in-app purchases. The app stores have a captive market. I if an app wants to sell to Apple users, then it must use the Apple AppStore. GooglePlay doesnt have actual control over what the devices could downloadone technically could develop for the Android platform and sell through a different app store. But Google dominates the market so substantially that almost all purchases of apps for android devices are through GooglePlay. If an app developed for Android wants to reach consumers, it has to be in GooglePlay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apple and Google have a divided duopoly; they each have monopolies over their own divided chunks of the market place. The Open App Markets Act isnt even an attempt to break that duopoly; its just an attempt to set basic requirements prohibiting Apple and Google from doing certain exploitative things with their market control. It would prohibit app stores from requiring that apps in the store use the app stores payment processing system, requiring apps to offer better prices in their app store than on other platforms, punishing app developers for their use of different pricing structures, and prohibits app stores from interfering with the communication between the app developers and users. The advertising campaign is somewhere between misleading and lying. The bill doesnt change restrictions on parental approval for in-app purchases at all; it prevents the app stores from demanding the apps use their payment systems. Google and Apple could argue that their app stores are the only ones that have the parental controls available, but the bill doesnt stop Google and Apple from requiring that those parental controls get implemented in all of their applications. Parental controls over payment just arent implicated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is an old strategy in political advertising. Trade groups insist that a law is going to harm consumers to get consumers to call their representatives in opposition, even when the bill doesnt impact consumer protections. In this case, it just stops app stores from exploiting app developers through the established duopoly. The people behind the political campaign against the Open App Markets App know this, but they also know that the actual scope of the bill is not going to compel anyone to act. We really think Apple and Google should be able to require all the apps in their store to use their payment system and charge commissions as high as they want isnt going to motivate consumers. Nor does We dont want the government involved in exchanges between app stores and app developers, because most people arent app stores or developers. But scaring parents about unexpected bills for battleskins? Thats motivating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even a decade ago, NetChoice might not have had to worry about the Open App Markets App. The Republican Partys aversion to regulation used to be a good talking point for big companies that wanted to keep control of their industries. But many Senate Republicans, including major players in the caucus like Grassley (the committees ranking GOP member) and Graham, arent buying that move from the big tech companies. Some senators (like Hawley) are skeptics of old school free-market doctrines outright, while others are generally opposed to market regulation but making an exception to regulate the major tech players. Advertisement Democrats long-standing support for regulation and this shift in the Republican Party means that the Open App Markets App and other regulations are likely to have strong political support. The Open App Markets App is a moderate, mild set of regulations; more radical bills have been put forward by, including outright breaking-up major technology companies. Its a reasonable proposal that ideologically diverse members of congress are willing to support. Its worrying that a trade group which counts Google, PayPal, TikTok, and Meta among its members is using parents fears about their kids in-app transactions as a scare tactic to motivate a call-campaign. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Spain loses a hero: Man who went viral for bravely battling Zamora forest fire dies from his injuries ARCHIVED ARTICLE The video of the Hero of Tabara tackling the terrifying forest fire in Spain single-handedly went viral Mr Martin fought until the last minute, spraying water from his tractor onto the blaze, until he realised that no more could be done and he fled, his clothes alight. Since that fateful day in July, the 53-year-old has been in a hospital in Valladolid, suffering from burns that covered 80% of this body. Sadly, on Tuesday October 25, the man who has been christened the Hero of Tabara, has lost his battle and passed away. The Losacio fire, which was eventually brought under control on July 25, destroyed more than 30,000 hectares near the surroundings of the Sierra de la Culebra. It will go down in history as one of the worst wildfires of the year in Spain. The fire originated in Losacio on July 17 due to lightning strikes and destroyed a total of 31,473.13 hectares, surpassing the fires in the Sierra de la Culebra and many others across the country. The blaze which ultimately resulted in the death of Angel Martin was responsible for three other tragedies: forestry worker Daniel Gullon was killed on duty on July 17; Victoriano Anton, who lost his life in those first moments of the fire; and Eugenio Raton, from Sesnadez, who died on Tuesday August 18 as a result of the injuries he sustained. Image: Pixabay The ultimate goal is to be recognized as a leading player with a global infrastructure as India continues to be the powerhouse for creative content production the clients business model and helps him communicate with his customers.The process starts with establishing a deeper understanding of the clients expectations and goals. To comply with the same, the creative team of experts at Mancunianz ensure that the goals are properly communicated. Then, comes the core content part that forms the epicenter of everything that follows. However, simpler the process of content creation may seem, there is a lot of creativity that goes into it, for the brand to stand out among its contemporaries and yet deliver its motive to the target customer.Branding, website/app design & development, digital & social media marketing, influencer marketing and so on, are all aspects that are taken care of at the companys end to showcase creative content. Then comes digital marketing, for it all goes vague if tactical measures are not adopted to make the content reach the target consumer. Social media marketing, digital marketing campaigns, content & performance marketing, and influencer marketing among the many are the major tactics today that target a larger demographic, given a larger participation audience on digital platforms. Generating prospective leads becomes easy and consumer loyalty coupled with brand advocacy is the target for brands to build an emotional connect with the consumers for repeated purchases,says Ashonal Pereira, Co-founder & CEO of Mancunianz.Mancunianz helps its clients with all aspects of creative content creation & onward digital platform based marketing. The inhouse team of experts and their diverse expertise across all sectors of the industries makes it possible to meet the clients expectations each time. Brand advertisement, event marketing & media planning are also some of the roles that the company majors in.Started in Jan 2020, before the pandemic hit almost all sectors, it was difficult for Mancunianz to maintain physical touch with the clients and its own team, as the onboarding was online. However, Covid-19 did strengthen the digital marketing sector as all businesses moved online, and began operating digitally. This helped the company acquire more clients domestically and internationally. Mancunianz was initially started to address the gaps in the existing industry that failed to address the exact clients expectations of creativity and to explore the opportunities that lay within it. Most of the big players are targeting domestic clients but Mancunianz plans to target international markets and expand to newer horizons. Starting with four co-founders and building a team of 80+ people since inception, has been a dream run for the company and it further targets growth with expansion plans in the future.The vision for Mancunianz is to have a global presence and build an international infrastructure. It further plans to indulge in PR activities and strengthen its core, both on the product and the services front as well. It wants to build teams and grow with its clients. It wants to continually invest in its resources to take the lead and offer businesses the ROI they expect. An Illinois man was pursued by police from a Crown Point gun show into Chicago on Saturday after police were tipped off that he had illegally purchased a firearm. Eduart Hoxha, 34, of Morton Grove, Illinois, is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon, a Level 4 felony; Resisting Law Enforcement using a Vehicle, a Level 6 felony; and misdemeanor charges of resisting law enforcement and possession of marijuana. Advertisement Around 12:15 p.m., Chicago Police notified the Lake County Sheriffs Department that they were aware of a straw purchase of firearms was happening at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Crown Point, according to the probable cause affidavit. The Chicago officer saw two men leave the industrial building and put in the firearms in the trunk of a black Infiniti with Illinois plates, which belonged to Hoxha, before entering the vehicle, court records state. The black Infiniti headed to Gary and officers tracked it heading east on 5th Avenue near Buchanan Street, records state, before police activated their emergency lights and tried to curb the vehicle after the driver of the Infiniti failed to signal a lane change. The car quickly accelerated and refused to stop, running a stop sign at Buchanan and 4th Avenue, the affidavit states. Advertisement Police pursued the Infiniti as it headed west onto the Indiana Toll Road, court records state, and the chase drifted in and out of Indiana and Illinois several times until police were able to conduct a successful pit maneuver near 78th and Woodlawn in Chicago, which caused it to spin out. The driver of the Infiniti exited the vehicle on foot, jumping over a nearby fence with a large drop off, records state. Police officers didnt make the jump due to the heigh, but they were able to set up a perimeter suing a helicopter, and Hoxha was eventually apprehended, the affidavit states. Hoxha has two previous felony convictions for aggravated battery in 2018 and 2010, records state. Police searched the Infiniti and found two AR-15 rifles, three AR magazines, 100 rounds of ammunition, a stock adapter for an AR-15, and a clear plastic bag containing marijuana, court records state. Infrastructure will also be important. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled The highway connection between Slovakia and Ukraine has been discussed more intensively ever since the Russian invasion. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement After the end of the war, a massive reconstruction of Ukraine is expected. That is why quality road infrastructure for truck transport in neighbouring countries, including Slovakia, will be essential. On Monday, the Slovak and Ukrainian sides agreed on the connection at the D1 Highway at the Vysne Nemecke - Uzhhorod crossing. Related article Related article The Ukrainian refugee crisis through the eyes of Slovakias volunteers Read more Built from Vysne Nemecke In Slovakia, the new highway should start near the village of Bidovce, where an existing connection to Kosice already exists, and end at the Slovak-Ukrainian border in Vysne Nemecke. In the past, a different connection was considered. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/bob-woodward-to-publish-tapes-of-20-trump-interviews-from-trio-of-books-on-his-presidency-1102596619.html Bob Woodward to Publish Tapes of 20 Trump Interviews From Trio of Books on His Presidency Bob Woodward to Publish Tapes of 20 Trump Interviews From Trio of Books on His Presidency Veteran White House chronicler Bob Woodward is preparing to release audio recordings of 20 different interviews he performed with former US President Donald... 24.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-24T23:33+0000 2022-10-24T23:33+0000 2022-10-24T23:33+0000 americas us donald trump bob woodward interviews /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/0d/1080150879_0:194:3073:1922_1920x0_80_0_0_4012003dfa5df8bfd2aed3caadeb4c6a.jpg Woodward released a lengthy essay on Saturday in the Washington Post about the tapes and justifying his decision to publish them in full - something hes never done with his source material in half a century of covering White House politics.[A]fter listening again to the 20 interviews I conducted with President Donald Trump during his last year as chief executive, I have decided to take the unusual step of releasing them. I was struck by how Trump pounded in my ears in a way the printed page cannot capture, Woodward wrote.The article includes multiple excerpts from conversations between him and the 45th US president, many of which involve the two men shouting at each other.Woodward used those 20 interviews in the writing of three books about Trumps presidency: Fear (2018), about the first two years of Trumps presidency, Russiagate, North Korea negotiations, and his deeply dysfunctional administration; Rage (2020), which focuses largely on the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests; and Peril (2021), about the crisis of the transition of power from Trump to Biden, Trumps attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and the investigation and prosecution of those efforts after Joe Biden took office.They reached their zenith on January 6, 2021, when thousands of Trump supporters, buttressed by far-right and fascist militia groups, stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the November 2020 election. Trump was impeached on charges of inciting the insurrection but was acquitted by a minority of senators in the trial that followed. However, the US Department of Justice has vigorously pursued charges against hundreds of rioters from that day.However, the release of Woodwards tapes has been criticized by several journalists on the American political left.Bob Woodward spent months whining that Obama wasn't nice to him one time and now he's like guys I'm kind of feeling Trump might be a fascist. Perfect example of how ivory tower journalism fails to inform the public, wrote American Independent writer Oliver Willis.He noted that he published his first warnings about Trump being dangerous in 2015, on the day the real estate mogul announced his candidacy for president.Woodward has written for the Washington Post since 1971, making a name for himself for covering the Watergate Scandal that led to the downfall of US President Richard Nixon, and writing about every presidential administration since then. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/trump-organization-to-face-criminal-charges-1102561602.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier 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 Fantine Gardinier us, donald trump, bob woodward, interviews https://sputniknews.com/20221024/politics-in-eu-getting-increasingly-detached-from-reality---hungary-justice-minister-1102597151.html Politics in EU Getting Increasingly Detached From Reality - Hungary Justice Minister Politics in EU Getting Increasingly Detached From Reality - Hungary Justice Minister WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Politics is increasingly detached from reality in the European Union as the blocs bureaucrats push a so-called "progressive" agenda to... 24.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-24T23:43+0000 2022-10-24T23:43+0000 2022-10-24T23:43+0000 world europe european union (eu) hungary /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/0c/11/1091586684_96:0:3228:1762_1920x0_80_0_0_e3023d7f0ea6a67e2acf71f8d749fd4e.jpg "Politics is detached from reality in Europe," Varga told a meeting at the Heritage Foundation on Monday. "Media and politics are in an ivory tower. Reality knocks at the doors. ... There is a constant attempt to demolish the building blocks of the nation, the family, the church and the community. I see a lot of danger."Varga said EU officials are continually creating new laws and regulations that erode the powers of nation states within the bloc and weaken their ability to protect their own societies.Varga also said the concept of ever seeking a closer union should be removed from the treaties as it is resulting in a supranational state.Before the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in its Brexit referendum in 2016, then-Prime Minister David Cameron, who wanted his country to remain in the bloc, nevertheless was pushing to amend the treaties to end the continual drive to weaken national cultures and distinctions and overall continent, Varga added. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/hungary-does-not-support-lifting-of-eus-unanimity-principle---prime-minister-1102594380.html hungary 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 europe, european union (eu), hungary https://sputniknews.com/20221025/are-the-west-and-ukraine-setting-the-stage-for-a-false-flag-situation-in-ukraine-1102596264.html Are the West and Ukraine Setting the Stage for a False Flag Situation in Ukraine? Are the West and Ukraine Setting the Stage for a False Flag Situation in Ukraine? On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including President Biden commenting on his health, and the RNC suing Google. 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T08:31+0000 2022-10-25T08:31+0000 2022-10-25T08:31+0000 the backstory amazon dirty bomb midterms radio republican national committee (rnc) uk rishi sunak joe biden /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/18/1102596118_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_128418cfb079ecb4b5b4df0a7d93ef01.png Are the West and Ukraine Setting the Stage for a False Flag Situation in Ukraine? On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including President Biden commenting on his health, and the RNC suing Google. Ian Shilling - Geopolitical Analyst, Researcher, and Blogger | Another Prime Minister in the United Kingdom, Oliver Cromwell, and Financial Problems for British CitizensAndrew Arthur - Former Immigration Judge, Center for Immigration Studies | Hispanics Number One Issue is Immigration, Republicans Must Address Immigration in 2023, and AG Merrick GarlandIn the first hour, Lee and Carmine Sabia spoke with Ian Shilling about Liz Truss quitting, the background of Rishi Sunak, and Ireland. Ian discussed the background of the new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the political problems facing the United Kingdom. Ian spoke about Oliver Cromwell and the history of tension between Ireland and England.In the second hour, Lee and Carmine Sabia spoke with Andrew Arthur about the number of illegal immigrants present in the United States, asylum laws, and Merrick Garland possibly facing impeachment. Andrew explained the issues with calculating the total number of illegal immigrants in America and the Biden administration sending migrants to cities across America. Andrew talked about the November 8th midterm elections and the national media avoiding the Biden administration's immigration policies.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Lee Stranahan https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png Lee Stranahan https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png 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 Lee Stranahan https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/13/1082125222_0:0:293:292_100x100_80_0_0_a8bc846f559660e5bf7574f8a9608a1d.png amazon, dirty bomb, midterms, , radio, republican national committee (rnc), uk, rishi sunak, joe biden https://sputniknews.com/20221025/chads-dby-accuses-foreign-powers-of-backing-anti-government-protests-as-paris-denies-involvement-1102651041.html Chads Deby Accuses Foreign Powers of Backing Anti-Government Protests as Paris Denies Involvement Chads Deby Accuses Foreign Powers of Backing Anti-Government Protests as Paris Denies Involvement France has long prized stability in Chad over all other considerations, using the former colony as a source of raw materials and base for its overseas... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T19:41+0000 2022-10-25T19:41+0000 2022-11-14T12:14+0000 africa chad idriss deby protests meddling france central africa west /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/0f/1101877816_0:0:2730:1537_1920x0_80_0_0_6c97cff992c148674d0d7453285926ce.jpg In a television address on Monday, Chadian Interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno accused outside forces of being behind the widespread violent protests that emerged following his backing out of a pledge to return the country to civilian rule 18 months after the death of his father, President Idriss Deby."External actors have provided arms and money to opportunistic Chadians who have not hesitated for a moment to destroy our country to satisfy their personal interests and foreign agendas, he added. Even today, Chadian actors have sought the support of foreign powers to pressure and blackmail me so that they can accede to power.However, a Geneva-based NGO, the World Organization against Torture (OMCT), also levied accusations on Monday, claiming Chadian military forces had tortured and executed demonstrators. They said they had taken up the case at the United Nations, along with three Chadian human rights groups.The protests were focused in the capital of NDjamena and several cities in the countrys oil-rich south, which is also close to the conflict-wracked Central African Republic (CAR). Protesters set fire to government buildings and cars and built barricades in the streets. The military suppressed the demonstrations and announced a curfew in response.Several other former French colonies have also begun shrugging off their neo-colonial relationships with Paris or seen protests demanding their governments do so, including the CAR, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The Malian government has explicitly accused Paris of funneling support and providing logistical help for Islamist rebel groups it was supposed to be fighting in the Malian Sahara.Frances Long History of MeddlingDeby did not name the foreign power to blame for the protests, but upon their eruption it was immediately suspected that Paris was behind them. The French Foreign Ministry was so bothered by the rumors that it felt compelled to put out a statement on Thursday condemning the use of lethal weapons against demonstrators," but added that "France is not playing any part in these events, which lie strictly in Chads domestic political domain."Even after Chad won independence in 1960, Paris continued to meddle, backing one strongman after another so long as they offered stability and could suppress rivals. A similar policy has prevailed elsewhere in Africa, leading Paris to back the Hutu Power government in Rwanda even as it marched toward genocide. In Chad, it meant backing dictator Hissene Habre until the country fell apart and Libya invaded; Paris then switched to backing Idriss Deby, a rebel leader from the countrys north who rose up to replace him in 1990.However, French President Emmanuel Macron quickly backtracked after the international community almost universally condemned Debys violation of the Chadian constitution when he assumed power - something Macrons government had waved away with an excuse about exceptional security reasons. Paris began calling Debys government a junta, or military dictatorship, and condemned the repression of protests. https://sputniknews.com/20221021/russia-concerned-about-unrest-in-chad-hopes-for-prompt-stabilization-1102515486.html africa chad france central africa west Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Fantine Gardinier Fantine Gardinier 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 Fantine Gardinier chad, idriss deby, protests, meddling, france, central africa, west https://sputniknews.com/20221025/chinese-scholar-west-may-publicly-deny-dirty-bomb-threat-but-it-is-surely-concerned-1102646395.html Chinese Scholar: West May Publicly Deny 'Dirty Bomb' Threat, But It is Surely Concerned Chinese Scholar: West May Publicly Deny 'Dirty Bomb' Threat, But It is Surely Concerned Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are going to visit Ukraine's two nuclear facilities that are apparently involved in the creation of... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T19:35+0000 2022-10-25T19:35+0000 2022-10-25T19:35+0000 opinion & analysis opinion russia ukraine china dirty bomb us iaea volodymyr zelensky nuclear weapons /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/105173/51/1051735167_0:354:1019:927_1920x0_80_0_0_6497082ff152c4c2d8885f4b7495e2a5.jpg "The Russian side has now issued a warning. Russia's warning is aimed at preventing Ukraine from using a 'dirty bomb'," Zhou Rong, political commentator and researcher at China's Renmin University told Sputnik. "This warning is sincerely aimed at maintaining peace and stability, and not at escalating the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The use of a 'dirty bomb' is absolutely unacceptable. The use of a dirty bomb would mean an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe, an expansion of the scope of war and a change in the nature of war."Last week, Russia raised the alarm over the Kiev regime's potential false flag related to the detonation of the so-called "dirty bomb," a "radiological dispersal device" (RDD) that combines a conventional explosive with radioactive material. The apparent purpose of the provocation is to blame Moscow for the resulting radioactive contamination amid the ongoing Russian special military operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.On October 23, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his French, UK, US, and Turkish counterparts that Kiev may be preparing a false flag operation involving RDD. However, the US, Britain and France shrugged off Moscow's warning in a joint statement early Monday, denouncing it as "a pretext for escalation by Russia." For its part, the Kremlin highlighted that the threat of Kiev using a "dirty bomb" is real, whether Western countries want to believe in the danger or not.The news of Kiev's potential nuclear provocation has reverberated throughout Chinese social media. Chinese users of the Weibo platform condemned the plot, suggesting that the US could be well aware of the Ukrainian regime's plans and called upon the UN to investigate the matter.Meanwhile, on Monday, the Russian mission in the UN sent a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning about the threat of Kiev's dirty bomb provocation and requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the matter. On the same day, Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, revealed that the Russian military obtained information about contacts between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office and UK representatives on the issue of nuclear weapons technology.Remarkably, on February 19, Zelensky floated the idea of Kiev dropping its non-nuclear status under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum while delivering his speech at the Munich security conference. Moscow has repeatedly warned the West that these were no empty threats: Ukraine has the technological expertise and ample radioactive material reserves to build nuclear devices.According to Igor Kirillov, Kiev possesses some 1,500 tons' worth of spent nuclear fuel from the countrys three operating nuclear power plants, and 22,000 spent fuel assemblies stored at the defunct Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plants waste repositories, including Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 the primary fissile isotopes used in nuclear weapons. On top of this, the Ukrainian regime has the capacity to store tens of thousands of cubic meters of radioactive waste materials at several waste disposal facilities and can mine up to 1,000 tons of uranium ore annually, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.It was earlier reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will dispatch its representatives to visit Zholtye Vody and Kiev. 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, were tasked with making the "dirty bomb." https://sputniknews.com/20221024/ukrainian-dirty-bomb-threat-is-real-up-to-west-whether-they-want-to-believe-it-or-not-kremlin-1102574978.html https://sputniknews.com/20221024/source-russia-requests-unsc-meeting-on-kievs-dirty-bomb-plans-1102599598.html russia ukraine china 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 opinion, russia, ukraine, china, dirty bomb, us, iaea, volodymyr zelensky, nuclear weapons https://sputniknews.com/20221025/conflict-between-india--china-is-only-to-advantage-of-us--west-1102587043.html Conflict Between India & China is 'Only to Advantage of US & West' Conflict Between India & China is 'Only to Advantage of US & West' Non-Western states have opposed the US vision for the Indo-Pacific, calling it a US-led attempt to contain and exclude China. In particular, Russian experts... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T15:54+0000 2022-10-25T15:54+0000 2022-10-25T15:54+0000 opinion & analysis brics russia ladakh standoff china pakistan us us pentagon /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107731/37/1077313719_0:109:3073:1837_1920x0_80_0_0_b8de142811f66013bc39f11a199f2345.jpg BRICS needs to make more serious efforts to intensify commerce and trade besides expanding it by adding countries across the Atlantic Ocean, according to Major General B.K. Sharma (retd.), director of the United Service Institution of India, a think tank. Speaking to Sputnik, the former Indian military officer reckoned that complementarity in the economic relations between BRICS members will turn into a very sound and robust political relationship.Speaking on the sidelines of the Valdai International Discussion Club, he said the goal of creating BRICS was to establish a group that was not confined to Eurasia, but one that would extend across the Atlantic Ocean to include nations in other parts of the world.Saudi Arabia is the latest nation to express its desire to join the BRICS grouping, which represents around 40 percent of the global population. Prior to that, Argentina and Iran applied for full BRICS membership, while Indonesia and Algeria have also expressed interest in joining the bloc.Despite Lingering Border Tensions, Conflict Not in Interest of India & ChinaFurthermore, the expert also observed that the border dispute between India and China, two prominent members of the group, would not negatively impact either the BRICS, including the trilateral group of Russia, India and China, known as "RIC," or Delhis bilateral ties with Moscow.Despite the border differences, India and China have managed to cooperate in multilateral group meetings such as those at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS.What's more, India extended its full support to China in assuming the BRICS presidency this year. Meanwhile, tensions between the neighbors have persisted along the Line of Actual Control a loosely demarcated border between the two since June 2020, when a deadly clash left 20 Indian and four PLA soldiers dead.As the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party decided to extend President Xi Jinpings tenure for another five years, Sharma reckoned that Beijing should take into account Delhis core concerns and work very assiduously to resolve the lingering boundary issues.India's Desire to Diversify Imports Shouldn't Be Overplayed as at Cost of RussiaThe US has been pushing India to lessen its dependence on Russia in terms of both military equipment and energy trade, publicly urging Delhi to curb Russian defense imports as Moscow is no longer a reliable weapons supplier.Dismissing these claims, Sharma said that there has been a free flow of weapons and other military hardware from Russia that India needs to build up its operational effectiveness in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clash with China.And in times to come, I think Russia will fulfill all its promises. The only problem is because [Russia is] at war with the West, and this may inhibit some of [its] capacities to manufacture and deliver those goods to India, Sharma assumed.However, both New Delhi and Moscow have reiterated that the ongoing military operation in Ukraine has not had any impact on military supplies.The bulk of Indias conventional weapons are sourced from Russia, and it has relied heavily on Moscow to sustain its forces, including for spares, maintenance, and upgrades for years. According to data firm the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia was the top arms supplier to India between 2017 and 2021, making up 46% of New Delhis arms imports. 'We Want a Stable Pakistan'Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar recently hit out at the US for having chosen the military dictatorship in Pakistan as the preferred defense partner for decades. His remarks came amid renewed efforts by Washington and Islamabad to reset ties after ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power in April.As such, the Biden administration announced a $450 million F-16 maintenance package for Pakistan despite serious concerns raised in Delhi that Pakistans fleet of the fighter jets is directed against the Indian Armed Forces.Sharma further believes that political turmoil in Islamabad will not influence India-Pakistan relations in any way. The US regards India as an important pillar of its Indo-Pacific strategy, primarily meant to counter the growing maritime strength of China in the South China Sea and Asia-Pacific in general. As China, Iran, and Russia are planning to hold military drills in the Indian Ocean soon, Sharma denied speculation that not including India in these drills would impact relations between New Delhi, Moscow, and Beijing.Adding that it is their prerogative what kind of exercises they conduct, Sharma said that the Indian Armed Forces have been participating with China and Pakistan on a normal basis under the aegis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. https://sputniknews.com/20220923/china-russia-want-greater-role-for-india-brazil--south-africa-in-drive-to-reform-unsc-1101115472.html https://sputniknews.com/20221010/india-slams-west-for-supplying-weapons-to-pakistan-for-decades-as-it-lauds-defense-ties-with-russia-1101665406.html russia ladakh standoff china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Denis Bolotsky https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/06/0b/1083128270_0:0:961:960_100x100_80_0_0_8cd81dafcbaac1c176c25141f8af1d2a.jpg Denis Bolotsky https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/06/0b/1083128270_0:0:961:960_100x100_80_0_0_8cd81dafcbaac1c176c25141f8af1d2a.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 Denis Bolotsky https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/06/0b/1083128270_0:0:961:960_100x100_80_0_0_8cd81dafcbaac1c176c25141f8af1d2a.jpg brics, russia, ladakh standoff, china, pakistan, us, us pentagon https://sputniknews.com/20221025/construction-of-multipolar-world-cannot-be-stopped-iranian-president-says-1102604773.html Construction of Multipolar World Cannot Be Stopped, Iranian President Says Construction of Multipolar World Cannot Be Stopped, Iranian President Says The Iranian president has repeatedly stated that Tehran focuses on the policy of multipolarity and sustainable integration with a view to establishing a fair... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T08:02+0000 2022-10-25T08:02+0000 2022-10-25T09:04+0000 world iran ebrahim raisi russia middle east shanghai cooperation organisation (sco) protests multipolarity multipolar world /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/14/1092381752_0:0:2915:1640_1920x0_80_0_0_74811ae575a61c4f9ad8bb0d36e1152a.jpg "The construction of a multipolar world cannot be stopped. There are already many centers of power outside the Western world," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said at the General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies, answering a question from a Sputnik correspondent.He emphasized that only Western countries continue to impede the creation of a multipolar world, adding that a multipolar world, in particular, "is built with the help of regional organizations" such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).He stressed that many nations sought freedom from the United States, noting that "Iran will continue to support freedom-loving peoples."The United States, which he noted was behind the recent "miscalculated" protests in Iran, started using methods of information terrorism due to the ineffectiveness of sanctions.It was only last week that the president reiterated his stance that Iran is focused on multipolarity and sustainable integration with an eye to establishing a fair international order based on mutual respect. Raisi has also said that the development of cooperation between Iran, China, Russia and the SCO members may lead to the emergence of a new force in the nascent multipolar world.Addressing the sixth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in the Kazakh capital of Astana, the Iranian leader added that Tehran serves as a proof to the ineffectiveness of US military-political course and sanctions. According to Raisi, it is for this reason that Washington had to resort to destabilizing Iran.Earlier this month, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that the protests, which began on September 16 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who fell into a coma and died in hospital several days after being detained by Irans morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly, were planned by the United States and Israel. While the mainstream media claimed that the young woman had been beaten into a coma by police, CCTV footage released by authorities appeared to show that Amini did not face any physical abuse while in custody. According to a probe conducted for Irans parliament, Amini was not subjected to any bodily harm. Irans Legal Medical Organization also stated that the young woman's death was caused by cerebral hypoxia which resulted in hypotension and multiple organ failure. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has lambasted the US for meddling in Tehran's domestic affairs. Washington, in the meantime, has admitted to taking aggressive steps to support Iranians taking part in protests. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/irans-top-commander-tells-eu-what-it-can-do-with-his-sanctioned-assets-1102588338.html https://sputniknews.com/20221003/tehran-says-recent-unrest-over-death-of-mahsa-amini-in-iran-premeditated-by-us-israel-1101462711.html iran 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 iran, ebrahim raisi, russia, middle east, shanghai cooperation organisation (sco), protests, multipolarity, multipolar world https://sputniknews.com/20221025/dont-blame-diwali-blame-kejriwal-bjp-slams-delhi-chief-minister-over-poor-air-quality-1102607010.html 'Don't Blame Diwali, Blame Kejriwal': BJP Slams Delhi Chief Minister Over Poor Air Quality 'Don't Blame Diwali, Blame Kejriwal': BJP Slams Delhi Chief Minister Over Poor Air Quality The Air Quality Index in New Delhi and neighboring cities ranged from 250 to 326 after Diwali, which is considered "poor" to "very poor," according to the... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T10:51+0000 2022-10-25T10:51+0000 2022-10-25T10:51+0000 india delhi diwali arvind kejriwal air pollution bharatiya janata party (bjp) /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102609038_0:320:3072:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_969964fbc87cf7a5ba25bb6cde94ecb3.jpg A member of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Amit Malviya, accused Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal of being responsible for the poor air quality across northern India, including the capital New Delhi. In particular, Malviya blamed Kejriwal's failure to deal with stubble burning for the high levels of air pollution.Earlier, due to the rising pollution levels in Delhi and neighboring cities, the authorities extended the ban on the production, sale, and use of fireworks completely across Delhi-NCR until January 2023. The ban has left Delhi residents without the traditional fun of setting off firecrackers on Diwali, India's most anticipated holiday. However, many revelers decided to defy the law so as not to abandon their precious tradition, as firecrackers were heard going off around the capitalIn a defiant move, Malviya posted a video of himself setting off fireworks on Diwali, attaching a caption reading, "there is no Diwali without crackers."To illustrate his point, the BJP politician also shared a real-time stubble burning monitoring chart between October 15 and 24, which showed that Punjab topped the list with 1,019 farm fires on Diwali alone, arguing that Delhi authorities should change their target from firecrackers to farms. The practice of stubble burning, or Parali, has been identified as one of the main environmental hazards in India's northern regions, which is why the National Green Tribunal has banned stubble burning. However, farmers continue to do so in order to clear their fields for the next planting season. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/govt-should-help-alter-decades-old-traditions-encourage-indian-farmers-not-to-burn-stubble-1102499012.html delhi Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Alan Dzhigkaev Alan Dzhigkaev 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 Alan Dzhigkaev delhi, diwali, arvind kejriwal, air pollution, bharatiya janata party (bjp) https://sputniknews.com/20221025/drunk-ukrainian-driver-blames-crisis-back-home-for-crashing-into-neighbors-house-in-uk-1102601014.html Drunk Ukrainian Driver Blames Crisis Back Home For Crashing Into Neighbor's House in UK Drunk Ukrainian Driver Blames Crisis Back Home For Crashing Into Neighbor's House in UK In August, a heavily drunk driver crashed his car into the front of his neighbors house in Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK. 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T08:27+0000 2022-10-25T08:27+0000 2022-10-25T08:27+0000 world uk court drunk driving europe ukrainian ukraine /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/105429/69/1054296938_0:28:1920:1108_1920x0_80_0_0_75a29d65d8380c2632e1637db03640ee.jpg Ivan Kluka, a 58-year-old Ukrainian, who smashed his 70,000 Audi into the front of a neighbor's house in August, blamed his drunk driving on the conflict back home. He claimed in court that his alcohol addiction worsened after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, his lawyer Emma Embleton said.Kluka is said to have been seeking help for alcohol addiction when he caused around 120,000 of property damage by ramming his car into his neighbor's house.He pleaded guilty to charges of driving under the influence and dangerous driving. Kluka was given an eight-month sentence suspended for 18 months and will have to complete 250 hours of unpaid work, an alcohol abstinence program, and 20 rehabilitation days. He was banned from driving for 36 months. https://sputniknews.com/20220920/we-want-them-to-be-set-up-on-their-own-brits-vents-anger-over-hosting-ukrainian-refugees-1101011852.html ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International uk, court, drunk driving, europe, ukrainian, ukraine From, left, Lake County commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-2nd, Lake County Republican Party chair Daniel Dernulc, R-Highland, and Lake County Democratic Party chair Jim Weiser look over proposed county district maps during a meeting to discuss new boundaries for Lake County council and commissioner seats on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021 at the Lake County Government Center. (Michael Gard/Post-Tribune) (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune) Three Democratic Lake County Councilmen are accused of ensuring that they would avoid a GOP opponent in the general election by throwing their support for the First District State Senate seat behind fellow councilman and Lake County GOP chair Dan Dernulc instead of incumbent Democratic State Sen. Michael Griffin. Lake County Council President Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, and Councilmen Dave Hamm, D-Hammond, and Al Menchaca, D-Gary, wrote a letter supporting Dernulc, R-Highland, which was revealed in a political mailer by the Dernulc campaign. Advertisement Though Dernulc denies that there was an exchange of political favors, Lake County Democratic Party Chairman James Wieser was infuriated by the shocking endorsement. Much to our surprise, the Republican County Chairman has abandoned his party and their supposed principles, while also abandoning his own, and traded political favors with several Democratic elected officials, to gain their support for his candidacy for the Indiana State Senate seat currently held by incumbent, Democrat Michael Griffin, Wieser wrote in a statement. Meanwhile, Bilski and Hamm were given free rides in the November general election, (no Republican opponent) in their two districts, that after re-districting, have decidedly many more republican voters. Coincidence we think not. Advertisement State Sen. Michael Griffin speaks Wednesday at the Indiana Democratic Party "Contract with "Women" tour stop in Griffith. (Carrie Napoleon / Post-Tribune) The letter, signed by all three councilmen and dated Sept. 1, is now popping up in mailboxes across the First District via a political ad by the Dernulc campaign. The mailer was first noticed over the weekend. The letter, which did not mention or disparage Griffin, called Dernulc an advocate for his district and for Lake County who worked in a bipartisan way as a councilman. In the time we have worked with Dan, not only has he been fair, but never did he let party politics work against Lake County. He has worked extremely well with all of us, and we feel we worked well with Dan, they wrote. Dan is truly a great public servant. We would hope you will strongly consider supporting Dan Dernulc for Indiana State Senate, District One, the letter continued. Wieser said Dernulc also completely supported the Democratic budget proposal for 2023 without voicing his partys concerns, another unlikely coincidence. Dernulc denied any deals had been made with his colleagues in exchange for the endorsement. There is no deal made none, none, none, none, none, Dernulc said. Lake County Republican Party chair Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, speaks during a meeting to discuss new boundaries for Lake County council and commissioner seats on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021 at the Lake County Government Center. (Michael Gard/Post-Tribune) (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune) He said no one ran for any of the offices in the May primary and no candidates came forward seeking a chance to be slated after the primary. He said one person expressed interest on the last day of candidate filing when he was out of town and unable to act. Dernulc said he did not actively go out and seek candidates for offices where no Republicans ran. As party chair, Dernulc has the power to slate candidates prior to the November election. Bilski and Hamm are running unopposed. Advertisement Hamm also denied any dealmaking. He said he did not have a Republican challenger four years ago either. He said anybody can file to run. There was no deal whatsoever like that, Hamm said. He said he is supporting Dernulc because he knows he works in a bipartisan fashion. Both Bilski and Hamm said they support Dernulc because of their experience working with him on the county council. Dan been a real good person to work with, Bilski said. When it came time to make a decision who to support, he put party lines to the side. Bilski said he has nothing against Griffin, but he has a relationship with Dernulc and wanted to support someone who was a close colleague with whom he had worked with for many years. I really feel bad Mike would be that upset with me for supporting someone I worked with day in, day out since hes been up there, Bilski said. I would never ask anybody to do anything like that for me. I disagree with (Wiesers) statement. I think it is unfortunate those conclusions would be jumped to Dans a colleague and a friend. Its that simple, Bilski said. Advertisement Griffin for his part said that his campaign had been talking with Bilski and that he thought they had a relationship. The letter, he said, threw him for a loop. Both parties are supposed to provide checks and balances on each other, keeping each other honest. (The letter) is a total departure from that, Griffin said Monday. (Bilski, Hamm, and Menchaca) cynically cooperating for their own goals recalls a kind of old style politics that no one likes. More concerning to him than the letter, however, is the tone Dernulcs campaign has taken against him. Im utterly stunned that hes allowing the (state Republican Committee) to outright lie about my votes (in the Senate), Griffin said Monday. I expected him to be above that. Lake County Councilman David Hamm (left) and Council President Ted Bilski (right) discuss an issue during an update on the Delta variant by Lake County Health Officer Dr. Chandana Vavilala to the Lake County Council on Tuesday August 10, 2021 (John Smierciak for the Post Tribune) (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune) Fellow County Councilman Charlie Brown, D-Gary, a former state representative, described the actions of the three councilmen as unbelievable and he was angered by the action. It should make every Democrat angry. Three staunch Democratic elected officials make the decision in this general election to support not just a Republican, but a Republican county chairman over Michael Griffin, Brown said. Advertisement What they have done is literally to destroy the Lake County Democratic Party by making the decision, Brown said. He acknowledged everybody has the right to use their individual vote as they see fit, but to come out publicly in writing in support of the Republican Partys chairman over the Democratic incumbent is unfathomable. I will refer to me only. Theres no way in hell, as much as I like Dan Dernulc, I would vote for him over a Michael Griffin. Michael Griffin is one of the most intelligent, likable, honest not just a Democrat but person, in the state of Indiana, Brown said. He said he wished his colleagues had more of an understanding how statehouse politics work. Dernulc will have no other choice than to walk in lock-step with the Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate, which will never support legislation that benefits Lake County Democrats in any way, he said. It will be hard for me to look my three colleagues, to look them in the face, in the eye from this point forward for what they have done not supporting Michael Griffin for a full term as a Democratic senator, Brown said. Councilman Charlie Brown admonishes a protester for yelling out during a discussion and vote by the Lake County Council on a school mask mandate order the Lake County Health Officer has propose on Sept. 14, 2021. (John Smierciak/Post Tribune) (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune) He called on Wieser to take action against the trio, calling on them to resign. Advertisement Councilwoman Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, said she respects our democracy that allows voters to support and vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation. I choose to support our current Senator, Michael Griffin, my fellow Democrat. Sen. Griffin has committed to protect womens health choices, ones civil liberties and public safety, Cid said. With 30 years of government experience, Im confident he will continue to serve with the same integrity in the best interest of all Indiana residents. Wieser said the actions by the three is a concern for the party that will need to be addressed after the election. He said there is only so much a chairman of the party can do to an elected official, but he will be looking into options and having discussions with city and town chairmen and other leaders in the party before moving forward. Ive never come across this issue. Not in my life had I ever expected to come across this issue from Democratic elected officials, Wieser said. He said previously, when Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor changed parties from Democrat to Republican, Snedecor shared his reasons with him, and while he disagreed, he said he could respect Snedecors decision to leave the party. Neither Hamm nor Bilski are seeking to leave the party. Menchaca lost in the primary. He said both Bilski and Hamm have for years asked for, relied on and used support and funding from the Democratic party for their elections. Advertisement They have turned their backs on the Democratic Party in this process with no principled reason behind it. Thats what upsets me, Wieser said. He said he does not want the matter to be a distraction. I dont want to lose focus of what the important issue is electing Michael Griffin, Wieser said. Post-Tribune freelance reporter Michelle L. Quinn contributed to this report. https://sputniknews.com/20221025/ex-mep-sunaks-cabinet-reshuffle-means-nothing-for-uks-structural-crisis-1102649458.html Ex-MEP: Sunak's Cabinet Reshuffle Means Nothing for UK's Structural Crisis Ex-MEP: Sunak's Cabinet Reshuffle Means Nothing for UK's Structural Crisis New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has started to reshuffle No 10 in a bid to form a government of "all the talents" and maintain unity within the largely... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T19:39+0000 2022-10-25T19:39+0000 2022-10-25T19:39+0000 opinion & analysis uk opinion crisis recession inflation pound sterling rishi sunak liz truss boris johnson /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/17/1102545901_0:156:3089:1893_1920x0_80_0_0_9b782d7732d879ae2ac53c2c55d4060a.jpg Unlike his two predecessors, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, UK PM Rishi Sunak has tapped Conservatives from different factions instead of packing his cabinet with loyalists.Jeremy Hunt and Ben Wallace are keeping their jobs, and so is Penny Mordaunt, Sunak's two-time leadership competitor. Suella Braverman, known for her hard-right rhetoric, is back as home secretary. Dominic Raab has become deputy PM and Justice Secretary; and Nadhim Zahawi, who backed Boris Johnson's second advent to No 10, has been appointed Conservative Party chairman.The Sunak government obviously has a lot on its plate: starting with the weak pound sterling, turbulent market, and crisis of living standards and ending with anemic economic growth and a deepening recession. S&P Global economists are predicting that Britain could be headed toward a deep recession, with the country's economic activity contracting at its fastest pace in almost two years this October.Under these circumstances, the new British prime minister urged his party fellows to "unite or die" in order to preserve power and team up to tackle economic hardships. Sunak's concerns are quite understandable, according to Griffin.Likewise, the Tories are not going to hold early elections as they cling to power in the face of polls showing a surge in support for the Labour Party and dire numbers for the Conservatives: "Not even the most stupid of Tory turkeys would vote for an early Christmas when there is no constitutional or even political reason to have one," Griffin remarked. Meanwhile, Labour's rise is mainly due to a string of political mistakes made by the Tories, according to him."The shambles in the Conservative party has succeeded in making the Labour party look the better bet for handling the economy for the first time in about seventy years; this really is a staggering 'achievement'," Griffin pointed out. "Coupled with the Tories' increasingly strident support for mass economic immigration, it means that the Conservatives have thrown away the only two winning cards in their electoral hand. A change in the ruling party now looks to be the inevitable result of the next general election, which is likely to occur sometime in the second half of 2024."The former European Parliament member is rather skeptical about the Sunak government's ability to reverse the course of Britain's unfolding economic crisis. Similarly, he expects that the new premier will continue to bow to Washington, escalate tensions with Russia, and potentially embrace a green agenda thus further undermining the UK's energy security. https://sputniknews.com/20221025/who-is-uks-new-prime-minister-rishi-sunak-1102610301.html https://sputniknews.com/20221024/sunak-the-savior-will-new-uk-pm-manage-to-tame-market-and-unite-tories-1102589487.html 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 uk, opinion, crisis, recession, inflation, pound sterling, rishi sunak, liz truss, boris johnson, tories, uk labour party https://sputniknews.com/20221025/idf-israeli-troops-eliminate-terrorist-cell-in-city-of-nablus-west-bank-1102603948.html IDF: Israeli Troops Eliminate Terrorist Cell in City of Nablus, West Bank IDF: Israeli Troops Eliminate Terrorist Cell in City of Nablus, West Bank MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Israeli troops have conducted a counterterrorism operation targeting the Lion's Den terrorist group, responsible for the attacks on... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T06:42+0000 2022-10-25T06:42+0000 2022-10-25T07:38+0000 world israel israel defense forces (idf) west bank middle east /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/106453/30/1064533033_0:104:2048:1256_1920x0_80_0_0_b41226ec346947484c55a5cba9d57f32.jpg "IDF and Israeli security forces raided a hideout apartment in the Kasbah of Nablus used as a headquarters and explosives manufacturing site by the main operatives of the 'Lion's Den' terrorist group. The forces detonated the explosive manufacturing site," the IDF tweeted.The IDF also said that during the operation "multiple armed suspects were hit and Palestinian reports indicate there were multiple injuries," adding that the Israeli troops responded with live fire "toward the armed suspects shooting at them."Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that the IDF would continue to carry out operations against those trying to cause harm to Israeli citizens."There are no and will be no safe haven cities for terrorists," Gantz wrote on Twitter.Israel started regular counterterrorism operations in the occupied West Bank in mid-April in retaliation for Palestinian terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of over 20 Israelis in several weeks. west bank 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 israel, israel defense forces (idf), west bank, middle east https://sputniknews.com/20221025/india-breaks-own-guinness-world-record-with-largest-display-of-oil-lamps-1102609293.html India Breaks Own Guinness World Record With Largest Display of Oil Lamps India Breaks Own Guinness World Record With Largest Display of Oil Lamps India's holy city Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state is renowned as the birthplace of Lord Rama. As per Hindu scriptures, Diwali marks the day the Hindu god Rama... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T11:58+0000 2022-10-25T11:58+0000 2022-10-25T11:58+0000 india guinness world record guinness world records diwali narendra modi narendra modi /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102616412_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_cdb86eb30fe5f8b9eb329a114216ab12.jpg India has set a new Guinness World Record by lightening over 1.5 million earthen oil lamps (called Diyas in Hindi) on the banks of the River Saryu in Ayodhya on the occasion of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.The feat was accomplished at a special event, "Deepostav" (festival of earthen lamps) attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with state ministers and hundreds of students and teachers of Awadh University. In total, nearly 100,000 devotees, locals, and dignitaries witnessed the historic record.The oil lamps placed on the river banks made for a spectacular view of the huge Ayodhya temple, and brightened up the entire region, leaving netizens enchanted by its sight. The magnificent light and sound show as well as grand fireworks display organized on the occasion, added a magical spell to the whole night. With the new Guinness World Record, India managed to beat its previous mark of 941,551 oil lamps lit up on Diwali in Ayodhya in November 2021. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.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 Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg guinness world record, guinness world records, diwali, narendra modi, narendra modi https://sputniknews.com/20221025/larry-the-cat-steals-show-during-rishi-sunaks-first-speech-as-uk-pm---photo-1102642349.html Larry The Cat Steals Show During Rishi Sunak's First Speech as UK PM - Photo Larry The Cat Steals Show During Rishi Sunak's First Speech as UK PM - Photo Larry the Cat, chief mouser to the Cabinet Office of the UK at 10 Downing Street, is nothing less than a celebrity and enjoys 788.4K followers on Twitter. As... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T17:19+0000 2022-10-25T17:19+0000 2022-10-25T17:19+0000 rishi sunak cat larry the cat cat prime minister prime minister viral /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102648747_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_6b6f7a1a9f45f98787ad8d7759bb0bcc.jpg Larry the Cat stole the show during new UK PM Rishi Sunak's first public address at Downing Street - all thanks to "an angle featuring the real boss around here."A tweet posted on Larry the Cat's Twitter page in which Sunak can be seen giving a speech at the podium while the cat sits beside a street light has gone viral. The latest post has drawn many amusing reactions from Twitter users. While one user wrote, Love that the lady taking a photo on her phone is photographing Larry, not Rishi, another joked, "The policeman keeping a good watchful eye over you there Larry. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.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 Sangeeta Yadav https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1b/1080292803_0:121:960:1081_100x100_80_0_0_7490b319dab9611e309056b177265184.jpg rishi sunak, cat, larry the cat, cat, prime minister, prime minister https://sputniknews.com/20221025/live-from-downing-street-as-rishi-sunak-takes-over-as-uks-next-prime-minister-1102603470.html Live From Downing Street as Rishi Sunak Takes Over as UKs Latest Prime Minister Live From Downing Street as Rishi Sunak Takes Over as UKs Latest Prime Minister On 20 October, Liz Truss announced her resignation as UK prime minister, less than two months after her appointment as Boris Johnson's successor. 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T06:59+0000 2022-10-25T06:59+0000 2022-10-25T08:04+0000 world uk rishi sunak prime minister europe /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/06/1100441262_0:49:3071:1776_1920x0_80_0_0_76bc572b172a4268d7b74a53f49c2f94.jpg Sputnik comes live from outside 10 Downing Street in London, as Rishi Sunak is set to take over as prime minister.Sunak will become the third UK prime minister to hold office this year. Last week, Liz Truss announced her resignation as UK prime minister after 44 days in the job, making her the shortest-serving head of government in UK history.Follow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More! 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 Live from 10 Downing Street as Rishi Sunak set to take over as prime minister Live from 10 Downing Street as Rishi Sunak set to take over as prime minister 2022-10-25T06:59+0000 true PT1S 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International uk, rishi sunak, prime minister, europe, Russia Seeks Setting Up Commission on US, Ukraine Bio Labs Under UN Auspices - Letter Russia seeks establishing a commission under UN Security Council auspices that would require Washington and Kiev to clarify their compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention (BTWC) with respect to their activities in biological laboratories in Ukraine, the Russian mission to the United Nations said in a letter to the top UN officials. The letter, signed by the Russian Ambassador to the world body Vasily Nebenzia, was addressed to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Security Council President for the month of October, Michel Xavier Biang. A draft statement was attached to the letter and its circulation is required. "The draft resolution we propose is aimed to set up a commission to investigate the claims against the US and Ukraine contained in the complaint of the Russian Federation regarding the compliance with their obligations under the BTWC in the context of the activities of biological laboratories in the territory of Ukraine," the letter said on Tuesday. The commission would manage to clarify all circumstances of Washington and Kievs activities with biological laboratories on Ukrainian territory, the letter said. It is expected that the commission would produce a report that would then be discussed by the parties to the BTWC during the Ninth Review Conference set to be held in Geneva on November 28 - December 16. https://sputniknews.com/20221025/norwegian-prime-minister-speaks-out-against-isolation-of-russia-1102622600.html Norwegian Prime Minister Speaks Out Against Isolation of Russia Norwegian Prime Minister Speaks Out Against Isolation of Russia MURMANSK (Sputnik) - Western countries should not isolate Russia, on the contrary, they should establish direct communication with Moscow to resolve the... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T12:53+0000 2022-10-25T12:53+0000 2022-10-25T12:53+0000 russia russia norway isolation /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102622266_0:115:3232:1933_1920x0_80_0_0_12a4a5c4e810bb73c9dcae3f9debb74e.jpg "There is nothing good in isolating Russia. It is alarming that today we have so few contacts and direct communication with Russia," Store told the Norwegian parliament, as quoted by the NRK broadcaster.The lack of dialogue undermines the possibility of reaching a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, the Norwegian prime minister said, adding that the current political situation was the most difficult since the World War II.Western countries determined to isolate Russia after it launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. They rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow, while also threatening Russian allies and partners with similar restrictions in the event of continued cooperation with and support for the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Russia could not be isolated. China has also vocally opposed the idea of imposing unilateral sanctions on any country and called for the continuation of dialogue in the interest of peaceful world development.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. At the same time, the EU has been looking for alternatives to Russian natural gas as it has pledged to end its dependence on energy supplies from Russia. On October 7, the European Union introduced the eighth package of sanctions against Moscow which, among other things, sets a framework for capping the price of Russian seaborne oil exports at a level coordinated by G7 allies. https://sputniknews.com/20220726/russian-embassy-ridicules-us-persistent-claims-moscow-is-isolated-1097802358.html russia norway Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia, norway, isolation https://sputniknews.com/20221025/one-dead-dozens-injured-in-sudanese-protest-on-coup-anniversary---medics-1102652816.html One Dead, Dozens Injured in Sudanese Protest on Coup Anniversary - Medics One Dead, Dozens Injured in Sudanese Protest on Coup Anniversary - Medics MOSCOW (Sputnik) - One person was killed and dozens injured in clashes between demonstrators and security forces in Sudan, the opposition Central Committee of... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T20:54+0000 2022-10-25T20:54+0000 2022-11-14T12:14+0000 africa sudan protests military coup coup d'etat central africa /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/01/18/1092489632_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_6e8498b523cb59f6b9fb8378f5629894.jpg Earlier in the day, Sudan was engulfed by mass opposition protests timed to the first anniversary of the military coup, as a result of which Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was ousted from his post.According to local media, tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters took part in demonstrations across the country. Peaceful protests were coordinated with the military, but gradually they escalated into clashes.In October 2021, the Sudanese military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, overthrew the government, declaring a state of emergency and establishing a transitional sovereign council under his leadership. Subsequent protests forced Burhan to sign a pact stipulating the reinstatement of Prime Minister Hamdok, the release of all political prisoners, the holding of elections in July 2023, and the hand over of power to an elected civilian government. The political crisis persisted, however, and Hamdok stepped down on January 2.Weekly protests against military rule have continued in Sudan, resulting in dozens of deaths. https://sputniknews.com/20221025/sudan-gripped-by-protests-after-us-warning-on-russia-ties-1102648148.html africa sudan 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 sudan, protests, military coup, coup d'etat, central africa https://sputniknews.com/20221025/rishi-sunak-becomes-uk-prime-minister-after-meeting-king-charles-1102610902.html Rishi Sunak Becomes UK Prime Minister After Meeting King Charles Rishi Sunak Becomes UK Prime Minister After Meeting King Charles Earlier in the day, King Charles III accepted the resignation of Liz Truss, who had succeeded Boris Johnson as UK prime minister, but did not even last two... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T10:33+0000 2022-10-25T10:33+0000 2022-10-25T11:12+0000 world uk rishi sunak prime minister king charles iii /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102611922_0:0:2639:1484_1920x0_80_0_0_193203f50d84c9cf4f2ba8d95dd58739.jpg Rishi Sunak has officially become UK prime minister after King Charles III asked him to form a new government during their Tuesday meeting. Later in the day, Sunak arrived at Downing Street, the British Prime Minister's official residence, where he delivered his first speech as premier. He said that he takes a solemn approach as the country is suffering a profound economic crisis. Speaking about Liz Truss, he said that she was enthusiastic for change, but had made some mistakes. Rishi Sunak added that he will provide economic stability and would not leave the next generation... with debt to settle," adding that he will unite the country.Sunak emerged as the sole contender in the Tory leadership race on Monday after his rivals Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson both pulled out.The country's third PM in a year was announced shortly after by Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories. During his Monday public address, Sunak pledged "to bring our party and our country together because that is the only way we will overcome the challenges we face."Earlier on Tuesday, King Charles III accepted the resignation of Liz Truss, who only lasted 44 days as UK prime minister.On October 24, the 42-year-old former finance minister Sunak became the head of the ruling Conservative Party, and as such, the country's youngest next prime minister since 1812 and the first prime minister of Indian origin. On Sunday, Sunak, who lost the Conservative leadership race to Liz Truss earlier this year, officially announced that he was running for prime minister after gathering enough support votes from fellow Tories.Liz Truss announced her resignation as UK prime minister on October 20, less than two months after her appointment as Boris Johnson's successor, becoming the shortest-serving head of government in UK history. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/sunak-the-savior-will-new-uk-pm-manage-to-tame-market-and-unite-tories-1102589487.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International uk, rishi sunak, prime minister, king charles iii https://sputniknews.com/20221025/russian-energy-minister-says-price-cap-on-gas-may-destabilize-global-energy-market-1102617130.html Russian Energy Minister Says Price Cap on Gas May Destabilize Global Energy Market Russian Energy Minister Says Price Cap on Gas May Destabilize Global Energy Market MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Introduction of a price cap on Russian gas could further destabilize international energy market and affect both producers and consumers of... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T11:55+0000 2022-10-25T11:55+0000 2022-10-25T11:55+0000 russia russia gas energy market /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/05/0b/1095429670_0:0:3083:1734_1920x0_80_0_0_e1e652f7790e66a54e2dcc3cb40b7005.jpg "The idea to impose a price cap on gas, which is supported by a number of EU countries, threatens to further destabilize energy markets leading to negative consequences for both consumers and producers of gas," the minister said during his speech at a ministerial meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).Shulginov added that sanctions imposed against Russia in response to its military operation in Ukraine and plans of European countries to completely stop importing Russian fossil fuels had led to an unprecedented rise of gas prices and major disruptions in supply chains.After the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022 and the adoption of several packages of sanctions against Moscow by the West, energy prices have skyrocketed in Europe, placing energy security high both on the global and national agenda. At the same time, the EU has been looking for alternatives to Russian natural gas as it has pledged to end its dependence on energy supplies from Russia. EU countries are also discussing the introduction of a price cap on gas supplies from Russia similar to the one suggested by G7 for Russian seaborne oil. https://sputniknews.com/20221022/turkey-and-russia-working-on-evaluation-of-gas-hub-project-source-says-1102527615.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia, gas, energy market Three killed including suspect in St. Louis high school shooting Xinhua) 09:45, October 25, 2022 CHICAGO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed, including the suspect, and seven others were injured in a shooting Monday morning at a high school in St. Louis, in the U.S. state of Missouri. A woman died at hospital, and a teen girl was pronounced dead inside the school, both of gunshot wounds, St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The suspect, a male estimated to be in his 20s, was shot inside the school and pronounced dead at hospital. The shooting was reported after 9 a.m. local time at Central Visual &Performing Arts High School. By 9:30 a.m., the entire area was blocked off by police, ambulances and a SWAT van. Students and staff streamed from the school with hands in the air. The police did not indicate how the shooter got inside the building, the report said. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. addresses the media during a press conference concerning Gary Police Officer Brandon Henderson. Henderson allegedly fatally shot Melvin Bouler 82, in an apartment complex in November 2019. (John Smierciak/Gary Post Tribune.) (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune) The trial court that denied Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinezs motion to dismiss charges of reckless driving and resisting law enforcement was proper, and the state is allowed to refile charges if theyre dismissed, according to the Indiana Attorney Generals office. In a brief filed Oct. 21 by the Attorney Generals office, Supervising Attorney General Jodi Stein wrote that Martinezs argument didnt support his claim that the Grand Jury convened on his case was conducted in violation of his due process rights, specifically under an allegation that prosecutorial misconduct occurred through the testimony of Commander (Kevin) Smith. Martinezs attorneys, Paul Stracci and J. Michael Woods, argued in an appellate brief filed September 22 that the courts denial of his motion to dismiss should be reversed because his due process right to a neutral and detached atmosphere in the grand jury proceedings was prejudiced by the opinion testimony of (Indiana State Police) Commander (Kevin) Smith. Advertisement Martinezs claim, Stein wrote, isnt viable because he cant claim that Smiths qualifications as an officer prejudiced the jury. If Defendants suggestion is correct that Commander Smiths witness testimony constituted an undue influence simply because he was an experienced police officer, then no police officer could ever testify before a grand jury or a petit jury as an evidentiary witness without violating due process. That is simply not the law, Stein wrote. A jury can assess police officer testimony for credibility and weigh as it does any other witness, as this grand jury was instructed. Advertisement Additionally, Martinezs appeal doesnt say he wouldnt have been indicted based on other testimony besides Smiths, Stein wrote, and instead, he seems to claim that his indictment by grand jury was procured by actual evidence of potential bias that produced an illusion of an apolitical prosecution, which prejudiced him. The grand jury, however, wasnt tricked into rendering a politically charged indictment, she wrote. Defense counsel was given the rare opportunity to address the grand jury, during which he made Defendants plea of political motivation for the convening of the grand jury, Stein wrote. Politics had not entered the proceeding before then. Defendant thus asked the grand jury to not indict him because of this alleged political motivation and his legendary law enforcement status, despite the extensive evidence supporting probable cause for the charges. The grand jury squarely rejected this plea when it returned the indictments. Defendant cannot show actual prejudice, and his claim of prosecutorial misconduct fails. Martinez, a Democrat, was selected via caucus in September 2017 to fill the remaining term of former Sheriff John Buncich after he was convicted on federal public corruption charges. Martinez is seeking his second full term in office and faces Republican David K. Crane on the ballot in the November general election. Special Judge Jeryl Leach agreed July 28 to cancel Martinezs Aug. 15 trial date while the Indiana Court of Appeals examines the judges March 14 denial of Martinezs motion to throw the case out. Martinez was indicted Jan. 6 on Level 6 felony resisting law enforcement and misdemeanor reckless driving charges. Levco and co-prosecutor David O. Thomas countered that their actions were proper. Levco said in April if the appeals court does grant the dismissal, he would refile charges. As an interlocutory appeal will not guarantee that no trial will occur, Defendant will not gain anything even if he is successful, Levco wrote. A further hearing is set for Dec. 7. Advertisement The state charges stem from a Sept. 18, 2021, incident in which Crown Point police officers conducting a traffic stop at about 11:30 p.m. in the 9000 block of Taft Street saw a black SUV traveling northbound on Main Street at what appeared to be at a speed well above the 45 mph posted limit. The SUV continued onto Taft Street in Merrillville, passing the stopped officers. In seeing the speeding violation, officers attempted to catch up to curb the vehicle, according to a police report. The report continues, saying the SUV was seen making a right-hand turn onto eastbound U.S. 30 in Merrillville. As officers were catching up to the vehicle, the driver activated emergency red and blue police lights, giving notice that it was an unmarked police car. In seeing the lights officers stopped trying to catch up. The indictment states that Martinez did knowingly or intentionally flee from Crown Point police and did recklessly operate a motor vehicle by driving at such an unreasonably high rate of speed as to endanger the safety or property of others. Martinez previously called the charges a political witch hunt. https://sputniknews.com/20221025/scholars-australia-hides-abuse-of-prisoners--indigenous-people-behind-closed-doors-1102627326.html Scholars: Australia Hides Abuse of Prisoners & Indigenous People Behind Closed Doors Scholars: Australia Hides Abuse of Prisoners & Indigenous People Behind Closed Doors The United Nations abruptly wrapped up its anti-torture mission to Australia on Sunday after inspectors were not allowed to visit numerous jails and detention... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T15:51+0000 2022-10-25T15:51+0000 2022-10-25T15:51+0000 opinion & analysis australia & oceania asia & pacific prisons the united nations (un) human rights abuse first nations indigenous peoples jail /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/105351/00/1053510089_0:0:1131:637_1920x0_80_0_0_2a2128880c65914e42ff9aec61880572.jpg "Usually doors are only closed if officials have something to hide," Stuart Rees, Australian academic, human rights activist, and author, told Sputnik. "Too often, even in democracies, leading politicians like to think that their (outdated) views of sovereignty entitle them to ignore UN obligations. A certain authoritarianism implies that State forms of punishment and containment should never be challenged."The row between the Australian authorities and the UN watchdog erupted after New South Wales barred SPT inspectors from a small courthouse jail, while Queensland did not allow them to visit inpatient units at mental health facilities. What's more, Dominic Perrottet, the premier of New South Wales, on October 24 justified blocking the UN representatives. He argued that Australia is a "sovereign country in our own right and we have a high standard when it comes to correctional facilities."However, in 2017, Australia ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), thus making facilities subject to inspection. "This is a clear breach by Australia of its obligations under OPCAT. State parties have an obligation to both receive the SPT in their territory and allow it to exercise its mandate in full, as reflected in Articles 12 and 14, said Aisha Shujune Muhammad, the head of the delegation.According to the academic, state governments said that they will not resolve compliance issues with the Convention Against Torture unless they receive adequate funding to keep their facilities in line with international obligations. However, the Commonwealth has so far not resolved this issue, which only amplifies the problem.First Nations, Indigenous Kids & Refugees Subjected to AbuseTo complicate matters further, indigenous inmates and detained refugees remain especially vulnerable to human rights abuse in Australia. Rights groups have recently raised alarm about the incarceration of Indigenous communities as well as the detention of refugees in the country. Even though the Australian government has officially signed the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, they continue to keep Aborigines in prisons in unbearable conditions, activists argue.The academic drew attention to 517 Indigenous deaths since the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, citing the National Deaths in Custody Program. Between June 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, there were 24 deaths.In addition to that, the number of Indigenous Australian prisoners is continuing to grow, even though the overall number of adult inmates is plummeting nationally. Thus, there were 12,456 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander detainees in 2019-2020, up from 7,507 in 2010-2011.The Northern Territory and New South Wales had the highest general rates of imprisonment in 2020, with 694 and 537 inmates per 100,000. Meanwhile, in Western Australia, indigenous people are 16 times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Indigenous people, according to some estimates. First Nation kids also fall victim to the troublesome trend. In July 2022, 17 mostly indigenous teenagers were placed in WA's Casuarina prison for adults for what the state qualified as an "escalation in extreme behavior."Last year, thousands of people rallied across Australia to protest the continuing scourge of Aboriginal deaths in custody, unpaid compensation, open racism, displacement of aborigines from their lands, high infant mortality, and inadequate access to health care. The acute problems raised a year ago have yet to be solved, said O'Neill."Access to healthcare for example is partly a function of the physical location, often in remote communities without access to basic resources like proper health care. The problem is one of fundamental racism. There is little demand in the majority white population for tackling the problems which have many facets, of which geographical location is a basic one," said the Australia-based barrister, adding that he does not expect any U-turn on the matter on the part of state governments.On top of this, "Australia remains a pioneer in the cruel treatment of refugees who arrive by boat without authorization, maintaining offshore concentration camps in Nauru and Manus Island," highlighted Kampmark. He noted that these camps "were created, perversely enough, to 'save lives' but also deter individuals using sea routes from reaching the mainland."No Silver Lining to This Cloud Yet"There has been a comprehensive, angry reaction from human rights groups and organizations to the conduct of the state governments," said Kampmark. "A joint statement from Australian Lawyers for Human Rights signed by 70 groups considers the obstruction 'a clear breach by Australia of its obligations under OPCAT'."The academic suggested that pressure on New South Wales and Queensland may also be brought to bear from the Commonwealth government.The crux of the matter is that most tax revenue is gathered by the Commonwealth, while states and territories rely on the federal purse to pursue their projects, according to the academic.Nonetheless, the lack of funding is no excuse for states not to do more to prioritize the improvement of detention facilities, he added, expressing hope that the public outcry and continued pressure will lead to the problem being dealt with.However, James O'Neill is less optimistic, arguing that there is no clear solution to the vicious cycle of human rights abuse in the country. https://sputniknews.com/20200602/police-in-australias-new-south-wales-investigate-violent-arrest-of-indigenous-teen-1079498468.html https://sputniknews.com/20170213/australia-icc-offshore-detention-1050633530.html australia & oceania 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 australia & oceania, asia & pacific, prisons, the united nations (un), human rights abuse, first nations, indigenous peoples, jail https://sputniknews.com/20221025/six-eu-countries-boost-exports-of-goods-to-russia-in-july-1102602231.html Six EU Countries Boost Exports of Goods to Russia in July Six EU Countries Boost Exports of Goods to Russia in July MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Six EU member states in July boosted exports of goods to Russia year-on-year, with Slovenia and Croatia topping the list, the statistics... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T06:06+0000 2022-10-25T06:06+0000 2022-10-25T06:06+0000 russia european union (eu) export russia /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/106995/19/1069951908_0:75:3379:1975_1920x0_80_0_0_6dd0db369145af386a5be38a755f8ae6.jpg The data showed that in July, Croatia's exports to Russia amounted to 18.4 million euros ($18.1 million), and Slovenia's supply was estimated at 98 million euros, which is 59% and 56% higher than last year's figures, respectively. Estonia (16%), Bulgaria (10%), Austria (5%) and Latvia (1%) also increased the exports of goods to Russia year-on-year.Meanwhile, other EU countries have downsized the export volume to Russia, with Cyprus (-99%) almost completely ceasing the delivery, as well as Luxembourg (-82%), France (-76%), Sweden (-75%) and the Czech Republic (-70%), according to the data.Imports of Russian goods in the same period jumped in 16 countries of the bloc, with some member states increasing supplies several times: Slovenia (six-fold), Cyprus (3.4 times), Czech Republic (3.1 times), Greece (three-fold) and Italy (2.2 times), the data said.Also, Austria (by 12%), Belgium (89%), Bulgaria (95%), Hungary (77%), Germany (10%), Spain (68%), Luxembourg (16%), the Netherlands (15%), Romania (9%) are among those EU countries which boosted imports from Russia, as well as Slovakia (21%) and Croatia (2%), according to the statistics.It added that eight EU countries increased exports to Russia month-on-month: Romania (78%), Lithuania (28%) and the Netherlands (21%) came first.Earlier in October, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the European Union's prosperity used to be based on cheap energy from Russia and Chinese markets, which provided the bloc with opportunities for technology transfers, investment and cheap goods, but now the EU needs to look for energy sources inside Europe and restructure its economy.The start of hostilities in Ukraine in February exacerbated the energy crisis that has been 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. https://sputniknews.com/20220914/russia-urges-eu-to-disclose-final-destination-of-ukrainian-grain-exports-1100758474.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International european union (eu), export, russia https://sputniknews.com/20221025/thirty-us-democratic-lawmakers-u-turn-on-call-for-biden-shift-on-ukraine-within-hours-1102599452.html Thirty US Democratic Lawmakers U-Turn Within Hours After Urging Biden To Change Tack on Ukraine Thirty US Democratic Lawmakers U-Turn Within Hours After Urging Biden To Change Tack on Ukraine On Monday, 30 Democratic lawmakers from the US House of Representatives - led by Pramila Jayapal, chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus - wrote to... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T05:18+0000 2022-10-25T05:18+0000 2022-10-25T08:02+0000 americas us joe biden ukraine crisis democrats alexandria ocasio-cortez /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/0b/1101736891_0:131:3177:1918_1920x0_80_0_0_6632b966a65a4b34437d48bfa7b76e78.jpg The group of progressive House Democrats who urged President Joe Biden on Monday to make fundamental changes to US strategy regarding the security crisis in Ukraine by seeking direct negotiations with Russia, made a U-turn within hours of sending their letter to the POTUS.Under a wave of pressure from other Democrats, the group, led by Congressional Progressive Caucus chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, released a statement confirming their support for the presidents strategy.The statement went on to say that although diplomacy is "an important tool that can save lives," it is "just one tool".Before bowing to pressure and backpedaling, the 30 Democrats had initially stated in their letter that it was in the interests of the Biden administration to revise his strategy for Ukraine to avert a protracted conflict fraught with dangerous possibilities.The Democrats added in the original letter:The lawmakers had emphasized how the conflict would spill over into ordinary life and how the sanctions policy introduced by the US, the EU and allies against Moscow over its special military operation in Ukraine were self-harming. Food and gas costs have rocketed all over the world, including in the United States, and the soaring prices for wheat, fertilizer, and fuel have exacerbated global food shortages.However, the letter's call for a negotiation process that could include sanctions relief for Russia and security guarantees for Ukraine contents did not go down well with some other Democrats. Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona tweeted in response to the progressives letter that the way to end a conflict is, Win it quickly.Although the US Congress passed a Bill to send $12Bln in new aid to Ukraine in September, with the Biden administration expected to pledge more aid for the Kiev regime in December, if Republicans win control of the House in the November mid-term elections, this strategy of pumping aid into Ukraine may be put to the test. A number of GOP House lawmakers such as Floridas Matt Gaetz have been vociferous in calling for aid to Ukraine to be curtailed. These calls have been echoed by other influential voices in the broader conservative movement, highlighting that the Biden administration has been spending too much to prop up the Kiev authorities and possibly prolonging the conflict. After his home state of Florida was lashed by a hurricane, Gaetz went on Twitter to suggest that aid to Ukraine was diverting assistance from his own constituents.And Republican representative for Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, tweeted while announcing her vote against a spending resolution that included more funding for Ukraine, that she was opposed to "funding Americas 51st state: Ukraine".House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, hoping that next months mid-terms will make him Speaker of the House, said in a recent interview: I think people are going to be sitting in a recession and theyre not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. He indicated that Republicans would demand tighter oversight of aid to Ukraine if they win the majority.Earlier, Republican representative for Pennsylvania, Scott Perry, who is chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, reportedly texted members of the group about the potential for investigating the Biden administration over its handling of the Ukraine crisis. Perry suggested, according to screenshots of a text to fellow Republican members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, that the president might not have been honest with the American people about his goals in the conflict.Russia has sent out repeated reminders that channeling military assistance to the Kiev regime will only prolong the conflict and is fraught with the risk of a further dangerous escalation of the crisis. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/thirty-us-lawmakers-urge-biden-to-pursue-negotiations-with-russia-on-ukraine---letter-1102592541.html https://sputniknews.com/20221024/republican-support-of-ukraine-is-faltering-could-they-end-us-support-1102560828.html americas Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko 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 Svetlana Ekimenko us, joe biden, ukraine crisis, democrats, alexandria ocasio-cortez https://sputniknews.com/20221025/to-ward-off-evil-state-chief-in-india-gets-whipped-in-diwali-ritual-1102606223.html To Ward Off Evil, State Chief in India Gets Whipped in Diwali Ritual To Ward Off Evil, State Chief in India Gets Whipped in Diwali Ritual Whipping or flogging as part of religious rituals is common in many Indian states, including Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T10:02+0000 2022-10-25T10:02+0000 2022-10-25T10:54+0000 india chhattisgarh diwali diwali ritual religious ritual tradition whipping /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102610506_0:0:3073:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_d2e03265daf7533384e6635eb02ef2c5.jpg Chhattisgarh State Chief Bhupesh Baghel got whipped on his hand as part of a traditional religious ritual in India.The ritual is a part of 'Gauri-Gaura Puja' (Worship of Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati), performed on Diwali, which was celebrated across India the day before. Though some Indians consider it an act of superstition, the tradition has continued for centuries.This is not the first time Baghel has participated in this ritual: last year, he visited the village of Jajangiri in the Durg district for the same thing. chhattisgarh Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Pawan Atri https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/05/12/1082926219_0:0:358:358_100x100_80_0_0_aca1d9bdccc7af990e49b4511ee80344.png Pawan Atri https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/05/12/1082926219_0:0:358:358_100x100_80_0_0_aca1d9bdccc7af990e49b4511ee80344.png 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 Pawan Atri https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/05/12/1082926219_0:0:358:358_100x100_80_0_0_aca1d9bdccc7af990e49b4511ee80344.png chhattisgarh, diwali, diwali, ritual, religious ritual, tradition, whipping https://sputniknews.com/20221025/venezuelas-opposition-dropping-guaids-government-in-2023-1102598818.html Venezuelas Opposition Dropping Guaidos Government in 2023 Venezuelas Opposition Dropping Guaidos Government in 2023 In 2019, the Trump administration imposed strict sanctions on Venezuelan oil and refused to acknowledge Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate President of... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T03:33+0000 2022-10-25T03:33+0000 2022-10-25T03:33+0000 americas venezuela juan guaido nicolas maduro /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107461/24/1074612425_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_098af41041d9818cea9db689f6034bfd.jpg According to a Reuters report that cites four sources, representatives of Venezuela's opposition party have told US State Department officials that they will no longer continue to support Guaidos parallel government in 2023, even if someone else is appointed as its leader. They instead want to nominate a candidate to face Maduro in an election tentatively set for late 2023 or early 2024.In 2018, the United States and other Western countries doubted the legitimacy of an election that saw Maduro reelected as the president of Venezuela. The Venezuelan constitution dictates that if a legitimate president is not elected, the National Assembly leader would become the interim president until an election can be held. That led Guaido to set up an opposition government that was recognized by the United States. Many of Venezuelas foreign assets held by the United States were given to the Guaido government.However, Guaido's absentee government has failed to remove Maduro from power. The socialist president still controls the Venezuelan military, domestic assets, intelligence communities, and land. Guaido holds no authority politically or institutionally in Venezuela. The term of the National Assembly he was the head of ended in 2020, making the backing from some Western nations his only claim to power.Five of the six opposition-party members said they would not support Guaido or the continuation of the alternative government. Only a representative from Guaidos Voluntad Popular party supported the continuation of the alternative government.If Guaidos government is absolved, it brings into question what happens to the foreign assets and companies supervised by the Venezuelan National Assembly. US courts recognized their legitimacy on the basis that Guaido is the legitimate leader of Venezuela. If that justification dissolves, it may open them up to legal issues.Regardless, Guaidos support has been sinking quickly. Earlier this month at the Organization of American States (OAS) summit in Lima, 19 of the 35 member states voted to discuss removing Guaidos representation at the OAS. The motion fell short of the 24 votes needed to pass, but only four states supported Guaido.The political climate has also changed in Latin America, with several countries moving towards leftist governments more in line with Maduros. The elections of Gustavo Petro in Colombia, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (aka AMLO) in Mexico, Gabriel Boric in Chile, and Jose Pedro Castillo in Peru have seen the region move further to the left in recent years. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva may also defeat right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election on October 30.The European Union has also withdrawn support of Guaido after his National Assembly term ended in 2020, though they also do not recognize Maduro.Even the Biden administration, which officially still recognizes Guaido, has shown more willingness to engage with the Maduro government. The administration has sent representatives to Caracas to discuss the easing of sanctions in exchange for elections. The move is largely seen as a way to get Venezuelan oil on the world market to combat the energy crisis and even included a phone call between Biden and Maduro. The two nations also exchanged prisoners in early October. https://sputniknews.com/20221012/us-examining-possible-removal-of-sanctions-on-venezuela-oil-sector---reports-1101782501.html americas venezuela 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 venezuela, juan guaido, nicolas maduro https://sputniknews.com/20221025/watch-ted-cruz-gets-heckled-by-expletive-throwing-yankee-fans-1102598099.html Watch: Ted Cruz Gets Heckled By Expletive-Throwing Yankee Fans Watch: Ted Cruz Gets Heckled By Expletive-Throwing Yankee Fans Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) decided to watch his hometown Houston Astros in game 4 of the ALCS on Sunday at Yankee Stadium and Yankees fans gave him a decidedly... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T01:41+0000 2022-10-25T01:41+0000 2022-10-25T01:41+0000 viral ted cruz yankees new york city /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102597846_0:0:1048:591_1920x0_80_0_0_87224ebcf5df967c3ff6c877630d6e52.png Videos posted on social media show the conservative senator being insulted by New Yorkers who reminded him of the time then-presidential candidate Donald Trump implied that Cruzs wife was unattractive on Twitter during the 2016 primary season.Cruz would endorse Trump roughly five months later. Trump called your wife ugly and you loved it, one fan can be heard screaming.The crowd of Yankee fans can also be heard telling Cruz to get the **** out of New York! and **** you, you racist piece of ****! The fans also called the Texas Senator an Ugly **** and other insults that are not fit to print.Cruz seemed unfazed by the insults, continuing to smile and shake hands with the few fans who seemed excited to see the Texas senator. Cruz would later retweet an article by the NY Post that included a picture, but not the video below, showing Yankee fans flipping the senator off and giving him a thumbs down. Cruz wrote scoreboard. #GoStros in his tweet.After sweeping the Yankees, the Astros are set to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. If Cruz wants to avoid a repeat of this situation, he may want to avoid watching the Astros in Philadelphia. Fans in the city are notoriously rowdy, owing to the day in 1968 when Eagles fans heckled and threw snowballs at Santa Claus.The video, which you can watch below, is not safe for work and includes crude language. https://sputniknews.com/20220815/how-do-we-know-sen-ted-cruz-attacks-colleague-liz-warren-by-insinuating-she-is-transgender-1099633254.html new york city 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 ted cruz, yankees, new york city https://sputniknews.com/20221025/what-is-a-dirty-bomb-and-why-is-russia-warning-about-it-1102619770.html What is a 'Dirty Bomb' and Why is Russia Warning About It? What is a 'Dirty Bomb' and Why is Russia Warning About It? Russian has informed NATO that Kiev may be preparing a false flag dirty bomb attack against its own territory to accuse Moscow of using nuclear weapons. What is a dirty bomb, and how could it be used? 2022-10-25T14:00+0000 2022-10-25T14:00+0000 2022-11-01T07:59+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine dirty bomb bomb nuclear bomb false flag ukraine russia what is a dirty bomb dirty bomb ukraine news ukraine's dirty bomb plans /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102627311_0:0:3073:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_0a945249585e950580fb858aae86b15d.jpg Russia has expressed fears that Kiev may detonate a radiation-spewing "dirty bomb" and blame Moscow for using a tactical nuclear weapon against its forces. Russias nuclear doctrine forbids the use of nuclear weapons of any kind unless the country is attacked using weapons of mass destruction, or faces a conventional attack so severe it threatens the countrys existence. But that fact is unlikely to stop the West from blaming Russia in the event of a false-flag dirty bomb attack, Moscow fears.What is a Dirty Bomb and How Does it Work?A dirty bomb is typically a conventional explosive device that contains radioactive material, be it uranium, plutonium, or other radioactive waste material byproducts generated by things like nuclear power generation or radiological medicine.Why is Russia Warning About Dirty Bombs?Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a series of telephone talks with his French, British, American, and Turkish counterparts on Sunday in which he conveyed concerns about possible provocations by Kiev involving the use of a dirty bomb.Washington, Paris, and London dismissed the warning the same day, saying they reject Russias transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory and suggesting that the world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the dirty bomb threat was real, and would not cease to exist just because Western officials refuse to believe it. Separately, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to bring the matter up at the United Nations Security Council, and stressed that Moscow has specific information about the Ukrainian scientific institutions that have the technology to build a dirty bomb.Dirty Bombs vs. Nuclear BombsDirty bombs do not cause nuclear explosions, and as such do not cause the same kind of widespread material destruction that nuclear weapons do. Instead, their main purpose is to spew radioactive contamination across areas spanning dozens or even hundreds of kilometers, leaving them uninhabitable and dangerous to the health of the surrounding population and/or troops.Why are Dirty Bombs so Dangerous?Ordinarily, dirty bombs are the refuge of the weak. At the height of the US' so-called "War on Terror" in the early 2000s, lawmakers fretted about what would happen if terrorists got a hold of radioactive materials and detonated them in, say, Lower Manhattan or the center or Washington, DC. Dirty bombs can be surprisingly easy to build. In 2016, a congressional investigation revealed how simple it was to create fake companies to circumvent restrictions on the purchase of radioactive materials.Are There Other Ways Militaries Can Use Deadly Radioactive Materials?Notwithstanding the potentially horrific consequences of the use of nuclear waste for military purposes, some governments have also not shied away from the idea. In 1950, after China entered the Korean War, US Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur famously proposed sowing a band of radioactive cesium across Manchuria as a kind of cordon sanitaire against the Chinese advance.Similarly, during the US-led wars in Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Syria, US and NATO jets dropped thousands of tons of depleted uranium bombs, shells, and missiles on enemy targets, contaminating wide swathes of territory and giving thousands of civilians, enemy troops, and their own soldiers lethal doses of radiation poisoning. Britain used the weapons during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Does Kiev Have the Capacity to Build a Dirty Bomb?In a briefing Monday, Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops chief Igor Kirillov warned that Ukraine has the technological prowess and ample radioactive material reserves to build a dirty bomb. This includes some 1,500 tons' worth of spent nuclear fuel from the countrys three operating nuclear power plants, and 22,000 spent fuel assemblies stored at the defunct Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plants waste repositories, including Uranium-235 and Plutnoium-239 the primary fissile isotopes used in nuclear weapons. Additionally, Kirillov indicated, Kiev also has the capacity to store tens of thousands of cubic meters of radioactive waste materials at several waste disposal facilities, and can mine up to 1,000 tons of uranium ore every year.Furthermore, the officer stressed, Kiev has the scientific know-how allowing it to easily build a dirty bomb, including the legendary Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology involved in the creation of the Soviet Unions nuclear weapons, and the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences Institute for Nuclear Research, which operates the BBP-M research reactor.Would Experts Recognize the Difference Between a Dirty Bomb and a Nuke?In the absence of eyewitnesses of the detonation of a dirty bomb or a low-yield nuclear weapon, it may not be possible to immediately determine what caused the explosion. However, with time, factors such as detection of above-ground seismic activity, damage to the surrounding environment, and estimates on how many kilotons of force (one kiloton = the equivalent to the energy produced by the detonation of 1,000 tons of TNT) were involved in the blast could help to determine the culprits.However, as Lieutenant General Kirillov warned in his presentation, if Kiev did proceed with its dirty bomb provocation, the West would be likely to stick to its well-worn tactic of escalation first, and asking questions second.The Kiev regime plans to camouflage an explosion of this kind of ordinance as a Russian low-yield nuclear warhead containing highly enriched uranium as its charge. The presence of radioactive isotopes in the air will be recorded by the sensors of the European International Monitoring System, with the further accusation of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons, Kirillov said.The same tactic was repeated a year later, when a suspected chemical attack against the Syrian city of Douma prompted Washington, Paris, and London to launch another wave of airstrikes against the country, again before any investigation was started. Later, whistleblowers revealed that even when the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons conducted its probe into the Douma attack, inspectors pointing out efforts to doctor the report were censored and smeared.If the Zelensky government does move forward with a dirty bomb provocation, the Russian military would undoubtedly be able to dig up iron-clad evidence proving Kievs responsibility. However, whether the average Western man in the street propagandized to believe their governments narrative on Russia and the Ukraine crisis would believe it remains to be seen. https://sputniknews.com/20221025/live-updates-iaea-to-visit-two-nuclear-facilities-in-ukraine-as-russia-warns-of-dirty-bomb-threat-1102599218.html https://sputniknews.com/20221024/source-russia-requests-unsc-meeting-on-kievs-dirty-bomb-plans-1102599598.html https://sputniknews.com/20221024/ukrainian-dirty-bomb-threat-is-real-up-to-west-whether-they-want-to-believe-it-or-not-kremlin-1102574978.html https://sputniknews.com/20221024/russian-mod-has-info-on-contacts-between-ukraine-uk-on-nuke-tech--1102582411.html https://sputniknews.com/20200208/douma-incident-why-whistleblowers-accounts-hold-more-credibility-than-bald-assertions-by-opcw-1078261607.html ukraine russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov 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 Ilya Tsukanov dirty bomb, dirty bomb ukraine, dirty bomb russia, dirty bomb ukraine news, dirty bomb claim, russia ukraine dirty bomb, ukraine dirty bomb provocation, ukraine dirty bomb false flag, what is a dirty bomb, dirty bomb explosion, dirty bomb blast, dirty bomb radius, dirty bomb what is it, dirty bomb attack, dirty bomb kherson https://sputniknews.com/20221025/where-do-we-go-joe-biden-gets-lost-at-wh-tree-planting-event-1102601181.html 'Where Do We Go?': Joe Biden Gets Lost at WH Tree-Planting Event 'Where Do We Go?': Joe Biden Gets Lost at WH Tree-Planting Event As verbal blunders and incidents of bizarre behavior churned out by President Joe Biden, who turns 80 in November, continue to pile up, the POTUS acknowledged... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T06:36+0000 2022-10-25T06:36+0000 2022-10-25T06:36+0000 viral us joe biden gaffe /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/0a/19/1102601255_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_a56985a9342a249a90b8aa0d104d1f4c.jpg A somewhat dazed US President Joe Biden, 79, appeared to lose his way to the White House following a tree-planting event on the South Lawn on Monday.Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden planted a ceremonial elm tree in the afternoon in honor of Dale Haney, superintendent of the White House grounds, who earlier this month celebrated 50 years on the job. Footage showed that as the ceremony ended, Biden started walking in one direction, but suddenly stopped, seemingly confused, asking his security team, "Where do we go?"As his staff ushered him onto the right course back to the White House, the Democratic POTUS is heard saying that he wanted to go in the other direction.This incident comes as Joe Biden has been increasingly having difficulty navigating stages and finding their exit points, as was the case just last week at a rally in Pittsburgh. Biden initially turned to his right, then stopped in his tracks, and made a 180-degree turn to his left to find the exit. As he pointed towards it, he appeared to mumble to himself, before hustling off stage.Before that, a similar gaffe occured following a United Nations speech in late September. Caught-on-camera awkward moments and mental slip-ups involving America's oldest sitting president are piling up, feeding into growing concerns about Biden's fitness for office. Republican representative for New York, Claudia Tenney recently suggested that Joe Biden was "not competent" to be President of the United States.She added that she supported calls such as the one made by Republican representative from Texas, Ronny Jackson, a physician to former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, for Biden to take "a cognitive test."Joe Biden, who turns 80 in November, conceded that it was fair to be concerned about his age in a recent interview. He also defended his own mental and physical fitness for office saying:Biden then proceeded to add that he was a "great respecter of fate", and he "could get a disease tomorrow. I could, you know, drop dead tomorrow".Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, are somewhat concerned about Joe Bidens mental health, according to an Issues & Insights/TIPP poll published earlier in October. Only 33 percent of Americans would vote to reelect Biden for another term, a Fox News poll published on 16 October revealed. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/joe-biden-concedes-he-could-drop-dead-tomorrow-after-fresh-strew-of-gaffes-1102562288.html https://sputniknews.com/20221009/snl-takes-swipe-at-joe-bidens-latest-batch-of-gaffes-1101654583.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko 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 Svetlana Ekimenko us, joe biden, gaffe https://sputniknews.com/20221025/why-us-nuking-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-should-be-legally-assessed-by-intl-court-1102647785.html Why US' Nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Should be Legally Assessed by Int'l Court Why US' Nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Should be Legally Assessed by Int'l Court The US nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively, created a dangerous historic precedent which has yet to be legally assessed by... 25.10.2022, Sputnik International 2022-10-25T19:38+0000 2022-10-25T19:38+0000 2022-10-25T19:38+0000 opinion & analysis us opinion japan russia nuclear bomb hiroshima nagasaki dirty bomb ukraine /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/09/1080107756_0:250:2365:1580_1920x0_80_0_0_0c9edb4ab058941529e82f3e03356960.jpg "Of course, those who made the decision to carry out the atomic bombings [of Hiroshima and Nagasaki] and those who carried them out are no longer alive today," Alexander Panov, Russian career diplomat and political scientist, told Sputnik. "However, the point of holding a tribunal for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is to assess such actions. This is necessary to ensure that similar criminal acts do not happen again in the future."Following the nuclear strikes, the US came up with a convenient excuse that the bombing hastened the end of the war and saved the lives of American soldiers, noted Panov, emphasizing that these claims don't hold water.First, there was no military need for the atomic bombing of Japan, according to the diplomat. Prior to taking the decision to bomb the Japanese cities, six of the seven top US military officials argued that there was no military necessity for it, and that, from an ethical point of view, it would be a barbaric inhumane act. Indeed, there were zero important military installations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Second, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not force Japan to surrender, highlighted Panov. In reality, Japan made the decision to lay down their arms only after the Soviet Union entered the war with Japan at 11 a.m. on August 9, 1945. At a meeting of Japan's top leadership, then-Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki stated that the position of Japan had become absolutely hopeless due to the USSR's decision to step in. Therefore he insisted on acceptance of the terms of surrender.Panov insisted that it is "extremely important" that the United States apologize for the inhumane and absolutely barbaric act committed against Japanese civilians and express its regret. He pointed out that international law, which existed already in 1945, placed emphasis on a requirement to protect, as far as possible, the civilian population from damage caused by hostilities.Make no mistake: the US did not regret nuking the two Japanese cities, noted the Russian diplomat. That is why Washington's military adventurism and use of non-conventional weapons against civilians continued, according to him."We know what the United States did to Vietnam, by burning villages with napalm, destroying forests and fields with dioxin, subjecting people to suffering," the diplomat said. "After that, there were terrible bombardments of Yugoslavia [in 1999]."All these actions have to be assessed within the framework of international law, otherwise these incidents will continue to pile up, according to the political scientist. He noted that it is highly unlikely that the UN Security Council would initiate and hold a tribunal over the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki because Washington would simply veto this initiative.US Nuclear Blackmail and Kiev's 'Dirty Bomb'The issue raised by Panov has taken on a new significance as the US has repeatedly resorted to nothing short of nuclear blackmail and threats amid Russia's special military operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. The US mainstream media and top officials are speculating about the possibility of a Russian first atomic strike, even though Russia's nuclear doctrine forbids the use of nuclear weapons of any kind - tactical or strategic, unless nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction are used against the country first, or in the event of a conventional attack so severe that it threatens the country's existence.In his September 21 address, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the US and Kiev against nuclear provocations, referring to "the Western-encouraged shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant," as well as "the statements made by some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO countries on the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction nuclear weapons against Russia." On September 30, Putin highlighted that the United States was the first to use nuclear weapons twice, destroying the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "By the way, they set a precedent," the Russian president warned.Meanwhile, late last week, Russia raised a red flag over Kiev's potential use of a "dirty bomb" in order to blame Moscow for the resulting radioactive contamination amid the ongoing Russian special military operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. The US, Britain and France rejected Moscow's warning in a joint statement early Monday, denouncing it as "a pretext for escalation by Russia."Moscow is continuing to ring the alarm bells over what threatens to become yet another dangerous nuclear precedent following the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to bring the matter up at the United Nations Security Council, stressing that Moscow has "specific information" about Ukraine's expertise and capabilities to build a dirty bomb. https://sputniknews.com/20221024/ukrainian-dirty-bomb-threat-is-real-up-to-west-whether-they-want-to-believe-it-or-not-kremlin-1102574978.html japan russia hiroshima nagasaki ukraine 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, japan, russia, nuclear bomb, hiroshima, nagasaki, dirty bomb, ukraine, international court of justice Students from Kimball stepped back in time on Tuesday to experience a day at school in the 1880s. That experience was provided through the Flowerfield Historical School, which has been hosting fourth graders from all over the Panhandle for well over 30 years. Fourth grade social studies teacher Bernard Walker said that Flowerfield is a fun way for students to learn about history, and particularly about the state they call home. The students are getting to come and reenact what it was like back in the 1800s to go to school and find out about the history of Nebraska, said Walker. Theyre learning how to behave in school, what it was like, how different it was back then. While at Flowerfield, the students receive instruction from a teacher who is very knowledgeable about the time period. The teacher and students stay in character throughout the school day to create an experience that is as true to the time period as possible. The Kimball students got to spend the day with June Lacey Miss Lacey to her pupils who has been playing the part of a Flowerfield teacher for many years. She does a really great job, said Walker. She really gets you into that character and gets you to follow along. I think thats what the kids love, and I think they remember that. The students are expected to play their parts as well, and they have to do a good amount of preparation in order to do so. Walker said that he and his students had to study information about the time period before they came to Flowerfield. We were given a packet on various things they needed to know, then we allowed the kids to dress how they would have in the 1800s, said Walker. We talked about the lunches they would bring, and the differences in what it will be like here. Some of those key differences include the lack of modern technology and some old-fashioned behavior and etiquette. For example, students are expected to stand when answering a question at Flowerfield, which they would not have to do at their own school. Miss Lacey began the day by greeting the students and learning their names, and she took the opportunity to ask them questions about their pretend lives as homestead children. One student, Master Ethan, was asked if he had been rabbit hunting recently. If you do happen to shoot any of those cottontails, theyre paying a whole nickel for the pelts over here at the general store, said Miss Lacey. Thatd be a lot of gum and candy money for you. Lacey continued to pepper in information about the students daily lives throughout her lessons, like when she asked if any of them had family members who could sew a new American flag for the schoolhouse. Colorado had recently attained statehood, and the schools flag now had the wrong number of stars. Throughout the day, the students studied the same subjects as kids would have in the 1880s: reading, penmanship, orthography, arithmetic, and even personal hygiene. The level of immersion at Flowerfield is what makes the trip so memorable, and those memories have become a staple for students in the Panhandle shared across generations. 2021 was Walkers first year taking students to Flowerfield after transitioning to focus on fourth grade. His students last year were especially excited about the trip because they thought they had missed their chance to visit the historic school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last years group really enjoyed it, said Walker. After getting back its all they talk about. A lot of them have older siblings or even parents that know about Flowerfield. They tell the kids all about it and theyre just as excited as the kids are. Walker said that he had seen the excitement of both students and teachers leading up to Flowerfield over and over during his 38 years teaching in Kimball but getting to experience it for himself gave him a new understanding. Every year they were excited about it, and I never had the experience until last year, said Walker. Now I can see why; its a lot of fun. Villagers in suburban Beijing have been busy harvesting chestnut this autumn. In recent years, locals have been hosting tourists in bed-and-breakfast spaces, young people have been returning to their hometowns to develop businesses and working teams have been engaged in rural revitalization. Boasting a forest coverage rate of 93 percent, 500 years of chestnut cultivation, and a 19.8-kilometer Great Wall section, Bohai township in the capital's Huairou district received more than 900,000 tourists in the first seven months of this year. However, about a decade ago, the township faced problems, with a dirty and disorderly appearance, dusty and bumpy roads and haphazard crop production with limited marketing outlets. "Dirty water was poured on the street, the road surface was full of cracks, and firewood was messily piled up in the yard," recalls Wang Wentian, a chestnut farmer in Dongtai village in Bohai. "We were quite envious of people from nearby villages who earned money by developing tourism," says Wang Dajiang, Party secretary of the village. "We tried to make a change, and improving the environment was the way forward." With the joint efforts of villagers and local government, electricity replaced coal as the primary source of heating in 2018, and a sewage treatment station was in place by 2019. Asphalt roads have been laid right up to people's front doors, and solar-powered streetlights have illuminated the paths since last year. Wang Bojun, 34, son of Wang Wentian, quit his job in the city in 2016, and returned to his village. "I firmly believe that rural tourism offers great opportunities," he says. In 2017 and 2018, Wang Bojun participated in a wastewater disposal project that provided villagers with jobs. Last year, he invested around 200,000 yuan ($28,170) to transform his homestead into a B&B. At first, his father neither understood nor supported the gamble. This summer, Wang Bojun's B&B received about three to four groups of visitors each week. "Our investment will be paid back soon, as this year's revenue is expected to exceed 200,000 yuan," he says. The improved environment of Dongtai village and the emerging homestay facilities has attracted more tourists. "We are both participants and beneficiaries of rural revitalization," he says. "I have been a carpenter since my 20s, but I never imagined I would be taking up a new job when I got old," says Wang Futian, 74, resident of Liuduhe village of Bohai township and host of the Old Carpenter B&B. Wang Futian made a living from furniture and gained a reputation for his carpentry among the people in nearby townships when he was young. More than 20 years ago, he and his wife started accommodating tourists at their farmhouse when they came to visit the nearby Great Wall. "At that time, 10 yuan would be sufficient for an overnight stay on a shared sleeping board. There was neither a toilet nor a television inside the house," he recalls. As China's middle-class has grown, people have become more discerning in their demand for quality. The elderly couple redesigned two farmhouses into B&Bs, divided rooms into private bedrooms, and established karaoke and chess facilities. "These two homestays can host more than 30 people and are usually fully booked ahead of holidays, earning us around 400,000 yuan a year," he says. According to Peng Xingjin, director of the township's tourism service center, Bohai is now home to 187 boutique B&Bs, creating more than 400 jobs and securing over 6 million yuan a year in homestead rental income. "These qualified homestays have become an up-to-date industry for villagers in Bohai to generate an income," Peng says, adding that the township has positioned its B&Bs business as a key way to advance rural revitalization. Bohai's tourism activities generated a total revenue of 172 million yuan in the first seven months of this year. Villager Liu Haiyan has worked at the Old Carpenter for four years as the housekeeper and receptionist. "I used to earn just a few thousand yuan a year by selling chestnut. Now, I make around 4,000 yuan each month," she says. The used sheets and towels of the Old Carpenter are carried to a laundry that provides washing services for nearby B&Bs. A worker there, Wang Jianrong, who operates the washer-dryers, says that there were only two employees when the laundry was set up in 2017 and now there are six, all of whom are locals. In nearby Dongtai village, Wu Shangjun, an expert with the Beijing agro-technical promotion center, began work as its first Party secretary a year ago. He brought the villagers high-yield mushroom seeds. Wu introduced stereoscopic cultivation, a planting method in which mushrooms are grown under chestnut trees. Wu believes that agriculture and rural tourism can boost each other. Although Huairou is famous for its chestnuts, the plantation's scale and the value of its produce are not yet fully developed. "We got tired of trimming trees and picking chestnuts, only to earn 10,000 yuan a year," says Wang Yanli, a local chestnut farmer. "Few from the younger generation were willing to take over." Li Sipeng, deputy head of the Beijing Juyuande chestnut planting cooperative, returned to Bohai in 2017 and contributed new ideas to the industry. With 830 households as members, the cooperative has set standardized chestnut planting and picking guidelines for the member farmers, and offered technological support. "We are now exploring the production of refined chestnut snacks for bakeries and restaurants," Li says. Matthew Schmitz, the current community and economic development director for Lansing, Kansas, is one of two finalists for the City of Scottsbluffs city manager position. In the first of two scheduled meet and greets, Schmitz talked to locals at Scottsbluff City Hall Monday to better inform them about his background and his goals. I wanted a community that was in a good financial position, Schmitz told around 20 assembled people during the event. I wanted a community that had a downtown that was active. He and his wife found one in Scottsbluff, which fit within his desired range of working in a town of between 10,000 and 30,000 people. Lansing has a population of 12,000, but its part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which has more than a million residents. Schmitz had previously worked in nearby Shawnee, Kansas, for more than a decade as an engineering technician and an analyst. He said one of his goals if chosen for the Scottsbluff position would be to better understand the citys finances. He said Scottsbluff is in a great position financially and that municipalities use several different financial tools to grow, so knowing more about the finances will help him understand what capacities the city has. Schmitz also wanted to better know the citys staff and department heads. He said he doesnt plan to make major changes right off the bat if chosen and doesnt see anything concerning that would cause him to in the first place. Some of his biggest successes in Lansing were to bring in major developments to increase sales tax. During his tenure, he helped the city add a QuikTrip gas station and a Harbor Freight tools retailer. Both of these, he said, are performing well above expectations. To bring in retail, though, he said there needs to be a large customer base to entice businesses to a city. Youre selling the city to the retailers to get them to move here, he said, adding that there needs to be homes for customers to live in and jobs for them to have. He suggested marketing the whole of Scotts Bluff County to businesses due to the close relationship between Scottsbluff and the surrounding communities. He said hed worked with many other agencies in his career, including school districts, a fire department and a multi-city chamber of commerce. When asked about a proposed aquatics center funded by a sales tax increase, he said he supported cities having amenities like that. He also said sales taxes, not property taxes, would be the ideal way to fund something like that. Schmitz stressed that sales tax is not everything and there also need to be quality of life additions to help cities grow he had overseen a new car wash and bank while in Lansing. Tourism should be a big part of Scottsbluffs marketing, he added, but it shouldnt be the end-all be-all. Some things he did want to focus on include addressing the citys housing shortage and figuring out how to handle its rapidly-filling landfill. Schmitz said he and his family are fully committed to Scottsbluff if hes selected for the job. A nine-hour drive and a potential nine-hour move from most of my family isnt something I would take likely, he said. I wouldnt be here having these conversations, and I certainly wouldnt have had the mayor, council, city and HR director and everybody spend their time on this is, if I wasnt ready to accept this position. He said he couldnt promise hed be there in several decades time, but that as long as he and the council have a good relationship and that hes happy living there, then Scottsbluff is where hell be. On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the public will have the chance to attend a similar meet and greet with the other city manager finalist, current Scottsbluff Chief of Police Kevin Spencer. Spencer also serves as co-interim city manager, alongside Liz Hilyard for the past seven months. The Scottsbluff City Council will review feedback on the two candidates from the public and city leaders. In the near future, theyll vote on which one, if any, theyd like to offer the job. If they select neither Schmitz nor Spencer, theyll have to restart their search. Community invited to meet city manager finalists The public can meet with either of the two candidates for city manager during meet and greets scheduled for later this month. Candidates are Matthew Schmitz and Kevin Spencer. Scottsbluff city council moves forward with city manager search The Scottsbluff City Council will move forward with in-person interviews with the two candidates for city manager. The council is planning an opportunity to get feedback from the community and city leaders. Scottsbluff city council interviews two candidates for city manager position, address next steps Monday The Scottsbluff City Council interviewed two candidates for the city manager position during a special meeting Friday. The council is set to discuss the next steps in the search process during its meeting Monday. Scottsbluff council to interview city manager candidates via Zoom Friday The Scottsbluff city council will convene for a special meeting Friday, Sept. 30, where they Luncheon, flag retirement, dedication planned Bunch-Johnson Funeral Home will treat veterans to a luncheon on Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A flag retirement ceremony and new flag dedication will be held following the luncheon. Bunch-Johnson is at 705 Davie Ave., Statesville. For more information, call 704-873-7223. Breakfast to honor veterans The Rotary Club of Top of the Lake Mooresville will host a Veterans Day breakfast on Nov. 10 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hall, 1450 N. Main St., Mooresville. For reservations, go to www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4fa8af23a2fec34-rotary. Annual One Nation Under God celebration set The Mooresville-Lake Norman Exchange Club will be hosting its 30th annual One Nation Under God celebration honoring our veterans. The special event, scheduled for Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be held in the back parking lot of Richards Coffee Shop, featuring a free boxed lunch from Big Tinys BBQ and dessert for veterans and a guest. Attendees can either drive through and pick up their meal and goodie bag or they can park and enjoy the meal outside at tables that will be set up in the parking lot. In addition to the meal, there will be special music provided and a time of fellowship. Over the past three years, Kang Jian has created more than 400 dough sculptures and become a city-level inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage in Mohe, Heilongjiang province. Since childhood, Kang, who was born in 1990 in Mohe, showed great interest in fine arts, especially sculpture. "When I was a little boy, every time my parents made dumplings, they would give me a small piece of dough," he said. "I tried to make various animals a rabbit, a fish or a snail. The small, simple objects brought me lots of good childhood memories." Because of their financial condition, Kang's parents were not able to support him in learning fine arts during his school years. He spent his spare time after school studying drawing by himself, and he bought some art materials, such as moldable rubber, to make some easy creations. After graduating from a vocational technical college in 2016, Kang returned to his hometown and became a staff member at the Mohe Forestry Bureau. Then, in December 2018, during a visit to a museum in Beijing, Kang for the first time got information about the intangible cultural heritage of dough sculpting, which attracted him greatly. After returning home, he began to search for more information, finding that dough sculpture was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage. He contacted Bai Chunyu, a provincial-level inheritor of dough sculpture in Jilin province and spent 20 days learning skills from him. He soon mastered the skills of facial sculpting. In 2019, Kang got the chance to learn with Xiao Zhanhang, a national-level inheritor. "To save money and learn more skills during 40 days in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, I practiced every day from 6 am to late at night," he said. "When I went to sleep, I had to put my hands into hot water to relieve the pain in my joints." In April, Kang finished the dough sculptures of 108 characters from Outlaws of the Marsh after 16 months of work. "I could only make the sculptures in my spare time after work," he said. "It took me around three days to finish each one." Most of Kang's dough sculptures are traditional Chinese characters. "Compared with expensive materials such as jade, dough sculptures are relatively cheap," he said. "In my mind, its real value as a national intangible cultural heritage lies in its connection with traditional Chinese culture. That's the charm and significance of the art. "I also felt happy when I had a chance to give lectures to primary school students, telling them about dough sculpture and stories about Chinese folk heroes." The body of a Camas man was recovered early Sunday morning after he apparently fell from a cliff while trail running along the Pacific Crest Trail in the Columbia River Gorge. Authorities identified the man as 33-year-old Nicholas Wells. The search began Friday evening after Wells wife called the Hood River County Sheriffs Office in Oregon to report that Wells had gone trail running on the PCT and not returned, according to the sheriffs office. Wells was in touch with his wife off and on throughout the day, and he told her he lost the trail at some point but found it again. She became worried when he stopped responding to her calls and texts, the sheriffs office said. The Hood River Crag Rats and Pacific Northwest Search & Rescue responded. Multiple teams went up the PCT and searched through the night, using cellphone location data, but they found no sign of Wells. The teams returned Saturday morning with additional personnel from Portland Mountain Rescue and Clackamas Search and Rescue, the sheriffs office said. A sheriffs office airplane and Blackhawk helicopter from the Oregon Air National Guard also joined the search. Searchers began also looking along the Ruckel Creek Trail. New cellphone location information provided by Wells family allowed searchers to locate his body at about 1 a.m. Sunday at the bottom of an 80-foot cliff, about a mile from the freeway, according to the sheriffs office. The recovery operation resumed later Sunday. Wells body was taken to an area funeral home. Our hearts go out to the family of Nick Wells, and on their behalf we ask for privacy as they grieve their tragic loss, the sheriffs office said Monday. Last week, a U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel upheld a lower ruling dismissing challenges to a project that includes building a temporary road through Mount St. Helens Pumice Plain. The road is part of the U.S. Forest Services plan to replace an old intake gate at Spirit Lake that helps protect the downstream communities from catastrophic floods. In March 2021, a coalition of researchers and conservation organizations challenged the plan to build the temporary access road, saying the Forest Service has not done the proper environmental assessments or adequately weighed the importance of research on the monument or the damage the road will cause. In late December, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Bryan, of the Western District Court of Washington, ruled in favor of the Forest Service, writing that the agency complied with requirements and properly considered the consequences of the work. The plaintiffs appealed on Jan. 29, and a three-judge panel heard arguments on Oct. 7. Last Wednesday, Oct. 19, the three-judge panel affirmed the district courts decision. The memorandum states the record reflects the Forest Service took the requisite hard look at effects of the project, including on scientific research. The agency complied with other planning requirements and didnt act arbitrarily, capriciously or contrary to law, the panel wrote. Western Environmental Law Center attorney Susan Jane Brown said to her and her clients, the panels decision makes little sense from a legal and ecological standpoint. The Forest Services proposal to build a road across the Pumice Plain will not only destroy the globally unique scientific research occurring there, but also will indelibly scar the landscape: all of which would be a tragedy, she wrote in an email. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News. Brown represents the coalition of plaintiffs, including the Cascade Forest Conservancy; the Great Old Broads for Wilderness; the Washington Native Plant Society; the Sierra Club; researcher James Gawel; biologist John Bishop; and Susan Saul, a former Cowlitz County resident who was instrumental in getting Congress to create the monument. Brown said she and her clients are still considering next steps, which could include an appeal to the United States Supreme Court or a petition for rehearing en banc by the entire Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, debris blocked the historic outflow of Spirit Lake, raising the water level 200 feet. Engineers built a tunnel in 1985 to drain the lake and to prevent a catastrophic flood, but the 35-year-old tunnel needs repairs and upgrades. Work on the first part of the four-phase project began this summer and was unaffected by the appeal, said Gala Miller, Forest Services spokeswoman. Earlier this year, the Forest Service awarded a construction contract to improve the Forest Road 99 Extension, the 2-mile section from Windy Ridge Viewpoint to the researcher parking area. Starting in July and continuing through the end of the year, Forest Road 99 Extension/207 the mostly nonmotorized road usually open to the public for hiking or mountain biking will be closed on weekdays and open on weekends. Construction only can be done from June through October due to weather conditions. Miller said work will likely be wrapping up soon, as higher elevations received snow over the weekend. COSMOPOLIS Well-liked Jamie M. Walsh, 58 of Aberdeen, wife of 19th District State Rep. Jim Walsh, died in a traffic collision on Monday. According to the Washington State Patrol, the collision occurred at about 10:40 a.m. Monday morning. It involved a 2005 Peterbilt truck with a fully loaded log trailer heading northbound on U.S Highway 101 and Walshs southbound 2003 Chrysler 300M. According to WSP, Walsh allegedly crossed the center line near milepost 79 north of the Montesano cutoff and struck the truck driven by Edward S. Reames, 60, of Aberdeen. Neither was accompanied by passengers and both were wearing seat belts. Reames wasnt injured. The roadway was closed for emergency response and investigation with a detour before officials opened alternating traffic through the area in the afternoon. The exact cause of the collision remains under investigation. Word spread around this corner of Washington in the mid-morning hours that a tragic accident had occurred. It was initially noted as a car and log truck head-on collision. Only in the evening did the victims identity emerge. Walsh was seen as a key supporter of her husband, a Republican first elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in November 2016. He is currently seeking a fourth two-year term in the House. House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox issued a statement regarding the accident: I am deeply saddened by the passing of Jamie Walsh. Anyone who knew her got to see, firsthand, that she was a phenomenal mother and wife. Jamie and Jim were an amazing team and raised outstanding children. Jamie was energetic, motivated, and dedicated to helping Jim do what was best for their community and state. This is a tragic loss on so many levels. On behalf of the House Republican Caucus, we offer our condolences to Jim, his children and all of Jamies family. We wish them peace and strength during this incredibly difficult time. Vivo announced FunTouch OS 13 update for Vivo and iQOO branded smartphones. Here is all you need to know about it. With Samsung and most other brands announcing their Android 13 update rollout schedule, it was time for Vivo to make some announcements. Vivo, which sells phones under its name and also under the iQOO brand, has announced the FunTouch OS 13 update, which is the next iteration of the FunTouch OS 12. The update will introduce Android 13 to these devices and this is all you need to know about it. FunTouch OS 13 is still a custom Android skin based on top of Android 13, and there are a couple of modifications as well as updates from the actual experience. The update will be available for beta testing to users, and Vivo flagship phone users can already test it out. The beta will also open for most iQOO users starting November 2022. FunTouch OS 13: Which devices will get it From the Vivo portfolio, the Vivo X80 series, Vivo X70 series, Vivo X60 series, Vivo V23 series, Vivo V25 series, Vivo T series and Vivo Y series devices will get the update. iQOO will release the update to its iQOO 9 series, iQOO 7 series, iQOO Z series, and even the iQOO Neo 6. Sadly, the iQOO 3 will miss out on the update, which was the company's first phone in India. Not sure which mobile to buy? FunTouch OS 13: What is new? With FunTouch OS 13, the major updates come in the form of app pinning which simply prevents someone else to look at other apps, enhanced control through iManager app, and a new stability ring in the viewfinder for taking still photos. Vivo is also bringing some cosmetic changes to FunTouch OS 13, starting with colour coordinated icons that you can find in Android 13. The interface largely remains the same as before but system apps get a major design refresh. There are lots of new additions to photo and video aspects, mainly including editing tools, ability to hide certain photos, and more. Note that Vivo is only rolling out the beta versions of the FunTouch OS 13 for now and it remains to be seen as to when the final stable version comes out for users. NASA's Image of the Day is a mesmerizing snapshot of one of Jupiter's moons called Ganymede. NASA's Juno Mission flew by Jupiter for the 40th time on February 25 and captured images of the planet and one of its largest moons, Ganymede. The images were then sent to Earth where scientists recreated the images based on the JunoCam instrument. NASA releases its image of the day on a daily basis. Today's image is a mesmerizing snapshot Jupiter's Ganymede moon. NASA posted an explanation with the image, During its 40th close pass by Jupiter, our Juno spacecraft saw Ganymede cast a large, dark spot on the planet on Feb. 25, 2022. JunoCam captured this image from very close to Jupiter, making Ganymede's shadow appear especially large. At the time the raw image was taken, the Juno spacecraft was about 44,000 miles (71,000 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops and 15 times closer to the planet than Ganymede. These raw images were then recreated by scientist Thomas Thomopoulos, based on the images by the JunoCam instrument. Juno was flying at roughly 71,000 kilometers above Jupiter clouds when it captured the stunning images. Jupiter is a heavily radiated planet which affects the images captured as well as the spacecraft itself. An observer at Jupiter's cloud tops within the oval shadow would experience a total eclipse of the Sun. Total eclipses are more common on Jupiter than Earth for several reasons: Jupiter has four major moons (Ganymede, Io, Callisto, and Europa) that often pass between Jupiter and the Sun, and since Jupiter's moons orbit in a plane close to Jupiter's orbital plane, the moon shadows are often cast upon the planet, NASA further explained beneath the post. What is NASA's Juno Mission? NASA's Juno Mission is a long-term mission to understand the weather and the dynamics of the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, which will allow further understanding of the behaviour of different exoplanets in different solar systems. The Juno probe entered Jupiter's atmosphere in 2016 and has been orbiting the planet ever since, making exciting discoveries about the planet. NASA has warned that the Juno spacecraft is in good condition at present, despite its extended mission, but will have a limited lifespan due to having absorbed heavy amounts of radiation from Jupiter. While it is believed that witnessing the solar eclipse with naked eyes can impact eye health and eyesight, heres what Nasa says. Solar Eclipse is not only scientifically important, but it also holds a great religious significance across large parts of the world. The phenomenon takes place when the Moon comes in between the Sun and the earth and obstructs the sunlight coming to the earth's surface. The latest solar eclipse was witnessed today on October 25. The partial solar eclipse started in Iceland at around 14:29 hours IST and ended at around 18:32 hours (IST) over the Arabian Sea. So, can watching a solar eclipse with naked eyes harm eyesight? Here's what NASA has to say about it. Can watching a solar eclipse with naked eyes impact eye health? According to NASA, except for when the moon completely blocks the Sun in a total eclipse, looking directly at the Sun can be dangerous for eyesight. The space agency recommends using specialised eye protection for solar viewing. It explained that viewing the Solar eclipse through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a solar filter can instantly cause severe eye injury. The US space agency said that the safe solar viewing glasses or eclipse glasses' are different from regular sunglasses as these are thousands of times darker. Further, eclipse glasses should not be worn while looking at the Sun using a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope as the concentrated solar rays can burn through the filter and hence, severely damage eyes. However, these devices when equipped with standard solar filters protect eyes. In South America, lithium is derived from salars, or salt flats. The turquoise glimmer of open-air pools contrasts sharply with the dazzling white of salt flats in Latin America's "lithium triangle," where hope resides for a better life fueled by a metal bonanza. A key component of batteries used in electric cars, demand has exploded for lithiumthe "white gold" found in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia in quantities larger than anywhere else in the world. And as the world seeks to move away from fossil fuels, lithium productionand priceshave skyrocketed, as have the expectations of communities near lithium plants, many of whom live in poverty. But there are growing concerns about the impact on groundwater sources in regions already prone to extended droughts, with recent evidence of tree and flamingo die-offs. And there are scant signs to date of benefits trickling down. "We don't eat lithium, nor batteries. We do drink water," said Veronica Chavez, 48, president of the Santuario de Tres Pozos Indigenous community near the town of Salinas Grandes in Argentina's lithium heartland. A poster that meets visitors to Salinas Grandes reads: "No to lithium, yes to water and life." Lithium extraction requires millions of liters of water per plant per day. Unlike in Australiathe world's top lithium producer that extracts the metal from rockin South America it is derived from salars, or salt flats, where saltwater containing the metal is brought from underground briny lakes to the surface to evaporate. Some in the Salinas Grandes community in Argentina are against lithium exploitation. Soaring prices About 56 percent of the world's 89 million tons of identified lithium resources are found in the South American triangle, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The world average price rose from $5,700 per ton in November 2020 to $60,500 in September this year. Chile hosts the westernmost corner of the lithium triangle in its Atacama desert, which contributed 26 percent of global production in 2021, according to the USGS. The country started lithium extraction in 1984 and has been a leader in the field partly because of low rainfall levels and high solar radiation that speeds up the evaporation process. But Chilean law has made it difficult for companies to gain concessions from the government since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet declared the metal a "strategic resource" for its potential use in nuclear bombs. Only two companies have permits to exploit the metalChile's SQM and American Albemarle, which pay up to 40 percent of their sales in tax. The Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia is thought to hold more lithium than anywhere else in the world. In the first quarter of this year, lithium's contribution to the public coffers surpassed those of Chile's mainstay metal, copper, for the first time, according to government records. Yet, the environmental costs are starting to stack up, and locals fear there is worse to come. This year, a study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B found a link between lithium mining and a decline in two flamingo species in the Salar de Atacama. "The development of technologies to slow climate change has been identified as a global imperative. Nonetheless, such 'green' technologies can potentially have negative impacts on biodiversity," said the study. In 2013, an inspection at the SQM sitewhich reported using nearly 400,000 liters of water per hour in 2022found that a third of carob trees in the area had died. A later study pointed to water scarcity as a possible cause. "We want to know, for sure, what has been the real impact of the extraction of groundwater," said Claudia Perez, 49, a resident of the nearby San Pedro river valley. She was not against lithium, said Perez, provided there are measures to "minimize the negative impact on people." Lithium is a key component of rechargeable electric car batteries. 'Leave us alone' Across the Andes in Argentina, the salt lakes of Jujuy host the world's second-largest lithium resources along with the neighboring provinces of Salta and Catamarca. With few restrictions on extraction and a low tax of only 3.0 percent, Argentina has become the world's fourth-biggest lithium producer from two mines. With dozens of new projects in the works with the involvement of US, Chinese, French, South Korean and local companies, Argentina has said it hopes to exceed Chilean production by 2030. But not everyone is sold on the idea. "It is not, as they say, that they (lithium companies) are going to save the planet... Rather it is us who have to give our lives to save the planet," said Chavez, of Santuario de Tres Pozos in Jujuy province. A neighbor, 47-year-old street food seller Barbara Quipildor added fiercely: "I want them to leave us alone, in peace. I don't want lithium... My concern is the future of my children's children." The Bolivian government in 2018 opened the lithium sector to private hands, though domestic laws have not yet denationalized the resource, and private extraction has not begun. Will locals benefit? About 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of Jujuy, the salar of Uyuni in Bolivia holds more lithium than anywhere elsea quarter of global resources, according to the USGS. Half of the residents in the regionwhich is also rich in silver and tinlive in poverty, household surveys show. The country's former leftist president Evo Morales nationalized hydrocarbons and other resources such as lithium towards the start of his 2006-2019 mandate and vowed Bolivia would set the metal's global price. In Rio Grande, a small town near the Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) lithium plant, Morales' plans were met with excitement. In 2014 Donny Ali, a lawyer now aged 34, opened a hotel with the expectation of an economic boom. He called it Lithium. "We were expecting major industrial technological development and more than anything, better living conditions," he told AFP. "It didn't happen." Lithium is found in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia in quantities larger than anywhere else in the world. "Lithium triangle" countries are looking towards battery manufacturing as a way to turn the natural bounty into an industrial revolution. Hoping to boost the struggling lithium sector, the government opened it up to private hands in 2018, though domestic legislation has not yet denationalized the resource, and no private extraction has yet begun. "Some think that Bolivia will 'miss the boat' of lithium," said economist Juan Carlos Zuleta. "I don't think that's going to happen." The real question, he said, is: when the boat comes, "will lithium extraction benefit Bolivians?" The three countries are now looking towards battery manufacturingpossibly even building electric carsas a way to turn the natural lithium bounty into a modern-day industrial revolution. "There is a concrete possibility for Latin America to become the next China," said Zuleta. In the meantime, the Hotel Lithium stands empty. 2022 AFP Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Have you ever noticed the faces in Facebook ads seem to match your gender, race or age? That isn't an accident, Northeastern computer science researchers say. A new paper published by a group of researchers from Northeastern's Khoury College of Computer Sciences found that Facebook's algorithm delivers advertisements differently based on who is pictured in the ad. "When you choose to include a picture of a Black person, that will significantly make it more likely the ad will be delivered to Black users," says Alan Mislove, professor and senior associate dean for academic affairs in Khoury and one of the authors of the research. "When you choose to include a picture of a woman versus a man, in general it will go more to women, except images of young women, which go more to older men." Discriminatory advertising is well-documented on Facebook. In June, the U.S. Department of Justice secured a settlement agreement after charging Meta with algorithmic bias for its housing advertisement delivery system. The paper itself is part of a broader focus on algorithmic auditing and ad delivery for Mislove, who co-authored the paper with Khoury associate research scientist Piotr Sapiezynski, Ph.D. candidate Levi Kaplan and third-year cybersecurity student Nicole Gerzon. The researchers' previous work showed how problematic Facebook's ad delivery system was, skewing ad delivery along largely demographic lines. Job ads in the lumber industry are delivered disproportionately to white men, while jobs for janitorial positions go disproportionately to Black women, according to Mislove. Mislove says this often happens independent of what advertisers have told Facebook's ad delivery system. The way it works is advertisers upload their ad to Facebook and then specify their targeted audience, such as 18- to 35-year-olds in Boston. "That's a big population," Mislove says. "Your ad very likely will not be shown to them all. The algorithm is going to decide, in some sense, which subset sees them, and it does that by making an estimate of relevance, meaning which users are most likely to engage with this." But how is the algorithm learning to discriminate? Like any algorithm, Facebook's ad delivery system is trained using data. In this case, that includes all the data Meta has collected on all the previous ads that have run on Facebook and who has clicked on those ads. This latest research shows that the image included in the ad is what Facebook's algorithm responds most strongly to. "The algorithm is going to figure out, "What can I use that is most likely to cause somebody to click?'" Mislove says. "In this case, race and gender are predictive of whether somebody's going to click, so it uses that just because that's exactly what it's designed to do." The algorithm doesn't know or care about race, gender and age, but it still uses those features to make "very crude" estimations about where to send housing or job ads, Sapiezynski says. "Probably Facebook might say they don't try to do race classification from pictures, but the results that we're presenting show, at some level, it is happening because the algorithm does not recognize that this is just an ad of a person but it is a particular kind of person that Black people are more likely to engage with," Sapiezynski says. "So, effectively, it is doing race classification on pictures of people." In some cases, this might be exactly what an advertiser is looking for. If they want to attract more women or people of color, they will likely use images with women and people of color and the algorithm will pick up on that when it delivers the ad. In other cases, it can be extremely problematic. In what Mislove called the Creepy Old Man Effect, ads featuring young women were delivered disproportionately to older men. Part of the challenge is that there is very little transparency when it comes to how this system works. Mislove, Sapiezynski and their team spent tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours setting up the ad campaigns they used to figure out how this system functions. But the average advertiser doesn't necessarily have the time or resources to do that. There are also broader policy questions about how existing civil rights protections play into algorithms and artificial intelligence. The Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Age Discrimination in Employment Act all include regulations around traditional advertisingbut not ads on social media. "We need to make it more clear when this is happening, to whom it's happening and then give advertisers control to say, "Maybe I don't want this ad delivery algorithm doing this on an opportunity ad where it potentially could be illegal because of civil rights protections,'" Mislove says. Between the Justice Department's recent lawsuit against Meta and the White House's blueprint for an AI bill of rights, the debate around the real-world implications of these systems is heating up. Social media companies are pushing for self-regulation, but Mislove says there is no guarantee that would address the problem. "I think they have a poor track record of self-regulating," Mislove says. "In many cases, they don't want to engage on these issues because it goes at the core of their business model. You'd certainly need regulation and laws to address what you can do, but it's not clear what's the best way to do that yet." The research was published as part of the Proceedings of the 22nd ACM Internet Measurement Conference. More information: Levi Kaplan et al, Measurement and analysis of implied identity in ad delivery optimization, Proceedings of the 22nd ACM Internet Measurement Conference (2022). Levi Kaplan et al, Measurement and analysis of implied identity in ad delivery optimization,(2022). DOI: 10.1145/3517745.3561450 Upper part: high bond energy covalent bonds could provide much higher interfacial toughness than the low bond energy supramolecular interactions. Lower part: physical interlocking structures with complication interactions could provide enhanced interfacial adhesion strength than simple van der Waals interactions. Credit: Science China Press Stretchable electronic devices are promising candidates for personalized health care systems. The research on using them in various medical and bio-monitoring applications has drawn great attention from scientists all over the world. Though very useful, there is still not even a single mature and well-known stretchable electronic device on the market. One reason is the high cost of the devices (from the materials and manufacturing methods) limits the accessible customers; another important reason is the weak interconnect in stretchable electronics restricts their stability and reliability at a level much lower than that of existing commercial devices. The weak interconnects are derived from the distinct properties among different stretchable units and materials. The mismatch of the units' mechanical properties led to concentrated stress and strain at their interfaces during deformation; while the chemical difference of the materials resulted in weak interfacial binding strength that could not sustain the consequences of mechanical mismatch. Together, a fully integrated stretchable device could easily fracture at the heterointerfaces connecting different units during its function and flexible deformation. With a view to this problem, a review, written by Prof. Xiaodong Chen and Dr. Shaobo Ji (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University), has summarized existing strategies addressing the weak interfacial binding and discussed the future research directions toward commercialized flexible devices. The strategies were summarized into two catalogs: chemicalcovalent bonding, and physicalmechanical interlocking. The chemical methods could produce covalent linkages at the interfaces between different stretchable units and materials, by growing a unit composed of polymers on the substrate unit with "seeds" (reactive initiators or monomers), or by the connection of "sticky tips" (complementary reactive groups) on different surfaces. The covalent bonds could provide much higher interfacial toughness and are efficient for improving the interfacial bindings (see image, upper part), however, not all materials and units are suitable for the chemical reactions and modifications required for forming covalent linkages. In these cases, physical strategies have been developed. Two general methods for different scales were summarized: "sewing" with polymer chains at the molecular level by forming interpenetrating polymer networks at the interfaces, or "hand-in-hand" holding at the nano and micro level by forming mechanical interlocking structures. The physical interactions, which are chain entanglement, van der Waals interaction with increased contact areas, friction force, etc., could as well provide enhanced interfacial strength (see image, lower part). By summarizing these strategies, the authors not only provided a reference for researchers seeking methods to produce stable interfacial connections but also pointed out one of their existing drawbackslack of universality. Current methods usually require the pairing of complementary parts due to the specially designed and modified surfaces. While for conventional rigid electronics, a solder is enough for building a tough interface in most cases, and it allows the rigid electronics to almost freely integrate with each other stably. The development of a similar universal "stretchable soldering" system, which is expected to be also stable and efficient, could greatly push forward the commercialization of stretchable devices. "A general system is desired to produce stretchable and rigid parts with universal connections so that they could be tightly connected between any two parts regardless of their materials and properties. It could pave the way for 'Lego-like' assembly of modularized stretchable devices from different functional blocks, which suits their desired applications: personalized and customized functions with massive production," the authors write in the paper. The research was published in National Science Review. More information: Shaobo Ji et al, Enhancing the interfacial binding strength between modular stretchable electronic components, National Science Review (2022). Shaobo Ji et al, Enhancing the interfacial binding strength between modular stretchable electronic components,(2022). DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwac172 Japanese actor Masato Sakai shows a sample of My Number card during a promotional event in Tokyo on March 8, 2021. Japan has stepped up its push to catch up on digitization by telling a reluctant public they have to sign up for digital IDs or possibly lose access to their public health insurance. Credit: Kyodo News via AP Japan has stepped up its push to catch up on digitization by telling a reluctant public they have to sign up for digital IDs or possibly lose access to their public health insurance. As the naming implies, the initiative is about assigning numbers to people, similar to Social Security numbers in the U.S. Many Japanese worry the information might be misused or that their personal information might be stolen. Some view the My Number effort as a violation of their right to privacy. So the system that kicked off in 2016 has never fully caught on. Fax machines are still commonplace, and many Japanese conduct much of their business in person, with cash. Some bureaucratic procedures can be done online, but many Japanese offices still require "inkan," or seals for stamping, for identification, and insist on people bringing paper forms to offices. Now the government is asking people to apply for plastic My Number cards equipped with microchips and photos, to be linked to drivers licenses and the public health insurance plans. Health insurance cards now in use, which lack photos, will be discontinued in late 2024. People will be required to use My Number cards instead. That has drawn a backlash, with an online petition demanding a continuation of the current health cards drawing more than 100,000 signatures in a few days. Opponents of the change say the current system has been working for decades and going digital would require extra work at a time when the pandemic is still straining the medical system. But the reluctance to go digital extends beyond the health care system. After numerous scandals over leaks and other mistakes, many Japanese distrust the government's handling of data. They're also wary about government overreach, partly a legacy of authoritarian regimes before and during World War II. Japan's Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Yasushi Kaneko attends an event to promote My Number cards in Tokyo on June 30, 2022. Japan has stepped up its push to catch up on digitization by telling a reluctant public they have to sign up for digital IDs or possibly lose access to their public health insurance. The sign, right, reads " Apply for My Number card as soon as possible!" Credit: Kyodo News via AP Saeko Fujimori, who works in the music copyright business, said she's supposed to get My Number information from the people she deals with, but many balk at giving it out. And no one is all that surprised she has trouble getting that information, given how unpopular it is. "There is a microchip in it, and that means there could be fraud," said Fujimori, who has a My Number but doesn't intend to get the new card. "If a machine is reading all the information, that can lead to mistakes in the medical sector, too." "If this was coming from a trustworthy leadership and the economy was thriving, maybe we would think about it, but not now," Fujimori said. Something drastic may have to happen for people to accept such changes, just as it took a devastating defeat in World War II for Japan to transform itself into an economic powerhouse, said Hidenori Watanave, a professor at the University of Tokyo. "There's resistance playing out everywhere," he said. Japanese traditionally take pride in meticulous, handcraft-quality workmanship and many also devote themselves to carefully keeping track of documents and neatly filing them away. "There are too many people worried their jobs are going to disappear. These people see digitization as a negation of their past work," said Watanave, who spells his last name with a "v" instead of the usual "b." Visitors wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk at pedestrian crossings in Tokyo on Sept. 20, 2021. Japan has stepped up its push to catch up on digitization by telling a reluctant public they have to sign up for digital IDs or possibly lose access to their public health insurance. Credit: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File The process of getting an existing My Number digitized is time consuming and very analog, it turns out. One must fill out and mail back forms sent by mail. Last month's initial deadline was extended, but only about half of the Japanese population have a My Number, according to the government. "They keep failing in anything digital and we have no memories of successful digital transformation by the government," said Nobi Hayashi, a consultant and technology expert. Hayashi cited as a recent example Cocoa, the government's tracing app for COVID-19, which proved unpopular and often ineffectual. He says the digital promotion effort needs to be more "vision-driven." "They don't show a bigger picture, or they don't have one," Hayashi said. Koichi Kurosawa, secretary-general at the National Confederation of Trade Unions, a 1 million-member grouping of labor unions, said people would be happier with digitization if it made their work easier and shorter, but it was doing just the opposite at many Japanese work places. "People feel this is about allocating numbers to people the way teams have numbers on their uniforms," he said. "They are worried it will lead to tighter surveillance." That's why people are saying No to My Number, he said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. Japan's Minister of Digital Affairs Taro Kono speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 13, 2022. Japan has stepped up its push to catch up on digitization by telling a reluctant public they have to sign up for digital IDs or possibly lose access to their public health insurance. Credit: Kyodo News via AP Yojiro Maeda, a cooperative research fellow at Nagasaki University who studies local governments, thinks digitization is needed, and My Number is a step in the right direction. "You just have to do it," Maeda said. On Monday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida acknowledged concerns about My Number cards. He told lawmakers in Parliament that the old health insurance cards will be phased out but the government will arrange for people to continue to use their public health insurance if they are paying into a health plan. Japan's Minister of Digital Affairs, Taro Kono, acknowledged in a recent interview with The Associated Press that more is needed to persuade people of the benefits of going digital. "To create a digitized society, we need to work on developing new infrastructure. My Number cards could serve as a passport that will open such doors," Kono said. "We need to win people's understanding so that My Number cards get used in all kinds of situations." 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. SPAR floaters are constructed to be long and thin and are stabilized by heavy ballast far below. They require relatively deep waterboth where they are assembled and set up (preferably in a fjord). Hywind Scotland employs a spar design. SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE wind turbines gain stability from the widely spaced pillars. They do not require as much water depth as the spar and are relatively easy to install. However, they are more susceptible to stress from waves. WindFloat is an example of this design. TENSION LEG PLATFORMS (TLP) are stabilized by their tight vertical tension legs. They have relatively small movements, but are difficult and expensive to install due to the high tension in the tie rods and expensive anchors. BARGE type structures gain stability from a large waterplane area. They are relatively cheap to make, and can be deployed in very shallow water, but are susceptible to heavy loads from waves. Sevan has a concept that can be considered a barge type. Credit: Erin Bachynski-Polic "We can't just wait for the technology to improve. We need to build experience and not just watch others do it first. If we're going to stay in the driver's seat, we have to develop offshore wind on a large scale. It'll be expensive at the start, but in the long term the costs will decrease," says Erin Bachynski-Polic, a professor at NTNU's Department of Marine Technology (IMT). Norway has been a leader in offshore wind technology, but now other countries such as France, Japan and the U.S. are catching up, according to the researcher. Bachynski-Polic is one of NTNU's foremost experts on wind turbine construction. She works primarily with how wind turbines behave in waves, currents and wind conditionsin other words, how wind turbines can produce energy efficiently while not being damaged by wear and tear or extreme external conditions. Large-scale investment by the government In February, the Norwegian government launched a "large-scale investment in offshore wind." Offshore wind turbines were to be set up in the areas of Srlige Nordsj II and Utsira Nord, which together would be able to produce 1.5 gigawatts at full capacity. The signals coming from several quarters were that this was not nearly ambitious enough. In May, the government ramped up the ambition level and launched a "substantial investment in offshore wind" of 30 gigawatts. They declared that 1,500 offshore wind turbines would cover an area of approximately one percent of Norwegian sea areas and be put into production by 2040. Thirty gigawatts roughly correspond to the energy that Norway uses per year as of today. No wind turbines that big, yet The government called the offshore wind investment a "major new industrial boost for Norway" and compared it to the oil development that started in 1969. Norway's Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre said during the press conference about this large-scale venture that offshore wind could become an industrial dream come true, and offer a green-friendly technology to shift the country's industries away from petroleum. "The largest turbines today are capable of generating up to 15 megawatts at full capacity. When the government says 1,500 wind turbines that will produce a total of 30 gigawatts, they're basing their figures on each individual turbine being able to produce 20 megawatts," says Bachynski-Polic. Currently, there are no wind turbines this big yet. Economic viability depends on design improvements "One challenge in creating wind turbines that can produce up to 20 megawatts is that the blades get really heavy. We need to adapt the design so that aerodynamic forces, and not the turbine's self-weight, are dominant," says Bachynski-Polic. Several challenges remain to make floating offshore wind and structures viable. "We can see that creating floating offshore wind farms, like Hywind Scotland, is possible, but we'll have to reduce the costs of developing large wind farms to be economically profitable," says the professor. Currently, the platform and the turbine structure are constructed separately. Different suppliers are responsible for different parts, which does not optimize the overall construction of the wind turbine. "Designing the turbine and the platform together will be one of the most important things to put into place in order to reduce costs and build the structures more efficiently," Bachynski-Polic says. Smaller size, less steel "Building smaller turbines that work well at lower wind speeds can also be an advantage, rather than very large turbines that work best at higher wind speeds," she says. Smaller turbines require a different blade design and construction design in general. "Another question is how we can reduce the size and the amount of steel to make the turbines more flexible and dynamic. For that we need to have good control over the movements, a greater ability to change the angle of the turbine's blades and to adjust the resistance from the generator in the turbine to stabilize the construction." At NTNU's Department of Marine Technology, research includes creating accurate algorithms and developing good measurement data. Creating floating offshore wind farms arent outside the realm of possibility. But the costs will have to come down for them to be economically profitable, says Professor Erin Bachynski-Polic. Credit: Hywind Scotland, Equinor Floating offshore generates more energy Floating offshore wind is super interesting because it produces more energy than fixed-bottom or land-based turbines. "Wind turbines on land produce on average about 25 to 30% of their maximum capacity. Offshore fixed-bottom wind turbines have between a 45 and 50% utilization rate, while floating offshore wind approaches 60% for long periods. The wind simply blows more and harder at sea," says Bachynski-Polic. The first floating offshore wind turbine, the Hywind demo, was built and assembled outside Stord municipality in Norway's Vestland county already in 2009. Norway constructed the first multimegawatt turbine. Compared to today's turbines, the Hywind demo was small, with a production capacity of 2.3 megawatts. Hywind Scotland was launched in 2017 and is one of several demo parks in the world. These turbines produce a maximum of 8 megawatts and had an average utilization rate of 57% from April 2019 to March 2020. Norwegian industry has been the first to create small offshore wind farms. Now the development of large farms such as Utsira Nord and Srlige Nordsj, both in the North Sea, remains. The design and construction of these turbines is a multidisciplinary task. Marine engineering, aerodynamics, electrical engineering, regulation engineering and geoengineering are all needed to create these giant structures and make them function optimally under various conditions. The cost-cutting challenge Some of the keys to succeeding with this venture will be to create designs that make offshore wind more economically profitable, to train enough candidates to work with offshore wind, to restructure parts of the oil industry to establish and operate these offshore wind fields, as well as to research adequate turbine solutions. "We haven't tested the simulation tools enough for them to capture all the physical effects. To create something completely new, we have to ensure that the algorithms capture the physical reality to the greatest extent possible. Further development will require better comparisons with physical experiments," says Bachynski-Polic. A lot of model testing and full-scale testing will be needed to create accurate simulation models. The costs will also be reduced when they can be implemented. "We need more accurate simulation tools to cut costs. Floating wind won't achieve competitive prices if the safety margins are too large," says Bachynski-Polic. Since floating wind turbines are unstaffed and have little risk of pollution, the risk is primarily economic. "That's why lowering the safety margins in order to reduce costs is key. And then we have to be sure of the design," she says. As of today, a lot of data is missing. When will things get serious? According to Bachynski-Polic, seriously starting to develop offshore wind farms in Norwegian waters, such as at Utsira Nord, may take five or six years. However, progress could happen faster if we can speed up various parts of the process, she says. Creating efficient floating platforms would allow them to be standardized and used in wind farms all over the world, in contrast to fixed offshore wind which requires local adaptations, since the seabed conditions vary within these farms. "Offshore wind is part of the solution in future renewable energy production, but not the whole answer. Floating offshore wind will be a more efficient and stable source of energy than wind turbines on land and fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines," says Bachynski-Polic. Offshore wind turbine facts There are two types of offshore wind turbines: floating and fixed-bottom. The highest wind turbine to date rises 260 meters above the water's surface. It is anchored and in the process of being installed on Dogger Bank A, 130 kilometers off the north-east coast of England. The four main types of wind turbine designs for floating wind are: spar, semi-submersible, TLP (Tension Leg Platform) and barge type. A Ukrainian man being held by the Dutch authorities has been charged in the US with computer fraud for infecting millions of computers with malware. A Ukrainian man has been charged with computer fraud for allegedly infecting millions of computers with malware in a cybercrime operation known as "Raccoon Infostealer," the US Justice Department said Tuesday. Mark Sokolovsky, 26, is being held in the Netherlands and the United States is seeking his extradition, the department said in a statement. It said Raccoon Infostealer malware was leased to cybercriminals for $200 a month, payable in cryptocurrency. The malware was then installed on the computers of unsuspecting victims and used to steal personal data such as log-in credentials and financial information, the department said. It said the FBI and law enforcement partners in Italy and the Netherlands dismantled the digital infrastructure supporting "Raccoon Infostealer" in March 2022, when Sokolovsky was arrested. The Justice Department said the FBI has identified more than 50 million unique credentials and forms of identification such as email addresses and credit card numbers in the stolen data from millions of potential victims around the world. "This case highlights the importance of the international cooperation that the Department of Justice and our partners use to dismantle modern cyber threats," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. "As reflected in the number of potential victims and global breadth of this attack, cyber threats do not respect borders, which makes international cooperation all the more critical," Monaco said. Sokolovsky is charged with computer fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud and money laundering charges. The Justice Department said Sokolovsky is appealing a September 2022 decision by the Amsterdam District Court granting his extradition to the United States. 2022 AFP A few years ago, former United Nations Ambassador for the U.S. Sichan Siv was making his way through the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum when he noticed something was missing: Frances plaque in the museums United Nations exhibit featuring the five charter members of the U.N. On Monday, Siv joined friends from his time as an ambassador, Bush Library personnel and others to place Frances missing plaque alongside the other U.N. charter members, including the United States, at the exhibit on U.N. Day. Its a very special day for me, Siv said. I would put this down as one of the more important days that Ive seen so far and that the Library and Museum asked me to do it, its really such a great honor. Siv had a long journey to serving in President George H.W. Bushs administration and later as ambassador under his son, President George W. Bush, from 2001 to 2006. Born in 1948 in Cambodia, Siv was the only member of his family to survive Pol Pots killing fields in the 1970s. Siv escaped to Thailand in 1976 with just a sack of rice, his mothers scarf and her wedding ring. He later immigrated to the United States as a refugee and settled in Connecticut. Siv received a masters degree from Columbia University and afterwards volunteered for Bush 41s presidential campaign. Out of thousands of campaign volunteers, Bush chose Siv to work as a White House deputy assistant in 1989 and later served as deputy assistant secretary under Bush 43. He was confirmed by the Senate to be ambassador on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and served for five years. Since Sivs time at the United Nations ended, he has written multiple books and traveled the country giving motivational speeches. Siv currently serves as a member of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. Bush Library Director Warren Finch said it was fitting Siv presented the France plaque in the librarys U.N. exhibit since Siv is a Francophone and Francophile from growing up in Cambodia, a former French colony. Siv noted he grew up speaking French. Its amazing because during the Khmer Rouge, the first people they killed were the people who spoke French because they were generally the people who were well-educated and were professionals, Finch said. So hes very lucky to be with us. While he served as an ambassador, Siv said he took Bush 41s playbook from his own time as an ambassador in the early 1970s. In June 2005, Siv represented the United States at the U.N.s 60th anniversary. He established very personal relationships with all of the fellow ambassadors, Siv said of Bush 41. He took them to the Yankees games. He took them to Broadway shows. That personal relationship is very important because when you want to get things done, you cut through the official channel and you make it happen. One thing Siv said he did while an ambassador was carry a sheet of U.N. member countries national days. He recalled calling an ambassador for Papa New Guinea and inviting him for a cup of coffee one time to celebrate their national day. No agenda or policies were discussed, Siv said, rather just a personal conversation was had. Its very important for us to realize that the world is very interdependent, Siv said. We may be the wealthiest country on earth and the most powerful country on earth, but we need to work with everybody else. Over 20 years after Bush 41 left the White House, he and former First Lady Barbara Bush wrote a letter to Siv. He said he will never forget what was written which read, When we think of you, we think about an outstanding leader and public servant; we think about honor, decency, and integrity; we think about service to others. Those words are really inscribed in my heart, Siv said. Siv noted aside from his mother and late wife, Bush 41 has been the most influential person in his life. I learned so much from George Bush, Siv said, not about leadership only, but by how to be a complete person. 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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 Flash A former police officer of Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota on Monday pleaded guilty in the death of African American man George Floyd. J. Alexander Kueng, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in manslaughter after prosecutors and Kueng's defense attorney agreed to recommend a sentence of 42 months in prison. Kueng is the second to plead guilty to the state charge, following his former colleague Thomas Lane, who pleaded guilty earlier this year. A third former officer, Tou Thao, previously rejected a plea deal and agreed on Monday to go forward with a trial by stipulated evidence on one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that Kueng's guilty plea "hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd's family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice." Floyd, 46, died on May 25, 2020, after an encounter with Minneapolis police, during which officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Kueng, Lane, and Thao were also present and on duty. Chauvin was sentenced in a federal court to 21 years in prison earlier this summer for violating Floyd's civil rights. The sentence is running concurrently with Chauvin's state sentence of 22.5 years after he was convicted for second and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. Floyd's death sparked outrage and protests across the United States in the summer of 2020 against police brutality and systemic racism. Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States affirmed to CNN that, although Riyadh's relationship with Washington is at a "point of disagreement" in light of OPEC+'s decision to slash oil production, the ties between the two longtime allies remain strong. Two point-of-sale (PoS) malware variants have been put to use by a threat actor to steal information related to more than 167,000 credit cards from payment terminals. According to Singapore-headquartered cybersecurity company Group-IB, the stolen data dumps could net the operators as much as $3.34 million by selling them on underground forums. While a significant proportion of attacks aimed at gathering payment data rely on JavaScript sniffers (aka web skimmers) stealthily inserted on e-commerce websites, PoS malware continues to be an ongoing, if less popular, threat. Just last month, Kaspersky detailed new tactics adopted by a Brazilian threat actor known as Prilex to steal money by means of fraudulent transactions. "Almost all PoS malware strains have a similar card dump extraction functionality, but different methods for maintaining persistence on infected devices, data exfiltration and processing," researchers Nikolay Shelekhov and Said Khamchiev said. Treasure Hunter and its advanced successor MajikPOS are alike in that they are designed to brute-force their way into a PoS terminal, or alternatively purchase initial access from other parties known as initial access brokers, followed by extracting payment card information from the system's memory, and forwarding it to a remote server. It's worth noting that MajikPOS first came to light in early 2017, mainly affecting businesses across the U.S. and Canada. Treasure Hunter (aka TREASUREHUNT), on the other hand, has been chronicled since 2014, with its source code suffering a leak in 2018. Group-IB, which identified the command-and-control (C2) servers associated with the two PoS malware, said 77,428 and 90,024 unique payment records were compromised by MajikPOS and Treasure Hunter between February and September 2022. Most of the stolen cards are said to have been issued by banks in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Peru, Panama, the U.K., Canada, France, Poland, Norway, and Costa Rica. The identity of the criminal actors behind the scheme is unknown, and it's currently not clear if the pilfered data has already been sold for monetary gains by the group. This can have severe consequences should the card-issuing banks not enforce adequate protection mechanisms, effectively enabling bad actors to employ cloned cards to illicitly withdraw funds and make unauthorized transactions. "PoS malware has become less attractive for threat actors in recent years due to some of its limitations and the security measures implemented within the card payment industry," the researchers said. "Nevertheless, [...] it remains a significant threat to the payment industry as a whole and to separate businesses that have not yet implemented the latest security practices. It is too early to write off PoS malware." Aguilar endorses Steele As Grand Islands state senator, I have worked closely with Mayor Roger Steele to get results for our community. He is a principled, strong leader who led our city during difficult times with honesty and a commitment to build a better Grand Island. That is why he has earned my respect, trust and support. Over the last four years, Mayor Steele has fought for working families, veterans, seniors and small businesses. He has made Grand Island a city of opportunity by maintaining the citys financial stability and by bringing people together to find creative solutions to improve our community, grow our economy, create new jobs, build affordable housing, and lower taxes. Mayor Steele led the way to reduce the tax burden on families and local employers by cutting wasteful spending. He saved taxpayers millions of dollars by transferring the former veterans home campus for new economic development while leading the effort to attract new tourists and businesses to our city. As mayor, Steele directed sweeping improvements to Grand Islands roads and infrastructure, including making the Old Potash Highway safer, improving the North Road paving project, and building the Wastewater Treatment Plant Administration, Laboratory and Operations building. Mayor Steele has worked hard to make Grand Island safer and stronger by investing in law enforcement and first responders. Thanks to his leadership, Grand Island built a new fire station and 911 Emergency Communications Center while adding new fire fighters and police officers. As we move Grand Island forward together, I believe there is no one better qualified to get the job done and serve as our mayor, than Steele. He is a strong conservative leader with a proven record of positive leadership and vision for Grand Islands future. I urge you to vote for Roger Steele for mayor on Nov. 8. Ray Aguilar Grand Island Helzer the right choice for Nebraska The District 6 State Board of Education election gives us an opportunity to vote for someone with a true servant leaders heart. Danielle Helzer is that person. Danielle has taught in rural and urban settings, facilitated graduate level courses at UNO and UNL and also taught at the community college level. This gives her a solid understanding of what is needed to prepare our children for life-long learning and career preparation. She is a very community minded individual volunteering in a variety of ways from helping address food insecurity to empowering women to find better career paths. She has been recognized for her compassionate leadership with the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce 35 Under 35 award. What impresses me the most about Danielle is she believes 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 not to them. That is a practice she has promised to continue once she is elected. You cannot represent your constituents if you do not take the time to have constructive dialogue. 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. Annette Dubas Fullerton Keep Grand Island competitive! I encourage everyone to vote YES to renew LB840 on Nov. 8. This program has been extremely successful in attracting and retaining businesses that have kept Grand Island competitive over the past 20 years. The investment has turned a $6.7 million investment into $37 million in wages. I know because its helped our company add and retain employees. Grand Island competes with other cities across the country and having this program is key to staying relevant. When we have expanded in Grand Island and in other cities, one of the first things we do is reach out to the local Economic Development Corporation for assistance. The help weve received has made our company better which is better for our customers, employees and the whole community. Almost every town in Nebraska is offering incentives to businesses to move or stay there, Grand Island needs to keep this program to remain competitive. Please vote to keep Grand Island competitive! Krisha Bosselman Dolton Grand Island Jones ducking questions Recently, I asked District 6 State Board of Education candidate Sherry Jones a public question on her Facebook page relating to a false claim she has been making about public educators. She refused to answer the question either publicly or privately. I again asked the question and asked why she would not respond to my question. Shortly after, she banned me from commenting or even reacting to any post on her Facebook page. As a public educator, I find this behavior troubling. How will she respond to questions or concerns from educators if elected to the State Board of Education? Will she simply ignore them? Will she continue to propagate false information if serving on the State Board of Education? Is this the type of behavior that a member of the State Board of Education should display? Absolutely not. This sort of behavior is troubling and unacceptable of a public servant. Please consider voting for Danielle Helzer for State Board of Education. Scott Musil Central City Wood River is getting a new senior center. The City of Wood River has received a $433,000 community development block grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, via the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. The city will use the former Good Samaritan Center building for the new senior center. The center was flooded in March 2019 and its seniors were relocated to Hastings. In 2020, the facility was partially remodeled for the Stick Creek Kids child development center, which opened in 2021. A needs assessment completed by the city in 2022 showed a desire to use the vacant portion of the building as a senior center, according to an NDED release. In addition to Stick Creek Kids and the new senior center, the facility is also planned to host a food bank and the library. Preliminary plans for the remodeling are completed, Wood River Mayor Greg Cramer told The Independent. Two and a half years ago we decided to use part of the facility for our child care center, which is about 12,500 square feet, said Cramer. On the south half of the building we had plans to move the library, food bank and senior center there, which is about 12,000 square feet. Receiving the CDBG funds is a success for Wood River, said Cramer. We received $350,000 for the child care project, and now receiving this one, for a small town its a good success story, he said. Since opening in 2021, the child care centers success has exceeded expectations. We thought, if we have 40 or 50 kids the first year thatll be great. Well, six months into it we had 70, said Cramer. We actually applied to have 120 this spring, so weve been running 120 in the summer and 80-plus in the wintertime, during the school season. He added, We have a waiting list for all ages. Stick Creek Kids attracts people from Grand Island and Kearney, said Cramer. Its people who travel, people from up north who work in Grand Island. They drop their kids off, he said. Its turned out pretty good. Having been awarded the CDBG funds, the City of Wood River will advertise for an architect to draw up plans for the project, with the hope of having those completed by January or February for a spring bid. The project aims to be completed by winter 2023, said Cramer. It shouldnt be too bad of a project, he said. Its basically just gutting a portion of the building and doing concrete work. It would be nice to be in there by late fall or Christmas next year, if not sooner. Remodeling for the new senior center is expected to cost roughly $630,000. The entire project (senior center, food bank and library) is expected to cost $2.3 million. Though the full extent of the damage caused by a pair of Sunday wildfires in southern Lancaster County remained unclear Monday morning, officials emphasized that the quick actions of scores of firefighters and area farmers prevented further devastation. The fires one near Firth and the other south of the Olive Creek Lake State Recreation Area swept through parts of southern Lancaster County for much of Sunday afternoon, injuring two firefighters, destroying at least three homes and prompting evacuation orders that lasted into Monday. "Farmers in the area did a great job of, on their own, getting into tractors, getting their discs out and creating firebreaks around residences in that area," Sheriff Terry Wagner said at the news conference, where he appeared alongside representatives from the county board, the county engineering office and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency. "It speaks volumes for the volunteers, of the farmers, knowing what to do and just doing it," the sheriff added. "It wasn't organized at all. But it was well-orchestrated." Officials estimated at least 100 farmers mobilized Sunday afternoon before and after officials asked residents to use irrigation pivots to battle the blaze. "Due to the hard work of all of those people, lives were saved and property was saved," Lancaster County Commissioner Deb Schorr said, thanking dispatchers, out-of-county responders and every fire agency in Lancaster County for their efforts Sunday. The worst of the damage came from the fire nearest Olive Creek Lake, which burned a six-square-mile area in the county's southwestern corner between Southwest 100th and Southwest 86th streets from Gage Road to Panama Road, Capt. Mike Scriven said. The other fire, nearest Firth, was contained by 6 p.m. Two firefighters both of whom were volunteers with the Crete Fire Department were injured after the flames rolled over a ditch they stood in as they fought the Olive Creek Lake fire, Wagner said. One of the two was burned in the incident and was later taken to a local hospital. Wagner did not offer an update on his condition Monday. Officials did not offer damage estimates Monday morning, but Scriven said at least three homes and several outbuildings were burned. No civilian injuries were reported. County engineers worked overnight to inspect bridges in the area, all of which were cleared for travel. It's unclear how many county residents had to flee north Sunday afternoon, officials said. Lincoln Southwest High School opened its doors as an evacuation center, but only one family had taken refuge there when Wagner stopped by the school at 8 p.m. Sunday, the sheriff said. LPS has an agreement in place with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency that allows the agency to use school buildings in case of emergencies. Southwest was chosen Sunday because of its proximity to the evacuation zones. Its also the districts designated reunification site, where parents and students can reconnect in case of disaster at another school. The Lancaster County Event Center allowed area farmers to use its northeast Lincoln facility to house livestock overnight. Scriven said at least 70 head of livestock had been relocated to the fairgrounds. And at least a dozen dogs were rescued and taken to the Capital Humane Society. The Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency declared a disaster at around 6 p.m. Sunday, Director Jim Davidsaver said. The declaration allowed local authorities to request help from state or federal agencies including water drops from state aircrafts but Davidsaver said those resources weren't available Sunday evening. The fire was fueled by exceptionally dry conditions, unseasonably warm temperatures and a ceaseless wind. A red flag warning had been in effect for central and eastern Nebraska, including Lancaster County, until 8 p.m. Sunday. The National Weather Service said winds from the south gusted as high as 55 mph. That same wind may have spared the area from lingering air quality issues. Sean Flowerday, a Lancaster County commissioner, said air readings were deemed acceptable soon after the fire was contained at around 9 p.m. Sunday. He indicated the high winds played a role in the quick dispersing of air particles. At least 120 firefighters from 19 agencies responded to the fire, officials said Monday. And close to 50 law enforcement officers from Wagner's office, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Saline County Sheriff's Office were also deployed. "It came together so quick," Flowerday said. "That was really the amazing part of all this was that everyone showed up so quickly to try to address this pretty massive issue that, frankly, could have been a lot worse." The State Fire Marshal Agency will investigate the fire, the cause of which remains under investigation. The sheriff cleared area residents to return to their homes at around 9:30 a.m. Monday, but the area remained restricted to nonresidents as authorities worked to clear debris from roadways, wrangle loose livestock and make sense of one of the largest wildfires Lancaster County has seen in its history. "Not in my memory," said Wagner, who has been sheriff since 1994. "I don't remember a fire of this magnitude occurring." YORK The York City Council meetings will now be held at an earlier time. Instead of the 7 p.m. start, meetings will now begin at 5:30 p.m. York Mayor Barry Redfern said the idea of an earlier start time began as a conversation about city staff getting off work and then having to come back hours later in order to attend a council meeting. As a way to better accommodate everyone, it was suggested that 5:30 p.m. could be a better time slot. Redfern said the matter went before the citys ordinance committee and they came back with a recommended change. The council suspended the rules and went straight to a vote, which was unanimously in favor of changing the time. Also during this past weeks meeting: The council signed off on an agreement with the Nebraska Department of Transportation, in which the state will manage the Project Access York endeavor. As York City Administrator Sue Crawford explained, This is to have the state manage the project, but they will not be charging us anything. Project Access York is the administration of a $15.6 million federal grant that was awarded to York for an extension of the trail system, the installation of a walking bridge over Highway 81 at the interchange and the installation of other features including outdoor safety items at the schools. Dr. Crawford said work will start soon on the new traffic lights structure at David Drive and South Lincoln Avenue. She added that Public Works Director James Paul will be advising the public regarding traffic delays or detours as this takes place. The administrator announced that the citys youth advisory council has started. The council agreed to purchase a Chevy Colorado four-door pickup through the state bidding process for $40,288. Paul explained that the city budgeted $48,500 for this vehicle and the city will also be getting money back through the trade-in of an old vehicle. This vehicle will be used by the building inspector. Paul said the pickup is currently in production and will arrive in about 12 weeks. During the budget process, the city included funds for a portable litter vacuum that can be used at the landfill, to handle garbage thats blown around the property by high winds. This week, they accepted a bid from Sourcewell for that piece of equipment, which will cost $22,745. Paul said the budgeted amount was $25,000, so the actual price came in lower than expected. Paul advised that in talking with the manufacturer, it will arrive in April. The purchase of a SCADA computer from Hydro Optimization and Automation Solutions was approved. Paul explained that this computer provides alerts regarding the water systems pressure so it doesnt go below the states standards. It sends alerts to Brandon (Osentowski, water foreman) for added security. The city had already budgeted $60,000 for this equipment, so it came in lower. The piece of equipment being replaced has been in use for 22 years. A plat was considered and approved in the Holthus Subdivision for possible business growth. Dan Aude, assets manager for the city, explained that this pertained to land along Highway 81, north of Auto Zone and Dollar Tree. Aude said, Theres been some interest in that area and there is a need to allow for three lots there. Mayor Barry Redfern said this was encouraging news and we hope to see something go in there. Aude noted the utilities and streets are already there. They are just asking to have it divided now. Expert Viewpoint Is SASE a Good Solution for Securing K-12 Education This School Year? Were still in the first quarter of the 20222023 school year, and districts are facing more cybersecurity risks than ever before. The recent FortiGuard Labs global threat report for the first half of 2022 brings many of the current K12 cybersecurity challenges into sharp focus. Top threats from that report involve zero-day exploits, ransomware, data wipers and Operational Technology vulnerabilities. The K12 Security Information Exchange found in its annual State of K12 Cybersecurity report that there were 166 publicly disclosed cyber incidents affecting schools in 162 districts across 38 states in 2021. Given that many cyberattack incidents at public schools arent disclosed, the real number is likely higher. State and local governments are working with K12 district IT leaders to search for answers to address many of the cybersecurity issues, and theyre pushing for increased funding and adding more knowledgeable cybersecurity staff. Amy McLaughlin, the Cybersecurity Program Director for the Consortium for School Networking, is one person leading the charge of helping government leaders understand the issues at hand. In a hearing this summer before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, she offered insights from the CoSN 2022 Ed Tech Trends report, which identified cybersecurity as the top unmet technology need for K12. Even before the pandemic required schools to move more services online, cybersecurity has been a top concern for districts, she said. In a situation where even wellfunded corporations in the private sector struggle to address cybersecurity issues, poorly funded districts are at a disadvantage. One respondent called the need for more cybersecurity funding desperate. Ongoing Remote Learning and Security Risks There is no quick fix, as the K12 security issues are happening while many school districts are continuing transformation from on-premises data centers to cloud-based teaching and learning tools. As long as the increased federal funding streams continue, the movement from data centers to Software-as-a-Service will continue, too, for many situations. The use of education-specific SaaS grew significantly during the pandemic, with the current motivation shifting to initiatives that spread the costs over several years and enable IT leaders to scale services as student populations fluctuate. Along the way, a mix of hybrid IT and cloud-based services tend to provide better support for schools with 1:1 devices while providing flexibility for teachers, students, and parents. Even with most schools and students returning to the classroom, periodic public health scares and other issues that interrupt the flow in the classroom mean that access to secure remote learning is still needed. In several states, the pandemic created more opportunities for students to switch to learning situations that were fully focused on remote learning. In one report, Oregon state officials noted that the number of students enrolled in fully virtual schools nearly doubled from 2.7% to 4.8% in the 2020-2021 school year with only a slight decline to 4.5% for 2021-2022. And in southeast Virginia, a consortium of public school districts convened their Virtual Academy this year for students with short- or long-term attendance challenges, with an estimated enrollment of 180 elementary students, almost 200 middle school students, and nearly 650 high school students. Because online activity in schools doesnt typically occur within a defined perimeter that has complementary physical and cybersecurity controls in place, the continuation of online learning is a serious cybersecurity concern. Students, teachers, and administrators are spending significantly more time working online using cloud services and architectures, expanding districts attack surfaces. Cybersecurity and Homeschooling A final perspective comes from the not-so-insignificant homeschool population. While many of those students live in a SaaS world for portions of their learning, the quality of security rests with their provider unless the parents have awareness of security challenges. Providers must be in sync with tools and tactics to ensure data privacy give safe and effective learning experiences. One perspective comes from a mother of four I spoke with who, along with her husband, schools the family using a hybrid mixture of courses provided by public sources, paid services, and homeschool groups in their neighborhood. Shes been teaching their class since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and aside from user interface guidance on creating strong passwords, shes found the information provided on internet safety and security to be scarce. This homeschool mother said any formal guidance or instructions on network and information security was barely noticeable. Also absent were any easily found instructions for teaching those students of hers about cyber hygiene. The schoolhouse rules are based in limited internet freedom with shared credentials as a path to monitor online activity. Flexible Security for K12 Is there a strong, yet affordable, technology-based solution to protect K12 education leaders and learners? SaaS and its sibling, Infrastructure as a Service, are bringing much-needed flexibility to K12 without the need for continual updates to data centers. Again, according to McLaughlin, this supports more robust technology services and lower cost overall. Moving to cloud-based and so-called converged capabilities creates an opportunity for security where it is needed. This means policy- and technology-based secure access at the service edge, a.k.a. SASE. Perhaps its time for K12 IT leaders to explore better and more cost-effective methods, like SASE, which moves the security tools from the data center to where they are needed that device in the teachers and students hands. Before that bus leaves the schoolhouse, K12 educators need to understand the gaps between security in the on-premises data center and cloud services before they explore SASE. Then they should evaluate their readiness and migration plans. Thats the homework for the fall term. Flash The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) forces returned fire in the waters near the Military Demarcation Line early Monday after a South Korean warship opened "warning fire," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. An escort ship of the South Korean navy opened "warning fire" with the excuse of controlling a ship in the waters 20 km northwest of Paekryong (called Baengnyeong by South Korea) Island, at around 3:50 a.m. local time Monday (1850 GMT, Sunday), the KCNA quoted a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army of DPRK as saying. The DPRK coastal defense units on the western front took a countermeasure to expel the South Korean warship by firing 10 shells of multiple rocket launchers toward the waters, as "threatening and warning fires," the spokesman said in a statement. On the South Korean side, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday that a DPRK merchant vessel violated the Northern Limit Line in waters near the front-line island of Baengnyeong at 3:42 a.m. local time (1842 GMT, Sunday) and that South Korea's navy issued warning messages and fired warning shots. The Northern Limit Line is a disputed maritime demarcation line between the DPRK and South Korea, which the DPRK has never officially recognized. Policy & Assessment NAEP: Remote Learning Not Solely to Blame for Decline in Reading and Math Achievement Most of the United States saw declines in reading and math achievement on standardized tests between 2019 and 2022. Those declines happened in both fourth- and eighth-grade in a large majority of states and jurisdictions. Achievement in math fared worse than in reading. In fact, not a single state or jurisdiction saw improvement in math, and the declines were more substantial than those seen in reading scores, according to the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released Monday by the U.S. Department of Educations National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NAEP, also known as the Nation's Report Card, includes assessment data from all 50 states, plus three jurisdictions: Department of Defense Education Activity, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The results show the profound toll on student learning during the pandemic, as the size and scope of the declines are the largest ever in mathematics, said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr in a prepared statement. The results also underscore the importance of instruction and the role of schools in both students academic growth and their overall wellbeing. Its clear we all need to come togetherpolicymakers and community leaders at every level as partners in helping our educators, children, and families succeed. NCES noted that the declines between 2019 (the last assessment before the pandemic) and 2022 (the first assessment since 2019) were the largest in history. In eighth-grade math, scores dropped in 51 out of 53 states and jurisdictions, with two remaining flat (Utah and Department of Defense Education Activity). The average decline in eight-grade math was eight points (from 282 in 2019 to 274 in 2022). In fourth-grade math, 43 states and jurisdictions saw declines, with 10 staying flat. The drop in fourth-grade math was five points (from 241 in 2019 to 236 in 2022). Eighth grade is a pivotal moment in students mathematics education, as they develop key mathematics skills for further learning and potential careers in mathematics and science, said Daniel J. McGrath, acting as NCES associate commissioner for assessment, also in a prepared statement. If left unaddressed, this could alter the trajectories and life opportunities of a whole cohort of young people, potentially reducing their abilities to pursue rewarding and productive careers in mathematics, science, and technology. In reading, meanwhile, average scores were not quite as bad as they were in math, but the picture is still a bleak one. In grade 8 reading, only one jurisdiction saw improvement (Department of Defense Education Activity). Eighteen saw no change, and 33 saw declines. The average reading score dropped three points in grade 8 (from 263 in 2019 to 260 in 2022). In grade 4 reading, nobody saw improvement. Twenty-two states and jurisdictions were flat, and 31 saw declines. The average grade 4 reading score also dropped three points (from 220 in 2019 to 217 in 2022). Despite the countless obstacles that students faced over the course of the pandemic including instability at home, decreased access to resources, teacher shortages, cyberbullying, and an uptick in violence once schools reopenedwe also see pockets of remarkable resilience across the country, particularly in the countrys urban districts, said Carr. But academic recovery cannot simply be about returning to what was normal before the pandemic, as the pandemic laid bare an opportunity gap that has long existed. It also showed how every student was vulnerable to the pandemics disruptions. We do not have a moment to waste. However, NAEP noted on its Twitter account today that there was no single factor that contributed to the decline, including the switch to remote learning. "The pandemic was a major factor," according to the tweet. "but the data are clear regarding remote learning: The 2022 scores cannot be attributed to school closures alone." Q: Is remote learning the reason for declining scores on The Nation's Report Card? A: Several factors influence student achievement. #Education #EdChat #EdPolicy pic.twitter.com/ckpEQpo7qE NAEP, The Nation's Report Card (@NAEP_NCES) October 24, 2022 Further details about the latest report can be found at nagb.gov. Ed Tech Explainer 7 Questions About PowerSchool's New Data-as-a-Service Platform, Connected Intelligence VP Shivani Stumpf Explains Why Data Matters and How CI Will Help and Keep Data Secure Keeping up with the thousands of ed tech solutions available to K12 schools is challenging; startups and well-established providers alike are frequently announcing new features and integrations, expanding into new lanes, or contracting to focus on the areas in which they see the biggest impact for students. THE Journals 7 Questions: Ed Tech Explainer series gives ed tech leaders an opportunity to summarize their solution(s), explain how their product helps educators and schools, and give a quick overview for K12 decision-makers sort of an extended (but not too extended) elevator pitch. For this installment of 7 Questions, THE Journal asked PowerSchool Group Vice President of New Solutions Shivani Stumpf to explain their new K12 Data-as-a-Service product, Connected Intelligence, in more detail. Find more info at PowerSchool.com. THE Journal: What will Connected Intelligence offer that is not commonly available now, and how do you envision it helping improve K12 education? SHIVANI STUMPF: Each state is committed to developing a statewide P20W State Longitudinal Data System. This holistic data system will integrate data from early childhood, K12, post-secondary, and workforce development systems to maximize education attainment and workforce participation. Using this data, policymakers and inter-agency stakeholders can make decisions that drive policy and investments that will positively impact the lives of their millions of constituents. For example, the state can identify future workforce needs and align K12 and higher education systems to develop and invest in curricula and skills training that will prepare citizens for future careers. This will have a transformative positive impact on economies and the livelihoods of citizens. With Connected Intelligence, using our Data-as-a-Service platform powered by Snowflake, districts can unify all sources system data in one place, integrate the data, and have on-demand access for research projects, for downstream integrations, to better understand operational and analytical trends as well as to perform ad-hoc queries and run machine learning and artificial intelligence models. COVID-19, as an example, has exacerbated the need for policymakers and researchers to understand the mental, physical, academic, social, and emotional impacts on students, staff, and communities. Unifying and enabling near-real-time access to historic, current, and future data that was either previously unavailable or underutilized will help inform policy and investment required to rectify the decline in post-secondary enrollment rates nationally, measure and act on learning loss long-term, and meet each student where they are by providing personalized supplemental learning opportunities. THE Journal: Can a school that does not use PowerSchool for anything else sign up for Connected Intelligence? STUMPF: Yes. Connected Intelligence is source-system agnostic. The solution aims to address data concerns that have been top of mind for educators and policymakers, by providing the first all-inclusive data platform. It provides school districts and education agencies with a unified, global, fully managed, and secure platform. With Connected Intelligence by PowerSchool, school districts retain sole ownership of the data and have the ability to collaborate with internal stakeholders and external partners efficiently and securely. THE Journal: Will Connected Intelligence work with data from any and all ed tech platforms? STUMPF: With the proliferation of systems in ed tech, no single platform, standard, or a subset of systems has been able to deliver on the promise of democratizing data, leaving decision-makers in a bind, and worsening pre-pandemic inequities. Our answer to these daunting yet critical problems is Connected Intelligence, a solution family offering a P20W data solution, and educations first Data-as-a-Service platform, powered by Snowflake. The foremost purpose of Connected Intelligence is to work with any and all ed tech platforms unifying the information necessary for policymakers, district leaders and educators alike to make the best, equitable decisions for all kids and keeping data security, governance, and privacy at the forefront. THE Journal: How is PowerSchool keeping student data safe? STUMPF: PowerSchool is committed to being a good custodian of student data taking all reasonable and appropriate countermeasures to ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. We believe the safe collection and management of student data is essential to student success within the 21st century digital classroom, and thats why it was the top priority of our Connected Intelligence initiative. Like our other ed tech products, PowerSchool certifies the application, database and infrastructure security of our software solutions, and the school districts retain sole ownership of the data. THE Journal: Can you share some of the steps that PowerSchool has in place to ensure safe collection and management of student data? STUMPF: PowerSchool is committed to protecting the security and integrity of our applications including security by design, third-party penetration testing, and a responsible disclosure program. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. COLUMBIA South Carolina's first-ever round of early voting for the general election started Monday with no problems at the polls, but a state website where people go to check voting locations or get a sample ballot crashed. Technicians are working to fix the South Carolina Election Commission's website at scvotes.org, agency spokesman Chris Whitmire said. In the meantime, voters can look at their ballot choices before heading to the polls at a different site. The agency's website is not linked to the state's voting system, Whitmire said. About 40,000 people cast ballots Monday on the first day of early voting, the agency said more than twice the amount of people who voted on the busiest day of early voting during this year's primaries. This is the first year South Carolina is allowing voters to cast ballots in person early without having an excuse as to why they can't vote on Election Day. Polls are open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Nov. 5. There were a smaller number of polling places opened for early voting during the June primaries and only a few minor problems were reported. Over the past several elections, South Carolina has allowed people to cast absentee ballots in person, but they had to include an excuse for why they could not be at the polls on Election Day. The law passed this year has South Carolina returning to mail-in absentee ballots. The proposal received almost unanimous support from Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly. It also makes voter fraud a felony, increasing fines and possible jail time for people who try to vote under a false name or vote more than once, or poll managers who intentionally break the law. The law also adds new rules for state election board members and the election commission's executive director, prohibiting them from taking actions that contradict state election law and from making statements that discredit the state's election rules. South Carolina is the 45th state to allow anyone, for whatever reason, to vote before Election Day. An 11-year-old boy is recuperating after being shot in the leg while he was sitting on a couch at a Ninety Six Road near Neeses. The incident happened around 12:14 a.m. Thursday. The boy told deputies that he was sitting on the couch when he heard two big bangs go off outside, an Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office incident report states. The boy felt a sharp pain in his leg and realized he had been shot. He was medivacked to a Columbia hospital for treatment. Multiple witnesses provided deputies with the name of a person who they think may be responsible for the shooting. The witnesses, however, didnt physically see who did the shooting. The shooting of the 11-year-old comes just five months after 6-year-old Winston OConner Hunter, of McClain Street, Woodford, was shot and killed while he was sitting on a couch at home. Hunter was shot to death on May 13 minutes after he, his mother, father and brother arrived at home following a family event. Four males are charged with murder and other crimes in Hunters death. Their charges are pending. If anyone has information about who may be responsible for shooting the 11-year-old on Ninety Six Road near Neeses, they are asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Flash Rescuers recovered 13 bodies and rescued 263 people as a fire broke out on a passenger ship in the waters off East Nusa Tenggara province in central Indonesia on Monday, rescuers said. Among the survivors, some suffered from injuries, said Saidar Rahmanjaya, head of the operation unit of the provincial search and rescue office. "The total death toll stood at 13 now," he told Xinhua over phone. He said that the search and rescue operation was halted now and it would resume on Tuesday. Rahmanjaya, who is also the field coordinator of the search and rescue operation, said that the rescue operation involved people from his office, another passenger ship and sailors from the area. He declined to give the number of missing persons in the accident, stressing that he would focus on the rescue operation. The evacuation of the passengers and the crew members of the ship was immediately carried out after the fire broke out, Putu Sudayana, head of the provincial search and rescue office, told Xinhua over phone. However, he said that huge waves hampered the evacuation of the passengers of the ship. The ship, Shantika Lestari, caught fire when it was sailing in the waters off Kupang city, the capital of the province, according to Richard Pelt, a senior official of the provincial disaster management and mitigation agency. The ship departed from a seaport in Kupang city and was heading to the Alor district of the province, he told Xinhua over phone. The Natrona Collective Health Trust is welcoming new leadership. Beth Worthen, executive director of the Natrona County Public Library Foundation, will on Nov. 1 take over as the new CEO of the nonprofit. Worthen will follow former CEO Meredith Benton, who resigned from the position to move to Tennessee. Worthen previously served a policy analyst for former Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, assistant director of the Wyoming Healthcare Commission and as a coordinator for the Wyoming Community Foundation. She currently holds a seat on the Department of Family Services advisory board. The Natrona Collective Health Trusts mission is to support the mental health and well-being of young people in Natrona County. It used to be the Wyoming Medical Center Foundation, but changed its name and became independent after the hospital was acquired by Banner Health in 2020. Under Bentons leadership, the Natrona Collective Health Trust has granted approximately $5 million to area nonprofits. It also helps nonprofits with grantwriting, and provides them with technical assistance and advocacy resources. Meredith built this foundation from the ground up in an astoundingly short period of time, Jessica Oden, the nonprofits acting board chair, said in a statement. Her efforts in directing our strategic planning process, designing programs to meet our communitys needs, and building a team of talented individuals to do the work were outstanding. Editor's note: this story previously misstated that the Natrona Collective Health Trust is the nonprofit arm of the Banner Wyoming Medical Center. The organization hasn't been affiliated with the hospital since the Wyoming Medical Center was acquired by Banner. The Star-Tribune regrets this error. Republican nominee for state superintendent of public instruction Megan Degenfelder came to Natrona Countys school board meeting on Monday to weigh in on the districts book controversy, saying the books at issue arent appropriate for children. But Degenfelder also stressed the she supported local control and said the decision on library books lies with school boards. Monday was the first time Degenfelder had appeared at a Natrona County school board meeting to speak on the issue. Since December 2021, community members in Natrona County have come to the school board to complain about books in the Kelly Walsh High School library that they say are pornographic. The district learned on Friday that a copy of Gender Queer is also in the Natrona County High School library, according to a statement from the district. A committee reviewed the books in question Gender Queer, a graphic novel about the authors explorations of gender identity and sexuality, and Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, a resource guide for transgender individuals and decided early last month to keep the books in Kelly Walsh High School. Community members, however, filed an appeal to challenge the decision on Thursday. That means the school board itself will have to take a vote on whether or not to keep the books. Trustee Rita Walsh said she expects that vote will take place before the end of November. Degenfelder, a Casper native, said she respects local decision making and local control in all areas of government. But she also thinks the books arent suitable for minors and are an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds. Explicit and arousing sexual graphics are not the best and only way to support our LGBTQ students, she said. There are many places for books such as Gender Queer, and Trans Bodies, Trans Selves to exist as resources for adult individuals. She ended her comment saying that she is ready to work with the school board to navigate these difficult issues. Degenfelder will face Democratic state superintendent nominee Sergio Maldonado in the November elections. 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. 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. 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. 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. You are here: World Flash General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong will pay an official visit to China from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 at the invitation of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president. Hu Zhaoming, spokesperson for the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the announcement on Tuesday. 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. The UA school official told police the former student's demeanor was becoming more aggressive and believed he was capable of carrying out any threat, leading her to work from home for two days because she just doesnt know what this guy will do. Stories and legends abound regarding the University of Arizona and its past. The women-only dormitory, Maricopa Hall, is no exception. Some stories about Maricopa Hall might be true, but with the passage of time some myths still linger, regardless of the facts. THE MYTH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL MANSION Originally envisioned as the residence for its sixth president, the UAs Maricopa Hall has a colorful and, as legend has it, a haunting past. In 1914, Arthur Herbert Wilde, the UA president at the time, proposed, designed and had authorization to build the structure as his place of residence. The new building was to serve as his private mansion but before he could begin the project, Wilde accepted a position with Boston University. That is not true, says Steve Gilmore, the UA Associate Director of Housing Assignment Services and Occupancy Management. Gilmore, who is also familiar with the story of Maricopa once being the presidents residence, is familiar with this and other myths. The fact is, according to A Photographic History of the University of Arizona, 1885-1985, by Phyllis Ball, at the time there was a definite need for more student housing but in his report to the Regents Wilde wrote that there was, an impending need for a new dormitorybuilt for a dormitory and not for a family dwelling house, as other dormitories were constructed on campus. Wilde continued writing, Such a dormitory should have an attractive exterior, good general rooms and single rooms for individual students. Since it was built, Maricopa Hall has gone through changes as would be expected from a building that old. There was no mention of building a presidential mansion. Still, its has been referred to as the crown jewel of UA housing, Gilmore said. It is the oldest building that was meant as a residence hall and it still serves that purpose, he said. It went through an extensive renovation in the late 1980s, Gilmore said. As he recalls, the attempt was made to restore it as much as possible in the classical Queen Anne style of the 19th century. As far as its designer, the contract was won by the Phoenix firm of Lescher and Kibbey in 1918. However, there a was a problem related to the construction so the Tucson firm of Lyman and Place became supervising architects, Gilmore said. An extension of that myth is the story of Rufus B. von KleinSmid, who replaced Wilde as president. Between 1919-1921 at a cost of some $174,187, construction began on the original two-story presidential residence. By 1921, a third floor was added. It was said that for reasons known only to von KleinSmid, he never moved into the residence. Most of that is true, construction did begin and end under KleinSmid, but again, it was never meant to be a presidential mansion. THE MYTH OF THE DUEL IN THE DESERT According to the website, uofamystery.com, von KleinSmid refused to set foot in the mansion after an experience he would never talk about. The website alleges two unsubstantiated and unverifiable incidents based on lore, including one before the university was even realized, that may shed some light: In the 1860s, a bitter rivalry between two dance hall entrepreneurs escalated at a meeting of the Tucson Vigilante Committee in downtown Tucson. It is said the two women took their horse-drawn wagons and bolted out of town and headed east to the open desert. The duel in the desert was fatal for one of the women, who was said to have cursed her nemesis as well as the desert area where she lay dying. It turns out, the altercation took place on what became UA property. Fast forward to 1919 when it was said a UA student who was engaged, found her fiance in a compromising position. Despondent, the woman found her way to the presidents mansion still under construction and was discovered hanging from one of the bathroom ceiling gas pipes on the drafty second floor. THE PAST SET IN PRESENT DAY With the passing of time, a lot of historical facts have been misinterpreted, or at the very least, have been embellished probably because it made for a better story. So, as you can imagine, the UA officially does not comment on stories regarding haunted buildings. Today, Maricopa Hall, which is located in the historic district on campus just northwest of Old Main at 1031 E. James E. Rogers Way, continues to be the only all-women residence. Until recently it had sleeping porches for the students but they have been converted so students can now sleep in their own rooms. Other upgrades have been recently implemented and include new furniture in all of the student rooms plus new flooring, carpeting and light fixtures. Regardless of its alleged past, the structure remains an elegant piece of architecture with its spacious entryway, its elegant Queen Anne style furniture and a grand piano that still adorns the main salon. Raytheon Technologies Corp. posted higher third-quarter earnings and revenue on stronger commercial aerospace sales, but the company cut its revenue outlook as supply-chain and labor issues constrain defense sales. The parent of Tucson-based Raytheon Missiles & Defense posted third-quarter revenue of $16.95 billion, up 5% from last year, with unadjusted earnings of $1.39 billion or 94 cents per share, up from 93 cents in third-quarter 2021. After adjustment for one-time charges, Raytheon posted earnings of $1.8 billion, or $1.21 per share, up from $1.9 billion and $1.26 per share a year ago. The adjusted results topped the average Wall Street analyst forecast for earnings of $1.11 per share but fell short of the $17 billion in quarterly revenue expected by analysts tracked by Zacks Investment Research. Raytheon shares closed Tuesday at $88.36, down $1.37 or about 1.5%, in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Raytheons Collins Aerospace unit had third-quarter adjusted sales of $5.1 billion, up 11% versus the prior year, as increases in commercial aviation sales more than offset a 6% drop in military sales, while operating income rose 31% to $630 million. Engine maker Pratt & Whitney posted third-quarter adjusted sales of $5.38 billion, up 14% versus the prior year while quarterly operating income rose 68% to $318 million. Raytheon Missiles & Defense reported third-quarter adjusted sales of $3.68 billion, down 6% from last year, driven by continuing supply chain constraints and declines on land, air and naval weapon programs. The missiles and radars unit posted adjusted third-quarter operating profit of $416 million, down 15% from the prior year, driven primarily by an unfavorable program mix, lower sales of land-warfare and air-defense systems, and lower net program efficiencies driven by continued supply-chain and labor constraints, the company said. Raytheon said the sales declines were partly offset by higher volume on strategic missile defense programs including the Next Generation Interceptor. Raytheon is partnered with Northrop Grumman on development of the new ground-based ballistic missile interceptor, in competition with a team led by Lockheed Martin, under a contract worth up to $3.9 billion awarded last year. Other major contract bookings at RM&D in the third quarter included $1 billion to develop the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile for the U.S. Air Force; $972 million for Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles for the Air Force, Navy and allied foreign nations; $226 million for AIM-9X Sidewinder air-combat missiles for the Navy; and $207 million for counter-drone systems for the Army. The Tucson-based Raytheon unit, the regions biggest employer with more than 13,000 local workers, also has won hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts this year to supply weapons to Ukraine or to replenish U.S. weapons transferred to Ukraine, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger man-portable antiaircraft systems and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, which Raytheon makes with Norway-based Kongsberg Defence. A man who shot and killed his father in Picture Rocks last week used a homemade shotgun made of metal pipes, authorities said in court records. On Oct. 20, a physical altercation broke out between Nicholas Ocskai, 30 and his father, Howard Ocskai, 56, at their residence near the 6000 block of North Featherstone Trail. During the altercation, Howard reportedly produced a handgun and pointed it at Nicholas, according to an interim complaint filed in court by the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Both men separated from each other and went to their respective residences on the property. According to Nicholas, Howard entered his residence, and another fight broke out, where Howard reportedly put Nicholas into a choke hold and began to strangle him to the point where he could not breath for a second or two, court records say. During this fight, Howard was armed with a walking stick or a cane and poked Nicholas in the stomach once or twice. Nicholas had a "black pipe shotgun" in his residence and Howard grabbed it and threw one of the two pieces of the shotgun outside of the trailer, court records say. The two separated again and Nicholas went to grab both pieces of the homemade shotgun in order to put it back together. As he was putting it back together, the shotgun went off and struck Howard in the torso, court records said. Howard was later pronounced dead. According to court records, Howard had sent a text message to his wife stating that everyone was OK and he had not filed a police report yet. He also said that Nicholas had shoved him, put his hands around his neck and had been banging on the house with this metal pipe weapon thing. Howard also told his wife that he went out to keep the peace between Nicholas and his girlfriend and told them to separate from each other, court records say. Howard said he never touched him and indicated that Nicholas was not welcome back to the property. Nicholas described the shotgun as being two pieces of metal pipe with a metal end cap containing a nail, court records say. He described to investigators how to fire a shell from the metal pipe. Nicholas was arrested and charged on suspicion of second-degree murder. He is in the Pima County jail on a $500,000 bond. Nicholas Ocskai was sentenced in 2019 to a year in state prison for organized retail theft, according to online records of the Arizona Department of Corrections. PHOENIX A federal judge could decide as early as Wednesday whether to restrict the activities of those watching ballot drop boxes in Maricopa County. Expediting the case is essential since voting is happening in Arizona right now, Judge Michael Liburdi said at a Tuesday hearing. And that voting, he noted, includes people filling out their early ballots and seeking to deposit them in one of two official county drop boxes the places that attorney David Fox told him are currently being monitored by members of Clean Elections USA. But Liburdi made it clear that if he does issue an injunction he is not going to give those who filed suit everything they want. In legal papers filed Monday, Fox, who represents Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino, asked the judge to bar members of Clean Elections USA and those working with them from gathering within sight of drop boxes. Fox also wants to prohibit them from following voters or taking pictures or videos of them or their vehicles. Fox said the actions need to be restrained because they amount to illegal intimidation. But the judge wasnt so sure that such a broad injunction was appropriate or even legal, noting there is nothing inherently illegal about being on a public street and watching drop boxes. I wouldnt want to interfere with any lawful activity, Liburdi said, essentially telling Fox he needs to rethink and recraft what he wants in a court order and leave the ability of individuals to lawfully observe. I would want the injunction to be as narrowly tailored as possible to (address) any legal violation, the judge said. The hearing set for Wednesday comes as Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said his office is providing security around drop boxes following complaints that voters are being harassed. The sheriff said two of those already have been referred to the County Attorneys Office for possible prosecution, though a spokeswoman said her agency has not yet seen them. It also comes as a second lawsuit was filed late Tuesday in federal court. Attorneys for the League of Women Voters made similar allegations against Clean Elections USA, seeking to enjoin members of the organization from intimidating voters. But it also alleges that Lions of Liberty and the Yavapai County Preparedness Team have started their own campaign to surveil all drop boxes in Yavapai County, film voters and then report to law enforcement any voters who deposit multiple ballots. On Tuesday, Fox acknowledged that he has yet to provide legal notice of the lawsuit to Melody Jennings, the founder of Clean Elections USA who has promoted having multiple volunteers stationed at drop boxes not only here but in other states to not only monitor activities but also to take pictures of voters and their license plates. Fox said he believes Jennings lives in Tulsa and told Liburdi he has a process server out looking for her. The judge told Fox that she should not only be served with a copy of the lawsuit, but also be informed of Wednesdays hearing. But Liburdi said he might go ahead with the hearing and even issue a ruling even if she is not served and neither she nor her lawyers show up, noting that Fox said he sent the lawsuit to an email address he has for her. The issue, the judge said, is time. The voting is occurring right now, Liburdi said. And the judge said that if the rights of voters are being violated, the failure to curtail illegal activities of the ballot box watchers assuming he rules that way could result in irreparable injury. Efforts by Capitol Media Services to contact Jennings through multiple platforms have been unsuccessful. The scope of what Liburdi might order assuming he sides with challengers depends on how he interprets two federal laws. One is the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It makes it illegal to intimidate, threaten or coerce any person for voting or attempting to vote. Challengers are telling Liburdi that Congress, in crafting the law, specifically said that there is no need to prove that it was anyones intent to intimidate. Just an examination of their activities can determine whether the law is broken, they said. And the lawsuit makes it clear they believe that can be shown here. The (Clean Elections USA) defendants, monitoring drop boxes wearing full tactical gear and bearing arms, are intimidating voters by their presence through a clear threat of physical violence, it says. And Fox said that the action of photographing license plates comes with the essential threat that information on voters will be posted publicly. Challenges also contend the activities of the box watchers violate the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, which bars conspiracies to interfere with federal elections. Fox also told Liburdi he understands that six separate complaints by voters who said they were intimidated already have been forwarded to the U.S. Department of Justice. That led the judge to question whether federal prosecutors want to intervene in this case. Fox had no answer for him. Editor's note: This story was originally published on March 8, 2022. Noodies opened on April 15, 2022. Noodies! When owner Carolyn OConnor says the word out loud, it sounds like a party, a celebration. The name belongs to her new pasta restaurant, opening later this month, in the space formerly occupied by Bentleys House of Coffee and Tea. Carolyn is totally re-imagining the place, complete with a mural painted by a friend who happens to experiment with abstract noodle shapes. There isnt a better word for it than fun. Noodies is a Tucson inheritance. But its lineage, like sister restaurant Ceres, comes from all over. If Ceres is inspired by the pastries and pasta of northern Italy, Noodies draws material from the checkered-tablecloth Italian-American of Syracuse, with some help by way of Hong Kong. Syracuse is Carolyns hometown. Its where she was pregnant, scrolling Pinterest, when the algorithm realized she needed more brightly-colored images of cha chaan teng American-style diners in Hong Kong, where you can get condensed-milk French toast and macaroni soup. Those hues inspire the setting of Noodies today, if not the menu. Though both restaurants share the foundation of Carolyns handmade pasta, Carolyn is clear that each restaurant is its own concept. Ceres always felt like my baby. The first time going into something, everything was really new. Because of that everything feels so precious Noodies felt almost like having a second child Noodies is colorful; the food is a little more gluttonous and cheesy. I see it as a wild second child or something. While you will be able to get your favorite sauces from Ceres at Noodies the tomato basil, the bolognese, the cacio e pepe Noodies larger kitchen allows Carolyn to expand the menu. Youll be able to add Italian sausage, meatballs and burrata to your order. Unlike Ceres lunch counter, Noodies will have both indoor and outdoor seating. Their menu will also offer sandwiches Carolyn misses from her hometown, like meatball subs and Italian grinders. Though Carolyn never thought she would go into the restaurant business her parents are in academics her mothers hospitality inspires Carolyns restaurants. My mom, shes a really good cook, and she loves having a real dinner. She sets the table, puts out napkins, does all this stuff, makes a whole beautiful meal and a pie, tea and coffee, so she creates this whole experience for people, and it makes people feel so loved and appreciated. Its also a legacy in my own family, taking care of people through food, she said. The also responds to Noodies more apparent legacy: Noodies is taking over the lease of her mother-in-law Jo Schneiders first restaurant, Bentleys, which occupied that space for over two decades. If Carolyns own mother gave her a love for feeding her community, Carolyns mother-in-law inspired her to make service her livelihood. Going into the restaurant business or being an entrepreneur was so different than what I expected (for my life). The trust (the Schneider family has) put in me, the support, how theyre always there for me, with anything. Its such a testament to their kindness and generosity. I think Jo does that for a lot of people in this community, giving people a chance when maybe other people wouldnt, and let them shine, she said of Jo, who owns downtowns LaCo. At both Ceres and Noodies, Carolyn aspires to be that support system for her own employees. She hosts weekly tasting sessions for staff, where they all sample the specials, the soft-serve flavors and give feedback. Everyone who works there respects everyone else and works really hard. Its such a good thing for workplace morale. Its very collaborative, so everyone feels really listened to, Carolyn said. Theres two staff at Ceres who have been there since the day we opened, she said. They now know how to do everything. Theyre more or less managing Ceres for the shifts, every day I really wouldnt have been able to take on the new project without them. Workers at Ceres have to be able to do it all: cook pasta and take orders and make espresso because the space to work is tiny. Though the larger venue at Noodies allows for more specialization, people working in the front versus the back of house, Carolyn aspires for the restaurants to cross-pollinate. I have everyone try cooking lunch. I love it so much. Its really fast I think a lot of women, especially, are really intimidated to go into a kitchen and work in a line I think giving people the chance who wouldnt maybe necessarily think thats a good fit for them, the opportunity to cook in a fast-paced place, and realize: I could be really good at this. We just started accepting resumes for Noodies. Im not sure what the kitchen will look like, or the front of house. We wrote that all are welcome to apply. I really hope people will. Noodies Location: 1726 E. Speedway Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday-Monday. For more information, check out their Instagram. PHOENIX Citing newly released national test scores, Gov. Doug Ducey is setting aside $100 million in federal funds to conduct a second year of summer camp to help youngsters catch up on what they missed due to COVID. Tuesdays announcement, just months into the school year, comes on the heels of the release of data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which found there was no significant change in the reading skills of Arizona students. And the state Department of Education said math scores of Arizona eighth graders reached their lowest level since 2003. In light of this barometer of our kids success, theres no time to waste to catch our kids up, the governor said in a prepared statement. We must continue to pour on the gas in our efforts. The program is being modeled after the OnTrack Summer Camp operated at 685 schools, community facilities and other sites earlier this year. The governors office said more than 70,000 students participated in programs designed to help them catch up on reading, math and American civics. Similarly, Tucson Unified School District saw one of its highest summer school enrollment numbers this year, with more than 11,000 students in grades K-12 taking classes during June. And while the programs were designed to let students have fun, Duceys office said 86% of the students either made progress toward, met or exceeded the learning goals set for them at camp. It also resulted in recovery of more than 5,300 academic credits, a move the governors office said ensures that more students will be on track for graduation. Ducey said there are some silver linings to those NAEP scores for Arizona, noting that students here closely followed the national decline in math. And he said the state held its ground in reading scores with little to no change since 2019. Its encouraging that reading scores remained level, the governor said. Kids have to learn to read before they can read to learn, he continued. With critical investments like AZ OnTrack summer camp, we intervened and helped kids reignite their love of learning that was disrupted by the pandemic. There were no immediate details on when and how parents can sign up for the summer programs. But the decision by Ducey to earmark the COVID relief funds now allows him to cement the program in place and take the credit no matter who is elected governor in November. The rules will remain the same this coming summer as they were for last summer, said gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin. Enrollment will be open to students as young as those just entering kindergarten this year. And even high school seniors who dont get all the credits they need to graduate will find programs. Schools and other organizations that offer the programs will provide transportation. But there is one restriction: The program is open only to students in traditional public and charter schools. Youngsters enrolled in private or parochial schools are ineligible. Karamargin said that YMCAs across the state were some of the key hosts of this years summer camp. Damion Olson, CEO of the Prescott YMCA of Yavapai County, called it a game changer because the funding helped them hire certified teachers. Ducey and Hoffman ordered all public schools closed in March 2020 following federal guidance. That eventually was extended through the end of the school year. The following school year, as COVID levels remained high, some districts kept schools shut and went to full-time remote learning. Others either opened their doors or enacted hybrid programs. Arizona saw a record number of migrant encounters at the border in fiscal year 2022, but federal figures likely were inflated by repeat encounters. Customs and Border Protection encountered migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona 571,720 times in fiscal year 2022, according to federal data released Friday, an 83% increase over last year. Border Patrols Tucson Sector agents had nearly 252,000 encounters, a 32% increase over last year. And the Yuma Sector agents had nearly 310,100 encounters, a 171% increase. Like last year, the number of encounters includes a higher percentage of people crossing more than once due to Title 42, a public health policy put in place because of the pandemic that allows the government to immediately expel some migrants from the country. When a Border Patrol agent or Customs officer encounters an undocumented migrant they either expel them under Title 42 or enter them into immigration law proceedings, where they will either be deported or allowed to remain in the country under some type of legal relief, including a legitimate asylum claim. Nationwide, there were more than 2,766,500 encounters in fiscal year 2022, which includes October 2021 through September of this year. But more than 36% of these encounters were with someone agents had come upon at least once before in the previous 12 months. As of August, the government had expelled, and in some cases repatriated, nearly 1,300,500 migrants this fiscal year, which means they expelled or repatriated a larger number than are currently in immigration proceedings, according to CBPs monthly operational update. As well, more individuals encountered at the border will be removed or expelled this year than any previous year, the August update said. Nationally, there were about 1,760,000 unique encounters in 2022, according to CBPs monthly operational updates. At the southern border a monthly average of 25% of encounters were with people who had at least one prior encounter in the last 12 months. Before Title 42 was in place, there was a 15% average yearly re-encounter rate at the southern border from fiscal year 2014 through 2019. As well as the increase in repeat crossings, many experts agree that rising levels of violence and worsening economic and political situations, exacerbated by both the pandemic and in some cases climate change, are driving more people from their homes, from Mexico all the way to Brazil and in other parts of the world. The number of people being expelled under Title 42 rather than entered into immigration law has decreased yearly in Arizona. Since it was implemented in March of 2020, 76% of migrant encounters at the Arizona border resulted in an immediate expulsion to Mexico or other countries during fiscal year 2020. In 2021, that percentage decreased to 59%, and in 2022 it was 41%, keeping on par with the national rate. One reason for the decrease in Title 42 expulsions may be the increasing number of migrants coming from farther away than Mexico and Central Americas Northern Triangle. For the most part Mexico wont accept migrants from those farther countries, with the more recent exception of Venezuelans. Mexico agreed to accept Venezuelans in a deal with the U.S., which announced a program in October to deny Venezuelans the right to U.S. asylum to keep them from coming to the border and instead allot 24,000 visas for Venezuelans. The U.S. expelled 1,700 Venezuelans to Mexico in the past week, many bussed to Mexico City to relieve pressure on border cities, according to the Associated Press. Although many Venezuelans are still arriving in border cities like Nogales, Sonora, according to various news reports. The number of Venezuelans crossing the border undocumented into Arizona increased nearly four-fold over last fiscal year to 44,560 encounters, 42% of which are families and children. Nearly 25% of all encounters in Arizona in 2022 were with families, at more than 142,400 people. As well, border law enforcement encountered nearly 25,800 unaccompanied minors, a 4% increase over last year and a nearly four-fold increase over fiscal year 2020. While historically a majority of migrants who entered the country undocumented at the U.S.-Mexico border were from Mexico and the Northern Triangle Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador that has drastically shifted over the last two years. In 2020 in Arizona, 92% of border encounters were with people from Mexico and the Northern Triangle, and in 2022 only 47% of encounters were with people from those countries, at 271,449 encounters. The other 300,271 encounters in 2022 included tens-of-thousands of people from Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, India, Nicaragua and Venezuela, as well as thousands of people from Haiti, Ecuador, Romania and Russia. Arizona near top in fentanyl seizures Arizona also saw a huge increase in fentanyl seized at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, according to federal data. And Arizona ports of entry had the second highest amount of fentanyl seized after San Diego ports of entry. In Arizona, nearly 85% of fentanyl seized was at ports of entry where officers seized nearly 4,600 pounds of fentanyl in fiscal year 2022. That is more than double what officers at Arizona ports seized last year. There was a huge spike in seizures in August to more than 1,300 pounds in just that month, up from about 560 in August and back down to about 660 in September. Conversely, that amount of marijuana seized in 2022 fell dramatically, continuing a 10-year trend away from marijuana smuggling and toward hard narcotics. Border Patrol agents in the Tucson sector seized about 1,190 pounds of marijuana in fiscal year 2022, a 90% decrease from last year, and a fraction of the more than 1,193,000 pounds seized in 2013, the last year before the amount began to drop. Arizona port officers seized 538 pounds in 2022, an 84% decrease from last year. At both of these agencies, the average amount of marijuana seized was 3 pounds. Officers at Arizona ports also seized 14,400 pounds of methamphetamine and 2,320 pounds of other drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents seized 2,725 pounds of methamphetamine and 60 pounds of other drugs. WASHINGTON (AP) Ash Carter, who as defense secretary in the final two years of the Obama administration opened military combat jobs to women and ended a ban on transgender people serving in the military, has died at age 68. Carter died after suffering a heart attack on Monday evening, according a statement Tuesday from Douglas Elmendorf, dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School. Carter had served as director of the school's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Keep scrolling for a look at those we've lost in 2022 Before Carter was named the Defense Department secretary, he served in President Barack Obama's administration as its top procurement officer and oversaw the department's effort to speed more than 24,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan. At the time, thousands of U.S. troops were being maimed or killed by roadside bombs because there was not adequate protection in the vehicles they were operating. Carter frequently mentioned the rapid development and procurement of those vehicles as one of his proudest accomplishments. "At peak production, the United States shipped over 1,000 MRAPs a month to theater. And there, they saved lives," Carter said at a 2012 ceremony marking the completion of the vehicle production. "And you all know me, I would have driven one in here today, if I could get it through the door." In December 2015, after three years of study and debate, Carter ordered the military to open all jobs to women, removing the final barriers that kept women from serving in combat, including the most dangerous and grueling commando posts. The following year, Carter ended the ban on transgender troops serving in the U.S. military, saying it was the right thing to do. "Americans who want to serve and can meet our standards should be afforded the opportunity to compete to do so," Carter said in June 2016, laying out a one-year plan to implement the change. "Our mission is to defend this country, and we don't want barriers unrelated to a person's qualification to serve preventing us from recruiting or retaining the soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine who can best accomplish the mission." Carter, a Philadelphia native, served at the 25th defense secretary and "loved nothing more than spending time with the troops, making frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan to visit U.S. forces with his wife Stephanie," his family said in a statement. "Carter always set politics aside; he served presidents of both parties over five administrations." PHOENIX Senate Republicans are taking credit for standing up to a new push by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to have kids vaccinated against COVID before attending school. Only thing is, the CDC never actually issued a mandate. In fact, the federal agency, in making the recommendation last week, specifically said that such decisions were up to individual states. But that didnt keep Senate President Karen Fann from lashing out at the CDC. This is just another example of how out of touch the federal government and its agencies are with everyday families, the Prescott Republican said in a prepared statement Monday. And there was a political component to the news release, coming just weeks ahead of the general election. With Republicans currently in control of our state government, we can promise that we will never subject Arizonans to the requirement of an experimental vaccine that has raised questions over long-term health-implications, she said. The dust-up is the result of the CDCs independent vaccine advisers voting last week to add most COVID-19 vaccines offered in this country to the immunization schedules. That resulted in a claim by some, led by Fox talk show host Tucker Carlson, that the move amounted to mandates for school attendance. Not true, according to agency officials, pointing out nothing in federal law gives them such power. Fann conceded the point. But, Fann told Capitol Media Services on Monday, there is still need for state vigilance. There are still ways the government can effectively pressure Arizona to fall in line without a mandate, she said. GOP lawmakers earlier this year made sure that Arizonas governor whoever that will be or the health department cannot accede to such pressure. On party-line votes, both the House and Senate approved HB 2086. Sponsored by Rep. Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, the measure trims the ability of the Department of Health Services to require certain vaccinations. Right now the agency can, after going through a rule-making process, add to the list of what is required, though parents can still opt out through religious, medical or personal exemptions. HB 2086, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey specifically takes immunization against COVID-19 or any of its variants off the table. During debate, the measure drew opposition from Sen. Raquel Teran, D-Phoenix. She cited testimony from Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, who pointed out that the state health director a position he previously had held cannot simply add a vaccine to the list of what is required for school attendance. Even with the new legal restrictions on their powers to mandate, state health officials still are urging parents to get their youngsters vaccinated. Just last week, Carla Berg, the agencys deputy director of public health, noted that the Food and Drug Administration authorized a new bivalent Pfizer vaccine for youngsters age 5 through 11 and the Moderna vaccine for ages 6 through 18. Both are designed to protect against not just the original virus but Omicron subvariants. I encourage you to consider this booster as part of your childs vaccination schedule, she wrote in her public blog. Fann said HB 2086 is a necessary curb on the state health department, as lawmakers have no control over the CDC or federal government. There is more and more stuff coming out now that maybe this stuff isnt quite so safe for kids, she said. I dont think the government ought to be forcing potentially unsafe vaccines or anything else on parents or states. Berg doesnt share her assessment of the dangers, even if children are at lesser risk than adults to develop severe illness from COVID. Theres simply no reason to take this chance when vaccines have proven to be so safe and effective, she said. Berg said children share the risk of developing long COVID, including long-term effects ranging from fatigue to respiratory issues and even brain fog. And she said that, if nothing else, children can pass on the disease to those more vulnerable. There already is evidence that Arizona parents are hesitant to get their children inoculated. The latest figures from the state Department of Health Services shows that 73.7% of the states nearly 7.3 million residents have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. But the agency said the vaccination rate for those younger than 20 is just 38.3% and about 33% for those in the 5-11 age group, five points lower than the national average. Fann said she is not concerned about that figure. I think that because there was so little testing done on this and its still such a relatively new drug, she said. And now were finding out theres all these other strains and they want to get a third and fourth vax and everything else, boosters. Those are the boosters that Berg just recommended. Fann, however, said she believes as do other lawmakers who supported HB 2086 that this should be a choice for parents. They might say, Im older, Im willing to take that risk for me because maybe my system can take it, but no, Im not going to force it on my 10-year-old if I dont know 100% that there wont be any ramifications for them. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Arizonans have faith in our elections. Theyre not buying into rhetoric about stolen or unfair elections. This comes from a survey conducted in August by Center for the Future of Arizona and HighGround Public Affairs. The survey found a disconnect between what Arizonans say is important and what candidates are talking about. It turned up surprising results, like the overwhelming faith in our states elections. Three-quarters of those surveyed believe the states elections are fair, 70% say theyre secure, and 77% are confident November election results will be accurate. This is good news for democracy. We should be gratified that those intimately involved in running elections have greater credibility than those seeking to undercut trust. Representative government works only if voters voices are heard, and it thrives only if voters trust the results. Arizonans have long enjoyed an expansive right to make law via referendum, though doing so requires great attention to detail and a massive effort to collect signatures. This year, however, the Legislature is asking you to make it harder to have your say: Proposition 128 would roll back the Voter Protection Act and allow legislators to change or repeal an entire voter-approved measure if the state or U.S. Supreme Court found any portion, no matter how small, to be unconstitutional. Proposition 129 would require initiatives to have a single subject, thus imposing additional costs and barriers for citizens unhappy with legislative inaction. Proposition 132 would require a 60% majority for any initiative that includes a tax increase, which former state health director Will Humble notes would have killed the initiative that banned smoking in public places. How much of your voice as a voter are you willing to give up? Carefully review the arguments for and against these measures in the Whats on My Ballot booklet mailed to voters or available at www.arizona.vote under Publicity Pamphlet. Because ballot initiatives are such an important way for voters voices to be heard, please study all 10 initiatives closely. Amplifying your and your neighbors voices is the point of the Arizona Voters Agenda, which highlights the gaps between Arizonans and candidates. Nearly half of those surveyed say candidates are not talking about what matters to them. Significantly, nearly two-thirds of Independents the voters who generally decide elections say candidates are not addressing their issues. Immigration, the economy, education and water are voters top issues, and theyre looking for pragmatic solutions. The survey results raise questions to ask candidates: How should Arizona invest in securing our water future, cleaner air, energy improvement in rural areas, protecting our electric grid, and managing our forests? More than one-fourth say current water supplies should be prioritized to ensure rivers and natural waterways sustain wildlife and recreation. The same percentage put the priority on supporting agriculture. Another segment wants water to go toward population growth. How will candidates balance these wishes? Ask for their plans. Should Arizona prioritize cutting taxes or investing in critical infrastructure to keep up with growth, and why? The Legislature in June approved a $1 billion increase in education funding, so we wanted to know if voters opinions had changed. They barely budged. Two-thirds of respondents (including half the Republicans) said schools remain underfunded and teacher salaries are still too low. Most support greater investments in education, roads, and public safety over cutting taxes. How do you propose to ensure all residents have access to safe and affordable housing? Arizonans strongly support increased housing affordability and say state and local governments should play a role. There is strong support for expanding affordable housing options and prohibiting landlords from discriminating against people using housing assistance. How will the candidates seeking to represent you create the Arizona you want? Keep after them to answer these questions. And then vote, because your voice is important! The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: As president of the Arizona Police Association, it is important to me that those who represent us do so with honesty, respect and empathy. Kirsten Engel has embodied none of these values. Now, she is asking voters for a promotion to Congress. Engel is the wrong choice. We have endorsed Juan Ciscomani for Congress because we trust him to prioritize public safety. Juan gets it. He understands the sacrifices officers make to protect and serve. Juan will ensure we have the resources we need to keep you safe. Violent crime is surging, especially in places with dangerous defund the police policies. Southern Arizona has not been spared. This community has been touched by violent crime far too frequently. Last year, Tucson broke an all-time murder record, and we have seen little drop off this year. So what does Kristen Engel think about law enforcement? Engel is in lockstep with those who want to defund our police and go soft on crime. When asked if she would defund the police and support a reduction in police budgets, Engel replied, Yeah I agree with it. What I see is a shifting. What we need to do is shift where the money is going. Not only has Engel flat-out said she would support defunding the police, she has accepted endorsements from extreme groups that support defunding the police. Arizonans need a representative that supports us, not one that will strip away our funding and put our communities in peril to please the radical left. Radical Congressional Democrats Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been pushing to defund our law enforcement for years, and Kirsten Engel agrees with them. Is that someone we want to represent us in Arizona? Engel also denies there is a crisis at the southern border. She refuses to support our Border Patrol agents, state troopers and sheriffs deputies on the front lines. As a state legislator, Engel voted to block funding for the Border Strike Force that supports their public safety missions across Southern Arizona. Instead of additional manpower and resources to secure the border, Engel endorsed expanding the IRS instead. Engel doesnt seem to care about dangerous individuals crossing into Arizona, including human traffickers, convicted murderers, rapists and suspected terrorists, or the record amounts of fentanyl flooding in. We need someone in Congress that will serve Southern Arizona above all else and Kirsten Engel has already proven that she is beholden to extreme defund the police activists. Kirsten Engel might not care about protecting our state, but I have spent years doing so, and I always will. I support Juan Ciscomani because he can be trusted to back our law enforcement, secure the border and keep our communities safe, something Kirsten Engel knows nothing about. Across the country each October, residents of long-term care facilities, along with their family members, facility staff members and others, mark Residents Rights Month, a time set aside to honor the rights of facilities residents and highlight awareness of the dignity, respect and value they deserve. For Chris Gruszeczki, a long-term care ombudsman supervisor for the Indian Nations Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging, its also a good time to note the critical need for additional ombudsman volunteers in the residential care facilities in Tulsa, Osage and Creek counties. We need many more volunteers, she said. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers were not allowed to visit long-term care facilities. But since June, volunteers may once again visit residents in nursing homes, assisted living and residential care facilities, so we are actively recruiting, she said. Gruszeczki said volunteers go through a screening process to be sure they have no conflicts of interest, attend a training program, and undergo a background check. Then they commit to visiting their designated facility for two hours per week and attend monthly meetings for ongoing training. Volunteers help by educating residents about their rights and encouraging them to advocate for themselves, she said, but in many cases, they speak on behalf of the residents when needed. Residents are often afraid to speak up on their own behalf, Gruszeczki said, believing that staff will retaliate in some way. Because the volunteers are present every week, they build trusting relationships with the residents, who will then confide concerns to them. She said ombudsman volunteers regularly save the day by letting a facilitys administrator or director of nursing know about situations that need to be corrected, often without identifying the specific resident who raised the concern. If one resident is being treated badly, others probably are, too, so the volunteer can present the problem as affecting all the residents, Gruszeczki said. The problem might be a particular staff member who routinely forgets to give residents their baths or does not give them medications on time, which can affect resident sleep patterns or make their next dose too soon. It could also be a functional issue, like a wheelchair that needs a new brake, or a mattress that is so worn it gives the resident a backache, she said. Volunteers can advocate for the resident to get their bath in the evening instead of the morning, when they like to sleep in, or remind staff that the resident hates broccoli or wants milk with every meal. Every aspect of facility life can be helped with the support of an ombudsman volunteer. Gruszeczki said friends and relatives of people who live in care facilities can also help ensure that residents are receiving proper care and treatment by visiting often and paying attention to what they see, hear and even smell. If something does not seem right, ask about it. Get to know the staff and their roles so you know the right person to address with a concern, she said. Know your residents rights, and advocate for them. Gruszeczki said anyone who isnt getting the answers they need or is having issues that were reported but not resolved should call an ombudsman. Long-term care ombudsmen routinely visit care facilities and meet with residents to hear their concerns and assure that their rights are respected. INCOGs long-term care ombudsmen who serve Tulsa, Creek and Osage counties are Chris Gruszeczki, 918-359-1021; Cathy Sullins, 918-359-1020; and Lesley Smiley, 918-359-1022. Complaints about abuse and/or neglect also can be made to the Oklahoma State Department of Health at 405-426-8200 or Adult Protective Services at 800-522-3511. Black Friday is a few days away. Here's a look back at businesses that have closed their doors over the years in Tulsa. Oklahoma state government has never lived up to the terms of the two revolutionary criminal justice reform measures that voters approved in 2016. State Question 780 reduced many nonviolent crimes from felonies to misdemeanors with the goal of reducing the states incarceration rates. The second initiative, State Question 781, directed savings from putting fewer people in prison to a fund for community rehabilitative programs. After years of wrangling over a formula to determine what those savings have been, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services says $70 million should have gone into the SQ 781 fund over the past few years. To date, none has. But that may change next session. On Monday, the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee spent the day on interim studies designed to set up legislation to fully implement SQ 781. Another day of interim studies, by a different committee, is scheduled for Wednesday. I voted no on that state question, (but) the vote of the people said, Its going to be done, Criminal Justice Reform and Corrections Chairman J.J. Humphrey, R-Lane, said Monday. Were going to move forward. We presented a bill last year, but were going to present a better one this year trying to create treatment centers across the state that could service all parts of the state that would be diversions for incarceration, said Humphrey. Committee members heard Monday morning from experts on the state of Oklahomas treatment, supervision and diversion programs. In the afternoon, they were briefed on the challenges to gathering comprehensive, reliable data on which to base decisions about those programs. At the end of the day, we are all guessing because we dont really have facts, said Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, who led the afternoon session. The concern is that while SQ 780 has helped keep thousands of Oklahomans out of prison, the failure to implement SQ 781 means theyre being released without the rehabilitation and supervision that was supposed to keep them from reoffending. The situation is also a strain on county jails, which find themselves housing misdemeanor offenders who previously would have been charged with felonies and become the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. These are the type of people we could actually divert out of the system if we had a program, but because of the way we structured everything, now we have nothing to do with these people. Were rotating them through misdemeanor after misdemeanor after misdemeanor, Humphrey said. Youre not going to kick methamphetamines on your own. Youre just not, said Amanda Marsee, a western Oklahoma district attorney. Damion Shade, executive director of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, said the confluence of excess revenue and public will has given the state a rare opportunity. Oklahoma doesnt exactly have an incarceration crisis, Shade said. Its really more accurate to say we have a mental health crisis that weve converted to an incarceration crisis. Shade said two-thirds of Oklahomans who need mental health treatment dont have access to it, a share that could add up to as many as 500,000 people. Investments in treatment are cheaper, safer and more effective at reducing crime than incarceration, said Shade. Cheaper, but not cheap. Almost everyone speaking Monday said the kind of policy envisioned by SQ 780 and 781 will require more people a lot more people for supervision, for treatment, for drug courts. It will also require more money for technology. During the afternoon session, representatives from law enforcement, prosecutors, researchers and court officials explained the difficulty in obtaining the data Blancett said is necessary for shaping effective programs. The states largest county jails use different prisoner management systems than the rest. Same with district attorneys offices. Ditto the courts. That means most data has to be manually entered if and when its transferred from one to the other. Nevertheless, Humphrey said the Legislature has an obligation to fulfill the task of providing safe, effective alternatives to incarceration. Thats what the people of Oklahoma intended, he said. Thats what they wanted. A Tulsa County burn ban that had been in effect since Aug. 15 was allowed to expire Monday as widespread rain fell in much of the state. We may revisit it, depending on conditions moving forward. We are still in a drought, said Joe Kralicek, Tulsa Area Emergency Management director. Under state law, if the weather forecast is for 0.5 inches of rain or more in the next 72 hours, county burn bans are prohibited, he said. Tulsa County commissioners on Monday allowed the ban to expire after reissuing it on a weekly basis for weeks on end. Under the ban, outdoor burning, including controlled burns, bonfires, fire pits and chimineas, were prohibited; grilling and welding over nonflammable surfaces were not. A total of 1 to 3 inches of rain was expected in northeast Oklahoma between Monday and Tuesday, forecasters said. As of 7 p.m. Monday, the rainfall totals (in inches) for the area, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet, were: Tulsa: 0.94 Bristow: 1.66 Inola: 1.30 Okmulgee: 1.08 Skiatook: 1.29 A few showers may linger overnight and into the early morning hours of Tuesday, according to Tulsa World Meteorologist Kirsten Lang. Skies will clear by midday Tuesday and we will see a few dry days until our next chance for rain returns by Thursday and Friday, she said. However, Tulsa is still several inches below normal for the year. Before Mondays rain, the city was 4.31 inches below normal rainfall since Sept. 1 and 8.10 inches below normal for the year. Tulsa averages just under 41 inches of rain per year. As of last week, the eastern two-thirds of the state was under extreme or exceptional drought conditions, the two highest levels on a four-tier scale, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The monitor updates conditions for the state and the U.S. on a weekly basis. Kralicek said those conditions, along with the number of wildfires and other factors, are used to determine if a burn ban should be enacted. The latest results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress capture the academic losses students across the country, including here in Oklahoma, experienced during the pandemic. The assessment, which is known as the Nations Report Card, shows across-the-board declines for fourth- and eighth-graders in math and reading between 2019 and 2022, according to new results released Monday by the U.S. Department of Educations National Center for Education Statistics. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona called the results appalling and unacceptable, but said it is important to note that the data prior to the pandemic did not reflect an education system that was on the right track. The pandemic simply made that worse. It took poor performance and dropped it down even further, he said in a Friday press briefing. NAEP is not administered to all children but a representative sample of students from each state. Nationally, fourth-graders posted an average reading score of 216 compared to 219 in 2019 and an average math score of 235 compared to 2019 average of 240. Meanwhile, eighth-graders in the U.S. posted an average reading score of 259 compared to 262 three years earlier and an average math score of 273 compared to the previous average of 281. For fourth-graders in Oklahoma, the average reading score was 208 compared to 216 three years ago and 219 in 1998. And 24% of those students performed at or above the NAEP in 2022, while 29% of fourth-graders did in 2019 and 30% did in 1998. Nationally, 32% of fourth-graders were proficient and advanced this year. In math, Oklahoma fourth graders posted an average score of 229, compared to 237 in 2019 and 224 in 2000. Some 27% of fourth-graders were proficient or advanced, a decline from 35% in 2019 but still better than 16% in 2000. Across the U.S., 35% of fourth-graders were considered proficient and advanced in math. For Oklahoma eighth-graders, the average reading score of 251 was lower than the average score of 258 in 2019 and 265 in 1998. The percentage of eighth-grade students who performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level in reading was 21% in 2022, a decline of 5 percentage points since 2019 and 9 percentage points from 1998. Nationally, 29% of eighth-graders were proficient or advanced in reading this year. In math, eighth-graders here posted an average math score of 264 compared to 276 in 2019 and 270 in 2000. The percentage of Oklahoma students who were proficient or advanced was 16% in 2022, a large decrease from 26% in 2019, and statistically similar to 18% in 2000. Nationally, 26% of eighth-graders were proficient or advanced in math this year. This years NAEP results are deeply troubling and in line with what we saw with our recent state assessments. The scores are evidence that students suffered significant disruptions to educational achievement as a result of the pandemic, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said. A full recovery will take considerable time and resources, but Oklahoma students are already turning a corner. We have invested in a number of programs to help students recover from learning loss and we are counting on the state Legislature to support additional investments promoting high-quality instruction, academic recovery and student mental health in the next session and in the years to come. With funds disbursed through the American Rescue Plan, schools across the country are investing in tutors, afterschool programs, and hiring more teachers and mental health professionals to try to help students get caught up academically and address mental health issues. The results, U.S. Secretary of Education Cardona said, are a reminder of the impact this pandemic had on our learners and the important work we must do now for our students. This is a moment of truth for education. How we respond to this will determine not only our recovery, but our nations standing in the world, he said. A once-in-a-generation virus upended our country in so many ways and our students cannot be the ones who sacrifice most in the long run. We must treat the task of catching our children up with the urgency this moment demands. NCES, which administers the Nations Report Card assessment, is the primary federal government entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES mandate from Congress is to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally. The parents of a young Tulsan whose 1977 murder at a Girl Scout summer camp compelled them to fight for crime victims rights have received national recognition for their decades-long efforts. Sheri and Bo Farmer, parents of the late Lori Farmer, were recognized last week in Washington, D.C., with a Hope Award from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The Farmers, who were joined by family members for the occasion, accepted the honor in person at NCMECs 2022 HOPE Gala awards banquet on Thursday. Its been 45 years, and Bo and I have come to realize there is always hope. Hope for us and all families. This award is for Lori, Sheri Farmer said in her remarks to the audience. Thank you so much for giving us this award. We are grateful and humbled. NCMEC holds the event annually to celebrate the inspiring work being done globally to protect children, the organization said. Lori Farmer, 8, and two other Tulsa-area girls Michele Guse, 9, and Denise Milner, 10 were found slain on June 13, 1977, following the first night of summer camp at Camp Scott in Mayes County. With the 45th anniversary of the deaths this year, the story has been back in the spotlight. The ABC News/Hulu docuseries The Keeper of Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders was released in May. Another docuseries appeared recently on Fox Nation, and at least one other major media project about the case is in the works. The Farmers efforts to support victims included founding an Oklahoma chapter of Parents of Murdered Children to mark what wouldve been their daughters 16th birthday. Most recently, Sheri Farmer helped push for the successful passage of Marsys Law in Oklahoma, which, among other things, gives surviving families the right to receive timely notification of developments in their case. The Farmers were among a handful of honorees at the gala. Hope Awards were also presented to Peddle the Pacific, Palantir, Soledad OBrien Productions, attorney Maggy Krell, and 6-year-old Kenadi Nash, who in August foiled a strangers attempt to abduct her outside her Hamilton, Ohio, home. For more information, go to missingkids.org. Tulsa World Newsroom podcast: Questions still remain about the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders 45 years later District 7 City Council candidate Ken Reddick has not been endorsed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, the governors campaign manager said Monday. The governors campaign has not endorsed Ken, said Donnelle Harder. That is not a shot against Ken by any stretch of the imagination; we just havent got involved in the city elections. Reddick finished second to incumbent Lori Decter Wright in the August general election. Wright, who was first elected in 2018, won 49.8% of the vote to Reddicks 23.9%. Under the citys election laws, a candidate must win more than 50% of the vote to be elected. Harder said she began to hear about the endorsement last week and checked with her campaign staff and with the governors staff to verify whether it was true. Until recently, Reddick had posted on his Facebook page a campaign ad that included a picture of himself with the governor in front of his office at the state Capitol and a long list of Republican officials he claims have endorsed him. But Harder said Stitt is not one of them. The governor didnt endorse, she said. The governor cannot do endorsement meetings on state property, and I talked to his whole staff as well, just to make sure nothing could have been misconstrued. Harder posted a similar statement on her Facebook page Monday afternoon. The Stitt for Governor campaign has not endorsed any candidates in the Tulsa City Council elections, Harder wrote. Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell was on Reddicks endorsement list, too, and on Monday afternoon he confirmed that he has formally backed Reddick. I have probably known Ken personally, gosh, for 10 years, eight to 10 years, Pinnell said. Know his family. We have talked about Tulsa development projects for years. It is nothing more than that. Pinnell said he has gotten to know Reddick at political events over the last decade but that he does not know Wright well. I think I have had maybe one or two conversations with her at different events, but I know Ken, and thats the long and short of that one, Pinnell said. I know Ken; I know his heart, the heart that he has for the city and know him and his family well, and I think he would do a good job. Reddick was in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, and posted a Facebook picture of himself in front of the U.S. Capitol, surrounded by a large crowd of protesters. Reddick said he made the trip to provide a ride to a veteran who was working security for a local podcaster who planned to broadcast from the event. Reddick said he did not go to Washington that day to participate in the rallies or to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election. In a Facebook post published later in the day on Jan. 6, he wrote: Regardless of the typical antics of Antifa, it was an awesome rally and I was honored to be surround (sic) by well over one million America lovin patriots. When asked about Reddicks visit to Washington on Jan. 6 and whether that gave him pause about endorsing him, Pinnell said it did not. No. Those are not stories that I am frankly real well aware of as far as who or who hasnt (or) wasnt at any rally, or specific to Jan. 6 rallies, Pinnell said. Pinnells endorsement of Reddick reads as follows: I trust that Ken Reddick will be a great advantage for small business owners at City Hall. He has a heart for Tulsa and will serve this city well as the next District 7 City Councilor. Pinnell said his conversations with Reddick about the race have been focused exclusively on two issues. Its why I put in my quote what I put in my quote, Pinnell said. The only conversations that I have had with Ken are about how to make Tulsa the best city that it can be from a development perspective and making sure that we have a safe community. U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern also is on Reddicks list of endorsements. Herns office confirmed Monday that the congressman has indeed endorsed the challenger. Tulsa World Newsroom podcast: What ideas should Tulsa steal from Denver? Voters in central and south Tulsas House District 71 are encouraged to cast their ballot for Democratic candidate Amanda Swope. Swope has a background that is well-suited to the district, and her ideas are in line with some of the most pressing issues facing the state today. Following the U.S. Supreme Courts McGirt decision, a number of state-tribal questions confronted Oklahoma leadership. Swope, who works for the Muscogee Nation, has career experience with state-tribal compacting useful knowledge at a time when cooperation between the tribes and the state is so critical. Swope wants to see more done on criminal justice reform. State voters agree, having passed State Questions 780 and 781, with an eye toward rehabilitating those convicted of nonviolent minor crimes rather than jailing them. Proper funding of these voter-approved initiatives remains elusive, which prompts us to seek another voice in the Legislature to move that issue forward. On the issue of ballot initiatives, Swope says she will work to keep that process intact. We think this is crucial, as the Legislatures inaction on major topics has been remedied by a vote of the people numerous times over the last few years. Legalization of medical marijuana, Medicaid expansion and the aforementioned criminal justice reforms likely would never have happened if not for the initiative petition process, one that some lawmakers want to restrict. We oppose that and support Swopes advocacy on this issue. Swope stands on the right side of public school funding. She wants to see better teacher and support staff pay, greater per-pupil funding and opposes private school vouchers, which would bleed funds from public schools especially those in rural Oklahoma. She also would advocate cutting or eliminating the state grocery sales tax as a means to help people keep their food costs down. Swope is competing for the seat with Republican Mike Masters, a former teacher and current real estate agent. Despite email attempts to contact Masters, he has chosen not to speak with the Tulsa World. House District 71 is a diverse place in terms of income and backgrounds. Swopes own background, in work and in life, puts her in a good place to understand the needs of the district. Her goals align with the solutions that will most help the state move forward. For these reasons, we believe she is worthy of voters support in House District 71. Public schools across Ho Chi Minh City are getting flak from parents for early start times which affect both student health and parent work schedules. N.V.H., the parent of a sixth grade student at Nguyen Du Middle School in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, has long been an opponent of the early start time at his childs school, where classes begin at 7:00 am on the dot. I dont understand why the school starts classes so early and then ends the day so early, at 4:15 pm, when parents are still at work," H. said. My kid has to wake up at 5:45 am every day to prepare for school. Concerned parents C., another local parent, has a sixth grader and a ninth grader enrolled in Ho Chi Minh City public schools. My ninth grader has to be at school at 6:45 am. Its way too early," C. said, adding that the early start times also seriously affect his childs health. The school should move the time back to 7:45 am so its easier for parents to drop their kids off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. My kid is in his final year of middle school, so he is really busy preparing for the high school entrance exam. Between extra classes and homework, he rarely goes to bed before midnight. "He only gets five to six hours of sleep a night and has a hard time focusing on his lessons because hes so sleepy." The early-morning issue is not just a concern for parents of middle and high school students. Parents of elementary school students feel the same way. A man drops his daughter off at a school in Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre My child is always scared of being late because her teacher scolds her," said L., the parent of a child at Nguyen Dinh Chinh Elementary School in Phu Nhuan District. There is always so much traffic in the mornings, so to get to school on time she usually has to skip breakfast at home and eat it during break time at school. Early elementary school start times also mean early lunch and nap times two major sources of frustration for students who are neither tired nor hungry so soon after waking up and eating breakfast. Beating rush hour Truong Thi Dep, principal of Nguyen Du Middle School, explained that her school starts classes at 7:00 am so that parents can drop their children off and get to work before the morning rush hour begins. According to Dep, students who arrive late to Nguyen Du are not allowed inside. Other schools choose their start times based on the situation in their neighborhoods. Nguyen Thi My Hanh, principal of Vo Truong Toan Middle School in District 1, explained that her schools proximity to other schools was an important factor in choosing what time to start morning classes. Our school is on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street where four other schools are located, so we stagger our start times to prevent traffic jams," Hanh said. Seventh- and ninth-grade students begin their classes at 7:00 am while sixth- and eighth-grade students start at 7:45 am. Adjusting the school schedule Schools across Ho Chi Minh City have been steadily pushing their start times back to 7:30 am, including Nguyen Binh Khiem Elementary School in District 1, Tran Quoc Tuan Elementary School in Tan Binh District, Tan Son Nhi Elementary School in Tan Phu District, and Nguyen Gia Thieu Middle School in Tan Binh District. Excessive break time At my kids school, morning classes end at 10:30 am, but afternoon classes dont begin until 1:30 pm," said N.V.H. "That means the students have three hours for lunch. "It would be more appropriate to start school later and reduce the break time." Its not okay for health "Kids do not get enough sleep because of early morning classes. Some schools start lunch at 10:30 am, which is not good for students circadian rhythm. "Lunchtime should be at 11:00 or 11:30 am. 10:30 - 11:30 am is a good time for studying and experiential activities. Starting school too early means students cant learn effectively. "Schools should not start before 7:30 am. These decisions should be made based on whats best for student health, not based on when rush hour starts." Dr. Truong Huu Khanh from the Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital 1 Like us onFacebook or follow us on Twitter to get thelatest news about Vietnam! Armed clashes on 2 fronts in eastern DRC claim civilian casualties: UN Xinhua) 09:52, October 25, 2022 Photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows displaced people at a temporary shelter near Goma, capital of the North Kivu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Clashes on two eastern fronts between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and rebel militias have killed civilians and uprooted thousands more, a UN spokesman said on Monday. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Clashes on two eastern fronts between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and rebel militias have killed civilians and uprooted thousands more, a UN spokesman said on Monday. The UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, reported that the most recent fighting erupted late last week and intensified over the weekend between government troops and the M23 militia in North Kivu province, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for the UN secretary-general. Dujarric said clashes intensified over the weekend, wounding at least 30 civilians reportedly trapped in combat zones. He said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, its partners, and local authorities reported that the casualties were in urgent need of health care. The office estimated that 23,000 civilians were displaced, with about 2,500 crossing into neighboring Uganda. Photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows displaced people at a temporary shelter near Goma, capital of the North Kivu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Clashes on two eastern fronts between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and rebel militias have killed civilians and uprooted thousands more, a UN spokesman said on Monday. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua) The spokesman said the clashes along or near the road between the towns of Rutshuru and Goma threaten the delivery of aid supplies and services to Rutshuru and Kiwanja. Government forces and suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces militia, also late last week, attacked Maboya, southwest of the town of Beni, killing seven civilians and abducting at least a dozen others. Dujarric said health centers, homes, and shops were looted and torched during the fighting. "The mission condemns the violence and is working closely with the Congolese armed forces and local police force to prevent further attacks and restore calm," the spokesman said. "We call on all of the armed groups to respect international humanitarian law and to allow aid workers to reach the people who need it the most." He said that since March this year, clashes between the armed forces of the DRC and M23 forced at least 186,000 men, women and children from their homes. Aid workers provided them with food, health care, water and hygiene. "We anticipate additional assistance will be needed due to the latest clashes," said the spokesman. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong is scheduled to pay an official visit to China from October 30 to November 2. The visit will be made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the Party Central Committees Commission for External Relations as saying on Tuesday. Chinas 20th Party Central Committee previously elected the Politburo, the Standing Committee of the Politburo, and the General Secretary of the 20th term during the first plenum on Sunday. Xi was re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. General Secretary Trong sent a congratulatory message to General Secretary Xi on this occasion. 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. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories: Politics -- National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum in Hanoi on Monday, as part of the latters visit to Vietnam from October 24-26, the Vietnam News Agency reported. Society -- The road to La Lay international border gate in north-central Quang Tri Province reopened to traffic on Monday after being barricaded for a week due to serious landslides. -- Many residents in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong have faced difficulties buying gasoline as multiple filling stations in the locality shut down for running out of stock. -- Two former directors of the Department of Health in south-central Quang Ngai Province have been reprimanded for their violations in the procurement of drugs and medical supplies, the provincial Party Committee confirmed on Monday. -- Residents have been unable to scare away two forest elephants that often appear near a residential area in Quy Chau District in north-central Nghe An Province to look for food. -- Police in north-central Ha Tinh Province confirmed on Monday they had arrested and initiated legal proceedings against an eleventh grader on suspicion of stabbing to death another student. Business -- The State Bank of Vietnam on Monday continued to raise the selling price of the U.S. dollar by VND490 to VND24,870, the highest rise in many years. -- The market capitalization of the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange lost a whopping VND134.2 trillion ($5.4 billion) in Mondays trading session, with the VN-Index crashing below the 1,000-point benchmark to close at a 23-month low. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Hanoi has recorded a fatal case of rabies a 50-year-old man, who had not received a rabies vaccine and had slaughtered two dogs. The deceased patient lived in Me Linh District, Hanoi and joined some relatives in killing two dogs within two months before his death, according to the CDC report. Both dogs had been healthily kept in the patients neighborhood for more than five months, but unvaccinated against rabies before being slaughtered. It is unclear whether the patient, who had not been inoculated against rabies either, were bitten or injured when dissecting the dogs. The patient showed symptoms of headache, fever, fatigue, fear of water, wind and light, and shortness of breath two days before being taken to Me Linh General Hospital and testing positive for influenza B. During treatment, the patient went into a state of irritability, excessive wordiness, and uncooperativeness. After that, the man was transferred to Bach Mai Hospital in Dong Da District, where doctors suspected that he was having rabies. His samples were taken and sent to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for testing while his symptoms worsened. The patient passed away and was brought home for burial by his family before the test results returned proving that he was positive for the rabies virus. This is the second known case of rabies in Hanoi this year, with the first patient also succumbing to the viral disease. In the same period of 2021, the capital city recorded only one death from rabies. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Many streets in Da Nang City, central Vietnam were inundated as a heavy rain lashed the city on Tuesday, with residents fearing that the coastal city could once again fall victim to historic flooding similar to that earlier this month. The downpour began dampening multiple areas in Da Nang at around 9:30 am and submerged streets as a result. The situation overall was not as serious as the historic flooding that struck the city on October 14, but many residents were very concerned that the incident would repeat. People travel on a flooded street in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, October 25, 2022. Photo: Truong Trung / Tuoi Tre At the intersection of Nguyen Van Linh and Ham Nghi Streets in Hai Chau District, the rainwater reached as high as 30 centimeters. A traffic jam also occurred at this location as commuters tried to get out of the flooded section as soon as possible. Many motorbikes even mounted the sidewalks, which exacerbated the situation. Motorcyclists wait on the sidewalk for rainwater to recede in Da Nang City, Vietnam, October 25, 2022. Photo: Truong Trung / Tuoi Tre Along Tran Phu Street in Hai Chau District and Tran Hung Dao Street in Son Tra District, the rainwater was about 10-20 centimeters high. Medium to heavy rains are forecast to batter the localities from north-central Quang Binh Province to central Quang Ngai Province on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting. In Da Nang, the average rain volume will be about 80-180 millimeters and over 250 millimeters in some locations. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam has confirmed that the visa-free policy intended for Vietnamese tourists entering South Korea at Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province will continue to be applied as normal. The Gangwon administration has made no change to its entry rules for Vietnamese tourists who meet all current requirements so that they can continue traveling to South Korea using visa exemption, the KTO announced on Monday. The announcement came after South Koreas airlines Fly Gangwon informed its travel agents and partners on October 22 about its temporary suspension of receiving registrations by Vietnamese passengers for travel to the Yangyang International Airport from October 23 to 31. The carriers said the suspension was aimed at serving re-arrangement of the granting of visas to Vietnamese travelers making entry at the airport after the trial period. KTO commented the statement by Fly Gangwon, which has recently launched direct flights between Gangwons Yangyang County and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, has caused misunderstandings about the visa-free policy offered by the Gangwon authorities and South Korean government in general to Vietnamese travelers. The visa-free policy has been applied since June 1, 2022 to Vietnamese travel groups of five members upward who enter South Korea at Yangyang International Airport and to tours that last a maximum of 15 days organized by designated travel firms. This policy is part of the efforts by South Korea to lure international visitors to the country again after more than two years of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vietnam is among the potential markets for South Koreas tourism, so the South Korean government and Gangwon authorities have created the most favorable conditions for visitors from the Southeast Asian nation, according to KTO. Currently, visitors to South Korea arriving at Yangyang International Airport, as well as Jeju International Airport on Jeju Island, enjoy the visa-free policy and they are not subject to COVID-19 testing or declaration of their COVID-19 vaccination history. Like us onFacebook or follow us on Twitter to get thelatest news about Vietnam! UK drama Crime, starring Dougray Scott, was recently renewed for a second season and is now shooting in Scotland. The psychological, procedural thriller adapted for the screen by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh. Dougray Scott returns as troubled detective DI Ray Lenno, joined by Ken Stottand Joanna Vanderham who reprise their roles as Chief Superintendent Bob Toal and DS Amanda Drummond. John Simm and Derek Riddell also return for the second season, which also sees Dougray Scotts son Gabriel Scott appearing alongside his father. ITVX by Head of Drama, Polly Hill said, Crime was a brilliantly original series and a perfect fit for ITVX, where we want to showcase drama as distinctive and original as this police procedure from Irvine Welsh. The next chapter in Lennoxs story is just as bold and we look forward to introducing a new audience to Crime when it comes onto ITVX next year. Huge thanks to the brilliance of Irvine Welsh, Dougray Scott and Buccaneer. Dougray Scott said: Im thrilled that I get to continue playing this complex and dynamic character, and to once again get to work with this magnificent creative team. Season 2 takes us even deeper into Lennoxs past, and helps us understand his persona even more. I couldnt be happier! Crime screens in Australia on BritBox. In the second season of Crime, Ray Lennox is ready to return to the fray at Edinburgh Serious Crimes, keen to prove he is fully recovered from his breakdown induced by bringing Mr Confectioner to justice. But hes surprised to find that its all change: Bob Toal has lost his mojo, while Amanda Drummond is newly promoted. And there are two new faces on the team in the form of the devious Tommy Stark and failed actor Norrie Erskine. When one of Lennoxs former colleagues is attacked, Lennox and Drummond quickly realise that all is not as it seems as they become embroiled in a case about vengeance, identity and social justice. The attack is linked to a gruesome attempted murder on a high-ranking establishment figure at a posh hotel which has been hushed up from the police. As Lennox investigates via Edinburghs saunas, crack dens and poshest hotels, he finds doors slammed in his face; there is an Establishment cover up at play. Newborn baby feet and leg with oxygen saturation monitor or pulse oximeter machine, lay in incubator for warming and treated at intensive care unit in a hospital after preterm birth Gety Images A Texas father is sharing the "terrifying" story of his son's hospitalization in hopes of helping other parents stay on top of their children's health. Stephen Balka rushed his 2-month-old son Adrian to the emergency room last week after noticing he was struggling to breathe, he told CNN. Doctors told him and his wife that Adrian tested positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus that the Mayo Clinic says is relatively mild in older, healthy children and adults but can cause serious complications for babies under 12 months. Balka told the outlet that after being sent home by doctors, his son's breathing troubles persisted and they returned to the hospital. Hours later, baby Adrian was transferred to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston and admitted to the ICU. Balka said his son's health is now improving after a week. "It's a very terrifying situation. It's one of my biggest fears," Balka explained. "If we would have waited any longer, or we would have just taken him home, you know, and kind of just gave him a little medicine, he probably would not have made it on his own." RELATED: Some States Reporting a Dramatic Rise in RSV: Here's What You Need to Know About the Respiratory Virus RELATED: RSV Illness Surge Fills More Than 70% of U.S. Pediatric Hospital Beds Balka then urged other parents to advocate for their children and not hesitate to seek medical care if they feel something is wrong. "Don't wait," he told CNN. "If you feel as if something is wrong with your child, you know your child better than anyone does. Get your child help immediately. Because it could, you know, it could be something minor but again, it could be something catastrophic." RSV is the most common cause of bronchitis and pneumonia in kids under the age of 1 in the U.S. Infections "primarily spread via respiratory droplets when a person coughs or sneezes, and through direct contact with a contaminated surface," the CDC says. 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. Last week, the United States reported a surge in RSV cases, causing a shortage of pediatric hospital beds. Story continues While RSV usually peaks in late winter, about 71% of the nation's 40,000 pediatric beds are currently filled, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, which is the highest in two years. Hospitals nationwide are calling the increase in cases "unprecedented," and the CDC confirmed Thursday that there has been a rise in many parts of the country, according to CNN. The surge has hit states including Rhode Island, Washington, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Louisiana, New Jersey, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. Because RSV is a virus, there's no direct treatment like antibiotics, which are for bacterial infections. The best treatment is rest and fluids, but parents should closely monitor their child's breathing. "Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults," the CDC says. Poland is considering building a barrier along its border with Russia to stop the entry of African and Asian migrants who Warsaw suspects might be used in a "hybrid warfare" campaign. With tensions running high over the war in Ukraine, Poland fears a repeat of the 2021 crisis, when thousands of African and Middle Eastern migrants tried to cross the border with Belarus. At that time, Minsk denied engineering the situation by flying in people seeking to enter the European Union, instead blaming Warsaw and Brussels for a humanitarian crisis that led to the deaths of several people in forests along the border. A senior Polish official, Krzysztof Sobolewski, who is general secretary of the ruling Law and Justice party, said they were considering building a barrier on the frontier with the eastern Russian province of Kaliningrad, similar to the one it has constructed on the Belarus border. "We will have to strengthen our forces on this section of the border and also consider ... building similar border fortifications to those we now have on the Polish-Belarusian section," he told Polskie Radio 1, the public broadcaster. 'All walls fall' Kaliningrad has opened its skies to flights from the Middle East and Asia in an attempt to attract more airlines and tourists, according to Russian media. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, described the building of barriers as "stupidity". He said at a briefing in Moscow: "History proves the stupidity of decisions to build walls every time, because over the years or decades, all walls fall." Poland built a 5.5m (18ft) steel barrier, equipped with motion sensors and cameras, stretching for about 116 miles (187km) on the Belarus border. Read more: What caused the migrant crisis at the Belarus-Poland border? The Polish Border Guard said it would choose a firm to build the Kaliningrad barrier by the end of November. The system would be built over the first three quarters of next year and cover around 125 miles (200km) of border, according to PAP, a state-run news agency. Mr Sobolewski said more migrants from Kaliningrad were expected to try to cross into Poland "in the coming weeks". The Conservatives 2019 general election manifesto promised to get Brexit done and unleash Britains potential. And while the party is nominally committed to the election-winning policy platform, it is difficult to overstate the changes to the Tories, the UK and the wider world in the last three years. Not only is Boris Johnson no longer prime minister, but the manifesto preceded the war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. Grant Shapps, a senior Tory MP and a backer of Rishi Sunak, said the next prime minister is standing on the 2019 set of promises. We elect a party and we elect individuals as members of that party, and the 2019 manifesto is actually the thing the document, if you like that Rishi is standing on, he told Sky News on Monday. So, with the UK now about to have its second prime minister in only a matter of weeks, where does the 2019 manifesto fit into the changed landscape of British politics? NHS In 2019, the Conservatives promised to give the NHS its biggest ever cash boost (Peter Byrne/PA) In 2019, the party promised to give the NHS its biggest ever cash boost, with 20 hospital upgrades and 40 new hospitals, while delivering 50,000 more nurses and 6,000 more doctors, and creating an extra 50 million general practice appointments a year. Mr Johnsons oft-repeated promise of 40 new hospitals by 2030 had faced questions, even before his forced exit as prime minister. But with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt indicating that Government departments will be required to see through a fresh round of efficiency savings, it is unclear what that means for NHS spending in the years ahead. As a recent report by the Institute for Government and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy found, the current level of health spending is below what is needed to deal with pandemic-linked backlogs, while the NHS wage bill will increase by 2 billion over the next year, which officials will have to find from existing budgets. It is likely to mean further tough questions on NHS spending for the new administration. Story continues Brexit Mr Johnsons 2019 election-winning promise to get Brexit done came with the pledge to ensure that Northern Irelands businesses and producers enjoy unfettered access to the rest of the UK and that, in the implementation of our Brexit deal, we maintain and strengthen the integrity and smooth operation of our internal market. To the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and other unionists in Northern Ireland, that promise remains unfulfilled amid continuing opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol. The row has also upended devolved governance in the region, with the DUP blocking a return to powersharing. The issue remains unresolved, despite hopes in recent weeks that the UK and the EU could be close to some form of compromise amid restarted talks. Whether the Mr Sunak picks up the baton of UK-EU talks remains to be seen, with Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker arguing on Sunday that the only successful policy which can be carried through for the region is the one already in place. Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak outside his London home (Victoria Jones/PA) Tax The 2019 manifesto said the Conservatives would not raise the rates of income tax, national insurance or VAT, while also expressing a desire not to just freeze taxes, but to cut them too. When Liz Truss introduced her disastrous mini-budget, after spending the summer campaigning on a platform of tax cuts and a promise to reverse the rise in national insurance, there was some insistence that she was simply being faithful to the 2019 manifesto. Despite Mr Hunt ripping up vast swathes of Ms Trusss economic vision, the plans to cut national insurance contributions and a reduction in stamp duty, which are already going through Parliament, are so far continuing. It remains to be seen if such plans survive under Mr Sunak and whether or not Mr Hunt will still be in charge of the Treasury. More broadly, it is unclear where and how Mr Sunak will choose to plug the multibillion-pound fiscal blackhole but Mr Hunt has signalled that tax rises in some areas cannot be ruled out. He has already confirmed the scrapping of Aprils planned 1p cut to the basic rate of income tax, which will stay at 20p indefinitely, raising an extra 6 billion a year. Triple lock The 2019 manifesto was clear: We will keep the triple lock. In what turned out to be the dying days of her premiership, Ms Truss insisted she was completely committed to the triple lock on state pensions. Ministers had been reportedly considering ditching the manifesto promise due to the squeeze on the public finances in the wake of the mini-budget fiasco. Mr Sunak is not necessarily bound to stick to that commitment, although the political pressure surrounding pensions for the Conservatives may mean that the triple lock does remain in place. Penny Mordaunt remains in the race to replace Liz Truss (Belinda Jiao/PA) Online Safety Bill In 2019, the Tories committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online protecting children from online abuse and harms, protecting the most vulnerable from accessing harmful content, and ensuring there is no safe space for terrorists to hide online but at the same time defending freedom of expression. The Online Safety Bill has faced delays, but Ms Truss had insisted that she was committed to the legislation and to bringing it back to Parliament in the coming weeks. During the race to become Tory leader, Mr Sunak had spoken of concerns about the legal but harmful content section of the Bill; it remains to be seen when and in what form the Bill does return to Parliament as planned under a new prime minister. Defence spending In 2019, even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Conservatives committed to exceed the Nato target of spending 2% of GDP on defence and increase the budget by at least 0.5% above inflation every year of the new Parliament. Ms Truss went further, with a promise to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030. But with a new prime minister and expected spending cuts all round, it remains to be seen if that commitment is sacrosanct and how far the new administrations ambition outstrips that 2019 target. On the campaign trail in August, Mr Sunak said he viewed the Nato defence spending target of 2% of GDP as a floor and not a ceiling and noted that spending is set to rise to 2.5% over time, but refused to set arbitrary goals. On Monday, European Research Group chairman and Tory MP Mark Francois told reporters in Parliament that after speaking to the two leadership hopefuls, Mr Sunak did not commit to the 3% target but said he was determined if he were prime minister that he would spend whatever was necessary to keep the country safe. Fracking remains a controversial issue for the Conservatives (Cuadrilla/PA) Fracking Fracking is and remains a controversial issue for the Conservatives, with the topic helping to further split the party as Ms Truss struggled to retain her authority. In 2019 the Tories promised not to back fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely. Having watched Ms Truss struggle over the issue, it is perhaps unlikely that Mr Sunak would want to face a rebellion over fracking just weeks after taking office. While there is not necessarily a need for Tory MPs to be granted a vote on the subject, the strength of feeling among backbench MPs was obvious after Labours bid to ban fracking caused chaotic scenes in the Commons. Mr Sunak could either revert to the 2019 commitment or kick the issue into the long grass. HA NOI Indices dropped sharply on Monday due to a strong selling force, showing investors pessimistic sentiment about the markets movements. On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the VN-Index extended last weeks big loss and breached the key psychological level of 1,000 points. Of which, the market benchmark plunged 33.67 points to end the trading day at 986.15 points, a decline of 3.3 per cent. It had lost over 72 points in just two sessions. The markets breadth was negative as many stocks tilted to the downside with 148 stocks on HoSE hitting the floor prices. Liquidity also decreased over the previous session, with more than 654.9 million shares traded on the southern bourse, worth over VN12 trillion (US$486.1 million). The VN30-Index, tracking 30 biggest stocks on HoSE, also posted a loss of 36.69 points, or 3.63 per cent, to 973.88 points. In the VN30 basket, only one stock inched up, while up to 27 slid, of which ten registered the biggest daily fall of 7 per cent. And two stocks stayed flat. The index had fallen for the fourth straight session due to lingering sell-off force. Statistics from vietstock.vn showed that financial and real estate industries were under the greatest selling pressure. Specifically, Vinhomes (VHM) reported the biggest losses, down 7 per cent. It was followed by BIDV (BID), Sabeco (SAB), Vinamilk (VNM), Techcombank (TCB), and Mobile World Investment Corporation (MWG), which fell in a range of 3.9-7 per cent. Other stocks adding to the losses were Saigon Securities Inc (SSI), Sacombank (STB), and Vincom Retail (VRE), Vietnam Rubber Group (GVR). The HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) also edged down 7.91 points, or 3.64 per cent, to 209.5 points. During the session, more than VN1.1 trillion worth of shares, equivalent to a trading volume of over 77.4 million shares, was traded on the northern market. On the other hand, foreign investors were flocking to the domestic market as they net bought over VN97 billion on both main exchanges. Accordingly, they bought VN73.34 billion on HoSE and VN23.74 billion on HNX. VNS HCM CITY US drug company Pfizer has announced sponsorship for the Viet Nam Young Physicians Association (VYPA) to help increase public awareness of telemedicine through a project called Companion Pharmacy: Visit Pharmacy, Meet Doctor. Led by the VYPA, the programme will be supported by the Vietnamese Society of Otolaryngology (VSO) and FPT Long Chau Pharmacy. Its goal is to bridge the gap in medical care through telemedicine, which has been successfully deployed in many countries. It will enable patients to consult doctors on a digital platform for free. Pfizer will support VYPA with partial funding for the pilot phase, and organise symposiums together with it and the VSO for pharmacists and tele-physicians. Nguyen Huu Tu, vice president and general secretary of VYPA, said the programme could cater to the urgent need to connect doctors with patients virtually through digital platforms. Darrell Oh, Pfizer Viet Nam general director, said his company hopes leveraging digital technologies would enable better patient outcomes and improve patient reach and experience. COVID-19 had a devastating effect on many areas of healthcare delivery, and the adoption of digital health and virtual care is playing a growing role in how healthcare is delivered. Telemedicine has quickly become an effective and reliable solution in the country. This helps improve the quality of treatment for acute and chronic diseases requiring prescriptions. VNS HA NOI Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue and President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum stated that Viet Nam's and Cambodia's traditional ties are 'a valuable asset' that must be preserved in a volatile world. They made the remarks during the official talks on Monday with the Cambodian legislator on a three-day visit to Viet Nam. The Cambodian senate leader thanked the Vietnamese for the warm welcome, expressing his belief that the visit would contribute to the consolidation and expansion of solidarity and cooperation between the two legislative bodies as well as between the two countries and people on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. He said Cambodia valued the support from Viet Nam in all of Cambodias historical eras, stressing that his country maintains a firm stance in nourishing the traditional relations in the spirit of sound neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-standing stability. The Cambodian legislator extended an invitation to Vietnamese NA Chairman Hue to the 43rd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) hosted by Cambodia in November this year, thanking the Vietnamese for the material and human resources training support. The two sides also briefed each other on the domestic situations in recent times, agreeing that despite serious impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and complicated, unpredictable global developments, trade values between Viet Nam and Cambodia in the first eight months of 2022 reached US$7.7 billion, up 19 per cent over the same period in 2021. Viet Nam is the leading country in ASEAN and among the top five largest investors in Cambodia, while the number of Vietnamese tourists to Cambodia is the highest in the world. The Vietnamese NA Chairman congratulated Cambodia on their role as ASEAN Chair and AIPA President as well as Cambodias successful organisation of the election of the commune and ward councils, and believed that Cambodia would continue to accomplish many new and greater achievements in national construction and development. Viet Nam is willing to boost cooperation with Cambodia in human resources training, including undergraduate and post-graduate levels, and prioritise training courses for Cambodias officials of various management levels with more diverse forms, NA Chair Hue said, adding that the establishment of the Viet Nam studies faculty at Cambodia's Royal University of Phnom Penh will help raise the quality of Cambodian students studying in Viet Nam. The two sides also urged authorities to soon complete the demarcation of the remaining 16 per cent of land border to bring about a border of peace, cooperation and development. The Vietnamese top legislator said he hoped the President of the Senate and the Senate pays attention to, supports, and creates favourable conditions for the issuance of legal documents to people of Vietnamese origin, including the naturalisation and relocation of people of Vietnamese origin in the Tonle Sap area, as well as support Vietnamese businesses and the Vietnamese community to do business and live in Cambodia in long-term. He also asks the Cambodian Senate to facilitate cooperation agreements to resolve issues related to Vietnamese and Cambodian people living in each other country on the basis of principles of international law and in accordance with conditions and circumstances of the two countries. Hue suggested strengthening exchanges and consultations on strategic issues related to security - development of the region as well as of each country; enhancing efforts to maintain solidarity, unity, and the central role of ASEAN in regional security issues, uphold ASEAN's principled stance on the South China Sea (known in Viet Nam as the East Sea) such as guaranteeing security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, bolstering trust-building on the basis of international law, settling disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), strictly and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and soon moving towards a substantive, effective, effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). At the talks, the NA Chair thanked Cambodian authorities for working closely with the Vietnamese in the successful rescuing of many Vietnamese citizens who were scammed and forced to work illegally at a number of foreign business establishments in Cambodia, and proposed continued cooperation in solving this problem. Regarding economic, trade and investment cooperation, Hue suggested that the two countries accelerate the completion of the "Master Plan for Linking Viet Nam-Cambodia Economies until 2030, and agreed to promote the two Governments to soon sign a border trade agreement, and effectively implement the Agreement on Investment Promotion and Protection and the Agreement on Avoiding Double Taxation. The two countries legislative bodies should conduct more exchanges and high-level delegation visits to share experience and expertise in supervision and law-making efforts on national important issues, and coordinate to promote the expansion of cooperation between the two Governments and peoples, NA Chair Hue and Cambodian Senate President noted. VNS HA NOI The Party Central Committees Secretariat has issued a warning to the Party delegation to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in the 2016-21 tenure and former Minister Phung Xuan Nha for wrongdoings. The decision was made at the Secretariats meeting on Monday in Ha Noi, under the chair of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The Secretariat maintained that the MoETs Party delegation in the 2016-21 tenure violated the democratic centralism principle and working regulations, while showing negligence and a lack of leadership that enabled the MoET and some collectives and individuals to infringe the Partys rules and the States laws in personnel affairs. The delegation let many irregularities occur in the making and promulgation of regulations and policies; the implementation of some public investment projects; the compilation, assessment, publication, and distribution of textbooks; and the organisation of the national high school exams in 2018 and 2021. Those responsible have been disciplined and faced criminal proceedings. While serving as a member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Party delegation to the MoET and Minister, Phung Xuan Nha, who is currently Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committees Commission for Publicity and Education, found the main responsibility for the wrongdoings was committed by the board between 2016-21, and was also directly responsible for the performance of assigned duties. The wrongdoings by the MoETs Party delegation in the 2016-2021 tenure and Nha caused serious consequences, affected the implementation of the Party Central Committees resolution on education and training, and posed a risk of losses and wastefulness to the State asset and social resources which stirred public concern, according to the Secretariat. At the meeting, officials also looked into irregularities and issued disciplinary measures for two former officials from Khanh Hoa Province and another from Hoa Binh Province. The Secretariat requested authorities impose administrative penalties for the abovementioned individuals in line with the Partys actions promptly. VNS HA NOI Many individuals and groups without permission to send workers abroad are still advertising jobs and vocational courses in South Korea. The Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) issued a warning on possible exploitation of South Korea E7 Visa rules. The E7 Visa is used for skilled labour in technical areas. According to DOLAB, the Korean Government has expanded their policies of accepting foreign workers in technical fields, specifically in shipbuilding. The number of available job openings will be raised, and the level of professional qualities and experience needed are also lowered. DOLAB also said that they have received feedback about many individuals and groups sending workers abroad, as well as advertising vocational courses and job offers in South Korea that does not adhere to legal frameworks of Viet Nam and South Korea. "Workers are advised to be vigilant against false advertising and fraudulent schemes," said the DOLAB. "Workers looking for jobs in South Korea of technical careers should contact directly with authorised job export firms." The DOLAB also advised job export firms to recruit only after the DOLAB gave approval on sourcing preparation. Workers looking for consultation or more information, as well as reporting on job export firms are advised to contact the DOLAB at 41B Ly Thai To Street, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi, or dial the number 0243 824 9517 with extensions 301 and 302. According to data from South Korea's Ministry of Commerce, there are seven shipbuilding corporations and 335 companies, with 22,142 South Korean employed. With the new E7 visa policy, 4,428 foreign employees are expected to be recruited. 1,100 applications for jobs from foreign workers were received in 2022, according to a report from the Korean Shipbuilders' Association. There are currently 3,535 Vietnamese skilled workers working in South Korea. VNS HA NOI National Assembly (NA) deputies on Monday called for autonomy mechanisms for public healthcare facilities, especially the right for self-determination in their medical examination and treatment activities, organisation, human resources and finance. On Monday morning, the 15th NA discussed a draft amendment Law on Medical Examination and Treatment. The draft has 12 chapters with 121 articles, 15 more than its previous edition. The NA Standing Committee collected opinions and would improve the draft further so that it would hopefully be submitted and approved on November 14, one day before the wrap-up of this fourth session. Deputy Hoang Van Cuong from Ha Noi said that it was a great concern to see thousands of medical workers quit jobs at public hospitals in the past time. Meanwhile, big public hospitals asked to stop autonomy as they previously wanted to receive funding from the State budget. Most doctors and nurses want their hospital to be fully equipped with modern medical equipment, drugs and supplies so that doctors can choose to implement the most effective treatment regimens instead of facing limitations by restrictive constraints on costs, categories of drugs, and devices. Many Vietnamese patients went abroad for medical treatment or preferred using services at private/international hospitals because of their more modern equipment, Cuong said. "All of the above issues have the same basic cause relating to management mechanism that has not allowed public hospitals to exploit its functions and advantages fully," Cuong said, adding that Viet Nam still did not have sufficient regulations on mechanisms for hospitals to promote their expertise, skills, reputation. Giving autonomy to non-business State units, particularly public hospitals, is an inevitable trend, Cuong said, emphasising that the draft of the amended medical examination and treatment needs to include regulations on the issue. Hospitals given autonomy must be able to decide on their prices for medical services based on economic and technical norms established and publicised by the unit so that hospital workers can participate in supervision," said Cuong. "It is necessary to define a financial management mechanism for autonomy so that hospitals can decide on their use of revenue, the level of salary payment, or how much they spend on investment, procurement, investment and development funds or support funds for poor patients," he said. Deputy Tran Khanh Thu from Thai Binh Province said that public health facilities now were facing difficulties in implementing autonomy. Still, the draft of the amended law did not have provisions for it. Regulations on financial autonomy for public health units should be added to the draft. It was necessary to determine the degree of autonomy, classification principles, and criteria for autonomy for public healthcare units. Socialisation Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Anh said that the draft law has articles on costs of medical examination and treatment prices and financial sources for medical examination and treatment and socialisation. At least eight other laws now regulate finance in medical examination and treatment, she said, adding that some problems in the financial mechanism for medical examination and treatment were proposed to be amended in the Law on Bidding, Law on Prices and some other specialised laws. "There is no distinction between public and private healthcare in the regulations. However, in each law, if it is related to the characteristics of private medical examination and treatment establishments, there are specific applicable regulations," she said. The NA Standing Committee's socialisation and investment in healthcare were quite diversified and subjected to many laws. However, in the updated draft, NA Standing Committee agreed to clarify forms of socialisation, and the investment under the form of public-private partnership was appliable only in establishing medical examination and treatment units and infrastructure development, Thuy Anh said. Regarding public-private cooperation, Deputy Nguyen Lan Hieu from Binh inh Province said that the forms of lending, leasing, buying with deferred payment, sponsorship in association with foreign organisations were updated in the draft. However, more regulations on non-profit partnerships were also needed. Accordingly, investors would spend money to build healthcare infrastructure while public facilities would use the profits to continue reinvesting for humanitarian activities. Also, at the NA agenda, deputies called on more specific incentives and allowances for medical workers to be added in the draft to better reflect Party and State's policies. VNS The California-based company's Android mobile operating system is by far the dominant player in India and is run on 95 percent of all the country's smartphones, according to research agency Counterpoint. Google fined $162 mn by Indian watchdog over market dominance But the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said the operating system was configured to unlawfully crowd out rivals to YouTube, web browser Chrome and other popular Google apps. Android had a suite of Google apps pre-installed on its phones, including the company's own search engine, "which accorded significant competitive edge to Google's search services over its competitors", a CCI statement said late Thursday. "Markets should be allowed to compete on merits and the onus is on (Google) that its conduct does not impinge this competition on merits," it added. The commission levied a fine of 13.4 billion rupees ($162 million) and instructed the company to allow Android users to remove pre-installed Google apps. It also told Google not to enter into any agreement with smartphone makers that would encourage them to only sell Android-based devices or exclusively use its software. The company said it would review the decision and weigh its next moves. "The CCI's decision is a major setback for Indian consumers and businesses, opening serious security risks for Indians... and raising the cost of mobile devices," a spokesperson told AFP. Google faced a similar anti-trust ruling in the European Union that found the company had imposed "unlawful restrictions" on smartphone makers to benefit its search engine. Last month the EU's second-highest court upheld a $4.1 billion fine against the company. Global regulators have followed suit, with Google facing a barrage of cases in the United States and Asia based on similar accusations. India is home to the second-highest number of smartphone users in the world, after China. Its smartphone market grew 27 percent year on year in 2021, according to Counterpoint, with annual sales exceeding 169 million units. More than 60 percent of phones sold in the country come from leading Chinese manufacturers including Xiaomi and Oppo. Apple remains a minor player in the budget-conscious market but has seen some inroads in recent years, and the company last month announced plans to locally manufacture its flagship iPhone 14. Google, Meta face record fines in South Korea over privacy violations South Korea has fined Google and Meta more than $71 million collectively for gathering users' personal information without consent for tailored ads, regulators said Wednesday, the country's highest-ever data protection fines. Khoi Le, Meta's country director for Vietnam Throughout five years of researching, what were the most prominent changes you have observed in consumers' behaviours pre-, during, and post-pandemic? It is the acceptance of digital tools. Even before COVID-19, Vietnamese people were already quite receptive to the digital space. However, not months but years of the pandemic have turned that into a habit while workers were forced to collaborate remotely and our children had no choice but to study through a screen, even with interactive subjects like language or music. A part of the report examined whether there was a change in consumer behaviour three months after the economy reopened. In some industries, we saw that consumers returned to offline purchases, including necessities and fresh food. However, five particular industries saw an increase in purchase orders post-COVID, including beauty, personal care, home office, clothing, and alcoholic beverages. Along with that, the amount for each transaction saw an increase in numerous industries, including household appliances and furnishings, clothing, toys, and packaged groceries. This could be because customers have got comfortable with the purchase method and trust the product's consistency and quality. From this, what we have to accept is that consumer journeys will become much more unpredictable. As they can now access different sales channels and their online-offline experience grows more diverse, their selection of products and services has become harder for businesses to grasp. These are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, businesses will have greater opportunities to reach new customer groups. On the other hand, it is harder for them to keep their existing customer base and create brand loyalty. According to the report, consumers are looking for more value and engagement, and Vietnamese consumers are at the top in terms of the adoption rate of future technologies. What are the driving forces behind this change? Vietnamese people are creative and willing to try new things. As a Vietnamese myself, these findings do not surprise me. We tend to be active in using technology to improve life quality and create better experiences. This assessment applies to both consumers and solution providers. One example would be the wide usage of Meta's AR try-on technology for the clothing and cosmetics industries in Vietnam. I consider this a win-win solution for both brands and consumers. While it offers a platform for brands to showcase their various products, consumers get to try them on one by one and learn about their technical details from the comfort of their homes. Earlier this month, VIB bank launched its first virtual financial advisor named Vie, powered by AR technology. Besides giving banking consultancy like a traditional bank teller, VIB is showcasing Vie's capabilities through talk shows where Vie gives personal financial advice. This is another example of how businesses are making good use of AR, VR, and the Metaverse to enhance the user experience. Post-pandemic consumers demand an integrated experience Based on the report, what would you predict to be some emerging trends in the digital commerce industry? Online shopping will definitely continue to be a trend. The report forecasted that as more and more people participate in the digital economy in terms of both quantity and volume, certain industries will see online growth, from traditional segments such as clothing or cosmetics to emerging industries like fintech, health tech, and edtech. The second trend would be business messaging (BM). BM is now in its early stage, where businesses are making efforts to grow their customer base and enhance their customer experience. As the method gets refined and progressed, companies will need to learn how to make the best use of each potential lead generated and to form better relationships with consumers. The third is the use of videos. The report suggests that watching videos is the top online activity for Vietnamese consumers while seeking engagement. While this is not a new concept, content generation and establishing positive relationships with consumers through videos is a new challenge for creative businesses. And another trend would definitely be the use of future techs like AR, VR, and the Metaverse. In that context, how do Vietnamese businesses make the best use of the current trends in consumer behaviours? A consumer journey consists of three stages; discovery, evaluation, and purchase. Businesses need to be active in all stages. For discovery, businesses now have the opportunity to reach out to customers before customers come to them. Businesses need to take advantage of social media since it creates a fair and open playground for all, regardless of what size they are, instead of traditional ad platforms where bigger companies can gain an upper hand. In the evaluation stage, it's about forming one-on-one interactions. An effective tool for this is the aforementioned business messaging. Through BM, businesses are encouraged to connect with consumers for their different shopping needs during different stages of their lives and cross-sell when possible. How does Meta assist Vietnamese businesses in their development paths? While Meta is not a shopping platform, it offers a wide range of solutions to help businesses sell better, including BM, live streaming, and videos. Videos or reels are now one of the best methods for brand building and recognition. Through working with and assisting content creators, Meta aims to constitute a business development community. Another project we are working on is called Project Fair Fee, where we help content creators access and build new skills in AR/VR and get certified by Meta. This is an effort to create equal and inclusive access for individuals generating income from the content creation economy. Meta and Bain & Company release report on Southeast Asian digital consumers Meta and Bain & Company have just published important findings on digital consumers in the context of the e-commerce boom across Vietnam and the region. Meta accompanies Vietnam in its digital transformation The digital economy accounts for more than 8 per cent of the countrys GDP, and tech giants like Meta continue to play a crucial role in the countrys digital acceleration. Rafael Frankel, director for Public Policy for South and Southeast Asia, Meta, talked with VIRs Linh Le about Metas recent talks with the government and the countrys digital development. Phat Dat won awards for seven important categories and three nominations for its CADIA Quy Nhon project Phat Dat scooped up awards for four categories including Best Boutique Developer, Special Recognition for CSR, Special Recognition for Building Communities, and Special Recognition in ESG. CADIA Quy Nhon garnered three wins including Best Branded Residential Development, Best Residential Development in Quy Nhon, and Best High-End Condo Landscape Architectural Design. In addition, CADIA Quy Nhon was nominated for three categories: Best High-End Condo Interior Design, Best High-End Condo Architectural Design, and Best Waterfront Condo Development. As a big winner across many important and highly competitive categories, Phan Dat's achievement is a testament to the company's reputation and the quality of its projects. The highlight is the CADIA Quy Nhon project a hotel, commercial and residential complex in the central square of Quy Nhon city. This is a key project that Phat Dat is implementing. The representative of Phat Dat receiving the Best Branded Residential Development Award for the CADIA Quy Nhon project To transform the project into a new tourism icon of Quy Nhon city, Phat Dat has cooperated with the world's leading names in the fields of design, management, and operations such as Centara Hotels & Resorts (Thailand), GSA (Australia), Meinhardt (Singapore), and Red Design (Australia). Among them, GSAStudio is recognised as one of the leading architectural consulting companies in Australia. Centara Hotels & Resorts under Central Group is Thailand's leading brand with experience in operating six brands and 89 famous hotels and resorts in Thailand, the Maldives, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Oman, Japan, and Vietnam. Speaking at the award ceremony, Truong Ngoc Dung, deputy general director of Phat Dat Real Estate Development JSC said, "The recognition offered by the prestigious real estate awards has sparked a lot of motivation for Phat Dat as well as all market players to aim for higher and more sustainable values, delivering high-quality goods and a variety of services to the community. As an investor with 18 years of experience in project development, Phat Dat always strives to improve product quality. Thus, each project must make a positive contribution to the development of the economy and society while meeting the needs of customers and investors." Established in 2005, the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards has expanded over the years to cover 18 countries. The eighth Annual PropertyGuru Vietnam Property was held in Vietnam. Boasting an independent panel of industry experts and trusted supervisors, the awards have an unparalleled reputation for being credible, ethical, fair, and transparent. Phat Dat's strategy to successfully acquire new real estate projects After over two years as CEO at Phat Dat Real Estate Development Corporation (PDR), Bui Quang Anh Vu shared with Trong Hieu his feelings and enthusiasm about the journey he has experienced, as well as the future of Phat Dat. PDR named among top 50 prestigious and effective public companies in 2022 Phat Dat Real Estate Development JSC (PDR) has been recognised as one of the top 50 prestigious and effective public companies in 2022. This is the second time in a row that the company was named in the rankings thanks to its impressive growth. A capital murder trial resumed Monday in Wacos 54th State District Court for a Bellmead man accused of the 2020 killing of a cousin and the cousins ex-wife. Johnny Alvin Wilson, 39, of Bellmead, stands accused of shooting and killing Christopher Dewayne Wilson, 42, and Rachel Dionne Strickland, 40, at a cookout at his home in the 4700 block of Florida Street in Bellmead, around 7 p.m. on May 22, 2020. District Judge Susan Kelly resumed the trial after a two week delay to accommodate a sick juror. Testimony Monday revealed a long-simmering family conflict that preceded the shooting. About three months before the shootings, Ashley Wilson, 23, the daughter of Christopher Wilson and Strickland, had a baby with the defendant, who lived with her, according to testimony. Prosecutors on Monday introduced as a witness the 16-year-old son of the deceased couple, who was Ashley Wilsons brother. The teen told the jury he had seen Wilson shoot each of his parents during a pool party and barbecue. The teen said that Johnny Wilson had not invited any of the guests over that day, as far as he knew. They had all been invited by his older sister or his mother. After eating, the 16-year-old joined his sister Hailey, 18, in a round plastic swimming pool on the far side of the backyard. From the pool, he knew that his mother and father had talked with Johnny Wilson and his older sister, but didnt know exactly what was said. He only knew that he didnt hear any shouting or cursing. He said everything seemed friendly until the younger sister got out of the pool and walked over to the canopy where Johnny Wilson was present along with Ashley Wilson, her baby and Strickland. Next, he said Johnny Wilson came over to the pool carrying a small knife and told him and Hailey to go home. The teen boy said that he stayed in the pool a few more minutes, but he knew his father had been a few feet away from the canopy near Johnny Wilsons SUV talking on his cellphone. When he climbed up the ladder to exit the pool, the boy said, he was facing away from where everyone else was. He heard gunshots and looked over his shoulder to see Johnny Wilson pointing a gun, while his father was struck by bullets and fell to the ground near a shed, the boy said. While the women cried, the teen boy, his sister Hailey and Strickland attended the wounded man, while Ashley Wilson remained with her baby a few feet away at the canopy, the boy said. The boy said Johnny Wilson went into the house and returned a few minutes later. On questioning from prosecutor Donald McCarthy, the boy said his mother didnt seem to comprehend that Wilson was walking toward her and about to shoot her. He shot my mother in the back, the 16-year-old told the jury. The boy said he grabbed Hailey and hid on the other side of an SUV from his gun-wielding cousin. He had just killed both my parents, and I was not sure what he would do next, the boy said, adding that he was afraid for his life and that of his sisters. In cross-examination, the 16-year-old testified that Wilson did not try to shoot him or his younger sister through the SUV. He told the jury that while Wilson focused on his older sister, he took his younger sister and made a break for it, ran off the property and called 911 at a neighbors home. Under cross-examination from defense attorney John Donahue, the boy acknowledged that his father, Christopher Wilson, was much bigger than Johnny Wilson. In the courtroom Monday, Wilson could be seen as a small, slight man, with a beard, wearing a short sleeved, pale, buttoned-down shirt. The 16-year-old agreed with Donahues statement that Wilson did not have full use of his right arm. In questioning, Donahue referred to conflict between the defendant and his male cousin. Even though its not illegal for second cousins to be together, your father didnt like it that Johnny and Ashley were together, did he? Donahue asked the boy, who answered no emphatically. Prosecutors also introduced medical examiners from the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, which conducted autopsies on the deceased. Dr. Grant Herndon conducted autopsy for Strickland. Dr. Emily Ogden conducted the postmortem exam for Christopher Wilson. Both doctors identified the manner of death as homicide on prosecution questioning. On cross from defense, each pathologist acknowledged that homicide included both murder and self-defense, as well as other types of killing of one person by another. Neither doctor could say from the postmortem exam whether the shootings were murder or self-defense. Ogden told the jury that she found seven bullet tracks through Christopher Wilsons remains. Ogden also found him to obese, at 6 feet tall and 278 pounds. Christopher Wilsons toxicology report showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.139, she said. Under Texas law, a 0.08 alcohol count is considered legally intoxicated. The state is not seeking the death penalty. If the jury convicts Johnny Wilson of capital murder, he could face a life prison term with no possibility for parole. Election Day: Nov. 8, 2022 Correction: Earlier versions of this story misstated the 2018 and 2020 first-day turnouts and incorrectly stated that this year's first-day total surpassed 2018. Early voting began Monday in the Nov. 8 election, and McLennan Countys turnout lagged first-day early voting in the last midterm election. The McLennan County Elections Office reported 3,623 in-person early votes Monday, down 1,259 or 25.8% from the first day of early voting in 2018. One provisional ballot, five limited ballots and 2,144 by-mail ballots brought the total number of votes to 5,773 on Monday. McLennan County Elections Administrator Jared Goldsmith said the first and last days of early voting tend to be the busiest. He said there was a steady line at the McLennan County Records Building throughout the day, but he doesnt expect lines to grow until Nov. 4, the last day of early voting. In previous (midterm) elections, about 50% vote early and 50% vote on Election Day, Goldsmith said. A total of 4,882 McLennan County residents cast their votes during the first day of early voting for the 2018 midterm. The ballot that year included a high-profile matchup between U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Democratic challenger Beto ORourke, as well as a local matchup between Patricia Miller and D.L. Wilson for the Precinct 2 county commissioner seat formerly held by Lester Gibson. The Texas ballot this year includes a matchup between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and ORourke, while Miller and Wilson have a rematch in the Precinct 2 race. McLennan County voters will choose a new district attorney in the race between Republican candidate Josh Tetens and Democrat Aubrey Robertson. Eastern McLennan County voters will also help select the representative for the newly formed Texas House District 13, which also includes five other counties in the area. Democratic nominee Cedric Davis Sr. of Marlin faces Republican nominee Angelia Orr of Hill County. Voters in western and southern McLennan County will cast ballots in the Texas House District 56 race, featuring Republican incumbent state Rep. Charles Doc Anderson and Democratic challenger Erin Shank, a Waco attorney. China Spring ISD and West ISD will hold elections on their tax rates. Crawford ISD will hold an election for a $10 million bond package. McLennan County voters this year can choose to vote at any of five vote centers for in-person early voting: 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 Early voting hours are as follows: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week through Friday, Oct. 28 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31 through Friday, Nov. 4. Goldsmith said overall turnout in 2018 reached 75,787, a number that grew to 98,898 in the 2020 presidential election. After the state government extended the early voting period by one week in 2020, about 70% of voters voted early, Goldsmith said. Walk to End Alzheimers The 20th Walk to End Alzheimers is Saturday at Brazos Park East, 3516 N. Martin Luther King Blvd. Check-in begins at 8 a.m., with the opening ceremony at 9 and the walk beginning at 9:30. The event seeks to build awareness of Alzheimers disease and other dementias, and to raise funds for support, resources and a cure. For more information, call 254-232-4446 or email wacowalk@alz.org. CRRC program Thursday The Community Race Relations Coalition will host its quarterly program from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at St. Albans Episcopal Church parish hall, 305 N. 30th St. A four-member panel will address Perspectives on Hate, including how we learn hate, experiences caused by hate, internalized racism (where hate turns inward) and how we can battle us against them attitudes. Dinner is provided. Reservations are required by calling or texting 254-717-7903 or emailing crrcwaco@gmail.com. Trunk or treat Bledsoe-Miller and Dewey Community centers will host a trunk or treat event from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Waco Multi-Purpose Center, 1020 Elm Ave. Kids should wear their favorite Halloween costumes for an evening of family-friendly fun and bring a bag for goodies. Admission is free. For information, call Bledsoe-Miller at 254-750-8684 or Dewey at 254-750-8677. Medicare education class The Heart of Texas Agency on Aging is hosting an informal question and answer session on Medicare from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Heart of Texas Council of Governments office, 1514 S. New Road. Experts will be available to answer Medicare questions. There are no sales pitches. Group W cleanup Saturday Group W Bench Litter Patrol welcomes volunteers to help with its Adopt-A-Highway cleanup at 8 a.m. Saturday along Highway 6. Meet at the old gas station at 5138 N. Highway 6 near Speegleville Road. Call 254-598-8319 for more information. Poetry reading at Baylor A public poetry reading from internationally acclaimed Irish poet Micheal OSiadhail, from his new book Testament, is at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Armstrong Browning Library on the Baylor University campus. OSiadhail integrates biblical and theological reflection into his poetic craft. Baylor University Press published Testament, his deeply spiritual collection of poetry rooted in the Psalms and the Gospels, this fall. WATERLOO A mammogram likely saved Annette Yousses life. Yousse was 49 when she got her first mammogram. She was diagnosed with breast cancer following her second mammogram. I thought something like this couldnt happen to me. But if I hadnt gotten that first mammogram two years ago, I know I wouldnt have gotten the second one a year later. What if I hadnt gotten that second mammogram and the breast cancer wasnt found? When it was, it was already in my lymph nodes. It was an aggressive cancer. The Waterloo native was 51 when she underwent a double radical mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis for women, according to the American Cancer Society. It impacts 1 in 8 women in the United States. In Iowa, an estimated 20,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer in 2022, with about 2,700 learning they have breast cancer. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which ends Monday, is dedicated to educating the public about breast cancer and encouraging mammograms for early detection. Medical experts recommend starting annual mammograms at age 40. Cost may prevent women from scheduling a mammogram. Some women may dismiss the idea because there is no history of breast cancer in their family, or they arent old enough to worry about breast cancer. (Most breast cancers are diagnosed in women ages 50 and older.) Or they may think the procedure is painful, or fear a diagnosis like the one Yousse received. Last year, she participated in a free mammogram night coordinated by Black Hawk County Public Healths Care for Yourself program and MercyOne Breast Center. The following day, Yousse received a phone call asking her to come in for additional tests. I was super scared. I spoke with my younger sister, who is a nurse, and she said maybe its nothing, maybe its a cyst. The first phone call I made was to my pastors wife. She helped calm my mind and prayed with me, and that helped. I couldnt tell my mom yet I didnt want her to worry, recalled Yousse, who works at Chick-Fil-A. She is a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Waterloo. On Nov. 2, 2021, she underwent a biopsy that hurt like a son of a gun, Yousse said. Then they called me on Nov. 3 and confirmed it was breast cancer. On Dec. 14, she had a double mastectomy because I didnt want to go through this again. I talked to my husband (Brad). He was scared about it. My kids were scared. I prayed about it, and decided it was the right thing to do. Her husband and her four grown children, as well as other family members and friends, formed her support system. Her young granddaughter often visited and like tucking a blanket around her grandmother for comfort and warmth. Yousse received financial help for her deductible from the Beyond Pink Team. Funds donated to the nonprofit Beyond Pink stay in the Cedar Valley and assist people diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as provide education, support and advocacy. Yousse underwent one chemotherapy treatment every three weeks for four cycles, and 10 to 15 minute radiation treatments five days a week for six weeks at the MercyOne Waterloo Cancer Center. Thankfully, I didnt get super-duper sick from the chemo. God was gracious to me. The radiation was harder. Now a cancer survivor, Yousse said, Im doing great. Ive prayed a lot. My faith is stronger than when I started going through breast cancer treatment. Theres no way I would have made it without God, my family and my church family. To get help with the cost of breast or cervical cancer screening, call the Care for Yourself program at (319) 292-2225. For financial assistance related to the cost of breast cancer treatment talk to the social worker at your cancer center, or go to beyondpinkteam.org. WATERLOO The skies opened up and rain drenched volunteers and Hy-Vee employees gathered in the Crossroads Hy-Vee parking lot on Monday morning. Undeterred, they simply worked more quickly and efficiently to Pack the Bus for the American Cancer Societys Hope Lodge. Loads of paper products and stacks of boxes filled with canned vegetables and fruits, macaroni and cheese, cereal, granola bars, apple sauce, pudding snack cups, paper plates, storage containers and jugs of laundry detergent were unloaded from several SUVs and a van. They were then loaded onto Dollys Party Bus for the delivery to Iowa City. Cedar Valley people are generous. Pack the Bus resonates with people because there are lots of families who have been touched by cancer, said Candy Nardini. She came up with the idea 13 years ago as a longtime member of the Relay for Life ACS Committee. Hy-Vee has partnered on the month-long Pack the Bus campaign for a number of years. Each Saturday through October, volunteers were stationed at Hy-Vee store entrances to offer customers information on Hope Lodge and short wish-lists of items to consider purchasing while shopping. Shoppers could drop the items into Pack the Bus displays at each store. Customers also had the option to round-up their grocery totals at check-out registers to donate additional funds to Pack the Bus. On Monday, Crossroads Hy-Vee Store Manager Jared Lekar presented Nardini with a check for more than $900. Hy-Vee is part of the community and, when customers come to Hy-Vee stores, we treat them like family, said Lekar. Supporting and participating in campaigns such as Pack the Bus are an extension of Hy-Vees family values, he explained. Nardini and her husband, Jay, emptied the buses at each store throughout October, taking the products home to sort and organize. Cedar Heights Elementary School, Expo Alternative School and Waterloo Christian School also gathered products for the drive. We ended up with enough donations to fill one side of our garage, Nardini said. Hope Lodge provides free lodging for cancer patients and their caregivers who are traveling at least 45 miles from their home to receive outpatient care treatment through University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Since Hope Lodge was established in 2008, it has offered hope, healing and respite for Cedar Valley cancer patients in need of treatment options not available locally. Nardini wanted to come up with a way to provide day-to-day items for the Lodge so staff and volunteers could focus on their jobs and not worry about how much toilet tissue they had left or cleaning products for their guests. So Pack the Bus was born, she said. Were here for Candy and Jay and piggy-backing off their involvement, said Betsy Minkel, who volunteered with her husband Steven to load the bus. Most people have been impacted by cancer, or have someone in their family who has had cancer. Were familiar with Hope Lodge, and we know its a good one to be involved with, she explained. Dave Lies of Cedar Falls also took time to pitch in and help Pack the Bus. Ive been working with Candy for a number of years through Relay for Life. Doing something like this is rewarding. It really makes a difference, he said. CEDAR FALLS A Cedar Falls man who was injured in a Friday apartment fire has died. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the facts around the death of 67-year-old Douglas Fairbank, according to the Cedar Falls Police Department. Crew with Cedar Falls Fire Rescue pulled Fairbank from his smoke-filled apartment at 3112 Boulder Drive on Friday. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation with assistance from the Iowa State Fire Marshall Division. Firefighters found light smoke in the hallways of the building and heavy black smoke and flames on the third floor. Fairbank was found unresponsive. He was transported to a local hospital by MercyOne paramedics. Firefighters extinguished the fire and checked on residents in all of the apartments in the building. The apartment complex sustained smoke, fire and water damage. The apartment complex contains 80 individual apartments many of the residents are physically disabled and needed assistance in exiting the building. The Red Cross was called to the scene to assist the building owner and maintenance staff with housing options. This is the second fatal fire for the city of Cedar Fall in just over a year. Timothy Hersey, 62, died of smoke inhalation in September 2021 when his home at 616 W. First St. caught fire. The cause of that fire hasnt been determined. WATERLOO A Waterloo man who was part of an operation that bought methamphetamine and fentanyl from Mexico to Iowa has been sentenced to prison. On Friday, Judge C.J. Williams sentenced 33-year-old Andrew David Surprenant to 33 years in prison in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Following prison, he will be on supervised release for five years. Prosecutors said Surprenant was a member of a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico On Aug. 29, 2021, two days after he was released from state prison, Surprenant began communicating with a supplier in Mexico regarding methamphetamine. A wiretap of Surprenants telephone revealed that the Mexico-based source of supply provided him with at least 10 pounds of methamphetamine that was imported from Mexico. The supplier also directed Surprenant to recruit individuals to send wire transfers to members of the organization in Mexico. In September 2021, officers with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force set up a controlled buy with Surprenant at a Waterloo hotel where he sold $100 worth of meth. On Jan. 12, 2022, law enforcement executed search warrants at Surprenants home and storage unit, seizing more than seven pounds of methamphetamine and seven firearms. Five others Sandra Ann Deyerle, Jeremy Aswegan, Levi Dull, Ruben Vasquez and Narciso Chinchillas Vasquez previously pleaded guilty to their involvement with the same Mexico based drug trafficking organization and have been sentenced. Deyerle was sentenced to 210 months imprisonment. Aswegan was sentenced to 262 months imprisonment. Dull was sentenced to 270 months imprisonment. Vasquez was sentenced to 170 months imprisonment. Chinchillas was sentenced to 158 months imprisonment. In total, law enforcement has seized more than 175 pounds of methamphetamine, 23 pounds of fentanyl, a pound of heroin, and 11 guns during this investigation. CEDAR FALLS The University of Northern Iowa will host a panel discussion of Afghan women and their stories Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Lang Hall Auditorium. "Our Stories: Women of Afghanistan" will feature panelists from various parts of the country discussing life in Afghanistan and the current situation facing Afghan women today. Panelists include Hakima Afzaly, Hasina Jalal, Zamira Saidi, Zuhal Salim and Roquiya Sayeq. Discussion will focus on the legal status of women during the era of the Taliban rule and the subsequent period when the United States played an instrumental role in the transition toward a democratic Afghanistan. Panelists will share their individual experiences regarding the cultural factors that affected the legal status of women. The moderated panel will be followed by an audience question and answer session. CEDAR FALLS Out of hundreds of AmeriCorps programs across the country, the University of Northern Iowas Green Iowa AmeriCorps program, housed within the Center for Energy and Environmental Education, has been named outstanding service program of the year. What our AmeriCorps program has been able to do is amazing, Kamyar Enshayan, the director of CEEE, said. Its very rewarding to see theyve been so impactful in the Cedar Valley and all around the state. We started with two locations Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids but now there are 25 sites with host partner organizations throughout Iowa. The mission of Green Iowa AmeriCorps is to empower school districts, communities, and Iowans to engage in environmental stewardship through direct service, education, outreach, and volunteer engagement. The program started in 2009 as a response to the floods of 2008 in hopes that impacted communities could rebuild in an environmentally friendly manner. Since then, it has grown to the largest environmental AmeriCorps in the state of Iowa. So many people want to get involved but dont know how, and AmeriCorps is such a great way to take that first step, said Ashley Coffin, the Green Iowa AmeriCorps program director. While energy efficiency work is at the core of what it does, Green Iowa is always looking for other ways to be of service. Recently, the program received a $50,000 grant from the Wright Foundation to do a large-scale tree-planting project. AmeriCorps members have the option of signing up for 11 months of service or three months of service in the summer. Members who sign up for 11 months commit to 1,200 or 1,700 hours of service, while summer members commit to 300. Year-round Green Iowa has more than 100 members involved in its projects who are hosted by various organizations throughout Iowa, such as community colleges, school districts or nonprofits. Through the experience, they get an education stipend, benefits and workforce experience. Since Green Iowa first opened its doors, more than 1,000 members have signed up to serve their communities. In the last couple of years, 75 UNI students and alumni have become Green Iowa members. They come from a variety of programs, from geography and environmental science to education and the arts. All the AmeriCorps programs in Iowa are overseen by a state commission. The AmeriCorps programs in each state follow this same model, and all the state commissions are overseen by Americas Service Commissions. 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. You may start sleeping with the lights on after diving into this stack of 10 frightening books some of the scariest reads around including a 17th-century classic on witches, two true stories about elusive serial killers, and a Stephen King novel featuring vengeful creatures returning from the dead. Perfect for spooky season! The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959) Penguin Random House Jackson breathes life into the architectural lead character Hill House a rambling haunted mansion that terrorizes three naive folks brought together by a researcher of the supernatural. Locked in each night by a couple of creepy caretakers, the guests are subjected to increasingly disturbing phenomena as the house reveals the evil at its heart. Lonely, single Eleanor is particularly vulnerable to the tricks, and treats, contained in the halls or are the horrors just part of her active imagination? The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (2003) Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are planning a Hulu series based on this book (a finalist for a 2003 National Book Award), so now is the time to pick up this Gilded Age story of true-crime and architecture. Larson uncovers the mythic personalities behind the creation of the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition (the White City), and the trials of erecting 200 temporary buildings for a crowd of 27 million people in Chicago. In the shadows lurked killer and con man H.H. Holmes, a devilish villain who had his own ambitious agenda for the fairgoers at his custom-designed Murder Castle. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (2010) Grand Central Publishing This not-quite-historically-accurate historical novel exposes the little-known side-hustle of the 16th U.S. president: vampire hunter. Grahame-Smith (who also penned Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) interprets a set of Lincolns secret diaries, recounting his quest to avenge his mothers death after she was killed in a savage vampire attack at their log cabin. One by one, Lincoln hunts down and slaughters the vampires with his trusty ax. All roads lead to war when he discovers that their taste for blood (and unquenchable thirst for wealth) is tied up with the goals of the Confederacy. RVT IPO Offer Open Perth, Oct 24, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) advises that the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of new shares in Richmond Vanadium Technology Limited (RVT) is now open. Further details are set out in the attached media announcement prepared by RVT. The offers of securities in connection with the IPO are made in a prospectus dated 14 October 2022, as supplemented by a supplementary prospectus dated 21 October 2022, each prepared by RVT (together, the Prospectus). The Prospectus is available at www.richmondvanadium.com.au and should be considered in full in deciding whether to acquire securities under the IPO. Persons who wish to acquire securities under the IPO will need to complete the application form attached to or accompanying the Prospectus. KEY HIGHLIGHTS - IPO to raise between $25 million and $35 million opened on 24 October 2022 - Funds raised will primarily be used for the Bankable Feasibility Study at the Company's wholly owned Richmond Vanadium Project in North Queensland - Richmond Vanadium Project contains a world-class clean green focused vanadium deposit which hosts a Mineral Resource of 1.8Bt @ 0.36% for 6.7Mt V2O5 and Ore Reserve of 459Mt @ 0.49% for 2.25Mt V2O5 (compliant with the JORC 2012 Code) - Key attributes of Richmond Vanadium Project include: o Large scalable project o Fully oxidized free-dig resource o Lower carbon footprint than other vanadium deposits due to easy mining and processing o Tested metallurgy with proven technology (completed process flowsheet) o Stable mining jurisdiction with access to infrastructure o Co-ordinated project status awarded by Queensland Government o Vanadium listed by Australian and US Governments as a Critical Mineral o Aligned with Australian Vanadium Redox Flow Battery manufacturer - Bell Potter appointed as Lead Manager to the IPO - Subject to any variation to the proposed timetable, the priority offer to eligible Horizon Minerals ( ASX:HRZ ) Shareholders is expected to close on 7 November 2022 and the balance of the IPO is expected to close on 14 November 2022 Richmond Vanadium Technology Ltd (proposed ASX code: RVT, "Richmond Vanadium Technology" or the "Company") is pleased to advise that its Initial Public Offering (IPO) to raise up to $35 million is now open. The Company is offering a minimum of 62,500,000 fully paid ordinary Shares and a maximum of 87,500,000 Shares at an issue price of $0.40 per Share to raise between $25,000,000 and $35,000,000. The Offer includes a priority offer to Eligible Horizon Minerals Shareholders of up to 25% of the Shares offered under the Prospectus at an issue price of $0.40 and also includes a Broker Firm Offer. Following closure of the Offer, the Company aims to list on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) at the end of November 2022 under the proposed ASX code: RVT. The funds of the IPO will primarily be used to deliver the Bankable Feasibility Study for the Richmond Vanadium Project, in addition to ongoing operating costs; investment in Ultra Power Systems Pty Ltd (UPS), general administration and working capital. Richmond Vanadium Technology is an Australian minerals exploration company focused on advancing its Richmond Vanadium Project in North Queensland. The Company owns 100% of the Richmond Vanadium Project following Horizon Minerals Ltd ( ASX:HRZ ) completing a restructure of its 25% interest in the Project. The Richmond Vanadium Project is one of the largest undeveloped oxide vanadium resources in the world with a Mineral Resource (JORC 2012) of 1.8Bt @ 0.36% for 6.7Mt V2O5. The Queensland Government declared the Richmond Vanadium Project to be a Coordinated Project in May 2022. Richmond Vanadium Technology has completed a Pre-Feasibility Study at the 1.8Bt Richmond Vanadium Project, which demonstrated a technically viable and financially attractive development project. The Project has a completed process flowsheet using conventional techniques with a provisional patent application lodged with IP Australia covering the method for the concentration of vanadium. Vanadium is listed by the Australian and US Governments as a 'Critical Mineral' and presently, China, Brazil, Russia and South Africa account for the majority of worldwide production. China holds around 42% of the world's reserves, but produces around 62% of vanadium, while Australia holds 18% of the world's reserves but currently does not produce vanadium. Vanadium is used in many industries and applications with remarkable characterises which make things stronger, lighter, more efficient and more powerful. Most vanadium consumption (up to 92%) is ferrovanadium (a mixture of iron and vanadium) which is used to significantly increase the strength and hardness of steel. Vanadium is poised to play a pivotal role in the commercialisation of renewable energy with the vanadium-based battery, the Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB), regarded as one of the leading energy storage systems. Vanadium consumption for VRFB's is forecast to grow at an average 20.7% a year over 2020 to 2029. With demand for renewable energy technology growing at a record pace, the demand for utility scale energy storage is crucial and VRFBs store large amounts of energy at a ready state for long periods of time, and rapidly release that energy as required. The Company's planned investment (up to $5m) into and partnership with UPS, an Australian manufacturer of VRFBs, places Richmond Vanadium at the cutting edge of the renewables revolution. The Prospectus should be referred to in full and is available at ww.richmondvanadium.com.au. The priority offer is expected to close on 7 November 2022 and the balance of the IPO is expected to close on 14 November 2022. The Company expects ASX trading of RVT shares to commence late November 2022. Bell Potter is the Lead Manager to the IPO. Richmond Vanadium Managing Director, Dr Shaun Ren said, "We are delighted to open our Initial Public Offering on 24 October 2022 after lodgement of a Prospectus for the IPO. Our Richmond Vanadium Project in Queensland represents an outstanding opportunity for investors to be part of as we move this exciting prospect into its Bankable Feasibility Study phase. Our highly experienced and energised team at Richmond Vanadium Technology looks forward to progressing the Project into this key stage of development and beyond. "Vanadium is emerging as one of the most important critical minerals that will enable the global energy transition being the key ingredient in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries. With more investors targeting opportunities with this future in mind, we are confident that Richmond Vanadium Technology has strong potential to deliver shareholder value while putting the vanadium sector on the map in Australia." *To view additional information, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/OUA2D36Z About Horizon Minerals Limited Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed. Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline. Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage. BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Ruling party leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Vietnam, Laos and Cuba on Sunday respectively sent congratulations to Xi Jinping on his election as general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, said the 20th CPC National Congress is of epoch-making milestone significance for the Chinese party and people to unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core, and to promote the historic process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation under the banner of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Kim said he firmly believes that under Xi's leadership, the CPC and the Chinese people will uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and achieve glorious victory in the new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects. He said he would like to work with Xi to lead DPRK-China relations to a better future, and vigorously promote the development of the great cause of socialism of the two countries. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong said that aiming at China's long-term development and the successful realization of the Second Centenary Goal, the 20th CPC National Congress has formulated a series of important strategic plans, goals and tasks, as well as promoted the continuous improvement and innovative development of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He believes that under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core and under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the whole Party and the people of the whole country will surely complete the goals put forward by the 20th CPC National Congress, basically realize socialist modernization at an early date and build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful. Vietnam cherishes and highly values Xi's sincere concern and great contribution to Vietnam-China relations for the benefit of the people of the two countries, he added. In his message, Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee, said since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core has united and led the Chinese people, continuously making new accomplishments and create new glories in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The major ideas and propositions put forward by Xi, Thongloun said, such as the building of a human community with a shared future, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative, have been widely recognized and supported by the international community, and these proposals have made and will continue to make positive contributions to world peace and development. Thongloun said he is ready to work with Xi to further strengthen strategic communication, jointly lead and promote the in-depth development of Laos-China relations in the new era and the building of a community with a shared future for them to bear fruits, so as to bring more benefits to the two countries and their people, and jointly advance the great cause of socialism. In his congratulations to Xi, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said it is believed that under Xi's leadership, the CPC and the Chinese people will surely continue to make new achievements in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era. Xi has led the CPC Central Committee in making theoretical and practical contributions to socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era, marking a milestone in the adaption of Marxism to Chinese context and the times, he said. China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades and good brothers, Diaz-Canel said, noting that political mutual trust, friendly cooperation and closeness are the distinctive features of the relations between the two countries. The relations between the two parties, two countries and the people in Cuba and China are exemplary, he added. He reiterated that he stands ready to work with Xi to unswervingly continue strengthening the political guidance of the above-mentioned relations for their expansion and improvement, so as to promote the sustainable development of the two countries and the well-being of the their people, and help make the socialism process of the world irreversible and full of vigor. BANGKOK, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- In Thailand's northeastern Chaiyaphum province, about 300 km from Bangkok, several 120-meter-high wind turbines tower over picturesque hills while delivering clean energy into the local grid day and night. The Chaiyaphum wind farm hosts 32 of China's Goldwind wind turbines with a total capacity of 80 MW and is operated by EGCO, a major energy producer affiliated to the largest state utility Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. As one of the regions with the richest wind resources in Thailand, Chaiyaphum province offers great conditions for wind power investments and has drawn some of the world's leading wind turbine makers such as Vestas, Siemens Gamesa and GE. Although Goldwind's local market share is small, the company has earned a good reputation due to the quality of customized wind turbines, Wang Chunsheng, Goldwind Thailand service manager, told Xinhua. "Specifically designed for low and medium wind speeds that are common in Thailand, our flexible wind towers improve energy utilization while maximizing operation time during grid fluctuations," Wang said. Since the wind farm started operations in 2016, there hasn't been a single safety incident, and operation reliability has been high, he added. Now, it seems the company has an opportunity to play a more respectable role in Thailand, a nation that has long faced the challenges of increasing energy demand and insufficient local supplies. The Thai government has proposed to increase the proportion of renewable energy in total energy consumption to 30 percent by 2036. For wind power alone, Thailand plans to double the current capacities by the end of 2030. Based on this roadmap, EGCO has already considered further cooperation with its Chinese partner. "Goldwind has proven itself to be a reliable strategic partner in the clean energy sector with state-of-the-art technology and reliable products," said Chaiwut Saengpredekorn, general manager of EGCO's Power Plant Business 3. Goldwind is an example of Chinese companies that have been active in Thailand's renewable energy market. The well-known Sino-Thai cooperation projects also include the hydro-floating solar hybrid project at the Sirindhorn Dam, which launched its commercial operation late last year. In addition, Chinese carmakers like SAIC, Great Wall Motor and BYD have successively set up factories in Thailand, becoming strong competitors in the country's electric vehicle market. These activities exemplify how Chinese companies become important puzzle pieces in Thailand's green energy transformations. Speaking highly of Chinese technology, Chaiwut said that he believes that Chinese companies are valuable partners and offer competitive products to European and U.S. equivalents. Produced by Xinhua Global Service BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of political parties, governments and heads of state worldwide have sent congratulations to Xi Jinping on his election as general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Head of the Fatah party and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he wishes Xi continuous success in fulfilling his noble missions and tasks, leading the CPC and Chinese people to achieve their goals and enjoy a peaceful, stable and prosperous life. Leader of the United Democratic Alliance party and Kenyan President William Ruto said on behalf of the Kenyan people and in his own name, he would like to warmly congratulate Xi on the election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Xi's people-centered and dedicated leadership have set an example, Ruto said, adding that Kenya looks forward to working with China to build a vibrant Africa-China community with a shared future. Xi's election demonstrates the firm confidence and absolute trust of the Chinese people in his wise leadership, said Emmerson Mnangagwa, first secretary of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, and Zimbabwean president. The Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era proposed by Xi has greatly encouraged developing countries to creatively explore development paths suited to their national conditions, he said, adding that he firmly believes that under Xi's leadership, the Chinese people will surely build China into a great modern socialist country. The 20th CPC National Congress is of great significance not only to China but also to the whole world, said Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the Serbian Progressive Party, also Serbian president. Noting that he believes that Xi will lead China to new achievements on the development path ahead, Vucic said Serbia looks forward to stronger friendly cooperation with China. Czech President Milos Zeman congratulated Xi on his election, saying it is believed that under Xi's leadership, China will continue prospering, and cooperation between the two countries in various fields will bear new fruits. President of Vanuatu Nikenike Vurobaravu said he firmly believes that under Xi's leadership, the CPC will continue to unite and lead the Chinese people to greater development achievements, and play a more important role in the international community. Vurobaravu said he is looking forward to working with Xi to build a closer comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Dinesh Gunawardena, leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and prime minister of Sri Lanka, said he firmly believes that under the strong leadership of Xi, China will achieve greater progress, and the friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and China will be further deepened. A new study from Juniper Research has found that operatorbilled 5G service revenue will reach $315 billion in 2023; rising from $195 billion in 2022. This represents growth of over 60% in a single year. The research predicts this increase in revenue will be driven by the accelerating migration of cellular subscriptions to 5G networks; owing to operator strategies that minimise or remove any premium over existing 4G subscription offerings. It forecasts that over 600 million new 5G subscriptions will be created next year, despite the anticipated economic downturn in 2023. 5G Service Revenue to Represent 80% of Global Operator Revenue by 2027 The report predicts that the growth of 5G networks will continue, and over 80% of global operatorbilled revenue will be attributable to 5G connections by 2027. The telecommunications industry demonstrated its robustness against the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the report projects that the growth of 5G will also be resilient against this economic downturn; owing to the vital importance of mobile Internet connectivity today. Research co-author Olivia Williams noted: Despite the growth of the Internet of Things, revenue from consumer connections will continue to be the cornerstone of 5G operator revenue increase. Over 95% of global 5G connections in 2027 will be connected personal devices such as smartphones, tablets and mobile broadband routers. Private Networks Represent a Key Opportunity for Operators In addition, the report predicts that the ability of standalone 5G networks to offer network slicing will act as the ideal platform for the growth of 5G private network revenue. Standalone 5G uses nextgeneration core networks supporting network slicing technology, which can be used to take a slice of public 5G infrastructure and provide it to private network users. In turn, this helps mitigate the cost of private 5G network hardware and increase its overall value proposition, all against a background of deteriorating macro-economic conditions. During Diwali last year, Cadbury had come up with a unique campaign, called Not Just A Cadbury Ad, which allowed local store owners in India to promote their shops free of cost. The campaign made use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which allowed the shop owners to create their own custom ads by recreating Shah Rukh Khans face and voice to promote their business. The idea was to extend a helping hand to the pandemic-ravaged local shop owners. Prior to that, the chocolate brand had used Hrithik Roshan in an AI-assisted campaign, which delivered personalised voice messaging. How far will advertisers and marketers use this technology in their marketing and advertising campaigns? Will we get to see the widespread application of tools like AI and machine learning in marketing campaigns in the times ahead? Adgully reached out to subject experts to understand this and much more. Experts are unanimous in their view that the AI can be a great tool at the hands of marketers. According to Ernest Lupinacci, Brand Strategist at Atlas Earth, both the Cadbury videos are fantastic examples how AI technology can be used to create branded content, specifically because the technology wasnt the concept; it was merely the best means of executing the concept. Just as with any technology, adoption will be slow, then rapid, and eventually the use will be extensive but most of the use cases will probably be concept-like and technique heavy. And again, thats true of all technology especially in our industry. And thats why the Cadbury work is so admirable; while were only on the cusp of understanding what we can do with AI; these films have already established a deft, intelligent, enviable benchmark, Lupinacci remarked. Artificial intelligence is known to drive enormous change, particularly in the marketing domain, as compared to other areas of business operations, observes Madhusmita Panda, Chief Marketing Officer, KredX. According to her, most ad formats havent changed for years and many researchers predict that consumers are skeptical about advertising, and a lack of trust leads to underperforming campaigns and decreased ad spending. However, she adds, given the development of new-age technologies, synthetic ads provide an opportunity to create new forms of advertising and some businesses are already experimenting with this new form of advertisement. Unlike traditional advertisements, synthetic ads are both time- and cost-effective, she says. Instead of creating an expensive video for each campaign, advertisers can use technology to create their content and personalise it with the help of synthetic additions or elements. This allows cutting down costs for additional resources and multiple locations, thus saving time and cost. These ads are the future that is already here. With so much content everywhere, many companies are struggling to find new ways to capture attention. And the answer lies in hyper-personalisation and innovative technologies that put the consumer at the center of campaigns. AI and ML can help jazz up advertising by bringing new ad forms to life and democratizing ad creation. Synthetic media can be the key to new content creation that allows for a direct connection with customers across different platforms and locations, Panda adds. She is certain that this is just the beginning, and in the coming years, brands will increasingly invest in this form of advertisement, which allows one to personalise content their way along with being time- and cost-effective. With AI being implemented by businesses across domains, the marketing and advertising industry has also embraced it to make campaigns hyper-personalised and relatable to their target audience, notes Surbhi Agarwal, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, Yellow.ai. We have seen that AI-assisted videos are fast becoming a highly viable option for brands to enhance customer experience, deliver personalised sales and marketing campaigns, boost overall engagement, and last-mile conversions. More than anything, it also helps to increase brand awareness and recall in today's highly cluttered market. And that is not just the only way the A&M industry is leveraging AI, she adds. Widespread industry use? Can we expect to see the widespread usage of AI in the fields of marketing and advertising in the times ahead? Will we see AI-generated ads as a cheap alternative to real ads? According to Agarwal, the industry leverages AI in the following areas: AI-powered conversational ads: With hyper-personalisation becoming the order of the day, we are seeing businesses demand for conversational AI-powered solutions that help companies understand their customers better, deliver targeted campaigns, and capture leads on chat interfaces across social media, websites, voice, and more channels. Through conversational marketing, AI is being integrated across the customers end-to-end buyer journey, delivering customisation at scale. The Yellow.ai platform helps companies transform their ad campaigns to deliver truly integrated and personalised ad experiences. For instance, it helps businesses reach their consumers by using their customer conversations across digital ads, offline stores, apps, websites, social media, and more. It enables consumers to browse products, receive discounts, place orders, make payments, and connect with customer care partners from a single interface. Conversational Commerce: Not only that, brands are also capitalising on conversational commerce through messaging channels such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook messenger, to name a few. They are using these channels to deliver Dynamic AI agent-initiated conversations that proactively engage with customers through promotions, campaigns, back-in-stock notifications, abandoned cart reminders, etc. For instance, if its a customers birthday month, an airline brand can send a message to them, initiated by an AI agent, with a special discount on flight tariffs. Automation via voice AI agents: Conversational AI-powered voice automation is helping brands deploy branded voice AI agents to establish their distinct personalities while interacting with customers. For example, brands can choose specific voices and languages for their voice AI agents. They can choose between dialects of the same language or a male or female natural human voice in the chosen language. A successful example of this is Yellow.ais work with Edelweiss General Insurance, where the voice AI agent for automated motor claim registration can not only interact with garage representatives in Hindi and English, but also in Hinglish to cater to their customer base and offer a hyper-personalised experience. Essentially, points out Agarwal, the fact is that the Indian A&M sector has begun to use AI to improve the effectiveness of advertisements for brands. Other significant uses of AI in the market include the use of digital avatars; deploying AI to offer more individualised variations of the same commercials to various consumers; and targeting consumers with adverts based on insights produced by AI tools. And this is only the start. AI is certainly a huge enabler, and in the upcoming years, its use across this industry will increase substantially, she says. Advertisements are a front-runner in marketing as they play a vital role in improving the sales of products, points out Madhusmita Panda. However, she adds, advertisements can be expensive. Starting from choosing models to picking a shooting location and affording to the cameramen, and machinery used for the process, advertisements come with a huge sum of money spent. Adapting to the reality of the pandemic and lockdown limitations, many brands have been re-evaluating how labour-intensive and expensive the advertising process is. Synthetic ads can make advertising much easier, and make production less time-, resource- and money-intensive. Instead of creating an expensive video for each campaign, advertisers can use technology to create their content and personalise it with the help of synthetic additions or components, she explains. AI has seeped into our digital lives through graphic designing, content writing, video making, and interactive video space as well, says Himani Agrawal, Senior Vice President - Product & Analytics, Hypothesis. As brands seek more return on investment from their advertising efforts, they are turning to AI and analytical processes to get a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour. This, in turn, helps them to improve their personalisation strategies. With the help of AI and ML, we can process massive data and create personalised messaging that resonates precisely with its TA. Cutting time, and effort and speeding up the process of production due to its ability to conduct dynamic analysis and machine learning gives marketers quick output as compared to the traditional method of manually putting data into excel and then calculating it accordingly. Himani Agrawal further adds, Due to its dynamic deep learning system, it can continuously be fed information and improved/ tweaked. This broadens the opportunity for marketers, media houses and technology partners to come together and create an ecosystem. This evolving system will soon and in fact, already turned into a well-oiled machine to pick up and analyse various consumer behaviour patterns, hence, becoming a storehouse of valuable data and insights, that could be further used to improve future marketing strategies. Due to its heavy investment in initial campaign-building stages, many marketers might not be quick to jump on the bandwagon, but seeing the huge ROI that it brings, marketers are eager to lean towards it. Using technologies, including AI, machine learning, and deep learning algorithms, marketers can seamlessly gather, analyse, and integrate key data into their strategies, refine their audience targeting and craft personalised messages to customers at every stage of the marketing funnel, explains Himani Agrawal. With the inclusion of AI in advertising, marketers can auto-match their ads to relevant audience based on their demographics, behaviour and interest. Using AI for creating dynamic ads to deliver targeted ads to people based on the content their behavior on the website and the actions they took. Today we have AI-powered platforms like Hypothesis, which helps marketers optimise their campaigns ROI in real-time by sharing insights on campaign attributes. With all these benefits and accessibility to AI-infused platforms, AI-generated ads are gaining popularity amongst the marketers and advertisers, says Agrawal. AI in marketing is not a thing of the future; its already being used extensively today, says Shajesh Menon, CEO and Founder Younion. From making user experiences more interactive, intuitive and responsive, conversational AI can be used to collect data sets, gauge intent, analyse patterns and optimize funnel conversion. According to him, the use cases are plenty, such as nimble chatbots that save time and money, personalised marketing campaigns that are based on user/ persona behaviour, social listening, surveys, appointment scheduling, etc. Were living in a cyclical world where were trying to augment human intelligence with AI and humanise AI on the other end of the spectrum. Experts are of the opinion that we can expect to see the widespread usage of AI in the fields of marketing and advertising in the times ahead. AI has certainly penetrated deep into this industry already, and the valuation of AI in marketing is poised to reach $48.8 billion by 2030, informs Surbhi Agarwal. According to her, AI-powered conversational ads have become the brand new way of attracting hyper-targeted segments. It is offering marketers and advertisers a robust way to engage prospects, gather essential new data, shorten sales cycles, and drive higher conversion rates than anyone else before, offering convenience for marketers and customers through hands-free channels such as voice. The use of AI in advertising helps businesses categorise their audience and target ads according to preferences based on various demographic and behavioural data points. From conversational display banner ads to conversational landing pages, consumers can have two-way contextual conversation within the advertisement and create interactivity, resulting in a better experience. Also, they dont have to switch apps, helping reduce drop-offs. Businesses can take advantage of AI by taking offline buyers to an online catalogue with QR code scans, providing a seamless experience and increasing engagement as well as brand awareness, she adds. Surbhi Agarwal says that Yellow.ais conversational AI platform allows brands to create hyper-personalised campaigns across social and traditional channels to foster engagement, including point-of-sale from in-store to mobile, sales, referral, social, and even support. With AI-powered digital advertising solutions, marketers and advertisers can fix leaky funnels so as to drastically decrease drop-offs, increase lead generation, and attract more quality leads without having to invest heavily in their campaigns. Not only is this a more cost-effective solution, but it also contributes to increased sales through intelligent cross-sell and up-sell. For instance, our Dynamic AI agents analyse customer behaviours and past interactions to provide personalised experiences and proactive suggestions to prospects at the time when it matters the most. In fact, at Yellow.ai, we have seen up to a 500 percent increase in qualified leads through our Conversational AI-powered ads, as well as a 9x increase in conversion. (Tomorrow Part 2: AI-generated ads as cheap alternatives, as well as the ethical challenges.) This photo taken on June 20, 2022 shows some fresh coconuts displayed at a restaurant in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhao Huan) NANNING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- As a coconut lover, Zhuang Yong buys coconuts imported from Thailand in various ways, including daily shopping, online purchase, and exhibition sales. "The taste of coconut is fresh and sweet," said Zhuang, a citizen in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In recent years, coconuts from Southeast Asian countries have rapidly gained popularity in China and are widely used in food and drink, such as cakes, coffee, and even hotpots. Various coconut products have enriched the taste buds of Chinese consumers while offering new opportunities for companies. In the cold storage of a fruit wholesale market in Nanning, coconuts from Thailand were neatly lined up, which would soon go to restaurants, beverage stores, supermarkets, and consumers all over the country. "In Thailand, after being picked, the coconuts are sorted and packaged by local factories and then shipped to China," Mo Jiaming, deputy manager of a trading company in Guangxi, said. Mo added that they had visited Thailand many times and had already signed cooperation agreements with Thai factories to ensure coconut supply. The livestreaming on Chinese e-commerce platforms has become an important method for fruit merchants to expand sales channels. The online sales of coconuts from Southeast Asia are booming. "In the past, we needed to drill a hole in the coconut with a knife to drink fresh coconut water, which was laborious and dangerous. Now, with the easy-opening tool fixed on the coconut, drinking coconut water has become more convenient," Mo said. Besides drinking fresh coconut water, the hotpot cooked with coconut water and chicken is popular among consumers in China. "I usually have coconut chicken hotpot with my family and friends every month. If not, I will miss it." Lu Shuai, a citizen in Nanning, said that the ingredients in the hotpot are fresh. Under the concept of consumption upgrading and healthy dining, coconut chicken hotpot perfectly meets the needs of consumers. At the same time, a series of coconut products like coconut milk, coconut jelly, and coconut ice cream also cater to consumers' various demands. With the rising popularity of fresh coconuts and the increasing variety of coconut products, the demand for Southeast Asian coconuts in China continues to expand. Mo said that the company's total imports of coconuts from Thailand are expected to exceed 28,000 containers this year, and the average annual growth rate reached about 10 percent in recent years. He believed that in the future, the total amount of coconut imports would continue to increase. According to statistics from China Customs, from January to July this year, China imported 566,000 tonnes of coconuts, an increase of 35.3 percent compared with 418,000 tonnes in the same period last year. From the perspective of importing countries, coconuts imported to China during the first seven months this year were mainly from Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, accounting for 48.6 percent, 32.5 percent, and 18.4 percent, respectively. Thanks to the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (a trade and logistics passage), and the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), regional transportation has improved, and regional logistics have continued to run smoothly. Many logistics options are available for fruit transportation from ASEAN countries to China, including road and rail, as well as sea and air transportation, and multimodal transportation can also be customized according to different demands. Wanlada Ratanapanich, the commercial consul of the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Nanning, said that Thai coconuts rank high in the total amount of imported Thai fruits to China. China's consumer market is large and in high demand, with broad prospects for the future. Thai companies must focus on the continuous optimization and diversification of Thai coconut products and take advantage of livestreaming, Chinese festivals, Thailand shopping carnivals, and other promotional activities to attract consumers' attention. This photo taken on June 20, 2022 shows some food made with coconuts from Thailand displayed at a shop in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhao Huan) This photo taken on June 20, 2022 shows a coconut and chicken hotpot served at a restaurant in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhao Huan) The BBC, as part of its commitment to expanding its world-leading digital news offering in North America, has appointed two new leaders to senior roles based in the United States. Jen Brown joins as SVP of Programming and Content Strategy, Global Digital News & Streaming. She will be responsible for defining the wider content strategy for the BBCs news and factual digital platforms outside of the UK. Brown will be based in New York, reporting directly to Jennie Baird, EVP & Managing Director, Global Digital News and Streaming. Saeed Ahmed joins as Head of Digital Journalism, U.S. for BBC News, overseeing the companys digital news content aimed at U.S. audiences. Ahmed will be based in Washington DC and report to Stuart Millar, Digital Executive News Editor. The two newly created roles will work with teams across the organization to enhance the BBCs presence in the United States as the company doubles down to meet the increasing demand for its news content in the region. Naja Nielsen, Digital Director for BBC News, said, The U.S. is a highly innovative and exciting market for digital journalism in text, video and audio. Our multimedia offer is already now used by 50 million consumers weekly, and we know we are more trusted than any other news brand in the US. In a highly polarized time we believe we have a very compelling and strong offer and that many more Americans would love to know and consume our journalism, known for being impartial, accurate and transparent, always in the pursuit of truth, reporting without fear or favour. I know Jen Brown and Saeed Ahmed are just the team to spearhead and deliver the growth of BBC News in the U.S. Brown is a 16-year veteran of NBCUniversal, where she most recently helped launch its streaming service, Peacock. As Senior Vice President of Program Planning and Content Partnerships, Brown led planning across originals, acquisitions, topical content and FAST channels. She won an Emmy for Peacocks coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Previously, Brown served as SVP, Strategic Initiatives, at NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises, a team tasked with accelerating digital growth across the company and overseeing NBCUs digital investments. Brown spent over 10 years at NBC News, where she developed programming that reached new audiences and expanded commercial opportunities. Jens impressive career, including tenures at NBCUniversal and Peacock, has made her adept at bridging the gap between the editorial and business side of digital news, said Baird. Her passion lies in building effective cross-functional teams and leading them to successfully reach consumers on new platforms and drive revenue, making her a critical addition to our growing team as BBC Studios continues to expand our worldwide digital news footprint outside of the UK. Ahmed joins the BBC from NPR, where he most recently served as Director of Digital News, overseeing the organizations digital presence across its website, social, streaming platforms, newsletters and smart speakers. Prior to that, he was the Assistant Managing Editor at CNN Digital. His work has won numerous awards including an Emmy, Webbys and a Peabody. Ahmed was born in Bangladesh, raised in the Middle East and attended Morehouse College in Atlanta. Nielsen added, Having built his career in tangent with the evolution and proliferation of digital news, Saeed has consistently pioneered new ways of engaging audiences and bringing stories to life across a range of digital platforms. His aptitude for understanding what people want and developing compelling formats to address their needs makes him the ideal person to drive forward our digital journalism strategy in the U.S. Earlier this year, BBC News announced plans to double its digital journalism team in North America to further enhance the BBCs ability to cover major breaking stories and provide more in-depth analysis from the region. BBC News, which reaches 50 million consumers weekly in the U.S., is regarded as the most trusted global news brand in the country, ahead of all major US news brands, according to the 2022 Reuters Institute Digital News Report. The ranking is a testament to BBC News commitment to its mission of helping people understand the world around them, make informed choices and take an active part in society and democracy. Ipsos, one of the worlds largest research companies, today announced the appointment of long-time Ipsos global executive Hamish Munro as its new APAC CEO, and current South-East Asia CEO, Suresh Ramalingam, as its new Chief Client Officer for the APAC region. Munro moves into his new remit after three years as Ipsos Global Head of Interactive Services. Since joining the company in 2013, Munro has also had stints as CEO of Australia and New Zealand (2013 2015), CEO of South-East Asia (2016 2017) and CEO of APAC Operations (2017 2019). Having worked and lived across Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Munro is set to bring broad international operational and research management experience to his new role, along with more than two decades of diverse market research and leadership. Munro will replace current Ipsos APEC CEO, Christophe Cambournac, who will move into a global role with the business. Ramalingam moves into his new role after four years as CEO for Ipsos South-East Asian markets. Prior to joining Ipsos, Ramalingam spent more than 20 years at Nielsen, working across its emerging markets in various leadership roles and the most recent one as Managing Director of Consumer Insights across LATAM, EMEA and South-East Asia, based in Dubai. In his new remit, Ramalingam will lead the client organization for Ipsos APAC region and will be based in Kuala Lumpur. Ipsos CEO, Ben Page said Munro and Ramalingam were set to bring a wealth of industry experience and corporate knowledge to their new roles. Hamish has been an integral part of the global Ipsos team since 2013, sharing his 25-plus years experience in market research, marketing, communications and account management roles, Page said. Hamish is an exceptional leader, with proven experience in managing large teams and complex businesses in competitive markets. He is well-known in the industry and across the business for his collaborative and decisive management style, with a focus on professional development. Hamish is also committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and will be an asset to our broad client base across the APEC region. Suresh has already shown his ability to grow and manage client relationships across South-East Asia, delivering on our long-term growth plans for the region. In his new role, Im confident that his client and people focused leadership style coupled with his extensive research and management experience will help in leading the client organization successfully in our APAC region. Commenting on his new role, Munro said: I am excited to collaborate with my colleagues across Asia Pacific and continue to build on our strong client partnerships, building and strengthening our talent and deploying many of our new services to help our clients grow. Ramalingam said: As the home of researchers, we have an amazing suite of research solutions and services led by experienced teams. Our strong client organization teams help drive engagement with our key clients in Asia Pacific collaborating across our services to provide the best possible research outcomes catering to their business needs. I am very excited to continue to focus on building client relationships across Asia Pacific. Both appointments are effective immediately. Choreographer Bosco Leslie Martis is all set to direct his own film! The big news is that "Rocket Gang" has become the first Indian film in history to go to ISRO and witness a real life Rocket Launch.This is a one of a kind event that kids would love to see and bring out the inner child in adults as well. The team will also be seen with Space Kidz India organization in Chennai. They educate unprivilaged kids about the space science and rockets. Rocket Gang stars the most talented child artists from a variety of popular dance reality shows. It showcases the different imaginations of adults and children because we all want to achieve something and kids are the purest souls who believe in their dreams. The kids will also be interacting with the Scientists in these organizations to know the how they do research in outer space. This a huge matter of pride and achievement for the team of the film. Bosco said "It's a great pride and honor for our film to witness rocket launch at ISRO. Our film Rocket Gang also follows the ISRO ideology of 'to never let go of your dreams'. Talking about the film Neeraj Joshi - Head of Marketing, Zee Studios said "It's a great opportunity for our film to be associated with ISRO. The support which we have recieved for the film in the past 3 months has been tremendous." Reel Rocket Gang will meet real Rocket Gang and the Scientists will inspire and have a conversation with kids who aspire to become space scientists. Rocket Gang hits theatres on November 11, 2022 and is the perfect treat for children's day which will also display how proud India is to be launching rockets into space. Former Minneapolis cop pleads guilty in death of George Floyd Xinhua) 09:55, October 25, 2022 Family members of African American man George Floyd gather to mourn on the second anniversary of police killing of him during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, May 25, 2022. (Photo by Ben Brewer/Xinhua) J. Alexander Kueng, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in manslaughter after prosecutors and Kueng's defense attorney agreed to recommend a sentence of 42 months in prison. WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A former police officer of Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota on Monday pleaded guilty in the death of African American man George Floyd. J. Alexander Kueng, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in manslaughter after prosecutors and Kueng's defense attorney agreed to recommend a sentence of 42 months in prison. Kueng is the second to plead guilty to the state charge, following his former colleague Thomas Lane, who pleaded guilty earlier this year. A third former officer, Tou Thao, previously rejected a plea deal and agreed on Monday to go forward with a trial by stipulated evidence on one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that Kueng's guilty plea "hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd's family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice." Community members and residents gather to mourn on the second anniversary of police killing of African American man George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, May 25, 2022. (Photo by Ben Brewer/Xinhua) Floyd, 46, died on May 25, 2020, after an encounter with Minneapolis police, during which officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Kueng, Lane, and Thao were also present and on duty. Chauvin was sentenced in a federal court to 21 years in prison earlier this summer for violating Floyd's civil rights. The sentence is running concurrently with Chauvin's state sentence of 22.5 years after he was convicted for second and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. Floyd's death sparked outrage and protests across the United States in the summer of 2020 against police brutality and systemic racism. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) SOFIA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- An European Union (EU) conference on tourism held here on Tuesday highlighted digital transformations in the rapidly changing industry. Titled "Conference on Digital Transformation in Tourism", the one-day event, organized by the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), brought together representatives from eight countries. At the first panel of the conference titled "Digitalization -- Best Practices Worldwide", participants discussed future tourism products of the Balkans and the Danube Region, the storytelling in the cultural heritage sector, and the trends in digital marketing and innovative technologies in hospitality. Ilin Dimitrov, Bulgaria's Minister of Tourism, said at the opening ceremony that the industry was obviously very important for the economies of Europe and the world, and that it was undergoing dynamic transformation and very serious changes. "Digitalization of tourism is an irreversible process of modernization of the sector," Dimitrov said. Bulgaria, in particular, would create an electronic guidebook that would bring together various elements of tourist services and products, such as cultural and wine routes, festivals, and natural and cultural landmarks, he said. The minister said that an increasing proportion of consumers used digital devices. Globally, 71 percent of tourism consumers purchased services through their phone, and 91 percent got information over the phone, Dimitrov said. EUSDR is a macro-regional strategy that seeks to create synergies and coordination between existing policies and initiatives taking place across the Danube Region. I have to wonder how George Zimmerman felt upon reading about the shooting death of Kansas City firefighter Anthony Santi, 41. Ten years ago, after getting his head pounded into the concrete for a minute or more, Zimmerman famously shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Although Martin attacked the much smaller Zimmerman without provocation, and eyewitness evidence supported Zimmerman's claims of self-defense, the media and the woke mobs frightened state prosecutors into charging Zimmerman with second-degree murder and ruining his life. Santi's shooter, by contrast, faces no consequences whatsoever, not even a review before a grand jury. According to the Kansas City Star, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, a liberal Democrat known for her racially sensitive leniency, "decided not to move forward with a second degree murder charge against the woman because it could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was acting outside of Missouri's self-defense law." The Star article compares the case to Zimmerman's and mistakenly argues that he was cleared on Florida's "Stand Your Ground." He wasn't. The Zimmerman case was pure self-defense. Unlike with Zimmerman, the local media did not rail against self-defense laws in the Santi shooting. This is curious in that just a few months before the shooting, the media were widely denouncing a pending Missouri Stand Your Ground bill as the "Make Murder Legal Act." Although admittedly not an attorney, I think a good case could be made that Santi's shooting involved neither self-defense nor stand your ground. I think an excellent case, however, could be made that the critical variables were the same as they were in the Zimmerman case: race and politics. Here's what happened. On the afternoon of October 6, 23-year-old Ja'Von Taylor started a ruckus in an Independence, Missouri, liquor store. (Independence borders Kansas City.) Upon being told the store did not have the kind of cigars he wanted, he cursed out a female clerk. When the clerk asked him to leave, Taylor acted up. Santi backed the clerk and asked him to leave as well. Taylor should never have been out on the streets. In March 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree robbery in Jackson County Circuit Court and was sentenced to ten years in prison. The judge granted him a suspended execution of sentence and placed him on probation. Seven months later, Taylor was out riding around with a loaded gun in his possession. After threatening Santi, surveillance video shows Taylor retreating to his SUV and retrieving a firearm with an extended magazine. A subsequent cell phone video clip shows Santi restraining the armed Taylor on the ground while Taylor violently struggles to break free. At one point, Taylor hands off the gun to the unnamed woman. While waving the gun around, she screams at Santi to get off Taylor while she pulls on his shirt and pounds on his back. Santi turns to her and says, "What are you doing?" "Get off," she yells. "I've got a kid in the car." According to bystanders, the struggle lasted as long as ten minutes. From the video, it seems clear that Santi is simply trying to restrain Taylor until the police arrive. He is not punching him or banging his head on the pavement. The video clip does not show the gun being fired, but the woman admittedly shot Santi in the back, killing him. After shooting Santi, she and Taylor took off in the SUV. While the police were processing the crime scene, the shooter returned and was taken into custody. Taylor was later arrested on federal gun charges. Under current Missouri law, a person may "use physical force upon another person when and to the extent he or she reasonably believes such force to be necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful force by such other person." This law justifies the shooting only if the force used by Santi against Taylor was "unlawful." It wasn't. Santi was the one standing his ground. He had no real choice. Had he let Taylor up, he had every reason to believe Taylor would have shot him. The Missouri law contains several caveats under the rubric "unless." The first of these is "unless the actor was the initial aggressor." In this case, Taylor was the initial aggressor. Unless Taylor faced "death" or "serious physical injury," the woman had no right to shoot Santi. As seen on the video, he made no apparent effort to kill Taylor or inflict serious physical injury although he was in position to do both. The prosecutor's decision not to press charges of any sort against the shooter is, I believe, a consciously racist misreading of the law. Although Taylor has been charged in federal court with one count of a felon in possession of a firearm, Baker could have charged him under state law with "exhibiting in the presence of one or more persons, any weapon readily capable of lethal use in an angry or threatening manner." The shooter saw her boyfriend take the gun and brandish it. She aided and abetted him in the commission of this apparent felony. Then, too, there is the universally applied felony murder doctrine: "Any death which occurs during the commission of a felony is first degree murder, and all participants in that felony or attempted felony can be charged with and found guilty of murder." Although the Missouri interpretation of this principle is complex, what is clear is that the underlying felony "need not be inherently dangerous." Missouri law did not lead Jean Peters Baker to decline filing charges or even sending the case to a grand jury. What surely inspired her was the race of the perp and the race of the victim. Santi was white. Taylor and the shooter were black. Predictably, local media all of them refused to mention the race of any of the principals. The media exercise this discretion, of course, only when it suits the larger political agenda. Consider, for instance, this Star headline from earlier in 2022: "ExKansas City officer sentenced in black man's killing." The local NPR station took the same tack: "Kansas City detective convicted in killing of Black man will remain free even after he's sentenced." The Associated Press added further clarification: "White Missouri officer convicted in Black man's 2019 death." The 2019 shooting followed a police pursuit of a vehicle involved in a high speed chase with another vehicle that ended in the garage of the vehicle involved. One officer fired at the suspect, Cameron Lamb, after he saw Lamb reach for a weapon. The case hinged on the fact that his partner did not see the gun, although a gun was found on the scene. The case went before a grand jury, which handed down an indictment for involuntary manslaughter. In the years between the shooting and the death, Cameron Lamb was publicly mourned, defended, even celebrated. Anthony Santi, a good Samaritan to the core, will be quickly forgotten save by friends and family. Ja'Von Taylor, meanwhile, will soon be back, wandering the streets, armed and dangerous. Such is justice in America's lawless Democrat-controlled jurisdictions. Jack Cashill is the author of If I Had A Son: Race, Guns, and the Railroading of George Zimmerman. To learn more, see www.cashill.com. Image: Tony Webster via Flickr, CC BY-SA 4.0. NAIROBI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- International medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on Tuesday warned that living conditions in Kenya's Dadaab refugee complex are worsening with a high risk of disease outbreaks. Adrian Guadarrama, MSF's deputy program manager for Kenya, called on the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and Kenyan authorities to ramp up humanitarian support and urgently launch vaccination campaigns. The camps, home to more than 233,000 refugees, have seen thousands of people arrive since January, with hundreds more arriving every week. "Even a few isolated cases of measles and cholera can cause a full-blown outbreak in overcrowded camp settings, where clean drinking water is scarce and sanitation and hygiene are poor," Guadarrama said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. According to the charity, people from Somalia are escaping a severe drought, violence and continuing conflict. It said many of those arriving are coming from southern Somalia, where measles and cholera outbreaks have occurred recently. Previous measles vaccinations in the Dadaab camps will provide some protection to children but can still prove life-threatening for new arrivals who are unlikely to have been vaccinated, the charity said. Guadarrama said with low vaccination coverage in Somalia, and no system in place to receive and screen the newly arrived people in Kenya, infectious diseases can spread rapidly, putting people living in and around the camps, particularly children, at heightened risk of getting ill. "The humanitarian situation in the camps and surrounding communities has not yet reached breaking point, so we still have a window of opportunity to step up preventive action and avoid an emergency unfolding on top of what is already a long-running crisis," Guadarrama said. He said UNHCR, donors and the government of Kenya must all show a sense of urgency now by setting up a dignified reception and screening system for people crossing over to Kenya. Humanitarian assistance will also need to be scaled up to address the needs of new arrivals and long-time refugees and host communities, as they have also been suffering under the drought. While the definition of death is being fiercely debated in the medical literature, the public has been kept in the dark. Or is the public being intentionally misled? As bioethicist David Rodriguez-Arias writes, "[t]he history of death determination in the context of organ donation can be described as an indoctrinating attempt to settle a moral controversy." The definition of life as a body-soul union helps us when it comes to defining death. Most religions of the world have some form of this belief. It is different from the Renaissance view that we are our brains, brains who operate and direct their bodies like machines. Death occurs when the spirit departs from the body, causing the body to lose the complex integration of all its systems, leading to the disintegration of those systems. In biological terms, death is the loss of integration of the organism as a whole. At death, the body stops maintaining itself with heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, temperature control, digestion, and waste management and becomes a corpse. This definition of death prevailed until 1968, when the ad hoc committee of Harvard Medical School redefined death to include people in an "irreversible coma" as dead. They did this by decree; there were no new studies, tests, or evidence that comatose people were actually dead. The committee listed only pragmatic and utilitarian reasons for this new definition. Its chairman, Dr. Beecher, said not only that it is a waste of resources to keep the hopelessly unconscious patient on the ventilator, but also that society cannot "continue to condone the discard of [their] tissues and organs ... when they could be used to restore the hopelessly ill but otherwise salvageable individual." In 1981, the ad hoc committee's findings were signed into law as the Uniform Determination of Death Act. This act, known as the UDDA, allowed people with beating hearts to be declared legally dead and taken for organ-harvesting while still biologically alive. The current UDDA reads as follows: An individual who has sustained either (1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem, is dead. A determination of death must be made in accordance with accepted medical standards. Since the UDDA was passed into law, much debate has taken place as to whether the standards have been used to bypass the Dead Donor Rule, which states that organ donors cannot be killed to obtain their organs. Doctors Miller, Truog, and Brock wrote in the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: Nevertheless, scholars have argued cogently that donors of vital organs, including those diagnosed as 'brain dead' and those declared dead according to cardiopulmonary criteria, are not in fact dead at the time that vital organs are being procured[.] ... This leaves the current practice of organ donation based on the 'moral fiction' that donors are dead when vital organs are procured. "In response to a number of recent lawsuits related to brain death determination," the American Academy of Neurology has proposed a revision to the UDDA, the RUDDA. The revisions to the UDDA are not inconsequential. The first change would seek to replace the term irreversible in the standards with the term permanent. At first glance, this may not seem like much of a change, but the definitions make a difference. "Irreversible" is commonly held to mean "not capable of being reversed." The term permanent is being offered as meaning that "no attempt will be made to reverse the situation." So, because doctors are not going to attempt to correct the patient's problem, it now becomes "permanent." Dr. Ari Joffe clarifies this for us: "[i]s a drowning man dead because no one will swim out to save him? Or is he merely going to die?" The term "permanent" is being inserted to allow patients whose prognosis is death to be called dead. The second change would narrow down the definition of brain death from "the entire brain" to just selected functions of the brain stem that can easily be tested at the bedside. This change recognizes that current practice does not test all functions of the entire brain, since most people diagnosed as brain-dead still have a functioning hypothalamus, a part of the brain. Many also still have electrical activity on electroencephalogram (EEG), which is one of the reasons that EEG testing as a requirement for a brain death diagnosis was dropped in the 1970s. The third change would standardize the brainstem testing protocol. The current UDDA states only that "[a] determination of death must be made in accordance with accepted medical standards." Since the standard isn't defined, every medical center decides for itself which brainstem tests are performed. This has aided lawyers suing on behalf of patients declared as brain-dead by introducing doubt as to the validity of the brain death testing at one center compared to another. The fourth change would eliminate the necessity for obtaining consent prior to testing for brain death. The apnea test for brain death disconnects patients from their ventilator for 68 minutes to see if they will breathe independently. This test has absolutely no value for the brain-injured patient and can only cause harm to a patient not yet declared brain-dead. When the ventilator is disconnected, rising levels of carbon dioxide in the blood cause intracranial pressure to rise, further damaging the brain. It is like making a heart attack patient with chest pain run on a treadmill. The test can only make the patient worse and only serves the interests of the transplant industry. The Uniform Law Commission is currently studying these revisions to the UDDA and intends to report its conclusions by 2023. Clearly, the proposed revisions favor the interests of the transplant industry over the interests of patients and their families. So what is an ethical definition of death? A return to the biological definition would be a good place to start. An individual who has sustained irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions leading to loss of the integration of the organism as a whole is dead. This definition is consistent with the reality of biological death and sound ethical principles. I realize that returning to this definition will allow for living donation only of one of a paired set of organs, a lobe of lobular organs, or the donation of tissues from corpses. People often ask me, "But what about patients who need a heart transplant?" The tragedy of people dying in need of an organ transplant is heart-breaking. But so is the tragedy of living people being killed by organ-harvesting under the UDDA. I think that if we hadn't been pouring all our research and monetary efforts into treating people with unethical transplants, science likely would have come up with safe, ethical solutions to these problems by now. And often these transplants don't turn out to be a real solution anyway. According to the 2020 Milliman Report, transplant outcomes are worsening over time in the current unethical system, not improving. I maintain that for the current transplant system, the ends don't justify the means. Ethicist Dr. Michael Nair-Collins writes, "Appealing to the good consequences of organ transplantation in an attempt to justify the lack of transparency, if not outright obfuscation on which the transplantation enterprise rests, is not a very compelling argument." Dr. Allen Shewmon and 107 other experts in medicine, bioethics, philosophy, and law have agreed that whereas the UDDA needs to be revised, the RUDDA is not the way to do it. When there is so much controversy on this issue among academics, the public deserves to be informed before another standard is imposed upon them by force of law. It is urgent that the public be made aware of the current unethical definition of death as well as its proposed revisions. Besides not signing a donor card, and documenting your refusal to donate (a downloadable refusal card may be found here), you can also contact the Uniform Law Commission here with your concerns. One of the most helpful things you can do is continue to share this information. Tell new young drivers not to sign donor cards, help loved ones make ethical end-of-life decisions, and raise public awareness simply by talking with your friends. We all deserve an ethical definition of death. Dr. Heidi Klessig is a retired anesthesiologist and pain management specialist who writes and speaks about organ donation. Her work may be found at respectforhumanlife.com. Image via Needpix. If [destruction should] ever reach us we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a Nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide. --Abraham Lincoln, The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions (The Lyceum Address) Bill OReilly has reached a conclusion that has probably occurred to many people recently, namely that although Joe Biden always represented himself as a moderate regular guy with blue-collar sensibilities from Scranton, he fooled a lot of folks, including me. For, OReilly observes, Biden has recently been full of praise for extremists, saying that he agrees with everything Rep. Maxine Waters says, which includes, after the George Floyd killing, justifying violence and praising one of the biggest haters on television, Joy Behar. Although I certainly understand OReillys reasoning, I must disagree. My view is that the situation is far worse than he envisages. OReillys mistake is that he is attempting to understand Joe Biden as if he is a normal person pretty much like the rest of us. The reasoning goes like this: If an ordinary person like the rest of us were to do a sudden political about-face like Biden has done, it would probably be because he had been fooling people all along and is finally showing his true face. This is, however, a mistake. One must never forget that most politicians are not like ordinary people. Most of us are such that if we told a big public lie, for example, that we had finished in the top half our law school class when we had actually finished in bottom 11% of the class, or that we had been arrested protesting for civil rights with Nelson Mandela when we had not, or that Mitt Romney had not paid any taxes for the past decade when we knew he paid taxes, or that ones political opponent had colluded with Russia in order to steal the 2016 presidential election when we knew that is false, or say under oath that the southern border is secure when everybody knows it is not, we would, once we had been exposed, be ashamed and have difficulty showing our faces in public for a long time. Similarly, most of us would feel deeply ashamed if we enacted policies that led to 800+ deaths at the southern border ... and so on. In fact, many politicians feel no shame whatsoever when they are exposed for telling big lies or perpetrating destructive hoaxes or enacting deadly policies. The immediate reaction of most politicians when their enormous lies, hoaxes, and body-counts are exposed is to start plotting how to get away with it. That is, most politicians are concerned with securing their own wealth and power, in Joes case, being the Big Guy, truth never even being in the mix. My diagnosis of Joe Bidens sudden lurch to the far left is that Joe pretty much never believed in much at all. He said what he said and did what he did to secure his grip on power. For most of his career, that meant representing himself as a moderate, good old likeable lunch pail Joe. Thus, when President Obama needed an alleged moderate grinning white male vice president to reassure the voters about himself, Biden was more than willing to be the useful prop. However, when, as a consequence of the Democrat determination to get rid of their mortal threat, Donald Trump, by any means necessary, power brokers in the Democrat party offered Biden a deal -- that they would grant his lifelong dream and install him in the presidency by representing him as good old moderate Joe but only on condition that he agree to implement their entire far-left agenda if elected. Biden did not hesitate to agree. He did not think about the country. He thought about his favourite subject matter: Himself. Similarly, when he thought about choosing a running mate, he did not think about the country. He thought about himself and picked a VP candidate based, not on actual ability but upon his agreements with the far-left power-brokers of his Party. That is, it is not that Biden was actually far-left all along but that he was, like very many politicians, hollow all along. He was whatever kept him in wealth and power, a professional shape-shifter. When, therefore, he was offered the opportunity to be installed in the presidency, he immediately agreed to let the Party powerbrokers pour their irresponsible far-left positions into his lucrative practiced nihilism. I do believe there are politicians on both sides of the aisle who are not completely hollow. My own view, which does not necessarily imply agreement with all their views, but only appreciation for their authenticity, is that Ronald Reagan, Joe Lieberman and Dennis Kucinich were all pretty real. They actually tell one what they really think. Others might pick different examples, but that is not important here. It is also important to point out that this does not mean that some politicians do not start out as ordinary people who would be ashamed to tell such transparent lies but, after living in D.C, for many years surrounded by sycophants, being told how great they are, learning that unlike the average decent guy down the street they can pretty much get away with anything, get as many women, or men, as they want, grab as many millions of dollars as they want, etc., many people cave to the constant temptations. Indeed, many actual honorable ordinary Americans might well, if they were thrust into the D.C. swamp for long enough, succumb as well. It cannot be overemphasized how dangerous such hollow people are when they get into positions of power. For example, if OReillys hypothetical disguised far-leftist gets into power they are, at least, still constrained by their far-left principles. That may not be much but it is something. However, when these hollow people manage to get into the highest positions in the country, positions that, in ordinary circumstances they would never, because of their transparent insipidness, be able to secure, the danger is incalculable. For, since they actually believe in nothing except their personal power, they are ready instruments for unscrupulous forces that will manipulate them into selling out America. Indeed, if the United States is ever to end, this will likely be the way it happens, in what could be called a kind of suicide. The situation is much worse than OReilly envisages. Never make the mistake of thinking that politicians are like yourself or that good-old moderate blue-collar guy down the street who carries a lunch pail. Very few of them are. Many of them are extreme narcissists. Some literally have psychopathic characteristics. Some are completely hollow people easily molded by deluded or malevolent forces. Such hollow people can, therefore, do tremendous damage to the country in a very short time. For example, if, looking at the polls leading up to 2024, Joe concludes that he needs to do a 180-degree U-turn again and vehemently oppose abortion in order to get re-elected, as he used to do before he sold out to his far-left base, he may even rediscover his deeply felt Catholic faith again for a short time. Image: puffin11k, via Wikimedia Commons // CC0 public domain Two days ago, The Atlantic published an essay by David French, a high-profile conservative commentator and theological Christian. In reference to the upcoming midterms, and specifically the Senate race between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock, French wrote: If ever there were a time and place for a thoughtful, patriotic conservative to vote third party or perhaps even vote for a reasonable Democrat, its the 2022 election in Georgia. Warnock, the Christian pastor who co-sponsored the radically pro-abortion Womens Health Protection Act is a reasonable man? Its reasonable that Warnock, a politician who stumped on the cruelty of eviction, leads a church which is currently seeking to oust its own underprivileged tenants? All while he himself draws a six-figure annual salary, and a nearly $7.5k monthly housing allowance? French also writes, Every voter should presume that Walker, if he wins, will do exactly what Trump demands. Sorry to upset the apple cart, but thats exactly what the people like about Walker hes a Trump ally and espouses American values and supports America first policy. The entire point of Frenchs essay boils down to this: democracy is at stake if America First ideologues like Trump and Walker are elected into roles of political leadership, but Democrats are too stubborn to cede any ground on their the radical abortion position to ally with like-minded conservatives to save the country. Furthermore, according to French and for the sake of character and democracy, its time Republicans stick to their moral principles and refuse to vote for debauched candidates in laymans terms, fallible men who support Donald Trump. Maybe the theological Christian Mr. French ought to revisit the history of King David? If I recall correctly, King David once orchestrated the death of a loyal ally, in an attempt to cover an adulterous affair with the deceased mans wife; yet David was still a man after Gods own heart. As we all know, there is a war going on within the Republican Party, between us pro-America Constitutional conservatives and the Establishment dynasties like the McCains and the Cheneys and their lackeys French dubs our triumphs as a dark turn. Unironically, French must be a supporter of Nancy Pelosis political theater, because he refers to the events on January 6th, 2021 as the most dangerous moment in modern American political history. (Really? More dangerous than a federal agency persecuting political opponents of the Regime?) To French, the historical anomalies of November 2020 are election conspiracies and Walker is an election denier for suggesting the election was in fact not the most secure in history. Growing up, I spent portions of my summers with my conservative grandparents, and much to my aggravation at the time, I received a crash course in what every conservative should know: Vince Foster, the consequences of unchecked spending, and the phrase you cant tell the players without a scorecard and David French provides us with the perfect reminder to implement the last bit of my inherited wisdom. There are leftist operatives everywhere, masquerading as allies, and through insidious means like reasoned and moral essays published by academic-oriented outlets like The Atlantic, these infiltrators are slowly eroding our conservative foundations. Its time we throw off Reagans command to never attack a fellow Republican because these people arent Republicans at all, and an anti-American agenda ought to be confronted and questioned, even when that person has an R next to their name. Image: Twitter video screen grab. The Democrats have let the extreme left take control of their party, though their media wing, AKA the legacy media, does its best to conceal the extent of the party's lurch to the left. Older and wiser heads, like James Carville, warn them of the danger ahead, but even as an electoral repudiation on November 8 looms, fear of the extremists keeps veteran Dems from openly repudiating positions that are very unpopular with voters. Perhaps the clearest example of this phenomenon is the use of life-altering techniques surgery and puberty-blockers that permanently sterilize an individual on minor children who question their personal fit with the stereotypical sex role to which they have been born. A huge majority of "78.7 percent of voters believe underage minors should be required to wait until they are adults to legally use puberty blockers and undergo permanent sex-change procedures." Yet Democrat politicians, well aware of the vindictiveness of the transsexual movement, and fearing loss of the huge campaign contributions of the LGBT lobby, refuse to support the public's preferences. Yesterday, during the Florida gubernatorial debate, Ron DeSantis pointed out the ridiculousness of his opponent Charlie Crist's opposition to the bans: DeSantis destroys Crist for supporting gender surgeries for minors: If youre a 15 year old, you cant get a tattoo in the state of Florida. Yet were saying you can get a double mastectomy? pic.twitter.com/9CRtRnfxo8 End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 24, 2022 A couple of days ago, President Biden also fell in line with the extremists, saying that state bans are "wrong." GOP candidates should take advantage of this box the Dems have put themselves in, and point out that many schools are concealing from parents when their children take the opposite sex role during school hours, with the support of teachers and their unions. Democrats as a danger to their children is a potent campaign theme. Photo credit: Twitter screen grab. To understand the bonds of a nation, we must look at the social construct of people in a particular territory who share common history, culture, and traditions. The foundation of the construct is dependent on the ability of a people to establish a set of values deemed immutable. For the bond to survive, these values must be deeply rooted such that man feels compelled to cling to the nation's foundation like a newborn child to its mother. As long as people believe in the foundational principles, a nation can survive. Man's never-ending pursuit for freedom and prosperity convinced millions of immigrants to risk their lives and settle in this land. America's 3,000-mile stretch of idyllic landscapes, abundant farmland, and rich natural resources were certainly contributing factors for immigration. However, without the virtues and rights etched in America's inimitable design masterfully articulated by our founding fathers, the trip would have been futile. Immigrants were looking for both economic and religious freedom, but what they really wanted was to bond with a nation that was in alignment with their hopes, dreams, and values. The United States of America provided the opportunity and liberty to pursue this dream. The inhabitants during the founding of this country and those who subsequently immigrated shared the same virtue: faith. Faith that America represents the best flawed men could ever hope to achieve. Faith that fallen man, through the grace of God, may live America's founding principles and seek to restore the balance between body and spirit. Faith that America is the light of freedom illuminating the darkness surrounding tyranny. If values are the bricks in America's foundation, faith is the cement that bonds them. America was ordained not as the fountain of youth, but the spring of freedom. A land content with undisturbed beauty was chosen by man to carry the burden of noble intentions in its womb. Intentions that have given birth to both benevolent deeds and moral depravity. With blood, sweat, and tears soaked in its soil, America was forced to bear witness and absorb the consequences of man's free will. From the construction of cities to the ravages of war, America has carried its cross. Although this blessed nation has endured the sins of man, it still bears the fruit of life and hope of freedom. Between the sands of Nags Head, North Carolina, and the pristine water of Flat Head Lake, Montana is land layered in hopes, dreams, sacrifice, and sorrow. Characters have been formed, wills have been tested, and notions of humanity shaken. Those who view America as a land stolen and tainted by savagery, bondage, and evil ambition do not understand this nation. No place on Earth is free from the wickedness man is capable of spreading. Lands are conquered, soldiers die, and innocent people suffer the horror and devastation of brutality and war. In spite of man's nature, America symbolizes the redemptive spirit and restorative light buried deep inside us. It represents the hope for a better life and the belief that when God works through man anything is possible. Some living in America cherish the freedoms and possibilities this country offers, while others despise its audacious independence. Some attach to this land like a parasite feasting from the well of America's strength and prosperity without respecting the sacrifices and honor infused in the host. Others corrupt America's legacy by tearing down the foundational beliefs proclaimed in its sacred documents. They hope to usurp the power, wealth, and influence of our great nation. American patriots hope to preserve the rights and freedoms endowed by Almighty God. Caught in the crosshairs of this battle is the motherly land we call the United States of America. The beacon of freedom that has ignited generations to achieve things never thought possible. This land has asked for nothing, but has been demanded to carry the weight of a free people. Like inconsiderate guests, some have disturbed the natural state of its house for their own selfish desires. They have traded our freedoms for their power and wealth. America deserves better. We the people need to fight to ensure America is better. When studying chemistry, we learn it requires energy to break bonds between atoms. The stronger the bond, the more energy required to break the bond. We must honor America's past and embrace its founding virtues if we have any hope of preserving the bonds keeping this nation together. The progressive left is throwing all of their energy at trying to break the bonds that unite us. Indoctrinating children, destroying cities, rewriting biology and history, suppressing free speech, and weaponizing governmental agencies are actions for the sole purpose of attaining their goal. How strong is this nation's bond? To be sure, some will say this bond is weak and there is no hope to preserve it. To those I say, embrace the one virtue that formed the bond of this nation faith. If you truly believe men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, stop looking for the "holy grail" of solutions and just do something to preserve this blessed nation. Speak out against false narratives, encourage people to vote, get involved in your community, and defend your God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The alternative is the progressive left's 1984 vision of America. I cannot think of a better place to fight this consequential battle then in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Image: Don Hankins via Flickr, CC BY 2.0. One of the great speeches of the 20th century was given by Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady of the United States, on September 28, 1948 at Sorbonne University Paris, and began with the title: "The Promise of Human Rights." Eleanor Roosevelt gave humanity an example by describing the "preservation and production of human rights along with fundamental freedoms and how they are the heart of the United Nations." Mrs. Roosevelt's persistence in the struggle for human rights is one of the reasons why the United Nations declaration begins with this: "To achieve international cooperation in solving the international issues; whether they be social or cultural. This is promoting and encouraging respect for both human rights and fundamental freedoms without seeking differences as to race, sex, religion, or language." The 21st-century U.N. is not the organization Eleanor Roosevelt had planned. There is no mention of people or humanity or the "preservation and production of human rights" along with the fundamental freedoms statement that Roosevelt promised. The U.N. has become a corrupt organization serving only imperialistic and tyrannical regimes. Citizens remain subjects, and women will be subjugated in many ways and forms, depending on geography. The political Shi'ite regime in Iran was recently appointed to the board of the U.N.'s Commission on the Status of Women for another four-year term. While the ballots have been kept secret, according to U.N. Watch at least 12 European countries, including four western European democracies with women in control, voted for the gender apartheid regime in Iran a perfect example of discrimination against non-Western women. The Iranian theocracy is culturally barbaric, corrupt, and hated by Iranians. They steal and embezzle from the people and the country, and they need foreign powers to keep them in power. They bribe any person, government, or organization, in the name of contributions to causes and donations to charities, to get what they want. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) receives a large donation check annually from the Khamenei regime, and Iranian women's human rights are not on their list. Iran's membership in the UNHRC will encourage injustice around the world and violates the U.N.'s mission statement, which promises "to reaffirm their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women." The U.N. is giving a known murdering dictator and practitioner of gender apartheid the podium, legitimizing his violations of the human rights of the people of Iran. In a way, I am glad that Eleanor Roosevelt is not here to witness what political corruption is doing to her dream for peace, justice, and human sovereignty in the United States and the United Nations. As an Iranian woman living in America, it saddens me when I witness cultural discrimination against my civilized motherland Iran when my Western sisters in power act as if they say, "Human dignity and freedom for me, but not for thee." Image: UN. Katie Hopkins, the hilarious British provocateur, roared into New York on Monday night with a simple message: do not fall like the United Kingdom, which she considers doomed. Rise up like Americans and claim your freedom. "I've traveled to many countries, and Americans are different than any other people," she told the New York Young Republican Club. "You have freedom engraved on your souls. You still have terrific things like the Second Amendment. You have your faith, which is gone in my country. Our churches are closing; your churches are still strong. You are and you remain the greatest nation on the face of Planet Earth." Rishi Sunak had just been named prime minister of the U.K. that morning, prompting Hopkins to joke that she was changing the name of her speech from "A Love Note from Across the Pond" to "Menopausal Old Hag Moaning Out Loud." Her contempt for Sunak was clear: "Rishi Sunak has a speech impediment, and he can't even say his name. That's the only joyous thing about it." "Sunak is a global elitist. His picture is on the World Economic Forum web page. He's married to the richest woman in England who's also on the WEF page. During the lockdown, she took furlough money for her staff. There's a seething rage in the U.K. about what was done to us. There's no representation for the people. We need Giorgia Meloni," she said, referring to the newly elected prime minister of Italy, who has vowed to work for Italy against the globalists. As for Liz Truss's exit as prime minister after just 44 days, Hopkins said, "The markets decide who's in power in the U.K., and the markets didn't want her. Boris Johnson came back to take over again, and 24 hours later, he was gone. Maybe he was bought off." Hopkins has taken the fight for freedom to the road, traveling throughout America for the last two months to rally the red. "After lockdowns, people are carrying so much hurt like a big water tank on your chest, so you can't breathe. But traveling here, I'm uplifted because our side is such good people." "I've been to small towns in California that you've never heard of, and I can tell you California is deep, deep red. Everyone who's leaving has left. The ones still there are dug in, boots to the ground, and they are red. "Downtown Atlanta is in horrible shape. There's a sense of being preyed upon. White people scurry along, sticking to the side of the buildings, looking anxious. I want to grab the people in the Atlanta suburbs who still vote Democrat and say, 'Let's see how long you last on those streets!' And why doesn't CNN ever get out of their Atlanta headquarters and report on what's going on all around them?" Hopkins sees her role as a "court jester to the king who can tell the truth," but she's paid dearly for her candor. "Trump tweeted me, and my bank account got shut down. Then Trump tweeted me again, and my husband's bank account got shut down. I've been banned from all British and American media, including Fox News. I'm banned from South Africa. I was deported from Australia and banned there. I had to sell my house to pay for legal expenses. I've been threatened by jihadis who planned to kill me. My children don't have my last name anymore to protect them." "But when they take everything from you, it makes you more free. I was supposed to be dead at 35 from my epilepsy, so all of this is extra. They've pushed us so far, we have almost nothing left to lose. But if you know who you are and you're proud of who you are, you can achieve anything. That's why you're going to have a red wave on November 8th." Photo credit: author. Last week, climate activists threw tomato soup on Van Goghs Sunflowers painting in Londons National Gallery. Also last week, some climate fanatics glued themselves to the floor at a Volkswagen exhibit in Germany, and then complained bitterly when Volkswagen, acceding to their desire for martyrdom, failed to give them a nice little bowl in which to urinate and defecate. This week, again in Germany, climate activities threw mashed potatoes at Claude Monets Haystacks, and then glued their hands to the wall. Typically for such groups, they proudly tweeted out their heroic battle against the sun: Wir machen diesen #Monet zur Buhne und die Offentlichkeit zum Publikum. Wenn es ein Gemalde braucht mit #Kartoffelbrei beworfen , damit die Gesellschaft sich wieder erinnert, dass der fossile Kurs uns alle umbringt: Dann geben wir euch #Kartoffelbrei auf einem Gemalde! https://t.co/TN1dFKsi94 Letzte Generation (@AufstandLastGen) October 23, 2022 According to Twitters translation, the top tweet says: We make this #Monet the stage and the public the audience. If it takes a painting - #Kartoffelbrei pelted - to remind society that the fossil course is killing us all: Then we give you #Kartoffelbrei on a painting! The tweet accompanying the video states: Two activists from @AufstandLastGen tip mashed potatoes onto Monet's painting "Les Meules" in the Museum Barberini (Potsdam) and then stick themselves to the floor. According to CNBC, the stunt did not damage the painting, which recently sold for $110.7 million at an auction and was protected behind glass. One of the women shrieked out her existential angst as she knelt before the painting: We are in a climate catastrophe. And all you are afraid of is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting, the woman shouted in German while kneeling in front of Monets painting. This painting is not going to be worth anything if we have to fight over food. The same article reports that the police arrested these ridiculous human beings. They probably carefully unstuck them when it would have been more appropriate to leave them there until they unstuck themselves (rather like nailing a thiefs ear to the post in the old days, with the real consequence being that the thief would eventually have had to make a painful break for freedom, except that, in this case, the thief would have nailed himself). Currently, Germany is facing a massive crisis, one that will have profound ramifications when it comes to food and shelter. In 2018, it smugly ignored Trumps warning not to end its fuel production in service to climate change madness and, especially, not to rely on Russia for natural gas. Image: Attacking Monet. Twitter screen grab. Now, with the pipeline not merely stopped (Putins doing) but destroyed (who knows who did that), Germany is looking at a winter so cold and dark, and so lacking in food (you need fuel to bring food to market) that it has a distinctly medieval feel. The German people wont be dreading global warming; theyll be desperate for it. The protesters, of course, are speaking to a very narrow audience. They come from an academic, upper-class world (or wish they did). Most people dont give a flying whatsit about a $110 million painting by a long-dead French artist. Indeed, they may view it as a useless piece of decadence and have a good riddance to overpriced rubbish attitude. As for the elite to whom these activists tweet, theyre already on board with the climate change agenda but are likely to be offended that the activists are willfully attacking the things that their class of people values. In other words, this bit of theater (which the activists made clear is what they intend) isnt going to play well to any audience in Germany this winter. Evita Duffy, writing about the sentencing of Steve Bannon, at The Federalist, October 24, led this observer to a Politico article last June, by Kyle Cheney, that bolstered this observer's understanding why the courts have tended to be unsympathetic to Donald J. Trump and his aides and supporters. Ms. Duffy believes that Mr. Bannon is a "political prisoner," and "the rule of law is dead." This observer does not disagree that Mr. Bannon is a political prisoner, along with the hundreds of "Jan. 6" protesters held for months without trial in deplorable conditions. (If these were Antifa defendants held under indictment by a Republican administration, the ACLU, New York Times, and Washington Post would be denouncing their unconstitutional confinement from the rooftops.) But perhaps rule of law is not dead, just hibernating. Here is Mr. Cheney's account explaining why Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in 2019, did not dismiss the contempt of Congress case against Mr. Bannon: In another win for the select committee, Nichols declined to rule that the structure or make-up of the committee undercut the validity subpoena to Bannon, sweeping aside arguments that the panel was operating improperly because the panel lacks any appointees of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy. "The court cannot conclude as a matter of law that the committee was invalidly constituted," Nichols said. He noted that the House had repeatedly ratified the work of the select committee by voting to support its motions to hold various witnesses in contempt, an indication that the House viewed the committee's work as valid. Courts, he noted, are required to give great deference to the House's interpretation of its own rules. Let's just focus on the last part of reporter Cheney's account that Judge Nichols indicated he must defer "to the House's interpretation of its own rules." This is sleight-of-hand jurisprudence. Why? The Pelosi Jan. 6 panel did not "interpret" the rules under which the committee was established; it blatantly disregarded them to create the most anti-Trump inquisition possible. If violation of the rules or law is dismissed as "interpretation," then the rule of law is, indeed, dead. In a different setting, Judge Nichols may well not have allowed a House committee to put itself above its own rules if, that is to say, a leftist refused to comply with a subpoena issued by an anti-Biden congressional committee. Now to consider certain practicalities in the treatment of Mr.Bannon as "political prisoner" by Judge Nichols. Yes, a double-standard would explain the hammering Judge Nichols applied to Steve Bannon, but there is a reason for this double-standard, or possibly two reasons. What if Judge Nichols concluded that a decision favorable to Mr. Bannon was above his pay grade in the event that such a decision would have unleashed a horde of leftist protesters outside his home? By sentencing Mr. Bannon, and letting him avoid jail pending appeal, the judge would have transferred this can of worms to a group of appellate judges and thus avoid being singled out as a target by a protesting leftist mob. There is, however, a broader framework to consider as to why courts seem unsympathetic to the treatment accorded Trump and his supporters by the Biden/Garland administration and their lapdogs in Congress and the media. The election and presidential term of Mr. Trump have unleashed, it seems to this observer, an emotional outburst not unlike the hysteria instigated by prosecutors and child psychologists in the mid-1980s in the Fells Acres childcare travesty. Fantastic accusations, extracted from toddlers by so-called well-meaning adults, led to the imprisonment of members of the Amirault family, who operated Fells Acres, with Violet, the mother, dying in prison, and her son, Gerald, serving 18 years because he would not confess his "guilt." Since 2016, the left has been seized with what has rightly been called Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) and as courts in the 1980s could not resist the childcare center hysteria engendered by prosecutors and others, the Judiciary in 2022 cannot be immunized, totally, against TDS. As irrationality prevailed in the childcare center cases some forty years ago, irrationality has seeped into courtrooms where cases are heard related to Donald J. Trump. Judge Nichols, as we learn from Kyle Cheney's Politico report, six months ago, ruled, effectively, that the House can ratify the actions of a House committee transgressing its own rules, and the committee itself can "interpret" its rules out of all meaning. Can't get more irrational than that, can you? Now where are GOP House members to shout out, "Stop this irrational Jan. 6 process! We want to get off!"? Image via Flickr, public domain. There are millions of known and unknown animal and plant species on Earth, yet there are few evolutionary trees to trace how they began. A Ball State professor was fired for daring to bring up intelligent design along with evolution. The atheists who abhor the idea got the university to cave. He eventually got reinstated. Intelligent Design' Professor Returns to University That Banned His Class A physics professor whose intelligent design course, "Boundaries of Science" a definite no-no in the no-longer-hallowed halls of academia was dropped in 2013 by Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, after complaints from atheists, is scheduled to return to the BSU campus in late October. When Professor Eric Hedin returns to his old stomping grounds on October 26, his topic of discussion will again be intelligent design (ID). The theory holds that certain features of the universe and living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process or natural selection. Intelligent design is a worthy idea that deserves consideration in the academic realm. After all, animals and plants clearly evolved, yet the origin of life on Earth cannot be explained by evolution, nor can the infinite universe. Seems the left can't handle the concept of intelligent design. As RedState noted: [U]nlike Creationism, the belief that God is the "absolute creator of heaven and earth, out of nothing," intelligent design suggests a higher intelligence, scientific evidence, and physics are not mutually exclusive in discussions about the origin of the universe and subsequent life. Sadly, leftists won't tolerate diversity, whether it be about climate change, evolution, COVID, or when talking about biological sex. Colleges are supposed to be incubators for teaching and learning. Sadly, they have essentially become thought police who indoctrinate instead of educate. They seek to silence those who dare disagree with their leftist agenda. There are a multitude of things on Earth and throughout the universe that were not created due to evolution. Here is a sample: The sun, moon, stars, planets. Thunder, lightning, rain, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanoes, El Nino, La Nina, high tide, and low tide. There are a huge number of natural elements that allow us to live and thrive that can't be explained by evolution. The modern periodic table includes the 92 naturally occurring elements found in earth's crust and ocean There are a massive number of natural resources that can't be explained by evolution. Any natural substance that humans use can be considered a natural resource. Oil, coal, natural gas, metals, stone and sand are natural resources. Other natural resources are air, sunlight, soil and water. Animals, birds, fish and plants are natural resources as well There's also the rotation and orbit of the Earth and gravity. In intelligent design, the Earth was placed over 92 million miles from the Sun, the Earth's heat source. The Sun's temperature is around 27 million degrees at its core. If the Earth were closer, it would burn up. If it were farther away, we would freeze. Soil contains a lot of natural nutrients and can't be explained by evolution. Soil is a major source of nutrients needed by plants for growth. The three main nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Together they make up the trio known as NPK. Other important nutrients are calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Plants also need small quantities of iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron and molybdenum, known as trace elements because only traces are needed by the plant. The role these nutrients play in plant growth is complex, and this document provides only a brief outline. Humans breathe out CO2 that makes plants thrive, and plants emit oxygen that allows humans to live. Neither can be explained by evolution. The process where a tiny sperm and tiny egg get together, and within a few months a human is born with all its body parts and organs formed, is an amazing creation that cannot be explained by evolution. Women, not men, have the body parts necessary to carry a child from conception to birth. Women have a womb (uterus), not men. Women develop an amazing organ, the placenta, not men. The placenta is an organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. This structure provides oxygen and nutrients to a growing baby. It also removes waste products from the baby's blood. The placenta attaches to the wall of the uterus, and the baby's umbilical cord arises from it. Women have all the parts necessary for a birth canal to give birth, not men. After birth, women can produce milk for the baby, not men. Breastmilk is an amazing creation, as the composition and nutrients change as the baby grows naturally. The composition of your breast milk changes and continues to change to meet the unique needs of your baby, even as he or she grows into a toddler! No matter what the media, educators, entertainers, and other Democrats say, men have not evolved to where they can carry a baby and give birth. Men are basically the sperm donors because women have not evolved to where they produce sperm, and it takes two to tango. The older I get, the more amazed I am at how blessed we are on Earth and with nature. The natural processes and instincts cannot be explained by evolution. Here are a few more tidbits: Humans have two sets of teeth. Elephants can have up to six sets in their lifetime. Caterpillars eat poisonous milkweed in order to inject Monarch butterflies with a toxin that protects them from predators. The mother penguin lays an egg and then hands it to the father for protection, who almost starves himself to death while protecting their baby penguin. Male emperor penguins will not eat for up to four months, from the time they arrive at the colony to breed until the egg has hatched and the mother returns to feed. They lose almost half of r body weight during this time. Isn't it amazing how much trouble animals will go to to protect their unborn while a significant number of humans consider their unborn a nuisance and no more worthy of care than a clump of dirt? To determine the sex of animals, all you have to do is examine their body parts. It doesn't make any difference how they feel. I recently had two knee replacements. My knee joint was replaced by three natural resources: titanium, cobalt, and plastic (oil). Thank goodness the human brain was invented that allowed my arthritic knees to be replaced. My knees didn't evolve. We hear a lot about artificial intelligence, but all computers and robots are developed by humans and programmed by humans. Algorithms at social media outlets, used to silence people, are designed by humans. The human brain is the source of artificial intelligence. We should learn to admit that there are many things, especially about the origin of life and the universe, that are unexplainable and stop pretending that the science is settled. Why would we trust politicians, bureaucrats, and others to control sea levels, temperatures, and storm activity when there are so many natural variables that we have no control over? We should also stop pretending that a party who can't define a woman and which pretends men can give birth is the party of science. Image: PXHere, CC0 public domain. PHNOM PENH, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) Tuesday on clean energy cooperation, said a statement from Cambodia's Ministry of Mines and Energy. The deal was inked via video link between Cambodian Minister for Mines and Energy Suy Sem and Singapore's Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng. "The MoU is an important step to further develop the energy sector in both countries and in the region," Suy Sem said. Ministry of Mines and Energy spokesman and director-general for energy, Heng Kunleang, said both countries are committed to doing their part to transition to cleaner sources of energy and reaching net-zero by or around mid-century. "The MoU is beneficial and is a step towards realizing the broader ASEAN Power Grid vision to enhance interconnectivity, energy security and sustainability in the region," he told reporters. Back in 1994, Pope John Paul II created the Pontifical Academy for Life for the defense and promotion of life at all its stages, in a "consistent life ethic." According to Wikipedia, the academy is a think-tank of sorts, "an academic honorary society established by or under the direction of the Holy See." The Vatican has a bunch of these, on various academic topics, some very cool ones, such as art. Most have been around for centuries, but this one is a new one, founded by John Paul II, in response to a perceived need to defend human life, which is under attack in the West. According to Wikipedia, the academy is dedicated to "study, information and formation on the principal problems of biomedicine and of law, relative to the promotion and defense of life, above all in the direct relation that they have with Christian morality and the directives of the Church's Magisterium." Though the Academy is considered an autonomous entity, it is linked to the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers and various other dicasteries of the Roman Curia. The Academy members are named by the pope. They are selected to represent different branches of biomedical sciences and ethics which are closely linked with problems concerning the promotion and defense of life. There are also ad honorem members and corresponding members who work in the Academy's institutes and centers of study. The Academy is responsible for the development and promotion of many of the Catholic teachings on questions of medical ethics including procreation, IVF, gene therapy, euthanasia and abortion. So it doesn't sound very good to hear that this John Paul IIfounded academy is now becoming a hotbed of pro-abortion academics, such as are found in any run-of-the-mill university institution in the Western world. Here are a pair of them who have been making headlines lately, according to Catholic News Agency: Roberto Dell'Oro, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has criticized the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade's strong protections for legalized abortion. Dell'Oro is a moral theology professor and holds the O'Malley Chair in Bioethics at Loyola Marymount University, a Jesuit institution. He contends that the Supreme Court's June 24 decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization abortion case violates norms of democratic personal freedom and respect for women's basic autonomy in a way that verges on the "totalitarian." There's also this lady: Last week an economist who is an outspoken advocate for abortion rights, Mariana Mazzucato, was appointed to the pontifical academy. Most of these people have lots of fancy accolades and awards for their roles in secular academic institutions for promoting those institutions' values. Some of them put out pro-Joe Biden tweets, and this nonsense has been going on for years, actually. Now the Vatican is "borrowing" them for its own academy, which was founded to be something different by a man who's since been made a saint in part for his unyielding defense of life, and now the place looks like any old left-wing institution you can find anywhere. More disturbingly, these guys are, according to Wikipedia, citing Church documents and are "responsible for the development and promotion of many of the Catholic teachings on questions of medical ethics including procreation, IVF, gene therapy, euthanasia and abortion." So instead of the pope, we have these guys who are supposed to be our teachers and developers of Church doctrine. Any questions as to why there's so much drivel coming out these days from the Vatican? It's not Catholics making Catholic policy anymore; it's secular atheists and other characters who have a thing against traditional Catholicism, and Pope Francis goes right ahead appointing them to the academy to set Church doctrine, telling us all what we are supposed to "think." What on Earth is this nonsense? For most Catholics, if we wanted to go to the Church of Princeton or Harvard or the University of Illinois, or Podunk U, we'd beeline to those places direct we wouldn't wait for the Vatican to recycle them. It's sad stuff because this institute was supposed to be special, a reaction to all the academic lunacy and junk thought going on in the world. Instead of striking out on its own and doing something different, the academy opts to blend in with the others. How...generic. The bad thing about this is that these pro-choice "scholars" draw headlines. Someone at the John Paul II think-tank likes abortion? For the press, that's man bites dog, so get it in the headlines. In a hellish sort of way, the academy is a platform of sorts for getting the Planned Parenthood party line broadcast out there. They wouldn't be paid much attention otherwise. The Vatican has defended these unsuitable appointments as being all about "debate and dialogue." But when one end of the ideological spectrum gets headlines for its opposition to the original mission of the academy and the other doesn't, then something about that idea doesn't compute. It's sad stuff to see an institute founded by John Paul II becoming a megaphone for leftist pro-abortion activists. But that's what we have now with Pope Francis around, appointing people whose views are at odds with Church teachings. What he is trying to accomplish is anyone's guess, but it's obvious he's failing miserably as the institute is rapidly becoming a "zombie" of its original mission, as if it died and was taken over by some kind of nightmare spirit. The old adage, by John O'Sullivan, that "any organization not explicitly and constitutionally right-wing will sooner or later become left-wing," seems to have been superseded by left-wingery infiltrating even institutions that are supposed to be right-wing these days. Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License. According to The Verge, two Chinese intelligence officers are accused of obstructing the US investigation into Huawei. The Justice Department announced the charges on Monday, saying two were arrested and 13 charged in three separate cases. Huawei has been under the US radar since a few years ago when it was revealed that the company has suspicious ties with the Chinese government for espionage purposes. The FCC recently imposed a new ban on Huawei and ZTE to prevent them from entering the US market. The Justice Department says two Chinese agents tried to disrupt the investigation against Huawei by gaining access to confidential information and trial evidence. This will give the FCC a good chance to slap Huawei one more time. Of course, the Justice Department has not clearly named the disputed company, but CNN and The Wall Street Journal say that Huawei is the same company that Chinese agents tried to obstruct its investigations. Advertisement This case exposes the interconnection between PRC intelligence officers & Chinese companies, and it demonstrates, once again, why such companies especially in the telecommunications industry should not be trusted to securely handle our sensitive personal data and communications, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said. Chinese agents offered bribes to a US law enforcement employee As per the findings, the agents worked on behalf of the Chinese government and offered bribes to a law enforcement employee to obtain access to confidential information. However, that employee was operating as a double agent on behalf of the FBI, the Justice Department noted. Additionally, the DOJ says that the double agent has sent a false classified document to the Chinese agents and received $41,000 in Bitcoin. The agents also paid bribes through cash and jewelry. Advertisement Huawei is one of many China-based tech companies that are accused of collaborating with the Chinese government. The video-sharing app TikTok was already charged with sending US data abroad and allowing China-based employees to access US users data. The US administration also sanctions ZTE and some other less-known Chinese companies. (ANSA) - ROME, OCT 25 - Police baton-charged leftwing collective students calling Brothers of Italy (FdI) members "Fascists" in clashes at Rome's La Sapienza University Tuesday. "Fascists out of the university" read the placards held up by the students protesting against the presence of members of Premier Giorgia Meloni's rightwing party at a conference in the university. University authorities condemned the clashes saying freedom of expression must be upheld. (ANSA). (ANSA) - ROME, OCT 25 - A 26-year-old cyclist was run over and killed near Pordenone in Friuli on Monday night, sources said Tuesday. The man, from Casarsa della Delizia, was at San Martino al Tagliamento when he was rammed by a car driven by a local 20-year-old man for reasons still to be ascertained. It is the latest in a string of such cases in Italy. (ANSA). ISLAMABAD, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan continues to witness a rise in dengue fever cases as four more deaths were reported from the disease in the South Asian country. The eastern Punjab province recorded two deaths while the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the southern Sindh province reported one death each, the provincial health departments said on Monday evening. Punjab reported 210 new cases. Punjab's capital Lahore reported 74 new patients, followed by Rawalpindi and Multan cities with 41 cases each. The total number of dengue cases in Punjab this year has gone up to 13,184. In KP, 223 more people were diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease, the provincial health department said on Monday evening. The number of active cases in the province currently stands at 1,369 while the total number of cases this year has reached 16,847. Sindh reported 207 new infections, the provincial health department said on Monday evening. The worst-hit area was Karachi, the provincial capital, which reported 117 new cases. With the newly-reported dengue cases, the October figure to date for the province has risen to 7,380, bringing the total local tally to 17,534 this year. The national capital Islamabad reported 37 new dengue cases, the health authorities said on Monday night. The city's total tally has risen to 4,409 this year. (ANSA) - ROME, OCT 25 - The situation in Italy does not "permit losing time", Premier Giorgia Meloni said in her first address to parliament laying out her five-year agenda and addressing current emergencies ahead of a confidence vote in the House Tuesday and the Senate Wednesday which will put her government into the fullnesss of its powers. Meloni thanked President Sergio Mattarella, who tapped her as premier after she led Brothers of Italy (FdI) to a convincing win for her rightwing coalition in the September 25 general election, for his "precious advice" upon taking office. "This is a fundamental moment for democracy, thank you," she told the Lower House where FdI, the League and Forza Italia have a big majority. Meloni thanked her rightwing coalition partners for enabling her to name a government in near-record time. She said they had led to the formation of a government "in one of the shortest periods of time in history". Italy's first woman premier also thanked her predecessor Mario Draghi for enabling a swift passage of power, and said her most heartfelt thanks were for the Italian people, "the only sovereign". (ANSA). Berlin,decision on price cap expected at next Energy Council 'We want to prevent price spikes and protect stock security' (ANSA) - BRUSSELS, OCT 25 - A decision on "a gas price cap mechanism" is expected "at the next Council of EU energy ministers." German Economy Minister Robert Habeck reported, arriving at the meeting in Luxembourg. "The work continues steadily," Habeck underlined, calling the political understanding reached by EU leaders last Friday "a real success." "We want dynamic price limits; we need to maintain supply security and prevent speculative swings on the exchanges, not to increase market susceptibility in tense situations," he pointed out. (ANSA). Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved TUNIS - An online platform offering help to spouses who want a divorce has sparked a controversy in Tunisia, where it has been accused by associations and users to encourage married couples to split. Last week, billboards appeared on the streets of Tunis to publicize the services offered by the start-up tala9.com (divorce.com), with the slogan "Divorce, you take the decision, we take the steps". In its homepage, Tala9 presents itself as the "first Tunisian website that supports you in your decision" for a price of 1,200 dinars (375 euros) and "without hidden costs". "Divorce in three steps. As soon as you have taken your decision, specialists are available to respond to your questions during each phase of the divorce process", the page says. Many users have criticized the platform on social media, accusing it of hampering family unity by encouraging divorce. The lawyers' guild has announced through its president Hatem Mziou that is has started judicial proceedings against the platform that "threatens to make families implode". The services on offer are "a fraud and an usurpation of the lawyer's role", he stated. In statements to public radio, Tunis Mayor Souad Abderrahim ordered the startup to remove its billboards within "two weeks" or they will be taken down. Quoting Family Minister Amel Bel Haj, local media reported that in April Tunisia, a country of nearly 12 million people, reported about 13,000 divorce cases in 2021. Divorce cases were 16,750 in 2018, according to the latest data published by the National statistics institute. Tunisia's Code of personal status, approved in 1956 by Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba, abolished polygamy, prohibited repudiation and legalized divorce in the country. NABLUS - Five Palestinians have been killed and 20 injured in a raid carried out by Israeli forces in Nablus, the occupied West Bank city where a new militant group operates, the Palestinian health ministry was quoted as saying by Palestinian news agency Wafa. Out of the 20 people injured, three are in serious condition, the ministry added. The same source said another Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire, this time in Ramallah, seat of the headquarter of the Palestinian Authority in the central West Bank. The Israeli army confirmed in a joint statement with police and intelligence agencies that it carried out a large-scale operation overnight in Nablus. During the operation, Wadia al-Houh, 31, leader of the Palestinian armed group Lion's Den' was killed, security sources said, explaining that al-Houh was the "objective of the operation". After recalling that 'Lion's Den', a new group of young Palestinian fighters, was responsible for a series of attacks against Israeli targets, the same forces highlighted that al-Houh was also responsible for the construction of bombs. Israeli security forces have destroyed "an apartment used as headquarters and depot for explosives" by the armed group 'Lion's Den', said the army, adding that the apartment was in the casbah of Nablus. During the operation, "soldiers responded to the armed suspects who were firing at them", shooting at some of them. The military spokesman recalled that the "terrorist group 'Lion's Den' was responsible for the armed attack that killed the soldier Ido Baruch as well as the attempt to carry out a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv (foiled by Israeli police) and the installation of an explosive device at the gas station 'Kedumim'. Moreover, added the spokesman, he was responsible for "multiple shootouts across Nablus. During the last period of time - he concluded - the terrorist group continued to recruit, organize and conduct attacks against innocent Israeli civilians". Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have summoned an emergency meeting to follow developments in the West Bank. The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, stated that fighters in Nablus "represent a shining example of our people". A foreign flying academy has said that classified information was not passed between former British military pilots and Chinese trainees within its institutions, following concerns over this conduit last week. Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA), which was previously implicated in reports as a headhunter of British staff for members of the Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, has issued a statement to clarify its position. Last week, the BBC reported that up to 30 former pilots including some Royal Air Force (RAF) veterans had been involved in the training. The broadcaster also said sources had named a South African flying academy as being linked to their recruitment. On Tuesday, the TFASA said it had been in contact with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for many years and the department is fully aware of the nature of the companys business. The school, which trains pilots and engineers from countries around the world, said: All training aspects and material are strictly unclassified, and provided either from open source or the clients themselves. No training involves classified tactics or other information, nor any frontline activities. TFASA added that none of its trainers are in possession of legally or operationally sensitive information relating to the national security interests of any country, whether those from where its employees are drawn or in which it provides training. The MoD previously said it was taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes targeting military pilots. A spokesman said: We are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to headhunt serving and former UK armed forces pilots to train Peoples Liberation Army personnel in the Peoples Republic of China. All serving and former personnel are already subject to the Official Secrets Act, and we are reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and non-disclosure agreements across defence, while the new National Security Bill will create additional tools to tackle contemporary security challenges including this one. Kim Kardashian has called for an end to the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards the Jewish community. The reality star, 42, said that hate speech was never OK or excusable, as members of her famous family also voiced their support online. It comes after demonstrators in Los Angeles unfurled banners on an overpass on Sunday, praising her ex-husband Kanye West following antisemitic remarks made by the US rapper. West was recently restricted from posting on Twitter and Instagram over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies. Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end. Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) October 24, 2022 Posting on social media Kardashian wrote: Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end. Other members of the Kardashian-Jenner family including Khloe Kardashian, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner posted on their social media in support. I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people, read the post shared by the sisters. It comes after a completed documentary about West was shelved and he was dropped by talent agency CAA after his antisemitic remarks. He was also criticised earlier this month for wearing a White Lives Matter T-shirt to the showing of his latest collection at Paris Fashion Week. Online furniture firm Made.com has revealed that talks to secure a rescue sale have collapsed. The company saw its market value almost completely wiped out after the retail group indicated it could be forced towards insolvency unless another potential suitor appears or fresh funding is found. Last week, Made.com revealed it had received a raft of takeover proposals as part of a formal sale after it was hammered by a slump in consumer spending as well as supply chain disruption. In recent months, the company has warned it was considering cuts to staffing numbers and would need 70 million in funding to secure its future over the next 18 months. On Tuesday, the listed company confirmed that talks with potentially interested parties, which they hoped would securer a buyer by the end of the month, have ended. Following further discussion, those parties have all now confirmed to the company that they are unable to meet the necessary timetable, the company said. As a result, those discussions have been terminated and the company is no longer in receipt of funding proposals or possible offers for the issued and to be issued share capital of the company. Mades board added that the business is considering its current position and will make a further announcement in due course. It added: If further funding cannot be raised, or a firm offer for the company is not received before the companys cash reserves are fully depleted, the board will take the appropriate steps to preserve value for creditors. There can be no certainty that the terms of any offer or investment received will be suitable. It comes less than two years after Made floated on the stock market with a 775 million valuation. Shares tumbled 93% further on Tuesday to 0.5p per share, bringing its value down below 2 million. Made said it has requested that its shares be suspended from London Stock Exchange. Jacob Rees-Mogg has quit as business secretary after conceding he would not get a job in Rishi Sunaks Cabinet despite recanting his claim that the new Prime Minister is a socialist. The old ally of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss was the first to acknowledge on Tuesday that he was out as the newly appointed Conservative leader began a Government shake-up. Kit Malthouse, who was a deputy under Mr Johnson when he was London mayor, is out as education secretary, a source close to the outgoing Cabinet minister told the PA news agency. Johnson-loyalist Simon Clarke is no longer levelling-up secretary, while Sir Jake Berry, a champion of the former prime ministers levelling-up agenda, has been despatched as Tory Party chairman, saying all good things must come to an end. Rishi Sunak is the new Prime Minister (James Manning/PA) Wendy Morton is out as chief whip after a chaotic period that culminated in farcical scenes during a Commons vote the night before Ms Truss announced her resignation. Brandon Lewis is no longer justice secretary and Chloe Smith is out as work and pensions secretary despite supporting Mr Sunak in the leadership contest. A source close to Mr Rees-Mogg told PA: He knows he was very close to the previous two regimes and it didnt seem likely he was going to be appointed in the new Cabinet. Hes happy to support the Prime Minister from the backbenches. During the last Tory leadership contest, Mr Rees-Mogg described Mr Sunak as the much-lamented socialist chancellor who had put up taxes during the coronavirus pandemic. And he accused Mr Sunak of disloyalty to Mr Johnson, with many Conservatives blaming the new leader for bringing down the old one by resigning as chancellor. Jacob Rees-Mogg accused Rishi Sunak of disloyalty to Boris Johnson and branded the ex-chancellor a socialist, a description he later recanted (Stefan Rousseau/PA) But on Tuesday Mr Rees-Mogg backed down and told The Telegraph he would now serve in Mr Sunaks Government if asked. Asked about the socialist charge, the MP replied: That was said in the run-up to the leadership campaign, under very different circumstances. The leader of the Conservative Party is clearly not a socialist. Ms Morton said she is returning to the backbenches less than a week after the Governments response to a Labour-led motion on fracking descended into farce. She was overheard saying she had resigned at that point, but after hours of uncertainty Ms Trusss No 10 insisted in the middle of the night that she remained chief whip. Mr Sunak did not keep her on. Former chief whip Wendy Morton is returning to the backbenches (Aaron Chown/PA) Robert Buckland is out as Welsh secretary, writing on Twitter that he is leaving at my request. Ms Smith is no longer work and pensions secretary despite backing Mr Sunak in the leadership race, and Ranil Jayawardena is out as environment secretary. Mr Lewis resigned as justice secretary as Mr Sunak was holding meetings in his new office in the House of Commons. Our party is at a crossroads, Mr Lewis said in his resignation letter to the Prime Minister. An honour to have been one of the longest serving Cabinet ministers having done eight ministerial roles, in five departments, under four Prime Ministers. The new PM will have my support from the back benches to tackle the many challenges we face as a Party and as a country. pic.twitter.com/ulZjpcHkWk Brandon Lewis (@BrandonLewis) October 25, 2022 We now have an opportunity to reunite and rebuild, and we must take it. We must come together and deliver the mandate we were given by the British people. We have a duty to the country to do so, at a time of economic hardship for so many. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of the Conservative Party and everything we stand for is at stake if we do not. You will have my support from the backbenches in addressing the economic crisis we face, bringing our party together and delivering on the promises we put forward in the 2019 manifesto, on which we won such an overwhelming majority. Mr Sunak pledged to build a Government that represents the very best traditions of my party as he seeks to unite the warring factions. SINGAPORE, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Tuesday that the city-state raises its national climate target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as part of its Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy. He said at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2022 that Singapore will enhance its 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions by aiming to peak its emissions earlier and reduce its emissions to around 60 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2030, which is 5 million tonnes less than the previous commitment of peaking the emissions in 2030 at 65 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. "This 5 million tonnes improvement is significant," Wong added. "It is equivalent to reducing our current transport emissions by two-thirds." He said that Singapore will submit the enhanced targets to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as parties to the Paris Agreement meet at COP 27 next month, in line with the Glasgow Climate Pact. To achieve net zero emissions, the Singaporean government will need to encourage businesses and individuals to be more energy efficient, reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions and adopt green energy alternatives, said Wong. He said that the government decided that a better approach is not to reduce or hold back the carbon taxes but to provide targeted relief to businesses and consumers so that it has the right price signals for the economy as a whole and the government will extend help to those who need it. Wong announced earlier this year that Singapore will raise the carbon tax from the current five Singapore dollars per tonne of CO2 equivalent to about 50-80 dollars by 2030. The carbon tax in Singapore is applied broadly, covering about 80 percent of its emissions today. Besides, Wong said at the SIEW that the Singaporean government will invest more in technologies to help decarbonize the economy. The deputy prime minister also announced at the SIEW the launch of Singapore's National Hydrogen Strategy which will provide a roadmap of how hydrogen can support Singapore's decarbonization efforts, and the steps Singapore will be taking to prepare Singapore for a hydrogen future. This is part of Singapore's international climate commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. "If technology continues to advance, we foresee that hydrogen can supply up to half of our power needs by 2050, alongside domestic renewable energy sources and electricity imports," Wong said. He disclosed that Singaporeans may start to have access to electricity generated from low-carbon hydrogen from 2027, as the country will kickstart its hydrogen efforts by issuing an Expression of Interest for a small-scale commercial project utilizing low-carbon ammonia for power generation. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has been adamant that spending on Britains armed forces must rise in the face of the growing threat from countries like Russia and China. Mr Wallace, who retains his position in Rishi Sunaks new administration, successfully secured commitments to increase the defence budget under both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Mr Johnson initially agreed to raise it to 2.5% of national income by the end of the decade compared to the Nato minimum of 2% a commitment Ms Truss subsequently lifted to 3%. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead Defence again. I am very grateful to the new Prime Minister for appointing me, and I look forward to working with @RishiSunak to deliver a safe and prosperous United Kingdom. @DefenceHQ Rt. Hon Ben Wallace MP (@BWallaceMP) October 25, 2022 However it was not immediately clear whether it would survive under the new administration as Mr Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt look to balance the books. Earlier this month Mr Wallaces deputy, the Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, said they both believed the pledge must be delivered and that he (Mr Heappey) would regard it as a resigning matter if it was not. A defence source said that Mr Wallace considered it to be a priority and not a discretionary spend. Following his reappointment, he tweeted: It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead Defence again. I am very grateful to the new Prime Minister for appointing me, and I look forward to working with Rishi Sunak to deliver a safe and prosperous United Kingdom. While Mr Wallace has been a longstanding ally of Mr Johnson, he has largely steered clear of the faction fighting within the Tory Party, concentrating on his ministerial brief. He has won plaudits for his response to the Ukraine war, leading international efforts to arm the government in Kyiv, and some Tory MPs would have liked him to run for leader himself but he has shown no inclination to do so. Elsewhere, Tory MP Andrew Mitchell was appointed as Development Minister in the Foreign Office. The appointment will be seen as significant given that Mr Mitchell, a former international development secretary, was a key voice in a backbench revolt that opposed the move by Mr Sunak as chancellor to cut the foreign aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP. kate_sept2004 / Getty Images If you want to guarantee a happy, stable retirement, it's important to start saving and investing now. Unfortunately, hidden fees can wreak havoc on even the smartest investment strategies. Social Security: New Bill Could Give Seniors an Extra $2,400 a Year Find: 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000 Along with consulting fees, you might find yourself dealing with fees to trade, fees to advise and even high taxes. Watch out for these 15 hidden fees so you can avoid wasting your money in retirement. FG Trade / Getty Images 1. Advisory Fees While financial advisors need to eat and pay rent just like anyone else, the rhetoric they use to express how much you're being charged might be hard to decipher. Advisors often talk in "basis points," which simply means tiny fractions of a percentage point. For example, 1% comprises 100 basis points, and 50 basis points are equal to 0.5%.Depending on your investment, advisory fees can be some of the highest fees you'll pay.Take Our Poll: Are You Struggling To Keep Up With Your Utility Bills? xavierarnau / Getty Images How Much Advisory Fees Cost An advisory fee of 1% is typical, but you need to understand what 1% of your assets will cost you. Let's say your portfolio is valued at $500,000. If you're being charged a 1% advisory fee, you'll have to pay $5,000 annually. ebstock / iStock.com 2. 401(k) Expense Ratios Many mid- to large-sized companies offer 401(k) plans, but many people who contribute to them don't realize that these retirement savings plans aren't free. Depending on the funds you select, you could be stuck with high expense ratios that will slowly chip away at your hard-earned retirement savings. And, these expense ratios might not be explicitly expressed to you. Anchiy / Getty Images Choose Funds With Low Expense Ratios Your expense ratio might be somewhere between 0.5% and 2%, which doesn't seem like much. But, just as compound interest accumulates over time, so does a 2% expense ratio that's working against you. So, when you're picking funds for your 401(k), try to choose ones with low expense ratios. Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com 3. 12b-1 Fees Here's one of the most important things to know before investing in mutual funds: 12b-1 fees are the annual marketing or distribution fees on some mutual funds, and they're typically included in a fund's expense ratio.Initially, 12b-1 fees were introduced to help investors by marketing a mutual fund to yield higher assets and lower expenses. However, some experts argue that 12b-1 fees can bring down your returns instead of improving your fund's performance. filadendron / Getty Images Why 12b-1 Fees Matter In September 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed proceedings against First Eagle Investment Management, an asset management company that allegedly used investors' mutual fund assets improperly for payments to cover "marketing and distribution of fund shares." According to The Wall Street Journal, "First Eagle dipped deeper into funds' assets than allowed under a plan known as the 12b-1 plan."First Eagle had to pay $25 million to reimburse shareholders, plus interest and a penalty of $12.5 million, Reuters reported. Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com 4. Annuity Fees A type of insurance that pays out a fixed sum to the holder every year, annuities can be a great product for people who want to receive a regular income stream for the rest of their lives. But, this kind of contract can come with some hidden surprises. dardespot / Getty Images Why Annuity Fees Can Cost a Lot Some notoriously high fees include commissions by the people who sell the annuities. These charges can soar as high as 10%, reported CNN Money. There are also surrender charges, which come into play if you decide to withdraw money in the first few years. These fees can range from 7% to 20% in the first year. Additionally, annual insurance fees, investment management fees and insurance rider fees on annuities can cost you a significant amount. PeopleImages / Getty Images 5. Yearly Fees Mutual fund fees can be broken down into ongoing yearly fees and loads, and both can seriously eat away at your returns. Ongoing yearly expenses usually include a management fee between 0.5% and 2% of the assets, according to Investopedia administrative costs and the 12b-1 fee. FatCamera / Getty Images High Expense Ratios Don't Always Mean High Returns It's important to note that there's no clear correlation between high expense ratios and high returns. In other words, even if your ongoing expenses are high, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll enjoy high returns. wong yu liang / Shutterstock.com 6. Loads Loads are typically described as front-end or back-end.A front-end load is an expense incurred at the purchase of the fund. For example, a 3% front-end load on a $5,000 investment means that $150 goes toward the sales fee, and $4,850 is actually invested.Back-end loads are deferred sales charges, or redemption charges, that go into effect when a fund is sold before a certain time. Back-end loads tend to decrease the longer you wait to sell the fund. According to Morningstar, back-end loads start at around 5% to 7% in the first year. They go down to 0% in the next five to seven years. champja / Getty Images/iStockphoto Look For No-Load Funds To Save Money Not all mutual funds come with these kinds of expenses, so seeking out no-load funds where possible can help you keep more money in your investment accounts over the long run. fstop123 / iStock.com 7. Taxes As you approach retirement age, taxes will likely become one of your bigger expenses.Traditional 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts can be tax-deferred, which helps maximize savings. But, when you withdraw from these accounts, you'll have to pay taxes on that money. Interest earned through savings accounts is taxed at your normal income rate, and the income that some bonds generate might be taxable as well. Moreover, any profits from selling an investment are taxed at the capital gains rate. jesslowcher / Twenty20.com Know Where To Put Your Money First Before you start putting your money in taxable accounts, such as mutual funds and bonds, it's recommended that you maximize your 401(k) and IRA options, reported Forbes. sirtravelalot / Shutterstock.com 8. Early Withdrawal Penalties Just because you think of yourself as retired doesn't mean the IRS agrees. Once you've reached age 59 1/2, you can take the money out of qualified retirement plans, including IRA, 401(k) and 403(b) accounts, without incurring a tax penalty. But, if you withdraw money prior to that, the IRS adds a 10% penalty on the taxable portion of your distribution. monkeybusinessimages / Getty Images/iStockphoto Exceptions to the Early Withdrawal Penalty If an exception applies, you can avoid the early withdrawal penalty. For 401(k) and 403(b) accounts, IRAs allow early distributions to pay for higher education costs including for your kids and insurance premiums while you're unemployed. Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com 9. Trading Fees When you buy and sell shares, the brokerage charges you a fee for each trade. Fees can vary wildly between companies. ferrantraite / Getty Images/Vetta Choose Your Financial Advisor Wisely When your financial advisor engages in excess trades on your behalf to rack up commissions and fees, it's called "churning." This practice is illegal, and you can report it to the SEC through the online complaint form. You'll want to work with someone who won't take advantage of you, so be careful when picking your retirement financial advisor. imtmphoto / Shutterstock.com 10. Penalties for Failing To Take Required Distributions Beginning in the year that you turn 72 (70 1/2 if you reached 70 1/2 before Jan. 1, 2020), you must start taking minimum distributions from your qualified retirement plans. You can postpone required minimum distributions from 401(k) and 403(b) plans if you're still working, as long as you don't own more than 5% of the company in question. playb / Getty Images How Much the Penalties Cost If you fail to take the required minimum distributions when you turn 72, the IRS imposes a penalty equal to 50% of the amount that you didn't take out. The payouts are designed to make sure you receive your retirement benefits during your lifetime, so do yourself a favor and make active withdrawals on time. Terry Vine / Getty Images 11. Annuity Rollover Fees Annuity rollover fees are a hidden cost that many retirees might not notice. Not all annuities are created equal. Some might be tied to mutual funds which are tied to the sometimes-volatile stock market and others function through an insurance brokerage, promising fixed rates and guaranteed minimums. Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury Follow Your Annuity Guidelines To Avoid Fees If you've decided that it's time to jump ship from your current provider, be sure you're following the guidelines so you don't get slammed with hidden annuity rollover fees, as well as other costs like higher expense ratios or administrative fees that you didn't have before.The IRS allows for tax-free exchanges of annuity contracts as long as they fall under the same tax status. For example, a simplified employee pension or a savings incentive match plan for employees can be rolled over into a traditional IRA because they're both tax-deferred. kali9 / iStock.com 12. Surrender Fees If the IRS doesn't hit you with extra charges for rolling over your annuity, it doesn't mean you're home free. Companies might charge a surrender penalty if you sell or withdraw money from a variable annuity. Annuities are often structured in a yearly format, with the surrender penalties decreasing over time. AzmanL / Getty Images How To Handle Surrender Fees This information is typically located toward the front of your policy, so before you make a switch, be sure to consult your plan. Very few annuity providers charge no surrender fees, so you should expect to pay them and, if possible, budget for them in advance. Ariel Skelley / Getty Images 13. Inactivity Fees Beware of being nickeled and dimed by your low-cost brokerage. There might be hefty fees associated with inactivity it's one of the reasons why a low-cost brokerage might not be the best option for your investments. ipopba / iStock.com Keep Your Investments Active If you're not trading frequently, you might see charges for inactivity and maintenance which could land around $50 to $200 in addition to existing fees to access data, trading tools and more. So, make sure you're engaging in enough trades to be considered active. Peopleimages / iStock.com 14. 401(k) Administrative Fees Many employers offer a 401(k) matching benefit, but it might be costing you. Although the most generous companies foot the bill for administrative fees associated with managing your retirement plan, others might decide to opt out which leaves you as the account holder to pay up. NoSystem images / Getty Images Find a Retirement Plan That Works Better For You If the management fee isn't covered, consider getting out once your company match maxes out and taking your hard-earned dollars elsewhere, such as an IRA. shapecharge / iStock.com 15. Beneficiary Fees This fee won't affect you directly, but it'll hit your beneficiaries hard once you're gone.If there are any funds left over in your IRA after your passing, you might choose to help your children or grandchildren out as a final gift. However, the cash doesn't come without a cost. When an IRA gets distributed after death, the beneficiaries are often hit with a tax burden one that they are sometimes unprepared for. jarenwicklund / Getty Images/iStockphoto List a Trust as an IRA Beneficiary Naming a trust as a beneficiary of your IRA could help safeguard your children who are disabled, minors or otherwise susceptible to creditors, according to CNBC. However, this isn't an easy thing to do, so make sure you consult professionals like an accountant or an estate-planning attorney before attempting it.More From GOBankingRatesJaw-Dropping Stats About the State of Retirement in America GOBankingRates' Best Credit Cards for 2023 If Your Credit Score is Under 740, Make These 4 Moves Now 4 Ways Women Can Prepare Their Finances for Unexpected Life-Changing Events Michael Keenan and Rachel Farrow contributed to the reporting for this article. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 15 Hidden Fees To Watch Out for in Retirement skynesher / iStock.com Finding space in your budget to save and invest isn't easy for everyone. In fact, a recent GOBankingRates survey found that 40% of Americans have less than $300 in savings. As such, plenty of Americans are facing a retirement where their only source of funds is a monthly check from the Social Security Administration. Cash App Borrow: How To Borrow Money on Cash App Find: 7 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Reach Your Retirement Goals Still, living on a fixed income doesn't mean you have to miss out on a satisfying retirement. In the right place, you might discover that you can stretch your budget further and spend your golden years enjoying yourself. To help you find such a place, a GOBankingRates study identified American cities where you can realistically retire on a budget of $1,500 a month. The study took the cost-of-living index from Sperling's Best Places and applied it to customer expenditure data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find the average cost of living in the given city. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in each city was also sourced from ApartmentList. Locations that fell below a certain livability score on AreaVibes or had a below-average portion of the population above 65 were eliminated, and only the places offering the best combination of bills under $1,500 and strong livability for seniors were left. So, take a look to see which American cities give you a chance to retire even if you're not rich. Davel5957 / Getty Images Lansing, Michigan Total monthly expenditures: $1,485.48 Livability score: 65 The average monthly rent in Lansing, Michigan's state capital, is $701 -- the highest of the cities on the list. However, the average monthly cost of groceries, $308.45, is the second-lowest of the cities included here. Live Richer Podcast: Unexpected Ways Losing a Spouse Can Affect Your Finances and Retirement DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto Lawton, Oklahoma Total monthly expenditures: $1,483.75 Livability score: 66 In Lawton, retirees can expect to spend a bundle on healthcare. Average monthly costs of $660.52 are higher than rent, which comes in at an affordable $519. The city of about 93,000 people has the lowest grocery costs in the study at an average of $304.73 per month. travelview / Shutterstock.com Lake Charles, Louisiana Total monthly expenditures: $1,446.59 Livability score: 69 Located along Interstate 10 between Houston and New Orleans, Lake Charles offers plenty of things for retirees to do, from enjoying museums to water activities to wildlife experiences. It is one of three cities on the list with an average monthly rent of less than $600 but healthcare costs higher than $500 a month. Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com St. Cloud, Minnesota Total monthly expenditures: $1,404.64 Livability score: 68 St. Cloud, about an hour's drive northwest of Minneapolis, has the lowest monthly healthcare costs on the list, an average of $444.71. The grocery costs are the highest, however, at $328.43. ChrisBoswell / Getty Images/iStockphoto Fort Wayne, Indiana Total monthly expenditures: $1,397.29 Livability score: 80 Retirees who settle in Fort Wayne would find it affordable, as well as a great place to make friends. People ages 65 or older make up 14 % of the city's population. Rent averages $634 per month but healthcare costs are $453.83 a month -- the second-lowest rate in the study. DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images Odessa, Texas Total monthly expenditures: $1,385.63 Livability score: 67 Odessa, in western Texas, is known for its oil rigs, Friday night high school football and a working re-creation of William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. With the lowest average monthly rent on the list, $487, retirees should have a few dollars to spare for football or theater tickets. More From GOBankingRates Jami Farkas contributed to the reporting for this article. Methogolody: For this study, GOBankingRates found the best cities to retire on a budget of $1,500 dollars or less. GOBankingRates used ApartmentList April 2022 data to find every city in the U.S. that has an (1) average 2022 monthly rent of $750 dollars or less for a 1 bedroom apartment. GOBankingRates then used Sperling's Best to find the cost of living index for every city on the list, looking at (2) grocery and (3) healthcare index scores. Next, GOBankingRates used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2020 Consumer Expenditure Survey to find the annual expenditure amount for both grocery ("food at home") and healthcare costs for people aged 65 and older in order to find how much a person 65 and over would spend on groceries and healthcare in each city on a monthly basis. GOBankingRates then added monthly housing, grocery and healthcare costs together to find where a person 65 and older could survive on $1,500 or less. In order for a city to be qualified for the study, it had to have a livabilty score of 60 or higher as sourced from AreaVibes and its population had to be 10% or more over the age of 65 according to the Census Bureau's 2020 American Community Survey. All data was collected on and up to date as of June 8, 2022. This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Best Cities To Retire on a Budget of $1,500 a Month On Jan. 1, a temporary pause on federal student loan repayments is set to expire meaning millions of borrowers are bracing to repay loans after a nearly three-year reprieve. While the Biden administration called the latest extension the "final" one, some experts predict the pause could be extended if the legal uncertainty over a new student loan forgiveness plan continues. On Friday, hours after President Biden announced that 22 million people had applied for forgiveness, a federal court of appeals issued an administrative stay that bars the administration from dispensing with the loans while it considers a challenge to the program. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to discuss the possibility of extending the repayment pause, but she also didn't rule it out when reporters raised questions on Monday. I'm not going to get into hypotheticals, and we have to let the process play out, she said. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves from here. President Joe Biden arrives to give remarks on student debt relief at Delaware State University on October 21. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) In August, the Biden administration announced a plan that would forgive $10,000 of student debt for people making less than $125,000 and an additional $10,000 for those who received Pell Grants, which go to borrowers with extreme financial need. The plan has sparked opposition from Biden's opponents, who contend it's too expensive and oversteps Biden's authority. Others contend it doesn't address the root problems that make college so expensive. The plan has sparked several legal challenges. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is expected to rule on a suit from six Republican-led states aiming to block the program permanently after a lower court dismissed the suit for lack of standing meaning a judge found the states didn't show that the forgiveness plan hurt them. Its very important that the legal issues involving presidential power be analyzed by the court before transferring over $400 billion in debt to American taxpayers, Nebraska's Republican Attorney General Doug Peterson said in a statement after the appeals court stayed Biden's plan. 'Maybe for the duration of his tenure as president' If the legal logjam continues, experts note the administration would have a right to further extend the pause on repayments. While the Biden administration said that this final extension is a final, final extension, that isn't the first time they said that something was final," student financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz told Yahoo Finance. The Biden administration might issue a temporary extension if the legal questions remain unsettled by January, he said. The pause could continue if a judge ultimately rules against Biden. If they lose in court and the president's loan forgiveness plan is blocked," he says, "well nothing stops them really from extending the student loan payment pause and interest waiver further, maybe for the duration of his tenure as president. While opponents question Biden's authority to forgive debt, it's more clear that the law allows him to issue the pause on repayments. Both efforts derive from the Higher Education Relief Opportunities For Students (HEROES) Act, which allows the Secretary of Education to grant relief to federal student loan recipients in connection with a national emergency. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, then-President Donald Trump invoked the power to delay student loan repayments; Biden has continued extending the deadline since taking office. The Biden administration is also trying to use the HEROES Act to go further and forgive federal student loan debt. But Biden's ability to forgive debt under that law is less clear, and some experts predict the government will lose if the Supreme Court weighs in on the plan. Full steam ahead...for now Biden has only offered minimal comments on the legal setback. He defended the effort and condemned Republican efforts to stop it during a stop Monday at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. President Biden during an appearance at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in Washington on October. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein) The White House press secretary underlined Monday the administration will continue accepting applications for forgiveness and expressed confidence that it would soon be up-and-running. Kyra Taylor, a supporter of forgiveness and a staff attorney focused on student loans at the National Consumer Law Center, takes the administration at its word. "I think the administration will keep moving, she said. Unless a court actually rules against the program, she said, Its full steam ahead. Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. Proposed Government legislation to deal with the legacy of Northern Irelands Troubles risks widespread breaches of human rights law, a Westminster committee has found. The Joint Committee on Human Rights has urged the Government to reconsider its approach following legislative scrutiny of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill. The bill has already been through the House of Commons and is now set for consideration by the House of Lords. The legislation proposes a form of amnesty for perpetrators of Troubles crimes in exchange for co-operation with a new truth recovery body. The bill, if enacted, would also end inquests and civil proceedings related to the conflict. The changes are opposed by political parties and victims groups in Northern Ireland, as well the Irish government. In its report, the cross-party committee warned that the bills approach risks failing to meet the minimum standards required to ensure effective investigations into Troubles-related cases concerning deaths and serious injury. It stated that the right to life and the prohibition of torture under the ECHR require that the State undertake investigations into certain cases concerning deaths and serious harm which are independent, effective, reasonably prompt and expeditious, subject to public scrutiny, and involve the next-of-kin. The committee has also expressed concern that shutting down avenues to pursue truth and justice is a high-risk strategy and places the UK at risk of non-compliance with Article 6 (right of access to a court) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy). It continued: Criminal investigations, prosecutions, and inquests should be permitted to continue, and a more reasonable, longer limitation period should be provided for civil claims. Joanna Cherry urged the Government to revisit its legacy proposals (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Joanna Cherry said: Establishing a new framework for dealing with the legacy of the Troubles is a complex and difficult task, but that is why it is all the more important that the Government gets it right. A delicate balance needs to be struck between enabling reconciliation while taking steps to ensure that those still dealing with the devastating consequences of past events can access justice and effective remedies. We agree with many other stakeholders that this bill as drafted is unlikely to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). While we support the aim of reconciliation, we urge the Government to reconsider its whole approach. Its crucial that the legislation ensures that investigations are independent, effective, timely, involve next of kin, and are subject to public scrutiny. Perpetrators of serious human rights violations should be able to be held to account. All possible avenues for the pursuit of justice and the provision of an effective remedy should be available to victims and their families. The Government must revisit this bill to ensure that it respects the human rights of all those affected and establishes a lasting framework for dealing with the legacy of the Troubles. An NIO spokesperson said: The current mechanisms for addressing the past are delivering neither justice nor information to the vast majority of families. The legislation as a whole complies with our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Government continues to engage constructively with all stakeholders regarding their concerns, and how these might be addressed as the bill proceeds through parliament. Kari Lake, the Arizona Republican candidate for governor and former Fox 10 Phoenix news anchor, seems to be everywhere lately. Earlier this month, the Atlantic declared her Trumpisms leading lady, then spent more than 3,500 words explaining why. The Washington Post elaborated a few days later. [Lake] has emerged as a Republican phenom by amplifying Donald Trumps lie that the 2020 election was stolen, read the subhead of its even longer profile. Last week, Axios went several steps further and reported that top Democratic strategists now believe Lake has the potential to soar to a vice presidential spot or a post-Trump presidential candidacy. Kari Lake, Republican candidate for Arizona governor, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas in August. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) If you get a candidate who has the performance skills of a major-market local TV anchor and the philosophy and thinking of Steve Bannon, thats a potent and dangerous combination, Barack Obama guru David Axelrod told the site. Look at Italy." By last weekend, Lake was sparring with Dana Bash live on CNN and sparking yet another media tizzy by refusing to say that she will accept the result if she loses in November. Im going to win the election and I will accept that result, Lake said (twice). It remains to be seen, of course, whether she can actually defeat her opponent, Democrat Katie Hobbs. Long considered the frontrunner, Hobbs, the Arizona secretary of state, made her own national headlines for holding the line against relentless right-wing efforts to overturn Trumps 2020 loss there. Until recently, Hobbs had never trailed Lake in the polls; in August, she led by an average of 7 percentage points. But now its Lake who appears to have the momentum and a modest lead. Part of the problem, local observers say, is that the subdued, soft-spoken Hobbs has proved to be a limp campaigner whose unwillingness to debate Lake has become almost as much of an issue as the issues themselves. Arizona gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs, once the frontrunner, is currently trailing Lake. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Hobbs is a mediocre Democratic politician, and shes running a mediocre race, Robert Robb, a longtime columnist for the Arizona Republic and a former GOP political consultant, told Yahoo News. So its no surprise that Lakes competitive. It's still a Republican-leaning state in a Republican-leaning year. But others see Lakes own telegenic talent as the bigger factor. The national media has made much of what one might call her style: the familiar pixie cut; the large silver cross she took to wearing for protection shortly before she announced her campaign; the impossibly smooth skin showcased in ethereal campaign videos. And then theres the power of her voice deep but still feminine; firm, even severe, but smooth, as the Atlantic put it. Like black tea with a little honey. Shes a local celebrity, Arizona pollster and political consultant Paul Bentz told Yahoo News. Shes great with an audience. Shes great on camera. Shes a more polished version of Trump. And because of all that, she's put herself in a position where shes tied this thing up. For all their primary-season success, MAGA candidates havent exactly been taking purple states like Arizona by storm. In Pennsylvania, for example, hard-right state Sen. Doug Mastriano is lagging well behind his Democratic opponent for governor. And although hes risen some in recent surveys, the GOPs 36-year-old nominee for U.S. Senate in Arizona, Blake Masters, is still polling behind Lake. So what makes Lake different? At first, Arizona Democrats were publicly rooting for her to beat establishment rival Karrin Taylor Robson in the GOP primary; no less of an authority than former Gov. Janet Napolitano told the New York Times in August that Lake was a one-trick pony who would be easier to defeat in November. If this is an election about Trump and 2020 in Arizona, then Democrats will win, Napolitano said. Leading Arizona Democrats even tried to tip the scales for Lake by touting Robsons past donations to Democratic candidates. Donald Trump with Lake at a rally in Mesa, Ariz., Oct. 9. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) Now they may come to regret that decision. We wanted these extreme candidates on the Republican side, Roy Herrera, the Arizona state counsel for Joe Bidens 2020 campaign, told the Times. Now we got them and, you know, are we sure we wanted that? By any normal standard, Lake remains one of 2022s most out-there figures. In the wake of the 2020 election, Arizonas far-right Republican activists and legislators pushed hard to reverse Trumps 10,457-vote loss the narrowest margin of any state in the country. But not a single one of the 24 challenges filed in Maricopa, the states largest county, since Nov. 3, 2020, was upheld in court. Multiple audits (including a private count funded by Trump supporters) found zero evidence of fraud; in fact, the partisan GOP audit actually widened Bidens margin of victory by 360 votes. Yet Lake has described Biden as an illegitimate fool who is president only because the election was stolen and corrupt. She has unapologetically promoted nearly every debunked conspiracy theory about 2020. Years later, she continues to demand the decertification of the Arizona result. Were already detecting some stealing going on, she said in the lead-up to her primary. If we dont win, theres some cheating going on. Lake has also suggested that the Second Amendment protects ownership of rocket launchers. She told a summit of young conservative women that God did not create us to be equal to men. She has threatened to imprison Hobbs for fictional election-rigging offenses. She has threatened to imprison journalists as well. She has appeared with QAnon-linked activists at campaign events. She has vowed to deport undocumented immigrants without federal approval. And she has accused Biden and the Democrats of harboring a demonic agenda. Lake at a campaign stop in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Oct. 7. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) None of these positions is mainstream. Yet Lake may soon show that with the right combination of poise, polish and bravado, none of them has to be disqualifying either not even in a swing state like Arizona. Its all based on personality, Bentz told Yahoo News. I mean, shes an incredible actress. Its not clear how much of this stuff she believes. Maybe its all of it. But she is absolutely the partys next great communicator. And thats why Democrats like Axelrod are starting to think that Lake might be one of the most dangerous politicians in America. The danger, according to democracy advocates, isnt so much that Lake might beat Hobbs and implement the policies we expect from Republican governors. Rather, they worry that, given the chance, she will try to steal the 2024 presidential election for the GOP nominee. If Lake and her Republican ticketmates and fellow 2020 election deniers Mark Finchem (secretary of state) and Abraham Hamadeh (attorney general) win as well, they and Arizonas almost-certain-to-be-Republican-led Legislature could make all kinds of changes to help Trump win the state two years from now, regardless of the actual results. For his part, Finchem who argues that Marxists conspired to manipulate the 2020 election, that people cast ballots with software that flips votes and that Biden is a fraudulent president has already said he would ban early voting and sharply restrict mail-in ballots. More worryingly, hes thrown his weight behind efforts to empower the state Legislature to overturn election results. In May, Finchem assured his supporters that if he had been secretary of state last time around, we would have won. Plain and simple. Last month, he implied to Time magazine that he would not certify the states electoral votes for Biden in 2024. Mark Finchem, GOP candidate for Arizona secretary of state. (Matt York/AP) I'm extremely concerned about candidates who make false claims about the 2020 election and who applaud the things that were done to not only discredit the results, but to undermine the results and change the outcome, Robb, the former GOP strategist, said. [Lake and Finchem] are not forswearing doing that again in the future. Thats deeply worrying. But the stakes go beyond 2024. The hope among Democrats not to mention many Trump-wary Republicans was that only Trump, with his all-consuming celebrity and shameless showmanship, could really sell pure, uncut Trumpism to the masses, and that without him MAGA would wither. Lake's emergence, however, suggests a new way forward for Trumpism after Trump. The youngest of nine eight girls and one boy Lake grew up off a gravel road in rural eastern Iowa. Her father was a public high school teacher; her mother was a nurse. My family was very poor, she has said. You had to work if you wanted shampoo. Describing Lake as someone who sought attention in the newsroom, a former Fox colleague recently told the Washington Post that everything starts with her being the ninth of nine kids. But when a reporter from Phoenix magazine asked Lake how her childhood shaped her, she batted the question away. Ive read that young kids in big families sometimes have to fight for recognition and attention, the reporter asked. We had to fight for food, not recognition, Lake shot back. A sign depicting Lake as Rosie the Riveter, seen at a Tucson, Ariz., rally in October. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters) Either way, the spotlight found her soon enough. A few months after graduating from the University of Iowa, she was on the air as a weekend weather anchor in her native state; by the time she was 25, she was doing the same job in Phoenix. Lake went on to spend 22 years as a Fox 10 anchor, mostly covering the evening news and becoming a household name in the process. I am beloved by people, and Im not saying that to be boastful, she told the New York Times in August. I was in their homes for the good times and the bad times. It was a successful career she was one of the few local news anchors to land interviews with both Obama and Trump but it ended last year in controversy. Although Lake was reportedly a Republican before she donated to John Kerry in 2004 then registered as an independent in 2006, a Democrat in 2008 and a Republican again in 2012 she didnt come off as conservative. In fact, Fox colleagues have described her as a head-over-heels Obama fan who dabbled in Buddhism, wore a red Kabbalah string around her wrist and befriended John McCains son Jimmy as well as popular Phoenix drag queen Barbra Seville. (Lake was the queen of the gays! a former co-worker told the Atlantic.) A primary attack ad in July from the campaign of Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson attempts to portray Lake as a supporter of former President Barack Obama. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) In 2016, Lake pitched mass amnesty as a humane and fair solution for the roughly 11 million immigrants living in America illegally. In 2017, she shared a meme on Facebook declaring Trumps inauguration a national day of mourning and protest. But something flipped after Trump took office. In 2018, Fox 10 hung a widescreen monitor in the newsroom to rank on-air talent by social media likes, retweets and replies; that same year, Lake took to her official Fox 10 Twitter account to dismiss a movement for teacher pay raises as nothing more than a push to legalize pot. Although she later apologized, colleagues noticed a shift. When she found something that garnered attention, one told Phoenix magazine, she gravitated toward that. In 2019, Lake joined the right-wing social media platform Parler. Viewers complained; lawyers got involved. F*** them, Lake said, on a hot mic, when her co-anchor warned that the station could get blowback from outlets like the local alt-weekly. She later described the next year or so when she started retweeting debunked COVID-19 misinformation and clashing with producers over calling Biden the president-elect as the period in which I got canceled. Thats when all of this started going downhill, Fox 10s former human resources director told the Washington Post. Her thing became, Its freedom of speech, I have the right to say what I want to say. In March 2021, Lake resigned. Journalism has changed a lot since I first stepped into a newsroom, and Ill be honest, I dont like the direction its going, she said in a video posted to Rumble. I found myself reading news copy that I didnt believe was fully truthful, or only told part of the story. ... Ive decided the time is right to do something else. She launched her campaign for governor three months later. Lake has explained her transformation as typical: a lifelong Republican becoming disenchanted with the overseas adventurism of the George W. Bush era, then reverting back to her roots. She claims to be in good company, citing other famous party switchers such as Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump and Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward. Lake at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Aug. 5. (LM Otero/AP) None of which, of course, has stopped rivals from questioning her sincerity. I believe shes an opportunist, Robson, her primary opponent, told Fox News shortly before the August election. Shes actually a fraud, a fake. Shes not who she says she is. Shes a fabulous actress. Old colleagues have advanced more nuanced theories. The only thing I can come up with in watching this is that her conservative views, little by little, brought her power and recognition that she had never felt before, Marlene Galan-Woods, another former Channel 10 anchor, told the Post. Its intoxicating. The Kool-Aid is the power and all these people fawning over you you forget what the truth is anymore. Whatever Lake really believes, however, most observers seem to agree on one thing: She knows how to perform. The power of her MAGA magnetism and the unusual skill set she brings to the table have been on full display in the closing days of the campaign. Two moments in particular stand out. The first came Sunday, Oct. 9, at a Trump rally in Mesa, just east of Phoenix. Lake spoke in complete, composed sentences without notes, or a teleprompter, or a single crutch phrase like um. But more important than how the former newscaster spoke is what she spoke about. Or rather, what she didnt. Lake at a rally in Mesa, Ariz., on Oct. 9. (Matt York/AP) Instead of fanciful election denialism, she focused on mainstream, meat-and-potatoes fare: Her plan for more career and technical education opportunities; her plan to counter what she calls Bidenflation by barring local government from taxing groceries or rent payments; her push to secure the border so that fentanyl stops kill[ing] our babies; her desire to replace the woke garbage with common sense in public school education; her call for tough love to get [unhoused] people into treatment. In her framing, the new Republican Party the party, presumably, of Trump and Lake isnt the party of very fine people on both sides and Jan. 6. Rather, its the most inclusive party in the history of politics. I dont care if you think youre a Democrat. If you dont like the way the Democrat Party is going, chances are youre a Republican, Lake said, throwing open her arms. We dont care what color your skin is. We dont care what zip code you come from. We love all of you. And if you like common-sense solutions, then welcome. In July, the last time Trump stumped for her in Arizona, Lake had railed about a stolen election five times during [her] 20-minute speech, according to the Arizona Republic. Now her message was tailored for the broader electorate. One-third of Arizona voters are Latino; one-third are independents. To win in November, a Republican like Lake cant afford to just rile up the base. Lake supporters cheer their candidate in Mesa, Ariz. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) If the focus is on whos a potential rising star within the MAGA universe, Lake is a contender, said Robb. She does unquestionably well with Trump crowds and with Trump. But shes got a way to go in the next few weeks just to squeak out a victory that ought to be a walk in the park for a Republican candidate for governor. The second moment came exactly one week later, after a Black Voices for Kari event at Phoenixs Bobby-Q barbecue restaurant. Lake might not have mentioned 2020, but the press did. Over the weekend your name was trending everywhere, a reporter said right out of the gate. And most of [those mentions] were asking, Is she an election denier? Lake didnt hesitate. Lets talk about election deniers, she said as an aide handed her what was presumably a GOP research document. Heres 150 examples of Democrats denying election results. She mentioned Hillary Clinton saying that Trump is an illegitimate president. She mentioned 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams who is running again in 2022 claiming she never lost. She even invoked Al Gore, who won the popular vote in 2000 but lost the election to George W. Bush after conservative Supreme Court justices stopped the recount in Florida. Since 2000, people have questioned the legitimacy of our elections, Lake said. And all we are asking is, in the future, we dont have to have that happen anymore. Trump has been a big booster of Lake's candidacy. Here they are at a "Save America" rally in July. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Never mind that Lakes argument here that her denialism, and by extension Trumps, is just politics as usual, and nothing to worry about bears little resemblance to reality. Trumps refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, and the embrace of his conspiracy theories by Republicans nationwide, is without parallel in American history. Regardless, Lake sounded like she believed every word of what she was saying. The next morning, she posted a video of the exchange on Twitter. It now has more than 2.1 million views. Children's hospitals in parts of the U.S. are seeing a surge in a common respiratory illness that can cause severe breathing problems for babies. RSV cases fell dramatically two years ago as the pandemic shut down schools, day cares and businesses. With restrictions easing in the summer of 2021, doctors saw an alarming increase in what is normally a fall and winter virus. Now, it's back again. And doctors are bracing for the possibility that RSV, flu and COVID-19 could combine to stress hospitals. I'm calling it an emergency, said Dr. Juan Salazar of Connecticut Childrens Hospital, where RSV has caused a shuffling of patients into playrooms and other spaces not normally used for beds. The institution explored using a National Guard field hospital, but has set aside that option for now. A look at RSV and what the recent surge may mean: WHAT IS RSV? It stands for respiratory syncytial virus, a common cause of mild cold-like symptoms such as runny nose, cough and fever. Nearly all U.S. children normally catch an RSV infection by age 2. People infected are usually contagious for three to eight days. Babies and people with weakened immune systems can spread RSV for up to four weeks. There is no vaccine for it, though several candidates are in testing. WHO DOES IT AFFECT? Everyone can get RSV. But it causes the most threat to infants, older adults and other vulnerable people, who can get serious airway and lung infections. Among U.S. kids under age 5, RSV typically leads to 58,000 hospitalizations and up to 500 deaths in a year. For adults 65 and older, RSV causes 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths yearly. For babies, the struggle to breathe can interfere with eating. And thats really when we start to worry, said Dr. Melanie Kitagawa of Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston, where more than 40 children have RSV. Theyre breathing fast, breathing deep. We see them using muscles in their chest to help them breathe, Kitagawa said. These are kids who are having difficulty taking a bottle because their breathing is being impacted and they can't coordinate both at once." WHY IS THERE AN INCREASE NOW? The virus is encountering a highly vulnerable population of babies and children who were sheltered from common bugs during the pandemic lockdowns. Immune systems might not be as prepared to fight the virus after more than two years of masking, which offered protection, according to Dr. Elizabeth Mack of Medical University of South Carolina. South Carolina is drowning in RSV, Mack said in a news release. The surge arrived earlier this year than normal, she said. For babies, their mothers may not have been infected with RSV during pregnancy, which could have given the children some immunity. U.S. health officials have noted a rise this month in national reports of respiratory illnesses, which they say is at least partly due to the early spread of flu in much of the South. Last week, more than 7,000 tests came back positive for RSV, according to CDC figures. That's more than in previous surges. IS THERE A TREATMENT? There's no specific treatment, so it's a matter of managing symptoms and letting the virus run its course. Doctors may prescribe oral steroids or an inhaler to make breathing easier. In serious cases, patients in the hospital may get oxygen, a breathing tube or a ventilator. WHAT DO DOCTORS RECOMMEND? Prevent the spread of viruses by washing hands thoroughly and staying home when you're sick. During RSV season, an injection of an antibody-based medicine is sometimes prescribed to protect premature infants and other very vulnerable babies. If you're worried your child is having a severe breathing problem, do not hesitate to go to an emergency department or call 911, said Dr. Russell Migita of Seattle Childrens Hospital, where RSV is on the rise. For less severe medical problems, Migita said, call your regular health care provider for advice, use telehealth or go to urgent care. In Chicago on Saturday, Dr. Juanita Mora saw a family of five kids all with RSV, ranging from a 3-year-old to a teenager. Fearing whats ahead this winter, shes telling everyone to get a flu shot and a COVID-19 booster. We dont want a triple whammy, a triple pandemic, Mora said. ___ Associated Press/Report for America reporter James Pollard contributed from Columbia, South Carolina. AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe contributed. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Rescued dogs in a shelter are pictured day ahead of Kukur Tihar, the festival of dogs, in Lalitpur By Yubaraj Sharma LALITPUR, Nepal (Reuters) - Dog lovers of Nepal honoured canines on Monday, putting bright orange garlands around their necks and indulging them with treats to celebrate a Hindu festival highlighting the loyalty of dogs to humans. At a dog shelter in Lalitpur, a city on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu, volunteers, residents and tourists took part in "Kukur Tihar", a ceremony that takes place on the second day of a five-day Hindu festival devoted to animals associated with Yamaraj, the god of death and justice. "On the day of the Festival of Dogs, I want to convey the message that humans should show compassion and love to dogs and feed them as much as we can," Lalitpur Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan said after honouring paralysed dogs at the Sneha Care animal shelter. The tradition originates in Nepal, where street dogs are prevalent and dog welfare is struggling. The Sneha Care shelter has around 170 dogs, some of which have been abandoned, owner Sneha Shrestha said. "Today they are worshipped, but the next day they are being left. If they get sick, people leave them," she said. During the festive period, it is considered a sin to act disrespectfully to dogs and other animals that are honoured. "It is fun when we make garlands, wear them, and feed the dogs during the Festival of Dogs," local resident Tirtha Bahadur Khatri said. Beyond the celebrations, dog welfare is starting to receive more widespread attention in Nepal. There are an estimated 20,000 stray dogs in the Kathmandu Valley alone, according to media reports. Authorities in Pokhara have been microchipping canines, while Kathmandu's city council has launched dog management campaigns to control the stray population. (Reporting by Yubaraj Sharma; Writing by Lion Schellerer; Editing by Jamie Freed) The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates. Whats happening House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy last week signaled that Republicans may oppose some military aid to Ukraine if they take control of the House of Representatives after next months midterm elections. I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and theyre not going to write a blank check to Ukraine, McCarthy, the leading candidate to become speaker of the House if the GOP holds the majority, said during an interview with Punchbowl News. Since Russia invaded in February, the U.S. has approved more than $60 billion in military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Unlike most issues in the deeply-divided Congress, support for Ukraine aid has been largely bipartisan. While McCarthy isnt the only Republican to voice concerns about the spending, the bulk of GOP members have backed additional funding when it has come up for a vote. Though many European nations have also contributed billions in aid to Ukraine, the U.S. has provided far more than any other country. That support has allowed Ukrainian forces to not only hold off the initial Russian offensive, but to also mount a major offensive and reclaim significant swaths of Russia-controlled territory over the past few months. Most election models expect Republicans to win control of the House next month and give them around a 50-50 chance of also taking the Senate. Why theres debate To some political observers, McCarthys comments are a sign of a growing skepticism within the GOP of American spending on Ukraine. Over the past several months, some prominent conservative lobbying groups , vocal far-right Republicans and high-profile members of right wing media have raised their opposition to further spending. In May, former President Donald Trump condemned a $40 billion aid package passed by Congress. Those criticisms may be having an influence on the views of the Republican base. In a poll taken late last month by Pew, 32% of GOP voters said the U.S. is providing too much support for Ukraine, more than triple the number who said the same in March. But skeptics of that view argue that while there may be growing criticism on the fringes of the spending, the core of the Republican Party still strongly supports doing whatever it takes to help Ukraine win the war. The vast majority of us, certainly including myself, think defeating the Russians in Ukraine is high-priority, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Defense News last month. Some pundits also say cutting off Ukraine aid, which could potentially mean handing victory to Russia, would be so politically disastrous that the GOP wouldnt dare follow through. A number of conservatives have defended McCarthys statements. They argue that he wasnt calling for Ukraine aid to be cut off, but was instead making the case for more scrutiny to be given to how much is being spent and where that money is going. Whats next A bipartisan group of lawmakers has reportedly begun discussions on a plan to secure as much as $50 billion in additional support for Ukraine while Democrats still have support of Congress. That funding, which would likely be the subject of intense negotiating, would reportedly be included in a must-pass government funding bill that would be put up for a vote after the election, but before the new Congress is sworn in. Perspectives A GOP victory in the midterms is Russias best chance to avoid defeat Although the resilience, courage, and skill of the Ukrainian military has driven [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to increasingly desperate and depraved measures to avoid further battlefield humiliation, he can see a glimmer of hope on the horizon. And its being provided by the leadership of the Republican Party. David Rothkopf, Daily Beast The process may be more contentious in the future, but the bills will ultimately pass I do expect the process to get uglier and more contentious if the Republicans win back the House. But I really dont expect the results to be radically different, once the smoke clears and the appropriations bills are written. Michael E. OHanlon, Brookings Institution senior fellow, to The Hill McCarthy is right to say that the U.S. shouldnt be writing a blank check to Ukraine Americans deserve clarity from the Biden administration on specific U.S. strategic objectives in Ukraine. If tens of billions of their taxpayer dollars are going to Ukraine, Americans deserve to know what Biden's objectives are. Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner Curbing support for Ukraine would fit into the GOPs emerging isolationist world view It's a remarkable shift for the Republican Party, which for years touted a hawkish position on foreign policy, especially as it related to leading adversaries like Russia. But under Trump's stewardship, the party has become increasingly isolationist, and its growing opposition to aiding Ukraine is the latest and clearest sign of that. John Haltiwanger and Sonam Sheth, Business Insider Republicans can ensure the aid is spent wisely and in support of American interests Republicans should be against open-ended commitments, subsidies for broken international agencies, and funding that constitutes nation-building. But there is space well short of cutting aid to Ukraine for a GOP policy that holds the Biden administration accountable while strengthening U.S. strategic goals in Europe and Asia. Michael Allen, Wall Street Journal It makes no political sense for Republicans to draw the line on Ukraine aid If the GOP majority hopes to defund Ukraine over the preference of a majority of voters, Republicans in leadership are going to have to make the case to the public. Every minute they spend doing that is a minute that isnt spent addressing inflation, securing the border, supporting local law enforcement, curbing the efforts of social engineers to teach progressive cultural values in the classroom, and so on. Noah Rothman, Commentary Democratic control of Congress has hidden deep divisions in the GOP over Ukraine The parties instinct to polarize around issues may force them further apart once Republicans take power in Congress, like magnets repelling each other at the poles. In the first flush of outrage over Russias invasion, with the GOP all but powerless to block outlays of military aid, that instinct was blunted. But once McCarthy or McConnell has veto power over legislation, it will reemerge with various America First fig leaves offered to explain Republicans sudden reluctance to fund the Ukrainians. Nick Catoggio, Dispatch The threat of cutting of Ukraine funding gives the GOP substantial leverage While its not clear exactly what McCarthy meant in refusing to sign off on a blank check for Ukraine, the implication seems to be that Republicans would agree to further funding only in exchange for cuts in Democratic initiatives or increases in funding for GOP priorities like border security. Hayes Brown, MSNBC The more influence Trump has on the GOP, the more vulnerable Ukraine aid will be Since Putin launched his genocidal invasion, has a single prominent Republican broken with Trump over his bromance with the Russian thug? Or his hostility to NATO? Putin has gotten a lot wrong lately, but he undoubtedly thinks that if he can wait out the Biden presidency, he could do business with Trump 2.0. with all that means for the fate of Ukraine. Charlie Sykes, Bulwark Even the suggestion of cutting off aid hurts Ukraines war effort President Biden has spent nearly a year showing that the West will not bend. Now, with McCarthys typical recklessness in indulging MAGA isolationists, he is offering hope to Putin that if the Russian leader sticks to his war plan built on human rights atrocities and Iranian weaponry he might prevail. McCarthys comment will also likely shake European allies who worry about their own economic pain and fear that the United States might leave them dangling. It could also encourage Putins toadies in European capitals. Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post Is there a topic youd like to see covered in The 360? Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com. Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Chris McGrath/Getty Images, Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images, Sergey Bobok /AFP via Getty Images A 31-year-old man was driving with his wife when an approaching cars roof rack and kayak came loose, authorities in Michigan said. The roof rack went flying toward his pickup truck, then pierced his windshield and killed him, according to Michigan State Police. State troopers were called to the highway in Seney Township at about 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, according to a news release. They found Matthew Morgrette, of Colorado, fatally struck by the roof rack. His wife was not injured, police said. The kayak hit a third vehicle that was traveling east behind Morgrettes truck, authorities said. It caused minor damage but no injuries. The car with the roof rack had been traveling west along Michigan Highway 28, according to the release. A 58-year-old Wisconsin man was driving the car. The fatal crash is under investigation. Results from the investigation will be sent to the Schoolcraft County Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review. Seney Township is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Woman dies in crash after piece of metal flies through windshield, Missouri cops say Tires roll uncontrollably off semi one killing 32-year-old driver, Texas cops say Like a giant ninja star. Driver narrowly escapes as metal pierces windshield in Utah CLEVELAND (AP) Two right-wing operatives pleaded guilty on Monday in Cleveland to single felony counts of telecommunications fraud for having placed thousands of false robocalls in Ohio that told people they could be arrested or be forced to receive vaccinations based on information they submitted in votes by mail. Jacob Wohl, 24, of Irvine, Calif., and Jack Burkman, 56, of Arlington, Va., could each receive a year in prison when they are sentenced Nov. 29 in common pleas court. They were indicted in October 2020 on numerous counts of telecommunications fraud and bribery. Wohls attorney, Mark Wieczorek, declined to comment about the his clients plea. Burkmans attorney, Brian Joslyn, did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment. The two men were accused of arranging for a voice broadcast service to make about 85,000 robocalls to predominantly Black neighborhoods in Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois during the runup to the 2020 general election. Prosecutors said the pair were responsible for 3,500 calls to residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael OMalley at the time the pair were charged said they clearly infringed upon that right in a blatant attempt to suppress votes and undermine the integrity of this election. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, whose consumer protection unit assisted in the investigation, issued a statement Monday saying voter intimidation wont be tolerated in Ohio. The calls warned people that information included in their mailed ballots could be used by law enforcement agencies to enforce arrest warrants, to collect outstanding debts, and lead to tracking by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for mandatory vaccines. Wohl and Burkman have a history of staging hoaxes and spreading false smears against Democrats and public officials. The Associated Press reported in May 2019 that a 21-year-old college student from Michigan said the men recruited him to falsely claim he was raped by then-Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, and published the smear without the students permission. Wohl denied the accusation, saying the student had reached out to him. Burkman said on Twitter that he believed the students initial account of the alleged assault was accurate and true. The men have been sued in federal court in New York City and face a $5.1 million fine levied by the Federal Communications Commission. Wohl and Burkman are appealing criminal charges filed against them in Detroit stemming from a similar bogus robocall scheme targeting Black voters. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Update: Louis Hicks, a 78-year-old Kansas City man who had been reported missing Monday night, has been found and is safe, a police spokeswoman said early Tuesday. Kansas City police were asking the public for help on Monday night with finding a 78-year-old man reported missing from the Blue Vue Hills neighborhood. Louis Hicks was last seen around 4:30 p.m. walking in the 14000 block of East 49th Street, police said. He has diagnosed medical conditions requiring care, and his family has grown concerned about his well-being, police said. Hicks stands about 5-foot-6 and weighs approximately 160 pounds, according to police. He was wearing a floral-patterned blue shirt, a blue hat, blue jeans and dress shoes when he was last seen. Police were asking for assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol to issue a statewide alert for Hicks. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts was asked to call KCPDs Missing Persons Unit at 816-234-5220 or 911. Kanye West. (Amy Harris/Invision/Associated Press) In a sprawling new podcast interview with MIT research scientist Lex Fridman, Kanye West made yet another series of incendiary and false statements about the Holocaust, abortion and the Jewish people. West, who now performs as Ye, has been on an antisemitic tear through right-wing media and the podcast circuit, and his hate speech during the past weeks has cost him deals with talent agency CAA, fashion label Balenciaga and sportswear giant Adidas, which parted ways with West on Tuesday. Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech, the company said in a statement. Yes recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the companys values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness. Kim Kardashian condemned her ex-husband's antisemitic remarks on social media Monday, following a local demonstration on Sunday by a hate group that referenced West's tirades. In a two-hour-and-26 minute interview published Monday, which touched on subjects ranging from engineering to the media to his relationship with Kardashian and her former boyfriend Pete Davidson, West appeared in a jovial if erratic mood. He described having dinner at a Cheesecake Factory the night before and sitting next to a veteran, with whom he discussed politics. But West offered nary an apology for his recent remarks to Fridman, the Soviet Union-born Jewish host. Echoing a statement he made in a previous interview, West said, "We are still in the Holocaust. A Jewish friend of mine said, 'Go visit the Holocaust Museum,' and my response was, let's visit our Holocaust Museum: Planned Parenthood." He continued: "Fifty percent today of ... Black people's deaths today is abortion.... It's not racism; that's too wide of a term. It's genocide and population control that Black people are in today in America, that is promoted by the music and the media that Black people make, that Jewish record labels get paid off of." Fridman countered West's antisemitic allegations of Jewish-run media, saying, "I grew up in the Soviet Union. I'm Jewish, parts of my family perished in the Holocaust of Nazi Germany, I have to push back.... When you say 'Jewish media,' there's an echo of a pain that people feel." "You're saying it's redundant, right, West said, smiling. "If Jewish people would accept that I'm a Jew, they'd hear it in a different way." "The right thing is not to say there's Jewish control of the media," Fridman added. "That's incorrect though!" Ye shouted back. "That's a f lie. There is. And did they did come and bully me and proved the point. Later, West accepted that his far-right beliefs have cost him his family and career. "I lost my f family. I lost my kids. I lost my best friend in fashion. I lost the Black community," he said. "People said I lost my mind.... I lost my reputation. And I'm up here just like, I just want my family. But I don't want my family to have to say what the left wants it to say, to have to say what China wants it to say. I want to be an American and protect my kids and protect my wife, and raise my kids as Christians, and have my wife be a Christian." West also spoke in condescending terms about his ex-wife's parentage, commenting that "Certain people just have high DNA. Ivanka Trump has high DNA." West later said that George Soros, a Jewish philanthropist and activist, "would use the Black trauma economy to win an election." At one point West suggests a Jewish conspiracy led him to being diagnosed with a mental illness. "There was a Jewish trainer that brought me to the hospital, and put in [the] press that I went to the hospital. A Jewish doctor that diagnosed me " "Why do you keep saying Jewish?" Fridman interrupted. "Because they were," West said. He continued: "Diagnosed me with bipolar disorder and shot me with medication. Then put it in the press." West accused Ari Emanuel, chief executive of William Morris Endeavor, of "trying to take food out of my children's mouth," by writing an op-ed in the Financial Times calling for companies to cut ties with the rapper. When asked toward the end of the interview about what he hopes his legacy will be, West said, "Who designed the sidewalk, who designed the water fountain, who designed the stop sign, who designed the stoplight? These things are so ubiquitous that the person who designed them is forgotten." What he wants for himself, he said, was "to be forgotten." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The Kansas City, Kansas, school board on Tuesday will consider adding cameras in classrooms, as well as finally stocking schools with Narcan, a medicine for treating opioid overdoses. But the camera proposal already is raising concerns among some teachers and parents, who worry about the price tag and student privacy. On Tuesday, the board will review a proposal to spend more than $6.7 million to add the cameras, potentially through federal COVID-19 relief dollars allocated to schools to address the pandemics effects. At the meeting, the board will decide whether to have district staff continue looking into the idea, but it will not take final action. The proposal also would aim at making it easier to livestream and record lessons amid staff shortages. Unable to fill enough teaching positions at the start of this year, the KCK district partnered with a company to hire some virtual teachers from out of state. They livestream lessons to classrooms of students on their computers, while a staff member watches the kids in person. KCK teachers could use the cameras to livestream lessons, the proposal says. Classroom lessons could be shared with students who are absent. And students in classrooms where the district has been forced to hire long-term subs, because of the staffing shortages, could then watch the live lessons from classrooms that have qualified teachers. We do not believe that its money well spent and the efforts will not keep us any safer or enhance the educational experience, the Wyandotte High School Parent Teacher Student Association said in an email to The Star. We do believe, updated metal detectors at each entrance, cameras in blind areas throughout the building, along with hallways and exteriors, and parking would be beneficial. Imagine what the Wyandotte cluster of schools could do with $6 million! We could get alarms on all 27 of the entrances to our high school. We could get more counseling services to prevent incidents. We could invest in our school culture so students feel committed to being active at school. Spending $6 million would be a gross misuse of resources when our students and staff feel starved for them. About 1,600 cameras would be installed if the proposal is eventually approved. Also on Tuesday, the school board could give final approval to begin stocking Narcan in schools, amid a rise in fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths across the Kansas City metro. In March, the North Kansas City district lost 16-year-old student Ethan Everley to an accidental fentanyl overdose. Last summer, the De Soto district lost 16-year-old Cooper Davis, who took half a pill and didnt know it was laced with fentanyl. The rise in such incidents has motivated more schools to stock Narcan, the brand name of naloxone, which can counter the effects of an opioid overdose within minutes. But not every Kansas City area district has Narcan. If approved, the KCK district would enter into an agreement with the Unified Government Public Health Department to ensure Narcan is available in schools and staff are trained to use it. The National Association of School Nurses has recommended since 2015 that schools stock naloxone as part of their emergency preparedness plans. State legislatures are often overlooked in the heat of campaign season, yet the laws crafted there have as much impact, if not more, on the average persons everyday life as the ones passed by Congress. But for many Americans, ignoring elections for state legislatures is no longer an option. The Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer has them focused on state capitols, where abortion laws are now being decided. State legislatures also have a significant role in certifying the results of an election in most states. Certifying election results has been largely devoid of drama in the past, but that changed in 2020, when Republicans in a few states tried to send fake electors to Congress through state legislators. President Donald Trump speaks to supporters from the Ellipse near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) But while Democrats are still trying to mobilize their efforts around state legislatures, controlling them has been a leading GOP focus for over a decade. Republicans launched an effort to take power in statehouses in the years leading up to the 2010 midterm elections, which in many cases allowed them to redraw congressional districts in their favor after that years census. And the GOPs long-term effort is still paying off. Republicans currently control 30 state legislatures to just 17 for Democrats, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. In addition, the GOP has control of 23 governorships in states where they also hold the legislature, which is referred to as a trifecta. Democrats have just 14 trifectas. It doesnt appear that Democrats will improve these numbers all that much this year. Democrats told Yahoo News a year ago that they plan to make an organized push to elect more members of their party to state legislatures. And two outside groups are spending around $80 million to do so this cycle. But so far, there has been little payoff for Democrats. Only 10 chambers out of 99 across the country were deemed to be competitive several months ago by one analyst, and that number has likely shrunk, according to the latest ratings. An early voting location in Atlanta. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Furthermore, of the 10 competitive chambers, only three are Republican-controlled, and the other seven are held by Democrats, meaning they are mostly playing defense. Of the top five closest chambers, as ranked by CNalysis, four are currently held by Democrats and risk switching to Republican control. These four are the Maine House, the Minnesota House, the Alaska House and somewhat shockingly the Oregon Senate. Oregon is going to be interesting, CNalysis executive director Chaz Nuttycombe told Yahoo News. The race for Oregon governor is tilting toward Republican candidate Christine Drazan, and CNalysis even gives Republicans a 26% chance of taking the House there, along with a 39% chance of either winning control of the state Senate or gaining a tie in the upper chamber. In other words, the prospect of Republicans gaining complete control of state government in deep-blue Oregon where Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by 16 points in 2020 is plausible, though still an uphill climb for the GOP. For Democrats, their biggest opportunity to take a chamber from Republicans is in Michigan, where the state Senate is up for grabs. Here, Nuttycombe predicted that he thinks Democrats will fall short. They need to flip just three seats, but he thinks they wont win them all. CNalysis rates Democratic chances of taking the Michigan Senate at 39%. Kari Lake, Republican candidate for governor of Arizona. (Brian Snyder/Reuters) When it comes to threats to democracy from election deniers, the biggest one likely resides in Arizona, where control of the Legislature looks to be firmly in Republican hands already and unlikely to change, according to CNalysis. In Arizona, Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and secretary of state nominee Mark Finchem are two of the most blatant and aggressive promoters of Trumps big lie that he was cheated in 2020. It is likely that legal avenues to chicanery by those Republicans in Arizona, as well as other states, will be drastically limited if and when Congress passes a reform to the Electoral Count Act later this year. The ECA reform package would clarify vagaries in the law that give bad actors room to meddle with election results, and would give federal courts the final word in disputes over voting totals. But Democratic outside groups are also spending tens of millions of dollars with a focus on the Arizona Senate and Michigan Senate. If Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wins a second term, that would give Democrats a bulwark against any post-election chicanery in the state Legislature. In the Michigan Senate, six districts are ranked as toss-ups. There are eight races for the Maine House ranked as toss-ups by CNalysis. At least another 11 seats are competitive. In the Minnesota House, there are 11 toss-ups, while another six seats look competitive. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivering remarks in Detroit. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) CNalysis sees only three toss-ups in Alaska House elections. In the Oregon Senate, CNalysis rates four races as competitive. If Republicans won the majority in the Maine House, that would deprive Democrats of full control of the Legislature. Like Oregon, Maine is one of the 14 states where Democrats currently have a trifecta: control of the House, Senate and governorship. In Minnesota, if Republicans win the House, that would give them full control of the Legislature, as long as they keep the Senate. The biggest threat to a Republican trifecta may be in Oklahoma, where incumbent Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt is facing a stiff challenge from Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister. But Republicans may pick up a trifecta in Kansas, where they already control the Legislature and are trying to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, whom Politico ranked as the most vulnerable incumbent on the ballot this year. Over the summer, Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected a Republican attempt to allow the state Legislature to restrict abortion, giving Kellys supporters hope. But shes still in a close race with Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt. There will be a bill in the Kansas Legislature, no doubt, to impose greater restrictions [on abortion], Kelly told the New York Times recently. If Im in office, it can be vetoed. If my opponent is in office, itll become law. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) may have run his last presidential campaign. Who might step into his shoes? (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) With President Biden planning to run for reelection in 2024, the next likely opportunity for another Democrat to launch a White House bid will be 2028. For progressives, that means their movement's long-time champion and two-time presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), will be 87, likely too old for another run. So the search has already begun to find another charismatic, unifying leader for the left wing of the Democratic Party. "The most singular thing that progressive voters are looking for is someone who has a bold, progressive vision that is not purely idealistic but is also implementable and that the candidate also has the ability to organize masses of people to implement that agenda," said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, a grassroots organization founded by Sanders. Here's a look at some progressives in Congress who might be angling to take the reins: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) express their frustration during a news conference outside the Capitol as the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) At 73, Warren is younger than Sanders, 81; Biden, 79; and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), 82. Warren has said she'll seek reelection to her Senate seat in 2024 while backing Biden. A successful run for reelection would ensure Warren has a prominent platform should she decide to launch a second bid to win the White House in 2028. While she would not represent a new generation leader, she has the experience of having run a presidential campaign and for a time was even considered the frontrunner. A policy wonk with a plan for seemingly every American problem, Warren was the last major female candidate standing before her departure made the Democratic primary a two-man race between Biden and Sanders. While Sanders was uniquely able to unite different strands of progressivism young and old, educated and working class in his 2016 primary race against Hillary Clinton, Warren's appeal is narrower. A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found Warren was more popular among the "progressive left" "[v]ery liberal, highly educated and majority white" voters than the "outsider left" "[y]oung, liberal, discontented Democrats." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), center, joins a rally for Democratic congressional candidates Jessica Cisneros, left, and Greg Casar, right, in San Antonio. (Eric Gay / Associated Press) Ocasio-Cortez celebrated her 33rd birthday in October. While Warren might be seen as too old for a presidential run in 2028, Ocasio-Cortez might be seen as too young. She wouldn't even meet the constitutional age requirement to run for president in 2024 until a little more than three weeks before the election. Maybe that's why she connects so well with young voters. Ocasio-Cortez leans into her youth. On her personal Instagram account, which boasts nearly 9 million followers, her videos often surpass 1 million views. She has an even larger following of nearly 14 million on Twitter, where she's unafraid to engage. Take her pinned tweet, for example, which sits atop her page. From her iPhone in late June, she tweeted a screenshot of a user who wrote, ".@AOC is posting about how people can skirt abortion bans." "Yeah," she wrote, "and?" "AOC is a tremendous talent at such a young age," said Mark Longabaugh, a former senior advisor to Sanders' presidential campaign. "Just prodigy-like." Ocasio-Cortez won election to Congress in the 2018 Democratic wave, which ushered in The Squad Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) after upsetting then-House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in the primary. Her star power has continued to grow in the years since, but even she's unsure whether it could ever rise to the presidency. In a recent GQ cover story, Ocasio-Cortez said her time on Capitol Hill has shown her how deeply some people in America hate women, particularly women of color. "People ask me questions about the future," she told the magazine. "And realistically, I cant even tell you if Im going to be alive in September. And that weighs very heavily on me." As popular as she is on the left, however, she's as deeply reviled on the right, which has led to security concerns for her personal safety. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) speaks at an "End Fossil Fuel" rally near the U.S. Capitol. (Getty Images) California is home to Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pelosi, Sen. Alex Padilla, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Karen Bass, among many other up and coming Democratic leaders. But for some, Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna is generating the most presidential buzz. Khanna, who co-chaired Sanders' presidential campaign in 2020 and pushed Biden to tap Warren as his running mate, pitches a message of economic patriotism and is the rare Democrat willing to speak to a Fox News audience. His supporters believe he could attract a mix of Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans as a presidential candidate. A pair of former Sanders advisers has privately encouraged him to consider seeking the presidency, and they believe he's at least laying the groundwork for a future campaign. He published a book this year and worked on major legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act. His travel schedule the past few months has taken him to some battleground states and traditional early primary states, including Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. "There is no better way to prepare to run for president than to go out and actually talk to real people in their communities, in their workplaces, and find out what their concerns are," said Jeff Weaver, who managed Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. "That one-on-one, face-to-face contact with everyday Americans is critically important to being an effective candidate for president. Ro Khanna's been doing that, and I think that if he should decide to run, I think it will benefit him greatly." One hurdle he would have to overcome is his lack of name recognition. While allies believe Khanna can articulate a winning message on the economy, he would need to raise his national profile to be able to communicate that message to the masses and fundraise. They also warn that he may need to develop some sharp elbows to succeed in the rough and tumble of a presidential campaign. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) Jamaal Bowman, a former middle school principal, toppled 16-term Rep. Eliot Engel in New York's Democratic congressional primary. (Associated Press) Bowman is only a freshman Democrat in the House. But, like Ocasio-Cortez, the former middle school principal ousted a longtime incumbent in former Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) to win his seat. At a time when Republicans are increasingly diving into issues like LGBTQ youth, transgender athletes and banning books, Bowman is uniquely positioned to fight back as an educator. He also sits on the House Education and Labor Committee. "I think he is definitely somebody that people should be watching," said Camille Rivera, a Democratic consultant at New Deal Strategies. "He comes from education. He has strong followings. He ran in a very contested race and can talk to different types of people and meet people where they are. He's already stumping all across the country right now, helping other Democrats win. I think he's somebody to watch." In an August appearance on one of the Sunday political talk shows, Bowman notably declined to say whether Biden should seek reelection, insisting instead that Democrats should be focused on keeping the House in the midterms. "Were talking a year or two away," he said of the next presidential campaign. "Im not thinking a year or two away." Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), right, canvases some homes during a campaign stop. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Porter is a rare breed: a progressive who occupies a swing district but who has refused to moderate her views or buck the party on tough votes. Porter flipped her competitive Orange County seat in 2018 and joined the Congressional Progressive Caucus, of which she's now deputy chair. "Katie Porter has a unique appeal" to voters drawn to Warren, Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, said one Democratic operative who has worked on past presidential campaigns and requested anonymity to speak candidly. "It's a very powerful thing in politics because it allows you to raise money and then amplify your message in other ways. Porter, she's a progressive, but she's not Bernie Sanders. She's not even AOC. They're friends, but her politics, I think, are to the right of both of them." In her district, however, that may be a boon. Despite Biden's low approval rating and voter concerns over inflation, Porter welcomed the president to her district last week. In a short time, she's also proved to be one of the most prolific fundraisers in the California delegation, raising almost $7 million in her first campaign, nearly $17 million in her last campaign and already more than $21 million this cycle through September. Her massive fundraising hauls as a congressional candidate suggest she could raise the kind of money necessary to be competitive in a statewide race. California Democrats are quietly waiting to see whether Sen. Dianne Feinstein announces next year that she won't seek reelection to her seat in 2024, kicking off a fierce primary to succeed the 89-year-old lawmaker in a seat Feinstein has held since 1992. Porter is a former student of Warren and endorsed her campaign in 2020. Before coming to Congress, she was appointed by Harris, then the state attorney general, to oversee a $25-billion settlement with the nation's top banks. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) greet students on the steps of the Senate. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) Progressives see Booker as a progressive with an asterisk, given his pragmatic politics. He has already ruled out a run for governor in 2025 and said he'll seek reelection to the Senate in 2026. But who knows what 2028 will hold? "If you look at his public comments since dropping out of the 2020 race, he has not ruled out another run for the presidency someday," said a person familiar with Booker's thinking. Booker launched his 2020 bid for president aiming to run a positive campaign that could unite the country. He preached a message of love, but Democratic primary voters were looking for a fighter who could make Donald Trump a one-term president. Lacking critical resources to continue campaigning and having fallen short of polling thresholds to make the next debate stage, Booker suspended his campaign less than a full year after he launched it. As a member of the Senate, Booker maintains his national platform. He has stumped for candidates this fall in states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, Arizona and North Carolina and plans to visit New Hampshire, Colorado and Pennsylvania again this week with additional stops the following week in Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada. Booker has also lent his name to raise money online for more than two dozen Democrats in races for the House, Senate and governor this cycle. Should he ever run again, his seat on the Foreign Relations Committee can strengthen his foreign policy credentials. His post on the Judiciary Committee has already given him the high-profile moment of moving to tears Ketanji Brown Jackson, the nation's first Black female Supreme Court justice. Booker, the only Black member on the panel, told Jackson she "is so much more than your race and gender." "You have earned this spot," he told her. "You are worthy." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. WASHINGTON (AP) Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the federal government is not doing enough to fight climate change, according to a new poll that shows limited public awareness about a sweeping new law that commits the U.S. to its largest ever investment to combat global warming. Democrats in Congress approved the Inflation Reduction Act in August, handing President Joe Biden a hard-fought triumph on priorities that his party hopes will bolster prospects for keeping their House and Senate majorities in Novembers elections. Biden and Democratic lawmakers have touted the new law as a milestone achievement leading into the midterm elections, and environmental groups have spent millions to boost the measure in battleground states. Yet the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 61% of U.S. adults say they know little to nothing about it. While the law was widely heralded as the largest investment in climate spending in history, 49% of Americans say it won't make much of a difference on climate change, 33% say it will help and 14% think it will do more to hurt it. The measure, which passed without a single Republican vote in either chamber, offers nearly $375 billion in incentives to accelerate expansion of clean energy such as wind and solar power, speeding the transition away from fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas that largely cause climate change. Combined with spending by states and the private sector, the law could help shrink U.S. carbon emissions by about two-fifths by 2030 and chop emissions from electricity by as much as 80%, advocates say. Michael Katz, 84, of Temple, New Hampshire, said he thinks Biden has done an amazing amount of work as president. I'm sort of in awe of what he's done,'' said Katz, a Democrat and retired photographer. Still, asked his opinion of the Inflation Reduction Act, Katz said, "I'm not acquainted with" it. Guests tour one of the turbines of America's first offshore wind farm, owned by the Danish company, Orsted, off the coast of Block Island, R.I., as part of a wind power conference, Oct. 17, 2022. (David Goldman/AP) After learning about the law's provisions, Katz said he supports increased spending for wind and solar power, along with incentives to purchase electric vehicles. Katz said he supports even stronger measures such as restrictions on rebuilding in coastal areas damaged by Hurricane Ian or other storms but doubts they will ever be approved. People want their dreams to come true: to live near the ocean in a big house,'' he said. Leah Stokes, an environmental policy professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said she was not surprised the climate law is so little known, despite massive media coverage when it was debated in Congress, approved and signed by Biden. The law was passed during the summer, when people traditionally pay less attention to news, "and it takes time to explain it,'' especially since many of the law's provisions have not yet kicked in, Stokes said. Biden and congressional Democrats delivered in a big way on climate,'' she said, but now must focus on helping the public understand the law and winning the win.'' Meredith McGroarty, a waitress from Pontiac, Michigan, said she knew little about the new law but supports increased climate action. "I have children I'm leaving behind to this world,'' she said. McGroarty, 40, a Democrat, urged Biden and other leaders to talk more about the climate law's effects on normal, everyday people. Let us know whats going on a little more.'' Americans are generally more likely to support than oppose many of the government actions on climate change included in the law, the poll shows. That includes incentives for electric vehicles and solar panels, though relatively few say they are inclined to pursue either in the next three years. President Biden signs the Democrats' landmark climate change and health care bill in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, as from left, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., watch. (Susan Walsh/AP) About half of Americans think government action that targets companies with restrictions is very important, the poll shows, while about a third say that about restrictions on individuals. A majority of Americans 62% say companies' refusal to reduce energy use is a major problem for efforts to reduce climate change, while just about half say people not willing to reduce their energy use is a major problem. Slightly more than half also say it's a major problem that the energy industry is not doing enough to supply power from renewable sources such as wind and solar, and about half say the government is not investing enough in renewable energy. Overall, 62% of U.S. adults say the government is doing too little to reduce climate change, while 19% say it's doing too much and 18% think it's doing the right amount. Democrats are more likely than others to think the federal government is doing too little on climate: 79% say that, compared to 67% of independents and 39% of Republicans. About three-quarters of Black and Hispanic Americans think theres too little action, compared to about half of white Americans. And about three-quarters of adults under 45 think theres too little action on climate, significantly higher than the roughly half of those older who think that. Robert Stavins, a professor of energy and economic development at the Harvard Kennedy School, said it makes sense for the government to step in to promote renewable energy on a large scale. Individual action is not going to be sufficient in 10 or even 20 years. You need government policies to create incentives for industry and individuals to move in a carbon-friendly direction.Professor Robert Stavins Individual action is not going to be sufficient in 10 or even 20 years, he said. "You need government policies to create incentives for industry and individuals to move in a carbon-friendly direction.'' Americans want to own a car, "and they are not going to buy one that's expensive,'' Stavins said, so government needs to lower costs for electric vehicles and encourage automakers to produce more EVs, including widespread availability of charging stations. Biden has set a goal to install 500,000 charging stations across America as part of the 2021 infrastructure law. On renewable energy, nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults say offshore wind farms should be expanded, and about 6 in 10 say solar panel farms should be expanded. Biden has moved to expand both offshore wind and solar powe r as president. Americans are divided on offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. Around a third say such drilling should be expanded, while about as many say it should be reduced; another third say neither. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to be in favor of expanding offshore drilling, 54% to 20%. - The poll of 1,003 adults was conducted Sep. 9-12 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. Akron, Ohio, adopted an emergency measure banning conversion therapy for minors on Monday, becoming the 11th city in the state to ban the practice. Im incredibly proud to add Akron to the growing list of communities recognizing the harmful impacts of conversion therapy and taking a stand against the practice, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, a Democrat, said Monday in a news release. Akron has proven itself time and time again to be a welcoming, diverse place and taking this step is another way of making sure our community is inclusive of everyone. Legislation banning conversion therapy a discredited practice that aims to change a persons sexual orientation or gender identity was submitted early Monday to the Akron city council by Horrigan and four of the councils members. The measure was approved unanimously by the entire 13-member city council during a Monday evening meeting. The new ordinance, effective immediately, makes it unlawful for any health care professional to knowingly subject a minor to conversion therapy, which is defined in the ordinance as a procedure that seeks to change a persons gender identity or expression or eliminate sexual or romantic feelings toward a person of the same gender. The measure does not bar health care providers from assisting transgender youth or adults in their social or medical transition and does not prevent mental health professionals from providing social support to LGBTQ young people that affirms their identities. The new law also grants the Akron Civil Rights Commission appointed by Horrigan and approved by the city council authorization to investigate possible violations and issue penalties. The move comes just over a week after the Cleveland city council voted to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth, which is now punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. Ten other Ohio cities Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, Kent, Athens and Reynoldsburg have passed measures banning conversion therapy for minors. Major medical associations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association have condemned conversion therapy practices as harmful and based on an unfounded misconception of sexual orientation and gender identity. A 2020 Williams Institute report found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the U.S. that had undergone conversion therapy were nearly twice as likely to report experiencing suicidal thoughts. The same study found that 7 percent of LGB 18- to 59-year-olds had experienced conversion therapy at some point in their lives, most of them from religious leaders. Roughly a third of adults said they had received conversion therapy from a health care provider, according to the Williams Institute report. In a report published last year by The Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization, 13 percent of LGBTQ young people reported being subjected to conversion therapy, including 83 percent who said they were exposed to the practice as minors. At the state level, 20 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws or policies that ban conversion therapy for individuals under 18, according to the Movement Advancement Project, and six states have partial bans. Three states Alabama, Georgia and Florida are located in a federal judicial circuit with an injunction that prevents the enforcement of conversion therapy bans. Ohio is one of 21 states that have no statewide policies in place that ban or limit conversion therapy practices. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Some Kentucky 4th and 8th graders produced the lowest scores in more than 10 years on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress also known as the Nations Report Card, according to results released Monday. The NAEP test, as it is commonly called, was given to a representative, random sampling of students in 4th and 8th grades across the country last school year. Data provided by the Kentucky Department of Education showed that the NAEP Mathematics Scale Scores for Kentucky 4th graders was 241 in 2011, declining to 234 in 2022. The score for Kentucky 8th graders was 282 in 2011, declining to 269 in 2022. The national scores were higher for both grades in 2022, four points higher for eighth graders. In reading, the scale score for Kentucky 4th graders was 225 in 2011 and 217 in 2022. The reading scale score for Kentucky 8th graders were 269 in 2011 and 258 in 2022. The national average scale scores were higher. Also, in eighth grade mathematics, 25 states or jurisdictions scored higher than Kentucky. NAEP scores are not reported for school districts, schools or students except for Jefferson County, one of 26 districts nationwide in a trial. The results show Kentuckys public school students NAEP performance is consistent with those of the rest of the nation, a news release from the Kentucky Department of Education said. This years NAEP results are not unexpected and show the profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our students, Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason E. Glass said. Glass said Kentuckys scores align with results seen across the country and with what was seen on this years 2022 Kentucky School Report Card released October 18. Even with these resources, recovering from so much interrupted learning will take time. We must use this data strategically to help inform us of where our students are and provide appropriate supports to keep them moving ahead, he said. Glass said in his weekly Monday message that, we already are seeing early signs of improvement. Heather Peske, President of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said in a news release that nationally, there will be an inappropriate amount of attention on who or what to blame for these devastating NAEP results. Instead we should be laser focused on how we make this right for our children. We know students urgently need our support to recover academically, and we know that teachers are the ones who can make it happen, Peske said. Rikers Island served as a backdrop to a campaign stop Monday as Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin touted the endorsement of the citys Correction Officers Benevolent Association. The Long Island congressman, who has gained on Democratic Gov. Hochul in recent polls, vowed to have the backs of union members who secure the citys problem-plagued jail and slammed a Dem-backed law limiting the use of solitary confinement in New York. Every elected official at every level should be doing everything in their power to make sure that these corrections officers have every tool with the law or financial support or whatever else is needed to be able to do their jobs, Zeldin said during a press conference held under a tent outside of the beleaguered institutions entrance in Queens. New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) speaks during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail on October 24, 2022 in New York City. New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) speaks during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail on October 24, 2022 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/) Zeldin blamed the Humane Alternatives to Long Term Solitary Confinement, or HALT Act, for an uptick in assaults against correction officers in jails and prisons across the state and he reiterated his demand for its full repeal and vowed to suspend the law if elected. The HALT Act, signed into law last year by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, took effect in April. It caps the amount of time a person can be held in segregated confinement housing to 15 days, or 20 days over a two-month period. A federal lawsuit filed by the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association challenging the law was dismissed over the summer. New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) speaks during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail on October 24, 2022 in New York City. New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) speaks during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail on October 24, 2022 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/) State data show assaults on correction officers has been on the rise for nearly a decade, and unions and Republican lawmakers say HALT has emboldened those behind bars. The reality is the HALT Act, trying to end punitive segregation, there are no viable consequences for inmate actions anymore, said New York City Correction Officers Benevolent Association president Benny Boscio, who joined Zeldin at the appearance. And that has led to an onslaught of officers being assaulted through the roof. And thats the reason why my members are out sick on the mend recovering from these injuries, he added, shouting: Youve emboldened the inmates because there are no consequences for crime in our city and there are no consequences on Rikers Island as well. President of the New York City Correction Officers' Benevolent Association Benny Boscio Jr. speaks during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail on October 24, 2022 in New York City. President of the New York City Correction Officers' Benevolent Association Benny Boscio Jr. speaks during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail on October 24, 2022 in New York City. (Michael M Santiago/Getty Images/) Boscio grew agitated as he slammed the law and defended his members, who he said are under attack every day. If I punch any one of you in your face and break your orbital, youre not coming to work the next day, he shouted. Thats our reality every single day. The endorsement came two days after another death was recorded at the dysfunctional detention center. Erick Tavira, 28, became the 17th person to die this year in city custody or shortly after being released amid the looming possibility of a federal takeover of the notoriously troubled jail. Zeldin has the backing of a large number of law enforcement unions and has gained ground on Hochul in recent polls as he continues to focus on crime and public safety in the lead up to Election Day. People hold New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) campaign signs during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail on October 24, 2022 in New York City. People hold New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) campaign signs during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail on October 24, 2022 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/) The lawmaker has vowed to declare a state of emergency on crime in order to suspend criminal justice reforms, including HALT and New Yorks cashless bail system, if he wins on Nov. 8. He also slammed Hochul and accused her of not doing enough to combat crime and support police two days after the governor rolled out a joint plan with Mayor Adams to flood city subways with more officers. What Kathy Hochul should be saying is that what we need to do is increase the ranks of the NYPD, Zeldin said. We need to have more people in uniform, and we need more plain clothes people on the streets and subways as well. But instead she wants to half-ass it. Criminal justice advocates, who have argued in recent months that HALT is not being properly implemented at state jails and prisons, panned Zeldins plan to roll back reforms. After having experienced the trauma, torture and inhumanity of solitary confinement, it is urgent and necessary for the HALT Solitary Law to be fully and effectively implemented, Jerome Wright, co-director of the #HALTsolitary campaign, said in a statement. We have lost too many lives to solitary confinement and too many other people have been made into the walking dead as shells of their former selves because of this torture. A U.S. Supreme Court case is allowing South Carolina Republican lawmakers to finally say out loud whats been an open secret. They dont care about fair elections. They simply want to win, democracy be damned. In doing so, theyve made the loudest call of all for independent redistricting. This has become obvious after The States Zak Koeske reported on a awsuit that claims South Carolinas GOP-dominant legislature redrew the states voting map to dilute the power of Black voters. Koeske reported that Republican lawmakers and staffers said in federal court the map was drawn to enhance Republican political advantage in the coastal 1st District, which has evolved into a swing district in recent years, but had not used race to accomplish that goal. I think saying that (partisanship) was a factor is an understatement. It was one of the most important factors, Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, testified. The Senate was not going to pass a plan that sacrificed the 1st. Because of a 2019 decision by the nations highest court that allowed partisanship to govern redistricting, Massey and his cohort have no shame in admitting they didnt care about fairness when the map was redrawn in 2020. But what about integrity? What about doing the right thing, not because its to your advantage, but because its the right thing to do? Republican lawmakers threw character out the window when they redrew the maps in 2020 and shifted Black communities near Charleston that were in the 1st Congressional District, held by Republican Nancy Mace, into the 6th Congressional District, held by Democrat James Clyburn of Columbia. When Massey says the Senate wasnt going to pass a plan that sacrificed the 1st, what he means is that South Carolinas most powerful Republicans are willing to burn democracy for power. South Carolina has always been a one-party, conservative state, with the exception of a few years after the Civil War. Conservatives will continue to dominate this state until Armageddon. But with a Democratic-leaning Black population that equals about 30% of the entire state, South Carolina should have a Congressional swing district. Thats practical, fair and allows democracy to, if not flourish, at least exist. The 1st Congressional District proved it could be that swing district after Democrat Joe Cunningham won it in 2018. Instead of promoting democracy and equity, Republicans have decided that gerrymandering is a better course of action. Its just one more sign that the GOP is willing to unravel democracy, as if promoting the Big Lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 election wasnt enough. Power to redraw maps needs to be removed from lawmakers hands and given to an independent commission. However that commission is created, its members must be untouched by politics. How about tap the minds at our states universities? The Republicans who drew the maps believe theyre solidifying their power. Theyre ignoring the signs that such partisan maps are emboldening extremists at the fringe of the Republican party who believe in authoritarian rule. These new maps are undoing the ability of reasonable conservatives to win across the country. South Carolina Republicans need to open a history book and read Abraham Lincolns Lyceum Address. Theyve forgotten or never knew it. If destruction be our lot, Lincoln, a Republican, said of the United States, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we will live forever or die by suicide. The National Assessment of Educational Progress known as the nations report card tested hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders across the country this year for the first time since 2019. WASHINGTON (AP) The COVID-19 pandemic caused historic learning setbacks for Americas children, sparing no state or region as it erased decades of academic progress and widened racial disparities, according to results of a national test that provide the sharpest look yet at the scale of the crisis. Across the country, math scores saw their largest decreases ever. Reading scores dropped to 1992 levels. Nearly four in 10 eighth graders failed to grasp basic math concepts. Not a single state saw a notable improvement in their average test scores, with some simply treading water at best. Those are the findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress known as the nations report card which tested hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders across the country this year. It was the first time the test had been given since 2019, and its seen as the first nationally representative study of the pandemics impact on learning. Desks are spaced apart ahead of planned in-person learning at an elementary school on March 19, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) It is a serious wakeup call for us all, Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the Education Department, said in an interview. In NAEP, when we experience a 1- or 2-point decline, were talking about it as a significant impact on a students achievement. In math, we experienced an 8-point decline historic for this assessment. Researchers usually think of a 10-point gain or drop as equivalent to roughly a year of learning. Its no surprise that children are behind. The pandemic upended everyday life and left millions learning from home for months or more. The results released Monday reveal the depth of those setbacks and the size of the challenge schools face as they help students catch up. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said its a sign that schools need to redouble their efforts, using billions of dollars that Congress gave schools to help students recover. Let me be very clear: These results are not acceptable, Cardona said. The NAEP test is typically given every two years. It was taken between January and March by a sample of students in every state, along with 26 of the nations largest school districts. Scores had been stalling even before the pandemic, but the new results show decreases on a scale not seen before. In both math and reading, students scored lower than those tested in 2019. But while reading scores dipped, math scores plummeted by the largest margins in the history of the NAEP program, which began in 1969. Math scores were worst among eighth graders, with 38% earning scores deemed below basic a cutoff that measures, for example, whether students can find the third angle of a triangle if theyre given the other two. Thats worse than 2019, when 31% of eighth graders scored below that level. Peggy Carr, Commissioner of the National Center for Education, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press about the National Assessment of Education Process, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) No part of the country was exempt. Every region saw test scores slide, and every state saw declines in at least one subject. Several major districts saw test scores fall by more than 10 points. Cleveland saw the largest single drop, falling 16 points in fourth-grade reading, along with a 15-point decline in fourth-grade math. Baltimore and Tennessees Shelby County also saw precipitous declines. This is more confirmation that the pandemic hit us really hard, said Eric Gordon, chief executive for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. To help students recover, the school system has beefed up summer school and added after-school tutoring. Im not concerned that they cant or wont recover, Gordon said. Im concerned that the country wont stay focused on getting kids caught up. The results show a reversal of progress on math scores, which had made big gains since the 1990s. Reading, by contrast, had changed little in recent decades, so even this years relatively small decreases put the averages back to where they were in 1992. Most concerning, however, are the gaps between students. Confirming what many had feared, racial inequities appear to have widened. In fourth grade, Black and Hispanic students saw bigger decreases than white students, widening gaps that have persisted for decades. Inequities were also reflected in a growing gap between higher and lower performing students. In math and reading, scores fell most sharply among the lowest performing students, creating a widening chasm between struggling students and the rest of their peers. Surveys done as part of this years test illustrate the divide. When schools shifted to remote learning, higher performing students were far more likely to have reliable access to quiet spaces, computers and help from their teachers, the survey found. The results make clear that schools must address the long-standing and systemic shortcomings of our education system, said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles schools and a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets the policies for the test. Many parents may not understand just how far behind their children are academically. A spring survey by the national nonprofit Learning Heroes found the majority of parents believed their children were performing at or above their grade level in math and reading. Peggy Carr, Commissioner of the National Center for Education, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press about the National Assessment of Education Process, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Theres a myth that parents just dont want to know. That the country just wants to get back to normal, said Sonja Santelises, chief executive officer of Baltimore City Public Schools. But parents are very concerned. Some parents blame schools for not clearly communicating learning gaps. In Nashville, a parent advocacy group is pushing the school system to share clearer information about student progress and to create personal plans to help students catch up. Every student has the right to be taught to read, but we failed at that, said Sonya Thomas, a mother who is the executive director of Nashville PROPEL. Thats creating social emotional problems. Thats creating workforce problems. Thats creating life and death problems. Other recent studies have found that students who spent longer periods learning online suffered greater setbacks. But the NAEP results show no clear connection. Areas that returned to the classroom quickly still saw significant declines, and cities which were more likely to stay remote longer actually saw milder decreases than suburban districts. Los Angeles can claim one of few bright spots. The nations second-largest school district saw eighth-grade reading scores increase by 9 points, the only significant uptick in any district. For other districts, it was a feat just to hold even, as achieved by Dallas and Floridas Hillsborough County. Testing critics caution against putting too much stock in standardized exams, but theres no doubt that the skills it aims to measure are critical. Students who take longer to master reading are more likely to drop out and end up in the criminal justice system, research has found, and eighth grade is seen as a pivotal time to develop skills for math and science careers. For Carr, the results raise new questions about what will happen to students who appear to be far behind in attaining those skills. We want our students to be prepared globally for STEM careers, science and technology and engineering, she said. This puts all of that at risk. We have to do a reset. This is a very serious issue, and its not going to go away on its own. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Test scores show historic COVID setbacks for kids across US appeared first on TheGrio. Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist tried repeatedly during Monday nights gubernatorial debate with Gov. Ron DeSantis to portray his Republican rival as more interested in a 2024 run for president than in serving a second term in the Sunshine State. Why don't you look in the eyes of the people in the state of Florida and say to them if youre reelected you will serve a full four-year term as governor, Crist, the former Republican turned Democrat, said during the debate held in Fort Pierce. Yes or no, would you serve a full, four-year term if youre reelected governor of Florida? DeSantis paused for effect, then launched his counterattack. I know that Charlies talking about Joe Biden and 2024, but I want to make things very, very clear: The only worn-out old donkey Im looking to put out to pasture is Charlie, he responded. With just two weeks left before Election Day, early voting already underway and polls showing Crist trailing DeSantis by 8 percentage points in a polling average compiled by 538, the lone debate between the candidates seemed unlikely to change the trajectory of the race. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis debates Charlie Crist, a Democratic former governor, Oct. 24. (Crystal Vander Weiter/Pool via Reuters) Crist has trailed DeSantis throughout the race by sizable margins in most public polling. And despite being a former governor of Florida himself, Crist has struggled to gain traction. Last week, his campaign manager was arrested on domestic violence charges the day before he announced he was resigning his position. DeSantis has also been walloping Crist in the money race by more than 20:1. But Mondays debate gave Crist an opportunity to try to break through with voters, and he used it to try to appeal to female voters, repeatedly returning to the subject of abortion rights. He accused DeSantis of trying to distract from abortion to find more favorable topics for himself. Youre talking about all these other issues because you dont want to talk about taking away a womans right to choose, Crist said to DeSantis. DeSantis, meanwhile, used the debate to focus on economic and cultural issues, the latter of which tend to animate the GOP base that will decide the next nominee in 2024. He blasted transgender athletes as men competing in womens sports and said that gender reassignment surgery was the result of confused children and families. A lot of kids go through a lot of different things. A lot of dysphoria resolves itself by the time they become adults, and we have a number of people that have spoken out in favor of what were doing to say you should not mutilate minors, and they went through this when they were minors. Now theyre adults and they regret it, DeSantis said. Crist debating DeSantis on Monday night. The Democratic former governor is hoping his performance will boost his standing in the polls. (Marco Bello/Reuters) Throughout the debate, DeSantis, who has regularly been ranked as the strongest potential Republican challenger to former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical primary field, stuck close to issues that animate the far-right, including accusations that public schools are teaching white children to be ashamed of their race and calling gender reassignment surgery for children genital mutilation. In April, DeSantis signed a controversial bill into law that bans the teaching of so-called critical race theory in public schools, and on Monday he defended it. If you look around the country, you do have programs, unfortunately, where they will take a student, look at their race and say, OK, youre white. Youre an oppressor. If youre Black, youre oppressed, DeSantis said to jeers from the audience. And think about what that does to a 6- or 7-year-old kid. Thats wrong and youre seeing that. You have people that are teaching and his [Crists] running mate has said this in the past, teaching the United States was built on stolen land. That is inappropriate for our schools. Its not true and Im happy that were going to be able to have accurate history. The DeSantis-Crist debate in Fort Pierce, Fla., on Monday night. (Crystal Vander Weiter/Pool via Reuters) Crist countered that the law DeSantis signed was itself guilty of politicizing history. Theres an expression those who dont know history may be condemned to repeat it. Usually people use that in reference to the Holocaust, it can just as easily be in reference to slavery in our country. It happened. Its a fact, Crist said. We shouldnt have a whitewash approach to educating our children, thats not right. How are they going to do well in life if they dont even know our own history? As the debate came to a close, it was clear that DeSantis may indeed still cruise to victory in the Florida governors race, but his answers also did little to quell speculation that he may mount a White House bid in 2024. He wouldnt answer you if he would serve four years if he is reelected governor, Crist said in his closing remarks. Women demand the vote from George Washington on a vintage postcard from Patt Morrison's collection. You go, girls ... right to the voting booth. One hundred ten years ago, California women joined their already-enfranchised sisters in five other Western states Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Washington and cast their first ballots. It took another nine years for all American women to get the vote; the 19th Amendment made it illegal for states or the nation to stop women from voting. It was a near thing, though, even in California. In the Oct. 10, 1911, election, with only men voting, of course, Proposition 4 sponsored by a Pasadena Republican state senator passed by the skinniest of margins: 3,587 votes, which added up to about one vote per precinct across the state. Our friends in San Francisco County brawling, broad-minded San Francisco voted an unequivocal no just 38.1% in favor. Along with rural voters, it was Los Angeles County voters who helped Proposition 4 to reach the winners circle, with a countywide yes margin of about 5,200 votes. Ellen Dubois is a professor of history and gender studies at UCLA and the author of Suffrage: Womens Long Battle for the Vote. And she says suffragist campaigners werent just the white, middle-class lot that you might have thought. For one, Dubois points out, theres Maria Guadalupe Evangelina de Lopez, a Los Angeles native and future instructor at Dubois own university. She gave pro-suffrage speeches around Southern California. She had suffrage leaflets translated into Spanish and had 50,000 of them handed out by election day. At an immense rally at the L.A. plaza before election day, she delivered her speech in Spanish a novel and compelling thing to do then. Five months before the critical 1911 vote, Lopez threw what The Times described as a brilliant tea party at her home in the shades of the old San Gabriel Mission for the College Equal Suffrage League. According to the book Earning Power: Women and Work in Los Angeles, 1880-1930, she went to France in World War I, drove an ambulance, learned to fly and was honored by the French government. She died in 1977 at age 96. Naomi Bowman Anderson, a Black woman who moved to San Francisco in the 1890s, took up the suffrage crusade but died in 1899 before it came to pass. Another formidable Bay Area Black woman, Lydia Flood Jackson, campaigned for civil rights and womens suffrage and said feelingly that suffrage stands out as one of the component factors of democracy; suffrage is one of the most powerful levers by which we hope to elevate our women to the highest planes of life. She died at 101, a year before the nations landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act became law. L.A.s formidable suffrage movement still had to maneuver around restrictions on public meetings that L.A. a famously anti-union city had crafted to thwart labor organizing. So, as Dubois tells it, they put together a picnic where they handed out votes for women doughnuts. (I have no idea what the crullers actually looked like, but I hope they were frosted in the suffragette colors of purple, white and green.) Katherine Edson was a pillar of the suffrage movement here; at the time, activist women of means and social standing were called by the genteel name clubwomen, but a lot of them, like Edson, kicked posterior. In later years she sought and got a minimum wage and better working conditions for women. But in October 1911, Dubois noted, she exhorted Los Angeles suffragists not to lull yourself into the belief that the vote has been won; that they should begin early and work late on election day. Scores of cars this was Los Angeles, after all rolled out onto the streets on election day to take voters to the polls. The pushback to women voting was pretty muscular. In California, the Liquor Dealers League worked especially hard to keep women and their moralizing sentiments away from the polls; the temperance movement already had a good head of steam, crusading against the ruination that drunkenness was bringing to families, when a man sometimes drank up most of his weekly pay at taverns tempting him between his workplace and his home. Tobacco and gambling interests also went weak at the knees thinking of womens power at the polls to interfere with carousing and corruption. But some of the opposition took on the guise of protecting the little lady from herself. The pre-1920 equivalent of a social media meme? It would seem so on this vintage postcard from Patt Morrison's collection. A month before the decisive October 1911 election, a prominent member of the local Mens League Opposed to Extension of Suffrage to Women argued that We are not fighting women. We are fighting for women, fighting lest the efforts of an overenthusiastic minority should succeed in imposing useless burdens upon the women of our state. The speaker was a prominent San Marino man, George S. Patton, father of the World War II general. Referring to a popular operetta of the time, suffragists called the league the Chocolate Soldier brigade. A chocolate soldier was a strutting man with an overweening belief in his own fabulous importance. The Times, I am sorry to say, was venomously opposed to womens suffrage. Venomous was pretty much the default tone for anything the papers publisher, Gen. Harrison Gray Otis, didnt happen to like. But this venom was flavored with snark, something between dont worry your pretty little head about it and theres probably nothing in your pretty little head anyway. To The Times, Proposition 4 was a pet proviso. The cause sent charming young women to lobby men with their coquetry. Instead, it offered this: The Times honors the women of Los Angeles more than those who are trying to lure them from the mellow radiance of the home into the fierce glare of publicity. It would regret to see our maidens acting as members of caucuses and our wives leaving the babe to wait in the cradle while they crowded to the polling booth. One of the more creative anti-suffrage postcards in Patt Morrison's collection makes a familiar argument about traditional gender roles. Yeah, about that mellow radiance: Postcards served as a kind of social media network of the day, and the cartoonish campaign via postcard against suffrage both here and in Great Britain unwittingly made the case for women. In imagining a role reversal women rather than men going out to work and vote, and then coming home to relax and read the paper, and men staying home all day and night with the kids they showed that men actually did indeed have it good compared to women, whose lives were often round-the-clock drudgery at home. The postcards also depicted women as so frivolous that theyd vote for the handsomest candidate, so corruptible that theyd give and take bribes for votes. The one that delivered a gut-punch for me is a card (at the top of this column) showing 20th century suffragists standing before an 18th century George Washington and demanding the vote, and the shocked Father of His Country asking, Did I save my country for this! (Memo to George: Hell, yes.) After women did get the vote, The Times like lobbyists and politicians turned out to be limber. A year or so later, the paper unabashedly asked women to vote for its candidate for mayor, and when that man won, it congratulated women on being well prepared for the ballot, and they proved yesterday how they understand its power. Gee, thanks, General O. A Valentine-themed postcard from Patt Morrison's collection bears a 1917 postmark five years after California women cast their first ballots. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Restoring the Stormont executive should be the number one priority for the newly reappointed Northern Ireland Secretary, Sinn Fein has said. As new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reshuffled his Cabinet on Tuesday, Downing Street announced that Chris Heaton-Harris would remain in the Northern Ireland job. Mr Heaton-Harris was first appointed to the role by Liz Truss in September, replacing Shailesh Vara. He had initially supported Boris Johnson in his bid to return to No 10, but switched his support to Mr Sunak when the former prime minister announced he would not be running. The Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP @chhcalling has been re-appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland @NIOgov. #Reshuffle pic.twitter.com/STxozLpQ4W UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) October 25, 2022 During his time in Northern Ireland Mr Heaton-Harris, a former chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), has repeatedly called for the restoration of the powersharing institutions at Stormont. The Assembly and executive are currently not operating as the DUP continues to protest against the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol, which has placed checks on movement of some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Mr Heaton-Harris has insisted that he will call fresh Stormont elections on Friday, if the Stormont institutions are not restored before a six-month legislative deadline expires. The Stormont Assembly has been recalled on Thursday in the latest attempt to elect a new speaker a bid that will be blocked by the DUP. Restoration of the Executive is the number one priority to help workers and families. I will be meeting the reappointed SoS @chhcalling in Belfast tomorrow. Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) October 25, 2022 Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle ONeill said she would be meeting with Mr Heaton-Harris on Wednesday. She tweeted: Restoration of the Executive is the number one priority to help workers and families. I will be meeting the reappointed SoS @chhcalling in Belfast tomorrow. Rishi Sunak spoke to the first ministers of Scotland and Wales on Tuesday evening in constructive talks, emphasising their duty to work together in order to respond to the UKs shared challenges. Mr Sunak spoke to Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford following the conclusion of his cabinet reshuffle. Following the conversation, the prime minister said it was good to speak to Mr Drakeford and Ms Sturgeon. He tweeted: I emphasised our duty to work closely together to respond to the shared challenges we face, so that collectively we can deliver for the people of the United Kingdom. Ms Sturgeon said the call had been constructive, tweeting: Constructive call with Rishi Sunak tonight. I expressed hope that we will build a UK/Scottish Government relationship based on mutual respect including for mandates and my fear that further austerity will do real damage to people and public services. I look forward to further engagement soon. Constructive call with @RishiSunak tonight. I expressed hope that we will build a UK/Scot gov relationship based on mutual respect inc for mandates and my fear that further austerity will do real damage to people & public services. I look forward to further engagement soon Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 25, 2022 Following the call, a Scottish Government spokesperson said Ms Sturgeon congratulated Mr Sunak on his appointment and wished him well. She expressed her hope that political differences notwithstanding, they would build a constructive working relationship, the spokesperson said. She made clear that the Scottish Government would do everything possible to establish such a constructive relationship but stressed that this must be built on mutual respect. Ms Sturgeon said the UK Government should address the pressure and pain being felt by people and businesses as a result of other economic pressures and further austerity could exacerbate the problems. It is understood Mr Sunak assured Ms Sturgeon the UK Government would engage with the devolved governments ahead of the Chancellors forthcoming budget statement. Mr Drakeford said he took the opportunity to congratulate Mr Sunak on his appointment as prime minister. The Welsh Labour leader tweeted: Tonight, I spoke to the Prime Minister. A chance to congratulate the Prime Minister and discuss the importance of working together as four nations to address the urgent challenges we face as a United Kingdom. Tonight, I spoke to @10DowningStreet. A chance to congratulate the Prime Minister and discuss the importance of working together as four nations to address the urgent challenges we face as a United Kingdom. Mark Drakeford (@PrifWeinidog) October 25, 2022 Earlier this month, Ms Sturgeon told the BBCs political editor Chris Mason she had not had a conversation with former prime minister Liz Truss since she was appointed on September 6, other than an exchange or two at events following the death of the Queen. Its quite absurd in many ways. When I became First Minister, David Cameron was prime minister and I think we spoke on the phone the first night I became First Minister, she said. I spoke on the phone to Theresa May within a day or two of her becoming prime minister, same with Boris Johnson actually. I have deep political differences with all of these politicians, but we have a duty to work together constructively. Welsh government minister Jane Hutt said Ms Truss had not contacted Mr Drakeford during her brief spell in office. During the summer leadership election, Ms Truss came under fire for saying she would ignore Ms Sturgeon. She said previously: I think the best thing to do with Nicola Sturgeon is ignore her. Shes an attention seeker, thats what she is. Ms Truss had previously accused both Ms Sturgeon and Mr Drakeford as being part of an anti-growth coalition during her Conservative Party conference speech earlier this month. She also listed Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, militant trade unions and climate change protesters as part of the so-called coalition. Mark Drakeford in Wales is cancelling road-building projects and refusing to build the M4 relief road, Ms Truss said. Nicola Sturgeon wont build new nuclear power stations to solve the energy crisis in Scotland. Have these people ever seen tax rises they dont like or an industry they dont want to control? They dont understand British people, they dont understand aspiration. They are prepared to leave our towns and cities facing decline. Calling another Stormont election will not bring a resolution to the Northern Ireland Protocol dispute any closer, the leader of the DUP has said. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his party was ready to fight an election if the Government calls one when a legislative deadline for forming a powersharing executive at Stormont lapses on Friday. The DUP has refused to engage with the devolved institutions in Belfast in the wake of Mays Assembly election, meaning it has not been possible to form a ministerial executive. The partys boycott is part of its campaign of opposition to the post-Brexit trading arrangements and it says it will not return to powersharing until decisive action is taken to remove the protocols economic barriers on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has said he will call a new election if the deadline passes (Brian Lawless/PA) A six-month legislative deadline to form an administration expires on Friday. If no executive is in place by that date, the Government assumes a legal responsibility to call another election. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has made it clear he will call a fresh poll if the deadline passes, with December 15 the likely date. However, it remains unclear whether new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will take a different approach to the issue, and if Mr Heaton-Harris will even still be in his job come Friday. The Government has vowed to secure changes to the protocol, either by a negotiated compromise with the EU or through proposed domestic legislation the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill which would empower ministers to scrap the arrangements without the approval of Brussels. The European Commission has warned that such unilateral action at Westminster would be in breach of international law and could prompt retaliatory action. Talks with the EU resumed recently, with both London and Brussels talking up the potential of reaching an agreed solution. Sir Jeffrey said the decision on whether to call an election was a matter solely for the Government to determine. If they call an election on Friday, we will be ready, he told BBC Radio Ulster. We will take our case to the country. We will seek to refresh our mandate because we want to get this protocol sorted out once and for all. As it happens, I dont believe an election will take us any closer to that. I dont think an election will hasten the day when the protocol is sorted out. But it is a matter for the Government to take that decision and whatever happens we will be ready. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP speaking to the media in the grounds of Stormont on Monday (David Young/PA) The oversight role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the protocol is one of the main sticking points in the stand-off between the EU and UK. Sir Jeffrey said: Whether its by legislation or negotiation, we want to see a solution that restores Northern Irelands place within the UK internal market and removes the barriers to trade created by the protocol. It is the policy of the Conservative government that they deal with the European Court of Justice issue in the context of any negotiation. So, we expect that would be part of the outcome that there would be agreement in the future because, of course, the issue at the heart of this is that Northern Ireland is subject to laws that are imposed by the European Union and over which we have no say, and that is, in essence, the democratic deficit here, and that needs to be dealt with and, of course, the ECJ is part of that. But the key issue is if Northern Ireland is to be fully within the United Kingdom internal market, then we cannot be subject to EU laws to regulate how we trade within that market. Of course we have to comply with EU rules if were exporting goods to the European Union. But that doesnt mean barriers to trade in the Irish Sea. And thats what we strongly object to. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long expressed hope that Mr Sunak would view finding a resolution to the powersharing vacuum in Northern Ireland as a priority issue. Given that the Northern Ireland crisis is now inextricably linked to the protocol and getting resolution and a good relationship with Europe, which Rishi Sunak has said we should have, and that its also linked to the ability to be able to get a deal with the US in terms of trade, it might by consequence of that be dealt with as a slight, slightly higher priority, she told Radio Ulster. Dominic Raab has been rewarded for his loyalty to Rishi Sunak with a return to frontline politics after he was sent packing as a high-profile casualty of Liz Trusss cabinet reshuffle. The 48-year-old who supported the new Prime Minister in both Tory leadership contests is back in the fray, in the roles of Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary he had previously held. Ahead of his return to the backbenches only weeks ago, the MP for Esher and Walton since 2010 was believed to have said he thought he has a 50/50 chance of holding onto his constituency seat at the next election. Now, he resumes the roles first handed to him by Boris Johnson as the Tories seek stability with their third leader in two months, he will be hoping things are looking up. Mr Raabs tenure heading up the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) followed his demotion from foreign secretary in September last year after widespread criticism of his handling of the Afghanistan crisis, marking a setback in his political ambitions. He was on holiday in Crete in August 2021 as the Taliban swept across the country and was seen relaxing on a beach on the Greek island as members of the militant group entered Kabul, although he insisted he was in touch with officials and ministerial colleagues. Mr Raab had designs on the Tory leadership in 2019, although he fell at the second hurdle and subsequently backed Mr Johnson. When the then-Prime Minister was admitted to hospital with coronavirus in 2020, Mr Raab, as first secretary of state, found himself effectively leading the Government during some of the darkest days of the pandemic a role later formalised with the title of deputy prime minister. Dominic Raab came under fire for being on holiday amid a crisis on his watch, with criminal barristers voting for an all-out strike as he was on leave (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He came under fire yet again this year for being on holiday amid a crisis on his watch, with criminal barristers voting for an all-out strike as he was on leave in Surrey with his family. Again, aides insisted he was in regular contact with MoJ officials. During his almost 12-month stint at the department, Mr Raab decided to personally review requests to move high-risk offenders to open jails. He also called for a fundamental overhaul of the Parole Board, arguing the case for altering the process was clear and made out as he vowed to enforce public safety, after several prisoners were controversially freed despite an outcry. However, his plans to shake up UK human rights laws were condemned by critics as a systematic gutting of key legal protections. The Bill of Rights, previously described as a replacement to the Human Rights Act, would add a healthy dose of common sense and curtail abuses of the system, Mr Raab said. Announcing a series of legal reforms which could pave the way for the first victims law in a bid to provide better support and increase the conviction rate, he promised to put the needs and voices of those hit by crime firmly at the heart of the justice system. Mr Raab was removed from his post at a crucial time for the justice system, with high court case backlogs and ongoing industrial action by members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA). CBA members subsequently voted to end the strike after accepting a Government pay offer. He was replaced by Brandon Lewis, who urged striking lawyers to carefully consider a new Government pay offer as as he was formally sworn in as Lord Chancellor. Mr Raab, a Karate black belt, was a Foreign Office lawyer before turning to politics. He was previously known to play up his image as a Brexit hard man in an attempt to win support from the Tory right. Dominic Raab lost his job as foreign secretary as Boris Johnson reshuffled his Cabinet last year (Jeff Gilbert/Daily Telegraph/PA) In 2018, he quit his cabinet role as Brexit secretary in protest against Theresa Mays approach to the issue. His political career suffered an early setback, with Mrs May taking particular offence at his description of some feminists as obnoxious bigots in a 2011 online article in which he attacked the equality bandwagon and said men were getting a raw deal. During the 2019 leadership contest, he said he would probably not describe himself as a feminist although he was all for working women making the very best of their potential. In 2020, at the height of Black Lives Matter protests, the married father-of-two suggested taking the knee was a symbol of subjugation which originated in TV drama Game Of Thrones, adding he only kneels for the Queen and the missus when I asked her to marry me. He was challenged on his comments again in December last year when he appeared before the Joint Committee on Human Rights for the first time since becoming justice secretary. In a frosty exchange, Mr Raab insisted he was an ardent champion of equality after then chairman Harriet Harman told him to eat his words for branding feminists obnoxious bigots. The son of a Czech-born Jewish refugee who fled the Nazis in 1938, Mr Raab was brought up in Buckinghamshire and studied law at Oxford University before switching to Cambridge for his masters. He competed in karate for 17 years, winning two British southern region titles, and making the UK squad. Mr Raab also enjoyed boxing at university and says it has been pretty good in terms of preparing me for other big moments, although nothing has ever wracked me with nerves quite the same way. The senior Tory denied claims, made by his former diary secretary in 2018, that he insisted on the same Pret A Manger lunch every day. The Dom Raab special apparently consisted of a chicken Caesar and bacon baguette, superfruit pot and a vitamin volcano smoothie. Six men suspected of being part of a people smuggling network behind Channel crossings have been arrested in France. The group, from Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and France, are accused of storing boats which would have been used by migrants to make the journey across the Channel to the UK, the National Crime Agency said. Four boats and motors, as well as 133 lifejackets, were seized from a lock-up garage in northern France when the arrests were made between October 18 and 20. Boats used by migrants to cross the Channel which are being stored at a warehouse in Dover, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA) According to French police, the group visited the garage 20 times between July 29 and October 20 and are said to have taken delivery of the boats. They are due to stand trial in the French courts in February next year. NCA deputy director Andrea Wilson said: These arrests and the significant seizure of boats and lifejackets are a result of the close partnership working between the NCA and our partners in France. Seizing these items means they will not be utilised by criminal gangs sending people on these dangerous Channel crossings. The news follows unconfirmed reports that around 30 migrants are missing after about 80 are said to have landed undetected in Kent on Sunday. Police were reportedly called to a home where one man had gone to ask to use a phone. This is the third time this year an uncontrolled landing has been recorded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), after other incidents in June and September. 2021 saw 39 uncontrolled landings, the MoD previously said. It is understood the latest incident took place on Shakespeare beach in Dover involving two boats, with Border Force officials and police officers arriving shortly afterwards to apprehend the people who were still in the area. The Home Office refused to provide any more information or confirm how many people had been detained in the incident and whether any were still unaccounted for. The department did not explain why it could not provide the information other than to say it would not comment on a live investigation. Kent Police also declined to provide any information on its involvement in the incident, instead directing questions to the Home Office. More than 38,000 people have been recorded as arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, according to provisional government figures. This includes more than 13,000 since the start of September. On Sunday, 528 people were recorded making the journey in 10 boats but no crossings took place on Monday. By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The criminal trial of Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers right-wing militia group, and four associates over their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was delayed on Monday after he tested positive for COVID-19. Rhodes and his four co-defendants - Jessica Watkins, Thomas Caldwell, Kenneth Harrelson and Kelly Meggs - are charged with seditious conspiracy, a rarely prosecuted crime defined as attempting "to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States." Rhodes remains in "total isolation" in jail, his lawyers said. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta asked the parties to return on Tuesday morning to discuss how to proceed with the trial, which began last month. Members of the Oath Keepers were among the supporters of Republican then-President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol, attacked police and sent members of Congress scrambling for their safety in a failed effort to prevent lawmakers from certifying his 2020 U.S. election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Prosecutors have said the Oath Keepers planned a "quick reaction force" of armed members who waited at a hotel in northern Virginia with firearms they could transport across the Potomac River into Washington if called upon. Defense attorneys have said that the defendants traveled to Washington to provide security for speakers at pro-Trump rallies and maintained that they had no plot to take the Capitol by force. A juror in the case was excused last week after testing positive for COVID-19. Although officials have lifted a previous mandate to wear a face mask inside the federal courthouse in Washington, Mehta has required those inside his courtroom to continue wearing one unless speaking during the trial. Defense attorney Edward Tarpley said he has been unable to confer with Rhodes because the defendant remains isolated and cannot accept phone calls. Defense lawyers said they intend to ask Rhodes if he would potentially agree to appear virtually or waive his appearance while the prosecution questions several "inconsequential witnesses." It remained unclear if the jail could make such an accommodation or if Mehta would be willing to allow it. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Will Dunham) Rishi Sunak held his first call with Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, pledging the UKs steadfast support for Ukraine. Both his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss had vocally promised full support to the war-torn country and on Tuesday evening the new Prime Minister said the UKs support would be as strong as ever under his leadership. Calling it a privilege to speak to Mr Zelensky, who had earlier sent him congratulations, Mr Sunak tweeted: Both he and the Ukrainian people can count on the UKs continued solidarity and support. We will always stand with Ukraine. Mr Zelensky, in a tweet, called it an excellent conversation with the pair agreeing to write a new chapter in relations between the two countries. In an excellent conversation with @RishiSunak we agreed to write a new chapter in - relations but the story is the same full support in the face of Russian aggression. I appreciate PMs first call to Ukraine. And always grateful for the support of the people. (@ZelenskyyUa) October 25, 2022 Speaking outside Number 10 on Tuesday, the new Prime Minister referenced Russias invasion of Ukraine twice, saying: Putins war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over. A Downing Street spokesperson said the pair spoke on Tuesday evening to underline the United Kingdoms steadfast support for Ukraine. The Prime Minister said the United Kingdoms support for Ukraine would be as strong as ever under his premiership, and President Zelensky could count on his Government to stand in continued solidarity. The Prime Minister also noted the importance of the International Atomic Energy Agencys work in Ukraine to ensure nuclear safety and provide transparency around any disinformation. Both leaders agreed on the need to continue to place pressure on Putins barbaric regime through continued economic sanctions. President Zelensky congratulated the Prime Minister on his appointment and wished him a happy Diwali. The Prime Minister thanked him and said he hoped they would see each other in person soon. A privilege to speak to the President of Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa this evening. Both he and the Ukrainian people can count on the UK's continued solidarity and support. We will always stand with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ycVr3K0DVS Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 25, 2022 In his congratulatory message to Mr Sunak earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron also said the two countries would work together to tackle the challenge of the war in Ukraine. Congratulations to @RishiSunak, who has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world. Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 25, 2022 Ms Truss was widely criticised after she declined to say whether Mr Macron was a friend or foe when asked during the previous Tory leadership contest. Mr Macron later suggested it was a problem if Britain could not call itself a friend of France. Ms Truss eventually hailed the French President as a friend when the pair met at the first summit of the European Political Community in Prague. In his message to Mr Sunak, Mr Macron tweeted: Congratulations to Rishi Sunak, who has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world. World leaders have called for cooperation on issues ranging from climate change and the energy crisis to the Northern Ireland Protocol and war in Ukraine, as they congratulated Rishi Sunak on becoming Prime Minister. Premiers from the US, Japan and across the European Union shared public messages with Mr Sunak after his appointment on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Sunak faces difficult decisions early in his premiership over the Northern Ireland Protocol, and European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic, who has led talks between the EU and the UK over the issue, pointed to the issue as he congratulated Mr Sunak on his new role. Congratulations @RishiSunak. A positive relationship is of strategic importance. I remain committed to working intensively & constructively to foster such a partnership, in full respect of our agreements. This includes our work on joint solutions under the Protocol on IE/NI. Maros Sefcovic (@MarosSefcovic) October 25, 2022 A positive (EU and UK) relationship is of strategic importance, Mr Sefcovic tweeted. I remain committed to working intensively and constructively to foster such a partnership, in full respect of our agreements. This includes our work on joint solutions under the Protocol. US President Joe Biden, who earlier described Mr Sunaks appointment as the first person of colour to be the UKs Prime Minister as a groundbreaking milestone, tweeted on Tuesday: Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together, I look forward to enhancing our cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity, including continuing our strong support for Ukraine. Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together, I look forward to enhancing our cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity, including continuing our strong support for Ukraine. President Biden (@POTUS) October 25, 2022 Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau described his nations partnership with the UK as one of the strongest relationships between any two countries in the world as he congratulated Mr Sunak and wished outgoing premier Liz Truss all the best in her future. Congratulations, @RishiSunak. The partnership between our two countries is defined by the history and the priorities we share. As we work to deliver results for the people who call Canada and the United Kingdom home, lets continue to strengthen this partnership. Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 25, 2022 Canadas partnership with the United Kingdom, one of the strongest relationships between any two countries in the world, is defined by our rich shared history, our close friendship, and an unwavering commitment to human rights, democracy, and the rules-based international order, Mr Trudeau said in a written statement. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Sunak to strengthen this relationship as we continue to address ongoing global concerns, including Russias illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, economic uncertainty, and climate change. I also look forward to collaborating with Prime Minister Sunak to bolster our important economic relationship as we negotiate a comprehensive, ambitious, and inclusive Canada-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement, as well as the UKs accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Together, we will remain focused on creating good middle-class jobs and opportunities for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, while driving economic growth that benefits everyone. I wish prime minister Elizabeth Truss all the best in her future endeavours. Fumio Kishida, the prime minister of Japan extended his heartfelt congratulations to Mr Sunak. I express my heartfelt congratulations to @RishiSunak for assuming the office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. (@kishida230) October 25, 2022 I wish you success in your future endeavors and look forward to working with you to deepen our bilateral cooperation as global strategic partners in a range of areas, he tweeted. Also among those offering messages of support were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called for continued strengthening of the strategic partnership between the UK and his nation in the face of Russias invasion of Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron also focused his congratulatory message on the invasion. Congratulations to @RishiSunak, who has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world. Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 25, 2022 Together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world, Mr Macron tweeted. The President of Ukraine has said he us ready to continue strengthening the strategic partnership with the UK as Rishi Sunak said the terrible war must be seen successfully to its conclusion. Speaking outside Number 10 on Tuesday, the incoming Prime Minister referenced Russias invasion of Ukraine twice, saying: Putins war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped Mr Sunak would overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today. Congratulations to @RishiSunak on taking office as Prime Minister! I wish you to successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today. Im ready to continue strengthening the - strategic partnership together! (@ZelenskyyUa) October 25, 2022 In a tweet after Mr Sunaks first speech as Prime Minister, Mr Zelensky said: Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on taking office as Prime Minister! I wish you to successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today. Im ready to continue strengthening the strategic partnership together! In his congratulatory message to Mr Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron said the two countries would work together to tackle the challenge of the war in Ukraine. Congratulations to @RishiSunak, who has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world. Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 25, 2022 Outgoing PM Liz Truss was widely criticised after she declined to say whether Mr Macron was a friend or foe when asked during the previous Tory leadership contest. Mr Macron later suggested it was a problem if Britain could not call itself a friend of France. Ms Truss eventually hailed the French President as a friend when the pair met at the first summit of the European Political Community in Prague. In his message to Mr Sunak, Mr Macron tweeted: Congratulations to Rishi Sunak, who has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world. 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 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. According to information published by the International Press Agency Reuters on October 26, 2022, after Spain, the United States is considering the possibility of providing Ukraine with Hawk air defense missile systems. Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link A MIM-23 Improved Hawk surface-to-air missile successfully fires from its launcher platform during a JGSDF MIM-23 Improved Hawk live-fire training exercise conducted at Camp McGregor Operational Readiness Training Complex, Fort Bliss Oct. 20, 2018. (Picture source U.S. DoD) On October 13, 2022, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Spain would send four medium-range Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK) air defense missile systems to Ukraine. The delivery of Hawk surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine has now been confirmed by Spain. Citing information published by Reuters, the United States administration would use the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to transfer the HAWK equipment to Ukraine. The development of the Hawk surface-to-air missile system started in 1959 but has been upgraded several times. The Hawk missile system was designed to counter the low-altitude threat. The system is reliable, mobile, and accurate and has the capability to engage two targets simultaneously. Several missiles can be in flight at the same time. Each missile battery has the personnel, equipment, and facilities required for the operation or movement of the complete unit. Semi-active homing guidance is used in the Hawk system for missile control during flight. Ground-based continuous-wave radars acquire and track the target. The missile receives radiofrequency (RF) energy reflected from the target and uses this energy in the development of steering commands to direct the missile to the target. The latest generation of Hawk missile, the MIM-23B has a larger 74 kg blast-fragmentation warhead, a smaller and improved guidance package, and a new M112 rocket motor. The new warhead produces approximately 14,000 2-gram fragments that cover a much larger 70-degree arc. The MIM-23B missile has a firing range from 1.5 to 35 km and a maximum engagement altitude of 18,000 m. The missile has a peak velocity of around 500 m/s (1,600 ft/s). It is fitted with both radio frequency proximity and impact fuses. The guidance system uses an X-band CW monopulse semi-active radar seeker. A typical Phase-III MIM-23B Hawk air defense missile battery consists of: 1 PAR: Pulse Acquisition Radara search radar with a 20 (+/2) rpm rotation, for high/medium altitude target detection. 1 CWAR: Continuous Wave Acquisition Radara search doppler radar with a 20 (+/2) rpm rotation, for low altitude target detection. 2 HIPIR: High Power Illuminator doppler Radartarget tracking, illumination, and missile guidance. 1 FDC: Fire Direction Center 1 IFF: Identification Friend or Foe Transceiver 6 DLN: Digital Launchers with 18 missiles. 6 MEP-816: Generators 60KW (400 Hz) each. 12 M-390: Missile transport pallets with 36 missiles 3 M-501: Missile loading tractors. 1 bucket loader It may interest readers to know that from its formation till the 1984 general election, the BJP had no interest in Ayodhya The introduction of religion into politics by the BJP in 1989 cleaved Indias electorate in a way it had not been before, and gave the BJP unprecedented electoral rewards. (Photo: PTI) The BJP has evolved over the years in an unusual manner, going from being conservative on social issues to radical. In its formative decades, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, even when under Atal Behari Vajpayee, showed itself to be hesitant to take up issues related to personal law. In its 1951 manifesto, it said of Dr B.R. Ambedkars Hindu Code Bill that the party holds that social reform should not come as imposition from above. It should work from within society. Any far-reaching changes as envisaged by the Hindu Code Bill therefore should not be made. What were these far-reaching changes? They were two. First, the inheritance of property by women, especially widows, and second, divorce. The BJP-BJS was opposed to the idea even after the laws were passed in watered-down fashion and it promised to repeal them. It would not allow women the right to divorce because, its 1957 manifesto reads, indissoluble marriage has been the basis of Hindu society. The party also assumed that joint families would remain forever and was opposed to modern inheritance laws. This position on the Hindu Code fell away with time, because the laws were acceptable to society. Divorce is a sensible option where marriages have failed and the idea of marriage as a binding sacrament (for seven lives) is not held by most Indians. Given its conservatism on social issues, the party was initially hesitant to press on the Uniform Civil Code, which finds mention in its first five decades only once. In 1967, the party began dropping its opposition to the Hindu marriage and succession laws. It said it would enact a code to govern the laws of marriage, adoption and inheritance of all Indian citizens. But it had no enthusiasm for this and there is no reference to this again for the next quarter century. It may interest readers to know that from its formation till the 1984 general election, the BJP had no interest in Ayodhya. Though the idols had been smuggled into the Babri Masjid on the night of December 22, 1949, only a few months before the formation of the Jan Sangh, the Ram temple had never been an issue for the party. The break came when the party sank in the 1984 elections and Atal Behari Vajpayee ceded the presidency to Lal Krishna Advani. An unelected figure (being a creature till then of the Council and the Rajya Sabha), Mr Advani did not appear to know how mass mobilisation worked. In his autobiography, he writes that he was surprised at the massive mobs that gathered around his Rath Yatra after he took up the temple issue. Exultant at the response, the BJPs manifesto now made its first reference: By not allowing the rebuilding of the Ram Janma Mandir in Ayodhya, on the lines of the Somnath Mandir built by the Government of India in 1948, it has allowed tensions to rise, and gravely strained social harmony. The introduction of religion into politics by the BJP in 1989 cleaved Indias electorate in a way it had not been before, and gave the BJP unprecedented electoral rewards. Mr Advani won the party its first states and before him the BJP had no government in any state on its own before 1990. And, of course, the events of December 1992 produced national dominance. The partys vote share had never been more than in single digits till Ayodhya. It doubled first to 18 per cent, and then doubled once again. The realisation came that an anti-Muslim thrust, rather than a Hindu conservative one, was a popular platform on which the party could mobilise. It was then taken further. The Uniform Civil Code was now a permanent feature in the programme, with a specific attack on polygamy. The BJP went after Muslim divorce under Narendra Modi, but that was not satisfying because it could not produce polarisation. Laws criminalising marriages between Hindus and Muslims came in the BJP states of Uttarakhand (2018) and then Himachal Pradesh (2019), Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (2020), Gujarat (2021) and Karnataka (2022). The push for two-child laws in the BJP states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka and the targeting of Muslims and polygamy will produce polarisation and will likely be rewarding. The BJP state units work in tandem. As an electorate, we appear to be in thrall of such things, even at a time as this when the economy, unemployment and fuel prices are where they are. Today social reform from above is the flavour for the BJP. It may also interest readers to know that in a parallel development, the Jan Sangh/BJP has gone from being radical on criminal law and civil liberties to being conservative. In 1951, it said it would repeal Jawaharlal Nehrus first amendment restricting the freedom of speech, assembly and association because this was not civil liberty as understood in democratic countries. In 1954 and for years later, it said it would repeal preventive detention laws (like UAPA and Public Safety Act) because they were in absolute contravention of the principles of individual liberty. The BJP has become the biggest champions of these laws now of course. When it was not in power, when it had little hope of achieving power, the party stood for the rights of Indias citizens over those of the State. Today when it is in control of the State, the BJP stands for the rights of the State over those of the individual. China has shown some flexibility and dynamism in its policy in dealing with India The much-awaited twentieth congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was in session last week, drawing eyeballs and all other attention too. Indian strategic analyses on the subject extended into the realm of many issues, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, extending into the personality cult of Xi Jinping and how every other word spoken needed to be interpreted. Most considered it too early to second guess or find meaningful inputs on what the final impact would be on Sino-Indian relations and in particular at the turbulent borders. Interestingly, Indias external affairs minister S. Jaishankar followed a diplomatic tack quite different from the ones of the past. Preceding and through part of the proceedings of the 20th congress, he continued communicating on the issue of the boundary and on Sino-Indian ties in general. Peace and tranquillity in the border areas clearly remains the basis for normal relations. From time to time, this has been mischievously conflated with the sorting out of the boundary question, he said in one such projection. During the CPCs nineteenth congress in 2017, in the immediate post-Doklam situation, there was reluctance, hesitation and a general trepidation on how the situation after the 72- day standoff would be. A much higher level of strategic confidence marks Mr Jaishankars approach, but to get an India-focused analysis at this stage we need to examine a few more issues. The presence of the commander of the PLA troops at Galwan, Qi Fabao, among the partys 2,296 delegates from around the country, was projected and a clip of the clash was shown too. The reminder about the Galwan clash appeared to be aimed at the delegates with intent to convey that it was not just Taiwan which is the front but that China had other challenges too. Qi Baos presence was a message that China values war- fighting capabilities and militarism, something Xi Jinping also referred to in his speech. However, in the world of militarism and conventional war-fighting, it is becoming quite evident that the apparent mismatch of capability and capacity may not always be the deciding element of final outcomes. For Xi Jinping, Taiwan is definitely a priority physical occupation, integration and securing against all blowback will be perceived by him as his legacy. He has time on his hands but cannot risk failure; hence, this could take even more time. The Line of Actual Control with India is something different. Some very well-informed Indian analysts suggest that Xi would be open to resolving the boundary issue with India amicably now that he could be in a position of total dominance. That would free up China of all encumbrances with respect to the focus it could give to Taiwan and the Pacific theatre in general, where the next physical confrontations are possible with the United States and its allies and partners. By removing India from the potential players of the Indo-Pacifics pro-US and anti-China bloc, Xi Jinping could hope for some kind of Indian neutrality, as it has happened in the Ukraine situation. However, this appears wishful thinking. China is witnessing an India on the rise, much more confident, strategically more autonomous and sure of its geopolitical options. The LAC remains one area where a simmering dispute would keep India militarily committed and remain forced to commit more resources. There is one truism about the situation here. Chinas technical and economic domination in the context of India may be high, but to win a war and display wolf warrior diplomacy as a means of coercion to force India to toe the line may be a highly risky proposition. China has shown some flexibility and dynamism in its policy in dealing with India. A two-track or perhaps multi-track policy may be its best option. Trade continues, and much to Chinas favour, but on the strategic front it wishes to keep pursuing a policy of projection of both military and diplomatic domination. There is unlikely to be any leeway in this as China would not wish to see an Indian surge in confidence in dealing with contingencies. However, the truth remains that it has triggered an Indian military strategic transformational process which will see New Delhi militarily far better prepared to defend its northern borders and possibly become capable of even projecting power. In due course, the future will also see better maritime capability and a generational improvement in other vistas like cyber, information, space and drones. What China will wish to pursue is the maintenance of a capability gap for as long as possible, knowing fully well that it will eventually be closed. If it hopes that India will create great turbulence within its economy by attempting to rapidly close that gap, it could be unrealistic. In reality, the situation playing out due to the war in Ukraine, wherein Indias moral and diplomatic support is sought by the Western powers, besides denial of energy linkages to Russia, is the broad idea that China should be following for its Indo-Pacific policy; keeping India on its side and safeguarding its south. However, there would always be hesitation due to the lack of trust, something deeply missing from the Sino-Indian relationship from the early days. China finds it convenient to engage with India through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which in the current state of things finds itself upgraded in strategic terms. With Iran stepping into the SCO and Turkey making a beeline towards it, China perhaps wishes to give the Eurasian zone greater primacy to help outreach for its influence. As the United States speaks of the Quad for the Indo-Pacific, China could launch reverse influence and outreach to the areas of Eastern Europe. The 20th Congress of the CPC was more about personalities and less about vision. In terms of timelines, Xi Jinping has apparently advanced everything to his lifetime; that is perhaps 15 years from now. Among the issues that will remain alive are the future policy on pandemic management, Taiwan, the Belt and Road Initiative, slower economic growth and the strategic challenges of the Indo-Pacific posed by the US competitiveness. In both a direct and indirect way, India figures in all peripherally or otherwise. We have to learn to live with China and the impact of all these in different avatars; after all, we can hardly change or choose our neighbours. One of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, Sunak will become the country's first leader of colour LONDON: Rishi Sunak will become Britain's next prime minister after he won the race on Monday to lead the Conservative Party, tasked with steering a deeply divided country through an economic downturn set to leave millions of people poorer. One of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, Sunak will become the country's first leader of colour -- and the country's third prime minister in less than two months. He replaces Liz Truss, who only lasted 44 days before she resigned, needing to restore stability to a country reeling from years of political and economic turmoil, and seeking to lead a party that has fractured along ideological lines. "It's unite or die", he told his lawmakers in parliament shortly after the announcement, according to one present in the room. Sunak told the party it faced an "existential crisis" and lawmakers should now focus on policy not personalities. Sunak will step up to lead Britain as it heads for one of the toughest downturns in decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunak calling him the living bridge of UK Indians. "Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership," Modi said in a tweet. The multi-millionaire former hedge fund boss will be expected to launch deep spending cuts to try to rebuild Britain's fiscal reputation, just as the country slides into a recession, dragged down by the surging cost of energy and food. Sunak, likely to be appointed prime minister by King Charles on Tuesday, told Conservative lawmakers in Westminster the party needed to tackle Britain's economic challenges after political turbulence hit borrowing costs and pushed mortgage rates higher. He will also have to work hard to hold Britain's dominant political party together after some accused him of treachery earlier this year when he resigned from the cabinet of former leader Boris Johnson, triggering a wider rebellion. Others have accused him of being too rich to understand the day-to-day economic pressures building in Britain, and question whether he could ever win an election for a party that has been in power for 12 years. "I think this decision sinks us as a party for the next election," one Conservative lawmaker told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The pound and British government bond prices jumped briefly on news of Sunak's win but soon returned to their previous levels. Britain has been locked in a state of perma-crisis ever since it voted in 2016 to leave the European Union, unleashing a battle at Westminster over the future of the country that remains unresolved to this today. Johnson, the face of the Brexit vote, led his party to a landslide victory in 2019, only to be driven out of office less than three years later after a series of scandals. His successor Truss lasted just over six weeks before she quit over an economic policy that trashed the country's economic credibility. Historian and political biographer Anthony Seldon told Reuters that Sunak had the most difficult economic and political inheritance of any British leader since World War Two, and would be constrained by the mistakes made by his predecessor Truss. "He would have no opportunity to capitalise on these being strange times because Truss has completely blown up that as an option. There is no leeway on him being anything other than extraordinarily conservative and cautious, he said. He added that Sunak had shown the ability to instil confidence during tough times, however, such as when he became finance minister just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit Britain. Polls show that Britons want an election. "The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak as prime minister without him saying a single word about how he would run the country and without anyone having the chance to vote," Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, said in a statement, using the Conservatives' nickname. Labour has held record leads in opinion polls of more than 25 points ever since Truss's budget sent shockwaves through financial markets. Economists and investors welcomed Sunak's appointment, but they questioned whether he can tackle the country's finances while holding the party's warring factions together. Penny Mordaunt, who lost out to Sunak, said his election was an "historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party," she said. "Rishi has my full support." Other Conservative lawmakers agreed they needed to support the new leader. Asked if the party was ungovernable, former leader Iain Duncan Smith said it had been but that people were now relieved to have a new leader. Veteran lawmaker Crispin Blunt told Reuters after Sunak met lawmakers in a room in parliament: "The party will remain united, not least because we don't have a choice. In there, he showed a capacity to marshal the whole party." The first real test of party unity will come on Oct. 31, when finance minister Jeremy Hunt - the fourth person in the role in four months - is due to present a budget to plug a black hole in the public finances that is expected to have ballooned to up to 40 billion pounds. Hunt backed Sunak for leader. Sunak's appointment is another first for Britain - he will become the country's first prime minister of Indian origin. His family migrated to Britain in the 1960s, a period when many people from Britain's former colonies moved to the country to help it rebuild after World War Two. After graduating from Oxford University, he went to Stanford University where he met his wife Akshata Murthy, whose father is Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy, founder of outsourcing giant Infosys Ltd. by Louis Raphael Sako * The Chaldean primate spoke at a conference promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio in Rome, which is set to end today at the Colosseum with an interfaith prayer in the presence of Pope Francis. The cardinal urges us to work for a civic and democratic model" of the state based on "citizenship, not on a sectarian system that divides. Rome (AsiaNews) - In a world torn by "terrifying" conflicts, such as Russia's war in Ukraine or the many conflicts in the Middle East, peace must be built through "solidarity between peoples, religions and cultures, said the Patriarch of Baghdad, Card Louis Raphael Sako, in his address at the conference "The cry for peace" promoted in Rome by the Community of Sant'Egidio, from 23 to 25 October. The meeting will culminate in a prayer for peace at the Colosseum this afternoon, in the presence of Pope Francis and representatives of world religions. In addition to solidarity, the cardinal notes that it is necessary "to work to build a civic and democratic model based on citizenship, not on a sectarian system that divides". What follows is the Chaldean patriarchs own thoughts: Living together: Lesson from the pandemic "The cry for peace" is a cry of hope for all humanity, especially in the worlds current situation, which is a source of great concern, such as, for example, the war between Russia and Ukraine and the tensions and conflicts we are experiencing in the Middle East, which are also terrifying. The number of dead and injured is high, many schools and universities have closed, the lives of innocent citizens are almost paralysed. They live in panic and do not know what will become of tomorrow. It's terrible! To build peace, we must promote cultural and religious diversity, closeness, solidarity as well as the efforts of every country and religion to stop the immediate danger of the pandemic! We must build such an international union, learning from the pandemic, to end the absurd war between Russia and Ukraine, but also other conflicts. We must choose dialogue, diplomacy, and peace to solve problems, not use weapons. Peace cannot be achieved without respect, love and brotherhood, the solidarity of all individuals and peoples, working for security and shared well-being. Peace, in fact, is an educational process. To achieve it, we must teach ourselves, work on ourselves. Of course, peace is also a challenge, but our differences, the things that seem to divide us, actually allow us to be complementary. Each of us and each of our countries have a talent to offer to society as a whole. We live in a new world that requires us to emphasise the importance of diversity, in line with the global approach that aspires to equal human rights, as well as respect for freedom and dignity of all. Given these differences and these complementarities, we naturally depend on each other. When I know I need my neighbours, I show them even more attention. Today it is necessary to come out of ourselves to work in a simple and concrete way, with friendship, to build peace. Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus said (Mt 5:9). To build peace in our societies, true citizenship is a necessary condition for harmonious coexistence. Those who leave their countries of origin for the West seek rights and dignity. Living together works on several levels: - Religiously: we all believe in one God, even if our expressions are different; - Socially: we are all brothers and sisters under the umbrella of humanity; - Politically: we are all citizens of the same planet. However, religious extremism has distorted coexistence, politicised sectarianism has wiped out the human mosaic, and corruption has destroyed society. It takes a solid background in diversity, which is a form of wealth. The role of educational institutions is not only to teach so that people can find a job, but rather to train the new generations to be open, respect diversity and pluralism, and build up solidarity and coexistence with: - The development of students' skills through honest dialogue and friendship; - The strengthening of reconciliation and solidarity between different peoples, religions, and cultures, to achieve peace and prosperity for all citizens, as Pope Francis said several times during his visit to Iraq in March 2021. From this point of view, I urge everyone in the West and the East to review inherited traditions with open rationality, to change them and remove all expressions of fundamentalism and hatred, so as to adapt to current reality and social diversity. Ultimately, we must work to build a civic and democratic model based on citizenship, not on a sectarian system that divides. To build peace in society, the development of true citizenship is a necessary condition. * Patriarch of Baghdad Jailed almost two years ago, the pro-democracy activist was tried for violating the terms of lease. On 1 December, he is set go on trial for threatening national security and sedition. Tomorrow Card Joseph Zens trial enters its final phase. Hong Kong (AsiaNews) A District Court today convicted Jimmy Lai of fraud for illegally using the offices of the Apple Daily newspaper to run a consulting company. Last year, the independent newspaper founded by the Catholic media mogul and pro-democracy advocate stopped publishing after coming under investigation for threatening national security. The 74-year-old Lai was jailed in December 2020 for taking part in an unauthorised protest. On 1 December, he faces four charges: two counts of conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign countries or external elements, one of collusion with foreign forces, and one count of conspiracy to print, publish, sell, offer for sale, distribute, display and/or reproduce seditious publications. Violating the draconian national security law imposed by Beijing in the summer of 2020 to crush the pro-democracy movement comes with life imprisonment. The maximum penalty for sedition is two years. With respect to fraud charges, Lai is accused of failing to comply with the terms of the lease of certain premises at the Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, gaining an unlawful advantage from them. Judge Stanley Chan also convicted Wong Wai-keung in connection with the same case. Wong is the former chief administrative officer of Next Digital, the holding company that controlled Apple Daily. Sentencing is expected on 24 November, when Lai and Wong will present their requests for reduced sentences. While the mogul remains in jail, Wong has been granted bail. Meanwhile, the final phase of the trial of Card Joseph Zen Ze-kiun is set to start tomorrow. Hong Kongs archbishop emeritus and five well-known pro-democracy advocates have been accused of improperly registering a humanitarian fund of which they were trustees. Until it closed in October 2021, the 612 Fund helped thousands of pro-democracy activists involved in protests in 2019. by Dario Salvi On the eve of the elections scheduled for 1 November, Gadi Baltiansky, director general of the Geneva Initiative, applauds Lapid's speech at the UN that revived the central issue of the Palestinian question. The status quo is "negative", the ruling class seems to be "waking up slowly" to the issues raised by the outgoing premier. Doubts about the participation of the Arab electorate. New violence in the West Bank, more victims and injuries. Milan (AsiaNews) - Despite living "in the land of the prophets" it is impossible "to make a prediction" on the outcome of the November 1 general elections in Israel; nevertheless in these weeks of campaigning, thanks in part to Lapid's speech at the UN, there has been renewed talk of "the two-state solution". In this interview with AsiaNews, Gadi Baltiansky, former spokesperson for former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and director general of the Geneva Initiative (a joint Israeli-Palestinian project to end the conflict), analyses the current uncertain framework at risk of further institutional paralysis. The "constant" element in this continuous recourse to the ballot box, he explains, is "the controversy" surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu, who wants to return to power, but risks not being able to form a solid majority in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, even if he wins at the ballot box. This figure of contention (and the corruption trial in which he is accused) that, in recent years, has obscured "substantial and important issues" such as the Palestinian question. This is why outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid is to be credited with having relaunched the issue, bringing about "an important change" on the strategic level and receiving in return an "increase in approval" in the polls. "Politicians," he observes, "seem to be waking up, albeit very slowly, to the issues raised by Lapid: the majority of Israelis understand that the status quo is bad [...] and want to hear a clear vision and project. Also because the alternative is the continuous spiral of violence, with new victims: the latest today, with a toll of six Palestinians killed and 21 wounded in a series of Israeli army raids in Nablus and other areas of the West Bank. Operations that risk exacerbating tension even further, especially among young people exasperated by the economic crisis and the occupation of land at the hands of hundreds of thousands of settlers. 'The two-state solution,' recalls our interlocutor, 'enjoys a clear plurality and majority'. Below is the interview with Gadi Baltiansky, Director General Geneva Initiative: Israel is heading for its fifth vote in three years. With what prospects are voters heading to the polls? The number of elections is of course frustrating on a national level, and reflects continuous political instability as well as deep divides within Israeli society. Theres no guarantee that the results of the upcoming elections will be more conclusive or longer-lasting than any of the previous rounds. The one constant issue for voters throughout the past few years has been the centrality of a very simple and incredibly divisive political question: support or opposition to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prioritization of this issue above all others means that substantive questions, such as party policies regarding the Palestinian issue, often take a back seat. Prime Minister Yair Lapid, during a speech at the United Nations, brought the two-state solution back into focus: how much was said about it in the election campaign? The Prime Ministers speech at the General Assembly marks an important strategic shift. Instead of avoiding or paying passing lip-service to the two-state solution, which has been the strategy of choice for the Israeli center for years, Lapid highlighted his support for the two-state solution in a press briefing to the Israeli public before the speech. During an election season, this decision cannot be separated from the political context, and actually Lapid's numbers went up in the polls following the speech. Politicians seem to be slowly waking up to the fact that Lapid cited in his speech: most Israelis understand the status-quo is bad for Israel, support a two-state solution and want to hear a clear vision which prevents a binational state [or one State - ed]. What support does the two-state solution have in Israel today? Is there, at least at the level of the people, a desire for a real dialogue to achieve the goal or at least discuss it seriously? In the Geneva Initiative last public opinion poll (June 2022), 51% of Israelis support restarting negotiations for a two-state solution and 39% oppose it. When asked to choose between different policy approaches to the conflict, the two-state solution enjoys a clear plurality. The next most popular option is a one-state solution without equal rights for all citizens (18% support). Considering how little progress there has been towards peace in the last 15 years, its actually astonishing how high support has remained. The opponents have failed to offer a viable alternative that provides a better, secure future for Israelis, so people come back to the only real solution on the table. One week before the vote, what are the central issues for the electorate and what 'weight' will the Arab vote have? Israeli electoral discourse at the movement is very focused on specific political personalities: Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, or ultra-right politician, previously convicted in terrorism, Itamar Ben Gvir. Personal support or antipathy for particular political actors is playing a much more noticeable role than questions of policy. That said, the conflict is always an issue in our elections, whether its framed as a question of security, democracy, or just used to spark fear and hatred. The other electoral issues are pretty standard: cost of living, the economy, crime. Arab voter turnout (20% of the population with predicted representation in the Parliament of about 6-7%) will be pivotal in deciding the election results, which is one of the reasons we are hearing increased discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the two-state solution among parties that are interested in encouraging the population to vote. Finally, what type of nation will emerge from the polls and what will the impact be on the Palestinian people? Although I live in the land of the prophets, I'm not one. What is clear is that the next government cant continue the decade-long policy of attempting to manage the conflict, without progressing towards a solution, and expect the security situation to remain stable. Palestinians also prefer the two-state solution over any other option, but this preference is decreasing noticeably over time. Responsible Israeli leadership needs to ask tough questions about the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. For that, we need a measure of political stability and vision. Its not clear that the upcoming elections will provide this; but the challenges posed by a Palestinian population that feels increasing despair about their own national dreams arent going to wait quietly, either. In any scenario, the role of the International Community in promoting moral values, international law, strategic interests and the friendship with the Israeli and Palestinian people can be pivotal in bringing peace and security to the Middle East. GATEWAY TO THE EAST IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO THE MIDDLE EAST. TO RECEIVE A WEEKLY UPDATE EVERY TUESDAY, CLICK HERE. Leaders representing the worlds Christian confessions as well as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism pleaded and prayed for peace at Romes Colosseum. Francis bemoans that even after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear weapons continued wrongly to be produced and tested. He said: do not resign yourselves! [. . .] let us cultivate seeds of reconciliation. Rome (AsiaNews) Pope Francis together with representatives of the worlds great religions spoke this afternoon at Romes Colosseum, issuing a new plea for peace during a prayer, following the International Meeting for Peace organised by the Community of Sant'Egidio. This years them was The Cry for Peace. Religions and cultures in dialogue. Let a universal ceasefire be declared at once, said the leaders of world religions. Let negotiations capable of leading to just solutions for a stable and lasting peace be activated soon before it is too late. Let dialogue be resumed to cancel the threat of nuclear weapons. The pontiff along with representatives of other Christian confessions, as well as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism signed the appeal, which was read by Elissar, a young woman who arrived in Italy as a refugee from war-torn Syria and is now a university student in Rome. Each leader undertook the same commitment, each in their own way in the evocative setting of the Colosseum, praying for peace in accordance with their respective religious tradition. "We turn thoughtfully to the world and to government leaders. We speak out for those who suffer from war, refugees and the families of all the victims and the fallen. With firm conviction we say: no more war. Let us stop all conflicts. The religious leaders went on to say that, It is our duty to help disarm hearts and call for reconciliation among peoples. Unfortunately, even among ourselves we have at times been divided, abusing the holy name of God. Hence, we ask forgiveness for this, with humility and shame. [. . .] Peace is holy; war can never be holy! The world, our common home is unique and does not belong to us, but to future generations. Therefore, let's get rid of the nuclear nightmare. Peace is always possible." Pope Francis too mentioned the nuclear threat in his address. The plea for peace is often stifled, not only by hostile rhetoric but also by indifference. It is reduced to silence by hatred, which spreads as the fighting continues. Today, in fact, something we dreaded and hoped never to hear of again is threatened outright: the use of atomic weapons, which even after Hiroshima and Nagasaki continued wrongly to be produced and tested. In this context, the pope cited the timeliness of the words spoken exactly 60 years ago by John XXIII who, in his radio message during the Cuban missile crisis, said: Promoting, fostering, and accepting dialogue at all levels and in all times is a rule of wisdom and prudence that attracts the blessing of heaven and earth. This is what we will strive to do ever better each day, Francis said in concluding. Indeed, do not resign yourselves! [. . .] let us cultivate seeds of reconciliation. [. . .] So be it, with Gods grace and the good will of the men and women whom he loves. by Shafique Khokhar Arshad Sharif had fled to East Africa after criticising the army and former premier Imran Khan. According to initial rumours, he was mistaken for another person. It is not clear what the reporter was doing in the region. Karachi (AsiaNews) - Arshad Sharif, a well-known 50-year-old Pakistani journalist, was shot dead in Kenya. The reporter was travelling in a car with his brother Khurram Ahmed from the town of Magadi to Nairobi. According to the Kenyan police, the journalist failed to stop at a checkpoint and was mistaken for another person. Sharif had left Pakistan in July to avoid arrest on sedition charges after criticising the army. Before reaching the African country, he had also been to Dubai and the UK. In a tweet, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that 'a long and sad history of violent tactics to silence reporters explains why the news of Arshad Sharif's murder in Kenya came as a shock to the journalist community'. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences and said he was deeply saddened by the news. He also informed that he had a conversation with the President of Kenya, William Ruto, and asked him to conduct a fair and transparent investigation. Pakistan has long been an unsafe country for journalists: in 2020 it ranked ninth in the global impunity index compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders, 'Pakistani law is used to censor any criticism of the government and the armed forces'. Many in Pakistan wonder why Sharif decided to take refuge in Kenya. According to details, the police fired 10 shots at the journalist's car and one bullet hit him in the head. Yesterday Nasir Ahmed, a Muslim lawyer of the International Lawyers Forum, condemned the murder during the Hindu festival of Diwali (Deepavali). Christians, Muslims, Bahi and Sikhs gathered to celebrate the Hindu holiday in one of the country's oldest temples, the Shri Lakshami Narayan Mandir. Indian PM Modi describes the UKs new prime minister as a "living bridge" that will transform our historic ties into a modern partnership. A Hindu nationalist spokesman notes how the event coincides with Diwali and turns the British Raj on its head. In India, the opposition compares the UK, which accepts a prime minister from a minority, to India where the BJP has imposed a divisive citizenship law. New Delhi (AsiaNews) The rise of Rishi Sunak, a politician of Indian origin, to the top post in the British government is having strong echoes in India, sparking a sense of national pride as well as raising questions about the countrys own attitudes towards minorities. Sunak, 42, is the first British prime minister of Asian origin, as well as the youngest in nearly two centuries. He is also the son-in-law of Narayana Murthy, cofounder of tech giant Infosys. Born in Southampton, the new Conservative Party leader is the grandson of Indian migrants who left Gujranwala, Punjab province, British India (present-day Pakistan) in the 1930s for East Africa. Sunaks father and mother were born in Kenya and Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania) respectively before moving to the United Kingdom in the 1960s. Back in his ancestral homeland, Sunaks Indian roots are a topic of discussion. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his best wishes to his British counterpart on the occasion of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights currently underway, describing him as a living bridge for UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership. Speaking on behalf of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sudhanshu Trivedi, noted: India became 5th largest economy surpassing Britain, now it is just a coincidence or Providence that on Maha Kaal Ratri (Diwali Night) Kaal Chakra (Time cycle) is indicating a new design as Indian origin @RishiSunak is set to have Raj (rule) over British on 75th year they left. Indias main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, reacted quite differently. On Monday, Shashi Tharoor, who a few days ago lost the race for the hitherto Gandhi family-dominated Congress party leader to Mallikarjun Kharge, tweeted, Britain has done something very rare in the world, in making a member of visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of Rishi Sunak, lets honestly ask, can it happen here? This did not sit well with some Hindu nationalists. OpIndia, a right-wing website, replied noting that a Sikh member of the Congress Party, Manmohan Singh, was Indian prime minister and that the three Indian presidents were Muslims. For his part, Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, an Indian state with a Muslim majority whose autonomy was scrapped by Hindu nationalists in 2019, directly targeted the BJP, raising the issue of Indias amended citizenship law, which strongly penalises minorities. This is a "Proud moment that UK will have its first Indian-origin PM, she tweeted. While all of India rightly celebrates, it would serve us well to remember that while UK has accepted an ethnic minority member as its PM, we are still shackled by divisive and discriminatory laws like NRC[*] & CAA.[]" [*] National Register of Citizens. [] Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. by Mathias Hariyadi The first celebration took place in 2019 on the initiative of Bishop Paulinus Yan Olla. Two PIME missionaries were also present and they visited Apau Kayan parish, one of the least accessible places in North Kalimantan. Tanjung Selor (AsiaNews) The Diocese of Tanjung Selor marked this years missionary month in Apau Kayan, a remote area in Indonesias North Kalimantan province. On Sunday, the local bishop, Mgr Paulinus Yan Olla, led the Mass in St Paul parish church in Tideng Pale, in the presence of two visiting PIME missionaries Fr Xavier Lourdh, from PIME headquarters in Milan (Italy), and Fr John Berchman, from the India region. The Diocese of Tanjung Selor began celebrating missionary solidarity in 2019. Bishop Olla spearheaded the initiative after Pope Francis proclaimed the extraordinary missionary month to mark the apostolic letter Maximum Illud issued by Pope Benedict XV. Since then, a procession has been held every year that ends at a host parish. Speaking to AsiaNews, the prelate explained that PIMEs presence was favoured by the institutes interest in Asias most peripheral regions. Apau Kayan is the most isolated area and hard to reach by public transport. There is no daily flight service from Tanjung Selor to my parish in Apau Kayan, said the parish priest, Fr Sixtus, who has been in charge of the parish for the past six years, only a one-day service per week and it all depends on the weather on a plane with only eight seats. Both PIME priests expressed joy at being able to visit the Diocese of Tanjung Selor. The key word is 'solidarity' because it leads everyone to work without preferences, said Fr Xavier Lourdh. I was really moved to witness the dioceses charitable activity with hundreds of people coming from everywhere and from very religious background. We will bring our findings to Milan and the superior general, he explained. (Angel Li da Tanjung Selor contributed to this article) Email Newsletters Get the best of The Aspen Daily News in your inbox. Our newsletters are free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. David Lesh enters the federal courthouse in Grand Junction during his October 2021 trial for illegal snowmobiling in a closed area of the White River National Forest and using forest land for commercial gain without a permit. He was convicted of two petty offenses, which he appealed. China offers new path to modernization 10:14, October 25, 2022 By Victor Meijers ( China Daily [LI MIN/CHINA DAILY] Europe's modernization has been ongoing for decades, even centuries. However, European modernization, like the United States' modernization, has focused on economics, economics and economics. The entire concept of the European Union is an economic market. The predecessors of the EU were based upon the principle that a sound economy will bring peace and prosperity to all. Hence, all of their energy was focused on the economy, with the expectation that citizens would do the same. In my country, the Netherlands, people are coming to realize that their leaders were more interested in pumping out natural gas in a remote province than in the safety of the simple people living there. To most people's surprise, the CEOs of giant corporations such as Shell and Exxon Mobil, as well as top Dutch politicians, including the Netherlands prime minister, were not too concerned about earthquakes in the region. The public-private joint venture company that split the profits from this natural gas 90 percent to the Dutch state and 10 percent to Shell and Exxon Mobil considerably increased the volume of gas to be extracted after the first serious earthquake. This was despite very clear warnings from experts that the volume should be reduced, not increased, to prevent quakes. The huge sums (an eye-watering363.7 billion or $357.12 billion) the Netherlands state profited from extracting gas were not used to create a sovereign wealth fund as in Norway or Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates. The cash was invested to modernize the Netherlands. Housing, roads, hospitals, industries, farming, education, state pensions for all were modernized at great cost. Incidentally, the Dutch government forgot to compensate the inhabitants of the actual region where the gas was found. The idea to invest in society is good. There was never a vote or a congress on this strategic national issue: leaders at that time boldly tried to let the whole society leapfrog forward, including pensioners and students. The lack of discussion on the topic made people unaware of our national strategy based upon the bonus gas income. Somewhere in time, it was forgotten that our position as a developed country was not a right from the Gods. The Dutch were simply lucky to find this huge deposit of fossil fuel. The Netherlands' top-tier position was not cherished or guarded, rather taken for granted. That was a mistake, because the gas income is now history. Drilling and pumping gas has become too dangerous even in that "backward" region. After criticizing southern states for spending too much in relation to their respective incomes, the Dutch may soon find themselves in similar dire straits. China is already a top-tier country and may soon be the No 1 country in many economic and financial respects. It is smart to learn from the mistakes made by others. It is also smart to publicly discuss national strategies, which in a way happened at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. People should be made aware of the direction the country is taking. A top-tier position in the world should not be taken for granted, even though in China's case this ranking is nothing new when looking back the past millennia. The most interesting circumstance for me is that Europeans carried out their modernization as developed countries. China is making the change from a developing country to a developed country at the same time as addressing modernization. Because of this, China is able to skip some in-between phases. It has been at the forefront of mobile phone development and use, because many consumers have jumped straight from no phones to smartphones, skipping land lines. Therefore, it is natural for them to use WeChat for everything, including financial transactions. Europe's in-between phase of modernization can be described as an "economic reality" phase. The economic reality phase shows that more stakeholders in society need to be considered rather than only those providing capital. This phase was probably necessary after brutal capitalist phases in the 18th and 19th centuries. At that time, Europeans even sold people into slavery to make profits. Now, slowly, Europeans are starting to think about the importance of harmony with nature and common prosperity, as well as transferring some riches from the Global North to the Global South. It can be a big leap for China if it focuses on objectives, rather than economics, in its modernization policy. The opportunity here is to skip the economic reality phase. China's history and culture are different from Europe's. Europeans today are caught in the trap of economic percentages, like a small shopkeeper unable to think bigger. Of course, economic growth is important as a means to achieve goals. But the economy is not the ultimate objective. The well-being of the people, social stability, respect for nature and Chinese traditions, good relations with other countries, rule of law as well as vigilantly safeguarding its top-tier position are the right goals that China has set. The author, a foreign exchange scholar at Tsinghua University from 2012 to 2015, is a civil law notary at The Hague. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) Hyundai Breaks Ground on Georgia EV and Battery Plant Published Oct. 25, 2022 Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp, company officials and state and local leaders officially broke ground Oct. 25 on Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) LLC's new manufacturing plant at the Bryan County Mega site. The celebration included a morning groundbreaking on site, followed by a future technology expo at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA, where the company highlighted "advanced technology and extraordinary human achievement" with a wide array of exhibits for hundreds of attendees from the community in attendance. The $5.54 billion investment by the company and its affiliate suppliers was announced five months ago and includes plans to produce a diverse range of innovative Hyundai, Genesis and Kia EVs and a new battery manufacturing facility. HMGMA will create more than 8,100 jobs over the next few years as the company aims to establish a stable supply chain for EV battery and other EV components in the U.S. market. HMGMA's new smart factory is expected to begin commercial production in the first half of 2025. "Hyundai and the people of Georgia share many qualities: respect for our histories, ingenuity, creativity and determination to make the world better for the next generation," said Chung. "Today, our EVs are recognized as best in class, and with this partnership, we are determined to be the global leader in electrification, safety, quality and sustainability. With the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, we will continue to evolve beyond an automaker to the world's leading mobility solutions provider." "With more Georgians working than ever before, record jobs and investment coming to all parts of our state, and award-winning workforce development programs and infrastructure, the Peach State's economy is reaching new heights," said Kemp. "Our partnership with Hyundai Motor Group and the groundbreaking of this innovative facility exemplifies that unprecedented success. With a long-term commitment to improving lives and livelihoods, we look forward to continuing this partnership and seeing its impact on both this community and our state as a whole." Approximately $1 billion is anticipated to be invested by non-affiliated HMGMA suppliers in connection with the project in other locations. Hyundai Motor Group to Lead U.S. Electrified Mobility Industry Hyundai Motor Group will be a leader in the U.S. auto market's EV transition with the new facility. The Group is accelerating its electrification efforts with the global target to sell 3.23 million full electric vehicles annually by 2030. To realize this goal, the Group plans to establish a global EV production network that will ensure a stable supply of EVs around the globe. With the additional EV and battery production capabilities in the U.S., the Group aims to maintain its position as one of the top three EV providers in the U.S. The Group plans to lead the EV market not just in sales, but also in terms of design, technologies and mobility solutions optimized for the electric mobility era. The investment is in line with the U.S. government's roadmap to accelerate electrification, as global OEMs are announcing plans to expand their local EV production in the U.S. Last year, the U.S. government announced a new initiative under which sales of zero-emission vehicles should account for at least half of OEM's new vehicle sales by 2030. Showcasing the Future of Group's Smart Manufacturing: Intelligent, Sustainable and Data-driven The new plant will boast a highly connected, automated and flexible manufacturing system, which organically connects all elements of the EV ecosystem to realize customer value. The Georgia facility will become an intelligent manufacturing plant. All processes of production---order collection, procurement, logistics and production---will be optimized using AI and data. The innovative manufacturing system will also help create a human-centered work environment with robots assisting human workers. As part of the Group's commitment to sustainability, the plant will primarily rely on renewable energy sources to power the facility and use emission-reduction technologies to meet the RE100 requirements. HMG Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives In addition to their commitment to creating new jobs and opportunities in Georgia, HMG celebrated and announced new connections with the local economy that will enrich the health of local communities through their corporate social responsibility programs. Donations to date total $1.54 million. Hyundai and Genesis Donations Hyundai and Genesis, along with its various social responsibility initiatives and nonprofit organizations, have donated $940,000 to local organizations. This includes programs through Hyundai Hope and Genesis Gives, which have previously collectively committed $120,000 to nearly 10 organizations supporting local communities in and around Bryan County. New initiatives include: Hyundai presented Georgia Tech, a leading technological research university, with a $120,000 donation to provide scholarships in STEM areas. For the next four years, two $15,000 scholarships will be awarded to eligible students. Hyundai Hope On Wheels, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes and treatments for children diagnosed with cancer, presented $500,000 Hyundai Scholar Hope and Young Investigator Grants to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to continue its long-standing fight against pediatric cancer. Since 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has pledged $200 million in support of more than 1,100 childhood cancer research grants. Genesis Inspiration Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to improving educational outcomes for children through the arts, presented donations totaling $200,000 to two Georgia-based nonprofit organizations, drawchange and Paint Love. Genesis Inspiration Foundation has donated nearly $5 million to fund youth arts programming since its inception in 2018. Kia Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives Kia's Corporate Social Responsibility program, Accelerate the Good, aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and seeks to inspire human potential, spark innovation and champion sustainability in U.S. communities. As part of Kia's commitment to the Bryan County community, Kia's Accelerate the Good program will donate $600,000 to help local youth realize their hopes and dreams. This includes: Family Promise of the Coastal Empire received $300,000 for housing homeless families that recently lost their homes and purchasing homes for them. America's Second Harvest of GA received $100,000 to establish after-school programs where low-income children can eat and receive tutoring. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital received $100,000 to pay travel expenses for pediatric cancer care at St. Jude in Memphis, TN. Inspiredu received $100,000 to support low-income children with technology and resources to facilitate learning. Source: Hyundai Motor Group PA Junkyard and Auto Repair Shop Ordered to Pay $106,000 in Restitution to Customers Published Oct. 25, 2022 Junkyard and auto repair shop Progress Auto Salvage, Inc., and owner and operator Emeka K. Oguejiofor have been ordered to pay $106,044 in restitution to eight customers for violating Pennsylvania consumer protection laws. The business and Oguejiofor are also permanently prohibited from holding a junkyard and automotive dismantler and recycle license. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the verdict Oct. 24. Shapiro said Oguejiofor, along with his business, accepted deposits and advances payments from consumers and failed to do the agreed-upon work. This junkyard and its owner scammed people out of their hard earned money by offering rubbish agreements and never delivering the work, said Shapiro. This verdict should stand as a warning for all potential bad actors---rip off Pennsylvanians and youll have to face-off with my office in court. The trial was held Oct. 11-14. Eight consumers testified against Oguejiofor and his business. One consumer testified they purchased vehicles from Progress Auto Salvage and had arranged for the company to ship the vehicles abroad. Progress Auto Salvage and Oguejiofor took $92,000 of the consumers money and failed to obtain the paid-for vehicles. Another consumer in York County testified he purchased a frame for his truck and agreed to have Progress Auto Salvage install the part in February 2019. The installation dragged out for years, with Progress Auto Salvage giving many excuses as to why the installation had been delayed. In March 2022, the consumer voluntarily picked up his vehicle and noticed not only was the part never installed, but Progress Auto Salvage had also caused substantial damage to the truck and removed the catalytic converter. The lawsuit was filed and litigated in York County Court of Common Pleas by Deputy Attorney General Merna Hoffman, who was assisted in the case by Senior Civil Investigator Jessica Nelson. Source: Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General EFI British motorcycle racer Mike Hailwood had a career filled with success and memorable moments, but its his comeback at the Isle of Man TT in 1978 that people remember best. Piloting what was essentially a race-prepped, heavily-modified Ducati 900SS (built by NCR), Hailwood took first place in the Formula I class after an eleven-year hiatus from two-wheeled motorsports.Not long after his victory, Ducati rolled out the 900 MHR (Mike Hailwood Replica) in honor of this fabled event, keeping it in production up until 1986. The Italian manufacturer would go on to pay tribute once again many years later with the release of the limited-edition 2002 MH900e designed by Pierre Terblanche.Just like the Paul Smart 1000 LE released later on, this rarity was produced in a total of 2,000 units. One such exemplar can be seen in the photo gallery above, and its heading to auction at no reserve with 332 miles (534 km) on the odometer! The bidding process is taking place on Bring a Trailer, where Bolognas gemstone will remain listed until Friday, October 28.In terms of its technical specs, the MH900e comes equipped with an air- and oil-cooled 904cc L-twin powerhouse. Featuring Marellicomponentry, 9.2:1 compression, and four valves moved by a single overhead cam, this desmodromic titan is good for up to 75 ponies and 56 pound-feet (76 Nm) of torque at the crank. A six-speed gearbox feeds its grunt to the rear chain-driven wheel.The whole procedure can ultimately result in a quarter-mile time of 11.9 seconds and speeds of up to 133 mph (215 kph). Stopping power is provided by 320 mm (12.6-inch) floating rotors up front and a fixed 220 mm (8.7-inch) module out back. For suspension-related activities, Bolognas treasure makes use of 43 mm (1.7-inch) inverted Showa forks and a piggyback shock absorber from Sachs. kW Set to premiere next month, according to the Japanese automakers American arm, the 2023 Accord will bring sleek new styling, a more responsive and fun-to-drive hybrid powertrain, and Hondas first integration of Google built-in for seamless on-the-go connectivity. The brand's biggest-ever touchscreen display will take center stage inside, measuring 12.3 inches in diagonal.They havent just mentioned these things without backing them up, so besides the short press release, Honda has also dropped three teaser pictures of the car. The first two preview that sleek styling that the company mentioned, with slim LED headlights flanking the large grille, slender LED taillights, trunk lid with a ducktail spoiler-like shape, and more angular overall design.The Hybrid and Touring logos are also visible at the back, on the right-hand side of the trunk lid, and the models name is displayed on the other side. A reversing camera is also visible. As for the third teaser image, it shows the tablet-like infotainment system sitting on top of the dashboard, with Google built-in services. Maps, Play Store, Google Assistant, Alexa, and a few other features are visible on it, next to an official animation of the hybrid powertrain.But what assembly are we talking about? Its been said that it might be the 2.0-liter inline-four, with electrical assistance, found in the latest CR-V. This one enjoys a total of 204 hp (207 ps / 152) and 247 lb-ft (335 Nm) of torque. We wouldnt be surprised to find out that it will get some normal gasoline engines too, but wed better wait for Honda to unveil it before making any more assumptions. SUV A Toyota Crown has not been officially on sale in America since 1972, and half a century later, the reboot of the nameplate (with an entire family in the making) is paving the way for a glitzy comeback. Alas, only the crossover-style fastback sedan was given the U.S. visa, whereas the Crown Sport five-door, Estate, and regular Sedan will not be offered in North America.Perhaps that is a measure of precaution to avoid trespassing into Avalon and Camry territory. No worries, though, as other people have already jumped the CGI fence and imagined how the Camry would look after it adopted the ritzy Crown attire. Now, according to the virtual automotive designer better known as a.c.g_design on social media, if the Camry were to mix with the Crown styling, it would turn out to be a pretty feisty GT This is also because the pixel master started his digital work from the basics of the $33,010 Toyota Camry TRD, the sporty derivative featuring subtle perks such as the TRD cat-back dual exhaust, black touches around the body, 19-inch TRD wheels, and a rear spoiler, among others. For this virtual transformation, some of the TRD cues (such as the front lip spoiler) were toned down and made way for the Crown-inspired front fascia.Now, as always, beauty is forever in the eye of the beholder. But frankly, I sincerely hope that Toyotas designers will have a lot more imagination than simply copying their interesting Crown design and watering it down with something that people might mix up for the Camry instead of the Crown, and vice versa. Naturally, one can also cast a vote. So, does it get our CGI hall pass, or not? What are you getting for your hard-earned moolah? For starters, a hybrid powertrain. The first two grades come with a 2.5L naturally-aspirated hybrid that achieves 41 miles per gallon (make that 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined test cycle. Stepping up to the Platinum elevates the powertrain to a 2.4L turbocharged hybrid, a six-speed transmission of the direct-shift automatic variety, and circa 340 horsepower in hybrid mode. As for torque, Toyotas estimate is 400 pound-foot (542 Nm). Not bad, huh?Similar to the Camry and larger Avalon, the Crown is rocking the GA-K platform. 19- and 21-inch wheels are featured, with the 21s marketed as the largest ever on a Toyota-branded sedan. Both hybrid powertrains feature a nickel-metal hybride battery rather than the lithium-ion chemistry that is widely used by the smartphone industry. Also worthy of note, Toyota offers all-wheel drive as standard. The more powerful of said powertrains will return up to 30 miles per gallon or 7.8 liters per 100 kilometers combined.The Japanese automaker further hypes up the Crown with five standalone colors for the exterior (Oxygen White, Black, Magnetic Gray Metallic, Supersonic Red, Heavy Metal) and bi-tone combinations that pair black from the tip to the tail with Oxygen White, Supersonic Red, Heavy Metal, or Bronze Age. The latter hue is available solely as a bi-tone combination.XLE boasts heated and powered front seats, woven fabric upholstery, 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment, and three drive modes. Limited builds upon the base trim level with the addition of LED multibeam headlights, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, leather upholstery, a fixed panoramic roof, more audio speakers, rain-sensing wipers, as well as front and rear parking assist with automatic braking. The available Advanced Technology Package adds a panoramic view monitor, 21-inch alloy wheels, and a digital key complete with a Remote Connect subscription.Platinum sweetens the deal with Adaptive Variable Suspension, Advanced Park, six drive modes, machined alloys, and the available bi-tone combos mentioned just earlier. Every grade comes with the Japanese automakers latest Audio Multimedia System and the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite. Spied in a premiere, in Michigan, this prototype looks like a bigger variant of the popular crossover . As a result, it ticks the Grand box, so in all likelihood, we are looking at the three-row Highlander.Set to take on the likes of the Volkswagen Atlas, Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, and other big crossovers, the Toyota Grand Highlander is currently wrapped in thick camo. Nonetheless, even so, it is clear that it has more inches between the axles than the normal Highlander, as well as a longer rear overhang, and bigger three-quarter panels, and windows.This will open up more space behind the second row for the third row of seats, and with the latter folded down, it will have a bigger trunk capacity unless that back end features a fake hunch on the scooped prototype. And speaking of the usual cladding, and the thick camouflage, it is unclear how much it will look like the current Highlander, but in all likelihood, it might at least share some of the traits at the front and rear.Under the hood, the Toyota Grand Highlander is expected to launch with the same powertrains as its shorter sibling, which vary depending on the market. Still, we will find out everything there is to know about it in the coming months, when it is believed to premiere, before arriving at dealers as a 2024 model. On a final note, it is understood that Lexus will launch its own version of the Grand Highlander for people who want more comfort out of their three-row crossover, and it could be christened the TX If anything, a 50-year gap between attempts to land humans on the Moon has only given time for technology once reserved for two nations on the planet to be available worldwide. First, it was the post-Soviet Russians , then the Chinese, and now the Indians, the Saudis, and the Emiratis. No longer is the realm of space just a two-horse race. It's like the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. But this time, the horses are replaced with billion-dollar spacecraft.Oh, and the track is at a minimum of 477,710 miles (768,800 km). Assuming the mission is a single-orbit circumnavigation of the Moon and back. In reality, it's bound to be profoundly longer. That's why China's Next-Generation Crewed Spacecraft is such a big deal.If successful, China would be the first nation outside the United States theoretically capable of taking humans to other heavenly bodies to be operational. Assuming Artemis I can get off the ground in time. In truth, the whole business of what nation gets to Low Earth Orbit first isn't nearly as important as it was years ago.This isn't the early 1960s, and this isn't Yuri Gagarin on board. In the second space race, NASA and its merry band of private contractors, China and Russia, are skipping right to the juicy stuff. The grand prize is the Moon, and from there, Mars. The proverbial finish line isn't reached until boots are on the ground in other worlds.Though it'd be disingenuous to call the second great space travel renaissance a "space race" in the traditional sense, the Chinese approach to deep space manned travel is one with its fair share of secrecy. Only a small trickle of Communist Party state media announcements have been made regarding the first boilerplate space capsule's first launch aboard a Long March 7 booster rocket in May 2020.Keep in mind this is far from China's first native spacecraft. Its lineage is rooted deeply in the last generation of Chinese manned space capsule, the Shenzhou. Though Shenzhou was loosely inspired by the Russian Soyuz capsule, it is, in fact, its own bespoke spacecraft. Being ten percent heavier and ten percent larger than the Russian spacecraft that served loosely as its inspiration.Like its Orion counterpart, the next-gen Chinese Crewed Spacecraft consists of a command module and an accompanying service module to its intended destination. With a total mass somewhere in the ballpark of 14,000 kg (31,000 lb) on Low Earth Orbit configuration and 21,600 kg (47,600 lb) in transit to the Moon, the craft is considerably lighter than Orion's mass of 58,467 lb (26,520 kg).By western estimates, the spacecraft should be set for crewed orbital tests sometime soon before or soon after Artemis III is due to send three Americans and one Canadian to the surface of the Moon. This would be the first time since this has taken place since 1972. By that estimate, you can expect a Chinese mission to the Moon in a similar capacity sometime in the early 2030s. It's possible by this point that a multitude of nations maintains a presence on the Moon.With potential energy-rich resources like Helium-3 and water-ice possibly ripe for the taking, don't be surprised if humanity finally gets the Lunar colony science fiction's been promising us for almost a century now. The only question will mostly come down to whether the boots on the ground are Russian and Chinese or American, Canadian, and European. As most space analysts will tell you, space travel works best when every team involved is at the top of its game. EV In the first image in our gallery, you can see an official picture of the bZ3s back, obtained from a video Toyota released on Weibo . The rear glass has nothing standing over it or apparently installed in it, while the trunk lid makes the new electric sedan really look like a three-box vehicle, even if in a very subtle way. Now check the second image, the one that we initially thought was a bZ3 teaser.It shows just the silhouette of a sedan with the same beltline design: a straight line that goes up all of a sudden close to the C-pillar. However, the rear end is quite different: the back glass and the trunk lid present an almost continuous line: it is as if they were a single thing. That may mean that the bZ5 or whatever Toyota decides to call its electric Camry is actually a liftback, not a sedan.There is one more aspect that shows we are in front of different vehicles. Above the D-pillars, there are two components that seem to be air channels. If that is really the case, they are probably meant to force the air to go over the rear window, keeping dust and water away from it without the need for a rear wiper. They can also be just a design element without any practical application, but it does not seem that Toyota would do that with an electric car. Anything that can improve efficiency will make thetravel further.Finally, the rear of this other vehicle is more rounded than that of the bZ3 , which presents a traditional square sedan rear end, almost as if it was cut with a knife. The window between the C-pillar and the D-pillar is also larger and more elongated.It is not clear if BYD is also helping Toyota develop this larger sedan or if the Japanese carmaker will do it on its own. We seriously doubt the second possibility: Toyota does not want to sell electric cars without solid-state cells. It is just developing them in China because thats what the CCP wants people to buy in big cities. The joint venture with BYD helps it offer these products without the need to invest in their development as much as it would if it did them alone. That said, expect it to have Blade Batteries and BYD motors, too. Amadea, the superyacht that was seized by U.S. authorities after extensive hide-and-seek games, ended up that way after an infamous saga, where its range and technical performance were put to the test. Now, it looks like another ultra-luxurious yacht will match it or go even further.Nord was already mysterious when the sanctions against Russia hit. Its one of the newest among the wanted yachts, as it had been delivered just two years prior. Built by the prestigious Lurssen for the steel tycoon Alexey Mordashov, the 464-foot (141.5 meters) yacht was expected to be ultra-luxurious.But all expectations were exceeded when local authorities in the Russian port of Vladivostok got on board - the walk-through video became viral. Said to be worth $500 million, this incredible floating palace boasts all the luxuries one can imagine. One of its most astonishing features is the garage packed not only with high-end water toys, including a Triton submarine, but also several black SUVs, quad bikes, and a custom hovercraft.One of the designers that created this masterpiece, co-founder of the Nuvolari Lenard studio, described it as a warship wearing a tuxedo. Indeed, this pleasure craft with a striking metallic-tone hull looks more like a rugged ship but reveals the lavish amenities of a glamorous vacation yacht. As it followed a premonition, Nord was also equipped from the start for long-range travels to remote locations and self-sufficiency over a long period of time.The Vladivostok moment happened earlier this year when everyone believed that Nord was one of the few that got away after arriving in this safe haven. At the time of the sanctions, it was chilling in an appropriate location Seychelles, but then it quietly made its way to this modest port where superyachts never dock, which is why it caused such a stir.After months of silence, instead of staying put in that safe location, the now-infamous Nord reemerged in an unexpected location, Hong Kong. It caused a stir here as well, with U.S. authorities and local officials allegedly having a dispute after Hong Kong did not reinforce the international sanctions. In fact, John Lee, Hong Kong's chief executive, stated that U.S. and EU sanctions are unilateral decisions, and therefore third parties have no legal reason to comply.And the saga continued. On October 20, Nord suddenly left Hong Kong and started cruising towards another surprising destination. According to maritime tracking platforms, Nord is currently traveling to South Africa, another unusual destination for Russian vacation yachts. The available data shows that Nord is due to arrive in Cape Town by the beginning of November.But why? Thats still a mystery, just like the yacht itself. According to Business Insider, South Africa could be considered a safe destination because it hasnt officially sanctioned Russia, but its a very unusual choice compared to places such as Turkey, where numerous of the targeted yachts are currently docked.Why would Mordashovs vessel leave such a safe location to travel to Hong Kong, and then move again, heading towards South Africa? Is that the final destination? Only time will tell.The 15th-largest yacht in the world right now, and owned by one of the top three richest men in Russia, Nord cant stay elusive forever. A super yacht has been destroyed by fire on Hamilton Island. The cause is unclear. Police say no one was on board when it broke out. @9NewsQueensland pic.twitter.com/pcp8miN9Ma Jordan Fabris (@JordanFabris9) October 24, 2022 According to local news outlets, the vessel in question is an 82-foot (25-meter) Sunseeker 82 motor yacht, believed to be the hull named Time Out, which was delivered in 2003.The yacht caught fire around 10 AM local time, and it burnt for at least five hours, with big black smoke and flames erupting from its hull and raising concerns it could extend to neighboring vessels. The emergency services had a hard time extinguishing the blaze due to windy weather, but eventually, the fire was put out and no injuries have been reported.No one was on board at the time of the incident, but Queensland Ambulance Service representatives have stated that two members of the public who gathered at the place of the incident have suffered smoke inhalation and have been assessed.According to 9 News Queensland, the motor yacht is still smoldering in the marina, and emergency crews are making efforts to prevent the hull from sinking and avoid further pollution in the area. A neighboring boat is said to have suffered minor damage from the heat.The cause of the blaze that ended Time Outs functional life is not yet known, and investigations are still ongoing.Time Out was delivered by UK-based luxury superyacht builder Sunseeker in 2003. It had a 20.3-foot (6.2-meter) beam, a draft of 5.5 feet (1.7 meters), and a volume of 122 GT. The yacht featured an exterior design signed off by longtime Sunseeker partner Don Shead Yacht Design and interior design by Sunseeker. It could offer accommodation to up to eight guests in four staterooms and three crew members in two cabins.Twin Caterpillar engines propelled it to a top speed of 32 knots (36.8 mph) and a cruising speed of 26 knots (30 mph). Among the many cars on display was one of Elon Musk's most anticipated creations. The electric pickup truck has attracted attention for its sheer size. While the other cars stood out for their harmonious shapes, the Cybertruck turned heads with its minimalist forms that have little to do with aerodynamics.If the ArtCenter College of Design trains artists and designers to share their creativity with the rest of the world, the Cybertruck , this eye-popping angular model, is probably for many car critics about how not to design a car. But, you know how it is, beauty is always in the eyes of the beholder. However, the students certainly welcomed the vehicle with interest.If the exterior doesn't excel in very complicated lines, the same is true on the inside. For one thing, it's exceptionally roomy, and the steering wheel has the same design we've seen on the latest Model S and Model X. The dashboard is as minimalist as any other Tesla. The infotainment screen takes center stage just like on the Model 3 and Model Y.While enthusiasts were able to see and touch it during this event, potential customers still have to wait to park it in their garage. Elon Musk confirmed in October that Tesla is preparing to start production of the Cybertruck. The assembly line is currently being built at Tesla's factory in Texas, and the company hopes to kick off production in the middle of next year (2023).The upcoming rival to the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T, the Tesla Cybertruck is expected to cost from $40,000 for a single-motor model, while the three-motor version should start at around $70,000. The all-wheel-drive tri-motor Cybertruck will accelerate from 0-60mph in under 3 seconds. Some folks in Kern County are probably unaware of the rich farm labor history that was born right here decades ago. And some, I suspect, would Lois Henry is the CEO and editor of SJV Water, a nonprofit, independent online news publication dedicated to covering water issues in the San Joaquin Valley. She can be reached at lois.henry@sjvwater.org. The website is sjvwater.org. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Residents in Chittagong, Bangladesh, search for belongings within the debris of their collapsed homes following Cyclone Sitrang, Oct. 25, 2022. Bangladesh authorities were working late Tuesday to restore electricity in coastal communities hit by Cyclone Sitrang, which left at least two dozen people dead and millions without power. The storm also damaged thousands of homes and devastated crops as it cut northward across the South Asian country after making landfall in low-lying seaside districts on Monday night. Nasrul Hamid, the state minister for energy and power, told reporters on Tuesday that the cyclone severed power to 8 million customers in 15 coastal districts. Another official said crews were working to restore electricity after the cyclone left Bangladesh. Most of the connections were snapped as uprooted trees and broken branches fell on the distribution cables when the cyclone hit last night, Shameem Hasan, spokesman for the state-run Power Development Board, told BenarNews on Tuesday evening. Cumilla is the most affected district in terms of damage of electricity distribution network, he said. Meanwhile, Habibur Rahman, deputy commissioner of coastal Barguna district, said Sitrang had massively damaged the power grid there. Hopefully, we can see restoration of electricity by tonight, he told BenarNews on Tuesday. Hasan Jhantu, a resident of Patharghata, a sea-front sub-district of Barguna district, said some crews were successful. Electricity came on at 1 a.m. Tuesday for several minutes, he told BenarNews. After a series of outages, we got electricity in the afternoon. People ride rickshaws and motorcycles on a flooded street in Dhaka as Cyclone Sitrang hits Bangladesh, Oct. 24, 2022. [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters] Like the sea was coming to grab us The cyclone, which originated in the Bay of Bengal and made landfall at around 10 p.m. Monday, weakened Tuesday afternoon, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 65 kph (40 mph) per hour and wind gusts up to 85 kph (53 mph), the Associated Press reported. The weather office in the capital, Dhaka, which had recorded gusts up to 88 kph (55 mph) Monday evening, said the danger had passed. At least 24 people in 12 districts, including a Myanmar national, were killed in the storm, according to local administrators and police contacted by BenarNews. The highest death toll eight was recorded in the Mirsharai subdistrict of Chittagong district. Md. Labib Abdullah, the Mirsharai assistant superintendent of police, told BenarNews that the victims were working in a sand quarry when a dredger overturned and they became trapped at around 11 p.m. Monday. S.M. Shafiullah, the head of Chittagongs police administration in Chittagong, said the bodies would be turned over to police to be transferred to family members. It was terrible. It looked like the sea was coming to grab us, Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Bhola district, told the Reuters news agency after communications were restored in his area. We spent a sleepless night, all we could do was pray. Elsewhere, Myanmar national Shaw Ming, 71, a cook on a ship that arrived in a Teknaf River port in Coxs Bazar one week ago, fell from the ships deck when the cyclone struck, port manager Mohammad Jasim Uddin Chowdhury told BenarNews. He said the mans body would be turned over to Myanmar authorities. Meanwhile, the officer-in-charge of the Teknaf police station, Md. Hafizur Rahman, confirmed Tuesday that a 9-year-old local girl, the daughter of Jafar Alam, had died after falling into a pond. In southwestern Cumilla district, three family members died when a tree fell on a house in Nangalkot sub-district. Two deaths were reported Bhola, Dhaka, Gopalganj and Siranjganj districts while one death was reported in Narail, Barguna and Patuakhali districts. Enamur Rahman, the state minister for Disaster Management, said the government had relocated about 1 million people to cyclone shelters before Sitrang made landfall in Bangladesh. He estimated that the cyclone damaged more than 10,000 houses and 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) of land. We feared that Sitrang would spell catastrophe in Bangladesh. But it weakened, hitting the coast at 10 p.m. We were relieved, Rahman told BenarNews. Women wade through a waterlogged street in Barisal, Bangladesh, in the aftermath of Cyclone Sitrang, Oct. 25, 2022. [Munir uz Zaman/AFP] Rear Adm. Md. Shahjahan, chairman of the Chittagong port, said operations there resumed around 7 a.m. Tuesday as the weather improved. Bangladesh is rated among the most disaster-prone countries in the world. On April 30, 1991, a severe cyclone hit Bangladeshs coast, killing at least 130,000 people. On Nov. 15, 2007, Cyclone Sidr killed more than 3,000 people. More recently, Cyclone Amphan killed 15 people on May 21, 2020. We fear that another cyclone may hit Bangladesh in December, Enamur Rahman said. Abdur Rahman in Teknaf, Bangladesh, contributed to this report. A Philippine helicopter flies past the Navys BRP Tarlac during the joint U.S.-Philippines Balikatan exercise off the coast of Claveria, Cagayan province, March 31, 2022. The Philippine defense department said Tuesday that officials hoped to maintain relations with Moscow despite having announced plans to cancel a 12.7 billion peso (U.S. $216 million) helicopter deal over concerns tied to Russias invasion of Ukraine. There have been communications with Sovtechnoexport LLC since August when the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. formally sent Russia a termination notice , the Philippine Department of National Defense said in a statement. Representatives from both sides are continuing to have discussions while the process to cancel the deal proceeds. This project is only a small part, and not the sum, of our bilateral relations with Russia. It is our hope that this episode will be concluded in an amicable manner for both parties, the statement said. Department spokesman Arsenio Andolong said defense officials expect that relations would remain amicable after the termination talks end. That is hope at the defense department because as we said this is not the sum total of our relations with Russia, Andolong told reporters, referring to the deal that would have seen the Philippines purchase 16 Mi-17 heavy-lift helicopters. The administration of then-President Rodrigo Duterte signed the helicopter contract with Sovtechnoexport in November 2021 and made a down payment of 2 billion pesos ($34 million) two months later. Delivery was to start next year. This [helicopter deal] is just a business transaction between the department and Sovtechnoexport and it does not represent the diplomatic ties we have with Russia, Andolong said. The department wants the contract terminated over concerns about U.S. sanctions under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 that prohibits countries from purchasing Russian military hardware. Meanwhile, Manilas ambassador to Washington recently announced that the Philippine government was looking to acquire military helicopters and nuclear power technology from the United States. Duterte, who left office in June at the end of his term, was not shy about expressing his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, especially during the earlier part of his term when he sought to distance the Philippines from the U.S., Manilas long-time ally. But before leaving office, Duterte rebuked Putin over Russias attack on Ukraine in February. Duterte called it a full-scale military campaign and not a special operation as Moscow had described it. Many say that Putin and I are both killers. Ive long told you Filipinos that I really kill. But I kill criminals, I dont kill children and the elderly, Duterte said at the time. Were in two different worlds. Relations with Russia Previously, Russian forces visited the Philippines in 2017 and in November 2021. The most-recent trip involved a squadron of five ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet that docked in Manila for a brief goodwill visit. In 2018, the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Russia during Dutertes visit to Moscow. The agreement includes cooperation against terrorism, drug trafficking and other transnational crimes. Andolong noted that there were instances where defense deals with other countries had failed but did not lead to a rupture in ties. We hope that it wont [affect our friendly relations] but thats also up to the Russian side on how they treat this particular episode, Andolong said, noting the existing relationship between the countries. It has nuances that are not present with other defense cooperation agreements but it is functional, he said. The Russian Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to BenarNews requests for comment. A teenager jumps from a bridge to take a swim in the murky Pasig River as commuters watch, in Manila, Sept. 22, 2017. A former United States government employee pleaded guilty on Monday to illicit sexual conduct while serving at the nations embassy in the Philippines from 2017 to 2021, U.S. justice officials said. Dean Edward Cheves, 63, who will be sentenced on Jan. 20, next year, faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison on each count, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. From December 2020 to March 2021, Cheves communicated online with a then 15 to 16-year-old Philippine minor, who he paid to produce and send to him sexually explicit images of the minor, the statement said citing court documents. Additionally, in February 2021, Cheves engaged in sex acts on two separate occasions with a second 16-year-old Philippine minor who he met online, using his government-issued cell phone to film himself doing so on at least one of those occasions, the statement added. Cheves knew the ages of both minors when he engaged with them, the department said. Authorities found the child sex abuse material that Cheves produced and received of these minors on devices seized from his embassy residence in the Philippines, the department added. According to an August 2021 statement from the Justice Department, Cheves is charged with one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and one count of possessing child pornography in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States or on lands owned or leased by the United States. In August last year, the Philippine state news agency reported that a Philippine trial court had issued an arrest warrant for Cheves for violating the countrys child abuse and anti-pornography laws. Philippine Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told the Philippine News Agency in an interview on Aug. 12, 2021, that Cheves had been sent back to the U.S. in March that year. The case against Cheves is being prosecuted at a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Filipino troops secure a collapsed National Grid Corp. transmission tower after it was bombed by a suspected militant, who was killed in the explosion, in Kauswagan, southern Philippines, Oct. 25, 2022. Updated at 10:17 p.m. ET on 2022-10-26 An explosion killed a suspected militant in the southern Philippines when an improvised bomb he was planting at a power transmission tower blew up prematurely, the military said Tuesday. The blast occurred at a tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) near the town of Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte province on Monday afternoon, said Brig. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, commander of Army forces in the area. The initial assessment of the EOD [explosive ordnance disposal] teams was that a 60mm mortar was used as the primary explosive to topple the tower, Nafarrete said, adding that there were two explosives, and that the suspect apparently prematurely triggered the bomb. Security personnel dispatched to check on the cause of the blast discovered the suspects remains, Nafarrete said. Beth Ladaga, a spokeswoman for the NGCP, said the explosion toppled the steel tower and caused power interruptions in parts of Mindanao. She was referring to the main southern third of the Philippines, which has long been afflicted by various insurgencies, including by Muslim militant groups. Power interruptions affected the entire Zamboanga peninsula, including Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga City, and the entire Misamis Occidental province, and parts of Lanao del Norte. The suspects affiliation was still being investigated, but when reporters asked the military if the Daulah Islamiyah (DI) group, which is known to operate in the area, might be involved, officials said, it was possible. DI is the Filipino name of the Islamic State militant group. Joint police and military anti-terror teams are investigating the attack, which occurred shortly after the fifth anniversary of the end of the militant siege of Marawi city. In 2017, Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern members of the Islamic State laid siege to the lakeshore city in hopes of making it into their caliphate in the region. Five months of battles destroyed the city, but also pushed back the militants. Some 1,200 militants, soldiers and civilians were killed in the violence. Rest assured that we will heighten our security operations and stay on guard against the malefactors that hamper the stability in our area of operation, said Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas, the acting chief of the military's Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga city. Jeoffrey Maitem in Cotabato City, southern Philippines, contributed to this report. CORRECTION: This report has been updated to correct that Kauswagan is in Lanao del Norte, not Lanao del Sur. The Philippines is set to ease COVID-19 protocols, including allowing unvaccinated foreigners into the country, in an effort to boost tourism and investment and reverse a pandemic-fueled economic slowdown, the government said Tuesday. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco announced the plan after a cabinet meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Unvaccinated foreigners would be allowed into the country provided they presented documentation showing a negative result for an antigen test taken 24 hours before departure, she said. The overarching direction of the Marcos administration is to allow our country to convey an openness and readiness to the world to receive tourists and investments so that we would give our fellow Filipinos an opportunity to regain all the livelihood and losses that were incurred during the pandemic, Frasco said during a press briefing at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila. The move, which comes as the country has detected cases of the more transmissible Omicron variant XBB, is meant to put the Philippines on par with our ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] neighbors who have long liberalized their mask mandates, she added. Frasco said the government was optimistic that lifting restrictions would invigorate the tourism industry. From February to September, the Department of Tourism recorded more than 1.6 million visitor arrivals, much lower than the 5.4 million visitor arrivals recorded in the same period in 2019 before the pandemic hit. More layers of protection Frasco also said the president would soon issue an order making the wearing of masks indoors optional. Marcos allowed the voluntary use of masks outdoors over a month ago, in a move that was criticized by some doctors and medical experts. As a result of the meeting this morning, it was agreed that the president would be issuing an executive order ... to make indoor mask wearing also voluntary all over the Philippines with a few exceptions, Frasco said. Mask wearing would also be highly encouraged for unvaccinated individuals, persons with comorbidities as well as senior citizens, Frasco said. And masks would still be required in public transportation and medical facilities, she added. For its part, the Department of Health (DOH) said it has illustrated all potential scenarios involving mask mandates, but it accepts the decision of the inter-agency task force on COVID-19 protocols. The department however urged the public to take precautions against COVID-19, especially with the upcoming All Souls Day and Christmas, holidays that are widely marked in the country. [T]he DOH reminds the public that the more layers of protection we employ, the more protected we are against COVID-19. These include vaccination, masking, distancing, ventilation, and sanitation, as well as taking care of one's health, the DOH said on Tuesday. With this freedom to choose, it is therefore important for us to assess our individual risk thoroughly before deciding if it is safe and wise to remove our masks, especially now that the Undas and Christmas seasons are approaching and we expect increased COVID-19 transmission brought about by greater mobility. The DOH reported 1,334 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, with 22,850 cases nationwide, the lowest since Sept. 1. More than 63,000 Filipinos have died due to COVID-19, and more than 3.9 million have recovered. If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. Cops and Courts Reporter Amanda Burke is Cops and Courts Reporter for The Berkshire Eagle. An Ithaca, New York native, she previously worked at The Herald News of Fall River and the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise. Community News Editor / Librarian Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. SPRINGFIELD Tara Jacobs and John Comerford are facing off to represent western Massachusetts, including the Berkshires, on the Governor's Council. The two met in a televised debate Monday in Springfield ahead of the Nov. 8 election. The Governor's Council is tasked with advising the governor on issues including appointments of judges, Parole Board members and other positions, as well as pardons and commutations. Members serve two-year terms. Jacobs, a North Adams resident and School Committee member, beat several candidates in the Democratic primary in September. Comerford, a Republican from Palmer, ran unopposed in his primary. On Monday, Jacobs and Comerford debated at an event co-produced by Focus Springfield and New England Public Media. MassLive, The Republican and The Eagle were event partners. Here's how the candidates answered some of the questions. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity. QUESTION: While Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly Budd has significant family ties to Springfield, no sitting SJC justice is a western Massachusetts resident. Is this a factor you'll consider when considering nominations? And will you urge the governor to appoint western Massachusetts judges to the SJC? Jacobs: "We have not had representation on the Supreme Judicial Court from western Mass. for far too long over a decade at least. And I think that matters. It's part of what we're talking about when we talk about not being well represented in Boston. We absolutely should have a voice at that particular panel. So yes, persuading the governor to nominate a western Mass. person to the SJC is absolutely a priority, as too is advocating for positions in western Mass. judicial positions in our district and Supreme (Judicial) Court to be filled from people who are from the area and representational of the communities that they will serve." Comerford: "Well, suggesting to the governor that he nominate people from your district is fine, except for the fact that as a governor's councilor, you don't really counsel the governor on anything. You may get to talk to him or her once in a while, but you don't get to counsel them on anything. The problem with saying we want people from the district to be nominated, is, first of all, they have to apply. You know, the governor just doesn't reach out and say to someone, 'I want you to be [in] Superior Court. I want you to be do this.' The individual has to apply for the position, and there has to be an open position." QUESTION: The Council also approves members of the Parole Board. What qualities would you prioritize in future members of that board and why? And what criteria would you look for in granting parole or commutation? Comerford: "I'm not in favor of parole or commutations. There were two commutations done fairly recently of two convicted murderers. All eight of the Democratic Governor's Council members approved the commutation. I would have said no. I read up on their crimes and because of these two gentlemen, a family member was killed. And a family is probably still crying today about that. I would have said absolutely not. ... For the Parole Board, I would look for somebody that's been involved with law enforcement in some capacity, not necessarily an attorney, but maybe a retired police officer or something of that nature. But somebody has been involved with the system before." Jacobs: "In terms of Parole Board, it's one of the areas that I am very interested in in, hopefully, bringing more diversity to that board ... more people of color and Spanish-speaking (people), but also background. Currently, it is very heavily representational of our law enforcement and prosecutors. And I really think we need to extend that to have points of view at the bench who are more reflective of things like social work and mental health, to diversify those voices. In terms of pardons and commutations, I think they are an important tool that are a symbol of hope and a reason to work towards rehabilitation. Without them ... it detracts from what the goal of our justice system is." QUESTION: Some law enforcement officials and public leaders have complained that judges are too lenient in terms of bail. Do you agree, at least to the point of considering it in your view of candidates for judgeships? Comerford: "I believe that the judges are being too lenient, without question. ... If you come before me as a Governor's Councilor, I will vigorously question you on your beliefs about bail, about letting people out that shouldn't be out in the street. My very strong belief is that we oftentimes let too many people out that shouldn't be out." Jacobs: "People who are dangerous to themselves or society, we definitely need to have held until their trial. But so often ... bails that are seemingly set low for your average person are unattainably expensive for those who are already struggling financially. And it can have a devastating impact on losing their job, losing their apartment, losing their resources. So I think it's a more nuanced answer that I would [have to] go at length to really fully answer for you." HINSDALE Four years ago, a culvert partially collapsed on a section of the Skyline Trail in Hinsdale. The roads woes created a travel pinch point, when the stretch between Route 8 and Creamery Road also known as Middlefield Road was narrowed at times to one lane of traffic. Much remains to be done, but a roughly $6.7 million construction project is on track to fix culverts and restore the battered road after a long wait by travelers and townspeople. Were excited that its being done, said Bob Graves, the Hinsdale town administrator. People have been waiting for it for years. About a two-mile section of the road, close to the towns southeast border with Peru, is the focus of work. Concerns about the failed culvert were first raised in 2018. The road has been down to a single lane of traffic since that time, as the state Department of Transportation prepared to mount the repair effort. Work began in earnest last spring, closing that stretch of road for installation of a new culvert. That initial phase of work should be complete by the end of this year, allowing the route to reopen for the winter, according to Judith Reardon Riley, a DOT spokeswoman. The first part of the project is improving an open drainage system and culverts, adding inlet structures and replacing existing pipes with buried culverts. Next spring, the road will be widened and resurfaced to keep up with traffic demands. A full-depth excavation of the road is planned. New guardrails and road signs will be installed and bridges in the project area will be given new cement slabs and pavement. The full project is expected to be complete next July, with final pavement and landscape work. Weather permitting, bridge repair work may continue over the winter. The contractor is J.H. Maxymillian Inc. in Pittsfield. The timeline is subject to weather and change without notice, Riley said in an email. Since 2018, a number of delays have occurred for the project, including engineering reworks and environmental regulations because of wildlife in the area. Graves said he hopes the project will be completed within its two-year timeline. Art Filkins, who lives near the project, said he was glad work was finally happening, even though it has caused short-term detours for him. The roads closing means taking the long way around to get to some places, including to his daughters house off nearby East Washington Road. Its an inconvenience, but Im glad theyre doing it, Filkins said. I cant wait until they get it done. Filkins runs Skyline Trail Mower Repair, a lawn mower and small engine repair business. He said hes had trouble getting to some of his clients because of the road closing. Its a pain in the neck, Filkins said, but hes making it work for now. With the culvert work aiming to wrap up before years end, he might not need to take those detours much longer. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close After writing about Peters declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, Mark adds, from that time on Jesus began to explain some things to His disciples. In the process of preparing them for His coming crucifixion, He also spoke to them about their own cross. He left no doubt what discipleship meant: Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24). The disciples were part of the crowd that followed Jesus, and it was to all of them that the Master spoke those words. Jesus gave them all a word picture that they likely understood better in those ancient times than Christ-followers do today. No doubt many in the multitudes even the disciples believed Jesus was about to bring a glorious and powerful kingdom to earth. Some in the crowds had already drifted away; they were only following Jesus for the miracles and meals anyway, and His teachings grew more puzzling. But those who remained misunderstood Gods timetable for prophecy, so they were likely shocked to hear Jesus words. What Does Matthew 16:24 Mean? Was cross-bearing different in Jesus day than today? Why did Jesus use such a tough metaphor to describe discipleship? Two thousand years ago, Romans forced convicts to carry their rugged, wooden crosses to their own place of execution. As they bore the crosses of crucifixion, crowds laughed and ridiculed them. Today, except perhaps in rare cases in some third-world countries, people do not carry wooden crosses to their death; but Jesus meaning went beyond that tool of execution anyway. His statement to the disciples involved three actions: self-denial, surrender, and servanthood. 1. Self-denial Jesus said we must first deny ourselves. In todays terms, its called dying to self. Many Christians only vaguely understand the concept, but know the self can cause problems. Some believe that simply by denying ourselves material goods, accomplishments, or meaningful things, this will make us better recruits for discipleship. Maybe, but its more than that. By self, Jesus wasnt referring to a persons personal identity. God created each of us and we are beautifully and uniquely known to Him. The self Jesus referenced is the sinful, rebellious, unredeemed self the fleshly and corrupt old self. Paul recognized this self when he said, I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh (Romans 7:18). At salvation, we are clothed in the new self of righteousness (Eph. 4:24), but there is still no goodness in ourselves. Self-denial includes rejection of self-sufficiency and self-will. Jesus calls us to crucify to put to death our own plans and desires. Were to stop trying to gratify the flesh. Jesus further calls people to face the potential loss of family, friends, reputation, material goods, career, and personal dreams in following Him perhaps to even face martyrdom. Jesus didnt say we would face all these losses or death, but only that we sincerely needed to be willing to lose all things for His sake. It wasnt, and still isnt, a popular message. 2. Surrender Jesus said we must take up our cross. Our taking up is really a matter of bowing down. Jesus never hid the cost of discipleship. He calls us to bow in absolute surrender to Him. This isnt a mystical deeper life activity for some spiritual super-elite; its for all who desire to follow the Lord. Its for anyone willing to count the cost of bearing His reproach. Surrender is easy when life is running smoothly, but surrender to Gods will can be more difficult during struggles and trials; and Jesus said we will face many troubles (John 16:33). We will likely suffer in some way as we follow in His steps. Taking up our cross means sacrifice, laying everything on the altar. Its not half-hearted commitment; it is full surrender to Gods terms of discipleship. Its a choice to live out the truth that we are crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) even if it means shame, rejection, or persecution. It means being willing to share in the sufferings of Christ and its a choice to be made daily. 3. Servanthood Jesus said we must follow Him. The disciples were all individually called, and they left family, friends, and occupations to follow Jesus. No doubt in the crowd as Jesus spoke that day, there were those who had still not come to Him for salvation. In calling people to salvation, Jesus called them to a life of loyal obedience and service. He made the terms clear: if we dont deny ourselves and carry our cross and follow Jesus, we cannot be His disciple (Luke 14:27). There is no such thing as a no-cost, no-sacrifice form of discipleship. The hymnist wrote, Must Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the world go free? No, theres a cross for everyone, and theres a cross for me. Discipleship requires service to the Master and obedience to His will. The Lordship of Christ becomes the daily reality of the believers life. Its clear cut in Scripture. The true disciple will live like and ultimately resemble the Master, and those who do not desire to do the will of the Father cannot rightly call Him Lord (Matthew 7:21). What Is the Context of This Verse? Jesus deeply loved His disciples, and He knew they would soon become sorrowful and confused with the events leading up to His crucifixion. He wanted them to get a glimpse of kingdom living, which He had already taught them about in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). He warned them about the legalistic teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees too (Matthew 16:6-12). Jesus also wanted to ask how much His disciples understood about Him. In Caesarea Philippi, He asked them, Who do people say the Son of Man is? Whether the others understood or not, Simon Peter did. He said, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Jesus then announced something new was coming the building of His church. It was in this context that Jesus began to explain how He would go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and be raised to life (v. 21). When Jesus sent His disciples out earlier to preach to the lost sheep of Israel, He warned them they would be hated and persecuted, because the student is not above the teacher (Matthew 10:16-25) so they had some concept of what was coming. They should not expect to escape the same treatment their Master did and would receive. What Are Two Fallacies about This Verse? First, taking up a cross does not mean the simple challenges of life. All believers have problems, but that does not necessarily equate to taking up a cross. There are various levels of problems, including simple inconveniences, frustrations, or truly difficult trials. Its not uncommon to hear people speak, with a pitiful sigh, of various life challenges. Regarding health struggles, problematic relationships, or other stressful issues, they might say, Oh, its just my cross to bear. Such thinking can become an excuse for a sinful pity party. The cross of Jesus day was not a somewhat challenging burden to carry. Rather, it represented a horrendous, torturous death reserved for Romes most hated enemies or anyone who dared raise a hand against Roman authority. The cross on the hill of Golgotha was one such place of execution. Hundreds of Jews were crucified by Rome, experiencing terrible pain and humiliation. Zach McIntosh quotes John MacArthur as saying, perhaps some 30,000 crucifixions occurred under Roman authority during the lifetime of Christ. So as Jesus spoke, the disciples pictured a death march, not a simple challenge. In spite of the beautiful metal crosses we wear, the real thing the real cross was ugly and violent. Nigerian spoken-word poet Fragile Dogubo knocks down the modern, romanticized version of the cross in her recitation, Gucci Cross. She says, Jesus was not crucified on a Gucci cross. He did not have on a crown of Versace thorns, or Nike shoes on his feet when the nails pierced through. We need to remember that when we think about taking up our own cross. Second, being a Christian does not automatically make a person a Christ-follower. Just as there is a difference between being a spectator and a player, there is a difference between being a Christian fan and a true follower of Jesus. Fellowship of Christian Athletes staff member Mark Long writes, Many who call themselves Christians may have walked an aisle, said a prayer, read their Bible, listened to worship music, and perhaps been brought up in a Christian home, but are they Christ followers? Being a Christ follower comes at a great cost. What Does Obeying This Verse Look Like for Us? Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth described what true discipleship does not look like: Jesus called His followers to take up their cross and follow Him to suffer for His sake, she said. By ignoring that calling, Im afraid weve produced a generation of soft, flabby disciples who dont have much stomach for the battles of the Christian life. When they encounter trials and temptations, they whimper and whine and make a dash for the quickest escape route. Daily death to self and bearing our cross should also not look like pride. Trevor Wax wrote that one of Satans most ingenious schemes is to twist the call to self-denial into an occasion for self-righteousness, to deceive us into applauding how weve dethroned the self when instead were seated on the throne with a firmer grip than ever before. Its not about feeling better about ourselves as crossbearers, he said. Billy Graham pulled no punches in describing what taking up our cross looks like. Jesus meant that He was going to die as a criminal, and He wanted you to go with Him, Graham said. That means that you go back to your school, back to your home, back to your community, and you live for Christ even though they crucify you. All of that is true, but that does not mean we should be joyless disciples. The Bible says of Jesus, For the joy set before him he endured the cross . . . (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus focused on the joy that was to come after the cross. As His followers, we focus on how we will be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29) as we become obedient disciples. We die daily because we believe there is joy on the other side of the cross, life on the other side of this tomb, Trevor Wax wrote, . . . to die daily is just another way of saying, Lord, help me see the opportunities to follow you. We cannot imagine the tough opportunities many face every day. Some harshly-persecuted Christians in a foreign land were asked, How can we pray for you? They did not answer, Pray we will be delivered or Pray we will have more food or Pray the beatings will stop. They said, Pray we will be holy, and pray we will not dishonor our Lord. They took up their cross of following Christ no matter the circumstances running their race with commitment, obedience, and perseverance like the saints listed in Hebrews 11. Is Obeying This Verse Worth It? Though it may bring us pain and loss, the reward of self-denial, sacrifice, and servanthood is totally worth it! Jesus says, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it (Matthew 16:25-26). Its no deal to get everything we want but lose ourselves. We find our true identity and purpose as we surrender all to Christ. Jesus said, Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me (John 12:26). Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow your Lord and Jesus said there will be honor ahead in His Fathers presence! Sources Zach McIntosh Not Just Any Old Crucifixion YouTube - Gucci Cross by Fragile Dogubo Hymnary Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone FCA Resources Christian or Christ Follower? Revive Our Hearts Take Up the Cross The Gospel Coalition Lord, Help Me See the Ways to Die Today Decision Magazine Do You Scoff at the Second Coming of Christ? Photo credit: Getty Images/mbolina Dawn Wilson has served in revival ministry and missions for more than 50 years. She and her husband Bob live in Southern California. They have two married sons and three granddaughters. Dawn assists author and radio host Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth with research and works with various departments at Revive Our Hearts. She is the founder and director of Heart Choices Today, publishes Upgrade with Dawn, and writes for Crosswalk.com. Well-known Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Nairobi when police hunting car thieves opened fire on the vehicle he was travelling in as it drove through their roadblock without stopping, according to a Kenyan police report on Monday. The wooden coffin containing the body of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif. Source: Reuters/Thomas Mukoya A Kenyan police watchdog has said it is investigating the incident, which happened at 10 p.m. on Sunday on the outskirts of the capital. A senior police officer told The Star newspaper that the shooting was being treated as a case of mistaken identity. The circumstances of Sharif's death sparked widespread outrage in Pakistan and calls for an investigation. Sharif worked for many years as a prime-time television news show host for ARY News in Pakistan and had recently fled the country citing threats to his life. It was not immediately clear when he had arrived in Kenya. The police report said a relative of Sharif had been driving the car. It said police had formed a roadblock using small stones, but the car drove through without stopping, even after officers opened fire. Nine bullets hit the car, and one hit Sharif in the head. Kenya's Independent Police Oversight Authority, a civilian watchdog, has started an investigation into Sharif's killing, its chairwoman Ann Makori told journalists in a news conference on Monday. "There's an alleged police killing of a Pakistani national at Tinga market, Kajiado county, last evening. Our rapid response team has already been dispatched," she said. Pakistan's foreign ministry said its high commissioner in Kenya was in touch with local police and the foreign office and a police report is awaited. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Twitter that he had spoken by phone to Kenyan President William Ruto about the incident. "I requested him to ensure fair and transparent investigation into shocking incident. He promised all-out help including fast-tracking the process of return of the body," said the prime minister, who is not related to the victim. "I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist," Arshad Sharif's wife, Javeria Siddique, said on Twitter, asking for media to respect the family's privacy. Sharif's death sparked widespread reaction on social media in Pakistan from officials, journalists and others. Former prime minister Imran Khan condemned the death and said Sharif had been murdered for his journalistic work. He called for a judicial investigation into the incident. Washington also urged Kenya to investigate. We're deeply saddened by the death of Arshad Sharif. We encourage a full investigation by the government of Kenya into his death," U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters. -Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk. The sale of heated tobacco products is on the rise globally, and it's young people who are popularising their use; more so because Big Tobacco is promoting heated tobacco products as safer to use than cigarettes, and as a cessation aid to smoking cigarettes. And yet, this couldn't be further from the truth. "From calling heated tobacco products 'reduced-risk products' to 'less harmful alternatives', the industry is continuously making claims that heated tobacco products present less risks to consumers' health than cigarettes. "Leaked industry documents suggest that this is all part of the industry's strategy to try and get less restrictive regulation than what currently applies to cigarettes." This was the message of Sophie Braznell, researcher and tobacco control expert at the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group. She was speaking during a Stopping Tobacco Organisations and Products (STOP) webinar that aimed to demystify heated tobacco products, introduce policymakers to the latest research and explore marketing strategies used by the manufacturers of these products, and other international companies that promote heated tobacco products around the world. Also in attendance was Inti Barrientos, researcher and tobacco control expert at the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, and Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, director of the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research. "It's important that we be really clear about what the evidence does and does not show," Braznell said. "It's a very common claim by all of the Big Tobacco companies that their heated tobacco products (HTPS) are smoke-free or smokeless. The tobacco industry tries to claim its a victim of the illicit tobacco trade & wants to be part of the solution. But research suggests its part of the problem. The same applies to industry claims about ending the tobacco epidemic while selling billions of cigarettes annually. https://t.co/Ge9Z45VnPQ exposetobacco (@exposetobacco) October 24, 2022 Recently, independent chemistry researchers from the University of Nottingham looked over all the chemical data on HTPs. In general, there was mostly data on one particular brand. "They sought to evaluate the smoke-free claim. They found a number of things. Firstly, that [the brand's] emissions contain chemical markers of smoke, and can therefore be defined as both an aerosol and smoke. "Secondly, existing data based on comparisons of emissions from one heat stick to one standard combustible cigarette, showed that one heat stick contains only about 30% less tobacco than that of a cigarette. "There is evidence too that HTPs expose users and those around them to lower levels of some chemicals, namely 95 chemicals that are recognised by the US Food and Drug Administration as potentially harmful chemicals in tobacco and nicotine products." "There is also evidence both from the industry and independent studies that show that the brand in the Nottingham University study releases higher levels of other chemicals that are not featured on that FDA list. "These include probable carcinogens, 90 potentially hazardous chemicals and nine chemicals of quite toxicological concern," Braznell said. Furthermore, there's increasing evidence emerging, both from the industry and independent sources, that shows that heated tobacco products are not in fact being used as alternatives to cigarettes as is claimed by tobacco companies. "Most heated tobacco product users actually do not manage to switch from cigarettes to heated tobacco products, and in fact, continue smoking HTPs alongside them," Braznell said. To date, there's not a single clinical or epidemiological study out there that specifically looks at whether HTPs can help aid cessation, and there's no data at the moment to suggest that heated tobacco products do help with the cessation of cigarette smoking. Redefining tobacco-harm reduction The first step in holding Big Tobacco accountable is defining what tobacco-harm reduction really means, Braznell said. "Tobacco-harm reduction essentially means any kind of strategies that we use, which aim to reduce individual and population-level harm caused by tobacco and nicotine use. "Although abstinence from using any tobacco nicotine is obviously the ideal goal, directly reducing the prevalence of such an addictive behaviour is often unachievable. So instead, tobacco-harm reduction advocates for achieving a net reduction of harm by reducing the harm in those unwilling or unable to abstain from smoking. "The primary goal, therefore, is to reduce harm in both users and those around them," Braznell said. "Tobacco-harm reduction should aim to minimise second-hand smoke exposure and prevent uptake among non-smokers and youth, by typically switching users to less harmful alternative forms of nicotine, such as nicotine-replacement therapies like the patch. "The tobacco industry, nevertheless, has co-opted the definition of tobacco-harm reduction in order to sell its products, including heated tobacco products, which it claims cost less and are less harmful than cigarettes. "The tobacco industry has essentially redefined tobacco-harm reduction, and hyper-fixates only on strategies which involve switching smokers to its products. "This, of course, ignores any kind of population-level tobacco control, or tobacco-harm reduction policies that don't utilise their products; such as nicotine-replacement therapies, and does not advocate for bans and age restrictions, which could reduce the net harm across the population. "It also, of course, ignores non-smokers taking up these novel products (which could obviously increase net harm)." Fact vs fiction And yet Big Tobacco continues to position the heated tobacco product as a vaping product, which it is not, of course, and therefore should not be regulated as such, Ayo-Yusuf said "Because HTPs and e-cigarettes are both new electronic-based products that look quite similar, they're often confused with one another. In other words, conflated. This is not only inaccurate, but could mislead consumers into thinking the products that harm and their potential benefits are all the same," Ayo-Yusuf said Researchers in the Tobacco Control Group have recently identified instances in New Zealand where a renowned company manufacturing and distributing both heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes are perpetuating this conflation. "The company was selling these two products as a bundle, which essentially explicitly encourages the dual use of HTPs alongside e-cigarettes, and implies they are equal - interchangeable even," Ayo-Yusuf said. "To this end, manufacturers of heated tobacco products can piggyback off of the markedly greater success of e-cigarettes (in many places, e-cigarettes are far more popular than heated tobacco products). They can also conflate the harm-reduction potential between the heated tobacco product and its e-cigarette by sometimes calling a heated tobacco product a vape. "And just to be clear - the heated tobacco product is not a vape," Ayo-Yusuf said. Braznell explained: "Electrically heated tobacco products are made up of a device that contains the heating element. The consumer then has to separately buy a tobacco stick, which obviously contains tobacco. "The tobacco in a heated tobacco product is processed slightly differently to that in cigarettes. So typically instead of being finely cut and placed into a cigarette as we see in cigarettes, the tobacco leaves are ground. "After that, we have water, glycerin, and a type of guar, gum, and cellulose fibres all added into that ground tobacco. Then the mixture is essentially reformed into thin tobacco sheets that are then folded very, very tightly into the plug that goes in the heat stick," Braznell said. An electronic cigarette or "vape" on the other hand, is a device that heats up a liquid to create a vapour you inhale. The big issue to date, added Braznell, is that there is insufficient evidence that demonstrates HTPS reduce the risks or prevalence of diseases and deaths caused by tobacco. "HTPS still contain tobacco. "They still contain nicotine and they still release harmful chemicals, therefore they are not risk-free." The case for regulation With all evidence pointing to tobacco use being a major public health problem, tobacco products remain one of the few openly available commercial products that are virtually unregulated in some countries. At least 8 million people die every year from using tobacco products. Millions more live every day with the health and economic consequences of tobacco use. "Heated tobacco products, threaten the World Health Organizations (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and threaten to derail tobacco-control progress," Barrientos said. "Our position is that low- and middle-income countries must apply the precautionary principle and ban these products before they hook a new generation of users." "We should be mindful when a heated tobacco product firm uses the term 'reduced risk'," Ayo-Yusuf said. "We already know there is no scientific basis for that." The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, has launched a R3.2bn blended finance scheme with Land Bank to assist farmers. The programme will be implemented over a 10-year period. The funding will be on a blended finance structure which is a combination of a loan and grant with a focus on commodities as per the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan. The department and Land Bank have each invested R325m per annum which will effectively result in the creation of a R650m fund a year and it will grow to R1.95bn by end of year three. Agriculture sector development, transformation "Strategic partnerships like these are critical to ensure growth, food security, development of farmers and transformation of the agricultural sector, and contribute towards job creation," says Minister Didiza. "In order to ensure increased affordability and inclusion, and to reduce the risk of failure by new entrants, Land Bank will predominantly follow a blended finance model to support development farmers," says Thabi Nkosi, Land Bank chairperson. This partnership aims to support the development of small and medium-scale producers to participate in the mainstream agricultural economy and along the agricultural value chain. The objective of the fund is to make the land and agrarian reform successful by supporting the development, acquisitions and production expansion of qualifying black producers in prioritised value chains. This is meant to achieve the following goals: Economic growth and expansion of the agricultural sector, Accelerate land redistribution and wealth creation, The job creation, Transformation of the sector, Increased exports, Effective land reform and rural development (especially underutilised land), Access to the blended finance scheme will be directly through Land Bank and the department will perform an oversight role including reporting to all its relevant structures. Furthermore, the received Expression of Interest from other private banks and engagements are at an advanced stage as part of the goal of broadening access to finance by producers. The targeted sectors include: Fruits, nuts and vegetable value chains Grains and sugarcane Poultry value chain, Pork, beef and sheep value chains, Other viable ventures that support the AAMP. Grants will be provided based on the pre-set Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development qualifying criteria. Important to note is that long-term lease agreements including Permission to Occupy that is longer than the period of funding will be accepted as adequate security to enable access to funding. Who qualifies South African citizens with a valid identity document; Black-owned and managed farming enterprises that are commercially viable in commodities prioritised in the AAMP. In the case of joint ventures, the non-black partner should have 40% but not less than 26% ownership in the enterprise Enterprises with 10% farm worker profit sharing; the National Development Plan urges that by 2030, no one should go to bed hungry. Youth (40% targeted), women (50% targeted), people with disability (6% targeted) and military veterans. South African lawyers are hitting Johnson & Johnson with a class action over the injury and loss associated with defective pelvic mesh devices. The class action, led by RH Lawyers and attorney Richard Spoor, seeks compensation for South African women who have suffered harm following the implantation of the pelvic mesh devices, which are used for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. The class action has been initiated in the South High Court in Johannesburg. Also actioned against Ethicon, Coloplast and Nuangle, it comes in light of a landmark ruling out of the Federal Court of Australia in November 2019, wherein Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson were ordered to pay $1.7m (R31m) to three women in Australia. It was found that Johnson & Johnson and it's subsidiaries had misled patients and surgeons about the risks associated with their pelvic mesh products. In a statement, Spoor said the pelvic mesh devices have been shown to contain defects that render them unfit and unsafe for use as permanent medical implants. "They result in numerous post-operative complications that are significantly higher than that of comparable products and medical procedures. "The nature of the defects arises from the fundamental incompatibility of polypropylene for use in a permanent mesh implant in the pelvic region of the human body. Post-operative medical complications "The design and procedure for implantation of the pelvic mesh devices prevents and/or precludes the ability to surgically remove or excise the pelvic mesh devices once implanted due to the integration of the device into surrounding bodily tissue." These defects cause, as well as materially contribute to, numerous adverse health conditions and medical complications leading to injury and bodily harm, he said. He said these include painful recurrent erosions and intractable chronic pain, excessive blood loss and vascular damage, permanent nerve injury, subclinical infections, erosion and inflammation of tissue, migration, a build-up of seromas, nerve entrapment and sexual dysfunction. "At least some of the aforesaid companies failed to adequately warn or instruct women implanted with these pelvic devices of the defects, the associated and increased risks of complications and the fact that treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence with the use of trans-vaginal mesh is less effective than safer alternative treatments," Spoor said. In a statement, RH Lawyers commented that, should the application for certification be granted by the court, the applicants will proceed to trial for determination on two aspects.The first will determine the liability of the respondents, and the second will assess the quantum of damages payable to each class member. In the wake of the class action, Ethicon responded, saying: "Patient safety is our first priority. Pelvic mesh has helped improve the quality of life for millions of women with stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ relapse." Coloplast's Peter Monster said: "We are committed to the women's health business." "We believe our mesh products improve lives and are a safe and valuable option for surgeons who treat women with pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence." He added that the firm does not comment on specific lawsuits. TopAuto offers a wide range of advertising solutions that allow your company to reach its large audience. The best way to create awareness about your brand and products is through digital marketing. This is according to this years Digital Marketing Report, which found that companies prefer digital marketing as it provides the best ROI for their marketing spend. The report also found that 82% of people find their information about products and services through online articles and reviews making this the most trusted form of advertising. Email newsletters are also a great marketing method as 39% of respondents said they find information about products and services through this channel. How TopAuto can help If your automotive business would like to leverage the benefits of digital marketing, advertising on TopAuto is a great opportunity. To learn more about advertising on TopAuto, click here. You can reach TopAutos large audience of 565,000 South Africans every month through the following digital marketing products: Sponsored Articles with Social Media Promotions Site Takeovers Display Banners Dedicated Mailers Car Prices Portal Branding Driving Cost Portal Branding Sponsored articles will be also boosted on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to help you reach your advertising goals. Successful advertising Many prominent brands have achieved excellent ROI and advertising success through TopAutos digital marketing products. These brands include Tiger Wheel and Tyre, Dunlop, Tyres and More, Toyota, Lexus, Bidvest McCarthy, Burger King, and Nedbank MFC. Each of these companies has partnered with TopAuto to promote their content and make their brand stand out and TopAutos marketing team has delivered every time. If you would like your automotive brand to stand out, TopAutos marketing team is ready to assist you. Click here to learn more about advertising on TopAuto. Tyres can mean the difference between life and death, or safety versus life-changing injury. This Transport Month, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, in partnership with the Road Accident Fund (RAF) and the South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC), is taking steps to promote safe and considerate road usage while encouraging people to conduct regular health checks on their tyres. As part of an ongoing partnership between the RAF and the SATMC, a tyre safety workshop was held for around 70 traffic officers from the Ladysmith District. The aim was to equip the officers to better enforce laws and regulations correctly, by knowing how to spot risky or illegal tyres. At the Sumitomo Training Academy in Ladysmith, SRSA Group Training Manager: Truck & Bus Keith Phelps took the law enforcement officers through what to look out for in terms of tyre wear patterns, sidewall damage, retreaded tyres, and more, that could affect the roadworthiness and legality of a tyre. The initiative also included an educational roadblock set up just outside the Road Traffic Inspectorate centre on the N11, Ladysmith, to educate commuters about tyre safety and ensure that they get proper technical information on their tyres. A number of trucks with defective tyres were also stopped. In providing compensation to the victims of road accidents in South Africa, the RAF knows all too well that poor tyre safety is a critical factor in accidents and carnage on our roads every year. Road users need to know the dangers of operating vehicles with worn or poorly inflated tyres, and traffic departments need to be able to identify and weed out unroadworthy tyres and vehicles. Prioritise tyre care and safety. Buy reputable tyres. Choose new tyres over second-hand. Inflate tyres correctly. Ensure your tyre tread is above 1.6mm. Carry out wheel alignment, balancing and tyre rotation at recommended intervals. Nobel in Africa is a STIAS initiative in partnership with SU and is hosted under the auspices of the Nobel Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, with funding from the Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Through the initiative, STIAS will become the first institution outside Scandinavia to host Nobel Symposia on behalf of the Nobel Foundation since the symposium series was initiated in 1965. The first symposium in the series will be held at STIAS in Stellenbosch from 24 to 28 October. It will focus on the area of Physics, and more specifically the topic 'Predictability in science in the age of artificial intelligence'. The Nobel Symposia are ordinarily closed sessions where some of the worlds top scientists deliberate on new research discoveries and developments in their field. The STIAS-SU-hosted Physics symposium, however, will include an outreach element that will see participants delivering public lectures at universities and research institutes countrywide as a way of taking science to a wider audience. The public outreach lectures are aimed at university academic staff and students to inspire the next generation of scholars on the continent, while also raising awareness of the latest scientific discoveries among the general public. Ahead of the launch event and the start of the 183rd Physics symposium next week, members of the media are invited to participate in the outreach lectures to get a sense of physicists current work (programme follows below). In conversation with internationally renowned and celebrated scientists and global change agents, the Nobel in Africa symposia seek to celebrate science and share breakthroughs with the scholarly, public and private sectors in South Africa and Africa. The aim is to provide an international forum to promote the sharing of innovative, high-level scholarship and demonstrate the importance of scientific research for the future of the continent and the world. STIAS has a special focus on Africa and a long-term commitment to nurture future generations of scholars and intellectual leaders on the continent. Our ethos is to foster ongoing dialogue between Africas brightest minds and their global counterparts. 183rd NOBEL SYMPOSIUM: Physics outreach programme Several public outreach lectures will take place both before and after the Physics symposium. See the full outreach programme below and attached: 18 Oct, 5pm6.30pm, University of the Western Cape Public outreach lecture by Yin-Zhe Ma (University of KwaZulu-Natal) 20 Oct, 1pm2pm, University of Cape Town Public outreach lecture by Viatcheslav Mukhanov (LMU, Munich) 20 Oct, 6pm7.30pm, Stellenbosch University Public outreach lecture by Erik Aurell (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) 21 Oct, 4.30pm7pm, Nelson Mandela University Public outreach lecture by Neil Turok (University of Edinburgh), with an introductory talk by Thifhelimbilu Daphney Bucher (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) 21 Oct, 11am12pm, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Public outreach lecture by Francesco Petruccione (Stellenbosch University) 24 Oct, 4.30pm6pm, Stellenbosch University Public outreach lecture by Sir Michael Berry (University of Bristol) 31 Oct, 1pm2.30pm, University of KwaZulu-Natal Public outreach lecture by Neil Turok (University of Edinburgh) and Armita Nourmohammad (University of Washington) 31 Oct, 6pm7.50pm, University of KwaZulu-Natal Public outreach lecture by Mogens H. Jensen (University of Copenhagen) and Angelo Vulpiani (National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Rome) 1 Nov, 10am12pm, University of KwaZulu-Natal Public outreach lecture by Erik Aurell (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) and Luca Gammaitoni (NiPS Lab, University of Perugia) 2 Nov, 4pm5pm, University of the Witwatersrand Public outreach lecture by Armita Nourmohammad (University of Washington) The UK is home to some of the world's leading technology businesses. Despite this, many UK businesses still lag behind when it comes to their software development. This is largely due to the high cost of hiring in-house developers and the lack of skilled developers available. The impact this has had on businesses has been significant, with some estimates suggesting that the UKs software development deficit could be costing the economy up to 63 billion a year. Outsourcing has emerged as a solution to this challenge. The benefits of outsourcing software development According to studies conducted by KPMG, among organisations that outsource app development, 34% are increasing the percentage of work outsourced over the previous year. Combining this with a USD market value of 520.74 billion, its clear that IT services outsourcing is here to stay. Some of the reasons indicating their preference for outsourcing were to: Focus on their core business: By outsourcing their software development, businesses can focus on their core competencies and leave the development to experts. By outsourcing their software development, businesses can focus on their core competencies and leave the development to experts. Reduce costs: As mentioned above, one of the main reasons businesses outsource their software development is to save money. As mentioned above, one of the main reasons businesses outsource their software development is to save money. Get access to the latest technology: Outsourcing gives businesses access to the latest technologies and trends in the software development industry. Outsourcing gives businesses access to the latest technologies and trends in the software development industry. Improve quality: When businesses outsource their software development, they can choose from a pool of highly skilled developers. This allows them to improve the quality of their products and services. Leading outsourcing destinations The top 5 outsourcing destinations in 2022 were: India: A leading outsourcing destination for many years and home to a large pool of skilled developers, offering a wide range of services. A leading outsourcing destination for many years and home to a large pool of skilled developers, offering a wide range of services. China: Another major player in the outsourcing industry, offering competitive pricing and has a large talent pool. Another major player in the outsourcing industry, offering competitive pricing and has a large talent pool. Philippines: A popular destination for outsourcing due to its English-speaking workforce, offers competitive pricing and has a good track record for quality. A popular destination for outsourcing due to its English-speaking workforce, offers competitive pricing and has a good track record for quality. Eastern Europe: Countries in Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine are becoming increasingly popular as outsourcing destinations. This is due to the high quality of their workforce and the relatively low cost of living. Countries in Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine are becoming increasingly popular as outsourcing destinations. This is due to the high quality of their workforce and the relatively low cost of living. South Africa: A fast-growing outsourcing destination due to its large tech talent pool and its favourable exchange rate. Although the lower cost is always appealing, businesses need to be careful not to base their whole decision on price when selecting an outsourcing destination. They need to ensure that the quality of the work is not compromised and that they have a good working relationship with their chosen provider. Why UK businesses should outsource their software development to South Africa McKinsey has voted South Africa the second most attractive Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) location in the world for three years in a row, based on its reputation as a reliable, cost-effective, and high-quality destination for outsourced business services. Along with this, there are several other reasons why South Africa has become one of the leading outsourcing destinations in the world: No language barriers Other English-speaking foreign companies have no language difficulties working with South African partners since English is one of the official languages of South Africa. Resource availability South Africa has a large pool of highly skilled and experienced software developers, ensuring you will find the skills you need. Favourable exchange rate The South African rand is currently very favourable for companies doing business in GBP or USD, making it an affordable offshoring destination. Agile time zones South Africa is only one hour ahead, so a UK-based client can easily stay in touch with their development team without needing complicated scheduling. Creative and hardworking culture South Africans are known for their creative and innovative approach to problem-solving. This means that they can bring fresh ideas and perspectives to your project. Innovation hub Cape Town has become a major tech start-up investment hub. This is due to the citys strong ecosystem of support, its diverse talent pool, and its favourable cost of living. There are numerous co-working spaces, accelerators, and incubators. This has seen a strong migration of excellent South African talent to the city. Factors to consider when selecting a South African outsourcing partner Although South Africa offers many advantages as an offshoring destination, it is important to select your provider carefully. As with any business relationship, you must ensure that you have a good working rapport with your chosen provider. Additionally, you need to ensure that they have the necessary skills and experience to meet your projects requirements. When requesting quotes, be sure to ask for examples of similar work that they have completed. Finally, it is important to check that your chosen provider has a good reputation. You can do this by reading reviews and testimonials from their previous clients. Find out more: Contact Realm Digital - Digital and Technology Solutions. Family businesses make up a significant portion of SMEs in South Africa. While statistical data on the contribution of family businesses to GDP is not widely available, their centrality to economic growth is illustrated by the fact that approximately 60% of companies listed on the JSE were founded or are currently run by family units. Despite a unique set of challenges, family-run businesses can take decisive steps towards triggering a positive and sustainable growth path. Arnold February In the global business context, where purpose-driven leadership is being touted as the key to long-term success, family businesses have a unique opportunity to leverage their core values and gain a foothold in the market now more than ever. This is the opinion of Arnold February, Regional Investment Manager, at small and medium enterprise financier, Business Partners Limited, who predicts that the foregrounding of purpose in a family business will provide fertile ground for the emergence of value-driven entrepreneurship. The intersection of family values and business practice Recent research by Deloitte suggests that more consumers are interrogating the values of the brands and businesses they support, in search of ideals such as authenticity, relatability and integrity. Driven by the evolving consumer demands of younger generations, a fundamental market shift from the sole focus on profit, to a trifecta of purpose, people and planet, is evident both globally and abroad, and company values are the cornerstones of purpose, says February. It is for this reason that she emphasises the importance of communicating company values clearly; particularly in a family business, where trust and cohesion play such a pivotal role in the achievement of milestones. Not only will the clear communication of values assist with driving an internal culture of mutual cooperation, but from a customer relations perspective, it is a powerful and persuasive tool for attracting and driving customer loyalty, He explains. Evidence in support of these claims can be found in PwCs most recent African Family Business Survey, which found that for 80% of the South African family businesses who follow a clearly defined set of values, the vast majority claim that this has helped them mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their business operations. Furthermore, nearly four out of five respondents claim that having these values in a written and accessible form correlates strongly with long-term success. Embracing change and the importance of agility Expanding on her advice for family-owned businesses, February encourages entrepreneurs to view agility as a business imperative. Tradition and heritage are fundamentals in family-run businesses, but rigidity and an inability to adapt to an evolving social and business environment can serve as a barrier to further growth, says February. In an article entitled, Sustaining a culture of continuous transformation in family business, KPMG Private Enterprise echoed these sentiments, arguing that a proactive rather than a reactive stance to sector developments is advised. In a roundtable involving a constituent of South African family business leaders, participants acknowledged the importance of becoming drivers of change, rather than passengers. For Botha, embracing change and implementing solid change management policies and practices should be a matter of priority for businesses, particularly given the rapid technological advancements that are transforming various industries. Furthermore, taking an open-minded approach to changes within the industry as well as in the way that customers relate to both businesses and each other, is a vital component of becoming adaptable and ultimately, thriving during periods of disruption or uncertainty. February asserts that while many may view change through the lens of digital transformation particularly now with the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, she argues that this is only one contributor to business longevity. Providing further insight into this perspective, February urges family entrepreneurs to scrutinise and formalise their governance policies and structures wherever possible. A renewed focus on governance As he asserts, The G in ESG is often neglected in family-run businesses and as a result, the human and social capital of those companies is not fully realised. In general, as the report by PwC suggests, South African family businesses are on a positive trajectory where the defining of roles and responsibilities are concerned, with almost 90% of respondents claiming that their leadership teams are strong and equipped with the data and tools they need to execute on their duties. Governance, however, is a multi-faceted component in family businesses, and has a direct influence on whether communication systems support positive growth or lead to internal divisions and the breakdown of value systems. As February concludes, a family business growth strategy needs to include aspects such as succession and business continuity planning. In order for factors like the transfer of leadership and ownership from one generation to the next not to serve as disruptive forces, open discussion and contractual agreements need to be encouraged and facilitated. Family members need to see themselves not only as employees and team members but as custodians of their familys legacy. About Business Partners Ltd. Business Partners Limited (Business Partners Ltd) is a specialist risk finance company for formal small and medium owner-managed businesses in South Africa and selected African countries. The company actively supports entrepreneurial growth by providing financing from R500, 000 to R50 million, specialist sectoral knowledge, business premises and added-value services for viable small and medium businesses. Since establishment in 1981, Business Partners Ltd has provided business finance worth over R21,5 billion in over 72 000 transactions facilitating over 671 000 jobs. Business Partners Ltd was named the 2019 Gold winner in the SME Bank of the Year Africa category at the Global SME Finance Awards*. Visit www.businesspartners.co.za for more information. *Business Partners Ltd has had remarkable results within the SME segment. Today Netflix and The School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) at the University of Southern California (USC) announced an expansion of their partnership for capacity-building efforts to help strengthen Africa's storytellers with training sessions in South Africa and Nigeria. Source: Terje Sollie Pexels Netflix is offering training sessions in South Africa and Nigeria, led by SCAs Award-winning faculty The partnership, which kicked off earlier this year with picture editing and post-sound programmes will continue to focus on post-production as well as including creative talent development programmes like screenwriting and producing. These skills training and capacity-building initiatives are part of Netflixs efforts to strengthen Africas creative industries by harnessing its networks of local and global creative experts and other partners in the global creative community. Netflix Grow Creative initiative Africa is a hugely important region for Netflix and as we grow the number of productions it is important for African stories to be able to meet the growing demand for quality storytelling, says Allison Triegaardt, Netflixs Grow Creative manager for Africa. Our Grow Creative partnerships like the one with USC are just one of the ways Netflix is harnessing our networks around the world to help bridge the skills gap and upskill experienced crew. This will also ensure an even stronger diversity of voices, stories, and points of view for our global audience," she adds. This is a unique and unprecedented opportunity for USC SCA to join with Netflix Grow Creative in Nigeria, South Africa, and Turkey, to train these creative professionals and provide them important tools they can incorporate in their own projects, notes Alan Baker, associate dean of international projects at USCs School of Cinematic Arts. It is in perfect sync with our schools ongoing global focus through the special training workshops we have designed and taught for nearly 20 years to develop and upskill international filmmakers, writers, game producers, and new media artists in several countries,"he adds. The initial two programmes in Nigeria - picture editing and post-sound training - were conducted by SCAs world-renowned editors and SCA faculty, Douglas Blush, Stephen Flick, and Richard Burton at KAP Academy. These resulted in directly advancing the skills of 36 young professionals as well as equipping them with professional software licenses supplied by Adobe for picture editing and Avid Technology, supplied ProTools software for sound editing. Furthermore, KAPs infrastructure was further enhanced to ensure the training facilities were set up to accommodate the training. The upcoming hybrid courses will range in length between 10 to 12 weeks, based on SCAs established curriculum which features various Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning SCA instructors and specialists amongst its more than 17,000 alumni, in partnership with local industry leaders and production houses. The sessions are also targeted at existing talent within their respective fields who want the opportunity to further grow and develop their skills. SCA has hired as programme director, Nigerian American producer Adetoro Makinde to run the programmes daily creative and administrative operations. New workshops Starting in October 2022, the new training workshops will include: Line producer training - A 12-week hybrid workshop of online and in-person training for emerging South African line producers, featuring international movie and television producers, led by lead instructor Brian Donovan and programme director Adetoro Makinde. Guest speakers include Schalk Burger ( Savage Beauty, Reyka ) and Robbie Thorpe ( Material, Tell Me Sweet Something, Justice Served ) and Cheryl Eatock ( Black Earth Rising, Raised By Wolves, The Dark Tower ), James E. Williams ( Grey's Anatomy ), Seith Mann ( Raising Dion, King Shaka, #Freerayshawn ). ) and Robbie Thorpe ( ) and Cheryl Eatock ( ), James E. Williams ( ), Seith Mann ( ). Novel Adaptation Training: For intermediate to advanced screenwriters to adapt selected South African novels in association with Ochre Media. Lead instructor is Camille Tucker ( The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel ). Guest speakers include Erika Green Stafford ( New Amsterdam, How to Get Away With Murder, The Mentalist ), Adele Lim ( Raya and the Last Dragon, Crazy Rich Asians ), Stephen Chbosky ( The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dear Evan Hansen ), Uzodinma Iweala ( Beast of No Nation ) ). Guest speakers include Erika Green Stafford ( ), Adele Lim ( ), Stephen Chbosky ( ), Uzodinma Iweala ( ) Train the trainers - creative producers: A unique training session with a dual focus, firstly designed to uplevel Creative Producers and secondly designed to empower Creative Producers in the transfer of skills to the next generation so they in turn can do the same. These workshops will be offered in the Middle East, Turkey and South Africa. Novel adaptation: Masterclass in collaboration with the Writers Guild of South Africa in early 2023 - more details to be shared at a later date. The USC SCA is one of the most prestigious schools in the world for the study of all facets of the cinematic arts. Notable alumni include: Hwang Dong-Hyuk creator of Squid Game; Jon M. Chu director Crazy, Rich Asians; Shonda Rhimes, creator and showrunner of Greys Anatomy, Scandal and Bridgerton Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther; George Lucas, creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones; Kevin Feige, producer of Disneys Marvel films and Ron Howard, director of Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Since 1929, the School has nurtured and inspired writers, directors, scholars, entrepreneurs, producers, animators, and interactive designers who have developed unparalleled mastery and prominence in cinema, television, and new media. Through this partnership, Netflix will continue its deep commitment to investing significantly in Africas creative industries and talent long-term. Netflix strives to be a good partner for Africas creative industry and well continue to create new opportunities to support Netflixs business needs by helping to build up the talent required to support our production pipeline in our key markets like South Africa and Nigeria, and grow the diversity and variety of stories. On a large factory floor in southwestern Benin, dozens of young people cut, stitch and assemble cotton shirts - part of a major push by the West African country to develop its textile sector. Source: Reuters/Coffi Seraphin Zounyekpe Benin has in the last few years become Africa's leading cotton producer, with annual production of 728,000 tonnes in 2020/21, according to government figures. It exports almost all of that raw, with the majority going to Bangladesh. Now, an initiative is under way to create jobs and revenue by processing the cotton locally, with the goal of exporting apparel to consumer markets in Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States. "We have decided that in this country, we are no longer going to sell this cotton raw. We are going to transform this cotton, in particular by installing integrated textile factories," said Letondji Beheton, managing director of the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ), about 45km from Cotonou. $1bn invested in Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone GDIZ started two years ago as the result of a partnership between the government and Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP), a pan-African venture partly owned by the Africa Finance Corporation. More than $1bn has been invested in the zone so far, which will include textile factories as well as cashew processing units, pharmaceutical processing units, and more, said Beheton. Only a quarter of it has been developed so far. Although the systems are not yet in place to get cotton from field to factory, GDIZ has started training about 1,000 garment workers using imported materials for now. "When the Glo-Djigbe factory starts its activities, I am sure that we will earn more," said 46-year-old cotton farmer Leonard Madjaedou, who has benefited from government support to boost his yields. In 13 months, the industrial zone aims to employ 15,000 people in three textile factories that will have a processing capacity of about 40,000 tonnes of cotton fibre, Beheton said. Eventually, he envisages a multi-billion dollar industry that could process the majority of Benin's cotton. Cotton is grown in several West African countries including Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, but most is exported raw with little industrial processing across the region. Greens leader Adam Bandt asked Lidia Thorpe to resign as the partys deputy leader in the Senate over her prior relationship with Dean Martin. Credit:Jason South, Paul Jeffers, Jesse Marlow Embattled former bikie-dating Greens senator Lidia Thorpe took to the socials with a pic of her and party leader Adam Bandt sitting at a table in Canberra wearing smiles so weak that they might be sent for a stay in a Swiss sanatorium. It put us in mind of the infamous photo-op back in 2010 when Julia Gillard was re-united with Kevin Rudd, the man she deposed as Labor leader, to be pictured sitting at a desk poring over maps that set new standards for awkwardness. We werent the only ones who noticed the similarity. Former Bill Shorten staffer Andrew Porter was quick with a quip at the Greens expense [checks notes] not like the old parties, prompting the riposte from former Gillard spinner Russell Mahoney who called for more maps. OPEN ARMS Staying in the nations capital, where Saudi Arabias consular representatives are joining the monarchys global effort to improve its image after certain unpleasant occurrences that befell journalist Jamal Khashoggi in one of the kingdoms foreign diplomatic installations a few years ago. As part of Canberras Windows to the World festival the Saudi embassy invited nearly all comers onto the premises for an open day true story and people actually rocked up. And they say Canberrans arent an intrepid bunch. Videos posted by the embassy looked to show the day going pretty well, with even the occasional smile cracked. Were not sure about old mate with the sword though, but thats just us. MARKET FORCES Stan Liacos, the man who has led the Queen Victoria Market through what must be the most dramatic few years of its long history will sign off early next year after a five-year tenure as chief executive of the Melbourne landmark. Liacos was given a gushing tribute on Tuesday by the markets chair Jane Fenton, who praised the departing CEOs lead-by-example, hands-on approach and unrelenting commitment during a period when the market almost went broke after being effectively shut by the COVID lockdowns and his efforts in trying to get the historic redevelopment of the complex already a 10-year opus over the line. For his part, Liacos conceded that the top job hadnt always been easy and was, at times, exhausting. Keeping the Market and its traders viable during the pandemic was a relentlessly challenging, 24-hour, 7-day week job, he said while paying tribute to our many stakeholders including our Board, traders, staff and contractor partners. No mention of the Friends of The Queen Victoria Market, which doesnt seem very friendly. But then, the group has been a constant thorn in the side of the redevelopment efforts, frequently deploying star power, including Paul Keating, Sigrid Thornton, Paul Kelly and Barry Humphries to speak out against the revamp plans over the years. But thats the thing with farewells, you always forget to mention someone. ROYAL UNREST The Australian Monarchist League has unveiled the talent line-up for its national conference next month with the headline act a double-hander of AMLs chairman, and former Liberal senator, Eric Abetz and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. Katherine Deves, defeated Liberal candidate for Warringah best known for her anti-trans stance in the lead-up to the last election, will give a speech, as will hardline Victorian Liberal MP Beverley MacArthur. In that company former Labor national president, Warren Mundine, who is also an unsuccessful Liberal candidate, will look like the leagues token lefty on the day. But in an email sent around on Tuesday, with the subject please dont judge us harshly. We are trying to do our best, the groups superannuated national chair Philip Benwell conceded several criticisms had been received from both internal and external sources about the speaking list. It is important that we reach out to all those organisations and political movements opposed to a republic to bring them onside, Benwell said. This also includes people who have been quite unpleasant towards me personally, but as far as I am concerned it is the cause that is the most important, not personalities. We asked Benwell who exactly he meant by that, but he wasnt keen to name names. HITTING THE WALL The people at Melbourne Water inquiring into the goings-on that led the Victoria Racing Clubs building of the Not-So-Great Wall of Flemington being blamed for exacerbating last weeks flooding in Maribyrnong back in the noughties can just pack up and go home. Local Greens MP Ellen Sandell has cracked the case wide open, finding what she thinks is a smoking gun, Well, maybe a dripping hose. Sandell, facing a challenge for her seat from Labors Rebecca Thistleton, has deployed her partys machinery for a little sleuthing and discovered the Victoria Racing Club made a donation of $4520 to ALP fundraising vehicle Progressive Business in 2002 and bought a table at one of the groups fundraisers for $4045 a couple of years later. Loading State Labor allowed their gambling donors to direct policy and put our homes and neighbourhood at risk, against the experts advice, Sandell thundered. When CBD contacted the club, which on Monday announced it was chucking $500,000 toward the flood relief effort, it did not seem particularly fazed by The Greens detective work. South Africa: Council for Geoscience has a major role to play Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, says the Council for Geoscience (CGS) has a critical role to play not only in the future of mining in South Africa but also to help catapult South Africa to the forefront of the green hydrogen economy. He was speaking at the summit of the CGS held in Durban on Tuesday. The Minister said he expects the CGS to work with the private sector to in order to bring South Africa to its true geological potential. As the world economic trajectory demands new suits of minerals deemed to be critical for lower carbon emissions, there has never been a better time for the geosciences community to work together and prepare to unravel the possibilities of South Africa as a source of these minerals in the manner that optimises the benefit of the people of the country. As we develop various technologies, various minerals that will be used there are in this country. A variety of minerals that will be used even in developing the green economy of the future hydrogen energy, various minerals including rare earth elements are in this country and only geoscience can unravel all those minerals and bring them to the fore, he said. The Minister added that the CGS needs to play a more preeminent role in addressing some societal challenges. These challenges include energy security, just energy transition, sustainable food supply, economic growth, climate change [and] disaster management that arises from national phenomenon such as floods and earthquakes. All those incidents and developments in society only when they happen do we really appreciate fully the value of geosciences. KZN recently experienced the most devastating disaster that demolished houses and infrastructure[the CGS] came here and applied science to the disaster, he said. Furthermore, Mantashe said the CGS is also expected to play a major role in the countrys drive towards infrastructure development. The governments multibillion Rand infrastructure build programme will require CGS and geotechnical community to play an active role in safeguarding critical infrastructure investment. It is essential that infrastructural development is accompanied by sound geotechnical investigations and information. It has never been more important for any infrastructure development to consider geotechnical conditions appropriately prior to affecting such development. It is precisely in this context that the amendment of the Geosciences Act empowered the CGS to review all geotechnical reports and provide appropriate advice to local authorities in consideration of the infrastructure development programme, he said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-10-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Migratory birds arrive at Poyang Lake in E China's Jiangxi People's Daily Online) 10:36, October 25, 2022 Photo shows a large flock of pied avocets at Poyang Lake in Hukou county, Jiujiang city, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Photo/Li Xuehua) More than 10,000 migratory birds from 27 species, including swans, Eurasian spoonbills, eastern spot-billed ducks, and pied avocets, have arrived at Poyang Lake in Hukou county, Jiujiang city, east China's Jiangxi Province, half a month earlier than usual, according to the Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve Administration. Since the water level at Poyang Lake has dropped to a record low this year, Hukou county has taken measures including water replenishment to keep the level within a reasonable range. (Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang) Channel Seven is banking on Australias long-running love affair with reality television continuing, with a reality-heavy slate of programming announced during the 2023 upfronts. As previously reported, Australian Idol will be seen on Australian screens for the first time since 2009, while established reality hits The Voice, Big Brother, SAS, Kitchen Nightmares and My Kitchen Rules also return. Seven has launched a new channel, 7Bravo, as well as a host of new reality shows. Seven will kick off the year with Australian Idol. According to Seven West Media CEO James Warburton, the brand familiarity might be enough to wrestle control back from Nines Married At First Sight. Its a piece of nostalgia; there is great affection for this show in the Australian marketplace, he says. Teo admits Mikolajs operation had a terrible outcome but disputed the type of tumour Mikolaj had and claimed he only performs this kind of risky operation because his patients or their family elect to take a chance on surgery. Are you going to deny it to them if they want it? If they want to take that chance? he asked. Barman disagreed. There was no hope. For a DIPG, there is no hope. So why give the false hope in the first place? he told the investigation. Barman and his wife, Sangeeta, were devastated when Mikolaj was diagnosed in 2018 with an incurable and inoperable condition called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). A second neurosurgeon confirmed the diagnosis. DIPGs are an aggressive childhood tumour which occurs in the pons. According to experts, surgery isnt an option because the cancer cells have infiltrated the pons and it is not possible to tell normal from abnormal tissue. Any attempt at resection is likely to be harmful to the child because the pons controls many of the bodys most vital functions such as breathing, blood pressure and heart rate. Desperate for a miracle, a friend emailed Teo on the Barmans behalf. An email from Teos office told Barman: 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. Teo told ACA, with regards to Mikolajs tumour: I took out the focal component but I went one millimetre too far and I took out some of the diffuse component and damaged him. That blame is totally on me. Ive got to accept that. However, Teo never informed the Barmans he had damaged their only child. Two days after the surgery, Barman emailed Teos office saying that his son was in a critical condition and was on a ventilator. A fellow from Teos office replied, It is still very early. I am not concerned as it can still take days for him to wake up and breathe on his own. We need to continue giving him time. The rest of his short life was spent in a room staring at a ceiling. His only means of communication was blinking his eyes. Ten months after the catastrophic operation the aggressive tumour returned and Mikolaj died. On learning his patient had died, Teo emailed Mikolajs family to assure them theyd done the right thing in having the most aggressive surgery possible. A year after Mikolajs death, Bella Howard, 7, from Shoal Bay, was diagnosed in John Hunter Hospital at Newcastle with a DIPG. Her father Gene refused to accept his daughters tumour was incurable and turned to Teo. Bella Howard died from a DIPG. Teos notes after the initial consultation reveal 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. Loading The Howard family was thrilled someone was offering them hope. Teo wanted to operate the next day but the surgery would cost $100,000 and $50,000 had to be in Teos bank account that night. Bella was damaged by the surgery. After Bellas 12-week scan, Teo rang to tell them the aggressive tumour was back and was now three times the size. Bella deteriorated quickly and in January 2021, eight months after diagnosis, she died. Her official cause of death was recorded as a DIPG. Teo told ACA: For someone to come out and say, Were going to portray you as this money-hungry guy who operates with no regard of life and were going to stop you from operating, that is a disservice and that its an insult to the Bella Howards of this world. Former prime minister Scott Morrisons government was warned it could be exposed to a legal challenge and potential damages if it refused to extend the permit of a company controversially exploring for gas off the NSW coastline, court documents have revealed. The government denied the extension of the permit despite the advice and is now being sued in the Federal Court by private company Asset Energy. The company was exploring part of a vast gas field that stretches in area from Sydney to Newcastle. Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Resources Minister Keith Pitt in June 2020. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The gas field, known as PEP-11, had been a point of tension within the Morrison government, with strong public opposition to its exploration and development ahead of the federal election, particularly in conservative-voting electorates along the NSW coastline. The gas exploration area, located no further than 50 kilometres from the NSW coast, had run parallel to the states pristine beaches, popular tourist destinations, and past some of the countrys most expensive residential real estate. Prominent Brisbane lawyer Michael Bosscher has been charged by the Australian Federal Police for his alleged part in a $4.5 million money laundering scheme. Bosscher was charged alongside a Gold Coast man on Tuesday after police found thousands of dollars in cash hidden in a staircase in a Brisbane home and in safes, following an almost year-long investigation. Police found thousands of dollars inside stairs in a Bardon home. Credit:Australian Federal Police The co-accused man, a 67-year-old from Helensvale, is alleged to have used personal information from clients of his consultancy business to open fraudulent bank accounts. Police said the accounts were opened in the name of some of his clients, believed to be without their knowledge. New Years Eve celebrations at Federation Square in 2002. Credit:Vince Caligiuri Mark Prentice, who managed the project for Multiplex Constructions, says: Its not a straightforward, typical commercial project. Its a monument. Nothing here is designed to be functional, its designed to look and feel. At first Victor Perton hated it. Now, the Liberals innovation and technology spokesman says: I suspect its growing on me. I think my personal feeling now is we have to drive out more projects that challenge us with modern design. But Melbournes architecture has always pushed the envelope. From the outset, says RMIT architecture professor Leon van Schaik, Melbourne wanted to be a great city, competing with and not apeing the great cities of civilisation. In my view Melbourne has somehow imbued Federation Square with its own architectural tradition, he says. Standing on the cobblestone plaza opposite St Pauls cathedral, it is easy to forget that the entire 3.8-hectare site props on a concrete and steel deck over 12 rail lines. As a heavy forklift rumbles by, the ground quavers alarmingly. The whole deck is built on 4500 springs and rubber pads to reduce vibration from the trains below, explains Mr Seamer. Also easy to forget is that for three decades from 1967, the appalling Gas and Fuel towers at Princes Gate shut the city off completely from one of its greatest assets, the Yarra River. Installation of the final panel of the Federation Square facade 17 September, 2002. Credit:John Donegan The squares plaza, covered with more than 467,000 cobblestones speckled red, orange and purple, reaches toward the Yarra from the gateway corner of Flinders and Swanston streets. It can hold more than 10,000 people. Federation Square is as big as a city block and houses about a dozen buildings, different yet linked and coherent. I dont think youll be able to say, Ill meet you at Federation Square. Youd have to say which part, Kim Dovey says. The main buildings are the spacious new galleries of the $80 million Ian Potter Centre; the NGV Australia; the Australian Centre for the Moving Image - a mecca of screen culture; and most stunning of all, a crystalline-steel-meccano atrium - a kind of glaze-covered street - which on its Flinders Street entrance hangs unsupported like a massive rangehood. When the construction props were removed, the 142-metre-long cantilevered atrium dropped two centimetres, a lesser fall than expected. The sites 26 tenants include television station SBS, the Melbourne Visitors Centre, Paul Mathis Transport pub, a wine bar, and a variety of shops, restaurants and cafes. The most controversial building is not there. The western shard, in the architects original plan, stood more than 20 metres tall on the north-west corner, and with the eastern shard would have framed St Pauls Cathedral, integrating it into the overall design. But following a State Government decision in October 2000, to preserve views of the cathedral from St Kilda Road, a smaller green-tinted glass building that looks like a fish tank occupies the site. At one stage, Premier Steve Bracks had supported a flagpole or fountain for the corner. The fish tank is nothing like the rest of the square. It leads to an underground visitors information centre, operated by the City of Melbourne. Mr Seamer says the visitors centre is basically exactly the same as the shard, only not as tall. If you stuck another two levels on it, youd have a glass shard. But one of the squares architects, Peter Davidson, says the decision-making processes leading to the shard being cut down in size were deplorable. However, after years of fighting, he is ready to move on. I dont think its our problem any more. I think its a problem for the city. Architects Donald Bates, rear, and Peter Davidson in front of Federation Square in 2002. Credit:Julian Kingma Fellow architect Don Bates says a common, unprompted response from visitors to the square is that the corner doesnt look right. He says: The hope is that as the project becomes open and available completely to the public, that more and more people will recognise that, and particularly those people who had supported the Government and their decision to reduce the height of the building. Kim Dovey, who is associate professor of architecture and urban design at the University of Melbourne, says cities reflect their processes and that the shard decision transparently reflects the appalling politics of that decision. Following cost blowouts and months of disagreement and deadlocks over the shard, the State Government in September 2000, established Federation Square Management Pty Ltd under Peter Seamer to manage the project. Even though the architects - from Londons Lab architecture studio and Bates Smart of Melbourne - had won an international competition, beating 177 entries to create the square, Peter Seamers team took a tough line and disempowered the designers, according to Mr Davidson. Loading What happened after the shard was an endless series of changes and impositions that we had to continually fight and struggle against. he says. But government officials say that before the company was created to manage the project, in effect there was no direction or control. It had run over time and over cost. Mr Seamer concedes that since Federation Square Management became involved, it started making more demands on the useability of the site. We know the architects are doing a great job with the architecture, but at the same time the building has to be able to be used by people, has to be practical. Weve got to make it work. We have undoubtedly a bias about its functionality, but that shouldnt be a conflict with the architects - the two should work hand in hand. The cost of Federation Square was originally estimated at $110 million. That was a joke, according to Mr Seamer, who says the first realistic estimate was $240 million, a figure that did not include the Gallery of Australian art. The latest cost is $430 million to $450 million. Will it work? Kim Dovey says the biggest concern is the prospect of an empty square. The worry is why will people go there once theyve been once or twice? What will attract them back? It wont be Lets go to Federation Square to look at the stone facades. Architecture doesnt have that type of pulling power. It has the art gallery and the Centre for the Moving Image, but may need more, he believes. Peter Seamer does not doubt Melburnians will use the square, but not everyone will like it. At least theyre talking about it. The huge mistake at Fed Square would have been to build something that looked like a suburban shopping centre, like Southland. The project may at last give Melbourne the city square it has wanted since the 1850s. Author and historian Andrew Brown-May believes it could be the realisation of a dream, the practical culmination of a century and a half of vision and revision. Writing in Federation Square: A Place in History, he says: This new square promises to be a space for activity as well as architectural significance. It is sited in the logical place, at Melbournes southern gateway, an area alive with history. Loading Unlike the area opposite Melbourne Town Hall, which is exposed to traffic fumes, Federation Square, like St Marks square in Venice, folds in on itself, making it an ideal location, Mr Seamer says. The architects project portfolio promises that Federation Square will be a reaffirmation of the original interactive nature of civic existence. Rather than a closed enclave of controlled and regulated activities, this project creates a network of animated, emotive and enlightening experiences. The architects idea was that the buildings would be a metaphor for pulling together disparate elements - the states - while allowing them to retain their individuality. Mr Dovey says another interpretation could be that the square celebrates not the states but the federation of differences of culture and beliefs, for which Melbourne is known. Russian billionaire Alexander Abramov is fighting to overturn sanctions imposed on him because of the war in Ukraine, telling the Federal Court the Australian government made mistakes and that claims he is an oligarch are false. Abramov was sanctioned and restricted from entering Australia in April when former foreign minister Marise Payne revealed 67 Russian elites and oligarchs had been added to the sanction list due to their alleged closeness with the Russian government, which had just begun an unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Russian billionaire Alexander Abramov sued Foreign Minister Penny Wong last month. Credit:Getty Images The 63-year-old, who is the co-founder of Evraz, the worlds largest steel manufacturer and Russias biggest taxpayer, is estimated to have made his $9 billion fortune in the steel and mining industry. On Tuesday, his lawyer, Ron Merkel, KC, called for his client to be removed from the list of business, military and political figures hit with sanctions, telling the Federal Court in Melbourne there was no evidence he had any influence over the Russian government or President Vladimir Putin. Victoria has been handed $2.2 billion for the Andrews governments flagship Suburban Rail Loop but will lose at least $1 billion in funding for other infrastructure projects announced by the former Coalition government. In a major shift in priorities for infrastructure spending, Tuesdays budget locks in funding for the controversial train line, which would if completed arc 90 kilometres around Melbourne from Cheltenham to Werribee via the airport. The first section of the Suburban Rail Loop is due to cost $35 billion and be finished in 2035. Credit:Jason South The first stage, from Cheltenham to Box Hill, is expected to cost about $35 billion. The state government has already promised to stump up $11.8 billion, and it wants a one-third contribution from the Commonwealth. The remaining third is expected to come from private sector development opportunities around the line. But the federal budget confirms the initial $2.2 billion contribution from the Commonwealth will come at a cost to Victoria the cancellation or delay of a raft of Victorian projects backed by the former government. Multinational corporations will pay an extra $1 billion in tax under a new clampdown on excessive deductions and profit-shifting to lower-taxing countries, as the government also seeks to raise $3.7 billion more by targeting tax-dodging individuals and businesses. Tuesday nights budget implemented Labors pledge to crack down on tactics used by global corporations to minimise their tax bills and extended various Australian Tax Office (ATO) compliance programs. The government is planning a suite of measures to boost tax receipts, including a crackdown on multinational corporations. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The move to squeeze out more tax receipts came as the government lifted its revenue estimates for the next four years by $142 billion, mainly on the back of soaring profits for resource companies, buoyed by high commodity prices. Under a plan targeting multinationals, the government said it would change the rules around interest deductions that global companies can make in Australia. A high-powered parliamentary committee will investigate Lidia Thorpes brief relationship with former Rebels bikie president Dean Martin after the Senate voted to refer the Greens senator. Thorpe also confirmed on Tuesday she is still friends with Martin, with whom she had a relationship in 2021 while she was a member of the joint parliamentary law enforcement committee. Greens senator Lidia Thorpe addresses the Senate in response to her referral to the privileges committee. Credit:James Brickwood Greens leader Adam Bandt also revealed the Department of Finance was conducting a separate review into Thorpes office and the Greens were reviewing their processes after a former staffer complained about the way their complaint about the senator had been handled. The Senate on Tuesday voted to refer Thorpe to the Senate privileges committee as she denied any suggestions she had breached confidences while she was on the committee and dating Martin. London: Alexander Downer has revealed he advised Rishi Sunak on his immigration policy and has told Britains new prime minister to be upfront and straight with the British people about the economic repair required. Australias longest-serving foreign minister and former high commissioner to the UK told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that he earmarked Sunak for the premiership in 2019 while watching him in pre-election debates and in the media. I thought to myself, this guy is really excellent, I havent seen many politicians who are better at explaining the situation in simple, clear terms, Downer said. He was unbeatable as a debater and I thought to myself then this guy could be the PM one day, and that day is today. London: Rishi Sunak has recreated the top team of his predecessor and retained leading allies of Boris Johnson in an effort to end the bitter infighting within the Conservative Party and unite Britain after months of turmoil. Sunak arrived at Downing Street on Tuesday (London time) after several months of political and economic chaos. He became the third prime minister in two months after being invited to form a government by King Charles. New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak waves after arriving at Downing Street. Credit:AP He told the public there were difficult decisions to come, warning that the United Kingdom was facing a profound economic crisis as it dealt with the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic and Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine. Speaking outside the famous black door of No.10, the new prime minister said that he would not leave the next generation ... with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves. A former US military pilot and flight instructor who worked in China was arrested in Australia and faces extradition to the United States, court documents and company records show. Australian Federal Police arrested Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, on Friday in Orange, NSW, and he appeared in court there on the same day, court records show and two police sources and his lawyer confirmed. A former US military pilot and flight instructor who worked in China has been arrested in Australia. Credit:Bloomberg His lawyer appeared by videoconference, and Duggan was denied bail and taken to nearby Bathurst jail, two of the sources said. Duggan is a former US citizen and the federal police were acting on a US request for his arrest ahead of likely formal extradition proceedings, said one of the police sources, who was not authorised to speak publicly. He added, Wed all like to see this war end today, and quite frankly it could end today if Mr Putin did the right thing and pulled his troops out. The lawmakers are at pains to differentiate themselves from the Republicans who are also challenging Bidens approach to Ukraine. Some conservatives are now questioning US aid to Ukraine because of its cost and, in a few cases, voicing apparent sympathy for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Loading We are under no illusions regarding the difficulties involved in engaging Russia given its outrageous and illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Democrats letter states. If there is a way to end the war while preserving a free and independent Ukraine, it is Americas responsibility to pursue every diplomatic avenue to support such a solution that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine. The letter was signed by some of the best-known and most outspoken liberal Democrats in Congress, including Jamie Raskin, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Ro Khanna and Ilhan Omar. For now, their position remains a minority in the Democratic Party, which has overwhelmingly supported Bidens denunciations of Russia and his spearheading of a global coalition to funnel massive support to Ukraine. Biden has framed the conflict as part of his broader view that the world is witnessing a historic confrontation between authoritarianism and democracy. Not even every member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus joined in Mondays call for a change in strategy. Ruben Gallego indicated he supported providing Ukraine with enough aid and weapons to win the war outright. The liberals appeal for a shift in strategy comes amid some of the most significant US-Russian diplomatic engagement in some time, as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin recently talked with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, for the first time in months. The two spoke by phone Friday and again on Sunday at Shoigus request, Austin wrote on Twitter. Despite Bidens success so far in rallying support for Ukraine, he now faces the prospect of cracks in the coalition as Europe heads into a difficult winter, gas prices remain high at home, Putin threatens nuclear actions and both sides appear to be digging in for the long, bloody haul. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking Monday at an international summit on Russias aggression against Ukraine, downplayed the possibility that US aid to Ukraine would end if Republicans take the House. I believe that the support for Ukraine and the people of Ukraine . . . will not stop, Pelosi said, adding that support for Ukraine is bipartisan, it is bicameral. But the liberals letter suggests pressure may now start coming from the left as well - albeit for different reasons - creating a political pincer movement that would make it harder for the president to blame opposition to his Ukraine policy solely on Republicans. When asked how long the United States can be expected to pour billions into the war effort, Biden and his top aides frequently say, as long as it takes. But privately, US officials say neither Russia nor Ukraine is capable of winning the war outright, suggesting a fundamental change in dynamic would be required if the conflict is to end in the foreseeable future. For now, Bidens aides have ruled out the idea of pushing or even nudging Ukraine to the negotiating table, saying it is a matter of principle that nations get to decide their own fate. They say they do not know what the end of the war looks like or when it might happen, insisting that it is up to Kyiv. But a growing number of lawmakers and foreign policy experts are challenging that position, arguing that Russia will not take any negotiations seriously unless the United States is at the table, given its leadership of the West and its investment in Ukraines war effort. Loading The risk of the strategy is it has no conception of an endgame, said George Beebe, director of grand strategy at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, adding, Its a recipe for continuing this war. The Quincy Institute, which advocates for diplomatic solutions to international conflicts, is one of several groups that endorsed the liberal lawmakers letter after seeing an early version. Behind the liberals concern is the reality that the war only seems to be escalating. Russia last month illegally annexed four Ukrainian territories, a move condemned by more than 140 countries at the United Nations. Putin has also repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons, prompting Biden to warn that the world faces the most serious prospect of Armageddon in 60 years. President Biden said quite accurately that if present trends continue, we could be headed toward the most dangerous crisis weve faced since the Cuban missile crisis. The question then is, what do we do about that? said Beebe, who served as director of the CIAs Russia analysis team and as special adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney. Simply saying its up to Ukraine to decide is abdicating the responsibility Americas leaders have to safeguard the security in all of this. Congress so far has provided the White House with nearly all the money and weapons it has requested for Ukraine, but surveys suggest that public support for the war effort is softening. A Pew Research poll found that the share of Americans who are extremely or very concerned about a Ukrainian defeat fell from 55 per cent in May to 38 per cent in September. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 32 per cent say the United States is providing too much support for the war, up from 9 per cent in March. A torn Ukraine flag waves among debris in a school destroyed in a Russian bombing in Bakhmut. Credit:Francisco Seco In all, the United States has authorised upward of $US60 billion ($94.8 billion) in aid to Ukraine. The Senate voted to finalise more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance in May, the largest investment in Ukraine thus far. All Democrats in both chambers supported that package, but signs of a small but notable GOP dissent were evident, as 57 of 212 House Republicans and 11 of 50 Senate Republicans voted against the aid. Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said that neither Russian nor Ukrainian leaders are likely to agree to negotiated compromises right now. The United States has argued that Russia flagrantly violated the United Nations charter by invading its neighbour, which complicates any negotiations because it would put the burden on Washington to explain how any compromise respects the U.N. charter. Still, Haass, who has held various high-level diplomatic positions in the U.S. government, said it is up to the United States to define what success could look like and to outline acceptable outcomes. One of the norms at stake is that territory is not to be acquired through the use of force. For those who favour the United States pushing for a deal, the burden is on them to explain how does the United States do that in a way thats consistent with that principle, Haass said. At the end of the day, the United States cannot subcontract out its foreign policy to Ukraine or anybody else. We never do that. The letters signatories indicated that for now, they will still support Ukraine aid packages, but it remains unclear whether that would continue if Biden does not soon pursue a diplomatic track. We agree with the administrations perspective that it is not Americas place to pressure Ukraines government regarding sovereign decisions, the letter says. But as legislators responsible for the expenditure of tens of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in military assistance in the conflict, we believe such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues. Latest News Mortgage brokers hit more than 70% market share Highest percentage recorded for residential home loans RBA governor apologises to mortgage holders Lowe sorry interest rates comment was misconstrued Commonwealth Bank-owned stockbroker CommSec has acknowledged the decision of the Federal Court of Australia, following civil proceedings brought by corporate watchdog ASIC. In March 2021, ASIC commenced civil penalty proceedings against CommSec for alleged breaches of the Market Integrity Rules, Corporations Act, and ASIC Act relating to systemic compliance failures in the delivery of financial services. The court approved the $20 million penalty and the compliance programme that CommSec had agreed with ASIC. The court also accepted that there was no evidence to indicate that any of the contraventions were deliberate. We apologise to our customers who were impacted by our mistakes, CommSec EGM Richard Burns said. These errors never should have happened. CommSec has paid total remediation of $6.5 million (including interest) to customers affected by the issues and this program is now complete. We have strengthened our systems and procedures to address these errors. We will implement a compliance programme as agreed with ASIC and required by the court which will be monitored by an independent expert, and we fully support this process. In a media release, CBA said the issues arose from errors such as information technology system coding or systems issues, human error, and/or data entry errors. The issue where there was a direct financial loss to some customers was in relation to instances of brokerage overcharging. Latest News Mortgage brokers hit more than 70% market share Highest percentage recorded for residential home loans RBA governor apologises to mortgage holders Lowe sorry interest rates comment was misconstrued NAB has opened applications for $1,000 grants and additional financial relief to customers who were severely affected by flooding in Victoria, NSW, and Tasmania. The funds can be used by those experiencing major structural damage or severe internal damage to their property to meet their immediate needs. This includes business and agriculture customers who have suffered severe damage to property, equipment, fencing or loss of stock or livestock. The bank has also forked out $100,000 to Disaster Relief Australia to fund the mud-army recovery operations that assist with the cleanup. NAB colleagues are already volunteering with DRA in cleanup areas where it is safe to do so. Members of the community can also volunteer for DRAs mud-army or donate to support cleanup efforts as part of NABs national fundraising campaign. Communities are rallying together in the face of rising flood waters and doing their best to protect their homes, farms and businesses from the devastating impact of floods, said Rachel Slade, NAB group executive forpersonal banking. There are NAB customers who have already lost so much, and our message to them is that we are here to help you through this. NAB is also offering flood-impacted customers loan deferral or reduced payment arrangements and waiving of some fees or charges relating to their accounts. To apply for NAB customer support, NAB customers who live in officially declared disaster areas, as listed by the Department of Home Affairs Disaster Assist website can apply online at https://www.nab.com.au/common/forms/disastergrant. All enquiries will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and require evidence showing significant property damage. NAB customer grant applications will be open until Nov. 8 and will provide initial support of up to a total of $1,000,000. Any further customer support measures will be considered as the situation evolves. Business customers can call NAB Assist on 1300 308 132 or 1300 769 650 for further assistance. To volunteer for the Disaster Relief Australia mud-army, click here. Indian mobile application developers hailed the Competition Commission of Indias decision to impose a fine of Rs 937 crore on for abusing its dominant position with regard to its Play Store policies as a collective win for Indian start-ups. The asked to not restrict app developers from using third-party billing/payment processing services. Sijo Kuruvilla, former executive director of the think tank Alliance of Foundation, tweeted: Absolute collective win by the Indian start-up ecosystem. Our Diwali gift for the world. The verdict is an inflection point. Will result in a domino effect in other markets and geographies. In March, had launched a pilot programme that allowed a few developers to offer an additional billing system alongside that of Google Play. That initiative came ahead of Googles announcement of reducing commissions to 15 per cent from 30 per cent for the first $1 million of revenue developers earned each year using the Play billing system, following a similar move by Apple. The company said because of the shift, 99 per cent of developers would qualify for a service fee of 15 per cent or less on its app store. This was done at a time when the had initiated a probe into the Play Store payment system in 2020. Indian start-ups have been claiming since then that Google abused its monopoly position, enforcing the billing system, and levying a 30 per cent commission on the transactions. All apps distributed on the that offer in-app purchases of digital goods need to use Google Plays billing system. Google did not comment on the issue. Snehil Khanor, founder and CEO of dating app TrulyMadly, said: On CCIs comment that stated Google shall not restrict app developers from communicating with their users: When you think about it, these should have never been restricted in the first place. He added that it was a great verdict that would protect Indian entrepreneurs from digital colonialism. Vinay Singhal, co-founder and CEO, Stage, a regional OTT platform, said the order set a precedent for how other tech would treat Indian developers and consumers. All in all, this is a landmark order, along with ADIF and everyone else involved in this fight deserves a huge round of applause, Singhal said. South Korea is the only other country that has fined Google for its pricing strategy. The country amended its telecommunications Act last year to prohibit app store operators from forcing the use of only their proprietary billing systems. While announcing the pilot Google acknowledged these changes. Based on the experience from other geographies, its certain that Google will fight this tooth and nail, but this order by CCI is a great Diwali present for for sure, said Khanor. With a view to nurture the growing interest of deep space tech startups in India, India Space Congress, 2022 (ISC'22) announced a number of initiatives to showcase excellence by engaging with 'iDEX 75 Space Challenges' which was announced by Prime Minister during the Defence Expo, partnering with Microsoft to extend Founders Hub benefits to the 15 shortlisted startups. As part of the Founders hub program, 15 selected startups may apply to Founders Hub and avail up to $150,000 worth of free Azure credits. Five finalists of Space Tech startups will be pitching their ideas to the industry leaders and investors at the session 'Pitch Right for Skyrocketing Startups' on October 27, 2022. A specially curated mentorship engagement with senior executives of leading is in store for the startups. Anil Prakash, DG - SIA-India said, "SIA-India welcomes these engagements to help startups to launch their ambition to the next orbit with sure chances of success. With iDEX and Microsoft onboard, we look forward to the beginning of a partnership that will reap benefits to the deep tech space startups. These alliances will work towards fostering, incubating and hand holding promising startups." He further added, "The India Space Congress will have on the same platform decision makers, industry stakeholders and policy makers. The three-day congress will not only pave way for deliberations but will also provide a learning curve to stakeholders." The three-day India Space Congress 2022 is going to witness 500 plus delegates, 180 Speakers, 35 thematic sessions from 20 nationalities. The platform is to open dialogue, discuss business models, talk about regulatory challenges and possible learnings from other geographies, generate interest in the new entrepreneurs - all this towards the goal of making 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' a reality. Speakers from 30 countries will indulge in intense discussions and will touch upon various aspects of space segments and build up a new age space ecosystem in the country. --IANS kvm/dpb (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.) Global major Coca-Cola Company on Tuesday said its lemon and lime-flavoured soft drink Sprite has become a $1-billion brand in the Indian market. The company attributed the success of the brand to locally-adapted occasion-based global marketing campaigns. James Quincey, chairman and chief executive officer of Coca-Cola, told after an earnings call, In India, we continue to strengthen the first half of the year as we gained share in sparkling . Trademark delivered strong growth with effective execution and occasion-based marketing. In February, the company informed that its brand became a $1-billion brand in India. India is the fifth-largest market for Coca-Cola globally. On a year-to-date basis, Coca-Cola drove approximately 2.5 billion transactions at affordable price points through the expansion of returnable glass bottles and single-serve polyethylene terephthalate packages in India, Quincey told . India had a knock-out quarter. Clearly, they are having a very strong run this year, said Quincey. He also said that the company is looking to continue to invest strongly in the country. On a consolidated basis, Coca-Colas unit case volume grew 4 per cent, with broad-based growth across most operating segments, it said in its September quarter earnings release. It added, Growth in developed markets was led by Western Europe, Mexico, and the US, while growth in developing and emerging markets was led by India, China, and Brazil. In nutrition, juice, dairy, and plant-based beverages were even, as growth in the quarter ended September, led by Minute Maid Pulpy in China, Maaza in India, and fairlife in the US, was offset by declines primarily in local brands in Eastern Europe. In Asia-Pacific, its unit case volume grew 9 per cent, driven by strong growth in India and China. Growth was led by sparkling and hydration, the company said. In bottling investments, Coca-Colas unit case volume grew 16 per cent, driven by strength in India and Vietnam. also saw its beverage volume witness double-digit growth in India in the 12 weeks ended on September 3. Also, its convenient food volume grew in mid single-digits. It also said in its earnings, Convenient foods unit volume declined 2 per cent (in Africa, West Asia, and South Asia), primarily reflecting high single-digit decline in South Africa, partially offset by double-digit growth in West Asia and Pakistan and mid-single-digit growth in India. PepsiCos beverage unit volume grew 11 per cent, which primarily reflected double-digit growth in India. The Tamil Nadu Police have arrested five people in the Coimbatore car blast case in which one person was killed, said officials here on Tuesday, adding that the case is likely to be taken over by Investigation Agency (NIA). The arrested have been identified as Mohammed Talka, Mohammed Azharuddin, Mohamed Navas Ismail, Mohammed Riyas and Firoze Ismail. Sources in the Tamil Nadu Police investigation team, which is probing the case, told IANS that the probe has been extended to Kerala. The probe team said that Mubin had been to Viyyur central jail and had met Mohammed Azharuddin, an accused in a terror related case. A team of senior officers of the Tamil Nadu Police were in Kerala for further investigation. Tamil Nadu Director General of Police C. Sylendra Babu met the investigation team led by Additional Director General of Police, Thamarakannu at Coimbatore on Monday and discussed the progress of the case. An explosion happened at 4 a.m. on Sunday near the famous Eeswaran temple at Ukkadam. The body of a 25-year-old youth Jameesha Mubin was recovered from the blast site. Ukkadam is a highly sensitive area of Coimbatore and was the centre of action in the 1996 Coimbatore blasts leading to the death of 56 people and injuring more than 200. Mohammed Talka, who has been arrested in the case, is the son of Navas Khan, who is the brother of the main accused in the Coimbatore blasts. Police said that after the recovery of nails and marbles from the accident site, it was suspected that the deceased was planning to make a low intensity device. The raids at the residence of the deceased found potassium nitrate and sulphur and this led to further investigation and probe on the involvement of other people in the conspiracy. After questioning, the police have arrested five men. Tamil Nadu Police officers told IANS that the probe was likely to be taken over by the Investigation Agency (NIA). Opposition parties, AIADMK and BJP, have come out strongly against the failure of the state police. The AIADMK interim general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami told the mediapersons that whenever the DMK assumes power in the state such things happen, and charged that the law and order situation in the state has hit a new low . BJP leader and state president K.Annamalai has come out strongly against the DMK government and state police and demanded an NIA probe. --IANS aal/dpb (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.) Competition Commission Chairperson Ashok Kumar Gupta on Tuesday said the regulator has been pragmatic in levying and quantifying penalties as the enforcement actions are not divorced from business and economic realities. Gupta, who will be demitting office on Tuesday after being at the helm of the watchdog for nearly four years, also said that the feasibility of an ex-ante framework should be considered for effectively regulating digital markets. The (CCI) has been taking steps to ensure fair competition in the digital market and last Thursday, it passed a major order against Google for the abuse of dominance in multiple markets in relation to Android mobile devices. When asked about Google's comments on the ruling related to the Android matter, the chairperson declined to comment. Last Wednesday, the watchdog slapped penalties totalling Rs 392 crore on MakeMyTrip, Goibibo and OYO for unfair business practices. "We, at CCI, are presently addressing competition concerns in digital markets through our anti-trust enforcement measures, which are essentially ex-post. "However, the need and rationale for ex-ante regulation to supplement these efforts of CCI cannot be over-emphasised in view of the experience gained and difficulties faced by CCI in effecting timely market correction in digital markets," Gupta told PTI in an interview. He also emphasised that there is a need to closely consider the feasibility of an ex-ante framework to address domestic needs for effectively regulating digital markets, which will supplement the ex-post enforcement actions of CCI. "Considering that India has the world's third-largest startup ecosystem with tech-based startup ecosystem permeating across sectors, it would be entirely appropriate and timely that we, in India, also stay aligned with the frameworks, which are being evolved by our counterparts in regulating digital markets through ex-ante measures lest we remain behind the curve," he noted. To a query about competition law jurisprudence in the country with respect to big tech players, the CCI chief said the regulator is at a very critical moment in the evolution of competition law jurisprudence in India. "Going forward, I believe, as the issues posed are similar, competition agencies across the globe need to collaborate to exchange learnings and experiences. This will provide certainty to the markets," he said. Over the year, CCI has been taking a light approach towards MSMEs and leniency with respect to cartel cases where there are proactive disclosures by the entities concerned. "We have been pragmatic in levying and quantifying penalties as our enforcement actions are not divorced from business and economic realities," Gupta said. He also stressed that CCI's purpose is to ensure faster market correction and not to enforce the regime, which is characterised by the heavy imposition of penalties, which in any event, get mired in litigation making the other remedies as well a casualty in the appellate process. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister on Tuesday said the Centre, along with government, is trying to find a pragmatic and sustainable solution to the state's flood and erosion problems. Sonowal, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said this during his visit to several erosion affected areas of his home district Dibrugarh in . He made enquiries with the common people about the losses incurred due to of the erosion, especially by Brahmaputra and Dibru rivers. The minister visited Pukhurijaan, Balijaan, Bindhakota, Bornamghorstholi, Gereki Nepali and other affected areas, an official statement said. "To find a pragmatic and sustainable solution to Assam's flood and erosion woes, the Union and state governments are working together under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said. The minister said the government is giving special emphasis on creating a scientific solution to prevent erosion in the state. He said erosion resistant embankment between Guijaan and Maaijan in Dibrugarh is being worked out to prevent any future occurrence of erosion in the area. "We believe that this project will bring in much required relief to the people residing on the banks of rivers, especially in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. I am confident that the financial assistance of Rs 110 crore provided by the Modi government to tackle the flood and erosion problems of Dinjaan, Pukhurijaan, Guuijaan and other adjoining areas, will bring in much required relief to the people," he said. The minister discussed about corrective steps being taken in view of the reported loss of livestock and farm stock in these areas. Sonowal was accompanied by Chabua MLA Ponakan Baruah, chairman of the Tourism Development Corporation Rituparna Baruah, and vice-chairman of the Assam State Housing Board Subhash Dutta, among others, the statement said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) recorded 53 fresh Covid cases with an increased positivity rate of 3.26 per cent and one death due to the disease on Monday, according to data shared by the health department. With these new cases, the capital's infection tally climbed to 20,05,676 while the death toll stood at 26,508, the department said in its latest bulletin. The new cases were detected from 1,625 tests conducted on Sunday, it said. The government had on Thursday issued an order withdrawing the Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks in public places in the national capital. Experts, however, said people, especially those in the vulnerable category like pregnant women and the elderly, should continue to wear masks in crowded areas. Doctors at leading government and private hospitals in the city concurred that people should exercise "extra caution" because though cases in are on the lower side, a new variant of the is being reported which is very transmissible. The city on Sunday reported 87 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 2.07 percent. The government did not issue any health bulletin on Saturday and Friday. The city logged 118 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 1.77 per cent on Thursday and 107 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 1.64 per cent on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the national capital saw 141 cases with a positivity rate of 2.04 per cent, while 61 cases with a positivity rate of 3.61 per cent were reported on Monday. The number of active Covid cases in Delhi now stands at 385, the bulletin stated, adding 303 patients are under home isolation. Of the 8,819 beds reserved for Covid patients in various city hospitals, 41 are occupied, it said. There are 48 containment zones in Delhi. The number of daily cases in Delhi touched a record high of 28,867 on January 13 during the third wave of the pandemic. The city recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave. (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.) Despite the central government more than doubling budgetary support in the last eight years, the region has lagged behind in economic output and job creation, an NEC official said here on Tuesday. Lakhs of youth from the region are going to other parts of the country for jobs, which implies that "something is amiss in terms of economic development", North Eastern Council Secretary K Moses Chalai said. In 2013-14, the total 10 per cent GBS (gross budgetary support) was around Rs 34,000 crore. This financial year, it has reached Rs 76,000 crore. "Despite this, the production and distribution of goods and services are not happening enough and there are not enough jobs, Chalai said, while speaking at a function at the North Eastern Hill University here. Fifty-five central ministries and departments are mandated to spend at least 10 per cent of their gross budgetary support (GBS) for the central sector and centrally sponsored schemes in the northeastern region to accelerate the pace of development. Chalai, who has recently been appointed as chairman of the inter-ministerial committee for development of border areas in the region, said that the north-east is today surrounded by the world's fastest developing economies, including Bangladesh. It is the time for the north-east to look at itself and come up with strategies to match with the growth," he said. The NE's share of the trade between Bangladesh and India is only about two per cent, the NEC secretary said. We have been penalised because of the partition and this has shocked us in terms of disruption of the connectivity, he said. Noting that successive central governments have always been supportive of the northeastern states, Chalai said that the current dispensation led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown "even more affection" as the PM and the central ministers' visits to the region have "increased tremendously". He also said the inter-ministerial committee will soon hold a meeting, and joint secretaries of all ministries home affairs, finance, commerce, agriculture, border area development and other related departments will attend it. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : The Biden administration has appointed senior foreign service officer Elizabeth Jones the Charg d'Affaires ad interim at the in New Delhi, an official announcement said. Jones, who was the coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts recently, will depart to New Delhi soon, the State Department said in an announcement on Monday. Jones has earlier served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and Ambassador to Kazakhstan. She carries the highest foreign service rank of Career Ambassador. In India, Ambassador Jones will join our Embassy and Consulate interagency teams in advancing and expanding the partnership between our governments and people, a partnership that Secretary Blinken has called one of the most consequential in the world, the Department of State said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister on Tuesday spoke to his British counterpart James Cleverly on a day Rishi Sunak took charge as the UK's first Indian-origin prime minister. In the Cabinet reshuffle being effected by Sunak, Cleverly is set to stay as the foreign secretary. In a tweet, Jaishankar said he and the British foreign secretary discussed counter-terror cooperation, bilateral ties and the Ukraine conflict. "Received a call from UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Discussed counter-terrorism, bilateral relations and the Ukraine conflict," Jaishankar said. On his part, Cleverly said, "Great to speak with India's External Affairs Minister Dr today." "We discussed the Russia-Ukraine crisis and that the UK will be challenging Russia's rhetoric and allegations during the UNSC today," he said. In his first address at the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London, Sunak said that he takes over at a time when the UK is facing a "profound economic crisis" as it deals with the aftermath of COVID and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. India and the UK have been engaged in negotiations for a free trade agreement. Over a week ago, Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said both sides holding negotiations for an early finalisation of the pact that could be beneficial to both sides. (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 neighbours, it is natural for China and India to have some differences but the focus should be to seek common ground for development while resolving the pending issues through dialogue, outgoing Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said on Tuesday. His comments came at the end of his little over three-year tenure that saw the ties between India and China coming under severe strain following the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, 2020, which marked the most serious military conflicts between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. "China and India are important neighbours to each other. It is only natural for China and India having some differences. The key is how to handle the differences," Sun said in his farewell remarks. "We should be aware that the common interests of the two countries are greater than differences. Meanwhile, the two sides should strive to manage and resolve differences, and look for a proper solution through dialogue and consultation, instead of defining China-India relations by differences," he said. He also referred to Rabindranath Tagore. "The famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore said that we Easterners can neither borrow the minds of the West nor the temperament of the West. We need to discover our own right to be born with. I fully agree with him." Sun said the two countries need to respect each other's political systems and development paths, and uphold the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs and avoid "misunderstanding and miscalculation". "If the Western theory of geopolitics is applied to the China-India relationship, then major neighbouring countries like us will inevitably view each other as threats and rivals. Consequently, competition and confrontation will be the main mode of interaction, and zero-sum game will be inevitable result," he said. "But the reality is that geographical proximity is an objective existence. It should be an opportunity for us to have more interaction and cooperation, tap our potential and learn from and complement each other," the ambassador said. The ambassador mentioned three specific dimensions of the Sino-India ties, emphasising on enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides. "We should enhance communication and cooperation. China and India have established dialogue mechanisms in various levels and departments. We should make full use of all the communication channels, deepen mutual understanding in order to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a fresh advisory, the in on Tuesday asked all Indians there to leave the country immediately in view of increasing hostilities. The new advisory came less than a week after a similar advisory was issued following the deteriorating security situation in . "In continuation of the advisory issued by the embassy on October 19, all Indian citizens in are advised to immediately leave Ukraine by available means," the embassy said. It said some Indian nationals have already left Ukraine pursuant to the earlier advisory. The embassy has asked the Indian nationals to contact it for any guidance or assistance to travel to the Ukrainian border for exiting the country. There has been an intensification of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine with Moscow carrying out retaliatory missile strikes targeting various Ukrainian cities in response to a huge blast in Crimea around three weeks back. Moscow blamed Kyiv for the blast. India has been pressing for a resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government on Tuesday signed an agreement with the state owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) for commissioning of three hydro electric projects with a total generation capacity of 235 MW. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, also in charge of the Power department, after the agreement signing ceremony, said the under the agreement would set up the Umiam stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 hydro power plants. The Umiam stage 3 is in the final stage and is expected to start the implementation process soon. Both Stage-I and Stage-II would cost around Rs 1,750 crore with 70 per cent loan. Noting that has been facing power deficit of 50 per cent of total demand of electricity during peak hours, Tynsong said that he told the officials and engineers to ensure that the signing of an agreement on Tuesday should not remain in the paper but should be made into a reality at the earliest. He said that the state government is likely to scrap agreements signed earlier with few more private investors as they failed to execute their commitments. --IANS sc/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 spread between Indian government and their corporate counterparts is expected to widen in the second half of this year, as tight liquidity and increased borrowings will push investors to demand higher returns, analysts said. "Many corporates and state-run companies that delayed borrowing will have to tap the market to fulfil their target, and with tightening liquidity conditions, yields on corporate papers are expected to see higher impact as compared to government debt," said Venkatakrishnan Srinivasan, founder and managing partner at debt advisory firm Rockfort Fincap. The spread between government and corporate yields had dropped sharply in the previous quarter but has been rising since the beginning of this month. For example, AAA-rated SIDBI sold three-year notes at a coupon of 7.75%, earlier in October, while the three-year government bond yield was at 7.33%. The spread between such papers was around 20 bps in September. "Over the next 12-18 months, I see many arguments for an increase in spreads. It should be pre-dominantly driven by the confidence that corporate India has to expand balance sheets, which will lead to more funding needs," said Amit Tripathi, CIO-fixed income investments at Nippon Life. Moreover, the current levels of are more attractive for companies, considering bank loan rates have also risen and require collateral, said market participants. India's banking system liquidity deficit has jumped to 42-month high levels, and traders do not expect conditions to improve sharply over the rest of the year, meaning investors will start to look for higher yields. When overnight funding rates are more than 6%, it indicates tight liquidity, and in such times, investors will demand higher-than-prevailing yields, said Mandar Pitale, head of treasury at SBM Bank (India). He added there could be good traction from at least the higher-rated issuers. Meanwhile, traders also expect companies that had opted to raise funds in dollars to shift their focus to rupee-denominated debt as it could be cheaper to as refinance. "A lot of companies had got cheap funds from external debt borrowing and that should be shifting to local market. The spreads should not be as flat as we saw in the first half and should rise as we move forward," Nippon Life's Tripathi said. (Reporting by Dharamraj Lalit Dhutia; Editing by Savio D'Souza) (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 takes over as Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister on Tuesday, there is renewed hope that the India- free trade agreement (FTA) will get a much-needed impetus after the Diwali deadline for draft completion was missed amid political turmoil in the . While the October timeline was set by former prime minister Boris Johnson during his visit in April, Sunak is on the record expressing his commitment to an FTA with while Chancellor of the Exchequer at No. 11 Downing Street. He has flagged financial services as a particularly exciting aspect of the bilateral trade relationship and pointed to enormous opportunity for both countries in fintech and the insurance sector. I'm very supportive of playing an increasingly influential role in the region, and indeed, in the world as a massive economy and the world's largest democracy and an FTA would prove a greater champion of that cause, Sunak told reporters back in July. Financial service is an area where there's enormous opportunity for both of our countries. India's goal is to spread insurance across the entire economy, because insurance is a great thing for enabling protection for individuals and growth. We can help with that in the UK, because we have a fantastic insurance industry, he said. The City of London Corporation, the financial hub of the capital, expressed the hope that Sunak's focus on services would take the FTA in the right direction. An India trade deal could be one of the most ambitious and commercially meaningful deals to the UK, said Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman at the City of London Corporation. With negotiations going beyond Diwali, this presents us with an opportunity to prioritise the content of the deal. And we hope the new Prime Minister will provide a fresh impetus in securing a deal, he said. Services make up around 70 per cent of annual trade between our countries. So, a deal that doesn't deliver for this sector would be a missed opportunity. Firms will be keen to see the agreement focus on enabling smoother digital trade, free flow of data and make it easier for people to work and live in each other's countries. This will ultimately bring significant benefits to both consumers and businesses across the UK and India, he added. Other strategic experts point out that he is yet to visit India during his tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer and takes over at 10 Downing Street at a particularly tumultuous period to be able to focus on ties on India. is yet to be tested on foreign policy and defence issues, says Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South Asia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank in London. Having been born in the UK with parents originating from East Africa, has not been a public advocate of strong ties with India during his parliamentary and ministerial stints. Indeed, as Chancellor of the Exchequer for over two years, he did not visit India even once. There is no indication that this outlook is likely to change as Prime Minister when he needs to focus on a much larger foreign and security canvas, he said. Meanwhile, Sunak's commitment to achieving a partnership of equals between India and the UK with two-way flows of talent is expected to distance the government from former home secretary Suella Braverman's recent controversial statements on Indians as the largest group of visa overstayers which pushed the FTA negotiations further off track. The UK doesn't have a monopoly on opportunity. There's an enormous amount of opportunity in India, we also want to make sure that if this living bridge is going to be a real thing, we have got to make it easier for people in the UK to go to India, to study at world class institutions to go work in all these amazing start-ups, Sunak had said while he was the finance minister. The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK has called upon him to be the Prime Minister who addresses a long-standing issue and removes international students from being counted as part of the country's migration figures. I hope that Rishi as PM will champion the skills and knowledge exchange critical to the growth of both our countries and not bow down to noise on immigration from the far right, said NISAU UK chair Sanam Arora. I sincerely hope Rishi also recognises the bizarre situation of counting international students as migrants and we call on him to be the PM who changes this, a move that can be transformative for the British economy and higher education sector, she said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Institute of of India ( CA) has released the admit cards for its November Exam 2022. The admit cards are available on their official website: .org. The candidates can download their CA admit cards by entering the login ID, which is communicated in the registration email, along with the password. The ICAI CA November Exam 2022 will be conducted in offline mode. Heres a step-by-step guide on how to download the ICAI CA November 2022: Log on to ICAI CAs official website: icai.org Once you hand on the homepage, look for the "ICAI CA November Admit Card" link. The link will direct you to a new page wherein you can login your credentials. Enter the login ID and the password received in the email Click submit Once your ICAI CA 2022 is displayed, download it and take a printout of the same. ICAI CA Final November 2022 exams will be conducted from November 1 to November 16, 2022, according to the schedule. While the CA Intermediate is scheduled to be held from November 2 to November 17, 2022. The ICAI CA 2022 Inter can be downloaded through this direct link: https://cdn3.tcsion.com//EForms/configuredHtml/1666/71729/login.html The ICAI CA 2022 Final Admit card can be downloaded through this direct link: https://cdn3.tcsion.com//EForms/configuredHtml/1666/71730/login.html The ICAI CA Foundation 2022 December exams, paper 1 and paper 2, will be held on December 14, 16, 18, and 20. In a fresh twist to the battle between shareholders and management of Dhanlaxmi Bank, the on Tuesday ruled in favour of the bank on writ petitions filed by four individuals demanding board positions. The petitioners were P K Vijayakumar, K N Madhusoodanan, P Mohanan and Prakash D L. Their candidature for board positions had been rejected by the bank last year. The petition was filed against the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and its board of directors. This March, the high court stopped the bank from holding an annual general meeting for the appointment of directors until the legal issues were sorted. According to sources, the court indicated that the petitions were not maintainable. A source said the petitioners have the option to appeal against this judgement at the Supreme Court or in civil courts or NCLT. The current directors on the banks board are C K Gopinathan, a former director of Catholic Syrian Bank, who holds 10 per cent equity; Chief Executive Officer J K Sivan; independent director, G Rajagopalan Nair, an expert on fintech with a long experience in banking; and the two RBI nominees: D K Kashyap and Jayakumar Yarasi. The court ruling comes amid a call by a group of nine shareholders of the Thrissur-based bank to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the bank on November 12, in a move to curb the spending powers of its chief executive officer, J K Shivan. The nine shareholders collectively hold about 13 per cent shares in the company. The group is led by R P Group head Ravindran Pillai, who holds a 9.99 per cent stake in the company. The shareholders are seeking a curb on the powers of the CEO on issues related to capital and revenue expenditure, except statutory payments like salaries and wages, central and state taxes. It added that the powers will remain suspended till the date on which a proper quorum and composition of the board of directors of the bank, audit committee, and other mandatory committees of the board are reinstated and RBI and Sebi guidelines are followed. Through another resolution, the shareholders were also seeking a settlement of a legal battle with some shareholders regarding board positions. The differences between the management and shareholders had led to the exit of several top executives of the bank over the past 5-6 years. The list of recent exits include Suseela Menon (independent director) this May, Sunil Gurbaxani (ousted as CEO) in October 2020, G Subramonia Iyer (part-time chairman) in December 2021, Sajeev Krishnan (part-time chairman and independent director) in June 2020 and T Latha (MD and CEO) in October 2019. Eleven people, including children, have been killed in outbreak at a school in a rural community just outside Uganda's capital, Kampala, a police official said Tuesday. Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire said the overnight incident happened at a school for the blind in the district of Mukono, offering no more details. incidents at schools have been a cause of concern for education officials in the East African country. Two dormitories at a prominent boarding school in Kampala were destroyed in separate incidents in 2020. No one was hurt. In 2008, 19 students were killed in a nighttime outbreak at a boarding school for grade schoolers near Kampala in 2008. (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.) Canadian Prime Minister has greeted the Sikh community on the occasion of Bandi Chhor Divas. In an official statement issued on Monday, the Prime Minister said: Today, we join Sikh communities in and around the world to celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas. On this holiday, Sikhs commemorate the story of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, who was imprisoned in 1619 at Gwalior Fort. "When given the chance to be liberated from prison, the Guru refused to be released without the 52 innocent kings who were imprisoned alongside him. Ultimately, he succeeded at freeing himself and the kings." "Today, families and friends will gather to pray, feast, and light candles at their homes and gurdwaras as symbols of hope, guidance, and freedom. On Bandi Chhor Divas, we reflect on the importance of standing in solidarity with those around us facing injustice, and the importance of serving those in need. "This celebration is also an opportunity to recognize the important contributions that Canadians of the Sikh faith have made -- and continue to make -- to building a stronger . On Bandi Chhor Diwas (prisoner liberation day), the sixth Sikh guru, Sri Guru Hargobind, returned to Amritsar after being released along with 52 princes from imprisonment by the Mughal emperor Jahangir from Gwalior prison in 1619. --IANS vg/ (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.) Calling out the Chinese government's disregard for the rule of law, fair business practices, and norms, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray said continues to 'lie, cheat, and steal' in a bid for tech dominance. Director highlighted that there is a coordinated effort across the "Chinese government to lie, cheat, and steal their way into unfairly dominating entire technology sectors, putting competing US companies out of business." Director Wray made these remarks at a press conference announcing actions to disrupt criminal activity by individuals associated with the Chinese government hosted by the US Justice Department, on Monday. While discussing charged individuals he said, "10 of the 13 we're discussing today are Chinese intelligence officers and Chinese government officials. They're charged in three different cases that might seem at first glance to be about unrelated issues." However, saying that this is something he has been talking about for years, he noted "each of these cases lays bare the Chinese government's flagrant violation of laws, as they work to project their authoritarian view around the world, including within our own borders." "In all three of these cases, and in thousands of others, we've found the Chinese government threatening established democratic norms and the rule of law, as they work to undermine U.S. economic security and fundamental human rights--including those of Americans." "As I've pointed out before, their economic assault and their rights violations are part of the same problem. They both flout the rule of law. And one of the purposes of the Chinese government's repression is to make it easier to steal our innovation. They try to silence anyone who fights back against their theft--companies, politicians, individuals--just as they try to silence anyone who fights back against their other aggressions." Since he started as Director, he said he has been repeatedly sounding the alarm about the Chinese government's disregard for fair business practices, for norms, and for the rule of law. "The has been reaching out to and warning--and most importantly, helping--the communities that the Chinese government targets: Businesses of every size and in almost every sector, from agriculture, to green tech, to semiconductors; The Chinese-American community; Academia, and state and local governments; and Our foreign partners around the world." Speaking further in the conference, he said, "Today, every one of those partners is awake and alert to that threat in a way that just wasn't always true five years ago." "And our success bringing more and more partners to this fight highlights something else important: Beijing may think our adherence to the rule of law is a weakness, but they're wrong. We're disrupting Chinese government criminality and aggression not just while adhering to our values, but by adhering to our values." He added, "Our democratic and legal processes arm us with weapons doesn't have--among others, real partners and allies. And our partnerships help protect the American people every day. Today's cases are no different--we couldn't have accomplished this work without our foreign partners, and the U.S. academic community, in particular." Underlining that Beijing practises hypocrisy, he said the type of CCP hypocrisy on display in our Fox Hunt case today -- yet another case where Chinese government officials and co-conspirators mercilessly harassed a naturalized US citizen to try to force him to return to against his will. "They accused the victim in this case of embezzling money, but two of the subjects who targeted him--two of the defendants charged today--are themselves actually involved in a scheme to launder millions of dollars. As if that weren't enough evidence that the real purpose of their operation was political, they gave their victim a deadline to return by: the 20th CCP Congress earlier this month. They're focused on repression, not law enforcement." "But our partners also see the CCP's broader hypocrisy--the fact that while the CCP claims to stand for sovereignty and non-interference in other states' affairs, what the Chinese government actually does is interfere with sovereign governments around the world whenever doing so suits Beijing." Finally, he urged any person or company being targeted or approached by the Chinese government to come to the FBI for help. "No American citizen, resident, company, or university should battle this threat alone--and you don't have to. You can report information through your local FBI field office or online at tips.fbi.gov. And know our quarrel is exclusively with the Chinese government--not the Chinese people, and certainly not Chinese-Americans." He congratulated all the FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff who have worked on these cases. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delaware man who stormed the on January 6, 2021, with his Confederate flag-toting father was sentenced on Monday to two years behind bars. Hunter Seefried, 24, was convicted alongside his father of felony and misdemeanor charges by US District Judge Trevor McFadden in June. Hunter and Kevin Seefried opted for a bench trial, which is decided by a judge, rather than have their case be heard by a jury. The father and son travelled to Washington from their home in Laurel, Delaware, to hear Trump's speech at the Stop the Steal rally on January 6. They were among the first rioters to approach the building near the Senate Wing Door, according to prosecutors. After watching other rioters use a police shield and a wooden plank to break a window, Hunter Seefried used a gloved fist to clear a large shard of glass in one of the broken windowpanes, prosecutors said. The judge found that two other rioters had destroyed the window before Seefried cleared the piece of glass. Widely published photographs showed Kevin Seefried carrying a Confederate battle flag inside the Capitol after he and Hunter, then 22, entered the building through a broken window. An email seeking comment was sent on Monday to an attorney for Hunter Seefried, who had asked for probation and home detention instead of prison time. His lawyer wrote in court papers that his client only went to the Capitol that day because his father pushed him to join. He noted that his client carried no weapons and didn't hurt or threaten anyone. January 6th is a day that is forever etched in his mind and one he wishes he could relive so that he could set things right, defense attorney Edson Bostic wrote. Kevin Seefried is scheduled to be sentenced in January. Both men were convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding, the joint session of Congress for certifying the Electoral College that day. The judge also convicted the Seefrieds of misdemeanor charges that they engaged in disorderly conduct and illegally demonstrated inside the building. But he acquitted Hunter Seefried of other misdemeanor charges. They are among about 900 people who have been charged with federal crimes related to the January 6 attack. More than 420 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor offenses. Roughly 300 Capitol riot defendants have been sentenced, with sentences ranging from probation to 10 years behind bars. (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.) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday appointed former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as economic revitalization minister to replace Daishiro Yamagiwa who resigned over his ties with the controversial religious sect, Unification Church.. Goto, 66, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker, will assume the ministerial post later in the day and will be charged with compiling a new economic package to combat surging prices and lead debates on the funding of a supplementary budget, reports Xinhua news agnecy. Kishida said Goto, a seventh-term lower house member who joined the Finance Ministry in 1980, was appointed on the back of his experience in and his skills as a communicator. For his part, Goto, who was named health minister in October last year when Kishida formed his Cabinet, said he will work steadily to tackle rising prices as well as to respond to the yen's weakening which is further inflating costs. Yamagiwa's resignation a day earlier marked the first for a Cabinet member under Kishida. He had been under increasing pressure from the public and opposition parties to step down for his links to the controversial sect. On numerous occasions he denied his connections to the organisation, claiming he did not remember certain meetings, including with the church's leader. An internal probe by the LDP in September found that around half of its lawmakers had some kind of connection to the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, with the ruling party having ordered all ties to be severed a month earlier. Amid slumping support for his Cabinet, Kishida earlier this month instructed his culture minister Keiko Nagaoka to launch an investigation into the contentious church based on "the right to ask questions" under the Religious Corporations Act. The probe will mark the first time the government here has exercised the right and an expert panel will convene on Tuesday to discuss a number of issues pertaining to "the right to ask questions". The Unification Church is also known to have coerced followers into making exorbitant donations, leaving some of them in financial ruin. Tetsuya Yamagami, who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8, had also blamed the organisation for his family's financial downfall. --IANS ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A former police officer of Minneapolis in state of the US on Monday pleaded guilty in the death of African American man George Floyd. J. Alexander Kueng, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in manslaughter after prosecutors and Kueng's defence attorney agreed to recommend a sentence of 42 months in prison, Xinhua news agency reported. Kueng is the second to plead guilty to the state charge, following his former colleague Thomas Lane, who pleaded guilty earlier this year. A third former officer, Tou Thao, previously rejected a plea deal and agreed on Monday to go forward with a trial by stipulated evidence on one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter. Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that Kueng's guilty plea "hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd's family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice." Floyd, 46, died on May 25, 2020, after an encounter with Minneapolis police, during which officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Kueng, Lane, and Thao were also present and on duty. Chauvin was sentenced in a federal court to 21 years in prison earlier this summer for violating Floyd's civil rights. The sentence is running concurrently with Chauvin's state sentence of 22.5 years after he was convicted for second and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. Floyd's death sparked outrage and protests across the US in the summer of 2020 against police brutality and systemic . --IANS int/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.) on Monday described as "very disturbing" the circumstances surrounding the abduction of two Indians in and subsequent lack of information in the case. Indian High Commissioner to Kenya, Namgya Khampa, met Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto and requested him for expediting the investigation into the matter, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. A close aide of the Kenyan President last week claimed the two missing Indians, Mohammad Zaid Sami Kidwai and Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan, have been killed by the disbanded DCI (Directorate of Criminal Investigations) unit, according to a media report. It is learnt that the Kenyan government has not said anything officially on the report. Kidwai and Khan, who were part of the Kwanza digital campaign team, went missing alongside taxi driver Nicodemus Mwania from Mombasa Road in July. "We have been in regular touch with the Kenyan government to locate the whereabouts of the two missing Indian nationals, Mohammad Zaid Sami Kidwai and Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Monday night. "Our High Commissioner in Nairobi, Namgya Khampa, today called on President William Samoei Ruto to convey our deep concern and request the expediting of investigations into the matter," he said. Bagchi was responding to media queries on the matter. He said the High Commissioner of in New Delhi was also called into the ministry on Sunday to convey India's concerns in the matter. "The specific circumstances surrounding the abduction and subsequent lack of information is very disturbing. We expect that the case will be investigated thoroughly," Bagchi said. He said the Indian High Commission in Kenya is in touch with the family members of the two Indians and assisting them. "The case is under active investigation by the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) of Kenyan Police. We have noted that several people have been taken into custody in this connection, including officials of the recently abolished Special Service Unit of the Kenyan Police," Bagchi added. He said the MEA continues to monitor all developments related to this case. (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.) Japan's economy minister submitted his resignation Monday over ties to the Unification Church after facing mounting criticism in a widening controversy involving dozens of governing party lawmakers. Daishiro Yamagiwa's resignation is a further blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government, which has been rocked by his party's close ties to the controversial South Korean-based church following the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe in July. Kishida on Tuesday said he appointed former Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto to take Yamagiwa's place as the economy minister. Kishida said Goto is a veteran politician who is highly capable of giving explanation and has passion" for economic and social reforms. Kishida said he expected him to play a central role in coordinating and achieving key policy goals, including a major economic package that Kishida plans to announce later this week. Goto's appointment is to be official after a palace ceremony later Tuesday. The Kishida government's support ratings have nosedived over his handling of the scandal and for holding a highly unusual state funeral for Abe, one of Japan's most divisive leaders who is now seen as a key link between the governing Liberal Democratic Party and the church. Since the 1980s, the church has faced accusations of devious business and recruitment tactics, including brainwashing members into turning over huge portions of their salaries to it. Kishida shuffled his Cabinet in August to purge seven ministers who had acknowledged ties to the church. Yamagiwa was retained as economic minister, but opposition lawmakers stepped up demands for his resignation after he repeatedly said he did not remember his past attendance at church meetings during overseas trips and posing for group photos with church leader Hak Ja Han Moon and other executives. I just submitted my resignation" to Kishida, Yamagiwa told reporters Monday. He said he routinely discards documents and therefore could not clearly verify past contacts with the church and only provided explanations after reports of his past church ties surfaced. As a result, I ended up causing trouble to the administration, Yamagiwa said. I attended the church's meetings a number of times and that provided credibility to the group, and I deeply regret that." He pledged to stay away from the church in the future. A governing party survey in September found nearly half of its lawmakers had ties to the church, including Cabinet ministers. Kishida has pledged to cut all such ties, and recently said he instructed the government to probe the church, with the possibility of revoking its legal status. Media surveys show many Japanese want a clearer explanation of how the church may have influenced party policies. Kishida said he accepted Yamagiwa's resignation because as prime minister, I have to prioritize our work to push forward economic measures, an extra budget and support for victims of the church problems. Yamagiwa, who was criticized for clinging to his post and stalling parliamentary sessions because of questioning by opposition lawmakers, was seen as having been forced to quit. He said he has no intention of resigning as a lawmaker because he did not break any law. Former Prime Minister Abe was shot to death during an outdoor campaign speech in July. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told police he killed Abe because of his apparent link to a religious group he hated. A letter and social media postings attributed to Yamagami said his mother's large donations to the Unification Church bankrupted his family and ruined his life. The church, founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, obtained religious organization status in in 1968 amid an anti-communist movement supported by Abe's grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. The group acknowledged there have been cases in which it received excessive donations. It says the problems have been mitigated since it adopted stricter compliance measures in 2009 and has pledged further reforms. The police investigation of Abe's killing led to revelations of widespread ties between the church and members of the governing party, including Abe, over their shared interests in conservative causes. The case also shed light on the suffering of adherents' relatives, some of whom say they were forced to join the church or were left in poverty or neglected because of their parents' devotion. Many critics consider the church to be a cult because of problems with followers and their families, including financial and mental hardships. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President and First Lady Dr Jill Biden on Monday hosted a reception at the in what they called the largest since the People's House started celebrating the festival during the George Bush administration. More than 200 eminent Indian Americans attended the reception at the East Room, a venue which has witnessed some of the landmark events related to the India-US relationship, including the signing of the nuclear deal and the joint press conference by then US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2008. The reception saw some enthralling cultural events, including performances by sitarist Rishab Sharma and dance troupe The Sa Dance Company. The guests, dressed in traditional Indian attires such as saree, lehenga and sherwani, relished some mouthwatering Indian delicacies. The room is full at the East state dining room This is a real celebration of what the Indian American community has achieved in the United States. It's a wonderful recognition by the President and by the to host all of us on . I feel very privileged to be here as an Indian American, Atul Keshap, president of US India Business Council told PTI during the reception. It's an honour and a privilege to be here to celebrate . Indian Americans thank the President and the First Lady for this, said H R Shah, chairman and CEO of TV Asia, the largest South Asian television channel in the US. Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, said the event was held to recognise the South Asian community's contributions in economic development and managing Covid crisis among others. Biden has appointed a record number of over 130 Indo-Americans at various levels of the administrations, he said. Lauding the Diwali celebration, Bhutoria said it sent a message how much President Biden and this administration loves and respects the South Asian community. Earlier, welcoming the guests, Biden said it was the first Diwali reception to be held at the on such a scale. The incredible South Asian community all across America has helped the country emerge stronger from this pandemic, building an economy that works for everyone, teaching children and caring for elders, responding to the cry for action on climate, working to fix immigration system, defending rights and freedoms, building a more just and equitable country, serving and protecting our communities and the nation, informing, entertaining and inspiring, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UK media on Tuesday welcomed Indian-origin British Prime Minister with both bouquets and brickbats, with some news outlets acknowledging his leadership as the new dawn for the country, while others questioning the validity of his victory. He was leading the front page of every major newspaper in the UK, which in the past had colonised most of the world. Unite or die - Sunak's warning to Tory MPs, read The Guardian banner headline under a picture of the 42-year-old leader receiving a hero's welcome at the party's head office in London. Noting that Sunak "will become the third Conservative prime minister in under two months and the fifth in six years, the report said, He will also make history as the first Hindu to lead the country. Echoing similar sentiment, The Mail headline read, A new dawn for Britain with the sub-head: " becomes our youngest modern PM - and first with an Asian heritage. Striking a similar ebullient note, The Sun said, The force is with you, Rishi with the main image showing him holding a lightsaber. However, not all media outlets were happy with Sunak being the UK's new Prime Minister. In a scathing attack on Sunak, The Mirror in its banner headline asked Our new (unelected) PM that Who voted for you? Describing him as twice as rich as the King", its main story said he will now "preside over brutal public spending cuts. With the headline Death of democracy, Scotland's Daily Record was even more critical of Sunak. Meanwhile, The Financial Times focussed on the economic challenges that lie ahead for Sunak, a former investment banker-turned-politician. The Times highlighted Sunak's warning to Tories that Failure to heal rifts would finish' [the] party. The Telegraph said, PM aims to bring warring factions together for one shot at ending economic crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) said on Tuesday he was not daunted by the scale of the challenge as he became Britains third prime minister in two months, pledging to lead the country through an economic crisis and rebuild trust in . The 42-year-old former hedge fund boss, who has only been in elected for seven years, has been tasked with bringing an end to the political infighting and radical changes in policy that have horrified investors and alarmed allies. He warned that difficult decisions lay ahead as he looks to cut public spending and fix the mistakes that were made by Liz Truss during her short and chaotic tenure in Downing Street, just as the country slides into a recession. I fully appreciate how hard things are, he said outside the prime ministers residence at Downing Street where he shunned the normal tradition of standing beside his family and cheering political supporters. I understand too that I have work to do to restore trust, after all that has happened. All I can say is that I am not daunted. I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands. Sunak is expected to slash spending to plug an estimated 40 billion pound ($45 billion) hole in the public finances created by an economic slowdown, higher borrowing costs and an energy support scheme. Sunak said he would try to fix the mess left by his predecessor, restore faith in and tackle a profound economic crisis but warned the country there would be difficult decisions. This will mean difficult decisions to come, he said, shortly after he accepted King Charless request to form a government. Sunak also vowed to put the public's need above politics, I will bring the same compassion to the challenges we face today, he said, adding that he will not leave the next generation with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves. I will unite our country not with words but with action, Sunak said. I will work day in and day out to deliver for you. Together we can achieve incredible things, he said. He has appointed British lawmaker Dominic Raab as deputy prime minister and justice secretary. As Truss left office she struck a defiant tone and failed to apologise for the market turmoil, when the pound collapsed and borrowing rates jumped. According to NDTV, he has asked for the resignation of several members of Liz Trusss team of ministers as a precursor to the announcement of his new cabinet. So far three ministers have been asked to step down. Among them are Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis and Development minister Vicky Ford, sources said. Reports indicate that Jeremy Hunt will stay on as the finance minister. Several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have lauded becoming the UK's new Prime Minister. We've got the news that is now the prime minister, Biden said in remarks made during a Diwali celebration at the White House on Monday. It's pretty astounding, a groundbreaking milestone and it matters, the US President said. The Kremlin on Tuesday said that Russia sees no reason to expect relations with the UK to improve under Sunak. A California billionaire known as an ally of has used his testimony at his federal trial to question Trump's leadership on foreign policy, saying the former president was clueless about the dynamics in the . The defendant, Tom Barrack, is accused of using his unique access as a longtime friend of Trump to provide confidential information about the Trump administration to the United Arab Emirates to advance the UAE's foreign policy and business interests. Prosecutors say while UAE officials were consorting with Barrack, they were rewarding him by pouring millions of dollars into his business ventures. Barrack, the onetime chair of Trump's inaugural committee, told a New York City jury on Monday that he considered Trump to be bold and smart businessman, and had backed his candidacy as a political outsider who could be a good thing for the system. However, he testified that he later grew disillusioned because of Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric and other divisive positions he called disastrous. He testified that some of his clients in his private equity firm were upset I was friends with the president. Trump, he added, was perceived as someone who could not spell .' It was a nightmare. Barrack said he made it a mission to sell Trump on encouraging the UAE and Saudi Arabia to align with Israel as a way to bring stability to the oil-rich region. He also worked behind the scenes to try to get the former president to drop the idea of a Muslim travel ban. He said he took the position, "This is America. How can you ban a whole religion? Barrack also testified that it would have been impossible for him to act as a foreign agent for one investor in his firm because other investors would object to it. Barrack said there's an intense vetting process to assure that money managers don't have such conflicts of interest. Investors want to know that nobody has an edge, that they're all equal, he said. Otherwise, It would chill every other investor, he added. Barrack, 75, has pleaded not guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice and making false statements. His lawyers have denied he did anything underhanded. The Los Angeles-based billionaire has known Trump going back decades, since their days developing real estate. Barrack played an integral role in the 2016 campaign as a top fundraiser at a time when many other Republicans were shunning the upstart candidate. The government rested its criminal case last week. Much of the evidence focused on emails and other back-channel communications between Barrack and his high-level leaders in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors say those communications show how Barrack and his contacts strategised over how to win over Trump. The defendant suggested on Monday that there was nothing nefarious about his constant contact with UAE leaders while Trump was taking office. The interactions would have been a normal part of doing business with any country or government partnering with him in high-end real estate deals using state-owned investment funds, he said. The explanation came after Barrack described his rise to a high-finance heavyweight from humble beginnings in Southern California as the son of a small grocery store owner of Lebanese descent. With his background, the Arabic speaker said he developed a cultural sixth sense for building relationships with Arab world clients. Before being indicted, Barrack drew attention by raising $107 million for the former president's inaugural celebration following the 2016 election. The event was scrutinized both for its lavish spending and for attracting foreign officials and business people looking to lobby the new administration. Barrack is to continue testifying on Tuesday. (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.) becoming UK's Prime Minister is "our Barack Obama moment", said leader of the Hindu temple set up by the Indian-origin leader's grandfather. Rishi Sunak's grandfather Ramdas Sunak, who was from Gujranwala town (now in Pakistan), set up the Vedic Society Hindu Temple in Southampton in 1971. "It's like for the UK, it's the Barack Obama moment, where a non-white person becomes Prime Minister for the first time, also a person from Indian origin and Hindu which is another dimension and everyone is very proud," Sanjay Chandarana, president of the temple, told LBC News. He added that regularly comes to the temple located in Hampshire city when he is in his hometown. Rishi Sunak, who will be taking charge as the Prime Minister after meeting King Charles III, visited the temple in July, just a couple of days before he resigned as chancellor. He had offered a family prayer and had lunch at the temple. Chandarana told LBC News that he is sure that will come to the temple for prayers once he becomes the Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak made history when he swore his oath to Parliament after the 2017 general elections with his hand on a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, as pointed out by 'The Guardian'. And he was also the first occupant of No 11, Downing Street, the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to celebrate Diwali at the doorsteps of his then home. Despite growing up in Britain and going to Winchester, Oxford University and then Stanford, Rishi Sunak has never glossed over his cultural roots, staying away from beef and keeping a statuette of Lord Ganesha on his work table. "I can proudly say that I am a Hindu and being a Hindu is my identity," he said in a media interview, adding that his faith "gives me strength, it gives me purpose. It's part of who I am," Rishi Sunak had told The Times earlier this year. Chandarana said Rishi Sunak's appointment as Prime Minister showed that integration was working in the . "It will unite the country, because he practices Hindu religion religiously and one of the key values we have is that the whole world is our family and we believe in unity in that respect," the temple leader told LBC News. Rishi Sunak is scripting history as UK's first Prime Minister of colour and the first Hindu premier. --IANS mi/ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of progressive House Democrats urged President on Monday to pursue negotiations with to try to find a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine, marking the first sign of divergence within the party on the administrations strategy. The 30 Democrats, led by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, said in a letter to Biden that it was in the interest of the US and to avert an extended conflict that would increase the risk of a dangerous escalation. But hours later, after the letter drew criticism from other Democrats, Jayapal issued a statement clarifying that the group supported Bidens strategy. The alternative to diplomacy is protracted war, with both its attendant certainties and catastrophic and unknowable risks, the group, which included Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Ro Khanna of California, wrote in the letter. We urge you to pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a cease-fire. With the conflict dragging on and European nations facing increasing hardship from the cutoff of Russian energy supplies, the Kremlin will be watching closely for any wavering in the US and among members that have been supplying Ukraines military. The progressives indicated that they were not backing away from support for . In the follow-up statement, Jayapal, of Washington State, said the group wasnt backing away from support for Ukraine or from Bidens approach, calling diplomacy just one tool. Let me be clear, Jayapal said, we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support. The White House on Monday said that its position was that there would be no talks with without a decision by Ukraine to pursue them. Its clear Mr. Putin is in no mood to negotiate, John Kirby, a spokesman for Bidens National Security Council, said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Were not going to have conversations with Russian leadership without the Ukrainians being represented. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gets to determine when he thinks thats the right time for negotiations, Kirby said. Some Democrats took a dim view of the call for negotiations. Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona tweeted in response to the progressives letter that the way to end a war is, Win it quickly. How is it won quickly? By giving Ukraine the weapons to defeat . In the original letter, the representatives pointed out the continuing bipartisan support for aiding Ukraine in its campaign to repel the Russian invasion, but suggested that a negotiation process could include sanctions relief for Russia and security guarantees for Ukraine. Bidens approach to Ukraine will be tested if Republicans win control of the House in next months elections. Some conservative GOP House lawmakers such as Floridas Matt Gaetz have called for curtailing aid to Ukraine. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said last week that Republicans would demand tighter oversight of aid to Ukraine if they win the majority. Congress enacted $12 billion in new aid to Ukraine in September and the Biden administration is widely expected to request more aid for the country in a December spending bill. The letter combined with the statements from the GOP could signal such a request will face difficulties being met. is expected to keep Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor of the Exchequer as he seeks to calm markets and form a united government when he becomes prime minister on Tuesday. The incoming premier will formally take over from Liz Truss following a meeting with King Charles III, before addressing the nation and appointing members of his cabinet. His challenge is finding a balance between rewarding loyalists who backed his two leadership campaigns this year, while ensuring party unity by including figures from across warring factions. Sunaks aides held talks Monday about appointments to his first cabinet after the Conservative Party leader promised lawmakers he would lead a government of all the talents, people familiar with the discussions said. Hes expected to proceed with Hunts plans for a fiscal statement, setting out the governments spending plans on Oct. 31. Sunak, 42, was catapulted into the UKs top job after both Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the leadership race, triggered by Trusss resignation. Just seven weeks after losing the last contest, Sunak vowed to make it his utmost priority to unite both the nation and his warring party in his first address to the nation. He becomes the countrys first Hindu leader, the third premier in two months and the youngest in more than 200 years. President Joe Biden, in remarks marking the Hindu festival of Diwali on Monday, called Sunaks elevation pretty astounding. A groundbreaking milestone, and it matters, it matters. Despite the daunting in-tray he faces -- most notably the UKs economic headwinds -- his first task is to forge a government that proves hes serious about repairing internal relations. Members of Parliament from different Tory factions -- including those who supported Truss or Mordaunt -- said the party immediately felt more unified after Sunak received a warm reception at a meeting following his election. They cautioned that he should avoid the temptation to completely overhaul the current government, appointing allies while leaving some Truss loyalists in place. Most government departments have seen as many as four different leaders come and go already this year. Reappointing Hunt would mean a lesser role for two of Sunaks long-standing backers, Mel Stride and Steve Barclay, who had both been linked to the job. Stride could be chief whip, or parliamentary enforcer, or possibly chief secretary to the treasury. Barclay could return as health secretary. Mordaunt is keen to become foreign secretary, according to an ally. However, the incumbent James Cleverly will be determined to stay, though his case may be weakened because he endorsed Johnsons extraordinary -- but aborted -- bid for a political comeback. Braverman, Badenoch There is a similar decision to make at the Home Office, where current Home Secretary Grant Shapps is lobbying to remain in the role, while allies of his predecessor Suella Braverman, who was fired by Truss and backed Sunak for leader, say she would like to make a return. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace tweeted that he was giving his full support to Sunak. There was speculation he would resign if the new prime minister didnt commit to the defense spending target of 3% of GDP by 2030. But a Wallace ally stressed he had never publicly said hed resign, raising the prospect he could stay on even if the target is dropped. Like Cleverly, Wallace backed Johnson for the leadership. Supporters of former cabinet ministers Matt Hancock, Michael Gove, Robert Jenrick and Dominic Raab suggested they would be keen on a return to front-line . Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid would only accept a senior job, according to one of his allies. There could be a more senior post for Sunak backer Kemi Badenoch, who was appointed trade secretary by the outgoing Truss but is said to be unhappy with the role. Sunak is also expected to give a major position to former Tory Chairman Oliver Dowden, a close political ally. There could also be a promotion for Claire Coutinho, another Sunak backer who is seen as a rising Tory star. Two other key Sunak supporters, Gavin Williamson and Julian Smith, could also return to government. won't back down in the face of aggressive threats from China, the president of the self-governing island democracy Tsai Ing-wen said Tuesday, comparing growing pressure from Beijing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tsai's comments follow the conclusion of the twice-a-decade congress of China's Communist Party at which it upped its long-standing threat to annex the island it considers its own territory by force if necessary. The party added a line into its constitution on resolutely opposing and deterring Taiwan's independence resolutely implementing the policy of one country, two systems,'" the formula by which it plans to govern the island in future. The blueprint has already been put in place in the former British colony of Hong Kong, which has seen its democratic system, civil liberties and judicial independence decimated. Speaking to an gathering of pro-democracy activists in Taipei, Tsai said democracies and liberal societies were facing the greatest host of challenges since the Cold War. Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is a prime example. It shows an authoritarian regime will do whatever it takes to achieve expansionism," Tsai said. The people of are all too familiar with such aggression. In recent years, has been confronted by increasingly aggressive threats from China," she said, listing military intimidation, cyber attacks and economic coercion among them. The rising Chinese threat has spurred calls on Taiwan for additional defense investments and a lengthening of the term of national service required of all Taiwanese men. However, even under constant threats, the people of Taiwan have never shied away from the challenges" and have fought to work against authoritarian forces looking to undermine their democratic way of life, Tsai said. Tsai was speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Movement for Democracy's Steering Committee, which is chaired by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa. Taiwan and split amid civil war in 1949 and Taipei enjoys strong U.S. military and political support, despite the lack of formal military ties. Despite having just 14 official diplomatic allies, Taiwan has drawn increasing backing from major nations, including Japan, Australia, the U.S., Canada and across Europe. A recent visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged Beijing, which responded with military exercises seen as a rehearsal of a blockade of the island. On Monday, Tsai met with a German parliamentary delegation focusing on human rights, who expressed concern about how Taiwan would handle threats from . Taiwan is really facing military threats, delegation head Peter Heidt said. From Germany's point of view, changes to the cross-strait status quo, if any, must be based on peaceful means. Also, these changes must be made after both sides have reached a consensus. Also on Tuesday, Taiwanese Premier You Si-kun was meeting with Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik and Lithuanian politician Zygimantas Pavilionis. Taiwan has strongly condemned the Russian invasion and at least one Taiwanese citizen is reportedly fighting with Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainian conflict has focused new attention on if and when might launch military action against Taiwan, given that a solid majority of Taiwanese reject Beijing's calls for peaceful reunification." A full-scale invasion across the 160-kilometer (100-mile) -wide Taiwan Strait remains a daunting prospect for China despite its recent massive military expansion, especially in its naval and missile forces. However, Chinese leader Xi Jinping's securing of another five-year term in office has some observers speculating he may be looking to move up the schedule for bringing Taiwan under China's control. Among personnel changes at China's congress that concluded Saturday, Gen. He Weidong was elevated to second vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. He was formerly head of the Eastern Theater Command, which would be primarily responsible for operations against Taiwan should hostilities break out. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A organization and a human rights group are taking the government to court to challenge Britain's failure to block the import of cotton products associated with forced labour and other abuses in China's far western Xinjiang region. Tuesday's hearing at the High Court in London is believed the first time a foreign court hears legal arguments from the Uyghurs over the issue of forced labor in Xinjiang. The region is a major global supplier of cotton, but rights groups have long alleged that the cotton is picked and processed by China's Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in a widespread, state-sanctioned system of forced labour. The case, brought by the Munich-based World Congress and the Global Legal Action Network, a nonprofit, is one of several similar legal challenges aimed at putting pressure on the U.K. and European Union governments to follow the lead of the United States, where a law took effect this year to ban all cotton products suspected of being made in Xinjiang. Researchers say Xinjiang produces 85% of cotton grown in China, constituting one-fifth of the world's cotton. Rights groups argue that the scale of China's rights violations in Xinjiang - which the U.N. says may amount to crimes against humanity - means that numerous fashion brands are at high risk of using cotton tainted with forced labor and other rights abuses. Gearid Cuinn, the Global Legal Action Network's director, said the group submitted almost 1,000 pages of evidence -- including company records, NGO investigations and Chinese government documents -- to the U.K. and U.S. governments in 2020 to back its case. British authorities have taken no action so far, he said. Right now, U.K. consumers are systematically exposed to consumer goods tainted by forced labor, Cuinn said. It does demonstrate the lack of political will." Researchers and advocacy groups estimate 1 million or more people from and other minority groups have been swept into detention camps in Xinjiang, where many say they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion. The organizations say the camps, along with forced labor and draconian birth control policies, are a sweeping crackdown on Xinjiang's minorities. A recent U.N. report largely corroborated the accounts. China denounces the accusations as lies and argues its policies were aimed at quashing extremism. In the U.S., a new law gives border authorities more power to block or seize cotton imports produced partly or wholly in Xinjiang. The products are effectively banned unless the importer can show clear evidence that the goods were not produced using forced labor. The European Commission last month proposed prohibiting all products made with forced labor from entering the EU market. The plans haven't been agreed upon yet by the European Parliament. The British government's Modern Slavery Act requires companies operating in the U.K. to report what they have done to identify rights abuses in their supply chains. But there is no legal obligation to undertake audits and due diligence. In a statement, the U.K.'s Conservative government said it is committed to introduce financial penalties for organizations that do not comply with modern slavery reporting requirements. Lawyers representing the Uyghurs will argue at the High Court on Tuesday that the British government's inaction breaches existing U.K. laws prohibiting goods made in foreign prisons or linked to crime. Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, one of the most vocal China critics in Britain's Parliament, said the U.K. has been dragging its feet on the issue because of huge institutional resistance to change after years of dependence on trade with China. Britain's Conservative government has not taken the China threat seriously enough, he argued. Treasury and the business department are desperate not to destroy ties with China and (officials) are still living in project kowtow, Duncan Smith said. Compared to the U.S. and the EU, we are bringing up the rear on the cotton issue, he added. Earlier this month, Cuinn's organization made a separate submission to the Irish government demanding a halt to the import of forced labor goods from Xinjiang. Meanwhile, lawyers representing a survivor of detention and forced labor in Xinjiang have also written to the U.K. government threatening to sue over the issue. The claimant in that case, Erbakit Ortabay, said he was detained in internment centers, where he was tortured and beaten, and later forced to work for no pay in a clothing factory. Ortabay, who was eventually released in 2019, is currently seeking asylum in Britain. Clothing is among the top five type of goods the U.K. imports from China, accounting for about 3.5 billion pounds ($4 billion) in imports in 2021. The U.K. does not publish shipping data detailing trade with the Xinjiang region. But Laura Murphy, a professor of human rights at Sheffield Hallam University, has identified 103 well-known fashion brands - including some trading in the U.K. -- at high risk of having Xinjiang cotton in their supply chains because they buy from intermediary garment manufacturers, which in turn are supplied by Chinese companies that source cotton in Xinjiang. What we find is that a lot of Xinjiang cotton is also sent out to other countries to be manufactured into apparel. So it's not always coming directly from there -- it might be coming from a company making clothes in Indonesia or Cambodia, Murphy said. In the U.S., the new ban on Xinjiang cotton has forced apparel companies to step up tracking technologies to map out routes for their products' origin, according to Brian Ehrig, partner in the consumer practice of management consulting firm Kearney. The ban is also accelerating the migration of apparel production in China to other regions like Vietnam and Cambodia. Some experts believe that the U.S. law has also compelled companies to block Xinjiang cotton products from other markets. Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights monitoring organization, said even if companies want to reroute Xinjiang-linked products to other markets, it would require a substantial reorganization of their supply networks. Figures from the China National Cotton Information Center show that sales of cotton produced in Xinjiang in the year to mid-June fell 40% from a year earlier to 3.1 million tons. The commercial inventory of cotton produced in Xinjiang was 3.3 million tons at the end of May, up 60% from a year earlier, according to Wind, a Chinese financial information provider. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A federal appeals court panel has upheld a ruling requiring phone records of the Arizona Republican Party's leader to be turned over to the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol. The ruling issued over the weekend by a divided three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected claims by state party Chair Kelli Ward that her First Amendment rights would be chilled if investigators were able to learn whom she spoke with while trying to challenge former President Donald Trump's 2020 election defeat. Barring a successful appeal, the House committee will get records of calls Ward made and received from just before the November 2020 election to January 31, 2021. That includes a period when Ward was pushing for Trump's election defeat to be overturned and Congress was set to certify the results in favour of Democrat Joe Biden. The ruling by appeals court judges Barry Silverman and Eric Miller said that allowing the panel to get Ward's phone records would not impact her First Amendment political association rights. The investigation, after all, is not about Ward's politics; it is about her involvement in the events leading up to the January 6 attack, and it seeks to uncover those with whom she communicated in connection with those events, they wrote. Appeals Court Judge Sandra Ikuta dissented, writing that the majority got the law wrong. She wrote that the January 6 committee had not shown why they needed the phone records and that courts must be vigilant to protect First Amendment rights even when nefarious behaviour is alleged. "Regardless of Ward's position regarding the 2020 election, her right to engage in discussions with her political associates remains entitled to First Amendment protection against the government's compelled disclosure of her political affiliations," Ikuta wrote. One of Ward's attorneys, Alexander Kolodin, declined to comment Monday on the ruling and on whether an appeal was planned. The ruling upheld a September decision by a federal judge in Phoenix who also rejected Ward's First Amendment arguments. The judge also dismissed several other issues raised by Ward and her husband, Michael Ward. Kelli and Michael Ward were presidential electors who would have voted for Trump in the Electoral College had he won Arizona. Both signed a document falsely claiming they were Arizona's true electors, despite Biden's victory in the state. Kelli Ward refused to answer questions during a deposition with investigators with the January 6 committee, according to statements made by the panel's lawyers at a hearing, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself. Ward is a staunch Trump ally who has aggressively promoted the false claim that the election was stolen from him. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The will make full use of its military capabilities, including nuclear, conventional and missile defence," to defend its allies and South Korea, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Tuesday as she warned against escalating its provocations. Sherman said North Korea's repeated firings of ballistic missiles and artillery in recent weeks were provocative military actions. has described them as practice runs for the use of tactical nuclear weapons. This is deeply irresponsible, dangerous, and destabilizing, Sherman said in talks in Tokyo with South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyungdong. The two officials met ahead of a three-way meeting with their Japanese counterpart on Wednesday. It will be second in-person meeting of the three officials since conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May, signalling an improvement in difficult ties between and . A year ago, Japanese and South Korean vice ministers declined to participate in a joint news conference after three-way talks in Washington, leaving Sherman to make a solo media appearance. Sherman said needs to understand that the US commitment to the security of and is ironclad". And we will use the full range of US defence capabilities to defend our allies, including nuclear, conventional and missile defence capabilities, she said. Cho, during his talks with Sherman, raised concern that a new North Korean nuclear weapons policy adopted in September increases the possibility of its arbitrary use of nuclear weapons. This is creating serious tension on the Korean Peninsula, Cho said. Sherman met earlier Tuesday with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and reaffirmed the further strengthening of the Japan-US alliance and other shared goals, including the complete denuclearisation of North Korea and their joint response to China's increasingly assertive actions in the region. Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada recently said North Korea is believed to have achieved a miniaturisation of nuclear warheads while significantly advancing its missile capabilities by diversifying its launch technologies, making interceptions more difficult. Japanese officials have also warned of a possible nuclear test by North Korea in the near future. The Japanese and South Korean officials met together later Tuesday and discussed ways to improve their countries' ties, which were badly strained over disagreements stemming from Japanese wartime actions, including abuse of Korean forced labourers and coercing girls and young women to work in brothels for Japanese soldiers. (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 attributed her success to the dedication, determination and courage of her Indian American mother. Harris is the first Indian-origin vice president of the US. It is because of her dedication, her determination and her courage that I stand before you as vice president of the United States, Harris told a gathering of more than 200 eminent Indian Americans at a White House Diwali reception hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. She recollected her frequent visits to Chennai as a child and celebrating Diwali with grandparents. I have such fond memories of celebrating Diwali as a child. Like many of you, we would go to India about every other year, avoiding the monsoon season, and we would go for Diwali. I have such fond memories of waking up in the middle of the night, me and my sister Maya, and going, of course, to the eldest in our family, which was our grandfather. And later in the day, my mother would give us little sparklers and we would go into the streets to celebrate this very important occasion, she recalled. Harris said her mother arrived in the US at the age of 19 for studies. She arrived by herself. But it was her goal to become a breast cancer researcher. And in our country, in this country, she built a life. She earned her PhD, excelled in her field and raised my sister and me, Harris said. Describing Diwali a holiday of hope, she said the festival helps one to see light in the world, in each other and in oneself. We also are reminded to shine our light in the darkness to fight for peace, for justice, for understanding. Even as powerful forces work to sow hate and divide, we remember that in these moments where we see darkness, our light shines the brightest. That is part of what reminds us of Diwali. In moments of darkness, we see the light, she said. On the occasion, Harris called on the people to realise the ideals of freedom, democracy and equality. Harris had on Friday hosted more than 100 Indian Americans at her residence for Diwali celebrations. She not only decorated the entire Naval Observatory residence with diyas, but also lit little sparklers with the guests. President Biden appreciated Harris for often mentioning her mother in her speeches. And one of the things I admire the most about Kamala, she often talks about her mom, he said. Harris celebrated her birthday last week. She turned 30, Biden said jokingly amidst laughter from the guests. We know your mom's always with you. Yes, all the time. And I want to thank you for the courage it took for her and for so many of you out there to actually pick up and move your families and start the journey to America, Biden said. It's pretty amazing the sacrifices to leave everything behind, choosing to believe the idea that this nation has a singular place in the place of possibilities, he added. Biden recollected that one of the last events he had hosted at the Vice President's Naval Observatory in late November 2016 was Diwali. It was the first Diwali reception ever to be held there. I'm an Irish Catholic and opening our home for holidays, observed by Hindus, Buddhist, Jains, Sikhs that night we were joined by Muslims, Christians and people representing diversity and diaspora here in America from all over the world, including the then newly elected Indian American members of Congress, two of whom are here today, Ro (Khanna) and Raja (Krishnamoorthi), he recalled. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The state-run power player said it will commission a 75 MW solar project at Kalpi in Uttar Pradesh by month-end. The project will generate 168.34 million units (MUs) in the 1st year and the project's cumulative energy generation over a period of 25 years would be about 3,919 MUs. This will help in annual enhancement of revenue to the tune of approximately Rs 45.11 crore. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the same has been signed with Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) for 25 years. SJVN's renewable portfolio stands at 4007.5 MW out of which 179.5 MW is under operation, 1370 MW is under construction and 2458 MW are at different stages of implementation. With the commissioning of this 75 MW Solar project, cumulative operational capacity will increase from 2016.5 MW to 2091.5 MW. The company has aligned its Shared Vision of 5000 MW by 2023, 25000 MW by 2030 & 50000 MW capacity by 2040 with that of Government of India's target of achieving 50% energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. SJVN is an Indian public sector undertaking having business interests in hydro, thermal, solar, wind and in Power Transmission & Power Trading. It is a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Himachal Pradesh. On a consolidated basis, net profit of SJVN rose 78.07% to Rs 609.23 crore on 51.57% rise in net sales to Rs 1004.11 crore in Q1 June 2022 over Q1 June 2021. Shares of SJVN rose 2.54% to Rs 32.35 in the 1-hour special Muhurat trading on Monday, 24 October 2022. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) V.I.P. Industries reported 2.3x jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 43 crore in Q2 FY23 from Rs 19 crore in Q2 FY22. Revenue from operations increased by 56% YoY to Rs 515 crore during the quarter. Overall expenses in Q2 FY23 stood at Rs 176 crore as compared to Q2 FY22 at Rs 114 crore, an rise of 54% on YoY basis. The increase in expenses was mainly on account of increase in advertisement spend, employee cost, freight cost and exchange rate fluctuation. EBIDTA improved by 57% to Rs 77 crore in Q2 FY23 from Rs 49 crore in Q2 FY22. EBIDTA margin was 14.8% in Q2 FY23 as against 14.4% in Q2 FY22. Profit before tax in Q2 FY23 stood at Rs 52 crore, up 2.1x from Rs 25 crore in Q2 FY22. V.I.P. Industries, a Dilip Piramal group company, manufactures hard luggage and markets soft luggage imported from Bangladesh and China. VIP is the largest player in the luggage industry in India. The scrip shed 0.79% to currently trade at Rs 715.25 on the BSE. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) on Monday at the UNSC meeting on said there is no military or armed solution to Libya's issues and this point needs to be emphasized by the international community, including by this Council. During a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Libya, Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj said, "There is no military or armed solution to the issues facing . This point needs to be emphasized by the international community, including by this Council." The situation in Libya, Kamboj said is concerning. "The security council has in the past expressed its condemnation of the violent clashes in Tripoli. Last month, we saw more clashes between armed groups in leading to civilian casualties." The political stalemate and the subsequent mobilization of armed groups in Libya have the potential to undermine the gains made since the beginning of the ceasefire agreement in October 2020, Kamboj highlighted. The immediate priority, Kamboj noted is to resolve all outstanding issues in arriving at a constitution for holding presidential and parliamentary elections. "Holding of elections in a free and fair manner is an urgent imperative. Violent clashes that are recurring regularly between the armed groups bring into focus once again the dangers of the continued presence of foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya. Their presence is a violation of the Libyan ceasefire agreement of 2020 and goes against the pronouncements of the security council," she said. Libya has been suffering violence and unrest ever since the fall of the late leader United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) regime in 2011. The country has been suffering escalating violence and unrest ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. The country is currently divided between a government that was appointed by the House of Representatives in March, and the Tripoli-based Government of Unity that refuses to hand over office except to an elected government. Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021 as previously scheduled, due to disagreements over election laws among the Libyan parties. (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.) Shiv Sena-UBT President and former Chief Minister is likely to join leader Rahul Gandhi Bharat Jodo Yatra when it reaches the state, though details of his exact participation are not available yet, sources said. NCP chief Sharad Pawar will be also joining the Yatra. To a query on the topic, General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said: "We were in the MVA government in and Shiv Sena was an ally, and we will welcome whoever wants to join the Yatra." However, sources say that the detail is being worked out with the Shiv Sena-UBT leader as a show of massive strength in wake of the MVA government's fall due to defections. The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Telangana on Sunday to a grand welcome by the state party leaders and cadres. After covering four states during the last 45 days, the Yatra entered the state at Gudeballur in Narayanpet district after exiting Karnataka from Raichur, before taking a Diwali break. Party leaders said the yatra will resume on October 27 from Makthal. --IANS miz/vd (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Will not be scared off by 'pippadividyas' (tricks) while trying to improve in the state, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday as the ruling LDF kicked-off a state-wide two-day protest against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's recent moves against VCs of several universities. Speaking at an event here, Vijayan said there would be people who are intolerant towards the progress the state was making in improving the field of and they may try to create hurdles in the path of the government. "We will not run away scared or walk away in the face of such hurdles or obstructions, instead we will go ahead with our objective to strengthen the field of in a time bound manner. "People who cannot tolerate or accept the same are coming out with various 'pippadividyas' (tricks). I would like to tell them to keep the same to themselves," the CM said. Later in the day, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan inaugurated a protest close to Raj Bhavan here. At the event, he said protests will be held across the state on Wednesday also. He also said the state government was in the process of introducing new courses in the field of higher education to improve the knowledge base of the people and teach them skills according to the requirements of various employment opportunities in and outside Kerala. "This way lakhs of people would be able to be gainfully employed in the coming years." Protest marches were held at various parts of the state, including some educational institutions, against Khan's recent decisions to seek resignations of VCs of several universities in Kerala. Earlier in the day, State Higher Education Minister R Bindu said that she does not want an environment of conflict in the field of higher education and in universities, instead she wants everyone to work together. Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan said the Governor's decision would lead to disruption of exam schedules and delaying of results which in turn would hamper the options and opportunities of students to go outside Kerala for studies or employment. He said that both the state government and Khan were at fault and have committed mistakes and they should, therefore, work on a solution together. Muraleedharan said that the opposition has no role in the entire issue and that it was not supporting the Governor. Meanwhile, Kannur University VC Gopinath Ravindran told reporters that there may be a 'political motive' behind creating a crisis in the higher education field in the state like this. He also said that the person who made the appointments should be answerable for any illegalities or incorrectness in the same. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi [India], October 25 (ANI/SRV): Smile In Hour has surprised everyone and become the top dental technological and oral health care startup or dentech startup company in India for top class on how to avoid oral cancer. As a top-notch dentist and innovator, (https://www.drbharat.agravat.com) Dr Bharat Agravat gave people a gift called the Oral Submucous Fibrosis Treatment DIY Kit or OSMF Mouth Opening Kit that helps them heal in just a couple of months. In just 2 years, Dr Agravat Healthcare Ltd. has successfully completed more than 10,000 happy customers of (https://www.osmfmouthopeningkit.com) OSMF Mouth Opening kits through its D2C brand webstore and successfully provided thousands of online video consultations for people all over the world, transforming lives. This innovative DIY OSMF Kit has taken Smile In Hour and Dr Bharat Agravat's good name to the next level in D2C Brand and Online Consultation. In just 2 years, Smile In Hour has successfully garnered thousands of happy customers of OSMF Mouth Opening kits. Dr Agravat, who founded Smile In Hour with his team, also provides online video consultations for national or global patients on a case-by-case basis and has done so thus far with immaculate results. His impeccable career as a top-class dentist spanning almost two and a half decades has borne great fruit, for which he is set to be facilitated by many dignitaries. The OSMF Kit contains some excellent items that have cured oral ailments like oral submucous fibrosis, mouth rashes, dental problems etc. for thousands of people. It has a patented mouth opening exercise device, mouth opening gel, and a mouth opening jack, among other things. The kit also comes with limited mouth opening exercises that, if taken in conjunction with the medicine, start showing results in less than a month. For this outstanding development in the field of dental treatment, the world's first dentopreneur, Dr Bharat Agravat, was facilitated with the "Prestigious Healthcare Excellence Award" by Smriti Irani, Hon'ble Minister for Women & Child Development, Government of India; "Trendsetter Awards 2022" by Shree Ramdas Athawale, Cabinet Minister for Social Welfare, Transport, Sports, and Youth Welfare, Employment Guarantee--Government of Maharashtra; "Times Gujarat Icon Award 2022" By Gujarat Vidhansabha's first female speaker, Dr Nimaben Acharya, and Shree Raghavjibhai Patel Dr Nandini Desai, Dean of M.P.Shah Medical College in Jamnagar, received the prestigious "Medical Genius Award" from popular actor Manoj Joshi, among many other honors. Overall, Smile In Hour has brought a good name not just to the Indian medical fraternity but also to India and the Indian people, with treatment now available at extremely affordable prices. For more information, visit: (https://www.smileinhour.in) This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/SRV) Floods and landslides during monsoons in India are quite common. To better prepare and effectively deal with such calamities of magnitude, both the Centre and states tap into relief funds. Our next report explains more on what relief funds are and how they are used. The management framework seeks to build a safe and disaster resilient India. National and state disaster response bodies, while deploying corpus funds, coordinate specialised response and relief to natural calamities of scale. Relief funds are allocated to both the Centre and States. The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) is the primary fund available with state governments to deal with notified disasters like Cyclone, drought, earthquake, landslide, flood, tsunami etc., The Centre contributes 75% of the allocation in SDRF and 90% for the special category states in two equal installments as per the recommendation of the Finance Commission. As per the ministry of home affairs, funds from SDRF must be used only for meeting the expenditure for providing immediate relief to the victims. For local disasters specific to states, other than the notified ones, the state government can use up to 10% SDRF funds. The Fifteenth Finance Commission has recommended an allocation of Rs 1.6 lakh crore to the state disaster risk management fund (SDRMF), which also includes the SDRF, from FY22 to FY26. The commission noted that of the total funds allocated to SDRF, 40% could be used for response and relief works, 30% for recovery and reconstruction and 10% for preparedness and capacity-building. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) supplements the state funds in case of disasters of "severe nature" by providing additional funds to the state governments. For availing the funds, states are required to submit a memorandum indicating the sector-wise damage and need of funds. The Centre, on its part, assesses the damage and grants the additional funds to states. The disaster relief funds have been a bone of contention in the recent past between the Centre and states. The Centre says that the primary responsibility for disaster management rests with the state governments and it supplements the efforts of states by providing requisite logistics and financial support. Some opposition states argue that not enough funds are being released from the national corpus. Apart from the and SDRF, some special funds are also created to deal with disasters of large scale and magnitude. For instance, the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established entirely with public contributions and does not get any budgetary support. In the pandemic year, the government has come up with PM-CARES to strengthen the fight against Covid. China to make greater contributions to human progress 13:37, October 25, 2022 By He Yin ( People's Daily The report delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on behalf of the 19th CPC Central Committee, to the 20th CPC National Congress, is seen by the international community as sign of China keeping pursuing its dreams and win-win cooperation with the rest of the world. It is believed that the 20th CPC National Congress not only is significant to China, but also places important impacts on the rest of the world. Foreign media organizations reported that Chinese modernization will shed light on other countries, and the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, which has been once again highlighted in Xi's report this time, is crucial to global development. They said the congress offers important political guidance for China's development on the country's journey toward greater prosperity, and draws a new blueprint for a better future to be jointly created by the Chinese people and the people in the rest of the world. The world has further recognized that China's development is a great cause that advances human progress. Since socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era in 2012, the cause of the Party and the country has scored historic achievements and gone through historic changes. The success jointly created by the CPC and the Chinese people has a far-reaching impact on the world. Delegates to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pose for a picture in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after the congress concluded, Oct. 22, 2022. (People's Daily/He Yong) From multiple perspectives, the international community analyzed China's remarkable achievements made in the new era, to learn the country's experiences in overcoming development challenges and realizing vitalization. Foreign media organizations said that the CPC, with a responsible attitude, has led the country to achieve sustainable development, which demonstrates its political vision and wisdom. They believe socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Chinese governance system are a role model in seeking happiness for the people. Facts prove that, the cause of the CPC benefits not only the Chinese people, but also the world at large. The Russian International Affairs Council said in an article published on its website that China's economic miracle sets a good example for the countries that are still in search of their own development paths. The global attention received by the congress indicated that the international community has further enhanced its confidence in China building itself into a modern socialist country in all respects. China today is more than the country itself; it is very much a part of the world. The report delivered at the 20th CPC National Congress planed the development targets and major policies of the Party and the country in the next five years and even a longer period of time to come, and announced to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. The international community said that the decisions made at the congress have displayed a clear vision for China's next-phase development, and the CPC will keep leading the Chinese people to march forward along the path to happiness and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is believed that China is more confident now in creating even bigger miracles. China, on a new journey to build itself into a modern socialist country in all respects, is expected to create certainty and stability for the fast-changing world and expand the areas of mutually beneficial cooperation between itself and other countries. The international community has further recognized China's firm determination to build a community with a shared future for mankind. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 16, 2022. (People's Daily/Lei Sheng) Changes of the world, of our times and of history are unfolding today in ways like never before. The world has once again stood at a crossroads, with its future course dependent on the choices of people of all countries. 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. China is always committed to the purpose of its foreign policy of safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, and to building a community with a shared future for mankind, which fully mirrors the Party's broad mind and sense of responsibility. The international observers said the 20th CPC National Congress will guide China to keep safeguarding world peace and make the international order more just, and unite all progressive forces around the world to cope with major issues such as the wealth gap and climate change. It is believed that the CPC will lead China toward another milestone and keep contributing to world peace, progress and prosperity. Building a community with a shared future for mankind is a greater vision that benefits the world with the Chinese Dream. The CPC strives for both the wellbeing of the Chinese people and progress of the entire humankind. On the new journey ahead, the Party will keep expanding its global vision, obtain a keen understanding of the trends of human progress, and actively respond to the concerns of the people from all countries, so as to contribute to solving the common issues facing mankind. It will learn from all outstanding civilizations with a broad mind to build a better world. China will steer the giant ship of its great rejuvenation, braving winds and waves, toward its destination. It will make even greater contributions to human progress. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Wu Chengliang) Saskia Esken turns down calls by several politicians to resume gas supplies from Russia once war is over BERLIN (AA) The leader of Germanys Social Democrats on Monday warned against resuming Russian gas supplies after the end of the war in Ukraine. Even after the war, we will clearly not build up our dependence on Russian energy supplies again. Were glad that we have now taken the most important steps to get out of there, Saskia Esken told the RTL/ntv broadcast network. It was a big mistake to make Germany dependent on one state for its energy supplies, she said, urging: "We shouldn't think about doing it again." Esken's statements followed calls by the premier of the east German state of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, who spoke out in favor of resuming Russian gas supplies after the war. "We need long-term contracts for liquid gas supplies from the US, Qatar, and other Arab countries. In addition, we must finally develop our own natural gas in the North Sea. And when the war is over, we should use gas from Russia again," he told the weekly Bild am Sonntag. But Green party parliamentarian Anton Hofreiter called the demand for a return to Russian gas "populist and irresponsible." Anyone who demands this must then also say that they "would like to give Russia money so that it can buy more drones from Iran in order to destroy even more in Ukraine," Hofreiter told Berlin-based Phoenix TV. Cheap gas from Russian pipelines was a boon to industrial companies in Germany until the start of the Ukraine war on Feb. 24, as they were able to operate at lower costs and gain competitiveness. Natural gas accounted for about 27% of Germanys total energy consumption the first half of 2022, mainly for heating and industrial purposes and to a much lower extent (around 15%) for electricity production. Germany managed to quickly lower Russia's share in its gas supply since the war began, from around 55% in February to around 35% in May. However, it is still grappling with the major challenge of replacing the remaining share with alternative sources. Other important suppliers include the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway, all of which have raised their export volumes but cannot fully fill the void left by Russia. Oliver Towfigh Nia/AA BERLIN (AA) - Ukraine needs a Marshall Plan to rebuild the war-torn country, and Kyiv can rely on the continued support of its international partners, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday. Together with all our friends and partners, we will resolutely continue to support Ukraine: politically financially, in terms of humanitarian assistance, and also with arms, Scholz said at the opening of an international conference on Ukraine, co-hosted by Germany and the European Union. Scholz condemned Russias recent military strikes, accused Kremlin of launching indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Today we do not yet know when this war will end. But it will end. And when it does, we will continue to stand by Ukraine and its struggle for security, freedom and democracy, he stressed. Scholz said todays high-level experts conference will focus on developing ideas and mechanisms to ensure the reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine in the coming years and decades. So, what it is at stake here is nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century, he said and underlined that this will require a massive commitment. The recovery, reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine will indeed be a challenge for generations, one that will require the combined strength of the entire international community, he added. The Marshall Plan was a US-sponsored program for European recovery after World War II, and it brought extensive investment into the region. Tuesdays conference in Berlin is bringing together policymakers, businesspeople, representatives of international organizations and the Ukrainian government to discuss key matters for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. Ahead of the conference, German diplomats said there will not be any political decisions at the meeting. Recommendations of the experts will be published later, to guide policymakers in future decisions on a comprehensive reconstruction and modernization plan for Ukraine. No one is questioning that Mitsubishi Motors Philippines (MMPC) has been relatively quiet when it comes to new products of late. With the ex... Tapping ultimate WHR potential ICR Newsroom By Published 25 October 2022 Reducing the carbon footprint of cement production and introducing captive electricity generation have become priorities for Turkish cement producer Nuh Cimento. After nine years of waste heat recovery (WHR) experience at its Hereke cement works, the company has gathered a considerable amount of data that can be used to assess WHR efficiency and tap its ultimate potential. By Halim Tekkesin, Sami Zengin, Turgut Atakorkut and Sabri Karabay, Nuh Cimento, Turkey. Since its inception in 1966, Nuh Cimento has reached a clinker capacity of 4.5Mta (2021) at its integrated cement plant in Hereke, Turkey, consuming almost 580GWh of electricity annually. To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or Login Asian Paints enters JV for new white cement plant ICR Newsroom By 25 October 2022 Asian Paints is joining forces with Riddhi Siddhi Crusher & Land Transport, based in Fujairah, and Associated Soap Stone Distributing Co Pvt Ltd (ASSD) to set up a white cement and clinker plant in Fujairah, UAE. The joint venture will be a 60:40 partnership between Asian Paints and Riddhi Siddhi & ASSD, according to Coatings World. The initial capacity of the new facility will be 265,000tpa with additional grinding units to be set up in India as well. The JV involves an overall investment of around US$66m over the next two years. Asian Paints is excited to enter the white cement space by setting up its own manufacturing facility in partnership with Riddhi Siddhi and ASSD in Fujairah, UAE, said Amit Syngle, managing director and CEO of Asian Paints Limited. We have always innovated in our offerings and with this we will enrich our powder products with custom made, value for money white cement, coupled with an uninterrupted supply, to deliver a strong value to our customers. Given the synergy of 70 per cent of the white cement being sold through the paint/hardware/tile retailers, this offers Asian Paints a huge opportunity to market white cement to our extensive network of dealers across the country. Riddhi Siddhi holds mining rights for high quality limestone mines in Fujairah, UAE, while ASSD is a trusted supplier of certain raw materials to the paint industry. Published under Stronger freight prices seen as demand growing in grain season ICR Newsroom By 25 October 2022 The USG Supramax/Ultramax market is in a positive mode. Excessive tonnage supply was absorbed fast as demand was gradually appearing, particularly on fronthaul routes. Charterers had to improve their bids as owners started showing resistance. Consistently strong fronthaul demand and a lack of spot tonnage supply meant rates continued to move upwards. Average freight rates for transportation of a Supramax-lot of petcoke from Houston to ARA ports with spot laycans are at US$25/t, up US$5/t when compared with the previous month. Deals for delivery of 50,000t of petcoke from Houston to Iskenderun with spot laycans are discussed at around US$30/t on average. Average shipping costs for delivery of a Supramax-lot of petcoke from USG to EC India are at US$49/t, up US$7/t MoM. The Supramax/Ultramax market will likely be gradually shifting to the shipowners side as the expected gradual increase in the grain offer ex-USG will positively impact transportation costs in the region. Additional support for the Supramax/Ultramax segment will come from the strengthening Panamax market in the North and South Atlantic. Note that US exporters are in tough competition with South American exporters (due to heavy grains crop in Brazil). This explains the delayed and rather slow start of the US grain season, which is usually the main driver of the USG market at this time of year. Published under This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 2329, is a period when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize the numerous ways that childrens exposure to lead in their surroundings can be decreased and its serious health impacts prevented. Earlier this year, Dr. Dawn Ford, an assistant professor in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Health and Human Performance, landed a grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for Lead Testing in Drinking Water Project Services to Licensed Childcare Centers. Lead poisoning can cause neurological problems, delayed development and impacts on IQ, Dr. Ford said. It affects young kidsthose under the age of sixthe most. Thats why were targeting childcare centers. The overall objective of the grant is for UTC Master of Public Health students like Ashley Ellis to work with Tennessee Department of Human Services-licensed childcare facilities in Hamilton, Bradley and Marion counties to test their drinking water for lead to: provide education about this free service and the importance of lead testing to state-licensed childcare centers; increase participation among the childcare centers so that lead concentration levels at point-of-use drinking water outlets can be determined; and and assist those providers needing to take corrective action with technical assistance and referrals for funding to complete the required remediation. I think its interesting how we have to worry about water quality, Ms. Ellis said. Calling the centers myself and mimicking what an actual public health worker might do has forced me to venture out of my comfort zone. You know, just calling them, telling them about the testing, offering to do the testing myself, promoting early childhood health, possibly mitigating elevated lead levels. The lead testing is part of an overarching initiative called the Tennessee College/Underserved Community Partnership Programor TN CUPPwhich works to establish partnerships between underserved communities and higher education institutions in Tennessee. This project is also affiliated with the Environmental Protection Agencys CUPP program. The University will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the EPA on Nov. 3 on UTCs campus, opening opportunities for additional projects. Mark Thurman has been named Fisheries Division chief of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. A 36-year veteran for the TWRA, he moves into his new role after serving as the Fisheries Program manager in TWRAs Region III (Upper Cumberland, Chattanooga area) for the past 12 years. As Fisheries Division chief, Mr. Thurman will be responsible for the coordination of management programs for fisheries programs across the state. He will develop fisheries policies for divisional resources, the public and TWRA. He will also prepare and present proclamations to the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission. We are excited to welcome Mark Thurman into this new role with the agency, said Jason Maxedon TWRA executive director. His proven track record of leadership and commitment to the conservation and management of fish populations and habitats will make him an asset to the agency as chief of the Fisheries Division. Mr. Thurman has served the TWRA in a variety of roles. He began his TWRA career in 1986 as a part-time wildlife technician in TWRA Region III. From 1994-96, he served as a wildlife technician for Region IV (East Tennessee) Reservoir Fisheries and then became a wildlife manger 1 for Region IV Reservoir Fisheries for eight years. In 2004-05, he was a species survey manager 1 in Region IV. In 2005, he moved to Region III, serving as conservation planner for five years before becoming the Regional Fisheries Program manager. Mr. Thurman has had many responsibilities and accomplishments during his career. He has represented the Agency on various committees, outreach projects and the Agencys strategic planning. A native of Spring City, he holds a bachelors degree in wildlife and fisheries science and a masters in biology, both from Tennessee Tech University. I ran into my friend Greg Martin this afternoon and enjoyed a friendly chat for several minutes. That meeting prompted me to submit a brief encouragement to the voters of the greater Chattanooga area to make the effort to get to their polling center and vote for this outstanding public servant. Greg is running for the State House of Representatives, District 26. In this time of stressful, divided politics and harsh rhetoric, Dr. Martin is most a refreshing oasis of civility, kindness, professionalism, community involvement, public service and is truly everything a citizen would ever desire in a political representative. His wide and successful experience in the business community serves him well in understanding the needs of hard-working Tennesseans. I know he has served our community with the very highest level of moral integrity, honest business ethics, tireless energy, exemplary family leadership, and intelligence all governed by his deeply held Christian convictions. Because I know his motivation and upright character and abilities, I completely trust his service to our community, our state and (I hope) eventually to the nation. It is an honor to recommend this remarkable man for your consideration. Dr. Tom Hammett Retired Hamilton County Educator Church Music Director * * * There are five State House races in Hamilton County, and the race for State House District 26 is the only competitive one. Unlike people in the rest of the county, folks in D26 have a true choice of who represents them in Nashville. Im running to represent D26, but I'm not running against a person. Im running against bad policies. We've had one political party in power in Nashville for more than a decade, and they tend to vote in lockstep. So we don't have to guess what any Republican elected to the Tennessee legislature would do in office; their colleagues are doing it now. And we're living with the results. Judging from where Tennessee sits compared to other states, our government is failing us. Wealthy corporations might be thriving here, thanks to big tax breaks, but most Tennesseans are not. Tennessees biggest investors are everyday Tennesseans. We pay the countrys highest sales tax every time we go to the store. Sales tax accounts for most of the state funding for public ed and other services. (Meanwhile 25 percent of Tennessee's wealthiest corporations pay no state taxes.) What are Tennessee taxpayers getting in return? We have among the worst rates for incarceration, school funding, violent crime, life expectancy, teen births, poverty, bankruptcy, and chronic disease. We deserve a better return on our investment. Heres a great example. We could get 400,000 more Tennesseans health insurance if wed simply accept the federal funds to expand Medicaid. These are our own tax dollars being offered back to us, yet our state government wont accept them. Every economic analysis has shown that we would benefit by expanding Medicaidand that weve lost a lot of money by not doing it. Concerned about crime? Heres a big part of the solution. The majority of incarcerated people have a substance-abuse problem, a mental health problem, or both. Research has shown that expanding Medicaidgiving people access to addiction treatment and mental health carereduces both violent crime and property crime. Then theres the moral argument. Think about what it would mean to give 400,000 more Tennesseans access to health care. Ive had loved ones without health insurance. Ive been that person on the phone trying desperately to get addiction treatment or mental health care for someone in crisis. I wouldnt wish that on anyone. These aren't R problems or D problems. They're Tennessee problems. And nothing is going to change until we get more people in Tennessee government who care about the humans at the other end of their policies. I am an advocate. I dont care about power. I dont care about playing politics. I care about people. Thats why Im running for State House. If you live in D26 and you want to learn more about me, please visit my website. Allison Reilly Gorman * * * Ms. Gorman, Your enthusiasm as a candidate is appreciated, and noticed. I care more about the person than the political party or ideology when evaluating who to vote for on election day. I will vote Republican or Democrat, as it doesnt matter to me. There is no elected official in Hamilton County with more public service experience than candidate Greg Martin. It is just a fact. No other candidate is as proficient in public education. Mr. Martin served on HCDE board for what a decade? It was a long time. Then, Mr. Martin was the well-versed Hamilton County commissioner. Honestly, you dont have a fraction of his knowledge on county government operations. The decisions made in Nashville always trickle down to local government. The fact is there is no candidate running for office in Hamilton County with more local government knowledge and experience than Greg Martin. I also like his, just the facts, analytical view of problems. Mr. Martin is a cool headed, factual leader. Mr. Martin is not hanging his hat on ideology, but rather service to community. I have read your background, and dont see any a public service history, voluntary or otherwise. I could have missed something. Thing is, Martin is just so darn trustworthy. Best wishes to you, but Greg Martin has more experience, government knowledge, and proven leadership. April Eidson * * * In reading Ms. Gorman's response to the letter supporting Greg Martin, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Mary Wallstonecraft. "What a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of a hypothesis." Let's start with education. Tennessee is ranked #28 in education by US News, ahead of both North Carolina and Georgia. That is considerably higher than any time Democrats ruled the state until 15 years ago. You want to put Democrats in charge of education? There are three counties that have trended Democrat in recent elections. Here is the state educational ranking of each; Metro Nashville (127), Haywood County (138) and the Democrat paradise that is Memphis (136). Yeah, let's put Democrats in charge of education. I'm amazed that Democrats want a state income tax. Who pays a state income tax? Well the people who live in the state! Who pays a sales tax, the people who buy things in the state. I would suggest Ms. Gorman go out on one of our Interstates and count the number of out of state cars who pay our gasoline tax. Or go to Gatlinburg this weekend and see how many out of staters are staying in hotels and eating in the restaurants. I would imagine the only people who support a state income tax are those who don't work and would not be affected by it. And of course the Democrats always bring up crime. Once again I would point to the Democrat paradise of Memphis which was recently named the most dangerous city in the country by 24/7. Yeah, lets put Democrats in charge of crime. Greg Martin is the clear choice for state representative. Douglas Jones Anna Shaw Childrens Institute will hold its next CHAMP (Classes to Help, Advise & Motivate Parents) webinar on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at noon. Lauren Buono, PhD, pediatric neuropsychologist, will give a presentation on Maintaining Routines During the Holidays.Visit the event section on Facebook.com/HamiltonCares for live streaming information.For more information, call 706-226-8900. The ability of Lewis Grizzard, Jr. (LG) to subtly convey a message hidden in one of his articles or books was not always recognized or appreciated by all of his readers. The title of the 1989 64-page paperback pamphlet, Fear of Flying, coincidently happens to be the title of the 1973 historical and best seller by Erica Jong, which has sold over 20 million copies since it was written. For the younger generation she has also been one of the most outspoken and open feminists of our time and has figured prominently in the development of second wave sexism. She has also been quoted as saying that (1) the greatest feminists have been the greatest lovers and (2) you see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy. Several of the articles deal with his relationship and experiences on airplanes and the mostly extinct pleasures of passenger train travel. LG died on March 20, 1994, at the age of 47. Erica Jong was born on March 26, 1942 and has authored several other best selling books and continues to be a frequent lecturer and subject of interesting interviews. In the field of matrimony, they may be tied on the number of marriages. LG had 4 wives at the time of his death in 1994. The last reported data on EJ indicated that they are tied, but her last companion down the wedding aisle was a highly rated lawyer whose profession has always had a checkered record in the marriage field. One can only speculate as to what comments and humor would have been exchanged between the famous authors if they had been asked to participate in a joint interview? Back to LGs comments on air travel and passenger train adventures: 1. I met two middle-aged women travelling from Louisville to Chicago. The train is the only way to fly, said one. Its the only way Ill fly, laughed her companion. They sat in the lounge car talking and drinking beer for a couple of hours. I watched them have at least six beers each. When the train reached Chicago, they were flying higher than anyone else on the train. 2. LG was on a nonstop flight to Los Angeles, the fellow next to him said, Going to LA? I hope so, he answered. I really hope so. 3. More people die from slipping in their bathtubs than in commercial airplane crashes, a friend once told LG. The humorist replied If theres any way I can travel in a bathtub, I am willing to take my chances, he replied. (Just imagine a debate or joint performance between Erica Jong and Lewis Grizzard in 2022?) * * * You can reach Jerry Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com) A woman on Northern Hills Road told police she wanted to turn over a clown doll, which someone left on her doorstep with a letter saying Neighbor. He is your problem now. I am sorry I cant do this anymore. The woman said she felt that the doll at her doorstep was creepy and just wanted the police to take the doll away. Police retrieved the doll without further incident. * * * Police were called to Arlington Avenue where a tow truck driver for H&R Recovery out of North Carolina said the owner of the vehicle was causing a verbal disorder. When police arrived, the man was gone. The tow truck driver showed police paperwork and police stayed to prevent any more disorder. The tow truck driver was able to leave with the vehicle without further incident. * * * An employee with Speedway at 3956 Brainerd Road told police a black female entered the store and took an unknown amount of merchandise. The employee said the woman had fled the scene. * * * A man at Downtown Automotive at 1725 Market St. told police two vehicles had been vandalized on the lot. The man said someone smashed the drivers side rear windshield out of a Toyota LCW. The man said the next night someone smashed out the passenger rear windshield of a Mercedes-Benz GL450. The man said nothing was stolen and is unsure who might be doing this. * * * A man called police and said someone had stolen a Glock pistol out of his Honda while it was parked at 4300 Founders Way. The pistol was entered into NCIC as stolen. * * * A man in Dunlap told police he believed his phone had been hacked and the hacker is trying to get his personal and financial information. The man couldnt provide any proof, but called because he wanted to tell police that he is close to getting evidence. He said that the hacker lives somewhere in Chattanooga but couldnt provide any particular location. The man reported this to his local authorities, as well as the FBI. Police said his claim that his phone was being hacked seemed extremely speculative and unfounded. * * * An officer responded to a wellness check on Arlington Avenue. Police spoke with the woman who said she got into an argument with her son. Police identified the son and he said he was going to leave for the night. Police saw that he may have a possible warrant out of Hamilton County Sessions Court. Dispatch notified police that the warrant was not valid. The son left the scene without incident. * * * A woman on Grand Avenue told police she had ordered a package and it was supposed to come by mail. She then received notice that it was delivered around noon. She was at home when she got the notice and the package was not delivered and her mail doesnt run until 5 p.m. anyway. She needed a report so that her package can be re-delivered. * * * An employee of Home Depot at 7421 Commons Blvd. told police a man rented a truck in August and was supposed to turn it into Home Depot in Destin, Fl. six days later. The employee said they have tried to contact the man and he still hasnt returned the truck. She wanted to report it stolen. The truck was entered into NCIC. * * * A woman on Oak Street told police her vehicle alarm went off and she believed that the vehicle behind her hit her car. The officer didnt notice any damage on the suspect vehicle and the womans car had a small scratch and a little bubble in the paint. Neither the scratch or the paint bubble looked to be caused but an accident. The woman just wanted the damaged documented since she just bought the vehicle and she owes a lot of money on it. The suspect vehicle" was not put in the report because there was no evidence that the vehicle made contact with her car. The owner of the "suspect vehicle" came out to see what was going on and she said she didnt hit the womans car. * * * A man at 2230 Polymer Dr. told police he owned a white 2014 300 Chrysler. He said he went to a local gas station. When he arrived, he parked his vehicle, got out and went inside the gas station. He left his vehicle running with the key fob in it. Someone got into his car and drove off. A County School Board member has been arrested on a charge of indecent exposure in an alleged incident from over five years ago. Gary William Kuehn, 63, was charged in connection with an incident at a doctor's office that the complaint says happened Aug. 18, 2017. On why a five-year-old warrant was just now being served, the Sheriff's Office said, "Hamilton County Sheriffs Office Criminal Warrants division noticed an active warrant for Mr. Gary Kuehn while operating within the Harrison area. "The warrant was located within Hamilton County Courts Warrant Database, which is utilized by law enforcement. "The detective made contact with Mr. Kuehn and advised him that he had an active warrant, and made arrangements for Mr. Kuehn to turn himself in for processing on the morning of October 23rd. "Mr. Kuehn was compliant and turned himself in to the Hamilton County Jail without further incident." The complaint says Kuehn was at the doctor's office to receive a testerone injection. A female nurse said after the injection that Kuehn asked her if the injection would make him hard. She said that was a question for the doctor. The nurse said he then pulled out his penis and stroked it to make it hard. She said she told him she was leaving the room. She said he told her not to leave and continued to stroke himself in front of her. The nurse said she then left and told the doctor about the incident. She said she wanted to prosecute. Kuehn was a science teacher at Central High School, and was the principal at Hunter Middle School and the Adult High School. He was arrested on Sunday. County Mayor Weston Wamp, touching a wide range of topics at the Pachyderm Club, cautioned about installing civil service for county employees and said the Southside Stadium project was too rushed and leaves taxpayers with heavy liabilities. Having the job of Hamilton County Mayor is a tremendous honor, said the speaker. He spoke about how Tennessee dominates and how Hamilton County fits in. He said Bill Kilbride, chairman of the TVA Board and past president at Mohawk Home, has cautioned him not to give away tax money unnecessarily. He said, "A lot of credit goes to the leadership in Nashville and the Chattanooga delegation is extraordinary. Governor Bill Lee cannot get much done without them." He talked about conservative thoughts which he sees that relate to success for Hamilton County starting with patience. He said he takes a deliberate approach to things. His characteristic of being intense is different than being in a hurry, he stated. He said that patience is not rushing to make a change. Were called on to preserve the conservative intention and vision of the founders. They got most things right," he said. "It is the conservative way to build on what we inherited. There is a need for transparency and accountability for conservatives, said the county mayor. One example that he took action on Monday relates to the way that Hamilton County handles email. CTAS, County Technical Assistance Service, which provides assistance to counties in Tennessee, recommends that the counties hold emails for a period of five years, he said, but Hamilton County has been operating with a far-fetched interpretation, which was to hold email for 10 days. In that amount of time, people cannot be held responsible, he commented. Anther theme of conservatism, he said, is that smart people can make better decisions for their families than government. "Our private sector knows best." He said that he hopes to revisit the issue of civil service for county employees. He said in 2011 Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam rolled back civil service in the state in which it had been entrenched. So did past President Donald Trump. He said civil service has led to breeding corruption. He wants to keep the employees he has, and he said that at this time it is hard to find good, qualified employees. In response to questions from the Pachyderm Club members, he gave some thoughts on the new Southside development, saying it has been an example of things getting rushed through. He said this is one of the biggest public projects in the history of the city. Talk of it has gone quiet at the moment because it is more complex than all the rushing through allowed for, he stated. He said the part he did not like was that it was pitched as a no-risk proposition. But he said all the risk, in reality, is actually on the taxpayers if something goes wrong. And an even bigger project will be announced soon that will affect the development on South Broad, he said. When asked, Mr. Wamp said he wouldnt talk about the county attorney issue or about potential replacements. What is the difference in a city and county mayor, was another question asked. You have to live in the county," he said, "but not in the city. Cities do not have to provide anything, he said, they put the ornaments on the trees with added services. The county is where the rubber meets the road. The county provides essential services to unincorporated areas in the county that are more rural in nature. But now those areas are becoming more urban, and a new need will be to provide more bandwidth. The areas in eastern Hamilton County such as Soddy Daisy, Sale Creek and Mowbray Mountain are the logical growth areas for the county. People there take pride in way of life and with development, it will be important to respect that and try to preserve it." As for trade schools, he said there is not much land available near the city of Chattanooga. He hopes to create new revenue streams for developing new schools rather than increasing taxes. He said one of his biggest priorities will be reviving City High and Kirkman High School, both which were close to downtown but were closed. He said that both a new traditional college track high school and a technical high school are needed in Hamilton County. He said a challenge here is that there is a proliferation of private education that the public schools have to compete with. He said, "Part of what we have to do is to build new, beautiful schools, not just patch roofs." The American Red Cross urges blood donors of all types and those who have never given before to book a time to give blood or platelets now and help keep the blood supply from dropping ahead of the holidays. "People of all blood types are needed, especially platelet donors and those with type O blood blood products that are critical to keeping hospitals ready to help patients depending on transfusions in the weeks ahead," officials said. Book now by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). As a thank-you for taking the time to give this fall, all who come to give Nov.1-22 will receive a $10 e-gift card by email to a merchant of choice. Details are available at rcblood.org/perks. Upcoming blood donation opportunity in Hamilton County - Soddy Daisy: Nov. 9 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Soddy Daisy Healthcare, 701 Sequoyah Road. How to donate blood: Download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. Amplify Your Impact - Volunteer: Another way to support the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross is to become a volunteer blood donor ambassador at Red Cross blood drives. Blood donor ambassadors help greet, check-in and thank blood donors to ensure they have a positive donation experience. Volunteers can also serve as transportation specialists, playing a vital role in ensuring lifesaving blood products are delivered to nearby hospitals. For more information and to apply for either position, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga announced that its annual Raise the Roof fundraiser netted the non-profit more than $120,000, exceeding its goal for the event. Habitat officials offered their thanks to those who helped make this years event a success. We are very thankful for the valuable guidance provided by Derek and LaVon Bullard, who served as this years co-chairs, and for sharing their incredible story they offered inspiration for many in attendance. We are also grateful for the amazing support from our presenting sponsor, Crown Automotive Group. We appreciate all of the efforts that led to this years success. Over the past 35 years, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga has built nearly 300 homes and repaired over 150 existing homes, providing more than 1,000 women, men, and children with stability and the joy and security of Habitat homeownership. Proceeds from Raise the Roof will go directly into funding Habitat for Humanitys mission of building more decent and affordable homes for deserving families in Hamilton County. "With construction expenses raising daily, hard costs add up to $120,000 for each home; attendees at Raise the Roof literally raised a roof for one area family who will now enjoy the incredible, life-changing benefits of home ownership thanks to this remarkable generosity," said Jens Christensen, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga. A three-story apartment building is being planned in the section behind the Raceway on South Broad Street. The project is set for Williams Street at East 26th Street. The applicant for rezoning is Tahini South Broad LLC, which includes local developer Hiren Desai. The site is currently vacant. The case goes before the Planning Commission on Nov. 14. Fall Festival healthcare booths Giveaway - bikes Robin Diddle putting a scarf on a woman Willie Jackson giving a haircut Previous Next On Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, The Salvation Armys 614 Corps Day Shelter hosted a carnival style fall festival last Thursday for the Chattanooga communitys underserved neighbors. The fall festival included pizza and popcorn, yard games, free cosmetology services, healthcare resource vendors and giveaways, such as bikes, for those experiencing homelessness. Free flu shots were offered to the communitys unsheltered. Willie Jackson, a student at Chattanooga State Community College, provided haircuts, shaves and manicures at no cost for the fall festival attendees. As temperatures begin to drop, Robin Diddle, a volunteer with the Salvation Army, handed out scarves to ensure the unsheltered community have an article of warm clothing. For more information on how you can assist the Salvation Army in doing the most good, visit https://www.csarmy.org/. Elizabeth Beth Edling Taylor was born on March 10, 1929 in Malanje, Angola, to pioneer Methodist missionaries. After graduating from Houghton College, she worked for Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Schenectady, NY, where she was spiritually revitalized by the Reformed doctrines of grace. She also served as camp secretary for Peniel Bible Camp in upstate New York where she met and married Gordon Taylor in 1961. Beth joined Gordon in Northern India where they served as missionaries for 40 years with the Reformed Presbyterian Mission which became World Presbyterian Missions and then Mission to the World. In India, Beth raised four children of her own and was Auntie to hundreds of children in The Childrens Home, Bhogpur. Her ministry included visiting the sick, shut-ins, widows, lonely, and single mothers; she led Bible Studies and Sunday School classes for women and for children; for a few years, she taught Latin at Woodstock School; she also served on the boards of several Christian institutions in India. Beth was a prolific correspondent and communicated with a considerable number of people all over the world. She had a love for and a keen interest in everyone the Lord brought before her. Her prayer ministry was powerful. Beth is known for her quiet, but generous spirit. Her meek and dedicated service touched many more lives than we can know. In 2000, Beth and Gordon moved to Chattanooga, to be near family and to continue ministry in a different capacity. For many years, they returned to India annually where Beth taught VBS at The Childrens Home. On a weekly basis they were involved in Mountainview Presbyterian Church, Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church, and New City Fellowship. They had loyal support for the work in India from many churches across America and visited them regularly. Beth entered the Lords rest on the Lords day, October 23, 2022. She followed her husbands homegoing by just over five years. She is survived by her four children: David Livingstone, Martin Luther, Calvin Knox and Susanna Wesley and their spouses and 16 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren as well as Geeta Grace and many spiritual children. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Forest Hills Cemetery. A memorial service will follow at 3 p.m. at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church, 316 N. Bragg Ave., Lookout Mountain. Arrangements are by Wann Funeral & Cremation Center at the foot of historic Lookout Mountain, St. Elmo, 423 821-7551. To share memories, photos or condolences please visit www.wannfuneralhome.com. Both players matched four out of five white balls plus the red Powerball to win the base prize of $50,000.Both of these winning tickets were sold at a Food City location. The $200,000 winner purchased the ticket at Food City, 2310 McGrady Drive in Cleveland. The $50,000 winning ticket was purchased at Food City, 125 Judge Gresham Road in Gray. On the eve of Diwali and the day after the festival, air quality "only" dropped to "very poor" instead of "hazardous", which is a small victory and mercy over the consistent environmental onslaught of the last decade. On October 17, the Central government's Commission of Air Quality Management issued a statement, based on IARI analysis of NASA data, that paddy stubble burning incidents have reduced between September 15 to October 16 -- from 2,375 in 2021 to 1,444 in 2022 in Punjab and from 1,026 in 2021 to 244 in 2022 in Haryana. All of this could be attributed to better governance and PUSA decomposer spraying but is more likely a function of the asynchronous Diwali-crop season, extended monsoon, heavy unseasonal rainfall and marginal bureaucratic improvements. Regardless of reduction in stubble burning incidents, Delhis air pollution will worsen over the next few weeks as we enter the dry winter, festival season and the farmers dire need to plant wheat and vegetables. The most important and powerful first responder will be the state comprising the legislature, democratic and bureaucratic executive and judiciary. It is the most influential lever of social change and can use persuasion, regulation, coercion and action. What can it do better this time? Stubble burning and air quality has gone from bad to worse because of lack of public buy-in, absence of political will, lack of a stable policy ecosystem that promotes entrepreneurship for public problem solving and fragmented bureaucratic actions organized by departments instead of outcome. There is an underdeveloped research ecosystem for innovation and low coordination between judges, scientists and businesses, causing great public harm. The solution lies in dialogue on war-footing instead of monologues on the back-burner, where Occams razor takes precedence of Hanlons razor. First, the Judiciary. The Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal and High Courts of north India can do citizens a great service by bringing scientific rigour, business viability and market sustainability as the central pivot for problem-solving. In an age where the judiciary is known for executive action, it can replicate its experiences from Covid-19, where industry was a key stakeholder in problem solving with vaccines (Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute) and oxygen (Inox, Linde) whilst renowned academics and doctors were consulted to understanding the multi-dimensional problem directly. Similarly, for the respiratory crisis that is air pollution, the courts should consult public sector research organisations (IIT Delhi, IISc Bangalore, CSIR) and private think tanks (WRI, Clean Air Fund, Open Philanthropies) on air quality directly to solve this crisis created by misaligned incentives and improper policy design. This will help create concrete and implementable plans instead of promoting unscientific, cost-ineffective or unsustainable solutions like smog towers and mechanised sweeping. The current Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, who has been amicus curiae in several pollution cases, and is in office till November 10, will spend his last few weeks in Delhis toxic air. He has the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy on north Indias air quality if he were able to create a systematic, sustainable and scientific plan to monitor and evaluate solutions proposed in several orders of Supreme Court Writ Petition 13029. Second, the government (and the legislature). Governments must find a way to implement multi-pronged solutions in an outcome-oriented manner, to treat the fundamental ailment, instead of treating the symptoms. North Indias executive-led legislatures, for example, must reconsider the legislative instruments (Preservation of Subsoil Water Acts) enacted in 2009, aimed at water conservation in Punjab and Haryana, which gave the government the power to define a precise date of the year before which farmers are prohibited from transplanting paddy. While seeking to reduce groundwater depletion, it has reduced the number of days available between the kharif and rabi crops, and created incentives to burn the stubble in order to rapidly clear the field. Each year over the last 13 years, the agrarian crisis gets worse through bad policy planning and implementation, leading to poor fertilizers, failing crops and falling incomes. Free electricity for agricultural pumps without boundary conditions or community disincentives, and excessive continuous reliance on paddy due to its MSP and history has made things worse for water, soil, crops, farmers and the state. To solve for this Nemean Hydra, groundwater depletion needs to be tackled by creating ponds, rejuvenating lakes and cleaning rivers using natural treatment methods and peoples participation. Delhis model of lake rejuvenation and Sant Balbir Seechewals model of cleaning the Kali Bein rivulet can be mainstreamed inside the government to bring science and community together. A new model of agrarian electricity governance should be proposed that provides for two lines to be connected to each village, one for agricultural use and one for residential use. The village residential line, with 24 hours of electricity, can power homes. Free but metered and scheduled electricity can be provided for agricultural pumps for a few hours in a day on the agricultural line. These two lines should have strict usage norms with village-level disincentives and individual fines if abused. Simultaneously, the long-term policy and program on crop diversification to increase farmer incomes must be pursued with vigor, which can create a sustainable market in the agrarian economy that removes the need for coercive laws. This means promoting millets and mushrooms which are less water intensive through state policies and instruments like MSP, as also creating a market for green business alternatives for paddy straw through mulching, green energy, eco-cutlery, eco-friendly housing and composting to supplement farmer incomes by creating value from waste. All these executive programs would benefit immensely if individual legislators showed greater agency to bring executive projects and practices to fruition and success. And finally, the bureaucracy. The iron frame of the bureaucracy has the scope for highest impact because they can work in the background and apolitically implement best practices from within and outside their state. District magistrates in Punjab and Haryana can learn from Pathankot, which was able to reduce farmer apprehension in using stubble as fodder for cattle by sharing best practices, innovative communication and creating market linkages between agriculturists and dairy farmers. In 2019, this led to no stubble fires in the district. Similarly, they could replicate and scale the prudent and practical work of the Kheti Virasat Mission on crop diversification conducted by them in Faridkot, in their own district. They could emulate Chhattisgarhs Gauthan model of allowing composting on a 5-acre patch of barren land that enables social entrepreneurs and cooperatives to localise production and distribution of fertilizers using stubble as an input, again generating local value from local waste. Senior bureaucrats in the government of India and state governments can connect disconnected silos of funds, plans and mandates to align disparate functions with common outcomes. If coordinated well, the Finance Commission grants for stubble burning reduction, pollution cess in states, CSR donations of private companies and philanthropic donations could be mobilized rapidly into a common air quality emergency fund to implement innovative solutions at scale. For example, it could use granular and fidelitous satellite data to implement outcome-driven payment of incentives to farmers and villages that dont indulge in stubble burning. It could bring to life and catalyse existing central and state government mandates of using biomass, for fuelling power plants and industrial boilers, instead of coal that is currently prevented by organisational inertia and viability gap funding for decentralised or local solutions. Public problem solving requires participation and action from private markets, civil society and academia. Science can frame and measure the problem better and with its help technology can expand the scope of potential solutions. Companies, CSR and philanthropies can bring rapid scale, viability and sustainability to these solutions. Civil society activists and citizens can bring individual and collective action in implementing these solutions with tenacity and passion. However, for that, the state must understand that it cant solve this problem by itself. It can get by with a little help from its friends. Collaboration with competence with a base layer of compassion might be the only way that we can collectively breathe easy. Roshan Shankar has been an advisor in the Delhi government since 2015. Prasun Bansal holds degrees in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering and management from IIT Delhi, Stanford and IIM-Ahmedabad respectively. Previously he has worked with NASA and Boeing. A Summerville, Ga., woman was convicted for two felony counts of making a false statement following a jury trial that took nearly one month to complete in a case involving the death of her husband. Judge Don Thompson sentenced Susan Renee Lanham, 56, to serve a total of 10 years in prison. After deliberating for four days, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit murder and criminal solicitation charges, and a mistrial was declared as to those counts. Prosecutors negotiated a resolution of the case which included imposition of the maximum sentence allowed by law on two false statement counts in exchange for dismissal of the remaining counts. The defendant waived any right to appeal her sentence. On Sept. 18, 2017, Edward Earl Lanham, 75, was found shot to death in his bedroom. Evidence presented at trial showed that the crime scene gave the appearance that the home had been burglarized, but investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Chattooga County Sheriffs Office quickly determined the scene had been staged. Items from the alleged burglary were found discarded on the side of Halls Valley Road several weeks after the murder. Susan Renee Lanham, the victims wife, contacted 911 to report the murder late that evening, but gave numerous conflicting stories regarding her whereabouts that day and made multiple false statements to law enforcement, DA Chris Arnt said. Investigators found suspicious communications on the defendants cell phone with Zachary Hughes, the defendants nephew who lived in Albany. When interviewed, Hughes indicated the defendant asked him to kill her husband because she was $100,000 in debt, had no way to pay the money back and that she was afraid that her husband would find out. Hughes did not carry out the murder, and indicated his intent in communicating with the defendant was simply to obtain money from her. Due to the complex nature of the investigation and the COVID pandemic, the trial was delayed for several years, during which two key witnesses passed away. Eddie Stroup, the lead investigator for the Chattooga County Sheriffs Office, passed away in October 2020 while Jimmy Lanham, the victims brother, passed away in January 2022. After the trial began on Aug. 22, two separate week-long delays disrupted the case due to a person contracting COVID and unprecedented flooding in Chattooga County. In reaching an agreed resolution, prosecutors cited the difficulty of moving forward with a retrial due to the circumstantial nature of the case, the lack of physical evidence and the improbability that a future jury would be able to reach a unanimous verdict. District Attorney Arnt stated, While this is not the result we wanted, the defendant will be serving a decade in prison and has given up any right to appeal this sentence. A retrial of this case would have been extremely difficult given the overall nature of the evidence, and the death of critical witnesses. Given the hurdles to a potential retrial we had to make the difficult decision to accept this resolution to at least impose a substantial prison term in this case. The case was investigated by Steve Rogers with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Eddie Stroup with the Chattooga County Sheriffs Office. The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin Baugh and Assistant District Attorney Winston Franklin. First Horizon Bank has named Sequan Born Spigner as vice president and private client relationship manager at First Horizon. A native of Harlem, NY, Mr. Spigner comes to First Horizon after serving as a relationship banker before moving into banking leadership at Regions Bank. Most recently Mr. Spigner served as assistant vice president branch manager in the Hixson and East Ridge markets before joining the First Horizon team."During his seven years at Regions, Mr. Spigner held multiple positions within the bank and prides himself on his ability to do two things very well, building relationships with a foundation of trust and listening to the client in front of him," officials said."Through relationship building Mr. Spigner became a top referral source for both the wealth and investment teams in Chattanooga, helping his customers achieve their individual and family financial goals. Mr. Spigner helped led efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion for the Regions Chattanooga market. He was also a mentor for local bankers in executing the proper sales processes."The Brandeis University and Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program graduate currently resides in Georgia with his family. He is a supporter of The Brotherhood Sister Sol, Inc. and several local charities. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, spending time with his family and attending sporting events with his children.Jay Dale, Chattanooga market president of First Horizon said, Were delighted to have Sequan join our First Horizon family. He has a strong performance record of customer service and success in leading teams. Were looking forward to putting those same skillsets to work at First Horizon.Mr. Spigner said, Coming to work at First Horizon feels like a homecoming for me. Theres a reason theyve been voted Best of the Best in banking for the past 15 years. Im excited to join a company that continues to put customer service first and challenges team members to meet customer needs. Marshall Johnson, Audubons chief conservation officer, will be the featured guest at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater on Nov. 8 photo by Meleah LaPlante Yellow Warbler parents care for their chicks in a nest on the edge of a pond in the Prairie Wetland region photo by Wings Over Water Film Crew Sandhill Cranes take flight at sunrise from the Platte River in Nebraska, a temporary rest point before continuing their migration north to the prairie wetlands photo by Wings Over Water Film Crew A group of Mallard Ducks lands amongst the tall grass in the prairie wetlands photo by Wings Over Water Film Crew Previous Next Audubon's Chief Conservation Officer Marshall Johnson will appear as a guest speaker following a special 6 p.m. screening of Wings Over Water 3D at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater on Tuesday, Nov. 8. In Wings Over Water 3D, the latest film by the giant-screen experts at SK Films, avians graduate from background extras to seize top billing by the talons. By zeroing in on a trio of species Mallard Ducks, Yellow Warblers and Sandhill Cranes the filmmakers remind viewers how extraordinary birds are while also exploring the phenomenal diversity and ecological importance of a hidden haven for winged and terrestrial wildlife: North Americas Prairie Wetlands. Officials said, "From the majestic formation flying of Canadian Geese and the gravity-befuddling aerial acrobatics of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to the glossy iridescence of the humble Common Grackle, birds are astounding examples of diversity and adaptation. "In most places on Earth, birds exist beak and jowl alongside humans, flitting about in the background of our lives. In the United States, birding is one of the fastest-growing hobbies, with an estimated 47 million Americans describing themselves as bird watchers, according to data tracked by the U.S. Department of the Interior. "Yet for those who arent actively looking for them, the consistency and familiarity of these winged wonders can cause them to all but disappear from view, becoming such a common sight that they fade into the background." "But to overlook or underappreciate birds would be a tremendous shame, says Mr. Johnson. I often say birds are our playlist in nature, the song to our experience in nature. It is the power of birds and people who love birds that keep a grip on me. Mr. Johnson leant his expertise and passion for birds to Wings Over Water and appears in the film. A Fargo, ND resident, Mr. Johnson lives right in the sopping heart of the prairie wetlands, a swath of the Northern Great Plains, which is three times larger than the United Kingdom and stretches from the American Midwest into Canada. Officials said, "During his appearance in Chattanooga, Mr. Johnson will speak about the importance of living a more conservation-minded life and the wonders of the wetlands, also known less flatteringly as the Prairie Pothole Region for its seemingly endless abundance of lakes, marshland and ponds created by retreating glaciers. "For all its enormity and abundance of animal life, particularly waterfowl, this biologically rich landscape is largely unappreciated beyond its own borders." Raising the profile of a special place full of "subtle wonder" was all the incentive Mr. Johnson says he needed to agree to participate in Wings Over Water 3D. The population of Nashville is larger than the entire state of North Dakota, so not a lot of people know this place exists, he laughs. Thats why I think the film is so important. This is an opportunity to speak about something thats in my backyard, yes, but in relatively few peoples backyard. The more people who know about it, the more theyll be inspired to protect, save and secure it for the next generation." Narrated by Academy Award nominee Michael Keaton (Batman, Birdman), Wings Over Water 3D has received high praise from audiences and a number of noteworthy nods from the film industry since its debut earlier this year. The film was a finalist in the Jackson Wild Media Awards and swept several categories at the 2022 Giant Screen Cinema Association industry awards, including film (short subject), cinematography, sound design, visual effects and film for lifelong learning. Wings Over Water 3Ds residency at the IMAX 3D Theater coincides with the eagerly anticipated arrival of another special guest from the film: the Sandhill Crane. "These broad-winged, elegant waterfowl have already started arriving in the Chattanooga area, which is along the migration route for the eastern population of Sandhill Cranes," officials said. "Their migration will increase in tempo in November and December, with many stopping within prime viewing distance at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge about 40 miles north of Chattanooga. "With a mask of crimson feathers around their eyes, a wingspan of up to six feet and a haunting bugle to announce their coming, these cranes are anything but subtle." They are also, Mr. Johnson admits, perhaps his favorite bird. Its hard not to love and appreciate them, he says. Theyre big birds, graceful birds and their call is unmistakable. They could be hundreds or even thousands of feet in the air, and you can hear that bugle. For me, its always a thrill to be able to hear and observe Sandhill Cranes. The Nov. 8 special Wings Over Water 3D screening is presented locally by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Tickets are $20, with proceeds benefitting the research and restoration projects of the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. For more information about Nov. 8s special screening or to register for the event, visit community.tnaqua.org/events/wings-over-water. To learn more about Mr. Johnson and his achievements, view his official bio page at audubon.org/content/marshall-johnson. View the official trailer for Wings Over Water 3D at https://youtu.be/4zrxUYEdy44. A couple of local students have been selected to be part of Tennessee Tech Universitys Trailblazers class, bringing together top students at Tech to take campus visits and student recruitment to a personal level. Marissa Krukowski, a chemical engineering major, and Kristen Pearson, a biology major with a cellular and molecular concentration, are both from Chattanooga, and are among the new class of Trailblazers. They will be offering personal, one-on-one campus tours to prospective students and their families while also fostering genuine connections between current Trailblazer students and future Golden Eagles. Trailblazers are special. They are bold thinkers, fearless students, confident leaders and kind classmates. Being a Tennessee Tech Trailblazer means using your skills and knowledge to lead other students to connect with their journey to campus, said Karen Lykins, interim vice president for enrollment management and career placement. At Tennessee Tech, we put students first and what better way to foster personal connections than by pairing prospective students with some of our top current students who have experiences and insight to share about what the college experience at Tech is really like, said Ms. Lykins. Trailblazers now play an integral part in the admissions process and new student recruitment at Tech. Prospective students and their families planning a visit to campus will be paired with a Trailblazer to lead their personal tour of campus. With the diverse group of students who make up Trailblazers, the universitys goal is to personalize the visit experience for each prospective student by focusing on their interests and intended major. In addition to leading one-on-one campus tours, Trailblazers also interact with prospective students at various campus events throughout the year. Prospective students also interact with Trailblazers through social media, @tntechtrailblazers on Instagram. Prospective students interested in connecting with Trailblazers can visit www.tntech.edu/trailblazers to see profiles for the student tour guides. To schedule a tour, go to www.tntech.edu/visit; email visit@tntech.edu or call 931-372-6104. Barber passes on stories shared by her grandmother in a new book HYDERABAD: The directors of Musaddilal Gems and Jewels (India) Private Limited have approached the Telangana High Court challenging the searches and seizure by the Enforcement Directorate on October 18, stating that they or their firms were not related MBS Jewellers and its director Sukesh Gupta facing a probe. Our father Anurag Gupta was director in MBS Jewellers and came out in 2013. Knowing this fact , the ED has been conducting raids on our firm and seizing the ornaments and cash, directors of the Musaddilal Gems and Jewels, Shashank Gupta and Rudraksh Gupta and their mother Vandana Gupta stated. In a case of alleged cheating of MMTS, the ED had conducted raids on MBS Jewellers and Musaddilal Jewellers in which Sukesh Gupta and Anuag Gupta are directors. In Musaddilal Jewellers, the ED officials confiscated gold and jewellery worth over Rs 53.98 crore and cash and papers worth Rs 1.75 crore. According to the petitioner, Musaddilal Gems and Jewels is a private limited company formed on April 12, 2013, and they were not accused in any case or related with any of the scheduled offences. They said their assets were not part of any profits of crime nor did the ED have any cause to believe in connection with any other case. The petitioners urged the court to declare the ED's action in conducting search and seizure at the company's premises and the petitioners' residents and seizing assets to be illegal, arbitrary, without authority, and contrary to the settled principles of law. They urged the court to set aside the same by directing the respondents to release all the assets. Pentecostalism emphasizes the dynamic workings of the Holy Spirit. As a result, it often carries a reputation of being liberated from the dead hand of the past, rather than rooted in historic Christian orthodoxy. Emilio Alvarez, presiding bishop of the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches, looks to fuse his own Pentecostalism with the riches of church tradition in his book Pentecostal Orthodoxy: Toward an Ecumenism of the Spirit. Dale Coulter, a professor at Pentecostal Theological Seminary, spoke with Alvarez about forging a closer bond between Pentecostalism and the church throughout the ages. Tell us about your journey into Pentecostal orthodoxy and what led you to write the book. As a minister with the Church of God, a Holiness Pentecostal denomination based in Cleveland, Tennessee, I began to wrestle with certain questions: Why do we believe, for instance, that Catholics are going to hell? What are saints? And what is the Eucharist? As I explain in the book, I had an epiphany during a service as we celebrated Communion. As I stood there behind a makeshift table, I froze and wondered, Is this the body and the blood of Jesus Christ? It was like the Holy Spirit placed a yearning in me. I started connecting with folks involved in what was called the Convergence-Worship movement. These were evangelicals, like Robert Webber or the theologians behind the Chicago Call of 1977, who were interested in recovering the Great Tradition of Christian faith in its historical and liturgical fullness. Meanwhile, I started reconstructing my own churchs worship around liturgical practices observed in other traditions, like Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, or Catholicism. I wondered whether I should change denominations, but I concluded that God was not calling me in that direction. Instead, I thought there might be a way of being Pentecostal while also recovering the classical Christian consensus and the liturgical and sacramental spirituality of the church. While thinking this through, I had a conversation with my father, who is a bishop in the Church of God. We were discussing Brant Pitres book Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist. As my father was going into his house, he turned, shook his key, and asked, Would you consider me orthodox? This caused me to ask whether I even considered myself orthodox, in the sense of embracing a classical consensus around theology, liturgy, and sacraments. And thats when I really started exploring whether there could be such a thing as a Pentecostal orthodoxy. This book represents an attempt to understand what it means. So, you remained Pentecostal and asked, How can I bring orthodoxy to my Pentecostalism? With that in mind, define Pentecostal orthodoxy. I define Pentecostal orthodoxy as a segment within the broader Pentecostal movement that is recovering the doctrinal consensus and the liturgical and sacramental worship of the early church. The exciting part about that definition is that it is incomplete if we do not retain our Pentecostal spirituality and theology. The consensus of the historic church and its liturgical and sacramental spirituality must be viewed through a Pentecostal framework. In the book, I explore places like the Joint College of African American Pentecostal Bishops, where there are efforts at recovering base elements. What I mean by base elements is parts of historic liturgy or vestments. However, I dont know of many self-identified Pentecostal congregations that have tried fully integrating these ancient elements. In the Convergence-Worship movement, you can find an integration between the evangelical, sacramental, liturgical, and charismatic, but I make a distinction between the charismatic movement and the Pentecostal movement. Aside from what were doing at the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churcheswhere we celebrate the Eucharist every week, believe in the real presence of Christ, and follow the liturgical calendarI havent found any places that embrace all of that while identifying as Pentecostals. Article continues below In the book, you explore the testimonies of those living out Pentecostal orthodoxy, much like John Wesley did in his book A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. How do these testimonies build a bridge between Pentecostals and Christians in other traditions? I was thinking about how Wesley used spiritual biographies as tools for Christian formation. There are people who find themselves in other traditions who are saying, We are Pentecostals. We just didnt have a map. We didnt know anyone who was doing this in the Pentecostal tradition. The decision to include testimonies was a way of saying Im not the only one fusing Pentecostalism and orthodoxy, and that its happening more than anyone really knows. Within our own churches, this experience of looking at spiritual biographiesnot only from Scripture but also from accounts of the saints and other historic Christian figuresgave us models to imitate. I wanted to bring all these pieces together and produce a kind of map for readers. How do you address the perception, in certain Pentecostal circles, that being a small-c catholic Christian means being white? The main issue people had with me when I began pursuing the idea of Pentecostal orthodoxy was, Hey, thats Catholic. I kept trying to figure out what they meant by it. I realized that most of my Black and brown brothers and sisters saw it as equal to Thats white. Which meant colonialism, among other things. The dominant thought was that Christianity was the white mans religion. I use books from scholars like Antipas Harris and Vince Bantu to demonstrate that Christianity existed on the Western shores of Africa before colonialism. Also, the type of Christianity that existed in North Africa, Egypt, and Syria was a liturgical and sacramental Christianity that retained a rich ethnic diversity. Im trying to tell my African American and Latino brothers and sisters that we are missing part of our heritage. There is also so much in the lives of African or Syrian saints that could enrich African American and Latino spirituality. You criticize certain Pentecostal leaders for misusing elements of ancient church tradition. How do you believe they have erred? My criticism is that instead of diving into this fullness of our Christian heritage, we engage in mimicry. We mimic and politicize. Part of that politicization has to do with the Black and brown experience of identity. For some, wearing a religious collar or vestments is more about having a rank or a title. The result is that we politicize titles and vestments as a way of making us feel like we are somebody. In most of our African American or Latino contexts, we have people wearing chasublesa historically Eucharistic garmentbut without celebrating the Eucharist. Because we havent recovered the elements of the Great Tradition having to do with the churchs rich ethnic diversity, were left mimicking things. We dont have to mimic. We can be fully Pentecostal, fully African American, and fully Latino while recovering the Great Tradition. In the final chapter, you talk about an ecumenism of the Spirit. What do you mean by this? What I mean is that we dont do things together, as the church, and then invite the Spirit to join us. Instead, it is the Spirit who creates a yearning for unity, liturgy, sacraments, and the fullness of the Christian tradition. An ecumenism of the Spirit is when people from the orthodox tradition wonder, What is Pentecostalism? Or when Pentecostals ask, What is orthodoxy? This is a grassroots ecumenical movement occurring in parking lots, bodegas, and supermarkets, with Christians of all traditions coming together and sharing. The point is not to leave your tradition, but to come together with others on this wonderful journey. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. A California judge has ruled in favor of a Christian cake designer in the latest court decision regarding the conflict between religious freedom and same-sex marriage. Eric Bradshaw, a Superior Court judge in Kern County, said in an October 21 opinion the state violated Cathy Millers freedom of religion and speech when it decided she unlawfully discriminated under California law by declining to design a cake for a same-sex wedding celebration. Bradshaws decision is the latest in a series of court actions over several years regarding wedding vendorssuch as cake designers, florists, photographers and artistswho refuse to provide their services for same-sex wedding ceremonies because of their biblically based belief that marriage is only between a man and a woman. While the US Supreme Court has issued multiple opinions in support of the free exercise of religion in recent years, cases involving the conscience rights of wedding vendors have resulted in conflicting opinions across the country. This court has rightly affirmed that people of faith should be able to live out their deeply held religious beliefs in the public square, said Hannah Daniel, policy manager for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. As tension continues to grow between our cultures shifting beliefs on issues of gender and sexuality and the beliefs of many religious Americans, rulings like this provide important indicators that religious speech and expression will continue to be protected. A similar case will be before the Supreme Court in early December. The justices will hear oral arguments December 5 in 303 Creative v. Elenis, an appeal by Lorie Smith, a Colorado graphic artist and website designer, of a ruling against her by the US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Smith challenged a state law that mandates she use her business for same-sex weddings if she does so for ceremonies between a man and a woman. It is the ERLCs hope that they, too, will rule favorably for the protection of religious liberty and conscience rights, Daniel told Baptist Press in written comments. Californias Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) brought an action against Cathy Miller, owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, after she declined in 2017 to design a cake for the celebration of the union of Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-del Rio, who were married in 2016. DFEH decided Miller was guilty of discrimination based on the sexual orientation of the women. In his decision, Bradshaw said, uncontroverted evidence showed that Millers sincere faith permeates her life and work and she established her shops design standards to conform to her Christian faith in the Bible and what she believes the Bible teaches regarding marriage. According to its written standards, Tastries not only declines to design wedding cakes that contradict Gods sacrament of marriage between a man and a woman but also designs such as those that promote marijuana use, feature explicit sexual content, or display anything offensive, demeaning, or violent. The evidence also showed Miller and her bakery serve and employ lesbian and gay people, Bradshaw wrote. They also serve each person, regardless of sexual orientation, who purchases items in the bakery case or requests a custom item, if the latter design does not violate the shops standards, he said. In his decision, Bradshaw said the state failed to prove that defendants intentionally discriminated against Eileen and Mireya because of their sexual orientation. The evidence affirmatively showed that Millers only intent, her only motivation, was fidelity to her sincere Christian beliefs. The substantial burden the state seeks to impose on defendants free exercise of religion is not justified by the states legitimate interest in preventing discrimination where, as here, the evidence affirmatively demonstrates there is a less restrictive means to achieve the states objective, Bradshaw wrote. Millers referral of the couple to another bakery was, and is, reasonable under the circumstances, and fulfills the requirement of full and equal service, according to Bradshaws opinion. Miller and Tastries pure and expressive speech is entitled to protection under the First Amendment, Bradshaw wrote. DFEHs enforcement action seeks to compel Miller and Tastries to express support for same-sex marriage, or be silent. Among other current cases involving vendors who decline to provide their services for same-sex ceremonies because of their biblical convictions: As I was working out at a local gym, my attention was drawn to the TV that hung from the ceiling. News anchors I didnt know from a channel I hardly watched made talking points I didnt understand about issues of which I was only vaguely aware. I feel like I dont even know the world Im living in anymore, I thought. This unnerving feeling also comes up in ministry. Sometimes I wonder, Do I even know the congregation Im pastoring anymore? With all the political polarization, lingering resentments over how a church handled mask requirements, people taking sides regarding COVID-19 vaccination, and issues tied to deep pain like mass shootings, abortion, or race, we are pastoring communities in an ongoing state of elevated tension. These current realities layer atop the normal complications pastors face as we preach to congregations made up of different generations, political views, theological backgrounds, and relationships with Jesus (from committed Christians ... 1 Florida schools required to provide bathrooms based on biological sex under new rule Florida education officials have passed a new rule requiring public and charter schools to allow students to access bathrooms and locker rooms based on biological sex rather than preferred gender identity. The Florida Board of Education approved a new rule unanimously last Wednesday that, among other things, requires public and charter schools to restrict trans-identified youth from using facilities based on their gender identity without notifying parents and making a public announcement online. "If a school board or charter school governing board has a policy or procedure that allows for separation of bathrooms or locker rooms according to some criteria other than biological sex at birth, the policy or procedure must be posted on the district's website or charter school's website, and must be sent by mail to student residences to fully inform parents," reads the new rule, in part. "School board and charter school governing board policies or procedures must include accommodations or modifications in order to ensure that all students have an opportunity to use a bathroom or locker room separated by biological sex at birth." Board of Education Chairman Thomas R. Grady said in a statement that the rule is more about "parental notification." "It's not mandating what a particular bathroom looks like or doesn't look like or who can use it," Grady said after the adoption, according to The Hill. LGBT advocacy groups and activists, such as Nikole Parker from Equality Florida, are critical of the new rule. "This proposed rule is designed to intimidate school districts from following federal guidance, making schools less safe and adding fuel to a politically motivated crusade against LGBTQ youth and their families," said Parker, quoted by The Tampa Bay Times. Socially conservative groups and activists, such as Jessica Tillman, chairperson of the Seminole County chapter of Moms for Liberty, support the new rule. "Not just girls, not just boys, all students need to feel safe in the bathrooms and in their locker rooms. We need to let parents know how they are being monitored," said Tillman, according to The Tampa Bay Times. In March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to prohibit public schools and third parties from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with students between kindergarten and the third grade. The bill also requires school districts to adopt procedures to notify parents about changes affecting their child's mental, physical and emotional health and prevents school districts from withholding information from parents. "Parents' rights have been increasingly under assault around the nation, but in Florida we stand up for the rights of parents and the fundamental role they play in the education of their children," stated DeSantis earlier this year. "Parents have every right to be informed about services offered to their child at school, and should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualize their kids as young as 5 years old." The law came amid concerns from conservative advocacy and policy groups like The Heritage Foundation that some school districts in the U.S. weren't informing parents if their child was identifying as the opposite gender. Christian groups demand release of bishop, 2 priests arrested in Eritrea The United Kingdom-based watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide and one of its local partners are calling for the release of a Catholic bishop and two priests arrested earlier this month without reason in Eritrea, one of the world's most repressive and closed countries. According to a joint statement from the advocacy organization and its partner Human Rights Concern Eritrea, Bishop Fikremariam Hagos, the first bishop of the Catholic Eparchy of Segheneity, was arrested on Oct. 15, three days after the detention of Fr. Abraham Habtom Gebremariam from the Capuchin Society in Teseney town. A day earlier, on Oct. 11, authorities arrested Fr. Mihretab Stefanos of St. Michael's Church in Segheneity. Fr. Kiros Tsegay, an American citizen and founder of the Debre Abune Aregawi-Orlando Orthodox Church in Florida, was arrested last year. Bishop Fikremariam was arrested at Asmara International Airport as he returned from a European visit. The others are thought to be detained in Adi Abeto prison, a prison north of Asmara known for its inhumane and crowded conditions. "The Eritrean government is yet to give a reason for arresting the clergymen," the statement reads. Although they belong to a Christian denomination permitted to operate in the country, the advocacy organizations suggest that the arbitrary arrests could be linked to the Catholic leaders' calls for justice and reconciliation in Eritrea. The four bishops wrote pastoral letters in 2014 and 2018 calling for reconciliation and justice, saying, "Respect for persons, their dignity and their rights, is the cornerstone of peace." Fikremariam spoke against the seizure and closure of 22 Catholic health facilities in 2019. CSW reports that more recently, the bishops have discouraged congregants from buying goods looted from the war-torn Tigray region in Ethiopia, a separatist conflict that has also involved Eritrean forces. "The arbitrary arrests of the Catholic clergy are occurring against the backdrop of massive and punitive door to door round ups of Eritrean citizens of all ages, who are being sent to fight in Tigray, in a military offensive that appears predicated on wearing down the stamina and ammunition of the Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) by sending Eritrean men and woman, who are viewed as expendable by their government, to die at the frontlines in waves," HRCE Director Elizabeth Chyrum said in a statement. Citing sources, Catholic News Service reports the clergymen were accused of highlighting human rights violations in Eritrea in their homilies. The sources said that the human rights violations include "imprisonment of parents (women and men), mobilization of deserved army people, young people [taken] by force to the war fronts, closing homes, [and] confiscation of animals from those people who have refused to go to war." Organizations, including Amnesty International, CNN and Sky News, have previously published investigations into massacres committed against civilian populations in Tigray since fighting escalated in November 2020. Eritrea's President Isaias Afewerki is a member of the Eritrean Orthodox Church in Asmara belonging to the largest among the only three Christian denominations allowed to function in the country: the Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. In 2002, Eritrea closed all churches not affiliated with Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran or Orthodox Christian denominations and began arresting adherents of non-sanctioned churches. The global watchdog organization Open Doors USA reports that there are possibly more than 1,000 Christians imprisoned in Eritrea, with none formally charged. When arrested, Eritrea's persecuted Christians often disappear without a trace, leaving their loved ones with no information on their whereabouts or safety. Prison conditions are some of the harshest in the world, with many inmates kept in shipping containers. "While some are released, many of these are moved to military service which is no freedom at all or house arrest," Open Doors warns in a factsheet. "The ongoing detention of Christians shows that the government has no intention of relaxing its repressive policies." Adherents to sanctioned religious denominations have also been persecuted. The legitimate patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, who was illegally removed from office for resisting government interference in church affairs, died earlier this year under house arrest after spending over 15 years in detention. Afewerki, 75, the leader of the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice Party, also has a reputation as a ruthless autocrat. Afewerki's policy of restrictions is more about his fear that religion will mobilize people as a political force than religion itself, advocates say. 'I dont see myself as wealthy': Hobby Lobby founder David Green talks stewardship, trusting God (Part 1) In faith or business, David Greene has always known Who's truly the boss. The 80-year-old founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby, the worlds largest privately owned arts and crafts retailer, is as unassuming as he is successful: in just a few short decades, hes seen his company grow from a $600 startup to an $8 billion behemoth, drawing not from get-rich-quick self-help books, but from the pages of Scripture. His new book, Leadership Not by the Book: 12 Unconventional Principles to Drive Incredible Results, co-written with longtime collaborator Bill High, shares a dozen core ideas that drive Green and the divinely inspired mission of Hobby Lobby, which gives away over half of its annual profit to fund Gospel initiatives all over the world. In an interview with The Christian Post, Greene said for all his success, he sees himself not as some high-powered CEO, but as a merchant who God has given that gift to be a merchant. Growing up as the son of a pastor in Altus, Oklahoma, Green said there was a point early in his life when he wondered why God hadnt called him into ministry like his five siblings, who are all either pastors or pastors wives. But in time, the Lord just worked with me, that I know for a fact that I have been gifted to be anointed even in what God has gifted me to do, he said. I enjoy being a merchant and I know thats where God would have me be. It might be tempting to see the success of Hobby Lobby as preordained, but Green isnt shy about sharing some early headwinds he and his wife, Barbara, faced in the chains early days. He recalled the mid-1980s in Oklahoma during an oil bust that Green described as a very, very difficult time where he nearly lost the business. I was not where God wanted me in terms of my pride, he said. In Leadership by the Book, Green recalled how, during that time, he overextended Hobby Lobby when he bought inventory on credit assuming the money would keep rolling in. When the economy finally tanked, Green said he had nowhere to go but God. I found myself literally, physically under my desk, day in and day out, just asking God for forgiveness and for direction to go into the future, he said. I know that God used that time just to bring us to a point where we know that anything we do thats successful is because of Him. Ultimately, Hobby Lobbys fortunes turned around, but Green said God used that hardship to teach him an unforgettable lesson. God brought us through that, and Im thankful for that and I always want to remember that we cant without the Lord, and so, I want to walk with him, he said. It wouldnt be the last time, Green said, that God answered prayer. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when, not unlike most other businesses throughout the world, Hobby Lobby closed its doors, Green said he wondered how the company could cover its roughly $40 million in monthly rent. Where are we gonna get it, cause theres nothing coming in, Green recalled, adding he and Barbara would get on their knees and ask God to help us to survive. And once again, God was faithful: Green said 2021 actually proved to be the biggest year ever for Hobby Lobby, with gains that Green said would typically take three years. God brought us through that, and so we thank Him for that, he said. But we also believe prayer had a lot to do with that. Decades later, Hobby Lobby has grown to nearly 1,000 stores with over 43,000 employees operating in 47 states. And stewardship is still top of mind for Green, who, through various foundations he supports, has helped the distribution of over 1.5 billion copies of Gospel literature in over 100 countries across Africa and Asia. We want to be as successful as we can to do as much as we can in terms of the giving that we are able to do, so thats very very important to us, he said. We really dont apologize for making a profit thats done with integrity. But at what point is there not enough profit? At what point is there not enough ministry? Theres an awful lot that we can do that just doesn't matter a hundred years from now. So we think in those terms, and we want to make sure what we're doing is going to matter for eternity. That includes projects like the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., a $500 million, 430,000-square-foot museum dedicated to the history and impact of the Scriptures that has also been the source of some controversy for the Green family. Green acknowledged he and his son, Steve Green, the chairman of the board of Museum of the Bible, made some mistakes in acquiring ancient manuscripts and approximately 45,000 other antiquities. We didnt know in advance we were going to have a project of that size, we were just buying antiquities, he said. Despite such setbacks, Green has never been shy about prioritizing stewardship both at Hobby Lobby and in the Green family. With an estimated net worth of about $13 billion, Green said it really is about having a biblical perspective on money. Even sometimes Christian businessmen will say God owns it, but then if you follow what theyre doing with it, it doesnt look that way, because maybe theyve got a fourth home, a fifth home, and just on and on and on, buying more and more stuff, he said. I think it means that when we decide that its not ours, were not wealthy. So I dont see myself as wealthy because I have nothing that belongs to me I see it that this is what God has given us to steward. For Green, one of the key moments for him came when he asked himself, What are we going to do with this wealth and how are we going to not mess our kids up? In order to help guide him through that process, Green asked other Christians to come alongside and help his family with practical things like saving on taxes and passing his wealth down to his children. With 17 great-grandchildren and two more on the way, Green didnt ever want them to have to sort through what it means to live with generational wealth. To be honest with you, I was making my great-grandkids millionaires before they were born, so I really didn't want to affect my family with wealth. Because in wealth, its a curse. Wealth is a curse if its yours, but if its Gods, it can be of great benefit. Last week, Green announced in a Fox News piece that 100% of Hobby Lobbys voting stock has been moved to a trust, bucking advice from attorneys and accountants to pass down ownership to his children and grandchildren. It didnt seem fair to me that I might change or even ruin the future of grandchildren who had not even been born yet, wrote Green. Ben Shapiro likens Kanye West's anti-Semitic remarks to Nazi propaganda Advertisers are being urged to drop rapper Kanye West over his recent anti-Semitic remarks that have drawn the ire of many, including conservative commenter Ben Shapiro and Jewish advocacy groups. In recent weeks, West, now known by the name Ye, has made numerous comments in interviews and on social media that have landed the popular rapper in hot water and led to blowback on Instagram and Twitter. After much backlash, the 45-year-old, who in recent years has touted his Christian faith and even held "Sunday Service" gospel events, has seemingly both doubled down on his remarks and apologized. In an interview last week with NewsNation's Chris Cuomo, West stated that the "underground Jewish mafia" is targeting him and he doesn't believe in the term "anti-Semitic." That interview came days after West made similar remarks during a long appearance on the "Drink Champs" podcast. In a since-deleted Oct. 8 tweet, West declared: "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," he wrote. "[A]lso You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda." During a recent appearance on Piers Morgan's talk show, West apologized for his "death con" comment, stating that he wrote the remark from a place of "hurt" as a victim of "trauma." Daily Wire founder Shapiro, who is an Orthodox Jew, likened West's remarks to Nazi propaganda, noting that the musician is promoting a series of conspiracies about Jewish people. Shapiro responded to West's latest statements, in which the rapper claimed the term "anti-Semitism" has been used to allow people in the music industry to "get away with murder sometimes," likening the industry to "modern-day slavery." "It's just pure unbridled anti-Semitism," Shapiro said. "There's just no other way to put it, there's no other way to read it. End of story." Shapiro claimed that West is spouting "Der Sturmer-type anti-Semitism," referring to the Nazi-era newspaper, adding that "nobody should be defending that." Shapiro also noted that West is an "unstable human being," suggesting the rapper's comments may be related to mental illness. "He is promoting every conspiracy theory about Jews that you can think of, from 'Jews control the media,' to 'Jews somehow perverted my wife sexually,'" Shapiro said. The "Drink Champs" podcast, hosted by Noreaga and DJ EFN, features the pair interviewing musicians while drinking excessive amounts of liquor. While on the show, West claimed that his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and comedian Pete Davidson "have sex by the fireplace to honor their grandmother. It's Jewish Zionists that's about that life." Shapiro believes one of the main issues with West's anti-Semitism is his broad targeting of Jews. The commentator disagreed with the rapper's defenders, saying how they claim that West is only criticizing Jewish individuals. "Here is the difference between anti-Semitism and naming just a person who happens to be Jewish that you're blaming all the Jewish people," Shapiro said. "If I see a black guy and I'm like, 'Man, that particular guy really ticks me off,' that's not racism. If I say, 'That guy's black, all black people are terrible,' that's racism. Kanye West does the latter thing." The Israel-based International Legal Forum, comprised of over 4,000 lawyers and activists worldwide, sent a letter to apparel giant Adidas urging the brand to sever ties with West. "Earlier this month, Kanye threatened to go 'Death Con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,'" the letter explains, according to JNS. "He has since gone on an unhinged anti-Semitic tirade, including blaming 'Jewish media' for various grievances, saying 'Jewish people have owned the black voice' and that 'the Jewish community, especially in the music industry, they'll take us and milk us till we die.'" Amid a rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S. in recent years, the Jewish advocacy organization Anti-Defamation League warns that West's comments "have been embraced by antisemitic extremist groups." "During an October 16 sermon for the Nation of Islam's annual Holy Day of Atonement commemoration, Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad referenced Ye's recent remarks," a post from the ADL's Center on Extremism reads. "Extremist Black Hebrew Israelite sects also praised Ye over the weekend for helping spread their teachings to more people. Other extremist groups, including White Lives Matter and the Goyim Defense League, have leveraged Ye's comments to further their own agendas and inspire new propaganda campaigns." In an interview last week with The New York Post's Page Six, West discussed the various brands refusing to associate with him in light of his remarks on social media. That same day, JP Morgan Chase gave West a November deadline to find a new bank to hold his company Yeezy. "Hey, if you call somebody out for bad business, that means you're being anti-Semitic," West said. "I feel happy to have crossed the line of that idea so we can speak openly about things like getting canceled by a bank." The weekend before JP Morgan Chase dropped West, the musician shared a screenshot of a text with rapper Diddy on Instagram, saying he would use him "as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me." Instagram locked West out of his account for the remark, and he was later locked out of Twitter for posting another anti-Semitic statement. As Vice reported last week, deleted segments of West's interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson earlier this month show the rapper making several derogatory statements about Jewish people. The Fox News host did not appear to correct West for his remarks, claiming at the end that the star is "not crazy" and "worth listening to." In one unaired portion of the interview, West said he would prefer his kids knew about Chanukah instead of Kwanzaa, claiming the former comes with "some financial engineering." "When I say Jew, I mean the 12 lost tribes of Judah, the blood of Christ, who the people known as the race Black really are," West said in another unaired statement. Last month, West appeared to compare himself to Moses, the biblical figure who received God's Ten Commandments and led the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt. "No one asked Moses how much he slept," West wrote on his Instagram story, with the post displaying white text over a black background. While it's uncertain what West was referring to, some of his fans believe the post was in reference to the rapper having launched a Christian private school in Southern California. State Dept.'s $20K grant to group hosting drag shows in Ecuador raises 'significant questions' The U.S. State Department is defending its $20,600 grant to an Ecuadorian cultural center that, among other things, will fund a dozen drag shows in Ecuador. A Republican member of Congress has penned a letter demanding answers about the funding. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday asking for more details about the grant to the Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano (CEN) for a project that started on Sept. 30 and will run until Aug. 31, 2023. As the grant's recipient, the cultural center will host three workshops and 12 drag performances. It will also produce a two-minute documentary to promote "diversity and inclusion." "This award raises significant questions about the departments grantmaking decisions and the Biden administrations overall views of U.S. foreign policy objectives in the region," McCaul wrote. "It is difficult to imagine how the department determined that funding 'drag theater performances' would be a worthwhile use of taxpayer dollars or consistent in any way with the program objectives outlined above." In a statement to The Christian Post, the State Department said that it supports a wide range of strategic programs in Ecuador that "incorporate concepts from diversity, inclusion, and representation to equity and accessibility." The department also noted that U.S. public diplomacy programs supported 18 educational and entrepreneurship capacity-building grants, almost totaling $900,000 in the fiscal years 2021 and 2022. The programs were intended to reach traditionally marginalized communities in Ecuador, including LGBT people, women and at-risk youth. The grant awarded to the CEN "uses the arts to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion," the department claims. The program aims to promote "tolerance" and create opportunities for LGBT people to express themselves "freely and safely." As part of the program, a local theatre company will collaborate with artists and facilitators in the Ecuadorian city of Cuenca to create customized plays and produce a documentary. "LGBTQI+ people across the globe deserve to live in societies free from targeted violence and discrimination," the department's statement to CP stresses. "The program will advance key U.S. values of diversity and the inclusion of LGBTQI+ communities as well as promote the acceptance of communities that are disproportionately affected by violence." Grace Melton, a senior associate in the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, believes the State Department is engaging in "ideological colonialism." "This administration has made no secret of its intention to promote radical gender ideology and progressive social values at home and abroad," Melton wrote in a statement to CP. "But many countries around the world particularly among those on the receiving end of American foreign assistance find those values offensive," she stated. "It's hard to see how funding drag performances furthers legitimate American foreign policy priorities or improves the lives of Ecuadorians." According to Outright International, an organization that advocates for LGBT inclusivity worldwide, Ecuador legalized same-sex marriage in 2019 but continues to forbid same-sex adoption. Equaldex, a site that tracks laws surrounding LGBT issues worldwide, reports that Ecuador has allowed people to change their name and gender on legal documents since 2016. The country does not legally recognize non-binary identities, people who do not identify as either gender. In June 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the State Department would allow people to identify as the opposite gender on their passports, even if this does not align with their biological sex or gender identity on other official documents. The Biden administration had previously announced last October that citizens who identify as nonbinary or intersex could use an "X" gender marker instead of "M" for male or "F" for female. The administration announced this past April that airport security would allow passengers to select their gender identity at security checks without supporting medical documentation. "The gender selected does not need to match the gender on supporting documentation, such as birth certificate, passport, or state-issued ID," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. "Changing a gender association in TSA PreCheck will have no effect on a member's expedited screening when arriving at the TSA checkpoint." TIRUPATI: Implementation of the Family Doctor programme, a brainchild of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has started in Chittoor and Tirupati districts. It is aimed at providing better healthcare to people living in villages. In Chittoor district, the concept has been set in motion in all 31 mandals, covering 48 primary healthcare centres (PHCs). In Tirupati district, it has been launched in 33 villages. Authorities will study the scheme under implementation and rectify shortcomings. The actual family doctor concept will start functioning from Sankranti in January 2023. A senior official said: The family doctor concept will transform rural healthcare with commencement of YSR Village Health Clinics (YVHCs). Existing sub-centres in villages and an additional 250 sub-centres will be transformed into YVHCs. Each YVHC will cater to about 2,000 people in each village against the national average of one sub-centre for every 5,000 people. According to officials, each YVHC clinic will be headed by a B. Sc. Nursing graduate designated as mid-level health provider, who will be assisted by an ANM and a team of ASHA workers. YVHCs will provide 14 types of tests and 67 types of medicines to people living within its area of operations. Each clinic will also undertake disease control programmes, antenatal, postnatal, and other treatments. Each mandal will have two PHCs. Each PHC will have two doctors, three nurses, pharmacist, lab technician and other staff. The two doctors, along with a mobile medical unit, will visit villages to conduct general check-ups on vulnerable people at Anganwadi centres, schools and other places, besides reaching out to doorsteps of patients having long-term illnesses. Healthcare of such patients will be tracked under the family doctor concept. Surgeries required, if any, will be performed under Aarogyasri. There will also be telemedicine hubs, where specialists will be available. They will refer patients to area or district hospitals, or Aarogyasri network hospitals. A 104 ambulance will visit every village twice a month to review the health of people in every village secretariat. Medical staff of the ambulance will diagnose and treat residents for minor illnesses like blood pressure and diabetes. They will also disburse medicines required for the month. Street preacher known as Gospel Warrior detained for evangelizing at CCPs 20th National Congress Police in China kept a street preacher in detention for days until the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party ended Saturday because he was sharing the Gospel at the venue prior to the party's meeting. Chen Wensheng, who's known as the Gospel Warrior and is part of the Xiaoqun Church in Hengyang, located in Chinas Hunan province, was first warned against sharing the Gospel on the street before the CCP's National Congress, and when he politely refused to obey, police took him and his wife to a mountain for a half-month vacation, said the U.S.-based group China Aid, which monitors human rights violations inside the communist country. Chen, who often carries a wooden cross inscribed with the words Glory to our Savior and Repent and Be Saved by Faith as he shares the Gospel with passers-by, reportedly rested and studied during the detention. Because of his evangelistic efforts, Chen is frequently arrested and detained at the police station, where hes repeatedly urged officers to put their faith in Jesus. Chen was quoted as saying that, days before the weeklong party congress, local officials had visited his home to talk to him and take pictures. On Oct. 8, local police officers invited him and his wife for lunch. As soon as the police entered his home, he handed out gospel leaflets and said, Officers, Im glad you come again. Jesus loves you and blesses you! They tried again to persuade him to join the local Three-Self church. They promised that if Chen was willing, they would let him replace the two pastors of the local church or give him the opportunity to deliver speeches to large crowds of audiences in various locations in Hunan province, the group said. Chen then explained why he was not willing to join the government-regulated Three-Self Church. His detention followed. For over a decade, Chen had abused drugs before he converted to Christianity. He initially heard the Gospel at a rehab center and became a Christian and got sober. In China, evangelism is banned outside of registered religious sites. The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern has reported that with the crackdown against house churches in China, street evangelism has become increasingly difficult. Those who evangelize face harassment or detention, while others see their churches further restricted by authorities. The five state-sanctioned religious groups in China are the Buddhist Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Islamic Association of China, the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. Even the organizations affiliated with the five authorized religions can be subject to surveillance and limitations. Religious freedom in China is getting worse by the day, China Aid said last week. Last month, Berea Church in Fujian Province and Yangguangzhijia Reformed Church in Jilin Provinces Changchun City had been banned, the group said, adding that the Wenzhou Canaan Theological Seminary was also dismantled, and all the church facilities were destroyed and Senior Pastor Huang Jianle, Teacher Liu Shitao, Teacher Shi and Teacher Sun were taken away by the police. ICC documented more than 100 incidents of Christian persecution in China between July 2020 and June 2021 as the countrys communist regime sought to forcefully convert independent religious groups into mechanisms of the Chinese Communist Party. There are an estimated 100 million Christians in China. Scholars have said that, given the growth of Christianity in China, there could be more Christians in China than anywhere else in the world by 2030. Scottish venue must pay over $100K for canceling Franklin Graham evangelism event A Scottish court has ruled that an event venue must pay over $111,000 (97,000) for canceling a 2020 evangelistic outreach featuring American evangelist Franklin Graham over his views on issues like homosexuality and Islam. In a judgment issued by Sheriff John N. McCormick of Glasgow on Monday, Scottish Event Campus Limited was ruled to have violated the United Kingdom's Equality Act because it canceled an event hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in January 2020. "It is accepted that the event was a lawful evangelical outreach event. I therefore begin with a discrete issue which alone, in my opinion, constitutes a breach of the Equality Act 2010," McCormick judged. "Briefly put, if it is correct that the event was evangelistic, based on religion or philosophical belief, then it follows that the decision to cancel was a breach of the Equality Act 2010 in that the event was cancelled as a commercial response to the views of objectors." McCormick said that the venue "discriminated against the [BGEA] on the basis of a protected characteristic" and put the damages due to the cancellation at $111,503.19 (97,325.32). "In short, pressure was put on the defender by its majority shareholder to cancel the booking as it may offend others. The effect of writing in such terms was not to protect one group from another but to prefer one opinion over another," he continued. "I heard no evidence to suggest that Franklin Graham had intended to pursue a toxic or dangerous agenda at the event. On the contrary, it is not disputed that the event would have been an evangelical outreach event for up to twelve thousand people. That is not to say that his opinions are not offensive to some whether in Glasgow or elsewhere. However, the pursuer's right to engage a speaker at the evangelical event in furtherance of a religious or philosophical belief is protected by law." On Tuesday, Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, said he is "grateful to God for this decision." He views the ruling as "a clear victory for freedom of speech and religion in the UK." "This case was never about financial remedies it was about the preservation of religious freedom in the UK particularly the right for Christians to share the Gospel in the public square," stated Graham. "I want to thank Sheriff John McCormick for upholding the law and affirming that Christians must be treated fairly and equally. This ruling will be a great encouragement for Christians and people of all faiths across the UK and many other parts of the world." A spokesperson for the Scottish Event Campus told BBC that the organization is "naturally disappointed in the outcome of the case." "We are currently reviewing the extensive documentation to determine whether any further action is required," the spokesperson added. In 2020, before the pandemic lockdowns began, multiple venues in the U.K. canceled BGEA events that were part of the BGEA's "God Loves You" tour. BGEA maintains that those contracts were legally binding. The organization rescheduled the tour events, which took place earlier this year. At issue was Graham's opposition to homosexuality and dislike of Islam, which some British activists and groups viewed as hateful in nature. Last December, the Scottish charity The Robertson Trust, which canceled bookings made by a local church and the BGEA scheduled for 2019, offered an official apology for violating the Equality Act. The group paid 20,000 (about $26,500) towards legal expenses as part of a settlement. Mark Batho, chair of the board of trustees at The Robertson Trust, said in a statement last year that his organization had "inadvertently breached the Equality Act 2010." "The Trust's long standing funding policy (1) legitimately states that we do not fund or support the promotion of any particular religious or political beliefs," Batho stated. "We recognise that in applying our funding policy to the hire of our facilities, which are available at substantially subsidised rates to charities and community groups, we inadvertently breached the Equality Act 2010." We must have the prophetic discernment of the sons of Issachar Theres a fascinating verse in 1 Chronicles 12 which lists the the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Sauls kingdom over to him, as the LORD had said. (1 Chronicles 12:23) In the midst of impressive descriptions of large numbers of experienced warriors, we have this: from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command (1 Chronicles 12:32). This was the smallest of all the groups listed, and there was no mention of their military prowess. But in many ways, they were among the most important elements of Davids army. They knew how to interpret the signs of the times, to determine how Israel should act (NJPSV). Today, more than ever, it is essential that we too understand the times and know what we as Gods people should do. This is all the more true if we are spiritual leaders. We must know what time it is, understanding what God is doing, what Satan is doing, what the world is doing, and what we should be doing. Many Christians are fascinated with Bible prophecy, trying to match headlines with biblical verses as they attempt to calculate exactly when Jesus will return. (If this is your practice, I recommend using a pencil rather than a pen on your prophecy calendar.) But are we asking the bigger question, namely, How should we be living? As Gods people, what should we be doing? During the counterculture revolution of the 1960s, it was understandable that many Church leaders thought we were in the time of final rebellion and apostasy. The decadence in our culture was unprecedented and the generation gap was never larger. Plus, Jerusalem had just returned to Jewish hands in the miraculous Six-Day War in 1967. Surely this was a sign of the times. The sexual revolution was sweeping the nation, leading not only to an exponential increase in heterosexual immorality but also to the rise of gay activism. Coupled with this was the rise of militant feminism, along with things like the God is dead movement. Surely we were near the end! It was the era of sex, drugs, rock and roll and Eastern religion, and I was right in the thick of it: playing drums in a rock band and getting high day and night. But there was something else going on at this time. There was a deep searching for God. We would get high and talk about spiritual things. We would speculate on the existence of the soul, on what happens after you die, on the meaning of life. With so many young people dying for no reason in the war in Vietnam, with so much shaking going on in our country due to the assassinations of President Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, we were asking big questions and looking for something more than the American dream. Unfortunately, most of the Church did not recognize what was going on, looking at the outward signs rather than the inward search. Even when God began to save a large number of hippies, radicals and rebels, bringing them into traditional churches (I was one of them, saved in 1971), most of the Church still didnt realize what was happening. As I have often commented (with pain in my heart), the Church largely slept its way through the counterculture revolution and the Jesus Revolution. We failed to understand the times and, consequently, we failed to know what we as Gods people should do. And while other groups like the gay liberationists, sexual anarchists, and radical anarhcists were mapping out long-term strategies Im speaking of gay liberationists and sexual anarchists and radical feminists and anti-religion nihilists and others we were expecting the rapture. Were out of here any moment now! The results of this have been catastrophic, morally, culturally, and spiritually. We cannot afford to make the same mistakes again today. That means we need to see beyond the outward, beyond the rioting of Antifa and BLM, beyond the radical LGBTQ+ agenda, beyond the Shout your abortion movement, beyond the rise of the religious nones and dones. We need to understand what is driving these movements and ideologies, what is going on in the hearts and minds of those who are marching and protesting. We need insight into why so many are dropping out of churches or what motivates those pushing for equal outcomes and not just equal opportunities. We need to see past the rebellion. And the anger. And the extremism. And the immorality. We need to see into the spiritual realm and not just react to the natural realm. As we do, we will recognize that many young people are passionate about justice but are misguided in applying their zeal. They want to side with the underdog and the outcast, but they are being duped and misled in the process. They long for a Marxist type of utopia, but they are leaning on the arm of the flesh and seeking to bring about what only the Gospel can ultimately accomplish, partly in this world and fully in the world to come. Having these spiritual insights doesnt change the way we vote, nor does it stop us from opposing destructive ideologies, mindsets and movements. And it doesnt make evil any less evil. But it does help us take positive action rather than simply react. It does help us see the humanity of the people whose ideologies we reject. It does help us to find ways to reach out to them and point them to the only One who can bring justice, the only Who embodies mercy, who can truly transform. The bottom line is that we cannot afford to sleep our way through another revolution. Let the sons and daughters of Issachar arise and show us the way! With pilgrims returning to Israel post-pandemic, should Christians avoid evangelizing to Jews? As the end of the pandemic brings more Christians back to Israel for tours of the Holy Land, should they evangelize the Jewish people during their visit? That's the question raised in a Jerusalem Post report on the return of Christians to Israel to mark the biblical Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, earlier this month following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. More than 2,000 pilgrims from 70 nations were estimated to come to Jerusalem Oct. 9-16 for the celebration, which was sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), according to the outlet. But while the gathering heralded the return of Christian tourism to Israel following the pandemic, some Jews, like Israel365 founder Rabbi Tuly Weisz, seem ambivalent about the trend which, for them, also means the return of evangelism to the Holy Land. According to Weisz, while non-Jewish tourists should be "warmly welcomed" to "come closer to the true fulfillment of Sukkot," he appeared less welcoming to the Evangelical practice of sharing the Gospel with the Jewish people. "Unfortunately, some of the Christian visitors will hope to use their time in the Jewish state to engage in missionary activity," he wrote. "The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) does its best to prevent this, warning its guests to refrain from such offensive behavior." Weisz pointed to several Christians who have voiced their opposition to missionary activity while visiting Israel, including David Swaggerty, senior pastor of Charisma Life Ministries in Columbus, Ohio, who was among those in Israel for the celebration. Swaggerty was quoted as saying, "As a Christian who believes in the Great Commission, I feel that the call to spreading the Gospel does not apply to the Jewish people. Especially in light of centuries of Christian anti-Semitism, I am here to support Israel unconditionally and with no strings attached." In an interview with The Christian Post, Swaggerty clarified that while he has no problem taking the Gospel around the world to pastor's conferences in far-flung countries like Thailand and Tanzania, when he's in Israel, it's a different story. "When I go to Israel or with my Jewish friends in Columbus, missionizing is off the table," he said. "I do not do that. I don't believe that's God's will for my life to do that." Acknowledging that some if not many of his peers would disagree with his approach, Swaggerty said that doesn't bother him. "They think you should get everybody converted that you meet, but I don't see it that way," he added. Swaggerty said the Jewish people hold a special place in his heart: as a teenager, he worked in a jewelry store where he was surrounded by a "dozen Jewish men who became my family." He said he also saw how they were treated by Christians who tried to evangelize them and, as Swaggerty put it, "to force them almost into conversion." "I don't feel that's my responsibility. My calling is to build bridges of trust and friendship among the Jewish people and Christians," he added. "In doing that, I have a commitment to myself and my followers, my congregation, that we do not missionize the Jewish people." What about Messianic passages in the Old Testament, such as Isaiah 53, which most Protestant theologians consider to be fulfilled by Jesus in His first coming? For Swaggerty, whose ministry statement of faith affirms the death and resurrection of Christ, there's "no point in fighting whether He came once or not at all" since "when He shows up, there will be no mistaking who He is." "One day, Israel is going to see Messiah. They're praying all the time for Him, and one day He's going to show up, and when He does, the entire land of Israel, the whole nation, are going to embrace Him as Messiah," he explained. "I don't want to betray my own faith, but I don't want to push it onto my Jewish friends." While it's unclear whether groups like ICEJ which did not respond to a request for comment from CP are discouraging Christians from evangelism while in Israel, Swaggerty said he used to host several tours of the Holy Land and would warn people not to proselytize. Now, he says, after attending this year's Feast of Tabernacles with Weisz, he believes there's a new interfaith movement underway. "What we're seeing on a much bigger scale ... is like a spiritual phenomenon happening around the world between Orthodox Jews and Evangelical Christians, where they're willing to step across the aisle," he said. "We're finding that as you build relationships of trust, we can work together because we serve the same God." But for Messianic Jewish author, radio host and columnist Michael Brown, such an approach to evangelism is a "terrible disservice" to the Jewish people. "Every Jewish believer I know urges Christians to please share the Good News with our people," Brown told CP. "It is the most unloving thing you can do to withhold the water of life from a Jewish person. Jews and Gentiles are saved the exact same way. It is through faith in Jesus, through His death on the cross. "And without that, there is no salvation." As a self-identified "Jewish believer in Jesus," Brown said he believes it's "heretical" to exclude Jews from the Great Commission. "I appreciate sensitivity. I appreciate recognizing that for many Jewish people, Jesus is a bad word. I appreciate the fact that Jewish identity and preservation of our people is important," he said. "But faith in Jesus will enhance that rather than take away from that." For Brown, Swaggerty's views on the ultimate salvation of Israel are "terribly misguided." "Nowhere does the Bible say that salvation will be retroactive and that on that day, every Jew throughout history will be retroactively saved," he said. "That's completely contrary to Bible." Instead, Brown added, the Bible teaches that, for Israel, there will be a national turning to the Messiah at the end of the age. While Brown agreed that Christians touring Israel should "recognize they're not there to save Israel, they're there to see the country," he also said believers shouldn't go out of their way to avoid sharing the Good News. "If providentially they meet someone and can share the Gospel, wonderful. But they're not there to pour into the country in an insensitive way and go around bothering people going about their daily business," he said. "But if you're in a cab ride and you're there as a Christian and you have an opportunity to share, do it! Why not? Why withhold the news of the Jewish messiah from the Jewish people?" Before the pandemic, Christians comprised 55% of all tourism in 2019, according to data cited by the Jerusalem Post. More than a quarter of those visitors identified as Evangelicals. In 2020, however, tourism plunged by 81% from 4.5 million in 2019 to just over 831,000. 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 2 elderly pastors imprisoned for their faith in Eritrea Two elderly pastors are being held in Eritreas maximum-security interrogation center as one of the worlds most repressive and closed countries continues to persecute Christians. Pastor Girmay Araya, 75, and Pastor Samuel Okbamichael, 74, were taken from their homes in the middle of the night and brought to an unknown location, the news agency Church in Chains reported, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. It later emerged that the two pastors were taken to the maximum-security Wengel Mermera Central Criminal Investigation interrogation centre Police intended to also arrest 72-year-old Pastor Georgio Gebreab but they found him sick in bed and told him he was under house arrest until he is well enough to be taken into custody. When arrested, Eritreas persecuted Christians often disappear without a trace, leaving their loved ones with no information on their whereabouts or safety. Prison conditions are some of the harshest in the world, with inmates kept in shipping containers and believers often tortured in an attempt to get them to renounce their faith. Eritreas President Isaias Afewerki is a member of the Eritrean Orthodox Church in Asmara belonging to the largest among the only three Christian denominations allowed to function in the country: the Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. Afewerki, 75, whos the leader of the ruling Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice Party, also has a reputation of being an alcoholic and a ruthless autocrat. Afewerkis policy of restrictions is more about his fear that religion will mobilize people as a political force than religion itself. In March, authorities raided two separate prayer meetings in Asmara and the city of Assab and imprisoned 13 of the 35 Christians, including several women, who were taken into custody, ICC reported at the time. Its not known if the 13 Christians have been released. In February, 70 Christians from evangelical and Orthodox backgrounds, including women, were released from three prisons in Eritrea, some after being held without charge for more than a decade. Since last September, at least 160 Christians had been released from prisons in Eritrea at the time, but the news arrests dampened hopes that the government was easing its harsh repressive policy against Christians, Barnabas Fund said at the time. In Eritrea, citizens have a duty to report anything untoward happening in their community, Release International added. This can turn ordinary neighbors into spies. In some cases, their own family members have reported Christians. Charges dropped against Virginia megachurch pastor accused of soliciting sex with minor All charges against a Virginia megachurch pastor arrested for felony solicitation of prostitution of minors following an online sting operation have been dropped, although they could be refiled at a future date. John Blanchard, the 51-year-old pastor at the Rock Church International in Virginia Beach, was one of 17 suspects arrested by the Chesterfield County Police Special Victims Detectives as part of an online chatting operation last October. Earlier this month, all charges were dropped against him. The case against Blanchard is nolle pros, meaning that the charges could be refiled should prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to convict, reported the Norfolk-based 13News Now. During the two-day operation, detectives intercepted suspects who believed they were soliciting sex from minors through online and social media platforms, stated Chesterfield authorities at the time. The suspects communicated with people they believed to be underage members of our community and arranged to meet them at a location to have sexual relations. When the suspects came to the location, they were met by police and arrested. Blanchard was charged with felony solicitation of prostitution and use of a vehicle to promote prostitution, according to authorities. For its part, Rock Church posted a statement on Facebook celebrating the dropping of all charges, noting that Blanchard had always denied the allegations against him. The statement included a quote from Bishop Anne Gimenez, who, along with Blanchards wife, Robin, oversaw leading the congregation during the legal proceedings. We have always believed in Johns innocence. His humility and submission to those over him during this time has been a testimony to his character, stated Gimenez. He has spent the time in fasting and prayer and has invested much of his time in his family and education. We anticipate his resumption of church duties in the near future. Jim Booker, a neighbor of Blanchard, told CBS News affiliate WTKR in Norfolk last year that he was surprised by Blanchards arrest. This is a shock to me because I know him fairly well. Hes never given me any indication over the years that Ive known him that he would be mixed up in anything like this, Booker told WTKR. I know evil is always present and always trying to take down those who claim Jesus Christ. Im going to pray for him and be there for him. If he needs someone to talk to, Im going to be there to talk to him. Blanchard, who had become lead pastor of Rock Church in 2013 alongside his wife, voluntarily stepped away from his ministerial duties during the legal proceedings. In a statement last year, the church stated that it condemns sexual immorality of any kind and in any form by its members and leaders, and is committed to honesty and integrity in dealing with charges or accusations of sexual misconduct or immorality among its leaders and will support any investigation arising from accusations of violation of this standard. 'Nation's Report Card' records significant decline in math, reading scores after pandemic closures Student reading and math scores suffered significant declines in the past three years as the nation analyzes the impact the COVID-pandemic had on education, according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress. The congressionally-mandated NAEP, also known as the "nation's report card," released Monday suggests dramatic declines in math and reading levels for fourth and eighth graders. Math scores showed the largest drop since NAEP began administering tests in 1990, and reading scores declined in both grade levels since the pandemic. The average reading scores for both grades decreased by three points since 2019, before COVID forced schools to enact remote learning measures. Similarly, the average math scores for fourth and eighth grade declined by five and eight points, respectively. Most states saw scores decline for fourth and eighth-grade math and reading between 2019 and 2022. Overseen by the U.S. Department of Education, the study assessed over 400,000 students at over 10,000 schools across the country at the beginning of the year, scoring students on a scale of zero to 500. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said the findings in the report are "appalling and unacceptable." "This is a moment of truth for education," he said during a call with reporters Monday. "How we respond to this will determine not only our recovery, but our nation's standing in the world." Peggy Carr, the commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, said the drop in math was to be expected in light of the nationwide pause to in-person learning during the pandemic. "We really need the teachers to teach math," Carr said. "Reading, on the other hand, is something that parents and communities are more comfortable helping students with." Nicole Neily, president of the advocacy group Parents Defending Education, believes that the report proves American parents' concerns about their children's education during the pandemic correct. "American students were the subject of a years-long social experiment that will impact our country's economy for decades to come," Neily wrote in a Monday statement shared with The Christian Post. "It's time to hold the education bureaucrats, activists, and public health officials who mocked, shamed, and derided families accountable for their decisions and refuse to cede them any further authority (or funds) going forward." The group's director of outreach, Erika Sanzi, agrees with Carr that the academic outcomes for students were "predictable." "We knew prolonged school closures and masking would have catastrophic effects on children," she stated. "And now we have more evidence that they did." Last month, NAEP released the results of an assessment that found historic declines in reading and math scores for 9-year-old students. The scales used in the evaluation also ranged from zero to 500, with the group testing around 7,400 students from 410 schools from January to March 2020 and 2022. "Average scores for age 9 students in 2022 declined 5 points in reading and 7 points in mathematics compared to 2020," the report stated. "This is the largest average score decline in reading since 1990, and the first ever score decline in mathematics." The assessment noted that declines in math scores differed by race, with black students experiencing a 13-point score decrease compared to a 5-point decrease among white students. According to the report, the score gap between the two races went from 25 points in 2020 to 33 points in 2022. City students, who previously scored 213 on average in reading and 236 in math in 2020, experienced a seven-point decline in 2022. Students in suburban schools, who once scored 225 in reading in 2020, saw their scores decline by 8 points in 2022. Math scores for the same group of students went from 245 in 2020 to 236 in 2022. Carr said in an August statement that COVID-19 may have "exacerbated" learning challenges already existing, particularly for students already underperforming. "There's been much speculation about how shuttered schools and interrupted learning may have affected students' opportunities to learn," Carr wrote. "Our own data reveal the pandemic's toll on education in other ways, including increases in students seeking mental health services, absenteeism, school violence and disruption, cyberbullying, and nationwide teacher and staff shortages." A study released in July by the National Center for Education Statistics indicates the pandemic may have also impacted student behavior. The agency collected data from 846 participating schools between May 10 and May 24 as part of its School Pulse Panel. According to the study, 87% of public schools reported the pandemic negatively impacted students' socio-emotional development for the 2021-2022 school year. Eighty-three percent of public schools also agree that the pandemic negatively affected students' behavioral development. Forty-eight percent reported an increase in disrespect towards teachers and staff, and 56% noted an increase in student misconduct in the classroom. Forty-nine percent saw a rise in rowdiness outside the classroom, and 42% experienced increased use of prohibited electronics in class. David Daleiden says NIH-funded research grafted illegally aborted babies' scalps onto lab mice Pro-life activist urges Congress to investigate experiments on babies born alive A pro-life activist is calling for Dr. Anthony Fauci to testify before the U.S. Congress about his knowledge of federal funding awarded to a Pennsylvania university conducting experiments on human fetal tissue, including one experiment where illegally aborted babies' scalps were grafted onto lab rats. David Daleiden, the founder of the pro-life activist group Center for Medical Progress, said on Fox News last Thursday that the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases should testify about the nearly $500,000 grant his agency awarded to the University of Pittsburgh to conduct research using aborted babies scalps. Daleiden wants Congress to ask Fauci, the most prominent figure overseeing the U.S. coronavirus response, if he knew of potentially illegal actions taken by the institution. .@TuckerCarlson asks @daviddaleiden about the @PittTweet / @NIAIDFunding study that grafted the scalps of late-term unborn babies onto rats. "Has Fauci accounted for this?" "No, and Dr. Anthony Fauci owns every bit of this study." pic.twitter.com/AOO23HJEZi Edie Heipel (@ediemheipel) May 21, 2021 At the University of Pittsburgh, they were doing a study where they were taking the scalps of 5-month-old aborted babies, and they were grafting them onto lab rats and lab mice to see how much longer they could keep them growing for, Daleiden explained. You can actually see the photographs in the published study of little baby scalps grafted onto the backs of lab rats growing little baby hairs. According to Daleiden, This study was funded by ... multiple grants from the NIAID office, which is run by Dr. Anthony Fauci. He contended that Fauci owns every bit of this study." As the head of the NIAID office, the buck stops with him in terms of how those grants are spent whether theyre being monitored and made sure that theyre ethically and legally and just compliant as far as good stewardship of taxpayer money," Daleiden said. In addition to expressing disgust that experiments on aborted fetal body parts received taxpayer funding, Daleiden suggested that the experiments themselves may have broken the law. The fact that they were using scalps from 5-month-old aborted babies, that means that the heads of those children probably needed to be intact in order to get the scalps, which is an indication that those are either partial-birth abortion or even infants delivered alive and whole, he said. Federal law bans dilation and extraction abortions, also known as partial-birth abortions. The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act signed into law in 2003 prohibits partial-birth abortions. The law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007. While Fox News did not show the pictures of the experiment on air, a video explaining the University of Pittsburghs experimentation with aborted babies on the CMP website does include graphic photos. As the narrator explained, NIAID has given several additional grants to scientists and programs at the University of Pittsburgh that conduct fetal tissue research. According to CMP, the experimentation on aborted babies scalps was described as full-thickness human fetal skin cut from the heads and backs of aborted babies then processed via removal of excess fat underneath the babies skin before stitching it onto the rats." "Human skin tissues were obtained from the scalp and dorsum of donors and were used in developing human skin engraftments with and without hair in the mouse model, respectively," the published report states. "Full-thickness human fetal skin was processed via removal of excess fat tissues attached to the subcutaneous layer of the skin, then engrafted over the rib cage, where the mouse skin was previously excised." According to CMP, another scientist at the university developed a protocol for harvesting the freshest, most pristine livers from 5-month-old aborted babies in order to isolate massive numbers of stem cells for experimental transplantation into adults. The Pittsburgh scientist who developed the protocol received nearly $3 million from the NIH, the parent agency of NIAID, CMP reports. The NIH has also awarded the University of Pittsburgh a $1.4 million multi-year grant that makes the university a distribution hub for aborted fetal kidneys and other fetal body parts for NIH-funded projects across the country," the activist group alleged. According to the Center for Medical Progress, the fetal experimentation at the University of Pittsburgh goes back decades to the 1950s, when a doctor obtained live fetuses from abortions at Pitts hospital and tested their reflexes until they died. When I was undercover, Planned Parenthood abortion providers told me that they were the ones who were supplying the aborted baby body parts for experiments at the University of Pittsburgh," Daleiden said in his Fox News interview. While the university told the media that there is no procurement relationship for fetal tissue with Planned Parenthood, archive footage of Daleidens undercover exchange with Planned Parenthood officials shows a doctor at Planned Parenthood Western Pennsylvania acknowledging that theres a tissue bank at Pitt that we offer patients to donate to. Additionally, the University of Pittsburgh has served as a location for Planned Parenthoods Ryan Residency, which provides training for many doctors who go on to work for the nations largest abortion provider. Daleiden remains optimistic that more details about the research at the University of Pittsburgh will become public and that people will be held accountable. I think that everyday Americans are justifiably disturbed and upset and sad and want accountability and want enforcement from their elected representatives, from government officials on these issues," he stressed. Were talking about a set of government policies with fetal experimentation and experiments on aborted children that basically say that our children are worth more dead than alive, he added. It speaks to who we are as a people and who we are as Americans. In a statement to The College Fix, University of Pittsburgh spokesperson Keith Joseph denied any allegations of wrongdoing. The University does not obtain fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood, does not use any of its state appropriation to fund fetal tissue research and follows all laws and regulations governing fetal tissue research, he asserted. Maintaining that the video footage of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the tissue bank at the University of Pittsburgh was false, Joseph argued that David Daleiden has been repeatedly discredited, ordered to pay millions of dollars after being found liable for breaking multiple state and federal laws, and is now facing felony charges in criminal court. The Christian Post reached out to the University of Pittsburgh to respond to Daleiden's claim that NIH funds were used for the research to graft fetal skin on lab mice. A response was not received by press time. Pro-life activists ordered to pay $2.4M to Planned Parenthood for undercover investigation An appeals court panel has ruled that David Daleiden and other pro-life activists must pay a $2.4 million judgment to Planned Parenthood Federation of America for carrying out an undercover investigation and secretly filming abortion providers discussing the harvesting of babies' body parts. At issue in the litigation was the pro-life activists use of fake IDs and their recording of conversations that were meant to be confidential, which a lower court concluded violated various laws, including conspiracy, breach of contracts, conspiracy, fraud, fraudulent and unlawful business practices, trespass, RICO, and various federal and state wiretapping laws. In a unanimous decision released last Friday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit mostly upheld a lower court ruling against the pro-life activists, who also describe themselves as citizen journalists. Circuit Judge Ronald M. Gould authored the panel opinion, rejecting the arguments of the pro-life activists that their actions were protected by the First Amendment and journalistic practices. Invoking journalism and the First Amendment does not shield individuals from liability for violations of laws applicable to all members of society. None of the laws Appellants violated was aimed specifically at journalists or those holding a particular viewpoint, wrote Gould. The two categories of compensatory damages permitted by the district court, infiltration damages and security damages, were awarded by the jury to reimburse Planned Parenthood for losses caused by Appellants violations of generally applicable laws. Gould also argued that the panel decision does not impose a new burden on journalists or undercover investigations using lawful means. From the beginning of their scheme, Appellants engaged in illegal conductincluding forging signatures, creating and procuring fake drivers licenses, and breaching contractsthat the jury found so objectionable as to award Planned Parenthood punitive damages, he continued. In affirming Planned Parenthoods compensatory damages from Appellants First Amendment challenge, we simply reaffirm the established principle that the pursuit of journalism does not give a license to break laws of general applicability. Gould did reverse the lower court decision finding the pro-life activists guilty of violating the Federal Wiretap Act, noting that it requires that the criminal or tortious purpose be independent of and separate from the purpose of the recording. Planned Parenthood runs afoul of this requirement by reusing the same criminal purposefurthering the civil RICO scheme to destroy Planned Parenthoodas both the purpose of the civil RICO claim and the independent criminal or tortious purpose, said Gould. Planned Parenthoods argument is circular: according to Planned Parenthood, the civil RICO conspiracy is furthered by the recordings, and the recordings themselves further the ongoing civil RICO conspiracy. Such reasoning is not permitted by [the Act]. By overturning the federal wiretap part of the verdict, around $100,000 of the over $2.4 million in compensatory damages will be removed. Daleidens group, the Center for Medical Progress, posted a statement last week on their website denouncing the panel's opinion. A Ninth Circuit panel decided with this ruling today that protecting Planned Parenthoods barbaric practices of partial-birth abortion and trafficking of aborted fetuses for government-sponsored experiments is more important than protecting the First Amendment rights of journalists and of the public, CMP stated. In order to do this, the panel had to contradict its own precedents about undercover reporting on any other topic, disregard other Circuits en banc findings of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood, and bless the increasing weaponization of the justice system against pro-life speech. CMP went on to vow that its citizen journalists will appeal the panel decision, adding that the tide of history is turning against the panels obsolete pro-abortion exceptionalism. In 2015, Daleiden and CMP garnered national headlines when they released a series of undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood officials violating various laws, namely discussing the sale of aborted baby body parts, including organs, tissue and limbs. For its part, Planned Parenthood and pro-choice activists have denied the CMPs claims, arguing that the videos were selectively edited and unlawfully recorded. However, CMP released the full-length, unedited videos when this story broke in 2015, which were covered by The Christian Post and other news outlets. People in Munugode set to elect their representative in a bypoll which is expected to set stage for 2023 Assembly elections (By arrangement) HYDERABAD: Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj said on Sunday that all arrangements for the smooth conduct of the November 3 byelection to Munugode Assembly constituency were progressing at a brisk pace. Printing of ballot papers for the EVMs and postal ballot was complete and EVM commissioning had commenced in the presence of representatives of political parties and contestants, he said. He said the first round randomisation of EVMs was completed on October 18 and 35 per cent additional EVMs and VVPATs were allotted to the returning officer as a reserve. The second randomisation was on October 20 and EVMs were allotted polling station-wise. They said that second training for poll personnel is scheduled on October 27 and 28. Meanwhile, 345 voters who are aged over 80 years and 394 differently-abled voters submitted form 12 D to cast their votes through postal ballots, Raj said. The CEO said that 12 cases of violations had been filed and cash worth `2.49 crore has been seized so far. The police and excise personnel have seized 1483.67 litres of liquor and booked 77 cases while also arresting 36 persons, he said. ECI has appointed IRS officer Subodh Singh, as second election observer and another IRS officer Samatha Mullapudi as expenditure observer. The principal director of Income Tax (investigations) has nominated seven persons from the department to help expenditure observers to control flow of cash in the constituency. Additional CEO K. Manicka Raj visited Munugode constituency on Sunday and monitored the situation. Saddleback Church leaders wife Stacie Wood serving as teaching pastor despite SBC doctrine Saddleback Church identifies the wife of its new lead pastor as a "teaching pastor," even though the influential megachurch's denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, restricts the office of pastor to men in its official statement of beliefs. Pastor Andy Wood, who recently succeeded retiring pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren at Saddleback, lists his wife Stacie as a "pastor" in his biography on the prominent California megachurch's website. "Pastors Andy and Stacie Wood started their ministry in California as church planters in the Bay Area," states the online leadership entry, accessed by The Christian Post on Tuesday morning. "They began Echo Church in 2009, and it eventually became one of the fastest growing churches in the area." Earlier this month, Stacie Wood preached a sermon titled "The Courage to Slow Down" at the Lake Forest-based church, being identified as a "Teaching Pastor." In a statement earlier this year about their departure to members of Echo Church, Stacie Wood said she would serve alongside her husband "as a Teaching Pastor." She held the "teaching pastor" role at Echo Church as well. In an interview with the Associated Press published on Monday, Andy Wood said he wanted Saddleback to empower "men and women to lead" and said the Bible "teaches that men and women were given spiritual gifts by God." "The church should be a place where both men and women can exercise those spiritual gifts," he told the AP. "My wife has the spiritual gift of teaching and she is really good. People often tell me she's better than me when it comes to preaching, and I'm really glad to hear that." In May 2021, Saddleback drew scrutiny from some within the SBC when the church ordained three women Liz Puffer, Cynthia Petty and Katie Edwards. The ordinations come even though the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, the convention's official statement of beliefs, says that the "office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture." Many Southern Baptist leaders, among them Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler, argued that the ordination went against the Bible and SBC rules. "The theological issues have not changed since 2000 when Southern Baptists spoke clearly and precisely in the Baptist Faith & Message. More importantly, the Holy Scriptures have not changed and cannot change," wrote Mohler last year. Critics wanted Saddleback, one of the convention's largest congregations, to be disfellowshiped since other churches have been kicked out for ordaining women as pastors. In his interview with AP, Wood said he is grateful for Saddleback's partnership with the SBC and hopes that it will continue. "I'm not looking to engage in denominational battles," Wood said. "I'd really like to be a unifier of people to help, love and support pastors in the SBC." The SBC Credentials Committee, which determines if member churches are abiding by the convention's standards, announced at the SBC Annual Meeting in June that it would delay a decision about whether to disfellowship Saddleback. Committee Chair Linda Cooper said at the annual meeting that they were "not yet prepared to make a recommendation on Saddleback," recognizing there are "differing opinions regarding the intent of the office of pastor as stated in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000." "We feel it is very important for you to know that it is the unanimous opinion of the Credentials Committee that the majority of Southern Baptists hold to the belief that the function of lead pastor, elder, bishop or overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture," she stated. "[However, we have] found little information evidencing convention beliefs regarding the use of the title of pastor, for staff positions with different responsibilities and authority than that of lead pastor role." Warren, who led Saddleback Church for over 40 years before he retired in September, spoke at the SBC annual meeting. "As Western culture grows more dark, more evil and more secular, we have to decide are we going to treat each other as allies or adversaries?" Warren stated. "Are we going to keep bickering over secondary issues, or are we going to keep the main thing the main thing?" The Credentials Committee initially called for the creation of an SBC study committee to "provide clarity regarding the office of pastor." But after pushback from attendees at the annual meeting, the committee rescinded that recommendation. Weeks after the annual meeting, Mohler, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley and Richard Land, the president of the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission from 1988-2013, issued a joint statement clarifying the Southern Baptist understanding of the word "pastor." The men had previously been tasked to write a study guide for the new 2000 Baptist Faith & Message Confession. "[I]t is important to understand that the word pastor was chosen precisely because of its clarity among Southern Baptists," the joint statement reads. "The statement carefully affirms that both men and women are gifted for service in the church, but the role of pastor is biblically defined and is to be held only by men as qualified by Scripture," the men stressed in the statement." Earlier this month, trustees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky unanimously approved a resolution stating that "men alone [are] reserved for the office and function, and thereby title of pastor." 'The worst child abuse I've ever seen': Inside 'absolutely horrific' transgender 'medical scandal' "It's the worst child abuse I've ever seen." That's how Christian Post journalist Brandon Showalter describes his in-depth coverage of the transgender movement. Showalter's new podcast docu-series titled "Generation Indoctrination" takes audiences deep into the impact this trend is having on children and families alike. "This is a medical scandal ... [kids are] being fast-tracked into a pipeline of horror," he said, calling the movement the "greatest assault on the image of God." Showalter continued, "You can't get Genesis wrong without getting the whole Gospel wrong." Listen to his powerful explanation: Among the most impacted are parents and families seeking to stop their children's transition. Tragically, this many times leads to a familial split or other such chaos that damages and destroys lives. "It is absolutely horrific what families are enduring when this invades their home," Showalter said. Hear the journalist unpack episode two of the "Generation Indoctrination" podcast series here: The Inside Story takes you behind the headlines of the biggest faith, culture, and political headlines of the week. In 15 minutes or less, Christian Post staff writers and editors will help you navigate and understand whats driving each story, the issues at play and why it all matters. Listen to more Christian podcasts today on the Edifi app and be sure to subscribe to The Inside Story on your favorite platforms: 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. Jewish university launches LGBT student club as litigation over Pride Alliance rejection continues A Jewish university engaged in litigation over its refusal to approve an LGBT club on campus has launched an LGBT group of its own as it continues to make the case that it is a religious institution instead of a public accommodation. In a statement Monday, Yeshiva University announced the formation of a "new initiative grounded in Halacha and Torah values to support its LGBTQ undergraduates, including strengthening its on-campus support services and endorsing a new student club that presents an approved traditional Orthodox alternative to YU Pride Alliance." Yeshiva's refusal to recognize YU Pride Alliance, an LBGT group, as an official student club has subjected America's flagship Jewish university to an ongoing lawsuit. The university created the Kol Yisrael Areivim Club for LGBT students "striving to live authentic Torah lives." The university indicated that the club will "provide students with space to grow in their personal journeys, navigating the formidable challenges that they face in living a fully committed, uncompromisingly authentic halachic life within Orthodox communities." The club will encourage students to maintain lives of chastity. Participants in the club will be able to "gather, share their experiences, host events, and support one another while benefiting from the full resources of the Yeshiva community." "We are eager to support and facilitate the religious growth and personal life journeys of all of our students to live authentic Torah lives, and we hope that this Torah based initiative with a new student club tailored to Yeshiva's undergraduate LGBTQ students will provide them with meaningful support to do so," said Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman. Yeshiva's Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Herschel Schacter expressed hope that the new club "deepens our students' commitment to the Torah and leads to harmony in our Yeshiva University community." In a statement shared with the media, YU Pride Alliance called the new club a "sham." "This is a desperate stunt by Yeshiva University to distract from the growing calls from its donors, alumni, faculty, policymakers, and the business community, who have stood alongside the YU Pride Alliance, as we continue to fight for our rights," the statement reads. "The YU sham is not a club as it was not formed by students, is not led by students, and does not have members; rather, it is a feeble attempt by YU to continue denying LGBTQ students equal treatment as full members of the YU student community." Leaders of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents Yeshiva University in its litigation with YU Pride Alliance, elaborated on the development in a call with reporters on Monday. Becket Executive Director Montse Alvarado said the new club "reflects the input and perspectives from conversations between all of these stakeholders: Yeshiva's rabbis, educators, its current and past undergraduate LGBTQ students." "This is the university's way of pastoring and caring for, in a compassionate way, the LGBTQ students, but also drawing a very important line about what it means to be an Orthodox Jew and to be part of Yeshiva University, the flagship university that is recognized around the world for being animated by its five core Torah values: seeking truth, living your values, discovering your potential, acting with compassion and bringing redemption," she added. Alvarado said the university has "always had on-campus support services for its LGBTQ students and has been committed to sensitivity training for faculty and staff, strict anti-harassment, anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies and ongoing support groups and educational sessions during orientation for its incoming students." The university will expand these support services as part of the new initiative unveiled Monday. Becket Senior Counsel Eric Baxter maintained that the Kol Yisrael Areivim Club "would be encouraging students to live lives of chastity." "It has been made clear that the responsibilities and the desires that the university has for all students are the same, that all students are encouraged to live lives of chastity, lives that are walking alongside the spiritual values that they're being given by the choice that they made, their individual choice to come to this university." "This is not a requirement that is specific to LGBTQ students," Baxter added. "It's something that is asked of and hopefully inspired by what they're learning to live a life that is consistent with Torah values and that's for everyone. It's not specific to any one type of student that identifies as one way or another." Baxter suggested that the ongoing litigation "is not really about the approval of any specific club" but rather "calls into question Yeshiva's ability to make religious decisions generally." He identified the conclusion of the lawsuit as a determination that "Under the New York City Human Rights Law, Yeshiva is a public accommodation, which means it cannot engage in any decision-making based on religion even." "And so it's religious admissions, it's religious hiring, it's the fact that it provides religious worship for Jews but not other religious faiths, the fact that it requires approval for all the student club activities to ensure that they are consistent with the law and values," he said. "So we anticipate that the lawsuit will have to go forward because Yeshiva needs to confirm that it is not a public accommodation, that it has the right to make religious decisions and to maintain its religious identity." The litigation between Yeshiva University and YU Pride Alliance dates back to 2020. After a New York State Supreme Court justice ordered the school to recognize YU Pride Alliance as an official club earlier this year, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a stay last month, vacating that ruling as litigation continued. After the stay from the U.S. Supreme Court expired and a state court declined to issue a ruling providing the university with relief late last month, Yeshiva University and the YU Pride Alliance entered into an agreement halting enforcement of the court order requiring the college to recognize the club while litigation continued. The Becket case page for YU Pride Alliance v. Yeshiva University outlines the next steps in the litigation. With briefings due for completion by Oct. 14, oral arguments before the New York Appellate Division will take place in November, with a ruling expected shortly thereafter. Salman Rushdie loses eye, use of hand after Islamic extremist attack in New York British author Sir. Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed multiple times allegedly by a Shia Muslim at a theatre in New York state in August, has lost sight in one eye and the use of a hand, according to his agent. The 75-year-old Indian-born writer suffered three severe wounds to his neck and 15 to his chest and torso in the attack because of a death edict issued years ago by Irans Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Rushdies literary agent Andrew Wylie told the Spanish language newspaper El Pais, according to The Telegraph. The attack, which occurred while Rushdie was on the stage of Chautauqua Institution for a discussion, led to the loss of sight in an eye and left a hand incapacitated. The author remains in hospital, Wylie was quoted as saying. Rushdie became the object of persecution when he wrote the novel, The Satanic Verses (1988), in which militant Islamists believed he blasphemed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The then Ayatollah of Iran issued a fatwa calling for Rushdies murder, accompanied by a monetary reward of about $3 million. The Ayatollahs decree extended to anyone involved in publishing or translating the novel. A Japanese scholar who translated the novel into Japanese was murdered in 1991. Rushdie, who promotes freedom of speech and speaks out against religious extremism, was forced to go into hiding for more than a dozen years. In 2000, he moved to America, where he has taught at several universities, including Emory in Atlanta and New York University. The fatwa calling for his murder was never rescinded. This means any Islamist might be prone to interpret this as calling them to act to fulfill the fatwa as a matter of religious duty. The New York State Police identified the suspect in the attack on Rushdie as Hadi Matar from New Jersey. He was sympathetic to the Iranian government, The New York Post said at the time, quoting anonymous law enforcement sources. Based on his social media posts, Matar is a supporter of Iran, its Revolutionary Guard and Shia extremism, the Post reported. The suspect rushed the stage and attacked Rushdie after he had just sat down onstage with the discussions moderator, Ralph Henry Reese, from the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit City of Asylum for exiled writers, The New York Times reported at the time. The author was scheduled to give a talk before 2,500 people about the United States being a safe haven for exiled writers. President Joe Biden called the attack reprehensible. This act of violence is appalling. All of us in the Biden-Harris Administration are praying for his speedy recovery, Biden said in a statement. We are thankful to good citizens and first responders for helping Mr. Rushdie so quickly after the attack and to law enforcement for its swift and effective work, which is ongoing. Revelation 4: Seven torches and a sea of glass Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones, the famed Welsh-English theologian and preacher, said: Nothing is more dangerous than to put a wedge between the Word and the Spirit, to emphasize either one at the expense of the other. It is the Spirit and the Word, the Spirit upon the Word, and the Spirit in us as we read the Word. In Revelation 4, after being raptured into Heaven, the Apostle John stood in awe within the throne room of God and witnessed things that were not of this earth. He saw the throne of God with the Lord sitting upon it, shining brilliantly like magnificent gemstones. He saw the glow of an emerald rainbow that encircled the throne. Twenty-four elders were seated on thrones with crowns on their heads encompassing the Lord. From the throne came lightning and thundering. Then the apostle said: And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal (v. 5). William Evans, in The Great Doctrines of the Bible, wrote: We are living in the age of the Spirit. The Old Testament period may be called the age of the Father; the period covered by the Gospels, the age of the Son; from Pentecost until the Second Coming of Christ, the age of the Spirit. All matters pertaining to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit should, therefore, be of special interest to us who live in this age of special privilege. Indeed, we should be very concerned with any matter that pertains to the Holy Spirits work. In Old Testament times, only a few, such as priests and prophets, were given the Spirit of God. In Numbers 11, the Bible says God, who had given Moses his Spirit, also distributed his Spirit among 70 elders so Gods work could be effectively done. During this time, Moses prayed, Would that the Lords Spirit was given to all of his people. Moses prayer became a prophecy in the Book of Joel, and the fulfillment of it was seen at Pentecost when God poured out his Spirit on all who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. This current era in Gods economy is especially rich for those who trust in Christ. Gods Holy Spirit is poured out on every believer no matter their background, nationality, or station in life. In the Bible, the number seven represents completion. Therefore, the seven torches mentioned in verse 5 are about the comprehensive seven-fold ministry of the Holy Spirit. Some believe the seven torches denote the seven-fold ministry of the Holy Spirit who restrains evil, convicts of sin, regenerates the soul dead in sin, seals the believer in Christ, baptizes the believer, indwells the believer, and fills the believer. Christian apologist Dr. Henry Morris has argued the seven torches represent seven designations of Gods Spirit delineated in the New Testament: the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Holiness, the Spirit of Faith, the Spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Power, the Spirit of Grace and the Spirit of Glory. The context of the verse, however, seems more closely aligned with the seven-fold relationship of the Holy Spirit to Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity in the Godhead, the One who sits upon the throne. Isaiah 11:1-3 spells out this relationship, saying: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 1. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him 2. the Spirit of wisdom and of 3. understanding, 4. the Spirit of counsel and of 5. might, 6. the Spirit of the knowledge and 7. fear of the Lord and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. [Numbers included by the author for clarity.] The Scriptures also show that Christ is the living Word of God (John: 1:1). He is the very expression of Gods mind, character, and will. So in everything Jesus, the promised Messiah, did. He operated entirely according to the direction and power of the Spirit of God. Thus, there is always this holy collaboration between the Spirit and the Word of God. Again, look at what John said he saw with the seven torches before the throne of God a sea of glass. What is this glassy sea? The sea of glass calls to remembrance the laver, a piece of furniture in the Tabernacle that was the portable dwelling place of the God of Israel. The laver was also called the sea (Exodus 30:17-21; I Kings 7:23-26). It symbolized Gods Word because it contained water the priests had to wash and be cleansed in before performing their priestly duties. God used this symbolism to help his people understand the importance of purity of life and service. The apostle Paul referenced this same imagery when in Ephesians 5:16 he talked about how Christ sanctifies and cleanses his church, by the washing of water by the Word. However, in Revelation 4:5, this sea is not about cleansing. It still represents Gods Word but it is no longer needed for cleansing because the days of sinning and confession have passed. The sea to which John bears witness is like sparkling crystal, and in Revelation 15:2, he says its also mingled with fire something on which the martyred tribulation saints are seen standing. The apostle writes: I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them. The representation here is fixating. Gods Word is like a glassy sea like sparkling crystal a foundation of incomparable purity upon which believers may forever stand. It is mingled with fire. Is not my Word like as a fire? says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:29). Gods Word, the Scriptures, are like a consuming fire that ultimately destroys everything opposed to God and his people. And on this, Gods children may eternally stand. Let every believer notice: The Spirit and Gods Word always work in tandem. Let me share a memorable quote from the late Ray Stedman, one of the 20th centurys foremost pastors and biblical expositors. Stedman wrote: There is no salvation without both of these [the Spirit and the Word]. These are the instruments by which God performs His work. It is always a mistake to emphasize one of these to the exclusion of the other. There are groups today who are doing this: Some say, No, we dont need the Word. All we need is the Spirits guidance within. All we need is simply to trust the feelings we have. God the Spirit is dwelling in us and He will lead us. But whenever a group does that, they follow the pattern of similar groups in the past, and it invariably results in impractical ideas, in mysticism, in fanaticism, in rigid, hard-eyed determinism, and in individualism everybody going his own way and doing his own thing. Utter confusion results if you set aside the Word and try to follow only the Spirit. Several years ago, a Christian lawmaker in my home state of North Carolina was clearly making political decisions against biblical ethics. He was making himself a partner with forces that forged what the Bible prohibits and calls an unequal yoke (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). As his brother in Christ and a lobbyist for the Christian Action League, I called him on the telephone to talk with him about what he was doing. He insisted he didnt believe he was doing anything wrong. He said he had prayed about it and God was leading him to do what he was doing. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent he really wasnt hearing from God. He ended up at the heart of a political scandal of corruption and bribes and was sentenced to five years in prison. Gods Spirit never leads in a way contrary to biblically revealed ethics. The Spirit and the Word always work together. Can God act against himself? The assertion is farcical. Yet this is seen in a thousand different ways today. Seven torches and a glassy sea before the throne of God the ministry of the Spirit and the Word nothing is more dangerous than to put a wedge between the two. Nothing is more hazardous than to emphasize either one at the expense of the other. It is the Spirit and the Word, the Spirit upon the Word, and the Spirit in us as we read the Word. European court says feminist who pretended to abort Jesus on the altar was exercising freedom Overturning the verdict of a French court, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that a feminist who interrupted the rehearsal of Christmas carols to perform a topless act of aborting Jesus on the altar of a Paris church was exercising "freedom of expression." Bare-breasted and covered in pro-abortion slogans, Eloise Bouton entered the La Madeleine church in December 2013 and simulated aborting Jesus in protest of the Catholic Church's teaching against abortion. Bouton, a former member of the group Femen, stood in front of the altar, wearing a blue veil to mock the Virgin Mary and carried pieces of animal liver to represent an aborted fetus. She acted out an "abortion" before urinating on the ground before those in attendance. After Bouton's act, Femen wrote on social media that "Christmas is cancelled!" and that "the holy mother Eloise has just aborted the embryo of Jesus on the altar of the Madeleine." After the church's priest filed a complaint, a national court found Bouton guilty of "sexual display" and ordered her to pay the parish 2,000 euros. She was sentenced to one month in prison. The Court of Cassation, the highest judicial court in France, upheld the judgment. In an Oct. 13 opinion, the European Court of Human Rights argued that France violated Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects freedom of expression. "The applicant considers that far from being gratuitously offensive or seeking to disturb those present in the church in the practice of their worship, her action was part of a public debate on the place of women in society and aimed to convey a message about the position of the Catholic Church regarding abortion," the court's opinion states. "As such, it recalls that the protection of Article 10 must extend to ideas which offend or shock any section of the population." The court, which the Council of Europe tasks to interpret the European Convention on Human Rights, also accepted the argument that public nudity "can be considered one of the forms of freedom of expression." "The Court notes that the applicant's conviction was based on the characterization of the offense of sexual exhibition. According to the Government, it was not intended to sanction [her] critical ideas and opinions on the doctrine of the Catholic Church," the opinion reads. "Nevertheless, the Court considers, as it has mentioned above ..., that in view of its militant nature, the action of the applicant, who sought to express her political convictions, in line with the positions defended by the Femen movement on whose behalf she was acting, must be regarded as constituting a 'performance' falling within the scope of the article." The Strasbourg-based court ordered France to pay Bouton 9,800 euros (approximately $9,584) for moral damages, legal costs and expenses. The ECHR's ruling has drawn criticism from conservative religious organizations. "It is becoming a habit at the ECHR to defend these attacks in churches and against the Church," Gregor Puppinck, the director of the European Centre for Law and Justice, wrote on the group's website. "In 2018, it had already ruled that the blasphemous provocation of the feminist punk group, the 'Pussy riots,' in the choir of the Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow was a form of expression protected by the Court. The Pussy riots' lawyer, formerly working for [George] Soros foundation, has since become a judge at the ECHR. The same year, the Court also condemned Lithuania for sanctioning blasphemous advertisements featuring Christ and the Virgin Mary." Puppinck wrote that the ECHR's position is "different when it comes to Islam." "In 2018, the ECHR upheld the criminal conviction of an Austrian lecturer who was accused of having equated Mohammed's sexual relationship with Aisha, then only 9 years old, with 'paedophilia,'" he wrote. "The ECHR ruled that the lecturer had not sought to inform the public objectively but to 'demonstrate that Muhammad is not worthy of worship.' In support of this conviction, the Court considered that to speak of 'paedophile' would be a 'generalisation without any factual basis,' 'likely to arouse justified indignation' among Muslims. According to the Court, these remarks constituted 'a malicious violation of the spirit of tolerance that underpins democratic society' and were likely to 'stir up prejudice' and 'endanger religious peace.'" 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. The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p. The partial eclipse kept politicians away from the streets of Munugode, the site for a high-stakes political battle between the TRS, the BJP, and the Congress. (Representational Image/AP) HYDERABAD: Even as the moon came in a direct line between the Sun and earth for a couple of hours on Tuesday, to trigger a partial eclipse, politicians disappeared from the streets of Munugode, the site for a high-stakes political battle between the TRS, the BJP, and the Congress. Just a few hours of the eclipse in the evening, coupled with the day being Amavasya, kept top leaders away, with parties declaring that they were busy with strategy meetings, campaign progress reviews and the like. Among those who appeared to keep away were TRS working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao, and minister T. Harish Rao. TS BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy kept off the roads for most of they day but they did take to the Munugode streets late in the evening after the inauspicious hours had passed. Meanwhile, minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav charged that Opposition parties were resorting to dramas with their leaders feigning injuries and illness to gain voter sympathy, something they did in Dubbak and Huzurabad. He said, Today they are claiming that they are unwell, tomorrow they will claim they are being attacked. People of Munugode should not fall for such tricks and if they do, then they will be the losers. He said the BJP candidate has fever, and the Congress candidate is crying and shedding fake tears. The BJP, he said, realised that a few days were left and was attempting to stoke sentiments to win voter sympathy. The TRS which is strong and has peoples support, has no need to resort to such tricks, he said. However, TRS MP Ranjith Reddy, rushed with an explanation of his absence in Voilpally village wth 2,370 voters, of which he is in-charge, declaring that he has a really bad leg injury. Sharing pictures of his swollen leg on social media, Ranjith Reddy ended up explaining that he was in no shape to be out in the field. Incidentally, Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, who had suffered an injury to his leg, was seen walking around villages, meeting voters, but at times leaning on to either his security staff or others. WhatsApp's services across many parts of India and the world were disrupted on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: PTI) NEW DELHI: Popular messaging app WhatsApp faced a global outage from the UK to India, with users being not able to send and receive text and video messages for more than an hour. The services were restored for some users after the unexplained disruption that last over an hour. The resumption of service was confirmed by several users. WhatsApp's services across many parts of India and the world were disrupted on Tuesday afternoon as thousands of users were unable to send or receive messages on the Meta-owned platform. After the snag hit, WhatsApp had said it is working to restore services. We're aware that some people are currently having trouble sending messages and we're working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible, a Meta company spokesperson said in a statement. #Whatsappdown was trending on Twitter, and many users took to the microblogging platform to share funny memes on the issue. Downdetector reported a significant rise in complaints around Whatsapp outage; nearly 29,000 reports were flagged by users. Downdetector's heatmap was showing WhatsApp users in major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata were impacted by the disruption. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Highlights of foreign congratulatory messages on Xi's election as general secretary of CPC Central Committee (2) Xinhua) 14:12, October 25, 2022 BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of political parties, governments and heads of state worldwide have sent congratulations to Xi Jinping on his election as general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Head of the Fatah party and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he wishes Xi continuous success in fulfilling his noble missions and tasks, leading the CPC and Chinese people to achieve their goals and enjoy a peaceful, stable and prosperous life. Leader of the United Democratic Alliance party and Kenyan President William Ruto said on behalf of the Kenyan people and in his own name, he would like to warmly congratulate Xi on the election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Xi's people-centered and dedicated leadership have set an example, Ruto said, adding that Kenya looks forward to working with China to build a vibrant Africa-China community with a shared future. Xi's election demonstrates the firm confidence and absolute trust of the Chinese people in his wise leadership, said Emmerson Mnangagwa, first secretary of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, and Zimbabwean president. The Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era proposed by Xi has greatly encouraged developing countries to creatively explore development paths suited to their national conditions, he said, adding that he firmly believes that under Xi's leadership, the Chinese people will surely build China into a great modern socialist country. The 20th CPC National Congress is of great significance not only to China but also to the whole world, said Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the Serbian Progressive Party, also Serbian president. Noting that he believes that Xi will lead China to new achievements on the development path ahead, Vucic said Serbia looks forward to stronger friendly cooperation with China. Czech President Milos Zeman congratulated Xi on his election, saying it is believed that under Xi's leadership, China will continue prospering, and cooperation between the two countries in various fields will bear new fruits. President of Vanuatu Nikenike Vurobaravu said he firmly believes that under Xi's leadership, the CPC will continue to unite and lead the Chinese people to greater development achievements, and play a more important role in the international community. Vurobaravu said he is looking forward to working with Xi to build a closer comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Dinesh Gunawardena, leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and prime minister of Sri Lanka, said he firmly believes that under the strong leadership of Xi, China will achieve greater progress, and the friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and China will be further deepened. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) News Details Hyderabad see more VLSI biz expansions by global semicoductor companies Date: 25/10/2022In the year 2022, the city of Hyderabad witnesses more business expansions in the VLSI semiconductor domain. Silicon Labs which already has a major design operations in Hyderabad has inaugurated its new office in Hyderabad, located at Salarpuria Sattva Knowledge City. Silicon Labs said this centre is its largest global centre for engineering and wireless connectivity innovation. This IOT focused company said it is well positioned to contribute to the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) in India and around the world.The new office was inaugurated on September 28, 2022, by Shri Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Telangana Government, Matt Johnson, President, and CEO, Silicon Labs, Manish Kothari, Senior Vice President, Silicon Labs India, the Silicon Labs executive leadership team, and other eminent industry leaders.Matt Johnson, President and CEO, Silicon Labs, said, "Hyderabad marks our growing commitment to supporting the development of India and the greater Asia Pacific region. Silicon Labs Hyderabad is fast becoming the leading IoT wireless technology centre in the region. For 15 years, Silicon Labs has been investing time, talent, and resources into building an unprecedented platform to support the broadest set of wireless technologies, standards, and ecosystems worldwide. Our Hyderabad wireless development centre is instrumental to our innovation and growth."Manish Kothari, Senior Vice President, Silicon Labs India, said, "At the nexus of cutting-edge technology and digital transformation lies Silicon Labs India. We are pleased to expand our team in Hyderabad. We will use our extensive experience to connect with the local community and open doors for the city's competitive talent pool. Our Hyderabad location will be a centre of excellence for integrated hardware and software platforms, user-friendly development tools, and an unsurpassed ecosystem of new wireless technologies to boost innovation and automation for our customers."Silicon Labs is using levels 2 and 3 in the Octave block, Parcel 4, of Salarpuria Sattva Knowledge City totaling more than 100,000 square feet. Company intend to to expand to level 4 in 2023 to accommodate additional team growth.In the month of November 2022 UK-based chip design services company Sondrel announces opening of its new office in the city of Hyderabad, India. Sondrel opened its first office in India at Cyberpearl in 2018. Sondrel sees India's Centre has become a core strategic element. With this second office, Sondrel to increase its capacity of its Indian team and expand its turnkey ASIC, VLSI semiconductor design services.The most important expansion was from the world number one fabless semiconductor chip vendor QUALCOMM has opened one of its largest office measuring 1.8 million square feet in Hyderabad in the month of November 2022. QUALCOMM President and CEO Mr.Cristiano R. Amon, inaugurated the company's newest office at Commerzone, Hyderabad.The new facility by QUALCOMM to support close to 7000 engineers in the coming years.Arrow owned eInfochip had opened its new office in Hi-Tech City in the month of December 2021. eInfochip planned to hire 250 engineers in 2022-23. eInfochips is into full chip design services including verification, physical design and testing. Obtaining a Post-Graduation Work Permit is one of the routes that international students looking to remain in Canada can take to start building a life here. Staying in Canada after graduation with a PGWP Obtaining a Post-Graduation Work Permit is one of the routes that international students looking to remain in Canada can take to start building a life here. Staying in Canada after graduation with a PGWP Obtaining a Post-Graduation Work Permit is one of the routes that international students looking to remain in Canada can take to start building a life here. Staying in Canada after graduation with a PGWP Obtaining a Post-Graduation Work Permit is one of the routes that international students looking to remain in Canada can take to start building a life here. Vimal Sivakumar Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A International students bring a vibrant, new, and fresh perspective to the academic landscape in Canada when they arrive from their home countries to study at a Canadian designated learning institution (DLI). Canada takes immense pride in being a preferred destination for international students looking to further their lives and educations. Beyond their institutional education, however, another point of pride for Canada is that most international students have shown a desire to stay here after graduation. In fact, a 2022 Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) survey revealed that 59.4% of respondents said that they wanted to become Canadian permanent residents after graduation. Get a Free PGWP Consultation One step towards this goal for international students is through Canadas Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program. This program provides a maximum three-year open work permit that enables eligible DLI graduates to work for a Canadian employer of their choice without an existing job offer at the time of application. It is important to note that while this program allows for permits of up to three years, the actual length of a permit will depend on the length of the educational program from which the applicant graduated. PGWP eligibility criteria PGWP eligibility is determined by whether the applicant has: Completed studies at an eligible DLI in an academic, vocational, or professional training program (minimum eight months in length) that leads to a degree, diploma, or certificate Received a transcript and an official letter confirming they have met the requirements to complete their program Held full-time student status in Canada during every academic session of the program or programs of study completed and included as part of their post-graduation work permit application (note below) Graduated from a public post-secondary institution, such as a college, a trade or technical school, a university, CEGEP (in Quebec), a private post-secondary school (in Quebec) that operates under the same rules as public schools in Quebec; a private secondary or post-secondary school (in Quebec) that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer and results in the issuance of a diplome detudes professionnelles (DEP) or an attestation de specialisation professionnelle (ASP); or a Canadian private school that can award degrees under provincial law (but only if the student was enrolled in a study program that leads to a degree as authorized by the province) Quebec note: Graduates of vocational and professional training programs in Quebec must meet additional PGWP criteria outlined by IRCC depending on the type of diploma issued Full-time student status requirement note: Exemptions may apply to those who have begun or will begin a program between spring 2020 and summer 2022, graduates whose program was already in progress in March 2020, or international students who took a leave from their studies in their final academic session Distance learning and PGWP eligibility Students studying at a DLI via distance learning due to the coronavirus pandemic may still be eligible for a PGWP. Provided that all other criteria are met, there are several date-specific exceptions to the typical eligibility requirements set out by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They are as follows: August 31st, 2022: International students who study online from abroad or submit a study permit application before this date can complete all their studies online and remain PGWP-eligible September 1st, 2023: Starting from this date, study time completed abroad will be deducted from the length of international students PGWP regardless of when the international student began their studies PGWP application process All PGWP hopefuls have six months (180 days) to submit their application from the day they receive their official transcript and letter confirming program completion. Upon receiving the above documentation, which must be included in the application itself, the process becomes rather simple. Much of the applicants basic responsibilities surround simply gathering the following documents identified on the Canadian governments website: A degree or diploma An official letter from your school An official transcript, or a copy of your transcript from your schools website Note: IRCC may request additional documents when an application is received Once this step is complete, applicants can proceed to apply for their PGWP either online or on paper, if necessary. Application steps will vary based on whether the PGWP hopeful is applying from within or outside of Canada. It is crucial to note that applicants must prove they either currently hold a valid study permit, have held a study permit in the past or have been authorized to study in Canada without one. If an applicants current study permit is set to expire, they can either apply for a visitor record to stay in Canada longer or depart Canada and apply for a PGWP from abroad. Key information regarding the PGWP The PGWP program requires international graduates to submit two key documents alongside their application: a letter and an official transcript confirming completion of a program of study at a DLI The length of a PWGPs validity is determined by the length of the applicants educational program. According to IRCC guidelines: If the completed program lasted: Under eight months: Applicant is not eligible for a PGWP More than eight months but less than two years: The validity of the applicants PGWP will match program length (16-month program equals 16-month PGWP) Over two years: The validity of the applicants PGWP will be three years Additionally, if an applicant has completed more than one (min. eight-month) program, they may be able to combine the earned PGWPs together How a PGWP can jumpstart the path toward permanent residence PGWP holders put themselves in an advantageous position when eventually applying for permanent residence (PR) in Canada. This is because PGWPs provide successful applicants with professional work experience. Generally, a PGWP holder needs to gain one year of professional work experience in a National Occupational Classification (NOC) code of 0, A, or B to become eligible to apply for a PR program in Canada. Therefore, having a PGWP is helpful during the evaluation of a PR application because several of Canadas immigration programs look favourably upon PR applicants that have previously studied and/or worked in this country. Get a Free PGWP Consultation CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access Primeste notificari pe email Nota bene: Adresele email cu extensia .ru nu sunt acceptate. Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare Granturi - Finantari Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele tonefotografia / Adobe Stock A large learning disability charity has warned that 1,700 voluntary and community sector jobs in Northern Ireland are at risk as EU-funded services end next year. Mencap told Civil Society News that 1,700 staff across Northern Irelands disability sector would have to be put on protective notice when programmes funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) run out. The charity said this will affect 50 of its own employment officers and 350 participants. A protective notice is a period of time from which employees are informed whether their employment is in danger. A notice letter typically informs staff that funding linked to their contract of employment is due to end. The notice tends to include reassurance that if further funding is secured contracts will be renewed. Last week, charities Career Connect, the Salvation Army and Groundwork also warned that employability programmes in England that are funded by ESF are likely to end next year, with some already closing . 1,700 staff at risk Mencap has delivered training, employment and social inclusion services funded by ESF to people with a learning disability over the past 31 years. Edel Harris, chief executive officer of Mencap, said ESF is an integral part of our infrastructure and enables us to provide vital support for young people with a learning disability making the transition to adulthood. Like the wider voluntary and community sector, were deeply concerned about the looming cliff edge in funding of essential services after March 2023 when ESF ends. Its estimated that this could mean a loss of service for up to 17,000 people and will affect the 1,700 employees who support them, she added. The proposals for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which will replace ESF funding and UKSPF proposals, fall substantially short and offer inadequate funding levels to maintain our current service. This will have dire consequences for people furthest removed from mainstream society. Gap in funding ESF is a former EU funding pot that supported employment across the blocs member states between 2014 and 2020. In England, the funding can be accessed until 31 December 2023, but many of the current employability programmes finish in March next year. This year, the government launched its own UKSPF to invest in three local priorities: communities and places, support for local businesses and people and skills. UKSPF is worth 2.6bn over the next three years, with England being allocated 239m in 2022-23, 409m in 2023-24 and 918m in 2024-25, totalling 1.6bn. In England, funding to support people and skills commences from 2024-25 onwards or earlier for places that meet the voluntary sector considerations, meaning that charities will face a funding gap. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can access funding from the people and skills priority which focuses on employment and education and replaces ESF from 2022-23. While local government will be given responsibility for developing an investment plan for the delivery of UKSPF, the UK government said that in Northern Ireland it will work with local partners to design a specific investment plan. According to the Institute for Government, the UK was allocated 11bn (9.6bn at current exchange rates) of EU structural funds between 2014 and 2020. Of this, 5.1bn came through ESF. sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, In 2020, whenever the phone rang in the home of Bob Woodward, the venerated political reporter, he would wonder whether it was a robocall or the then-president of the United States. Often, it was the latter. Sometimes, Elsa Walsh, the former Washington Post and New Yorker journalist to whom Woodward is married, would get to the phone first. I sort of saylike Princess Dianathat there were three people in this marriage: Bob, me, and Donald Trump, Walsh quipped to CBS recently. Walsh also sometimes commented on Woodwards conversations with Trump, as she did in April 2020, when Woodward presented Trump with a list of steps that Trumps own experts had said would be critical to tackling the pandemic. You kind of sounded like you were telling him what to do. You dont want to do that, Walsh admonished Woodward. Okay, Woodward responded. But were in a different world now, sweetie. Woodwards calls with Trumpof which there were sixteen in total, plus some in-person interviewsformed the basis for Rage, Woodwards September 2020 book about Trump, and, now, for The Trump Tapes, an audiobook, out today, pulling together the recordings of the calls; collectively, they last eight hours, interspersed with commentary from Woodward. In recent days, Woodward has been on a media tour to promote the audiobook. In many ways its the missing piece of the Trump story. Weve heard a lot of Trump. Hes said a lot. But what did he do in the presidency? Woodward told CBS. Ive reported on this in the book I did, Rage. But I then went back and listened to these tapes and said, My God, there is a whole new Trump that emerges. Over the weekend, Woodward elaborated on what he perceives as the power of the audio in an op-ed for the Post (where he is still an associate editor), writing that it was an unusual step for him to release raw recordings of his interviewsone, he says, that he has never taken before in his long journalistic careerbut that hed been struck by how Trump pounded in my ears in a way the printed page cannot capture. As an example, Woodward offered an exchange from the summer of 2020, when Woodward asked Trump if hed ever viewed covid as the leadership test of a lifetime and Trump replied, simply, no. In print, the no reads as a simple declaration, Woodward writes, whereas the audio is confident, dismissive, full of self-assurance. It leaves no doubt about the finality of his judgment. ICYMI: Not up for debate Woodward explained to MSNBC that hed returned to the tapes of his Trump interviews earlier this year as he attempted to answer the question Does Trump understand the presidency? He concluded that Trump does not, and more besides. In 2020, I ended Rage with the following sentence: When his performance as president is taken in its entirety, I can only reach one conclusion: Trump is the wrong man for the job, Woodward wrote in his op-ed for the Post. Two years later, I realize I didnt go far enough. Trump is an unparalleled danger. As Woodward acknowledges, he already wrote about much of the material in the audiobook in Rage; indeed, he even released some of the audio itself back thenmost notably a snippet of Trump admitting, in February 2020, that the pandemic would be bad even as he downplayed it publicly. But some nuggets from The Trump Tapes have been presented as news in their own right in recent days. The Post reported, for example, that Trump showed Woodward (and allowed him to dictate into his notes) some of his correspondence with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, which would later end up at Trumps Mar-a-Lago residencedespite acknowledging to Woodward that it was sensitive, belying Trumps recent claims that he did not take sensitive material to Mar-a-Lago. CNN, meanwhile, looped clips from the audiobook on air last week, touting them as an exclusive that the network had obtained. They included Trump boasts about the Kim letters and supposed top-secret US weaponry that Putin and Xi have never heard about before; also, Trump boasts about his speeches and toughness. Is any of this actually big news? Trumps apparent acknowledgment of the sensitivity of the Kim letters shined some light on a story that has emerged only since Woodward published Rage, but it didnt clear everything up on that frontand its already been well documented that Trump did take top-secret documents to Mar-a-Lago. (As always with Trump, what he did is more important than what he claims to have known about what he did.) The secret-weapons claim would be explosive if truebut theres no evidence to suggest that it is; Woodward was not able to verify it. And Trump boasting about his toughness is a boast as old as Trump himself. Ultimately, the news-cycle hubbub around the audiobook strikes me as yet another iteration of a familiar, annoying trend that has been particularly pronounced during Trumps post-presidency: news organizations treating book-length material whose primary value is for the long-term historical record as an urgent Trump story in its own right, even when its particulars are either not especially new or not especially important. And thats before I get started on reporters from one outlet claiming to have obtained a book by a reporter at anotherin journalism, one obtains a secret government dossier, not a forthcoming commercial product that the seller is poised to promotewhich, in a crowded field, is a top-ranking media peeve of mine. (Full disclosure: I have not personally obtained or listened to The Trump Tapes in their entirety, and I do not intend to. I think Id rather listen to eight hours of robocalls.) Sign up for CJR 's daily email In some quarters, stories about Woodwards audiobook have seemed less concerned with its contents and more with the fact that Woodward is behind it. Introducing its recent interview with Woodward (and Walsh), CBS referred to him as the author of record about the modern American presidency, suggesting that when he has something to share, you better listen; CNN, for its part, capped a recent report on the audiobook with a panel discussion that marveled at his doggedness and how he hypnotizes his sources into saying compromising things. (If Chris Lichtera CNN is, as reported, looking to tone down Trump-adjacent blather, Id propose cutting back on this sort of thing ahead of, say, Brian Stelters media show. Just a thought.) Other observers noted the significance of Woodwards conclusion that Trump is dangerous, given the high esteem in which Woodward is held and the fact that he is not one to liberally spray his opinions around. Politicos Playbook newsletter argued that he had just moved further into the camp of longtime establishment figures who see Trump as a danger to American democracy and to the future of the country. Michael Tomasky, the editor of the New Republic, expressed hope that Woodward may have planted Trumps threats to democracy back in midterm voters minds. Its always welcome when members of the journalistic establishment, especially really famous ones like Bob Woodward, bluntly state obvious truths about the threat Trump poses, rather than couching them in equivocation. Fundamentally, however, we dont need the Bob Woodwards of the world to tell us these truths for them to be, well, true; as Ive written before, the cult of journalistic celebrity is troubling for many reasons, not least that it can reserve outsize attention and authority for reporters who dont always have a compelling claim to it. Even if Woodward is the author of record on the modern presidency (and Id dispute this), he is certainly not a gatekeeper to the thoughts and character of Donald Trump. Trump tells us all what he thinksincluding, yes, in audio formall the time, not least about the 2020 election. In concluding that those thoughts are dangerous, Woodward isnt offering any fresh insight. In 2020, when Rage rolled out, Woodward faced widespread criticism for holding on to evidence of Trumps early covid acknowledgment until he could use it to market a book. This criticism, or something like it, recurs pretty much every time a new Trump book comes out (see, recently: Haberman, Maggie), and Ive seen some of it around The Trump Tapes, too. (Bob Woodward writes that he is releasing his interviews with Trump. More accurately, hes selling them, the media academic Dan Gillmor wrote on Twitter. Given how the author withheld important information until publication of his book, he could have done a real public service now by putting the audios in the public domain.) I tend to evaluate such critiques on a case-by-case basis: clearly, some information is so urgent and actionable than holding on to it for a book would be indefensible, but this is not always the case; we dont need to know everything in real time, and books often contextualize nuggets of news better than the daily news cycle. In 2020, I was skeptical that releasing the material in Rage earlier would have made much of a difference to Trumps covid policy; again, the most important thing was that Trump did nothing in the face of covid, which he should have known would be bad, a dynamic we all saw unfold in real time. But I can see the case to the contrary. When it comes to The Trump Tapes, Im not at all convincedat least based on the excerpts that have been made public so far and the attendant interviews with Woodwardthat he has withheld any explosive information, at least as vouched for by someone other than Trump himself. Woodward has also been accused, more than once, of unjustifiably delaying conclusions from his reporting; in 2006, for instance, David Carr, the late New York Times media columnist, wrote that it had taken Woodward three books to arrive at a conclusion thousands of basement-bound bloggers suggested years ago: that the Bush administration is composed of people who like war, dont seem to be very good at it and have been known to turn the guns on each other. Something very similar could be said of his 2020 understatement about Trump being the wrong man for the job, let alone his epiphany, two full years later, that Trump is also dangerous and seditious. When Woodward first rose to fame, it was for his work on a storyWatergatethat would imprint a deep cultural expectation of what it takes to uncover the truth about a president: dogged persistence and a faith that more damning facts are always out there, waiting to be unearthed. Trump, as Ive written before in this newsletter, has often shattered this expectation by blaring the quiet part out loud. Were in a different world now, sweetie. Below, more on Bob Woodward: Futile material: Politicos Jack Shafer writes this morning that Woodwards sessions with Trump offer yet more proof that interviewing the former president is a futile exercise. Its not that no news comes out of a Trump interview. He can always be relied on to say something that will set the chyrons at all three cable news networks pulsing, Shafer writes. But in most cases, this one included, the interview is a hot diaper mess that mainly illustrates Trumps narcissism and willful ignorance. He doesnt really know anything, which is forgivable. But he also doesnt want to know anything, which isnt. Politicos Jack Shafer writes this morning that Woodwards sessions with Trump offer yet more proof that interviewing the former president is a futile exercise. Its not that no news comes out of a Trump interview. He can always be relied on to say something that will set the chyrons at all three cable news networks pulsing, Shafer writes. But in most cases, this one included, the interview is a hot diaper mess that mainly illustrates Trumps narcissism and willful ignorance. He doesnt really know anything, which is forgivable. But he also doesnt want to know anything, which isnt. Fear factor: In 2018, following the publication of Fear, Woodwards first Trump book, CJRs Pete Vernon assessed whether Woodwards typical styleconducting exhaustive interviews on background and using the information he gathers to write from an omniscient perspectivestill worked in the Trump era. Woodwards approach hasnt changed; the climate in which his sources are viewed has, Vernon wrote. Every administration is filled with people who have an agenda, who want to spin events in their favor, but the lines of credibility have shifted. In taking on the Trump presidency as his topic, Woodward is left to assemble a reliable book from unreliable sources. In 2018, following the publication of Fear, Woodwards first Trump book, CJRs Pete Vernon assessed whether Woodwards typical styleconducting exhaustive interviews on background and using the information he gathers to write from an omniscient perspectivestill worked in the Trump era. Woodwards approach hasnt changed; the climate in which his sources are viewed has, Vernon wrote. Every administration is filled with people who have an agenda, who want to spin events in their favor, but the lines of credibility have shifted. In taking on the Trump presidency as his topic, Woodward is left to assemble a reliable book from unreliable sources. Questioning heroes: In 2020, following the publication of Rage, two journalists, Shira Stein and Karen K. Ho (formerly of CJR), challenged Woodward on his decision to hold back Trumps early covid comments for the book. In response, Hannah Chinn reported at the time for The Objective, Woodward dismissed the concerns of the two women reporters, demanded apologies from them both, and interrupted them to offer copies of his book. The episode, Chinn wrote, pointed to a larger issue: when we put journalisms icons on a pedestal, like Woodward, we do the field a disservice. Some news from the home front: This Friday, October 28, at 4pm Eastern, Kyle Pope, CJRs editor and publisher, will sit down with Margaret Sullivan, the former media critic at the Post, for a conversation about the news, democracy, and Sullivans new book about both, Newsroom Confidential. The conversation will take place in the lecture hall at Columbia Journalism School, and will not be livestreamed. Please RSVP to reserve your spot at editors@cjr.org. Other notable stories: ICYMI: Nic Haque on Climate Change: I became a journalist because of this Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. WOOLDRIDGE, Mo. (AP) Roughly half of a small Missouri town burned Saturday after a wildfire spread quickly from a farm field and destroyed or heavily damaged 23 buildings, officials said. Prairie fires also erupted in Nebraska and Iowa over the weekend, destroying homes and forcing evacuations. No one died in the Missouri fire and only one person was taken to a hospital for an injury that was not life-threatening, but the entire town of Wooldridge had to be evacuated Saturday because of the fire. The blaze was sparked in a field by a combine that was harvesting crops. A nearby stretch of Interstate 70 had to be closed for nearly two hours Saturday evening because of heavy smoke. Cooper County Fire District spokesman Jim Gann said Sunday that between 4.6 and 5.4 square miles burned before the fire was brought under control. Firefighters were working Sunday to keep hot spots under control with strong winds forecast in the afternoon. Wooldridge is a town of less than 100 people about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Columbia along the Missouri River. Stephen Derendinger, an engineer with the Jamestown Rural Fire Protection District, said half the town is burnt. Its devastated, Derendinger said. Firefighters saved the Wooldridge Baptist Church, Wooldridge Community Club and post office as they pumped water from swimming pools to help battle the blaze. Elsewhere in Missouri Sunday, some Kansas City area residents were being urged to evacuate because of a grass fire near Interstate 470 and Raytown Road between Raytown and Lees Summit. Kansas City Police spokeswoman Officer Donna Drake said police were called to the area around 11 a.m. Sunday and started knocking on doors to let residents know about the fire. Drake said the blaze started as a mulch fire at a business before spreading quickly toward a neighborhood. The Missouri State Highway Patrol shut down Interstate 470 in the area Sunday afternoon for a couple hours because visibility was poor and fire had spread to both sides of the highway. High winds and dry conditions helped the fire spread quickly. Kansas City Fire Chief Donna Lake said the fire began on the south side of I-470 before the wind carried embers from the initial fire over the highway and started a second fire in a wooded area north of the highway. Lake said fire crews had to battle fires in two locations. Drought conditions are common across Missouri and the National Weather Service warned about high winds in the northwest corner of the state Sunday, creating conditions ideal for wildfires to spread. Those tinder-dry conditions extended into eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, where prairie fires pushed by tinder-dry conditions and winds topping 60 mph (96 kph) led to evacuations in eastern and destroyed homes and injured two firefighters south of Nebraskas capital city of Lincoln, officials said. At least two grassland fires were first reported Sunday afternoon south of Lincoln and spread quickly as winds began to pick up and push the fires north, the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office reported. The nearly 300 residents of Hallam, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Lincoln, were ordered to evacuate their homes, and rural residents of southern Lancaster County and northern Gage County were urged to evacuate because of the fires. Officials also asked farmers to turn on irrigation pivots or other water sources to help combat the fires, which were contained by Sunday evening, with the help of rain showers that moved into the area. Officials said three homes and several outbuildings were destroyed in Lancaster County. Two firefighters also were injured, one seriously. Officials had not released their names or updated their medical conditions by early Monday morning. In southwestern Lancaster County, residents made plans to move cattle and other valuables to Christopher Smiths farm south of the fires. Everybodys just trying to help out, Smith said. Meanwhile, one farms owner worked to spray down the homes back porch with water and set up sprinklers in case the fire got close. Fires near Wisner in northeastern Nebraska and Harrison and Montgomery counties in western Iowa also forced brief evacuations, but there were no reports of injuries or homes damaged there. Rain moving across the region Monday with a cold front from the north was expected to help lower the risk of fires in the area. About the photo: A burnt Ford truck sits on the south side of Main Street on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022, in Wooldridge, Mo. Roughly half of the small Missouri town burned Saturday after a wildfire spread quickly from a farm field and destroyed or heavily damaged multiple buildings, officials said. (Clayton Steward/Missourian via AP) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) An undersheriff in rural Kansas faces a manslaughter trial Monday for fatally shooting an unarmed man with a homemade beanbag round out of his personal shotgun, a case that comes amid a national reckoning on police violence. Jury selection will start in the trial of Virgil Brewer, who was with the Barber County Sheriffs Office at the time of the deadly encounter with Steven Myers in October 2017 outside a shed in Sun City, about 300 miles (555 kilometers) from the Kansas City, Kansas. A civil lawsuit brought by Myers family against Brewer and then-Barber County Sheriff Lonnie Small was settled in 2020 after county officials agreed to pay $3.5 million. Brewers criminal trial is expected to focus on whether his lack of knowledge and training with the less-lethal munitions amounted to reckless involuntary manslaughter. Defense attorney David Harger did not respond to messages seeking comment on the case. Brewer has been on unpaid leave since his 2018 arrest. He has been free pending trial. The fact of the matter is that it is not going to be a good outcome for anybody, no matter whether or not he gets convicted, Steven Myers widow, Kristina Myers, told The Associated Press on Thursday. Yes, it will be over in that sense, but this one bad decision has ruined the lives of so many people. On the evening of Oct. 6, 2017, Brewer was carrying his personal weapon when he, along with the sheriff and a sheriffs deputy, responded to a call about a man holding a rifle on a street after an altercation at a local bar. About five minutes before the fatal shooting, Small said: A little luck and hell just pass out and die, a remark captured on the sheriffs body camera as they searched for Myers. They eventually found him hiding in a shed. Both Brewer and the deputy later told the Kansas Bureau of Investigation that they could clearly see that Myers was not armed when they confronted him outside the shed, according to the probable cause affidavit obtained by AP. Body camera footage reviewed by investigators shows Brewer repeatedly told Myers to get on the ground before shooting him, while Deputy Mark Suchy gave conflicting commands to put your hands up now. Seconds later, Brewer shot Myers with one round. Brewer told the Kansas Bureau of Investigation during an interview that he was in fear for his and the deputys lives when Myers continued to walk toward them, adding that he did not expect the beanbag round to penetrate Myers chest. The deputys body camera video showed Myers was not making any aggressive movement at the time Brewer shot him, according to Bureau Agent Brian Carroll in an affidavit in support of the criminal charge against the undersheriff. Myers was never told he was under arrest, Myers was never warned that his failure to comply with commands would result in the use of the impending force, Carroll wrote. Brewer then discharged his personal weapon at too close of a distance and shot Myers in the chest, a lethal force zone. Carrolls affidavit contends that Brewers lack of knowledge and training regarding the proper use of less-lethal beanbag munitions recklessly caused Myers death. Proper training would have provided critical information about the proper distance to deploy the round and the proper target zone on a person. Such training would have also informed Brewer about past problems with rectangular-shaped bean bags like the one he used, Carroll wrote. Those are known to penetrate subjects shot with them, and their use has been discontinued for years. The rounds used today are rounded, balloon-shaped bean bags, according to the affidavit. Before coming to Kansas, Brewer worked in Texas where he was given the beanbag ammunition used the evening of Myers death. The affidavit revealed that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation interviewed Travis Martin, the deputy at the Freestone County Sheriffs Office in Texas who gave Brewer the ammunition. Martin, who is expected to testify, told the agency that after speaking with the beanbag maker, that type of ammunition would no longer be carried and should not be fired on a person. Martin told investigators that he thought he had talked with Brewer about not using the ammunition on a person, according to the affidavit. Medical Examiner Timothy Gorrill is also expected to take the witness stand. His autopsy found the cause of death to be a penetrating shotgun bag wound to the trunk with the manner of death ruled a homicide. Kristina Myers said she has been subpoenaed, adding she hopes to be allowed to watch the trial after her testimony. It doesnt bring him back, but it does give us a sense of justice, she said. Everyone, no matter their occupation, should be held responsible for their actions. All actions have consequences. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. John C. Frances workers compensation claim cleared the way for Arizona first responders to receive workers compensation benefits for post-traumatic stress syndrome. But the former Gila County Sheriffs Office sergeant cannot pursue a bad faith claim against the Arizona Counties Insurance Pool for denying his PTSD claim because he waited too long to file suit. A state Court of Appeals panel ruled Friday that a one-year statute of limitations for claims against public entities starts running on the date the claim is denied. The 3-0 opinion says we reject Frances contention that before he could file a bad faith claim, he was required first to establish coverage for the industrial injury. France filed for workers compensation after he shot and killed a man who was pointing a shotgun at him in June 2017. It turned out that the gunman had never released the safety on his weapon. France, badly shaken, was diagnosed with PTSD. The insurance pool denied the claim because under state law, mental health claims are not compensable unless the disorder is caused by unexpected, unusual or extraordinary stress. The Arizona Industrial Commission agreed and ruled that Frances claim was not compensable. The state Supreme Court reversed that decision, ruling in March 2021 that the shooting did cause extraordinary stress for France, even though his ordinary job duties required him to responding to armed suspects. France filed a bad-faith action against the insurance pool in August 2019, more than a year after the Industrial Commission ruled he was not eligible for benefits. The insurance pool argued that France had missed the one-year deadline imposed by the statute of limitations for claims against public entities. The appellate panel, however, said the clock started running even before then. The opinion says to preserve his right to pursue a bad-faith action, France need to file suit within one year after the insurer denied his claim on Aug. 7, 2017. The panel said Arizona Revised Statute Section 12-821 requires parties to file claims against public entities within six months after the claim accrues. A lawsuit must be filed within one year of accrual. Frances attorney and the insurance pool had different opinions about when Frances bad faith claim accrued. The insurer argued that the clock started running when the Industrial Commission ruled on his workers compensation claim on March 27, 2018. France argued that his bad faith claim didnt accrue until May 6, 2021, when the Industrial Commission issued a final ruling awarding benefits after the Supreme Court reversed the commissions earlier decision denying the claim. The appellate panel said both were wrong. Nothing in the statutes requires a claimant to exhaust all administrative remedies before filing a bad faith claim, the opinion says. If a bad faith claim hinges on whether there is coverage, the parties may stipulate to stay proceedings until the issue is resolved. We stated this approach is arguably the most cost effective and promotes judicial economy,' the opinion says, citing a previous ruling. in sum, the final coverage determination neither tolls nor affects the accrual of a bad faith claim, the panel concluded. FILE - This Aug. 8, 2011 file photo shows the entrance to the Humana building, in Louisville, Ky. Humana is pulling out of a major health care conference and says Monday, June 8, 2015, it will not comment on rumors of a merger, actions that will likely fuel Wall Street speculation that the insurer is part of a developing deal. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke, File) 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. Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Tourism Office awarded grants to seven Colorado cities on Tuesday, intended to fund economic recovery efforts for the local tourism industries. Organizations in Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Loveland, Sterling and La Junta will receive $1.8 million in grants ranging from $75,000 to $500,000. The one-time funds can be used for city, county or regional tourism marketing and promotional campaigns. Colorado is home to inspirational world-class outdoor gems, deep cultural history and unique destinations that offer endless reasons to visit, Polis said. Our administration is providing help for communities across our state that are tourism destinations to help our economy thrive, address challenging local issues like affordable workforce housing and create jobs." This Tourism Recovery Marketing Grant was funded by money from the American Rescue Plan Act, distributed to Colorado through the U.S. Economic Development Administrations Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation State Grant. State officials said the grant program aims to attract visitors to Colorado cities and towns that are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal COVID-19 relief funding more than doubled the $710,000 in grants that the Colorado Tourism Office awarded last year. This federal funding allows the Colorado Tourism Office to directly support tourism communities still in recovery, said Timothy Wolfe, director of the Colorado Tourism Office. We have different communities across the state recovering at different rates, and this additional funding allows our partners to strive to get back to pre-pandemic levels where we saw record visitor spending at $24.2 billion. The grant recipients are as follows: Denver: $500,000 to the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau to re-establish pre-pandemic programs designed to complement and amplify promotional efforts in international markets. Colorado Springs: $400,000 to the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau to support a meetings and events marketing campaign leveraging the "Olympic City USA" brand. Aurora: $400,000 to Visit Aurora for a marketing campaign focused on inspiring, engaging and converting meeting, convention and group bookings in Aurora. Fort Collins: $175,000 to the Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau for creative assets, media buys and public relations efforts to bolster year-round visitation, especially in the off-season months. Loveland: $175,000 to the City of Loveland-Economic Development Corp for a fully integrated marketing plan across numerous platforms to regain market share lost during the pandemic. Sterling: $75,000 to Logan County for a Free Range Travel marketing campaign aimed at raising awareness of the outdoor assets along the Interstate 76 corridor. La Junta: $75,000 to the City of La Junta to launch its first official marketing campaign, You Would Never Guess, promoting the new Visit La Junta brand: Rich History, Unexpected Adventure." The grant recipients will have two years to execute their projects after receiving the funds. The seven recipients were chosen from 12 applicants, requesting a total of $3.2 million. Applications were evaluated on the strength the proposed marketing campaigns, demonstrated need, measurable tourism impact from the pandemic and implementation capacity, state officials said. Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form The discovery in an ancient port city in Egypt called Berenike, where an ancient Falcon shrine with uncanny inscriptions, has left archeologists very confused. Along with the message in the temple are headless falcons and unknown deities, adding to the befuddlement of the queer find. Discovery Not Align with Prior Knowledge of Old Egypt Along with the deities associated with the temple and beheaded falcons, a cryptic message about not boiling a head here, scholars were left befuddled, reported Live Science. The temple is considered to be 1,700 years old, containing mummies of 15 decapitated falcons arranged on pedestals and a statue representing two unknown gods. Both the temple and the monument were located in Berenike, which lies in an old port city of Egypt on the Red Sea. The ancient site was described in the October issue of the American Journal of Archaeology. Found in the temple, the researchers said, was an iron harpoon that measured 13-inches long and was lying close to the pedestal inside. David Frankfurter, a professor of religion at Boston University not connected to the study, explained some things about what they found. Taking the heads of the birds is a gestural offering of the people to the shrine's dedicated deity. When animal sacrifice is involved, that will include bloodletting of the offering by the believer. Ancient Falcon Shrine Mystery One room in the ancient Falcon shrine, where a stela was found, had Greek letters carved onto the stone, and it was translated to mean, 'It is improper to boil a head in here.' It is unclear why the falcons were beheaded with the stela with uncanny inscriptions, not allowing boiling heads, and a harpoon positioned close to the falcon. Read Also: Kim Jong-un Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is North Korea's Leader? Hippocrates of Koptos, a child god, was represented on the stela, along with two Egyptian gods whose identities are unknown. A goddess with a crown of cow horns with a solar disc was noted in the study, but the falcon-headed deity is seen as the most important of the trio depicted in stone. One theory is that the 15 headless falcons were sacrificed to the gods, particularly the god with the falcon head. Based on the experts, the harpoon could have also been a tribute. More animal remains like fish, mammals, and bird-egg shells might also be a divine tribute. It could be that feasts were held in the temple in the ancient Egyptian port city. At the time the temple was used, the Roman Empire governed Egypt around the fourth century A.D., yet their regulation was dwindling. In Berenike, these inscriptions were authored by Blemmyan kings. They were part nomads and resided in parts of Sudan and the south of Egypt. They lived in Berenike during the fourth and sixth centuries A.D. when they left the area. Frankfurter explained to Live Science that the temple demonstrates that old religious methods persisted even after the Christian faith emerged. At the time the shrine was used, Christianity was still the official religion of the Empire. Frankfurter said the old Egyptian religion stayed despite Christianity. Salima Ikram, another scholar, added that the Berenike discovery is an important finding showing the fusion of old and new beliefs. An ancient Falcon shrine with uncanny inscriptions and artifacts in Berenike found in an Ancient Egyptian port city will give more secrets. Related Article: 1600-Year-Old-Mosaic Showing Hercules with Neptune Unexpectedly Discovered by Archeologists Underneath Renovated Building @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Posted Oct. 25, 2022) By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor London has landed a $750,000 neighborhood revitalization grant for drainage improvements, new fire hydrants, and installation of a small park, all in Ward 3 on the citys south side. The Ohio Department of Development announced the grant award on Oct. 21. Madison County government officials applied for the funding on behalf of the city through the states Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The city will provide $56,000 in matching funds toward the project. Residents throughout Ward 3 have reported flooded basements and streets. Oak Run drains a large area of Londons north and west sides. When that passes through the south side, the waterway cant handle the additional runoff when it rains. The existing storm system in the area is made up of a mix of obsolete clay tiles, many of which have collapsed, and storm lines installed in the past 20 years. The city and the county have been working since 2014 to install new drainage in the area. When applying for the state grant, city officials prioritized the areas that need the most attention at this time. Approximately half of the grant money will go toward installation of new storm sewer lines as follows: Along South Madison Road, from Center Street to the roads dead endSouth Madison Road has no drainage and a fall of 15 feet, running south from Center Street. This causes homes at the end of the road to flood. Along South Walnut Street, from Metro Court to Lincoln Avenue, and in the alley that runs between Riley and Stewart avenuesThere is no drainage on South Walnut Street which has a 20-foot fall, running south of Center. As a result, storm water runs down the slope and settles in the low area between Riley and Stewart avenues, causing homes to flood. Another $172,500 of the grant will go toward relining 1,800 linear feet of sanitary sewer line along Olive Street. During community meetings leading up to the grant application, residents reported flooding that turned out to be raw sanitary sewage leaking from the existing Olive Street line mixed with storm water. Another portion of the grant money will go toward replacement of 10 fire hydrants in Ward 3 that the fire department deem to be obsolete because parts are no longer available for repairs or the hydrants are no longer operable. The remaining $140,000 in grant money is set aside for installation of a pocket park on the east side of Toland Street, south of the Toland Street bridge. Geared for children ages 3 to 6 years old, the small park will include playground equipment, a shelter house, lighting, and a security camera. Applying for the CDBG grant was a collaborative effort between the city administration and individuals from the community, said Amy Rees, executive assistant in Londons administrative offices. We are excited for the funds to be dedicated to the third ward for projects that will improve utilities and give children a safe place to play. According to Whitaker Wright, senior planner for CDC of Ohio, the countys grant administrator, engineering and design work likely will begin in December or January after which the project will go out to bid. CDBG rules require that the project be completed by August 2024. (Posted Oct. 2, 2022) By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor More drainage improvements are coming Midways way to help alleviate flooding issues. On Oct. 21, the Ohio Department of Development announced the award of a $392,700 critical infrastructure grant to the village of Midway (Sedalia) to replace collapsed tiles and connect existing storm lines to the drainage systems along State Route 38 and State Route 323. Madison County government officials applied for the funding on behalf of the village through the states Community Development Block Grant program. The village will provide $21,800 in matching funds toward the project. Midways existing storm water system is a combination of 19th century clay tiles and miscellaneous additions from the past 40 years. The system cannot handle runoff generated by the slopes north of the village. As a result, storm water floods residents homes, septic systems, and wells. Residents report that when their leach fields flood, their basements flood with gray water and raw sewage. This backs up their household plumbing systems, preventing them from flushing toilets or using their sinks and showers. The septic backups also overflow into the open swales and ditches along roadways and in residents yards. According to the grant application, raw sewage contaminated a residents well in at least one instance. The village has already done some drainage work on the west and south sides of town using money leftover from another CDBG-funded project. The new $392,700 grant allows for additional improvements throughout the village, benefitting 287 residents. Those improvements include installation of 2,750 linear feet of storm lines, 14 culverts and catch basins, and two manholes. According to Whitaker Wright, senior planner for CDC of Ohio, the countys grant administrator, engineering and design work likely will begin in December or January after which the project will go out to bid. CDBG rules require that the project be completed by August 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron said Washington showed its true colors by selling high-priced gas, making millions as the EU is hurting from Europe's energy crisis. He called it a double standard and said that's how friends don't treat each other, questioning the Biden administration's intentions in the Ukraine conflict. Europe's Gas Lifeline Severed by US Sanctions Macron criticized the US for overcharging energy when the European Union needs it to be more reasonably priced. He was furious at the US for pricing gas about 3 to 4 times higher than Russian gas at domestic rates, reported Republic World. It was, according to him, a predatory practice as the US wanted to take advantage of Europe's energy crisis due to a mad scramble to fill up gas reserves in the bloc. These stern accusations from Paris were all in response to the increase in debilitating gas prices that began after Russia and Ukraine got involved in a dispute that significantly affected the bloc. French President Emmanuel Macron is dealing with the French citizens up in arms as they are suffering the brunt of the conflicts by-product, which is energy prices getting out of hand. Additionally, workers at the French oil refineries TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil have been holding a rally for the past two weeks, noted Reuters. Macron Publicly Denounces the US Price Gouging At the EU Summit in Brussels, the French leader addressed the body and aired serious grievances that Washington is not a friend to the bloc. Moreover, for the past two weeks, employees at the French oil refineries TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil have already been holding a rally. Read Also: Justin Trudeau Net Worth 2022: Overall Wealth, Salary of Canada's Prime Minister He informed the other EU leaders that the US was applying unfair double standards, particularly now that allies were involved. Based on a report by OilPrice.com, the US has raised its natural gas exports to France by up to 421% in the first eight months of this year. In contrast, LNG prices have increased by 1094% throughout August alone. Furthermore, President Macron declared that he would raise the issue during his planned visit to the United States this December. The French president made it abundantly clear that the European Union needs to have a plan of action before harsh winter sets in, which would burden the gas supply. It will be critical for each of the member states. Paris stressed that the 27-member bloc could not rely on Russia's gas due to circumstances; also, the need to have an alternative to American gas and LNG, which is more affordable, is crucial for the group. Elysee Palace leading the EU in a dark time for everyone in the union President Macron clarified that the Eurozone should sort out how to procure enough gas for the upcoming winter, even before the current supply runs out, even though the cost of oil, gas, and liquefied gas surpasses the EU's coffers. He also emphasized the need for low energy prices and the need for a plan to be more prepared than it is right now. The Russian outlet TASS mentioned that Macron said it would be a difficult winter without Russian gas and be prepared for the worst. President Macron called out Washington for price gouging on Europe's energy crisis by selling expensive natural gas that reeks of double standards, even as allies. Related Article: Brussels in Crisis Mode in Choosing Between Trump or Biden as EU-US Relationship Deteriorates @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Two new studies warn that more than half of IT leaders are actively looking for new jobs because, in part, theyre dissatisfied with the amount of C-level support they and their tech organizations receive. As many as 58% of enterprise IT managers are currently job hunting, according to a survey of 3,300 decision makers" commissioned by ManageEngine, the enterprise IT management division of Zoho. ManageEngine used market research agency Vanson Bourne to conduct the global study, which included IT and other key business functions from a range of private sector organizations. A second survey that gathered nearly 8,000 responses from IT decision makers and staffers found more than half (53%) are extremely or somewhat likely to look for a new job in the next year. That study, from online learning site Skillsoft, said respondents have been affected by staff shortages and want to earn and learn more. Nearly 81% of IT decision makers think their company should have supported them more in the last two years, ManageEngines study showed. And almost half said they would resign from their current organization if flexible work was no longer offered (48%) or if there was no potential to advance their careers (45%). Although IT departments were heralded as tech champions of the pandemic, their empowerment and autonomy for business decision-making has fallen short due to C-Suite limitations, the ManageEngine study said. At the same time they have less say, 88% of North American business and technology leaders believe IT is more responsible for business innovation than ever. Another 85% said IT could drive even greater innovation if it had a stronger leadership position. In large part, IT departments are more valuable today than before the pandemic due to a few dominant reasons, said Vijay Sundaram, chief strategy officer at Zoho. Issues related to new demands around legal compliance regulations, privacy, and cybersecurity are at an all-time high, he said. For example, violations of the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can can lead to fines higher than $800 million. This expertise [for compliance] resides in IT organizations, Sundaram said. The difference between 'looking and leaving' Amy Loomis, vice president for IDCs Future of Work practice, said while she doesnt have specific quantitative data, the numbers from the two surveys seem high. Looking and leaving are two different questions and a lot will change over the next few months, so its a very fluid situation, Loomis said via email. I can confidently say that based on my conversations with senior C-suite leaders, they are keenly aware of the value of the IT workers and leaders. The question executives should be asking is whats required to keep IT leaders and let them feel they have a seat at the C-suite table, Loomis added. Sundaram agreed the data in the survey his company commissioned does seem high, though he didnt have any earlier study to which he could compare it. Skillsofts report noted that frustration among IT managers is related to being unable to fill key positions. The study found 63% of IT decision makers have been unable to fill at least three positions in the last year. While still a considerable challenge, the 63% figure represents a 10% decrease from 2021, Skillsofts report said. The pace of digital transformation and lack of enough technical resources have pushed many IT professionals to a point of burnout, Skillsoft said. Together, these trends are fueling record rates of talent turnover across all industries. Skillsofts report found that IT leaders two biggest challenges are employee retention and recruitment. Thus, organizations must take proactive steps to shift their cultures to ensure employees feel fulfilled, engaged, and motivated. The 'Great Resignation' is ongoing In the aftermath of the worldwide pandemic, workers have been quitting jobs in droves, a phenomenon called the Great Resignation. Each month for more than a year in the US, more than 4 million workers have been quitting the workforce, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some of the top reasons workers say they quit this year include unhappiness with how their employer treated them during the pandemic (19%), low pay or lack of benefits (17%), and a lack of work-life balance (13%), according to a survey by employment site Joblist. Another factor behind high resignation rates appears to be a sense of feeling professionally stuck. A survey by employee management platform provider Lattice showed that 43% of respondents felt their career paths had either stalled or slowed to a crawl. That trend appears particularly true for younger employees: 38% of Gen Z workers (born after 1997) are looking for jobs with greater transparency around job path and development, according to the survey. Of those surveyed, 80% indicated skills gaps pose high or medium risk to their teams ability to meet objectives, according to SkillSoft. Additionally: The top reasons driving those gaps are difficulties hiring skilled candidates (44%); employee retention (33%); and not enough spending on training (26%). The top three most challenging areas to find qualified talent are cloud computing; analytics, big data, and data science; and cybersecurity. On a positive note, 59% of IT departments expect a budget increase in the next year (up from 26% in 2021), with the top skill areas of investment being cloud computing, security, and AI and machine learning, according to Skillsoft. The lack of support IT managers and workers are expressing may have more to do with the democratization of IT than anything else, according to Sundaram. In other words, companies may more often be finding solutions to tech problems from outside the IT organization in the form of cloud services, third-party solution providers, and low-code or no-code software tools. Similarly, business units often have technology requirements that require quick action a new analytics feature or integration with another app or data source and the timeframe doesnt permit outsourcing the work to the IT department and getting on their queue, Sundaram said. Another reason the IT department may feel unsupported is they may not have the right skills for the new emerging needs. Business decision makers seemed to disagree with IT managers as to how much say they have in an organization. In the US and Canada, they said their IT teams are most often consulted for advice on finance (53%), security (52%) and strategy (51%) decisions. Another three-quarters (76%) said their IT teams have complete or considerable authority to prevent business decisions based on security and technical concerns. At the same time, non-IT departments have autonomy in purchasing apps and IT software (54%), facilitating IT audits (52%), purchasing devices (45%) and hiring tech talent (48%), according to ManageEngine. In addition, while nearly all North American respondents said their organizations have implemented a flexible work model, four in 10 reported that they were inadequately or not at all consulted as their organization moved toward that workforce model. Execs need to listen Key to addressing dissatisfaction among IT leaders, according to ManageEngines report, is for executives to simply listen and respond to some relatively simple needs. IT leaders simply want more opportunities to learn and grow at their current organizations. When asked what they want most from their role in the next five years, 45% of IT decision makers answered that they want to learn new skills, and another 41% said they want to be able to guide change within the organization, ManageEngines report stated. This aligns with how they see IT evolving within their companies in the next five years; they believe IT should have a greater role in setting strategies for organizations, ManageEngine report stated. Our research found that theres increasing demand for certain skills, and consequently, IT professionals with those skills are earning higher salaries, the report said. Some examples of highly sought-after skills include cloud, data science, and IT infrastructure, all of which saw significant salary increases this year, ManageEngine said. Pervasive technologies such as AI, machine learning, and other automation in general require IT know-how, no matter where these technologies are deployed, Sundaram said. Bottom line, IT knowledge is going to be paramount, no matter how the organizations IT department is configured...centralized, decentralized, or hybrid." Executives should also encourage IT leaders to reorganize their department in ways that best respond to business demands he said, suggesting a hybrid model in which the central IT department handles some IT projects while others are handled by IT staffers embedded in business units. One way in which the IT department might be less valuable than pre-pandemic is if it focuses solely on traditional areas such as sourcing, implementing, and deploying large systems, like SAP, he said. Companies should give IT leaders a voice in business matters, especially when it comes to anticipating ways departments can leverage technology in pursuit of new business opportunities [such as] adopting AI to gain deeper insights into customer behavior, Sundaram said. By encouraging IT leaders to take a proactive role in business, most companies will have technology-powered options that otherwise may have been overlooked. And theyll have IT leaders who are deeply involved with, and appreciated by, the organization as a whole. The contractor sector is setting aside its many reservations about Rishi Sunak, who yesterday won the Conservative Party leadership contest to become UK prime minister. Once both critical of Mr Sunak or his IR35 reforms of 2021, contractor group IPSE and accreditation body the FCSA, told ContractorUK that they now back his appointment as PM. Even tax advisories helping contractors hit by the ex-chancellors off-payroll rules, like IR35 experts Bauer & Cottrell, and HMRC dispute firm WTT Consulting, gave guarded welcomes. 'Relieved the Truss-mess is over' Agents are supportive too but, like the advisories, mainly because the UK needs stability (which Mr Sunak vowed yesterday), following the turmoil of the Liz Truss-led government. Despite describing Rishis last Budget as drier than a bone, I for one am relieved that the awful Truss-mess has been concluded as quickly as it has been, says agent Natalie Bowers. Boss at Bowers Partnership, she also told ContractorUK: Recruiters and PSCs were cheering when the previous chancellor [Kwasi Kwarteng] announced the off-payroll rules repeal. But it became patently clear very quickly that his un-costed, unsustainable Mini-Budget was financial suicide for our country. And so yes, although Mr Sunak has form in the contractor sector, Im now focussed on the financial stability of the country as a whole, and not just our own section of it. 'Desolate wasteland' In Sunak replacing Truss at Number 10, the UK contractor sector gains a prime minister who as chancellor championed 2021's IR35 rules, and loses a PM who wanted the rules reviewed. True, but having IR35 reviewed or repealed while the entire economybecomes a desolate wasteland would have helped no contractor either, tweeted a data engineer. Another ContractorUK reader echoed: [Contractors supporting Truss on IR35 grounds alone reinforces] the view people have of contractors as a purely self-interested group. When will people learn that there is no prosperity if only a small group benefit and the majority suffer? 'Sunak ignored small business owners during covid' A small yet enterprising group which suffered under Sunak as chancellor is on the mind of Richard Norman, a limited company director, however. During the pandemic, it was the first time in over 30 years of running a business that we needed some government financial help, but you completely ignored the plight of us and thousands of similar small business owners like us. Continuing to address Mr Sunak directly before the 42-year-old former hedge fund manager yesterday became PM the youngest British PM in more than 200 years, Mr Norman added: Now to make it worse, you are going to create a deeper recession, while also increasing corporation tax for the same businesses that you previously ignored. 'NICs increase reversal may now be reversed by Sunak' But corporation tax might not be the only HMRC liability affecting contractors which is now heading for a hike under the new First Lord of the Treasury. Orange Genie Accountancys chief operations officer Helen Christopher told ContractorUK: Rishi has promised to cut taxes when he can, but he has always taken a hard line, saying that taxes would have to stay high if the government were to be able to balance the books. My fear is this may also mean that the recently repealed NI increase may be about to be reversed again, and the Health and Social Care Levy will be introduced from April 2023. 'Don't expect any orders from Number 10 to review IR35' A chartered accountant, Christopher explained that IR35 reform is invariably staying in place, given that the chancellor who introduced it has now landed the UKs top job. Since private sector IR35 reform came in on Rishis watch, and given he was widely reported as not recognising the plight of [limited company] contractors during covid, I dont expect him to order any reviews or changes to IR35, she said. Former tax inspector and off-payroll expert Kate Cottrell agrees, saying the governments pledge at Mini-Budget 2022 to repeal IR35 reform will soon be a distant memory. She said: Its good to have this [question of who becomes PM] settled so soon. But with Mr Sunak running the show, the move to scrap his off-payroll rules is one that will never return. 'New PM should keep former PM's IR35 review commitment' HM Treasury has twice been asked to provide the date or details of the IR35 review promised by Truss, and twice declined. Yet the FCSA isnt keen on government wriggling out of its commitments, even if the IR35 review pledge was made by an outgoing prime minister when she wasnt prime minister. We urge Mr Sunak to keep his predecessors commitment to a thorough and comprehensive review of IR35, the Freelancer & Contractor Services Association says. In a statement last night, FCSAs Chris Bryce continued to ContractorUK: Id like to congratulate Rishi Sunak on becoming leader of the Conservative Party and the UKs next prime minister. While we still have strong concerns regarding Mr Sunaks previous lack of support for the freelance sector, especially during the covid crisis, we hope that his appointment brings the stability and steady hand that business requires to tackle the huge challenges ahead. 'Political and economic stability is much-needed' IPSEs Andy Chamberlain regards Mr Sunaks appointment as PM in a similar light. We congratulate Rishi Sunak on becoming prime minister. We hope Mr Sunak can bring about much-needed political and economic stability, which will benefit everyone, including those who work for themselves, said Mr Chamberlain. But the need for the new PM to provide stability does not sit well with anything but the status quo on IR35 continuing, warns Graham Webber, formerly of HMRC. Moreover, Sunaks self-set brief to restore some confidence to the financial system and to not make rash promises will push much-needed repeal of IR35 reform down the list of priorities. 'Unpopular' Now tax director at WTT Consulting, Mr Webber explained his assessment to ContractorUK: The system of end-clients making decisions in this space is not popular. But businesses have sunk some resource into this, and [Sunak] may think the incremental cost of keeping this going for another 12 months, is not going to cause market reaction. [Or, hell keep the 2017 and 2021 rules in place because] the proposed repeal would have cost a few billion. And at the moment, there is not that sort of spare capacity in the system. 'Public and private sector off-payroll rules here to stay' Businesses are also fed up with the back and forth on IR35. And so to avoid irritating firms further, the new prime minister keeping the rules which he himself introduced seems the most likely outcome, reasons IT contractor recruitment agency VIQU. Contactors believe more than ever that IR35 [for small companies] and the off-payroll rules [for all other engagers] is here to stay, says the agencys Matt Collingwood. 'Numerous contractors may now go perm' VIQUs managing director, Mr Collingwood further told ContractorUK: We had started having discussions with candidates about moving from perm roles into contracting. But were now hearing from numerous contractors that they may move into permanent positions because, as one said, its just not worth it now with all the incoming tax increases. We also had a couple of conversations with businesses that had increased their reliance on perm over contractors since April 2021, and who were considering re-examining their stance on contractors given the repeal. But now these conversations have been paused. Again. 'Sunak policies have been short-sighted' Such to-ing and fro-ing, with sharp consequences for peoples livelihoods and take-home pay, is the result of short-sighted tax policy decisions, argues Qdoss Seb Maley. Many of which Mr Sunak himself introduced while serving as chancellor, added Mr Maley, CEO of the IR35 contract review firm. In recent years, the independent workforce has been hit again and again[so] the [new] prime minister has a long road ahead to win the support of the self-employed. 'Sunak failed to make good on his promise' An advocate of the self-employed on the NHS, Dr Iain Campbell is among those who the new prime minister might like to remember on any journey he undertakes to build bridges. [As chancellor] Sunak promised the NHS whatever it needed, Dr Campbell, formerly the general-secretary of locums body the IHPA began last night. But then, when Lord Bridges quoted my submission [to the Select Committee on Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committees Off-Payroll Rules Inquiry] in which I brought up Sunaks promise, in the context of the urgent need to suspend the IR35 reforms to enable adequate Intensive Therapy Unit staffingSunak subsequently failed to make good on this promise. Formerly the chair of the Self-Employed Alliance, Dr Campbell added: I am hopeful that, now he has the top job, he will perhaps have more freedom to revisit this but his inaction as chancellor during the covid crisis does give pause for thought. 'IR35 hand grenade' On social media, posts by IT contractors indicate that pause for thought is to put it mildly. Rishi Sunak? questioned one. You [mean] the guy who threw the IR35 hand grenade into our industry and blew it up? Another contractor, accusing the PM of the same action to the detriment of the same taxpayer group, reflected: Sunak threw the self-employed over the biggest cliff during covid. 'As chancellor he knowingly excluded millions of self-employed' Independent work champion IWORK summed up after Sunak was applauded yesterday at Tory party HQ, following Commons leader Penny Mordaunt dropping out of the contest. [We] cant help but think that Rishi Sunaks appointment is bad news for the self-employed, said IWORK founder Julia Kermode. Just look at his track record. He rolled out IR35 reform, along with various other tax increases, and knowingly excluded millions of self-employed people from covid[-income] support. Contractor accountant Alan Broome, managing director of Acumenica echoed on LinkedIn: There will be a significant number of limited company owners who will NOT have forgotten how they were left behind by the covid support schemes -- and who will NOT be at all happy at his appointment. 'Conspiracy theories' Elsewhere online, contractors are also not forgetting a dispute over whether Mr Sunaks wife was paying enough tax, and how the then-chancellor seemed flummoxed by a card-reader when paying for petrol. A few PSCs are also not forgetting that Mr Sunaks father-in-law Narayana Murthy, a billionaire, is the founder of Infosys which, for being a consultancy, is the type of business that some end-users not engaging PSCs since Mr Sunaks IR35 reforms have turned towards. Moving away from the conspiracy theories, said VIQUs Mr Collingwood, the consensus Im hearing is that during his time as chancellor, Sunak always flew the flag for [economic prudence] and the falling unemployment rate. This mainstream view of the new prime minister (often heard when employers praised the furlough scheme -- at odds with micro-employers who condemned it), is the view Number 10 will be hoping has cut-through. 'Reputation for being a calm, experienced, steady hand' WTTs Mr Webber reflected: My [stance] on the coronation of Mr Sunak as Conservative Party leader and PM is that the Tories have opted for the only option available to them that demonstrates any credibility. And that credibility is based on his reputation for being a calm and steady, experienced [economic] hand, who is likely to be seen by the markets as bringing a sense of stability. An expert on tax disputes, Mr Webber said his advisory would like to see some of Mini-Budgets proposals reinstated by the Sunak-led government as soon as Medium-Term Fiscal Plan 2022. 'Opportunity for the contractor sector' We think that is perhaps wishful thinking [however], and that we will not see any real action until March 2024, Mr Webber cautioned, but then clarified: That could be seen as bad news. But it could also be an opportunity for the contractor sector to propose a real reform [to the new Sunak-led government], rather than going back to the same old, same old. Webber isnt alone in sensing opportunity perhaps why the reservations about Mr Sunak, who only became an MP in 2015 but now becomes Britains first Asian PM; first Hindu PM, and its first non-white PM as well, are being put aside. 'Sunak now has an opportunity' Hinting he too thinks bygones may need to be bygones in the current economic and political climate, is the policy director of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. As chancellor, Mr Sunak oversaw policy decisions, such as the IR35 reforms, which were detrimental to contractors. But he now has an opportunity to win back the support of these natural Conservative voters, Mr Chamberlain told ContractorUK. We will be urging the new PM to bring a fresh perspective to issues -- like IR35, particularly now that the government has publicly acknowledged the difficulties the rules cause for business. 'IR35 reform is here to stay' This week, a petition was launched calling on the government to reinstate the repeal of the public and private sector off-payroll rules of April 6th 2017 and April 6th 2021 respectively. But the petition has attracted fewer than 800 signatures. Whether we like it or not, we fully accept that IR35 reform is here to stay, said VIQUs Mr Collingwood, sounding resigned to the frameworks. We cant [do much about those], but we can continue doing our utmost to educate clients and promote all options -- which includes outside IR35 opportunities. 'No good news for contractors, but none for Sunak either' Status experts Bauer & Cottrell confirmed last night: There is no good news for contractors on the horizon, but they can still operate compliantly with IR35 so as to secure some certainty on their incomes. Co-founder Ms Cottrell added: But is Mr Sunak who has landed the most unenviable work a job nobody seems to want to do, partly because the problems for the UK are mounting and there is no magic money tree. The next six months will see numerous small businesses going bust, together with a fair few large ones. Thats because the cost of living crisis is affecting everyone and much worse is to come in the form of tax rises for all, cuts in public spending and the prospect of war with Russia. All in all, I fear contractors have seen nothing yet, as far as the pain to come financially and emotionally. 'Profound economic challenge' In a televised statement acceptance speech as Conservative Party leader, Mr Sunak yesterday warned that the UK faces a profound economic challenge. Robotic, looking not quite straight down the lens, and ahead of an awkward pause at the end of his brief statement, the new prime minister said he would work day in day out to to overcome the challenges we face. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ruled on Monday to temporarily protect Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina from having to testify before a Georgia Grand Jury amid an election investigation. The justice's brief order was an "administrative stay" that was meant to give some breathing room for the court to weigh the senator's emergency application. Graham has asked the Supreme Court to bar the grand jury from questioning him regarding the issues. Block of Lindsey Graham's Subpoena Thomas, who oversees the appeals court whose ruling is at issue, ordered prosecutors on Saturday to respond to the application with a deadline set for Thursday. Such a request is almost always a sign that the full court will weigh in on the matter. On the other hand, prosecutors appeared to be particularly interested in any efforts that Graham may have made to urge officials in Georgia, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to address allegations of voting irregularities before Congress was set to vote in January 2021 to certify that Joe Biden was the legitimate winner in the presidential race against Donald Trump, as per the New York Times. Graham's lawyers argued that the official was reviewing election-related issues in his role as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time. A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta, refused to block a trial judge's ruling that the South Carolina lawmaker could be required to answer some but not all questions from the grand jury. The panel based its decision on the Constitution's protection of members of Congress in its "speech or debate" clause. The clause says that for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place. According to CNN, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is the one leading a special grand jury investigation into former President Trump's alleged efforts to manipulate the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. The Democrat indicated that she wanted to question Graham on calls that the lawmaker made to Georgia election officials after the election. Read Also: Donald Trump's Ex-Adviser Steve Bannon Sentenced To 4 Months Jail Time For Contempt of Congress Attempts to Overturn Georgia Election Results A spokesperson for Fulton County declined to comment regarding the Supreme Court justice's ruling to pause the subpoena. The situation comes as lower courts argued that, to the extent, Graham was making the calls, that could be out of bounds under the Constitution. However, the 11th U.S. Circuit of Appeals said that "communications and coordination with the Trump campaign regarding its post-election efforts in Georgia, public statements regarding the 2020 election, and efforts to 'cajole' or 'exhort' Georgia election officials" are not considered legislative activities that are protected by the clause. Trump allegedly pressured state officials to take actions that could have overturned Biden's win in Georgia, similar to what he is believed to have done in other swing states where the Republican lost to the Democrat. During a phone call in early January 2021, Trump allegedly urged Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to erase Biden's margin of victory in Georgia and give him the win, CNBC reported. Related Article: Donald Trump's Company To Face Tax Fraud Trial Next Week: Here's What You Need To Know About The Criminal Case @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Former Brazilian Congressman Roberto Jefferson, who has ties with President Jair Bolsonaro, refused his arrest by firing a gun and throwing grenades at police officers. Authorities revealed the situation with Jefferson on Sunday and Bolsonaro immediately condemned the armed attack of his former ally, distancing himself from the suspect and calling him a "bandit." Ex-Congressman Rober Jefferson's Stand-Off With Police The Federal Supreme Court (STF) has ordered the former congressman to be taken back into custody after he was found to have broken the terms of his house arrest by issuing online attacks against Supreme Court Justice Carmen Lucia. The former Bolsonaro ally called the justice a "witch" and a "prostitute." Jefferson proceeded to barricade himself inside his home, which was located in Levy Gasparian in Rio de Janeiro state, for eight hours to elude police authorities. In a video that he posted on social media after he had fired a gun at law enforcement personnel, he said that he did not intend to injure the officers, as per France24. On the other hand, the Federal Police indicated that Jefferson had resisted arrest using "firearms and explosives" but was later taken into custody in the evening after an "intense negotiation." Two police officers were reportedly wounded by shrapnel from a grenade that was thrown by the former congressman. Fortunately, the victims were given medical attention and were said to be in good condition. According to the Washington Post, Jefferson previously boasted in 2020 of his personal friendship with President Bolsonaro. The arrest of the former congressman came a week before the second and final round of Brazil's fierce presidential election that pit Bolsonaro against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Read Also: Xi Jinping Expands Powers, Promotes Allies After Successfully Getting Unprecedented 3rd Term Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro's Influence The latter, a left-wing populist, has maintained a narrowing lead in head-to-head polls throughout the campaign. However, Bolsonaro and some of his political allies and supporters have suggested that they would not accept an election loss. The confrontation followed the Supreme Court's efforts to rein in the rampant disinformation that flooded the internet ahead of the vote. It also came amid rising tension between Bolsonaro and his most radical supporters against the Supreme Court and top electoral court. Despite criticizing Jefferson's actions, Bolsonaro also repudiated the court's investigations of the former congressman, who was arrested in 2021 amid the crackdown on misinformation and disinformation from so-called digital militias that the court argued attempted to undermine the country's democracy. Bolsonaro claimed that such investigations did not have any support in the country's Constitution. But electoral authorities have said that misinformation, disinformation, and violent content online, including claims that candidates are Satanists, cannibals, or alcoholics, have increased in Brazil in the last few weeks. The president could face a major setback with Jefferson's conduct as police have long been core supporters of the president's tough-on-crime rhetoric and are deeply divided over the incident on Sunday. Furthermore, the clash also hit the country's currency and stocks, which tumbled on Monday as analysts flagged concerns of electoral violence and waning optimism that Bolsonaro could win the vote against Lula da Silva, Reuters reported. Related Article: Liz Truss Congratulates Incoming UK PM Rishi Sunak, Assures Full Support in Addressing Massive Economic, Political Challenges @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Chief designer: Application of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is limited only by imagination People's Daily Online) 14:19, October 25, 2022 With more and more countries recognizing China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), the system is making greater contributions to promoting international cooperation in space, Yang Changfeng, chief designer of the BDS, said recently during the 16th meeting of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG). The stability and high accuracy of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) has been fully verified since it was put into service more than two years ago, Yang said, adding that the BDS-3 system can achieve a global positioning accuracy of between 4 and 5 meters, and even more in the Asia-Pacific region. People visit the first International Summit on BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) Applications, in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) After the BeiDou-3 system went into service, the capacity of BeiDou system's characteristic short message communication services has been significantly increased based on support from the BeiDou-2 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-2), Yang said. The services have realized two-way information transmission capability and can be used via mobile phone. In addition, it can provide short message services in areas not covered by mobile communication signals, which makes the BeiDou system particularly useful in fields such as emergency search and rescue, Yang pointed out. The BeiDou-3 system has become the first of its kind in the world to adopt a Ka-band inter-satellite link that enables all the BeiDou systems satellites to connect to each other in a large network, according to Yang. What the Ka-band inter-satellite link technology has done is very much like building a "chat group" for satellites, which allows the BeiDou system to provide high-accuracy global positioning and navigation services around the world without having to build ground stations, Yang explained. "The application of BeiDou is limited only by the imagination," Yang said. The BeiDou system has been widely used in many fields, including land surveying and mapping, digital construction, and precision agriculture, and steady progress is being made in the system's application in autonomous driving and smart city construction, among other fields, according to Yang. To date, the BeiDou system has been used in more than 120 countries and regions around the world, Yang said. Boasting relatively low costs and high accuracy, the system has become a high-tech and highly cost-effective global public good China has provided for the world, Yang said. The large-scale application of the BeiDou system will realize marketization, industrialization and internationalization in the coming years, he added. The original aspiration behind the establishment of the BeiDou system is to serve the world and benefit all of humanity, he noted, disclosing that the system will provide more products and services for overseas markets. (Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang) Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov stated that many African leaders will attend the Russia-Africa summit scheduled for 2023. According to the diplomat, this indicates that Moscow is making headway with African nations, which causes woes for the West. Kremlin Reaches Out to Africa When Ozerov attended the international forum 'Russia-Africa: What's Next?', a consensus was reached on who would be in Russia in 2023, reported TASS. He added that heads of state gave optimistic feedback. The forum will also discuss political issues that could be resolved. Then devise a measure to push for a multipolar world, not Washington's preferred unipolarity. An emphasis was on raising Russian-African relations to a new level; the inaugural meeting took place in 2019. This year, the same tagline will be used to reflect the current stage of development. Stress is on the development of Russo-African relations to a new level; the first meeting was in 2019, under the same slogan last 2019 that mirrors the present stage of development. The diplomat stated the themes of peace, security, and development as a common goal, which partners want. A direct comparison, he emphasized, a major business council, that is to say, to explain the whole body of evidence of economic ties would then actually occur. Furthermore, with many problems to solve and ways to collaborate to strengthen economic ties with partners, Western sanctions against Moscow and African countries have made it more difficult. To be held in St. Petersburg; the Russia-Africa Summit in 2023 by African leaders, remarked the Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov. Read Also: Kim Jong-un Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is North Korea's Leader? Russia's Multipolar Thrust Promoted to Non-Western Bodies Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated this on Monday following discussions with Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha, citing Sputnik News. Vsevolod Tkachenko, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Africa Department, said African countries have so far not decided to join the sanctions aimed at Russia, notwithstanding the unbelievable strain from the West, thus further displaying self-respect and integrity. He praised the African leaders for not buckling to pressure during the international forum "Russia-Africa: What's Next?" Underscored that the Kremlin is focused on establishing amicable and full-fledged diplomatic ties with Africa and noted that many nations have already set themselves up as collaborators with Moscow. Because of its special operation in Ukraine, Western nations and their allies had already launched a massive punitive measures campaign against Moscow. Early in October, the Russian Foreign Minister remarked that Moscow sees no logic in wasting efforts on keeping embassies in the West. Considering the hostility and dishonesty of the US-led western alliance is not a priority. He stated that Russia would focus its efforts on the new regions of Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The West is a lost cause after its actions in backing Ukraine. The Russian FM stressed that Moscow is moving its efforts to countries that want to be partners with Russia on equal terms. Against the backdrop, the West is struggling due to the US. Even as the US tried to nudge African nations to be part of failed sanctions, the continent snubbed Washington and the EU like it was nothing. It chooses to work with Moscow, not the frustrated West. Russian Ambassador Oleg Ozerov in Moscow verified that African leaders will be ready for the Russia-Africa Summit 2023. Related Article: BRICS President Says Russia and India Have No Need for US Dollar After Payment Mechanism @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NAIROBI, Kenya, October 23, 2022 (Morning Star News) Two evangelists in eastern Uganda were beaten and slashed with knives after leading several Muslims to Christ, sources said. Earlier this month Robert Okia, a 43-year-old father of six children, and Wilberforce Mutenga, a father of two, shared the gospel in predominantly Muslim Busakira village, in eastern Uganda, where eight Muslims put their faith in Christ, Mutenga said. They then continued their outreach in Ikule village, Mayuge District, where they were attacked on Oct. 7, he said. We were beaten because of taking the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the purely Muslim community of Ikule village, Mutenga, 38, told Morning Star News. We didnt know that Muslims in this place had heard about our successful mission in Busakira village. After visiting two homes in Ikule, at the second house Muslims surrounded them and began asking questions about Islam that they could not answer, he said. One shouted the Islamic slogan of Allah Akbar [God is greater] three times, and everyone began to get hold of sticks and started beating us badly, he said. Mutenga sustained a knife wound on his head and bruises on his legs, dislocating his right knee when one of the assailants knocked him down, an area source said. At this writing, he was receiving treatment at a private clinic in Kampala. Okia sustained a knife wound on his knee, rib and hand injuries, swelling on his mouth and face and body pain throughout, the source said. Okia was referred to a hospital in Jinja for more specialized treatment. After beating us, they carried and threw us near the swamp that separates Busakira and Kigandaalo, where a herdsman saw both of us bleeding and screaming for help, Mutenga told Morning Star News. The man rushed and called local authorities, who took us to a nearby clinic for treatment. The two were able to identify some of the attackers and reported the assault to local authorities; they plan to file a police report when they leave hospital treatment, he said. We need your prayers all the time, because when we recover, we have to continue with the message no matter the persecution which we have gone through, Mutenga said. The evangelists were sent to preach Christ by a church, undisclosed for security reasons, in Mayuge Town Council. The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented. Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Ugandas population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Anastasiia M According to data from the Rekt leaderboard, cybercriminals have stolen as much as $3 billion of investor funds through 141 various cryptocurrency exploits since January, putting 2022 on track to top 2021 levels of digital currency malfeasance. Comparitechs cryptocurrency heists tracker indicates that since 2011, hackers have stolen $7.9 billion in cryptocurrency worth about $45.5 billion in todays value. Along with the increased dollar amounts of cryptocurrency thefts, the scams, hacks, and exploits of cryptocurrency, Web3 (a decentralized view of the web that incorporates blockchain technologies and token-based economics), and blockchain-related organizations are growing bolder and more lucrative for malicious hackers even as the value of cryptocurrencies stagnates. This month alone, Binance saw its BNB chain drained of $586 million, close to the all-time most significant cryptocurrency theft of $624 million from the Ronin Network in March 2022. The threat actors in these and other instances likely didnt keep all or even most of the astonishing amounts stolen but, in many cases, are increasingly granted handsome bounties in exchange for a return of some or most of the missing funds. Avraham Eisenberg, the man behind a $114 million exploit on Mango Markets in mid-October, got to keep $47 million of his allegedly ill-gotten gains in exchange for returning $67 million to the project. A new crop of cybersecurity companies has emerged The mind-boggling amount of money generated from crimes against an array of digital finance segments has no real parallels in the traditional cybersecurity world, which has yet to amass the expertise needed to discover, track, and remediate security incidents in the blockchain space. Part of the reason conventional cybersecurity professionals are reluctant to devote resources to the digital currency arena is the belief among many top experts that cryptocurrencies are little more than financial fraud, an opinion they feel is borne out by the current collapse in the cryptocurrency market. Against this backdrop, a new crop of security companies has emerged to help Web3 firms cope with the chronic crime and assist law enforcement in tracing stolen currencies and currencies paid to ransomware attackers. And these companies are garnering increasing amounts of venture funding capital despite the crypto crash. Chainalysis, for example, which offers real-time anti-money laundering and compliance software for cryptocurrencies, has raised hundreds of million in venture capital through six funding rounds to reach a valuation of $8.6 million. Another top firm, cryptocurrency protection company FireBlocks, has raised nearly $1 billion in five funding rounds to get a valuation of $8 billion. Blockchain security company CertiK has raised over $300 million across eight funding rounds to reach a valuation of $2 billion. "This proliferation of blockchain technology is the continued expansion of the overall attack surface and environment that attackers will continue to manipulate and extract data from, Richard Seewald, founder and managing partner of Evolution Equity Partners, a significant investor in both cybersecurity and blockchain security companies, tells CSO. Despite their divergences from traditional cybersecurity companies, the new crop of Web3 security companies still relies on the tried and true strategies of the conventional sector. "While we are in the early days of development of blockchain native security platforms, the security strategy for enterprise blockchain includes the use of traditional security controls and technology-unique controls including identity and access management, key management, data privacy, secure communication, smart contract security, transaction monitoring, threat intelligence, amongst others, Seewald says. Blockchain security requires different skills Still, the nature of the Web3 world, which only partially overlaps with the skillsets that traditional cybersecurity companies employ, requires new approaches to protecting against malicious actions. Standard cybersecurity tools are essential in the blockchain world because you need to understand code, you need to understand malicious code, Chen Arad, co-founder, and COO of crypto-native risk monitoring and market surveillance company Solidus Labs, a beneficiary of Evolutions financing, tells CSO. You also need to understand a token, a smart contract on a blockchain, which is at the end of the day just code, and if its malicious, you need to be able to detect it at scale, Arad adds. You need to know if it has the characteristics of a rug pull [where a developer creates a cryptocurrency or NFT project and then absconds with the funds], which is a combination of cyber and, let's call it, crypto-economics. Arad also points to a new crop of crypto-specific threats that his company sees, things like wash trading [where a trader buys and sells the same security] and spoofing and phishing attacks, which we know from traditional finance, but can take place in new sophisticated ways in crypto, all the way to, the most bleeding edge pieces in the fully decentralized part, things like block level front running [manipulating the process to gain knowledge of upcoming transactions], rug pulls, and composability attacks [exploits of Web3s ability to combine existing components and reassemble them to create new products]. Mircea Mihaescu, CEO of cryptocurrency risk management company Coinfirm, tells CSO he thinks blockchain security and cybersecurity share the common characteristic of being technically complex. Traditional cybersecurity versus blockchain cybersecurity, theyre very similar at the fundamentals in the sense that theyre both very complicated, technically. People that work in the blockchain field need to understand many things, have very solid computer science backgrounds and learn a lot, Mihaescu says. The number of talented people that work in cryptocurrencies, and lately what's called Web3, has skyrocketed. Ill-gotten cryptocurrency tracing is a new focus Web3 security firms are also emerging as critical players in helping law enforcement track currencies paid to ransomware attackers. In 2021, the US Justice Department traced $2.3 million of the $4.3 million paid by Colonial Pipeline as it moved through at least 23 different electronic accounts belonging to the DarkSide ransomware gang. However, the DOJ offered few details on how it accomplished this feat. Elliptic, which pioneered the use of blockchain analytics for financial crime compliance and received investment from Evolution, recently launched a product called Holistic Screening, which allows for the proceeds of crime to be automatically traced across all blockchains and cryptocurrency assets concurrently. Blockchain analytics companies such as Elliptic follow the money when cybercriminals exploit cryptocurrencies, Dr. Tom Robinson, co-founder and chief scientist of Elliptic, tells CSO. Our holistic screening and investigations tools are used to follow the proceeds of hacks perpetrated by North Korea or ransomware attacks by Russia-linked cybercrime groups, as they are laundered through different crypto assets and blockchains. The same kind of tracing can apply to stolen cryptocurrencies. Mihaescu says that his firms technology can start from a transaction hash from stolen crypto and take it all the way across blockchains, sometimes tens of thousands of addresses created for the purpose of hiding the path of movement of stolen crypto to where it stands. We can show it's on this address, and either law enforcement or the lawyers representing the victim can go and make legal attempts to retrieve that money because we prove exactly where it ended. Blockchain is here to stay Contrary to the notion that blockchain and cryptocurrencies are the modern-day equivalents of a Ponzi scheme, investors and companies working in the Web3 arena think these technologies are here to stay. There's no question that crypto is here to stay one way or another, Arad says. We, like most people in this industry, believe that it provides an incredible opportunity to make finance more equitable, more transparent, more accessible. Blockchain has the potential to benefit the unbanked, including a lot of people in places like America and Europe who still have access issues, Arad adds. It's still easier to get access to a phone than to a bank for many people. But, it's become very clear that all of this potential will not be fulfilled if we don't find ways to mitigate the new risks without taking away the prowess of the technology. There are, at last count, about a trillion dollars in fiat currency in digital assets, Mihaescu says. There are 30,000 entities active on blockchains. There are 200 million people that bought or sold cryptocurrency. So, they need protection, and the protection needs to go beyond, Oh, it's a scam. In terms of the billions in cryptocurrency exploits the market has experienced over the past few years, Mihaescu, who comes from a banking background, including a stint as head of capital markets for the Bank of Montreal, says the traditional financial marketplace is likewise rife with thefts and scams but is more closed and hidden about this activity. If a hacker successfully penetrates a bank and steals a lot of money from it, you'll not see it anywhere, he says. That information is not seen. There is this discrepancy in the level of transparency between the two worlds. You'll not see bank robber statistics. You'll not see bank hacking statistics, not publicly anyway. Maybe the FBI and the Met [police in the UK], they know them. Most likely, they do. They are not known by the public at large. British protesters are urging for the expulsion of Chinese diplomats a week after a Hong Kong national was dragged and beaten inside a Manchester consulate. Hundreds of people gathered in the UK to denounce China and demand freedom for Hong Kong's people. The protest in Manchester, which was called "Say No to China," took place at St. Peter's Square at around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. China-UK Tensions The event started with the playing of "God Save the King" outside of the Central Library, which was followed by "Glory to Hong Kong." During the two hours after, various speakers came to the stage to voice out their support for Hong Kong's independence from China. Attendees of the event reportedly carried signs that had written phrases such as "Expel China," "Free Hong Kong," and even "Hang Xi Jinping." Similar signs were seen during the protest that took place right outside the Chinese consulate on Denison Road in Manchester's Rusholme last week, as per Yahoo News. During those demonstrations, a violent scuffle erupted that resulted in several masked people dragging a protester by his hair and beating him up on the grounds of the consulate. A British police officer then intervened and stopped the attackers from assaulting the individual. During a news conference in the British Parliament the Wednesday after the incident, the protester, identified as Bob Chan, said that he did not attempt to enter the consulate, but was dragged inside. According to Sky News, the protester said the incident left him with cuts and bruises all over his body. Later, a senior Chinese diplomat who was seen in video footage pulling Chan's hair refused to comment specifically on the incident. Read Also: Xi Jinping Expands Powers, Promotes Allies After Successfully Getting Unprecedented 3rd Term Continued Protests Instead, the consul-general, Zheng Xiyuan, criticized the way that the police and British government responded to the incident. The official said that the diplomats had hoped that law enforcement would step in to support them, but argued that they did not. Zheng also showed video footage that he claimed proved protesters were the ones who attacked consulate staff. These included clips that involved them "knocking down staff, then running away." The official claimed that they also showed one protester "seizing a member of staff, without letting him go." But when asked if he had already shared the alleged footage as well as the consul's assault allegations with police, he did not answer, instead calling it a "very special legal matter." a consulate source later said that they were already seeking advice from lawyers on what to do next. Manchester police said that up to 40 protesters gathered outside the consulate prior to the incident with Chan and the Chinese diplomat. Law enforcement authorities said that a group of men later came out of the building and a man was dragged into the consulate grounds and assaulted. A statement read that due to fears for the safety of the man, police officers intervened and removed the victim from the consulate grounds. Chan expressed his shock at the incident and said he was afraid for his family members who were still in Hong Kong, BBC reported. Related Article: US Charges 7 Chinese Nationals Accused of Forced Repatriation Campaign, Harassment @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Bernie Sanders will attend a rally with other Democratic politicians in the Erb Memorial Union amphitheater at the University of Oregon at 9 a.m. on Thursday ahead of the November midterm elections. He will be joined by Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Peter DeFazio, gubernatorial candidate Tina Kotek and congressional candidate Val Hoyle. This is not a normal midterm election, Sanders said in a video posted to his Twitter on Monday. This is the most important midterm election in the modern history of our country because we are taking on a political party, the Republicans, who literally are trying to undermine American democracy. Although the rally will be outdoors, the event announcement asks for RSVPs. The widely-used online messaging service WhatsApp is again operational following an outage that affected users worldwide. WhatsApp's parent company, Meta, stated that the issue had been resolved but did not provide an explanation of Why Is WhatsApp Down. Around the world, billions of people use WhatsApp to send and receive messages online. Users begin to report the problems on the service shortly before 08:00 BST on Tuesday, per BBC. According to Down Detector, 12,000 reports on WhatsApp Down were posted in half an hour. But by 10:00 BST, many customers appeared to be getting service again. Meta noted in her statement that the issue had been fixed completely. The tech company acknowledged that "many experienced problems sending messages on WhatsApp today." "We have resolved the issue and are sorry for any inconvenience," the statement added. CNN Business reported that a company spokesperson informed the media outlet that the WhatsApp issue had been resolved. The spokesperson apologized to users for the trouble that caused disruption in their communication activities and assured them that the platform was back online. WhatsApp Crash Became a Trending Topic on Twitter Many individuals took to social media to express their frustration at being unable to send or receive WhatsApp messages during the service's recent troubles. On Twitter, several popular memes were born out of this unusual occurrence, and the phrase "WhatsApp" is also presently trending on the social media platform, according to Euronews. More than 70,000 tweets were posted using the hashtag #whatsappdown, and hundreds of memes circulated throughout the internet in response to the trending topic. On Tuesday morning, users encountered a "connecting" notification during the WhatsApp crash period. Read Also: France Reveals Model of Next Generation Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier at Euronaval 2022 The application is widely used as a group communication tool since it provides end-to-end encryption for messages. It has even been utilized, controversially, by government ministers. According to internet monitoring firm NetBlocks, the WhatsApp crash affected users in the UK and worldwide. Most Popular Messaging Platform in the World To date, more than 2 billion people have downloaded and used WhatsApp, making it the most popular messaging program in the world. Similarweb's 2022 research found that 31% of the worldwide population utilizes it. WhatsApp was acquired by Meta (formerly Facebook) in 2014. It has exploded in popularity, particularly outside of the United States, where a large percentage of the population now regularly uses it for daily conversation. Users in India, WhatsApp's largest market, complained on other social media platforms about the app's functionality, 400 million people in the country use WhatsApp. Whatsapp has rapidly grown in importance as a medium of communication for both private individuals and commercial enterprises. In October of last year, the WhatsApp had an outage that lasted for several hours, disrupting the trading of anything from cryptocurrency to oil until traders migrated to other platforms like Telegram. According to Marca, accessing WhatsApp itself is the quickest way to see if the service is back up. There should be a notice that reads "retrying" if it's not functioning properly; if it's not there, it may be back up and running. To keep up with the most recent data on the number of complaints of an outage and Why Is WhatsApp Down, you may also check a site like DownDetector. Related Article: India Rocket Launch: 36 Internet Satellites Deployed After Major Delay | Watch Epic Takeoff Here @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When we were in No10 together, my old boss Boris Johnson was typically very forgiving of disloyalty among his ministers. Every morning we would go through the newspapers together and I would highlight that day's anonymous briefings, unhelpful leaks and noises off from disgruntled ministers. Barely a day passed when I didn't have something to point to. To my mind, as his close ally, this group of ministers were undermining the Government and his premiership and failing to display the loyalty and discipline we needed to succeed. They were putting themselves first, second and third and the rest of the Government far down their list of priorities. If it even was a priority for them. Every morning we would go through the newspapers together and I would highlight that day's anonymous briefings, unhelpful leaks and noises off from disgruntled ministers. Barely a day passed when I didn't have something to point to When we were in No10 together, my old boss Boris Johnson was typically very forgiving of disloyalty among his ministers, writes Jack Doyle, pictured That great political tactician Lyndon Baines Johnson once said of FBI boss J Edgar Hoover that he'd rather have him inside the tent 'p****** out' than outside p****** in. For long periods of time when we were in Downing Street, it felt like we had a great many ministers inside the tent just p****** everywhere. But although Boris was occasionally annoyed by these noises off, he was mostly sanguine. He seemed to regard them as simply part of the great game of politics, and think that there was little, if anything, that could be done about them. 'There's a part of every politician's brain,' he once said to me, 'that is always thinking about how to become Prime Minister.' He seemed to see their ambition, their desire for prominence and general peacocking as an immutable law of political nature. (Thinking back, his comment may also have been a tacit acknowledgment that he hadn't always been, to put it mildly, the most loyal of lieutenants to Theresa May as her foreign secretary.) With the greatest of respect for my old boss, I disagree with his assessment. Loyalty is a matter of choice. That great political tactician Lyndon Baines Johnson, pictured with Harold Wilson, once said of FBI boss J Edgar Hoover that he'd rather have him inside the tent 'p****** out' than outside p****** in. For long periods of time when we were in Downing Street, it felt like we had a great many ministers inside the tent just p****** everywhere And it is the single biggest factor that will determine the future of the new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. As Rishi rightly put it after taking the leadership of the party, the Conservatives need to decide whether to 'unite or die'. To his enormous credit, Boris has acknowledged that point and done exactly the right thing by putting aside personal ambition and standing aside from the leadership contest. He did this despite, as the 1922 Committee has confirmed, having the numbers to run for leader and knowing he stood a more-than-decent chance of winning with the membership, legions of whom wish he had never left No10. He also acknowledged that right now he is not capable of uniting the warring tribes inside the parliamentary party and he was right. Whether Rishi Sunak can do so will be in many ways the defining test of his premiership. We had our fair share of disagreements with Rishi and his team when we were in government together the normal tensions that have always characterised the relationship between No10 and No11. But I never had any doubt about Rishi's capability. He was impressively smart, articulate and personable. As Rishi rightly put it after taking the leadership of the party, the Conservatives need to decide whether to 'unite or die' If anything, there were days when I'd have taken a less capable, more pliable chancellor. When he and Boris worked together such as on the furlough scheme they were unstoppable. Rishi was principled, always insisting that we needed to worry about borrowing and to manage the public finances responsibly. No, we shouldn't borrow to pay for social care, we had to put up National Insurance to pay for it, he insisted. On this Thatcherite principle he has, of course, been proven profoundly right in recent weeks. As he warned, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng risked undermining confidence in the economy with their debt-funded spending spree. Rishi also has a compelling personal story this son of a GP and pharmacist who came to the UK from East Africa is far from the silver spoon millionaire the Left would like to portray him as. As he warned, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng risked undermining confidence in the economy with their debt-funded spending spree And like all effective ministers, he has built a highly capable team around him. His chief of staff Liam Booth-Smith and communications chief Nerissa Chesterfield are young but experienced and, critically, united around serving their boss rather than jostling for position with each other. (They have also been brilliant at finding new locations where they can put their boss at the top of a flight of steps, to disguise his shortness). As he began his reshuffle yesterday, there were clear signs that Rishi acknowledges the need to balance different wings of the party as well as prioritising competence in ministerial posts. But however adept he is at putting the right pieces in the right places on the board, there will inevitably be a rump of disgruntled former ministers sent to the backbenches the inevitable consequence of a party that has been in government for more than a decade and cycled through four prime ministers. Indeed, there have never been more of these former 'ministers-for-something-or-other' sitting several rows behind the PM at PMQs while grinding their teeth at their unacknowledged brilliance. His chief of staff Liam Booth-Smith, pictured, and communications chief Nerissa Chesterfield are young but experienced and, critically, united around serving their boss rather than jostling for position with each other At one point under Boris, more than one in four of all Tory backbenchers had previously held a ministerial job and given the number of reshuffles since, that number is undoubtedly higher today. What this creates is an inherent volatility in Parliament, which goes some way to explaining why, despite having an 80-odd seat majority when we were in government, it never really felt like it. These legions of malcontents, if they decide to, can cause merry hell in blocking government Bills. After all the time lost to Covid, there is a great raft of legislation that needs to get done to fulfil the promises of the 2019 manifesto, the document that Rishi rightly pointed to for his democratic mandate yesterday. If it isn't delivered, the party will remain 30-plus points behind in the polls. Take this path, the path of continued internecine warfare, and the consequence is undoubtedly electoral death, and in all likelihood a scale of political reckoning not seen since 1997. Hobble Rishi and the Tories lose in 2024 there is no option of another change of leader. So I urge my fellow Followers of Boris to get behind the new PM. And as for those disaffected former ministers, they need to undergo the voluntary self-lobotomisation of the part of their brains Boris correctly identified, which puts personal ambition before the party, the country and the public. Rishi Sunak's rapid rise to become the first British Asian Prime Minister is a reminder that ours is one of the most open and inclusive societies on Earth. Under Conservative governments, we have been led by the first three female prime ministers. They have appointed the first non-white chancellors, and foreign and home secretaries, along with many other senior posts. None of these ministers has been promoted because of their race or sex, but solely because of their talents. This model of diversity should be a source of pride for Conservatives, of course, but also for black and Asian communities and, indeed, the whole country. Not for the Labour Party, though, where the politics of envy still reign supreme as this week's attacks on the new Prime Minister, sneeringly labelled 'Rishi Rich', demonstrate only too vividly. In this case, the envy is rendered even more toxic by blatant racism. Rishi Sunak's rapid rise to become the first British Asian Prime Minister is a reminder that ours is one of the most open and inclusive societies on Earth Admirable The Left misses no opportunity to encourage racial divisions. No sooner had Mr Sunak been elected than Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP for Nottingham East, tweeted: 'Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister isn't a win for Asian representation.' As a 'multi-millionaire', he was written off by Miss Whittome before he had even set foot in No 10. 'Black, white or Asian: if you work for a living, he is not on your side.' Just think about that for a moment. According to Miss Whittome, just because Mr Sunak happens to have been highly successful in business before entering politics, his incredible achievement in becoming the first British Asian to hold his great office does not count. No matter that Rishi's success owes everything to hard graft and aspiration Nadia Whittome clearly considers those admirable qualities a sin. As the Mail reported yesterday, Rishi's family hardly comes from a privileged background: his grandmother grew up in a remote hut in Tanzania. But so determined to better her opportunities was she, that she sold her wedding jewellery to fund a one-way air ticket to Britain to find work. Within a year she had earned enough to bring the rest of her family over, including Rishi's mother, Usha. Usha worked hard at school and studied pharmacy at Aston University, where she met Rishi's father, Yashvir, who had come to Britain from Kenya and was studying medicine. Rishi's mother Usha (right) worked hard at school and studied pharmacy at Aston University, where she met his father, Yashvir (left), who had come to Britain from Kenya and was studying medicine The story of the Sunaks is a classic one of hard-working, middle-class immigrants: they moved to Southampton, where Yashvir was a GP, while Usha ran a pharmacy. They scrimped and saved to put Rishi through Winchester College, where fees are now 43,000 a year. He was mortified that he failed to get a scholarship, which would have meant reduced fees. The point is that, just like countless parents, they made huge sacrifices for their son. He later said he didn't realise how much of a struggle it was for them: 'Everything was about providing this great education for their kids.' He credits them with imbuing in him a ferocious work ethic that led to Oxford and then Stanford University in California, where he studied for an MBA and met his wife Akshata Murty, the daughter of an Indian billionaire who also, incidentally, started with nothing. Surely Rishi Sunak's education and career path is a model to be admired, rather than sneered at. From university, he went on to join the investment bank Goldman Sachs. And, yes, began to make a lot of money in his own right. In the eyes of Miss Whittome and others on the Left, that is to be held against him. But why on Earth should it be denigrated? What point exactly, are these critics on the Left trying to make? Are they saying that hard work and aspiration of the kind so impressively displayed by the Sunaks is a terrible idea? Whatever the case, to imply that there is no room at the top for those who start at the bottom is a peculiarly vile prejudice. And since so many on the Left hold this position, it begs another important question. How would Sir Keir Starmer's Labour regard the kind of success epitomised by the Sunaks should he end up in No 10? He credits his parents with imbuing in him a ferocious work ethic that led to Oxford and then Stanford University in California, where he studied for an MBA and met his wife Akshata Murty (pictured), the daughter of an Indian billionaire who also, incidentally, started with nothing. Would they begin to undermine the strivers? There is the great danger that the unsavoury politics of envy so readily on show this week could seep into government policy. Nadia Whittome is not the only Labour MP, after all, to demonstrate her prejudice against aspirational people from ethnic minorities. Just a few weeks ago, Rupa Huq, then Labour MP for Ealing, said that the then Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, was only 'superficially . . . a black man'. 'If you hear [Mr Kwarteng] on the Today Programme,' Miss Huq told an audience at the Labour Party conference, 'you wouldn't know he is black.' For these shockingly racist remarks, Rupa Huq was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party by Starmer and rightly so. She has since apologised. Unforgivable With typical generosity, Mr Kwarteng who has Ghanaian heritage and, like Mr Sunak, has been both academically and commercially successful chose to dismiss this scurrilous attack. Yet such attitudes are all too common in the Labour Party and elsewhere on Left, where middle-class aspiration is the unforgivable sin a sin horribly compounded, it seems, if your origins are in an ethnic minority and you happen to be a Conservative. One of the brightest rising stars on the centre Right is Kemi Badenoch, the International Trade Secretary. Her story, like Rishi Sunak's, is an inspiring one. Born in Britain, Kemi spent her childhood in Nigeria, where she silenced boys who made disparaging comments about girls by citing the example of Margaret Thatcher. One of the brightest rising stars on the centre Right is Kemi Badenoch (pictured). Her story, like Rishi Sunak's, is an inspiring one. Aged 16, she came here to live with relatives. She paid her own way through school and college, learning to be self-sufficient and to earn a living. She joined the Conservatives aged 25, entered Parliament as MP for Saffron Walden and has been repeatedly denounced ever since because she has consistently refused to adhere to the Left's doctrine about race and aspiration. 'They profess to be pro-women and pro-ethnic minorities, but if you don't sign up to their cause, they'll hate you even more than they do privileged white males,' she said. Denounced As a minister, Mrs Badenoch fiercely defended a government-commissioned report on racial disparities by Dr Tony Sewell that concluded that Britain's multiracial society was, in fact, a model to the world. For questioning Left-wing assumptions about 'institutional racism', Dr Sewell found himself subjected to a torrent of abuse. The Labour MP Clive Lewis tweeted a picture of the Ku Klux Klan, while Dr Sewell's academic credentials were questioned by Professor Priyamvada Gopal of Cambridge University. Having been corrected over them, she replied: 'Even Dr Goebbels [the Nazi propaganda minister] had a research PhD.' These attacks on Rishi Sunak are part of the same ugly history that, over the years, has seen countless public figures denounced and derided in the most despicable manner. Who could forget the disgraceful reaction of the Left to the death in 2013 of Margaret Thatcher, one of the greatest prime ministers in our history? On social media the Judy Garland song 'Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead' went viral. Dave Hopper, general secretary of the Durham Miners' Association, declared: 'It's a great day . . . she did more damage to us than Hitler did.' The one consolation in this ugly story is that the negative personal campaign against Britain's first Asian Prime Minister will almost certainly backfire. For voters will once again be reminded that Labour really is the 'nasty party'. Like many of us, Grace Beverley used to struggle to motivate herself to go to the gym. The thought of burpee after burpee just didn't appeal, no matter how great the results. So she started an Instagram account to make her more accountable, recording how well or how badly her quest for fitness was going each day. Her unique blend of workout videos and refreshingly honest posts about her journey under the handle 'GracefitUK' struck a chord with many and she quickly built a massive audience on Instagram - today she's followed by over a million people. And it led to her spotting a gap in the market and setting up Tala, which produces sustainable yet affordable activewear in the UK. It has been so successful that last year the company secured more than 4m in investment and Grace, now 25, is currently in New York having just launched the brand in America. Talking business: Grace Beverley launched her successful brand three and a half years ago 'I wasn't looking for a gap in the market,' she says, 'but when I moved away from fast fashion in my everyday clothes, I realised I'd forgotten activewear. 'I looked into more sustainable solutions but while the activewear market was booming, there was pretty much nothing when it came to sustainability. 'A few places were doing it well in the United States but it was a lot more expensive so with Tala I set out to create sustainable activewear at a price point where you didn't need to pay for the privilege of being more ethical.' Three-and-a-half years ago she launched the brand, not even waiting to complete her finals at Oxford University. 'Once I'd really got to grips with how much this was needed, it was less about taking a leap and more about being convinced it was insane it hadn't been done already,' says Grace. 'To me it would've seemed more insane not to go for it.' One of the keys to Tala's incredible success was its founder's willingness to use Meta's personalised advertising tools. This meant that Grace could reach her dream customers very easily, asking Facebook and Instagram to show her ads to people who had already shown an interest in things like fitness and sustainability. A passion that became a successful business: Grace Beverley set up Tala fitness wear 'We've been using personalised advertising and Meta's services for a long time,' she says. 'We've found it's able to give us insights every time we use it and we can learn from it almost immediately.' They can see which ads are really resonating with potential customers and pull any that aren't. 'As a small business, there's nothing more valuable than making sure you're able to adapt and move with the spend. I can't imagine building Tala without that,' says Grace. As the company has such a fanbase it's been known to have waiting lists 13,000 strong for certain products. So being able to switch off ads the moment something sells out is also invaluable. 'You don't want to be paying for advertising for something you can't sell,' says Grace. Over time the types of adverts Tala uses has changed. 'A few years ago, ads were very 'ad like',' says Grace. 'Now they're almost like our organic social media content customers want to feel like they're on Facetime with a friend who's telling them how much they love their leggings.' In fact Tala often use what works well on social media as adverts something she advises other companies to do as they're establishing themselves. Buzzword: Grace says building a community that advocates for your brand is vitally important 'Don't see organic and paid-for social media as different. One of the best parts of Facebook and Instagram is that people respond very similarly to ads as they do organic content. 'You need to be testing paid via your organic see what organic posts get the highest engagement and pop that on an ad and see how it works. 'If your organic customer responds to something then your ideal personalised customer is likely to respond in the same way too.' But personalised advertising isn't just a bonus for businesses, says Grace, it's also a bonus for their customers too. 'When I'm spending time on my phone on Instagram or Facebook, if there's something I'm looking for then I want to be able to find the best one so it's beneficial on both sides. 'Customers who have been looking for sustainable activewear for a long time, suddenly they're able to find it as businesses are able to reach their perfect customers and that's hugely valuable. It's such a win-win to have that relationship.' Growing a community on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram is also vital for long-term success, she says. 'Community is one of the biggest buzzwords in start-ups and there's such a clear reason for it: your community isn't about people purchasing from every job but believing in your business and being able to advocate for your brand. 'All of the most successful businesses springing up at the moment are the ones who have strong communities around them.' An equally strong community can be found at Grace's other business Shreddy, again set up at university even before Tala. 'It's got such a special place in my heart our goal is to make fitness more fun. The whole concept is believing you shouldn't do workouts you hate to get results you love so we match your preferences and your goals to give you your perfect workout plan. 'It's a very different type of business to Tala far more based on subscriptions, and less about constant acquisition. 'We've used personalised ads on Facebook and Instagram from right at the beginning to make sure we were reaching the right people.' For now Grace is concentrating on the US launch and hiring the right people to grow her business. 'What's most exciting is knowing that customers love our activewear, buy it again, and tell their friends about it. It tells me that opportunities are endless in terms of creating an activewear brand that is better, where you don't have to compromise on style or fit and that people feel really happy about.' WHAT ARE PERSONALISED ADS? Personalised ads run on Facebook and Instagram and can help your business get found. They put your message in front of the right people, out of the millions who already connect on Facebook and Instagram every day, while protecting their personal information and privacy choices. You control how much you want to spend, so you can set the right budget at any timewith the ability to help grow and scale whenever you're ready. Grace Beverley is taking part in Meta's campaign to show how businesses get found through personalised ads. Find out more about personalised ads on Instagram and Facebook here The granddaughter of an 80s actor who starred in the hit fantasy flick Time Bandits has slammed Taika Waititi's Apple TV+ series reboot of the classic for its casting choices. Abbie Grace, 22, has taken to social media to voice her disappointment that no one with dwarfism appears to have been listed in the cast announcement so far, with Friends alum Lisa Kudrow set to lead the remake. The granddaughter of Jack Purvis - who played Wally in the original - has demanded an explanation for why the director is 'tarnishing her late grandfather's legacy'. Abbie, who is also an actress from Scotland, added she feels 'forgotten', after initially feeling excited about the opportunities the upcoming release may offer for actors of shorter stature like herself. Abbie Grace, 22, has taken to social media to voice her disappointment that no one with short stature appears to have been listed in the cast announcement so far, with Friends alum Lisa Kudrow set to lead the remake Last month Deadline reported that Lisa Kudrow (left) will join a cast which already boasts Kal-El Tuck from Unseeing Evil, House star Charlyne Yi (right) and Martyrs Lane actress Kiera Thompson - although it is not clear if they will play the Time Bandits in question Speaking in a TikTok, she said: 'When I heard there was going to be a series, I was over the moon. 'I happen to also be an actor, thanks to my grandfather and I finally thought that people like me were going to be represented in my generation and not always have to refer to an 80s film.' She then detailed finding out that 'average height' actors have been cast, feeling 'baffled' by the choice. Last month Deadline reported that Lisa Kudrow will join a cast which already boasts Kal-El Tuck from Unseeing Evil, House star Charlyne Yi and Martyrs Lane actress Kiera Thompson - although it is not clear if they will play the Time Bandits in question. The outlet also said Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte and Rachel House will feature in roles. The fantasy movie followed the adventures of a young boy called Kevin - played by Craig Warnock - and famously featured six actors of shorter stature in the main cast, including Abbie's grandfather Jack, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, and Tiny Ross The granddaughter of Jack Purvis (pictured) - who played Wally in the original - has demanded an explanation for why the director is 'tarnishing her late grandfather's legacy' Taika's production is based on Terry Gilliam's 1981 film of the same name which starred industry heavyweights like Sean Connery, John Cleese and Ian Holm. The fantasy movie followed the adventures of a young boy called Kevin - played by Craig Warnock - and famously featured six actors with dwarfism in the main cast, including Abbie's grandfather Jack, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, and Tiny Ross. Abbie continued: 'Time Bandits is the only film that's ever represented people like me in a way that isn't seen as a goblin or one of Snow White's seven little men. 'This was a film that changed the times and it was ahead of the times to be honest because people like me weren't treated the same as they are now. The upcoming release is based on Terry Gilliam's 1981 film of the same name which starred Sean Connery, John Cleese and Ian Holm among others Deadline earlier reported that Apple has finally greenlit the project which has been in development since 2019. A shot from the original film pictured 'For a generation that is so big on talking about inclusivity and diversity and making sure that everyone's heard, this whole casting choice just seems absurd.' MailOnline has reached out to Apple TV+ and Taika Waititi's representatives for comment. Deadline earlier reported that Apple has finally greenlit the project which has been in development since 2019. Taika will also direct the first two episodes of the series which follows 'a young boy who discovers a time-traveling portal in his bedroom,' according to the series' IMDb page. Time Bandits does not currently have a release date. A chilling new Paramount+ documentary sheds light on a bizarre phone scam where fast-food managers were tricked into strip-searching workers. Pervert: Hunting the Strip Search Caller, which will be available on the streaming platform from today, follows the disturbing story of Louise Ogborn, 18, who fell victim to the scammer while working at her local McDonald's restaurant in Mount Washington, Kentucky, in 2004. During the call, which last three hours and 30 minutes, Ogborn was asked to remove her uniform layer by layer by assistant manager Donna Summers and later by her fiance Walter Nix, who was called in by Summers to help. The stripping escalated to sexual assault, before the scam was found out and the caller hung up. The investigation into Ogborn's case found that there had been several similar incidents happening across state lines from as early as 1994. The investigation eventually led to the arrest of David Richard Stewart, who was charged with impersonating a police officer and solicitation of sodomy but acquitted of all charges in 2006. No one else was ever found guilty of the crime, and calls stopped after Stewart's arrest, police later stated. A documentary delves into the disturbing story of Louise Ogborn, 18, who fell victim to a perverted phone scam while working at her local McDonald's restaurant in Mount Washington, Kentucky, in 2004. She was forced to strip and to perform sexual acts on the restaurant's manager during the 3h30 ordeal Ogborn later sued McDonald's for $200million in damages, saying they failed to protect her. She was awarded $5million in punitive damages and $1.1million in compensation, but eventually settled for $1.1million after McDonald's appealed the initial amount In 2006, David Stewart, who was suspected of having orchestrated the calls to the restaurants, including Louise's was found not guilty. Police later said calls stopped following his arrest In 1999, a pizza parlour worker from Blackfoot, Idaho, named Elizabeth was strip searched by her mamager during a similar scam call. She was only 16 In the documentary, Buddy Stump, the detective who took on Louise's case, now retired, recounted how he was called to the scene after the incident. The mastermind behind the call had phoned the restaurant earlier in the evening, claiming to be 'Officer Scott' from the local police department. 'Officer Scott' said he'd received a report that that an employee had stolen $50 from a customer's purse. He gave a vague description of a petite blonde woman, identified by assistant manager Donna Summers as Louise Ogborn, who was working overtime that evening. Louise was called to the back office, where Donna Summers, who was still on the phone with the perpetrator, informed her of what was going on. CCTV footage showed assistant manager Donna Summers and Louise Ogborn in the McDonald's office during the call 'I was so distraught, I remember being upset that someone thought I could do something so horrible,'Louise later said in 2007. Local news anchor Connie Leonard said in the documentary, giving a rundown of the bizarre events that took place during the call: 'Even Louise complies. She's probably thinking, "They'll realize this isn't me and I'll just obey right now and hopefully they'll help me out of this situation".' However, the call descended into pure hell for 18-year Louise. During the ordeal, the caller instructed Donna to make the teenager layer by layer to make sure she wasn't hiding the money on her person. Once she was naked, she was handed an apron to cover herself. Another employee was then tasked with bagging up Louise's clothes and moving them to her car, which meant she was stuck in the room. 'I didn't know what was behind the door, I didn't know if anyone was waiting for me and I didn't want to run out naked, I was really scared,' Louise said. In the interview, which was shared in the documentary, Louise also said she 'feared for her life' during the assault. Elizabeth, pictured now, said she felt 'extremely violated' by the 1999 incident but didn't feel empowered at the time to escape it At this point, Donna Summers, who was in charge of the restaurant, began to question why the call was taking so long. 'And every time she starts to wonder "why is this taking so long?" he has an answer. "We're on our way, we just don't have many people working today, just bear with us." That sounds like a legitimate answer for Summers,' Connie said. 'However, she needs to get back to work, and the officer says "Well, look. Do you have a man in your life who you trust? Do you have a husband, a boyfriend, someone who you can maybe bring in who could watch her until we get there?" 'And so Donna Summers says "Yes, I have a fiance Walter, he could come down".' 'I'm thinking, "What part of the right thing to do did you think this was?",' Stump said in the documentary. Things escalated after Donna Summers left the room, with Walter Nix Jr now being instructed by the caller to smell Louise's breath and ask her to kiss him. The 18-year-old was also instructed to show her genitalia to Walter Nix Jr to prove she had not hidden the $50 bill there. Speaking in the documentary, news anchor Connie Leonard said the caller knew that smaller towns would have young, impressionable people working at their fast-food restaurants David Stewart, pictured during his 2006 trial, told police he had never bought a phone card, but a search of his home at the time found a card that had been used to call nine restaurants in the past year 'The caller was telling me to say "yes sir, no sir" and if I didn't do it I'd "get punished",' Louise recalled, adding: 'I was petrified.' CCTV footage of the ordeal saw a visibly distraught Louise bursting into tears and wiping her eyes several times throughout the call. During the time they spent in the room, it was revealed that Louise was also coerced into giving oral sex to Walter Nix Jr in order to avoid punshiment. Afterwards, Donna Summers' boyfriend realized he had done something 'wrong' and left the room. It was reported at the time of the incident that Nix Jr had called a friend, saying: 'I have done something terribly bad.' Summers then phoned a higher-level manager that the caller had claimed they had spoken to earlier. The manager had been sleeping and said he was not aware of a police operation going on. At this point, the phone call was disconnected. Ogborn, pictured during her lawsuit against McDonald's, dropped out of pre-med and underwent therapy for PTSD and depression following the ordeal According to some eye-witness accounts, Summers became distraught and began to frantically apologize. She later broke off her engagement to Walter Nix Jr. An employee thought to dial *69 to get the number of the last caller before anyone else could call the restaurant, which later helped the police investigation. Ogborn was released from the office, wrapped in a blanket, and Nix Jr was charged with sexual assault, while officers began to look into who the man behind the call could be. The investigation into the call found that Louise's case was the latest in a series of disturbing scam calls made to other restaurant countrywide, with other young women being put in similar vulnerable situations. Speaking in the documentary, a woman only identified as Elizabeth, which was the perpetrator's 26th documented call, talked of her experience. 'That person was smart enough to know that smaller cities might have young, impressionable people working at their fast food restaurants,' Connie Leonard said. Elizabeth was 16 and had taken a job at her local pizza parlor in Blackfoot Idaho when the restaurant received a phone call. 'I was raised to respect the authority of people in charge of me, teachers, people at church, people who are older than me,' she said in the documentary. 'I was a loyal, dutiful, always early employee. 'The manager told me he was on the phone with someone named Officer Davis, from the Blackfoot police department.' The caller used the excuse of reported theft at the restaurant to order the manager to perform a strip search on Elizabeth. The manager complied, even though the caller only gave an evasive description of the employee who had allegedly taken the money. 'What the hoax caller is doing on the phone is giving a very vague description and he knows there would be a young employee that fits the description of a petite, meek young woman,' Connie explained. 'I was protesting, I was adamant it wasn't ne. No matter what I said, the officer had a probable, plausible, reasonable answer for everything,' Elizabeth recalled. 'it began with removing my shoes, than my pants and then it was my uniform shirt, so just the progression of one item at a time with lots of talk between,' she recounted. 'The caller seems to love the slow pace of this, starts off easy to see if he can reel the people in,' Connie commented. The wait and length of the call drove Elizabeth to feeling 'more and more hysterical,' she said. 'I'm just pleading and pleading. I just kept saying "this isn't right, this isn't right",' she said. 'He was asking my manager to describe my body. He wanted him to describe my breast, what my genitalia looked like and even my bra size. 'That's when I snatched the phone away screaming "how in the world could my bra cup size and all that type of stuff have anything at all to do with this allegedly stolen $50.' But in spite of feeling something was wrong and feeling 'extremely violated and traumatized', Elizabeth revealed she didn't 'feel empowered enough to feel to get out of there.' She was eventually rescued by another employee, called Derek who came to the restaurant and felt something was wrong. When he heard that Elizabeth was being strip searched, he took the phone and said that a police officer should know it's illegal to strip search a minor, which prompted the caller to hang up the phone. After the incident, Elizabeth went to the police, however, she claimed that law enforcement didn't intend to follow up and that the case 'wasn't a priority for them.' Eventually, the investigation into Louise Ogborn's case found that the caller had contacted her restaurant using a At&T phone card at a payphone in Panama City. Using the card's serial number, the investigative team were able to find where the card has been purchased and pulled CCTV from the store. Footage revealed the purchaser in the Panama City video was wearing a correctional officer's uniform which resembled the ones used by a private security firm called Corrections Corporation of America. The suspect was later identified as David R. Stewart a married man with five children who was then arrested. While being questioned by police, Stewart claimed he never bought a phone card, however, a search found one at his home that had been used to call nine restaurants that year. The search also found police uniforms, accessories and dozens of applications to police department jobs, which suggested Stewart had fantasized about being a police officer. At the close of the investigation, Stewart was charged with falsely impersonating a police officer and for soliciting sodomy and faced 15 years in prison. However, at his trial in 2006, he was acquitted of all charges, with prosecution thinking that the lack of direct evidence linking him to the crime might have led to the non-guilty verdict. Walter Nix Jr was charged with sexual assault and was sentenced to five years in prison, while Donna Summers was sentenced to one year probation. After the case, Louise dropped out of the University of Louisville, where she had intended to study pre-md, and underwent therapy for PTSD and depression. Meanwhile, Donna Summers was fired by McDonald's for her involved in the call, based on the fact she had violated corporate policies that forbade strip-searches of employees, and also forbade non-employees to access the McDonald's office. In 2007, Ogborn sued McDonald's for $200million on the grounds that corporate head offices were aware that restaurants were at risk of scam calls and failed to act on that threat. That claim was made on the fact that the company had defended themselves against lawsuits over similar incidents in four other states. Another ground for the company had also failed to act on the scam call threat by ignoring the recommendations made by McDonald's own chief of security in a memo to McDonald's upper management. Summers also sued McDonald's for $50million, claiming they had failed to warn her about the previous hoaxes. At the end of the trial, the wronged employee was awarded $5million in punitive damages, $1.1 million in compensatory damages and expenses. McDonald's were also ordered to pay Ogborn and Summers' lawyers' $2.4 million in legal fees. After the case was appealed by McDonald's several times, Louise settled for 1.1million Pervert: Hunting the Strip Search Caller is available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ now Home Search ICH Question Everything! Purpose and Intent of this website: What Is To Be Done? By Paul Edwards October 25, 2022: Information Clearing House -- Not an original title for a piece that will assert we are in a unique moment in world history? No, Lenin used it to expose the cruelty and villainy of the empire that ruled Russians like a slave master. Claiming we are in a unique moment is not original, either. We Americans, with our caudal appendage, Europe, have been told time and again we are in unique moments, unmatched in its peril, so that its now routine to say it of every asinine Presidential election. I have spent a lifetime reading and listening to the best minds in journalism and reportage bemoan, attack, mourn, and decry the encyclopedia of lunacies and disasters our system has inflicted on our country, the world, and ourselves, its naive, ignorant people. Since the Gulf War, and the rolling chain of shameful absurdities that followedIraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, et.al.in the idiotic dirty joke of the bumbling War on Terror, I have seen the mainstream press devoured by the Capitalist Monster to the point where all voices of integrity have been marginalized and expelled, then denounced and vilified by the diseased whores who slunk into their places. Now, with Americas ridiculous, transparent, and contemptible falsity so obvious in every aspect of governance at home and abroad, I have seen the entire press converted into an organ of crude and dishonest propaganda for the Capitalist War Machine that is coldly, inhumanly dictating our demise. The viciously dishonest and relentlessly stupid storm of juvenile horseshit disseminated by all mainstream outlets print, tv, and internetis an ethical crime of diabolical dimensions. Our government, with its cadre of vacuous, degraded simpletons, men and women of no intellectual size, depth, or scope, profoundly ignorant yet arrogant in their smarmy inadequacy, is restricting and distorting knowingly all truth that conflicts with the malign intentions of the War Lobby to pursue nuclear war with Russia until they get it. And, of course, they need a second enemy and so must tell China what it can and cant do. Where do these moronic fuckers get the brass to try that shameless madness with Xi and his power? And this is done while the few strong voices of courage and integrity that, against all the power of money and corruption of The Empire, continue to try to provide an educating effect through reason and evidence, are exiled and suppressed from platforms of influence. I have long wondered at their dedication and staying power in the face of the cynical, unwarranted abuse they get, including, of course, from their supposed colleagues who, collectively, arent worth the powder to blow them to hell, as my Dakota Grandpa used to say. I can only assume they are held together, in place, by the unbreakable fiber of integrity in them that they have no choice but to honor. And yet, though those few and proud speak out against false America and denounce it where denunciation is richly warranted, I feel, even in their most blistering analyses that there is a conviction, a certainty, an honest, incontestable statement of truth, that is missing. I had hoped to hear it expressed by those who have great credibility, and great reputations, profiles and followings, but I have been disappointed. My list of heroes is not long. I acknowledge them as the heirs to the great ones before: Ed Murrow, Eric Sevareid, David Brinkley, Walter Cronkite, Sy Hersh, David Halberstam. I include among the present greats Chris Hedges, John Pilger, Aaron Mate, Michael Brenner, Max Blumenthal, Patrick Lawrence, Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, and Julian Assange. All of them have done honest, deeply informed work to counter the rampant imbecility and cruelty of the American government and its stenographers, the press. The one conclusion none has plainly stated, that all have suggested, is neither obscure nor complicated. It is this: America can not be reformed or improved under Capitalism. Its corrupt, rotten burlesque democracy must and will be destroyed. Not by any action of the torpid, gelded, stupid people. It will come, and soon, by financial chaos and meltdown, or by nuclear war. * * * We are told that unless bold action is taken, unless we find the moral courage to act, unless we come together, get money out of politics, vote for better candidates, unless we do this, that, or the other thing, disaster will follow. Sadly, that is all nonsense. In fact, it makes no difference what we do: America, as a viable state, is finished. This is intolerably painful to admit. Every instinct of self-preservation, every human yearning for safety and justice rejects it. All our training, our education, our immersion in bullshit propaganda screams against it but, admitted or not, it is fact, it is truth, and collapse of Americas baselessly arrogant, obscene, punishing oppression of the compliant world, already tenuous and strained, is coming. And soon It is said to be easier for people to imagine the end of the world, than the end of Capitalism. This will end soon when it will no longer be necessary to imagine either, because both will have happened. In the same way that socio-political truth has been screened out by official deceit, environmental truth has been obscured and denied by our own and the worlds rulers. What Capitalism has done to humans is trivial beside what its done to the earth and all living things. In this, too, we are told that if we can just do this or that the world will recover and all will be well. It wont. No matter what we do. And that will almost certainly be what we have done up to now: nothing. Humans, mostly, are large, dull children. They have a great need to feel loved, protected, pardoned, saved. Thats why they were given religions by elites that have always owned them. All dogmatic religions are bullshit by definition, their fatuous fraud shown up by every advance of knowledge from Galileo to the Webb Telescope. I, like all my kind, wish for mercy and grace, but I dont look for it in a ludicrous infantile fantasy, or in deluded hope where there is clearly none. Both religion and science, in the hands of priests and hustlers, have set us up for unavoidable misery and suffering, and arranged for the suicide of our species and the murder of the living world. There is nothing you can do about this. We have the ability to love those we hold dear, and the world we have known. Let that be enough, for it is all you will ever have. Paul Edwards is a writer and film-maker in Montana. He can be reached at: hgmnude@bresnan.net Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Reader financed- No Advertising - No Government Grants - No Algorithm - This Is Independent Get Our Free Newsletter Registration is not necessary to post comments. We ask only that you do not use obscene or offensive language. Please be respectful of others. See also Search Information Clearing House The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. Meghan Markle is set to speak on the 'power of women' at a lavish dinner event in the US next month, it has been announced. The Duchess of Sussex, 41, who is currently living in her $14 million California mansion with Prince Harry after stepping back from royal duty, will be interviewed on-stage during the event billed '"The Power of Women: An Evening with Meghan". The royal will take to the stage with Rabbi Sandy Sasso, the first woman rabbi ordained by the Reconstructionist Judiasm movement, at the event , which takes place at the Marriot Downtown Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 29. Tickets for the event costs a whopping $5,000 per table, with any photography or recording on the night banned. It is not known how much Meghan will have been paid for the appearance, however PR experts previously predicted she could earn up to 1 million per speech. Meghan Markle is set to speak on the 'power of women' at an evening event in the US next month - with tickets costing $5,000 per table The Duchess of Sussex will be interviewed on-stage during the event billed '"The Power of Women: An Evening with Meghan" The online description for the event details: 'Womens Fund is proud to welcome Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, to Indianapolis. 'The Duchess is a mother, feminist, and champion of human rights. She is a lifelong advocate for women and girls, a constant thread she weaves through humanitarian and business ventures. 'Rabbi Sandy Sasso, an acclaimed writer and community leader, will serve as moderator for the evening. 'Rabbi Sandy Sasso is the first woman rabbi ordained by the Reconstructionist movement and previously served at Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis. An online description for the event sees Meghan described as 'a lifelong advocate for women and girls, a constant thread she weaves through humanitarian and business ventures' 'Tables for Power of Women are available for purchase to groups and organizations that support the mission of Womens Fund.' The event has been organised by the Womens Fund of Central Indiana - a non-profit which assists local woman experiencing hardship or disadvantage. Who is Sandy Sasso? Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is the first woman to have been ordained a rabbi in Reconstructionist Judaism. She was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, on May 19, 1974. As one of the few women rabbinical students, Sasso naturally became a leader in defining women's changing roles within Judaism. Sasso holds title to many firsts as a female rabbi. She is also the author of many children's books on religious topics. Advertisement The Duchess is following in the footsteps of other celebrities with the appearance - other keynote speakers have included former first lady Michelle Obama. Experts previously predicted Meghan could earn up to 1 million for giving a speech. In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined New York-based Harry Walker Agency, which represents the Obamas and the Clintons. PR expert Mark Borkowski told The Sun the pair will 'clean up'. They plan to be available for talks on social issues including racial justice, gender equality, the environment and mental health, according to the LA Times. 'I'm surprised they haven't done this sooner. It will be one of the great income generators for them. The speaker's circuit is a natural safe space for them to plunder,' he added. The Harry Walker Agency has high profile clients, many of whom are friends of the Duke and Duchess, including Prince Harrys environmentalist friend Jane Goodall and Oprah Winfrey. Others include Meghan's best friend Serena Williams and the actor Tyler Perry whose $18million (15million) Beverly Hills mansion they are living in. News of Meghan's latest appearance comes as she faces backlash for saying Deal or No Deal 'reduced her to a bimbo.' Meghan made the comments while speaking on her new Archetypes podcast with Paris Hilton. The episode, called Breaking Down the Bimbo, heard Meghan say she wants her daughter Lilibet to be valued first for her mind, rather than 'beauty not brains' as she was on the TV gameshow. 'I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks. And little substance,' the Duchess said of her 34-episode stint on the show. News of Meghan's latest appearance comes as she faces backlash for saying Deal or No Deal 'reduced her to a bimbo' Women who appeared on the show at the same time as Meghan, tell a rather different story from the Duchess. They say the atmosphere was fun rather than oppressive or sleazy Actress and chat show host Whoopi Goldberg said Meghan's remarks were naive. 'That's TV, baby. But what did you think you were going to? You know that's what the show was,' she said. 'When you're a performer, you take the gig.' Women who appeared on the show at the same time as Meghan, tell a rather different story from the Duchess. They say the atmosphere was fun rather than oppressive or sleazy. One of the briefcase girls who worked with Meghan was Lisa Gleave, a successful Australian model, TV presenter and actress now living in LA. Like Meghan, she had to master the art of walking downstairs in a dress and five-inch heels, holding a briefcase and remembering the cardinal rule: look delighted for the contestant if things go well for them and sad if not. Gleave told the Mail of her stint on Deal Or No Deal that she felt 'blessed and lucky to have been on it', adding: 'For me it was a joy and a great career move. Most of the girls would say that.' She said: 'I never looked at it as a show that objectified women. The cast and crew treated us very well. It was a professional set. For many of us, it was a stepping stone on our careers and we went on to greater things.' While Lisa acknowledged the show 'revolved around beautiful women', they were 'all smart and intelligent women and nobody treated us like bimbos'. Dina Cerchione, a stylist who worked on Deal or No deal as well as for shows across several networks including CBS, NBC, ABC, Netflix and HBO, said 'it's been a rough week watching a show I love so much be criticized.' 'It was one of the most wonderful, challenging, high-profile gigs of my career and I loved every minute of it,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Everyone on the show from my wardrobe team to the producers, the crew, hair and makeup, Howie and especially the models worked SO very hard to make the shows the best they could for the contestants and the fans who adored it. 'I have thought a lot about this, I wouldn't change a thing. 'We all knew how lucky we were and how special our TV family was. There was a mission at work to do the best we could, take care of our full team and treat everyone with the respect they earned and deserved.' Cerchione also said the show was 'a launch pad for so many of the women,' noting 'hosting and being on other television shows,' and even 'being on Oprah' a possible reference to Meghan's bombshell interview. Meghan Markle has said she 'makes a choice' to be 'grounded' because 'things are going to be said no matter' how she behaves in the latest episode of her podcast. The Duchess of Sussex, 41, was joined by comedians Issa Rae and Ziwe on her new episode of Archetypes which was released today and titled 'Upending The Angry Black Women Myth'. During the episode, the mother-of-two discussed watching Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn into the Supreme Court bench and how the judge had shown 'restraint' in hearings while being questioned by Republican senators. After her guest Issa praised her for 'doing a wonderful job' after the others 'found attacks, Meghan said: 'There is a pressure to do that not just for herself, but to do that for all of us. Meghan Markle , 41, as said she 'makes a choice' to be 'grounded' because 'things that are going to be said no matter' how she behaves in the latest episode 'Which is the same way, you're saying you're carrying yourself and what I think....You make a choice. 'You make a choice to be as grounded as possible in what we share, because of all the things that are going to be said no matter what.' Elsewhere in the episode, Meghan said 'telling people what you need does not make you demanding' as she claimed black women are labelled 'angry' in her latest Archetypes podcast on Spotify. Discussing her behaviour in work situations, the Duchess said she often finds herself 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' due to the feeling she cannot say what she wants without being perceived negatively. The Duchess of Sussex was joined by comedians Issa Rae and Ziwe on her new episode of Archetypes which was released today and titled 'Upending The Angry Black Women Myth' During the episode, the royal mother-of-two discussed watching Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn into the Supreme Court bench and how the judge had shown 'restraint' in hearings while being questioned by Republican senators 'The thing I find the most embarrassing is when you're saying a sentence and the intonation goes up - like it's a question. And you're like, ''oh my God, stop stop, like whispering and tiptoeing around it''', she says on today's episode. 'Just say what it is that you need. You're allowed to set a boundary. You're allowed to be clear, does not make you demanding. It does not make you difficult, it makes you clear.' Meghan added that she felt 'a rising tide lifts all ships' and that 'we're all going to succeed to let's make sure it's really great'. The 41-year-old has been dogged by allegations of bullying her staff at Kensington Palace, with 'broken' royal aides telling of feeling humiliated, 'sick', 'terrified', left 'shaking' with fear and being reduced to tears. The Duchess is said to have berated staff repeatedly and subjected them to repeated phone calls. The royal has always strenuously denied any claims of bullying. Elsewhere on the podcast, Meghan added that she felt 'a rising tide lifts all ships' and that 'we're all going to succeed to let's make sure it's really great' In 'upending the angry black women myth', the Duchess of Sussex chats to comedians Issa Rae (left) and Ziwe (right) to explore the stereotypes around 'women of colour' Meghan's latest podcast was released as it was announced she will speak on the 'power of women' at a lavish dinner event in the US next month. The Duchess will be interviewed on-stage during the event billed '"The Power of Women: An Evening with Meghan". The royal will take to the stage with Rabbi Sandy Sasso, the first woman rabbi ordained by the Reconstructionist Judiasm movement, at the event , which takes place at the Marriot Downtown Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 29. Tickets for the event costs a whopping $5,000 per table, with any photography or recording on the night banned. It is not known how much Meghan will have been paid for the appearance, however PR experts previously predicted she could earn up to 1 million per speech. The online description for the event details: 'Womens Fund is proud to welcome Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, to Indianapolis. 'The Duchess is a mother, feminist, and champion of human rights. She is a lifelong advocate for women and girls, a constant thread she weaves through humanitarian and business ventures. It comes as it was announced Duchess of Sussex will be interviewed on-stage during the event billed '"The Power of Women: An Evening with Meghan" 'Rabbi Sandy Sasso, an acclaimed writer and community leader, will serve as moderator for the evening. 'Rabbi Sandy Sasso is the first woman rabbi ordained by the Reconstructionist movement and previously served at Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis. 'Tables for Power of Women are available for purchase to groups and organizations that support the mission of Womens Fund.' The event has been organised by the Womens Fund of Central Indiana - a non-profit which assists local woman experiencing hardship or disadvantage. The Duchess is following in the footsteps of other celebrities with the appearance - other keynote speakers have included former first lady Michelle Obama. Experts previously predicted Meghan could earn up to 1 million for giving a speech. In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined New York-based Harry Walker Agency, which represents the Obamas and the Clintons. Meghan Markle has revealed that she discovered she is 43 per cent Nigerian after doing a genealogy test 'a couple years ago' when speaking in her latest Archetypes episode. The Duchess of Sussex, 41, said she is 'going to start to dig deeper into all this' during her discussion with comedians Issa Rae and Ziwe Fumudoh on her new podcast instalment, titled 'Upending The Angry Black Women Myth'. Elsewhere in the episode, released today on Spotify, mother-of-two Meghan admitted she is 'particular' but insisted 'telling people what you need does not make you demanding' as she claimed black women are stereotyped as 'angry'. Meghan Markle (pictured on 5 September 2022) has revealed that she discovered she is 43 per cent Nigerian after doing a genealogy test 'a couple years ago' when speaking in her latest Archetypes episode The Duchess of Sussex, 41, said she is 'going to start to dig deeper into all this' during her discussion with comedians Issa Rae and Ziwe Fumudoh on her new podcast (pictured) instalment, titled 'Upending The Angry Black Women Myth' Speaking to Nigerian-American comedian Ziwe, Meghan explained: 'I just had my genealogy done a couple years ago... [I'm] 43 per cent Nigerian.' She added: 'I'm going to start to dig deeper into all this because anybody that I've told, especially Nigerian women, are like "What!"' 'This is huge for our community,' a shocked Ziwe, 30, replied. 'No, honestly, you do look like a Nigerian, you look like my Aunt Uzo. So this is great.' Meanwhile, discussing her behaviour in work situations, the Duchess spoke of her frustration at 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' due to the fear she could be perceived negatively. 'I'm particular, I think a high tide raises all ships, we're all going to succeed so let's make sure it's really great because it's a shared success for everybody,' she said. 'But I also find myself cowering and tiptoeing into a room and - the thing I find most embarrassing - when you're saying a sentence and the intonation goes up, like it's a question. In 'Upending The Angry Black Women Myth', the Duchess of Sussex chats to comedians Issa Rae (left) and Ziwe (right) to explore the stereotypes around 'women of colour' On her new podcast today, the Duchess of Sussex said she often found herself 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' due to the feeling that she could not say what she wanted without being perceived negatively 'And you're like, ''oh my God, stop stop, like whispering and tiptoeing around it. Just say what it is that you need. You're allowed to set a boundary. You're allowed to be clear, it doesn't make you demanding. It doesn't make you difficult, it makes you clear.' The 41-year-old has previously been branded 'Duchess Difficult' following claims about her 'dictatorial' behaviour and 5am emails - which allegedly prompted her aide Samantha Cohen to quit. Other 'broken' royal aides told of being reduced to tears by bullying and temper tantrums. Meghan has always strenuously denied any claims of bullying. Early in the episode, comedian Ziwe described how her 'brash and rude' onscreen persona was 'in direct opposition to what a woman should be publicly, according to sexism'. In a monologue responding to her comments, Meghan said she was 'so right' and that 'when looked at through the lens of black women' her point of view was 'pretty inspiring'. Meghan's latest podcast comes as she faces backlash for saying Deal or No Deal 'reduced her to a bimbo' (pictured on the show) Introducing the next segment - a conversation with the actress Issa Rae - Meghan said it was time to 'try on what it feels like when we're allowed to just live our truths'... 'to be direct without being called angry, to exist on our own terms, to just be, to just be human'. After asking Rae if she wants a coffee, Meghan reveals she 'only recently started drinking coffee again' after 'not even thinking about it' when she was in the UK. 'When I was on set, of course it was like Nespresso all day, every day. And then I didn't drink it really in the UK and didn't think about it.' Asked why she started drinking it again in the UK, Meghan said: 'It's a great question, it's a great question but like I guess because life started to come back and so people started to come when guests come or meetings or and they're like oh would you like coffee?' The duchess later gave another insight into her own acting appointment, and how when she used to go through casting lists of black characters 'they always had to have an edge or an attitude'. One example of alleged racism against black women discussed on the podcast was the treatment of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Senate judiciary committee hearings. Elsewhere in the episode, released today on Spotify, mother-of-two Meghan (pictured with her husband Prince Harry) admitted she is ' particular ' but insisted 'telling people what you need does not make you demanding' as she claimed black women are stereotyped as 'angry' Jackson, the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, was quizzed on her views on issues like critical race theory and whether they would interfere with her decision making. Meghan said: 'I remember watching these hearings in the summer of 2022. They were gripping and painful. Then Judge Jackson remained poised and composed no matter what was happening for her beneath the surface, which I cannot begin to imagine.' At the end of the podcast the royal paused to hear a rendition of the poem 'I Rise' by Maya Angelou. Meghan's latest podcast comes as she faces backlash for saying Deal or No Deal 'reduced her to a bimbo.' The Duchess made the comments while speaking on her podcast with Paris Hilton. The episode, called Breaking Down the Bimbo, heard Meghan say she wants her daughter Lilibet to be valued first for her mind, rather than 'beauty not brains' as she was on the TV gameshow. 'I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks. And little substance,' the Duchess said of her 34-episode stint on the show. Actress and chat show host Whoopi Goldberg said Meghan's remarks were naive. 'That's TV, baby. But what did you think you were going to? You know that's what the show was,' she said. 'When you're a performer, you take the gig.' Women who appeared on the show at the same time as Meghan, tell a rather different story from the Duchess. They say the atmosphere was fun rather than oppressive or sleazy. One of the briefcase girls who worked with Meghan was Lisa Gleave, a successful Australian model, TV presenter and actress now living in LA. Like Meghan, she had to master the art of walking downstairs in a dress and five-inch heels, holding a briefcase and remembering the cardinal rule: look delighted for the contestant if things go well for them and sad if not. Gleave told the Mail of her stint on Deal Or No Deal that she felt 'blessed and lucky to have been on it', adding: 'For me it was a joy and a great career move. Most of the girls would say that.' She said: 'I never looked at it as a show that objectified women. The cast and crew treated us very well. It was a professional set. For many of us, it was a stepping stone on our careers and we went on to greater things.' While Lisa acknowledged the show 'revolved around beautiful women', they were 'all smart and intelligent women and nobody treated us like bimbos'. Advertisement Jennifer Lawrence has slashed nearly $1 million off the cost of her lavish New York City loft, dropping the price for a second time since it hit the market earlier this year - this time lowering it from $10.5 million to $9.9 million. That means you could live in the 32-year-old Hunger Games star's stunning, 3184-square-foot Greenwich apartment - and become neighbors with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Meg Ryan - for a lot less money. The three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom condo - which Lawrence had purchased in 2017 for $9 million - is located at 443 Greenwich, a converted 19th-century book bindery in the lower part of Manhattan. Some of the building's many amenities include a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a 70-foot indoor pool, a fitness center with a private yoga and Pilates studio, an infrared sauna and massage room, a children's playroom, a 5,000-square-foot landscaped sun deck, valet service, key-locked elevators, and an underground parking garage that offers 'discreet arrival and departures,' according to the listing. Price drop! Jennifer Lawrence has slashed nearly $1 million off the cost of her lavish New York City loft, dropping the price for a second time since it hit the market earlier this year - this time lowering it from $10.5 million to $9.9 million That means you could live in the Hunger Games star's stunning, 3184-square-foot Greenwich apartment - and become neighbors with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively - for a lot less money Living in luxury: The three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom condo - which Lawrence had purchased in 2017 for $9 million - is located at 443 Greenwich, a converted 19th-century book bindery in the lower part of Manhattan Some of the building's many amenities include a 24-hour doorman, a 70-foot indoor pool, a fitness center with a private yoga and Pilates studio, an infrared sauna and massage room, and a 5,000-square-foot landscaped sun deck. The lobby is pictured Stunning: Upon setting foot in the apartment, a spacious entry gallery leads to a 'vast and light-filled' open living room, which stretches across 35 feet and boasts 10-foot ceilings 'The unique ability to discreetly enter the building through the private garage along with the gracious proportions, level of finishes, quality of construction and luxurious amenities set this building apart,' the listing reads. Upon setting foot in the apartment, a spacious entry gallery leads to a 'vast and light-filled' open living room, which stretches across 35 feet and boasts 10-foot ceilings. It contains a 'sleek' gas fireplace, white oak flooring, and four windows that 'frame the picturesque Northern city-scape' and allow the New York City sun to flood the room. Connected to it is a grand dining area and a 'state of the art' chef's kitchen, which was curated by Christopher Peacock - an industry leader and design innovator in hand-crafted cabinetry. Some of the restaurant-grade equipment in the kitchen includes a windowed Subzero refrigerator, two Miele dishwashers, a vented six-burner Wolf range with a griddle, two ovens, a pasta pot filler, a 70 bottle Gaggeneau wine cooler, an integrated Miele coffee machine, and a microwave/convection oven. In the center of the room sits a glamorous, white marble island with seating for four, while 'custom wood cabinetry with fluted glass fronts' compliment the slate countertops. Bright: It contains a 'sleek' gas fireplace, white oak flooring, and four windows that 'frame the picturesque Northern city-scape' and allow the New York City sun to flood the room Connected to it is a grand dining area and a 'state of the art' chef's kitchen, which was curated by Christopher Peacock - an industry leader and design innovator in hand-crafted cabinetry Chef's dream! Some of the restaurant-grade equipment in the kitchen includes a windowed Subzero refrigerator, two Miele dishwashers, a vented six-burner Wolf range with a griddle, two ovens, and a 70 bottle Gaggeneau wine cooler Fit for a queen: The glamorous master suite - described as a 'wonderful retreat' - comes with a massive walk-in closet and three smaller wardrobes. It also has three large, West-facing windows that overlook the 'landscaped courtyard' 'Any chef would enjoy preparing meals in this restaurant-grade kitchen,' states the listing. The glamorous master suite - described as a 'wonderful retreat' - comes with a massive walk-in closet and three smaller wardrobes. It also has three large, West-facing windows that overlook the 'landscaped courtyard,' allowing for optimal sunlight to fill the area, as well as up-to-date electric shades for when you're looking for some privacy. As for the 'elegant and serene' en-suite bathroom, it comes with radiant heated floors, a dual vanity with Calcutta marble, a freestanding egg tub, an oversized glass shower with its own stone bench, body spray and rain dome fixtures, a heated towel rack, and a glass enclosed toilet with bidet. The other bedrooms also feature 'generously sized closet space and beautifully appointed en-suite baths.' 'Additionally there is an elegant powder room and a proper laundry room with a service entrance, that easily doubles as a mud room,' the listing adds. As for the 'elegant and serene' en-suite bathroom, it comes with radiant heated floors, a dual vanity with Calcutta marble, a freestanding egg tub, an oversized glass shower with its own stone bench, a heated towel rack, and a glass enclosed toilet The other bedrooms also feature 'generously sized closet space and beautifully appointed en-suite baths' 'Additionally there is an elegant powder room and a proper laundry room with a service entrance, that easily doubles as a mud room,' the listing adds. One of the other bathrooms is seen above Lawrence bought the house in 2017, but soon began renting it out for $27,500 a month. She first put it on the market at $11 million in June 2022; she then dropped the price to $10.5 million in September, and has now lowered it again to $9.9 million 'Located in prime Tribeca, two blocks from the Hudson River Greenway and amidst the city's finest restaurants and nightlife, 443 Greenwich is the epitome of luxury living.' 'The building also offers easy access to the west side highway, A,C,E, and 1 trains placing the entire city at your feet.' Lawrence bought the house in 2017, but only lived there briefly, instead opting to begin renting it out for $27,500 a month. Three years later, the actress and her husband, Cooke Maroney, purchased a townhouse in the West Village for $21.95 million. Lawrence, who welcomed her first child with Maroney - a boy named Cy - earlier this year, then put the luxurious loft on the market at $11 million in June 2022, which was $2 million over her purchase price in 2017. She then dropped the price to $10.5 million in September, and has now lowed it once again to $9.9 million. Princess Elisabeth of Belgium put on a typically stylish display as she posed in her new portraits released for her 21st birthday today. The 21-year-old royal, who is studying History and Politics at Oxford University, donned a trendy off-the-shoulder blouse with a pair of white trousers in the snaps, which were shared on Belgian Royal Palace's official Instagram. Elisabeth smiled as she looked out the window in the photographs, wearing a pair of gold statement hoop earrings for the occasion. She opted for a sweep of dark eyeliner across her lids, and a dash of blusher across her cheeks. Princess Elisabeth of Belgium put on a typically stylish display as she posed in her new portraits released for her 21st birthday today In one of the snaps, the royal could be seen smiling sweetly as she looked out the window, with her blonde locks tucked behind her ears to reveal her statement earrings. In the second, she appeared pensive as she sat upon a window sill and looked out. It is not known whether the photographs were taken. Princess Elisabeth will ascend the throne after her father. A change in the law a decade ago made it possible for the eldest child, male or female, to ascend the throne in the country. She will become the country's first Queen Regent if she takes up the role. Elisabeth spent 18 months boarding at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales before returning home to Brussels in March ahead of the government lockdown. The 21-year-old royal, who is studying History and Politics at Oxford University, donned a trendy off-the-shoulder blouse with a pair of white trousers in the snaps The princess, who received her International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2020, enrolled at Oxford University after completing a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy. The course is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence; Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical. King Philippe, 60, spent three years at the esteemed institution between 1978 to 1981. Last month, the Crown Princess of Belgium called the late British Queen her 'role model' as she represented her parents King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in signing a book of condolence in Brussels. Academic star: In October 2021 the Belgian royal household announced Elisabeth had started her undergraduate degree at Lincoln College, Oxford, and shared photos of her on campus Future queen: Elisabeth is the eldest daughter of King Philippe of Belgium, 62, and his wife, Queen Mathilde, 49. The couple also share sons Prince Gabriel, 18, and Prince Emmanuel, 16, and daughter Princess Eleonore, 14. Pictured, the family together at Christmas Princess Elisabeth signed the book of condolences at the residence of the UK ambassador, and wrote a sweet note praise the late Monarch's 'exemplarity'. The Belgian royal appeared deep in thought in pictures shared by the royal household on Instagram. 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been a role model and a source of inspiration for many of us, young and old,' the Princess wrote in her note. 'I join the millions around the world in mourning an extraordinary personality, whose exemplarity has had a profound impact on younger generations. May her soul rest in peace. 'On behalf of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, I wish to express our deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.' Elisabeth dedicated the note 'in loving memory of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.' and signed her name. A brand new Netflix documentary is set to lay bare the horrific story of a mother who went to jail for killing a man she claimed brutally attacked and raped her in her own home. Brittany Smith, 34, from Stevenson, Alabama, pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison - although she ultimately served 18 months - after she fatally shot Todd Smith, who was 38 at the time, on January 16, 2018. However, Brittany has continued to insist that she only killed Todd in a desperate attempt to save herself and her brother, after he viciously choked her until she lost consciousness, sexually assaulted her, threatened to murder her, and tried to strangle her brother. Now, an upcoming Netflix doc, called State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith, is set to lift a lid on the controversial case, which garnered worldwide attention and sparked a massive debate about whether or not Brittany's actions were justified. A brand new Netflix documentary is set to lay bare the horrific story of a mother who went to jail for killing her rapist - after she said he brutally attacked her in her own home Brittany Smith, 34, from Stevenson, Alabama, plead guilty to murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison after she fatally shot Todd Smith (seen) on January 16, 2018 Brittany insisted she only killed Todd to save herself and her brother, Chris McCallie, after Todd raped her and tried to strangle her brother. Brittany is seen with Chris 'I was arrested for murder, the man was in my home. I did what I thought I had to do because if I wouldn't have, my brother and I would both be dead,' Brittany could be heard saying during a trailer for the documentary, which is set to hit the streaming site on November 10. Now, an upcoming Netflix doc, called State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith, is set to lift a lid on the controversial case, which garnered worldwide attention and sparked a massive debate about whether or not Brittany's actions were justified 'I want to get my children back. I want them to know that mommy's not a murderer and that mommy defended herself - and that you should always defend yourself.' 'She was raped and beaten by him and almost killed, and now, she's been raped and beaten by the system,' her mother, Ramona McCallie, told the camera. 'She never should have been [taken] to jail. I taught her to fight, fight back, with everything you've got. And she did.' Brittany, who knew Todd as a teen but had fallen out of touch with him, told the court during her trial that she reconnected with him right before the incident. She said she met up with Todd, who was living in Jasper, Tennessee, and was working as a Pitbull breeder at the time, because she wanted to purchase one of his puppies. However, when he told her that he was currently homeless, she agreed to let him stay with her. 'I did what I had to do because if I wouldn't have, my brother and I would both be dead,' Brittany (seen with her brother) said in the trailer for the doc, which premieres on November 10 She added: 'I want to get my children back. I want them to know that mommy's not a murderer and that mommy defended herself - and that you should always defend yourself' 'She was raped and beaten by him and almost killed, and now, she's been raped and beaten by the system,' her mother, Ramona McCallie, told the camera Brittany then claimed that when they got to her house, Todd turned violent - choking her until she passed out, raping her, and threatening to kill her if she told anyone. When he wanted cigarettes after the alleged assault, Brittany called her brother, Chris McCallie, and asked him to give them a ride to a nearby convenience store. Fearing for her life, Brittany left a note with the cashier that said she was in trouble - and that she thought Todd was going to kill her. When they arrived back home after the outing, Brittany told her brother to go back to the store and speak to the cashier. After doing so, Chris returned to Brittany's house with a gun - but when he confronted Todd, he started strangling her brother. Brittany said she fired Chris' gun three times at Todd after he put Chris in a headlock, and that she did what she had to to save her brother's life after she noticed that he was turning blue. After the incident, a sexual assault nurse documented more than 30 injuries on Brittany's body - including bruises, bite marks, and signs of strangulation. However, the nurse told the court that she couldn't determine with certainty if Brittany had been raped due to lack physical proof. Brittany, who knew Todd as a teen, told the court she reconnected with him right before the incident, and agreed to let him stay with her when she found out he was homeless Brittany (left) claimed that when they got to her house, Todd (right) turned violent - choking her until she passed out, raping her, and threatening to kill her if she told anyone Brittany said that when her brother, Chris (seen together), learned of what happened, he came to Brittany's house with a gun. But Todd then started strangling him During the trial, Brittany sought a Stand Your Ground defense, a law that says individuals have the right to use deadly force to protect themselves against an intruder in their home. Brittany said she fired Chris' gun three times at Todd after he put Chris in a headlock, and that she did what she had to to save her brother's life after she noticed that he was turning blue. Chris is pictured But the judge said that Brittany did not need to use lethal force to end the altercation, and that her brother was also an aggressor because he brought a weapon to the home and started the confrontation. He also ruled that the evidence was consistent with physical assault, but inconsistent with sexual assault. Brittany later said that she only pleaded guilty because it was 'the lesser of two evils,' stating in a video recorded from her jail cell for Alabama.com, 'I'm really disappointed with having to take a plea deal. I'm not a murderer but when it's the lesser of two evils what can you do?' She told the outlet that had she been found guilty by a jury, she could have faced up to life in prison. While she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime, she was released after 18 months behind bars, receiving credit for time she spent in prison while awaiting her trial. She was also ordered to spend 18 months on hour arrest. During the trial, Brittany (seen during a police interview) sought a Stand Your Ground defense, a law that says individuals have the right to use deadly force to protect themselves But the judge said that Brittany did not need to use lethal force to end the altercation, and that her brother was also an aggressor because he brought a weapon to the home While she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime, Brittany (seen in the doc) was released after 18 months behind bars, receiving credit for time spent while awaiting her trial 'This is gonna be in my past soon,' she told Alabama.com. 'It's gonna be behind me. It's a good feeling. After the rough waters, smooth sailing.' She added that it was going to 'really hard' for her to get back to a normal life, but that she was excited to 'move forward.' DailyMail.com later uncovered a disturbing history of violent crimes and domestic assaults committed by Todd spanning across several decades. Court and arrest records revealed that he had been arrested a staggering 71 times before his death. In July 2002, Todd embarked on a brief and violent marriage to a woman named Paige Parker. He was arrested five times over the course of their relationship, which lasted less than one year and ended in divorce in June 2003. He also fathered a child with a woman named Amanda Reed, and was charged with domestic assault against Amanda three different times - in 2012, 2015, and 2016 - but on two of those occasions, the charges were dismissed, with court records noting, 'Victim has not been coming to court despite officer's best efforts.' He was already a proud 'dog dad' to six pets - and now James Middleton has expanded his furry family with the addition of an adorable Golden Retriever puppy. The Princess of Wales' younger brother, 35, took to Instagram yesterday to introduce the newest member of his pack, who he has called Isla. He shared an image of his wife Alizee Thevenet cuddling up to Isla and their dog Mabel and captioned it: 'My Golden Girls.' James Middleton shared an image of his wife Alizee Thevenet cuddling up to new puppy Isla and their dog Mabel and captioned it: 'My Golden Girls.' (pictured) The Princess of Wales' younger brother, 35, took to Instagram yesterday to introduce the newest member of his pack, who he has called Isla (pictured) He explained: 'Many of you have been asking if we kept a puppy from Mabels recent litter andof course we didintroducing Isla. 'Her name is a little nod to her Scottish routes and [she] has already found her place in the pack.' The Ella & Co. founder previously revealed that his Golden Retriever Mabel had welcomed a litter of eight puppies this summer. In his social media post, he also shared a snap of all his dogs together, including James' five cocker spaniels: Ella, Inca, Luna, Zulu and Nala. James also posted a sweet clip to his Instagram stories showing him teaching the puppy her name. In his social media post, he also shared a snap of all his dogs together, including James' five cocker spaniels: Ella, Inca, Luna, Zulu and Nala Isla is a variation of Islay, a Scottish island on the west coast. The puppy shares her name with a member of the royal family, Isla Phillips, who is the daughter of Peter Phillips and granddaughter of Princess Anne. In September, James paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II by naming another of his new puppies Bertie after her father King George VI's family nickname. He revealed the golden retriever also has another thing in common with the monarch which is a 'life of service' as he is training to become a guide dog. James told Hello!: 'In light of recent events, I wanted a name that is a touching tribute to the late Queen.' Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 on 8 September 2022. The Queen's father was called Bertie by his family members because his first name was Albert. James said: 'It was incredible that the Queen dedicated her life to service, and in many ways Bertie the dog will be dedicating his life to service too.' Meghan Markle stunned in a pair of 975 black leather trousers and a turleneck jumper as she posed with comedian Ziwe Fumudoh in a new unseen picture from her latest podcast recording. The Duchess of Sussex, 41, opted for a casual monochome look as she chatted to actress Issa Rae and the Nigerian-American comedian for the new episode called 'Upending the Angry Black Woman Myth'. The mother-of-two styled her long brown hair in a sleek low ponytail and opted for minimal makeup as she recorded the 47-minute podcast near her home in Montecito, California. Offsetting her statement trousers, thought to be by LA designer Anine Bing, the Duchess finished of her look with a pair of simple silver hoop earrings. Meghan Markle opted for a pair of 975 leather trousers by LA designer Anine Bing and a black roll neck for her latest Archetypes podcast recording. Comedian Ziwe Fumudoh posted a behind-the-scenes picture with the Duchess on Instagram this afternoon In the latest episode of her podcast, the Duchess spoke with comedian Ziwe Fumudoh and actress Issa Rae. The 45-minute episode was called 'Upending the Angry Black Woman Myth'. Th Duchess was previously pictured wearing her designer leather trousers while interviewing The Office star Mindy Kaling last month. After the podcast episode was released today, comedian Ziwe Fumudoh - who was dressed in a black blazer and silk blouse - shared the behind-the-scenes image with her 448,000 followers. She captioned the photo: 'What archetypes do you think Meghan Markle and I represent?' Meanwhile, discussing her behaviour in work situations during the podcast, the Duchess spoke of her frustration at 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' due to the fear she could be perceived negatively. 'I'm particular, I think a high tide raises all ships, we're all going to succeed so let's make sure it's really great because it's a shared success for everybody,' she said. 'But I also find myself cowering and tiptoeing into a room and - the thing I find most embarrassing - when you're saying a sentence and the intonation goes up, like it's a question. In 'Upending The Angry Black Women Myth', the Duchess of Sussex chats to comedians Issa Rae (left) and Ziwe (right) to explore the stereotypes around 'women of colour' On her new podcast today, the Duchess of Sussex said she often found herself 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' due to the feeling that she could not say what she wanted without being perceived negatively 'And you're like, ''oh my God, stop stop, like whispering and tiptoeing around it. Just say what it is that you need. You're allowed to set a boundary. You're allowed to be clear, it doesn't make you demanding. It doesn't make you difficult, it makes you clear.' The 41-year-old has previously been branded 'Duchess Difficult' following claims about her 'dictatorial' behaviour and 5am emails - which allegedly prompted her aide Samantha Cohen to quit. Other 'broken' royal aides told of being reduced to tears by bullying and temper tantrums. Meghan has always strenuously denied any claims of bullying. Early in the episode, comedian Ziwe described how her 'brash and rude' onscreen persona was 'in direct opposition to what a woman should be publicly, according to sexism'. In a monologue responding to her comments, Meghan said she was 'so right' and that 'when looked at through the lens of black women' her point of view was 'pretty inspiring'. Meghan's latest podcast comes as she faces backlash for saying Deal or No Deal 'reduced her to a bimbo' (pictured on the show) Introducing the next segment - a conversation with the actress Issa Rae - Meghan said it was time to 'try on what it feels like when we're allowed to just live our truths'... 'to be direct without being called angry, to exist on our own terms, to just be, to just be human'. After asking Rae if she wants a coffee, Meghan reveals she 'only recently started drinking coffee again' after 'not even thinking about it' when she was in the UK. 'When I was on set, of course it was like Nespresso all day, every day. And then I didn't drink it really in the UK and didn't think about it.' Asked why she started drinking it again in the UK, Meghan said: 'It's a great question, it's a great question but like I guess because life started to come back and so people started to come when guests come or meetings or and they're like oh would you like coffee?' The duchess later gave another insight into her own acting appointment, and how when she used to go through casting lists of black characters 'they always had to have an edge or an attitude'. One example of alleged racism against black women discussed on the podcast was the treatment of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Senate judiciary committee hearings. Elsewhere in the episode, released today on Spotify, mother-of-two Meghan (pictured with her husband Prince Harry) admitted she is ' particular ' but insisted 'telling people what you need does not make you demanding' as she claimed black women are stereotyped as 'angry' Jackson, the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, was quizzed on her views on issues like critical race theory and whether they would interfere with her decision making. Meghan said: 'I remember watching these hearings in the summer of 2022. They were gripping and painful. Then Judge Jackson remained poised and composed no matter what was happening for her beneath the surface, which I cannot begin to imagine.' At the end of the podcast the royal paused to hear a rendition of the poem 'I Rise' by Maya Angelou. Meghan's latest podcast comes as she faces backlash for saying Deal or No Deal 'reduced her to a bimbo.' The Duchess made the comments while speaking on her podcast with Paris Hilton. The episode, called Breaking Down the Bimbo, heard Meghan say she wants her daughter Lilibet to be valued first for her mind, rather than 'beauty not brains' as she was on the TV gameshow. 'I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks. And little substance,' the Duchess said of her 34-episode stint on the show. Actress and chat show host Whoopi Goldberg said Meghan's remarks were naive. 'That's TV, baby. But what did you think you were going to? You know that's what the show was,' she said. 'When you're a performer, you take the gig.' Women who appeared on the show at the same time as Meghan, tell a rather different story from the Duchess. They say the atmosphere was fun rather than oppressive or sleazy. One of the briefcase girls who worked with Meghan was Lisa Gleave, a successful Australian model, TV presenter and actress now living in LA. Like Meghan, she had to master the art of walking downstairs in a dress and five-inch heels, holding a briefcase and remembering the cardinal rule: look delighted for the contestant if things go well for them and sad if not. Gleave told the Mail of her stint on Deal Or No Deal that she felt 'blessed and lucky to have been on it', adding: 'For me it was a joy and a great career move. Most of the girls would say that.' She said: 'I never looked at it as a show that objectified women. The cast and crew treated us very well. It was a professional set. For many of us, it was a stepping stone on our careers and we went on to greater things.' While Lisa acknowledged the show 'revolved around beautiful women', they were 'all smart and intelligent women and nobody treated us like bimbos'. An Aussie entrepreneur has spoken openly about gaining weight while trying to recover from 'long Covid' months after she was diagnosed with the virus, and detailed how it has affected her $63million empire. Natasha Oakley, who grew up in Sydney, Australia, but now calls Los Angeles home, took to Instagram on Sunday to address her current health problems after opening up about her Covid diagnosis in June. The 32-year-old CEO of Monday Swimwear, The Pilates Class and Emma Pills jewellery has been battling a serious case of long Covid in amidst growing her businesses and travelling the world. 'Even if I don't look it I'm five kilos heavier than my normal weight. I find I am even healthier when I know I am not 100 per cent well because I know how much my body needs me to look after it, so I've been eating as healthy as possible which obviously helps,' she said. Natasha Oakley, who grew up in Sydney , Australia, but now calls Los Angeles home, took to Instagram on Sunday to address her current health problems after opening up about her Covid diagnosis in June The 32-year-old CEO of Monday Swimwear, The Pilates Class and Emma Pills jewellery has been battling a serious case of long Covid in amidst growing her businesses and travelling the world What she hasn't been able to do is her usual rigorous workout regime. 'Its been hard because firstly when you hit 30 you naturally just have to work harder to maintain your body but also because for four months of my long Covid I wasn't even able to do a 15 minute walk let alone a proper workout,' she continued. 'I just had to let go and listen to my body and what it needed, everything was trial and error. One day I tried a yoga class and it set me back what felt like weeks in my recovery.' While she acknowledges it would have been much easier to just lay on the couch, eat unhealthily and 'feel down' she wanted to prioritise her physical self and be 'good' to her body while it was struggling. 'Its been hard because firstly when you hit 30 you naturally just have to work harder to maintain your body but also because for four months of my long Covid I wasn't even able to do a 15 minute walk let alone a proper workout,' she continued 'Now I am able to do a 40 minute to an hour brisk walk and some light five to 10 minute Pilates classes. I'm starting to see my usual body come back but I know it will take time. Luckily I'm all about the curves anyway.' In June Natasha spoke about her ongoing struggle with long Covid on Instagram, speaking to her three million fans. 'I have been going through something quite personal that I haven't wanted to share until now. Earlier in the year I got quite a bad case of Covid, I was physically down for weeks, hardly able to work or even get up at times,' she said at the time. Natasha's mild improvements were dashed two weeks ago when she received her booster shot, for reasons she cannot explain 'After two weeks I was able to start to walk around or do activities for a few hours but was so fatigued I would need to immediately come home and rest. 'The symptoms lasted for months, they included extreme tension headaches all day and night from when I woke up to when I went to bed, fatigue, extreme dizziness, joint and muscle pain and mild brain fog. 'It really has been debilitating at times and I had a lot of anxiety and depression. I took it easy, ate healthily, did gentle Pilates, walking and stretching and slowly after four months started to see improvements.' Long Covid, as it has been dubbed, is when individuals previously infected with the virus suffer ongoing symptoms longer than 12 weeks. Some studies have shown as many as a third of all those infected with Covid suffer long-term symptoms, including brain fog, anxiety, fatigue and abnormal breathing. 'Two weeks ago I got my booster shot and the next day I was taken back four months in terms of my symptoms which are now much worse again and have been for two weeks,' she said In March St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney opened a clinic specifically to help patients suffering from long Covid, with many other clinics opening up around the world for the same reason. Natasha's mild improvements were dashed when she received her booster shot, for reasons she cannot explain. 'Two weeks ago I got my booster shot and the next day I was taken back four months in terms of my symptoms which are now much worse again and have been for two weeks,' she said. 'This has been really difficult for me given that I am an active and driven person and I have been struggling with anxiety about my health because these symptoms are relentless and doctors have hardly any answers or very different ones if they do. 'On my most recent flight to LA I actually had to be taken off the plane by medics because my heartbeat was jumping and my muscle pain was so bad.' Natasha stressed in her post that she wasn't an anti-vaxxer and firmly believed in the importance of vaccination but she was just 'unfortunate' to have had ill effects as a result. Natasha stressed in her post that she wasn't an anti-vaxxer and firmly believed in the importance of vaccination but she was just 'unfortunate' to have had ill effects as a result 'I wanted to share my current health journey firstly to make sure everyone takes Covid seriously. I always did and was very open to vaccination but unfortunately still fell very ill and now have ongoing long Covid that I am really, really struggling with,' she said. 'Unfortunately Covid is something we just don't have the answers to, doctors still have no idea what long Covid is and can only speculate as to why we have it. I am so hopeful that with good health, rest and a positive mindset I will feel better at some point but for now it's a struggle and that's okay because life is tough sometimes.' Natasha started an online blog called 'A Bikini A Day' with her best friend Devin Brugman in 2012 as an outlet to share her favourite swimwear, but it quickly took off and saw the pair able to launch their own swimwear company, Monday Swimwear. when A Bikini A Day took off. Since then Natasha has invested in other burgeoning brands like The Pilates Class and Emma Pills, giving her an estimated empire worth $63million. 'Growing up in a beach town was a dream and definitely translated into my love and passion for the ocean, and later swimwear,' she told FEMAIL previously of her career success. When Natasha Oakley started an online blog called 'A Bikini A Day' with her best friend Devin Brugman in 2012 she could never have known her endeavour would see her debut on the Young Rich List two decades later 'We were one of the first Instagram pioneers. At the time we had no idea how big Instagram would be or what our future would look like but we were enjoying the photography, travel, and getting the opportunity to share it with a community,' she said 'I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit being the daughter of two entrepreneurs. Since I was young I knew I wanted to get into business and I feel so fortunate to have found my footing.' Looking back Natasha believes their Instagram followers on A Bikini A Day enjoyed the light-hearted nature of the content and the 'fun spirit' she and Devin possess. They were also indirectly helping women with larger busts to try different styles and brands they may never have heard of before. 'We were one of the first Instagram pioneers. At the time we had no idea how big Instagram would be or what our future would look like but we were enjoying the photography, travel, and getting the opportunity to share it with a community,' she said. 'After wearing thousands of bikinis through our trials for A Bikini A Day I became ever more interested in the design and production of swimwear. In 2014 Monday Swimwear was born, with a huge emphasis on fit and texture 'Devin and I knew exactly what worked and what didn't and were passionate to design a swim line with every female body in mind. 'Something we often ran into, as two larger-cup sized women, during our work at Bikini A Day was finding swim that fit comfortably but was also fashionable.' In 2014 Monday Swimwear was born, with a huge emphasis on fit and texture. The ladies have a detailed design process where each style is fit on multiple body types and not just scaled from one size. 'In our process we like to include the customer as much as possible. We are really vocal with our community and encourage them to be vocal with us,' Natasha said. 'We like to survey our customers often and consider all fit comments when designing.' The ladies have a detailed design process where each style is fit on multiple body types and not just scaled from one size The brand caters from A to G cup sizes and can be shipped worldwide, making it accessible to all. Outside of Monday Swimwear Natasha also splits her time between The Pilates Class, an online Pilates fitness training program, and Emma Pills, a jewellery company. 'TPC was born during the pandemic. The beginning of the pandemic was a time of uncertainty for a lot of people around the world,' she said. 'Jacqui [Kingswell, the co-founder] and I wanted to start a community to bring people together to share their love for Pilates. Doing Pilates was my saving grace during that time and we received such positive feedback from our community.' Meanwhile Natasha had been a family friend of the Pillemers before a 21-year-old Emma approached her with the product. 'When I first met them I was so inspired by their contagious and supportive energy and loved the way they ran their brand,' she said. 'I knew there was synergy. I approached them about coming on to the brand and helping them go global and we've now expanded into the US market, are featured on a major fashion retailer, Revolve, and are loved by many A-Listers in the US.' Meanwhile Natasha had been a family friend of the Pillemers before a 21-year-old Emma approached her with the product Natasha, who is quite often still seen in a bikini as she splits her time between Sydney and Los Angeles, usually keeps fit by following Jacqui's Pilates classes. 'There are so many different classes from HIIT to strength that I adjust the time and the intensity level depending on what my body needs that day,' she said. 'Week to week my schedule is changing depending on whether I'm on location shooting a campaign, on a brand trip, or at my home in LA. 'On a regular day, I typically like to wake up and connect with my team. After a quick touch base, I like to work out and have a light bite or smoothie. 'I typically like to do a bit of admin work before lunch and save any longer calls for the afternoon. Around 6pm I'm usually winding down and like to take a break from my phone and cook dinner with my partner.' She makes time to read a book and relax when she's not jetting abroad, like she was recently in the Bahamas celebrating Monday Swimwear's eighth anniversary. 'It was one of the most amazing trips and being able to celebrate my brand in this way felt like a dream. Also, being on location for any campaign shoot feels like a pinch me moment,' she said. 'I work so hard with our team to design the collection that seeing it come to life feels surreal.' The woman's toddler was left with a 1cm gash in her mouth after an accident An Australian mum has issued a warning to other parents after her toddler was left with a 1cm gash in her mouth from using a toothbrush. The Sunshine Coast mum shared the situation to parenting group Tiny Hearts Education and said her 'daredevil' daughter was left with a 'hole' at the back of her mouth after a freak accident. 'My daughter the daredevil launched herself off the couch onto our playmat, as she does, it's low to the ground. Only this time with a toothbrush in her mouth,' the mum told Tiny Hearts, and images were shared online on Thursday. A toddler was left with a 1cm 'hole' in her mouth after playing with a toothbrush in her mouth The Sunshine Coast mum shared the situation to parenting group Tiny Hearts Education and issued a warning to other parents The child was quickly picked up by her dad and had 'blood pouring into her mouth', and the mum admitted it was a 'bad' decision for the family to brush their teeth in the living room. 'I cradled her into the recovery position over the kitchen sink and got dad to ring 000,' she said. 'We had no idea where the bleeding was coming from but I knew she was alert and that I needed to protect her air way.' After arriving at the hospital via an ambulance the 1cm gash was found at the 'back of her mouth near her throat'. 'She had to go through surgery and was poked for hours trying to find a vein for a cannula. That was the hardest part of the experience!' the mum continued. The child needed surgery and was 'poked for hours trying to find a vein for a cannula'. Thankfully the mum knew exactly what to do after completing a parenting program prior Thankfully she knew exactly what to do and 'acted quickly and correctly' because she had completed a Tiny Hearts Education parenting course prior. On Facebook the parenting group reminded all parents to be 'extra careful' when their little ones are using toothbrushes and to ensure they don't run around with one in their mouth. 'A big shout out and well done to these amazing parents who, despite a very scary situation, remained calm and acted to protect their child,' the page wrote. 'They knew how to support their little one into the recovery position and knew how to keep her airway protected. Now that's what I call an empowered parent.' Verizon has alerted its prepaid service users of the recent security breach. The recent cyberattack gave access to third-party actors concerning the account holders. The attack has affected 250 Verizon customers spanning from October 6th to October 10th. Security Breach The attack exposed user information like the last four digits of their credit cards, which are used to pay for the prepaid accounts. However, this gave the hackers a way to also access semi-sensitive data like their name, telephone number, billing address, price plans, and other information about their service. According to CNET, this may also have enabled the attackers to make unauthorized changes to the user's SIM card. This is also known as SIM swapping, which is the transfer of a person's phone number to another device. The Harm of the Breach Once the attacker manages to obtain your name, telephone number, billing address, and other personal information, you could be subjected to phishing scams. Scammers may pose as companies that might appear to be legitimate since they have access to your confidential data. As for SIM swapping, this could allow the hackers to access accounts where you used your phone number for verification. Since messages will now be sent to the false device, they can request a verification code for your emails, social media accounts, financial accounts, and more. Despite the notice and reversal of the breach, a Verizon customer told Bleeping Computer that they were a victim of SIM swapping more than a week before. The attackers breached his email and tried to access his crypto accounts. He claims that the information they used was from the Coibase breach, but the access to that was due to the exposure of credit card info via Verizon. Read Also: Verizon Fails in Blocking Spam, Spoof, and Scam Phrases Verizon's Response The telecommunication giant reassured that if a user is among the 250 prepaid users who were affected, the unauthorized change has already been reversed. Verizon also reset the Account Security Code or PIN of the said customer. Since they have blocked unauthorized access to their client's accounts, they have found no evidence of further malicious activities. Even with these steps taken, users are still encouraged to create a new PIN code and set a new password and security question. In Verizon's notice, they also noted that they never call a user to ask about passwords, secret questions/answers, or account PINs. How Do I Avoid SIM Swaps? According to Verizon, there are steps you can take to further secure your account. The telecommunication company suggested the following: Use strong and unique passwords. Do not reuse old passwords, especially with social media and financial accounts. If it's possible, use two-factor authentication. Be vigilant against unsolicited texts, emails, and calls asking for personal information since Verizon never asks for them. Immediately report the incident at S-P-A-M (7726) so they may take action. Your online security posture should be upgraded. Change passwords for online banking and email immediately, The security dashboard of your email will provide details of suspicious logins from devices or locations you don't know. Related: What Is a SIM Swapping and How Do You Protect Yourself From It? A macabre Halloween decoration installed outside a Sydney home for the upcoming October 31 holiday has divided the internet. The controversial display depicts two characters from The Handmaid's Tale being hung by nooses from the front awning. Based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood The Handmaid's Tale takes place in a fictional dystopia where women, known as 'handmaids', are enslaved in sexual servitude for the purpose of breeding. A macabre Halloween decoration installed outside a Sydney home has divided the internet. The controversial display (pictured) depicts two characters from The Handmaid's Tale being hung by nooses from the front awning Starring Elisabeth Moss, the Handmaid's Tale is rife with gore, sexual violence and other adult themes and has been rated MA15+ in Australia. The gruesome Halloween decoration portrays how people who oppose the regime are publicly hung. The decoration depicts one hanging victim wearing the iconic red cape and white bonnet worn by handmaids in the show. Starring Elisabeth Moss, the Handmaid's Tale is rife with gore, sexual violence and other adult themes and has been rated MA 15+ in Australia. (Pictured: Elisabeth Moss in a scene from The Handmaid's Tale season 1) The other wears a blue suit reminiscent of the costumes by the show's patriarchal oppressors. Faux blood is smeared across the home's white-painted brick facade. Also painted on the wall in red is the phrase, 'Nolite te bastardes carborundorum', a faux-Latin sentence meaning 'Don't let the b******* grind you down.' The gruesome Halloween decoration portrays how people who oppose the regime are publicly hung The phrase is regularly used in the Handmaid's Tale book series and screen adaptation as a feminist rallying cry. Photos of the scene went viral online this week, with some Facebook users claiming it crosses the line between scary and inappropriate. 'Imagine children seeing this walking past. Not good, totally inappropriate,' one concerned user wrote. Photos of the scene went viral online this week, with some Facebook users claiming it crosses the line between scary and inappropriate 'This is horrible! Kids will be scarred,' another added. However, others jumped to defend the confronting display, with one replying: 'Kids' costumes are worse than this and parents allow it, so to me this is nothing.' 'OMG it's Halloween. Get over it. Some of y'all need to lighten up,' another wrote. However, others jumped to defend the confronting display, with one replying: 'Kids' costumes are worse than this and parents allow it, so to me this is nothing.' (Pictured: Joseph Fiennes in a scene from The Handmaid's Tale season 5) Other commenters showed their support by posting phrases that are used in the show, such as 'blessed day' and 'under his eye'. It comes amid persisting debate about the rights of homeowners when it comes to holiday decorations. Speaking to ABC News last October, legal expert Dr Rick Sarre said the question of whether certain decorations should be banned is a matter of discretion. Some commenters showed their support by posting phrases that are used in the show, such as 'blessed day' and 'under his eye'. 'You can get away with a lot more at Halloween because your kids would be expecting to see some funny-looking, gruesome things,' Dr Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at the University of South Australia, said. 'It all comes down to what shocks the public consciousness of the reasonable person observing it.' If police deem a particular decoration is 'reasonably' offensive to the general public, they can order the display to be taken down. More than 50,000 bottles have sold globally generating over $1million It's ideal for imperfections, missed patches and for those who are time poor The Instant Tan spray provides a quick and easy tanning solution Aussie brand Bali Body has released an innovative new self-tanning product Popular Australian brand Bali Body has released a revolutionary self-tanning product that has sold out five times globally since launching. The Instant Tan spray has quickly become a cult-favourite product that transforms the skin and provides a natural looking tan once applied. To date more than 50,000 bottles have sold globally generating more than $1million in revenue. Videos shared on TikTok demonstrating how well the product works to cover imperfections and patches instantly have received more than 20 million views. Scroll down for video The Instant Tan spray by Aussie brand Bali Body has quickly become a cult-favourite product that transforms the skin and provides a natural looking tan once applied Videos shared on TikTok show how the product works instantly to cover patches and imperfections. The tan can be smoothed out with a body blender brush It's priced at $23.95 per bottle The main difference between the Self Tanning Mousse, which develops into a dark tan over six to eight hours and lasts up to seven days, the Instant Tan achieves a bronzed, smooth look instantly. The innovative buy, priced at $23.95 per bottle, is infused with natural ingredients and washes off under water. This innovative addition to the brand's extensive collection of products is perfect to hide imperfections and for those who are time poor. The latest product is available in two shades - light/medium and medium/ dark - but the price remains the same for both. Online the product has hundreds of five-star reviews and customers have described the buy as 'fantastic'. It follows after the brand rereleased its summer must-have buy that had a strong wait list of more than 3400 customers. The Gradual Face Tan, priced at $32.95, is nourishing moisturiser that gradually builds a subtle, natural looking tan over time. On average one 50mL tub sells every 50 seconds since it first launched and has become a 'miracle' product for summer. It follows after the brand rereleased its summer must-have buy - a tanning moisturiser - that had a strong wait list of more than 3400 customers The Gradual Face Tan, priced at $32.95, is nourishing moisturiser that gradually builds a subtle, natural looking tan over time (before and after pictured) The face moisturiser is infused with self-tan and enriched with 100 per cent natural ingredients, such as nourishing oils and balancing antioxidants. The lightweight formula makes it the perfect layer to wear underneath makeup or on its own. The brand is also adored by both customers and celebrities, including the likes of Tash Oakley, Devin Brugman and Madi Edwards. The face moisturiser is infused with self-tan and enriched with 100 per cent natural ingredients, such as nourishing oils and balancing antioxidants Eight years ago while living in Bali, cofounders Laura and Dave Oosterloo saw a 'gap in the market' for a natural, vegan suncare that didn't irritate the skin. Laura herself has suffered with a skin condition her entire life and previously couldn't use any tanning products on the market because it would aggravate her skin. Bali provided the couple endless inspiration to create a brand with natural formulations that delivered radiant, healthy skin. Since then the business has grown to gain an Instagram following of more than 1.4million people and the products are loved by thousands worldwide. An Australian mother-of-two has spoken about meeting her 'soulmate' while on a work trip with her husband and the decision that saw her walk away from her marriage only to get rejected. Amanda Trenfield, who lives in Sydney, was looking to reconnect with her husband after 14 years together, which led her to tag along on his three-day work conference in Margaret River, Western Australia. But at dinner on the very first night Amanda locked eyes with 'Jason' and felt an instant spark of chemistry, far stronger than anything she had felt before. A month later she left her husband - having not spoken to Jason since the event - in pursuit of her 'soulmate' only to discover he didn't want a relationship with her. In her memoir, aptly named When A Soulmate Says No, Amanda describes meeting her match, the connection she felt to him and what happened after she was left high and dry without any man at all. Amanda Trenfield, who lives in Sydney, was looking to reconnect with her husband after 14 years together, which led her to tag along on his three-day work conference in Margaret River, Western Australia After having a 'free-flowing' conversation over dinner with Jason on that first night Amanda returned to the couple's hotel only to find her mystery soulmate offering her - and her husband - a drink. 'It happened to be my favourite rose. And during the course of that evening we just stayed talking ... there was a depth of connection I just hadn't felt before,' Amanda told Mia Freedman on the No Filter podcast. The following morning Amanda rang Jason's room to ask if he would like to have a conversation about their feelings, to which he obliged. They went on a bush walk while her husband attended the conference. 'I opened the conversation with "I felt strange and very connected to you last night" and he said he felt the same way,' she said. They shared 'a few kisses' during the course of that morning before parting ways, unsure of if - or when - they would see each other again. After having a 'free-flowing' conversation over dinner with Jason on that first night Amanda returned to the couple's hotel only to find her mystery soulmate offering her - and her husband - a drink Amanda describes that morning as having changed the course of her life, but not in the way she expected. A few weeks later she told her husband that their marriage was over before reaching out to Jason to see if he would like to re-connect. After initially agreeing to see her, Jason emailed the following morning to say he felt it was best they didn't see each other or stay in touch. 'He was there in those moments and felt the connection like I did. He felt the kiss like I did. But he decided to say no and move forward with his life without looking back,' she said. Amanda's decisions sparked a viral discussion on Twitter among commenters who were shocked by the way she 'blew up' her life, with one writing: 'Never in my life have I encountered someone romanticising a one night stand that *didn't even happen*'. Amanda's decisions sparked a viral discussion on Twitter among commenters who were shocked by the way she 'blew up' her life, with one writing: 'Never in my life have I encountered someone romanticising a one night stand that *didn't even happen*' One commented: 'She was convinced they had a connection but I see no evidence they did. She just projected onto a random dude because she was unhappy. Which we've all been there but we don't uproot our lives for it.' A third added: 'Yeah, the "I ditched my husband kids of 14 years to live my life with you after meeting you once because you're my soulmate" might have been coming on a bit strong, no wonder he said um, no.' A commenter argued Amanda's children may need therapy after reading her book when they get older, writing: 'I want to read the POV of the "two young children" when they grow up.' Another commented: 'Therapist: so why are you here today. Kid: *SLAMS this book down on the table*' However, others defended Amanda's decision to leave her marriage. 'I don't really find this embarrassing. She obviously hated her life and the emotional zing of a crush was all she needed to end it all,' one wrote. Another said: 'This seems normal and fine, maybe I'm missing something? Like, I get that it's embarrassing to fall into limerence and get rejected, but is that worse than staying in an unhappy marriage?' However there are plenty more for each travellers to have a pool to themselves There is one huge pool deep enough to jump in that is most popular with visitors Vibrant natural pools are tucked away in the secluded beach's rocky shoreline A rugged beach along one of Australia's most scenic coastlines hides a series of turquoise rock pools. Aussies are travelling to Point Brown near Smoky Bay on South Australia's iconic Eyre Peninsula to take a dip in the stunning natural pools carved out of the rocky shore. The secret spot has been called one of the best beaches to see the state's incredible rock pools and it's not hard to see why. Aussies are travelling to Point Brown near Smoky Bay on South Australia's iconic Eyre Peninsula to take a dip in the stunning natural pools carved out of the rocky shore Point Brown and its refreshing rock pools lie at the end of a 26km unsealed road south from Smoky Bay, four hours north of Port Lincoln The secluded beach is littered with sparkling blue and sometimes vibrant green rock pools however one is the biggest and most popular swimming spot Point Brown and its refreshing rock pools lie at the end of a 26km unsealed road south from Smoky Bay, four hours north of Port Lincoln. The secluded beach is littered with sparkling blue and sometimes vibrant green rock pools however one is the biggest and most popular swimming spot. Deep enough to jump in, the pool's waters have been left behind by the ocean's tide and are calm and protected from the crashing waves. Deep enough to jump in, the pool's waters have been left behind by the ocean's tide and are calm and protected from the crashing waves. One adventurer said the huge pool is not visible from the Point Brown car park as it's hidden among the rocks but is hard to miss as you descend down to the beach If the main pool is occupied by fellow travellers, there are so many natural pools along the shore, visitors will be able to find one they can have all to themselves One adventurer said the huge pool is not visible from the Point Brown car park as it's hidden among the rocks but is hard to miss as you descend down to the beach. If the main pool is occupied by fellow travellers, there are so many natural pools along the shore, visitors will be able to find one they can have all to themselves. Some lucky travellers may be able to get acquainted with beach's resident marine life in the pools or spy migrating whales offshore. There are no facilities in the area so visitors will have to bring everything they need and the ocean is not monitored so swimmers will need to be extra cautious if they want to take a dip in the ocean. There is now hope for people who are always losing their belongings. It may be unorthodox, but jangling a set of keys next to someone as they sleep could help them remember where they have put their own house or car keys. Playing the sound of footsteps could help them remember where they left their shoes, and hearing a car engine could help them figure out where they parked when they got home last night. Experts believe hearing sounds linked to objects helps reactivate the memory of where those objects are, storing that knowledge more efficiently in the brain. There is now hope for people who are always losing their belongings. It may be unorthodox, but jangling a set of keys next to someone as they sleep could help someone remember where they have put their own house keys or car key HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY MEMORY? Convince yourself that you have a good memory that will improve Too many people get stuck here and convince themselves that their memory is bad, that they are just not good with names, that numbers just slip out of their minds for some reason. Erase those thoughts and vow to improve your memory. Keep your brain active The brain is not a muscle, but regularly 'exercising' the brain actually does keep it growing and spurs the development of new nerve connections that can help improve memory. By developing new mental skills especially complex ones such as learning a new language or learning to play a new musical instrument and challenging your brain with puzzles and games you can keep your brain active and improve its physiological functioning. Exercise daily Regular aerobic exercise improves circulation and efficiency throughout the body, including in the brain, and can help ward off the memory loss that comes with aging. Exercise also makes you more alert and relaxed, and can thereby improve your memory uptake, allowing you to take better mental 'pictures.' Reduce stress Chronic stress, although it does not physically damage the brain, can make remembering much more difficult. Even temporary stresses can make it more difficult to effectively focus on concepts and observe things. Try to relax, regularly practice yoga or other stretching exercises, and see a doctor if you have severe chronic stress. Source: Queen's University Belfast Advertisement A small study of five people tested the theory by showing people objects like shoes and cars on a screen while playing them related sounds. When they were played the same sounds as they slept, they remembered the location of the objects far better the next morning. Their memory of where things were was 36 per cent better on average when they were played a sound prompt in their sleep compared to a random sound. Brain scans showed activity in the hippocampus and cortex, as people were played the sounds, which suggested their memory was being resurrected and strengthened. Professor Ken Paller, senior author of the study, from Northwestern University, said: 'Whereas this method helped people remember locations of things cars, shoes, and various other objects we've used in prior studies, like keys the evidence is that sleep helps people with remembering all sorts of facts and events. 'That is because memories are revisited when we sleep, even though we wake up not knowing it happened.' The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at five people with epilepsy, who had electrodes implanted in their brain to investigate their seizures. This showed the effect on the brain of trying to re-trigger memories with sounds at night. Generally, people forget things after several hours have passed, which is why it can be so hard to locate an item the next morning after putting it down at night. Indeed, people asked to remember where objects were on a screen were accurate within 4.4cm after learning their position at night, but accurate only within 5.1cm on average the next morning. However people replayed sounds linked to the objects, like the sound of shoes, saw a three per cent improvement on average in their memory of where those objects were the next day. That compared to a 33 per cent reduction in memory, on average, when played random sounds as they slept. The researchers played 10 to 20 sounds quietly, so as not to wake people up. They found an increase in brainwaves within the gamma frequency, suggesting these brainwaves play a crucial role in helping sleeping people remember where they have put their belongings. The research was conducted to understand how important sleep is for consolidating memories and making them stronger and longer lasting. A mother was left with a hole in her cheek after accidentally dabbing oven cleaner on her face. Maura Prendergast, from Ireland, left her wire oven racks to soak in a bag of Oven Pride overnight. Wanting to start cooking dinner for her six children, the 45-year-old who had used the corrosive substance before opened the bag 'as normal'. But unbeknownst to her, a tiny drop of the grease-destroying liquid got on her face. Ms Prendergast, a hotel worker, used a tea towel to wipe her cheek when it began to itch, inadvertently spreading the harsh alkaline chemicals which can burn the skin across her face. By the time her daughter had got back from school, the side of her face had turned 'black'. Maura Prendergast, from Ireland, was left with a hole in her cheek after accidentally dabbing oven cleaner on her face Ms Prendergast, a hotel worker, used a tea towel to wipe her cheek when it began to itch, inadvertently spreading the harsh alkaline chemicals which can burn the skin She has had multiple skin grafts, several of which have failed, and was forced to wear a vac pack (pictured) on her face to hold the wound together so it can heal after one of the ops Pictured: The area that was burned became infected after one of Ms Prendergast's skin grafts failed WHAT IS A CHEMICAL BURN? A chemical burn is the irritation and destruction of human tissue caused by exposure to a chemical. Many cases occur due to accidental misuse of hair, skin and nail care products. Most chemical burns are caused by strong acids that kill cells, which can lead to scarring and disabilities. The extent of tissue damage depends on the strength of the chemical, the site of contact, whether it was swallowed, whether skin was intact and how long it was left on for. Symptoms include: Redness, irritation or burning at the affected skin site Pain or numbness Vision changes if the eye is affected Cough or shortness of breath Vomiting In severe cases people may suffer a cardiac arrest, seizures or low blood pressure. Minor chemical burns that affect a small area of skin can often be treated by thoroughly washing the affected area with water. Major burns require hospital treatment. Source: eMedicine Health Advertisement Recalling her ordeal, which occurred in 2019, Ms Prendergast said: 'I went into the bathroom and looked at my face and just started to throw water at myself.' She rushed to A&E at University Hospital Galway, where doctors gave her antibiotics and salt water to prevent the wound becoming infected. Doctors referred her to the plastic surgery team, who cut away a piece of her cheek that was ravaged by the burn. But that wasn't the end of her nightmare. Over the last three-and-a-half years, she has had 10 surgeries, including an operation to close the wound using fat from her stomach. She has had multiple skin grafts, several of which have failed, and was forced to wear a vac pack on her face to hold the wound together so it can heal after one of the ops. Now, Ms Prendergast is calling on Oven Pride to ensure it provide face masks with its products. McBride, the company which owns the cleaner, provides gloves with its oven cleaner and advises customers wear masks. She told the Daily Mirror: 'Oven Pride is still on sale. 'And it says on the box to wear gloves and a mask and they give you gloves in the box, so why not put a mask in, too. 'This was before Covid so people didn't have masks then, now we all have them, so there's no excuse. 'It shouldn't have been able to happen to me and if there had been a mask in the box it wouldn't. 'I just want to warn others to protect themselves so they do not have this happen to them.' Oven Pride includes a 500ml bottle of liquid, a bag to place oven wracks in, one set of gloves and an instruction leaflet. The liquid contains sodium hydroxide, a dangerous chemical also known as lye, that causes serious burns and permanent damage if it comes into contact with skin. Severe chemical burns, like Ms Prendergast's, can require grafts, where the affected area is removed and replaced with a section of healthy skin taken from another part of the body. Speaking about the burn, Ms Prendergast said she did not panic when her face first went black, instead using her first aid training to start rinsing the wound. But over the years, her treatment wore her down, with her asking her family at one point to 'just take her home to die'. When wearing the vac pack for 10 weeks, she said would not leave the house because she did not want people to see her, adding: 'I've always felt like I'm ugly anyway.' She got five stars tattooed close to her right eye on the side of her face that has been scarred. The tattoos gave her a way of taking back control, after her piercings in the area were rejected following her surgeries, she said. Now, she feels like she has a 'second chance at life', after getting engaged and hopes her nightmare can help prevent others being burned in the same way. McBride declined to comment. After a five-year struggle with fertility problems, Kemi Olowe was focusing on the joys of motherhood with her nine-month-old son, Samuel, when she felt a lump in her right breast. Kemi, then just 32, wasnt unduly worried as she assumed it was a blocked milk duct, which is a common problem during breast-feeding if the baby fails to latch on properly or the breast tissue is irritated. I thought the lump would go down once Id stopped breast-feeding, says Kemi, a mortgage broker from Essex. But it didnt. So four months later, she went to see her GP. After two ultrasound scans she was diagnosed with breast cancer, with a 6cm stage 3 tumour (meaning it had spread, in her case to the lymph nodes, which are part of the immune system). A mastectomy, six months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiotherapy followed. Although it was her persistence in seeing her GP twice that resulted in her diagnosis, my thoughts never went to cancer, says Kemi. I thought it was only old people who got cancer. In women who are aged 35 to 49, breast cancer is, in fact, the most common cause of death in the UK, accounting for 712 deaths a year. Kemi, then just 32, wasnt unduly worried as she assumed it was a blocked milk duct, which is a common problem during breast-feeding if the baby fails to latch on properly or the breast tissue is irritated However, it is primarily a disease of the over-50s, who account for 80 per cent of all breast cancers, says Nicola Roche, a consultant breast cancer surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. When youre in your 20s and 30s, if you find a lump its most likely to be a fibroadenoma [a benign, slow-growing, solid breast lump]; in your 40s its likely to be a cyst; and only in your 50s is it more likely to be cancer. This is because our cells become damaged over time, and as we age our bodies are less able to fix it. But younger women often have more aggressive cancer, says Miss Roche, adding that mammograms arent routinely performed on women under 40 as their breast tissue is very dense, which makes it harder to detect a lump. However, all breast lumps must be checked, no matter how young the patient. Youre not expecting cancer with a young patient, says Miss Roche. Your levels of suspicion will be higher with an older patient, but all lumps must be checked and every woman encouraged to know what her breasts are like and if theyve changed. Kemi also dismissed the idea of cancer as she wrongly assumed her ethnicity protected her. She says that, as a child, she watched TV soaps and when a character had breast cancer, it was never a black person so I thought cancer didnt affect black people. Studies have long shown that women from black ethnic backgrounds have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, but a lower five-year survival rate if they do have the disease. Miss Roche explains: Young black women have a lower incidence of breast cancer, but when they get it, it tends to be more aggressive. Women from ethnic minority groups may also present late with breast cancer symptoms because of socio-economic and cultural reasons. In women who are aged 35 to 49, breast cancer is, in fact, the most common cause of death in the UK, accounting for 712 deaths a year Analysis by Cancer Research UK shows that 25 per cent of black African women and 22 per cent of black Caribbean women with breast cancer are diagnosed at stages 3 or 4, compared with 13 per cent of white British women. Kemi first went to her GP in January 2018. He couldnt find the lump although I could physically hold it, she says. He referred me for an ultrasound and the radiologist said it was just milk drying up. I felt I was wasting NHS time, but it felt like it was growing nearer to my armpit. In July, I spoke to a female GP over the phone and was sent for another ultrasound. It was the same radiologist doing it. She asked why I was back and, on scanning, said nothing had changed. Then a medical student, who was in the room, started asking questions and pointing things out on the screen. Im so grateful for that student she might have saved my life as I went immediately for a biopsy. Kemi had a mammogram the next day and then a bone scan. She didnt understand what it was for I was too scared to ask but now knows that with advanced breast cancer, the most likely place for it to spread is the bones. Two weeks later, Kemi went with her husband, Peter, 37, a businessman, to see a consultant. The nurse was holding a folder marked breast cancer, but I didnt realise she was going to give it to me, she recalls. When the consultant said I had breast cancer, I froze and then had a panic attack. All I could think was: My son, my son. He wasnt even two then. My family cancelled my dads surprise 60th birthday party that evening. They came to ours instead, and I cried while they comforted me. The next day I decided I must do what I needed to do to fight this. I went to the gym and then I had my hair and nails done, and I put on my make-up every day. Wed forgotten we had private health insurance. So three days later we had an hour-long consultation with the same doctor who had diagnosed me. Within two weeks of her diagnosis, Kemi had five lymph nodes in her right armpit removed (the lymph nodes in the armpit nearest the tumour are the most likely first place for cancer to spread). One node was affected, so she was advised to have a mastectomy. Kemi and Peter then went to Guys and St Thomas Assisted Conception Unit in London to talk about IVF and freezing embryos for a sibling for Samuel (who was born after four rounds of IVF). As I had an oestrogen-receptive cancer [driven by the hormone], they asked if I wanted hormones going into my body to stimulate me [to produce eggs], she says. Peter and I looked at each other and said: Well get back to you. In the car, we talked about how grateful we were to have Samuel, but I want to stay alive for him, so we decided not to go ahead. Kemi knows of no breast cancer in her family, which is why this was such a shock, she says. Twice my consultant referred me for genetic testing, and it was rejected both times because of my age. Miss Roche says that women diagnosed with breast cancer in their 30s but without a family history of the disease would normally be offered genetic testing. There is at least a 10 per cent chance that there is a fault in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, and that has implications for treatments and decisions, she says. For instance, the woman might decide to have a double mastectomy to reduce the risk of breast cancer in the future. Before her mastectomy in September 2018, Kemi and her sister, Temi, who is eight years her junior, went to a bra meeting at NHS Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford, where post-surgical volunteers stood, topless, so that women could see the results of various techniques and quiz the volunteers. The meetings are held twice a month and anyone can attend. It was so emotional, says Kemi. Even the women whose new breasts had been done a long time ago, whose results were variable, were getting on with their lives. She also had a cheering encounter with an assistant at an M&S store, when she went to buy special bras to wear after surgery. Kemi recalls: I started crying and this woman, an angel who reminded me of Barbara Windsor, took off her uniform and showed me her reconstructed breast. This is me, 25 years on, she said. Six months after surgery, Kemi began six months of chemotherapy, the first 12 weeks of which were the most gruelling. Mum moved in with us, she says. She had to shower me and take me to the loo, as I had no energy. My hair had gone within two weeks. The radiotherapy sessions in spring 2019 were much easier. I even went to a wedding after having a session in the morning, she says. Kemi was supported after diagnosis by the charity Breast Cancer Now with such helpful information that she has in turn helped with its Tickled Pink campaign with Asda this month. Her chosen message, I am a beautiful masterpiece, based on a Bible verse from Ephesians in the New Testament, has been printed on fundraising T-shirts. Four years since her diagnosis, she says she is super happy and grateful to be alive. Itll be five years next July, and thats when we will celebrate, she says. I see a consultant and have scans annually and I check the other breast a lot. I want to help make people aware that breast cancer is not just an old persons disease and that everyone must check their breasts. Kemis T-shirt is on sale at selected Asda stores and online at george.com this month. For information on checking your breasts, visit: nhs.uk/common-health-questions/womens-health/ It will come as little surprise to many parents but having a boy really might be tougher work. Scientists say having a son seems to age your brain quicker. A study of more than 13,000 over-50s in the US found that parents with at least one son experienced faster cognitive decline, compared to those without one. And those who had more than one son lost their cognitive abilities faster than those who had only daughters. The researchers, from the US and Czechia, did not investigate what was to blame for the effect. But they suggested it may be down to daughters being more likely to look after their parents in their elderly years and offer emotional support, helping to keep them healthier as they age. Meanwhile, those who have boys may be less likely to lead a healthy lifestyle. For example, studies show parents of daughters are less likely to drink alcohol, take drugs and smoke while mothers of sons are more likely to weigh more. A study of more than 13,000 over-50s in the US found that parents with at least one son experienced a quicker cognitive decline, compared to those without a son. And those who had more than one son lost their cognitive abilities faster than those who had only daughters, the scientists said HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY MEMORY? Convince yourself that you have a good memory that will improve Too many people get stuck here and convince themselves that their memory is bad, that they are just not good with names, that numbers just slip out of their minds for some reason. Erase those thoughts and vow to improve your memory. Keep your brain active The brain is not a muscle, but regularly 'exercising' the brain actually does keep it growing and spurs the development of new nerve connections that can help improve memory. By developing new mental skills especially complex ones such as learning a new language or learning to play a new musical instrument and challenging your brain with puzzles and games you can keep your brain active and improve its physiological functioning. Exercise daily Regular aerobic exercise improves circulation and efficiency throughout the body, including in the brain, and can help ward off the memory loss that comes with aging. Exercise also makes you more alert and relaxed, and can thereby improve your memory uptake, allowing you to take better mental 'pictures.' Reduce stress Chronic stress, although it does not physically damage the brain, can make remembering much more difficult. Even temporary stresses can make it more difficult to effectively focus on concepts and observe things. Try to relax, regularly practice yoga or other stretching exercises, and see a doctor if you have severe chronic stress. Source: Queen's University Belfast Advertisement The team, from Charles University in Prague and Columbia University in New York, gathered data from the ongoing study monitoring more than 30,000 over-50s and their spouses. Some 13,222 parents, who were followed for around 14 years, were eligible for the current study. They reported the number of children they had and their gender. Parents also completed regular cognitive tests which assessed their mental skills, such as memory, concentration, thinking and understanding. These included remembering a list of 10 words, counting down from 100 in sevens and counting backwards for 10 continuous numbers. A total of 10,872 participants had male children, with 4,862 having one son, 3,523 having two and 2,487 having three or more. Among those with no sons, 891 had one daughter, 905 had two daughters and 554 had three or more daughters. The results, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, show that parents with at least one son had a faster rate of cognitive decline compare to those who had no sons. The speed of mental deterioration was similar for both fathers and mothers. The researchers noted the effects were 'modest compared to the overall decline overtime'. But Katrin Wolfova and team said they were still visible even after accounting for sociodemographic and health factors that could have skewed the results. Their analysis also revealed that the downturn in parents' mental abilities was faster if they had multiple sons, compared to parents who only had daughters. As the effect was the same among mothers and fathers, an aspect of parenting sons 'might play a role in cognitive ageing', the researchers said. The mechanism behind their finding was not investigated. But they suggested that the parents of sons may be more likely to be 'disadvantaged later in life as daughters provide more social support than sons and more often become informal caregivers'. A child's biological sex may also 'influence' parental behaviours, with mothers of sons weighing more, on average, than those who have daughters for 'a long time after pregnancy'. This combined benefit on physical and mental health among parents of daughters 'may contribute to lower risk of dementia', the team said. The researchers noted that they accounted for all children had by the participants, regardless of whether they were biological, adopted or step-children. If biological mechanisms are behind the brain deterioration among parents to sons, then this may have biased the result, they said. A woman's lips ballooned to three times their normal size after she suffered a severe allergic reaction to a $350 lip filler. Basia Query, 24, from Las Vegas, Nevada, went into a suspected anaphylactic shock after getting a discounted procedure that doesn't involve needles. Her beautician fired the filler into her lips using a hyaluron pen which uses highly-pressurized air to get it below the skin. But Ms Query is thought to have suffered an allergic reaction leading her lips to swell so much it became difficult to eat, drink and even speak. Anaphylactic shocks are when the immune system floods the body with chemicals which can cause a drop in blood pressure, risking airways narrowing and closing. Shocking images show how both her lips swelled to a 'huge' size in what she said was the 'scariest thing ever' and left her fearing they might be 'cut off'. Doctors saw her at the hospital within five minutes and gave a shot of adrenaline, which sped up the heart to raise blood pressure and stop the airways tightening. The swelling in her lips had subsided within 24 hours, she said, but that they were left 'super bruised'. Ms Query has now sworn off lip fillers and other cosmetic procedures. She said her family was left 'terrified' and 'really angry' by the experience. Basia Query, 24, from Las Vegas, Nevada, saw her lips swell to three times their normal size leaving her fearing they would be cut off after she had an allergic reaction to fillers Doctors at the hospital diagnosed her with an allergic reaction and gave her an epi-pen injection. The lips have now calmed but remain 'super bruised' Ms Query says she has now sworn off lip fillers forever and also canceled an appointment for botox that she had next month She is pictured above on social media before getting the lip fillers. Her parents were described as being 'pretty angry' What are lip fillers and what happens if they go wrong? Face and lip fillers (dermal fillers) are substances injected to fill lines and wrinkles and add volume to areas such as your lips or cheeks Fillers are not permanent. How long they last depends on the type of filler and where it's injected, and they usually last between 6 and 18 months Most dermal fillers contain a natural substance called hyaluronic acid Having dermal fillers is usually safe if it's done by an experienced and suitably qualified practitioner The risks of dermal fillers depend on whether the procedure was done correctly and the type of filler used. Speak to your practitioner about the risks Serious problems are rare but can include: - Infection a lumpy appearance under the skin, which might need to be treated with surgery or medicine -The filler moving away from the intended treatment area, which may need to be removed using surgery -Scarring blocked blood vessels in the face, which can cause tissue death and permanent blindness Advertisement Ms Query went to get her lip filler on October 21 at her normal clinic. She had been twice before without issue. Unlike other lip fillers the hyaluron pen does not use a needle. Instead it uses highly pressurized air to force chemicals into the skin. Once inside the hyaluronic acid works by attracting water molecules to the area which bind to it, causing the skin to swell by raising its water content. The effect lasts for around six months. Ms Query said that after her appointment her lips 'almost immediately blew up' and became 'really uncomfortable'. Within about two hours they had reached three times their initial size. Ms Query hurried to the pharmacy wearing a mask to hide her lips to get histamines. She was then rushed to a hospital's Emergency Room (ER) by boyfriend Gage Dodds, 24. She was seen by doctors within five minutes who gave her an Epi-Pen to calm the reaction and then some IV drips. She was kept on the wards for three hours before being discharged. Her lips are now much less swollen, but she says they remain 'very bruised' after the experience. She said that the reaction was caused by Lidocaine, an anaesthetic used to numb pain which she had not received before. It is possible to suffer an allergic reaction to this in rare cases. Speaking about the reaction, she said: 'I was terrified and thinking "what if they cut my lips off, or stay this way forever". I didn't know what to do. 'I had never seen lips this big, and the woman who did my lips said other people had had a reaction but never that big.' She shared her experience on TikTok, where it has gone viral and being viewed more than 17million times. 'I was sharing it because friends said it was funny,' she said, 'but I didn't know it was going to go viral and now I am getting trolled. 'A lot of people are saying to me to just love yourself, and some are making fun of it, but I am making fun of myself and I don't even read the comments. 'I will not do it again, I am done with getting filler. I was also going to get botox next month but have cancelled it.' Ms Query is yet to ask for a refund for the procedure. She added: 'I have learnt to always do research into what I am putting into my lips, it's the same thing with botox or getting a boob job, it's different for everyone.' A Missouri woman is suing L'Oreal over claims chemicals in its hair straightening products left her with womb cancer and unable to have children. Jennifer Mitchell, 32, was diagnosed with the disease in 2018 and forced to have a hysterectomy robbing her of the chance of ever conceiving naturally. She started using chemical hair straightening products in 2000 when she was in third grade and had no family history of cancer. Ms Mitchell alleges her diagnosis was 'caused by regular and prolonged exposure to phthalates and other endocrine disrupting chemicals' found in L'Oreal products. Her lawsuit, filed in Illinois federal court, comes a week after a Government-funded study linked chemical straighteners to womb cancer for the first time. It found people who used the products more than four times a year were twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than those who rarely used them. Scientists cannot be certain the products cause cancer but they found a 'probable' link. Ms Mitchell, from Waynesville, said she was 'shocked' after learning about the study last week and thought 'this could be an answer to my diagnosis. Jennifer Mitchell, 32 and from Missouri, claims that L'Oreal's hair straighteners left her with uterine cancer. She had to have a full hysterectomy removing her womb and cervix to stop it spreading to the rest of her body, robbing her of the chance of having children Ms Mitchell, pictued above, said she used the products once a month from the age of ten years for two decades. She was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2018, at the age of 28 years L'Oreal is yet to respond to requests for comment on the case. Pictured above is one of their chemical hair straightening products. There is no evidence that Ms Mitchell used this one She told Good Morning America: 'Not being able to carry my own children has been the hardest thing that I've ever had to deal with. 'This is a dream of mine that I've always wanted.' Ms Mitchell is also suing four other companies Carson Inc in Georgia, Strength of Nature Global in Georgia, Dabur USA in New Jersey and Namaste Laboratories in Illinois. Her attorney says black women who use the products more frequently have 'long been the victims' of company marketing strategies. What was in the landmark study on hairstraighteners? A landmark official study published last week found using chemical hair straighteners may double the risk of womb cancer. Research carried out by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) looked at 33,000 women across the US for more than a decade. The rate of uterine cancer was 4.05 per cent in women who used straightening products four or more times a year. For comparison, it was 1.64 per cent in those who did not. Scientists believe chemicals in the creams seep into the bloodstream through the scalp and travel to the womb. Uterus cancer is uncommon, making up only around three per cent of all cancer diagnoses in American women annually. But researchers warn rates have been rising in the US in recent years, particularly among black women. It was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Advertisement In her case filed to the Northern District of Illinois federal court, Ms Mitchell said her cancer was 'directly and proximately caused by her regular and prolonged exposure to phthalates and other endocrine disrupting chemicals' found in L'Oreal products. She is seeking more than $75,000 in compensation. Ms Mitchell started using the products around once a month when she was about 10 years old. But at the age of 28 she was given a devastating diagnosis. She went for a full hysterectomy which involved removing the womb and cervix to get rid of the cancer. She kept using the products, however, until March 2022, unaware that they could be behind her cancer. Flanked by supporters outside the court on Monday, she said: 'I'm from a big family, I have six sisters, and that was something that I have always dreamed of becoming was a mother 'I go in for my first appointment and as in most consultations they do what they call is a vaginal ultrasound. 'During that appointment, he saw something that day and he had to do a biopsy because he saw something in my uterine lining. 'Three days later I got a call, I am 28 years old and i was just diagnosed with uyterine cancer. 'It was recommended that I have a full and total hysterectomy and in September 2018 that is when I had a full and total hysterectomy. 'At that time bat the age of 28 my dreams of becoming a mother were gone. 'I am 32 years old right now, and I am still feeling that void of not being able to bear my own child.' Her attorney Ben Crump, who has a daughter, said he was 'horrified' to learn that chemical hair straighteners can cause uterine cancer. He said companies should have been aware of the potential health risks of their products. 'Black women have long been the victims of dangerous products, specifically marketed to them. '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.' The case accuses L'Oreal and the other four companies of failure to warn consumers, negligent failure to warn, selling products with a design of manufacturing defect, gross negligence and negligent misrepresentation. It also accuses them of committing fraud, fraudulent concealment, breach of warranties and a negligent failure to recall. L'Oreal is yet to respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com. In the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study published last week, researchers monitored around 33,000 women for more than a decade. The rate of uterine cancer was 4.05 per cent in women who used straightening products four or more times a year compared to 1.64 per cent in those who didn't. Scientists said at the time 'more research' was needed to confirm the findings, but that the results were 'concerning'. There are around 66,000 new cases of womb cancer every year in the US, making it the most common cancer of the female reproductive system. About 81 per cent of patients live for at least five years after their diagnosis, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. But for black women the rate falls to 63 per cent, which experts say is because they are more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive form. Notorious for not sticking to schedule, Elon Musk announces that Neuralink's show and tell event is postponed until November 30. Musk takes Twitter to say that the much-awaited event will have to be pushed back by a month from originally being scheduled for October 31, Reuters writes. No Further Information Has Been Provided Yet Merely a week before the anticipated event promised for Musk's artificial intelligence company, the CEO tells the public that they might have to wait for Neuralink's show and tell a little longer. Neuralink, a company started by the Tesla CEO in 2016, has the goal of creating an artificial intelligence device that can be implanted. This technology will allow humans to directly interact with computers using their brain, rather than through traditional input methods, CNet says. Musk claims that this project will be able to help humanity keep advancing in the development of artificial intelligence, with a focus on restoring the capabilities of people with disabilities. However, Neuralink has yet to secure regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which hinders them from beginning human trials as the company suggests. In 2020 and 2021, Neuralink tested on pigs and monkeys, but Musk has been dissatisfied with the results of those experiments. Nevertheless, Engadget reports that the show and tell next month might reveal crucial information about the project, which must have been the reason why the company needs more preparation time. Read More: Neuralink Brain Chip, Human Trials, Release Date: What Is the Purpose of Neuralink, Will It Make People Smarter? Musk's Neuralink Faces Mixed Receptions From The Public The multimillionaire believes that Neuralink will soon make it possible to save humans' memories in a chip, which will make them downloadable into another body or into a robot. The Street writes that with the continuous development of Neuralink, the artificial intelligence product can provide a better understanding of neurological diseases in the future. In the beginning, Gertude, a young sow, was the center of the Neuralink progress tests, where the animal was implanted with an 8 millimeter chip in its brain to observe cerebral activity. However, the public is torn with the company's use of animals for testing in the industry because the tests have not been well-received by some of test subjects under experimentation, Tech Times says. "The use of every animal was extensively planned and considered to balance scientific discovery with the ethical use of animals," the company says. Neuralink defends itself by saying that the animals that were euthanized were necessary to gather important historical data, while others were let go as per the advice of veterinary staff. With its Food and Drug Administration regulatory approval still pending, Neuralink has fallen behind its competition Synchron, which has tested its chips on humans in 2021. Synchron is a brain-machine interface technology tested in Australia that can be installed in the brain without having to cut the skull open. This technology aims to make life easier for people who have been paralyzed by offering them a way to control electronic devices through brain signals. According to The Street, with the delay in Neuralink's regulation and development, Musk is reportedly talking with Synchron about possibly investing in the company. Related Article: Elon Musk's Neuralink to Hold a 'Show and Tell' Event on October 31 Arrhythmias cause around 150,000 deaths each year in the US E-cigarette use could cause deadly arrhythmias, a new study finds Vaping may cause heart damage similar to traditional cigarettes, a study suggests. Exposure to e-cigarette vapor led to heart arrhythmias premature or skipped heart beats in mice. An irregular heartbeat can lead to life-threatening complications, including strokes, blood clots and even cardiac arrest in severe cases. Rodents exposed to vape smoke saw their heartrate plummet immediately after the experiment then shoot up rapidly shortly after This was only the case with specific chemicals found in fruity and menthol flavored vapes which are becoming increasingly popular among children. Tobacco cigarettes also cause users' heartrate to drop just 20 minutes after smoking before shooting back up, according to the FDA. Lead researcher of the study, Dr Alex Carll, an assistant professor at the University of Louisville, said: 'Our findings demonstrate that short-term exposure to e-cigarettes can destabilize heart rhythm through specific chemicals within e-liquids.' It comes as the US and UK grapple with a vape epidemic among children, with 2.6million US teens regular users. E-cigarette devices have been linked to a multitude of heart and lung issues as regulators crack down on their use in the US, especially among younger people (file photo) Mice who were exposed to smoke from e-cigarettes saw their heart rate drop by up to 400 bpm. The affect was more pronounced among male mice than female mice. More than 2.5 million US children use e-cigarettes - rising a half-million from last year and reversing downward trends in recent years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 2.55 million Americans in middle or high school admit using the device in the past 30 days. It is a jump of 500,000, or of 24 per cent, from 2021. It is the first increase since the CDC started gathering annual data in 2019 Cardiac arrhythmias: Unpredictable and sometimes fatal Cardiac Arrhythmia causes the heart to beat irregularly The normal electrical signals that tell the heart to pump blood to the lungs or to the rest of the body fail, putting the heart out of rhythm Many things can cause an arrythmia, such as a heart attack, blocked arteries, diabetes, infection with COVID-19, or even sleep apnea and stress and anxiety Some arrythmias have no clear cause There are several types of arrhythmias, though the most common is an atrial fibrillation, often shortened to AFib AFibs are responsible for an estimated 460,000 hospitalizations each year in the US, and play a role in 150,000 deaths According to the CDC, about 2,000 young, healthy people under the age of 25 die of sudden cardiac arrest in the United States each year Severe arrhythmias are fatal if a regular heartbeat isn't restored within minutes Arrhythmias are fairly common and can be short-lived and harmless It may feel like a fluttering or racing sensation in the heart Treatments can range from medication to surgeries and even implanted devices to control heart rate Advertisement The Biden Administration has vowed to slash the use of vapes in the US, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cracking down on the industry this year. Flavored devices - which are most popular among kids - now require specific approval from the agency to remain on US shelves. The latest study, published in Nature Communications, exposed mice to e-cigarette aerosols to gauge how their hearts would react. Scientists tested aerosols from the two main ingredients in e-liquids - nicotine-free propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin - or from flavored retail e-liquids containing nicotine. For all e-cigarette aerosols, the rodents' heart rate slowed during active exposure to the smoke and sped up afterwards, indicating a 'fight-or-flight' stress response. But menthol-flavored e-liquid or from propylene glycol alone caused ventricular arrhythmias and other disruptions to heart rhythm. 'These findings suggest that e-cigarette use involving certain flavors or solvent vehicles may disrupt the heart's electrical conduction and provoke arrhythmias,' Dr Carll added. 'These effects could increase the risk for atrial or ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac arrest.' While some believe e-cigarettes are relatively harmless compared to standard cigarettes, researchers have long warned that they carry risks of their own. Previous research has found that people who regularly vape are at risk of developing airway obstructions similar to those suffered by people with asthma and COPD. A Harvard University study published last month found that younger chronic users were experiencing respiratory symptoms similar to those of severe lung conditions. There are also reports of vape users suffering 'popcorn lung', a potentially devastating condition caused by the diacetyl in many flavored devices. The recent Louisville research adds to the many potential long-term health defects tied to vaping, according to Dr Aruni Bhatnagar, an environmental medicine professor at the school. 'The findings of this study are important because they provide fresh evidence that the use of e-cigarettes could interfere with normal heart rhythms - something we did not know before,' he said. 'This is highly concerning given the rapid growth of e-cigarette use, particularly among young people.' Use of vapes among young people has emerged as a major health problem in the US and across the world. The CDC reported earlier this month that 2.55million children aged 11 to 17 in America are using e-cigarettes. Nearly a third of that group use one every day. While the figure has fallen from its peak of 5.4million teenage users in 2019, it still shows a worrying 20 per cent rise from 2021, where there were 2.06million users. An experimental drug has for the first time been shown to block a gene central to the growth of many cancers in what could be a breakthrough. The treatment known as OMO-103 works by suppressing MYC, which orchestrates messages telling a cell to divide. In a study of a dozen patients with various forms of hard to treat cancer, the drug was able to halt tumor growth in eight patients. Of these, two had pancreatic cancer, three had colon cancer, one had non-small lung cancer, one had a sarcoma and one had a salivary gland cancer. Experts have been trying for years to develop a drug that directly blocks MYC, which goes into overdrive in 70 per cent of human cancers. Normal cells only make the protein when it is time to multiply. But cancer cells produce it in large amounts continuously, leading to uncontrolled growth. Lead study author Dr Elena Garralda, Director of the Early Drug Development Unit at Vall dHebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona, said: 'MYC is one of the most wanted targets in cancer because it plays a key role in driving and maintaining many common human cancers, such as breast, prostate, lung and ovarian cancer. 'To date, no drug that inhibits MYC has been approved for clinical use.' MYC is overexpressed in over 70 per cent of cancers. An infusion of the OMO-103 mini protein sequesters MYC and doesnt allow it to bind to other molecules. This blocks MYC from binding to other molecules and replicating itself, thereby stabilizing tumor growth Dr Elena Garralda, Director of the Early Drug Development Unit at Vall dHebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona called MYC one of the most wanted targets in cancer research because it plays a key role in driving and maintaining many common human cancers including prostate and breast The findings were presented at the 34th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium in Barcelona. Scientists developed a mini-protein called OMO-103 that can enter cells and reach the nucleus. In experiments in the lab and in mice, they had shown that it successfully inhibited the ability of MYC to promote tumor growth. It does this by blocking MYCs function of controlling the flow of information from many common genetic mutations found in cancer. How does OMO-103 work? - OMO-103 is a mini-protein that scientists developed to help block tumor growth in cancer patients - The protein targets MYC, a gene that controls many aspects of the cell life cycle - MYC also induces cancer formation by evading multiple tumor-suppressing checkpoint mechanisms, including cell death and/or senescence - Overexpression of the MYC oncogene contributes to the genesis of many human cancers - OMO-103 is injected and enters into cell nuclei where it inhibits the ability of MYC to promote tumor growth by blocking it from binding to other molecules Advertisement Starting last April, researchers enrolled 22 patients to a phase I clinical trial to assess the best dose of OMO-103 and to see if there were any signs of it controlling cancer. They had all been heavily pre-treated, having received between three and 13 other treatments previously. OMO-103 was given intravenously once a week at six dose levels ranging from 0.48 to 9.72 mg per kg of patient weight. The researchers took biopsies from the tumors at the start of the study and after three weeks of treatment to assess levels of MYC gene activity and other biological indicators for cancer. By October 10, eight out of 12 patients who had CT scans after nine weeks had stable disease, with the treatment having stopped the cancer growing. The most common treatment-related adverse side effects were mild reactions to the IV infusion, such as chills, fever, nausea, rash and low blood pressure. Higher dose levels were associated with more reactions to the infusion but were easily treated. Inflammation of the pancreas was the only dose-limiting reaction, which occurred in one patient. Analysis of how OMO-103 was absorbed and processed in the body indicated that it remained for at least 50 hours in blood serum. Dr Garralda added: 'We have experimental evidence that this could be a significant underestimate of how long the drug remains in the tumor. 'Evidence from our work in mice suggest drug concentrations in the tumor that are at least four-fold higher than in the blood. 'In addition, even after long-term treatment, we could not detect any anti-drug antibodies, which can decrease the amount of drug available and therefore make it less effective.' These early findings are a promising sign that an innovative treatment is closer than previously thought. Dr Lawrence Young, an oncologist at the University of Warwick in the UK said: 'These are very exciting results but it is still early days.' Cancers are extremely prevalent in the US. Over a million cases of cancer are diagnosed each year. Over 609,360 deaths from cancer are expected to occur in the US in 2022, which is about 1,670 deaths a day, the American Cancer Society said. Cancer continues to be the second most common cause of death in the US, after heart disease. Dr Young said: 'Cancer is a complex disease and the best way of attacking tumour cells is to use a multi-pronged approach thats why combination therapies are the most effective.' 'If subsequent trials of this new MYC-targeted drug hold up, then exploring combinations with other chemotherapy drugs or some of the new agents that stimulate the bodys immune response to cancer hold out the prospect of new, more effective treatments,' he added. Cancer vaccine could be ready in MONTHS: Drug giant Merck teams with Moderna to develop shot for melanoma that uses patients' own TUMORS Pharma giants Merck and Moderna have teamed up to develop a cancer vaccine that is based on the same tech used in Covid shots. The new shot designed for people with high-risk melanoma is in the second of three trials and a verdict on whether it works or not is expected within months. It harnesses mRNA technology that uses pieces of genetic code from patients' tumors to teach the body to fight off the cancer. The vaccine is given to people post-surgery to prevent the tumor from returning, and it is tailored to each patient, meaning no two shots will be the same. This means it could be hugely expensive. Similar cancer vaccines being trialed cost around $100,000 (91,000) to make each individual shot. Merck and Moderna will share the production and commercial costs and split the profits if it goes to market. The collaboration has got markets excited, sending Moderna's shares soaring 16 per cent Wednesday. MRNA is leading the frontier of potential cancer cures after the tech was rapidly accelerated during the pandemic, leading to the two most successful Covid vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. The new shot designed for people with high-risk melanoma is in the second of three trials and a verdict on whether it works or not is expected within months. It harnesses mRNA technology that delivers pieces of genetic code from patients' tumors into their cells and teaches the body to fight off the cancer. The vaccine is given to people post-surgery to prevent the tumor from returning, and it is tailored to each patient, meaning no two shots will be the same As part of the updated deal, Merck will pay $250million to Moderna for joint rights to the cancer vaccine. The two drug makers have been running trials of the shot together after forming a 'strategic partnership' in 2016. In the latest phase 2 study, 157 patients given personalized vaccines alongside Merck's immunotherapy drug Keytruda. They are being compared to a control group who also have high-risk melanoma but are only being given Keytruda. The trial has been going on for the past year. If it works, the vaccine will be trialed in a much larger group involving thousands of patients. Moderna was able to develop, trial and seal approval of its Covid shot within the space of a year. The vaccine uses DNA taken from each patient's tumor. This genetic snippet is then inserted into messenger RNA the molecule that carries a cells instructions for making proteins. Once inside the body, the mRNA delivers this piece of code to human cells, teaching them to recognize cancer cells and attack them if it returns. The hope is that the body will be able to recognize and destroy them before they can start to multiply and form tumours. The vaccine is being given in nine doses every three weeks, along with one course of Keytruda every three weeks. Dr Stephen Hoge, Modernas president, said he was 'excited about the future and the impact mRNA can have as a new treatment paradigm in the management of cancer'. With the Covid vaccine market expected to die down in the near future, Moderna has been turning its attention to non-Covid vaccines. The biotech giants stock surged 16 per cent when the cancer vaccine announcement was made yesterday morning, and were still up by around 10 per cent in the afternoon. Moderna and Mercks joint venture could be a cause for optimism, but Americans appear to be suffering vaccine fatigue after constant Covid jab rollouts. The White House's lead Covid chief, Dr Ashish Jha, issued a warning on Tuesday that the pandemic is not over in response to the US' sluggish booster vaccine uptake. The rollout of the bivalent booster vaccines that were designed to perform better against Omicron variants has largely been a failure to this point. Most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that only 11 million Americans have received the shot so far. That represents fewer than 10 per cent of everyone who is eligible for the jabs. Meanwhile, the American Cancer Society said the rates of melanoma have been growing significantly over the past years. It estimates that about 99,780 new melanomas will be diagnosed (around 57,180 in men and 42,600 in women) in the US in 2022. And about 7,650 people are expected to die of melanoma (roughly 5,080 men and 2,570 women). You are more than 20 times more likely to get melanoma if you are White compared to if you are African Americans. The lifetime risk of contracting melanoma is about 2.6 per cent (one in 38) for Whites, 0.1 per cent (one in 1,000) for Blacks, and 0.6 per cent (one in 167) for Hispanics. The type of cancer is more common in men, but before age 50 it is more prevalent in women. A list of more than a dozen fungi that pose a threat to public health was published today by the World Health Organization (WHO). The global health agency has named 19 'priority pathogens' that are growing and becoming resistant to treatments, including yeasts and molds. Fungal infections are responsible for roughly 1.7million deaths and over 150million severe infections worldwide every year. But the infections which spread in hospitals and can be deadly for immunocompromised people became more prevalent during the pandemic. The pathogens prey on people with weakened immune systems including those battling COVID-19. Treatments for Covid, including steroids, can further weaken the body's defenses against fungi. The WHO publishes a similar list of most threatening bacteria and cited a general lack of investment in studying dangerous fungi as a reason for compiling the fungal priority pathogens list. Fungal pathogens remain a major public health threat yet too few resources are spent on developing effective antifungal medications, the WHO said. A historic dearth of research into fungal pathogens has left gaps in knowledge about diagnostics and viable treatments. The global health agency has named 19 'priority pathogens' that are growing and becoming resistant to treatments, including yeasts and molds. Four types of fungi were included in the critical priority group: Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Candida Auris The different fungi included in the list represent 'priority pathogens' including yeasts and molds that are commonly found in the environment and our own bodies Dr Hanan Balkhy, the WHO's assistant director-general, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) said: 'Emerging from the shadows of the bacterial antimicrobial resistance pandemic, fungal infections are growing, and are ever more resistant to treatments, becoming a public health concern worldwide.' The health body advised governments to bolster their systems for monitoring dangerous fungi and responding to the 19 varieties included in the list. 'Countries are encouraged to follow a stepwise approach, starting with strengthening their fungal disease laboratory and surveillance capacities, and ensuring equitable access to existing quality therapeutics and diagnostics, globally,' said Dr Haileyesus Getahun, WHO Director, AMR Global Coordination Department. An every-warming planet means that fungi are continuously adapting to rising temperatures in ways that make them more adept at infecting people. Global warming alters the attributes of the fungus, its environment, and its host, increasing the likelihood that novel varieties of fungi will emerge. Most people who experience severe fungal infections are already severely ill. Infections due to these dangerous opportunistic pathogens exploded during the Covid pandemic. The health body divided the 19 types of fungi among three priority groups ranked high to low. Fungal infections are responsible for around 1.7 million deaths per year and over 150 million severe infections are reported every year around the world. Dr Neil Stone, Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at University College London Hospitals said: 'Finally the threat of fungal infection has been raised as a priority issue which is long overdue.' 'Fungal infections have always been a threat but historically have been grossly neglected when it comes to public awareness and clinical research funding... As a result, diagnosis and treatment of fungal disease remains far behind that of bacterial disease.' Fungi the WHO wants to warn you about 'Critical' priority: 1. Cryptococcus neoformans 2. Candida auris 3. Aspergillus fumigatus 4. Candida albicans 'High' priority: 1. Histoplasma 2. Eumycetoma 3. Mucorales 4. Candida tropicalis 5. Nakaseomyces 6. Candida parapsilosis 'Medium' priority: 1. Scedosporium 2. Lomentospora prolificans 3. Coccidioides 4. Pichia kudriavzeveii 5. Cryptococcus gattii 6. Talaromyces marneffei 7. Pneumocystis jirovecii 8. Paracoccidioides Advertisement Four types of fungi were included in the critical priority group: Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Candida Auris. Aspergillus produce spores that spread in the air and can threaten the lung health of people with compromised immune systems. Candida albicans is commonly found in the gut but could cause invasive infections in immunocompromised people. It can cause an asthma-like illness, pulmonary fibrosis or a non-cancerous tumor. Cryptococcus neoformans can cause deadly brain infections. Globally, it is a major cause of illness in patients with HIV/AIDS and kills at least 180,000 people annually. Candida Auris (C. Auris), which grows on yeast, leads to severe and sometimes deadly infections. The mortality rate of C.Auris, which spreads quickly in healthcare settings, can be as high as 60 per cent. Cases of the infection in the U.S. rose to 700 in 2020 up from 10 in 2015, the CDC said. There are just four categories of antifungal medications available and there are very few in the development pipeline. The scientific community applauded the WHO's report, calling it a positive step toward innovating new means to treat treatment-resistant fungal infections. Prof Jon Cohen, an infectious disease expert at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the UK said: 'While the problems associated with bacteria, especially resistance to antibiotics, have become well known, and of course viruses such as COVID have claimed huge public attention, serious infections caused by fungi have received far less attention.' He added, 'They are less common than other types of infection but can cause extremely serious disease or death, and there are frequently far fewer treatment options.' While emerging markets will have to stump up more than half Around a third of this will have to come from Europe and the US $100trn needed to meet net zero goals by 2050, according to BNY Mellon A further $100trillion will be needed to meet global net zero goals by 2050, according to a new report by BNY Mellon Investment Management. The global economy is currently behind schedule in reaching its 2050 net zero goals and complying with the Paris climate goal of limiting global warming by at least 2 degrees. The joint report with Fathom Consulting found that $100trillion, which is 15 per cent of total forecast global capital expenditure over the next 30 years, will need be needed for the world to catch up. Despite the recent interest in ESG investing, the global economy is behind schedule in reaching its net zero goals Shamik Dhar, chief economist at BNY Mellon Investment Management, said: 'Achieving net zero by 2050 will require transformational investment, but it is attainable. Get it right and the payoff to society and investors can be substantial. Investment is just one side of the coin. 'Wider policy action is needed to accelerate the pace of decarbonisation and there have been calls for a global carbon tax, but we think a coordinated approach is unlikely, so other incentives must be considered. 'Governments need to encourage and incentivise private sector investment whilst alleviating transition risks through policy levers.' Around a third of the total investment will need to come from Europe and the US, with companies in the S&P 500 needing to commit $12trillion to green investment. Emerging markets, which are more vulnerable to the impact of climate, will need to stump up more than half of the $100trillion and the report found a quarter will be needed in China alone. India, South Korea and Indonesia are, alongside China, expected to grow faster than the global average and currently use a lot of coal for electricity generation. This means they will require a larger share of green investment than their current share of global GDP. With cheaper decarbonisation solutions relative to advanced economy peers, the transition in emerging markets can potentially lead to greater returns, both financially and environmentally, for impact-focused investors, the report found. Unsurprisingly, energy and utilities account for nearly half of the overall corporate green investment spending required, but account for just 6 per cent of the overall market capitalisation. However these sectors are being shunned by investors over climate-related concerns, including their relatively high share of carbon emissions and concerns over the transition. The report said: Herein lies the problem: the sectors that may need most of the investment to achieve net zero by 2050, are, it seems, at least in part, being shunned by some investors for the very same reasons. If the transition is to be achieved, these sectors will need capital and investors will play an important role in providing this capital; for maximum effectiveness in minimising transition risk and facilitating decarbonisation investors will need to identify those companies with the most credible decarbonisation and green investment plans. Kristina Church, Global Head of Responsible Strategy at BNY Mellon Investment Management added: 'Divestment is a very last resort should a company fail to transition. Engagement allows for the directing of capital to the sectors and geographies that need it most. This is where the biggest transition opportunities for investors lie.' The photoshoot will be on November 26, to join register at the project website An artist famous for his mass nude photoshoots has asked Aussies to bring their biggest tube of sunscreen and bare it all for a new piece to be shot at a prominent Sydney beach. Photographer Spencer Tunick, whose last foray to Australia was in 2010 to shoot 5,200 LGBTQ+ community members as a 'human base' of the Sydney Opera House, will return in November in the hope of increasing awareness to skin cancer. The beach where the November 26 photoshoot will be held will remain a secret until the last minute. His project is in collaboration with Skin Check Champions for National Skin Cancer Action Week. Mr Tunick said he is hoping at least 2,000 Sydneysiders will be brave enough to get naked for his piece. The number will represent each life lost to skin cancer every year in Australia. Famous American artist Spencer Tunick is planning another mass nude photoshoot in Sydney to encourage Aussies to get their skin checked (pictured, one of Mr Tunick's Sydney pieces) He told Daily Mail Australia returning to Sydney was a 'dream come true' and hoped his piece would remind Aussies to get their skin checked. 'I recently noticed a spot on my wife's back and I have a dark spot on my arm so when Skin Check Champions called me about the project I decided I'd do an appointment in Australia,' he said. 'I'm going all the way to Australia for a skin check.' His November project will be the fifth major piece Mr Tunick has done in Australia and his second in Sydney. 'I've had this wonderful, long relationship with Australia and now I've been asked to help save lives,' he said. 'I want this project to represent Australia's love-hate relationship with the sun. Mr Tunick (above) said he hopes to have at least 2,000 Aussies strip down for his Sydney protect with each person representing one life lost to skin cancer in Australia every year 'We want people of all shapes, sizes and colours to come out and join in. 'I want to really encourage skin cancer survivors and those who've lost a loved one come along. It will be a memorial to all lives touched by skin cancer.' Participating in the nude photoshoot does come with one perk, Mr Tunick added. 'Everyone who joins will get to take home a free print of the final piece. I just hope it doesn't end up hidden in the bathroom,' he said. Mr Tunick said one of his most memorable moments in Australia was when a reporter covering the event decided to strip off and join in the fun while still on air. 'I like to get everyday people involved so he definitely stood out,' he said. But it doesn't beat his all-time hilarious moment when two people accidentally found themselves in the middle of one of his sessions. Mr Tunick has organised mass nude portraits across the world but said returning to Australia was a 'dream come true' (pictured, a New York piece) 'We were in Vienna, Austria, and this grandfather and his grandson got confused and joined my queue of people heading into a stadium thinking something else was happening,' he said. 'They were taken aback when suddenly 1,000 people got naked around them. They got out of there pretty quick!' Mr Tunick said his upcoming project was very close to his heart and added a 'whole new meaning' to his work. 'I used to work as a lifeguard and growing up in the 80s we weren't as knowledgeable (about sun safety) as we are now,' he said. 'I haven't had a skin check in 10 years, I'm a culprit of of not paying attention to the needs of my body. 'This project takes on a whole new meaning because I can use my work to help save lives.' Mr Tunick's new project is in collaboration with Skin Check Champions for National Skin Cancer Action Week (pictured, the Strip Off for Skin Cancer campaign) Mr Tunick's nude pieces are famous worldwide but he believes his upcoming project will add a 'new meaning' to his work as it will contribute to saving lives He encouraged as many Aussies as possible to sign up and strip off. 'Beach life is synonymous with Australian culture but it's also where a lot of skin cancers can start. If you love our great outdoors, please register. If you or someone you know has been affected by skin cancer, please register,' Mr Tunick said. 'We need to send a clear message that skin cancer is real, and it can be stopped in its tracks if more people get their skin checked.' To register, visit the Strip Off for Skin Cancer website by clicking here. The fourth arrest allegedly dragged his partner by her hair and threatened her A third allegedly left his partner in intensive care for three days with a broken jaw Another allegedly dragged his partner by her hair and broke one of her fingers A specialty police force targeting domestic violence cases have arrested four men for a series of horrific alleged attacks. The four Northern Territory men were arrested over the weekend for a range of alleged violent actions against their partners as part of a crackdown by specialty domestic violence police unit Strike Force Lyra. Police arrested a 21-year-old man in Humpty Doo, southeast of Darwin, on Sunday after he allegedly choked his 20-year-old partner, attempted to run her over, kidnapped her child and injured a police officer. Police believe the couple were driving down Girraween Road when they began to argue. The woman then asked the man to stop the vehicle and tried to get out when he allegedly grabbed her by the throat and forced her to stay inside. Northern Territory Police made four alleged domestic violence arrests over the weekend as part of specialty domestic violence police unit Strike Force Lyra's crackdown The 20-year-old fled the vehicle but the man reportedly began chasing after her and tackled her to the ground. She managed to escape again and hid in nearby bushland. Her partner allegedly later returned to the spot and tried to hit the young woman with the vehicle while a witness called police. When the woman finally felt safe to go home, she found her property had been broken into with her two-year-old daughter missing. Police said officers later found the man with the woman's daughter inside his vehicle. An officer attempted to confront him but his arm became stuck on the vehicle as the man drove away, dragging the policeman along. The officer managed to break free and was left with minor injuries. The 21-year-old later returned the child to the woman's home. One of the arrests was for a man who allegedly choked and tried to run over his partner on Girraween Road in Humpty Doo (above) before allegedly kidnapping her daughter and injuring a police officer The man was arrested on Sunday and charged with three counts of deprivation of liberty, three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of recklessly endangering serious harm, unlawful entry, escape from lawful custody and assaulting an officer. A 50-year-old man whose alleged attack against his partner left her in intensive care for three days with multiple jaw fractures earlier this year was also arrested at the weekend. He was in breach of an existing Domestic Violence Order (DVO). 'Strike Force Lyra members have been investigating the assault and arrested the man without incident. He has been charged with unlawfully cause serious harm and breach of a DVO. The matter is now before the courts,' Sergeant Caragh Hen said. Another man was arrested for allegedly verbally and physically assaulting his partner in a series of events last week. Police allege the 28-year-old man assaulted the woman while dragging her by her hair on Friday. Three other men were arrested for allegedly attacking their partners with one woman left in the ICU for three days with a broken jaw, another allegedly told she was going to be killed while she was dragged around by her hair and another woman's finger broken Frightened witnesses tried to intervene and called police after the man allegedly broke one of the woman's fingers. The woman was rushed to hospital while the specialty force searched for the man at the scene. He was found on Sunday. Police have charged him with possession of a controlled weapon, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of recklessly endangering serious harm. A fourth man was arrested for an incident last Thursday that saw the man allegedly threaten to kill his partner after an argument. Police allege the woman had tried to walk away from the man in the midst of an argument when he grabbed her by her hair, pulled her to the ground and assaulted her. When police arrived, the man was allegedly still holding the woman down and threatening her. He was charged for making threats to kill, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering serious harm. Daily Mail Australia has contact Northern Territory Police for comment. He is rightly being heralded as the UK's first non-white PM, but Rishi Sunak's height is making fewer headlines. This is despite the fact that, at just 5ft 6inches tall, the former Chancellor is the shortest occupant of Number 10 since Winston Churchill. At 5ft 5in, Second World War hero Sir Winston was shorter than Mr Sunak, who is now joining the 'under 5ft 7in club' of European leaders. French president Emmanuel Macron is just under 5ft 7in, Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz is said to be around 5ft 5 and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is only slightly taller than his German counterpart. Mr Sunak is however almost certainly taller than infamous French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte was. Whilst Napoleon is believed to have been of average height for his era - around 5ft 5in - the notion that he was short was ingrained in public consciousness by famed English cartoonist James Gillray. He is rightly being heralded as the UK's first non-white PM, but Rishi Sunak's height is making fewer headlines. This is despite the fact that, at just 5ft 6inches tall, the former Chancellor is the shortest occupant of Number 10 since Winston Churchill. At 5ft 5in, Second World War hero Sir Winston was shorter than Mr Sunak Mr Sunak, who is now joining the 'under 5ft 7in club' of European leaders. French president Emmanuel Macron is just under 5ft 7in, whilst Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is 5ft 6 Mr Sunak is however almost certainly taller than infamous French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte. Whilst Napoleon is believed to have been of average height for his era - around 5ft 5in - the notion that he was short was ingrained in public consciousness by famed English cartoonist James Gillray Mr Sunak's height does put him at odds with many of the UK's other allies. US President Joe Biden is just under 5ft 10, whilst Canada's Justin Trudeau is 6ft 1 and Dutch PM Mark Rutte is 6ft 3in. Russia's despot ruler Vladimir Putin is an estimated 5ft 7in, but North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is just 5ft 2in. Mr Sunak's predecessor as PM, Liz Truss, is around 5ft 5in, whilst his former boss Boris Johnson is just under 5ft 8. Other recent Tory PMs have also been taller than Mr Sunak. David Cameron is just over 6ft, whilst Theresa May is around an inch taller than the new PM. Former Labour Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are 6ft and 5ft 11in respectively, whilst Margaret Thatcher was 5ft 5in. Her successor John Major is 5ft 11in. Going back further, Labour's James Callaghan was 6ft 1in, but his party colleague Harold Wilson, who served twice as PM, was 5ft 8. German chancellor Olaf Scholz is just 5ft 5in, making him even shorter than Mr Sunak US President Joe Biden is just under 5ft 10, whilst Canada's Justin Trudeau is 6ft 1 It comes after Mr Sunak left Twitter users baffled yesterday when he appeared to gain an inch or two as he was cheered by party colleagues outside Tory party headquarters. Video showed him suddenly rising in the air as other MPs clapped around him. Some users suggested he may have been walking backwards up some steps which gave the illusion of suddenly getting taller. Last year, it was reported that the then PM Mr Johnson was appointing tall ministers to annoy Mr Sunak. In his September 2021 reshuffle, he appointed 6ft 5in Simon Clarke as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The Treasury team also included Economic Secretary John Glen, who is more than 6ft. The image-conscious Mr Sunak is also known for positioning himself in photos so that his shorter stature is less obvious Mr Sunak's predecessor as PM, Liz Truss, is around 5ft 5in. Above: Ms Truss leaves Downing Street for the last time as PM today Boris Johnson is just under 5ft 8. Above: The then PM walks around stalls at the Tory party conference in October last year Theresa May is around an inch taller than the new PM. Above: Mrs May attending the Woman of the Year Awards in 2019 Other recent Tory PMs have also been taller than Mr Sunak. David Cameron is just over 6ft Former Labour Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are 6ft and 5ft 11in respectively Long-serving Conservative PM Margaret Thatcher was 5ft 5in. Above: She is seen during a visit to Japan in 1986 In a photo with his Treasury team in March last year, he was seen at the top of the staircase of Number 11, with taller members of his team lower down. The average height for a man in the UK is 5ft 9in, whilst for a woman it is 5ft 3in. Mr Sunak took up the reins as leader of the Conservative Party without a vote after rivals Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson dropped out of the race for No 10. Allies hope he will stabilise the party following Mr Johnson's dramatic downfall and his successor's tumultuous tenure spanning only six weeks. The new Tory leader is expected to address the nation just before noon, before entering No 10 as the UK's first Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage, and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42. The former chancellor will then turn his attention to assembling a top team that he will hope can return a measure of stability to both the Conservatives and the country. Out to bat for the Sunak camp on Tuesday, former minister Victoria Atkins said she believed the Tories had 'turned a corner' and would now 'settle down' under the stewardship of the new PM. She insisted he would stick to the Conservative 2019 manifesto, meaning there would be a continued focus on levelling up, the NHS and security. Last year, it was reported that the then PM Mr Johnson was appointing tall ministers to annoy Mr Sunak. Above: Mr Sunak as Chancellor with his fellow Treasury ministers The image-conscious Mr Sunak is also known for positioning himself in photos so that his shorter stature is less obvious In a photo with his Treasury team in March last year, he was seen at the top of the staircase of Number 11, with taller members of his team lower down Mr Sunak now has the daunting task of leading the nation through an economic crisis only exacerbated by the chaotic legacy of Ms Truss. A wave of industrial unrest, a buckling health service and the risk of a nuclear escalation by Russian President Vladimir Putin are only some of the challenges he faces. Mr Sunak's ascendency from MP to PM is the fastest in modern political history, having first won the constituency of Richmond in North Yorkshire in 2015. However, his journey to the top job has not been without its hitches, having been fined alongside Mr Johnson for breaching coronavirus rules and having faced questions over his wife Akshata Murty's 'non-dom' status for tax purposes. A child, thought to be the man's daughter, taken to hospital with minor injuries Another says the man was with his teen daughter and saw 'wobbling' carriages Witness says he saw a father dangled from Treetops ride with legs stuck inside A father who was rushed to hospital after falling from a 26ft high rollercoaster had been on the ride with his teenage daughter with carriages that were 'wobbling,' witnesses have claimed. Visitors to the Oakwood Theme Park in Narberth, Pembrokeshire, watched in horror as a man reportedly dangled from the Treetops ride with his legs still trapped inside before he plunged onto the ground under the tracks on Sunday. 'Horrific screams' were heard and 'people were shouting stop' as part of the ride slid off the tracks and staff panicked to halt it, it was claimed. Witnesses said people held the man's daughter in place to stop her from falling out. The man was rushed to hospital following the incident in south-west Wales as the site was evacuated and closed to the public 'with immediate effect'. In an update on Tuesday afternoon, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who are leading an investigation into the incident told Mail Online: 'The man was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life threatening. 'A child, thought to be the man's daughter, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.' The theme park said they were 'deeply saddened' by the incident. They said the park would reopen on Saturday for the half term in Wales but the Treetops ride will remain closed for the duration of investigations. Oakwood, the largest theme park in Wales with 400,000 visitors a year, was said to have been running a Halloween-themed event at the time. A witness described seeing the passengers in shock and a man lying face down on the ground after the incident in south-west Wales on Sunday Aaron McCalmon, 47, had been waiting with his daughter to go on the rollercoaster which reaches speeds of 22mph. He said: 'I heard a big bang and saw the man hanging out with his legs stuck in the carriage. 'He was trying to pull himself back in but as it was coming down, it went around and he fell out. 'He was with his teenage daughter. As he fell out the people behind had to hold his daughter to stop her from falling out.' Mr McCalmon, of Port Talbot, South Wales, claimed he had previously been turned away from the ride because it was being checked. He said: 'This was our second attempt to go on the ride. The first time they were working on that carriage so said to come back. 'I did see the guy checking the bars before it went, but it still opened.' Eye-witness Dr Harriet Lloyd heard screaming and people shouting 'stop' while waiting for her husband and son who were on the ride at the time. She said: 'One of the carriages on the back of the ride had been shaking as it had been going round. It looked like the last few carriages were wobbling. 'My husband had noticed there was a man and a teenage girl in the carriage at the back of the ride. 'When he turned around the man was no longer there and then they saw him on the second descent of the ride and he'd obviously been thrown out of a carriage. 'He could see him and then the passengers were trying to help hold the last carriage on because the girl was still in it and it was still moving around.' Dr Lloyd said she was left 'upset' that her husband and son were on the ride and could have been in the carriage at the rear. An air ambulance attended a 'serious' medical emergency at Oakwood Theme Park on Sunday Witnesses described hearing screams for help from people trapped in the rollercoaster. Sean Hayes, of, London, was visiting with his wife and daughter when he heard screams just one minute into the Treetops ride. He said: 'I shouted for the ride to stop and staff were clearly panicking to get it stopped. 'It went on for a bit before it grinded to a halt. We had to evacuate the ride on a bend and staff were present to help people off.' Mr Hayes said he went to collect his bag after getting off the ride before he saw a man lying on the ground. He added: 'Within 20 mins an air ambulance arrived and I also saw a lot of police turning up.' Emergency services rushed to the theme park while the site was evacuated. An air ambulance attended the scene and an investigation was launched into the ride by the health and safety regulator. A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive said they are investigating the incident at the park (stock image) One man at the theme park said he tried to get on the ride just before the accident but was told it was undergoing engineering work. When he came back ten minutes later, he claimed the rollercoaster had come off its tracks. He told The Mirror: 'Less than a minute into the ride I heard horrific screams and noticed the back end of the coaster slipping and sliding off the track and a girl crying in severe distress and what appeared to be the bar raised. 'We had to evacuate the ride on a bend and staff were present to help people off. I saw a mobile phone and a flip-flop on the grass and realised someone must have come off the ride. 'A group of girls were in shock and I asked them if they were ok which clearly they weren't. 'When I went to retrieve my bag I saw a gentleman lying face down with a member of staff and a paramedic. He wasn't moving but staff later told me he was conscious and talking.' The 30-year-old Treetops rollercoaster promises 'a magical adventure through the woodlands surrounding the park' (stock image) The theme park in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, was evacuated following the accident The small family park opened in the late 1980s and the Treetops rollercoaster has been running for nearly 30 years, according to its website (stock image) 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, you'll 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 park first opened 35-years-ago and is now owned by the Spanish-owned leisure operator Aspro. It was sold to the group following the tragic death of 16-year-old Hayley Williams in 2004. Hayley fell 100 feet from the theme park's white-knuckle Hydro water ride. Hayley Williams 16, who fell to her death from the Hydro rollercoaster at Oakwood Theme Park in April 2004 Previous owners Oakwood Leisure were fined 250,000 and ordered to pay 80,000 costs after they breached the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Health and Safety Executive are investigating the latest incident at the park. A spokesperson earlier said a man was airlifted to hospital by the Wales Air Ambulance. They said: 'We investigate Health and Safety law and Health and Safety breaches. 'We need to find out what, if anything, has happened at Oakwood Theme Park, and we need to establish is there is a work-related element involved. 'We will continue to work alongside the Dyfed-Powys Police in the investigation.' Head of operations for the HSE in Wales Sian Clayton said: 'Our inspectors are investigating an incident on the Treetops rollercoaster at Oakwood Theme Park. 'We will provide more information when we can.' The full statement from Oakwood Theme Park said: 'We are deeply saddened by the incident that took place on our Treetops ride on Sunday 23rd October in which one of our visitors sustained an injury. 'We are co-operating fully with the HSE investigation into the incident and are unable to comment further at this stage. 'The health, safety, and wellbeing of all our visitors and staff is of paramount importance to us. 'Following guidance from the HSE, Oakwood Theme Park will re-open for the half term holiday in Wales on Saturday 29th October as planned with Treetops remaining closed during the period of investigation. 'All guests affected by yesterday's closure, will be contacted directly by a member of our team.' Mail Online has contacted Oakwood Theme Park for further comment. Dyfed-Powys Police were contacted for comment but said HSE were leading the investigation. A British oil executive has revealed how he was jailed in India alongside hardened criminals after bringing a banned satellite phone on a yoga retreat. Fergus MacLeod, who works for the oil company Saudi Aramco, says he spent a week locked up in an Indian jail alongside some 'very serious' convicts after accidently breaching the country's strict rules. Fergus MacLeod (pictured), head of investor relations at Saudi Aramco, was detained after he was found with a satellite phone while on holiday in Valley of Flowers National Park. Satellite phones are illegal for foreigners to use in India Mr MacLeod, who is head of investor relations for the company, the world's largest oil exporter, says he was arrested at a hotel at a UNESCO heritage site called Valley of Flowers National Park in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand this summer. The 62-year-old says police took him away from the retreat after he was found with a satellite phone. It is illegal for foreign nationals to use satellite phones when they are in India. The phone type was banned after terrorists used them in the 2008 Mumbai attacks which killed 175 people. Anyone not from India needs to ask permission of the Government to use the special type of phone which uses satellites to pick up signals rather than terrestrial towers. Mr MacLeod was arrested on July 12 and was detained in prison in the town Chamoli until July 18. The executive, who had been on holiday with friends, including some colleagues from Saudi Aramco, said he was treated well throughout the ordeal. Officers detained Mr MacLeod after he had turned on and off the satellite phone in his hotel room but claimed he did not use it. Authorities were then able to pick up the phone's coordinates before arresting him. Mr MacLeod, who has led investor relations at the oil company giant since 2017, told the Financial Times he had been unaware of the ban. The Saudi Aramco boss had been on a yoga retreat UNESCO heritage site called Valley of Flowers National Park in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Stock of image of an adult meditating He also said he successfully passed through two airports in the country without being stopped by security staff. He claims he bought the phone legally in the UK in 2017 for personal use. He later used it when travelling through the Saudi Arabian desert in case of emergencies. Mr MacLeod added that even though he was treated well by lawyers during the detention period, his request to seek legal counsel was rejected. He was also unable to contact family. He said: 'It was a frightening place and a highly traumatic experience, where I was in a communal cell with long-term prisoners who had committed very serious crimes.' A police officer in Chamoli, Narendra Singh Rawat, confirmed to the FT that Mr MacLeod had been arrested and had carried the satellite phone 'by mistake'. While in the prison, he tried to get in contact on a Foreign Office Helpline, adding that while the Government department was 'sympathetic' no 'meaningful action' had been taken. The oil exec was eventually released after his friends paid his bail. Despite this he could leave the country until after a court hearing at the end of the month on July 27 where he pleaded guilty and settled the fine of just 10 ($12), or Rs1,000. Satellite phones (pictured left) use satellites to pick up signals rather than terrestrial towers. The Indian Government made it illegal for foreign nationals to use the phones in the country after they were used in the deadly Mumbai terrorist attack in 2008 (pictured right) The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it 'provided consular support to a British man in India' but did not add any further details. Mr MacLeod is one of the most senior western executives at Aramco, which is based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The Oxford University PPE graduate joined the company and moved to Saudi Arabia in 2017, a few years before the oil company became one of the most valuable companies in the world, just behind tech company Apple. Two massive low-pressure systems that brought heavy to Australia's east coast over the weekend will combine to form a volatile and unpredictable 'hybrid' cyclone. The two systems have sat over the New South Wales, Victorian and South Australian border and northern NSW since late last week but will now move to combine over the southeast coast on Tuesday. Weatherzone meteorologist Joel Pippard explained low-pressure systems either have a cold core, which causes heavy rain during the day and cold fronts, or a warm core, which causes more widespread heavy rain that peaks during the night. Current radar images show the system sitting over northern NSW is a warm core system while the one over the Victorian, NSW and SA border has a cold core. 'As the name suggests, a hybrid cyclone refers to a low pressure system that has both warm and cold air in its core. This mix of air leads to a mix of energy sources, which can allow hybrid cyclones to intensify quite rapidly,' Mr Pippard said. A hybrid cyclone will bring unpredictable heavy rain to Australia's southeast coast from Tuesday (picture, estimated rainfall totals from Monday to Wednesday) Two low pressure systems (pictured above in green) will combine over Australia's southeast coast and form an unstable hybrid cyclone However, Tuesday's cyclone will be unique in that it will be created by two already existing alternate low-pressure systems. 'This will cause the cores to try and balance out each other's core temperatures, resulting in an unstable and dynamically evolving system,' Mr Pippard said. Hybrid cyclones are notorious for causing severe weather, specifically tornadoes in the US. However, the centre of collision for the two east coast systems is set to sit over the ocean so it is less likely residents in the area will see cyclone conditions onshore. It comes as communities on the east of Australia brace for more flooding. Several communities in New South Wales and Victoria remain flooded (pictured, SES volunteers preparing for floods in Lismore) Several communities are either still battling flood, preparing for floods or cleaning flood damage in NSW and Victoria (pictured, a worker removing asbestos from a flood damaged home) The most at-risk communities in Victoria remain several small towns along its central border with NSW (pictured, Vic Emergency flood warnings) Mr Pippard warned the system will bring heavy and unpredictable rain to NSW's south coast, the Gippsland region and Tasmania's east coast through to Thursday. 'While current computer models forecast a widespread 60-100mm, these systems can sometimes produce up to twice as much as forecast,' he said. 'It is possible that some areas between southeast NSW and eastern Tasmania could see falls in the range of 100-200mm over the next few days.' On Monday the western system brought heavy rain to towns along the NSW, SA and Victorian border. Renmark, in South Australia's east, received 95.6mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday, the highest daily rainfall on record. That system will begin moving east on Tuesday. Byron Bay (above) is expected to see storms on Tuesday after flash flooding late last week Several communities in northern and southern NSW have been issued emergency flood warnings (pictured, NSW SES flood warnings) Also in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday, northeastern NSW town Alstonville copped 223mm of rain while nearby Ballina saw more than a month's worth of rain with 126.4mm. That northern system will stick close to the coast but move south on Tuesday where it will collide and form a hybrid cyclone mainly over eastern Victoria. Most of Australia's major cities are set to see wet weather on Tuesday. Sydney will see showers throughout the day before rain possibly intensifies into a severe thunderstorm in the late afternoon. Fortunately, the harbour city can expect to see some sunshine on Wednesday and Thursday as the low pressure system moves further south. Volunteers and community members have been working hard to prepare for floods across southeastern states (pictured, volunteers in Echuca) Renewed flood warnings have seen communities in NSW and Victoria rally together to prepare (pictured, a free community sausage sizzle in Echuca) Melbourne is forecast to suffer through a very wet week with showers forecast into early next week with the possibility of thunderstorms on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Brisbane residents are set to see a possibly severe thunderstorm on Tuesday before the sky clears for a sunny Wednesday. Nearby Byron Bay is set to face another storm on Tuesday following flooding last week. Areas surrounding Byron have been warned to stay alert for more flash floods. Perth's dry weather is expected to continue with cloudy weather forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before a sunny end to the week. Adelaide residents should prepare for more drizzly weather with low rainfall showers forecast through to next week. Residents in lower north Lismore have been ordered to evacuate with storms set to hit the town on Tuesday (pictured, a Lismore pedestrian) Moree (above) is in the midst of major flooding from the Mehi River with levels expected to top the March 2021 flood Hobart is set to see showers on Tuesday before rain intensifies as the two low-pressure systems collide. Heavier rain is set to fall over the Tasmanian capital on Wednesday with up to 45mm of rain expected before easing into showers for the rest of the week. However, residents in Hobart and other towns along the state's east coast should be prepared for much higher unexpected rainfalls from the hybrid cyclone. Canberra is set to see showers through to Thursday with a mostly sunny day forecast for Friday. Darwin residents can expect cloudy weather through to Thursday before a sunny end of week. Flooding continues in the Victorian border town of Echuca (above) which remains under an evacuation order Stores around Moree (above) have prepared for more floods as residents are urged to evacuate Flooding remains a threat in large parts of NSW and Victoria with more than 200 alerts issued by the states. NSW SES issued 136 alerts on Tuesday, including 24 emergency warnings, while Vic Emergency issued 73 with five of those at emergency status. The most at-risk communities in Victoria remain several small towns along its central border with NSW. The Murray River in Echuca has continued to rise with its water level reach 94.68m at 5am on Tuesday. It is expected to crack 95m by the end of the day. More than 200 flood warnings have been issued across NSW and Victoria (pictured, the resident-built makeshift levee in Echuca) The NSW SES and Vic Emergency have issued a collective 29 emergency flood warnings (pictured, NSW SES clearing flood debris in Moree) While Lismore did avoid the catastrophic floods forecast to hit the region after an unexpected easing of rain, its lower north suburbs have been ordered to evacuate. Other parts of Lismore have been told to monitor flood levels with possible storms forecast to hit the region on Tuesday. Moree, west of Lismore, has copped major flooding from the Mehi River with levels expected to top the March 2021 flood which left hundred stranded. South of Moree, Narrabri, Gunnedah and Carroll have also been ordered to evacuate as several rivers, creeks and dams overflow. It has been reported that two spies from the People's Republic of China allegedly tried to pry into an investigation that's being conducted by the US Department of Justice. The investigation looks into Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei being accused of stealing trade secrets, and not for the first time, as mentioned by Engadget. The Attempt at Bribery The two spies mentioned, namely, Guochun He and Zheng Wang, attempted to bribe an employee within the investigation of the Justice Department. According to a complaint seen by the outlet. The two built a relationship with the said employee to collect information about the investigation, including witnesses, evidence, and other possible charges that could be filed against Huawei. Unbeknownst to He and Wang, the person they continuously bribed was a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) double agent. They have been accused of obstruction concerning the prosecution of the Justice Department against Huawei. US Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed that it was an egregious attempt by PRC intelligence officers to keep Huawei from accountability. Ergo, it undermines the integrity of the judicial system. He added that the Justice Department would not tolerate the other party's attempts to undermine the law on which their democracy is based and will protect the rights in the US. This is in addition to what US Attorney General Garland also announced, which other charges against the Chinese national in two cases. First is for the four individuals of whom three were Chinese intelligence agents, attempting to steal technology from the US. Second is an incident where Chinese operatives were forcing a US resident to return to China. He then commented that the government of China is attempting to interfere with the rights and freedoms of people in the United States, and that they did not succeed. He added that the cases show the Chinese government's flagrant violation of international laws, as they project their authoritarian views into their borders. Read Also: U.S. Hackers Attack China Thousands Of Times A Month? The Case Against Huawei The investigation looks into the charges made by the Justice Department against Huawei back in 2020. The Chinese telecommunications company was accused of racketeering and stealing trade secrets from US firms, which has been happening for over 20 years, according to Politico. The accusation states that Huawei built their company with ideas from other companies, which are six US firms. Huawei did it by copying intellectual property and then selling it in products globally. Back in 2000, the Department of Justice claimed that the company stole source code for internet routers. This includes misappropriating robotic technology and stealing proprietary information about cellular antennas. It was also reported that Huawei also relied on academics to steal trade secrets or gave financial rewards to employees who followed their orders. Huawei spokesperson, Glenn Schloss, stated that the indictment was a part of the Department of Justice's attempts to damage Huawei's reputation, and the reason lies more on business competition rather than law enforcement. Related Article: Huawei Uighur Controversy: Finance Chief Meng Wanzhou Received Bullets Sent In Mail Advertisement How did Kari Lake go from local TV news reporter to a glossy right-wing firebrand who strategists speculate could use the Arizona governor's seat as a launchpad for national office? By tacking herself to 2020 election fraud claims Lake found her way into former President Trump's inner circle, and from there the posh ex-news anchor click-clacked her heels into MAGA stardom all across Trump rallies and donor events at Mar-a-Lago. The 52-year-old election denier could very well sail to victory next month against her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs, putting her at the head of the executive in Arizona with the power to overhaul 2024 election processes. Recent polls suggest Lake has a slight edge over Hobbs. For most of the race Hobbs had a safe lead - just in August the Democrat was up by an average of 7 points. Kari Lake is picture above as a sophomore at North Scott High School in Eldridge, Iowa around 1985 But it's not just Lake's newfound celebrity that's propelled her in the polls - local observers say the soft-spoken Hobbs is running an uninspiring campaign marked by her refusal to commit to a debate with Lake. 'How do you debate someone who refuses to accept the truth? Who doesn't live in facts?' Hobbs reasoned in an interview with MSNBC. After procuring Trump's favor and shooting herself to political stardom in a matter of months, Lake is now seen as a potential vice presidential contender should Trump run in 2024 or a post-Trump presidential candidate. On Sunday Lake swatted away speculation she would join Trump's ticket in 2024. 'I'm going to serve eight years as governor of Arizona,' she told ABC's 'This Week.' Lake grew up in Iowa, the youngest daughter of nine to a high school teacher and a nurse, before graduating from the University of Iowa and kicking off her journalism career. The news reporter hopped around different local stations across the country before settling at Fox 10 Phoenix in 1999. Her over-two decades at the network culminated with the chance to interview President Obama in 2016 and President Trump in 2020. Lake, dressed as Elvis, poses with ex-friend drag queen Barbra Seville Lake poses with drag performer Celia Putty, dressed in a t-shirt for Barbra Seville's drag show By tacking herself to 2020 election fraud claims Lake found her way into former President Trump's inner circle, and from there the posh ex-news anchor click-clacked her heels into MAGA stardom all across Trump rallies and donor events at Mar-a-Lago Lake parted with the network in March 2021 and launched her run for governor three months later in June. Questions arose about Lake's journalistic objectivity in February 2021, when FTVLive, a television news industry site, published a clip of Lake at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and questioned whether she'd attended as a reporter or a member of the movement. Lake said she'd left the news network and turned to politics instead because she felt the journalism industry had turned into 'propaganda.' The gubernatorial candidate is part of a notable coalition of Obama-Trump voters, having voted for John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008 before returning to her conservative bonafides. She cites opposition to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for her temporary stray from the GOP. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Lake led anti-mask and anti-vaccine rallies and has accused Biden and Democrats of harboring a 'demonic agenda.' In an op-ed for the Independent Journal Review Lake has said she would deport illegal immigrants in Arizona without seeking federal approval and complete Trump's border wall. Having one the former president's good graces by her denial of the 2020 election results, Lake recently she said she would move to do away with early voting and mail-in ballots. Lake poses with a Glenn Youngkin-style signature red vest after an event with the Virginia governor Lake is pictured with Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters, Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Andy Biggs Lake recently she said she would move to do away with early voting and mail-in ballots '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.' Earlier this month lake waved a document with 150 examples of Democrats raising eyebrows over the results of previous elections in front of reporters and said her staff would be happy to 'help you learn how to be journalists.' '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.' Once considered a fringe Republican with laser focus on the 'rigged' 2020 election, Lake more recently has brought in political heavyweights Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, to stump on her behalf. In his own race earlier this year Youngkin was seen as a rare moderate with star power who kept Trump at just the right distance. Only a few weeks ago Gabbard was registered as a Democrat, the party she served in Congress and ran to lead in the 2020 presidential primary. Term-limited Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who faced the wrath of Trump when he refused to decertify 2020 election results, opposed Lake in the primary. Now the Republican Governor's Association chair is an enthusiastic supporter. She lost the support, however, of ex-friend Richard Stevens, who for 25 years has worked as a drag performer under the name Barbra Seville. Stevens called out Lake after over the summer she tweeted, 'They kicked God out of schools and welcomed the Drag Queens. They took down our Flag and replaced it with a rainbow.' Stevens shared texts and photos in social media posts, claiming that Lake had attended countless drag shows over the years and that he'd performed as Marilyn Monroe in front of Lake's daughter when she was 9 or 10 years old. 'She's picked a side in the culture war, but her actions in the past don't support it,' Stevens told AZ Central in June. 'Of course my feelings are hurt, but it just proves that she is a hypocrite. ... She's thrown away my friendship with her to get votes from people that would rather hate gays or hate drag queens.' Stevens is not Lake's only one time friend to feel betrayed. In September Lake claimed 'We drove a stake in the heart of the John McCain machine.' Jimmy McCain, John's brother and a former friend of Lake, said he and his family were offended that Lake had turned on them. In 2020 Lake demanded Biden's win be 'decertified' and called for the imprisonment of Sec. of State Hobbs and unspecified journalists who she said had lied about the 2020 election. Having perfected her television persona, Lake makes such provocative claims with the smooth eloquence that lesser-known MAGA candidates have yet to master. In an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, Lake was asked whether she'd accept the results of the gubernatorial election this month. 'I'm going to win and I'll accept tht result,' she said in Trump-like fashion. Asked by Mark Phillips, reporter at the local ABC affiliate, how she would militarize the border, as she's promised to do, Lake replied: 'We're declaring an invasion and we're protecting our border. That's what we're gonna do. You can call it whatever you want.' Lake spent 22 years as an anchor at Fox 10 Phoenix Lake interviewed President Obama in 2016 Lake is pictured with her husband and two children in 2017 Trump embraces Kari Lake at a campaign rally in Mesa, Arizona on Oct. 9 After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a legal back-and-forth will either leave the state's current 15-week ban in place or revert to an 1864 near-total ban. Lake has said she supports both laws. 'I'm pro-woman,' she told Phillips. 'And I want to make sure that women have health care. I want to make sure women have access to birth control. And I want to make sure that women are treated with respect.' 'My stance is that I'm pro-life and I want to save as many babies as possible,' she added. Lake's campaign has said she is 'pro-life but supports exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.' Former Obama adviser David Axelrod recently summed up Lake's appeal to Axios: 'If you get a candidate who has the performance skills of a major-market local TV anchor and the philosophy and thinking of Steve Bannon, that's a potent and dangerous combination. ... Look at Italy.' President Joe Biden is expected to join forces with former President Barack Obama in Pennsylvania the final weekend before the midterm elections, to lock down key races in the Keystone State. Axios reported Monday that Obama and Biden will campaign in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia together on Saturday, November 5 for Democratic Senate hopeful John Fetterman and gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, three days before voters head to the polls. Biden has had a far lighter campaign schedule than his predecessors in the lead-up to the midterms, with Democrats sending Obama out starting Friday to key states including Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada. On Monday a new CNN poll showed Fetterman, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, again pulling ahead of his Republican rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, after the Senate race turned into a toss-up in the final weeks. President Joe Biden (left) is expected to join forces with former President Barack Obama (right) in Pennsylvania the final weekend before the midterm elections, to lock down key races in the Keystone State. On Monday a new CNN poll showed Democratic Pennsylvania Senate hopeful John Fetterman (pictured) again pulling ahead of his Republican rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, after the Senate race turned into a toss-up in the final weeks The CNN poll showed Democrat John Fetterman receiving 51 percent support from Pennsylvania's likely voters, compared to 45 percent for Republican candidate, Dr. Mehmet Oz Democrat John Fetterman has better favorable and unfavorable numbers compared to Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, according to a new CNN election poll The poll, which was conducted October 13 through 17, shows Fetterman with the support of 51 percent of likely voters, while Oz held the support of 45 percent. The survery shows that Oz - the TV personality who has the backing of former President Donald Trump - isn't as well liked by Pennsylvania as Fetterman, with just 38 percent of respondents saying they hold a favorable opinion of him. Fetterman, on the other hand, receives a 48 percent favorability rating, while another 46 percent hold an unfavorable opinion of the Democrat. The poll showed that 55 percent of likely Pennsylvania voters hold an unfavorable view of Oz. Fifty-one percent of respondents expressed that Oz is too supportive of Trump, while a smaller percentage, 38 percent, felt that way about Fetterman and Biden. The margin of error for likely voters is plus or minus 4.6 points. The race has tightened in recent weeks as Oz has made Fetterman's health a key issue in the race. The 53-year-old Fetterman suffered a stroke in May from a neglected heart condition and has been using closed captioning technology to conduct interviews. This was especially highlighted when Fetterman sat down with NBC News earlier this month and TV screens showed how the captioning technology worked, as the lieutenant governor still struggles with 'auditory processing.' Fetterman's recovery will be on full display when the candidates participate in their one and only debate Tuesday night in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital. Biden and Obama will also campaign for Shapiro, who has a healthier lead against his opponent, the Trump-backed Republican, Doug Mastriano, who led some of the efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the Pennsylvania state Senate. The CNN poll showed Shapiro with 56 percent support, versus Mastriano who had 41 percent. The workers are seen laughing as they waste, lick, bite and eat the food The video has been viewed nearly 500,000 times and has been met with anger A group of young Australian KFC workers have been slammed for a viral video where they appear to lick pieces of cooked chicken, grab handfuls of lettuce and throw around food. The TikTok captioned 'closing time' was shared by a young Brisbane woman who appears to be a worker at a local Queensland KFC store. The footage begins with a KFC worker pulling out a tray of chicken from the warming oven, Then another employee picks up several pieces of chicken before licking and biting into it. A group of young Aussie KFC workers have been slammed for a viral video where they appear to lick pieces of cooked chicken, grab handfuls of lettuce and throw around food. The Tik Tok captioned 'closing time' was shared by a young Brisbane woman who appears to be a worker at a local KFC store Another employee is spotted with his tongue out as chips are thrown into his mouth. The video ends with another employee grabbing handfuls of lettuce straight out of a container and putting it straight into his mouth. The video has been viewed almost 500,000 times, with may calling for KFC to take action. The video has been viewed almost 500,000 times and was met with many angry reactions 'Sending this to head office,' one person said. 'Did somebody say "you're fired",' wrote a second. Another said: So thats what you do to my food? 'Is this what you were doing when I waited an hour for my food?' a third questioned. Others called the behaviour 'dirty'. KFC Australia has been approached by Daily Mail Australia for comment. A man who robbed a NYC Diamond District store of $4million worth of jewelry in 2019 should serve 14 years in prison, prosecutors argued on Monday. New surveillance footage of the fedora-wearing thief carrying out the heist in midtown Manhattan was also released as part of a new sentencing submission filed by federal prosecutors. Stills of the video show Jaysean Sutton, 43, wearing a fedora and blue suit as he brandished a pistol in the back room of the Avianne and Co. jewelry store. He and two others then bound employees with zip ties and duct tape. The three thieves, which include Sutton, Pedro Davila, 30, and a final unnamed suspect, then made off with around $3.4million in jewelry, wrote US attorney Alexander Li. After fleeing the state Sutton was arrested in a North Carolina hotel in October 2019, the submission said. Sutton, who had been sentenced to five drugs and firearms charges before the robbery, plead guilty to the jewelry shop heist in January of this year. Sutton plead guilty to the jewelry shop heist in January - the thief can be seen here pulling a gun out in the store An image released as part of a sentencing submission on Monday shows Sutton as he took one of the store's employees to a room and forced him to open a safe at gunpoint Sutton has been convicted of at least five firearms and drugs charges in New York and Connecticut. He was arrested a few months after the heist in a North Carolina hotel The stolen items were said by federal prosecutor Alexander Li to be worth $3.4million, which he argued was indicative of 'the audacity of the crime' The West 47th street store is known for catering to various celebrities including Nicki Minaj and Migos. At around 11.30am on August 25, 2019 - just 10 days after being released from state parole - Sutton entered the jewelry store with Davila and the unnamed accomplice. At around 11.42 Sutton met with several employees in a back room of the store, Li says in the submission. There while he sat speaking with them in the room Sutton brandished a silver pistol before instructing them to the ground and binding four of the store's employees with duct tape and zip ties, wrote Li. Once secure Sutton began looting the shop and used his gun to force one of the employees into another room to open a locked safe. Part of the submission - a still from the surveillance footage - shows Sutton at the safe with the bound employee. Over the course of 15 minutes the three thieves tossed various pieces of jewelry into large bags as employees lay bound on the ground, footage shows. Sutton, Davila and the final unnamed thief then ransacked the rest of the store, leaving at around 11.58am with an estimated $3.4million-worth of jewelry in their bags. A couple of months later on October 7, 2019, Sutton was arrested at a hotel in North Carolina. In January this year Sutton pleaded guilty to the robbery as well as the lesser offences of possessing the firearm. Armed thieves pulled off the midday heist at Avianne & Co. jewelry store in the Diamond District of New York City Jaysean Sutton, 43, and Pedro Davila (pictured), 30, are two of the three suspects in the 2019 robbery of Avianne and Co. in Manhattan's Diamond District Avianne and Co. have a history of selling jewelry to celebrity clientele, including rappers like Migos and Blueface (left) Sutton has a number of prior convictions and has served multiple stints in prison for charges relating to firearms and drugs. In 2000 Sutton was charged with drug and weapons offenses in New York, for which he was sentenced to six months in prison. And in 2002 he was found guilty of Connecticut assault and firearms offenses for which he was sentenced to a total of three years in prison. Then in 2003 he was sentenced to five years in prison for a Connecticut coercion offense. In 2005 he was convicted of another Connecticut firearms offense and sentenced to a year in prison. Finally in 2007 he received his longest sentence of five years in prison for a New York firearms offense. Now persecutor Alexander Li is seeking a 14 year sentence for Sutton. He wrote in the submission to the federal judge: 'Sutton robbed a jewelry store in Midtown Manhattan in broad daylight and with high-definition surveillance footage rolling. On camera, Sutton brandished a gun while employees lay bound on the floor. 'Though the $3.4 million he looted is not a perfect measure of the seriousness of his crime, it is a proxy for the audacity of the crime in the public consciousness.' Now, McRae is facing charges of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and harassment The group's most popular track, Memorial, was described as being 'written to commemorate those we miss and lost. Although you are missing someone take a moment and reflect on how they were apart of our lives' Advertisement A one-time aspiring rapper is facing charges of attempted murder and assault after he was arrested in relation to yet another random subway pushing incident in New York City. In 1998, Lamale McRae was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in an attempted murder and robbery. While out on parole, McRae, 41, pursued a career as a rapper. But now he has been arrested again for the shocking subway shove. David Martin, 32, is suffering from a broken collarbone and a swollen face after being targeted by the crazed man at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway station at 2.40pm on Friday. Martin was on his way to work at a Manhattan restaurant when he was attacked. It's not clear of McRae was employed at the time of the incident. On Monday, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that McRae was in custody and was charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and harassment. Good Samaritans saved Martin's life before an oncoming train could make contact with him. The NYPD has said that McRae was located thanks to controversial facial recognition software. Subway crime is up 41 percent in 2022, according to the NYPD. Lamale McRae, suspected of shoving a straphanger onto the subway tracks on Friday, is brought out of Transit Division 20 after being charged with the attack McRae can be seen wearing a similar yellow sweater seen in the shocking video showing David Martin, 32, being pushed on to the tracks On Monday, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that McRae was in custody and was charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and harassment According to police, McRae was located thanks to controversial facial recognition software Records show that McRae, with an address on Moffat Street, Brooklyn, directly beside the Wilson Avenue L Subway station, just stops from where this heinous crime took place, has a lengthy criminal history Records show that McRae, with an address on Moffat Street, Brooklyn, directly beside the Wilson Avenue L Subway station, just stops from where this heinous crime took place, has a lengthy criminal history. When he was 17, McRae was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for his role in an attempted murder and robbery in the Bronx. He was paroled in the case in 2010. His sentence expired in 2018. McRae served his time at the Queensboro Correctional Facility. According to posts on his Facebook page, McRae is father to a 24-year-old son. McRae pictured walking out of the Wilson Avenue Subway station in Brooklyn in the music video his track Memorial. Ten years after the video was recorded, the NYPD would arrest him close to the station and charge him with attempted murder McRae pictured outside of the then-under construction Barclay's Center in 2012 McRae pictured insider of the Atlantic Terminal train station with the other members of the Brooklyn Kingz collective The band's most viewed music video is titled Memorial. It was released in May 2012 and has nearly 25,000 views In 2012, McRae had a brief career as a rapper out of his native Brooklyn. He went by the moniker Source Da God and was a member of the Brooklyn Kingz collective. The band's most viewed music video is titled Memorial. It was released in May 2012 and has nearly 25,000 views. The video's description reads: 'Memorial is the second single from The Brooklyn Kingz Project. The song was written to commemorate those we miss and lost. Although you are missing someone take a moment and reflect on how they were apart of our lives.' During his verse, McRae raps about previously being a cocaine dealer and mourns the deaths of close friends in addition to 'all those we lost in the towers,' an allusion to 9/11. He begins his section of the video by walking out of the Wilson Avenue Subway station, close to where he was apprehended on Monday in relation to the pushing attack. Promotional photos of the group show them promoting their music around the Downtown section of Brooklyn at the time that the Barclay's Center was being constructed in 2012. The Brooklyn Kingz appeared to be attempting to capitalize on the new construction and the upcoming debut of the Brooklyn Nets in the arena by releasing a track titled: Nets Anthem accompanied with the team's official logo. The group does not appear to have been active post 2013. While McRae has not been active on his Facebook page since 2012 when he posted photos at his son's middle school graduation. It's not known if he has an attorney in this most recent case. Subway crime is up 41 percent in 2022, according to the NYPD When he was 17, McRae was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for his role in an attempted murder and robbery in the Bronx. He was paroled in the case in 2010 Martin can be seen walking on the side of the platform while a man charges at him New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the growing crime wave on the city's subway system is just a 'perception' The suspect was arrested by the Queens Warrant Squad close to his Brooklyn home on Monday morning, the New York Post reports. 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.' 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 showed 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. '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.' The victim's mother said of talking to Mayor Eric Adams, '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. '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.' This comes after New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the growing crime wave on the city's subway system is just a 'perception.' Controversial Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has admitted she 'messed up' over her relationship with a former bikie boss but has vowed to stay in parliament in defiance of calls for her to be kicked out. Ms Thorpe resigned as the Greens' deputy leader in the Senate on October 20, after admitting to having a brief romance in 2021 with Dean Martin, the ex-president of the Rebels Victoria chapter and uncle of AFL star Dustin Martin. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, however, the defiant politician thanked the Australian public for their support and vowed she was 'not going anywhere' until a treaty for Indigenous people was signed. Senator Lidia Thorpe wrote in a Facebook post she was 'not going anywhere' despite 'messing up' after it was revealed she had a secret romance with an ex-bikie leader (pictured, Ms Thorpe and Greens Leader Adam Bandt) 'Back on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country with the Green team, ready to get to work. Thank you to all who sent messages of solidarity,' Ms Thorpe wrote. 'Im proud of who I am and where I come from. I was raised to believe in Blak power and pride and Ill continue to fight for this in the Senate. Im not going anywhere, until we Treaty in this country.' Ms Thorpe added she will take accountability for her mistakes and remains strong in her 'fight for First Nations people'. 'Im human and have made mistakes,' Ms Thorpe wrote. 'I believe in owning up and taking accountability when Ive messed up. Thats what I am focused on doing right now. 'I remain strong in my fight for First Nations people and other communities that are being left behind. I wont stop speaking out against systemic racism, classism and colonisation.' The Facebook post, which was shared along with a picture showing Ms Thorpe and Greens leader Adam Bandt sitting together and smiling, has received over 850 comments supporting the Indigenous leader - albeit moderated by Ms Thorpe. In what her leader Adam Bandt said was 'an error of judgement', Ms Thorpe last week revealed she met Dean Martin through the 'Blak activism' group and they dated in early 2021. Ms Thorpe (right) resigned as the Greens' party deputy leader in the Senate after admitting to having a brief romance in 2021 with Dean Martin (left), the ex-president of the Rebels Victoria chapter and uncle of AFL star Dustin Martin Ms Thorpe's statement about secret romance 'Greens leader Adam Bandt has requested my resignation as Deputy Leader in the Senate and I have given him my resignation. 'I accept that I have made mistakes and have not exercised good judgement. 'I will now reflect on this and focus on my important portfolio work, especially advocating for First Nations people.' Advertisement Ms Thorpe's brief romance with Martin came to light after reports her staff had expressed concern about the relationship, given she sat on a joint parliamentary law enforcement committee. It's understood Ms Thorpe disclosed the relationship to two different members of her staff in May and June last year, with one of them confronting her about it in August 2021. The staffer had noted that confidential documents on how the Australian Federal Police monitors outlaw motorcycle gangs arrived in Ms Thorpe's Melbourne office only hours after she had met with Martin in a park, the ABC reported. The staff member later wrote in a work diary: 'My advice to Senator is that she must speak to leader's office, that she is at extreme risk of being extorted, particularly if someone finds out.' The diary entry also revealed Ms Thorpe and Martin communicated by messaging app Signal, writing that 'they clear their conversations once a week, that they never meet at their respective homes and that she was being really careful'. The same person was further alarmed in February this year when Martin appeared in Ms Thorpe's electorate office and they spoke privately in a room for 15 minutes. Ms Thorpe explained the meeting was 'to discuss issues related to deportation of First Nations people including his brother [Shane]'. Martin (left) stepped down as president of the Rebels Victoria chapter in 2018 after his brother, Dustin Martin's father Shane, was deported to New Zealand over his bikie links Ms Thorpe (pictured) was on a joint parliamentary law enforcement committee monitoring outlaw motorcycle gangs while in a relationship with Mr Martin. She maintains she did not share any confidential information with him Despite his bikie affiliations, Martin has no criminal convictions. Martin stepped down as president of the Rebels Victoria chapter in 2018 after his brother, Dustin Martin's father Shane, was deported to New Zealand over bikie links. Ms Thorpe stressed she has at no time inappropriately shared confidential information received as a committee member. Her position on the committee ended earlier this year. That committee heard highly confidential briefings from the Australian Federal Police about its efforts to monitor the activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs. 'Obviously, I'm concerned about the criminal activities of outlaw motorcycle clubs in general. But when we met, Mr Martin was no longer involved with that world,' the senator told the ABC. She said she at all times treated documents provided to the committee in confidence. In a statement on October 20, Ms Thorpe said the pair remain friends and have collaborated and worked together in the interests of First Nations people. The revelation of the romance means Ms Thorpe faces the possibility of being formally censured by the Federal parliament when it sits again. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard fought back tears when speaking of his decision to retire from politics following the death of his younger brother. Mr Hazzard on Monday night revealed he wouldn't be contesting another four-year term at the next state election. He'd spent 32 years in politics including more than a decade on the cabinet front bench and was the member for Wakehurst on Sydney's northern beaches. Mr Hazzard, 71, is best known for fronting press conferences on a daily basis to update NSW on the Covid crisis alongside then-Premier Gladys Berejiklian and chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant. 'The last three years have been pretty horrible for everybody,' he told 2GB's Ben Fordham on Tuesday morning. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard (pictured with his wife) fought back tears when speaking of his decision to retire from politics following the death of his younger brother 'A personal situation occurred earlier this year with my younger brother dying, and I just thought ''you know what? Got to start thinking about life''.' The health minister became teary when discussing the death of his brother, before adding he had lived a 'blessed life'. But being the face of the Covid pandemic meant Mr Hazzard became a target for many who disagreed with health restrictions, with the health minister admitting he received death threats. He also said he'd been put under police protection for a 'lengthy period of time'. 'I had to have police around me all the time whenever I left the house, and had security at my house for a long, long while, so it was not very pleasant,' he said. 'But we've all been through the most challenging of times, three years of what has been a one-in-100-year pandemic and people have reacted in different ways, and we've just got to accept it's part of the human experience.' Mr Hazzard was regularly seen by Ms Berejiklian's side during daily Covid briefings, and touched on her resignation after she was embroiled in an ICAC investigation. Mr Hazzard said it was one of the 'saddest' days of his life when Gladys Berejiklian was forced to step down as premier 'She was absolutely incredible,' he said. 'It was one of the saddest days of my life when because of circumstances she was forced out of office - just terrible. 'It's outrageous the review body is taking so long to give clarity on that.' Mr Hazzard added that he and Ms Berejiklian's successor Dominic Perrottet are 'great mates'. Upon announcing he would leave politics behind, Mr Hazzard said being the health minister had been the 'best and worst of times'. 'The worst of times came with Covid-19. When the pandemic began, we were bracing for an expected 25,000 deaths in NSW in the first year,' he said. 'There were many anguished nights. What followed was a gruelling and a deeply upsetting time where rapid decisions had to be made to try and keep 8.5 million people safe from the virus.' Brad Hazzard (pictured right with NSW Premier Dom Perrottet) said Mr Perrottet and him were 'great mates' The best times, he said, were working with 'incredibly talented medical and non-medical staff in our health system' and delivering almost 200 new hospitals and health facilities. 'This period of political life has been very demanding,' he said. 'As my staff pointed out, Victoria has had four health ministers during this time, and Queensland and Tasmania three.' Mr Perrottet described Mr Hazzard as a 'tireless and committed advocate for people right across our state'. 'Our state is a better place thanks to Brad's significant contribution,' he said. 'There is no doubt our state benefited from Brad's invaluable experience, commitment and advice throughout the pandemic and beyond. 'Brad's legacy is a health system that is the envy of every other state in Australia, with investment and support at record levels. The colour, texture, taste, packaging and ingredients differ from state to state Arnott's confirmed there are four different variations to the popular biscuit Fans of Arnott's Ginger Nut biscuits who thought the product tasted different depending on where in Australia one was consumed were right all along, as a little known secret about the afternoon tea favourite was revealed. A recent Facebook post titled, 'Bet you guys didn't know that Arnott's Ginger Nuts are different in each state' caused a stir, with many unaware the popular biscuit differed across the country. Daily Mail Australia reached out to Arnott's to verify the claims and it turns out it is true - there are actually four different types of the biscuit within Australia. 'The Ginger Nut story is true! Arnotts Biscuits makes four different versions of the same Ginger Nut biscuit, depending on the state you live in,' an Arnott's spokesperson said. From colour, texture and taste to packet size, labelling and ingredients, the Ginger Nut biscuits differ ever so slightly depending on which state you live in. The iconic Arnott's Ginger Nut biscuit tastes different depending on which state you live in, with Arnott's confirming there are four variations of the recipe 'Whilst the ingredients are similar, the amount of each ingredient varies as well as the amount of time the biscuit is baked,' an Arnott's spokesperson said. 'We have kept the four different recipes as they are made to suit the tastes of Arnotts consumers in different states across the country.' The reason for the variations goes back six decades when Arnott's had bakeries in most states, with each using its own local recipe. As the brand became national, Arnott's decided to go with the NSW Ginger Nut recipe across the country but they were met with resistance by consumers in other states. 'When Arnotts became a national company around this time, we initially tried to deliver the NSW Ginger Nut nationally, however, Aussies in each state made it clear that theres just no substitute for their Ginger Nut, the version they had grown up with and loved,' an Arnott's spokesperson said. 'To this day, Arnotts still has four different versions.' DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ARNOTT'S GINGER NUT BISCUITS NSW/ACT: This Ginger Nut is the thickest and hardest, and the best for dunking in a cup of tea. QLD: Thin, sweet and darker in colour more like a gingerbread-style biscuit. VIC/TAS: The Ginger Nuts in the southern states are bigger, softer and sweeter, and closest to traditional ginger nut biscuits from overseas. SA/WA/NT: This variety looks like its Victorian counterpart, but is sweeter. Advertisement 'We often get phone calls from people who have bought a pack while they are travelling interstate, asking if we have changed the recipe,' the Arnott's spokesperson said. 'And occasionally in border communities a different states biscuit might sneak into a local supermarket.' Arnott's said the Queensland variety is their best-selling biscuit, followed by the New South Wales/ACT variety. A man who was charged for shooting and killing two Dallas hospital maternity ward nurses over the weekend is believed to have opened fire after accusing his girlfriend of cheating. Jacqueline Pokuaa, 45, and Katie Annette Flowers, 63, were killed in the Saturday shooting at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, according to police and the Dallas County medical examiner's office. Authorities said Nestor Hernandez, 30, opened fire around 11am while at the hospital visiting his girlfriend who had just given birth to their child. The tragedy unfolded after he accused the woman of cheating and told her 'whoever comes in this room is going to die with us.' According to police records, he pulled out a handgun and hit her on the head with it multiple times. Hernandez was on parole from prison at the time and had been granted permission to be at the hospital while wearing an ankle monitor. He was shot and wounded by a police officer shortly after the rampage began, authorities said. Nestor Hernandez, 30, opened fire on Saturday killing two nurses including Jacqueline Pokuaa, 45, (pictured) when she came into the room to attend to his girlfriend who was in labor Hernandez then allegedly shot Katie 'Annette' Flowers (pictured) after she looked in the room upon hearing gunfire. Flowers is described by her family as a 'a hero in her line of work' 'In my opinion, this is a failure of our criminal justice system,' Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said at a news conference Monday. 'A violent individual such as this should not have been on ankle monitor and should have remained in custody.' Hernandez has been charged with capital murder but it wasn't clear Monday if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. He was not listed among people being held in the Dallas County jail and authorities said that after the shooting he was treated at Methodist and then taken to another medical faculty for further treatment. Hernandez arrived at the hospital around 10:20am to visit the woman in delivery and began to strike her repeatedly with the handgun, Garcia said. According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by WFAA-TV, Hernandez was at the hospital for the birth of the child and began accusing her of infidelity. Hernandez then started making 'ominous' calls and sending text messages to his family, told his girlfriend that they were both going to die and said 'whoever comes in this room is going to die with us,' according to the Dallas TV station's account of the affidavit. 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 At the time of the shooting he was on parole for aggravated robbery and was wearing an active ankle monitor, police said He shot Pokuaa when she came into the room to attend to the woman and then shot Flowers after she looked in the room upon hearing gunfire, Garcia said. Hospital police Sgt. Robert Rangel saw Flowers get shot, called for backup and took cover outside the room where Hernandez was reloading his gun, the chief said. Family, friends and fellow medical workers have been sharing the victims' photos and names on social media, with memories of their slain ones, while demanding justice. When Hernandez emerged, Rangel shot him in the leg and, after a standoff, police took him into custody, Garcia said. The Ghana news outlet GhanaWeb reported that Pokuua was a native of the African country and the daughter of a retired army colonel living in Accra. Loved ones of Flowers, who went by Annette, confirmed her death through a GoFundMe page that described the beloved nurse as 'a hero in her line of work, single mother to 4, and Grammie to 5 wonderful grandbabies.' Garcia said the woman Hernandez struck was treated for her injuries and that a newborn child who was in the room was not hurt. Police identified the two women killed as a nurse and case worker but didn't say who did which job. Suspected shooter Hernandez was released from prison on parole last October after having been convicted of aggravated robbery, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez. She said he was given permission to be with his 'significant other' at the hospital during her delivery. Authorities haven't released any information on how Hernandez came to have a gun while on parole for a felony conviction. The Ghana news outlet GhanaWeb reported that Pokuua was a native of the African country and the daughter of a retired army colonel living in Accra Methodist Medical System Police Chief Glen Fowler said Monday that the hospital wasn't given any notice of his criminal history or that he was being tracked with an ankle monitor Loved ones of Flowers confirmed her death through a GoFundMe page that described the beloved 'hero' nurse as a 'single mother to 4, and Grammie to 5 wonderful grandbabies' Methodist Medical System Police Chief Glen Fowler said Monday that the hospital wasn't given any notice of his criminal history or that he was being tracked with an ankle monitor. 'That's not something we normally inquire about for a parent,' Fowler said. 'This is an extremely horrific, out-of-the-norm situation. I wish that we would have known, but that is not some information that was provided to us beforehand.' Garcia said Hernandez was sentenced to eight years for aggravated robbery, serving six before he was released on parole last year. In March 2022, he was arrested for a parole violation, then in April released to his parole officer. In June, Garcia said, Hernandez was arrested in a Dallas suburb for another parole violation, taken to a county jail and then turned over to the custody of Texas prisons, which released him this September with the ankle monitor he was wearing during the shooting. Dallas County records show that Nestor Hernandez has been arrested repeatedly since 2011, including on charges of aggravated robbery, burglary and the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. The Dallas Police Department is leading the investigation into the shooting, which is also being reviewed by the Texas prison system's Office of Inspector General. Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia speaks during a news conference at police HQ, Monday. The Dallas Police Department is leading the investigation into the shooting A man claims police have threatened him with criminal charges after he took to Facebook to make fun of his own missing person alert on social media. NSW Police issued a missing person alert for Brett Martin, 29, on Friday after his family didn't hear from him for more than two weeks. The police alert said Mr Martin was last seen at a home in Dee Why, in north Sydney, on October 3 and urged anyone who saw him to immediately contact police. However, Mr Martin took to the Facebook post himself, revealing he was fine and letting police know the next place he planned to visit. 'And then I'll be heading to Newcastle a few days after,' he wrote. NSW Police issued a missing person's alert (above) for Brett Martin on Friday after his family didn't hear from him for two weeks Mr Martin responded to his own missing person post, saying where he was heading next (pictured, Mr Martin's exchange with police) The NSW Police account quickly responded to Mr Martin's comment and asked him to visit his nearest police station so his welfare could be checked in person. 'We're required to sight and check on the welfare of anyone who has been reported missing,' police wrote. 'Why would I do that, I'm not missing?,' Mr Martin replied. Under another person's comment saying they were 'still laughing' at the exchange, Mr Martin claimed he had been charged by police. 'It's still so f**king good. It's gone (sic) become a meme, coppas (sic) are so mad they took down the missing person's. They rang me and said I'm wanted now,' he wrote. 'Lol they be see me they hating when I roll up trolling try catch me.' NSW Police confirmed Mr Martin (above) was still missing but could not say whether he is facing any charges NSW Police said Mr Martin remains a missing person and confirmed they were trying to reach him through other means. Police said due to privacy reasons they were unable to confirm whether Mr Martin was facing any charges. The post by NSW Police has since been removed. Google will no longer run the latest version of Google Chrome for Windows 7 and 8.1 starting February 2023, Microsoft says. According to Bleeping Computer, the company is discontinuing the final version of Chrome for these two versions, forcing users to operate their devices on at least Windows 10. Microsoft Is Officially Ending Support For Older Operating Systems Since 2020, Chrome has been threatening old Windows users about dropping its mainstream support for Windows 7 and 8.1 due to compatibility issues. Because of this, older version users might miss out on the latest critical security and utility enhancements from Chrome 110 when it gets released on February 7, Android Police says. Google's decision to discontinue support for these versions of Windows goes with Microsoft's lifestyle policy in the Extended Security Update (ESU) program. Thurott writes that after three years of support for the ESU program, it is ending on January 10 for paying enterprise customers, the same day that Windows 8.1 support will also end in 2023. However, Google says that the older versions of Google Chrome will continue to work on Windows 7 and 8.1, but the company firmly encourages users to move to newer versions. Google adds that having Windows 10 and 11 will let customers take advantage of the latest features and security improvements for Google Chrome, The Verge reports. Read More: Google Launches Highly-Awaited Update for Chrome on Android Tablets - Here's What It Has Google's Decision To Cut Support For Old Windows Is Forcing Users To Upgrade With the decision to drop support for Chrome on Windows 7 and 8.1, Google is seemingly forcing customers to do system upgrades to ensure their devices' optimum functioning. According to Tech Update, those users who do not want to update their older versions of Windows will have to either move to the latest Windows or face the threats of malware. Google says that since Windows 7 and 8.1 will not get the latest security enhancements from Chrome, users who use these versions might risk using programs with flaws. These programs are often exploited by criminals to steal users' data and infect their devices with malware if they do not choose a browser that is safe. Tech Update writes that while Windows 11 might not be the best choice to install on older machines, Windows 10 will still run smoothly on low-end PCs if users want to use Chrome 110. Among all the Windows versions, Windows 8.1 and 7 are third and fourth in the market when it comes to the number of total users with 2.97% and 11.06% of the market, respectively. Windows has been dominating the PC and desktop markets for the past 30 years, with a 74.73% hold over market shares, which is way ahead of the competition. Meanwhile, Google Chrome has established itself as one of the greatest web browsers in cross-platforms and all other operating systems aside from Windows, Beta News says. Furthermore, Google Chrome has a market share of over 65%, followed by Safari with roughly 18% and Microsoft Edge with 4.32%, making it the leading web browser globally. Related Article: Google Releases Chrome 105.0.5195.102 Update to Fix Zero-Day Being Exploited by Attackers Rail travel is now the most popular way to travel between London and Edinburgh, overtaking flight journeys. The triumph of trains over planes is due in part to a cheaper rail service between the two capitals. Train operator Lumo, with average prices of 37, has been running for a year, while its rival company LNER also saw an increase in passenger numbers. From April to August, more than half (57 per cent) of journeys between Edinburgh and London were by train, compared to 35 per cent pre-pandemic, according to analysis of figures from the Civil Aviation Authority and Lennon, the rail industrys ticketing system. The Government said increasing train passenger numbers would help decarbonise travel as they produce lower levels of greenhouse gases than planes. The triumph of trains over planes is due in part to a cheaper rail service between the two capitals and train operator Lumo, with average prices of 37, has been running for a year In the past ten years, the share of rail for trips to Edinburgh has ranged from 25 per cent in 2012 to 32 per cent in 2019. The trend appears to be growing, with 66 per cent of travellers choosing rail over domestic flights in July, according to an analysis of figures from the Civil Aviation Authority and LENNON, the rail industrys central ticketing system. Turmoil in the aviation sector has also contributed to the shift, with British Airways and easyJet cancelling flights this year. In recent years travellers have shared horror stories about the high price of rail tickets in the UK. Manchester mayor Andy Burnham recently tweeted that for the cost of a 369 return rail fare for the two hour trip between London and Manchester, it would be cheaper to fly to India, Brazil, the Ivory Coast and Jamaica. The cheapest Lumo fare currently available between London and Edinburgh is 26.90 with a maximum fare of 69.80. Lumo's rival company LNER also saw an increase in passenger numbers as the Government said increasing train passenger numbers would help decarbonise travel The company said its trains run on average at 86 per cent capacity. Tickets between Newcastle and Edinburgh are just 9.90. Rail minister Kevin Foster said: The addition of Lumos electric trains to the East Coast Main Line is just one way our railways are leading the way in decarbonising transport. As we continue striving towards net-zero by 2050, operators like Lumo will help ensure we meet this ambitious target. Lumo launched in October 2021 after a 115million investment by FirstGroup and set its sights on converting domestic air travellers to rail. Edinburgh to London remains the UKs most popular domestic air route with nearly 500 flights every week between the capitals. David Koch has revealed the Anthony Albanese told him the Budget was 'boring' at a Perth charity event - as his fellow Sunrise hosts took a swipe at the Prime Minister over the claim. Labor Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down the federal Budget at 7.30pm on Tuesday night, having already said it will be 'sensible and suited to difficult times'. But Koch and co-host Natalie Barr have admitted they're unfazed about what Mr Chalmers has to say after presenter Edwina Bartholomew said Tuesday was supposed to be 'the most exciting day' of the year. 'Have you been listening? It's not going to be exciting,' Barr responded in between laughter. David Koch and his fellow Sunrise hosts have taken a swipe at Anthony Albanese and his government's upcoming 'boring' budget 'They've been saying it's not exciting.' Koch then joined in, claiming he'd already spoken to the Prime Minister about the budget. 'Anthony Albanese in Perth on Friday night said ''Kochie, we're trying to make it as boring as possible, the budget on Tuesday'',' he said. The world and its economic outlook have changed drastically in the nine-and-a-half years since federal Labor last handed down a budget, on May 14, 2013. But Mr Albanese and his ministers believe they are ready to launch into the task of budget repair after inheriting a structural deficit and record levels of debt. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher on Monday said Labor spent its first months delivering on a promise to undertake a deep audit of spending to identify where money can be returned or redirected. Mr Albanese and his ministers believe they are ready to launch into the task of budget repair after inheriting a structural deficit and record levels of debt Tuesday's Budget will include more than $21billion in savings and decisions to redirect existing spending, she said. Examples include the retrieval of $6.5billion from infrastructure projects to better align the investment with construction market conditions. A further $3.6billion will come from slashing expenditure on external labour, advertising, travel and legal costs. More than $2billion will be shaved from various grants programs. Higher prices for food, petrol, power and everything has been front of mind for Labor since it won power in May. In September, Mr Albanese told a Labor caucus meeting that 'we need to address the cost of living issues Australians are facing while being mindful of the trillion dollars of debt we have inherited'. 'We must be straight with Australians about the challenges before us and the difficult decisions we must take,' he added. Queensland Police said it is treating his death as 'non-suspicious' His body was located on Monday at Saxon Reef, 55km north-east of Cairns A man has died while snorkelling on Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef A man has died while snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, with police treating his death as non-suspicious. It is understood he was on a tourism experience at the time. His body was located at Saxon Reef, around 55km north-east of Cairns. 'Investigations are underway into the circumstances surrounding his death, however, it is believed non-suspicious,' a spokesperson for Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia. 'Queensland Police will prepare a report for the coroner after the body of a man was located at a reef off Cairns at about midday yesterday.' A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said the man 'suffered critical injuries'. Anti-smoking campaigners have hit out at a decision to name a Bristol road after a cigarette brand. The street, on a new housing development in south Bristol, is set to be called 'Navy Cut Road' in honour of a product made at the site's former Imperial Group tobacco factory. However, the Mayor's Office is now reviewing the decision after Bristol City Council faced pressure from Action on Smoking and Health. The name came about after Tory councillor Richard Eddy asked Curo housing association for something 'gritty' to reflect the location's industrial heritage when they tried to name it after a nearby ancient woodland. The street, on a new housing development in south Bristol, is set to be called 'Navy Cut Road' in honour of a product made at the site's former Imperial Group tobacco factory Mr Eddy supports the new name, but Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) wants it changed. Deborah Arnott, ASH chief executive, told the BBC: 'While it may be legal it is still morally unacceptable.' And a Cancer Research UK spokesperson said: 'While we understand that councils are often keen to acknowledge local heritage when naming roads, celebrating a tobacco brand in this way isn't the most helpful message to give out especially to children and young people.' Mr Sunak will be the UK's first Hindu prime minister and first of Asian heritage The president of Rishi Sunak's home temple in Southampton said the UK is undergoing its own 'Barack Obama' moment with him becoming PM, as India's president said he was excited to 'work together on global issues'. Sanjay Chandarana, president of the Vedic Society Temple - which Mr Sunak's grandfather co-founded 50 years ago - also said his elevation to Prime Minister meant more fireworks would be needed for Diwali celebrations and that Mr Sunak would be an 'inspiration for youngsters'. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mr Sunak on Twitter and wrote: 'Special Diwali wishes to 'living bridge' of UK Indians as we transform historic ties into modern partnership.' Parliamentarian Raghav Chadha tweeted: 'Today, as India celebrates Diwali in its 75th year as an independent nation, the UK gets an Indian-origin Prime Minister. History comes full circle.' The president of Rishi Sunak's home temple in Southampton said the UK is undergoing was own 'Barack Obama' moment with him becoming PM India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mr Sunak on Twitter and wrote: 'Special Diwali wishes to 'living bridge' of UK Indians as we transform historic ties into modern partnership' With his victory coming on Diwali, Mr Sunak will be the UK's first Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage, and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42. 'It is a moment of pride for India that the country which ruled us for many years has now a prime minister of Indian heritage,' said Manoj Garg, a New Delhi businessman. Mr Sunak will be the first person of colour to become prime minister, an accomplishment reflecting that of Kamala Harris, a woman of Indian heritage who became US vice president last year. Former Bihar state government chief secretary Dr M.A. Ibrahimi tweeted: 'Rishi Sunak is now set to be elected leader of Conservative Party to become UK PM. All Indians are proud of his achievement.' Tory former Cabinet minister Sajid Javid said Rishi Sunak becoming the first prime minister of Asian heritage is 'something we can all celebrate'. President of the Vedic Society Temple Sanjay Chandarana (pictured) also said more fireworks would be needed for Diwali celebrations and that Mr Sunak would be an 'inspiration for youngsters' Mr Sunak will be the first person of colour to become prime minister, an accomplishment reflecting that of Kamala Harris, a woman of Indian heritage who became US vice president last year (Pictured: Vedic Society Temple in Southampton) 'I've always believed the UK is the most successful multiracial democracy on earth - and I think this takes it to a new level,' he told ITV's Peston. 'This is beyond politics and it's something we can all celebrate.' Mr Chandarana, 41, who works at an investment bank in London, said: 'We are going to need more fireworks now, 'Rishi becoming prime minister is Great Britain's Barack Obama moment,' he said. 'This will be a proud moment for everyone who is Hindu. We are no longer just a community that is not part of the mainstream, we are part of the mainstream.' Citizen TV in Kenya also drew comparisons with Obama's rise to the White House. Indian TV channels celebrated Sunak's victory, with New Delhi Television announcing 'Indian son rises over the empire'. Former Bihar state government chief secretary Dr M.A. Ibrahimi tweeted: 'Rishi Sunak is now set to be elected leader of Conservative Party to become UK PM. All Indians are proud of his achievement' India Today news channel took a jibe at the UK's economic and political turbulence, using the Hindi term for someone of Indian background: 'Battered Britain gets 'desi' big boss.' Some said Mr Sunak's selection was particularly special for the country with its recent celebration of 75 years of independence from British colonial rule. Others celebrated Mr Sunak as a 'proud Hindu', saying he did not shy away from embracing his faith and Indian culture. They shared videos on Twitter showing Mr Sunak taking his oath of allegiance in 2020 on the Hindu holy book Bhagvad Gita. Other videos shared on Twitter showed Mr Sunak praying to a cow, considered holy by Hindus, when he was running for Britain's top job for the first time in August. A jury in the trial of Brittany Higgins' accused rapist have entered their fifth day of deliberations, after the judge urged them to 'relax' and take 'as much time as you need'. Bruce Lehrmann, a former Liberal staffer, is accused of sexually assaulting his ex-colleague on a couch in Parliament House after a night out in March 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and is being tried in the ACT Supreme Court. The 12 members of the jury had spent 19 hours trying to reach a unanimous verdict by the time Chief Justice Lucy McCallum sent them home on Monday afternoon. 'Thank you for your ongoing hard work. I'll let you separate and go home now,' she said. Earlier in the day, jurors sent Justice McCallum received a note asking for 'a little more time' to deliberate. Brittany Higgins (pictured outside court) alleges Bruce Lehrmann raped her in Parliament House in March 2019 'We have not yet reached an agreement beyond reasonable doubt,' the note read. She told them: 'There is no rush, there's no time limit ... There is no expectation. You can and should take all the time you need.' Jurors were asked to retire at about 3pm on Wednesday and have been directed to reach a unanimous verdict. Before they left the courtroom on Wednesday, Justice McCallum gave them detailed instructions on how they should deliberate and told them not to answer to popular opinion. She reminded jurors that Lehrmann was presumed innocent unless or until his guilt is proven by the prosecution beyond a reasonable doubt. They were instructed to act impartially, without emotion or prejudice and give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in the courtroom. 'You are not answerable to popular opinion... whichever way you may think it sways,' Justice McCallum said. 'Your verdict, whether it be guilty or not guilty, must be unanimous.' Bruce Lehrmann is pictured left, leaving the court on Monday afternoon with his lawyer, Steven Whybrow Jury members have also been asked to take a 'social media holiday' and not to read news articles about the trial. The prosecutor suggested Lehrmann's intent was to go to Parliament House so he could be alone with the 'drunk' and 'vulnerable' Ms Higgins. Lehrmann's defence lawyer Steven Whybrow told the court nothing happened that night and suggested Ms Higgins had fabricated her account to save her job. He said a closer look at her evidence made the prosecution's case against his client 'totally untenable'. Mr Whybrow pointed to inconsistencies in Ms Higgins' story, including that she had told police and others she had attended doctor appointments after the alleged assault. He suggested Ms Higgins fabricated doctor appointments at the time to 'make it more believable' that she had been sexually assaulted. Anyone who see Horne are urged to not approach and call police immediately Police have issued a major manhunt for a bikie associate after he allegedly cut off his ankle bracelet and vanished, hours after he was bailed from court. Mark Horne disappeared on Friday while awaiting trial for the September 2020 shooting of truck driver Leith Carstairs and the theft of $550,000 in Mt Lambie in the Blue Mountains. The 32-year-old was last seen on Friday morning at about 6.15am after taking a rideshare to Coorabin Place, in the southwest Sydney suburb of Riverwood. Police have issued a nationwide manhunt for bikie associate Mark Horne (pictured) after he allegedly cut off his ankle bracelet while on bail. It's feared he could be attempting to flee to southeast Asia via boat The 32-year-old is described as 185cm tall, of medium build with brown hair, brown eyes and having distinctive tattoos on his arm, right leg, neck and chin (pictured) He was then seen getting into a vehicle which headed westbound on the M5 Motorway with police fearing Horne may be attempting to flee to southeast Asia on a boat via Queensland. NSW Police issued an arrest warrant after Horne allegedly cut off his ankle monitor and breached the conditions of his bail and are appealing to the public for information about his whereabouts. Detectives from NSW Police's Criminal Groups Squad, along with Commonwealth and interstate law enforcement, are conducting extensive searches and inquiries at airports and ports, as well as other transportation routes across NSW and Australia. Horne is described as being about 185cm tall, of medium build with brown hair, brown eyes and having distinctive tattoos covering both arms and his right leg with a faded tattoo on his neck and chin. Detective Superintendent Grant Taylor said on 2GB radio on Tuesday that Horne was considered a 'dangerous' man and warned people not to approach him. 'I would consider him an armed individual, Mr Taylor said. 'He is a desperate man, he is a dangerous man 'We are not shy of committing as much resources as possible in trying to find him.' Horne was granted bail in August 2021 after eight months behind bars on remand for charges including robbery in company, take person in company and knowingly deal with the proceeds of a crime. Horne (pictured) was on bail awaiting trial for shooting and theft when he disappeared. People who sight him are advised not to approach and call police immediately He was initially charged with five offences including robbery in company, knowingly deal with the proceeds of crime, take person in company, kidnap in company and discharge firearm. Horne's bail conditions included being required to report to police daily, not associate with any Rebels bikies, have a curfew of 9pm, a $50,000 surety and wearing an ankle monitor. Horne also had to surrender his passport, which added to suspicions he was attempting to flee the country by water. Anyone who sights Horne, or who has information about his whereabouts, is urged not to approach him, and to call Triple Zero (000) or CrimeStoppers (1800 333 000) immediately. A Wisconsin man who is standing trial for allegedly plowing his SUV through a crowd at a Christmas parade in Waukesha killing six people was kicked out of court yet again for his erratic behavior. Darrell Brooks, 40, is representing himself and has worked to disrupt his trial, was banned again on Monday to a separate courtroom where he was he proceeded to build a fort with boxes, shielding himself from the camera. Over the course of his trial, Brooks has stripped his shirt off in court. He has complained that the prosecutors are 'slick.' He won't let the judge get a word in. And he won't even answer to his own name. Brooks has worked to disrupt his trial, with his outbursts and chaotic antics leading to Judge Jennifer Dorow admitting she's frightened of him. Closing arguments in the trial are slated to begin on Tuesday, after the judge told the jury the Brooks' defense had rested earlier in the day. Darrell Brooks, 40, who is on trial for allegedly plowing his SUV through a crowd at a Christmas parade in Waukesha killing six people, was kicked out of court again for his erratic behavior Brooks was banned again on Monday to a separate courtroom where he proceeded to build a fort with boxes, shielding himself from the camera WATCH: #DarrellBrooks builds a box fort and hides from the camera in a separate courtroom while the court discusses jury instructions. pic.twitter.com/ueAohRjaAa Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) October 24, 2022 Earlier Monday, Brooks indicated to the court that there is a class action lawsuit regarding the Ford Escape at the center of the case, stating there was a 'malfunctioning throttle body' on the SUV, Fox6news reported. He went on to seek permission to recall an inspector who previously testified in the case so he could address this issue. However, the Judge Dorow denied the request, stating that it was not timely. There was a back and forth between Brooks and the judge as he continued to press her for reasons why his request was being denied. The fed-up judge then sent Brooks to the adjacent courtroom and the court was in recess for lunch, but once everyone was back, Brooks was back to interrupting. Judge Dorow then told Brooks that he had forfeited his right to call any other witnesses. She went on to say that he has the right to testify in his own defense, but if he does, he would be cross-examined by the prosecution team. Brooks attempt to get the courts attention as he appears via video from an adjacent courtroom due to his continuous interruptions during his trial in a Waukesha courtroom Brooks has worked to disrupt his trial, with his outbursts and chaotic antics leading to Judge Jennifer Dorow admitting she's frightened of him Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow addresses Brooks on Monday When Judge Dorow asked Brooks if he wanted to testify, there was no response. 'It is very clear to this court. It's a means to a delay. It's a distraction,' Dorow said. Brooks was given one more opportunity to respond to the judge's questions. But he told the judge, 'I don't hear anything. I didn't hear you ask me anything.' Judge Dorow then told the jury that closing arguments will be held on Tuesday. Each side will be given one hour to present their arguments to the jury. She then went over what Brooks can and cannot say during his closing arguments. 'I need to preserve how he looks to this jury,' she said. 'I will need a very clear pledge by him that he will follow the rulings I make as it relates to the closing arguments. He cannot raise jury nullification. He cannot raise facts that are not part of the record.' The evidence against Brooks is overwhelming and includes videos showing his red Ford Escape plowing through the parade and witnesses testifying they saw him behind the wheel. He would face multiple mandatory life sentences if convicted. Brooks broke down in tears during his opening statement to the Jury in court last week Brooks will certainly appeal any conviction, legal experts say, and his courtroom antics could be a ploy to frustrate Judge Jennifer Dorow into a misstep that would strengthen his case at that level. But they say Dorow has handled Brooks professionally and hasn't given him much to work with on appeal. Prosecutors allege that Brooks got into a fight Nov. 21 with his ex-girlfriend on the streets of Waukesha in suburban Milwaukee, fled the scene in his SUV and drove it into the parade. He plowed through groups, killing six people, including an 8-year-old boy, and injuring dozens of others, according to a criminal complaint. He faces 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 61 counts of reckless endangerment. Each homicide count carries a mandatory life sentence. Each reckless endangerment count carries a maximum sentence of 17 1/2 years in prison. Brooks initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease but withdrew the plea in September without explanation. Just days before his trial began on October 3, he dismissed his public defenders and elected to represent himself. Brooks allegedly plowed through the crowd at a Christmas parade in Waukesha on November 21, 2021, killing six people between the ages of eight and 81, and injuring more than 60 people Though Brooks elected to represent himself in his trial, his repeated interruptions, outbursts, and erratic behavior have led to him being removed from the courtroom and has led to Judge Jennifer Dorow (pictured) admitting she's frightened of him People representing themselves in civil matters is not uncommon. But it's relatively rare for criminal defendants to act as their own attorneys and risk matching wits with trained, experienced prosecutors. Dorow had little choice but to allow Brooks to represent himself, since he has that right under state law if he's mentally competent. Dorow noted that psychologists found he has a personality disorder but is competent. During the lead-up to jury selection, Brooks often engaged in shouting matches with Dorow, insisting that his name isn't Darrell Brooks and that the state has no jurisdiction over him. Things got so bad that she removed him from the courtroom several times and placed him in another room where he could watch the proceedings via video but she could mute his microphone if he became disruptive. One day, he stripped off his shirt and stuck a sign, given to him to signal objections, down his pants. His behavior suggested painful cross-examinations with witnesses who had been hurt in the parade were on tap when testimony began. That hasn't materialized; Brooks has been largely respectful of every witness. He has mostly reserved his ire for Dorow. He has started most mornings demanding that she show him proof that the state has jurisdiction over him, resulting in Dorow and Brooks shouting at each other. Dorow that Brooks was giving her a 'stare-down' which she called disrespectful and 'frankly, makes me scared.' Brooks continued to stare at the judge while banging his fists on the table Each time anyone calls him by name, he interrupts to say he doesn't recognize Darrell Brooks. He has objected to almost every question prosecutors have asked witnesses, only for Dorow to shut him down and move on as he demands explanations. He can often be heard muttering under his breath that the trial is unfair, at times calling it 'mind-boggling' and griping to himself about how District Attorney Susan Opper pulls 'slick' tricks. His cross-examinations, while respectful, have been meandering. At one point he asked to have the case dismissed, reasoning that the state of Wisconsin can't physically testify and that only 'a living human brain' can bring a lawsuit. On Friday, he said he couldn't call a witness because he'd lost his file on that person. Dorow forced him to call the witness anyway, prompting Brooks to accuse her of violating her oath of office. Later that morning, he began screaming at her that she was treating his trial like a game. 'Nothing about this is a joke. That's what you don't understand. It's unfair. Your life is not on the line,' he said. 'I don't care what you talking about.' At one point, he fixed Dorow with an angry stare that, she told the court, frightened her so much she had to call a recess. Though opening statements were delayed last month due to Brooks's incessant outbursts With his microphone muted at all times except when called on to speak or answer questions, Brooks could be seen wildly gesticulating in the other courtroom, arguing with court police, and holding up his objection sign to everything Judge Dorow said Dorow often talks over Brooks, accusing him of trying to delay the trial, telling him to sit down and ordering him to stop talking. But since testimony began, she has mostly opted to take short breaks rather than moving Brooks to an alternative courtroom. She often recites the number of times he has interrupted her, notes that she has given him every opportunity to remain in the courtroom and issues him warnings to behave. She has avoided giving him lengthy legal explanations defending her rulings. 'To say that this has been the most challenging of my career would be an understatement,' Dorow said Friday in court. 'I've done my best, I believe, to be fair, to be unbiased, to protect the rights not only of Mr. Brooks as it relates to this trial, but those of witnesses, those of the victims, and of course, last but not least, the jurors. ' A first responder was seen examining the crime scene after Brooks allegedly drove through a crowd of people at high speeds during a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin People gathered in Waukesha following the deadly incident which claimed the lives of six people and injured dozens of others A stroller was left at the scene where more than 60 people were injured and six were left dead The ages of the people killed ranged from 8 to 81 years old, and more than 60 other people were injured, including at least 18 children. Brooks, who was out on bail from a domestic abuse charge at the time of the attack, faces life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. The man has a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 1999 when he was first arrested for aggravated battery and carrying a concealed weapon. Since then, he's had at least 15 other run ins with the law. Brooks has been charged with obstructing an officer multiple times, possession of a controlled substance, paternity warrants, failure to appear in court, and other charges. One of his most aggressive charges came in 2010 when he was accused of strangulation and suffocation, as well as domestic battery. Hundreds of people witnessed the attack, several recording cellphone videos, some of whom are expected to be called to testify by prosecutors from the Waukesha County district attorney's office. The trial had been scheduled to last about a month, but Brooks' decision to represent himself may prolong the process even as Dorow has warned him that the court will not tolerate deliberate acts of obstruction, the Journal Sentinel reported. This week's issues in court were not the first in this trial, however. During an August 26 appearance, Brooks fell asleep several times, and then ranted at Dorow, WISN reported. 'You sit up here and act like you know me,' he said, as she stood with her arms folded. 'People like you don't know nothing about where I come from,' he continued. Brooks was also heard to say that he was 'bored' by proceedings, and raged at sheriff's deputies as they led him out of court at Judge Dorow's instructions. The accused called the trial 'political' and continued to verbally batter the judge. At one point, Brooks told Dorow that he didn't want to be there and wanted to return to his cell. Brooks pleaded not guilty in February. In April, his attorneys, public defenders Anna Kees and Jeremy Perri, filed a motion seeking to push the proceedings back until at least March 2023. The attorneys argued in the motion they need at least six months to study more than 300 videos of the parade, break down the SUV's speed throughout the incident, review the police interrogation of Brooks and reach out to potential expert witnesses. During a hearing in June, Brooks requested the changing his plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The 'disappearance' of a former ABC News producer six months ago may not be as mysterious as it initially seemed, according to a new report. James Gordon Meek, 52, was last week reported by Rolling Stone to have vanished. But sources say the veteran journalist quit his job to avoid embarrassment for the network, left his home, and is now living with his mother. They said he 'abruptly' left his job at the news network, withdrew from the book he was co-authoring about Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan, and has kept a low profile ever since. Online, people speculated that Meek's work with classified documents was behind the raid. 'Independent observers believe the raid is among the firstand quite possibly, the firstto be carried out on a journalist by the Biden administration,' the magazine reported. Yet on Monday, the Confider newsletter from the Daily Beast reported that Meek had not disappeared, but was living with his mother. James Gordon Meek, 52, left the spotlight in April. Last week Rolling Stone reported that the circumstances were suspicious, but on Monday The Daily Beast said there was little evidence of a conspiracy Meek has not been seen since April: friends told The Daily Beast he is living with his mother The Siena Apartments in Arlington, Virginia, where Meek was living. He has not been seen there for months and on Monday it was reported he is now living with his mother Meek's apartment building, where he lived until April in Arlington, Virginia The site reported that Meek resigned from ABC News - which he had joined in April 2013, after working at the New York Daily News - on April 27. He said his resignation was due to 'personal reasons' and told friends it was to 'save colleagues and the company any embarrassment.' The FBI raid on his apartment was the same day. The FBI refused to comment on their raid on his Arlington, Virginia home, but the Justice Department said it was not connected to his work. 'While the department cannot speak to any specific case or activity, the Department strictly adheres to the Attorney General's July 2021 memorandum prohibiting the use of compulsory process with regards to members of the news media acting within the scope of newsgathering activities,' said Dena Iverson, principal deputy director in the DOJ's Office of Public Affairs. ABC News has not investigated Meeks' 'disappearance', the Daily Beast pointed out. A spokesman for ABC News told DailyMail.com last week that Meek resigned 'abruptly' - but they would not be drawn on the details of his departure. 'He resigned very abruptly and hasn't worked for us for months,' they said. Meek worked at ABC for nine years before he suddenly resigned. Meek is pictured in a photo from his Twitter account - which has been inactive since April The journalist had made a documentary about the U.S. army's activities in Niger In the past, he had also served as a senior counterterrorism adviser and investigator for the House Homeland Security Committee. He had also produced a documentary about a separate US military mission in Niger, which he believed exposed a cover-up. Meek was writing this book with Lt. Col. Scott Mann but he withdrew from the project in spring, citing personal issues. It was around the same time as his home was raided Around the same time as the raid on his home, Meek also withdrew from the book about Afghanistan which he had been co-writing with Lt. Col. Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret. The book was published in August with only Lt. Col. Mann listed as the author. A previous description of the book included a line about Meek being contacted by a Special Forces operator overseas. It read: 'In April, ABC News correspondent James Gordon Meek got an urgent call from a Special Forces operator serving overseas.' Now, promotional text for the book has no mention of his name. Instead, the blurb reads: 'In April, an urgent call was placed from a Special Forces operator serving overseas.' Meek has not commented on the saga. His last tweets were on April 27 - the day of his resignation and the raid. Meek's final tweet on April 27, the morning of the raid, was about how the US was helping Ukraine in the war against Russia Meek had also been investigating the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan Eugene Gorokhov, Meek's attorney, said he knew nothing of any classified documents, but that if Meek did possess them it would have been within the scope of his career as a journalist investigating national security and military operations. 'Mr Meek is unaware of what allegations anonymous sources are making about his possession of classified documents,' he said. 'If such documents exist, as claimed, this would be within the scope of Mr. Meek's long career as an investigative journalist covering government wrongdoing. 'Press inquiries on this issue are troubling for a different reason: they appear to be based on statements from a source inside the government. 'It is highly inappropriate, and illegal, for individuals in the government to leak information about an ongoing investigation.' A horrified shopper has captured the moment a masked man wielding a massive gun fled a jewellery store in Sydney's west after allegedly robbing the family-owned business. Police were called to Carnes Hill Marketplace on Kurrajong Road in Sydney's west at about 4.45pm on Monday following reports of an armed robbery at the Diamond Hill Jewellery store. The armed man allegedly smashed the glass displays with a hammer, fired a gun and then fled the marketplace on a motorbike. Scared shoppers shared footage of the terrifying ordeal on TikTok, showing the masked man wielding a shotgun while inside the jewellery shop before making his escape. Terrifying footage captured by scared shoppers showed an armed man wearing a skull face mask (pictured) robbing a jewellery store in a shopping centre in Sydney's west In one video, the sound of the glass cabinets being smashed by the armed robbers could be heard as people inside the shopping centre were heard screaming. In another video, the robber could be seen through the shop window wearing a skull face mask while allegedly threatening the 52-year-old shop employee with a gun before yelling 'f*** you' as he ran away. The 23-year-old man was later arrested after police spotted a motorcycle matching the description of the one spotted at the scene that was carrying the driver and a pillion passenger. Police followed the bike to the neighbouring suburb of Busby, where the pillion passenger got off as the motorcycle rode away. As officers approached the man, he allegedly threatened them with a firearm before dropping the gun and running but was arrested nearby after a short foot pursuit. Police allegedly seized stolen jewellery, ammunition and methylamphetamine from the 23-year-old man on his arrest. Police were called to Carnes Hill Marketplace (pictured) following reports two armed men were robbing the centre's Diamond Hill jewellery store The man has been charged with two counts of fire firearm at other than dwelling disregarding safety. Other charges include one count each for robbery while armed with dangerous weapon, use offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, possess unregistered prohibited firearm in public place and resist/hinder police officer in execution of duty. The man was also charged with unrelated offences relating to an alleged home invasion in Busby on October 22 at about 5.35am. He was refused bail and will face Liverpool Local Court on Tuesday. A 23-year-old allegedly smashed the stores glass display cabinets with a hammer before firing his gun and fleeing the shopping centre (right and left). Police arrested the man but his male accomplice evaded capture by riding away on his motorbike. Police have intensified their hunt for the second male accomplice, who was described by witnesses as being in his mid-20s, wearing a grey hoodie and pants and riding a black motorcycle will be swiftly identified and arrested. Anyone with video footage or information of the incident are being urged to contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000. Saudi Arabia informs the world of the beginning of their megacity's construction with a drone footage on YouTube. The video shows a montage of construction equipment and trucks driving on sandy terrains. It does not really show much more than that. However, it gives people a glimpse of the environment where the megacity, now named "The Line," will be built. The future architectural marvel is being brought to people by Neom, which is an architecture, engineering, and sustainability amalgamation set up by the Saudi Arabian government, as mentioned in Gizmodo. The company that aims to bring The Line to reality, is also working on on other projects like "Oxagon," which will be built on the sea, and "Trojena," which will be built on the mountains. The Line Saudi Arabia released details about the futuristic city in the past summer, saying that it will be self-contained. It will be 170 kilometers long, and 500 meters in height. As for its width, some say that it is too narrow even for a city that's substantially long, which is 200 meters wide. Neom claims that the megalopolis will be tackling the challenges that humanity faces, and provide alternative ways to live, according to their official website. It also said that there will be no roads, cars of emissions. The city will completely run on renewable energy, and 95% of teh land will be preserved for nature. The website also claims that it will prioritize its inhabitants over transportation and infrastructure. The Line will have a population of nine million people, and a consistent climate all-year-round. End-to-end travel will only take 20 minutes with its high-speed rail, and residents can access facilities within a radius that's reachable by walking for juts five minutes. Included in the blog post by Neom, is the mention of teh city built around humans, not technology. It will predict what its residents need, and will provide around 380,000 jobs by 2030. Since there are zero cars, people won't have to worry about car insurance, parking, or fuel. Read Also: Apple Supplier Foxconn Weary of China, Pivots to Saudi Arabia Contradictions with the Megacity The announcement of The Line has not been without doubts. Soem say that it's only a way to divert the attention of the masses away from the despicable actions of Saudi Arabia's rulers. Its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, made promises of sustainability, yet an estimate mentioned in The Guardian, said that more than 1.8bn tonnes of carbon dioxide will be produced in the construction of the ambitious project. In comparison, the emission worth more than four years of UK's entire emissions. They also raised concerns with its height, and the need for it to be that tall when there is a vast desert that surrounds, free for expansions. Other concerns like fire hazard has also surfaced. For a tight space, it could allow for fires to spread more quickly. As for waste disposal, some also wonder how it will be managed with such a closed city. Perhaps, this will all be answered by 2030, which is the estimated date for The Line to finish constructions. Related: Is Global Warming Slowing Down? Less Carbon Emissions This Year Two people have been charged after police seized almost half a tonne of cocaine and methamphetamine worth tens of millions of dollars - including 120kg of drugs allegedly hidden inside a truckload of frozen chicken. The operation began when the Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (JOCTF) identified a criminal network responsible for 'considerable harm' and suspected of importing, storing and distributing large quantities of drugs. On August 24, police tracked a truck bringing frozen chicken from Melbourne to Sydney. Officers stopped the truck and a search found more than 120 kilograms of cocaine allegedly hidden inside. The driver, 23, was arrested and charged with trafficking in a large commercial quantity of cocaine, which has a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A man (centre) is pictured after law enforcement agencies seized almost half a tonne of cocaine and methamphetamine, worth tens of millions of dollars On October 19, police seized a further 50 kilograms of cocaine from a location in the north-west Melbourne suburb of Cairnlea. Investigators then identified a potential 'drug safe house' the syndicate was allegedly using to store drugs. Police got a search warrant for the house and found an estimated 285 kilograms of methamphetamine and 15 kilograms of cocaine. Then on Monday afternoon, October 24, police carried out further search warrants in Windsor, Southbank and Keysborough. A Windsor man, 42, was arrested and evidence allegedly linking the syndicate to the distribution of the almost half a tonne of methamphetamine and cocaine was found. The man was identified as a key member of the syndicate and was charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of methamphetamine and cocaine, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. What is the Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce? The Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce is a combined law enforcement group. It is made up of officers from the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, Australian Border Force, the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Advertisement Victoria Police Acting Commander Paul O'Halloran said these drugs had the potential to cause enormous harm to the community. 'The two people arrested for this offending are involved in an organised crime syndicate that has brought considerable harm to the Victorian community,' he said. 'However it's not only about the drugs the money they bring into these syndicates also helps facilitate a myriad of other serious and violent offending. 'Time and time again we see the impact illicit drugs have at all levels, whether that's assaults, burglaries, drug driving, right through to the health impacts.' Mr O'Halloran said the police are sending a strong and clear message to organised crime. 'We will not stop. We will target you. We will disrupt the syndicates responsible for these imports,' he said. Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commander Raegan Stewart praised the work of JOCTF investigators, and said drug smugglers would use any product and method to carry out their crimes. 'These are significant seizures taken from a syndicate we will allege was experienced, well-resourced and proficient in their illegal trade yet this operation shows how we could get one step ahead of them.' Police officers found more than 120 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a frozen chicken delivery truck. Pictured is a man arrested and charged as part of the investigation He said investigations into the criminal syndicate involved are ongoing. 'We are conducting enquiries with law enforcement agencies overseas and in Australia, and urge anyone with any information to please come forward before we knock on your door.' Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to make a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au. For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drug treatment services call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015. Get free 24/7 drug and alcohol counselling online at www.counsellingonline.org.au. For information about drug and alcohol addiction treatment or support, go to www.turningpoint.org.au. Advertisement Self-proclaimed professional troll Alex Stein called a female student who spat on him a 'Penn State cutie' after a 'comedy event' featuring him and Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes was canceled at the school. Officials at Penn State were forced to cancel the event at the eleventh hour after Stein and McInnes attracted an army of protesters - who eventually forced the provocateurs to flee the scene on Monday night. In a brief statement, Penn State officials said: 'Due to the threat of escalating violence associated with tonights event, Penn State University Police determined that it was necessary to cancel the speaking event in the interest of campus safety.' It had been due to take place at 8.00pm on Monday night. The cancelation was announced around an hour before. The event was hosted by Uncensored America, a free-speech group based at Penn State. Since the evening was announced, there had been calls from protesters to cancel it. Those calls went unheeded by school officials. 'Professional troll' Alex Stein recorded himself mocking a Penn State student protester prior to his appearance alongside Gavin McInnes The student got more angry as he told Stein that she 'f***ing' hated him Eventually, Stein's mocking became too much and the unnamed student spat on the BlazeTV host After she spat on him, Stein said: 'I like that fetish' and 'That turns me on.' In the shocking video, Stein can be heard telling the protester: 'You're my favorite' repeatedly. The protester tells him: 'You are the reason that I feel unsafe in this town! You are the f***ing reason that we're all here today! You are the reason people feel unsafe in this country. I f***ing hate you!' Stein responds with: 'I love you. I think you're a nice woman.' That prompts the student to spit on Stein. He yells down the camera: 'Woah, she spit on me!' He tells here: 'I like that fetish' and 'That turns me on.' He later tweeted: 'Penn State Shut Down My Speech on Campus Today! Free Speech Doesnt Exist for Conservatives!' Stein and McInnes were recorded in a video posted by Penn State's Collegian newspaper hurrying into a waiting car with a police escort. Stein is the host of Conspiracy Castle on the little-watched BlazeTV. Prior to Monday's events, he was best known for sexually harassing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the steps of the Capitol, telling her that she was his 'favorite big booty Latina.' Gavin McInnes and Alex Stein exited Thomas Building with a police escort pic.twitter.com/16H3qRoqpS The Daily Collegian (@DailyCollegian) October 25, 2022 After the event was canceled, Stein, pictured here, tweeted: 'Penn State Shut Down My Speech on Campus Today! Free Speech Doesnt Exist for Conservatives! Officials at Penn State were forced to cancel the event at the eleventh hour after Stein and McInnes attracted an army of protesters who eventually forced the provocateurs to flee the scene In a brief statement, Penn State officials said: 'Due to the threat of escalating violence associated with tonights event, Penn State University Police determined that it was necessary to cancel the speaking event in the interest of campus safety' The show had been due to take place at 8:00 pm on Monday night. The cancelation was announced around an hour beforehand The event was hosted by Uncensored America, a free-speech group based at Penn State. Since the evening was announced, there had been calls from protesters to cancel it When the announcement came through that the event was not going ahead, the protesters broke out in cheers. There has been no official announcement regarding how many, if any, arrests were made. Photos from the scene showed student demonstrators and local law enforcement, many on horseback, surrounding the Thomas Building, where the event was scheduled to take place. Multiple reports suggested that supporters of McInnes and Stein were present in the form of the Proud Boys, the neo-fascist, politically violent, organization. Protesters shouted slogans such as: 'We are not afraid of the Proud Boys.' Another group could be seen holding banner reading: 'White Supremacists Off Our Campus.' Some of the activists alleged that they had been pepper sprayed by Proud Boys members. Vice News' Tess Owen tweeted: 'Fascists in all black just pepper sprayed a bunch of protesters (and media).' In addition to founding the Proud Boys, McInnes was also one of the founders of Vice Media. Multiple photos from the scene showed protesters attempting to flush the stinging spray out of their eyes with water and milk. When the announcement came through that the event was not going ahead, the protesters broke out in cheers This man holding a sign was arrested for not dispersing. There has been no official announcement regarding how many arrests were made Photos from the scene showed student demonstrators and local law enforcement, many on horseback, surrounding the Thomas Building, where the event was scheduled to take place Multiple reports suggested that supporters of McInnes and Stein were present in the form of the Proud Boys, the neo-fascist, politically violent, organization Protesters shouted slogans such as: 'We are not afraid of the Proud Boys' Monday's event was titled Stand Back & Stand By, a reference to the not-so subtly coded message given by ex-President Donald Trump to the Proud Boys during a presidential debate in 2020. The group has been in the crosshairs of the Department of Justice due to members alleged roles in the January 6th Capitol riot. Despite founding the group, McInnes has distanced himself from the group in recent times. On October 11, a statement from the school said that it was Uncensored America's 'undeniable constitutional right to sponsor this presentation on our campus' despite disagreeing with the sentiments expressed by Stein and McInnes. Following the event's cancelation, the Penn State statement read: 'The University has been clear that the views and speech of the two speakers at tonights student-organization-hosted event are abhorrent and do not align with the values of Penn State.' It went on: 'We have encouraged peaceful protest, and, while protest is an acceptable means of expression, it becomes unacceptable when it obstructs the basic exchange of ideas. Such obstruction is a form of censorship, no matter who initiates it or for what reasons.' 'The University expects that people engaging in expressive activity will demonstrate civility, concern for the safety of persons and property, respect for University activities and for those who may disagree with their message, and will comply with University rules,' the press release added. It concluded: 'The climate in our nation has been polarized for quite some time. On campuses across the country, violence is proliferating and individuals are being intimidated and even harmed. This must stop.' Vice News' Tess Owen tweeted: 'Fascists in all black just pepper sprayed a bunch of protesters (and media).' In addition to founding the Proud Boys, McInnes was also one of the founders of Vice Media Monday's event was titled Stand Back & Stand By, a reference to the not-so subtly coded message given by ex-President Donald Trump to the Proud Boys during a presidential debate in 2020 The Proud Boys has been in the crosshairs of the Department of Justice due to members alleged roles in the January 6th Capitol riot Despite founding the group, McInnes has distanced himself from the group in recent times Following the event's cancelation, the Penn State statement read: 'The University has been clear that the views and speech of the two speakers at tonights student-organization-hosted event are abhorrent and do not align with the values of Penn State' The statement went on: 'We have encouraged peaceful protest, and, while protest is an acceptable means of expression, it becomes unacceptable when it obstructs the basic exchange of ideas. Such obstruction is a form of censorship, no matter who initiates it or for what reasons' 'The University expects that people engaging in expressive activity will demonstrate civility, concern for the safety of persons and property, respect for University activities and for those who may disagree with their message, and will comply with University rules,' the press release added It concluded: 'The climate in our nation has been polarized for quite some time. On campuses across the country, violence is proliferating and individuals are being intimidated and even harmed. This must stop' A man antagonizes protestors outside of the event which had been dubbed a 'comedy show' Multiple photos from the scene showed protesters attempting to flush the stinging spray out of their eyes with water and milk. The group said in a statement that despite supporting freedom of speech, they did not support: 'platforming fascists and promoting hateful, meritless disinformation with thousands of student-fee dollars' The group launched a petition earlier this month that garnered just over 3,200 signatures One student activist who was present at the scene, told Business Insider that there were 'hundreds' of protesters gathered The student, Pete Kurtz-Glovas, said: 'I was concerned that this would lead to violence and it seemed that they shared the same concern in the eleventh hour so that was I think a good move on their part' The Insider report says that Uncensored America used more than $7,500 of college money to pay for Stand Back & Stand By. That money went towards paying Stein and McInnes as well as paying for their travel and hotels Sean Semanko, founder of Uncensored America, is scene in the immediate aftermath of the cancelation of the event The event was originally objected by the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity who said in a statement despite supporting freedom of speech, they did not support: 'platforming fascists and promoting hateful, meritless disinformation with thousands of student-fee dollars.' The group launched a petition earlier this month that garnered just over 3,200 signatures. One student activist who was present at the scene, told Business Insider that there were 'hundreds' of protesters gathered. The student, Pete Kurtz-Glovas, said: 'I was concerned that this would lead to violence and it seemed that they shared the same concern in the eleventh hour so that was I think a good move on their part.' The Insider report says that Uncensored America used more than $7,500 of college money to pay for Stand Back & Stand By. That money went towards paying Stein and McInnes as well as paying for their travel and hotels. She denies all accusations she shared any confidential information with Martin At the time she was on a committee that handled information on gang policing The Greens senator was found to have been in a secret, short relationship Greens' firebrand Senator Lidia Thorpe has told the parliament she's 'not going anywhere' as she revealed she's still friends with the notorious ex-bikie boss she was outed for having a secret relationship with. Senator Thorpe resigned from her high-ranking position as the deputy leader in the Senate last Thursday after she admitted to having a short-lived relationship with former Victorian Rebels bikie boss Dean Martin last year. Senator Thorpe referred herself to the Senate privileges committee over the relationship but has denied any suggestions she breached the confidence or secrecy of a parliamentary law enforcement committee she was on while dating Martin. Ms Thorpe addressed the situation in the Senate on Tuesday, where she told her fellow politicians she never compromised the trust placed in her. Senator Lidia Thorpe (above) announced to Senate on Tuesday she will resign after it emerged she had a short-lived secret relationship with infamous Victorian bikie boss Dean Martin 'All confidential information I received as part of the joint committee on law enforcement was treated in confidence,' she said. 'I strongly reject any suggestion that I would do anything other than comply with the requirements of the committee, and I note no-one has offered any evidence to the contrary.' She told the Senate she had resigned from her position as deputy leader in the Senate but would continue her work advocating for Indigenous rights. 'I'm not going anywhere, especially while we don't have a Treaty in this country, which I will continue to fight for,' she said. 'Having now given this explanation to the Senate, I turned my focus to my important portfolio work, especially fighting for First Nations justice. Ms Thorpe and Martin (pictured together above) have remained friends through their interests in Blak activism since their short relationship ended last year Ms Thorpe told Senate on Tuesday (above) she's 'not going anywhere' and strongly denies she shared any confidential information with Martin Senator Thorpe's whirlwind romance was exposed by reports from concerned staff. It is understood Senator Thorpe told two staff members about her relationship with Martin in May and June last year. One of those staffers later confronted her about it in August 2021, after noting Senator Thorpe was given confidential documents directly related to the policing of outlaw bikie gangs in Melbourne. The staffer's concerns over Senator Thorpe's relationship were reignited when she took a private 15-minute meeting with Martin in her electoral office earlier this year in February. Senator Thorpe told the Senate on Tuesday that although the pair only dated 'briefly' they were still friends and discuss their mutual interests in Blak activism. 'We remain friends and have collaborated on our shared interests advocating for the rights of First Nations people,' she said. Senator Thorpe claimed the meeting in February was 'to discuss issues related to deportation of First Nations people including his brother'. Ms Thorpe (pictured showing off her earrings to fellow Greens members) denies she shared any confidential information about bikie policing with the former Rebels gang leader Despite his bikie affiliations, Martin has no criminal convictions. Martin stepped down as president of the Rebels Victoria chapter in 2018 after his brother, Shane, was deported to New Zealand for his bikie links. The revelation of the romance means Senator Thorpe faces the possibility of being formally censured by the federal parliament when it sits again. Senator Thorpe's speech on Tuesday repeated the sentiment from her Facebook post earlier in the day where she told her followers 'I'm human and have made mistakes'. 'I believe in owning up and taking accountability when I've messed up. That's what I am focused on doing right now. 'I remain strong in my fight for First Nations people and other communities that are being left behind. I won't stop speaking out against systemic racism, classism and colonisation.' The Senate voted to refer Ms Thorpe's matter to the privileges committee which will investigate whether she complied with disclosure requirements (pictured, Ms Thorpe hugging fellow Greens Party member Dorinda Cox on Tuesday) Ms Thorpe (pictured at a protest in Melbourne) said she will continue her work for Indigenous rights until a Treaty is created The Senate voted to refer the matter to the privileges committee, which investigates whether parliamentarians have complied with disclosure requirements. The committee will investigate whether her failure to declare the relationship obstructed or improperly interfered with the committee's work or constitutes contempt. Senate President Sue Lines said it was important senators not interfere with the free exercise of committees or sit on the committee if there is a conflict of interest. She said the revelation had met the threshold for it to be investigated by the privileges committee after she received a letter from Senator Thorpe on Monday saying she would support the referral. Greens leader Adam Bandt said he approved of the actions Senator Thorpe has taken and will continue to support her advocate work. Ms Thorpe thanked her supporters and community members in a speech to Senate on Tuesday A former staffer said they were concerned over the relationship between Ms Thorpe (above) and Martin as she regularly received confidential information on the policing of bikie gangs in Victoria 'Senator Thorpe has paid a price, she has stood down from the deputy leadership in the Senate, she has admitted that she was wrong and has requested that it be looked into by the Senate,' he said. 'On the question of her commitment to First Nations justice and the matters that are being pursued as part of her portfolio, that remains strong and has the Greens support.' Greens leader Adam Bandt (above) said Ms Thorpe has 'paid the price' for her wrongdoing and said her advocate work will continue to be supported by the Greens Both the government and opposition also called on Greens Leader Adam Bandt to explain why he was kept in the dark when members of his staff knew of the relationship. 'I should have been told, but I wasn't,' Mr Bandt said. Mr Bandt said he had since 'counselled' his chief of staff and other senior staff in his office about directly raising matters with him. He said Senator Thorpe had also assured him no confidential information from the committee had been shared with Mr Martin. The Greens' internal complaints processes are also being reviewed. The rape trial of That '70s Show star Danny Masterson entered its second week Monday with another alleged victim taking the stand to tell of her abusive relationship with the actor. Jane Doe 3 - who lived with Masterson for six years - told the jury that the actor would urinate on her, call her 'white trash,' be physically abusive toward her and regularly force her to have sex against her will. Last week Jane Doe #1 described how Masterson allegedly threw her in his jacuzzi, raped her and then pulled a gun on her, telling her, 'Don't say a f***king word.' Jane Doe 3 was successful model, barely 18, when she met Masterson in 1996 and soon moved in with him, the court heard. 'It was good for the first year - he was very charming and I fell for him,' she said. The Scientologist TV star grew tired of her traveling around the world on modeling assignments and asked her to stay at home. 'His religion discusses this - women should stay home,' she told the court. He also urged her join the Church of Scientology, she added. 'He made it very clear to me that I must become a Scientologist. In order to remain in this relationship I needed to start doing [Scientology] courses. Masterson is facing a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if he's found guilty. He's seen with wife Bijou Phillips Jane Doe 3 took the stand on Monday to recount her claims that the actor unrinated on her and raped her when they were together Jane Doe #1 described how Masterson allegedly threw her in his jacuzzi, raped her and then pulled a gun on her, telling her, 'Don't say a f***king word.' Masterson is seen in a court sketch 'I was told that my parents were suppressive people and I disconnected with my family. He [Masterson] did not like any of my friends - so my new friends were Scientologists. 'My entire life became his friends and family and his church.' Jane Doe 3 told the jury that about a year into their relationship, Masterson changed. 'He became very aggressive sexually - and I recall some physical abuse and emotional. 'I remember coming back from Paris and I was really tired and jet-lagged and he wanted to have sex and I didn't. 'It resulted in a fight and he dragged me by my hair across the bedroom floor. He called me fat and other insults.' She told the court that incidents of Masterson wanting sex when she didn't became more frequent. 'It became pretty regular - I just let it happen.' Jane Doe 3 said that on these occasions it would be she, not him, who would say sorry. 'I would apologize to him - if I didn't, he would be very angry. He would not talk to me. I felt like it was my fault. He was always right... 'He would want to have sex, I would tell him no and he'd have sex anyway. You just don't say no to him.' She told the jury that when Masterson was angry at her, 'He would call me white trash.' She also said that he 'would urinate on me. I would be in the shower and he would sneak in and pee on me. He thought it was funny.' Jane Doe 3 said that her relationship with Masterson changed - and was on the way to ending - in late 2001 'when I started sort of sticking up for myself.' Fighting back tears, she recalled a night in November 2001 when, 'I was sleeping and woke up and he was having sex with me. I didn't want to have sex with him so I said, 'No, I don't want to 'But he wouldn't stop. I tried to push him off but he put all his body weight down on me. He pushed my arms back - I felt trapped. 'I was able to to get my left hand free and do something I knew would get him off of me. I pulled his hair. He has these rules - no touch face rule and no touch hair rule.' Asked by Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller how Masterson reacted when she pulled his hair, she said, 'He hit me hard on the face with his hand. 'When he hit me I was shocked by it. I was angry. I was screaming, 'Get off me.' 'At that point he got up, stood over me and spit on me. And he called me white trash.' Earlier in the proceedings a friend of alleged victim Jane Doe 1 was called by the prosecution - and then declared a 'hostile witness' by the presiding judge. Witness Shaun Fabos was called to testify by Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller to corroborate the accuser's story that on the April 2003 night of the alleged rape at Masterson's house, the actor threw her in the Jacuzzi, gave her a drink that quickly made her feel 'tipsy' and pulled a gun on her. Jane Doe 1 also told the jury that on a family trip to Florida the day after the alleged rape, she was in serious pain from injuries inflicted by Masterson and had bruises all over her body. But on the witness stand Monday, Fabos said that in a conversation he had with her shortly after the alleged rape, he couldn't remember her telling him she was thrown in the Jacuzzi, she didn't mention Masterson using a gun or using force one her and later retracted her story, telling him, 'it never happened.' Actor Danny Masterson attended Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday for the second week of a trial in which he was accused of raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. Masterson pictured on September 18. His lawyer is the famed Thomas Mesereau who successfully defended Michael Jackson in his child molestation trial Shaun Fabos could not remember seeing any bruises or injuries on Jane Doe 1 during a trip to Florida after the alleged rape. He did remember her saying that Masterson gave her a drink that 'made her feel weird' Danny Masterson arrives for court on October 21, 2022 in Los Angeles Masterson, 46 wearing a light gray suit, blue shirt and beige tie arrived at criminal court in downtown Los Angeles with his wife, actress Bijou Philips, also 46, and several other family members and friends. The TV star, who has been free on $3.3million bail since his arrest in June 2020, has pleaded not guilty to raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. He is facing a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if he's convicted at the end of his trial where Elvis Presley's daughter, ex-Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley, is on the witness list. His accusers whom DailyMail.com is identifying only as Jane Does 1 through 3 are all former Scientologists and are also suing him and the Church of Scientology in civil court, claiming that they've been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to police. On the witness stand Friday, Fabos, a Scientologist and long-time friend of Jane Doe 1, said that he met with her at a coffee shop after the alleged rape and while he 'doesn't remember' her saying Masterson threw her in the Jacuzzi, he does remember her saying that he gave her a drink that 'made her feel weird. 'She said she thought something strange was happening to her - she didn't understand how she got so drunk so fast,' he said. 'She could not understand why she was so tipsy after only one drink.' He said that Jane Doe 1 'couldn't understand how she woke up in Masterson's bed,' adding, 'She said she would not have done that. 'She said that something weird had happened and that foul play had occurred.' Fabos told the jury that he remembered reacting to this saying, 'That's not OK. I'm going to beat the s**t out of him!' 'And she said to me, 'No don't do that.' He told the court that in a subsequent phone call, Jane Doe 1 recanted her story of the incident at Masterson's house the night April 25 2003, telling him, 'It never happened'. And later she told him that when she told him it didn't happen, she was trying to 'protect' him from trouble he could land in if he retaliated against Masterson. Fabos said he went on a family trip to Florida with Jane Doe 1 following the episode at Masterson's house but when Mueller asked him if he noticed bruises on her body while they were in Florida, he said, 'No.' After Judge Charlaine Olmedo made a finding that Fabos was a hostile witness, defense attorney Karen Goldstein asked him if, during their coffee shop conversation about the night of the alleged rape, Jane Doe1 had ever mentioned a gun. 'No,' he said 'Did she mention anything to you about force being used? asked Goldstein. 'No,' replied Fabos. 'She said, I would never have done that he's such a dork, something like that. There was a mention that she didn't particularly like him.' 'So she wasn't pleased that she woke up in his bed?' asked Goldstein. 'Right,' he responded. Of Jane Doe 1's later phone call denying that the whole incident had happened, 'She said she made it up or it wasn't truesomething like that,' said Fabos. When Goldstein asked Fabos if he saw bruises on Jane Doe's 1's body in Florida, he replied, 'No.' Anther witness, Jane Doe 1's cousin Rachel said that she too was on the family trip to Florida at the end of April 2003 and that she did notice bruises on her arms and hips. She added that her cousin, usually outgoing and energetic, was 'sullen and quiet' on the flight to Florida and wearing a scarf, long sleeves and pants to cover her bruises. But under cross examination from defense attorney Philip Cohen, when asked if Jane Doe 1 'appeared to be in physical pain' in Florida, Rachel answered, 'No.' A man who was attacked while out canvassing for Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio is revealed to be a local neo-Nazi who marched with white supremacists at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. The elections campaign volunteer was clad in Rubio's campaign gear and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hat when he was brutally beaten just before 7 p.m. on Sunday. Rubio came out swinging in defense of the volunteer on Monday, as he shared photos of the man lying in a hospital bed, and tweeted that he was beaten by people who said Republicans 'weren't allowed' in the Hialeah, Florida area. The victim was not identified by officials, but Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo later identified him to CBS News as 27-year-old Christopher Monzon. The Daily Beast reported that Monzon was previously spotted at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists held a torchlight procession through the streets, resulting in the death of a counter-protester. Shortly after the attack on Sunday, 22-year-old Javier Jesus Lopez was taken into custody and now faces a charge of aggravated battery in connection with the incident. A man who was attacked while out canvassing for US Sen. Marco Rubio is revealed to be Christopher Monzon, a neo-Nazi who marched with white supremacists in Charlottesville Rubio came out swinging Monday, sharing photos of the man in a hospital bed, tweeting that he was beaten by people who said Republicans 'weren't allowed' in the Hialeah, Florida area Shortly after the attack on Sunday, 22-year-old Javier Jesus Lopez was taken into custody and now faces a charge of aggravated battery in connection with the incident Christopher Monzon shakes hands with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in a photo posted Dec. 13, 2021 'Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a Desantis[sic] hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans werent allowed in their neighborhood,' Rubio wrote on Twitter. 'He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery.' Police said the victim had been followed after being told he couldn't pass out fliers in the area and after crossing the street at East 60th Street, was struck in the head and face several times. However, in the police report emailed to DailyMail.com, there was no mention of the political animosity Rubio described in his tweet. Lopez told the 27-year-old volunteer that 'he was not allowed to walk on the sidewalk and pass out fliers in his neighborhood,' according to Hialea Police Sergeant Jose Torres. 'The victim, in order to avoid the confrontation walked across the street where he was again confronted by Mr. Lopez,' Torres' statement continues. 'During the verbal dispute, Mr. Lopez then struck the victim multiple times in the face and head causing the injuries.' According to The Daily Beast, a third man stepped in and kicked Lopez in an attempt to stave off the attack, but ran off before police arrived. Lopez then allegedly punched the Rubio volunteer 'multiple times with closed fists causing him to have a severe swelling on the right side of his face and his right eye being completely shut [Lopez] continued striking the [volunteer] on his mouth causing a severe swelling and bleeding.' It was later revealed by The Daily Beast that the volunteer - Monzon - was once a member of the League of the South (LOS), which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, but he claimed last year to have resigned. Following Rubio's tweet defending the victim, many fired off on social media, stating that Monzon was spotted at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia Twitter user posted photos of Christopher Monzon with caption: 'if the canvasser was this guy, Christopher Monzon, then he got what he deserved' Neo Nazis, Alt-Right, and White Supremacists surrounded counter protestors at the statue of Thomas Jefferson after marching through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia with torches 'While it is unclear how a Cuban American came to identify as a white supremacist and 'southern nationalist,' it seems apparent that Monzon received some encouragement from his parents, who have participated in League of the South demonstrations, decked out in Confederate battle flags (CBFs) and toting LOS signs,' the SPLC wrote of Monzon in 2017. Monzon, who once gathered to push for streets named after Confederate generals to be renamed, has also been arrested for attempting to assault protesters in Hollywood, Florida with a Confederate flag. 'The current events, like the violence instigated by these communist individuals who seek to silence us through means of violence and coercion, they have kept them away from here, but they will not intimidate me,' Monzon told Local 10 news at the time. Monzon also ran for Hialeah City Council in 2021. But received just 3.7 percent of the vote in the primary. A request for further details about the canvasser sent to Rubio's campaign was referred to the state Republican Party. Police said the victim had been followed after being told he couldn't pass out fliers in the area and after crossing the street at East 60th Street, was struck in the head and face several times Lopez then allegedly punched the Rubio volunteer 'multiple times with closed fists causing him to have a severe swelling on the right side of his face and his right eye being completely shut continued striking the [volunteer] on his mouth causing a severe swelling and bleeding' The city of Hialeah, where the incident occurred, is located in Miami-Dade County. Its mayor, Esteban Bovo, is a Republican, but the county overall narrowly voted for President Joe Biden in 2020. State lawmaker and former Florida GOP chair Blaise Ingoglia called on prominent Democrats in the state including gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist to condemn the incident. It comes amid a wave of Republican criticism directed at the president for his harsh campaign trail attacks on the pro-Trump faction of the GOP. He recently derided them as 'mega MAGA Republicans' in a Sunday interview on MSNBC and has panned them as 'extremists' in appearances across the country alongside Democratic midterm candidates. Biden said in Philadelphia last month: 'Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.' The Republican National Committee immediately accused the president of fomenting violence, writing in a statement: 'Joe Biden's wretched attacks on millions of Americans have fueled attacks on pregnancy centers, Republican offices, and an assassination attempt on a Supreme Court Justice.' The canvasser was also wearing a Ron DeSantis hat in support of the Florida governor Growing political divisions have led to a surge in online and real life confrontations that have enveloped both lawmakers and everyday Americans. The Department of Homeland Security has sent out multiple bulletins this year alone that warn of increased threats against federal employees and others in the political sphere. All the while, violent rhetoric is becoming normalized language to invigorate the voter base. Donald Trump said earlier in October that Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell 'has a death wish' over the Kentucky Republican's vote to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. And Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan, who is running for an open Senate seat in Ohio, said on MSNBC last month that Americans must 'kill and confront' the MAGA Republican movement. An armed 26-year-old was arrested in June of this year near the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The young man told police he wanted to kill a specific member of the court because he was 'upset' at the then-draft decision to overturn abortion protections in Roe v. Wade. A rifle stolen by the mother of schoolgirl Charlise Mutten during a house break-in with her lover may be the same gun he allegedly used to murder her daughter. Extraordinary new police facts referred to in court and seen by Daily Mail Australia reveal a BSA .22 calibre bolt action rifle stolen by Kallista Mutten and Justin Stein five months before Charlises body was found dumped in a barrel on the Colo River identified characteristics consistent with the firearm used in her alleged murder. The ballistics details emerged as Mutten, 39, was sentenced for a break-in and theft of firearms in August 2021. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a 12-month Intensive Corrections Order to be served in the community as she undergoes drug rehab. Mutten climbed into a nearby property of the Stein family estate at Mount Wilson after jemmying a flyscreen with a screwdriver and 'ransacking the premises'. Among family silverware she stole were two weapons, a Winchester lever action shotgun and a BSA .22 calibre bolt action rifle. The police facts say when forensically examined by the expert detectives investigating the schoolgirls death that 'Ballistics of BSA .22 bolt action rifle identified characteristics consistent with the firearm used in the (alleged) murder, however unable to make a definitive comparison'. Kallista Mutten has pleaded guilty to a break-in and theft of firearms in August 2021. There is no suggestion she was involved in the death of her daughter Charlise Mutten was a happy primary schoolgirl who travelled to the Blue Mountains to holiday with her mother Kallista at the luxury estate of Justin Stein before she was allegedly shot dead and her body placed in a barrel Justin Stein has entered no plea in charges he allegedly participated in with Kallista Mutten in August last year at a property near his parents' luxury wedding venue, Wildenstein When asked about whether the firearm had been definitively ruled in or out of the case, NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia that 'forensic and ballistic examinations into the firearm are ongoing'. There is no suggestion Kallista Mutten was involved in the death of her daughter. The police facts seen by Daily Mail Australia also contain a transcript of CCTV which allege that Stein ordered Mutten around during the burglary, telling her 'have you been through every f***ing room? and get the f*** out here. According to the facts, both weapons were recovered three days after 'a member of the public alerted police to an area of disturbed ground off a fire trail in the Mt Wilson area'. On February 3 this year, 'police attended and found buried a blue tarp camouflaged by dirt and foliage' over the two weapons, and an empty magazine clip. Among the items were 'a ziplock bag with spent or used cartridges'. It is not suggested that Kallista Mutten was involved in Charlise's death. The facts say that Mutten and her alleged co-offender Stein went to the property at 103 Mount Irvine Road Both first at 5.20pm on the day of the break-in and then again at 9pm. Did Kallista Mutten steal the rifle which ended up the weapon used in the alleged murder of her nine-year-old daughter Charlise? Mutten (above) was sentenced on Tuesday for the break-in allegedly with her ex-love Justin Stein Mutten, 39, jemmied open a flyscreen of the house on Mount Irvine Road (above) and climbed through the window before she ransacked the rooms looking for valuables Kallista Mutten, 39, and Justin Stein, 31, (above together) were engaged to be married before the tragic death of her daughter Charlise, 9, whose alleged murder police say was committed by Stein They were 'wearing dark-coloured clothing, gloves, and concealing their faces' and Mutten used a yelow-and-black screwdriver on the flyscreen door, while Stein allegedly stood 'in the rear yard as a lookout'. After Muitten removed the flyscreen and opened a window, she struggled to clumb through, but once inside commenced the ransacking 'in search of valuables'. The facts say CCTV at the address caught Stein allegedly telling Mutten 'we're not taking a f***ing light' and then chastising her saying, are you going to f***ing talk to me or what. Have you been through every f***ing room? CCTV then showed Mutten passing a pair of binoculars through the window, and did not activate again until 9pm when it captured Mutten inside the window and Stein allegedly outside.. The footage allegedly captures Stein saying 'get the f*** out here' and various items being removed from premises and placed on stairs below the window, and being collected as Mutten left at 9.27pm. Charlise's Christmas holiday with her mother, a convicted drug driver and serious traffic offender, tragically ended in her death after she was allegedly shot by her mother's lover Charlise (above with her mother Kallista) lived full-time with her maternal grandparents on the Gold Coast before her fateful journey to Mt Wilson and her alleged murder The nine-year-old was last seen alive at the Stein family's luxury Wildenstein estate before her alleged murder by Justin Stein and placement in a barrel dumped 65km away on the Colo River Kallista Mutten appeared at Campbelltown Local Court on Tuesday for her sentencing over the firearms and silverware theft. She had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of break and enter a dwelling in company and steal to a value not exceeding $60,000. Stein was charged in May with two counts of possess an unauthorised firearm, two of possessing an unregistered firearm and possessing ammunition without a licence. He is yet to enter a plea. Mutten's lawyer Bet Turgut revealed that Mutten has turned on her Stein and will testify against him in the break and enter charge. The court heard Mutten is 'co-operating with police in relation to the co-accused. She has signed a statement and will give evidence to the police'. Charlise Mutten was a primary school student who lived with her maternal grandparents on the Gold Coast when she travelled south during the Christmas holidays to stay with her mother and Stein at his family's luxury Blue Mountains wedding venue. Mutten reported her daughter missing in January, sparking a widespread search for the nine-year-old before her body was found. According to police, the schoolgirl was alone in the care of Stein on the night she was allegedly murdered. At the time of the alleged murder, police say Kallista Mutten was staying at a caravan park at Lower Portland on the Hawkesbury River, 81km from the luxury Mount Wilson estate where Charlise is believed to have died. Police allege Stein shot and killed the girl on January 11, placed her body in a barrel in the back of his red ute and dumped it 65km away on the Colo River. His case will return to court at a later date. A Georgia mother is campaigning for more regulation around swimming lessons after her four-year-old son died in the pool after asking her prior 'what if I drown?' Dori Scott's son Israel was found unconscious after his swimming lesson on June 14 in a pool in Hephzibah, 15 miles south of Augusta, Georgia. The little boy had shown an interest in learning to swim while they were on holiday, and so Scott booked her boy in for classes with Lexie TenHuisen, a qualified instructor with almost 50 years experience she found on Facebook. On June 13 she posted a photo of Israel in his swim trunks by the pool, captioned: 'My big boys first day of swim lessons. He said he's a little nervous.' Israel Scott, aged four, drowned during his second swimming lesson in June in a private pool in Hephzibah, Georgia Dori Scott posted this image of her son the day before he drowned Dori Scott is pictured with her sons Israel and Noah, his little brother Scott described her son's anxiety ahead of the second class, the next day. 'When I was getting him dressed, he said 'why am I putting that on?'' she told The Mirror. 'I told him he had a swim lesson and he said 'I don't wanna go' - but was in a happy mood. 'He asked 'but what if I drown' and I said 'you're not going to drown, silly' and he laughed it off.' Scott said she left her son with the instructor, and, as requested, she left the pool area to sit in her car and wait for him. '[The instructor] told me the parents weren't allowed to stay because I guess the kids didn't act right,' Scott explained. Israel is pictured posing by a pool. The little boy told his mother he was nervous about the lessons The Scott family - from left: Israel, his mother Dori; Paris; Noah; and their father, Walt 'I waited in my car and got a knock on my window [from a parent] saying 'come get your baby'. 'It wasn't time - they still had about six minutes left. I looked at her again and saw tears in her eyes. 'That's when I started screaming because I figured something was wrong. 'My whole life changed in a matter of moments.' Scott said she ran through the gates in a panic, to find her unconscious son lay by the poolside receiving CPR and foaming at the mouth. She said: 'I cried and screamed all the way up there and when I got there, my son was on the side of the pool while they were administering CPR. He was unresponsive. 'I could tell by looking at him that he had been under the water for some time because he was foaming at the mouth and had no heartbeat. 'I asked the swimming instructor what happened and all she could tell me was she didn't know. 'She said 'I don't know. I told the kids to get out of the pool. I don't know'. 'I stood at the pool screaming 'let me hold my baby'. They wouldn't let me hold him of course because they were doing CPR and chest compressions.' Israel was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Scott, mother to three-year-old Noah and a daughter Paris, 12, said she never received an apology from TenHuisen. 'It was a mother's worst nightmare,' she said. 'It's unbelievable and shocking.' Lexie TenHuisen (pictured) has been teaching children to swim for almost 50 years Israel is seen playing in the water. His mother said he loved swimming on holiday, and so wanted to take lessons back at home In September, Burke County Sheriff's Office concluded that there was not enough evidence to prosecute the swimming instructor for wrongdoing. TenHuisen told authorities that she made sure all of the children were out of the pool before she got out. She said she instructed the ten children in the class to swim the width of the shallow end of the pool before making sure that they got out. Mason Washington, another student in the class, said Israel got out of the pool before him after the final lap, but he heard a splash 10 seconds later. Washington believes Israel jumped off the diving board - although he did not see him jump. Washington said that Israel had mistakenly climbed on the diving board the first day of class, Atlanta Black Star reported. TenHuisen was waiting for the students for the next class to all walk in when her granddaughter saw the little boy at the bottom of the pool. There was possibly 'some form of negligence' on the instructor's part, but 'it was determined that the case lacks sufficient evidence to prove criminal negligence.' Alfonzo Williams, the sheriff, said in a statement: 'As a result, we are unable to move forward with this case.' The case was turned over to the district attorney for further review. A gay mathematician's convicted murderer is trying to recall his on-the-fly guilty plea in a 'uniquely unusual' case, after claiming he did it out of fear his wife would come after him. Scott Phillip White had long denied murdering Scott Johnson who was found at the bottom of cliffs in the northern Sydney suburb of Manly in 1988, only to say 'guilty, I am guilty' during a pre-trial hearing in January. He later told his confused lawyers, he 'didn't (do it) but it's the only way. She's going to come after me'. White also said he was stressed and it was 'too much', having seen the victim's brother and police in court, according to legal notes read in court on Tuesday. Scott Johnson's body was found at the bottom of a cliff on Sydney's northern beaches in 1988. Mr Johnson is pictured 'They are bad reasons, they're really bad reasons for pleading guilty and any lawyer acting responsibly would try to do as these lawyers have (and try to reverse the plea),' barrister Tim Game SC told the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal. 'He had no advice at the point at which he pleaded guilty.' Mr Game, who began representing White recently, said it was in the interests of justice for the court to allow the cognitively impaired man to withdraw his plea and allow the matter to go to trial. He rejected the Crown's assertion White made a plea of convenience, saying no lawyer would ever 'plead someone up to murder' without knowing the facts. While accused people trying to rescind a guilty plea may commonly give evidence, White's silence was of little significance given his lawyers' notes of his denials 'immediately before and after' the plea, Mr Game said. 'I'd regard this situation as uniquely unusual - I've never seen anything like it,' the barrister said. The judge who heard the plea in January refused to allow White to reverse it and later sentenced the 52-year-old to at least eight years and three months in jail. While a coroner in 2017 found Dr Johnson was violently attacked by someone who perceived him to be gay, Justice Helen Wilson found there was not enough evidence to show the murder was a gay hate crime. Rather, she found White had reckless indifference to human life when he threw a punch at Dr Johnson near the unguarded edge of a high cliff and then fled without notifying police that Dr Johnson disappeared over the edge. Scott Phillip White (pictured) was jailed for at least eight years over Scott Johnson's murder 34 years ago Mr Game said at the time of White's plea, that alleged liability wasn't contained in any document before the court and there was a 'massive dispute' over the Crown's allegations. NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling SC, representing the Crown, said the entire brief of evidence had been served on White's lawyers. 'There is no suggestion (White) was not very ably legally represented at every stage of this legal proceeding,' she said. Scott Johnson's brother Steve, (right) is pictured arriving at the NSW Supreme Court with his sisters, Terry, left, and Rebecca and his wife Rosemarie (second right), where the family gave harrowing statements Dr Johnson worked for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory mapping the surface of Venus before moving to Australia in May, 1986. He was working at the Australian National University at the time of his death. His death was initially ruled a suicide, only for the case to be reopened in 2012 after pressure from his family. Dr Johnson's brother, Steve, flew to Australia to attend Tuesday's hearing in Sydney, while several members of the Johnson family also viewed it online. The hearing continues. Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis has broken his silence after a woman who pretended to be him to catfish unwitting victims lost her appeal to get out of jail early. Lydia Abdelmalek appeared in Melbourne's County Court on Tuesday, where she was re-sentenced to four years in prison following a lengthy appeal of her 2019 sentence. The 32-year-old failed to overturn her conviction for six stalking charges earlier this year and then pursued an appeal of her two-year and eight-month sentence. Abdelmalek pretended to be Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis and other aliases, including English actor Danny Mac, to lure in three victims using social media over several years from May 2011. Lewis took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, moments after Abdelmalek's resentencing, to express his relief that the catfishing ordeal was 'finally over'. 'Its hard finding the proper words or to articulate the feeling of relief that the cruel and horrendous actions committed by this person starting over decade ago has finally ended with justice prevailing,' he wrote. Catfisher Lydia Abdelmalek, 32, (pictured) failed to overturn her conviction for six stalking charges and had her jail term extended to four years after losing her appeal Abdelmalek pretended to be Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis (right) on social media to lure in her victims 'I hope the sentence helps provide the victims, their families & those affected with some closure that can now help everyone heal and move forward. 'Lastly, I hope all of this opens conversations when talking with friends or between parents and their kids about staying safe online. Social media is great but always make sure you know who youre talking with & especially, always look out for each other. Much love.' Abdelmalek must now serve two years and eight months before she will be eligible for parole, an increase from her previous one-year and nine-month minimum term. One victim took her own life in 2018, two years after she penned a heartbreaking statement about the trauma she had been left with after being duped into believing the TV star was in love with her. Abdelmalek went as far as sending explicit images of the woman and vulgar messages to her father, mother, sister and brother-in-law. During the appeal, the woman's family said the prolonged legal process had delayed their grief and re-traumatised them. The woman's sister called for the court to use the appeal as an opportunity to increase Abdelmalek's sentence because she 'is a danger to society'. Another woman scammed by the Lewis alias said the appeal should be used to 'send a message' about the consequences of serious online abuse. Judge Claire Quin had warned Abdelmalek (pictured) and her lawyers 'a number of times' that she may impose a more severe jail-term if they continued to pursue the appeal The Home and Away expressed his relief on Twitter just moments after Abdelmalek's re-sentencing with the catfishing ordeal 'finally ended with justice prevailing' Abdelmalek's victims and their families appeared in court for the sentencing, as Judge Claire Quin headed their calls for an extended sentence. She said she had warned Abdelmalek and her lawyers 'a number of times' that she may impose a more severe jail-term if they continued to pursue the appeal. 'This matter proceeded despite an overwhelming prosecution case and full knowledge of the additional stress that flows to the victims as a result,' Judge Quin told the court. She described Abdelmalek's offending as 'persistent and malicious', as she said she had spent thousands of hours pursuing her victims online in secret. 'The appellant created a web of false identities and characters,' Judge Quin said. 'Despite the content of some of the material being reflective of soap opera, it was not fantasy - it was real and impacted real people. 'What may begin as light-hearted, quickly can escalate to have significant consequences for the psychological wellbeing of those to whom the risk is directed.' Abdelmalek has already served more than four months of her sentence. McDonald's has moved swiftly to assure customers $1 frozen Coke is still on offer, after one restaurant mistakenly posted a sign advising they had doubled in price. Patrons entering the fast food giant's Para Hills restaurant in Adelaide on Tuesday were met with a sign on the door explaining that the 'due to a price adjustment all frozen drinks are now $2'. When Daily Mail Australia contacted McDonald's about whether the sign meant the end of the 'Loose Change Menu', which prices the small-sized icy refreshments at $1 nationwide, the fast food giant explained the sign was put up in error. This sign spotted at an Adelaide McDonald's suggests the days for the $1 frozen Macca's Coke may be numbered McDonald's called the sign an 'honest mistake' and said it had been taken down. 'Were promising that our Loose Change Menu prices will not increase from now until at least June 2023,' a McDonald's spokesperson said. Under the 'Loose Change Menu' pricing, medium-sized frozen Cokes or other soft drink flavours are $1.50 and large ones are $2. Those ordering and paying with the McDonald's app can get any sized frozen drink for $1. The McDonald's 'Loose Change Menu' offers a number of other items for the price of the a gold coin The spokesperson said no Para Hills customers had been overcharged. Other items on the Loose Change Menu include a small soft serve cone with a Flake chocolate bar for $1, a basic hamburger for $2 and a small fries for $2. Despite the Para Hills sign saying other prices had been changed, the McDonald's spokesperson said this wasn't yet the case. 'Like all businesses, we review menu prices from time to time and consider several factors, including the higher-cost environment we are operating in, which has resulted in slight changes to some of our menu prices,' the spokesperson said. A picture of the misleading sign was posted on the Instagram account 'JustAdelaideThings'. 'The glory days of $1 frozen Cokes are over,' was the accompanying quote with a sad face emoji. The Instagram account 'JustAdelaideThings' posted the picture of the sign with this sombre comment Some reacted with despair. 'Honestly just kill us off at this point,' one of the commenters wrote. Others saw the humorous, or at least sarcastic side. 'The outrage and right before summer. How will I survive now??,' one wrote. 'Cheaper to buy diesel now,' another wryly noted. One user contributed a consoling thought. 'Its okay, KFC still have $1 frozen drinks,' they wrote. An Alphabet subcontractor has filed for union recognition and bargaining power with the National Labor Relations Board or NLRB. The group works at YouTube Music Content Operations, and a supermajority of 58 workers signed the union cards, as mentioned in Engadget. There have been several reports of company giants not giving their employees fair pay or treatment. It seems that Google is not exempted from having workers unionize to fight for better compensation. AWU-CWA The Alphabet Workers Union-Communications Workers of America or AWU-CWA, expressed in a statement that the workers ensure that music content is available and approved worldwide, which is for the 2.1 billion active listeners worldwide for YouTube. The workers that are voting to unionize are based in Austin, Texas. Since they were already paying AWU-CWU dues, they now seek bargaining rights. The NLRB already scheduled a hearing which will happen on the 14th of November. The union was formed in January 2021, and since then, they have garnered 1,200 members. This includes Alphabet workers that are either full-time, temporary, vendor, or contract workers. The AWU-CWA expressed that they will not stop organizing until workers have dignity on the job, the pay and benefits they deserve, and a seat at the table. AWU-CWA Chair Parul Koul, who is also a software engineer at Google, said that they were honored to welcome the employees from the YouTube Music Content Operations team, as members of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA. He added that Google platforms like YouTube have been successful thanks to Google, and the efforts of thousands of contract workers. He also expressed that they were excited to see the workers bring Alphabet to the bargaining table, and use their power to get quality pay, benefits, and rights for the job they deserve, according to Tech Today. Read Also: 4,000 Google Cafeteria Workers Have Joined Unions During the Pandemic Other Issues Earlier this year, a group of workers in Kansas City voted to unionize with AWU-CWA against Google Fiber. The Alphabet Workers Union filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board. The complaint accused the company of firing Google data center workers to retaliate for union activity. The union also mentioned that two workers from Google, who attempted to discuss pay and working conditions were fired. At the end of August 2022, it was shared on AWU-CWA's Twitter account that Ariel, one of its members, was forced to resign. Ariel spoke up about Google's AI contract with Israel, and Google supposedly gave her an ultimatum between moving overseas or leaving. Ariel, an AWU member who's been speaking up about Google's AI contract w/Israel, was forced to resign today after Google's ultimatum: move overseas or leave. This is retaliation, pure & simple. Ariel's been ousted like so many others at Google.https://t.co/9ZkVHDKLA3 Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA) (@AlphabetWorkers) August 30, 2022 Just recently, this late October, AWU-CWA also shared an article about Google opening a new office in North Carolina, saying that the company was quick to celebrate the region's diversity. The account holder also claimed that the workers were hired locally, and would receive the company's lowest pay in the country. They stated that Google claims that workers in their extended workforce are paid a minimum of $15 an hour, but some workers, even those who rate the quality of Google's search results, make a minimum of $10 per hour. Related Article: Google Fiber Contractors Overcome Odds, Spearhead Unionization Under Alphabet Worker Union Thousands of passengers have been evacuated from Perth Airport, sparking widespread chaos. The airport has confirmed a 'small' kitchen fire broke out in a restaurant in terminal four which activated the smoke alarms. The entire airport was evacuated as per 'safety procedures', a spokeswoman confirmed. The fire was extinguished by the time firefighters arrived. The terminals were quickly reopened to travellers. 'Delays for some departing flights are expected,' the spokeswoman added. Perth Airport was evacuated on Tuesday, forcing travellers to wait outside the terminal The airport delays tested the patience of everyone from young travellers to FIFO workers (pictured) at Perth on Tuesday The incident has also caused delays for arriving flights with passengers stuck on planes grounded on the tarmac. 'Perth airport has been evacuated because there was a fire/smoke and my mum and sister are stuck on the plane and been told they can't get off,' one woman said. Meanwhile, photos showed long queues of travellers waiting outside the terminal with their luggage, including dozens of FIFO workers. 'We were going to be here for HOURS #sendwine,' one man tweeted. Another wrote on Facebook: '24 hours of travel and five minutes sitting in the Qantas club I really appreciate Perth Airport throwing me a celebratory fire evacuation.' One frustrated traveller claimed there were flight delays before the blaze, 'I've had seven consecutive FIFO flights delayed by at least an hour,' he said. Thousands of passengers waited outside the terminal with their luggage. They have since been given to all clear to re-enter the terminal Many travellers who were caught up in the chaos took to social media to express frustrations The mass evacuation at Perth Airport was sparked by a kitchen fire. Pictured are passengers evacuating the terminal Rapper Lady Leshurr attacked and bit her ex-girlfriend and her new partner in a late-night altercation in east London, a court has heard. The 34-year-old artist - real name Melesha O'Garro - allegedly assaulted Sidnee Hussein and Chante Boyea at around 5am on Saturday. Thames Magistrates' Court heard Ms Boyea was driving to work along Knotts Green Road, Walthamstow, when two women flagged down her car appearing to need her help. The complainant, the partner of O'Garro's ex-girlfriend Ms Hussein, let O'Garro inside before realising who she was when the musician began shouting at her in the vehicle, the court was told. The pair eventually left the car and became involved in a street fight in which O'Garro allegedly bit Ms Boyea's left hand before the ex-partner called Ms Hussein, the court heard. When Ms Hussein intervened, the woman who had been with O'Garro, 28-year-old Sherelle Smith, assaulted her, prosecutors claim. Rapper Lady Leshurr (pictured being arrested by police officers) attacked and bit her ex-girlfriend and her new partner in a late-night altercation in east London , a court has heard Rapper Lady Leshurr - real name Melesha O'Garro - is accused of biting and punching her ex-girlfriend in a late-night brawl Prosecutor Ugochi Obiechina said O'Garro, who is known for her popular Queen's Speech series of freestyles, also assaulted Ms Hussein during the melee, which is said to have occurred after the musician left a club in Hackney Wick. The former Dancing on Ice contestant, from Kingshurst, Birmingham, is set to face a jury trial charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the incident. The prosecutor said: 'The two complainants have been in a relationship for approximately a year. 'Prior to this the first complainant and the defendant Ms O'Garro were in a relationship for approximately six years. 'It was at around 5am, the complainant, Ms Boyea, has left her home to go to work. She was with her working dog which was locked in a cage in the rear of the vehicle. 'Ms O'Garro got into the vehicle and started to shout at the complainant. The complainant switched off her engine and left the vehicle as did the defendant. The star is known for her appearances on Dancing on Ice and Loose Woman, as well as her freestyle rap 'An argument developed on the street, the complainant tried to put her hand out to create distance and Ms O'Garro bit her left hand.' The prosecutor added that Ms Boyea called Ms Hussein, who came from a house 15 metres away and pushed the rapper off Ms Boyea when Smith got involved. She added: 'She dragged Ms Hussein by her hair down to the floor. Smith got up and kicked Ms Hussein in the head. During this, Ms O'Garro has bitten Ms Hussein in her hand. Both defendants had punched her in the face.' The rapper and Smith, both of Birmingham, West Mifdlands, denied assault causing actual bodily harm. Smith, from Yardley, Birmingham, appeared alongside in the dock on Monday charged with one count of the same offence. They both entered not guilty pleas and were released on bail with conditions banning contact with the complainants, ahead of a further hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court on November 21. James Corden made a public apology for berating staff at New York City restaurant Balthazar last night - but denied the restaurant's version of events, insisting he did not 'yell like crazy' and claiming for the first time that the reason he was so upset is that his wife was given food she has 'seriously allergic' to. Corden, appearing on his Late Late Show, conceded that he'd been 'ungracious' to the waitstaff at Balthazar, but tried again to explain himself. Last week, owner Keith McNally announced on Instagram that Corden was banned from the restaurant as punishment for rude and childish behavior on two occasions. On the first occasion, Corden was upset that a hair had been found in his food and demanded free drinks to make up for it, according to McNally. The second occasion involved his wife Julia ordering an egg-yolk omelet and receiving a plate with egg white on it. The final straw was when the remade omelet was sent out with a side of home fries instead of salad. 'James Corden began yelling like crazy to the server,' McNally said, quoting the general manager's service report. But last night on his show, Corden insisted he didn't scream or make any 'derogatory remarks'. His only offense was making the 'unnecessary' and 'snide' comment that he'd 'make the omelet himself' if the kitchen staff were unable to. He also claimed the dish was prepared wrongly 'three times' - one more than had previously been claimed - and that his wife Julia has 'a serious food allergy'. James Corden admitted that he was 'ungracious' to a Balthazar waiter when he made a snide remark he'd cook the egg yolk omelet himself - which got him banned from the establishment Corden says he believes the media has simply over-egged the story. James Corden and Julia Carey seen having lunch at Scott's restaurant in Mayfair on June 27, 2018 in London, England 'My wife explained that she has a serious food allergy. Poll Do you feel James Corden's apology was sincere? Yes No Do you feel James Corden's apology was sincere? Yes 224 votes No 1535 votes Now share your opinion 'The meals came, my wife was given the food that she was allergic to. She hadn't taken a bite of it or anything, no worries, we sent it back. All was good. 'As her meal came wrong to the table the third time, in the heat of the moment I made a sarcastic rude comment about cooking it myself. It is a comment I deeply regret. 'I worked shifts at restaurants for years, I have such respect for anyone who does that job. 'The restaurant manager and the server were lovely, they brought out four glasses of champagne and we were like "that's not necessary, we don't need it, we had a great time". 'But here's the truth of it - because I didn't shout or scream , I didn't get up out of my seat, I didn't call anyone names or use derogatory language, I have been walking around thinking that I've not done anything wrong. 'But I have, I made a rude comment.' It was the first time he'd offered that piece of information, despite giving an interview to The New York Times last week where he said he'd done nothing wrong. Last night, Corden said he'd been shown the light by his father. His old adage was always to 'never complain, never explain'. Here's the truth of it - because I didn't shout or scream , I didn't get up out of my seat, I didn't call anyone names or use derogatory language, I have been walking around thinking that I've not done anything wrong Corden on The Late Late Show 'As my dad pointed out to me on Saturday he said, "Son, well, you did complain, so you might need to explain.' 'Look, when you make a mistake, you've gotta take responsibility. So I thought I would, if it's okay, share with you what happened." 'In the heat of the moment, I made a sarcastic rude comment about cooking it myself. 'It is a comment I deeply regret. I understand the difficulties of being a server. I worked shifts at restaurants for years. 'I have such respect, and I value anyone that does such a job. And the team at that restaurant are so great. That's why I love it there.' He added that when the staff brought out champagne 'as an apology,' he thought the matter was resolved. Corden, looking at his parents Malcolm and Margaret who were in the audience, added: 'As my dad pointed out to me on Saturday he said, 'Son, well, you did complain, so you might need to explain.' Look, when you make a mistake, you've gotta take responsibility. So I thought I would, if it's okay, share with you what happened' The saga began last Monday when McNally, 71, posted two separate examples of Corden's 'extremely nasty' behavior at Balthazar, the French brasserie, where he said he had yelled at the server. JAMES CORDEN VS BALTHAZAR - A TIMELINE OF A ROW THAT BEGAN OVER AN OMELET June: James Corden visits Balthazar and finds a hair in his food. He showed the hair to the general manager and, according to Keith McNally, demanded free drinks to make up for it. October 9th: Corden and his wife Julia have brunch at Balthazar. Julia ordered an egg-yolk omelet. When it arrived at the table with 'a little egg white' on the plate, Corden sent it back. The staff then sent out another omelet but with a side of home fries - not the salad Julia had ordered. Corden explodes that staff 'can't do their job!' and offers to make the omelet himself. October 17: Keith McNally bans Corden from his restaurant, calling him a 'tiny cretin of a man' in a scathing Instagram post October 17: Corden privately phones McNally to apologize. McNally revokes the ban October 20: Corden takes part in an interview with The New York Times where he says he did 'nothing wrong' and that people complain about food 'every day' October 21: McNally urges Corden to apologize sincerely, writing in another Instagram post: 'Although I didnt witness the incident, lots of my restaurants floor staff did. They had nothing to gain by lying. Corden did. 'I wish James Corden would live up to his Almighty initials and come clean.' October 24: James Corden apologizes on air at The Late Late Show Advertisement Corden said that after seeing McNally's post he had 'immediately' contacted him to 'tell him how upset I was'. '(I told him) how upset I was that anybody was hurt by anything that I had done and anything that I had said and we had a good talk. He appreciated the call. I was happy that we got to clear the air. And I felt like we dealt with it privately but by this point, the story was out there and more people were upset.' After showing a series of scathing tweets to his audience, he continued: 'I get it. I totally understand. I understand everybody getting upset and I accept everybody's opinion. 'I also hate, as I said to the owner that day, that I've ever upset anybody ever. It was never my intention. It just wasn't. I love that restaurant. I love the staff there. 'I hope I'm allowed in again one day so when I'm back in New York I can go there and apologize in person, which is something I will absolutely do.' In his original post, McNally said: 'After eating his main course, Corden showed the hair to Balthazar manager G. who was very apologetic. 'Corden was extremely nasty to G, and said: 'Get us another round of drinks this second. And also take care of all of our drinks so far. This way I write any nasty reviews in yelp or anything like that.'' In a second incident, McNally claims that Corden was dining with his wife, Julia Carey, at the eatery on October 9 for brunch. He says that Corden asked for a table outside, and wife Carey ordered an egg yolk omelet with a salad. The couple complained to the server that there was 'a little bit of egg white mixed with the egg yolk' and sent the dish back. McNally added: 'The kitchen remade the dish but unfortunately sent it with home fries instead of salad. 'That's when James Corden began yelling like crazy to the server: 'You can't do your job! You can't do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelet myself!' 'M.K (server) was very apologetic and brought G. (floor manager) over to the table. 'He returned the dish, and after that, everything was fine. He gave them promo Champagne glasses to smooth things out. 'G. said that Corden was pleasant to him but nasty to the server. M.K. was very shaken, but professional that she is, continued to finish her shift.' The saga began last Monday when Keith McNally, 71, (pictured) who has a colorful history of booting out celebrities from his exclusive restaurants, claimed Corden behaved badly at his former restaurant, Cafe Luxembourg, on several occasions and left one server 'shaken' The popular French eatery Balthazar, in New York's SoHo district, is pictured on Monday Balthazar's owner, Keith McNally, regularly shares updates from his staff - including, on Monday, excoriating James Corden for his behavior The restaurant, pictured on Monday, is a popular spot for celebrities, tourists and locals alike Corden will not stay on at The Late Late Show after his current contract ends next year - a decision that was made earlier this year, long before the Balthazar saga. Corden is well known for his provocative and at times strange behavior. In 2017, as the Harvey Weinstein scandal was just being published, Corden joked and made fun of the rapist's victims. 'It has been weird this week watching Harvey Weinstein in hot water,' he told a gala in New York City. 'Ask any of the women who watched him take a bath, it's weird watching Harvey Weinstein in hot water.' He later apologized, tweeting: 'To be clear, sexual assault is no laughing matter. I was not trying to make light of Harvey's inexcusable behavior, but to shame him, the abuser, not his victims. I am truly sorry for anyone offended, that was never my intention.' At the end of 2019, he ridiculed the technical team behind the film Cats, in which he starred. 'I haven't seen it, I've heard it's terrible,' he told a British radio show, and then told the Oscars audience while presenting an award: 'As cast members of the motion picture Cats, nobody more than us understands the importance of good visual effects.' In September 2021, while promoting his film Cinderella, he dressed as a mouse and danced in a road, thrusting his groin at bemused drivers. Corden was accompanied by Camila Cabello, who plays the lead role, and Billy Porter, as a character called Fab G. At one point Corden seemed to take a drag on what looked like a spliff, before dancing some more. In July this year, he was knocked off his bicycle in London by a fellow cyclist, who swerved in front of him on busy Regent's Street, nearly pushing Corden into a car. The comedian was furious, and loudly berated the young bike ride who cut him up. Balthazar owner Keith McNally made a raunchy Instagram post detailing how a couple used the men's room at the swanky NYC restaurant as their private sexual oasis over Fourth of July McNally claims a couple had sex in the bathroom before scurrying off, leaving behind a wedding ring. The ring has since been placed in lost and found McNally last Monday banned Corden from his restaurant but then later reversed it after saying he had spoken to the actor on the phone. He had told how Corden had been rude to his staff several times - berating them over a hair in his food and demanding free drinks during the summer. Meanwhile on October 9 he furiously reprimanded the waiters over an omelet he was unhappy with. Four hours after announcing the ban to his 87,000 Instagram followers, McNally promptly reversed it, saying he had received a call from Corden apologizing. The fiery restaurateur posted a new photo on Tuesday night captioned: 'Feeling strange about the James Corden thing. On the one hand, he was definitely abusive to my staff, on the other hand, I feel really sorry for him right now. 'Like most cowards I want it both ways.' He concluded: 'F*** it, I'm going to get drunk.' Meanwhile, it emerged after the Balthazar row erupted that Corden is planning to sell his $9.7 million LA home. Realtor Alicia Drake was spotted at the comedian's Brentwood mansion last Thursday, along with Million Dollar Listing LA star James Harris - two days after restaurateur Keith McNally called the British performer out. Drake later confirmed to DailyMail.com that the property is indeed up for sale. 'It won't be listed - it's a private sale,' she said. DailyMail.com's exclusive photos show Harris, the dapper celebrity realtor, 38, leaving the $9.7m property, accompanied by Drake who wore a black minidress, and an unidentified woman. Drake is 'one of the Westside L.A.'s top-tier brokers,' according to her bio on The Agency, which also highlights her experience handling 'unique and challenging situations, with discretion.' 'She is committed to delivering the highest level of ethics, integrity, personal service, professional representation and technical expertise, ensuring that every client is thrilled with the outcome and comfortable throughout the entire process.' Harris, 38, for his part, told DailyMail.com that he was at the home for a social visit and explained that his wife Valeria is close friends with Corden's producer wife Julia, 46. He also said he was not there to list or appraise the house, with a second source telling DailyMail.com: 'There really is nothing in it. It was just a social thing.' Friends of Corden, 44, however, have previously spoken of his wish to return to his native Britain 'to be closer to family' while Ben Turner, the co-founder of his production company Fulwell 73, told Variety he is 'really excited to get James back in the UK' in an interview in July. The Cordens have lived in their $10 million Los Angeles home for less than five years. The family moved in December 2017 after an extensive renovation period James Corden and wife Julia officially moved into this Brentwood home in December 2017 after purchasing the property for $9.7 million Corden is due to finish filming his final series of the Late Late Show in the spring, with Turner telling the magazine: '[Corden] has just got so many strings to his bow, and 'Late' is a big commitment that's taken up so much of his time. 'We're just really excited about having him back in the UK., and all the stuff that that entails, but it is a big moment for us.' Corden purchased his $9.7m five-bedroom Brentwood home in 2017 after moving to the property from a rented mansion in Pacific Palisades. The lavish property sprawls across 8,600sqft and comes complete with seven bathrooms, a wood-paneled library, a media room and a private gym. Harris, who is also British, has plenty of experience in selling high value properties. In 2019, he and David Parnes handled the sale of Petra Ecclestone's former home - dubbed The Manor for $120m. The vast property, which was built by producer Aaron Spelling, became the sixth most expensive home ever sold in LA County when the deal went through. Harris and Parnes also dealt with the sale of a huge apartment that once belonged to Cher the same year and have racked up over $3bn in property sales since 2017. Corden's home is relatively small by Harris and Parnes' standards but the Brentwood property is similar to other homes sold by the British realtors. A 'catastrophic' wall collapse at a Brisbane construction site has caused a huge steel beam to collapse on top of an excavator but miraculously workers escaped injury. A burst water main at the Albion site in Agnes Street in the city's inner north, created a devastating sinkhole and sparked the cataclysmic disaster about 11:30am on Monday. Emergency crews found a retaining wall had given way, sucking in a power pole, construction fencing, part of the road, and the temporary stairs erected as a workers' entrance. The collapsed wall at the Brisbane construction site on Monday (pictured) which caused part of the road and a power pole to get sucked into the site Emergency crews were called to a burst water main (pictured) but arrived to find the much bigger incident The 20m-wide sinkhole knocked out power, water and gas services for nearby apartment buildings, while the burst water main filled the construction site with several inches of water. Footage shared by the CFMEU, which was called to the site, shows the moment workers are ordered to evacuate as water sprays from the burst pipe and loud cracks can be heard on the other side of the fence as the wall gives out. 'Yeah get everyone back. everyone out,' one worker yells. 'She's a nasty one, look at the crack in the road,' says another. The video is captioned 'Catastrophic wall collapse at Agnes Street jobsite' Footage then shows the aftermath inside the excavation pit - including the collapsed steel retaining barricades and a large steel beam resting on top of an operator's cabin on a digger. A steel beam landed on top of the operator's cabin on an excavator (pictured) 'Looks like what's happened is the whole side of the hole has collapsed in on itself,' the CMFEU representative says. 'I've just spoken to management and luckily no workers have been injured.' He then points out the fallen power pole and yellow lined scaffolding supporting the temporary entrance stairs to the site - which have been torn in half. The temporary entrance stairs to the site were also torn in half (pictured) 'The workers tell me they heard a big bang and everyone started running for their lives,' he added. Queensland Ambulance confirmed no-one was injured in the incident and WorkSafe Queensland has launched an investigation. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the company in charge of construction on the site, 5Point Projects, for comment. The toddler and baby were assessed by paramedics and not taken to hospital A father has been arrested and charged after he allegedly left his baby and toddler alone in a car while he popped into a shopping centre. The man, 21, was cuffed by police outside the Pacific Werribee centre in the Melbourne suburb of Hoppers Crossing on Tuesday morning. He allegedly left his three-year-old daughter and three-month-old daughter in his vehicle while he went inside the shopping centre to look around. A dad, 21, was arrested outside a Melbourne shopping centre after he allegedly left his three-year-old daughter and three-month-old daughter in his car Security guards noticed the children inside the car and were able to rescue them through a window that was left slightly ajar. Paramedics were called to the scene and medically assessed the children. They did not need to be taken to hospital. The baby and toddler were left inside the car for about 30 minutes all up. The dad, who is from Melton, was arrested when officers arrived shortly afterwards. Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia in a statement: 'A Melton man was arrested and charged with reckless conduct endangering life and reckless conduct endangering serious injury.' 'He was also arrested for a separate assault matter and charged with recklessly cause injury.' The father was granted bail. He is due to face Werribee Magistrates Court on March 30. Controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has broken his silence in an explosive interview to strenuously deny making false promises to patients as he prepares to fight to save his medical career. For the last 15 months, Dr Teo has been unable to operate in Australia without written approval from a fellow surgeon due to restrictions placed on him by the Medical Council of NSW after the body received three complaints. He's also under investigation from the Healthcare Complaints Commission. Fresh details of the allegations came to light this week when he was accused of charging huge fees to the desperate families of two children, one of whom was left vegetative and both of whom died within a year. Dubbed by A Current Affair as Australia's most loved or hated doctor, Dr Teo agreed to a one-on-one sit-down interview with program host Tracy Grimshaw, which will air on Tuesday night. A preview for the interview shows Grimshaw asking the doctor whether he made false promises to patients. The surgeon strenuously denied the claims. Dr Charlie Teo was grilled by Traci Grimshaw on whether he was a 'cowboy' or hero on A Current Affair 'No, absolutely not,' Dr Teo said adamantly. 'Look, I know I didn't.' Grimshaw also asked Dr Teo how he saw his Healthcare Complaints Commission hearing be played out. 'How do you see the future for you?' she continued. An emotional Dr Teo hesitated for a few moments before responding. 'Oh... Tracy,' he said. In another part of the interview, Grimshaw grills the surgeon on the question that has divided Australians - who is the real Charlie Teo? 'They either believe the critics who think you're a cowboy who has a God complex or they believe you're a hero who pushed the convention and they're trying to figure who is the real Charlie Teo,' she explained 'That's what I want to do. I want to shed some light on that so they can answer that for themselves.' 'Can you understand there are these two clear images of you?' Dr Teo agreed. Dr Teo (pictured with partner Traci Griffiths) denied making false promises to patients The high profile doctor charged huge fees to the desperate families of two children, one of whom was left vegetative and both of whom died within a year. Dr Teo reportedly asked the parents of the children, a four-year-old Indian boy, and a girl, 7, from NSW's Hunter Valley, to deposit $40,000 and $50,000 overnight in his bank account before operating. Both children had diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) - a very rare and aggressive type of childhood brain cancer that neurosurgeons label inoperable and incurable. The tumour, which forms on the brain stem, is so aggressive and incurable that children who are diagnosed with DIPG are immediately considered palliative. Mikolaj Barman from Assam in India, was one of the two children who was suffering from DIPG when his parents reached out to Dr Teo, a Nine Newspapers report revealed. The operation to remove the tumour from his brain stem left him unable to walk, speak or breathe unaided again. He died 10 months later, in August 2019, shortly after the tumour inevitably returned. Dr Teo is under investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commission, and last year his accreditation to operate at Prince of Wales Private Hospital was withdrawn. But the controversial specialist does have the backing of some senior brain surgeons, one of whom has lodged a supportive submission with the NSW Medical Council. Parents Prasanta and Sangeeta Barman (above with their late son, Mikolaj) paid Charlie Teo $80,000 to operate on the four-year-old in a last ditch attempt to prolong his life. Followign the surgery, child allee could not walk, talk or breathe unaided and he died 10 months later Indian engineer Prasanta Barman had noticed his son's difficulty walking and when Dr Teo offered a lifeline that New Delhi doctors could not, the father emptied his savings and retirement accounts and a friend started a GoFundMe page. Mr Barman and his wife Sangeeta paid $40,000, half Dr Teo's fee, after the Australian refuted two Indian neurosurgeons' negative prognosis, saying 'we think we can cure Mikolaj with surgery'. When Dr Teo met Mikolaj's parents for the first time as their son was being wheeled into an operating theatre in Singapore on October 11, 2018. Feeling unable to back out, the Barmans gave the go ahead and after 10 hours of surgery, he told them he had removed 85 per cent of the tumour which he said appeared 'benign' (the opposite of malignant). The Barman family claim Dr Teo operated on Mikolaj before doing a biopsy on the tumour. The pathology results revealed the tumour was DIPG and whereas Mikolaj had been happy and playful before the operation, he was now unable to walk, eat or talk. The Barmans spent a further $40,000 to return him home via air ambulance, and he spent the next ten months staring at a ceiling before dying from the tumour, with his care totalling $250,000. Bella Howard, of Shoal Bay, was the second child operated on by Dr Teo after her parents desperately tried to prolong her life when a DIPG was detected on her brain stem. She was left with left-side paralysis after the family paid Dr Teo $100,000 in April, 2020 for surgery. Bella died seven months later, the tumour having returned. An eminent US paediatric neurosurgeon, Professor Mark Souweidane, told the newspaper that no clinical or research data in the world that showed there was any benefit from conducting surgery on DIPG tumours. This type of tumour infiltrates the pons, the walnut-sized part of the brainstem which links your brain to your spinal cord, which controls your sleep-wake cycle, your breathing and your ability to feel pain. Professor Souweidane said removing part of the pons is to remove 'the very part of the brain that keeps you alive'. The two families of the children who complained about Dr Teo to Nine newspapers and 60 Minutes were initially elated by Dr Teo's promise of hope for their children. But other specialists had advised that death was inevitable and the only treatment was possible radiation during palliative care. For the last 15 months, Dr Teo has been unable to operate without written approval from a fellow surgeon due to restrictions placed on his practising certificate by the Medical Council of NSW after it received three complaints. Maverick brain surgeon Charlie Theo (above with his partner and former patient, Traci Griffiths, is due to face a disciplinary hearing over the results of some of his surgeries Bella Howard (above) died aged seven just eight months after Dr Teo operated on her brain stem tumour, charging her parents, Hunter Valley tradie Gene and his wife Sarah $100,000 But the maverick motorbike riding doctor is also revered by the families of some of his patients. And as he fights to end restrictions on his ability to conduct surgery in Australia, Dr Teo has defended his operations saying 'once you start exploring ... advancements, you are going to get some bad outcomes, some terrible outcomes, which I have had. 'You are also going to get patients that do very well, that get more months or years on their lives and get to enjoy life,' he told the Daily Telegraph. The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission ordered a two-day disciplinary hearing over the negative outcomes from two of Dr Teo's surgeries, one of which was a DIPG patient. Meanwhile Dr Teo, who operated on Mikolaj Barman in Singapore, has conducted surgery at least four times in Spain and South Africa where he has gained a operating permit. The surgeon operated on two stricken young Aussies, a Sydney woman and a Melbourne man in Madrid, Spain. He is also believed to have operated in Johannesburg and in Switzerland, however it is understood the Medical Council of NSW has enquired into Dr Teo's overseas surgeries and may have alerted Spanish authorities of its concerns. The maverick motorbike riding doctor (above left) is revered by some families for extending the lives of their terminally ill children, but others say they were given false hope Now-restricted brain surgeon Dr Charlie Teo operated on a young Sydney woman, Monica Lopresti in Madrid, Spain (Pictured Christina Lopresti with her daughter, Monica Lopresti) Dr Teo has told the Daily Telegraph that his method of treating brain stem tumours was developed from a pioneering US paediatric neurosurgeon, Fred Epstein, whose 'progressive approach ... unfortunately ... didn't really catch on'. Epstein recognised 'two very distinct types' of brain stem tumour, diffuse, which spreads and focal, which Teo said 'I consider it to be operable'. Bella Howard's parents were facing the dire diagnosis of DIPG in their daughter in April 2020 when Gene, a tradie, and his wife, Sarah, turned in desperation to Dr Teo, who offered to operate the next day. All they needed to do was pay $50,000, which Gene's boss loaned him, and the same amount later, and when Dr Teo had operated he reportedly said Bella's tumour was low grade and he'd removed 95 pc of it. The pathology results said Bella had DIPG, and Dr Teo - according to the Nine reports - offered to do a second operationfor the same price. It was 12 weeks after surgery when the Howards received a phone call from Teo with the results of Bella's latest scan saying, 'this is really bad. It's grown ... probably three times as a big as it originally was'. Bella died in January 2021. Prasanta Barman, who lost his only son to the brain stem tumour, told the Sydney Morning Herald he was guilty for putting his son through the surgery because 'there was not hope. So why give false hope in the first place?' Famous 'last chance' brain surgeon Dr Charlie Teo is performing operations on Australians in overseas hospitals after being restricted in this country The family of Jad Chahine (above with Charlie Two) have pleaded for him to be allowed to operate unrestricted in Australia after the maverick surgeon removed their boy's brain tumour in Spain However, families like the parents of eight-year-old Madeline Suy remain supportive of Dr Teo and believe 'we made the right decision'. Alan Suy told the Daily Telegraph that when Madeline was diagnosed with DIPG, he consulted the surgeon despite knowing about the controversies about his surgery, and said he was 'never offered any kind of false hope'. Mr Suy said Dr Teo was honest and told him 'that his approach was unconventional, high risk and came with no guarantees of success'. Madeline was operated on in December 2020, and underwent radiation to further shrink the tumour. An MRI scan in June this year showed the tumour was regrowing, but the Suys take heart because, having just turned eight, Madeline has 'already beaten the odds ... the average survival time for DIPG patients (being) nine to 12 months'. One of those backing Dr Teo is Associate Professor Yeo Tseng Tsai, head of neurosurgery at Singapore's National University Hospital, who invited himto operate on brain tumour patients, despite his reputation among Australian peers as 'a bit of a maverick and a showman.' Dr Teo operated on five to six patients with very difficult brain tumours, which all resulted in' truly excellent outcomes' under Dr Tsai's supervision. 'Seeing is believing as they say, and I realised then that I was now observing one of the great technical neurosurgeons in the world performing at truly world class levels in our own university hospital in Singapore,' Dr Tsai said in his submission. 'My experience with him, even in these cases with a less than stellar outcome, was that he was always very upfront and honest with the patient and relatives pre-op, so that we had no issues at all with relatives and patients when the post op outcome was less than what we expected, as a very good bond of trust had been built with them.' Dr Teo received no payment for his week-long stint working on public hospital patients in Singapore. Dr Tsai admitted a few cases had the outcomes that were 'not really great' and that he had conflicting opinions to Dr Teo on several cases on whether to operate. 'In most of them, he was proved correct in the end,' he wrote. The families of Dr Teo's former patients who have leapt to his defence include that of teen Milli Lucas, whom Dr Teo operated on twice before the Western Australian 14-year-old lost her brave battle in January 2021. The family of teen Milli Lucas (pictured with Dr Teo before she died in 2021) are among those who have spoken out in support of the surgeon Neurosurgery head at Singapore's National University Hospital Associate Professor Yeo Tseng Tsai (pictured) described Dr Teo as 'one of the great technical neurosurgeons' 'Poor Charlie, seriously just let the man do his job Australia,' Milli's mum Monica Smirk recently posted on Facebook. She says Dr Teo gave their family two extra years with Milli they wouldn't have otherwise had. 'I know the neurosurgeons in Australia think he's a cowboy and think he takes things just that little bit extra but that should be left to the patient to choose,' Ms Smirk told news.com.au. 'I feel sorry for the people in Australia who want to be a neurosurgeon and aren't able to learn from the best in the world.' Dr Teo recently revealed he was fielding 'daily' phone calls from families begging for his help, and claimed 'jealous' colleagues were restricting him from performing his 'miracle' surgeries in Australia. Renowned neurosurgeon Charlie Teo, 64, is unable to operate without written approval from a fellow surgeon due to restrictions placed on him by the Medical Council of NSW after receiving three complaints 'It's gang warfare,' Dr Teo recently told 2GB host Chris Smith. 'It's purely based on professional jealousy. Even a governing body has said that I'm a competent surgeon.' 'It all started from nameless, faceless, cowardly people who went to the media, made allegations and made up stories about me to try and destroy my reputation. 'If I'm as bad as surgeons say I am, if I'm offering people false hope and false promises, come out and say it... and put a face to the allegations.' Dr Teo must provide a monthly log of names and procedures of patients and seek the second opinion of another neurosurgeon before performing rare brain conditions. A Labour MP has sparked online outrage after claiming Rishi Sunak becoming Prime Minister is 'not a win for Asian representation' because of his vast personal wealth. Nadia Whittome, Nottingham East's MP and member of the Socialist Campaign Group, claimed the new leader was 'not on your side'. 'Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister isn't a win for Asian representation,' the 26-year-old, who also has Indian roots, tweeted yesterday. 'He's a multimillionaire who, as chancellor, cut taxes on bank profits while overseeing the biggest drop in living standards since 1956. 'Black, white or Asian: if you work for a living, he is not on your side.' Her tweet was later deleted after she was contacted by Labour headquarters and told to remove it, the Daily Telegraph reported. With his victory coming on Diwali, Mr Sunak will become the UK's first ever Hindu Prime Minister, the first of Asian heritage and the youngest to take up the mantle in more than two centuries at the age of 42. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mr Sunak on Twitter and wrote: 'Special Diwali wishes to "living bridge" of UK Indians as we transform historic ties into modern partnership.' Nadia Whittome, Nottingham East's 26-year-old MP and member of the Socialist Campaign Group, claimed Britain's newest Prime Minister was 'not on your side' With his victory coming on Diwali, Rishi Sunak will become the UK's first ever Hindu Prime Minister, the first of Asian heritage and the youngest to take up the mantle in more than two centuries at the age of 42 Although her initial tweet was deleted, Ms Whittome doubled down on her critique of Mr Sunak's personal fortune in later tweets Mr Sunak, a GP's son from Southampton whose Indian parents immigrated to Britain in the 1960s, takes his parliamentary oath on Hindu's sacred text, the Bhagavad Gita. He has previously spoken about how his Asian identity matters to him, telling the BBC: 'I'm a first generation immigrant. My parents emigrated here, so you've got this generation of people who are born here, their parents were not born here, and they've come to this country to make a life.' The UK's first and only other minority prime minister was Benjamin Disraeli, who was Jewish, in 1874. Ms Whittome's comments were met with derision by thousands of well-wishers who were quick to celebrate the fact Britain is now the first major European country to be led by a non-white politician. Members of the Brent community in London, which is home to one of Britain's largest Hindu populations, described their excitement at seeing Mr Sunak's rapid rise to 10 Downing Street. Deepa Nayar, 47, told the Guardian: 'He'll be writing history, I feel really good about it... It'll be nice to see that we are breaking the glass ceilings of politics, the work environment and beyond. 'We hardly see any people of colour getting up to that level'. Conservative party member Ravi Kumar, 38, from Nottingham, described Mr Sunak's astronomical rise as a 'watershed moment' in British politics. 'I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and I could not even imagine a non-white prime minister in my lifetime,' he said. 'I always just saw it as a white country and we'd come in as children of immigrants... So to see a British Indian leader is phenomenal.' Sunder Katwala, director of think-tank British Future, also said it was an historic moment, showing the changes in British politics and public life in recent decades. A spokesperson for The 1928 Institute, an Oxford University-backed British-Indian think-tank, said: 'Many of our grandparents were British subjects and now to see someone of Indian heritage in the UK's highest office would be truly inspirational. 'Mr Sunak's rise shows how the British Indian community has come a long way, and we hope this will serve as an inspiration for the next generation; although some will still attack Rishi Sunak for his heritage.' Mr Sunak with his wife Akshata Murthy and daughters Krishna and Anoushka. He has previously spoken about how his Asian identity matters to him, telling the BBC: 'I'm a first generation immigrant. My parents emigrated here, so you've got this generation of people who are born here, their parents were not born here, and they've come to this country to make a life.' Mr Sunak previously shared pictures of his childhood in a three-minute-long video when he launched his first Tory leadership campaign this summer The new PM has regularly spoken of how his father, Yashvir, was an NHS GP in Southampton He has also described how his mother, Usha, came to Britain from East Africa at the age of 15 Praise also flooded in from the wider world of international politics as Mr Sunak was announced as the UK's latest Prime Minister. Indian parliamentarian Raghav Chadha tweeted: 'Today, as India celebrates Diwali in its 75th year as an independent nation, the UK gets an Indian-origin Prime Minister. History comes full circle.' Sanjay Chandarana, president of the Vedic Society Temple which Mr Sunak's grandfather co-founded in Southampton 50 years ago also said his elevation to Prime Minister meant more fireworks would be needed for Diwali celebrations and that Mr Sunak would be an 'inspiration for youngsters'. Bob Geldof has hit back at criticism of celebrities who were branded 'white saviours' for posing with children while trying to raise money for famine relief in poor African nations. Stacey Dooley was among the stars slammed by Labour MP David Lammy when she posted an image on Instagram holding a Ugandan toddler while she was filming for Comic Relief in 2019. He said at the time: 'The world doesn't need any more white saviours,' while other press coverage said that 'white saviours belong in the 1980s', as the broadcaster was accused of spreading colonial stereotypes. Sir Lenny Henry, co-founder of Comic Relief, also said: 'African people don't want us to tell their stories for them. What they need is more agency, a platform and partnership.' Now Geldof, who created the Live Aid concert that raised 150m for famine relief has spoken of his irritation at the condemnation. Bob Geldof, pictured in Ethiopia in 1985, has hit back at criticism of celebrities who were branded 'white saviours' for posing with children while trying to raise money for famine relief in poor African nations Stacey Dooley was among the stars slammed by Labour MP David Lammy when she posted an image on Instagram holding a Ugandan toddler while she was filming for Comic Relief in 2019 He told Times Radio: 'Black saviours, white saviours, green saviours, I'm with them all. 'I don't think most people give a f*** about [the criticism]. It's just a wormhole that people have disappeared down, where everything can be deconstructed. 'But it's trite and silly, in my view. If someone is hurt and I personally see it, and I'm aware of it, I'll do what I can to make them less hurt.' The Dooley row resulted in Comic Relief suffering an 8m fall in donations for its Red Nose Day appeal compared with 2017 and the campaign announcing it would stop sending white celebrities to Third World countries. Screenwriter Richard Curtis, who set up the charity after visiting Ethiopia during the 1985 famine, said: 'If people who live in this country with African backgrounds feel as though they're sort of in some way demeaned or negatively affected by Comic Relief, then we really have to listen to that.' Bob Geldof walking with children in Ethiopia in 1985 after setting up the Live Aid concert which raised 150m for famine relief Boomtown Rats frontman Geldof established Band Aid after being inspired by Michael Buerk's BBC news report on Ethiopia's famine Curtis, who wrote Four Weddings and Funeral and Notting Hill, both starring Hugh Grant, said he understood the criticisms and was looking to address the problem. 'It is a really complicated issue because we feel this desperate passionate need to raise as much money as we can, but if we're doing harm as well, that won't do.' Boomtown Rats frontman Geldof established Band Aid after being inspired by Michael Buerk's BBC news report on Ethiopia's famine but admits their 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' hit drives him 'mad' when it is played in shops every winter. The founder of Gu chocolate desserts was hit with a 120,000 bill after losing a tax case over the purchase of his 3million country home. James Averdieck, 56, and his wife, Charlotte, purchased the 14-acre home in August 2020. The location of the property was not disclosed in legal documentation. The couple initially paid 258,630 in tax but then used a tax refund company to request HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) return 119,180 to them due to the 'mixed use' of a public footpath at the edge of the property. HMRC issued the refund but later demanded the couple pay it back. Tax refund company Cornerstone argued during the couple's first-tier tax tribunal that the Averdiecks should pay less duty because the footpath was commercial land. The judge last week rejected Cornerstone's claim and ruled the couple should have paid the entire tax rate. Meanwhile, HMRC hopes the case serves as warning to those considering getting involved with tax refund agents. James Averdieck (pictured), founder of Gu chocolate desserts, was hit with a 120,000 bill after losing a tax case over the purchase of his 3million country home James Averdieck, 56, (right) and his wife, Charlotte, (left) purchased the 14-acre home in August 2020. The couple initially paid 258,630 in tax but then used a tax refund company to request HM Revenue & Customs return 119,180 to them due to the 'mixed use' of a public footpath at the edge of the property The Averdiecks filed a stamp duty tax return in September 2020 declaring they owed 258,630 based on the property being classed as residential. In December of that year, the appellants' agent, listed in documentation as Cornerstone, sent a letter to HMRC saying that analysis determined the property was misclassified as being residential. The agent argued it should have instead been classed as 'mixed use' because the 'public footpath which runs across the rear of the property is classed as a public highway by the local highway agency,' the documents state. Mr Averdieck sold Gu to Noble Foods in 2010 for 32.5million and now runs Coconut Collaborative 'The public footpath restricts the use of the land acquired by our client and as such, the public footpath does not contribute to the reasonable enjoyment of the dwelling.' The firm amended the return and sought repayment of 119,180 with interest. HMRC opened an inquiry into the request and after several months and reviews, the Averdieck family's 'closure notices' were upheld. In January of this year, Cornerstone appealed the decision to the tribunal. However, Judge Anne Scott dismissed the appeal last week alleging that the 'burden' of maintenance obligations caused by the footpath does not 'impinge so heavily that the lane cannot be residential property.' 'The Lane is used by the appellants since they use it whenever they come in or out of the Property. They can use it for walking as the members of the public do. Certainly, they do have the statutory obligations as does every other owner of a bridleway or public footpath,' she said. 'At the time the Property was purchased, Mr Averdieck knew about the five new houses and the farm and his obligations, so he did try to exclude the Lane from the purchase but that did not prove to be possible. I accept that he never wanted to own it but it was part of the 'package'.' She also ruled the footpath has 'no requirement for active use' and argued that 'whether or not the appellants use the Lane beyond the point at which they turn off the Lane to drive up to their gates, is irrelevant.' 'Whilst I accept that the farmer's business is a commercial operation, it is conducted on his farm. It is no more conducted in the lane than it is on the main road,' she said. 'If Mr Averdieck or any of the five other householders who use the lane for access to their properties were to conduct a business from their homes, they would not be conducting their business from the lane. 'The Amazon drivers making deliveries do so in the course of Amazon's business but Amazon's premises do not include the lane.' Judge Scott concluded: 'I do not accept that the lane constitutes a commercial operation. It is like any other public right of way and I find that it forms part of the grounds of the property.' James Morley, Business Development Director at Cornerstone Tax told MailOnline: 'There have been a number of decided cases in the area of mixed use in the courts one of the most recent ones being Sloss 2021 FTSTC 1, which has nearly exactly the same facts to Mr Averdiecks case, went in favour of the taxpayer. 'In other cases in this area the Court of Appeal acknowledge that 'there will be cases in which there is room for reasonable disagreement' 'This remains a complex area and we, and other tax professionals, have repeatedly asked HMRC for clear and unambiguous guidance which they have so far declined to provide. 'As a result many cases are being referred to the Tribunals for decisions where HMRC dispute the treatment adopted which is the only way taxpayers can achieve clarity under the law. 'As a firm we will continue to take cases where we believe that there is merit in the case and a significant chance of being successful.' Mr Averdieck - who sold Gu to Noble Foods in 2010 for 32.5million and now runs Coconut Collaborative - told The Times he was away with family in a place 'where connectivity is very bad' and declined to comment. Neither the entrepreneur nor his legal counsel had responded to MailOnline's request for comment at the time of publication. Tax refund company Cornerstone argued during the couple's first-tier tax tribunal that the Averdiecks (James Averdieck is pictured in 2006) should pay less duty because the footpath was commercial land. The judge rejected Cornerstone's claim and ruled the couple should have paid the entire tax rate HMRC warned other clients to be cautious when using tax refund agents, which have caused controversy of late. 'We are seeing obviously spurious refund claims that are never going to succeed but will lead to an unnecessary bill for the customer,' Nicole Newbury, HMRC's director for wealthy and mid-sized businesses, told the The Times. 'If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.' Some accountants, noting how the Averdieck verdict is the latest controversy among tax refund agents, claim the companies persuade clients to pay 'too little' duty. In fact, Cornerstone founder David Hannah was ordered last year to pay back 30,600 in stamp duty after a judge determined he dodged the tax in 2011 when purchasing his own home. The year prior Mr Hannah, 61, was ordered to pay 60,000 in penalties, fines and court costs after down playing the risks of a stamp duty avoidance scheme to a client. He reportedly admitted in court that he repeated that advice to 'up to 40 or 50 clients each week.' Mr Hannah denied all wrongdoing in the cases and appealed the verdicts. He retired in March due to 'ill-health.' Ireland's pubs will now be able to serve until 12.30am every night of the week under new licensing laws. Under the major legislative reform, nightclubs will be able to stay open until 6am, with last orders taken by 5am. Pubs are currently required to stop serving at 11.30pm between Monday and Thursday under existing legislation. This is extended to 12.30am on Friday and Saturday, while last orders are pushed back to 11pm on Sunday. The major overhaul of licensing laws will now allow standardised serving times across every day of the week with pubs permitted to open from 10.30am to 12.30am Monday to Sunday. Irish punters will now be able to drink until 12.30am every day of the week under new laws. Ireland's Justice Minister Helen McEntee will bring the licensing changes before the cabinet on Monday as she seeks to reform the country's 200-year-old legislation. The move is aimed at bringing Ireland in line with other European countries, and to support and develop Ireland's night-time economy. The opening hours for late bars will remain at 2.30am. Ireland will still retain its restrictive licensing system with venues required to seek their licenses from the courts. The local community and local authorities are still able to object to any changes in a pub's opening times. The fire service, Irish Health Service Executive, and the gardai, the Republic of Ireland's state police, will also be able to object to the granting of licenses. The move is aimed at supporting Ireland's pubs and night-time economy. Representatives of Ireland's night-time economy have long campaigned for the standardised opening hours for pubs and bars. The changes in legislation will also require night clubs and late bars to have CCTV cameras in operation. Security staff will need to be on the premises with proper accreditation from Ireland's Private Security Authority. Justice Minister Helen McEntee spoke previously of the plans to change the opening hours for Ireland's night-life scene. Ms McEntee said: Its really about how do we consolidate what is a lot of complex laws and outdated laws, but also to make it easier for people to get into the industry, to make it easier for newcomers, young people, and to just create a better environment for our artists and our venues as well. Further details of the licensing legislation changes will be announced following the cabinet's expected approval. The changes will likely come into effect by next year. Homegrown aircraft bolster China's emergency rescue capabilities 15:58, October 25, 2022 By Hu Tao, Hong Zehua ( Xinhua BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's aviation industry has bolstered the country's emergency rescue capabilities by advancing the continuous development of independently-developed aircraft. A range of homegrown civil aircraft, such as large amphibious aircraft, large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) and helicopters, are moving ahead to serve emergency rescue missions, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading planemaker. These aircraft have been used for various emergency missions in the country, such as fighting forest fires, drought relief, ecological protection and telecommunications restoration, among others. The AG600M amphibious firefighting aircraft has successfully conducted its pivotal tests of scooping and water dropping, which are key features of this large amphibious aircraft designed to combat forest fires. During the testing in late September, the AG600M consecutively conducted flight tests of aerial water dropping, landing on a nearby reservoir and taxiing scooping, taking off again and dropping water over the preset area, and then landing at the reservoir. AG600M is a full-state, new-configuration firefighting model belonging to China's AG600 large amphibious aircraft family, which is specially developed by the AVIC to serve the country's emergency rescue missions. The successful completion of pivotal flight tests demonstrated that China's independently-developed aeronautical products could support its emergency rescue capabilities, said He Shengqiang, deputy general manager of AVIC. A planemaker with the capability to support the entire industrial chain, the AVIC plays a major role in sustaining the country's aircraft development and strengthening its air emergency rescue system, He added. Multiple homegrown aircraft capable of serving emergency rescue missions, including the AC352 and AC313A civil helicopters, and various models of the Wing Loong large civil UAV family, are making rapid progress by taking significant strides forward in their development. The Z15, also known as the AC352, obtained certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in late July, a key step toward its market entry. As China's first homegrown medium-sized civil helicopter, it can carry up to 16 passengers and has high search and rescue efficiency in diverse missions. Going ahead, more configurations of AC352 for firefighting, emergency transport and medical rescue missions are expected, according to the AVIC. The renowned Wing Loong large civil UAV family has also tapped vast potential in the emergency rescue field by conducting cloud seeding operations over drought-hit regions and supporting emergency communications in quake-hit Sichuan. China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) has proposed to improve the national emergency management system by strengthening and improving the air rescue system and capabilities. The State Council of China has unveiled a plan to boost the development and capabilities of the modern emergency management system over the 2021-2025 period by increasing aircraft for forest fire-fighting missions and expanding air-rescue capacities to cover key forests and grasslands across the country. The AVIC will focus on meeting the demands of China's ever-improving emergency rescue capacities with independently-developed products, technologies and services to sustain people's livelihood, well-being and economic development of the nation, He said. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) The email servers of one of the subsidiaries of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) was hacked. The hacking was confirmed after the stolen data was published online, as per BleepingComputer. Black Reward Takes Responsibility for the Breach According to AEOI, the agency was hacked from a foreign country. However, "Black Reward," an Iranian hacking group, has claimed responsibility for the breach. In a statement published on Twitter, the hacking group claimed that they had released the hacked information relating to Iranian nuclear activities. According to the group, they hacked the agency as an act of support for the protesters in Iran, as per Reuters. The group stole emails from the hacked server. The emails consisted of daily correspondence and technical memos. The energy agency said that the IT group serving the Bushehr power plant has checked the incident and issued a report on the breach. All involved parties and officials were informed of the incident. They have been warned to be ready for potential exploitation attempts. Likewise, necessary preventive measures were taken by the agency to mitigate the results of the incident. No sensitive information was exposed, according to the energy agency. AEOI said the hackers conducted the breach to gain the attention of the public and media. Likewise, the group wants to smear the image of the agency to the public. "It is obvious that the purpose of such illegal efforts, which are carried out of desperation, is to attract public attention, create media atmospheres, and psychological operations, and lack any other value," reads the machine-translated AEOI statement, as cited by BleepingComputer. Read Also: One of Iran's State TV Channels Was Briefly Hacked Black Reward Hacks AEOI in Support of the Protesters The email hack was a part of a "nation-state cyberespionage," according to AEOI. But Black Reward group took responsibility of the attack. According to the group, they did the breach to support of the ongoing nationwide protests. There is an ongoing protest in Iran because of the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. "In the name of Mahsa Amini and for women, life, freedom," the group ended their statement last Saturday. The government's morality police have taken Amini into custody for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. She eventually died in police custody, and it led to violent clashes between demonstrators and authorities over the last few weeks. Upon hacking, Black Reward threatened the energy agency that they would release the hacked information in 24 hours if the authorities do not release the political prisoners and people arrested during the recent unrest. The management schedule as well as the operational schedules of AEOI were part of the information leaked by Black Reward. Likewise, the data on passport and visas of Iranian and Russian experts working in the power plant, as well as the financial receipts were also part of the leaked data, the group claimed. Moreover, the group said that the leaked information also include agreements with local and foreign organizations. Link where the leaked data can be downloaded was posted on the group's Telegram channel. It was posted on Sunday. According to Black Reward, the information contains the 27GB 14-part collection of RAR archives containing 85,000 email messages. According to the hackers, the leak only contain valuable content as they already removed marketing messages and spammed emails. Related Article: Iranian Hackers TA453 Use New Phishing Techniques To Attract More Victims A teenage migrant ran into a woman's home and demanded to use her phone after crossing the Channel and landing in Dover on a small boat. Sue Doyle, 59, who lives in Aycliffe, a village near Dover, was asked for transport to either London or Manchester after the boy ran into her property through an open door on Sunday. The incident happened after around 80 migrants in two dinghies landed on a Dover beach that morning, reaching British shores without being intercepted by UK authorities. The flimsy boats were abandoned on the coastline along with discarded life jackers scattered across the shore. Sue Doyle, 59, who lives in Aycliffe, a village near Dover, was asked for transport to either London or Manchester after the boy ran into her property through an open door on Sunday. From left: Louis Monger and Sue Doyle The incident happened after around 80 migrants in two dinghies landed on a Dover beach that morning. Pictured, people off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer, northern France, on May 9, 2022 Border Force and Kent Police detained around 50 migrants after tracking them down, but around 30 have been reported missing, The Times reported. Ms Doyle, had opened her back door to let her dog out when the teenager, thought to be around 16, ran into her home, The Telegraph reported. She said that the teenager, thought to be from Albania, asked her to take him to Manchester, and when she refused, asked to use of her phone. After being alerted to the teenager's presence, neighbour Louise Monger, 37, ran into Ms Doyle's house and 'grabbed him by the scruff of the neck' when she found him in a bedroom, she told The Telegraph. She said she tried to apprehend the teenager, who she described as 'looking scared', before he was detained by police at the property. Ms Monger detailed the incident on Aycliffe Community Forum, a resident social media page. 'A young lad off a boat has made his way into a residents [sic] home this morning and demanded her phones and wanted transport to Manchester or London he has been detained by the police [p]lease remain vigilant and keep doors and windows locked stay safe,' Ms Monger wrote on Aycliffe Community Forum, The Times reported. A teenage migrant ran into a woman's home and demanded to use her phone after crossing the Channel and landing in Dover on a small boat. Pictured, group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, on October 9, 2022 Around 80 migrants in two dinghies landed on a Dover beach on Sunday morning, reaching British shores without being intercepted by UK authorities. Pictured, inflatable craft, used by migrants to cross the channel, stored at a facility in Dover, England Natalie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, said the incident was 'greatly concerning', and raised it with Home Secretary Grant Shapps. 'Very concerned that more illegal arrivals landed on Dover's beaches today and were not intercepted at sea,' she posted on Twitter on Sunday. Kent Police confirmed that a migrant had asked to use the phone at a property, and that he was detained by police. The force added that he had not committed any offences and was transferred to immigration officials, The Times reported. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed there was one 'uncontrolled landing' on Sunday, which is thought to have involved the two small abandoned boats. In addition, 528 migrants on a further 10 dinghies were escorted to Britain by Border Force and RNLI boats on Sunday. French authorities also rescued 62 people crammed into one dinghy off the Calais coast after getting into difficulties as they tried head to the Kent coast in the early hours on Sunday. The French Navy's support vessel Rhone was dispatched to pick up the stranded group. The ship brought them into the port at Calais where they were taken into the care of medics to be checked over. The latest arrivals are the first to make the perilous journey in almost a week after wet weather and choppy conditions at sea put a temporary pause on Channel crossings. There have been 4,492 people rescued in 97 boats in October, with Sunday's arrivals bringing the total number of migrants coming from northern France since the start of the year to more than 37,400 in in 921 boats compared with 28,500 in the whole of 2021. In 2020, 8,410 migrants made the crossing. Ms Elphicke, has described the situation as 'truly shocking'. She said: 'Alongside the brazen criminality of the people smugglers, it beggars belief that there is a free public bus from the migrant camps to the beach departure points. 'It's little wonder we are seeing record breaking arrivals coming through the illegal small boats crossings route.' The MoD has aimed to prevent all uncontrolled landings since it took command of British operations in the Channel in April. Sunday's landings are among only a handful to have got through since then. A 20-year-old New York City commuter has been killed after he was trapped and dragged along the tracks by the closing doors of a subway car at an Upper West Side Manhattan station on Monday. The southbound 1 train at the 59th Street-Columbus Circle station struck the passenger at around 5pm after the doors trapped him, according to law-enforcement sources. Investigators speaking to the New York Post believe either a bag or piece of clothing got caught in the closing doors. Emergency responders declared the man dead at the scene. No criminal activity is suspected, investigators said. The southbound 1 train at the 59th Street station struck the passenger at 5pm. Investigators believe either a bag or piece of clothing got caught on the doors. Pictured: officers attending the scene 'A person on the tracks was hit by a train and our thoughts are with his family, the train operator and riders who witnessed this tragedy,' said New York City Transit President Richard Davey, according to Fox5. 'We will get to the cause and learn any lessons that may emerge as there is no higher priority than safety.' 'While the investigation is in its earliest stages, it appears this was a terrible accident that did not involve criminal activity,' New York's Metropolitan Transport Authority said in a statement sent to CBS News. The news comes only months after another commuter was killed in a similar incident on the subway in July. The straphanger died after his pants got caught in the door of a subway train in Brooklyn, dragging him across the platform and onto the tracks. The 37-year old unidentified man was exiting a northbound Q train at Brooklyn's Avenue M stop at around 11.50pm on Wednesday when he was dragged across the platform by the moving train and then thrown onto the tracks, where another train was arriving. The southbound 1 train at the 59th Street-Columbus Circle station, pictured, struck the passenger at around 5pm after trapping him Early in the year, two people were shoved onto the tracks and another stabbed. New York said it will increase the presence of police officers in the transit system. Pictured: An office waits outside the station where the accident occurred Early in the year, two people were shoved onto the tracks, including Michelle Alyssa Go, who was killed after being pushed onto the Times Square station track by a homeless man. A man who fell onto the tracks in rush hour during a fight in Queens was recently killed by a subway train, while another man was fatally stabbed while riding a train in Brooklyn. After the series of violent deaths on the subway, governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced on Saturday a plan to increase the presence of police officers in the transit system. 'We're all fighting for our city but there's more work to do. That's why we're investing in mental health services, more officers in the subways, and more affordable housing,' Adams said on Twitter on Sunday. It is the third biggest hack in Australia and comes weeks after Optus was hacked Medibank now fears a devastating cyber attack on the health insurer may have exposed the private details of at least 3.7 million customers in one of the biggest data breaches in Australian history. The company now believes hackers may have stolen the personal information of all customers of both Medibank and their subsidiary, AHM - including sensitive medical records, banking and personal details. 'It has become clear that the criminal has taken data that now includes Medibank customer data, in addition to that of (health insurance business) AHM and international student customers,' the company said in a statement. Medibank admits the shocking breach was far bigger than previously believed and it is contacting current and former customers. Medibank has revealed that the massive cyberattack on the health insurer could have put 3.7million of its customers at risk (stock image) Hackers have stolen the personal data of millions of customers from both Medibank and their subsidiary AHM including medical records and banking details (stock image) The hack had taken a 'distressing' turn after it received files containing Medibank customer data as well as 1000 policy records from offshoot AHM that had personal and health claims information. The newly released information is in addition to details from international student customers and Ahm that were revealed to be exposed last week. It's the second high-profile hacking in weeks after Optus suffered a huge data breach last month and the third biggest hack in Australian history. Medibank said it was too soon to know the full extent of the customer data that had been stolen but the breach was wider than previously thought. The company, which has about four million customers, expects the number of people affected will continue to grow. It warned customers to be on alert for any suspicious messages via email, text or phone call. Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil said she had been in constant contact with the health insurer and insisted her government had provided the necessary resources to tackle the breach. 'The latest advice from Medibank is deeply concerning ... the government recognises that this incident is very stressful for affected Australians,' she said. 'The toughest and smartest people in the government are working directly with Medibank to try to ensure that this horrendous criminal act does not turn into what could be irreparable harm to some Australian citizens.' Ms O'Neil said Medibank was supported by the Australian Signals Directorate and the Home Affairs department, and the Australian Federal Police had launched a criminal probe into the hack. It is the second high-profile hacking in weeks after telecommunications company Optus suffered a data breach last month (stock image) It's expected that the number of Medibank customers affected by the breach will grow in what is estimated to be the third biggest data hack in Australian history Medibank chief executive David Koczkar reiterated his apologies to the victims. 'As we continue to uncover the breadth and gravity of this crime, we recognise that these developments will be distressing for our customers, our people and the community, as it is to me,' he said. 'This is a malicious attack that has been committed by criminals with a view of causing maximum fear and damage, especially to the most vulnerable members of our community.' Last week, Medibank said the alleged hackers claimed to have stolen 200Gb of data, including people's medical history, where medical services were received and codes relating to their diagnoses and procedures. Medibank CEO David Koczkar (pictured) profusely apologised to customers of the health insurer and said the company were continuing their investigation of the hack The hackers were holding the information hostage while trying to negotiate with Medibank. The government is set to introduce new legislation to parliament this week that massively increases penalties for companies that don't properly protect sensitive data. Fines will rise to whichever is greater of $50 million, 30 per cent of the company's turnover in the relevant period or three times the value of any benefit gained from the stolen data. The laws would also boost the Australian Information Commissioner's powers to resolve breaches and increase information sharing with the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Advertisement King Charles has made Rishi Sunak Prime Minister - 49 days after the late Queen rubber-stamped Liz Truss's brief spell at the top. His Majesty welcomed Mr Sunak - at 42 Britain's youngest Prime Minister - to Buckingham Palace this morning for the ceremonial procedure. Moments earlier Mrs Truss met Charles to hand her notice in, effective immediately. In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: 'The Right Honourable Elizabeth Truss MP had an Audience of The King this morning and tendered her resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which His Majesty was graciously pleased to accept.' Mr Sunak would have been hoping for a less attention-grabbing introduction to the new monarch than his predecessor received. Televised footage of Mrs Truss meeting Charles showed him muttering 'dear, oh dear' as some of his first words to her. Just over a month earlier she had been at the late Queen's final engagements before her death. Unusually - and due to Her Majesty's health - she had travelled to Balmoral to meet her as PM. King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government. Rishi Sunak was asked by King Charles III to form a new government, which he accepted and will begin to work on today King Charles looked very animated as he extended a warm welcome to Mr Sunak as he officially made him Prime Minister King Charles shot a cheery wave arriving at Buckingham Palace to accept Liz Truss's resignation and meet Rishi Sunak Outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss, with her husband Hugh O'Leary, is greeted by King Charles III's equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, as she arrives at Buckingham Palace to hand her notice in Newly elected leader of the Conservative Party Rishi Sunak, arrives at Buckingham Palace, London, for an audience with King Charles III where he will be invited to become Prime Minister and form a new government Welcome to Buckingham Palace! Rishi Sunak is greeted as he arrives to meet King Charles and be asked to form government King Charles III meeting Prime Minister Liz Truss during their weekly audience at Buckingham Palace on October 22 this year Queen Elizabeth welcomes Liz Truss during an audience where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister in the last act before her death Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned from her position on Thursday sparking the second Tory leadership contest in two months Mr Sunak's appointment with Charles will happen in the palatial surroundings of Buckingham Palace in London. It will be the first time in the new King's reign he will ask a new PM to form an administration. The manner of the greeting between Mr Sunak and Charles is not currently clear, as previously Truss, Boris Johnson and Theresa May have all kissed the Queen's hand. After it takes place, Buckingham Palace will issue a Royal Communication confirming Charles has 'Requested him to form a new administration'. The new PM will then give his own address to the nation from outside No10, and turn his mind to forming his first Cabinet. Aides have insisted Mr Sunak will create a 'big tent' rather than only promoting his allies as Ms Truss did. Jeremy Hunt is almost certain to stay on as Chancellor, a week before the crucial Halloween Budget and after the markets calmed somewhat, while Grant Shapps could hang on to the Home Office. Liz Truss (pictured announcing her resignation last week) is gathering her Cabinet one last time, and will make a valedictory speech in Downing Street just after 10am as she draws a line under a disastrous 49 days at the helm of the country Rishi Sunak has been named as the new Prime Minister today (pictured with 1922 Committee officers) after Boris Johnson sensationally dropped out of the Tory leadership race last night But he is expected to find a big job for leadership rival Penny Mordaunt, as well as right-wingers such as Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch. There could also be returns for Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, and former education secretary Gavin Williamson. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who backed Ms Truss over the summer and then Boris Johnson's abortive comeback bid over the weekend, is likely to make way - possibly for Ms Mordaunt. An early area of tension will be military spending, with respected Defence Secretary Ben Wallace seen as at risk after Mr Sunak refused to commit to increasing budgets to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030. The new premier told MPs yesterday that he wanted his government to represent the 'views and opinions' from across the Conservative Party. Mr Shapps became Home Secretary just last week after Suella Braverman was ousted. Mr Sunak has pledged to run No10 with 'integrity and humility', but warned of 'profound challenges' to come as he prepares to begin his premiership Sunak's wife Akshata Murthy hails from Indian business aristocracy: her father is Narayana Murthy, a billionaire sometimes dubbed the 'Bill Gates of India' who founded a software firm Infosys in the early 1980s and is now the country's sixth richest man He pitched himself as 'Mr Spreadsheet' during the last leadership race in the summer before withdrawing and throwing his weight behind his good friend Mr Sunak. Mr Sunak may want to reward his loyalty and avoid more turbulence at the Home Office, but he could give the job to one of his supporters from the Right. Suella Braverman is thought unlikely to return to the job, but Dominic Raab could be promoted. Elsewhere, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is not a natural Sunak supporter and had said he was 'leaning towards' backing Mr Johnson. There is also a potential showdown looming over defence spending. Sources suggested he could resign if Liz Truss's pledge to increase it to 3 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade is broken. However, last night allies said Mr Wallace had no plans to quit and was keen to keep talking to Mr Sunak. Losing him could also undermine attempts to unite the party. He scores highly in polls of Tory supporters. James Heappey, a junior defence minister and rising star, backed Mr Sunak for the leadership and could be promoted. Boris Johnson finally congratulated Rishi Sunak today after being conspicuously slow to offer the new Tory leader his backing. While praise flew in to No10 over the past day, the former premier waited until Mr Sunak was installed as Prime Minister by the King before weighing in. It came after Mr Sunak had praised aspects of his leadership but consciously appropriated his mandate to govern from the 2019 election as a blueprint. Mr Johnson could perhaps have been licking his wounds after pulling out of an eleventh-hour bid to run against Mr Sunak, who is blamed by allies of the ex-leader for ending his premiership in the summer. Speaking outside No10 today the new PM said that his administration would have 'integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level', which could be seen as a snub after the chaos of the last two incumbents. He went on to say: 'I will always be grateful to Boris Johnson for his incredible achievements as PM, and I treasure his warmth and generosity of spirit. 'And I know he would agree that the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual. It is a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us. 'And the heart of that mandate is our manifesto. I will deliver on its promise. 'A stronger NHS, better schools, safer streets, control of our borders, protecting our environment, supporting our armed forces, levelling up and building an economy that embraces the opportunities of Brexit where businesses invest, innovate and create jobs.' A short time later, Mr Johnson tweeted: 'Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on this historic day, this is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support.' While praise flew in to No10 in the past day, the former premier waited until Mr Sunak was installed as Prime Minister by the King before weighing in Speaking outside No10 today the new PM said that his administration would have 'integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level', which could be seen as a snub after the chaos of the last two incumbents Mr Johnson had not previously tweeted since October 15 and has not updated his Facebook page since last month Before returning to the UK at the weekend, Mr Johnson was on holiday in the Caribbean with his family while Parliament was in session. It came as he was on the receiving end of criticism from Tory MPs over the manner of his abortive tilt at power. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said Mr Johnson had been 'begging people for votes' in a 'demeaning' Tory leadership race before withdrawing. The former Conservative leader told LBC Radio's Tonight With Andrew Marr: 'I think the problem when Boris came over was, one, Boris was completely unexpectedly having to do this. 'He'd made no plans, he got no team. He kind of expected I think when he arrived that there would be at least 150 people acclaiming him and this would grow to the majority. 'That didn't happen. Suddenly he found himself struggling and begging people for votes. That was demeaning really. 'And then when Rishi [Sunak] and the others said: ''No, the only deal we'd do with you is if you were serving us not the other way round.'' And that of course didn't suit him.' Many of Mr Johnson's supporters blame Mr Sunak for ending his premiership in the summer, after months of sleaze allegations surrounding Downing Street. The incoming premier resigned as chancellor in the summer, shortly after then-health secretary Sajid Javid in what became a mass ministerial walkout. And many of Mr Johnson's closest former acolytes backed Liz Truss in the summer. He mulled trying to cement an unlikely return to power over the weekend, causing a number of high-profile figures to back him, including Foreign Secretary James Cleverley. But late on Sunday night, after attempting to get both Mr Sunak and fellow challenger Penny Mordaunt to step down in his favour, he bowed out. His team insisted he made the 100-nominations needed to get on the ballot, and officially he said he would not run. Sir Iain said Mr Sunak must 'make it clear' to the party that it 'can no longer indulge in debates about policy'. Put to him that Mr Sunak may have his job cut out for him dealing with Tory backbenchers, he told BBC Breakfast: 'Well, maybe. I think the truth is that there is a great desire to stop now having an argument in an empty room. 'He needs now to make it clear to his party my party that we can no longer indulge in debates about policy, we've just got to get on with governing.' Frustrated BBC bosses are taking an alleged impartiality breach by a veteran news presenter 'very seriously', it can be revealed. Martine Croxall sparked outrage by saying 'am I allowed to be this gleeful?' as she smiled broadly shortly after the news broke that Boris Johnson had dropped out of the Tory leadership contest on Sunday night. But within hours of making the statement on Sunday evening's The Papers programme, the 53-year-old experienced journalist was accused of bias and taken off air by head honchos at the corporation. The Mail understands that Deborah Turness, who became the BBC's new chief executive of news and current affairs last month, was integral to the decision to take swift and 'robust' action in Ms Croxall's case, and that she regards the issue as incredibly serious. A BBC insider suggested that Ms Turness, former chief executive at ITN, regarded the incident as very 'frustrating' given the lengths to which the corporation has gone to remain strictly impartial during a tumultuous political period. Martine Croxall, left, pictured with a beaming smile on Sunday's The Papers programme on the BBC News Channel, with Deborah Turness, right, head of BBC News and current affairs, who is understood to have played a key part in taking her off air The drama was sparked by throwaway comments by Ms Croxall, whose programme was broadcast about 90 minutes after Mr Johnson shocked the political world by pulling out of the Tory leadership race. Presenting the show, in which members of the Press and experts look at the next day's publications, Ms Croxall said: 'Well this is all very exciting, isn't it?' adding: 'Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am.' She then introduced the guests she would be reviewing the papers with, political journalists Tony Grew of the Sunday Times and Camilla Turner of the Daily Telegraph, and excitedly added: 'Can we even show you the front pages just yet. Have they arrived? No, they haven't arrived. It's all a bit, you know, lastminute.com isn't it because all of the front pages were probably out of date by the time we received them.' Speaking later about reports that Mr Johnson thinks he would be well placed to lead the Tories into a general election in 2024, Mr Grew said: 'Boris Johnson thinks he should be world king, of course he thinks he's best placed to win an election in 2024. He probably thinks he is best placed to win the American election in 2024.' Ms Croxall responded: 'I shouldn't probably [laugh]. I'm probably breaking some terrible due impartiality rule by giggling.' The comments came just minutes after Boris Johnson, seen arriving at Gatwick on Saturday, shocked the political world by announcing he was pulling out the Tory leadership race Clips of the presenter's comments soon went viral, sparking outrage among MPs and viewers, leading to BBC taking her off air. At present, it is not known how long this will be for or how long the investigation will last. Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries accused Ms Croxall of bias and said on Twitter: 'The BBC is a public service broadcaster paid for by the general public who overwhelmingly voted for a Conservative government. 'This lack of impartiality demonstrates how deep seated the bias is.' Tory campaigner Ben Obese-Jecty tweeted that Ms Croxall 'is rightly being pilloried for this partisan display of giddy excitement This lapse of impartiality and professionalism illustrates why so many accuse the BBC of bias'. Ex-prime minister Theresa May's former joint chief of staff Nick Timothy tweeted: 'Whatever you think of Johnson, if you care about the BBC you cannot think this is in any way acceptable from one of its presenters.' Who is Martine Croxall? Ms Croxall has been a journalist with the BBC for almost 30 years. She first joined BBC Radio Leicester in 1993 before moving to BBC's London base to join its regional team covering the south-east. But since May 2021, she has been a presenter on the BBC News Channel and BBC World News often appearing on air between Thursday and Sunday. In 2015 she was praised for her coverage of the terror attack in Paris. The journalist was also championed in April, 2021, when she tearfully broke the news of Prince Philip's death. A technical gaffe in January 2020 saw Ms Croxall going viral when a rogue camera panned past her during a live broadcast. Away from the news, as Ms Croxall was crowned Celebrity Mastermind in March, storming to victory against the likes of The Vivienne from Ru Paul's Drag Race, presenter Maria McErlane and DJ, Ace. Advertisement A statement from the broadcaster said yesterday: 'BBC News is urgently reviewing last night's edition of The Papers on the News Channel for a potential breach of impartiality. 'It is imperative that we maintain the highest editorial standards. We have processes in place to uphold our standards, and these processes have been activated.' Ms Croxall's action also led to a furious backlash from viewers who demanded action from regulator Ofcom. One wrote on Twitter: '#MartineCroxall is absolutely disgusting. The #BBC is supposed to be impartial at all times. We all know the corporation is full to the brim of Left-wing whackos, but now they don't even try to hide it.' 'Martine Croxall awful bloody woman, just another very good reason to defund the BBC,' added another user. Later in the programme, the presenter forgot to put her microphone on, with viewers left struggling to hear her introduction to the newspaper review show. Ms Croxall never commented on specifically what she was 'gleeful' about during the show. In March, Ms Croxall triumphed on Celebrity Mastermind, beating the likes of RuPaul's Drag Race star The Vivienne to the coveted title. The episode saw the presenter scoring ten points during her specialist subject round before bagging a further 11 in the general knowledge questions. She spoke to presenter Clive Myrie on what it was like to be a newsreader on the day Prince Philip died, on April 9 last year, in which she tearfully broke the news on the BBC. She said: 'We were messing around a little bit between 11 and 12 o'clock because it was quite a quiet news day. 'Then if you look closely at the sweeping shot to the 12 o'clock headlines there were three people running across the newsroom because there's some big story. 'So, we go into the headlines at midday and I think everything is fine and then my producer says, 'Martine, we think the Duke of Edinburgh's died'. And I had this incredible sense in my body that I wanted to get up and run away.' At the time of the broadcast of the monarch's death, viewers praised Ms Croxall for her composure, despite being visibly emotional while reading the statement from Buckingham Palace. One said: 'Martine Croxall did a tremendous job, only a moment before her necklace has caught around her mic and she explained it when the camera came back to her. 'Next thing she was reading out the breaking news, the catch in her voice betraying her upset as she read the words.' Ms Croxall has previously appeared on Celebrity Mastermind Ms Croxall was involved in breaking the news of Prince Philip's death in April 2021 But the newsreader has been involved in her share of technical gaffes while presenting the news. In January 2020, she was involved in a hysterical live blunder while reading the afternoon bulletin. As she started to read the top stories of the day, the camera panned straight past her to the news desk, in a humiliating gaffe. 'Hello everybody, this is Afternoon Live,' the presenter began, before she disappeared as the camera zipped straight past her. 'I've lost you,' she said. 'I shall make my way back to the desk. 'I think that's the safest thing to do. Do excuse me, I shall tell you all about our too story in just one second.' MailOnline has approached Ofcom for comment about Ms Croxall's statements on Sunday evening, as well as the journalist's agents. Last week Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy was also taken off air, for a week, after he swore at Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker following an interview. The broadcaster said the presenter's outburst towards the Tory MP had breached its 'strict' code of conduct. Model Daisy Lowe has been accused in court of using expensive lawyers' bills to scare a celebrity builder from suing her over a 118,000 revamp bill for her home. Phil Turner, best known for BBC show House Invaders, says Daisy, 33, still owes his company 45,000 after a 118,000 makeover of her Victorian terraced house in north London. Daisy, daughter of Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale, says she didn't pay because Mr Turner's work - which included a 30,000 kitchen - was not up to standard. But the TV DIY star insists Daisy failed to settle the bill for his work because she 'couldn't afford' to - and has now accused her of using the threat of a 37,000 lawyers' bill to stop his claim going forward. Last week, he claimed before a judge that her demand that he prove his company can pay her lawyers' bills if he loses the case is a tactic designed to try to 'stifle' his claim. A close friend of Katie Price, Mr Turner first found fame as 'Builder of the Week' on the Big Breakfast and later starred as the handyman sidekick to Anna Ryder Richardson on daytime TV's House Invaders. Daisy Lowe, daughter of Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale, says Turner's work was sub-standard Phil Turner says model Daisy Lowe, 33, still owes his building company 45,000 over revamp Phil Turner says his firm did a 118,000 revamp of Lowe's Victorian home in Camden, London Phil Turner and Danielle Joyce on House Invaders in the Sun which is shown on the BBC Daisy, who began modelling aged two and more recently posed topless for Esquire and nude for Playboy, had been friends with the builder before the work was agreed. Along with other celebrities, including Loose Women's Andrea McLean and Paul Hollywood's ex Summer Monteys-Fullam, she attended his wedding to makeup artist to the stars, Gary Cockerill, in 2019. In a hearing at Mayor and City County Court last week, he said that he, through his company TWP Interiors Ltd, had agreed a verbal contract with Daisy to manage work on her three-bed home, which she bought in 2017. The work included digging foundations and building an extension, as well as a high-end refurbishment of the interior of the house, which has since been sold for 1.8m earlier this year. But the builder says that, despite almost all the work being completed, she failed to pay all of her invoices, leaving him high and dry with bills owed to suppliers and contractors. He said he had met Daisy on a few occasions and agreed an oral contract under which his 'very small' company would manage the refurbishment of the house. Court: Daisy Lowe 'is being sued by celebrity builder over unpaid 45k bill after he refurbished her 1.5 million home but star is going to fight him in court', it was reported on Friday Defence: Daisy, however, argues that the work Phil carried out was not completed in a 'satisfactory manner', and she is said to be prepared to fight him in court over the matter Daisy, who began modelling aged two and more recently posed topless for Esquire and nude for Playboy, had been friends with builder Turner (pictured) before the work was agreed 'Basically, she hasn't paid for anything from the ground up,' he claimed. 'I realised she couldn't afford the projects she wanted.' The case reached court last week as Daisy pushed forward on a bid for 'security for costs,' an order by which the company would have to pay money into court to cover her lawyers' bills if she wins. A judge hearing an application in the case in May last year had refused her application, but her barrister Alexander Hill-Smith argued in an appeal last week that had been wrong. He said Daisy could ultimately end up having to pay out over 60,000 to defend the builder's claim, and asked for an order whereby TWP would have to pay 37,000 to the court up front in case she wins. But Mr Turner told Judge Stephen Hellman that there is no way his company could pay such a sum and that he considered the application for the money to be paid up front was a bid by Daisy to end his claim. 'This whole thing has been brought in to stifle my original claim,' he told the judge. 'My company doesn't really have funds at the moment because of everything that's going on.' Giving judgment, Judge Hellman ruled that the previous judge had been wrong to refuse Daisy's application for costs security without hearing evidence about the financial situation of the builder and his company. However, he remitted the application to be heard by a different judge. He ordered Mr Turner to produce evidence showing what funding he and his company have available to continue the claim against Daisy. If the court decides that TWP should provide 'security for costs' by paying a sum into court and he then fails to do so, his claim can be struck out without even going to trial. Costs security orders are not normally made if it is considered they are unaffordable and would 'stifle' a claim from going forward. The next application is due to be heard in January. Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov has slammed Russia's 'weak' attacks on Ukraine in the latest show of high profile dissent from one of Vladimir Putin's biggest cheerleaders. The colonel general ordered Kremlin troops to 'wipe out Ukrainian cities off the face of the earth' in a chilling video message on Telegram. The head of the Chechen Republic said Russia should respond with fire and fury to the surge in counterattacks on its border regions. His dire threats come as Moscow doubled down on its warning that Kyiv is preparing to use a 'dirty bomb', amid fears the Kremlin could stage a false flag attack. Kadyrov said: 'We've already declared martial law but they're not shy, they shoot. I'm very dissatisfied. Our response is weak. 'If a shell comes in our direction, our region, we need to wipe out [Ukrainian] cities off the face of the Earth so they can't even think of shooting in our direction.' Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov has slammed Russia's 'weak' attacks on Ukraine in the latest show of high profile dissent A serviceman guards the site of a car bomb explosion outside a building housing a local TV station in Melitopol today A view of damaged building in Arkhanhelske town, located in the Kherson region Earlier this month, Kadyrov called for the use of low yield nuclear weapons amid Ukraine's stunning counter-offensive which pushed back Kremlin troops. At the same time, Putin promoted the 46-year-old to colonel general, the third-highest command rank in the Russian military. In the 13-minute video shared today, he said the Kremlin should stop referring to the invasion as a 'special military operation', admitting a full scale war is underway. He said: 'Earlier we said that we were conducting a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine, but already a war - already a war is going on on our territory.' The bellicose leader also believes the West is running out of options and has been weakened by its support for Ukraine and Russia's price gouging. He said: 'There will be no more, no worse. Europe has no strength.' Ukrainian self-propelled artillery firing from a position on a frontline near the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region It comes after Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed to his British, French, Turkish and U.S. counterparts over the weekend that Ukrainian forces were preparing a 'provocation' involving a radioactive device - a so-called dirty bomb. Britain, France, and the United States rejected that claim as 'transparently false.' A dirty bomb uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste in an effort to sow terror. Such weapons don't have the devastating destruction of a nuclear explosion, but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination. Russian authorities have doubled down on Shoigu's warning. Today, Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said: 'We will regard the use of the dirty bomb by the Kyiv regime as an act of nuclear terrorism. 'We urge the western countries to exert their influence on the regime in Kyiv to abandon its dangerous plans threatening international peace and security.' Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian military's radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, said Russian military assets were on high readiness for possible radioactive contamination. He told reporters a dirty bomb blast could contaminate thousands of square miles. A senior Russian military expert has threatened Britain and the US with full scale nuclear strikes with Topol-M missiles (pictured) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that 'it's not an unfounded suspicion, we have serious reasons to believe that such things could be planned.' Ukraine has rejected Moscow's claims as an attempt to distract attention from its own plans to detonate a dirty bomb. German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Monday dismissed as 'outrageous' the Russian claim that Ukraine could use a dirty bomb. Meanwhile, a senior Russian military expert has threatened Britain and the US with full scale nuclear strikes as Moscow froths over its claims that Ukraine is poised to release a 'dirty bomb'. Colonel Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Russia's National Defence magazine, told state TV that Putin must launch Topol-M attacks on military targets in the two Western countries. Korotchenko claimed on TV such strikes would be retaliatory for what he portrayed as expected NATO action. Colonel Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Russia's National Defence magazine, told state TV that Putin must launch Topol-M attacks Russian experts are in a frenzy over claims of a dirty bomb in a supposed false flag to be blamed on Moscow, claiming the West's hand is behind such a scheme. Ukraine and the West suspect Putin's forces are planning a dirty bomb attack intending to blame Kyiv and NATO. 'If NATO goes to war with Russia, we will not be able to limit ourselves to appealing to international law.to the UN charter,' said hardliner Korotchenko in Kremlin-controlled Rossiya-1. Nor would persuasion or intimidation halt the West, he claimed. 'There is only one way. They [the West] must know that if they try to fight with Russia in Ukraine or on our territory, there will be only one answer 'Topol-M - with a [nuclear] warheadon a military facility in the UK and simultaneously in the US, not on cities.' This should be with high-capacity mono-block warheads to minimise detection. 'And then we will enter negotiations or whatever happens,' he said. 'This is exactly what we have to prepare for, not to threaten. 'But to be ready with an immediate quick response without any hesitation.' Moscow is scaring its own people with claims the West is threatening nuclear attacks. In fact, it is Russian officials and Putin's extremist war propagandists who almost daily make such threats. On another propaganda show on Channel One,, Korotchenko spooked viewers that Ukraine could acquire from the UK or US a 'low-yield backpack-type nuclear warhead'. A 'terrorist' could 'put this on his shoulders, take somewhere and blow up', he said. Or Ukraine could independently build its own dirty bomb, said the Russian expert. 'The technology is very simple', he claimed, telling viewers that Ukraine possessed 'highly radioactive materials'. Then Kyiv would accuse Putin of striking the country with a tactical nuclear weapon which 'supposedly did not work' properly and 'was rusty'. Defence analyst Mikhail Khodaryonok offered a rare voice of dissent that the UK might be involved in a dirty bomb. 'London is, of course, unlikely to pass on any nuclear technologies to a third party,' he said. 'I think that this can largely be ruled out.' Yet Ukraine could do this independently. 'Progressive' Democrats have been slammed for penning an open letter to Joe Biden calling on him to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin. Thirty left-wing politicians - among them Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar - wrote to Biden on Monday saying that 'direct talks with Russia' to 'seek a rapid end to the conflict' should be his 'top priority'. But Mark Hertling, America's former top general in Europe, branded the group 'exceedingly naive' while Bill Browder, a financier targeted by the Russian state, accused them of 'rewarding Putin's murderous aggression.' Within hours the group had been forced to backtrack, but it will do little to assuage fears in Kyiv that the West's support - which has been crucial in halting Russia's bloody assault - could falter as the cost of Putin's war on energy begins to bite. Negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin should be America's 'top priority', at least according to dozens of left-wing US Democrats The 'progressives' wrote to Biden Monday urging him to 'seek a rapid end to the conflict' that was 'acceptable to all parties' - a remark that saw them blasted as 'exceedingly naive' Among the group were prominent Democrats Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (left) and Ilhan Omar In the letter, a copy of which was published online, the group say they support 'Ukraine's legitimate struggle against Russia's war of aggression' and want to see 'a sovereign and independent Ukraine.' But they also urge Biden to 'explore prospects for a new European security arrangement acceptable to all parties' and to seek 'a negotiated settlement and ceasefire' with the Kremlin. That suggestion caused fury in Ukraine, with journalist Anastasiia Lapatina tweeting that 'Russia does not accept a sovereign Ukraine - how many times does this have to be reiterated?' Her frustration was shared by General Hertling who said Ms Lapatina was 'exactly right' and the politicians had been 'exceedingly naive about this crucial point.' Mr Browder, who ran Russia's most successful venture capital firm until a crackdown by Putin's regime saw his lawyer and friend - Sergei Magnitsky - beaten to death, added that it 'makes my blood boil'. '[They] want the US to reward Putin's murderous aggression,' he added. 'We all know where appeasement goes and it's nowhere good.' Putin launched an all-out war against Ukraine eight months ago having under the guise of protecting Russia for NATO expansion. But, in speeches delivered since then, he has ranted about the 'historical mistake' of allowing Ukraine its independence and vowed to right the wrongs of history that Russia suffered when the Soviet Union collapsed. Putin has asserted that Ukraine has no right to statehood, that Ukrainians and Russians are really one people longing to be reunited, and has sought to demonise any Ukrainian who resists as being in thrall to a 'Nazi' regime in Kyiv. Russia is now more than eight months into an all-out war against Ukraine that was aimed at toppling its government and installing a puppet regime As Putin's war has gone from bad to worse for Russia, he has resorted to indiscriminate attacks on civilians, while his troops are accused of perpetrating massacres and mass rapes Ukraine has vowed never to negotiate with Putin after he annexed occupied territory, and polls show the population is overwhelmingly in favour of fighting 'until we win' The Russian leader and his media puppets have also posited the war as one against the West, vowing to establish a so-called 'multipolar order' in which Washington would have to kowtow to Moscow. Experts and analysts say any ceasefire negotiated with Putin would simply allow him to freeze the conflict, repair his beleaguered army, and then attack again at a time of his choosing - as he did after the last invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Any guarantee that Moscow gives regarding Ukraine's security would be near-impossible to trust, experts add, because Russia had already agreed never to use force against its neighbour after Kyiv agreed to give up its nukes back in the 1990s. The Kremlin spent weeks in late December and early January vowing it had no plans to invade the country, before launching an all-out assault. Moreover, Ukrainians themselves show absolutely no appetite for ending the war and President Zelensky has vowed never to negotiate with Putin. A Gallup poll conducted a week ago showed 70 per cent of Ukrainians believe their country 'should continue fighting until it wins the war'. Zelensky, meanwhile, said he has nothing to discuss with Putin after the despot annexed the occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia in sham referendums. 'Ukraine will not hold any negotiations with Russia as long as Putin is the president of the Russian Federation,' he said at the time. 'We will negotiate with the new president.' As the war has gone from bad to worse for Putin, he has resorted to energy price wars, attacks on Ukrainian civilians, and nuclear threats in an attempt to fracture the alliances upon which Kyiv relies and break people's will to keep fighting. Biden has said the US stands ready to support Ukraine however it decides to fight the war A third of Ukraine's power plants have been destroyed over the last fortnight in Russian missile and suicide drone attacks, that have left Ukrainians cuddling their pets to keep warm as blackouts plague the country and winter sets in. Meanwhile his throttling of gas supplies by shutting down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline has been driving up the cost of energy in Europe and the US. Missiles and drones have also been used indiscriminately against civilians, killing dozens and wounding hundreds in the last couple of weeks alone. Moscow is now warning that Ukraine is preparing to use a 'dirty bomb' - a charge laced with radioactive material - on its own territory, sparking fears that it is laying the groundwork for its own use of nuclear weapons. Putin has also threatened the West directly with Russia's long-range arsenal, prompting Biden to warn that 'Armageddon' is closer than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. However, experts including the Atlantic Council's Andriy Zagorodnyuk have argued that the West must not give in to 'nuclear blackmail'. 'The current rush to appease Moscow is deeply unnerving', he wrote last week. 'Giving in to Putins nuclear blackmail would not end the war in Ukraine. 'What it would do is set a disastrous precedent that makes a future nuclear war far more likely while encouraging dozens of countries to acquire nuclear arsenals of their own.' Russia is now more than eight months into a war that was supposed to last only a few days, and is struggling to hold on to the meager gains it has made on the battlefield. Ukraine has pushed Moscow's forces back in both the north and south of the country, and is thought to be closing in on the southern city of Kherson. Sergei Surovikin, Russia's top commander in Ukraine, has begun laying the groundwork for a retreat from the city - which is the only regional capital captured by the Kremlin's forces and the main city in a province Putin annexed. Losing it to Ukraine would be the most embarrassing defeat that Putin's army has yet suffered, and open the door to a Ukrainian assault on Crimea - the crowning glory of his last war in Ukraine. Polarising neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has rubbished claims that he operated on the wrong side of a patient's brain - as his controversial 'last chance' surgeries come under fire yet again. Dr Teo, 64, is Australia's most high profile brain surgeons, having performed thousands of operations on cancer patients who were informed by other doctors that their tumours were inoperable. But while he has saved lives, Dr Teo has also attracted criticism as a 'maverick' who charges hefty sums of money and has been slapped with restrictions that prevent him from performing some surgeries by the Medical Council of NSW. 'I've made mistakes but I resent the claim I've done poorly by my patients,' Dr Teo told A Current Affair's Tracy Grimshaw in an interview on Tuesday night. 'They've always been first and foremost in my approach to medicine.' 'Maverick' brain surgeon Charlie Teo (above with his partner and former patient, Traci Griffiths) is due to face a disciplinary hearing over the results of some of his surgeries Describing him as either the most loved or hated surgeon in the country, Grimshaw grilled Dr Teo on whether 'the real Charlie Teo is a cowboy with a God-complex or a hero who pushes the margins of convention'. She put to him several allegations aired by 60 Minutes on Sunday night - with Dr Teo rubbishing one former patient's claims that he operated on the wrong side of her brain. Michelle Smith had a tumor removed from the right side of her brain that was causing her epilepsy. She claimed to 60 Minutes at the weekend that Dr Teo had operated on her left side. Ms Smith argued that MRI scans, ordered by another surgeon 11 years later - after her epilepsy returned - showed clear markings on opposite sides of her brain, one where her tumour was located and another where the operation had been performed. 'One phone call would have cleared that story up,' said Dr Teo - who argued that neurosurgeons simply cannot operate on the 'wrong' side of a patient's brain. Dr Teo said what he performed was a standard technique and the MRI only shows the keyhole surgery entry point. 'The tumour was in an area where the best approach was from the other side was so even though the tumour is on the right side, you operate on the left side because it gives you access.' Dr Teo (pictured) told Tracy Grimshaw people should 'walk a mile in his shoes' and that he carries a 'cemetary' of patients with him 'The second thing is, we use a computerised guidance system, and that allows you to localise the tumour very well, and you cannot operate on the wrong side of the brain.' He argued Ms Smith's epilepsy returned because he left some of the tumour in her body, due to it being abnormal and too dangerous to remove. 'An arrogant cowboy surgeon would have gone, 'OK I can just take it out' and just poked around and tried to find it and caused paralysis. 'Thankfully I pulled out because she woke up without paralysis - no neurological deficit. 'It turned out that small operation actually did stop procedures for quite some time. She was off seizure medications for 11 years thereafter.' The decision to pay Ms Smith a settlement, without an admission of fault, was the insurance company's and not his, he added. Famous 'last chance' brain surgeon Dr Charlie Teo is performing operations on Australians in overseas hospitals after being restricted in this country Tracy Grimshaw (pictured) described Dr Teo as Australia most loved or hated surgeon Grimshaw also grilled Dr Teo on whether his operations are worth 'giving it a shot' if a potential consequence is that a patient could be left paralysed or brain damaged. A visibly emotional Dr Teo responded: 'If you could walk a mile in my shoes.' 'Not to be derogatory but when they (patients and families) make a decision and the outcome is not what they want, they like to blame someone.' 'It affects me terribly. I'm sometimes sobbing downstairs alone.' 'Everything is easy to see in retrospect.' The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission ordered a two-day disciplinary hearing over the negative outcomes from two of Dr Teo's surgeries. The Medical Council of NSW has banned Dr Teo from performing high risk brain surgeries without written permission from another neurosurgeon. The ban will remain in place until a hearing later this year. The interview may be one of Grimshaw's last as A Current Affair host. Her final show airs next month after 17 years as host. The Fair Trade Commission is planning to penalize Drizly and its CEO James Cory Rellas over a data breach that exposed 2.5 million users' information. Drizly is facing tough restriction orders from the FTC as part of its enforcement action regarding alleged security failures that resulted in a data breach, CNN Business reports. The FTC Goes After Drizly And Its CEO With Individual Actions The FTC is pushing forward with its proposed orders against the alcohol delivery service Drizly and its CEO for compromising 2.5 million users' data. In 2018, the company was alerted about the security issues when a Drizly employee posted the company's Amazon Web Services login on a cloud account in GitHub. According to Engadget, because of this, hackers got a hold of the logins and infiltrated the servers to mine cryptocurrency using the information they had. Drizly stores its data in the Amazon Web Services cloud, which includes users' emails, postal addresses, phone numbers, and even unique devices, geolocation, and data from third parties. However, an investigation by FTC found that the company still failed to address the breach, earning them an FTC order that required them to destroy unnecessary data. Furthermore, the FTC restricts Drizly from collecting and retaining data and binds its CEO to specific security requirements for his role in the unlawful business practices done by Drizly. "Our proposed order against Drizly also ensures the CEO faces consequences for the company's carelessness," Bureau of Consumer Protection director Samuel Levine says. FTC Chair Lina Khan also says that they will strengthen these orders by naming individual executives to ensure that they take retaliatory actions from FTC seriously, Axios writes. "Today's settlement sends a very clear message: protecting Americans' data is not discretionary," says Khan, adding that safety should be a priority for any CEO. Read More: Uber Enters Non-Prosecution Agreement with FTC Over 2016 Data Breach That Exposed Data of 57 Million People FTC Strengthens Complaints With Multiple Allegations Against Drizly Drizly is an online marketplace acquired by Uber where customers of legal drinking age can place orders of beers, wine, and alcohol from retailers. The Boston-based Uber subsidiary failed to take adequate steps to address security concerns that resulted in a data breach, which strengthened the FTC's allegations against Drizly and its CEO. According to FTC's official statement, Drizly and its CEO, Rellas, failed to safeguard and secure the personal information of users, which led to its collection. They also found that the company did not do enough safety practices to protect consumer data, develop adequate security policies, and conduct training for employees on security procedures. The Commission also alleges that the company stored critical information on an unsecured platform but neglected it by not monitoring possible security threats like unauthorized access. Furthermore, the FTC found that the neglect placed customers in deliberate financial harm and malicious use of personal information that may be damaging to Drizly's clients. With this, the agency voted 4-0 to issue the proposed administrative complaint, giving Drizly and Rellas 30 days to accept the consent agreement, Axios says. Read More: FTC Says Do Not Track Consumers Advertisement Detectives have today launched a murder probe after two young men died and a third was left fighting for his life after a fatal 'drive-by' shooting by a suspect wearing a 'Joker mask' in east London. Armed officers and paramedics raced to the scene of the triple shooting inside a Victorian terraced property on Henley Road, Ilford at around 12.16am on Tuesday. Emergency service staff warned of an ensuing street brawl between a group where shots were fired. Three men, two in their 20s and one in his 30s, were discovered inside a property with gunshot wounds. One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man died a short time later. Neighbours told MailOnline that the sound of nearby Diwali fireworks masked the noise of gunshots at the suspected 'drugs den'. But one eyewitness claims they saw cars approach the property before firing on the trio. Another resident told the Telegraph how they had spotted a man wearing a 'black Joker-style mask' running through nearby gardens shortly after the shocking attack. Uniformed officers today sealed off parts of the residential area, which is dotted with nearby parks and homes costing more than 500,000, while forensic teams comb through the crime scene. Tuesday's fatal attack marked the fifth killing within a ten-mile area of east London in the past week alone, and is the latest grisly attack to rock the capital's communities. The rise in violent crime that has plagued the capital in recent years has led for calls to use the moniker 'Wild West' or 'Lawless London'. Armed officers and paramedics rushed to the scene of the triple shooting in Henley Road, Ilford at around 12.16am on Tuesday morning Uniformed officers today sealed off parts of the residential area, which is dotted with nearby parks and homes costing more than 500,000, while forensic teams comb through the crime scene Metropolitan Police Inspector Dave Holgate addresses the media after the triple shooting in Ilford, east London A Met police officer stands guard outside a property as detectives launched a murder probe following the triple shooting A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: 'The third victim aged in his 30s was taken to hospital, where he remains in a critical condition. 'At this early stage there have been no arrests. Enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing. Crime scenes and road closures are in place.' The Met said officers believe they know the identity of the man in his 20s and work is ongoing to identify the other man killed in the shooting. Terrified residents recalled the apparent gang warfare that rocked their local community late last night. Alex Raducu, 33, who has lived in the Henley Road area for five years and works as a courier said he initially thought the shots were fireworks. He said: 'I thought it just was fireworksIt was crazy, I then heard a helicopter flying around above me. It was there for 10 or 15 minutes.' According to locals the area has been increasingly blighted by violent crime in recent times. Just under two miles from todays murder scene a Somali teenage boy was stabbed to death outside Little Ilford Lane Youth Centre shortly after finishing his mock GCSE exams ten days ago. And a chicken shop close to the scene of todays murder was temporarily shut after a young boy was attacked. Another resident, Kashif Patel, who was stabbed in the area eight years ago, warned that gun use in Henley Road was not uncommon. He told Sky News: 'I don't feel like it's a good place to raise a family If I was thinking about my mum or sisters, I wouldn't want them living in this area, it's not safe.' Samima Ahmad, 50, who lives alone on Henley Road, added of last night's incident: 'I heard everything, I was shaken by the screams and shouting around 12.15am. 'There was bunch of youngsters running around, it was a gang of people. After about an hour there was an ambulance, helicopters and police, it was very frightening. 'The shots were obscured by the fireworks, it was about 10 doors down [from where I live].' Anyone with dashcam, video doorbell or private CCTV footage of the initial fight are encouraged to get in touch as police probe the fatal shooting. Homicide offences in the Met Police's London boroughs sit at 88 this year, compared with the 109 between January and October 2021. In 2021 there were more than 130 recorded homicides in the Met's area. Councillor Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council, called for more police as he spoke to reporters at the scene. He said: 'I think more police across the whole of the capital, these are numbers that have been cut over successive governments, we have to make sure we get the police here. According to locals the Henley Road area has been increasingly blighted by violent crime and 'gang warfare' in recent times Tuesday's fatal attack marked the fifth killing within a ten-mile area of east London in the past week alone, and is the latest grisly attack to rock the capital's communities Pictured: Met Police officers guard the entrance to Henley Road in Ilford, east London following the fatal drive-by shooting Forensics officers are pictured at the shooting scene after three men were shot in a suspected drive-by gang attack 'We have been complaining about this in my role as London Councils lead on crime and community safety, I made that plea to the new Metropolitan Police commissioner only last week and he agrees that we need more police.' He added: 'I think sometimes these things build up over time and that's where the police is needed to stop that building up over time and I think if we could get that we would be in a better place.' Sam Tarry, Labour MP for Ilford South, tweeted today: 'Utterly shocking; my heart goes out to the family of those killed. 'This is yet the latest in a recent wave of violence in our community; not nearly enough is being done to combat violent crime and protect my constituents. 'I will be having urgent conversations with the MET.' A spokesman for London Ambulance Service added: 'We were called at 12.12am today to reports of a shooting on Henley Road, Ilford. 'We sent a number of resources to the scene, including two ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, a medic in a fast response car, two incident response officers, a clinical team leader and members of our tactical response unit. 'We also dispatched a trauma team from London's Air Ambulance which consisted of a paramedic and a doctor in a car. 'We treated three people at the scene and took one person to a major trauma centre. Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, two people were pronounced dead at the scene.' Elsewhere in London, a police manhunt continues for a Stratford knifeman who stabbed one woman to death and seriously injured another at a home on Sunday. And a man in his 30s was recovering after a separate knife attack in Croydon, south London on Monday evening. A massive $8million cash boost for seaweed farmers, 'wellbeing hubs' for professional fishermen and $6.1million for 'ethical' sneakers. Those are just some obscure initiatives Australian taxes will go towards after federal treasurer Jim Chalmers unveiled the 2022 Federal Budget on Tuesday night. While much focus is on the big ticket budget highlights such as childcare relief for 1.3million Australians, six months-long paid parental leave and an ambitious pledge to build a million new homes, there are some surprising winners hidden in the budget. Daily Mail Australia takes a look at some of the some weird and wonderful spending items buried deep in the federal budget. Seaweed producers are among the surprising winners from the budget, set to benefit from a $8.1million cash injection over three years $400,00 has been set aside to provide thousands of free haircuts for the homeless (pictured, a hairdresser in Brisbane) SEAWEED FARMERS Seaweed producers will receive a sizeable cash injection as the government invests $8.1 million over three years in the low-emissions livestock feed. The funding will help establish a national hatchery network and support scientific research. LONELY FISHERMEN Fishermen and seafood workers will receive extra support through a $1.5 million mental health program named 'Stay Afloat'. The initiative, run by Seafood Industry Australia, will set up 50 wellbeing hubs in fishing communities across the country. Shoppers will be encouraged by the federal government to buy ethically sourced Australian clothes and footwear (Pictured, Sydneysiders at a Paddy's Markets store) HOMELESS HAIRCUTS Australians experiencing homelessness will receive free haircuts after Labor pledged $400,000 over two years to Short Back and Sidewalks. The charity will provide thousands of haircuts to people sleeping rough. BEEF HEADS Beef Australia 2024, Casino Beef Week, the second Dairy Symposium, LambEx, and other agricultural events will get $12.4 million over three years. WORLD EXPO FANS Taxpayers will shell out $100 million over four years so Australia can participate in the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. ETHICAL SNEAKERHEADS Morally upstanding Australian sneakerheads rejoice. The government will spend $6.1 million over four years encouraging consumers to buy ethically sourced Australian clothes and footwear. Joe Biden on Monday hailed the expected appointment of Britain's first non-white prime minister as a 'groundbreaking milestone,' but failed to pronounce his name correctly. Biden, speaking at a White House event to mark the Indian holiday of Diwali, said Rishi Sunak, who is also of Indian descent, is expected to be named prime minister today after seeing King Charles. But the President stumbled over Sunak's name, making several failed attempts before calling him 'Rashee Sanook' - the latest in a long line of gaffes that will only fuel widespread speculation of his declining mental state. Sunak, a 42-year-old multimillionaire former hedge fund boss, will become the country's youngest leader in modern times and its third in less than two months as his Conservative Party endures a period of considerable turmoil. His family migrated to Britain from India in the 1960s, a period when many people from Britain's former colonies moved to the country to help it rebuild after World War Two. 'We've got news that [Rishi Sunak] is now the prime minister,' Biden said. 'A groundbreaking milestone, and it matters.' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would call Sunak in the coming days, noting that it was protocol for the U.S. president to wait to offer his congratulations until after an incoming British prime minister had met with the monarch and been formally invited to form a new government. Biden, speaking at a White House event to mark the Indian holiday of Diwali, said Rishi Sunak, who is also of Indian descent, is expected to be named prime minister today after seeing King Charles. But he stumbled over Sunak's name, calling him 'Rashee Sanook' New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will today meet King Charles, who will welcome him and officially ask him to form new government Mr Sunak has pledged to run Downing Street with 'integrity and humility', but warned of 'profound challenges' to come as he prepares to begin his premiership In his speech, Biden said: 'And whether it's the United Kingdom, where just today, we've got news that [Rishi Sunak] is now the prime minister. 'As my brother would say, ''go figure''!' he exclaimed, to a round of laughs from the audience. 'And the Conservative Party, expected to become the Prime Minister, I think, tomorrow when he goes to see the King. 'Pretty astounding. A groundbreaking milestone. And it matters, it matters.' However, an opposition member of Parliament in Britain spoke out on Twitter against Sunak, claiming his appointment is 'not a win for Asian representation' because of his vast personal wealth. Nadia Whittome, a Labour party MP and member of the Socialist Campaign Group, told her followers that Britain's new leader is 'not on your side.' 'Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister isn't a win for Asian representation,' the 26-year-old, who also has Indian roots, tweeted yesterday. 'He's a multimillionaire who, as chancellor, cut taxes on bank profits while overseeing the biggest drop in living standards since 1956. 'Black, white or Asian: if you work for a living, he is not on your side.' Her tweet was later deleted after she was contacted by Labour headquarters and told to remove it, the Daily Telegraph reported. Rishi Sunak has been named as the new Prime Minister today (pictured with 1922 Committee officers) after Boris Johnson sensationally dropped out of the Tory leadership race Sunak's wife Akshata Murthy hails from Indian business aristocracy: her father is Narayana Murthy, a billionaire sometimes dubbed the 'Bill Gates of India' who founded a software firm Infosys in the early 1980s and is now the country's sixth richest man Nadia Whittome, a 26-year-old MP and member of the Socialist Campaign Group, claimed Britain's newest Prime Minister was 'not on your side' Although her initial tweet was deleted, Ms Whittome doubled down on her critique of Mr Sunak's personal fortune in later tweets With his victory in the Conservative party leadership race coming on Diwali, Sunak will become the UK's first-ever Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage and the youngest to take up the mantle in more than two centuries at the age of 42. Sunak will ascend to Downing Street after previous the prime minister, Liz Truss, resigned after just 45 days in office. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunak on Twitter and wrote: 'Special Diwali wishes to "living bridge" of UK Indians as we transform historic ties into modern partnership.' Sunak has previously spoken about how his Asian identity matters to him, telling the BBC: 'I'm a first generation immigrant. My parents emigrated here, so you've got this generation of people who are born here, their parents were not born here, and they've come to this country to make a life.' The UK's first and only other minority prime minister was Benjamin Disraeli, who was Jewish, in 1874. Advertisement A father-of-three who built a 100,000 treehouse without planning permission has revealed he has cancer and feared he didn't have enough time to wait for officials to sign off his 'dream project'. John Kitson, 42, built the luxurious one bed 'Cornish Treehouse' property in a secluded woodland in Morval, near Looe - a modern elevated wooden structure with WiFi available from 195 a night. But he admits he didn't get permission as an eye cancer diagnosis left him fearing it would take too long to get the green light. John said he was 'a silly bu***r' but having an official plan would have also 'limited' his ability to make artistic decisions as work progressed. He said when the build started he didn't know if he would be around to 'see the end' of it. However John now sees that is no justification and regrets making life 'difficult' for the local planning office. He is seeking retrospective planning permission but if the application fails he faces having to tear down the entire project - which he says will break his heart. John Kitson's Cornish Treehouse he built without planning permission in Cornwall - but he is now seeking retrospective permission The luxurious one bed 'Cornish Treehouse' property is in a secluded woodland in Morval, near Looe It is a modern elevated wooden structure with WiFi available from 195 a night - the interior pictured complete with a kitchen and sitting area The modern-looking bath room in the treehouse - John says it was his dream project and started building during the pandemic The treehouse has mains electricity and running water and is rented out as holiday accommodation advertised as a 'cosy couples' retreat' John said: 'Thankfully my cancer is not as bad as I thought, I thought I had a secondary tumour somewhere on my pancreas but thankfully I'm in the clear. 'When I first got checked up I never thought it would be anything serious, but within days I was in London and then Liverpool for treatment. 'I admit it's not relevant for planning, but from a personal point of view it focuses your mind a bit if the worst did happen. 'I just didn't want to wait, I didn't want to f**k around waiting months for planners and not be able to see the finished build. 'I think that as part of the urgency for wanting to get on with it - it's a difficult area to talk about. 'It puts things into context a little. There are more things to life and I didn't know if I'd be around to see the end frankly when we started. 'It's a very weak justification and that doesn't justify what I've done but it was the reason for wanting to get on with it. 'I just fell in love with it and other people fell in love with it. 'I don't blame the planners for doing their job and I'm delighted people are being supportive. If the worst happens, it happens and I'm a silly bu***r. 'If they make me tear it down I'll have to comply but it will break my heart.' John said he was 'a silly bu***r' but having an official plan would have also 'limited' his ability to make artistic decisions as work progressed A spokesman for the South East Cornwall Tourism Association, said: 'My personal concern is the safety aspect, we can't see any fire exits on this building yet it has a log burner. How safe is that?' A spokeswoman for Cornwall Council confirmed 'the applicant has submitted a retrospective planning application to apply for permission so that it can be considered in the usual manner' John, a Morval parish councillor, built the treehouse - that has mains electricity and running water - during the pandemic. It is now rented out as holiday accommodation advertised as a 'cosy couples' retreat'. John, a former suits salesman from Bristol, took over the family estate after the passing of his grandparents in 2009. He says that the plan was to pass on the costs of maintaining his estate's 'money pit' 200-300 year old buildings on the site to vacationers - rather than existing tenants. Morval estate hosts over 20 families, ranging from 'farmers to pensioners' according to John - including some who have lived on the site for over 50 years. John said: 'We wanted to raise an income to try and raise money without asking our tenants on the estate to pay for site maintenance, especially with the cost of living and various tree diseases we've had on site. 'I just don't want to pass those costs on to tenants. We looked at a wind turbine, but that would have annoyed all the locals and would have been far more disruptive compared to this treehouse.' Despite not seeking planning permission, he claims that he did consult locals on the build - meeting no real opposition. John admits he didn't get permission as an eye cancer diagnosis left him fearing it would take too long to get the green light He fell in love with the property and said other people have as well - and will be heartbroken if he is forced to tear it down He explained: 'I spoke to my tenants before I started building, and explained what I planned to make. They didn't have any issues with it 'People here see it and see the effort, a lot of locals know people who worked on the treehouse. 'I tried to use local businesses, like a former tree surgeon I know who made the bed and sink for the treehouse for example. 'I genuinely believe in the sustainability agenda, and so we designed the treehouse to incorporate a lot of local wood that we had to fell due to a rather unpleasant tree disease. 'It's designed to give minimum possible impact to the local area and the environment, we used no concrete for example.' A retrospective planning permission application has now been published for the property and is visible on Cornwall Council's planning portal with application number PA22/06132. Locals have until December 2022 to comment on the build. John added: 'I'm just for a quiet life, I don't want to put all these people in difficult positions. 'I just hope Cornwall councillors understand that being a landlord is becoming quite difficult, a lot of people have sold up to people who then kick out locals and make AirBnBs. 'It's certainly a more profitable and low-effort option, but tourists should always be able to come here to Cornwall.' John says he has the support of locals - but his official application will be determined by December 1 John is now doing well but still has to have an MRI scan every six months to check the cancer hasn't metastasised. He promoted his treetop getaway as a glamping destination online but when the council spotted the ad they claimed it was an unlawful safety hazard. One neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'I don't know of anyone locally complaining about this. 'You can't see it unless you're in the woods. It isn't bothering anyone. 'If they make me tear it down I'll have to comply but it will break my heart.' But local tourism bosses believe the structure is unsafe and should not be operating. A spokesman for the South East Cornwall Tourism Association, said: 'My personal concern is the safety aspect, we can't see any fire exits on this building yet it has a log burner. How safe is that? 'It can be as cutesy as you like. But it should still have to meet building regulations.' A spokeswoman for Cornwall Council added: 'The applicant has submitted a retrospective planning application to apply for permission so that it can be considered in the usual manner. 'The application is due to be determined by December 1st.' A miserly boyfriend who made his partner count every log in their stash of firewood, rationed their dishwasher tablets and banned her from buying gifts for her grandchildren has been ordered to pay her 250 compensation for domestic abuse. Power plant operator Michael Marsh, 55, became so 'obsessed' with saving money and building a pension pot, he refused to share any cash with his partner Aileen Till. Despite inheriting a substantial estate from his late mother, tight fisted Marsh ordered Miss Till, 54, to get up at night and check there were no logs missing from their outside their shed and rationed dishwasher tablets as he believed she was giving them away. The victim, a business manager, would wrongly claim she had been treated to lunch whenever she met her daughter to avoid Marsh rebuking her for spending money. She was also banned from buying presents for her grandchildren. Michael Marsh (pictured outside Chester Magistrates' Court), 55, was so 'obsessed' with saving money, he refused to share any cash with his partner Aileen Till When Miss Till (pictured) eventually stood up to Marsh he made her sleep on the storm porch outside their home when it was raining When Miss Till eventually stood up to Marsh he made her sleep on the storm porch outside their home when it was raining. She was subsequently evicted from the 300,000 property she shared with him in Warrington, Cheshire after a violent bust up. She later said the abuse she suffered made her contemplate jumping off a bridge. At Chester Magistrates Court Marsh, who now lives in Bournemouth, was convicted of coercive behaviour and assault and was sentenced to 26 weeks jail suspended for 12 months. He also ordered that he undertake 200 hours of unpaid work and was banned from contacting Miss Till for two years under the terms of a restraining order. He has since agreed to give her a 10,000 share of the house where they lived together. The court heard Marsh had inherited a large amount of cash from his late mother in 2019 but was so focused on money he would claim even the homeless should have savings. 'He did not share any of the money and would spend it on car registrations - he was completely obsessed with them,' Miss Till (pictured) told Chester Magistrates' Court Marsh (left) made Miss Till count their stash of firewood, rationed their dishwasher tablets and banned her from buying gifts for her grandchildren During their 15-year relationship he bought a home for him and Miss Till in cash and took out a 50,000 loan for renovation work which she helped pay towards by standing order. Miss Till, a senior customer relations manager for an energy company, told an earlier hearing: 'He did not share any of the money and would spend it on car registrations he was completely obsessed with them. 'During that time he got obsessed that our neighbour was stealing our logs which we have for a log burner. He made me count them because he thought they were going missing. 'He helped me to get up at night and count the logs I was so embarrassed. It was the early hours of the morning. He thought he had heard our neighbour climbing the six foot fence to steal logs. 'I did not want the neighbour to know that is what he was thinking. Then there were the dishwasher tablets. Every time I went to put the dishwasher on I thought I was going mad as there was only one in the bag. I could not understand it as I had been shopping. Marsh told Miss Till "You deserve to be abused" and "Everyone hates you", the court was told 'I said we needed to buy more. But he said that I was selling them to my daughter so, I was only allowed to have one dishwasher tablet at the time.' Miss Till said Marsh was so 'obsessed' with money he would not allow her to spend any cash on her daughter or grandchildren, aged six and eight, or buy her friends gifts. Though she had her own bank account and savings, he said that all their spare money should go 'into the pot' towards a retirement-type home they were hoping to buy on the island of Anglesey in North Wales. 'He would not have allowed me to give financial assistance so I would go and meet my daughter when he was on shift so that he did not know,' she said. 'If I did tell him I had met her, I would say that she bought me lunch or breakfast. I was worried that he would think I'd spend money on her. He said I was not allowed to give her money. I had to put it in the pot towards Anglesey.' Emily Comer prosecuting said: 'Mr Marsh began accusing Ms Till of stealing from him which did not have any basis. 'He abused her and called her names, such as calling her "fat" and "fat s****", and saying "You are disgusting", "No-one wants you", "You deserve to be abused" and "Everyone hates you". 'The language was used on a regular basis and not always in anger. It had a very serious effect on her mental health. 'She also says that as she was blamed for everything, when things started going wrong, because he had been using that language for so long she started to believe what he was saying.' Miss Comer said the victim would be locked out of the property on various occasions if she had just gone out for any reason. 'She felt she was being treated like a dog, and felt humiliated and ashamed of what the neighbours would say,' Miss Comer said. 'On one occasion after being with Marsh and whilst feeling incredibly low, she went to a bridge and contemplated throwing herself in the river. 'He made it difficult for her to see other people, including her close family. He did not like her speaking to anyone, including her daughter and grandchildren. District Judge Jack McGarva also ordered Marsh to pay 748 in costs and victim surcharge 'When the family came, he would drink and say that he did not want them around the house. 'She didn't have her grandchildren in the house for at a least a year because he did not want them in the house. She felt alone.' In mitigation, defence solicitor Peter Barnett said Marsh continued to deny the charges and added: 'They have been separated since October. The complainant moved out in April, the beginning of May. The property is owned by the defendant and is in process of being sold. 'The complainant received a 10,000 cash sum for her interest in the property in the first week of May. Since then, they have had no direct contact. 'The defendant is of a mind to sever his ties with the area. He is still employed at a power station in Liverpool, where he is a plant operator. On his days off, he spends his time in the south of the country as and when he feels able to go. 'Clearly the relationship deteriorated, a relationship of some 15 years and it is quite clear that the complainant believed that there was infidelity. 'She feels that she was let down by the dissolution of the relationship.' District Judge Jack McGarva also ordered Marsh to pay 748 in costs and victim surcharge and told him. 'This is a serious pair of offences. Coercive and controlling behaviour in a relationship is very insidious and covers a wide range of conduct and in this case the conduct went on for a very long time, almost two years. 'It was prolonged and persistent conduct and it caused serious alarm or distress which had a substantial adverse effect on the victim.' For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit local Samaritans A decorated Royal Navy officer who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan died after collapsing during a fitness test he was told to complete or 'leave the Navy', an inquest heard today. 'Exemplary' officer Ian Fleming died from a cardiac episode he suffered while undergoing the physical training on duty. His wife told the hearing the 53-year-old, who had heart disease, had been given an 'ultimatum' by his seniors, which left him with 'no choice' but to take part in a 'physically demanding' leadership course. The serviceman, who had been awarded numerous medals for his work, was on track to attain the permanent rank of Petty Officer, having acted as a Petty Officer, but was fearful of the fitness test. Area coroner Mrs Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp told the hearing: 'In order to secure that promotion he had to undertake a particular training course. That made him anxious. 'Exemplary' officer Ian Fleming died from a cardiac episode he suffered while undergoing the physical training on duty 'He suffered from anxiety for the last three or four years. He suffered panic attacks.' Mr Fleming, known to his family and friends as 'Paddy', collapsed 'in the early stages' of a jogging exercise at HMS Collingwood, in Fareham, Hants. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, Mr Fleming died on November 16, 2020. The four-week Senior Rates Leadership Course, described as 'mentally and physically demanding', involved a log run, teambuilding exercises, Dogwatch Sports, and an obstacle course. The court heard that failure to complete the course could result in an officer losing pay, accommodation, and rank, and could possibly affect their pension. Mr Fleming's wife Michele, who he married in 2000, told the inquest her husband was 'noticeably anxious' about undergoing the training course, and had asked for it to be rescheduled several times. She said: 'As soon as Ian found out the date [of his training] he went into a complete meltdown. 'This was out of character for Ian as he was always laid back. He always gave 100 per cent to his job and wanted to do his best.' Mr Fleming sent an email to his chain of command, saying he 'wasn't in the right place' to do the course, and he would be setting himself 'up to fail'. He was awarded several medals during his career, including the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal, the General Service Medal, the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal Mrs Fleming, of Plymouth, told the hearing in Portsmouth, Hants: 'He told me he was given an ultimatum. He had to go on the course or he had to leave the Navy. 'He had no choice but to attend. 'He was scared about letting himself down in front of juniors he trained. He didn't like to disappoint.' Mr Fleming was a member of the Unit Personnel Office team at RNAS Yeovilton Air Station. After leaving school, he surprised his family by joining the Royal Navy rather than going to university as expected. As well as being deployed to Iraq, Mr Fleming took part in two operational tours of Afghanistan - which Mrs Fleming believes had a 'significant impact' on her husband's mental health. He was awarded several medals during his career, including the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal, the General Service Medal, the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal. Dr Philip McMillan, a civilian GP at the military base at Yeovilton, worked with Mr Fleming to complete the form saying he was fit to undertake the training. He told the court although Mr Fleming was 'permanently medically downgraded' due to his mental health: 'There were no restrictions on his physical fitness. 'He reported that his anxiety was well controlled.' However, consultant pathologist Dr Adnan Al-Badri found that Mr Fleming, a smoker, had a 'significantly enlarged' heart and was suffering from 'severe' ischemic heart disease when he died. 'The process of exercise put on the heart precipitated an ischemic attack,' he said. 'Sudden exercise if he had not exercised for a while, given the condition of his heart, could be a risky thing to do.' Chris and Audrey Wales, Mr Fleming's mother and stepfather, also spoke at the inquest. Mrs Wales described her 'wonderful and caring' son as a 'true gentleman' who brought a 'wealth of service and life experience' to his role in the Navy. 'He gave 110 per cent and made the ultimate sacrifice. I just want a guarantee that no other mother or family will be in our situation,' she said. The inquest, which is expected to last until Thursday, continues. While Liz Truss's departure and Rishi Sunak's appointment thrilled political watchers today, the real story for some was the return of a long-missed No 10 staffer. Tobias Gough - the man dubbed 'hot podium guy' for his previous roles placing the Downing Street lectern - made a triumphant reappearance. Admirers following proceedings on television likely swooned or even clutched their chests as Mr Gough, 39, from Longfield, Kent, made his long-awaited return. Like a conquering King or Queen, he inspired utter devotion as he took the podium out of the door and left it on the ground before leaving. The simple act - so crucial in speech scenarios - meant Liz Truss was able to make her leaving remarks and depart No 10 for good. Twitter user Jayne spoke for Mr Gough's army of supporters as she wrote 'Everyone be watching the news to see if #hotpodiumguy makes an appearance'. The sound engineer earned the moniker after a legion of social media users collapsed over his tight-black t-shirt and muscled arms. 'Hot podium guy' Tobias Gough, 39, was back in action today, thrilling his army of fans He was first spied setting up the lectern for Theresa May, sparking a flurry of excitement Tobias Gough, 39, from Longfield, Kent, earned the moniker 'hot podium guy' after a legion of Twitter users swooned over his tight-black t-shirt and muscled arms Sean Seosamh Robertson posted: 'Well that's all I've been waiting for, no interest now in waiting for Dizzy Lizzy.' Dr Alice Lilly said: 'I think Hot Podium Guy is part of the UK constitution now.' Craig Crowther wrote: 'Nothing marks big political events in Britain like the return of hot podium guy.' TomFormanUK tweeted: 'Hot podium guy is back this morning on BBC. The only thing worth watching.' Ladshots added: 'For those not in the UK, wondering why we frequently change prime minister, its not for any political reason, but so we can see #HotPodiumGuy setting up the Downing Street sound system.' Mr Gough first came to attention during Theresa May's final speech at PM in July 2019, earning a score of admirers online. Before Boris Johnson addressed the nation to announce his resignation as Prime Minister in July, 'Podium Guy' fans called on him to step into the breach: 'I vote that we keep 'Podium Guy' on as interim and let Boris leave today,' said one on Twitter. Many people swooned over Mr Gough on Twitter in July. One even joked: 'Nothing marks big political events in Britain like the return of hot podium guy' In 2019, Mr Gough revealed his surprise at the attention he had received, telling MailOnline at the time that he 'isn't model material'. He said: 'I have to say it was great lighting to make me look that good, the sun must have been at the right angle. 'I can assure people that I don't usually look as well as that - I won't going to be going into the modelling business just yet. 'I'm 36 so I think my best days may be well behind me. 'But it's been very funny reading all the comments on social media. Mr Gough married wife Tina just two weeks before the chaos in May 2019 in a quiet ceremony in Scotland. At the time, he said: 'I've not spoken to her yet and I'm wondering the reaction I'm going to get but she's messaged and taken in it all in good spirits.'' Haji's favourite food was rotten porcupine and he smoked animal faeces in a pipe and drank from rusty oil can But a few months ago, villagers took him to a bathroom to wash for the first time in years, local official said Advertisement An Iranian man dubbed the 'dirtiest man in the world' for not taking a shower for more than half a century has died at the age of 94, state media has reported. Amou Haji, who did not wash for around 67 years, died on Sunday in the village of Dejgah in Iran, IRNA news agency said. Mr Haji chose to avoid showering over fears that it would bring him bad luck and make him sick. But 'for the first time a few months ago, villagers had taken him to a bathroom to wash,' a local official told the Iranian state media. 'Not long after, he fell ill and finally, on Sunday he gave up his life,' IRNA reported. Mr Haji, nicknamed 'the dirtiest man in the world', has died at the age of 94. He is pictured here in 2018 in Dezhgah in Iran Locals built Mr Haji an open brick shack to sleep in, where he is pictured in front of in 2018 Mr Haji said he hated the idea of washing and thought it would make him sick Amou Haji liked to smoke animal faeces out of an old pipe, rather than tobacco. Pictured: Haji smoking from his waterpipe near his home in 2018 Mr Haji, who was covered in soot and dirt, had an aversion to soap and water. He said he hated even the thought of bathing. The Iranian has previously said that he chose this eccentric way of life after experiencing 'emotional setbacks in his youth'. Since then he became isolated. As well as cleanliness, Mr Haji also had an aversion to fresh food and drink. His favourite food was rotten porcupine, and he would choose to drink five litres of water a day from a rusty oil can. He would often collect the water from nearby puddles. Mr Haji would also eat roadkill and if his life wasn't unique enough, he also liked to smoke animal faeces out of an old pipe, rather than tobacco. Photos from 2018 show the Iranian spoking multiple cigarettes at once. Mr Haji had spent most of his life in Dejgah village in the province of Fars in southern Iran where he had no wife and apparently no family. Concerned locals built him an open brick shack to live in after seeing that he was sleeping in a hole in the ground. He was also known to wear an old, decaying, war helmet to keep his head warm in the winter. The locals also decided to convince him to take a shower a few months before he died following reports that he was lonely and that not washing made it difficult for him to make friends and find a female companion. If his life wasn't unique enough, Amou Haji liked to smoke animal faeces out of an old pipe, rather than tobacco Amou Haji smokes several cigarettes as he sits on the ground on the outskirts of the village of Dezhgah in southwestern Iran in 2018 Mr Haji had spent most of his life in Dejgah village in the province of Fars in southern Iran where he had no wife and apparently no family Haji sits at the entrance of an open brick shack that the villagers constructed for him Haji sits on the ground on the outskirts of the village of Dezhgah in the Dehram district of the southwestern Iranian Fars province Despite his aversion to not washing, eating rotten meat and drinking dirty water, his health remained robust until recently. Earlier this year, a team of doctors, led by Dr Gholamreza Molavi professor at the Tehran School of Public Health, reportedly ran a series of tests on Haji, including tests for HIV and hepatitis. Dr Molavi was astonished to find that Haji had not suffered from any bacteria or parasites apart from Trichinosis, a parasite that comes from eating raw meat and causes a common infection. But for Haji, he did not suffer from any symptoms. Dr Molova concluded that Haji was able to remain healthy for so many years because he had developed a strong immune system after decades of living in extremely harsh conditions. A short documentary film titled 'The Strange Life of Amou Haji' was made about his life in 2013. It's disputed as to who holds the world record for the longest time without showering. Several people put their names forward for the unwanted title. One of the previous record holders for the longest time between washing was Kailash Singh, a 67-year-old from India. Mr Singh claimed to have not showered in 39 years. But at over 60 years without bathing, if Mr Haji's claim is true, he easily takes the record. Advertisement Liz Truss was supported by family today as she left Downing Street for the last time as Prime Minister. The departing Conservative PM was pictured flanked by her husband Hugh O'Leary and their teenage daughters Francis, 16, and Liberty, 13, who are both rarely seen in public. As Ms Truss gave her final speech outside Number 10 after just 49 days in office, her husband and children stood side by side behind her. Ms Truss paid tribute to her family, thanking them for their 'love, friendship and support'. She said she now plans to spend more time in her Norfolk constituency 'from the backbenches'. After her speech, Ms Truss and Mr O'Leary then walked down Downing Street together as their daughters followed behind. Frances and Liberty did not join their parents for the journey to Ms Truss's final audience with King Charles III, and instead arrived at Buckingham Palace separately. The daughters were later seen echoing their mother and father by shaking hands with Charles's equerry after arriving. After a short audience with the King, Ms Truss and her family left the palace ahead of Mr Sunak's arrival, with an official statement saying she had 'tendered her resignation as PM and First Lord of the Treasury'. Liz Truss was supported by family today as she left Downing Street for the last time as Prime Minister. Above: Ms Truss with husband Hugh O'Leary and daughters Francis (right), 16, and Liberty (right) As Ms Truss gave her final speech outside Number 10 after just 49 days in office, her husband and children stood side by side behind her The daughters were later seen echoing their mother and father by shaking hands with King Charles's equerry after arriving at Buckingham Palace Ms Truss and her accountant husband married in 2000 after they met at the Tory party conference in 1997. The couple's marriage survived Ms Truss's affair with Tory MP Mark Field, which was revealed in 2006. The politician revealed during her Tory leadership bid in July that her daughters were managing her social media campaign. She said that thanks to her computing GCSE, Frances was able to help on the 'digital team', whilst her younger daughter was giving 'general political advice'. In her final speech, Ms Truss stressed the need to be 'bold', praised tax cuts and celebrated reversing the national insurance hike imposed by Mr Sunak when he was Chancellor. She warned the nation continues to 'battle through a storm' but insisted she believes that 'brighter days lie ahead'. Ms Truss said: 'From my time as Prime Minister I'm more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the challenges we face. 'We simply cannot afford to be a low-growth country where the Government takes up an increasing share of our national wealth and where there are huge divides between different parts of our country. We need to take advantage of our Brexit freedoms to do things differently.' Ms Truss made no apologies for the disastrous mini-budget that sparked financial turmoil and led to the chaotic end of her premiership. She continued to stand by her tax-cutting ideals, despite being forced to reverse most of her policies when new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was brought in to clear up the mess. She cited one of Brexit's benefits as 'lower taxes, so people keep more of the money they earn', before wishing Mr Sunak 'every success, for the good of our country'. In her final speech, Ms Truss stressed the need to be 'bold', praised tax cuts and celebrated reversing the national insurance hike imposed by Mr Sunak when he was Chancellor Ms Truss talks to her husband as her daughters follow behind. The family have had just 45 days in Number 10 The Truss family walk down Downing Street for the last time as Ms Truss's time as Prime Minister comes to an end after just 49 days Ms Truss shakes hands with King Charles's equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson as she arrives at Buckingham Palace Mr O'Leary is seen being greeted at Buckingham Palace by King Charles's equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson In the speech lasting three minutes and seven seconds, Ms Truss quoted Roman philosopher Seneca to say: 'It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult.' Ms Truss thanked her family and her short-lived Downing Street team during the speech in front of a relatively small crowd of supporters that included her daughters Frances and Liberty, husband Hugh O'Leary and Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey. 'We continue to battle through a storm but I believe in Britain, I believe in the British people and I know that brighter days lie ahead,' she ended her speech by saying. Mr Sunak will be appointed as the country's next prime minister by the King and look to build a new Cabinet that might unite a fractious Tory party. He is expected to address the nation after being appointed as the UK's first Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage, and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42. Mr Sunak won the Tory leadership contest on Monday without a vote after rivals Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson dropped out of the race. Allies hope he will stabilise the party following Mr Johnson's dramatic downfall and his successor's fleeting but tumultuous tenure. The former chancellor is expected to quickly begin assembling a top team to portray a measure of stability to both the Conservatives and the country. Long-time backers Dominic Raab, the former justice secretary, Commons Treasury Committee chairman Mel Stride and ex-chief whip Mark Harper have been tipped for jobs. While not confirmed, Mr Hunt, who replaced Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor amid economic turbulence, is expected to remain at the top of the Treasury. Mr Hunt has been working towards a highly-anticipated Halloween statement on the Government's medium-term fiscal plans, complete with independent forecasts. Mr Sunak has ruled out allowing the early general election demanded by opposition parties as the Tories move on to their third prime minister on the mandate won by Mr Johnson in 2019. This is the face of the Russian officer accused of orchestrating the Kremlin's brutal missile strike campaign against Ukrainian civilians and power plants. Lieutenant-Colonel Igor Bagnyuk, 40, has been identified by website Bellingcat as the key figure responsible for targeting Putin's missiles including those that blew apart the country on October 10, killing at least 20 and wounding more than 100. Bagnyuk is accused of parlaying orders from his superiors - Major-General Robert Baranov and Colonel Evgeniy Kapshuk - to three teams of engineers who are thought to be responsible for programming targets into the deadly projectiles. In total, Bellingcat identified more than two dozen members of the clandestine missile unit buried within the Russian military's Main Computation Centre of the General Staff (GVC) who they believe are involved in the strikes. President Zelensky has accused Russia of 'terrorism' for blowing up a third of Ukraine's power plants and killing civilians in indiscriminate attacks, which international law defines as war crimes. Lieutenant-Colonel Igor Bagnyuk, 40, has been accused of overseeing a shadowy Russian unit overseeing Putin's missile strikes against Ukraine Bagnyuk is thought to have been the key figure in orchestrating the massive October 10 onslaught against Ukraine that killed and wounded dozens Bellingcat said it pieced together the identities of this secretive team from personal data including phone records obtained on the Russian black market. Using this information, they devised a command structure for the team with Major-General Baranov at the top, followed by Colonel Kapshuk, Lt-Colonel Bagnyuk and then Lt-Colonel Anton Timoshinov below him. They believe the rest of the team - 27 people in total, mostly in their late-20s - are split into three groups, each of which programs a certain kind of missile. Investigators say Bagnyuk is the key go-between for the leaders of these three teams and the unit's superior officers, with patterns of communication that intensify shortly before major Russian missile strikes on Ukraine. Some of the team have served long-term in the military - either in the army or navy - while others appear to have worked in civilian IT support or programming jobs before signing up. Bagnyuk is believed to have served in Syria, and evidence suggest he also coordinated missile strikes in that country, Bellingcat adds. Investigators believe the October 10 barrage that hit virtually every Ukrainian city may have been planned for weeks and possibly as long as a month beforehand. Call records show increased activity between Bagnyuk and other team members beginning around October 2. Russia has been accused of using its huge missile arsenal to terrorise Ukraine and perpetrate war crimes, with the unit responsible for targeting the rockets now named Civilians walk through the ruins of a building destroyed by Russian missile strikes in the city of Izyum, in eastern Ukraine An Orthodox church with a hole blown in the dome by a Russian rocket is seen on the battlefields of northern Kharkive oblast That increased steadily over the next fortnight before peaking on October 9, the day before the barrage was unleashed. At 3pm that day, Bagnyuk had called his three team leaders in sequence, before getting a call from his superior Col. Kapshuk around 5.10pm. That sparked two further calls to the team dealing with air-launched cruise missiles, before Bagnyuk called his superior officer back. Bagnyuk then made his way from his suburban home in the outskirts of Moscow to his office at Znamenka 19, the headquarters of the General Staff of Russia's army. He stayed there until gone 9pm, when he made a final call to his chief commander - General Baranov - before heading home. Despite the late night, Bagnyuk was back in the office for 5.30am the next day which was around an hour before the attack took place. Bellingcat said it contacted each member of the unit, most of whom refused to answer questions or denied having anything to do with the military. However, one engineer admitted the unit was tasked with programming complex flight paths for the missiles and provided a photo of the unit outside the Russian MoD building in Moscow. Another did not deny being part of the unit but said it was not safe to answer questions about his work. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians, despite mounting evidence implicating its troops and commanders in war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. Putin has been accused of resorting to 'terrorist' tactics in Ukraine - using missiles to sow fear among civilians after being pushed back on the battlefield Putin has turned to attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure - particularly power and water plants - as his troops are forced back on the battlefield. Following a rout in Kharkiv, retreat in Kherson, and a strike on the Crimean Bridge, his military has consistently bombed Ukraine's cities and power plants. President Zelensky has said a third of the country's energy generating capacity is currently out of action, with rolling blackouts taking place. That has left Ukrainians - many of whom are living in bombed-out homes - cuddling their pets for warmth as winter sets in and temperatures dip below freezing. Strikes have also indiscriminately targeted civilians, hitting busy intersections, playgrounds, schools and apartment buildings. It is hard to conclusively prove these buildings were deliberately targeted as opposed to falling victim of a misfired rocket or poor targeting data, but a pattern of attacks on residential areas has emerged throughout the war. Bellingcat did pose that question to several members of the unit they contacted, all of whom refused to answer. The employees on Twitter are spreading an open letter protesting Elon Musk's plan to cut off 75% of the workforce upon his acquisition of the company. According to Time, Musk told prospective funders that he plans to fire most of Twitter's employees once he completes the acquisition of the company. Twitter Staff Calls Cuts 'Reckless' With previous claims that the Twitter workforce is bloated with a strong left-wing bias, the CEO threatens to reduce the workforce headcount from 7,500 to just 2,000. In response, an unspecified number of Twitter staff directed a letter to the Tesla CEO, warning him that the cuts would be a reckless move for the company. Engadget writes that the employees believe that the move hurts Twitter's ability to serve the public conversation, and also undermines the customers' trust in the platform and its services. Additionally, Twitter's employees are adamant in their position that the threat was an act of worker intimidation and that it makes a work environment of constant harassment. The letter also contained demands that Musk must commit to, including preserving Twitter's employee headcount if his takeover happens. In addition, employees are asking the billionaire to uphold fair severance policies for all workers and to keep existing benefits for all employees, including those that work from home. According to Time, the letter also emphasized its demands to not discriminate against employees based on their political beliefs, racial and gender identity, or disability and to be treated with dignity. "We demand to be treated with dignity, and to not be treated as mere pawns in a game played by billionaires," the list of demands on the letter says. While it is clear what Twitter's employees think about the possible mass layoff under Musk, it is, however, unclear how many signatories have supported the letter at the time of publication. Read More: Elon Musk is Reportedly Planning to Lay Off Nearly 75% of Twitter Employees The Plan Might Have Big Effects If Musk closes on the acquisition of Twitter on Friday, he might push through with the cut off, which may immediately make the social media platform more susceptible to hacking, The Verge says. However, the Starlink CEO justifies his threats by saying that he is overpaying for the company, and by laying off employees, the company and himself are only getting the most out of the new ownership. The Guardian reports that Twitter should already have anticipated the cuts in funding and infrastructure sites, including its data centers. Musk said that as CEO, he would loosen up Twitter's content moderation policies and potentially shift to a subscriber-based model. However, Twitter executives claim that job cuts are expected to happen nonetheless, no matter who owns the company, The Guardian reports. Twitter has been in a legal battle with Musk regarding the acquisition of the platform since May, when he tried to walk away from a $44 billion takeover deal. The standoff even went to court before tech industry giant made a decision to continue with the deal on its original terms, and now, the billionaire is close to securing the purchase of the company. The purchase deadline given to the businessman by Twitter before the court intervenes again is until next Friday, by which the transaction should already be finalized, according to the presiding judge. Related Article: Trump Using Twitter To Spread Lies? Tweets That Millions 'Voted Illegally' In Last Election British Transport Police has released CCTV images of three girls who 'may have information' which could help the force's investigation into the attack The women victims were thrown to the floor and girls stamped on their heads Two women were attacked at a London Underground station by three girls who set upon them, throwing them to the floor and stamping on their heads. CCTV images related to the violent attack, which took place at around 11.05pm at London Bridge Underground station, have been released. The two victims were approached by three girls who allegedly set upon them at the bottom of the stairs in the ticket hall. The girls then threw the two women to the floor and stamped on their heads. British Transport Police captured images of three females at the scene. The force believes they may have information regarding the attack The victims had to be taken to hospital for their injuries, and were left 'shaken up' by the incident. British Transport Police captured images of three females at the scene. The force believes they may have information regarding the attack. It is appealing to witnesses and members of the public who could help them trace the girls in the photographs. A spokesman for the force said: 'Do you recognise these girls? Detectives investigating a violent attack on two women at London Bridge Underground station are today releasing these images in connection. British Transport Police is appealing to witnesses and members of the public who could help them trace the girls in the photographs 'On 16 September at around 11.05pm, the two victims were approached by the three women as they reached the bottom the stairs in the ticket hall. The girls set up on them, throwing them to the floor and stamping on their heads. 'Both victims had to go to hospital. Thankfully they weren't seriously injured but understandably shaken up. 'Officers believe the girls in the CCTV images may have information which could help their investigation.' Anyone with information is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 679 of 16/09/2022. Anonymous reports can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. The stunt is the mob's 27th protest this month and comes after they vandalised a waxwork of King Charles III A Just Stop Oil protester sprayed an orange substance over the front of 55 Tufton Street in Westminster today Advertisement Just Stop Oil fanatics brought chaos to central London again today as zealots lay on the road and sprayed an orange substance over the front door of a building associated with climate change sceptics and Brexit-backing think-tanks. Footage showed a fanatic dousing the front of 55 Tufton Street in Westminster, home to the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) and other fossil fuel lobby groups, in the liquid this morning. The spray paint came as part of a wider protest which saw a total of six protesters block Horseferry Road. Some protesters glued themselves onto the tarmac in the road while others locked themselves together. A furious taxi driver was seen driving over the pavement as zealots lay in the middle of nearby Horseferry Road to block traffic. The Metropolitan Police said the chaos was cleared up by 1.20pm. Officers arrested one person on suspicion of criminal damage and seven others on suspicion of wilful obstruction of the highway. The protester who threw the paint, identified by Just Stop Oil as a 'normal guy from south London', said he attacked the property in an attempt to fight 'big oil, famine, pestilence and war'. Today's stunt marks the environmental mob's 27th protest this month and comes a day after police arrested a group of Just Stop Oil protesters who threw chocolate cake in the face of a waxwork of King Charles III at Madame Tussauds in central London. Just Stop Oil activist sprays an orange substance over the headquarters of climate-change-sceptic lobby groups today An eco-zealot vandalised the exterior of 55 Tufton Street in Westminster at around 11.10am A furious taxi driver drives over the pavement while protesters from the group laid in the middle of Horseferry Road, near Tufton Street in central London, to block traffic Just Stop Oil supporters block traffic on Horseferry Road after spray-painting 55 Tufton Street Just Stop Oil protesters have blocked roads and bridges in the capital in order to highlight their demand that the government stops new oil and gas projects 'We're here today to fight the the malicious nature of oil big oil,' the protester proclaimed outside 55 Tufton Street. 'The big oil will eventually force millions [to be] displaced from their low-lying, seabed countries. 'What happens when you get millions fleeing? You get famine, pestilence and war. 'The people in this building don't care about that, quite honestly. They've got their snouts in the trough. The snouts in trough are big pharma, big oil.' He said he was protesting for his children and grandchildren and called on others to join the cause, saying: 'Support us. Support Just Stop Oil.' Just Stop Oil released a statement after the incident saying: 'Politics is broken. It was broken here in Tufton Street by shady lobbyists who now stalk the corridors of power. 'Liz Truss's toxic pro-oil policies helped end her career and unless we ditch them, they'll finish us off too.' The group added: 'Ordinary people are taking direct action against the Government the person blocking your route to work could be your neighbour, your local council worker, or the man who served you at Tesco. 'Think about what makes normal people choose to take such drastic action, and then join them.' The organisation continues its month-long series of protests as it calls for the Government to halt all new oil and gas licences and consents. The GWPFs headquarters at 55 Tufton Street has previously been targeted by climate group Extinction Rebellion. The protester, who Just Stop Oil said was a 'normal guy from south London', said he attacked the property in an attempt to fight 'big oil, famine, pestilence and war' Just Stop Oil protesters are pictured demonstrating on junction of Horseferry Road and Tufton Street in London on Tuesday. One held up a sign that reads: 'Tufton Street. Home of the right wing thing tanks. The most dangerous street in Britain' Just Stop Oil released a statement after the incident saying: 'Politics is broken. It was broken here in Tufton Street by shady lobbyists who now stalk the corridors of power.' Demonstrators are pictured at the junction of Horseferry Road and Tufton Street on Tuesday Met Police officers respond to the Just Stop Oil protest held at the junction of Horseferry Road and Tufton Street in London on Tuesday morning Protesters are pictured blocking traffic during a Tuesday morning Just Stop Oil demonstration in central London Just Stop Oil said they were targeting the HQ Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), which aims to combat what it sees as harmful climate policies The spray paint came as part of a wider protest which saw a total of six protesters block Horseferry Road at the junction with Tufton Street in Westminster on Tuesday morning Today's incident is the latest in a long list of disruptive stunts by Just Stop Oil in recent weeks. They have previously blocked the Dartford Bridge, tipped tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers, spray-painted the iconic glass frontage of Harrods orange and glued themselves to London's Abbey Road crossing. Yesterday police arrested protesters from the group for vandalising a waxwork of King Charles at Madame Tussauds. Footage showed two of the eco zealots walking up to the wax figure at the famous London attraction at around 10.50am before taking off their tops to reveal Just Stop Oil T-shirts. One of them shouts 'this is a time for action' before they both smear it with cake. As onlookers shout 'stop', the female protester begins a finger-wagging lecture about climate change while her male counterpart stands awkwardly with his arms crossed. Just Stop Oil identified the pair as Eilidh McFadden, a 20-year-old from Glasgow, and Tom Johnson, 29, a painter decorator from Sunderland. They had bought tickets to Madame Tussauds and wore black tops to cover their T-shirts. The Met Police confirmed yesterday that the pair had been arrested for criminal damage alongside two others. Nearby waxworks of Camilla, William and Kate emerged unscathed. McFadden said: 'We are here because we seek to protect our freedoms and rights, because we seek to protect this green and pleasant land which is the inheritance of us all. Last year, at Cop26 in Glasgow, Queen Elizabeth said: ''The time for words has moved to the time for action''.' She added: 'The science is clear. The demand is simple: just stop new oil and gas. It's a piece of cake.' King Charles III is a passionate environmental campaigner who has long spoken about the dangers of global warming. He had planned to travel to Egypt for Cop27, but has since abandoned plans to do so after it was claimed former prime minister Liz Truss warned him against attending. McFadden was among a group of 20 activists who, in May, blocked the entrance to the Nustar Clydebank oil terminal near Glasgow. They were eventually forcibly removed by police. Footage shows two of the eco morons walking up to the waxwork at the famous London attraction before taking off their tops to reveal Just Stop Oil T-shirts yesterday One of the activists shouts 'this is a time for action' before they both smear the waxwork with cake Onlookers can be heard shouting 'stop' during yesterday's bizarre protest in central London As onlookers shout 'stop', the female protester begins a finger-wagging lecture about climate change while her male counterpart stands awkwardly Just Stop Oil identified the pair as Eilidh McFadden, a 20-year-old from Glasgow and Tom Johnson, 29, a painter decorator from Sunderland Just Stop Oil's month of chaos in London with 27 protests in 25 days Here are the main protests that have taken place so far this month: October 1 - Bridge blockades In its first protest of the month, Just Stop Oil protesters block Waterloo, Westminster, Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges by sitting in the road. October 10 - Mob on the Mall Around 30 Just Stop Oil supporters set up a roadblock on the Mall stopping traffic in both directions. October 14 - Sunflowers stunt Two Just Stop Oil protesters Anna Holland, 20, from Newcastle, and Phoebe Plummer, 21, throw soup at Van Gogh's Sunflowers in the National Gallery in central London. Other zealots sprayed orange paint over the New Scotland Yard HQ's sign in Westminster, London. October 17 - Dartford Crossing Drivers are unable to use the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex, after it is blocked by demonstrators climbed into the structure and suspended themselves from it. Saturday - Islington Roughly 20 protesters walk into the road in north London and stop traffic at Upper Street and Islington Green at 12pm. Some supporters glue themselves onto the tarmac and others used locked ons. Sunday - Abbey Road Members of the eco-mob stroll onto the pedestrian crossing - made famous by The Beatles album of the same name - at 1pm on Sunday and sit on it before being arrested. Yesterday - Madame Tussauds Two protesters smear chocolate cake in the face of a waxwork of King Charles at Madame Tussauds before being arrested by police. Today - 55 Tufton Street A protester sprayed an orange substance over the front of 55 Tufton Street in Westminster, home to the Global Warming Policy Foundation and other fossil fuel lobby groups. Advertisement The latest acts of protest come as splits emerged within the radical eco movement, with activists at odds over which stunts protesters should pull to get people's attention. Just Stop Oil mastermind Roger Hallam has called on his organisation to take extreme action, arguing that 'nothing happens' unless you upset the public. However, Rupert Read, former spokesman for Extinction Rebellion (XR), has urged the group to focus on attracting new members to its cause instead of flashy demonstrations. Mr Read argues the current 'radical' actions pose 'significant barriers' when recruiting new activists to join the cause. XR inspired the seemingly more radical groups Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain. Both groups were founded and run by experienced members of XR. Mr Hallam, a co-founder member of XR, actually left the group to pursue a more radical extreme path. He now co-ordinates behind the scenes for Just Stop Oil. 'If we're going to win, we need a lot of people on board. I'm trying to create a moderate flank,' Mr Read, a professor at the University of East Anglia, has argued, according to The Times. 'What I want to see, and what I believe will occur, is a much larger mobilisation of people more moderate than Extinction Rebellion but more radical than any existing mainstream groups.' Mr Read argued the climate change movement has to 'be ready to grow exponentially' which means activism groups must 'lower barriers to entry'. 'The reality is, a lot of people feel there are significant barriers of entry for them with radical and environmental activism,' he argued. 'I don't think [the movement has] done such a good job to people with different political opinions and it's not done a terribly good job of being inclusive to people of a different class background.' The activist argued 'most people need to engage in non-violent direct action' and that having individuals take meaningful action on a smaller scale would 'be a game-changer'. He said: 'If we had a lot more people being determined that their employers or the institution where they spend most of their time should be serious about moving really fast, about reducing their climate and diversity impacts, that would be a game changer.' Climate activists are at odds over what actions protesters should take to get the public's attention. Pictured: Phoebe Plummer, 21, left, and Anna Holland, 20, during a Just Stop Oil protest in which they threw two tins of Heinz tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers in the National Gallery in central London on October 14 Just Stop Oil urged protesters to take extreme actions, arguing that 'nothing happens' unless you upset the public. Pictured: An activist lays in a hammock over the Dartford Crossing during a demonstration last week However, Extinction Rebellion has urged members to focus on attracting new members to its cause instead of flashy demonstrations. Pictured: An XR protester scaling London Underground tube at Canning Town station at rush hour in 2019 One XR leader argued the 'radical' actions the groups have been taking pose 'significant barriers' when recruiting new activists to join the cause. Pictured: Insulate Britain activists blocking traffic on the M25 last year Just Stop Oil protesters spray orange paint over the Aston Martin car showroom on Park Lane in London on October 16 However, Mr Hallam has taken a different approach to gather support, telling environmental enthusiasts: 'If you don't upset people enough, then nothing happens.' 'If you upset people too much, like traditionally with violence, then you're dead as well. But then there's a sweet spot.' He added: 'No one knows where that sweet spot is, but as a general rule of thumb it's a lot higher up than you think.' Just Stop Oil is pushing activists to act boldly and encourages 'high level disruption and intense mobilisation.' Tim Hewes, a retired church of England priest affiliated with the group, told members: 'If you're not already in custody or dead we need you.' The group also stresses the benefits of its 'support system' which includes no-fee lawyers that can help anyone who gets arrested over demonstrative action. Additionally, members have access to an emotional support hotline with 'climate crisis aware' professionals and safe houses 'where somebody will cook you dinner'. It recently emerged the group is being funded by a coalition of wealthy individuals from California, including Aileen Getty the granddaughter of oil tycoon J Paul Getty and that some of this money is used to pay activists. In response to a report in The Times last weekend, a spokesman for the group confirmed that 'some people supporting Just Stop Oil do receive a small income'. Ms Getty, who lives in the United States and can draw on her family's estimated $5.4 billion (3.7 billion) fortune, has been helping to fund the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), a US non-profit that gives grants and funds to activists around the world, including Just Stop Oil. This has sparked accusations from one MP that 'foreign millionaires' are funding eco mobs 'to do their dirty work without any intention of coming out of the shadows and exposing themselves to democratic accountability'. To date, Ms Getty has been thought to have given more than 800,000 ($1million) of her own money to the organisation, which has also counts Hollywood director Adam McKay among its supporters. The CEF in turn has given out more than 6million to groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, the latter of which have caused havoc in the UK in recent months. Ms Getty's grandfather, J Paul Getty, was at one time the world's richest man. Ukraine's nuclear energy watchdog today said that it assumes the Russians are preparing a terrorist act at an occupied power plant which could contaminate hundreds of square miles. Energoatom, which operates the country's four nuclear power plants, said that Russian forces have carried out secret construction work over the last week at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The company said in a statement that Ukrainian staff are being denied access to the plant or monitors from the UN's atomic energy watchdog that would allow them to see what the Russians are doing. And it has today said that it believes the Russians are preparing a terrorist act using nuclear materials and radioactive waste stored at the plant. It said that there were 174 containers at the plant's dry spent fuel storage facility, each of them containing 24 assemblies of spent nuclear fuel. Energoatom, which operates the country's four nuclear power plants, said that Russian forces have carried out secret construction work over the last week at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, pictured (file image) The company said: 'Destruction of these containers as a result of explosion will lead to a radiation accident and radiation contamination of several hundred square kilometers (miles) of the adjacent territory,' the company said. And it called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to assess what was happening. It comes after Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made an unsubstantiated allegation that Ukraine was preparing to launch its own 'dirty bomb.' Mr Shoigu levelled the charge over the weekend in calls to British, French, Turkish and US counterparts. But Britain, France and the US have labelled his allegation 'transparently false.' The claim was also dismissed by Ukraine, who said that it was used in an attempt to divert attention from the Kremlin's alleged plans to detonate a dirty bomb, using explosives to scatter radioactive waste in an effort to sow terror. It comes after Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, pictured, made an unsubstantiated allegation that Ukraine was preparing to launch a 'dirty bomb' The White House on Monday again said that the Russian allegations were false. John Kirby, pictured, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said: 'It's just not true. We know it's not true' The White House on Monday again said that the Russian allegations were false. John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said: 'It's just not true. We know it's not true. 'In the past, the Russians have, on occasion, blamed others for things that they were planning to do.' Later today, the UN Security Council were set to hold closed-door consultations about the dirty bomb allegations, at Russia's request. The council were asked by Russia to establish a commission to investigate its claims that the US and Ukraine are violating the convention prohibiting the use of biological weapons at laboratories in Ukraine. Later today, the UN Security Council, pictured in New York, were set to hold closed-door consultations about the dirty bomb allegations, at Russia's request Russian ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia, pictured, claimed in February that secret American labs in Ukraine were engaged in biological warfare It comes after Russian ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia claimed in February that secret American labs in Ukraine were engaged in biological warfare. This was a charge denied by the US and Ukraine. The Kremlin has insisted that its warning of a purported Ukrainian plan to use a dirty bomb should be taken seriously and criticized Western nations for shrugging it off. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'The dismissal of Moscow's warning is 'unacceptable in view of the seriousness of the danger that we have talked about.' In a conference call with reporters, Peskov added: 'We again emphasize the grave danger posed by the plans hatched by the Ukrainians.' Concerns have been growing in recent weeks that Moscow could order its forces to set off a dirty bomb of its own, place the blame on Kyiv, and use it as justification to further escalate the war with a devastating nuclear strike. He told CNN that he would turn down the top editor job if he was offered it British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful addressed rumors of taking over from Anna Wintour when she steps down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful has revealed that he does not want American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour's job following speculation that he's next in line to take her place. Enninful, 50, who made history by becoming the first black editor-in-chief of Vogue, said he had spoken to Wintour, 72, at Paris Fashion Week and told her that he didn't want her job amid rumors of her impending departure as the editor of American Vogue. When asked whether he will take Wintour's place if and when she does step down, Enninful told CNN: 'Everyone focuses on American Vogue. 'Everybody wants to know what I'm doing, but I would like to tell you that I don't want Anna's job. I've spoken to her about it a few weeks ago.' Enninful, who has just released his biography A Visible Man, added: 'Having been on my book tour where I met so many people in the world, met so many women, met so many minorities essentially, I can do better in the world than maybe I can in one magazine.' When pressed by journalist Christiane Amanpour what he would do if he was asked to take the job today, Enninful said: 'I would say not right now, not today.' British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful has revealed that he does not want American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour's job following speculation that he's next in line to take her place Enninful, 50, who made history by becoming the first black editor-in-chief of Vogue, said he had spoken to Wintour, 72, (pictured together at London Fashion Week in February) and told her that he didn't want her job amid rumors of her impending departure as the editor of American Vogue Amanpour said it appeared like he was leaving a little wiggle room for the future, to which Enninful explained: 'What I want to do in the future really is create. I've realized that my strength is in creativity. 'That's really where I want to focus on.' Enninful, who married his long-term partner Alec Maxwell in February this year, added that he would feel 'exactly the same way' even if Wintour stepped down in six months, a year or two years. He said that he had told Wintour about him not wanting her job as the editor-in-chief of American Vogue during the Paris Fashion Week earlier this month, adding that she was 'fine' about it. Enninful added: 'Let's quell that rumor right there', referring to speculation that he would take over the top spot at American Vogue. Enninful, who was born in Ghana but grew up in West London, became the first non-white person to be appointed editor of Vogue in 2017. Enninful has opened up about his life's struggles ahead of the release of his memoir, including his battle with alcoholism and how he had four operations on his eyes in recent years. He explained that detached retina, among other issues, led to him having the procedures - and during the recovery time he was left living in the dark and looking at the floor for several weeks. Describing the recovery as 'psychologically intense' he explained he had always had problems with his eyesight. He told The BBC's Amol Rajan last month: 'But what I've also learned is... you don't need perfect vision to create. You don't need 20/20 vision to see images. 'So that's the irony of it: though I have bad eyesight, I'm still able to create images that people seem to resonate with.' As well as issues with his sight, Enninful suffers from the blood condition thalassaemia, which flares up and causes him pain. As a child living in Ghana, he had to have several blood transfusions, before eventually moving to the UK when he was 13 years old amid political unrest in the country. Edward, who married his long term partner Alec Maxwell in February this year, also opened up about being estranged from his father for 15 years His mother, who had run a seamstress business, decided to remain in Ghana for a little while after a young Enninful, his father and his five siblings moved to Vauxhall in south London where they lived with his aunt. Enninful's father, who had been in the Ghanaian military, spent three years seeking asylum in the UK. When he was 16, Enninful was spotted on public transport by stylist Simon Foxton, who told him he could be a model, and he began shooting with photographers for i-D magazine. After assisting the magazine's fashion director Beth Summers, Enninful gained more experience and when Summers left her position shortly before the model's 18th birthday, he was asked to step into her role, becoming the youngest ever fashion director for an international publication. However the job came at a price as Enninful had been skipping classes at the University of Goldsmiths in order to pursue his career. When his father found out about this, he threw him out of the house and the pair didn't speak for 15 years. During the interview, Enninful also revealed he had suffered from bouts of depression throughout his life and had been part of the Alcoholics Anonymous programme for 14 years where he said he found 'fellowship'. The editor said: 'It got very bad because imagine how I was, you know - I lost one home, which was Africa, and came to England. 'Then I lost a second home when I was kicked out. And then I went into the gay scene thinking I found my tribe and again, got so many rejections.' Enninful did eventually find love in his long-term partner, creative director Alec Maxwell and the pair tied the knot in February this year. The star-studded nuptials coincided with Enninful's 50th birthday. He is pictured with a handful of his nearest and dearest for a dinner at Laylow in west London (pictured) A-list pals including Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham gathered at Longleat House, in Wiltshire - home to Enninful's close friend Emma Thynn, the Marchioness of Bath - to watch Edward and video producer Alec tie the knot in an intimate ceremony in the Orangery before partying the night away. The wedding is estimated to have cost at least 600,000, according to event experts, but Edward could have received favours from friends, including use of the historic wedding venue, which is believed to have been a wedding gift from Emma and her husband, the 8th Marquess of Bath. The star-studded nuptials coincided with Enninful's 50th birthday. After partnering with Meghan Markle who guest edited British Vogue in 2019, Enninful put to bed rumors the Duchess of Sussex had asked to delay publication so the American media would see the edition first. He claimed 'nobody really interfered' with the publication process. The Labor government will spend $75million to prepare for a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament. Budget papers reveal the Australian Electoral Commission will get $52.6million over two years to prepare for the nationwide vote, while the National Indigenous Australians Agency will receive a $6.5million funding boost. To mitigate against low voter turnout in remote communities, more than $16million has been set aside to help Indigenous people enrol and participate. Enshrining the voice is integral to fulfilling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's promise to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart after he won the May federal election. The Australian Election Commission will get $52.6million over two years to prepare for the vote on the Voice to Parliament. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pictured in Arnhem land The Uluru statement also called for an independent Makarrata Commission to oversee 'agreement-making' and 'truth-telling' between governments and Indigenous people, and the Budget includes $5.8million to progress this work. The economic blueprint locks in $1.2billion to address health, education and economic inequality within Indigenous communities. Poll Will you vote for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Yes No I don't know yet Will you vote for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Yes 154 votes No 1609 votes I don't know yet 106 votes Now share your opinion The government will spend $14.1million to fund Indigenous language and cultural education in dozens of primary schools. Students will learn the local Indigenous language from teachers of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. Indigenous communities will also get greater access to cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy sources. Almost $84million will be spent over four years micro-grid technologies in remote communities. The Budget will fund more Indigenous rangers and create 10 Indigenous Protected Areas by 2028, ensuring First Nations voices are included in the conservation of Australia's environment. Areas with high Indigenous populations will receive more money for birthing centres, training programs, dialysis units, and help to support people with chronic disease. To address cost-of-living pressures, the 2022/23 Labor Budget contains $25million for housing and essential services in the Northern Territory. Pitjantjatjara and Nyungar playwright and actor Trevor Jamieson as the 'story teller' in an ad for for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament campaign A First Nations Justice package will address the disproportionately high rates of incarceration and deaths in custody among Indigenous people, which has been an obvious problem for many decades. With $99million going towards the initiative, Labor claims it is the largest justice 'reinvestment' ever made by the Commonwealth. The bulk of the money will be spent establishing community-led initiatives. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services will get $13.5million to facilitate access to culturally appropriate services. Indigenous survivors of family and domestic violence will receive more support as the Commonwealth invests $3million in a national prevention program. A contestant who appeared on ITV's The Chase used his job at the Halifax bank to swindle 53,000 from dead customers' estates. Finance consultant Daniel Hodgin, 47, transferred cash between the accounts of a number of deceased account holders to siphon payments into his own. Hodgin, of Leyland, Lancs, had been 'living beyond his means' since he appeared on The Chase and won a share of a 14,000 prize in 2017. In 2021 Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Halifax, had been looking through a dead woman's account when they noticed two fraudulent payments. A total of 30,137 was missing so investigators began scutinising funds belonging to other deceased customers. They found other dormant accounts had been reactivated and money moved around. Preston Crown Court heard Hodgin had set up standing orders before cancelling them days later as well as using accounts to have fraudulent loans paid in - before transferring the money to himself, LancsLive reported. Daniel Hodgin, 47, transferred cash between number of deceased customers' bank accounts Hodgin told police after he had been arrested that he had 'done something stupid', court heard In one fraud, Hodgin converted a woman's current account into a joint account and transferred 3,000 - eleven days before she died. He later stole a further 16,000 and made a duplicate transfer for the cost of her funeral to his own account. Prosecutor David Clarke said: 'He was able to circumvent all the banking security protocols. 'His health wasn't good, his wife was unwell and he had carried out the frauds because of financial difficulties. 'He had over borrowed on loans and credit cards', Hodgin was interviewed by the police on August 19, 2021, and admitted he had 'done something stupid'. Hodgin appeared on The Chase and won a share of a 14,000 prize in 2017 with his team Hodgkin must return to court on December 9 where Proceeds of Crime proceedings will be discussed Anna Chestnutt, defending, said: 'Through his work in the banking industry he was personally involved in helping people get out of debt. Against that backdrop it must have been truly embarrassing to admit to his employers he was in such crushing debt. He had been in debt since 2008 but kept it all hidden. 'He acknowledges the bereaved families would have been distressed that he took from the estates that should have gone to their families.' Hodgin was sentenced to 20 months suspended for 20 months and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. Judge Medland KC said: 'For reasons that aren't satisfactorily explained, you began to lead a life which was significantly beyond your legitimate means, and racked up debts. You sought to satisfy this and get yourself out of trouble in a very sophisticated, cunning and prolonged way. 'You misused the knowledge you had of the systems in the bank where you were working, and robbing Peter to pay Paul - but you were the ultimate beneficiary of these funds. It will follow, from a description of your career to date that you have no previous convictions. Hodgkin must return to court on December 9 where Proceeds of Crime proceedings will be discussed. All four crew members on board the ship were rescued by Fraserburgh Royal National Lifeboat Institution The vessel is now metres away from the Sovereign BF380, which was shipwrecked in the same spot in 2005 Advertisement Dramatic aerial images have captured a fishing vessel slowly sinking beneath the waves after running aground near a notoriously dangerous part of the North Sea - prompting a heroic early morning rescue by the coastguard. Ocean Maid BA55 capsized on Monday morning off the Scottish shores of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire. Four crew members on board were able to get to safety using a life raft and life boat- escaping the keeling ship in the nick of time. Fraserburgh Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) responded to the distress call at 5.56am on Monday and was able to guide the crew to safety. The vessel had not long begun its journey when it ran into trouble, coasting into a 'notorious black spot' by Cairnbulg Beacon, which has reportedly claimed countless other ships in previous years. Dramatic aerial images have captured a ship slowly sinking beneath the waves after hitting a notorious 'black spot' in the North Sea Ocean Maid BA55 capsized on Monday morning after it ran aground off the shore of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire The Ocean Maid now sits just metres away from the Sovereign BF380, which was shipwrecked in 2005 after crashing into Cairnbulg rocks Pictured: The RNLI crew who were dispatched to rescue the ship's crewmates. They saved all four crew onboard The Ocean Maid now sits just metres away from the Sovereign BF380, which was shipwrecked in 2005 after crashing into Cairnbulg rocks. Aerial footage of Ocean Maid shows the empty ship capsizing next to a buoy, giving it an eerie appearance as though falling into an ocean void. RNLI Fraserburgh Lifeboat has since detailed how the rescue was completed. In a Facebook post, they wrote: 'Fraserburgh RNLI were requested to launch by HM Coastguard this morning and responded at 5.56am to a fishing boat that had run aground beside Cairnbulg Beacon. 'The boat's crew of four took to a life raft and were then picked up by the lifeboat who brought them ashore. 'The boat went aground at a notorious black spot which has seen many ships wrecked over the years and just yards from where another boat, the Sovereign, went aground in 2005.' The gloomy images show the wreckage covered in a cloak of mist and fog as it slowly capsized The vessel had not long begun its journey when it ran into trouble, coasting into a 'notorious black spot' by Cairnbulg Beacon, which has reportedly claimed countless other ships in previous years Four crew members on board were able to get to safety using a life raft and life boat- escaping the keeling ship in the nick of time The vessel had not long begun its journey when it ran into trouble, coasting into a "notorious black spot" by Cairnbulg Beacon, which has reportedly claimed countless other ships in previous years The statement was accompanied by several photos showing the wreckage covered in a cloak of mist and fog as it slowly capsized. The gloomy images show a flock of birds perched along the Sovereign, watching the doomed ship sink further beneath the waves. Another photo showed the rescue team smiling at the camera after leading the crew to safety. The post attracted delighted responses from social media users who were glad the crew made it to safety. Fiona Williamson said: 'I hope everyone is safe. We know how dangerous the sea can be.' Jayne Ellis Chapman said: 'Not another one at that point. There are dangerous rocks just there. I'm glad everyone is safe.' Jacqueline Neish said: 'Fantastic pictures! I'm glad the crew and rescuers are all safe.' Jo Lawrence said: 'That's bloody unfortunate, I hope everyone is ok. Those are some cracking pictures, though.' A flock of birds perched along the Sovereign, watching the doomed ship sink further beneath the waves Hillary Clinton said 'extremist' Republicans have a plan underway to steal the 2024 presidential election in video urging Americans to vote for Democratic legislatures in their states. The two-minute clip urged Americans to look past the 2022 midterms and turn out to vote in their local election, because she claims the conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court might give state legislatures the power to overturn results. 'Right-wing extremists already have a plan to literally steal the next presidential election and they're not making a secret of it,' Clinton alleged. The failed 2016 Democratic presidential candidate did not provide any proof of these plans or examples of Republicans conspiring to 'steal' the 2024 election. The video was put out on Twitter by the progressive group Indivisible Guide, which is running an initiative aimed at promoting progressive candidates in local state races on a website called Crush the Coup. While the group says Democrats winning the midterms is 'critical', it also says they need to be focused on the larger issues of 'fighting MAGA Republicans at the state level.' Crush the Coup's website homepage reads in huge capital lettering: 'MAGA has a plan to steal the election in 2024. We have to stop them, today.' It further claims that Democrats need to focus on winning 29 local seats in six swing states Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Hillary Clinton said in a video released on Twitter that 'right-wing extremists already have a plan to literally steal the next presidential election and they're not making a secret of it' Clinton scoffed when claiming the prospect of Republicans trying to challenge the results of the next presidential election is 'keeping me up at night' and said that allowing GOP legislatures to control states is a 'threat to Democracy.' 'The right-wing controlled Supreme Court may be poised to rule on giving state legislatures yes you heard me correctly state legislatures the power to overturn presidential elections,' the former Secretary of State said. On January 6, 2021, 147 Republicans in the House and Senate objected to the results of the 2020 presidential election, while the vast majority of Congress voted to codify the outcome as a victory for President Joe Biden. Six Republicans in the Senate and 121 in the House backed objections to certify Arizona's electoral outcome while 128 in the House and seven in the Senate objected to Pennsylvania's outcome. Any Republicans who still question the outcome of the 2020 presidential election have been dubbed 'election deniers', even though Democrats have asked questions and continue to question the outcome of some previous elections. Now, Clinton is questioning results a full two years before an election was even held, despite her claims that Republicans pushing election fraud claims are helping push the Kremlin's agenda. The former Secretary of State said: 'The right-wing controlled Supreme Court may be poised to rule on giving state legislatures... the power to overturn presidential elections' Clinton said in June 2021 elected officials suggesting the 2020 election was stolen or conducted unfairly are aiding Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to undermine American democracy. 'We never thought we had to worry about domestic enemies. We never thought we had to worry about people who didn't believe in our democracy,' Clinton said during an MSNBC interview at the time. 'And sadly, what we've seen over the last four years and particularly since the election is that we have people in our own country who are doing Putin's work,' she continued. 'They are doing his work to sow distrust, to sow divisiveness.' Indivisible Guide is a progressive group that formed in response to Donald Trump's election in 2016, but calls the former president a 'symptom of a sick democracy, not its cause.' In Clinton's video, she said that Republicans are on a mission to make sure that neither the popular vote or the Electoral College results do not determine the outcome of the election. She also slammed the Electoral College as outdated. Clinton won the popular vote in the 2016 prudential election by nearly 3 million votes but Trump emerged the victor by winning the Electoral College count by 74 votes. In 2008, Clinton lost the Democratic presidential primary election to eventual winner Barack Obama. She won the nomination in 2016, becoming the first woman to run for president under a major party. She lost to Trump. Clinton was promoting the progressive Indivisible Guide's Crush the Coup project, which is focusing on local elections in swing states in an attempt to turn the legislatures blue and stop the conservative Supreme Court from allowing them to challenge election results in their states 'The 2024 presidential election could be decided not by the popular vote or even the anachronistic Electoral College but by state legislatures, many of them Republican-controlled,' Clinton said. She then promoted Indivisible Guide's Crush the Coup campaign. The group details that the U.S. faces two fundamental problems, that U.S. democracy is 'rigged' in favor of the white and wealthy and that 'an alliance of white nationalists and the ultra-rich' has emerged in the last decade to try and cling to power. 'That's how we ended up with Trump,' they claim. Other world leaders also congratulated Britain's third PM in a year Russia has already blasted any hope of improving ties with Britain following Liz Truss's departure, saying there is 'no hope' of an ease in tensions under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the appointment of the former chancellor will do little to repair the damaged diplomatic relationship caused by Vladimir Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine. However, Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the new leader, after forging a strong friendship with Boris Johnson who was unwavering in his support of Kyiv. Peskov said today: 'At the moment, we do not see any preconditions, grounds, or hope that in the foreseeable future there will be any positive changes. 'Russia maintains its openness and readiness to discuss the most difficult issues at the negotiating table. But not to the detriment of its own interests.' Russia has already blasted any hope of improving ties with Britain, saying there is 'no hope' of an ease in tensions under new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Volodymyr Zelensky, seen with Boris Johnson in Kyiv earlier this year, instead welcomed Mr Sunak as leader. He forged a strong friendship with Mr Johnson during his tenure Mr Zelensky said it was a chance to strengthen ties even further with a key military ally Mr Zelensky instead congratulated Mr Sunak and said it was a chance to strengthen ties even further with a key military ally. The Ukrainian President said: 'Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on taking office as British Prime Minister!' 'I wish you too successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today. 'I'm ready to continue strengthening the Ukrainian-British strategic partnership together!' the Ukrainian leader added. Emmanuel Macron also joined in with the chorus of congratulations from world leaders for the new PM. The French President had a tricky relationship with Mr Johnson and Liz Truss, who refused to say whether he was a 'friend or foe'. Liz Truss and French President Emmanuel Macron. The former PM refused to say whether he was a 'friend or foe' Mr Macron said today: 'Congratulations to Rishi Sunak... together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world.' Elsewhere in Europe, German chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Mr Sunak after he became Britain's third prime minister this year, and vowed to continue working closely with London. 'I look forward to our further cooperation and partnership in NATO and G7 as close friends,' Mr Scholz tweeted. From Italy, newly installed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that she was 'eager to cooperate with [Mr Sunak] and his Cabinet on the common challenges, standing for our shared values of freedom and democracy.' Maros Sefcovic, the European Union's pointman on post-Brexit ties with Britain, said that 'a positive EU-UK relationship is of strategic importance'. He vowed to work towards 'a partnership in full respect of our agreements' including the contentious issue of British province Northern Ireland's land border with EU-member Ireland. Across the Irish Sea, leaders welcomed the news but cautioned that Sunak must move quickly to resolve an impasse on the Northern Ireland protocol. Prime minister Micheal Martin called on Mr Sunak to move quickly to start substantive engagement with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules governing Northern Ireland. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not wait for Mr Sunak to be officially appointed and sent his congratulations via Twitter yesterday He said in a statement: 'Building on work already under way, there is a real opportunity for the EU and UK to find jointly agreed solutions on the issues pertaining to the [Northern Ireland] Protocol, and I urge Prime Minister Sunak to move quickly to substantive engagement with the EU on that basis.' Ireland's deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar, who is due to take over as prime minister in December, said he was encouraged by the pragmatism and lack of 'magical thinking' demonstrated by Mr Sunak. Mr Varadkar, who was a key player in trade talks between Britain and the European Union during an earlier stint as prime minister, said however that Ireland would be realistic about Mr Sunak's history as a Brexit supporter. 'I think he has demonstrated during his period as chancellor that he did have a real understanding of the economy and how it works ... and a real concern for businesses and jobs,' he said of Sunak at a press briefing today. 'And I think he has probably demonstrated a lot of pragmatism and less of the magical thinking that we perhaps have seen from some British politicians and I think that is encouraging,' he said. Dublin, however, needs to be realistic in its expectations of a breakthrough due to Sunak's history as an early supporter of Brexit, Mr Varadkar said. Joe Biden also hailed the appointment of Britain's first non-white prime minister as a 'groundbreaking milestone,' but failed to pronounce his name correctly in an embarrassing gaffe. The US President stumbled over Mr Sunak's name, making several failed attempts before calling him 'Rashee Sanook'. Joe Biden, speaking at a White House event to mark the Indian holiday of Diwali, said Rishi Sunak, who is also of Indian descent, is expected to be named Prime Minister today after seeing King Charles. But he stumbled over his name, calling him 'Rashee Sanook' In his speech, Mr Biden said: 'And whether it's the United Kingdom, where just today, we've got news that [Rishi Sunak] is now the prime minister. 'As my brother would say, ''go figure!"' he exclaimed, to a round of laughs from the audience. 'And the Conservative Party, expected to become the Prime Minister, I think, tomorrow when he goes to see the King. 'Pretty astounding. A groundbreaking milestone. And it matters, it matters.' Indian prime minister Narendra Modi did not wait for Sunak to be officially appointed, sending congratulations via Twitter yesterday. 'As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues,' Mr Modi wrote. 'Special Diwali wishes to the "living bridge" of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership,' he added. Mr Sunak is married to an Indian, Akshata Murty, the daughter of the co-founder of IT giant Infosys. New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority is asking state judges to ban thugs who assault fellow passengers from the subway system and enforce a block on sex fiends and those who target staff. Chairman Janno Lieber called on state authorities on Monday to expand a 2020 law banning people convicted of sex crimes on the subways or of assaulting transit employees to include those who attack their fellow passengers. The letter comes just days after DailyMail.com revealed that the Big Apple recorded its thirteenth subway shoving so far this year. Crimes on the subways are now up 41 percent over last year, according to recent data from the New York Police Department as subway murders have risen to their highest level in 25 years with nine reported so far this year. Assaults on the subway system are also up 17 percent from the same time last year, with 431 attacks reported as of October 16 compared to 370 at the same time last year. But Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly claimed there is only a 'perception' that crime is out of control on the subways, even as he and New York Gov Kathy Hochul announced they would add more police to patrol the system. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber sent a letter to New York State District Attorneys on Monday begging them to expand a 2020 law banning people convicted of sex crimes on the subways or of assaulting transit employees to include those who attack their fellow passengers. He is pictured here with Gov Kathy Hochul at a press conference over the weekend The letter comes just days after the city recorded its 13th subway shoving this year, when Lamale McRae, 41, shoved 32-year-old David Martin onto the tracks on the northbound L train tracks at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway station in Brooklyn In his letter on Monday, Lieber pushed New York State judges to expand a 2020 law which allows judges to ban people from public transit if they are convicted of illegal sexual conduct while using the system or of assaulting MTA employees. 'The current statute is plainly too narrow,' Lieber wrote in his letter to New York State District Attorneys in the metropolitan area, according to the New York Daily News. 'For example, there is no good reason why rider-on-worker assaults are ban-eligible while rider-on-rider assaults.' He then asked district attorneys to promote a policy of 'pursuing transit bans in appropriate cases, including via plea agreements,' as well as designate staff to work with the MTA legal department. 'We are aware of no cases in which courts have actually used the ban authority created by the Legislature,' Lieber wrote. 'That is despite a steady stream of disturbing, high-profile crimes in the transit system.' Lieber went on to highlight the growing list of subway attacks that have left commuters on edge, and asked high-ranking judges Anthony Cannataro, Lawrence Marks and Kathie Davidson to forward the letter to judges in 12 counties the MTA serves. Authorities arrested McRae, a career criminal, late Monday night McRae is an aspiring rapper who previously served a 20-year sentence for his role in an attempted murder and robbery when he was just 17-years old The letter was sent to New York State judges just hours before the New York Police Department was able to track down a career criminal who was caught on surveillance footage Friday shoving an innocent bystander onto the subway tracks. Authorities say Lamale McRae, 41, shoved 32-year-old David Martin onto the tracks on the northbound L train tracks at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway station in Brooklyn Friday afternoon. He was seen on security footage wearing a yellow sweatshirt under a black jacket watching Martin, in a black jacket and jeans, passing by on the crowded track. McRae then drops the gray backpack he is carrying, looks both ways as if to make 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 track. At that point, the attacker runs back to where he let his backpack and escaped through the turnstiles. Martin is now suffering from a broken collarbone and a swollen face. with his mom revealing that he is traumatized to the point of being suicidal. She 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. He is now became the 13th victim this year and the third in just one week to be pushed onto the subway tracks in New York City, after Heriberto Quintana, 48, was struck by an F train in Queens on October 17. 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. And just two days before 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, 35, 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. While out on parole, McRae tried to pursue a rap career, going by the moniker Source Da God as a member of the Brooklyn Kingz Collective In one song, McRae raps about previously being a cocaine dealer and mourns the deaths of close friends in addition to 'all those we lost in the towers,' an allusion to 9/11. He is pictured here outside the Barclays Center as it was being built 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. Records show that both Ramirez and McRae have criminal records. Ramirez has about 10 prior arrests, including for assaults, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to ABC 7. He is now charged with attempted murder, assault, assault with intent to cause serious physical injury, causing injury through risk of death and reckless endangerment. McRae, meanwhile, was sentenced in 1998 to 20 years in prison for his role in an attempted murder and robbery when he was just 17-years old. He was paroled in the case in 2010, and his sentence expired in 2018. While out on parole, McRae tried to pursue a rap career, going by the moniker Source Da God as a member of the Brooklyn Kingz Collective. The band's most viewed music video is titled Memorial. It was released in May 2012 and has nearly 25,000 views. The video's description reads: 'Memorial is the second single from The Brooklyn Kingz Project. The song was written to commemorate those we miss and lost. Although you are missing someone take a moment and reflect on how they were apart of our lives.' During his verse, McRae raps about previously being a cocaine dealer and mourns the deaths of close friends in addition to 'all those we lost in the towers,' an allusion to 9/11. But the group does not appear to have been active post 2013, while McRae has not been active on his Facebook page since 2012 when he posted photos at his son's middle school graduation. 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. 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 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. 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 has refused to concede that there is a problem with crime on the subway. In a recent interview with 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 instead has said the crimes that are occurring on the subway system are due to an ongoing 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 in another interview with FOX 5. '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.' Speaking at a news conference over the weekend, Adams spoke about ensuring passengers' safety as they ride the subways Gov Kathy Hochul 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 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 Yorkers 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. 'I won't rest until the subway is a safe place for all,' he added. 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.' From left, director Han Dong-hwa, actors Jin Goo, Kyung Soo-jin, Lee Sung-min and Lee Hak-joo pose during a press conference for Disney+'s original series, "Shadow Detective," at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, southern Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap By Lee Gyu-lee Disney+ is set to roll out a new Korean original series, "Shadow Detective," starring actor Lee Sung-min as a veteran detective. The new crime suspense series, which is scheduled to premiere its first two episodes Wednesday, revolves around detective Kim Taek-rok (Lee), who is on the brink of retirement from law enforcement, planning a peaceful life ahead. One day, he receives a phone call from a mysterious man, which turns his life upside down, and becomes the prime suspect in his co-worker's murder case. Teaming up with the newly-appointed chief of his team, Gook Jin-han (Jin Goo), and fellow detectives Lee Seong-ah (Kyung Soo-jin) and Song Kyeong-cheon (Lee Hak-joo), he chases after the man, who keeps making threats to him, while digging into his own past, which is linked to the mystery. "When I first read the script, I finished it so quickly as I was following along with the story, trying to guess (the suspect). I think viewers will enjoy that from the series," Lee said during a press conference for the series at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, in southern Seoul, Tuesday. Sharing that his character has a deep trauma, the actor said that it was difficult to portray such a complex character. "Taek-rok suffers from panic disorder due to his past trauma. He hates becoming a burden on his co-workers and is very protective of them. That's the kind of person he is, but he has lost a close colleague, so I need to express that change in emotion and feeling as well as his medical suffering," he said. A scene from the Disney+ series, "Shadow Detective" / Courtesy of Disney+ A gambling addict burglar who murdered an 86-year-old woman while searching her home for 30,000 in cash 'followed the victim's husband home from a betting shop', a friend has said. Vasile Culea, 34, was convicted of murdering Freda Walker at Derby Crown Court. He was also convicted of wounding with intent the victim's 88-year-old husband; former district councillor and alderman Kenneth Walker, at their Derbyshire home on January 14. Prosecutor Michael Auty QC described the couple as being found 'bound, hog-tied, gagged and left to their fate' in an attack 'devoid of mercy'. Romanian national Culea 'hog-tied' Mr and Mrs Walker, binding their hands and feet, while searching the couple's Langwith Junction home in Derbyshire for 30,000 in cash, which he had heard they had. The cash did exist but was only discovered afterwards by police search teams, with the jury hearing evidence Mr Walker had forgotten where he had stored the money in the home. One of Mr Walker's oldest friends may have uncovered the mystery of how Vasile Culea knew there was 30,000 cash in their house. After the verdict, Brian Murray-Carr revealed that Culea had confronted Mr Walker and demanded money in a betting shop just days before the attack. Mr Murray-Carr, 89, who worked with Mr Walker in the mining industry and then followed him into local politics, said: 'The information relayed to me was that Ken had withdrawn some money from the Lloyds Bank in Shirebrook and this had been witnessed by the man who was in the dock. 'Later that day Ken went into a betting shop in Shirebrook and there was a confrontation between them where that man demanded money. 'My suspicion is that he followed Ken home and that is how he knew where he lived.' Mr Murray-Carr added: 'I had great respect for Ken both what he did as a councillor on Bolsover district council and as a colleague in the mining industry. I hope when he is sentenced that life will mean life.' Vasile Culea pictured in footage of the moment he was arrested over the murder of Freda Walker The footage showed him being handcuffed by police and asked to confirm his name Footage has been released showing the moment police arrested Culea. Officers are seen kicking down the door of a property and shouting 'stay where you are' before they find him in a bedroom and handcuff him. The footage then shows Culea in a police cell with his hands handcuffed behind his back, as he's told he's under arrest for the murder of Freda Walker. Romanian national Culea had bound the elderly couple's hands and feet while searching their home for 30,000 in cash he claimed to have found out about after overhearing two strangers chatting about it in a shop. He demanded to know where the money was and Mr Walker, who had hidden the cash in random places around their home and could not recall where he had put it, had to watch as Culea tortured his wife. Mrs Walker, who also had a bag put over her head and died of a brain injury, was found dead in the kitchen by emergency services the following day after neighbours raised concerns. The court heard Mr Walker died some months later, although his death was not connected to the attack. Couple Kenneth and Freda Walker, who were 'hog-tied' in their home by Vasile Culea Culea, 34, has been convicted of murdering Freda Walker at Derby Crown Court CCTV footage previously released showed Culea entering several betting shops in Shirebrook and Mansfield on the morning of the attack before making his way to the couple's home Culea had already admitted manslaughter of Mrs Walker and the grievous bodily harm of her husband, but prosecutors said he was guilty of fabricating 'a nonsense' to cover up for an attack on the couple that went 'far beyond any justification; savage in its nature - and sustained'. Culea, who fled with 300 from a handbag after getting 'scared' by sounds of a car outside, repeatedly lied about how the couple suffered the injuries. Jurors heard the victims suffered 'frankly horrific' injuries and that Mrs Walker had a reasonable prospect of survival had she not been 'abandoned without any assistance' and 'with coverings to her face obstructing her airway', according to Michael Auty KC, prosecuting. Footage of Culea being arrested - he was arrested after DNA on a baseball cap left at the scene was matched to him A court sketch of Culea during a previous hearing - he has now been found guilty of murdering Freda Walker at Derby Crown Court The jury of 11 men and one woman unanimously convicted the 34-year-old after just two hours and 15 minutes, having heard his claim that he injured Mrs Walker after 'slipping' on a spilt drink and stepping on her chest, after she 'fell over' during his attack. The couple, who had lived in the same home for all of their 60 years of marriage, were at the heart of their local community. Freda, a retired seamstress, volunteered for charities, and Ken, formerly an accountant, still served on Langwith Town Council and had been a Bolsover district councillor for the Labour Party. Culea, by contrast, was a relatively new arrival in the area, and lived in a shared house in Church Warsop, three miles away. The couple, who had lived in the same home for all of their 60 years of marriage, were at the heart of their local community The trial heard that he had fallen into rent arrears and by January was 11,000 in debt due to heavy gambling. On January 14, he began the day by visiting four different betting shops in the area where he lost a further 250. He then remembered overhearing a conversation in a shop in Shirebrook about a house in Langwith Junction where a wealthy couple lived. It is unclear how he knew that Mr Walker had recently taken out 30,000 in cash for home improvements but he said he intended to sneak into the house, hide and find the money while the couple slept. Around lunchtime, he began to scope the area. The court heard he carried out seven reconnaissance missions on the couple's house and CCTV picked up his Audi A4 car repeatedly passing their home. Eventually, he parked up and after twice walking past the house on foot, sneaked in through an unlocked back door after 7pm. He admitted beating the pensioners after they discovered him hiding in their utility rooms and tied up their hands and feet as he demanded to know where the money was. Ken, who had hidden the cash in random places around their cluttered home, could not recall where he had put it and had to watch as Culea tortured his wife. Culea was arrested at a property in Church Warsop, Nottinghamshire, five days after the incident CCTV captured Vasile Culea in the area around the Walker's home during that day in his Audi A4 Mr Auty, prosecuting, said: 'Imagine, if you can, the fear, imagine the stress. Ken would have handed it over in a heartbeat if it would have saved Freda suffering.' Culea said he abandoned the couple after panicking when he heard a car pull up outside. He was captured on CCTV walking away from the house knowing he had left its occupants, bleeding profusely, tied up and unable to rescue themselves. Concerned neighbours found their bodies the following morning lying in pools of blood. Mrs Walker, who suffered 25 separate injuries, was dead and Mr Walker was in a critical condition. He died three months before the trial from natural causes. Pathologist Dr Michael Biggs told the jury of 11 men and one woman: 'I went to the kitchen and she was lying on her left side with her arms around her back, they had been tied together around both wrists and tied around the ankles. 'There was a black bag around her face and there was a cloth around her head and face and there was copious blood around the body. There was blood splatter on the walls.' Police and forensic officers at the murder scene in Langwith Junction, Derbyshire The discovery of the bodies prompted an intensive police investigation. Culea was arrested after DNA on a baseball cap left at the scene was matched to him. He had one previous conviction of assault against a former girlfriend from 2017, meaning his DNA was on the police database. Temporary Detective Inspector Carolyne Van Schaick said: 'Freda and Kenneth Walker had been members of the Shirebrook community throughout their lives, contributing to life in the area both through their work, their involvement in the local council and through their caring and social natures in general. 'All their friends and family have told of how they have both led hardworking lives and always put others first. 'There is no doubt that having worked so hard over the years that Freda and Kenneth deserved a long, happy retirement and peace in their later years. Police thanked the family of both Ken and Freda 'who have shown courage throughout this terrible time' 'This was taken away from them back in January when Vasile Culea, believing the couple had money in the address, went in with the intention to steal from them. 'When he encountered Freda and Kenneth, he assaulted them, killing Freda and leaving Kenneth for dead. The methods he used were truly shocking. 'Whilst Kenneth may have survived the attack, he had lost his wife and lived out his remaining days requiring constant care before he sadly passed away shortly before this case was due to be heard. 'I would like to thank the family of both Ken and Freda who have shown courage throughout this terrible time, as well as the community of Shirebrook who have supported each other, and this investigation, throughout. 'Whist this verdict can never reverse Culea's actions on that night I do hope it provides some consolation to those affected by this horrific crime that justice has been done.' Culea, dressed in a grey sweatshirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, closed his eyes as the jury foreman delivered the verdict. Speaking on the steps outside Derby Crown Court following the verdict, Mr and Mrs Walker's niece Sandra Bunting wiped away tears as she said: 'I am numb but glad they have got the right verdict. 'How anybody could inflict that pain and torture I don't know. I hope he gets a very long sentence. He was calculating, he was cruel and he had no conscience. All he wanted was money, money they had worked all their lives for. 'Freda was the most caring person. She loved everybody and had time for everybody. She was a happy person. She is missed by everyone who knew her.' Mr Justice Henshaw said he would carry out sentencing of Culea, of Church Warsop, back at the court on Friday. Levi's' ousted brand president Jennifer Sey criticized corporate America for taking part in 'woke capitalism' to profit off Millennial and Gen Z activism. Sey, a mother-of-four who was purged from the company for slamming COVID restrictions in schools, accused US corporations of exploiting social-justice politics to pretend that they share 'progressive values.' DailyMail.com previously reported that Sey was kicked out of Levi's after a conversation with CEO Charles Berg earlier this year, where she was told she was 'too problematic' to be his successor, leading to her sudden exit. In excerpts given to the New York Post from her memoir, Levi's Unbuttoned, Sey claimed she was a victim of 'woke capitalism,' a term referring to passive activism from company's in order to win over young consumers. 'Companies purporting to care about progressive values are really doing nothing more than striking a superficial pose meant to signal virtue while distracting from any companys true motive: financial gain for shareholders,' Sey wrote. Jennifer Sey (above), Levi's former brand president, called out corporate America for engaging in 'woke capitalism' to win over young consumers Sey claimed corporations like Levi's are quick to appear progressive through campaigns that appeal to Millennial and Gen Z activists Sey (left, in 2020) was ousted from the company after being a vocal critic of COVID mandates in schools during the height of the pandemic. She was a top contender to lead Levi's, but said she was told to 'shut up or leave' Sey has four kids from two marriages. She says she was branded 'racist' by her Levi's colleagues - even though two of her sons are black - for her views on school lockdowns Sey, a former Olympic gymnast, said she had to quit her dream job on principle because corporate America only cares about its perceived image. Sey wrote that top company's are eager to rid themselves of their portrait of greed, claiming that they're trying to mask it under the idea that they're doing good for the world and the next generation. 'Bill Gates is eliminating malaria and saving the children in Africa,' she wrote, referencing the former Microsoft CEO before taking aim at the ex-Starbucks head and Tesla executive. 'Howard Schultz is running for president to save our Democracy. Elon Musk is not only saving the planet with electric vehicles, he also is exploring new frontiers in space and defending free speech for the masses. 'Corporate leaders want us to believe that they are do-gooders, not money grubbers,' Sey wrote. 'This phony message has been amplified and embraced by consumers around the world, despite all the evidence that shows that these so-called do-gooders are really no good at all. It boggles the mind, but its a testament to the power of marketing.' Sey claimed the wave of 'woke capitalism' is evident in marketing that preaches the values of young activists, from pushing more organic products to slapping a rainbow logo on merchandise to appeal to the LGBTQ community. She said the moves were superficial and allows company's to appear woke without ever enacting any meaningful changes. 'In the age of armchair, keyboard activism, woke capitalism lets consumers badge themselves as progressive activists without actually having to do anything,' she wrote. 'Its magic!' The former Levi's brand president claimed that 'woke capitalism' coincides young consumer's being taught woke values at schools, which she said pushes them to want to purchase from company's that appear to preach social justice. 'They feel guilty about being white and privileged because theyve been told they need to, and maybe they do need to feel a bit of gratitude for their born on third base status, but they are out to prove their worthiness by putting a woke sheen on their desire to stay rich and privileged,' Sey wrote. Sey (pictured) has written about her ouster from Levi's and the impacts of woke culture in her memoir, Levi's Unbuttoned Sey accused Levi's and corporate America of slapping LGBTQ symbols on their products to appear woke without every making any meaningful changes She also claimed that America's wealthiest men, like Bill Gates (left) and Elon Musk (right) were playing the part of billionaires who care about the common person in order to win over consumers and distract them from their real mission: making money Sey warned that as companies influence Millennials and Gen Z into believing they're woke, they'll gain new 'social media pros' who will continue to help remake corporate America's image and oust anyone who doesn't conform. 'These 20- and 30-somethings are ideological terrorists, policing their peers and elders relentlessly,' she wrote. 'They are omnipotent moral busybodies ridding the world of evil, and they will not rest until they exorcise immorality for the good of those being exorcised.' Sey's memoir is her latest criticism against the woke culture that turned against her following her criticisms of COVID mandates during the height of the pandemic. In the spring of 2021, prior to losing her job, Sey appeared on the Fox News' The Ingraham Angle to talk about her decision to move to Denver and work remotely for the company. She wanted her kids to escape suffocating Covid mandates, and return to in-person learning. Despite not being identified as a Levi's employee, her appearance sparked swift outcry at the company, Sey told the The New York Times, revealing how a colleague branded the channel 'divisive and bigoted' after Sey's March 2021 television appearance. Then during a sit-down in January, Sey said, Bergh indicated her promotion to CEO could be in danger because of her social postings, which came during the height of the pandemic but stopped in November after she was told she was in the running for the position. Then, on February 14, after 20 years of service, Sey was no longer with the company. Levi's CEO Charles Bergh (above) reportedly told the mom-of-four, 'theres not a viable path forward for you at the company' and that she had no shot at the promotion She reportedly turned down $1million severance to keep quiet about the reason for her ouster, so that she could share her story. Sey's posts started shortly after the pandemic started, when she was living in San Francisco. During that time, the exec grew increasingly worried about the wellbeing of her young children and other youths harmed by public school closures. Sey decided to turn to social media to air her concerns, as schools in the city saw widespread closures, district-ordered mask mandates and teachers refusing to return to work, amid state-set lockdowns. 'I was used to being in the office and seeing hundreds of people, and while it was work-focused, wed chitchat in the hallways, ask about peoples kids and whats going on in their lives,' Sey told The Times. 'So this connection with other parents was meaningful for me. It could feel in San Francisco that nobody shared this view.' Speaking to the Times, Sey, who says she was forced out of the company after 20 years due to social media posts that criticized California Covid mandates, further revealed she unfairly faced criticism for tweets from her husband, Daniel Kotzin, who was outspoken on social media about his opposition to masks and later vaccines. Roughly a year later, in March 2021, she moved her four kids - two are college age and two are 5 and 7 - from California to Denver so that they could escape California's crushing mandates, attend classes in person and have a 'normal childhood.' During this time, Sey revealed, she was 'encouraged to tone it down' by a Levi's board member and other influential figures at the company. But Sey asserted to the paper that she had never been told to stop posting or offered any corporate social media guidelines. Currently, the company's social media policy says employees are free to discuss their views but that it expects employees to protect the companys 'reputation and image.' The company contends that she quit on her own accord. Twitter employees have penned an open letter slamming Elon Musk's plans to fire as much as three-quarters of the company's workforce ahead of the deadline for his $44 billion acquisition, which must be completed by Friday or be settled in court. In the scathing note circulated Monday, staffers called the prospective layoffs 'reckless' and a 'transparent act of worker intimidation,' less than a week after The Washington Post aired internal documents that seemingly laid bare the plot. The plans coincide with previous statements from Musk that the social media company is bloated, and that its 7,500 workforce suffers from a 'strong left-wing bias.' Moreover, the proposal - based on leaked conversations Musk had with prospective funders of his acquisition over the past few months - would leave the company with just 2,000 employees. Musk, meanwhile, must complete the acquisition by Friday or face the resumption of a lawsuit in a Delaware court. If found liable for flubbing the transaction, the Tesla CEO could be forced to fork over as much as $1billion. Elon Musk's plans to fire as much as three-quarters of the company's workforce ahead of the deadline for his $44 billion acquisition - which must be completed by Friday - has angered staffers at the social media giant Staffers at the social media giant are likely hoping for that to happen - though even without Musk at the helm, big cuts are expected. Corporate documents and interviews with people familiar with the company's deliberations have revealed the company's management plans to pare its payroll by roughly $800million in 2023, by nixing nearly a quarter of its workforce. Nonetheless, staffers at the company's Silicon Valley headquarters circulated the strong worded notice addressed to Musk, the board of directors, and other workers, calling for Musk and management 'to cease these negligent layoff threats.' An unpublished draft of the letter read: 'Elon Musk's plan to lay off 75% of Twitter workers will hurt Twitter's ability to serve the public conversation. 'A threat of this magnitude is reckless, undermines our users' and customers' trust in our platform, and is a transparent act of worker intimidation.' The plans coincide with previous statements from Musk that the San Francisco-based company is bloated, and that its 7,500 workforce suffers from a 'strong left-wing bias' The proposal - based on leaked conversations Musk had with prospective funders of his acquisition over the past few months - would leave the company with just 2,000 employees The letter went on to demand Musk, if going forward with the deal, commits to preserving Twitters current headcount. It also requests Musk, a notorious libertarian who has demonstrated a preference toward the right in recent months, does not discriminate against employees based on their political beliefs. The letter instead demands Musk commit to 'fair' severance policies and more transparent communication about working conditions - while asserting that staffers 'will not be intimidated' by the 51-year-old multibillionaire. 'A threat to workers at Twitter is a threat to Twitters future,' the notice, viewed by DailyMail.com, reads. 'These threats have an impact on us as workers and demonstrate a fundamental disconnect with the realities of operating Twitter. 'They threaten our livelihoods, access to essential healthcare, and the ability for visa holders to stay in the country they work in.' Staffers went on to write that 'we cannot do our work in an environment of constant harassment and threats,' and that 'without [their] work, there is no Twitter.' 'We, the workers at Twitter, will not be intimidated,' the notice, which asked for signatures in support from fellow staffers, continued. 'We recommit to supporting the communities, organizations, and businesses who rely on Twitter. We will not stop serving the public conversation.' The notice went on to provide a list of demands of 'current and future' Twitter leadership, with four subheads titled 'Respect,' 'Safety,' 'Protection,' and 'Dignity.' 'We demand to be treated with dignity, and to not be treated as mere pawns in a game played by billionaires,' the latter portion of the list asserts, with the other requests largely dealing with company culture and political correctness. Twitter executives, meanwhile, have denied any layoffs, with General Counsel Sean Edgett telling employees Thursday to expect 'tons of public rumors and speculations' as the deadline for Musk's highly publicized takeover looms. The Tesla CEO has since said the $44billion he agreed to pay for the faltering company is too much, and had sought to reduce that number, before backtracking less than two weeks ago and agreeing on the price. The corporation had already been planning to layoff a quarter of its employees and make cuts to its infrastructure Musk in April agreed to buy Twitter for $54.20 per outstanding share, but, weeks later, sought to terminate the deal, citing concerns over the prevalence of bots on the platform and later adding claims from a company whistleblower about alleged 'egregious' security failings at the company. Twitter subsequently sued Musk, the world's richest man valued at $214billion, to follow through with the acquisition. Since July, the two sides have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle ahead of a planned trial poised to begin on October 17, when Musk told Twitter brass he wanted to move forward with the deal at the originally agreed upon $44billion. The judge overseeing the case, Delaware Chancery Court Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick, subsequently gave the sides until Friday to finish deliberating - or face a November trial. Twitter has since appeared to take increased steps toward closing the deal, with Bloomberg reporting last week that the company had frozen employees stock accounts in anticipation of the transaction's close. Further reports indicated that lawyers for both Musk and Twitter were preparing the paperwork necessary to close the deal. Musk, meanwhile, recently told Tesla shareholders that he was 'excited' about the longwinded purchase, while also 'obviously overpaying' for it. Despite this, many have aired concerns about whether the financing Musk had originally lined up to purchase the currently struggling social media platform would come through as expected after he spent months disparaging the company online. What's more, in recent months, the overall market, including for social media stocks, has largely declined, forcing Musk to turn to a mix of debt and equity financing to fund the deal. The CEO is also reportedly putting up his own money, much of it likely from sales of his Tesla shares. Some experts have said that Musk may need to sell billions more worth of Tesla shares to fund the deal - a move that recently became easier as the company reported quarterly earnings last week. However, it will also be more costly, as the car makers share price has also declined. Twitter shares briefly dipped Friday following a Bloomberg report that Biden administration officials were in early discussions about possibly subjecting some of Musks ventures to national security reviews. Shares have since risen by roughly 4 percent to $52.50 as of 10 am Tuesday, two dollars short of the Tesla CEO's initial agreed deal amount per share. Twitter shares briefly dipped Friday following a Bloomberg report that Biden administration officials were in early discussions about possibly subjecting some of Musks ventures to national security reviews. Shares have since risen by roughly 4 percent to $52.50 as of 10 am Tuesday, two dollars short of the Tesla CEO's initial agreed deal amount per share Experts, meanwhile, say users would immediately feel the effect of the massive job cuts Musk is proposing. Edwin Chen, a data scientist formerly in charge of Twitter's spam and health metrics who is now CEO of content moderation start-up Surge AI, said that while he believed Twitter was overstaffed, the cuts Musk proposed were 'unimaginable.' He said they would put Twitter's users at risk of hacks and even exposure to offensive materials like child pornography. 'It would be a cascading effect where you'd have service going down and the people remaining not having the institutional knowledge to get them back up, and being completely demoralized and wanting to leave themselves,' Chen told the Post. But Nell Minow, a corporate governance expert, said the Tesla CEO was likely just shopping ambitious plans to potential investors and will have trouble following through with the proposals. 'He's got to be able to show if he makes those cuts, what happens next?' she asked. 'What's he gonna replace it with, AI?' Musk has suggested in the past he planned to layoff employees as part of his planned changes to the social media giant. The Tesla CEO is pictured here in 2015 Documents obtained by the Washington Post, though, suggest executives were already planning to enact layoffs at the company after its exorbitant personnel costs last year. It also spent hundreds of millions of dollars in contracting firms that pay people to review reports of hate speech, child pornography and other rule-breaking content. But Musk expanded on the idea of layoffs, telling employees in June he didn't see a reason why low-performing workers should remain on the payroll. He has also made clear he plans to loosen content moderation standards which he claims are infringing on free speech and restore former President Donald Trump's account as soon as he takes ownership of the company. The Tesla CEO even posted a meme last week of himself, Kanye West and Trump each holding a sword for a social media company. It was quickly deleted. But the new corporate documents, based on conversations with executives over the past few months, shed light on exactly how Musk plans to transform Twitter and make it more profitable. To help fix these problems, the Post reports, Musk has told associates he thinks that dramatically reducing the number of employees is the first step to executing a turnaround strategy. He could then bring in more effective workers and expand new services he believes can bring in more revenue, like a subscription business though employees told the Post they do not believe subscriptions would be profitable and may instead harm its business model. The company is also planning to institute a performance review system called stack raking, which requires managers to grade employees on a numerical curve so that a set percentage of workers will always be marked as low performers. Employees have protested the move, but Twitter executives say it is a common practice among tech companies. Still, Musk would face an uphill battle to save the struggling company, despite promising investors he plans to double revenue in three years and would triple the number of daily users that could view ads during that time. He has offered little information about how he would accomplish these goals, and has admitted to investors that he paid too much for the company. Musk's $54.20 per share offer was around a third higher than Twitter's price at the time and by Thursday, Twitter was trading at $52.44, up more than 11 percent over the month, but still nearly 13 percent lower than what it was trading at last year. The company has never reached the profit margins of other social media sites like Meta or Snap, the Post reports. And following Musk's takeover bid, droves of employees left, with one telling the New York Post that the workers have lost respect for top executives like CEO Parag Agrawal over his dealings with the Tesla CEO. At the same time, the company is not hiring as many new personnel and has stalled projects as its stock prices plummeted. Twitter has since been found to falsify its monetizable daily active users, the number of users who can see ads on the site. Executives haves said that its MDAU is 237.8 million, up nearly 17 percent compared to the same quarter last year. But document that emerged in Twitter's court battle with Musk point to the company having far fewer users, with Musk's side claiming that fewer than 16 million users are able to see the vast majority of ads. And the time they are spending on the site fell 10 percent over the course of 2021, recovering only slightly in 2022. When the child refused to get into the vehicle, he attempted to place her inside He approached her in a van and tried to lure her in by offering her candy The suspect who tried to kidnap the girl twice in one week is still on the loose This is the moment a 10-year-old sprits away from her potential abductor This is the moment a 10-year-old sprints away from her potential abductor after she encountered a stranger who apparently tried to kidnap her in her Fort Lauderdale neighborhood twice in one week. Authorities, who released the footage last night, are still searching for the suspect who attempted to lure the child into his vehicle by offering her candy on her way to school last week. A separate video captured the man dressed in all black walking near the scene on October 19, shortly after the incident took place between 7:30-8:00am at 1500 NE 17th Way. When the child refused to get into the man's black cargo van, he allegedly got out of his vehicle and tried to pull her in. 'The male attempted to lure her by offering candy, money, and other items, which she declined,' the police said. 'The suspect then attempted to grab her but thankfully, she was able to run away.' A struggle ensued and the girl was able to get away, but she dropped her lanyard as she fled, which she says she saw the man pick up and take. One week after the incident, the man has still not been found. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. In the upper right hand corner of the video, detectives believe the suspect can be briefly seen following the victim before turning around and leaving the area. A stranger in Fort Lauderdale apparently tried to kidnap a schoolgirl twice in one week. The 10-year-old (pictured here running away) did not report the incident until the same thing happened to her again the next day The 10-year-old did not report the incident until the same thing happened to her again the next day at 7:40am. 'The young girl was approached by the same male while on her way to school, this time on foot,' the police said in the statement. 'She immediately ran away towards the school and away from the male.' The second time, a witness saw what was happening and intervened. Fort Lauderdale Police detective Ali Adamson said a 'witness in the area approaches them, and asks the 10-year-old if she knows this man.' 'She says no. At the same time she's saying no, the suspect says, yes, they do know each other and that he is her grandfather. 'The witness, realizing that something's not right, instructs the 10-year-old to run. 'She runs to Bendle Elementary where she reports it to the staff,' said Adamson. School staff then called the police. The mother of the child expressed her horror at what had happened: 'You drop your daughter at school and a few hours later you get this call,' she said. 'I'm just happy she's ok. I'm just happy that she made a good conscious decision to run and go seek help.' The man, described as a 25-to-40-year-old white man with short brown hair, a moustache and possibly a scar on the left side of his face; has yet to be apprehended. The suspect was caught on surveillance camera near where a potential kidnapping took place The visibly shaken girl sprinted down the block away from her would-be kidnapper after a witness intervened and told the child to run away Sunrise Middle School sent a message to parents following the incident: 'This serves a perfect alignment to talk to your child about stranger danger and staying safe while walking to or from school.' Local mother Anika Prescia told News 7 Miami that is 'breaks my heart to hear that other people want to do that to kids.' 'They are kids, they are babies,' she said. She tells her own children that they absolutely must hear from her before leaving school with anyone who isn't her. 'If you don't hear from me, you're not going with no one. You have to hear from me first. That is what I tell my kids every day,' she said. Resident Keith Bernek said as police canvassed the neighborhood, 'I don't know what goes through people's mind. I really don't. It's insane.' Detectives continue to investigate the incidents and urge anyone with any information about either incident or the suspect to contact Detective DeQuarto at (954) 828-6559. The doctor said she believed Baby A had died from this being done to them Lucy Letby is accused of killing seven babies and attempted murder of further 10 One of the babies allegedly murdered by neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was killed by an injection of a 'spoonful' of air, a paediatrician told her trial today. Dr Sandi Bohin, a leading paediatrician called in by Cheshire Police, said the intentional introduction of an air embolism was the only 'plausible explanation' for Baby A's sudden collapse and death at the Countess of Chester Hospital in June 2015. Until then the infant had been doing well despite having been born 10 weeks early the day before. Letby, is standing trial charged with killing seven babies and the attempted murder of a further 10 at the Countess of Chester Hospital between between June 2015 and June 2016. She denies all charges. Staff in the neonatal unit had been so pleased with Baby A's progress that they were about to start feeding him tiny quantities of milk. But when he suddenly deteriorated a crash team of doctors and nurses found themselves unable to resuscitate him. As he stopped breathing they noticed an unusual formation of purple, pink and white blotches on his body. Today Dr Bohin told Manchester Court that the rash appeared 'very, very quickly at the time he collapsed'. Lucy Letby is accused of killing seven babies and attempted murder of a further 10 children. She denies all charges. John and Susan Letby, parents of Lucy Letby arrive at Manchester Crown Court to support their daughter for the trial She believed the only plausible explanation was an air embolism in the infant's body that had been caused either accidentally or deliberately. 'The idea of air getting in accidentally is extremely unlikely,' she told Manchester Crown Court. Asked by Nick Johnson, KC, prosecuting, how much air would be fatal in such a situation, she replied: 'Three to five ml per kg of body weight could be fatal in a baby, and Baby A weighted 1.6kg'. Mr Johnson: 'A teaspoon?' Dr Bohin: 'A teaspoon is 5ml, so yes'. Dewi Evans, the consultant paediatrician originally called in by detectives, told the jury: 'Their concern was that there had been a number of deaths in the Countess of Chester Hospital which were unusual, in that there were far more deaths than they would expect, and they followed collapses of babies who were otherwise stable. Lucy Letby, 32, is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 more. She denies all charges Letby, 32, of Hereford, is on trial for the alleged murders of seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Cheshire, and the attempted murder of 10 more between 2015 and 2016. She denies all charges Full indictment against Lucy Letby Lucy Letby is charged as follows: Count 1 - Charged with murder of Baby A on June 8, 2015 Count 2 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby B between the June 8, 2015 and June 11, 2015 Count 3 - Charged with murder of Baby C on June 14, 2015 Count 4 - Charged with murder of Baby D on June 22, 2015 Count 5 - Charged with murder of Baby E on August 4, 2015 Count 6 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby F on August 5, 2015 Count 7 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby G on September 7, 2015 Count 8 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby G on September 21, 2015 Count 9 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby G on September 21, 2015 Count 10 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby H on September 26, 2015 Count 11 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby H on September 27, 2015 Count 12 - Charged with murder of Baby I on October 23, 2015 Count 13 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby J on November 27, 2015 Count 14 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby K on February 17, 2015 Count 15 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby L on April 9, 2016 Count 16 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby M on April 9, 2016 Count 17 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby N on June 3, 2016 Count 18 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby N on June 15, 2016 Count 19 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby N on June 15, 2016 Count 20 - Charged with murder of Baby O on June 23, 2016 Count 21 - Charged with murder of Baby P on June 24, 2016 Count 22 - Charged with attempted murder of Baby Q on June 25, 2016 Advertisement 'But following the collapse resuscitation was not successful and the baby died'. He was asked initially to form an opinion of what could have led to the collapses of Baby A and his twin sister, Baby B, in the context of them both being 'very well' a short time earlier. Dr Evans said he had found the case of Baby A 'quite disturbing and quite unusual'. Yesterday the court heard how a TV doctor and his colleagues 'raised concerns' about Letby after a number of babies collapsed, but were told 'not to make a fuss'. Dr Ravi Jayaram, lead paediatrician at the hospital, told the trial he had noticed the series of unusual and sometimes fatal collapses of babies in the neonatal unit. But he said that, at the time, he and colleagues were being told they 'shouldn't be saying such things' and instead told 'not to make a fuss'. The paediatrician, who has featured on health shows on Channel 4, also agreed during cross-examination that he had failed to mention unusual patterns of purple blotching at the inquest into the first infant said to have died at her hands. It was only during a police interview in the aftermath of Letby's arrest that he finally gave a detailed description of mottling effects he had never previously seen in his 30-year career. Dr Jayaram told Ben Myers KC, representing Letby, that he and his colleagues had become increasingly worried about a run of 'very unusual and seemingly inexplicable' collapses in the neonatal unit from June 2015. The first of these resulted in the death of Baby A, who collapsed and died suddenly around 24 hours after being born prematurely on June 8. Dr Jayaram gave evidence to the local coroner at the time, but agreed that he had failed to mention details of an apparent rash on the infant's body that 'appeared, vanished, reappeared and flitted about' as medics tried desperately to save him. During questioning from Mr Myers, he acknowledged that detail of the discolouration a 'bright pinkness against a background of blue-grey' - would have been 'plainly relevant' to the coroner as he tried to determine a cause of death. Following half an hour of intense cross-examination, he told the barrister: 'At the time of the coroner's report, we as a group of clinicians had already begun to raise concern about the association that we'd seen with an individual being present in these situations. 'And at the time we were being told that really we shouldn't be saying such things and not to make a fuss. 'My concern is that had I suggested this - that this could have been happening I didn't have any hard evidence.' Dr Jayaram denied being influenced by a research paper he had read some time before his police interview on September 18, 2017. This referred to 'blanching and migrating areas of cutaneous pallor'. Mr Myers put it to him that there would have been no reason to hold back his observations of the blotching on Baby A's body from the coroner investigating his death. He asked: 'It's a straightforward clinical observation, and yet you didn't report it, did you? Has what you read in that paper influenced what you later told the police?' Dr Ravi Jayaram (pictured outside Manchester Crown Court yesterday), lead paediatrician at the hospital, told her trial that he had noticed the series of unusual and sometimes fatal collapses of babies in the neonatal unit Dr Jayaram replied: 'No. Absolutely not. Categorically.' The court also today heard how a nurse caring for a premature baby girl at the Countess of Chester Hospital thought 'Oh no, not again' when she saw the infant collapse 28 hours after her twin brother's death, Lucy Letby's trial heard today. The court also heard today how a nurse working in the neonatal unit said 'Oh no, not again' when she saw an infant collapse 28 hours after her twin brother's death, Lucy Letby's trial heard today. Nurse A had been trying to resuscitate Baby A along with other staff when she felt his final heartbeat. The following night, at about 12.30am on June 10, 2015, Lucy Letby, the long-time friend she had once mentored as a student, called her over to the incubator of Baby B. It is alleged nurse Letby, 32, injected air into the bloodstream of the newborn, Child A, shortly after she came on shift on June 8 2015, just over 24 hours after his premature birth. The Crown alleges she used the same method to attack his sister, Child B, on the following night shift. 'Lucy went over to her,' the nurse told the jury on the 11th day of Letby's trial at Manchester Crown Court. 'She'd been standing with me, checking the medication. Lucy said 'She's apnoeic, she's not breathing'. She asked me to go and help'. The two nurses had to use a neopuff device to give the infant breaths because she was not breathing herself. 'She was very pale. She had blotches to her skin', said Nurse A. She went on: 'She suddenly looked very ill. She looked very like her brother had done the night before. She was pale, white, with this purple, blotchy discolouration. 'I just remember thinking 'Oh no, not again'. I'd not seen anything like that before. To see his sister with the same appearance' Nurse A, who cannot be named for legal reasons, summoned two doctors to help revive the infant. The trial continues President Joe Biden will receive his third COVID booster shot on Tuesday and will encourage Americans, especially seniors, to get their updated vaccination ahead of Thanksgiving and the coming winter. Biden, 79, will be joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and his COVID response coordinator Ashish Jha when he rolls up his sleeve to get his latest booster. It will be his fifth shot overall. It also will likely be one of Fauci's final public appearances with the president. He is stepping down from his government job in December. Amid fears of a spike in COVID cases this winter, the administration is launching a public service campaign to push Americans to get the latest protection from the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron. There will be a series of new national and local TV, radio and print ads geared at reaching Black and Latino audiences, which are communities that have historically been underserved. Additionally Medicare will send email reminders to the 16 million people on its email list; and the president alos will ask employers and school leaders to spread the word about vaccination. President Joe Biden will receive his third COVID booster shot and will encourage Americans, especially seniors, to get their updated vaccination ahead of Thanksgiving and the coming winter The above graphs shows the number of Covid cases being recorded in the US by day. The steady decline now appears to be slowing, amid signs of an uptick in 15 states America is currently recording about 360 Covid deaths a day. At the same time last year the country was registering more than 1,600 a day Biden's Covid vaccination and infection timeline President Joe Biden has had four Covid vaccinations so far, and also tested positive for the virus once. Tuesday he will get the updated 'bivalent' booster vaccine his fifth inoculation. Below is a timeline of Biden's vaccinations and when he caught Covid: December 21, 2020: First dose January 11, 2021: Second dose September 20, 2021: First booster March 30, 2022: Second booster July 21, 2021: Catches Covid Nearly four months after his last Covid shot the President tests positive for the virus. He had only a mild illness, and tested negative five days later after beginning a course of Paxlovid to suppress the virus. But by July 30 he had tested positive again, suffering a 'rebound' infection. October 25, 2022: Bivalent boster Biden is scheduled to get his updated booster shot on this date. Advertisement The leaders of Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, and Albertson's will be present on Tuesday for Biden's vaccination. After his booster, Biden 'will deliver remarks on the country's ongoing fight against COVID-19, and the critical importance of every American getting their shot so they can have a safe and healthy holiday season,' a White House official said. Biden will call for each school district, college and university to host at least one vaccination clinic by Thanksgiving. He also will urge employers to offer paid time off for vaccination and host on-site vaccination clinics for employees. Despite calls for all to get inoculated by Halloween, barely 20 million people or just 8.5 per cent of those who are eligible more than a month into the drive have got the jab. 'We need everyone to step up and get their updated vaccine as soon as possible,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday. Health chiefs are recommending the updated boosters for all under-5s who are already fully vaccinated. It comes amid warning signs Covid cases are now turning upwards in 15 states, as well as concerns over other respiratory viruses this year. 'The challenge with holiday seasons every year is it's also a time where contagious respiratory viruses like influenza, RSV, and, again this year, COVID spread much more quickly,' Jha said at a press briefing earlier this month. 'And we have seen an increase in COVID infections, hospitalizations, and deaths each of the last two winters,' he noted. Jha said the administration is expecting an uptick in COVID cases over the next couple of months. 'We're going to see more infections as we get into November, December, January. That's what we saw the last couple of winters, so that's not surprising,' he said. Many European nations are seeing an uptick in cases. But there is no sign that these new variants are more likely to cause severe disease or death than other versions of Omicron. Biden is getting the updated booster about three months after he tested positive for the virus in July which is the lag time health chiefs said should be left after an infection. His last jab was on March 30 this year, when he got his second booster jab to shore-up immunity for the summer. Biden's initial inoculations were on December 21, 2020 and January 11, 2021. He also got his first booster on September 20 last year. Despite getting all the vaccines, however, Biden tested positive for the disease in July last year. He initially had a mild illness, and was put on anti-viral Paxlovid which saw his infection all but disappear within five days. But another four days later he tested positive again in what is known as a 'rebound infection'. He was cleared of the virus again on August 7 this year. President Joe Biden gets his fourth shot - the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine - on March 30th, 2022 Dr. Anthony Fauci will join Biden when the president gets vaccinated on Tuesday Jill Biden tested positive for a covid a few weeks later, on August 16, when the family was wrapping up its vacation in South Carolina. The US is currently recording about 36,400 cases every day on average. About 367 people are also dying with the virus every 24 hours on average. For comparison, at the same time last year the tally was more than 1,600 every 24 hours. Prince Harry is surely in a hell of his own making. As Netflix prepares to drop season five of 'The Crown' which covers his parents' bitter bust-up and Princess Diana's untimely death Harry can't say a thing. Call it the cost of doing business. After Megxiting the United Kingdom in 2020, Harry and Meghan took a reported $100 million payday from Netflix. By their telling, they desperately needed all that money to escape their royal duties and crushing fame. As Harry told Oprah Winfrey, he worried his new wife would be hounded to death as his mother was chased into a Paris tunnel by a journalistic wolf pack. 'You want to talk about history repeating itself?' Harry told Oprah last year. 'They are not going to stop until [Meghan] dies.' How terrible it must be for Harry now, to rely on that same evil media for his paycheck. As we've seen, 'The Crown' showrunners are actively making stuff up dark, hurtful, reputation-soiling stuff. But don't worry, Harry. At least Dame Judi Dench is speaking out. In a recent letter to The Times, Dench called for the series to come with a disclaimer, writing in part, 'Given some of the wounding suggestions... that King Charles plotted for his mother to abdicate, for example, or once suggested that his mother's parenting was so deficient that she might have deserved a jail sentence this is both cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent.' Against The Verve's 'Bittersweet Symphony,' we see a royal family in crisis, grappling with the damage done by a wayward, out-of-control Diana exacting revenge through the very media she claims to loathe and threatening the monarchy's very survival (Left) 'The Crown' trailer shows Diana screeching to a halt in a car chase scene (Right) The outfit is strikingly reminiscent of one worn by Diana on ski trip to Lech, Austria in 1994 And guess what? Netflix added a disclaimer. From Harry, nary a public peep. Maybe he hasn't seen the new trailer for this penultimate season? Against The Verve's 'Bittersweet Symphony,' we see a royal family in crisis, grappling with the damage done by a wayward, out-of-control Diana exacting revenge through the very media she claims to loathe and threatening the monarchy's very survival. Maybe the story that Harry tells Oprah about his mother isn't so clear cut. Diana, we now know, cooperated with Andrew Morton for her bombshell tell-all 'Diana: Her True Story,' then told the palace she had nothing to do with it. And despite claiming ritual persecution by the media, one of Diana's last phone calls the night she died was to The Daily Mail's royal reporter Richard Kay. 'My mother was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone who wasn't white,' Harry told Oprah. 'And now look what's happened.' It's not quite that simple. Diana was chauffeured that night by a speeding drunk driver. She wasn't wearing her seat belt had she been, the official investigation found, she would have had an 80 percent chance of surviving. She was urged not to give up her royal security detail, but she'd done so anyway. Her death was wholly preventable and not racially motivated. In fact, we now know that Diana had recently split with the love of her life, a Pakistani heart surgeon she'd secretly been seeing, and was possibly playing up her relationship with Dodi Fayed that 'someone who wasn't white' to make her ex-boyfriend jealous. It was a dangerous game that ended tragically. The notion that Princess Diana was a hunted figure who just wanted to be left alone well, we've long known that was a fiction. Yet her son and his bride still cling to that narrative for themselves: Hunted. Persecuted. Moved to Montecito to be left alone. How utterly heroic, then, that Meghan's gone on to host her own high-profile podcast, grant interviews to major publications while posing for lavish photo shoots, has deigned to star in that Netflix docuseries, and has generally pushed her way into the spotlight at every available opportunity. Truly a profile in courage. Also in 'The Crown's' new trailer, we see Prince Philip admonish a loose-lipped Diana. 'Remember the one condition, the one rule,' he tells her. 'You remain loyal to this family.' 'You mean silent,' Diana replies. Now they're really hitting close to home. We hear echoes of Oprah's opening question to Meghan: 'Were you silent? Or were you si-LEN-ced?' Never before has 'The Crown' seemed camp, and it's long overdue. Harry and Meghan's Netflix overlords are going to make these two earn every last cent of their payday. It's glorious. 'She opens her mouth,' says another observer of Diana, 'and hand grenades come out! She wants to tear down the temple.' Who else could this apply to? If only we had a clue . . . Anyone who saw Harry's demeanor at the Queen's funeral ceremonies would know how his miseries have been compounded. The weight of all his poor decision-making slinging and co-signing the vile accusations his wife has made against his family and the entire royal establishment, even as his grandfather was on his deathbed and his beloved grandmother was shouldering it all has finally registered. Harry is an outcast, his presence merely tolerated, both within the family and without. Harry and Meghan were booed during the Queen's Jubilee just months before her passing. And all the Hollywood A-listers who once welcomed them -- George Clooney, Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey have not been seen around them for quite a while. Even his wife is criticized from normally reliable allies, like Whoopi Goldberg, who found Meghan's latest claim of bimbo-hood over her short stint on 'Deal or No Deal' to be terribly tone deaf and self-serving Harry says nothing publicly. Such are the consequences when you corner Bob Iger on a red carpet and cajole him into giving your wife voiceover work, or when rumor has it you call Gayle King after every private conversation with your closest family members. Harry and Meghan were booed during the Queen's Jubilee (above) just months before her passing. So now, as Harry waits for King Charles to decide whether his children get royal titles which he and Meghan so badly want Harry can't strike back against 'The Crown,' no matter how poorly they depict his family. In brief: Tampongate stays. Harry is the architect of his own demise. He can't credibly claim no knowledge of 'The Crown' before cutting that deal with Netflix. In fact, of his family's depiction, he reportedly once said, 'Oh, it's much worse than that.' And he told royal biographer Angela Levin, as season two was streaming, that she must watch it. 'My only problem,' he told her, 'is they've got to stop before they get to me.' Oh, Harry. Getting to you is a fait accompli. Hope all that money was worth it. In the end, who has really silenced whom? Advertisement One person has been taken to hospital and people have been warned to keep their windows and doors closed after a fire broke out in an industrial area in North Wales. Thick smoke was seen billowing out of the scene at Antelope Industrial Park, Rhydymwyn from about 7.50am, prompting an alert for nearby residents to 'close windows and doors and keep away from the area'. An air ambulance crew touched down a short time later and left the scene with one person, who was taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital for treatment. The situation is now under control but emergency crews will remain at the scene, Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement on Tuesday. One person has been taken to hospital and people have been warned to keep their windows and doors closed after a fire broke out in an industrial area in Wales A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at approximately 7:50am this morning to reports of a fire on Antelope Industrial Estate in Mold. 'We deployed an emergency ambulance and were supported by Wales Air Ambulance and the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service. One patient was conveyed by road to Wrexham Maelor Hospital for further treatment.' While fire crews have managed to control the blaze, they will remain at the scene. Significant smoke plumes can be seen in the surrounding regions, prompting warnings for residents to close their doors and windows While fire crews have managed to control the blaze, they will remain at the scene 'Six appliances, an Aerial Ladder Platform, the Incident Command Unit and the Environmental Protection Unit remain at the scene working with partners from Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water,' A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said. 'A significant smoke plume can be seen for a number of miles we advise local residents to continue to keep windows and doors closed and for people to keep away from the area.' The air quality and local watercourses will be monitored and authorities have vowed to 'ensure the necessary measures are in place to minimise impact'. But Painter said that if it was A former White House ethics chief has slammed Joe Biden's White House lawyers' 'inappropriate' discussion of his finances with his son Hunter. On Friday DailyMail.com revealed that in 2010 when Joe was Vice President, his official White House lawyer wrote to Hunter Biden and his business partner Eric Schwerin to discuss an IRS audit letter about the VP's 2008 tax return. In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Richard Painter, who was chief White House ethics lawyer in the Bush administration from 2005 to 2007, said it was inappropriate for White House lawyers to contact family members of the vice president over his taxes. Painter said the then-Counsel to the Vice President Cynthia Hogan would have reason to write to Hunter about Joe's taxes 'only if the son is doing business with the vice president.' 'I don't think the White House Counsel should be contacting family members of the vice president. That's unusual,' Painter said. 'I don't know why Hunter would be involved And I think it's unfortunate that Hunter Biden's business partner would be handling the vice president's taxes.' Emails obtained by DailyMail.com revealed last week that Joe Biden's White House lawyer had discussed his 'tax audit letter' from the IRS with his son Hunter Biden in 2010, when he was vice president A growing body of evidence uncovered by DailyMail.com from Hunter's abandoned laptop shows that Joe and his son did talk about Hunter's financial dealings and there was money flowing between their accounts President Biden has repeatedly denied he ever spoke to his son about Hunter's foreign business dealings or that he had any financial dealings with Hunter. But a growing body of evidence uncovered by DailyMail.com from Hunter's abandoned laptop shows that Joe did talk about Hunter's dealings with his son and had money flowing back and forth between his own and his son's accounts. Hunter Biden could soon face federal indictment for alleged tax crimes but the 2010 email from Hogan shows that Joe also got into hot water with the Treasury over his 2008 tax filing, even requiring White House lawyers to get involved. Hogan sent Hunter and his Rosemont Seneca consultancy business partner Eric Schwerin an email in March 2010 discussing issues with Joe's taxes. Hogan's message revealed Joe had received a 'tax audit letter' from the IRS regarding his 2008 filing, with questions over his claim that he was 'not required to pay self-employment tax'. Richard Painter (pictured) the White House ethics lawyer for the Bush Administration, confirmed Joe Biden's White House lawyer's discussions with Hunter over Joe's taxes was inappropriate 'I spoke to Walter [Deyhle, Joe's accountant] yesterday to review what materials he will present and to review our rationale and reliance on IRS revenue rulings in determining that the VP was not required to pay self-employment tax,' Hogan wrote. 'He will contact the IRS agent and present this information and report back to us.' The former White House ethics chief said it could be acceptable for the VP's official attorney to consult with his accountant on tax issues but that they could not contact the IRS themselves, and involving Hunter was a step too far. 'It's okay to discuss it with a White House Counsel, because we should be aware of personal tax problems of anybody in the administration,' he said. 'But if there's an audit or a dispute with the IRS, we never ever would allow the White House counsel or anyone else in the White House to intervene in that. 'We did not involve family members of the Bush administration in anything having to do with the President's finances. In March 2010, counsel to the vice president Cynthia Hogan emailed the VP's son Hunter and his business partner Eric Schwerin about Joe's 'tax audit letter' from the IRS Counsel to the Vice President Cynthia Hogan sent Hunter and his Rosemont Seneca consultancy business partner Eric Schwerin an email in March 2010 discussing issues with Joe's taxes It is unclear why Hunter was copied on the accounting discussions for the then-VP with his government lawyer. Pictured: The then VP with son Hunter Biden and then President Barack Obama in 2010 'I think what's unusual is involving Hunter Biden, particularly if the vice president didn't have business relations with him, or didn't say he did. '[Joe Biden] should just be straight up and just disclose what it is. That's the best thing for him right now.' The White House did not respond to questions about the email from DailyMail.com including why the email was sent to Joe's son. Other emails from Hunter's abandoned laptop previously published by DailyMail.com show Schwerin handled Joe's taxes for years. But it is unclear why Hunter was copied on the accounting discussions for the then-VP with his government lawyer especially as Joe has repeatedly denied ever discussing Hunter's business dealings with him. Among the evidence showing Joe talked business with Hunter, is a 2018 voicemail from the President to the First Son about a New York Times story on Hunter's dealings with Chinese businessmen. Joe called Hunter on December 12, 2018 saying that he wanted to talk to him after reading a New York Times story about Hunter's dealings with the Chinese oil giant CEFC. 'I thought the article released online, it's going to be printed tomorrow in the Times, was good. I think you're clear,' Joe said. 'And anyway if you get a chance give me a call, I love you.' In another example, the then-vice president attended a Washington, DC dinner with Hunter's Ukrainian, Kazakh and Russian business associates in 2015. In a December 2016 email Schwerin broke down approximately $25,000 in monthly autopayments taken out of Hunter's account Bills Hunter paid for Joe included a $190-a-month AT&T phone bill for several phone lines that the then-VP used, apparently circumventing White House security protocols Joe Biden has repeatedly denied ever discussing Hunter's business dealings with him Hunter told one of his guests in an email that the dinner was 'ostensibly to discuss food security', but was in fact an opportunity to introduce his potential clients and partners to his powerful father. The White House at first denied Joe's attendance, then when photographs emerged of Joe there, it claimed it was only a brief stop by. Joe also met another of Hunter's Chinese business partners, Jonathan Li, when he took his son on a 2013 Air Force 2 trip to China, and entertained Hunter's Mexican billionaire business partners Carlos Slim and Miguel Aleman Velasco at the White House and the VP's official residence. Emails on Hunter's abandoned laptop published by DailyMail.com show that Hunter and Joe paid each other's bills, while Hunter's business partner Eric Schwerin did Joe's taxes. Schwerin met with Joe at the White House at least 19 times, according to Obama administration visitor logs. Hunter's business dealings are currently part of an investigation by federal prosecutors into potential money laundering, foreign lobbying and tax crimes by the First Son. The Kansas native and 'ISIS mom' convicted of leading an all-female battalion of Islamic State warriors in Syria had an extended history of horrifying, abusive behavior that included the sexual and physical abuse of her own children. Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, will be sentenced on November 1 for her litany of crimes, including providing material support to the Islamic State. Prosecutors are seeking the maximum 20-year sentence, which family members have argued in support of, according to court filings. The woman's first ex-husband, Kansas mechanic James Fluke, previously told DailyMail.com that he hoped they 'lock her up and throw away the key.' He claims she fled to the Middle East with his young children and attempted to ransom them back to him. This undated photo provided by the Alexandria, Virginia, Sheriff's Office in January 2022 shows Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, who is accused of joining ISIS and leading an all-female battalion In a letter to the court, a daughter of Fluke-Ekren who is now an adult wrote, 'My mother would beat my body, leaving my muscles cramping in agony. (She) would then go to her room and masturbate over the fact that she beat me. I could hear her from the other room.' The terrorist's oldest son also says he was molested. 'My mother is a monster who enjoys torturing children for sexual pleasure,' he wrote in a letter to the court. The woman's own parents described her as manipulative and difficult from an early age. Other family members recalled how she would happily retell the story of how she attempted to drown her brother in an icy lake as a child. Fluke-Ekren, who once lived in Kansas, moved with her second husband, Volkan Ekren, and four children to Egypt in 2008 Prosecutors say Fluke-Ekren (pictured with her second husband and family) wanted to recruit operatives to attack a college campus in the U.S. and discussed a terrorist attack on a shopping mall Fluke-Ekren has continued to deny the abuse and claim her family's claims are incorrect. In a sentencing memo, her defense attorney wrote that his client is 'shocked and saddened by these allegations but acknowledged Witness-1 (her daughter) experienced trauma in Syria.' She 'cannot undo' that pain, he added. Her son said Fluke-Ekren has a long history of denying abuse claims. 'I know her and I know she wants to lie her way out of this, to get a slap on the wrist and try to use a sob story to once again get power and access to victims,' he wrote. In his own sentencing memo, First Assistant US Attorney Raj Parekh detailed how Fluke-Ekren went from a childhood on a farm in Kansas to an Islamic State leader as she moved from Kansas to Egypt to Libya and finally to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria. 'Allison Fluke-Ekren brainwashed young girls and trained them to kill. She carved a path of terror, plunging her own children into unfathomable depths of cruelty by physically, psychologically, emotionally, and sexually abusing them,' Parekh wrote. Throughout her bizarre and disturbing global travels, Fluke-Ekren collected five husbands and had 12 children, several of whom were killed in fighting. Family and formerly close relations of Fluke-Ekren portrayed her as the driving force in radicalizing her romantic partners and children. She also pitched her all-female battalion to other Islamic terror groups including Jabhat al-Nusra before the idea was accepted by the Islamic State. The group she ultimately amassed and led - called Khatiba Nusaybah - consisted of close to 100 women and girls, some still juvenile, who were taught to use automatic weapons and detonate grenades and suicide belts. Fluke-Ekren has repeatedly denied in court that the group explicitly trained child-fighters, though she has said children may have been present at weapons trainings. The all-female unit, comprised of the wives of male ISIS fighters, was also trained in the use of AK-47 rifles. Mechanic ex-husband James Fluke, 47, spoke to DailyMail.com early this year from the doorstep of his Topeka, Kansas home, revealing he lost all contact with his own children for 10 years after his ex-wife fled the U.S. with them Former friends and family have shared details of Fluke-Ekren's early stages of criticism for America and her eventual radicalization. She is seen as a young woman - back when she was known as Allison Brooks - with a flower tucked behind her ear in a field near Topeka, in a photo taken for an outdoor photography class in the mid-1990s It is not yet clear how the allegations of abuse will impact the sentence that will shortly be imposed by US District Judge Leonie Brinkema - they are not directly related to the terrorism crimes for which she has been convicted. The daughter claiming abuse will be allowed to testify at the sentencing hearing because she was a victim of her mother's efforts in Khatiba Nusaybah, in which she was enrolled as a child. Additional allegations made against Fluke-Ekren in the prosecutorial sentencing memo include her urging of a pregnant woman to commit a suicide bombing, her claim that her oldest son was born of a rape by an American solider, and her forced marriage of her 13-year-old daughter to an Islamic State fighter. Fluke-Ekren initially joined the Islamic State in 2014 and began leading the battalion in 2016. Prosecutors claimed that one of her goals was to see a terror attack carried out on an a US college campus. She had also discussed such an attack occurring at a shopping mall. In early 2016, her second husband Volkan Ekren, with whom she moved to Egypt, was killed in Syria while attempting to carry out a terror attack. Ekren was from a powerful Turkish family and met Fluke while she attended college at the University of Kansas. She then married a Bangladeshi ISIS member who died just one year later. She then remarried again, this time to a prominent Islamic state leader who was responsible for the group's defense of Raqqa, the Syrian city that became the center of ISIS's self-proclaimed caliphate Fluke-Ekren is pictured with her family riding camels and horses at the foot of the pyramids in Egypt. She later relocated to Syria, allegedly to join Islamic extremists Fluke-Ekren taught children in Egypt when she first moved abroad. She is pictured here with a former class of young students According to family members, Fluke-Ekren's eldest son, Gabriel (left) now 25, managed to escape to the US when he was 17 and has made a quiet new life for himself, but his sister Alaina, now 24, (right) remains missing and could still be in Syria Fluke-Ekren's first husband spoke with the Daily Mail early this year about his ex-wife's alleged kidnapping of their young children. 'I hope they lock her up and throw away the key,' he told the publication in February. 'She kidnapped my kids for ten years. She's manipulative. She always has been. She's always wanted the spotlight. There is no way to adequately describe how manipulative she is.' Speaking at his modest home in a quiet corner of Topeka, Kansas, he continued: 'Imagine your wife stabbing you with a sharp object and then for some odd reason she discusses this with you to the point where you are apologizing for it.' Asked about his reaction to the terrorist accusations against her, James added: 'I can't even wrap my head around it. I hope she gets what she deserves. I hope it's done right.' One of James' biological children with Fluke-Ekren, Gabriel - now in his mid-twenties - managed to escape and flee back to the United States when he was 17. His other biological child, Alaina, who is one year younger than Gabriel, never returned. It is unclear where she is or if she is alive. The interior of KakaoBank's headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of KakaoBank By Yi Whan-woo KakaoBank will launch an emergency response team led by its chief information officer (CIO), the company announced on Tuesday, in the wake of Kakao's unprecedented service outage earlier this month. The team will operate under the lender's counter-crisis division and take responsibility for taking emergency measures in the event of any future disasters that could affect banking operations directly or indirectly. Its members will include manager-level IT experts recruited from the firm. "We're deeply regretful for inconveniencing customers over the latest service outage," KakaoBank said in a statement. It was referring to the meltdown of KakaoBank, Kakao Pay, KakaoTalk, KakaoMap Kakao T, Kakao Navi, Kakao Page, Kakao Webtoon, Melon and Kakao Games caused by a Oct. 15 battery fire at SK C&C's Pangyo building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, where parent company Kakao housed 32,000 servers. The services of Kakao and its affiliates have since been normalized. Still, Kakao, one of Korea's two main tech conglomerates, faces mounting criticism for such a serious shortfall in tech expertise and crisis management capability, especially after advancing relentlessly into and seeking to dominate industries where mainly smaller firms were operating. "We'll enhance drills against all possible crises on the occasion of the launch of the emergency response team, and accordingly, we will make sure to safeguard customers' assets and data on our path to offering high-quality services," the lender added. Apart from those run by Kakao, KakaoBank currently runs three separate data centers one each in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Busan. The Seoul data center is responsible for data operations in normal circumstances. Its role will be taken over by the Gyeonggi unit if its services are disrupted. The Busan unit is responsible for copying, transferring and storing data from Seoul in real time. A 'draconian' plan to stop people driving between neighbourhoods has come under fire for banning 'free movement' as it is approved for consultation. Canterbury City Council is proposing to divide the city into five different districts, with drivers unable to cross between zones without being fined. Instead, the council is asking residents to drive along a new bypass, which along with other A roads, would create a ring-road style approach. To do so, they would have to leave their current neighbourhood and re-enter their chosen location via specific, newly permitted routes. Anyone breaking the new driving rule would be hit with a fine when their movement is captured on number-plate recognition cameras, under the proposals. A 'draconian' plan to stop people driving between neighbourhoods has come under fire for banning 'free movement' as it is approved for consultation Last week Liberal Democrat councillor Nick Eden-Green said the council has 'no real idea of what it's going to cost', adding that it could total 'about 100million'. 'The government certainly is not going to stump up the money and we can't either,' he told Canterbury City Council's cabinet at a meeting, Kent Online reported. The project would stop drivers from using smaller roads that connect the five neighbourhoods, with the council closing the routes. Residents would instead be encouraged to use public transport, walk or cycle their journey or use the permitted routes to drive. Labour leader Cllr Dave Wilson told the meeting: 'We need incentives to help people change how they travel, not a draconian ban on free movement which could not be more contrary to the British way of life.' The plan was modelled on the Belgian city of Ghent, which launched a Circulation Plan in 2017 that divided the city into six areas to cut the number of cars in the city centre. It was defended by Conservative council leader Ben Fitter-Harding, who said 'that doing nothing is not an option'. He added: 'The road changes will not happen tomorrow, and nor would we want them to. They are about 15 to 20 years in the making.' Anyone breaking the new driving rule would be hit with a fine when their movement is captured on number-plate recognition cameras, under the proposals. File image It is part of the draft Local Plan, which also suggests building 13,000 homes by 2045, along with six primary schools, two secondary schools with sixth forms, two country parks and sports pitches. A quarter of the homes have been proposed for Cooting Farm in Adisham, but the family who own around half of the site do not want to sell the land. The plans, which were opposed during the meeting, have gone to residents for consultation until the new year. A finalised proposal will be presented to a Planning Inspector next autumn. Florida farm owner Taylor Blake has revealed her emu, which shot to fame after being featured in several viral videos she posted to social media, is not dying of avian flu as she previously thought, and is just stressed. 'Emmanuel Todd Lopez tested negative for Avian Influenza at 2 separate labs, swab, fecal and blood,' she tweeted on Saturday. Blake had even reached out to Bindi Irwin - the 24-year-old daughter of the late conservationist and wildlife expert Steve Irwin - for help treating her emu, named Emmanuel Todd Lopez, but was refuted as Irwin did not believe she did not have the experience to help. Fortunately, Blake has revealed her emu has tested negative for the killer disease and the symptoms that previously plagued him, which DailyMail.com reported, 'all stemmed from stress.' Florida farmer Taylor Blake has been sharing the story of her sick emu Emmanuel on social media, and has revealed he has tested negative for the deadly avian flu 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 God is good! Thank you for the prayers, the kind words, and the support. Always trust your intuition! eco sister (@hiitaylorblake) October 22, 2022 Emmanuel the emu slowly recovered from what his owners now believe was extreme stress, but he was left unable to eat and drink for days The roughly 5-foot-8, 120-pound emu faces 'a long road ahead' to recovery, Blake said, but insists that the lovable animal - who has been left temporarily unable to walk because of his affliction - is a 'fighter' 'He doesn't have the virus, and is not actively shedding the virus. God is good! Thank you for the prayers, the kind words and the support. Always trust your intuition!' The pair went viral on TikTok and other social media sites over the past year as viewers laughed along with the quirky bird's antics, which included play fights and cuddles. Blake then announced a few weeks ago that more than 50 birds on the farm had died following what she believes was the introduction of avian influenza (AI) by a flock of wild Egyptian geese. She explained she had lost every chicken and duck as well as many geese, turkeys, and swans. Blake said Emmanuel was 'incredibly overwhelmed by the state coming in and euthanizing our flock,' but added the euthanization was 'necessary,' but still 'very stressful on him.' The farmer, who owns Knuckle Bump Farms in south Florida, detailed Emmanuel's issues and where it began to go wrong. 'He stopped eating the day they depopulated,' she said. 'Emus cannot afford to not eat, they rely on proper nutrition. We also did not see him drink, he isolated himself in the farthest corner of the pasture, as far away from the people wearing hazmat suits,' she continued on Twitter. After collapsing in the middle of the night because he was 'so weak and dehydrated,' Emmanuel panicked and thrashed around for hours. Emmanuel and Taylor went viral on TikTok and other social media after she posted the bird's hilarious antics such as intruding on her informative videos The emu was notorious for sneaking up on Blake and attacking her phone or going after her, and his infectious personality garnered millions of views across her videos The duo are best friends, which added to the heartbreak of Emmanuel possibly contracting avian flu, which has killed roughly 38 million birds in domestic flocks since February Though the flightless bird was too dehydrated for the farmers to draw blood, Blake said 'something in my gut told me this wasn't the end for him.' Blake also said her emu 'never once had a single symptom of AI, other than not eating, which is often caused by stress in emus. It was just very coincidental timing.' She added that Emmanuel was 'tested for everything under the sun,' and came up negative for diseases such as West Nile Virus and Chlamydia. The farmer thanked those who sent 'positive thoughts, prayers and good energy,' but also took time to thank those who had less nice things to say. 'Thank you to those of you who havent had anything nice to say, because it forced me deeper into my faith and made me fight even harder for Emmanuel.' 'He is going to make a full recovery, and I will be with him every step of the way,' she added. While it seems the story will have a happy ending for Emmanuel, the emu's prospects didn't always look so rosy. Blake sent a desperate plea to the Irwin clan after she believed Emmanuel had contracted the flu. '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. Something in my gut just told me that this wasnt the end for him. So I kept fighting for him, and I dont regret it. He never once had a single symptom of AI, other than not eating, which is often caused by stress in emus. It was just very coincidental timing. eco sister (@hiitaylorblake) October 22, 2022 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 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 The Florida content creator previously posted photos showing the farm's efforts to nurse the ailing emu back to health 'I need help saving my emu, Emmanuel. I will pay to fly anyone to us, if they can help, no questions asked.' Bindi Irwin 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.' Hanna, 19, was shot in her sleep after she claimed Jake had to kill her in order to gain custody of the three-year-old they shared Jake is one of the four Wagner family members that is charged in connection with the murders of eight members of the Rhoden family 'execution style' An Ohio man who shot five of eight family members in the Pike County Massacre said he had 'no choice' but to kill the mother of his child because she refused to give up custody. Jake Wagner pleaded guilty last year to shooting five members of the Rhoden family in Pike County, Ohio on April 22, 2016. He was arrested along with other members of his family two years later. He testified in court on Monday against his brother George Wagner IV, as a part of his plea deal to avoid the death penalty for himself and their parents - Billy and Angela Wagner - who were allegedly involved. Prosecutors said the Wagner family at the time of the massacre became 'obsessed' with getting custody over Jake's then three-year-old daughter with Hanna Rhoden after they feared the child would be molested by Hanna's new boyfriend. Hanna, then 19, was pushed by the Wagners to give custody to Jake but later wrote on social media months before the slayings that 'they will have to kill me first.' Jake testified on Monday that Hanna's comment was his 'tipping point' and worried his toddler daughter was at risk for abuse. 'I had no other choice than to kill Hanna,' Jake said in the crowded courtroom. George is not believed to have killed anyone, but he allegedly participated by voting in favor of the murders. He faces the death penalty if he is convicted. Angela previously pleaded guilty to helping plan the shooting and Billy has pleaded not guilty. Jake Wagner (center) testified in court on Monday against his brother George Wagner IV as a part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. He pleaded guilty last year to shooting five members of the Rhoden family in Pike County, Ohio on April 22, 2016. Jake pictured in court in 2021 George Wagner IV was the first to go to trial for the murders. He previously pleaded not guilty Jake Wagner, (right) previously pleaded guilty to the murder of Hanna Rhoden, with whom he had a daughter with, and seven of her family members. He has been sentenced to eight life terms. His brother, George Wagner IV, has pleaded not guilty Their parents - Billy and Angela Wagner - who were allegedly involved. Hanna, then 19, was pushed by the Wagners to give custody to Jake but later wrote on social media months before the slayings that 'they will have to kill me first.' She was shot in her sleep after she claimed Jake had to kill her in order to gain custody of the three-year-old they shared The Wagner family planned the massacre for nearly three months and bought masks, ammunition and a device to cut off phone signal, Prosecutor Angela Canepa said. On the night of the massacre, George, Jake and Billy drove to four separate homes across rural Ohio where the victims were killed and moved the bodies. Hanna was the main target for the Wagners - but her brothers Chris and Frankie Rhoden and their father Chris Rhoden Sr. were also on their hit list. She was shot multiple times as she slept next to her baby that she shared with another man. Jake said he previously thought about pinning the murders on Hanna's boyfriend Corey Holdren. All of the victims were shot in the head multiple times while they slept with Jake saying he was 'personally responsible' for five of the deaths. Hanna's father Christopher Rhoden Sr, 40, mother Dana Rhoden, 37, and brothers Clarence, 20, and Christopher Jr, 16. Jake said he shot Chris Rhoden Sr., after George hesitated. It isn't clear who shot the other three. Clarence Rhoden's fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20, Christopher Sr.'s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44, and cousin Gary Rhoden, 38, were also shot dead because they might have been witnesses, Jake testified on Monday. Three children that were at the scene of the slaying were spared, Clarence's sons Brentley, 4, and Ruger Lee, six months, and Hanna's daughter Kyle who was five days old at the time. The Wagners weren't arrested until two years later - but a shell casing was found outside their home that matched the gun used in the slayings. Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, his ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37 (left), and their 16-year-old son, Christopher Jr (right), were among those killed in April 2016 in Piketon in southern Ohio Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44, (left) and a cousin, Gary Rhoden (right), 38, were also shot dead. Clarence 'Frankie' Rhoden, 20, and his fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20, were shot dead while sleeping with their child It took investigators six years to get to the bottom of the cold-blooded plot, which was organized to execute anyone who might stand in the way of Jake getting custody of his daughter. He dated Hanna when she was 13, and got her pregnant at 15, but the relationship ended, and she had a second child with another man. Jake then began to pressure her about the custody of their daughter, and he had been taking care of Sophia at the time of the murders. Investigators claim the family bought ammunition, a magazine clip, brass catchers and a bug detector to prepare for the crimes. It is claimed that they constructed a homemade silencer that was used in the shootings and used 'counter-surveillance devices' on the properties as well as tampering with phones, cameras and parts of a home security system. Forged documents were found on the computer purporting that Hanna Rhoden had agreed to share custody. The Wagners took phones from six of the victims, as well as a recording device and trail cameras. The Wagner family lived near the scenes of the killings at the time, but moved 4,000 miles away in June 2021 to a home (pictured above) in Kenai, Alaska The Wagner family fled to Alaska after the murders. From left to right: Edward 'Jake' Wagner, Angela Wagner and George Wagner IV are pictured outside a supermarket in 2017 In a 911 call following the shootings, a woman sounded out of breath as she frantically told a dispatcher: 'I think my brother-in-law's dead ... There's blood all over the house.' 'There's blood all over the house. My brother-in-law is in the bedroom and it looks like someone has beat the hell out of him.' Crime scene investigators were first called to Union Hill Road at 8.21am, when seven of the victims were found shot to death in the head 'execution style'. The first three homes where bodies were found are located within a couple miles of one another on a sparsely populated stretch of road, while the eighth body - a man - was found in a house within 30 miles just before 2pm. The Wagner family moved to Kenai, Alaska, after the killings, with Jake Wagner taking his daughter with them, but returned to Ohio in 2018 when they ran out of money. They were arrested in November of that year. At the time, the family said they were moving to escape what they claimed was unfair speculation that were responsible for the murders. Defense attorneys for George IV insist that he had nothing to do with the murders, saying he did not shoot or kill anyone on that night in 2016. Meanwhile, Jake was convicted of eight counts of murder and 15 other charges including gun specifications, conspiracy, burglary, possession of dangerous ordnance and tampering with evidence. While Angela has plead guilty to her role in the slayings - her husband has pleaded not guilty and is expected to stand trial at a later date. Authorities say injuries sustained by the victim are consistent with an animal attack, but the cause of death is yet to be determined by a medical examiner Police say they found two aggressive dogs a type of mastiff and German shepherd by the body, both dogs were shot and killed on Monday night Neighbors said they alerted authorities when they noticed the Amazon delivery truck parked outside the property for several hours An Amazon delivery driver suspected to have been killed by 'two aggressive dogs' was found dead on the lawn of a Missouri residence on Monday night. The victim's body was found by police at about seven o'clock on the front lawn of a property in Wood Heights, nearby Excelsior Springs, about 32 miles northeast of Kansas City. Authorities say the driver was a male in his 50s known to several people in the county but lived outside the area. His identity has not yet been disclosed, while cops work to notify his extended family of the tragedy. Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers told Dailymail.com an autopsy of the body would take place early Wednesday morning. 'We're getting an autopsy tomorrow but can't reveal the identity of the man at this time because family members who are not local to the area are still being notified,' he said. 'At this time, the wounds on the victim are consistent with canine bites but the cause of death will be determined from tomorrow's autopsy.' Sheriff Childers said that Amazon have been very cooperative in the investigation. 'They've provided us with the route time, the check in time and any notes about the house,' he explained. 'We have spoken to the owners of the property but more investigations need to take place.' An Amazon delivery driver has been killed in a suspected animal attack on Monday night at about seven o'clock their body found on the front lawn of a property in Wood Heights, nearby Excelsior Springs, about 32 miles northeast of Kansas City Police found two aggressive dogs near the victim's body, their breed unknown. Both dogs have been shot and killed as investigations into the incident continue Amazon did however release a statement saying they were deeply saddened by the incident and they would be providing support for loved one's while assisting with the investigation The owners were not at the property at the time of the incident however authorities confirmed there was proper signage up to alert visitors of the dogs. Its believed that the dogs were a type of mastiff and German shepherd. Sheriff Childers said a necropsy of both dogs would also take place. 'We'll be testing both dogs for rabies, checking the stomach for human remains and a testing a pouch in the mouth which often holds food with a swab to see if there is any DNA,' he said. According to KMBC, neighbors contacted police when they noticed the Amazon truck parked in front of the home for several hours. Police found two aggressive dogs near the victim's body, officers shot one of the dogs, which ran into the house through a dog door, according to FOX 4 Kansas City. The Fire department then tracked the dogs into the house by spotting blood on the dog door. After entering the home, both dogs, whose breed is unknown, were shot and killed. The cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner while Ray County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the incident. Amazon released a statement to Dailymail.com and said: 'We're deeply saddened by [the] tragic incident involving a member of our Amazon family and will be providing support to the team and the driver's loved ones. 'We are assisting law enforcement in their investigation.' When asked about safety measures being put in place for employees Amazon declined to comment. Ash Carter, a former U.S. defense secretary during Barack Obama's administration, died on Monday evening after a sudden cardiac event at the age of 68, his family said in a statement on Tuesday. Carter, who served during the final two years of the Obama administration, helped oversee the launch of a military strategy that would drive back the Islamic State military group in Syria and Iraq, and ultimately defeat the organization. Since leaving public service, Carter led the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School. Carter issued a statement promising an orderly transition following the 2016 election of President Donald Trump, after a race where many leaders in the national security establishment sided with rival Hillary Clinton. 'Last night our fellow American citizens voted for a new President. That it happened freely and peacefully is a testament to the great work of this Department,' Carter wrote in a memo released the day after the election. Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter died at 68 due to a cardiac event, according to a statement released by his family 'I am very proud of the way each and every one of you conducted yourselves during this campaign, standing apart from politics and instead focusing on our sacred mission of providing security. I am committed to overseeing the orderly transition to the next Commander in Chief.' More than four years later, he was one of ten living Defense Secretaries to warnTrump against the misuse of the military for domestic political reasons, amid Trump's repeated claims of election fraud following his defeat. He signed a letter stating it would bring the nation into 'dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory.' Then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. hold a news conference at the Pentagon January 10, 2017 in Arlington, VA. Carter promised a smooth transition to the Trump Administration Then-Vice President Joe Biden stands with Stephanie Carter, wife of incoming Defense Secretary Ash Carter, right, during Carter's swearing in ceremony, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Carter served as President Barack Obama's fourth secretary of defense Carter served as President Barack Obama's fourth secretary of defense He announced a new Obama policy on transgender troops, and helped devise the strategy to counter ISIS after it swept across Iraq and Syria Carter thanks troops serving at Qayyarah Airfield West, Iraq, Dec. 11, 2016 Secretary of Defense Ash Carter departs from the Pentagon on his last day in office Jan. 19, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Statement from President Biden on Ash Carter's passing Integrity. When I think of Ash Carter, I think of a man of extraordinary integrity. Honest. Principled. Guided by a strong, steady moral compass and a vision of using his life for public purpose. Ash Carter was born a patriot. A physicist and national security leader across decades, he served with immense distinction at every level of civilian leadership at the Department of Defense, including as our nations 25th Secretary of Defense. I was Vice President at the time, and President Obama and I relied on Ashs fierce intellect and wise counsel to ensure our militarys readiness, technological edge, and obligation to the women and men of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. Ash was a leader on all the major national security issues of our times from nuclear deterrence to proliferation prevention to missile defense to emerging technology challenges to the fight against Al Qaida and ISIS. He opened every field of military service to women and protected the rights of transgender service members. His public contributions were amplified by his many years at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he inspired and mentored the next generation of national security leaders. As President, I continued to rely on his expertise through his presence on my Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Above all, Ash understood the sacred obligation we have to our servicemembers, veterans, and their families. He was relentless in his pursuit of technology solutions for our warfighters, rapidly accelerating delivery of mine resistant vehicles to our troops to protect them from improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan. His work saved countless lives and limbs. On many weekends Ash and his beloved wife Stephanie would quietly visit wounded warriors at Walter Reed. He did so out of the spotlight, demonstrating the personal integrity and sense of duty that distinguished him throughout his life. Jill and I grieve with the entire Carter family, including Stephanie, Will, and Ava, and countless friends and colleagues across the world who are mourning this sudden loss of a great American. Ash Carter was a great American of the utmost integrity. May God bless him. May God protect the troops Ash Carter served and loved. Advertisement 'The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived,' they wrote January 4, 2021, two days before the Capitol riot. They added: 'Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory, they wrote. Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.' In the summer of 2016 he announced a new DOD policy allowing transgender troops to serve, following a long review. 'This is the right thing to do for our people and for the force,' Carter said. 'We're talking about talented Americans who are serving with distinction or who want the opportunity to serve. We can't allow barriers unrelated to a person's qualifications prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best accomplish the mission.' Trump would soon reverse the policy. In December 2015, the Philadelphia native ordered the military to open all jobs to women, removing the final barriers that kept women from serving in combat, including the most dangerous and grueling commando posts. A US novelist has won a 2m plagiarism battle against the British great-niece of the man who penned Russian Revolution epic Doctor Zhivago. Lara Prescott was dragged to court by Anna Pasternak, descendant of author Boris Pasternak, over claims she stole important parts of a book she wrote about her uncle's novel. Ms Pasternak claimed Ms Prescott's 2019 bestseller 'The Secrets We Kept' borrowed heavily from her own 2016 book, 'Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago.' In her book, Ms Pasternak sets out her theory that Olga Ivinskaya, her great uncle's wife, was the real-life inspiration behind Lara Antipova, the central character in his much-loved novel. But Ms Prescott denied the copyright claim and instead accused her rival of herself having 'copied' sections of earlier books about her great uncle for 'Lara'. Today, following a trial of the plagiarism battle in July, Mr Justice Edwin Johnson delivered judgment, handing victory to Ms Prescott after finding that both books came from the same source material. Lara Prescott (pictured) was dragged to court by Anna Pasternak, descendant of author Boris Pasternak, over claims she stole important parts of a book she wrote about her uncle's novel Ms Pasternak (right) claimed Ms Prescott's 2019 bestseller 'The Secrets We Kept' borrowed heavily from her own 2016 book, 'Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago.' In her book, Ms Pasternak sets out her theory that Olga Ivinskaya, her great uncle's wife, was the real-life inspiration behind Lara Antipova, the central character in his much-loved novel The judge said Ms Prescott had used earlier books - Olga Ivinskaya's memoirs 'A Captive of Time', and 'The Zhivago Affair' by Peter Finn and Petra Couvee - as her main soures, only using Ms Pasternak's book as a 'secondary' source. However, he did find for Ms Pasternak in a 'minor' aspect of the claim, saying that Ms Prescott had used a quotation from a French book which Ms Pasternak herself had had translated and so owned the copyright in. Novelist Ms Prescott is named after the Lara Antipova character and, during the trial in July, her barrister Andrew Lykiardopoulos QC told Mr Justice Edwin Johnson that she has 'enjoyed a lifetime fascination with Doctor Zhivago'. 'I knew I was named after Lara, the character in the movie,' she said in her evidence. 'As a girl, my mother had loved David Lean's film adaptation of Doctor Zhivago, as well as the book it was based on. As a child, I'd wind up her musical jewellery box again and again to hear it play 'Lara's Theme' and watch the tiny ballerina inside slowly spin.' She told the judge that publishing her novel was the 'realisation of a lifelong dream' but that the court case turned the success of her award-winning bestseller into a nightmare. 'Today, I'm working on a second novel while being a first-time mother to a toddler during a pandemic. These allegations and this claim have been highly stressful, to say the least. 'Publishing 'The Secrets We Kept' was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and I've been very proud of it. 'Still, at times, I wish I hadn't written it. Not because Anna Pasternak is right, but because the book and its success put me in her crosshairs.' In her claim, Ms Pasternak claimed Ms Prescott had 'copied' the 'selection, structure and arrangement of facts and incidents' from 'Lara' for her novel. Ms Prescott admitted she read 'Lara' and included it in the acknowledgements in her novel, but said she was already two years into the process of writing before she saw her rival's book and denies its influence was 'substantial.' Instead, she claimed that both she and Ms Pasternak relied on the same historical source material, including crucially Olga Ivinskaya's own memoirs 'A Captive of Time'. Ms Pasternak's book, Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago by Anna Pasternak, is a biography of Boris Pasternak and his mistress Olga Ivinskaya, who she claims is the inspiration for Lara in the classic 1957 novel Giving judgment, Mr Justice Edwin Johnson said: 'I am satisfied that Ms Prescott used 'A Captive of Time' and 'The Zhivago Affair' as her primary resources in writing 'The Secrets We Kept', and I so find. 'I am also satisfied that Ms Prescott used 'Lara' only as a secondary source, and I so find.' He said most of the material complained of was 'not original' to Ms Pasternak, but instead derived from earlier sources. 'Ms Pasternak's work owes a heavy debt to 'A Captive of Time', substantial parts of which have been taken, often verbatim, from 'A Captive of Time',' he said. He added: 'It is clear that Ms Prescott did not copy from 'Lara' the selection of events in the relevant chapters of 'The Secrets We Kept' or any part of that selection.' The two women's books had been 'fundamentally different works,' he continued. ''Lara' is a non-fictional historical work......'The Secrets We Kept' is a work of fiction, loosely based on real events. 'This fundamental difference between the two works is apparent on a first reading of the two works.' Although he dismissed Ms Pasternak's main claim that her work had been copied, he found in her favour in what he called the 'translation claim.' He said Ms Prescott had quoted a translation which Ms Pasternak had commissioned of a French book in her novel. In that respect Ms Prescott had infringed Ms Pasternak's copyright in the translation, but that was a 'minor part of the claim and one which does not involve infringement of copyright in Lara.' Nevertheless, Ms Pasternak hailed the verdict as a victory for historians whose work is relied upon by fiction writers. 'I am incredibly proud to have left my legacy on the legal literary landscape,' she said outside court. Meanwhile, Ms Prescott said: 'I'm very pleased to have been vindicated by the English High Court. The court found zero instances of infringement.' Questions over whether Prince Harry and Prince Andrew should be allowed to perform official duties for King Charles have been raised in Parliament for the first time. Peers in the House of Lords asked if Harry and Andrew should remain as Counsellors of State who can act as stand-ins for the King, when they are no longer working royals. Constitutional experts believe it is the first time the status of the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York as counsellors has been raised in Parliament. Buckingham Palace has come under pressure to relieve the pair of their roles since Harry moved to California and Andrew was embroiled in a sexual assault lawsuit in the US, which he disputed but later settled. Peers in the House of Lords asked if Harry and Andrew (pictured at the Queen's state funeral) should remain as Counsellors of State who can act as stand-ins for the King, when they are no longer working royals Labour peer Viscount Stansgate raised the issue in the House of Lords, asking if the Government planned to amend the Regency Act. He questioned whether ministers should discuss a sensible amendment with the King, adding: Otherwise, are the Government happy to continue with a situation where the counsels of state and regency powers may be exercised by the Duke of York or the Duke of Sussex, one of whom has left public life and the other of whom has left the country? The King reportedly wants the law amended so his counsellors are all working royals, but it would require a change in legislation. The 1937 Regency Act states that only the sovereigns spouse and the next four in line to the throne - who are over the age of 21 - can act as Counsellors of State. The current counsellors are the Queen Consort, Prince William, Prince Harry, the Duke of York and his eldest daughter Beatrice. But none of the last three is a working royal, while the Queens other children Princess Anne and Prince Edward are not included, as they are 16th and 13th in line to the throne respectively. The King (pictured with Camilla, the Queen Consort) reportedly wants the law amended so his counsellors are all working royals, but it would require a change in legislation Royal experts have called for them to replace Andrew and Harry, as they are senior working royals. The Lord Privy Seal, replying to Viscount Stansgate on behalf of the Government, said he could not discuss any private conversations held between ministers and the King, or the Royal Household. Any change to the Regency Act would be carried out in close consultation with the Royal Household, he said, and suggested the change of monarch could be a useful opportunity for a review. He told the House of Lords: The Government will always consider what arrangements are needed to ensure resilience in our constitutional arrangements, and in the past we have seen that the point of accession has proved a useful opportunity to consider the arrangements in place. Counsellors of State are authorised to carry out most of the Kings official duties, including attending privy council meetings, signing routine documents and receiving the credentials of new ambassadors to the UK. But some core constitutional functions, including dissolving Parliament, appointing a prime minister and creating peers, can only be delegated on the express instruction of the monarch. Voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota will decide next month whether to legalize pot for over 21s Americans say tobacco and booze are more harmful than cannabis, and by wide margins want the drug legalized and convicts pardoned for minor offenses, a survey says the latest sign of a growing social acceptance of pot. A Monmouth University Poll released this week found that 54 percent of Americans say drinking alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana, while 45 percent rate tobacco as more harmful than pot. The survey of 808 adults is just the latest indicator of growing acceptance of pot, as voters in five states gear up to decide in next month's midterm elections whether to allow recreational weed for residents aged over 21. Still, experts warn against America's speedy switch to legalizing cannabis, particularly for young people, and DailyMail.com has spoken with many parents who watched their children lose their minds and even their lives due to pot. 'Support for marijuana legalization has been increasing consistently over the past 20 years,' Monmouth pollster Patrick Murray said in a statement. More than two thirds of those surveyed also said they backed legalizing the possession of small amounts of pot for personal use, and President Joe Biden's pardons for people convicted on federal charges for simple marijuana possession. Biden, who had hitherto resisted efforts to decriminalize pot, this month pardoned thousands of federal convicts for pot possession and urged governors to quash state convictions, which reflect the vast majority of marijuana possession cases. In a statement, the Democrat leader said 'too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana' and that 'no one should be in jail just for using or possessing'. 'Biden's action is in line with how the vast majority of Americans feel about this issue, added Murray. While the poll indicated broad support for efforts to decriminalize cannabis, and its psychoactive ingredient THC, Democrats and political independents were more supportive of the moves than Republicans. It echoes findings by Morning Consult, another pollster, that Americans widely support the executive action and further want to see cannabis downgraded in federal law it is currently a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. Cannabis looks set to become legally available to millions more Americans within months, with broad support for Biden's move and ballot measures in five states in next month's midterm elections. Voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota will in November decide whether to legalize weed for residents age 21 or older, changing the rules in states with a combined population of nearly 16 million. They would join the 19 states and territories that already permit recreational pot, and leave about half of the U.S. population living in areas where the possession and use of pot are legal for adults. A total of 38 states permit marijuana for medical use. In the coming years, voters in Oklahoma, Wyoming, Florida, Nebraska, and Ohio will also hold ballot measures on legalizing pot. Marijuana dispensary manager LeRoy Roybal of Santa Fe, New Mexico, preparing for the opening of the state's regulated pot market in April Support for legalization in Maryland is particularly high, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released this month 73 percent are in favor of letting over-21s get high. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, in July launched his long-awaited bill to decriminalize weed at the federal level and let states set their own rules but it made no progress in the chamber. Dr Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told DailyMail.com that young people using cannabis was a 'concern' Research firm BDSA projects legal cannabis sales to hit $30 billion this year, and $47.6 billion by 2026, surpassing the craft beer industry and sending windfall tax revenues into the coffers of permissive states. Experts say legalizing pot has led to it gaining acceptance in recent years, leading more people to try it. Stress from the Covid-19 pandemic has also driven up the number of users. The National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) annual survey in August found the number of under-30s using marijuana hit record levels last year which the agency's boss Dr Nora Volkow called a 'concern'. Experts describe a 'potential explosion' of underage cannabis use and raised the alarm over the weak oversight of the pot industry. Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug advisor, noted how early legalizers of cannabis like Washington and Colorado had seen first hand the dangers of super-strength pot and a 'backlash has begun' to restrict sales. The Weed World Candies truck in New York City, which has legalized recreational cannabis but not yet licensed dispensaries. Critics worry about products that appeal to teens, who could get hold of them via intermediaries Those seeking to loosen the laws around cannabis had for years protested for pot including at this rally at the White House in 2016 before Biden decided to pardon federal offenders 'What people know about marijuana is often rooted in pop culture, not science,' Sabet, president of the campaign group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, told DailyMail.com. 'The evidence on marijuana is clear: it is not a risk-free drug, and it can have lasting physical and mental effects and these effects are amplified in frequent users and users of high-potency products.' The average cannabis joint is 4-5 times stronger than it was 50 years ago, with 20-25 percent THC potency, said Sabet. Concentrates and edibles nowadays can be 100 percent potent, he added. 'Today's marijuana has been engineered to be more addicting and is now being pushed by addiction-for-profit companies like Altria and Imperial Tobacco,' added Sabet. 'States that legalize marijuana see increases in youth use, more deaths from marijuana-impaired drivers, increased rates of violent crime, and more incidents of accidental ingestion by children.' The $30billion cannabis industry argues that taking the drug either smoking it, vaping it or as an edible can help relieve feelings of anxiety or depression, chronic pain, and even help fight addictions. Teenagers are lured by colorfully-packaged candy-like products that leave them vulnerable to higher rates of dependency, psychosis and school dropouts, researchers warn. Pictured: child-friendly cannabis gummy packaging The U.S. Cannabis Council, a major lobbying group, said legalization was widely supported, that pot was safe and could help addicts beat opioid and alcohol dependency. But in states where pot has been legalized, many parents say their children have been sucked into an addiction spiral. They also raised concerns over a free-for-all market in which super-strength cannabis products are sold in cartoon-covered packaging. Mary Maas, 57, from Washington, which legalized weed in 2012, told DailyMail.com how her son Adam, 26, spiraled into a devastating addiction to super-strength pot products worlds apart from the 'Woodstock weed' she recalls from the 1960s. Now, she looks at the potent oils, vapes, dabs, drinks and gummies sold at a growing number of dispensaries, as well as the down-and-outs living in tents under Seattle's I-5 highway, and urges other states to heed Washington's lessons. 'They'd better watch out,' she said. Adam Maas, 26, with his family in Washington. Mom Mary, 57, describes her 'straight-A student' getting hooked on super-strength cannabis products and ending up delusional, jobless and sleeping rough in Seattle Russia miscalculated its strength and is losing the war in Ukraine, an expert told state media last night in a rare and risky outburst. Viktor Olevich, a well-known 'Americanist' within Russia and chief analyst at the Centre for Actual Politics, told viewers and a stunned host that Russia 'cannot win' despite eight months of fighting. Olevich, who was schooled in the US but now lives in Moscow, also cast doubt on Russia's claims that Ukraine is building a 'dirty bomb' despite the protests of host Andrey Norkin. While Olevich has a reputation for not always towing the party line, his remarks are none-the-less a stunning admission of failure made in public. Viktor Olevich, a well-known 'Americanist' within Russia, gave a particularly blunt admission of failure on state TV last night He made the remark Monday night as host Norkin asked him about calls between Russia's top brass and their counterparts in the UK and US over the 'dirty bomb'. 'The Americans called us,' Norkin proudly remarked, before adding: 'How does it look, [and] what may come of it?' Olevich said: 'Here is approximately how it all looks. Russia initiated a special military operation, miscalculated its strength, and for eight straight months can't win. 'At the same time, we're complaining and getting upset that our opponents - the same countries that want to neutralise Russia, to dismember and destroy us - don't believe us, don't support us and aren't listening.' Norkin shot back: 'We aren't complaining, we're outraged, I would say.' But Olevich continued: 'We can be outraged and angry until we turn blue, but it will in no way solve our problems.' Turning to the so-called 'dirty bomb' - a charge laced with radioactive material that Russia is claiming Ukraine will detonate on its own soil - Olevich cast doubt on it. 'If there is real information, real evidence, as to where this dirty bomb is located, where they are planning to use it, [then] where are the documents,' he asked. Olevich (right) told host Andrey Norkin (left) that Russia had miscalculated its strength and cannot win after eight months of fighting Russia's military is currently being pushed back in both the south and north of Ukraine and has suffered tens of thousands of casualties 'Show the documents - these provocations don't happen without orders. If Russia's military intelligence has all this data, it's time to reveal it.' Olevich's doubts chime with Washington and London, which have both said there is no evidence to support Russia's claims and the allegation has caused suspicion that Russia is actually the one about to resort to atomic weapons. Olevich's comments, while not unique, are one of just a handful of protests against the war that Russian TV viewers have got to see since Putin invaded in February. Marina Ovsyannikova, a reporter with Channel One, made it on-air back in March with a sign protesting the war and accusing state TV of lying to viewers. And Mikhail Khodarenok, a retired Russian colonel, has occasionally given a withering assessment of the military's performance. But, at least until recently, full-throated criticism was rare. However, since Russia has been forced back on both northern and southern fronts even the Kremlin's usual sycophants have become critical. While careful not to directly attack Putin, several prominent propagandists have slammed the war effort and suggested those in charge are incompetent. Putin aimed to spend just a few days fighting in Ukraine to topple the government and reassert Russia as a great power state. Putin is desperately trying to hold on to the territory he has taken after his assault ground to a halt, but is struggling to hold back Ukraine's army But instead he has found his military trapped in a grinding war of attrition that has left it badly mauled. He has so-far failed to achieve any of the aims he set for himself - either the seizure of Kyiv or 'liberation' of the Donbas - and is instead trying to hold on to what territory he has managed to take. But even that effort is failing as Ukraine advances through Kharkiv and into the Donbas in the north and east, and in Kherson in the south. Putin's top commander Sergei Surovikin has said the situation in Kherson is 'tense' and hinted that a retreat might be necessary. President Zelensky has said publicly that his military intends to keep pushing all the way to Crimea - which Russia annexed in 2014 - where the war will end. A primary school teacher who was sacked after refusing to call an eight-year-old transgender pupil by a boys name has vowed to fight on against injustice in classrooms. She was yesterday refused permission for a judicial review over safeguarding concerns at her former school. However, the Christian woman pledged to continue raising awareness of the danger around damaging trans affirming policies, which she claims puts children at serious risk. The woman, known by the pseudonym Hannah to avoid identifying the child involved, claimed the result is not the end of her case. The woman, known as Hannah to avoid identifying the child, took her case to the High Court in what is a legal first in the UK after she was dismissed earlier this year. The matter was heard in Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre this week Despite losing her landmark legal challenge, she is internally appealing against her schools decision to dismiss her after she argued its transgender stance could harm youngsters. If this is rejected, a full employment tribunal will commence. Speaking after her application for a judicial review was refused by a High Court judge, Hannah said: Injustice has not been done against me but against all the children in our schools. How else am I meant to raise the danger of the trans affirming policies in our schools which are doing such damage? She added: Teachers are being discouraged from questioning trans affirming policies when evidence shows that the actual result of the approach is to put the welfare of children at serious risk. More must be done to protect vulnerable children across the country from long-term mental, emotional and irreversible physical damage inflicted upon them by this dangerous ideology. The teacher had attempted to gain permission to pursue a judicial review surrounding the refusal of her schools governing body and local authority to address her transgender safeguarding concerns. But Judge Honorable Mrs Justice Farbey, sitting at Birmingham civil and family justice centre, said the application failed to take into consideration the private life of Child X who is young and vulnerable. She added that the public is divided on the issue of transgenderism in schools and there is no consensus on the approach. The teacher was told last September she had a child in her class who wanted to change gender. Hannah, from the East Midlands, refused to call the pupil by a boys name, or refer to them with male pronouns, saying it went against her Christian beliefs. She was originally suspended and later dismissed on the ground of gross misconduct after arguing that the schools transgender affirming policies could harm children. The child at the centre of the dispute identified as transgender and Hannah was told the pupil wanted to be referred to by a boy's name (stock image pictured) She had claimed that it could damage the young student, known as Child X, to unquestioningly encourage the belief that they were in the wrong body. Richard ODair, representing the teacher, told the court his client was acting in the best interests of Child X, and had correctly raised safeguarding concerns - a responsibility for all staff. He said schools also have a duty to secure balanced treatment of political issues, but staff went to a seminar where they were provided with resources, which were not assessed for impartiality. Mr ODair added: My submission is that the material which the teachers were supplied with was only an affirmation of transition. In the transition session, where lots of documents were provided, there was nothing to alert staff to the risk of transitioning, for example, under the pressure of a parent. And we say that was inappropriate because transgender issues are highly political. When teaching the children or teaching the teachers teaching the children the material has to be balanced. However, the court heard the teacher was sacked after obsessively accessing Child Xs personal information and fears she would out the pupil. The High Court today blocked an attempt by Hannah to overturn her sacking Multiple accesses were made in the week, at weekends and late at night as she trolled for information to support her case, it was claimed. Representing the local authority, Aileen McColgan KC, said: The duty of safeguarding points goes to all staff - from the groundsmen to the dinner staff. The claimant is driven ideologically and not by the best interest of the child. Hannah has been reported to the Teaching Regulation Agency and could be barred from teaching for life in future. Her case was supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the legal branch of the evangelical group, Christian Concern. It will now look into options for appeal. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: We are disappointed by this decision but are resolved to keep standing up for the well-being of children. Mirae Asset Financial Group headquarters in central Seoul / Courtesy of Mirae Asset Financial Group By Anna J. Park Mirae Asset Global Investments will invest 300 billion won ($209 million) in Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter acquisition deal. According to local investment banking industry sources, Tuesday, the asset management arm of Mirae Asset Financial Group has set up a fund worth 300 billion won as part of its plans to participate in Musk's Twitter buyout. Mirae Asset Securities is investing 210 billion won, while the remaining 90 billion won will be provided by Mirae Asset Capital and Global Investments. As Elon Musk has been ordered by the Delaware Chancery Court to close the acquisition deal by Friday 5 p.m. U.S. time, Mirae Asset is scheduled to send the money that day. Various U.S.-headquartered investment banks and major multinational financial institutions, including Canada-based Brookfield Asset Management, are joining the takeover deal as financial investors. Mirae Asset is known to have been planning to join the acquisition deal as a financial investor since April. But the deal was delayed after the Tesla CEO reversed his position in July, saying that he was withdrawing his offer to buy the social media site. As Musk decided earlier this month to move forward with closing the deal, Mirae Asset's continued participation has also been confirmed. It's not the first time that Mirae Asset has invested in the business of Musk, the richest man in the world. Mirae Asset injected $100 million in a funding round of SpaceX in July, becoming the first Korean financial company to invest in Musk's spacecraft and satellite company. In April, Elon Musk offered to take over Twitter for $43 billion, after previously purchasing a 9.1 percent stake in the social media company, becoming its largest shareholder. Yet, in July, the Tesla CEO said he would terminate the deal due to a breach of the takeover agreement on the part of Twitter, as it refused to crack down on spambot accounts. Later that month, Twitter filed a lawsuit against Musk in the Delaware Court of Chancery, urging him to follow through with the buyout deal. In early October, Musk announced that he would move forward with his acquisition of the social media company. If the deal is not closed by Oct. 28, Musk will face trial in November. Four protesters were arrested over the weekend for blocking her driveway and banging on her doors and windows Some of the protesters have been harassing her, she said, leaving signs like 'Baby Killer' on a memorial she set up outside for her son Quinton Simon's mom has sobbed as she revealed she has become a prisoner in her own home after being named the prime suspect in her son's disappearance. Leilani Simon, 22, told WTOC in a teary interview on Monday how she has had to barricade herself in her yard to hide from protesters. The interview comes after DailyMail.com exclusively revealed she had tried to shift the blame on to the boy's biological father Henry Moss after she reported Quinton missing on October 5. Chatham County authorities in Georgia have not yet revealed why they blame Leilani for the disappearance, or why local authorities and the FBI are scouring a local landfill for his remains as it remains unclear what happened to young Quinton. But police have asserted she is the only suspect even though she has not yet been charged. Leilani says she is now being harassed by protesters as the investigation continues, with some even leaving signs like 'Baby Killer' on a memorial she set up outside for her son. In an interview with WTOC, Leilani Simon asserted that she is not running away even as she remains the prime suspect in the disappearance of her son, Quinton Simon Quinton Simon was reported missing from the Savannah home on October 5 In the interview, Leilani said she has no intention of running away even as protesters continue to gather outside her home in Savannah, Georgia. 'I'm here, I've been here every day since this. I'm not running and I'm not hiding,' she told the local news station. 'And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to the police station.' She went on to slam protesters who have been gathering outside her home, saying: 'It makes it hard to even process what's going [on] around us. 'We get to the point where we have to barricade our own home in order to even feel safe in our backyard because we can't even process what is happening everywhere else, or even have the time to do so. 'I can't even walk out and appreciate my own son's memorial or put down gifts that I got for him,' she continued. ''I can't even go out there and do that without harassment and negligence and everything. It's just devastating to see that this is how the world reacts.' Simon, 22, also revealed how she has had to barricade herself inside of her Savannah, Georgia home as protesters gather outside at all hours of the day Over the weekend, four protesters were arrested outside her home Leilani and her mother, Billie Jo Howell, have now put up security cameras and floodlights around the home. A protester is seen here carrying a sign calling them 'Baby killers' Leilani has also moved Quinton's memorial from the street to keep unwanted attention from it Over the weekend, WTOC reports, four people were arrested outside Leilani's Savannah home after they blocked her driveway and banged on her doors and windows. Kimberly Tahyer was arrested over the weekend after banging on Simon's windows and doors William Garret, Wanda Boatwright and John Boatwright are now charged with disorderly conduct, while Kimberly Tahyer was arrested and charged with criminal trespass. Leilani and her mother, Billie Jo Howell, have now put up security cameras and floodlights around the home and moved Quinton's memorial from the street to keep unwanted attention from it. They now spend their days in the backyard, saying it's too difficult to be inside the home with all of the reminders of Quinton as they wait for news about the investigation. 'Every day that goes by it's less tears and more anger, not knowing what's happening,' Leilani said. 'You wake up every day angry, hoping that you'll get a phone call and that phone call just doesn't come.' Still, Leilani and her mother said, they are holding out hope that Quinton may still be alive. 'We want something great to come out of this,' Howell said. 'But mostly we want him not to be found in that landfill.' Leilani then added they want him found 'happy and alive. 'We want him back in our arms, holding us. That's what we want,' she said. 'We're just hoping that he's in somebody's house and they're feeding him, and maybe they wanted a baby or couldn't have a baby. Maybe they thought they were his savior. 'That's our best hope at this point.' Leilani and Billie Jo Howell, were at Sting Ray's, a beach bar in the nearby vacation town of Tybee Island, earlier this month as authorities began searching for Quinton's remains While Leilani and her mother were drinking, agents were searching this landfill for any signs of little Quinton's remains But when authorities first started scouring the Chatham County landfill for Quinton's remains, Leilani and Howell were spotted at a beach bar in the nearby vacation town of Tybee Island. A photo of Leilani inside the bar was obtained by WSAV. The mother-daughter-duo spent around three hours at the bar, DailyMail.com previously revealed, sitting outside in a large group, downing Patron shots and pestering their server to drink with them. 'Eventually someone tried to get them to leave, they were really uncomfortable with them being there,' a worker at the restaurant told DailyMail.com. There were around six of them in the group. They were drinking Patron... a top-shelf tequila 'You'd think they would be quiet but they weren't. 'It was like they wanted attention. 'There were around six of them in the group. 'They were drinking Patron... a top-shelf tequila. 'They were here from around 5pm until 8pm.' Others told WSAV that they ran up a $300 bar tab and were flirting with the staff. Soon after, Chatham County police contacted the bar to request the surveillance footage of their three-hour drinking session. And after details of Leilani's outing at the bar emerged, the police department tweeted a photo of their landfill search for Quinton. 'We're not ready to charge anyone, yet. We still have work to do. 'We still have an investigation to do, and we're not going to do anything pre-emptively that would harm future prosecution,' the department said, quoting Chief Jeff Hadley. Leilani Simon (pictured in a 2020 mugshot) told police that her ex-lover Henry Moss snatched her son Quinton Simon from her Savannah home in the darkness of night Bubba told DailyMail.com he had not been to the Savannah area in over a month and had an alibi for the night of Quinton's disappearance Meanwhile, Quinton's biological father, Henry Moss also known as Bubba revealed exclusively to DailyMail.com on Monday how his Leilani tried to blame him for the boy's vanishing. He said he was mowing his boss's lawn when police started questioning him about the disappearance. 'They asked 'Did I have him?' and 'When was the last time I was in Savannah?'' he recalled. 'They told me Leilani said I came and got him overnight.' Bubba, who lives in Girard, Georgia, a rural town of 250 people, told police that he hadn't been anywhere near Savannah for a month, last visiting the area to install an air conditioner on Tybee Island. He swore he told the police the truth that he was home when Quinton disappeared on October 5, and that he left for work at 7.40 that morning. He said he presented alibis and that there was also CCTV footage from the next-door gas station that proved he didn't leave his home overnight. At that time, it was just a missing person's case. 'I told police she's gonna hurt that baby,' he recalled. 'I said I didn't know what was going on. Hell, I haven't heard from her in six to seven months.' Bubba said Leilani had originally kept her pregnancy a secret from him During the interview, Bubba proceeded to share his turbulent backstory with the woman suspected of killing their son. Bubba, who has two daughters with another woman, said he met Leilani at a swimming hole in 2019. Leilani had her own child, Zayne. They started dating and she became pregnant with Quinton in 2020. She initially kept it a secret. 'She didn't tell me until months later that she was pregnant,' Bubba recalled. 'I didn't have no say in it, really.' He said Leilani went to Alabama to give birth to Quinton in January 2021, so Bubba's name wasn't on the original birth certificate. She then returned home. 'He was happy, always smiling,' Bubba said of Quinton. 'He really didn't scream a lot. He was a good baby.' He also revealed that the tipping point in their relationship came in February 2021, after Leilani blamed Bubba for breaking into a trailer home. She was charged with first-degree burglary, a felony, and received 12-months probation Bubba said the tipping point in their relationship came in February 2021, after he was served with an arrest warrant for breaking into a trailer home back in June 2020. Leilani had already been arrested for the crime, committed in the mobile home park in nearby Waynesboro, where she was living with her mother. Leilani, however, blamed Bubba. A police incident report obtained by DailyMail.com states that Leilani allegedly cut her way through a screen window and stole $50 from a coin jar. The 40-year-old victim who owned the trailer then called the cops. 'When asked who he [the victim] thought was responsible, he pointed out a female, later identified as Leilani Maree Simon, who lives next door and was currently standing outside,' the investigator states in the report. 'I then spoke with Ms. Simon and while doing so, she admitted to entering the camper and taking all of the change from inside of the coin jar. 'Ms. Simon added that her child's father, Henry 'Bubba: Moss, came over at approximately 8am today and convinced her to help him enter the camper. Ms. Simon stated that since he couldn't fit through the window, she did instead,' the report adds. Leilani was charged with first-degree burglary, a felony. It was pleaded down to criminal trespass, court records show, and she was given 12-months probation. She is still on that probation and another probationary period for a 2021 theft in North Carolina. Bernie Ecclestone's former son-in-law arrived at court today puffing a cigar before he was accused of using a company to launder millions of pounds worth of cash. Bankrupt former millionaire James Stunt, 40, the ex-husband of F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone, is being tried with seven others for hiding 266m in funds at a gold dealer. He looked every bit the city slicker as he arrived at Leeds Cloth Hall Court with a cigar smouldering in his jaws. The court previously heard that 'anonymous couriers' had deposited up to 250,000 in bags at the low-key premises of Fowler Oldfield, in Bradford, West Yorks. But prosecutor Nicholas Clarke KC, claimed that these drivers didn't get formal paperwork for their deliveries and were instead provided with a '5 note' as receipts. Bankrupt former millionaire James Stunt, 40, is being tried with seven others for hiding 266m in funds at a gold dealer The firm's accountant Heidi Buckler, 45, yesterday denied Mr Clarke's suggestion that the vast sums of money was 'criminal cash derived from criminal conduct'. And today, she said she had limited knowledge of why Bradford-based Fowler Oldfield had sent hundreds of gold consignments to the Arab state. Opening proceedings today, Mr Clarke said Fowler Oldfield or another company, Axore Gold, completed 126 documents over an eight-month period for shipping purposes. He said: 'Between the 20th January, 2016, and the 8th August 2016, 126 documents in total were completed by either Fowler Oldfield or Axor Gold in respect of the movement of precious metals to or from Dubai. Mr Clarke said Fowler Oldfield had exported just over 34m in gold before importing close to 17m in return during this period. He said: 'Imported, there was 16,867,663.80 and exported there was 34, 840, 263.90, giving us a total of over 50m.' And speaking to Buckler directly, Mr Clarke said she must have been aware of the huge transaction as she was involved in 'preparing and assisting' with the documents. Stunt is the ex-husband of F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone, who he is pictured with He said: 'You were aware because you were preparing and assisting in the shipping documents from time to time. But Buckler countered: 'I produced a couple of documents when requested. But I wouldn't have known those figures until now.' Mr Clarke then showed the court several papers which had been labelled with 'invoice numbers', but Buckler claimed these papers were in fact shipping documents. She said she was told to prepare these documents on behalf of the company managers and had been 'following instructions' given to her by executives regarding their layout. Mr Clarke asked: 'You were just following instructions, that's your case? Buckler replied: 'Yes, I had been asked by David. I followed what was done previously. I'm not sure why it says invoice. 'It's a shipping document, and I'm guessing it means the date.' Accountant Heidi Buckler, 45, denied the prosecution's suggestion that vast sums of money left at a gold dealer was 'criminal cash derived from criminal conduct' Mr Clarke also questioned Buckler on her role at the company, telling the court she must have been able to challenge managers if she felt documents had been mishandled. He said: 'You had chartered accountancy training and some experience working with this company.' She replied: 'I had a small amount of experience working with this company. I started in November 2014, working part-time.' Buckler also denied any involvement with customers or the physical shipment of gold to Dubai. She said: 'I've never been to Dubai. I didn't arrange the pickup of the gold. I did the bookkeeping.' She misses access to social media and is fighting against being deported The fake heiress was found guilty of theft of services and grand larceny in 2019 The fake heiress and con-woman Anna Sorokin, 31, has been spotted in public flaunting an ankle tag wrapped around dark heels in her latest parole hearing. From a casual glance, one would never mistake the apparent socialite for a convicted criminal under house arrest. But the electronic tag fastened on to one of her stilettoes is a giveaway. The fraudster went by the name Anna Delvey, a fake heiress who defrauded banks, hotels, restaurants and Manhattan society to fund her jet-set lifestyle. Photos show her outside Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan after attending a parole meeting on Monday in New York City, as she continues to face deportation proceedings. She shared a laugh with security after exiting a black car and strolling to her parole hearing. After recently moving to a 3,800-per-month rental, a one-bedroom apartment in the fashionable but gritty neighbourhood of Manhattans East Village, the con-artist doesn't get to enjoy the outdoors much. Although she insists she doesn't seek fame, Sorokin would swap her time outside for a pass to return to social media. A judge banned her from all platforms as part of her release terms. Anna Sorokin better known as the heiress Anna Delvey is seen outside Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan after attending a parole meeting on October 24, 2022 in New York City. Sorokin is spotted in public flaunting dark heels in one of her first appearances since her release form jail A security guard from the Federal Plaza talks with Anna Delvey (left) after recognizing her in lower Manhattan for a parole meeting on October 24 Although she insists she doesn't seek fame, Sorokin would swap her time outside for a pass to return to social media After evading the law for years, Anna landed herself a sentence of four to 12 years in 2019 for swindling financial institutions and hotels to the tune of around 245,000. My life storys already been told by so many people, but Im the only one who can really tell my story,' said Sorokin, speaking to the Daily Mail last week. 'This time around its about trying to control the narrative, reclaiming my voice and building a platform.' I dont see that as a bad thing, she adds. Sorokin was released from prison on good behavior in February of 2021 after serving only two years. Upon her release, she only saw six weeks of freedom before she was taken into detention for overstaying her tourist visa conditions by ICE, who kept her under lock and key for seven months. Then, on October 5, Sorokin was granted a $10,000 bail bond and released from prison prompting her move to Manhattan. Being female in prison is not like being a man in prison. Females arent as violent its more psychological back-stabbing, she told the Daily Mail last week. Its almost like high school where, if they dont like you, they wont let you sit with them. Its a Mean Girls kind of thing rather than being beaten up. I never got any hate to my face. Some of the guards would tell me I thought too much of myself but some of the prisoners would high-five me in the hallways. But her parole meeting is in important one. In the days ahead, she faces deportation to Germany for overstaying her visa. The fraudster was released from prison on good behavior in February of 2021 after serving nearly four years. Pictured: Sorokin exiting a vehicle in Manhatten Although she insists she doesn't seek fame, Sorokin would swap her time outside for a pass to return to social media. A judge banned her from all platforms as part of her sentence. Pictured: Sorokin descends the steps with her ankle bracelet attached Now, she wears an electronic tag and is only allowed out under supervision. But Anna is on a mission to prove she is remorseful and deserves a second chance. Defiant as ever, Anna still insists that she intended to give the money back, that she was never motivated by greed but instead her judgment was clouded by artistic ambition. The time has come for her to turn a new leaf, she added when speaking to the paper. The family had only moved from Venezuela a few months ago The boys' mother was seen consoling the sobbing 10-year-old at the scene Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez called the tragedy 'preventable' and said the boys' devastated parents could now face charges Three young brothers aged eight to 13 were home alone when the youngest was fatally shot in the upper torso The boy, who has not been named by police, was accidentally shot dead by his brother, 10, while home alone in an apartment in Houston, Texas on Monday An eight-year-old Venezuelan boy has died after being accidentally shot by his 10-year-old brother while home alone at their family's an apartment complex in Houston. The child - whose family had only moved from Venezuela a few months ago - was playing with his older brother in the home's only bedroom when the gun went off, striking him in the upper torso. According to Click2Houston.com the boys' 13-year-old brother was also inside the apartment at the time of the shooting but he was not injured and called 911. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed the 'tragic situation' happened at around 3pm on Monday at the Bear Creek Apartments in the 5500 block of Timber Creek Place while the parents were not at home. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez speaking about the 'preventable' tragedy at the Bear Creek Apartments in Houston, Texas, on Monday The scene at Bear Creek Crossing where an eight-year-old boy was fatally shot by his 10-year-old brother 'These situations are preventable. Children should never have access to weapons. Anything could happen,' Gonzalez said. 'We've talked in the past about the importance of safe storage, securing weapons, responsible gun ownership. This appears to be a tragic situation of what could happen when that doesn't occur. 'Our condolences out to the family. They're extremely devastated by what has occurred here this afternoon.' According to ABC13 reporter Daniela Hurtado, the mother of the three boys was seen consoling the sobbing 10-year-old while their devastated father sobbed on the ground. Investigators are looking into who owned the shotgun and whether it was loaded by one of the siblings. Sheriff Gonzalez confirmed charges against the parents are possible. According to ABC13.com, the boys are not yet enrolled in school after moving to west Houston from Venezuela a few months ago. Cops were seen removing bags from the apartment block and loading them into Crime Scene Unit van. Neighbor Kendra Davis told Click2Houston: 'As a parent, no one should ever have to go through that.' 'It's horrible that this is happening on a daily basis. Something needs to be done. It's out of control.' The Harris County Sheriff's Office offers free gun locks to residents. Accused killer Jemma Mitchell had 'something heavy' in a suitcase when she left a murder victim's home but claims it contained a body would be 'a guess', a court heard today. Mitchell, 38, is accused of battering to death Mee Kuen Chong, 67, before decapitating her and dumping her body more than 250 miles away in Salcombe, Devon, in June last year. It is claimed Mitchell murdered Ms Chong at the victim's home by hitting her over the head with a blunt object, fracturing her skull, on June 11, 2021. Mitchell then moved the body in a blue suitcase to her half-derelict house and kept it there for two weeks before driving to Devon in a rented Volvo, the jury has heard. Her defence said that accusations she moved the body in a suitcase are 'simply speculation' and said there is 'no forensic trail' in the case. Though Mitchell, an osteopath, has not gone into the witness box to explain what was in the suitcase. It is claimed she killed Ms Chong over a money dispute, as she needed at least 400,000 after a project to add an extra storey to her home in Willesden, northwest London ended in disaster. She had been pressurising vulnerable Ms Chong to give her the money by doing a deal on her home, the Old Bailey has heard. When Ms Chong refused, Mitchell killed her, it is claimed. On June 27, 2021, Ms Chong's head was found ten metres away from the rest of the body and had been 'cleanly cut.' Jemma Mitchell, 38, is accused of beating Mee Kuen Chong, 67, to death in row over money, decapitating her and then moving her body in a suitcase (pictured) The two women (pictured) were in an alleged disagreement after Ms Chong changed her mind about giving Ms Mitchell money for a project to add an extra storey to her home in Willesden The Old Bailey heard today that there is no evidence that Mitchell transferred the body of Ms Chong in a suitcase Richard Jory, KC, defending, told the jury there were 'no witnesses to any assault' and 'no forensic trail' in the case. Mr Jory said the prosecution's claim that Mitchell, who had been a brilliant medical student and won a prestigious prize for anatomy, had 'meticulously' covered her tracks was 'palpably nonsense'. 'No one saw Jemma Mitchell go into the property, take anything in,' the barrister said. 'No one noticed hearing or seeing any disturbance at all and no one appeared during the time when Jemma Mitchell was said to be inside.' Mr Jory went on to say that police officers did not find any forensic evidence at either Ms Chong's or Mitchell's homes. Police searched the victim's property for ten days but found 'nothing'. They also searched Mitchell's house in Brondesbury Park, employing fifty officers and sniffer dogs to do so, the court heard. A CCTV image of Jemma Mitchell, 38, on Chaplin Road, north west London dragging a blue suitcase and another smaller bag on 11 June, 2021 Jurors previously heard that Mitchell was in Salcombe on 26 June last year, having travelled there in a rented grey Volvo with a large blue suitcase 'There is no evidence after all of that that any DNA of Deborah's was found inside,' Mr Jory said. 'There's no evidence of cleaning or of anything in particular incriminating... In fact quite the reverse. 'For [the prosecution's] theory about what happened to be correct you would think something of Deborah's DNA would be inside the house.' Jurors were also told that there was no way of knowing what was inside the blue suitcase Mitchell dragged from Chaplin Road where Ms Chong lived. 'The common sense conclusion you can make is that by this time something had been put inside it which was heavy,' Mr Jory conceded. 'Of course that's right. Certainly something had gone in there since she left home. 'But to go further to try and imagine a body in that case is simply speculation. 'You cannot see inside that case, it would be simply a guess.' Mee Kuen Chong was said to be a vulnerable person and prone to erratic behaviour. She is said to have been discussing financial dealings with Mitchell before she died Mitchell has not gone into the witness box to explain what was in the suitcase, but her barrister insisted that the prosecution case had a 'total absence' of evidence. 'They have got it completely wrong. None of this happened like they say. 'There is a total absence of evidence. 'They have created scenarios that are not backed by their own evidence.' Mitchell, of Brondesbury Park, Willesden, northwest London, denies murder. The trial continues. Parents of students at the Central Valley high school staged a protest Friday morning over its failure to appropriately prevent or handle the incident The school says it has opened an investigation and will look into disciplinary measures - it has also placed two staffers on leave, including a security guard Community members became outraged at the school's lack of immediate action in the face of the relentless bullying The special needs student was mocked and yelled at in Spanish in a video that went viral in Bakersfield, California where Alvin High School is located A video recorded at Arvin High School in Kern County, California shows school bullies giving a haircut to a special needs boy who cries as he is mocked by the group. The teenage boy at the Central Valley high school was forced to shave his head and began crying in front of crowd of students. The kids in the video can be heard using explicit language and telling the boy not to cry in Spanish. A special needs teenage boy was mercilessly bullied last week by students who sheared his hair in front of the school The boy was reduced to tears and subsequent outrage from the community has led to questions about how the school in Central Valley, California deals with bullying In a statement posted to social media, the school advised that it was made aware of the incident and is going through the process of disciplining the students involved A spokesperson for the High School District gave the following statement to Telemundo Valle Central: 'Arvin High School administration is aware of a video circulating on social media. The behavior exhibited in the video is clearly unacceptable, and we do not condone bullying of any kind. When students breach the boundaries of acceptable behavior, they will be held accountable for their actions, and the school will provide support to any affected student. The incident is being thoroughly investigated, and appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken.' The boy's mother, Avelina Santiago, told the station she wants the bullies involved to face discipline. Speaking in Spanish at an anti-bullying rally held outside the school on October 21, Avelina told reporters, 'I'm destroyed.' 'My boy is a very nice person, hes very innocent. He just wanted to fit in and make friends. He wanted to be like everyone else,' she said. Two of the high school's employees, including a security guard, have reportedly been placed on leave following the incident. On Twitter, the high school released another statement to the public: 'We appreciate your strong emotions and anger toward this incident; the staff at AHS share your feelings. 'We do not condone these actions and please know we do educate against bullying. Please continue to have discussions with your children about bullying and how we can be better together,' it read. Santiago said she, at first, 'felt alone,' in her pursuit of accountability for her son. 'But then I saw all the people who are supporting me.' She added that her son is now doing well and has been receiving support from his family. Last Friday morning, the largely Spanish-speaking community gathered at Alvin High School to protest the administration's response to the incident. They chanted in English and Spanish, 'no mas bullying' - no more bullying - outside the school. Dozens and dozens of community members concerned for their children gathered Friday morning at the Central Valley high school to make their voices heard Many community members, including City Councilmember Daniel Borreli, were horrified by the video that circulated on social media and are committed to helping the school appropriately address the incident Concerned parents gathered Friday morning to protest the ethos around bullying at Alvin High School 'I feel so sad, I was crying. I can't believe this was happening to my grandson,' said the boy's grandmother, who was at the protest on Friday A number of signs were put on display at Alvin High School as community members rallied around the special needs student and pleaded with the school to not let the bullying go unnoticated Parents staged a protest outside the high school last Friday to confront the administration's handling of the bizarre and heart-wrenching incident Other parents of children at the school were on the scene to share their concern. Jesus Martinez, who has two children at the school, said the video 'went viral and everybody is heartbroken, theres a lot of concern.' Referring to the other parents in the crowd, he said, 'We all want to protect our kids. We want to send them to school to learn and not to get beat up.' Parents shared their concerns that Arvin High 'condones bullying' and that the latest viral video was hardly an isolated incident. Local business owner Abby Cortez said the protest occurred 'because nothing was being done.' 'The principal didn't want to talk to the mom (Santiago) or me, they didn't want to come out.' The protest ultimately concluded when the school's principal did come out and engage with the concerned parents by explaining the investigatory and disciplinary process. 'They are working on, you know, getting all the students' (names) from the video. Arvin High School is trying to do their part as of what we know now,' she added. Local City Councilmember Daniel Borreli said he was 'outraged' after seeing the video and had pledged his help to hold the school accountable. Desperate peace talks aimed at ending two years of brutal war between the Ethiopian army and forces from the country's northern region of Tigray are now underway in South Africa, the government said today. The conflict, which began in November 2020 and was this week described by the White House as one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, has left hundreds of thousands in famine and displaced millions from their homes. Some estimates put the death toll as a result of the fighting at nearly half a million - though this is impossible to determine because journalists have been banned from visiting the region by the Ethiopian government. The negotiations, led by the African Union (AU), follow a fierce surge in fighting in recent weeks that has triggered yet more fears for civilians caught in the crossfire. 'South Africa is hosting peace talks to end the conflict in the Tigray region,' Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa, told reporters. The talks 'have been convened to find a peaceful and sustainable solution to the devastating conflict,' he said, adding that they would run until October 30. Negotiators from the Ethiopian government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the regional authorities in war-stricken Tigray will now attempt to negotiate a resolution, facilitated by AU Horn of Africa envoy and Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo as well as several other delegates from neighbouring countries. Residents and militias stand next to houses destroyed by an airstrike during the fight between the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces in Kasagita town, Afar region, Ethiopia, February 25, 2022 Members of the Tigrayan community protest against the conflict between Ethiopia and Tigray rebels in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region in Pretoria, South Africa on Oct. 12, 2022 People gather in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 22, 2022 during a demonstration in support of Ethiopia armed forces The conflict between the Ethiopian federal government and people in the Tigray region stems from grievances dating back to a period during which the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), an ethno-political group, held considerable sway as part of Ethiopia's ruling coalition. The TPLF was instrumental in helping to overthrow the Derg - a ruthless Marxist military dictatorship which killed tens of thousands of its own people - in 1991 and subsequently formed a coalition government (EPRDF) made up of four political parties representing different ethnic groups in Ethiopia. This system was praised for its attempts to share power among various ethnic groups, but critics said the decision to formally split the country into several ethnic regions only led to greater divisions. Since that coalition lost power at the national level in 2018 amid a wave of protests, the TPLF, still powerful in the north, fell out with the new federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The government has accused the TPLF of seeking to restore its national dominance, while the TPLF has accused the Abiy government of oppressing Tigrayans and trying to centralise power. Each side denies the other's accusations, but their fighting has brought utter chaos to the region and has plunged huge swathes of the population into famine and poverty. There have also been widespread reports of soldiers on both sides committing heinous human rights abuses. Abiy won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his 'efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation' after he played a key role in bringing an end to a 20-year conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea stemming from a border war in 1998. His peacemaking efforts led to the signing of an historic peace deal between the two countries which opened borders. But his reputation as a peacemaker quickly deteriorated when he ordered a blockade of Tigray in June 2021, which severed Internet connections and phone lines, closed banks and prevented essential food and medicine from entering the region. A man waves an Ethiopian flag as he join others gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on October 22, 2022 during a demonstration in support of Ethiopia armed forces The conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front in the north of the country began in November 2020 and was this week described by the White House as one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world (residents in Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa pictured selling food on the streets) Ethiopians protest against what they say is interference by outsiders in the country's internal affairs The Tigrayan delegation has said its focus at the talks in South Africa this week would be on an immediate cessation of hostilities, unfettered access to Tigray for humanitarian aid, and the withdrawal of Eritrean forces - soldiers from the neighbouring country which are fighting on the side of the Ethiopian government. Abiy's representatives meanwhile view the talks as an opportunity to resolve the conflict and 'consolidate the improvement of the situation on the ground', apparently a reference to the advances of federal government forces and their Eritrean allies which seized a string of towns in Tigray in recent weeks. An initial effort by the AU to bring the two sides to the negotiating table earlier this month failed, with diplomats suggesting logistical issues and a lack of preparedness were to blame. The war has compounded other serious problems in Ethiopia including a drought - the worst in four decades - that has caused a food crisis and send the economy into a downward spiral. Heating oil suppliers in the Northeast and New England have begun rationing the key fuel ahead of winter, after stockpiles dropped to a third of their normal levels. Concerns are rising that supply shortages and soaring prices will leave families in the cold this winter, particularly in New England, which is more reliant on heating oil than other parts of the country. Chris Herb, president of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, told Bloomberg recently that heating oil wholesalers are beginning to limit allocations for retail suppliers. The rationing measures, intended to prevent panic buying and hoarding, are in turn being imposed on consumers, limiting the amount of heating oil they can purchase, said Herb. Heating oil suppliers in the Northeast and New England have begun rationing the key fuel ahead of winter. Pictured: A heating oil delivery in Scarborough, Maine last October Heating oil supplies are lower this year due to the same factors impacting world oil markets Heating oil, which is chemically similar to diesel, is primarily used in New York, Pennsylvania and New England, where most distribution is handled by small, family-owned businesses. This year, New England's inventories of stockpiled heating oil are about 70 percent lower than their average level since 1993, government data show. Supplies are lower this year due to the same factors impacting world oil markets, including the failure to rebuild production capacity following the pandemic, and disruptions from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, heating oil stockpiles have also been affected by a pricing structure known as 'backwardation', in which prompt deliveries are priced at a premium over deliveries in the future. 'There's just no incentive to store large amount of product,' Michael Ferrante, president of the Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association, told the outlet. Heating oil prices have also been rising rapidly, topping $4.09 a gallon in New York last week, up from $2.46 one year ago. The Energy Department estimates that families who rely on heating oil will see their heating costs soar 27 percent this winter. Heating oil, which is chemically similar to diesel, is primarily used in New York, Pennsylvania and New England It's projected to cost more than $2,300 to heat a typical home with heating oil this winter, the department said. About 90 percent of the US relies on natural gas or electricity for heating, and those households can also expect to see their heating bills rise. The Energy Department projects heating bills will jump 28 percent this winter for those who rely on natural gas, while electricity will rise about 10 percent. The average total cost to heat a home this winter is expected to be $931 with natural gas, and $1,359 with electricity. Across the country, some are urging utilities to implement a moratorium on winter shut-offs, and members of Congress already added $1 billion in heating aid. But there will be fewer federal dollars than last year when pandemic aid flowed freely. A fuel delivery truck advertises its price for a gallon of heating oil earlier this month in Livermore Falls, Maine. Winter is still two months away, but people are already worried about staying warm amid high energy costs and disruptions around the world In Maine, the state has the nation's oldest population and it's the most reliant on heating oil, creating a double whammy. 'People are scared. They're worried. They're frustrated,' said Lisa McGee, who coordinates the heating aid program for Community Concepts Inc. in Lewiston, Maine. 'Theres more anxiety this year.' Maine resident Aaron Raymo saw the writing on the wall and began stocking up on heating oil in five-gallon increments over the summer as costs crept upward. He filled a container with heating oil as he could afford it, usually on paydays, and used a heating assistance program to top off his 275-gallon oil tank with the arrival of colder weather. His family is trying to avoid being forced into a difficult decision - choosing between food or heating their home. 'It's a hard one,' he said. 'What are you going to choose for food, or what amount of fuel oil are you going to choose to stay warm?' The situation is even bleaker in Europe, with Russia's continued curtailment of natural gas pushing prices upward and causing painful shortages. A 20-year-old Pennsylvania National Guard member who died in a training accident over the weekend is remembered by heartbroken friends as 'feisty and fiery.' Specialist Mackenzie Shay, also known as Mack, died on Saturday following a collision with two military vehicles at Fort Indiantown Gap. Three others were sent to a local hospital and were later released. Shay is one of the many soldiers that have died during training. She graduated from Mohawk High School in 2021 and was a student at Slippery Rock University. The soldier was mourned by those who knew her. 'It broke my heart to hear this,' Mohawk cross country couch Dave Bredl told New Castle News. 'She was a really smart girl. She was a little feisty and fiery, and always tried to do her best and make her mark.' Bredl added that Shay had wanted to join the military since her junior year. Tina Lee Shay, the soldier's mom, told the New York Post she can't describe how her family is feeling. Shay was a member of the 28th Infantry Division's Company G, 128th Brigade Support Battalion as a 92F Army Petroleum Supply Specialist. The details of the crash haven't been released. Specialist Mackenzie Shay, 20, died on Saturday after a collision involving two military vehicles at Fort Indiantown Gap Three others were sent to a local hospital and were later released. Pictured: the military base where the crash occurred Shay was a member of the 28th Infantry Division's Company G, 128th Brigade Support Battalion as a 92F Army Petroleum Supply Specialist Shay graduated from Mohawk High School in 2021 and was a student at Slippery Rock University Army Mayor General Mark J. Schindler said military officials are focusing on caring for Shay's family. 'Our priority right now is taking care of the family and soldiers, ensuring they have all the resources they need during this critical time,' Schindler said. All Pennsylvania and US flags were ordered to be be lowered half way until the soldiers date of internment by Gov. Tom Wolf. The date hasn't been set yet. Shay's loved ones mourned her unexpected death on social media. Kyleigh Lasky posted a short and bittersweet tribute on Facebook that featured a series of photos the soldier. 'Mack Shay, we may not have been as close as we once were this last year but you were still at one point my best friend. Thank you for being you and for teaching me so much about myself. Your smile and laugh will never be forgotten. Rest easy pretty girl.' Lasky later wrote: 'My heart truly breaks for all of Mack's friends and family. This is so tragic. She still had so much life to live. But, if there is one thing she did ever teach me, it's always to live life to the fullest.' 'You deserved so much more Mack,' Trina Belfast added. Danny Kent chimed in: 'This world is so unpredictable. I'm very sorry for your family's loss. RIP Mack Shay. You were so young. I just can't believe it.' 'This is crazy... I can't believe the news RIP Mack Shay,' Dakota Meadows added. 'Thank you for coming into my life. Till we meet again.' Shay's loved ones mourned her unexpected death on social media Kyleigh Lasky posted a short and bittersweet tribute on Facebook. Lasky said Shay's smile will be remembered Lasky later posted another message about Shay's death Danny Kent chimed in about Shay's passing and said 'the world is so unpredictable' and that he "can't believe it' Another friend was in disbelief of the news - and grateful for Shay's friendship Shay was one of many soldiers that have died from training incidents. One US soldier died at the Fort Gordon base in Georgia in July after being strick by lightening along with ten others during a training exercise. Fort Gordon Range Control officials said a bolt of lightning struck the base's training area at around 11am, WJFP reported, with one soldier succumbing to their injuries. A month later, two Army soldiers from Fort Benning and the Maneuver Center of Excellence in Georgia, were hit by a falling tree and killed while finding shelter during a thunderstorm, according to the New York Times. Second Lt. Evan Fitzgibbon and Staff Sgt. George Taber were training nearby the Yonah Mountain when the storm hit. Three others were injured. Also in August, two US Army soldiers based at Fort Benning in Georgia died and three others were injured in a weather-related incident. The group was training. on a mountain in the northern part of the state. Nancy Pelosi is rejecting the latest poll numbers and trend lines that show Republicans are favored to win control of the House in the November midterm election. 'Part of it is, I cannot believe anybody would vote for these people,' she told The New York Times of the opposition. Pelosi is battling to keep her Democrats in the driver's seat and herself as speaker. Republicans need a net gain of five seats to take over the House, which would put GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy in the speaker's office. In an analysis this week, FiveThirtyEight noted momentum appeared to be on the Republicans' side. As recently as Oct. 13, Democrats had a slight edge on the generic congressional ballot. Now, however, Republicans have taken the lead, indicating voters' mood had shifted to the right. Pelosi, however, is campaigning like it's in the bag. In the final sprint up to Nov 8th, she is criss-crossing the country, making appearances for Democrats and raising millions of dollars to for their campaigns. She is emphasizing the threat against democracy and arguing Republicans will roll back reproductive rights for women. 'The urgency of saving our democracy is real,' Pelosi said in the interview, adding that she hated to be a 'fearmonger,' but that the moment required it. She described the GOP campaign strategy as 'endless lying.' Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rejecting the latest poll numbers and trend lines that show Republicans are favored to win the House on Nov. 8th Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken at an event in California earlier this month Polls show voters list the economy as their top concern but Pelosi argued reproductive rights should not be counted out as a top concern. 'Your right to choose is on the ballot,' she said at a campaign stop in Illinois. 'If women vote, women will win.' She also nixed any mention of historical trends that shows the party that holds the White House tends to lose seats in the midterm election. 'Forget that,' she said. 'We are talking about the future. I don't care about what happened in 1946.' Pelosi has exprssed optimism in the runup to the election and she declined to answer questions about whether this will cap her 35-year career in public office. 'Do you think I would respond to that question?' the speaker said when The Times asked her whether she harbored any feeling that she was on a valedictory tour. 'There is one answer,' she said. 'Win.' Pelosi, 82, has been House Democrats' chief general in this year's campaign fight. She has raised $275 million this election cycle, including $42.7 million in the third quarter of this year alone. Since joining House leadership in 2002, she has raised $1.25 billion for Democrats. 'My time is money,' she told the Times, noting she was giving them an interview instead of campaigning. And she argues Democrats can come out on top. 'I see very clearly that the ownership of the ground is with us. It's about getting out the vote. Everything else is a conversation compared to that,' the California Democrat told CBS News' Face The Nation on Sunday. Polls show Republicans are favored to win control of the House of Representatives which would make Kevin McCarthy speaker The speaker is enjoying a resurgence of popularity after videos from the January 6th insurrection show her working the phones from her secure location in Fort McNair, asking Mike Pence about his safety, and opening a stick of jerky with her teeth. She also famously vowed to punch then President Donald Trump if he showed up on Capitol Hill. Footage obtained by CNN from Jan. 6, 2021, showed Pelosi frustrated over Trump's speech asking his followers to march to the Capitol to protest the certification of the 2020 presidential election. When an aide told Pelosi that the Secret Service warned Trump not to go to Capitol Hill, she said she would punch the former president if he ignored the warnings. 'If he comes, I'm going to punch him out,' Pelosi said with a straight face at the time. 'I've been waiting for this. For trespassing on the Capitol grounds, I'm going to punch him out. 'And I'm going to go to jail, and I'm going to be happy.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened to punch Donald Trump if he showed up with rioters at the Capitol, newly released footage revealed Pelosi was seen frustrated over Trump's speech on January 6 (above) urging his supporters to march to the Capitol to protest the certification of Joe Biden Her comments come after footage, filmed by Pelosi's daughter on January 6, showed the full chaos taking place during the infamous riot that left five dead as lawmakers sought shelter in Fort McNair. Most of the film shows Pelosi's movements on January 6, including a phone call she made to then-Vice President Mike Pence asking about his physical safety, following threats to 'Hang Mike Pence.' 'We're at Fort McNair, which has facilities for the House and the Senate to meet, as a backup plan should anything happen that would warrant that,' Pelosi tells Pence. 'We'd rather go to the Capitol and do it there, but it doesn't seem to be safe.' As Pelosi discusses moving on with the certification of Joe Biden, she urges Pence to stay safe and hidden from the rioters. 'I worry about you being in that Capitol room,' Pelosi said. 'Don't let anybody know where you are.' Pelosi could be seen phoning Mike Pence several times, asking about his safety Pelosi told Pence that the Capitol was not safe after rioters clashed with police, and warned the former Vice President to stay hidden and not disclose his location to anyone The footage also shows a phone call Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had with Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy after hearing rumors that the National Guard wouldn't be called to end the riot. 'I'd like to know a good God damn reason why it's been denied,' Schumer said. 'Please the whole Capitol is rampaged. 'There is a picture of someone sitting in the chair of the Senate. We've all been evacuated. There have been shots fired. We need a full National Guard component, now!' Congress' top two Democrats are then joined by other lawmakers, including Mitch McConnell, to grill Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on the slow response. McConnell tells Miller that National Guard troops need to be 'getting there in one hell of a hurry,' with Schumer echoing the urgency to restore order in the Capitol. 'This is an emergency,' Schumer says, 'where life and limb are at stake.' Rep. Baek Hye-ryun from main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, center, presides over a National Assembly audit session in Seoul, Oct. 13. Joint Press Corps-Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung Lawmakers are moving to bring charges against Korean crypto magnates for not appearing after being summoned as witnesses to the National Assembly's annual audit regarding the recent Luna debacle. The moguls include former Bithumb Holdings Chairman Lee Jung-hoon, Hashed CEO Simon Kim, Terraform Labs co-founder Shin Hyun-sung, also known as Daniel Shin, and Kang Jong-hyun who is known as the de facto owner of Bithumb, the nation's second largest cryptocurrency exchange. The Assembly summoned all of the ranking crypto figures on Monday to question them about the details of their involvement in the abrupt meltdown of the now-collapsed Luna cryptocurrency. But none of them appeared for the Assembly's annual audit, citing health reasons. "The former Bithumb chairman submitted a written statement for his absence once again, even if he exudes enormous influence on the exchange as a major shareholder," Rep. Min Byung-duk from main opposition Democratic Party of Korea said. "He cited health reasons and ongoing lawsuits, but he is scheduled to attend a trial the following day." "The medical certificate he sent us shows that he needs to receive drug treatment for more than three months, but the diagnosis date was 19 months ago," the lawmaker said. "I request the Assembly to proceed with bringing criminal charges against him for his shameless behavior (by not attending the audit)." Rep. Baek Hye-ryun from the party also stepped up criticism of their respective absences, and pledged to take stern measures against them. "Most lawmakers from the Assembly's political affairs committee will agree with the necessity of getting the facts straight over the Terra-Luna fiasco this year," she said. "But it appears unreasonable for them to submit written statements for their absence. We should take all the relevant measures by bringing charges against them at the National Assembly level." The abrupt collapse of the Terra-Luna ecosystem left investors with losses of around 50 trillion won across the globe. Following the incident, the whereabouts of Do Kwon, the developer of the ecosystem, remains unknown. Gascon has survived two recall efforts during his time as the DA, including one earlier this year Some critics say the uptick should be blamed on LA District Attorney George Gascon, a 'soft on crime' DA In 2021, robberies were up 17 percent over the last year and burglaries were up by 15 per cent The suspects in Tuesday's burglary have yet to be identified and the investigation is ongoing, LAPD confirmed to DailyMail.com The incident comes just three months after the same store was hit by a similar incident where a van was driven into the front and merchandise was taken Two thieves used a stolen van to drive into a Los Angeles Chanel store early Tuesday morning and get away with an unknown number of items At least two thieves used a stolen van to smash through the front of a Los Angeles Chanel store early Tuesday morning, the second incident of its kind in three months. The smash-and-grab happened just after 2.30am at the high-end designer store located in Beverly Grove, a neighborhood located between La Brea, Fairfax, and Beverly Hills. Police said Tuesday morning that a group of suspects drove the van into the front window of the Chanel store in an attempt to steal the merchandise found inside. The window was barred with a grate at the time of the incident, video and photos from the scene show. Additionally, police told DailyMail.com outlets that the van used by the unidentified suspects had recently been stolen. The gray Mercedes printer van used to drive through the front window was taken from LA's South Central area, LAPD confirmed Tuesday. Police responded early Tuesday morning to the Chanel store in Beverly Grove for reports of a burglary An armed security guard was inside at the time and was able to fend off the suspects after they smashed the vehicle through the window On July 20, the same Chanel store in Beverly Grove was hit by burglars looking to smash and grab as much high-end merchandise as they could Chanel bags were seen strewn on the sidewalk Tuesday morning after the burglary. Some purses sold by the designer brand cost upwards of $4,000 At this time, it's unclear how many items were stolen from the store or how much the items are worth Police and Chanel employees were inside the store Tuesday taking inventory and looking for evidence after the suspects fled the scene As of 9am Pacific Standard Time, the vehicle has been towed from the front of the store. Upon driving through the window, the suspects were met by an armed security guard inside of the designer store. The guard was able to give a description of at least one of the suspects before they fled the scene. The number of items stolen from Chanel is unknown at this time, as is the value of any lost inventory. Chanel workers are currently sorting through the store to account for anything that may have been taken. Video from local news outlets showed a messy scene with glass shattered both on the sidewalk outside of the location as well as on the floor of the store. In one clip, handbags appeared strewn across the ground. Some cases inside the store were smashed in as the suspects attempted to get away with the expensive merchandise At least two suspects rammed a stolen gray Mercedes van through the gated front window of the high-end designer store, shattering the glass completely Display cases were damaged when the suspects drove into the store Tuesday morning. Some merchandise, including sunglasses, looked undisturbed According to Chanel's website, purses sold by the company can range in price from $200 to upwards of $4,000. The suspects were able to flee the scene in an unknown vehicle police said. One suspect of an unidentified race was said to be wearing a white face mask and a yellow jacket. Another suspect, a black male, was wearing a blue hoodie and had salt and pepper hair, LAPD officials told DailyMail.com. The investigation is ongoing at this time and police are currently searching for footage of the incident. Any video found may be released to the media later, officials said. This incident comes just three months after the exact same store was burglarized in July. Thieves used a white van to ram into the entrance and grab merchandise. Thousands of dollars worth of Chanel items were stolen in the July 20 burglary before the group took off in two vehicles. The four suspects in that incident were later arrested for allegedly burglarizing a Neiman Marcus store Fashion Island shopping mall in Newport Beach just hours after the Chanel hit. The burglaries come amid a growing crime wave in the City of Angels, with similar crimes up more than 17 percent over last year, and burglaries up 15 percent. Overall, violent crimes are now up nearly 5 percent from last year, with property crimes up a whopping 12 percent. In 2021, Jacqueline Avant, 81, a philanthropist and the wife of music legend Clarence Avant, was killed in a home invasion robbery and shooting. Jacqueline Avant, left, a philanthropist and the wife of musician Clarence Avant, was killed in her home on December 1, 2021 An alarming incident that caused an uptick in gun ownership in some Los Angeles neighborhoods. 'Everyone has a general sense of constant fear, which is very sad,' said Beverly Hills Guns owner Russell Stuart. 'We're used to this being like Mayberry.' He was referring to the peaceful fictional town from The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD. But over the past year, Hollywood's total violent crime rate increased 25 percent with its homicide rate doubling, robberies up 41.6 percent and shootings up 54.2 percent over last year, Los Angeles Police Department shows. That is higher than the crime rate in the rest of the city, which saw homicides climb 12 percent over last year, robberies up 5.3 percent and shootings up 14.8 percent. 'Beverly Hills is definitely a target,' said David Perez, a security expert who previously worked security in the Clinton White House and at the Pentagon. 'We're telling clients 'Hey don't go out with flashy jewelry. Try to keep a low profile. Instead of driving the Bentley maybe just take the SUV.'' The city's crime spike dates back to widespread looting following Black Lives Matter protests on Rodeo Drive, that left some high-end stores with broken windows, according to the LA Magazine. Those smash-and-grab lootings continued again in 2021, with the LAPD arresting 14 suspects alleged to have been involved in 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores in the area. Nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen in strikes on an LA Nordstrom, a Lululemon in Studio City, a Fairfax district store, and a CVS pharmacy in South LA in November of 2021. Some blame the rise in crime on District Attorney George Gascon who has faced rampant criticism for his laid-back approach when it comes to the criminal justice system. The Los Angeles DA was recalled in 2020 but efforts to unseat him failed. District Attorney George Gascon has survived two recall efforts since he took the office In winter of 2021, the head of a union that represents roughly 1,000 Los Angeles County prosecutors slammed District Attorney George Gascon for keeping mum despite on the string of smash-and-grab robberies plaguing Southern California. 'He's created an atmosphere devoid of accountability,' said Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, during an appearance on Fox News. In August, Gascon survived yet another recall effort. 'Grateful to move forward from this attempted political power grab rest assured LA County, the work hasn't stopped,' Gascon said on Twitter after the second recall attempt failed. 'My primary focus has been & will always be keeping us safe & creating a more equitable justice system for all.' A public inquiry to decide whether Marks & Spencer can demolish and rebuild its flagship on London's Oxford Street began today. The retail giant says its shop along with others on Oxford Street are failing commercially and need rejuvenating. But heritage and environmental campaigners believe redevelopment would produce too much carbon and damage the area's early 20th Century heritage. Led by the charity SAVE Britain's Heritage, the challengers say demolishing and rebuilding the site's three buildings would emit 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) which would amount to driving 99 million miles, further than the distance to the sun. They argue that M&S should instead retrofit the buildings, the earliest of which was built in 1930, which they say would also avoid any heritage damage to the Grade II* listed Selfridges building next door. Marks & Spencer says its shop along with others on Oxford Street are failing commercially and need rejuvenating However Selfridges have publicly endorsed the redevelopment plans saying they would enhance, rather than harm, their own store. M&S said it will have to abandon the site if its plans are rejected and that carbon emitted during demolition and construction would be offset by the new store's energy efficiency. Russell Harris KC, representing M&S at the public inquiry set up by Michael Gove when he was levelling up Secretary, said retro-fitting would not be enough to reverse the store's misfortunes and Oxford Street would suffer if the company left. He said: 'The fact that the existing store is failing both contributes to and is compounded by the fact that the west end of Oxford Street is also in decline. 'That decline is obvious and palpable. Go there, it has a smell, a tangible, unmistakable expression of decline. 'Without M&S at this location, and they will leave if the application fails, the decline of this area of the centre will accelerate dramatically. 'Such an outcome, further decline, is not consistent with the requirement that investment in Oxford Street should enhance the West End's position as a globally competitive retail destination.' M&S plans for its central London store are being heard in a public inquiry set up by Michael Gove while he was levelling up Secretary He also said that an application to list the oldest building, Orchard House, was rejected and that a new building 'would be one of the most sustainable buildings in the whole of the capital'. Matthew Fraser, representing SAVE, said demolition of the early 20th century building would result in a loss of heritage and result in a level of CO2 emissions that is incompatible with the need to meet the Paris Agreement and limit global temperature to 2C. He said: 'Such a significant embodied carbon cost could have been avoided, and could still be avoided, if M&S seriously and creatively considered the option of refurbishing the buildings. 'A comprehensive retrofit of the buildings would introduce greater operational energy efficiency in buildings, avoid the large embodied carbon emissions of the demolition and rebuild, achieve the desired improvements in terms of providing high quality retail and office space and avoid the harmful heritage impacts of the proposed new build scheme.' Planning permission to demolish the buildings was granted by Westminster City Council (WCC) who support the redevelopment saying it will 'update and enhance the historic environment' and would result in a 'greatly improved streetscape'. Marks & Spencer's flagship Oxford Street store at the time of its opening in 1964 Apart from rebooting the store's commercial value, M&S say the redevelopment will also provide public benefits such as a new 'high quality arcade restoring a traditional route, a new pocket park at Granville Place, widened and safe footpaths along Oxford Street and Orchard Street'. But SAVE said these aims could be achieved through retrofitting and criticised WCC and the Mayor of London for misapplying their own sustainability policies by supporting the plans and missing an opportunity to show what they could achieve. Mr Fraser said: 'Despite claiming that sustainability is at the core of their brand and committing to being a net zero business by 2040, M&S have dismissed the creative refurbishment alternative to such an extent that they have made a threat to the Secretary of State to leave Orchard House altogether if they do not get their way. 'This is not the constructive attitude of a retailer dedicated to sustainability, heritage conservation and the future success of Oxford Street.' Charlie Baxter, a property developer in central London, added: 'I have often had to make challenging decisions about what is best for the environment and what is best for profits. 'In the face of the climate emergency, we must rethink our disposable attitude to buildings. 'Carbon emissions emitted today have a larger impact compared to those released in the future because today's emissions are in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming for longer. 'It is time for the government and for WCC to push developers to make decisions that benefit the environment. The public has had enough.' The hearing, expected to take two weeks to complete, continues. A one-handed man who stabbed and seriously injured a childhood friend with a mail-order machete in front of shocked worshippers at a mosque has been found responsible for the attack. The verdict came after CCTV footage of Fezan Hussain, 27, pulling out the blade before wounding his old friend without warning was shown to jurors at Bradford Crown Court. Hussain had even hugged his victim before attacking him at the Madni Masjid Islamic Centre in Bradford on May 2 this year, the court heard. He carried out the horrific attack shortly after prayers for Eid at the mosque. Fezan Hussain, 27, pulled out a machete before stabbing his old friend without warning at the Madni Masjid Islamic Centre (interior pictured) in Bradford on May 2 Hussain was found unfit to enter a plea or stand trial over what happened. So the jury had to decide whether Hussain, of Radfield Road, Wyke, had carried out the attack at the mosque on Newton Street on May 2, without hearing evidence from him. Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said Hussain had bought the knife by mail order in April - but had no motive or reason to harm the former friend he had not seen for years. The victim told police that Hussain had plunged the machete straight in his belly after hugging him. He said his attacker was angry and staring at him, even though the two men had never had any bad blood between them. They had not even crossed paths for three years, he added. West Yorkshire Police at the scene of the machete attack that took place shortly after prayers for Eid at the Madni Masjid mosque 'I don't know why he did it': Hussain was found responsible after he seriously injured a childhood friend with a mail-order machete in front of shocked worshippers at the mosque (police pictured at the scene) The victim said that after the initial attack, Hussain, who only has one hand, was still holding the machete with his left hand and was trying to push it further into him. 'I don't know why he did it, to be honest,' he said. 'I only realised it was a machete when it was stuck inside me. He was still pushing. I had to push him off to get it out.' Judge Jonathan Rose adjourned the case at Bradford Crown Court until December 1 for sentencing He had a string of operations to repair damage to his liver and he spent nearly a month in hospital. It took the jury less than 30 minutes to decide that Hussain was responsible for the injuries. Judge Jonathan Rose adjourned the case at Bradford Crown Court (pictured) until December 1 for sentencing. Hussain is currently remanded in custody, but he could be made subject to a hospital order in the future. A security guard allegedly shot his boss in the face and killed him because his name was misspelt on a paycheck for $165, leaving him unable to cash it. Lloyd Love Jr, 35, is accused of shooting 52-year-old Marvin Johnson in the face during a confrontation in Aurora, Colorado, on October 20 after he was unable to cash the check. He faces one count of first-degree murder - but did not appear for his first court hearing on Monday after refusing to leave his cell. Johnsons wife, Patricia, branded Love the devil after the court hearing had to be rescheduled, while his daughter, Kuonteisha, also shared a moving tribute describing her father as everything to me. Love had only worked for the company for three or four days before the shooting. Lloyd Love Jr allegedly murdered his boss, Marvin Johnson, over an error on his $165 paycheck An affidavit states Love was handed his first paycheck from Johnsons firm, American Eagle Protection Services, last Thursday. But he couldnt cash it because he was named Lloyd K. Love instead of Lloyd C. Love, according to the document obtained by KDVR. Love called Patricia Johnson, who co-owns the security firm with her husband, to demand a new paycheck immediately. But she said this wouldnt be possible until the initial check was accounted for. Love, who claimed he tore up the first check, traveled to the parking lot of a Raytheon facility where Patricia was working as an outdoor security guard. Marvin Johnson arrived to try and resolve the situation and even told his wife to write a new paycheck. But as he was speaking to Patricia, Love shot Johnson in the face, witnesses claimed. Johnson with his wife, Patricia. The couple co-owned the security firm which employed Love Five .380 shell casings were recovered from the scene by police. Love then ran away and called his girlfriend, asking her to pick him up. After getting into the car, he allegedly told her: I just did something stupid the less you know the better. He was detained just minutes later when a SWAT unit pulled over the couple and arrested him. Love later told police he had too many things going on in his life and too much pressure. He said he deals with voices. Lloyd said he is fed up. He had only worked for the Johnsons security company for a three or four days. He said his job was to watch a Forever 21 store at a local mall but he was not allowed to be armed because he is a convicted felon. The shooting reportedly happened at the parking lot of a Raytheon facility in Aurora, Colorado, where Johnson's wife had been working. Loves girlfriend told police he had previously said he was diagnosed as bipolar and schizophrenic, although she had never seen Lloyd take medication for these mental disorders because he does not like the way they make him feel. She told a detective he was upset on the day of the killing and possibility suffered a schizophrenic episode as he was hearing voices, believing that people were in his head, knowing what he is doing, and controlling him. Following his arrest, Love reportedly told a detective his girlfriend was having sexual relations with Marvin, but he would later clarify it was voices in his head telling him this. He also said he felt bad and should have just killed himself. In a tribute to her father, Johnsons 32-year-old daughter, Kuonteisha, said: You wanted the best for me because that all you did was lecture to me about my career in life and I was your princess no matter what. At the age 32 I was still was a baby in your eyes, I had to remind you that I was grown. Im gonna miss your phone call and text messages everyday saying hey baby girl. Johnson's daughter, Kuonteisha, said her father was 'everything to me' in a moving tribute. Johnson's wife, Patricia, blasted Love for failing to appear in court and said he was the 'devil'. Marvin Johnson proudly displayed the badge of his security agency on his Facebook profile. Johnsons wife, Patricia, blasted Love for failing to appear in court. In a post online, she said Loves judgment day is coming get comfortable in that jail cell.. cuz that's where you belong for the rest of your LIFE. She shared a mugshot of Love and added: You took my life partner and my best friend for $165 paycheck. May god have mercy on your soul. Johnsons own Facebook profile had proudly displayed the badge of the American Eagle Protective Services firm. Love was reportedly released on a Personal Recognizance bond in July for assault after he allegedly hit his sister with rocks. He is to be arraigned for that charge on Friday. His advisement on the murder charge was rescheduled for Thursday. Balthazar staff mocked James Corden's attempt to explain away his omelet tantrum last night by claiming he was worried about his wife's 'serious' egg allergy, telling DailyMail.com the comic is simply 'very, very rude' and shouldn't have ordered the dish. The infamous omelet saga began on October 9 when Corden and his wife Julia dined at the restaurant with friends. Julia asked for an all-yolk omelet - something that is not on the extensive brunch menu. When it arrived, the dish contained some egg whites. Corden sent it back to the kitchen and when it returned, he says it was still 'wrong'. 'My wife explained that she has a serious food allergy. The meals came, my wife was given the food that she was allergic to...her meal came wrong to the table the third time,' he said last night on his CBS show last night. He apologized making a 'snide' remark that he should cook it himself, and has been completely forgiven by Keith McNally, the restaurant owner who was the first to shame him over the incident. 'It takes a real man to do this. In the past, I've behaved much worse than Corden, but wasn't man enough to apologize. For this reason, I'm going to lift the ban on Corden,' McNally said on Tuesday. But staff at the restaurant weren't buying Corden's apology on Tuesday. 'I'm sorry but that is bulls**t,' one server, who declined to be named, told DailyMail.com. James Corden last night apologized for being rude to staff at Balthazar and said the reason he was so upset was that he was trying to ensure his wife Julia, who has a 'serious food allergy', wasn't given something that would make her ill The mid-week breakfast menu at Balthazar. There are only two omelet options on this menu and on the brunch menu, which Corden ordered from. Both contain egg whites Corden's wife ordered the Omelette with Herbs but requested it be cooked using only egg yolks and no egg whites There are only two omelets on the menu at the famous New York City eatery; the $25 Omelette with Herbs, and the $27, Egg-White Omelette. Both come with a side of home fries or salad. The servers explained that Corden was asking for something that is not offered, and was angry when it wasn't up to his standards. Why then would you even bother ordering an omelet if you're allergic to eggs? Balthazar waiter 'He wanted an omelet that had only egg yolks. Not the egg-white omelet, just egg yolks. 'Why then would you even bother ordering an omelet if you're allergic to eggs?' he asked. There are plenty of egg-free options on the Balthazar Sunday brunch menu. The staff at Balthazar suggested that the egg allergy was not the real reason for Corden's outburst, and that he had been rude to them in the past. 'We deal with that kind of behavior from people all the time. 'But he... he was very, very rude,' George, one of the barmen, said. The egg-white menu at Balthazar which is served with salad or home fries. Staff on Tuesday offered a complimentary glass of champagne when ordered. They previously told the owner that Corden began 'yelling like crazy' when Julia's all-yolk omelet was brought out with home fries instead of salad Corden and his wife Julia eating at Scott's in London in 2018. He said his wife told staff politely that she had a 'serious food allergy' Some doctors advise that a person with an egg allergy can safely eat cooked egg yolks, since yolks contain less protein than whites and are therefore less allergenic. At the foot of the long breakfast and brunch menu is a note to inform diners that while 'every effort will be made to accommodate food allergies' but that staff 'cannot always guarantee' it will be possible. Balthazar owner Keith McNally A female diner having brunch with her partner at the bar on Tuesday sent back her dish quietly. She had ordered the egg-white omelet, but was served the yolky alternative. George apologized and promptly swapped them, insisting it was 'entirely his fault'. The woman gladly accepted the replacement. McNally also owns Pastis, Minetta Tavern and Morandi in the West Village - three well-known, well-respected New York institutions that are regularly frequented by celebrities. He first shamed Corden on Instagram, telling his followers how the comedian had twice abused staff. Balthazar owner Keith McNally forgave Corden on Tuesday after his on-air apology On the first occasion, he said Corden demanded free drinks for his entire table after finding a hair in his food, which McNally accepted was 'diabolical' but happens in most restaurants occasionally. The brunch incident occurred on October 9. Julia ordered an all-yolk omelet - an uncommon request. McNally's original description makes no note of the egg-white allergy. 'Mr. Corden's wife ordered an egg yolk omelette with gruyere cheese and salad. 'A few minutes after they received the food, James called their server, M. K. and told her there was a little bit of egg white mixed with the egg yolk. M. K. informed the floor manager, G. 'The kitchen remade the dish but unfortunately sent it with home fries instead of salad. 'That's when James Corden began yelling like crazy to the server: "You can't do your job! You can't do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!' Corden, last night, claimed he was calm, did not yell and therefore did not think he'd done anything wrong. In an interview with The New York Times the day after McNally's post, he said the subject was 'beneath' discussion. 'I just think its beneath all of us. Its beneath you. Its certainly beneath your publication,' he told the reporter. Last night, he apologized on his show for being 'snide'. 'Because I didn't shout or scream, I didn't get up out of my seat, I didn't call anyone names or use derogatory language, I have been walking around thinking that I've not done anything wrong. 'But I have. I made a rude comment,' he said, adding that he 'values and respects' anyone and everyone in the service industry. Corden's current contract with Viacom CBS for his Late Late Show expires next year. He and his wife are selling their $9.7million home in Brentwood and are planning to return to the UK next year. The chair of the House progressive caucus Rep. Pramila Jayapal and the House Progressive Caucus suddenly withdrew their support for a letter urging negotiations with Russia over Ukraine after blowback from fellow Democrats and an uproar for how the letter went out. 'As Chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this. Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader [Kevin] McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over,' the Washington lawmaker said in a statement. Her statement also blamed aides, saying it was 'released by staff without vetting.' 'The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces,' she said in a statement, speaking for a group that includes prominent Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 'The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting,' she said. 'The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting,' said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). She announced the Progressive Caucus withdrew its letter, which called for Biden to undertake a 'proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a cease fire' The U.S. has provided billions of military aid to Ukraine, with bipartisan support, although there have been some signs of fraying. McCarthy told Punchbowl news last week: 'I think people are going to be sitting in a recession and theyre not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) responded with a statement reaffirming U.S. support for Ukraine. Jayapal's withddrawal statement came after fellow Democrats blasted the letter after it was reported in the Washington Post. It came at a time when Russia was relentlessly hitting Ukrainian civilian targets, in what the U.S. has identified as Iranian-made drones. 'This letter is an olive branch to a war criminal who's losing his war,' fumed Rep. Jack Auchincloss (D-Mass.), in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin epa10264832 64-year-old Tatyana Litvin works at the collapsed roof of her house at the recaptured village of Osokorivka, Ukraine, 25 October 2022 Relatives and comrades of a Ukrainian serviceman who was killed in action attend his funeral in Lviv, Ukraine, 25 October 2022 Ukrainian forces have had success pushing back Russian forces after the U.S. and allies sent billions worth of military aid Jayapal sought to 'clarify' the letter in a statement Monday Ukrainians continue to endure daily Russian missile and drone attacks, sometimes taking shelter in the subway 'Once you sign on to a letter, its up to the original drafters and unfortunately not all of them will keep folks updated,' said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) OUT BOX: The Progressive Caucus withdrew its letter a day after it came out, drawing blowback at a tense time in the war Lawmakers including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) signed the letter 'This letter is an olive branch to a war criminal who's losing his war. Ukraine is on the march. Congress should be standing firmly behind @JoeBidens effective strategy, including tighter - not weaker! - sanctions,' wrote Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss. The group's letter urged Biden take a 'proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a cease fire.' it cited the risk of the use of nuclear weapons, the danger of 'catastrophic escalation,' and said it was in the interest of the U.S., Ukraine and the world to avoid a 'prolonged conflict.' That came as news to some Biden loyalists, who have undertaken diplomatic efforts but also called on Russia to end its war on Ukraine and withdraw from its neighbor's territory. Just how the letter got put together and put out was still unraveling, with multiple signers say they signed on this past summer. 'Timing in diplomacy is everything. I signed this letter on June 30, but a lot has changed since then. I wouldn't sign it today. We have to continue supporting Ukraine economically and militarily to give them the leverage they need to end this war,' wrote Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.). Auchincloss called it an 'olive branch to war criminals' Rep. Marc Pocan (D-Wis.) said he had 'no idea' why the letter went out Monday Rep. Marc Pocan (D-Wis.) addressed an online critic of the letter, writing: 'Hear you. First, this was written in July & I have no idea why it went out now. Bad timing. Second, it was trying to get to a cease-fire & diplomacy as others were banging war drums, not criticizing Biden. Third, I've supported the efforts & will continue. Over analyzed by some.' He was responding to University of Wisconsin professor Yoshiko Herrera, who wrote: 'Big problems with this letter from democratic members of Congress, including my own congressman @RepMarcPocan, to @POTUS. It asks the Biden admin to do some things that it's already doing and to do others that are counterproductive.' Jayapal's withdrawal came after she tried to clarify the situation with another letter. In that statement, she said: Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support.' She called diplomacy 'an important tool that can save lives,' adding: 'but it is just one tool. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) responded to a tweet about the release of the letter four months after it got circulated. 'Once in a while they do [get circulated this way] and it's very frustrating,' she wrote. 'Once you sign on to a letter, its up to the original drafters and unfortunately not all of them will keep folks updated. Thats why some of us dont sign on to letters without direct insight into when or how it will be released.' Billings, from Hull, was banned from driving in 2020 and jailed for nearly 4 years A banned driver has been jailed after passengers 'begged' him to stop during a 100mph police chase the wrong way up the M1 - seconds before a horror crash which ruined three innocent lives. Macaulay Billings, 26, ploughed his black Skoda Fabia into a BMW causing four victims, including his own half-brother, to suffer life-changing injuries including the loss of limbs. Billings' half-brother, the rear passenger, had to have his left arm amputated and suffered two broken ribs and a broken leg after the crash on April 18 this year. A plate had to be put into his right wrist and skin grafts had to be taken from the top of his leg for his left arm. Moments before the crash, a friend in the front passenger seat 'begged' Billings, from Hull, to slow down - or let his passengers out - and 'thought he was going to die,' a court heard. He is now wheelchair-bound after suffering multiple injuries including nine broken ribs, a liver laceration, fluid on his lungs, broken right leg and ankle, and five broken toes. Macaulay Billings (pictured), 26 from Hull, ploughed his black Skoda Fabia into a BMW causing four victims, including his own half-brother, to suffer life-changing injuries Billings' half-brother, the rear passenger, had to have his left arm amputated and suffered two broken ribs and a broken leg after the crash on April 18 this year. Pictured: Emergency Services at the scene of the serious crash on the M1 near Wakefield on April 18 The BMW driver, a professional musician, suffered an internal haemorrhage, a lacerated spleen, breach of the pelvic wall, and multiple fractures including his spine. He lost a litre and a half of blood, suffers PTSD and flashbacks, struggles to play the organ properly due to his injuries. Billings himself was himself left fighting for his life but bragged about getting back behind the wheel to nurses from his hospital bed. Prosecutor Ben Campbell told Leeds Crown Court cops clocked the Skoda in Wakefield around 9pm sporting false or cloned registration plates. But when Billings spotted he was being followed, he led police on a high-speed chase that ended in horrific consequences. He jumped several red lights and drove at 100mph down a 30mph street before heading for the motorway. Police tried to stop him joining the M1 in the wrong direction and gave up the pursuit as the Skoda veered down a grass verge onto the slip road and into the oncoming traffic. They watched in horror as the car drove the wrong way on Britain's busiest road, narrowly missing other drivers, and weaving in and out of the way of cars for more than three miles, before crashing head on into the BMW between junction 39 and 40. 'It is difficult to think of a more callous disregard for other road users,' said Judge Robin Mairs at Leeds Crown Court as he banned Billings from driving for nine years and sentenced him to three years and seven months Billings, from Hull, East Yorkshire, who was banned from driving in 2020, admitted three offences of serious injury by dangerous driving and three of serious injury by driving while disqualified on April 18 this year. Mitigating, Nicholas Leadbetter, said: 'He appreciates that he has - to be blunt - ruined his brother's life and has most likely caused ruin to other people's lives.' Jailing him for the maximum three years and seven months and banning him for nine years, Judge Robin Mairs said: 'It is difficult to think of a more callous disregard for other road users. 'You show nothing but utter contempt for any law that tries to keep you off the road and utter contempt for other road users.' Supporting Donald Trump's 'divisive' politics was 'disastrous' for Tom Barrack's multi-billion dollar global investment business, the longtime friend and one-time advisor of the former president testified in court on Monday. The billionaire has been charged with illegally lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of the United Arab Emirates from 2016 to 2018. He also faces charges of obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI. Barrack told the court his real estate business 'unquestionably' would have done better if he did not support Trump in the 2016 election as he seemed to blame the former president for his current legal troubles. The billionaire told the court he 'thought that as soon as [Trump] was elected, he would be more moderate and more acceptable.' Barrack, 75, was arrested in Los Angeles in 2021 and released on a $250 million bond. Two men were also charged in connection - Barrack's former assistant Matthew Grimes, 27, and Emirati businessman Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, 43. Supporting Donald Trump's 'divisive' politics was 'disastrous' for Tom Barrack's multi-billion dollar global investment business, the longtime friend and one-time advisor of the former president testified in court on Monday Barrack is all smiles as he heads into federal court to facecriminal charges A seven-count indictment filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn in July 2021 alleged that Barrack and two of his employees failed to register as lobbyists and used their influence to advance the UAE's foreign policy goals in the United States. Federal prosecutors are now trying to prove Barrack used his access to the former president to secretly lobby on behalf of Arab royals. An indictment in May claimed he quietly tweaked the 2016 Republican National Committee platform to avoid mention of the Saudi royal family's connection to 9/11 hijackers. But Barrack, who is the founder of investment-management firm Colony Capital, has denied the charges, testifying that Trump's political scandals have made it harder for his company to conduct business with countries in the Middle East. 'The owners of public shares vote with their feet,' he said of the impact of his connection to Trump on business, adding 'the continued drama that this president found himself in a lot of these institutional shareholders were upset that I was involved with the president.' Trump backed Barrack in a Truth Social post Sunday, writing the DOJ 'has accused him of being an agent of the UAE, which I do not believe he was.' Trump said that 'highly respected businessman' Barrack 'NEVER spoke to me about 'speeches' and what to say on this subject,' likely referencing the 2016 RNC platform. Feds have had to lay out the complicated and fraught relationships the U.S. has with competing royal families in that region of the world, noting that Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are friendly at times but not to be trusted, and certainly 'not allies,' as one prosecutor noted. The trial comes just as the U.S.-Saudi relationship has taken a nosedive after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman led OPEC+ in cutting oil production by 2 million barrels per day with just one month to go before midterms. Biden promised Saudi Arabia would suffer 'consequences' for the move and accused the kingdom of aligning itself with Russia. Trump and Barrack became friends in the 1980s and were 'a set of nightlife musketeers,' as journalist Tom Wolfe described it in his book 'Fire and Fury.' Trump and Barrack became friends in the 1980s and were 'a set of nightlife musketeers,' as journalist Tom Wolfe described it in his book 'Fire and Fury' Barrack was a chair on Trump's inaugural celebrations and told the court he began to informally advise Trump soon after he announced his run in 2015, CBS reported. Authorities have cited several specific instances when Barrack or others allegedly sought to influence U.S. policies, noting that, in May 2016, Barrack inserted language praising the UAE into a campaign speech Trump delivered about U.S. energy policy and arranged for senior UAE officials to receive an advanced draft. They said he also agreed to arrange meetings and phone calls between senior UAE officials and Trump, reviewed a PowerPoint presentation to be delivered to senior UAE officials on how to boost their influence in the U.S. with his help and repeatedly tried to conceal his conduct, even denying he'd ever been asked by al Malik to help the UAE. Throughout 2016 and 2017, Barrack and Grimes received talking points and feedback from senior UAE officials in connection with Barrack's national press appearances and communicated on a dedicated cellular telephone which had a secure messaging application to facilitate communications with senior UAE officials, prosecutors said. They said that after one appearance in which Barrack repeatedly praised the United Arab Emirates, Barrack emailed al Malik, saying: 'I nailed it ... for the home team,' referring to the UAE. Barrack also denied one of the prosecution's central claims - that his decision to act on the behalf of the UAE was born out of a spring 2016 meeting with a UAE official. Did he ask you if you wanted to be a UAE foreign agent?' a prosecutor asked of the official. 'No,' replied Barrack. 'Did he ask you if you would agree to operate subject to the UAE's direction or control?' Schachter continued. 'Absolutely not,' Barrack said. Barrack was on the stand for nearly five hours, answering questions from his lawyers and at times cracking jokes, according to ABC. Attorney say he is expected to remain on the stand until Thursday. Inadequate staffing and lack of planning are to blame, it says But the report says a nine-month statutory processing time is not being met President Biden promised not to leave behind Afghans who helped US forces It says 325,000 emails to the application address were unopened in May A new report reveals how thousands of Afghans who risked their lives to work with American armed forces are still facing delays and bureaucratic hurdles as they seek safety in the United States. The State Department's inspector general reveals that in May, almost nine months after American forces left Afghanistan, there were 325,000 email messages left unopened in the mailbox for applications for a special visa. It is the latest evidence that Washington was unprepared for the huge number of Afghans needing help to flee the Taliban. President Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged to do everything to rescue interpreters and others who 'served shoulder to shoulder' with U.S. forces. But the October review of the Special Immigrant Visa program reveals a litany of failures triggered by the hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan. It reported that although the State Department had taken action to address shortcomings reported in 2020, it had not gone far enough, leaving it unable to cope with a surge in applications during and after the exit last year. Thousands of desperate people besieged Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport in August last year after the Taliban took over the city. The US promised to help Afghans, such as translators, who had worked with U.S. forces but thousands are still waiting for visas A new report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State reveals that the backlog of people waiting for Special Immigrant Visas increased in the eight months after the U.S. withdrawal, and hundreds of thousands of emails went unopened 'Inadequate staff resources, lack of planning and coordination, and technology system challenges have led to long application processing times and have left the Department unable to meet the statutory 9-month goal on Afghan SIV processing,' it said. 'Consequently, the long applicant processing times may have delayed vulnerable Afghan allies from reaching safety in the United States.' Although the unit went from eight staff members to 42 after Biden announced his withdrawal, it was still unable to cope, says the report. It cited the backlog of email messages. 'As of May 2022, the email account had over 325,000 unread messages, and [Office of the Inspector General] observed that [National Visa Center] staff were still opening unread emails dated from August 2021,' it said. The Afghan Evac Coalition highlighted the findings and said previous recommendations had not been properly implemented. 'We CAN and MUST do better to improve the SIV process - lives literally hang in the balance,' it said in a tweet. 'We need greater coordination & oversight to ensure we #keepthepromise we made as a country.' Secretary of State Antony Blinken's department is under fire for failing to do more At the same time, the number of people seeking special visas has increased. The report cites State Department figures showing that a year ago some 27,000 people had applied; by May the number was almost 62,000. Adding in all their family members, and the backlog has grown to more than 300,000 people. 'Despite staffing adjustments, the department currently faces an even larger application backlog, in part, because of the increase in applications following the events of August 2021,' it said. 'According to the department, as of May 2022, there were 61,888 principal applications in process and an estimated 259,930 additional eligible family members of those principal applicants, for a total of about 322,000 estimated Afghan SIV applicants. 'The principal application backlog has been increasing consistently since at least October 2021.' The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But a spokesman told the Washington Times: 'The department will continue to ensure Afghan SIV applications are processed as quickly as possible in accordance with statutory requirements, while continuing to safeguard U.S. national security.' Four siblings and their mothers were shot dead inside their Wisconsin apartment after their stepfather set it on fire and then turned the gun on himself. Jessica McKisick, 33, and her daughters Sofina and Natalie Kleemeir, 12 and 14, and two unidentified three-year-old boys, were shot and killed by Connor McKisick, whom they lived with it. Connor - the father of the boys and stepfather of the girls - had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko said. Their bodies were discovered early on Friday after firefighters were called to their burning apartment on Mansfield Court in Hartland around 5.15am. The remaining tenants in the four-unit building made it out safely. Misko said on Monday evening that all victims had one gunshot wound each. He also said there was evidence of an ignitable liquid in the apartment where multiple guns were found. Jessica McKisick, 33, was fatally shot by her husband Connor McKisick on Friday morning in Hartland, Wisconsin Her daughters Natalie (pictured with a relative), 14, and Sofina, 12, were also shot dead by Connor Sofina (pictured), Natalie, their mother, and two half-brothers, both three, were all inside the home when Connor set it on fire. Connor would also turn the gun himself 'This is a tragic incident for the family of the deceased, for our first responders and for the Hartland community,' Misko said. According to CBS 58, at least 15 fire departments and nine police departments were called to the scene for the blaze on Friday. Photos of the event shows a smoke-stain blackened roof with side paneling completely burned through, leaving a gapping hole on the side of the building. The door to the apartment was charred black and bricks were seen crumbling from the side. Apartment resident and single mother, Ardita Gashi, says her son Ariel, 13, heard an explosion 'across the hall' and immediately ran to wake up his sisters Adela, 15, and Amina, eight. Photos of the event shows a smoke-stain blackened roof with side paneling completely burned through, leaving a gapping hole on the side of the building The door to the apartment was charred black and bricks were seen crumbling from the side 'He rushed them out of the apartment through their back door and lead them by the parking lot to safety where he then called his mom, [who was at work],' a family friend revealed on GoFundMe. 'Everything they had was destroyed by the fire and smoke,' friend Fjolla Mustafa wrote. Natalie's school Arrowhead High School remembered the teenager, saying in a statement that she was a 'caring person' who 'always had a good-hearted personality for everyone.' Natalie and Sofina's relative, Samantha Maass, started a GoFundMe to help cover the girls' funeral. She wrote: 'While my cousin Kyle mourns the loss of his children, I want to help raise money for the girl's funeral. Anything will help, no matter how small or big your donation is.' Kyle Kleemeir is Natalie and Sofina's biological father. Jessica's niece Mel Blakeway also started a GoFundMe for the late mother, writing: 'We are extremely heartbroken over what happened to our family, losing Jessica, our nieces and nephews so suddenly.' 'I'm in complete shock because we just said goodbye to our grandma a couple months ago and now we have to say goodbye to them,' Mel continued on Facebook. Natalie's friends also set up a GoFundMe. Gabrielle Slowinski called her late friend 'always kind, funny, and smart.' 'She was a freshman in high school and she had a very bright future ahead of her. She talked fondly of her family and loved them so much. She would always send me pictures/videos of her siblings showing me how cute they were.' The mother (pictured) and her children and husband were all found with a single gunshot wound, according to police Natalie's school remembered the teenager, saying in a statement that she was a 'caring person' who 'always had a good-hearted personality for everyone' (pictured: the girls when they were young) The girls (pictured) with live with Connor and their mother and half-brothers A former classmate of Jessica's Cayla Anderson also shared her 'heartbreak' on Facebook, writing: 'Her and I went to St. Paul's together since we were little up until 8th grade...I am so sad you and your beautiful babies are gone, but I know you are all in heaven together. Rest easy.' A vigil was held for the family in Nixon Park on Friday, where roughly 20 people gathered to remember them. Friends of the two girls were said to be in attendance. The other families in the Mansfield Court apartment building have been displaced, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and village administrators are collecting gift cards for food and clothing to help them. The three of units include a single mother and her three kids, who have lived in the apartment for 13 years; a family of four, and a couple. U.S. Department of State Press Secretary Ned Price speaks in a daily press briefing at the department in Washington in this image captured from the department's website, Oct. 24. Yonhap North Korea is believed to be continuing preparations for a nuclear test while the U.S. is set to face any threat posed by the recalcitrant country, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Department Press Secretary Ned Price said the U.S. also remains open to engaging in dialogue with Pyongyang. "Our concern regarding the potential for another North Korean nuclear test, which would be its seventh, has been consistent for some time now. We assess that the DPRK is preparing its Punggye-ri test site for what would be its seventh test," Price said in a daily press briefing, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "We are preparing for all contingencies in close coordination with our partners and allies around the world," he added. The spokesperson noted steps to be taken by the U.S. may include "adjustments" to U.S. defense posture. "We are prepared to make both short- and longer-term adjustments to our military posture as appropriate in responding to DPRK provocation and as necessary to strengthen both defense and deterrence to protect our allies in the region," he said. The remarks came as Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman began a three-day visit to Japan earlier in the day for bilateral and trilateral talks with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts. Price said much of Sherman's ongoing trip to Tokyo will be "dedicated to discussing the challenge that the DPRK poses to the region." The department spokesperson also reiterated U.S. commitment to engage in dialogue with the North. "We have made consistently clear that we harbor no hostile intent towards the DPRK. We remain open to dialogue. We remain open to diplomacy," he said. "At the same time, our commitment to the security of our personnel in the region, of our treaty allies is ironclad," added Price. North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un oversees a military drill carried out to check and assess the war deterrent and nuclear counterattack capability of the country, amid ongoing joint military exercises involving U.S. and South Korean forces in the waters near the Korean Peninsula, Oct. 10. EPA-Yonhap Police are investigating a series of anti-Semitic flyers weighed down in sand bags that were thrown onto lawns in Beverly Hills over the weekend. Sam Yebri, a Los Angeles City Council candidate and Westwood homeowner, posted surveillance footage of a driver in a black SUV throwing items out the car's window early Sunday morning at 1.30am. Residents in the Westwood neighborhood woke up to the anti-Semitic flyers titled, Every Single Aspect of the COVID Agenda is Jewish. The flyers were last seen in Beverly hills on the first Hanukkah candle at sundown on in November 2021. The flyer showed a list of CDC, Moderna and Pfizer representatives with either the word 'Jewish' or Shabbos Goy' - referring to a non-Jewish person employed by Jews - written by their names. 'We were shocked and horrified,' Yebri told KTLA 5. 'The sand is meant to weigh it down, throw it out of the car and get away quickly.' More than half of Beverly Hills' 35,000 residents are of Jewish faith. Residents in Westwood woke up on Sunday morning to anti-Semitic flyers concealed in sand bag on their lawns The flyers contained the conspiracy theory that BLM, different news organizations, and more were connected to Jews Sam Yebri, a Los Angeles City Council candidate and Westwood homeowner, posted about the flyers on Twitter along with security footage of a car that appeared to be tossing items out of the window early Sunday morning Surveillance footage of a driver in a black SUV throwing items out the car's window early Sunday morning at 1.30am was obtained from a local residence The Beverly Hills Police Department are now investigating the flyers but said there is no threat to the community, according to CBS. The flyers appeared a day after anti-Semitic banners reading, 'Kanye is right about the Jews,' were hung from the infamous 405 freeway in Los Angeles. 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. 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.' The Anti-Defamation League reported in May that anti-Semitic incidents reached a high in 2021. The organization has been tracking incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault since 1979. Mayor Lili Bosse, who is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, addressed the the recent anti-Semitic activity in Los Angeles and said there has been 'enough hate.' 'Anti semitic flyers thrown on our streets again, Banners on the 405 Freeway, Banners covering up Billboards, Kayne West, Vans driving with antisemitism and racist plastered slogans, Schools having Jew free zones,' Bosse wrote on October 23. 'ENOUGH HATE meant 2 silence us. I will speak LOUDER.' Bosse also addressed the 405 banners and called it 'vile' and 'evil.' 'Disgusting hate speech,' Bosse wrote. 'Jew Hatred.Vile,Evil disgusting smut hanging from an overpass on the 405 freeway.Same horrible organization that littered our streets with hate propaganda flyers. As a daughter of an Auschwitz survivor, I will always bear witness and speak out.' Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also condemned the hate on Twitter. 'L.A. is a city of belonging, not hate,' Garcetti wrote. 'We condemn this weekend's anti-Semitic incidents. Jewish Angelenos should always feel safe. There is no place for discrimination or prejudice in Los Angeles. And we will never back down from the fight to expose and eliminate it.' 'This weekend's public display of antisemitic hate is another wake-up call to all of us that we must remain vigilant to protect our values and freedom as Californians,' Gov. Gavin Newsom added. Sam Yebri posted about the flyers and recent anti-Semitic attacks on social media L.A. is a city of belonging, not hate. We condemn this weekends anti-Semitic incidents. Jewish Angelenos should always feel safe. There is no place for discrimination or prejudice in Los Angeles. And we will never back down from the fight to expose and eliminate it. MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) October 23, 2022 Anti semitic flyers thrown on our streets again, Banners on the 405 Freeway, Banners covering up Billboards, Kayne West, Vans driving with antisemitism and racist plastered slogans, Schools having Jew free zones. ENOUGH HATE meant 2 silence us. I will speak LOUDER #Antisemitism Lili Bosse (@LiliBosse1) October 23, 2022 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 Disgusting hate speech. Jew Hatred.Vile,Evil disgusting smut hanging from an overpass on the 405 freeway.Same horrible organization that littered our streets with hate propaganda flyers. As a daughter of an Auschwitz survivor,I will always bear witness and speak out #Antisemitism Lili Bosse (@LiliBosse1) October 23, 2022 It is unclear if the flyers are connected the same group that dangled banners over the 405 freeway this weekend. The anti-Semitic content appeared to be sparked once again amid the controversy of Kanye West's recent comments and conspiracy theories about Jews. 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. A jogger crossing the road was killed by a police car responding to a 999 call as it struck her at 62mph in a 40 zone, an inquest has ruled. Supermarket manager Kimberly Cameron, 27, died after a cop hit her while on his way to an emergency where two children were trapped in a car on fire. Witnesses saw her cross the road while the lights were green but she did not notice police vehicle traveling on the wrong side of the road at some speed as it crossed the junction, slamming into her and launching her into the air. Ms Cameron, from Aylesbury, was declared dead at the scene on the A41 Bicester Road on April 6 last year by Thames Valley Air Ambulance paramedics. The Thames Valley Police (TVP) car was driven - with its sirens on - by PC Philip Duthie with PC Matthew Watson in the passenger seat. But The Independent Officer for Police Conduct (IOPC) cleared PC Duthie of wrongdoing despite a formal complaint about his driving submitted by Ms Cameron's father. Her parents blasted the 'incompetent' police watchdog's investigation into the crash after they deemed it a 'tragic accident'. A post-mortem examination gave the cause of her death as multiple injuries. The inquest jury came to the conclusion that she was killed in the incident after a three-day hearing ended at Beaconsfield Coroner's Court on Friday, October 21. Supermarket manager Kimberley Cameron, 27, died after being hit by a police car responding to an emergency in Buckinghamshire, a coroner has ruled The jury's conclusion stated: 'Kimberley died on April 16, 2021 at 6.21pm on the A41, Aylesbury. Whilst using the pegasus crossing during slow-moving/stationary traffic Kimberley was struck by a fast-moving police vehicle responding to an emergency call. 'The A41 (a three-laned carriageway) had a high volume of traffic travelling westbound caused by an RTC further along the road. The police car was travelling under emergency conditions with lights and sirens activated. 'The police car was travelling on the opposite carriageway when approaching the green-lighted (for road traffic) Pegasus crossing. Kimberley approached the crossing from the adjacent fields, pausing for a few seconds before deciding to cross. 'Visibility between Kimberley and the police car in the seconds before the collision was impeded by a white van and a freelander in the slow moving/stationary traffic.' IOPC Regional Director Graham Beesley said: 'Our thoughts are with Kimberley's family, friends and all those affected by this incident. All our evidence suggests that Kimberley's death was a tragic accident. 'Our investigation was independent of the police and aimed to understand events leading up to the collision. We found the officer who was driving acted appropriately and in line with the Thames Valley Police Driver Policy. The coroner ruled that Ms Cameron died after a cop hit her while on his way to reach two children trapped in a crashed car on fire. Pictured: Scene of accident Witnesses saw Ms Cameron cross the road while the lights were green but she did not notice police vehicle traveling on the wrong side of the road at around 60mph as it crossed the junction, slamming into her and launching her into the air 'The evidence we gathered was provided to the coroner to assist with the inquest proceedings, which we hope has helped answer some of Kimberley's family's questions about that day.' An IOPC spokesperson said that the investigation concluded that even if the officer had been driving at the speed limit, it would have been unlikely he could have avoided hitting her. An IOPC spokesperson said: 'Our investigation, which concluded in February 2022, found the police constable was responding to a report of a car crash on the A41 in Waddesdon, where two children were trapped in a car which was on fire. The call was assigned grade 1, which meant an immediate response - within 15 minutes - was required. 'The officer, who was driving a marked police vehicle, encountered slow-moving traffic, so moved into the oncoming lane where there was little to no traffic. His vehicle was travelling at approximately 62mph in a 40mph zone with its lights and sirens on when it struck Ms Cameron as she crossed between two stationary cars on a pedestrian crossing when the lights were at green for traffic. The inquest jury came to the conclusion that she was killed in the incident after a three-day hearing ended at Beaconsfield Coroner's Court (pictured) on Friday, October 21. 'It is believed she may have been wearing her noise-cancelling earbuds as they were found near her. We concluded that even if the officer had been driving at or below the speed limit, it is likely he would not have been able to brake in time to avoid hitting Ms Cameron. 'In June 2021, Kimberley's father submitted a formal complaint to the IOPC about the manner of police driving, specifically the speed and hazard perception. We concluded the service provided by the police was acceptable.' Investigators gathered and analysed audio-visual evidence, including dashcams and body-worn video footage. In addition, witness statements were taken from police officers, medical staff and civilians at the scene. A forensic collision investigator from an outside force was appointed to examine the technical evidence and data. Local and national policies and procedures were analysed alongside legislation to determine whether the manner of driving was compliant. A 34-year-old Staten Island mother has mysteriously disappeared and her family fears for her safety. Laura Lyons was last seen on Friday morning around 8:45am walking to the bus stop at 7492 Amboy Road on Staten Island, a borough of New York City, before she vanished without a trace. Lyon's sister, Mary Heffner told DailyMail.com that she did not know her sister was missing until she got a call from her sister's boyfriend on Sunday afternoon. 'We were terrified. That is two days - 48 hours. We could have started looking for her sooner,' she said. The distraught sister said Lyon's boyfriend was the last person to see her. He told her that she planning to visit a local Medicaid office and then go to her job at Burger King. Laura Lyons was last seen on Friday morning around 8:45am walking to the bus stop at 7492 Amboy Road, Staten Island. She was wearing black yoga pants, black sneakers and a red winter coat with lions mane around hood. She stands 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 125 pounds A photo of the location Lyons was last seen at 7492 Amboy Road in Tottenville, Staten Island before she mysteriously disappeared on Friday, October 21 The NYPD flyer that shares details of Laura Lyons disappearance Heffner said her sister's son lives with the boy's father. On Thursday night, Lyons was with her son before returning to her apartment located in Tottenville. She told DailyMail.com that her sister and her boyfriend have been together - on and off - for the last four years. She said he's been interviewed by police and has been cooperating in the investigation. He also told Heffner two areas her sister may have gone. The Conference House is located in Conference House Park near Ward's Point, and the Staten Island Ferry, but thought it odd that he mentioned the ferry. 'I don't know why he said the ferry. He works in the city but there is no reason for her to go on her own to the city.' She said police also searched both sides of the Staten Island Ferry and nothing has surfaced. They have also gone on foot and air to find any leads that would bring her closer to her missing loved one. On Monday, Heffner said she searched the vast grounds at the historical landmark on Hylan Boulevard. She said her sister's phone is no longer operating and is hoping police can possibly track her with the tablet she always carries on her. 'My sister would never harm herself or disappear. This is very uncharacteristic of her. I am very concerned. It's been five days and there's been no sign of her.' The stunning blue-eyed, blonde-haired Lyons stands at 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds. She was last seen wearing black yoga pants, black sneakers and a red winter coat with lion's mane around the hood. The Staten Island Ferry is one of the locations Lyon's boyfriend told his Lyon's sister, Mary Heffman she may have went to, The Conference House is located in Conference House Park near Ward's Point, and the Staten Island Ferry A photo of Lyons at her sister Mary's 2019 wedding An NYPD spokesperson told DailyMail.com that they are seeking the public's assistance in locating Lyons. They did not provide any other information on the case. Heffner has been the point person in the family trying to get the word out. And, as a new mom to a five-month-old baby, she told DailyMail.com how exhausting and draining it has been to be present for her baby while trying to find her loved one. She said her sister had been going through some anxiety and depression the last few years and 'Covid didn't help anything.' When she got a job at Burger King about two weeks ago, things started looking up for her. 'She was happy and very excited. She was getting her life back together and was applying for a manager's position.' She said that her sister, who was a stay-at-home mom, was devoted to her boy. She said when she wasn't working she would be with her son running him to activities, taking walks together, and going to Dave & Busters and Fun Station, a favorite destination for the two of them. 'She's a very good mommy,' she said. The last time the pair had spoken was on October 16 - five days before she disappeared. 'This doesn't make any sense,' she said. 'My sister is scrappy, smart, capable and would put up a fight if anyone went after her.' 'She is very generous. She will help just anybody but is smart enough not to put herself in danger,' Heffner said. She added: 'She would also never just leave her son.' She shared a message she wanted to tell her sister: 'Laura find anybody that can call us or call 911. We won't rest until we find you.' At the Burger King at Page Avenue on Staten Island, a manager told DailyMail.com that the last time Lyons showed up at work was on Monday, October 17. She has been scheduled for the 4pm to 10pm shift, but the manager said she left early- between 9 pm - 9:15pm. She said she had a day off on Tuesday, October 18. On Wednesday, she called in sick two hours before she was supposed to work. Thursday was another day off and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, she never showed up for her scheduled shifts. 'She didn't call. She didn't show,' the manager said. Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. A murderer described by a judge as a remorseless assassin has become the third convicted killer from the same feckless family - described as one of Britains worst. Kane Hull, 29, smirked as he was jailed for a life today with a minimum term of 28 years for the masked attack in which victim Ryan Kirkpatrick, 25, was fatally stabbed at least six times. Hulls father Raymond Hull, from Carlisle, Cumbria, is a killer driver, career criminal and father of 22 children by 11 different women, who is believed to have claimed at least 1.2m in benefits. The 67-year-old received a suspended sentence two years ago for causing the death of 90-year-old Leslie Todd by careless driving and has more than 30 previous convictions. Another of his sons was convicted of murdering his babysitter in the late 1990s. Carlisle Crown Court heard Kane Hull, who has 35 previous offences including three attacks with weapons, set upon Mr Kirkpatrick with accomplice Liam Porter, 33, who was given a life sentence with a minimum of 26 years. Kane Hull, 29, of no fixed address, smirked as he was jailed for a life today with a minimum term of 28 years for the masked attack in which victim Craig Fitzpatrick was knifed at least six times Father: Raymond Hull, 67, from Carlisle, Cumbria, who has 22 children by 11 different women, received a suspended sentence two years ago for causing the death of 90-year-old Leslie Todd by careless driving Both men grinned to friends as they entered the dock for sentencing on Tuesday and smirked as they left, infuriating family and friends of their 24-year-old victim, who shouted cowards as they were led away. The court heard how Hull and Porter first attacked Mr Kirkpatrick, with whom they had a long-running feud, using a glass but he escaped. The pair went home and changed into a disguise including masks before returning minutes later. Hull approached his victim with a six-inch knife, piercing Mr Kirkpatricks lung and liver and cutting the main pulmonary artery. In the middle of the attack, in Carlisle city centre on September 18 last year, he lowered his mask so Mr Kirkpatrick would know his identity. Sentencing, Mr Justice Linden told Hull: Ryan Kirkpatrick was two days away from his 25th birthday when he was killed by you. He had done nothing to deserve this. You were an assassin and this incident which last up to 30 seconds and amounted to an execution. The words vicious, callous and cowardly were words used by leading counsel to describe what you did but I dont think that goes far enough. The word futile should be added to reflect the pointlessness of what you did, achieving nothing other than to cause misery to the Kirkpatrick family and ruin your own lives. Brother: Adrian Hull, who murdered his 29 year-old former babysitter in November 1996 Accomplice Liam Porter, 33, was given a life sentence with a minimum of 26 years The judge said Porter knew Hull was carrying a knife and that he was a violent man but did nothing to stop the attack, instead discouraging others from intervening. Ryans mother Andrea Johnson, in a statement read to the court, revealed her son was on his first night out for a while because of Hulls threats. Hull had previously been jailed for 21 months for affray and possessing a weapon after attacking Mr Kirkpatrick in a betting shop in 2017. As a 15-year-old, Hull was previously locked up for stabbing a man seven times in an alleyway, slicing open his stomach and cutting his liver. Miss Johnson recalled the agony of not being by her sons side as he lay dying - with police preventing her from coming close as emergency services fought to save his life. The mother of three said she felt useless at not being allowed through the cordon, adding: I pleaded to be by Ryans side as he needed me more than any other time in his life. The court heard how Hull and Porter, both from Carlisle, fled the scene, burned the Volvo S40 car they had been using within an hour, using another vehicle to drive to Scotland before crossing the Irish Sea. They were apprehended 10 days later at a house in County Mayo, where Hull was hiding in the loft. Both fought extradition and it took the work of police forces in all four countries to bring them to justice. Rianna Hull, 31, another of Raymond Hull's children, was 18 when she pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly at the Aspatria Carnival in 2010 Footage shows the two men moments before the murder in Carlisle city centre on September 18 last year Det Chief Supt Mick Bird, of Cumbria Police, said 60 detectives had been assigned to the case. He added: The streets of Carlisle are a lot safer without people like Kane Hull on its streets. Of patriarch Raymond Hulls other sons, Adrian, now 42, spent 17 years behind bars after being found guilty of murdering his former babysitter in a merciless and prolonged attack. He was released in 2014. As a 18-year-old, Adrian Hull kicked Nicky Morrison, 29, at least 14 times in the head, striking him so hard his skull bounced off a concrete path, before throwing his body over a bridge. And sadistic Leon Hull, 32, another sibling, is soon to be freed from prison after being jailed for four years and eight months in March 2020 over a horrific assault. The victim was beaten and set on fire by Leon, another man and a 17-year-old boy, an incident which the attackers took pleasure filming with their mobile phones. Leon Hull previously received for four and a half years for armed robbery in 2009 when he was 18. He was jailed in 2020 for committing GBH with intent. Raymond Hulls oldest son, John Michael Hull, now 47, has received jail sentences for witness intimidation and throwing a bottle at a man. As well as escaping a prison for causing death by careless driving, Raymond Hull, of Aspatria, Cumbria, was also spared jail over a drug dealing offence in 2014, receiving an 18-month suspended term after claiming he needed to look after his youngest sons. Suella Braverman tonight returned to the role of Home Secretary - just six days after she was dramatically forced to quit the position after breaking ministerial rules. Rishi Sunak appointed Mrs Braverman back to her former job as the new Prime Minister carried out a reshuffle of Government ranks on entering No10. She replaces Grant Shapps, who had filled the role for the six days Mrs Braverman was away from the Home Office. It means Mr Shapps now holds the unenviable record - previously held by Mrs Braverman when her first 43-day spell in the role ended in disgrace - as the shortest-serving Home Secretary in modern political history. Mrs Braverman's return to the job of Home Secretary will be viewed as part of Mr Sunak's efforts to woo the Tories' right-wing as he bids to reunite the party. She is popular among Conservative eurosceptics and was among the Brexiteer 'Spartans' who held out against Theresa May's Brexit deal in 2019. The 42-year-old holds a hardline stance on immigration and recently said it was her 'dream' to have a flight take off to Rwanda as part of the Government's plans to send illegal migrants to the country. Mrs Braverman has also spoken out on transgender issues and recently launched an attack on 'the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati' as she defended proposals to crackdown on environmental protests that have caused recent disruption. Suella Braverman tonight returned to the role of Home Secretary - just six days after she was dramatically forced to quit the position after breaking ministerial rules Rishi Sunak appointed Mrs Braverman back to her former job as the new Prime Minister carried out a reshuffle of Government ranks on entering No10 Mrs Braverman took a series of swipes at Liz Truss in her resignation letter, which revealed the huge tensions between the pair It was her views on immigration that were revealed to have been the major factor behind Mrs Braverman's departure as Home Secretary last week, when she left Liz Truss's administration. She and Ms Truss were claimed to have staged a 'shouting match' during a 90-minute meeting the night before her Cabinet exit. Mrs Braverman was reported to have warned Ms Truss it would be insane to relax immigration rules in order to boost economic growth. The official reason for Mrs Braverman's resignation as Home Secretary last Wednesday was her breaching of ministerial rules for sending an official document from her personal email. But she took a series of swipes at Ms Truss in her resignation letter, which revealed the huge tensions between the pair. 'I have had serious concerns about this Government's commitment to honouring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers and stopping illegal migration, particularly the dangerous small boats crossings,' Mrs Braverman wrote. Ms Truss sent a terse reply to Mrs Braverman's resignation letter, in which she said it was important that 'Cabinet confidentiality is respected'. At the weekend, it was reported that Mrs Braverman's breach of the ministerial rules was more serious than the 'technical infringement' she had outlined as the reason for her departure. According to the Sunday Times, Mrs Braverman emailed Cabinet papers to her private Gmail account and then on to senior Tory backbencher Sir John Hayes and, mistakenly, an assistant to another Conservative MP. When Ms Truss resigned as PM a day after Mrs Braverman's own depature, the now-returned Home Secretary was widely expected to run for the Tory leadership herself. Mrs Braverman had previously made a bid for No10 when Boris Johnson resigned in July. But she did not stage a second leadership campaign and insted put her support behind Mr Sunak as Ms Truss's replacement. Her return as Home Secretary suggests the new PM has given her assurances over migration policy, including the Rwanda scheme, as well as on Brexit issues such as the Northern Ireland Protocol. Responding to Mrs Braverman's appointment tonight, Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'Just a few hours into the job and Rishi Sunak is already putting party before country. 'He said he wants his Government to have "integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level" yet he has just appointed Suella Braverman to be Home Secretary again a week after she resigned for breaches of the Ministerial Code, security lapses, sending sensitive Government information through unauthorised personal channels, and following weeks of non-stop public disagreements with other Cabinet Ministers. 'Our national security and public safety are too important for this kind of chaos. We dont just need a new cabinet, we need a general election and a fresh start with Labour.' A five-year-old has suffered life-changing injuries after her neighbour's dog pinned her down and bit a chunk of her cheek off in a vicious attack. Elsie, from Croydon, South London, was playing with her friends outside her home when the Staffordshire bull terrier attacked her, leaving her with wounds requiring three surgeries. The horror attack took place at around 5pm on September 25 when Elsie and her sister Amelia, 9, were playing with friends in a secure area in front of their block. Elsie's mother, Kirsty, 29, said the attack only lasted minutes but it felt like a lifetime. 'I can remember the feeling of panic, seeing the dog on her face. I can't get that image out of my head,' she said. The mother rushed to her daughter and put her on her shoulder so the dog couldn't get to her. But the dog continued to jump at Elsie until they reached the safety of another neighbour's house. 'There was blood everywhere and a chunk of her face was wide open. A chunk of her cheek was hanging off and you could see inside her nose through the bridge of her nose,' Kirsty said. Elsie (pictured), from Croydon, South London, was playing with her friends outside her home when the Staffordshire bull terrier attacked her, leaving her with wounds requiring three surgeries 'In the ambulance she was trying to fall asleep but the paramedics were talking to her to try to keep her conscious. She turned to me at one point and said 'Mummy it's ok but I've got to go, I've got to close my eyes now.' The girl's mother has revealed that as well as her physical injuries, her daughter has been left traumatised. 'She doesn't want to go out, particularly on public transport because she doesn't want people to stare at her,' she said. 'She hasn't been back to school since because she doesn't want her friends to see her like this.' The mother had been watching from inside when her neighbour's dog was released into the area without a lead or muzzle on and charged directly at Elsie. The children ran to a wall and climbed to safety but Elsie fell over as they ran which allowed the dog to grab her by the face. The little girl had part of her cheek bitten off my her neighbour's Staffordshire bull terrier The five-year-old was rushed to St George's Hospital where she had to undergo surgery for four hours. Since then, she has been under the knife again and her parents have been told she'll be seeing a surgeon for the rest of her life. Police have seized the dog and another belonging to the same owner. They remain in police kennels. A 56-year-old woman was interviewed under caution on October 18 but no arrests have been made so far. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said its enquiries are ongoing. Elsie's (right) mother Kirsty (left) said the attack only lasted minutes but it felt like a lifetime Croydon Council are taking action to move Elsie and her family to a different house but for the time being they are met with daily reminders of the horror which took place. Kirsty added: 'It's very hard coming in and out of our home, seeing where they used to play. Every time I open the door it's right there. I can't look at the place where it happened, I can't put the bins out. 'The kids find it hard to come in and out, I have to carry Elsie and her older sister in every time. 'It's been catastrophic for our whole family. My partner, my kids, everyone is in counselling. We're all just traumatised.' Bombshell documents have revealed how the State Department blocked the arrest of a Peace Corps worker who left one woman dead and another seriously injured after a drunk driving spree - by claiming he had diplomatic immunity when he didn't. John Peterson was ushered back to the US hours after fatally slamming his Toyota Rav4 into street-food seller Rabia Issa on the morning of August 24 2019, avoiding arrest by authorities in Dar es Salaam. He had spent the night before with a prostitute before embarking on the drink-driving spree, which also saw Peterson strike and injure a second woman. Now hundreds of pages of documents seen by USA Today give the clearest picture yet of the carnage Peterson caused and how the State Department falsely claimed he had diplomatic immunity from a breathalyzer test after the drunken rampage. Peace Corps workers are not automatically granted diplomatic immunity while working abroad, unlike State Department workers. The US State Department claims its officials were confused about a diplomatic identification card he was issued by the Tanzanian government. But critics say they should have been more clued-up on the regulations, which did not afford Peterson protection. John Peterson (circled) pictured with the first cohort of Peace Corps volunteers and Vice President Al Gore in South Africa, 1997 Peterson was driving a sex worker he had paid $50 in exchange for oral sex from his US government-rented home back to her neighborhood shortly after 5am when he claims a woman suddenly jumped in front of the car. Tanzanian authorities claim the unnamed victim was left 'crushed and severely injured' by the impact. That unidentified woman was not killed, with the woman Peterson did kill struck shortly afterwards. Escaping an angry crowd around his car after the first impact, Peterson claims he was heading for the nearby US embassy when he barreled off the street and fatally struck another woman. That victim was Rabia Issa, a married mom-of-three who was setting up her food stall for the day. Issa was fatally-injured by the impact. Her body was thrown over the hood of Peterson's car, which continued to smash through a fence and other roadside stands. Despite the multiple collisions, Peterson carried on about half a mile further before his vehicle slammed into a light pole and came to a final stop. The wreckage of John Peterson's Toyota Rav4 after his drunk driving spree killed a woman and left another seriously injured in Tanzania in August 2019 Furious bystanders gathered around the car and a tow truck repeatedly lifted and dropped the mangled Toyota Rav4 while a blood-soaked Peterson was still inside. Issas devastated brother even reached through the window and punched Peterson in the face. At the police station, Tanzanian police prepared a breathalyzer test and shoved the tube into Petersons mouth while he resisted. However the US embassy staffers that joined Peterson at the station insisted he was a diplomat who did not have to comply, sensational records obtained by USA Today show. Peterson was told he was free to go as long as he returned to the station two days later. The house where John Peterson lived alone in Dar es Salaam, paid for by the US government John Peterson's home inside a gated compound in Dar es Salaam But Peterson was quickly flown back to America on the grounds that he needed surgery to his injured hand. This was despite one embassy worker noticing Peterson did not have immunity before his flight and raising it as a 'point of clarification' with an agency worker. He faced a grilling from federal state department investigators. But they could not charge him over lack of evidence, because other state department colleagues had allowed Peterson to leave the country before Tanzanian police could complete their investigation. Inmi Patterson, the highest-ranking US official at the embassy, notified State Department central operations that she would contact the Tanzanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs once Petersons flight was in the air. Inmi Patterson, former highest ranking official at the US embassy in Dar es Salaam who has since stepped down from her role Documents revealed by USA Today show an exchange between Patterson and US embassy official, Janine Young. 'Please confirm when Mr. Peterson is wheels up,' the operations center wrote. 'Wheels up at 1821,' Janine Young responded. Two days after Peterson left Tanzania, State Department officials drafted a letter that claimed Peterson was an accredited diplomat protected under the Vienna Convention. This letter was never sent. Police in Dar es Salaam chased the State Department in October - two months after the crash - saying they 'need to know if the driver had Diplomatic Immunity and which type of immunity'. But correspondence shows Janine Young admitted to a colleague her staff had 'no intention of saying anything formally or informally' about Peterson's immunity. Janine Young (right) was one of several US embassy officials who helped John Peterson out of the country on the day he killed Rabia Issa Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, blamed the confusion over Petersons immunity on a diplomatic identification card Peterson had been issued by the Tanzanian government. 'There was never, at any time, any effort on the part of the United States to deliberately mislead Tanzanian authorities as to Mr. Petersons diplomatic status,' Patel said. 'Any statements made by Embassy security officials to local authorities in the immediate aftermath of the incident concerning Mr. Petersons status were based on the information available at the time specifically Mr. Petersons Government of Tanzania-issued diplomatic ID card.' Once safely back on US soil, Peterson agreed to be interviewed by two federal agents from the State Department Office of Special Investigations and Peace Corps Office of Inspector General. The interview - which Peterson said he hoped would be quick - focused on his drinking on the night of the crash. He was asked at least 33 times in two hours how much he had drunk and responded he had only had two drinks, despite witnesses at the scene claiming he had appeared intoxicated. Peace Corps Office of Inspector General, John Warren, then said it would look better for Peterson if he had been drunk because the alternative was that he had deliberately run someone over while sober. 'So - if you're, like, tryin' to minimize the - the wine thing because you're worried that it's gonna make you look bad, the other thing makes you look bad,' Warren is recorded saying. 'You better tell me. You were f***ed up, weren't you? You were f***ed up.' Peterson disagreed with this description, instead saying he was 'buzzed'. He later admitted ordering up to four drinks - meaning he would have been over the US legal limit to drive. Peterson was terminated from his role in mid-2021, after an 18 month probe into his behavior. Astonishingly, he appealed that decision. That appeal failed, with Peterson subsequently finally retiring. Peterson even continued to collect paychecks from Peace Corps for 18 months. His salary, unused vacation time and bonuses totaled more than $258,000. His victims - who signed settlements with Peace Corps to receive payouts for not making legal claims against the company or Peterson - received a lot less. Rabia Issa's family were paid just $13,000. Her death certificate recorded just one word for her cause of death - 'unnatural'. The first woman Peterson hit was paid roughly $6,500. The sex worker received about $2,200. Peterson began volunteering for the Peace Corps in the late 1970s, and later secured a full-time role there. He even played a small role in a late 1980s movie called Camp de Thiaroye. John Peterson as he appeared in the 1988 Senegalese film Camp de Thiyaroe, in which he played an American soldier detained by West African forces It told the story of a 1944 massacre of West African soldiers after they staged a rebellion while in custody of invading French troops. Peace Corps spokesman Troy Blackwell, in a statement, declined to explain the delay, saying only that the agency made its decision after reviewing the findings of its own and the inspector generals investigation. USA Today alleged Peterson had multiple encounters with prostitutes prior to his departure. A dangerous TikTok trend could be to blame for a recent car crash that killed four teenagers and injured two others in Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo City Police Department said the crash happened around 6.30am Monday after the car, a Kia Sportage, was stolen late Sunday evening. All five passengers inside the car, in addition to the driver, were under the age of 19 and were ejected from the vehicle. The driver was not ejected. Four of the passengers were killed, the eldest being 19, and one other passenger was placed in intensive care. The four teens killed have since been identified as Marcus Webster, 19; Swazine Swindle, 17; Kevin Payne, 16; and Ahjanae Harper, 14. The other passenger, a 14-year-old girl, has been moved from the ICU to 'good condition' inside the Erie County Medical Center. Her name has not been released. Four teens were killed early Monday morning when they were involved in a crash after allegedly stealing a vehicle using the 'Kia Boyz' TikTok hack that allows kids to hotwire a car easily The 16-year-old driver was treated at a nearby hospital after the crash on Kensington Expressway and the Scajaquada Expressway. Law enforcement officials said Monday that he has been charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. The unidentified teen was issued an appearance ticket and is due back in court on November 15. As of Tuesday evening, only family members of Harper had publicly identified her as one of the deceased in the crash via a GoFundMe to raise money for a funeral. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told reporters Monday that he believed the teens were participating in the trend that encourages people to break into the vehicles. The 'Kia Boyz' challenge police were referring to requires just a USB cord and a screwdriver in order to hotwire Kia and Hyundai vehicles. A grab from one viral TikTok shows how the use of the tip of a phone charger or USB cable can start a stolen vehicle The 'hack' impacts Kias made between 2011 and 2021 and Hyundais made between 2015 and 2021. 'It's a horrific morning for the families, their friends, our police officers and our investigators and fire department that were there investigating this,' said Gramaglia. 'This is a terrible, terrible outcome for such young kids that had their entire lives in front of them.' Buffalo Public Schools originally said in a statement to WGRZ that the students involved in the crash went to Riverside High School and International Preparatory School. Charter School for Applied Technologies (CSAT) released a letter to parents and students Monday, as well, sharing the news that a former student had died in the crash. 'On Monday, an early morning automobile accident claimed the lives of several area teens, including a former CSAT student. Because this student attended our High School up until very recently, we have dispatched additional counselors and social workers to the building.. Law enforcement officials said that investigations will continue and further charges against the teen may be filed. 'It's an extremely sad morning in the city of Buffalo when you lose four young lives in a horrific accident like this,' said district attorney John Flynn. 'And now we need to do a thorough investigation to find out what happened and what the appropriate charges are against the driver of this vehicle,' Flynn said. Engine immobilizers, anti-theft parts built into many cars, are missing from the cars made by Kia and Hyundai, according to a lawsuit filed in Orange County, California, earlier this year. The suit alleges that Kias built between 2011 and 2021 as well as Hyundais built from 2015 to 2021 lack anti-theft parts, making the cars easier to steal than other models. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages from the automakers and a nationwide recall. 'They're very easy unfortunately to steal,' the Buffalo police official said. DailyMail.com reached out to Buffalo Police Department officials who said that they could not share any additional details at this time, 'especially with a juvenile involved.' 'You can look up the information that's been put out there. There are numerous cities across the country that are looking at looking into or have filed lawsuits against Kia because of the ease that they are able to steal these cars.' The challenge, which users post to the social video site under #KiaBoyz, shows impressionable viewers using the tip of a phone charger or USB cable to start the cars. The issue is a particularly bad in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where 'Kia Boyz' related thefts account for two thirds of the city's stolen cars Various viral videos have spread since 2021 showing tips on how to hotwire Kia and Hyundai cars 'These automobile thefts are a crime of opportunity and can affect just about any member of the community,' Chicago PD said in a statement. In Portland, Oregon, thefts of Hyundais are up 153 percent while Kias are up 269 percent, according to city police. In Columbus, Ohio, the two brands have made up 38 percent of all cars stolen in 2022, the New York Post reported. Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported that car thefts were 30 percent higher than was typically the case at this time of year, with the majority of vehicles being Kias and Hyundais. The issue is particularly bad in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where 'Kia Boyz' related thefts account for two-thirds of the city's stolen cars. It has gotten so bad in Milwaukee that authorities have advised Kia and Hyundai owners to buy steering wheel locks or to invest in more advanced security systems. The Windy City has seen thefts of the two car brands rise by a shocking 767 percent since the beginning of July compared to the same period in 2021, according to Chicago police Chicago has become the latest city victimized by the latest TikTok challenge, which shows how you can start Kia and Hyundai cars using only a USB cable Earlier this year, LAPD Chief Michel Moore reported an 85 percent increase in car theft over 2021. Moore said at the time that the TikTok trend may be a major contributing factor. During a police commissioners meeting, Moore said that more than 1,600 Kia and Hyundai vehicles had been stolen throughout the year, pointing to the 'Kia Boyz' challenge. 'For the community, the challenge of owning one of these vehicles, we're asking that you purchase a steering wheel lock,' Moore said. 'You can also install an alarm system. The steering wheel lock will offer both a visual and physical deterrent from someone trying to break your glass and into your vehicle,' Moore continued. ABC 7 spoke with one resident who had his own 2012 Hyundai Tucson broken into it, which he got on video. 'The scary part is that, as far as I can tell, this started from a TikTok challenge, which shows the power of influence that social media can have especially on young folks,' the man told the ABC affiliate. In a statement issued at the time, a Hyundai spokesperson said: 'Hyundai Motor America is concerned with the rise in local auto thefts. The safety and well-being of our customers and the community is and will remain our top priority. These vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and engine immobilizers are standard equipment on all new Hyundai vehicles.' James Bell, a Kia spokesperson, said vehicles that are turned on with a steel key are being targeted. 'Kia America is aware of the rise in vehicle thefts of a subset of trim level vehicles. All 2022 models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the beginning of the year or as a running change. All Kia vehicles for sale in the U.S. meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.' TikTok, when confronted with the videos by WHIO, said: 'We absolutely do not condone these types of videos and it is something that is being removed from our platforms. We use a combination of technology and dedicated safety teams to ensure that our content aligns with TikTok Community guideline.' On dangerous challenges, TikTok says: 'We do not permit users to share content depicting, promoting, normalizing or glorifying dangerous acts that may lead to serious injury or death' And in the violent and graphic content part, it adds: 'TikTok is a platform that celebrates creativity but not shock value or violence' TikTok has come under fire in recent months for exposing teenagers to dangerous trends including 'rape culture' and a vile 'blackout challenge' that has killed youngsters. The social media giant has failed to strip down misogynistic comments by former kickboxer Andrew Tate, footage of thugs stealing KIAs and Hyundias, and content encouraging children to asphyxiate themselves. These all come despite the tech giant having extensive community guidelines spelled out on its website, including rules on dangerous acts and challenges, hateful behavior, and against promoting suicide or harm. But it could soon be held more accountable across the US for content on the site under the Combating Harmful Actions with Transparency on Social Act. The bill seeks to combat dangers to children and boost transparency into how apps are being used for crimes. Dean Garforth, 30, pictured, was held as he left his hideaway in the upmarket resort of Marbella on an electric bike A fugitive named as one of Britain's most wanted men in January has been arrested on Spain's Costa del Sol. Dean Garforth, 30, was held as he left his hideaway in the upmarket resort of Marbella on an electric bike. Spanish police said the Liverpool-born alleged drugs and weapons trafficker injured two officers in a bid to avoid detention by smashing his bike into them. He was held on an International Arrest Warrant as well as suspicion of resisting arrest. Garforth was one of the 12 men named in a National Crime Agency and Spanish police appeal in January. Spanish police said the Liverpool-born alleged drugs and weapons trafficker injured two officers in a bid to avoid detention by smashing his bike into them. Pictured: The arrest He was held on an International Arrest Warrant as well as suspicion of resisting arrest. Pictured: The arrest They were described at the time as Britain's most wanted suspects thought to be hiding in Spain. Convicted drug trafficker Joshua Hendry was held 24 hours after the appeal was made. He was arrested in San Pedro de Alcantara near Marbella after being recognised by an off-duty Spanish officer. Hendry, 31, from Walton, Liverpool, was extradited and jailed for five years and three months at Sheffield Crown Court in April after pleading guilty to supply heroin and crack cocaine and to a charge of absconding. That was on top of the 10-year sentence he was given in 2020 when he was convicted in his absence of conspiracy to supply cocaine. Hendry began serving his original sentence after his extradition and was charged with additional drug offences as part of the same investigation and with absconding. Garforth was one of the 12 men named in a National Crime Agency and Spanish police appeal in January Confirming yesterday's/Monday's arrest in Marbella, a spokesman for Spain's National Police said: 'National Police officers have arrested one of the fugitives included in the UK'S Most Wanted list. 'He is Dean Garforth, aged, 30, who was the subject of an International Arrest Warrant issued by the British authorities on suspicion of crimes of drug and weapons trafficking.' The spokesman added: 'Garforth was living on a residential estate in Marbella where he tried to go unnoticed among a large British expat community. 'He took great care with regards to his security and hardly went out, but was apprehended when he left his home wearing sunglasses and a cap on an electric bike. 'During his attempted identification, he rammed one of them with his bicycle and injured two police officers. 'He was arrested on foot of the International Arrest Warrant and on suspicion of a crime of resisting arrest and disobedience.' Pictured: This image from January 19 this year shows a list of the most wanted criminals including Garforth (pictured second row, second from right) Footage of the moments after his arrest, also released by Spanish police, showed him being led away in handcuffs wearing a dark top and black shorts. Last night Garforth was facing extradition to the UK. It was not immediately clear on Tuesday if he had already appeared before an extradition judge in Madrid and whether he was agreeing to be flown back to the UK or opposing his forced return. The National Crime Agency said about Garforth in their appeal at the start of the year: 'He is allegedly involved in a well-established Organised Crime Group supplying significant quantities of cocaine and cannabis and involved in trading firearms and ammunition. 'It is alleged he used the now defunct encrypted comms platform EncroChat to facilitate these offences in and around the North West of England and that his OCG also adulterated the drugs before moving them on.' Garforth's last known address was South Hill Road in Dingle. He was one of four men with links to Merseyside named among the UK's 12 most wanted in the January appeal. A 'cold and calculating' fraudster stole more than 1.3million from a small family business where she worked. Alison Smith abused her role at a Blaenavon firm in a 'devastating' nine-year fraud, Cardiff Crown Court heard. Prosecutor Roger Griffiths said the 42-year-old sowed division and animosity in the family who own Eiran Civil Engineering so she could go undetected as she made hundreds of fraudulent payments - funding a habit for expensive holidays, cars and clothes. Smith worked for the company as a financial manager from June 2012 until January this year when she resigned. Following Smith's resignation, another employee Anita Lane met with accountants to review the firm's end-of-month finances. 'She normally wouldn't have been involved in that because Alison Smith would,' said Mr Griffiths. Alison Smith, 42, pictured, stole more than 1.3 million over the course of nine years from her then employer Eiran Civil Engineering using hundreds of fraudulent transactions, Cardiff Crown Court was told Smith, pictured, used the cash to fund her lifestyle and pay for a gambling addiction which started with bingo before progressing to online slot machines Smith worked at Eiran Civil Engineering for nine years until she resigned in January. Following her resignation another employee discovered discrepancies in the firm's accounts which led to Smith's prosecution In the meeting they discussed a payment to what was purportedly the bank account for Oil 4 Wales. Part of the 4,920 invoice was recorded as outstanding but when Eiran contacted the supplier, it was not aware of the payment. 'It became apparent the name Oil 4 Wales had been inputted manually by the person making this transaction,' said Mr Griffiths. 'In fact the beneficiary was not Oil 4 Wales. It was Alison Smith.' Analysis of company accounts showed Smith had stolen 1,315,143 across nine years. Her method involved duplicating invoices in the name of a legitimate supplier but changing the bank details so she could pay herself. Smith had a salary of 32,000 a year at the time she left the company. The court heard colleagues had noticed her penchant for 'expensive holidays, weekends away, buying her children nice cars and clothes, and renovating her daughters' home', but they did not question how she could afford her lifestyle because they trusted her. The prosecutor said Smith's tactics involved 'setting one member of the family off against the other'. And in a statement read in court, Ms Lane said: 'It is clear to me that Alison needed myself and my husband Mark out of the business so she could continue to manipulate my father and other staff members to continue funding her lifestyle.' When Ms Lane left her police role to join the business she had a 'fantastic' relationship with her family but she said Smith had intentionally created 'animosity'. She said she discovered that Smith had gone to 'great lengths' to discredit her in the eyes of colleagues. Smith, of Aberbargoed, pleaded guilty to fraud. She has a conviction from 2004 for theft by employee and forgery when she wrote cheques to steal 3,200, resulting in a community order Ms Lane added: 'It tore me apart emotionally. A life-changing amount of money has been stolen from my family, all done while she was sitting opposite me in the office. This person was not just a work colleague but had befriended me. I find it hard to get my head around how a person could be so cold and calculating.' She said Smith's treatment of the family caused her 'huge' distress, adding: 'I do not go out socially anymore. I keep myself to myself.' Smith, of Aberbargoed, pleaded guilty to fraud. She has a conviction from 2004 for theft by employee and forgery when she wrote cheques to steal 3,200, resulting in a community order. She appeared in the dock with crutches and a protective boot. Her barrister Jeffrey Jones said she recently sustained three fractures in a fall. Mr Jones told the court his client had gambled 'ridiculously' after an addiction began 'many years ago' with bingo before progressing to online slot machines. After a 10 bet led to a 100 win, the habit 'got a grip of her', the court heard. Judge Shomon Khan sitting at Cardiff Crown Court, pictured, jailed Smith for five years stating that she must serve half of the term in prison. A proceeds of crime hearing will take place on February 24 and the victims may take a civil action against her to recover some of the stolen cash He said she tried to use alcohol as a 'crutch' to cope with the guilt of the fraud, which led to suicide attempts. The barrister described Smith's three daughters as 'shocked to the core' by her crime, while her parents were 'completely bereft'. He said Smith has always been 'hands on and supportive' to family members, from her grandparents to her three grandchildren. Newport-born Smith has credit card debts 'varying between 8,000 and 15,000' and recently lost her car due to debt, Mr Jones added. He said she has been receiving support from alcohol services for her addiction. Judge Shomon Khan told Smith her impact on a small family business had been 'devastating'. He added: 'I think it matters not, ultimately, whether you gambled their money or lived a lavish lifestyle. They lost a life-changing amount of money. You used your methods to sow division in the family so they would turn on each other rather than look for weakness in their system and see where the money was going.' The judge said he took into account the impact a jail term would have on Smith's family but added that she appeared to 'feel sorry for [herself]' as much as the victims. He imposed a five-year prison sentence, half of which will be served in custody. A proceeds of crime hearing will take place on February 24. The court heard the victims may also take civil action. North Korean teenage defectors return to their classroom after a break at Hanawon, a government-run adjustment and education center for North Koreans resettling in South Korea, in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, in this Oct. 12, 2016, file photo. A defector who was once hailed as "a successful resettlement case" has recently found dead at her rental apartment in Seoul. Newsis Gov't vows to improve system to protect defectors struggling in South Korea By Jung Min-ho A defector who was once hailed by the media as a successful resettlement case has been found dead in her home in Seoul. Authorities believe nearly a year has passed since she died, given how much her corpse had decomposed and the fact that she was found wearing winter clothes. She was 49. According to police in Yangcheon District Tuesday, her body was discovered on Oct. 19 by an official of the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporations, the city-owned public rental house provider, which had tried to contact her about renewing her housing rental contract. The official eventually opened the door of her apartment, where he discovered the body. Police plan to carry out an autopsy on the body to determine the cause of her death. She had no family members in South Korea, they said. According to the Ministry of Unification, she entered the South in 2002 after escaping North Korea. She then started working at the Korea Hana Foundation, a ministry-run organization that supports North Koreans trying to resettle here. As she was building up a good reputation among other defectors, she was reported as a successful resettlement case by some media outlets. But her former co-workers said they lost contact with her after she had left the job in 2017. The sign of the Ministry of Unification is seen inside the government complex in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho President Joe Biden received his third COVID booster shot on Tuesday and encouraged all Americans to get their next shot in the arms ahead of the holidays. 'The truth is not enough people are getting' their booster, the president said. 'Get the shot.' He warned, that with cases rising in Europe as the cold weather comes, the death rate could spike in the United States. 'Let me be as plain as I can. We still have hundreds of people dying each day from covid in this country. Hundreds. That number is likely to rise this winter. But this year is different from the past. This year nearly every death is preventable,' he said. 'New variants emerge here in the US and around the world,' he noted, adding that it was important to get updated shots as 'the weather getting colder; people will spend more time indoors.' In September, Biden told CBS' 60 Minutes that the pandemic was over. But the administration has been preparing for an uptick in cases this winter when people are inside more. President Joe Biden received his third COVID booster shot Biden, 79, was joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and his COVID response coordinator Ashish Jha as he got his shot. It was his fifth shot overall.. 'This is a global health emergency,' Biden said, urging Congress to fund more money for testing and vaccination. As we enter this new moment in the battle against covid, let's use it to start fresh as a country, to put all the old battles over covid behind us. To put all the partisan politics aside. We've already lost over 1 million Americans to covid, he said. We can do so much now to reduce the number of people who die from this terrible disease. We have the tools. We have the vaccines. We have the treatments. None of this is about politics. It's about your health, he added. Amid fears of a spike in COVID cases this winter, the administration is launching a public service campaign to push Americans to get the latest protection from the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron. There will be a series of new national and local TV, radio and print ads geared at reaching Black and Latino audiences, which are communities that have historically been underserved. Additionally Medicare will send email reminders to the 16 million people on its email list; and the president alos will ask employers and school leaders to spread the word about vaccination. The leaders of Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, and Albertson's were at the event. A member of the White House medical unit helps President Biden put his suit jacket on after he gets his latest COVID booster The above graphs shows the number of Covid cases being recorded in the US by day. The steady decline now appears to be slowing, amid signs of an uptick in 15 states America is currently recording about 360 Covid deaths a day. At the same time last year the country was registering more than 1,600 a day Biden's Covid vaccination and infection timeline President Joe Biden has had four Covid vaccinations so far, and also tested positive for the virus once. Tuesday he will get the updated 'bivalent' booster vaccine his fifth inoculation. Below is a timeline of Biden's vaccinations and when he caught Covid: December 21, 2020: First dose January 11, 2021: Second dose September 20, 2021: First booster March 30, 2022: Second booster July 21, 2021: Catches Covid Nearly four months after his last Covid shot the President tests positive for the virus. He had only a mild illness, and tested negative five days later after beginning a course of Paxlovid to suppress the virus. But by July 30 he had tested positive again, suffering a 'rebound' infection. October 25, 2022: Bivalent boster Biden received his updated booster shot. Advertisement Biden called for each school district, college and university to host at least one vaccination clinic by Thanksgiving. He also urged employers to offer paid time off for vaccination and host on-site vaccination clinics for employees. 'Virtually every covid death in America is preventable. Virtually every one. Almost everyone who will die from covid this year will not be up to date on their shots or they will not have taken paxlovid when they got sick,' the president said. Despite calls for all to get inoculated by Halloween, barely 20 million people or just 8.5 per cent of those who are eligible more than a month into the drive have got the jab. Health chiefs are recommending the updated boosters for all under-5s who are already fully vaccinated. It comes amid warning signs Covid cases are now turning upwards in 15 states, as well as concerns over other respiratory viruses this year. 'The challenge with holiday seasons every year is it's also a time where contagious respiratory viruses like influenza, RSV, and, again this year, COVID spread much more quickly,' Jha said at a press briefing earlier this month. 'And we have seen an increase in COVID infections, hospitalizations, and deaths each of the last two winters,' he noted. Jha said the administration is expecting an uptick in COVID cases over the next couple of months. 'We're going to see more infections as we get into November, December, January. That's what we saw the last couple of winters, so that's not surprising,' he said. Many European nations are seeing an uptick in cases. But there is no sign that these new variants are more likely to cause severe disease or death than other versions of Omicron. Biden received his updated booster about three months after he tested positive for the virus in July which is the lag time health chiefs said should be left after an infection. His last jab was on March 30 this year, when he got his second booster jab to shore-up immunity for the summer. Biden's initial inoculations were on December 21, 2020 and January 11, 2021. He also got his first booster on September 20 last year. Despite getting all the vaccines, however, Biden tested positive for the disease in July last year. He initially had a mild illness, and was put on anti-viral Paxlovid which saw his infection all but disappear within five days. But another four days later he tested positive again in what is known as a 'rebound infection'. He was cleared of the virus again on August 7 this year. Ashish Jha, White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator; Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General; and Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) were there as Biden got his shot President Biden warned COVID deaths could rise this winter Jill Biden tested positive for a covid a few weeks later, on August 16, when the family was wrapping up its vacation in South Carolina. The US is currently recording about 36,400 cases every day on average. About 367 people are also dying with the virus every 24 hours on average. For comparison, at the same time last year the tally was more than 1,600 every 24 hours. The case is the largest unclaimed property return in American history Because all six of his siblings were dead and had no children, estate lawyers tracked down cousins and distant relatives in Europe and the US Three years later, mutual funds that he invested in blew up his estate to $11million, ramping up the search for his heirs A Chicago man who lived frugally in a bungalow had secretly built up a $11miilion estate, which will be distributed to 119 relatives in the largest unpaid property claim in US history. Joseph Stancak, 87, of Gage Park, died of natural causes just before Christmas in 2016. With no will left behind, his estate remained untouched until investments from mutual funds began paying out in 2019. The search for his heirs then ramped up, but after estate lawyers learned that Stancak had no children, nor did any of his six dead siblings, they said they needed to track down cousins and distant family members. Relatives were found across the US and Europe, and after taxes, the average inheritor will receive around $60,000. 'This is a life-changing amount of money,' Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said in a statement. 'This is the largest unclaimed property return in Illinois history and national history.' Joseph Stancak, 87, of Chicago, left behind a $11million that officials will be distributed to 119 relatives across the globe. His estate lawyers needed to create a 15-foot-long scroll detailing his family tree to track down his inheritors Stancak lived in the Chicago suburb of Gage park, with a modest home on South Troy Street that fetches $325,000 (above) Officials said Stancak's 119 heirs are spread across Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, the UK, Canada and the US. Along with seven relatives in Chicago, officials said there were heirs in Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York. State officials said there are few details available about Stancak, with no one knowing what he did for a living or why he invested the way he did. The son of Polish immigrants, Stancak was born in Chicago in 1929. His parents moved there after living in New Jersey for two decades. He had six siblings: Mary, Paul, Anna, John, Helen and Frances. Only Anna and John married, but none of the siblings ever had children. Stancak's neighbors in the Chicago suburbs told CBS that the elderly man was quiet and frugal, often seeing him undertake home repairs by himself. He lived on South Troy Street at a modest, $325,500 home, which is listed as a 5 bedroom, two bath, single-family home on Redfin. The only evidence that Stancak had any kind of wealth was his boat, named 'Easy,' officials said. Public records show Stancak renewed his boating license annually for the vessel before turning 80. Neighbors on South Troy Street said they would see him do his own home repairs The property is listed as a 5 bedroom, two bath, single-family home Rudy Quinn, president of Linking Assets Inc., a company that finds unclaimed money that helped hunt down Stancak's heirs, said there's not much else known about the man. 'No one knows what this guy did and what led him to diversify his wealth in the way that he did,' Quinn told Block Club Chicago. 'And we didn't know his property would balloon to $11 million. We had to get creative.' Attorney Kenneth Piercey, who represents Stancaks estate, said his firm created a 15-foot-long scroll detailing his client's full family tree in order to figure out who gets what. Piercey noted that none of the relatives contacted about receiving their part in the inheritance had ever heard of Stancak before. Prior to Stancak's case, the highest paid unclaimed property claim in Illinois was $8.1 million. The largest claim paid it a single person was $5 million to a Chicago woman in 2013. A drill rapper who appeared on former BBC Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwoods YouTube channel was jailed for at least 23 years for murdering a filmmaker today. Dean Pascal-Modeste, 21, was hunted down and stabbed 14 times in Mottingham, southeast London on 24 February 2017. New-York born Jahtel Williamson, 26, was part of a gang of killers who set upon Mr Pascal-Modeste armed with knives and machetes. The victim died at the scene from his injuries including wounds to his left lung and head injuries. Williamson fled to the US after the murder and was extradited back to the UK from Washington DC on 1 May last year. The killing was motivated by rivalry between two gangs even though Mr Pascal-Modeste was not involved in either. Members of Jahtel Williamson's B-Side Gang during a crib session. The Lewisham-based gang had a long rivalry with Grove Park's 'Splash Gang' which led to the killing - even though victim Dean Pascal-Modeste, 21, was involved in neither Producer Dean Pascal-Modeste, 21, was 'hunted down' and stabbed 14 times in Lambscroft Avenue, Mottingham, southeast London The attackers were members of Lewishams B-Side gang who have a long-standing rivalry with Grove Parks Splash Gang. Both gangs had featured in YouTube rap recording sessions with Westwood and had traded barbs with each other in online videos. Williamson denied but was convicted of murder by an Old Bailey jury. He appeared in court via-videolink from HMP Belmarsh wearing a grey tracksuit, as Judge Philip Katz jailed him for life with a minimum of 23 years, minus 601 days he served while on remand. The judge described Mr Pascal-Modeste as a much loved son and brother with a promising future in music. He hoped for a career in music and had all the talent and passion to make that career a reality. He was excited about his life and what he wanted to achieve. Dean was not a gang member, he did not carry knives and did not have any trouble with police. Corey Donaldson (left) and Alex Scott (right), both 23, of Lewisham, southeast London, were both jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years for the murder following a trial in November 2017 His family sat through three trials with dignity as you literally tried to get away with murder. You have never shown any remorse as you lied to the jury and did not pause to show any empathy for the victim. The victims older sister Nicola spoke of the horrific impact his death has had on his family. It should have been a time of joy, making plans for Deans 22nd birthday. Instead on Deans birthday we had the heart wrenching ordeal of visiting the crime scene to lay flowers and messages. It is indescribable. Mr Pascal-Modeste was described as a talented and special soul with a generous charismatic personality and a smile to match. Kai Stewart, 22, was earlier jailed for at least 17 years after he was also convicted of murder Deans sister continued: We are all now a shell of who we once were and have ended up as completely different people. Daily life is an ongoing struggle, seeing large groups of boys in the street leaves me with a sense of panic and danger. We feel his loss everywhere we go. It has been a devastating rollercoaster of ups and downs and will continue to be so for the rest of our lives. Corey Donaldson and Alex Scott, both 23, of Lewisham, southeast London, were both jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years for the murder following a trial in November 2017. Kai Stewart, 22, of Bellingham, and Devone Pusey, 25, of Beckenham, were earlier jailed for at least 17 and 20 years respectively after they too were convicted of murder. Prosecutor Crispin Aylett, KC, said at the start of Williamsons trial: The time has come for him too to face the music. He told jurors: On 24 February 2017, five-and-a-half years ago, 21-year-old Dead Pascal-Modeste travelled from his home in Barking, east London, to Grove Park in Southeast London. Dean had been looking to make a name for himself in the music business. He and two friends of his had gone to take part in a recording of a music video that was to be placed on the internet on YouTube. Devone Pusey, 25, of Beckenham, was earlier jailed for at least 20 years after he was convicted of murder Suddenly from nowhere, two mopeds appeared. The mopeds pulled up not far from where Dean and his friend was sitting. One pulled a gun and pointed it at Dean. Six young youths appeared on foot and chased them. That group also seemed to come from nowhere. Those on the mopeds were acting in concert. This was an ambush on two fronts. The prosecution allege that the defendant, Jahtel Williamson, was one of those on foot. Witnesses described seeing that they were running like mad. Dean was hunted down and surrounded. A group of youths crowded around him and attacked him. During this pitiless attack Dean sustained 14 separate stab wounds. Two blows were struck with such force to split Deans ribs and penetrate his left lung. Dean was left lying on the ground bleeding to death. An ambulance was called and a doctor arrived at the scene. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The B-side gang appeared on former BBC Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood's YouTube channel This attack occurred in broad daylight at around 3:45 in the afternoon. Witnesses had been collecting their children from school. This attack was as outrageous as it was brazen. This was a coordinated attack in which a number of those involved were armed with either guns or knives. This savage attack you may think bears all the hallmarks of gang related violence. However theres no evidence that his attackers would even have known who he was. This murder has its roots in a poisonous feud. Dean was stabbed to death not for who he was, or anything he had said or done, but murdered because of the company he had kept. Both Splash and B-Side gang members made music videos on YouTube that resulted in an ongoing feud. One such video featured the well-known disc-jockey, Tim Westwood, said Mr Aylett. From the film, it can be seen that the musicians - who are wearing masks and scarves across their faces - were rather less keen on being identifiable than Mr Westwood himself. The Splash gang had labelled one of their music sessions as a Westwood Crib Session in which disparaging remarks were made regarding B-Side paigon ho - a reference to prostitutes. Donaldson, Scott, Kai Stewart, also known as KK, were identified as members of the B-Side gang who attacked Pascal-Modeste shortly after the attack. Williamson, formerly of Greenhaven Drive, Greenwich, denied but was convicted of murder. Judge Katz added: This is another loving family struggling to come to terms with the loss of their innocent son because thugs like you walk the streets with vicious knives all too ready to use them to stab and kill. Horrifying video shows the moment a Mercedes-Benz jumped a curb in Manhattan Tuesday as cops tried to pull over its driver, striking an unwitting woman and leaving her critically injured. Police are now searching for the suspected driver, who fled the scene of the crash in the neighborhood of Inwood as pedestrians rushed to the unnamed victim's aid. The footage, released by cops on Tuesday, begins with officers descending on the aquamarine-colored luxury car, which was idling in the middle of the road at West 202nd Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues. Officers then begin banging on the vehicle's windows in an apparent attempt to get to the driver. At that point, the man suddenly shifts into reverse, lurching backward with great force as to scatter the lawmen, before seemingly losing control of the vehicle and coming over the sidewalk. The unnamed 30-year-old victim was reportedly standing in the wayward sedan's path, and was struck as she stood outside Cilantro Dominicana Cocina restaurant. She was promptly transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem in critical condition - while the driver fled eastbound down 202nd Street. He has yet to be tracked down. Cops are now saying the man is a suspect in two additional hit and runs - one shortly before the incident caught on film, and another minutes after. Horrifying video shows the moment a Mercedes-Benz jumped a curb in Manhattan Tuesday as cops tried to pull over its driver, striking an unwitting woman and leaving her critically injured. The footage, released by cops on Tuesday, begins with officers descending on the aquamarine luxury car, which was idling in the middle of the road at West 202nd Street, between Ninth and Tenth avenues At that point, the man suddenly shifts into reverse, lurching backward with great force as to scatter the lawmen, before seemingly losing control of the vehicle and coming over the sidewalk The unnamed 30-year-old victim was reportedly standing in the wayward sedan's path, and was struck as she stood outside a local restaurant The incident transpired early Tuesday morning at roughly 4:15 am. Then, just five minutes later, another hit-and-run occurred five blocks away, when a Mercedes driver struck a man riding a scooter, potentially leaving him paralyzed, cops said The incident transpired early Tuesday morning at roughly 4:15 am. Then, just five minutes later, another hit-and-run occurred five blocks away, when a Mercedes driver struck a man riding a scooter, potentially leaving him paralyzed, cops said Cops did not detail why they had been chasing down the perp initially. But on Tuesday, officials said he had just come over the University Heights Bridge from the Bronx before the crash The filmed incident transpired early Tuesday morning at roughly 4:15 am. Then, just five minutes later, another hit-and-run occurred five blocks away, when a Mercedes driver struck a man riding a scooter, potentially leaving him paralyzed, cops said. Police told DailyMail.com Tuesday they pulled the man over after 'officers were alerted to a hit-and-run of another vehicle moments prior.' Officers did not provide details about this incident. Officials further added the suspect had just come over the University Heights Bridge from the Bronx, prior to hitting the woman in the shocking footage. Then, after hitting the second, confirmed victim - who as of Tuesday afternoon is in 'critical but stable condition' - the driver and at least one passenger ran off, cops said, leaving the Mercedes behind near West 207th Street and Ninth Ave in the process. Good Samaritans who observed the hit-and-run quickly rushed to the woman's aid, as shocked officers mobilized to give chase to the Mercedes, which within moments had already sped off A woman is pictured trying to help the 30-year-old victim, who is currently in critical condition The strike saw the female victim suffered severe injuries which were not specified, with the footage showing her seemingly concussed and struggling to rise from the payment The female victim, who has not been named, as of Tuesday is in 'critical but stable condition' The victim, a 32-year-old man, was also taken to Harlem Hospital with severe back injuries, police revealed Tuesday, without identifying either victim. A 24-year-old man riding on the back of the scooter with the victim was also taken to the hospital, but only suffered minor injuries, police said. The abandoned Mercedes windshield was reportedly smashed in from the impact. The strike caught on camera, meanwhile, saw the female victim suffered severe injuries which were not specified, with the footage showing her seemingly concussed and struggling to rise from the payment. Police are now searching for the suspected driver, who fled the scene of the crash in Inwood as pedestrians rushed to the unnamed victim's aid Cops did not detail why they had been chasing down the perp initially, but on Tuesday said he had just come over the University Heights Bridge from the Bronx before the initial hit and run The incident transpired early Tuesday morning at roughly 4:15 am. Then, just five minutes later, another hit-and-run occurred five blocks away, when a Mercedes driver struck a man riding a scooter, potentially leaving him paralyzed, cops said Good Samaritans who observed the brazen hit-and-run quickly rushed to the woman's aid, as shocked officers mobilized to give chase to the Mercedes, which within moments had already sped off. Police are asking for help from the public with tracking down the suspect - a black man who was filmed wearing a black shirt and balaclava - releasing pictures of the man from security cameras taken shortly before the crash. His supposed passenger has yet to be pictured. Neither were named in the Crime Stoppers report. Police, meanwhile, are still on the hunt for the suspect, who could face up to seven years in prison if charged. Cops did not detail why they had been chasing down the perp initially. But on Tuesday, officials said he had just come over the University Heights Bridge from the Bronx before the initial hit and run, where he was caught on camera Police are asking for help from the public with tracking down the suspect - a black man who was filmed wearing a black shirt and balaclava - releasing pictures of the man from security cameras taken shortly before the crash The as of now unnamed suspect could face up to seven years in prison if found and charged This incident comes as crime in the city is up more than 31 percent from last year, when rates soared during the pandemic. Driving the increase is a more than 35 percent increase in the number of robberies, and a 32.4 percent increase in burglaries. Felony assaults are also up 15 per cent over last year, while grand larcenies are up 43 percent. Rapes have also risen by a substantial 11 percent. Mayor Eric Adams has promised to address the influx of incidents plaguing the crumbling city, including its embattled subway system, but has so far made little headway. Transit-related crimes have increased 43 per cent in the last 12 months in addition to a 16 per cent growth in felony assault charges, according to police records. This incident comes as crime in the city is up more than 31 percent from last year, when rates soared during the pandemic Murders and shootings, meanwhile, are down marginally, by a respective 14 and 12 percent from 2021 when officials recorded 485 murders - the most in the city in a decade. The current murder rate, with more than two months of the year to go, is already higher than annual averages recorded since 2011, before unrest brought by the pandemic caused killings to spike. The city has since yet to recover from that wave of crime, evidenced by the ever-increasing overall crime rate. The suspect from the Inwood hit and run remains at large. An eight-year-old girl has made a miracle recovery after an iron rod went straight through her jaw and out of mouth after she tripped over and fell on a pole in a building site. Taliba, who lives in the Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh in India, was cut free and taken to hospital where surgeons removed the pole during a 35-minute operation. Medics said that it miraculously missed vital nerves and blood vessels to the brain and that the little girl was talking within eight hours. Dr Rajkumar Koli, who led the operation, said: 'It was the most grievous case I've encountered in my professional life.' The doctor explained that due to the dangerous nature of the accident, he told the family to drive her to a medical college around 140km away but they were not in a position to do so, leaving him with the task of carrying out the operation. Taliba is now recovering at home, can speak and eat, and is expected to make a full recovery. The eight-year-old, who lives in Bhulanpur village, was playing outside when she fell on the protruding rod. It pierced through her lower jaw, coming back out of her mouth as the other children rushed to get her family. Taliba (pictured), eight, has made a miracle recovery after an iron rod went straight through her jaw and out of mouth after she tripped over and fell on a pole in a building site Local medics said that it miraculously missed vital nerves and blood vessels to the brain and that Taliba was talking within eight hours They cut a portion of the rod and rushed her to the nearest district hospital which was 15km away in Motipur at around 6pm on October 4. Dr Koli said: 'In view of the critical condition of the girl, I was called to do the emergency surgery. 'I got the patient's vitals checked and, understanding the danger, told the girl's parents to take her to Lucknow Medical College, around 140km away. 'But the parents were not in a position to take the girl that far, and requested me to conduct the surgery. 'It was a challenging situation as the x-ray facility at the district hospital is not available after 5pm. 'I then immediately informed the anaesthetist to apply local anaesthesia and started the surgery to save the major blood vessels around the pierced area. Dr Rajkumar Koli, who said it was the 'most grievous case' he had ever seen added that it was lucky the rod had not caught any blood vessels to the brain and the windpipe 'The rod had firmly got stuck, and to loosen I had to make a 1cm cut and pulled the rod out slowly. The procedure took only about 35 minutes.' The doctor added that it was lucky the rod had not caught any blood vessels to the brain and the windpipe. 'Removing the rod without even mildly affecting those organs was a challenge,' said Dr Koli. 'After stopping the bleeding outside, dressing the wound, and stabilising her condition, the patient was shifted to the ward for recovery. 'After three days, the patient was discharged. After the rod was successfully removed, the girl started talking within eight hours. 'Now the girl is absolutely doing well at her home and is able to talk and eat normally.' Elon Musk has reportedly pledged to close his $44 billion Twitter deal by Friday, the same day he faces a court-ordered deadline to complete the acquisition. Musk made the vow in a video conference call with bankers who are helping fund the deal, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Led by Morgan Stanley, the banks have finished putting together the final credit agreement and are in the process of signing the documentation, marking one of the last steps in providing $13 billion towards the deal. Delaware Chancery Court Judge Kathaleen McCormick previously ordered Musk to close the deal by 5pm on Friday, October 28, warning that otherwise a new trial date would be set in Twitter's lawsuit seeking to force the sale. Meanwhile, Twitter staffers penned an open letter this week protesting Musk's alleged plans to lay off up to two-thirds of the company's employees after completing the deal. Elon Musk has reportedly pledged to close his $44 billion Twitter deal by Friday, the same day he faces a court-ordered deadline to complete the acquisition Delaware Chancery Court Judge Kathaleen McCormick (above) previously ordered Musk to close the deal by 5pm on Friday, October 28, warning that otherwise a trial would be held Twitter and Musk's lawyers were not immediately available for comment on Tuesday. Musk has pledged to provide $46.5 billion in equity and debt financing for the acquisition, which covers the $44 billion price tag and closing costs. Banks, including Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, have committed to provide $13 billion of debt financing to support the deal. A group of equity investors, including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, will pitch in with another $7.1 billion. Musk is funding much of the remaining price tag through proceeds from the sale of Tesla shares, and loans against his remaining stake in the electric carmaker. Twitter shares rose 2.7 percent to $52.91 in afternoon trading, closer to Musk's offer price of $54.20. As Musk's deal barreled toward closing following months of dramatic twists and turns, Twitter employees are slamming his takeover and reports of planned layoffs in an open letter. Twitter shares rose 2.7% to $52.91 in afternoon trading, closer to Musk's offer price of $54.20 Musk has pledged to provide $46.5 billion in equity and debt financing for the acquisition, which covers the $44 billion price tag and closing costs Musk plans to cut Twitter's staff by as much as three-quarters, according to plans reported by The Washington Post. The layoff plans coincide with previous statements from Musk that the social media company is bloated, and that its 7,500 workforce suffers from a 'strong left-wing bias.' Moreover, the proposal - based on leaked conversations Musk had with prospective funders of his acquisition over the past few months - would leave the company with just 2,000 employees. In the scathing note circulated Monday, staffers called the prospective layoffs 'reckless' and a 'transparent act of worker intimidation.' An unpublished draft of the letter read: 'Elon Musk's plan to lay off 75% of Twitter workers will hurt Twitter's ability to serve the public conversation. 'A threat of this magnitude is reckless, undermines our users' and customers' trust in our platform, and is a transparent act of worker intimidation.' As Musk's deal barreled toward closing following months of dramatic twists and turns, Twitter employees are slamming his takeover and reports of planned layoffs The proposal - based on leaked conversations Musk had with prospective funders of his acquisition over the past few months - would leave the company with just 2,000 employees The letter went on to demand Musk, if going forward with the deal, commits to preserving Twitters current headcount. It also requests Musk, a notorious libertarian who has demonstrated a preference toward the right in recent months, does not discriminate against employees based on their political beliefs. The letter instead demands Musk commit to 'fair' severance policies and more transparent communication about working conditions - while asserting that staffers 'will not be intimidated' by the 51-year-old multibillionaire. 'A threat to workers at Twitter is a threat to Twitters future,' the notice, viewed by DailyMail.com, reads. 'These threats have an impact on us as workers and demonstrate a fundamental disconnect with the realities of operating Twitter. 'They threaten our livelihoods, access to essential healthcare, and the ability for visa holders to stay in the country they work in.' Staffers went on to write that 'we cannot do our work in an environment of constant harassment and threats,' and that 'without [their] work, there is no Twitter.' 'We, the workers at Twitter, will not be intimidated,' the notice, which asked for signatures in support from fellow staffers, continued. 'We recommit to supporting the communities, organizations, and businesses who rely on Twitter. We will not stop serving the public conversation.' The notice went on to provide a list of demands of 'current and future' Twitter leadership, with four subheads titled 'Respect,' 'Safety,' 'Protection,' and 'Dignity.' Tory MP Johnny Mercer will return to the role of Veterans' Affairs Minister just a month after his wife called Liz Truss an imbecile and compared her to a Muppet for axing him. The Plymouth Moor View MP, 41, arrived at No10 Downing Street tonight as Rishi Sunak resurrected Suella Braverman, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove to the Cabinet while keeping Jeremy Hunt on as Chancellor. The news of his reappointment was announced on No10's social media page and his wife, Felicity Cornelius-Mercer, tweeted: 'So proud of him and huge thanks to the creators and signers of the petition too. 'I wasnt sure that he would want the front bench again; it was so bruising last time but ultimately he couldnt say no for Veterans causes.' The former British Army officer previously revealed that Ms Truss laughed at him when she sacked him as Veterans Minister, adding that the move was a 'gut punch' that sent him into depression. As soon as she took office on September 6, Ms Truss removed him from his post and folded his responsibility for veteran care into James Heappey's role as Defence Minister. 'When this happened it was such a gut punch. I remember Liz kind of laughing while she did it,' Mr Mercer said in an interview for the Men's Health Talking Heads series by Alastair Campbell. Tory MP Johnny Mercer will return to the role of Veterans' Affairs Minister just a month after his wife called Liz Truss an imbecile and compared her to a Muppet for axing him The Plymouth Moor View MP arrived at No 10 Downing Street tonight as Rishi Sunak resurrected Suella Braverman, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove to the Cabinet while keeping Jeremy Hunt on as Chancellor No10 tweeted: 'The Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP @JohnnyMercerUK has been appointed a Minister of State (Minister for Veterans Affairs) in the Cabinet Office @CabinetOfficeUK . He will attend Cabinet. #Reshuffle' 'She was giggling and looking at the floor and I was just thinking "I am a mug for believing these guys", and it sucked the air out of me. 'I was thinking, "I've given seven years of my life to this, put my family through the mill for it, and you are laughing at me". 'I tried to shake it off, went home, got pissed, all those things you shouldn't do, but the thing about depression is it creeps over the back of your head.' Mr Mercer, whose military career included several tours of Afghanistan, said that while he felt he had made progress for ex-service people, Ms Truss's move made him doubt his time in politics. 'It's gone at a stroke and it does make you think "why did I bother with this thing?",' he said. After her husband was removed, Mrs Cornelius-Mercer said the Cabinet system 'stinks' and 'treats people appallingly'. The former British Army officer previously revealed that Ms Truss laughed at him when she sacked him as Veterans Minister, adding that the move was a 'gut punch' that sent him into depression After her husband was removed, Felicity Cornelius-Mercer said the Cabinet system 'stinks' and 'treats people appallingly' His wife tweeted a picture mocking Ms Truss as Beaker, a character from The Muppets television show and giving an account of Mr Mercer's exit discussions. Ms Cornelius-Mercer tweeted: 'He asked her 'why would you do this, who is going to be better at this role than me, which of your mates gets the job, you promised a meritocracy?' 'PM - I can't answer that Johnny. 'This system stinks & treats people appallingly. Best person I know sacked by an imbecile @trussliz.' She added in a follow-up Tweet, 'Yes I am feeling bitter. Please allow it - 24hrs then back to positives'. Mrs Mercer had earlier hinted at her husband's fate, tweeting that he was 'waiting for the axe to fall' five days earlier. She wrote in a cryptic post shared online: 'Politics is many things that never get easier; including the uncertainty of constant change that affects us all. 'All the hard fought gains seem very fragile and solutions to outstanding issues get further away.' Do you know anyone who went missing at the time? Email emma.james@mailonline.com The cost of boring the well would be around $25, 000 while a full excavation would be more than $300,000 Fremont County Sheriffs office confirmed that cadaver dogs alerted to several spots on the property Authorities believe that he lured women from Nebraska to his five-acre farmland in Iowa before killing them Investigators believe his daughters claims, which would make Studey one of the most prolific serial killers in American history Lucy Studey claims that her father Donald Dean Studey, who died in 2013, Lucy Studey claims that her father Donald Dean Studey, who died in 2013, murdered between 50 to 70 Police are investigating allegations a farmer in Iowa murdered up to 70 women after his daughter told authorities 'I know where the bodies are buried'. Lucy Studey claims that her father, Donald Dean Studey, was a serial killer who forced her and her siblings to dump bodies of women he killed into a 100ft well. She told authorities that she was forced to use a wheelbarrow in the warmer months and a toboggan in winter to move the corpses across the farmland in Thurman, Iowa. His four children did their father's bidding when he told them to 'go to the hills' because they were terrified they 'wouldn't come back', according to his daughter. Studey was 'routinely drunk' and liked to kill women by smashing or kicking in their heads inside a trailer, she said. Fremont County Sheriff's office confirmed that cadaver dogs alerted at least four spots on the property, with the last getting multiple 'hits'. Studey, who died in March 2013 aged 75, is accused of killing anywhere between 50 to 70 women and at least two men - one in his 40s and one in his 20s. Both of his wives died before him, with police records confirming one died after strangling herself with an electrical cord and the other shot herself. Investigators believe his daughter's claims, which would make Studey one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Investigators believe that he lured woman, thought to be sex workers from Omaha, Nebraska, to his five acres of land before murdering them. Lucy claims that the women all had dark hair, were white and most were in their 20s and 30s except for a 15-year-old runaway. They were all buried clothed and wearing jewelry, with Lucy claiming that her father kept the gold teeth as trophies. Donald Dean Studey's daughter says he murdered between 50 to 70 women, as well as two men. Studey (pictured above) died in 2013 Fremont County Sheriffs office confirmed that cadaver dogs alerted several spots on the property, as well as some on neighboring land Lucy Studey claims that her father Donald Dean Studey was a serial killer who forced her and her siblings to transport bodies of women he killed into a 100ft well Lucy told Newsweek: 'He would just tell us we had to go to the well, and I knew what that meant. 'Every time I went to the well or into the hills, I didn't think I was coming down. I thought he would kill me because I wouldn't keep my mouth shut. 'I don't feel anything for my father. Nothing at all. I wanted justice when my father was alive, but he's gone. I just want for the families some closure and a proper burial.' Studey reportedly forced his children to pile dirt and chemical lye on top of the bodies after dumping them into the well. Fremont County Sheriff, Kevin Aistrope, confirmed the investigation, saying 'I believe her 100 percent that there's bodies in there' and said if they do excavate the scene it will be a 'big mission'. He added that the cost of boring the well would be around $25,000 while a full excavation would be more than $300,000. The property, on Green Hollow Road, is not an official crime scene because officers have not yet discovered any remains Authorities were alerted to her claims, in which she details using a wheelbarrow in the warmer months and a toboggan in winter to move the corpses across the farmland in Thurman, Iowa Lucy claims that she and her four siblings kept quiet out of fear their father, who died in March 2013 aged 75, would murder them An aerial view of the farmland in Iowa The FBI and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are both assisting the local police force with the investigation. Studey, who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles, is understood to have a criminal history but was known to use several aliases. He was jailed in Missouri in the 1950s for petty larceny and in Omaha in 1989 for a drunk driving offence. Police confirmed they rarely went to the trailer where he lived because they were 'wary' of him. Investigators believe his daughter's claims, which would make Studey one of the most prolific serial killers in American history The FBI and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are both assisting the local police force with the investigation Lucy added: 'All I want is to get these sites dug up, and to bring closure for people and to give these women a proper burial. My father was a lifelong criminal and murderer.' It is unclear if her siblings have been cooperative with the authorities, with her brother Gary committing suicide aged 39. Lucy claims that she told her stories to several people over the years trying to get something done about it but 'no one would listen to her'. A former U.S. Harrier jet pilot and flight instructor with business dealings in China was arrested in Australia and faces extradition to the United States, Australian court documents and company records show. Australian Federal Police arrested Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, on Friday in the rural town of Orange in New South Wales. He appeared in court there on the same day. Duggan, who reached the rank of major, flew Harrier jump jets in the U.S. Marines and was an air combat instructor before leaving the armed forces and moving to Australia, where he set up a company offering 'adventure flights' in fast jets according to the website of Top Gun Australia. His LinkedIn profile lists him as the managing director of AVIBIZ Limited, 'a comprehensive aviation consultancy company with a focus on the fast growing and dynamic Chinese aviation industry.' The arrest comes amid mounting concern about military personnel selling their services to foreign rivals. The United Kingdom government has expressed alarm that as many as 30 former Royal Air Force pilots may have gone to China to train the People's Liberation Army of China. Daniel Duggan, a former Marine Harrier pilot, was arrested in Australia, according to Reuters, and is wanted by the FBI because of his work in China, according to sources Duggan flew missions from USS Boxer (pictured here leaving San Diego, California) in the Persian Gulf during Operation Southern Watch, according to his online biography Duggan was refused bail during the Friday hearing, two of the sources said, and his lawyer appeared by videoconference. Duggan is a former U.S. citizen and the federal police were acting on a U.S. request for his arrest ahead of likely formal extradition proceedings, said one of the police sources, who was not authorised to speak publicly. Duggan's next court appearance will be in Sydney in November to consider any bail application. Details of the U.S. arrest warrant and the charges he faces are sealed. 'An individual was arrested on 21 October 2022 pursuant to a request from the United States of America for their provisional arrest,' a spokesman for the federal Attorney-General's Department said in a written statement to Reuters. 'As the matter is before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment further.' The arrest came the same week Britain warned dozens of former military pilots that they faced prosecution if they did not stop working in China. Australia is also investigating reports some of its former fighter pilots have been approached to work in China. An aviation source told Reuters that the FBI sought Duggan because of his work in China. His lawyer, Dennis Miralis of Nyman, Gibson and Miralis, said he could not comment. Duggan moved to Australia after a decade in the U.S. military and started a business called Top Gun Tasmania, hiring former U.S. and British military pilots to offer tourists joyrides in fighter jets, company records show and aviation sources confirmed. Duggan also flew ex-military aircraft in Australian air shows, three pilots told Reuters. Top Gun Tasmania's website says Duggan flew Harrier jump jets in the U.S. Marines and was an air combat instructor. His service included flying missions for Operation Southern Watch in the Persian Gulf from Kuwait and the USS Boxer, after the Gulf War. Those missions included flying from the British carrier HMS Invincible. He moved to Beijing in 2014 and soon after sold Top Gun Tasmania, filings in Australia for the company show. Duggan's LinkedIn profile said he has been working in Qingdao, China, since 2017 as the managing director of AVIBIZ Limited, described as 'a comprehensive aviation consultancy company with a focus on the fast growing and dynamic Chinese Aviation Industry'. Hong Kong company records show AVIBIZ Limited was registered there by Australian passport holder Daniel Edmund Duggan in 2017 and dissolved in 2020. Duggan could not be immediately reached for comment. Under Australia's extradition treaty with the United States, the U.S. government will have 60 days to make an extradition request. The treaty allows Australian citizens to be extradited. The RMT union has postponed rail strikes on November 3 as it fell on the Royal British Legion's Poppy Day but has confirmed passengers will face disruption on November 9 instead in a long running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) boss Mick Lynch urged new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to 'unshackle the rail industry' so a deal can be reached as it was confirmed its members in Network Rail will strike on November 5, 7 and 9. RMT members at a number of train operating companies will take action on November 5. In separate disputes, London Underground and Overground (Arriva Rail London) members will strike on November 10. The RMT union said that having been made aware of the Royal British Legion's Poppy Day on November 3, its executive has decided to re-arrange strike action for the 9th. The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), who had action planned for November 3, has also told MailOnline they expect to follow suit. Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) boss Mick Lynch (pictured on the picket line at Euston Station on October 8) urged new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to 'unshackle the rail industry' so a deal can be reached The RMT union said that having been made aware of the Royal British Legion's Poppy Day on November 3, its executive has decided to re-arrange strike action for the 9th. Pictured: Serving personnel hand out poppies and collect donations for the Royal British Legion Appeal at Liverpool Street Station, during London Poppy Day November 4 last year Members of the Royal British Legion will almost always be seen fundraising at train stations across the country on Poppy Day, trading donations for the red poppies. RMT made a similar decision during a 2016 dispute where strike action clashed with the Royal British Legion event, a statement from the union added. The union said it will continue its industrial campaign until it reaches a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and working conditions. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: 'Our focus in this dispute is the rail employers who have yet to make an offer that will create the conditions for a negotiated settlement. 'I call upon the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to unshackle the rail industry so they can come to a settlement with RMT. 'We will vigorously pursue our industrial campaign until we achieve a deal.' Network Rail previously said the offer it made to workers in July is worth worth per cent over two years, but RMT described this as a 'paltry sum' representing a real terms pay cut. The RMT said it will continue its industrial campaign until it reaches a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and working conditions. Pictured: An empty platform at Paddington during RMT strikes on October 8 People holds banners and placards as they attend a RMT union train strike rally outside King's Cross on June 25 This comes as fellow rail union the TSSA announced a week of industrial action between November 3 and 8 yesterday. The TSSA said that thousands of union members working for Network Rail were going to strike on November 3, 4, 5 and 7. As well as this members in individual train companies laid out plans to take strike action and 'action short of strike' on November 3, 4, 7 and 8. But a spokesperson for TSSA told MailOnline this evening that after discussions today they are 'expected to follow suit' of the RMT and postpone action on November 3. They added that they will release a confirmation of the details coming tomorrow. Members working across five rail companies, South Western Rail, Southeastern, West Midlands Trains, Northern and Great Western, have planned to take action short of strike action for the whole of November, and a sixth company, TransPennine Express will join them from November 7. There will also be strike action by members working for Avanti West Coast on November 3 and 5 (although November 3 will likely be postponed) as well as C2C rail on November 8. Strikes are planned by TSSA members working for Avanti West Coast on November 3 and 5 but action on November 3 is expected to be postponed TSSA say it is seeking a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, a pay rise which meets the cost-of-living crisis and no unagreed changes to terms and conditions. The union's general secretary, Manuel Cortes, said yesterday: 'Our members never take industrial action lightly. 'We would far rather find a fair negotiated solution to this now long-running dispute, but we simply have no choice.' He added: 'Across our railways, our members recently stepped up to the plate yet again and went above and beyond to meet unprecedented demand during the period of public mourning to provide additional services and keep the public safe, much like they did during the pandemic. 'They prove their worth time and time again and yet they are still undervalued.' South Korean soldiers dismantle loudspeakers in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this May 2018 photo. Joint Press Corps By Kang Seung-woo The issue of propaganda loudspeakers along the border may re-emerge as an area of disagreement between South and North Korea, in the wake of Pyongyang's claim that Seoul has resumed the use of loudspeaker broadcasts. Diplomatic observers say the loudspeaker issue could ratchet up tensions further on the Korean Peninsula. On Monday, while accusing a South Korean naval ship of intruding in its waters, North Korea claimed that the South Korean military has been staging provocations recently, including loudspeaker broadcasts along the border. However, the Ministry of National Defense said it is no longer operating loudspeakers along the border. Later it added that the South Korean military had recently used a similar broadcasting device installed at guard posts to notify helicopters for mobilization in operations to put out wildfires or transport emergency patients, a defense official here said. The loudspeaker issue has been a hot-button issue between South and North Korea, leading to many disputes over the decades. Both sides have deployed speakers to direct propaganda at one another, and the North Korean regime has on many occasions responded sensitively to the matter. In that respect, the two Koreas agreed on May 1, 2018, to stop all hostile acts including loudspeaker broadcasting and the scattering of leaflets in areas along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) to dismantle their means, and to transform the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a peace zone in a genuine sense. "Some North Korean defectors send propaganda leaflets critical of the North Korean regime in a silent way, so I think its warning is aimed at preventing such anti-North Korea propaganda from negatively affecting its regime," said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher from the Korea Institute for National Unification. Cho also said the former Moon Jae-in administration had been aggressive in keeping the leaflets in check to improve inter-Korean ties, but the current Yoon Suk-yeol government pays little attention to the issue. "As the current ruling party does not like the anti-leaflet law, it does not care about overt propaganda leaflets if they are deployed legitimately," Cho said. According to Cho, North Korea's response comes as the propaganda leaflet campaign can sometimes create a similar effect to what is happening in Iran, which is experiencing nationwide protests challenging Iran's authoritarian leadership. "The North Korean regime is seriously worried about the leaflets because it may negatively affect the regime like the Iranian protests have been," he said. In the past, the loudspeaker issue has been front and center between the two Koreas. In 2015, the Kim Jong-un regime threatened to attack the loudspeakers unless the South Korean government stopped its propaganda broadcasts and dismantled the speakers. The messages from the propaganda speakers, which are critical of the North Korean dictator and the political system of North Korea, are part of a psychological warfare program and Pyongyang has reacted sensitively to such tactics, apparently concerned about the possible effects it might have on its military and people. The South Korean military said it was not operating the propaganda speakers, but if it resumes its propaganda campaign in accordance with the current circumstances then the situation on the Korean Peninsula could worsen. "A possible resumption of the propaganda loudspeaker campaign could lead to strong protests from North Korea, which may deteriorate the situation on the peninsula," Cho said. North Korea is believed to have fully prepared for its seventh nuclear test and many believe that its stirring up of the propaganda loudspeaker issue could serve as a justification for the provocation. "North Korea's nuclear weapon is an asymmetric threat, so our response, which could match it, would be the loudspeaker campaign," Cho said. Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzio ordered city officials to reinstate and hand back pay to more than 1,000 employees who lost their job for refusing the COVID jab A New York State judge has ordered city officials to reinstate and hand back pay to more than 1,000 employees who lost their job for refusing the COVID jab. Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzio wrote in his decision Monday night that the city's vaccine mandate was enacted illegally last year and is unconstitutional. As a result of the mandate, more than 1,750 city workers were fired for refusing to get vaccinated, including 850 teachers and classroom aides who were axed just last month. But under Porzio's ruling, all of the fired employees were due to be reinstated to their full employment as of 6am Tuesday and are entitled to back pay in salary from the date they were terminated. The city's Legal Department, though, has said it is already appealing the decision, which a spokesman says 'conflicts with numerous other rulings already upholding the mandate.' In his ruling on Monday, Porzio wrote that former city Health Commissioner David Choksi's October 20, 2021 vaccine mandate 'violates the separation of powers doctrine' enshrined in the United States Constitution. The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by 16 former Sanitation Department workers who were fired in February for refusing to get the jab including Adam Bianco, left, and Patricia Buccellato, right He then went on to slam Choksi for implementing the mandate, despite not having the 'power and authority to permanently exclude [employees] from the workplace. 'Though the Board of Health has the power to regulate vaccinations and adopt measures to reduce the spread of infectious diseases... the Board of Health does not have the authority to unilaterally and indefinitely change the terms of employment for any agency.' Porzio specifically hit out at former city Health Commissioner David Choksi, saying he overstepped his authority by enacting the vaccine mandate Porzio determined that the mandate violated the workers' 'substantive and procedural due process rights. And in general, Porzio ruled, Choksi's order, another that extended the mandate to private employers and an executive order issued by Eric Adams excluding athletes and performers from the mandate were 'arbitrary and capricious. 'The vaccination mandate for city employees was not about safety and public health; it was about compliance,' he wrote in his 13-page decision. 'If it was about safety and public health, unvaccinated workers would have been placed on leave the moment the order was issued,' Porzio continued. 'If it was about safety and public health, the Health Commissioner would have issued city-wide mandates for all residents.' Porzio added that the city could have simply continued with its test-or-vaccinate policy rather than force everyone to be vaccinated, noting that nearly 80 percent of city residents were already jabbed at the time. And, Porzio said, 'we shouldn't be penalizing the people who showed up to work, at great risk to themselves and their families, while we were locked down.' Porzio also deemed an executive order enacted under Mayor Eric Adams that barred performers and athletes from the mandate 'arbitrary and capricious' The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by 16 former Sanitation Department workers who were fired in February for refusing to get the jab. They 'all claim and provided laboratory documentation that they have natural immunity to COVID-19 from prior infections,' according to the ruling, and even received a letter in June saying they could get their jobs back if they were willing to comply with the mandate. But, Porzio said, the pandemic has proved that the immunity provided by the mRNA vaccines are 'not absolute,' with breakout infections occurring 'even for those who have ben vaccinated and boosted.' He noted, however, that his ruling 'is not a commentary on the efficacy of vaccination, but how we are treating our first responders, the ones who worked day-to-day through the height of the pandemic. 'They worked without protective gear. They were infected with COVID-19, creating natural immunity. 'They continued working full duty while their exemption requests were pending,' Porzio continued. 'They were terminated and are willing to come back to work for the City that cast them aside.' DailyMail.com has reached out to the Adams administration and the fired employees named in the lawsuit for comment. But a spokesperson for the Law Department told the New York Post it is already appealing Porzio's decision. 'The city strongly disagrees with this ruling, as this mandate is firmly grounded in law and is critical to New Yorkers' public health. 'We have already filed an appeal,' the spokesperson noted. 'In the meantime, the mandate remains in place as this ruling pertains solely to the individual petitioners in this case. 'We continue to review the court's decision, which conflicts with numerous other rulings already upholding the mandate.' Dozens of protesters march across the Brooklyn Bridge last fall denouncing the vaccine mandate which went into effect Protests against the vaccine mandate were widespread before it went into effect last year The decision comes one year after municipal workers in all departments protested the vaccine mandate before it went into effect. Dozens of teachers held signs that read 'Resist medical tyranny!' and 'My body, my choice' in front of a Department of Education building in downtown Brooklyn last October. One protester even held a sign comparing anti-mandate demonstrators to Rosa Parks, the civil rights icon who refused to sit in the back of the bus in the segregated South in the mid-1950s. And after more education jobs were lost last month, Rachelle Garcia told The Post how she had worked as a school teacher in Brooklyn for 15 years including in-person during the pandemic. Garcia refused to get vaccinated and took leave after her requests for a religious exemption were denied. 'I really put my eggs in one basket, hoping and praying that at the last minute our mayor would turn everything around in time for me to go back to work,' she said. 'I'm angry, I'm hurt, to be cast aside like I was nothing. Because I couldn't give a proper goodbye to my students, other teachers told me they kept asking, 'When is Ms. Garcia coming back?' That made me cry so much.' Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks is expected to testify before the House January 6 committee Tuesday. CNN reported that Hicks, 34, previously sat for an 'informal' interview with the panel, but the formal one will take place sometime today, just days after Trump was given a formal subpoena. Thus far, she hasn't been spotted by Capitol Hill reporters. A number of books about Trumpworld have depicted Hicks as one of members of the ex-president's inner circle who informed him he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. 'Look sir, I'm sorry,' she told him. 'You're not going to be able to win it back. There's no way for you to win,' Hick informed Trump on November 9, the Monday after the election, according to the book, I Alone Can Fix It. Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks is expected to testify before the House January 6 committee Tuesday. She's photographed in February 2018 when she was called to testify before the House Intelligence Committee Hope Hicks (right) was a prominent figure in Trumpworld, working for President Donald Trump's (left) business empire, and as his campaign press secretary, communications director and counselor to the president off-and-on for a number of years A number of books about Trumpworld have depicted Hope Hicks (left) told former President Donald Trump (right) - seen at church together in Las Vegas in October 2020 - that he lost the election The major networks called the race for Biden two days before. The authors, Carol D. Loennig and Philip Rucker, reported Trump that pushed back with: 'People are telling me about all the evidence.' Hicks quit her White House position days before Biden's inauguration, though said it wasn't in protest over the January 6 Capitol attack, which prompted a mass resignation. Hicks was a fixture in Trumpworld even before Trump won the White House. A former model, she worked under Ivanka Trump at the Trump Organization before filling the role of 2016 campaign press secretary. She then was brought into the White House after Trump was sworn-in in 2017 with the title Director of Strategic Communications. After Anthony Scaramucci's short but memorable stint as communications director, Hicks was made acting communications director and then promoted to the job full-time in September 2017 - making her the youngest person to ever fill the role. Hicks left the White House for two years to work Fox Corporation, but returned as a counselor to the president as Trump was vying for re-election in 2020. Despite pushing that the election fraud claims were false, Hicks seemingly remains in Trump's good graces. She was spotted at Mar-a-Lago with the ex-president in April, according to reporting from The Washington Post. 'We love Hope!' the ex-president is quoted as saying. Hicks had pushed Trump to support Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick, who she was advising. Trump decided to go with the more prominent name and backed television personality, Dr. Mehmet Oz, in the pivotal race. This is the moment the BBC accidentally screened a 'cloud' of words which the public used to describe Prime Minister Rishi Sunak online, but failed to spot it included c*** and t***. The newly crowned Prime Minister met with King Charles this morning and is in the midst of building his Cabinet which has seen plenty of old faces return including Dominic Raab, Suella Braverman and Michael Gove. But today at 3.46pm, presenter Joanna Gosling, who was stood outside No 10, asked the simple question: 'How would you describe Rishi Sunak in one word?' At this point, a 'Wordcloud' created by Savanta ComRes - a polling research company - appeared on screen which had compiled the nation's thoughts on the new Leader of the Conservative Party. The unaware presenter picked out 'rich', 'capable', 'okay', 'good' and 'clever' as the stand-outs but the graphic in fact displayed expletive words to describe Mr Sunak. The MP for Richmond (Yorkshire) was referred to as a 'c***' which had been censored on the graphic. But that wasn't the only word used to describe the new PM. The graphic also saw the public describe him as a t*** - although this time the word had not been censored. Presenter Joanna Gosling stood outside No 10 and asked the simple question 'How would you describe Rishi Sunak in one word?' before the BBC showed a graphic containing expletive words used about the new PM The public's frustration that has been built up by the Tory Government's poor display in recent months could be seen through the words used such as 'boring', 'slimy', 'idiot', 'backstabbing' and 'liar'. But it was not all doom and gloom for Mr Sunak as some picked out his positive characteristics, including being 'smart', 'intelligent', 'safe' and 'strong'. The Prime Minister was officially crowned PM today after defeating rivals Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt to the No 10 door yesterday following the resignation of Liz Truss. Ms Truss lasted just 44 days in the position in which Britain entered economic chaos after the pound plummeted following the mini-Budget. The BBC screened a 'cloud' of words which the public used to describe Prime Minister Rishi Sunak online, but failed to spot it included c*** and t*** Mr Sunak met with King Charles today at Buckingham Palace where he was invited to form a new Cabinet Mr Sunak's new Cabinet will not features the likes of former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, Education Secretary Kit Malthouse and Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis. He has instead opted for those with experience in their positions as well as maintaining some of Ms Truss's former team. Jeremy Hunt will stay on as Chancellor - a role Mr Sunak has filled himself. Meanwhile James Cleverly and Ben Wallace will stay on as Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary respectively. On another tumultuous day in Westminster: Mr Sunak plunged the knife in on Liz Truss today pledging to 'fix' her 'mistakes' and win back the public's 'trust' after taking over as Britain's 57th PM; Mr Johnson has finally wished Mr Sunak well in his new role, after his abortive bid to make a comeback over the weekend; Official figures have underlined the pain households are facing, with prices of key 'value' products surging by up to 60 per cent; Foreign leaders have lined up to congratulate the new PM, with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi among those vowing to strengthen ties. MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment. Last weekend, BBC News presenter Martine Croxall has been taken off air amid claims she showed bias after Boris Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership contest. During her introduction to Sunday night's edition of The Papers, in which members of the press and experts look at how the main stories of the day were covered, she said: 'Well this is all very exciting, isn't it?' adding: 'Am I allowed to be this gleeful? Well I am.' The programme started at 10.30pm on Sunday, around 90 minutes after Mr Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership race. In her first question to her guests, Croxall also remarked: 'Can we even show you the front pages just yet, have they arrived? No they haven't arrived. 'It's all a little bit, you know, lastminute.com isn't it? Because all the front pages were probably out of date by the time we received them.' Croxall also suggested during the programme that her comments could have breached BBC guidelines. Responding to a guest's joke aimed at Mr Johnson, she said: 'I shouldn't probably (laugh). I'm probably breaking some terrible due impartiality rule by giggling.' Some viewers, including several Tory MPs, reacting to a clip on social media, complained it displayed bias. A statement from the broadcaster said: 'BBC News is urgently reviewing last night's edition of The Papers on the News Channel for a potential breach of impartiality. 'It is imperative that we maintain the highest editorial standards. We have processes in place to uphold our standards, and these processes have been activated.' Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries said on Twitter: 'This lack of impartiality demonstrates how deep seated the bias is.' Last week Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy was also taken off air, for a week, after he swore at Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker following an interview. The broadcaster said the presenter's outburst towards the Tory MP had breached its 'strict' code of conduct. On October 19, ITV's Robert Peston mispronounced Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's surname, replacing the first letter with something more offensive. The system will weaken in early 2023 before 'rapidly decaying' in the springtime Australians on the east coast have been told to prepare for heavy rain, storms and a 'bitterly cold' polar blast as Melbourne braces to flood again - but there is some good news with forecasters confirming La Nina is set to end earlier than expected. In Victoria, severe storms are likely to bring heavy rainfall and flash flooding to Melbourne, and central and northern Victoria, as clean-up efforts continue. Residents remain on high alert in Shepparton, Seymour, Kyneton, Melbourne, Bacchus Marsh and Wangaratta as flood levels are expected to rise on Wednesday. The downpour is in sharp contrast to conditions in Sydney and northern New South Wales, where millions are enjoying a 27C day with sunshine set to last well into the weekend after weeks of drizzle, with similar weather in coastal Queensland. Lilydale, in Victoria's northwest, was hammered by isolated showers on Tuesday night Residents in Echuca (above) are still suffering from major floods with the upcoming peak in nearby Moama set to topple the 1975 and 1993 flood records The Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed La Nina - the weather phenomenon creating wet conditions - will weaken in early 2023, with the Indian Ocean Dipole 'rapidly decaying' in late spring. But it's not all good news yet, with the system set to bring cold winds, showers and even hail to Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart - just in time for Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. 'It's going to be a very chilly and occasionally wet week, with temperatures five to six degrees colder than average for the time of year, much more typical of August,' Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said. In Victoria, the State Emergency Service has urged people in these areas to be extra vigilant and to avoid driving through flooded areas. An evacuation order remains in place for Echuca, with major flooding set to peak at Moama, higher than both the 1975 and 1993 floods. The Murray River peaked in Echuca (above) at 94.9metres with the town facing another possible week of floods In NSW, the flood-weary town of Cooma in the state's southeast was hit with heavy rain and storms, isolating homes and flooding main roads (pictured, flooding in More on Tuesday) NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet toured flood zones around Moree on Tuesday (pictured) Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said the Murray River had peaked in Echuca at 94.9metres, but could remain at major flood levels for another week. Major flooding continues along the Murray River at Torrumbarry and Barham while moderate flooding is occurring along the Campaspe River. The highest rainfall totals recorded on Tuesday was 68mm in Temagong, 51mm in Morella, east of Seymour and 35mm in Kyabram, in the state's north. However it was Lilydale, about 50km from Melbourne, which received the brunt of the heavy rain which triggered 200 calls for help and 11 flood rescues. A Watch and Act was issued late Tuesday afternoon for the town of Numurkah, north of Shepparton, at Walshs Bridge Road and Walshs Bridge Road South area, south/east of Nathalia. Crews worked to sandbag the Campaspe Esplanade in the town of Echuca last week (pictured) An evacuation order remains in place for Echuca, with major flooding set to peak at Moama, higher than both the 1975 and 1993 floods (pictured, water is pumped out of a Echuca home) Maribyrnong City Council has resumed clean-up efforts after briefly halting hard rubbish collection due to extreme weather conditions (pictured, a home in Maribyrnong) Maribyrnong City Council has resumed clean-up efforts after briefly halting hard rubbish collection due to extreme weather conditions. At least 1,500 tonnes of waste material has been removed across Maribyrnong as residents assess the extent of flood damage. Tens of thousands of Victorians have been impacted by recent floods and last week, Premier Daniel Andrews, announced a Victorian Flood Recovery Management Plan would deliver $150million to assist with clean up efforts. Victorians will experience showers across the state over the next few days before the system weakens and moves down the east coast. A man and his dog surveyed the damage to the Victorian town of Echuca on Tuesday by canoe A flood watch is also in place for the state's north, northeast, Derwent and southeast catchments with damaging gusts expected over the north and east of the state Workers are seen removing asbestos from a flooded house in Maribyrmong, Melbourne In NSW, the flood-weary town of Cooma in the state's southeast was hit with heavy rain and storms, isolating homes and flooding main roads. Some business owners reported floodwater in their businesses was shin-deep after Cooma's two main creeks - Cooma Creek and Cooma Back Creek - burst their banks. Weatherzone reported the heaviest falls were recorded on the NSW South Coast and surrounds, with 104mm at Belowra and 162mm at Mt Darragh to 9am on Tuesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said up to 25,000 affected Australians have claimed relief funding in lieu of the latest flooding event. The low-pressure system responsible for the wet and wild weather is now tracking down to Tasmania bringing rain and wind for the next 48 hours. The levee in Echuca (above) has remained strong against ongoing floods that could hang around the region for another week The low-pressure system that caused flooding over southeastern NSW will cross the Bass Strait and bring a 'burst' of wind and rain to Tasmania (pictured, flooded homes in Echuca) One Lilydale resident was seen picking up his dry-cleaning during the storms on Tuesday A flood warning has been issued for the Coal River, in Cambridge in the south of the island state, and the Macquarie River in the east. A flood watch is also in place for the state's north, northeast, Derwent and southeast catchments with damaging gusts expected over the north and east of the state. Weatherzone said the low-pressure system that caused flooding over southeastern NSW on Monday night into Tuesday morning will cross the Bass Strait and bring a 'burst' of wind and rain to Tasmania on Wednesday. 'Some areas in the state's east could see 100 to 200 mm of rain during the next two to three days, with much of this falling between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning,' the forecaster said. Community members in inundated Victorian regions are continually moving sandbags to keep up with ongoing floods Residents in Echuca (above) have managed to keep parts of their town dry against floods rivalling those in 1993 and 1975 ADF personnel were dispatched to flood-stricken parts of Victoria last week to help clean-up efforts and hand out sandbags homes and businesses went underwater In Queensland, storms in the state's southeast that left 3,500 homes without power have eased however warnings remain for damaging wind gusts. The Bureau has warned intense humidity will hit the Sunshine State like a 'tonne of bricks' with the first 30C days since April to come in the following days. In the country's west, a weak trough and front will bring isolated showers to southeastern parts of WA, with Perth to remain cloudy for the rest of the week. In Adelaide, conditions will remain grey after the state's Mid North and Riverland areas were lashed with heavy rainfall over the weekend. In the country's Top End, Darwin will be mostly sunny for the rest of the week with a possible storm on Wednesday. One of Danny Mastersons three accusers told the jury at his trial Tuesday that the Scientologist actor raped her anally while she was unconscious then laughed at her when she confronted him about it. And when Jane Doe #3 reported him to the Church of Scientology, she was told, There was something I had done to deserve what he (Masterson) was doing to me. Jane Doe #3 - who became so emotional at one point that the judge had to call a 10-minute recess - told the court about a night in December 2001 when she and Masterson went to the LA bistro La Poubelle where they had dinner and she had a glass or two of wine. I remember getting up to leave, but I dont have any memory after that, she said. The next thing she remembered, she told the jury, was waking up the next day, naked in bed at Mastersons house where she lived with him. I felt confused and I noticed my whole body hurt. The back of my head hurt and I noticed that I was injured in my bottom, my butt. My anal area was injured. Masterson is facing a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if he's found guilty. He's seen with wife Bijou Phillips who has been supporting him at the trial Masterson (left) pictured in a court sketch today Jane Doe #3 took the stand on Monday to recount her claims that the actor unrinated on her and raped her when they were together Masterson is seen in a court sketch . HJane Doe #3 told the court she was intimate with him after they broke up. I loved him, she said. I care about him very much I went to the bathroom and saw that my anal area was not normal - it was torn and there was a little bleeding. I was feeling a lot of pain and I could not sit down. She went downstairs to look for Masterson and found him sitting in is office where, she said, I asked him what happened last night? I asked him if I had fallen because I was hurting "down there". He laughed at me and said he had sex with me there. I asked him if I had been unconscious the whole time and he said yes. As she sobbed on the witness stand, Jane Doe #3 went on, It broke my heart. Because I really trusted him and I did not believe he would take it that far. Masterson, 46, is accused of raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. Hes pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He is facing a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if hes convicted at the end of his trial where Elvis Presleys daughter, ex-Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley, is on the witness list. Former Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley is on the witness list for the prosecution The That 70s Show star, who has been free on $3.3 million bail since his arrest in June 2020, showed up Tuesday in a dark blue suit and gray shirt and tie for the sixth day of his rape trial at criminal court in downtown Los Angeles. His accusers who DailyMail.com is identifying only as Jane Does 1 through 3 are all former Scientologists and are also suing the That 70s Show star and the Church of Scientology in civil court, claiming that theyve been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to police. Asked by Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller if she reported Masterson to the police, Jane Doe #3 explained that she did not because, as a Scientologist, she believed at that time that the only justice system was Scientology. So, a day or two after the alleged rape she went to Scientologys Celebrity Center in Hollywood to see her ethics officer and report it. I told her that he raped me, Jane Doe #3 told the jury. I told her that he was sexually assaulting me and that I could not say no. And if I did say no it turned into an ugly fight. The woman said the ethics officer stopped her and told her not to use the word rape. "She explained to me that you cannot rape someone you are in a relationship with. I believed her she was the ethics officer and I trusted her. She told me I had done something to cause it. There was something I had done to deserve what he (Masterson) was doing to me. Danny Masterson arrives for court on October 21, 2022 in Los Angeles Masterson (left middle row) was a regular on That 70s show along with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Wilmer Valderrama. The show aired from 1998-2006 Masterson (seen here with Wilmer Valderama and Ashton Kutcher in a scene from That 70s Show) laughed off the alleged sexual attack on his model girlfriend, she told the court A Scientology chaplain told her that my job as Mastersons girlfriend was that if I didnt say no, it would not happen, the court heard. My job as his girlfriend.was to give him sex whenever he wanted. He provided for me so I needed to match that. She told the court that on the instructions of her ethics officer she went through a month-long ethics course because she was afraid that she would be branded a suppressive person, cut off by other Scientologists. It scared me so I just did as I was told, she said, adding that if she had been declared a suppressive person, Im afraid I would not have survived that at that time. Jane Doe #3 and Masterson split up around February/March 2002 and they went together to Scientology officials to go sign the terms of their breakup. Asked about those terms she said, I remember I was not to sue him. Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller asked Jane Doe #3 ifwhe had reported Masterson's alleged anal rape to the police They stayed in contact after their split and, she admitted, were intimate with each other again, twice in LA and once in New York where she moved about year after their breakup. Why did she get together for sexual hookups with Masterson again after they had broken up? she was asked. I loved him, she responded. I care about him very much. The testimony came on the second day Jane Doe #3 was on the stand. On Monday she told the court that the actor would urinate on her, call her 'white trash,' be physically abusive toward her and regularly force her to have sex against her will. Last week Jane Doe #1 described how Masterson allegedly threw her in his jacuzzi, raped her and then pulled a gun on her, telling her, 'Don't say a f***king word.' Jane Doe #3 was a successful model, barely 18, when she met Masterson in 1996 and soon moved in with him, the court heard. 'It was good for the first year he was very charming and I fell for him,' she said. The Scientologist TV star grew tired of her traveling around the world on modeling assignments and asked her to stay at home. 'His religion discusses this women should stay home,' she told the court. He also urged her join the Church of Scientology, she added. 'He made it very clear to me that I must become a Scientologist. In order to remain in this relationship I needed to start doing [Scientology] courses. 'I was told that my parents were suppressive people and I disconnected with my family. He [Masterson] did not like any of my friends - so my new friends were Scientologists. Masterson mingled with some of Hollywood's biggest names. In 2009 he was with Eva Longoria, Simon Cowell and then-Scientologist Leah Remini at a fundraiser for 9/11 first responders Mastersonis accused of raping three different women in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003 Masterson's accusers are former Scientologists and are also suing him and the Church of Scientology in civil court 'My entire life became his friends and family and his church.' Jane Doe #3 told the jury that about a year into their relationship, Masterson changed. 'He became very aggressive sexually - and I recall some physical abuse and emotional. 'I remember coming back from Paris and I was really tired and jet-lagged and he wanted to have sex and I didn't. 'It resulted in a fight and he dragged me by my hair across the bedroom floor. He called me fat and other insults.' She told the court that incidents of Masterson wanting sex when she didn't became more frequent. 'It became pretty regular - I just let it happen.' Jane Doe #3 said that on these occasions it would be she, not him, who would say sorry. 'I would apologize to him - if I didn't, he would be very angry. He would not talk to me. I felt like it was my fault. He was always right... 'He would want to have sex, I would tell him no and he'd have sex anyway. You just don't say no to him.' She told the jury that when Masterson was angry at her, 'He would call me white trash.' My job as his girlfriend.was to give him sex whenever he wanted. He provided for me so I needed to match that Scientology chaplain's advice to Jane Doe #3 after she reported the 'rape' She also said that he 'would urinate on me. I would be in the shower and he would sneak in and pee on me. He thought it was funny.' Jane Doe #3 said that her relationship with Masterson changed - and was on the way to ending - in late 2001 'when I started sort of sticking up for myself.' Fighting back tears, she recalled a night in November 2001 when, 'I was sleeping and woke up and he was having sex with me. I didn't want to have sex with him so I said, 'No, I don't want to 'But he wouldn't stop. I tried to push him off but he put all his body weight down on me. He pushed my arms back - I felt trapped. 'I was able to to get my left hand free and do something I knew would get him off of me. I pulled his hair. He has these rules - no touch face rule and no touch hair rule.' Asked by Deputy DA Mueller how Masterson reacted when she pulled his hair, she said, 'He hit me hard on the face with his hand. 'When he hit me I was shocked by it. I was angry. I was screaming, 'Get off me.' 'At that point he got up, stood over me and spit on me. And he called me white trash.' The victim of Daunte Wright, who was left paralyzed, dies 18 months after his assailant was killed by a Minneapolis cop. Caleb Livingston, 19, died on Sunday, more than three years after he was shot in the head at a gas station by Wright and left permanently disabled when he was 16. He was diagnosed with a condition known as unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, which left him unable to walk, talk, or take care of himself. The family's attorney Mike Padden told Fox News that they will be 'amending our complaint to note that the case is a matter of wrongful death as opposed to personal injury.' 'It is clear Caleb's tragic death was caused by the criminal conduct of Daunte Wright,' the lawyer said. His mother Jennifer LeMay said her son's passing 'hurt tremendously' and that her son's tragedy 'affected the whole family.' Wright was killed by former cop Kim Potter in April 2021 after he was pulled over and eventually fatally shot when he was 20 during a botched traffic stop. The fatal police-involved shooting had set off angry demonstrations for several days in the Minneapolis suburb and more than a million was raised in a GoFundMe for him - which is baby mama is now suing his parents for. Potter threatened to stun gun him, but she ended up pulling her gun out. She was convicted of manslaughter in December and sentenced to 16 months. Caleb Livingston, 19, (pictured) died on Sunday, more than three years after he was shot in the head at a gas station by Daunte Wright and left permanently disabled when he was 16 Wright was killed by former cop Kim Potter in April 2021 after he was pulled over and eventually fatally shot when he was 20 during a botched traffic stop More than six months after Wright shot his former friend, he was charged by the Osseo Police for holding a gun to a woman's head and choking her during an armed robbery. Another man, Joshua Hodges, said Wright was at the crime scene when he was shot in the leg. Afterward, the assailant and Wright took off with his car. Wright's attorney has branded it 'character assassination.' Through court records and interviews with the victims, DailyMail.com exclusively reported in December that Wright had led a life of crime and violence before his death. 'He's an evil human being. Worse than a monster, a waste of space on earth,' Jennifer LeMay told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview. A lawsuit filed on behalf of her son in May 2021 described the fateful events that took place outside a Full Stop convenience store and gas station on May 14, 2019. The documents stated Wright 'discharged a firearm toward Caleb striking him with a single shot bullet in the head causing serious disabling, and permanent injuries. Doctors told his mom he had a slim chance of surviving the next 24-36 hours, but the teen miraculously survived after spending almost seven months in the hospital. According to LeMay, Wright shot Caleb in the frontal part of his head, with a bullet ripping through to the other side of his skull, where it is still lodged. 'Daunte shot my son and left him to die,' she said at the time. 'During his hospital stay Caleb almost died six times because of his injuries.' He was diagnosed with a condition known as unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, which left him unable to walk, talk, or take care of himself His mother Jennifer LeMay said her son's passing 'hurt tremendously' and that her son's tragedy 'affected the whole family.' The family's attorney Mike Padden also said that they will be 'amending our complaint to note that the case is a matter of wrongful death as opposed to personal injury' LeMay told DailyMail.com her son was good friends with Wright at one point. She believes Wright shot Caleb as an act of revenge after the two got into a physical altercation days earlier. (pictured: Caleb before the shooting) LeMay said the two boys were good friends at one point and that Caleb had had his first sleepover at Wright's house when he was 13. 'The younger Daunte I knew, I thought was a pretty good kid. I never saw any red flags,' she said. The pair eventually grew apart after Caleb and his mom moved to the Chicago area in 2018. 'Caleb was still in contact with his friend back up in Minneapolis. It was at this time I started hearing things from my son about Daunte,' LeMay said. 'He was running away from home and on one occasion he even spat on his father.' Months later Caleb went back up to Minneapolis to visit some family members and was at the local gas station when Wright shot him point blank in his head. LeMay said she heard from people in the area that Daunte admitted to some pals that he had and only wanted to scare Caleb, but the gun 'accidentally' fired. 'I don't believe you can just accidentally shoot someone. I don't buy it,' the mom said at the time. LeMay also said she later learned that a few days prior, the two got into a physical fight and Caleb got the best of Daunte, leading her to believe that the shooting was motivated by revenge. Her son now suffers from traumatic brain injury and respiratory arrest, and is bound to a wheelchair. He can't speak, or walk, and has limited movement in his limbs. Wright had multiple run-ins with the law prior to his death and LeMay said 'he was either going to be imprisoned, kill someone, or be killed' 'Caleb requires 24/7/365 care, he can't eat, dress, or basically do anything on his own. He requires constant attention,' LeMay said. 'He needs to be lifted in and out of his bed into his wheelchair. He has a service dog, a 12-year-old pit bull terrier named Ciroc that stays by his side most of the time. 'He's going to be 19 years old in a few weeks, he should be out dating and having a good time, instead he's bound to his bed and wheelchair. 'He'll never date, he'll never be able to have children, drive a car or most likely tell us he loves us again,' she said tearfully. 'Daunte changed not only Caleb's life but everyone who is around him,' added LeMay. Wright was never arrested or charged with shooting Caleb. Before Wright was killed, she said the local police department had told her that they didn't have any witnesses to who shot her son. LeMay was convinced after Wright's death that her son would never get justice and said she was 'mad as hell.' Wright was fatally shot by former cop Kim Potter, who has since been convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 months 'I have mixed emotions about his death, part of me is content knowing he'll never be able to hurt someone again like he did to my son and others. 'But then the other part is furious. When Kim Potter killed him, she took away any possibly for him to be held criminal accountable for what he did. 'Now there will never be justice for my child, my son doesn't deserve this type of life,' she said in December. She continued: 'Daunte lived a lifestyle that didn't have a long life span. He was either going to be imprisoned, kill someone, or be killed. His actions and behavior were inexcusable on every level. 'You live by the sword you die by the sword. How many more lives did he have to destroy? Karma's a b***h, ain't it?' she added. LeMay, however, admitted she feels sorry for the young man's family because they lost their child. 'But at least Daunte was able to give them a son to carry on his generation, something I'll never experience from my mine,' she added. 'It would be a serious, serious mistake' to use tactical nukes, he said Russia claims Ukraine is preparing to use a 'dirty bomb' on its own soil They come against a backdrop of extreme tensions over Ukraine Russia has formally told the United States that it is about to start exercises with its nuclear forces, officials said Tuesday, at a time of heightened tension over Ukraine amid claims and counterclaims that one side or the other was planning to use a dirty bomb. To underscore the high stakes, President Joe Biden warned Moscow it would be making a serious mistake if it chose to use tactical nuclear weapons. It follows alarm that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for one last brutal roll of the dice as his forces face setbacks in Ukraine. Moscow has claimed, without evidence, that Ukraine is preparing to use a 'dirty bomb' - a conventional explosive packed with radioactive material - on its own soil as part of a false-flag operation to blame Russia. Against that backdrop, Russia announced it is about to start its 'Grom' exercises - Russian for 'thunder' - which will likely include test launches of ballistic missiles. 'The U.S. was notified and, as we've highlighted before, this is a routine annual exercise by Russia,' spokesman Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing. 'So in this regard, Russia is complying with its arms control obligations and its transparency commitments to make those notifications.' U.S. officials said they had been informed that Russia was about to start its 'Grom' exercises of nuclear forces. A Russian Tu-95MS bomber aircraft is seen here during exercises in February President Joe Biden on Tuesday said Russia and Vladimir Putin would be making 'an incredibly serious mistake' if they tried to use a tactical nuclear weapon The annual maneuvers typically include more than 10,000 service personnel, hundreds of launchers and more than 100 aircraft. This year they come with added baggage. At the White House, Biden was asked about worries Russia was preparing to use battlefield nuclear weapons. 'Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake for it to use a tactical nuclear weapon,' he said after getting an updated coronavirus booster shot. 'I'm not guaranteeing you that it's a false flag operation yet. I don't know. 'But it would be a serious, serious mistake.' Meanwhile, Russia continued making its case. It took its claims to the United Nations Security Council. Moscow sent a letter detailing the allegations to the United Nations on Monday, and then raised the issue at a closed meeting with the Security Council. 'We're quite satisfied because we raised the awareness,' Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters. 'I don't mind people saying that Russia is crying wolf if this doesn't happen because this is a terrible, terrible disaster that threatens potentially the whole of the Earth.' With Ukrainian forces advancing into Russian-occupied Kherson province, threatening a major defeat for Moscow, Russian officials phoned their Western counterparts on Sunday and Monday to communicate their allegations about a dirty bomb. On Tuesday the UN Security Council, pictured in New York, held closed-door consultations about the dirty bomb allegations, at Russia's request Energoatom, which operates the country's four nuclear power plants, said that Russian forces have carried out secret construction work over the last week at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, pictured (file image) Western and Ukrainian security officials have rubbished the claims. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the allegation showed Moscow was planning such an attack with an explosive device laced with radioactive material, and seeking to blame Kyiv. And on Tuesday Ukraine's energy watchdog said that it assumed the Russians are preparing a terrorist act at an occupied power plant which could contaminate hundreds of square miles. Energoatom, which operates the country's four nuclear power plants, said Russian forces have carried out secret construction work over the last week at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The company said in a statement that Ukrainian staff were being denied access to the plant or monitors from the UN's atomic energy watchdog that would allow them to see what the Russians are doing. And it has today said that it believes the Russians are preparing a terrorist act using nuclear materials and radioactive waste stored at the plant. It said that there were 174 containers at the plant's dry spent fuel storage facility, each of them containing 24 assemblies of spent nuclear fuel. An Italian model and actress among the four women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse at his Los Angeles trial recounted the moment he allegedly raped her while struggling to maintain an erection. Weinstein, 70, is facing 11 charges of rape and sexual assault involving eight women in the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles area between 2004 and 2013. On Tuesday, one of his accusers, identified as a foreign actress with the pseudonym Jane Doe 1, said he sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in 2013, forcing her to perform oral sex as he had problems maintaining an erection. It's the latest in testimony against Weinstein after DailyMail.com reported that California Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Sibel Newsom, took the stand on Monday to describe the moment she was allegedly assaulted by the Hollywood mogul. During Tuesday's testimony, Jane Doe told the court that she felt helpless and treated like an 'object' when Weinstein showed up to her hotel room during the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival during Oscars weekend. 'I was panicking with fear,' the foreign actress told the court. 'I was kind of hysterical through tears.' A foreign actress testified that Harvey Weinstein (pictured in a court sketch on Monday) raped her in a hotel bathroom in 2013 as she attended the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival Weinstein (above) allegedly could not get an erection when demanding oral sex, with the victim saying he forced her to the bathroom where he masturbated while touching her THE LOS ANGELES CHARGES AGAINST WEINSTEIN JANE DOE #1 - Unidentified Italian actress Forced oral copulation - February 18, 2013 Sexual penetration by foreign object - February 18, 2013 Forcible rape against the same woman on the same day - February 18, 2013 JANE DOE #2 Sexual battery - February 19, 2013 JANE DOE #3 Sexual battery by restraint - May 11, 2010. 'Weinstein unlawfully touched an intimate part of Jane Doe #3 while she was unlawfully restrained'. JANE DOE #4 - Jennifer Siebel Newsom Forcible oral copulation - September 2005 Forcible rape - September 2005 JANE DOE #5 Forcible oral copulation November - 2009 Forcible rape - November 2009 Forcible oral copulation - November 2010 Forcible rape - November 2010 Advertisement Picking up from her testimony Monday about the moment Weinstein allegedly barged into her hotel room, Jane Doe said she was physically afraid of the Hollywood exec. The actress, who said she only weighed 150 pounds at the time, said she has been the victim of rape in the past and feared being beat if she didn't follow Weinstein's demands for sex. When Weinstein allegedly had trouble getting an erection, Jane Doe said he pulled her to the bathroom, where he masturbated in front of a mirror while touching her and demanding she look at their reflection. 'I wanted to die,' she said. 'It was disgusting. It was humiliating, miserable. I didn't fight. 'I remember how he was looking in the mirror and he was telling me to look at him. I wish this never happened to me.' She claimed Weinstein told her: 'C'mon little girl, tell me you like it. You like it.' The actress said that she was left weeping in her hotel room as Weinstein told her not to talk about what happened to anyone. 'My understanding was that he's somebody powerful so it's better I not talk' because it could be bad for me,' she said. The Jane Doe said she began drinking heavily after the incident and had only shared the specifics to one other person prior to the trial. The actress noted that she saw Weinstein again while at the 2017 Italia Film Festival in Los Angeles with her daughter, Maria. 'He was looking at me. He was looking at Maria. I saw his eyes I remembered his eyes,' she testified. 'It was like I lived the situation again and again.' Although the meeting ended without incident, Jane Doe said she continued to feel guilt and shame over her alleged assault. The new testimony comes after the court heard from Sibel Newsom and her allegations against Weinstein on Monday. Like on Monday (above), Weinstein, 70, was wheeled into the courtroom. He faces 11 charges of rape and sexual assault involving eight women in the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles area between 2004 and 2013 Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, claims he sexually assaulted her during a business meeting telling her relax, this is going to make her feel better' She claims that he assaulted her in 2005 when she was a powerless actor trying to make her way in Hollywood. They reportedly met at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Weinstein invited her to discuss her career with him at the Peninsula Hotel. Deputy DA Paul Thompson told the court that Weinstein spoke to her briefly before going into the bathroom and summoned her wearing only a bathrobe. He went on to say that Weinstein asked her to touch him but she refused, before he then referred to a list of A-List actresses whose careers he supposedly made. The court heard that his voice moved from pleading, to aggressive and demanding, as he forced her onto the bed leaving her shaking before he forcibly raped her. She claims that she felt like she had 'no choice' but to keep in contact with Weinstein, conversing by email and meeting in public places. Siebel Newsom met her husband Gavin Newsom a year after the assault but did not tell him about it, with Weinstein donating some money to Newsom. Sibel Newsom, pictured in a court sketch Monday, is one of eight women accusing the disgraced studio head of sexual assault Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence for sex crimes in New York, with a jury set to hear lurid details about the owner he held over the women because of his high position. Addressing the jury, Thompson said that several other women described being dragged to the bathroom and bedroom before being assaulted by Weinstein. They also claim they felt powerless because he was a big guy, with one saying: Hes big. Hes broad. Hes overweight. Hes domineering. Thompson added: They feared that he could crush their careers if they reported what he had done to him. Other accusers reportedly begged him to stop, with one even telling him please I have kids as he attacked her. The jury was also told that Weinsteins films launched the careers of Quentin Tarantino, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow as well as wielding power with presidential contenders such as Hillary Clinton. One woman reported an assault by Weinstein to the NYPD in 2015, but the seven other women did not report the rapes until after the scandal exploded in 2017. However all of the women told friends or family about the assaults before 2017, and most of the victims were able to describe unique things about his body. Thompson said: What Im referring to is the result of a surgery that the defendant had in 1999. That surgery caused pretty noticeable scarring, and youll see the pictures. Because of an infection, his testicles were actually taken from his scrotum and put into his inner thighs. None of the Jane Does will describe his anatomy perfectly, but most of them will be able to describe these abnormalities that they observed during the assaults. Weinstein (right, pictured with Juliette Binoche) claims all of the interactions with the women were consensual The trial opened two weeks ago with jury selection, five years after women's stories about him gave massive momentum to the #MeToo movement The identities of his other accusers are being kept secret in court documents, which refer to them as Jane Does His lawyer is set to give his opening statement on Monday afternoon, and it is expected d to be followed by testimony from the first of the accusers, an Italian model and actor who says Weinstein raped her at her Los Angeles hotel in 2013. Confusion arose in the courtroom, however, when Thompson during his opening statement made no mention of one accuser who had been set to testify as recently as last week. Weinstein was indicted on 11 counts overall, but four of those counts - including two counts of rape and two of sexual assault - involved the woman who was not included in the opening. Several of the women claim that they were isolated by Weinstein in a bathroom, with the movie mogul claiming all of the interactions with the women were consensual. His lawyer is set to give his opening statement on Monday afternoon, and it is expected d to be followed by testimony from the first of the accusers One of the victims claims that Weinstein groped her and put his hand up her skirt before a member of his team offered her tickets. She reported the incident to police, and got Weinstein to confess to the incident while on a recorded phone call with the NYPD which led to his arrest. The actress told Weinstein that she was upset with his behavior, before he responded: I will never do anything to you. Five minutes. Dont ruin your friendship with me for five minutes. If you dont trust me then we have no reason to do anything, and you will lose big opportunities. The trial opened two weeks ago with jury selection, five years after women's stories about him gave massive momentum to the #MeToo movement. Fierce clashes broke out at a drag queen story event in Oregon which was slated to include a performance by an 11-year-old whose former 'drag mom' is a suspected pedophile. Protesters against the event faced off with supporters outside the venue, Old Nicks Pub, which is named after Satan, and which also holds adult fetish nights. Some demonstrators on both sides of the roughly 200-strong standoff were armed, police said, including with semi-automatic rifles. But despite the chaotic scenes outside the pub in Eugene, the event still went ahead - although the child performer, whose stage name is Vanellope MacPherson DuPont, reportedly did not take to the stage as planned. It has since emerged that a woman who claims to be one of Vanellopes drag moms, Kelsey Meta Boren, was charged earlier this year with three child sex offences. Tense confrontations outside Old Nick's Pub in Oregon, which hosted the drag story event Some protesters were armed with semi-automatic rifles during the standoff outside the event Former school employee Boren, 31, who allegedly sent child pornography online, has posted several photos of herself with the girl on Instagram, with some referring to her as my drag kid. Boren was arraigned in August and is currently in custody. Dramatic footage of the protests on Sunday showed angry demonstrators lob projectiles including smoke grenades at the rival crowds. Supporters of the event shouted go home Nazis and carried a banner which said: Protect trans youth. Meanwhile, counter-protesters had a sign which read: What kind of monster exposes kids to this? They also shouted save our children at the supporters. The pub promoted the event by claiming it would show what '11-year-old drag queen could do' Pedophile suspect Kelsey Boren (pictured with the girl) has said she is Vanellope's 'drag mom' An earlier Facebook post by the pub to promote the event said: Vanellope is here to show you what an 11-year-old drag queen can do. With all the charm and sweetness of a bowl of sugary cereal, Vanellope is here to brighten up your morning with all her drag talent. The post drew a mixture of criticism and support. A statement posted by Vanellopes family and friends has claimed the relationship with Boren was strictly professional and they only met maybe four or five times. The statement added: Meta-Boren was not a family friend, nor was she ever a mentor for V in the drag world. 'They, also, have not had any contact since before covid, and all ties have been severed as of the time of Meta-Borens arrest in August. Vanellope also has another handler, Sunshine Ray MacPherson - real name Jennifer Hibbs - who is a drag performer. Hibbs told the Post Millennial: 'Her actual mother does her choreography so that it's all appropriate. We wouldn't let her do anything suggestive it's terrible that people assume that we would let her do that.' Hibbs also sought to distance herself and Vanellope from Boren. Vanellope's minder, Jennifer Hibbs (pictured), who is also a drag performer, said: 'We wouldn't let her do anything suggestive it's terrible that people assume that we would let her do that' Old Nick's Pub, which held the drag queen story event, has also held $10-a-night fetish events The pub has claimed the backlash to drag storytime events a targeted agenda to push forward anti-LGBTQ legislation. It has also said: 'Drag is an art form. The idea that it is inherently sexual is a form of bigotry.' Old Nick's has also previously hosted $10-a-ticket fetish nights, with previous events advertising impact play, rope suspension and electric play. Eugene Police Department said it created security plans for the even prior to it taking place because opposing groups were communicating plans to attend, possibly armed. A statement by the force said groups of demonstrators began arriving at about 9.45am and firearms were reported present in both groups. Rishi Sunak unveiled another lectern today as he addressed the country from Downing Street after taking over as Britain's 57th PM. The incoming premier opted for a less quirky podium after Liz Truss's was compared to a Jenga tower the block-building game which eventually collapses. According to reports, there wasn't enough time to craft a new lectern, so the former Chancellor, 42, decided to use an old one with a pale wood. Being the shortest male occupant of Number 10 since Winston Churchill at just 5ft 6inches tall, the lectern was also smaller than his former boss Boris Johnson's. David Cameron went for a curved lectern in light-coloured varnished wood, Theresa May for a more traditional design in stained cedar wood, while Boris Johnson used a presidential style in dark wood favoured by US politicians. New Labour, by contrast, deployed a rather down-at-heel lectern on wheels that was used by Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. Rishi Sunak unveiled another lectern today as he addressd the country from Downing Street after taking over as Britain's 57th PM According to reports, there wasn't enough time to craft a new lectern, so the former Chancellor, 42, decided to use an old one with a pale wood David Cameron went for a curved lectern in light-coloured varnished wood, Theresa May for a more traditional design in stained cedar wood. New Labour, by contrast, deployed a rather down-at-heel lectern on wheels that was used by Gordon Brown and Tony Blair Downing Street did not divulge how much had been spent on the lecterns, but insisted they were all used regularly. A Government spokesman previously said: 'Government lecterns used by Ministers are routinely updated following regular use at press conferences and speeches.' It comes after it was reported Mr Sunak is joining the 'under 5ft 7in club' of European leaders. French president Emmanuel Macron is just under 5ft 7in, Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz is said to be around 5ft 5 and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is only slightly taller than his German counterpart. Mr Sunak's predecessor as PM, Liz Truss, is around 5ft 5in, while Mr Johnson is just under 5ft 9. Mr Sunak left Twitter users baffled yesterday when he appeared to gain an inch or two as he was cheered by party colleagues outside Tory party headquarters. Last year, it was reported that the then PM Mr Johnson was appointing tall ministers to annoy Mr Sunak. Above: Mr Sunak as Chancellor with his fellow Treasury ministers The image-conscious Mr Sunak is also known for positioning himself in photos so that his shorter stature is less obvious In a photo with his Treasury team in March last year, he was seen at the top of the staircase of Number 11, with taller members of his team lower down Video showed him suddenly rising in the air as other MPs clapped around him. Some users suggested he may have been walking backwards up some steps which gave the illusion of suddenly getting taller. Last year, it was reported that the then PM Mr Johnson was appointing tall ministers to annoy Mr Sunak. In his September 2021 reshuffle, he appointed 6ft 5in Simon Clarke as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The Treasury team also included Economic Secretary John Glen, who is more than 6ft. The image-conscious Mr Sunak is also known for positioning himself in photos so that his shorter stature is less obvious. In a photo with his Treasury team in March last year, he was seen at the top of the staircase of Number 11, with taller members of his team lower down. China makes notable achievements in poverty alleviation, brings better lives to its people 16:15, October 25, 2022 By Liu Jieyan, Zhong Wenxing, Liu Ning, Ebulayi, Liu Dong ( People's Daily Online We have achieved moderate prosperity, the millennia-old dream of the Chinese nation, through persistent hard work," Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said in a report he delivered to the 20th National Congress of the CPC. We have won the largest battle against poverty in human history. A total of 832 impoverished counties and close to 100 million poor rural residents have been lifted out of poverty, and, among them, more than 9.6 million poverty-stricken people have been relocated from inhospitable areas. We have, once and for all, resolved the problem of absolute poverty in China, making significant contributions to the cause of global poverty reduction, Xi said. Xi has always been concerned about people in need. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, he has visited almost all the most poverty-stricken areas in China, including those deep in the Taihang Mountains in Fuping county, north China's Hebei Province, those in Dingxi city, northwest China's Gansu Province, Liangjiahe village in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and those deep in Daliangshan Mountain in southwest China's Sichuan Province. In Hebei, Xi stressed that a locality's development relies on industry and the labor force. Development can only be achieved when external and internal forces are combined. In southwest China's Chongqing, he said poverty alleviation must take both quantity and quality into account. In Gansu, he said efforts should be made to ensure that relocated residents can settle down, find jobs, earn money and lead better lives. Over the past decade, all poverty-stricken villages in China have shaken off poverty. Now, these villages enjoy improving ecology, renovated houses, better transport infrastructure, and thriving industries. With the consolidation and expansion of achievements in poverty alleviation, people who were lifted out of poverty now live better lives. "Life is much better than before" Liangjiahe used to be a barren village on the loess plateau in Wen'anyi township, Yanchuan county, Yan'an city, Shaanxi. Today, when people visit the village, they are greeted by lush mountains and neat houses near an asphalt road. Aerial photo taken on July 21, 2022 shows a view of Liangjiahe village, Wen'anyi township, Yanchuan county, Yan'an city, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (People's Daily Online/Liu Ning) Xi lived and worked in Liangjiahe village for seven years as an "educated youth. His first landlord was Liu Jinlian, who is now 72 years old. Her old cave maintains its original appearance, but great changes have taken place in her life. "Now, we have adequate food and clothing, and life is much better than before," Liu said. Xi has always kept the village in mind, especially the lives of the people there. Xi Jinping visits people in Liangjiahe village, Wen'anyi township, Yanchuan county, Yan'an city, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Feb. 13, 2015. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang) On Feb. 13, 2015, just before the Spring Festival, Xi visited people in Liangjiahe village, including Liu, bringing goods that he had bought for them. When chatting with villagers, Xi was particularly concerned with their lives, including their food, clothing and housing conditions. "He asked me about drinking water and life. He was so caring, which made me feel good," Liu recalled. Over the past years, Xi's care and instructions have always made residents in the village feel cared for. "After Xi visited our village, villagers were inspired to make their lives better," Liu said. Industry is of fundamental importance to increasing people's incomes and China's rural vitalization. In 2015, Liangjiahe village established a collectively-owned rural culture and tourism company to promote poverty alleviation through the development of rural tourism. Liu, like many other villagers, became an employee of the company, receiving a monthly salary. In addition, she runs a shop where she sells local specialties, including shoe pads, dates, and coarse cereals. "I earned up to 10,000 yuan (about $1,368) in my best year," Liu said. Thanks to the development of rural tourism, some villagers run agritainment facilities, while others find jobs near home, for example, as shuttle bus drivers. According to statistics, Liangjiahe village has received 6.57 million tourists since 2015, generating a tourism revenue of 120 million yuan. The loess plateau is blessed with good land conditions, large differences between day and night temperatures, and abundant sunlight and heat, providing the ideal climate to grow apple trees. By leveraging its unique natural conditions for growing apples, Liangjiahe village has developed its apple planting industry and promoted the refined management and high-quality development of the industry in recent years. The thriving apple industry has helped many apple growers and impoverished people shake off poverty and march toward prosperity. The apples grown here taste nice and are popular nationwide," said Wang Hongrong, a native apple grower. Wang previously cultivated corn and millet, earning a small income, until he decided to plant apple trees, which have brought him wealth. "I grow over 10 mu (about 0.67 hectares) of apple trees. I can earn as much as 110,000 to 120,000 yuan a year. Compared to before, life is considerably better," he said. Photo shows Wang Hongrong, a local villager in Liangjiahe village, working in an apple orchard. (People's Daily Online/Liu Ning) The village's apples have become bestsellers and helped increase apple growers' incomes. "Our village currently boasts more than 900 mu of apple trees, of which 300 mu have yielded fruit, and are expected to generate 1.5 million yuan annually," said Gong Baoxiong, secretary of the CPC branch of Liangjiahe village. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Liangjiahe village has shaken off poverty by developing rural tourism, the apple industry and the processing industry. The annual per capita net income of villagers rose from 7,917 yuan in 2012 to 18,120 yuan in 2021. After starting from scratch, the village's collective income exceeded 3.71 million yuan last year. In the past, the one thing Xi wished for most was to make it possible for residents in Liangjiahe to have meat and have it often. Nowadays, dramatic changes have taken place in the living environment of the village and the villagers production and living conditions. Many of them now live in new houses and run agritainment businesses. The village has an asphalt road, a cultural square, an apple industrial park, and a modern breeding base. Through relentless efforts, residents in the village have achieved happiness. "Another door in my life has opened" "I never expected that a rural woman like me could become a workshop director at a winery," said Liu Li, a resident of Yuanlong, which is a relocated village in Minning township, Yongning county, Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. She added that everything has changed thanks to the relocation program. Liu used to live in Xihaigu, an extremely impoverished mountainous area in Ningxia. Xihaigu was long deemed "uninhabitable" due to its barren land and lack of water resources. Back then, Liu and her husband often carried water buckets through the night along rocky, winding trails in the mountains and had to wait for half an hour to load a bucket of water. She used to complain that there wasnt enough water to wash her clothes or hair. Nine years ago, Lius family of four, along with more than 100 other villagers, relocated from their homes to Yuanlong village in Minning, a resettlement township jointly built by southeast China's Fujian Province and Ningxia at Xi's suggestion on the sands of a Gobi desert more than 20 years ago. The local government offered each relocated family a two-room house installed with faucets. After entering her home for the first time, the first thing Liu did was turn on a faucet. "I saw hope in my life the instant I saw running water from the faucet," she said. Over the past 20-plus years, relocated residents in Minning have thrown themselves into resettlement work and developed industries on the Gobi desert. Minning, which was a village of 8,000 relocated impoverished residents, has evolved into a township that is now home to more than 60,000 people, all of whom have access to drinking water, roads, education, medical services and so on. Furthermore, industry is thriving on this once barren land. On July 19, 2016, Xi visited Yuanlong village in Minning. He was genuinely happy to see that the neatly arranged village had lifted local residents out of poverty. He pointed out that relocation is an effective way to relieve poverty and called on efforts to sum up and promote the successful experience and do a good job of poverty alleviation through relocation. The eastern foot of Helan Mountain is regarded as a "golden zone" for growing grapes for wine production. Minning township has developed the grape and wine industries in recent years by leveraging its unique geographical and climate advantages. At present, the township already has a total of 80,000 mu of grape vines, with an annual grape output of 26,000 tonnes, providing stable jobs and sources of income for locals. Vineyards have played a key role in bringing wealth to relocated residents and helped many of them realize their dreams, including Liu. Photo shows Liu Li (L) working in a workshop of a wine producer at Mining township, Yinchuan, capital of northwest Chinas Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Peoples Daily Online/Zhong Wenxing) After Liu moved to Minning township, she found a job at Chateau Lilan winery in the township. Liu's duties included weeding, harvesting grapes, brushing wine bottles and canning. She was always very diligent in her work. Her hard-working and reliable attitude led to fresh prospects. At end of 2015, Liu advanced to the position of workshop director. In her new role, she has taken on a heavier responsibility and dedicated herself to her work with even greater purpose. Im not only working for myself, but for other women relocated from inhospitable areas," she said. Liu's story is a classic tale of rags to riches. Liu and her husband now earn over 10,000 yuan per month. They expanded their home, building four more rooms and a garage in the courtyard, and bought a new personal computer and car. Liu said the policy of relocating impoverished people from inhospitable areas marked a turning point in her life, and opened another door for her. "In the past, I was 'trapped' in the deep mountains, and the road ahead looked very bleak. Now, I make money through my own efforts and I have value to others. I owe much of my happy life today to this era," Liu said. Liu's life, with her relocation as a turning point, is a microcosm of the road to prosperity for over 60,000 people in Minning township. Currently, industries such as mushroom farming, breeding, e-commerce, and wine are booming in the township, helping fatten the pockets of locals. The per capita disposable income of villagers in the township increased 32 times to about 16,000 yuan in 2021 from 500 yuan in 1997. The pairing-up scheme for poverty alleviation between Fujian and Ningxia has turned Minning from a barren desert into a modern township. Today, it is a model for China's collaboration on poverty alleviation between the eastern and western regions, opening a broad path to prosperity for the people. "The children will have a better tomorrow!" A childrens choir called Malanhua from mountainous areas in north Chinas Hebei Province sang the Olympic Anthem in Greek at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in February 2022, showcasing the amazing confidence and happiness of Chinese children in the new era. Photo taken on Feb. 4, 2022 shows the Malanhua childrens choir singing the Olympic Anthem in Greek at the opening ceremony of the 24th Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium, also known as "Bird's Nest" in Beijing. (Xinhua/Cao Can) All of the 44 children in the choir are from rural families in Fuping county, Baoding city of Hebei, 14 of whom are from registered poor households. For most of them, it was the first time they had left their hometown to see the outside world. "The 'Bird's Nest' is so huge and spectacular! I told myself to sing the song well to the whole world," said Xi Qingru, an 11-year-old member of the choir. Deep in the Taihang Mountains, Fuping, which has little arable land, was once a severely impoverished county. Nearly half of its population was plagued by poverty in 2012. During an inspection tour to Fuping county, Xi called on the whole Party and country to win the fight against poverty, stressing that if rural China, particularly impoverished areas, is left behind, a moderately prosperous society will not emerge. Since then, great changes have taken place there. Aerial photo taken on July 26, 2022 shows the new district of Malan, north China's Hebei Province. (People's Daily Online/Liu Ning) The county developed six major industries such as edible mushrooms, fruits and traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, which have been very effective in helping increase the incomes of local residents. The edible mushroom industry, for example, started from scratch and thrived in just six years. The county has built 102 mushroom industrial parks, covering a total area of 21,000 mu of land and 140 administrative villages. Over 15,000 households are engaged in the industry, giving poverty-stricken households an extra income of over 20,000 yuan annually on average. Better facilities related to people's livelihood have also been built. Fuping built 39 relocation sites accommodating over 30,000 registered poor people. 207 industrial parks were built, bringing job opportunities for many of the relocated residents. The county also built 13 boarding schools in rural areas and upgraded 93 schools that were in poor condition, ensuring that children received an education. Moreover, the villagers saw their incomes increase. In February 2020, the county was lifted out of poverty. The per capita disposable income of rural residents in the country went up to 12,342 yuan in 2021, 3.7 times of that in 2012. The key to a countrys governance is improving its people's lives. The common prosperity China is working to achieve is for everyone, and it is also about the enrichment of people's lives in both the material and non-material sense. Three years ago, Xi Qingru and her family bid farewell to their old, dilapidated dwelling and moved to a spacious new home. "The old home was more than 10 kilometers away from school, whereas the new one is within spitting distance of our new home now. Besides, there is also the favorable policy of two exemptions and one subsidy. This refers to exemption from miscellaneous fees and textbook fees, and subsidized living expenses for resident students, which ensures that children can get compulsory education," explained Xi Jinhai, Xi Qingru's father. "Many children in the choir used to live impoverished lives, but they were all lifted out of poverty and now live happy lives. Moreover, they also have more opportunities in cultural education," said Su Zhiyan, a teacher of the choir. "I'm confident that the children will have a better tomorrow!" "I want to be a music teacher in the future to teach more children in mountainous areas to sing and let them feel the happiness that music brings, like I do," said Xi Qingru, who has made up her mind to embark on a musical path after returning home from Beijing. Xi Qingru plays the violin. (People's Daily Online/Liu Ning) The world outside was once too distant for the villagers in mountainous areas, but today, Xi Qingru and her fellow villagers have reached out to the outside world with the help of music. The relocation sites, the mushroom greenhouses and the children in the newly-built schools in the county are all evidence of the happy lives of local people and the progress made in China's rural vitalization drive. The story of Fuping county is merely one example of the many villages once stricken by poverty in China. As the country eradicated poverty, it has taken on a new look, while numerous Chinese people have realized their own development. Now, people who used to be poor are marching toward a better life. (Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang) President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the World Bio Summit 2022 at Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin District, Tuesday. The event was co-hosted by Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare and the World Health Organization. Yonhap Global health leaders gather in Seoul to revisit pandemic, its impact on world By Ko Dong-hwan President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday South Korea is willing to provide its domestically developed vaccines to underdeveloped countries that are prone to infectious diseases, in a speech given at World Bio Summit 2022 held at Grand Walkerhill Seoul. "The Korean government has pledged $300 million to The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, $100 million to the Global Fund for ending the world's three most contagious diseases and $30 million to the World Bank's global financing pool," he said. "Korea has also successfully developed a COVID-19 vaccine and will provide it to countries in need. As the bio manpower training hub as designated by the WHO, we will also support countries to increase their vaccine production capabilities." He said Korea is working to establish a research foundation for novel contagious and rare diseases, as well as preparing a fund for the country's bio health industry. President Yoon said that the international community has learned valuable lessons about the need for solidarity and cooperation beyond borders over the past three years of fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, so as to be prepared for other infectious diseases and health crises. Global leaders in the bio health industry and international alliances striving to keep pandemics at bay gathered in Seoul on Tuesday for the summit. The two-day event hosted by Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) examined how countries have struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed over 6.5 million lives, and discussed how they should respond to future pandemics. President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during the opening ceremony of the World Bio Summit 2022 at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin District, Tuesday. Newsis The event drew key figures from around the world who have realized their capabilities and limitations in fighting pandemics. Some advanced countries developed vaccines, treatments and diagnostic devices in a short span of time. But these accomplishments were out of reach for most of the underdeveloped countries that had neither the skills nor funds to do so. Such circumstances contrast with the imbalanced distribution of medical breakthroughs across borders have fueled a strenuous contagious cycle of COVID-19 waves that still persist after more than two years. The world has learned two lessons from COVID-19 as outlined during this summit. First, a pandemic should be responded to swiftly and equitably for the benefit of all countries. To do so, secondly, global alliances in development, production and distribution of medical products and technologies need improvement. This includes the delivery of vaccines to disadvantaged countries and saving the lives of as many people there as in advanced countries. "Some 12.86 billion doses of vaccines have been given and 68 percent of the global population have been vaccinated at least once as of Oct. 22," International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Director-General Jerome Kim said during the summit's opening day. "But over 76 percent of people in least developed countries were still unvaccinated during the same period. And 85 percent of vaccine doses have been used by high- and upper-middle-income countries. This failure of equity and access resulted in more human deaths, greater economic impact and more biological mutants." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Asian Development Bank President Asakawa Masatsugu, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered speeches on Tuesday. Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) CEO Richard Hatchett and former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were also among the day's presenters either in person or on screen. Representatives of global pharmaceutical enterprises also took to the stage, including those from Pfizer, Moderna, SK Bioscience, Shionogi, Merck, Afrigen and Biovac. "One-third of the world's population remains unvaccinated, including two-thirds of health workers and three-quarters of older people in low-income countries," Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday. "This vaccination gap imperils the global recovery and puts us all at risk. The danger of new, more dangerous and deadly variants emerging is very real." World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivers a speech online during the opening ceremony of the World Bio Summit 2022, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Health and Welfare The WHO chief said that the manufacturing capacity for vaccines is "too concentrated in too few countries" and expanding local production and strengthening local regulatory capacity are essential for reducing health inequity between countries. On its second day, Korean Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong is set to celebrate the gathering of the event participants. A major outcome of the summit is the pronouncement of the Seoul Declaration, which calls for global cooperation in tracking viruses and ending the pandemic, empowering the workforce in the bio industry, R&D and distribution of vaccines, treatments and diagnosis tools and deregulation to spur prompt market deployment following medical certification. In a speech to be delivered on Wednesday, Minister Cho will affirm Seoul's role in the global efforts for preventing and fighting the pandemic, mentioning the country's "K-Global Vaccine Hub" established in 2021. He also will stress Korea's selection by the WHO in February to serve as a global biomanufacturing training hub, "thanks to Korean government's firm resolve and extensive biopharmaceutical production capacity, the world's second-largest." National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo said at the summit that the world has enabled vaccination rates to reach at least 80 percent in more than 40 countries and 1.2 billion vaccine doses have been supplied to 144 nations via COVAX facilities but the specter of conflict and inequality looms over the supply of vaccines and medicines. "We can be sure of one thing: viruses such as COVID-19 can reemerge at any time," he said. "Humanity must prepare from now on to deal effectively with the next outbreak of infectious disease, taking lessons from the current COVID-19 experience." Ban Ki-moon, former U.N. secretary-general and current chairman of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the World Bio Summit 2022, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Health and Welfare McLean was a victim of an acid attack in May before vanishing on August 18 Police are investigating if the body is that of missing man Geoffrey McLean Body was found by a worker clearing long grass on vacant Salisbury South lot Corpse found rotting in bushland in Adelaide may be a missing 55-year-old man Police are investigating if human remains found on a vacant lot could be that of a 55-year-old missing man. South Australian Police say a worker clearing long grass on the block in Salisbury South, Adelaide made the gruesome discovery of decomposing remains just before 2pm on Monday. On Tuesday detectives returned to the block of land on Cheviot Road, with officers focusing on a group of trees and shrubs, clearing the area with whippersnippers and metal detectors. SA Police say a worker clearing long grass on a vacant block in Salisbury South, Adelaide made the gruesome discovery of decomposing remains just before 2pm on Monday Police are now looking into the state's missing persons cases with investigators focusing on missing man Geoffrey McLean (pictured) Police are now looking into the state's missing persons cases with investigators focusing on missing man Geoffrey McLean, reports The Advertiser. McLean was last seen at his Andrews Farm home on August 18. Earlier, on May 11, he was the victim of a horrific acid attack. In that incident, he was doused in petrol and hydrochloric acid before he was hosed down by police. He sustained burns to his head, shoulder and arm as a result of the attack. There is no suggestion the acid attack and disappearance are linked. They say the circumstances around the death are being treated as suspicious. Detective Inspector Brett Featherby said on Monday that forensic testing is underway on the human body, with the remains too decomposed to determine the age or sex of the victim. CCTV footage from a neighbouring property has also been supplied to authorities. McLean was last seen at his Andrews Farm home on August 18. Earlier, on May 11, he was the victim of a horrific acid attack. In that incident, he was doused in petrol and hydrochloric acid before he was hosed down by police SA Police Detective Inspector Brett Featherby said the block of land hadn't been mown since March, with the grass more than 1.5m high at the time the decomposing body was found. Nearby business owner Kevin Boyle told The Advertiser, 'It was not really a place you'd have an accident.' 'You don't really find someone that far off the road, in a paddock that's overgrown without something being a bit suss,' he said. Mr Boyle said the land has been empty for around 10 years and had never been well maintained. Karl Stefanovic has confronted Anthony Albanese about whether taxes would rise a day after the federal Budget was handed down. The Prime Minister was repeatedly asked what the future would look like for taxpayers on Wednesday morning, and instead attempted to dodge the question and point out the benefits of the Budget. 'Will you increase taxes?' The Today Show host asked. 'Well, we have no plans beyond what we announced last night,' the PM responded. 'So it could happen,' Stefanovic interrupted. Karl Stefanovic grilled Anthony Albanese about whether taxes would rise and his failed promise that Australians would save $275 on their power bills Mr Albanese said the issue of raising taxes was 'not on our agenda', before listing how his government would help families with young children by increasing the childcare subsidy for parents earning less than $530,000 from July 2023. Stefanovic persisted and then asked if Mr Albanese was ruling out hiking up taxes later on. 'Karl, it's a bit silly to ask about future budgets the day after we hand down the budget,' Mr Albanese responded. 'Is it though?' Stefanovic said. Mr Albanese dodged questions on whether taxes would raise, saying it was 'silly' to talk about future budgets when one had only just been handed down 'I mean, surely, that's an obvious question, you've got to reel in the spending and you've got to find the money somewhere and taxes is I'm sure part of the question.' The breakfast show host then grilled the PM on his failed promise that Australians would pay $275 less on their power bills, with the amount now likely to be 50 per cent more. 'You've kind of junked that one, are you looking for any subsidies on energy at all for people?' Stefanovic asked. Mr Albanese said the war in Ukraine had had a big impact but was looking at 'regulatory reform' so non-contracted gas would be supplied to Australia. 'We recognise that this is doing it tough,' he said. 'But we're suffering from not just the Russian invasion of Ukraine but 10 years of a failure to invest. 'We had four gigawatts of supply leave the system and only one gigawatt come in. That leads to a problem with the old supply-demand.' Retail power prices are expected to rise by 56 per cent over the next two years, while gas prices are also predicted to increase sharply, according to budget forecasts. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said climate and environment funding would indirectly bring power prices down Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the rising prices were a large part of the inflationary pressures facing the nation, admitting he didn't know when people could expect costs to start dropping. 'There's no use pretending otherwise ... we'll have these challenges ahead of us for a little bit longer than we'd like, that's why the cost of living relief is so important,' he told ABC TV. But Dr Chalmers said climate and environment funding would indirectly bring power prices down. He also denied the government had broken an election promise to bring down household electricity bills by $275 per year, adding a $7.5 billion cost of living package would help ease short-term consumer pain. 'Cheaper child care, paid parental leave, cheaper medicine, more affordable housing and getting wages moving again, that's a substantial cost of living plan,' he said. 'When you're providing cost of living relief, if you do it in an excessive way or an indiscriminate way you risk pushing inflation up and interest rates up even further.' The White House on Tuesday argued that high voter turn out and voter suppression can happen at the same time, defending President Joe Biden's criticism of Georgia's voting law. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the record turn out of early voters in Georgia, a state President Joe Biden claimed had a 'Jim Crow'-style system of voting. 'High turnout and voter suppression can take place at the same time,' she said at her press briefing. She pointed out that President Biden was referring to the a slew of voting laws passed after Donald Trump's false claim he was the true winner of the 2020 presidential election and was the victim of voting fraud. Republican-controlled states enacted stricter voting measures in the wake of that election. Many states had expanded absentee and mail-in voting in 2020 because of the covid pandemic. In 2022, at least seven states enacted 10 laws that make voting more difficult of these, five laws in five states are in place for the midterms, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. 'The president has been very clear that based on The Big Lie, there have been a host of anti voter policies for some states that challenge Americans fundamental right to vote,' Jean-Pierre said. 'This is against our most basic values.' 'Of course, high turnout and voter suppression can take place at the same time,' she added. 'One doesn't have to happen on its own. It can happen at the same time.' She declined to get into more specific details, citing the Hatch Act, a federal law forbidding federal employees from engaging in political activity on the job. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the record turn out of early voters in Georgia, a state President Joe Biden claimed had a 'Jim Crow'-style voting law: 'High turnout and voter suppression can take place at the same time,' she said Citizens cast their votes for the November midterm elections at early voting locations in Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia, this week In March 2021, Biden called Georgia's newly-enacted voting law 'Jim Crow in the 21st Century' and 'an atrocity.' Biden won Georgia in 2020 and Trump is under investigation in the state over allegations he and his allies pressured state officials to overturn the results in the presidential contest. Georgia's new law imposes new voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, limits the use of ballot drop boxes, makes it a crime to approach voters in line to give them food and water and gives state officials more power over local elections. It is in affect for the November 8th election that will decide control of Congress. The state also will select a new governor on that date. Through Sunday, about 838,000 Georgians had cast their ballots, most of them in person at advance voting sites, the rest returning mail ballots. That's almost 60% higher than advance voting totals at this point in 2018, the last midterm election. More than 10% of Georgia's registered voters have already cast votes, a share that trails only Massachusetts and Vermont, where 22% and 16% of voters have sent in ballots, according to an Associated Press analysis of data collected by University of Florida professor Michael McDonald. California and Florida have each accepted more than 1 million mail ballots thus far. And the numbers nationwide are likely to accelerate this week as more states open early in-person polling places or send ballots to voters. 'We're seeing very robust numbers of people who are voting early, so at this point we'd have to see turnout crater before election day for the trajectory we're on to change,' McDonald said. Georgia enacted a new voting law after the 2020 election, President Joe Biden called it a 'Jim Crow' style law Young people pass a voting information sign on the Emory University campus in Atlanta, Georgia Republicans have seized on the Georgia numbers as vindication for their 2021 rewrite of state election law. They're hoping to re-elect Gov. Brian Kemp, who narrowly prevailed over Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2018, and boost Herschel Walker over Raphael Warnock, the Democrat who won a Senate runoff in January 2021. The turnout is record-setting, said Tate Mitchell, a spokesperson for the Kemp campaign, 'while Stacey Abrams continues to spread the myth of voter suppression.' Abrams pushes back against that taunt, even as she, too, celebrates the high early turnout. 'More people in the water does not mean there are fewer sharks,' Abrams said Monday. 'It is wrong to suggest that there is a correlation between voter turnout and voter suppression because suppression is about barriers,' Abrams said. 'If those barriers are not completely successful, the credit does not go to those who erected the barriers. The credit goes to those voters who found a way to navigate, overwhelm and overcome those barriers.' The spike in early voter turnout does coincide with Abrams encouraging her supporters to vote in person and not use mail ballots. She promoted the mail-ins heavily in her loss to Kemp four years ago - as did Democrats elsewhere to their advantage during the pandemic election of 2020. However, Georgia's 2021 voting law added identification requirements to the mail voting process and severely curtailed the number of drop boxes used during the 2020 cycle in urban counties, which tilt heavily to Democrats. The law also made it easier for anyone to challenge an individual voters eligibility and reduced opportunities to cast a provisional ballot if a voter shows up in the wrong polling place on Election Day. Republicans hope to re-elect Gov. Brian Kemp, who narrowly prevailed over Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2018, Abrams is challenging him again this year The Abrams campaign says more than 90,000 voters have had their eligibility challenged, mostly by conservative groups, although a large share of those challenges have been dismissed. Kemp defeated Abrams by about 55,000 votes four years ago. President Biden won Georgia;s electoral votes by about 11,500 votes in 2020, and Warnock won his Senate runoff by about 95,000. Given the election law changes, Democrats are pushing supporters to vote as soon as possible during the early in-person voting window, which began Oct. 17 and continues through Nov. 4, four days before Election Day. The idea is that if committed Democrats vote early, the party will be able to shift its focus to others, plus reduce crowding in the last week of early voting. Lauren Groh-Wargo, Abrams' campaign manager, said Monday that 'this big turnout in week one has been a key part of our strategy,' and the campaign doesn't believe voting will drop off. Abrams' strategy, from the outset of her first run for governor four years ago, has been to expand the electorate by coaxing sporadic voters, especially among younger generations and nonwhites of all ages. She is Black, Kemp is white. Groh-Wargo said 16% of advance voters so far, including mail and in-person, did not vote in Georgia in 2018, according to the campaigns analysis. Further, she said about 55,000 of the earlies did not vote in 2020, when Democrats won. Those trends, she said, suggest the strategy is working, at least in the opening days of early voting. But Kemp has led in almost all public polls, and his campaign continues to try to reach beyond Republican partisans to win independents and some Black voters. 'We feel confident that Gov. Kemps record of success and vision of the future will continue to win voters from all across the Peach State,' Mitchell said. The Abrams campaign touted high Black turnout thus far, with about 35.5% of the advance ballots coming from Black voters. In 2020, when Biden won, that was 33% through one week of advance voting. In 2018, when Abrams lost, it was 31%. Groh-Wargo highlighted Black men, as well, saying the campaigns analysis shows that about 97,000 Black men have voted already; that was about 45,000 at this point during Abrams' losing effort. Abrams, who would be the first female Black governor in the United States, has more openly concentrated on reaching Black men in her second campaign. The Georgia electorate does not yet reflect a surge in turnout among women, even as Democrats insist that the Supreme Court decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion will sway women nationally. Data show that the advance vote thus far is 54.5% female, which is about average in Georgia general elections. It is notable, however, that mail ballot requesters are 59% female, and most of those have yet to be returned. So the electorate could still end up being more female than usual. Advertisement Amid all this week's frantic number-crunching and furtive haggling for the Conservative leadership, few were paying much attention to the House of Lords order paper on a quiet Monday afternoon. Yet in one brief exchange between the Leader of the Lords and a Labour backbencher we caught a glimpse of what may be the first constitutional reform of the reign of King Charles III. Ministers and senior Palace officials are now finalising plans to avoid any future prospect of the Dukes of Sussex or York being involved in affairs of state in the absence of the King. Under proposals expected to come before Parliament, possibly within weeks, the King will be able to draw on a wider pool of royal substitutes not least the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex to conduct routine constitutional duties when he is out of the country. The Mail has learned that these proposals were already being considered some months ago, with the approval of the late Queen. Monday's parliamentary reply from the Leader of the Lords, Lord True, suggests that reform may be imminent. Ministers and senior Palace officials are now finalising plans to avoid any future prospect of the Dukes of Sussex or York being involved in affairs of state in the absence of the King Under proposals expected to come before Parliament, possibly within weeks, the King will be able to draw on a wider pool of royal substitutes not least the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex, pictured to conduct routine constitutional duties when he is out of the country At present, when the monarch is absent for whatever reason, state business such as approvals for most appointments and legislation can be conducted by two Counsellors of State. Under the terms of the Regency Acts of 1937 and 1953, these can be appointed from the four most senior adults in the line of succession, plus the consort of a monarch. Today, that means the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice. Under the proposals in hand, the King would be able to extend that list at his discretion, with the option to include his two other siblings, Anne and Edward. Reform is not without some sense of urgency, given that the King and the Queen Consort are likely to be heading overseas soon, the first time that the monarch has been out of the country in seven years. On the last occasion, the late Queen was attending the 2015 Commonwealth summit in Malta. The Dukes of Sussex and York were among those she appointed as Counsellors of State beforehand. Under the terms of the Regency Acts of 1937 and 1953, these can be appointed from the four most senior adults in the line of succession, plus the consort of a monarch. Today, that means the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice Under the proposals in hand, the King would be able to extend that list at his discretion, with the option to include his two other siblings, Anne and Edward Reform is not without some sense of urgency, given that the King and the Queen Consort are likely to be heading overseas soon, the first time that the monarch has been out of the country in seven years Since then, however, Prince Harry has bowed out of royal duties and moved abroad, while Andrew has been removed from public life following his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Palace officials are conscious that, at a time of great national, international and economic turbulence, it would be highly embarrassing if the smooth and immediate running of government were suddenly dependent on either of the two errant dukes. In theory, state business could still be conducted by the Prince of Wales and Princess Beatrice, though she is a private citizen who might not be available at the click of a constitutional finger. She also does not carry the imprimatur of a working member of the Royal Family. Rather than amend legislation to exclude any specific individuals, so the thinking goes, it makes much more sense simply to expand the options available to the King. On the last occasion, the late Queen was attending the 2015 Commonwealth summit in Malta. The Dukes of Sussex and York were among those she appointed as Counsellors of State beforehand Palace officials are conscious that, at a time of great national, international and economic turbulence, it would be highly embarrassing if the smooth and immediate running of government were suddenly dependent on either of the two errant dukes Rather than amend legislation to exclude any specific individuals, so the thinking goes, it makes much more sense simply to expand the options available to the King When a state of emergency was declared in February 1974, Princess Margaret, pictured, was one of the Counsellors of State to approve an emergency order Hence the likely inclusion of other working members of the family. That way, no one need be offended and business can continue normally. Within royal and parliamentary circles, the example of the miners' strike in 1974 is often cited. At the time, the Queen was on a long tour of Australia and the Pacific. On February 7, a state of emergency was declared, as Ted Heath's government was brought to its knees by the industrial action, giving the authorities special powers to take over supplies and distribution of fuel, food and 'the essentials of life'. The next day, Parliament was dissolved. In both cases, these orders had to be approved by two Counsellors of State. On that occasion, they were Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. Let's hope Britain is not reduced to that sort of chaos again, but it would hardly be very reassuring if it required the signature of the Duke of York to keep the lights on. Earlier this week, the subject surfaced in the House of Lords following a question by the Labour hereditary peer, Viscount Stansgate. 'Are the Government happy to continue with a situation where the counsels of state and regency powers may be exercised by the Duke of York or the Duke of Sussex, one of whom has left public life and the other of whom has left the country?' he asked. Within royal and parliamentary circles, the example of the miners' strike in 1974 is often cited. At the time, the Queen was on a long tour of Australia and the Pacific On February 7, a state of emergency was declared, as Ted Heath's government was brought to its knees by the industrial action, giving the authorities special powers to take over supplies and distribution of fuel, food and 'the essentials of life'. The next day, Parliament was dissolved Lord Stansgate, the son of the late Labour grandee Tony Benn, continued: 'Is it not time for the Government to approach the King to see whether a sensible amendment can be made to this Act?' It is standard practice for ministers to bat off such questions with the rehearsed response that Royal Family matters are off-limits. Instead, Lord True, who had been forewarned of this question surfacing on the order paper at least a fortnight earlier, quoted the words of George VI in 1937. Shortly after his accession, said Lord True, the new King had acknowledged a need 'to make such provision as will . . . secure the exercise of the Royal Authority'. Then the noble Lord went further: 'In that spirit, the Government will always consider what arrangements are needed to ensure resilience in our constitutional arrangements, and in the past we have seen that the point of accession has proved a useful opportunity to consider the arrangements in place.' In other words, watch this space. Lord Stansgate (right), the son of the late Labour grandee Tony Benn (left), continued: 'Is it not time for the Government to approach the King to see whether a sensible amendment can be made to this Act?' Pictured centre, Mr Benn senior's granddaughter Emily Neither the Palace nor Lord True's office had any further comment yesterday. Yet it did not go unnoticed by beady-eyed constitutional commentators such as Dr Craig Prescott, of the UK Constitutional Law Association. He tweeted: 'I think this was the first time the issue of Princes Harry and Andrew being Counsellors of State has been raised in Parliament.' I am told that senior Palace officials were already exploring ways of 'tidying up' this potential stumbling block back in the summer. 'The Queen could see the need for some reforms, while not wishing to exclude the Dukes of Sussex or York,' said a source. 'The King is simply following through with that.' At the Palace, such matters reside jointly with the late Queen's private secretary, Sir Edward Young, and the King's principal private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton. For the time being, they are working in tandem at Buckingham Palace to ensure the smoothest possible handover. This is simply an example of unfinished business. Once the King's first overseas tours are announced and, as the new Head of the Commonwealth, he will have many then a closer focus on the Regency Acts will be inevitable. Both the Palace and the Government will then want to have a plan in place before Lord Stansgate's question becomes a chorus. Meghan Markle admits she's 'particular' and says telling people 'what you need does not make you difficult or demanding' as she reveals her frustration at 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' and slams 'angry black women myth' in latest Archetypes podcast ByRory Tingleand Harriet Johnston For Mailonline Meghan Markle has admitted she is 'particular' but insisted 'telling people what you need does not make you demanding' as she claimed black women are stereotyped as 'angry' in her latest Archetypes podcast on Spotify. Discussing her behaviour in work situations, the Duchess of Sussex spoke of her frustration at 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' due to the fear she could be perceived negatively. 'I'm particular, I think a high tide raises all ships, we're all going to succeed so let's make sure it's really great because it's a shared success for everybody,' she said. 'But I also find myself cowering and tiptoeing into a room and the thing I find most embarrassing when you're saying a sentence and the intonation goes up, like it's a question. 'And you're like, ''oh my God, stop stop like whispering and tiptoeing around it." 'Just say what it is that you need. You're allowed to set a boundary. You're allowed to be clear, it doesn't make you demanding. It doesn't make you difficult, it makes you clear.' The 41-year-old has previously been branded 'Duchess Difficult' following claims about her 'dictatorial' behaviour and 5am emails which allegedly prompted her aide Samantha Cohen to quit. Other 'broken' royal staff told of being reduced to tears by bullying and temper tantrums. Meghan has always strenuously denied any claims of bullying. In the episode, called Upending the 'Angry Black Woman' myth, Meghan chats to actress Issa Rae and the comedian Ziwe Fumudoh to explore the stereotypes around 'women of colour'. Among the episode's other revelations: Meghan suggests the 'archetype' of the 'angry black woman' who is 'overly emotional' dates back to slavery; Suggests the trope has influenced her own behaviour, and she 'makes a choice' to be as 'grounded as possible' because of things that are 'going to be said, no matter what'; Reveals she watched the nomination hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first black Supreme Court judge, and found them 'painful and gripping'; Says when she was casting for black women roles as an actress the characters always had an 'edge or an attitude'; Reveals she's had a genealogy test which identified her as 43 per cent Nigerian; Says it is time to 'try on what it feels like when we're allowed to just live our truths' and 'to be direct without being called angry, to exist on our own terms, to just be, to just be human'. On her new podcast today, the Duchess of Sussex said she often found herself 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' due to the feeling that she could not say what she wanted without being perceived negatively Meghan has been dogged by allegations of bullying her staff at Kensington Palace, with 'broken' royal aides telling of feeling humiliated, 'sick', 'terrified', left 'shaking' with fear and being reduced to tears. She's always denied any claims of bullying In 'Upending the "Angry Black Woman" myth', the Duchess of Sussex chats to actress Issa Rae (left) and comedian Ziwe Fumudo h(right) to explore the stereotypes around 'women of colour' During the podcast, Meghan described attending a 'socially distanced drinks' two years ago and being given a book called Algorithms of Oppression by Internet expert Safiya Noble. 'Once I arrived back home and when I did I was actually shocked. Did you know this? I kept nudging my husband as we were sitting there in bed,' she said. The duchess said the book's thesis that the algorithms behind search engines like Google are racist left her 'jaw on the floor'. She recounted how when Miss Noble searched 'why are black women so' the results included 'so loud', 'so mean' and 'so angry'. Earlier in the episode, Nigerian-American comedian Miss Fumudoh described how her 'brash and rude' onscreen persona was 'in direct opposition to what a woman should be publicly, according to sexism'. In a monologue responding to her comments, Meghan said she was 'so right' and that 'when looked at through the lens of black women' her point of view was 'pretty inspiring'. Introducing the next segment a conversation with actress Miss Rae Meghan said it was time to 'try on what it feels like when we're allowed to just live our truths... to be direct without being called angry, to exist on our own terms, to just be, to just be human'. After asking Miss Rae if she wants a coffee, Meghan reveals she 'only recently started drinking coffee again' after 'not even thinking about it' when she was in the UK. 'When I was on set, of course it was like Nespresso all day, every day. And then I didn't drink it really in the UK and didn't think about it.' Asked why she started drinking it again, Meghan said: 'It's a great question, it's a great question but like I guess because life started to come back and so people started to come when guests come or meetings or and they're like oh would you like coffee?' The duchess later gave another insight into her own acting appointment, and how when she used to go through casting lists of black characters 'they always had to have an edge or an attitude'. One example of alleged racism against black women discussed on the podcast was the treatment of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Senate judiciary committee hearings. Judge Jackson, the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, was quizzed on her views on issues such as critical race theory and whether they would interfere with her decision making. Meghan said: 'I remember watching these hearings in the summer of 2022. They were gripping and painful. Then Judge Jackson remained poised and composed no matter what was happening for her beneath the surface, which I cannot begin to imagine.' At the end of the podcast the duchess paused to hear a rendition of the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. Meghan Markle is set to speak on the 'power of women' at an evening event in the US next month - with tickets costing $5,000 (4,400) per table Today's podcast coincides with the news Meghan will attend a lavish dinner event in the US next month to talk about the 'power of women'. The duchess, who is currently living in her $14million (12.3million) California mansion with Prince Harry after stepping back from royal duties, will be interviewed on-stage during the event billed 'The Power of Women: An Evening with Meghan'. She will take to the stage with Rabbi Sandy Sasso, the first woman rabbi ordained by the Reconstructionist Judiasm movement, at the event. Tickets for the event, which takes place at the Marriot Downtown Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 29, costs a whopping $5,000 (4,400) per table, with any photography or recording on the night banned. It is not known how much Meghan will have been paid for the appearance, however PR experts previously predicted she could earn up to 1m per speech. The online description for the event details: 'Women's Fund is proud to welcome Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, to Indianapolis. 'The Duchess is a mother, feminist, and champion of human rights. She is a lifelong advocate for women and girls, a constant thread she weaves through humanitarian and business ventures. 'Rabbi Sandy Sasso, an acclaimed writer and community leader, will serve as moderator for the evening. 'Rabbi Sandy Sasso is the first woman rabbi ordained by the Reconstructionist movement and previously served at Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis. 'Tables for Power of Women are available for purchase to groups and organizations that support the mission of Women's Fund.' The event has been organised by the Women's Fund of Central Indiana a non-profit which assists local women experiencing hardship or disadvantage. The Duchess of Sussex will be interviewed on-stage during the event billed 'The Power of Women: An Evening with Meghan' The duchess is following in the footsteps of other celebrities with the appearance other keynote speakers have previously included former first lady Michelle Obama. In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined New York-based Harry Walker Agency, which represents the Obamas and the Clintons. PR expert Mark Borkowski told The Sun the pair will 'clean up'. They plan to be available for talks on social issues including racial justice, gender equality, the environment and mental health, according to the LA Times. 'I'm surprised they haven't done this sooner. It will be one of the great income generators for them. The speaker's circuit is a natural safe space for them to plunder,' he added. The Harry Walker Agency has high-profile clients, many of whom are friends of the Duke and Duchess, including Prince Harry's environmentalist friend Jane Goodall and Oprah Winfrey. Others include Meghan's best friend Serena Williams and the actor Tyler Perry whose $18million (15million) Beverly Hills mansion the couple previously lived in. News of Meghan's latest appearance comes as she faces backlash for saying Deal or No Deal in the US 'reduced her to a bimbo.' Meghan made the comments while speaking on the Archetypes podcast with Paris Hilton. The episode, called Breaking Down 'The Bimbo', heard Meghan say she wants her daughter Lilibet to be valued first for her mind, rather than 'beauty not brains' as she was on the TV gameshow. 'I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks. And little substance,' the duchess said of her 34-episode stint on the programme. An online description for the event sees Meghan described as 'a lifelong advocate for women and girls, a constant thread she weaves through humanitarian and business ventures' Actress and chat show host Whoopi Goldberg said Meghan's remarks were naive. 'That's TV, baby. But what did you think you were going to? You know that's what the show was,' she said. 'When you're a performer, you take the gig.' Women who appeared on the show at the same time as Meghan tell a rather different story and say the atmosphere was fun rather than oppressive or sleazy. One of the briefcase girls who worked with Meghan was Lisa Gleave, a successful Australian model, TV presenter and actress now living in LA. Like Meghan, she had to master the art of walking downstairs in a dress and five-inch heels, holding a briefcase and remembering the cardinal rule: look delighted for the contestant if things go well for them and sad if not. Miss Gleave told the Mail of her stint on Deal Or No Deal that she felt 'blessed and lucky to have been on it', adding: 'For me it was a joy and a great career move. Most of the girls would say that.' She said: 'I never looked at it as a show that objectified women. The cast and crew treated us very well. It was a professional set. For many of us, it was a stepping stone on our careers and we went on to greater things.' While she acknowledged the show 'revolved around beautiful women', they were 'all smart and intelligent women and nobody treated us like bimbos'. News of Meghan's latest appearance comes as she faces backlash for saying Deal or No Deal 'reduced her to a bimbo' Dina Cerchione, a stylist who worked on Deal or No deal as well as for shows across several US networks including CBS, NBC, ABC, Netflix and HBO, said 'it's been a rough week watching a show I love so much be criticised'. 'It was one of the most wonderful, challenging, high-profile gigs of my career and I loved every minute of it,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Everyone on the show from my wardrobe team to the producers, the crew, hair and makeup, Howie and especially the models worked SO very hard to make the shows the best they could for the contestants and the fans who adored it. 'I have thought a lot about this, I wouldn't change a thing. 'We all knew how lucky we were and how special our TV family was. There was a mission at work to do the best we could, take care of our full team and treat everyone with the respect they earned and deserved.' Miss Cerchione also said the show was 'a launch pad for so many of the women,' noting 'hosting and being on other television shows,' and even 'being on Oprah' a possible reference to Meghan's bombshell interview. The family of a 17-year-old who was shot several times by a San Antonio cop in a McDonald's parking lot has revealed their son is suffering from pneumonia and experiences frequent hallucinations. Erik Cantu was shot up to five times by rookie officer James Brennand, 25, as he and a female passenger were sitting and eating inside Cantu's 2008 BMW 1281 on October 2. His parents, Erik Cantu Sr. and Victoria Casarez, said he now goes into cardiac arrest when doctors reduce his pain medication. He also experiences hallucinations where he mimics hitting a car's gas pedal. Because of his prolonged intubation from being in the ICU for three weeks, he is also suffering from pneumonia. 'These are the things that we have to see daily that no one should have to see and no one should have to feel,' Cantu Sr. said. Cantu is expected to remain in ICU for at least three more weeks and is still in critical condition. Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who has represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, said the parents are seeking murder charges against Brennand. A civil suit has not been ruled out. Erik Cantu's parents, Erik Cantu Sr. (left) and Victoria Casarez, spoke to the public for the first time since their son was shot in San Antonio Cantu, who was shot several times by Brennand as he sat in his car eating a McDonald's cheeseburger, is currently on life support after several of his organs were punctured during the shooting Cantu Sr. revealed his son now experiences frequent hallucinations, including him mimicking hitting a gas pedal while putting up finger guns Cantu sr. and Casarez spoke on their son's recovery after rookie cop James Brennand, 25, fired 10 shots at their son's car, striking up him up to five times The family is now represented by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who has previously represented the families of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd Crump said he has not ruled out filing a civil suit against Brennand, alleging the officer violated Cantu's Fourth Amendment right Rookie San Antonio cop James Brennand, 25, shot 17-year-old Erik Cantu as he sat in his car in a McDonald's parking lot Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales reportedly told Cantu's family that Brennand assumed he was a suspect because he was 'a Hispanic kid with a bowl-shaped haircut.' Crump alleges Brennand violated Cantu's Fourth Amendment rights by assuming Cantu had stolen the vehicle he was driving. 'That's it,' Crump said. 'That's why we're here. That's why (Brennand) shot 10 times.' The family also revealed that there is more body cam footage that has not been released to the public. Cantu Sr. recalled the footage, adding that Cantu was calling for his mother and said 'I've been shot' as Brennand placed handcuffs on the wounded teen. 'Yes, you have, because I shot you,' Brennand reportedly replied. Since Brennand showed 'no humanity' in the unreleased footage, in addition to a false accusation made by the officer that Cantu had struck Brennand with his car, the family is now demanding his $200,000 bail be revoked. 'No one is safe with him out on the streets,' Casarez said. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he believes 'there is no question in anybody's mind looking at that video that the shooting is not justified' and that the body cam footage is 'horrific' to watch. James Brennand's mugshot In the body cam footage, Cantu is seen driving away as Brennand DailyMail.com revealed that Brennand slapped handcuffs on Cantu after he opened fire and while the teen was on the pavement gasping for air Cantu's passenger has been left in shock and is also feeling some guilt because it was her decision to east outside the fast food restaurant that night, she told DailyMail.com. Cantu, who she is dating, wanted to dine inside, but she was tired and pleaded with him to use the drive-through so they could just eat in the car, sources said. After picking up their order at the window, they parked in the lot and were listening to music as Cantu took his first few bites. That's when the cop spotted the maroon car and reportedly suspected it was stolen. Police confirmed Cantu's car had a license plate registered to a different vehicle, but have not confirmed whether it was stolen. Brennand abruptly opened the door and demanded Cantu get out. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he believes 'there is no question in anybody's mind looking at that video that the shooting is not justified' Cantu's family expects him to remain in ICU for the next two to three weeks The girl has said they were both startled and fearful, not understanding what was happening, sources told DailyMail.com. Brennand's bodycam footage shows the initial encounter. As Cantu questioned the officer's orders, he attempted to put the car in reverse and the door caught Brennand, who rapidly fired several shots into the driver's side of the vehicle. Cantu tried to drive away, but Brennand continued shooting, firing a total of 10 shots, four or five of which hit the teen. The girl heard the loud cracks of gunfire as they drove off. They then stopped a block away. The girl helped Cantu unfasten his seat belt and they both stepped out. Cantu was holding his shot arm, not knowing he'd been hit elsewhere . 'He thought it was just his arm,' a source said. Family attorney Brian Powers said Cantu sustained injuries to his stomach, liver, diaphragm, lungs and arms. He was crying 'help' and telling her to 'call an ambulance,' the source added. Cantu sustained injuries to his stomach, liver, diaphragm, lungs and arms She cradled his head on her lap on the pavement. She saw blood coming from his stomach and was also screaming out for help. The officer caught up with them moments later. According to the girl's account, Brennand cuffed Cantu's hands behind his back, while telling her to look away. While it is standard procedure for cops to handcuff a suspect even before administering aid to avoid potentially unruly behavior, several people close to Cantu told DailyMail.com they found it wildly inappropriate given the officer is the one who repeatedly shot the unarmed teen. They also found it bizarre that hed be telling his passenger to look away, regardless of his intention. Authorities have yet to release the bodycam footage of the cuffing. They say Brennand administered CPR while he waited for paramedics. He has since been charged with two counts of aggravated assault by a public servant after turning himself in at the Bexar County Jail. A hearing is set for November 23. Labour was accused of dirty tricks and launching a smear campaign against Rishi Sunak and his wife yesterday by calling for non-dom tax status to be abolished. Pat McFadden, the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, wrote to Mr Sunak on his first day as Prime Minister saying that axing the status could raise billions of pounds. But it sparked a backlash, with Tory MPs accusing Labour of trying to attack Mr Sunak and his wife over their wealth. In April it emerged that Mr Sunak's multi-millionaire wife, Akshata Murthy, was a non-domiciled UK resident. It meant she avoided UK taxes on her overseas earnings in return for paying an annual charge of 30,000. The arrangement is perfectly legal. Pat McFadden, pictured, the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, wrote to Mr Sunak on his first day as Prime Minister saying that axing the status could raise billions of pounds In April it emerged that Mr Sunak's multi-millionaire wife, Akshata Murthy, pictured together, was a non-domiciled UK resident Mr McFadden denied orchestrating a smear campaign when asked by the Daily Mail, saying: 'It's not a policy about one person.' Asked again whether Labour was 'deliberately targeting' the new PM and his wife, he said: 'You could raise billions of pounds in [scrapping non-dom status] and at a time when we are told next week's fiscal event is going to involve tough decisions. 'But this is a different decision he could take [to raise money].' Labour claims up to 3billion would be raised by scrapping the tax status. Anneliese Dodds, the former shadow chancellor, also went on the attack. She told Sky News: 'We've been very clear that we would remove those loopholes for non-doms which mean that they pay far less tax than people who live here and pay taxes in the ordinary way. We would do that so we can pay for more nurses and more doctors in our NHS.' Labour claims up to 3billion would be raised by scrapping the tax status. Anneliese Dodds,pictured, the former shadow chancellor, also went on the attack But former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith fired back, saying: 'It's completely smear tactics and dirty tricks from Labour. 'It's childish, pathetic and reducing politics to personalities even though they profess to be above all that.' Referring to a tweet by Labour MP Nadia Whittome, in which she said Mr Sunak's victory was not 'a win for Asian representation' because of his wealth, Sir Iain added: 'I understand some Labour MPs were verging on racism, but what are they doing about that? 'It's utterly outrageous and appalling...Labour needs to stop and put their own house in order.' Miss Whittome deleted the post on Monday night after being contacted by Labour headquarters and urged to take it down. But it remained online for several hours and she was still a Labour MP yesterday. But former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, pictured, fired back, saying: 'It's completely smear tactics and dirty tricks from Labour. 'It's childish, pathetic and reducing politics to personalities even though they profess to be above all that' Referring to a now-deleted tweet by Labour MP Nadia Whittome, pictured, in which she said Mr Sunak's victory was not 'a win for Asian representation' because of his wealth, Sir Iain added: 'I understand some Labour MPs were verging on racism, but what are they doing about that? Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: 'Labour are just jealous because we're the first party to have a non-white prime minister and yet Labour hasn't even had a woman as leader yet.' It came as party leader Sir Keir Starmer briefed his Shadow Cabinet on the attack lines they should use against the PM including painting Mr Sunak as a 'weird guy'. By contrast, Labour will present Sir Keir as a 'centrist dad'. Labour's strategy will also involve painting Mr Sunak as 'a weak prime minister who will have to put his party first and the country second'. Sir Keir told the meeting: '[Mr Sunak's] first message yesterday was about the need to save the Tory party, not serve the country.' He also accused Mr Sunak of having 'stabbed Boris Johnson in the back' by resigning as chancellor this summer, bringing Mr Johnson's premiership crashing down, and mocked the new PM for getting 'thrashed' by Liz Truss in the previous Tory leadership race. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, pictured, said: 'Labour are just jealous because we're the first party to have a non-white prime minister and yet Labour hasn't even had a woman as leader yet' It came as party leader Sir Keir Starmer briefed his Shadow Cabinet on the attack lines they should use against the PM including painting Mr Sunak as a 'weird guy'. By contrast, Labour will present Sir Keir as a 'centrist dad' They will also seek to accuse the Government of making working people pay for mistakes made in last month's mini-budget which exacerbated the public finance crisis. Sir Keir made no mention of himself being a multi-millionaire. Amid the controversy over Miss Murthy's tax status earlier this year, her spokesman said she would start paying UK taxes on overseas earnings to relieve political pressure on her husband, who was then Chancellor. At the time Mr Sunak described 'smear' attacks on Miss Murthy, whose billionaire father is one of India's wealthiest businessmen, as 'very upsetting'. Mr McFadden's letter, seen by the Mail, said the most pressing task facing Mr Sunak 'will undoubtedly be to combat the country's spiralling cost of living.' It added: 'One issue which has come to light is 'non-dom' status and the idea that those with wealth can... choose in which jurisdiction to pay their taxes.' The letter asked the PM to scrap non-dom status and guarantee he will not appoint any ministers who have it. '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 Have you ever wondered what the Earth's magnetic field would sound like? The result may not be music to your ears. Scientists at the Technical University of Denmark took magnetic signals measured by a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite and converted them into sound. The result is a rumbling, jangling, crackling noise that wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie soundtrack. The researchers used the satellite data in this way to remind listeners about the magnetic field that continues to protect life on Earth from cosmic radiation. Musician and project supporter Klaus Nielsen said: 'The team used data from ESA's Swarm satellites, as well as other sources, and used these magnetic signals to manipulate and control a sonic representation of the core field. 'The rumbling of Earth's magnetic field is accompanied by a representation of a geomagnetic storm that resulted from a solar flare on 3 November 2011, and indeed it sounds pretty scary.' The sound of the Earth's magnetic field Your browser does not support the audio element. Scientists at the Technical University of Denmark took magnetic signals measured by a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite and converted them into sound waves (pictured) The magnetic field and electric currents in and around Earth generate complex forces that have immeasurable impact on every day life. The field can be thought of as a huge bubble, protecting us from cosmic radiation and charged particles that bombard Earth in solar winds WHAT IS EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD AND HOW DOES IT PROTECT US? Earth's magnetic field is a layer of electrical charge that surrounds our planet. The field protects life on our planet because it deflects charged particles fired from the sun known as 'solar wind'. Without this protective layer, these particles would likely strip away the Ozone layer, our only line of defence against harmful UV radiation. Earth's magnetic field (blue) is a layer of electrical charge that surrounds our planet. The field protects life on our planet because it deflects charged particles fired from the sun (orange) known as 'solar wind' (artist's impression) Scientists believe the Earth's core is responsible for creating its magnetic field. As molten iron in the Earth's outer core escapes it creates convection currents. These currents generate electric currents which create the magnetic field in a natural process known as a geodynamo. Advertisement The Earth's magnetic field is largely generated by the superheated, swirling liquid iron that makes up our planet's outer core, 1,900 miles (3,000 km) below our feet. As heat escapes from the inner core, the iron moves around in convection currents, and the motion generates powerful electrical currents. The rotation of Earth on its axis causes these electric currents to form a magnetic field which extends around the planet and stretches out into space. As well as allowing compasses to work, the magnetic field protects us from bombardment of cosmic radiation and charged particles carried by solar winds. The magnetic field can actually attract some of these charged particles, causing them to collide with the atoms in the upper atmosphere, like oxygen and nitrogen. When they do this, some of the energy in the collisions is transformed into the green-blue light - known as the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. This is the only visual representation of the magnetic field we can experience, but otherwise it is invisible and does not make a sound. The ESA's trio of Swarm satellites were launched in 2013 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, and are currently being used to understand exactly how our magnetic field is generated. They do this by measuring the magnetic signals that stem from the Earth's core, mantle, crust and oceans, as well as from the ionosphere and magnetosphere. The Swarm mission is also looking into the impacts of space weather on our atmosphere. Researchers in Denmark collected the data from the Swarm satellites and translated it into sound waves, making our magnetic field audible for the very first time. The audio clip is accompanied by the sound of a solar storm. It is being played through 30 loudspeakers dug into the ground at Solbjerg Square in Copenhagen all this week at 08:00, 13:00 and 19:00. Mr Nielsen said: 'We have set it up so that each speaker represents a different location on Earth and demonstrates how our magnetic field has fluctuated over the last 100,000 years. 'The project has certainly been a rewarding exercise in bringing art and science together.' The Earth's magnetic field is a largely generated by the superheated, swirling liquid iron that makes up our planet's outer core 1,900 miles (3,000 km) below our feet. Pictured: Strength of the magnetic field at Earth's surface In 2019, astronomers recorded the eerie warbling 'song' sung by the Earth's magnetic field when hit by a storm of charged particles sent from the sun. The result was a sonic version of the aurora borealis light show, which can be seen near the poles when charged particles interact with the Earth's atmosphere. ESA experts analysed the magnetic waves produced as these 'solar winds' buffet the Earth, and turned the results into audible frequencies. Data for the study was collected by the ESA's Cluster II mission, which placed four identical spacecraft, flying in formation, in the Earth's so-called magnetosphere. The psychedelic song was identified after the team sent the spacecraft through the 'foreshock' region of the magnetic field. This region faces the Sun and is the first part to be impacted by incoming solar storms. Normally, the constant flow of charged particles that makes up the solar wind causes the foreshock to emit simple magnetic waves that when converted into audio waves sound something like a single, low musical note. But when a solar storm strikes the Earth, the impact of it against the magnetic field's foreshock causes this 'music' to rise in pitch and become far more complex. WhatsApp is finally back online following a two hour outage that left users unable to send or receive messages. The problems started at around 08:20 BST, and affected users across the UK, Australia, South Africa and Asia. MailOnline tried to access the app and was unable to send or receive messages or photos. During the outage, Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, told MailOnline: 'We're aware that some people are currently having trouble sending messages. 'We're working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible.' The outage left Tory MPs without a crucial communications tool on the day Rishi Sunak enters office as Prime Minister and begins a Cabinet reshuffle. WhatsApp is finally back online following a two hour outage that left users unable to send or receive messages As of Tuesday morning, more than 60,000 issues have been logged on DownDetector How to access WhatsApp Stealth Mode Open WhatsApp Tap the Settings icon in the bottom right corner Tap Account Tap Privacy Tap Last Seen & Online Under 'Who can see my last seen' you'll fine a new 'who can see when I'm online' option Advertisement More than 68,000 issues were logged on DownDetector, which collates reports of outages from multiple sources, including social media and mobile apps Of those who logged a report, 55 per cent said they were having issues sending messages, 41 per cent were experiencing a server connection, and five per cent simply said there was a problem with the app. WhatsApp users could still open the app on their device, but it failed to send or receive messages. Among the most concerned users of the app were likely to be Conservative MPs the platform is a widely used tool among backbenchers, Cabinet ministers, and their aides to discuss public messaging and regularly gauge the mood of the Parliamentary party. And on the day of a Cabinet reshuffle, many MPs hopeful of landing a ministerial job were left without a vital way of sounding out advisers and contacts on their own chances and the fate of their colleagues. The app has previously been identified as the communications tool of choice for MPs plotting against their leader, and Boris Johnson is said to have often been sent summaries of key Government information via the app during his time in Downing Street. Several frustrated took to Twitter to discuss this morning's outage. One user wrote: 'So I was blaming my WiFi but actually I got to check on Twitter that the WhatsApp is down.' Another added: 'Is WhatsApp down? Is it me or are you all facing an issue? I haven't received a message in the last 30 minutes and it's unusual.' And one joked: 'When your WhatsApp is playing up but you come to Twitter and see that everyone else is having the same problem.' The app is owned by Meta, the company led by Mark Zuckerberg that also owns Facebook and Instagram. WhatsApp is owned by Meta, the company led by Mark Zuckerberg that also owns Facebook and Instagram The outage comes shortly after WhatsApp launched 'stealth mode', which allows you to select who can see when you're on the app. The tool was one of three privacy features announced by Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of WhatsApp's parent company Meta, in August. 'We'll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations,' Zuckerberg said. Stealth mode has been rolled out to all users, and allows you to choose who can see when you're online. 'Seeing when friends or family are online helps us feel connected to one another, but we've all had times when we wanted to check our WhatsApp privately,' WhatsApp explained. 'For the times you want to keep your online presence private, we're introducing the ability to select who can and can't see when you're online.' While WhatsApp is yet to comment on the outage itself, several frustrated users have taken to Twitter to discuss it Advertisement This morning, stargazers from around the world were treated to a partial solar eclipse. This is when the moon blocks out part of the sun, as it moves in between our planet and the star. The moon's 27-day orbit around the Earth is tilted compared with the Earth's orbit around the sun, so the three bodies do not line up like this every month. When it does occur, the silhouette of our natural satellite blocks the view of some or all of the bright solar surface, and the sun appears to have a bite taken out of it. The size of the blocked portion is dependent on where the viewer is on the Earth, with the best vantage point being Siberia in Russia, where the moon obscured 85 per cent of the sun. For most of the UK, 15 per cent of the sun was blocked, although better views were received in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, with up to 28 per cent covered. Earlier this morning, stargazers from around the world were treated to a partial solar eclipse. Pictured: Partial solar eclipse from L'Aquila, Italy A partial solar eclipse is when the moon blocks out part of the sun, as it moves in between our planet and the star. Pictured: Partial solar eclipse from Ixelles, Belgium The size of the blocked portion is dependent on where the viewer is on the Earth. Pictured: Partial solar eclipse rising over a wind vane in North Shields, UK A solar eclipse occurs in the daytime at new moon, when the moon is between Earth and the sun. Pictured: Partial solar eclipse from Antwerp, Belgium Because the moon 'wobbles' up and down, a new moon can happen without it blocking the sun (solar eclipse) or partially blocking the sun (partial solar eclipse). Partial solar eclipse over Malmo, Sweden. In the foreground is the roof statue 'Rider of the Apocalypse' A bird flies in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse in Bucharest, Romania this morning WHAT IS A PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE? A partial solar eclipse is when a new moon blocks out part of the sun, as it moves in between our planet and the star. The moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted compared with the Earth's orbit around the sun, so the three bodies do not line up like this every month. Advertisement A solar eclipse occurs in the daytime at new moon, when the moon is between Earth and the sun. Because the moon 'wobbles' up and down, a new moon can happen without it blocking the sun (solar eclipse) or partially blocking the sun (partial solar eclipse). The eclipse began at 10:08 BST in London today, with the maximum eclipse appearing at 11:13 BST, when the moon covered about a sixth of the sun. Twitter users have been posting their images of the partial solar eclipse, many of which were viewed in cloudy skies which gave the moon an eerie glow. Astronomers warned against looking directly at the sun during this morning's event, which can cause permanent damage to the eyes. Dr Robert Massey, of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'The simplest way to watch an eclipse is to use a pinhole in a piece of card. 'An image of the sun can then be projected on to another piece of card behind it.' You can experiment with the distance between the two pieces of card, however they will need to be at least 30 cm apart. The eclipse was obscured by clouds when it appeared over Haarlem, the Netherlands Astronomers warned against looking directly at the sun during this morning's event, which can cause permanent damage to the eyes. Pictured: Partial solar eclipse over Istanbul, Turkey A view of the partial solar eclipse over a minaret in Ankara, Turkey this morning. It is the last solar eclipse of the year The next partial eclipse after this, visible from the UK, will be on March 29, 2025 when up to 47 per cent of the sun will appear to be covered by the moon. Pictured: Partial solar eclipse over Oxfordshire, UK The next partial eclipse after this, visible from the UK, will be on March 29, 2025 when up to 47 per cent of the sun will appear to be covered by the moon. This will be followed by another on August 12, 2026 where the UK will see up to 90 per cent of the sun obscured. The UK won't see a total solar eclipse where the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon until September 23, 2090. The partial solar eclipse rose over Hede-Bazouges in Brittany, France this morning, and appeared a golden colour The moon partially obscured the solar surface this morning over Gaza City in the Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave A partial solar eclipse can be seen above the gilded statue of Archangel Michael on the dome of Schwerin Castle, Germany A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment such that the moon appears - from certain locations - to completely block out the sun in the sky Former Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo has been elected as the chairperson of a council of past U.N. General Assembly presidents, according to Seoul's permanent mission to the U.N. on Monday. Han was elected to lead the Council of Presidents of General Assembly (CPGA) for a three-year term at the group's annual meeting held in New York last Thursday, along with Jan Kavan, former Czech foreign minister, as vice chairperson. Han served as the president of the 56th U.N. General Assembly in 2001 during his term as Korea's foreign minister. CPGA was founded in 1997. (Yonhap) Those who are a stickler for etiquette should look away now. That's because we've all been dining the wrong way and should be eating with our hands, according to a psychologist. Professor Charles Spence, from the University of Oxford, said giving up cutlery is the secret to enjoying food. He says eating with our hands can 'heighten the dining experience' even for meals like pasta and messy curries. Those who are a stickler for etiquette should look away now. That's because we've all been dining the wrong way and should be eating with our hands, according to a psychologist Why you should eat with your mouth open Meat, fruit and vegetables contain volatile organic compounds such as esters, ketones, terpenoids and aldehydes. These make up the food's characteristic aromas and contribute to their flavour. The compounds can reach the back of the nose better while chewing open-mouthed. When they hit the back of the nose, olfactory sensory neurons fire up which connect directly to the brain and heighten our experience of eating. Advertisement 'Eating with your hands is scientifically proven to improve texture and the flavour of food, as well as a whole host of health benefits,' he said. 'It's something more people should know about and get to grips with. 'Many of the world's most popular foods are eaten with the hands think burgers, tacos, tortilla, wraps, and wings, so why can't other foods be as well? 'Eating with our hands helps to make us more mindful about what we are eating and heighten our dining experience, rather than just thoughtlessly using cutlery like we always do. 'The fork gets in the way and separates you from your senses.' Meanwhile, a survey reveals a quarter of people in Britain would like to ditch the knife, fork and spoon for a more hands-on experience. Of the 2,500 people who took part in the research, 19 per cent said they felt 'more relaxed' when eating with their hands, while one in 10 said it made the meal even tastier. However it found the majority of people are still reluctant to try it, with concerns about how others will react. Online restaurant booking platform TheFork, who carried out the survey, have launched the UK's first-ever 'eat with your hands' dining experience at 20 London restaurants. A survey reveals a quarter of people in Britain would like to ditch the knife, fork and spoon for a more hands-on experience Earlier this year, Professor Charles Spence said ditching 'outdated' manners and embracing open-mouthed eating is the best way to gain maximum pleasure while dining Earlier this year, Professor Spence said ditching 'outdated' manners and embracing open-mouthed eating is the best way to gain maximum pleasure while dining. 'Parents instil manners in their children, extolling the virtues of politely chewing with our mouths closed,' he said. 'However chewing open-mouthed may actually help to release more of the volatile organic compounds, contributing to our sense of smell and the overall perception.' Meat, fruit and vegetables all contain volatile organic compounds such as esters, ketones, terpenoids and aldehydes, which make up the characteristic aromas and contribute to the food's flavour. Chewing open-mouthed helps more of these compounds reach the back of the nose, firing up the olfactory sensory neurons which connect directly to the brain and heighten our experience of eating, Professor Spence said. The mud stones contain magnetic minerals that act like the needle of a compass when heated or burned, which shows that the city at the site was burned down Archaeologists have confirmed Biblical accounts of military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah by reconstructing the direction and/or intensity of the Earth's magnetic field recorded in burnt remnants found at 21 different sites across Israel. A team of researchers led by Tel-Aviv University used a collection of mud stones containing magnetic minerals that record magnetic fields when heated or burned. This is because some rocks and materials contain minerals that respond to the magnetic field like the needle of a compass, allowing researchers to determine if the city that once stood was burned to the ground. The study, however, also uses ancient inscriptions found at the sites and text from the Old Testament. Findings indicate that the army of Hazael, King of Aram-Damascus, was responsible for the destruction of several citiesTel Rehov, Tel Zayit and Horvat Tevet, in addition to Gath of the Philistines, whose destruction is noted in the Hebrew Bible. At the same time, the study debunks the prevailing theory that Hazael was the conqueror who destroyed Tel Beth-Shean. The team dug through layers of destruction to uncover recordings of Earth's magnetic field in burnt mud brick wall. This region is of from Tel Batash (Biblical Timnah) and shows markings of the field orientation Earth's ever changing geomagnetic field is generated by the motion of liquid iron in the outer core of the planet. It shields the planet from dangerous radiation and enables technology to function - from satellites to phone lines. Various dating methods have placed the destruction of Gath in the Judean foothills at around 830 BC, but such techniques were unable to verify that Hazael was also responsible for the destruction of Tel Rehov, Tel Zayit and Horvat Tevet. Lead author Yoav Vaknin and colleagues synchronized the magnetic fields recorded at all four sites - making a very strong case for them occurring during the same campaign. But a totally different magnetic field was recorded at Tel Beth-Shean, which suggest the city was not attacked by Hazael. The team believes that because the data is different, the city was likely destroyed 100 years earlier. This falls around the same time period as the the military campaign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Shoshenq, which is also described in the Hebrew Bible. Researchers used a collection of mud stones (pictured) containing magnetic minerals that record magnetic fields when heated or burned. This is because some rocks and materials contain minerals that respond to the magnetic field like the needle of a compass, Findings indicate that the army of Hazael, King of Aram-Damascus, was responsible for the destruction of several citiesTel Rehov, Tel Zayit, and Horvat Tevet, in addition to Gath of the Philistines, whose destruction is noted in the Hebrew Bible And an inscription on a wall of the Temple of Amun in Karnak, Egypt, mentions Beth-Shean as one of his conquests. The groundbreaking investigation also sheds fresh light on the end of the Kingdom of Judah. Co author Professor Erez Ben-Yose, also from the Hebrew University, said: 'The last days of the Kingdom of Judah are widely debated. 'Some researchers, relying on archaeological evidence, argue that Judah was not completely destroyed by the Babylonians. 'While Jerusalem and frontier cities in the Judean foothills ceased to exist, other towns in the Negev, the southern Judean Mountains and the southern Judean foothills remained almost unaffected. 'Now, the magnetic results support this hypothesis, indicating that the Babylonians were not solely responsible for Judah's ultimate demise. Lead author Yoav Vaknin (pictured) explained that 'based on the similarity or difference in intensity and direction of the magnetic field, we can either corroborate or disprove hypotheses claiming that specific sites were burned during the same military campaign 'Several decades after they had destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple, sites in the Negev, which had survived the Babylonian campaign, were destroyed - probably by the Edomites who took advantage of the fall of Jerusalem. 'This betrayal and participation in the destruction of the surviving cities may explain why the Hebrew Bible expresses so much hatred for the Edomites - for example, in the prophecy of Obadiah.' The researchers used archaeological findings collected from the 17 sites over the past several decades, along with the biblical accounts and ancient inscriptions. This allowed the team to reconstruct the magnetic fields recorded in 21 destruction layers, which not only resulted in discoveries about what occurred on the land but also developed a new tool that can be used for archaeological dating. Vaknin explained that 'based on the similarity or difference in intensity and direction of the magnetic field, we can either corroborate or disprove hypotheses claiming that specific sites were burned during the same military campaign. 'Moreover, we have constructed a variation curve of field intensity over time which can serve as a scientific dating tool, similar to the radiocarbon dating method.' Every week our Holiday Hero Neil Simpson takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you dont have to. This week: Amsterdam in autumn. Amsterdam has long been a favourite destination for a city break, with so much to do that a weekend never does it justice. But head there at this time of year, when the changing seasons create a backdrop of jaw-dropping natural beauty and throw in the promise of top-notch art and culture not to mention fewer tourists and a short hop over the North Sea seems even more tempting. Holiday Hero Neil Simpson reveals why a city break in Amsterdam (pictured) is even more tempting during the autumn months As if to prove its status as a cultural beacon, which other city would hold an annual festival on a Saturday night, no less in which more than 50 museums stay open until 2am featuring a mix of live music, workshops, cocktail bars and food trucks alongside the galleries and exhibits? While tickets for this years Museum Night, on the first Saturday of November, have sold out, the city is chock full of a mix of world-famous galleries and quirkier, less well-known collections. Its big three museums are the Rijksmuseum, featuring Rembrandts The Night Watch, while the Van Gogh Museum has one of his bright yellow Sunflowers on display, and the Stedelijk Museum is home to pop art by Mondrian, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The Rijksmuseum, featuring Rembrandts The Night Watch (pictured), is one of the city's big three museums Smaller sites worth a visit include Our Lord In The Attic, in the heart of the red-light district, which is one of the oldest museums in Amsterdam and was once a secret church built under the eaves of a 17th Century house when Catholic worship was banned. A good-value way to see Amsterdams main attractions is with the iamsterdam City Card. It offers free entry to some 70 museums and free public transport, plus access to bike rentals and canal cruises. Pay a visit to Our Lord In The Attic (above), which was once a secret church built under the eaves of a 17th Century house when Catholic worship was banned Cards are valid from 24 hours, costing about 50, to five days for about 100 (iamsterdam.com). December and January also bring the Amsterdam Light Festival, when artists from around the world create sparkling installations over and along the canals. Climb aboard heated boats for a tour with commentary as you glide past each exhibit, or take a small-group walking tour with a local guide (amsterdamlightfestival.com). Shimmering city: Above is an installation over the canals during the Amsterdam Light Festival, which returns to the city in December As the nights draw in, visitors should also take in the Christmas markets and search for the traditional brown cafes. Nothing to do with Amsterdams infamous cannabis cafes, these Dutch pubs are famous for cosy interiors, local beers and warming winter stews. Amsterdam is easy to reach with direct Eurostar trains that take just under four hours from London. Return fares start from about 110, or buy packages to include two nights in a central hotel from 195pp for two (eurostar.com). As the nights draw in, visitors should take in Amsterdam's Christmas markets. Above is the festive market in the city's Rembrandtplein square Dozens of daily flights reach Amsterdam in little more than an hour, with departures from across the UK from about 49 return. Packages with the likes of BA Holidays can be equally good value. It offers flights and two nights at Xo Hotels Park West, a short tram ride from the city centre, from 129pp. Or two nights in Boutique Hotel Notting Hill, on the edge of the Museum Quarter, from 199pp including flights (ba.com/holidays). Today show host Allison Langdon was left shocked after one of her guests exposed himself live on air on Tuesday. Allison and her fill-in co-host David Campbell were interviewing Jimmy Niggles - real name Scott Maggs - on his latest project to raise funds for skin cancer. They crossed to Jimmy, who was completely nude and holding a sign over his private parts which read: 'Strip off for skin cancer'. Today show host Allison Langdon was left shocked after one of her guests exposed himself live on air on Tuesday 'Oh my, I can't look at this,' a stunned Allison said, before covering her face with a paper. Jimmy explained: 'We're down here on Bondi Beach with some very special news. It's very revealing news. It's very exciting for the whole country.' 'Spencer Tunick, who is an incredible internationally renowned artist is coming Down Under yet again. And for those who don't know he specialises in large scale nude installation photography.' Allison and her fill-in co-host David Campbell were interviewing Jimmy Niggles - real name Scott Maggs - on his latest project to raise funds for skin cancer. They crossed to Jimmy, who was completely nude and holding a sign over his private parts which read: 'Strip off for skin cancer ' Jimmy then exposed his bare bottom when he turned away from the camera and ran towards the beach. During the interview, Jimmy revealed he's aiming to get 2000 naked people to gather for a photo to 'shine a massive spotlight on skin cancer in Australia'. 'We're aiming to get 2,000 people to represent 2,000 people that die from skin cancer every year. Each one of those will represent someone,' he said. Despite being one of the most successful cancers to treat if discovered early, melanoma remains one of Australia's biggest killers claiming one Australian every five hours. 'Oh my I can't look at this,' a shocked 'Oh my, I can't look at this,' a stunned Allison said, before covering her face with a paper Jimmy then exposed his bare bottom when he turned away from the camera and ran towards the beach Jimmy has been encouraging everyone to get their skin checked after the death of his friend Wes Bonny in 2010, aged just 26. He recently shaved off his iconic beard after fundraising for his charity Beard Season reached the $1million mark. Jimmy began growing his beard 11 years ago, using it as a life-changing conversation starter to encourage everyone he spoke to, to get their skin checked. A desperate influencer with more than 400,000 Instagram followers has revealed he refuses to speak to his own family because they're not famous. California-based Larz, 23, told Australian radio show Kyle and Jackie O on Monday he stopped speaking to his non-famous relatives when his profile started to grow. 'I'm just more famous than everyone and I won't talk to people who aren't unless they get the same amount of followers as me,' he told hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson. Larz (pictured), am influencer from California with more than 400,000 Instagram followers, has revealed he refuses to speak to his own family because they're not famous Henderson then asked Larz if he ever gets lonely after cutting off his family, and he responded that his famous friends are better company. 'I do miss them sometimes, but I can talk to Cardi B or someone like that,' he said. He then revealed he has nine siblings but has blocked them all on social media and won't unblock them until they significantly increase their follower count. Larz, 23, told Australian radio show Kyle and Jackie O on Monday he stopped speaking to his non-famous relatives when his profile started to grow Larz made headlines in 2020 when he was admitted to hospital with Covid just days after posting a video of himself licking a toilet bowl for a revolting TikTok challenge. The influencer, who was also part of a craze that saw youngsters licking ice cream tubs in supermarkets, tweeted: 'I tested positive for coronavirus.' At the time, Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan publicly lashed out at Larz and said him catching the virus was 'karma'. 'I'm just more famous than everyone and I won't talk to people who aren't unless they get the same amount of followers as me,' said Larz (pictured with Billie Eilish) Larz previously appeared on Dr Phil with another influencer, Bameron Kall, where they discussed how they had licked tubs of ice cream and spat mouthwash back into the bottle in viral videos. 'I don't talk to my family,' Larz told Dr Phil. 'They're irrelevant. None of them has followers. If they got followers or got rich, I'd probably talk to them again.' He bragged he had 'lots of money' from paid sponsorship deals across his social media accounts, where he posts pictures with luxury cars and celebrities. Paddy McGuinness cut a dapper figure as he hit the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards in London on Monday. The Top Gear host, 49, donned a smart black tuxedo for the glitzy event while his estranged wife Christine looked after their three children at home. He layered the tailored jacket over a crisp black shirt which he teamed with a suave dickie bow. Dapper Dan: Paddy McGuinness, 49, cut a dapper figure as he hit the red carpet at the Pride of Britain awards in London on Monday Paddy, who was spotted still wearing his wedding band earlier this week two months after the split, completed the look with a pair of smart dress shoes. The television personality sported an unshaven complexion as he walked the red carpet before the emotional ceremony. The annual Pride of Britain Awards return for a 23rd year at London's Grosvenor House on Monday evening, with Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo co-hosting the star-studded affair. Hot stuff: Christine has just returned from a sunny holiday in Greece Earlier in the day reality star Christine, 34, took to Instagram to share memories of her work trip to Crete. The mother-of-three put her phenomenal figure on display in a keyhole cut out bikini that highlighted her incredibly toned abs and ample cleavage. Another stunning look saw Christine slip into a high-neck navy swimsuit while checking out the wonders of her resort. Smarty pants: Paddy, who was still wearing his wedding band earlier this week two months after the split, completed the look with a pair of smart dress shoes Pals: Paddy (right) caught up with pal Sir Mo Farrah (left) Christine captured the clip: 'When business meets pleasure. Thats a fire combination.' The blonde bombshell is now home looking after children: twins Penelope and Leo, eight, and Felicity, six. She and Paddy have continued to co-parent their three children - all of whom have been diagnosed with autism- amicably and are believed to be staying in the same home after announcing their split in July. Winner: (L-R) Keith Lemon, Graham Montgomery and his daughter Lucy who won the teenager of Courage Award, which was presented by Paddy Despite this, Christine admitted earlier this month she felt anxious at the prospect of spending time with Paddy at the National Television Awards. However, Paddy took to Instagram to show how he spent his night in after deciding to skip the awards despite being nominated for Best Authored Documentary. He shared a photo of his takeaway, penning: 'Sometimes only a chippy tea will do! Before and after. Chips, pudding, peas and gravy.' A source told MailOnline: 'Paddy stayed home to look after the kids so Christine could attend the event.' Just a day before, Christine took to Instagram and explained she's really nervous about attending the NTAs following her split from Paddy. A nervous Christine said: 'I'm going to the NTAs tomorrow. I'm a nominee for the documentary me and Patrick made with our children and I'm really anxious. I'm quite nervous, just because of everything. 'It's not the best situation, but you know I haven't done anything wrong and I know what a big difference try documentary made and I know how hard the whole team worked on it. 'So I'm going to go and try and hold my head up high and just enjoy the night.' MailOnline exclusively revealed earlier this year that Paddy had split from Christine after 11 years of marriage, with the pair 'living separate lives' for months. In a statement confirming the split, the pair wrote: 'We hadn't planned on sharing this publicly until we were ready but after the lack of privacy surrounding our life personal life, we feel left with no other option but to clarify. Stunning: Christine put on a jaw-dropping display at the star-studded National Television Awards in London earlier this month (pictured at the event) 'A while ago we took the difficult decision to separate but our main focus as always is to continue loving and supporting our children. 'This was not an easy decision to make but we are moving forward as the best parents we can be for our three beautiful children. 'We'll always be a loving family, we still have a great relationship and still live happily in our family home together.' They added: 'We hope this now draws a line under anymore unwanted intrusion into our private life.' Will Smith was getting back into the swing of things on Monday when he revealed an impressive array of stars who attended an advance screening of his upcoming film Emancipation. The 54-year-old Oscar winner beamed in a photo posted to Instagram featuring a loved-up Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, along with comedian Dave Chappelle, film star Tyler Perry and more. Will seems to be trying to revive his career and reestablish himself as he returns with his first major project since he shocked Academy Awards viewers earlier this year when he slapped Chris Rock on stage. Famous friends: Will Smith, 54, continued his acting comeback on Monday when he shared a star-studded photo of a screening of Emancipation featuring Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Dave Chappelle, Tyler Perry and more Will sported a particularly thick beard and close-cropped hair as he showed a toothy smile while snapping a selfie. He was dressed casually in a cream-colored striped shirt with a charcoal jacket. Standing behind him was Rihanna, who flashed playfully bunny ears behind his head while wearing a white jacket. She wore her hair tamped down and swept over one eye, and she showed off her perfect pout while looking as if she was about to kiss her partner A$AP Rocky. Rocky grinned ear to ear while wearing a white trucker cap. Pals: Also joining in the celebration was Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, along with music producer Corey Smyth and Will's longtime friend Fawn Boardley. They chatted about the film afterward History: Smith's latest film is a historical thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua, in which the Fresh Prince actor stars as an enslaved man named Peter who escapes from a Louisiana plantation Dave Chappelle stood grinning in the center of the crowd in a brown shirt, while Tyler Perry showed off a playfully surprised expression while wearing a cool blue jacket. Also joining in the celebration was Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, along with music producer Corey Smyth and Will's longtime friend Fawn Boardley, who has also served as a style director for him and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, 51, who didn't appear to have attended the screening. The movie appeared to have sparked some deep conversations among the group, as a follow-up photo should Chappelle standing with his back to the screen as he spoke to the other members of the audience. Smith's latest film is a historical thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua, in which the Fresh Prince actor stars as an enslaved man named Peter who escapes from a Louisiana plantation and braves treacherous territory and slave hunters to make it up north to Union territory, where he is able to join the fight against the Confederacy. The film was inspired by the life of a former slave immortalized in horrifying photos of his back, which was covered in spiderwebbing keloid scars from repeated whippings. Race for freedom: braves treacherous territory and slave hunters to make it up north to Union territory, where he is able to join the fight against the Confederacy Painful: The film was inspired by the life of a former slave immortalized in horrifying photos of his back, which was covered in spiderwebbing keloid scars from repeated whippings The film is Smith's first major work since he took to the stage at the Academy Awards and slapped Chris Rock on the face while he was in the midst of presenting. The Independence Day star said he was incensed by a joke Rock made about his wife's lack of hair, which she shaved off to cover up hair loss she had experienced. Despite sweeping the Oscars up in controversy, Smith still won the award for Best Actor for starring as the father of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard. Following the shocking slap, Variety originally reported that Apple planned to delay the film until 2023 to let the controversy die down. However, it is now set for a December 2 release in theaters, followed by a streaming release on Apple TV+ on December 9. The streaming service may have still given up its plans of having a hit for awards season, as the film may lose out on potential profits due to the short theatrical window. Armie Hammer has been sued by American Express over an unpaid balance of almost $67,000. The Los Angeles native, 36, according to TMZ, has held the credit card account since 2011. Hammer shared the account with his estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers, 40, a source told the outlet, and the issue is expected to be settled when the couple finalizes their divorce. The latest: Armie Hammer, 36, has been sued by American Express over an unpaid balances of almost $67,000. He was pictured in November of 2020 in LA Hammer, known for his performances in films such as Call Me By Your Name, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Lone Ranger, fell into controversy in early 2021 amid multiple accusations of sex abuse and a stated penchant for cannibalism. He was subsequently dropped from his agency WME and lost a number of roles he had on tap, including the Jennifer Lopez film Shotgun Wedding and the Paramount Plus series The Offer. The actor's finances came into question when he was seen was making ends meet earlier this year working as a timeshare salesman in the Cayman Islands, as in July, an insider told Variety that Hammer was bankrupt. Hammer was 'working at a cubicle,' the source said, adding, 'The reality is hes totally broke, and is trying to fill the days and earn money to support his family.' The actor has held an account with the credit card company for 11 years Hammer, known for his performances in films such as Call Me By Your Name, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Lone Ranger, fell into controversy in early 2021 amid multiple accusations of sex abuse and a stated penchant for cannibalism The insider also shared that Hammer previously managed an apartment complex in the Cayman Islands, where he was living in order to stay close to his two children Harper, seven, and Ford, five, with estranged wife Chambers. He was been spotted in Los Angeles in the months since departing the islands. According to the source, Hammer, who is the great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer (worth an estimated $800 million at the time of his death), 'is not on the family payroll' and has been forced to work a regular job after his Hollywood downfall, following sexual assault allegations made against him last year. After the accusations were made public, the actor was dropped by his agency, WME, and was subsequently let go from various film projects, including Paramount Plus series The Offer (with Miles Teller taking over his role), Jennifer Lopezs Shotgun Wedding, as well as the thriller Billion Dollar Spy. In July, photos of the Call Me By Your Name star going into Morritts Resort office in what appeared to be a staffer uniform emerged, despite his lawyer previously denying claims that he'd taken up a new career. Hammer shared the account with his estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers, 40, a source told the outlet, and the issue is expected to be settled when the couple finalizes their divorce. They were snapped in 2018 Hammer was pictured entering the information center building as he walked behind another man who was clad in a similar look. They were followed by photos of him taken inside of the office on another day, once again wearing a similar blue polo shirt while reportedly going over pricing for a unit with a couple of potential buyers. TMZ reported at the time that during the pitch Hammer offered the potential buyers a timeshare for $2,020 per week or, 'only about $21,000 for ten years of vacations.' Last Wednesday, his attorney denied that the disgraced star was working at the establishment, following a viral Tweet that showed his face on a pamphlet as concierge for the hotel. His lawyer, Andrew Brettler, told Variety that the post was nothing more than a prank done by Hammers friends from the hotel. The since-deleted tweet's caption read: 'My friends parents went on vacation in the Cayman Islands and Armie Hammer was their concierge.' The pamphlet included discount vouchers and advertised that Hammer would take guests to swim 'with wild turtles' and point them to the 'best snorkeling and diving spots.' Staying busy: The insider also shared that Hammer previously managed an apartment complex in the Cayman Islands, where he is currently living in order to stay close to his two children: Pictured 2017 in Anaheim, California Split: Hammer and Chambers announced their separation in 2020, after the actor was allegedly caught cheating on her a second time; Pictured 2018 in Hollywood The star's burgeoning career imploded in January 2021 after it emerged he was into sadistic sex and shared rape and cannibalism fantasies with female partners. That included telling two women he wanted to remove their ribs, barbecue them and eat them, with Hammer also accused of slicing the letter 'A' into one young lover's thigh, before sucking the blood out of her fresh wound. He and his wife announced they were separating a few months before, after Hammer was allegedly caught cheating on her a second time. That woman also alleges Armie emotionally abused her, although he's denied all suggestions of criminality. Hammer checked into rehab for treatment of 'drugs, alcohol and sex' issues in May 2021, and emerged from treatment in December last year. Holly Willoughby gushed over her lookalike sister Kelly on Monday as they attended the Pride Of Britain Awards in London together. The This Morning Presenter, 41, shared a slew of glamorous snaps with her sister to Instagram before they head off to the awards. The sweet caption read: 'By my side always and for tonights @prideofbritain awards @ladywilloughby wearing @coastfashion and looking fire love you Kel' 'By my side... always': Holly Willoughby gushed over her lookalike sister Kelly on Monday as they attended the Pride Of Britain Awards in London together Holly showcased her sensational style in a floral pink gown with a bow shoulder detail, designed by Nedret Taciroglu. The beauty boosted her height in a pair of stilettos, while accessorising with dainty silver drop earrings and matching rings. Meanwhile, Kelly put on a glamorous display in a black long-sleeved midi dress, teamed with a pair of heels. The pair have a close bond, with Kelly working with her celebrity sister on the star's spiritual brand Wylde Moon. Holly then shared an adorable snap with her Golden Retriever Bailey as she beamed while holding his paw. Stunning: The This Morning Presenter, 41, shared a slew of glamorous snaps with her sister to Instagram before they head off to the awards The annual Pride of Britain Awards return for a 23rd year at London's Grosvenor House on Monday evening, with Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo co-hosting the star-studded affair. Taking place since 1999, the ceremony honours the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and all walks of life - nominated by members of the public. After a shortlist has been produced from the thousands of entries, winners are chosen by the Pride of Britain judging panel. Despite taking place on Monday evening, the ceremony will be aired on ITV on Thursday 27 October at 8pm. Pals: Kelly also shared several photos from inside the star-studded event with Holly's colleagues Carol, who has hosted the event for 23 years since 1999, said: 'Well have 12 incredible winners again this year, but it's difficult for the judging panel because we have thousands of nominations and everyone on the shortlist could easily win.' The Pride Of Britain awards will honour winners in eight categories; TSB Community Hero Award, ITV Fundraiser Of The Year, Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser of the Year, This Morning Emergency Services Award, Outstanding Bravery, Child/Teenager of Courage, Lifetime Achievement and Special Recognition. A slew of famous faces are set to attend the bash, including David Beckham, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Mo Farah and many more. gettyimagesbank By Lee Yeon-woo The United States government has issued a student visa to a North Korean national this September for the first time in seven years, Radio Free Asia (RFA), a U.S. government-funded private non-profit news service in Asia, reported on Monday. According to the monthly nonimmigrant visa issuance statistics released by the U.S. Department of State, 22 North Korean nationals obtained nonimmigrant visas during the 2022 fiscal year, from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022. Among the 22 visa recipients, the data showed that one of the nationals received an F-1 visa last month. It is the first time that the U.S. government issued a student visa to a North Korean national since the 2015 fiscal year. A citizen of a foreign country should obtain an F visa to study in a college, high school, private elementary school, seminary, conservatory, or other academic institution, including a language training program in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the United States. It is still to be confirmed if the F visa was issued to a North Korean resident who seeks to study in the U.S. The visa could have been issued to an ethnic North Korean resident of Japan affiliated with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, abbreviated as "Chongryon," one of two organizations for Zainichi Korean residents in Japan. The organization has strong ties to North Korea and some members do not naturalize to Japanese nationality despite being residents of Japan. During this fiscal year, 90 percent of the North Korean nationals who obtained nonimmigrant visas or 19 people received G3 visas, issued for representatives of non-recognized or non-member governments and their immediate family members. One person obtained a G4 visa during the same period, which is for individuals going to the United States to take up an appointment at a designated international organization, including the United Nations, and their immediate family members. Looking at the bigger picture, the number of North Korean nationals who obtained visas this year was cut by one-fifth compared to the 2016 fiscal year when nonimmigrant visas were issued to 100 people. RFA added that the decrease in the number of visas was caused by former U.S President Donald Trump's proclamation that prohibited the entry of North Korean citizens to the United States starting in 2017. In January 2021, President Joe Biden signed a proclamation ending Trump's travel restrictions. She has become well known for showcasing her impressive sense of style in various promotional campaigns. And on Monday afternoon, Kaia Gerber turned heads while rocking a seriously fashionable outfit as she stepped out on a juice run in Los Angeles. The 21-year-old model appeared to be enjoying her time while taking a short stroll after making her purchase, although she seemed dismayed when she found a parking ticket on her car. Stylish: Kaia Gerber turned heads while rocking a seriously fashionable outfit as she stepped out on a juice run in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon Gerber donned a navy blue shirt underneath a similarly colored and oversized jacket during her outing. The fashion industry personality also donned a pair of dark brown pants that flared out at their bottom portions, as well as a set of yellow-and-black Onitsuka Tiger sneakers. The daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber kept a chic green bag slung over her left shoulder and accessorized with a pair of Salt Optics sunglasses. Her gorgeous brunette hair remained free-flowing and fell onto her shoulders. Layering up: Gerber donned a navy blue shirt underneath a similarly colored and oversized jacket during her outing Although she has become well-known for her modeling work, Gerber has been making strides as an actress. The performer is currently preparing for the release of the comedy series Mrs. American Pie, in which she will appear. The series, which will be led by Kristen Wiig and feature an ensemble cast, will be centered on a woman attempting to rise in Palm Beach's high society. The model is set to portray a manicurist named Mitzi, and her casting was announced this past June. That's never fun: The 21-year-old model appeared to be enjoying her time while taking a short stroll after making her purchase, although she seemed dismayed when she found a parking ticket on her car Gerber spoke about acting during an interview with Flaunt, where she expressed that she had to learn how to open up emotionally in order to elicit better performances. 'You have to let things affect you in this line of work, which is really hard. You know, I have been in another line of work, where you couldn't really let things affect you, or you couldn't be too sensitive,' she said. The fashion industry personality also remarked that, although she was not used to comedic roles, she was open to trying her hand at the medium. 'I don't think I'm funny, but somehow I'm doing comedy, and I'm just waitingmaybe people will figure out one day I'm not funny, but I'm riding it as long as I can,' she said. Evening out: Layer that day, Kaia was spotted as she headed to dinner with some friends Fun-filled: The group chatted outside All Time restaurant Experiment: The fashion industry personality also remarked that, although she was not used to comedic roles, she was open to trying her hand at the medium Gerber made a point of expressing her admiration for the talent featured on the program. 'It's my first time working with an ensembleall people that I look up to so much, in the way that I grew up watching them...I learn so much from just watching people,' she said. Mrs. American Pie's release date has not been revealed to the public as of yet. Yazmin Oukhellou looked nothing short of sensational as she graced the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards in London on Monday evening. The former TOWIE star, 28, showcased her gorgeous figure in a tight cream gown that also boasted dramatic draped sleeves. Yazmin, who has been open about her mental health since the fatal crash which killed boyfriend Jake McLean, posed up a storm before heading into the emotional awards ceremony. Gorgeous: Yazmin Oukhellou looked nothing short of sensational as she graced the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards in London on Monday evening The ensemble featured a boat neck and clung to her incredible figure and she added extra height to her frame with a pair of perspex heels. Yazmin accentuated her features with a gorgeous palette of make-up and swept he brunette tresses high into a bun. Keeping her accessorises simple and letting the outfit speak for itself she wore a silver bracelet and toted a matching metallic clutch. Stunner: The former TOWIE star showcased her gorgeous figure in a tight cream gown that also boasted dramatic draped sleeves The annual Pride of Britain Awards return for a 23rd year at London's Grosvenor House on Monday evening, with Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo co-hosting the star-studded affair. Taking place since 1999, the ceremony honours the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and all walks of life - nominated by members of the public. After a shortlist has been produced from the thousands of entries, winners are chosen by the Pride of Britain judging panel. 'It was the lowest I've ever been in my life': It comes after Yazmin detailed her mental health battle as she shared a video from her hospital recovery following the fatal Turkey crash which killed boyfriend Jake McLean Despite taking place on Monday evening, the ceremony will be aired on ITV on Thursday 27 October at 8pm. Yazmin took to Instagram last Monday to share details of her tumultuous mental health battle, in support of World Mental Health Day. She detailed her recovery from the traumatic crash which killed her boyfriend Jake McLean earlier this year, describing it as the 'lowest I've ever been in my life'. Yazmin accompanied the post with a video from her time in hospital as she recovered from the harrowing ordeal, during which she severed an artery and a nerve in her right arm. Awful: Jake was killed when his blue Mercedes E class saloon crashed, while Yazmin was left with serious injuries after she had to break her own arm to escape the wreckage as Jake was in the driving seat unconscious (pictured together earlier this year) She explained that the video was taken by her mum Lisa, who filmed her daily while in hospital to send to her dad Hamid as updates on her recovery. Penning: 'Last week my mum shared this video with me which she sent to my dad during my time in hospital as she updated him daily. I was unaware it was being taken at the time but am glad I have this to see just how far I've come.' Encouraging her followers that they can 'get through anything', Yazmin detailed her mental health struggle following the crash. Opening up: The reality star shared that while she wasn't aware that the videos were being taken - she's glad to look back on them 'This was me at the lowest I've ever been in my life. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. I'm sharing this today not only for World Mental Health Day but to also show you that with the right help and support you can and will get through anything. 'Something I've struggled with since the accident is people saying they feel bad sharing their problems with me as they seem small or silly in comparison. But no matter how big or small something is, if it bothers you or makes you upset, it's a problem and it is important.' Parents She explained that the video was taken by her mum Lisa, who filmed her daily while in hospital to send to her dad Hamid as updates on her recovery (pictured with her dad Hamid) 'I want to encourage you all to talk more. Journal more. Share your feelings. & MOST importantly when you feel this way take a moment to just BREATHE. Trust me it helps. I want you to live each day as positively as you can & appreciate the little things. 'Since the accident I have some really awful days but I try to put a brave face on and post something positive. On my worst days you simply won't hear from me at all. 'But World Mental Health Day has got me thinking that maybe I should be more real on here and share those times too which is why I have shared this today.' Concluding: 'I had days where I didn't think I'd ever feel normal again. We all struggle at some point in our lives and we can all help each other a little more. Let's be a bit kinder. 'So today I want you to take a few minutes and think about YOU and your mental health. Ask yourself am I okay? Really? If the answer is no or if there's even a slight hesitance I'd encourage you to speak to someone (a medical professional, family, friend or helpline). 'I have therapy once a week now with an amazing lady called Sandra. She has truly changed my life. I'm so proud of how far I've come and you all should be too. If your going through something awful right now just know you are loved and it won't last forever. Love Yaz #worldmentalhealthday'. Jake was killed when his blue Mercedes E class saloon crashed, while Yazmin was left with serious injuries after she had to break her own arm to escape the wreckage as Jake was in the driving seat unconscious. The crash took place at around 4.30am and investigators have established that the car hurtled around 70 feet over a left turn bend and landed in a ravine almost 30 feet below. Ruth Jones has described her Gavin and Stacey co-star James Corden as 'a very emotional guy' after he was banned from an iconic New York restaurant for being an 'abusive customer'. The 44-year-old TV star was branded a 'tiny cretin of a man' by restauranteur Keith McNally who temporarily banned the Late Late Show host from his restaurants because of his treatment of staff. But reflecting on her time with the actor, who has built his career in the US since leaving the BBC Three show behind in 2010, Ruth Jones says that her friend and colleague just wears his heart on his sleeve. Looking back: Ruth Jones (right) has described her Gavin and Stacey co-star James Corden (centre right) as 'a very emotional guy' after he was banned from a restaurant for being an 'abusive customer' (pictured with Matthew Home and Joanna Page, left) Speaking to The Sun of James's emotional reaction to wrapping up filming in 2019, when they did the Christmas Special return episode together, she said: 'He is a very emotional guy. We had this hug and he was crying. 'He mumbled something and I went, "What? Im really sorry, I cant understand what youre saying". 'And he kept mumbling, and I said (loudly), "What? and he said (loudly), "I would be lost without you". Ruth added that she would be keen to work together at another opportunity, since the TV presenter is due to move back to the UK after announcing his departure from The Late Late Show next year. Controversy: TV star James was branded a 'tiny cretin of a man' by restauranteur Keith McNally who temporarily banned the host from his restaurants because of his treatment of staff 'I hope we do write together because it would be a shame not to,' she told the publication. 'It would be exciting to see what we come up with it might be terrible.' It was claimed by Keith McNally, who has a colourful history of booting out celebrities of his exclusive restaurants, that Corden also behaved similarly at his former restaurant, Cafe Luxembourg, on several occasions and left one server 'shaken'. He posted two separate examples of Corden's 'extremely nasty' behavior at the French brasserie in New York's Soho district on his Instagram account. The 71-year-old started his post by calling the funnyman a 'hugely gifted comedian', before laying into his fellow Brit - who regularly tucks into meals with celebrities as part of a game on the show. Banned: Restauranteur Keith McNally that Corden also behaved similarly at his former restaurant, Cafe Luxembourg, on several occasions and left one server 'shaken' The shocking allegations come months after the 'Into the Woods' star announced he would no longer be hosting the late-night talk show in 2023. The furious owner said that he '86'd' the star - which means you have been banned - and claims Corden found a hair in his main course when dining there in June, before demanding free drinks for the mistake. Being 86'd is thought to have originated at Greenwich Village speakeasy bar, Chumley's, on 86 Bedford Street, which had no address on the door - with guests '86ing' themselves from the premises if there was any trouble. Corden apologised last Tuesday for being rude to two young servers after he was called out by the Balthazar owner. However, in an interview with a New York Times reporter on Friday, Corden broke his silence and said: 'I haven't done anything wrong, on any level.' Responding to the interview, McNally wrote in a new Instagram post: 'I have no wish to kick a man when he's down, but I believe the best way for James Corden to retrieve some of the vast respect the public had for him before this incident is to own up to it and apologize to the young servers he abused.' He added: 'Whatever Corden meant, his implication was clear: he didnt do it.' The Balthazar owner said if Corden 'apologizes to the two servers he insulted, I'll let him eat free at Balthazar for the next 10 years.' Corden went on to say in The New York Times interview that speaking about the ordeal was 'beneath' the publication after the reporter appeared grateful Corden hadn't called off the chat altogether. Drake is feeling the birthday love as he turns 36. The Canadian superstar reposted a clip he received from his son Adonis, five, who sang happy birthday to him, on his Instagram Stories. Adonis in the clip was in a booster seat in a vehicle next to his mother, artist-model Sophie Brussaux, who wished Drake a 'happy birthday.' The latest: Drake, 36, reposted a clip he received from his son Adonis, five, who sang happy birthday to him, on his Instagram Stories Monday Adonis showed off his musical improvisational skills in the clip, singing to the tune of Happy Birthday, 'Happy birthday daddy, happy birthday daddy, but in my heart, in my heart, I'm gonna grow up.' In the clip, the son of the God's Plan performer, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, was clad in a puffy sky blue corduroy coat with his curly blonde locks down. The father and son share a birthday month, as Drake and Brussaux welcomed the child on October 11, 2017. Earlier this month, she wished her son a happy birthday on the social media platform, writing, 'Im so proud of the beautiful human you are growing up to be. Weve done a great job @champagnepapi.' Adonis in the clip was in a booster seat in a vehicle next to his mother, artist-model Sophie Brussaux, who wished Drake a 'happy birthday' In the clip, the son of the God's Plan performer was clad in a puffy sky blue corduroy coat with his curly blonde locks down Drake and Brussaux did not post any pictures of the child on social media until March of 2020 Drake and Brussaux did not post any pictures of the child on social media until March of 2020. In an interview with Lil Wayne shortly after, Drake explained that 'it was great to just share that with the world.' He added: 'I just woke up one morning and I was like, you know what? This is just something that I want to do.' The musical artist added: 'I want to be able to go places with my son and share memories with my son. I don't want to feel like just because of a life choice I made to be a "celebrity" that I got to make everybody live under this blanket ... I just wanted to free myself of that.' Drake has made references to raising Adonis in his material, including on multiple tracks on his 2021 album Certified Lover Boy. The father and son share a birthday month, as Drake and Brussaux welcomed the child on October 11, 2017 The child was seen waving to his father in the social media clip The song Champagne Poetry includes the lyrics: 'I been hot since the birth of my son' and 'Co-parent of the year/ We figured out a rapport.' The song Papi's Home features the lyrics, 'See your mother raised a fine young man/ Daddy's home/ And I know I missed so much of your life.' On the track F***ing Fans, Drake rapped about learning he was going to be a dad, with the lyrics, 'Then I had a kid even though I never planned to/ I cannot imagine when your girls gave you that news.' At the Billboard Music Awards in Los Angeles in May of 2021, Drake was named Artist of the Decade and brought Adonis onstage with him to accept the honors. When Adonis started crying, Drake told him, 'I want to dedicate this award to you.' Andy Cohen issued a public apology to Garcelle Beauvais, after being accused of disrespecting her feelings on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion. In response to being called 'heartless' by Twitter users for laughing when Lisa Rinna admitted to throwing out Beauvais' memoir, Love Me as I Am, last Wednesday, the 54-year-old TV host replied to viewers' backlash over his insensitivity. 'I need to really sincerely apologize not only for diverting the topic but for not returning even worse to the serious conversation that was at hand,' Bravo vet said on SiriusXM's Radio Andy. Sorry: Andy Cohen issued a public apology to Garcelle Beauvais, after being accused of disrespecting her feelings on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion He went on to tell listeners he has a 'deep admiration for Garcelle' and they had a 'really good, productive conversation last Thursday' about dismissing her feelings. 'I just wanted to say that because Ive been logging in and I get it,' the father-of-two assured fans of reading their criticism of how he responded in the moment. Additionally, the producer said he 'should have been more in tune with her feelings.' Unheard: In response to being called 'heartless' by Twitter users for laughing when Lisa Rinna admitted to throwing out Beauvais' memoir, Love Me as I Am, last Wednesday, the 54-year-old TV host replied to viewers' backlash over his insensitivity 'I need to really sincerely apologize not only for diverting the topic but for not returning even worse to the serious conversation that was at hand,' Bravo vet said on SiriusXM's Radio Andy Rinna has been involved in continuous drama with Beauvais, and recently admitted to tossing the star's 2022 tell-all memoir in the trash during a Real Housewives Reunion. Initially, it was believed that co-star, Erika Jayne, had thrown out the mom-of-three's kids since she had uploaded a video onto her Instagram story in April of throwing the book away. Cohen, brought up the topic to Erika which prompted a confession from Lisa herself, as she said: 'I have to be honest. Im the one that tossed Garcelles book in the trash.' Confession: Initially thought to have been Erika Jayne, Lisa revealed that she was the one that had thrown Garcelle's memoir in the trash during the reunion According to Page Six, her reasoning behind the action was due to the mention of her daughter, Amelia Gray Hamlin's, eating disorder in a first edition of the memoir. However, the second edition of the novel had the details of Amelia's alleged eating disorder fully removed. Along with Garcelle's continuous rift and drama with co-star, Lisa, other celebrities have lost their patience with the TV personality. Shortly after the airing of the reunion, former Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star, Denise Richards, jumped to her Instagram to share her thoughts. During the special which aired on Wednesday, Andy had informed Lisa that she has a lack of 'impulse control.' Denise then wrote out on her Instagram story, 'I watched #RHOBH last night. While I have empathy for Lisa Rinna losing her mom. What is her excuse all the other years on the show for being so cruel & so vindictive?' Not having it: Denise Richards, former Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star, called Lisa 'cruel' and 'vindictive' on her Instagram story after the second part of the reunion aired on Wednesday Clapping back: Kathy Hilton recently informed TMZ that she will not return to the reality series if both Lisa and Erika remain on the show; seen in May in Los Angeles Reality star, Kathy Hilton, also recently expressed that she has no desire to return to the series if Lisa and Erika Jayne remain on the show. 'I had said that I would only be willing to come back if the cast changed,' she informed TMZ. She further added, 'If it was completely the same, absolutely not. Because I feel they are two bullies that intimidate a lot of the other girls.' Amid the show's drama, Lisa also responded to Kathy's comment on her Instagram story earlier on Friday, reported Page Six. 'I'm a firm believer that the truth will always come out,' she wrote. 'You might as well save yourself the energy and just be honest from the start.' Adele Roberts arrived at the Pride of Britain Awards 2022 hand-in-hand with partner Kate Holderness in a chic black cropped blazer after her bowel cancer battle. The Radio 1 presenter, 43, beamed as she took to the red carpet on Monday night with her girlfriend, 38, before joining the star-studded event at Grosvenor House. TV star Adele looked happy and healthy as she posed in her all black ensemble with a quirky pair of block-heeled leather boots. Healthy and happy: Adele Roberts arrived at the Pride of Britain Awards 2022 hand-in-hand with partner Kate Holderness in a chic black cropped blazer after her bowel cancer battle Baring a slither of her midriff, Adele donned a black cropped blazer with a pair of high waisted black trousers. The slim bottoms had gold button detailing on the waistband which perfectly complimented her golden earrings. Her makeup was flawless, keeping it simple with a shimmering eyeshadow look and a natural looking lip. Beaming: The Radio 1 presenter, 43, beamed as she took to the red carpet on Monday night with her girlfriend, 38, before joining the star-studded event at Grosvenor House Adele's lover of several years, former Emmerdale actress Kate, wore a black ruffled floor-length skirt and a white pussybow blouse. She completed the look with a Ralph Lauren leather belt and a monochromatic handbag to accessorise. Adele was diagnosed with Stage 2 bowel cancer in October 2021, and has shared her experience of chemotherapy and surgery since her diagnosis. Night out: TV star Adele looked happy and healthy as she posed in her all black ensemble with a quirky pair of block-heeled leather boots But she shared that she was 'cancer free' in June this year, posting a photo of herself jumping for joy outside the hospital. She revealed it was 'the day I've been waiting for' as she received the all-clear scan results from her doctor. Posting an emotional message alongside photos of herself and her physician Dr Khan, Adele wrote: 'Angel on Earth. The day Ive been waiting for. Happy news: Radio 1 presenter Adele Roberts announced she is 'cancer free' in June. The TV and radio star, 43, was diagnosed with Stage 2 bowel cancer in October 2021 'Hearing the words youre free of cancer absolutely took my breath away. I keep replaying it in my mind. It was the most beautiful sound I think Ive ever heard. Even though I was praying Dr Khan would say that to me I dont think my head let me believe it until I heard it.' The DJ underwent colostomy surgery to remove a bowel tumor last year and told her followers at the time that 'this little stoma bag helped save my life'. A colostomy diverts one end of the colon (part of the bowel) through an opening (stoma) in the tummy. A pouch is placed over the stoma to collect faeces. She has also endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy. Adele's partner Kate has cared for her at their own, with the star telling Hello! Magazine in June that the diagnosis has made them closer than ever. The annual Pride of Britain Awards return for a 23rd year at London's Grosvenor House on Monday evening, with Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo co-hosting the star-studded affair. Another success: Maura Higgins has been dominating award season so far, and didn't dissapoint this time as she stormed the carpet in a statement yellow gown Ethereal: Molly-Mae Hague looked angelic wearing a cream gown at the Pride of Britain Awards in her first red carpet appearance since announcing her pregnancy Taking place since 1999, the ceremony honours the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and all walks of life - nominated by members of the public. After a shortlist has been produced from the thousands of entries, winners are chosen by the Pride of Britain judging panel. Despite taking place on Monday evening, the ceremony will be aired on ITV on Thursday 27 October at 8pm. Gorgeous: Show anchor Susanna, 51, oozed confidence in an emerald green gown with dazzling diamond detail on her hips Power couple: The Love Island cast were out in full force for the bash, with Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Davide Sanclimenti leading the pack Carol, who has hosted the event for 23 years since 1999, said: 'Well have 12 incredible winners again this year, but it's difficult for the judging panel because we have thousands of nominations and everyone on the shortlist could easily win.' The Pride Of Britain awards will honour winners in eight categories; TSB Community Hero Award, ITV Fundraiser Of The Year, Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser of the Year, This Morning Emergency Services Award, Outstanding Bravery, Child/Teenager of Courage, Lifetime Achievement and Special Recognition. A slew of famous faces are set to attend the bash, including David Beckham, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Mo Farah and many more. Kyle Sandilands and his fiancee Tegan Kynaston have been discussing having a second child, just two months after they welcomed son Otto. The radio presenter, 51, revealed on Tuesday he would love to have another baby with the communications executive, but they have some reservations. 'We discussed having another one on the weekend. But just because the first child was a breeze doesn't mean the second one will be,' he said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show. Kyle Sandilands and his fiancee Tegan Kynaston have been discussing having a second child, just two months after they welcomed son Otto (seen in the birthing suite on August 11) His co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson, who is the mother of 11-year-old Kitty, told Kyle she'd heard from other mums that a second child is often more work than the first. 'Most people say if you have a good first one then your second one is going to be hard work,' she said. Jackie then suggested having a second child as soon as possible might make things easier by going 'back to back'. The radio host, 51, said on Tuesday he'd love to have another baby with the communications executive, but they have some reservations. (Pictured: Kyle and Tegan on March 31) It comes after Kyle recently admitted he'd never dreamt of having kids before, but was now 'thrilled' he'd decided to take the plunge and become a father. At the height of his partying in the late 2000s, the KIIS FM personality suffered from drug addiction and battled depression. The controversy magnet, who was once warned by doctors his lifestyle would send him to an early grave, spends his nights these days doting over his newborn son. 'We discussed having another one on the weekend. But just because the first child was a breeze doesn't mean the second one will be,' he said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show 'I used to watch hours of TV, now I just sit there looking at him and he's really been a joy,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Despite fatherhood softening him up, the outspoken star promises that viewers won't be getting a politically correct Kyle when he returns to screens as a judge on the upcoming Australian Idol reboot. 'Oh, my God, are you kidding?' he scoffed when asked if he'd let the current woke culture stifle his famously unfiltered persona on the family-friendly show. The Kanye West documentary Jeen-Yuhs will remain streaming on Netflix amid the rapper's ongoing anti-Semitism controversy. A rep for the streaming service told TMZ Monday that the company is not removing the doc because West was not a creator or promoter on the project, but rather the subject. The rep noted that Netflix doesn't have a history of removing content of producers or performers who later find themselves mired in controversy. The latest: The Kanye West documentary Jeen-Yuhs will remain streaming on Netflix amid the rapper's ongoing anti-Semitism controversy. West, 45, was seen in an interview with Piers Morgan last week Jeen-Yuhs, which debuted on the streaming service in February, is described by the streamer as an 'intense, intimate docuseries charting Kanye West's career, filmed over two decades.' The statement from the streamer comes following a story from The New York Times examining West's business relationships after he publicly spoke out against Jewish people. The paper reported that West's future in music is unclear, as he had not been affiliated with the Def Jam Recordings since the release of Donda in August of 2021. His February album, Donda 2, was released exclusively on his stem player. Def Jam is also not distributing material from West's label Kanye's Getting Out Our Dreams, according to the report, though it is unclear when the severance took place. A rep for the streaming service told TMZ Monday that the company is not removing the doc because West was not a creator or promoter on the project, but rather the subject Jeen-Yuhs debuted on the streaming service in February It is described by the streamer as an 'intense, intimate docuseries charting Kanye West's career, filmed over two decades' Fashion mainstays including Vogue magazine and Balenciaga have publicly distanced themselves from the rapper/fashion designer. A rep for Balenciaga's parent company Kering told Womens Wear Daily Friday, the company 'has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist.' A spokesperson for Vogue told Page Six Friday that the magazine and its editor-in-chief Anna Wintour have no plans on working with West in the future. An insider said Wintour 'has had enough' of West's behavior, and 'has made it very clear inside Vogue that Kanye is no longer part of the inner circle.' West on Monday was dropped by the talent agency CAA, which he initially signed with six years ago. Another documentary about West made by the studio MRC will be shelved in the wake of the scandal, the AP reported, as execs Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley said in a Monday memo, 'We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform.' They added: 'Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3000 years - the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain. 'This song was performed acapella in the time of the Pharaohs, Babylon and Rome, went acoustic with The Spanish Inquisition and Russias Pale of Settlement, and Hitler took the song electric. Kanye has now helped mainstream it in the modern era.' West's latest racism controversy began with an October 3 Paris Fashion Week showcase for his Yeezy line that saw him and conservative commentator Candace Owens don tops that read White Lives Matter on the back West made the offensive remarks on October 8 after he faced restrictions on Instagram West's turbulent month of race-related controversies kicked off October 3 when he and and conservative commentator Candace Owens donned tops that read White Lives Matter during a Paris Fashion Week showcase for his Yeezy line. West faced restrictions on his social media sites after he tweeted October 8: '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.' West was asked by Piers Morgan Wednesday if he regretted the tweet and he said, 'No - absolutely not, absolutely not ... I fought fire with fire - Im not here to get hosed down - thats a different type of freedom fighter.' He later clarified: 'I will say I'm sorry for the people that I hurt,' he said. 'I feel like I cause 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 use my platform where you say, "Hurt people hurt people," and I was hurt.' West's name made further headlines over the weekend after a group took to the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles saluting Adolf Hitler with banners that read, 'Kanye is right about the Jews' and 'Honk if you know.' Abbie Chatfield has finally addressed her social media spat with this year's MAFS villains, after she publicly sided with Domenica Calarco in her feud with her co-stars. The TV and radio host, 27, drew the ire of Olivia Frazer, Daniel Holmes, Carolina Santos and others last week for saying they were just 'jealous' of Domenica's success after Channel Nine gave her an official spin-off web series. The Married At First Sight alumni told Abbie to 'stay in her lane' and accused her of lacking empathy for reality stars who receive bad edits - something she would know all about after finding herself the 'villain' on The Bachelor in 2019. Abbie Chatfield (pictured) has finally addressed her social media spat with this year's MAFS villains, after she publicly sided with Domenica Calarco in her feud with her co-stars They also said Domenica's spin-off show was further evidence that MAFS producers 'picked favourites'. Responding to these claims on her podcast It's A Lot this week, Abbie scoffed at the suggestion she should have empathy for the MAFS villains just because she was the 'bad girl' on The Bachelor three years ago. She pointed out that her 'villain edit' stemmed from being slut-shamed by the other women on her season, not unlike how Domenica's main storyline on MAFS saw her slut-shamed for having a secret OnlyFans account. Abbie, 27, drew the ire of Olivia Frazer, Daniel Holmes, Carolina Santos and others last week for saying they were just 'jealous' of Domenica's success after Nine gave her a spin-off web series By contrast, the MAFS villains - and Olivia in particular - came across badly on TV for their rudeness and the fact they tried to slut-shame Domenica. 'Let's be clear, I didn't go through the same s**t you went through,' she said. 'I was never mean to anyone, I was never rude to anyone, I never exposed someone's OnlyFans. I was slut-shamed for humping someone [Bachelor Matt Agnew] on a beach and saying, "I want to f**k you." Several disgruntled former MAFS stars were left furious last Tuesday when Nine.com.au officially launched Domenica's (pictured) spin-off show, Dom's Debrief 'I am standing up for someone who was slut-shamed. I went through what Dom went through, not what all of you went through.' As for the claims of favouritism, Abbie said it's normal for producers have 'favourites' on set, especially when certain contestants, like Domenica, emerge as 'good talent'. 'Of course she is the producer's favourite for a number of reasons,' she said. 'There's no conspiracy theory about producers having favourites. They have favourites of people who are good talent.' The likes of Olivia Frazer (pictured) accused Abbie of lacking empathy for reality stars who receive bad edits - something she would know all about after being the 'villain' on The Bachelor She also addressed the criticism she should 'stay in her lane' and avoid commenting on Married At First Sight drama. 'I'm actually paid in multiple ways to commentate on pop culture,' said Abbie, who hosts a national night show for the Hit Network. 'My lane is actually Australian pop culture.' Several disgruntled former MAFS stars were left furious last Tuesday when Nine.com.au officially launched Domenica's spin-off show. Abbie scoffed at the suggestion she should have empathy for the MAFS villains just because she was the 'bad girl' on The Bachelor three years ago. She pointed out that her 'villain' edit stemmed from being slut-shamed by the other women on her season, not unlike how Domenica's main storyline on MAFS saw her slut-shamed for having a secret OnlyFans account Dom's Debrief sees the outspoken bride interview ex-contestants from the Nine dating series via FaceTime to see how they're holding up. The series has faced resistance from some cast members who have accused the network of favouritism towards Domenica. In particular, there is a feeling that several MAFS stars were unfairly portrayed as 'villains' so she could receive a glowing edit. Her show was briefly the splash story on Nine.com.au's website last week but was swiftly pulled down, presumably due to low traffic. Angelina Jolie brightened up Spelman College's homecoming weekend as she walked around campus with daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt. The 47-year-old mom-of-six, who shares her brood with ex-husband Brad Pitt, stopped to take photos with surprised fans. They later took to Twitter to share their excitement, with one writing: 'Angelina Jolie just casually walking around with her daughter at Spelman during Homecoming.' Surprising visit: Angelina Jolie brightened up Spelman College's homecoming weekend as she walked around campus with daughter Zahara Jolie-Pitt The always elegant movie star was dressed in a black outfit with a camel-colored coat tied around her waist. She donned lightly-tinted aviator sunglasses and wore her long brunette hair straight, arranged in a side part. Zahara looked proud to have her mom at her side as she dressed in faded light wash jeans and a white blouse with a peplum hemline. The freshman college student wore large hoop earrings and kept her curly hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ears. Stylish: The always elegant movie star was dressed in a black outfit with a camel-colored coat tied around her waist Fashion first: She donned lightly-tinted aviator sunglasses and wore her long brunette hair straight, arranged in a side part Humble: The 47-year-old mom-of-six, who shares her brood with ex husband Brad Pitt, stopped to take photos with surprised fans A guy whose Twitter handle is @BlackrThaBerry was also able to snap a selfie with the star, finding a clever way to be low-key. He wrote in his tweet, 'Look I know youre tryna be inconspicuous, so when we take this selfie just look down instead of me holding the camera up. Cool? Angelina Jolie: Great plan!' The post racked up over 153,000 likes and received more than 7,000 retweets from the Twitterverse. Another user reflected in a tweet, 'I really met Angelina Jolie. The original bad b****. And she's FLAWLESS in person. My day is complete, thanks Spelhouse.' Happy fan: Another user reflected in a tweet, 'I really met Angelina Jolie. The original bad b****' Jolie first announced that Zahara would be attending the historically Black college via Instagram back in July. She posted a photo of Zahara along with a few of her new classmates, writing: 'Zahara with her Spelman sisters! Congratulations to all new students starting this year. A very special place and an honor to have a family member as a new Spelman girl.' The photo showed Zahara crouching down and beaming while posing with a group of women dressed in Spelman gear. College bound: Jolie took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal where her daughter Zahara will be attending college Then in August while dropping her daughter off at the Atlanta, Georgia campus, Jolie held back tears. In a video shared by the school's Vice President of Student Affairs, Darryl Holloman, the Maleficent actress said, 'I'm gonna start crying ... I have not started crying yet,' adding that she was 'holding it together.' Angelina adopted Zahara in 2005 from an orphanage in Ethiopia and she was later adopted by Brad, 58, as well. Along with 17-year-old Zahara, Angelina Jolie shares five other children with Pitt - Maddox, 21, Pax, 18, Shiloh, 16, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 14. U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg speaks at a conference on the South Korea-U.S. alliance held at a hotel in central Seoul, Oct. 25. Yonhap The top U.S. envoy in South Korea on Tuesday stressed the importance of broadening the two countries' alliance to encompass "shared values" while voicing concerns over "unprecedented" threats from the "authoritarian" countries of North Korea, China and Russia. Amb. Philip Goldberg made the remarks at a forum amid Pyongyang's continued saber-rattling, Moscow's much-criticized war in Ukraine and Beijing's assertiveness under President Xi Jinping, who has secured an unprecedented third term in power. "We face unprecedented threats and challenges in the world today, largely from authoritarian states Russia, China and North Korea," he said during the forum co-hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and the Korea Defense Veterans Association. "We're redefining and reinforcing the future of our shared security with joint initiatives that are modern, forward-looking and inclusive," he added. The ambassador also pointed out South Korea's role in promoting the allies' shared values of democracy and freedom under their joint pursuit of a "global strategic partnership." "It's important for future generations to understand our history, and to learn how to partner and how to expand beyond the military alliance to encompass our shared values," he said. He went on to say: "That's what we're doing more and more. For Korea, that will mean taking a place in the world that the U.S. is encouraging, that will be equal to its economic significance, its economic weight, and its ability to help us in our pursuit of democracy and freedom around the world." Goldberg called attention to the allies' new efforts to broaden their ties beyond security matters, such as South Korean companies building semiconductor factories in the U.S. to secure global supply chains. "Part of the reason that we have to secure those supply chains is to make sure that the semiconductors that are used for advanced applications, like artificial intelligence, and supercomputers are in the right hands, not the wrong hands," he said, describing semiconductors as the "oil" of the 21st century. In addition, the envoy said the allies can still do "much more" to address global challenges, like climate change and pandemics, while stressing that security remains central to the alliance. "We will also face the challenges that we do every day from the North, and we will address those very important issues at the same time," he said. The conference, which commemorates the alliance and features discussions on ways to strengthen ties between Seoul and Washington, was also attended by former U.S. Forces Korea commanders Gen. Robert Abrams, Gen. Vincent Brooks and Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti. (Yonhap) Pip Edwards rocked fresh orange-hued locks as she left an appearance on The Morning Show in Sydney on Tuesday with fitness star Kayla Itsines to discuss their upcoming P.E Nation activewear collaboration. Pip, 42, looked effortlessly stylish in a sporty black and white get-up, including a black padded jacket, white T-shirt and black trousers. Her freshly dyed hair was tied in a ponytail and she spotted a layer of foundation for her TV appearance. Pip Edwards, left, rocked fresh orange-hued locks as she left an appearance on The Morning Show in Sydney on Tuesday with fitness star Kayla Itsines, right, to discuss their upcoming P.E Nation activewear collaboration Meanwhile, pregnant Kayla, 31, hid her baby bump under a white and tan polyester jacket from their new line and black shorts. Her brunette locks were freshly coiffed and she completed her look with designer sunglasses. The pair beamed as they chatted to each other while exiting the Channel Seven's Martin Place studios. At one point the besties embraced in the street. Her freshly dyed hair was tied in a ponytail and she spotted a layer of foundation for her TV appearance Pip, 42, looked effortlessly stylish in a sporty black and white get-up, including a black padded jacket, white T-shirt and black trousers It comes after activewear mogul proudly showed her roots as she posed for a selfie with facialist-to-the-stars Ingrid on Sunday, telling fans she was 'looking and feeling refreshed'. The mother-of-one has previously spoken about her locks, telling Beauticate in 2016 she dyes her roots 'every week' to combat regrowth. 'My hair is grey. I was very grey early. I dye my roots once a week, that gives it the fullness, and then peroxide the rest,' the P.E Nation designer explained. It comes after activewear mogul proudly showed her roots as she posed for a selfie with facialist-to-the-stars Ingrid Seaburn on Sunday, telling fans she was 'looking and feeling refreshed' She never shies away from showing off her incredible figure. And Georgia Steel made sure to turn heads on Monday evening as she arrived at London's Grosvenor House ahead of the star-studded Pride Of Britain Awards. The former Love Island star, 24, sizzled in a high-skimming mini dress that featured racy cut-out panels and gathered at one-shoulder. Sizzling: Georgia Steel, 24, made sure to turn heads on Monday evening as she arrived at London's Grosvenor House ahead of the star-studded Pride Of Britain Awards Georgia elongated her legs with a pair of barely-there strappy heels and kept her accessories to a minimum. She opted for a bronzed palette of makeup which included a shimmering eyeshadow and a glossy nude lip to complete her look. The annual Pride of Britain Awards return for a 23rd year at London's Grosvenor House, with Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo co-hosting the star-studded affair. Daring: The former Love Island star sizzled in a high-skimming mini dress that featured racy cut-out panels Glowing: She opted for a bronzed palette of makeup which included a shimmering eyeshadow and a glossy nude lip to complete her look Taking place since 1999, the ceremony honours the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and all walks of life - nominated by members of the public. After a shortlist has been produced from the thousands of entries, winners are chosen by the Pride of Britain judging panel. Carol, who has hosted the event for 23 years since 1999, said: 'Well have 12 incredible winners again this year, but it's difficult for the judging panel because we have thousands of nominations and everyone on the shortlist could easily win.' Chic: The reality TV star pulled her hair back into a sleek updo Headed home: Georgia elongated her legs with a pair of barely-there strappy heels and kept her accessories to a minimum, carrying a woven bag The Pride Of Britain awards will honour winners in eight categories; TSB Community Hero Award, ITV Fundraiser Of The Year and Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser of the Year. The awards also include, This Morning Emergency Services Award, Outstanding Bravery, Child/Teenager of Courage, Lifetime Achievement and Special Recognition. A slew of famous faces are set to attend the bash, including David Beckham, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Mo Farah and many more. Channel Nine has announced that its new dating show My Mum Your Dad will premiere on Monday, November 7. Based on a successful American format, the reality series is hosted by KIIS FM's Kate Langbroek and follows mature singles looking for romance. The show sees a group of single parents move into a house together while their university-aged kids attempt to help them find love. Channel Nine has announced that its new dating show My Mum Your Dad will premiere on the network on Monday, November 7. Pictured: Host Kate Langbroek According to TV Blackbox, the Australian version of My Mum Your Dad will closely follow the HBO Max U.S. series. While the singles mingle and flirt, their adult children watch the romantic goings-on using hidden surveillance. The kids then use what they learn to help steer their parents toward the 'right' partner. Fans of the U.S. series can look forward to controversy in the Australian version as children get a glimpse into the private world of their parents. Based on a successful American format, the reality series is hosted follows mature singles looking for romance. Pictured: A scene from the teaser trailer of My Mum, Your Dad 'I have the ability to change the course of my dad's love life,' boasts one of the kids in the trailer of the Nine series. Nine has already had huge success with not only Married At First Sight, but also the parenting series Parental Guidance, which was one of the highest rated shows last year. It follows as Channel Nine recently canned three of its high-profile reality shows. The show sees a group of single parents move into a house together while their university-aged kids attempt to help them find love. Pictured: Two of the contestants on the new Nine reality show enjoy a bit of quality time Australian Ninja Warrior, Celebrity Apprentice Australia and Beauty and the Geek failed to make the list of returning shows for 2023 at last month's Upfronts. Meanwhile, the network's one time hit, Beauty and the Geek shed big audience numbers this season. The Sophie Monk hosted show attracted 537,000 viewers for its finale in August, its highest rating all year. Nick Knowles and his girlfriend Katie Dadzie appeared to be all partied out as they hopped in a cab after the Pride Of Britain Awards in London on Monday night. The presenter, 60, cut a dapper figure in a navy suit and shiny black leather shoes while the businesswoman, 32, flashed her legs in a thigh-split black dress. The DIY SOS star - who split from his wife Jessica Rose Moor in 2016 - walked hand-in-hand with the mother-of-two as they departed the swanky Grosvenor House Hotel. Emerging: Nick Knowles and his girlfriend Katie Dadzie appeared to be all partied out as they hopped in a cab after the Pride Of Britain Awards in London on Monday night Nick made his first public appearance with Katie in September 2021, little more than a month after being romantically linked with her. They enjoyed a quiet lunch date at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham, west London, a private members club, where annual fees cost more than 1,000. Nick is understood to have met his new love at his children's playgroup. It comes after Nick revealed in February 2020 that he was single again after splitting from his girlfriend, PR guru Emily Hallinan, 27, insisting at the time it 'wasn't the end of the world' and announcing the news on Valentine's Day. Trendy: The presenter, 60, cut a dapper figure in a navy suit and shiny black leather shoes Big night out: The DIY SOS star - who split from his wife Jessica Rose Moor in 2016 - walked hand-in-hand with the mother-of-two as they departed the swanky Grosvenor House Hotel Hot stuff: The businesswoman, 32, flashed her legs in a thigh-split black dress Having made something of a reputation for himself with his love of younger ladies, Nick was also romantically involved with TOWIE star and stuntwoman Pascal Craymer, 34, back in 2017. According to The Sun, Nick and Katie made their public debut as a couple at a restaurant in Bath a week prior, after being friends for several years. The presenter allegedly met his new girlfriend at a playgroup attended by his youngest son Eddie, seven. A source said: 'Nick and Katie have known each other for a couple of years, but it's always been platonic. 'They actually met through their youngest offspring and went on a few playdates as pals, before romance blossomed. Katie is a beautiful woman, fiercely independent and just Nick's type. Ooh la la! Nick is understood to have met his new love at his children's playgroup Ladies' man: Nick has made something of a reputation for himself with his love of younger women 'They've met one another's friends and, although it's early days, everyone is hopeful this might be for keeps.' MailOnline contacted Nick's representatives for comment at the time. In February 2020 Nick confirmed that he was single again following his split from girlfriend Emily. He wrote on Instagram: 'Happy Valentine's. And if you're single like me don't worry, we don't have to join in everything every year. I missed national prune day too. Because it's not the end of the world to be single for a while.' The pair reportedly began dating in 2019, after exchanging a series of messages about a work opportunity on Twitter, with Nick telling Emily to get in touch. Couple: They put on a loved-up display on the red carpet They had been spotted together several times since, once in London's West End where they went to see musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie, days after Nick was pictured kissing a mystery blonde in the back of a black cab. A source told The Sun at the time that the pair looked cosy during the West End show, saying: 'They arrived pretty incognito but were definitely on a date inside. 'She was cosying up to him during the show and they shared a couple of tender moments during the emotional parts.' The source added: 'It didn't appear to be a serious relationship but it's clear that they were into each other.' Prior to his romance with Emily, he was reported to have dated Pascal. Things turned sour however, when model Pascal claimed she blocked Nick after he reportedly bragged about his 'revolving' bed' and 'dating younger women'. She alleged that the twice-married DIY SOS host was 'desperate to get his leg over' when they went on a few of lavish dates in 2017. He tried to kiss her before the starters during a 600 meal and embarrassed her with his 'dad dancing' in a nightclub. Nick later hit back - branding the one-time TOWIE star a 'sad fame-hungry nobody', with his pals issuing a scathing statement about the brunette beauty, who later hit back. Pascal strongly denied the claims, saying: 'I dont take too kindly being referred to as a sad fame-hungry nobody.' She insisted the allegations were incorrect. Prior to his Pascal fling, Nick and Jessica's romance and marriage was also widely publicised, with emphasis on their age gap. Nick's Extensive Dating Life Nick and Suzi Perry in 2003 1995-2000: Gillian Knowles Nick had two children with his first wife before their split in 2000. They share son Charlie, 27, and daughter Tuesday, 26. UNKNOWN: Paula Beckett-Vass Little is known of his romance with beauty therapist Paula, although the couple share son Tyrian-J, 23. 2000-2003: Suzi Perry The two presenters met on the set of BBC's City Hospital soon after his split from his first wife and went on to date for three years. 2009-2016: Jessica Rose Moor Nick began dating Jessica in 2009 before they tied the knot in 2012 and welcomed their son Eddie in 2014. Nick and Jessica in 2013 They split in 2016 - initially amicably, as he supported her through her battle with cervical cancer. Following her recovery, they debated reuniting but split for good in December 2016. Things later turned nasty, with a war of words between the pair. Jessica accused the star of abuse in an explosive open letter on Twitter. They also became locked in financial wars when she asked for more money to provide for their son which led to further heartache for the pair however they later resolved their issues. Pascal pictured in 2019 2017: Pascal Craymer Nick hit headlines with TOWIE star Pascal following a fleeting romance. Things turned sour however, when model Pascal claimed she blocked Nick after he reportedly bragged about his 'revolving' bed' and 'dating younger women'. She alleged that the twice-married DIY SOS host was 'desperate to get his leg over' when they went on a few of lavish dates last year. She also claimed 'forward' Nick tried to kiss her before the starters during a 600 meal and embarrassed her with his 'dad dancing' in a nightclub. 2019-2020: Emily Hallinan Nick and Emily in 2019 Emily and Nick began dating in 2019, after exchanging a series of messages about a work opportunity on Twitter, with Nick telling Emily to get in touch. Sadly, one year later, in February 2020 Nick confirmed the pair had split. He took to Twitter to reveal he is single and urged his followers not to worry about Valentine's Day as he too was spending the day alone. Advertisement Nick began dating Jessica in 2009 before they tied the knot in 2012 and welcomed their son Eddie in 2014. They split in 2016 - initially amicably, as he supported her through her battle with cervical cancer. Despite a bitter divorce battle surrounding the custody of their then three-year-old son Eddie, the pair are now back on good terms with one another, with Nick recently admitting he still cared about his former wife. Speaking to The Mirror in 2018 Nick said: 'It took me a while to figure stuff out. I'm really proud of the fact that Jess and I are really good. 'She's a great mother. Coming out of a marriage is hard, so I just want to make sure it stays respectful. I really care about my ex. She's got a new chap and I'm really pleased. They seem really happy.' It was revealed at the time that Jessica asked for 48,000 a year from him in light of their bitter divorce battle. According to The Sun, Jessica who was receiving 4,000 a month as part of their settlement, is demanding an extra 2,000 a month in order to fund their three-year-old son Eddie's education. Old flame: It comes after Nick revealed that he was single again after splitting from his girlfriend, PR guru Emily Hallinan, 27, insisting at the time it 'wasn't the end of the world (Nick and Emily pictured in 2019) 'Nick is distraught that Jessica has made these claims. She already gets 4,000 a month from him and hes funded her life for years,' a source told the publication. It came after Jessica posted an 'open letter about my divorce' in which she alleged 'years of emotional cruelty, physical abuse' by her husband as well as reportedly withdrawing their son Eddie from private education. However, sources close to the DIY SOS presenter denied the allegations - saying he 'only wants the best for his son'. In a statement on the micro-blogging site, she denounced his denials of 'cruelty' and continued to suggest that he has withdrawn his financial support for their son. In the equally emotional letter captioned: 'In response', Jessica responded to Nick's apparent shock at the 'horrendous' allegations made, saying: 'Nick may be intelligent but he is not smart. He is now denying that he withdrew his promise to send Eddie to private school but it was sent by his solicitor to mine. 'He as also denied years of cruelty but I do have diaries and photographic proof'. Jessica then alleged that the presenter 'abandoned' her with young son Eddie in Spain for a 'string of girlfriends', and that she wants Nick to 'keep his promises' or she may publish 'witness statements' that could confirm her allegations. Following the couple's split, Jessica entered a new relationship with RAF engineer William Babbage. Nick previously said of his relationship patterns: 'My relationships have pretty much followed a pattern. They last six months and start off with me explaining that I work a lot, so will have commitment issues. 'The women involved agree that that is fine, then after a month I get a phone call saying, 'This isn't on.' After three months, we split up, then get back together. After five, there's another tussle. At six, it's all off.' Gold Coast influencer Pia Muehlenbeck got into the festive spirit on Tuesday, posing in front of her Christmas tree. The lawyer-turned-Instagram queen looked regal in white in the footage shared to Instagram, as she stood in front of the fashionably decorated bush two months shy of Christmas. 'Yes. My tree is up already (was for a shoot),' Pia wrote alongside the footage, clearly getting the jump on potentially outraged fans. Bikini influencer Pia Muehlenbeck (pictured) got into the festive spirit and posed in front of her Christmas tree on Tuesday The correct time to put Christmas lights up is always a point of argument each year, with the tree traditionally going up on December 1. K-Mart shoppers were shocked to see decorations wheeled out in September this year, taking to Reddit to air their surprise. A Reddit user shared an image on September 10 of shelves lined with Christmas trees and ornaments, sparking a debate online. 'How soon is too soon to start selling Christmas decorations?' the user wrote, and many questioned if September is 'too early' to release the festive products. The lawyer-turned-Instagram queen looked regal in white in the footage shared to Instagram, as she stood in front of the fashionably decorated bush two months shy of Christmas 'Yes. My tree is up already (was for a shoot),' Pia wrote alongside the footage, clearly getting the jump on potentially outraged fans 'Completely ridiculous. What the hell,' one person commented. Another added: 'Seriously? It's not Christmas season yet, tis Spooky Season.' But others didn't seem too surprised and said Christmas decorations are released every September. 'It was around about this time last year, that they started selling Christmas stuff,' one person wrote. A customer shared an image on Reddit of a Kmart store starting to place Christmas products on shelves in September this year (pictured). Many online questioned if September is 'too early' to release the festive products 'The market only cares about demand. If people are buying, they're selling,' another commented. In August customers also noticed Costco started selling Christmas products more than four months ahead of the holiday. Mum-of-two Mykayla spotted the buys in Ringwood, Victoria and shared the snaps to a Christmas-themed Facebook group. While some were keen to score a deal ahead of time, others slammed the early stocking as 'pure madness' and a 'money grab.' They've made a name for themselves in The Crown, My Policeman and Grantchester. And Emma Corrin, 26, who uses the pronoun 'they', has spoken about the freedom of filming naked scenes with Jack O'Connell, 32, in Lady Chatterley's Lover in an interview with The Cut, which is accompanied by an edgy photoshoot. The movie is an adaptation of D.H. Lawrences classic (and notoriously banned) erotic novel and will premiere on November 25 and on Netflix December 2. 'We wanted our sex scenes to be justified and to evolve': Emma Corrin spoke to The Cut about the freedom of filming naked with Jack O'Connell for Lady Chatterley's Lover Corrin plays Constance Chatterley, a woman who takes a lover (OConnell) after her husbands war injury prevents him from being physically intimate with her. They said: 'Im so glad that it didnt feel like gratuitous nudity. We spoke about that a lot when we started rehearsing. 'We always wanted any sex scene, or any part of the film, to be totally justified in their experience, and also to evolve. Close: Corrin plays Constance Chatterley, a woman who takes a lover (OConnell) after her husbands war injury prevents him from being physically intimate with her. Emma said: 'Im so glad that it didnt feel like gratuitous nudity. We spoke about that a lot when we started rehearsing' 'The last scene, when Connie goes to Scotland and she knows hes behind her before hes there, we filmed that quite near the beginning, and Id forgotten. When I was watching it for the first time, it really got me.' Emma also spoke about the importance of touch in the movie. They said: 'I think [touch] was a huge part of it that in COVID everyone felt that lack of intimacy not being able to hug family, or be near people you care about. 'Connie is so starved of any intimacy, physical intimacy. I wonder if studies have been done now about how people havent realized how much we need that. They said: 'I think [touch] was a huge part of it that in COVID everyone felt that lack of intimacy not being able to hug family, or be near people you care about' Adding: 'We need comfort, touch, and intimacy as part of our mental wellbeing and stability' 'We need comfort, touch, and intimacy as part of our mental wellbeing and stability.' Emma continued that intimacy is a common theme in her most recent work. They said: 'There can be so much in a simple touch. In Chatterley, Policeman, The Crown, if youre going to find a common denominator there, its that these women long to be freed within themselves, and recognized, and validated in their sexuality. 'Its amazing if you think about how theyre all set at very different periods of time, and yet that is something that is sort of timeless, the need to be wanted, to be desired. 'They explore it in very different ways. Connie manages to find that freedom. It grounds her and brings her back to life.' Edgy: Emma looked incredible in the high-end photoshoot which accompanied the interview Looking good: They wore this brown ensemble which a quirky pair of red boots Emma will star opposite Harry Styles and David Dawson in Michael Grandages adaptation of My Policeman, in theaters on October 21 and streaming on Prime Video starting November 4. The film centers on a forbidden romantic entanglement. Corrin and Styles play a couple named Marion, a schoolteacher, and Tom, a policeman whose trysts with Dawsons Patrick, a gay museum curator, upend the relationship and lead to devastating consequences. Stylish: Pink-haired Emma pictured on the front cover of the publication Emma said: 'The nice thing about My Policeman is that it does show that, even though its so tragic in a way, freedom can take your whole life until youre older to find, to know that youre ready to leave. 'We fall in love with someone, especially the first time you experience love in that way, and youre so desperate to receive it back, and you see her know subconsciously, from the get go, that Tom is not all there with her. 'Suddenly, when hes at his lowest point, when he knows that Patrick has been arrested and they wont be together, theres this dark but sort of justifiable part of Marion that thinks, Okay, no, now he needs me. Now I can actually step up".' Emma was asked what audiences can learn from the women they have played. My Policeman TEASER: Emma will star opposite Harry Styles and David Dawson in Michael Grandages adaptation of My Policeman, in theaters on October 21 and streaming on Prime Video starting November 4 They replied: 'Michael Grandage, the director of My Policeman, talks about this a lot, that therell be a generation of people who really relate to this, the not having the freedom to love who they wanted to love, and the repercussions for everyone involved in their relationships because of that. 'I think it will be incredibly cathartic or heartbreaking. Its an important story to show, and to inspire discussion and talk about.' They joked: 'I only do period pieces. Only with complicated love triangles. No, I think that its that kind of thing where you have an awareness of it, especially if youre thinking about your career going forward, and what kind of stuff you want to do. But it would never be the sole reason.' But when they're not hard at work, Emma treats themselves to a little reality TV. 'Love Island is the best. Highlight of my summer is Love Island. Every year. Main man: Its plot focuses on police officer Tom (Harry), who is gay, but married to Marion (Emma) due to expectations Liz Cantor welcomed her third child, baby girl Sky Lysaught, on September 30. And the mother-of-three is undergoing LED laser therapy to treat her C-section scars. On Tuesday, the Gold Coast Channel 7 presenter, 39, shared a photo to Instagram documenting the process. Liz Cantor (pictured) welcomed her third child, baby girl Sky Lysaught, on September 30. And the mother-of-three is undergoing LED laser therapy to treat her C-section scars 'In the four years since my last baby it's crazy how much has changed and advanced in C-sections and recovery treatments,' she explained. 'LED is a real gem for wound recovery and I'm told the hack is the sooner the better - it can be done over stitches, as long as your comfortable to remove your protective dressing post surgery! 'The treatment is 15 to 20mins - so there's no anxiety with having to leave baby, and it's safe to have bub on your chest if needed!' On Tuesday, the Gold Coast Channel 7 presenter, 39, shared a photo to Instagram documenting the process She explained that she pays just $55 for the treatment at a Gold Coast beautician. 'This will put your body in an accelerated healing state by stimulating dermal blood flow. It reduces inflammation from the bone to the surface of your skin!' she said. 'It also helps with skin rejuvenation and prevention of infection.' 'This will put your body in an accelerated healing state by stimulating dermal blood flow. It reduces inflammation from the bone to the surface of your skin!' she said Liz welcomed her daughter at the Pindara Private Hospital on the Gold Coast earlier this year. The presenter made the announcement alongside a video of her two boys, Fin, four, and Kit, five, holding the newborn. Cantor revealed to The Courier Mail that her baby was born via a maternally assisted caesarean where she lifted Sky out of her uterus herself. Liz welcomed her daughter at the Pindara Private Hospital on the Gold Coast earlier this year. she shared video of her two boys, Fin, four, and Kit, five, holding the newborn. Pictured Liz's husband Ryan Lysaught and children Cantor told The Courier Mail on Thursday her baby was born via a maternally assisted caesarean in which she lifted Sky out of her uterus herself 'It happens very quickly. The obstetrician opens you up, your waters are broken and basically immediately he had my hands and said, 'I'm putting your hands in your uterus and you'll feel her head,'' she said. 'I thought that would be overwhelming but once I felt her and had that physical touch, it was really calming and very comforting. 'That was an incredibly special experience and I'm so lucky to have lived it.' Chris Tarrant has revealed that housing Ukrainian refugees has 'enhanced his life,' after taking in a family of three at the beginning of the war. Speaking on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain, the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host, 76, shared that he is in the process of getting a flat for the family to live in, which he is paying for. Chris, who had revealed earlier this year that he and his partner Jane Bird were hosting the refugee family, also lauded them for being keen to help with the housework, and have tidied his fishing shed which has 'never been tidy.' Candid: Chris Tarrant has revealed that housing Ukrainian refugees has 'enhanced his life,' after taking in a family of three at the beginning of the war Chris told GMB hosts Kate Garraway and Richard Madeley: 'I've got three [Ukrainian refugees] who live in my house. 'They've been with us since the beginning of the war. There's a mum, a daughter and a little baby. 'They've been with us now [for] eight months, I'm getting them a flat soon that I'm paying for or whatever, because I really want them to be closer to the city centre.' Chris added: 'They have enhanced my life these people. The baby I mean I know I've had my own kids but this baby is so sweet. Insight: The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host and his partner Jane Bird (pictured in 2021) have welcomed a mother, her daughter and a baby into her Berkshire home Kind: Speaking on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain, Chris also shared that he is in the process of getting a flat for the family to live in, which he is paying for 'She was seven months, now if she had stayed she'd be on the front of a tank or something!' 'I mean the idea of what happened and how they got away is just extraordinary. They want to do things and help out, they tied my fishing shed which has never been tidy.' Chris was best-known as the host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire for 16 years, before Jeremy Clarkson took over in 2018. But despite his history with the series, Chris added that he is yet to watch the rebooted version. Sweet: He said: 'They've been with us now [for] eight months, I'm getting them a flat soon that I'm paying for or whatever, because I really want them to be closer to the city centre' Proud: 'The idea of what happened and how they got away is just extraordinary. They want to do things and help out, they tied my fishing shed which has never been tidy,' Chris added He continued: 'Do you know I haven't, I don't know why. I did 700 shows and I only watched two of them, so why would I watch Jeremy's [version]?' 'I don't watch game shows. I watch Netflix, Sky Sports, dramas, that's it really. That's about 24 hours.' Back in May, Chris reflected on living with a Ukrainian refugee family after he welcomed them into his Berkshire home amid the country's war with Russia. The TV personality described the family - a Ukrainian woman, her elderly mother and ten-month-old baby - as 'so sweet' as he gushed that he 'loves' them. The woman's husband has remained in the country to fight Russian forces. War: Back in May, Chris reflected on living with a Ukrainian refugee family after he welcomed them into his Berkshire home amid the country's war with Russia Chris and his partner Jane Bird were inspired to act after seeing television footage of the atrocities in Ukraine. He has described his unexpected joy at seeing the young girl living a 'normal' life under his roof as he admitted that he never liked his own children - Toby, 30, Jennifer, Sammy and Helen - when they were babies. Speaking on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, he explained: 'I'm obsessed with this kid. I never particularly liked my own children as babies. I didn't, I like when they're about two and they toddle and Toby [Tarrant, Radio X presenter] at that age was revolting. No change. 'But this little girl and you look at her and you go, God, I mean, she's just running around my place, enjoying it, playing with toys, just having a normal life. 'And you think what could have happened if she'd stayed behind? With this sick, evil monster running the thing? Just unbelievable.' Family life: Chris is pictured with his ex-wife Ingrid and their family on holiday in 2004 pictured (Toby, 30, Jennifer, Sammy and Helen) Chris said they are all adjusting well to living together and said the elderly woman, who doesn't know English', says 'safe' to him as she has escaped the war-torn country. He said: 'I love them. I tell you what, it's a mum, she speaks no English at all. She just keeps putting the thumbs up to me and going 'safe'. Just because she's safe. 'No, she's just so sweet. And the mum, the mum of the little girl, she's about 30 and she speaks good-ish English, and the little girl just gurgles in Ukrainian, I think, but she's 10 months old, she's just about to walk.' The former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire presenter said he believes that a lot of Britons want to welcome Ukrainian refugees into their homes but are unable to do so due to the 'red tape' as he described it as a 'shambles'. 'I love them': The TV personality described the family - a Ukrainian woman, her elderly mother and ten-month-old baby - as 'so sweet' He has previously criticised the government's Homes For Ukraine scheme as 'civil service bureaucratic c**p' due to 'red tape' facing those fleeing war. He previously told the Sun: 'People are desperate to get into this country and they can't get through all that red tape. 'When you consider all the people who do get into this country, you think, 'For God's sake, the Ukrainians of all people we should be giving priority to'.' Chris said the situation in Ukraine made him feel 'helpless', but after a friend asked if he would like to help he said he decided to get involved in the scheme. He said he managed to avoid the red tape facing many Brits, allowing the family to move in after the woman's husband sorted their paperwork to get them through Poland and into the UK. When he first contacted the family Chris said they were sleeping on airport floors in Poland having escaped from the 'hellhole' in Ukraine. But he now helps the 'lovely' family - who speak very little English - with shopping and other odd jobs. Chris, who filmed in Ukraine two years ago for his Channel 5 programme Extreme Railways, described the Ukrainian people as 'gentle, nice people'. 'There's no question Putin is worse than Hitler', he added. 'He's just a sick, evil man. What he's doing is beyond belief. It is genocide, it is war crimes. 'The human spirit is still very strong. You never really thought the Ukrainians would be as tough as they are, but they are so strong and so courageous.' Drake celebrated his 36th birthday on Monday, with a star-studded bash at Sexy Fish in Miami. The rapper looked handsome as he arrived in a lilac suit, with a pale purple silk shirt underneath that boasted diamond encrusted collar and cuffs. The Hotline Bling hitmaker added a pair of shiny brown shoes and a diamond necklace with a matching earring. Celebrating in style! Drake celebrated his 36th birthday on Monday, with a star-studded bash at Sexy Fish in Miami His black tresses were plaited in neat braids and he sported his usual well-groomed facial hair. He was joined at the glitzy party by a whole host of reality stars and fellow musicians to dance the night away. Love Island stars Genny Shawcross and Emily Salch each put on busty displays in cleavage baring garments. Looking sharp: The rapper looked handsome as he arrived in a lilac suit, with a pale purple silk shirt underneath that boasted diamond encrusted collar and cuffs Stylish: The Hotline Bling hitmaker added a pair of shiny brown shoes and a diamond necklace with a matching earring Emily caught the eye in a black minidress, covered in purple jewels and featuring plenty of cutouts to flash extra glimpses of skin. She added height to her frame with a pair of black strappy high heels and toted a matching black handbag. Genny looked equally stunning in a black plunging maxi-dress that showed off her ample assets and belly button piercing. Handsome: His black tresses were plaited in neat braids and he sported his usual well-groomed facial hair Turning heads: Love Island stars Genny Shawcross and Emily Salch each put on busty displays in cleavage baring garments Dazzling: Emily caught the eye in a black minidress, covered in purple jewels and featuring plenty of cutouts to flash extra glimpses of skin DJ Khaled arrived in a typically stylish ensemble, sporting a black and white shirt decorated with pills and paired with black trousers. He hid his eyes behind red-tinted sunglasses and added a pair of red and white trainers. 21 Savage looked effortlessly cool in a black zip-up jacket teamed with a pair of matching black trousers and several diamond necklaces. Cool: DJ Khaled arrived in a typically stylish ensemble, sporting a black and white shirt decorated with pills and paired with black trousers Fashion forward: 21 Savage looked effortlessly cool in a black zip-up jacket teamed with a pair of matching black trousers and several diamond necklaces Flower power: Zack Bia cut a casual figure in a floral patterned shirt, which he wore with bright yellow trainers Zack Bia cut a casual figure in a floral patterned shirt, which he wore with bright yellow trainers. Kanye West's ex-girlfriend Chaney Jones left little to the imagination in a plunging black jumpsuit. Her latex outfit clung to her sensational curves and she paired it with strappy black heels and a sparkly handbag. Standing out: Kanye West's ex-girlfriend Chaney Jones left little to the imagination in a plunging black jumpsuit Shady lady: She wore her raven locks poker straight and hid her eyes behind a pair of black rectangular sunglasses She wore her raven locks poker straight and hid her eyes behind a pair of black rectangular sunglasses. Alix Earle stood out from the crowd in a bright orange co-ord, made up of a pair of trousers and an ab-flashing crop top. She added a white handbag, nude high heels and a chain necklace, while sweeping her blonde locks up in a ponytail. Incredible: Alix Earle stood out from the crowd in a bright orange co-ord, made up of a pair of trousers and an ab-flashing crop top Katie McGlynn needed a helping hand getting to her taxi after a boozy night out at the Pride Of Britain Awards on Monday. Clad in a plunging scarlet gown , the former Coronation Street star appeared to be worn out by the night's festivities, as she slumped down onto the pavement before being helped up by her male pal. Katie's appearance was a stark contrast to the glamorous look she'd sported on the red carpet, as she joined a slew of stars at the awards. Long night? Katie McGlynn needed a helping hand getting to her taxi after a boozy night out at the Pride Of Britain Awards on Monday Having exited the party at London's Grosvenor House at 1am, Katie took a breather as she sat down on the pavement while waiting for her taxi. The actress was seen leaning against a wall for an impromptu nap in the early hours, before her pal helped her into the waiting taxi. Earlier in the evening, Katie made a glamorous appearance on the red carpet for the Pride Of Britain Awards, donning a plunging red gown with a daring thigh-high split. Need a rest? Clad in a plunging scarlet gown , the former Coronation Street star appeared to be worn out by the night's festivities, as she slumped down onto the pavement Here she is! Katie's appearance was a stark contrast to the glamorous look she'd sported on the red carpet (pictured), as she joined a slew of stars at the awards Where's the Uber? Having exited the party at London's Grosvenor House at 1am, Katie took a breather as she sat down on the pavement while waiting for her taxi Bedtime! The actress was seen leaning against a wall for an impromptu nap in the early hours, before her pal helped her into the waiting taxi Time to go! As their car arrived, Katie was helped into the vehicle by her male pal before the pair made their way home She elevated her height in a pair of silver stilettos and accessorised with dainty matching jewellery. Earlier in the day, Katie showed her Instagram followers how she was preparing for the big night as she snapped a selfie with a face mask on. The annual Pride of Britain Awards returned for a 23rd year at London's Grosvenor House on Monday evening, with Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo co-hosting the star-studded affair. Don't get it dirty! Katie had donned a stunning scarlet gown with a plunging neckline to attend the star-studded red carpet for the Pride Of Britain Awards Grand occasion: The annual Pride of Britain Awards returned for a 23rd year at London's Grosvenor House on Monday evening Taking place since 1999, the ceremony honours the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and all walks of life - nominated by members of the public. After a shortlist has been produced from the thousands of entries, winners are chosen by the Pride of Britain judging panel. Despite taking place on Monday evening, the ceremony will be aired on ITV on Thursday 27 October at 8pm. Important: Taking place since 1999, the ceremony honours the achievements of truly remarkable people from across the UK and all walks of life Coming soon: Despite taking place on Monday evening, the ceremony will be aired on ITV on Thursday 27 October at 8pm Which car is ours? Katie'spal was in the midst of organising their taxi ride home while the star took a rest on the pavement Carol, who has hosted the event for 23 years since 1999, said: 'Well have 12 incredible winners again this year, but it's difficult for the judging panel because we have thousands of nominations and everyone on the shortlist could easily win.' The Pride Of Britain awards will honour winners in eight categories; TSB Community Hero Award, ITV Fundraiser Of The Year, Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser of the Year, This Morning Emergency Services Award, Outstanding Bravery, Child/Teenager of Courage, Lifetime Achievement and Special Recognition. A slew of famous faces attended the bash, including David Beckham, Dame Joan Collins, Sir Mo Farah and many more. Let's go home! Katie's pal had to convinced her to get up so they could travel home together after the glitzy awards evenr We're leaving now! Eventually the Hollyoaks star was helped to the car before making her way home following a busy evening It comes after Katie bid farewell to Hollyoaks back in February, as her final scenes as new mother Becky Quentin aired on the show. The actress left the soap after nine months and took to Instagram after the episode to comment on her departure. Katie, who took up the role of Becky last June, 18 months after leaving Coronation Street, teased 'exciting opportunities' were in the pipeline. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol congratulated China's Xi Jinping after last week's Communist Party congress, Yoon's office said on Tuesday. In a letter sent on Monday, Yoon told Xi he looks forward to communication and cooperation to improve relations between South Korea and China, South Korea's presidential office said in a statement. Yoon has sought to reassure Beijing that his efforts to strengthen his country's alliance with the United States is not aimed at China, which is South Korea's largest trading partner. Xi secured an unprecedented third term as leader 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. North Korea's Kim Jong-un also sent a congratulatory letter to Xi on his reelection as China's leader, saying he hoped to further develop their ties, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. China, which has a mutual defense treaty with North Korea and provides most of its foreign trade, has called on all sides to take steps to reduce tensions amid a record number of missile tests by the North and stepped up military drills by South Korea and the United States. (Reuters) The Kid Laroi's younger brother is following in his superstar sibling's footsteps. Auz the Kid, whose real name is Austin Edward Muston Howard, has signed a publishing deal with Sony Music. The 16-year-old says he was inspired by his older brother - who he learned a lot from. The Kid Laroi's younger brother is following in his superstar sibling's footsteps. Auz the Kid (pictured), whose real name is Austin Edward Muston Howard, has signed a publishing deal with Sony Music 'When I was about 13, Laroi was inviting me into (studio) sessions with him and Khaled,' Auz told The Daily Telegraph. 'I used to watch them and listen, look at how you could change stuff and pull it all together and that's how I realised I wanted to do it for sure.' He went on: 'My brother has told me a lot of stories and situations of how other people have messed up, so I don't go down that road. He's guided me in a very good direction for sure. The 16-year-old says he was inspired by his older brother - who he learned a lot from. They are pictured together 'Without Laroi, I probably wouldn't know as much, for sure. He has pointed me in the right direction,' he said 'Without Laroi, I probably wouldn't know as much, for sure. He has pointed me in the right direction.' The Kid Laroi, known for his hits Stay and Without You, recently celebrated the end of his first major international tour. The 18-year-old rapper from Sydney whose real name is Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, told followers he is 'nothing' without them. The Kid Laroi (pictured), known for his hits Stay and Without You, recently celebrated the end of his first major international tour Posting to his Instagram Stories in September, Laroi said he would miss seeing his fans every night. 'I cannot begin to describe the impact you've all had on my life,' the US-based pop star gushed in the lengthy post. 'This tour reminded my why I do what I do and why I love doing it so much.' Thanking his crew, Laroi added that he will now return to the studio to complete his next album. The 18-year-old rapper from Sydney whose real name is Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, told followers he is 'nothing' without them 'I'm more inspired than ever...thank you you for being so patient. I love you endlessly.' It has been three years since Laroi left Australia and moved to LA to follow his dreams of becoming a chart-topping rapper. The provocative star began his End of the World tour in the US before playing a series of sell-out shows in Australia and in the UK. It has been three years since Laroi left Australia and moved to LA to follow his dreams of becoming a chart-topping rapper The Down Under leg of the tour saw the star play his first home town shows since he opened for his late mentor Juice WRLD in 2019. Laroi has enjoyed huge success and has already hit several major career milestones. Stay and Laroi's F**k Love mixtape reached No. 1 on the global Billboard charts in early August, making him the youngest Australian artist to achieve this accolade. He is also the youngest artist to top the Australian ARIA album charts in February 2020 with his mixtape. Advertisement Keeping Up With The Kardashians vet Kourtney Kardashian and her rock star husband Travis Barker have purchased a home together after getting married earlier this year. The lovebirds snapped up a beach house near Santa Barbara, California, where they got engaged in 2021, for $14.5 million on Friday, according to UsWeekly. The ocean front home used to belong to talk show host Conan O'Brien. Mew digs: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker have purchased a home together after getting married earlier this year Done! The lovebirds have snapped up a beach house near Santa Barbara, California, where they got engaged in 2021, for $14.5 million on Friday, according to UsWeekly; seen in May The property is technically located in Carpinteria, which is very close to the tony Santa Barbara area where several celebrities live. The gray and white home is situated so close to the beach it only takes a few steps down a short staircase to get to the shore. There is also a large porch that has a view of the Pacific Ocean. It was made for entertaining as it fits a dining room table and also has a built in barbecue. Below is an outdoor shower. Inside there it is big enough for their brood - she has three kids as does he - as it is more than 2,100 square feet. A view to die for: The home is located so close to the beach it only takes a few steps down a staircase to get to the shore A place to rest: There is also a large porch for entertaining that has a view of the Pacific Ocean and a built in barbecue There are two bedrooms with a guest house that has another two bedrooms. They have some fancy neighbors too: Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. TV personality Conan has made a nice profit on the home. He purchased it in 2015 for $8 million and put some money into it, only to get $14.5 million out of the Barkers. Ca-ching: TV personality Conan has made a nice profit on the home. He purchased it in 2015 for $8 million and put some money into it, only to get $14.5 million out of the Barkers Not huge but just right: The home looks perfect for a family; there is also an outdoor shower A glance at the back yard: The wood porch has stairs that lead to the beach area Kourtney and Travis do not live together yet, but rather go between their mansions in Calabasas, California. Their homes are within walking distance. 'We want our kids to also feel really comfortable and they have both lived in their homes their whole lives for the most part, and they each have their rooms and we are a block away,' Kardashian explained on Dear Media's Not Skinny, Not Fat podcast. His old pad: The ocean front home used to belong to talk show host Conan O'Brien So much room to cook up a gourmet meal: The kitchen is spacious with a marble top and blonde wood panels Barker has son Landon, 19, daughter Alabama, 16, with ex Shanna Moakler. And he parents former stepdaughter Atianna De La Hoya, 23 whose parents are Moakler and her ex Oscar De La Hoya. Kourtney has three kids with ex Scott Disick: son Mason, 12, daughter Penelope, 10, and son Reign, 7. Room for the kids: Barker has son Landon, 19, daughter Alabama, 16, with ex Shanna Moakler. And he parents former stepdaughter Atianna De La Hoya, 23 whose parents are Moakler and her ex Oscar De La Hoya So many little ones: Kourtney has three kids with ex Scott Disick: son Mason, 12, daughter Penelope, 10, and son Reign, 7 This year they hinted they would be buying a home together. It is not known if they will together purchase a main home in the Calabasas area. They were seen in Santa Barbara earlier this month to celebrate the one year anniversary of their engagement. The Blink 182 drummer had asked for her hand in marriage on the beach in 2021; they wed in Santa Barbara then Italy earlier this year. Looks like even more beds: There are places to sleep with storage underneath in this long room This big purchase comes just as her ex Disick is trying to 'stay out of trouble' following Kourtney's wedding. The 39-year-old socialite dated reality star Kourtney, 43, from 2005 until 2015 and has three kids with her but is reportedly keen to avoid any 'drama' since she married Blink-182 drummer Barker in May this year. A source told Entertainment Tonight: 'Scott has been chill and low-key lately. He's been doing his best to stay out of any trouble or drama and just be a great dad.' She said yes: They were seen in Santa Barbara earlier this month to celebrate the one year anniversary of their engagement The claims come just weeks after the Poosh founder explained that she was 'upset' when Scott - who initially appeared alongside Kourtney and her famous family on 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' in 2007 - was brought into the first season of Hulu series 'The Kardashians' earlier this year because it impinged on the build-up to her 'fairy tale' wedding. She said: 'I was upset they chose to take my fairy tale and include that part of it. And then it just bothered me, like, these people, at wherever are like making the choice of what my story is. I didn't initially have a problem with it when I first watched it because I think we're so used to the way that we've done things for so long and it's been, you know, that kind of stuff would have been included. think it just bothered me because I felt like this is my fairy tale. 'And I was like, 'Why can't we show the happy ending? Why do we have to focus on this?' I get it's TV, and blah, blah, blah, but to me, I was not having it. I was like, 'You wouldn't do this to anyone else.'' He delighted fans when donned his famous suit to return to Doctor Who on Sunday. And David Tennant's wife Georgia has now taken to Instagram to share a sweet tribute to the actor after he reprised his role as the titular Time Lord following Jodie Whittaker's exit. The actress, who is also the daughter of the Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, shared a cute black-and-white snap with David in matching hats, after his return aired during Doctor Who's special episode to mark the BBC's 100th Anniversary on Sunday. Cute: David Tennant's wife Georgia has shared a sweet tribute to the actor after he reprised his role as the titular Time Lord following Jodie Whittaker's exit Georgia, who began dating David after they co-starred on Doctor Who together in 2008 before marrying three years later, captioned her post: 'Daughter of 5. Girlfriend of 10. Wife of 14. #powerofthedoctor.' The couple, are parents to daughters, Olive, 10, Doris, six, and Birdie, two, and a son, Wilfred, eight, while David also adopted Georgia's son Ty, 19. Following David's return to the Who series, showrunner Russell T Davies confirmed that he is the 14th Doctor, and will appear in a trio of episodes to mark the programme's 60th Anniversary in 2023. He's back! The actor is reprising his role as the beloved Time Lord for the show's upcoming 60th Anniversary, and his return hit screens on Sunday Cute: Georgia, who is the daughter of the Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, shared the sweet snap with David in matching hats His return aired during the closing moments of the Centenary Special, sending fans into a tailspin as the Doctor regenerated into a previous incarnation. The Power of the Doctor was jam-packed with excitement as famous faces returned, Jodie bowed out after five years as the Time Lord, David made his return, and fans were given a first-look at Ncuti in the role. The much-anticipated episode, titled The Power of the Doctor, pulled in 3.6million average viewers with a peak of 4million, according to new overnight ratings. He's back! David's return to Doctor Who aired during a one-off special to mark the BBC's 100th Anniversary on Sunday The episode came to a very dramatic conclusion as Jodie's Doctor shockingly regenerated into a very familiar face - David's 10th Doctor. Despite not being ready to regenerate, she said while watching the sunset: '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. The newly regenerated Doctor ran his fingers over his teeth and said 'I know these' clearly perplexed as he returned to his former body. She's going! The episode was Jodie Whittaker's last appearance as The Doctor, after taking over the role in 2017 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 as the beloved companion Donna Noble, 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 2022. 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!' Coming soon! Doctor Who will return with David in the titular role with three specials to mark the show's 60th Anniversary in November 2023 '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!' On Tuesday it was also revealed that for viewers outside of the UK and Ireland, Doctor Who will be moving to Disney+. In a statement, returning showrunner Russell - who was responsible for bringing 'Doctor Who' back to screens in 2005 - said: 'I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK.' Anticipated: Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will then take over as the Time Lord in a festive episode next year The series has previously only been available in the US on HBO Max and BBC America but the BBC's Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore explained that the upcoming specials and new series - which will see Ncuti Gatwa become the Fifteenth Doctor after Tennant's tenure as the Time Lord - will ensure that global audiences will now be able to enjoy the show in the 'way that they deserve'. She said: 'We are thrilled to announce this exciting global partnership with Disney who are the perfect partners to bring this very British show to the rest of the world. 'Russell T Davies' vision for Doctor Who has always been out of this world and we are committed to ensuring that audiences across the globe get the opportunity to enjoy the Doctor's epic adventures with the scale and ambition that they deserve. 'Joining forces with Disney will elevate the show to even greater heights and reach new audiences so it's an extremely exciting time for fans in the UK and across the world.' She said: 'We're excited by the opportunity to bring new seasons of this beloved franchise exclusively to Disney+ and introduce the show to the next generation of audiences in more than 150 markets around the world. 'The series is a perfect addition to our ever-growing catalogue of global content that continues to make Disney+ the home for exceptional storytelling.' Doctor Who returns with its 60th Anniversary Special in November 2023. David Tennant returned to the lead role in Doctor Who on Sunday as Jodie Whittaker bowed out after five years as the Time Lord. But in 2023 Ncuti Gatwa take control of the TARDIS following the show's 60th anniversary special, with viewers getting their first look at him in action a recent teaser. And the Sex Education star, 30, took part in an Instagram Q&A on Tuesday to speak about the 'big shoes' he will fill and revealed he'd love to fly the time traveller's police-box to Nigeria. Coming soon: Doctor Who's Ncuti Gatwa, 30, has revealed he would like to take the TARDIS to Nigeria ahead of taking on the role of the Time Lord next year He said: 'I would take my TARDIS to Africa, to Nigeria and I would love the Doctor to meet the Orisha,'. 'They were a set of gods in Nigerian mythology and I think he would have a lovely old time'. The Orisha are spirits sent to assist humanity and to teach them to be successful on earth. Rooted in the native religion of the Yoruba people, Orishas are said to have previously existed in the spirit world before taking on human forms on earth. In action: viewers were treated to a glimpse of him in the role in a teaser following Jodie Whittaker's final episode and David Tennant's return Nigerian Gods: He said: 'I would take my TARDIS to Africa, to Nigeria and I would love the Doctor to meet the Orisha, gods from Nigerian mythology, he'd have a lovely time' Ncuti went on to say about the role: 'I am so excited, obviously I am daunted, its a daunting show and I am following in some big footsteps,'. However he added: 'But I cant wait to put my stamp on the character'. Doctor Who fans were also treated to a look at the show's new logo with the BBC captioning the post: A new logo for a new era! Doctor Who returns in 2023 on the BBC in the UK and Disney+ in the rest of the world'. New era: Doctor Who fans were also treated to a look at the show's new logo with the BBC captioning the post: A new logo for a new era! Doctor Who returns in 2023 on the BBC in the UK and Disney+ in the rest of the world' It comes after David Tennant's wife Georgia has took to Instagram to share a sweet tribute to the actor after he reprised his role as the titular Time Lord following Jodie Whittaker's exit. The actress, who is also the daughter of the Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, shared a cute black-and-white snap with David in matching hats, after his return aired during Doctor Who's special episode to mark the BBC's 100th Anniversary on Sunday. Georgia, who began dating David after they co-starred on Doctor Who together in 2008 before marrying three years later, captioned her post: 'Daughter of 5. Girlfriend of 10. Wife of 14. #powerofthedoctor.' Cute: It comes after David Tennant's wife Georgia has took to Instagram to share a sweet tribute to the actor after he reprised his role as the titular Time Lord following Jodie Whittaker 's exit The couple, are parents to daughters, Olive, 10, Doris, six, and Birdie, two, and a son, Wilfred, eight, while David also adopted Georgia's son Ty, 19. Following David's return to the Who series, showrunner Russell T Davies confirmed that he is the 14th Doctor, and will appear in a trio of episodes to mark the programme's 60th Anniversary in 2023. He's back! The actor is reprising his role as the beloved Time Lord for the show's upcoming 60th Anniversary, and his return hit screens on Sunday Cute: Georgia, who is the daughter of the Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, shared the sweet snap with David in matching hats His return aired during the closing moments of the Centenary Special, sending fans into a tailspin as the Doctor regenerated into a previous incarnation. The Power of the Doctor was jam-packed with excitement as famous faces returned, Jodie bowed out after five years as the Time Lord, David made his return, and fans were given a first-look at Ncuti in the role. The much-anticipated episode, titled The Power of the Doctor, pulled in 3.6million average viewers with a peak of 4million, according to new overnight ratings. Doctor Who returns with its 60th Anniversary Special in November 2023. They welcomed their daughter Bonnie Lou earlier this year. And Emma Louise Connolly broke down in tears on Tuesday, as her husband Oliver Proudlock spoke about their journey to getting pregnant. The Made In Chelsea star, 33, and his model wife appeared on Giovanna Fletcher's podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby to talk about their first child. Emotional: Emma Louise Connolly broke down in tears on Tuesday, as her husband Oliver Proudlock spoke about their journey to getting pregnant (pictured in October) When Giovanna asked them about their road to getting pregnant, Ollie candidly admitted that it had been 'tough'. He said: 'It is so tough, and it is a miracle when it happens. But it is nice so many people talk about it now.' He explained that he spoke to his mum about it and she had told him that in her day people didn't speak about it. Couple: The Made In Chelsea star, 33, and his model wife appeared on Giovanna Fletcher's podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby to talk about their first child Ollie added: 'To have some support and be able to talk about it, I think is so important. The sense of community in talking about it and hearing people's stories and realising what a miracle it is.' 'Everyone has some kind of story. It's very rare to get pregnant first time. Women are so incredible, what you guys go through, unbelievable'. Emma got emotional and became very teary listening to her husband talk about their journey. Ollie comforted her and added: 'We're very emotional in this household, because there's so much love up in here!' Candid: When Giovanna asked them about their road to getting pregnant, Ollie candidly admitted that it had been 'tough' Sharing a joint message on their respective Instagram accounts, Oliver and Emma revealed they welcomed Bonnie Lou into the world on Saturday 14 May. Alongside a black and white video of the newborn, the couple wrote: 'Shes here With so much love and pride, we are thrilled to share the safe & healthy arrival of our beautiful baby girl. 'She has already filled us with so much love and happiness. Our Bonnie Lou Proudlock, 14/05/22. [sic]'. The happy couple revealed they were expecting their first child last December - a year after they tied the knot. Last December, the new parents announced their baby news on their one year wedding anniversary, with Emma debuting her baby bump in a sweet video. Adorable: Sharing a joint message on their respective Instagram accounts, Oliver and Emma revealed they welcomed Bonnie Lou into the world on Saturday 14 May The clip showed the moment the couple were pronounced husband and wife in 2020, before cutting to Oliver holding up a newborn jumper with the phrase 'Yeah baby!' embroidered on it. Emma captioned the clip '1 year married, 1 yeah baby on the way. We are bursting with love and gratitude for our very precious little growing gift!' Last year, Oliver revealed he and Emma only met face to face after they spent a staggering four years messaging each other. Oliver explained that he had been in Scotland for five days to do Personal Appearances and go partying, back in his Made In Chelsea days. Sweet: Emma shared a photo of Bonnie late on Tuesday evening as she was preparing to give her a bath, with the baby wrapped up in a white towel He said: 'I hadn't seen any culture and I became good mates with these guys there and they said look 'you should go and check out this art gallery called Kelvin Grove. 'So I was like "ok cool", so I went down there and I was on the ground floor and I came into the central room and there was this long catwalk. 'It was this graduate fashion show, and so I'm standing there at the front and this model walks down and it's Emma. And I'm like "oh my gosh, this chick is out of control." And we catch eyes and then after she's doing her show, doing her thing. 'I went back to my buddies and I said "guys, I saw this girl, described what she looked like, she was just insane! 'She's the best': Oliver and Emma shared an adorable black and white snap of Bonnie when announcing her birth 'And they were like "sounds like this girl Emma Louise." So I was like "show me". So they showed me a picture and I was like "oh my god that's her." I was probably just like 'I'll probably never see her again.' The Made In Chelsea star admitted: 'Had I not decided to go to this particular place on that day I don't think we'd be together now and I always look back on that moment.' But, a few weeks later, when Oliver returned to Edinburgh for another PA, he saw a photograph of Emma modelling jewellery. 'I'm standing at the baggage reclaim and I look up and there's this huge billboard for this jewelry company, and it was Emma modelling this jewellery on this billboard. Yay: Emma and her former Made In Chelsea star husband revealed they were expecting their first child last December - a year after they tied the knot Announcement: Sharing a joint message on their respective Instagram accounts last month, Oliver and Emma revealed they welcomed Bonnie Lou into the world on Saturday 14 May 'And I was like "oh my god" and it was the same guys from Glasgow who picked me up and I was like "guys I just saw her on this billboard, it's a sign. I need to get her number or find her or whatever it is." And I ended up finding her on Facebook.' Proudlock sent a friend request, which spurred Emma to drop him a message, and their communication began. He explained: 'We ended up talking on Facebook for, I don't know, two or three months maybe and then she was in Glasgow this time. 'I was down in London and then about a year in she moved down to London with modelling, we got each other's number. 'We then messaged for three years. But we never met, and it was a weird one. She was seeing someone at the time, nothing serious but we would just message just like harmless stuff.' So sweet: Another highlight on model Emma's Instagram Story captured Bonnie's tiny feet, where she simply captioned her name with a bow After messaging for years without ever having met, Oliver decided to go to the commonwealth games in Glasgow, after hearing that Emma would be there and knowing that they were both single. 'I was like "I have got to go." I messaged my buddies, same guys from all those years back, and I'm like "guys, I found her four years later. Guys, it's time. I need your help."' After travelling up to Glasgow, Proudlock messaged Emma to let he know he was there. Oliver explained that Emma made the train with about a minute to spare, running down the platform carrying numerous bags. He admitted: 'I was just like "oh my god" I just remember that moment so well, and that was the first time we actually met, on a train journey from Glasgow to London.' And, it appears that Emma was definitely worth the wait. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne reportedly accused her co-star Kathy Hilton of uttering a homophobic slur during their chaotic Aspen trip in the 12th season reunion finale airing this Wednesday. 'Erika claims Kathy used the slur against someone the cast was around earlier this season, but production cameras were not rolling when the alleged incident happened,' a source told TMZ on Tuesday. 'Production investigated Erika's claim following the Aspen trip, but found it's basically a case of she said, she said.' Airing this Wednesday! The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne (L) reportedly accused her co-star Kathy Hilton (R) of uttering a homophobic slur during their chaotic Aspen trip in the 12th season reunion finale The 63-year-old hotel heiress was said to have strongly denied the 51-year-old former gay club siren's allegation and some of her RHOBH castmates defended her while her estranged half-sister Kyle Richards 'sat quietly.' Last month, Bravo aired the Aspen episodes where Kathy appeared to feel left out, having little success trying to gather everyone for a tasting of Casa Del Sol tequila (her daughter Nicky is an investor). Hilton (born Richards) then attempted to start a conga line at a country western bar, but when no one joined in she snapped at Sutton Stracke: 'If you don't go home with me, you are not my friend.' A source told TMZ on Tuesday: 'Erika claims Kathy used the slur against someone the cast was around earlier this season, but production cameras were not rolling when the alleged incident happened' The insider continued: 'Production investigated Erika's claim following the Aspen trip, but found it's basically a case of she said, she said' Rumor: The 63-year-old hotel heiress was said to have strongly denied the 51-year-old former gay club siren's (3-R) allegation and some of her RHOBH castmates defended her while her estranged half-sister Kyle Richards (3-L) 'sat quietly' Anyone? Last month, Bravo aired the Aspen episodes where Kathy appeared to feel left out, having little success trying to gather everyone for a tasting of Casa Del Sol tequila (her daughter Nicky is an investor) The gang then stopped by the members-only Caribou Club where the Manhattan-born socialite was allegedly 'raging and screaming,' broke her sunglasses, and got in a sprinter van with Lisa Rinna. Rinna claimed Kathy yelled about NBC, Bravo, and co-stars including her sister Kyle: 'I will take down this show single-handedly, I will f***ing ruin you all.' '[Lisa and Erika] are desperate for a storyline, and they'll throw anybody under the bus,' Hilton told TMZ last Wednesday. Hilton (born Richards) then attempted to start a conga line at a country western bar, but when no one joined in she snapped at Sutton Stracke: 'If you don't go home with me, you are not my friend' CongaGate: The gang then stopped by the members-only Caribou Club where the Manhattan-born socialite was allegedly 'raging and screaming,' broke her sunglasses, and got in a sprinter van with Lisa Rinna (L) Rinna (R) claimed Kathy yelled about NBC, Bravo, and co-stars including her sister Kyle (L): 'I will take down this show single-handedly, I will f***ing ruin you all' Hilton told TMZ last Wednesday: '[Lisa and Erika] are desperate for a storyline, and they'll throw anybody under the bus. I had said that I would only be willing to come back [for season 13] if the cast [changed]. If it was completely the same, absolutely not. Because I feel they are two bullies that intimidate a lot of the other girls' 'I had said that I would only be willing to come back [for season 13] if the cast [changed]. If it was completely the same, absolutely not. Because I feel they are two bullies that intimidate a lot of the other girls.' The mother of Paris Hilton eventually got to lead a conga line of various Real Housewives at DIRECTV's 'Wives Night Out' meet and greet on October 13. On Monday night, Kathy attempted to make light of the Aspen drama by reposting conga line jokes via Instastory. 'We'll conga with you anytime!' The mother of Paris Hilton eventually got to lead a conga line of various Real Housewives at DIRECTV's 'Wives Night Out' meet and greet on October 13 Dave Chappelle has supported Will Smith's comeback following his Oscars slap - less than two months after branding him 'just as ugly as the rest of us' in the wake of the incident. The comedian, 49, proudly posed up with the Oscar-winning actor, 54, at an advance screening of his upcoming film Emancipation on Monday - despite slamming him over slapping Chris Rock, 57, at the 2021 ceremony. Chappelle and Smith joined a loved-up Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, film star Tyler Perry and more to pose for the fun snap. Smith is trying to revive his career as he returns with his first major project since he shocked Academy Awards viewers earlier this year when he slapped Rock on stage after he made an ill-advised joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. All is forgiven? Dave Chappelle (center) has supported Will Smith's comeback following his Oscars slap - less than two months after branding him 'just as ugly as the rest of us' in the wake of the incident Back in September, Rock and Chappelle poked fun at Smith's slap on the opening night of their UK tour. Dave said: 'Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us. 'Whatever the consequences are I hope he doesnt put his mask back on again, and lets his real face breathe. I see myself in both men.' Chris previously declared: 'The motherf****r hit me over a bulls**t joke, the nicest joke I ever told.' Shock moment: Smith is trying to revive his career as he returns with his first major project since he shocked Academy Awards viewers earlier this year when he slapped Rock on stage Friends again: The comedian, 49, proudly posed up with the Oscar-winning actor, 54, at an advance screening of his upcoming film Emancipation on Monday - despite slamming him over slapping Chris Rock, 57, at the 2021 ceremony Independence Day star Smith's on-stage slap sent shockwaves around the world, with the star later saying he was left incensed by a joke Rock made about his wife's lack of hair, which she shaved off to cover up hair loss she had experienced. Despite sweeping the Oscars up in controversy, Smith still won the award for Best Actor for starring as the father of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard. Also joining in the celebration was Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, along with music producer Corey Smyth and Will's longtime friend Fawn Boardley, who has also served as a style director for him and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, 51, who didn't appear to have attended the screening. The movie appeared to have sparked some deep conversations among the group, as a follow-up photo should Chappelle standing with his back to the screen as he spoke to the other members of the audience. Smith's latest film is a historical thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua, in which the Fresh Prince actor stars as an enslaved man named Peter who escapes from a Louisiana plantation and braves treacherous territory and slave hunters to make it up north to Union territory, where he is able to join the fight against the Confederacy. The film was inspired by the life of a former slave immortalized in horrifying photos of his back, which was covered in spiderwebbing keloid scars from repeated whippings. Oh dear: Back in September, Rock and Chappelle poked fun at Smith's slap on the opening night of their UK tour. Dave said: 'Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us' Candid: Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith had recently revealed that she was suffering alopecia and had shaved her head. Rock joked during his hosting set that she looked like 'G.I. Jane' History: Smith's latest film is a historical thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua, in which the Fresh Prince actor stars as an enslaved man named Peter who escapes from a Louisiana plantation Following the shocking slap, Variety originally reported that Apple planned to delay the film until 2023 to let the controversy die down. However, it is now set for a December 2 release in theaters, followed by a streaming release on Apple TV+ on December 9. The streaming service may have still given up its plans of having a hit for awards season, as the film may lose out on potential profits due to the short theatrical window. Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds turned 46-years-old on Saturday. And on Tuesday morning the Deadpool star thanked his fans on Instagram for sharing so many well wishes. 'This birthday was the best birthday of all. Thanks for all the kind messages,' wrote the award winner in his caption. The Canadian also revealed who really is in his inner circle as he flashed images of those he celebrated the big day with. His VIPs: Ryan Reynolds turned 46-years-old on Saturday. And the Deadpool star thanked his fans on Instagram for sharing so many well wishes. The Canadian also revealed who is in his inner circle as he flashed images of those he celebrated with Front and center behind a decadent chocolate cake was his 35-year-old Hollywood bombshell wife Blake Lively, whom he met in the 2011 movie The Green Lantern. She is heavily pregnant as she is expecting their fourth child. They already have three kids: James, seven, Inez, age six, and Betty, three. Blake was also seen with her mother Elaine Lively. The wife: Front and center was his 35-year-old Hollywood bombshell wife Blake Lively, whom he met in the 2011 movie The Green Lantern Mommy: Blake was also seen with her mother Elaine Lively, a former talent scout Talent scout Elaine was wed to Blake's father, actor Ernie Lively, from 1979 until his death in 2021. Also in the mix was his mother Tammy Reynolds. She was wed to Ryan's dad James Chester Reynolds, who passed away in 2015. And then there was Ryan's older brother Terry Reynolds who works as a police officer. He has served as a Mountie in Canada. His mom: Also in the mix was his mother Tammy Reynolds. She was wed to Ryan's dad James Chester Reynolds, who passed away in 2015 A Mountie is The Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They are the federal and national police service of Canada. Other photos posted by Ryan showed him alone out in nature, with a long blonde ponytail and with funny Happy Birthday sunglasses on. Last month it was all about movie news for Reynolds. He shared pal Hugh Jackman was reprising his Wolverine character for Deadpool 3. 'Hey everyone, we're extremely sad to have missed D23, but we've been working very hard on the next Deadpool film for, uh, a good long while now,' Reynolds said while seated on a couch. Bro time: And then there was Ryan's older brother Terry Reynolds who works as a police officer. He has served as a Mountie in Canada He continued: 'I've had to really search my soul on this one, his first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel special. 'You need to stay true to the character, find new depth, motivation, meaning. Every Deadpool needs to stand out and stand apart.' He was seen in a series of clips in which he worked out, tried to type on a typewriter, poured a glass of his Aviation American Gin, and sat on the toilet. Pictured: Other photos posted by Ryan showed him with funny Happy Birthday sunglasses on So close: And Ryan was seen in his pajamas with his morning coffee as he put his arm around his brother Terry Reynolds deadpanned: 'It's been an incredible challenge that has forced me to deep inside, and I have nothing. Just empty up here and terrifying.' He continued, 'But we did have one idea - hey, Hugh, want to play Wolverine one more time?' at which point a figure strongly resembling Jackman was seen walking in the background, replying, 'Yeah, sure, Ryan.' Reynolds tweeted out the clip with the message, 'Hard keeping my mouth sewn shut about this one,' while Jackman tweeted, 'Yeah, sure,' with the clip. The latest: Hugh Jackman's reprising Wolverine character for on Deadpool 3, Reynolds revealed in September John Krasinski - who is working with Reynolds on a project called wrote Imaginary Friends - 'Wait is this our movie?' Deadpool 3 is slated to be directed by Shawn Levy, who has past worked with Reynolds on The Adam Project and Free Guy. Jackman, 53, was last seen in the role of Wolverine in the 2016 film Logan, in which his character died at the end of the movie, which makes it unclear how it will resurface in the upcoming movie. Jackman and Reynolds, pictured in NYC in February, have past collaborated on multiple projects The character of Deadpool was initially seen in the 2009 movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the first X-Men centered around Jackmans character. The Deadpool movies, released in 2016 and 2018, have made more than $780 million worldwide. The film is due out September 6, 2024. Four-time Tony winner Nathan Lane will make his triumphant return to Broadway next year with Pictures From Home. The 66-year-old scene stealer will play the patriarch opposite four-time Tony nominee Zoe Wanamaker as his onscreen wife and Tony winner Danny Burstein as his onscreen son, who photographs his parents. Sharr White (Halston, The Snow Geese) will adapt Larry Sultan's 1992 photo memoir about 'childhood and parenthood memories, and the often contrasting and shifting conditions that make up familial relationships.' Strictly limited engagement! Four-time Tony winner Nathan Lane will make his triumphant return to Broadway next year with Pictures From Home (pictured in 2019) Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher will helm Pictures From Home at Studio 54 with previews scheduled to begin January 10 with a February 9 opening. It marks Nathan's 25th Broadway production as he last graced the stage as the titular role in George C. Wolfe's play Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus at the Booth Theatre in 2019. It's hard to believe Lane first made his Broadway debut at age 26 way back in 1982 playing Roland Maule in George C. Scott's revival of Noel Coward's Present Laughter at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Audiences can next catch the Only Murders in the Building actor as the father of twins (Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp) in Larry Charles' big-screen adaptation of the UCB musical F***ing Identical Twins due out around Christmas. Castmates: The 66-year-old scene stealer will play the patriarch opposite four-time Tony nominee Zoe Wanamaker (L) as his onscreen wife and Tony winner Danny Burstein (R) as his onscreen son, who photographs his parents A story in photographs: Sharr White (Halston, The Snow Geese) will adapt Larry Sultan's 1992 photo memoir about 'childhood and parenthood memories, and the often contrasting and shifting conditions that make up familial relationships' Maestro: Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher will helm Pictures From Home at Studio 54 with previews scheduled to begin January 10 with a February 9 opening (pictured in 2018) 'It's the perfect family film, F***ing Identical Twins,' Nathan (born Joseph) told Deadline on July 12. 'It's just a twisted version of The Parent Trap, but I hear Larry [Charles] is very happy with how its coming along...[It has] a really tuneful score [that will] really surprise people by this composer, Karl Saint Lucy. Very, very talented, and I'm sure some people will be offended because it's totally insane, but really, really funny.' Lane will then play a mystery role in Ari Aster's horror comedy tentatively titled Disappointment Blvd., which will likely premiere at next year's Cannes Film Festival. Thespian: It marks Nathan's 25th Broadway production as he last graced the stage as the titular role in George C. Wolfe's play Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus at the Booth Theatre in 2019 'It's just a twisted version of The Parent Trap': Audiences can next catch Lane as the father of twins (Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp) in Larry Charles' big-screen adaptation of the UCB musical F***ing Identical Twins due out around Christmas 'I saw Ari Aster just this last week and what I saw looked pretty interesting funny and scary,' the New Jersey native dished. 'It's a unique project. It's like he's invented a whole new genre, and it's all anchored by Joaquin Phoenix, who's just extraordinary.' The Manhattan-set film - also starring Patti LuPone, Parker Posey, and Michael Gandolfini - is described as an 'intimate, decades-spanning portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.' Lily Collins and husband Charlie McDowell looked stylish as they strolled hand in hand in New York City on Tuesday. The Emily In Paris actress held onto a green smoothie with one hand as she chatted up her spouse who listened intently. The two were both bundled up for the autumn chill as they had on cashmere sweaters. Holding hands: Lily Collins,33, and husband Charlie McDowell, 39, looked warm and comfortably stylish as they strolled hand in hand in New York Tuesday Lily, 33, fought the chill in an oversized brown blazer. The star wore a sage green sweater and white pants as she strolled in a pair of multi-toned sneakers. Her long dark locks were styled straight with bangs and she appeared fresh faced as she enjoyed a green smoothie on the outing. Charlie, 39, bundled up in a burgundy, white and gray striped sweater, tan corduroy pants, brown boots and a black toque. The couple celebrated their first anniversary September 4 and Lily told E! News she's thankful to have the writer and director by her side. 'I just feel so grateful that I have someone next to me to be able to accomplish that and your best friend with you all the time.' Chill: The Emily in Paris star fought the chill in an oversized brown blazer. The Emily in Paris star wore a sage green sweater and white pants as she strolled in a pair of multi-toned sneakers The first year of their marriage included traveling to France to shoot Emily in Paris. 'We can kind of conquer anything,' she contended. We've been through so many changes globally, personally, and to be able to have a partner next to you that makes you laugh in times when you need it the most and helps you emotionally get through things, like moving to a foreign country for four months.' The pair also worked together on Windfall, which was directed by Charlie, who also co-wrote the script. Lily starred with Jason Segal and Jesse Plemons in the drama about a man who breaks into a tech billionaire's home, only to have bad things happen when the arrogant mogul and his wife arrive for a last minute getaway. The film is currently streaming on Netflix. Anniversary: The couple celebrated their first anniversary in September. Lily told E! News 'I just feel so grateful that I have someone next to me to be able to accomplish that and your best friend with you all the time' Both grew up in showbusiness families. Lily is the daughter of British rocker Phil Collins, 71, and his second wife, American Jill Tavelman. Charlie is the son of Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen, 69, and British actor Malcolm McDowell, 79. The Young Hollywood award winner is current listed as being in pre-production for Titan, starring as a young woman looking for answers in the death of her environmentalist sister. The versatile star is also slated to star in a film about the popular doll Polly Pocket, for Lena Dunham. The Girls creator told The Hollywood Reporter she is working on a second draft of the script and gave a hint about the plot, saying 'we have a lot of fun with the idea of what happens when a small person encounters a big world.' Showbiz family: Both Lily and Charlie come from showbusiness families. The actor is the daughter of British rocker Phil Collins, 71, and his second wife, American Jill Tavelman South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, right, shakes hands with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman during their meeting at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo, Oct. 25. Yonhap South Korea on Tuesday held high-level bilateral consultations with the United States and Japan on North Korea's saber-rattling amid speculations that Pyongyang may soon conduct another nuclear test. Cho Hyun-dong, Seoul's vice foreign minister, met with his U.S. counterpart, Wendy Sherman, at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo to discuss ways to deal with North Korea's evolving threats highlighted by a series of ballistic missile launches in recent weeks. "The two countries will solidify our deterrence against North Korea with overwhelming capabilities through a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and security cooperation," Cho told reporters at the outset of the meeting. He also reiterated a warning that North Korea will face an "overwhelming and decisive response" when it uses a nuclear weapon. Sherman characterized North Korea's continued provocations as being "deeply irresponsible, dangerous and destabilizing." "We will use the full range of U.S. defense capabilities to defend our allies, including nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities," she said. South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, left, poses with his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Mori, at a hotel in Tokyo ahead of a bilateral meeting on Oct. 25. Yonhap Julia Fox gave her fans some helpful tips on making stylish clothing from household items in a fun TikTok video she posted on Monday. The 32-year-old actress and model turned a simple beach towel into a chic low-effort dress with just a few snips of her scissors and some carefully placed safety pins. Later on Tuesday, she shared a video to the platform calling out trolls on social media who were attacking her for her former relationship with Kanye West in the wake of his recent anti-Semitic comments. Mother of invention: Julia Fox, 32, showed her fans how to make a chic dress out of nothing more than a simple beach towel in a TikTok video posted Monday 'I'm going to give you guys some end-of-the-world fashion inspo today,' Julia began her clip while wearing a white graphic T-shirt and large black bug-eyed sunglasses. 'It's no secret that towels have made their way to the runway,' she continued while turning her camera down to a blue-and-white floral print beach towel reading, 'Hawaii.' 'So today, we're going to cut up this towel and make it a dress!' she said before cutting a slim slit about two-thirds of the way down the towel, where her head could poke out. Tips: 'I'm going to give you guys some end-of-the-world fashion inspo today,' Julia began her clip while wearing a white graphic T-shirt and large black bug-eyed sunglasses New options: 'It's no secret that towels have made their way to the runway,' she continued while turning her camera down to a blue-and-white floral print beach towel that she proceeded to cut She returned to the mirror to show off the low-key look, which featured a short back and a long front flap, like a lopsided poncho. Then she returned to adjust the dress, cutting another longer slit at the length she wanted the dress to end at. The Uncut Gems star then stepped through the hole and pinned the excess material up to create a shorter, leg-baring dress with a cutout highlighting her back. 'It creates this swoop effect in the back that I really like,' she gushed as she twirled around for her fans before briefly forgetting to keep her camera pointed at the mirror. 'And then from the front it just looks sort of boxy and cool.' First step: She returned to the mirror to show off the low-key look, which featured a short back and a long front flap, like a lopsided poncho What a difference! Then she returned to adjust the dress, cutting a longer slit at the length she wanted the dress to end at. The Uncut Gems star then stepped through the hole and pinned the excess material up to create a shorter, leg-baring dress with a cutout highlighting her back Stunner: Julia also flipped the dress around to make the exposed section reveal her toned midriff, and she styled the new outfit with long black leather gloves, knee-high black leather boots and her sunglasses Julia also flipped the dress around to make the exposed section reveal her toned midriff, and she styled the new outfit with long black leather gloves, knee-high black leather boots and her sunglasses. 'This is the final look,' she added as she admired her handiwork. 'Don't mind the mess here,' she said, before turning to say, 'Anyway, I think it's really chic.' The actress reversed the dress and gushed about how much she loved the 'deep swoop in the back.' She captioned the helpful video, 'lol we better learn to improvise.' Two-faced: But Julia was more somber in a short follow-up clip posted on Tuesday morning as she opined that people who describe themselves as 'empaths are hypocrites Fighting back: She singled out one self-styled 'empath' who posted mean comments referencing her former relationship with Kanye West amid his scandal over anti-Semitic comments But Julia was more somber in a short follow-up clip posted on Tuesday morning. She filmed herself at the bottom of the screen while including a screen recording from TikTok of a user who had been trolling her over her former relationship with Kanye West, 45. 'So, I have this theory that people that preach about being empaths and loving and all that bulls***, that they're actually just really s****y f***ing people and they just try to project that image because they're insecure,' she said while scrolling through a list of comments. One user, whose name she did a half-hearted job of censoring, posting several comments making fun of her for her association with Kanye. 'Are you the girl that was with Kayne? or am I wrong? I don't know who you are [sic,' read one comment, seemingly unprompted. 'No one knew who you were until Kayne [sic],' she continued, while another comment read, 'I can see why Kayne left [sic].' Julia also showed the user's home page to reveal that she described herself as an 'empath' in the comments. New muse: Julia and Kanye met on New Year's Eve 2021 in Miami and dated for two months. She showed off many outfits inspired by his tastes; seen in January in Paris Julia and Kanye were first seen together at the end of December when they met up at New Year's Eve party in Miami, before they enjoyed a dinner date at Carbone in New York City shortly afterward. Julia and Kanye were quickly inseparable, and he bought her a new closet of high-fashion clothing to suit his tastes while she made several eye-catching appearances with him. But just over a month later, the rapper was making regular calls on social media to reunited with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, and the two called it off in February of this year. Although Julia didn't mention it, Kanye has been engulfed in scandal in recent days. After months of harassing his ex-wife Kim and her former boyfriend Pete Davidson, the rapper set off controversy by wearing a 'White Lives Matter' shirt at his fashion show for Paris Fashion Week. More recently, the hitmaker made multiple anti-Semitic comments that got him suspended from Instagram and Twitter. Still going: Ye set off a scandal at his Paris Fashion Week show with 'White Lives Matter' shirts while joined by right winger Candace Owens. He has since been dropped by Adidas, Gap and Balenciaga over anti-Semitic remarks he made On Tuesday, Adidas said it was terminating its contracting with West after he doubled down on his comments and claimed that Adidas would never drop him over his statements. Other fashion brands that have collaborated with the rapper, who has been open about suffering from bipolar disorder in the past, also followed suit to cut ties. Gap, which ended its collaboration with West in September, announced on Tuesday that it would remove all Yeezy Gap products from its stores, and Balenciaga, which designed a number of striking outfits for West and Kim Kardashian in recent years, also ended its relationship with him. Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Bella Hadid reunited in Qatar on Tuesday as they attended a VIP exhibition opening. The pair both stunned in black and white outfits as they stepped out at the Museum of Islamic Art for a dinner. The duo celebrated the opening of the Baghdad: Eye's Delight exhibition, with Naomi, 52, wearing a chic black and white dress and slacks and Bella, 26, stunning in a plunging blazer and matching skirt. Chic: Naomi Campbell and Bella Hadid stunned in black and white outfits on Tuesday as they attended an exhibition opening in Qatar Naomi's outfit featured a high neck and short sleeves and a tie-up design on the waist. She teamed the look with stunning black embellished shoes and makeup including a deep red lip. Bella meanwhile opted for an all-black outfit, wearing a hair covering and statement black and gold heels. Stylish: Bella meanwhile opted for an all-black outfit, wearing a hair covering and statement black and gold heels Stepping out: The duo celebrated the opening of the Baghdad: Eye's Delight exhibition, with Naomi, 52, wearing a chic black and white dress and slacks and Bella, 26, stunning in a plunging blazer and matching skirt What a night! The pair, who have been attended the various Fashion Weeks in Europe in recent weeks, enjoyed the opening and an intimate dinner at the museum. Pictured with artist Olafur Eliasson Her makeup was complete with a smokey winged eye and a deep red lip. The pair, who have been attended the various Fashion Weeks in Europe in recent weeks, enjoyed the opening and an intimate dinner at the museum. Also in attendance on the evening was fashion designer and Balmain creative Olivier Rousteing, who posed up with Naomi for some photos. Vetements creative director Guram Gvasalia was also in attendance, as well as artist Olafur Eliasson. Style statement: Naomi's outfit featured a high neck and short sleeves and a tie-up design on the waist Details: She teamed the look with stunning black embellished shoes and makeup including a deep red lip Friends: Also in attendance on the evening was fashion designer and Balmain creative Olivier Rousteing, who posed up with Naomi for some photos Rubbing shoulders: Vetements creative director Guram Gvasalia was also in attendance Earlier this week, Naomi celebrated the launch of her new initiative Emerge. It helps give creative and business minds support, including education programs and apprenticeships. Bella meanwhile said on Instagram that she landed in Doha and went to see a Palestine exhibition called Labour of Love. 'This show brought tears to my eyes and even more pride for my beautiful Palestinian roots and people. I love you Qatar and I love you Palestine,' part of her post was captioned. In good company! Painter Kehinde Wiley (right) looked sharp in a printed trousersuit while Daniel Lismore opted for an eye-catching black gown with a shimmering headpiece Kourtney Kardashian shared more saucy images from her new Lemme campaign as she announced the product called Fall In Love on Tuesday morning. The 43-year-old reality TV siren flashed her shapely bottom in a light lavender silk nightie with beige lace trim as she put her arms around her 46-year-old husband Travis Barker of Blink 182 fame. The drummer was also seen placing a hand on his wife's butt, which he often does on red carpets as well. They were selling the 'limited-edition organic flower elixir' which is being pushed as a sort of love potion made from leaves, flowers and roots. Naughty: Kourtney Kardashian shared more saucy images from her new Lemme campaign as she announced the product called Fall In Love. The siren flashed her shapely bottom as husband Travis Barker placed a hand on his wife's butt 'Fall In Love. Our new organic flower elixir launches now on lemmelive.com,' the sister of Kim and Khloe Kardashian wrote in her caption. The brand's Instagram caption read: 'Our new Fall In Love organic flower elixir is crafted with 8 love-boosting botanicals from around the world to open your heart and unleash your loving spirit. Take 1-2 droppers by mouth to feel the love.' The ingredients for this sort of love potion comes from plants. From flowers? They were selling the 'limited-edition organic flower elixir' which is being pushed as a sort of love potion made from leaves, flowers and roots The ingredients include Damiana leaf which Lemme plugs as 'uplifting.' Then there is Linden Leaf and flower which is a 'soothing antioxidant-rich herb with an uplifting scent. It is a superstar for vitality.' Also included is oneseed hawthorn leaf and flower, damask rose flower, Provence rose flower, heather leaf, Japanese honeysuckle flower and ginger root. On Thursday, the reality star turned entrepreneur took to her Instagram page to announce a mystery product by dropping two photos, one of which shows them sharing a passionate kiss, while the other depicts them adoringly rubbing their noses together. Fall in love time: 'Fall In Love. Our new organic flower elixir launches now on lemmelive.com,' the sister of Kim and Khloe Kardashian wrote in her caption Will it make a man fall in love with you? The brand's Instagram caption read: 'Our new Fall In Love organic flower elixir is crafted with 8 love-boosting botanicals from around the world to open your heart and unleash your loving spirit. Take 1-2 droppers by mouth to feel the love' With the intent of creating a bit of drama and mystery, The Kardashians star simply wrote: '@lemme coming soon 10.25,' in the caption, along with a red heart emoji. For the cover image, Kardashian can be see grabbing ahold of her husband's silver chain necklace, as if to say 'come hither.' Dressed in a pink plunging top, complete with white lace, she appears to almost be giggling as she flashes a big beaming smile her man's way, all while giving more than a hint of her ample cleavage. Loved up: The ingredients for this sort of love potion comes from plants Rounding out her advert look, the Lemme founder has her dark tresses styled long and flowing just past her shoulders with a part in the middle. Barker, 46, followed his trend of going shirtless for promo spots, which put the emphasis on his array of tattoos all along his shoulder, back, neck and head. With his eyes closed, the Blink-182 drummer appears to be enjoying his wife's loving touch during the photoshoot. Update: The Kardashians star announced a Lemme mystery product is coming on October 25, alongside her steamy photos with her husband In the second image, the newly minted Mrs. Barker traded her smile for a more seductive look as she goes in to kiss her husband on the lips. Sister Khloe Kardashian was one of the first to comment on the steamy photos, writing, 'Awwwwww,' in a reference to the all the heavy petting between the couple. About four hours earlier, the Lemme social networking team posted a new video of the boss lady for the announcement that the company's Matcha Energy B12 Gummies is back in stock. 'Calling all Lemme Matcha lovers Our chart-topping Matcha gummy is back in stock!' it reads in the caption, alongside the clip that shows Kardashian appearing to jump up and down on a trampoline, in and out of the camera view. Steamy: Kardashian slipped into promo mode for her Lemme brand by sharing a couple of hot and heavy images of herself and Barker In the clip, she appears to be wearing a green off-the-shoulder top, while her raven locks are quite a bit longer, flowing well past her shoulders, close to the middle of her back. 'Lemme Matcha is powered by Organic Matcha, Vitamin B12 and antioxidant CoQ10 to power up your day minus the jitters! Run, don't walk to get yours now at lemmelive.com!' the caption concludes. The Matcha gummies had been sold out for just over a week, according to its announcements on the Lemme social media platforms. Following the mission statement, 'wellness should be delicious', the mother of three expanded her presence in the wellness category with the launch of her Lemme brand, which specializes on vitamins and supplements, in September. Peek-a-boo: Kardashian is her own best advert when it comes to promotion her Lemme brand Chris Moyles will reportedly use jewellery with words on to send secret messages to his loved ones while on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. The radio presenter, 48, has two beaded bracelets attached around his right hand, both of which have short sentences on them, according to The Sun. They report that the first says his name, 'Chris', while the other is labelled with the words 'Get Me Out'. Interesting: Chris Moyles will reportedly use jewellery with words on to send secret messages to his loved ones while on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Chris and Olivia Attwood are the first stars 'confirmed' for this year's I'm A Celebrity after they were pictured landing at Brisbane airport on Tuesday. The former Love Island star, 31, and the radio presenter, who had been rumoured as members of the line-up, kept things casual as they made their arrivals. According to The Sun, Chris said: 'I have absolutely no idea what my family and friends would think of me doing a show like I'm A Celebrity. Upcoming: The radio presenter, 48, has two beaded bracelets attached around his right hand, both of which have short sentences on them, according to The Sun (hosts Ant and Dec pictured) 'I have never asked them. But I think they would be much more nervous about me doing Antiques Roadshow. It should be nice, fingers crossed anyway. When asked about having a fear of jungle critters and snakes, he replied: 'There's lots of everything in this country, like sport and beer and I am not scared of sport or beer. So I think I will be alright.' Other stars reported to have signed up for the adventure include 1980s pop icon Boy George and comedian Seann Walsh. A source previously said: 'Chris is a huge signing for I'm A Celebrity and they have been trying to sign him for years. Bracelets: They report that the first says his name, 'Chris', while the other is labelled with the words 'Get Me Out' 'Previously he's turned them down for a number of reasons but this year feels like the right time. 'Chris has signed up and is preparing himself mentally and physically to go Down Under. This a huge moment for him and he cannot wait to get stuck in. 'Fans of the show are in for a real treat and Chris has no doubt there will be some people who will be ringing to vote for him to do some of the gruelling trials.' A representative for Chris was contacted by MailOnline for comment at the time. Looking good: Chris (pictured) and Olivia Attwood are the first stars 'confirmed' for this year's I'm A Celebrity after they were pictured landing at Brisbane airport on Tuesday Hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly said they wanted to see Chris as a campmate back in 2012. Geordie Dec explained: 'He would be really funny, he'd probably win. 'And he's lost so much weight, even the lack of food wouldn't bother him.' Ant added: 'The thing is eventually they all say yes. We just wear them down.' Last year Chris admitted he would struggle on the show because of his crippling fear of heights. He said he had no idea he was so scared until he took his girlfriend Tiffany Austin's niece to Go Ape. Speaking on Radio X with Vernon Kay, Chris said: 'I just wouldn't be good on I'm a Celeb because we had Tiff's niece last week and we took her to Go Ape, you know the treetop adventure place? 'I papped myself and I realised I'm more scared of heights than I actually genuinely thought I was, and I knew I was scared of heights.' He added: 'This guy was behind me with his daughter, he was talking me across all the bridges: 'You'll be fine, you've got this, don't worry about it'. Yay! Ant and Dec are set to welcome 12 new famous faces into the Australian camp in November 'Meanwhile his daughter's like hanging off stuff with one arm.' Earlier this month it was reported that former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Seann Walsh has signed up for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! The comedian, 36, is thought to be heading Down Under for the new series - the first back in Australia since the coronavirus pandemic. According to The Sun, ITV bosses are hoping Seann will discuss his infamous 2018 snog with his Strictly pro partner Katya Jones, who was married to fellow dancer Neil Jones at the time. The brief fling resulted in the end of Katya's marriage to Neil the following year and Seann splitting with his ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries. According to reports, Seann and Olivia will be joining the likes of Babatunde Aleshe and Boy George in the jungle. Ant and Dec are set to welcome 12 new famous faces into the Australian camp in November. In a statement, ITV said: 'Autumn also brings I'm A Celebrity which makes a welcome return to ITV from the Australian jungle.' Georgia Toffolo looked radiant as ever as she attended The Wedding Edition x Skydiamond Event at the Shangri-La at The Shard in London on Tuesday. The former Made In Chelsea star, 28, looked in good spirits at the event where she donned a black low cut top with a matching short-sleeved shirt. The TV personality also sported a pair of high-waisted grey trousers while she added height to her frame with a pair of black heels. Stunning: Georgia Toffolo looked radiant as ever as she attended the Skydiamond Event at the Shangri-La at The Shard in London on Tuesday Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, Georgia accessorised with a silver necklace while sipping on a glass of Perrier-Jouet champagne. The reality star grinned from ear to ear as she posed for a snap alongside Ecotricity owner Dale Vince. The outing comes after Georgia was tipped to be among the stars to have signed up for the upcoming I'm A Celebrity All Stars series. She will reportedly be joined by Joe Swash, Myleene Klass, Gillian McKeith, Phil Tufnell, Amir Khan, Paul Burrell, Jordan Banjo, Andrew Whyment, Dean Gaffney and Shaun Ryder with Janice Dickinson and Fatima Whitbread completing the line-up. Style: The former Made In Cheslea star, 28, looked in good spirits at the event where she donned a black low cut top with a matching short-sleeved shirt Fashion: The media personality also sported a pair of high-waisted grey trousers while she added height to her frame with a pair of black heels (pictured with Dale Vince) The new spin-off series is set to hit TV screens in 2023 and will see fan favourites battle it out in the jungle once more, with presenters Ant and Dec having confirmed that they are currently filming in South Africa. According to The Sun, viewers will see a group of 15 soap stars, reality TV personalities and sporting icons enter the camp. Georgia was crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2017 and has allegedly flown to South Africa to begin filming. The reality TV star was famed for striking up a firm friendship with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's dad, Stanley during her stint Down Under. Toff did coyly confess she had a soft spot for older politicians, saying: 'I have always said I do have a thing for older politicians before I came in here... and can confirm that is still standing!' He delves into his history of drug addiction in his upcoming memoir The Friends star took another jab at Reeves while mention Chris Farley's death Reeves has described Phoenix as one of his best friends He lamented artists like River Phoenix dying while Reeves continues to work Matthew Perry appears to have revealed some shockingly negative feelings about Keanu Reeves in his upcoming memoir Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing. Perry, who recently delved into his history with drug addiction, writes, 'Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?' in a passage obtained by Page Six. DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Perry for additional comment and context. Bizarre beef: Matthew Perry, 53, revealed his shockingly negative feelings about Keanu Reeves, 58, in his upcoming memoir. He lamented that Reeves was still alive today while their mutual friend River Phoenix died young Perry, 53, seemed to be barely able to hold back his disdain for the 58-year-old Matrix star whom he doesn't appear to have ever collaborated with while discussing their mutual friend River Phoenix, who died in 1993 of a drug overdose at only 23. Although Reeves has called Phoenix one of his 'closet friends of that era,' according to the Irish Times, Perry also had a strong connection with the rising star after the future TV mainstay made his feature film debut opposite him in 1988's A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon. In his memoir, Perry describes how their time filming the movie in Chicago helped establish a strong bond, while also tagging another presumed jab at Reeves. 'River was a beautiful man inside and out and too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down,' he writes. Although Reeves has called Phoenix one of his 'closet friends of that era,' Perry also had a strong connection to him after he made his feature film debut opposite Phoenix in 1988's A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon; Phoenix and Reeves in My Own Private Idaho Sour grapes: 'Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?' in a passage obtained by Page Six; still from the Friends reunion Phoenix famously died of a combined drug overdose from heroin and cocaine outside the Viper Room in West Hollywood, and Perry writes that he 'heard the screaming from my apartment; went back to bed; woke up to the news.' He added that he broke down in sobs after learning his friend had died. Perry's jabs and Reeves weren't limited to their mutual connection to Phoenix, though. He also blasted the John Wick star in another aside while discussing his late friend Chris Farley, who died in 1997 at age 33 of a drug overdose from combining a stimulant (cocaine) with a depressant (morphine), a similar concoction to the speedball that killed Phoenix. Perry and Farley had starred together in the critically reviled Christopher Guestdirected comedy Almost Heroes, which was released in the year following Farley's death. Perry again complained that Reeves was still alive while noting his sadness over his friend and costar Chris Farley's 1997 death from a drug overdose; seen in 1997 with Lisa Kudrow 'I punched a hole through Jennifer Anistons dressing room wall when I found out [about Farley's death],' he writes, adding, 'Keanu Reeves walks among us.' Aside from his grievances about other actors, Perry delves into his extensive history with drug addiction in his memoir and in recent interviews, which may have made the deaths of Phoenix, Ledger and Farley particularly painful. While speaking to People earlier this month, he revealed that his colon ruptured as a result of his opioid addiction when he was 49. Doctors gave him only a two percent chance of survival, and the medical emergency left him in a coma for two weeks, followed by months more in the hospital. He required 14 surgeries to help repair all of the abdominal damage, and he admitted to having gone to rehab 15 times over the years in hopes of kicking his drug addiction. Perry's memoir Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing will be released on November 1. Eva Mendes has spoken of her family life Down Under as she joins her husband Ryan Gosling in Sydney while he films his new movie The Fall Guy. The Hollywood actress, 48, revealed on Wednesday their young daughters start their home-schooling every day with a Welcome to Country. 'I don't do the home-schooling myself because I've tried that and it's not one of my strengths,' the Ghost Rider star told The Daily Telegraph. Eva Mendes (pictured) has spoken of her family life Down Under as she joins her husband Ryan Gosling in Sydney while he films his new movie The Fall Guy 'We travel a lot and one of my strong beliefs is that you try to always keep a family together, no matter what you're doing. Especially when the children are small. 'We're lucky enough to have someone we travel with that can continue their education at this point, and what we do is we try to incorporate the city we're in as much as possible.' An Acknowledgement of Country is a ritual that takes place before some formal gatherings in Australia in which a speaker pays respect to the traditional custodians of the land. An alternative form of this is a Welcome to Country, which is when the speaker is a local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander of significance. The Hollywood actress, 48, revealed on Wednesday their young daughters start their home-schooling every day with an Acknowledgement of Country. (Eva and Ryan are pictured in 2013) She added that her children, Esmeralda, eight, and Amada, six, started picking up 'Aussie twangs' in the last month and a half they've been living in Australia. Eva said her favourite thing about Sydney is how family-friendly the CBD is, with 'epic' parks being her top destination to visit on a good day. The actress has been spotted visiting an outdoor playground in Sydney's Rose Bay on a number of occasions. Elsewhere in the interview, Eva revealed her family are all 'huge Bluey fans' and she was so excited to be offered a guest voice role on the ABC children's series. Ryan started dating Eva in September 2011 after working together on The Place Beyond the Pines. (Pictured together in September 2017) The couple, who have been together for over a decade, are still madly in love. Ryan started dating Eva in September 2011 after they worked together on The Place Beyond the Pines. The Fall Guy is expected to shoot in Sydney and throughout New South Wales, and will inject $244million into the local economy. Director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran have been announced as the co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery announced Tuesday. 'Were honored to be the stewards of these DC characters weve loved since we were children,' Gunn and Safran said in a statement. 'Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the rest of the DC stable of characters is only equaled by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility these characters represent. 'Were excited to invigorate the theatrical experience around the world as we tell some of the biggest, most beautiful, and grandest stories ever told.' The latest: Director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran have been announced as the co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery announced Tuesday The studio said that beginning November 1, the duo will work on a long-term game plan for the studio's DC Comics interests in film, TV and animation, in addition to working on solo ventures. Gunn, who has had successes such as the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and The Suicide Squad, which Safran has been the producer on hits including Aquaman, Shazam and Flatliners. Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav said in a statement of Gunn and Safran: 'Their decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community, and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the globe make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy across film, TV, and animation, and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling.' The unit known as DC Films was previously led by Walter Hamada over the past four years; Hamada left the position left week. Gunn, who honed his craft as an independent filmmaker, has had huge hits with 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy and its 2017 sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Gunn will be positioned on the creative side of the endeavor, while Safran will oversee business and production According to The Hollywood Reporter, the appointment of Gunn and Safran into the positions come conclude a months-long search that spurred widespread speculation in Hollywood. Gunn and Safran had been seen in recent meetings with Warners film co-chair Michael De Luca on the studio lot, sources told the outlet, noting that De Luca initially sought out Safran and Gunn to fill the position during a time it was also negotiating with Dan Lin. Sources told the outlet that Gunn and Safran will report directly to Zaslav, and work with film execs De Luca and Pamela Abdy. De Luca and Abdy said in a statement, 'We could not be more excited to have James Gunn and Peter Safran join the team and assume the leadership of the DC Universe. James is a brilliant filmmaker and storyteller and Peter is a tremendously successful and prolific producer and to have them both committing to work together to forge this new era for DC is a literal dream come true. 'We all share a very similar sensibility and passion for this universe and the stars couldn't have aligned any better. We can't wait to get started, dig in, and collaborate with these unmatched creative minds.' The pair will take over a number of popular DC franchises, including Superman (starring Henry Cavill) Gunn will be positioned on the creative side of the endeavor, while Safran will oversee business and production, sources told THR. Insiders told the outlet that the pact spans four years and Gunn will work exclusively for DC. The forthcoming Joker sequel will be supervised by De Luca and Abdy ahead of its upcoming production. Gunn, who honed his craft as an independent filmmaker, has had huge hits with 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy and its 2017 sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He made his foray from Marvel to DC after he was fired over controversial past tweets in 2018. He was later reinstated by Marvel, and is directing the third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy due to be released next May. He has had early successes at DC with 2021's The Suicide Squad and the HBO Max series Peacemaker. Safran was initially a manager - Gunn was one of his clients - and has worked extensively with DC and the studio over the past decade. The Watcher has officially clocked in 273.2 million hours of watch time on Netflix. According to Deadline, the Ryan Murphy and Ian Brenner-created show raked in another 148.2 million hours of viewing time from fans this past week. The mystery-thriller program, which premiered earlier this month, previously took in 125 million hours during its first week of release. Fan favorite: The Watcher has officially clocked in 273.2 million hours of watch time on Netflix The Watcher is based on Reeves Wiedeman's article The Haunting of a Dream House, which was published in The Cut in 2018. Wiedeman's article was based on a series of true events that transpired in 2014. The show is centered on a family who leave the hustle and bustle of New York City and move into a sizable home in New Jersey. However, they soon become the targets of a figure who terrorizes them through threatening letters and drastic actions. Based on a true story: Wiedeman's article was based on a series of true events that transpired in 2014 (Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts) The cast of the star-studded program was led by Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts. Other performers who appeared in the show were Jennifer Coolidge, Noma Dumezweni and Mia Farrow. The Watcher debuted on Netflix on October 13 and ran for a total of seven episodes. The program received mixed to negative reviews from critics and currently holds a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Not the best: The program received mixed to negative reviews from critics and currently holds a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes However, the series quickly became popular with viewers and landed the top spot on Netflix's watch list after its premiere. The number one position was previously held by Murphy's recently-premiered program, Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The filmmaker recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and told the media that he became so engrossed with Wideman's original story to the point that he offered to work on the project without compensation. 'I said, "I'm such a fan of this piece and I'm such a fan of this genre that I will write this for free; just let me write it"...And so that's how I got involved,' he recalled. Doing well: However, the series quickly became popular with viewers and landed the top spot on Netflix's watch list after its premiere Murphy went on to speak about how his own experience as a father influenced The Watcher's writing process. He stated: 'I instantly thought of my own family and I think that idea of how we're living in a world now where everybody all over the world, I guess, seems under attack in some way and that idea of, "How do I keep my family safe?"' The producer then stated that a particularly difficult question occurred to him while he worked on the program. He said: 'I have three children and that idea of you work so hard, you get the American dream; what if somebody takes it away?' Emma Weymouth looked incredible as she attended an intimate dinner to celebrate Carolina Herrera New York at Sir John Soane's Museum in London on Tuesday. The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 36, cut a glamorous figure at the event where she donned an eye-catching red strapless gown. The garment featured an a-symmetric hemline and a pleated detail while Emma added height to her frame with a pair of heels. Stunning: Emma Weymouth looked incredible as she attended an intimate dinner to celebrate Carolina Herrera New York at Sir John Soane's Museum in London on Tuesday Putting on a leggy display as she posed outside the venue, the socialite added to her look wtih a pair of silver earrings. Wearing her locks in a poker straight style, Emma compelted her look for the event with a light palette of makeup. The Marchioness has been married to Viscount Weymouth Ceawlin Thynn, 48, since June 2013, with the couple sharing sons John, six, and Henry, four. The boys' official titles are The Honourable John Alexander Ladi Thynn and The Honourable Henry Richard Isaac Thynn. Fashion: The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 36, cut a glamorous figure at the event where she donned an eye-catching red strapless gown On her wedding day, Emma became the first black marchioness in British history. Yet in November Emma said she doesn't want her skin colour to be a 'defining characteristic' and is a reluctant role model after becoming Britain's first black marchioness. The Marchioness, who is the daughter of a Nigerian oil tycoon, appeared on the cover of Tatler in November 2021 talking about her grand plans for her family's Longleat estate. In the interview she said she had a 'responsibility' to maintain the estate. Glamour: The garment featured an a-symmetric hemline and a pleated detail while Emma added height to her frame with a pair of heels Outfit: Putting on a leggy display as she posed outside the venue, the socialite added to her look wtih a pair of silver earrings She added: 'I aspire to a future where [my skin colour] is not a defining characteristic.' In the past Emma has also talked about raising her sons on the Longleat estate which contains an enormous wildlife Park. In 2014 she told Hello! magazine that her eldest son John was getting a varied education from living around animals. She said: 'He's learned to roar from being around the Longleat safari park lions and the animatronic dinosaurs. He can make monkey noises, too.' North Korean defectors / Yonhap Police said Tuesday they are investigating the death of a female North Korean defector whose skeletal remains were found at her home in western Seoul last week. The 40-something woman, whose identity was withheld, was discovered dead at her home last Wednesday in an Yangcheon Ward rental apartment complex run by Seoul Housing Communities Corporation (SH). Her body was found by an SH employee who came to visit her home to renew her rental contract, police said, adding she was living alone there. Police speculate that she may have died last winter because she was wearing winter clothes at the time of discovery. Gettyimagesbank Kate Ritchie will make her return as an actress in Channel Seven's upcoming drama series The Claremont Murders. The former Home and Away star, who has mostly stepped away from acting since becoming a radio host, will lead the cast of the new series alongside Erik Thompson. The Claremont Murders is based on an investigation into the disappearance of three young women in Perth in the late 1990s. Nova FM radio presenter Kate Ritchie will make her return as an actress in Channel Seven's upcoming drama series The Claremont Murders The program, which was announced at Seven's upfronts presentation on Tuesday, has already completed filming in Perth. The announcement comes after Kate, 43, revealed last Thursday she was taking a break from her Nova FM national 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. Ritchie, who was busted for low-range drink driving in August, explained to listeners she'd had an 'incredibly hectic and full-on' year and needed time off. The former Home and Away child star, 43, who has mostly stepped away from acting since becoming a radio host, will lead the cast of the new series alongside Erik Thompson 'This past year has been incredibly hectic and full-on for both me and my family,' she said. 'I have had much change and increased stress in my life, like many of you, in a short space of time. And it has taken its toll. 'But still I am so proud that our Nova show, with Tim and Joel and the team, is just powering along, and going from strength to strength.' The announcement comes after Kate, 43, revealed last Thursday she was taking a break from her Nova FM national drive show She added: 'We love our audience and they seem to put up with us. 'And as you may have guessed, I invest a lot of emotional energy into everything I do, my work, and my family especially, and the last few months I have been working on radio, I've been returning to TV and in my spare time, I even wrote a children's book. 'So, it's simple, like some of you, I imagine, I'm tired and I just need a break for a short while and have more time for me, and for my family, to re-energise. 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 'I have spoken with the bosses at Nova, and they have graciously agreed that this is a good time to take the break, as we approach the end of the year. 'Nova has been fabulous and understanding, so thank you Nova, and thank you Tim, Joel and the team, and most importantly, thank you to all of our fabulous listeners. I really mean that. 'It's time to recharge the batteries and come back fresh next year. And although it's only for a short time, I will miss you all. I'll see you in the New Year.' The new teaser trailer for the upcoming sixth episode of the second season of The Kardashians series on Hulu dropped on Tuesday. The trailer teased Kim Kardashian's, 42, famous SKIMS underwear shoot with supermodels Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel. It also gave a glimpse into the family's star-studded April premiere event as well as Kourtney Kardashian, 43, and Travis Barker's, 46, unofficial Vegas wedding. Models: Kim Kardashian's underwear shoot with Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel was shown in new trailer for the sixth episode of The Kardashians The teaser trailer starts out with Kourtney and Travis in a parking lot as they hold hands and smile mysteriously. It then switches to clip of Kourtney in a solo confession saying, 'What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas,' in reference to their unofficial Vegas wedding in April of this year. The couple married for 'practice' in a Las Vegas ceremony after Barker performed at the 2022 Grammy awards. Vegas wedding: The teaser trailer also hints at Kourtney Kardashian, 43, and Travis Barker's, 46, unofficial Vegas wedding Star-studded affair: Later on it gives a glimpse into the family's star-studded April premiere event The loved-up duo later had a second wedding in Santa Barbara, which was legally-binding, before saying 'I do' for the third time in a lavish Italian ceremony in May. The next scene shows momager Kris Jenner, 66, in a confession, as she mysteriously says: 'I just want to get back to my life.' The scene then switches to her wearing red cheetah-print pajamas and Louis Vuitton slippers as she sits on what looks to be a massage table set up in her home gym, and appears to be crying. Mysterious: The teaser trailer starts out with Kourtney and Travis in a parking lot as they hold hands and smile mysteriously Vegas: It then switches to clip of Kourtney in a solo confession saying, 'What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas,' in reference to their unofficial Vegas wedding in April of this year In the last episode Jenner was seen in bed recovering from a hip replacement, so it appears the new episode will show her continued journey to recovery. The clip transitions to Kim in a white bath robe on set, as she reveals: 'I am about to do a shoot with the icons.' She is then seen shooting amid the tall supermodels and appears thrilled with the opportunity, waving her hands in the air enthusiastically. Back to normal life: The next scene shows momager Kris Jenner, 66, in a confession, as she mysteriously says: 'I just want to get back to my life' following her recent hip replacement Emotional: The scene then switches to her wearing red cheetah-print pajamas and Louis Vuitton slippers as she sits in her home gym, and appears to be crying Excited: The clip transitions to Kim in a white bath robe on set, as she reveals: 'I am about to do a shoot with the icons' before she gets on set with the underwear clad supermodels Fame: It then shows Kris and boyfriend Corey Gamble, 41, at the Kardashians show premiere earlier this year, as Kim's voice remarks, 'This must be what a movie premiere feels like' The next scene shows Kris and boyfriend Corey Gamble, 41, at the Kardashians huge show premiere earlier this year, as Kim's voice remarks, 'This must be what a movie premiere feels like.' She is then shown on the red carpet in a form-hugging silver gown, before the trailer comes to an end. The new episode of The Kardashians will air on Hulu next Thursday. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America 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 Professor Kang Dong-wan shows various packaging he collected from five islands in the West Sea at his office located in Dong-A University, Busan. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min By Lee Yeon-woo Busan Kang Dong-wan, 48, a professor of political science at Dong-A University based in the southern port city of Busan, carefully takes out product packaging each kept in plastic bags, just like an enthusiastic archeologist handles newly excavated artifacts. Bags of different sizes and miscellaneous marine debris that he collected from different seaside areas, as well as the border area between China and North Korea, such as paintings and pottery, are placed on the floor one after another. With the various items on the floor, his office looks like a treasure trove of North Korean objects at an excavation site rather than a private space for an academic. "These are my treasures," Kang says, beaming at his rare and unusual collection. He has a reason to value the haphazard items so enthusiastically. The trash offers him unique insights and clues into North Korea and its socio-economic life, which has largely remained a riddle, if not unknown, to most people. Over the years, many North Korea experts gave their best efforts to figure out the realities of its society through various methods, including interviewing defectors, analyzing official government media reports, and a lot more. But few of them succeeded in presenting a clear picture of that society. Professor Kang Dong-wan speaks during an interview with The Korea Times on Oct. 20. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min As North Korea continued to remain an enigma, Kang tried a new approach. In order to figure out what people's lives are like in the reclusive state, he collected trash washed away by the sea from North Korea and ended up gathering on the shores of five South Korean islands in the West Sea: Yeonpyeong Island, Baengnyeong Island, Daecheong Island, Socheong Island and Woo Island. These islands are right below the South-North Korean maritime border, known as the Northern Limit Line, which are so close to the North that people can see the isolated country on a clear day. Most of the trash collected is everyday product packaging from North Korea, Kang explained. He makes records of the various names of the North Korean factories where the products were produced, the main ingredients and the industrial designs so as to find new clues about the secretive state. Kang came to develop his own way of researching the reclusive state while studying the country in 2008. Before 2008, he had taken pictures of the North Korean landscape at the border between China and North Korea. He also interviewed North Korean workers and defectors living in Russia and China. "I had to go there for a field study. I believe that any research should begin in the field," Kang said. One day in 2019, the immigration office at an airport in China refused to let him enter. Right after that, China closed its border due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since then, Kang has not been able to enter China. "They only told me that I did something which doesn't fit my visa purpose tourism. I could only guess that I may have been put on their blacklist because I met North Korean defectors and took pictures of North Korea while I was there. The whole experience felt a bit traumatic even when I think of the moment now." To keep doing his research in South Korea, he visited Baengnyeong Island hoping to take some pictures of North Korea. There, he ran into the first piece of trash which subsequently changed his life. It was a piece of a packaging for a North Korean beverage. The packaging was written in Korean, but it looked strange. "I have collected various North Korean goods while traveling along the border between North Korea and China. So I can immediately tell when a piece of trash is from North Korea." From Sept. 2020 to Sept. 2021, Kang collected 1,414 pieces of trash along the seashores of the five islands. He even published a book last December aptly titled, "Picking up North Korean Trash at Five Islands in the West Sea." "The most surprising thing was not only the amount of trash stacked in heaps but also the variety. If the types of packaging from North Korean products were limited or had monotonous designs, then this book would not have been published to the world," he wrote in the preface of his book. Different types of North Korean ice cream packaging collected from South Korean beaches. Courtesy of Kang Dong-wan People tend to think that North Korea would lack a wide variety of products. But this is not true, Kang said. All of the various types of packaging of snacks and beverages that Kang has found had a range of flavors, different designs, colors and fonts. Surprisingly, some products even had creative marketing slogans. Kang has found 35 types of ice cream packaging which North Koreans call Eskimo. There was a variety of flavors such as chocolate, jujube, watermelon, peach, and many more. A yogurt-flavored Eskimo package stated that the product "improves intestinal bacteria and helps children to grow taller." "If we had this ice cream bar in South Korea, it would be selling like hotcakes. I believe North Korea even has exaggerated advertising," Kang said with a chuckle. Strawberry-flavored cream candy packaging featuring a feline character that looks very similar to Japan's Hello Kitty. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min Some packaging that copied other countries' designs was also found. A cat used in a strawberry-flavored candy package looks very similar to the Japanese animated character Hello Kitty. The only difference is that the North Korean cat wears a strawberry in its hair, while Hello Kitty wears a ribbon. "Many Koreans think North Korea refers to ice cream as 'eoreumbosung-i.' But nowadays they use English names. They just use the word ice cream," Kang said. Other products, such as mayonnaise, cream and chocolate-flavored snacks, were also found to use the original English words. North Korean ice cream packaging collected by Kang Dong-wan. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min Kang admitted that his approach to studying North Korea through trash has some limitations when it comes to making assumptions about the daily lives of its people. For instance, he said he was unable to identify how the products are distributed within North Korea, or how North Koreans consume them in their everyday lives. To supplement his research, he asked North Korean defectors if they had seen or consumed the products he collected on the beaches. Most of the defectors, even the ones who had defected five years ago, said they had never seen these products. "Beginning in 2016, Kim Jong-un highlighted the broadening variety of consumer goods. Even though it's political rhetoric, Kim's orders are the priority in North Korea. The country has produced a bunch of new consumer goods since then," he said. "I talked to a teenager who moved to South Korea in 2019 from Hyesan City in the northern part of Ryanggang Province. She saw my collection and told me that she had eaten 10 types of Eskimo ice cream when she stayed there. That's how I find out these products are consumed in North Korea," he added. Professor Kang Dong-wan collects trash washed down from North Korea at five South Korean islands in the West Sea. Courtesy of Kang Dong-wan HYDERABAD: Police searched the vehicle of Union tourism minister G. Kishan Reddy at Rethipally on Sunday while he was heading to the Munugode Assembly constituency for campaigning. After the incident, Kishan Reddy tweeted: Yet again-local police stopped and searched my vehicle. Cooperated with the search (sic). Several others reacted to his tweet saying that they were hoping for a similar check on the vehicles of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, minister K.T. Rama Rao and his Cabinet colleagues. Tagging home minister Mahmood Ali, a netizen tweeted, Pl ask ur police to be active in producing the evidence or lack of evidence is part of friendly policing (sic). Interestingly, several netizens also tagged Union home minister Amit Shah in their tweets. NEW DELHI: Hectic preparations were underway at the Congress headquarters for Wednesday's ceremony where party president Sonia Gandhi will hand over the baton to her successor, Mallikarjun Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to head the outfit in 24 years. Kharge defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the top post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race. Security personnel and workers made last-minute arrangements on the AICC headquarters lawns where a tent was being put up and in the Congress president's office room. Chairman of the central election authority of the Congress Madhusudan Mistry will formally hand over the election certificate to Kharge at the function, which will also see the presence of outgoing chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Kharge, 80, takes charge of the party at a time when it faces a tough challenge from a formidable BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has ousted the Congress from many states. For Kharge, who has served as a leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha and later leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, the current assignment comes at a time when the party is at a historic low, electorally. With the Congress now remaining in power in only two states -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh -- on its own and in partnership as a junior partner in Jharkhand, Kharge's first challenge is to bring the party to power in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which go to polls in the next few weeks. Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh are on November 12 but the dates for Gujarat are yet to be announced. Later in 2023, Kharge will face the onerous task of leading the Congress in nine assembly elections that are due including in his home state of Karnataka where he was an MLA for nine terms. Kharge's election also comes at a time the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles and has been reduced to a shadow of its former formidable self. Beginning his career as chief of the Gulbarga city council, Kharge has also served as a state minister and a Lok Sabha MP from Gulbarga (2009 and 2014). The old warhorse is well known for not losing an election barring the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from Gulbarga. It was after that loss that Sonia Gandhi brought Kharge to the Rajya Sabha and in February 2021 made him the leader of the opposition. Kharge also faces the challenge of restoring the Congress' primacy in the opposition space, implementing radical reforms the party pledged at the mid-May Chintan Shivir in Udaipur and maintaining his independence in the face of insinuations that he is a candidate of the Gandhi and would seek their approval in all decisions. The last non-Gandhi Congress president was Sitaram Kesri, who was unceremoniously removed in 1998 just after two years into his five-year term. A leader with more than 50 years of experience in politics, Kharge is also the second All India Congress Committee (AICC) president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the post. HYDERABAD: The Munugode byelection will be a litmus test for democracy and will set an example that people will not be influenced with liquor and money, TPCC president Revanth Reddy said in an exclusive interivew. He said the Congress was fighting it out despite rival parties flooding the constituency with money and liquor. These factors will not make a difference, Revanth Reddy said. Excerpts. Q. The TRS and BJP are depolying all their resources in Munugode. Where does the Congress stand? A. If factors like being in power or having resources help parties win, the Congress or the TD would have never lost an election. We are fighting with a lot of constraints but the people are observing these two parties spending Rs. 400 crore to Rs. 500 crore for each bypoll. I hope the Congress win in Munugode will help setting an example for the general elections and a solution will be found to save democracy. Q. What about leaders like Komatireddy Venkat Reddy? A. AICC leaders will take a call and the PCC role is limited. As far as Munugode is concerned, the voters will give their verdict on Komatireddy. Q. You made an emotional appeal to Congress workers to save the party. What is the impact? Some of your partymen objected. A. What Jagga Reddy said has not come to my notice. Rajgopal Reddy enjoyed his position and backstabbed the Congress. His brother (Venkat Reddy) got a showcause notice. Were these created by Revanth? Some 80 sarpanches and MPTCs joined other parities. Leaders (within the party) should be able to decipher this. Q. Will the Munugode outcome impact the Assembly elections? A. No election will have anything to do with another. People will vote based on priorities, agenda and manifesto. The general elections will have a different debate and different issues altogether. People will decide on eight years of rule of KCR and BJP. Q. How are you balancing Bharat Jodo Yatra with the byelection campaign? A. There is pressure but I am a workaholic. The party leaders are with me at Munugode for two days. They will take part in the Bharat Jodo Yata on October 27. Q. Several senior leaders are not seen on the ground in Munugode? A. These are rumours. There is division of work in the party. Everyone cannot run with 100 horsepower. Some leaders discuss strategies, some give suggestions. Their working style is different. Even in a cricket team there are bowlers and batsmen. Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung speaks during a general meeting of lawmakers at the National Assembly, Oct. 25. Yonhap The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) boycotted President Yoon Suk-yeol's budget speech Tuesday in protest of what it calls suppression of the opposition, marking the first such boycott in Korea's history. DPK lawmakers did not attend the 10 a.m. session and instead held a silent protest upon Yoon's arrival at the National Assembly. DPK leaders also stayed away from a meeting Yoon held with the National Assembly speaker and other key figures ahead of the speech. It marked the first opposition boycott of a budget speech the president has delivered in person, though opposition lawmakers have a record of boycotting a budget speech read by the prime minister on behalf of the president. "We condemn Yoon Suk-yeol government for neglecting people's livelihood and suppressing the opposition," DPK lawmakers shouted in front of the main chamber. VISAKHAPATNAM: The road map for three capitals with Vizag as the executive capital is getting ready, Minister for Education Botsa Satyanarayana said on Tuesday, while talking to the media in Vizianagaram on Tuesday. He said the opinion of the people in north coastal Andhra was manifest in favour of three capitals at the Visakha Garjana, which saw participation of lakhs of people. The three capitals are inevitable and Visakhapatnam will become executive capital of Andhra Pradesh, the minister said. He said the Amaravati padayatra was so far organised by fake farmers. When the high court gave permission to 600 farmers to participate, not even 60 farmers could produce their identity cards. It was a padayatra by TD organised in the name of farmers. That was why the remaining part of the yatra stopped mid-way. The minister said the north Andhra region would make rapid development after Visakhapatnam is made the capital. Revenue minister Dharmana Prasada Rao said in a recent statement, It is high time the north coastal Andhra has Visakhapatnam as the capital. The mistake was made when all the concentration was on Hyderabad, denying opportunities for growth to the remaining parts of the state. He recalled much of the lands in north coastal AP were usurped by the non-locals while the people of the region migrated elsewhere to find livelihood. This is the last chance for north Andhra to decide on the three capitals, he said, adding he was ready to put down his papers for the cause of north Andhra. Industries minister Gudivada Amarnath said people in north Andhra in particular were looking forward to seeing Vizag as capital. Visakha Garjana created a new hype among the youngsters, he said. When asked, former minister and Bheemili MLA Muttamsetti Srinivas (Avanti) said the road map for three-capitals would be prepared very soon. Till then, the JAC would continue to organise campaigns and round table meetings with people in various parts of the state. We are not far behind. The road map will be prepared very soon, the former minister said, adding that the people were enthused over having the capital in Visakhapatnam. HYDERABAD: As the November 1 deadline for the conclusion of the Munugode bypoll campaign nears, the TRS leadership has shifted focus to micro-level booth management to ensure that all voters reach the polling booths and cast their votes without fail. The constituency recorded 91 per cent polling in the 2018 Assembly polls and the TRS leadership is aiming raise it to more than 95 per cent on November 3, when voting takes place. To this end, TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao met with senior party leaders to ensure that no voter is left behind. The party has tasked the respective party MLAs to bring around 50,000 Munugode voters residing in Ibrahimpatnam, LB Nagar, Maheshwaram, Uppal and Amberpet Assembly constituencies to Munugode. The party identified 38,000 Munugode voters who migrated to Hyderabad in search of livelihood. TRS MLAs Devireddy Sudheer Reddy (LB Nagar), Maheshwaram (Sabitha Indra Reddy), Ibrahimpatnam (Manchireddy Kishan Reddy), Bethi Subhash Reddy (Uppal) and Kaleru Venkatesh (Amberpet) have gathered the address and mobile phone numbers of these Munugode voters in Hyderabad and are keeping in touch with them. There were reports of TRS leaders luring some of these voters with money, liquor by arranging parties in function halls on the city outskirts. They reportedly arranged free transportation up and down from Hyderabad to Munugode for these voters to celebrate Diwali on Monday and distributed money, sweets and crackers. Efforts are being made to contact 10,000 voters who migrated to Mumbai, Surat and other cities, their relatives settled in Munugode and Hyderabad. TRS leaders were reportedly offering free flight and A/C train tickets for the migrant voters to return to Hyderabad and bus, cab services to reach Munugode to cast their votes. US Vice President Kamala Harris (L), US President Joe Biden (C) and US First Lady Jill Biden (R) watch dancers perform as they host a reception to celebrate Diwali in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 24, 2022. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) Washington: US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden on Monday hosted a Diwali reception at the White House in what they called the largest since the People's House started celebrating the festival during the George Bush administration. More than 200 eminent Indian Americans attended the reception at the East Room, a venue which has witnessed some of the landmark events related to the India-US relationship, including the signing of the nuclear deal and the joint press conference by then US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2008. The reception saw some enthralling cultural events, including performances by sitarist Rishab Sharma and dance troupe The Sa Dance Company. The guests, dressed in traditional Indian attires such as saree, lehenga and sherwani, relished some mouthwatering Indian delicacies. The room is full at the East state dining room This is a real celebration of what the Indian American community has achieved in the United States. It's a wonderful recognition by the President and by the White House to host all of us on Diwali. I feel very privileged to be here as an Indian American, Atul Keshap, president of US India Business Council told PTI during the reception. It's an honour and a privilege to be here to celebrate Diwali. Indian Americans thank the President and the First Lady for this, said H R Shah, chairman and CEO of TV Asia, the largest South Asian television channel in the US. Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, said the event was held to recognise the South Asian community's contributions in economic development and managing Covid crisis among others. Biden has appointed a record number of over 130 Indo-Americans at various levels of the administrations, he said. Lauding the Diwali celebration, Bhutoria said it sent a message how much President Biden and this administration loves and respects the South Asian community. Earlier, welcoming the guests, Biden said it was the first Diwali reception to be held at the White House on such a scale. The incredible South Asian community all across America has helped the country emerge stronger from this pandemic, building an economy that works for everyone, teaching children and caring for elders, responding to the cry for action on climate, working to fix immigration system, defending rights and freedoms, building a more just and equitable country, serving and protecting our communities and the nation, informing, entertaining and inspiring, he said. US President Joe Biden told new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak -- Britain's third leader in two months -- that "the UK remains America's closest ally", in a phone call on Tuesday, Downing Street said. "The leaders discussed the extent of UK-US cooperation, both bilaterally and in regions such as the Indo-Pacific," Sunak's office said, while noting they also discussed the more contentious issue of Northern Ireland. The trans-Atlantic allies will meet in person at a G20 Summit in Indonesia next month. In a surprise move, former British PM Boris Johnson on Sunday announced that he will not be contesting the Conservative Party leadership race, with frontrunner Rishi Sunak moving a step closer to be elected Britains first Indian-origin prime minister. The 55-year-old former leader claimed he had crossed the 100-MPs threshold but decided not to go forward in the interest of Tory partys unity. In a statement, Johnson who resigned in July in the wake of the partygate scandal of Covid-19 lockdown law-breaking parties said he had "cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations", but came to the conclusion that "this is simply not the right time". Also Read | Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson camps claim support for making UK PM shortlist I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds, Johnson said. I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time.. 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, he added. Johnson, who formally had not announced his candidacy yet, had the public backing of around 59 Tory MPs, including some high-profile cabinet members. It now remains to be seen which way that support would be divided between British Indian former chancellor Rishi Sunak, who leads the nominations among Tory MPs with around 144 supporters, and Penny Mordaunt with around 23 publicly declared backers. The likelihood of a two-member shortlist by 2 pm local time Monday deadline is now almost certain. If the party MPs unite behind a single candidate, expected to be frontrunner Sunak, he will be declared the Tory leader and prime minister by Monday evening. However, if there are two candidates, the Tory membership will get an online vote and the successor to Liz Truss will be declared on Friday. News Highlights: There will be difficult decisions, says Sunak in first address as UK PM Congress on Tuesday rebuffed its leaders P Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor over their remarks on Rishi Sunak becoming Prime Minister suggesting that India could learn a lesson from Britain for choosing from minorities to the top, which were targeted by the BJP too. Leaders from both sides locked horns over the issue with the BJP pointing out that India has had three Muslim and one Sikh President besides a Sikh Prime Minister and minorities in top judicial positions and the armed forces. Also Read: In India, a subdued celebration of Rishi Sunaks win as a historic moment Welcoming Sunak's election as British Prime Minister, Chidambaram tweeted, "First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak. The people of the US and the UK have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government...I think there is a lesson to be learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism." First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak The people of the U.S. and the U.K have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government I think there is a lesson to learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 24, 2022 Tharoor said, "if this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that the Brits have done something very rare in the world, to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let's honestly ask: can it happen here?" If this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that theBrits have done something very rare in the world,to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let's honestly ask: can it happen here? https://t.co/UrDg1Nngfv Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 24, 2022 Both Chidambaram and Tharoor were rebuffed by their own party with General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh saying India does not need to draw lessons from any other country as many minorities have become the president and chief minister in the past. "In our country, Dr Zakir Hussain first became the President in 1967, then Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed became the President and Dr Abdul Kalam and if I keep giving you examples, Barkatullah Khan became chief minister and A R Antulay also became the chief minister," he told reporters. Also Read: Sunak faces daunting task as he becomes UK prime minister "You should ask them. I am only talking about Bharat Jodo Yatra and I would not speak about what other leaders have said. You should ask them on what they have said, I will not speak on any other leader's remarks," he said when asked about the party leaders' remarks. At the same time, Ramesh said there is a difference between A B Vajpayee's time and Narendra Modi's times. Kalam became president during Vajpayee's time. He said Vajpayee was a product of Nehru's time and the late BJP leader was influenced by Nehruvian thought. ""But, Narendra Modi is busy only in one thing -- of how to erase the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru," Ramesh added. Also Read: Karnataka CM Bommai, corporate honchos congratulate UK PM-elect Rishi Sunak PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said it was a proud moment that Indian-origin Sunak was elected as the UK's prime minister but it should also serve as a reminder that Britain has accepted an ethnic minority member as its premier but "we are still shackled by divisive and discriminatory laws like NRC and CAA." Proud moment that UK will have its first Indian origin PM. While all of India rightly celebrates, it would serve us well to remember that while UK has accepted an ethnic minority member as its PM, we are still shackled by divisive & discriminatory laws like NRC & CAA. Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) October 24, 2022 Rejecting any parallel between its leaders' opposition to prime ministership for Sonia Gandhi, who is of Italian origin, BJP's foreign affairs department head Vijay Chauthaiwale tweeted, "can't differentiate between Italy-born Sonia (who refused to take Indian citizenship for several decades after marriage with Rajiv) and UK-born Rishi with Indian ancestry." Taking a swipe at Mehbooba, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asked her to answer if she will accept a minority as Jammu and Kashmir's chief minister. "It is tragic that some Indian politicians are unfortunately trying to make a political brownie point on this occasion," he said. Asserting that India will give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on the nation, Prime Minister Narender Modi on Monday said that Pakistans defeat in the 1999 Kargil war made the end of terror possible. In Kargil, our forces crushed terror. There has not been a single war with Pakistan since then. In Kargil, our armed forces had crushed the hood of terror and people still remember the Diwali that was celebrated back then, he said while addressing the armed forces in Kargil on the occasion of Diwali. Modi said India as a nation has launched a war against its internal and external enemies. Time is not far when all kinds of enemies will be wiped out and India will emerge as an enemy free nation, the Prime Minister declared. Terrorism and Naxalism are being rooted out. Naxalism at one point of time had engulfed a large portion of the country, but today, we have wiped it out to a large extent. Peace is impossible to attain without power, even if war is the last resort. We are in the favour of world peace," he said. In Pics | PM Modi celebrates Diwali with jawans in Kargil However, the Prime Minister said that India will not shy away from giving a befitting reply to anyone who "dares to look at us with evil eyes. In 2014, the prime minister celebrated the festival of lights with soldiers at the Siachen Glacier. Since then he has been celebrating Diwali with security personnel every year. There can be no better Diwali festival than the one celebrated in Kargil where on one hand there are borders and on the other, brave men protecting it. Diwali festival actually means celebrating end of terrorism, he said. While directly addressing the armed forces personnel, Modi said: I bow towards the spirit of the armed forces of India. Your sacrifices have always made our country proud. It is because the armed forces are protecting our borders, that every citizen in India sleeps peacefully. On the induction of women cadets into the armed forces, the Prime Minister said, Our power is going to increase with the arrival of our daughters in the Indian Army. Modi, who has been mostly on the fence over Russias invasion in Ukraine, said that the Indian flag has become a protective shield for citizens stuck in the war-hit country. There can be no military solution to the conflict and India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts, he said. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Climate Change Report in February 2022. It contained several alarming findings. The IPCC Report stated that CO2 emissions in 2019 were higher than at any time over the last 2 million years. The sea levels have risen faster in the 1900s than in any other century prior to that. Changes due to global warming such as changes in the ice sheets, oceans and global sea levels are now irreversible. These developments have catastrophic consequences for the future of humanity. Climate change is a pressing human rights issue and must be seen as one. It affects ones right to life, food, clean drinking water, housing, livelihood and many other important rights. UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston has warned that climate change will undo the gains of the last 50 years of development, global health and poverty reduction. Alston pointed out that Perversely, while people in poverty are responsible for just a fraction of global emissions, they will bear the brunt of climate change and have the least capacity to protect themselves. Also Read | Our climate's future may be decided in a traffic jam Terming it as a climate apartheid scenario, he observed that the wealthy, as a result of their resources, will pay to escape overheating, hunger and conflict while the have-nots will be left to suffer the adverse consequences of climate change. In October 2021, the UN Human Rights Council, through a resolution, recognised the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right. The UN General Assembly recognised the same right in July 2022. These are landmark developments as they strengthen the rights-based approach towards protection against climate change. They also increase the accountability of States to take steps towards mitigation of the effects of climate change. India abstained from voting on the Human Rights Council Resolution. India ranks seventh in the list of countries most vulnerable to climate change. As per the World Air Quality report, India was home to 11 of the 15 most polluted cities in Central and South Asia in 2021. Poor air quality is the second biggest causative factor for diseases. The report, Mapping Indias Climate Vulnerability states that more than 80% of Indias population lives in districts that are vulnerable to hydro-met disasters of extreme nature. The states in the northeast are the most vulnerable to floods, while the states in the south and central India are more vulnerable to droughts. India is in an environmentally vulnerable position. Also Read | As oceans rise, are some nations doomed to vanish? Role of NHRC The above factors are worrisome, to say the least. As the premier human rights body of the country, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has the statutory responsibility to protect, among others, the right to a healthy environment. Apart from the UN, the Supreme Court of India, in M C Mehta v. The Union of India, and in a number of other cases, has held that the right to a clean and healthy environment is covered under the right to life stated in Article 21 of the Constitution. The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, (GANHRI), in its statement adopted at the GANHRI Annual Conference on Climate Change 2020, affirmed its sincere commitment towards climate action. Apart from reporting and advising government bodies, the statement also held that NHRIs must conduct sound environmental, social and human rights risk and impact assessments prior to commencement of projects and adoption of policy measures. There are some NHRIs that have initiated action along the above lines. The Kenyan Human Rights Commission has been monitoring and documenting the human rights violations that have occurred amidst the forest conservation efforts initiated by the Kenyan Government. The Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines conducted an inquiry into the impact of climate change on the human rights of Filipinos. The Commission received submissions from various advocates, legal and scientific experts, and academics from all around the world on various aspects of the issue. The NHRC in India has not made adequate efforts in combating climate change. In the case of Van Gujjars, who were being resettled to protect the forest area, the NHRC recommended that the willingness of the community be considered, thus trying to balance environmental protection and the rights of the people. The NHRC also reopened the case against Coca-Cola in January 2022 for depletion of groundwater in Plachimada village in Kerala, even though it had closed the case in March 2021. It has also intervened in endosulfan poisoning in Kerala, rehabilitation of Bargi dam oustees among other cases. These, however, are sporadic instances and there seems to be no consistent effort on the part of the NHRC to contribute to the cause. It has not adequately exercised its suo motu power to take cognisance of human rights complaints relating to climate change nor intervened in court proceedings involving substantive matters relating to climate change. The NHRCs contribution to law and policy reform, adherence to international conventions, research, monitoring and training, encouragement to the efforts of NGOs regarding climate change, does not inspire confidence. The NHRC needs to be seen as approachable for issues related to the environment and climate change. It can undertake relevant research projects that can help them with policy interventions. As more projects are being undertaken nationwide to adapt to or mitigate the effects of climate change, the NHRC must ensure that such green projects do not impinge on the human rights of those being affected by such projects. Climate change has an adverse impact on all other human rights. Adequate warning has been sounded by national and international organisations about the disastrous consequences of climate change in India. It is high time that NHRC prioritised this challenge. It must take proactive measures to combat the issue of climate change to safeguard human rights. (Y S R Murthy is the Executive Director and Kajal Parwani is the Research Associate, Centre for Human Rights Studies, RV University.) Security has been beefed up at Seegehatti in Shivamogga on Tuesday after four bike-borne youths reportedly threatened to kill the family members of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha, who was allegedly killed by a gang of Muslims in February this year. This seems to be an act of revenge after more than 15 activists of the Hindu outfit including Ashwini, sister of Harsha, reportedly damaged a car belonging to a man named Syed, parked in front of his house on October 22 evening, while they were taking out a rally as part of 'Savarkar Samrajya' programme. Police have booked an FIR against Ashwini and the activists. Meanwhile, Vijay, aged around 37 years, was brutally murdered in Jayanagar police station limits and Prakash, aged around 25, was attacked by a four-member gang on Tuesday morning. Police are investigating the cases. Superintendent of Police Mithun Kumar told DH that Vijay was working in the accounts section of a hospital. "We have CCTV footage which shows that assailants were known to the deceased. Police have initiated a probe to find out the reason behind the murder," he said. President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers his speech to call for bipartisan support for the government's budget proposal for next year at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed Tuesday that the government will prioritize fiscal soundness and support for the socially disadvantaged and underprivileged, as well as future preparedness. In his speech at the National Assembly detailing his administration's 2023 budget, Yoon vowed to bolster the social safety net for vulnerable and low-income groups by unveiling a set of measures to protect them while promoting fiscal consolidation. But the majority of seats in the Assembly were empty as members of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) boycotted the speech to protest the president's "suppression of the opposition through investigation," amid an intensifying investigation by prosecutors into people close to DPK leader Lee Jae-myung. During his speech, Yoon said that the circumstances surrounding South Korea are "very challenging" as several factors, including growing economic uncertainties, financial market volatility and North Korea's incessant test launches of nuclear capable missiles have been occurring simultaneously, weighing down on the government. "The budget proposal contains the overall considerations and plans for how the Korean government will respond to the complex global crisis and how to address the current issue of people's livelihoods," Yoon said. "Our financial situation is not easy. So far, politically motivated, careless fiscal management has been contributing to an increased deficit, and the country's debt has already surpassed 1,000 trillion won ($694.6 billion), which is more than half of the country's gross domestic product," he said. The president proposed a 639 trillion won budget for next year. Yoon said this is the first time since 2010 that the government has proposed a budget that is less than that of the previous year. "It is the basic responsibility of the state to protect the socially disadvantaged who suffer from greater difficulties as the economy becomes more difficult. Starting from the public sector, we will inject the resources saved from belt-tightening measures into protection for ordinary people and the vulnerable, support for private sector-led economic dynamism, public safety and strengthening South Korea's responsibilities as a global leader," Yoon said. During his speech, Yoon outlined where the budget will be spent, focusing mostly on strengthening the social safety net for the underprivileged. Also, the president said the government will invest over 1 trillion won in the semiconductor industry and 4.9 trillion won for R&D support in the field of quantum computing, aerospace, artificial intelligence and biopharmaceuticals. Also, he pledged to spend over 5 trillion won to improve Seoul's deterrence system to counter Pyongyang's threats. President Yoon Suk-yeol enters the National Assembly hall in Yeouido, Tuesday, to deliver a speech explaining his administration's budget for next year. Seats are empty as the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's lawmakers boycotted the speech. Joint Press Corps Yoon delivered his speech in a half-empty National Assembly hall as the members of the DPK chose not to show up as part of their protest against the prosecution's ongoing investigations into allegations related to the party's leader. One of Lee's key confidants was arrested last week on charges of receiving illegal political funds. The DPK claims that the investigations are a politically motivated persecution of the main opposition party, and demanded that Yoon apologize. As Yoon snubbed the DPK's call, the party's lawmakers held a silent protest upon Yoon's arrival at the Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, marking the first case since the beginning of South Korea's Constitutional government of the main opposition party boycotting the president's budget speech. Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea hold banners accusing President Yoon Suk-yeol of ignoring the National Assembly at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps Detectives are investigating an assault on a man in Derry last night, Monday October 24, during which the victim was reportedly beaten with iron bars. The 35-year-old is reported to have been attacked in the Carnhill area, off Racecourse Road, at around 9.30pm. It's reported up to seven men may have been involved in the attack, which has left the victim requiring hospital treatment for injuries to his legs, shoulder and head. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening at this time. Detective Inspector Stephanie Finlay said: "This was a savage attack on the victim which we are working to establish a motive for. "Im appealing to anyone who was in the area last night and witnessed what occurred, who knows who was involved or saw any suspicious activity in the area to get in touch with us." The number to call with information is 101, quoting reference number 2026 of 24/10/22. A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/ makeareport/ You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/ Derry charity, Foyle Search and Rescue, has been recognised at the recent Families First NI Awards held at the Roe Park Hotel in Limavady on Sunday October 23. FSAR, who provide vital services to Derry and the North West, took home the Gold Star for Outstanding Volunteer Work. Foyle Search and Rescue is a registered, voluntary based charity, operating in Derry, but covers search and rescue operations UK and Ireland wide when required. Foyle Search and Rescue was set up by local people in 1993 in response to the alarmingly high number of drownings in the river- 30 within 18 months- and has adopted the role of preventing suicide and supporting families in the city. Their aim is to reduce the number of people who die through drowning in the River Foyle one of the coldest and fastest flowing rivers in Europe. Their volunteers are from the local community and selflessly give up hours of their personal time every week to help those in need They patrol the river on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, identifying peak times of need- from 9.30pm to 3.00am- engaging with people in distress, maintaining lifebelts and saving lives. Commenting on their win, Foyle Search and Rescue said: "We would like to thank all of our volunteers, and in particular, everyone who sent in a lovely message to the judging panel, they were inspiring and meant the world to us. "A group of 12 of us went to enjoy a night of festivities, good food, and brilliant music, all hosted by Roe Park Resort in Limavady. "Congratulations to all of the other winners, truly inspiring work in our wee North West." Families First NI hosts some of the biggest awards ceremonies across the province, shining a light on the best within the family industry. The awards cover a broad spectrum of industries that service the family sector and recognise those that go over and above what's expected and those people who go the extra mile to exceed expectations. A new book capturing the amazing story of a US war hero who spent his final days in Derry during the First World War, is to be launched at the Tower Museum next month. Local genealogist and author David Jenkins worked closely with Derry City and Strabane District Councils Museums Services team to piece together Captain Erik Kokeritzs remarkable story after hearing a bit about his exploits. Captain Kokeritzs heroics made headlines around the world during the war, but his story has mostly been forgotten, until the author uncovered his unmarked grave at Derrys City Cemetery. A Captain in the US Merchant Marines, Kokeritz took on the might of the German navy when he led a mission to deliver emergency supplies to assist the Allied war effort. In his way lay the German U-boat blockade that stretched around Britain Ireland and France. This did not deter Captain Kokeritz from setting off from New York harbour on the 10th February, 1917 with two unarmed merchant ships, the SS Rochester and the SS Orleans, headed for Bordeaux in France. An attack on the ships would have plunged the US into war, but his remarkable determination paid off, and he successfully completed his mission despite having a price of $10,000 placed on his head set by the German Kaiser himself. The author discovered that the intrepid seafarer sadly died here in the city, after he and his crew were rescued by a British ship after the Rochester was hit by a torpedo in a later aid mission. He navigated his lifeboat for five days through winter storms and high seas with 21 of his crew onboard before they were picked up off Tory Island. He was buried in the City Cemetery on February 6, 1918 with full naval and military honours. Now his bravery and leadership is celebrated in 'Captain Kokeritz; An American Hero' which chronicles Captain Kokeritzs contribution to the war effort and pays tribute to his bravery and leadership. Archivist with the Tower Museum, Bernadette Walsh, worked alongside author David Jenkins to shed more light on the story. David approached myself and museum genealogist Brian Mitchell to see if he could find out more about Captain Kokeritz, which took us on a fascinating journey. "Fortunately, a lot of his military activity was well documented in the press at the time and we were able to piece together more information about his final days spend here in the City. He was only 43 when he died, and despite his amazing contribution to the war effort, his grave remains without a headstone today. "But David has done a wonderful job in capturing his remarkable story and ensuring that his heroic efforts wont be forgotten. We will have some artefacts associated with him and the Rochester on show at the launch and we will hear from David himself as he retells the story of Captain Erik Kokeritz. Local author David Jenkins The launch will take place in the Tower Museum at 12.30pm on November 11, with talks from the author David Jenkins and Facilitator with the International School for Peace Studies Nigel Hagon. Admission to the event is free but booking is essential via the Tower Museum: 028 7137 2411 or tower@derrystrabane.com< mailto:tower@derrystrabane.com Patrick Quigley, a Year 14 Politics student at St Columbs College, made the long trip to Dublin last week to address Seanad Eireann during a Public Consultation on the constitutional future of the island of Ireland and described it as an unmissable opportunity and an experience worth having. The young student was taking part in a series of submissions and was accompanied to the Oireachtas in Dublin by two members of staff, Mr Liam Boyle (Head of Politics) and Mr Rory McGilligan. The Committee meeting was a public conference and considered a privileged parliamentary sitting. The Committees focus was on the Voices of young people and experts expressing their views on the constitutional future and how public policy can protect their future and safeguard the Good Friday Agreement. Speaking on their return to the college this week, Mr. Liam Boyle, praising Patrick for his first-class presentation said: 'We are very proud of Patrick and the dignity and integrity he showed giving his presentation. 'He is a diligent and conscientious politics student here at St. Columbs who researched, prepared and delivered a first-class presentation on the day.' Patrick hails from the Rossnagalliagh area of the city and currently studies A-level Government and Politics, History and RE. He is hoping to go on and study Anthropology at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA after successful A Level results this summer. The Year 14 student delivered an excellent submission focusing on how any attempts to unify the island of Ireland needed to be conducted with heightened sensitivity to the economic, political and cultural issues that young people face. His address was described as exceptionally researched and delivered and was followed by questions from Senators who were present throughout the various submissions. St. Columbs Principal, Finbar Madden also commended the Year 14 student, adding: I would like to echo what Mr. Boyle has said. Mr. Finbar Madden, Principal, St. Columbs College congratulates Year 14 politics student Patrick Quigley on taking part in a series of submissions to Seanad Eireann during his visit to the Oireachtas in Dublin last week. Included are Mr. Rory McGilligan, teacher and Mr Liam Boyle (Head of Politics), St. Columbs who both accompanied Patrick. (Photos: Jim McCafferty Photography) 'Patrick is the latest in a long line of students of St. Columbs who have demonstrated exceptional insight into the world we inhabit and who have shown the willingness to become actively involved in making our society a better place. Patrick took it all in his stride and said he enjoyed the experience even though he was slightly nervous of speaking in front or such a large and accomplished audience, adding: When you walk into the Seanad chamber, you're a small fish in a big pond, and so it was fairly nerve-wracking to speak in front of so many accomplished Senators and peers, but at the end of the day it was an unmissable opportunity and an experience that I am really glad to have had. A public consultation is to be launched on the proposed closure of Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Co Antrim. Health Minister Robin Swann said any closure would be on a carefully planned and phased basis and only after intensive engagement with patients and families. The hospital, for adults with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs, has been at the centre of the UKs largest police investigation into the alleged abuse of vulnerable adults. A public inquiry is also currently ongoing into allegations of abuse at Muckamore. Mr Swann said: I announced on September 29 that I was considering the future role of the hospital. I have carefully considered the options and I believe that signalling a clear intention now to close the hospital would help to support and accelerate the direction of travel to deliver on the long-standing policy aim the resettlement of long-stay patients into appropriate community facilities and support. Muckamore Abbey Hospital has been providing services for people with a learning disability since it opened in 1949. As I have acknowledged previously, there have been serious failures of care at the hospital, leading me to initiate the public inquiry that is now underway. The model of care represented by large hospital facilities of this kind is outdated and inadequate. Thats why the overarching policy direction for people with learning disabilities has been to support long-stay residential patients to resettle into community-based facilities, where they can live as part of their local community. Much work has been done to support people with learning disabilities to live independently within community settings with only 35 remaining in the hospital today. The minister continued: I want to make it very clear that any final decision to close the hospital will involve a defined timescale for closure, and will be accompanied by a plan, co-produced with current hospital patients and their families, which will clearly set out how the services currently provided on the Muckamore Abbey Hospital site will be delivered in agreed alternative settings. Equally, I want to be clear that any decision to close the hospital will not affect either of the investigative processes currently under way into events at Muckamore Abbey Hospital. Both the criminal investigation and the MAH Public Inquiry will continue according to their planned schedules. I am very aware that any decision to close Muckamore Abbey Hospital may be distressing for current and prospective patients at the hospital, for their families and carers, and for staff at the hospital. The Health and Social Care system as a whole is working to develop a service that will respond effectively to the continuing need for assessment and treatment through small in-patient units and modelling a safe community-based service that extends home treatment, peripatetic and crisis response. The consultation will close on January 24 next year. Almost 12 million held in dormant accounts in Northern Ireland has been awarded to more than 130 organisations in the region, the Finance Minister has said. Conor Murphy visited Air Ambulance NI on Tuesday to see how 100,000 the charity secured from Stormonts Dormant Accounts Fund has been put to use. The funding is sourced from accounts that have been dormant for more than 15 years. Around 11.5 million of a 19 million pot has been allocated to 131 groups to date, including social enterprises, community groups and charities. We welcome this announcement today by @dptfinance about the future of Dormant Assets in NI. Were pleased with feedback received about the impact the funding has made so far on the sustainability and resilience of VCSE sector orgs. We look forward to developing the next phase. https://t.co/K352uZkzHP The National Lottery Community Fund NI (@TNLComFundNI) October 25, 2022 Recent legislation has extended the reach of the fund and it can now utilise assets from other sources, such as dormant insurance and pension schemes, and from the investment, wealth management and securities sectors. The move will see the fund renamed the Dormant Assets Fund, which is set to allocate more than 25 million. On his visit to the Air Ambulance NI centre in Lisburn, Mr Murphy said he has now set policy directions for how the new fund will operate. The fund is administered by the National Lottery Community Fund in line with directions set by the Department of Finance. Always exciting to see #NationalLottery funded projects launching @c21Theatre received 128,038 to work with older people in care homes across NI. Their project will use the arts to empower older people to share their stories and leave a legacy. https://t.co/jtXiCV19Kt The National Lottery Community Fund NI (@TNLComFundNI) October 25, 2022 Social enterprises, community and voluntary organisations as well as charities like Air Ambulance are doing incredible work, making an immense difference and delivering vital services to local communities, said Mr Murphy. My department has engaged with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors on the new Dormant Assets Fund. I have listened to their views and have set updated policy directions on the use of dormant assets. Mr Murphy said the social value offered by organisations seeking funding support will be an important factor in how the money is allocated. The policy direction also supports digital transformation and collaborative bids. Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland director of the National Lottery Community Fund, said: We welcome this announcement from the minister today about the future use of dormant assets in Northern Ireland. Were pleased with the feedback received about the impact the funding has made so far on the sustainability and resilience of VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) sector organisations. We look forward to developing the next phase of the Dormant Assets Fund to ensure that it continues to build a more sustainable future for the community and voluntary sector. Dr Gerard OHare, chairman of Air Ambulance NI, said: The dormant accounts funding is unique in terms of helping build sustainability. For a young charity like Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, just five years in operation, this is so important. The funding will enable us to transform our online and digital presence and develop long-term income streams to ensure the service is here for generations to come. The Stormont Assembly is to sit for another seemingly doomed bid to resurrect the powersharing institutions, hours before a deadline for calling another election in Northern Ireland. A six-month legislative deadline to form an administration expires on Friday. If no ministerial executive is in place by that date, the UK Government assumes a legal responsibility to call another election. The DUP has refused to engage with the devolved institutions in Belfast in the wake of Mays Assembly election, meaning it has not been possible to form an executive. The partys boycott is part of its campaign of opposition to Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol and it says it will not return to powersharing until decisive action is taken to remove the protocols economic barriers on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein, supported by the Alliance Party, has collected the required 30 MLA signatures for a successful petition to recall the Assembly for a special sitting. Outgoing Assembly Speaker Alex Maskey confirmed it will convene at 12pm on Thursday. The sitting will see an attempt to elect a new speaker a pre-requisite before an executive can be appointed but that bid is set to fail, as the DUP will use its veto to block it. MLAs will then debate a motion, tabled by Sinn Fein in consultation with the Alliance Party, that will focus on the cost-of-living crisis, the current instability at Westminster and the ongoing absence of devolved government at Stormont. The first failed attempt to elect a new speaker came in May following the election. The Assembly has been recalled on two further occasions since, the last being in August. Commenting on the latest recall, Sinn Feins vice president Michelle ONeill tweeted: Now more than ever, we need all parties working together & prioritising supporting people. The denial of democracy must end now. However, DUP Economy Minister Gordon Lyons branded the move a stunt. He said powersharing could not be restored until changes were secured to the protocol. We dont need recall stunts, he said. Northern Ireland needs a lasting solution which unionists can support. Powersharing is not possible without such an agreement. We are always willing to explain the problems one more time, but Sinn Fein has ignored unionisms warnings for more than two years. Thats not the behaviour of people who believe in powersharing. While Northern Ireland currently has no first or deputy first ministers, other ministers who served in the previous mandate have remained in post following Mays election, albeit they have been significantly constrained in the decision they can take. If Fridays deadline passes without a full executive having been established, those remaining ministers will cease to hold office. The Government has vowed to secure changes to the protocol, either by a negotiated compromise with the EU or through proposed domestic legislation the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill which would empower ministers to scrap the arrangements without the approval of Brussels. The European Commission has warned that such unilateral action at Westminster would be in breach of international law and could prompt retaliatory action. Talks with the EU resumed recently, with both London and Brussels talking up the potential of reaching an agreed solution. While the Government has the ability to amend the legislation and prevent a winter election, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has made it clear he will call a fresh poll if the deadline passes, with December 15 the likely date. It is yet unclear whether new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will stick with this approach as the deadline draws nearer, but he reappointed Mr Heaton-Harris as Northern Ireland Secretary on Tuesday evening. A simple message from civil society leaders in Fermanagh on re-forming @niexecutive #GetOnWithIt pic.twitter.com/Yxaq4Ril5h Steve Baker MP FRSA (@SteveBakerHW) October 25, 2022 Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Office minister Steve Baker took to Twitter to deliver a message to political leaders on reforming the Executive. During a visit to Fermanagh, Mr Baker met society leaders who, he said, had been telling him about the problems they faced. Mr Baker then recorded the leaders calling get on with it when he asked them what their message was to politicians about reforming the Stormont institutions. DUP MP Sammy Wilson responded that Mr Baker should spend less time preaching to Northern Ireland politicians. Mr Wilson said: Rather than running around preaching to others to get back in, he would be better doing his job and sort out the protocol problem his party created and he voted for. We will then be able to have stable devolution. Rishi Sunak has faced cross-party calls at Westminster to rethink a controversial move to rip up parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, over warnings it breaks international law and risks a trade war with the EU. With the new Prime Minister in Downing Street, a series of peers from across the political divide pressed for a change of heart on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which has been likened to placing a gun on the table at negotiations with the EU aimed at finding a solution. The Government faced demands for further details on the impact of the draft legislation before it continued its parliamentary passage through the House of Lords, where it is facing opposition. The protocol was aimed at avoiding a hard border with Ireland but has created economic barriers on the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, causing resentment and anger among many unionists and loyalists. The dispute has created an impasse in efforts to form a devolved government administration in Belfast, with the DUP refusing to return to powersharing until decisive action is taken raising the prospect of a further election. The UK Government has vowed to secure changes to the protocol, either by way of a negotiated compromise with the EU or through proposed domestic legislation that would empower ministers to scrap the arrangements without the approval of Brussels. Critics have argued the Bill represented a sword of Damocles over the talks, broke international law and damaged the UKs global standing. Relations between the UK and EU appeared to have improved since Boris Johnson left office and both London and Brussels have been talking up the potential for striking a deal through a fresh round of negotiations. Tory former leader Lord Howard of Lympne said: Theres agreement across the House that the best solution would be an agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union. We are told that discussions are taking place. I hope the new administration will give fresh impetus to those discussions. Labour former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Hain argued finding a solution to the protocol was easy compared to previous agreements reached in Northern Ireland. He said: This problem is eminently soluble by serious negotiations, give and take and understanding of the different interests at stake. We need less dogma, more flexibility and this Bill is getting in the way of that. Tory former minister Baroness Altmann said: The problems of this Bill are far deeper and more fundamental and more important than Brexit. This is about right and wrong. She added: This Bill risks upsetting our trading relations with the EU and indeed the US at a time when we need them to boost growth. The new Prime Minister has a chance to reconsider this Bill and set it aside in the interests of growth. I hope he will decide at the very least to put it on hold so that proper negotiations can take place and trust restored. Former European commissioner and Tory Cabinet minister Lord Patten of Barnes also urged a rethink. The Conservative peer said: It cant make sense to proceed in this way with a rotten Bill that can be regarded, at best, as a way of getting other people to the negotiating table. Its no way for a grown-up Government to behave and now I think weve got a Government again that has adult supervision, so I hope that we can see the Government behaving sensibly on this in relation to our European friends. Labour frontbencher Baroness Chapman of Darlington branded the Bill reckless and unworkable . She said: Surely any incoming Prime Minister would want to demonstrate an ability to resolve problems rather than prolong them? Independent crossbench peer Baroness OLoan told the upper chamber that the Bill had been compared to placing a gun on the table at the negotiations. She said: I hope even at this late stage the Prime Minister will consider the matter further and withdraw the Bill. Former deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Lord Dodds reiterated his partys opposition to the protocol. He added: Its not incompatible to support this Bill and to seek a negotiated outcome. Responding for the Government, Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said: It is our view, of the Government, that we need to progress this Bill now to fix the practical problems that have been highlighted. Pointing out talks were taking place with the EU, he added: We are continuing to engage and have those constructive exchanges. As you may recall, a few months ago I wrote about some of the best concerts Ive been to over the years (although three columns was still barely scratching the surface). This week Im going to be doing the opposite. Like ghosts of Christmas, weve done past and now, its time for the Ghosts of Concerts Future. Alabama 3 Our first gig takes place just four days from now. This Friday, Sandinos plays host to the Alabama 3, a group that, loyal readers will remember, graced these pages a few short weeks ago. The group, perhaps best known for their song Woke Up This Morning, used in the the now-legendary opening sequence of the Sopranos, play an acoustic set upstairs in Sandinos and is guaranteed to be a great night. Tickets are selling fast (as of this writing. It could be sold out by the time you read this but check anyway). Not Really (Bennigans, Halloween Night) This next gig is something of a mystery. Its happening in Bennigans this day week. According to the official Bennigans Instagram page, its a night in which some of the best original bands in the country right now will dress up and perform the music of their favourite bands in the world. The bands playing are [REDACTED], [REDACTED], [REDACTED], [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], playing as the Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys, System of a Down, Paramore and Limp Bizkit. Its sold out but there will be limited tickets on the door. Be sure to get there early if you want to get in! Lisa ONeill Lisa ONeill is one of the best talents this country has produced in recent years, and on the 4th November, she will be playing Sandinos. According the press release for the gig: Last here in 2019 the Cavan natives popularity continues to grow evermore; so much so that she was chosen to close Peaky Blinders, the final scene ending with her haunting version Bob Dylans All the tired horses. Lisas own song , the very much loved Blackbird also featured in series four of the very popular series. She says: It is not an overstatement to say that it was beyond my wildest dreams to be Ordered by the Peaky F*****g Blinders to cover this beautiful song from Bob Dylan. She added: Go raibh mile maith agat Peaky Blinders. Go raibh mile maith agat Cormac Begley, Colm Mac Con Iomaire agus Ruth OMahony Brady, for whom without, this track would not exist. We recorded this version of All the tired horses in an old horse stable in Cabinteely, South Dublin, over the space of two days. We recorded by constant candlelight as a dear friend was dying at the time. This all contributed to the energy and the charge of the final track. That friend has since passed. I wish to dedicate this song to Mick OGrady The Long Distance Kid 1943 2022. With three albums already released , her last being Heard a Long Gone Song, was choice nominated in Ireland and was the Guardians folk album of the year 2019. She has just signed a new deal with Rough Trade imprint River Lea and is currently working on new material for a new album, news of which will be available soon. Lisa ONeil has a very distinct and unique voice and she can tell a story or two, her live performances never disappoint, once seen you will not forget. For her show in Derry she will be accompanied by Joe Doyle and Ruth OMahony Brady-Glen Hansard fans will know about these two. Support on the night comes from Ku. Extra tickets have just been released and are available in person at Cool Discs, Foyle Street or online from www.cooldiscsmusic.com and www.skiddle.com. And finally Bruce Springsteen Our final Ghost of Concerts Future, unfortunately, does not take place upstairs in Sandinos. Next May Bruce Springsteen makes his long awaited return to Ireland. As someone whos seen the Boss live four times (and counting), this show will make all other gigs pale in comparison. Playing the RDS in Dublin, Bruce and the E Street Band are one of (if not the) best live acts in the world. There is absolutely nothing like a Bruce show, and next years gigs are sure to live up to his already incredible reputation. Alabama 3 play Sandinos this Friday and Lisa ONeill on the 4th November Not Really is in Bennigans on Halloween Night and Bruce is the RDS in Dublin next May. Now, the socials. Alabama 3 can be found on Facebook and Instagram @alabama3official Lisa ONeill: @lisaoneillmusic Bruce Springsteen: @springsteen For more information on other upcoming gigs, go to @bennigans.bar and @sandinosbarclub. Alternatively, walk down Foyle Street and look in the windows of Cool Discs and Sandinos. Meta-owned WhatsApp, which suffered a global outage including in India that lasted for over two hours, on Tuesday said it has fixed the issue and the services were back for its users. Millions of Indians were unable to share videos and photos after celebrating a cracker of a Diwali as the popular messasing platform suffered a major outage. "We know people had trouble sending messages on WhatsApp today. We've fixed the issue and apologise for any inconvenience," a Meta spokesperson told IANS. Multiple users resorted to other messaging platforms like Telegram and even took the SMS route as they were unable to access WhatsApp -- a popular platform for millions of businesses in the festive season -- and failed to send videos, images and text on the platform. According to website outage monitor website DownDetector, over 85 per cent of people reported problems while messaging, 11 per cent while using the app, and 3 per cent while using the website. In India, the affected cities included Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Lucknow, among others. Users in the country faced trouble while sending images and videos. People took to Twitter to report their problems with the app, including posting memes and GIFs. "Today online, one tick for both deliver and read messages. Is WhatsApp down? #WhatsApp #whatsappdown," a user wrote on Twitter. Users from several other countries also complained on social media that the service is currently creating a disturbance and not working smoothly In an earlier statement, a Meta spokesperson had said in a statement that they were working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible. WhatsApp had suffered a mega outage last year that left millions without the service for several hours, leading to a surge in new users on its rival Telegram. The service went down as part of a massive outage that also took down Instagram, Messenger, Oculus, and Facebook. That outage took nearly six hours before it was resolved. (Except for the headline and cover image, the rest of this IANS article is un-edited) For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in. Positive indicators reflect resilience and vitality of Chinese economy 16:21, October 25, 2022 By Chen Liubing ( Chinadaily.com.cn Employees sort packages at a logistics center in Guiyang, Guizhou province. [Photo/Xinhua] The National Bureau of Statistics released China's Q3 statistics yesterday, revealing that the country's economy rose by 3.9 percent year-on-year. Positive indicators such as consumption and infrastructure investment reflected the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy, experts said. Zhou Maohua, an analyst at China Everbright Bank, believes the ease on costs and financing pressure will promote investment in the manufacturing industry. As China has actively promoted infrastructure construction projects, the growth of infrastructure investment is expected to accelerate. Moreover, the strong growth of financial credit data also indicates further strengthening of investment momentum, Economic Information Daily reported on Tuesday. The consumption sector continues its rebound thanks to supportive policies, with its contribution to economic growth reaching 41.3 percent in the first nine months, driving GDP growth by 1.2 percentage points. China's final consumption expenditure contributed 52.4 percent to economic growth in the third quarter, driving GDP growth by 2.1 percentage points, the NBS said. In the first three quarters, total retail sales of consumer goods totaled 32.03 trillion yuan ($4.38 trillion), up 0.7 percent year-on-year, with a growth rate 0.2 percentage points higher than that of the Jan-Aug period, said Dong Lihua, director of the Trade and Economic Department at the NBS. China's online retail sales grew by 6.1 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters, accounting for 25.7 percent of the total retail sales of consumer goods. Sales of new energy passenger vehicles in the first three quarters reached 3.87 million units, up 113.2 percent on a yearly basis. Wang Qing, chief macroeconomic analyst at Golden Credit Rating International, also believes the consumption sector will keeps its recovery momentum through to the next stage, the report said. As a series of pro-consumption policies to support market entities and enhance consumers' consumption ability and willingness are effectively implemented, the consumer market will continue to recover steadily, Dong said. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming) Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said Tuesday he will take legal action against Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and a YouTube channel for spreading what he calls groundless allegations about a controversial drinking party. Han said in a personal statement that Kim, YouTube channel "Citizen Press The Tamsa TV" and its officials will be held "criminally and civilly" liable for spreading obviously false information on him via YouTube and other methods. Kim alleged in a parliamentary inspection of the justice ministry the previous day that Han had a late-night drinking party at a luxury bar in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, on July 19 and 20 with President Yoon Suk-yeol and 30 lawyers from Kim Chang, the country's top law firm. Citizen Press The Tamsa TV, which is now under police investigation for tailing Han for nearly a month on the minister's way home from work, raised the same allegations on the day. Han categorically rejected the allegations, saying he had never been to the luxury bar and felt insulted by Kim's false accusations. (Yonhap) Subscriber content preview Starbucks says 22,000 workers are currently enrolled in its tuition program. By DEE-ANN DURBIN and ANNE DINNOCENZIO AP Business Writers NEW YORK When Daniella Malave started working for Chipotle at 17, the main benefit she was seeking was free food. As it turned out, she also got a free college education. While working full time for the chain, Malave completed two years of community college with annual stipends of $5,250 from Chipotle. After that, she enrolled in the company's free online college program, through which she earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Wilmington University in 2020. . . . Subscriber content preview By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Manuel and Marcy Silva combed through the charred rubble that used to be their home, searching for any salvageable bits in the wake of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. Manuel found two of his high school wrestling medals. Gone was the bedroom furniture Marcy's grandpa built as a gift, her wedding dress and their children's toys. . . . Subscriber content preview WASHINGTON (AP) Alcohol delivery app Drizly has agreed to tighten its data security and limit data collection to resolve federal regulators' allegations that its security failures exposed the personal information of some 2.5 million customers. The Federal Trade Commission announced the action Monday against Drizly, a Boston-based subsidiary of Uber that delivers beer, wine and spirits in states where it's legal, and partners with retailers in hundreds of cities around the U.S. The proposed consent agreement with the FTC also names Drizly CEO James Cory Rellas. The regulators allege that the company and Rellas were alerted to security problems two years before the 2020 breach yet failed to act to protect consumers' data. . . . Charter Hotel sold to Utah investors Real Estate Editor By BRIAN MILLER Real Estate Editor Photo by HC Architecture [enlarge] The Charter Hotel is 16 stories with 229 rooms. The Charter Hotel, at 1610 Second Ave., recently changed hands, according to King County records. The seller was RB WW Seattle LLC, an entity of original developer Widewaters Group. The buyer was DC Seattle 1 Property LLC, which is associated with Dynamic City Capital of Provo, Utah. The topline price was nearly $107.8 million, which works out to around $470,729 per room. But as with most hotel deals, there was a large personal property deduction for the furniture, etc. That totaled about $24.7 million. Thus the taxable amount is around $83.1 million. Brokers were not announced. Completed in 2018 on the corner of Stewart Street, the 16-story hotel has 229 rooms. It operates as part of Hilton's Curio Collection. It also has a 3,300-square-foot restaurant, Patagon, and 5,000 square feet of top-floor amenity space including the Fog Room lounge. The Charter is part of a condominium, and was developed in tandem with the Helios apartments, at Pine Street, where Equity Residential is the owner and original developer. The half block has a long and extremely convoluted past. Some may remember that past owner Starwood actually filled in the pit in 2009, after the proposed 1 Hotel project planned by former owner Avalon was paused due to the Great Recession. Equity later bought the half block in 2012. Its garage for the 39-story Helios extends north to Stewart. With Helios then under construction, Equity sold the north condominium unit to Widewaters, of Syracuse, New York. That deal for the development rights came in early 2016, with no dollar amount recorded. Skanska then built the Charter, with Hogan + Campis of Atlanta as the architect (aka HC Architecture). Dynamic City is a specialist in hospitality investing, and lists about two dozen hotels in its portfolio. Included among them is the AC Hotel in Bellevue, which traded last year for over $83 million. The new owner was then known as Lodging Dynamics. Brian Miller can be reached by email at brian.miller@djc.com or by phone at (206) 219-6517. Subscriber content preview SAMMAMISH A commercial property at 2912 228th Ave. S.E. in Sammamish sold for $4.8 million, according to King County records. The seller was PL Plateau LLC, which acquired the property in 2018 for about $3.5 million. . . . By Lee Nan-hee Several months ago, I read a book titled, "The Second Wave, Feminist Theory," written by Linda Nicholson, an American feminist scholar. It addresses various kinds of feminist theories and movements in the U.S. as well as Europe. As I am very interested in such themes and activities, reading the book was a good chance for me to look at past and current feminist issues. As I was reading, it was obvious that the author mainly dealt with these issues from a Western, American woman's perspective. Thus, I needed to take it with a grain of salt. First of all, I learned again about some aspects of liberal, radical and Marxist feminisms. To some readers' surprise, there is no one, single feminism. There are different, diverse and multiple feminisms. No woman or female scholar can insist that her feminism is the right, perfect feminism. This fact is true because no one theory can explain every aspect of human lives across the world. In the U.S., what was called the "women's liberation movement" evolved out of the New Left movement in the late 1960s. To be more precise, the New Left movement was influenced and affected by the May 1968 movement in France. The women's liberation movement is usually dubbed the "second wave," as the first wave started in the 19th century in connection with movements to gain women's voting rights and the slavery abolition movement in the U.S. and western Europe. In the second wave of the women's liberation movement, the main tasks were attempts to theorize the causes and origins of women's oppression. To my knowledge, probably the first of such attempts could be seen as the famous "The Origin of Family, Private Property and State" written by F. Engels, a close friend of K. Marx in the 19th century. It is well known that Engels' book was influenced mainly by L. Morgan's book, "Ancient Society." No matter how hard sophisticated theorists may explicate causes of women's oppression, they normally depict incidents of the far past. So, I have a feeling that such theories might not be able to explain and solve current women's issues, as modern society has changed so much from those past societies. Nonetheless, theories of the causes of women's oppression do shed much light on current women's problems. With respect to liberal feminism, I used to think of it as something of the past, not influential as a school of thought any more. Since the late 18th century, women have been given many nominal equal chances and opportunities with men in lots of social sectors, including law, institutions, education and employment. In particular, in Korea, women's education levels seem to be even higher than those of men. Of course, there still remain plenty of problems regarding gender imbalances and inequalities such as unequal pay, the lack of women in high government and corporate positions, unstable women's employment and worst of all the increase in sex crimes against women. At the end of the day, I ask this question: are women leading decent lives in our society? If women are equal to men, women should have equal opportunities to men. Thus, such slogans of liberal feminism are still valid. Dr. Lee Nan-hee (godorchid@gmail.com) studied English in college and theology at Hanshin University. Centre plans to takeover state highways for development The central government is planning to take over some of the state highways with high traffic density from the states, develop these to 4 or 6 lane highways and then recover investments through toll collection within 12-13 years, union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari has said. The financial markets need to come up with innovative models to fund Indias Infrastructure growth. We are inviting investments in the PPP model. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister virtually addresses at the 12th International Convention of Association Of the National Exchanges Members Of India Gadkari said the take-over will be for a period of 25 years, Gadkari said, adding that within a period of 12-13 years, the investments will be fully recovered from those state highways along with interests and land acquisition costs. The minister stated in a virtual address at the Association Of National Exchanges Members of India (ANMI)'s 12th International Convention which was held in Mumbai on Saturday. He stated that investments in the infrastructure sector of the country will be risk-free and yield good returns and called for cooperation in the investment for infrastructure. The financial markets need to come up with innovative models to fund Indias Infrastructure growth. We are inviting investments in the PPP model. We can export energy to the world if we channel our investments to waste management, green hydrogen, solar, and several such projects. Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Science, and Technology is the wealth of future India. The centre has given the highest priority to development of infrastructure in the country, he added. We are planning a green express highway between Mumbai and Bangalore, Gadkari informed whike speaking about infrastructure development. It will be a 5-hour journey between Mumbai and Bangalore and 3-1/2 to 4 hrs between Pune and Bangalore, he added. The Mumbai-Pune Express Highway will take a turn from near the Ring Road of Pune and start as the Highway towards Bangalore, he further mentioned. Likewise, 27 green express highways are coming up in the country. By the end of this year, there will be highways connecting Delhi-Dehradun in 2 hrs, Delhi-Hardwar in 2 hrs, Delhi-Jaipur in 2 hrs, Delhi-Chandigarh in 2.5 hrs, Delhi - Amritsar in 4 hrs, Delhi-Srinagar in 8 hrs, Delhi-Katra in 6 hrs, Delhi- Mumbai in 10 hrs, Chennai-Bangalore in 2 hrs and Lucknow-Kanpur in half an hour, Gadkari stated. Highway projects connecting Gorakhpur to Siliguri and Varanasi to Kolkata are also on the cards. Just like the National Water Grid, we want to develop a National Highway Grid, he said. He also stated that income from tolls now stand around Rs40,000 crore and it is expected to rise to Rs1,40,000 crore by the end of 2024.. The ministry is also in the process of constructing 75 tunnels at a cost of Rs2,50,000 crore, the minister stated. On an average, 40 km of roads are constructed per day in the country, informed Gadkari. He further stated that at present there exists 65,00,000 km of road in the country, of which 1.45 lakh km are national highways. In the future, before making highways, the plan is to acquire land in cooperation and JVs with private sector investors, he stated. Gadkari further said there is a huge potential for development of public transport in the country. There is good economic viability in introducing e-buses, he said. Some of the projects taken up by his ministry include starting electric vehicles, trolleybuses and bus-ports in cities. Also, AC Luxury buses may be started for tourists, he added. Under the Parvatmala scheme, ropeways, cable-cars and funicular rail are being developed in hilly areas. The restaurants and parking plazas that will come up surrounding these projects will also add to the sources of revenue, said the minister. The ministry of road transport and highways is also looking at diversifying fuel base to include ethanol, methanol, bio-diesel, bio-LNG, bio-CNG, electricity and green hydrogen. Under the National Hydrogen Mission, the centre wants to make India a green hydrogen hub and export this form of energy to the world, stated the minister. He further said that there is economic viability in making ethanol from sugar-cane, bamboo and other agricultural products. By making bio-fuels, we may increase India's GDP in agriculture, he said. Bio-fuels are import-substitutes, cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous, he added. Stating that the countrys automobile industry's size is Rs7,50,000 crore, Gadkari said that there is a plan to make it a Rs15,00,000 crore industry within 5 years. Automobile industry has maximum employment potential and brings in maximum GST to the centre and states, he added. The minster also said that investments in areas of solid waste management and liquid waste management are going to yield good returns. Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, I am sure that lots of brilliant ideas will be generated for the development and growth of financial markets in India. I am delighted that the theme of our conference is based on Amrit Kaal which is also the vision of our honorable prime minister Shri Narendra Modi. World Bank's role crucial in ensuring food, energy and climate finance: Nirmala Sitharaman World Bank is well positioned to help all client countries in arranging concessional financing and technology transfer in areas like renewable and green energy and for developing an investment strategy for climate and development finance by bringing together all stake holders, union minister for finance and corporate affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has said. Participating in the Development Committee (DC) meeting of the World Bankand thee International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, the finance hinister said that the WBG also must never lose focus on the internationally agreed basic principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. This necessitates avoidance of a one-size fit-all approach, she said. She was participating in joint World Bank-International Monetary Fund (WB-IMF) meeting during the annual meetings 2022 in Washington DC, on Saturday. The Development Committee had specifically met to discuss two critical aspects that the world is facing: In her opening remarks, the finance minister stated that this is an excellent opportunity to put our heads together and think about how best we can negotiate the multiple challenges and bring back long-term growth. Despite this year's projected growth rate of 7 per cent for the Indian economy, we remain concerned about the global economic outlook and geopolitical environment, she added. She said the Food and Energy Crisis paper rightly identified energy efficiency as the "first fuel of choice". Similarly, reducing crop loss and food waste should also be the "first intervention of choice" to ensure food security. The finance minister urged the World Bank to avoid a unidimensional view of subsidies and to differentiate between distortive subsidies and targeted support to the vulnerable households. Giving India's example as an illustration, Sitharaman said that by providing free LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna over the last six vears. India has ensured that access to clean cooking methods has achieved near saturation for women in India. This has made a definitive contribution in improving India's performance on SDGS 3, 5 and 7. While the quest for energy and food security necessitates non exclusion of fossil fuels from our energy mix, the finance minister noted that India has set up its first pure hydrogen producing plant as well as its first 2G bioethanol refinery this year. Going forward, Sitharman said that there are 3 clear opportunities for the World Bank Group: Promoting behaviour change to increase energy efficiency and to reduce food losses. (Programmes like the Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) launched by the prime minister of India on the World Environment Day in June 2022 - World Bank Group president David Malpass delivered a wonderful keynote address during the occasion on mainstreaming responsible consumption behavior); Helping all client countries in arranging concessional financing and technology transfer in areas like renewable and green energy; and Supporting regional integration not only through International Development Association (IDA) but also through International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). On financing climate and development goals, the finance minister said that mitigation of risks is essential for crowding in private capital. While welcoming the launching of SCALE, the finance minister encouraged the World Bank to increase the share of grants from the current 5 per cent level and to work below the country level to support projects with huge climate impact beyond the national borders. Sitharaman pointed out that prioritising consultations with key stakeholders throughout the formulation of CCDRS and following the "One Bank" approach are critical to their success. While urging the World Bank to take the lead and also help build consensus across MDBS, the finance minister pushed for the recommendations of the Independent Review of the MDB Capital Adequacy Frameworks commissioned by the G20 hold the key for sustained financing. Irish Water said it is working with Louth County Council to restore normal water supply as quickly as possible to impacted customers following a burst watermain on Castle Road in Dundalk. The burst is causing outages and low pressure for customers in the following areas: Seatown, Newry Road, Demense, Castletown Road, Dowdallshill, Ballymascanlon, Bellurgan, Jenkinstown and Dundalk. Crews are on the ground working on the repairs and every effort is being made to maintain supply to as many customers as possible. Repairs are expected to be completed by 6pm this evening. Typically, it takes two to three hours following repairs for water to refill the network and normal supply to restore to all customers. Speaking about the repair works Michael Cunniffe, Irish Water, said: The repairs in the Dundalk area are being conducted as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to the community and restore water for all customers. We understand the inconvenience unplanned outages can have on customers and we appreciate their patience as we work to repair the burst and return normal water supply. Vulnerable customers who have registered with Irish Water receive direct communications from Irish Water for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. Their customer care team is available to help 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact them on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For further updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website. There have been calls to extend a pilot project that will provide students with access to specialist counsellors to a post-primary level. The Government announced it will invest five million euro in piloting a programme of counselling supports for primary school children. However, a union for secondary school teachers said there is no logic in not extending it to post-primary students. Moira Leydon, assistant general secretary at Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) has called on the Minister for Education Norma Foley to roll out the programme to all school pupils. Ms Leydon told the Oireachtas joint committee on education and further and higher education that adolescence is the prime time for difficulties to manifest. I dont see any logic in the Minister for Education not extending it to post-primary. It is a default mechanism almost to do a pilot. The problem is our experience of pilots in this country they can last for 20 years, she added. I have referenced the prevalence of the mental health difficulties and adolescence is the prime time for these difficulties to manifest themselves. If we are not in a space whereby adolescence cannot get early intervention and supports, that is a particular failure to help because thats when they need it. Certainly we will be going formally to the Minister of Education and talking about the model, what are our plans for a second level. We come here all the time, we talk about wanting more resources, but really, this is the nub of the problem. The schools are under-invested in. Teachers are not mental health workers, and were not putting in place other professionals in the school setting to address the holistic needs of young people. Mairin Ni Cheileachair, assistant general secretary at the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), said that community counselling services should be provided in schools. My own experience, as a school teacher and as a principal, is that if we had something co-located in schools, children who are at huge risk are more likely to engage, Ms Ni Cheileachair told the committee. Children come to school every day, their parents bring them to school. To have somewhere that they can come to do both, the child doesnt have to be moved out of the building. We would like to re-examine the concept of community. Community for a lot of pupils is their school, and schools for a lot of rural areas is at the centre of that. I think our definition of community is too narrow in this context. I think schools should be central to that community definition. There are a lot of programmes running in schools which are hugely beneficial. We are at a very exciting stage of development of a new curriculum at primary level and there will be opportunities there under the well-being specification. I think a lot of good work can be done, but you cannot replace a therapeutic service for a child who needs a therapeutic service. Their teacher is not a psychiatrist. They are not a psychologist. They are not a counsellor. They are not a therapist, and while they can create an atmosphere of psychological safety in their classroom, they cannot recreate a therapeutic session and they need support to do that. Sarah Hughes, mental health programmer for Union of Students in Ireland, also told the committee that mental health staff are struggling with current demand of students presenting themselves in distress. Recently, on a campus visit I saw the strain that is being put on services, as there was only standing room left in the waiting room for an emergency counselling drop-in clinic, she added. Aodhan O Riordain, education spokesman for Labour, said the Irish education system is almost uniquely set up to have mental health challenges within it. I look at the way that we separate children on the basis of religion, we separate children on the basis of income, we separate children more often than any other European country seems to do, he told the committee. I know from my own experience with children going to the to the school gate having issues of hunger, possibly having not slept the previous night and witness things that they probably shouldnt witnesses as children. Then facing through a scenario of an over sized-class with a teacher trying to balance all the needs of those of those children. By Andrew Hammond Discussions over a big new potential gas price measure against Russia are at the top of the domestic political agenda in Brussels. However, the European Council summit of 27 presidents and prime ministers last week may well be remembered also for a potentially significant hardening in the EU's foreign policy position toward China. Relations between Brussels and Beijing have frayed now since at least the pandemic began and last week's summit moved closer to formalizing that shift. This development, which comes as President Xi Jinping got a third term from the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, bodes ill for bilateral relations, including the long-negotiated Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) whose ratification is frozen in Brussels. The EU may stick to a three-part assessment of China as "partner," "competitor" and "systemic rival," despite this being potentially outdated. However, the European External Action Service, the EU's diplomatic body, last week advised member states in a new document that the "competitor" piece should increasingly become the focus of bilateral relations as Beijing "becomes an even stronger global competitor for the EU, the United States and other like-minded partners." This is key, it is asserted, because "China is not going to change" and is "moving to a logic of all-out competition, economically but also politically." The intervention comes with the claim that "current and foreseeable challenges" such as human rights abuses in Xinjiang; Beijing's qualified support for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine; and the imposition of Hong Kong's national security law are only likely "to widen the divergence between China's and our own [EU] political choices and positions." It also advises the bloc to double-down on ties with other Asia-Pacific powers including Japan, India and Australia; diversify supply chains; and "intensify efforts to reduce vulnerabilities" in areas including fighting disinformation, cyber, maritime and space security, innovation and technology. These would build from existing measures taken, including the new Globally Connected Europe strategy, which is widely seen as a competitor to China's Belt and Road pushing for investments in visible projects to link the EU to the wider world. The initial response from Europe's foreign policy elite to the new document has been favorable with Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra saying "there is increasing realism in the dialogue with China. We are leaving naivety behind." Meanwhile, European High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that "a new discussion on China, with a new analysis, is very timely." While the significance of last week's development now depends upon the degree to which the wider EU-27 states adopt the advice, it represents a clear shift in policy tone, at least. Remember here that the EU had previously referred to Beijing as Europe's "strategic partner in addressing global and international challenges." In this context of challenge, there are still some areas of common interest and cooperation. This includes the importance of an open, multilateral trading system and tackling climate change. On the economic issue, China still hopes that the CAI might get ratified. However, the prospects of ratification of the deal getting kicked out further into the political long grass are growing. Global warming is another issue where both sides have long had a fruitful dialogue. Both parties have cooperated on developing a cost-effective low-carbon economy with their 2015 agreement, for instance, agreeing to intensify cooperation in domestic mitigation policies, carbon markets, low-carbon cities, greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation and maritime industries, and hydrofluorocarbons. Beyond China, the EU also has Russia in its sights given that the energy market crisis has worsened significantly since the invasion of Ukraine. Last week, the European Commission sought to move forward with a new emergency regulation to address high gas prices and ensure the security of supply in coming months beyond already agreed measures on gas and electricity demand reduction, gas storage and the redistribution of surplus energy sector profits. Rather than bringing in formal gas price caps, which member states have disagreed over, this new proposed regulation contains around a half dozen alternative elements. They include combining EU demand and joint gas purchasing to secure optimal prices and reduce the possibility of member states outbidding each other on the market, while seeking to deliver security of supply across the bloc. Moreover, workstreams are underway to develop a price correction mechanism to introduce a so-called dynamic price limit for transactions on the main European gas exchange, the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) in the Netherlands, plus a temporary "price collar" to prevent extreme price spikes in derivatives markets. Beyond these immediate-term measures, a new Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) pricing benchmark will be also developed by spring 2023. Taken together, these developments underline how much not just Russia, but also China, is currently under the EU policy microscope. With relations with Moscow remaining in a "deep freeze" while Putin remains in power, there is now a growing possibility of EU-China ties moving in a similar direction. Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics. Google Korea Country Manager Kim Kyoung-hoon, left, takes an oath during the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee's audit of the Korea Communications Commission at the National Assembly building in Seoul, Oct. 21. Yonhap By Park Jae-hyuk Google Korea Country Director Kim Kyoung-hoon was referred to prosecutors late on Monday after being accused of perjury during last week's National Assembly audit. When Kim was called last Friday as a witness to testify at the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee's audit of the Korea Communications Commission, Kim drew criticism from lawmakers for avoiding to comment on Google's revenues in Korea and the company's stance on proposed bills for network usage fees. When both ruling and opposition lawmakers suspected him of making false statements, Kim said, "I will check the matter," and "I'm not well aware of the issue." Rep. Park Chan-dae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) reprimanded Kim, asking him why he decided to appear at the National Assembly audit without any knowledge about his company. Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the DPK, who chairs the science committee, described Kim's remarks as being "sly" and "infuriating." The country manager was especially criticized for his response to his company's alleged tax evasion. Rep. Kim Young-joo of the DPK pointed out that Google Korea posted 200 billion won ($140 million) in sales during fiscal years 2020 and 2021, even though data from Korea's seven credit card issuers showed the tech firm's local subsidiary earned 2 trillion won annually through its Google Play mobile app store. In response, Kim explained that Google Play's earnings in Korea are collected by Google Asia Pacific located in Singapore. "We make our profits in Korea from ads and sales of hardware," he said. The Act on Testimony and Appraisal before the National Assembly specifies that if a witness who took an oath makes a false statement, he or she can face up to 10 years in prison. In addition, prosecutors must conclude the investigation within two months after an accusation and the prosecutor general has to submit a written report to the National Assembly immediately after finishing the investigation. Lawmakers had also planned to refer Netflix Services Korea Director Chung Kyo-hwa to prosecutors for her alleged perjury, because she answered that Netflix does not pay access fees to U.S. internet service providers. Chung, who appeared at the National Assembly audit as a witness with the Google Korea head, however, was able to avoid the allegation, as she corrected her response later. "As I did not listen to the question carefully, I could not give a correct answer," she said. "Netflix has paid internet access fees to U.S. internet service providers." FARRANREE Community Association recently held a function in the Farranree Community Centre to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The function for the charity that provides the Meals on Wheels service for the elderly and vulnerable in the locality was attended by members of the association, residents, business owners, the Deputy Lord Mayor Damian Boylan, three local TDs and councillors. The function comprised a Mass, speeches, and refreshments. Margaret O'Brien, Alicia Lapis, Theresa Bevan and Christine Walsh seen at the recent Farranree Community Association 50th anniversary social in the Farranree Community Centre Picture: Howard Crowdy Director of the Farranree Community Association Sean Coleman said he first got involved with the association at the age of 16. I used to play the accordion with the North Monastery Accordion Band, and we used to play in the North Presentation primary school hall for the senior citizens socials which were run by the Farranree Community Association. I am now a director of the board, he said. Louise Brady, Ber Brady, Norma O'Brien, and Cllr Chris O'Leary seen at the Farranree Community Association 50th anniversary social in the Farranree Community Centre Picture: Howard Crowdy Mr Coleman said the recent anniversary celebration was a great night. Mass was said on the night for people in the area by Fr Sean OSullivan who is the new parish priest. Damian Boylan represented the Lord Mayor. There were representatives from city councillors and the HSE who would finance activities within the hall and within the area. There was a great turnout. It was a great night. Three TDs Thomas Gould, Padraig OSullivan and Colm Burke attended. We also had business owners and residents in attendance. Sheila Hill, Noreen Murphy, Mona Pearson and Theresa McCarthy (HSE) seen at the Farranree Community Association 50th anniversary social in the Farranree Community Centre Picture: Howard Crowdy A presentation was also made on the night to Nan Higgins who turned 90 recently. She is one of the founding members of the organisation and is still a board director, he added. It is owned by the people, and it is for the people, said Mr Coleman about the role the Farranree Community Association plays in the local community. Five days a week we would be cooking and delivering about 60 meals per day in Meals on Wheels. That continued even though the hall closed during Covid. We put special structures in place to make sure the meals were cooked and delivered. Cllr Tony Fitzgerald pictured with Martina Butler and Colette Berry at the Farranree Community Association 50th anniversary social in the Farranree Community Centre Picture: Howard Crowdy The director of the Farranree Community Association said the main remit of the association is to interact with people and ensure they have a better quality of life. We have an open-door policy which is important, and the local people come. We are there to support the people in the area. We hope the Farranree Community Association will continue to play a big role in the local community for the foreseeable future. It is all about supporting the people. It is all about interacting with people and ensuring they have a better life and helping people along. Farranree has a great community centre. We have a fully kitted out kitchen, two halls and meeting rooms. Directors Vera O'Sullivan, Nan Higgins and Denise Higgins pictured at the recent Farranree Community Association 50th anniversary social in the Farranree Community Centre Picture: Howard Crowdy Every Monday and Thursday night Fun Bingo, a social event, is held in the centre. It is all about socialising and the interaction of the people in the area, he added. Farranree Community Association is always looking for volunteers to join their group said Mr Coleman. If volunteers want to contact us, we would be delighted to hear from them. If we can expand the services for the local area, we will do that. Cork city had one hundred people waiting on trolleys for hospital treatments on Tuesday this week, The Echo has learned. Corks University Hospital had the second worst overcrowding of any hospital in Ireland on Tuesday, with 73 patients on trolleys, while The Mercy Hospital had 28 patients waiting for a bed. Corks overcrowding crisis came on a day which recorded the highest number of patients on trolleys in 2022, according to figures released by the body that represents nurses and midwives. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said 669 people, including 28 children, were without a bed on Tuesday, breaking the previous worst overcrowding record for 2022 so far. The CUH came second only to University Hospital Limerick, which had 80 people waiting for beds. A spokesperson for the Cork area of the INMO said there had been a winter level of people on trolleys during the summer, and its getting worse every day. The private sector must step in now and provide further capacity, he said. There are only so many beds. If you started building more beds tomorrow, you still wouldnt get there in the short term. Patients are suffering, but staff working in these Emergency Departments are under severe pressure. Conditions could build to a point where staff vote with their feet and leave, which would worsen the crisis, warned the spokesperson. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly had promised on the back of a HIQA report to send more specialists from the HSE to help with patient flow within the CUH. That really has to happen immediately. The INMO would welcome more links to private nursing homes and care facilities to provide beds in appropriate environments, added the spokesperson. Read More Legendary Cork theatre company to close its doors INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: It is extremely concerning but not surprising that we have 669 patients on trolleys. We have seen a 27 per cent increase of patients on trolleys in the last week. A range of measures must be taken now in the short to medium term including the curtailment of all non-emergency, elective care. Capacity from the private sector must be provided immediately. There needs to be a laser focus on the recruitment and retention of nurses and midwives. Hospitals must issue public statements encouraging people to consider alternative care pathways in the community and outline clearly what the real-time waits are to be admitted to hospital are. We are now calling on the Health Service Executive, Minister for Health and the Health and Safety Authority to take immediate action in the worst hit spots. The specialist teams for Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway must be deployed today. The health and safety of our members and the patients they are trying their best to care for must take priority. We know that they are currently operating in truly unsafe care environments. The fact of the matter is the HSE and Department of Health must do everything in their power to ensure that our hospitals are adequately staffed and that each hospital has the ability to retain staff who are currently overwhelmed by their workload. We cannot afford to have unacceptably high nursing staffing vacancies coupled with an overcrowding crisis If Government and HSE are serious about keeping Irish nurses in Irish hospitals then they must take immediate action on safe staffing, fast-tracking recruitment and getting private hospitals on the pitch now, added Mr Ni Sheaghdha. A spokesperson for Cork University Hospital said: "Cork University Hospital wishes to apologise to all patients who continue to be affected by long waiting periods at the hospital's Emergency Department. The hospital has a long-standing challenge with acute inpatient bed capacity on site. This unfortunately has resulted in a large number of patients having to endure lengthy waiting times in the Emergency Department awaiting admission. Staff work very hard to provide ongoing safe care to all patients who await admission. We are working with HSE colleagues regionally and nationally to address this." The Taoiseach has apologised for posting a Tiktok featuring a mural in Cork by artist Asbestos, following a public statement from the artist saying that permission was not sought to use his art or photography of the mural. Taoiseach Micheal Martin joined the video platform Tiktok at the start of October, and his most recent post featured a series of images and video clips about Cork, home of the Taoiseachs own Cork South-Central constituency, to the tune of now-viral audio Its Corn. The Cork-themed video featured a photo of a mural What is Home? on South Main Street by artist Asbestos, who subsequently came out and criticised the use of his copyrighted photo and mural. Read More Legendary Cork theatre company to close its doors It has come to my attention that the Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, has used my What is Home? mural on his Tiktok account. At no time has he or any representatives requested permission to use the mural, or the photography of the mural, Asbestos said in a statement. The artist said the mural is a direct comment on a crisis in housing, in homelessness and the Irish governments terrible response, and that it was made for the public, not to be co-opted by politicians. I do not endorse him or his government, they have been in power and caused a great deal of this crisis. Asbestos requested that the content be removed, that the Taoiseach apologise for making it seem like I [Asbestos] endorse him, and arrange for suitable remuneration for the copyright material that was used without permission, with any money received to go to housing charities. The Tiktok has since been removed from the Taoiseachs account, and a Fianna Fail spokesperson has said that the Taoiseach apologises for the unintended error. We acknowledge permission was not sought for the image and the Taoiseach apologies for this unintended error. It was removed as soon as it was drawn to our attention, they said. Any offence caused to the artist was unintentional. There was no attempt to give the impression the artist was endorsing the Taoiseach, they added. By Jonathan McCambridge and Cate McCurry, PA The Government has been accused of failing to match the effort of people across Ireland in finding accommodation for refugees fleeing Ukraine. During leaders questions in the Dail, Taoiseach Micheal Martin was told that people would be dismayed that some refugees fleeing the war had to sleep on the floor at Dublin Airport. However, Mr Martin responded by stating the only person who would take solace from Sinn Feins attacks on Government policy would be Vladimir Putin. The exchanges came after 44 Ukrainian refugees were recently left without anywhere to live after arriving in Ireland. It is understood that the Department of Children contacted those affected and offered accommodation on Monday. Opposition leader Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach in the Dail why the Government was scrambling to put together a plan nine months after Russia invaded Ukraine. The Sinn Fein president added: How is it that at the same time peoples offers to accommodate refugees are being ignored? It seems your approach was to outsource the states response, to cross your fingers and hope for the best. Not content with denying our own people the right to an affordable secure roof over their heads, you now extend your catastrophic failure to those coming to Ireland seeking humanitarian assistance. What are you doing to ensure that offers of accommodation for those fleeing war come onstream quickly? Taoiseach Micheal Martin hailed the efforts of Irish people in providing accommodation for fleeing Ukrainian refugees (Liam McBurney/PA) Mr Martin responded: I think your commentary and some of the debate around this issue in recent days has become somewhat detached from the reality that we find ourselves confronted with. The first thing that has to be done is to pay tribute to the extraordinary Irish national effort in response to Putins illegal and immoral invasion of his neighbour Ukraine. More than 55,000 Ukrainians have sought and received refuge in our country. It is one of the highest in the European Union. Dublins City West hotel and conference centre is being used to house Ukrainian refugees (Niall Carson/PA) I think we need to be careful of the implications of how this gets articulated. The only person I see who would get solace from what you have said and the manner in which you have said it is Putin himself. That is what Putin wants to do. He wants to create the impression across Europe that Europe cant cope with this. We have to make sure he does not succeed with that agenda. Ms McDonald said: The difficulty is that you have not matched the effort by the Irish people by action from Government. Labour leader Ivana Bacik said people across Ireland were dismayed that some Ukrainian refugees had to sleep on the floor of Dublin Airport (Damien Storan/PA) The facts are that people arrived, fleeing from Ukraine, and there was nowhere for them to go. They slept in the airport. I think we can all agree that is not an acceptable situation. Why are you only cobbling together a plan now? The Taoiseach said: We never, ever before had to deal with such numbers coming into the country. We have said we will do everything we can to accommodate Ukrainians and we have. Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said: I think it is fair to say that across Ireland, communities have been dismayed to see people fleeing the brutal war in Ukraine and having to sleep on the floor in Dublin Airport. Earlier, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar had said Ireland cannot guarantee accommodation for refugees arriving from Ukraine in the next couple of weeks. Mr Varadkar said there is no point in denying the chronic shortage of accommodation. Ireland has done very well as a society and I dont mean as a government, I mean as a society in responding to the Ukraine and refugee crisis, he said. There are over 50,000 Ukrainians now in the country, all must have secure accommodation. There are 12,000 Ukrainian kids now in our schools, 10,000 Ukrainians working, 1,000 studying in our universities. In what is a very difficult situation, I think the Irish public and Irish society has responded very well. But we are experiencing a severe accommodation shortage and there is no point in denying that. As a country we are not in any way going to resile from our international obligations or resile from European solidarity. But we do need to say to people that if you come here we cannot guarantee you accommodation at the moment, and indeed for the few weeks we cant guarantee it. Cabinet sub-committee met last night. Decisions wont be signed off for another few days, so there will be a memo produced for Government. We should be able to sign them off formally in the next couple of days. Senior government ministers met on Monday night to discuss the accommodation crisis for Ukrainians and refugees arriving in Ireland and measures to address it. Proposals included doubling the monthly payment for people taking in Ukrainian refugees to 800 euro. Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions. The European energy crisis sparked by Russias invasion of Ukraine has led to arguments in favor of more oil and gas production. The UKs former Prime Minister LIz Truss, for example, responded by expanding oil and gas licenses and lifting a ban on fracking. However, now it turns out that Europe has more natural gas than it can store. Sixty liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are waiting offshore near northwest Europe, the Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula because their cargo cant be unloaded, MarineTraffic said, as CNBC reported. The wave of LNG tankers has overwhelmed the ability of the European regasification facilities to unload the cargoes in a timely manner, Lipow Oil Associates President Andrew Lipow said, as CNBC reported. Gas prices in Europe skyrocketed this year after Russia reduced the flow of natural gas to the region in response to sanctions over its war with Ukraine, reaching a high of more than 340 euros or around $332.6 per megawatt-hour, in late August. In response, Europe made an effort to both buy and store additional gas during the summer, and many gas sellers from around the world rushed to sell to the continent, drawn by the high prices, The New York Times reported. Because of this, European natural gas storage capacity is at more than 90 percent, when it was at less than 80 percent last year. European gas storage continues to rise and now exceeds 93%, ClearView Energy Partners LLC global oil and gas managing director Jacques Rousseau said, as CNBC reported. Further, because of a warmer than usual fall, Europeans havent actually needed to use all of that gas, The New York Times reported. These factors have meant that European gas prices fell to below 100 euros per megawatt-hour for the first time since mid-June this week, with the November futures prices closing at 99.17 euros per megawatt-hour on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility Monday, as Euronews reported. These prices are still high before Russias invasion of Ukraine, gas had cost as low as 30 euros per megawatt-hour, according to CNBC. However, the drop is taking some of the financial pressure off consumers, according to Euronews. At the same time, it is showcasing the volatility of fossil fuel markets. At least one LNG-carrying ship traveling from Algeria to Europe seemed to have changed course to Asia in search of better prices, Laura Page, an analyst at the research firm Kpler, said, as The New York Times reported. Because it can take up to four days for methane-carrying ships bound for Europe to unload, it now costs $450,000 per day to ship natural gas to Europe, Nexus Media News reported. While storage issues are part of the delay, another factor is gas sellers waiting for the best prices. Certain gas traders are keeping the cargoes because there is no fixed price on them, Capital Product Partners CEO Jerry Kalogiratos told the Wall Street Journal, as Nexus Media News reported. If gas prices go up, the delivered LNG can be worth millions more and can end up with a different customer that will pay the higher price. These factors mean that around half of the worlds entire 650-boat LNG fleet is currently acting as floating storage. The redirection of gas to Europe has raised prices in the U.S., where people who heat their homes with methane are expected to see 28 percent higher gas bills this winter. Pakistan has not been able to afford gas at all following a summer of devastating flooding likely made worse by the climate crisis. In Europe, the new combination of lower prices and lower demand could also harm some utilities that rushed to buy more expensive gas. That may force some utilities to sell their expensive cargoes much more cheaply elsewhere, perhaps causing big fiscal damage, Henning Gloystein, director of the political risk firm Eurasia Group, told The New York Times. It is likely that, when the winter begins, European gas prices will rise again. Currently, January and February gas delivery prices are trading on the futures market for 40 percent higher than November prices. Some European officials have argued that the ups and downs of the fossil fuel market give another point in favor of renewables. This experience today of the rising energy prices is a clear wake up call that we should accelerate the transition to clean energy, wean ourselves off the fossil fuel dependency, a senior EU official told reporters last week, as CNN reported. What does it mean to leave no trace? When heading out into nature, its important to abide by the rules of LNT to preserve natural and protected places and theyre not just about picking up your trash. Leave No Trace is about leaving minimal impact on the environment, whether it be small, local parks or major, national wilderness areas. It also applies to all activities: hiking, backpacking, running, rock climbing, mountain biking, birding, and even just walking in natural areas. These seven principles are widely accepted as the primary tenets of LNT, although they change as our use and misuse of natural spaces evolves. Why is LNT important? Many natural areas whether they be local nature trails, National Parks, or public beaches are experiencing much higher use than in previous years. More people started getting outdoors during the pandemic, finding comfort in nature during a difficult time and engaging in safe, outdoor activities. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, 160.7 million Americans ages 6 and over (53% of the population) participated in at least one outdoor activity in 2020, which is the highest participation rate on record. This also means that many of these natural spaces experienced unprecedented surges in visitation. In April/May of 2021, visits to Acadia National Park in Maine were up 74% compared to 2019, and during the same season, it was not uncommon for visitors to Zion National Park to wait four hours to begin hiking a trail. In 2022, several National Parks instituted a new permitting system to prevent overcrowding, including Rocky Mountain, Yosemite, Glacier, and Arches National Parks. Reasonably so, we all want to experience the serenity of nature, and appreciate the awe-inspiring parks and natural spaces the world has to offer but, at the same time, these spaces provide vital ecosystem services and have enormous historical, cultural, and environmental value. The principles of Leave No Trace prioritize the preservation of these spaces by encouraging visitors to minimize their impact as much as possible, leaving no trace of their presence on the environment they visit. The Seven Principles of LNT Five backpackers trek along the shore of Arrigetch Creek, with Xanadu, Arial and Caliban Peaks in the background. Patrick J. Endres / Getty Images Plan Ahead + Prepare Planning for an outdoor excursion is vital to leaving no trace, and makes the trip much more enjoyable! Poor planning often leads to unintended damage to the environment; if youre overly tired, or unprepared for a situation that could have been anticipated with better planning, youre more likely to make poor choices. For example, if you werent prepared for rain while camping, you might need to construct a structure out of natural materials, thereby impacting the landscape more than if youd brought rain flys for tents or water-resistant gear. When planning your trip, think about the skill and ability levels of all participants, the gear you have access to, and what scenarios you feel confident about handling. Learn about the area beforehand so you dont encounter unexpected situations that you arent prepared for; consider the weather, terrain, and potential dangers of the area. Food is another important element to plan. Plan for the correct number of people and the correct number of meals; leftovers that are difficult to transport might make you tempted to leave them behind. Look into any fire bans or other regulations that might impact how you prepare your food. If you dont know before arriving that theres a fire ban in the area, you might have only brought meals that can be cooked over a campfire, so you make one anyway. If you can, plan to make one-pot meals which are lightweight and dont entail much waste over a portable cooking stove. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces When traveling through nature, the goal of LNT is to prevent as much damage to land and waterways as possible. Trampling land especially land that isnt on the trail can lead to soil erosion and damage to vegetation that species rely on. Most importantly, follow the designated trail. Since people want to get into nature, trails are necessary, even though they do have an impact too but, concentrating travel on one deliberately-designed trail prevents further damage. Avoid shortcutting the trail by climbing straight up through switchbacks or walking into the woods to avoid muddy patches (a good pair of hiking boots will keep your feet dry!). Unlike well-trafficked natural areas, in the backcountry, recreation might entail going through areas without a trail. Consider two primary factors when forging your own path: durability, and frequency of use. To minimize impact on the landscape, youll want to walk on the most durable surfaces available. Rock, sand, and gravel are very durable, as are ice and snow since footprints will disappear as it melts. If you must walk through vegetation, dry grasses are best, or sparsely-covered areas where you can walk between plants. Wet areas and fragile vegetation, on the other hand, can easily get trampled and create illegitimate paths that future recreationists might be tempted to follow. Living soil (sometimes called cryptobiotic crust) often found in the desert are little raised crusts in the ground that retain water and create habitats for tiny species. Unlike other areas where you should space out walking so as not to trample a single section, in living-soil landscapes, groups should travel in a straight line to minimize impact, and only walk over the area if its absolutely unavoidable. If you know you will encounter living soils, consider the size of your group and whether your impact justifies your use. Choosing a campsite also requires finding durable surfaces. A rule of thumb to follow: good campsites are found, not made. If one is already there, then dont make a new one. Choose spots deliberately when dispersed camping, although relevant factors will vary by location. In popular, high-use areas, choose a spot that has already been used, and/or already has trampled vegetation and other signs of use. Try to sleep on rock or sand when possible, keep your site small and tents densely-packed, and set up well away from water and trails. Basically, the goal is to consolidate your impact and isolate it to areas that have already been compromised to prevent further damage. In remote, pristine areas like the backcountry on the other hand, youll want to spread out over a large area to avoid making a noticeable impact on a single spot. Set up the kitchen and leave gear on rocks, if possible, and spread out tents. Try not to stay longer than two days to avoid overuse and compaction of soil. When walking to get water from nearby sources, walk a different route every time to prevent the development of a distinct path. Try to clean up the area when you leave so future campers wont identify the area as a campsite and use the area themselves. Dispose of Waste Properly Inevitably, waste will be generated along the trail. Perhaps the most crucial principle of LNT is leaving nothing behind. Pack out all trash, including food waste and leftovers like grease, peels, and cores; even though these things are technically biodegradable, they could be ingested by animals or otherwise disrupt the ecosystem (not to mention theyre ugly). When you leave the site, look around for tiny pieces of trash, like little pieces of food or debris. Carry all wastewater used for washing dishes at least 200 feet away from camp. If theres a lot of sediment, strain that out and either pack it out or spread it around. While some soap might be biodegradable, it can still impact waterways. Use soap sparingly and pour contaminated water over a large area. Although rules about human waste will vary by location, they should be dealt with in much the same way. Urine has very little impact on the landscape, but solid waste should be addressed much more deliberately. If there are any toilet facilities, use those over other options, but burying is generally the next-best option. Walk 200 feet from any campsites, trails, or water sources and use a trowel to dig a cathole 6-8 inches deep. When finished, cover the hole with dirt, leaves, or any other natural vegetation around. Make sure to use varied locations if youre staying somewhere for multiple days, avoid places where water flows, and choose somewhere with exposure to the sun which will penetrate the soil to kill pathogens when possible. Bring along thin, unscented toilet paper (some outdoor stores will sell better, more biodegradable paper) and use it sparingly before burying it or packing it out. Latrines might be better when youre staying somewhere for multiple nights or with children. In that case, throw in a handful of soil after each use to help with decomposition. Packing it out is necessary for some areas, like river canyons or alpine regions without soil. You should also do the same for your pets on single-day hikes. Additionally, keeping them on a leash will ensure that they dont wander off and do their business somewhere you cant find and remove it, as the scent of their waste could mess with the habits of native species. Leave What You Find As the guidebooks say, take only pictures, leave only footprints (minimal ones!). Pinecones, pretty stones, flowers, antlers, and feathers are beautiful, but moving them might impact the habitat or food source of creatures, and also diminishes the beauty of sites that other visitors deserve to enjoy not to mention, its illegal to remove cultural artifacts from public lands. Leave nature be and take photos, draw sketches, or just step back and appreciate it. You especially shouldnt touch or move native species away from the location, potentially compromising their habitat or spreading them to non-native locations. Dont tamper with trees either; hammering nails, taking down boughs, or carving into the bark can all damage living trees, as can tying guy lines or hammocks around their trunks Many cultures have long foraged for edible foods; if you are a trained forager, dont take more than a small amount. Make sure the resource will be able to regenerate itself, and you arent decimating whats there by removing some. Additionally, try not to alter campsites this includes digging trenches or building structures for camping. If you do clear an area for a tent, redistribute sticks, pinecones, rocks, and other natural material that was moved when you leave. If you find an area that was seriously altered by previous campers, try to dismantle what you can, and use existing fire pits rather than building your own. Minimize Campfire Impacts Enjoying a toasty smore around a warm, roaring campfire is a treasured camping ritual, but one that can also be very destructive. According to the National Parks Service, 85% of wildfires are caused by humans, which includes unattended and poorly-maintained campfires. You should only build one if someone in the group is experienced and can do it safely. First, decide whether you need a fire at all. Consider whether its safe: what are the regulations in this area for this time of year and for this type of weather? Is there enough wood that removing it will have minimal impact, or is there only sparse wood? Will it take a long time to regenerate these resources? You should really only do it if theres abundant wood, too. If you do build a fire, ideally, it should appear as though its never been constructed. Use existing fire rings, if there are any. If not, a proper fire ring should be entirely enclosed by rocks. Some people use fire pans with high sides, elevated on rocks, which doesnt impact the landscape at all. When collecting material, never strip standing trees, which are home to many birds and insects. Dead and downed trees are best, as well as driftwood and small sticks. Collect from a wide area to minimize the impact on one specific spot. Bringing your own wood might seem like a logical solution, but this can introduce pests and disease to the area, so only bring wood thats bought locally (within 50 miles). Let the wood burn down completely to white ash. then put it out with water. Scatter the cold ashes around the area when completely extinguished. Ideally, however, you wont need to build a fire at all. Camp stoves are lightweight, packable, safe, and efficient. Recreationalists in the backcountry can easily make meals and boil water with no impact to the surrounding environment. Make sure youre using the right fuel canister, and never leave empties behind. Instead of a roaring fire, enjoy the darkness by stargazing or lighting the area with a lantern. Respect Wildlife When we enter nature, were visitors in the habitats of other species, and the principles of LNT encourage recreationists to view themselves as such. Dont feed, follow, or force animals to flee (if youre in danger, that is). Of course, seeing animals in the wild is amazing, but watch them from a safe distance and minimize your sound and general presence so as not to disturb them or alter their routines. Bring binoculars to see them better, or use the zoom lens on your camera. Feeding can also alter their natural behavior and habituate them to humans, or teach them to entirely depend upon our food. Keep food and other garbage where animals cant reach it. Also, consider the water resources vital to wildlife. Many areas are water-stressed, and camping at least 200 feet from water sources ensures that animals arent frightened away from their drinking areas, and that human waste does not reach and pollute these waterways. Swimming is generally fine, but if water is scarce, consider not jumping in; animals need this resource, and we might pollute it or scare creatures away. If you find a wounded animal, notify a game warden rather than try to help yourself the animal might be aggressive towards you, and its family might not return to it if you remove it. Additionally, control your pets on the trial, or dont bring them if they cant be kept from disturbing wildlife. Be Considerate of Others People go outside to enjoy nature: the sounds, the sights, the serenity. Be considerate of those youre sharing the trail with by keeping the noise down (especially music), controlling your pets, and minimizing damage to the area so all can enjoy it. Follow proper trail etiquette when possible, too. Generally, its accepted that hikers going downhill should step aside for those coming uphill, although there are exceptions for bikers or horse-riders. If that is you, announce your presence and pass carefully. Remember that others also want to enjoy their outdoor experience, and no one is superior to anyone else on the trail. No need to rush transition from open net fish farms in Canada, says salmon association Transitioning away from open net fish farms in Canada needs not to be rushed, said the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Fishing Association (BCSFA). Recently, Canada's federal Fisheries Minister, Joyce Murray, met with various fishing companies and other stakeholders, as well as toured a number of salmon farms on Vancouver Island. Meetings were also held between salmon farmers, suppliers and the minister. Murray emphasised her interest in the co-development of a transition plan with the sector, which will provide the logistics and tools necessary to meet the environmental framework and protect wild salmon. "Salmon farming is continuously evolving, which may come as a surprise to those outside of the farming community," BCSFA interim executive director Ruth Salmon said in a news release. "It was a pleasure to meet with the minister as well as her team to not only discuss the improvements but also showcase them." Salmon emphasised the association's full commitment to the development of the federal government's transitional plan, which is calling for an end to open net farms by 2025. Salmon said that technology and innovation play critical roles in the process. However, the time frame the minister has laid out is concerning to the BCFSA, particularly when it comes to the farmed salmon production in the areas of the territories of Laich-kwil-tach, also known as the Discovery Islands region. "The areas in these farms, are critical to the future of the sector, as well as to those First Nations who view salmon farming as a means to socio-economic stability for their communities," Salmon said. "The ecosystems in which we operate, as well as the priorities of the Nations in whose territories we operate are diverse." Salmon went on to stress the need for the role of First Nations to be integrated into the larger discussion of open net farms' future. - Comox Valley Record The logo for Google on the window of the Google for Startups Campus Seoul in Gangnam, southern Seoul. Korea Times file Norwegian salmon prices decline towards the end of October Prices of salmon in Norway are weakening towards the end of this month as slaughter numbers increase due to tax considerations, Fish Information & Services reported. A trader said prices have dropped by NOK 2 (~US$0.19; NOK 1 = US$0.095) to NOK 4 (~US$0.38) to NOK 67 (~US$6.39) to NOK 68 (~US$6.48) and the increased harvests could mean that supplies will be tighter in the winter. Another trader said salmon prices for 3 to 6 kg are between NOK 67 (~US$6.39) to NOK 70 (~US$6.67). Salmon trade is dominated by European buyers. Another trader said the public holidays on October 31 and November 1 coincide with Halloween or Thanksgiving, which is observed in many European nations, and they fall toward the end of the week. He said most businesses are closed on Monday and Tuesday. They won't be interested in fish until next Wednesday so the picture is somewhat complex. Others desire constant prices. One farmer said they were offered between NOK 68 (~US$6.48) to NOK 70 (~US$6.67) for 3 to 6 kg. A second farmer also anticipates farmgate prices of about NOK 70 (~US$6.67). He points to realistic price levels of NOK 68 (~US$6.48) to NOK 71 (~US$6.77) and said they are trying to get more, but are probably about to give up the fight. He also said it is challenging to predict prices, adding that how much less is killed elsewhere when more is killed here because of taxes and how much is currently being frozen? He said it is because a lot of people believe Q1 will be completely wild. - Fish Information & Services The BBC and Disney have announced future seasons of Doctor Who will stream on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. Its the validation of a longstanding rumor that the UKs public broadcaster was looking to move the show from its traditional distribution network. Back in July, Bloomberg reported that Disney was looking for established brands to bolster its streaming platform. The worlds longest-running science-fantasy series, with its own global fanbase, certainly counts as a big draw for any global streamer. Naturally, new series of Doctor Who will continue to air on the BBCs own channels and streaming platform, iPlayer, in the UK and Ireland. The series will return in November 2023 with a run of specials to celebrate the shows 60th anniversary, followed by a new series in 2024. Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on At the same time, the BBC has announced a new logo and branding that will feature on the show when it returns in 2023, as well as its vast catalog of merchandise. The new logo is a 21st century update of the classic diamond logo, designed by Bernard Lodge in 1973. It's one of the most recognizable images in the show's long history, and while the diamond's shelf-life in the series proper stretched from 1973 to 1980 (for all but one year of Tom Baker's Tenure) it was also plastered on merchandise from the early '70s all the way through to 1996. (Ironically, it was supplanted by a revamped version of the show's 1969-1974 logo.) Back in 2018, the BBC recruited branding agency LittleHawk to revitalize the shows image with a look covering both its Classic and New Series eras. The fact that, so quickly afterward, the show has opted to switch back to an older look stands as a repudiation of LittleHawks work. Not to mention the fact itll cause much consternation to the buyers of the shows flagship Collection Blu-Ray boxsets. Who will, once again, have to deal with an inconsistent run of spines running along their shelves and are, arguably, the real victims in all of this. Last June, NASA announced that it would convene a panel to study "unidentified aerial phenomena" (UAP), aka UFOs while saying it doesn't believe they're "extraterrestrial in origin." Now, the space agency has unveiled the 16-member panel that will focus on "unclassified sightings and other data collected from civilian government and commercial sectors." Chairing the panel is David Spergel, former head of astrophysics at Princeton University. Other members include Anamaria Berea, a research affiliate at the SETI (Search for Intelligence Life) Institute in Mountainview, California; retired NASA astronaut and test pilot Scott Kelly; and others ranging from oceanographers to astrophysicists to science journalists. The panel is separate from a Pentagon group investigating UAPs reported by military pilots and investigated by US defense and intelligence officials. Now, the US government is effectively running two tracks of UFO probes after keeping such work behind closed doors for years. Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on Conspicuously absent are special effects experts like Corridor Crew skilled at spotting fake and altered clips. In a recent video, the group debunked a number of famous videos UFO clips, even from the Pentagon, ascribing them to ordinary occurrences like a camera's iris, a bird and an infrared lens flare. NASA itself doesn't seem to believe there's much going on with these videos and sightings, either. However, it said the panel can still serve an important role in determining how to classify them even if there are no aliens involved. "Understanding the data we have surrounding unidentified aerial phenomena is critical to helping us draw scientific conclusions about what's happening in our skies," said NASA associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen. "Data is the language of scientists and makes the unexplainable explainable." Apple surprised us last week with two new iPads. Weve spent a bit of time with the new entry-level iPad ($449) which has been redesigned to match the rest of the iPad family with flat edges, USB-C and a Touch ID-enabled power button. Unusually, it also has a landscape selfie camera. Inside, theres an A14 chip, which might not match the M1 in the iPad Air (let alone the M2 in the new iPad Pro), but its still a powerful enough processor. Engadget So far, Engadgets Nathan Ingraham is pleasantly impressed, although there are other corners cut it still only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil. Expect our full review and verdict soon. For now, read up on our first impressions here. Mat Smith Turn on browser notifications to receive breaking news alerts from Engadget You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. Not now Turned on Turn on The Morning After isnt just a newsletter its also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here. The biggest stories you might have missed Two agents may have tried to bribe a US law enforcement official. US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Wednesday that two spies from the People's Republic of China attempted to interfere in a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice into Huawei. According to a Bloomberg report, Guochun He and Zheng Wang were working for the benefit of Huawei. The two agents attempted to bribe a law enforcement official to provide them with information on the Justice Department's investigation. Starting in 2017, they allegedly sought to obtain details about witnesses, evidence and possible additional charges that could be filed against Huawei, unaware that they were talking to an FBI double agent. Continue reading. Apple One bundles will also be more expensive. Apple has raised the prices of Apple Music and Apple TV+. Music now costs $11 per month for individual plans (up from $10) in the US, or $109 per year. The Family plan now costs $17 per month instead of $15. TV+ sees the largest relative jump the price has increased from $5 per month to $7, and from $50 per year to $69. Apple has also increased prices for its multi-service One bundles. You'll now pay $17 per month for an Individual plan versus the earlier $15. Continue reading. Scientists converted data from three Swarm satellites into ethereal audio. NASA The European Space Agency (ESA) has released audio of what our planet's magnetic field sounds like. While it protects us from cosmic radiation and charged particles from solar winds, it turns out that the magnetic field has an unnerving rumble. Scientists from the Technical University of Denmark converted data collected by the ESA's three Swarm satellites into sound, representing both the magnetic field and a solar storm. Continue reading. Theres a lot packed into it. Urtopias mission seemed pretty clear, to make the most feature-rich, connected bike the world has ever seen. Its ebike packs in a 4G SIM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, a fingerprint reader and even mmWave sensors for collision detection. However, when we tested an early prototype, we didnt get to see how all that came together, software-wise. Now, we got to test the bike along with its companion app and some of its unique ideas. Thanks to the 4G radio, you should get a log of your ride in the app every single time you go out. We say should as it often didnt work for Engadgets James Trew. Continue reading. Dont spend a fortune on an autonomous dirt sucker. In a change from just a few years ago, there are now plenty of budget robot vacuum options to choose from. We consider anything under $300 to be cheap in this space and you may be surprised to see how many there are to choose from. And if youre new to the world of robot vacuums, you may find that one of these budget gadgets does everything you expected and more. Weve got our favorite picks from the likes of Roomba, Shark and even Anker. Continue reading. Philip Morris Korea Managing Director Paik Young-jae speaks about the company's new IQOS ILUMA product during a press conference held at a hotel in Seoul on Oct. 25. Courtesy of Philip Morris Korea By a dusty stretch of the deafening road from Chennai to Bengaluru lie three colossal, anonymous buildings. Inside, away from the din of traffic, is a high-tech facility operated by Foxconn, a Taiwanese manufacturer. A short drive away Pegatron, another Taiwanese tech firm, has erected a vast new factory of its own. Salcomp, a Finnish gadget-maker, has set one up not far away. Farther west is a 500-acre campus run by Tata, an Indian conglomerate. What these closely guarded facilities have in common is their client: a demanding and secretive American firm known locally as the fruit company. The mushrooming of factories in southern India marks a new chapter for the worlds biggest technology company. Apples extraordinarily successful past two decadesrevenue up 70-fold, share price up 600-fold, a market value of $2.4trnis partly the result of a big bet on China. Apple banked on China-based factories, which now churn out more than 90% of its products, and wooed Chinese consumers, who in some years contributed up to a quarter of Apples revenue. Yet economic and geopolitical shifts are forcing the company to begin a hurried decoupling. Its turn away from China marks a big shift for Apple, and is emblematic of an even bigger one for the world economy. Apples packaging proclaims Designed by Apple in California, but its gadgets are assembled along a supply chain that stretches from Amazonas to Zhejiang. At the centre is China, where 150 of Apples biggest suppliers operate production facilities. Tim Cook, who was Apples head of operations before he became chief executive in 2011, pioneered the companys approach to contract manufacturing. A regular visitor to China, Mr Cook has maintained good relations with the Chinese government, obeying its requirements to remove apps and to hold Chinese users data locally, where it is available to the authorities. Now a change is under way. Mr Cook, who has not been seen in China since 2019, is wooing new partners. In May he entertained Vietnams prime minister, Pham Minh Chinh, at Apples futuristic Cupertino headquarters. Next year Apple is expected to open its first physical store in India (whose prime minister, Narendra Modi, is a fan of gold iPhones). The two countries are the main beneficiaries of Apples strategic shift. In 2017 Apple listed 18 large suppliers in India and Vietnam; last year it had 37. In September, to much local fanfare, Apple started making its new iPhone 14 in India, where it had previously made only older models. The previous month it was reported that Apple would soon start making its MacBook laptops in Vietnam. Some of Apples newer gadgets show the way things are going. Almost half its AirPod earphones are made in Vietnam and by 2025 two-thirds will be, forecasts JPMorgan Chase. The bank reckons that, whereas today less than 5% of Apples products are made outside China, by 2025 the figure will be 25% (see chart 1). As Apples production system is shifting, its suppliers are diversifying away from China, too. One crude measure of this is the share of long-term assets that Taiwanese tech-hardware and electronics firms have located in China. In 2017 the average figure was 43%. Last year that had fallen to 31%, according to our estimates using company and Bloomberg data. The most pressing reason for the scramble is the need to spread operational risk. Two decades ago the garment industry beefed up its operations outside China following the sars epidemic, which paralysed supply chains. sars made it very clear to everyone operating in China that you needed a China+1 strategy, says Dominic Scriven of Dragon Capital, an investment firm based in Vietnam. Covid taught tech firms the same lesson. Lockdowns in Shanghai in the first half of this year temporarily shut a factory operated by Quanta, a Taiwanese firm, which was believed to be making most of Apples MacBooks. Customers had to wait months. Avoiding this kind of chaos is the primary driving force for Apples supply-chain moves, according to Gokul Hariharan of JPMorgan Chase. Another motive is containing costs. Average wages in China have doubled in the past decade. By 2020 a Chinese manufacturing worker typically earned $530 a month, about twice as much as one in India or Vietnam, according to a survey by jetro, a Japanese industry body. Indias ropey infrastructure, with bad roads and an unreliable electrical grid, held it back. But it has improved, and the Indian government has sweetened the deal with subsidies. Vietnam offers tax rebates and holidays, too, as well as free-trade deals, including one recently signed with the European Union. Bureaucracy around visas and customs remains a pain. But the work ethic is similar to that in China: Confucius still gets them out of bed in the morning, says one foreign executive in Vietnam. Apple also increasingly sees locals as potential customers, particularly in India, the worlds second-largest market for smartphones. Apples gadgets are too pricey for most Indians, but that is changing. In July Apple reported that its revenues in India had nearly doubled in the past quarter, year on year, driven by the engine of iPhone sales. This is diminishing Chinas relative importance as a consumer market. At its high point in 2015, China accounted for 25% of Apples annual revenues, more than all of Europe. Since then its share has steadily shrunk, to 19% so far this financial year (see chart 2). By the sounds of it Xi Jinping, Chinas president, would like it to fall further. At a Communist Party shindig on October 16th he urged self-reliance and strength in science and technology, suggesting that foreign importers may face stiffer competition from Chinese national champions. He repeated the phrase five times. This points to the last, but potentially most significant reason for Apples shift: geopolitics. Rising tensions between China and America have made China an increasingly awkward place to do business. Heightened Chinese political sensitivity has added friction on many fronts. This summer, for instance, Apple reportedly had to ask Taiwanese manufacturers to label their products Made in Chinese Taipei to appease newly finicky Chinese customs officials (at the risk of angering Taiwanese ones). America, for its part, has become more aggressive in its competition with Chinas domestic tech industry. On October 7th America announced a ban on us persons working for some Chinese chipmakers. On the same day it added 30 Chinese companies to a list of unverified firms its officials had been unable to inspect. Apple had reportedly been about to sign a deal to buy iPhone memory chips from one such company, ymtc, which can offer low prices thanks in part to a Chinese government subsidy. Following Americas export controls that deal was put on ice, according to Nikkei, a Japanese newspaper. The question is whether moving production physically out of China will be enough to avoid future crackdowns. Even as Apple makes more of its gadgets outside China, it is no less reliant on Chinese-owned companies to build them. Chinese manufacturers such as Luxshare, Goertek and Wingtech are taking an increasing share of Apples business beyond Chinas borders. Luxshare and Goertek are reported to be making AirPods in Vietnam, helped by the fact that some Taiwanese rivals, such as Inventec, have scaled back their work for Apple in recent years. Indian media reported in September that the Indian government might allow some Chinese companies to set up production facilities in India. Chinese companies share of iPhone electronics production will rise from 7% this year to 24% by 2025, believes JPMorgan Chase, which predicts that in the next three years Chinese companies will increase their share of production across Apples range of products. Could Chinese manufacturers outside China be targeted by American sanctions? For now this is unlikely, believes Nana Li of Impax, an asset manager. There are no handy alternative [suppliers] available with the same level of experience, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, so cutting them off would hurt American firms, she points out. In time, that could change. Countries like India and Vietnam are keen to build up their own suppliers. Tata is reportedly in talks with Wistron, a Taiwanese manufacturer, about making iPhones in India. Indian manufacturers report that the fruit company is discreetly on the hunt for local suppliers. Given the direction of relations between America and China, it is surely sensible for Apple to place some side-bets, before restrictions go any further. Chinese firms outside China are safe for now, says one Western investor in Asia. But the noose is tightening. : economist.com The HRSouthwest Conference, powered by Dallas HR, inducted Future of Work Global Thought Leader Ira S Wolfe into its Speaker Hall of Fame during its 81st annual conference. The event was held at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Wolfe, who describes himself as a Millennial trapped inside a Baby Boomer body, is recognized as one of the Top 5 Global Thought Leaders on Future of Work and HR by Thinkers360. He is a TEDx Speaker and host of Geeks Geezers Googlization podcast, part of the People-Forward Network. Wolfe is also the founder of AQPlus, an AQ Level 2 Professional, and Certified WHY.os Professional. Wolfe recently sold his company Success Performance Solutions, founded in 1996, to the leadership development company Dame Leadership. He is the co-author of a new book, Create Great Culture in a Remote World , just released in mid-October 2022. His previous book was the highly acclaimed Recruiting in the Age of Googlization, now in its 2nd edition, which was selected as one of the top 50 books to read in 2021 by Thinkers360. Ira is a popular and frequent presenter at SHRM and business conferences and a guest on nearly 100 podcasts each year. He is the founder of the Googlization Nation community and a frequent contributor to HR and business blogs, including Forbes, ReWork, Medium, and an expert guest on NTD Business News. He contributed to the white paper Everywhere Workplace, published by Ivanti. Ira has been featured in Forbes, INC Magazine, Fast Company, Business Week, American Express OPEN, NFIB, Inc., Intuit Small Business, and Fox Business. He is also the author of 5 other books, including Perfect Labor Storm, Geeks Geezers and Googlization, and Understanding Business Values and Motivators. About HRSouthwest Conference The HRSouthwest Conference , powered by DallasHR, is one of the largest regional events for Human Resource professionals and those who supply products and services to the HR industry. Recognized as the official State of Texas SHRM Conference, the event is important to HR practitioners recertifying their SHRM and HRCI designations, discovering the latest in HR products and services, and networking to share best practices, compare "war stories", and have fun. More About Ira S Wolfe Click here to schedule Ira for your next event, conference, podcast or media interview. Tuesday, October 25, 2022 PRESS RELEASE The Veteran Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) Epidemic Veteran Eric Koleda of the TreatNOW Coalition has released The Veteran Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) Epidemic: A U.S. Department of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Services Review. His analysis of recent data received from Deputy Under Secretary of Health for the VA indicates more than 796,340 Veterans have died from Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) and Lower Limb Amputation (LLA) in the past 22-years. This is more than all the Veterans Killed in Action in all the U.S. wars (623,982) since World War I. The current VHA DFU LLA Veteran mortality rate shows that 64-71 percent die within 3-years after LLA surgery. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has been approved by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) since 2002 for all Veterans over the age of 65. According to the recent VHA data, the average age for DFU Veterans having Lower Limb Amputations due to DFUs is 66.2 years old. All or the majority were eligible to receive CMS covered HBOT treatments as an insured treatment. The VHA data indicates over the last 20-years on average 93.7 percent of Veterans are not receiving HBOT treatments. HBOT treatments heal on average 74 percent of the DFU cases, eliminating the need for amputations and extending patient lives. The Report raises several Questions: If HBOT has been approved since 2002 and Veterans are eligible to receive the insured treatments, why is the VHA delaying or denying Veterans access to treatments that will save their lives in 75% of cases? If there is even a 30 delay in referring DFU Veterans for HBOT treatments outside the VHA, it is potentially a death sentence as gangrene typically will set in the foot requiring amputation. Further: Is the VHA informing DFU Veterans they are entitled to receive HBOT treatments? The Code of Medical Ethics is built around ensuring that both doctors and patients participate meaningfully in decisions about health care. Physicians have a responsibility to provide information and help patients understand their medical condition and options for treatment. This doctrine of informed consent seeks to ensure that doctors: tell patients of their diagnosis; those patients understand the nature and purpose of recommended interventions; and, most importantly, that patients are made aware of the burdens, risks and expected benefits of all options under the Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 2.1.1. Are VHA medical doctors informing VHA DFU Veterans about HBOT? The VHA currently does not operate any Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy chambers in their 1,298 healthcare facilities across the entire U.S. The services are contracted to outside hospitals which maintain and operate HBOT chambers. There are an estimated 1,156 hospitals across the U.S. with HBOT chambers staffed with medically qualified, trained, and certified staffing. And there are hundreds of private clinics. Yet the VHA is only contracted with 31.5 percent of the HBOT chamber hospitals in 42 states and the District of Columbia. There are eight states without any VHA HBOT chamber services available. Why is the VHA not widely prescribing and administering a government approved, tested, safe and effective treatment for Veterans when in nearly 75% percent of the cases it is saving their lives? Read the report :: Here :: Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel. Instant News Wire NEWS FLASH The Macedonian Minister for Transport and Communication, Blagoj Bocvarski, held talks with officials in the United Arab Emirates last week, during which the introduction of flights between Abu Dhabi and Skopje were discussed. Commenting on the matter, Mr Bocvarski said, We discussed the importance of establishing nonstop flights between Skopje and Abu Dhabi with the aim of deepening economic cooperation. Talks will continue in the coming period between our two friendly countries. The UAE supports the establishment of flights between Abu Dhabi and Skopje, which would develop passenger traffic, tourism and cargo. Back in December 2020, Mr Bocvarski said Wizz Air Abu Dhabi would launch services between the two capital cities, with ticket sales to commence in January 2021, however, the announcement never materialised. Ryanair is still interested in launching operations to Ljubljana in the summer of 2023 and is continuing to study the market ahead of a final decision. The carrier has identified airport operator Fraport as its main obstacle for expansion in the country, complaining about its fees. The airline has had a rocky relationship with the German airport operator. This year it ended services from Frankfurt and is turning its year-round base in Athens into a seasonal summer one, with both airports managed by Fraport, which it has accused of hiking fees in both cities. The airline held talks with the Slovenian government earlier this year where it again voiced its concerns about the fee per on board passenger charged by Ljubljana Airport. Ryanair is still interested in launching operations to Ljubljana in the summer of 2023 and is continuing to study the market ahead of a final decision. The carrier has identified airport operator Fraport as its main obstacle for expansion in the country, complaining about its fees. The airline has had a rocky relationship with the German airport operator. This year it ended services from Frankfurt and is turning its year-round base in Athens into a seasonal summer one, with both airports managed by Fraport, which it has accused of hiking fees in both cities. The airline held talks with the Slovenian government earlier this year where it again voiced its concerns about the fee per on board passenger charged by Ljubljana Airport. Despite maintaining a nearby base in Zagreb, which attracts a notable portion of passengers from Slovenia, the budget carrier is confident it can successfully operate to both capital cities, noting it has had great success in Zagreb since launching services there last year, which it could replicate in Ljubljana as well. Ryanair further notes that Ljubljana could be marketed as an ideal holiday destination due its proximity to the resort town of Bled. We are tracking the Slovenian market. It is interesting to us for different reasons. If we can see that we can turn around this potential into a profit, we will enter this market, the carrier told EX-YU Aviation News. Ryanair has considered introducing flights to Ljubljana on several occasions over the past decade. Late last year, the General Manager of Ljubljana Airport, Babett Stapel, said, We have already held talks [with Ryanair] and we are ready to continue them. We welcome all airlines that fit into our business model. Low cost carriers will be reducing their operations to Ljubljana Airport this coming winter season with Wizz Air, Transavia and easyJet all set to decrease planned services. Wizz Air will suspend flights from Charleroi to the Slovenian capital for the durations of the winter season, while Transavia will suspend operations from Amsterdam up until at least November 15. easyJet will cut down on its flights from London Gatwick, with the budget carrier to maintain just one weekly rotation between the two cities next month. Korean drugmaker SK Bioscience said Tuesday it has signed a deal to join hands with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Under the agreement, SK Bioscience will receive $140 million for the project from CEPI, an Oslo-based international public-private partnership, and develop mRNA vaccines for the Japanese encephalitis virus and the Lassa fever virus. They also will cooperate in developing various vaccines based on mRNA platform technologies to help less-developed countries deal with possible virus infections in the future. The project is part of CEPI's global program to advance the development of mRNA vaccines that provide broad protection against new viral threats in underdeveloped regions. SK Bioscience said it will apply the new mRNA technologies into a pipeline of new vaccines for other therapeutic areas, including respiratory syncytial virus and cytomegalovirus. "The world is aware that rapidly developing vaccines is the most important thing in saving humankind from a future pandemic," the company said. "We will strive to contribute to innovating the vaccine development and improving human health based on cooperation with global organizations like CEPI and companies." Currently, SK Bioscience, the pharmaceutical affiliate under SK Group, produces British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in Korea under a partnership deal. It has also signed a deal with the U.S. vaccine producer Novavax for consignment production of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. (Yonhap) The Russell Smith Federal Courthouse. (Tommy Martino, for the Daily Montanan) Mark Carpenter is a kidney transplant recipient who thought the COVID-19 vaccine would work for him, and he also figured health care providers who treat him would be vaccinated. But his body didnt develop much immunity with the vaccine, and COVID-19 could severely affect his heart, lungs and one functioning kidney, he said. Hes had horrific medical experiences because of his condition, he said. He said hes had his lungs fill with fluid, hes coughed blood, and his wife has had to rush him to the emergency room. When he visits a health care provider, he expects to be safe. It just never occurred to me that they wouldnt be vaccinated, that that wouldnt be a requirement of employment, said Carpenter, a Missoula and Seeley Lake area man. Monday, Carpenter was among the witnesses who took the stand in a trial over House Bill 702, which prohibits employment discrimination based on vaccination status or possession of an immunity passport. The Montana Medical Association is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit filed against Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Commissioner of Labor and Industry Laurie Esau. The Montana Nurses Association has also intervened in the case. The plaintiffs argue HB 702, which was passed by the 2021 Legislature in the midst of the pandemic, is unconstitutional and illegally restricts the ability of physician offices and hospitals to set conditions of employment based on immunity status. The defendants, on the other hand, argue the state has the power to protect citizens against discrimination, and they should not have to divulge private health care information to get a job. In testimony at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse in Missoula, medical experts for the plaintiffs generally testified that health care employers need to know the status of their employees to know where to best deploy them to keep staff and patients safe. In his opening statement on behalf of plaintiffs and intervenors, lawyer Raph Graybill said the trial was unusual in that doctors and nurses, labor and management were standing together to deliver a unified message. HB 702 is antithetical to public health, Graybill said. Other plaintiffs include individuals along with Five Valleys Urology, Providence Health and Services in Montana, and Western Montana Clinic. Graybill argued health care entities must know an employees immunity status in order to reduce the risk of death and serious illness of vaccine-preventable disease in facilities. But he said the prohibitions of HB 702 put people in harms way. We will show that HB 702 sabotages public health and is a clear and present danger to individual health as well, particularly to those who are immunocompromised, Graybill said. However, Deputy Solicitor General Brent Mead, on behalf of the defendants, argued the bill wasnt about public health or vaccinations at all. Rather, he said another power of the state was on trial in the case. Its not public health, Mead said. Its not vaccines. Its whether the state can choose to protect its citizens from discrimination based on their medical choices. He also said the record shows plaintiffs already have vaccination records on file for employees the very records they claim HB 702 denies them. Additionally, he argued the exemptions the state made in HB 702 for different health care settings were nearly the same distinctions CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, made, showing the state made a rational choice. The state has unquestioned police power to protect citizens who are targets of discrimination, Mead said. The defense is expected to bring witnesses to the stand Tuesday. Judge Donald Molloy is hearing the case, and before the lawyers presented opening statements, he reminded them government resources were in use and they should use time judiciously. (If the lawyers raised an objection, for example, he told them to cite the rule on which they based it, but to refrain from making an argument.) Keep in mind that were not going to waste time, Molloy said. The witnesses had submitted written testimony for the record, and the lawyers cross-examined them. On several occasions, the judge told Michael Russell, a lawyer for the defendant, he had made his point while questioning a witness for the plaintiffs or that the point was irrelevant and requested the attorney move on. I think were beating a dead horse here, Molloy said at one point. Family physician David King, who said he has been called an ignorant minion of Satan for advancing vaccines, was first on the witness stand and among the medical experts who testified for the plaintiffs. He said vaccination is the most effective measure against COVID-19. I think COVID remains entirely unpredictable, and therefore, our most dangerous, wanted at-large medical criminal, said King, who works in Bozeman and Belgrade and said he himself has lived with an autoimmune disorder all his life. However, King, who has practiced medicine for 40 years, also said HB 702, passed by the 2021 Montana Legislature, actually keeps medical professionals from preventing harm to their patients. For example, he said hospitals should be able to keep babies safe by preventing workers who arent immunized against Pertussis, or whooping cough, from going into a neonatal intensive care unit. Those babies are generally premature, he said, and the highly contagious respiratory infection would be lethal to them. King said the mutability of COVID-19 makes it particularly dangerous, but he testified to the role politics plays as well. He said he fears HB 702 will spawn other regulations contrary to medical science, especially ones that hurt children. Despite widespread support of the medical community for vaccinations, he said hes seen a militant disrespect for vaccines, in part fueled by state legislators, and fears it will breed more dysfunctional regulation. He himself has lost family members to COVID-19, including his mom after infected staff entered her facility, he said. His uncle was elderly and lost his sense of taste and smell from COVID, he said, and he just stopped eating and finally starved to death. Medicine is unified in supporting vaccination, and when a state legislature determines that they will contradict the advice of physicians and physician organizations, that disrespect is contagious, to use a word that we are talking about so much, King said. Former state medical officer Greg Holzman also took the stand and said knowing who is immunized can help those in public health move quickly when time is of the essence in an outbreak. Holzman, who said he is now working as a consultant in Helena, also argued a decision to require vaccines should be up to each health care setting and its particular needs. I would want the hospital or the clinic or the dialysis center to be able to make those decisions knowing their own risk/benefits in those communities and the type of patients that theyre taking care of, Holzman said. The trial will continue Tuesday and is expected to last one more day. The post Montana doctors, nurses argue for public health; state argues for power to protect citizens appeared first on Daily Montanan. Authorities in Dover have uncovered and seized large volumes of raw meat from countries that have reported African swine fever (ASF) in their pig herds. Dover Port Health Authority inspectors found the illegal meat products after searching 22 vehicles of Romanian, Moldovan, Ukrainian and Polish origin. Raw animal products were discovered, loosely stored in carrier bags and paper tissue without temperature control, refrigeration or labelled identification. In one case, raw, unlabelled and loosely-wrapped pork was found at the bottom of a taped-up wheelie bin, which was filled with other products intended for free circulation within the UK. Romania has just reported a fresh ASF outbreak on a large farm, the latest in a growing number of confirmed cases this year. The checks follows the introduction of new rules by the government making it illegal from September to bring pork or pork products weighing over 2kg into the country unless they are produced to the EUs commercial standards. The change, which followed intense lobbying by the UK's National Pig Association (NPA), was introduced to raise the country's defences against ASF. Dover MP Natalie Elphicke told parliamentarians during a House of Commons debate that the illegal pork trade was 'rife' at the port of Dover. We need to remember that it is not 22 vehicles a day entering the UK at Dover. There are up to 10,000 vehicle movements across the channel each day, Ms Elphicke said. It is clear that the risk of maggoty meat, meat of unknown origin, which often means horse or other illegal meat, rotting meat due to the lack of temperature controls, as well as fresh blood dripping on to other products, is of real concern." Ms Elphicke highlighted the ASF risk, citing government warnings that the disease "poses a significant risk to our pig herd and our long-term ability to export pork and pork products around the globe." The illegal pork trade is rife at the port of Dover - so rife that around 80% of that illegal trade comes through the short straits. Without adequate checks, there is nothing to stop it, the MP added. NPA chief policy adviser Rebecca Veale said the body was very pleased when the government introduced new restrictions on the movement of pork and pork products. We had been calling for action for some time, she said, The aim of the restrictions is to stop illegal consignments such as this. ASF is a notifiable disease which not only would severely compromise the health and welfare of pigs and can potentially devastate businesses up and down the country, it would also have huge implications for our ability to export pigmeat, which is important for carcase balance." The Welsh government's agricultural policy proposals are inhibitive to many working in the dairy sector, NFU Cymru has warned as the Welsh Dairy Show gets underway. While current milk prices are giving farmers gathering at the Carmarthen event some reprieve from rising input costs, many remain concerned at the direction of the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). Dairy farmers at the event - which returns following a three year absence - have warned that the current plans, particularly around tree planting, will inhibit their productive capacity. The Welsh government has set ambitious goals to plant 43,000 hectares of new woodland by 2030, rising to 180,000ha by 2050. There will also be a requirement to have at least 10% tree cover on all Welsh farms. But producers at the Welsh Dairy Show highlighted to NFU Cymru that it was unlikely they would be able to join the new support scheme unless plans change. The union's president, Aled Jones said that many dairy farmers thought the SFS would 'hinder' their ability to supply markets, both at home and abroad. Of course, Welsh farmers recognise that they have a role to play in combatting the effects of climate change," he said. "It is crucial, though, that if the number of trees is going to be increased, this must be done in a sensitive way that protects our prime agricultural land and in doing so, protects food production." Mr Jones said this would look different on every farm in Wales: "The blanket approach to tree planting proposed in the scheme simply wont work," he warned. "[It] will see many farmers, including those in dairy, opt not to join this new support scheme." Wales' Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths has already highlighted that the current plans for the scheme are outline proposals and are not finalised. A decision on how the final scheme will look will not be made until further consultation on the detailed proposals, in 2023 Because of this, Mr Jones said it was 'vital' for the Welsh government to listen to the concerns of the dairy and to 'fine-tune' the proposals. Equally, I encourage all Welsh farmers to actively engage with Welsh governments co-design process and highlight the strong feeling from the industry on this topic. Farmers in Northern Ireland are being encouraged to attend one of the bovine TB information roadshows hosted by the independent advisory body, the TB Eradication Partnership (TBEP). The events aim to highlight the steps being taken to eradicate the disease, which has caused mental and financial devastation for decades. Six TB roadshows have been organised in various locations to make them easily accessible for all farmers in the province. They are free to attend with no registration required, with the first event taking place on Monday 24 October at CAFREs Enniskillen campus. The events also aim to provide an opportunity for farmers to engage directly with the Department of Agriculture (DAERA) and TBEP. The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) is urging farmers to attend. I cant stress enough how important it is for all farmers across NI to attend one of these TB information roadshows," said president David Brown. "The roadshows are a big step forward and will provide details on where we are currently and what happens next." Mr Brown said: "Farmers have suffered for generations because of TB and these roadshows will enable them to hear first-hand from DAERA, TBEP and industry representatives. "DAERA has a key role to play in all of this but so do NI farmers, and we need the roll out of a TB strategy that we fully understand and can help to deliver, so we can work together to eradicate TB from NI once and for all. When and where are the events? The dates and venues, all beginning at 7.30pm, are: 24 October, CAFRE campus Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh 27 October, La Mon Hotel, Co. Down 2 November, CAFRE campus Loughry, Co. Tyrone 3 November, CAFRE campus Greenmount, Co, Antrim 9 November, Armagh City Hotel, Co. Armagh 10 November, the Royal Court Hotel, Co. Antrim Former Defra minister Therese Coffey has been appointed the new Defra Secretary as part of Rishi Sunak's cabinet reshuffle. The ex-Health Secretary and MP for Suffolk Coastal replaces Ranil Jayawardena, who had been Defra Secretary since the beginning of September. He announced his resignation today (25 October) after just 48 days in the role, making Ms Coffey the UK's ninth Environment Secretary since 2010. Mr Jayawardena, who is MP for North East Hampshire, had been appointed by Liz Truss after she became prime minister. Following her resignation, the new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, reshuffled his cabinet. Posting his resignation letter on social media, Mr Jayawardena said he was "pleased to have laid the groundwork to 'free our farmers'". ?? My letter to the Prime Minister today. pic.twitter.com/rvSKtKuqRG Ranil Jayawardena MP (@ranil) October 25, 2022 "From food security and backing British farmers, to water scarcity and growing our rural economy, I am sure HM government will continue to deliver," he added. Ms Coffey previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary since September 2022. She served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2019 to 2022. Before this, she served under Prime Minister Theresa May as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Defra from 2016 to 2019. Only subscribers with PAID Print or E-Edition subscriptions enter here to gain access. If you are not a Current Paid subscriber do not go through this portal. Please return to the subscription page to purchase one of our offers. Thank you! Funeral homes often submit obituaries to the newspaper as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we are happy to accept obituaries from family members. You may use the form linked below, or you may email Jeanne Cobert at jcobert@fauquier.com or call her at 540-270-4931. Go to form A photo of a Korean Air B777-300ER aircraft / Courtesy of Korean Air An alternative Korean Air plane departed for the Philippines on Tuesday to bring home passengers stranded after another plane run by the air carrier overran the airport runway in Cebu. A Boeing 777 plane left Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around noon, on a mission to return with the passengers and crew members from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Korean Air Lines said. The plane was scheduled to take off from Cebu at 4:20 p.m. (local time) and arrive back in Incheon at 9:40 p.m., the air carrier said. A Korean Air passenger plane lies its belly on the runway at the airport in Cebu City, central Philippines, Oct. 24. AFP-Yonhap Food and travel enthusiast Akanksha Dean has a list of seven experiences to bookmark in the sultanate of Oman Situated on the south-eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman boasts an opulent gastronomic ethos and a captivating history, which is why the sultanate has been popping up on quite a few hottest travel destination lists in recent times. Here are seven experiences in the Sultanate of Oman that should be on your travel itinerary Go Dune Bashing At Wahiba Sands Wahiba Sands in the Arabian desert is characterised by tall and prominent sand dunes, which make dune bashing a must-try. Located in the southern part of the Western Hajar mountain range, these picturesque sands (also main image) are just a two-hour drive from the capital city of Muscat. You will make your way up in a 4x4 Jeep Wrangler the guides manoeuvre up these dunes effortlessly in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As an adventure, dune bashing is extremely safe, and all the cars are well equipped with safety gear. The key to good dune bashing is in maintaining varying speeds and ensuring that the SUV tires are flattened out before driving; low tire pressure enables a smoother climb. Every time anyone my fathers friends sisters uncle even visits Chennai, a box must be brought back for me from Sri Krishna Sweets. Cook with love. Whenever anything comes from a place of love, it always tastes better. Why do you think we all love our mums cooking the most? What is life without sweetness? You have to indulge every now and then. Next Story : Mind Over Matter: Aparna Piramal Raje On Life After Being Diagnosed Bipolar Chef Rachel Goenka found her love for food especially mithai very young. As she forayed into the culinary world at the age of 24 with her first restaurant, she also bit literally into a lot of sweets. She tells us about the resulting book, and why we all need a little bit of sweetness in our livesRachel Goenkas earliest memory connected to mithai is of eating Mysore pak with her dad. Its our favourite mithai and weve had some serious bonding sessions over who gets the last piece, reveals the founder and CEO of The Chocolate Spoon Company, a holding company of a chain of chic restaurants, bars and patisseries. Since then, mithai has held that unique spot in her heart that brings back fond memories.It is no wonder then that, when she brought her dream of writing a book to fruition, it had to be about mithai.Having studied classic French patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu in London, Rachel has a deep appreciation for traditional techniques, but she also feels that there is so much more to mithai than what is seen. I had been experimenting with mithai for a long time, she tells us. Every Diwali, Ive experimented and plated contemporary desserts with mithai. Her unique experiments are now a part of her book, Adventures With Mithai.Rachel reveals in the foreword that her biggest weakness among the many, many Indian sweet delicacies she enjoys is Mysore pak. Every time anyone my fathers friends sisters uncle even visits Chennai, a box must be brought back for me from Sri Krishna Sweets, she writes.It is this love and delight in flavours that led Rachel to eat almost every mithai out there when writing the book. Apart from being a lot of fun, the experience was a huge learning lesson, the award-winning chef-author-entrepreneur smiles. It took me out of my comfort zone into celebrating mithai in such a modern way, resulting in the 50 recipes that made it to the book. She has made it clear that she loves all mithai, but we force her to pick just one from her book. It has to be the Chocolate Barfi Cheesecake; it is one of my most favourite recipes, she enthuses. Its so simple and yummy and it looks beautiful!Before she made her foray into the culinary world to train and then set up her first restaurant The Sassy Spoon in Mumbai Rachel had a stint in the media following her double degree in journalism and English from Pennsylvania State University. She has continued to write through her career, specialised pieces published in magazines and newspapers. The yearning, however, was always to write a book, a recipe book that hadnt been done before. I worked on Adventures With Mithai for a long time, and I was elated when it won the Gourmand (Award) for the best pastry and dessert book in the world.What started with The Sassy Spoon a multi-award-winning European restaurant in Mumbai and Pune has now become a restaurant portfolio comprising 20 outlets of multiple eateries and two central kitchens across Mumbai and Pune. She believes it is her philosophy when it comes to cooking that has catapulted her to the height she has reached. Cook with love, she insists. Whenever anything comes from a place of love, it always tastes better. Why do you think we all love our mums cooking the most?Extending this philosophy to the guests who dine at her restaurants, the experience she wants to offer them via her food is the perfect mix of comfort and surprise. The flavours will be familiar, but the ingredients used are different, which adds that element of the unexpected. I love seeing a guests face when they have that moment of surprise. Its so satisfying. My Basil And Chocolate Fondant Dessert is the perfect example. Guests are always wary of trying it because it sounds so strange but, once they do, their face says it all, she reveals.We realise that she consciously and subconsciously steers the conversation towards something sweet. She smiles, What is life without sweetness? You have to indulge every now and then. Im one of those people who always has chocolate on me. You should see my bedside table!Miss Sassy, as she is fondly called, admits that her son Kabir and daughter Amalia have inherited her sweet tooth. And how! My son loves macarons. My daughter loves dark chocolate and cake, she reveals. This working mom is quite clear that she likes to spend time with her family, so work-life balance is necessary. Coming home to my kids after a long day at work and having a cuddle and spending time with them is the best part of my day, she concludes as she gets ready to head home to do just that.Wagyu burgersPaul A YoungTiramisuBalsamic vinegarSalt, butter, lovePhotographs courtesy Rachel Goenka The US was the largest market for apparel exports from African nations during January-June 2022. These countries have exported apparel of $1.416 billion to the US in the first half of this year which was 22.45 per cent of the total exports of $6.307 billion. Jordan, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, and Ethiopia are prominent apparel exporting countries in Africa. Spain was the second biggest market for African apparel, which is surprising as the countrys brands like Inditex and Mango are global apparel players. The European country imported garments worth $1.280 billion in the same period, amounting to 20.30 per cent of the total exports from African countries, according to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro. The US was the largest market for apparel exports from African nations during January-June 2022. These countries have exported apparel of $1.416 billion to the US in the first half of this year which was 22.45 per cent of the total exports of $6.307 billion. Jordan, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, and Ethiopia are prominent apparel exporting countries in Africa. Africa exported apparel worth $923.375 million to France, making it the third largest market for African apparel with a share of 14.64 per cent. Italy and Germany were fourth and fifth largest markets for Africa with apparel imports worth $414.656 million and $391.592 million, respectively. Interestingly, four European countries made it to the list of the top five markets for African apparel. Moreover, countries like UK, Netherlands, UAE, South Africa, and Belgium made it to the top 10 list. African apparel exports to UK stood at $347.178 million (5.50 per cent), Netherlands at $179.025 million (2.44 per cent), UAE at $153.634 million (2.44 per cent), South Africa at $146.877 (2.33 per cent) and Belgium at $104.782 million (1.66 per cent). Northern countries of Africa have an edge in the European market due to their proximity to the continent. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) Chinas imports rose by 5.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 13.44 trillion yuan, while its exports touched 17.67 trillion yuan after an annual increase of 13.8 per cent. The countrys trade surplus during the period jumped 53.7 per cent YoY, totalling to 4.23 trillion yuan. The combined import and export value increased by 8.3 per cent compared to 2021, which is around 3.81 trillion yuan in September 2022, as per recent data from the General Administration of Customs China (GACC). Moreover, the nations trade surplus in the same month was 573.57 billion yuan, an increase of 29.9 per cent YoY. China's imports rose by 5.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 13.44 trillion yuan, while its exports touched 17.67 trillion yuan after an annual increase of 13.8 per cent. The country's trade surplus during the period jumped 53.7 per cent YoY, totalling to 4.23 trillion yuan. The combined import and export value increased by 8.3 per cent compared to 2021. In the first three quarters of 2022, Chinas imports and exports were worth 31.11 trillion yuan (around $4.29 trillion), a 9.9 per cent rise from the previous year. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB) Hope for the stalled India-UK bilateral trade deal has increased manifold after Indian-origin Rishi Sunak was appointed British prime minister (PM). Sunak had earlier told an Indian English-language daily that he was strongly committed to the UK-India free trade agreement (FTA) to create jobs in both sides and for India to liberalise its consumer financial services industry. Sunak had said the United Kingdom could facilitate climate finance to fund India's net zero ambitions. Hope for the stalled India-UK bilateral trade deal has increased manifold after Indian-origin Rishi Sunak was appointed British prime minister. Sunak had earlier told an Indian newspaper that he was 'strongly committed' to the UK-India free trade agreement to create jobs in both sides and for India to liberalise its consumer financial services industry. There are media reports in India of heightened expectations of a much-needed boost to bilateral ties. PM Narendra Modi tweeted: "Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership." Indias ministry of external affairs last week said New Delhi hopes its UK ties won't get affected after the new leader takes over as PM. The UK-India relationship was a partnership of equals where the brightest talent from both countries travel back and forth to study and work, one which includes a close trading partnership on goods and services, and where the UK and India freely exchange world-class ideas and innovation, Sunak had said earlier this year. "The UK does not have a natural right to sit at the table with one of the world's largest, fastest growing, and most dynamic economies. We must earn it. Right now, there are something like 900 million Indian people under the age of 35. They are smart. They are increasingly well-educated. They are ambitious. And when they look out at the world, we can't take for granted that they will look to the UK," he had told the India Global Forum UK-India awards earlier this year. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) critic's rating: 2.5/5 Temples and religious motifs are a matter of faith and should be taken as such, their veracity shouldn't be challenged. The feelings of the majority shouldn't be trifled with at any cost. This remains by and large the film's broad argument. Dr. Aryan Kulshrestha (Akshay Kumar) is a world renowned archaeologist who is asked by the government to prove that Ram Setu, which exists between India and Sri Lanka is actually a natural formation and not a man-made structure. His wife Gayatri (Nushrratt Bharuccha) warns him not to take up the controversial projects as it might earn him the ire of the masses. He still proceeds to do so and is seen as a villain by the society. The public sentiment is against the dismantling of the bridge and hence the government needs more proof. They set him up with a moneybags investor (Nassar), who has his own interest in the destruction of the bridge. He's provided with a state-of-the-art floating lab to gather concrete evidence. However, the physical evidence gathered under the water starts pointing towards the fact that its indeed man-made. That's when things get awry. The industrialist wants Aryan and his team to be eliminated. How they escape death and come back to India in time to stop the destruction of the bridge forms the crux of the film. The film juxtaposes fact and fiction to make for a compelling case for making us believe that things described in the Ramayana are not folklore or mythology but actual history. The film takes us through the jungles of Sri Lanka to various sites mentioned in the holy epic and makes us form our own opinion about their authenticity. The film couldn't be shot on actual locations because of the coronavirus pandemic and hence various parts of India stood for Sri Lanka. The underwater effects have been nicely done, though they aren't as grand as one expected them to be. The makers take the Indiana Jones route but stop short of turning Akshay Kumar into an all-conquering adventurer. The edge-of-the-seat excitement that's the staple of such films isn't properly recreated. So much more could have been done with the material but you feel the director has kind of pulled in his punches. While an attempt at keeping it real is laudable, you feel cheated not seeing Akshay Kumar used to his full potential that of a bonafide action star. Such films provide a whole lot of joy because of their campiness and improbability. Ram Setu stops being fun and becomes preachy after a while. We want Akshay Kumar to explore the mysteries of Ramayana and instead he offers arguments in court about taking the epic at its face value. Apart from Akshay Kumar, the actor who gets the most footage is South actor Satya Dev, whose antics remind you of Circuit from the Munna Bhai series. Unlike Circuit, he remains a mysterious figure and provides the only real twist in the film. Both the girls, be it Jacqueline Fernandez or Nushrratt Bharuccha, don't have much to do. The former plays a concerned environmental scientist while the latter plays the loving wife. Both are competent in their parts. The film revolves around Akshay Kumar. He has tried his best to be a geeky academic and has vastly underplayed his part. He's such a charismatic actor and hence it's difficult for us to see him in such a sedate role. We don't want him running away from danger but running towards it. He's tried in vain to make his character look believable and remains committed to the film's vision till the last frame. Trailer : Ram Setu Sydney, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 24, 2022) - Lives could soon be at stake if the mining industry doesn't make cyber security a business priority and safeguard against increasingly sophisticated attacks, according to experts in the field. With the sector's growing reliance on technology across the entire value chain, cyber security is a key issue that will be discussed at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) at the Sydney ICC next week. In the past there has been a surprising lack of concern across the sector. PwC's 2020 'Global CEO Survey' saw only 12% of surveyed mining and metal CEO's saying they are 'extremely concerned' about cyber security threats, as compared with 33% of leaders globally. IMARC speaker and Chairman of the Mining and Metals Information Sharing Analysis Centre Rob Labbe, says the industry is yet to identify cyber security as a key business risk. "It's where safety was 20 years ago where it was largely seen as a technical problem, and you put up another guard rail and the issue was solved. Versus now when you'll be hard pressed to find an operator where safety is not continuously discussed at the executive and board level," he says. Head of MinterEllison's Cyber Law and Data Protection practice Paul Kallenbach, who is also participating in IMARC, says this is changing rapidly but more needs to be done, as while the risks are currently largely surrounding production, finances, and information - safety could soon be the biggest concern. "The industry must be alive to cybersecurity threats. Increased 'technologisation' creates new entry points, which cyber criminals are increasingly exploiting to compromise production and supply chains, potentially jeopardising human safety. Indeed, according to a recent Gartner report, it is predicted that by 2025, cyber criminals will have effectively 'weaponised' IoT environments to harm humans," he says. Mr. Labbe agrees, saying many-worst case scenarios involve automated heavy machinery. "If we think about the types of systems that manage things like automated haulage trucks, you've got hollow trucks running around and you've seen the size of those. Maybe it doesn't stop before it gets to the Toyota Hilux which would be markedly uncomfortable for the people in the Hilux. "Computers are going to do what they're told to do whether it's right or wrong and so the opportunity for that to be affected now is so much greater than it was in the past," says Mr. Labbe. "Unless we get ahead of this as an industry. It's only a matter of time before a cyber incident is the root cause of a significant safety or sustainability problem for somebody." Among those companies collaborating on trends in mining, investment and innovation towards a sustainable future at IMARC is Dataminr, which works to provide comprehensive real time perspectives on cyber threats, through AI based alerting systems. Nate Green is a Cyber Risk expert with the organisation and has a background in the United States Intelligence Community and says as the entire value chain's reliance on technology grows, nefarious actors are being presented with an increasing number of opportunities to disrupt companies for financial or political gain. "Companies are increasingly outsourcing smaller parts of their business to a third party or vendor, and that provides a bigger attack surface, so if I am going after a mining company, I know that I can cause operational disruption by attacking the law firm that they use or a manufacturer that they source parts from," he says. "The heaviest sector that we see hit by ransomware far and away is manufacturing and that is not these massive Fortune 1000 manufacturing companies. It is, for example, the small manufacturing company in Perth that you've never heard of but might provide a critical component to a mining company. So when you look at that downstream risk, it's often the third party businesses in the supply chain that is your biggest attack surface and the biggest threat to operational continuity." And these attacks are only becoming more sophisticated according to Rob Labbe. "In 2019 at the last in-person IMARC, I would have told you only around 5% of attacks are from sophisticated actors. Now around 25% of the attacks are very targeted, very sophisticated actors versus the spam that we all get in our personal mailboxes, so that's a material shift and it's largely because mining is drawing the interest of the state sponsored adversaries," he says. Mr. Labbe points to IMARC as an invaluable opportunity for the sector to work together on solutions to constantly emerging challenges like this. "As an industry we need to start working together on this, both as a supplier community as well as an operating community, really encompassing the breadth of the industry. This is too big for any of us to do by ourselves. It doesn't matter if you're BHP or a small early-stage exploration company - we need to work together to do to solve these issues," he says. ENDS About The International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) is where global mining leaders collaborate on trends in mining, investment and innovation towards a sustainable future. As Australia's largest mining event, it brings together over 7,500 decision makers, mining leaders, policy makers, investors, commodity buyers, technical experts, innovators, and educators from more than 100 countries for three days of learning, deal-making and unparalleled networking. IMARC is developed in collaboration with its founding partners the Victorian State Government of Australia, Austmine, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and Mines and Money. Register for a media pass here. Media Enquiries - Jim Carden +61 429 112 381 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141768 TOKYO & LONDON, Oct 25, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., today announced a new partnership with Trust Payments, a leader in fintech powering truly innovative customer commerce solutions. JCB's growing community of over 140 million cardmembers will now be able to seamlessly make payments across Trust Payments' vast network of online and physical merchants, spanning 48 regions in Europe.Relied upon by over 20,000 businesses[1] - in retail, financial services, travel, hospitality, and other emerging verticals - Trust Payments empowers ecommerce and POS capabilities for their global merchants. This JCB and Trust Payments partnership will give Trust Payments' merchants more opportunities to generate higher profits and welcome new customers - by tapping into JCB's loyal cardmember community. JCB cardmembers are globally appreciated for their significant spend when travelling and transacting on digital platforms and in-store, both in Europe and beyond.As part of this partnership, J/Secure 2.0, JCB's cardmember authentication programme conforming to the EMV(R) 3-D Secure Protocol and Core Functions Specification, will be deployed to prevent fraud. It is expanding globally and supported by major global suppliers of 3DS Server and ACS. J/Secure 2.0 provides more opportunities to JCB acquirers and issuers for secure ecommerce transactions and enhances customer experience to reduce cart abandonment by introducing Frictionless Flow (the customer will not be prompted for additional information such as a password) through risk-based authentication that supports richer data exchanges and additional data sharing during online transactions.In just over a decade, the global contactless payments market has risen to $10.3 billion and is expected to be more than $18 billion by 2025[2]. This partnership aims to address this growing customer demand - from countertop to mobile, JCB cardmembers will now have access to Trust Payments' broad range of POS devices, allowing them to make transactions swiftly and securely.Ray Shinzawa, Managing Director, JCB International (Europe) Ltd., said: "We are pleased to announce our collaboration with Trust Payments, as it represents a key milestone for JCB as we continue to expand POS and ecommerce spend gateways for our valued cardmembers. Further, working alongside Trust Payments to unlock new opportunities for their broad merchant community means JCB can continue to play our part in growing and supporting the international payment ecosystem."Daniel Holden, Group Chief Executive Officer, Trust Payments, added: "We are delighted to be working with JCB and expanding the payment methods our merchants can accept on both POS terminals and across ecommerce payments too. This addition will help to expand the many ways in which businesses can accept payments and work with potential customers based all over the world."About JCBJCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 39 million merchants around the world. JCB issues cards across various countries and regions internationally with more than 140 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/About Trust PaymentsTrust Payments is a leader in fintech powering truly innovative customer commerce solutions. We provide on-demand Payments and Banking-as-a-Service services to help businesses grow and scale online, in-store, and on mobile. Trust Payments combines these services with powerful tools, such as loyalty management and instant ecommerce, engaging new innovative payment methods in crypto and bank transfers to drive Converged Commerce.Focusing on the small and medium-sized business sector in the UK, EU, and the US, Trust Payments drives value for our clients through personalized services, secure and frictionless payments, and innovative products. Trust Payments has a global footprint, with over 400 people across 10 offices supporting the most demanding business sectors, from travel and hospitality to crypto, gaming, and financial services, and an acquiring network of over 50 global banks and hundreds of alternative payment methods.Trust Payments holds Visa and Mastercard Principal Memberships in the EU for cross-border business, licensed by both the Malta Financial Services Authority and UK Financial Conduct Authority, and holds licenses in 6 US states to carry out regulated payments in gaming. Find out more at https://www.trustpayments.com/About EMV(R)EMV(R) is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries and an unregistered trademark elsewhere. The EMV trademark is owned by EMVCo, LLC.[1] https://www.trustpayments.com/[2] https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/cant-touch-this-the-rise-and-rise-of-contactless-payments/MEDIA CONTACTS:JCB International (Europe) Ltd.Diana Lee: dlee@jcbeurope.euJCB (Head Office in Japan)Ayaka Nakajima: jcb-pr@jcb.co.jpTrust PaymentsJoe Fernandez: joe.fernandez@trustpayments.comSource: JCBTrust Payments LtdCopyright 2022 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. OSLO, Norway (25 October 2022) - Following the pre-announcement of its Q3 2022 revenues, TGS will release its entire Q3 2022 results at 7:00 am CET on 27 October 2022. TGS will release its Q3 2022 results at approximately 07:00 CEST on 27 October 2022. CEO Kristian Johansen and CFO Sven Brre Larsen will present the results at CEST 09:00 at the House of Oslo (the auditorium), Ruselkkveien 34, 0251 Oslo. Access and registration for online attendees are available by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20221027_9/ . A recorded version of the entire presentation will be available on TGS.com after the live event. For more information, visit TGS.com or contact: Sven Brre Larsen CFO Tel: +47 90 94 36 73 E-mail: investor@tgs.com About TGS TGS provides scientific data and intelligence to companies active in the energy sector. In addition to a global, extensive and diverse energy data library, TGS offers specialized services such as advanced processing and analytics alongside cloud-based data applications and solutions. Forward Looking Statement All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include TGS' reliance on a cyclical industry and principal customers, TGS' ability to continue to expand markets for licensing of data, and TGS' ability to acquire and process data product at costs commensurate with profitability, as well as volatile market conditions, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe drop in oil prices. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrives for a joint news conference with Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 24. Reuters-Yonhap Russia must not escalate the conflict in Ukraine with false claims that Kyiv is planning to unleash a so-called "dirty bomb", the head of NATO warned Monday. Jens Stoltenberg weighed in following Moscow's repeated allegations that Ukraine could deploy such a weapon, sparking fears Russia could use one and blame Kyiv. The head of the U.S.-led military alliance said he had spoken with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace "about Russia's false claim that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory." "NATO Allies reject this allegation. Russia must not use it as a pretext for escalation. We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine," he wrote on Twitter. Moscow has alleged that Ukraine is close to developing a dirty bomb, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted the threat is real. "This is not empty information... there are serious suspicions that such things may be planned", Lavrov said, adding: "We have a keen interest in preventing such a terrible provocation." But State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington is worried that Russia's claims could be a cover. "We have seen a pattern in this conflict and the lead-up to this war where the Russians have engaged in mirror imaging the Russians have accused the Ukrainians, the Russians have accused other countries of what itself was planning. That is our concern", Price said. The head of the Russian army Valery Gerasimov repeated Moscow's claims in a telephone call with his U.S. counterpart on Monday, the defense ministry said. The call was the latest in a string of conversations between Russian defense officials and counterparts from NATO countries, during which Moscow said, without providing evidence, that Kyiv was planning to deploy a dirty bomb. In a statement on Monday, Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said: "According to the information we have, two organizations in Ukraine have specific instructions to create a so-called 'dirty bomb'. This work is in its final stage". At its most basic, a dirty bomb is a conventional weapon laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials that are disseminated in an explosion. Moscow's claims follow weeks of military defeats for Russia in southern and eastern Ukraine, with observers and Kyiv saying the Kremlin is becoming increasingly desperate. In Kyiv's latest announcement of territorial gains, the Ukrainian military claims to have pushed Russian forces from several villages in the northeast of the country. Inspection mission "Due to successful actions, our troops pushed the enemy out of the settlements of Karmazynivka, Myasozharivka and Nevske in the Lugansk region and Novosadove in Donetsk region," the Ukrainian military said in a statement. Both Kyiv and its allies have fiercely rejected the dirty bomb claims, which follow thinly veiled threats from Moscow of potential nuclear escalation. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the head of the United Nations nuclear agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, accepted his request to "urgently send experts to peaceful facilities in Ukraine, which Russia deceitfully claims to be developing a dirty bomb." The IAEA confirmed in a statement that it would visit two Ukrainian facilities "in the coming days." Britain, the United States and France also issued a joint statement dismissing the Russian claims. "Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia's transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory," the statement said. With the help of Western-supplied heavy weapons, Ukraine has managed to claw back swathes of its territory from Russia in the east and south, while its power grid has been pummeled ahead of winter. As momentum has swung toward Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has faced fissures in domestic support for his campaign, as a messy troop draft and battlefield losses challenged the prospect of a quick conclusion. The Kremlin meanwhile said on Monday that France and Germany were showing "no desire" to participate in mediation on the conflict and praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's offer to organize talks. Turkey helped broker the deal that allowed grain exports to resume under the UN's aegis in July, and played a role in a prisoner swap in September, one of the largest exchanges. (AFP) WALLDORF (dpa-AFX) - German software major SAP AG (SAP) reported Tuesday that its third-quarter profit after tax declined 61 percent to 547 million euros from last year's 1.42 billion euros. Earnings per share were 0.57 euro, down 52 percent from 1.19 euro a year ago. Adjusted profit after tax was 1.26 billion euros or 1.12 euros per share, compared to last year's 2.13 billion euros or 1.74 euros per share. Total revenue, however, grew 15 percent to 7.84 billion euros from prior year's 6.85 billion euros mainly on 38 percent rise in cloud revenues. Rvenues increased 5 percent at constant currency rates. Looking ahead, for the fiscal 2022, SAP continues to expect its non-IFRS operating profit at constant currencies to be in the range of 7.6 billion euros -7.9 billion euros, down 4% to 8% at constant currencies. Regarding the impact of War in Ukraine, the company said that for the full year, it expects a total revenue impact of approximately 250 million euros at constant currencies from lack of new business and discontinuation of existing business. For non-IFRS operating profit, an impact of approximately 300 million euros at constant currencies are expected. The Group has also reiterated its mid-term target to achieve double-digit operating profit growth in 2023. SAP expects to update its mid-term ambition in the upcoming quarters. Luka Mucic, CFO, said, 'We have delivered a strong cloud quarter with accelerating momentum across all key cloud indicators. We're at an important inflection point in our transformation which we anticipate will lead to accelerating revenue growth and double-digit operating profit growth in 2023.' For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. SHARE BUYBACK TRANSACTION DETAILS OCTOBER 17 OCTOBER 21, 2022 Regulatory News: MotorK Plc (AMS: MTRK) ("MotorK" or the "Group") announces today that it has purchased the following number of ordinary shares in the Company. This is part of a repurchase program announced on July 18, 2022. MotorK intends to buy back its own ordinary shares by way of off-market purchases on Euronext Amsterdam and via block trades up to a maximum aggregate value of 3,000,000 (the "Programme"). The authorization will expire following the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2023. Aggregate Information Date Negotiation Number of Ordinary Shares Total Consideration () Average price ( per share) Minimum price ( per share) Maximum price ( per share) 17/10/2022 Stock Exchange 225 562 2.50 2.45 2.50 18/10/2022 Stock Exchange 773 1,933 2.50 2.50 2.50 19/10/2022 Stock Exchange 632 1,542 2.44 2.44 2.44 20/10/2022 Stock Exchange 665 1,569 2.36 2.36 2.36 21/10/2022 Stock Exchange 679 1,650 2.43 2.43 2.43 Total Weekly 2,974 7,256 2.44 2.36 2.50 Cumulated to date 69,230 194,134 The Programme is implemented within the limitations of the authority granted by the General Meeting on July 18, 2022. Any shares so repurchased shall be treated as cancelled pursuant to section 706(b) of the Companies Act 2006. The Group has entered into non-discretionary instructions with Kepler Cheuvreux SA ("Kepler Cheuvreux") to conduct the Programme on its behalf and to make trading decisions under the Programme independently of MotorK. REGULATED INFORMATION This press release contains information that qualifies or may qualify as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014/EU) ABOUT MOTORK PLC MotorK (AMS: MTRK) is a leading software as a service ("SaaS") provider for the automotive retail industry in the EMEA region, with over 400 employees and eleven offices in eight countries (Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, the UK, Belgium and Israel). MotorK empowers car manufacturers and dealers to improve their customer experience through a broad suite of fully integrated digital products and services. MotorK provides its customers with an innovative combination of digital solutions, SaaS cloud products and the largest R&D department in the automotive digital sales and marketing industry in Europe. MotorK is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX Company Registration: 9259000. For more information: www.motork.io or www.investors.motork.io. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221024005860/en/ Contacts: MotorK Investor Relations Etienne Jacquet etienne.jacquet@motork.io +33 6 22 18 39 09 MotorK Corporate Communications press@motork.io BERGEN, Norway, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BerGenBio ASA (OSE: BGBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, selective AXL kinase inhibitors for severe unmet medical needs, and Meteva AS, a 27.23% shareholder in BerGenBio, today announced that they have entered into a shareholder loan facility, pursuant to which Meteva will make available to BerGenBio up to NOK 100 million. In addition to the cash position of NOK 225 million at the end of September 2022, this facility will enable BerGenBio to continue its previously announced focused strategy of advancing its lead compound bemcentinib in 1st line Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The facility will be available for use until the earlier of an equity issue or March 31, 2024, and contains customary covenants and event of default provisions. BerGenBio may, subject to certain conditions, draw on the facility from Q2 2023. The facility will not be amortizing and any drawn amounts are to be repaid or converted to equity on or before December 31, 2024. Amounts drawn under the facility will carry interest at a rate of 6% per annum and a commitment fee of 1.5% per annum on any undrawn part of the facility. "We are truly grateful for the strong support of our largest shareholder, Meteva," stated Martin Olin, Chief Executive Officer of BerGenBio. "Their continued commitment to our mission will make a significant impact in developing bemcentinib to its fullest potential for patients suffering from NSCLC and severe COVID-19." As previously announced, the Company will present its Q3 2022 report on 15 November 2022. Contacts: Martin Olin CEO, BerGenBio ASA ir@bergenbio.com Rune Skeie, CFO, BerGenBio ASA rune.skeie@bergenbio.com Investor Relations / Media Relations Graham Morrell Graham.morrell@bergenbio.com +1 781 686 9600 About BerGenBio ASA BerGenBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential cornerstone of therapy for aggressive diseases, including immune-evasive, therapy resistant cancers. The company's proprietary lead candidate, bemcentinib, is a potentially first-in -class selective AXL inhibitor in a broad phase II clinical development programme focused on combination and single agent therapy in cancer and COVID -19. A first-in-class functional blocking anti-AXL antibody, tilvestamab, is undergoing phase I clinical testing. BerGenBio is based in Bergen, Norway with a subsidiary in Oxford, UK. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: BGBIO). For more information, visit www.bergenbio.com. Forward looking statements This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which as such are not historical facts, but are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. These assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this announcement by such forward-looking statements. This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/15728/3654068/1642935.pdf Release View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bergenbio-asa-secures-nok-100-million-shareholder-loan-facility-from-meteva-as-301658047.html AIM and Media Release 25 October 2022 BASE RESOURCES LIMITED Quarterly Activities Report - September 2022 African mineral sands producer, Base Resources Limited (ASX & AIM: BSE) (Base Resources or the Company) is pleased to provide an operational, development and corporate update for the quarter ended 30 September 2022. Key Points Strong demand for rutile supported further price gains while ilmenite and zircon prices remained stable. Record revenue to cost of sales ratio of 3.6:1. Bumamani Project implementation remains on schedule - extending Kwale Operations mine life to late 2024. Drilling program commenced in Tanzania with 74 holes for 1,548m drilled and an auger drill program has commenced North-East of Kwale Operations. with 74 holes for drilled and an auger drill program has commenced North-East of Kwale Operations. Discussions with the Government of Madagascar on Toliara Project fiscal terms continued to progress positively. on Toliara Project fiscal terms continued to progress positively. Toliara Project Rare Earths Concept Study is on track for completion early in the March quarter. KWALE OPERATIONS Operational performance Mining operations continued on the South Dune orebody with mined tonnage as planned at 4.4 million tonnes (Mt) (last quarter 3.9Mt), with the prior quarter affected by a couple of unplanned stoppages. The heavy mineral (HM) grade of ore mined in the quarter was lower at 3.78% (last quarter: 4.06%) due to mining of low-grade ore as mining blocks were completed. The net result of higher tonnes mined and lower ore grade was a 4% increase in heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) production over the prior quarter, producing a corresponding increase to ilmenite production. However, rutile and zircon production were slightly lower in the quarter due to a combination of a lower proportion of rutile and zircon in the mineral assemblage of ore mined and lower recoveries in the mineral separation plant. The HMC stockpile remained steady at 10kt. Bulk loading operations at the Likoni export facility continued to run smoothly, dispatching a combined 63kt of bulk ilmenite and rutile (last quarter: 116kt). Containerised shipments of rutile and zircon through the Mombasa Port also proceeded to plan. SUMMARY BY QUARTER FY22 FY23 SEP DEC MAR JUN SEP Mining (million tonnes) Ore mined 4.4 4.3 3.9 3.9 4.4 HM % 3.26 3.82 3.84 4.06 3.78 VHM % 2.50 2.94 2.92 3.12 2.85 Production (thousand tonnes) Ilmenite 72.9 84.0 84.5 83.8 86.0 Rutile 17.8 18.4 18.9 19.2 18.9 Zircon 6.1 6.4 6.3 6.8 6.6 Low grade products1 0.5 3.5 4.4 4.9 5.7 SUMMARY BY QUARTER FY22 FY23 SEP DEC MAR JUN SEP US$ per tonne Sales revenue $668 $459 $740 $691 $714 Operating costs $174 $161 $149 $152 $154 Cost of goods sold $264 $156 $227 $196 $200 Revenue: Cost ratio 2.5 2.9 3.3 3.5 3.6 Sales (thousand tonnes) Ilmenite 34.1 130.0 75.5 95.7 62.6 Rutile 13.8 11.6 25.3 24.7 14.2 Zircon 5.6 6.2 6.9 7.1 6.2 Low grade products1 0.6 1.5 4.8 4.7 4.5 [Note (1): Low grade products are a combination of low-grade zircon and low-grade rutile which are sold separately at a discount to standard grade products.] Sand tails continued to be deposited into the mined-out Central Dune area and capped with a co-disposed slimes/sand layer to aid water retention and subsequent rehabilitation. Rehabilitation activities on the tailings storage facility wall, Central Dune and South Dune proceeded to plan during the quarter. Total cash operating costs of US$17.9 million increased compared to the prior quarter (last quarter at US$17.4 million) primarily due to the increased ore volume mined, higher pumping costs as mining continued to move further away from the plant and the increased unit cost of electricity. With a marginal increase in final production offsetting the higher operating costs, unit operating costs remained steady at US$154 per tonne produced (rutile, ilmenite, zircon, low-grade zircon and low-grade rutile) (last quarter: US$152 per tonne). Cost of goods sold increased to US$200 per tonne sold (operating costs, adjusted for stockpile movements, and royalties) due to higher operating costs (last quarter: US$196 per tonne), while average unit revenue increased to US$714 per tonne (prior quarter: US$691 per tonne) due to higher rutile prices. Consequently, the revenue to cost of goods sold ratio for the quarter reached a record high level of 3.6 (last quarter: 3.5). FY23 production guidance Kwale Operations production guidance for the 2023 financial year (FY23) remains at: Rutile - 62,000 to 73,000 tonnes. Ilmenite - 260,000 to 310,000 tonnes. Zircon - 22,000 to 27,000 tonnes. The guidance is subject to the following assumptions: Land access arrangements being finalised in time to enable mining at the Kwale North Dune to commence in March 2023 . . Mining of 16.5Mt at an average HM grade of 3.51%. HMC produced by the wet concentrator plant of 571kt. HMC fed into the mineral separation plant of 556kt. Mineral separation plant recoveries of 101% for rutile, 101.5% for ilmenite and 84.5% for zircon. MARKETING A subdued economic environment in Asia and Europe began to impact conditions for downstream products in most market segments through the quarter, however, demand for feedstock held up well. This allowed further price gains to be achieved for rutile and stable prices for ilmenite and zircon to be maintained. Demand for most mineral sands products is expected to ease through the December quarter, however this should be partially offset by ongoing supply constraints. Demand for imported ilmenite as a feedstock for Chinese TiO2 pigment producers remained steady through the quarter. Weakening Chinese domestic pigment demand is placing pressure on Chinese producers and there are reports of some plants curtailing production. However, pigment producers with exposure to export markets have been able to continue operating at high production levels as they have increased their offshore sales, particularly to Europe where several pigment producers have announced production cuts due to increasing cost pressures. While it is expected that the economic situation in Europe will reduce overall pigment demand, it is expected to continue to support Chinese pigment exports, which will, in turn, support demand for ilmenite imported into China. Most Chinese pigment exporters are dependent on imported ilmenite, as opposed to domestic ilmenite, for quality and/or logistics reasons. A shortage of high grade TiO2 feedstocks (which includes rutile) persisted through the first part of the September quarter resulting in further price gains being secured in sales contracts for the second half of calendar year 2022. However, easing pigment market conditions in Europe during the latter part of the quarter prompted some western pigment producers to issue guidance downgrades. This is expected to weigh on rutile demand as we move into 2023. Demand from the smaller welding and titanium metal sectors remains strong. Rutile prices are generally fixed on a half yearly basis and are therefore expected to remain flat through the December quarter. Strong market conditions for zircon in Europe largely off-set weaker conditions in China during the quarter. However, a softening European ceramics sector is likely to see a drop in overall zircon demand during the December quarter. While zircon sales quantities remain in line with production levels, the weakening market outlook has resulted in a reduction in zircon prices for December quarter sales contracts. SUSTAINABILITY Health and safety There were no lost time injuries during the quarter resulting in a lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) for Base Resources of 0.24 per million hours worked. Compared to the Western Australian All Mines 2020/2021 LTIFR of 2.0, this remains an exceptional performance and reflects the ongoing focus and importance placed on safety by management. With two medical treatment injuries recorded in the last 12 months, Base Resources' total recordable injury frequency rate is 0.72 per million hours worked. Community and environment - Kwale Operations Following the late arrival of the rainy season, farmers participating in the Company's agricultural livelihood programs in Kwale, implemented through the PAVI farmers' cooperative, commenced harvesting of cotton, soybean, sunflower, pearl millet, groundnuts and sorghum, with a strong yield expected. Disbursement of funds for tertiary scholarships also commenced during the quarter. Implementation of identified projects by the Msambweni, Lunga and Likoni Community Development Agreement Committees (CDACs) continued with considerable progress made on several infrastructure projects. As the CDACs have now been in place for over a year, a review of their respective operation is underway, the outcomes of which will guide enhancements for future implementation. Indigenous legumes, grass seed and manure continued to be sourced from local community groups for use in rehabilitation activities on the mined-out sections of the South Dune and the Central Dune. Propagation of indigenous trees in the Kwale Operations nursery to use in rehabilitation areas is ongoing. Community and environment - Toliara Project All community training programs and social infrastructure projects remain on hold while the Company's on-ground activities are suspended. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Toliara Project development - Madagascar Discussions with the Government of Madagascar on fiscal terms, and lifting of its on-ground suspension, continued to advance in the quarter with positive progress made. A Final Investment Decision (FID) to proceed with construction of the Toliara Project remains subject to lifting of the suspension and fiscal terms being agreed with the Government of Madagascar. Once these two key milestones are achieved, there will be approximately 11 months' work to complete prior to reaching FID, including finalisation of funding, completion of land acquisition, conclusion of major construction contracts and entry of offtake agreements with customers. Contact with major EPCM consultants, construction contractors and equipment suppliers has been maintained in readiness to accelerate progress when conditions support. Assessment of potential funding options for the Toliara Project also progressed during the quarter. The Toliara Rare Earths Concept Study, which will assess the commercial potential of the monazite contained in the Toliara Project's Ranobe Mineral Resources estimate, continued to progress and is now scheduled for completion in the March 2023 quarter. Total expenditure on the Toliara Project for the quarter increased to US$2.0 million (last quarter: US$1.0 million), with increased spend on the Rare Earths Concept Study and government relations activities. Kwale mine life extension Implementation of the Bumamani Project continued during the quarter and mining activities on the Kwale North Dune remain on schedule to commence in March 2023. The Bumamani Project deposits, which include the Kwale North Dune, will be mined concurrently with the Kwale South Dune deposit to maximise mining rates and better manage tailings, and are expected to extend Kwale Operations mine life by 13 months to late 2024. Expenditure on the Bumamani Project during the quarter was US$9.2 million (last quarter: US$0.1 million) with land acquisition, earthworks and procurement activities taking place. Extensional exploration - Kenya and Tanzania On-ground exploration in Tanzania continued, with a 3,000m reverse circulation drilling program commencing during the quarter - refer to the PDF version of this release (Figure 1) for a photograph of the drill rig, available from the Company's website: www.baseresources.com.au. At the end of the quarter, 74 holes had been drilled for a total of 1,548m. The drill samples are being exported to Kenya for analysis at the Kwale Operations laboratory. Results from the drill program are expected to be released in the March 2023 quarter. If justified by the results, a further 10,000m infill drill program is planned. The drill program to the North-East of Kwale Operations within Prospecting Licence 2018/0119 was on hold during the quarter pending land access being obtained. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, following community support and consent, an auger drilling program commenced in the northern sector of the area. No exploration activities were conducted on the Prospecting Licence in the Vanga region in the quarter. Prospecting licence applications lodged for an area in the Kuranze region of Kwale county, about 70 km west of Kwale Operations, together with applications for an area south of Lamu, remain on hold pending lifting of a Government of Kenya moratorium on issuance of new mineral rights, in place since November 2019. The Company is working with the Government of Kenya, and other mining sector stakeholders, to see the moratorium lifted. Expenditure on exploration activities during the quarter in Tanzania was US$0.2 million (last quarter: US$0.2 million) and in Kenya was US$0.1 million (last quarter: US$0.2 million). CORPORATE Following release of the Company's full-year results for the 2022 financial year (FY22) and disciplined application of the Company's capital management policy, a final dividend of AUD 3.0 cents per share (unfranked) was paid to shareholders on 22 September 2022, representing a cash payment of US$22.7 million (in aggregate). This brought total dividends in respect of FY22 to AUD 6.0 cents per share (unfranked), equal to US$48.8 million (in aggregate). As at 30 September 2022, the Company had net cash of US$73.1 million consisting of: cash and cash equivalents of US$73.1 million ; and ; and no debt. As at 12 October 2022, the Company had the following securities on issue: 1,178,011,850 fully paid ordinary shares. 56,850,643 performance rights pursuant to the terms of the Base Resources Long Term Incentive Plan, comprising: 19,782,733 vested performance rights, which remain subject to exercise 2 ; and 37,067,910 unvested performance rights subject to performance testing in accordance with their terms of issue. [Note (2): Vested performance rights have a nil cash exercise price. Unless exercised beforehand, these rights expire five years after vesting.] Forward looking statements Certain statements in or in connection with this release contain or comprise forward looking statements. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements with regard to future production and grades, capital cost, capacity, sales projections and financial performance and may be (but are not necessarily) identified by the use of phrases such as "will", "expect", "anticipate", "believe" and "envisage". By their nature, forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and may be outside Base Resources' control. Accordingly, results could differ materially from those set out in the forward-looking statements as a result of, among other factors, changes in economic and market conditions, success of business and operating initiatives, changes in the regulatory environment and other government actions, fluctuations in product prices and exchange rates and business and operational risk management. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or relevant stock exchange listing rules, Base Resources undertakes no obligation to update publicly or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after today's date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. ENDS. For further information contact: James Fuller, Manager Communications and Investor Relations UK Media Relations Base Resources Tavistock Communications Tel: +61 (8) 9413 7426 Jos Simson and Gareth Tredway Mobile: +61 (0) 488 093 763 Tel: +44 (0) 207 920 3150 Email: jfuller@baseresources.com.au This release has been authorised by the Board of Base Resources. About Base Resources Base Resources is an Australian based, African focused, mineral sands producer and developer with a track record of project delivery and operational performance. The Company operates the established Kwale Operations in Kenya and is developing the Toliara Project in Madagascar. Base Resources is an ASX and AIM listed company. Further details about Base Resources are available at www.baseresources.com.au PRINCIPAL & REGISTERED OFFICE Level 3, 46 Colin Street West Perth, Western Australia, 6005 Email: info@baseresources.com.au Phone: +61 (0)8 9413 7400 Fax: +61 (0)8 9322 8912 NOMINATED ADVISOR RFC Ambrian Limited Stephen Allen Phone: +61 (0)8 9480 2500 JOINT BROKER Berenberg Matthew Armitt / Detlir Elezi Phone: +44 20 3207 7800 JOINT BROKER Canaccord Genuity Raj Khatri / James Asensio / Patrick Dolaghan Phone: +44 20 7523 8000 Internet City, Dubai--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, will list VNX Gold (VNXAU) on October 25, 2022. For all users of LBank Exchange, the VNXAU/USDT trading pair will be officially available for trading at 10:00 UTC on October 25, 2022. VNX Gold Listing Banner To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/141805_0610e2249425c876_001full.jpg Utilizing the blockchain technology to tokenize the physical gold, VNX Gold (VNXAU) provides the reliability of gold with the flexibility of a crypto asset and enables users to buy and sell the purest gold from anywhere in the world. Its token VNXAU will be listed on LBank Exchange at 10:00 UTC on October 25, 2022, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision. Introducing VNX Gold VNX Gold is a project under VNX that enables users to easily manage all of their gold transactions with digital tokens. Its tokenization of gold allows users to skip the hassle of visiting a vault or bank, and confidently invest from anywhere in the world. As the first registered EEA investment platform for precious metals under the blockchain act (TVTG), VNX complies with the regulations and leading standards of investor protections. It believes that users should be able to make transactions with precious metals from anywhere in the world, with complete confidence and protection. Upon purchase of the precious metals, users are issued a token on one of the supported blockchains. This token represents their individual ownership of the actual physical metal that is stored in high-security European vaults, independent from the banking system and in full compliance with applicable laws. While tokens may be sold at the platform or crypto exchange, user's physical bars can be collected personally from the vault and delivered anywhere in the world by request. Furthermore, user's investments will be significantly simplified with tokenization. VNX provides a seamless, user-friendly digital platform that allows users to buy and sell precious metals for euro and cryptocurrency and transfer them 24/7 to their crypto wallet anywhere in the world. And users can enjoy a competitive fee structure with no storage fee. VNXAU is a multichain token which will be available on different blockchains. With the listing on LBank VNX Gold issued its gold-backed tokens on the Q blockchain. Q is a novel Layer 1 blockchain that offers the highest level of security for high-value use cases such as asset-backed tokens. The issuance of VNXAU on Q allows token holders enjoy high-performance transaction capabilities and solidified trust created by the Q ecosystem. About VNXAU Token VNX Gold (VNXAU) is a multichain token that represents ownership of specific physical gold bars purchased and stored in the VNX Gold holder's name in a highly secured professional vault in the Principality of Liechtenstein. It's freely transferrable on the supported blockchains and can be transferred to any wallet supporting the ERC-20 standard. Each VNX Gold token holder is the only lawful owner of the gold subject to successful registration, identification, and passing anti-money laundering checks on the VNX Platform. Each one VNX Gold token certifies ownership of one gram of gold in a certain gold bar. There is no ultimate VNX Gold supply limitation because the number of VNX Gold tokens generated is driven by the demand from clients. The VNXAU token will be listed on LBank Exchange at 10:00 UTC on October 25, 2022, investors who are interested in the VNX Gold investment can easily buy and sell VNXAU token on LBank Exchange by then. Learn More about VNXAU Token: Official Website: https://vnx.li Telegram Chanel: https://t.me/vnx_li Telegram Chat: https://t.me/VNX_Exchange Discord: https://discord.gg/5jCaPYwr3f Twitter: https://twitter.com/VNX_Platform Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vnxexchange/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vnx.io/ Medium: https://medium.com/@vnx About Q Blockchain Q is a novel blockchain with a focus on transparent and enforceable governance. Q's vision is to create a comprehensive governance framework for the decentralized world, thereby enabling the most demanding applications and use cases. With its unique two-tier node system and a dispute resolution mechanism that is integrated into the protocol, Q offers unparalleled security. This makes Q the ideal platform for high-value use cases such as asset-backed tokens issued by VNX. Users can rest assured that their assets are safe, while enjoying the benefits of a high-performance blockchain such as high transaction speed and low costs. Furthermore, the Q ecosystem offers all the features and tooling you would expect - purpose-built wallets, convenient user interfaces, token bridges to other blockchain ecosystems and much more. Q is supported by the Q International Foundation, a not-for-profit entity based in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Learn more about Q: Website: https://q.org Discord: https://discord.com/invite/YTgkvJvZGD Twitter: https://twitter.com/QBlockchain Medium: https://medium.com/q-blockchain Documentation: https://docs.q.org/ About LBank LBank is one of the top crypto exchanges, established in 2015. It offers specialized financial derivatives, expert asset management services, and safe crypto trading to its users. The platform holds over 7 million users from more than 210 regions across the world. LBank is a cutting-edge growing platform that ensures the integrity of users' funds and aims to contribute the global adoption of cryptocurrencies. Start Trading Now: lbank.com Community & Social Media: l Telegram l Twitter l Facebook l LinkedIn l Instagram l YouTube Contact Details: LBK Blockchain Co. Limited LBank Exchange marketing@lbank.info business@lbank.info To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141805 To support its Open Finance positioning and European ambitions, Budget Insight has unveiled a new name and new logo as part of an extensive rebranding initiative. Budget Insight, a leading European player in Open Banking and Open Finance, has completed an extensive rebranding effort in response to the company's accelerated European expansion and commitment to the advent of Open Finance. At the heart of this rebranding is a change in the company name to Powens and a new corporate logo. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221024005035/en/ Budget Insight is a fintech company founded in 2012. It sparked the Open Banking movement in 2012 and quickly established itself as France's leading banking and financial data aggregator. With this new identity, Budget Insight aims to demonstrate its vision of going beyond Open Banking. Over the years, a clear ambition emerged to empower customers and businesses in Europe and to fully embrace the Open Finance revolution. So today, Budget Insight has become Powens, Open Banking with superpowers. Powens' unified API goes way beyond Open Banking, offering access to loan and savings account data, investment, and crypto-currency data, as well as automated collection of invoices and supporting documents. The company provides tech solutions for an ecosystem of more than 230 businesses and institutions throughout Europe, including some of the largest banks, insurers, asset managers, and other leading names in fintech. This rebranding and name change enable Powens to consolidate its position among the leaders of Open Finance in Europe. Fueled by recent fundraising and to crystalize its ambitions, Powens plans to acquire European companies in the coming months and throughout 2023. This is yet another important and symbolic step for our company. It was critical for us to rebuild our brand in a way that more accurately reflects our European ambitions. Our new brand identity-Powens-achieves this goal perfectly, thereby opening a new chapter in our history marked by an acceleration of our presence in Europe. This is just the first of many more exciting announcements to come. said Bertrand Jeannet, Chief Executive Officer of Powens. While our competitors may do Open Banking, we are the only player in the market that can deliver Open Banking with superpowers. We are, for users, a trusted third party between financial institutions and their applications using our services. Our new brand will enable us to reinforce this position and visibility towards consumers. completes Romain Bignon, Co-Founder of Powens The Powens name is rooted in the company's commitment to giving users control over their data and taking financial services to new places. The new visual identity subtly captures the notion of data transmission and fluidity, core to the capabilities of the Open Finance platform and a reflection of ease and transparency. In addition, the rounded appearance of the logo's letters suggests the playful and agile aspects of Powens' range of products. Product news in conjunction with this rebranding announcement: Extended connectivity: Powens can now retrieve data from 1800+ financial institutions in Europe. Pan-European crypto and trading platforms available: Powens offers access to more than 110 investment platforms,including Trade Republic, DEGIRO, FTX, Binance, and Bitpanda. Find out how Powens can help companies supercharge their apps for the best embedded finance and payment experiences. Learn more About Powens Powens is Open Banking with superpowers. Its unified API goes beyond PSD2 and is helping over 230 leading financial services players create the Open Finance experiences of tomorrow right now. The Open Finance platform offers access to loan and savings account data, investment, and crypto-currency data, as well as automated collection of invoices and supporting documents. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221024005035/en/ Contacts: Powens Press Contact Cecile Abescat, Head of Marketing Communications cecile.abescat@powens.com +33 6 82 27 61 90 LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British drug major AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.L) Tuesday announced that MESSINA Phase III trial for Fasenra (benralizumab) failed to meet one of the two dual-primary endpoints in eosinophilic esophagitis. In its update on the trial, the company noted that the results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in histological disease remission with Fasenra, but not a change in dysphagia symptoms, compared to placebo, in patients with EoE aged 12 years or older. Eosinophilic esophagitis or EoE is a rare, progressive, chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus. Fasenra (benralizumab) is a monoclonal antibody that binds directly to IL-5 receptor alpha on eosinophils and attracts natural killer cells to induce rapid and near-complete depletion of blood and tissue eosinophils in most patients via apoptosis. MESSINA is a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, multicentre, global Phase III trial. It investigates the efficacy and safety of Fasenra compared to placebo in patients aged 12 to 65 years of age with symptomatic and histologically active EoE. In the trial, the safety and tolerability profile for Fasenra was consistent with the known profile of the medicine. The company will present the results from MESSINA at an upcoming medical meeting. Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca said, 'The results from the MESSINA Phase III trial in eosinophilic esophagitis confirm that Fasenra achieved near complete depletion of tissue eosinophils, consistent with its mechanism of action , however this did not translate into an improvement in dysphagia symptoms. We will continue to analyse the complete data set to share with the scientific community.' Fasenra is currently approved as an add-on maintenance treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma in the US, EU, Japan and other countries, and is approved for self-administration in the US, EU and other countries. Fasenra was developed by AstraZeneca and is in-licensed from BioWa, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., Japan.? For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX ASTRAZENECA-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de The CNS specialist Neuraxpharm has signed a commercialisation agreement with mjn-neuro with exclusivity in Europe DUSSELDORF, Germany, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuraxpharm Group (Neuraxpharm), a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the central nervous system (CNS), and mjn-neuro, a start-up that designs, manufactures and markets medical devices, today announce the signing of a commercialisation agreement for mjn-SERAS, a wearable medical device that aims to predict the risk of having an epileptic seizure. With this agreement, Neuraxpharm increases its end-to-end offering for patients with epilepsy and enters the beyond-the-pill solutions market. This is a significant step for the company on its path to entering the digital health and wearable medical devices markets. With a growing demand from patients seeking different solutions for unmet needs and for healthcare systems to simplify the go-to-market pathways to make these solutions attainable for everyone, digital health is a critical component of care in CNS with significant potential. The agreement with mjn-neuro covers all EU member states as well as the UK, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Since 2020 mjn-SERAS has been receiving funding from the European Institute of Technology Health (EIT Health), a body of the European Union, during the development of the project thanks to the Bridgehead programme and Start-up Amplifier. In 2018 the project was backed by the EU funding programme Horizon 2020 initiated by the European Commission, and it also has the participation of a consortium of companies and healthcare professionals. Dr. Jorg-Thomas Dierks, CEO of Neuraxpharm, commented: "The agreement to commercialize mjn-SERAS is an important step in our strategy to offer end-to-end solutions for patients with epilepsy. There is a huge unmet medical need for new and innovative solutions to help patients suffering from epilepsy. By entering the digital health market, Neuraxpharm can provide further assistance and tap this unmet potential. We will continue expanding our offering to provide new digital health solutions to patients suffering from epilepsy and other CNS disorders across the world." David Blanquez, CEO and Co-Founder of mjn-neuro, added: "We are at a great point in the evolution of mjn-neuro. The agreement signed with Neuraxpharm is a major milestone for our strategy and scalability in the epilepsy market, a market that offers great potential. We have a lot in common with Neuraxpharm: we're both committed to innovation and digital health as a way to improve the quality of life of people with epilepsy. Therefore, we are confident that together we will be able to reach new exciting goals and objectives in the coming years." mjn-SERAS is a digital health solution that provides advanced aid and helps to prevent accidents caused by epileptic seizures in drug-resistant patients. The medical device consists of a non-invasive sensor that records the electrical activity of the brain in real time and, thanks to artificial intelligence algorithms, triggers a warning when the risk of epileptic seizures is high. The device received the CE marking for Europe in 2020 from BSI Group, the prestigious international Notified Body. Results of the clinical trial are expected in the second half of 2023. It will be the first wearable device to predict seizures, providing time to move to a safe place and helping to prevent accidents and injuries. Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterised by abnormal electrical activity that causes unpredictable seizures or unusual behaviour and sensations and sometimes loss of consciousness. Such seizures can occur several times a day and may cause accidents and injuries. In addition to physical impacts, the unpredictability of the condition also negatively affects mental health. Evidentially, anxiety, stress and depression are prevalent among those affected by epilepsy. The disorder negatively affects patients' quality of life as well as social integration and even today patients are often stigmatised. Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic disorders of our time with over 50 million people across all age groups affected by it1. About the Group Neuraxpharm Neuraxpharm is a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system disorders (CNS) with a direct presence in 19 countries. Backed by funds advised by Permira, Neuraxpharm has a unique understanding of the CNS market built over 35 years. With its focus on CNS, Neuraxpharm develops and commercializes established brands, value added medicines, generics, Consumer Healthcare products, medical cannabis and beyond-the-pill solutions (digital health and medical devices) and is continuously striving to offer a wide range of effective, high quality and affordable CNS treatment options in Europe. Present with its products in more than 50 countries, Neuraxpharm also manufactures pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients in its own manufacturing sites, Lesvi and Inke, in Spain. For more information please visit https://www.neuraxpharm.com About mjn-neuro mjn-neuro is a Girona-based start-up founded in 2014 that designs, manufactures and markets medical devices with the aim of improving people's quality of life. The company's first product worldwide is the mjn-SERAS medical device, which provides early warning of an epileptic seizure. Last year, the product was launched in Spain and already has several agreements in the UK and the Netherlands. mjn-neuro continues working on new solutions for other neurological diseases, in collaboration with clinical and technological centers. mjn-neuro is in close exchange with the medical side, which allows the company to understand the problems and needs of doctors and patients and help find the best solutions to address them, either through devices, technology or artificial intelligence. For more information please visit https://mjn.cat/en/ 1WHO Report View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/neuraxpharm-steps-into-the-digital-health-market-with-a-wearable-device-developed-by-mjn-neuro-that-provides-an-early-warning-of-epileptic-seizures-301657517.html NIJMEGEN, Netherlands, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Symeres, a leading global drug discovery Contract Research Organization (CRO) and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), today announces the acquisition of Exemplify BioPharma (or "Exemplify"), a US based CRO that provides integrated drug development services in Process & Analytical Chemistry and Formulation Development to pharmaceutical and biotech partners. Keensight Capital, one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout investments1 and the majority shareholder in Symeres, has worked together with the management teams of both companies to facilitate this business combination. Exemplify BioPharma, based in Cranbury, New Jersey (US), is a provider of high-quality integrated end-to-end small molecule Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) services to pharmaceutical and biotech partners. The company offers functional expertise and consultancy services in Process Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Formulation Development for a successful transition of programs from late-stage lead optimization through candidate selection to first-in-human. Exemplify employs 20 people, of which the majority are Ph.D-level scientists. The company will remain under the current management of co-founders: Yadan Chen, Chief Executive Officer, and Dr. Paul O'Shea, Chief Scientific Officer. This acquisition further strengthens Symeres' strategic foothold in the US, where the company already generates about 50% of its revenues. Exemplify operates from its new state-of-the-art 18,600 sq. ft. facility in New Jersey. Its functional expertise in Process & Analytical Chemistry and Formulation Development represents a highly synergistic combination with Symeres capabilities and service offering. Exemplify BioPharma is Symeres' second acquisition in the US this year, following the acquisition of Organix Inc., an organic chemistry services provider based in the Boston area specialized in lipids addressing the mRNA therapeutics and vaccines market. Yadan Chen, CEO of Exemplify BioPharma, stated: "We are proud to see Exemplify BioPharma's scientific expertise and strategic location in North America recognized and become part of the Symeres family. Symeres is a trusted partner that shares our values and business philosophy of strong customer focus. Exemplify BioPharma's recent move to our new and larger state-of-the-art facility, and the combination with a global business like Symeres, will allow us to better serve our clients under one roof. We look forward to accelerating our growth together." Dr. Eelco Ebbers, Co-founder and CEO of Symeres, stated: "We are pleased to welcome Exemplify BioPharma into the group. Exemplify has an excellent track record of supporting the development needs of North American biotech companies through their experience and outstanding laboratory-based science. This acquisition, following the addition of Organix earlier this year and our investment plans for all of our R&D facilities, is a further tangible demonstration of Symeres' strategy of building a leading mid-sized transatlantic pharmaceutical R&D service provider for our clients around the world." Amit Karna, Partner at Keensight Capital, added: "Following the recent acquisition of Organix in the Boston area, the addition of Exemplify BioPharma in New Jersey marks another milestone in Symeres' strategy to build a truly transatlantic business, serving the biopharma industry globally. The scientific and cultural fit of Exemplify BioPharma within the group is excellent. Keensight Capital is delighted to support Symeres in this exciting acquisition." Saola Healthcare Partners acted as strategic and financial advisor, Goodwin Procter LLP as legal advisor, and Alvarez & Marsal as financial due diligence advisor to Symeres. Symeres is a leading transatlantic small molecule CRO & CDMOs, providing R&D services from preclinical drug discovery to Phase I and II clinical stage drug development and manufacturing, to major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies around the globe. Its highly specialized services include integrated small molecule optimization efforts, complex synthetic chemistry, route scouting & API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) synthesis up to GMP production, solid state chemistry and ADME-Tox services. Symeres is headquartered in the Netherlands and employs around 600 people worldwide, many of whom are Ph.D scientists. The company has operating sites in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Finland, and the US. Over several decades, the company has enjoyed a strong growth trajectory, with revenues rising organically at a double-digit rate per annum, further complemented by strategic acquisitions. Proforma for the integration of Exemplify, the group expects to reach c.95 million in annual revenues. About Symeres Symeres is a leading mid-sized transatlantic Contract Research Organization for drug discovery and development needs, with around 600 employees operating from 7 sites in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Finland, and the US. The company offers best-in-class solutions for drug discovery and drug development for small molecules and beyond. Their services span from preclinical hit finding all the way to the delivery of early clinical phase drug substance API. Symeres blends a deep scientific knowledge base with creativity and problem-solving skills to deliver quality results that clients need. www.symeres.com About Exemplify BioPharma Exemplify BioPharma is a Global Partnership Organization (GPO), founded in 2015, and based in New Jersey (US). It is a fast-growing company with c.20 employees that serves scientists in biopharma firms all over the world, providing high-quality expertise in CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, Controls) chemistry services for drug development. The company is led by Yadan Chen, CEO and Dr. Paul O'Shea, CSO. www.exemplifybiopharma.com About Keensight Capital Keensight Capital, one of the leading European Growth Buyout firms, is committed to supporting entrepreneurs as they implement their growth strategies. For 20 years, Keensight Capital's team of seasoned professionals has leveraged their knowledge of investment and growth industries to invest for the long term in profitable companies with high growth potential and revenues in the range of 10 million to 400 million. Drawing on its expertise in the Technology and Healthcare sectors, Keensight identifies the best investment opportunities in Europe and works closely with management teams to develop and achieve their strategic vision. Keensight Capital's success has earned it a Gold Award from the Private Equity Exchange & Awards each year for the last five consecutive years and, in addition, the Best European Growth Private Equity Fund. www.keensightcapital.com Media Contacts Symeres Eelco Ebbers - eelco.ebbers@symeres.com - +31 6 21 28 33 23 Exemplify BioPharma Yadan Chen - yadan.chen@exemplifybiopharma.com - +1 (732) 500-3208 Keensight Capital Timothy Lee- tlee@keensightcapital.com - +44 20 4558 9021 MEDiSTRAVA Consulting Evelyn McCormack / George Underwoodsymeres@medistrava.com- +44 203 928 6900 CFF Communications Ruben Cardol - ruben.cardol@cffcommunications.nl - +31 6 55 35 84 27 1Growth Buyout: investment in profitable, private companies experiencing strong growth, in minority or majority positions, with or without leverage, using a flexible approach tailored to the needs of individual entrepreneurs, in order to finance organic growth projects, acquisition strategies or provide historic shareholders with liquidity. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/symeres-acquires-exemplify-biopharma-further-strengthening-its-strategic-foothold-in-the-us-301657537.html PrimaryBid's open-access B2B technology gives partners and their customers enhanced access to IPOs, placings and bonds LONDON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PrimaryBid, the capital markets fintech bringing individual investors into public company fundraisings, today announced the launch of its pan-European B2B "Connect" platform. This open-access technology enables investment platforms, wealth managers, retail brokers, IFAs and fintechs across the UK and in the European Union to offer IPOs, placings and bonds directly to their retail investor customers. Connect represents a new stage of partnership with over 60 brokerage partners signed up to PrimaryBid, including the UK platforms AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown and interactive investor and a number of discretionary wealth managers which collectively have contributed over 500m in transaction demand through PrimaryBid since 2020. In the EU, Connect was launched in collaboration with PrimaryBid's strategic partner, Euronext, to facilitate pan-EU expansion and cross border capital formation. In France, Bourse Direct, Boursorama and EasyBourse are fully integrated into PrimaryBid's Connect API enabling at-scale automated distribution, and a number of leading EU retail intermediaries are in the process of completing integration. Investment in the PrimaryBid Connect platform reflects growing scrutiny on public companies from regulators and policymakers around the limited access everyday investors have to 'institutional-only' fundraisings. As an independently regulated company, PrimaryBid has the leading track-record in winning access for retail investors to IPOs and secondary fundraisings working alongside all major investment banks. PrimaryBid has completed over 200 deals since the start of 2020. For individual investors, PrimaryBid Connect brings deals directly into their chosen investment platform, maximising the opportunity to make use of tax-efficient wrappers such as ISAs or funds on account. Partners also have a choice over their preferred interface to PrimaryBid, including straight-through API processing for digital-first platforms. Other enhancements include shareholder verification and transaction audit functionality that meet emerging best practices around deal allocation and post-deal regulatory reporting. James Deal, PrimaryBid's Head of UK said: "The launch of PrimaryBid Connect is an exciting milestone in our mission to deliver public inclusion in our capital markets through technology. In the UK, HM Treasury's recent capital raising review authored by Mark Austin stated clearly that retail investors should be included in all public company fundraisings. HM Treasury is also working to remove other practical barriers to public inclusion, including arbitrary limits on retail participation in the UK Prospectus regime, soon to be reformed through the Financial Services and Markets Bill. "The launch of Connect will enable corporate issuers and their advisers to efficiently execute on the new governance standards by accessing the broadest range of platforms and retail investors. PrimaryBid stands ready to unlock nearly ~500 billion in retail capital for UK plc alongside our distribution partners: the PrimaryBid Connect platform is the next stage in our ambition to simplify and enhance this process." Eric Low, PrimaryBid's Head of EU, added: "Encouraging retail investor participation in the capital markets is a core feature of the European Commission's recent strategy and consultations. We are working with our European partners to simplify the capital formation process and deliver broad-based retail inclusion through technology, very much in the spirit of policymaker plans for Capital Markets Union." Enquiries: Mike Coombes, VP Corporate Affairs mike.coombes@primarybid.com 020 3026 4750 Notes to Editors: Across the UK, France and Netherlands there is an average of 363 primary market transactions a year, with 291 placings and over 70 IPOs (Average number of deals, 2017 to 2021 per Dealogic). Access to this area of the market is no longer reserved only for institutional investors, and issuers can tap into the vast pool of retail capital. In the UK alone, c.400bn is held in stocks and shares ISAs, of which a material proportion is held as cash ready to be invested; this is in addition to the further c.290bn held in cash ISAs (per ONS statistics, June 2022). PrimaryBid Connect comes in two forms - a 'ready-to-go' web-based application designed for wealth managers and smaller retail brokers, and an API solution that plugs directly into the systems of larger platforms and fintechs allowing for distribution of deals to retail investors at scale. Distribution partners can find out more about integrating IPOs and placings on partner platforms via Connect on the PrimaryBid website here . About PrimaryBid: PrimaryBid is a regulated capital markets technology platform connecting public companies to their communities during fundraisings. Its digital capital raising platform features both B2B and B2C interfaces, unlocking access to IPOs, follow-on raises and other instruments to individual investors, improving capital formation and driving fairness into public markets. A partner of London Stock Exchange and Euronext, PrimaryBid's platform is host to hundreds of thousands of UK and European investors. In the UK, PrimaryBid has been used by more than 250 FTSE and AIM companies including Severn Trent, Compass Group, Taylor Wimpey , Ocado, Croda, Aston Martin. In February 2022 PrimaryBid announced a $190m Series C investment round, led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 to drive international expansion. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/primarybid-launches-pan-european-connect-platform-301657817.html Attorney General Merrick Garland, center, flanked by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, left, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, speaks to reporters as they announce charges against two men suspected of being Chinese intelligence officers for attempting to obstruct a U.S. criminal investigation and prosecution of Chinese tech giant Huawei, at the Department of Justice in Washington, Oct. 23. AP-Yonhap Top U.S. justice officials accused the Chinese government Monday of an unrelenting campaign by intelligence operatives to subvert the American justice system and steal commercial secrets. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray detailed three separate cases in which Beijing's spies allegedly harassed dissidents inside the United States, tried to interfere in the prosecution of a Chinese telecoms giant understood to be Huawei, and pressured U.S. academics to work for them. Thirteen Chinese nationals who allegedly worked for Beijing's spy agencies have been indicted in the cases and two of them have been arrested. The cases showed that China "sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights," said Garland. "The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law upon which our democracy is based," the top U.S. law enforcement officer said. Garland, Wray, and other top justice officials spoke about the cases in a press conference in Washington one day after Xi Jinping secured a historic third term as China's leader. U.S. officials have tied Xi to what they see is a growing effort by Chinese intelligence agencies over the past decade to steal U.S. intellectual property and to crack down on Chinese political dissidents in the United States. Asked whether the announcements Monday were timed to Xi's confirmation as the Chinese Communist Party's all-powerful general secretary on Sunday, Wray avoided any specific link. "We bring cases when they're ready. And that's probably the simplest answer and most straightforward answer to that, as far as what signal they send," the FBI chief said. "If the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party, continues to violate our laws, they are going to keep encountering the FBI," he said. Huawei case interference In a case cited Monday but unveiled last week, seven Chinese nationals allegedly tried to force a U.S. resident to go back to China. Two people were arrested, but five others all allegedly employees of Chinese intelligence agencies remain at large, likely in China. In the second case, two Chinese intelligence officials working from China tried to recruit a U.S. government employee to provide them inside information on the Justice Department's prosecution of Huawei. In 2019 Huawei was charged with a systematic campaign to steal U.S. trade secrets, sanctions evasion and other counts. The two agents believed they had recruited a U.S. government official to work for them and paid the person $61,000 worth of bitcoin to supply internal documents related to the case against Huawei. But the informant was in fact a double agent who worked with the FBI on the case. The third case involved Chinese intelligence operatives who worked for the Ministry of State Security posing as academics to recruit operatives in the United States. From 2008 to at least 2018, they targeted professors, former security officials and others with access to sensitive information and technology for recruitment. "In all three of these cases, and frankly, in thousands of others, we found the Chinese government threatening established democratic norms and the rule of law as they work to undermine U.S. economic security and fundamental human rights," said Wray. The U.S. Justice Department has announced at least a half-dozen similar cases against alleged Chinese intelligence officers so far this year. Wray said the threat is constant, and that the FBI opens a Chinese counterintelligence investigation "about every 12 hours." (AFP) EQS Voting Rights Announcement: QIAGEN N.V. QIAGEN N.V.: Release according to Article 40, Section 1 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution 25.10.2022 / 09:05 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Voting Rights Announcement transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The AFM (the Netherlands Authority For the Financial Markets has informed us on October 22, 2022 that a notification related to our institution has been released by the AFM. The following notification has been disclosed in the relevant register on the AFM website: Date of transaction: 19 oct 2022 Person obliged to notify: Amundi Asset Management Issuing institution: Qiagen N.V. Registration Chamber of Commerce: 12036979 Place of residence: VENLO Distribution in numbers Type of share Number of shares Number of voting rights Capital interest Voting rights Manner of disposal Settlement Ordinary share 2.776,00 2.775,97 Real Real Indirectly - NH-Amundi Asset Management Co. Ltd Ordinary share 10.772,00 10.771,89 Real Real Indirectly - Amundi Austria GmbH Ordinary share 1.613,00 1.612,98 Real Real Indirectly - Amundi Hong-Kong Ltd Ordinary share 104.532,00 104.530,95 Real Real Indirectly - Amundi Japan Ltd Ordinary share 146.332,00 146.330,54 Real Real Indirectly - Etoile Gestion Ordinary share 1.884,00 1.883,98 Real Real Indirectly - Amundi Iberia SGIIC, SA Ordinary share 1.689.147,00 1.689.130,11 Real Real Indirectly - CPR AM Ordinary share 12.500,00 12.499,88 Real Real Indirectly - BFT Investment Managers Ordinary share 1.933,00 1.932,98 Real Real Indirectly - Societe Generale Gestion Ordinary share 49.448,00 49.447,51 Real Real Indirectly - Amundi SGR SpA Ordinary share 2.241.989,00 2.241.966,58 Real Real Indirectly - Amundi Asset Management Ordinary share 1.233.912,00 1.233.899,66 Real Real Directly Ordinary share 14.537,00 14.536,85 Real Real Indirectly - Amundi Deutschland GmbH Ordinary share 35.160,00 35.159,65 Real Real Indirectly - Amundi Singapore Ltd Distribution in percentages Type Total holding Directly real Directly potential Indirectly real Indirectly potential Capital interest 2,40 % 0,53% 0,00% 1,87% 0,00% Voting rights 2,40 % 0,53% 0,00% 1,87% 0,00% QIAGEN N.V. is not responsible for the accuracy and correctness of the notification above. The content has been taken from the relevant register of the AFM: https://www.afm.nl/en/professionals/registers/meldingenregisters/substantiele-deelnemingen/details?id=132431 25.10.2022 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / Falcon Gold Corp. (TSXV:FG)(FRA:3FA)(OTCQB:FGLDF); ("Falcon" or the "Company")., is pleased to report on the expansion of our HSP south project by staking an additional 290 claims. This has increased our total claims to 703, covering 37,962 hectares in the Havre St. Pierre Anorthosite Complex (HSP Property Area) by 70%. Highlights: The HSP South Project area is in the Havre St. Pierre anorthosite complex, a newly recognized nickel source in southern Quebec. Since our original acquisition, which ties directly on to Go Metals new discovery - we have expanded our holding in the camp by 70% covering over 135 kms of contact. Falcon is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the HSP area. Airborne EM surveys planned to cover the entire land position including claims contiguous to Go Metals HSP discovery project. Total area of holdings now covers 703 claims totaling 37,962 hectares covering 135kms of contact. Karim Rayani, CEO of Falcon, noted, "With the recent work being completed in the area by our neighbor Go Metals Corp., there is great potential for a new nickel belt. Falcon is ideally situated in the heart of the action, being directly tied onto Go Metals southern property boundary where they are currently drilling. We are aggressively moving forward on Airborne surveys and have increased our holdings considerably in the HSP camp covering over 130 km's of prospective contact increasing our chances of further discovery." Falcon HSP South Project On October 5th, the Company announced the acquisition of 413 claims covering 22,302 hectares of strategic ground through an option agreement and staking contiguous and proximal to Go Metals Corp, HSP Nickel Copper PGE Project 130 km north of Havre St. Pierre, Quebec. The staking covers approximately 135 km of prospective contact of the Havre St. Pierre Anorthositic Complex (HSP) where Go Metals Corp recently announced the discovery of "Wide Intervals of Nickel and Copper Sulphides". (Go Metals Press Release Dated September 13, 2022). The most westerly block of the Falcon Gold claims covers the southwest extension of the anorthositic complex, on a prospective fold nose structure and is located less than 2.2 km from prominent airborne TDEM anomalies identified by Go Metals and host to the Nickel-Copper mineralization (Figure 2). The HSP Complex: HSP Anorthositic complex consists of a large anorthosite intrusion that covers over 50kms from east to west with intermittent mafic and ultramafic lithologies. The westernmost portion of this intrusion contains nickel and copper, and cobalt mineralization. The remaining areas of the intrusion have never been tested for nickel and copper, despite government geochemical samples that are highly anomalous in both metals. Falcon has recently acquired ground directly tied on Go Metals HSP claims and has since staked additional land to generate a district-scale nickel-copper land package in Canada's newest nickel camp. Figure 1: Falcon's original claims and additional staking on a total field magnetic background. Figure 2: Proximity of Falcon Gold's Property to Go Metals Corp., Mineralized Targets. Further to the Company's news release dated October 5th, 2022, on the HSP acquisition, the company will pay $10,000 in cash, issue 200,000 common shares and 200,000 share purchase warrants at a price of 20 cents for a 2-year term. The Vendor will retain a 1% NSR (Net Smelter Royalty) that can be purchased by the Company for $ 400,000 at any time. The transaction is subject to TSX Venture approval. Qualified Person Wayne Holmstead, P. Geo, an independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed, and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company. The QP has not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the properties comprising the HSP Property, particularly regarding historical exploration, neighboring companies, and government geological work. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Property but may not be representative of expected results. About Falcon Gold Corp. Falcon is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on generating, acquiring, and exploring opportunities in the Americas. Falcon's flagship project, the Central Canada Gold Mine, is approximately 20km southeast of Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Gold Deposit which has currently estimated 3.32 million ounces of gold (123.5 million tonnes grading 0.84 g/t gold) mineral reserves, and 2.3 million ounces of measured and indicated mineral resources (133.4 million tonnes grading 0.54 g/t gold). The Hammond Reef gold property lies on the Hammond shear zone, which is a northeast-trending splay off the Quetico Fault Zone ("QFZ") and may be the control for the gold deposit. The Central Gold property lies on a similar major northeast-trending splay of the QFZ. The Company holds 14 additional projects: The Esperanza Gold/Silver/Copper mineral concessions located in La Rioja Province, Argentina; The Viernes Gold/Silver/Copper project in Antofagasta Chile; The Springpole West Property in the world-renowned Red Lake mining camp; a 49% interest in the Burton Gold property with Iamgold near Sudbury Ontario; in B.C., the Spitfire-Sunny Boy, Gaspard Gold claims; the Great Burnt, Gander North/South, Valentine Gold South, Victoria West, and Golden Brook acquisitions adjacent to First Mining, Matador, Benton-Sokoman's JV, and Marvel Discovery in Central Newfoundland; and most recently Battery Metals projects in Ontario and Quebec, The Timmins West and Outarde Property. CONTACT INFORMATION: Falcon Gold Corp. "Karim Rayani" Karim Rayani Chief Executive Officer, Director Telephone: (604) 716-0551 Email: k@r7.capital Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements which reflect the expectations of management. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things: completion of the Spin-Out. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. There is no assurance any of the conditions for closing will be met. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions, and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Falcon Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722132/Falcon-Increases-Land-Position-by-70-at-HSP-South-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-Project-Next-to-Go-Metals-Quebec Drug discovery leader Dr James Osborne brings strong track record of delivering drug candidates for oncology and CNS disorders Proteros selected for its cutting-edge structure-based drug discovery engine Signals new phase as Adrestia moves a portfolio of validated synthetic rescue targets into drug discovery for genetically defined neurologic and cardiomyopathic diseases Adrestia Therapeutics, a leader in synthetic rescue therapies for genetic diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr James Osborne as Head of Chemistry and the initiation of a multi-target partnership with Proteros biostructures GmbH (Munich, Germany) to accelerate the discovery of first-in-class candidate drugs for intractable diseases. "Throughout my career I've watched our industry design candidate drugs for targets that turned out to be inadequately validated," said Tom Heightman, Adrestia's Chief Research and Development Officer. "Adrestia is different: our synthetic rescue platform is identifying novel targets that are highly validated by clinically relevant human cellular experiments with strong support from human genetics. Given our high conviction in these targets, we are applying parallel drug discovery strategies to maximize probability of success and accelerate timelines to IND. I'm thrilled to be working with James and Proteros we're poised to deliver some revolutionary new medicines." James Osborne is an accomplished drug discovery leader with experience in several successful biotech companies. He has led or been involved with the delivery of seven drug candidates across a range of target classes. In James's most recent position he ran the medicinal chemistry function at Amphista Therapeutics. Prior to that he led small molecule discovery at GW Pharmaceuticals and held project and medicinal chemistry leadership roles at Astex and Charles River Labs. James started his drug discovery career at the Institute of Cancer Research. He holds an MSc in Chemistry and a PhD in organic synthesis from Nottingham University and completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Oxford. "I'm really excited by the opportunity of Adrestia's target portfolio," said Dr. Osborne, "and I look forward to exploiting a range of modalities including small molecule and oligonucleotide chemistries. Our collaboration with Proteros allows us to apply sophisticated structure-guided drug design methodologies including crystallographic fragment screening, artificial intelligence and virtual library screening." As a leader in structure-based drug discovery, Proteros enables Adrestia to accelerate its drug discovery activities by providing access to leading protein biochemistry, assay development and high throughput protein structure capabilities. "Adrestia's carefully validated targets discovered through their unique platform and their disease applications are an inspiration to Proteros. We are delighted to support Adrestia in their accelerated drug discovery endeavors for a variety of complex targets to treat genetic diseases," said Debora Konz Makino, VP Business Unit Discovery Solutions. The collaboration is already providing Adrestia with world-first protein crystal structures and is using both the Swiss Light Source (Villigen, Switzerland) and the Diamond Light Source, the UK's synchrotron facility, to enable rapid drug design. About Adrestia's synthetic rescue platform Adrestia has developed a leading synthetic rescue drug development platform, which has already identified completely new targets for treating intractable genetic diseases. The platform identifies and validates novel targets across the human genome and delivers optimized drug candidates. The platform's data contributes to Adrestia's synthetic rescue 'Atlas' of the human genome. As the Atlas expands, it will identify both rare and common diseases with a shared genetic component where synthetic rescue drugs could offer new hope for treatment. This scalable platform builds on decades of research by Professor Steve Jackson's laboratory at the University of Cambridge into synthetic rescue and the related concept of synthetic lethality for the treatment of cancer. The Jackson Laboratory's foundational work is complemented by world-class genomic analyses, screening and drug discovery activities led by recognized experts in their fields who have joined Adrestia. About Adrestia Adrestia is a leader in synthetic rescue therapies for genetic diseases. As many directly causative mutations are not druggable, synthetic rescue embraces the much broader target set represented by functionally connected genes, to correct the effects of the causative mutations and 'rescue' health. Adrestia is creating a synthetic rescue 'Atlas' of the human genome and advancing a portfolio of first-in-class therapies, initially for neurologic, neuromuscular and cardiomyopathic diseases. Adrestia's platform and in-house programs are complemented by a target discovery alliance with GSK and a Huntington's disease collaboration with noted researchers including Dr Sarah Tabrizi at University College London. Adrestia was co-founded by Professor Steve Jackson and the deep technology investment fund Ahren Innovation Capital, which co-led Adrestia's Series A financing along with GSK. Jackson co-originated the first synthetic lethality drug, olaparib, which was the first drug approved to treat cancers caused by inherited mutations. For further information, visit: www.adrestia.com. About Proteros biostructures GmbH Proteros is a privately-held company with expertise in structure-based drug discovery powered by a cutting-edge discovery engine tailored to unlock even the most technically challenging disease-relevant targets. The company provides small molecule drug discovery services and its comprehensive enabling technology platforms, coupled with roots to Nobel Prize winning science and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, have enabled prominent contributions to several lead optimization programs and clinical-stage compounds. Proteros' scientific rigor can accelerate overall research timelines for clients by solving the "High-hanging-fruits" of the early drug discovery and development stages and the company is consistently seen as the go-to partner for Hit to Lead Optimisation services. Proteros supports many of the world's top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies and more than 200 pharmaceutical and biotech partners in the U.S., Europe and Japan. For more information please visit www.proteros.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005119/en/ Contacts: Investors Robert Johnson investors@adrestia.com Media Tom Donovan tom@lyrebird.bio +1 857 559 3397 For Proteros Debora Konz Makino VP Business Unit Discovery Solutions Phone: +49 89 700761-0 Email: info@proteros.com EQS-News: Proteros biostructures GmbH / Key word(s): Alliance Proteros and Adrestia initiate multi-target partnership to discover first-in-class drugs for intractable genetic diseases 25.10.2022 / 10:00 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Proteros and Adrestia initiate multi-target partnership to discover first-in-class drugs for intractable genetic diseases Proteros selected by Adrestia for its cutting-edge structure-based drug discovery engine Proteros to support Adrestia in the discovery of first-in-class drugs for intractable genetic diseases Signals new phase for Adrestia's portfolio of validated synthetic rescue targets moving into drug discovery for genetically defined neurologic and cardiomyopathic diseases Martinsried/Munich, Germany - October 25, 2022 - Proteros biostructures GmbH ("Proteros") today announced that it has initiated a multi-target drug discovery partnership with Adrestia Therapeutics (Cambridge, UK), a leader in synthetic rescue therapies for genetic diseases. Proteros will provide access to its entire customizable platform of technologies for early drug discovery guided by the company's experienced discovery teams. The partnership brings together Proteros' discovery capabilities which are tailored to unlock even the most technically challenging drug targets with Adrestia's expertise in target biology with a novel synthetic rescue drug development platform. The partners will jointly discover lead compounds with the goal of further developing them into first-in-class drugs for intractable genetic diseases. The partnership is already providing Adrestia with world-first protein crystal structures and is using both the Swiss Light Source (Villigen, Switzerland) and the Diamond Light Source, the UK's synchrotron facility, to enable rapid drug design. "Adrestia's carefully validated targets, discovered through their unique platform, and their broad potential in disease applications are an inspiration to Proteros. We are delighted to support Adrestia in their accelerated drug discovery endeavors for a variety of complex targets to treat genetic diseases," said Dr. Debora Konz Makino, Proteros' VP Business Unit Discovery Solutions. "Given our high conviction in our novel targets, we are applying parallel drug discovery strategies to maximize probability of success and accelerate timelines to IND. I'm thrilled to be working with Proteros," said Dr. Tom Heightman, Adrestia's Chief Research and Development Officer. About Proteros biostructures GmbH Proteros is a privately-held company with expertise in structure-based drug discovery powered by a cutting-edge discovery engine tailored to unlock even the most technically challenging disease-relevant targets. The company provides small molecule drug discovery services and its comprehensive enabling technology platforms, coupled with roots to Nobel Prize winning science and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, have enabled prominent contributions to several lead optimization programs and clinical-stage compounds. Proteros' scientific rigor can accelerate overall research timelines for clients by solving the "High-hanging-fruits" of the early drug discovery and development stages and the company is consistently seen as the go-to partner for Hit to Lead Optimisation services. Proteros supports many of the world's top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies and more than 200 pharmaceutical and biotech partners in the U.S., Europe and Japan. For more information please visit www.proteros.com. About Adrestia Adrestia is a leader in synthetic rescue therapies for genetic diseases. As many directly causative mutations are not druggable, synthetic rescue embraces the much broader target set represented by functionally connected genes, to correct the effects of the causative mutations and 'rescue' health. Adrestia is creating a synthetic rescue 'Atlas' of the human genome and advancing a portfolio of first-in-class therapies, initially for neurologic, neuromuscular and cardiomyopathic diseases. Adrestia's platform and in-house programs are complemented by a target discovery alliance with GSK and a Huntington's disease collaboration with noted researchers including Dr Sarah Tabrizi at University College London. Adrestia was co-founded by Professor Steve Jackson and the deep technology investment fund Ahren Innovation Capital, which co-led Adrestia's Series A financing along with GSK. Jackson co-originated the first synthetic lethality drug, olaparib, which was the first drug approved to treat cancers caused by inherited mutations. For further information, visit: www.adrestia.com. Contact Information For Proteros Dr. Debora Konz Makino VP Business Unit Discovery Solutions Phone: +49 89 700761-0 Email: info@proteros.com Media Contacts Shaun Brown Executive Director MC Services AG Phone: +44 7867 515 918 Email: shaun.brown@mc-services.eu For Adrestia Investors Robert Johnson investors@adrestia.com Media Tom Donovan tom@lyrebird.bio +1 857 559 3397 25.10.2022 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com October 25, 2022 Philips showcases innovations in its end-to-end stroke care pathway solutions aimed at improving treatment and quality of life for stroke patients Symposium hosted by Philips features leading clinical experts discussing early detection of stroke, new guidelines for reperfusion therapy, and the health economic impact of a novel stroke pathway: direct-to-angio-suite Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Royal Philips , October 26-29, Singapore). Philips' end-to-end stroke care solutions help advance stroke care through early detection and an optimized workflow that reduces the time to treatment - a key factor in delivering the best stroke patient outcomes. To connect information, technologies, and people across the stroke care pathway, enabling care teams to work quickly and act decisively, Philips works closely with stroke care partners such as MedTech stroke care company Nicolab , who will join Philips at the 2022 World Stroke Congress. Globally, one in four adults over the age of 25 will suffer a stroke in their lifetime [1], making it the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide [2]. The key to improving outcomes for stroke patients is to provide treatment as quickly as possible. Physicians in an emergency stroke setting are fighting the clock and under intense pressure to make optimal treatment decisions. Despite the imperative for speed, care teams currently lose valuable time due to gaps in communication, information, and access to stroke expertise. "This World Stroke Day we are committed to improving stroke care," said Angelique Balguid, Head of Marketing for Neurovascular Portfolio at Philips. "At each vital step, from early detection to treatment and recovery, we are collaborating with caregivers to speed up the stroke care pathway, because every minute matters for stroke patients. We aim to push the boundaries and set new standards, so that clinicians can act faster, improve outcomes, and grow access to care." Challenging the status quo of stroke care On Wednesday, October 26, from 12:00 to 13:00 in Hall Summit 2 at this year's World Stroke Congress, Philips will host a satellite symposium with talks from leading clinical stroke care experts, featuring Drs. Rotem Sivan-Hoffman, Head of the Radiology Department at Meir Medical Center (Haifa, Israel) and founder and Chief Medical Officer at CVAid, Prof. dr. Wim H. Van Zwam, PhD, Interventional Radiologist at Maastricht University Medical Center (Maastricht, The Netherlands), and Dr. Marc Ribo, PhD, interventional neurologist at University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, (Barcelona,Spain). The discussion will be moderated by Philips' Angelique Balguid and explore a range of topics, including the early detection of stroke, new guidelines for reperfusion therapy, and the health-economic impact of a novel stroke pathway: the direct-to-angio-suite approach. To learn more about Philips' in-booth demonstrations, immersive experiences, and the full schedule of events click here . Solutions across the stroke care pathway Philips' comprehensive stroke suite includes solutions for stroke monitoring and communication in ambulances, tele-stroke patient assessment, diagnostic imaging and analysis, image-guided therapy, neurological monitoring and assessment, and more. These solutions are aimed at improving diagnostic confidence and time to treatment, and helping reduce the risk of a second stroke. Philips Neuro suite is based on the company's Image Guided Therapy System - Azurion (https://www.philips.com.au/healthcare/resources/landing/azurion). This suite is delivering the latest advances in interventional neuroradiology, such as the company's industry-leading CT-like SmartCT (https://www.philips.com.au/healthcare/product/HCNCVC846/smartct-3d-visualization-and-measurement-solution) 3D visualization and measurement tool, to assist interventional neuroradiologists with diagnosis and treatment. . (https://www.philips.com.au/healthcare/resources/landing/azurion). This suite is delivering the latest advances in interventional neuroradiology, such as the company's industry-leading CT-like (https://www.philips.com.au/healthcare/product/HCNCVC846/smartct-3d-visualization-and-measurement-solution) 3D visualization and measurement tool, to assist interventional neuroradiologists with diagnosis and treatment. . Philips' solutions leverage the advanced CT capabilities of the company's Spectral CT 7500 (https://www.philips.com.au/healthcare/resources/landing/spectral-ct-7500) spectral CT scanner to improve diagnostic capabilities for radiologists. The Spectral CT 7500 offers enhanced gray and white matter differentiation [3] and improved image quality for the detection of subtle hemorrhage [4] and may help in the detection of ischemic stroke through enhanced visualization of vascular anatomy. (https://www.philips.com.au/healthcare/resources/landing/spectral-ct-7500) spectral CT scanner to improve diagnostic capabilities for radiologists. The Spectral CT 7500 offers enhanced gray and white matter differentiation [3] and improved image quality for the detection of subtle hemorrhage [4] and may help in the detection of ischemic stroke through enhanced visualization of vascular anatomy. Philips is also integrating cloud-based, end-to-end, artificial intelligence-based [5] stroke triage, communication, and management solutions through StrokeViewer (http://strokeviewer.nico-lab.com/), via its partnership with Nicolab, aiming to improve patient outcomes by connecting care teams to optimize the overall stroke workflow. (http://strokeviewer.nico-lab.com/), via its partnership with Nicolab, aiming to improve patient outcomes by connecting care teams to optimize the overall stroke workflow. Supporting post-stroke remote telemetry, Philips Holter - ePatch - (https://www.gobio.com/epatch/?campaignid=12233588327&adgroupid=117397265716&keyword=holter%20ekg) replaces the cumbersome setup of conventional Holter monitors with a small unobtrusive body sensor and patch adhered to the patient's sternum for up to 14 days of continuous, high-quality electrocardiogram (ECG) recording for reliable diagnosis [6] of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Philips also provides an end-to-end service to support practices in the deployment of ePatch, enabling efficient workflows, enhancing the patient experience, and providing robust data analysis using cloud-based AI-enabled Philips Cardiologs (https://cardiologs.com/) software. The future of stroke care To learn more about Philips' stroke care solutions and stroke management click here . A media backgrounder on how Philips is enabling the future of stroke care by connecting and integrating the patient journey can be found here . Social responsibility Earlier this week, the Philips Foundation announcedit is exploring the possibilities of deploying Philips' expertise in stroke care in underserved settings, as well as supporting several projects designed to identify best practices and scalable initiatives to create a bedrock for better stroke care, such as the support of the development of a new online platform called Collavidence to increase stroke research funding. [1] World Stroke Organization [2] Global Burden of Stroke, PubMed. [3] Neuhaus V, et al. Improvement of image quality in unenhanced dual-layer CT of the head using virtual monoenergetic images compared with polyenergetic single-energy CT. Invest Radiol. 2017;52 ) [6] Patient will need to replace patch on day 5 of wear, or sooner as required For further information, please contact: Joost Maltha Philips Global Press Office Tel.: +31 6 10 55 8116 E-mail: joost.maltha@philips.com About Royal Philips Royal Philips . Attachments Dutch/Swiss biotech company Micreos announced today it has secured its next funding round of 25 million in growth capital and for clinical development of its endolysin technology platform, set to replace antibiotics in many areas. This technology enables for the first time targeted killing of only the unwanted bacteria, regardless of resistance. The funding comprises growth capital for Gladskin, the company's specialized skincare brand, for people suffering from inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, eczema and rosacea. Last year Gladskin already helped hundreds of thousands of people in Europe and the USA, many of them experiencing a life-changing impact. Proceeds are also earmarked for Micreos' pharmaceutical program. This includes the clinical development of endolysins against staphylococci (including MRSA) for Bloodstream Infections, Atopic Dermatitis, Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma, a type of skin cancer associated with the presence of S. aureus bacteria on the skin. Over the past year Micreos separated its Pharmaceutical business from its 'Over the Counter' Consumer Health business. Micreos CEO Mark Offerhaus: "With this restructuring we align business and market requirements, enabling each business to pursue its own growth strategy. This is especially important for the pharmaceutical business, which is capital intensive and which we consider extremely promising. Direct investments in the Micreos Pharma, headed by Matt Regan, will now be possible.'' Endolysins Endolysins are naturally occurring enzymes that have the ability to target only harmful bacteria, while preserving the beneficial ones that form an important part of our natural defense, often referred to as our microbiome. Endolysins are safe and environmentally friendly. Because of their working mechanism, development of resistance is not expected and antibiotic resistance is not relevant. Micreos Micreos develops targeted antibacterial solutions based on endolysin- and phage technology as a sustainable alternative for antibiotics. The group has pioneered the development of this technology and brought the world the first endolysin-based precision antibacterials. The group's head office is based in The Hague, NL. Micreos Pharmaceuticals has headquarters in Zug, CH, a Discovery and Technology Center in Wadenswil, CH, and a Development Team in Bilthoven, NL. Gladskin is based in the Netherlands, with offices in the USA, Germany, France and the UK. Micreos Food Safety is based in Wageningen, NL and markets FDA-and USDA-approved PhageGuard products against food pathogens such as Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli for food processing companies in the meat poultry, fish, cheese and fresh produce industry. Micreos maintains a long-term collaboration with the Swiss Federal Technology Institute ETH in Zurich. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005513/en/ Contacts: Maarten van Dun Director Corporate Communication Micreos (m.vandun@micreos.com) +31-681-028-274 LONDON (dpa-AFX) - UK's Competition and Markets Authority or CMA announced Tuesday that Sika AG (SXYAY.PK, SKFOF.PK), a Swiss specialty chemical firm, and MBCC Group, a German supplier of construction chemicals and solutions, have now proposed to sell MBCC's chemical admixtures business in the UK, Europe, and several other countries. The proposal aims to address the concerns that the chemical admixtures merger will reduce competition in the UK. In November 2021, Sika agreed to buy MBCC Group in a 4.5 billion pounds deal. The market regulator, which has provisionally found that the deal could reduce competition, accepted the request from the two largest UK suppliers of chemical admixtures, to consider a 'fast-track' remedy to address competition concerns. The companies' latest proposal to sell MBCC's chemical admixtures business post merger is expected to address those concerns. CMA said in a statement, 'The next stage of the CMA's investigation will focus on assessing whether this will fully replace the loss of competition arising from the merger, and the CMA is currently consulting on the remedies that have been proposed.' The CMA is asking for views on the remedy offered by November 4 and on its provisional findings by November 15. The statutory deadline for the CMA's final report is January 24, 2023. In Switzerland, Sika shares were trading at 222.90 Swiss francs, up 1.18 percent. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Hamilton, Bermuda October 25, 2022 Flex LNG Ltd ("Flex LNG" or the "Company") will release its preliminary financial results for the third quarter of 2022 on Tuesday November 15, 2022, on or about 07:00 CET (1:00 a.m. EST). In connection with the earnings release, a live video webcast will be held at 15:00 CET We encourage listeners to register for the webcast 5-10 minutes prior to start. A Q&A session will be held after the presentation. Information on how to submit questions will be given at the beginning of the presentation. You can also submit questions by sending an email to ir@flexlng.com. The presentation material which will be used will be made available on www.flexlng.com and a replay of the webcast will also be made available at this website, as well as on the Flex LNG YouTube channel. For further information, please contact: Mr. Knut Traaholt, Chief Financial Officer of Flex LNG Management AS Telephone: +47 23 11 40 00 Email: ir@flexlng.com About FLEX LNG Flex LNG is a shipping company focused on the growing market for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Our fleet consists of thirteen LNG carriers on the water and all of our vessels are state-of-the-art ships with the latest generation two-stroke propulsion (MEGI and X-DF). These modern ships offer significant improvements in fuel efficiency and thus also carbon footprint compared to the older steam and four-stroke propelled ships. We have built up a significant contract backlog, having fixed 12 of our 13 vessels on long term fixed-rate charter contracts. Flex LNG is listed both on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE) under the ticker "FLNG". For more information, go to: www.flexlng.com This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks were moving higher on Tuesday, as investors digested a slew of earnings updates and looked ahead to the policy meetings by the European Central Bank and Federal Reserve for directional cues. The benchmark CAC 40 was up 22 points, or 0.4 percent, at 6,154 as Treasury yields dropped for a second day running amid growing bets that a pronounced economic slowdown will push the Federal Reserve into softening its hawkish stance after a 75-points rate hike in November. Remy Cointreau shares slumped 6.6 percent after the spirits firm said that sales and profit growth in the second half would be slower than the first half. Air Liquide jumped 3.6 percent. After delivering significantly higher revenue in the third quarter, the industrial gases company said it is confident in its ability to further increase its operating margin and to deliver recurring net profit growth, at constant exchange rates. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. BOSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Visibility Network (OVN) has announced that Trucker Tools , an integrated carrier relationship and capacity management platform, has joined the rapidly growing international network. Launched in collaboration between Tive , Project44 , and FourKites in 2021, the OVN is a consortium of supply chain, transportation, and logistics technology providers on a mission to optimize global supply chain efficiency via open visibility and collaboration. Many industry leaders have joined the network, including Everstream Analytics , TransVoyant , MarineTraffic , ParkourSC , WeatherOptics , FarEye , BlueBox Systems , TextLocate , TruckerCloud , Resilinc , and nuVizz . Trucker Tools is the leading provider of trip planning, shipment visibility, predictive freight matching, and automated booking solutions for the transportation industry. Trucker Tools' integrated Carrier Relationship Management (CRM) platform and smartphone app connect freight brokers and carriers in real time via private, secure, and confidential technology. Using Trucker Tools Smart Capacity platform, freight brokers increase operational efficiency by predictively matching loads with available capacity-providing better load visibility and reducing check-in calls. Trucker Tools' "Book It Now" smartphone app helps carriers search, find, and book loads, optimize routes, grow a network of brokers, receive payments faster, and reduce calls via automated shipment tracking, to mention a few. To date, the app has been downloaded by over 2 million drivers. Determining shipment ETA and reducing the time goods take to reach the market, in full (OTIF) are few of the critical elements of efficient transportations of goods. To achieve this, shippers and freight forwarders need access to available trucks with available capacity. Inadequate planning can result in unexpected costs, rejected loads, early or late arrival fees, and unsatisfied customers. Innovative technologies solve these problems via real-time visibility solutions that enable parties to better plan, coordinate, and ensure timely delivery. In parallel, they are becoming must-have-rather than good-to-have-solutions. As these problems proliferate, they make it challenging for 3PLs, shippers, or freight forwarders to switch between multiple platforms to achieve true end-to-end visibility. Hence, collaboration becomes essential to ensure a frictionless customer experience. The Open Visibility Network offers an environment that is more open as it relates to the world's visibility data-with the mission to make it accessible to everyone in the supply chain industry. By working in collaboration, OVN members integrate their technologies and provide all customers with improved speed to market, an optimized supply chain, and increased transparency and customer satisfaction. In the meantime, as members connect with other open visibility providers, their journey to partnerships and other collaborations accelerates as well. We are excited to join the Open Visibility network and advance our mission of connecting the fragmented freight landscape," say Kary Jablonski, CEO of Trucker Tools. "Trucker Tools enables brokers to meet carriers where they are, by tracking via mobile app or ELD, and meet shipper requirements while respecting data integrity. By joining the OVN, we are excited to drive innovation in the visibility space and digitize the supply chain to power the world in which we live." "Trucker Tools brings integrations with carrier relationship and capacity management platforms to all OVN members, and we are excited to add them to the network," said Krenar Komoni, CEO & Founder of Tive and founding member of OVN. OVN welcomes supply chain technology and visibility providers to join the ranks of membership. Reach out at hello@openvisibility.com , or visit the OVN website at www.openvisibility.com . About Open Visibility Network Open Visibility Network (OVN) is an open consortium of supply chain, transportation, and logistics technology providers on a mission to optimize global supply chain efficiency via open visibility and collaboration. OVN is the first platform that enables the stakeholders to collaborate openly and while exchanging data and insights (APIs) cultivate an ecosystem that strives to achieve end-to-end visibility across all shipment modes and lanes. About Trucker Tools Trucker Tools is an integrated carrier relationship management platform for freight brokers to connect, cultivate, and nurture carrier relationships. Trucker Tools uses real-time and historical data, a carrier centric design, and the largest trusted capacity network to make carrier collaboration and relationship building more seamless for brokerages. The driver app, downloaded by over 2 million drivers, provides automated, real-time shipment tracking to eliminate check calls. For more information, visit www.truckertools.com . About Tive Tive is a global leader in supply chain and logistics technology. With Tive, shippers, retailers, and logistics service providers (LSPs) have the ability to eliminate delays, avoid damage and mitigate shipment failures. Tive's solution provides insights generated by its industry-leading products for clients to actively optimize their shipments, improve customer experience, and unlock actionable data in real-time. For more information, visit www.tive.com . Media contacts: Iliriana Kacaniku Open Visibility Network VP, Strategy and Innovation hello@openvisibility.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1686038/Open_Visibility_Network_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/open-visibility-network-welcomes-trucker-tools-as-the-newest-member-301658161.html Editors Notes: We will accelerate the development of Chinas discourse and narrative systems, better tell Chinas stories, make Chinas voice heard and present a China that is credible, appealing, and respectable. President Xi Jinping said in the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. As an Italian-American living in China for 24 years, Mario Cavolo, author, independent entrepreneur, and a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization, has witnessed remarkable changes in China over the past decades. He wants to tell these admirable stories of China to the world. Chongqing-Around 1999, when Mario first arrived in China, he thought China was not on the world stage. In just two decades, Chinas become the largest safe, most stable, successful, capable civil, and peaceful country on the planet in his word. Over the years, my work in China, my life in China evolved into putting me in a place where Ive become a voice, doing my best to connect the communication between China and the world. After about ten years of living in China, Mario felt naturally motivated for people to want to help people to understand what China really is. Mario Cavolo is an author, independent entrepreneur, and senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization. (Photo provided to iChongqing) The impression you get in the West from the media and governments is completely different from reality. Those things are either completely wrong, highly inaccurate, and terribly distorted. Mario describes developing the search for the truth as a personal mission. If people want to deal with reality, then they should have a clear and reasonable explanation of what reality is, not some distorted, politically driven propaganda. So over the years, he has published three books on China. When I finally wrote an important article that pointed out the hypocrisy of criticizing and attacking China in February 2020, it became globally viral, Having experienced Chinas rigorous and orderly fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Mario thought it was outrageous to blame China for the pandemic. The article, titledSomethings Not Right Here Folks, delves into the overreaction of some Western governments, discrimination against the Chinese people, and the smear coverage of the Chinese governments epidemic prevention and control by the Western media. Mario Cavolo is an author, independent entrepreneur, and senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization. (Photo provided to iChongqing) During the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, I dont recall xenophobic anti-America attacks across the globe, do you? Do you recall it took six months for the United States to declare a national emergency? Did any government, from the onset in April 2009 through the end in April 2010, including June, when H1N1 was declared an international emergency global pandemic, then send out a notice to its citizens that they should leave the US? Close their borders to American travelers? Nope, not a peep. In his article, Mario also compared Chinas response to the novel coronavirus outbreak to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic in the United States and highlighted the contrast between the reactions to the two health crises. Millions of views and extensive discussions have put Mario Cavolo even more in the spotlight. My voice has become larger. I appreciate and enjoy that. I also accept the responsibility that comes with that. More than two years have passed since Mario published that article. Now, he often writes commentaries to express his actual views on China. His third book on China has been officially published, and the fourth one is in the planning stage. Mario is grateful to live in China and witness the miracle of development that this great country continues to create. Concerning the 20th CPC Congress, Mario believes Chinas future development will continue. We have the 14th Five-Year Plan in place. This is a country whose government has demonstrated that its responsibility, job, and role is to serve and govern the society for the people. One example he mentioned is the health care reform in China. Ive used the healthcare system myself the entire time Im here. I also have a green card as well. Mario is familiar with the Chinese healthcare system and believes it is constantly being updated and improving. Not to mention its wonderfully inexpensive. In responding to the sudden outbreak of covid-19, we put the people at the top of all else and pursue a dynamic zero-covid policy in launching all out peoples world to stop the spread of the virus. We have protected the peoples health and safety to the greatest extent possible and made encouraging achievements in both epidemic response and economic and social development, President Xi Jinping said in the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Mario knows this achievement well. One of the big challenges that Chinas health care system face right now is the dynamic Zero-Covid policy, which I regard as an amazing success. Theres nothing easy about any countrys experience facing the pandemic. In the case of China, we as a society work together, and all have to do our little part in civic duty. Facing some skepticism suggesting the dynamic Zero-Covid is politically driven, Mario said: Ive lived here long enough to know that thats ridiculously untrue. Chinas public health policy has nothing to do with politics, and I dont expect any major changes. Leading into or after the CPC 20th Congress, the country will continue to evaluate the pandemic and make small, slow adjustments. They will never sacrifice the health of the people in public health. The Milky Way may not have as much mass as previously thought, according to a new study. GettyImages The Milky Way might have a lot less dark matter than previously thought, according to a China-led study on the mass of the galaxy. Researchers from China and Australia concluded that the Milky Way weighs about 550 billion times the mass of the sun, or half of the average amount calculated by other teams, according to a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society earlier this month. U.S. scientist Sarah Bird, the study's lead author from the China Three Gorges University in Yichang, said the result suggested the galaxy might be slimmer than thought. It also indicated that there could be much less of the invisible but gravitationally bound dark matter in the Milky Way than originally estimated, she said. The Milky Way resembles a spinning pinwheel, with a bulge at the center and a radiating spiral disk of gas, dust and hundreds of billions of stars. Our solar system lies about halfway from the galactic center to the visible edge. Mass is essential to understand a galaxy's matter, energy composition and dynamics, but the Milky Way is difficult to measure from within. It is also made up of dark matter, which does not absorb or reflect light but is thought to make up nearly 90 percent of matter in the universe. Bird said that by observing various objects, including stars speeding through the Milky Way and satellite galaxies, scientists had estimated the Milky Way's total mass to be between 500 billion and 2.5 trillion solar masses, with an average of around 1 trillion. But by studying ancient "halo stars" orbiting within the Milky Way's halo cloud, Bird and her colleagues estimated the mass could be about half that. The team, which included researchers from Australia's Swinburne University of Technology, picked 16,000 halo stars identified by China's Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and Europe's Gaia satellite. This Image is provided by ESAA. SCMP ROME, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirex, a leading crypto payments platform, has announced the list of women on their 2022 Rising Women in Crypto Power List. In partnership with The Cryptonomist, over the past month, they've collected over 200 nominations of women from across the industry doing incredible things. The Women in Crypto campaign was created in 2020 to celebrate women in the crypto sector, showcase their roles and inspire others to get involved. Now in its third year, as part of the initiative, the Rising Women in Crypto Power List has welcomed over 700 nominations in total. Nominations for this year's list were opened at their live event, 'Women in Crypto: How will Web3 and the Metaverse Affect you?', on the 15th September. Since then, there have been over 200 nominations from women in 30 countries across the globe, from sectors ranging from PR and legal, to operations and public speaking. This year, a focus was placed on rising stars, as opposed to those that are regularly recognised in similar awards. The company also included three additional awards, including social media influencer of the year, newcomer of the year, and young Ukrainian of the year. Charlotte Wells, Senior PR & Communications Manager, commented: "It's a huge honour being involved since the beginning in a worldwide campaign that promotes women in a historically-male dominated space. The competition was stronger than ever this year; it's great to see new and old faces on the list which our experienced panel of judges will help to showcase as they select this year's winners." Two weeks ago, Wirex and The Cryptonomist announced the star-studded panel of judges, including: Amelia Tomasiccio, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Cryptonomist Diana Carrasco-Vime, Non-Executive Director of Wirex and Managing Director of Merchant Services at Lloyds Banking Group Genevieve Leveille , Principal Founder and CEO of AgriLedger , Principal Founder and CEO of AgriLedger George Coxon , Co-Director at Nano Foundation , Co-Director at Nano Foundation Grace Berkery , Global Lead for Mastercard's Start Path Crypto Track and Co-Founder of Belle Block The judges will work together to select their top 13 winners for the Power List, which will be revealed on the 8th November. Judging criteria will be based on achievements, potential, influence, ambition, leadership skills and innovation, with prizes awarded in crypto. To view the longlist, please visit: https://wirexapp.com/blog/post/longlist-for-the-2022-rising-women-in-crypto-power-list-revealed-0678 The final 13 winners of the Power List will be announced on the Wirex and Cryptonomist websites on the 8th November. To see more exclusive content from women within the crypto industry and learn more about the campaign, visit: https://wirexapp.com/blog/category/women-in-crypto-0009 About Wirex Wirex is a worldwide digital payment platform and regulated institution that has forged new rules in the digital payments space. In 2015, the firm developed the world's first crypto-enabled payment card that gives users the ability to seamlessly spend crypto and traditional currencies in real life. Wirex was created in 2014 by CEOs and co-founders Pavel Matveev and Dmitry Lazarichev, who identified the need to open up the esoteric world of cryptocurrencies and make digital money accessible for everyone. With the core aim of making it as easy as possible to use digital assets in everyday life, Wirex provides a trusted and cost-effective service for crypto and traditional currency transactions by incorporating the next generation of payments infrastructure integrated with cryptocurrency blockchains. With over 5 million customers across 130 countries, the company offers secure accounts that allow customers to easily store, buy and exchange multiple currencies instantly at the best live rates on one centralised mobile app. Quick and simple crypto transfer options are available, as well as the freedom to spend 150+ traditional and cryptocurrencies in more than 80 million locations around the world using the Wirex card. Wirex continues to develop the product in line with market developments, whilst adhering to regional regulations and securing appropriate licensing where it exists. A proven industry pioneer, Wirex launched their own native utility token, WXT, and introduced the world's first crypto reward programme, Cryptoback, which earns cardholders up to 8% back in WXT for every transaction they make. To reflect the growth of the metaverse, throughout 2021, the company has expanded their product to enable mainstream access to DeFi. Starting with the launch of their popular X-Accounts feature, offering unprecedented levels of interest, Wirex has continued to add to their DeFi arsenal with the release of the non-custodial Wirex Wallet and a partnership with Nereus, a decentralised liquidity market provider. Wirex is based in London, with offices in Singapore, Kyiv, Dallas, Dublin and Atlanta. With over $5bn worth of transactions processed already and rapid expansion into new territories, including the US, Wirex is uniquely placed to support and promote the mass adoption of a cashless society through creative solutions. Starting from February 2022, Wirex donates all the revenue earned from in-app transactions to Ukraine humanitarian efforts. The company's largest office is based in Kyiv and Wirex stands with everyone affected by the war. As a long supporter of democratising access to crypto, Wirex's 'Women in Crypto' campaign was created in 2020 and endeavoured to recognise talented female leaders working in the sphere. With the core aim of celebrating women in the crypto sector and encouraging others to get involved, they launched the 'Rising Women in Crypto Power List', asking for nominations of women that had done incredible things in the crypto sector. Having a large percentage of female employees at the company, this initiative is close to their hearts and they hope to continue for years to come. | wirexapp.com | About The Cryptonomist We are happy to announce a media partnership with The Cryptonomist for this year's Women in Crypto campaign. The Cryptonomist is a punctual and rigorous information site to offer news and updates to its readers, but also authoritative in having opinions and making a disclosure on the most innovative aspects of the crypto economy. It aims to become the most authoritative online newspaper in Italian and English and narrate an economic and technological revolution that conquers more and more spaces and consents compared to traditional models of production and exchange. Written in a simple and captivating way, The Cryptonomist also provides videos and insights on the most current topics made by leading experts in the field. The Cryptonomist is also a marketing agency, helping crypto and fintech companies and start-ups to advertise their projects. With more than 1 million readers per month, the publication is leading the Italian and Swiss media market. | https://en.cryptonomist.ch/ | Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761027/Wirex_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/wirex-reveals-longlist-for-2022-rising-women-in-crypto-power-list-301657472.html Solution enables more seamless and secure identity verification experience for U.S. customers NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Veriff , a global identity verification provider, today announced a new social security number (SSN) verification offering built to further streamline and secure the identity verification (IDV) processes of U.S. citizens. This product is available for U.S.-based companies, and organizations in other countries with customers in the U.S. SSN verification is completed instantly, and the process is simple. Users input their full SSN or the last four digits, their full name, and either their address or date of birth. Once the automated verification process is completed, Veriff sends a notification confirming the validity of the social security number and data submitted. Every U.S. citizen is assigned a unique SSN, since SSNs are never recycled. In fact, since 1936, the Social Security Administration has issued more than 450 million SSNs. As a result, leveraging SSNs within the identity verification process is a low friction and a high-impact approach to proving the identity of U.S. citizens. This is especially beneficial to businesses operating in the financial services and gambling industries, where SSN verification adds another layer of security to comply with regulations, prevent fraud, and confirm that users are who they say they are. "Social security numbers are a vital component of Americans' identities, and as a result we've had great demand from many of our U.S. clients for a SSN-based verification offering," said Raul Liive, Head of Product. "The ease, speed, and security of the new offering enables our clients to achieve the next level of compliance with the least amount of friction for honest users. This also gives businesses confidence that their end users are who they claim to be." To learn more about Veriff's new social security number verification offering, please visit us here . About Veriff Veriff is the industry leader in online identity verification, helping businesses achieve greater levels of trust and making the internet a better place for everyone. Our intelligent decision engine analyzes thousands of technological and behavioral variables linked to government IDs from over 190 countries. Founded in 2015, Veriff serves a global portfolio of organizations across the fintech, crypto, and mobility sectors. Veriff's investors include Tiger Capital and Alkeon. Veriff's latest $100 million investment round brings its total funding to $200 million and its valuation to $1.5 billion. With offices in the United States, United Kingdom Spain, and Estonia, and 550 people from 60 different nationalities, every day we're dedicated to helping businesses and individuals build a more secure world. To learn more, visit www.veriff.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1875368/Veriff_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/veriff-launches-social-security-number-verification-offering-301657805.html Agreement Provides Minimum Commitments of 34,000 Devices plus Recurring Components Representing ~CA$23M1 in Revenue Over the 5-Year Term TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / NuGen Medical Devices Inc. (TSXV:NGMD) ("NuGen M.D." or the "Company"), a leader in needle-free drug delivery, is pleased to announce that it has signed a distribution agreement (the "Agreement") with Science - Link Trading, a company whose mission it is to help bring new disruptive technologies to market. NuGen's needle-free injection system, also known as InsuJet, is a self-administered needle-free injection system. It gives access to safe, cost-effective, and virtually pain-free drug delivery for the millions of patients who suffer from diabetes or other chronic illnesses. The InsuJet also holds a CE Mark and is approved for sale in over 40 countries around the globe. Science - Link Trading has also initiated the COFEPRIS regulatory approval process. The Agreement, signed October 17, 2022, represents a minimum of ~CA$23M1 over the 5-year term and includes minimum commitments of 34,000 InsuJet devices plus additional accessories and is in line with the Company's 70% gross margin target. NuGen expects to receive the first purchase order under this agreement in Q4 2022. "Science - Link Trading's mission is to help bring new disruptive technologies to market," said Juan Carlos Feregrino, President & CEO of Science - Link Trading. "We are really pleased and excited to have been granted master distribution for the InsuJet needle-free injection device for insulin therapy from NuGen for the Mexican market. We are certain that the InsuJet technology will improve the lives of millions of diabetic patients, making their treatment more friendly, less traumatic, and easier to use on a daily basis. We also expect to have a very important and positive impact on dangerous waste management and reduce accidental needle infections in addition to considerably reducing syringe waste. We are committed to encouraging the use of NuGen's needle-free technologies in other markets such as health institutions for different therapeutic applications like vaccines and to introduce this technology to veterinary applications." "Our North American expansion is well underway and this agreement with Science-Link Trading now covers another major market, Mexico, that has a high prevalence of diabetes. We believe the introduction of the needle free InsuJet will bring significant benefits to the over 14 million people living with diabetes in Mexico," said Michael Wright, CEO of NuGen. "Based on our internal analysis, each device sold represents ~CA$6801 in revenue including the recurring components over the ~3 year lifetime of a device. With minimum commitments of 34,000 devices over the 5-year term, this represents over CA$23 million in sales over the life of those devices." According to a recent study completed by the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF), 1 in 6 adults (over 14 million people) are currently living with diabetes in Mexico. The study also found that almost half of those living with diabetes in the country are undiagnosed and that diabetes-related health expenditures in Mexico has now reached US$20 billion2. Financial Update The Company also announces that, further to its press release on September 8, 2022, its previously announced non-brokered private placement of units in the amount of CA$640,376.30 (the "Unit Offering"), received final acceptance from the TSXV. About Science - Link Trading Science - Link Trading's mission is to help bring new disruptive technologies to market. The company was formed as an initiative of our founders who have combined experience of over 60 years in the health, wellness and agribusiness sectors. We aim to be the leading company in the commercialization and distribution of new health and wellness disruptive technologies in Mexico within the next 5 years. Dr. Rene Anguiano Martinez has 40 plus years of experience in the radiology and lab analysis sector, and his company is the market leader in central Mexico. Master. Salvador De la Fuente has 25 plus years of experience in special materials and specialized infrastructure development. Juan Carlos Feregrino has 25 plus years of experience in the dairy food and health and wellness sectors and has participated in product development and market product launches and has participated in several international patents. About NuGen Medical Devices NuGen Medical Devices is an emerging specialty medical device company focused on developing and commercializing novel drug delivery technologies. NuGen Medical Devices' principal business is the development and commercialization of innovative needle-free injection devices and systems for the administration of subcutaneous medication. It is developing products using needle-free drug delivery technology in several important fields including, but not limited to, anaphylaxis, diabetes, severe migraine, erectile dysfunction, chronic anemia, neutropenia, autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis, growth and fertility hormone, psoriasis as well as DNA and conventional/pediatric vaccines. For More Information visit: www.nugenmd.com Twitter: @NuGenMD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nugenmd/ For further information, please contact: Michael Wright President and CEO NuGen Medical Devices Inc. mw@nugenmd.com (1-833-285-2666) Investor Relations Contact: Kin Communications Inc. NGMD@kincommunications.com (604) 684-6730 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this press release include the Company's 2022 objectives of securing additional distribution and sales agreements, making submissions for regulatory approvals and capitalizing on additional market opportunities. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. 1 Based on 5,000 injections per device, dependent on the patient using 3ml or 10ml vials, the dosage of insulin and the frequency of injections per day. 2 https://www.idf.org/index.php?option=com_attachments&task=download&id=2645:WDD2021_MEXICO_PR_Final SOURCE: NuGen Medical Devices Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722050/NuGen-MD-Signs-5-Year-Master-Distribution-Agreement-with-Mexico-Distributor-for-its-InsuJet-Needle-Free-Injection-Device Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - BMEX Gold Inc. (TSXV: BMEX) (OTCQB: MRIRF) (FSE: 8M0) ("BMEX" or the "Company") is pleased to discuss the visual results of the first two holes drilled into the geophysical anomaly on Dunlop Bay Ouest. Both holes have intersected massive sulphides. The first hole (BD-22-01) was drilled to test the interpreted plate below the known plate in the heart of the known Dunlop Bay Ouest showing (Figure 1). Hole BD-22-01 intersected a 7.00-metre (m) stringer (STR) zone composed of Pyrite (PY), Pyrrhotite (PO), trace Chalcopyrite (CP) and trace Galena (GN) followed by semi-massive Pyrite-Pyrrhotite-1% Chalcopyrite over 1.00 m. This intersection extends the mineralization plan of the Dunlop Bay Ouest historical showing 100 m (Figure 2) downdip. The second hole targeted a new plate and represents a new discovery of 3.85 m of massive sulfides composed of pyrrhotite, pyrite and traces of chalcopyrite and traces of sphalerite (Figure 3). BD-22-02 encountered one of the most conductive electromagnetic (EM) plates at Dunlop Bay Ouest. The massive sulfide lens from hole BD-22-02 overlies 3.60 m of massive magnetite (MT) itself overlying on a package of felsic rocks. A stringer zone (Figure 3) of 5.85 m of Pyrite-Pyrrhotite-Magnetite and traces to 1% Chalcopyrite crosscutting the felsic unit was also observed underneath the massive magnetite. Hole BD-22-02 tested EM anomaly #2 on one related 1000 Siemens plate (Figures 2 and 3). The new discovery is 220 m north of historical hole ME-8, which returned 6.84 g/t Au over 1.50 m on the very edge of another 1000 Siemens plate (EM anomaly #1a, Figure 3). Assay results are pending. Robert Pryde, President of BMEX Gold, stated: "I am very pleased that the geological mapping, prospecting and EM surveys conducted over Dunlop Bay have been corroborated with the visuals in the core. This gives us confidence in our targeting tools and bodes well for future exploration by confirming the potential of the 900 m long EM anomaly. Second, it is important to point out that the geology of this anomaly is very favourable as the massive sulphides are sitting on a felsic package which is the typical geological setting of many VMS mines in Matagami area and elsewhere. Third, the gold in the historical hole ME-8, located 220 m to the south, is associate with both Pyrite-Pyrrhotite and Chalcopyrite stringer and lies on the outer edge of another 1000 Siemens EM anomaly. We are already planning to conduct BHEM surveys in the 2022 DDH holes to further investigate with precision the extent of the newly discovered bodies. I look forward to receiving and reporting the assay results from our maiden drill program at Dunlop Bay." Pryde continued, "While the focus of the first half of the drill program has been on this exciting VMS target, the balance of the program will test the two kilometric gold systems just to the south. Dunlop Bay offers both gold and VMS potential and I am hopeful that the second half of the program will be as fruitful as the first." Figure 1: Dunlop Bay Ouest EM anomalies and first 2022 drilling intersections To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5785/141813_7312d48084122ab9_001full.jpg Figure 2: Dunlop Bay Ouest long section view To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5785/141813_7312d48084122ab9_002full.jpg Figure 3: BD-22-01 and BD-22-02 mineralization intercepts To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5785/141813_7312d48084122ab9_003full.jpg Qualified Person Maxime Bouchard, Geo, M.Sc. (OGQ #1752), an independent Qualified Person as defined by Canadian NI 43-101 standards, has reviewed and approved the geological information reported in this news release. The drilling campaign and the quality control program have been planned and supervised by Maxime Bouchard. Core logging and sampling were completed by Laurentia Exploration. The quality assurance and quality control protocol include insertion of one blank and one standard every 20 samples, in addition to the regular insertion of blank, duplicate, and standard samples accredited by ALS Canada Ltd. during the analytical process. Gold values are estimated by fire assay with finish by atomic absorption. The Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to verify the historical information on the Property, particularly in regards to historical drill results. However, the Qualified Person believes that drilling and analytical results were completed to industry standard practices. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the Property but may not be representative of expected results. About BMEX Gold Inc. BMEX Gold Inc. is a junior Canadian mining exploration company with the primary objective to acquire, explore, and develop viable gold and base metal projects in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Quebec, Canada. BMEX is currently fully focused on their 100% interest in the two projects, both located in the prolific Abitibi greenstone belt: King Tut Project consists of 120 contiguous claims on 5,206 hectares Dunlop Bay Project consists of 76 mineral claims that cover 4,226 hectares BMEX common shares trade under the symbol "BMEX" on the TSX-V and under the symbol 8M0 on the Frankfurt Exchange. For further information please contact: BMEX Gold Inc. Robert Pryde, President Tel: +1 (403) 478 6042 Email: robert@bmexgold.com Dylan Sidoo, Business Development Tel: +1 (604) 423 4499 Email: info@bmexgold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management's best estimates, assumptions, and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, statements with respect to the plans for future exploration and development of the King Tut and Dunlop Bay properties and the acquisition of additional exploration projects. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts" , "anticipates" "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the King Tut and Dunlop Bay projects; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; increases in market prices of mining consumables, possible variations in resource estimates, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in areas in which the Company operates. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. Please refer to the Company's most recent filings under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting the Company and its business. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141813 WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Homebuilder PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) announced Tuesday the appointment of Brandon Jones, currently Senior Vice President - Field Operations, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective January 1, 2023. Jones will succeed John Chadwick, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, who has announced his plans to retire next year. Chadwick will remain with the company until April 2023 to assist with the transition. In his new role, Jones will report directly to PulteGroup President and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Marshall. He will have responsibility for home building operations including construction, sales, marketing, product development and procurement. Jones' 18-year career with PulteGroup began as Director of Operations in Arizona. He served as VP of Sales in New Mexico, Division President for the Michigan, Illinois and Georgia divisions and as Area President for the company's southeast area. Jones was promoted to his current role as Senior Vice President - Field Operations in 2021. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Mauve wins the Women in Business Award at the Go Global Awards. The three-day event was hosted by International Trade Council and celebrates the global companies driving the economy forward. The award category 'Women in Business' recognises individual women creating and developing international opportunities for their business. LONDON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, Mauve Group was awarded the winner of the Women in Business award at the 2022 Go Global Awards. Hosted by the International Trade Council, the Go Global Awards is an annual event celebrating the global companies driving the economy forward through their innovations, technologies and strategies. Organisations are awarded based on their resilience and abilities to overcome challenges. Held in Tallinn, Estonia, the event welcomed hundreds of senior executives and representatives from government bodies, international businesses, venture capital firms and financial institutions. While attendees celebrated the talented organisations making a difference in the world of work, the Go Global Awards further aimed to build a community of manufacturers, exporters and service providers to share ideas, form partnerships and explore new connections. The Go Global Conference and Awards event took place over three days of B2B networking, conferences, site visits and a final awards dinner. The Women in Business award recognises women, regardless of their titles, positions, or executive status, for their achievements in creating and developing international opportunities for their business. With over a quarter-century of experience supporting companies to expand their overseas operations, Mauve Group is a pioneering service provider in the global expansion industry. Its core Employer of Record solution enables businesses of any size to employ their workers in countries where they lack their own local entity. Mauve Group additionally offers a full suite of expansion solutions, including global payroll, visa and immigration, project management, and consultancy services. The organisation was represented in Tallinn by Marketing and Events Specialist Demetra Tofarides, and Country Representative and Business Development Co-ordinator Teresa Lewis. Demetra Tofarides explained the personal and professional importance of the award: "As two women in business, working in a company with a female Founder and CEO - Ann Ellis - and a majority of female staff members, this award meant a lot to Teresa and I, as well as the whole team. Teresa and I were honoured to represent Mauve Group and walk away with this award as well as some great new connections with other amazing men and women in business." Teresa Lewis expanded on how it felt to accept this award on behalf of Mauve Group: "Mauve has a great representation of women throughout the company, and it's an honour to have been recognised for the Women in Business award. We are so proud to bring this home to everyone working so hard to make us the company we are today." CEO Ann Ellis underlined Mauve's drive to improve female business opportunities through more accommodating and equal workplaces: "I am honoured that Mauve has been presented with the Women in Business award, and I couldn't be prouder of the team's achievement. As a female founder, I hope this award inspires more women to turn their ideas into international businesses. It symbolises the push to improve flexibility and equity in the global workplace - we want to spearhead a new era of work that gives women greater opportunity in business." About Mauve: Leading the global mobility industry for over 25 years, Mauve Group is a provider of global Employer of Record and business expansion solutions. Companies can save time, money, and risk by utilising Mauve's Employer of Record service to employ remotely and compliantly anywhere in the world - without the need for a local entity, and with real-time support from true industry experts. For more information, please contact press@mauvegroup.com or visit www.mauvegroup.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mauve-group-announced-winner-of-women-in-business-award-at-the-go-global-awards-2022-301658331.html Guangzhou, China--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - QZ Asset Management's global expansion is set to continue its upward momentum, as the company released its latest plans to hold a global summit in Thailand next February. The company intends to conduct a two-day workshop in Bangkok for its clients while also attending the Fintech Festival Thailand 2023. The festival is expected to take place from 23-25 February 2023, despite recent indications from the Chinese government that it will not relent on its zero-covid policy during the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. QZ CEO Blake Yeung (left) at the 8th International Finance Expo in Guangzhou To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/141090_e8e28ca734239bd6_001full.jpg China's leaders convened in Beijing for the week-long congress on 16 Oct and was expected to become a strong indication for when China will eventually ease its stringent zero-Covid policy. While expected to gradually ease its Covid policies, China has remained cautious about relaxing business restrictions too quickly due to fears of COVID resurgence. "It has been a challenge to conduct business overseas and there are many firms that face this issue in China. We have had to navigate through difficult circumstances and to be able to organize the summit in Thailand represents the start of an exciting new chapter for QZ." said Blake Yeung, CEO of QZ Asset Management. Beijing's attempt to maintain a policy of few to no Covid infections has restricted business activity domestically and kept national borders largely shut for more than two years, a policy that has curbed economic development for China and its trading partners. Chinese firms like QZ Asset Management have found it difficult to expand its operations globally in the past 2 years. Yeung added, "We had hoped the National Congress will accelerate the progress of our borders reopening as it will have a profound impact on the global economy, resulting in a sustained period of strong economic growth around the world. Regardless, we fully intend to push forward with our plans to set up regional offices in Africa and South America and we will be working closely with the local authorities in these regions to explore our options." About QZ Asset Management QZ Asset Management was founded in 2012 and is headquartered at Guangzhou with additional offices worldwide, led by a team of experienced investment professionals and analysts. The company is able to deliver 10 years of excellent trading record using proprietary BDAI (Big Data Artificial Intelligence) trading technology that is based on highly advanced real-time market intelligence and big data analytics. Contact Info: Name: Voong Kuang Jie Email: media@qzinvest.com Organization: QZ Asset Management Website: https://www.qzinvest.com/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141090 TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EV Technology Group Ltd. (the "Company" or "EV Technology Group") (NEO: EVTG, OTCQB: EVTGF, DE: B96A) announces today that it has filed a preliminary base shelf prospectus (the "Base Shelf Prospectus") with the securities regulators in the provinces of Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. The Base Shelf Prospectus (when effective) will qualify the distribution from treasury up to C$50 million of common shares, debt securities, subscription receipts, warrants and units of the Company (collectively, "Securities") or any combination thereof during the 25-month period that the Base Shelf Prospectus remains effective. The specific terms of any future offering of Securities will be set forth in a prospectus supplement to the Base Shelf Prospectus, which will be filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities in connection with any such offering. EV Technology Group files preliminary base shelf prospectus to raise up to C$50M to execute on its growth plans Wouter Witvoet, CEO of EV Technology Group said, "This is an important milestone for our Company, as we look to our next stage of growth. The capital markets have responded strongly to our strategy of electrifying iconic brands and we look forward to this filing enabling our strategy." This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy Securities, nor will there be any sale of the Securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the Securities in any State or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. A copy of the Base Shelf Prospectus is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). EV Technology Group EV Technology Group was founded in 2021 with the vision to electrify iconic brands - and the mission to redefine the joy of motoring for the electric age. By acquiring iconic brands and bringing beloved motoring experiences to the electric age, EV Technology Group is driving the EV revolution forward. Backed by a diversified team of passionate entrepreneurs, engineers and driving enthusiasts, EV Technology Group creates value for its customers by owning the total customer experience - acquiring and partnering with iconic brands with significant growth potential in unique markets, and controlling end-to-end capabilities. To learn more visit: https://evtgroup.com/ Media Rachael D'Amore rachael@talkshopmedia.com +1519-564-9850 Investor Relations Dave Gentry dave@redchip.com +14074914498 EV Technology Group Wouter Witvoet CEO and Chairman of the Board wouter@evtgroup.com Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements including, but not limited to: the closing of the acquisition of Fablink Group Holdings Ltd., information relating to the amount and terms of any offering of Securities under the Base Shelf Prospectus, the effectiveness of the Base Shelf Prospectus, the filing of any prospectus supplement and the business and strategic plans of the Company. Often, but not always, these Forward-looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "planned", "reflecting", "will", "containing", "remaining", "to be", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-looking Statements, including those factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the filing statement and the annual information form of the Company. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-looking Statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except where required by law. There can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. THE NEO STOCK EXCHANGE DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7c4f1f02-5c1b-4caf-b256-8026726b6c7d LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (OTCQB:CLSH)(CSE:CLSH), (the 'Company' or 'CLS'), a diversified cannabis company operating as Cannabis Life Sciences, today announced that the Company's branded product division, City Trees, was ranked as the number one concentrate brand by units sold in Nevada. From January to August 2022, City Trees sold over 452K units of vapes and dabbable concentrates, representing approximately $10.9 million in sales, according to BDS Analytics. City Trees products include disposable vapes, cartridges, dab-oil syringes, tinctures, and various live and cured resin concentrates. The brand can be found across more than 78 dispensaries in Nevada, as well as in the Company's own retail dispensary, Oasis Cannabis. Oasis Cannabis is home to the largest selection of City Trees products in Nevada, with nearly 100 of its products consistently stocked. "Despite the macroeconomic challenges that have impacted many of our peers, we continue to draw both new and repeat customers to our brands by offering the unique combination of unbeatable quality and attractive pricing," said Andrew Glashow, President and Chief Executive Officer of CLS. "We recently completed our first harvest through our joint venture with the Fort McDermitt Paiute and the Shoshone Tribe in Northern Nevada and are working to dramatically improve availability of our products across the Nevada wholesale market. I'm thrilled to see that our products, produced using our proprietary ethanol extraction system and our team's formulation expertise, are continuing to resonate with consumers." About CLS Holdings USA, Inc. CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (CLSH) is a diversified cannabis company that acts as an integrated cannabis producer and retailer through its Oasis Cannabis subsidiaries in Nevada and plans to expand to other states. CLS stands for "Cannabis Life Sciences," in recognition of the Company's patented proprietary method of extracting various cannabinoids from the marijuana plant and converting them into products with a higher level of quality and consistency. The Company's business model includes licensing operations, processing operations, processing facilities, sale of products, brand creation and consulting services. https://www.clsholdingsinc.com. Twitter: @CLSHoldingsUSA Oasis Cannabis has operated a cannabis dispensary in the Las Vegas market since dispensaries first opened in Nevada in 2015 and has been recognized as one of the top marijuana retailers in the state. Its location within walking distance to the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas, in combination with its delivery service to residents, allows it to efficiently serve both locals and tourists in the Las Vegas area. In February 2019, it was named "Best Dispensary for Pot Pros" by Desert Companion Magazine. In August 2017, Oasis commenced wholesale offerings of cannabis in Nevada with the launch of its City Trees brand of cannabis concentrates and cannabis-infused products. http://oasiscannabis.com Founded in 2017, City Trees is a Nevada-based cannabis cultivation, production and distribution company that offers a wide variety of products with consistent results. City Trees products are available in numerous dispensaries throughout the state of Nevada. https://citytrees.com Forward Looking Statements This press release contains certain 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and 'forward-looking statements' as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, the 'forward-looking statements'). These statements relate to, among other things, the impact of the COVID-19 virus on our business, the results of our initiatives to retain our employees and strengthen our relationships with our customers and community during the pandemic, the effect of our initiatives to expand market share and achieve growth, the expected development of our business and joint ventures, results of operations and financial performance, future liquidity, working capital and capital requirements, the effects of the additional dilution in our common stock that may occur as a result of the amendments to our convertible debentures, and anticipated future events. The continued spread of COVID-19 could have, and in some cases already has had, an adverse impact on our business, operations and financial results, including through disruptions in our cultivation and processing activities, supply chains and sales channels, and retail dispensary operations as well as a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession. In some cases, you can identify forward looking statements by terminology such as 'may,' 'might,' 'will,' 'should,' 'intends,' 'expects,' 'plans,' 'goals,' 'projects,' 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'estimates,' 'predicts,' 'potential,' or 'continue' or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, are uncertain and involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that they were made. These cautionary statements should be considered together with any written or oral forward-looking statements that we may issue in the future. Except as required by applicable law, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to reflect actual results, later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. See CLS Holdings USA filings with the SEC and on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com for additional details. Contact Information: Corporate: President and CEO Andrew Glashow 888-438-9132 Investor Relations: Rob Kelly 416-992-4539 rob@mattio.com investors@clsholdingsinc.com SOURCE: CLS Holdings USA, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722020/CLS-Holdings-City-Trees-Products-Maintain-1-Concentrate-Brand-Ranking-in-Nevada HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / Silver Tiger Metals Inc. (TSXV:SLVR)(OTCQX:SLVTF) ("Silver Tiger" or the "Corporation") has intersected 2,341.9 g/t total silver equivalent over 2.1 meters in the El Tigre Vein in Drill Hole ET-431 from 413.5 meters to 415.6 meters, consisting of 1,536.1 g/t silver, 0.19 g/t gold, 1.62% copper, 7.71% lead and 13.66% zinc within 9.4 meters grading 1,013.3 g/t total silver equivalent from 409.1 meters to 418.5 meters consisting of 641.3 g/t silver, 0.19 g/t gold, 0.65% copper, 3.32% lead and 6.51% zinc in the El Tigre Vein under the northern unmined portion of the Historic El Tigre Mine. Highlights from the on-going drilling program include the following: Hole ET-430: 1.0 meters grading 2,948.7 g/t total silver equivalent from 272.7 meters to 273.7 meters, consisting of 2,754.0 g/t silver, 0.37 g/t gold, 1.50% copper, 0.68% lead and 0.21% zinc within 5.9 meters grading 742.1 g/t total silver equivalent from 269.1 meters to 275.0 meters consisting of 677.6 g/t silver, 0.10 g/t gold, 0.46% copper, 0.38% lead and 0.11% zinc and 0.5 meters grading 3,058.7 g/t total silver equivalent from 297.5 meters to 298.0 meters, consisting of 2,797.0 g/t silver, 0.20 g/t gold, 2.09% copper, 0.90% lead and 0.73% zinc within 1.1 meters grading 1,474.6 g/t total silver equivalent from 297.0 meters to 298.0 meters consisting of 1,346.0 g/t silver, 0.11 g/t gold, 1.02% copper, 0.45% lead and 0.35% zinc in the El Tigre Vein. from 272.7 meters to 273.7 meters, consisting of 2,754.0 g/t silver, 0.37 g/t gold, 1.50% copper, 0.68% lead and 0.21% zinc from 269.1 meters to 275.0 meters consisting of 677.6 g/t silver, 0.10 g/t gold, 0.46% copper, 0.38% lead and 0.11% zinc and from 297.5 meters to 298.0 meters, consisting of 2,797.0 g/t silver, 0.20 g/t gold, 2.09% copper, 0.90% lead and 0.73% zinc from 297.0 meters to 298.0 meters consisting of 1,346.0 g/t silver, 0.11 g/t gold, 1.02% copper, 0.45% lead and 0.35% zinc in the El Tigre Vein. Hole ET-431: 2.1 meters grading 2,341.9 g/t total silver equivalent from 413.5 meters to 415.6 meters, consisting of 1,536.1 g/t silver, 0.19 g/t gold, 1.62% copper, 7.71% lead and 13.66% zinc within 9.4 meters grading 1,013.3 g/t total silver equivalent from 409.1 meters to 418.5 meters consisting of 641.3 g/t silver, 0.19 g/t gold, 0.65% copper, 3.32% lead and 6.51% zinc in the El Tigre Vein. Additional drill results for the El Tigre Vein and the adjacent Sooy Vein are presented in the Drill Hole Results table below along with the details for the calculation of the silver equivalent grades. Attached is El Tigre Cross Section 4865N detailing Drill Hole ET-431. Also attached is a Plan Map of the El Tigre, Sooy and Seitz Kelly Veins and Drill Holes. Silver Tiger's CEO, Glenn Jessome, stated, "These next three wide consistently mineralized high grade holes confirm the new discovery in the El Tigre Vein we first reported in September 2022. Drilling continues on this exploration target under the unmined portion of the Historic El Tigre Mine as we follow this wide high grade along strike to the North." Current Drill Target - Unmined Northern El Tigre Mine Exploration Target Silver Tiger is currently drilling this new Exploration Target underneath the northern unmined portion of the Historic El Tigre Mine Underground Rehabilitation at Historic El Tigre Mine Update As previously announced Silver Tiger has contracted Cominvi, a Mexican underground contract mining and development company to rehabilitate the Historic El Tigre Mine. Cominvi are progressing well in the underground rehabilitation of the Historic El Tigre Mine and have already completed over 450 meters of rehabilitation in Level 7, which was the main portal to the mine. Silver Tiger is still on schedule to reach the Sooy Vein and then begin underground drilling of this new discovery under the Northern end of the unmined portion of the Historic El Tigre Mine. Drill Hole Results Table Hole ID Comment From To Length(1) Gold Silver Copper Lead Zinc AgEq Total (2) m m m g/t g/t % % % g/t ET-429 Sooy Vein Zone 63.0 63.5 0.5 1.46 1,320.0 0.32 0.16 0.07 1,465.9 El Tigre Vein 247.8 253.2 5.4 0.06 219.6 0.18 0.24 0.17 252.9 including 249.9 251.0 1.1 0.07 707.0 0.39 0.37 0.40 771.9 El Tigre Vein 265.2 275.9 10.7 0.04 120.2 0.17 0.30 0.22 154.6 including 274.3 275.4 1.1 0.04 549.7 0.74 1.02 0.90 677.9 ET-430 HW Gold Zone 81.0 101.5 20.5 0.08 41.7 0.01 0.02 0.05 50.2 including 93.0 94.6 1.6 0.23 390.1 0.06 0.11 0.32 426.5 Sooy Vein Zone 117.5 119.1 1.6 0.28 528.1 0.12 0.14 0.27 573.5 255.0 255.5 0.5 0.14 991.0 0.49 1.29 5.57 1,264.4 El Tigre Vein 269.1 275.0 5.9 0.10 677.6 0.46 0.38 0.11 742.1 including 272.7 273.7 1.0 0.37 2,754.0 1.50 0.68 0.21 2,948.7 and 297.0 298.0 1.0 0.11 1,346.0 1.02 0.45 0.35 1,474.6 including 297.5 298.0 0.5 0.20 2,797.0 2.09 0.90 0.73 3,058.7 ET-431 HW Gold Zone 10.1 46.5 36.4 0.13 41.9 0.00 0.01 0.01 52.6 including 10.1 11.6 1.5 0.11 731.0 0.00 0.05 0.00 740.9 Sooy Vein Zone 83.9 86.7 2.8 0.59 137.4 0.03 0.19 0.24 196.5 339.5 342.6 3.1 0.06 211.5 0.08 0.02 0.03 225.2 El Tigre Vein 409.1 418.5 9.4 0.19 641.3 0.65 3.32 6.51 1,013.3 including 413.5 415.6 2.1 0.19 1,536.1 1.62 7.71 13.66 2,341.9 Notes: Not true width. Silver Equivalent ("EqAg") ratios are based on a silver to gold price ratio of 75:1 (Au:Ag). Copper, lead and zinc are converted using $3.66/lb copper, $0.90/lb lead, $1.26/lb zinc at 100% metal recoveries based on a silver price of $26.00/oz. Drill Hole Location Table Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Az Dip Length ET-429 670845 3384818 1917 89 -83 460.6 ET-430 670845 3384817 1917 124 -86 463.6 ET-431 670850 3384868 1886 79 -83 472.8 El Tigre Cross Section 4865N (Drill Hole ET-431) Plan Map of the El Tigre, Sooy and Seitz Kelly Veins and Drill Holes El Tigre Resource Estimate After acquiring El Tigre, Silver Tiger drilled 12,500 meters to define the wide halo of near surface gold mineralization around the mined high-grade veins of the historic El Tigre Mine. This allowed Silver Tiger to deliver a maiden resource estimate for the El Tigre Property to a depth of 150 meters containing indicated resources of 661,000 gold equivalent ounces at 0.77 g/t (21 g/t silver and 0.51 g/t gold) and inferred resources of 341,000 gold equivalent ounces at 1.59 g/t (88 g/t silver and 0.52 g/t gold). The National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate on the El Tigre Project, Sonora, Mexico" effective as of September 7, 2017 and dated October 26, 2017 prepared by David Burga, P.Geo., Yungang Wu, P.Geo., Fred Brown, P.Geo., Jarita Barry, P.Geo., Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET, Alfred Hayden, P.Eng. and Richard H. Sutcliffe, Ph.D., P.Geo. of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. is available on the Corporation's website at www.silvertigermetals.com and on www.sedar.com under the Corporation's profile. About Silver Tiger and the El Tigre Historic Mine District Silver Tiger Metals Inc. is a Canadian company whose management has more than 25 years' experience discovering, financing and building large hydrothermal silver projects in Mexico. Silver Tiger's 100% owned 28,414 hectare Historic El Tigre Mining District is located in Sonora, Mexico. Principled environmental, social and governance practices are core priorities at Silver Tiger. The El Tigre historic mine district is located in Sonora, Mexico and lies at the northern end of the Sierra Madre silver and gold belt which hosts many epithermal silver and gold deposits, including Dolores, Santa Elena and Las Chispas at the northern end. In 1896, gold was first discovered on the property in the Gold Hill area and mining started with the Brown Shaft in 1903. The focus soon changed to mining high-grade silver veins in the area with production coming from 3 parallel veins the El Tigre Vein, the Seitz Kelley Vein and the Sooy Vein. Underground mining on the middle El Tigre vein extended 1,450 meters along strike and was mined on 14 levels to a depth of approximately 450 meters. The Seitz Kelley Vein was mined along strike for 1 kilometer to a depth of approximately 200 meters. The Sooy Vein was only mined along strike for 250 meters to a depth of approximately 150 meters. Mining abruptly stopped on all 3 of these veins when the price of silver collapsed to less than 20 per ounce with the onset of the Great Depression. By the time the mine closed in 1930, it is reported to have produced a total of 353,000 ounces of gold and 67.4 million ounces of silver from 1.87 million tons (Craig, 2012). The average grade mined during this period was over 2 kilograms silver equivalent per ton. The El Tigre silver and gold deposit is related to a series of high-grade epithermal veins controlled by a north-south trending structure cutting across the andesitic and rhyolitic tuffs of the Sierra Madre Volcanic Complex within a broad silver and gold mineralized prophylitic alteration zone developed in the El Tigre Formation that can be up to 150 meters wide. The veins dip steeply to the west and are typically 0.5 meter wide but locally can be up to 5 meters in width. The veins, structures and mineralized zones outcrop on surface and have been traced for 5.3 kilometers along strike in our brownfield exploration area. Historical mining and exploration activities focused on a 1.6 kilometer portion of the southern end of the deposits, principally on the El Tigre, Seitz Kelly and Sooy veins. The under explored Caleigh, Benjamin, Protectora and the Fundadora exposed veins continue north for more than 3 kilometers. Silver Tiger has delivered its maiden 43-101 compliant resource estimate and is currently drilling to update its resource estimate and publish a PEA. VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation - Silver Tiger's El Tigre Project VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps. Access the Silver Tiger Metals Inc. Company Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for Silver Tiger Metals Inc. can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/492 and on the Corporation's website at: www.silvertigermetals.com. Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined, the full core is sawn with a diamond blade core saw with one half of the core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining half portion is returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work. The sealed and tagged sample bags are transported to the Bureau Veritas facility in Hermosillo, Mexico. Bureau Veritas crushes the samples (Code PRP70-250) and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 200 mesh (Code PUL85). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 30-gram charge by fire assay (Code FA630) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code FA530). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code MA200 Total Digestion ICP). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code FA530). Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed Silver Tiger's QA/QC protocols. Qualified Person David R. Duncan, P. Geo., V.P. Exploration of the Corporation, is the Qualified Person for Silver Tiger as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Duncan has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release. For further information, please contact: Glenn Jessome President and CEO 902 492 0298 jessome@silvertigermetals.com 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. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, resources and reserves, the ability to convert inferred resources to indicated resources, the ability to complete future drilling programs and infill sampling, the ability to extend resource blocks, the similarity of mineralization at El Tigre to Delores, Santa Elena and Chispas, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Silver Tiger, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "may", "is expected to", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "projection", "could", "vision", "goals", "objective" and "outlook" and other similar words. Although Silver Tiger believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Silver Tiger's expectations include risks and uncertainties related to exploration, development, operations, commodity prices and global financial volatility, risk and uncertainties of operating in a foreign jurisdiction as well as additional risks described from time to time in the filings made by Silver Tiger with securities regulators. SOURCE: Silver Tiger Metals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722100/Silver-Tiger-Intersects-23419-GT-AgEq-Over-21-Meters-in-the-El-Tigre-Vein-Within-94-Meters-Grading-10133-GT-AgEq TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / NextSource Materials Inc. (TSX:NEXT)(OTCQB:NSRCF) ("NextSource" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the development of its Molo Graphite Mine ("Molo mine") in Madagascar, management appointments and progress on its proposed Battery Anode Facility ("BAF") deployment plans. The Company also announces the early exercise by Vision Blue Resources Limited ("Vision Blue") of 23,214,286 warrants acquired in May 2021 (see the Company's press release on May 19, 2021) for aggregate proceeds to the Company of approximately US$16.9 million. Molo Mine Construction Update The transport of all processing plant modules and supporting equipment to the Molo mine site has been completed. Re-assembly of the Processing Plant is in progress and will be followed by Site Acceptance Testing, which is the final step before commissioning. Completion of construction activities and the start of mining activities is expected in November. Completion of plant commissioning is expected in December followed by a ramp up period prior to declaring commercial production. Phase 1 of the Molo Mine is designed to operate at a production capacity of 17,000 tonnes per annum. Phase 1 is modular and can be incrementally expanded to provide additional feedstock for the Company's downstream initiatives. Strengthening Management and Operations Team for Next Stage of Growth The Company is pleased to announce an expansion of its senior management and mine operations teams with the addition of Danniel Stokes as Vice President, Special Projects, and Wilhelm Reitz as Mine Manager of the Molo Graphite Mine. Mr. Stokes has more than 18 years of project management experience across a diverse portfolio of mining projects around the world. Mr. Stokes will be based in the UK and will be responsible for project management of the Molo Mine Phase 2 Expansion Feasibility Study and the BAF project. Prior to joining NextSource Materials, Mr. Stokes held senior management positions at the Nimba Iron Ore Project, ArcelorMittal Mining's PMO, and on international mining projects that include the Guinea Alumina Project, Ivanhoe's Oyu Tolgoi Copper/Gold Project in Mongolia, and the Resolution Copper Project in Arizona. Mr. Stokes holds degrees in business and engineering. Mr. Reitz has 28 years of mine management experience in Africa and across a diverse range of critical minerals, metals and commodities, with specific graphite expertise, having served as the mine manager and technical advisor to two graphite operations in Madagascar. President and CEO, Craig Scherba, commented, "With the commissioning of the Molo mine anticipated to be just weeks away, we are executing on our strategy to become an integrated producer of graphite anode materials to supply the global automotive industry with a material that is critical to its electrification plans. The construction of the Molo mine is progressing well, and we expect to provide details on the location and economics of our first downstream battery anode facility by December. I am delighted to welcome Danniel Stokes and Wilhelm Reitz to the NextSource team and, together with the additional investment by Vision Blue Resources, we are well positioned as we advance to our next stage of growth." Battery Anode Facility (BAF) With the completion of Phase 1 of the Molo Graphite Mine in Madagascar, the Company is finalizing its plans to build several BAFs in sequence that will convert flake graphite into coated, spheronized and purified graphite ("CSPG"). The Company plans to construct BAFs with modular production capacities that can expand in lockstep with automotive demand, with each facility to be strategically positioned to serve key markets in Asia, North America, and Europe. For the past several months, the Company has undertaken a comprehensive process to shortlist optimal locations for its first BAF, and through this process has selected a location. An economic/costing study ("the Study") on the capital and operating costs in respect of the first BAF is expected to be completed in November 2022 and the Company will share details of the location and the Study results shortly thereafter. It is anticipated that the BAF will take approximately 12 months to complete once a construction decision has been made by the Company. CSPG is the final form of graphite that is used as anode material, which is assembled along with cathode material and other components into finished lithium-ion batteries, used by automobile manufacturers for electric vehicles. The Company has an exclusive technical partnership agreement to produce CSPG using proprietary and well-established processing technology that currently supplies major EV automotive companies, including the Tesla and Toyota supply chains. Exercise of Warrants by Vision Blue Resources for Proceeds of US$16.9M The Company is pleased to announce the early exercise by Vision Blue of 23,214,286 common share purchase warrants ("Warrants") at a price of C$1.00 per common share that were set to expire on May 19, 2023 for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of C$23,214,286 (approximately US$16.9M). The subscription notice was received by the Company on October 25, 2022 and the estimated US Dollar equivalent is based on the posted exchange rate as of October 24, 2022. The exercise of the Warrants is expected to be completed on or around October 31, 2022. Prior to the exercise of the Warrants, Vision Blue has beneficial ownership of, or control and direction over 35,214,286 common shares, 23,214,286 Warrants, 15,000 restricted share units (each, an "RSU"), entitling the holder to acquire one common share for no additional consideration and expiring on June 30, 2024, and 150,000 stock options (each, an "Option"), entitling the holder to purchase one common share at a price of C$3.60 per share and expiring on March 19, 2024, representing approximately 34.57% of the outstanding common shares on a non-diluted basis and approximately 46.78% on a partially diluted basis. As a result of the exercise of the Warrants the Company's issued share capital will increase to 125,086,900 outstanding common shares and Vision Blue will have beneficial ownership of, or control and direction over 58,428,572 common shares, 15,000 RSUs and 150,000 Options, representing approximately 46.71% of the outstanding common shares on a non-diluted basis and approximately 46.78% on a partially diluted basis (in the event that Vision Blue exercises its outstanding options and RSUs). Vision Blue is acquiring the common shares for investment purposes and intends to review its investment in NextSource on a continuing basis. Vision Blue may, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease its beneficial ownership, control or direction, over securities of NextSource through market transactions, private agreements, treasury issuances or otherwise. Vision Blue's head office is located at Third Floor, 1 Le Truchot, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 1WD. For more information, or to obtain a copy of the subject early warning report, please contact: Sir Mick Davis info@vision-blue.com +44 (0)2073899512 About VISION BLUE RESOURCES LIMITED Vision Blue was founded in December 2020 by Sir Mick Davis to identify and capture opportunities in battery and technology minerals linked to EVs & Grid Storage growth. Vision Blue targets companies in established mining jurisdictions, with well-advanced and best-inclass battery material assets that are scalable and can be brought into production rapidly. Vision Blue aims to work with existing management teams to provide critical growth capital, technical support, experience in securing future finance, and ultimately the delivery of an exit strategy. Where possible, Vision Blue utilizes a phased development approach based upon self-financed expansion to achieve large scale revenue and cash flows across the entire battery materials vertical supply chain. For further information about Vision Blue visit their website at www.vision-blue.com. About NextSource Materials Inc. NextSource Materials Inc. is a strategic materials development company based in Toronto, Canada that is intent on becoming a fully integrated, global supplier of critical battery and technology materials needed to power the sustainable energy revolution. The Company's Molo graphite project in Madagascar is one of the largest known and highest-quality graphite deposits globally, and the only one with SuperFlake graphite. Construction of Phase 1 of the Molo Project is underway, with the start of mining activities expected in November 2022, and completion of plant commissioning expected in early December 2022. NextSource Materials is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol "NEXT" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "NSRCF". For further information about NextSource visit our website at www.nextsourcematerials.com or contact us a +1.416.364.4911 or email Brent Nykoliation, Executive Vice President at brent@nextsourcematerials.com or Craig Scherba, President & CEO at craig@nextsourcematerials.com. Safe Harbour: This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Forward looking statements and information are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "potential", "possible" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "will", "could", or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements include any statements regarding, among others, timing of on-site construction including the processing plant and installation thereof, delivery and installation of the auxiliary buildings and structures, delivery and construction of the Solar Hybrid Battery System, shipping of all plant infrastructure to site, all re-assembly and commissioning of the Molo Project, completion and initiation of a Phase 2 mine expansion and BAF Feasibility Study respectively, and timing of its completion, production capacity, NPV, IRR and life of mine of the Molo mine, timing of the FEED Study and Feasibility Study, site selection of a BAF, as well as the Company's intent on becoming a fully integrated global supplier of critical battery and technology materials. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and assumptions that involve a number of risks, which could cause actual results to vary and, in some instances, to differ materially from those anticipated by the Company and described in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur or, if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive there from. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on what management believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with them. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release. SOURCE: NextSource Materials Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722053/NextSource-Materials-Announces-Molo-Mine-Update-Management-Appointments-and-Exercise-of-Warrants-by-Vision-Blue-Resources-for-Proceeds-of-US169M Powerful and easy-to-use application, purpose-built for ITSPs, helps them Find, Fix and Automate Microsoft 365 Security. Reduces 200M hours of specialized and costly IT labor for the industry. SkyKick (www.skykick.com), a global provider of cloud automation and management software for information technology services providers (ITSPs), announced today the release of Security Manager, the fourth addition to its growing suite of Cloud Management applications. Security Manager is purpose-built to help IT partners better protect customers in the cloud and accelerate growth by reducing the cost and complexity of delivering security services for their customers. As SMBs continue their shift to the cloud accelerated by the rapid adoption of remote work due to COVID-19 security is becoming a more urgent concern for customers and their IT partners. According to the U.S. Small Business Association, nearly 88% of small business owners feel that their business is vulnerable to a cyberattack. As a result, ITSPs are starting to build security services to drive more proactive customer protection, higher satisfaction, and increased revenue. However, ITSPs report that managing security-related workloads can be overwhelming. A recent report shows that reactive security tickets now constitute 21% of the workload on help desk teams, who are already stressed due to staffing limitations and ever-increasing ticket volumes. A small 10-person ITSP primarily focused on SMB-relevant applications like Microsoft 365 could be spending as many as 2,500 hours a year on security tickets like MFA, Phishing and Single Sign-on authentication. "We are excited to once again be moving the industry forward by making it easy and powerful for IT service providers to manage and automate Microsoft 365 security," said SkyKick Co-CEO Todd Schwartz. "Security is clearly top-of-mind for our partners and so many of their customers. We created SkyKick Security Manager as an application purpose-built for ITSPs to find, fix and automate security across thousands of potential security issues for Microsoft 365 services unlocking the path to a more successful cloud security practice for partners." Security Manager is a powerful application for partners to efficiently deliver and monetize cloud security in their Microsoft 365 business. With Security Manager, partners can easily discover risks, vulnerabilities, and opportunities across all customers under management. It transforms millions of security signals into actionable insights through a single pane of glass. The application enables frontline ITSP support staff to easily remediate security issues across all their customers. Security Manager also provides advanced automation capabilities for partners to monitor, automate and scale their security practice. "This is game-changing. Security Manager brings down all that Microsoft 365 security information into one centralized console that is easy, user-friendly, and actionable. This creates more efficiency in our security and operations teams, allowing us to manage more clients with the same resources," said Shane Monty, Vice President at Present, a large MSP out of Montreal, Canada. With Security Manager, IT Partners can confidently offer more robust security services in their Microsoft 365 managed bundle and generate as much as 30-50% more recurring revenue per user, while creating more differentiation and relevance with their customers. Security Manager will bring a new level of efficiency, scalability, and profitability to the ITSP industry as it steps up its focus on security growth. SkyKick will host a virtual launch event on Tuesday, Oct. 25, to unveil the new application to the press, ITSPs and the industry at large. Event registration and on-demand playback details can be found at https://skykick.com. About SkyKick SkyKick is a global provider of cloud management software for IT Services Providers. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Wash., and has offices in Amsterdam, Sydney, and Tokyo. Its products are designed to help build successful cloud businesses by making it easy and efficient for IT providers to migrate, backup, manage and secure their customers in the cloud. Over 30,000 partners worldwide use SkyKick's products to accelerate their cloud business, and the company has won numerous awards including being named a Microsoft Partner of the Year, Red Herring Top 100 North America winner and one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in Washington State. SkyKick is headquartered in Seattle. For more information visit www.skykick.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005459/en/ Contacts: Paul Forecki Voxus PR for SkyKick pforecki@voxuspr.com 253.444.5446 Canopy Growth announces plans to consolidate all U.S. cannabis assets into a single entity, Canopy USA, creating a U.S. holding company and exchangeable share structure designed to enable Canopy USA to trigger full ownership of U.S. cannabis investments and capitalize on U.S. cannabis market opportunities Constellation Brands intends to transition existing common shares ownership interest in Canopy Growth into new exchangeable shares, protecting Constellation shareholder value while retaining an interest in Canopy Growth through non-voting and non-participating shares Share ownership transition and surrender of Canopy Growth warrants is aligned with Constellation's focus on core Beer and Wine and Spirits businesses and capital allocation priorities, emphasizing a strong financial foundation, reinvestment in its core businesses, and return of value to its shareholders VICTOR, N.Y., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), a leading beverage alcohol company, announced today that its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries, Greenstar Canada Investment Limited Partnership ("Greenstar") and CBG Holdings LLC ("CBG"), have entered into a consent agreement (the "Consent Agreement") with Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy"), providing their consent in respect of a proposed corporate transaction (the "Transaction") by Canopy to consolidate its U.S cannabis assets into a newly formed entity ("Canopy USA"). Canopy only holds non-voting and non-participating exchangeable shares of Canopy USA which are convertible into common shares of Canopy USA. Third-party investors will hold 100% of the common shares of Canopy USA. "We believe that the conversion of our ownership interest will maintain Constellation's ability to realize the potential upside of our investment in Canopy," said Bill Newlands, Constellation's President and CEO. "At the same time, this Transaction and the surrender of our warrants are expected to eliminate the impact to our equity in earnings, mitigate risk to our organization, and further reinforce our intent to not deploy additional investment in Canopy aligned with Constellation's previously stated capital allocation priorities." In connection with the Transaction, Canopy has proposed to amend its share capital to (a) provide for the creation of a new class of non-voting and non-participating exchangeable shares which will be convertible into common shares of Canopy ("Exchangeable Shares"), and (b) restate the rights of Canopy's common shares ("Common Shares") to provide for the conversion of Common Shares into Exchangeable Shares on a one-for-one basis at any time and at the option of the holder of such shares (the "Amendment"). Canopy has stated its intention to hold a special meeting of shareholders to consider the Amendment. Greenstar and CBG have entered into a voting support agreement with Canopy to vote in favor of the Amendment. If the Transaction is completed and the Amendment is authorized by Canopy's shareholders and adopted by Canopy, Greenstar and CBG intend, subject to a final decision in their sole discretion, to exercise their rights to convert their Common Shares into Exchangeable Shares. If Greenstar and CBG convert their Common Shares into Exchangeable Shares, (a) CBG intends to surrender its 139,745,453 warrants to purchase Common Shares ("Warrants") to Canopy for cancellation; and (b) the parties intend to terminate the investor rights agreement, administrative services agreement, co-development agreement, and all other commercial arrangements between them and their subsidiaries, excluding the Consent Agreement and certain termination agreements. As such, Constellation would have no further governance rights in relation to Canopy, including rights to nominate members to the Board of Directors of Canopy, or approval rights related to certain transactions, and all nominees of Constellation will resign from Canopy's Board of Directors. If the Amendment is authorized by Canopy's shareholders, Greenstar and Canopy also intend to negotiate an exchange of up to C$100 million aggregate principal amount of outstanding senior notes of Canopy due July 2023. Greenstar and CBG currently hold an aggregate of 171,499,258 Common Shares (representing approximately 35.7% of the currently issued and outstanding Common Shares), 139,745,453 Warrants and C$100 million aggregate principal amount of Notes. Assuming full exercise of the Warrants, Greenstar and CBG would hold an aggregate of 311,244,711 Common Shares, representing approximately 50.2% of the then issued and outstanding Common Shares, assuming no other changes in Canopy's issued and outstanding Common Shares. Assuming (a) the completion of the Transaction and the transactions contemplated by the Consent Agreement and (b) that Greenstar and CBG elect to convert their Common Shares into Exchangeable Shares and complete the other matters contemplated by the Consent Agreement, Greenstar and CBG would hold an aggregate of 171,499,258 Exchangeable Shares, C$100 million aggregate principal amount of Notes and no Common Shares or Warrants. As the Amendment will result in all Common Shares becoming convertible into Exchangeable Shares and it is uncertain how many Canopy shareholders may exercise their conversion rights, it is uncertain what percentage of Exchangeable Shares that Greenstar and CBG will hold following completion of these proposed transactions. At that time, Constellation would only have an interest in the non-voting and non-participating Exchangeable Shares and the Notes. Pursuant to their terms, the Exchangeable Shares will be convertible into Common Shares at the election of Greenstar and CBG, provided that Greenstar and CBG will not convert any of their outstanding Exchangeable Shares for Common Shares or own any Common Shares, in each case until such time as the U.S. domestic sale of marijuana could not reasonably be expected to violate the Controlled Substances Act, the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (as it relates to violation of the Controlled Substances Act) and all related applicable anti-money laundering laws. Accordingly, for early warning reporting purposes, Constellation will be deemed to beneficially own the Common Shares issuable on conversion of the Exchangeable Shares. Based on the assumptions noted above and assuming no further issuances of Common Shares or Exchangeable Shares, if Constellation were to convert all such Exchangeable Shares it would hold an aggregate of 171,499,258 Common Shares (representing approximately 35.7% of the currently issued and outstanding Common Shares). If Greenstar and CBG do not convert their Common Shares into Exchangeable Shares, Canopy and its subsidiaries will not be permitted to exercise any rights to acquire shares and interests in entities carrying on cannabis-related business in the U.S., Canopy USA will be required to exercise its repurchase rights to acquire the interests in Canopy USA held by third-party investors, and Greenstar and CBG will continue to have all existing rights under their agreements with Canopy that predate the Consent Agreement, including governance rights in respect of Canopy (such as board nomination rights and approval rights in respect of certain transactions). Other Financial Reporting Implications For Constellation Brands If the Transaction is completed and the Amendment is authorized by Canopy's shareholders and adopted by Canopy, and Greenstar and CBG exercise their rights to convert their Common Shares into Exchangeable Shares, Constellation Brands will no longer: apply the equity method to its investment in Canopy, which will instead be accounted for at fair value with changes reported in income (loss) from unconsolidated investments within Constellation's consolidated results; and have a stand-alone Canopy operating segment and Canopy's financial results will no longer be provided to, or reviewed by, Constellation's Chief Operating Decision Maker and will not be used to make strategic decisions, allocate resources, or assess performance. IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Except as set out above, Constellation has no other present plans or future intentions that relate to Canopy. Constellation may from time to time dispose of Common Shares, Exchangeable Shares, Notes or other securities of Canopy, convert its Common Shares into Exchangeable Shares, or convert its Exchangeable Shares into Common Shares (when permissible within all applicable regulations as described above), exchange Notes for Exchangeable Shares, or conduct other transactions, in the future, either on the open market or in private transactions, in each case, depending on a number of factors, including general market and economic conditions, other available investment opportunities, regulatory developments or other factors determined by Constellation. Depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, Canopy's business and financial condition and/or other relevant factors, Constellation may develop other plans or intentions in the future. A copy of the early warning report filed in connection with this press release will be available on Canopy's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.comor may be obtained by contacting Constellation's Investor Center at 1-888-922-2150. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The words "expect," "intend," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These statements may relate to business strategy, future operations, prospects, plans and objectives of management, as well as information concerning expected actions of third parties, including statements related to the Transaction, the transactions contemplated by the Consent Agreement, the treatment of the Notes, and potential results of such transactions. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such actions will in fact occur or will occur on the timetable contemplated hereby. The Transaction and the transactions contemplated by the Consent Agreement are subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions. No assurances can be given that the Transaction, the transactions contemplated by the Consent Agreement, or a transaction regarding the Notes will occur or will occur on the contemplated terms or timetable. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and Constellation undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In addition to risks and uncertainties associated with ordinary business operations, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are subject to other risks and uncertainties, including the terms and conditions associated with the Transaction and the Consent Agreement, that the Transaction, the transactions contemplated by the Consent Agreement, and a transaction regarding the Notes may not be completed at all, including because Canopy may not receive the required approval of its shareholders, that the Transaction and the transactions contemplated by the Consent Agreement, if completed, may significantly alter Constellation's relationship with and investment in Canopy; risks related to the value of Common Shares; and other factors and uncertainties disclosed from time-to-time in Constellation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended August 31, 2022, which could cause actual future performance to differ from current expectations. Constellation disclaims any responsibility for all disclosure issued by Canopy and any commentary made by Canopy on its webcast. ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS At Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B), our mission is to build brands that people love because we believe sharing a toast, unwinding after a day, celebrating milestones, and helping people connect, are Worth Reaching For. It's worth our dedication, hard work, and the bold calculated risks we take to deliver more for our consumers, trade partners, shareholders, and communities in which we live and work. It's what has made us one of the fastest-growing large CPG companies in the U.S. at retail, and it drives our pursuit to deliver what's next. Today, we are a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Every day, people reach for our high-end, iconic imported beer brands such as Corona Extra, Corona Light, Corona Premier, Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, and Pacifico, our fine wine and craft spirits brands, including The Prisoner Wine Company, Robert Mondavi Winery, Casa Noble Tequila, and High West Whiskey, and our premium wine brands such as Meiomi, and Kim Crawford. But we won't stop here. Our visionary leadership team and passionate employees from barrel room to boardroom are reaching for the next level, to explore the boundaries of the beverage alcohol industry and beyond. Join us in discovering what's Worth Reaching For. To learn more, visit www.cbrands.com and follow us on Twitter , Instagram , and LinkedIn . MEDIA CONTACTS INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS Mike McGrew 773-251-4934 / michael.mcgrew@cbrands.com (mailto:michael.mcgrew@cbrands.com) Joseph Suarez 773-551-4397 / joseph.suarez@cbrands.com (mailto:joseph.suarez@cbrands.com) Amy Martin 585-678-7141 / amy.martin@cbrands.com (mailto:amy.martin@cbrands.com) David Paccapaniccia 585-282-7227 / david.paccapaniccia@cbrands.com (mailto:david.paccapaniccia@cbrands.com) A downloadable PDF copy of this news release can be found here: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/b80b2319-655b-4f62-82b1-f44eff85fd0c VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / Skeena Resources Limited (TSX:SKE)(NYSE:SKE) ("Skeena" or the "Company") is pleased to announce drilling results from the 2022 regional and near mine exploration programs at the Eskay Creek gold-silver Project ("Eskay Creek" or the "Project") in the Golden Triangle of British Columbia. Analytical results and reference images from the recently completed drill holes are presented at the end of this release as well as on the Company's website. Additional results will be reported once available. New 2022 Drilling Highlights: 1.94 g/t Au, 32.3 g/t Ag (2.30 g/t AuEq) over 26.50 m (SK-22-1069) 2.59 g/t Au, 7.9 g/t Ag (2.68 g/t AuEq) over 21.00 m (SK-22-1069) 0.98 g/t Au, 6.4 g/t Ag (1.05 g/t AuEq) over 29.87 m (SK-22-1069) 1.97 g/t Au, 9.3 g/t Ag (2.07 g/t AuEq) over 13.56 m (SK-22-1069) 1.12 g/t Au, 4.7 g/t Ag (1.17 g/t AuEq) over 109.82 m (SK-22-1071) 1.13 g/t Au, 6.6 g/t Ag (1.20 g/t AuEq) over 96.02 m (SK-22-1090) Gold Equivalent (AuEq) calculated via the formula: Au (g/t) + [Ag (g/t) / 90]. True widths and zone geometries cannot be definitively determined at this time. Grade-capping of individual assays has not been applied to the Au and Ag assays informing the length-weighted AuEq composites. Metallurgical processing recoveries have not been applied to the AuEq calculation and are taken at 100%. Samples below detection limit were nulled to a value of zero. 23 Zone Mineralization Expands to Surface Infill drill hole SK-22-1090 successfully confirmed the continuity of gold-silver mineralization in the 23 Zone and has expanded mineralization to surface intersecting 1.13 g/t Au, 6.6 g/t Ag (1.20 g/t AuEq) over 96.02 m. This newly drilled mineralization demonstrates excellent downhole continuity but most importantly has extended mineralization to surface, which will have a potentially positive impact on the future open-pit strip ratio once the updated resource and engineering studies are completed. Additional drillholes targeting the surficial mineralization will be planned for future drilling campaigns. Multiple New Intersections Discovered in 21A West Zone Highlighted by recently completed exploratory drill hole SK-22-1071, a very wide interval of continuous dacite hosted gold-silver mineralization was intersected grading 1.12 g/t Au, 4.7 g/t Ag (1.17 g/t AuEq) over 109.82 m. This new occurrence of feeder style mineralization occurs 150 metres vertically below surface and below the current engineered pit. Due to the wide spacings of exploratory holes drilled to date, it is currently unclear if this mineralization is an extension of the 21A West Zone or if it represents a new dacite hosted replacement discovery analogous to the 23 Zone. Situated 70 metres along strike to the southeast of SK-22-1071, numerous rhyolite and dacite hosted gold-silver intersections were encountered by SK-22-1069 over the length of the drillhole including 1.94 g/t Au, 32.3 g/t Ag (2.30 g/t AuEq) over 26.50 m, 2.59 g/t Au, 7.9 g/t Ag (2.68 g/t AuEq) over 21.00 m and 0.98 g/t Au, 6.4 g/t Ag (1.05 g/t AuEq) over 29.87 m. Based upon currently defined zone geometries, these occurrences are likely a combination of 21A West feeder style mineralization and possibly the dacite hosted mineralization uncovered in SK-22-1071. Additional new mineralization was also discovered in the Even Lower Mudstone via SK-22-1069 which averaged 1.97 g/t Au, 9.3 g/t Ag (2.07 g/t AuEq) over 13.56 m including the high tenor subinterval grading 11.55 g/t Au, 25 g/t Ag (11.83 g/t AuEq) over 1.19 m. About Skeena Skeena Resources Limited is a Canadian mining exploration and development company focused on revitalizing the past-producing Eskay Creek gold-silver mine located in Tahltan Territory in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The Company released a Feasibility Study for Eskay Creek in September 2022 which highlights an open-pit average grade of 4.00 g/t AuEq, an after-tax NPV5% of C$1.4B, 50% IRR, and a 1-year payback at US$1,700/oz Au and US$19/oz Ag. Skeena is currently continuing exploration drilling at Eskay Creek. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Skeena Resources Limited, Walter Coles Jr. CEO & Director Contact Information Investor Inquiries: info@skeenaresources.com Office Phone: +1 604 684 8725 Company Website: www.skeenaresources.com Qualified Persons Exploration activities at the Eskay Creek Project are administered on site by the Company's Exploration Managers, Raegan Markel, P.Geo. and Director of Exploration, Adrian Newton P.Geo. In accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Paul Geddes, P.Geo. Senior Vice President Exploration and Resource Development, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has prepared, validated and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting the exploration activities on its projects. Quality Assurance - Quality Control Once received from the drill and processed, all drill core samples are sawn in half, labelled and bagged. The remaining drill core is subsequently securely stored on site. Numbered security tags are applied to lab shipments for chain of custody requirements. The Company inserts quality control (QC) samples at regular intervals in the sample stream, including blanks and reference materials with all sample shipments to monitor laboratory performance. The QAQC program was designed and approved by Lynda Bloom, P.Geo. of Analytical Solutions Ltd., and is overseen by the Company's Qualified Person, Paul Geddes, P.Geo, Vice President Exploration and Resource Development. Drill core samples are submitted to ALS Geochemistry's analytical facility in North Vancouver, British Columbia for preparation and analysis. The ALS facility is accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for gold assays and all analytical methods include quality control materials at set frequencies with established data acceptance criteria. The entire sample is crushed and 1 kg is pulverized. Analysis for gold is by 50 g fire assay fusion with atomic absorption (AAS) finish with a lower limit of 0.01 ppm and upper limit of 100 ppm. Samples with gold assays greater than 100 ppm are re-analyzed using a 50 g fire assay fusion with gravimetric finish. Analysis for silver is by 50 g fire assay fusion with gravimetric finish with a lower limit of 5ppm and upper limit of 10,000 ppm. Samples with silver assays greater than 10,000 ppm are re-analyzed using a gravimetric silver concentrate method. A selected number of samples are also analyzed using a 48 multi-element geochemical package by a 4-acid digestion, followed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and also for mercury using an aqua regia digest with Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) finish. Samples with sulfur reporting greater than 10% from the multi-element analysis are re-analyzed for total sulfur by Leco furnace and infrared spectroscopy. Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements Certain statements and information contained or incorporated by reference in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or our future performance. The use of words such as "anticipates", "believes", "proposes", "contemplates", "generates", "targets", "is projected", "is planned", "considers", "estimates", "expects", "is expected", "potential" and similar expressions, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "might", "will", "could", or "would" be taken, achieved, or occur, may identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Specific forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the results of the Feasibility Study, processing capacity of the mine, anticipated mine life, probable reserves, estimated project capital and operating costs, sustaining costs, results of test work and studies, planned environmental assessments, the future price of metals, metal concentrate, and future exploration and development. Such forward-looking statements are based on material factors and/or assumptions which include, but are not limited to, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and the assumptions set forth herein and in the Company's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2021, its most recently filed interim MD&A, and the Company's Annual Information Form ("AIF") dated March 31, 2022. Such forward-looking statements represent the Company's management expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events or circumstances on the date the statements are made, and are necessarily based on several estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date hereof, are not guarantees of future performance. Actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein, and are subject to significant operational, business, economic, and regulatory risks and uncertainties. The risks and uncertainties that may affect the forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others: the inherent risks involved in exploration and development of mineral properties, including permitting and other government approvals; changes in economic conditions, including changes in the price of gold and other key variables; changes in mine plans and other factors, including accidents, equipment breakdown, bad weather and other project execution delays, many of which are beyond the control of the Company; environmental risks and unanticipated reclamation expenses; and other risk factors identified in the Company's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2021, its most recently filed interim MD&A, the AIF dated March 31, 2022, and in the Company's other periodic filings with securities and regulatory authorities in Canada and the United States that are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and Company does not undertake any obligations to update and/or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Cautionary note to U.S. Investors concerning estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources Skeena's mineral reserves and mineral resources included or incorporated by reference herein have been estimated in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. The terms "mineral reserve", "proven mineral reserve", "probable mineral reserve", "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") "CIM Definition Standards - For Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves" adopted by the CIM Council (as amended, the "CIM Definition Standards"). These standards differ significantly from the mineral property disclosure requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Regulation S-K Subpart 1300 (the "SEC Modernization Rules"). Skeena is not currently subject to the SEC Modernization Rules. Accordingly, Skeena's disclosure of mineralization and other technical information may differ significantly from the information that would be disclosed had Skeena prepared the information under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules. In addition, investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of Skeena's mineral resources constitute or will be converted into reserves. These terms have a great amount of uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to assume that any "measured", "indicated", or "inferred" mineral resources that Skeena reports are or will be economically or legally mineable. Further, "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or prefeasibility studies, except in rare cases where permitted under NI 43-101. For these reasons, the mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates and related information presented herein may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements under the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Table 1: Eskay Creek Project 2022 Exploratory Drilling Campaign Length-Weighted Drill Hole Composites: Hole-ID From (m) To (m) Sample Length (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) AuEq (g/t) SK-22-1056 16.88 17.50 0.62 0.31 0.3 0.31 SK-22-1056 29.22 32.83 3.61 0.36 3.1 0.39 SK-22-1056 44.14 48.66 4.52 0.72 107.0 1.92 SK-22-1056 78.70 79.46 0.76 0.34 3.9 0.38 SK-22-1056 89.00 90.50 1.50 0.30 10.5 0.42 SK-22-1056 96.50 98.00 1.50 0.33 1.7 0.35 SK-22-1056 105.50 108.50 3.00 0.43 3.8 0.47 SK-22-1056 116.00 129.50 13.50 0.42 2.5 0.44 SK-22-1056 138.77 142.50 3.73 0.56 9.9 0.67 SK-22-1057 9.50 16.80 7.30 0.99 47.1 1.52 SK-22-1057 25.12 30.20 5.08 0.56 33.6 0.94 SK-22-1058 7.18 13.00 5.82 0.46 16.9 0.65 SK-22-1058 20.50 50.00 29.50 0.46 6.9 0.53 SK-22-1058 59.00 66.50 7.50 0.25 2.5 0.28 SK-22-1058 93.50 99.50 6.00 0.24 1.2 0.25 SK-22-1058 109.50 154.00 44.50 0.40 4.3 0.44 SK-22-1058 163.00 175.40 12.40 0.78 5.5 0.84 SK-22-1059 23.65 25.00 1.35 0.36 0.5 0.36 SK-22-1059 36.50 38.00 1.50 0.29 1.1 0.30 SK-22-1059 44.70 68.45 23.75 0.40 3.6 0.44 SK-22-1059 74.00 75.50 1.50 0.41 0.5 0.41 SK-22-1059 97.50 99.00 1.50 1.16 0.5 1.16 SK-22-1059 124.50 129.00 4.50 0.30 4.0 0.35 SK-22-1060 0.70 15.20 14.50 1.03 5.7 1.10 SK-22-1060 22.00 27.00 5.00 0.32 4.1 0.37 SK-22-1060 47.50 56.00 8.50 0.45 0.7 0.46 SK-22-1060 62.50 65.50 3.00 0.32 0.4 0.32 SK-22-1060 71.47 72.75 1.28 0.58 0.7 0.59 SK-22-1060 80.00 81.00 1.00 0.46 0.3 0.46 SK-22-1060 96.67 98.00 1.33 4.29 15.4 4.46 SK-22-1060 121.00 122.36 1.36 0.36 2.0 0.38 SK-22-1061 62.45 90.50 28.05 1.54 1.5 1.56 Including 78.00 79.00 1.00 13.00 13.0 13.17 SK-22-1061 120.00 121.50 1.50 2.47 2.5 2.50 SK-22-1062 0.07 30.00 29.93 1.03 4.3 1.08 SK-22-1062 54.50 68.93 14.43 0.59 2.1 0.61 SK-22-1062 85.37 89.00 3.63 0.30 2.3 0.32 SK-22-1062 99.21 103.00 3.79 0.23 0.6 0.23 SK-22-1062 111.00 112.50 1.50 0.41 0.5 0.41 SK-22-1063 68.50 69.55 1.05 0.35 0.5 0.36 SK-22-1063 99.70 104.20 4.50 0.60 1.9 0.62 SK-22-1063 121.75 128.00 6.25 0.46 3.0 0.49 SK-22-1063 142.50 144.00 1.50 0.42 3.2 0.46 SK-22-1063 149.74 158.25 8.51 0.40 3.7 0.44 SK-22-1063 182.12 222.00 39.88 0.47 43.7 0.97 SK-22-1064 PENDING SK-22-1065 124.10 144.00 19.90 0.88 7.9 0.97 SK-22-1065 194.50 202.00 7.50 0.28 2.9 0.31 SK-22-1065 207.50 216.50 9.00 0.18 528.0 6.11 Including 209.00 212.00 3.00 0.14 1505.0 17.05 SK-22-1065 223.47 227.00 3.53 0.33 5.1 0.39 SK-22-1066 140.10 141.95 1.85 0.35 1.2 0.36 SK-22-1066 158.50 164.00 5.50 0.24 13.5 0.39 SK-22-1066 172.69 173.90 1.21 0.91 46.1 1.43 SK-22-1066 228.50 251.50 23.00 0.40 3.6 0.44 SK-22-1066 256.95 265.45 8.50 1.46 10.2 1.57 SK-22-1066 328.48 329.15 0.67 0.31 1.4 0.33 SK-22-1067 60.00 73.50 13.50 0.37 4.5 0.42 SK-22-1067 132.80 142.95 10.15 0.67 2.2 0.70 SK-22-1067 159.00 160.50 1.50 0.48 1.4 0.50 SK-22-1068 55.50 61.50 6.00 1.26 32.3 1.62 SK-22-1068 125.00 166.50 41.50 0.76 3.6 0.80 SK-22-1068 268.00 281.50 13.50 0.48 1.0 0.49 SK-22-1068 290.50 295.00 4.50 0.28 0.5 0.29 SK-22-1069 8.00 12.50 4.50 0.46 4.2 0.51 SK-22-1069 18.50 45.00 26.50 1.94 32.3 2.30 SK-22-1069 57.50 78.50 21.00 2.59 7.9 2.68 Including 71.00 72.00 1.00 23.20 14.2 23.36 and 73.00 74.00 1.00 13.00 14.5 13.16 SK-22-1069 89.00 100.50 11.50 0.56 3.5 0.60 SK-22-1069 106.50 121.00 14.50 0.68 0.5 0.68 SK-22-1069 127.00 156.87 29.87 0.98 6.4 1.05 SK-22-1069 237.65 251.21 13.56 1.97 9.3 2.07 INCLUDING 244.31 245.50 1.19 11.55 25.1 11.83 SK-22-1070 32.00 63.00 31.00 0.50 8.2 0.59 SK-22-1070 68.50 81.54 13.04 0.71 4.3 0.75 SK-22-1070 89.75 154.50 64.75 0.42 1.6 0.44 SK-22-1070 183.50 192.00 8.50 0.31 0.6 0.31 SK-22-1070 246.00 247.50 1.50 0.43 2.8 0.46 SK-22-1070 271.50 274.50 3.00 0.42 4.9 0.47 SK-22-1070 280.50 282.00 1.50 0.37 2.4 0.40 SK-22-1070 333.50 341.00 7.50 0.36 1.9 0.38 SK-22-1070 363.00 370.50 7.50 0.24 0.5 0.24 SK-22-1070 378.00 379.50 1.50 0.45 0.5 0.45 SK-22-1070 393.00 394.50 1.50 0.50 0.5 0.50 SK-22-1070 406.50 408.00 1.50 0.34 0.5 0.34 SK-22-1071 10.84 16.00 5.16 0.61 13.0 0.76 SK-22-1071 35.50 63.27 27.77 0.76 7.4 0.84 SK-22-1071 70.50 85.50 15.00 0.27 4.0 0.31 SK-22-1071 93.00 110.50 17.50 0.38 1.1 0.40 SK-22-1071 141.00 144.00 3.00 0.58 0.8 0.58 SK-22-1071 159.18 269.00 109.82 1.12 4.7 1.17 SK-22-1071 275.00 286.50 11.50 0.53 1.0 0.53 SK-22-1072 PENDING SK-22-1073 PENDING SK-22-1074 83.55 84.55 1.00 0.28 2.1 0.30 SK-22-1075 20.00 24.50 4.50 0.56 2.0 0.59 SK-22-1075 31.00 32.00 1.00 0.65 1.3 0.66 SK-22-1075 101.50 107.00 5.50 0.42 0.5 0.42 SK-22-1075 126.50 128.00 1.50 0.78 0.5 0.78 SK-22-1075 142.12 144.50 2.38 0.83 0.5 0.83 SK-22-1076 0.10 2.50 2.40 0.72 2.7 0.75 SK-22-1076 12.00 14.67 2.67 0.25 3.6 0.29 SK-22-1076 23.47 26.91 3.44 0.99 12.9 1.13 SK-22-1076 36.00 49.11 13.11 0.54 3.5 0.58 SK-22-1076 81.00 84.00 3.00 1.50 5.2 1.55 SK-22-1076 97.50 111.28 13.78 1.09 2.6 1.12 SK-22-1077 PENDING SK-22-1078 PENDING SK-22-1079 5.15 14.70 9.55 0.52 9.0 0.62 SK-22-1079 33.87 36.29 2.42 0.28 4.1 0.32 SK-22-1079 46.80 47.67 0.87 0.48 4.7 0.53 SK-22-1079 69.10 119.00 49.90 0.61 16.6 0.80 SK-22-1079 143.50 144.98 1.48 0.44 1.9 0.46 SK-22-1079 167.00 168.50 1.50 0.37 0.5 0.37 SK-22-1080 PENDING SK-22-1081 PENDING SK-22-1082 7.33 19.90 12.57 1.94 5.8 2.00 SK-22-1082 42.85 52.95 10.10 0.91 8.5 1.00 SK-22-1082 91.50 92.18 0.68 0.39 2.9 0.42 SK-22-1082 114.79 127.00 12.21 0.32 6.1 0.38 SK-22-1082 142.00 143.93 1.93 2.27 2.2 2.30 SK-22-1082 181.00 182.50 1.50 1.49 0.5 1.49 SK-22-1083 PENDING SK-22-1084 PENDING SK-22-1085 80.00 104.00 24.00 0.61 4.2 0.65 SK-22-1085 128.50 130.00 1.50 0.43 0.7 0.44 SK-22-1085 142.00 158.50 16.50 0.53 1.8 0.55 SK-22-1086 PENDING SK-22-1087 PENDING SK-22-1088 PENDING SK-22-1089 PENDING SK-22-1090 1.48 97.50 96.02 1.13 6.6 1.20 SK-22-1090 105.00 115.50 10.50 0.42 1.9 0.44 SK-22-1090 132.00 133.00 1.00 0.41 0.5 0.41 SK-22-1090 187.00 226.50 39.50 0.79 7.3 0.87 Gold Equivalent (AuEq) calculated via the formula: Au (g/t) + [Ag (g/t) / 90]. True widths and zone geometries cannot be definitively determined at this time. Grade-capping of individual assays has not been applied to the Au and Ag assays informing the length-weighted AuEq composites. Metallurgical processing recoveries have not been applied to the AuEq calculation and are taken at 100%. Samples below detection limit were nulled to a value of zero. Table 2: Mine Grid Drill Hole Locations and Orientations: Hole-ID Easting (m) Northing (m) Elevation (m) Length (m) Azimuth () Dip () SK-22-1056 9983.4 9721.5 988.3 156.0 74.9 -70.1 SK-22-1057 9985.3 9718.9 988.9 30.2 112.2 -49.9 SK-22-1058 9983.9 9718.4 988.9 178.0 157.1 -60.3 SK-22-1059 9979.5 9719.2 988.9 133.0 276.7 -65.2 SK-22-1060 9992.1 8940.3 970.7 157.0 337.0 -50.1 SK-22-1061 9995.9 8936.9 970.9 132.0 97.2 -59.9 SK-22-1062 9992.3 8939.1 970.9 127.5 277.2 -85.1 SK-22-1063 9845.7 9551.8 1074.6 231.0 47.1 -65.1 SK-22-1065 9845.0 9548.6 1075.3 227.0 176.7 -60.0 SK-22-1066 9843.1 9548.9 1075.1 338.0 216.8 -50.1 SK-22-1067 9840.8 9552.6 1074.3 225.0 277.3 -54.9 SK-22-1068 9841.6 9552.1 1074.4 348.0 277.3 -69.9 SK-22-1069 9882.4 9716.9 1028.9 300.5 277.1 -50.0 SK-22-1070 9882.8 9716.6 1028.7 412.5 277.2 -65.0 SK-22-1071 9882.8 9716.0 1028.6 300.4 297.0 -55.1 SK-22-1074 9966.8 9092.3 965.6 112.0 122.3 -50.1 SK-22-1075 9978.8 8838.0 998.2 151.5 137.0 -88.9 SK-22-1076 9975.9 8841.4 997.5 127.0 137.0 -49.7 SK-22-1079 10051.3 9625.1 1014.4 203.0 257.0 -60.1 SK-22-1082 10055.4 9624.3 1014.5 203.0 97.0 -50.3 SK-22-1085 9796.7 9928.2 1052.3 169.5 257.1 -50.0 SK-22-1090 10129.7 10004.0 984.4 232.5 208.9 -74.0 SOURCE: Skeena Resources Limited View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722089/Skeena-Expands-23-Zone-to-Surface-at-Eskay-Creek-Intersecting-120-gt-AuEq-over-9602-metres New Features Help Employees Know Who Will be in, and Make Better Use of the Office BOSTON, Oct. 25, 2022, the world's leading workplace experience platform, announced the launch of new capabilities that increase engagement in the corporate workplace. The new HqO Who's In feature lets employees see when colleagues will be in the office to connect and collaborate, enabling companies to draw more people back to the office and drive purposeful presence in the workplace. In addition, the updated HqO Workplace Experience App custom-branded home screen enables corporates and landlords to project their unique brands and cultures. The release also includes self-service enhancements to important product functions and new integrations to critical enterprise and property management systems. New self-service capabilities make it easier for workplace experience managers to continually deliver, measure, and adjust targeted content and programs that drive workplace engagement. Through a new integration with Corrigo , the flagship facilities management automation platform from JLL Technologies, corporate employees who use HqO can now submit and manage service requests. Enrichment to the existing integration between HqO and Building Engines Prism makes it easier for tenant users to reserve resources within the HqO Workplace Experience App. These new product features help companies and landlords to make daily routines easier for office workers. The expansion of HqO's corporate offerings comes on the heels of the company's recent acquisitions of employee experience measurement & analysis firm Leesman and European workplace experience technology provider Office App . Together, the new product offerings and acquisitions uniquely position HqO to support corporate employers and landlords in the growing workplace experience market. Innovative new product features include: Who's In: HqO Who's In drives office attendance and promotes social engagement in the workplace by enabling employees to see when the colleagues who matter most to them are going into the office on any given day. Who's In gives employees more incentive to go to the office, while providing valuable office attendance data that helps employers to measure and improve workplace experience strategies. Automated user provisioning via SCIM: HqO can now leverage companies' existing identity provider (IdP) to continually synchronize employee lists with the HqO Workplace Experience Platform. Using the SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) protocol, HqO helps companies achieve enterprise-level security by ensuring only the right users have access and can engage with their app. Branded home screen: The HqO App's refreshed home screen gives customers greater flexibility to promote their unique brand personality and communicate their culture. More than ever before, customers can create an app that best shows off their brand with their choice of imagery, logos, colors, and utility button shapes. With a greater separation between brand and function, the refreshed home screen is easier to navigate and improves the end user experience. Enhanced self-service options: HqO now offers a flexible content creation tool that empowers workplace experience managers to create content quickly and easily and promote workplace offerings and experiences exactly how they want, generating maximum engagement among employees. The HqO Workplace Experience Platform also has an updated, easy-to-use analytics dashboard that enables workplace experience managers to improve workplace performance and quickly make data-driven decisions. Access to near real-time data on app engagement, space and amenity usage, and sentiment enables customers to measure program and content success, understand how sentiment is changing over time, make better operational and CapEx decisions, and optimize financial performance. New integrations: Corporate employees can submit and manage Corrigo (https://www.jllt.com/corrigo/) facilities service requests and building tenants can more easily reserve resources provided through Building Engines Prism (https://www.buildingengines.com/platform/). "Streamlining facilities management and building operations drives efficiency and fosters trust and communication," said Scott Jones, VP of Product Marketing at JLL Technologies. "The new HqO integrations with Corrigo and Building Engines Prism connect user needs with workplace operations, improving employee, tenant and visitor satisfaction." All products will be generally available in November 2022 with the exception of SCIM, which will be available for beta users starting in November. These expanded product features help corporate employers navigate hybrid work and return-to-office by removing friction and generating added enthusiasm for their workplace environments. They also help employees build stronger connections with their peers and organizations, which helps boost employee satisfaction, collaboration, and productivity. "These new capabilities will help hybrid and in-office employees to make better use of their time in the office with enhanced collaboration, creativity, and productivity," said Chase Garbarino, Co-Founder and CEO of HqO. "At a time when office utilization is lower than many companies would like, these new tools are going to help corporate employers and landlords to get more workers back to the office. The future of work is constantly changing, and these features give you the power to continually adapt." To learn about HqO's new capabilities that increase engagement in the corporate workplace, register for a webinar on November 17th, 2022 at 11AM EST: https://www.hqo.com/resources/events-webinars/increase-engagement-in-the-corporate-workplace/ . About HqO HqO, ranked No. 75 on the Inc. 5000 list, is transforming how people connect with each other and the places they work. The HqO Workplace Experience Platform makes it easy for companies and commercial property teams to create modern workplaces through world-class amenities and services that allow people to thrive and produce the best results. Active in over 250 million square feet in 25 countries, 57% of the Fortune 100 rely on HqO to enhance their workplace experiences, improve employee satisfaction, and drive operational excellence. For more information, visit https://www.hqo.com/ . Primary Contact: Steve Robins Phone: 800-234-5016 Email: steve.robins@hqo.co New Solutions Provide Designers a Comprehensive Set of Building Blocks to Create Outstanding Audio Systems Key Takeaways: With the addition of two new amplifier modules and two new audio boost converter designs, GaN Systems now provides a comprehensive solution set that enables audio systems designers across markets to mix and match designs and maximize performance for their specific industries. GaN-powered audio enables superior sounding, higher-performance, smaller, and more efficient Class D audio systems vs. silicon. Growing from a base of consumer, prosumer, and professional sound systems, GaN Systems' expansion into the rapidly growing automotive, marine, and battery-powered vehicles markets makes the advantages of GaN far more widely available. GaN Systems is well positioned within the rapidly growing Class D audio market-expected to reach USD 3.6 billion by 2024. OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / GaN Systems, the global leader in GaN power semiconductors, today extended its lead in Class D GaN-powered Audio with the release of two complete Class-D high-performance GaN FET amplifier boards and two complete audio boost converter solutions for marine, auto, and battery-powered vehicles. GaN Systems now provides a comprehensive solution set comprised of turnkey amplifier designs, power supplies, and boost converters-allowing audio systems designers across auto, home, and professional markets to mix and match designs to maximize performance for their specific applications. The new designs are optimized for sound quality, efficiency (no heat sinks), size, and cost-while enabling audio design engineers to create premium audio products more quickly at affordable prices while reducing time to market. GaN Systems' power transistors are critical components of next-generation audio products and address key needs in the Class D audio market-expected to reach USD 3.6 billion by 2024, according to analyst figures. Contributing to the growth is rising demand for consumer electronics and smart home devices, greater traction in in-vehicle infotainment systems in automobiles, and a rise in demand for energy-efficient technologies in portable and compact devices. 210W and 300W Audio Boost Converters: The two new high-voltage boost converter reference resigns include a 210-watt continuous/300-watt peak power source and a 300-watt continuous/500-watt peak power source for manufacturers of stand-alone mono, stereo, and multi-channel automotive and marine amplifiers. The complete audio boost converter solutions include wide-range DC supply voltage input from 9VDC to 16VDC operation, 32V output, and are load dump compatible with differential-primary-drive transformer topology. The OL200DS and CL200M are self-contained 200-watt-per-channel Class-D amplifier modules designed for manufacturers of powered loudspeakers and stand-alone stereo and multi-channel amplifiers. The GaN Systems OL200DS is designed as two independent half-bridge outputs, for use in both stereo and single-channel applications. The GaN open loop approach provides an ideal switching form for Class D amplifiers with fewer downsides than silicon. The high performance of switching signals delivers a dual feedback loop that provides better performance than a single loop / closed filter. Details of the OL200DS include: 200 watts/channel, 8 ohms, BTL x 2 50 watts/channel, 8 ohms, x 4 Half-Bridge < 0.1% THD+N, 200W, > 114dB SNR Quad half-bridge or dual bridge-tied-load (BTL) Topology for Ground-Referenced Output With the new GaN Systems CL200M, a heat sink is not required under normal conditions. Thermal protection is provided for worst-case thermal environments, and 96% efficiency reduces heat and system size. Details of the CL200M include: 200 watts/channel, 8 ohms < 0.04% THD+N, 200W, > 108dB SNR Dual half-bridge or bridge-tied-load (BTL) topology for ground-referenced output "With today's announcement, we are continuing to revolutionize GaN-powered Audio-delivering a comprehensive solution set of building blocks for manufacturers to easily launch superior sounding, higher-performance, smaller, and more efficient audio systems for their specific applications," said Jim Witham, CEO of GaN Systems. "Our expansion into the rapidly growing automotive, marine, and battery-powered vehicles markets brings the advantages of GaN Audio to even more consumers." These new designs leverage GaN Systems GS61008P GaN power transistors. Find additional information here: 210W and 300W Audio Boost Converters; OL200DS; and CL200M or contact GaN Systems. # # # About GaN Systems GaN Systems is the global leader in GaN power semiconductors with the most extensive transistors portfolio that uniquely addresses the needs of today's most demanding industries, including consumer electronics, data center servers, power supplies, renewable energy systems, industrial motors, and automotive electronics. As an industry-leading innovator, GaN Systems makes it possible to design smaller, lower cost, more efficient power systems. The company's award-winning products provide system design opportunities free from the limitations of yesterday's silicon. By changing the transistor performance rules, GaN Systems enables power conversion companies to revolutionize their industries and transform the world. For more information, please visit: www.gansystems.com or on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and scan this QR code for our WeChat. # # # Media Inquiries: Beth Trier Trier and Company for GaN Systems beth@triercompany.com 1-415-285-6147 SOURCE: GaN Systems View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722114/GaN-Systems-Extends-its-Lead-in-Class-D-Audio With its Nemesis ammunition considerably outperforming competitor rounds of the same caliber in testing, Next Dynamics is aiming to bring back the unfair advantage. WILMINGTON, NC / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / (OTC PINK:NEXD) Next Dynamics, Inc. (OTC PINK:NEXD) ("Next" or the "Company"), www.nextdynamicscorp.com, a Texas corporation, is pleased to announce results from recent testing of the Company's 7.62 caliber Nemesis A.S.A.P. ("Nemesis") ammunition completed by Bornea Dynamics Ltd. ("Bornea") www.bornea.ca. Bornea's testing of the 7.62 Nemesis ammunition confirms the improved ballistics performance offered by Next Dynamics' base drag reduction technology, with the Company's ammunition achieving significantly increased drag reduction, greater downrange velocity and match-grade accuracy, as compared to broadly available competitor rounds of the same caliber. The table below provides a comparison of ballistics performance, as measured by Bornea Dynamics, of the Nemesis to both Berger Match Grade 168gr and Winchester Super X 150gr reference projectiles, with key metrics including muzzle velocity, change in velocity from muzzle to 300 yards and ending velocity (at target). As illustrated above - and as further detailed in Bornea's report - the Company's Nemesis rounds achieved nearly 52% improvement in reduction in velocity between muzzle and 300 yards versus the Winchester Super X round, and nearly 16% improvement versus the Berger Match Grade round, despite the Berger round being over 16% heavier. In absolute terms, Nemesis velocity was 21% greater than the Winchester round and 9% greater than the Berger round at a distance of 300 yards. Additionally, the Company's rounds achieved match grade accuracy, with dispersion essentially overlapping that of the Berger Match Grade round, and almost 1.25" tighter than the Winchester Super X round of comparable weight. Bornea's report concludes that the Company's Nemesis 7.62 copper projectile with booster "demonstrates superior performance to a traditional Berger round of higher projectile mass, and superior performance to a traditional Winchester round of similar projectile mass, when compared at the velocity and accuracy metrics." "Never in my career have I come across small caliber ammunition exhibiting the performance like that of Next Dynamics' Nemesis rounds," said Company military advisor Rear Admiral (ret) Greg Slavonic. "This ammunition will provide operators with a meaningful unfair advantage on the battlefield, and I am pleased to be working with the Company to bring this ground-breaking technology to various branches of our military." "The results of Bornea's testing of our 7.62 NATO Nemesis rounds with booster are incredibly encouraging," said CEO Jacob Salk. "As we get further downrange, the performance gap between our rounds and the competition continues to widen; we are well on our way to achieving our goal of bringing back the unfair advantage in small arms ammunition." "The Company is conducting additional velocity and penetration testing of our 7.62 rounds, and we are confident we will achieve similar performance improvements with our 5.56 NATO rounds, as well as with our .50 caliber rounds on which we have just begun production. We are thankful for the continued support of our shareholders and investors, and we look forward to sharing further results in the near future." On the tail of the positive testing results, Next Dynamics will be providing sample rounds to various potential licensors for their respective internal testing and validation. The Company will share additional updates as discussions around licensing and distribution evolve. About Next Dynamics, Inc.: Next Dynamics, Inc. is an emerging global leader in the development, engineering & licensing of some of the world's best-performing defense technologies. The Company's patented Advanced Small Arms Projectile (A.S.A.P.) munitions, which offer unparalleled ballistics, cover the full spectrum of ground force applications across small and medium NATO calibers and weapons platforms. Next Dynamics also offers engineering services focused on artillery modernization and holds numerous other patents in small-arms munitions, armaments, and military engineering upgrades. For more information, please visit www.nextdynamicscorp.com. Safe Harbor Forward-Looking Statements: This press release may contain forward looking statements that are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks as well as uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected, including statements related to the amount and timing of expected revenues related to our financial performance, expected income, distributions, and future growth for upcoming quarterly and annual periods. These risks and uncertainties are further defined in filings and reports by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC. Among other matters, the Company may not be able to sustain growth or achieve profitability based upon many factors including but not limited to the risk that we will not be able to find and acquire businesses and assets that will enable us to become profitable. Reference is hereby made to cautionary statements set forth in the Company's most recent SEC filings. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses in our development stage, noting that there is no assurance that we will generate enough revenues to offset those costs in both the near and long term. New lines of business may expose us to additional legal and regulatory costs and unknown exposure(s), the impact of which cannot be predicted at this time. Words such as "estimate," "project," "predict," "will," "would," "should," "could," "may," "might," "anticipate," "plan," "intend," "believe," "expect," "aim," "goal," "target," "objective," "likely" or similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes generally indicate forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of this press release. Unless legally required, we undertake no obligation to update, modify or withdraw any forward-looking statements, because of new information, future events or otherwise. CONTACT: info@nextdynamicscorp.com SOURCE: NEXT DYNAMICS INC. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722139/Next-Dynamics-Inc-Demonstrates-Significant-Ballistics-Improvements-in-Successful-Testing-of-its-762-Caliber-Nemesis-Ammunition WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - While reporting financial results for the third quarter on Tuesday, Moody's Corp. (MCO) slashed its earnings, adjusted earnings and revenue growth guidance for the full-year 2022. For fiscal 2022, the company now expects earnings in a range of $6.90 to $7.20 per share and adjusted earnings in the range of $8.20 to $8.50 per share on projected revenue decline in the low-double-digit percent range. Previously, the company projected earnings in a range of $8.10 to $8.60 per share and adjusted earnings in the range of $9.20 to $9.70 per share on projected revenue decline in the high-single-digit percent range. On average, 17 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings of $9.24 per share on a revenue decline of 9.0 percent to $5.66 billion for the year. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. On Monday, the Board of Directors also declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share of MCO Common Stock, payable on December 14, 2022 to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 23, 2022. For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX MOODYS-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de LuxSpace and Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen (UniBw M) sign contract for SeRANIS mission with Triton-X platform for smallsats LuxSpace, a subsidiary of space and technology group OHB SE, and the Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen (University of German Armed Forces Munich) just signed a contract for the dtec.bw SeRANIS (Seamless Radio Access Network for Internet of Space) small satellite mission. This UniBw M mission provides the world's first publicly accessible multifunctional experimental laboratory in orbit and will use the LuxSpace built Triton-X Heavy platform SeRANIS is a small satellite mission with 15 experiments to explore key future technologies in various fields, including future 6G mobile communication systems, laser communication and Internet of Things. "With the goal to create a multi-functional experimental laboratory on one satellite, the SeRANIS mission is unique and substantially different from traditional "CubeSat" based research approaches. Due to the high complexity of this mission, a reliable and agile platform is needed. The Triton-X Heavy platform prevailed in our call for tenders," said SeRANIS project leader, Prof. Dr. Andreas Knopp, Professor Space Research Center, Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen. "The SeRANIS mission has two aims: Paving the way for the Bundeswehr's access to new capabilities in Low Earth Orbit and offering an orbital lab for the German research community. Edgar Milic, CEO of LuxSpace said "LuxSpace is proud and enthusiastic to be part of the SeRANIS mission with our high performance and scalable Triton-X platform for smallsats. The variety of innovative technologies and payloads aboard SeRANIS is an ideal fit for our multi-mission platform developed in Light/Medium/Heavy mass classes for up to 250 kg satellites". About UniBw and dtec.bw The Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen (www.unibw.de) serves the academic training of military and civilian students. SeRANIS is a research project funded by dtec.bw Digitalization and Technology Research Center of the Bundeswehr. More on www.dtecbw.de and www.seranis.de About LuxSpace LuxSpace was established in Luxembourg in 2004 as a subsidiary of OHB SE and is an integrated provider of small satellites and space-based applications and services. The company can look back on seven successfully launched space systems, including the Triton-2/ESAIL satellite launched in September 2020, and has over 16 years of experience in data applications with a particular focus on the maritime sector and Earth observation. More on www.luxspace.lu View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005550/en/ Contacts: Media LuxSpace: Florio Dalla Vedova Marketing Responsible dallavedova@luxspace.lu Media UniBw: Michael Brauns Press Spokesman michael.brauns@unibw.de EQS-News: Ameramex International AmeraMex International Receives Equipment Orders Totaling $371,169 25.10.2022 / 14:10 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTCQB: AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction and forestry conservation, announced that it has received equipment orders totaling $371,169. Two Taylor GT60 24-inch, Load Center Pneumatic Tire lift trucks. These trucks have a 6,000-pound capacity and are engineered to meet the needs of the following industries: Steel, Aluminum, Wood, Lumber, Concrete, Precast, Breakbulk, Intermodal, Ports, Rail and Stevedoring Taylor GT60 One Taylor THDC954 Loaded Container Handler shipping to an equipment leasing company. The container handler can stack up to four containers (four high) and has a capacity of 80,000 pounds. Taylor THDC 954 Loaded Container Handler For more information and pricing of equipment for the logistics, construction, and forestry industries, or to book a demonstration of the First Green Company's Electric's 100 percent electric skid steer loaders, ASV Posti-Tract and Skid Steer Loaders, Menzi Muck Excavators, or a Magni Telescopic Handler, contact the AmeraMex/Hamre Equipment sales team at 530.895.8955. About AmeraMex International AmeraMex International sells, leases and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. AmeraMex, with a US and international customer base, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional information and equipment videos. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if added information becomes available in the future. Contact Details McCloud Communications LLC Marty Tullio +1 949-632-1900 marty@mccloudcommunications.com Company Website https://www.ammx.net News Source: News Direct 25.10.2022 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Two-thirds of respondents believe their employees are using unmonitored communication channels, increasing the need for compliance and security tools Theta Lake, a leader in modern collaboration compliance and security solutions, today released its fourth annual report examining organizations' use of collaboration and communication tools from a supervision and archiving standpoint. The 2022 Modern Communications Compliance and Security Report found that two-thirds (66%) of respondents believe employees in their companies are using unmonitored communications channels, posing heightened security and compliance risks to businesses. "Modern collaboration tools have become the foundation of the hybrid work environment, making it all the more important for organizations to have complete visibility into the communication channels employees are using," said Stacey English, Director of Regulatory Intelligence at Theta Lake. "The findings are a wake-up call to the growing gap between the collaboration platforms employees prefer and the technology needed to remain in compliance. Our report provides a roadmap for businesses to meet the evolving communication needs and compliance mandates of the hybrid workforce." Business communications continue to evolve, presenting complex challenges for those tasked with maintaining compliance, security and data privacy. The survey findings indicate a broad subset of communications channels are unmonitored, while usage continues to spike. 67% of respondents expect the usage of collaboration tools across popular platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, Slack and RingCentral to increase. Simultaneously, employees show a growing preference for the feature-rich tools available through these platforms over legacy methods of communication, with 81% using chat and 63% using video as much or more than email to communicate. In line with last year's findings, the transfer of files via chat (52%) and the ability to share links in chat or on screen (41%) are still considered the riskiest features. Increasing Regulatory Oversight Underscores Importance of Maintaining Compliance The evolution of workplace communications necessitates that compliance and unified communications teams be interlocked in decision-making moving forward. In light of the recent, intense regulatory scrutiny and enforcement surrounding unmonitored channels like WhatsApp resulting in over $2 billion in fines, organizations are taking notice. Four out of five respondents from financial services businesses anticipate there will be increased regulatory expectations to monitor video while 36% from all industries believe video conferencing and webcams create the greatest risks in terms of data privacy and employee misconduct. The fines levied against financial institutions are a bellwether for other industries experiencing gaps in robust monitoring measures, underpinning the need to stay ahead of increasing regulatory oversight. Legacy Archiving Solutions Lack Support for Modern Communications Platforms For compliance teams utilizing legacy archiving solutions, modern communications platforms prove difficult to oversee. 85% of organizations experience challenges in retrieving records, while 33% are using significant manual resources to search multiple systems and modes of communication. Simultaneously, 52% find it difficult to search modern communication channels outside of traditional email methods increasing exposure to potential fines and sanctions for not being able to provide timely, complete data for investigations, litigation data privacy or other compliance purposes. With an additional 39% of respondents citing gaps in coverage as a top challenge with their current archiving tools, these findings highlight the growing divide between tools built for email and the need for enhanced archiving capabilities to keep pace in today's increasingly complex communications environment. "Collaboration platforms have been integral to business operations over the last three years, and our research indicates that usage isn't slowing down," said Devin Redmond, CEO of Theta Lake. "As businesses chart a path forward, the focus should be on picking the right subset of the most advanced market-leading UC tools like Zoom, Slack, RingCentral, and Cisco Webex for compliance integration, and modernizing compliance with tools like Theta Lake that provide tightly integrated compliance and security coverage for the full feature set of those UC tools. By creating a positive path of least resistance for employees, businesses can increase productivity while compliantly communicating with customers and partners where and how they prefer." To download the 2022 Modern Communications Compliance and Security Report, click here. For more information on Theta Lake, visit: https://thetalake.com/ About the 2022 Modern Communications Compliance and Security Report Building on research first undertaken in 2018, the 2022 Modern Communications Compliance and Security Report provides insight into how collaboration and communication tools are being used in practice, current approaches to managing compliance and security, as well as the challenges that organizations face. The report is based on the views and experiences of more than 500 compliance and security professionals who took part in Theta Lake's annual benchmark survey through an independent third party in Q3 2022. Participants held senior roles in compliance, security, technology, and data privacy in heavily regulated financial services, healthcare and government sectors across the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. About Theta Lake Backed by the investment arms of Cisco, RingCentral, Salesforce, and Zoom, Theta Lake's multi-award winning product suite provides patented compliance and security for modern collaboration platforms utilizing hundreds of frictionless partner integrations including RingCentral, Webex by Cisco, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Movius and more. Theta Lake captures, compliantly archives, and acts as an archive connector for existing archives of record across video, voice, and chat collaboration systems. In addition to comprehensive capture and archiving, Theta Lake uses patented AI to detect and surface regulatory, privacy, and security risks in an AI-assisted review workflow across what is shared, shown, spoken, and typed. Theta Lake enables organizations to safely, compliantly, and cost-effectively expand their use of unified communication platforms. Visit us at ThetaLake.com; LinkedIn; or Twitter at @thetalake. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005397/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: RH Strategic for Theta Lake thetalakepr@rhstrategic.com The Company is fully funded and planning the next phase of exploration Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Silver Dollar Resources Inc. (CSE: SLV) (OTCQX: SLVDF) ("Silver Dollar" or the "Company") is pleased to report the final assay results from Phase II drilling at the underexplored Noria portion of the La Joya Silver Project (the "Property") located in the state of Durango, Mexico. Key Highlights: Hole NOR-22-023 returned 686 grams per tone (g/t) silver equivalent (AgEQ) over 1.29 metres (m). Hole NOR-22-024 returned 894 g/t AgEQ over 0.5 m. A total of 3,428 metres of drilling over 17 holes have been completed in Phase II drilling. Assay results for the first nine holes of the Phase II program were previously reported (See: new releases of June 13 and August 17, 2022), and the results reported below are for the remaining eight holes (See drill plan map). Drill Hole Objectives and Discussion: Hole NOR-22-021 was drilled to target an extension below the gold mineralization encountered in hole NOR-22-012 (1 g/t Au over 26.85 m). The intrusive contact was shallower and flatter, and the hornfels zone was narrower than expected. This hole returned lower gold assays, but with increased Ag+Cu+Zn near the skarn front while largely absent higher up (See: cross-section). Hole NOR-22-022 was drilled to target the southeast extension of the Brazo mineralization, stepping out 68 m to look for an increase in gold values below historical hole S-3 and similar to that in hole NOR-22-009. The intrusive was hit much shallower than expected, and the only notable intercept in this hole was some shallow Zn values near a fine-grained dyke of 7.49% over 0.67 m (See: cross-section). Hole NOR-22-023 was a step-out hole drilled to target 33 m to the north of NOR-22-020. While there were anomalous values at the main intrusive contact, the margins of a smaller granitic dyke were more fertile with values of 0.68 g/t Au, 304 g/t Ag, 0.05% Cu, 1.81% Cu, 5.35% Zn or 686 g/t AgEQ over 1.29 m (See: cross-section). Hole NOR-22-024 & 025 were drilled at 115 perpendicularly to target below a potential cross structure exposed in historic workings. There were some narrow intervals with high Zn up to 10.03% over 0.50 m (NOR-22-024) associated with the footwall of a vaguely-defined fine grained dyke (See: cross-section). Hole-22-026 was a step-out hole drilled 45 m north of NOR-22-023 targeting the strike to the north and a possible confluence of Brazo with the E-W striking structure related to the drainage north of Coloradito. The only notable intercept in this hole was a narrow interval of 5.49% Zn over 0.79 m. (See: cross-section). Hole-22-027 & 028 were drilled to test the downward extension of an intercept in hole NOR-22-020 of 0.38 g/t Au, 332.9 g/t Ag, 0.11% Cu, 1.77% Pb, 4.60% Zn or 662 g/t AgEQ over 2.33 m (See cross-section). NOR-22-027 targeted 35 m below NOR-22-020, intercepting 0.1 g/t Au, 63 g/t Ag, 0.17% Cu, 0.26% Pb, 1% Zn or 152 g/t AgEQ over 6.67 m. While this deeper hole was justified, these values were less than expected. NOR-22-028 targeted 35 m below NOR-22-027 intercepting 0.28 g/t Au, 69.10 g/t Ag, 1.15% Cu or 248 g/t AgEQ over 5.38 m. Table 1: A summary of the final downhole drill intersection results for the Phase II program. Drill Hole # From (m) To (m) Length1 (m) Ag (g/t) Au (g/t) Cu % Pb % Zn % AgEQ2 (g/t) NOR-22-021 155.44 180.88 25.44 21.10 0.08 0.17 0.01 0 .22 61 Including 155.44 164.25 8.81 43.90 0.05 0.24 0.03 0.43 101 Including 178.48 180.88 2.40 26.90 0.23 0.59 - 0.02 125 NOR-22-022 64.95 65.62 0.67 32.00 0.38 0.10 0.13 7.49 431 " 136.03 139.89 3.86 72.00 0.11 0.09 0.08 0.50 118 NOR-22-023 126.81 127.62 0.81 142.00 0.26 0.04 0.95 2.20 307 " 139.46 140.75 1.29 304.00 0.68 0.05 1.81 5.35 686 " 172.34 175.22 2.88 52.00 0.07 0.14 0.13 0.47 103 NOR-22-024 48.00 51.00 3.00 2.00 0.01 0.01 - 2.3 111 Including 85.33 85.83 0.50 282.00 0.55 0.13 2.13 10.03 894 NOR-22-025 52.10 53.60 1.50 2.00 0.04 - 0.08 20.60 106 NOR-22-026 141.56 142.35 0.79 8.00 0.02 0.04 0.01 5.49 272 NOR-22-027 118.87 120.00 1.13 28.20 0.12 0.05 0.32 5.24 303 " 136.81 137.47 0.66 42.80 0.02 0.07 2.09 5.80 409 " 190.00 196.67 6.67 63.20 0.10 0.18 0.26 1.02 152 Including 195.00 196,67 1.67 69.30 0.14 0.32 0.16 1.62 206 NOR-22-028 1.44 144.37 0.37 4.00 0.03 - - 4.12 204 " 204.32 207.82 3.5 49.70 0.34 0.15 0.14 1.38 167 " 212.48 217.86 5.38 69.10 0.28 1.15 - 0.02 248 True widths have yet to be determined. AgEQ in results assume (USD) $1,750 Au and $22 Ag per/oz, and $4.30 Cu, $1.25 Pb, and $1.50 Zn per/lb, and 100% metallurgical recovery. "The phase II drill program was successful in expanding the dimensions of the Brazo structure in both strike directions and at depth," said Mike Romanik, president of Silver Dollar. "Interpretation of the drill results is being integrated with the geophysics and surface work to propose the next steps to expand on the Brazo mineralization and test for similar style mineralization proximal to and around the Coloradito intrusive contact. The drill remains on site and can be mobilized quickly." Table 2: Drillhole details. Drill Hole # Target Area X Collar Y Collar Azimuth Dip Hole Length (m) NOR-22-021 Noria 608165 2640688 45 -65 219 NOR-22-022 Noria 608089 2640946 98 -52 210 NOR-22-023 Noria 608108 2640899 90 -60 225 NOR-22-024 Noria 608221 2640571.28 115 -45 174 NOR-22-025 Noria 608219 2640572.13 115 -65 191 NOR-22-026 Noria 608089 2640946 98 -52 240 NOR-22-027 Noria 608107 2640866 90 -68 234 NOR-22-028 Noria 608106 2640865.99 90 -75 252 Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control, and Data Verification The diamond drill core (HQ size) was geologically logged, photographed, and marked for sampling. Core designated for sampling was sawn in half with a diamond blade core saw. One-half of the core was sealed in plastic bags and shipped for analysis. The remaining half portion was returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work. The sealed and tagged sample bags were transported to the ActLabs facility in Zacatecas, Mexico where the samples were crushed and 200-300-gram pulp samples prepared with ninety percent passing Tyler 150 mesh (106m). The pulps were assayed for gold using a 30-gram charge by fire assay (Code 1A2 and/or FA450) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne were re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code 1A3 and/or FA550). Silver and multi-element analysis was completed using total digestion (Code 1F2 Total Digestion ICP). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver were re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code 8-Ag FA-GRAV Ag). Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain of custody of the samples and include the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks, and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch were tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed Silver Dollar's QA/QC protocols. Mike Kilbourne, P.Geo., an independent Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the Company. About the La Joya Project The La Joya Property is situated approximately 75 kilometres directly southeast of the state capital city of Durango in a prolific mineralized region with past-producing and operating mines including Grupo Mexico's San Martin Mine, Industrias Penoles's Sabinas Mine, Pan American Silver's La Colorada Mine, and First Majestic's La Parrilla and Del Toro Silver Mines. Silver Dollar previously reported analytical results for its Phase I program that consisted of 2,424 metres of drilling completed over 11 holes (See news releases of March 24, 2022 and May 4, 2022). For additional information on the Property click on the image below to watch the two-minute video. Figure 1: Click on the image above to view a two-minute video introducing the La Joya Project To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7232/141703_92d94ef104942b32_001full.jpg About Silver Dollar Resources Inc. Silver Dollar is a mineral exploration company that completed its initial public offering in May 2020 and is fully funded for 2022 with approximately $7 million in the treasury. The Company's projects are located in two of the prolific mining jurisdictions in the world and include the advanced exploration and development stage La Joya Silver Project in the state of Durango, Mexico; and the discovery-stage Pakwash Lake and the Longlegged Lake properties in the Red Lake Mining District of Ontario, Canada. The Company has an aggressive growth strategy and is actively reviewing potentially accretive acquisitions with a focus on drill-ready projects in mining-friendly jurisdictions internationally. For additional information, you can download our latest presentation by clicking here and you can follow us on Twitter by clicking here. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Signed "Michael Romanik" Michael Romanik, President, CEO & Director Silver Dollar Resources Inc. Direct line: (204) 724-0613 Email: mike@silverdollarresources.com 179 - 2945 Jacklin Road, Suite 416 Victoria, BC, V9B 6J9 Forward-Looking Statements: This news release may contain "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141703 Dorval, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - West Island Brands Inc. (CSE: WIB) (FSE: 39N0) (OTC Pink: WIBFF) ("West Island" or the "Company") is pleased to report that subsidiary RoyalMax Biotechnology Canada Inc. D.B.A. West Island Culture ("West Island") has received the amendment to the Company's Health Canada license permitting the sale of cannabis extracts, including hashish, as per Cannabis 2.0. West Island is now authorized to process and sell Cannabis 2.0 products directly to provincial distributors and other authorized Canadian retail supply channels. West Island Culture continues to work closely with Montreal-based hashish and concentrates maker, Oaziz Extracts Inc. ("Oaziz"). Oaziz and West Island are working together to develop and produce exceptional solventless craft cannabis extracts to be sold to all authorized provincial retailers and distributors. West Island COO, Meissam Hagh Panah, states, "The demand for hash and, resins and rosins is high, but supply is limited due to the small number of producers delivering a consistent and quality product. Even more popular are infused prerolls, which are the fastest growing segment of the market. Through our partner Oaziz, West Island will bring premium Montreal made hash offerings to the market. We will also bring infused prerolls and other concentrates to consumers eager for quality and innovation." About West Island West Island is a multi-faceted, innovative company in the Quebec cannabis space. Its subsidiary, RoyalMax Biotechnology Canada Inc. D.B.A West Island Culture is a Montreal, Quebec based cannabis company. A Health Canada Licence Holder West Island has standard cultivation licence, standard processing, medical sales and sales licences. For more information on West Island Brands please visit the website at: westislandbrands.com. West Island cannabis products can be found in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario and Quebec. On behalf of the Board of Directors WEST ISLAND BRANDS INC. Boris Ziger Boris Ziger, CEO & Chairman The Company's public filings are available for review at www.sedar.com and www.thecse.com. For further information, please contact: Boris Ziger, CEO at: Telephone: 416-304-9935 E-mail: info@westislandbrands.com Website: www.westislandbrands.com Boris Ziger, PDG de : Telephone: 416-304-9935 Courriel: info@westislandbrands.com Site Web: www.westislandbrands.com Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. The Corporation assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to the Corporation. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Corporation's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. We seek Safe Harbor. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141728 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Golden Share Resources Corporation (TSXV: GSH) ("Golden Share" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has received the year one, anniversary cash payment of $100,000, as per the Band-Ore Option Agreement made with E2Gold on October 14th, 2021 (see Golden Share press release dated October 14, 2021). Wes Roberts, Golden Share's CEO commented, "We are very pleased for the exciting initial results at Band-Ore, announced by E2Gold last week, confirming what we always believed to be an excellent gold exploration property." Golden Share is also pleased to announce that exploration work permits have been granted for the drill ready, main cluster targets at the Ogoki Project (https://www.goldenshare.ca/ogoki) and Property C of the Kagiami Project (https://www.goldenshare.ca/kagiami). The Kagiami Copper-Nickel Project is located approximately 150km south of the "Ring of Fire" and adjacent to the proposed infrastructure corridor to the "Ring of Fire". The Ogoki Diamond Project, 100% owned by Golden Share, is located in the James Bay Lowlands of Ontario, approximately 200km southwest of the historic De Beers' Victor diamond mine. The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed by Wes Roberts, P. Eng., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. About Golden Share Golden Share is a natural resource exploration company focused on Northern Ontario, Canada. The Company's primary assets are the Ogoki Project (diamonds), and the Kagiami Project (base metals). 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. For more information, please visit www.goldenshare.ca or contact: Golden Share Resources Corporation Wes Roberts, P.Eng. CEO E-mail: info@goldenshare.ca To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141750 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - York Harbour Metals Inc. (TSXV: YORK) (OTC PINK: YORKF) (FSE: 5DE0) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Bruce Durham as President & CEO, and Mr. Michael Williams as Chairman, effective immediately. Mr. Andrew Lee will remain as an active Managing Director of the Company. Mr. Andrew Lee, stated, "it has been a privilege working with the team that have built up York Harbour Metals. I'm very thankful to have had this opportunity and I am looking forward to continuing working with Bruce and Michael. They have been instrumental in their roles, as Executive Chairman and Advisor and as such we are excited that they have agreed to accept senior roles with the Company as we prepare for the next chapters. Bruce's wealth of knowledge and expertise in exploration and development of mineral deposits will, without a doubt bring tremendous value to the Company. Michael Williams has had equal success on the corporate and capital markets side - building relationships with investors and industry stakeholders on a global basis." Mr. Bruce Durham, President & CEO, and Mr. Michael Williams, Chairman, jointly commented, "We are looking forward to elevating York Harbour in our new positions. The York Harbour Copper-Zinc project in Northwest Newfoundland is a special project where we both can see potential growth beyond the limits of the current mineralization and the possibility for future discoveries. As such, we are committing ourselves to provide additional guidance to help see this project advanced for the benefit of all stakeholders." About Mr. Bruce Durham Mr. Durham (P.Geo.) is a seasoned and successful individual with an extensive career focusing in the resource sector for more than 40 years. He has been involved in a handful of exploration projects that were successful in becoming producing deposits. The discoveries he was intimately involved in include the co-discovery of the Bell Creek mine in Timmins, followed by a move to Hemlo where he participated in the exploration and development of two of the three gold discoveries that became very significant gold producers. At Hemlo, he was involved in early exploration drilling at the Corona Project and was also the geologist on the discovery holes at the Golden Giant Project which became Hemlo Gold Mines' flagship project. Between 1998 and 2007, he held various management positions with Canadian Royalties Inc., including President and Vice President Exploration prior to its sale to, and development by a Chinese entity. More recently he served as President and CEO of Nevada Zinc Corporation, Executive Chairman of Rockcliff Metals Corporation and COO of Norvista Capital Corporation. Mr. Durham is a director of Minera Alamos Inc. and is VP Exploration for BTU Metals Corp. About Mr. Michael Williams Mr. Williams brings over 25 years of experience as a senior executive within the mining industry and is a welcome addition to the Company as Executive Chairman. His experience includes the structuring of, administrating, raising capital globally and marketing Toronto Stock Exchange listed companies. Mr. Williams has held senior roles in several successful public companies including Underworld Resources Ltd., which was sold to Kinross Gold Corp. for $138M. He has developed an international banking and financing network that includes extensive contacts with both institutional and retail investors. He has raised significant equity capital for, and raised the profile of, a number of advanced exploration and development projects. Mr. Williams is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Aftermath Silver and currently serves as a Director, President & CEO of Vendetta Mining Corp. About the Company York Harbour Metals Inc. (TSXV: YORK) (OTC PINK: YORKF) (FSE: 5DE0) (formerly Phoenix Gold Resources and TSXV: PXA & OTCPK: PGRCF) is an exploration and development company focused on the York Harbour Copper-Zinc Project, a mineral property located 27 km from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Company plans to continue drilling the 11 known mineralized zones and test other new massive sulphide targets, like the No 4 Brook showing, while making plans to gain access to the 400-level and Sea Level adits. For more information on York Harbour Metals please contact info@yorkharbourmetals.com Tel: +1-778-302-2257 or visit the website at www.yorkharbourmetals.com for past news releases, media interviews and opinion-editorial pieces by management. On Behalf of The Board of Directors, Andrew Lee CEO, President, and Director Telephone: 778-302-2257 | Email: andrew@yorkharbourmetals.com Website: www.yorkharbourmetals.com 1518 - 800 Pender Street W, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 2V6 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release may contain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements herein include but are not limited to statements relating to the prospects for development of the Company's mineral properties, and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market and economic risks, uncertainties and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141807 H.E. Deputy Prime Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Democratic Republic of Congo (centre), during her visit to ONERHT's office in Singapore SINGAPORE, Oct 25, 2022 - (ACN Newswire) - Sustainability consultancy RHT Green and strategic advisory firm RHT Consulting Asia have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to support the implementation of multisectoral sustainable development projects in the central African country.RHTLaw Asia and RHT Group of Companies, which includes RHT Green and RHT Consulting Asia (collectively "ONERHT"), welcomed the delegation of Her Excellency Eve Bazaiba, Deputy Prime Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development of the DRC on her maiden visit to Asia.Hosted by ONERHT, Her Excellency was briefed on Singapore's approach to sustainable development and exchanged ideas for sustainable development and green growth in the DRC.The MOU marks the culmination of discussions between the parties on sustainable value creation strategies and efforts to design effective environmental policies for the DRC's sustainable economic development and growth.As appointed partners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, RHT Green and RHT Consulting Asia will support the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development by advising on planning, policies, regulations, and solutions to address the DRC's challenges across economic development, free trade and environmental protection.Mr Wee Boon Siong, Chief Executive Officer of RHT Green, said, "We are happy to work together with the DRC government on environment and sustainability. The DRC has a huge rainforest, the 2nd largest in the world, next to the Amazon, and it is an important carbon sink for our planet. It also has large mineral reserves which are the necessary components of many renewable industries. Cobalt, copper, nickel, lithium and rare earth elements (REEs) are all essential for producing electric vehicle batteries, harnessing solar power, wind energy, and other applications to reduce the reliance of consumers and industries on fossil fuels. These are important factors to take into account for planning and policies."The MOU also focuses on examining the DRC's policies and regulations, establishing a free trade zone, and exploring sustainability technology solutions. It reflects potential synergies between Singapore's track record in balancing finance, economic and sustainability solutions, and the resource-rich DRC, offering more opportunities for future collaboration and partnerships.Mr Victor Tay, Group Chief Executive Officer of RHT Consulting Asia said, "Singapore's economic development experience spanning close to 60 years since its Independence is a case study on how countries must find an economic strategy that aligns with their competitive advantage in the global economic environment. Along the way, Singapore had to address the challenges while adapting to trends in the global economic environment, evolving from a transhipment hub to become a manufacturing gateway to Asia, globalised financial hub, and now a Fintech hub while balancing emphasis on ESG (Environmental, Sustainability and Governance)."Mr Tay added, "We will share Singapore's economic development experience and the institutionalised knowledge of the last six decades with the DRC, taking into account its competitive advantages as well as the challenges unique to it."About ONERHTThe ONERHT Universe is an integrated multidisciplinary platform of professional services. Collaborating as ONE, we seek to be a beacon of growth for our clients, stakeholders and communities, empowering them to achieve purposeful growth in Asia and beyond. RHTLaw Asia LLP is a Singapore law practice registered as a limited liability law partnership in Singapore. A leading full-service firm with industry focus, it has presence in 16 jurisdictions through the ASEAN Plus Group. In delivering innovative legal and commercial solutions, it collaborates with ONERHT through entities which are not affiliates, branches or subsidiaries of RHTLaw Asia LLP. For more information, please visit www.onerht.comIssued on behalf of ONERHTBy Waterbrooks Consultants https://www.waterbrooks.com.sg/For media enquiries, please contact:Elliot Siow+65 8375 0417elliot@waterbrooks.com.sgSource: ONERHTCopyright 2022 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. Vancouver, Canada--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Turnium Technology Group Inc. (TSXV: TTGI) ("Turnium" or "the Company"), an industry leader in cloud-native software-defined wide area networking solutions (SD-WAN), announced it has completed a restructuring plan that aims to improve operational efficiencies while reducing administrative and overhead costs by over $1 million per year, shortening the projected time to profitability while preserving R&D, sales and marketing capacities. Josh Hicks, VP Product & Engineering, takes over management of R&D from Haresh Kheskani, CTO, who will leave the company at the end of the year after having successfully built out the Company's Halifax R&D facilities. Aaron Patton, President of Tenacious Networks, the Company's IT services division, will take over the role and responsibilities of the COO-Technology, previously held by Colin Atkinson, who is leaving the Company. Juliet Jones, CFO, has resigned and will be leaving around the end of November. The company has initiated the recruitment of Juliet's replacement. Turnium has a $1.85M loan facility with affiliates of FirePower Capital. The Company is actively negotiating an amendment to the loan facility, including a potential extension of a partial principal repayment which is due on May 31, 2023, as well as adjustments to the financial covenants to better meet the growth trajectory of the Company. The covenants to be adjusted include minimum cash balance requirements, which are currently non-compliant and monthly minimum revenue requirements. There can be no assurance given that these negotiations will be successful. The loan facility will continue to bear interest at a rate of 12.7% per annum payable monthly until its maturity on July 31, 2024. The Company is also forming an M&A committee of current board members, led by Ralph Garcea, to evaluate various strategic alternatives. Derek Spratt, CEO, stated, "With the challenging global economic conditions, Turnium, like many other technology companies, is restructuring to be in a better position to navigate through these unprecedented times. We continue to see significant sales opportunities, are projecting solid revenue growth for the current fiscal year, and anticipate that our upcoming next-generation SD-WAN product launch will accelerate that growth further." About Turnium Technology Group Inc. Turnium Technology Group Inc. delivers its SD-WAN solution as a white label, containerized, disaggregated software platform that channel partners host, manage, brand, and price or as a managed cloud-native service provided by Turnium. Both Turnium SD-WAN solutions are available through a channel partner program designed for Communications Service Providers, Internet and Managed Service Providers, System Integrators, and Value-Added Resellers. For more information, contact sales@ttgi.io, visit www.turnium.com, or follow us on Twitter @turnium. About SD-WAN SD-WAN is revolutionizing the networking and telecommunications industry by abstracting secure, high-speed networking and network control from underlying physical circuits. SD-WAN frees enterprises, small and medium businesses, cloud and managed services providers from the business and cost constraints imposed by traditional telecommunications companies. Turnium Contact: Investor Relations: Bill Mitoulas Email: investor.relations@ttgi.io Telephone: +1 416-479-9547 Media inquiries: please email media@ttgi.io. Sales inquiries: please email sales@ttgi.io. www.ttgi.io, www.turnium.com CAUTIONARY NOTES Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain acts, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, the risks that the Company may terminate and not proceed with the Agreement, or that the Agreement and associated transactions will not be successfully completed for any reason (including failure to obtain the required acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange). The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141837 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Datametrex AI Limited (TSXV: DM) (FSE: D4G) (OTCQB: DTMXF) (the "Company" or "Datametrex') is pleased to announce that Medi-Call Inc., ("Medi-Call"), the Company's wholly-owned telehealth company, attended South Korea's International Education fair this past weekend to present its telehealth services to international foreign students planning to travel to Canada. The International Education fair is an opportunity for students to obtain information on studying abroad, and Canada is one of the most popular destinations. Students get to explore different education and career pathways. There were approximately 175 exhibitors representing 22 countries with an average of 25,000 daily visitors. (Source: https://www.uhak2min.com/en/) This connects Medi-Call with various international agencies that represent and help students who are looking to plan their transition into Canada and require healthcare services. With the lack of accessible and timely healthcare in Canada, Medi-Call plans to lift the current burden and provide its health services to potential patients new to Canada. A medical advocate for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians states the healthcare system continues to face challenges and is warning that the combination of COVID-19 and influenza, combined with Canada's crowded hospitals and staff shortages will make this the worst winter for Ontario's overburdened healthcare system. With no changes to the current issues, timely care is in demand. (Source: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/this-winter-will-be-the-worst-yet-for-ontario-s-overburdened-health-care-system-expert-1.6114082) Additionally, Canada can start to expect more international students, which means potential growth for Medi-Call. The last two years of COVID-19 slowed the immigration process due to the strict COVID protocols in place. However, as of October 1, 2022, Canada has lifted its COVID-19 restrictions to immigration applicants, therefore Canada can expect a higher volume of international student's coming in. (Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/immigration-applicants.html) "Management is focused on growing Medi-Call. Accessible healthcare is in demand now, more than ever. With a majority of Canadians agreeing that accessing healthcare has become increasingly difficult, Medi-Call's mission is to continue to share its message and help provide Canadians with affordable healthcare. Management expects that tapping into the international student space will bring success to the Company," said Marshall Gunter, CEO of the Company. About the International Education and Emigration Fair The International Education & Emigration Fair is the largest show offering information on studying abroad, working abroad, emigration and investment which brings more than 500 schools and associations related studying internationally from 30 countries and 50 associations related emigration and foreign investment from 5 countries every single time. The fair is a one-stop service, face-to-face counseling on the spot. The fair has many supporters like embassies, state governments, education offices and emigration offices and also had some qualifications to exhibitors to enhance public confidence. The International Education & Emigration Fair offers various programs including high qualified presentations to help advance your education, career, and business. For more information, please visit: https://www.uhak2min.com/en/ About Medi-Call Medi-call is a subscription-based software as a service (SaaS) mobile application that connects patients with doctors. It is an integrated grid system that connects patients with providers in real time. Medi-Call solves accessibility issues for patients living in rural or isolated communities and those also have limited mobility while improving coordination and communication of treatment among healthcare team members and their patients. Medi-Call facilitates mobile health care services, including prescriptions and is passionate about building doctor-patient relationships virtually. Visit Medicallmd.ca to learn more about the Company. Download the Medi-Call App for Android: https://bit.ly/MCGooglePlay Download the Medi-Call App for iOS: https://apple.co/3oos9m2 About Datametrex Datametrex AI Limited is a technology-focused company with exposure to artificial intelligence, machine learning, telehealth and has recently entered the electric vehicle (EV) market. Datametrex's mission is to provide tools and solutions that support companies in fulfilling their operational goals, including health and safety, with predictive and preventive technologies. By working with companies to set a new standard of protocols through artificial intelligence and health diagnostics, the Company provides progressive solutions to support the supply chain. For additional information on Datametrex and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.datametrex.com. For further information: Investor Relations & Communications Priya Monique Atwal, Director of Communications Email: investors@datametrex.com Tel: 416-901-5611 x 204 Marshall Gunter, CEO Email: mgunter@datametrex.com Tel: 514-295-2300 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Statements All statements included in this press release that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects, believes, or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Bid. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections, and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events. ### To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141839 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Cabral Gold Inc. (TSXV: CBR) (OTC Pink: CBGZF) ("Cabral" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Sami Arap Sobrinho to Cabral's Board of Directors with immediate effect. Sami Arap Sobrinho is the founding member and senior partner of Arap, Nishi & Uyeda Advogados, a boutique law firm based in Sao Paulo, with expertise in mining, infrastructure project development and finance, foreign investments, corporate and M&A, tax planning and real estate properties. Sami advises several investors in the mining sector in Brazil and abroad. In addition to acting for Cabral since 2017, he previously acted as General Counsel of Brasil Telecom S.A. (2002-2005), Enron South America (1999-2002) and Odebrecht Construction Co. (1996-1999). He holds an LL.B. degree from the Catholic University of Sao Paulo - School of Law (1987) and a Master of Comparative Jurisprudence degree from New York University - School of Law (1991). Carlos Vilhena has elected to resign from the Board of Directors to pursue other opportunities. However, Mr. Vilhena will remain as an advisor to the Company. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Company's shareholders, the Company wishes to thank Mr. Vilhena for his time and efforts aimed at advancing the Company. Alan Carter, Cabral's President and CEO commented, "We are extremely pleased that Sami has agreed to join the Board of Directors of Cabral Gold. His position as a founding member and senior partner of Arap, Nishi & Uyeda Advogados provides Cabral with a breadth of relevant experience and a wide network throughout Brazil. He is well qualified to assist us as we continue to advance the Cuiu Cuiu district located in the Tapajos region of Para state. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Carlos Vilhena for his time and efforts. Our Company has benefitted greatly from Carlos' experience and expertise and we look forward to Carlos' continued insights as an advisor to the Company." About Cabral Gold Inc. The Company is a junior resource company engaged in the identification, exploration and development of mineral properties, with a primary focus on gold properties located in Brazil. The Company has a 100% interest in the Cuiu Cuiu gold district located in the Tapajos Region, within the state of Para in northern Brazil. Two main gold deposits have so far been defined at the Cuiu Cuiu project which contains National Instrument 43-101 compliant Indicated resources of 21.6Mt @ 0.87 g/t gold (604,000 oz) and Inferred resources of 19.8Mt @ 0.84 g/t gold (534,500 oz). The Tapajos Gold Province is the site of the largest gold rush in Brazil's history producing an estimated 30 to 50 million ounces of placer gold between 1978 and 1995. Cuiu Cuiu was the largest area of placer workings in the Tapajos and produced an estimated 2Moz of placer gold historically. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: "Alan Carter" President and Chief Executive Officer Cabral Gold Inc. Tel: 604.676.5660 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as such term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of the words "will", "expected" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. This news release contains forward-looking statements and assumptions pertaining to the following: strategic plans and future operations, and results of exploration. Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. The Company believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141842 New dataset, RepRisk Geospatial, identifies proximity of extractive sector projects to Key Biodiversity Areas and protected areas ESG data science firm RepRisk and the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) Alliance collaborated to unlock biodiversity insights via RepRisk Geospatial Analytics, which launches today. An extension of RepRisk's flagship product, the RepRisk ESG Risk Platform, Geospatial Analytics facilitates robust biodiversity risk assessment for market practitioners and solves common pitfalls around quality and availability of both biodiversity and proximity data. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005126/en/ RepRisk Geospatial provides powerful biodiversity due diligence data, showing the proximity of 60,000+ mining and oil and gas projects to 270,000+ protected areas and 16,000+ Key Biodiversity Areas then rolling those insights up to project owner and operator companies. These insights provide useful information to market practitioners asking questions like, "does my client operate any pipelines near protected areas?" or "does the mine in my portfolio overlap with areas of high biodiversity value?" "RepRisk Geospatial Analytics is ground-breaking for investors. It is essential to understand where companies own and operate assets before it is possible to understand the potential biodiversity related risk of an investment." said Edward Ellis, Business Manager at IBAT Alliance. "RepRisk links assets on the ground to owner and operator companies, enabling investors to better understand aspects of their nature-related risk. When combined with the existing risk information in RepRisk's ESG Risk Platform, investors are able to analyse biodiversity in the Environmental pillar of ESG in an even more multi-dimensional way." A preliminary analysis of RepRisk Geospatial Analytics reveals that: Approximately 32% of natural and mixed UNESCO World Heritage sites are currently within 1km of an extractive project. 52% (470 out of 900) of Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites, which are home to the last of some of the world's most threatened species, are within 10km of an extractive project. Approximately 8,400 or 81% of Oil and Gas pipelines worldwide are within 10 km of at least one environmentally sensitive site. RepRisk Geospatial is emerging alongside the Taskforce for Nature Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)'s progress on a biodiversity risk management and reporting framework, to be adopted by financial institutions and corporates. "The TNFD has made it clear: geospatial data is essential for reporting on corporate biodiversity risk and moving toward a nature-positive economy," says Alexandra Mihailescu Cichon, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at RepRisk. "RepRisk Geospatial Analytics not only brings clients in step with emerging frameworks like TNFD but empowers them with the most cutting-edge technology and the world's most comprehensive ESG dataset. Nature doesn't disclose anything, and ultimately biodiversity risk and financial risk are one and the same. It's time for financial markets to integrate biodiversity risk considerations into their decision-making processes." Future applications for RepRisk Geospatial Analytics include proximity data on projects beyond the extractive sector and data on emissions and deforestation. About RepRisk Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Switzerland, RepRisk is a pioneer in ESG data science that leverages the combination of AI and machine learning with human intelligence to systematically analyze public information and identify material ESG risks. RepRisk's flagship product, the RepRisk ESG Risk Platform, is the world's largest and most comprehensive due diligence database on ESG and business conduct risks, with expertise in 23 languages and coverage of 200,000+ public and private companies and 55,000+ infrastructure projects. For more than a decade, the world's leading financial institutions and corporations have trusted RepRisk for due diligence and risk management across their operations, business relationships, and investments. Find out more on reprisk.com and learn more about RepRisk Geospatial at reprisk.com/geospatial. About IBAT Launched in 2008 and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) is an Alliance between BirdLife International, the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Conservation International. IBAT is the tool through which commercial access to authoritative biodiversity datasets and derived data layers can be licensed including the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas (WDKBA). By licensing data via IBAT, commercial users contribute to the update and maintenance of these essential conservation datasets. Learn more at ibat-alliance.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005126/en/ Contacts: Gina Walser Marketing and Communications Stampfenbachstrasse 42 8006 Zurich, Switzerland media@reprisk.com NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / Hennessey Digital, a leader in SEO and digital marketing, has received three 2022 MarCom awards, including two Platinum Awards for the agency's website and industry-leading research, and a Digital Media Gold Award for the Hennessey Digital blog. The awards are presented by the Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals. For the second-consecutive year, Hennessey Digital has received recognition for its annual law firm response time study , which provides law firms with insights into the dynamics of lead form responsiveness across the legal industry. This year, the Hennessey Digital blog also received nods for its "business + lifestyle" blend of content, and honorable mention for a leadership-focused post on introverts at work . "It's exciting to see our digital marketing research earn recognition and it's especially gratifying for our efforts to be recognized by the MarCom Awards because they celebrate creativity, generosity, and hard work, which aligns perfectly with our culture at Hennessey Digital. Our MarComs Awards wins are proof positive of the strength of our team, and I'm inspired by the knowledge, leadership, and vulnerability I get to spotlight every day," says Liz Feezor , Director of Communications. News of the MarCom Awards wins came as the 100%-remote digital marketing agency's leadership team had converged on Charleston, South Carolina for year-end planning and strategy sessions. "There's some comedic irony in corporate communications and marketing. Companies often forget to put the same strategic thinking and excellence toward their own corporate marketing and branding that they put toward their products, client service, and results. Everything we do has intention with the desire to connect, empower, and bring an element of fun to the experience when someone interacts with Hennessey Digital. It's rewarding to see that resonated with the MarCom Awards panel and we appreciate the recognition for our team's creativity, talent, and confidence in taking risks," says Senior Director of Marketing Cindy Kerber Spellman . On an awards streak, Hennessey Digital received five 2022 Startup Weekly Awards earlier this month and was named to the Quartz Best Remote Companies to Work For list for the second consecutive year in September. The company is recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. About Hennessey Digital Founded in 2015 by internationally recognized SEO expert and best-selling author Jason Hennessey, Hennessey Digital is a multi-award winning digital marketing agency for top law firms and other industries. Specializing in technical SEO, content marketing, law firm SEO, paid media and pay-per-click advertising (PPC), and conversion rate optimization (CRO), Hennessey Digital helps clients get more qualified leads and high-value cases through holistic marketing strategies. Hennessey Digital has made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America for four consecutive years from 2019 to 2022 and was named a Quartz Best Company for Remote Workers in 2021 and 2022. Follow Hennessey Digital on Social Media: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Contact: Liz Feezor, Director of Communications press@hennessey.com SOURCE: Hennessey Digital View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722163/Hennessey-Digital-Recognized-for-Excellence-in-Content-Marketing-and-Strategic-Communications-With-Three-2022-MarCom-Awards New report shows 75% of MSPs will invest in security threat intelligence services in the next 12 months to help businesses combat increased threats MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / Lumu , the creator of the Continuous Compromise Assessment cybersecurity model that empowers organizations to measure compromise in real-time, has partnered with Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) to conduct an independent survey exploring why MSPs are focusing on growing their cybersecurity practices, cites their most pressing concerns when it comes to threats and offers guidance on how MSPs can build a security stack effectively. "There's been a monumental shift in threat actors' operations, which have led SMBs to face a higher risk of targeted security breaches," said Ricardo Villadiego, Founder and CEO of Lumu. "Now more than ever, entrepreneurs and small business leaders need to understand the heightened need for cybersecurity. With that awareness comes the need to implement a comprehensive cybersecurity program, but not every small business has the means to do so in-house. MSPs that can effectively meet the current needs of SMBs will gain market share and see significant growth opportunities." The "MSP Cybersecurity Market Opportunity Blueprint" study found that: In the next 12 months, 75% of MSPs are planning to invest in security and threat intelligence, 66.2% in threat detection and response, 66.2% in real-time attack visibility and 50% in forensics and incident response. The most important concerns of MSPs when it comes to protecting customers from cyber threats are malware (77.9%), ransomware (70.6%), business email compromise (64.7%), and phishing (69.1%). More simplistic malware techniques are enough for cyber-criminals to compromise SMBs, while larger organizations must employ more sophisticated and scalable techniques. Cyberattacks on small businesses consist mainly of malware (60%). The top fears MSPs are around when/if customers experience a cyberattack are operational downtime (69.1%), losing the trust of your customers (64.7%), financial losses (63.2%), and reputational losses (61.8%). Based on the findings of the report, EMA recommends five steps that MSPs should follow to start or evolve their cybersecurity practice: Customers' network-level threat visibility is vital: MSPs should develop methods to identify any and all traces of compromise in the network because it will help MSPs minimize damage and avoid disruption. MSPs should develop methods to identify any and all traces of compromise in the network because it will help MSPs minimize damage and avoid disruption. Ensure scalability through effective tools: MSPs should favor SaaS-based commercially available solutions that can grow effectively with the MSP - tools built to effectively use cybersecurity talent, so they spend their time effectively. MSPs should favor SaaS-based commercially available solutions that can grow effectively with the MSP - tools built to effectively use cybersecurity talent, so they spend their time effectively. Leverage response automation: MSPs achieve great levels of efficiency by combining real-time attack monitoring with integration capabilities that use out-of-the box or API techniques for data exchange and touchless response. MSPs achieve great levels of efficiency by combining real-time attack monitoring with integration capabilities that use out-of-the box or API techniques for data exchange and touchless response. Understand the pricing thoroughly: MSPs need flexible pricing that matches the services delivered to their customers to not get locked into unfavorable long-term contracts which are undesirable considering the changing threat landscape. MSPs need flexible pricing that matches the services delivered to their customers to not get locked into unfavorable long-term contracts which are undesirable considering the changing threat landscape. Protect the human element: With phishing and other social engineering techniques increasing in sophistication and effectiveness, MSPs should train their staff and users across their customer base to identify and report these threats. "We foresee that more than half of SMBs will part ways with MSPs that fail to address cybersecurity needs effectively and seek out alternative solutions," said Chris Steffen, Managing Research Director at EMA. "There's a huge opportunity for MSPs to get ahead of this and invest in security areas that are most prevalent to SMBs in the next 12 months such as security threat intelligence services, threat detection and response, real-time attack visibility, and forensic and incident response. The MSPs that prioritize these areas will be at an advantage over competitors and will be better equipped to grow their customer base." To view the full findings of the MSP Cybersecurity Market Opportunity Blueprint report please download https://lumu.io/msp-growth-blueprint/ . About Lumu Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Lumu is a cybersecurity company focused on helping enterprise organizations illuminate threats and isolate confirmed instances of compromise. Applying principles of Continuous Compromise Assessment, Lumu has built a powerful closed-loop, self-learning solution that helps security teams accelerate compromise detection, gain real-time visibility across their infrastructure, and close the breach detection gap from months to minutes. Learn more about how Lumu illuminates network blindspots at www.lumu.io . About EMA Founded in 1996, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) is a leading industry analyst firm that specializes in going "beyond the surface" to provide deep insight across the full spectrum of IT management technologies. EMA analysts leverage a unique combination of practical experience, insight into industry best practices, and in-depth knowledge of current and planned vendor solutions to help its clients achieve their goals. Learn more about EMA research, analysis, and consulting services for enterprise IT professionals, and IT vendors at www.enterprisemanagement.com or follow EMA on Twitter or LinkedIn . ### Media Contact: Ciara Divita Cdivita@5wpr.com SOURCE: Lumu View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722075/MSP-Market-Opportunity-Report-Finds-Cybersecurity-as-Primary-Growth-Driver-as-SMBs-Lack-Resources-to-Develop-Security-Program-In-House OSLO, Norway, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pexip, a leading global video technology company, today launches Pexip Marketplace, the company's new online hub for video-powered applications and integrations. The Marketplace showcases easily browsable use cases and joint solutions built with Pexip's video technology platform. "Pexip Marketplace is part of our strategic shift to take video beyond the meeting room. We aim to empower organizations to put video everywhere. We are their partner in solving transformational challenges, reinventing their brands, and reaching customers in entirely new ways through video technology," says Leighton Hughes, VP Video Innovation, Pexip. "Our Marketplace is making this even easier, enabling customers to simply search and discover new ways to bring video into their business operations," he adds. As part of the Marketplace launch, Pexip also released new resources to support its growing developer community. A dedicated developer site, developer.pexip.com , makes it easy to access Pexip's SDK, plugins, and code snippets that developers can use to create new solutions, integrate video into workflows, and innovate with Pexip's award winning platform. Developers can also interact with each other, learn more about building with Pexip, share ideas, and ask questions via community.pexip.com. "Our technology is built as a platform, enabling customers to easily build solutions and elevate their products and services with video inside," says Jordan Owens, VP of Video Innovation, Pexip. "What sets us apart is that Pexip integrates easily with third parties and adheres to the strictest security standards in the world. We also offer a robust set of integrations and APIs, so that any workflow or use case can be taken to the next level with video." Video is solving challenges across multiple industries. Pexip is focused on three strategic areas for growth in the VPaaS space: Healthcare: bringing video technology to virtual waiting rooms, telehealth solutions, healthcare devices like 'exam cams', and advanced solutions for seminars and therapy sessions. bringing video technology to virtual waiting rooms, telehealth solutions, healthcare devices like 'exam cams', and advanced solutions for seminars and therapy sessions. Customer & citizen engagement: powering video connections for virtual courtroom hearings, customer contact centers, retail services, banking, and more. powering video connections for virtual courtroom hearings, customer contact centers, retail services, banking, and more. Extended reality: enabling frontline workers with video and wearable technology in the field and providing access to experts and critical support. Visit pexip.com/marketplace to learn more. For more information on Pexip Video Innovation, visit www.pexip.com/build. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pexip-launches-marketplace-to-showcase-applications-integrations-and-partnerships-301658594.html Andersen Global continues to extend its reach into Slovakia through a Collaboration Agreement with law firm CLS Cavojsky Partners, complementing the organization's existing tax capabilities in the country. CLS Cavojsky Partners, founded in 2006, is led by Managing Partner Peter Cavojsky and operates out of Bratislava. The team of professionals provides full-service capabilities in corporate, labor, banking and insurance, competition, insolvency, real estate, compliance, public procurement and intellectual property rights. The firm is also consistently recognized by The Legal 500 and IFLR 1000 "Over the years, our firm has been acknowledged as a leading law firm due to our client-focused approach and deep understanding of our clients' needs," Peter said. "Collaborating with the like-minded individuals of Andersen Global strengthens our firm's growth trajectory as we continue to extend our global reach and capabilities to provide seamless service throughout the region and globally." "Peter and his team have consistently demonstrated their dedication to stewardship and best-in-class service, which will allow them to build strong working relationships with the member and collaborating firms in the region," added Andersen Global Chairman and Andersen CEO Mark Vorsatz. "Our collaboration with CLS Cavojsky Partners enhances our global organization's coverage as we continue to deliver integrated service globally." Andersen Global is an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals around the world. Established in 2013 by U.S. member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global now has more than 12,000 professionals worldwide and a presence in over 380 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005063/en/ Contacts: Megan Tsuei Andersen Global 415-764-2700 4 Separate Projects and Properties Multiple Drill Results at Carlin-Roop anticipated November through December Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Mayo Lake Minerals Inc. (CSE: MLKM) (Mayo or the Company) has received the results for 1,621 geochemical samples collected from its Carlin-Roop Silver Project; its Anderson-Davidson Gold and Trail-Minto gold properties; as well as 136 soil gas (SGH) samples from its Edmonton gold-base metal property. Drilling Update: cutting and logging of all core from this summer's diamond drill program has been completed. The Company will issue a press release report covering the core shortly and is anticipating receipt of assays between November 15 and year end. Exploration Highlights. Sampling was carried out within the Anderson Gold Trend (Figure 1), a 16km+ by 3km long belt of placer gold creeks, including Owl, Anderson, and Steep creeks, Dawn Gulch and numerous anomalous gold in soil zones . . The program has resulted in major expansions to the size and strength of multiple zones. Collectively over 9.5km of drill-ready zones marked by anomalous gold values have now been delineated within the Anderson Gold Trend. (Figure 2). The Owl-Anderson zone has been increased in length from its previous 1km to approximately 3km through soil sampling with values over 0.5g Au/t in soil; supported through tracing of parallel features on air photos and magnetics. The Owl-Anderson structure has the potential to independently become a large-scale gold camp. One zone within the Peak group of anomalies has been increased in size from 500m to over 1,600m; open in one direction. This includes one 200m section with over 0.15g Au/t. One zone within the Steep Creek anomalies has been extended to 1.7km. Soil sampling at the Carlin West silver project has extended the main anomaly area by over 150% to 450+m in length and defined a core zone over 100m long with 31-49g Ag/t(1-1.6 oz Ag/t) in soil (Figure 3). Detailed plotting indicates a complex intersection of mineralized structures within the Carlin West anomaly. Unless otherwise noted, zones will represent Au or Ag in soils. Tyrell Sutherland, VP- Exploration stated, "The results of this season's soil sampling reaffirms our belief that major bedrock structures at Anderson-Davidson and Carlin-Roop have the potential to host economic scale mineralization over significant strike lengths. The Owl-Anderson structure itself has the length of some entire gold camps and is only one of six areas of interest within the Anderson-Davidson Project." Tyrell continued, "this year's sampling has significantly increased our expectation for silver mineralization at Carlin West where the core of one zone, measuring 50m by 130m, contained over 1oz silver in soil. This grade is comparable to the highest silver values obtained by our neighbours to the north in the Keno Hill Camp and from silver resources being mined in more southern jurisdictions." Vern Rampton, President and CEO stated, "The Anderson Gold Trend's numerous anomalous gold zones and prospects spread over its 48 km2 area highlights the potential for a major mining camp. Much of the trend having good potential for gold mineralization has not been sampled at this time. Undoubtedly, its connection to the Yukon's road network can only add to its attractiveness. The similarities of the Carlin West silver zones to those in other areas of the Keno Hill Silver Camp point to a bright future for the Carlin-Roop property." Soil sampling- Anderson- Davidson (18 separate zones) At Steep Creek, 6 zones have been delineated: a 1,700m long zone having gold values up to 142ppb; a 370m long zone having gold values up to 142ppb; a 530m long zone having gold values up to 126ppb; a 750m long zone having gold values up to 87ppb; a 320m long zone having gold values up to 33 ppb; and a 170m long zone having gold values up to 85ppb. At Peak, 6 zones have been identified: a 1,600m long zone having gold values up to 272 ppb; an 850m long zone having gold values up to 134ppb; a 580m long zone having gold values up to 48ppb; a 280m long zone having gold values up to 47ppb; a 240m zone having gold values up to 340ppb; and a 340m long gold zone having values up to 33ppb. At Owl-Anderson, 4 zones have been identified: a 3,000m+ long zone having gold values up to 527ppb.; a 600m zone having gold values up to 63ppb; a 360m long zone having values up to 86ppb; and a 120m long zone having gold values up to 201ppb. At Norman, 2 zones have been identified: a 670m long zone having gold values up to 87ppb and a 600m long zone having gold values up to 46ppb. At Dawn Gulch, placer mining, anomalous silt samples of up to 16.2ppb and heavy mineral concentrate samples of up to 25,500g Au/t, suggest the presence of lode gold. This locality requires completion of soil sampling to delineate gold targets. The Owl Creek drainage basin has also not been grid sampled. Further west at Davidson, 2 zones have been identified: a 500m long zone having gold values up to 34ppb and a 450m long zone with gold values up to 29 ppb. The later zone has been verified by an SGH survey. Soil Sampling and geophysics - Trail-Minto A 700m wide zone of north-trending irregular parallel bands of gold anomalies has been defined along the east margin of the Roaring Fork Stock for a distance of ~ 4 km (Figure 4) and mirror similarly-oriented parallel bands on plots of the magnetic analytical signal. Over 3 km2 of terrain marked by similar magnetic features has not yet been sampled. Trail-Minto is in a similar geological environment to that of Victoria's Gold's Eagle mine, Snowline Gold's Rogue Project and Sitka Gold's RC Project. Soil Sampling - Edmonton At Edmonton, an SGH survey validated the likely presence of sub-surface gold and base mineral mineralization as previously delineated by geochemical soil sampling. The anomalous zones flank a large magnetic low that is believed to be indicative of an underlying intrusive and associated alteration. The base metal and gold zones likely relate to the different fractionation of metals within an intrusive or its sub-phases. Soil Sampling- Carlin West The width of the area with the highest values for silver in soil (>= 30g Ag/t) are suggestive of shoots enriched in silver where various zones intersect. The plots for silver at Carlin West suggest multiple zones at azimuths of 285, 300 and 330. To the north, parallel silver zones trending at an azimuth of 60 are present. This set has been termed the AJ anomaly. Both group of anomalous zones have high-grade grab samples associated with them: Carlin West - 3,394g and 662g Ag/t; AJ- 412, 182, and 179 g Ag/t. Figure 1 Gold in soil zones on Anderson-Davidson Property To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5471/141845_fig1ml.jpg. Figure 2 Gold in soil zones at eastern end of Anderson Gold Belt To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5471/141845_fig2ml.jpg. Figure 3 Silver in soil values at Carlin West To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5471/141845_fig3ml.jpg. Figure 4 Linear gold in soil anomalies and analytical signal trends at Trail-Minto To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5471/141845_fig4ml.jpg. Sample Analysis, Collection and Quality Control. Soil samples were collected preferentially from the C-horizon but in some cases B-horizon material was sampled. Samples were bagged daily and stored on site until July when they were delivered to Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd (BMV) laboratory in Whitehorse for preparation. These pulps were then forwarded to BMV's analytical laboratory in Vancouver, B.C. for analysis where 15g of each sample was analyzed by Aqua regia digestion, ICP-MS analysis (BMV AQ201) for 36 elements (Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sr, Te, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Zn). BMV's laboratories meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001 with their oversights and processes. Appropriate duplicates, standards and blanks are inserted into each analytical run. Mayo independently inserted sample duplicates at a rate of one per thirty-three collected samples. A total of 136 samples were collected for soil gas hydrocarbon analysis (SGH). These samples were sent to Activation Laboratories Ltd (Actlabs) at Ancaster, Ontario where the samples are dried and sieved to -60 mesh. The samples are then extracted, separated by gas chromatography and analyzed by mass spectrometry using parameters allowing the detection of 162 hydrocarbon at a reporting limit of one part per trillion. The results are combined into 19 SGH sub classes for reporting and interpretation. Actlabs compares laboratory replicates and field duplicates to determine a Coefficient of Variation (CV) for the data set. Results a CV of <= 12.4% from a data set are considered to indicate that a majority of the results will be valid in order to construct meaningful patterns from obtained readings. Laboratory Materials Blank Quality Assurance is completed at ActLabs to detect contamination. Qualified Person (QP) Statement: Field work was directed by Tyrell Sutherland, M.Sc., P. Geo. This press release has been prepared by Vern Rampton, Ph.D., P. Eng. in their capacities as QP under the guidelines of N.I. 43-101. - END OF PRESS RELEASE - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES For additional information contact: Vern Rampton, President & CEO; 613-836-2594; vrampton@mayolakeminerals.com Tyrell Sutherland, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration; 613-884-8332; tsutherland@mayolakeminerals.com Darrell Munro, BB.A, LL.B Corporate Administrator; (613) 836-2594; dmunro@mayolakeminerals.com. For further information please refer to Mayo's web-site. http://www.mayolakeminerals.com/. About Mayo Lake Minerals Inc.: Mayo is actively engaged in the exploration and development of five precious metal projects in the Tombstone Plutonic Belt of the Tintina Gold Province. The properties cover 249 square kilometres in the Yukon's Mayo Mining District and lie within the traditional territory of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation. The Company has a history of eleven years of exploration in the Mayo area and is fully funded for its 2022 planned exploration campaign. The Company is presently focusing on its flagship Carlin-Roop silver project lying within the Keno Hill Silver District. The eastern sector of the Silver District has recently been the site of numerous silver discoveries by Metallic Minerals and Mayo, itself. Two active mines: Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold Mine and Hecla mines lie near-by in the Mayo Mining district. Cautionary statement: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected. There can be no guarantee that Mayo Lake will be able to obtain a public listing as scheduled in this document. Mayo Lake undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141845 The "HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence for Germany" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. German medical device market to be driven by the need for improved outpatient care infrastructure in Interventional Cardiology As of 2021-22, Germany has 2,247 healthcare facilities across all care levels, with 691 public hospitals, 5 military hospitals, and the remaining being private hospitals and imaging centers. Over 600 hospitals provide tertiary care facilities, with the majority belonging to the public sector. The country has the highest number of doctors and nurses across Europe and continues to expand its healthcare resources. With healthcare expenditures majorly borne by the government, Germany has one of the more efficient healthcare systems in the region. However, despite an increase in life expectancy to 81.48 years and slowing death rates, cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of mortality in the country. According to this HospeTrack Hospital Intelligence for Germany, medical device market opportunities are significant in the secondary care segment for cardiovascular imaging equipment. With the single-digit penetration of cardiac cath labs across private hospitals, the demand for interventional procedures is likely to increase in the country. Germany currently has the highest bed occupancy rate for cardiovascular diseases across Europe. In addition, with the overutilization of inpatient care, the efficiency of treatment is reducing. Patients in Germany continue to seek emergency care for treatable cardiac procedures that can be done on an outpatient basis. Especially for acute myocardial infarction, Germany faces the highest inpatient mortality. This presents an opportunity for the growth of outpatient and day surgery facilities in the secondary and tertiary care sector. As per HospeTrack, there are more than 800 interventional cardiology facilities across Germany. It is further estimated that Germany conducts over 10,000 diagnostic coronary angiographies in a year. To keep up with the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases including myocardial infarction, the number of interventional cardiology facilities is expected to increase in the next 3-4 years. This will increase demand for catheterization equipment, indicating market opportunities for medical device manufacturers. The report provides account-level directional detail on total beds, ICU beds, ORs, ventilators, incubators, and other medical equipment installed in Germany, as well as Anesthesia Machines, Dialysis machines, C-Arms, Cath Labs, PET, SPECT, CT, MRI scanners, Ultrasound, and X-Ray machines, and Mammography machines making it a detailed source of hospital-level intelligence for Germany's medical equipment installed base. The report is a skillfully designed dataset that is an optimal resource for any organization in the process of optimizing sales targets, estimating market potential, or developing an account management strategy in Germany. It provides a graphical overview of the country's health infrastructure, and a hospital-level view of resources, directional information on the medical device installed base, hospital demographics, and care services. Contents: 1. Visualize and Map the Total Installed Base of the Country by Hospital Monitoring Access: ECG Machines, Holter monitors, Patient monitors, Ventilators, Anesthesia machines, Stress Testing Machines Surgical: C-Arms Cardio: Echocardiography, Cath Labs Diagnostic Imaging: PET-CT, Gamma Camera, PET-MRI, SPECT, CT Scanners, MRI Scanners, Ultrasound, X-Ray Machines, Mammography machines, DEXA Infant Care: Incubators, Radiant Warmers, Fetal monitors, Phototherapy Units, Infant Ventilators Renal: Dialysis Machine Radiation Therapy: LINAC Hospital IT: PACS, EMR 2. Generate Targeted Leads Based on Current Care Area Focus of a Hospital 13 care areas tracked for each hospital General Medicine, Gyn/Obs, Neurology, Internal Medicine, ER/Trauma, Pulmonology, GI, Cardiology, Oncology, Radiology, Nephrology, Ortho and Nuclear Medicine included in the report 3. Visualize the Current Health Resource Status of a Hospital Total number of doctors by hospital Total number of Radiologists by hospital Total number of Cardiologists by hospital Total number of internal medicine physicians by hospital Surgeons, neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons by hospital 4. Comprehend Medical Services Potential Using Bed and Operating Rooms Data Total bed size of a hospital Number of ICU beds by hospital Number of NICU, PICU beds by hospital Number of Major and Minor Operating Rooms available per hospital Total number of outpatient visits per hospital where available Total number of inpatient visits per hospital where available 5. Understand and Identify Types of Hospitals Hospitals by ownership type public and private Assess and differentiate based on size of hospital Public hospitals, Private hospitals and Imaging centers Chart and map based on level of care Primary, secondary and tertiary care 6. Create Opportunity Heat Maps 2,247 hospitals and Imaging centers in Germany listed by city, region, latitude and longitude and Zip Code Contact numbers available for 100% of the hospitals Website links mentioned for hospital where available 7. Estimate Market Potential of Equipment in the Country Companies Mentioned Drager GE Healthcare Philips Siemens Lowenstein B.Braun Fresenius Gambro Medtronic Ziehm Imaging Kontron Toshiba Mediso Medical Imaging Electronics Esaote Hitachi Olympus Medical Systems Medical Imaging Electronics Carestream Agfa Healthcare Fujifilm Healthcare MediRay Shimadzu Samsung Hologic Picker X-Ray Corporation PROTEC Konica Minolta Swissray USA Osteosys Elekta Varian For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/if5iso View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005765/en/ Contacts: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 Increase in the adoption of precision farming, rapid development in agricultural activities, surge in demand for fuel-efficient tractors, rise in government support for agriculture, and growth in mechanization in agriculture activities are expected to drive the growth of the global agricultural tractors market. PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report titled, "Agricultural Tractors Market by Power Output (Less than 30 HP, 30 to 50 HP, 51 to 100 HP, more than 100HP), by Drive Type (2 Wheel Drive, 4 Wheel Drive), by Propulsion (ICE, Electric, and Hybrid), by Operation (Manual, Autonomous): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031". According to the report, the global agricultural tractors market generated $59.1 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $97.8 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2022 to 2031. Download FREE Report Sample (353 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, Figures) at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/11876 Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities Increase in the adoption of precision farming, rapid development in agricultural activities, surge in demand for fuel-efficient tractors, rise in government support for agriculture, and growth in mechanization in agriculture activities are expected to drive the growth of the global agricultural tractors market. In addition, persistent technological advancements in tractor technology are expected to create ample opportunities for the industry. COVID-19 Pandemic: The outbreak of the COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the growth of the global agricultural tractors market, owing to the occurrence of lockdowns in various countries across the globe. Lockdowns resulted in the closure of numerous manufacturing facilities, including those of agricultural tractors, which adversely impacted the growth of the market. The automotive industry suffered immense losses during the pandemic due to the reduction in tractor sales and other supply chain challenges. Furthermore, reduction in workforce and shortage of raw materials due to strict ban on import and export of items additionally impacted the growth of the market. These restrictions were imposed by the government of various countries so as to significantly curb the spread of the virus during the pandemic. The 30 to 50 HP segment to lead the trail Based on power output, the 30 to 50 HP segment held the largest market share in 2021, holding more than one-third of the global market. This is mainly due to increase in use of agricultural tractors in various countries such as India, China, U.S., Italy, and others. The more than 100 HP, on the other hand, is expected to cite the fastest CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period. The growth of this segment is mainly owing to rise in agricultural related activities such as sowing, planting, and crop cultivation in various countries. The 2 Wheel Drive segment to occupy a dominant status Based on drive type, the 2-wheel drive segment held the dominating market share in 2021, holding nearly 90% of the global market. The surge of this segment is majorly due to increase in use of 2-wheel drive due to benefits associated with 2-wheel drive tractors such as cost effectiveness, small turning cycles, and convenient application. The 4-wheel segment, on the other hand, is expected to cite the fastest CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period. This is due to rise in demand for 4-wheel drive due to its ability to provide better traction, pull rough terrains in muddy, harsh, and wet solid conditions, versatility, high productivity, and durability. The manual segment to lead the trail Based on operation, the manual segment held the dominating market share in 2021, holding more than 90% of the global market, and is expected to occupy a dominant status during the forecast period. This is majorly due to increase in application of manual transmission tractors for PTO-intensive work and in large open areas suitable for in-line mowing, tilling, spreading, sowing, spraying and other tasks. The autonomous segment, on the other hand, is expected to cite the fastest CAGR of 26.2% during the forecast period. The growth of this segment is primarily due to increase in automation in agriculture to provide higher efficiency and accuracy. Interested to Procure the Data with Actionable Strategy & Insights? Inquire Before Buying - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/11876 The Asia-Pacific region to dominate Based on region, the market across Asia-Pacific region held the largest market share in 2021, holding nearly half of the global agricultural tractors market share. In addition, the same region is expected to cite the fastest CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period. The growth in this region is mainly due to economic development and increase in awareness regarding use of advanced tractor products. The report also analyses other regions such as Europe, LAMEA, and North America. Prominent Players of the Market: Agco Tracto (Fendt) Captain Tractors Private Limited Eicher Tractors Escorts Tractors Force Tractors Gromax Agri Equipment Limited John Deere Tractors Kubota Tractor Mahindra Tractors Monarch Tractor Electric Tractor New Holland Tractors SOLECTRAC Sonalika Tractors Standard Tractors Swaraj Tractors JCB SDF Interested to Procure the Data with Actionable Strategy & Insights? Inquire Before Buying - https://bit.ly/3FhM3Zw The report analyses these key players in the global agricultural tractors market. These players have implemented key business strategies such as strategic expansion, new product launches, alliances, and joint ventures for enhancing market penetration and reinforcing their position in the industry. The report helps the target audience in determining the market performance, performance of each segment, product portfolio development in the market, and contributions made by each player to the market expansion. Similar Reports We Have on Tractor Industry: Hydrogen Powered Tractor Market Expected to Reach $4.54 Billion, at 12.1% CAGR by 2035 Construction Tractors Market Research Report 2020-2030 Terminal Tractor Market Research Report 2020-2030 Farm Tractors Market Research Report 2017-2030 4WD Tractor Market Research Report 2021-2030 Electric Farm Tractor Market Research Report 2021-2030 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/automotive-and-transportation Follow Our Blog: www.theinnovativereport.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/agricultural-tractors-market-to-reach-97-8-billion-globally-by-2031-allied-market-research-301658515.html CUPERTINO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / This fall, high school seniors will be making one of the biggest choices of their lives in terms of picking out a list of colleges that they hope to attend and sending out their applications. More high school seniors will be receiving rejection letters from some of the most competitive colleges and universities in the country. In fact, this year will arguably be the most competitive for a number of reasons. The UC system no longer accepts the SAT or ACT for admissions, and many other top schools in the country stopped requiring students to send in SAT or ACT test scores. While this has made many more students feel that getting into even the most competitive schools was a possibility and lowered the barrier to the entry, AdmissionSight Founder and CEO Eric Eng does not believe that to be the case. "Everyone who is vying for a spot at HYPSM had 4.0's and near-perfect SAT scores anyway," says Eng. "So does eliminating the SAT make any difference in the grand scheme of things to the top universities? The short answer is no." "In fact, the most competitive applicants will have won science fairs, garnered regional and national accolades, and established award winning nonprofits under their belt" says Eng. So what's the secret sauce? AdmissionSight has an incredible track record of placing students into top universities. In the past, they even helped a student with a 3.3 unweighted GPA get accepted into an Ivy League through their time-tested admissions strategies. "If you have a low GPA, you need to stand out in other ways, particularly your extracurricular activities," states Eng. "You can't look like everyone else who participates in Model United Nations or Speech and Debate. You need a wow factor, and your nonprofit or leadership activities need to reflect that." AdmissionSight has been hugely successful in this regard. One of their students leveraged statistics and math to improve the social justice system through econometrics and policy, which led to his acceptance to Yale. Another student made audio recordings of autistic children that fed into machine learning algorithms to help improve speech impairment. It's the unique and differentiated activities that help students stand out. Acceptance rates went down substantially across the board, but the dips were seen most extreme at highly competitive schools such as Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale, which clock in at roughly 3% acceptance rates across the board. The most prestigious schools in the country saw incredible increases in the number of students that applied. For example, Yale saw an increase from 35,000 applicants in recent years to 50,000 in the past year! With that being said, one thing that students should keep in mind is that top schools are placing a strong emphasis on increasing diversity within their ranks. While this is obviously great news for everyone, as acceptance should be opened up to every student that is deserving, it could very likely lead to an even more competitive than ever before. What should students do about it? The simple answer here is to prepare early. Now, more than ever, high school students are going to want to make sure that they are better prepared than ever to apply for college and succeed in their goals of getting into great schools. One of the best ways to do that is to find a college admissions consultant that knows the ins and outs of getting into the most prestigious and competitive schools. That's where people like Eric Eng, founder and CEO of AdmissionSight come in. Eng and his team of admissions consultants have devised clear and strategic ways for students to make the very most of their strengths, minimize their weaknesses and turn the often mysterious process of getting into top schools into a fully realized science. Whether a student is far along in their high school career, just getting started, or not even in high school yet, consultants at AdmissionSight know how to help students set the right goals and achieve them. AdmissionSight offers services such as academic and extracurricular strategy, passion project development, science research, summer program applications, assistance with academic competitions, as well as college application and personal statement editing. On average, 75 percent of their students are admitted to the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, UChicago and more. Media Contact: AdmissionSight Inc. info@admissionsight.com (650) 338-8226 SOURCE: AdmissionSight View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722133/Why-High-School-Seniors-Are-Getting-More-College-Rejections-This-Year-and-How-AdmissionSight-Can-Help Excelerate Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EE) ("Excelerate") and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany signed a five-year contract today in Berlin to charter the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Excelsior to help provide energy security and supply diversification to Germany while supporting the country's transition to renewable energy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221024005957/en/ Excelerate Energy FSRU at terminal in Bahia Blanca, Argentina (Photo: Business Wire) Excelerate's President and CEO Steven Kobos and Dr. Patrick Graichen, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), signed the contract at BMWK headquarters in a ceremony also attended by Woodward Clark Price, Charge d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Berlin. "The deployment of the FSRU Excelsior to Germany demonstrates our commitment to strengthening energy security at a time when traditional energy sources have proven unreliable," said Steven Kobos, President and CEO of Excelerate. "FSRUs have the ability to offer flexible access to greater supply diversification and can serve as a complementary backstop for the rapid scaling of green energy projects. These benefits are consistent with the stated goals of the U.S.-EU Task Force on Energy Security." BMWK previously announced that a consortium including Tree Energy Solutions, E.ON, and Engie would jointly develop and implement Germany's fifth FSRU import terminal using an Excelerate vessel. The FSRU will accelerate the development of TES' green hydrogen terminal at Wilhelmshaven. Under the terms of the agreement, the FSRU Excelsior will go on charter in the first quarter of 2023. The Federal Republic of Germany intends to deploy the vessel in the Port of Wilhelmshaven. The Excelsior, which has an LNG storage capacity of 138,000 m3 and send-out capacity of 5 bcm/y, will go to drydock at the end of 2022 for scheduled maintenance prior to its deployment to Germany. ABOUT EXCELERATE ENERGY: Excelerate Energy, Inc. is a U.S.-based LNG company located in The Woodlands, Texas. Excelerate is changing the way the world accesses cleaner forms of energy by providing integrated services along the LNG value chain with the objective of delivering rapid-to-market and reliable LNG solutions to customers. The Company offers a full range of flexible regasification services from FSRUs to infrastructure development to LNG supply. Excelerate has offices in Abu Dhabi, Antwerp, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chattogram, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.excelerateenergy.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221024005957/en/ Contacts: Investors Craig Hicks Excelerate Energy craig.hicks@excelerateenergy.com Media Stephen Pettibone Frances Jeter FGS Global Excelerate@fgsglobal.com or media@excelerateenergy.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX: CXB; OTCQX: CXBMF) ("Calibre" or the "Company") a Canadian company operating in Nevada and Nicaragua since 2009 is analyzing the recent announcement of the United States Treasury Department issued on October 24, 2022 (United States Treasury Announcement can be found here. (https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20221024)) relating to sanctions imposed on the Nicaragua Directorate of Mines. Calibre is proactively reviewing the recent sanctions and has reached out to the United States Treasury Department to ensure its full compliance with these provisions. Calibre reaffirms its commitment to continue complying with all relevant international laws and restrictions. The Company will provide a market update once it has additional information, following discussions with its advisors and the United States Treasury Department. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Darren Hall" Darren Hall, President & Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Ryan King Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations T: 604.628.1010 E: calibre@calibremining.com (mailto:calibre@calibremining.com) W: www.calibremining.com About Calibre Mining Corp. Calibre is a Canadian-listed, Americas focused, growing mid-tier gold producer with a strong pipeline of development and exploration opportunities across Nevada and Washington in the USA, and Nicaragua. Calibre is focused on delivering sustainable value for shareholders, local communities and all stakeholders through responsible operations and a disciplined approach to growth. With a strong balance sheet, no debt, a proven management team, strong operating cash flow, accretive development projects and district-scale exploration opportunities Calibre will unlock significant value. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Calibre's control. For a listing of risk factors applicable to the Company, please refer to Calibre's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2021, available on www.sedar.com (http://www.sedar.com). This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Calibre's forward-looking statements. Calibre's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. Calibre does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / For retailers the winter season is traditionally one of their strongest sales periods of the year, but it is also 'thieving season'. Retailers need to prepare for crimes of opportunity such as lightening quick smash and grab crimes, states the nonprofit International Window Film Association (IWFA), which is recommending the installation of security window films to help deter thieves. "It is important for retailers to be prepared with added security ahead of the winter season, especially around the holidays, since a study completed several years ago states that 46 percent of retail theft occurred in the winter-time, or about twice the level of other times of the year," said Darrell Smith, executive director of the IWFA. "Security window films offer an unseen layer of security that may help prevent these crimes of opportunity," he added. Smash and grab is a bold crime that involves smashing a glass barrier, such as a store window, a door, or showcase, grabbing valuables, and then making a quick getaway, without concern for setting off alarms or creating noise. In 2019, retail theft reportedly added up to $69 billion. Nearly 67 percent of leading retailers surveyed report a moderate to considerable increase in organized retail crime, and 80 percent believe it will only get worse in the future. Academic research has suggested that most retail theft represent crimes of opportunity. In other words, people steal when it is easy to do so. Security window films can be the thickness of two drivers licenses stacked together, or much thinner. In addition to the strong adhesive used to secure the film to glass, a wet glaze system designed to adhere the film's edges to the window frame itself, or to a display case, may also be added for more strength and security. "Unprotected glass can be broken by a thief in a few seconds, but with security window film it may take several minutes or more, even after multiple impacts," said Smith. "This time delay may frustrate a would-be thief and encourage them to move on, and it may also buy a retailer time so other actions may be taken or the police may arrive in response to some alarm," he added. Any retailer interested in beefing up their security through the use of security window films may contact an IWFA member dealer, distributor or manufacturer on the IWFA website under 'Find Window Film'. More information on security window film may also be found on the IWFA's website. About The International Window Film Association The International Window Film Association (IWFA) (www.iwfa.com) is a nonprofit industry body of window film dealers, distributors, and manufacturers that facilitates the growth of the window film industry through education, research, advocacy and public awareness. When you look for window film, look for the IWFA logo. Like us on Facebook, follow us on LinkedIn and see more information on YouTube. Media Contact: Steve Capoccia spc@spcoms.com SOURCE: Special Public Communications View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722202/Retailers-Need-To-Prepare-For-Thieving-Season-Security-Window-Film-May-Deter-Smash-and-Grab-Crime LONDON (dpa-AFX) - President Joe Biden will roll out the updated Covid-19 vaccine Tuesday by receiving the first shot on his arm. After receiving the vaccine, he will deliver remarks on the ongoing fight against the virus at South Court Auditorium at 2.05 PM ET, according to the White House. The President Biden will announce additional efforts to get Americans their updated Covid vaccine, so that they have the protection they need heading into Thanksgiving and can have a safe and healthy holiday season. Biden will announce actions reaching high-risk Americans, including seniors, through targeted education and engagement efforts. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching new national and local TV, radio and print ads geared at reaching Black and Latino audiences in more than 30 markets in English and Spanish. HHS will launch the VaxUpAmerica Family Vaccine Tour, a new push to encourage families to get the updated Covid vaccine for maximum protection going into the winter and holiday season. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is doubling down on its efforts to reach older Americans. Today, Biden will call on employers and school leaders to once again do their part to get their communities protected, including by helping people get their updated Covid vaccine ahead of the winter. The President will call on every school district, college, and university in America to host at least one vaccination clinic by Thanksgiving Day. Walgreens is working with Uber and DoorDash to provide free delivery of prescriptions of Paxlovid, an oral Covid-19 treatment, directly to the doorsteps of Americans living in underserved communities. All 1,722 Albertsons grocery store pharmacies are offering walk-in Covid vaccinations. Albertsons is also offering 10 percent off on groceries for people who get their Covid-19 vaccine in-store. Rite Aid is holding Family Immunization Days at more than 350 Rite Aid and Bartell Drugs locations to promote immunization and provide families with the convenience of getting vaccinated together after school and work, including with walk-in availability. The next one is scheduled on October 26 at Bartell Drugs locations. More than 5,000 Walmart and Sam's Club locations offer updated Covid vaccines seven days a week, including through walk-ins. More than 20 million Americans, including nearly one in five seniors, have already rolled up their sleeves to get their updated Covid vaccine, the White House estimates. While Covid is not the disruptive force it was when the President took office, the virus continues to evolve. Coronavirus, flu, and other respiratory illnesses spread more quickly in the winter, as people gather indoors. As the weather gets colder, Americans must take action to stay protected. The updated vaccines target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron - the versions of the virus that are currently the most dominant in the U.S. and around the world. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Rishi Sunak on Tuesday officially took over as Britain's 57th Prime Minister, becoming the country's third leader in seven weeks. In his first speech to the nation from No 10 Downing Street, he said the UK is facing a 'profound economic crisis' and that he has been chosen as the new Conservative leader to fix some of the mistakes committed by his predecessor Liz Truss. Sunak said there are 'difficult decisions to come'. The 42-year-old leader of Indian origin pledged to unite the country. Rishi Sunak has promised to place 'integrity' and 'accountability' at the heart of his premiership, but rejected Opposition demand to call fresh elections. Sunak met King Charles at Buckingham Palace to accept the role after outgoing leader Liz Truss visited the monarch to offer her resignation. As ministers of the Truss Cabinet started announcing their resignations, Sunak began the task of appointing his new Cabinet. Responding to Sunak's speech, Labor Party Chair Anneliese Dodds told BBC News that the country needed 'a fresh start with a general election.' Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has repeated his calls for a general election after congratulating Rishi Sunak. Sunak will become the first person of color and the youngest person to take the office in more than two centuries. He became a junior minister in Theresa May's government, and was later named the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and as the Chancellor of the Exchequer by Boris Johnson. Sunak had lost a tight leadership race with Liz Truss last month. Rishi Sunak, who is the first British-Asian Prime Minister, was elected as Conservative Party leader unopposed on Monday a few days after Liz Truss' resignation. He will be sworn in as the next prime minister on Saturday. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Executives from WMCHealth and Philips Sign Ceremonial Agreement Symbolizing Technology Partnership HealthAlliance Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, and Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) a global leader in health technology, held a ceremonial signing today commemorating a partnership that is delivering advanced medical technologies to the new HealthAlliance Hospital and the communities the hospital serves in and around Kingston. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005361/en/ New HealthAlliance Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (Photo: Business Wire) The Philips health technologies at HealthAlliance Hospital will help medical imaging technicians capture patient scans fast, with enhanced clarity for more accurate diagnoses of patient conditions, monitor patient vital signs with increased efficiency, and enable patient care collaboration between HealthAlliance Hospital clinicians and medical subspecialists around the WMCHealth Network. Many of the Philips health technologies found in the new HealthAlliance Hospital are the same systems used at WMCHealth's Westchester Medical Center, as well as other hospitals both nationally and globally that stand at the forefront of healthcare delivery. For example, HealthAlliance Hospital patients will benefit from Philips' industry-leading Azurion system, which enables image-guided interventional therapies for conditions affecting the brain and heart. Michael D. Israel, President and CEO, WMCHealth, and Vitor Rocha, Chief Market Leader for Philips North America, put pen to paper at today's signing. "The new HealthAlliance Hospital and the accompanying Philips partnership are part of WMCHealth's ongoing efforts to equip our network with the newest medical systems and technologies to provide the best care possible," said Israel. "We are bringing some of the world's most advanced medical technologies to Ulster County so we can deliver the highest quality care right here. Thank you to Philips for this commitment and our long-standing partnership." "The WMCHealth Network and Philips share a common goal of wanting to improve lives. To achieve that goal, we need to work together to understand the unique healthcare challenges of our communities and how we can work together to deliver the right solutions," said Rocha. "By empowering staff with the right tools and technologies, we can allow them to deliver on the Quadruple Aim and focus on what is most important providing the best quality care for patients." First Phase-Completion of Healthcare Advancement Plan on Horizon The expansion and enhancement of HealthAlliance Hospital on Mary's Avenue is a key component of a $134.9 million Ulster County healthcare advancement plan initiated by WMCHealth, in cooperation with New York State, to consolidate the operations of the two HealthAlliance Hospitals in Kingston. WMCHealth expects to open the new HealthAlliance Hospital for care later in 2022. The new HealthAlliance Hospital will offer an expanded, modernized area for behavioral health diagnosis and treatment among other newly renovated treatment units and centers. In the next phase of this plan, WMCHealth will convert the HealthAlliance Hospital on Broadway into a walkable health village, where HealthAlliance workforce members will collaborate with community partners to deliver preventive and primary healthcare services as well as lifestyle counseling. The Benefit of Long-Term Strategic Partnerships Long-term strategic partnerships help hospitals and health systems better manage the cost and complexity of their technology investments, with the goal of improving patient outcomes. In 2015, WMCHealth and Philips commenced a multi-year deal in which Philips agreed to supply WMCHealth with a comprehensive range of clinical and business consulting services, as well as advanced medical technologies. The collaboration also aimed to redefine how WMCHealth delivered quality care in all of its medical subspecialties. A similar agreement with Philips is in place at other WMCHealth community hospitals, including Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick and Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. For the HealthAlliance Hospital partnership, Philips will provide the latest connected patient monitoring systems, as well as diagnostic imaging technologies such as CT that can help lower radiation dose[1], and innovations such as Compressed SENSE for MRI exams that enable patients to be scanned up to 50% faster[2]. Moreover, HealthAlliance Hospital will offer the Philips Ambient Experience in the new imaging center, designed to create a calm and engaging experience for patients, family and staff with dynamic lighting, video projection and sound, to provide positive distractions and give patients more control of the imaging environment. [1] https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/product/HCNOCTN194/ct-6000-ict-ct-scanner [2] Compared to Philips scans without Compressed SENSE About Westchester Medical Center Health Network The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with nine hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I (adult and pediatric), Level II and Level III trauma centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth. About Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment, and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2021 sales of EUR 17.2 billion and employs approximately 79,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005361/en/ Contacts: Andrew LaGuardia Westchester Medical Center Health Network 914.493.6532 Andrew.LaGuardia@WMCHealth.org Silvie Casanova Philips North America 781.879.0692 Silvie.Casanova@Philips.com Avi Dines Philips North America 781.690.3814 Avi.Dines@Philips.com HELSINKI, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2022 Millennium Technology Prize has been awarded to Scientia Professor Martin Green of the UNSW Sydney, Australia, for his innovation that has transformed the production of solar energy. The 1 million global award for technology, conferred every two years, recognised Green's leadership in the development of the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC). Since its development in 1983, the PERC has gone on to become the most commercially viable and efficient silicon solar cell technology for use in solar panels and for large-scale electricity production, accounting for almost 90% of the global solar cell market. Green developed the PERC with his team by improving the quality of both the top and the rear surface of standard silicon solar cells. When sunlight - in the form of particles called photons - enters a cell, it excites the electrons within the silicon. In this excited state, electrons can move through the cell, creating electric current. The improved surface of the PERC allows the electrons to maintain this excited state - or move freely - for longer, resulting in greater and more efficient energy generation. The PERC has helped increase the conversion efficiency of standard solar cells by over 50% in relative terms from 16.5% in the early 1980s to 25% in the early 2000s. The innovation has greatly reduced the costs of using solar panels, making solar energy more affordable than fossil-based alternatives. PERCs can also provide an energy supply to homes without them needing to be connected to a grid, ensuring a reliable power supply for remote communities. Sauli Niinisto, President of the Republic of Finland and Patron of the prize, conferred the Millennium Technology Prize upon Green at a ceremony in Helsinki today. Professor Green said: "It is a great honour to have been selected to receive such a prestigious prize. It not only recognises my contribution to photovoltaics [the conversion of light into electrical power], but also the achievements of my students and research colleagues at UNSW, as well as those of the broader photovoltaic research and commercial community. "I believe the Prize will increase my credibility as a spokesperson for what needs to be done to address climate change. We need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy to sustain the trajectory of human civilization on our shared planet. The pace of change is accelerating and the world will shift to solar and wind energy over the coming decade. I believe a huge transformation of historic significance is underway." Green and his team are currently working on combined cell technologies to reach 40% solar cell efficiency by exploring options such as stacking cells on top of each other. Green said: "Solar cells are increasingly being used to replace large power stations that use fossil fuels. In 2021, 20 countries or regions including Australia, Chile, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam and California (US) generated between 8% to 25% of their total electricity supply from solar energy, with this number growing quickly. "The rapid cost reductions in solar energy that my work has facilitated have come just in time, right at the point when the importance of acting immediately to address climate change has become overwhelmingly obvious." Professor Minna Palmroth, Chair of the Board of Technology Academy Finland, said: "Professor Green's innovation has already and will continue to greatly enhance the quality of life for billions of people globally and enhance environmentally sustainable development, from national power grids to private housing." Professor Paivi Torma, Chair of the International Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize, said: "PERCs can help us provide low-cost energy solutions and mitigate climate change. Continued research on solar cells is needed to replace their constituents that have limited supply, such as silver, with more abundant alternatives." The 2022 ceremony celebrating Green's innovation will be held alongside the Millennium Innovation Forum, also hosted by Technology Academy Finland, which runs from October 25-26. The Forum brings together internationally renowned experts to discuss how technology can solve the world's greatest challenges. Speakers include Bellingcat's investigative journalist and Executive Director, Christo Grozev, who implicated the Russian government in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and is currently investigating war crimes being committed by Russia in Ukraine. It also features Tim O'Reilly, Web 2.0 forerunner and Silicon Valley expert; and Marissa Mayer, ex-CEO of Yahoo, and Google's 20th employee and first female engineer. The innovation forum's session on diversity in research and development will be hosted by Finland's Research and Innovation Council, which is chaired byFinnish Prime Minister. There will be a press conference with Professor Martin Green at 9:00 am EEST (UTC+3) on 25th October 2022, embargoed until 25th October 2022, 6.30 PM EEST (UTC+3). Professor Green will also deliver a lecture at 5:10 pm EEST (UTC+3) on 26th October 2022. For more information, press conference details or interview requests, please contact: Saiansha Panangipalli Email: saiansha@curzonpr.com and millenniumprize@curzonpr.com; Tel: +91 99715 74820 Q/A with Martin Green about PERC: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M5qSa2GnIdH0clWpOHDXIxWZdKeiVUqx/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107249428655872742154&rtpof=true&sd=true Watch and download a video and photos about Professor Martin Green, the 2022 Millennium Technology Award prize winner: here. About the Millennium Technology Prize: The 1 million Millennium Technology Prize is the preeminent award focused on technological innovations for a better life. This includes work that improves human well-being, biodiversity, and wider sustainability. Overseen by the Technology Academy Finland, it was first awarded in 2004 and its patron is the President of the Republic of Finland. Winners are selected by a distinguished international panel of experts from academia and industry. Innovations must be backed up by rigorous academic and scientific research and fulfill several criteria, including promoting sustainable development and biodiversity, generating applications with commercial viability, and creating accessible socio-economic value. Past winning projects range from DNA sequencing that helped to develop COVID-19 vaccines, to ethical stem-cell research and versatile, affordable smart technology. For other information, visit https://millenniumprize.org/ . The previous winners of the Millennium Technology Prize are: 2004 - Sir Tim Berners-Lee for the World Wide Web; 2006 - Professor Shuji Nakamura for the production of the first successful blue LED, the final step in creating a brilliant white LED; 2008 - Professor Robert Langer for his work in controlled drug delivery, the underlying technology behind mRNA vaccines. 2010 -Professor Michael Gratzel for third generation dye-sensitized solar cells, which promise electricity-generating windows and low-cost solar panels; 2012 - Joint winners: Professor Shinya Yamanaka , for ethical stem cell research and Linus Torvalds for the Linux open-source operating system, which has become the basis of Android smartphones, tablets, digital television recorders and supercomputers the world over; 2014 -Professor Stuart Parkin , for developing increased data storage density, which has enabled a thousand-fold increase in the storage capacity of magnetic disk drives; 2016 -Dr Frances Arnold , for her work on directed evolution, which mimics natural evolution to create new and better proteins in the laboratory, and is being used to create green alternatives to fossil-based raw materials; 2018 - Dr Tuomo Suntola , for atomic layer deposition (ALD), that enables manufacture of nanoscale thin material layers for microprocessors and digital memory devices, which has helped revolutionize smartphones. 2020 - Joint winners: Professor Shankar Balasubramanian and Professor David Klenerman , for the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology that can accurately determine the complete DNA sequence of an organism at a low-cost and in super-fast times and has helped researchers identify the underlying factors in individuals that contribute to their immune response to COVID-19. About the Millennium Innovation Forum: The Millennium Innovation Forum brings together people from business, academia, and the public sector to discuss new solutions to global problems. This year's forum is hosted by Jason Palmer, presenter of The Intelligence podcast published by The Economist. Sessions include Diversity in RDI, Green Transition, Digital Transformation and Resilience. For information on speakers, sessions and watching the forum and Professor Green's lecture online, visit: https://millenniumprize.org/events/millennium-innovation-forum/ To request press accreditation for attending the Millennium Innovation Forum, visit: https://e.eventos.fi/events/tapaus/millennium-innovation-forum/mif-media About Technology Academy Finland: Technology Academy Finland (TAF) awards the global 1 million Millennium Technology Prize and runs associated events and initiatives. It provides an international meeting ground for corporate life, academia, and policymakers, and promotes Finland's position in the global community. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/13722/3653705/1642744.pdf MTP2022 Press Release View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/solar-cell-pioneer-wins-the-1-million-millennium-technology-prize-301658811.html Regulatory News: SMAIO (Software, Machines and Adaptative Implants in Orthopaedics Euronext Growth Paris ISIN: FR0014005I80 Ticker: ALSMA) (Paris:ALSMA)a French player specialized in complex spine surgery with a global offer comprising software, adaptative implants and related services, today announced the success of its two European educational programs held in September 2022. An integral part of its i-kontrol offer via its i-learn module, the purpose of the"Sagittal Alignment Academy" training programs provided by SMAIO is to disseminate the concepts and techniques developed by the Company through an approach based on the study of practical cases. During the month of September 2022, SMAIO organized two Sagittal Alignment Academy programs for its European clients. The conferences were held in Copenhagen for Northern Europe and in Madrid for Southern Europe. All in all, some thirty participating surgeons spent one day studying actual cases that required an appropriate spine realignment strategy, including a half-day attending "cad labs" where they used SMAIO's implants and instruments in conditions close to those encountered during real surgery. Following these sessions, the surgeons were given an opportunity to try out the i-kontrol platform with the assistance of SMAIO's experts. They can thus plan one or several surgical procedures with the KEOPS balance analyzer 3D software, use a patient-specific union rod related to the planning and perform the planned spine realignment with Kheiron implants. The secure transfer of data and the long-term analysis of the results obtained can be carried out via the KEOPS data management platform. The goal, following this first i-kontrol experience, is to offer long-term collaboration based on the execution of planned surgical procedures and the use of anonymized patient data to improve the quality of care provided to patients. Another Sagittal Alignment Academy training program is planned for the United States, the world's largest spine market, in Dallas in November. Philippe ROUSSOULY, Chairman and CEO of SMAIO, commented: "The Sagittal Alignment Academy educational programs represent amazing opportunities to accelerate the dissemination of SMAIO's holistic approach. We are proud of the success of these first two training programs in Europe that enabled the many surgeons present to try out our i-perform offer. Their feedback confirms the pertinence of our disruptive positioning. We are eager to help European surgeons use our i-kontrol platform, and to present our solutions to North American surgeons in November in Dallas About SMAIO A precursor in the use of clinical data and imaging of the spine, SMAIO designs global solutions for spine surgery specialists. The Company has recognized expertise thanks to KEOPS, its Big Data management software that has become a global reference with more than 100,000 patient cases documented. SMAIO offers spine surgeons a comprehensive platform, I-Kontrol, incorporating planning, implants and related services, enabling them to treat spinal pathologies in a safe, effective and lasting way. SMAIO is positioned at the forefront of innovation with the ambition of providing surgeons with the first active robotic solution enabling a high level of performance and repeatability to be achieved. Based in Lyon, France, SMAIO benefits from the skill and expertise of more than 30 highly specialized staff. For further information, please visit our website: www.smaio.com Listing market: Euronext Growth Paris ISIN: FR0014005I80 Mnemonic: ALSMA Disclaimer This press release contains non-factual elements, including, but not limited to, certain statements regarding future results and other future events. These statements are based on the current vision and assumptions of the management of the Company. They incorporate known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could result in significant differences in results, profitability and expected events. In addition, SMAIO, its shareholders and its affiliates, directors, officers, counsels and employees have not verified the accuracy of, and make no representations or warranties about, statistical information or forecast information contained within this news release and that originates or is derived from third party sources or industry publications; these statistical data and forecast information are only used in this press release for information purposes. Finally, this press release may be drafted in French and in English. In the event of differences between the two texts, the French version will prevail. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005705/en/ Contacts: SMAIO Philippe Roussouly Chief Executive Officer Renaut Fritsch Chief Financial Officer investors@smaio.com NewCap Dusan Oresansky/Quentin Masse Investor Relations smaio@newcap.eu Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 92 NewCap Arthur Rouille Media Relations smaio@newcap.eu Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15 Almere, The Netherlands October 25, 2022, 6 p.m. CET ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today reports its third quarter 2022 operating results (unaudited). Q3 revenues at a new record high, Q3 orders impacted by new US export control regulations FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS EUR million Q3 2021 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 New orders 624.5 942.7 675.5 YoY change % as reported / at constant currencies 206% / 209% 83% / 73% 8% / 1% Revenue 432.9 559.5 609.8 YoY change % as reported / at constant currencies 38% / 38% 36% / 30% 41% / 33% Gross profit margin % 47.2% 47.5% 48.1% Operating result 117.3 147.6 159.9 Operating result margin % 27.1% 26.4% 26.2% Share in income of investments in associates (excluding amortization intangible assets resulting from the sale of ASMPT stake in 2013) 27.6 26.9 19.6 Amortization intangible assets (resulting from the sale of ASMPT stake in 2013) (3.1) (3.4) (3.6) Impairment of investments in associates - - (321.4) Net earnings (losses) 128.9 160.4 (150.5) Normalized net earnings (excluding amortization intangible assets resulting from the sale of ASMPT stake in 2013 and impairment) 132.0 163.8 174.6 New orders of 676 million for the third quarter 2022 have been adjusted to reflect the expected negative impact of the recent US export restrictions to China. The new orders increased by 1% at constant currencies compared to the same period last year (8% as reported). Year-on-year revenue growth for the third quarter 2022 was 33% at constant currencies (41% as reported). Gross profit margin of 48.1% in the third quarter 2022 was slightly higher compared to 47.2% in the same quarter last year caused by a stronger mix. Operating result for the third quarter 2022 improved from 117 million last year to 160 million this year driven again by strong revenue growth, which was partly offset by an increase in operating expenses. Net earnings included a non-cash impairment charge of 321 million to account for the reduced market valuation of the stake in ASMPT. Normalized net earnings for the third quarter 2022 were 175 million, up from 132 million in Q3 last year, and included a translation gain of 25 million compared to a translation gain of 13 million in Q3 2021 and a translation gain of 26 million in Q2 2022. COMMENT "ASM continued its strong performance in the third quarter with again record-high revenue," said Benjamin Loh, President and Chief Executive Officer of ASM International. "Revenue increased by 33% at constant currencies to 610 million in Q3 2022, slightly above the guided range of 570-600 million. Supply chain conditions remained challenging in Q3 and are expected to show moderate improvement in Q4. I want to thank the ASM team and our suppliers for their continued commitment and solid execution. Supported by a 36% increase in operating profit, we generated again a strong free cash flow of 122 million. We expect the new export regulations that were announced by the US government on October 7, 2022, to negatively impact our business in China. Our equipment sales in China, at 16% of our total revenue in the first nine months of 2022, have been a growing part of our business with a strong contribution to group profitability. Based on a conservative scenario, we expect the new export restrictions will affect more than 40% of our sales in China. Taking a prudent view, we decided to reduce the Q3 bookings and related backlog with the impacted orders from China that were received in Q3 and prior quarters and still to be shipped in the coming quarters. Our total bookings dropped to 676 million in Q3 compared to a record level of 943 million in Q2. Excluding the reduction of impacted orders from China, the decrease in our Q3 orders compared to Q2 would have been much more moderate. The negative impact from new export regulations is also reflected in our guidance for Q4 sales." Taking into account the guidance for Q4, ASM is on track for strong growth in 2022, its sixth consecutive year of double-digit growth, and is expected to clearly outperform the wafer fab equipment (WFE) market in 2022. During the third quarter, the semiconductor end-market further slowed down, with significant declines in the PC and smartphone segments. Combined with an expected deceleration in global economic growth WFE spending is forecasted to be down in 2023, in particular the memory segment. While it is too early to provide guidance for 2023, we believe our company is in good shape, on the back of an expected robust backlog by year-end, our strong position in the leading-edge logic/foundry segment, and solid traction with newly introduced products and applications." OUTLOOK For Q4, at constant currencies, we expect sales of 600-630 million, which includes a negative impact from the new US export regulations, as explained above. The revenue guidance for Q4 also includes the revenue contribution from LPE, following the closure of the acquisition on October 3, 2022. Our expectation that we will finish the year with a continued elevated backlog is unchanged. WFE spending is now expected to increase by a high single-digit percentage in 2022. About ASM International ASM International N.V., headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, and its subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and process solutions to produce semiconductor devices for wafer processing, and have facilities in the United States, Europe, and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, changes in import/export regulations, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances. This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. ASM will host the quarterly earnings conference call and webcast on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. CET. Conference call participants should pre-register using this link to receive the dial-in numbers and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call. A simultaneous audio webcast, and replay will be accessible at https://www.asm.com/investors/webcasts-presentations/2022/third-quarter-earnings . CONTACT Investor and media contact: Victor Bareno T: +31 88 100 8500 E: investor.relations@asm.com Attachment Fenestrae, a cloud faxing provider based in The Hague, is the 10th company to join Dura's expanding portfolio of companies. SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- San Antonio-based Dura Software has recently acquired Fenestrae, a provider in cloud faxing solutions for secure document exchange. Adding to the extensive Dura company portfolio, Fenestrae is a welcome addition to the rapidly growing software buyer. Fenestrae is the 10th acquisition for Dura, which continues to broaden its portfolio of hyperniche software products. "Fenestrae's technology is uniquely qualified for the company portfolio and their role in providing business-critical technology across various sectors is very much in alignment with what we set out to do with Dura," says Paul Salisbury, CEO of Dura Software. "Our overarching goal with this acquisition is to maintain consistent profit margin and steady growth while focusing further development of the product, which we wholeheartedly believe we can accomplish with Fenestrae as part of our portfolio." Serving over 40 countries, Fenestrae works with the financial, healthcare, and legal industries, as well as multiple governing bodies. Fenestrae's software product, Faxination, is a highly optimized cloud faxing solution that allows for the integration of paper documents into existing digital systems and processes. Improving business efficiency and eliminating complexity, Faxination streamlines processes and workflows while maintaining total regulatory compliance. The addition of Fenestrae will diversify Dura's portfolio and furthers Dura's mission of acquiring business-critical SaaS products. Justin Brady, who is also CEO of Dura portfolio company DB Technology, will be leading the company as part of its transition to Dura. "Fenestrae's business-critical technology is an excellent fit for the Dura Software company portfolio, and we're thrilled to expand our global reach. Their service across a wide range of industries as well as innovative private and public cloud product offerings will only continue to progress with the additional investment that Dura brings to the table." To learn more about Dura Software and its portfolio of companies, visit https://www.dura.software/. To learn more about Fenestrae, visit https://www.faxination.com/en/. About Dura Software Dura Software is an expert in acquiring, owning and operating "Hyper-Niche" software businesses. Over the coming years, Dura will work to continue to expand by acquiring additional great businesses and by generating sustained profitable growth from business operations. Dura Software is based in San Antonio and operates a portfolio of companies that includes 6Connex, SecureVideo, DB Technology, Lane, DVSAnalytics, Eventory, Moki, Nordic IT and Vertex Systems. About Fenestrae Headquartered in the Netherlands, Fenestrae has been serving the healthcare, legal, financial, and government sectors for the last three decades. Fenestrae's cloud faxing solution, Faxination, is designed to integrate document flows with connected systems for a streamlined exchange of business-critical data. Fenestrae's innovative platform helps companies all over the globe make a digital transformation and modernizes current business processes for reduced complexity and greater efficiency. Contact Information: Justin Brady CEO justin.brady@nordic-it.com 210-488-2783 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Adtran Holdings, Inc. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] Adtran Holdings, Inc.: Release according to Article 50 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution 25.10.2022 / 19:46 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Regulatory News: This announcement is not an offer, whether directly or indirectly, in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, or South Africa or in any other jurisdiction where such offer pursuant to legislation and regulations in such relevant jurisdiction would be prohibited by applicable law. Shareholders not resident in Sweden who wish to accept the Offer (as defined below) must make inquiries concerning applicable legislation and possible tax consequences. Shareholders should refer to the offer restrictions included in the section titled Important information" at the end of this announcement and in the offer document, which has been published on the Offer website (www.smokefree-offer.com). Shareholders in the United States should also refer to the section entitled Special notice to shareholders in the United States" at the end of this announcement. On May 11, 2022, Philip Morris Holland Holdings B.V.1 ("PMHH), an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc. ("PMI), announced a recommended public offer to the shareholders of Swedish Match AB ("Swedish Match) to tender all shares in Swedish Match2 to PMHH (the "Offer). An offer document regarding the Offer was made public on June 28, 2022 (the "Offer Document") and a supplement to the Offer Document was made public on July 22, 2022. On October 20, 2022, PMHH increased the price in the Offer from SEK 106 to SEK 116 in cash per share, and announced that it will not further increase the price in the Offer. Today, PMHH announces that PMHH has received all necessary approvals from authorities and that this condition for completion of the Offer has been satisfied. In addition, PMHH is obligated to remind the shareholders of Swedish Match of certain U.S. regulatory requirements, including with regard to PMHH's right to waive or reduce the acceptance level condition after the acceptance period ends, and reminds the shareholders of Swedish Match of the terms of the Offer. Today, PMHH announces that the European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Swedish Match, subject to PMHH's divestiture of Swedish Match's subsidiary SMD Logistics AB following the completion of the Offer. PMHH does not believe that Swedish Match's earnings and operations will be materially affected by the divestiture and the continued operation of SMD Logistics AB by a third-party outside of the Swedish Match Group. Hence, with respect to the Offer and completion of the acquisition of Swedish Match, PMHH has obtained all necessary regulatory, governmental or similar clearances, approvals, decisions and other actions from authorities or similar, including from competition authorities, on terms which, in PMHH's opinion, are acceptable. Accordingly, this condition for completion of the Offer has been satisfied. "We are pleased to have received all necessary regulatory approvals, and believe the best and final price in our revised offer for Swedish Match provides very compelling value for the shareholders of both Swedish Match and PMI," said Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer of PMI. "The revised offer retains a 90% acceptance condition, which is critical to capture the full potential of the combination. Should the offer fail, we are well prepared to proceed autonomously to develop IQOS and the rest of our smoke-free portfolio in the U.S." The acceptance period for the Offer expires on November 4, 2022. All other conditions for completion of the Offer are still applicable to the Offer as set forth in the Offer Document. Reminder of certain terms of the Offer and required reminder of certain U.S. regulatory requirements, including with regard to PMHH's right to waive or reduce the acceptance level condition after the acceptance period ends As stated in the Offer Document, completion of the Offer is conditional upon, inter alia, the Offer being accepted to such extent that PMHH becomes the owner of shares representing more than 90 percent of the total number of outstanding shares in Swedish Match (on a fully diluted basis)3 (the "acceptance level condition"). PMHH has reserved the right to waive, in whole or in part, one or more of the conditions set out in the Offer Document (including, with respect to the acceptance level condition, to complete the Offer at a lower level of acceptance). The acceptance period under the current Offer timetable expires on November 4, 2022. To satisfy U.S. regulatory requirements, PMHH is obligated to announce the possibility of any waiver or reduction of the acceptance level condition via a press release issued at least 5 business days prior to the end of the acceptance period (i.e., October 28, 2022, under the current Offer timetable). While as of today there has been no decision to reduce or waive the acceptance level condition, with the purpose of satisfying U.S. regulatory requirements, PMHH hereby reminds the shareholders of Swedish Match that it may (but is not obligated to) reduce or waive the acceptance level condition after the expiration of the acceptance period on November 4, 2022, and complete the Offer at a lower level of acceptance. In the event of such a reduction or waiver, (i) PMHH would not reduce or waive the acceptance level condition below 50 percent of the total number of registered shares in Swedish Match and (ii) PMHH would grant an additional acceptance period of at least 5 business days from announcement of the waiver of the acceptance level condition, whereby the Offer is declared unconditional. In compliance with U.S. regulatory requirements, PMHH informs the shareholders of Swedish Matchthat if they have already tendered their shares in the Offer, but their willingness to tender will be affected by a possible reduction or waiver of the acceptance level condition as described herein, they should withdraw their tenders immediately, but in any event, before the expiration of the acceptance period on November 4, 2022. To be valid, such withdrawal must have been received in writing by Handelsbanken Issue department (address: Handelsbanken Capital Markets, Offerings Issue Services, SE-106 70 Stockholm, Sweden) not later than 17.00 CET on the last day of the acceptance period on November 4, 2022. Shareholders of Swedish Match holding nominee-registered shares wishing to withdraw acceptance shall do so in accordance with instructions from the nominee. This announcement is not an indication of current or expected acceptance levels. For further information on the potential effects of a reduction or waiver of the acceptance level condition, PMHH refers shareholders of Swedish Matchto the description thereof included in the Offer Document. For administrative questions regarding the Offer, please contact your bank or the nominee registered as holder of your shares. The information was submitted for publication on October 25, 2022 at 8.00 p.m. (CEST). Information about the Offer www.smokefree-offer.com Important information This press release has been published in Swedish and English. In the event of any discrepancy in content between the two language versions, the Swedish version shall prevail. This announcement is not an offer, whether directly or indirectly, in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, or South Africa or in any other jurisdiction where such offer pursuant to legislation and regulations in such relevant jurisdiction would be prohibited by applicable law (each a "Restricted Jurisdiction"). This offer constitutes an "exempt take-over bid" for purpose of applicable Canadian securities laws and shareholders resident in Canada are entitled to participate in the Offer on the same terms as shareholders in other applicable jurisdictions. The release, publication, or distribution of this press release in or into jurisdictions other than Sweden may be restricted by law, and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction other than Sweden should inform themselves about and observe any applicable requirements. In particular, the ability of persons who are not resident in Sweden to accept the Offer may be affected by the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are located. Any failure to comply with the applicable restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws and regulations of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, the companies and persons involved in the Offer disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violation of such restrictions by any person. This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with Swedish law, the Takeover Rules, and the Swedish Securities Council's rulings regarding interpretation and application of the Takeover Rules, and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this press release had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of jurisdictions other than Sweden. Unless otherwise determined by PMHH or required by Swedish law, the Takeover Rules and the Swedish Securities Council's rulings regarding interpretation and application of the Takeover Rules, and permitted by applicable law and regulation, the Offer will not be made available, directly or indirectly, in, into, or from a Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws and regulations in that jurisdiction, and no person may accept the Offer by any use, means, or instrumentality (including, but not limited to, facsimile, email, or other electronic transmission, telex, or telephone) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or of any facility of a national, state, or other securities exchange of any Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws and regulations of that jurisdiction, and the Offer may not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality, or facilities. Accordingly, copies of this press release and any formal documentation relating to the Offer are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed, or sent in or into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws and regulations of that jurisdiction, and persons receiving such documents (including custodians, nominees, and trustees) must not mail or otherwise forward, distribute, or send them in or into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws and regulations of that jurisdiction. The availability of the Offer to shareholders of Swedish Match who are not resident in and citizens of Sweden may be affected by the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are respectively located or of which they are citizens. Persons who are not resident in or citizens of Sweden should inform themselves of, and abide by, any applicable legal or regulatory requirements of their jurisdictions. The Offer and the information and documents contained in this press release are not being made and have not been approved by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA). Accordingly, the information and documents contained in this press release are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom, unless an exemption applies. The communication of the information and documents contained in this press release is exempt from the restriction on financial promotions under section 21 of the FSMA on the basis that it is a communication by or on behalf of a body corporate that relates to a transaction to acquire day-to-day control of the affairs of a body corporate or to acquire 50 percent or more of the voting shares in a body corporate, within article 62 of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005. This press release contains statements relating to future status or circumstances, including statements regarding the remaining transactional steps and requirements and the ultimate success of the acquisition, that are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as "anticipates,"intends,"expects,"believes, or similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to many factors, many of which are outside the control of PMI and PMHH. Any such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and PMI and PMHH have no obligation (and undertake no such obligation) to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except for in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Merrill Lynch International ("BofA Securities") and Citigroup Global Markets Limited ("Citi), which are authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority ("PRA") and regulated in the U.K. by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and the PRA, are acting as financial advisers for PMHH and for no one else in connection with the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than PMHH for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice in connection with the Offer or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Neither BofA Securities, Citi, nor any of their respective affiliates, directors, or employees owes or accepts any duty, liability, or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, consequential, whether in contract, in tort, in delict, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of BofA Securities or Citi, respectively, in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein, the Offer, or otherwise. Special notice to shareholders in the United States The Offer described in this press release is made for the issued and outstanding shares of Swedish Match, a company incorporated under Swedish law, and is subject to Swedish disclosure and procedural requirements, which may be different from those of the United States. In the United States, the Offer will also be made in accordance with certain provisions of the United States federal securities laws, to the extent applicable, including Section 14(e) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Regulation 14E thereunder (Regulation 14E provided that PMHH has requested, and the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securitiesand Exchange Commission (the "SEC") has granted, relief exempting the Offer from certainrequirements of Regulation 14E in order to align aspects of the Offer in which Swedish laws andmarket practice conflict with U.S. federal securities laws. Accordingly, the disclosure and procedures regarding the Offer, including with respect to withdrawal rights, the Offer timetable, notices of extensions, announcements of results, settlement procedures (including as regards to the time when payment of the consideration is rendered), and waivers of conditions, may be different from requirements or customary practices in relation to U.S. domestic tender offers. Holders of the shares of Swedish Match domiciled or resident in the United States (the "U.S. Holders) are encouraged to consult with their advisers regarding the Offer. Swedish Match's financial statements and all financial information included herein, or any other documents relating to the Offer, have been or will be prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and may not be comparable to the financial statements or financial information of companies in the United States or other companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The Offer is made to the U.S. Holders on the same terms and conditions as those made to all other shareholders of Swedish Match to whom the Offer is being made. Any information documents, including the Offer Document, are being disseminated to U.S. Holders on a basis comparable to the method pursuant to which such documents are provided to Swedish Match's other shareholders. The U.S. Holders should consider that the price for the Offer is being paid in SEK and that no adjustment will be made based on any changes in the exchange rate. It may be difficult for U.S. Holders to enforce their rights and any claims they may have arising under the U.S. federal or U.S. state securities laws in connection with the Offer, since Swedish Match and PMHH are located in countries other than the United States, and some or all of their officers and directors may be residents of countries other than the United States. U.S. Holders may not be able to sue Swedish Match or PMHH or their respective officers or directors in a non-U.S. court for violations of U.S. securities laws. Further, it may be difficult to compel Swedish Match or PMHH and/or their respective affiliates to subject themselves to the jurisdiction or judgment of a U.S. court. To the extent permissible under applicable law or regulations, and in reliance on relief granted by the SEC exempting the Offer from certain of the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under Regulation 14E, PMHH and its affiliates or its brokers and its brokers' affiliates (acting as agents for PMHH or its affiliates, as applicable) may from time to time and during the pendency of the Offer, and other than pursuant to the Offer, directly or indirectly purchase or arrange to purchase shares of Swedish Match outside the United States (or securities that are convertible into, exchangeable for, or exercisable for such shares). These purchases may occur either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices, and information about such purchases will be disclosed by means of a press release or other means reasonably calculated to inform U.S. Holders of such information, to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations. In addition, affiliates to the financial advisers to PMHH may also engage in ordinary course trading activities in securities of Swedish Match, which may include purchases or arrangements to purchase such securities as long as such purchases or arrangements comply with applicable laws and regulations. Any information about such purchases will be announced in Swedish and in an English translation available to the U.S. Holders through relevant electronic media, including the Offer website at www.smokefree-offer.com, if, and to the extent, such announcement is required under applicable Swedish or U.S. law, rules, or regulations. The receipt of cash pursuant to the Offer by a U.S. Holder may be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes and under applicable U.S. state and local, as well as foreign and other, tax laws. Each shareholder is urged to consult an independent professional adviser regarding the tax consequences of accepting the Offer. Neither PMHH nor any of its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents or any other person acting on their behalf in connection with the Offer shall be responsible for any tax effects or liabilities resulting from acceptance of this Offer. NEITHER THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY U.S. STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE OFFER, MADE ANY COMMENT UPON THE MERITS OR FAIRNESS OF THE OFFER, MADE ANY COMMENT UPON THE ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE, OR MADE ANY COMMENT ON WHETHER THE CONTENT OF THIS PRESS RELEASE IS CORRECT OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE IN THE UNITED STATES. For the purposes of this press release, "United States" and "U.S." mean the United States ofAmerica, including its territories and possessions and all states of the United States of Americaand the District of Columbia. ________________________ 1 A Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap), with corporate registration number 20028955 and corporate seat in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands, indirectly wholly owned by PMI. 2 Excluding any treasury shares held by Swedish Match (currently 4,285,810 shares). 3 Excluding any treasury shares held by Swedish Match (currently 4,285,810 shares). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005987/en/ Contacts: Philip Morris International For additional information: Investor Relations: New York: +1 (917) 663 2233 Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4666 Email: InvestorRelations@pmi.com Media Relations: David Fraser Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4500 Email: David.Fraser@pmi.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Mawson Gold, Argentina Lithium and G2 Energy discussing their latest news. The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. Mawson Gold (TSX:MAW) announces PEA results from its Rajapalot gold-cobalt project Mawson Gold (MAW) has shared the results of the maiden preliminary economic assessment for its Rajapalot gold-cobalt project in Finland. CEO and Director Ivan Fairhall sat down with Daniella Atkinson to discuss the news. For the full interview with Ivan Fairhall and to learn about Mawson Gold, click here. Argentina Lithium (TSXV:LIT) announces positive results at Rincon West Argentina Lithium (LIT) positive lithium brine values from the third and fourth diamond drill holes at its Rincon West Project in Argentina. The fifth exploration hole is currently in the final steps of completion. The property is currently permitted for up to 9 exploration drill holes. Miles Rideout, VP Exploration, sat down with Daniella Atkinson to highlight the results. For the full interview with Miles Rideout and to learn about Argentina Lithium, click here. G2 Energy (CSE:GTOO) releases six-month plan and announces debenture financing G2 Energy (GTOO) has announced its six-month plan and related debenture financing. Its six-month plan is focused on increasing base production from the Masten Unit, acquiring Bridwell Oil's Masten Lease and optimizing production from current producers. G2 Energy CEO Slawek Smulewicz and COO James Tague sat down with Daniella Atkinson to discuss their plan. For the full interview with Slawek Smulewicz and James Tague and to learn about G2 Energy, click here. Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit? The Power Play by The Market Herald. About The Market Herald The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). Report Card is not an advisory service, and does not offer, buy, sell, or provide any other rating, analysis or opinion on the securities we discuss. We are retained and compensated by the companies that we provide information on to assist them with making information available to the public. All information available on themarketherald.ca and/or this press release should be considered as commercial advertisement and not an endorsement, offer or recommendation to buy or sell securities. 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CONTACT: The Market Herald marketing@themarketherald.ca themarketherald.ca SOURCE:?The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722244/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-New-Interviews-with-Mawson-Gold-Argentina-Lithium-and-G2-Energy-Discussing-Their-Latest-News Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Quantum Battery Metals Corp. (CSE: QBAT) (OTC Pink: BRVVF) (FSE: 23B0) ("Quantum" or the "Company") announces that a large well known global car manufacturer has reached out to the company and initiated discussion for investment. The manufacturer is looking to invest in Quantum and its lithium and cobalt properties. Securing a large transaction would accelerate Quantum's growth as a junior mining Company. The company operates the world's largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility with production capabilities of producing 1.6 million units employing about 75,000 people worldwide. The manufacturer has recently won first place in Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) sales within their home country owning approximately 65% of the total market share. The car manufacturer is known worldwide and continues in PHEV Market with their new SUVs which has a lithium-ion battery implemented into its system. The company has shown high sales within the Asian and European markets and plans to release their newest line of PHEV to the North American market in November. Its vehicles are sold in 193 countries through 5,000 dealerships and showrooms. Battery metals have recently been in high demand due to increased production of electric vehicles. As more car manufacturers broaden their selections by moving into the electric vehicle market due to consumer purchases of EV vehicles doubling from 2020 to 2021 and global authorities restricting petrol and diesel vehicles, it is known that the demand for raw materials used in the battery have increase exponentially. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that Lithium demand would increase over 40 times by 2030. Lithium supply in 2030 is expected to fall approximately 4% short of projected demand in which that decreases to 25% short by 2035. Many technological industries are striving to look for ethical sourced battery metal suppliers which ties in with the shortage of lithium. Quantum is situated appropriately in the industry with three cobalt and three lithium properties. As demand has ramped up, the Company has directed their focus to utilizing their properties to their fullest potential while also increasing the search for additional key battery metal properties. "Quantum is planning the next exploration program on a grander scale. Several investors have reached out to the Company as we have seen exponential growth within the past years. We believe this is the perfect time to execute our plans with the battery metals and electric vehicle industry booming. Our properties have shown great potential and we expect to utilize the properties to its capacity while also looking to acquire new lithium and cobalt projects in the near future," states Marc Momeni, CEO. QUANTUM BATTERY METALS CORP. "Marc Momeni" _______________________ Marc Momeni, CEO and Director Contact Information: 400 - 837 West Hastings Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3N6 Phone: 604.629.2936 Email: Info@quantumbatterymetals.com Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Quantum Battery Metals Corp. (the "Company") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141889 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / Lincoln Gold Mining Inc. ("Lincoln" or the "Company") (TSXV:LMG) reports that the Information Circular and all proxy-related materials have been sent to all registered shareholders entitled to vote at the Annual General Meeting (the "Meeting") to be held at 11:00 am Pacific Daylight Time ("PDT") on Friday, October 28, 2022. As permitted by the Company's Articles, and in accordance with the recommendations of public health officials, the Company will not hold a physical meeting, but will hold the Meeting by teleconference. Registered shareholders and proxy holders are invited to attend the Meeting. Please note the change in passcode number from what was noted in the Notice of Meeting as follows: Teleconference: Toll-Free: 1-888-359-7806 (you will be connected to the conference Meeting service, then enter the passcode below) Passcode: 837235 Non-registered shareholders may attend the Meeting as guests but are not legally permitted to vote. Please contact Tyler Mah, Relationship Manager, of Computershare Trust Company of Canada at tyler.mah@computershare.com or 604-661-9472 by 11:00 am PDT on Friday, October 28, 2022 to confirm your attendance and eligibility to vote. We highly encourage you to complete and submit your proxy forms/voting instruction forms. Proxies submitted must be received by 11:00AM (Vancouver time) on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. The conference facilities will be open starting at 10:45 PDT on October 28, 2022, in order for registered shareholders and proxy holders to register with Computershare's representative, who will be acting as the scrutineer for the Meeting. The Company looks forward to hosting the Meeting and wishes all shareholders the best of health in these unprecedented times. About Lincoln Lincoln Gold Mining Inc. is an advanced-stage gold mine exploration and development company holding a 100% interest in the Pine Grove Gold Project, in the Walker Lane structural zone of western Nevada. The Company has prepared a preliminary economic assessment of the Pine Grove Gold Project pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Lincoln is working with the USFS to secure the permits necessary to develop the Pine Grove Gold Project into a low-cost heap leach operation with a high-grade gravity circuit. Lincoln also owns an interest in a joint venture in respect of the Oro Cruz Gold Property in California. Lincoln's joint venture partner is advancing the Oro Cruz Gold Property towards further exploration, development and production. Lincoln holds its interests in these projects through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Lincoln Resource Group Corp. and Lincoln Gold US Corporation, both Nevada corporations. For more information, please contact Paul Saxton, President and CEO of the Company. On behalf of Lincoln Gold Mining Inc. Paul Saxton President and CEO, Lincoln Gold Mining Inc. Tel: (604) 688-7377 Email: saxton@lincolnmining.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Lincoln Gold Mining Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722281/Lincoln-Gold-Update-on-Annual-General-Meeting-October-28-2022 Allegion (NYSE: ALLE) is a global pioneer in seamless access, with leading brands like CISA , Interflex , LCN , Schlage , SimonsVoss and Von Duprin . Focusing on security around the door and adjacent areas, Allegion secures people and assets with a range of solutions for homes, businesses, schools and institutions. Allegion had $2.9 billion in revenue in 2021, and its security products are sold around the world. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. LONDON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After Optus suffered a major breach of 10M customers' sensitive information, followed by an incident at rival, Telstra, which saw exposure of 30,000 workers' data, Australia is changing its data protection legislation. No company is immune to data breaches "Huge corporations can afford significant budgets for IT security," says Martynas Paskauskas, head of development at NordLayer. "And still, they fall victim to cyberattacks that cost them millions. The smaller the company is and the less it company can afford to invest in a protection system, the easier it is for a cybercriminal to get ahold of a company's data." How data breaches happen Statistically, every second of 2022, two internet users have their data leaked. "Social engineering is a common technique," explains Paskauskas. "Once a hacker persuades an employee to grant access to internal systems, little can be done to stop them. Often it's enough for an employee to click on a link or attached document. The technique is based on exploiting normal human weaknesses, and we should not underrate how persuasive modern cybercriminals have become." "Other things that criminals can exploit include vulnerabilities in software, exposure of internal network, or weak passwords. Remote work and lack of cybersecurity supervision are the important contributing factors here." What are the costs? "Millions" in costs is not an exaggeration. The total global cost of one data breach currently averages $4.35M. "This price includes identifying a breach and its scale, containing it, ensuring further protection of the victim's data, practically renewing all infrastructure," Paskauskas says. "In times of economic hardship, many companies will be tempted to cut costs on preventive cybersecurity measures, but they shouldn't forget that one breach might cost them significantly more, and this price will only increase." How to prevent a data breach "The most advanced solutions for business protection use the zero-trust model, meaning literally: never trust anyone, and always verify who you let inside," says Paskauskas. "It might at first sound like a lot of work for businesses, but modern automated systems are capable of guarding your business' data 24/7 without involving an irrational number of resources or relying on the human factor. Adopting such a system and regular employee security training will minimize the possibility of a breach happening to your company." NordLayer is an adaptive network-access security solution for businesses. More information: www.nordlayer.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/a-nordlayer-expert-explains-data-breaches-reasons-costs-an-preventive-measures-301658301.html EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Adtran Holdings, Inc. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] Adtran Holdings, Inc.: Release according to Article 50 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution 25.10.2022 / 23:17 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Correction of a release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the German Securities Trading dated 25 October 2022: On 25 October 2022, Adtran Holdings, Inc. filed a form 8-K report and a form 8-K/A report with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It is available on the Adtran Holdings, Inc. website at https://investors.adtran.com/sec-filings/default.aspx 25.10.2022 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.eqs-news.com Year to Date Net Income of $13.1 million LAKEWOOD, CO / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / Solera National Bancorp, Inc. (OTC PINK:SLRK) ("Company"), the holding company for Solera National Bank ("Bank"), a business-focused bank located in the Denver metropolitan area, today reported financial results for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2022. For the third quarter of 2022, net income was $4.9 million and $13.1 million year to date as of September 30, 2022. 3Q22 Financial Highlights (Comparison to 3Q21 unless otherwise noted) The Company experienced another quarter of record pre-tax and pre-provision earnings of $6.6 million in the third quarter of 2022 compared to $4.6 million in the third quarter of 2021. Year to date pre-tax and pre-provision earnings through September 30, 2022, increased to $17.8 million, which is $5.9 million higher over the prior year. Net interest income of $8.2 million for the third quarter 2022 represents a 52% increase over the $5.1 million earned in the third quarter of 2021. Net interest margin increased to 4.18% as of September 30, 2022, from 3.81% in the first quarter of 2022. Noninterest-bearing deposits increased 39% or $153 million increase from September 30, 2021. The Company's efficiency ratio of 32.34% decreased from 36.19% from the second quarter 2022. Asset quality remained strong with a modest level of criticized assets of 2.82% of total assets and nonperforming assets of 0.57% of total assets as of September 30, 2022. Michael Quagliano, Executive Chairman of the Board, commented: "Everyone at Solera is working hard for our shareholders. Our enthusiasm is infectious, and our unity is unwavering. I love my job at Solera National Bank, the community bank for all the States." Cheri Walz, CFO, commented: "This was another excellent quarter for Solera. Our balance sheet management strategies have delivered stable deposits and strong commercial and investment growth. Not only were our financial results strong this quarter, the underlying drivers of increases in profitability should provide tailwinds into the future." Kreighton Reed, commented: "To bolster our strong growth we added to our bench strength this quarter by deepening our C-Suite. Stephen Tippetts our Chief Technology Officer will run our software development team. Steve Snailum, a 16 year banking veteran, was named Chief Operations Officer and will help us to continue to build scaleable operational foundation for our rapidly growing organization." About Solera National Bancorp, Inc. Solera National Bancorp, Inc. was incorporated in 2006 to organize and serve as the holding company for Solera National Bank, which opened for business in September 2007. Solera National Bank is a community bank serving the needs of emerging businesses and real estate investors. At the core of Solera National Bank is welcoming, attentive and respectful customer service, a focus on supporting a growing and diverse economy, and a passion to serve our community through service, education, and volunteerism. For more information, please visit http://www.SoleraBank.com. This press release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements contained in this release, which are not historical facts and that relate to future plans or projected results of Solera National Bancorp, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Solera National Bank, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated, or implied. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Readers of this release are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Contacts: Cheri Walz, EVP & CFO (720) 764-9090 FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW SOLERA NATIONAL BANCORP, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited) ($000s) 9/30/2022 6/30/2022 3/31/2022 12/31/2021 9/30/2021 ASSETS Cash and due from banks $ 2,683 $ 4,714 $ 4,025 $ 4,124 $ 2,714 Federal funds sold - - 31,000 12,000 15,000 Interest-bearing deposits with banks 2,379 1,788 2,459 1,251 1,267 Investment securities, available-for-sale 154,044 171,151 141,175 130,199 82,588 Investment securities, held-to-maturity 205,475 125,890 51,965 10,500 10,423 FHLB and Federal Reserve Bank stocks, at cost 3,843 5,400 1,626 2,853 1,626 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, gross 589 10,709 37,951 50,901 68,901 Net deferred (fees)/expenses, PPP loans (7 ) (271 ) (1,026 ) (1,493 ) (2,165 ) Net PPP loans 582 10,438 36,925 49,408 66,736 Traditional loans, gross 539,568 461,447 433,506 419,638 355,636 Net deferred (fees)/expenses, traditional loans (417 ) (433 ) (444 ) (422 ) (846 ) Allowance for loan and lease losses (8,004 ) (7,153 ) (7,153 ) (6,452 ) (5,633 ) Net traditional loans 531,147 453,861 425,909 412,764 349,157 Premises and equipment, net 25,040 14,104 14,195 18,830 12,939 Accrued interest receivable 5,833 4,352 3,689 2,756 2,334 Bank-owned life insurance 4,864 5,094 5,068 5,042 5,015 Other assets 11,003 19,410 3,910 1,450 2,086 TOTAL ASSETS $ 946,893 $ 816,202 $ 721,946 $ 651,177 $ 551,885 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Noninterest-bearing demand deposits $ 543,260 $ 543,956 $ 515,929 $ 464,050 $ 390,138 Interest-bearing demand deposits 33,236 10,392 10,100 11,071 12,809 Savings and money market deposits 170,148 113,819 117,799 93,937 66,444 Time deposits 108,520 17,735 18,743 18,860 19,678 Total deposits 855,164 685,902 662,571 587,918 489,069 Accrued interest payable 238 124 33 36 36 Short-term borrowings 37,223 72,634 - - - Long-term FHLB borrowings 4,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 Accounts payable and other liabilities 628 1,166 1,102 294 2,804 TOTAL LIABILITIES 897,253 763,826 667,706 592,248 495,909 Common stock 43 43 43 43 43 Additional paid-in capital 38,748 38,748 38,748 38,748 38,748 Retained earnings 32,994 28,094 23,008 19,809 17,185 Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) gain (22,145 ) (14,509 ) (7,559 ) 329 - TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 49,640 52,376 54,240 58,929 55,976 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 946,893 $ 816,202 $ 721,946 $ 651,177 $ 551,885 SOLERA NATIONAL BANCORP, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended ($000s, except per share data) 9/30/2022 6/30/2022 3/31/2022 12/31/2021 9/30/2021 9/30/2022 9/30/2021 Interest and dividend income Interest and fees on traditional loans $ 6,140 $ 4,965 $ 4,561 $ 4,426 $ 3,498 $ 15,666 $ 9,801 Interest and fees on PPP loans 277 824 581 821 1,152 1,682 3,397 Investment securities 3,130 2,185 1,201 876 614 6,516 1,794 Dividends on bank stocks 86 51 17 19 17 154 72 Other - 2 - - 5 2 11 Total interest income 9,633 8,027 6,360 6,142 5,286 24,020 15,075 Interest expense Deposits 1,062 300 221 189 192 1,583 566 FHLB & Fed borrowings 327 159 17 20 17 503 81 Total interest expense 1,389 459 238 209 209 2,086 647 Net interest income 8,244 7,568 6,122 5,933 5,077 21,934 14,428 Provision for loan and lease losses 859 10 702 837 149 1,571 759 Net interest income after provision for loan and lease losses 7,385 7,558 5,420 5,096 4,928 20,363 13,669 Noninterest income Customer service and other fees 257 321 300 264 250 878 809 Other income 551 183 262 118 118 996 346 Gain on sale of loan - - 943 - - 943 - Gain on sale of securities 478 1,179 278 1,392 1,657 1,902 Total noninterest income 1,286 1,683 1,505 660 1,760 4,474 3,057 Noninterest expense Employee compensation and benefits 1,690 1,800 1,651 1,189 1,279 5,141 3,175 Occupancy 198 177 215 174 175 590 495 Professional fees 65 119 101 115 92 285 213 Other general and administrative 974 825 841 665 695 2,638 1,782 Total noninterest expense 2,927 2,921 2,808 2,143 2,241 8,654 5,665 Net Income Before Taxes $ 5,744 $ 6,320 $ 4,117 $ 3,613 $ 4,447 $ 16,183 $ 11,061 Income Tax Expense 843 1,235 919 990 1,048 2,997 2,594 Net Income $ 4,901 $ 5,085 $ 3,198 $ 2,623 $ 3,399 $ 13,186 $ 8,467 Income Per Share $ 1.14 $ 1.18 $ 0.74 $ 0.61 $ 0.79 $ 3.07 $ 1.97 Tangible Book Value Per Share $ 11.54 $ 12.18 $ 12.61 $ 13.70 $ 13.02 $ 11.54 $ 13.02 WA Shares outstanding 4,299,953 4,299,953 4,299,953 4,297,216 4,296,378 4,299,953 4,296,378 Pre-Tax Pre-Provision Income $ 6,603 $ 6,330 $ 4,819 $ 4,450 $ 4,596 $ 17,754 $ 11,820 Net Interest Margin 4.18 % 4.18 % 3.81 % 4.05 % 3.92 % 4.07 % 3.88 % Cost of Funds 0.66 % 0.25 % 0.15 % 0.15 % 0.17 % 0.38 % 0.18 % Efficiency Ratio 32.34 % 36.19 % 42.01 % 33.94 % 41.16 % 36.35 % 36.01 % Return on Average Assets 2.22 % 2.64 % 1.86 % 1.74 % 2.51 % 2.12 % 2.18 % Return on Average Equity 38.43 % 38.16 % 22.61 % 18.26 % 24.69 % 33.75 % 21.81 % Leverage Ratio 8.1 % 8.4 % 8.9 % 11.3 % 11.4 % Asset Quality : Non-performing loans to gross loans 1.01 % 1.20 % 1.30 % 1.58 % 1.89 % Non-performing assets to total assets 0.57 % 0.68 % 0.78 % 1.02 % 1.22 % Allowance for loan losses to gross traditional loans 1.48 % 1.55 % 1.65 % 1.54 % 1.58 % Criticized loans/assets: Special mention $ 19,385 $ 11,661 $ 11,742 $ 17,745 $ 7,734 Substandard: Accruing 1,911 1,931 12,882 3,766 4,729 Substandard: Nonaccrual 5,431 5,530 5,631 6,629 6,710 Doubtful - - - - - Total criticized loans $ 26,727 $ 19,122 $ 30,255 $ 28,140 $ 19,173 Other real estate owned - - - - - Investment securities - - - - Total criticized assets $ 26,727 $ 19,122 $ 30,255 $ 28,140 $ 19,173 Criticized assets to total assets 2.82 % 2.34 % 4.19 % 4.32 % 3.47 % SOURCE: Solera National Bancorp, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/722308/Solera-National-Bancorp-Announces-Third-Quarter-Results Alto Neuroscience, a Los Altos, CA-based neuro-tech company which specializes in precision psychiatry, raises $35M Series B Financing. The round was led by Lightswitch Capital and Alkeon Capital, with participation from Sobrato Capital, Novartis Pharma AG, Valor Equity Partners, Korify Capital, Vine Ventures, Gaingels, Apeiron Group, WhatIf Ventures, and Windham Venture Partners. In conjunction with the Series B financing, chief executive officer of Lightswitch Capital, Christopher Cox, and managing director of Alkeon Capital, Jeff Chen, Ph.D., have joined the Alto Board of Directors. Additionally, Bob Baloh, M.D., Ph.D., global head of neuroscience at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), will join as a board observer. The company intends to use the funds to advance lead candidates into Phase 2b studies in major depressive disorder in addition to continued development on other programs within its clinical-stage precision psychiatry pipeline. Proceeds from the financing will also be used to progress the companys artificial intelligence-enabled brain biomarker platform and launch new clinical trials in areas of high unmet medical need. Alto will report Phase 2a data in early 2023 and further anticipates Phase 2b data readouts by early 2024. Led by Amit Etkin, M.D., Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer, Alto Neuroscience provides a precision psychiatry by developing targeted medicines to help patients get better. Differences in individuals biology impact how they respond to treatment. Its Precision Psychiatry Platform measures brain biomarkers by analyzing EEG activity, behavioral task performance, wearable data, genetics, and other factors to match each patient with the right Alto drug. The companys clinical-stage pipeline includes novel drug candidates in depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions, resulting in the broadest and most-advanced precision psychiatry effort. FinSMEs 26/10/2022 The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum has announced Kigali, Rwanda, as the Host City for its 2023 conference and awards. The announcement was made in conjunction with the Rwanda Convention Bureau during the AWIEF2022 event recently held in Cairo, Egypt on 26 and 27 September. The AWIEF2023 conference venue has been confirmed as the Kigali International Convention Centre (KICC), a landmark on the capital citys landscape. The official announcement was made after a very special and colourful host city reveal by a Rwandan delegation at AWIEF2022. The delegation included Rwandas Ambassador to Egypt, H. E. Alfred Gakuba Kalisa; Esther Kunda, Director General, Innovation and Emerging Technologies, Rwanda Ministry of ICT and Innovation; members of the Womens Chapter of Rwandas Private Sector Federation and representatives of the Rwanda Convention Bureau. Ambassador Kalisa told delegates in Cairo: We are all here grateful and honoured by the decision of AWIEF to hold its annual meeting next year in Kigali. Under the leadership of His Excellency President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has placed gender equality as a key plan of our governance. However, women remain largely represented in the informal sector, in micro enterprises. Elevating this large segment of our productive population into the formal sector would require sustainable, technological and financial efforts by all stakeholders and the continued strong advocacy of AWIEF. Please rest assured that the Rwandan government through the Rwanda Convention Bureau will ensure that your stay in Kigali is enjoyable and productive. AWIEF Founder and CEO Irene Ochem said: Kigali is one of the most exciting cities in Africa right now and is a significant hub for business, technology and innovation on the continent. Rwanda is also at the forefront of gender equality and inclusion in governance and business leadership. It is an ideal country to host the high-level and dynamic discussions about women economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, investing, technology, and innovation in Africa that are the hallmarks of an AWIEF conference. Going into its ninth year, the award-winning annual AWIEF conference is one of the continents leading innovation and entrepreneurship events. The conference brings together senior government leaders, entrepreneurs, start-ups, thought leaders, policymakers, international development partners, investors, CSOs, academia, and media for dialogue and discussions on issues of women empowerment, entrepreneurship, investing, technology, and innovation in Africa. The more than 60 global speakers at AWIEF2022 included H. E. Dr Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission, H. E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Egypts Minister of International Cooperation, H. E. Ms. Nivine El-Kabbag, Egypts Minister of Social Solidarity, Solomon Quaynor, Vice President, Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization, African Development Bank, Maya Morsy, President, National Council for Women, Egypt, Elena Panova, UN Resident Coordinator, Egypt, Jackie Jones, Director, Gender Equality Division, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Izabela Milewska, Digital Skills Global Leader, Amazon Web Services. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires RapidSOS CEO Michael Martin RapidSOS, a New York-based provider of an intelligent safety platform, just raised $75m in financing. In conjunction with the announcement, CEO Michael Martin answered to our questions about the company, the product and the funding, as well as their plans. FinSMEs: Hi Michael, can you tell us a bit more about you. Whats your background? Michael Martin: I grew up in a farming community in rural Indiana. I ended up working in venture capital in New York City after college. In 2012, I was followed home one night in Harlem, NYC, when I realized how difficult it is to get help when you need it most. Not long after, my father fell off the roof of our childhood home while trying to clear snow. For nearly two hours, he lay in the frozen driveway with a broken wrist and shattered hip, unable to reach 911. It wasnt until my mother came home from work and was able to dial 911 from our home phone that an ambulance was called. After those experiences I began to cold call 911 centers around the United States to try to learn more about how this system worked. Uber had just come out and I thought, I can press a button and get a car, why cant I press a button and get police, fire, EMS. Obviously that was woefully uninformed. Week after week talking to 911 center directors I began to appreciate the incredible work that 911 and first responders did every day, often with little more than the callers voice. Literally the data flow in most 911 calls is limited to only 512 bytes thats less data than was sent in the very first TransAtlantic telegram in 1858! I went off to grad school to work on the challenge where I met my co-founder, Nick Horelik, who was doing his PhD in Nuclear Engineering at MIT at the time. Over the next two years of grad school we would work with thousands of 911 telecommunicators and first responders as we iterated on the technology at the Harvard Innovation Lab. That partnership with 911 and first responders would be instrumental in building RapidSOS and taking on this challenge. Today we power over half a billion devices in partnership with 90+ tech companies and over 15,000 911 and first responder agencies. FinSMEs: Lets speak about RapidSOS. What is the market problem you want to solve? What is the real opportunity? Michael Martin: We rely on technology in every aspect of our lives: how we communicate, the tools we use to do our work, and the means to access entertaining content. We turn to it as an essential tool or resource to help us do the things we love; but the needs are increasing for technology to help us protect ourselves and those we love. We need technology and people working together to keep our communities safe. To that end, and in partnership with public safety, RapidSOS built an intelligent safety platform that securely links life-saving data from 500+ million connected devices, apps, and sensors directly to safety agents, 911 and first responders globally. Last year this platform helped over 165 million people in an emergency sharing critical data like their location, health conditions, and vehicle telematics in their emergency. For the past ten years, RapidSOS has worked hand-in-hand with 911 to transform emergency response. This incredible partnership is a key driver in the development of the RapidSOS platform. FinSMEs: How does it work? Which are the main features? Michael Martin: RapidSOS intelligent safety platform offers leading technology, insurance, and healthcare companies a turn-key API for adding 24/7 professional monitoring, voice, and data emergency response services. With a few lines of code, partners are able to integrate enhanced verification and high-touch monitoring backed by over 15,000 first responder agencies, enabling faster and smarter responses. FinSMEs: What are the features differentiating the product from competitors? Michael Martin: At RapidSOS, the focus is developing solutions (innovations) that help telecommunicators get information to first responders as quickly and efficiently as possible. In 2022, with powerful new features and the expansion of the data types supported via the platform, innovation took two forms: (1) the development of new solutions that facilitate the transfer of data from a users device to 911 and first responders in the field and (2) The accelerated adoption of RapidSOS safety features by innovative hardware, software, and app-based companies (across verticals including consumer electronics, home security, smoke and fire alarms, connected vehicles, digital health, personal medical devices, and consumers apps). FinSMEs: You just raised a new funding round. Please, tell us something more about it Michael Martin: This latest funding is focused on the expansion of our intelligent safety platform and leveraging data to save lives. We believe that every connected device and service should work in harmony with first responders in the moments that matter most. The round was led by Dave DeWalt, 3x successful public company CEO, and his growth equity firm NightDragon focuses on the convergence of cyber and physical security. FinSMEs: Can you share some numbers and achievements of your business (clients/partnerships/employees)? Michael Martin: 90+ tech partners that we provide professional monitoring, voice, and data connectivity for 50+ public safety software vendors 15,000+ first responder agencies on four continents Over 200 employees FinSMEs: whats your medium-term plans? Michael Martin: Weve now partnered with 911 to integrate data across the workflow. We are busy rapidly expanding the types of data and services available to citizens using that technology. Homelessness is an issue that is often a hot subject discussed at Albany City Council and among the citys residents. Heres how the 2022 Albany council and mayoral candidates plan to tackle the issue. Mayor Current Mayor Alex Johnson II is running against William Tally, and both have different takes on how to approach homelessness. Johnson sees homelessness as an issue tied to affordable housing. He hopes to make housing more accessible at every income level. He also hopes to ease housing insecurity and homelessness by supporting local nonprofits. They are our family, they are just in a different situation than us, he said. Johnson sees homelessness a result of a multitude of factors: addiction, escaping violence, mental health issues. He hopes to garner support by rallying nonprofits with various specialty resources. On the other hand, Tally believes resources for unhoused people may be too accessible. He believes resources need to be incentivized to get people to transition to being self-sufficient. He argues resources need to be more remote, so they arent too convenient, he said. They have my empathy, but I see a number of them that dont care, he said. Tally, who described his professional career as working in chemistry, is concerned over the cleanliness of sites and litter left by people experiencing homelessness. Tally said he wishes there could be a fine imposed on people who give money to unhoused people because he believes they will buy liquor, and people should only donate food rather than cash. Ward 1 In Ward 1, incumbent Dick Olsen is facing challenges from Greg Hamann, Steph Newton and Matthew Prudell. They all have their own philosophies that guide their ideas on how to address homelessness. Its easy for Olsen, a City Hall fixture for 50 years, to understand how people can fall into homelessness with the high cost of medical bills and insurance, he said. Too many people struggle just to get by. He supports projects that remedy homelessness, like the tiny home projects, he said. Hamann, formerly the president at Linn-Benton Community College, sees homelessness as an issue that isnt going to be solved overnight. Its multifaceted, with housing, mental health and other factors, he said. But having an adopted son who experienced homelessness has given Hamann perspective. Seeing homeless people as bad people isnt going to get us anywhere, he said. Instead, the unhoused should be viewed as people in challenging situations, he said. Hamann believes the city should work with those on the front lines of the issue to find the right solutions. I dont think we are going to make a lot of progress finding fault, he said, The only solution worth having is one we share. Newton also sees homelessness as a multifaceted issue and a challenge. It requires forward thinking, she said. Part of the issue would be increasing the housing supply for lower income individuals, said Newton, whos sat on several city commissions and panels. She believes there needs to be multiple responses for the various challenges, Newton said. For example, sometimes an unhoused person is experiencing a mental health crisis. The response there should be a team of professionals to address that, she said. She would like to see Albany implement something like CAHOOTS, Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Street, created in 1989 in Eugene. The CAHOOTS program is a community-based policing initiative that involves a mental health first response for mental health crises, homelessness and addiction. The model involves two-person teams consisting of a medic and crisis worker. We need to see people as humans, Newton said. Prudell, who is crafting his campaign around a singular issue ridding the local water supply of fluoride rides his bike and sometimes interacts with Albanys unhoused population, he said. The correct response should be tailored to the needs of the individual, he said. Some may need a push in the right direction, while a few may be terminal. Prudell believes there needs to be an incentivized reward system to get people to reenter society, he said. He believes people should have basic needs like food and shelter, but we shouldnt feed the bears, he said. Prudell acknowledged homelessness is a very complicated issue with no easy answers. If Im elected, I would use my ability to talk to people who deal with them to determine what kind of help they need, he said. Ward 2 Candidates Jackie Montague and Josiah Blaisdell are running for Ward 2, which represents roughly central and southwest Albany. Montague, a senior process leader who works at ATI Specialty Alloys & Components, believes homelessness goes hand-in-hand with housing affordability. But she realizes the immediate needs for food and shelter and says those things should be concentrated on first. She believes in partnering with local agencies in the city, she said. Low-barrier shelters are important for the city, Montague said in reference to the expansion of Albany Helping Hands. Low-barrier shelters take in unhoused people who are still struggling with addiction. Expanding shelter access gets more people off the street, she said. Educator Blaisdell, who uses they and them pronouns, also believes there needs to be more shelter access, but for them that also means accommodating a percentage of the unhoused many people may have a hard time wrapping their brains around sex offenders, they said. After speaking with Oregon State Police, Blaisdell believes that many of Albanys homeless are sex offenders. After personally getting over the ick factor, Blaisdell realized there needs to be a place for unhoused sex offenders because many shelters bar them from receiving beds. The policy results in unhoused sex offenders sharing public spaces, like parks, with residents, Blaisdell said. As a parent, that makes them uncomfortable. Blaisdell believes Albany can follow in the footsteps of Eugene by having special housing services to get sex offenders off the streets. Ward 3 Candidates Bessie Johnson, Bryan Munson and Ramycia McGhee are running for Ward 3, which represents eastern Albany. Incumbent Bessie Johnson doesnt want people to be afraid to live in their homes because of unhoused people, she said. We need to find some place to do with them, but I dont believe in enabling, she said, adding she believes some dont try. Bessie Johnson is interested in holding conferences with other cities to see how they implement solutions. Operations and engineering manager Munson believes in the use of community programs like Jackson Street and Helping Hands, but that some people just need to be incarcerated. Munson wants to prevent Albany from becoming unkempt, because he believes unhoused encampments can bring an unfavorable odor. He believes we are in a housing crisis where there are no options left for the working class. You have section 8 housing versus mansions, he said. <&underline>English professor McGhee refers to people experiencing homelessness as home-challenged. McGhee believes in affordable housing that goes beyond single-family homes. That isnt attainable for everyone, and Albany needs affordable apartments, she said. She believes there should be more shelters and transitional housing in Albany to keep up with the need for shelter. Everyone should have a place to live and a hot meal, McGhee said. Editor's note: This article was edited to correct Jackie Montague's occupation. EDINBURGH, UK, Oct. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Startup Race, a UK-based Startup Accelerator which prioritises a startups sales and revenue over pitching skills, today announced a list of the companies leading and competitively emerging, at the midpoint of the competition, which kicked off in May 2022. The current competitive and contending companies range in industry, and scope, but all are seeking to win the 10,000 Cash Prize. The Startup Race founders still believe there is room and time in this last quarter for more companies to have a chance of winning the competition, which closes on the 24th December 2022. The winner will be awarded in January 2023. We are now a few months into The Startup Race, and we are very pleased to see many of the startups growing quickly, gaining customers and traction, said James Shoemark, co-founder of The Startup Race. We are disrupting the standard model, known as Pitching Parades. in order to enable entrepreneurs to prove themselves in both product and market fit, through sales and revenue. May The Startup Race methodology be proof that UK Startups can lead the world in generating significant sales in such a short period of time? With more than 530 teams registering to enter The Startup Race in June 2022, the most exciting companies currently in the program include: The House of Tula, founded by Priyanshu Nath, offers sustainably-crafted, luxurious journals creating better balance and harmony with nature and within ourselves. Olmedo, founded by Mariely Macias Olmedo, is a womens fashion label blending authentic Mexican embroideries and the fusion of western inspirations, focused on creating contemporary garments for stylish women. NEAR, founded by Isaac and Lauren Elmore, is an app connecting travelers with the best recommendations from locals all around the world, while also protecting and preserving the charm of what makes each place unique. FastRefund, founded by Davranbek Tashbayev, is an instant refunds platform providing a refund for returned online purchases in under 30 seconds. The platform supercharges online stores by helping attract, convert and retain customers with fast refunds. Redwing, founded by Thomas Quiroga, is an app helping consumers, readers and fans navigate the maze of comic books a growing list of 150K published over the last 60 years. The app provides reading orders and helps track progress for readers. Arouund, founded by Ash Blyde, is an app streamlining community and event management with world-class support, making it easier to monetize events with direct payouts, at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. The Startup Race methodology capitalizes on the iconoclastic startup method, first developed by GodFather of the Lean Startup Movement - Steve Blank. In a 2013 blog post called Its Time to Play Moneyball: The Investment Readiness Level, Blank recommended Investors ask teams to Prove their competence and validate their ideas by showing investors evidence that theres a repeatable and scalable business model instead of relying on the antiquated test as to whether a world-class troupe of actors can produce great looking product demos and compelling PowerPoint slides. Upon entry to the Accelerator, participants gained access to the worlds best Lean Startup resources in order to validate their thinking, develop their business model and personal profile in order to attract co-founders. Other free resources on Leanstack include the Foundations and Business Model Design Playbooks and Lean Canvas & Traction Roadmap tools. The Startup Race team helps entrepreneurs incorporate their UK company and open a UK business bank account to enable them to start generating sales as soon as the competition starts. Through The Startup Race process, a number of high net-worth individuals observe how the teams perform over the course of The Race and be introduced to companies that they may consider supporting at the end of the program. We want to help more entrepreneurs prove their success quickly and robustly over a specific period of time in order to prove to investors a need, should they indeed need that funding, said Michael Clouser, co-founder of The Startup Race. The Startup Race believes that this highly competitive pedal-to-the-metal approach garners great value for both Entrepreneurs and Business Angel Investors, especially at a time when the World is changing economically. The Startup Race idea began in 2014 when a young entrepreneur asked Mr. Shoemark, who was hosting a League of Entrepreneurs Meetup at the time, if and how the startup process could be gamified. Mr. Shoemark decided that a business competition using the Pirate Metrics (AARRR as popularised by Dave McLure) could be the answer. He soon teamed up with Michael Clouser, a former Silicon Valley VC and other Edinburgh based Entrepreneurs and Investors to partner with him on this new venture in order to support Fast Growth startups in the UK and around the world. Winners of The Startup Race will be announced during a ceremony in early January 2023. The final 10,000 cash prize will be provided in the form of a grant from the Startup Race limited company to the team that made the most sales by the end of the competition. For more information on The Startup Race, please visit: WWW.TheStartupRace.com. ____ ABOUT THE STARTUP RACE The Startup Race, based in the UK, is a hackathon and accelerator program dedicated to proving that sales and revenue are the true benchmark of a successful startup, rather than the initial pitch. The event and company itself is the product of a young entrepreneur asking Mr. James Shoemark in 2014, how the startup process could be gamified. Mr. Shoemark decided that a business competition using the Pirate Metrics (AARRR as popularised by Dave McLure) of Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral and Revenue as a benchmark for ambition, competition and growth could be the answer. He soon teamed up with Michael Clouser, a former Silicon Valley VC and other Edinburgh based Entrepreneurs and Investors to partner with him on this new venture in order to support Fast Growth startups in the UK and around the world. The first 10,000 Startup Race will continue through the end of 2022, where a winner will be announced and awarded the 10,000 Cash Prize in 2023. After this Startup Race has completed, they will be partnering with Scottish Investors to run a 300,000 Startup Race and then a 1,000,000 International Startup Race. For more information on The Startup Race, please visit: WWW.TheStartupRace.com. Attachment Dallas, Texas, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Technology advances and the increasing uptake of high-tech electronic devices are predicted to drive the global AI speech recognition market . Voice-activated biometrics that is used for security aid to grant access to verified users so they can complete a transaction is one of the key factors boosting the market growth in the expanding use of voice biometrics. The global AI speech recognition market is expanding due to the rising demand for voice-activated workstations and navigation systems. The estimated size of the global AI speech recognition market is USD 14.58 billion, and it is expected to grow by USD 45.35 billion, or 16.24%, by 2032. Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/3585 There are several processes involved in the remarkable process by which artificial intelligence transforms speech into coherent algorithms, including the representation of formulation, speech units, and the development of recognition algorithms, as well as the demonstration of precise inputs. The global AI speech recognition market is anticipated to rise as a result of recent advances in machine learning and natural language processing. The demand for voice and speech recognition solutions is anticipated to increase throughout the projected period due to the increasing popularity of artificial intelligence-based digital assistants like Alexa and Cortana. Businesses can transcribe calls using voice recognition and natural language processing, and major manufacturers have started to offer affordable AI speech recognition. By examining the voice command history, the artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled voice recognition technology may identify client purchase patterns and tendencies. Customers who have previously added items to their cart but are no longer listed are recommended and reminded about those items by the system. This aids e-commerce businesses in providing specialized and enhanced purchasing experiences. Report coverage & details: Report Coverage Details Historic Data 2021-2022 Study Period: 2021-2032 CAGR CAGR of 16.24% during 2022-2032 Segment Covered Type, Application, End-Users, Regions Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America Key Players Profiled Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Alphabet, Amazon, Baidu, iFlytek, SESTEK, speak2web, Verint Speech recognition transforms human speech from an analog to a digital format using AI-enhanced technology. NLP is different from speech recognition since it involves a computer that receives dictation. Speech recognition is the process of translating an audio signal that has been captured by a microphone or other external device into a collection of words. To improve their business applications and improve the client experience, many companies increasingly use speech-to-text software. Companies are able to interpret and transcribe meetings and phone calls using speech recognition and natural language processing. Based on the type of recognition, speaker identification and speaker verification are the two subcategories of speech recognition. Speech recognition has two subcategories: text-to-speech and automatic speech recognition. The Automatic speech recognition segment is accounted for the highest market share. >>>To purchase research report@ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/researchreport/purchase/3585 The global AI speech recognition market is dominated by North America because of its high level of digitization and technical advancements. Due to government initiatives encouraging digitalization in the region, Asia-Pacific is predicted to have significant growth during the prediction period. In March 2022, Microsoft fully bought Nuance Communications, a developer of AI-based voice recognition software. Microsoft is certain that Nuance will enhance its conversational AI capabilities across a number of sectors, particularly financial services, telecoms, and retail. Microsoft hinted that the healthcare industry, where Nuance's speech recognition technology is widely used, will be the one to see the biggest effects. Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 3. Market Outlook 4. AI speech Recognition Market by Type Overview, 2019-2029 (USD Billion) Cloud-based On-premises 5. AI speech Recognition Market by Application Overview, 2019-2029 (USD Billion) Automatic Speech Recognition Speech Recognition Voice Recognition Others 6. AI speech Recognition Market by End-Users Overview, 2019-2029 (USD Billion) Automotive Banking Telecommunication Healthcare Government Consumer Applications Others 7. AI speech Recognition Market Market by Regional Overview, 2019-2029 (USD Billion) North America U.S Canada Europe Germany France UK The rest of Europe Asia Pacific China India Japan Asia-Pacific as a whole South America Mexico Brazil South America's remaining countries Middle East and South Africa 8. Company Profiles 9. Appendix Get Discount on this Report: https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/discount/3585 Access research repository of Upcoming Reports @ https://adroitmarketresearch.com/upcoming.html About Us: Adroit Market Research is an India-based business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps. Contact Us: Ryan Johnson Account Manager - Global 3131 McKinney Ave Ste 600 Dallas, TX 75204 Email ID: sales@adroitmarketresearch.com Phone No.: +1-9726644514, +91-9665341414 Did you lose money on investments in Kohls? If so, please visit Kohls Corporation Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@bernlieb.com to discuss your rights. NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Kohls Corporation (Kohls or the Company) (NYSE: KSS) between October 20, 2020 and May 19, 2022, inclusive (the Class Period). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Kohls is a retail company in the U.S. that offers branded apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, and home products through its stores and website. In October 2020, Kohls announced that it had entered into a new strategic framework to drive top-line growth, expand operating margin, and become the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle (the Strategic Plan). Plaintiff alleges that Defendants made materially false and misleading statements throughout the Class Period. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants failed to disclose, inter alia, that: (i) Kohls Strategic Plan was not well tailored to achieving the Companys stated goals; (ii) Defendants overstated the Companys success in executing its Strategic Plan; and (iii) Kohls had deficient disclosure controls and procedures, internal control over financial reporting, and corporate governance mechanisms. On May 19, 2022, Kohls issued a press release announcing the Companys fiscal Q1 2022 results, reporting, among other items, a net sales figure expected to grow up to only 1% (compared to Wall Street consensus growth of 1.94%), earnings per share of $0.11 (missing estimates by $0.59), a revenue figure which only barely edged expectations, and the Companys decision to cut its full year earnings forecast. These results were at odds with Defendants representations regarding the successful execution of the Companys Strategic Plan, which was purportedly poised to drive top-line growth and position the Company for long-term success. Then, on May 20, 2022, Macellum Advisors GP, LLC (Macellum), a long-term holder of nearly 5% of the outstanding common shares of Kohls, issued a statement addressing [t]his quarters extremely disappointing results, which Macellum attributed to a flawed strategic plan and an inability to execute. Macellum also stated that the current Board appears to have withheld material information from shareholders about the state of Kohls in the lead-up to this years pivotal annual meeting, which suggests to us a clear breach of fiduciary duty. On this news, Kohls stock price fell $5.84 per share, or 12.97%, to close at $39.20 per share on May 20, 2022. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 1, 2022 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesnt require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member. If you purchased Kohls securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Kohls Corporation Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@bernlieb.com. Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journals Plaintiffs Hot List thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2022 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. Contact Information: Peter Allocco Bernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (212) 951-2030 pallocco@bernlieb.com LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Rite Aid Corporation (Rite Aid or the Company) (NYSE: RAD) investors that a class action has been filed on behalf of investors. Rite Aid investors that lost money on their investment are encouraged to contact Lesley Portnoy, Esq. Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 844-767-8529 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses. Rite Aid, through its subsidiaries, operates a chain of retail drugstores in the U.S. The Company operates through two segments, Retail Pharmacy and Pharmacy Services. The Pharmacy Services segment provides an integrated suite of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) offerings through, inter alia, the Companys Elixir subsidiary, including technology solutions, mail delivery services, specialty pharmacy, network and rebate administration, claims adjudication, and pharmacy discount programs. In Rite Aids Q4 2022 earnings call on April 14, 2022, Rite Aids President and CEO, Heyward Rutledge Donigan (Donigan), addressed the growth of Elixirs PBM services business during the selling season ending January 1, 2023. Donigan represented that (i) in the past few months, Elixir had already sold 35,000 new members (as against a total of 55,000 new members in the prior year), (ii) Elixir was a finalist for 150,000 additional new members, and results have shown that once we get to finalist, were winning deals 35% of the time, and (iii) Elixir had a current pipeline of nearly 1 million members and growing. In a letter to shareholders, dated June 10, 2022, appearing in Rite Aids 2022 Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement, Donigan stated, [o]ur Elixir account and sales teams are gaining momentum, and we are executing more efficiently by consolidating functions. And the market is noticingwe have added 34,000 individuals covered by Elixirs PBM services since January 1, 2022, with many more in the pipeline. In Rite Aids Q1 2023 earnings call on June 23, 2022, Donigan stated that [o]ur strong network contracts, new rebate capabilities, innovative clinical services and expertise in government programs have enabled us to add 80,000 new lives for January 1, 2023 start date. These are more new lives than we sold last year. And additionally, the selling season is still in progress, and we've got close to 1 million lives remaining in the pipeline for January 1, 2023. On the same call, Elixirs COO, Chris DuPaul, advised that weve had a pretty strong start to our selling season, particularly on the health plan side, and were feeling really good about where our lives are headed going into [1/1/23] Plaintiff alleges that Defendants made materially false and misleading statements throughout the Class Period. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants failed to disclose that: (i) despite representations to the contrary, the number of new members (i.e., lives) that the Elixir PBM services business was adding during the selling season ending on January 1, 2023 was in material decline; and (ii) Rite Aid was likely to recognize a significant charge for the impairment of goodwill related to Elixir due to a decrease in lives covered by Elixirs PBM services business. On September 29, 2022, Rite Aid announced a $252.2 million charge for the impairment of goodwill related to the Companys Elixir subsidiary. On an earnings call held later in the day, Rite Aids Chief Financial Officer, Matt Schroeder, explained that the large impairment charge was related to Elixir based on an update to our estimate of lives for 2023 based on the latest selling season, and that Rite Aid expect[ed] lives to go down. On this news, Rite Aids stock price fell $1.97 per share, or 28.02%, to close at $5.06 per share on September 29, 2022. Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information. The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims against caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq. Admitted CA and NY Bar lesley@portnoylaw.com 310-692-8883 www.portnoylaw.com Attorney Advertising The protection of women, especially for those who are poor, elderly or disabled, is expected to be strengthened across China, a senior legislator told a news conference on Monday. A draft revision to the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women will be further reviewed during an upcoming session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, which is set to convene from Wednesday to Sunday. The draft amendment orders government agencies to pay closer attention to women's rights and interests, calling for stronger protection for women in difficult situations, Zang Tiewei, spokesman for the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, said while introducing the draft's contents to media. The draft focuses on protecting women's privacy and reputations, clarifying that media reports should be regulated to prevent them from infringing on women's personal rights, he said. Under the draft, the human resources and social security departments are also allowed to work with trade unions or women federations to have regulatory talks with employers if companies are found to be having trouble guaranteeing women's labor rights and interests, he added. "The draft revision aims to solve thorny difficulties involving women, including sexual harassment and gender discrimination in employment, and what we want is to optimize the environment for women's development, supporting them both in work and life," he said. GALLATIN, Mo., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- in-storeVerts Neighborhood Dispensary is proud to announce the expansion of its brand into the Missouri and Michigan markets. This includes four new locations in Missouri: Dexter, Pacific, Gallatin, and Joplin. They've already received great feedback and are excited to continue to bring the magic of cannabis to this area. Verts Neighborhood Dispensary has ongoing expansion projects which include adding dispensaries in Michigan. These expansion projects are geared toward the west side and upper peninsula of Michigan. The goal is to spread that Verts Neighborhood feeling across the Midwest and beyond! Verts Neighborhood Dispensary takes cannabis seriously. Since 2014, they've been helping folks enjoy the medicinal benefits of marijuana. Verts started in the Colorado Front Range area, serving various customers 21+ seeking to find relief from various ailments or utilize marijuana recreationally. Today, Verts still has a special connection to Colorado, as this is where they cultivate their marijuana plant. Their cultivation practices are top-tier and meticulous. They use Tupur Organic Coco for soil, and never use pesticides, to ensure customers get the healthiest plant every time they buy. They even hand-water all of the plants - it's a labor of love. Verts Neighborhood Dispensary prides themselves on providing dispensary customers with the highest quality dispensary experience. They do this by hiring knowledgeable, hospitable, and local team members who serve customers with respect and guidance. Their dispensaries aren't just businesses - their thriving cultures with a focus on community. To convey the culture of community online, Verts Neighborhood Dispensary is excited to announce they are revamping our online presence. Verts has teamed up with Abstrax to create a new website that truly conveys their philosophy. "We're excited to partner with Verts Neighborhood Dispensary creating their new website aligning with their rebranding as they are rapidly expanding and continue to serve their community firsthand," says Charlie Hernadez, CEO of Abstrax Web. If you live in Missouri or Michigan, Verts Neighborhood Dispensary is over the moon excited to bring their premium dispensaries to your area. Please note, that Missouri currently requires folks to have a medical marijuana card to purchase marijuana from a dispensary. In Michigan, recreational marijuana use is totally legal! Recreational customers must be over 21 or older. Verts is proud to serve these new communities in Missouri and Michigan. They guarantee you will be impressed with their high-quality marijuana, friendly and helpful staff, and how they engage with their community, giving that neighborhood feel, wherever they are. When you see Verts in your area, don't forget to say "HIGH"! About Verts Neighborhood Dispensary Verts Neighborhood Dispensary provides patients with the highest quality medicine available at the most affordable prices possible. Our mission is to create an incredible, unique retail experience online and instore. About Abstrax Web Abstrax Web provides over 20 years of experience in marketing and project management. Abstrax Web is a white glove, premium agency specializing in search engine optimization and web design. Contact Information: Charlie Hernandez CEO ch@abstrax.io Related Images Image 1: buying marijuana at a dispensary Dispensary location This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment DALLAS, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ASTA-USA Translation Services, Inc., one of America's top language translation service providers for high-impact organizations, knows first-hand about C-suite executive tenure and retention. According to Mr. Alain J. Roy, President and Founder of ASTA-USA, "While corporate clients will maintain a working relationship for decades on end, the executive contact for each client tends to turn over quite frequently." One of the most notable instances of this phenomenon involves a global technology organization that ASTA-USA has proudly served for more than 10 years. Throughout the course of a decade-long partnership, ASTA-USA has fulfilled upwards of 450 translation assignments in 22 languages for this client. Although an impressive feat, ASTA-USA's mission goes beyond sheer volume to focus on the intricate details that leave an impression. Amid consulting with 17 domestic and international departments, each one of these translation services was provided without delay, error, or complication. During this timeframe, one client account manager at ASTA-USA was responsible for the coordination of all 450 assignments. Meanwhile, on the client-facing end, ASTA-USA collaborated with 44 different C-suite executives. Of these 44 executives, 17 have since left the organization while their relationship with the language translation services provider has remained intact and continues to thrive. "Aside from the fact that we always deliver error-free services on time, or ahead of schedule, we strongly believe that the central reason our clients stay with us centers on the fact that most of our account managers, professional linguists, and administrators have been with us for 10, 15, 20 years or more. We pride ourselves on superior quality, not only in terms of how we serve our clients but also in the way we treat our associates," said Mr. Roy. Since its foundation in 1987, translation services provider ASTA-USA has provided best-in-class translation and interpretation services to corporations, organizations, government departments, and individuals across the United States and beyond. For more information, visit www.asta-usa.com. About ASTA-USA Translation Services, Inc. ASTA-USA is a highly specialized language services provider. Every day, corporations and governments of all sizes rely on the expertise of ASTA-USA to translate their important written materials, and to provide real-time, live, human interpreting services. Headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming, ASTA-USA's Translation Directors, and Professional Translation Teams are based all over the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Asia, South America, Latin America, and Africa. Contact Information: Madeleine Moench madeleine@newswire.com Related Images Image 1 This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment English Spanish CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Victoria brings a taste of Mexico to the U.S., with its first-ever brand innovation, Vicky Chamoy, a chamoy-flavored beer with notes of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. No need to sacrifice taste for convenience this flavored beer imported from Mexico bursts with beloved Mexican flavor in a ready to drink single serve 24 ounce can. True to its roots and origin, Vicky Chamoy embraces a Mexican flavor palate with hints of tamarind and chile perfectly complemented by flavors of chamoy, apricot and lime. Traditional chamoy is made with pickled fruits such as apricots, mango and/or plums and mixed with chili powder, to make a delicious red condiment-type sauce commonly combined with beer in Mexico to create a chelada beer cocktail. Were thrilled to be launching Vicky Chamoy, Victorias first line extension here in the U.S., said Ryan Anderson, Senior Director of Brand Marketing, Victoria. Vicky Chamoy brings the authentic flavors of tamarind, chile and of course, chamoy, so consumers can have a classic taste of Mexico with their celebrations. Vicky Chamoy comes in a vibrant, eye-catching can, showcasing the flavors of the heritage it so proudly represents. This authentically Mexican beer, la chela chingona, is easy to spot and available at your local convenience, liquor, and grocery stores. Whether you are looking to indulge in a little taste from home after a long days work or you just love cheladas but not the time it takes to make them, Vicky Chamoy is an authentic Mexican flavor experience now available in the U.S. Ready-to-drink alongside your favorite snacks, this spicy chela packs a tangy and refreshing chamoy and tamarind punch. Dublin, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the price points of key manufacturers of solar powered car positioned across regions, sales growth, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report. According to Fact.MR, the global solar-powered car market is predicted to exceed a market value of US$ 90.3 Mn by 2022 and is expected to expand at an impressive CAGR of about 12.3% during the forecast period (2022 to 2032). The increasing popularity of self-charging vehicles has led to the birth of the solar vehicle industry. This has majorly helped in the expansion of the solar-powered car business globally. Solar vehicle manufacturers are able to manufacture solar-powered commercial vehicles and solar-powered cars, owing to the rising demand and need for vehicles that run on eco-friendly alternate fuels. This is being done to manufacture vehicles that are not only sustainable and robust but also limit harmful emissions so as to reduce the carbon footprint of the automobile industry. Download Sample Copy of This Report https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=5359 The need to reduce carbon emissions in the recent past has become a necessity due to increased global warming levels. The solar-powered cars are low-maintenance vehicles that make cars easier to use and maintain for consumers, this has prompted manufacturers to increase their investment in production and R&D activities. Owing to aforementioned factors there would be increase in demand for the solar powered car. Key Takeaways from Market Study The global solar powered cars market is projected to expand at an impressive CAGR of 12.3% and be valued at US$ 288.4 million by 2032. and be valued at US$ million by 2032. Under solar panels, monocrystalline solar cells are expected to dominate the market with valuation of US$ 71.1 million in 2022. million in 2022. Under car type, sedan solar powered cars are expected to reach revenue generation of US$ 36.1 million in 2022. million in 2022. Europe is predicted to dominate the market with 80.5% market share in 2022 market share in 2022 Pure electric car category likely to represent 92.6% market share in 2022, and is expected to grow at 12.5% CAGR over the forecast period. Competitive Landscape Prominent manufacturers of the solar powered car industry worldwide including Hyundai Motor Company, Squad Mobility, Lightyear, Toyota Motor Corporation, Sono Motors, Aptera Motors, Ford Motor Company are putting emphasis on launching products that are technologically advanced and are grabbing marketing strategies such as acquisitions and collaborations with other market players to help improve production capacities, improve market penetration and gain a larger market share. Hyundai in 2020, launched Xcient fuel cell trucks in a hydrogen-powered version and delivered seven vehicles to its customers in Switzerland. In 2022, Sibros, a company that is a pioneer in the field of deep Over-the-Air (OTA) connected vehicle technology, announced its collaboration with the solar-powered car manufacturer, Lightyear. Lightyear will use this collaboration to integrate the OTA Deep Logger of Sibros to get highly precise and real-time vehicle data from all its sensors Major Key Players Hyundai Motor Company Squad Mobility Lightyear Toyota Motor Corporation Sono Motors Aptera Motors Ford Motor Company Mahindra & Mahindra Limited Solar Team Eindhoven Cruise Car Inc. Trina Solar Alke Solarrolla Get Customization on Solar Powered Car Industry Report https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RC&rep_id=5359 Market Development Companies are constantly investing heavily in R&D to develop new features to develop cars which are highly consumer oriented. Solar powered cars contain solar panels attached to their roofs that help the car charge itself. Fisker Ocean a solar car manufacturer has claimed that their cars come equipped with the largest solar roof on the market. Continuous investments and channelizing of resources for streamlining their supply chain has been the priority for car manufacturers. Aptera, one of the prominent name operating in this space aims to produce 10,000 cars by 2023. Lightyear has announced the start of production of a budget-friendly solar-powered electric car by 2022 end. Lightyear has the ability to run for short distances for months together with a single charge. Sion solar-powered electric cars stand apart from their competition with unique design features. These cars instead of having a solar panel on the roof, have several solar cells integrated into various parts such as fenders, roofs, sides, rear, and hoods. Market participants are leveraging the matured automotive industry in order to inline the innovation of solar cells for power source. Market scenario is moderately consolidated, however, number of new entrants would increase owing to attractive revenue generation opportunity over the long term. More Valuable Insights on Offer Fact.MR, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the global solar powered cars market, presenting forecast statistics for the period of 2022-2032. The study reveals essential insights on the basis of solar panel (monocrystalline solar cell, polycrystalline solar cell, thin-film solar cell, organic solar cell, others), car type (compact, sedan, SUVs, vans, others (mini vehicles)), car category (pure electric, hybrid electric), battery type (lithium ion, lead acid, others) across major regions of the world (Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa). Segmentation of Solar Powered Car Industry Research By Solar Panel : Monocrystalline solar cells Polycrystalline Solar Cell Thin-Film Solar Cell Organic Solar Cell Others By Type : Compact Sedan SUVs Vans Others (Mini Vehicles) By Category : Pure Electric Hybrid Electric By Battery Type : Lithium Ion Lead Acid Others By Region : Americas Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Check out more related studies published by Fact.MR Research: Electric Car Battery Charger Market: According to industry experts, to address the ever-prevailing challenge of the imbalance between electric cars and electric car battery chargers, manufacturers of both electric cars and electric car battery chargers ought to extend mutual efforts in the development of turnkey electric car battery charger solutions in the near future. Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Market: According to Fact.MR, automotive applications are likely to account for bulk of the li-ion battery pack demand in forthcoming years, expanding at a CAGR of 4% until 2031. Widening popularity of EVs, e-bikes and automated guided vehicles are spurring usage. Solar Battery Market: In order to fulfill the ever-growing demand for energy, various prominent countries are making an effort to use solar energy wherever possible and hence the requirement of energy storage has led to a surge in the solar batteries market. About Us: Market research and consulting agency with a difference! Thats why 80% of Fortune 1,000 companies trust us for making their most critical decisions. While our experienced consultants employ the latest technologies to extract hard-to-find insights, we believe our USP is the trust clients have on our expertise. Spanning a wide range from automotive & industry 4.0 to healthcare & retail, our coverage is expansive, but we ensure even the most niche categories are analyzed. Our sales offices in United States and Dublin, Ireland. Headquarter based in Dubai, UAE. Reach out to us with your goals, and well be an able research partner. Contact: Mahendra Singh US Sales Office: 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 Email: sales@factmr.com Highlights: Intercepted high-grade, near-surface gold in multiple holes in areas that are expected to provide initial ore feed for the Bayan Khundii Gold Project 29.6 g/t gold over 4m, within 16m of 8 g/t gold (BKD-358) 68.0 g/t gold over 2m, within 10m of 14.4 g/t gold (BKD-361) 32.6 g/t gold over 2m, within 20m of 10.4 g/t gold (BKD-369) 67.5 g/t gold over 1m, within 7m of 11.8 g/t gold (BKD-354) 39.6 g/t gold over 1m, within 10m of 5.7 g/t gold (BKD-356) HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erdene Resource Development Corporation (TSX: ERD | MSE: ERDN) (Erdene or the Company) is pleased to announce results from Q3 2022 drilling in areas of high-grade near-surface mineralization at the 100% owned Bayan Khundii Gold Deposit within the Khundii Gold District (the District) in southwest Mongolia. Quotes from the Company These results demonstrate the exceptionally high gold grades present in the areas targeted for the first phase of the Bayan Khundii development, said Peter Akerley, Erdenes President, and CEO. This drill program confirmed and locally extended the near surface, high gold grades identified at the Midfield Southeast and Striker South zones since the delivery of the economic pit design for the feasibility study. The program also collected ore for gravity processing test work. Preliminary studies concluded that gravity processing compliments the Bayan Khundii CIP plant, bringing forward cash flow and reducing operating costs. Our team is also completing exploration and processing test work at the recent Dark Horse and Ulaan discoveries, with further drill results anticipated by mid Q4, continued Mr. Akerley. We continue to progress the Bayan Khundii Gold Project towards development while searching for new discoveries across the Khundii Minerals District. Starter Pit Definition Drill Summary The Q3 2022 Bayan Khundii drill program was designed to increase confidence in the near surface high-grade gold mineralized zones targeted for initial development at the Bayan Khundii Gold Project (Project). Drilling was also designed to gather ore to test amenability for gravity processing as an addition to the Projects Carbon in Pulp (CIP) plant. In Q3 2022, Erdene completed a near surface drill program comprised of 25 PQ diamond core holes, totaling 612 metres (averaging 17 metres vertical depth) in three target areas within or near the planned Bayan Khundii economic pit. The objectives of this program were to establish higher confidence in continuity of grade and geometry of the shallow, very high-grade potential starter pit areas located at the Midfield Southeast, Striker South and Striker zones of the Bayan Khundii deposit and to collect material for gravity processing metallurgical test work. The drilling program intersected multiple high-grade intervals, confirming the continuity of near-surface high-grade gold mineralization at Midfield SE, Striker, and Striker South. Multiple holes returned assays greater than 10 g/t gold as summarized in Table 1, below. These results will be incorporated into updated models and used for start-up mine planning purposes. Drill core from these holes will also be used for variability metallurgical testing to confirm the viability of gravity recoverable gold in addition to the currently planned CIP ore processing plant. Table 1: Bayan Khundii Drilling Highlights (Drill holes reporting interval(s) exceeding 10 g/t gold) Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval(1) Au g/t BKD-352 6.5 26 19.5 2.51 Incl 18 23 5 6.20 Incl 19 20 1 15.06 BKD-354 0 7 7 11.79 Incl 5 6 1 67.54 BKD-356 6 25.6(2) 19.6 3.10 Incl 7 17 10 5.72 Incl 15 16 1 39.60 BKD-358 10.3 26(2) 15.7 8.03 Incl 12 16 4 29.60 Incl 14 15 1 100.46 BKD-361 5 15 10 14.36 Incl 10 12 2 67.95 BKD-363 12 18 6 1.97 Incl 17 18 1 10.05 BKD-366 23 29.5(2) 6.5 3.78 Incl 25 26 1 11.27 BKD-368 1 26(2) 25 1.00 Incl 2 3 1 16.96 BKD-369 0 20(2) 20 10.44 Incl 0 1 1 17.88 Incl 4 7 3 27.04 Incl 9 11 2 32.57 Incl 15 16 1 10.18 BKD-370 2.5 20(2) 17.5 4.78 Incl 2.5 9 6.5 10.64 Incl 6 7 1 30.51 Incl 8 9 1 10.89 BKD-371 0 5 5 9.27 Incl 1 3 2 21.45 BKD-372 0 5 5 1.13 And 18 22 4 5.69 Incl 19 20 1 12.02 Reported intervals in this release are downhole apparent widths. Continued exploration is required to confirm anisotropy of mineralization and true thicknesses End of hole Midfield Southeast Zone Drilling within the Midfield Southeast (MFSE) zone consisted of nine infill holes targeting high-grade gold mineralization within 25 metres of surface. Previous drill results from MFSE include some of the highest-grade, shallow gold mineralization within the Bayan Khundii deposit including 581.6 g/t gold over 1 metre, within 125.9 g/t gold over 5.5 metres, beginning 11.5 metres down hole (BKD-288) and 25.6 g/t gold over 15.1 metres, including 5 metres averaging 74.34 g/t gold, beginning 15 metres downhole (BKD-274). Gold mineralization at MFSE is related to southwest dipping quartz-hematite epithermal veins which cross-cut the tuffaceous host unit of the Bayan Khundii deposit. Gold grades at MFSE appear to be further enhanced by supergene enrichment, particularly in zones where the primary gold bearing epithermal veins intersect along a sub north-south trending structural plane representing a fault or shear. Gold enrichment along this plane is typically contained within pervasive hematite altered and brecciated core with gold grades locally greater than 100 g/t. Striker and Striker South Zone Drilling within the Striker and Striker South zones consisted of six and ten holes, respectively. Drilling focused on further definition of previously reported near-surface, high-grade gold mineralization within these potential starter pit locations including 14 g/t gold over 8.3 metres, including 1 metre of 93 g/t gold, beginning 0.7 metres downhole (BKD-44), 29 g/t gold over 15.1 metres, beginning 0.9 metres downhole (BKD-292), and 10 g/t gold over 7 metres, beginning 8 metres down hole (BKD-46). Gold mineralization in both Striker and Striker South are related to southwest dipping quartz-adularia hematite epithermal veins which cross-cut the tuffaceous host unit of the Bayan Khundii deposit. Localized gold grades in the Striker South Zone exhibit very high grades (up to 353 g/t gold in hole BKD-292) within the contact aureole of a monzodiorite plug which intrudes the tuffaceous host. Current interpretation of the gold grade enrichment around the intrusive body may be related to remobilization and subsequent redeposition of gold associated with structural and hydrothermal processes during the monzodiorite emplacement. Metallurgical Test Work The consideration of gravity as part of the process design circuit for the Bayan Khundii ores has been studied since the earliest assessment. However, the discovery of high-grade gold at surface at Dark Horse, combined with the exceptionally high-grade gold intersections at MFSE and Striker South in 2020, prompted Erdenes technical team to complete further gravity oriented metallurgical test work in mid-2022. The results of that work are summarized below. A single composite sample was selected from drill core from holes at MFSE and Striker South. This composite consists of quarter core from 21 one-metre intervals from 13 drill holes with a calculated head grade of 15.1 g/t gold. The composite sample was analyzed by Blue Coast Research from Parksville, BC, who have carried out the majority of the metallurgical test work for the Bayan Khundii project. The test work consisted of a single Extended Gravity Recoverable Gold (EGRG) test to evaluate the gravity recoverable gold content of the composite sample. The test work included three stages of progressively finer grind size (850 micron, 250 micron and 75 micron) with each stage passing through a Knelson MD-3 concentrator to produce a concentrate. The tests resulted show 74.6% of the gold was captured in the gravity concentrates. The data from the EGRG test work was sent to FLSmidth Knelson for review and analysis. Modelling conducted by FLSmidth was undertaken to predict gravity recovery using a variety of different circuit configurations and anticipated plant design and throughput parameters. Modelling showed that gold recovery could be achieved using concentrators and shaker tables (50%) or concentrators and intense leach reactor (60%). Based on the results of the work in mid-2022, six additional composites will be tested. Sample material for these composites will be taken from the recently completed PQ drilling reported herein. The additional test work will include a series of six variability samples, representing different area and grades, that will undergo EGRG testing and well as shaker table recovery testing. These data will assist in determining the most effective gravity recovery circuit for the Bayan Khundii ore and is expected to provide support for the inclusion of a gravity circuit at the front end of the CIP plant. Erdenes work to date suggests that a gravity plant may be brought online prior to commissioning of a full CIP circuit, pulling forward cash flow, and rapidly repaying the initial capital outlay. Furthermore, a gravity plant can be integrated into the CIP circuit, increasing throughput by reducing load on elution circuit downstream. Gravity circuits are readily available from a number of Chinese manufacturers, in a modular format, and can be quickly and cost-effectively constructed. Projects Overview Erdenes deposits are in the Trans Altai Terrane, within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, host to some of the worlds largest gold and copper-gold deposits. The Company has been the leader in exploration in southwest Mongolia over the past decade and is responsible for the discovery of the Khundii Gold District comprised of multiple high-grade gold and base metal prospects, one of which is currently being developed, the 100%-owned Bayan Khundii Gold Project, and another which is being considered for development, the 100%-owned Altan Nar Project. The Khundii District is currently defined based on three gold and base metal systems related to shallow subduction Paleozoic intrusive events within a 40 kilometre by 20 kilometre area in the Trans Altai Terrane (formerly known as the Erden Terrane). Erdenes 2022 exploration program is focused on the two gold-dominant systems: Bayan Khundii (Rich Valley): Low sulfidation epithermal gold deposits and prospects (BK Deposit, Dark Horse, Ulaan and Altan Arrow) overprinted on a high temperature, intrusive related alteration zone, located along a 12-kilometres trend related to deep seated northeast trending structures along a regional dilation zone and strike slip fault system. Current Resources1 for the BK gold deposit include 585,100 ounces of 2.19 g/t gold Measured and Indicated (M&I)2 and 35,900 ounces of Inferred resources at 2.18 g/t gold. Resources have not yet been established for the Dark Horse, Ulaan or Altan Arrow discoveries at Bayan Khundii. An overview of the recent Dark Horse Mane and Ulaan discoveries at Bayan Khundii are included below. Dark Horse Mane Dark Horse Mane is a 1.5-kilometre trend of alteration and gold mineralization discovered in 2021. Located 2.4 kilometres north of the BK deposit, this zone begins at surface, hosting supergene enriched gold zones including an exceptionally high-grade gold bearing zone in the southern portion with values up to 195 g/t gold over 1 metre (AAD-178) and ranging in thickness from 20 to 60 metres vertical depth with locally deeper oxidation along fractures. The high-grade oxide body exhibits strong continuity along a north-south strike. Mineralization remains open along strike and at depth. Limited deeper drilling has intersected wide zones of gold mineralization (e.g., AAD-57, 48 metres of 1.18 g/t gold from 194 metres down hole) associated with epithermal veins, white mica, and sulfide alteration up to 230 metres vertical depth and remaining open. The Company conducted data compilation, interpretation and drill hole targeting for the broader Dark Horse prospect area in late 2021 and early 2022. This work focused on gold anomalism, identifying feeder structures, shallow oxide gold mineralization, and areas with similar characteristics to Dark Horse Mane, as well as the potential for deeper zones of gold mineralization. This work has defined numerous drill targets for testing. Ulaan The Ulaan gold target is a blind top discovery identified in Q3 of 2021. The discovery is characterized by hundreds of metres of gold mineralization (up to 354 metres) over an area 200 metres by 250 metres. Gold mineralization begins approximately 80 metres from surface and remains open along strike to the west/northwest and at depth. Intervals include 152 metres of 1.7 g/t gold in UDH-22 (from 85 metres) and 77 metres of 3.2 g/t gold in UDH-21 (from 115 metres). Similar to the BK gold deposit, located 300 metres to the east, the mineralizing event is characterized by exceptionally high-grade quartz hematite and adularia veins and stockwork zones enveloped by the same gold bearing, silicified, white mica altered lapilli tuff sequence. Stockwork zones identified in the northern portion of the Ulaan discovery were the target of the initial Q2 2022 drilling and helped to better define the orientation and extent of these exceptionally high-grade zones where intervals of 5 metres of 20 g/t gold (UDH-14) to 1 metre to 156 g/t gold (UDH-21) have been returned within broad high grade zones including 27 metres of 8.74 g/t gold (UDH-21) and 34 metres of 5.43 g/t gold (UDH-14). In addition, the 2022 exploration program included the extension of a series of existing drill holes to test for continuity at depth. Expansion drilling at Ulaan Southeast is ongoing. The southern portion of the Ulaan license has areas of anomalous gold-in-soil over an area 3.5 kilometres by 1 kilometre. The underlying geology and alteration appear to be analogous to the gold mineralization at Ulaan Southeast and Bayan Khundii, namely tuffaceous units with white mica and silica alteration. Altan Nar (Golden Sun): Intermediate sulfidation, carbonate base metal gold deposits and prospects located along a 5.6-kilometre long alteration zone located within a regional north-northeast trending structural corridor within which structural intersections or zones of dilation provide the setting for the emplacement of broader zones of mineralization. Current Resource for Altan Nar includes an Indicated gold-only resource of 317,700 ounces at a grade of 2.0 g/t gold and an Inferred gold-only resource of 185,700 ounces at a grade of 1.7 g/t gold. About Erdene Erdene Resource Development Corp. is a Canada-based resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious and base metals in underexplored and highly prospective Mongolia. The Company has interests in three mining licenses and an exploration license in Southwest Mongolia, where exploration success has led to the discovery and definition of the Khundii Gold District. Erdene Resource Development Corp. is listed on the Toronto and the Mongolian stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.erdene.com. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information. Qualified Person and Sample Protocol Peter Dalton, P.Geo. (Nova Scotia), Senior Geologist for Erdene, is the Qualified Person as that term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. All samples have been assayed at SGS Laboratory in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In addition to internal checks by SGS Laboratory, the Company incorporates a QA/QC sample protocol utilizing prepared standards and blanks. All samples undergo standard fire assay analysis for gold and ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy) analysis for 33 additional elements. For samples that initially return a grade greater than 5 g/t gold, additional screen-metallic gold analysis is carried out which provides a weighted average gold grade from fire assay analysis of the entire +75 micron fraction and three 30-gram samples of the -75 micron fraction from a 500 gram sample. Erdenes drill core sampling protocol consisted of collection of samples over 1 or 2 metre intervals (depending on the lithology and style of mineralization) over the entire length of the drill hole, excluding minor post-mineral lithologies and un-mineralized granitoids. Sample intervals were based on meterage, not geological controls, or mineralization. All drill core was cut in half with a diamond saw, with half of the core placed in sample bags and the remaining half securely retained in core boxes at Erdenes Bayan Khundii exploration camp. All samples were organized into batches of 30 including a commercially prepared standard, blank and either a field duplicate, consisting of two quarter-core intervals, or a laboratory duplicate. Sample batches were periodically shipped directly to SGS in Ulaanbaatar via Erdenes logistical contractor, Monrud Co. Ltd. Reported intervals are apparent thicknesses, i.e., downhole widths. The current Bayan Khundii drill holes (reported in this release) are all dipping from 45 to 60 degrees and oriented to intersect SW dipping WNW trending gold bearing veins. Additional study is required to confirm true widths. Reported grades for intervals are weighted averages based on length of sampling intervals. No top cut has been applied; however, all intervals greater than 10 g/t gold and 100 g/t gold are reported individually for clarity. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information regarding Erdene contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance, or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although Erdene believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Erdene cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Erdene currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the ability to obtain required third party approvals, market prices, exploitation, and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and is subject to change after that date. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS RELEASE Erdene Contact Information Peter C. Akerley, President and CEO, or Robert Jenkins, CFO Appendix Drilling Assays Summary - Intervals averaging greater than 0.30 g/t gold Hole ID From To Interval(1) Au g/t BKD-351 3.56 9 5.44 1.54 Incl 3.56 7 3.44 2.36 And 19 30(2) 11 0.53 BKD-352 6.5 26 19.5 2.51 Incl 10 24 14 3.33 Incl 18 23 5 6.20 Incl 19 20 1 15.06 BKD-353 15 24 9 0.55 BKD-354 0 7 7 11.79 Incl 5 6 1 67.54 BKD-355 10.5 30(2) 19.5 0.58 BKD-356 6 25.6(2) 19.6 3.10 Incl 7 17 10 5.72 Incl 15 16 1 39.60 BKD-357 0 15 15 0.59 And 24 26 2 1.09 BKD-358 10.3 26(2) 15.7 8.03 Incl 12 16 4 29.60 Incl 14 15 1 100.46 BKD-359 0 6 6 0.70 BKD-360 7 17 10 1.62 BKD-361 5 15 10 14.36 Incl 10 12 2 67.95 BKD-362 14 18 4 2.84 BKD-363 12 18 6 1.97 Incl 17 18 1 10.05 BKD-364 6 15.5(2) 9.5 1.66 BKD-365 0 7 7 1.07 And 17 23 6 1.37 And 27 28 1 0.62 BKD-366 15 18 3 0.44 And 23 29.5(2) 6.5 3.78 Incl 25 26 1 11.27 BKD-367 9 25 16 0.65 Incl 15 19 4 1.54 BKD-368 1 26(2) 25 1.00 Incl 2 3 1 16.96 BKD-369 0 20(2) 20 10.44 Incl 0 1 1 17.88 Incl 4 7 3 27.04 Incl 9 11 2 32.57 Incl 15 16 1 10.18 BKD-370 2.45 20(2) 17.55 4.78 Incl 2.45 9 6.55 10.64 Incl 6 7 1 30.51 Incl 8 9 1 10.89 BKD-371 0 5 5 9.27 Incl 1 3 2 21.45 And 13 15 2 0.48 BKD-372 0 5 5 1.13 And 8 9 1 0.47 And 18 22 4 5.69 Incl 19 20 1 12.02 BKD-373 0 10 10 0.64 BKD-374 7 20(2) 13 0.87 Incl 7 10 3 2.56 BKD-275 0 9 9 1.42 Reported intervals in this release are downhole apparent widths. Continued exploration is required to confirm anisotropy of mineralization and true thicknesses End of hole Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/97e65fcc-299b-42df-80ea-1163538cb941 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e2a71de-6e50-4992-8dbb-fa0365e955b1 Vancouver, Canada, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oroco Resource Corp. (TSX-V: OCO, OTC: ORRCF) (Oroco or the Company) announces assay results from an additional 2,668 m of drilling from Holes N027 through N031 of its drilling program in the North Zone and 1,456 m of drilling from holes B006 and B007 in the Brasiles Zone (see Table 1 and Figures 1 and 2 attached, or at the Companys website) of its Santo Tomas property (the Property) located in northwestern Mexico. To view an interactive 3D model that includes the North Zone results announced today, use the following link or visit Oroco's website: https://vrify.com/companies/oroco-resource-corp The 2021-2022 North Zone drill program is continuing to confirm and expand the 2009 Gradeshell model of Cu >0.30% (the Gradeshell) derived from the historical drilling described in the Companys 2019 Technical Report. A total of 38 holes (24,850 meters of drilling) have now been completed in the North Zone, spanning approximately 1,400 meters of strike length, with intersections of good-grade mineralization returned in all holes for which the Company has received assays. HIGHLIGHTS Drill holes N027, N028, N030 and N031 continued the confirmation of the shallow-seated higher-grade mineralization of the North Zone along the length of the deposit and extended the confirmation of this zone a further 620 m north and south of the previous most northerly and southerly drill holes in the zone (see the Companys news release of October 4, 2022), for a total of approximately 1,000 m strike length of shallow seated, higher-grade mineralization. All four holes identified significant higher-grade mineralization intervals extending through and below the Gradeshell. continued the confirmation of the shallow-seated higher-grade mineralization of the North Zone along the length of the deposit and extended the confirmation of this zone a further 620 m north and south of the previous most northerly and southerly drill holes in the zone (see the Companys news release of October 4, 2022), for a total of approximately 1,000 m strike length of shallow seated, higher-grade mineralization. All four holes identified significant higher-grade mineralization intervals extending through and below the Gradeshell. Drill hole N028 extended the confirmed strike length of the North Zone approximately 100 m further north of N013, the previous most northerly drill hole in the North Zone. extended the confirmed strike length of the North Zone approximately 100 m further north of N013, the previous most northerly drill hole in the North Zone. Drill hole N029 continued the Companys efforts to expand the mineralized zone to the west of the Gradeshell. The drill hole returned significant intervals of higher-grade mineralization. continued the Companys efforts to expand the mineralized zone to the west of the Gradeshell. The drill hole returned significant intervals of higher-grade mineralization. Drill holes B007 extended the strike length of the Brasiles West zone a further 400 m north, from prior drill holes, for a total Brasiles Zone strike length of 800 m. Richard Lock, CEO, commented: The continued confirmation and expansion of the Gradeshell with higher grade, shallow seated mineralization is a positive step in achieving our goal of delineating an economic resource of near-surface mineralization amenable to open-pit mining. We are also pleased to have mobilized a third drill to the South Zone with the goal of expediting the completion of the 2021-2022 drill program, which is intended to generate a combined North and South Zone mineral resource estimate in support of our upcoming Preliminary Economic Assessment. DRILLING RESULTS All North Zone drill holes tested the deposit perpendicular to its structural attitude. Core intervals are within approximately 10% of true thickness. Core intervals cited for Brasiles Zone drill holes B006 and B007 are near true width. Assay results and cross-sections through the first thirty-one North Zone drill holes (21,379 m of drilling) and the first seven Brasiles Zone drill holes (5,116.36 m) are available at the Companys website. Defining Shallow, Higher-grade Mineralization Along the Central Axis of the North Zone Drill holes N027, N028, N030 and N031 continued the Companys plan of targeting shallow-seated mineralization of the North Zone along its length, with the goal of confirming and expanding the generally higher-grade historical results in this section of the zone. The program has confirmed good-grade mineralization in a gently north-plunging panel along the Santo Tomas ridge, extending 1,200 meters along the strike at the surface. Drill hole N027 (Plate 57) returned 195.2 m of 0.45% CuEq starting at 17m from the surface, and 117 m of 0.25% CuEq starting in the Gradeshell and extending below it. Mineralization is shown to exist across the entire thickness of the Gradeshell and extends on both flanks. Drill hole N028 (Plate 68) returned 132 m of 0.46% CuEq, extending across the entire thickness of the Gradeshell. Drill hole N030 (Plate 55) returned two main intervals: 211.6 m of 0.47% CuEq starting at 52.5 m and extending through the Gradeshell, and 133 m of 0.19% CuEq starting below the Gradeshell and extending to depth. Drill hole N031 (Plate 50) returned two intervals, with the main interval being 159.6 m of 0.37% CuEq starting from 125 m and extending across and slightly below the Gradeshell to 284.6 m, and 34.4 m of 0.28% CuEq starting at 292.0 m. Extension of the North Zone Deposit to the West The Company has continued its strategy of testing the hanging wall side of the deposit to the west of the Gradeshell. Drill hole N029 (Plate 59) returned three mineralized intervals outside the Gradeshell, with a main interval of 106.1m of 0.36% Cu. The Company now has assays for eight drill holes along the hanging wall side of the deposit confirming good grade mineralization at higher elevations along 750 m of strike length to the west of the Gradeshell. Brasiles West Zone Drill holes B006 and B007 (see Figure 2) continued the Companys testing of the western fringe of the Brasiles West Zone, which has strong geological similarities to the North Zone. The Brasiles West Zone lies beneath a blanket of limestone in a westerly dipping, NE-trending zone of faulting and monzonite intrusion. Drill Hole B006 did not test the trend and returned 17.9 m of 0.35% CuEq. Cross-sections have not been provided as the Companys knowledge of the geology of the Brasiles Zone is not yet sufficiently advanced for them to be meaningful. Drill Hole B007 returned 228.0 m of 0.37% CuEq, in a geological setting similar to the North Zone. Extensions of Brasiles West Zone are open to the NE. From B005 in the south, B003 in the center and B007 at the current northern extension of the Brasiles drill program, the Company has identified significant intervals of good grade mineralization in a NNE trending Brasiles West zone along a strike length of 800 m. Table 1: Significant Assay Intervals in the Santo Tomas 2021-2022 Program, Holes N027 to N031 and B006 to B007: Drill Hole No. Dip From (m) To (m) Length (m) Cu % Mo % Au g/t Ag g/t* CuEQ % N027 -55 17.0 212.2 195.2 0.41 0.003 0.049 3.56 0.45 " -55 214.2 332.0 117.8 0.22 0.005 0.014 1.70 0.25 N028 -55 55.0 187.0 132.0 0.40 0.007 0.032 3.09 0.46 " -55 231.0 267.0 36.0 0.20 0.004 0.010 2.22 0.22 N029 -65 249.0 355.1 106.1 0.31 0.010 0.018 2.31 0.36 " -65 365.3 378.8 13.5 0.25 0.006 0.011 1.74 0.28 " -65 408.1 420.0 11.9 0.12 0.016 0.016 1.09 0.19 N030 -55 52.5 264.0 211.6 0.41 0.003 0.065 2.42 0.47 " -55 269.2 287.0 17.8 0.22 0.010 0.072 1.62 0.31 " -55 317.0 450.0 133.0 0.17 0.003 0.010 1.43 0.19 N031 -55 125.0 284.6 159.6 0.32 0.008 0.032 1.80 0.37 " -55 292.0 326.4 34.4 0.26 0.004 0.009 1.43 0.28 B006 -55 409.0 426.9 17.9 0.31 0.001 0.040 3.69 0.35 " -55 478.0 490.0 12.0 0.15 0.001 0.024 2.37 0.17 B007 -55 488.0 716.0 228.0 0.31 0.007 0.051 2.36 0.37 Cu Equivalent (CuEq) % = Cu % + (Mo %*3.75) + (Au ppm*0.752). The commodity prices (3-year Average) used are in $US: Cu $3.20 /lb, Mo $12.00 /lb, and Au $1,650.00 /troy oz. * Ag values are not used in the CuEq calculations. NORTH ZONE PROGRAM The Companys focus in the North Zone for the rest of 2022 is threefold: (1) to continue expanding the mineralized zone on the hanging wall to the west of the Gradeshell along the length of the deposit to potentially increase the resource and reduce the amount of waste rock stripping required; (2) to continue targeting the shallow-seated mineralization along the central axis (on the eastern flank of the ridge) of the North Zone to continue to confirm the higher grade shallow-seated mineralization along the length of the deposit; and (3) to drill the relatively untested 600 m North Zone extension to the south of holes N015 and N017 (see Figure 1 attached). This area of the North Zone was sparsely drilled in historical drill programs and is prospective of greater width and depth than outlined in the historical modelling. The Company intends to drill with regular spacings to establish a mineral resource estimate in this area. SOUTH ZONE PROGRAM The Company has now mobilized three drills to confirm and expand the South Zone deposit, with four drill holes completed to date with assay results pending. Historical drilling, surface geological mapping, and the Dias Geo 3D Induced Polarization survey have defined near-surface mineralization projected to 400 m below the surface along 2,500 m of strike length. BRASILES ZONE PROGRAM Drill holes B003 to B007 have confirmed the excellent potential of the Brasiles Zone, with the expectation that further exploration will delineate a significant mineralized deposit similar in nature to the North Zone. The Company has temporarily suspended the program on the Brasiles Zone to focus on completing the drilling in the North Zone and South Zone to provide a mineral resource estimate for the upcoming Preliminary Economic Assessment. TECHNICAL INFORMATION AND QUALITY CONTROL / QUALITY ASSURANCE The historical drilling data employed in this current exploration program was the subject of Data Verification procedures cited in the current Technical Report. Additional drill collar verifications were performed in the current program, and collar locations fit closely to the 2021/2022 survey control. Appropriate QA/QC protocols governed geological logging, core sampling, sample preparation, analyses, and security during the current program, including quality controls with duplicates, standards, and blanks. Samples were submitted to the Mexican division of ALS Limited in Hermosillo, Mexico, for sample preparation to pulps. Sample pulps are then sent to ALS Canada Ltd. in Vancouver, Canada, for analysis. Total copper and molybdenum contents are determined by four-acid digestion with AAS finish. Gold was determined by fire assay of a 50-gram charge, or alternately, of a 30-gram charge (1 Assay ton). QUALIFIED PERSON Mr. Paul McGuigan, P. Geo., of Cambria Geosciences Inc., a Qualified Person (as defined in NI 43-101 -Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects) and a senior consulting geoscientist to the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this news release. The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practices Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting the exploration activities on its projects. ABOUT OROCO: The Company holds a net 73.2% interest in the collective 1,172.9 ha Core Concessions of the Santo Tomas Project in NW Mexico and may increase that majority interest up to an 85.5% interest with a project investment of up to CAD$30 million. The Company also holds a 77.5% interest in 8,154.3 ha of mineral concessions surrounding and adjacent to the Core Concessions (for a total project area of 23,048 acres). The Project is situated within the Santo Tomas District, which extends from Santo Tomas up to the Jinchuan Groups Bahuerachi project, approximately 14 km to the northeast. Santo Tomas hosts a significant copper porphyry deposit defined by prior exploration spanning the period from 1968 to 1994. During that time, the property was tested by over 100 diamond and reverse circulation drill holes, totalling approximately 30,000 meters. Based on data generated by these drill programs, a historical Prefeasibility Study was completed by Bateman Engineering Inc. in 1994. The Santo Tomas Project is located within 160km of the Pacific deep-water port at Topolobampo and is serviced via highway and proximal rail (and parallel corridors of trunk grid power lines and natural gas) through the city of Los Mochis to the northern city of Choix. The property is reached by a 32 km access road originally built to service Goldcorps El Sauzal Mine in Chihuahua State. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to future events or achievements of the Company, are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in such statements. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these matters. Oroco does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements should they change, except as required by law. Attachment OAKVILLE, Ontario, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While progress has been made to implement mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) and roadside oral fluid testing for drugs following their introduction in 2018, more can be done to increase their usage and maximize detection and deterrence of impaired driving, according to a national scan MADD Canada conducted with several police services. In an effort to assess the usage and barriers to usage of the testing measures to detect impaired driving, MADD Canada consulted with police services across the country. The National Scan: An Enforcement Level Review of Bill C-46 and Canadas Impaired Driving Testing Regime identifies potential shortfalls with usage and implementation of the existing testing regime, provides insights and proposes improvements. Canadas impaired driving legislation was overhauled in 2018 with the enactment of Bill C-46. Among other changes, the legislation authorized the use of mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) and roadside oral fluid testing for the detection of impaired drivers. The National Scan was undertaken to assess how these and other detection tools are being used currently, and to suggest improvements that will lead to increased detection and deterrence of impaired driving. The scan found that police are using these screening tools, however, more can be done to ensure that police have the policies, resources and training to make the most effective and efficient use of these tools. The key conclusions and recommendations resulting from the National Scan are: police should work towards an ultimate goal of using MAS at every lawful traffic stop where the officer has an approved screening device (ASD); a standardized system to track the use and outcomes of detection tools should be adopted to aid policy makers and police in making decisions and making the most efficient use of resources; federal and provincial/territorial government resources must be devoted to providing police with better drug screening equipment and more officer training; and steps must be taken to reduce the wait times for having blood samples taken and for laboratory analyses to be completed. The suggestions and recommendations in this document require action and resources by police services and the federal, provincial and territorial governments, said Eric Dumschat, MADD Canadas Legal Director and author of the National Scan. MADD Canada is eager to work with all stakeholders on these issues. Ultimately, we want Canada to have the best impaired driving testing regime possible. In-depth questionnaires were sent to 62 police services, asking about their usage of MAS, oral fluid testing for drugs, standardized field sobriety testing, drug recognition evaluations and blood testing. Thirty-eight police services completed the questionnaire; their catchment areas cover approximately 70% of the Canadian population. The responding police services were not named to preserve the anonymity of the responses. The following provides a general overview of some key responses and issues identified in the National Scan specific to MAS and oral fluid testing for drugs. For detailed information on all testing measures and responses, please view the full report. (It should be noted that the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the responses provided, which is outlined in the report.) Mandatory Alcohol Screening MAS authorizes the police to demand a roadside breath test from any driver whom they have lawfully stopped if they have an ASD with them. Decades of research in numerous countries has established that well-publicized, comprehensive MAS programs result in significant and sustained reductions in alcohol-related crash deaths and injuries. The key to its effectiveness is the number of drivers tested: to achieve significant deterrent effect of MAS, the equivalent of one-third of licenced drivers in the jurisdiction need to be tested annually. MAS is being used in some form by almost every responding police service, with usage varying from rare occasions to every interaction or traffic stop. Some police services have policies to use MAS at all traffic stops, but in many cases, it is left to the officers discretion. Police forces identified several barriers to using MAS currently, including: the absence of a clear policy among police services about when MAS should be used; insufficient ASD devices; and a lack of awareness about MAS among the Canadian public, leading to a hesitancy among the public to comply with lawful MAS demands. The current usage rates of MAS are promising, but there is much room for improvement, said Mr. Dumschat. In order to realize the full benefits of MAS, we believe all jurisdictions should work towards implementing the widespread use of MAS by making it standard at all traffic stops. This will require additional resources on the part of police and governments for training and equipment. Oral Fluid Testing Of the 38 responding police services, 22 are currently using roadside oral fluid testing, but only 12 of those tracked information about completed tests in 2019 and 2020. Among those 12 police services, the testing rate increased nearly 200% from 2019 (97 tests) to 2020 (307 tests). Despite that impressive increase, the testing rate is still quite low. The 12 police services had 194 devices between them, representing approximately 1.5 tests per device in 2020. The information we received through the scan is in line with what we have been told anecdotally, which is that roadside oral fluid testing is not currently being used in any great capacity, Mr. Dumschat said. A great deal more can be done to increase usage of roadside oral fluid testing, but it will depend on addressing several barriers. These include: a lack of trained officers (largely the result of the pandemic); and concerns about the devices themselves, including the ability to only detect a limited number of drugs, the temperature ranges the devices can operate in, and the costs associated with the devices. MADD Canada believes police services should run pilot projects to assess the role of roadside oral fluid testing in their testing regimes. Data Collection Finally, a key issue highlighted in the National Scan is the wide variation in how police are tracking data on the use of MAS and drug testing measures. MADD Canada recommends the adoption of a standard reporting structure to allow for more comprehensive and consistent statistics. This would, in turn, facilitate the identification of jurisdictional trends and inform decision making on resource allotment and distribution. About MADD Canada MADD Canada is a national, charitable organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in more than 100 communities across Canada, MADD Canada aims to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and save lives and prevent injuries on our roads. To learn more, visit www.madd.ca. NOTTINGHAM, Pa., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Back by popular demand, Pennsylvania-based Herrs, the nations largest family-owned snack maker, today announced the return of its Flavored by Philly contest. For the second annual contest, Herrs is once again turning things over to their fans to submit flavor ideas as no one knows the flavors of Philly better than Philadelphians but there is a new, exciting twist this year. The local snack company is celebrating Philadelphia area small businesses across the five-county region with their Flavored by Philly Local Eats contest by asking fans to submit a favorite local small business flavor to be Herrs next big chip flavor. Over seven decades ago Herrs started as a small business, and has grown into a Philly favorite snack brand rooted in the City of Brotherly Love as the chip thats been around for every after-school hang, park picnic, or tailgate. Herrs roots in the community run deep and as a way to support other local small businesses, Herrs is teaming up with Philly small business food companies and local restaurants to deliver the city its next favorite chip flavor. You name the place, Herrs will make the taste. Beginning today through November 15, Herrs fans can submit their best idea for a chip flavor inspired by a Philadelphia area small business food company or local restaurant for a chance to win a grand prize of $5,000 and a years supply of Herrs, along with $10,000 for the nominated small business. A small business owner may self-nominate a flavor idea, but they will only be eligible to win the $10,000 for the winning flavor. Following the flavor contest entry period, flavor ideas will be reviewed, and the entries narrowed down to three small business flavor finalists by a panel of judges including Philadelphia native and celebrity chef, Jen Carroll, a former Bravo Top Chef finalist and all-star. The three crowdsourced chip flavor finalists will be launched in early summer 2023. Fans will once again have the opportunity to try all three flavors and vote for their favorite to determine the winning chip flavor inspired by a Philadelphia small business food company or local restaurant. Herrs has been rooted in the Philadelphia community since my father started the company as a small business in 1946, and is now recognized as the citys favorite hometown chip, said Ed Herr, Herrs chairman and CEO. As the second Flavored by Philly contest kicks off, we are proud to support and recognize other small Philly businesses that began the way our familys company began. We are also excited to see what chip flavors inspired by Philadelphia small business food companies and local restaurants our fans enter into the contest. To nominate a chip flavor inspired by a Philadelphia area small business food company or local restaurant, visit campaign.rtm.com/flavoredbyphilly/.* Flavored By Philly Local Eats Contest: *NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Contest Entry Period runs 10/2511/15/2022 and the Public Voting Period runs 6/138/8/2023. To enter and for Official Rules, visit campaign.rtm.com/flavoredbyphilly/. # # # About Herrs Made from the finest ingredients available and always bursting with flavor, Herrs snacks have been giving people something to smile about since 1946, when Jim Herr started his own snack company. Based in Nottingham, Pennsylvania, where visitors are welcomed to its Visitor Center and Snack Factory, Herrs produces more than 300 snack products in nine product categories, and continues to be family-owned and operated. www.herrs.com Attachment BERLIN and DENVER, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Print management expert ThinPrint today announced its new cloud management offering for the ezeep Hub to enhance its industry-leading cloud printing solution ezeep Blue. The new feature enables central management of ezeep Hubs and all the printers connected to them, which means print servers are no longer necessary. IT costs are constantly under scrutiny. For many organizations, migrating to the cloud is a logical step to save costs and meet increased security requirements. The latest version of the ezeep Hub with cloud management now offers the benefits of cloud printing, while achieving significant cost savings for print management. The ezeep Hub completely replaces the need for print servers, thereby eliminating all associated costs of these investments. The new cloud management solution enables all ezeep Hubs in a company to be administered centrally via the ezeep Blue Admin Portal web interface. This allows IT teams and administrators to set up and manage their print management functions and ezeep Hubs located in remote offices or various branch locations from anywhere in the world. By combining automation, cloud printing, and central management of end devices, ezeep offers a turnkey solution for modern printing. "With cloud management of ezeep Hub, we've achieved a considerable simplification of enterprise printing processes," said Charlotte Kunzell, CEO at ThinPrint. "Simpler printing processes also mean lower costs. We deliver the ideal solution for busy IT teams who want to remotely set up and manage their ezeep Hubs, regardless of location." More information on cloud management, including a video, can be found at: https://www.ezeep.com/cloud-management-for-ezeep-hubs/. About ezeep: The future of printing is ezeep. With ezeep, printing is dramatically simplified, enabling any device to print to any printer whether with the ezeep printer driver from PC or Mac, via app for smartphones and tablets or even by web-based drag & drop for the occasional user. Consumers print unlimited and naturally free-of-charge to their own printers and, depending on the provider, free or at a cost to external printers. This makes printing as easy as making a phone call, eliminating the need for any user support. Companies can lower the infrastructure demands on their printer setups in branch offices worldwide, thanks to ezeep, drastically simplifying their administration. With this, the total costs for deploying printers are significantly reduced. Coworking spaces, universities, exhibition grounds, train stations, airports and kiosks can not only make their printers publicly available with just a single click, but also charge for printing with ease. The same applies to private users or cafes which want to share their printers with others. Printers are thereby transformed into sources of income, not costs. Open interfaces enable integrations with existing solutions, such as for user and resource management, cost control or compliance monitoring for maximum cost savings via automation. A constantly growing ecosystem of standard integrations by development partners makes these benefits also available to non-technical users. By reducing costs and removing all technical requirements, whilst providing the ability to use third-party printers at any time, ezeep ensures that in the future people will be able to print from almost every location quickly and easily, for whatever reason they might have. ezeep is committed to minimizing the CO2 footprint of printing and ensuring that printed paper can be a meaningful, productive and responsible alternative to screen-based information consumption. For more information, please visit: www.ezeep.com. Download press release Download press photo Media Contacts: North America: Kendra Westerkamp, VisiTech PR Phone: +1-303-752-3552, email: CT@visitechpr.com Rest of World: Silke Kluckert, Public Relations Manager Phone: +49 30 39493166, email: press@cortado.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d4389435-960d-494a-9c62-bda1ce73b444 Atlanta, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UC Asset LP (OTCQX: UCASU) releases a projection today, stating that the company may pocket $600,000 to $800,000 gross profit from two deals, in the second half of this year. Earlier this month, we announced the listing of our 72-acre land in the metropolitan area of Dallas, Texas. We also reached into an MOU with a buyer on another property we owned in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Last week, we made breakthrough on both deals, and it appears that the chance of closing both deals by the end of this year has substantially increased, claims Greg Bankston, managing general partner of UC Asset. Bankston says that he cannot provide more details at this moment, but he confirms that one property has a very committed buyer, and the other property has received multiple offers. However, Bankston cautions that anything may still happen until the company receives payments. Last year, the company reported a net profit of $0.12 per share and delivered a dividend of $0.10 per share. The company reported a loss for the first half of 2022. The company has about 5.4 million shares issued and outstanding. About UC Asset LP UC Asset LP is a limited partnership formed for the purpose of investing in real estate with innovative strategies, concentrating in metropolitan areas of Atlanta, GA. For more information about UC Asset, please visit: www.ucasset.com Disclaimer: This News Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from any these statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any those forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this news release. None of such forward-looking statements should be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the objectives and plans set forth in this News Release will be achieved or be executed. Invitation to a Free Luncheon Presentation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, October 31, 2022, at 1:00 pm (13:00) View Preliminary Human Data after 30 Days Treatment of Parkinsons Disease Patients with FGF-1 at : https://youtu.be/tz8mpUrZfec LAS VEGAS, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zhittya Genesis Medicine, Inc. (a private company) (Zhittya), announced it is hosting an informational luncheon presentation in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about its medical discoveries for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. The presentation will focus on Zhittyas possible novel treatment for growing new blood vessels in ischemic areas of the brain in an attempt to revascularize areas of the brain that are lacking sufficient blood flow. In rodent and primate models of Parkinsons disease, this revascularization has led to the regeneration of new dopamine-secreting neurons and significant improvement in the animals motor skill scores. Zhittya is now receiving positive human data from their most recent medical research studies suggesting that motor scores of these Parkinsons disease patients have improved 29%-53% after FGF-1 treatment. In addition, no adverse effects of the treatment have been noted to date. The Master of Ceremonies for this event is Dr. Mahmoud Salah, the President of Vascular ART and head of the Vascular Surgery Department at Saudi German Hospitals. In addition, presentations will be given by Dr. Jack Jacobs, President and Chief Science Officer of Zhittya, Dan Montano, CEO of Zhittya, and Mr. John Laub, President and CEO of Regenerative Medicine of the Middle East/North Africa (MENA). The two main purposes of the luncheon presentation are to: 1) Introduce Zhittyas medical breakthrough medicine and provide scientific evidence that the FGF-1 medicine has the very promising potential to treat Parkinsons disease and other brain disorders. 2) To seek possible business partners for Zhittyas medical tourism business. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in the center of an area of the world surrounded with countries that contain over 4 billion people. This includes the Indian subcontinent, sub-Saharan Africa, MENA and central Asia. It is estimated that this area has over 10 million people suffering with Parkinsons disease and if 1% of these 10 million patients could afford to travel to the KSA to seek our proprietary care for their disease, then medical tourism would become a new high-tech industry for the KSA. We hope that you will be able to attend our presentation and learn more about our possible breakthrough medicine to treat Parkinsons disease. In addition, we would be very interested in exploring with you possible business ventures, as Zhittya seeks to set up a medical tourism business in the KSA. Zhittya has already set up government-authorized medical tourism ventures with clinics in the British Virgin Islands, Mexico, Panama, and the Bahamas, where patients from the USA and Europe can travel to those nations to seek our proprietary treatment for Parkinsons disease. We hope to achieve similar success in the KSA and to attract potentially hundreds of thousands of Parkinsons disease sufferers from the surrounding region to be treated in authorized studies in the KSA for what should be a highly profitable business opportunity. Click Here to Register for this Free Event: parkinsonsdisease-mena.com Together, I believe we have the future potential to treat millions of medical tourists in the KSA with a revolutionary new medical breakthrough. About Zhittya Genesis Medicine Zhittya Genesis Medicine, Inc. is advancing a group of drugs which trigger the human bodys natural regeneration process. Our medicine initiates a biological response in the human body referred to as therapeutic angiogenesis, which will only occur in diseased tissues that become ischemic due to a lack of blood flow. In those areas with insufficient blood flow, the drug stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, providing nourishment and removing metabolic waste products, thereby re-establishing normal cellular functions. In addition to the brain disorders described above, the company also has promising evidence that FGF-1 is a potential new treatment for coronary heart disease, peripheral artery disease (PAD) and diabetic foot ulcers. Currently, over 75 human diseases are known to be caused by lack of blood flow to a tissue or organ. The Companys management has been working to advance its proprietary medicines for over 23 years and has expended in excess of $150 million USD to date in support of these efforts. To learn more, please visit: zgm.care Zhittya Contact: ROME, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the global vaping advocacy group delivered a 7-step strategy for the new Italian government to reduce smoking rates. In the wake of the new government's appointment in Italy, World Vapers Alliance (WVA) together with its Italian partner organisation, ANPVU, delivered the recommendations to reduce smoking and combat smoking-induced deaths to representatives of the parties forming the new government. The 7-step strategy was also announced during a press conference in Rome as the new government was receiving a confidence vote in the Parliament. The press conference was attended by the World Vapers Alliances director Michael Landl, MEP Gianna Gancia (Lega), Barbara Mennitti, editor-in-chief at SigMagazine, and Vice President of the National Association of United Vapers (ANPVU), Anna Corbosiero. I am of the opinion that this new government that has just taken office has all the credentials to address the issue of tobacco legislation with a scientific and fact-based approach. In the proposed revision of the Tobacco Products Directive, it is necessary that the Italian government insist on some fundamental points concerning the legislation on electronic cigarettes, said MEP from Lega Gianna Gancia. In particular, Italy should maintain a wide range of flavours, which would help the consumer in the transition from traditional to electronic smoking while discouraging the formation of an illegal parallel market and have a fairer taxation system in order to avoid the emergence of a black market, concluded MEP Gancia. There are still more than 12 million people who are current smokers in Italy alone. The direct and indirect cost of smoking amounts to almost 26 billion Euros. Therefore, the new government needs to implement a new approach: instead of stigmatisation and prohibition, Italy must embrace innovation such as vaping. By following scientific evidence and consumer experience, the new Italian government has the potential to become a leader of tobacco harm reduction. Our 7-step strategy offers a comprehensive guideline to achieve the smoke-free goals, said WVA director Michael Landl. The recommendations include the following points: Embrace tobacco harm reduction; Promote vaping as a smoking cessation tool; Allow vaping in non-smoking outdoor areas; Lower taxation on vaping products and adjust it to its relative risk; Reject flavour bans; Keep vaping available while enforcing smart regulations to prevent underage vaping strictly; Promote tobacco harm reduction in the EU institutions and legislations. The 7-step strategy on harm reduction for Italy is a part of World Vapers Alliances Europe-wide campaign on harm reduction, presented under the slogan #BackVapingBeatSmoking. The group has previously visited France, Poland, and the Czech Republic to deliver Vaping Products Directive, a groups vision of the Tobacco Products Directive on harm reduction, to several Members of the European Parliament and local policymakers. The campaign will continue in Portugal on 10 November and in Brussels on 30 November. To learn more about the #BackVapingBeatSmoking campaign, visit www.worldvapersalliance.com/back-vaping-beat-smoking/ Related links: World Vapers Alliance: https://worldvapersalliance.com 7-Step Plan to Reduce Smoking Death for the New Italian Government: https://worldvapersalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/7-Step-Plan-to-Reduce-Smoking-Death-for-the-New-Italian-Government-.pdf #BackVapingBeatSmoking campaign: https://worldvapersalliance.com/back-vaping-beat-smoking/ Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dd320a27-66f2-4a54-8fdf-92e7b921b286 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72f41b8f-70bc-42dd-a544-2c8b3b2ef77c St. Louis, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright today announced that accomplished healthcare lawyer David Aplington has joined its St. Louis office as counsel. Aplington joins the firm from BJC HealthCare, having spent 25 years as in-house counsel with the major academic health system. Most recently as BJCs senior vice president and general counsel, he was responsible for all legal service operations for the $6 billion, 14-hospital health system, including regulatory advice, corporate governance, corporate structure, risk management, antitrust advice, financing and tax issues. Aplington has led and coordinated the legal work on several significant transactions, including the acquisition of two hospitals and the divestiture of one hospital. Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbrights US Managing Partner, said: Dave is a fantastic lawyer with valuable in-house experience. He is also incredibly invested in and dedicated to the St. Louis community, which aligns with our culture of leadership and service to the communities where our lawyers live and work. Stacey Murphy, Norton Rose Fulbrights US Head of Healthcare and Partner-in-Charge of the firms St. Louis and Denver offices, said: Dave is highly regarded as a steadfast and trusted advisor. He has extensive experience in the healthcare industry and offers a business-minded approach that will benefit our team and our clients alike. Aplington, who won the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award by Missouri Lawyers Media in recognition of his legal career and community service, said: I am excited to join Norton Rose Fulbright, which has a strong healthcare and life sciences practice that I have long admired. I worked with lawyers from the firm for years during my time in-house, and I look forward to collaborating further with the team. Aplington is active in the St. Louis community and has served on the boards of several legal and community nonprofits, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis and the St. Louis Health Lawyers Association. He was presented with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Service to Youth Award this year. Licensed in Missouri and Illinois, Aplington received his law degree magna cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law and his bachelors degree summa cum laude in finance from the University of Illinois. For further information, please contact: Dan McKenna, US Director and Global Head of PR and Communications Tel: +1 713 651 3576 dan.mckenna@nortonrosefulbright.com Notes for editors: Norton Rose Fulbright Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright provides the worlds preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. With more than 4,000 lawyers and other legal staff based in Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East, Norton Rose Fulbright has offices in more than 50 cities worldwide, including London, Houston, New York, Toronto, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Sydney and Johannesburg. Norton Rose Fulbright is recognized for its industry focus across all of the key sectors: financial institutions; energy, infrastructure and resources; transport; technology; life sciences and healthcare; and consumer markets. Through its global risk advisory group, the firm leverages its industry experience with its knowledge of legal, regulatory, compliance and governance issues to provide clients with practical solutions to the legal and regulatory risks facing their businesses. Operating in accordance with its global business principles of quality, unity and integrity, Norton Rose Fulbright aims to provide the highest possible standard of legal service in each of its offices and to maintain that level of quality at every point of contact. Norton Rose Fulbright Verein, a Swiss verein, helps coordinate the activities of Norton Rose Fulbright members but does not itself provide legal services to clients. For more information, see nortonrosefulbright.com/legal-notices. Law around the world nortonrosefulbright.com Attachment CALGARY, AB, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NOVA Chemicals Corporation (NOVA Chemicals) today announced the launch of a new family of high-performance plastomer resins under the brand ASTUTE. These high-performance ASTUTE brand resinsASTUTE QPsK905 and ASTUTE QHsK908leverage NOVA Chemicals proprietary Advanced SCLAIRTECH technology to produce polyethylene-based sealant resins. These plastomer resins provide opportunities for downgauging and lightweighting while enabling excellent processability and sealant properties. This new product family will become a new building block for all polyethylene (PE) recyclable packaging enabling converters and brand owners to reach their sustainability goals. The extension of NOVA Chemicals Advanced SCLAIRTECH technology into plastomers will allow our customers to design high-performance, mono-material packaging which can become truly circular, said Greg DeKunder, NOVA Chemicals Vice President of PE Marketing and Circular Economy. In particular, ASTUTE products are suitable for a wide variety of product applications including food packaging, heavy duty sacks and e-commerce. NOVA continues to offer the full range of resins, from high-barrier / high-density to linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), with the addition of very low-density polyethylene and plastomers, providing a full array of polyethylene solutions for the entire value chain. The two new ASTUTE offerings include: ASTUTE QPsK905 plastomer is suitable for use as a single layer or in blends and offers superior package integrity and robust sealing on a broad range of packaging equipment, including high-speed packaging lines. It is also easier to handle than conventional plastomers, thanks to less pellet and film blocking, and is less prone to bridging in the feed throat or extruder, providing peace of mind to converters and material handlers. ASTUTE QHsK908 showcases one of the broadest hot tack window and lowest seal initiation temperature, with excellent seal around contamination providing outstanding package integrity on high-speed packaging equipment. Its unique combination of dart and stiffness (secant modulus) and best-in-class puncture resistance, make it ideal for packaging sharp products such as crackers and bone-in meats. ASTUTE QPsK905 and ASTUTE QHsK908 resins are commercially available. To learn more about NOVA Chemicals polyethylene resins, click here. # About NOVA Chemicals Corporation NOVA Chemicals is guided by a singular purpose to shape a world where the plastic products vital to our health and happiness are better tomorrow than they are today. We have a bold ambition to create a plastics circular economy and work collaboratively toward a low carbon, zero plastic waste future. NOVA Chemicals portfolio of virgin and recycled resins, along with best-in-class technical expertise, is what sets us apart; our customers use our products to create easy-to-recycle and recycled content films, packaging, and products. Our employees work to ensure health, safety, security, and environmental stewardship through our commitment to sustainability and Responsible Care. NOVA Chemicals, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has 2,400 employees worldwide and is wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Learn more at www.novachem.com or follow us on LinkedIn. The NOVA Chemicals logo is a registered trademark of NOVA Brands Ltd.; authorized use. Advanced SCLAIRTECH and ASTUTE are trademarks of NOVA Chemicals. Responsible Care is a registered trademark of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada. Attachment Hinesville, GA, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) and Aspire Health Partners (Aspire) celebrated the opening of coastal Georgias newest mental health facility serving veterans, active duty service members, and their families. The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Aspire Health Partners is located at 345 West Memorial Drive in Hinesville. Governor Brian Kemp, Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, Mayor Allen Brown, and other dignitaries joined the local community, and nonprofit organizations, Cohen Veterans Network and Aspire Health Partners, to open the facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours. This new clinic offering accessible, high-quality mental healthcare to active military, veterans, and their families, serves the entire state of Georgia to meet the growing needs of this community. Georgia is proud to be home to so many veterans who have served our nation admirably, and these heroes deserve the support they need when it comes to mental health struggles, said Governor Kemp. This facility will have a meaningful, positive impact as it provides essential mental health services. I want to thank the Cohen Veterans Network and Aspire Health Partners for seeing this project through to completion, as well as Steve Cohen for his generosity in making this new beginning possible. The proximity to Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield was a key factor in establishing this new clinic in coastal Georgia. Todays opening is another step toward meeting the $275M commitment set forth by financier/philanthropist Steven A. Cohen to help reduce veteran suicide and increase care for veterans, active duty service members and military families throughout the country. The Hinesville location is the first Georgia clinic in the network, and the 22nd location for CVN. We are pleased to be serving this area of critical need in coastal Georgia. Ive spent time at Fort Stewart, home to one of the most deployed units in the country and know first-hand that our model of care is a perfect fit for this community, said Dr. Anthony Hassan, President & CEO of CVN. It is also vital to fill gaps in mental health services in this market and our commitment to serving the whole family, as defined by the veteran, accomplishes this goal. The 5,000 square-foot Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic in Hinesville was established to serve the regions more than 16,000 post-9/11 veterans and 19,000 active-duty service members, as well as 26,000 of their family members. Today is a promising day where we bring new opportunities for those in need of services. We are committed to meeting the needs of our veterans and their families that have given so much to our country. This new clinic will build on the success of our clinic in Tampa, Fla., where we have already helped more than 950 individuals in the three years since it opened, said Babette Hankey, Chief Executive Officer at Aspire. This collaboration between CVN and Aspire will benefit the entire Fort Stewart community, Hinesville and the surrounding area. In addition to providing care to those within reach of the Hinesville location, the Cohen Clinic offers telehealth services statewide to more than 300,000 post-9/11 veterans, active duty, and family members across the state. CVN Telehealth face-to-face video therapy allows clients to receive treatment from the privacy and comfort of their own home. Preston Adams, Board Chair at Aspire Health Partners said, We are honored to partner with CVN and the local community, and to be able to provide these services to our heroes and their families. Since its inception in April 2016, CVN has offered evidence-based client-centered therapy for a variety of mental health issues including depression, anxiety, adjustment issues, anger, grief and loss, family issues, PTSD, transition challenges, relationship problems, and childrens behavioral problems. Research has shown that access to mental health care remains a problem in this country, Dr. Hassan said. We are breaking down all barriers to care. The Cohen Clinic aims to provide service and care quickly and those who are in crisis will receive same-day assistance. The clinics ultimate goal is to get the service member and the family back to better. For more information visit www.cohenveteransnetwork.org and Cohen Clinic - Hinesville, GA Aspire Health Partners ENDS For media inquiries, interviews, photographs and B-roll from the CVN clinic, please contact Lesley Francis at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-429-3950, Allie Robinson at allie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-547-3100 or the team at 912-417-LFPR (5377). EDITORS NOTES About Cohen Veterans Network: Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) is a 501(c)(3) national not-for-profit philanthropic organization for post-9/11 veterans, active-duty service members and their families. CVN focuses on improving mental health outcomes, operating a network of outpatient mental health clinics in high-need communities, in which trained clinicians deliver holistic evidence-based care to treat mental health conditions. It was established in 2016 by philanthropist Steven A. Cohen with a commitment of $275 million to build the network. There are currently 22 Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics nationwide. The network has served more than 45,000 clients since launching in 2016. Learn more about CVN. Attachment BOISE, Idaho, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthwise, Incorporated has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2022 honor by the Idaho Press Top Workplaces, marking the second consecutive year the company has been recognized in the Treasure Valley region. Honorees are based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization, such as alignment, execution, and connection. Healthwises continued focus on its mission to help people make better health decisions while supporting employees with work/life balance, healthy lifestyles, and an inclusive culture, has helped in earning this recognition again. In August 2021, Healthwise instituted a four-day work week pilot to offer employees more flexibility, and after measuring the benefits to the organization, made the four-day work week permanent in early 2022. Were honored to be recognized again as a Top Workplace in Idaho, said Dr. Adam Husney, Healthwise CEO. It has been an area of focus for us to increase flexibility for our employees and create a sense of community and inclusion, especially as our teams grow and expand across the country. Taking care of our employees comes naturally from our mission to support the well-being of others. To learn more about a career at Healthwise, visit our Careers & Culture page. About Healthwise Healthwise, a leader in evidence-based health education, is a nonprofit organization that empowers people to live their healthiest lives. More than 2 billion times, people have turned to Healthwise information to help navigate their unique health journeys with confidence. Leading hospitals, EMR providers, health plans, care management companies, health websites, and technology innovators partner with Healthwise to provide the worlds best health informationand achieve better outcomes for patients and businesses. Learn more at healthwise.org or call 1.800.706.9646. About Energage Making the world a better place to work together. Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 14 years of culture research and the results from 23 million employees surveyed across more than 70,000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com. Media Contact: Healthwise Stacy Sand smalyil@healthwise.org | 208-387-6737 West Hollywood, CA, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Petit Ermitage LLC is pleased to announce the appointment of Albert Charbonneau as Area General Manager. Charbonneau will act as Grand Marshal, overseeing operations for the companys popular Petit Ermitage West Hollywood luxury hotel and the recently acquired, Elsewhere in Topanga. Charbonneau joins Petit Ermitage with more than 28 years of management experience in the luxury hospitality industry. He began his boutique hotel career managing restaurants for Starwoods W Brands in both Los Angeles and Washington D.C. before taking on Food & Beverage leadership roles at prestigious properties including LErmitage Beverly Hills, Shutters on the Beach, and Ritz Carlton working directly with celebrity chefs Eric Ripert and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Charbonneau is delighted to return to his LA roots, moving most recently from Puerto Rico where he helmed the exclusive Condado Ocean Club, a luxury oceanfront property in San Juan, for seven years as General Manager. About Petit Ermitage: Petit Ermitage is a boutique luxury hideaway located in West Hollywoods Design District. A fusion of artistic expression and unique creature comforts, its stunning rooftop pool, restaurant, and art collection make Petit Ermitage the gathering place for artists, writers, and bon vivants. About Elsewhere: A transcendent 32-acre private estate in Topanga overlooking the Santa Monica Mountains, Elsewheres elegant bungalows and whimsical carriages transport you to another world. Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains on a biodynamic farm rich with local flora and fauna, Elsewhere is a rare epicurean destination near just south of Malibu perfect for everything from getaways to soirees. It is the ideal place to realign, decompress, and grab life by the lapels. Spanish English SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NatureSweet, the number one selling brand in snacking tomatoes is doubling down on the companys commitment to transform the agricultural industry by partnering with more retailers and selling high-quality produce beyond snacking tomatoes. The companys portfolio includes nationwide distribution of bulk and packaged tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. NatureSweets proven success in this expanded category over the last four years has perfectly positioned the company to achieve greatness in the greenhouse-grown vegetable market. The company recently partnered with Mission Produce, Inc. at their distribution center in Laredo, Texas to ensure product freshness and to streamline service to U.S. retailers. Along with expanded distribution, NatureSweet is also rebranding with a new corporate logo on all packaging, and a redesigned website to reinforce its commitment to being the single-source solution for greenhouse-grown vegetables. The new logo showcases the variety of vegetables the company offers while keeping its famously delicious tomatoes front and center. NatureSweet, an EFI and Fair Trade-certified company, forecasts that more than half of the companys future growth will come from this expansion. Consumers trust the quality produce that NatureSweet consistently delivers, we have proven this, says Rodolfo Spielmann, President & CEO of NatureSweet. This growth wouldnt be possible without the tireless work of our agricultural Associates who nurture our produce from seed to shelf, adds Spielmann. Although our logo might have changed a little, our companys purpose remains the same. And that is to greatly improve the working conditions and treatment of agricultural workers. We are truly paving the way for the industry. The revamped website is mobile-compatible, as well as user-friendly; showing consumers where their food originated. It features engaging content, an education hub with nutrition tips, recipe videos, and updates on the companys success. The site also details efforts involving recyclable packaging and sustainability. NatureSweets innovative Food ID program takes product safety, quality, and traceability to new heights. Using a QR code, consumers can trace where their produce was grown and learn more about the practices used to harvest and pack their veggies. The Meet the Associates section, a fan favorite, enables consumers to meet and hear from the Associate who picked their vegetables. Consumers can also personally thank Associates for their hard work. NatureSweets rapid growth has emboldened the company in its mission of transforming the lives of agricultural workers in North America. Check out our short, informative 19-second video on our rebrand here. About NS Brands, Ltd. (NatureSweet) NS Brands, Ltd. is the single-source solution for organic and conventional greenhouse-grown vegetables in North America driven by the consumers preference and demand for snacking tomatoes. Always vine-nurtured and hand-picked at the peak of freshness, NatureSweet guarantees great tasting produce, year-round. NS Brands, Ltds produce is carefully grown, harvested, and packaged by more than 5,000 full-time Associates, and is sold at major grocers, mass retailers, club stores, and food service operators in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Known for its amazing Associates, award-winning quality, and innovative packaging, NatureSweet is also committed to having a positive social, environmental, and economic impact on the communities in which they operate. Jenny Halpin External Communications Manager jennyh@naturesweet.com 210-885-8927 A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/847176e8-8c60-4f25-8703-309c4333c43e KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council welcomed Kel Kearns, Plant Manager at Fords BlueOval City Electric Vehicle Center, on the fourth episode of its podcast Energizing Tennessee, powered by FirstBank. Kearns shared insights about Fords $5.6 billion EV investment in West Tennessee. Just last month, Ford officially broke ground on its West Tennessee site, which is the largest and most advanced auto production complex in the companys 100+ year history. Pipers interview with Kearns discusses Fords electrification goals, progress on BlueOval City and emphasis on workforce development opportunities to build out the next-generation EV workforce. Todays episode, Becoming #1 in the Southeast for EV supply chain, is part of a transportation electrification miniseries featuring leaders in the states advanced energy sector. On the show, host Cortney Piper, Executive Director of TAEBC, continues to explore the question How can we electrify Tennessee? In episodes two and three, Piper spoke with the Tennessee Valley Authoritys Joe Hoagland and Techstars Industries of the Future Accelerator Tricia Martinez. Upcoming episodes feature other advanced energy industry leaders like Pilot Company, Novonix, Silicon Ranch Corporation, Wartsila, FC Renew and more. Click HERE to listen to the fourth episode of Energizing Tennessee, powered by TAEBC and FirstBank, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast streaming platform. About Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council TAEBC champions advanced energy as an economic development and job creation strategy. Advanced energy is technology neutral and includes electricity and transportation. Anything that makes energy cleaner, safer, more secure or more efficient is in the tent. No other entity in the state concentrates specifically on this robust sector. We educate public officials and business leaders about Tennessees advanced energy economy , establish strategic partnerships to connect assets with opportunities and inform policy that expands and strengthens the industry. TAEBC hosts the Energizing Tennessee podcast , which explores the latest news and insights about the advanced energy sector. For more information, visit: https://tnadvancedenergy.com/ . Contact: Hannah Whitson | hannah@piper-communications.com | 423-408-4203 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f57c2d70-7336-4d1f-b05e-a97801935c94 College Station, Texas, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, a world leading contract development and manufacturing organization for biologics, vaccines, and advanced therapies, held a groundbreaking ceremony today to celebrate the start of its single-use manufacturing campus expansion project in College Station, Texas. The expansion will add a new cGMP production facility that will be operational by 2024, and is expected to add 150 skilled positions to the site. The expansion will double the Companys advanced therapy and vaccine manufacturing capacity in the U.S. FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies leadership, employees and community partners joined the groundbreaking ceremony with remarks from the following guests: Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development and Tourism, Office of Governor Greg Abbott Karl Mooney, mayor of the City of College Station James Edge, city councilman, City of Bryan, Texas (representing Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson) Matt Prochaska, chief executive officer, Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation Spencer Clements, president and founder, William Cole Companies Dr. Gerry Farrell, chief operations officer, Texas and California, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Dr. Thomas Page, vice president, engineering & asset development, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Texas The economic impact of FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies new facility in College Station will be immense for Texas, said Adriana Cruz, executive director of Texas Economic Development and Tourism. Not only is it a significant capital investment creating 150 new skilled jobs, it will also strengthen Texas expertise in biotech and life sciences with what is expected to be the largest single-use CDMO production campus in North America. As part of the groundbreaking, College Station mayor Karl Mooney delivered a proclamation changing the name of the street where the FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies facility is located from 3939 Biomedical Way to 3939 Fujifilm Way. College Station has become a city of innovation, thanks in considerable measure to our emerging biotech industry, said Mayor Mooney. And FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies is leading the way here among contract development and manufacturing organizations. The CDMO sector in the U.S. and worldwide is rapidly growing, supporting nearly 400 cell and gene therapies in development or already deployed, most designed to target a broad range of rare diseases, said Dr. Gerry Farrell, chief operations officer, Texas and California, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. Designed as a single-use production campus, this site will provide the capacity needed to manufacture these life-impacting advanced therapies. This College Station facility expansion will add approximately 138,000 square feet to the existing (300,000 square feet) campus, and provides space for multiple 500L and 2,000L bioreactors and associated purification equipment deploying single-use, disposable-device technology. Added Dr. Farrell: We are grateful to our local and state partners for supporting us in this expansion, which will allow College Station to play a central role in advancing the field of advanced therapies. The investment is supported by a $1.5 million Texas Enterprise Fund Award to support the job creation, which was previously awarded in December 2021. The Texas Enterprise Fund awards support the creation of quality jobs and leverages private investment for business activities designed to strengthen the economic future of the state. About FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, a subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corporation, is a world-leading contract development and manufacturing organization partner to development and manufacture of biologics, vaccines and advanced therapies. The company operates a global network with major locations in the Unites States of America, the United Kingdom and Denmark and it is building a new manufacturing site in Holly Springs, North Carolina, USA. FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies has over thirty years of experience in the development and manufacturing of recombinant proteins, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, among other large molecules, viral products and medical countermeasures expressed in a wide array of microbial, mammalian, and host/virus systems. The company offers a comprehensive list of services from cell line development using its proprietary pAVEway microbial and ApolloX cell line systems to process development, analytical development, clinical and FDA-approved commercial manufacturing. Mitsubishi Corporation is a 20% shareholder of FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies UK, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Watertown, Massachusetts and College Station, Texas sites. For more information, go to: www.fujifilmdiosynth.com. About Fujifilm FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, leverages its depth of knowledge and proprietary core technologies to deliver Value from Innovation in our products and services in the business segments of healthcare, materials, business innovation, and imaging. Our relentless pursuit of innovation is focused on providing social value and enhancing the lives of people worldwide. Fujifilm is committed to responsible environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information about Fujifilms Sustainable Value Plan 2030, click here. For the year ended March 31, 2022, the company had global revenues of approximately 2.5 trillion yen (21 billion $USD at an exchange rate of 122 yen/dollar). Visit www.fujifilmholdings.com for more information. Attachment Newark, N.J., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pioneering venture capitalist John Martinson is donating $3 million to New Jersey Institute of Technology to broaden and deepen the curriculum and real-world experiences for top scholars at its Albert Dorman Honors College and throughout the university. The largest single gift in the 27 years of ADHC will enable the college to add two new educational tracks; triple the number of scholars in the Honors Summer Research Institute; more than double the number of scholars who study abroad; add internships and cooperative educational experiences; restructure its course offerings; and create new opportunities for faculty affiliations in the college, according to ADHC Dean Louis Hamilton. The transformational donation will benefit some 650 Albert Dorman Honors Scholars as well as the nearly 300 Deans Scholars at the universitys five other colleges exceptional students who excel academically, volunteer locally and are poised to become future leaders of America. The new or enhanced activities and initiatives made possible by this exceptionally generous commitment will expand the Albert Dorman Honors Colleges capacity for developing in all of its students the scientific knowledge, technical skills and personal skills and traits that will make them thoughtful, conscientious and civic-minded STEM leaders for the 21st century, NJIT President Teik C. Lim said. Martinson is chairman of Martinson Ventures, which has financed and guided more than 50 private companies, particularly in the software and technology sectors, with total investments of $2 million to $5 million. Earlier in his career, he founded Edison Partners, which invested more than $2 billion in 230 companies and realized 180 exits. Martinson is also co-founder of both the New Jersey Technology Council and New Jersey Venture Fair. NJIT recognized Martinsons accomplishments in 2000 with an Entrepreneurial Leadership Award. Subsequently, he became a major donor, investing a total of $835,000 in three NJIT initiatives: its Computing Education Program, its Institute for Teaching Excellence and VITAL@NJIT, short for Virtual, Immersive, Technologically Augmented Learning. Those gifts came under the leadership of previous presidents Joel S. Bloom (founding dean of the ADHC) and Saul K. Fenster and with the guidance of former Provost Fadi P. Deek. Martinsons latest donation reflects his belief in the value of honors colleges, the quality of education at NJIT and the success of the programs he supported. What impresses me is that NJIT is growing in size and growing in national stature, said Martinson, who holds a bachelors in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a masters in astronautics from Purdue University and an MBA from Southern Illinois University. Im enthusiastic about the universitys progress, transformation and vision. Ive visited over 20 honors colleges and Dorman is among the best Ive seen, Martinson added. Its a way to attract the very top students to local institutions. And these top 10 percent become leaders on campus and after graduation. Faculty from across NJIT teach and mentor Dorman Scholars and will continue to do so, even as the college builds new levels for faculty affiliation from across campus, and offers new resources to support faculty. As the college adds new tracks in Global Studies and Interdisciplinary Digital Studies, it will seek faculty with experience in data visualization and digital studies, global studies and service learning. In short, Martinsons donation will help ADHC realize the main priorities in its strategic plan and for that, Dean Hamilton is profoundly grateful. NJIT offers an incredibly powerful, transformative education to its students. This gift allows the Dorman College to take that transformational NJIT education to another level: honors curricula are meant to accelerate our scholars along the path to becoming leaders in their professions and communities who understand and are committed to bettering society. This gift invests in scholars and faculty alike to bring high-impact educational practices and experiential learning into honors tracks and courses, Hamilton said. These honors curricula will certainly increase the number and strength of NJITs applications for prestigious fellowships and graduate schools and will make our alumni even more valuable in the workforce. Most importantly, they will empower our scholars to use their technical training to be the leaders of positive change in the world. In recognition of Martinson's generosity, NJIT will name its honors residence hall, located on Warren Street, the John Martinson Honors Residence Hall. The official dedication will take place in the spring 2023 semester. About New Jersey Institute of Technology One of only 35 polytechnic universities in the United States, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is an R1 (most elite) Carnegie Classification research university that offers more than 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and spurs economic growth while preparing students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT is a catalyst for applied research and innovation that improves lives and fosters economic growth. Ranked No. 14 in the nation on Moneys Best Colleges list, NJIT also stands among the top 100 colleges and universities nationally for the mid-career earnings of its graduates, according to PayScale.com. NJIT is ranked No. 33 nationally by The Princeton Review as a Best Value College and is rated among the top 50 public national universities and top 100 overall by U.S. News & World Report. Attachments SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zoned Properties, Inc. (Zoned Properties or the Company) (OTCQB: ZDPY), a leading real estate development firm for emerging and highly regulated industries, including legalized cannabis, today announced that Bryan McLaren, its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will present live at VirtualInvestorConferences.com on October 27th, 2022. DATE: October 27th, 2022 TIME: 1:30 PM ET LINK: https://bit.ly/3SW7fZ0 Available for 1x1 meetings: Monday, October 31st, 2022. This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com . Recent Company Highlights Zoned Properties has secured a $4.5 Million Debt Facility that the Company intends to deploy into new Property Investments and Acquisitions to grow its Investment Portfolio. The Company has been focused on the growth and expansion of its Real Estate Services, adding multiple new team members to its Advisory and Commercial Brokerage divisions, with plans to expand operations into multiple new state cannabis markets. The Company has maintained a clean capital structure with only 12.2 million common shares outstanding, and continues to produce positive cash-flow from operations as it scales its business operations nationally. The Company achieved 60% revenue growth year-over-year as of its six-months ended June 30, 2022. Zoned Properties will co-host an in-person, off-site event during MJBiz Con in Las Vegas on November 17th along-side Temeka Group, Sapphire Risk Advisory Group, and Blaze Cannabis Software. About Zoned Properties, Inc. (OTCQB: ZDPY): Zoned Properties is a leading real estate development firm for emerging and highly regulated industries, including legalized cannabis. The Company is redefining the approach to commercial real estate investment through its integrated growth services. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Zoned Properties has developed a full spectrum of integrated growth services to support its real estate development model; the Companys Property Technology, Advisory Services, Commercial Brokerage, and Investment Portfolio collectively cross-pollinate within the model to drive project value associated with complex real estate projects. With national experience and a team of experts devoted to the emerging cannabis industry, Zoned Properties is addressing the specific needs of a modern market in highly regulated industries. Zoned Properties is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Forbes Business Council. Zoned Properties does not grow, harvest, sell or distribute cannabis or any substances regulated under United States law such as the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, as amended (the CSA). Zoned Properties corporate headquarters are located at 8360 E. Raintree Dr., Suite 230, Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, call 877-360-8839 or visit www.ZonedProperties.com . Twitter: @ZonedProperties LinkedIn: @ZonedProperties About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors. Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors. TORONTO,, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the final October 2022 cash distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF. Unitholders of record on October 26, 2022 will receive cash distributions payable on October 31, 2022. Details regarding the final per unit distribution amounts are as follows: Fund Name Fund Ticker Cash Distribution Per Unit ($) iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR 0.126 Further information on the iShares ETFs can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca . About BlackRock BlackRocks purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter: @BlackRockCA About iShares iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 900+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$2.62 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2022, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock. iShares ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional. NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) between April 14, 2022 and September 28, 2022, both dates inclusive (the Class Period). A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than December 19, 2022. SO WHAT: If you purchased Rite Aid securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Rite Aid class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=9388 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than December 19, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) despite representations to the contrary, the number of new members (i.e., lives) that Elixirs (a subsidiary of the Company) pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services business was adding during the selling season ending on January 1, 2023 was in material decline; (2) Rite Aid was likely to recognize a significant charge for the impairment of goodwill related to Elixir due to a decrease in lives covered by Elixirs PBM services business; and (3) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Rite Aid class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=9388 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 lrosen@rosenlegal.com pkim@rosenlegal.com cases@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com The 2020 NextGen National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data show that there were more truck trips that year originating in New York with a destination in New Jersey than any other state to state origin-destination (OD) pair (29.3 million trips). The Federal Highway Administration began the NextGen NHTS to complement their household travel survey data with continuous travel monitoring, which allows both passenger and truck data to be displayed. Intra-zonal and intra-state trips were excluded. NextGen NHTS truck data are passively collected via in-vehicle and smartphone applications. US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, NextGen Origin-Destination Data Products The truck OD data include 1.6 billion annualized interstate truck trips including both local delivery truck and long-haul truck trips. This newly released dataset includes OD data on 583 zones in the United States. Nearly three months after its debut in China, the Moto Razr 2022 is finally getting an international release, starting with select European markets. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 clamshell foldable will retail for 1,200 (949 in the UK) for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage model. Motorola is not ready to share the availability date for now, but we can expect that to be revealed soon enough. Moto Razr 2022 is still offered in a single Satin Black color. Razr 2022 brings a 6.7 OLED screen with FHD+ resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. Theres a redesigned hinge mechanism and the chin from the previous Razr models is now gone. You also get a 2.7 OLED cover screen which allows you to access most of the phones features without needing to unfold the main one. Moto Razr 2022 6.7 OLED screen Theres a 50MP main camera with OIS and a 13MP ultrawide module. You can take you selfies with the two main cams or use the 32MP module housed in the punch hole cutout on the main display. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is joined by 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. It appears that the 8/128GB and 12/512GB models will not be part of the initial global rollout. Moto Razr 2022 Moto Razr 2022 also boasts stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, eSIM + physical SIM slot, IP52 spash rating and a 3,500mAh battery with 30W charging. The software side is covered by Android 12 and MyUX interface on top. Timeline for One UI 5 rollout revealed: Galaxy S and Z models to get it by the end of the year The Samsung Galaxy S22 series became the first to receive the stable version of One UI 5, many other Galaxy models will soon leave the beta stage and update to Android 13 as well. Here is the timeline for those updates basically all eligible Galaxy S and Z devices (phones and tablets) will be updated by the end of this year, as will a good number of Galaxy A devices. Samsung One UI 5 update timeline This will leave some Tab A slates, lower end Galaxy A models and some rugged devices to update in the first two months of 2023. Note that this timeline comes from South Korea, the exact timing of the releases in other regions could differ. The full list is below, broken down by month: One phone is conspicuously absent and that is the Galaxy S21 FE. Seeing how the S20 FE is on the list, it should be only a matter of time before it gets One UI 5 too. Note that the original source from Korea doesnt quite clarify the situation for some models that have both 4G and 5G varieties, but that is due to regional availability e.g. the Galaxy A23 5G is not available in the country, only the 4G model is. Also, carrier versions of the devices may be delayed in getting Android 13. Still, Samsung deserves a pat on the back Google finished Android 13 in mid-August and just over two months later some Galaxys are already making the jump. The time to update has really come down in the last couple of years. Source (in Korean) | Via THE 7th Zanu PF National Peoples Congress opens in Harare tomorrow with more than 3 500 delegates expected to attend the event running under the theme: Building a Prosperous Zimbabwe, Leaving No One and No Place Behind. Apart from the politics, and in line with President Mnangagwas thrust of putting the economy first, a business expo will also be conducted on the sidelines of the congress that caps elective conferences that have been held this year which include the Womens League, Youth League and War Veterans League. Accreditation of delegates began late last week across all the countrys 10 provinces, and now final touches are being put in place for the holding of a congress that will be officially opened by Zanu PF First Secretary, President Mnangagwa. More than 3 500 local delegates will physically attend the congress while invited guests from sister revolutionary parties in the SADC region, African continent and beyond will also grace the event. Ruling parties expected to be in attendance are Chama Cha Mapinduzi of Tanzania, Frelimo of Mozambique, South Africas African National Congress, Peoples Movement for the Liberation of Angola, South West Africa Peoples Organisation of Namibia, Botswana Democratic Party, Malawi Congress Party and Burundis ruling party, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDDFDD), among others. Delegates from the Communist Party of China, Russian Conservative Political party, Communist Party of Cuba and the December 12 Movement from the United States are expected to grace the congress. Zanu PF director for Information and Publicity Cde Tafadzwa Mugwadi said that all systems are in place for the congress. He said all wings of the party have endorsed President Mnangagwa as the partys sole Presidential candidate for 2023 harmonised elections. What is most crucial is that as the congress goes into motion this week, what is clearer now is that this congress follows declarations upon declarations by the elective National Youth League, Womens League and the War Veterans League conferences that President Mnangagwa is the partys sole Presidential candidate. All the three organs of the party have endorsed the indisputable candidature of President Mnangagwa as the sole candidate ahead of the harmonised elections pencilled for 2023. All the countrys 10 provinces also held their Provincial Co-ordinating Committees and in the process confirmed President Mnangagwa as the partys only foot soldier for the Presidential race, Cde Mugwadi said. He said the party through the Department of Finance and Economic Development will be holding a business expo on the side-lines of the congress. We are encouraging all businesses both private and public to take the opportunity created by the Zanu PF Congress to market their products, Cde Mugwadi said. A number of businesses have already confirmed their participation. Herald Two convicts accused of tampering with their jury in 2018 pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the federal charge against them and are scheduled to stand trial Dec. 28 in the U.S. District Court of Guam. Raymond Martinez, Jr., 47, and Juanita Martinez, 38, were arrested Friday after a federal grand jury indicted them last week on one count of obstructing justice by endeavoring to influence a juror. The charge is in connection with their federal drug trial in late 2018, which ended in a hung jury after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision on charges related to methamphetamine distribution and possession. Only six of the 12 jurors voted to convict. The Martinezes have been free since their arrests because the court does not consider them to be a flight risk or a danger to the community. Although they were not convicted of drug charges in the Guam federal court, the Martinezes in 2019 pleaded guilty in the Los Angeles federal court to illegal use of a communication facility, for using a telephone in connection with a felony drug crime. They were released from prison in January after serving four years. Raymond Martinez on Tuesday told Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood he currently works for Paradise Fitness Center, and Juanita Martinez told the judge she works for the law firm of Lujan & Wolff. According to prosecutors, the Martinezes corruptly influenced juror G.T. around Oct. 11, 2018, to Dec. 27, 2018. They allegedly influenced G.T. to vote not guilty and to convince other jurors to vote not guilty. The indictment also seeks to recover a sum of money the Martinezes supposedly obtained as a result of the alleged crime. Gregorio Tyquiengco, who was a juror in the 2018 Martinez trial, pleaded guilty in 2019 to contempt of court, acknowledging he disobeyed the judges orders which prohibited him from discussing the case outside of the jury. He has not yet been sentenced. Two brothers William Mantanona and John Boom Mantanona, a retired Guam police officer also were charged in connection with obstructing justice during the 2018 Martinez trial. William Mantanona in 2020 pleaded guilty to making a false statement to investigators and was sentenced to six months in prison. John Mantanona, who worked for the Martinez defense team, is accused of corruptly positioning people in the courtroom in 2018 to influence and intimidate juror F.A.Q. to vote not guilty and of corruptly influencing juror G.T. to vote not guilty and to persuade other jurors to do the same. Mantanona pleaded not guilty, and his case has not yet gone to trial. More Information Early voting at the Westin Resort Guam remains open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. But early voting center will be closed next Friday, as Thursday is the early voting cutoff. Residents can no longer register to vote on-the-spot at the Westin. A satellite voting station is also available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday at the Merizo Martyrs Memorial School. Voters from any district can vote at the school. Residents looking to cast their ballots before Election Day have about a week left to do so, with early voting wrapping up on Thursday, Nov. 3. Registration for this years general election closed on Monday. An estimated 59,607 residents are eligible to vote in this years election, according to Guam Election Commission Executive Director Maria Pangelinan. But a final tally may not be available until next week, with some 300 Motor Voter applications from the Division of Motor Vehicles still being processed. In any case, the tally as of a week ago would already be higher than the number of registered voters in any election year, with the exception of 2002. Pangelinan urges those that did register at the last minute to bring with them the yellow affidavit of registration copy they received if they do vote early, as their names may not yet be on the Election Commissions rosters. Early voting The Election Commission director has been warning residents not to wait until the last minute to vote early, as wait times in the last few days of early voting for the primary exceeded one hour for some. As of Monday night, some 3,550 had opted to cast a ballot early, either at the Westin or one of the satellite voting sites. Thats higher than the primary election at this time, Pangelinan reported during a Monday Election Commission meeting, but much lower than the 2020 general election when the early voting option was first made universal. There was no primary election held in 2020, due to public health concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Streamlining vote count The Election Commission is hoping to streamline its operations for the general election to avoid the issues that stalled the completion of the unofficial count for this years primary, which wasnt done until 8 a.m. the morning after Election Day. Independent commissioner Pat Civille said Monday that precinct officials will be encouraged to square away the crush of absentee ballots that are submitted during down time on Election Day, to avoid delays. All ballots cast early are absentee ballots, that must be sent to the respective districts of the voters that cast them. Theres a lot more than there used to be, Civille said, which slowed down counting. Provisional ballots also are causing delays, he said. Residents who use the motor voter registration option at the DMV may unknowingly have their voting district updated to reflect where they live. The Commission reported that a number appeared at the wrong district during the primary election due to the issue. Civille said that precinct officials will be instructed not to argue with or turn away voters, and to allow anyone to cast a provisional ballot. New equipment for the Guam Police Departments Domestic Assault Response Team, including audio and visual tools to record interviews, was purchased with a $16,000 grant award, the Office of the Governor announced on Oct. 24, 2022. Feeding a family, driving to work and keeping the lights on got pricier by up to 15.8% to 53% in just a year. The painfully rapid price increases from eggs to fish, rice, vehicle fuel, electricity, computers, housing rental and prescription drugs continue to trouble Guam residents. Its hard to stretch our budget because oftentimes, you find a lot of things have gone up, Jessica Auayan, a working mother of five, said. When it comes to food, we dont have to buy brand name because theres always alternatives or generic products. On Guam, the overall prices of common goods and services went up by 7.3% in the past year, or from 140.9 percentage points to 151.1 points, according to the newly revised July-September 2022 consumer price index report released by the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans. The top 15 price increases in a year: Electricity, 53.2% Floor coverings, 50% Eggs, 42.2% Computers, 26.1% Personal care services, 21.3% Fats and oils (cooking oil), 20.4% Infants and toddlers apparel, 20.4% Fish and seafood, 19.2% Cereals and wheat products (rice), 16.7% Motor fuel (vehicle gas), 15.8% Rent and lodging, 14.6% Home fuel, 14.6% Car maintenance, 14.6% Prescription drugs, 14.6% Dairy products, 13.7% Matthew C. Santos, deputy director at the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans, said while the 12-month change for Guam seems high, it is still below what the U.S. is seeing. The U.S. consumer price index in 12 months ending in September 2022 was up 8.2%. Guam has been on pace or below the change in the consumer price index in the last couple years, Santos said. For the food index alone, the increase in the U.S. was at 11.2% while Guams was 8.6%. We import most of our food and goods, so it makes sense that we experience the same price changes, Santos added. If you take away the food and energy items, which fluctuate based on several factors, increases for other goods and services went up by 2.7%. Eggs 42% costlier Recent prices of some common items could come as a sticker shock to shoppers. Eggs were 42.2% more expensive in July-September compared to the same quarter last year. Eggs were $3-some before. Now its $5-some. Things I really need, I buy. But cookies and other goodies, I dont buy. Or limit buying, Hiromi Brantley, 76, said. Brantley, a grandmother of 10, said shes been paying closer attention to prices before putting items in her shopping cart. In four years, a tray of eggs went from less than $3 to about $5 on Guam. Santos, of BSP, said the increased cost of eggs is not unique to Guam. Cooking oil, categorized as fats and oils, went up by 20.4%. Fish and seafood increased by 19.2%, even with Guam surrounded by water abundant in fish and seafood. Santos said Guams consumer price index report uses samples of seafood items that are not in our local waters e.g. shellfish, green mussels, and we unfortunately have U.S. as the origin of the eggs that we sample. Although we have two types of fish found locally in our sampling, the actual origin is not specified, e.g. Guam, Palau, he said. Rice and other cereal or cereal products got pricier by 16.7% in just a year. Rice is a staple on Guam. With food, I noticed increases in prices of rice, meat and milk. The ones that didnt really change price are the junk foods which I told my kids to avoid as much as possible and instead buy the nutritious kind, Auayan, of Dededo, said. But even fresh vegetable prices went up by 8.4%, according to the report. Fresh fruit prices slightly went down by 0.9% last quarter compared to a year ago, while poultry, like chicken, got cheaper by 3% and pork became cheaper by 0.5%. Residents also saw a 13% bump in restaurant dining or meals away from home. Going out to bars and drinking at home also got pricier, with the cost of alcoholic beverages rising by 12.7%. Beef products got costlier by 8.2%. Its very difficult to budget with high prices, Remy Cruz, 60, said. She tries to find where the grocery sales are. Cruz, a grandmother of 14, said she has learned how to limit groceries to just the basics. Power up 53.2% But the overall increase in food prices pales in comparison to the higher power bills and vehicle fuel that residents have recently been paying for, compared to a year ago, even with a $100 energy credit program from the local government every month for five months ending in November. Electricity costs went up by a whopping 53.2% in the July-September quarter compared to a year ago, the report shows. Tom Blas, 70, said hes been turning on his air conditioner only at night and then turning it off right before he goes to sleep while leaving his ceiling fan on at the lowest speed. That should keep my room temperature cool all night long, the Sinajana resident said, pointing out that this has helped him lower his power bills but acknowledged that the recent spikes in rates have become even more challenging. The Guam Power Authority last week announced the need to increase the price of power again at the beginning of November, citing continued high fuel costs. Motorists also continue to see gas prices increase. Motor fuel, or vehicle gas, went up by 10%, based on the report. Gas is $4.99 a gallon on Guam. Owning a new car now generally costs 11.1% more compared to a year ago, and car maintenance got pricier by 14.6%. Even the cost of car insurance went up by 5.1%. Residents are also saddled by a 14.6% increase in rent and lodging costs in just a year. Those who want to build or renovate their house are faced with a 50% increase in the price of floor coverings, based on the report. Floor coverings include wood, engineered flooring materials, vinyl, tile and carpet. Prescription drugs are now also 13.7% costlier than they were a year ago, the report shows. The prices of computer products also went up by 26.1%, while personal care services got more expensive by 21.3%. Infants and toddlers apparel costs also are up by 20.4%. Price dropsBut there have also been consumer items that saw price drops in the July-September period compared to the same quarter last year, including the costs of personal care products that went down by 31.7%. Now may be the best time to buy appliances, girls apparel, sporting goods and jewelry, as those prices went down by 13.7% to 17.7%. The report also shows that the overall prices went up by 1.9% in the July-September period compared to the April-June quarter. Drugs and substance abuse disorders continue to dominate political rhetoric this election season and while some talk about it, others like Superior Court Judge Maria Cenzon are seeing firsthand the effects illegal drugs are having on local residents. Cenzon on Tuesday spoke to members of the Rotary Club of Tumon Bay at the Hyatt Regency Guam, highlighting the benefits of therapeutic courts, such as the Adult Drug Court, and how it helps prevent offenders from going back to jail. Therapeutic courts deal with those in the criminal justice system who might have an explanation for their behaviors based on a diagnosis, Cenzon explained. The premise behind creating these Adult Drug Courts is to treat the symptom. If we continue to just adjudicate these matters as we traditionally would have, which would be a plea agreement or trial leading up to a sentence of incarceration. Once that individual is out, what then happens? asked Cenzon. In her experience, if someone is brought before the court for a substance use disorder, they are most likely going to reoffend, Cenzon said, noting that the highest number of cases the Superior Court receives are for drug possession and family violence. Reduce recidivism Through the Adult Drug Court, individuals are able to connect with programs and services that help them work toward sobriety which in turn, will help reduce recidivism. Cenzon said the judiciary is still gathering hard data on the impact of Guams drug courts, but that anecdotal evidence shows they have been positive. According to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, 75% of those who go through drug court programs do not reoffend, said Cenzon. Veterans Another example of a therapeutic court is the Veterans Treatment Court, which addresses homelessness, mental health and substance use issues affecting Guams veterans. Since it began in 2015, Cenzon said 20 people have successfully completed the program. Adult Re-entry Court also is a therapeutic court that can help Department of Corrections inmates get ready to re-enter society with housing, employment and other services. If the inmate qualifies, they can be mandated to attend or voluntarily asked to join the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program at DOC to get sober before leaving prison. Numalo Refillery founderJasmine Flores-Cantrell fills a container inside her mobile business Oct. 15, 2021, in Hagatna. The business is now shifting to a storefront model and will be located at Micronesia Climate Change Alliance. EIGHTY-FOUR (84) Malawian migrants arrested in Zimbabwe for lack of travel documents are languishing in prisons while awaiting deportation. The majority of the immigrants had no intention of staying in Zimbabwe because they were caught en route to South Africa. Zimbabwe, unlike most of its neighbours such as South Africa, does not have holding facilities for immigrants awaiting deportation. The illegal immigrants are instead imprisoned. Malawis deputy ambassador to Zimbabwe Elias Mpaso confirmed the arrests saying the embassy was making efforts to repatriate them. Last Friday we had 84 Malawian nationals in Zimbabwean jails. There are 66 males at Harare Remand Prison and 18 females at Chikurubi. These people were arrested in different parts of Zimbabwe. However, the government is trying its best to repatriate them, we are still waiting for the Foreign Affairs Department to officially inform us. We are also sourcing funds from Malawi for their repatriation. In Malawi, the repatriation process is done in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Food Disaster Management to take our citizens back to Malawi, Mpaso said. Previously, the countrys prisons were holding about 550 Malawian citizens who were caught trying to sneak into South Africa via Zimbabwe without travel documents. In August, the country jailed 148 undocumented Malawian nationals. Malawi Freedom Network reported that the 148 were sentenced to between four and six months in prison while awaiting deportation. Malawi has since sought help from international institutions such as the International Migration Organisation to facilitate the return of its citizens. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission said it was a human rights violation for immigrants to be locked up in prisons together with convicts. Newsday Haiti - Agriculture : Export of mangoes to the USA suspended The United States Department of Agriculture, in correspondence to the National Association of Mango Exporters, advises that APHIS Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service inspectors are on indefinite leave, the US Government cannot guarantee the safety of its employees. In addition, APHIS will close its mango preclearance program in Haiti by the end of January 2023 due to worsening insecurity. In summary, deprived of inspection, Haiti can no longer export its mangoes to the United States. Very bad news for the sector which represents more than 12 million dollars in revenue per year, half of which goes to farmers. Let's recall that in 2022 the volumes of mangoes from Haiti, one of the leading producers of Francisque mangoes in the Caribbean and Central America, were estimated to be 48% lower than those of last year. This decrease is mainly attributable to the situation of insecurity in Haiti, the difficulties of moving and transporting the fruit in the country, the shortage of fuel which sees the price of the latter on the black market soar and the international crisis... Letter from the United States Department of Agriculture: "United States Department of Agriculture October 24, 2022 Mr. Ralph Perry President of the Association Nationale des Exportateur de Mangues (ANEM) 5, Santo 20 Croix des Bouquets, PAP, Haiti Dear Mr. Perry, As per our phone conversation on October 13, 2022, this letter is to notify ANEM that APHIS will close the mango preclearance program in Haiti by the end of January 2023. We are taking this action because of worsening challenges in Haiti that have made it impossible for our APHIS inspectors to safely work. This move is in alignment with information that we have received from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. We placed all ten APHIS inspectors in Haiti on indefinite, paid leave starting on October 10, 2022. Our team will remain on leave until the program officially closes. We commit to working very closely with them, Haiti's national plant protection organization, and ANEM as we move forward with this process. We will consider reinstating the program if the situation in Haiti improves, in consultation with the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. We appreciate your collaboration and the prompt attention to this matter. Please know that the safety of our employees is our highest concern. We are available if you have any questions during this transitional period. Sincerely yours, Jorge Abad Area Director for Central America and The Caribbean USDA API-IIS PPQ Preclearance and Offshore Program" See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37548-haiti-agriculture-the-export-of-francisque-mangoes-lower-by-48-compared-to-2021.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17250-haiti-agriculture-mangoes-post-harvest-support-of-the-usaid.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17010-haiti-agriculture-survey-results-on-national-agricultural-production.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-9045-haiti-agriculture-haiti-inspired-by-the-mexican-producers-and-exporters-of-mangoes.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-5769-haiti-economy-coca-cola-and-haiti-hope-recognized-in-the-category-of-economic-opportunities.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1496-haiti-economy-two-new-post-harvest-centers-for-mangos.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - NOTICE Mexico : Visitor card for humanitarian reasons The Embassy of Haiti in Mexico, in a note dated October 24, informs all Haitian compatriots who received the "Visitor card for humanitarian reasons" from the National Institute for Migration (INM) in November 2021, that this card will expire in November 2022. Holders of these cards must go to the office of the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (COMAR) located in the city where they reside to begin the regularization procedures. COMAR will provide them with a certificate that will allow them to continue the immigration process. The following compatriots do not need to go to COMAR: - If they have a child born in Mexico; - If they are married to a person who has benefited from a temporary residence for at least two (2) years; - If they are married to a Mexican national. In these cases, they can apply for residency directly with Immigration. The Embassy asks you not to neglect to carry out these steps, because if the Visitor's Card for Humanitarian Reasons expires, it will become useless and you will be in an irregular migratory situation. HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2022/10/24 | Source Actors Sung Dong-il and Bae Hae-sun of "Curtain Call" are making the filming site friendly with the charm of an energetic duo. Advertisement In KBS 2TV's new Monday-Tuesday drama "Curtain Call", Sung Dong-il plays Jeong Sang-cheol, the longest-working employee and former manager of the Paradise Hotel, except for the head of the company, and plays a loyal man who uses all his methods to fulfill his last wish. Bae Hae-sun stars as Yoon Jeong-sook, the oldest housekeeper at the Paradise Hotel and later the housekeeper of Geum-soon. Bae Hae-sun and Sung Dong-il are active as acting duo that increase the tension and interest of the drama. In particular, Sung Dong-il and Bae Hae-sun are captivating the hearts of fellow actors and staff not only in dramas but also in the field. Actor Kang Ha-neul, who worked with Sung Dong-il in the drama "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo" said, "When Sung Dong-il goes into shooting, I can't stop laughing and neither can the staff. Referring to the vitality duo's performance, he said, "The two make the atmosphere so comfortable and pleasant for the juniors". Meanwhile, "Curtain Call", which tells the story of people involved in the biggest scam on earth by a man (Kang Ha-neul), who received an unprecedented special order to fulfill the wish of his terminally ill grandmother, Ja Geum-soon (Go Doo-shim), will premiere at 9:50 PM on October 31st. THE head students at Gillotts School in Henley were presented with poppies by the Royal British Legion at an assembly. George Fearnehough, Bethan Toward and Evie Decardi-Nelson thanked the armed forces as well as the charity for their work. The Legion supports members of the armed forces, veterans and their families and runs the Poppy Appeal, which takes place in the two weeks leading up to Remembrance Day on November 11. Captain Alex Brogan, who attended the assembly in his army uniform, said: Its important that children have an understanding of what the army does and that were people who have a life after the military. He presented the first poppy and was followed by Anne Evans, who chairs the Henley and Peppard branch of the Legion, and Sara Abey, organiser of the Henley Poppy Appeal. The three pupils each gave a short speech. George said: We understand the symbolic nature of this presentation. We greatly respect how our armed forces personnel are willing to risk everything to protect us all. We all recognise the physical and mental traumas they and their families can suffer in doing so. Bethan said: We appreciate the assistance the Royal British Legion provides for our armed forces community in need. A few of the things they help with are rehabilitation programmes, financial and employment advice, housing and local support networks. Evie said: By wearing a Royal British Legion poppy, we are showing our nations admiration for the service and commitment of the armed forces community, past and present. This poppy is a symbol of both remembrance and hope for a peaceful future. All the pupils at the assembly then had the opportunity to ask the visitors questions. One asked them whether they thought Remembrance Day would be particularly significant this year following the death of the Queen, who served during the Second World War. Mrs Evans replied: Yes, I believe it will because she was our patron for her whole reign. We were named the Royal British Legion by her father. Capt Brogan was asked where he had served and replied Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, the jungle in Brunei and some other places he was not allowed to disclose. Asked what army rations were like, he said soldiers received 5,000- calorie packs of prepared food to boil in water, such as sausage and beans and curry. To mark this years Poppy Appeal in Henley, there will be an event in Market Place tomorrow (Saturday) where the Waterloo Band & Bugles of The Rifles, led by Sergeant Gary Hamilton, from Henley, will play from 10.30am to 12.20pm and from 1.20pm to 3.30pm. There will also be a stall staffed by personnel from RAF Benson. Next Saturday (November 5) from 9am to 3pm, there will be a display of classic military vehicles in Market Place by the Berks and Oxon Military Vehicle Trust, chaired by Martyn Sheldrake, from Binfield Heath. VICE-President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also Health minister, has revealed that hospitals were this year starved of medicines by Treasury after it only released $5 billion of the Health ministrys $15 billion allocation. This resulted in the ministry only managing to procure 14% of the required medicines for hospitals this year due to financial constraints. Addressing a 2023 Parliament pre-budget seminar in Harare on Monday, Chiwenga said the failure to fund critical medical services was due to financial challenges facing the country. The 2022 annual budget for medicines, health facilities was $15 billion and only $5 billion was released. The comment from the public was that people were failing to access the most basic services, and their major concern was the need for critical equipment and services such as maternity, Chiwenga said. The year 2022 faced cash challenges and this led to inadequacy of critical medical supplies. However, with the funds that we have availed, 14% of the required medicines were procured. He also said government only released $2,8 billion for health infrastructure instead of the $18 billion allocated. The ministry takes note of the state of the infrastructure at some of the health institutions. To address this, the ministry was allocated $18 billion, however only 2,8 billion was disbursed. I want to clear this, for the health posts, we should have 1 700 ward-based health facilities if we are to give attention in terms of healthcare to every Zimbabwean. \ We found out that there was a gap from the clinics, certain diseases were supposed to be pushed straight to the districts. For contraceptives, government provided funding amounting to $687 million and the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council procured contraceptives worth US$1,5 million, he said. Meanwhile, the countrys per capita (per person) spending on health is said to have dropped from US$45 in 2021 to US$20 this year. This follows a decline in health sector allocations from 13% in 2021 to 10,6% in 2022. Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike said the country was facing deep structural challenges in the health sector. Government spends a relatively small share of its gross domestic product on health. That is why there has been a recent decrease on health expenditure per person to US$20 this year from US$45 in 2021, Rusike said. Lower levels of per capita health expenditure indicate that health expenditure in the country is insufficient to guarantee adequate access and quality of healthcare for the communicable and non-communicable diseases, injuries, other conditions and services. The inadequate public financing of health has resulted in an over-reliance on out-of-pocket and external financing which is highly unpredictable and unsustainable. The World Health Organisation recommends a per capita health expenditure of at least US$84 per year. Compared to other countries in the sub-region, Zambias 2022 per capita spending on health is US$85, South Africa (US$570 per person) and Malawi (US$35). Newsday China will boost security precautions at the grassroots level and prevent the occurrence of extreme crimes, a senior official of legal affairs said. Social matters at the grassroots level are vital to the stability of the country, so law enforcement officials will continue to take a firm stance against crimes that cause the public most concern, Chen Yixin, secretary-general of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said on Monday. "We also need to step up efforts to better ease and regulate channels for people to air their concerns and have their rights protected so their problems can be solved before situations escalate," Chen said at a news conference elaborating on a report to the 20th CPC National Congress. Furthermore, the administration of key industries and areas will be enhanced so that potential risks and problems can be discovered in a timely manner, he added. "Psychological counseling will be provided and intervention measures will be offered at the grassroots level to help the public maintain a positive mindset so that the occurrence of extreme crimes carried out by individuals can be prevented," Chen said. He added that the country will improve the reward system for good Samaritans so that helping others can be a common social practice. IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, today announced the signing of its newest Vignette Collection hotel in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The signing of El Gran Encomendero marks the first for IHG's Luxury & Lifestyle Collection brand in both Mexico and the Americas region, and builds upon strong momentum from previous signings across Asia, Europe and Australia following the brand's August 2021 launch. Scheduled to begin construction in early 2023, the 83-room El Gran Encomendero will anchor a four-story, upscale mixed-use development in Valladolid - a historic town nearly 25 miles west of the Chichen Itza ruins and in proximity of the Balam archeological site and multiple cenotes. The hotel will deliver an elegant guest experience rooted in regional culture, highlighted by luxurious rooms, a restaurant and bar, rooftop pool, spa, fitness center and 1,600 square feet of meeting space. Under the ownership of Grupo Alves, El Gran Encomendero additionally will represent the first branded hotel in the Valladolid community amid its retail and tourism renaissance. An on-the-rise destination for international leisure travel, business events and weddings, Valladolid recently received the coveted "Magical Towns" designation from the Mexican Ministry of Tourism for its efforts to protect and preserve cultural wealth. The city anticipates attracting even more volume following the construction of the government-funded Mayan train line which will connect it directly to Merida and Cancun Hotel website New co-living brand ARK has appointed Sheliza Jafferali as general manager for its debut community-centric rental concept in Wembley Park, which has now opened to the public. Jafferali joins to oversee Wembley ARK's community experience and operations, having previously managed a co-living property in Dublin, UK student accommodation, and hotels in Manchester. Jafferali combines a strong background in hospitality with specialist knowledge around behavioural psychology, ensuring she is well positioned to respond to guests' mental and physical wellbeing needs. After more than two years of pandemic lockdown, revenge travel is at an all-time high - travellers are taking to the skies in droves. Having had to deal with the uncertainties of border restrictions over the last couple of years, theres no time like the present to embark on that much-awaited vacation. Which is why the revival of the travel industry is well underway, especially across the luxury sector. The hospitality industry is particularly confident about recovery in Asia Pacific, with several hotel chains announcing ambitious expansion plans in the region. Global hospitality company Hilton in August 2022 announced six new signings in Asia Pacific across its luxury brands. These include the Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur and Waldorf Astoria Jakarta; both hotels are expected to open in 2024. A year later in 2025, Japan will also welcome the first Waldorf Astoria hotel in Osaka. In 2026, Hilton will open the Waldorf Astoria Sydney. Conrad Kuala Lumpur is slated to open in 2023, while the Conrad Nagoya will open in 2026. The first LXR-branded resort in Southeast Asia will also open in Bali in 2023. In China, Hilton is set to debut the Conrad Chongqing and Conrad Shenzhen in 2023, and the Waldorf Astoria Xian in 2025. THE ASIA PACIFIC POTENTIAL Ultimately, Asia Pacific is the future of luxury travel. We are in the epicentre of luxury. Luxury hospitality was born in Asia decades ago, said Nils-Arne Schroeder, Hiltons vice-president of luxury, Asia Pacific. Schroeder is confident that pent-up demand for travel in the region will drive recovery. A lot of international travel is coming into Asia Pacific from the US and Europe. The borders will open for every country again. At one stage, China will open as well. People will not postpone their travel anymore because they know borders can close at any time. Other hotel chains are also poised to expand their presence in the region. Marriott International expects to open 14 additional luxury properties in Asia Pacific by the end of 2023, the group announced. These include the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort Suites by end 2022, The Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka in 2023, and Southeast Asias first Edition hotel in Singapore in 2023. Read the full article at Channel News Asia Los Angeles, CA - INTELITY, provider of hospitalitys leading guest experience and staff management platform, announced it has been recognized as the Worlds Best In-Room Tablet Provider by the World Travel Tech Awards 2022. This is the second year in a row that INTELITY has earned this global designation. The World Travel Tech Awards is the sister event to the World Travel Awards, currently celebrating its 29th year reviewing the best in hospitality and tourism. The World Travel Tech Awards are voted on by travel professionals, media, and consumers worldwide, and celebrate the full spectrum of the global travel technology sector. This years nominees include small companies and start-ups as well as global brands, and serve to recognize and reward excellence in travel technology, said Graham E. Cooke, Director of World Travel Tech Awards. Our World Travel Tech Awards 2022 winners represent the very best travel and hospitality technology brands pushing the boundaries of travel technology. My congratulations to each of them. The Worlds Best Travel Tech Awards winners were unveiled during the Travel Tech Awards Gala Ceremony on Sunday October 23, 2022, at The Ritz-Carlton, in Amman, Jordan. The red-carpet evening brought together travel and technology leaders from across the globe for one of the most prestigious industry events of the year. INTELITY took the top honor in the In-Room Tablet Provider category, which is powered by INTELITYs comprehensive guest experience platform and is utilized by top brands, iconic independent hotels, boutiques, and casinos worldwide. With the INTELITY in-room tablets, hotel and casino guests can effortlessly access services, amenities, dining and more digitally. Additionally, the INTELITY in-room tablet automates guest services and enables seamless communication between guests and staff. Were thrilled to be named Best In-Room Tablet Provider for the second year in a row, said Robert Stevenson, CEO of INTELITY. As our world becomes more and more digitally focused, technology such as in-room tablets becomes critical to providing a terrific guest experience. At INTELITY, we are very service minded, and this award further our position as a leader in the space, allowing hoteliers to deliver the very best in digital service for their guests. For more information about the INTELITY platform or to request a demo, please visit intelity.com/demo. About THE WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, the WTA brand is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire. Each year, WTA covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognize and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region. WTA gala ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media. For more information about WTA visit worldtravelawards.com. About INTELITY INTELITY is the global leader in contactless guest experience technology, uniting mobile, in-room, and operational tools into one fully-integrated hospitality platform. Built for the hotel, casino, and luxury residential markets, INTELITY has been named the "Official Mobile and In-Room Technology Provider" by the distinguished Forbes Travel Guide for five consecutive years and is in use at boutique properties, casino-resorts, and global hotel brands, including Marriott, Fairmont, Hard Rock, and more. Alexandra Kuipers Head of Marketing 818-442-4280 View source Real estate private equity fund manager Crossroads Real Estate has sold a portfolio of eight Benelux hotels (793 rooms) to budget hotel chain easyHotel for 145 million (183,000 per room). Three of the hotels are in Amsterdam, two in The Hague, one in Rotterdam, one in Maastricht and one in Brussels. The hotels will remain fully operational during the acquisition process. Prior to the sale, the eight hotels were under a long-term franchise agreement with easyHotel. The acquisition is supported by easyHotels majority shareholders Icamap and Ivanhoe Cambridge. The deal increases easyHotels owned/leased estate by 59%, now reaching 26 hotels and over 3,000 rooms, evenly split between the UK and Europe. Archer sells The Dilly hotel in London to FattalIsraels largest hotel group, Fattal Hotels, has acquired the long-term leasehold interest in The Dilly in London from Archer Hotel Capital for an undisclosed sum. Located between Piccadilly and Regent Street in central London and opened in 1908, the 280-room hotel includes an indoor pool, fitness and treatment rooms, two squash courts and seven conference spaces. Fattal, owner and operator of more than 200 hotels including 52 in the UK and Ireland, is planning to invest an additional 90 million into turning the property into a leading luxury hotel. Known previously as Le Meridien Piccadilly, the hotel was acquired in 2010 for 64 million by the Host Hotels & Resorts Europoean JV with Dutch pension fund APG and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC, who acquired Hosts share in 2019 to create Archer Hotel Capital. The 178-room ibis Styles Paris Villejuif has been acquired by Rennes-based Suitcase Hospitality, marking the 12th hotel for the owner-operator. Set to open in early 2024, the hotel will be located 100m from the future Villejuif economic hub in the Grand-Orly Seine Bievre region outside of Paris, near the new Grand Paris Express train station. Totalling 5,400 sqm, the space includes a bar-cafe hybrid, co-working space, fitness area, breakfast rooms and parking spaces. The property will be Suitcases second franchise partnership with ibis Styles and its sixth collaboration with Accor. The group has over 1,500 rooms in the pipeline or under operation and is set to reach 14 hotels by 2025, generating 55 million in revenue. Folksamgruppen, through KPA Pension, has acquired from Norwegian DnB the 21,000 sqm Vasahuset mixed-use property, of which 30% is the 169-room Nordic Light Hotel, with the rest being mostly offices. The office and hotel property, situated in Stockholms central business district, Vasagatan, sold at SEK 3 billion (which converts to approximately 271 million). The building contains historical significance, being a location for rationed food distribution during the first world war, among other purposes. Norwegian DnB acquired the property in February 2003. MV Werften sells Park Inn by Radisson Wismar in Germany A family business from Hamburg has acquired both the operating and real estate companies of the Park Inn by Radisson Wismar from Hong Kong-German shipbuilding company MV Werften Group, for an undisclosed sum, as part of an insolvency process. The 100-room hotel is located by the coastline along the Baltic Sea in northern Germany. The hotel was built by MV Werften in 2019, who operated it for three years. The property sold covers approximately 22,500 sqm, with only a portion being used for the hotel and the hotel car park. The MV shipyards in Mecklenburg-WesternPomerania filed for bankruptcy n Janary 10, 2022. Owner and operator somnOO Group has acquired the Sure Hotel by Best Western Lille Tourcoing property and business in northern France. The recently renovated 54-room property includes a restaurant and bar, car park and 6,000 sqm of land. somnOO Groups portfolio currently includes 50 hotels and 29 restaurants across France and Germany and they are aiming to continue expansion in neighbouring countries. Leading networks for responsible hospitality and global education for hospitality and tourism have formed a co-operation agreement to create innovative solutions for advancing sustainability in the hospitality sector. The agreement between the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) and the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) was announced at the Alliances Net Positive Summit in London on 11 October. This partnership combines the Alliances sector-specific expertise and industry leadership with ICHRIEs reach among the academia and hospitality student community. The agreement will see the two organisations collaborate on the development of research to support the people and planet innovation needs of hospitality industry, and the sharing of key learnings from within and beyond the sector. The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance brings together leading hospitality companies and strategic partners to address key challenges affecting the planet and its people. The organisation has a long history of supporting education within the hospitality industry. This includes providing guidance and trainings to improve the environmental impact of hotels and promote ethical recruitment and human rights within the industry. They have also run an employability programme for over 15 years which provides skills training and experience to disadvantaged people to enable them to build a successful future in the hospitality industry. ICHRIE provides programs and services to continually improve the quality of global education, research, service and business operations in the hospitality and tourism industry. They are active in supporting ethical and progressive action and improvement of global hospitality and tourism education and research. Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, said: In order to make our ambition of net positive hospitality a reality, it will require the commitment and engagement of every person involved in the hospitality industry. Therefore, its crucial that we are increasing awareness and education with every employee and future employee to ensure the sustainability is fully embedded within our daily activities as well as strategic plans. This partnership with ICHRIE will help to ensure that sustainability continues to be an integral part of quality global hospitality and tourism education and research. Dr. Ralf Burbach, President, ICHRIE, Head of Hospitality Management Discipline, School of Tourism & Hospitality Management, Technological University, Dublin, Ireland, said: We are very pleased to be an official knowledge partner of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. This partnership is especially important at a time when sustainability is so critical to our businesses and our lives. This partnership will allow the hospitality industry and education to work together to foster research and to promote this agenda among the over 120,000 students represented by our ICHRIE member schools. ABOUT The International Council on Hotel and Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) ICHRIE is a 501 C3 non-profit professional association established in 1946. Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2021, it provides programs and services to continually improve the quality of global education, research, service and business operations in the hospitality and tourism industry. ICHRIE, an inclusive, collegial association, values creative, ethical, and progressive action and improvement of global hospitality and tourism education and research. ICHRIE members are the Deans, Directors, Program Leaders, Faculty and Students in hospitality programs around the world. For more information on ICHRIE initiatives, visit www.chrie.org. About Sustainable Hospitality Alliance The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance brings together engaged hospitality companies and uses the collective power of the industry to deliver impact locally and on a global scale. They work with leading hospitality companies and strategic partners to address key challenges affecting our planet and its people and develop practical resources and programmes to enable the wider industry to operate responsibly and grow sustainably. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they commit to drive continued action on human rights, youth employment, climate action and water stewardship. Their members make up over 35% of the global hotel industry by rooms and include 21 world-leading hotel companies including Marriott International, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt and Radisson Hotels Group as well as regional brands. For further information, visit www.sustainablehospitalityalliance.org. Emily McLeish Senior Brand and Marcomms Manager Sustainable Hospitality Alliance AMSTERDAM - Oaky, an award-winning hotel upselling software solution, announced today the winners of the Oaky Awards 2022. Carpe Diem Santorini was named the winner of Best Oaky Performer, while Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur was the winner of the Most Creative Upselling Award. These awards mark the ninth birthday of Oaky. As true joy is found in giving instead of receiving, Oaky decided to celebrate this occasion by handing out awards to recognise those hotels that have excelled by making the best use of Oakys upselling engine. Co-founder of Oaky, Erik Tengen, explains, Performance and creativity should be celebrated and rewarded. The Oaky Awards serves as a source of inspiration for hoteliers to be more innovative, creative, and open to new strategies, like automated upselling, that can improve their revenue management and guest experience operations. The Best Oaky Performer Award rewards hotels that have excelled in terms of upsell revenue per room generated using Oaky. While revenue is a key metric, Oaky realises that it is not the only metric that should be measured. The Most Creative Upselling Award acknowledges hotels that go the extra mile to make their guests stays truly memorable by incorporating creative upselling. The winner in this category gets selected by a round of votes. The Oaky team voted anonymously and the hotel with the highest number of votes was declared the winner. The winner of this years Performer Award is Carpe Diem Santorini. Based in Greece, it is a top-level, exclusive hotel that has been using Oaky since 2019. It is by far the most exclusive, luxury honeymoon retreat in Santorini and the islands real crown jewel. It offers unprecedented serenity, privacy, and comfort, purpose-built for VIPs and honeymooners. In the Most Creative Upselling category, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur walked away with the prize. The Oaky team voted their deal Spacious Family Room with Kids Tent for the Ultimate Family Getaway as the most creative upselling example. With this deal, guests can unwind in the sanctuary of a spacious, Family Executive Room. For the kids, there is a teepee tent and age-appropriate amenities, while parents can retreat to the separate living room or private workspace from where they can soak in the grand city views on offer. About Oaky Oaky is a hyper-personalised upselling software that helps hotels boost revenue through enriched guest experience and branding. Enabling hotels to leverage segmentation, personalisation, dynamic pricing and more, Oaky takes upselling services and upgrades to the next level, maximising the average spend per guest and taking the legwork out of the upselling process. Oaky has been recognised as the Best Upselling Software by Hotel Tech Report for 5 years in a row and is trusted by innovative hotels, groups and chains across the globe, including the ONYX Hospitality & Radisson Hotel Group. Fabrizia Sant'Elia PR & Events Manager View source We hear about labor shortages throughout the hotel industry these days, but there is another drag on performance that deserves attention as well staff onboarding and training. One of the key benefits of hotel software automation is its ability to support short-staffed teams and streamline processes. Less often advertised is how it can also reduce the amount of time needed for employee training saving money in the process. Employee Turnover: The high cost of knowledge lost The hospitality industry is one of the largest employers in the world. It is also an industry well-known for its extraordinarily high employee turnover rate. In 2020, the industry had a pandemic-induced high turnover rate of 130%, but in 2017, the hospitality sector had an average turnover rate of 72.4% (Bureau of Labour Statistics Job Openings and Labour Turnover report). More recent figures show that the industrys current turnover rate is sitting around 73.8% - significantly above than the national average employee turnover rate across all industries of 12-15%. Employee turnover has a direct impact on business revenue and profitability. When it comes to the hotel industry, its exceptionally high employee turnover rate is a driver of operating costs. While figures can vary depending on an employee's position and wage, according to Gallup, the average cost of replacing an employee can range from one-half to two times an employees annual salary. In numbers, a 100-person organization that provides an average salary of $50,000 could have turnover and replacement costs of approximately $660,000 to $2.6 million per year a hefty price to pay. This high sum includes hiring expenses, lost sales, productivity and employee training costs because once you hire someone, you also need to train that person. Employee Training and Hotel Technology: Essential but no simple task Training is an essential part of any job particularly in such a consumer-facing industry like hotels. It is important to get it right because when an employee feels confident in their skills and abilities, they tend to complete assignments more quickly, efficiently and successfully. Without the right training, not only do hoteliers risk hurting the guest relationship with poor employee knowledge and communication, but also lose revenue opportunities. And it doesn't just stop at new hires; seasoned professionals and existing employees all need upskilling or training at some point. Its not a one-off exercise, but an ongoing strategy to ensure everyone across your hotel keeps their knowledge and skills up-to-date. Often, one of the biggest hurdles hotels must overcome is training employees to use technology properly. It is one of the most poorly executed tasks, which is ironic, because without the right training hoteliers cannot leverage their latest tech investments to their potential. On average, across all industries, an organization with 100 10,000 can spend anywhere from $581 to $1,678 per employee on training. A figure that is even more weighty in an industry with a high turnover rate investing time, resources and dollars, only to watch it walk out the door a few months later and then, repeat. In short, training is a drag. Its a drag for the people who have to do it and a drag for the business who has to pay for it. It can be extremely demanding on a business and it is difficult for any party to get legitimately excited about it. But imagine a world where training was easy, not arduous, even cost effective perhaps no cost at all. Automation: The currency that buys time and money By now, its well known that automation increases productivity by automating tedious processes. It frees up human workers' valuable time to focus on more important, dynamic work. As such, automation has a direct impact on the time needed for employee training. A skill, such as upselling, usually requires in-depth training, incentivization, quality monitoring and ongoing schooling. Get a new front staff member and repeat the process. But with an automated upselling solution such as ROOMDEX, the time and associated cost required is substantially reduced, if not eliminated. Why? Because the system doesnt need to be trained, re-trained or incentivized. It is a cash machine that keeps working consistently. "Weve always kind of worked with some kind of tool for upselling from human resources-based upselling where you have training and upsell on property, to half-automated systems where you either upsell at the end of the booking engine journey, or as an email. And, of course, they all required some human input...But ROOMDEX Upsell Automation is a set-it-and-forget-it solution that delivers the lowest cost revenue a hotel can generate". Jens Egemalm, Distribution Director, Pandox Operations. ROOMDEX is on the top of my list! The front desk does not have to spend an extra second upselling". Georgios Rouvelas, General Manager, Hotel Juliani, Malta. Hotels are working with fewer resources; turnover remains at an all-time high and training budgets are tight. A training-intensive task such as upselling is no longer manageable or practical with fewer resources. As upsell automation removes the need for training, it gives hoteliers back much needed time to provide guest service and capitalize on other revenue opportunities. About ROOMDEX, INC ROOMDEX's hotel upsell software, "Upgrade Optimizer," automates, monetizes, and ultimately simplifies the hotel room upgrade process by putting the power of choice in the hotel guest's hands. Automation is the cornerstone of our pioneering hotel optimization platform. ROOMDEX uses hotel reservation, guest data and its proprietary persona and price algorithms to deliver personalized digital offers, greatly enhancing the guest experience. The hotel upsell tool relieves hoteliers of the labor time required by other upselling solutions while delivering high margin revenue and a substantial ROI. The company was founded by Jos Schaap, Pierre Boettner and Denis Bajet, three industry veterans (Ex. MICROS-OPERA (now Oracle Hospitality), StayNTouch, Shiji and Nor1). ROOMDEX leverages over 90 years of hotel software innovation experience in PMS, integrations, revenue management, BI, mobile, self-service and upgrade optimization software. Since founding in spring of 2020, ROOMDEX has signed on more than 100 hotels with 9,500 rooms across the U.S., U.K. and Europe. Website https://www.roomdex.io Twitter: @ROOMDEX Facebook: facebook.com/roomdexinc LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/roomdex Youtube: click here Paul Peddrick ROOMDEX, Inc. Hotel workers, like guests, want to feel engaged with the property. As labor constraints force more responsibility on fewer hotel team members, those on the front lines want to be sure their increased accountability is accompanied by more capabilities. The best way to address these concerns is through new technology, starting with the property-management system. No one said running a hotel had to be easy, but there is no reason the experience must necessarily be challenging. Daily hotel operations have been negatively impacted by the labor crisis and as a result more is expected of hotel workers than ever before, from managing rooms, organizing schedules and even flipping beds if schedules demand it. This is simply the reality of hospitality today, but if hoteliers are to realistically tackle these challenges it will be necessary to equip workers with the tools they need to be successful. Modern PMS tools provide workers with the ability to tackle tasks more efficiently, relying on fewer individuals to achieve what used to take an entire team in an effective manner. Simply put, when the technology works, so do employees. At the recent Maestro Users Conference, guest speaker Larry Mogelonsky, the world's most published hospitality author and co-founder of Hotel Mogel Consulting, said For years the hospitality industry has been guest-centric in its approach to service and loyalty. While hoteliers must do everything possible to ensure guest satisfaction, it cannot be at the expense of staff. There needs to be a massive paradigm shift in how we operate; employee satisfaction must trump guest satisfaction at all costs. In the end, happy employees cant help but translate to happy guests. This is the most radical change in hospitality today, and it cannot be deployed effectively if independent of technology. Fast Learner Hoteliers goal starting today should be to find new avenues for worker retention, and adopt tools that are efficient, clear, concise and optimized. However, all of these capabilities are for naught if hoteliers fail to make adequate time for training. Onboarding remains a persistent challenge, and PMS providers should ensure new hires can take advantage of e-learning tools and other services in order to get up to speed as quickly as possible while retaining key information. If a PMS provider is able to offer live chat help services, not AI, then new hospitality team members will have the ability to access instant assistance from a live agent when they need it most and the way they expect it. Staff are more inclined to use a tool that provides quality, consistent support and service, via a mechanism they are universally familiar with, and particularly when it is built directly into the technology they are already using. Live agents are able to provide direct, accurate responses that are more meaningful than what is typically offered by automated chatbots, something that is greatly valued by hotel workers in the midst of training, or even a crisis. No matter how hotel operators view PMS training, properly delivered it provides value at all levels of hotel operations and hotel leaders should prioritize it up front. Doing so disseminates more knowledge and skills throughout your hotel organization, and allows hotel workers to do more with less, ties their skillset directly to the hotel that taught them, and enables them to freely move throughout departments and grow their career as a hospitality specialist. Just Like Home Newer modern technology such as web based and mobile platform-based PMS user interfaces geared towards front line users also require fewer training hours than their static counterparts and leverage existing social trends in mobile technology to provide major benefits to hotel labor and operations. Coupled with sophisticated total property PMS platforms that handle all facets of an operation, this is an important distinction to remember as hotels welcome the most tech savvy class of eligible workers in its history. Its time for the industry to believe in these workers capabilities and give them the capabilities to use these skills to improve hotel operations holistically. Hotel technology providers have closely watched the development of consumer technology for ways to leverage these trends in business. Todays consumer market has helped define the rules for what constitutes an efficient way to use an app, and PMS providers have seized on these developments in order to simplify the process of running a hotel, particularly by offering new latitudes in mobility and communications. Mobile technologys popularity and utility should not be underestimated when applied to the workforce. Travelers have asked for innovations in mobile check-in for nearly a decade, but such technology was only rarely found across the industry until the pandemic made it a necessity. Now, mobile check-in and two-way SMS communications have revolutionized hotel operations to make them leaner and more accessible for smaller teams, and the same trend is now taking part on the operations side of the business. With employees better able to work on the go, its also important to consolidate the number of necessary programs and applications they are forced to interact with in order to operate a hotel. Some PMS providers are taking on more third-party integrations or offering multiple modules stored on a centralized database to make accessing them easier while creating seamless unified guest booking experiences. The more hotels are able to consolidate these tools, the more hotel workers are able to do many things without feeling overwhelmed by the tools around them. Innovations in hotel technology have unfortunately been developed in a market characterized by high labor compression. The right modern PMS technology offers a tech ecosystem that is more efficient, easier to use with help services at easy reach, and encompasses nearly every area of hotel operations. Even more importantly, these tools have parity with what consumers and workers are already using in their daily lives. The more satisfied these workers, the more hotels can improve retention and focus on improving the guest experience. About Maestro PMS Maestro is the preferred Web Browser based cloud and on-premises PMS solution for independent hotels, luxury resorts, conference centers, vacation rentals, and multi-property groups. Maestro's PCI certified and EMV ready enterprise system offers a Web browser version (or Windows) complete with 20+ integrated modules on a single database including mobile and contactless apps to support a digitalized guest journey as well as staff operations. Maestro's sophisticated solutions empower operators to increase profitability, drive direct bookings, centralize operations, and engage guests with a personalized experience from booking to check out and everything in between. For over 40 years Maestro's Diamond Plus Service has provided unparalleled 24/7 North American based support and education services to keep hospitality groups productive and competitive. for more information on Maestro. Click here to get your free PMS Buying guide. Barb Worcester NORTHWIND-Maestro While the lodging industry is recovering from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, this twelfth annual HVS Lodging Tax Study quantifies the revenue impact of the pandemic over the past year. An analysis of 25 major US hotel markets shows that overall revenues have recovered to 2019 levels, but markets with high levels of leisure demand are faring better than those without. The lag in collections of lodging taxes will prolong the impact of the pandemic state and local government collection of the taxes. The report also provides historical data on tax rates and the collection and distribution of revenue from lodging taxes levied in all 50 States and the 150 largest US cities. Introduction Lodging taxes are typically ad valorem taxes (levied as a percentage of value) on short-term [1] overnight stays at hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, and other lodging accommodations. Lodging taxes levied by state and local governments have common characteristics but bear many names, including hotel occupancy tax, hotel motel tax, room tax, bed tax, transient occupancy tax, tourism improvement tax, and various other names. States authorize the imposition of lodging taxes, except in home rule cities. [2] States may tax lodging as a part of general sales and use tax, a specific lodging tax, or both. For most lodging taxes, state legislation defines the tax base, determines who is exempt from the lodging tax, and establishes collection procedures. State, county, and local governments also impose lodging taxes which may distribute tax revenues to their general, special revenue, or debt service funds. In many cities, state and municipal governments have formed special districts to levy additional lodging taxes on hotels located within a defined geographic area within their jurisdiction. Different districts within a city may have varying rates of lodging taxes. Certain state and local governments also impose excise taxes on lodging at a fixed amount per unit of sale, such as a $1.00 per room night fee for the furnishing of a hotel room. From a political perspective, lodging taxes may be easier to impose than other taxes because visitors that use lodging accommodations are not constituents of the local municipalities. Typically, hotel operators collect the tax from guests and receive a small administrative fee of one or two percent of collections. While the legal incidence of the tax may fall on the consumer, the economic burden of the lodging tax is shared by both providers of lodging accommodations and their guests. The lodging market is competitive, and in a competitive market, the tax burden is shared between buyer and seller. A lodging tax raises the price of lodging accommodations. Depending on the elasticity of the supply and demand for lodging, the hotel manager may not be able to increase rates by the full amount of the tax. Since the elasticity of supply and demand changes depending on market conditions, the true incidence of a lodging tax varies as market conditions change. This study makes no attempt to estimate the economic incidence of lodging taxes. Hotel owners are often willing to cooperate with local governments to impose lodging taxes dedicated to tourism promotion and convention center construction. For hotel owners, tourist-oriented public facilities and advertising serve as drivers of room demand. All of the hotels in a given market can benefit from programs that bring tourists and convention attendees to a city. Sponsoring these types of programs would be prohibitively expensive for any individual hotel. In the case of convention centers funded by a lodging tax, the hotels and individuals who benefit from the center pay for its construction and maintenance. Municipalities seek to benefit from visitor spending and the associated tax revenue that convention centers generate. Through the imposition of lodging taxes, those who benefit pay for advertising, marketing and sales efforts funded by lodging tax revenue. Some states, particularly those with large tourism industries, prevent municipalities from depositing hotel tax revenue into their general funds. For example, Florida allows only a series of special purpose taxes for tourist development. Texas requires that local transient occupancy taxes fund convention center development or tourism promotion. Since the 1970s, lodging taxes have become commonplace across the country. Of the 150 largest U.S. cities examined in this study, more than 120 impose a dedicated tax, and all of them collect some form of taxation on hotel room revenue. In small suburban cities and major tourist destinations alike, lodging taxes have become an important source of funding for economic development initiatives. This study attempts to survey hotel tax implementation across the country to provide information for those who wish to compare the structure and revenue capacity of lodging taxes in a diverse set of markets. COVID-19 Impact on the Lodging Industry While the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were unprecedented as documented in the 2021 HVS Lodging Tax Study, the recovery of the industry is occurring at a faster pace than most analysts originally anticipated. Revenue per available room (RevPAR), the product of average daily room rate and occupancy rate is a standard industry metric that combines the effects of occupancy and average daily room rate changes on hotel revenue performance. The figure below compares the amounts of RevPAR in the top 25 US urban markets for each month from January 2019 through September 2022. Top 25 US Urban MarketsRevenue Per Available Room Photo by STR Global By the spring of 2022, monthly RevPAR has met or exceeded 2019 levels in the top 25 US lodging markets. As an indication of the potential recovery of lodging tax revenues, HVS calculated RevPAR as a percent of pre-COVID levels (calendar year 2019) for calendar years 2020, 2021 and estimated year end 2022. The figure below shows the percentage of recovery or RevPAR from pre-COVID levels in 2019 for the major US markets. Top 25 US Lodging Markets Percentage Recovery of RevPAR from 2019 Photo by STR Global The recovery has been led by the return of price-insensitive leisure travel demand. Unlike in prior downturns of the economy, the disposable income of higher income households increased during the pandemic. Once travel restrictions were lifted, pent-up lodging demand was unleashed on the market. Consequently, markets with a higher share of leisure demand (pre-COVID) and earlier lifting of COVID related travel restrictions are recovering faster than those with a lower share of leisure demand and restrictions of longer duration. Labor Force Issues Reconstituting the labor force in the industry has been a significant impediment to growth. The lack of staff has at times prevented many hoteliers from making their full inventory of rooms available for rental, causing the absorption of demand during peak periods to be less than optimal. The figure below compares the percentage change in hospitality employment with the percentage change in RevPAR. Year-Over-Year Change in RevPAR and Hospitality Employment (Total US) Year-Over-Year Change in RevPAR and Hospitality Employment (Total US) Photo by STR Global and Bureau of Labor Statistics Revenues from Lodging Taxes While a relatively small source of revenue for state and local governments, lodging tax revenues may have a significant impact on the tourism economy. Lodging taxes support tourism marketing, the repayment of debt of tourism related projects, or for general fund purposes. Most destination marketing organizations rely primarily on lodging taxes to support their operations, which were decimated during the pandemic. More than 100 municipal revenue bond issues with $10 billion of outstanding principal are backed to varying degrees by lodging tax revenues. [3] Before the onset of the crisis, during fiscal year 2019, 25 major US markets generated approximately $3.7 billion in lodging tax revenue as shown in the figure below. Lodging Tax Revenues in 25 U.S. Markets Lodging Tax Revenues in 25 U.S. Markets Photo by Financial Statements of Respective Governments In total, these markets experienced a decline in revenue to $2.4 billion in fiscal year 2020, which reflects early impact of the pandemic. Revenue declined to $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2021, which reflects a full year of the negative impacts of the pandemic. Read the full report! View source Wait! Before you go Please sign up for our Evening Digest and Breaking Newsletters Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Columbia-Greene Media has recently teamed up with the US Postal Service to provide same-day delivery of your local newspaper with your mail. Our expanded daily delivery of your local news reaches into the following areas: remaining of Thank you for using HudsonValley360! On your next view you will be asked to log in or create an account to continue reading. Which music submission service is best? Submithub, Musosoup, others compared Music marketing is a lot of work for one person. Fortunately, there are services made to help, but how do you know who to trust? Heres a thorough review of some popular music submission sites, so you can get the best bang for your buck by Nikki Celis of LANDR As independent artists, music submission services are essential to any DIY music marketing plan. Youve put your heart and soul into your tracks, so it only makes sense to have the eyes and ears of listeners and curators everywhere on your latest release. But with so many playlisting options out there, it can be hard to choose the right serviceand audienceto send your music to, especially with a limited budget. So, how do you start? In this article, well look at the mechanics behind some of the most used submission platforms so you can choose the best ones for your campaign. What is a music submission service? Not everyone can pay for their own publicist. But outside of common networking strategies, there are plenty of online platforms to get your latest release seen by publishers, blogs, playlist curators and even indie record labels! From Submithub to Musosoup to Groover, these services are super accessible, making it easy to share your music with experts to expand your reach to new fans and listeners worldwide. Why use a music submission app? If you want your music featured on blogs, playlists and more, music submission platforms simplify the complicated world of PR and marketingso you dont have to stress about cold emailing or messaging curators all day. These services: Connect you with the most relevant blogs, curators, promoters, and influencers so youll have the highest chance of getting coverage. Are a great way to flesh out your electronic press kit (EPK). A simple review can turn the tide in getting gigs in venues and festivals and even getting covered by some of the best music reviewers out there! Give your music the momentum it needs to get picked up by Spotify and Apple Musics algorithmic playlists, including Discover Weekly and more. And most of all, it saves you time! Its easy to get carried away paying way too much for these services But be careful! Its easy to get carried away paying way too much for these services (Ive been there). Even with SubmitHubs free option, its never a good idea to put too many eggs in one basket. The best music promotion strategies are ones with diverse marketing initiatives. If youre struggling to map out your campaign, check out our essential guide to promoting your music in 2022. The best music submission services for your release In 2021, I was inspired to write a cute little jingle for a local Montreal-based seltzer brand called Le Seltzer. With a tiny budget of under $100 for a month-long campaign, I decided to try out some of the most popular submission and playlisting platforms used by independent artists today. With a tiny budget of under $100 for a month-long campaign, I decided to try out some of the most popular submission and playlisting platforms. Heres few services that stuck out in particular: Launched in 2015 by Jason Grishoff, SubmitHub has become the go-to platform to get covered by blogs, online magazines, playlists, Instagram and Tiktok influencers, and record labels. Users can upload music videos and songsreleased, and unreleasedand have the option to choose between the platforms free or paid service. Youll need to choose from their list of curators and influencers to pitch from, which can be time-consuming. With premium credits, youll pretty much be guaranteed to have your music listened to (curators are paid to listen to the first 20 seconds of your tracks)especially when you request feedback during the submission process. Make sure to choose the genres and moods relevant to your music, so you have the highest chance of getting approved. Receiving feedback is an essential way to build on your campaigns. Heres the thing: Just because youve paid for your music to get covered, it doesnt mean that youll get featured. But, receiving feedback is an essential way to build on your campaignsand can be a great stepping stone in improving as an artist overall. While SubmitHub is the defacto service for todays indie artists, its also oversaturated with submissions, so expect a lot of competition to get featured. Luckily, there are some fantastic alternatives like Next on the list is Musosoup, a homegrown independent PR service, that owns the music blog Lost in the Manor. Compared to SubmitHub, Musosoup is a paid platform (24 per campaign) that automatically submits your release to all* of its international curators. To start, youll need to build your campaign using its online submission form. That includes providing a pitch to give curators an idea of who you are and what theyre listening to. If you have a press release, this makes things easy (and if you need help, there are plenty of pros on the LANDR Network that can help you write a great press release). Once submitted, Musosoup will review your tracks with their team to ensure that its good enough to be sent out to its curators. You wont need to pay the campaign fee until your campaign is approved. With your campaign underway, youll receive offers from blogs, playlisters and magazines, letting you choose which ones you prefer to be featured on. One caveat is that some higher-profile curators will charge additional fees for more premium coverage (even though theyll often leave a free option). Note: You can opt-out of paid offers from the get-go by choosing the Coverage option when building your campaign. Another worthy mention is the Paris-based music submission service Groover. Its a great way to get coverage in France and Europeespecially if the type of music you make has an international following (I make a lot of dream-pop and shoegaze, a genre with a large European audience). Like Submithub, Groover will target the most relevant curators for your music. What makes Groover stand out is its list of curators. Rather than labels, playlisters, and magazines, youll come across a wider range of professionals like publishers, promoters and mentors! Reaching out to most curators costs 2-4 Grooviz tokens per 7-day campaign. Each token costs 1. If you dont receive a response, youll get your tokens back so you can submit them to another curator. Hot tip: If you distribute your music with LANDR you should submit your music for playlisting on L&R, the LANDR playlist. We update it quarterly and actively promote it on Spotify! Get pitchin Pushing your music out there can be a hard thing to do. And, when it comes to getting serious traction in the music sphere, not everyone can shell out the cash for top-tier playlisting companies and publicists. But with the right tools, strategies, and services, youll have your music reaching new fans in no time! Share on: Jay Weintraub cuts the ribbon Sunday on the new Susan Weintraub Tutor Resource Center, named after his late wife, a longtime volunteer and board member of Literacy Network of South Berkshire, as Executive Director Leigh Doherty looks on. LitNet Opens the Susan Weintraub Tutor Resource Center The resource center occupies three rooms on the first floor of 32 Park St., giving the tutoring nonprofit more space and flexibility in addition to its space in the Lee Library. LEE, Mass. The Literacy Network of South Berkshire honored a beloved friend on Sunday with the grand opening of the Susan Weintraub Tutor Resource Center. The late Susan Weintraub served on LitNet's board for 10 years, which is the longest time allowed, and was able to rejoin not long before her passing. Despite being sick, her passion to help others still remained strong. "She had been sick for some time, and her ability to help out had been decreasing, but she was still passionate right up to the end about helping people she would be proud of how far the organization has come in the 11 years that she spent here," her husband, Jay Weintraub, said. The new center at 32 Park St. will provide more flexibility and convenience that goes beyond the Lee Library, where the LitNet tutors and students have met for 30 years. LitNet already had an office in the building and now occupies a three-room suite on the first floor that will allow for operations, computers, library collections and space for tutor-learners to meet. It will continue to use the resource and tutor space at the library as well. There are more than 145 volunteer tutors serving English-as-second-language speakers from 30 countries speaking more than 18 languages. Following Weintraub's death last February, family members and friends banded together to help cement her legacy and raised approximately $45,000 to donate to LitNet. "This is what she would have wanted but wouldn't know how to ask for and wouldn't feel comfortable asking for since she was selfless " Weintraub's son, Scott, said. "It's emotional to come back here and think about the kinds of things that she did in her life and what her legacy will be now that she's not with us. But it's very heartwarming at the same time." Tutors, friends, and Weintraub's family gathered in the center to get the first glimpse into the endless opportunities that now exist because of her inspiration. During the ceremony, Weintraub's friends, peers, and family shared heartfelt stories about their friend and her impact on not just her students but on everyone around her. "I'm grateful to LitNet for providing this important service to the community. I think it's so valuable as somebody who works on language and literature and culture from, you know, a non US perspective. I think this is just, I think it's a wonderful organization that I hope we can continue to contribute to," Scott Weintraub said. Weintraub held a master's in speech therapy and had a private practice as well as working in medical and educational settings. She spent many years as an English tutor for immigrants at LitNet. Her love for language runs deep in the family's blood. Both her sons, Scott and Michael, work in the field: Scott teaches Spanish at the University of New Hampshire and Michael lives in Colombia working in Latin American Studies. "My mom was a great positive influence of welcoming other cultures, learning about new things and travel and all of those things," Scott said. Her love, soul, and legacy will remain in the new center forever, said Liliana Ortiz-Bermudez, Weintraub's friend, former student, and founder and president of Festival Latino of the Berkshires. A plaque with the names of the donors who contributed to the materialization of Weintraub's legacy hangs on the center's wall. They are still accepting donations "She was all about helping people and so that's what the tutor center is really about: Helping not just the people who are being tutored but the tutors themselves and giving them a space that they could comfortably gather to offer assistance," Jay Weintraub said. Many members in attendance expressed their deep honor of working with Weintraub and said they are greatly saddened by not only their loss but the community's loss. "I was privileged to work with Sue Weintraub. For the years that I've worked with her, you couldn't find anybody more dedicated to the mission who was always there when you needed her was so incredibly helpful, and I am so proud that, through the generosity of her friends and family, we can do this in her memory because she was just amazing," LitNet board President Merle Duskin Kailas said. Executive Director Leigh Doherty said the organization is looking to see a greater connection and sense of the community through the use of the center. Weintraub was described as selfless, dedicated, and had a strong desire to see not only her students succeed but also her peers. When Doherty became the executive director, Weintraub "cheered" her on. "She wanted me to win for LitNet, and she was very devoted. It's such a good feeling to do this for her, with her in mind, or with her really," Doherty said. "If she could have asked for something that she would have wanted this would have been it. So she just had so much pride in being supportive of helping people move ahead. And she had a lot of pride in LitNet." This new space will help LitNet better accommodate their learners and tutors and puts them on a new level professionally, LitNet learner liaison Miguel Silva said. "I also think that it's going make it so that we can accommodate more learners, more tutors, and gives us access to people that we work with that we wouldn't otherwise have as much. So that's a wonderful thing," he said. North Adams Chamber Announces LumiNAMA Holiday Lights Initiative NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The North Adams Chamber of Commerce (NAC) announces the first citywide LumiNAMA holiday lights initiative to run from Nov. 23 to Jan. 1. All businesses in North Adams are encouraged to create a window display and illuminate their windows with holiday lights from 4 pm to 8 pm daily, coinciding with the City's tree lighting ceremony on the evening of Nov. 23 "We believe businesses doing something as simple as hanging up some holiday lights will make shopping downtown for North Adams residents a little extra special this holiday season," said Chamber of Commerce President Glenn Maloney. The LumiNAMA Downtown Holiday Lights route will run along Marshall, Holden, Main, and Eagle Streets, and Route 2 between Big Y and behind 85 Main Street. Many downtown businesses have already committed to participating in the initiative including the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Massachusetts College Of Liberal Arts, and Gallery 51. The City of North Adams will also assist in installing lights along Route 2. Additionally, the NAC is connecting commercial real estate owners with local artists and community groups to activate unoccupied storefronts. Businesses interested in participating in LumiNAMA are encouraged to register their display by Nov. 18 at nachamber.org/luminama Those who register will be considered for the following awards: Brightest Lights, Best Window Display, and Best Art Installation. Voting begins on Nov. 23 the day the light displays are lit and ends on Dec. 14. Winners will be announced on Dec. 16. Community voting on the holiday light displays begins on Nov. 23 via the Chamber website and ends on Dec. 14. Winners will be announced on Dec. 16. Despite many protocols, guidelines and proposals, journalists still face a daily threat and impunity continues to make the situation worse. In the last 6 years more than 600 journalists have been killed. Nine in 10 cases remain unpunished. Impunity reigns. Hundreds of journalists are imprisoned and on a daily basis journalists are attacked, beaten, detained, harassed and threatened. There are growing threats to digital safety with cyber-attacks, hacking, online harassment, especially of women journalists, all creating a safety crisis for news professionals. It is this and a growing frustration with a lack of action and, in too many cases, a lack of will to tackle the crisis of impunity - which has driven the IFJ to launch this campaign for an International Convention dedicated to the protection of journalists and media professionals. What you can do: Read the draft Convention Download the Q&A/briefing paper Add your organisation's name to support the campaign Lobby your government and political parties to support the Convention Invite an IFJ representative to address your meeting to discuss the protection of journalists. Recent media coverage: UN-Konvention zum Schutz von Journalisten nach Totung von Khashoggi gefordert Welt Federatia Internationala a Jurnalistilor a lansat o campanie pentru infiintarea unei Conventii internationale pentru securitatea si independenta jurnalistilor Stiri Pe Surse Rights group pushes for U.N. convention to protect journalists Rappler ONU: campagne pour une Convention internationale pour la securite des journalistes RTL info The Journalists Workers Union of Tanzania (JOWUTA) in collaboration with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) under the Union to Union (UTU) Project 2022, held a two- day workshop on climate change reporting from 20 21 October in Dar es Salam, Tanzania. The workshop brought together 20 journalists from various media outlets in the country, including radio, television, community radio stations, newspapers and online media. The Secretary General of JOWUTA, Suleiman Msuya, in his welcome address, said that human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of millions of people in Tanzania, despite efforts to reduce the risks. He emphasised that climate change is a global challenge that requires local solutions and calls on the Government of Tanzania to take urgent action in dealing with increasing risks of people living in low lying coastal areas. I have no doubt that this workshop will empower the participants to be able to report more effectively on climate change. The Administrative and Finance Officer of the IFJ Africa Office, Mrs; Sokhna Dia Coly, in her solidarity statement said that while in other parts of the world there has been tremendous efforts in reporting climate change, the African media on the other hand, has seriously under reported the issues of climate change, despite the colossal damage that the effects of climate change have on the continent most especially in the agricultural sector. She added that a significant number of African journalists still do not have sufficient knowledge on the concept of climate change and hence give more prominence in their reporting to natural disasters instead of relating these to climate change. Secondly, our surveys in Kenya, Cameroun, Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso on How the Media reports on Climate Change revealed that there is a fear factor among a large number of journalists to venture into climate change reporting mainly because of the scientific concepts associated with climate change. Thus, the IFJ has deemed it necessary to continue to build the capacities of journalists in climate change reporting. The two- day workshop dilated on various topics notably the major climate change challenges confronting Tanzania; Causes and consequences of climate change in Tanzania; the role of the media in the fight against climate change in Tanzania; gender dimension of climate change and climate change mitigation and adaptation in Tanzania. ARY News anchor-person and senior journalist Arshad Sharif, who was living in hiding after allegedly receiving death threats for his critical reporting, was shot dead by law enforcement in Kenya on October 24. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliates, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Kenyan Union of Journalists (KUJ), in strongly condemning Sharifs killing and calling on both the Kenyan and Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation to bring those responsible to justice. The PFUJ and its union affiliates stage a protest against the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif outside the Lahore Press Club on October 24, 2022. Credit: PFUJ According to Kenyan police reports, Sharif was fatally shot by police while driving to Nairobi, Kenya on October 23. After Sharif and his brother allegedly drove through a security roadblock, officers from Kenya Police Services paramilitary wing opened fire on the vehicle, shooting a total of nine rounds, with one hitting Sharif through the back of the head. Police had formed a roadblock using small stones following reports of an incident of car theft and child kidnapping. Kenyan authorities claimed the killing was an accident and expressed regret at the incident, with Kenyas Independent Police Oversight Authority launching an immediate probe. Sharif fled his home country in August after multiple sedition cases were filed against him in different regions of Pakistan. Sharif was one of several ARY News employees charged by Pakistani authorities after the station broadcast an interview with Shahbaz Gill, aide of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. During the interview, Gill made comments critical of the military, considered to be seditious and a threat to national security by the ruling government. Sharifs killing has been met with protests and calls for investigation from journalists, media rights and civil society organisations. In Pakistan, the PFUJ launched a nationwide series of protests demanding an independent, transparent, and thorough investigation into Sharifs murder and compensation for his family. Sharif, who has worked for numerous national and international media outlets, was known for his investigative journalism and as an outspoken critic of Pakistans government. He had relocated from Pakistan to Dubai, before moving to Kenya. In 2019, he received the Presidential Pride of Performance award for his contributions to journalism from current Pakistani president Arif Alvi. PFUJ President, GM Jamali, and Secretary General, Rana Azeem, said: "The PFUJ has grave concerns over the suspicious killing of famous anchor person Arshad Sharif and demands the authorities conduct a transparent and comprehensive investigation. The PFUJ has also demanded the government of Pakistan form a high-level committee, with representation from IFJ & PFUJ members. We show our sympathy with the family of Arshad Sharif and assure them of our fullest support in this testing time. KUJ Secretary General, Erick Oduor, said: The KUJ condemns the killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif, in a shootout incident, which Kenya police have admitted was carried out by General Service Unit officers in an ambush following a signal over car theft/abduction. From the police record, there is more than meets the eye in the death of Mr Sharif and we demand a thorough investigation to unravel the motive of the shootout. In the meantime, we demand the immediate arrest of the officers who were involved in this incident and charged in court for the killing of Mr Sharif. We send our heartfelt condolences to Mr Sharifs family and the Pakistani media fraternity. IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said:Journalists should be able to live without fear of political retribution or assassination. The IFJ strongly condemns the killing of Arshad Sharif and demands a thorough investigation into his death. Reporter Farhan Abdi Isse from HornCable TV and Sadaq Saed Nur, a former employee from Galmudug state TV and now freelance, were assaulted on 22 October by the police as they were carrying out their journalistic duties. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) in condemning these arrests and calls on the Somali government to stop silencing and intimidating journalists. The journalists were respectively arrested in Gabiley district and in Galkayo of the state of Galmudug. Despite the adoption of a Somali National Action Plan to strengthen the safety of media workers in the country and to strongly protect press freedom while enhancing democracy, these two new attacks worsen the already alarming situation regarding the security of journalists. On 22 October, Farhan Abdi Isse got arrested by the police of Somaliland, in the district of Gabiley. Abdi Isse was covering a meeting organised by a group of young activists wanting the district of Gabiley to be fully a region and not just an interim regional administration as it is now. Governor of Gabileys district ordered the arrest of the journalist. On the same day, in the regional state of Galmudug, freelance photojournalist and videographer Sadaq Saed Nur and a former journalist of Galmudug state TV, spent the night at the police station for a posting on his Facebook about a fight in an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Camp DP in Galkayo during a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. His phones were confiscated and all the content on his Facebook page were deleted. Despite his release, he was asked not to post anything about Galkayos camp. The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) said We are disturbed by the twin arrests of journalists in Somaliland and Galmudug on 22 October 2022 and call for an end to the sustained campaign of intimidation and censorship against independent journalism. IFJ Secretary General, Anthony Bellanger, said: We condemn these arrests that are meant to silence and intimidate journalists and encourage Somali authorities to further strengthen the National Action Plan for the safety of media workers. The safety crisis facing journalists on the ground is extremely concerning and must be put to an end without further delay. Two journalists have been summoned by the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) after publishing two articles on a ministers request to dismiss Gastao Pereira, the Director of Internal Intelligence at the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Timor-Leste Press Union (TLPU), in condemning the summons and urging the authorities to cease targeting journalists and safeguard press freedom. Editor-in-chief of the Jornal Independente, Jorginho dos Santos, and journalist, Domingos Gomes received letters from law enforcement summoning them to a police station for their article detailing recent political developments in Timor-Leste. The piece detailed allegations that Timor-Lestes Deputy Minister of Justice, Jose Edmundo Caetano, had sent a letter to senior government officials requesting the resignation of National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director of Internal Intelligence, Gastao Pereira, for his failure to comply with disclosure regulations. According to reports, Pereira is accused of sharing confidential information about an upcoming investigation into the seizure of USD 130,000 and 40 million Indonesian Rupiahs (approx. USD 2,566) at a Timor-Leste airport. The summoning of the Santos and Gomes by police is the latest in a series of media rights violations in Timor-Leste. In May, the IFJ documented defamation charges brought by a parliament minister against journalist Francisco Belo Simoes da Costa, following coverage of an allegation of ministerial corruption. Two months later, the chief editor of news portal Oekusipost.com, Raimundos Oki, was accused of breaching judicial secrecy for an investigative report arguing that several virginity tests were forcibly conducted on inmates at the Topu Honis Shelter in Kutet, Oeecusse. The TLPU said: TLPU stands firm on its position to promote and defend freedom of expression and information, and freedom of the press and media. Therefore, TLPU laments the illegal action of the PNTL as journalists are not criminals and perpetrators. TLPU demands that PNTL must stop issuuing unjustifiable notification letters to the media and journalists." The IFJ said: "All journalists must be able to report on issues in the public interest without fear of reprisal or legal harassment. The IFJ condemns the summoning of Jorginho dos Santos and Domingos Gomes by Timor-Leste police and urges the government to uphold press freedom." As it continues to intensify its fight against scammers and other cyber criminals, GCash issues a stern warning against users who sell or lend their accounts, adding they will face the full force of the law. Accounts used in illegal activities to face full force of the law These accounts are considered as money mules wherein they are used by scammers to receive stolen or illicit money and obscure the source of funds while keeping the criminals identity secret. While some money mules are aware that what theyre doing is illegal, others are more unwitting. GCash has been receiving reports from authorities that fraudsters are now going to impoverished or rural areas and offering individuals P150 - P500 if they register to GCash using their phones and their identities. The SIM cards and the GCash accounts are then turned over to the buyer, who then sells them to other scammers. According to authorities, persons whose identity were used in scams also face jail time if its proven that these individuals voluntarily sold their accounts, said Ingrid Berona, Chief Risk Officer of GCash. Thats why we strongly urge our customers to never sell their GCash accounts to avoid identity theft and get their name linked to fraudulent activities without their knowledge. GCash has been working closely with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) to clamp down on this fraudulent practice. Likewise, it has also been in close coordination with other authorities like the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), the National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division (NBI-CCD), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC). Thanks to its partnership with authorities, to date, GCash has already helped cause the arrest of six sellers of verified wallets with a total of 741 SIM cards confiscated. With so many text scams and online fraud activities lately, GCash has also been proactively reminding its users to protect their accounts by staying vigilant and taking full control of their e-wallets and transactions. Users can only avail of customer support through the GCash Help Center at help.gcash.com and is not available via messenger, SMS, or other chat apps. GCash will NEVER send a text or email asking for your personal information, MPIN, and One-Time-Pin (OTP). Customers can also report scams at the help center by clicking the chatbot Gigi on the website and typing, I want to report a scam. New data released by Kaspersky showed that phishing detections in local e-commerce and banking sectors doubled in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the first three months of the year. Phishing is a type of Internet fraud that seeks to acquire a user's credentials by deception. It includes stealing of passwords, credit card numbers, bank account details, and other confidential information. Phishing messages usually take the form of fake notifications from providers, e-payment systems, banks, and other organizations. The cybersecurity company recorded 77,092 phishing incidents in Q2 among its e-shop customers in the country from only 15,119 in Q1. This reveals a 409% surge in phishing attempts from April to June this year. Established data showed the pandemic boosted online shopping in the Philippines. Currently, the top local e-commerce platforms are enjoying brisk sales of beauty, electronics, fashion, furniture, health, and household care products. These data are from anonymized data based on the triggering of the deterministic component in the Kasperskys Anti-Phishing system on user computers. The component detects all pages with phishing content that the user has tried to open by following a link in an e-mail message or on the web, as long as links to these pages are present in the Kaspersky database. The rise in the percentage of phishing detections in its e-commerce industry puts the Philippines in third place among its Southeast Asian neighbors next to Malaysia (572.48%) and Indonesia (443.33%). Meanwhile, among its local bank customers, Kaspersky shared that 8,454 phishing incidents were recorded in Q2 up from 4,746 detections in Q1, or a 78% increase within the first half of the year. The rise in global detections for the same period is only at 28%. From the same report, phishing attacks against Philippine-based payment systems went down at -19%. There were 132,125 detected phishing attempts in Q1 among Kaspersky users in the payment system sector. Three months later, it trickled down to 105,986 incidents. The decline in local numbers is relatively similar to the global trend for the same duration at -31.58%. In the payment system sector, all countries in the SEA region showed a decrease in phishing attacks in varying degrees with the Philippines in the third spot trailing behind Thailand (-32.54%) and Malaysia (-20.66%). The first half of the year witnessed the reopening of borders in Southeast Asia but the pandemic habits seem to remain consistent. Despite our regained physical freedom, we know that we still prefer to do our banking, shopping, and financial activities online because of its unparalleled convenience, said Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky. Regulators and industry players in the region are all backing a digital-forward Southeast Asia. In fact, countries here are poised to link their QR code payment systems before the year ends to remove currency exchange hassles. It is a welcome development with possible great economic gains, for us and the cybercriminals. With most users here aware of the threats targeting our online money, it is time to act now and secure your mobile devices to enjoy the perks of a more connected, regional financial environment, adds Yeo. Here are tips from Kaspersky on how to stay safe online from phishing attempts: Always keep a keen eye on suspicious emails. If it looks too good to be true, check, double-check, and triple-check. Maintain two email addresses if you are using free accounts. One is for official use and the other is for websites that require you to log in to read the news or gather information. Not all smartphones are secure so be careful of messages that will lead you to a website. There are a number of malicious software that can gain entry into your contacts list and financial apps. Use a reliable security solution with anti-phishing and secure payment capabilities like Kaspersky Total Security. Still, the best defense to phishing is being informed and discerning of the emails and other messages users receive. There is no harm in being too cautious, especially since most of the financial transactions are now done online in pursuit of digitalization. Kaspersky products for consumers can be purchased from www.kasperskyph.com, the online shop of iSecure Networks, Kaspersky's distributor in the Philippines. In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we provide readers with an overview of Indias education industry ... Pine Labs, a fintech unicorn, is intensifying its attempts to spread throughout India's Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and hinterlands. During this holiday season, the company is seeing a strong demand for its Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services from the offline merchant sector. This month, the company plans to conduct BNPL transactions worth Rs5,000 crore, as an increasing number of clients in small towns purchase things from physical businesses using EMI (equated monthly installment). These include items like cellphones, wearable technology, big-screen televisions, huge appliances, and washing machines. Fashion, clothing, and leisure products are among other categories where they are in extremely high demand. For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com According to Vikaash Khdloya, CEO of Embassy REIT, who talked to ET, about Rs 3,200 crore will be invested in the development of 7.1 million square feet over the next three to four years. Once stabilised, the pipeline, of which 80% is being developed in Bengaluru, is anticipated to increase its net operating income by more than Rs800 crore. "Our balance structure sets us very well to support our growth plans," said Khdloya. "Our balance sheet with low 26% leverage, favourable 7.1% debt cost, and with over two-thirds of the debt book at fixed rates." Additionally, the REIT has signed non-binding offer letters to purchase two office buildings in Bengaluru and Chennai from Embassy Sponsor and its affiliates. Leasable space is available throughout the sites for a combined 7.1 million square feet, of which 3.7 million square feet are finished or nearly finished. The Right of First Offer (ROFO) invitation for the 5 million square foot Embassy Splendid TechZone, Chennai, from the Embassy Sponsor has been under evaluation by the REIT. The company is also considering acquiring a 2.1 million square foot office building in Bengaluru's Embassy business district. Park at Embassy Offices In the three months ending in September, the REIT reported leasing 1.6 million square feet of space through 27 transactions, including a 500,000 square foot pre-commitment from ANZ at Embassy Manyata. The REIT increased its customer base and recruited 15 new high-growth tenants in industries like cloud computing, cybersecurity, renewable energy, and healthcare technology. Given India's dual structural advantages as the unrivaled digital talent factory of the world combined with much lower leases, Embassy REIT anticipates that the country's office market will continue to be notably distinct from other international office markets. For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com Thousands of people mainly from Punjab have sought asylum in Canada citing political persecution in India because they support Khalistan. After escaping from India, 6,537 people have applied to the Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada over the last 10 years for citizenship. More than half of the political asylum seekers are reported to be from Punjab. Providing these figures in response to queries sent by indianarrative.com, Mylene Estrada-del Rosario, advisor to the Immigration and Refugee Board reveals that the refugee claims from India are mostly made based on India being a persecuting country. The second plea taken by the applicants is that their political opinion varies from that of the Indian state because of which they are hounded by the security agencies. Rosario says, each case before the Immigration and Refugee Board is decided on its own merits by independent decision-makers. The applicant is required to furnish sufficient proof in support of his claim. The Canadian authorities on their own also keep an eye on the situation prevailing in the country to which the applicant belongs. These asylum seekers enter Canada via sea, land, or air. On reaching Canada they straightway claim refugee status as they are allegedly being hounded by Indian agencies violating human rights. Punjab-origin journalist J P Pandher, now based in Toronto, reveals that the Indian lawyers dealing with political asylum seekers charge a hefty fee to file such cases in courts. The Indian lawyer, once hired, ropes in the services of a White advocate who drafts and argues the case in the court. The fee alone could range between Rs 30 to 35 lakh per case. Once an asylum seeker gets permission to temporarily stay in Canada till the court decides his fate, he is allowed to work and earn for himself. The litigation continues for several years during which the applicants keep working to pay the lawyers. A majority of political asylum seekers prefer Montreal in the Quebec state of Canada to file their cases. There is a belief prevalent that courts in Quebec are more sympathetic towards refugee claims. It is common knowledge that the Quebec people too are wanting to accede from mainland Canada as they feel oppressed. Montreal's Olympic Stadium has been transformed into a temporary shelter to help house an influx of asylum seekers to the city pic.twitter.com/tBiuPXcfv3 Alison Northcott (@AlisonNorthcott) August 2, 2017 A Brampton-based Punjabi lawyer says on condition of anonymity that the newspaper reports and films emanating from India showing violence against a particular community are presented before the courts to convince the judges that India persecutes them based on their religion and political beliefs. The majority of asylum seekers from Punjab claim that they are supporters of the Khalistan movement and want an independent Sikh state but the police and other agencies of the Indian government put them in jail without a just trial. Another lawyer engaged with cases of political asylum seekers reveals that the letter of support issued by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president and MP Simranjit Singh Mann on the party letterhead who himself is a flag bearer of Khalistan, is procured to bolster the refugee claim of an individual. Stoking a massive controversy on Thursday, Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann openly backed the creation of a Sikhism-based theocratic nation of Khalistan. #khalistan #NewsUpdate pic.twitter.com/AwXPVqSNNU Prakash Thakur (@prakashthakur) July 15, 2022 New Zealand-based Radio and TV host, Harnek Singh Neki maintains that Mann charges something between Rs 5 to 7 lakh for issuing a letter to support a particular refugee claim. The Sikh extremists wanted in Punjab for themselves committing or having funded acts of violence are learnt to be holed up in various cities of Canada as refugees and controlling key Gurdwaras. Such extremists include Hardeep Singh Nijjer, Lakhbir Landa, and Arshdeep Singh Arsh. Also Read: Punjab Govt to launch inquiry into anti-national activities of Waris Punjab De radical outfit Love transcends all trivial boundaries, including age too. A teenage boy and a grandmother have become engaged in Thailand despite their 37-year age gap. 19-year-old gets engaged to 56-year-old grandmother At first glance, most people might think Wuthichai Chantaraj, 19, is 56-year-old Janla Namuangraks nephew, son, or even grandson. However, reality is far from it. They are actually a couple and have been dating for two years. ViralPress Wuthichai met Janla when he was just 10 years old, when the latter moved next to his family home in the Akat Amnuay district of Thailands Sakhon Nakhon province. Their first interaction occurred when Janla asked for Wuthichai's help with cleaning her home. He went ahead to help her, and in the process of moving her potted plants and doing chores for the woman regularly, the pair struck up a friendship. ViralPress They have now been in a relationship for two years and go on dates in the town and to restaurants. Couple are not worried about criticism They pay no heed to what people have to say about their age gap and are not shy about showing affection in public, regularly holding hands and kissing each other. While they were best of friends, it all turned to be much more when Wuthichai turned 17. He started developing feelings for Janla, and they eventually became a couple. They only announced their romance to their families at the start of this year, and their love story has been making headlines in Thailand ever since. "I have been with Janla for two years now. It's the first time in my life I felt like I wanted to make sure someone was living comfortably," Wuthichai said. He said he saw her in a shabby house and started thinking of ways to help her live in a better condition. Wuthichai called her now-girlfriend a hardworking woman and honest. On the other hand, Janla said that Wuthichai makes her feel young again. The grandmother split up with her previous partner-her husband of 20 years, with whom she has three children and are all in their 30's. Janla raved about Wuthichai and said he was like a superhero to her. She said he helped her every day. She went on to say that when he was older, they started to have feelings for each other. The couple are going strong and have plans to get married in the future. h/t: ViralPress For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram. New Zealand will restart two immigration streamsthe Skilled Migrant visa and the Parent Resident visafrom next month. The Skilled Migrant Category is the most popular visa pathway to residence in New Zealand for migrants and their families. A resident visa under the Skilled Migrant Category allows candidates to live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely and bring their partner and dependent children under the age of 24. applyzones.com The Skilled Migrant Category aims to attract skilled migrants who have a proven capacity to contribute to New Zealands economic growth. It's a points-based system whereby points are claimed under various criteria such as age, qualifications, work experience, or a job offer in New Zealand. A candidate will have their Expression Of Interest (EOI) accepted and be Invited To Apply (ITA) for residence if they meet at least 160 points and if they satisfy mandatory health and character requirements. Eligibilty To be eligible for residence under SMC, you must: a) be 55 years old or younger b) have a job or job offer in New Zealand that requires specialized, technical, or managerial knowledge, experience, and qualifications. asiglobalmigration.com c) have a recognised qualification d) have skilled work experience In addition, you should also be able to speak English reasonably well, be in good health, and be able to provide proof of identity. Expression of interest Your first step to applying for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa is completing an Expression of Interest (EOI), online or using a printed form. Once you submit your EOI, immigration authorities will then periodically choose from applications and invite applicants to apply for the visa. Whether they invite you to apply depends on how many points they assign to you. The Points System Immigration New Zealand will use the information to assess your eligibility based on a points system. They are only considering EOI's from applicants with at least 180 points (or 160 points for their selection on November 9, 2022). How many points you get will be based on the information you provide in your EOI. Representational Image/Shutterstock 1) For skilled employment, you can claim 5060 points for a job or a job offer in New Zealand that requires specialist, technical, or management expertise. 2) You can also claim points for at least two years' work experience in the same field in which you have skilled employment. 3) There are 40-60 points on offer for a variety of trade certificates, diplomas, bachelor's degrees, and post-graduate qualifications. You can get bonus points for qualifying, too. 4) There are a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 30 points for age. The lower the age, the higher the points. 5) You can earn 10 points if you have a close family member who lives or has citizenship in New Zealand. For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram. A 22-foot-long python in Indonesia swallowed a grandmother whole, and disturbing footage shows the moment her remains were discovered within the cut-open snake. According to police, a search was begun after the victim, 54-year-old Jahrah did not come home after collecting rubber from a plantation in the Jambi region on Sunday. NGC According to Betara Jambi Police Chief AKP Herafa, despite the husband's searching the area, he only discovered his wife's sandals, jacket, headscarf, and knife. The following day, he returned to the same place with a search party and, according to authorities, stumbled upon the enormous snake with a bloated middle where it had eaten a sizable meal. Wild footage shows a volunteer carefully pinning the snake's head downward with a branch as others began beating it above the widened region. The distressing video then showed villagers meticulously tearing it open, revealing what authorities believe to be the chewed body of the missing grandma. "Everyone was astonished," Anto, the head of the local Terjun Gajah village, told ViralPress."It turned out that the woman we were looking for was in the snakes stomach." Screenshot Anto predicted it would have taken at least two hours for the snake to bite Jahrah, encircling her and suffocating her before swallowing her. Anto claimed it was not even a record for the area where a python measuring 27 feet had previously been seen. The official claimed that because it escaped, the residents are now "worried that bigger snakes are still in the jungle." (For the latest trending stories, keep reading Indiatimes) Reeling under an economic crisis, Pakistan has requested China to rollover its $6.3 billion debt that is maturing in the next eight months, as part of its overall plan to arrange $34 billion in the current financial year of 202223 to meet its debt and external trade-related obligations. Another proposal was also under consideration to seek a fresh Chinese loan to repay the maturing bilateral debt during the fiscal year 202223, ending June 30, the Express Tribune newspaper reported, as per PTI. tribune.com.pk Also Read: Countries Investing In Pakistan The issue of rollover and refinancing of nearly $6.3 billion in commercial loans and the central bank debt was discussed in a meeting between Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong and Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday, the report mentioned. The $3.3 billion in Chinese commercial loans and $3 billion worth of safe deposit 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 $900 million in bilateral Chinese debt is due during the current fiscal year. For the current fiscal year of 202223, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Ministry of Finance have reportedly estimated Pakistan's gross external financing requirements in the range of $32 billion to $34 billion, excluding the impact of the recent devastating floods. Pakistan has already obtained $2.2 billion in loans during the July-September quarter, while Saudi Arabia has announced plans to rollover $3 billion in debt maturing in December this year. The country still needs to arrange $29 billion and it is looking for a minimum of $6.3 billion to $7.2 billion in rollover from China in addition to any fresh lending. The report mentioned that this time the government was seeking rollover of the $3 billion safe deposit for more than one year, preferably for three to five years. China has extended a total of $4 billion in safe deposits and of this, $1 billion has already been rolled over in July this year. Pakistan's PM To Visit Beijing On November 1 Pakistans Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, is reportedly visiting Beijing on November 1 with a long list of new projects and requests to rollover the existing debt. He is also considering sanctioning new debt and preferential trade treatment for certain exportable goods. AFP/getty The crisis-hit country is under pressure from western institutions and governments to seek a rollover of Chinese debt, which currently stands at $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 refinancing a $2.3 billion commercial loan that Pakistan paid back in March. Pakistan's gross foreign exchange reserves currently stand at $7.5 billion, as per the report. "The finance minister also appreciated the support extended by the Chinese leadership for flood relief and refinancing of syndicate facilities of RMB 15 billion ($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. Pakistan Gets $1.5 Billion Loan From ADB Last week, the Asian Development Bank agreed to lend $1.5 billion to crisis-hit Pakistan, a country that has seen default risks surge after devastating floods crippled it. As per the Bloomberg report, the bank approved the loan for social protection, promote food security amid devastating floods and global supply chain disruptions, according to a statement by the Manila-based lender on Friday. The financing will be the single largest inflow since the nation received a $1.1 billion bailout loan in August 2022 from the IMF. Also Read: 234 People Arrested In China's Biggest Bank Fraud For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here. Cover Image Attribute: Japanese girls in Kimon, Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay "Tourism Expo Japan 2022" returned to Tokyo in 2022 after an absence of four years to revive tourism throughout the nation. During the expo, significant players from the tourism industry, as well as authorities from Japan, invited attendees to visit their respective booths and the country as a whole. Last month. thereturned to Tokyo in 2022 after an absence of four years to revive tourism throughout the nation. During the expo, significant players from the tourism industry, as well as authorities from Japan, invited attendees to visit their respective booths and the country as a whole. After more than two years of keeping its borders closed because of the COVID pandemic, Japan reopened to visitors from other countries about two weeks ago. A limit on the number of daily arrivals has also been removed. Hiroyuki Takahashi, Chairperson of the Japan Association of Travel Agents, said, "In Japan, there have been reports on the prospect of further easing border measures to accommodate foreigners, including the start of nationwide travel assistance, lifting the ban on accepting individual travelers from overseas, short stay and visa exemption. We want to make it a symbolic event for the Japanese tourism industry to celebrate its re-start." At the expo, Okinawa Prefecture is promoting "Okinawa Karate" as a new way to attract tourists while spreading awareness regarding Okinawa's role as the birthplace of karate. Besides that, Okinawa is itself a popular tourist destination. Tourists visit Okinawa to see the beautiful ocean, mountains and to taste unique food. Image Attribute: A lighthouse at Ishigaki Island in Japans southwestern Okinawa Prefecture, Image by Kanenori from Pixabay "Okinawa has potential as a resort destination and environment. In Okinawa, there is an extraordinary everyday working life. In addition, the geographical proximity of Asia is creating new business opportunities. We believe that this style of work and vacation in Okinawa is the best way to combine tourism, work, and industry," said Yuichiro Kawamura, Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau. In addition, Okinawa prefecture is promoting the concept of "workcation," which combines working and traveling. The rise of the teleworking job style has hastened the migration of people to rural areas to both live and work there. In addition, the widespread coronavirus led to a shift in people's habits and ways of living. Additionally, the Japanese island of Hokkaido is well-liked by travelers from Southeast Asia. The local government of Noboribetsu Toya is attempting to increase the number of tourists visiting their area by promoting "Upopoy," a museum that allows visitors to experience both the natural environment and the culture of the Ainu people. Image Attribute: Ainu performers at the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Par. /Source: of The Foundation for Ainu Culture "The most attractive point in this area is its rich natural beauty. This area is surrounded by mountains, oceans, hot springs, and many large lakes. Therefore, it is where people can experience such an extraordinary viewpoint in the city center, including activities in such a rich natural environment," Tomoko Okawa, the Foundation for Ainu Culture. After COVID, the focus has shifted to environmentally responsible tourism, according to Shinya Billy Kurosawa, CEO of JTB Global Marketing and Travel, Japan's largest travel agency with a history dating back 110 years. The company is focusing on "ECO Friendly," "Cross-culture Understanding," and "Social Constructions." He added, "Through such travel products, we would like to create a trend in which tourists can become familiar with the differences between before and after the coronavirus. Each region of Japan has a variety of traditional, natural, and food cultures, and many treasures make tourists very familiar with them. Next time tourists come to Japan; I hope they will enjoy themselves. However, it will become important again to show this charm to the world. Instead of creating over tourism, where customers travel only to nominated areas, a fixed form of tourism in which tourists come to each area will be realized if each region makes an effort. It is important that the Japanese government strongly supports such tourism. In addition, as a travel company, we would like to promote this type of tourism by strengthening it." Cover Image Attribute: A board with the Russian state nuclear agency ROSATOM logo. Source: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg More than seven months into the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, the Russian nuclear industry has been conspicuously spared from sanctions imposed by the European Union. As a result, atomic fuel shipments to EU member states continue to make their way from Russia even though Russia has been subjected to eight rounds of sanctions and targeted measures against energy exports. This has caused much consternation among Kyiv officials and environmental activists. According to Investigate Europe's estimates , the EU spent approximately 210 million ($203.7 million) to import raw uranium from Russia in the previous year. Additionally, the EU spent 245 million to import uranium from Kazakhstan, where Russian state-owned ROSATOM (Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation) controls the mining. Top five exporters of natural uranium to the EU (2021) Niger - 24.3% Kazakhstan - 22.9% Russia -19.6% Australia - 15.6% Canada - 14.3% On the other hand, none of the fuel needed to power America's nuclear power plants and the U.S. Navy's nuclear fleet today comes from domestic producers. In contrast, U.S. nuclear utilities purchase nearly half of the uranium they consume from state-owned entities (SEO) in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan. For example, the U.S. generally pays more than $1 billion per year in purchases of nuclear fuel to ROSATOM. Owners and operators of U.S. nuclear power reactors purchased the equivalent of about 46.74 million pounds of uranium in 2021; Kazakhstan - 35% Canada - 15% Australia - 14% Russia -14% Namibia - 7% United States (domestic procurement) - 5% Others - 10% (Five countries combined, W) Data source: Uranium Marketing Annual Report, Table 3, May 2022 Note: W = data withheld; the sum of shares may not equal 100% because of independent rounding. The US majorly imports HALEU or high assay low enriched uranium. It is a basic need to fuel Americas next-generation nuclear reactors. The HALEU nuclear fuel component is enriched uranium containing 5% to 20% of the fissile isotope U-235. This concentration is more than the 3-5% concentration of low-enriched uranium used to fuel the current fleet of reactors. However, it is still well below the 90% assay required to produce nuclear weapons or power the fleet of nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers of the US Navy. According to Centrus Energy, the higher concentration of the uranium isotope in HALEU enables smaller fuel assemblies and reactors, and less frequent refueling, which is why numerous small modular reactor (SMR) and micro-reactor designs will operate on HALEU. Additionally, HALEU can also reduce the volume of nuclear waste produced. The chart below shows annual U.S. uranium production and the sources of uranium purchased by U.S. nuclear power plant operators from 1950 through 2021. It is likely that the West will eventually wean itself off of its reliance on Russian uranium and nuclear know-how. In the meantime, the EU and US will maintain their support for Russia's financial system while simultaneously implementing sanctions to deplete the Kremlin's financial resources. COPYRIGHT: This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ REPUBLISH: Republish our articles online or in print for free if you follow these guidelines. https://www.indrastra.com/p/republish-us.html Reinsurers play a foundational role in enabling the coal, oil and gas production that fuels climate disasters, said Lindsay Keenan, European coordinator of Insure Our Future. Without insurance, new fossil fuel projects would be impossible. Reinsurers must immediately rule out both facultative and treaty reinsurance for new coal, oil and gas and commit to phasing down existing cover in lime with climate science and pathways targeting 1.5C. Insure Our Future pointed out that Hannover Re, Swiss Re, Allianz and, most recently, Munich Re have adopted policies ruling out support for new oil and gas projects. The group called on other reinsurers to follow their lead. It singled out Berkshire Hathaway and Lloyds of London as two of the last major reinsurers still underwriting the expansion of the coal industry. The two insurers ranked last and second last, respectively, in Insure Our Futures recent assessment of the industrys fossil fuel policies. We have seen action to exclude fossil fuels by quite a few reinsurers now, said Regine Richter of German Insure Our Future member group Urgewald. Yet many of those assembled in Baden Baden have not taken such steps. Rather than discussing how to pass the rising costs of climate disasters on to their customers, they need to limit the damage by excluding fossil fuel clients. The campaign singled out the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and its insurance broker, Marsh, represented at Baden Baden by sister company Guy Carpenter. At peak production, EACOP is expected to generate an additional 34 million tons of CO2 per year, take farming land from 100,000 people, and risk oil spills into Lake Victoria, upon which more than 40 million people depend for water and food production. Twenty-four banks, 18 (re)insurers, and four export credit agencies have denied support to EACOP, and more than 100 of Marsh McLennans own employees have written to company leaders urging them not to support the project. Insure Our Future has called on the reinsurers assembled in Baden Baden to rule out involvement in the project, and has urged Marsh McLennan CEO Daniel Glaser to heed his employees request. New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A Maryland general contractor has spent almost $10.5 million to fix an improperly installed concrete wall system in a school it was hired to build and wants its insurer to reimburse it under a rectification expense coverage in its professional liability policy. But the insurer, AXA XL subsidiary Indian Harbor Insurance, has refused, citing exclusions for previously-known conditions and notices made to a prior insurer. The insurer alleges that the coverage is not triggered because the contractor, John C. Grimberg Co., knew about the specific wall system defect in September 2020 and notified its previous liability insurer, Pioneer Underwriters. Grimberg rejects that interpretation, maintaining that prior notifications to Pioneer were about other work by subcontractors and that it did not know of the concrete wall defect until a year later in September 2021 when it notified Indian Harbor. The Indian Harbor professional liability policy was effective October 1, 2020 to October 1, 2021, with a retroactive date of July 1, 2009. The policy provided $3 million per rectification expense. According to IRMI, rectification coverage, also called mitigation of damages coverage, provides first-party insurance for the costs a contractor incurs in correcting a design defect that is discovered after the construction is put in place but before it actually results in a professional liability claim. The coverage is intended to provide a contractor with the funds to fix the error and keep construction moving forward. Grimberg is suing Indian Harbor for costs and damages of at least $10.5 million, which it says is what the demolition will cost it, before any additional costs it might incur from the escalation of the follow-on mechanical, electrical, and finish trades once the complete superstructure is in place. Grimberg also wants interest on late payments, litigation cost and punitive damages. Grimberg was hired by the U.S. Navy to build the school on the Marine Corps military base in Quantico, Virginia. Grimberg hired Nudura Corp., a firm that claimed to specialize in the design, manufacturing and installation of insulated concrete form wall systems. However, Nuduras installers erred in the installation, creating a structural deficiency that would have been a safety hazard. Although there was a potential remedy short of demolition, the Navy ordered Grimberg to completely demolish and reconstruct the substandard walls. In September 2021, Grimberg sought coverage under the rectification expense provision but was denied coverage in February 2022 by Indian Harbor even after, according to Grimberg, the insurer had in November 2021 waived its right to consent to the expense. Grimberg said it subsequently started to demolish all the concrete walls in mid-November 2021. The complete demolition and reconstruction of the wall structures is scheduled to continue through 2022. On October 18, 2022, over a year after Grimbergs initial notice, Indian Harbor again improperly rejected Grimbergs claim for rectification coverage based upon Grimbergs alleged prior notice to another insurer, according to the complaint. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for Maryland on October 20, 2022. Indian Harbor has not yet answered. Topics Carriers Contractors New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A nurse practitioner has pleaded guilty to fraudulently billing commercial health insurers and Medicare nearly $4.4 million for services that he never provided to patients as he had claimed, federal prosecutors said. Alexander A. Istomin, 56, routinely submitted fraudulent claims for in-person patient services that he falsely claimed to have performed at offices in Rhode Island, New York and Florida, U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha said in a statement. In some cases, the patients that Istomin claimed he met with in person were in another country. He also used patient names and other information to get prescriptions filled, which he would keep and then distribute to people other than those in whose names the prescriptions were filled, prosecutors said. He also waived copayments for some Medicare patients, which is prohibited, and in return the patients would not report the fraudulent billing, prosecutors said. Istomin pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence to 11 counts, including health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to a plea agreement, he must also forfeit all the money he received from the scheme. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 26. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Fraud New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A New York lawyer pled guilty Monday in connection with a scheme to obtain millions of dollars in fraudulent insurance reimbursements and other compensation from fraudulent trip-and-fall accidents Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Marc Elefant pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection the scheme. Elefant is the third defendant to plead guilty this year. Two other defendants Adrian Alexander, the owner of a litigation funding company, and Sady Ribeiro, a pain management doctor and surgeon pled guilty earlier this year. Alexander pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in August. Ribeiro pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in September. All defendants pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein. Elefant faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Elefant will forfeit $955,281 to the U.S. and to make restitution in the amount of $1,486,000. Elefant is scheduled to be sentenced on January 25, 2023. According to the indictment, Elefant and others were involved in a scheme in which they defrauded businesses and insurance companies by arranging for staged trip-and-fall accidents throughout the New York City area and then filing fraudulent lawsuits. In the course of the fraud scheme, participants recruited more than 400 patients. The defendants, together with others known and unknown, attempted to defraud the victims of more than $31,000,000. The patients were encouraged and in some cases paid to receive ongoing chiropractic and medical treatment from certain chiropractors and doctors. Their legal and medical fees were usually paid for by litigation funding companies, As part of their plea agreements, Ribeiro agreed to forfeit $513,005 and to make restitution in the amount of $3,928,133 while Alexander agreed to forfeit $659,001 and to make restitution in the amount of $3,928,133, according to officials. Ribeiro is scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2023. Alexander is scheduled to be sentenced on November 30, 2022. Three other members of the scheme were sentenced to prison terms in 2020. Related: Topics Fraud With the mystery of the blasts that destroyed undersea gas pipelines between Russia and Germany unsolved, Nord Stream 1s insurers and reinsurers are grappling with how to respond to hundreds of millions of dollars in potential claims. Munich Re and syndicates within the Lloyds of London market are among the major underwriters for Nord Stream 1, four industry sources with knowledge of the situation said, adding that it was unclear whether they would renew its cover. If the insurance is not renewed, the prospect of the pipeline bringing gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea ever being repaired and restarted becomes more remote. Even before leaks were found, supplies via Nord Stream 1 had been halted as a result of a dispute over Western sanctions on Russia, while the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipeline had not started commercial deliveries. While a claim has not yet been made for the damage and disruption to the pipeline, two of the sources told Reuters, Nord Stream 1s underwriters may dispute any submitted on the grounds that the damage was an act of self-sabotage, or of war, neither of which are generally covered by insurance. Amid speculation as to who was behind alleged sabotage that severed the pipelines at the center of an energy crisis prompted by Russias invasion of Ukraine, Danish police said on Oct. 18 that the damage to Nord Stream 1 was caused by powerful blasts. While damage itself would not necessarily affect the renewal of a property policy, insurers might ask for more premium, said Tim Shepherd, a litigation partner at Mayer Brown. For the underwriters of the pipeline system, which Nord Streams website says was built with 7.8 billion euros ($7.6 billion) of investment, the stakes are high. Reuters was not able to identify all of its underwriters, but another of the sources said Swiss insurer Zurich also had exposure to Nord Stream 1. Munich Re, Zurich and Lloyds all declined to comment. Even if you are taking a small size (of cover), it is a big risk, one of the four industry sources said. The issue is going to be what happens if you cant prove it is a state sponsor (responsible for the blasts), you end up with a massive claim for damage, the source added. Nord Stream 1s majority shareholder with a 51% stake is a subsidiary of Russian energy group Gazprom, which is subject to sanctions by the United States, Britain and Canada as well as some European Union restrictions. Two of the sources said renewal of Nord Stream 1 cover by the Lloyds syndicates would be challenging given the risk of tighter sanctions on Gazprom, which would prevent paying claims. German energy groups Wintershall and E.ON, meanwhile, hold 15.5% each. Wintershall did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An E.ON spokesperson said Nord Stream 1s operating company was responsible for operational issues, including insurance. Nord Stream AG remains in close contact with relevant authorities about the recent incident. Due to prevailing uncertainties, we as a shareholder continuously monitor developments and are in close contact with the other relevant stakeholders, the spokesperson said. Gazprom and Swiss-based Nord Stream AG, did not respond to requests for comment, while French energy provider ENGIE, which has a 9% stake, declined to comment. Dutch natural gas infrastructure company N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie, which also has a 9% stake, said it would assess the situation as soon as there was more clarity. The exact extent of the damage and possible follow-up actions can only be determined after inspection of the pipelines and that is not yet possible at this moment, Gasunie said. We are in close contact with our European partners and the relevant government authorities, it added. Deliberate Act? Nord Streams insurers will have to prove that its policy does not cover the damage caused by the blasts in order to avoid paying out on any claim, lawyers said. Although property policies typically exclude malicious damage, policy holders often buy extra cover, which is likely in Nord Streams case, legal and insurance sources said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the United States and its allies blew up the pipelines, an allegation that has been dismissed by the White House. U.S. President Joe Biden has said damage to Nord Stream was a deliberate act of sabotage. The West has not directly pointed the finger at Moscow, which has denied any involvement. French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this month that Nordic leaders had told their European partners it was still impossible to say at this stage who was behind the damage. If a Western state actor was found to be responsible, the damage might be designated as an act of terror, which one broking source said might be covered by insurance. However, if investigations found Russia to have been involved, insurers could argue it was an act of self-sabotage, given Gazprom is owned by the state. If there was a deliberate act by the policyholder, you are not going to have a covered claim, said David Pryce, managing partner at Fenchurch Law, which is not involved with the policy. If there was any Russian involvement it could also mean the Nord Stream 1 damage being designated as an act of war, something that is typically excluded by insurance policies. ($1 = 1.0289 euros) (Additional reporting by Christoph Steitz and Tom Sims in Frankfurt, Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam and Benjamin Mallet in Paris and Alexander Huebner in Munich; Editing by Rachel Armstrong and Alexander Smith) Photograph: A large disturbance in the sea can be observed off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 following a series of unusual leaks on two natural gas pipelines running from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany have triggered concerns about possible sabotage. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says she cannot rule out sabotage after three leaks were detected on Nord Stream 1 and 2. Photo credit: Danish Defence Command via AP. Topics Carriers Claims Reinsurance South Africa: President's response a "significant milestone in fight against corruption" The submission of the response to the recommendations of the Judicial Commission into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector marked a significant milestone in the fight against corruption and State capture and in rebuilding the capacity of the State. Spokesperson to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Vincent Magwenya, said this while addressing media during his second weekly briefing at the Union Buildings on Tuesday. More pleasing for the President are the gains already attained in this effort against corruption by various State institutions. The recent approval by Cabinet of the national framework towards the implementation of the professionalisation of the public sector, which was released by (Acting Public Service and Administration) Minister Thulas Nxesi this morning is another key milestone aimed at developing a professional and ethical public service that will not bow down to undue pressure seeking to undermine government institutions and perpetrate state capture," Magwenya said. As a result of the work done by the of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, the Investigating Directorate that was established within the National Prosecuting Authority has to date enrolled 26 cases, declared 89 investigations and 165 accused persons have appeared in court for alleged State capture-related offences. The law enforcement agencies have, to date, been granted freezing or preservation orders to the value of R12.9 billion. A total of R2.9 billion has been recovered and returned to the affected entities and with South African Revenue Service (SARS) has collected R4.8 billion in unpaid taxes arising from the work of the Commission. South Africans should therefore take to heart that the work of the Commission is bearing fruit and will continue to do so as government and many other State institutions continue implementing their respective areas of the Commissions recommendations, Magwenya said. Achievements Giving a summary of the sixth administration achievements, Magwenya said President Ramaphosa ascended into the Presidency to inherit a State crippled through corruption, State capture and a stagnant economy. He said the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the challenges of unemployment and poverty. Notwithstanding these mounting difficulties, the President embarked on a bold investment, growth and employment drive. This administration has raised R1.14 trillion in new investment commitments through four SA Investment Conferences. This is over 90% of the R1.2 trillion target for governments ambitious investment drive. Of these commitments around R330 billion has already flowed into the economy, Magwenya said. Among many achievements, the sixth administration has established the Youth Employment Service (YES), together with private sector partners, which has to date created over 86 500 work experiences for young people. In tackling poverty and building human capital, the sixth administration introduced the National Minimum Wage for the first time in South Africas history, guaranteeing a minimum floor below which no worker may be paid. The administration further expanded social grants for people most affected by COVID-19, including the Special SRD Grant, which reached around 11 million unemployed people. Management of President Ramaphosas financial interests Magwenya told media that President Ramaphosa embarked on a process to comply with the Executive Ethics Code, with respect to his financial interests, on assumption of the position of Deputy President in 2014. The Executive Ethics Code requires that members of the executive should either dispose of financial interests, which may give rise to a conflict of interest or place the administration of such interests under the control of an independent and professional person. Magwenya said the President decided to dispose of those interests, which may give rise to a conflict. Magwenya explained that on 26 November 2014, Shanduka announced Mr Ramaphosas divestment from the group. This involved the disposal of interests in regulated sectors like mining, telecommunications and energy, i.e. those which may give rise to a conflict of interest. He retained assets in some non-regulated sectors, like property and restaurants. Although not required by the Executive Ethics Code, Mr Ramaphosa put these remaining assets from the Shanduka divestment under the management of independent and professional persons. These non-regulated interests have subsequently been disposed of. The Presidents farming operations have always been separate from Shanduka and were therefore not part of these transactions. The farming properties are not businesses that may give rise to a conflict of interest, Magwenya said. He further explained that President Ramaphosas directorships and shareholding in the respective farming entities have been included in his annual Declaration of Interests to Parliament (2014-2018) and the Secretary of Cabinet (2014-2022). While the farming entities do trade in the purchase, sale and breeding of game and livestock, the President does not earn a salary from these entities. Revenues earned from the trading of game and livestock cover salaries of workers, upkeep of the properties, and the remainder is re-invested into the breeding of unique game and livestock species, veterinary services and other related costs, Magwenya said. Responding to journalists on the recent criticism directed at President Ramaphosa, Magwenya emphasised that it is important that when people criticise the Presidents performance, they must do so based on facts and not rumour mongering and other misinformed perceptions. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2022-10-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Xi stresses implementing guiding principles of key Party congress in armed forces EditorChen Zhuo Time2022-10-25 08:36:09 Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a meeting of leading military cadres and delivers an important speech in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday instructed the armed forces to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, and strive to achieve the goal set for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks when attending a meeting of leading military cadres. Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, both members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and CMC vice chairmen, as well as Xu Qiliang, attended and addressed the meeting. In the unusual and extraordinary five years since the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, the CMC has led the armed forces to achieve major progress and realize major transformations in national defense and military, Xi said. The CMC has upheld the Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces, maintained and expanded the rapid and favorable development in the cause of building a strong military, and brought military modernization and combat capacity to a higher level, he said. The newly-concluded successful 20th CPC National Congress is of great significance to the country's drive to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts. It is also vital to fulfilling the goal set for the PLA centenary and building the armed forces into world class forces, he said. It will be the most important political task for the whole Party, the country and the armed forces to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, he said. Stressing that the armed forces should focus their efforts on realizing their centenary goal, Xi said that this will be the military's central task in the next five years, one that demands full strength and should be accomplished as scheduled. Noting that the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee named the members of the new CMC, Xi said it is a major political arrangement made by the CPC Central Committee based on the overall cause of the Party, the country and the military. CMC members must bear in mind the trust placed on them by the Party and the people and the expectations of the officers and soldiers of the armed forces, and dedicate themselves to the work of the CMC, Xi added. Demanding that this year's work be finished as scheduled, Xi stressed the importance of plans for the next year to ensure a good start to the work in the armed forces. Before the meeting, Xi met with delegates, specially invited delegates and non-voting participants of the PLA and armed police forces present at the 20th CPC National Congress and had a group photo taken with them. State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe attended the meeting. Other attendees included Li Shangfu, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua and Zhang Shengmin, who are all CMC members, and Li Zuocheng. 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 People's Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police forces present at the 20th CPC National Congress and has a group photo taken with them before attending a meeting of leading military cadres in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) Mexican airline Interjet, which was declared bankrupt by a judge in August, has been ordered to pay out 144 million pesos ($7.23 million) to thousands of clients in a class action lawsuit, the countrys consumer protection office said Friday. The ruling is a win for fliers who faced flight cancellations, delays and unjust charges from 2018 to 2020, the prosecuting office known as Profeco said in a statement. A spokesperson for Interjet did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Interjet abruptly stopped flying in 2020, and the carriers union has since been protesting for what they allege amounts to months of unpaid wages and benefits. Interjets outstanding payments are suspended until a March deadline, by which it is required to reach a deal with its creditors, according to the August bankruptcy ruling. Other affected passengers will have until next October to join a second phase of the class action suit, Profeco said. ($1 = 19.9090 Mexican pesos) (Reporting by Kylie Madry, editing by Sarah Morland and Lincoln Feast) Topics Lawsuits Aviation Mexico New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! A federal judge ruled 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 full impact of the ruling is not yet 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 governments January 2021 settlement with Boeing, and they have expressed anger that no one in the company has been held criminally responsible. 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 didnt tell families about the negotiations, argued that the relatives are not crime victims. However, U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor in Fort Worth, Texas, said the crashes were a foreseeable consequence of Boeings conspiracy, making the relatives representatives of crime victims. In sum, but for Boeings 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 Boeings 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. The first Max crashed 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. Photo: Relatives of some crash victims light candles and gather at an anniversary memorial service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 8, 2020, to remember those who died when Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, a Boeing 737 Max, crashed shortly after takeoff on March 10, 2019, killing all 157 on board. A federal judge ruled Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, that relatives of people who were killed in the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max planes are crime victims under federal law, finding that the Justice Department should have notified families before privately negotiating a settlement that spared Boeing from criminal prosecution. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene, File) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Fraud Aviation Aerospace New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the US has observed growing cybersecurity threats both at home and throughout Asia, and is warning against activity coming from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Malicious activity from the PRC is a real and present threat, not just for the United States, but for other countries as well and thats why Ive traveled such a distance here, he told Bloomberg Televisions Haslinda Amin on Wednesday during a trip to Singapore. His remarks come amid heightened tensions between the US and China over a host of issues from trade to human rights and the status of Taiwan. The US government has long alleged that China runs extensive hacking operations and has repeatedly warned nations of security breaches stemming from the use of Chinese-run mobile networks and Internet technology. Beijing routinely denies the accusations, saying it is a victim of cyberattacks and countering that the US is the empire of hacking. Mayorkas said China has now become very, very aggressive in selling its telco technology globally. We feel compelled to share the perils of allowing that to occur with our close partners and allies, he added. The US has broadly tried to beat back attacks from criminal hackers, who have successfully targeted everything from gas pipelines and meat factories to schools and hospitals. The Biden administration last month called on states and local governments to apply for new cybersecurity grants worth $1 billion over four years. The US government has made numerous efforts to try to curb the deluge of attacks, including indicting hackers, going after entities that allegedly aid in laundering illicit proceeds and ordering software companies that do business with the government to attest that they comply with new cyber standards. Speaking during a summit on cyber issues Tuesday evening in Singapore, Mayorkas warned hostile nations including Russia and China have only become more sophisticated, raising the risk of adverse consequences. These cyber operations threaten the economic and national security of everyone in this room, he said. Photo: Alejandro Mayorkas. Photographer: Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA/Bloomberg Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics USA Cyber Russia China DONALDSONVILLE, La. (AP) Louisiana officials have broken ground for a critically needed $96 million pump station that could help revive the marshes and barrier islands that protect a large area of south Louisiana from hurricanes and sea level rise. The project, celebrated Friday, caps a larger $220 million effort to reconnect the Mississippi River to the 106-mile-long bayou, which flows from Donaldsonville and empties into the Gulf of Mexico at Port Fourchon. This is tremendous for the entire state, Gov. John Bel Edwards said during the ceremony. The lack of freshwater flowing into the bayou has endangered wetlands and drinking water supplies for 300,000 people. And it robbed this region of one of its most scenic waterways for too long. Bayou Lafourche was sealed off from the Mississippi, its main source of freshwater, more than a century ago, triggering a series of environmental problems, including the loss of wetlands south of Houma and New Orleans. The new station will be built on the river levee in downtown Donaldsonville alongside a nearly 70-year-old pump. The added pumping capacity will triple the rivers flow into the bayou and protect the drinking water supply for Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes as well as combat saltwater intrusion in the Lafourche and Terrebonne estuaries, which experience some of the highest land loss rates in the world. The importance of this project to the Bayou Region and to our state cant be overstated, Edwards said. The pump station will protect nearly 10 percent of Louisianas drinking water supply while nourishing over 85,000 acres of marsh in some of the countrys most land starved areas. Were investing more than ever before into protection and restoration projects across our coast, and its clear these efforts will continue to benefit Louisiana for decades to come. Work to restore Bayou Lafourche and build the pump station has been ongoing since Hurricane Gustav in 2008. The storm churned up muck and debris that blocked the mouth of the bayou, contaminating it. After Gustav, that water was stagnant and disgusting, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, said at the event, which drew about 75 people. You could smell the bayou for miles. The Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District spent the past 11 years preparing the bayou for the pump stations increased flows, The Advocate reported. The district widened and deepened several miles of the bayou, raised a Donaldsonville railroad crossing, installed water control gates and removed a small dam in Thibodaux. The district has been trying to get the new pump station approved since 2016. Progress slowed after a range of concerns, including noise, aesthetics and historic preservation, were raised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Donaldsonville leaders. The new pump station will have a minimum pumping capacity of 1,000 cubic feet per second and be constructed beside the existing 450 cfs pump station which will remain in service. It is anticipated to be completed and in operation by June 2025. Photo: The southwestern end of West Grand Terre Island in Louisianas Barataria Bay is shown on July 21, 2022; the ruins of Fort Livingston are at the bottom left. (AP Photo/Janet McConnaughey) Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Louisiana New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles! Adam Sounders agreed to settle his personal-injury lawsuit against a trucking company for $500,000, but pulled out of the deal when he received a settlement check that included a workers compensation lien holder as a payee. A Florida jury rewarded that decision with a $1.9 million net judgment against Suarez Trucking Co. That was enough to reimburse Guarantee Insurance Co. for the $522,607 in workers comp benefits it paid with plenty left over for Sounders and his lawyers. The Florida Supreme Court, however, quashed that verdict on Thursday by ruling that Sounders had no right to withdraw his settlement offer in the first place. The high court said in a 5-1 decision that the settlement became enforceable when Suarez Trucking filed its acceptance with the court, even though the payout check named Guarantee Insurance Co. as a payee. This notice of acceptance created a binding settlement contract by unequivocally and fully assenting to the terms of the offer, the opinion says. It is hard to imagine a form of acceptance that could be more clear or more effective. The decision overturned a ruling by the 2nd District Court of Appeals and the Hillsborough County trial court. Sounders was injured on Feb. 20, 2014 when his vehicle collided with a dump truck owned by Suarez. He filed a lawsuit, and then offered to settle the case if Suarez paid $500,000 within 10 days. Suarez accepted the deal and sent a check that listed Sounders, his attorneys law firm and Guarantee as payees. The workers compensation carrier had paid nearly $500,000 for medical treatment and indemnity benefits as Sounders recovered. Sounders refused to accept the check, saying he did not intend for the workers compensation carrier to be a fellow payee. The trial court denied a motion by Suarez to enforce the settlement agreement. A Hillsborough County jury awarded damages of $1,960,000 and found Suarez Trucking liable for 96% of that amount. The company appealed, but the Second District Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court. Suarez took the case to the states top court. The Supreme Court majority said the Second Districts ruling conflicted with a decision in a similar case decided by the 4th District Court of Appeals in 2012, titled Cirrus Design Corp. v. Sasso. In that case, the appellate panel ruled that a contract was formed as soon as the tortfeasor in the case accepted the settlement offer. The Supreme Court said the 4th DCAs decision correctly interprets Florida contract law. But the high court did not decide whether Suarez had breached the settlement contract by making the check out to the lienholder. Those issues should be resolved on remand, uninfluenced by the erroneous view of contract formation adopted by the Second District, the majority opinion says. Justice Charles Canaday would have gone further. He said in a concurring opinion that contracts are formed within the confines of state law. Florida statute Section 440.39 entitles an insurance carrier to a pro rata share of an employees recovery in a third-party action. Once a lien is filed, a plaintiff has no right to the proceeds of the award until the trial court determines what portion of the payment should go to the workers compensation carrier, he said. When the contract is understood in light of these existing relationships and obligations, as is required by the well-established rule of incorporation, it is hard to see how Suarez Truckings tender of the settlement check with the workers compensation carrier named as a payee could be a breachmuch less a material breachof the settlement agreement, Canadys concurring opinion says. Justice Jorge Labarga dissented. He said the failure of the parties in Sounders case to have a meeting of minds rendered the settlement agreement unenforceable. Topics Carriers Florida WTW, a global advisory, broking and solutions company based in New York, New York, has appointed Terry Rolfe as director of client relationship management within the companys aerospace business. With more than 30 years of industry experience, Rolfe joins WTW from EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, where she served as the aviation practice leader. Before EPIC, Rolfe also served in an aviation leadership role at Integro after working for nearly a decade in a senior leadership position with Marsh in New York City. Rolfe will be based on the west coast. Guy Carpenter, a global risk and reinsurance specialist and a business of Marsh McLennan, announced that it expanded its capabilities with three new hires to its GC Access team and a new collaboration with Guy Carpenters Ratings Advisory Service. Bryan Willingham, new managing director and co-head of the southwest region, brings more than 19 years of reinsurance experience, most recently specializing in placing treaty reinsurance for workers compensation and property and casualty insurers, and MGA programs across the U.S. Alex Donkervoet, the new senior vice president and co-head of the southwest region, has over 15 years of actuarial, reinsurance, product, underwriting and operations experience. Nate Palmer, new assistant vice president, most recently worked as a commercial lines wholesale broker specializing in financial lines and cyber coverage. The GC Access team will collaborate with Guy Carpenters Ratings Advisory Service team, which advises clients on new and existing rating assignments, capital optimization, financial forecasting, stress testing and peer benchmarking. Guy Carpenter has over 3,200 employees in over 60 offices and is headquartered in New York, New York. Topics Willis Towers Watson A California judge has ruled in favor of a bakery owner who refused to make wedding cakes for a same-sex couple because it violated her Christian beliefs. The state Department of Fair Housing and Employment had sued Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, arguing owner Cathy Miller intentionally discriminated against the couple in violation of Californias Unruh Civil Rights Act. Millers attorneys argued her right to free speech and free expression of religion trumped the argument that she violated the anti-discrimination law. Kern County Superior Court Judge Eric Bradshaw ruled last week that Miller acted lawfully while upholding her beliefs about what the Bible teaches regarding marriage. The decision was welcomed as a First Amendment victory by Miller and her pro-bono attorneys with the conservative Thomas More Society. Im hoping that in our community we can grow together, Miller told the Bakersfield Californian after the ruling. And we should understand that we shouldnt push any agenda against anyone else. A spokesperson said the fair housing department was aware of the ruling but had not determined what to do next. The couple, Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-Del Rio, said they expect an appeal. Of course were disappointed, but not surprised, Eileen told the newspaper. We anticipate that our appeal will have a different result. An earlier decision in Kern County Superior Court also went Millers way, but it was later vacated by the 5th District Court of Appeal, which sent the lawsuit back to the county. The decision comes as a Colorado baker is challenging a ruling he violated that states anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a cake celebrating a gender transition. That baker, Jack Phillips, separately won a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory after refusing on religious grounds to make a gay couples wedding cake a decade ago. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Legislation Last featured on these pages in the edition of August 18, one of the largest farms parcels of land sold in Ireland so far this year was purchased at a public auction in Castlecomer, County Kilkenny last Friday, the 21st of October. It was also the largest sold in Kilkenny in almost 30 years, according to the man with the gavel on the day Castlecomer-based auctioneer Joseph Cogan. The farm in question is 2km from Thomastown in the townland of Columbcille and it had been generating a good deal of interest in the months running up to the auction date. Some of the land on the 235-acre farm. The reaction so far has been very good, said Joseph shortly after the farm went on the market. Its because of a mixture of the quality and the quantity involved in this holding. That size of farm doesnt come up often. The property came with a house and farm buildings and was offered in lots of 211.5 acres and 23.5 acres, following a natural division by the public road. The majority is in grass, with just over 30 acres under a mixed plantation. With a price expectation of between 10,000 and 15,000/acre (approximately 2.9 million), this was a farm that would set down a marker one way or another. It was a tricky enough auction, said Joseph after the event. The two lots and the overall were neck and neck for a while and bids were coming up relatively slowly in increments of 10,000 and 20,000. Aerial view of the house, outbuildings and land at the 235-acre farm sold at auction in Co Kilkenny. It was after a dairy farmer got involved in the bidding that the price for the overall holding began to increase significantly, putting daylight between that lot and the combined value of the separate lots, Joseph explained. Given the farms size, layout and quality, it made for a particularly attractive option for someone involved in dairying. The bidding went up to 2,600,000 for the overall farm, says Joseph. At that point, we could discount the bidding on the two smaller lots (which were 380,000 less) and after a long consultation in the room, we decided to go on the market. Another section of the land of the 235-acre farm outside Thomastown. From this point, there were two keen bidders left standing and within a few minutes, the auctioneer said, the price had jumped up to 3,100,000 the final selling price. I was delighted, says Joseph. When it was at around 2.2 million, I was getting concerned and wondering if this farm would sell on the day. But all of a sudden, it took off. He saw the result as an indicator of the strong demand for land that appears to be continuing unabated. I can see land going very well, he said. I can see leasing going well going forward, because farmers have to get land... its as simple as that. The purchaser was a substantial dairy farmer from Dunamaggin, while the underbidder was another substantial dairy farmer from Callan. Farmers have stressed that a failure to ensure full competition in relation to anti-parasitics will further threaten the viability of farmers. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association said this could affect the low-income cattle and sheep sectors in particular, and could potentially lead to underuse of products. Farm organisations last week attended an Oireachtas meeting to engage with politicians on the Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulation Bill 2022. The bill provides for the making of regulations on the retailing of veterinary medicinal products, and for the introduction of a National Veterinary Prescription System, along with other measures. Competition in the market ICSA animal health and welfare chairman Hugh Farrell reiterated the need for competition in the anti-parasitics market. Competition is critical when it comes to ensuring that farmers have access to anthelmintic doses which play an important role in animal health and thrive, Mr Farrell said. We are very concerned that an unduly onerous and over-restrictive prescription-only regime will be introduced, and we are fighting to ensure that we find workable solutions that keep product available at a fair price to farmers. Mr Farrell suggested that the Department of Agriculture must ensure that it does not bring in rules which are anti-competitive. The ICSA said it believes there is a risk that excessive amounts of bureaucracy and burdensome red tape is being imposed on the agri-food sector. While farmers are well aware of issues from the repeated use of one type of anthelmintic on cattle or sheep, this is exclusively a problem from the perspective of animal performance and health, he added. ICSA believes that there is a real risk to competition in relation to anti-parasitic products which up to now have been sold by veterinary practitioners, licensed merchants including co-op shops and pharmacies. Greater efficiencies in animal performance The association has said that the variety of outlets selling such products has been critical to ensuring that products are available at a fair price to farmers without excessive markup for the retailer or for the pharmaceutical company. According to the ICSA, this is especially the case for generic products which usually offer far better value than the original patented products. Competition between outlets not only offers price benefits but also ensures that there are more pharmaceutical manufacturers competing to sell generic options, the ICSA said. A failure to ensure full competition will further threaten the viability of farmers, the ICSA has warned, and could lead to the underuse of products. This in turn would be contrary to the need for greater efficiencies in animal performance. Lower animal performance is contrary to the objective of finishing cattle and sheep at an earlier stage which is now a policy objective in terms of climate targets. Two-tier system In his submission to the Oireachtas committee on this, Irish Farmers Association animal health chairman TJ Maher said that restricting prescribing to only registered veterinary practitioners significantly reduces the involvement of other stakeholders and service providers. This is in addition to removing competition in the supply chain, and creating a two-tier system on the island of Ireland. This approach has the capacity to severely undermine national efforts to implement better and more targeted usage of anti-parasitic products while providing significant incentives for illegal trade in these products, Mr Maher said. Farmers will be faced with higher charges for medicines and rural communities will lose economic activity in their regions. Parents of babies whose organs were sent to Belgium from Cork University Maternity Hospital for incineration will protest outside the hospital on Friday at the delay in providing them with a report on how it occurred. The organs were sent to Antwerp for incineration in April and May 2020, without the knowledge or consent of the parents of the 18 babies. A review was commissioned by Cork University Hospital in May 2020 to establish the circumstances leading to the incineration of the organs. However, the review did not commence until April last year. A report arising out of the review was expected in October or November 2021. It has not yet been finalised. In correspondence sent on September 30, the families were told: The hospital has decided to provide the final report to all the families at the same time to prevent a situation whereby some families may become aware of the report indirectly rather than from the hospital. This will occur over the coming weeks. The families have been asked how they wish how to receive the report such as meeting in person with the hospital to go through the report or by registered post. One mother, Leona Bermingham, said the families are now feeling angry and fobbed off at the delay in being furnished with the report. Leona Bermingham. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision Her son Lee died on September 18, 2019, hours after she had given birth to him and twin brother Lewis by emergency caesarean at 33 weeks gestation. Another mother, Katie Quilligan, said: Why are they not giving us the report? Her son James died in January 2020, at just two days old. The families also want the Human Tissue Bill to be enacted as soon as possible, to give a legislative framework for the retention and disposal of organs following autopsies. The legislation is expected to be published before the end of this Dail term, according to the Department of Health. According to internal correspondence, mortuary staff at CUH became aware early in 2020 that its burial plot in Curraghkippanes St Marys Cemetery was full. The organs were sent for incineration in late March and early April 2020. A spokesman for the South/South West Hospital Group said that a date for when the report will be issued to families will depend on when the final report is received. Burma Following Deadly Airstrike, Ethnic Armed Groups Call for Unified Fight Against Myanmar Junta KIA troops in Kachin State. / AFP The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) has vowed to convert its suffering over a deadly regime airstrike into courage to escalate its battle against Myanmars junta, while its allies called on other ethnic armed organizations to step up the fight. KIO information officer Colonel Naw Bu confirmed to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that civilians as well as officials of KIOs armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), were among nearly 50 people killed on Sunday evening when junta warplanes attacked a music concert being held to mark the KIOs 62nd anniversary at a village near Hpakant, Kachin State. At least 55 were injured in the attack and the death toll is expected to rise. The KIO is a powerful Kachin political organization that has been fighting the Myanmar government and military for greater state autonomy. The KIO offered condolences for the victims on Tuesday, the organizations 62nd anniversary, saying only that many civilians and KIA staff were killed. Among the victims were prominent musicians and businesspeople invited to the concert. We will turn this mournful event into revolutionary courage, accelerating efforts to topple the military regime, said a statement released by the KIO central committee. The juntas military confirmed on Tuesday it was responsible for the attack, calling it necessary action against the KIA for collaborating with anti-regime resistance groups to attack regime targets in Kachin State. The KIA has been launching military operations alongside Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) in Kachin State since the coup last year. The junta also claimed the airstrike targeted a KIA Brigade 9-controlled zone that should have been off-limits to civilians. The KIO said the village attacked was not a KIA base, merely a rest area with some shops. The Northern Alliance military coalition warned all civilians to beware, as the regimes actions were worsening day by day, and called on the international community to take urgent action. The alliance includes the KIA, Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA). Now is the time to be mindful of the regimes tricks, and other ethnic armed groups should act decisively [against the junta] in unity, said the alliance. Earlier this year, the junta launched negotiations with 10 out of 21 ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) that it had invited to peace talks. The Northern Alliance and the countrys oldest EAO, the Karen National Union (KNU), were among those who rejected the invitation, as it excluded the anti-regime National Unity Government and its PDF armed wing. The EAOs who entered peace talks with the junta are the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the KNU/KNLA Peace Council, Pa-Oh National Liberation Organization (PNLO) and the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), the United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA-Mongla) and Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP). As of Wednesday, none of these groups had condemned Sundays deadly airstrike or expressed condolences for the victims. On Tuesday, the KNU called the attack a war crime and vowed to collaborate with other revolutionary forces to root out military dictatorship in Myanmar. The KNUs armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, has been fighting alongside PDFs against the junta in Karen State since the coup last year. Meanwhile, the NUG and ousted National League for Democracy called on the United Nations and international community to take action against the junta for repeatedly committing war crimes akin to genocide. On Tuesday, the UN mission in Myanmar said it was deeply concerned and saddened since What would appear to be excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians is unacceptable. Diplomatic missions in Myanmar including Australia, Britain, the United States and European Union members said in a joint statement that the airstrikes underscored the military regimes responsibility for crisis and instability while disregarding its obligation to protect civilians. Burma Myanmar Junta Orders Yangon Factories to Submit Bank Account Info The entrance of Thilawa Special Economic Zone in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy Myanmars military regime is compiling a database of bank accounts for firms operating in Yangons industrial zones, in a move apparently aimed at tighter financial regulation. The regimes industrial zone supervisory committee ordered factory owners and businesspeople operating in all 29 industrial zones of the commercial capital to submit their bank account information by October 21 to respective industrial management committees. They asked for bank account details, perhaps to know which industrialists have accounts with which banks. There is no business that does not have a bank account. We dont know exactly why they asked for the banking information, a businessman from Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone told The Irrawaddy. However, full knowledge of money received and paid out by each industrialist would allow the regime to regulate financial flows, he added. A garment factory owner from Yangon said: Banks are meant to make payments for business transactions easier. But it is still not easy to withdraw money [from banks following the coup last year]. So, this latest move will do nothing to solve this crisis. Meanwhile, the junta-controlled Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) has been freezing online bank accounts belonging to people it suspects of opposing the regime or funding the resistance. On October 16, the Myanmar Banks Association revealed it was sending real-time reports to the CBM and financial intelligence unit on account holders and banking service users suspected of financing terrorism and money laundering. Yangon industrialists said the regime has now taken a step further to control business. The move comes as factory owners report a surge in operating costs due to electricity blackouts and fuel price hikes since the coup. Many garment factories have been forced to suspend operations after a drop in orders. Garment manufacturing was disrupted for the same reason during the COVID-19 pandemic but more factories are affected this time, according to factory sources. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has been meeting with business owners in cities including Yangon and Mandalay since the last week of September, according to regime media. The purpose of the meetings is reportedly business development. Burma Myanmar Junta Police Chief Demands International Action Against Opponents Police launch crackdown on anti-regime protesters in Yangon on February 28, 2021. / AFP Junta-appointed police chief Major General Zin Min Htet attended the 90th General Assembly of the international police organization, Interpol, in India last week, where he called for cooperation to tackle expats from Myanmar opposing the regime. The general assembly was held from October 18-21 in New Delhi. Of 195 member countries, 170 sent high-level delegations. The juntas police chief held talks with the director-general of Malaysias Criminal Investigation Department Police Major General Kamarudin Amin and Indonesias Interpol Secretary Police Brigadier General Amur Chandra Juli Buana. Zin Min Htet reportedly discussed the handover of Myanmars citizens who the regime has described as terrorists from Malaysia and Indonesia. The regime labels its opponents as terrorists, including the civilian National Unity Government and its parliamentary and armed wings. On October 6, Malaysia detained and deported six striking naval officers from Myanmar who sought asylum through the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR. Beauty contestant Han Lay, who had been living in Thailand after Myanmars regime charged her with high treason for criticizing the junta at the Miss Grand International beauty pageant in Thailand last year, was denied entry at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on September 21 on her return from Vietnam and was stranded before she was granted asylum in Canada. Zin Min Htet, who is also the deputy home affairs minister, had an informal meeting with the chief of the Royal Thai Police Police General Damrongsak Kittiprapas at the general assembly. On October 22, the police chief met Thailands Police Major General Khemmarin Hassiri in Bangkok and discussed the illegal settlement of migrants and police cooperation against Myanmars terrorists at the border, according to junta media. In February, the regime called on international security organizations to help fight terrorism. Interpol said it did not interfere in domestic crises. Analysis Rohingya Look on Arakan Army as Saviours in Fight With Myanmars Junta Rohingya fishermen at Thal Chaung camp in Rakhine State in January, 2022. / AFP Civilian casualties have been reported in renewed fighting between Myanmars junta troops and the Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine State. Fierce fighting has taken place in Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships, known as Mayu region in western Rakhine and neighboring Paletwa Township in Chin State since early August. More than 10,000 people have been displaced by fighting with several civilians killed by junta shelling. Ethnic Rakhine residents make up most of the victims but Rohingya Muslims have also been killed. A seven-year-old Rohingya was killed and two others injured by junta mortars at Thabeik Taung village in Buthidaung on September 23. The village is divided between Rakhine in the south and Rohingyas in the north. The Rohingyas plight Rohingyas who want to live peacefully are being targeted, said a Rohingya community representative in Buthidaung. Though the junta is fighting the AA, we Rohingyas are always targeted. Since the fresh fighting broke out, we have suffered a lot of restrictions, he said. Troops pressure Rohingya villages to shun the AA but also arrest them on suspicion of having ties with the armed group and abduct them for ransom, said Rohingya villagers in Buthidaung. In August, a Sin Thel Pyin villager had to pay 1 million kyats to junta soldiers in compensation after his two bulls stepped on two regime landmines. When we went to get the dead cattle, soldiers refused to give them back. They told me to pay 500,000 kyats per mine. When villagers are taken by soldiers for interrogation, they are never released unless money is paid, said a Sin Thel Pyin villager on condition of anonymity. Rakhine is one of the poorest states in Myanmar where jobs are extremely scarce. Amid the post-coup economic turmoil, young people are leaving war-torn Rakhine to work overseas. But the Rohingya lack identity cards and cannot leave the state legally. They hide in box trucks or cross the sea in crowded vessels with large numbers dying or being arrested in the process. Trafficking Almost everyone detained in a boat in the Bay of Bengal is a Rohingya from Rakhine. They are normally charged and imprisoned for violating immigration laws and deported back to Rakhine. Despite arrests and imprisonment, young Rohingyas sea crossings continue all year round. On May 22 fishermen from Shwe Thaung Yan village in Ayeyarwaddy Region found 17 dead Rohingyas washed ashore near their village who died in a storm. Six young Rohingya women were among the dead. More than 30 people drifting in the sea were rescued by fishing trawlers. They were from Buthidaung Township and heading to Malaysia to work, according to the Muslim community. The regime has not commented on the incident. The Rohingya community said there were at least 60 people on the vessel and some 30 people were rescued. Malaysia is the most popular destination although few avoid the authorities and traffickers. Rohingya casualties More than 200,000 people were displaced in two years of fighting between Myanmars military and the AA from late 2018 to November 2020. Approximately 342 civilians were killed and 740 others were injured, according to media reports. At least 21 Rohingyas from Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Minbya townships died and approximately 50 others injured in the fighting, according to The Irrawaddys reports. Rohingyas want to live peacefully with other ethnicities in Rakhine, said Rohingya writer U Aung Khin from Sittwe, who was once jailed for publishing a Rohingya calendar. We hope to live and make a living peacefully. Thats all. We only hope to be recognized as citizens and have human rights, said U Aung Khin. Rohingyas pinned high hopes on the now-ousted National League for Democracy government that it would end persecution but nothing positive happened, said members of the Muslim community. However, the AA has been able to restore trust between Rakhine and Muslim communities and they can now freely travel to different villages after years of segregation. U Aung Khin said he trusts the AA because it has so far honored its promises, treating Rohingyas equally and empowering them to join its administrative body. We are no longer referred to as Bengalis by the Rakhine people. Rakhine people now refer to us as Muslims. Previously we were branded as Bengali interlopers. But there is social harmony between the communities and we can coexist peacefully. So we Muslims view the AA as a savior, said U Aung Khin. Armed Rohingya groups More than 200 people were killed in communal violence in 2012 in Rakhine. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless by arson attacks. Many Rohingya villages were razed in the militarys so-called counter-insurgency operations in 2017 after the Maungdaw incident and hundreds of thousands of refugees crossed the border into Bangladesh. Various investigation committees and commissions have been established regarding the Rohingyas between 2012 and 2017. But they have not been repatriated and rehabilitated and Myanmar is facing genocide charges at the International Court of Justice. At least three Rohingya armed groups, including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) and the Arakan Rohingya Army are reportedly operating along the Bangladesh border and infiltrating Maungdaw. There is also a group led by Abdul Hakim which is more like a criminal gang with reports of kidnappings for ransom. The RSO was established in the early 1980s and has frequently attacked security outposts in Maungdaw Township on the border, according to historical records. In June last year, a man claiming to be Major Kyaw Myint Tun from the RSO, clad in uniform and with a holstered pistol, shared a video on social media in which he said in Burmese that the armed group would fight the regime for Rohingya rights. The video also shows RSO fighters undergoing training. ARSA came into the spotlight following its reported attacks on border guard outposts in Maungdaw in 2016 and 2017. It said it was fighting for Rohingya rights but the killing of Hindus brought its motives into question. Its popularity with Rohingya has subsequently declined. Can the AA resolve the Rohingya issue? Rather than policies from Naypyitaw, the Rakhine peoples opinions will be more important in resolving the Rohingya issue. With the AA having consolidated its control in much of Rakhine since the unofficial ceasefire in 2020, its political wing the United League of Arakan (ULA) has started to handle the Rohingya issue. As the junta administration has collapsed in northern Rakhine, Rakhine and Muslim villages are now turning to ULA courts. And Rohingya people are working in the AAs administration and its police force. A Rohingya villager from Buthidaung Township, who asked for anonymity, urged the AA not to make nepotistic appointments to administrative bodies in Rohingya villages but appoint people with majority support. Suppose we have a problem at our village, we cant complain directly to the AA. We cant complain unless the village administrative body appointed by the AA writes us a referral letter. The village administrative body writes the letter only when we pay money. This is no different from the juntas administration. The AA should appoint village administrators with majority-backing, he said. At a AA press conference in September, spokesman Khaing Thukha called on Bangladesh and the international community to recognize the ULA and AA as the legitimate authority in Rakhine and start repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. It is a critical issue and it is difficult for a revolutionary government to handle it. If we are to resolve this issue, Bangladesh and the international community must recognize us. We will start repatriations when we can officially talk to them, the AA spokesman told The Irrawaddy. Ko Khin Maung Thein taking shelter at Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh said the regime is lying when it repeatedly talks about the repatriation of Rohingya. But the AA has not taken any constructive steps to resolve the Rohingya issue, he added. It will not be different for us no matter which side wins the fighting. But the AA is fighting for liberation and I want the liberator to win, said Ko Khin Maung Thein. A Rakhine politician from Maungdaw said Rohingya villagers are currently neutral on fighting between the regime and AA but this may change. Prominent Rohingya activist Ro Nay San Lwin said it is wrong to think that Rohingyas are spectators. Rohingyas are not an audience. Clashes happen near Rohingya villages and we live in constant fear, Ro Nay San Lwin said. Kubernetes backup and disaster recovery specialist Kasten by Veeam has released Kasten by Veeam K10 V5.5, featuring new capabilities to support autonomous operations and cloud native expansion. K10 V5.5 features intelligent policies to support backup windows during non-peak periods with automatic sequencing of the underlying backup jobs; easier deployment thanks to a graphical wizard that generates reusable install manifests; IPv6 support; support for Amazon EKS with IPv6 inter-Pod communication; and GitOps workflow integrations. It also supports RedHat OpenShift virtualisation, as well as support for OCP 4.10, Kubernetes 1.23, Azure Files as a backup target and Azure Managed Identity, AWS's Jakarta region and GCP's Milan region. "Organisations need to not only transition to a new, modern cloud native development technology and workflow but also require operations at scale without having an army of certified Kubernetes administrators," said Kasten by Veeam vice president of product and partnerships Gaurav Rishi. "This is where Kasten K10 shines by scaling simplicity. Our latest release augments an organisation's workforce so that the enterprise can realise cloud-native technology and operational benefits by automating several data management tasks." Veeam CTO and senior vice president of product strategy Danny Allan said "Kubernetes adoption and containerisation are increasingly becoming mainstream across enterprises, but current manual steps, constant oversight and ever-present cyberattacks continue to inject complexity in the Kubernetes backup environment, hampering DevOps teams' ability to scale. "With Kasten by Veeam K10 V5.5, customers can ensure adequate data protection in Kubernetes environments by offering autonomous operations that support cloud native expansion goals. What's more, Kasten by Veeam's membership with The Open Source Security Foundation strongly underlines the company's commitment to contributing to security best practices and education for both Kasten and Veeam customers, as well as the industry at large." Kasten K10 V5.5 should be available by the end of the year. A free trial of K10 is available. India's biggest integrated power company, Tata Power, which has been in business since 1915, has been hit by a ransomware attack staged by the Hive group. The ransomware runs only on Windows systems and the group has now released data it claims is from the attack on the dark web. The company acknowledged the attack in a note to the National Stock Exchange of India on 14 October. "The Tata Power Company Limited had a cyber attack on its IT infrastructure impacting some of its IT systems," the letter said. Tata Power faced a cyber attack pic.twitter.com/zllZvajj2G Rohit Srivastwa (rohit11.eth) ?? (@rohit11) October 14, 2022 "The Company has taken steps to retrieve and restore the systems. All critical operational systems are functioning; however, as a measure of abundant precaution, restricted access and preventive checks have been put in place for employee and customer-facing portals and touch points. "The Company will update on the matter going forward." The Hive group claims it encrypted data from Tata Power's systems on 3 October and released a link to emails, addresses, passports, phone numbers, payments, working hours, taxpayer information, TATA Power signed contracts, NDAs and other agreement documents on 24 October. According to the security firm Trend Micro, Hive is a relatively new group that surfaced in June 2021. Unlike some ransomware groups that avoid attacking hospitals or other specific sectors, Hive shows no such inclination. "A hospital in Missouri suffered a Hive ransomware attack three weeks after the same group hit the integrated systems of a healthcare provider that affected three hospitals and many outpatient clinics in two other US states," Trend Micro said. iTWire has contacted Tata Power for comment. However emails to the company's main email address for media are bouncing. A message in the bounced email says: "The group corporate-communications only accepts messages from people in its organization or on its allowed senders list, and your email address isn't on the list." However an email to the head of PR at the company appears to have gone through and the email query has been sent to two others listed on its media contacts page. ACS, an association that represents the Australian technology sector, has welcomed the budget presented by the Federal Government on Tuesday, describing it as "a step towards boosting the diversity of the IT industry and the broader economy with its support for families in, or looking to enter, the workforce". ACS chief executive Chris Vein said in a statement: While we would have liked to have seen more tech focused measures announced, we have long been advocates of boosting the technology sectors diversity. Enabling parents to enter, or get back into the workforce is an important step in allowing this. The organisation claims to represent 35,000 technology professionals across all industries in Australia. The governments previously announced measures around TAFE places, support for advanced manufacturing, boosted NBN spending and revamped industry programs are all very welcome by everyone in the sector. Ahead of the election earlier this year we proposed nine measures to grow Australias IT sector and we are pleased the Albanese Government has acted on many of our ideas. "We look forward to working with ministers like Ed Husic, Clare ONeil, Michelle Rowland, Katy Gallagher and Brendan OConnor in growing the nations technology skills base and ensuring Australians can access well paid, secure jobs in the modern, global digital economy. Commenting on the budget, Mathavan Parameswaran, technology national leader for national professional services firm RSM Australia, said: For the tech sector, the budget is a case of not enough, but a step in the right direction there were really no big ticket items this time around. One example of a good move wed have like to have gone further is the uplift in migration program quotas (lifted to a cap of 195,000), which may ease, but not fully solve the tech industrys skills shortage. The $42.2 million funding to alleviate Australias significant visa backlogs is also very welcome, and will benefit the tech sector. Additionally, the $50 million TAFE Technology Fund to modernise TAFEs is welcome news and should provide up-to-date IT facilities, workshops and laboratories. The industry will also welcome the $47.2m to support development of science and technology sector talent and leadership. Adam Beavis, managing director of cloud management scale-up Stax, said: Im emboldened to see the government's commitment to improving access to skilled talent. The initiatives announced, including vocational and university investment to create a pipeline of talent into the workforce, and the focus on supporting skills for jobs in priority areas like the digital economy, send a clear signal of the role of the technology industry in driving Australias long-term growth. It can be hard for smaller Australian tech businesses to compete for graduates, so being able to access a stronger pipeline of this talent is important. I often talk about the value that could come from subsidised graduate programs, much like TAFE apprenticeships, where people starting out in tech can earn a good income while they learn on the job skills. If this type of program existed, an organisation like Stax could commit to bringing in groups of grads at a time. We may not be at this ideal end state yet, but the government is making positive steps in this direction. We also welcome the additional support to improve skilled migration. Improving visa processing times, increasing the permanent Migration Program and tackling housing supply challenges will make Australia a more attractive option to international talent. Similarly, the focus on creating a more equitable working environment for parents, and particularly women, means we can bring in and keep more greater minds and skilled workers within our businesses. Australia has a lot to share with the world and theres so much innovation we can derive by fostering greater diversity of our workforce. Crispin Kerr, vice-president, ANZ at Proofpoint, said: "[We] welcome the Federal Governments $12.6 million investment to combat scams and online fraud to help protect Australians from cyber crime. While this investment represents a positive step forward, we also encourage further collaboration between governments and enterprises to promote knowledge sharing to inform appropriate cyber regulation and ensure best practice. Placing the human element of security front and centre is paramount to the success of these investments and in protecting Australians as the threat landscape continues to evolve. With cyber threats continuing to grow in scale and severity, cyber security must remain a top priority for both the private and public sector and across organisations of all sizes. The further $31 million announced to extend the governments cyber hub pilot program is a necessary investment to support the modernisation of Australias cyber defences and is critical to securing Australias security posture for the future. We are heartened to see the Federal Government embracing skills development and putting such focus on enabling Australia to be more sophisticated in technology to help future-proof our economy, said Roy Lovli, head of Kyndryl Consult, Australia and New Zealand. We want our customers to grow and to do so they need the relevant skills, so we welcome the governments initiatives to strengthen training in priority industries while responsibly using migration to ease current critical skill and labour shortages. This will support the immediate and urgent demand businesses have for digital skills and enable them to develop their own by creating a local pipeline of new skills through training. Maria MacNamara, director of Government Relations and Innovation Strategy for Kyndryl A/NZ, added: This is a smart technology budget focused on building a pipeline of tech skills and laying down the foundations to reshape the economy. Many of the new areas of the economy prioritised by the government are technology-dependent, which makes this a forward-looking budget from that perspective. We applaud it. Luke Fossett, director, Australia and New Zealand Sales, GoCardless, said: "To date, fintech developments have been largely disregarded and under-funded, contributing to the immaturity of the industry that is pushing out players. "Were yet to see any real commitment from governments to ease the red tape stifling the Consumer Data Right, or any incentives to encourage fintech innovators to become accredited data recipients which can be expensive and does not drive return on investment if were unable to unlock its full utility. "Fintech needs basic support from policy-makers if the industry is to deliver on its potential to drive value back into the pockets of everyday Australians in an environment where theyll need it most." Matt Tyrrell, APAC commercial director at SMB financial data API, Codat, said: "It's concerning to see almost no mention of investment in Australia's technology sector [in the budget], let alone any information on supporting digitisation of Australian SMEs. "We are heading into an economic storm and as always, SMEs are likely to be the worst hit. Businesses using digital systems are proven to be more resilient, particularly when these digital systems are integrated seamlessly to one another. "For example, Xeros report last year revealed firms in Australia with five or more apps grew their sales by 4.3% through the pandemic, while those without apps saw a decline of 3.4%. "To make this happen, start-ups (particularly in fintech) must have the right regulatory environment to build the connectivity needed which is clearly not the case when it comes to Australia's Open Banking bungle. "The immaturity of the Open Banking landscape, paired with the de-prioritisation of its rollout is already producing detrimental consequences, with TrueLayer announcing its withdrawal from the market earlier this month. "Unless governments can legitimately put innovation back on the agenda, not only will our local tech scene suffocate, but Australia will cease to be an attractive market for international entrants. Failing to invest in fintech means a loss for financial innovators and the everyday Australian alike." Ray Brown, head of Marketing at CoinSpot, said: "It would have been great to see increased governmental funding and specialised grants for Australia's tech and start-up industries. "This would help to encourage innovation and collaboration in the frontier tech, web3 and crypto space and also add more jobs to the sector and a much-needed boost to the economy overall." Cyara founder and chief executive Alok Kulkarni said: Multinational is a broad term in this context. What the government is really trying to do is get all companies to pay the right amount of tax in the countries where they do business. So, if you make a profit in the US, you pay taxes in the US. If you make profit in Australia, you pay taxes in Australia. "For companies like Cyara, that are focused on the growth of their global team as much as their product, paying taxes is paramount because it funds vital services where employees and their families live, including infrastructure, education, and medical research. "Sometimes governments can inadvertently create imbalances by offering tax incentives to attract companies to set up in their jurisdictions. So its good to see them trying to balance the playing field to help support local economies in cases where companies may be taking unfair advantage of those incentives." Scott McKinnel, country manager for ANZ at security vendor Tenable, said: While we welcome the government's planned investment to modernise infrastructure to help create jobs and unlock economic growth and productivity for the country, prioritising cyber security as part of the investment will be critical. "Cyber security has become infrastructure's Achilles heel and any investment in critical infrastructure must take cyber security into account from the start. As we become more and more reliant on essential services, increasingly advanced adversaries are looking to disrupt our way of life in any way possible, including by perpetrating cyber attacks against our most critical infrastructure. McKinnel said Australia, like other countries, was suffering from a huge IT and cyber skills job gap "so its positive to see this being recognised with $12.9 million funding in the budget". However, the IT and cyber skills shortage in Australia cannot be addressed by funding alone," he hastened to add. "Increasing public-private partnerships will also be essential for upskilling todays workforce. "Immediate action can be taken by reskilling existing staff and making this a priority across both the government and private sectors. Ultimately, you cannot defend your organisation without cyber security professionals who are skilled in tackling the relentless cyber threats lingering in front of us. Meta, the parent company of social media giant Facebook, has threatened to block the sharing of news feeds in Canada similar to what it did in Australia if Ottawa legislates to force it to pay news outlets for their content. Meta Canada Media Partnerships chief Marc Dinsdale said in a blog post on Friday that Canada's Online News Act did not properly represent the relationship between platforms and news publishers. "...we call on the government to rethink its approach to help create a more fair and sustainable news industry in the long term," he said. Dinsdale claimed the company had not been given an "invitation to participate" in discussions on the bill, "particularly given public comments by lawmakers that this law is targeted at Facebook". He said Meta did not scrape content or links to news content. Additionally, posts with links to news articles made up less than 3% of what people saw in their Facebook Feed "and Canadians tell us they want to see less news and political content". "We have repeatedly shared with the government that news content is not a draw for our users and is not a significant source of revenue for our company," Dinsdale added. In 2021, when the Australian Government tried to push through a News Media Bargaining Code, digital platforms, chiefly Facebook and Google, lined up in opposition. The code was derived from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Digital Platforms Inquiry report which was handed to the government in June 2019. Negotiations between digital platforms and news organisations went on for a while, with the provisions for the code being passed into law in February 2021. But there was plenty of resistance from the digital platforms and though Google took a more low-key stance, Facebook upped the ante and blocked the ingress of news content into Australia. The government hurried to placate Facebook and made numerous changes to the legislation after which the social media company reversed its block on content. In his post, Dinsdale shared a number of concerns Meta had about the bill, among "the true division of value between platforms and publishers; the unintended consequence of payment for free marketing; stifling of innovation; and the need for a broader list of witnesses". Said Dinsdale: "Canada is incredibly important to Meta. Canadians will always be able to use Facebook to connect with friends and family, to help build communities and to grow their businesses. "But faced with adverse legislation that is based on false assumptions that defy the logic of how Facebook works, we feel it is important to be transparent about the possibility that we may be forced to consider whether we continue to allow the sharing of news content in Canada." Restrictions on semiconductor exports to China, announced by the US on 7 October, will also affect Australia, an academic says in an op-ed for Australian think-tank, the Lowy Institute. James Laurenceson, director and professor at the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, said the impact of the US policy hardly seemed to have registered in Australia. The updated export rules are claimed to be aimed at restricting "the PRCs [People Republic of China's] ability to obtain advanced computing chips, develop and maintain supercomputers, and manufacture advanced semiconductors". Laurenceson said analysts outside government which has painted the curbs as being targeted to blunt China's military modernisation and alleged human rights abuses were of one voice that Washington was trying to cut off Beijing's access to foundational technologies in order to remain economic top dog. He cited a number of analysts, such as Hal Brands from John Hopkins University who had written that by homing in on chips, "the US is seeking to hinder Chinese economic dynamism and military muscle alike". Another analyst cited was Klon Kitchen of the right-wing American Enterprise Institute who had written: "These new actions show the United States is not simply trying to slow Chinas technological advancement, but to arrest and contain it." Well-known American economist David P. Goldman warned in an op-ed written for Asia Times that the restrictions would affect Washington more than Beijing in the long run. He wrote that the modest subsidies extended by the US Government to the chip industry would be outstripped by the harm caused to capital investment and research and development in Western industry by a factor of five or more. Laurenceson said Australia should realise that this kind of zero-sum game would not be in its interests. "Canberra must now come to grips with a basic reality spelt out by Jon Bateman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: 'Americas restrictionists zero-sum thinkers who urgently want to accelerate technological decoupling have won the strategy debate inside the Biden administration'. "Bateman also flags the likelihood of decoupling measures spreading to other sectors that the bipartisan anti-Beijing consensus in Washington might readily come to regard as 'strategic', including biotech, manufacturing and finance." He pointed to a statement made by Peter Varghese, former secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in 2019: Containing China is a policy dead end [for Australia]. And the notion that global technology supply chains can be divided into a China-led system and a US-led system is both economic and geopolitical folly." Laurenceson pointed out that China's per-capita incomes were less than a third of those in the US. "Hobbling Chinas AI ambitions will not preclude Beijing from implementing domestic reforms that could readily see per-capita incomes approach half that of US levels," he noted. "Australia need not feel compelled to fall into line in this US containment of China. "Differences in population size then mean that Beijing will have double the aggregate economic heft of Washington to turn towards advancing its geopolitical objectives. This includes investing in its own technological self-sufficiency." He warned that unilateral sanctions tended to be leaky and many southeast Asian countries appeared to be uneasy with the approach taken by the US. "At a joint press conference with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last Tuesday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he was worried that the direction Washingtons chips controls hastened could lead to 'less economic co-operation, less inter-dependency, less trust, and possibly, ultimately a less stable world'," Laurenceson said. Kyiv on Monday accused Russia of purposefully delaying the arrival from Turkey of more than 165 cargo ships heading to Ukrainian ports to be loaded with grain. Russia's inspectors "have been significantly prolonging the inspection of vessels... As a result, more than 165 vessels have been stuck in a queue near the Bosphorus Strait and this number continues to grow daily", the Ukrainian foreign ministry said. "We have reason to believe that the delays in Russia's inspections of the Grain Initiative's vessels are politically motivated," it added. The vessels have been waiting to clear the meticulous inspection process required under the Turkish- and UN-backed accord aimed at getting Ukrainian grain to foreign markets and easing fears of a global food crisis. Since the deal between Russia and Ukraine came into force on August 1, more than 8.5 million metric tonnes of grain and foodstuffs have left for Europe, the Middle East and to a lesser extent, Africa, according to data from the Joint Coordination Center (ICC) overseeing the agreement. In a statement late on Monday, the ICC confirmed the delays but stopped short of pointing a finger of blame at any parties. "The JCC is concerned that the delays may cause disruption in the supply chain and port operations," it said. A spokesperson for the Istanbul-based centre told AFP that over 170 ships were waiting in the Bosphorus in order to head to Ukrainian ports for grain loads. "The JCC is discussing ways to address the backlog, noting that the next harvest is approaching and silos in the Ukrainian ports covered under the Initiative will be soon full again," the centre said. "The JCC regrets inconveniences caused to the shipping and trading industry. It reaffirms its commitment to enable the safe and timely navigation for exports under the Initiative." When Russia invaded Ukraine, a global grain exporter, in February and blocked its sea ports, there were fears of a global food crisis. The agreement allowing Ukrainian grain exports has brought much-needed relief. But Ukraine says that Russia is deliberately stalling shipments. "Russia's actions undermine global food security, in particular in the global south," Ukraine's foreign ministry added. It noted that inspection delays have already prevented Kyiv from exporting an additional three million tonnes of grain, threatening food security for some 10 million people. It is a victory for us, and it is a first in the region, says Eang Vuthy, director of Equitable Cambodia, a Cambodian non-governmental organization. The activist is savouring the moment a day after the first hearing in an exceptional trial on September 21 in Bangkok. For the first time in south-east Asia, a multinational company is being sued for its activity in a foreign country in a "class action" suit, a collective action of plaintiffs who have suffered the same damage. The case pits Thai sugar giant Mitr Phol, fifth largest sugar producer in the world and a supplier of Coca Cola, against 711 Cambodian peasant families. This is a David and Goliath battle that began in 2008. The case is emblematic of the consequences of a certain development vision, where the Cambodian government granting vast land concessions has caused multiple human rights violations. According to a 2014 report submitted to the ICC prosecutor's office by London-based law firm Global Diligence, between 350,000 and 400,000 people were forcibly displaced over a 15-year period as a result of the concessions. According to these lawyers, the situation could amount to a crime against humanity. The trial against Mitr Phol is a perfect example of this phenomenon. In 2008, three of its Cambodian subsidiaries were granted 9,400 hectares of land by the Cambodian government in Odar Meancheay province, northern Cambodia, as a 70-year concession to produce and process sugar cane. The sugar company is now accused of forced population displacement, land grabbing and destruction of private property. 2,000 families forced off their land Hoy Mai remembers the first land clearings in her village. At first she was told that the land was for the villagers. But she was soon disillusioned: the houses were burned, the rice fields destroyed. I feel we are victim of the investment. If there is no Mitr Phol investment in Cambodia, there are no forced evictions or burning of houses. That is why we continue our struggle for the company to be accountable for what it did. The company did not respect the law and should be responsible, she says. Hoy Mai personifies the tenacity of the aggrieved villagers, who have been waiting for reparations for 14 years. This petite, 60-year-old woman is so famous that Thai activists recognize and greet her when they pass her in the Thai capital Bangkok. One of the non-governmental organizations supporting these villagers, Inclusive Development International (IDI), estimated that 2,000 families in 26 villages had to leave their land as a result of the Mitr Phol concession. They lost not only their rice fields, but also access to grazing land, common land, and forest resources, an integral part of their livelihoods. At first, we did not know much about the law, but the NGO explained to us and supportedus, saysSmin Tit, one of three plaintiffs who were in Bangkok at the end of September. The villagers first tried to go to the Cambodian courts. But when Hoy Mai and her late husband walked 400 kilometres to plead their case to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, they were prosecuted. I was accused of cutting five hectares of forest a day while I was pregnant! How could I have done that? she asks. She got an eight month prison sentence. Impossible justice in Cambodia In 2014, the villagers, supported by IDI, Equitable Cambodia and the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (Licadho), filed a complaint with the Thai Human Rights Commission. They based their complaint on the Human Rights and Business Action Plan, which had just been adopted by Thailand, the first country in the region to do so. At the end of its investigation, the Commission noted the numerous human rights violations committed by Mitr Phol, underlining the impoverishment of the populations, and asked the sugar company to repair the damage suffered. The following year, the Thai company obtained from Cambodia the cancellation of the concessions and withdrew from Cambodia. But its promises of reparations were not kept. In 2018, the plaintiffs filed a class action suit in the Thai courts. Their request was rejected at first instance, the court pointing out the logistical complexities of such a trial. But on appeal, in July 2020, this decision was overturned. Hence the hearing on September 21, which set a precedent for the community to bring the complaints outside of Cambodia, according to Eang Vuthy. We expect to win the case because the Thai court is much more independent and not being controlled by government like in our country, says Hoy Mai. After such a long wait, she nevertheless found the September 21 appointment with the judge a bit short and cryptic. We were not asked anything. I am a bit afraid because of the delay, but also happy because of the support we received. I am also concerned if we cannot win, she says. The preliminary hearing, which lasted 30 minutes, mainly allowed the two parties representatives to conclude that they need time. Under class action, both parties need time to submit all the evidence to the court, and check it before the court sets a date for the trial. Both parties said they were not ready. We are still waiting for documents that need to be translated into Thai, explains Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, the Thai lawyer for the plaintiffs. The Coca-Cola documents To support their arguments, the plaintiffs are relying on documents recently obtained from a lawsuit in the United States. In order to support the proceedings in Thailand, we filed a discovery action against Coca Cola, which we won earlier this year, explains Eang Vuthy. Coca Cola just handed over 5,000 documents in relation to the business partnership with Mitr Phol. We will have to go through them to see what can be supplied to the Thai court. These documents are confidential and can only be used for the court. But it is very important for our understanding of the chain of supply. Sor Rattanamanee Polkla thinks the battle should be played out particularly on the statute of limitations and the chain of responsibility, as Mitr Phol believes that the abuses committed are the work of the local authorities. But the lawyer intends to have the moral prejudice recognized by relying on a precedent. In a mining case, we asked compensation for fear and panic. The court accepted the principle. The parties are to reconvene on January 25 for another preliminary hearing. The trial on the substance of the case is expected to start in April 2023, with a verdict at the end of next year. A happy outcome would be a consolation for the victims, whose fight against Mitr Phol has upset their lives. Five of my children went to Thailand to find work as we could not afford to live at home. One of them disappeared. My husband died during the struggle, recounts Hoy Mai. Today, she grows sweet potatoes on land donated by the Cambodian authorities. Like her, 312 families have received a two hectare plot of land, below the average five hectares they previously held. More than 300 families are still waiting. Hoy Mai speaks with pride of her 13-year-old son, born while she was in prison. He studies well in school. And his name, Samnang, means luck. It was chosen by her lawyer. Six Palestinians were killed in sweeping Israeli raids Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, in what the army described as an assault targeting the emerging "Lion's Den" armed group. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that Wadih Al Houh, a leader of a new coalition of Palestinian fighters dubbed The Lions' Den, had been among those killed in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The Palestinian health ministry initially reported three dead and 19 wounded shot "by Israeli fire in Nablus". Later statements said that two more Palestinians had died in Nablus, while another Palestinian was also killed after being shot in the chest in overnight clashes at the village of Nabih Saleh, north of Ramallah. The Israeli army said it had carried out a vast operation with police and intelligence officers targeting a site "used by the main operatives of the 'Lion's Den'", describing it as a "headquarters and a workshop for making weapons" of the militants. "The forces detonated the explosive manufacturing site," the army statement added, which did not provide a death toll. "During the activity, multiple armed suspects were hit." At the death reported at Nabih Saleh, the army confirmed it had "spotted a suspect throwing an explosive device" at soldiers, who opened fire. In a statement posted to Telegram, the nascent militant group were defiant. "Surrender is the path of humiliation," it said. "It's time for the lions to come out of their den." Violence has increased in recent months in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel, especially in the areas of Nablus and Jenin. More than 100 Palestinian fighters and civilians have been killed since the start of the year, the heaviest toll in the West Bank for nearly seven years, according to the United Nations. Lapid, speaking on Israeli public broadcaster Kan radio, warned Palestinian militants that "they need to know that we will reach them wherever they are". "Israel will never stop acting for its security and we will do what needs to be done," Lapid added, who is campaigning ahead of November 1 elections. "The goal is to reduce terrorism and ensure that it does not affect Israeli citizens". - 'Aggression' - Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is establishing "urgent contacts in order to stop this aggression against our people" in Nablus, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah said in a statement. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh warned in a statement that the violence would "plunge Palestine into escalation". Islamic Jihad reported its fighters were involved in "violent clashes" with Israeli forces in Nablus, and threatened Israel with reprisals "for its crimes". In recent weeks, a group of young Palestinian fighters -- some affiliated with mainstream groups such as Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- have launched militant attacks from Nablus. The new group, called "Areen al-Ossoud" or "The Lions' Den" in English, claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on an Israeli soldier two weeks ago in the occupied West Bank. Late leader Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, nicknamed "The Lion of Nablus", was known for galvanising the youth before he was shot dead by Israeli forces in August. He has since become a folk hero to Palestinians on social media. In the aftermath, the Israeli army tightened its grip on Nablus, setting up controls to identify people leaving the city and constantly scanning the skies of the city with observation drones. On Saturday night, a Lions' Den fighter, Tamer al-Kilani, was killed in Nablus by an "explosion" attributed by the group and the Israeli press to a bomb remotely activated by the Israeli army. The army did not comment on these claims. Separately, rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday called for an International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into possible "war crimes" committed in August by both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants during deadly fighting in Gaza. At least 49 Palestinians, including combatants but also civilians including children, were killed in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip during the three-day conflict. Amnesty International on Tuesday called for an International Criminal Court (ICC) inquiry into possible war crimes committed by Israeli forces and Palestinian militants during deadly fighting in Gaza in August. Thirty-one civilians were among the 49 Palestinians killed during the three-day conflict in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, the Global Rights Group said in a new report. The London-based organization urged the ICC to urgently investigate all apparent war crimes committed during Israels August 2022 offensive in the Palestinian enclave. Amnesty International has collected and analyzed new evidence of unlawful attacks, including possible war crimes, committed by both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups, it said. The report describes a strike that hit the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, killing seven civilians. The bombing was probably caused by a rocket fired by Palestinian armed groups that failed, Amnesty said. Fighting began on August 5, when Israel targeted the Islamic Jihad militant group with alleged pre-emptive strikes to ward off attacks. The Palestinian organization responded with rocket fire, which claimed no Israeli casualties. Amnesty research found that an attack that killed five children in a cemetery was probably carried out by an Israeli guided missile fired from a drone. A third incident that Amnesty said could amount to a war crime was an Israeli tank fire on a house in the southern area of ??Khan Yunis, killing a civilian. The International Criminal Court has launched an investigation into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is expected to focus in part on possible war crimes committed during the 2014 Gaza conflict. The inquiry is supported by the Palestinian Authority, but Israel is not an ICC member and disputes its jurisdiction. The August violence followed four wars between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip since 2008. The Palestinian enclave has been under a crippling Israeli-led blockade since 2007, imposed after the Islamist movement Hamas seized control of the area. Have you lost money investing in Kohls? If yes, please visit us Kohls Corporation shareholder class action or contact Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or [email protected] to discuss your rights. NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally recognized investor rights law firm, is reminding investors of the deadline for filing a motion by lead plaintiff in a securities class action lawsuit filed on behalf of investors holding the securities of the Kohls Corporation (Kohls or the Company) KSS in between October 20, 2020 and May 19, 2022, inclusive (the Class Period). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Kohls is a United States retail company that offers branded apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty and home products through its stores and website. In October 2020, Kohls announced that it had launched a new strategic framework to drive sales growth, expand operating margin, and become the most trusted retailer of choice for active and casual lifestyles (the Strategic To plan). Plaintiff alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements. In particular, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants failed to disclose Among other thingsthat: (i) Kohls strategic plan was not well tailored to achieve the Companys stated goals; (ii) the Defendants overstated the Companys success in executing its strategic plan; and (iii) Kohls had inadequate disclosure controls and procedures, internal controls over financial reporting and corporate governance mechanisms. On May 19, 2022, Kohls issued a press release announcing the companys results for the first quarter of fiscal 2022, which included, among other things, net sales expected to be just 1% (compared to Wall Street consensus growth of Q1 .94%) and earnings per share rise from $0.11 (missing estimates from Park Eun Bin was overwhelmed by the warm support of her fans during her first meet and greet in the Philippines. Manila, Philippines is the first stop for the actress' international fan meeting and is set to meet supporters in Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, and Tokyo in November. Dubbed as "2022 PARK EUN BIN Asia Fan Meeting Tour" the "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" star is thrilled to see and interact with her fans, especially since this is her first ever overseas meet and greet. Park Eun Bin Fan Meeting 2022 Highlights Interestingly, on October 23, Park Eun Bin not only made her Filipino fans happy but also felt the love of the crowd. Over social media, fans shared their experience watching the South Korean star on stage as they were greeted by her bright smile. She entertained the crowd with an opening act singing Joy's "Hello" and serenaded fans with her version of "Especially for You." From flaunting her captivating singing voice, the 30-year-old South Korean beauty made everyone happy by showing off her charms by playing games, one of which is the good old rock paper scissors. In addition, she also showcased a surprising talent by flaunting her drawing skills through the customized eco-bags given to lucky fans. However, what's interesting and the main highlight of the show is Park Eun Bin communicating to the crowd in English and Tagalog. At one point, she said "I wanted to meet you so much" in the local language, making fans gush over her effort to reach out to Filipino audiences. In addition, the actress also said "I Love You" and "Thank You" which made fans love her even more. Wrapping up the show, Park Eun Bin couldn't hide her emotions after watching a fan-made video expressing their message for the actress. Park Eun Bin crying with tears of joy while watching the fanmade video of Filipino Bingos IM CRYING AGAIN this is such a healing fanmeet between Eunbin and Bingos #ParkEunBinInMNL pic.twitter.com/wQHydQJyws kath saw eunbin (@kdramatreats) October 23, 2022 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Park Eun Bin's Interesting Story About Her Brother Resurfaces- Here's Why At one point, she "sincerely thanked everyone who took the precious time" to watch her on her meet and greet and said that she is so "happy" to be with them even for a short while. "Until the day we meet again, I hope that everyone is healthy and full of happy things," Park Eun Bin added. Park Eun Bin's fan meeting in 2022 comes after the hit ENA K-drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" where the actress took the world by storm for her portrayal of Woo Young Woo, a rookie attorney with autism spectrum disorder (ASD.) Joining her in the K-drama are Kang Tae Oh and Kang Ki Young. What's Next for Park Eun Bin? After the smash hit K-drama, officials confirm the return of "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" for season 2. However, after confirming the sequel for the drama series, there's no confirmed statement if the lead stars are reprising their roles but officials said that they would like to retain the original cast members. KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills This Korean heartthrob, who rose to fame after starring in the hit K-drama "Crash Landing on You," is in talks to join the "Dr. Romantic 3" cast. Can you guess who this actor is? Lee Shin Young To Possibly Join 'Dr Romantic 3' Cast In the news coverage by OSEN on October 24, Lee Shin Young is courted to star in the upcoming third installment of the popular medical drama "Dr. Romantic." In addition to the report, the "Rookie Cops" actor received an offer to play the youngest doctor at the Doldam Hospital. Though other information about Lee Shin Young's potential role is not yet disclosed, fans are already excited to see him again in a new drama. The confirmed cast of "Dr. Romantic 3" - Han Seok Kyu, Lee Sung Kyung, Ahn Hyo Seop, and Kim Ju Hun - are rumored to attend the drama's first script reading today, October 24. Once the casting and the production are settled, the team will start filming in earnest. The production aims to air the drama's Season 3 in the first half of 2023. The script will be penned by Kang Eun Kyung and Yoo In Sik is expected to helm the series. "Dr. Romantic" tells the story of a triple-board certified surgeon, who was once at the top of his chosen field and used to work at the prestigious Seoul's top medical center, Geonsan University Hospital. Unfortunately, after a traumatic incident, he disappears and changes his name to Kim Sa Bu, and starts a new life in the same profession. Lee Shin Young's Previous Dramas Meanwhile, Lee Shin Young first captivated the viewers' attention when he starred in the megahit K-drama "CLOY" where he played the character of First Lieutenant Park Kwang Beom. Many doors opened for the former rising star and landed more acting projects. In 2020, he headlined the campus series "How To Buy A Friend" where he worked with "Alchemy of Souls" actor Shin Seung Ho, "All of Us Are Dead" actress Cho Yi Hyun, Kim So Hye, and more. In the same year, he also appeared in tvN's "Awaken" alongside Namgoong Min, Seolhyun, Lee Chung Ah, and Yoon Sun Woo. He took a drama hiatus for a year and returned with a new comedy-friendship series "Rookie Cops." Lee Shin Young showed off his stable acting and presence during his small-screen comeback. His on-screen love story with Chun Young Min also received an enthusiastic response from the viewers. Xiumin, Hyungwon To Collaborate With Lee Shin Young in New K-Drama Shin Young is also confirmed to star in the upcoming drama "Boss Dol Mart," (working title) which centers its story on a five member idol group that disbanded and unexpectedly take over Boram Mart. EXO's Xiumin, MONSTA X's Hyungwon, Choi Jung Woon, Choi Won Myeong, Lee Sae On, and Kim Sha Na are all part of the star-studded cast. What are your thoughts about Lee Shin Young's possible appearance in "Dr. Romantic 3"? Share your comments with us! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramastars. KDramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. Han So Hee shows her support to a rookie actor Moon Sang Min who plays a lead star in the hit K-drama "Under the Queen's Umbrella." The historical tvN series is gaining the viewers' attention for its unique story and star-studded cast including award-winning actress Kim Hye Soo, veteran actress Kim Hae Sook and versatile actor Choi Won Young. As the plot thickens in "Under the Queen's Umbrella," Han So Hee is reunited with Moon Sang Min for a watch party as her support for the actor's current K-drama. Han So Hee's Instagram: Actress Supports Moon Sang Min's K-drama 'Under the Queen's Umbrella' Over Han So Hee's Instagram stories, the actress flaunts her activity watching tvN's "Under the Queen's Umbrella" with Moon Sang Min and a friend, while tagging lead star Kim Hye Soo. The second post featured Han So Hee beside the rookie actor. In the histircial K-drama, Moon Sang Min plays the Queen's second son and Grand Prince Seongnam. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Han So Hee Make Heads Turns With New Image It can be recalled that the 27-year-old beauty and the actor first worked together in the Netflix series "My Name" where Moon Sang Min played the role of Ko Gun Pyung. After starring in the action-packed series, Han So Hee and Moon Sang Min were spotted, sparking dating rumors. Han So Hee's Dating Rumors With Moon Sang Min - What Really Happened? In June 2022, Han So Hee was spotted with a mystery man, with some netizens claiming that it might be Song Kang, whom she worked with in the webtoon-based K-drama "Nevertheless." At the height of the K-drama, viewers had been shipping the duo for their undeniable on-screen chemistry playing college art students Yoo Na Bi and Park Jae Eon. However, the photo sparked rumors that they are secretly dating. Interestingly, Moon Sang Min, who was mistaken as Song Kang in the photo subtly addressed the issue by clarifying on his social media that it was a photo taken from a "My Name get-together." Who is Moon Sang Min? Apart from the historical K-drama "Under the Queen's Umbrella," and Netflix's "My Name," Moon Sang Min debuted in 2019 after joining the cast of Naver's "4 Reasons Why I Hate Christmas" It was followed by a short film "The Colors of Our Time" with Lee Hyun Joo and a supporting role in "The Mermaid Prince: The Beginning." Before his acting debut, he was a student at Sungkyunkwan University majoring in Acting and Arts and was appointed public relations ambassador of the university. As for his modeling career, he made his runway debut during the 2018 Fall / Winter Sewing Boundaries Collection. What's Next for Han So Hee? As for Han So Hee, the actress is headlining a K-drama with Park Seo Joon for "Gyeongseong Creature" also known as "K Project." In addition, she is also in talks to join the cast of "The Price of Confession" with Hallyu queen Han So Hee. READ MORE: Did Kim Hye Soo Overshadow Co-Stars' Performance in 'Under The Queen's Umbrella'? KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills In "Blind" episode 12, the identity of Jung Yoon Jae, the 13th member of the Hope Welfare Center, who is also the real culprit of the Joker murder case has finally been revealed. 'Blind' Episode 12: Ryu Sung Joon Gets More Evidence About the Victims of HWC Ryu Sung Joon (Ok Taecyeon) stepped up the investigation for his brother Ryu Sung Hoon (Ha Seok Jin), who was in a coma after being attacked by the mysterious guy in a black raincoat. The detective suspected his brother because he was from HWC, Sung Joon's debt to see Ryu Sung Hoon, who goes back and forth between life and death. On the other hand, to find the real culprit, Ryu Sung Joon first identifies the children called numbers. Sadly, he couldn't find clues from Baek Moon Gang (Kim Beop Rae), Yeom Ki Nam (Jung In Ki), and Na Guk Hee (Cho Kyung Sook). Jo Eun Ki (Jung Eun Ji) was getting clues from the victims, while Sung Joon encountered an unexpected fact. Jung In Sung, the only juror who could not find any link to Hope Welfare Center, is the son of an aunt who runs a resto in front of the police station. Jung In Sung also raised speculation that he may be from HWC. Eun Ki then heard from the victim of HWC that No. 24 is Lee Hyun Soo, the brother of Japanese chef, Charles (Oh Seung Yoon). Jung In Sung Reveals Himself as the Real Murderer Ryu Sung Joon, whose behavior was more suspicious than expected, began to look back at the evidence related to the boys in Hope Welfare, including the killer's last crime. He went out looking for a similar name, reasoning that the dying message was left by Known Known Na (Kang Na Eon), who was recently murdered. Meanwhile, Jo Eun Ki recalled the memory of introducing Jung In Sung to her as a good young man. At the same time, Ryu Sung Joon confirmed that the face attached to Jo In Sung's adoption documents was Jung Yoon Jae, revealing the terrible reality. At the same time, tension soared high as Jung In Sung visited Ryu Sung Hoon's hospital room, which had been wandering through death. In Sung's smile, who barely came to his senses as he stabbed Sung Hoon, said "You're alive?" created chills. Ryu Sung Hoon, who had a private meeting with the murderer is raising questions about his fate. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Golden Spoon' Episode 9: Yook Sungjae Experiences Regret for Being Rich Can Ryu Sung Hoon still survive amidst the danger in his life, now that the Joker Murder Case culprit has been revealed? Share your thoughts with us in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. Lee Do Hyun, who is busy filming a new movie with Kim Go Eun, surprised many after he gave a glimpse of his tattoos. Fans are curious whether his tattoos are authentic or fake. Want to know more about the actor's update? Then keep reading the article. Lee Do Hyun Gives Sneak Peek of His Character in Upcoming Film 'Pamyo' Since he is booked with multiple acting projects, it's been a while since Lee Do Hyun made his public appearance. However, recently, the actor shocked many after a photo of him alongside Kim Go Eun surfaces online. The two are said to be on the filming set of their upcoming movie "Pamyo," also known as "The Unearthed Grave." Apart from their first picture together, Lee Do Hyun flexed his tattoos, which gave a hint of his character. Though his appearance in the movie has been confirmed, Do Hyun's role is yet to be revealed. Meanwhile, Kim Go Eun is expected to portray the role of a shaman. "The Priests" director Jang Jae Hyun will helm the project. Interestingly, joining the duo in the film is award-winning actor Choi Min Sik. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Confirmed! Lee Do Hyun Teams Up With Kim Go Eun in THIS Movie "Pamyo" also marks Lee Do Hyun's silver screen debut. The thriller movie is scheduled for release sometime in 2023. Song Hye Kyo Teams Up With Lee Do Hyun in Netflix's Revenge Drama 'The Glory' Apart from the film, the "Youth of May" star is making his return to the small screen with the drama "The Glory." He will work with Hallyu queen Song Hye Kyo for the said revenge series. "The Glory" depicts the story of a woman who was traumatized for being a victim of bullying and harassment during her high school year. Because of the devastating experience she had, she was forced to give up her dream to become an architect. Years later, she reunited with the people who bullied her after one of her students was their son. She then plans to take revenge on them. Directed by Ahn Gil Ho and script penned by "Descendants of the Sun" writer Kim Eun Sook, the highly-anticipated drama is ready to meet the viewers in 2023. "The Glory" is also confirmed to be released on the giant streaming platform Netflix. Lee Do Hyun's latest drama project was in 2021 in tvN's "Youth of May" and "Melancholia." Since he was on hiatus for more than a year, many fans and viewers are already excited to see him back on the screen with more projects. In addition, the 27-year-old actor is also being courted to work with veteran actress Ra Mi Ran in the forthcoming JTBC series "Bad Mom." In response to the news, Lee Do Hyun's agency confirmed that the male star received an offer and is positively reviewing the project. Are you excited about Lee Do Hyun's upcoming projects? Share your thoughts with us in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KDramastars. KDramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. "Under the Queen's Umbrella" which stars Kim Hye Soo is the latest drama series facing controversy. It came after the K-drama aired its second episode, raising suspicion for historical distortion. 'Under the Queen's Umbrella' Episode 2 Under Fire for Historical Inaccuracies According to various reports, simplified Chinese instead of traditional Chinese characters was spotted in "Under the Queen's Umbrella" episode 2, which aired on October 16. The said scene featured royal consort Hwang, played by Ok Ja Yeon encouraged her son, Prince Uiseong, portrayed by SF9's Chani, to participate in the examination cohort selection; however, a Chinese phrase "Mul Gwi Won Ju" was seen, raising historical inaccuracies in the drama. In addition, a scene where Queen Im Hwa Ryung, played by Kim Hye Soo, visited the King's chambers tablet with "Taehwajeon" was spotted with the audience pointing out that it is a name of a hall in China's Forbidden City and a significant place the emperor during the Qing Dynasty meets his officials. Apart from the Chinese phrases, viewers also noticed how Prince Uiseong, informally refers to Queen Im Hwa Ryung as "your mother" when he spoke to Grand Prince Seongnam, played by Moon Sang Min. Despite viewers criticizing "Under the Queen's Umbrella" for historical distortion, episode 2 garnered an average nationwide rating of 9.062 percent which is its second-highest rating yet. The fourth episode recorded an all-time high after scoring 9.5 percent, making it the most-watched series in its time slot across all channels. Why 'Under the Queen's Umbrella' is Worth the Watch? tvN's "Under the Queen's Umbrella" is a 16-part episode series that officially debuted on October 15. After kicking off with a solid rating, the historical K-drama gained hype for its captivating plot and a star-studded cast featuring Kim Hye Soo, veteran actress Kim Hae Sook, and more. Kim Hye Soo transformed into the fearless Queen Im Hwa Ryung, who continues to face the challenges of protecting her son while keeping up her responsibilities as the King;'s wife. In the weekend drama, Kim Hae Sook plays Queen Dowager Cho, the King's mother who wants Queen Im Hwa Ryung and her sons to be replaced. With her role, viewers will get to see tense confrontations between the two queens. Meanwhile, the great King Lee Ho is portrayed by the versatile star Choi Won Young. As for the queen's sons, the grand princes are played by Moon Sang Min, Yoon Sang Hyun, Yoo Seon Ho, and Park Ha Joon while Bae In Hyuk plays Crown Prince. Following the successful premiere, viewers lauded Kim Hye Soo's outstanding performance, showing elegance and grace as she plays the Queen. Besides the cast, every episode delivers surprising twists and turns keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. READ MORE: Kim Hye Soo Proves She IS Queen That Even the Director Did THIS in Front of Her KDramastars owns this article Written by Geca Wills MBC dropped first character stills of Kim Young Dae, who becomes a king in the upcoming drama "The Forbidden Marriage." Kim Young Dae Stars in His First Historical Drama 'The Forbidden Marriage' Kim Young Dae is gearing up for his small-screen comeback with the historical-romance series, "The Forbidden Marriage." On October 25, broadcasting company MBC released the drama's first-ever stills showcasing the actor's character transformation. From being a superstar in tvN's "Shooting Stars," Kim Young Dae is ready to meet the viewers with his new persona as the Majesty King of Joseon in "The Forbidden Marriage." The historical series is based on a web novel of the same name, where a marriage fraudster appears in front of the king, who lost his beloved wife and ordered a ban on marriage. Kim Young Dae takes the role of King Lee Heon, a lover and king of Joseon who can do anything for his beloved woman. When he was still a crown prince, he lost his wife and suffered from a deep sorrow. One day, he met a matchmaker named So Rang (Park Ju Hyun), who could show Lee Heon's wife's spirit. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Lee Do Hyun Flexes New Tattoos For New Movie With Kim Go Eun Attention is focused on what kind of incident he will be entangled with con artist Ye So Rang, who imposed a marriage ban on the crown prince's palace. Kim Young Dae Becomes King of Joseon Meanwhile, in the photos provided by MBC, Kim Young Dae completely transformed into Lee Heon, the brave king of Joseon. The king's dignity is emitted from his appearance sitting on the bed wearing a red traditional hanbok. His intense gaze makes him look unapproachable. In addition, the photo of the actor pulling the bow with all his might and staring vividly at his target gives a solemn atmosphere. "The Forbidden Marriage" marks Kim Young Dae's first historical series, and seeing him in a Korean traditional costume makes his appearance notable. Apart from his solemn aura, Lee Heon's bright charm is expected to show as he creates a beautiful appearance with his new character. In addition, the drama's production team shared that since it is Kim Young Dae's first sageuk drama, he is working hard to show his king character and delivers every line with the right emotions. Before the report ended, the representative added that viewers should anticipate the chemistry between the drama's lead stars Kim Young Dae, Park Ju Hyun, and Kim Woo Seok. Furthermore, "The Forbidden Marriage" starts airing this coming December 9 on MBC and will occupy the Friday and Saturday slots at 10 p.m. (KST). Are you excited about Kim Young Dae's first sageuk drama? Share your thoughts with us in the comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity updates, keep your tabs open here at KDramastars. KDramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. Just when Lee Seung Gi and Lee Se Young thought that everything's falling into their rightful places, Jo Han Chul strikes again. In the penultimate episode of "The Law Cafe," the two lawyers find themselves in danger because of their ultimate enemy. Will they be able to escape? 'The Law Cafe' Episode 15: Kim Yu Ri Turns Down Kim Jeong Ho Previously, Kim Jeong Ho (Lee Seung Gi) made his sincere feelings known and decided to pop the question to Kim Yu Ri (Lee Se Young). In "The Law Cafe" episode 15, Kim Yu Ri flatly turns him down, saying that she's not ready to be a part of his family yet - the same family that made her own suffer for years. Feeling bad, Kim Yu Ri seeks her best friend Han Se Yeon's (Kim Seul Gi) advice. It turns out that she and her own husband have been through a rough part of their married life, too. In the penultimate episode of the drama, Han Se Yeon cries her heart out to Kim Yu Ri while she reveals that she wants to divorce her own husband. Lee Pyun Woong Flees From South Korea After all of his nasty shenanigans were revealed to the world, Lee Pyun Woong (Jo Han Chul) finds ways to hide and save himself from being thrown into prison. He then goes to a friend's vacation house to stray the police away before he leaves South Korea. Unfortunately, he still has unfinished business with his own family and Kim Yu Ri. At the law cafe, Kim Yu Ri receives a call from Lee Pyun Woong who was in her hometown. She then figures out that he was about to do some crazy things to her mother to get back at her. Kim Jeong Ho then runs to find Lee Pyun Woong and make him pay for what he did. Unfortunately, he was powerless at that moment compared to the latter, who has the upperhand. He then becomes Lee Pyun Woong's hostage to summon Kim Yu Ri at once. Kim Yu Ri Agrees To Represent Jo Han Chul At Court Because he feels hopeless with all the crimes that are about to be charged to him, Lee Pyun Woong wants Kim Yu Ri to defend him in court. Even if he doesn't win, he wants to at least receive less punishments. He threatens to kill Kim Jeong Ho if Kim Yu Ri doesn't agree. Thankfully, Kim Yu Ri promises to defend him if he lets go of Kim Jeong Ho, who's not hurt with the knife Lee Pyun Woong was holding. At the end of the episode, the police were able to arrest Lee Pyun Woong, saving Kim Jeong Ho and Kim Yu Ri from harm. KDramastars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki testifies at the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry into the mass murders in rural Nova Scotia on April 18/19, 2020, in Halifax on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. Gabriel Wortman, dressed as an RCMP officer and driving a replica police cruiser, murdered 22 people. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Voters line up outside a voting station to cast their ballot in the Toronto's municipal election in Toronto on Monday, October 22, 2018. It's voting day in Ontario, with municipal and school board elections set to take place across the province.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers received endorsements and support from Kenosha County Democrats and union leaders Monday afternoon. Evers, the Democrat running for re-election against Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels, was flanked by supporters and addressed reporters at the Kenosha Union Club. Wisconsin voters have an important choice to make in a couple of weeks and I appreciate everything thats been said here today about my support for Kenosha and the importance of bringing our state and communities like Kenosha together thats why I focus on doing the right thing for the nation and our state, Evers said. This is why the choice in this election is so stark we can continue focusing on doing the right thing, or we can choose a radical and wrong direction for our state where our public schools and state support for police and first responders in high crime areas is cut. If re-elected, Evers said his next term would continue focusing on positive results and doing the right thing for people, just like were doing in Kenosha. Evers took office in 2019 after defeating then-Gov. Scott Walker in a close race. He said he is committed to public safety, protecting reproductive rights, tackling rising costs and investing in communities. As governor, I will always do the right thing to invest in our fire, police and first responders because by doing that, were doing the right thing for public safety, Evers said. Evers received the endorsement of the Kenosha Professional Firefighters Local 414 Monday afternoon. Evers has also been endorsed by the statewide professional firefighters union. I know that theres only one person running for governor who will stand with the firefighters when its all on the line and thats Tony Evers, said Joseph Sielski, the local unions vice-president. Ricardo Lebron, president of the local union, expressed similar sentiments and said he believes Evers supported Kenosha during and after the riots following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Gov. Evers has proposed increases in shared revenue to municipalities so that we dont have to resort to referendums to fund our fire and police departments, Lebron said. The governor signed into law a monumental bill that provides workers compensation treatment for fire and EMS personnel who were diagnosed with PTSD during civil unrest, and he ensured the National Guard was here to protect us so we could literally put out fires. We could not have done our jobs if he didnt do his job. Governor Evers has our back. Evers also received the support of former Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser, Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, State Rep. Tod Ohnstad, D-Kenosha, and State Rep. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha on Monday. Kreuser, who served as county executive in the summer of 2020 during the riots, praised Evers for his quick and measured response to the situation. Gov. Evers has also supported Kenosha since then, Kreuser said. I just want to say that its pretty sad when someone else runs for governor, and they dont talk about themselves, they just spin lies about the current governor. We were there. We know what people showed up. And we know our Gov. Tony Evers was there in the time we were most in need. He was there. Antaramian said he wanted tell Evers thank you for all your help, and there is no question, you were there when we needed you. The governor was there when we created the innovation center out of the Chrysler site 110 acres of land that was polluted and has been torn down with the new STEM high school and incubator facility going on there. Those types of activities helped in supporting the Uptown area where the damage was done. All of that was done by the governor and his help to make it happen. And Kenosha is going to be a stronger community than it was in the past, Antaramian said. For the first time since graduation from medical school, stirred by the courage of my colleagues in the ICUs and emergency rooms during the COVID pandemic, I looked back at the Hippocratic oath to reassess its charge to physicians. My wife and I, both doctors, studied and trained for a long time, and we considered the years spent and the effort put forth to be a calculated sacrifice. But amidst the pandemic, that tabulation changed. Risking personal harm was an aspect of medicine I scarcely considered but, in retrospect, probably should have. So I went back to the most concise expression of our mandate to see if Id missed something. In its modern permutation, the Hippocratic oath extols deference to science, humility in the face of expansive knowledge, and compassion to a suffering human. It warns us against employing futile treatments and violating patient privacy. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, it reminds us. Then theres this more enigmatic admonition: I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm. Why do I need reminding that I remain a member of society at large, and what are my special obligations? And while the charge of the oath to practice compassionately while mindful of special obligations might be construed to mean risking personal safety, this certainly isnt explicitly stated. However, the American Medical Associations Declaration of Professional Responsibility makes the imperative stark. We, the members of the world community of physicians, solemnly commit ourselves to apply our knowledge and skills when needed, though doing so may put us at risk. There it is. Clear as day. But while most physicians might intuit their professional responsibility to stick around when their personal safety is imperiled, I doubt many could reference this codified source. As it turns out, actually, the AMAs code of ethics has waxed and waned on obligating practitioners to treat through personal endangerment. The first version, authored in 1847, rendered unequivocal the physicians duty to treat in times of pestilence, whereas the revamped code in 1957 offered more interpretive wiggle room. Infectious disease was ubiquitous in and before 1847. On-the-job exposure simply came with the territory, the responsibilities obviated by the pervasiveness of incurable infections. Like a fireman fights fires, when you became a doctor in 1847, you were going to risk becoming infected, so if you couldnt handle it, you better find something else to do. In the latter half of the 20th century, however, vaccines and antibiotics vanquished many deadly maladies, and practice expectations changed accordingly. Personal risk was no longer a given. COVID at least the highly transmissible, lethal, and unpredictable initial strains brought this issue to the fore once again. Do health care workers have a duty to treat those at risk of personal harm? Is there a collective, self-abnegating professional obligation, and if so, what is its basis? The late physician-philosopher, Dr. Edmund Pellegrino, asserted that self-effacement lies inherent to the moral nature of healing. Three characteristics of medicine differentiate it from other professions and oblige its members to disavow self-interest. First, the vulnerability and helplessness of the sick place a moral claim on the doctors equipped to care for them. Second, medical knowledge is not proprietary to the clinician but rather held in trust for the good of the sick. Physicians are beholden to those who enabled the acquisition of professional expertise by permitting invasions of privacy, experimentation on human subjects, and subsidizing medical education. Finally, an oath publicly avows fidelity to patients akin to a marriage. The oath states Pellegrino, even more so than the degree, confers entrance into the profession of medicine, characterizing the doctor-patient relationship as covenantal rather than contractual. That might be what the oath means when it directs graduating medical students to remember that they remain members of society with special obligations. It tells us that doctors professional identity transcends the walls of a hospital or clinic. Obligations dont stop when the white coat comes off, and the shift ends. Professional and personal identities coalesce, resulting in an indiscriminate obligation to broader humanity that is setting agnostic. Doctors cant flee patients in the face of danger anymore so than a policeman or fireman because doing so would be to abnegate what is essential to being a physician. The vivid professional selflessness of our colleagues over the past several years should have all of us reflecting on whether contracts and codes delineate profession-wide standards or whether the very moral nature of medical work inherently prescribes those parameters. The COVID pandemic affords the chance to replace the hollow formality of the oath with genuine reflection on what it means to be a doctor and what it takes to uphold the professions highest standards. David Shafran is a pediatrician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 34 Shares Share Anyone who has ever practiced yoga knows what that means. Childs pose. Kneeling with toes untucked. Upper body hinged over the hips with arms outstretched and forehead resting against the mat. Breathing. In and out. In. And. Out. We are told its a recovery position, a safe place. Whenever we are feeling overwhelmed with another position, or even if the position is not just clicking, we can find rest in something we already know. However, it is far from being a static position. We can still learn a lot. We feel our spine lengthen with every inhale, relaxing our shoulders and space opens up with each breath. On exhale, we can try and fill that space, feeling the stretch in our hips and reaching farther with our hands, changing the focus from our palms to our fingertips. A seemingly subservient position, bowing down to the world, humbles us but also reminds us of our strength. We know what our body can do and what it cant, and we make the choice to be in this position. That is the main lesson yoga has taught me. It reminds me that we all have limitations, and sometimes we can work through them then and there, but other times we need to take a step back and work through the process. With practice, we can ultimately gain the strength or mobility needed to perform those positions that give us a hard time. Most of all, it reminds me of the power that each of us has within us to surmount obstacles and navigate treacherous storms that may appear during our lives. All of us are stronger than we give ourselves credit. Maybe its just me, but I think we tend to minimize our accomplishments and inflate the accomplishments of others. We are always comparing ourselves to the best, and that can make us feel weak. Each of us has something to offer, but the problem is that we forget. However, there are ways to remind us of that strength. As I already mentioned, yoga is one of those things. I am a person that can get easily distracted, and I have trouble quieting the inner noise. I have tried meditation on and off over the years and have difficulty adapting to the stillness. While working with a collaborator for my masters thesis in Japan, I attended a meditation session at a Buddhist temple in Kyoto. The first thing the instructor did was to make sure to quell any expectations that we had for ourselves. He told us that meditation was not a perfect state that we could force ourselves into, but it was the process of sitting with ourselves and experiencing that moment, whether it was silence or noise. Fast forward to now, and even equipped with that understanding, I still cant last beyond 10 minutes. I lose track of my breath and start staring out the window, wondering what the weather is going to look like and what Im going to make for dinner. Yoga, on the other hand, with its basis in movement, allows me to focus on the meditative aspects while quieting the mind. Sometimes its a matter of necessity. When Im caught balancing on one leg in warrior three, any distraction will knock me off my feet, whereas focusing on my breath allows me to remain on the task at hand. So, after a 30-minute session, when I finish up in Shavasana, I find that Im physically and mentally exhausted, and this opens up a unique moment where I can just be present. As the years go by, I notice that, contrary to expectations, I have less and less control. There are some things we can change, and others are systemic problems that need change on a larger scale. By learning to deal with these issues in a healthy way, we can give ourselves back some control and regain our mental and physical health. Now, consider if childs pose grounds us during our practice; let whatever makes you feel strong be what grounds us during our day. In the mornings, sometimes after my warm shower, I quickly switch the knob to cold and whisper to myself, you are strong. Other than the health benefits of cold showers, this reminds me of my inner strength and allows me to take on the day. If my body can withstand the cold water, a sensation so strong that it causes us to gasp and makes us want to jump out of our skin, then the rest of the day should be a piece of cake, right? Dont forget, you are strong. Now lets meet in childs pose and welcome the day. Steven Meas is a medical student. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Two Kilkenny mothers will share their contributions as part of the televised Irish Kidney Associations third virtual and 37th Annual Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving. Thousands of organ donor families and grateful transplant recipients will tune in at home and abroad to watch the broadcast. At the beginning of the pre-recorded Service there are contributions from two Kilkenny mothers Deirdre Roche Doherty and Yvonne Cassidy who were filmed in Graignamanagh. Yvonne Cassidy who lives in Paulstown, Kilkenny, honoured her late husband Sergeant Pat Cassidys wishes to be an organ donor when he passed away in nine years ago. Deirdre Roche Doherty, from Graignamanagh, and a mother of two, is grateful to the families of three organ donors as she received a combined heart and lung transplant in 1996 followed by two kidney transplants, in 2009 and 2017. Yvonnes son Cian, who was just 15 when his father died, has followed in his fathers military footsteps. In the opening procession of the Service, Cian, in full army uniform, carries the cross to the altar. Yvonne Cassidy (centre) from Paulstown, wife of the late Sgt Pat Cassidy with her daughters Rachel (left) and Jessica (right) The inter-faith Service was pre-recorded by Kairos Communications at Newman University Church, St Stephens Green, Dublin 2, for broadcast on RTE One and RTE Radio 1 Extra (LW252) on Sunday, October 30 at 11am. The Irish Kidney Association is asking the public to tune into RTE and actively participate in this years virtual Service, including the symbolic Service of Light ceremony. It is hoped that in households the length and breadth of the country, and beyond, a candle will be lit in memory of deceased donors who gave the gift of life. For many organ donor families this unique annual Service has become an anniversary to remember their loved ones, and for transplant recipients, the opportunity to honour and give thanks for the wonderful gift of life they have received. Prior to the global pandemic, the annual event attracted a physical congregation of close to 2,000 people. For the past three years the Service has been pre-recorded with a small gathering of participants due to safety issues around Covid-19, particularly for transplant recipients and other vulnerable people. When the first pre-recorded virtual Service was held in 2020, a total of 64,000 households nationwide tuned in to watch its first viewing on RTE and it was streamed in 24 other countries. Last year after the Service broadcast there was an uplift in donor card requests, with 43% increase in average weekly requests. Cadet Cassidy from Paulstown lights a candle Twelve families of deceased organ donors participated in the filming of this years virtual Service, to remember their loved ones who became organ donors following their untimely deaths. Nine grateful transplant recipients who received different deceased donors organs (including heart, lung, liver, kidney, and pancreas). They included a five-year-old twin boy who received a kidney transplant this year, a lung transplant grandmother in her late 60s, a 45-year-old mother who has received the gift of life three times in her lifetime, and another mother who is enjoying the successful longevity of a kidney transplant she received 32 years ago. The Service, an occasion for both sadness and joy, includes clergy, humanists, as well as organ transplant recipients, organ donor families, and the medical profession involved in organ donation and transplantation. Music and song are interspersed between poignant symbolic processions and meaningful scripture, reflections and expressions of gratitude, selflessness, and faith in humanity. Since its inception 37 years ago, the Service has become a hugely important event in the calendar of members of the organ donation and transplant community. The confidential database for organ donor families is held by Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI). The Book of Remembrance, a Roll of Honour, has been an integral part of the Service since its inception with the names of organ and tissue donors carefully inscribed by calligrapher Annette Daly from Glenageary, Co Dublin for the past 37 years. A letter by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, who is patron to the Irish Kidney Association, is read aloud at the Service by Rebecca Maher, from Castleknock, Dublin, the mother of deceased organ donor infant Matilda Quinn who passed away in 2015. In an extract from the Presidents message, Rebecca reads, I join you all in expressing my support and thanksgiving for the great gift of organ transplantation, which has transformed and enriched so many lives - allowing new possibilities and new opportunities for recipients and their loved ones. Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin & Glendalough Dr. Michael Jackson gives the Homily and Rev. John Kelly reads the Gospel on behalf of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell. Chief Celebrant is Rev Gary Chamberland, Newman University Church. Revered Soprano Dr Sharon Lyons fulfills the role of Cantor with her beautiful singing supported by talented Musical Director Dominique Cunningham who directs members of the Newman University Church choir, the Vocare Ensemble. The first and second readings at the Service are delivered by Ms. Dilly Little, Surgical Director, National Kidney Transplant Programme, Beaumont Hospital, and Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist Prof. Atif Awan, CHI Temple Street. Other members of the medical profession taking part are Bernie Nohilly, an organ donation nurse, and Prof. Jim Egan, Director, Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI) and Consultant Respiratory & Transplant Physician at The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. Narrating throughout the Service is kidney transplant recipient Eddie Flood, the newly appointed national honorary chairman of the Irish Kidney Association, from Killucan, Co Westmeath. Following the Service broadcast on RTE One and RTE Radio One Extra (LW252) at 11am on Sunday, 30th October, it will be available to watch on the Irish Kidney Associations website www.ika.ie. Individuals who wish to support organ donation are encouraged to Share their Wishes with their family and keep the reminders of their decision available by carrying the organ donor card, permitting Code 115 to be included on their drivers licence or having the digital organ donor card App on their smartphone. Organ Donor Cards can be requested by visiting the IKA website www.ika.ie/get-a- donor-card or to your phone, phoning the Irish Kidney Association on 01 6205306 or Free text the word DONOR to 50050. BEIJING, Oct. 25 -- At the invitation, the 10th Chinese peacekeeping force to Mali recently participated in the "United Nations Day" activity held in the Sector East of the United Nations Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Together with the peacekeeping forces from other countries, they observed a moment of silence to those who died for the cause of peacekeeping. It is reported that peacekeeping troops from China, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Jordan, Senegal and other countries participated in the event. Kilkenny has been announced as one of nine pilot cities and towns set to trial new legislation that will see operating hours of pubs and nightclubs extended. Under the new legislation, pubs will be permitted to open from 10.30am to 12.30am, seven days a week, and nightclubs will not have to close until 6am. The changes are expected to be enacted next year if the legislation is passed by the Oireachtas. The announcement has been welcomed with cautious optimism by the Chairman of the Kilkenny Vintners, Anthony Morrison, who believes that the devil will be in the detail. Tourists on holiday in Kilkenny will soon be able to wander into a pub at 10.30am and get a pint which they couldnt do before and little things like that are welcome, he noted. At the end of the day, the service industry still needs additional support and reassurances from the Government and this new legislation, while welcome, shouldnt distract from that. Local councillor Maria Dollard has also welcomed the proposed legislation, stating that it will finally bring Ireland out of the dark ages and revitalise the nightlife of our cities and towns. The Government has also agreed to provide additional supports to help businesses and communities adjust to licensing law changes. There is also a new fund of up to 2million in sound-proofing grants for late night venues. Opening hours for late bars will remain at 2.30am. Ireland cannot guarantee accommodation for refugees arriving from Ukraine in the next couple of weeks, the Tanaiste has said. Leo Varadkar said the State cannot guarantee homes for anyone travelling from Ukraine because the country is experiencing a severe housing shortage. Speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Mr Varadkar said there is no point in denying the chronic shortage of accommodation. Ireland has done very well as a society and I dont mean as a government, I mean as a society in responding to the Ukraine and refugee crisis, he said. There is over 50,000 Ukrainians now in the country, all must have secure accommodation. There are 12,000 Ukrainian kids now in our schools, 10,000 Ukrainians working, 1,000 studying in our universities. In what is a very difficult situation, I think the Irish public and Irish society has responded very well. But we are experiencing a severe accommodation shortage and there is no point in denying that. As a country we are not in any way going to resile from our international obligations or resile from European solidarity. But we do need to say to people that if you come here we cannot guarantee you accommodation at the moment, and indeed for the few weeks we cant guarantee it. Cabinet sub-committee met last night. Decisions wont be signed off for another few days, so there will be a memo produced for Government. We should be able to sign them off formally in the next couple of days. Some of the measures we are examining include refurbishing buildings, rapid-build housing where possible, increasing the amount of money that is given to families that are willing to take people in or provide a house. Also, aligning what we offer in Ireland with that with other countries so there isnt much of a differential. Lots of different things. Senior government ministers met on Monday night to discuss the accommodation crisis for Ukrainians and refugees arriving in Ireland and measures to address it. Proposals included doubling the monthly payment for people taking in Ukrainian refugees to 800 euro. It came after 44 Ukrainian refugees were recently left without anywhere to live after arriving in Ireland. It is understood that the Department of Children contacted those affected and offered accommodation on Monday. The Government has been accused of failing to match the effort of people across Ireland in finding accommodation for refugees fleeing Ukraine. During leaders questions in the Dail, Taoiseach Micheal Martin was told that people would be dismayed that some refugees fleeing the war had to sleep on the floor at Dublin Airport. However, Mr Martin responded by stating the only person who would take solace from Sinn Feins attacks on Government policy would be Vladimir Putin. The exchanges came after 44 Ukrainian refugees were recently left without anywhere to live after arriving in Ireland. It is understood that the Department of Children contacted those affected and offered accommodation on Monday. Opposition leader Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach in the Dail why the Government was scrambling to put together a plan nine months after Russia invaded Ukraine. The Sinn Fein president added: How is it that at the same time peoples offers to accommodate refugees are being ignored? It seems your approach was to outsource the states response, to cross your fingers and hope for the best. Not content with denying our own people the right to an affordable secure roof over their heads, you now extend your catastrophic failure to those coming to Ireland seeking humanitarian assistance. What are you doing to ensure that offers of accommodation for those fleeing war come onstream quickly? Mr Martin responded: I think your commentary and some of the debate around this issue in recent days has become somewhat detached from the reality that we find ourselves confronted with. The first thing that has to be done is to pay tribute to the extraordinary Irish national effort in response to Putins illegal and immoral invasion of his neighbour Ukraine. More than 55,000 Ukrainians have sought and received refuge in our country. It is one of the highest in the European Union. I think we need to be careful of the implications of how this gets articulated. The only person I see who would get solace from what you have said and the manner in which you have said it is Putin himself. That is what Putin wants to do. He wants to create the impression across Europe that Europe cant cope with this. We have to make sure he does not succeed with that agenda. Ms McDonald said: The difficulty is that you have not matched the effort by the Irish people by action from Government. The facts are that people arrived, fleeing from Ukraine, and there was nowhere for them to go. They slept in the airport. I think we can all agree that is not an acceptable situation. Why are you only cobbling together a plan now? The Taoiseach said: We never, ever before had to deal with such numbers coming into the country. We have said we will do everything we can to accommodate Ukrainians and we have. Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said: I think it is fair to say that across Ireland, communities have been dismayed to see people fleeing the brutal war in Ukraine and having to sleep on the floor in Dublin Airport. Earlier, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar had said Ireland cannot guarantee accommodation for refugees arriving from Ukraine in the next couple of weeks. Mr Varadkar said there is no point in denying the chronic shortage of accommodation. Ireland has done very well as a society and I dont mean as a government, I mean as a society in responding to the Ukraine and refugee crisis, he said. There are over 50,000 Ukrainians now in the country, all must have secure accommodation. There are 12,000 Ukrainian kids now in our schools, 10,000 Ukrainians working, 1,000 studying in our universities. In what is a very difficult situation, I think the Irish public and Irish society has responded very well. But we are experiencing a severe accommodation shortage and there is no point in denying that. As a country we are not in any way going to resile from our international obligations or resile from European solidarity. But we do need to say to people that if you come here we cannot guarantee you accommodation at the moment, and indeed for the few weeks we cant guarantee it. Cabinet sub-committee met last night. Decisions wont be signed off for another few days, so there will be a memo produced for Government. We should be able to sign them off formally in the next couple of days. Senior government ministers met on Monday night to discuss the accommodation crisis for Ukrainians and refugees arriving in Ireland and measures to address it. Proposals included doubling the monthly payment for people taking in Ukrainian refugees to 800 euro. 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. South Kilkenny councillors have issued a renewed appeal to NAMA to reveal the identity of the purchaser of the 100million Ferrybank Shopping Centre. At last month's meeting of Piltown Municipal District Council, Cllr Ger Frisby asked Kilkenny County Council Senior Planner Denis Malone if any update had been issued in relation to the centre. He was informed that NAMA did respond to the Council's query confirming purchase however they still have not yet confirmed the identity of the purchaser. "This is a huge piece of infrastructure and we need to know as councillors what is going on, we need answers and we need to be at the centre of it," Cllr Frisby said. "If they're not getting back to us we'll need to get the County Manager to look into it," he added. Cllr Frisby's comments are the latest in an ongoing saga as local elected representatives seek answers from NAMA as to the purchaser. Speculation has mounted intensely over the last few months when it became clear that remedial, access and improvement works are being undertaken at the centre. For over a decade, the site has been the centre of a legal dispute between Dunnes Stores, who were originally signed on as the anchor tenant, and Deerland Construction Ltd, a company that transferred the loans for the building to NAMA. The massive 30,000m2 outlet has remained almost entirely vacant for the entirety of that dispute, with only Ferrybank Library and Kilkenny County Council's municipal offices utilizing any of the space. CAMDENTON The Missouri Department of Transportation is inviting the public to share their thoughts on proposed improvements to U.S. Route 54 in Camdenton. The project, which would begin in 2024, includes widening Route 54 to five lanes: two eastbound lanes, two westbound lanes and a center turn lane from Business Route 5 to Bumper Hill Road. It also includes the construction of a curb and gutter, new paved approaches and drainage enclosures, according to a news release. The public meeting will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the Camdenton-area Chamber of Commerce Office, located at 739 West U.S. Highway 54. For more information on the improvements and to share comments online, visit MoDOT's website. Sunak pledges to fix Truss' 'mistakes' after becoming third UK PM in seven weeks 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." No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit Whenever a person brings the Internet's hype into the roof, it has two faces - it's either they are praised or the other way around. In the case of NCT 127 Taeyong, he set the Internet ablaze after the two-night concert at Jamsil Olympic Stadium. But what did the NCT 127 leader do to cause the fans to have mixed reactions? Keep scrolling through this article to know more! NCT 127 Taeyong Becomes Talk of the Town for Doing THIS Collectively, NCT 127 has proven again their local presence and impact after successfully holding a two-night concert at the largest venue in South Korea. At the ceiling, Jamsil Olympic Stadium could hold up to 70k people! On the concert's first day, the 127 squad stormed the internet and stole the sanity of the NCTzens as they introduced the "Hello" unit who performed a song that was made by Taeyong during their pre-debut days. That is why with pride, Taeyong, Johnny, Mark, and Yuta bragged about their world-class stage presence and strong tone with the stage of "Hello." After the performance, the members garnered a lot of online interest, and it is for you to find out why. For a sneak peek, check the embedded tweet below: During the second day of the concert, Johnny snatched the wigs of everyone after following "this instruction" from his leader, Taeyong. As we approach the exciting part of the performance, Taeyong rocked the world of the audience when he did a gesture addressed "to the haters." Taeyong did the gesture after spitting the lyrics "haters gonna be mad." Upon doing this, many NCTzens praised the group leader for unleashing the inner savage in him for sexily conveying a subtle message to "haters." However, this gesture also drew divided comments from the fans across social media and Korean online discussion forums. Upon hearing Hello, it reminded me so much of taeyong's thought process during his rookies days and today he revealed that he wrote it 7 years ago, 2015 the year of piece of mind pic.twitter.com/eOEMmQI5n4 taeoxo TY #NCT127 (@taeyong1st) October 23, 2022 "Today, all the other members performed live, but only Taeyong lip synced." "But... isn't it a problem to curse a finger at a fan?" "Why would he lick his finger that's probably sweaty and has covid bacteria on it? I'm barfing." NCTzens saw the criticisms coming, so some NCT fans just shook it off and said: "So funny how taeyong made that gesture for the haters gonna be mad line and now the haters are in fact mad and shaking and throwing up." Regardless of releasing his fierce side, the resident rapper of NCT communicated that the song, 'Hello' was meaningful for the pack and to be able to perform it after seven years since its conception is something to be proud of. The Duality of Taeyong Taeyong is one of the leaders in the K-pop industry. Leading 22 men is not a joke, that is why Taeyong is praised for his leadership and responsibility as one of NCT's foundations. During the encore of the second day of the concert, Doyoung, NCT 127's main vocalist, became emotional. And to the rescue, Taeyong gave him a reassuring hug. these two right here... they're our pillars pic.twitter.com/UagHqOdxyx naya. (@ohahpotato) October 23, 2022 Despite being a baddie, the NCT members have secured a soft spot in Taeyong's heart. Henceforth, after the two-night concert, Taeyong not just awestruck fans with his gesture, but also melted the heart of the fans with how he stayed strong during emotional times for the team. What are your thoughts on Taeyong's gestures during the Seoul concert? Drop those below! KpopStarz owns this article. Article written by Sophia Carson. Is RJ a neglected orphan now that BTS Jin has a new son and travel companion? Check this article to sip some tea. Is RJ Replaced? Today, October 24, 2022, BTS Jin was spotted at the Incheon Airport as he boarded for Argentina. The BTS vocalist will perform his solo single, "The Astronaut," on October 28, 2022, with Coldplay. It was revealed in previous reports that Coldplay gifted this solo single to Jin. Hence, as part of promoting the song, Jin will join Coldplay for their performance at Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires. Ever since the conception of RJ, Jin's BT21 character through the embodiment of an adorable alpaca, the two are inseparable and intimate to the point of bringing his RJ merchandise whenever going overseas. According to ARMYs, this is Jin's subtle way of promoting his son. Alongside, it signifies Jin as a proud dad to RJ! It could be remembered that during Permission to Dance On Stage last December 2021, Jin was a proud dad to RJ as he used the alpaca plushie as a headdress more than once! RJ also experienced living the first-class life when Jin brought him on a private jet flight. Mind you, the fluffy alpaca plushie secured a seat on the said luxurious vehicle. ARMYs concluded that RJ is the luckiest and most beloved BT21 character. For ARMYs, it is never a complete overseas trip for Jin if his son, RJ, does not accompany him. Therefore, ARMYs noticed the slightest detail that even though Jin is not carrying the traditional RJ plushie, he carries other merchandise of his son such as through cellphone case, t-shirt, and keychain. BTS Jin Introduces His New Travel Buddy However, ARMYs noticed that on his way to Argentina, Jin was not carrying any sign of RJ with him. But he is accompanied by a mini astronaut plushie named Wootteo. Wootteo was introduced to the public when HYBE LABELS dropped the logo trailer for Jin's single. Also, Wootteo is visible on Instagram. You may check the delicate character's account below: Moreover, the mini astronaut is seen on Twitter whenever a user tweets with the hashtags: # #Jin. Upon the introduction of Wootteo to the public, ARMYs were vocal that they were anticipating new merchandise featuring the newest addition to the BTS-ARMY family. Here are some of the fans' comments: "And when weverse drops the astronaut merch with wootteo plushies i'll be in the front line." "Everyone knew it was coming, but ... When is the Wootteo collection dropping?" Alongside admiring Wootteo, ARMYS also complimented how Jin's fluffy hair suits him. But, of course, the ARMYs are hoping for Jin's safety as he flies to Argentina. Being a naturally humorous fandom, ARMYs can't help but tease RJ that Wootteo now replaces him as Jin's favorite. Some ARMYs with creative juices even posted memes to joke about the situation. I mean look at him pic.twitter.com/Gfh9S5IiAp B-ChimChim JIMTOBER (slow) (@ForeverPurple23) October 24, 2022 THIS STORY MIGHT INTEREST YOU: BTS Jin Airport Fashion 2022: Here Are the Items From His Recent Departure to LA Speaking of fashion, ARMYs have also pointed out that Jin is holding a Louis Vuitton bag as he boards for Argentina. ARMYs hope that considering the size of Jin's Louis Vuitton bag, the vocalist still brought his alpaca son with him. Do you find Wootteo cute as well? Share your thoughts here. KpopStarz owns this article Written by Sophia Carson New Delhi, October 25: A total of 986,850 people subscribed to employee provident fund during the month of August, an 11 per cent decline in comparison to the previous month, data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Tuesday showed. Since April 2018 the Ministry has been bringing out employment-related statistics in the formal sector covering the period September 2017 onwards, using the information on the number of subscribers who have subscribed under three major schemes -- the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme, the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Scheme and the National Pension Scheme (NPS). How To Change PF Nomination Online Via epfindia.gov.in; Here Is Step-By-Step Guide For EPFO Members. From September 2017 till August 2022, a total of 5,81,56,630 new subscribers joined the EPF scheme, data showed. In the case of ESI, the total number of newly registered employees and paying contributions during August was 1,462,145. EPFO Money Withdrawal: How to Withdraw Second COVID-19 Advance From EPF Online Via epfindia.gov.in. Since September 2017, 7,22,92,232 new subscribers have joined the ESI scheme. Further, data showed that 65,543 subscribers were added to the National Pension Scheme during August, and 37,85,101 joined and contributed to the NPS since September 2017. "The present report gives different perspectives on the levels of employment in the formal sector and does not measure employment at a holistic level," the ministry said. The next report is due for release on November 25, 2022. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 25 (ANI): All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) general secretary and party MLA Rafiqul Islam Tuesday lashed out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the latter's giving too much importance to Miya Museum issue. "The CM should discuss economy and health issues," the AIUDF leader said. "See, the economy of Assam has been ruined at this time, it should be discussed. Discussions should be on education, on how every district and village will get digital classrooms," Rafiqul Islam said. Adding instead of that the BJP is discussing the 'Miya Museum'. Also Read | Madhya Pradesh Shocker: Three Members of Dalit Family Shot Dead in Damoh, High Level Probe Ordered. "Every subdivision should have a library in which people can study," Rafiqul Islam said further. Hitting out at the Assam government, AIUDF MLA said that now after 50 years the branch of All India radio centre, Dibrugarh stopped broadcasting news in the Assamese language. The Assamese language has been abolished from the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) exam. Also Read | Bombay High Court Says Labeling Husband As 'Womaniser', 'Alcoholic' Without Proving Allegations Sans Proof 'Cruelty'. "Leaving these issues, BJP has fallen on the topic of Mia Museum' including the chief minister himself," he added. Earlier today, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government will probe the matter. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sharma was against the Miya Museum and scolded the Miya Parishad for placing traditional equipment inside the museum claiming that the traditional equipment belongs to the people of Assam. "I don't understand what is this museum. The material which has been placed there belongs to the Assamese people except for Lungi (a piece of cloth). They have placed on Nangol (a tool used to plough land), fishing equipment there, but these traditional types of equipment have been used by our scheduled caste people for decades after decades. What is new in there except Lungi?" CM said. Adding that they (not only Miya Parishad, but people supporting it) will have to prove before the government that, the Nangol is only used by Miya people, not others. While replying to CM's statement AIUDF leader Rafiqul said, "I don't think that there is nothing wrong with the museum." "If a community wants to preserve the traditional equipment which belongs to their ancestors, then it is not a crime," he added. Earlier in 2020, expelled Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed sent a letter to the Director of the Museum and stated that one Museum reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living in Char-Chaporis of Assam on the premises of Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati was recommended by Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Education, 2020-21 in its 47th report on Art and Culture (Grant No. 27). The people those are living in Char-Chaporis (riverine islands) of the river Brahmaputra mostly belonging to Bengali speaking Muslims and locally called them Miya. Notably, the district administration on Tuesday sealed the Miya museum, inaugurated a few days back, citing that the museum was opened in a PMAY house. Rajib Gogoi, Circle Officer of Goalpara district said that, as per the direction of the Deputy Commissioner of Goalpara district, we have sealed the PMAY-G house. "The Miya Museum was opened in the PMAY house," the Circle Officer said. The Miya community in Assam comprises descendants of Muslim migrants from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to Assam. The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra, locally known as Char-Chapori cover about 3.60 lakh hectares of land and the chars follow a peculiar pattern of migration. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Dibrugarh, Oct 25 (PTI) Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said the Centre, along with Assam government, is trying to find a pragmatic and sustainable solution to the state's flood and erosion problems. Sonowal, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said this during his visit to several erosion affected areas of his home district Dibrugarh in Assam. Also Read | 7th Pay Commission: Another DA Hike Not Far Away; Here's When Dearness Allowance of Central Government Employees Could Increase Again. He made enquiries with the common people about the losses incurred due to of the erosion, especially by Brahmaputra and Dibru rivers. The minister visited Pukhurijaan, Balijaan, Bindhakota, Bornamghorstholi, Gereki Nepali and other affected areas, an official statement said. "To find a pragmatic and sustainable solution to Assam's flood and erosion woes, the Union and state governments are working together under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said. Also Read | Delhi Air Quality Remains 'Very Poor' Despite Recording Lowest Pollution in 5 Years; Haryana, Punjab, UP and Rajasthan Record 'Poor' AQI Post Diwali. The minister said the government is giving special emphasis on creating a scientific solution to prevent erosion in the state. He said erosion resistant embankment between Guijaan and Maaijan in Dibrugarh is being worked out to prevent any future occurrence of erosion in the area. "We believe that this project will bring in much required relief to the people residing on the banks of rivers, especially in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts. I am confident that the financial assistance of Rs 110 crore provided by the Modi government to tackle the flood and erosion problems of Dinjaan, Pukhurijaan, Guuijaan and other adjoining areas, will bring in much required relief to the people," he said. The minister discussed about corrective steps being taken in view of the reported loss of livestock and farm stock in these areas. Sonowal was accompanied by Chabua MLA Ponakan Baruah, chairman of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation Rituparna Baruah, and vice-chairman of the Assam State Housing Board Subhash Dutta, among others, the statement said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Teetwal (J&K), Oct 25 (PTI) Hundreds of earthen lamps lit the Teetwal hamlet in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Monday as Diwali was being celebrated for the first time at the Mata Sharda Devi temple being reconstructed in the area on the Line of Control (LoC). The ancient temple and its centre are being rebuilt with a view to revive centuries-old pilgrimage to Sharda Peeth temple in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Also Read | Diwali Freak Accident: Man Critically Injured After Cracker Explodes Accidentally in His Pocket in Lucknow. Sharada Peeth -- "the seat of Sharada" -- is the Kashmiri name for goddess Saraswati. Sharada Peeth was one of the foremost ancient universities of the Indian subcontinent. Teetwal is situated in Kupwara and the Sharda Peeth is situated barely 40 kilometers from this village. Also Read | Punjab: Air Quality Improves As AQI Reduces in State This Diwali, Says Environment Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer. Sharda Peeth is an abandoned temple located in Sharda village along the Neelum River, which was a major centre of learning. It is regarded as one of the 18 highly revered temples across south Asia. After first time since partition, candles and diyas lighting marked Diwali celebrations at the Sharda yatra temple, being reconstructed in Teetwal. A large number of locals along with Army jawans lit earthen lamps, candles and distributed sweets to celebrate Diwali on Monday, Save Sharda Committee president Ravinder Pandita said. Led by construction committee member Ajaz Khan, it was for the first time since partition that Diwali was celebrated in Teetwal. The Save Sharda Committee has taken the lead of reconstruction of the temple and a Sikh gurdwara after reclaiming the same last year, he said. "Prior to the tribal raids in 1947, a dharmshala and a Sikh gurdwara used to exist in the same plot that was burnt down in the raids. On similar lines, the committee is reconstructing the Sharda temple and the Sikh gurdwara. The reconstruction is nearly complete", Pandita said. Teetwal was a traditional route of pilgrimage to Sharda Peeth which was last stopped in 1948 after the tribal raids and partition. "Ever since no such yatra has taken place. The committee comprising the civil society of Tangdhar Karnah is actively engaged in recreating this ancient heritage," he said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], October 25 (ANI): India has repatriated five Bangladeshi nationals, including two women and two children, to their country after they were apprehended by Border Security Force (BSF) while crossing the international border between the two countries and attempting to enter Indian territory. The BSF handed over these five Bangladeshi nationals to Border Gaurd Bangladesh (BGB) on Monday at 8.30 am, the force said on Tuesday. Also Read | Delhi Shocker: Drunk Man Sets His Bike on Fire, Damages Police Property in Khan Market; Arrested (Watch Video). The BSF troops deployed at Border Out Post Madhupur, under South Bengal Frontier, apprehended the five Bangladeshi nationals while crossing the International Border illegally, the BSF said. During interrogation, the BSF said, one of the Bangladeshi women revealed that she was coming to India from Bangladesh illegally with her entire family for better treatment of her mother but they were all apprehended by the BSF on the border. Also Read | Karnataka: Slain Bajrang Dal Activist Harsha's Family Seeks Police Protection From Anti-Social Elements in Shivamogga. The apprehended Bangladeshi nationals were handed over to the BGB as a gesture of humanity and goodwill. The Commanding Officer of the 68 Battalion stated that the BSF is taking strict measures to prevent infiltration along the Indo-Bangladesh Border. "Considering the seriousness of the crime of the apprehended people and to maintain the mutual cooperation and goodwill of the Border Guarding Force of both the countries, some innocent Bangladeshis are handed over to the BGB safely." BSF, which is mandated to guard the 4,096 km India-Bangladesh border, faces similar issues intermittently and the force returns the illegal infiltrator back to the BGB on human grounds. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chitradurga (Karnataka) [India], October 25 (ANI): As many as three people were killed while two others were critically injured after their car rammed into a road divider in Chitradurga, said traffic police officials on Tuesday. The tragic accident occurred near the Tourists Guest House. Also Read | Mumbai Shocker: Man Kidnaps Youth After He Molests His Minor Daughter in Kalyan, Arrested. The injured were shifted to the hospital by the police officials. According to the Chitradurga Traffic Police, two out of the three persons who died in this accident belonged to Medehalli while the third person hailed from Bengaluru. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Retired School Teacher Shot Dead by Son in Badaun. Investigations into the matter are underway. Earlier in another instance, nine people were killed in a head-on collision between a tempo traveler vehicle and a KMF milk vehicle on the late night of October 16 in the Hassan district of Karnataka. Among the deceased, seven people were from the Salapura village and two were from the Doddihalli village. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 25 (ANI): The seer of Sri Kanchugal Bande Mutt, Basavalinga Swami was found dead in a room of the mutt in Ramnagara district, police have informed. The police officials suspect that the seer had an unnatural death. Also Read | Gujarat Reports 500% Spike in Burn Cases on Diwali 2022; Physical Assault Incidents Witness Spike of 112%. "A two-page death note was found in the room of the mutt in Ramnagara district where the pontiff's body was found, yesterday, after an unnatural death," said the Kudur police officials. According to police sources, a group of people was mentally harassing Basavalinga Swami over an audio conversation with a lady. Also Read | John Shaw Dies at 73: Devastated To Lose My Husband, Says Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. "Seer's last rights were performed on Monday evening in the premises of the mutt, many pontiffs of different mutts participated in the final rights," said police officials. A case has been registered in connection with the matter at the Kudur Police Station and investigations are underway. Further details on the matter are awaited. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 25 (ANI): Telangana Rashtra Samithi's (TRS) Working President and IT, Industries and Commerce Minister KT Rama Rao wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the recent "publicity stunt" called Rozgar Mela is a "cruel joke on unemployed youth". He said that Modi had unveiled this new drama before elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Also Read | PGIMER Recruitment 2022: Vacancies Notified for 137 Senior Residents and Other Posts, Apply Online at pgimer.edu.in. Reminding PM Modi about his assurance to fill two crore jobs every year, KTR said that 16 crore jobs were supposed to be filled in the past eight years. He said that unemployed youth are waiting for them. In the letter, Minister KTR questioned if a white paper will be released on the number of jobs filled by the BJP government in the past eight years. He has also mentioned the number of central government employees who retire annually, the impact of selling public sector companies, and other aspects. Also Read | Madhya Pradesh Shocker: Three Members of Dalit Family Shot Dead in Damoh, High Level Probe Ordered. Pointing to the number of jobs filled by the Telangana government, he questioned the central government about the number of employment opportunities it could have provided. TRS Working President KTR said that the Telangana government has filled 1.50 lakh government jobs, and has initiated the process of filling 91000 more government jobs. Besides, 16.5 lakh jobs and employment opportunities were provided in the private sector. This was done in the State with a 3.5 crore population. Minister KTR has questioned the Central Government about the number of jobs it has filled in the country which has a 130 crore population. Two lakh central government employees retire in our country annually. He said that the Central Government claiming that they have provided 75000 jobs in a day without filling 50,000 positions annually in the past eight years is not justified. TRS Working President KTR said that the Central Government itself has stated that approximately 16 lakh more jobs have to be filled. Pointing to the situation, Minister KTR has questioned what message they intend to convey to unemployed youth through this new stunt called Rozgar Mela. Minister KTR said that during the announcement about Rozgar Mela, the Central Government stated that vacancies in 38 Central departments would be filled. He has asked about the remaining vacancies in the 38 Central departments and sought clarity on the time the vacancies would be filled. He asked if the central government will release a national job calendar for unemployed youth. Minister KTR has also said that approximately two lakh people lost the opportunity of regularization of jobs as the Central Government is selling public sector companies. He has reminded PM Modi that he wrote an open letter on June 9-2022 about providing employment opportunities to youth. But there was no response. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) Hectic preparations were underway at the Congress headquarters for Wednesday's ceremony where party president Sonia Gandhi will hand over the baton to her successor, Mallikarjun Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to head the outfit in 24 years. Kharge defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the top post in the grand old party after the Gandhis opted out of the race. Also Read | Mumbai Shocker: Woman Steals Gold Worth Rs 12 Lakh From Cousins House in Malad on Pretext of Changing Clothes in Bedroom; Arrested. Security personnel and workers made last-minute arrangements on the AICC headquarters lawns where a tent was being put up and in the Congress president's office room. Chairman of the central election authority of the Congress Madhusudan Mistry will formally hand over the election certificate to Kharge at the function, which will also see the presence of outgoing chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Also Read | Solar Eclipse 2022: Surya Grahan Observed in Parts of India; Srinagar Witnesses Maximum Obscuration of Solar Disc (See Pics). Kharge, 80, takes charge of the party at a time when it faces a tough challenge from a formidable BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has ousted the Congress from many states. For Kharge, who has served as a leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha and later leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, the current assignment comes at a time when the party is at a historic low, electorally. With the Congress now remaining in power in only two states -- Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh -- on its own and in partnership as a junior partner in Jharkhand, Kharge's first challenge is to bring the party to power in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which go to polls in the next few weeks. Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh are on November 12 but the dates for Gujarat are yet to be announced. Later in 2023, Kharge will face the onerous task of leading the Congress in nine assembly elections that are due including in his home state of Karnataka where he was an MLA for nine terms. Kharge's election also comes at a time the party is reeling under internal rumblings and high-profile exits after a series of electoral debacles and has been reduced to a shadow of its former formidable self. Beginning his career as chief of the Gulbarga city council, Kharge has also served as a state minister and a Lok Sabha MP from Gulbarga (2009 and 2014). The old warhorse is well known for not losing an election barring the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from Gulbarga. It was after that loss that Sonia Gandhi brought Kharge to the Rajya Sabha and in February 2021 made him the leader of the opposition. Kharge also faces the challenge of restoring the Congress' primacy in the opposition space, implementing radical reforms the party pledged at the mid-May Chintan Shivir in Udaipur and maintaining his independence in the face of insinuations that he is a candidate of the Gandhi and would seek their approval in all decisions. The last non-Gandhi Congress president was Sitaram Kesri, who was unceremoniously removed in 1998 just after two years into his five-year term. A leader with more than 50 years of experience in politics, Kharge is also the second All India Congress Committee (AICC) president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa and also the second Dalit leader after Jagjivan Ram to hold the post. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Goalpara, Oct 25 (PTI) The 'Miya Museum', set up in a house allotted under PMAY, in Assam's Goalpara district was sealed and its owner was taken into custody on Tuesday a district official said. Also Read | Coimbatore Car Blast Case: UAPA Invoked Against Accused, 5 Arrested in Tamil Nadu. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Three Children Drown While Taking Bath in Pond in Bareilly's Bhojipura Area. The museum was opened to the public on Sunday. The president of the Mia Assam Miya Parishad, Mohor Ali set up the museum on the premises of the house allotted to him under the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana. A team of government officers sealed the museum at Dapkabhita under Lakhiur police station and put up a notice that it has been done on the orders of the deputy commissioner. The opening of the Museum in a house allotted under the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana led to a controversy with senior BJP leaders demanding its immediate closure. BJP Minority Morcha member Abdur Rahim Gibran had filed a complaint against the setting up of the museum in the house. Some agricultural implements and fishing equipment, hand towels and checked 'lungis' (sarongs worn by men) are on display as Ali claimed that these are the identity of the 'Miya' community. In Assam, the word 'Miya' refers to Bengali-speaking migrants whose origin can be traced to Bangladesh. Ali along with his two minor sons sat on a dharna outside the house demanding the immediate reopening of the museum. "We are displaying objects with which the community identifies itself so that people from other communities can realise that the Miyas are not any different from them", Ali said. The police later took him into custody. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that such activities by some members of the Miya community posed a threat to the "Assamese identity". "How can they (Miya community) claim that the plough is their identity? It has been used by all farmers in the state for ages. It is only the lungi that they can claim as their own," Sarma said at the sidelines of a programme. Those who have set up the museum will have to answer to an expert committee on what basis the claims were made, he added. The setting up of a Miya Museum was first proposed by former Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed in 2020. He had written to the director of museums urging for its establishment at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra to showcase the culture and heritage of Bengali-speaking Muslims living in the riverine areas of the state. Sarma had rejected Ahmed's proposal. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], October 25 (ANI): One man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly firing bullets at people for bursting crackers in his locality in the Keshav Puram Police Station area in the national capital late on Monday night, said police. The accused had been identified as Arvind Kumar. Also Read | PGIMER Recruitment 2022: Vacancies Notified for 137 Senior Residents and Other Posts, Apply Online at pgimer.edu.in. Four people were injured in the Keshav Puram Police Station area after the accused confronted a few people bursting crackers in his locality, added the police. An FIR was registered under the Indian penal Code and Arms Act at Keshav Puram Police Station. Also Read | Madhya Pradesh Shocker: Three Members of Dalit Family Shot Dead in Damoh, High Level Probe Ordered. Two empty cartridges were recovered from the spot and one illegal automatic pistol, and a live cartridge was recovered from the accused's possession. As per the doctor's opinion, all victims are in stable condition. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Chennai, Oct 25 (PTI) The Tamil Nadu idol wing CID on Tuesday said it has written to a US-based Museum and an auction company claiming state government's ownership over the two antique idols stolen 50 years ago from a temple in the state. The burglarly came to light when three antique metal idols which were stolen from Arulmigu Vishwanatha Swamy Temple, Alathur, Mannargudi taluk in Tiruvarur district were detected at the LACMA Museum, Los Angeles by the Idol wing officials. Also Read | 7th Pay Commission: Another DA Hike Not Far Away; Here's When Dearness Allowance of Central Government Employees Could Increase Again. Initial investigations revealed that the three antique metal idols were replaced with fake idols at the temple and the examinations indicated that Somaskandar idol and Dancing Sambandar idols of the temple would have been burgled in a similar manner, an official release said. As there were no official images of the idols with the temple authorities, the idol wing sleuths requested the French Institute of Pondicherry (FIP) to share the images of the statues. Also Read | Delhi Air Quality Remains 'Very Poor' Despite Recording Lowest Pollution in 5 Years; Haryana, Punjab, UP and Rajasthan Record 'Poor' AQI Post Diwali. The FIP shared the images of the idols taken and documented by them in respect to this temple, the release said. Special teams were formed to look for the idols in museums and art galleries worldwide including in auction houses. After an extensive search, the department located the idols similar to 'Somaskandar' on the website of Freer Sackler Museum in Washington DC and the 'Dancing Sambandar' on the website of Christies.com. Experts after a thorough study confirmed that the images taken from the website of the US-based entities were similar and to be the original idols which were stolen 50 years ago from the temple. "Based on the findings of the investigation, the idol wing has prepared and submitted papers claiming the Tamil Nadu governments' ownership of the idols for onward transmission to the United States of America for repatriation of the same to Tamil Nadu", the release said. The department hopes to retrieve the idols and restore them to the Arulmigu Vishwanatha Swamy Temple, Alathur, in Mannargudi, Thiruvarur district under the UNESCO treaty soon. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Hyderabad, Oct 25 (PTI) Stepping up his attack on the NDA government at the Centre, ruling TRS working president in Telangana K T Rama Rao on Tuesday alleged that the Centre's recent 'Rozgar Mela' (an online job fair) is a cruel joke on the unemployed youth. Saying that this new drama has been unveiled before elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an assurance that two crore jobs would be filled every year. Also Read | Bombay High Court Says Labeling Husband As 'Womaniser', 'Alcoholic' Without Proving Allegations Sans Proof 'Cruelty'. In an open letter to Modi, Rama Rao asked if a White Paper would be released on the number of jobs filled by the BJP government in the past eight years. The TRS working president said the Telangana government has filled 1.50 lakh government jobs and has initiated the process of filling 91,000 more. Also Read | Delhi Records 64 Percent Decline in PM2.5, 57 Percent in PM10 Levels This Diwali Compared to Last Year: DPCC's Report. Besides, 16.5 lakh jobs, employment opportunities were provided in the private sector. This was done in the State with a 3.5 crore population, he said. Meanwhile, State BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar released a poster containing a list of allegedly unkept promises of Chandrasekhar Rao. The poster was released in connection with the crucial November 3 bypoll to Munugode Assembly constituency in Nalgonda district. The list includes making a Dalit leader as Chief Minister; distribution of three acres of land to Dalits and installation of a 125-foot tall statue of Dalit leader Babasaheb Ambedkar; putting an end to farmers' suicide in Telangana and purchasing the last grain of farmers' produce; one job, per family in Telangana; unemployment dole of Rs 3,016; and annual release of job calender by the State Public Service Commission. The bypoll in Munugode has been necessitated due to the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy who joined the BJP. The counting of votes in the bypoll would be taken up on November 6. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) Jakson Green has inked a pact to invest Rs 22,400 crore to set up a green hydrogen and green ammonia project, in phases, in Rajasthan. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the government of Rajasthan to this effect, Jakson Green said in a statement. Also Read | Cyclone Sitrang Update: Cyclonic Storm Spares India, Hits Bangladesh Coast Near Barisal, Says IMD. Jakson Green will set up a 3,65,000 tons per annum Green Hydrogen & Green Ammonia plant along with an integrated hybrid renewable power complex in a phase wise manner, it stated. The project is expected to generate over 32,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities across various phases of the scale-up, planned between 2023 and 2028, it claimed. Also Read | UPPCL Recruitment 2022: Vacancies Notified for 79 Assistant Accountant Posts, Apply Online at upenergy.in. The MoU was signed by Vish Iyer, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Jakson Green and Bhaskar S Sawant, Principal Secretary of Energy to the government of Rajasthan. "This agreement with Jakson Green is further testimony to the state's investor centric policies," Sawant said. The government of Rajasthan would facilitate Jakson Green in obtaining necessary registrations, approvals, clearances, and provide incentives, among others, it informed. "We truly appreciate the government of Rajasthan for this partnership and for demonstrating their vision in positioning the state as a favoured green hydrogen hub by extending their utmost co-operation to our project," Bikesh Ogra, Founding Promoter, Managing Director & CEO of Jakson Green said. Jakson Green has recently announced its global ambitions to be a leading developer and integrator of green hydrogen and green ammonia assets across select geographies and is eyeing a play in the Independent Hydrogen & Ammonia Production and Electrolyser manufacturing space. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) Reliance Retail is expanding its business into the fast-growing toy sector through its brand Rowan to operate in the affordable segment with a smaller shop size. The company was running its toy distribution business through Rowan. It has now brought this homegrown brand to the front end by opening its first EBO (exclusive brand outlet) at Gurugram in NCR in the last quarter with a store size of 1,400 sq feet. Also Read | Gujarat Reports 500% Spike in Burn Cases on Diwali 2022; Physical Assault Incidents Witness Spike of 112%. Under this new format, Reliance Retail, the retail arm of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, will have a range of affordable toys not only from the brand Rowan on its shelves but also from other brands, said an industry source. Reliance Retail also has the iconic British toy retail brand Hamleys in its fold. Also Read | EPFO: 9,86,850 Subscribers Added Under Provident Fund in August 2022. Hamleys is the world's oldest toy retailer and was acquired by Reliance in 2019, marking the first acquisition of a global retail brand by the company. Hamleys would continue to operate in the premium space, while brand Rowan would help Reliance Retail to tap the mid-premium and mass segment with its affordable offerings, the source said. The unit value of toys will be much lower at Rowan stores, and the discounts offered will be higher. Hence, products will be more affordable, he added. Moreover, unlike Hamleys, the store size of Rowan stores will be much smaller, ideally measuring between 500-1,000 sq ft, he noted. "We also launched Rowan, which is a new format from Reliance as a toy store, which is a small format, typically around 500-1,000 sq ft in size, selling more affordable toys. So, that format also got launched during this quarter, and we'll also see it further ramp up as we go along," Reliance Retail Head of strategy and business development Gaurav Jain said. Hamleys currently has a global footprint across 15 countries with over 200 doors and is India's largest chain of toy stores. With both brands in its portfolio, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) is one of the leading toy distributors. Earlier in June this year, Reliance Brands Ltd (RBL), a unit of RRVL, had announced a joint venture with Italian company Plastic Legno SPA and acquired a 40 per cent stake in the latter's toy manufacturing business in India. According to a joint report by industry body FICCI and KPMG, the Indian toy market was estimated to be around USD 1 billion in 2019-20 and is expected to double to USD 2 billion by 2024-25. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington [US], October 25 (ANI): New study revealed that many people, especially those with strong and highly reactive emotions, seek and would benefit from contact with cats. Cats are frequently excluded from university-based animal-assisted programs aimed at lowering stress. Universities implementing animal-assisted interventions like "Pet Your Stress Away" events has proven benefits, but more than 85 per cent of them only include dogs, according to researchers. A new paper published in the journal Anthrozoos found a high level of interest in adding cats to the mix. Also Read | NZ vs AFG Dream11 Team Prediction, T20 World Cup 2022, Super 12: Tips To Pick Best Fantasy Playing XI for New Zealand vs Afghanistan Cricket Match in Melbourne. The study found that several factors shaped a positive response to a cat visitation program and revealed that the personality trait of emotionality played an important role. Emotionality, part of a well-established psychology model called the Big Five personality traits, indicates a person has strong emotions and is highly reactive to them. "Emotionality is a pretty stable trait; it doesn't fluctuate and is a quite consistent feature of our personalities," said co-author Patricia Pendry, a professor in Washington State University's Department of Human Development. "We found that people on the higher end of that scale were significantly more interested in interacting with cats on campus. Given that prior research has shown that such individuals may be more open to forming strong attachments to animals, it makes sense they would want cats to be included in these programs." Also Read | Congress Spokesperson Jairam Ramesh Says 'India Does Not Need To Draw Any Lessons From Any Other Country' After Shashi Tharoor, P Chidambaram's Tweets on Rishi Sunak's Elevation. Pendry and lead author Joni Delanoeije, from Belgian university KU Leuven, explored the level of interest in adding cats to the interventions, plus how human characteristics may influence that interest. The scientists also examined whether university employees, who are commonly excluded from such programs, would be interested in participating. "Anecdotally, we've always been told that cat people are different from dog people, and that most students are not interested in interacting with cats,"Pendry said. "Our results revealed that students are interested in interacting with cats and that this interest may be driven by personality traits." The researchers surveyed more than 1,400 university students and staff for the paper from over 20 universities. The link between personality and openness to interacting with cats mattered even after accounting for openness to a dog visitation program, being a cat owner and identifying as female. The researchers also accounted for negative influences such as having a cat allergy or cat phobia, which logically reduced participants' interest in interacting with felines. One reason university interventions tend to be dog-focused is the larger number of canine therapy animals available and a common view that cats may be unsuitable for therapy roles, Pendry said. "There's a perception that dogs exist to please people," said Pendry, who classifies herself as a dog and a cat person. "While I may describe cats as 'discerning,' they are often perceived as unpredictable, aloof, or finicky--traits that can be difficult for some to be around." In previous studies where results weren't divided into different animal species, Pendry said it was easy to tell cat people from dog people. "Some people came in and made an immediate beeline for cats and others for dogs," she said. "I was pleasantly surprised by how many people were interested in interacting with cats, which made me interested in learning more about why they made those choices." Researchers included faculty and staff, in addition to students, and found no differences between the groups. "We think of college student populations as being unique, and in several ways they are," Delanoeije said. "But when we looked at university employees, the results were very similar: Personality mattered more than being a student or employee. That shows there would be interest in having animal interventions in non-university settings and other workplaces." Having the option of being able to choose an interaction with a cat or dog, or both, may increase the number of people interested in attending an animal-assisted intervention, which is shown to lower stress and make people feel better. That's the whole point for the scientists. "Our study shows that we may be able to reach a larger audience by offering interventions that include dogs and cats. People who are on the higher end of the emotionality trait may be more likely to participate and benefit from these interactions," Pendry said. "We're looking for ways to help more people reduce their stress levels. Adding cats may be another way to reach a broader audience." (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Dhaka, Oct 25: At least 18 people, including three children, were killed in different parts of Bangladesh as the cyclonic storm Sitrang lashed the country, leaving a trail of destruction, officials said on Tuesday. Sitrang completed its landfall and weakened to a tropical depression over Bangladesh in the early hours of Tuesday, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. Cyclone Sitrang Wreaks Havoc as Death Toll Rises to 15 in Bangladesh. As many as 18 deaths caused due to the cyclonic storm were reported from different parts of Bangladesh since Monday night, it quoted officials as saying. Three members of a family died after a tree fell on their house in Comilla, while four people died at Bhola district after being crushed under trees and from drowning, the report said. One death each was reported from Narail and Barguna sub-districts. The body of a child was recovered from Chittagong district. A mother and her two-year-old son died after a boat sank during the storm in Jamuna River in Sirajganj district. One man died after the railing of a multi-story building collapsed and fell on him in Dhaka, while two women died after a tree fell on them in Gopalganj district. The body of a worker, who went missing during the storm in Patuakhali, has been recovered. A mother and her minor daughter died when a tree fell on their house in Munshiganj district, the report said. UK: 4 Arrested After King Charles Wax Statue at Londons Madame Tussauds Vandalised With Cake (Watch Video). State Minister for the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman at a press briefing in Dhaka on Tuesday said about 10,000 houses across Bangladesh were damaged by the cyclone. Besides, 6,000 hectares of agricultural land and 1,000 shrimp farms were also damaged, he said. We have been able to provide shelter to one million people in 6,925 cyclone shelters. The cyclone weakened quickly after hitting the coastal districts at 10 pm (Monday), Enamur said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Tokyo, Oct 25 (AP) Japan's economy minister submitted his resignation Monday over ties to the Unification Church after facing mounting criticism in a widening controversy involving dozens of governing party lawmakers. Daishiro Yamagiwa's resignation is a further blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government, which has been rocked by his party's close ties to the controversial South Korean-based church following the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe in July. Also Read | US Shooting: Gunman Opens Fire at High School in St Louis, Three Including Suspect Killed. Kishida on Tuesday said he appointed former Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto to take Yamagiwa's place as the economy minister. Kishida said Goto is a veteran politician who is highly capable of giving explanation and has passion" for economic and social reforms. Kishida said he expected him to play a central role in coordinating and achieving key policy goals, including a major economic package that Kishida plans to announce later this week. Goto's appointment is to be official after a palace ceremony later Tuesday. Also Read | North Korea Likely To Conduct Nuclear Test, Says US Department Press Secretary Ned Price. The Kishida government's support ratings have nosedived over his handling of the scandal and for holding a highly unusual state funeral for Abe, one of Japan's most divisive leaders who is now seen as a key link between the governing Liberal Democratic Party and the church. Since the 1980s, the church has faced accusations of devious business and recruitment tactics, including brainwashing members into turning over huge portions of their salaries to it. Kishida shuffled his Cabinet in August to purge seven ministers who had acknowledged ties to the church. Yamagiwa was retained as economic minister, but opposition lawmakers stepped up demands for his resignation after he repeatedly said he did not remember his past attendance at church meetings during overseas trips and posing for group photos with church leader Hak Ja Han Moon and other executives. I just submitted my resignation" to Kishida, Yamagiwa told reporters Monday. He said he routinely discards documents and therefore could not clearly verify past contacts with the church and only provided explanations after reports of his past church ties surfaced. As a result, I ended up causing trouble to the administration, Yamagiwa said. I attended the church's meetings a number of times and that provided credibility to the group, and I deeply regret that." He pledged to stay away from the church in the future. A governing party survey in September found nearly half of its lawmakers had ties to the church, including Cabinet ministers. Kishida has pledged to cut all such ties, and recently said he instructed the government to probe the church, with the possibility of revoking its legal status. Media surveys show many Japanese want a clearer explanation of how the church may have influenced party policies. Kishida said he accepted Yamagiwa's resignation because as prime minister, I have to prioritize our work to push forward economic measures, an extra budget and support for victims of the church problems. Yamagiwa, who was criticized for clinging to his post and stalling parliamentary sessions because of questioning by opposition lawmakers, was seen as having been forced to quit. He said he has no intention of resigning as a lawmaker because he did not break any law. Former Prime Minister Abe was shot to death during an outdoor campaign speech in July. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, told police he killed Abe because of his apparent link to a religious group he hated. A letter and social media postings attributed to Yamagami said his mother's large donations to the Unification Church bankrupted his family and ruined his life. The church, founded in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, obtained religious organization status in Japan in 1968 amid an anti-communist movement supported by Abe's grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. The group acknowledged there have been cases in which it received excessive donations. It says the problems have been mitigated since it adopted stricter compliance measures in 2009 and has pledged further reforms. The police investigation of Abe's killing led to revelations of widespread ties between the church and members of the governing party, including Abe, over their shared interests in conservative causes. The case also shed light on the suffering of adherents' relatives, some of whom say they were forced to join the church or were left in poverty or neglected because of their parents' devotion. Many critics consider the church to be a cult because of problems with followers and their families, including financial and mental hardships. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad, Oct 25 (PTI) Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that the death of journalist Arshad Sharif, who was shot dead in Kenya by the local police on Sunday night, was a targeted attack and that he had advised him to leave the country in view of the threats to his life, a media report has said. Sharif was shot dead in Kenya by the local police on Sunday night, with an official police statement later expressing regrets on the unfortunate incident. Also Read | Ash Carter Dies: Former US Defense Secretary, Who Opened Combat Jobs to Women and Ended Ban on Transgender Troops Serving in Military, Passes Away at 68. Addressing a lawyer's convention in Peshawar, Khan, 70, said that he knew that the life of journalist Sharif was under threat, The Express Tribune reported. He [Arshad Sharif] knew that his life was in danger. He was repeatedly receiving threats but he refused to give in... no matter what people call it but I know that this was a target killing, khan said. Also Read | Pakistan: Imran Khan to Hold Mega Protest on October 28; to Seek Dissolution of National Assembly, Hold Snap Polls. Calling Sharif a martyr, the former prime minister said that the fearless and patriot journalist remained unfazed in face of death threats and refused to compromise on his stance. Khan claimed that he had advised the journalist to leave the country after he received information about his assassination plot. He said the slain journalist exposed the corruption scandals of the Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari families with evidence on his popular TV talk-show but no one could dare to buy or scare him. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad, Oct 25 (PTI) The Pakistan government on Tuesday decided to set up a judicial commission to probe the killing of prominent journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya. Sharif was shot dead in Kenya by the local police on Sunday night, with an official police statement later expressing regrets on the unfortunate incident. Also Read | Rishi Sunak, New UK PM, Vows To Earn Trust of Britons Amid Political and Economic Crisis; Lauds Liz Truss' Intentions Towards Growth of Country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a video message announced to officially probe the killing after questions were raised in the media about the mysterious circumstances of his death. Deploring the tragic incident, the prime minister also assured the entire nation that an independent probe would bring all facts about the killing to light. Also Read | Rishi Sunak Appointed New British PM by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace (See Pics). I have decided to probe the killing and for this, I will ask the high court, he said, adding the government would seek approval from the Cabinet for it. Pakistan's powerful army had also asked the government to probe the killing. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also confirmed through a statement that a judicial commission would be formed to probe the killing. She said that the head of the commission would also be able to appoint members from civil society and the media fraternity in order to ascertain the facts. The decision to set up the commission follows a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday to order the formation of a judicial commission to investigate why the journalist was forced to flee Pakistan, and later the United Arab Emirates. While accepting the petition for hearing, it directed the government to keep journalists' bodies on board while it investigates. After hearing arguments, the court adjourned the hearing for a week. The journalist was a vociferous supporter of former prime minister Imran Khan and fled the country after his ouster from power in April. The tragic killing reverberated internationally, with the US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price saying the United States was deeply saddened by Sharif's death and demanded a probe. We encourage a full investigation by the government of Kenya into his death. It's not entirely clear that we know all the circumstances at this point regarding what led to his death, but we do urge a full investigation, he said during a regular press briefing. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office said the mortal remains of the late journalist are being repatriated from Nairobi and the body of the slain journalist would arrive in Islamabad at 1.05 hours tomorrow (Wednesday) night. Sharif's wife Javeria Siddique said in a tweet that her husband was coming back home in a coffin, adding that authorities in Kenya are answerable to us. Sharif had been working for ARY News when he fled the country. He was a critic of the government and the establishment. Dawn had reported that earlier this year, police had booked Sharif, ARY Digital Network President and CEO Salman Iqbal, Head of News and Current Affairs Ammad Yousaf, anchorperson Khawar Ghumman, and a producer for sedition over a controversial interview by PTI leader Dr. Shahbaz Gill broadcast on the channel on August 8. The FIRs referred to Sharif's comments in a conversation with journalist Matiullah Jan on his YouTube channel wherein he allegedly disrespected state institutions and uttered statements that attempted to spread hate in the army and create a hateful atmosphere. Subsequently, Sharif left the country. The ARY Network later announced it had parted ways with Sharif without citing a specific reason but stating that it expects its employees' conduct on social media to be in line with the company policy. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kabul [Afghanistan], October 25 (ANI): Taliban have claimed the killing of four ISIS militants which includes 2 senior commanders in the northeastern Afghan province of Takhar, media reports said citing a Taliban-controlled news agency. Qari Aminullah Tayeb, a Talibani commander said they found an ISIS hideout in Takhar during a joint operation on Saturday, reported Khaama Press citing the Bakhtar news agency. Also Read | When Rishi Sunak, Now UK PM-Designate, Celebrated Diwali at 11 Downing Street, Took Oath On the 'Bhagavad Gita'. The ISIS militants allegedly died in a village in Takhar province's Dashti Qala district, Aminullah added. Similarly, in a separate statement on Saturday, the Taliban government claimed to have killed six ISIS members on Friday night in Kabul. According to the Taliban, the killed militants were behind the deadly attack on the Kaaj education centre and the explosion near Wazir Muhammad Akbar Khan mosque in Kabul, reported Khaama Press. Also Read | Pakistan Blast: 4 Personnel Injured in North Waziristan Suicide Blast. However, it is noteworthy that the Taliban's claims cannot be ascertained. ISIS-K (the k stands for Khorasan, the name of a historical region that covered parts of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan) has been operating in Afghanistan for the last few years. It is a branch of ISIS -- the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Since its formation in 2015, the terrorist outfit has carried out numerous attacks on Afghan civilians and is held responsible for thousands of deaths, CNN reported citing the Wilson Center, a non-partisan policy forum. The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, which was widely celebrated in Pakistan in August last year, has worsened the terror situation in the country. In 2021, militants, mainly belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, killed 48 policemen and injured 44 others in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Most of the violent incidents took place in the last few months of the year (after the Taliban takeover). Despite repeated attempts, Pakistan has been unable to get firm guarantees from the Afghan Taliban that they would take action against the Pakistani Taliban operating in Afghanistan. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) United Nations, Oct 25 (AP) The new U.N. special envoy for Libya has said he plans to follow up on commitments by the country's political rivals at the end of a meeting last week that reportedly include the need to hold presidential and parliamentary elections and ensuring that the divided north African country has a single executive power as soon as possible. Abdoulaye Bathily told the U.N. Security Council on Monday he plans to talk to leaders of the east-based parliament, the House of Representatives, and west-based High Council of State in the capital Tripoli in the coming weeks to understand the agreements announced at the end of their October 21 meeting in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. Also Read | When Rishi Sunak, Now UK PM-Designate, Celebrated Diwali at 11 Downing Street, Took Oath On the 'Bhagavad Gita'. According to the Moroccan Press Agency and The North African Post, the speaker of the east-based parliament, Aguila Saleh, and the head of the Supreme Council, Khaled al-Meshri, agreed to implement a mechanism on criteria for leadership positions agreed to at talks in Morocco in October 2020. Saleh was quoted as saying the rivals also agreed to ensure that there is a single executive power in Libya as soon as possible and to relaunch dialogue to achieve an agreement about the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections. Also Read | Pakistan Blast: 4 Personnel Injured in North Waziristan Suicide Blast. The elections need to respect a clear roadmap and legislation, on the basis of which the polls will be held, he was quoted as saying at a press briefing after the meeting. Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky referred to the Morocco talks in his statement to the Security Council, noting the tangible progress on the political track at the October 21 meeting. He said Saleh and Meshri agreed to conclude efforts to unite executive structures and distribute leadership positions in them by early 2023. The U.N.'s Bathily, a former Senegalese minister and diplomat, said his aim is to get the rival leaders to agree on political, constitutional, legal and security measures to advance preparations for elections as soon as possible in keeping with the aspirations clearly expressed by the Libyan people. Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich North African county has for years been split between rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments. The country's current political crisis stems from the failure to hold elections in December 2021 and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah who led a transitional government to step down. In response, the country's east-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli. Bathily told the Security Council that the political deadlock persists with no clear end in sight to the prolonged stalemate over the executive. Further, efforts to resolve the remaining outstanding issues related to the constitutional basis for elections do not appear to lead to concrete action by the relevant actors, further delaying prospects for the holding of inclusive, free and fair elections aimed at ending the transition and reinstating the legitimacy of institutions. Russia's Polyansky called the internal situation in Libya alarming and said the continuing division of the country will lead to nothing but further destabilization of the situation. Evidence of this includes increasingly frequent clashes between armed groups, mobilization activity and large-scale demonstrations by citizens, he said. Polyansky said: The main objective of the U.N. Security Council at the present moment is to prevent outbreaks of violence from morphing into civil war. He said one way to break the current deadlock is to get Libyans to agree on a new constitution and conduct nationwide elections. U.S. deputy ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis urged the U.N. political mission in Libya, known as UNSMIL, to take the lead in pressing for agreement on a constitution, a timeline for elections, a transparent mechanism to allocate oil revenues, and to get all parties to commit to refrain from using force. Libya's U.N. Ambassador Taher Elsonni told the Security Council that the more than 3 million Libyans registered to vote have tremendously high expectations at the end of this protracted litany of crises to express their will. He applauded the glimmers of a consensus that is beginning to emerge including on Bathily's appointment after a nine-month search amid increasing chaos in Libya. Russia called the delay unacceptable and only agreed to extend UNSMIL's mandate for only three months at a time until the Security Council agreed on a new special representative. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Naypyidaw [Myanmar], October 25 (ANI): The United Nations (UN) in Myanmar has expressed deep concerns over reports of airstrikes that took place in Hpakant, Kachin State which has resulted in dozens of casualties. On Sunday, the Myanmar military launched air strikes on a musical performance near a village in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, in the north of the country. The performance was held as part of celebrations for the 62nd anniversary of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), a prominent ethnic rebel group. Also Read | US Shooting: Gunman Opens Fire at High School in St Louis, Three Including Suspect Killed. "The United Nations (UN) in Myanmar is deeply concerned and saddened by reports of airstrikes that took place in Hpakant, Kachin State around 8:00 PM on 23 October 2022. Initial reports suggest that over 100 civilians may have been affected by the bombing. Numerous fatalities have also been reported," the UN mission in the country said in the statement. "While the UN continues to verify the details of this attack, we offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who were killed or injured. The UN calls for those injured to be availed urgent medical treatment, as needed," it added. Also Read | North Korea Likely To Conduct Nuclear Test, Says US Department Press Secretary Ned Price. The UN said the airstrikes "appear to be excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians is unacceptable and those responsible must be held to account." Amnesty's deputy regional director Hana Young expressed fear that the air raids were "part of a pattern of unlawful aerial attacks by the military, which has killed and injured civilians in areas controlled by armed groups". "The military has shown ruthless disregard for civilian lives in its escalating campaign against opponents. It is difficult to believe the military did not know of a significant civilian presence at the site of this attack. The military must immediately grant access to medics and humanitarian assistance to those affected by these air strikes and other civilians in need," Young added. The KIO is the political wing of the Kachin Independence Army, which controls the area and has clashed with the Myanmar military for decades, according to the London-based rights group. The military has increasingly relied on air power as it struggles to retain control of the country since seizing power in a coup in February last year. In a July report, Amnesty International found that Myanmar's military has subjected Karen and Karenni civilians to collective punishment via widespread aerial and ground attacks, arbitrary detentions, often including torture or extrajudicial executions, and the systematic looting and burning of villages. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, Oct 26 (PTI) Former US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, considered to be the architect of modern India-US security partnership, has died. He was 68. In a tribute, President Joe Biden called him a born patriot, while Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hailed him as a thought-provoking global strategist. Also Read | Ash Carter Dies: Former US Defense Secretary, Who Opened Combat Jobs to Women and Ended Ban on Transgender Troops Serving in Military, Passes Away at 68. It is with deep and profound sadness that the family of former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter shares that Secretary Carter passed away Monday evening in Boston after a sudden cardiac event at the age of 68, his family said in a statement. Carter, the 25th Secretary of Defense and Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School, devoted his professional life to national security of the United States and teaching students about international affairs. He was a beloved husband, father, mentor, and friend. His sudden loss will be felt by all who knew him, the statement on Tuesday read. Also Read | Pakistan: Imran Khan to Hold Mega Protest on October 28; to Seek Dissolution of National Assembly, Hold Snap Polls. Biden in a statement said Carter was born a patriot. A physicist and national security leader across decades, he served with immense distinction at every level of civilian leadership at the Department of Defense, including as our nation's 25th Secretary of Defense, he said. Ash was a leader on all the major national security issues of our times from nuclear deterrence to proliferation prevention to missile defense to emerging technology challenges to the fight against Al Qaida and ISIS. He opened every field of military service to women and protected the rights of transgender service members, Biden said. His public contributions were amplified by his many years at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he inspired and mentored the next generation of national security leaders. As President, I continued to rely on his expertise through his presence on my Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, he added. Former US ambassador to India Richard Verma told PTI, He was also the architect of the modern US-India security partnership. No one on the US side has had a bigger impact in shaping the relationship over the past 20 years. Carter was Secretary of Defense during the Barack Obama administration. He had also served in various other capacities and is credited for his crucial role in the India-US civil nuclear deal, the removal of several arms export restrictions against India, and making India a major defense partner of the US. Verma called Carter an incredible public servant, a friend and a mentor. Jaishankar said, Deeply shocked to learn about the passing away of former US Defense Secretary Ash Carter. He was great to work with and a strong supporter of our defense relationship. He was also a global strategist who was always thought provoking. Carter was a scientist, a scholar and a strategist, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. He understood that the United States was, as he put it, the most important provider of security to the world'. And he dedicated his long and storied career to fortifying our republic and strengthening what he loved to call the finest fighting force the world has ever known'. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) The first woman to testify in Harvey Weinstein's Los Angeles trial broke down in tears, crying and breathing uncontrollably as she faced the jury to detail her sexual assault allegations against the former Hollywood producer and already-convicted rapist. The witness, known as Jane Doe #1, was the first to be called by the prosecution. The woman is a foreign actress, whose first language is not English. She speaks Russian, Italian and English, though her translator accompanied her in the courtroom and was utilised during her testimony, reports Variety. Mel Gibson Can Testify Against Harvey Weinstein in Sexual Assault Trial, Says Judge The woman claims she was assaulted by Weinstein in February 2013 at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival during Oscars weekend, when he allegedly showed up unannounced to her hotel room in the middle of the night and forced his way in -- and then onto her. At the time of the alleged incident, Weinstein had only met Jane Doe #1 in passing at a couple of industry events. The two had barely spoken to each other, other than an introduction, she testified. The woman was visiting L.A. for a business trip to the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival because she was invited as a guest of the festival's founder. Kevin Spacey Declared Not Guilty in $40 Million Sexual Assault Trial Against Anthony Rapp. As a popular actress in Italy, Jane Doe #1 was required to walk red carpets at the festival, occupy VIP sections of the theatre and attend exclusive industry dinner parties. According to the woman, Weinstein suddenly showed up to her hotel, Mr. C Beverly Hills, after the actress returned to her hotel room past midnight one evening. She says she had not informed him of where she was staying, let alone engaged in much conversation with him at all, so she was confused as to how he knew her whereabouts and why he was there. After returning to her hotel and dressing in a robe to get ready for bed, the hotel lobby called her room to say she had a guest. "I said I didn't expect any guest," Jane Doe #1 recalled to the jury. The hotel staff informed her it was Weinstein downstairs. "I was confused... I didn't understand what he was doing in the hotel." She told the hotel staff that she could come downstairs, but Weinstein refused that offer. The next thing she knew, he was knocking on her door and loudly announcing himself. He said, "I want to talk to you." Through tears, she told jurors that she opened the door so that he would stop knocking because the noise was so loud; she was embarrassed that hotel guests might hear the commotion. "He just walked in," she said. "I was really confused. I didn't understand what was going on... I remember thinking, 'Did he follow me?' I don't know him." The woman alleges that Weinstein forced himself into the hotel room and sat next to her on the bed. He took off his jacket and asked her to give him a massage. "I asked him to go," she said, saying that Weinstein didn't listen and instead moved closer to her. When he came to the bed, he became a different person," she testified. "I started to be more direct and ask him to go away." In an effort to get Weinstein to leave, she had told him that she was a mother of three and showed him photos of her children on her phone. She recalled asking him to leave repeatedly, explaining that nothing was going to happen and that she wasn't sure why he was under the impression that she was interested in any romantic or physical interaction with him, especially since they didn't know each other. At one point, he allegedly told her she was "beautiful," commenting on her breasts by stating that they were too big for her to be a successful actress. When he made that comment, she asked him to leave again. "He became more physical," she said when asked by prosecutor, deputy D.A. Paul Thompson, how Weinstein's behaviour changed, sharing that he tried to hold her hand and take off her robe. "He opened his pants, he (held) my hand and he was touching himself," she said, adding that she tried to stand up. "I was panicking and started crying... He said, 'It's okay. Like, c'mon.' He didn't care." Jane Doe #1 then alleged that Weinstein took off his pants. "I was terrified," she testified. "I was afraid. He was treating my room as his home, and treating me not human... I was asking him please to leave." Crying and taking deep breaths on the stand, it appeared to be difficult for Jane Doe #1 to continue her testimony. When she was questioned further by the prosecutor, she went into gruesome detail of her allegations. "He had a problem with his erection," she told the jurors, "And said to 'suck him and suck his balls.'" She says Weinstein, only wearing his shirt, grabbed her hair and pulled her head towards his "private part." She continued, "He forced me to do what he asked... I was crying, choking." Jane Doe #1's testimony came after opening statements from the prosecution and defence. in their opening statement, Weinstein's legal team told the jury that, while Jane Doe #1 is claiming she was assaulted by Weinstein, she attended a party thrown by the Weinstein Company years after the alleged incident and proudly posted a photo from the red carpet onto her own social media. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2022 03:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). By Gao Qiao NATOs annual nuclear deterrence exercise code-named Steadfast Noon is held in the airspace over northwest Europe from October 17 to 30, involving 60 military aircraft from 14 NATO countries. NATOs spokesperson said in a statement that "this exercise helps ensure that the Alliances nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective." NATOs insistence on holding the exercise in the middle of the Russia-Ukraine tension has caused the international community to worry about a possible nuclear confrontation between the organization and Russia. Experts said the aggressive message to Russia may escalate the risk of a global nuclear war. NATOs toughened stance on Russia According to NATOs statement, the main part of the Steadfast Noon exercise will be held over Britains North Sea and Belgium, the participating air force planes wont fly to within 1,000km from Russian territory, and the exercising troops wont use combat weapons. It also stressed that the exercise is an annual routine arrangement not targeting any third country. American website The Drive reported that the US, the UK and France are the only NATO-member states having organic nuclear weapons capabilities. According to the organizations nuclear sharing principle, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands B61 nuclear bombs can be carried by each others tactical jet aircraft and also by other NATO members tactical planes including F-15E, F-35 and F-16, which have been the star in Steadfast Noon of previous years. Its worth noting that this year is the first time that B-52 strategic bombers from the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota participated in the exercise, a move whose symbolic meaning of deterrence cannot be neglected. According to Cui Hongjian, director of the Department for European Studies, China Institute of International Studies, a fundamental reason why NATO insisted on carrying out the nuclear exercise as planned regardless of the rising risk of nuclear warfare is that under the current circumstances, it believes that canceling the annual routine exercise would make it look weak to Russia, and it doesnt want that. In the meantime, the US can also leverage the exercise to strike a tough stance on Russia and demonstrate its ability to protect Europe. A divided Europe The nuclear deterrence exercise is opposed by some European people too. Belgiums RTBF TV station reported that the Belgian Coalition Against Nuclear Weapons asked the authorities to call off the exercise given the international tension, and released a statement saying that it is irresponsible to hold such exercises in times of high nuclear tension with Russia. The association also held that in case of a nuclear conflict, such exercises in Belgium would make the country a potential target, especially when the headquarters of NATO and main bodies of the EU are all based in Brussels. Foreign media reported that French President Macron said in public on October 12 that Paris would not respond with nuclear weapons if Russia deployed nukes against Ukraine. Although NATOs European members appear cooperative to the US during the exercise, they are not totally on the same page about the exercise itself. Zhao Ke, associate professor of Institute of International Strategic Studies of the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, analyzed that owing to factors such as geopolitics, history, and national interests, Central and Eastern European countries are more willing to be tied up with the US and send a tougher message to Russia through the nuclear deterrence exercise. In comparison, traditional Western European countries want to contain the exercise as an annual routine without giving the impression of escalating a conflict. After all, the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out at Europes doorstep and exposed the continent to immense shock waves, so easing the conflict is more in line with its strategic interests now. Escalated nuclear risks worldwide The international community is generally concerned that if neither NATO nor Russia wants to take a step back on nuclear deterrence, the risk of a global nuclear war may spiral up. At the recent tenth review conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that we are facing a time of nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War. According to a report by The Drive, Russia may, as usual, hold its Grom annual nuclear exercise in late October and test-fire ballistic missiles and try out other strategic nuclear capabilities. That NATO and Russia will have their nuclear exercises almost at the same time indicates a moment of extreme turmoil. Cui Hongjian also noted the falling level of mutual trust between the two sides since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began. Against such a backdrop, the heightened nuclear deterrence on both sides may bring their relations back to the Cold War period, when the US and the Soviet were in a kind of balance of terror. Next, NATO, on the ground of preventing nuclear threats from Russia, may first reinforce its anti-missile development in the framework of an overall air defense system for a better capability of nuclear defense against Moscow, and then go on to step up nuclear deployments in Europe. As long as the US-Russia negotiations on strategic stability remain stalled, there is the possibility that the two countries may break some of the nuclear rules they reached earlier, including the limitation on the number of nuclear warheads, location of nuclear weapon deployment, and not holding nuclear exercises close to the others territory. If these rules no longer hold, regional security will be subject to extremely adverse effects. Editor's note: Originally published on haiwainet.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Mumbai, October 25: On Tuesday, the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA) of India released the ICAI CA November Admit Card 2022. It must be noted that the admit card has been released for the Final and Intermediate courses exams. Candidates who are appearing for the Final and Intermediate courses examination can download the admit card by visiting the official website of ICAI at eservices.icai.org. Candidates must remember that the final examinations will be held from November 1 to November 16. On the other hand, the Intermediate examinations will be conducted from November 2 to November 17. Both the exams will be conducted in offline mode. ITBP Recruitment 2022: Applications Invited For Assistant Sub Inspector Posts At recruitment.itbpolice.nic.in; Heres How to Apply. Steps To Download ICAI CA November Admit Card 2022: Visit the official website of ICAI at eservices.icai.org On the homepage, click on the "ICAI CA November Admit Card 2022 Final or Intermediate" link Enter using your login details Click on submit Your ICAI CA November Admit Card will be displayed on the screen Check the admit card Take a printout for future reference Meanwhile, the ICAI has said that it will conduct mock test paper series for CA Foundation Exam 2022. Candidates must note that the mock test papers will be held for foundation students appearing for December 2022 exams. The papers series will begin from November 1. Here's the link to download ICAI CA November Admit Card 2022. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2022 03:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Delhi, October 25: The Indo Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) has invited online applications for filling up several Assistant Sub Inspector( Pharmacist) posts. The application process will commence from October 25 and the last date for the submission of application form is November 23. Interested candidates can apply online at recruitment.itbpolice.nic.in. ITBP Recruitment 2022: Vacancy Details This recruitment drive is being conducted to fill 24 vacancies of Assistant Sub Inspector( Pharmacist) posts. UPPCL Recruitment 2022: Vacancies Notified for 79 Assistant Accountant Posts, Apply Online at upenergy.in ITBP Recruitment 2022: Age Limit The candidates should be between the age of 20 to 28 years old. ITBP Recruitment 2022: Educational Qualification Pass in the senior secondary certificate (10+2) examination with physics, chemistry and biology as subjects from a recognized board or equivalent. DU Recruitment 2022: Apply for Assistant Professors Posts at Shivaji College on colrec.uod.ac.in, Check Details Here Diploma in pharmacy from any institution of or recognized by the central or state government. Registered as a pharmacist under the pharmacy Act 1948. ITBP Recruitment 2022: How to Apply The eligible and interested candidates need to apply online through ITBP website. Candidates are advised to fill the online application form after reading the instructions carefully and should provide genuine and functional e-mail ID and mobile number at the time of filling online application form. ITBP Recruitment 2022: Application fee For male candidates from the UR, OBC, and EWS categories, the application fee is Rs. 100. Candidates under the SC/ST/Female/Ex-Serviceman categories are not required to pay the fee. Pay scale will be as per level-5 in the pay matrix. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2022 02:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Shivamogga, October 25: Slain Bajrang Dal activist Harsha's family has asked the police for protection from anti-social elements, who were giving life threats to them in Karnataka's Shivamogga district. Ashwini, Harsha's sister, said on Tuesday that the bike-borne miscreants, who killed her brother, would not spare his friends as well. A group of nine persons wielding weapons created ruckus and gave life threats to Harsha's family members late Monday evening. They also assaulted a person, whose brother was involved with the Hindu organisations. Moral Policing in Gujarat: Bajrang Dal Activists Visiting Garba Venues in Ahmedabad to Create Awareness Among Hindu Girls Against Love Jihad (Watch Video). "The authorities should protect our family. We had lost Harsha eight months ago. There have been many stabbing incidents reported in the region since then," she said. The BJP is ruling at the Centre and in the state. Shivamogga Assembly constituency is represented by the BJP, she added. Karnataka: Complaint Lodged Against Bajrang Dal After Photos, Videos of Activists Training With Air Guns Go Viral. "But, when will we get protection? Harsha was targeted and killed. He was killed because of his association with the Hindu organisations and Hindutva work. If he is killed, where is the protection for us?" Ashwini asked. Meanwhile, BJP MLA and former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa said that the incident was a failure of the police department. He also chided that the Congress and other parties were silent over the incident. "This emboldens them and makes them think that they are supported by the Congress," he added. "The goondas should be tamed by their community elders, leaders and religious heads. Not all Muslims are into this. A few are attempting to destroy the harmony and they should be effectively dealt with." The former Minister also said that Harsha's sister and family members were like his own family and all protection would be ensured to them. Eshwarappa represents the Shivamogga Assembly constituency. The Hindu organisations and activists are demanding that the ticket for Shivamogga constituency must be given to Harsha's sister. The former BJP Minister added that he will abide by the party's decision. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2022 04:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Bhatpara, Oct 25: A seven-year-old boy was killed and two others injured as a bomb exploded on a railway track in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Tuesday, police said. The incident happened around 8.30 am on the railway tracks at Bhatpara between Kakinara and Jagaddal stations, about 30 km from Kolkata, they said. The boy was playing with two of his friends with a packet that was lying there and it suddenly exploded, police said. Video: Snake Found Under Patients Bed in Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Warangal, Second Such Incident This Month. "The bomb was kept by miscreants on the railway tracks. The children started playing with the bomb thinking it to be a ball and it exploded," a police officer said. Uttar Pradesh Accident: Four Killed After Two Bikes Collide in Gorakhpur. When taken to the hospital, one of the three boys was declared brought dead, he said. The injured children were undergoing treatment, he said. An investigation is underway, police. A 66-year-old retired school teacher was shot dead by his son and daughter-in-law over a trivial domestic dispute in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district. The police arrested the couple on Monday evening. Washington, October 25: The US Justice Department has charged two Chinese intelligence officers, accusing them of attempting to obstruct an investigation into the telecommunications conglomerate Huawei. Although law enforcement officials did not publicly name the company in the statement late on Monday, both CNN and The Wall Street Journal reported that the case concerns Huawei. U.S. charges Chinese Telecom Firm Huawei with Stealing Trade Secrets and Fraud. Overall, two Chinese nationals were arrested and 13 were charged in three separate cases for alleged participation in malign schemes in the US on behalf of the government of China. Fire in China: Huge Blaze Erupts at Under-Construction Facility of Huawei in Dongguan, 3 Killed. Defendants Guochum He and Zheng Wang were accused of working on behalf of the Chinese government to obtain confidential information and trial evidence related to a Justice Department investigation into Huawei. "As these cases demonstrate, the government of China sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the US and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights. They did not succeed," said US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. In the complaint, the US claimed that Guochum and Zheng attempted to recruit a law enforcement employee to work on behalf of the Chinese government and obtain information related to the US's ongoing investigation against Huawei in Brooklyn. "The actions announced today take place against a backdrop of malign activity from the government of the People's Republic of China that includes espionage, attempts to disrupt our justice system, harassment of individuals, and ongoing efforts to steal sensitive US technology," added Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. The US has maintained that Huawei poses a significant risk to national security. Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou entered a plea deal last year with the US to avoid potential charges of fraud and trade secret theft. According to Axios, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to ban all sales of new Huawei and ZTE telecommunications devices in the US. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2022 02:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Accused Oxford high school shooter Ethan Crumbley is expected to plead guilty to all 24 charges against him. Crumbley shot four of his classmates and wounded seven others in the Michigan high school shooting. New York Daily News reported that the Michigan teenager was charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder, with around two dozen other charges. Crumbley was 15 when he opened fire in the halls of Oxford High School in November 2021. The chief assistant prosecutor in Oakland County, David Williams, confirmed that Crumbley is seen to plead guilty to all 24 charges. The charges include terrorism. Initially, Crumbley pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was also expected to reverse his plea in court on Monday. Aside from the Michigan teenager, his parents were also charged after being accused of failing to intervene on the day of the shooting despite a meeting with school administrators to discuss their son's behavior inside the classroom. READ NEXT: Michigan School Shooting Suspect Ethan Crumbley Brought Bird's Head, Ammo to School Ahead of Massacre: Lawsuit Ethan Crumbley's Parents Charged James and Jennifer Crumbley are facing involuntary manslaughter charges. They are also being accused of making a gun accessible to Ethan Crumbley and neglecting his need for mental health care, according to a PBS News Hour report. Prosecutors noted in a court filing that the Crumbley parents "created an environment in which their son's violent tendencies flourished." The prosecutors went on to say that James and Jennifer were aware of their son being troubled, but bought him a gun anyway. The parents said that they are not aware of their son's plan, while also disputing that the gun was easy to get at home. The Crumbleys are all being held at the Oakland County jail. However, the younger Crumbley is kept away from adults. Earlier before the shooting, a teacher saw Crumbley searching for ammunition on his phone. The school then contacted Jennifer, who then told her son in a text message that she was not mad at him, but that he has to "learn not to get caught." Michigan High School Shooting A guidance counselor testified in preliminary hearings of James and Jennifer that he had called the parents of Crumbley about their son. Crumbley was discovered to have sketchings of a gun, and a bloody figure. He also wrote words asking for help and that his life is "useless." In addition, one of Crumbley's journal entries stated that his grades are falling and that he has "zero help for my mental health problems." The journal entry also read that Crumbley's mental health problems are causing him "to shoot up the f**king school." Crumbley's parents declined to take him home that day. Later in the afternoon, the shooting started. The two students who died in the shooting were 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin and 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana, as reported by The New York Times. Michigan does not impose the death penalty. Williams said that there had been no plea bargaining with Crumbley, adding that there are no reductions nor sentence agreements. READ MORE: Michigan School Mass Shooting: Parents of Ethan Crumbley, Who Killed 4 Fellow Students and Injured 7 Others, May Face Charges This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Oxford High School shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley to plead guilty - from Fox 2 Detroit As of October 21, only 11 states and D.C announced the extension of their emergency SNAP allotments through November 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yahoo Finance reported that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the state will be extending its emergency allotment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits into November 2022. Hochul noted in a news release that the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance will provide the emergency benefits at least through February 2023. Supplemental payment of at least $95 will be given to households already near or at the maximum benefit level. The New York governor said in a statement that the emergency supplemental benefits have been vital to their efforts to fight food insecurity by helping struggling New Yorkers put meals on their tables. Other states that have extended their emergency SNAP allotments include the District of Columbia, Kansas, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Oregon, and Wisconsin. READ NEXT: Disaster SNAP Benefits: Who Is Eligible to Get Extra Payments, Hurricane Ian Aid in Florida? SNAP Benefits New Mexico New Mexico's Food and Nutrition Service estimated that 258,474 households will be receiving the SNAP emergency allotments for November 2022. The state has also noted that the amount of emergency allotment benefits issued per month is worth $40,987,068. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act allowed emergency allotments to SNAP households to help address temporary food needs during the pandemic. It was imposed in March 2020. In September, the New Mexico Human Services Department announced an additional $391 to families who received pandemic EBT cards to cover meals for public school students. New Mexico sent $89 million to more than 227,700 families in their Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer card with money intended to cover food costs from the summer. SNAP Benefits Payments Florida's P-EBT was first issued in October and will last through November 2022, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families. The payment will give each eligible student a one-time summer 2022 P-EBT benefit of $391. The summer 2022 P-EBT will also be issued for children under age six in Florida, particularly those receiving SNAP assistance during the summer and are participating in a childcare setting, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando News report. Meanwhile, those waiting for their SNAP benefits in November can see an increase after a 12.5% cost-of-living adjustment was approved for the fiscal year 2023. The increase will be applied until Sept. 30, 2023. SNAP benefit payments are made through EBT cards instead of food stamps. However, some states have given their EBT cards a different name. The EBT cards work just like debit cards, which can be swiped at checkout in grocery stores, participating retailers, and other outlets. SNAP recipients will need to enter their PIN to complete the transaction. The release of food stamp benefits varies per state. Some states release the payments on the same date of every month, while others use a staggered schedule for the SNAP benefits distribution. READ MORE: Disaster SNAP Benefits Update: Are You Eligible for New Florida Payments? This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: EBT SNAP UPDATE - NOVEMBER 2022 - NEW STATES APPROVED FOR EMERGENCY ALLOTMENTS, OCTOBER RECAP, P-EBT - from UI Vlogs 2021 As the Daniel Ortega regime continues its oppression of dissidents, including political opponents, the media, and the Catholic Church, the Biden administration has increased the pressure on Nicaragua, especially on its gold mining industry. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in South America, but it still has one of its largest gold mining industries. According to a report by the Associated Press, the United States is threatening to ban Americans from doing business in the nation's lucrative gold industry. This may mean that Nicaragua might face possible trade restrictions, as well as U.S. visas being stripped from around 500 government insiders. Pres. Joe Biden Signs Most Aggressive Move on Nicaragua and the Daniel Ortega Regime Yet Mining Technology reported that President Joe Biden has now signed Executive Order 13851, which "bars any dealings by U.S. assets with the designated parties." The E.O. grants the Treasury Department "the authority to target certain persons that operate or have operated in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy." This means that several state-run companies, including Empresa Nicaraguense de Minas (Eniminas) and its board president, have been sanctioned by the United States. It was noted that the company has had growing ties with Russia as it continues its invasion of Ukraine. The United States Treasury Department also blasted the Ortega-Murillo regime for rigging last year's presidential elections by imprisoning every candidate who ran to oppose Daniel Ortega, as well as "blocking all other political parties, shuttering of independent media, and the bullying of civil society." READ MORE: Nicaragua: Relatives Fear for Lives of Jailed Opposition Figures as Daniel Ortega Continues Atrocities The Treasury Department also stated that the gold revenue made by Eniminas is being used to repress the Nicaraguan people. It also poses a "threat to the security of the hemisphere." According to Al Jazeera, this is the latest round of sanctions Biden has levied on the Nicaraguan government in recent months. These sanctions include U.S. visa restrictions on Nicaraguan officials and their relatives. Repression Continues in Nicaragua Under Daniel Ortega and His Wife The Nicaraguan dictator has moved to take out all opposition to his and his wife's rule in the country, starting with last year's presidential elections. Ortega won his fourth term as president, while his wife, Rosario Murillo, won the vice presidency. However, they did so without any single opponent because Ortega threw them all into prison. Those who were not aligned with Ortega but were elected democratically were also forced out of office and replaced with members of Ortega's Sandinista party. Ortega's crackdown on dissent has seen many jailed under horrific conditions while journalists and other political figures were forced into exile. Many have fled to nearby Costa Rica, while others went to the United States. Ortega also has a row with the Roman Catholic Church, as he expelled the top Vatican diplomat and nuns doing missionary and charitable works and imprisoned a prominent bishop. READ MORE: Daniel Ortega Net Worth: The Life, Wealth, and Crime of Nicaragua's Dictator This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Nicaragua's Ortega, from revolution to dictatorship FRANCE 24 English Former U.S. President Donald Trump has engaged in his first public rally in Texas after he was issued a subpoena by the Jan. 6 panel, which leads the probe on the Capitol attack. CBS News reported that Trump was at the rally to campaign for Republican candidates. He then described Democratic candidates as "against guns, God, and oil." The former president further slammed the Democrats by saying that he does not think they will be doing well in Texas. Trump also talked about the Jan. 6 panel subpoena. However, he did not mention whether or not he would be interviewed by the panel. During Trump's discussion of the Jan. 6 panel subpoena, the crowd interrupted him and sang the national anthem at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown. READ NEXT: Nancy Pelosi Says Donald Trump Is Not 'Man Enough' to Testify Before Jan. 6 House Committee After Being Subpoenaed Texas Rally Crowd Singing National Anthem During his Texas rally talk, he praised the crowd that descended upon the Capitol complex; it was the same crowd that is blamed for the death of several members of law enforcement, as reported by The Independent. The former president was then interrupted by the Texas rally crowd, which spontaneously sang the United States national anthem, Star-Spangled Banner. Cameras revealed two large U.S. flags held upward by a crane over the rally as the crowd started singing. Trump described the moment as "beautiful" before saying that he thought he had been interrupted by protesters at first, adding that they have not had that kind of moment in two years. Trump mainly complained about the Jan. 6 panel, which he has given another nickname, "unselect committee." He also noted that they "don't talk about" the size of the crowd at his rally at the Ellipse on that day and that he claimed that he authorized 10,000 to 20,000 National Guard troops. Former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller disputed Trump's claims on the National Guard troops' deployment during his testimony before the committee. Miller said during his deposition that he was "never given any direction or order or knew of any plans of that nature." Jan. 6 Panel Subpoena The Jan. 6 panel requires the former president to hand over documents by November 4 and testify on or about November 14. The House select committee has already interviewed over 1,000 people regarding the Capitol riot. Many of those interviewed were close to Trump. The panel believes that Trump has details only he can confirm or provide, as reported by KCRA News. The committee also requires Trump to submit records of all calls and messages "placed or received by you or at your direction," which included the conference calls on Jan. 6, 2021. The Jan. 6 panel wrote that they intend to speak to the former president due to his "central role" in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results. READ MORE: Donald Trump Says FBI Agents Raided Mar-A-Lago Home; Agency's Visit Unannounced This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Former President Donald Trump holds rally in Texas. - from WFAA Texas Senator Ted Cruz is releasing a brand-new book. There, he reveals new details on what happened to him and several fellow Republican senators during the January 6 Capitol insurrection. According to an excerpt from the book, Cruz and other Senate Republicans hid inside a supply closet as the violence unfolded at the Capitol on January 6, 2020. "While we waited for the Capitol to be secured, I assembled our coalition in a back room (really, a supply closet with stacked chairs) to discuss what we should do next," Cruz wrote in his upcoming book titled "Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System." The Hill reported that on the day of the Capitol insurrection, he and several other Senate Republicans were arguing whether or not the party should suspend objections and vote to certify the 2020 election. "I understood the sentiment. But I vehemently disagreed with it," he writes. Cruz argued that he believed his choice was the "right and principled path." Ultimately, Cruz and five other Republican senators voted against the certification of the 2020 election result in Arizona, as well as six others for the results from Pennsylvania. In the book, Cruz also acknowledged that on January 6, "tempers were high" and added that several lawmakers were "blaming us explicitly for the violence that was occurring." Cruz, along with other Republican lawmakers, pushed the discredited conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential elections were stolen, thus leading to the events of January 6. READ NEXT: Mexico: Deadly Hurricane Roslyn Already Kills 2 With Heavy Rains, Massive Flooding Ted Cruz Refused to Acknowledge That Joe Biden Won During 'The View' On Monday, Senator Ted Cruz appeared on "The View," in a very contentious episode where he was grilled on his continued support for Donald Trump. However, Cruz did not just get contentious with the talk show's more liberal guests but also the more conservative ones. According to the Texas Tribune, former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin pressed the Texas senator on whether he believed that President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential elections. However, deflected and answered, "Biden is the president today," avoiding the yes or no question and refusing to acknowledge that the elections were not stolen. Cruz got into an argument with former Republican strategist Ana Navarro during the show when he asked, "So it's illegitimate when Republicans win but not when Democrats win?" Navarro retorted by pointing out that Clinton conceded to Trump in 2016. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg also hit back at Cruz and told the senator, "We may not like when Republicans win, but we don't go and we don't storm." Ted Cruz Booed and Heckled at Yankees Stadium After getting piled on by the hosts of "The View," Ted Cruz went to Yankees Stadium to watch his Houston Astros play the New York Yankees. However, it did not go over too well with the Texas Republican, as Yahoo! News reported. The visiting Astros defeated the Yankees that day, and when Cruz stood up to wave at the fans, they greeted him with loud booing. Several posts on social media showed that several fans in attendance also flipped him off. As he tried exiting, he was also called racist, with one fan telling him to "Go back to Cancun." This was a reference to when Cruz flew to Cancun, Mexico while his constituents in Texas suffered from freezing temperatures after the Texas power grid went offline. READ NEXT: Parkland School Shooting Verdict: Gunman Nikolas Cruz Escapes Death Penalty, Gets Life in Prison Without Parole This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: 'Coward' Cruz! Ted Cruz Hid In Closet Amid Insurrection Then Fueled Trump's Big Lie - MSNBC The Brazil election is nearing its head as Brazilian voters prepare to head to the polls in less than a week for the second round of voting. Brazilian presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he hopes his far-right rival, Brazil's incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, will accept his defeat, according to an Aljazeera News report. Lula served two terms as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010. He claimed that he had lost three elections before, and each time he lost, he "didn't keep cursing, being agitated." The former president noted in a news conference in Sao Paulo on Monday that he hoped the current Brazilian president will "have a moment of sanity" and call him to accept the election result. Experts have issued concerns for months that Bolsonaro will not accept the results of the election, which is set to start the second round of voting on October 30. The first round was on October 2, wherein Lula beat Bolsonaro but fell short of what he needed to secure a majority vote. READ NEXT: Brazil Election: Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva Wins but Not Outright Victory After He Failed to Secure Majority Over Jair Bolsonaro Second Round of Brazil Election Surveys showed that Bolsonaro continues to be behind his rival Lula. However, the race seems to be closing in, as reported by The New York Times. Bolsonaro called the polling forms "liars," claiming that their mistakes swung up to three million votes to Lula in the first round. He also advocated for the firms to face the consequences "for the crimes they committed." However, the Brazilian president has not stated what crimes these were. The Brazilian Association of Pollsters noted in a statement that their organization was "outraged" at efforts to criminalize surveys that "turn out to be inaccurate." The group said that starting an investigation during an ongoing election presents "another clear attempt to impede scientific research." Polling firms noted that their work was not to predict elections but to provide a snippet of voters' intentions at the time a survey was conducted. Associated Press News reported that many political analysts have concerns that Bolsonaro has laid the groundwork to reject election results if he loses and will try to cling to his position. Bolsonaro has earlier repeatedly claimed that Brazil's electronic voting machines "are prone to fraud" despite having no evidence to support his allegations. Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro Gap The Brazilian Report noted that 92% of voters will not change their vote in the second round of the election. Most voters believe Lula will win as compared to just 31% of those who think Bolsonaro will be re-elected. In addition, 77% noted that endorsements from prominent figures do not sway their voting decision. Lula scored 49% in last week's total voting intentions as compared to Bolsonaro's 41%. It excludes voters who remain undecided or plan to spoil their ballots. The survey also projected that Lula would have 54% of valid votes against Bolsonaro's 45%. READ MORE: Brazil: Human Remains Found in Area Where British Journalist and Brazilian Indigenous Expert Were Last Seen This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Lula appeals to Brazils evangelicals before second round vote - from Al Jazeera English A shooting at the St. Louis high school in Missouri on Monday killed three people, including the 19-year-old shooter. Police said several others were also injured. The chaos broke out when police learned of a shooter in Central Visual and Performing Arts High School at around 9 a.m. According to NBC News, both the school and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience in the same building were locked down. A St. Louis police official told reporters that the suspect was taken into custody after a gunfight with authorities but was later pronounced dead in a hospital. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Mike Sack identified the suspect as Orlando Harris, who graduated from the Central last year with no criminal history. Sack noted that Harris was aggressive and entered the school holding a rifle in a "violent manner." "There was no mystery about what was going to happen," he said. However, a motive was still not clear. Sack said the gunman may have had a mental illness but did not provide additional details as the incident is still under investigation. READ NEXT: Texas Teen, in Critical Condition After San Antonio Police, Shot Him Several Times in McDonald's Parking Lot What Happened During the St. Louis High School Shooting? David Williams, a math teacher, said when people heard gunshots, they went into "drill mode," locking doors, turning off lights, and hiding in corners so they would not be seen. William noted that "someone was trying to open the door," adding that he heard a bang on the door before it shook. Williams said three shots were fired right after the sound of sirens in the distance, CNN reported. He remembered hearing an adult voice screaming, "You're all going to f***ing die!" Williams noted that more shots were fired soon after a bullet came in through one of his classroom's windows. He said the officers from the tactical team then showed up, and there was another round of gunfire before he heard a woman telling them that she was a police officer. He further noted that the whole incident took about 40 minutes and that he and the students ran to an emergency exit. Meanwhile, Sack said the suspect was shot on the third floor, where Williams' classroom is located. A witness overheard the gunman complain that he was "tired of everybody" in the school. One student also claimed that the pistol jammed at one point, giving children time to flee. The police discovered that the suspect had a dozen 30-round ammunition magazines with him. Kimberly M. Gardner, a prosecutor in St. Louis, Missouri, said many people reacted as trained to protect people from getting hurt. However, Gardner noted that one thing is sure: the lockdown procedures that St. Louis Public School's administrators, teachers, and students at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School followed as this attack unfolded were crucial in preventing further violence. She added that the situation is still developing, and they will learn more in the coming days. Victims of St. Louis High School Shooting in Missouri Identified Authorities did not identify the woman and the teenage girl who died. However, the woman's family revealed to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she was Jean Kuczka, a 61-year-old physical education and health teacher. Kuczka, a mother of five, resided in Jefferson County's Dittmer region. The 16-year-old girl who died was Alexandria Bell. Her family and friends said the sophomore always smiles and loves dance and art. Sack said seven other teenagers were hurt and rushed to a hospital. He noted that some students had gunshot or graze wounds, some had abrasions, and one had a fractured ankle. Sack said they were now all in stable condition. READ MORE: Leslie Jordan, Beloved Social Media Star, Dies in Hollywood Car Accident This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Recording Captures Gunshots During St. Louis School Shooting - From FOX 2 St. Louis The RSG Group, the parent company of Gold's Gym, has confirmed that founder and CEO Rainer Schaller was aboard the aircraft that crashed in Costa Rica on Friday. In a statement released Monday, the company said Schaller, "his family, and two other people were on board the aircraft at the time of the crash." However, the company did not confirm the German businessman's death, the Associated Press reported. Search and rescue crews in Costa Rica have already recovered two bodies from the crash. According to People, they belonged to one adult and one child. The statement also read: "We are shocked, stunned, and full of grief about this tragic accident." It added that the news over the last few days had deeply shaken many in the company. It went on to say that "our thoughts are with the family in these difficult hours." The company further noted that authorities are still investigating the situation and cannot comment any further on what is happening. READ NEXT: Costa Rica Plane Crash: Two Unidentified Bodies Recovered; Gold's Gym's Rainer Schaller, Allegedly Among the Passengers Costa Rica Plane Crash: Nationalities of People Aboard the Aircraft Revealed CNN has obtained a copy of the aircraft's flight manifest from Costa Rica's Ministry of Public Security. It revealed that all five passengers were Germans, including Rainer Schaller, his partner, Christiane Schikorsky, and two minors. The pilot, who also died, was confirmed to be Swiss. The plane was on its way from Mexico to Limon, Costa Rica. However, it lost contact with the control tower at Costa Rica's Juan Santamaria International Airport at around 6 p.m. local time while flying over the northeastern Parismina area off Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast. According to Associated Press, the plane was a nine-seat Italian-made Piaggio P180 Avanti, and pieces of it were found in the water on Saturday. On Sunday, search and rescue operations personnel also found backpacks, bags, and the two bodies. Several organizations, including the Red Cross, are involved in the search and rescue efforts. Who Is Gold's Gym Owner Rainer Schaller? Rainer Schaller is known as a fitness enthusiast and was listed as the RSG Group's "founder, owner, and CEO." The Associated Press reported that his company is a conglomerate of 21 fitness, lifestyle, and fashion brands. It operates across 48 countries and has 41,000 employees, Aside from Gold's Gym, it also owns fitness brands like McFit and Cyberobics. While he was not the founder of the iconic Gold's Gym, his company did acquire it in July 2020. Schaller was trained as a retail salesman before getting started in the fitness industry when he opened his first gym in Wurzburg, Germany, in 1997. He was also involved in some controversy in 2010 as the organizer of the Berlin Love Parade techno festival. The event led to a stampede that killed over 21 people and injured over 500 others. However, the German businessman denied any wrongdoing and pointed out that his security concept had received official city approval. READ MORE: Alex Jones Loses Again vs. Sandy Hook Victim's Parents, Must Pay $45.2 Million More in Punitive Damages This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Small Plane Crash off Costa Rica Leaves 6 Feared Dead, Including German Gym Tycoon - From Global News Scott Peterson has been removed from death row more than two years after the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence for killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson. According to San Francisco Gate, Peterson was moved to Mule Creek State Prison east of Sacramento last week. He was previously incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco. The California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in August 2020 after finding that Peterson's jury was improperly screened for bias against the death penalty. The state's high court found that potential jurors were improperly dismissed for saying they disagreed with the death penalty but would be willing to follow the law and impose it. In its ruling, the California Supreme Court said a judge would decide the matter in San Mateo County Superior Court. A state judge is currently considering if Peterson deserves a new trial after the justices noted that the jury may have been "tainted by a biased juror." Peterson was jailed in San Quentin so he would have better access to his lawyers during that monthslong hearing process. Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder for his wife's death and second-degree murder for the death of their unborn son Conner. READ NEXT: Scott Peterson Resentenced to Life Imprisonment Over 2002 Murder of Wife Laci Peterson Convicted Murderer Scott Peterson and a New Trial The California Supreme Court has earlier ordered San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo to review the case and determine if Scott Peterson deserves a new trial. According to CBS News, the trial aims to determine whether former juror Richelle Nice was guilty of misconduct. Peterson's defense team must first prove to Massullo that Nice lied about her past to become a juror on the case and was biased against Peterson from the start. Nice is accused of "prejudicial misconduct" for not disclosing that she was the victim of domestic violence and had sought a restraining order in 2000 for fears that her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend would be a threat to her unborn baby. Peterson's lawyers claimed that Nice had kept the details of her personal life that could have been a conflict during his initial trial. In the previous hearings, Nice maintained that she was not biased and did not lie about her past to become a juror on the case. She testified earlier that she had never been a victim of domestic violence. She said she was the one who had been the aggressor in a fight with her ex-boyfriend a couple of years ago before she even filled out a jury questionnaire and was picked to become a juror. Nice further noted that she did not write it on the jury questionnaire because it never crossed her mind, adding that "it wasn't done intentionally." However, Peterson's lawyers said the 2000 case is relevant to whether Nice was accurate when she filled out the juror questionnaire. They questioned her about stating "no" in the questionnaire whether she had "ever been involved in a lawsuit." In technicality, Peterson's lawyers noted that the 2000 matter was a lawsuit. But Nice said she did not know her request for a protection order qualified as a lawsuit, and she "made amends" with the woman she accused and dropped her appeal. Nice also insisted that she was truthful on the jury questionnaire despite answering improperly. However, Peterson's lawyers had also argued that Nice, who later co-authored a book about the case with six other jurors, sought to be a juror because she wanted notoriety and for financial reasons. Nice also reportedly testified earlier that she held no bias against Scott Peterson until after she heard the evidence that the convicted murderer dumped his wife's body in San Francisco Bay on Christmas Eve 2002. Scott Peterson in Murdering Laci Peterson Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she disappeared on Christmas Eve in 2002. Scott Peterson had left that day to go fishing at the Berkeley Marina. Peterson came under suspicion immediately. Detectives noted that he seemed far too calm for a man whose pregnant wife had suddenly disappeared. A passerby found the bodies of Laci and the fetus of her son Conner washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay near Richmond in April 2003. Their remains were badly decomposed from time in the water. Thus, the cause of death was never determined. Peterson was arrested in La Jolla, California, on April 18, 2003 - the same day the two decomposed bodies were identified as Laci Peterson and Conner. He had already dyed his hair blond, filled his car with survival gear, and had $15,000 cash on hand. Investigators discovered that Peterson was having an affair with massage therapist Amber Frey at the time of his wife's disappearance. Frey told investigators that Scott Peterson told her he was not married, and she admitted they had a romantic relationship. Prosecutors argued that the affair was Peterson's motive to kill his wife, allowing him to be with Frey. READ MORE: Scott Peterson Case Update: Convicted Murderer Moved Back to State Prison as He Awaits Next Court Hearing This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: Scott Peterson Finally Moved off California's Death Row - From CBS Sacramento Richard Ramirez, known as the "Night Stalker," is one of the most notorious serial killers in the United States. His infamy grew as bodies piled up in California until he was caught by an angry mostly-Latino mob, who beat him up and handed him over to police. Who is Richard Ramirez, the 'Night Stalker?' Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Munoz Ramirez was born in El Paso, Texas, on February 28, 1960. He was the son of Mercedes and Julian Ramirez. The Night Stalker grew up as a troubled teen who was enamored by stories from his older cousin, Mike, who had returned home from the Vietnam War. Mike was a bad influence on Ramirez. He would tell the 12-year-old Ramirez gruesome stories and show him pictures of the Vietnamese women he tortured, raped, and killed. He also introduced drugs to Ramirez, and this resulted in Ramirez committing various petty crimes while he was young. According to Crime Museum, Ramirez became rebellious and turned to Satanism. Because of this, he became alienated from his parents. Ramirez dropped out of school and moved to Los Angeles, California, when he was 15. He then started burglarizing homes to fund his drug addiction. At 24, Ramirez committed his first murder. His first victim was 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, who was sexually assaulted, stabbed, and killed inside her apartment in Glassell Park, Los Angeles, in June 1984. The Night Stalker killed her in the most gruesome manner, stabbing her repeatedly in the head, neck, and chest and slitting her throat. Ramirez's subsequent attacks from June 1984 to August 1985 established his pattern of breaking into a home, attacking the victim inside, and leaving Satanic symbols like pentagrams. He hunted his victims around the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. According to The Wrap, Ramirez also worked up an appetite after his murders as he would also eat some snacks from his victims' food stocks. Police often found the victims' fridges raided in addition to the dead bodies he left inside the home. Ramirez was not picky on race, as he attacked not only Caucasian victims but also Asians and other Latinos. He also raped his victims, though he would often first kill any man who was also inside the home. Because of his style of breaking into a home, Richard Ramirez was first called the "Walk-in Killer." However, the name that ultimately stuck to the public was the one the now-defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner used: "The Night Stalker." READ NEXT: Jeffrey Dahmer's Dad Breaks Silence, Plans to Sue Netflix Over Series on Milwaukee's Terrifying Cannibal Serial Killer Richard Ramirez: The Serial Killer's Arrest, Trial, and Death Richard Ramirez's mugshot was released to the media to make sure everybody knew what he looked like. It happened after Ramirez broke into the home of Bill Carns and his fiancee, Inez Erickson, where he shot Carns three times in the head and raped Erickson. The couple miraculously survived the injuries, and Erickson was later able to give a detailed description of the serial killer to police. The Night Stalker was arrested at the end of the summer of 1985 after a group of elderly Mexican women spotted him and called him "El Matador," or "killer" after seeing his face in the newspapers. Ramirez ran across the Santa Ana Freeway and tried to carjack a Ford Mustang. However, he was pulled out by an angry Latino resident named Faustino Pinon, forcing the serial killer to escape by foot. He ran across the street and tried to take the car keys from a woman and told her he had a gun. That woman's husband then grabbed a pipe and beat the serial killer over the head before he ran again. An angry mob of mostly Latinos then chased him down the street. They caught him and beat him up before the police intervened. Ramirez had become one of the most high-profile serial killers in U.S. history at the time, and his trial caused a frenzy from the media and the Night Stalker's own "fans." During his first court appearance, Ramirez showed a pentagram in his hand and yelled, "Hail Satan!" After a lengthy circus of a trial, Ramirez was found guilty of 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries on September 20, 1989. He was given the death penalty but acted nonchalantly about it, telling reporters, "Big deal. Death always went with the territory. See you in Disneyland." Ramirez has drawn in several fans, many of whom wrote love letters to him while in prison, much like other rockstar serial killers like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. He eventually married one of them, Doreen Lioy, inside California's San Quentin State Prison. While he was given the death sentence, Richard Ramirez did not receive his punishment of death via gas chamber. Instead, he died in 2013 due to lymphoma. He was 53, according to Esquire. READ MORE: Colombian Serial Killer Pedro Alonso Lopez Disappeared; Is It Possible 'The Monster of the Andes' Still Doing His Horrific Acts? This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Who Was Richard Ramirez? | Night Stalker - From Netflix Johnny Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez, who helped the actor win his defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, has reportedly decided not to work with Kanye West due to his anti-Semitic remarks. Page Six reported that the billionaire rapper hired Camille Vasquez. But less than a week after she was hired, TMZ reported Monday that Vasquez told her company, Brown Rudnick, that she no longer wanted to represent Kanye. Although the well-respected lawyer took a stand, sources told TMZ that her firm would still work with the rapper if he retracted his statements. However, Brown Rudnick was reportedly fired after it held Kanye to the position that he should apologize. TMZ reported that Camille Vasquez, a Los Angeles-based lawyer, was supposed to represent Kanye West in his business matters, handling contracts and other deals. READ NEXT: Kanye West Isn't Losing Money Amids Antisemitic Rants, Gains Support Instead Netflix Will Not Remove Kanye West's Documentary 'Jeen-Yuhs' Netflix said that Kanye West's documentary, "Jeen-Yuhs," will stay online, even though he recently made some anti-Semitic comments. According to Page Six, Kanye's personal life and career were highlighted in "Jeen-Yuhs," which was released earlier this year. Some celebrities have already asked Adidas to stop working with Kanye, just like Balenciaga, Vogue, and the rapper's legal team. In an Instagram story on Monday, Kanye's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, criticized him and said that hate speech is "never OK or excusable." "I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end," the Skims founder wrote. Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, and momager Kris Jenner all posted the same graphic on their social media pages earlier in the day to condemn his behavior. "I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people," the post read. While several businesses, such as Balenciaga and the talent agency CAA, are severing ties with Kanye, a Netflix representative told TMZ that the company has no plans to pull down its "Jeen-Yuhs" documentary trilogy on the rapper's life. Netflix said they are not partners as Kanye was the subject of the documentary and not promoting the streaming site. The streaming service claimed that Kanye's documentary does not contain antisemitic content and does not take down content about or created by individuals who later cause trouble. Kanye West and Chaney Jones, an Instagram model who used to be linked to the rapper, went to see the documentary when it first aired in Los Angeles earlier this year. A lot of famous people were also there. Kanye's documentary will still be available on Netflix. However, Hollywood studio MRC allegedly removed the rapper's complete documentary due to his recent anti-Semitic comments. Def Jam Has Also Dropped Kanye West's Label, G.O.O.D. Music Recent reports suggested Def Jam may have ditched Kanye West's label G.O.O.D. Music, adding Def Jam to the list of businesses that have retreated working with the rapper. Even though Kanye's relationship with Def Jam ended after the release of his album Donda in 2021, it is still unclear if he was supposed to work with the company before he started acting in a racist way on his platform. The rapper's Adidas partnership might also end as the company's stock plummets due to his recent behaviors, We Got This Covered reported. According to reports, the rapper's streams have also declined because of the controversy. However, Kanye keeps making anti-Semitic comments, even though more and more people are cutting ties with him. Kanye was at a Paris fashion show for designers earlier this month. It was during the Paris Fashion Week he showed off a shirt with the words "White Lives Matter" on its back. The rapper immediately faced backlash after the show. In subsequent interviews, including one with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo, Kanye claimed he was being persecuted by "the Jewish underground media mafia." His closest friends said Kanye West is only in the midst of his worst "psychiatric episode." READ MORE: Missouri: St. Louis High School Shooting Kills Three, Including Teen Gunman This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy | Official Trailer - From Netflix A California teacher was arrested after being accused of hiding a missing teenager in her home for almost two years. In a press release, the Rancho Cordova Police Department said 61-year-old Holga Castillo Olivares was arrested on Thursday in connection to the disappearance of Michael Ramirez, who went missing when he was 15, People reported. Ramirez's family said the teenager was last seen at his home in Rancho Cordova in Sacramento County on May 18, 2020, and he was reported missing on June 9, 2020. An extensive search launched after Ramirez's disappearance failed to find him. But on March 11 this year, the police department said the missing teenager, now 17, "inexplicably returned home." READ NEXT: California Teen Goes Missing While Buying Food in Mexico Visit Missing Teenager Michael Ramirez's Disappearance Katte Smith, Michael Ramirez's aunt and legal guardian, said the boy left the house following a heated argument with his parents over house rules and never returned. "There were some restrictions on him because he broke some rules, and he wasn't happy about that and for him, you know, he ran away. He felt... the grass was greener on the other side," Smith told KCRA. According to The Guardian, during the period that the teen was missing, authorities spoke to his relatives and friends, including Holga Castillo Olivares, but they could not locate him. The California teacher reportedly did not say a word to the police even though she let the teenager stay at her house. The boy only returned to the family home last March and begged to move back in. He informed Smith that he had been staying at the home of Olivares, the mom of one of his friends. Smith said he felt "robbed" of time with the missing teenager. "You can't just hide someone's kid and think that's OK," Smith noted. Smith said her husband had a hard time emotionally as he felt like he was a failure since Ramirez is his biological nephew, The Sun reported. So, when the missing teenager showed up, Smith said, "We just kind of had this dogpile on him and lots of happy tears and just shock and awe." She also said they were "floored" when they heard that the California teacher was arrested. "We're getting justice, you know, in seeing that someone is being held accountable for doing the wrong thing," she noted. Olivares' daughter is Ramirez's childhood girlfriend. Olivarez was a teacher at Alice Birney Public Waldorf school in the Sacramento City Unified School District. California Teacher Charged Holga Castillo Olivares was charged with detaining a minor with the intent to conceal from a parent and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She has also been put on administrative leave while the school district conducts its own investigation. According to the Sacramento City Unified School District, the allegations against the California teacher "are for acts unrelated to the employee's assigned duties." Toronto Sun reported that the district said Olivarez was arrested at the school after classes were over for the day. The California teacher was being held without bond and was expected to make a court appearance on Monday afternoon. READ MORE: Michigan Family of 4, Who Mysteriously Disappeared After Dad Showed 'Paranoid' Behavior, Seen at Gas Station This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Bert Hoover WATCH: Sacramento City Unified Teacher Arrested in Teen's 2020 Disappearance, Police Say - From KCRA News Ireland is searching the most for Halloween on Google this October worldwide which may be no surprise given Ireland is the birthplace of Halloween, so we wanted to share Google trends and data on what exactly Ireland has been searching for when it comes to Halloween 2022. For starters, what are the kids up to these days? Watching Blippi it seems! Overall, the most searched costume for Halloween 2022 in Ireland is Blippi. If you don't know Blippi, he is known for his blue and orange outfit and educational videos for young children. Hes a phenomenon, who knew? Other popular childrens costumes searches this year are heavily influenced by TV and film including Pennywise, Ghostbusters, Batgirl, Hocus Pocus, Jack Skellington, Belle, Sonic and Freddy Kruegerthe kids are not holding back! TV and Film has had an influence on adult costumes too with the release of the Hocus Pocus sequel perhaps having something to do with Sarah Sanderson being the third most popular costume search and Winifred Sanderson not too far behind. Netflix continues to be a source of inspiration with searches for Cobra Kai costumes and of course, crowd favourite, Stranger Things making an appearance across top costume searches, couples costumes and DIY costumes. The nation's love for baking is alive and well with breakout searches this month including Halloween Cake and Halloween Cupcakes, it looks like Halloween Parties are well and truly back and will be fueled by homemade delicacies! For those opting for a Halloween night of scary movies instead of parties, the trending Halloween movies in Ireland this month include Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey slasher film, Smile, Sleepy Hollow, and the classic Friday the 13th. And, of course, its nice to see that we havent forgotten our heritage as searches for oiche shamhna poem have spiked over 250% over the past 7 days. Surely everyone knows that Halloween first started in Ireland, right? Top Halloween Trends halloween cake andhalloween cupcakes are breakout searches, October is halloween a bank holiday is a breakout search, October gingerbread house recipe is a breakout search past 7 days oiche shamhna poem spiked +250%, past 7 days coloured contact lenses dublin tripled and cat eye contacts doubled, past 7 days Ireland is searching the most for Halloween this October, worldwide. Trending costumes, October 2022, Ireland Blippi Goddess Sarah Sanderson Huggy Wuggy Cobra Kai Winifred Sanderson Scoops Ahoy Police officer Shaggy Rainbow friends Trending couple costumes, October 2022, Ireland Princess Peach and Daisy Angel and Devil Pineapple and Palm tree Danny and Sandy Squints and Wendy Peffercorn Rick and Morty Robin and Steve (Stranger Things) Peter Pan and Tinkerbell Step Brothers Captain Hook and Tinkerbell Trending kids costumes, October 2022, Ireland Robot Pennywise Ghostbusters Batgirl Dog Hocus Pocus Jack Skellington Belle Sonic Freddy Krueger Trending diy costumes, October 2022, Ireland Dog Astronaut Wonder Woman Gru Tom and Jerry Ginny Weasley Ghost Vampire Little Red Riding Hood Eleven (Stranger Things) Most searched makeup-looks, October 2022, Ireland Demon La dia de los muertos Harley Quinn Ghost Zombie Creepy Doll Red Riding Hood Emo Morticia Addams Minnie Mouse Trending Horror/Halloween movies, October 2022, Ireland Ballinakills Damien Carter has been confirmed as the Laois minor hurling manager for the 2023 season. Outgoing manager Declan Qualter stepped aside after this years campaign ended bringing an end to his two-year tenure which included this seasons fantastic run to a Leinster final appearance against Offaly and All Ireland quarter-final group stages. Qualter's minors were knocked out by Clare in Cusack park Carter was a selector with Qualter for the past two seasons and now has been given the managers position. Carter also managed the Mountmellick hurlers to a historic intermediate final appearance. They will be playing their first round in Leinster this coming Saturday when they face Burren Rangers of Carlow He will be assisted by Eddie Downey, who was over the Laois Celtic Challenge team this season which comprised of U-16 players who didnt play with the county minor team. Also joining the management team will be Kevin Rebel Power, a native of Johnstown in Kilkenny and who was involved with the Rathdowney-Errill seniors in 2021. It has been reported that Derek McGrath has also stepped aside from his role with the team A new windfarm is being planned between Portarlington and Mountmellick in Laois. Bord na Mona has invited the public to view its plans for Garryhinch wind farm. it will be the first time that the company will reveal the number and height of wind turbines proposed on their cutaway bog. The turbines are planned to supply electricity to the Irish grid. Map below of proposed windfarm area. "Bord na Mona is proposing to develop a wind farm on Garryhinch Bog - located in counties Laois and Offaly. Garryhinch Bog is adjacent to the communities of Clonygowan and Mountmellick. "In recent months the project team has advanced the design of the proposed development and now wishes to consult the local community about the proposed draft layout for the windfarm. "In order to get your feedback on the proposed development, including any queries and concerns you may have, Bord na Mona intend to hold a series of community engagement sessions," the company said. On Tuesday, November 1, they will hold a session in the CYMS Hall, Cloneygowan, from 5pm to 9pm. On Wednesday, it will be in Mountmellick Conference Centre, MDA Business Park, also from 5pm to 9pm. On Thursday, it will be at St Brigid's Community Hall, Garryhinch / Cloneyhurke. The company began surveys and initial consultations almost a year ago, while a wind monitoring mast is on site for several years. Bord na Mona said it hopes to incorporate public recreational facilities at the Garryhinch Wind Farm, similar to the 10km walkway, running track and cycleway at the 28-turbine Mountlucas Wind Farm in Offaly. The Garryhinch project is part of Bord na Mona's ongoing transformation to what it calls a 'climate solutions' company after it ceased peat harvesting and began a programme of bog restoration. Garryhinch Bog was previously proposed as the site for a reservoir taking water from the Shannon to serve Dublin and the East of Ireland. Mountlucas, which can generate up to 84 MW of electricity, is currently its only operational wind farm in Offaly but another is under construction and another planned in that county. The company also generates electricity from biogas and aims to become a significant player in the solar energy market. In Laois, Statkraft Ireland Limited was refused permission to build higher turbines in townlands of Dernacart, Forest Upper & Forest Lower along the N80 between Mountmellick and Killeigh. The impact on the bat population was a main reason for turning the 185 metre structures down. The public can also view the Garryhinch wind farm plan and submit feedback online, on a dedicated website called www.garryhinchwindfarm.ie A Laois councillor has made shocking claims about criminal behaviour by some council tenants that she said is going unchecked. Claims have been made that children are throwing animal faeces at other children and adults are having street riots, drug dealing and threatening neighbours with weapons. The Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council, Cllr Thomasina Connell has claimed that the bad behaviour by council tenants, placed in private estates, is in many areas out of control, in Portlaoise and further afield. She is calling for urgent combined action by the council and Gardai. She made her claim at the October 24 monthly meeting, while tabling a motion calling for a simpler complaints form. I've received many reports in private housing developments where the council purchased private properties. Reports of drug dealing, street riots, threats made to other residents with offensive weapons, children being struck by children of these tenants, and covering them in animal faeces. This is absolutely barbaric behaviour. The continued lack of response from our council allows behaviours like these to continue," Cllr Connell claimed. Everybody deserves to live in a safe, peaceful living environment, without fear of intimidation, continued criminality, drug dealing, unacceptable noise levels from acts of domestic violence or parties that persist into the night. I'm asking Laois County Council to take a stand against a very small number of our tenants who choose to engage in these behaviours, the Laois Cathaoirleach said. She explained why the complaint form is causing problems. "The current complaint form to log complaints in relation to Anti Social Behaviour is 15 pages long. Whether it is intended or not, the form makes it a very cumbersome task to actually lodge a complaint about anti social behaviour. I am calling on the Council to review the current form and urgently introduce a simplified version as exists in other Local Authorities," she said. Cllr Connell said excuses of staff shortages or passing the complaints to the Gardai are not acceptable. "In terms of action on Anti Social Behaviour I appreciate that the Estate Management Team is under resourced but we need to do more on this and it is not sufficient to tell those who make a complaint that we dont have the resources or staff. This is not an answer. "Neither is it acceptable for the Council to defer this issue to An Garda Siochana. "A collaborative approach needs to be taken and I would welcome a meeting between the Estate Management Team in Laois County Council and Senior Member of the Gardai to discuss how the intend to tackle the current situation which is in many areas, out of control. Her motion to the October council meeting was seconded by Cllr John King. "There is no protection for people who want to live in a happy estate. It only takes one or two difficult tenants. The process to move them on is difficult. It's not fair, it brings down the whole estate. Can you make it a criminal offence for people who continue to break the rules?" Cllr King asked. Cllrs John Joe Fennelly and Ben Brennan said that council houses that are bought up are then sold on with no control over who moves in. "You have people selling on and we don't know who to. One bad apple causes uproar. In a council house there are rules and regulations, they have to be enforced," Cllr Brennan said. The council has agreed to review the form. A Polish fraudster who stole over 150,000 from business men in his own community by promising returns on investments of up to 73% has been jailed for three years. Jakub Chrzanowsli (45) met the investors through a Polish business community meet up group and promised astronomical returns or convinced them to hand over deposits after claiming he was acting as a middle man for Dublin City Council in the sale of properties. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that he spent a large amount of money on apps through iTunes. Chrzanowsli of Mount Symon Crescent, Clonsilla, pleaded guilty to theft from a company and a named individual on dates between May 2017 and May 2018. He has one previous conviction. Judge Martin Nolan said Chrzanowsli's claims had been too good to be believed and he had stolen the money from the investors. He said Chrzanowsli was a man of ability who was very persuasive. He said it was a slightly aggravating factor that it seems the other parties trusted him as he was the same nationality and he took advantage of that trust. He said the money had disappeared. Judge Nolan noted Chrzanowsli had a company set up but it was not controlled by the Central Bank. He took into account that Chrzanowsli has set up a payment schedule to repay his victims. The judge said the mitigating factors included Chrzanowski's guilty pleas, his lack of relevant convictions, that he had good points and was well capable of reform. Judge Nolan sentenced Chrzanowsli to four years imprisonment with the final year suspended. He ordered that 9,000 the accused had brought to court be split between the injured parties. Detective Garda Paul Kirwan told Fiona Crawford BL, prosecuting, that three men who were directors of a company paid deposits on property totalling 63,000 to Chrzanowsli. One of the directors had met Chrzanowsli through a meet up group for Polish entrepreneurs. Chrzanowsli had claimed he was acting for Dublin City Council and was able to sell council properties not available on the open market direct to investors. Gda Kirwan said official looking contracts were drawn up and signed but meetings took place in coffee shops or fast food restaurants. Every meeting with a woman purporting to be a council contact were cancelled at the last minute which eventually aroused the investors' suspicions. The men contacted the council and they confirmed that they never sell property using a middle man but sell according to statute. The properties did exist but were not for sale. The investors made contact with Chrzanowsli but no monies were returned at that stage. Gardai were contacted and Chrzanowsli arrested. A solicitor he was claiming to use told gardai he had never been a client of theirs and they received no money from him. Garda Kirwan agreed with Seoirse O Dunlaing BL, defending, that a court instalment plan had been set up with 500 monthly instalments. He said 40,000 is outstanding. Garda David Sheehy told Ms Crawford that the second victim, an individual, also met Chrzanowsli through the entrepreneurs group. He handed over sums totalling 114, 981 to Chrzanowsli who promised returns on his investment ranging from 10% in six months to 73% in ten weeks. Garda Sheehy said that again contracts were drawn up and the victim had satisfied himself that Chrzanowsli had a registered company but later found it was not registered with the Central Bank. The man was waiting on his return on investment and alerted gardai when it was not forthcoming. Garda Sheehy told Mr O Dunlaing that he could not confirm a payment schedule of 1,000 had been set up but said speaking to him four months ago he had received 2,000 back. Mr O Dunlaing said this was a scheme which was always going to unravel and come to light as what was promised was not realisable. He said a 73% return on investment was too good to be true, that business meetings had been in locations such as Starbucks or handing money over in car park. Judge Nolan remarked that sometimes people who are conned dont report it as they are so mortified and embarrassed by their own stupidity. Mr O Dunlaing asked the court to take into account Chrzanowslis guilty plea which saved the State the time and expense of a trial in which it would be one person's word against another. He said his client was a married man with two children and had health issues. Counsel said his bank account showed a large amount spent on apps through iTunes. He said these were apps that that appeared to hook you in and to be a drain with 110 for each transaction. Chrzanowslis counsel said he was in employment and asked for a non-custodial term to allow him continue repayments. Recommendations relating to a monument commemorating an execution that took place in the Irish Civil War were read out to representatives at the latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District meeting. Kildare County Council (KCC) relayed the recommendations to local representatives at the meeting which was held on Wednesday, October 19. The monument would commemorate the Grey Abbey Martyrs, who were executed by Pro-Treaty soldiers on December 19, 1922. It was the single biggest execution in the Civil War. It was also heard that the present memorial, which has been in place in the Square in Kildare town since 1935, is in need of an upgrade. Sinn Fein councillor Noel Connolly proposed that KCC proceed with a proposal drafted by the National Graves Association. However, his suggestion was put to a vote and rejected. Cllr Connolly has since informed the Leader that the NGA are now seeking permission from KCC to temporarily erect the monument just for the centenary weekend. Gardai have launched an investigation after a man was seriously injured in an assault in a town in the Midlands. Gardai in Portlaoise are appealing for witnesses following the assault of a male on Coote Street, Portlaoise, Co. Laois in the early hours of Sunday morning, October 23. At approximately 1.20am on Sunday morning, a male in his 40s was walking on Coote Street when he was approached by a group of four people and assaulted. The male was seriously injured during the incident. He is currently being treated for his injuries, which are understood to be non-life threatening, in St. James Hospital, Dublin. No arrests have been made in relation to this incident, at this time. Gardai are appealing to any person who may have witnessed this incident to contact them. Any person who was in the vicinity of Coote Street between 1.20am and 1.30am on Sunday morning, particularly any road users who may have camera footage (including dash cam), is asked to contact investigating Gardai. Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station on 057 867 4100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. A white line is needed to make a rural road on the outskirts safer. Thats according to two councillors - but Kildare County Council thinks otherwise. Cllr Evie Sammon said the road which links Beggars End Cross, near Punchestown Racecourse to Kill needs line markings. She told a Naas Municipal District meeting that the road is getting busier and busier and added that she uses it to get to Dublin from Ballymore Eustace. Cllr Fintan Brett said the biggest problem there is the number of trucks travelling to a nearby landfill and he said a white line would slow down the trucks. But a KCC report noted that it is a local road with limited road width and In line with the normal practice, it is not advisable to provide centre line markings along the narrow sections of road due to the potential to over-run the carriageway edge and associated maintenance issues. The report added that it is possible to provide road edge markings for this road but there is an approximate cost of 10,000 for this work. KCC engineer David Reel said because the road is narrow, a line would likely force cars into a verge and give motorists a false sense of security. Read more Kildare news Family Carers Ireland are hosting a fundraising event on November 11 in The Hamlet Court Hotel, Johnstownbridge - a Second Chance Debs. Did you miss your Debs the first time around, maybe you enjoyed it so much you want to go again? Then a Second Chance Debs is for you. All profits made from the Second Chance Debs will support the work of Family Carers Ireland. Sarah Houlihan, Support Manager with Family Carers Ireland covering the region of Kildare and Wicklow, said: "We are the national charity supporting the 500,000+ family carers across the country who care for loved ones such as children or adults with additional needs, physical or intellectual disabilities, frail older people, those with palliative care needs or those living with chronic illnesses, mental health challenges or addiction. "As a not-for-profit organisation, we support family carers and young carers through the provision of free emergency care planning, counselling, specialised training and education programmes, wellbeing support, crisis management, emergency respite/respite provision, advocacy, peer support groups, information on rights and entitlements and many other worthwhile initiatives. "Family carers form the backbone of our healthcare system in Ireland and have been the forgotten frontline against covid-19. They are the family members, friends and neighbours looking after the most vulnerable within our communities. Very often they put aside their own needs, sacrificing their own health and wellbeing to ensure the person they care for has their needs meet. Without support for family carers, the long-term sustainability of people being cared for at home is at risk, which will place increased demands on our already over stretched health care system. "The experience of being a family carer or knowing a family carer may strike a chord with you. Your business can help support these caring individuals from your local community through Family Carers Ireland." Tickets are available through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.ie. Full tickets cost 60 plus booking fee and supporters tickets cost 10 plus booking fee. A Senator based in Kildare has said that reform of Seanad Eireann 'is long overdue.' Fianna Fail Senator Fiona OLoughlin called for the 'expanding of the democratic franchise' of Seanad. Her announcement follows after she introduced the Curragh of Kildare (Amendment) Bill 2022 in a bid to tackle illegal encampment on the Curragh last week. The Newbridge-based politician said that education has become more accessible, and more people are completing a third level education than in the 1930s, and as such, to exclude certain graduates 'is elitist and does not make logical sense.' Senator Fiona O' Loughlin, Fianna Fail. File Pic She said: "A graduate of Technological University, TU, Dublin, University of Limerick, UL, or any other third level institution is just as entitled to participate in the democratic functions of this House as any other graduate. "It is completely unjust and is insulting to those who, for whatever reason, did not attend the 'right college' to earn them a democratic vote." "We have seen little or no action on the topic since the passing of the seventh amendment in 1979. "There have now been 16 Administrations that have, frankly, ignored the 92 per cent 'Yes' vote in that referendum," she concluded. A High Court judge has criticised claims by a Sinn Fein TD that judges are unwilling to travel outside of where they are based to hear cases as "concerning" and "ill informed". Speaking as he managed the Central Criminal Court trial list today, Mr Justice Paul McDermott refuted claims made by Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny in Dail Eireann last week that court facilities outside of Dublin are being underutilised because judges are not willing to travel outside of their area to hear cases and because of a shortage in the number of judges. Mr Kenny, Sinn Fein's Justice Spokesman, made the comments when asking Minister for Justice Helen McEntee about additional judicial appointments. In the Dail last Thursday, Mr Kenny said there were new court buildings established a number of years ago in Limerick but said "most of the time, half of the courts there are not being used" and instead people were travelling to Dublin to access court services in the capital. He said witnesses and victims of crime were having to get on a train and leave Limerick to go to Dublin when "adequate facilities are in place in their own city". Mr Kenny said he had been told that one of the reasons for this is because "judges do not want to travel from where they are based". However, at the Criminal Courts of Justice today Mr Justice McDermott said it is "simply incorrect to say judges are not willing to travel". He described the comments made by Mr Kenny as "concerning" and said it was "ill informed" to say that judges of the High Court are showing reluctance to travel to "Limerick or any other court". "It's important to point out that judges are always willing to travel," Mr Justice McDermott said, adding in this session alone cases have been heard in Cork, Kilkenny, Monaghan and Tullamore. He said Waterford will be coming on stream soon and trials will also take place in various other locations. These venues are "actively sought out" by the Central Criminal Court so that cases can be heard, he added. Mr Justice McDermott said there was "no question" of any judge of the High Court not willing to travel to hear a case. "In the specific case of Limerick, that court is not available and if it were available, we would travel there." The courts are very aware of the "extreme distress" that these cases can cause for victims of crime, he said. Mr Justice McDermott said the judges of the High Court are very anxious to reduce the lists and if a venue is available then "we will travel". The Irish Government is considering doubling the monthly payment for people taking in Ukrainian refugees to 800 euro. The proposal to raise the payment from 400 euro was discussed as Government ministers met on Monday evening over emergency accommodation for Ukrainians and refugees arriving in Ireland. Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan and Minister for Housing Darragh OBrien were among those taking part in the Cabinet sub-committee meeting. It came after about 43 Ukrainian refugees were left without state accommodation in recent days after they arrived in Ireland. Government sources confirmed to PA that the payment increase is being considered, although it would first have to be signed off by Cabinet. A Government spokesperson said the Cabinet sub-committee agreed that several measures were required in order to ease pressure on accommodation and services. This includes accelerating work on all possible additional accommodation options, launching an urgent call for vacant properties/holiday homes and providing additional resources at local level in recognition of those communities at the forefront of the response. Speaking in Co Cavan ahead of the meeting, Mr Martin said there has been an extraordinary response by the Irish people. He said the war in Ukraine has brought about an unprecedented level of migration to the country. The country has never had to deal with so many people fleeing war in its history, Mr Martin added. The numbers that have arrived in such a very short space of time have been unprecedented. We are looking at 58,000 Ukrainians have come into the country now. Well over the mid-40s getting accommodated by the state. Others finding accommodation. We now have 15,000 in direct provision. This is not a normal domestic policy where you can say well do X, Y and Z in a planned way. This is very much a consequence of war. If you look at where we were last week. We were at an EU Council meeting in Brussels. What was the issue? Energy. Why? Because (Russian president Vladimir) Putin has weaponised energy, and he is weaponising migration. The bombing of energy infrastructure is about that. He wants to make life so miserable for Ukrainians throughout this winter that he wants to create a further wave of migration out of Ukraine. That is what is at issue here. It is important that Europe stands together. Ireland continues to show its solidarity against (Vladimir) Putins war. That means we have to double down and do better again in terms of what we are doing to accommodate people fleeing war from Ukraine. It is very difficult for Ukrainians, it is very difficult for people generally. It is not just an Irish phenomenon, it is a phenomenon across Europe. Other countries and cities are facing similar situations. Mr Martin acknowledged that the system to cater for refugees could be better. We can do things better in terms of some of our systems in respect of payments and so on but also securing additional accommodation, he added. There had been proposals around reconfigurating a whole range of properties that had been identified already, which if brought to realisation quickly could provide very significant numbers of places, he added. Mr Martin also said there is a legal and moral obligation on Ireland to take in refugees. This is part of a European-wide protection collective, he said. I believe the moral one is the strong one, but it is also a legal one and we are working with other European member states. We are all in this together across Europe. There is not the facility for one country to opt out. That challenges ourselves to be part of that European solidarity. Speaking to reporters in Belfast, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the emergency accommodation crisis is a huge failure of government policy. Ms McDonald said there has been a failure to plan and a failure to provide adequate accommodation. It is quite disgraceful that it has come to this, she added. I mean, the Government knew, and in fact predicted that we would have far greater numbers of Ukrainians seeking refuge in Ireland, and yet they have failed comprehensively to prepare and to provide for those people. And just remember, this is part and parcel of a wider failure to provide housing and accommodation for the wider population. A 60-year-old man who was violently assaulted in Blanchardstown has died as a result of his injuries. Gardai are appealing for information on the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday October 22 as the man - named by Gardai as Adnan Asic - was walking towards Blanchardstown Road North coming from Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. Adnan is originally from Bosnia but he has lived in Ireland for over 30 years. A post-mortem examination was conducted on the evening of October 22 by State Pathologist Dr. Linda Mulligan at Dublin City Mortuary, the results of which are not being released for operational reasons. An incident room has been established at Blanchardstown Garda Station and the investigation is being carried out under the direction of a Senior Investigating Officer. A Family Liaison Officer has been appointed and continues to keep the family informed of the investigation. Gardai are continuing to appeal to any person who were in the vicinity of Blanchardstown Road North at the junction with the Old Navan Road or the N3 (Mulhuddart) Flyover and surrounding areas between 2am and 3am on Saturday October 22 2022, to contact the investigation team at Blanchardstown Garda Station. In particular An Garda Siochana are appealing for any road users (particularly taxi drivers) 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. An escaped prisoner who led gardai on a high-speed chase through Dublin suburbs narrowly missing a pedestrian and other motorists has been sentenced to 15 months in prison. John Mangan (54) had escaped from Loughlan House open prison in October 2021 and was caught riding a motorbike around Park West Industrial Estate, Dublin 12, at around 3pm one November afternoon a number of weeks later. Mangan has previous convictions for conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of drugs and guns and was due for release from prison in March 2024. He was handed down a 14-year jail term in May 2008 after he was caught with a loaded handgun in the toilet of a pub. He was on bail for possession of cannabis resin valued at 341,787 at that time. Mangan had pleaded guilty to possession of the cannabis resin for sale or supply on February 4, 2006 in Drumcondra and possession of a firearm in the Comet Pub, Santry on August 24, 2007. Garda Gary Farrell told Jennifer Jackson BL, prosecuting on Tuesday that Mangan ignored the garda instruction to stop the vehicle which led to a high-speed pursuit that lasted about 20 minutes. It came to an end after gardai, using the assistance of the air support unit, set up a road block on Carpenterstown Road, in Castleknock. Gda Farrell confirmed that during the chase Mangan drove through a number of red lights, overtook and undertook vehicles into oncoming traffic, drove around a roundabout the wrong way, drove onto a footpath narrowly missing a pedestrian and drove into oncoming traffic during which he nearly collided with a number of different vehicles. Mangan of Larkhill Road, Whitehall, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a charge of endangerment, dangerous driving and driving without insurance around the Lucan and Castleknock area of Dublin on November 9, 2021. He was serving his prison term in Loughlan House when he escaped. His defence counsel, Kieran Kelly BL, defending submitted that it was during lockdown and Mangan was anxious to visit his partner after she was diagnosed with cancer. Mr Kelly said his clients sentence was due to expire in 2024 and he has yet to be charged with escaping lawful custody. This case is expected to be brought before the District Court. Counsel said his client apologises for his driving and regrets his role. He submitted that when Mangan first sped off it was because he was in fear but he continued the chase when he should not have, Mr Kelly said. Mangan has five grandchildren and is now clean of both drink and drugs, counsel submitted. He described him as a reformed man who is currently serving his time in Portlaoise prison. Judge Martin Nolan said that while Mangan was at large from an open prison he took part in serious dangerous driving that could have led to a catastrophic collision which could have caused death or serious injury. He referred to the fact that he viewed three minutes of CCTV footage. He was undoubtedly driving this bike at great speed and he seems to be able to manage this bike at great speed, Judge Nolan said. He has to serve another punishment for driving the way he did, the judge continued before he sentenced him to 15 months which he said must be served consecutively to his current term. He further disqualified Mangan from driving for two years. Catherine Martin T.D., Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, today (October 25) announced a pilot initiative to support the development of a vibrant and diverse Night-Time Economy across the country. Support will be provided to 9 pilot cities and towns to enhance their night-time culture including Dublin City, Cork City, Limerick City, Galway City, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Sligo, Buncrana and Longford Town. Minister Martin said; It is one of my priorities as Minister to invest in bringing life and vitality back to our towns and villages through culture and arts and supporting the Night-Time Economy is a crucial aspect of this. Nine pilot towns and cities have been announced today and they will recruit new Night-Time Economy Advisors who will help drive and support a more diverse and sustainable Night-Time Economy in their localities, engaging with the community, businesses, venues and artists to implement plans that make sense for each town or city. The pilot projects follow announcements on the reform of the licencing laws that will allow pubs to stay open to 12.30am and nightclubs until 6am. Senator Roisin Garvey, Green Party Spokesperson for Rural Development and Enterprise, Trade and Employment added; This pilot initiative announced by Green Party Minister Catherine Martin, along with the reform of the licencing laws, will finally bring Ireland out of the dark ages and revitalise the nightlife of our cities and towns. We've seen this work so well in Europe where supports and extended opening hours leads to less antisocial behaviour, less noise issues and a better night life for the community. When you extend opening hours, it means crowds move around the city or town at different times and it avoids a big spill out onto the streets all at one time. It means a healthier, happier, safer and stronger community as well as night time economy." Development of the Night-Time Economy is an important priority for the Green Party and a key commitment in the Programme for Government. Minister Martin secured 6 million in budget 2023 for developing the Night-Time Economy and as part of todays announcement has also committed to working with the sector and other relevant stakeholders to develop a grant process for sound-proofing of suitable venues. Oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan is interviewed on Mount Hatis on July 9, after the start of construction on his gigantic statue of Jesus. NEWS.AM TV At the top of Mount Hatis, the wind was strong and harsh. Artur Petrosyan, with a tanned face and hiking boots, jumped between the fallen stones of a low wall and explained that "it must have been a defensive wall." Mr. Petrosyan, an archaeologist from Yerevan, the Armenian capital a few kilometers from the summit, had rarely had such easy terrain to excavate: All he had to do was bend down to gather shining stones, "obsidian carved by man, like this arrowhead." This fortress, built in the third millennium BCE, was to be excavated in the coming months until bulldozers swept the site in early July in preparation for the imminent construction of a giant, 33-meter-high statue of Jesus. When its pedestal is taken into account, the whole thing will be 77 meters tall, making it the tallest Christian figure on the planet, even taller than Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro or, the current record-holder, Christ the King in Swiebodzin, Poland. Gagik Tsarukyan, who is behind this project, is currently entangled in various corruption cases. His political party, Prosperous Armenia, has no defined ideological platform and is accused of vote buying. This titanic project is the brainchild of Gagik Tsarukyan, one of Armenia's most powerful oligarchs. Mr. Tsarukyan is the head of an empire, Multi Group, which unites dozens of companies, from media to mineral extraction, that he appropriated after the fall of the USSR. In the 1980s, he spent seven years in prison for gang rape before being cleared by the courts in 2001, and he is currently entangled in numerous corruption cases. For a time, he was a member of Parliament with no defined ideological platform, and his party, Prosperous Armenia, was accused of vote buying. These scandals have tarnished his reputation but have not affected his closeness with the country's successive leaders. The government of the current prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has shown support for the monumental Jesus. Neither impact study nor permits We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback The project should attract millions of faithful, according to Mr. Tsarukyan, but, above all, it will house a shopping center within its concrete support restaurants, souvenir stores and a casino that will be able to offer jobs to the inhabitants of the villages below. In this region, everyone knows Mr. Tsarukyan. You can make a game out of counting the storefronts of companies that belong to him along the highway leading to Yerevan. Mount Hatis was offered to the Tsarukyan Foundation in murky circumstances by a local person of note, who had himself bought it from the municipality of Akunk in 2008 at an inordinately low price. You have 52.51% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. Men carry Hamdi Sharaf's body after clashing with Israeli forces in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on early October 25, 2022. Three Palestinians were killed and nearly 20 others injured early October 25, 2022, in a raid by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP Four Palestinians were killed and nearly 20 others injured early Tuesday, October 24, in raids by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. "There are three dead and 19 wounded, three of them seriously, by Israeli fire in Nablus," the ministry said in a brief statement referring to a city in the occupied West Bank. The ministry later reported that another Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire, this time in Ramallah, home to the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in the central West Bank. Read more Palestinian shot dead by Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem The Israeli army confirmed in a joint statement with police and intelligence agencies that they had conducted a large-scale night operation in Nablus, raiding a "hideout apartment [...] that was used as a headquarters and explosives manufacturing site." "The site was used by the main operatives of the 'Lion's Den' terrorist group," the statement said, referring to a new group of young Palestinian fighters who have carried out anti-Israeli operations in Nablus in recent weeks. "During the activity, multiple armed suspects were hit and Palestinian reports indicate that were multiple injuries." The Lion's Den called "Areen al-Ossoud" in Arabic is composed of young Palestinian fighters, some of whom are affiliated with groups such as Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. They claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on an Israeli soldier two weeks ago in the occupied West Bank. Their late leader Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, nicknamed "The Lion of Nablus," was known for galvanizing the youth before he was shot dead by Israeli forces in August. He has since become a folk hero to Palestinians on social media. In the aftermath of Mr. al-Nabulsi's death, the Israeli army tightened its grip on the city, setting up controls to identify people leaving and constantly scanning the skies above with observation drones. On Saturday night, a Lions' Den fighter, Tamer al-Kilani, was killed in the Old City of Nablus by an explosion attributed by the group and the Israeli press to a bomb remotely activated by the Israeli army. The army did not comment on these claims. Read more Subscribers only The story of Palestinian 'martyr' Ibrahim al-Nabulsi After Tuesday's early morning clash, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is establishing "urgent contacts in order to stop this aggression against our people," his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah said in a statement. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad also said in a statement its "fighters were involved in violent clashes" with Israeli forces in Nablus and threatened Israel with reprisals "against these crimes" there. 'War crimes' Violence has surged in recent months in the northern West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel, especially in the areas of Nablus and Jenin. Israeli soldiers have stepped up operations in both cities since March in the wake of deadly anti-Israeli attacks. These raids, often accompanied by clashes with the Palestinian population, have resulted in more than a hundred deaths on the Palestinian side, the highest death toll in the West Bank in nearly seven years, according to the UN. Since the beginning of the month, more than 20 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to an Agence France-Presse report. Read more Subscribers only Protesters in and out of 'revolving door' of prisons run by Israel and Palestinian Authority We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback Amnesty International on Tuesday called for an International Criminal Court probe into possible "war crimes" committed by both Israeli and Palestinian militants in August during deadly fighting in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave under Israeli blockade since 2007. Thirty-one civilians were among the 49 Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip during the three-day conflict, the global rights group said in a new report, which looked at three incidents in particular two attributed to Israeli forces and one to Palestinian factions. Le Monde with AFP After 26 years, section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the legal pillar for the operation of digital platforms in the US, is going to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. After years of debate on this topic, there will finally be a decision. Some rejoice at the news, and are others worried, given the Court's recent decisions on abortion and gun control. Some experts are already warning that the internet could "never be the same again." Section 230 of the 1996 law considers online platforms to be hosts, not publishers, and therefore exempts them from liability for third-party content or content posted by users (with the exception of pornography). Social media platforms are protected from prosecution if they remove illegal content reported to them within a "reasonable" time. This section of the law has become the target of all those who are unhappy with the way their opinions are treated by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and others. Donald Trump, who accused the platforms of censoring conservative views, set out to have it repealed. Joe Biden, who blames them for encouraging hate speech, again called on Congress in September to lift the platforms' immunity. A bill known as the SAFE TECH Act would not repeal Section 230 to the relief of the tech industry but would increase the number of cases in which it could not be invoked. In the run-up to the November 8 congressional elections, discussion of this bill has come to a standstill. Algorithms and immunity On October 5, the Supreme Court reported that it had agreed for the first time to hear two complaints involving Section 230. The first, Gonzalez v. Google LLC, comes from the family of Nohemi Gonzalez, an American student killed on November 13, 2015, in the Paris attacks while drinking a beer on the terrace of Le Carillon. The family is accusing YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, not only of having disseminated the Islamic State organization's recruitment videos, but of having promoted them to internet users most likely to be radicalized through its algorithm. We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback The second lawsuit, Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh, was filed by the American family of Nawras Alassaf, a young Jordanian man who died in 2017 in an Islamist attack on an Istanbul nightclub. Twitter's lawyers have asked that the two proceedings be considered together. The victims' families are asking the Court to decide whether algorithms are covered by Section 230 immunity. By recommending content, they argue, the sites are less passive than they claim. They are not so much hosts as influencers and cannot be absolved of responsibility. You have 29.06% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. A British landmark is being illuminated with a projection of bats to mark the 125th anniversary of Bram Stokers novel Dracula. English Heritage is lighting up Whitby Abbey, associated with the gothic horror, as it hosts Halloween events across the country. The abbey is also home to bats, a protected species which English Heritage works to preserve at its sites. Irish author Stoker also saw the mammals, associated with vampires and witches, on his visits to the area in North Yorkshire. The novelist writes about the abbey as the location where the count is believed to have come ashore and it is referenced in the journal of female protagonist Mina Harker. In the 1897 book, a large dog runs up the 199 steps to the abbey after the ship carrying Draculas coffin runs aground. The illuminated abbey and performance event at Whitby Abbey will run every evening until October 31. An event at Whitby Abbey in May broke the world record for the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires. A total of 1,369 people attended the event dressed as the ghoulish character, breaking the record of 1,039 set in Doswell, Virginia, in 2011. WhatsApp has come back online for many users after a service outage knocked the popular messaging app offline for around two hours on Tuesday morning. The Meta-owned platform has not yet confirmed the cause of the fault but had told users earlier on Tuesday that it was working to fix it. WhatsApp users across Ireland and the rest of the world awoke on Tuesday to find that while most could access their conversations, they were unable to send or receive any new messages. A persistent message was showing for many users at the top of the app, saying it is connecting to the server, but was never able to complete this process, leaving them offline. Many users had taken to social media to express their frustration at the issue. In response, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the company had been working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible. The company has not yet commented further on what caused the problem or how it had been fixed. A DRUG user who transported large amounts of cocaine during the first Covid lockdown had a false letter claiming he worked as a courier, which allowed him pass through garda checkpoints. Trevor Carey, aged 43, of Chesterfield Downes, Castletroy View has pleaded guilty to possession of drugs, worth almost 400,000 for the purpose of sale or supply. During a sentencing hearing, Limerick Circuit Court was told Mr Carey was observed by gardai dropping a package to a house at Carrig Midhe, Corbally on June 12, 2020. Detective Garda Eimear OSullivan said 5.65kgs of cocaine were located inside the house when it was searched a short time later. She told John OSullivan BL, gardai had earlier identified Mr Carey as a possible operative for an organised crime group and that various paraphernalia associated with drug dealing was discovered during a search of his home. The items seized included baggies, suspected tick lists, a mixing agent and five mobile phones. Various documents were also seized including a letter which purported to confirm that Mr Carey worked for a courier company and was legally permitted to travel outside his 5k during the Covid restrictions. However, the detective confirmed the defendant never worked for the named company and that he was not a courier. She agreed with Mr OSullivan who said the letter was part of his strategy to help him move about. She said the defendant, who was working for a company in County Clare until March 2020, has a gambling addiction, is a regular drug user and is in substantial arrears on his mortgage. Judge Tom ODonnell was told Mr Carey previously received a loan from an unidentified male who offered to knock off some of his debt if he stored packages for him. Detective OSullivan said Mr Carey suspected the packages contained cocaine but that he was not aware of the value. Following his arrest, he made admissions and told garda he would receive phone calls from the male to tell him where to deliver packages to. He was the males gofer, everything went through him, said Mr OSullivan Mr Carey told gardai he had been transporting and delivering drugs for more than a year and that he had initially been storing the cocaine in the attic of his home before then using the house in Corbally where a friend lived. Detective OSullivan agreed with Mr OSullivan who suggested that Mr Carey needed somewhere safer as he had been threatened. Judge ODonnell was told the defendant, who has a number of minor convictions, has a good work history but is no longer able to work due to a heart condition. Asking the court to consider a non-custodial sentence, Anthony Sammon SC said his client had been trapped by his own indebtedness and that he had a limited role in the overall operation of the organised crime group. Referring to the contents of a Probation Report, the barrister asked the court to note that Mr Carey has chosen to stand up for himself by making a formal statement of complaint against the male who had supplied him with the drugs and delivery instructions. That matter, Mr Sammon said, is currently before the Director of Public Prosecutions. Adjourning the matter until next February, Judge ODonnell said the facts of the case are disturbing but that he did not want to rush to his judgment. LIMERICK Panto Society has launched its first production since 2019 due to Covid-enforced hiatus. And the group, which was founded in 1985, is looking forward to welcoming audiences to a new venue - the Mllenium Theatre at TUS, Moylish - between December 27 and January 8. This year's offering of Cinderella will be the Societys 36th production. The story, as usual, will contain many surprises and promises many twists and turns along the way. Cinderella is written by Tim Cusack, who has co-written on a number of occasions with the late John Finn. Tim says he also cant wait to return as the panto Dame when he will play the part of Frilly Knicks, one of the 'Ugly Sisters'. The talented Natasha Coughlan from Ennis will play the title role while Limerick Panto Society says it is also delighted to welcome back Emma ODriscoll who will play the role of the Fairy Godmother. Eoin Gilmartin will make his Panto debut as the Prince Charming and is looking forward to working with all the cast and crew this Christmas season. The love-sick character Buttons is played by Ronan Mitchell who needs no introduction to panto audiences in Limerick. The second 'Ugly sister' will be played by Damian Shaw while trying to keep the Sisters in line will be the mother, Fancy Knicks, played by the brave actress Treasa ORorke. The vastly-experienced Tony Cusack will lead the production team for Cinderella. Damian OBrien will be the Stage Manager while stage veterans Malachy Cusack, Johnny Corr and Denis Cusack will add their weight of experience to the production. The Crescent Shopping Centre in Dooradoyle will be the primary sponsor with Shannon Airport, Mr Binman, Limerick City Hotel, McGettigans, Quirke Shaw Cleaning Supplies and McDonalds also supporting the production. Limerick Panto Society has also announced the proceeds from this year's Charity Night will go to the charity TLC4CF (Tipperary, Limerick Clare for Cystic Fibrosis) Another initiative this year will be a special 'Sensory Show' which takes place at 12 midday on Sunday, January 8. A NUMBER of events focused on safety in docks both in Limerick and nationally are taking place this week. As part of a major safety awareness drive, the Shannon Foynes Port Company has joined with sister facilities across the country to host and promote the second annual Irish Port Safety Week. The goal of the week is to highlight and enhance collective safety responsibility and awareness. Events are taking place in Foynes, the Ted Russell Docks in the city, as well as the Port Company's facility at Cappa in Co Clare. John Carlton, the engineering and port services manager with the Shannon Foynes Port Company said: This is about all the main Irish ports coming together recognising that ports need to be a safe place to work, and trying to standardise and improve the safety standards throughout the sector. Irish Port Safety Week kicked off on Monday, and will go onto Friday afternoon. Throughout this Wednesday in Cappa, there will be emergency response drills with new senior coxswain Brian OToole. Shannon Foynes Port Company driving Safety forward throughout Irish Ports Safety Week Pictured at the launch of Irish Ports Safety Week are SFPC Safety Committee members along with Sponsors Niaron Ltd. #irishportsafetyweek pic.twitter.com/d1Pw67K4w8 Shannon Foynes Port (@ShannonFoynes) October 24, 2022 While the same venue will see fire-drills and firefighting techniques in the afternoon. On Thursday, there will be an employee wellness lunchtime event in Foynes followed by an emergency response exercise which will simulate a 'man overboard' scenario. Similar events will take place at the Ted Russell Docks in the city including an emergency response exercise on Friday which will see members of Limerick Fire and Rescue simulate the retrieval of casualties from a ship. Theres a tremendous mix of people attending Irish Ports of State, explained Mr Carlton, who added: Shannon Foynes Port Company would have a relatively small headcount but we would have several hundred people in our port at any one time. So its about making sure when these people come through the gate, they feel safe and the operations they conduct are carried out in a safe manner. Port Safety Week, which is in its second year, has helped provide uniform standards across all Irish Ports of State, he feels, and he wants to see haulage companies also take part in activities of this nature in future. Shannon Foynes Port Company is hosting Five Days of Events for the Second Annual Irish Port Safety Week#IrishPortSafetyWeek To view the national press release, please follow:https://t.co/fBErruDOEl pic.twitter.com/cwMvpG2uTV Shannon Foynes Port (@ShannonFoynes) October 20, 2022 Its all about collective awareness, explains Mr Carlton, "We want to see that if a haulier picks up a load in Waterford Port, drives to Cork Port to unload it, and has to backload out of Foynes to deliver to Dublin, that the standards expected of them are the same in each and every port, where they probably were not historically. The Health and Safety Authority is on board for the awareness week, and its involvement shows a wider recognition that the hazards in ports are different to other industrial areas. One of the driving forces is us recognising the hazards in a Port of State are unique to the sector. You have some huge equipment in terms of cranes and loading shovels interacting with people and other pieces of machinery, all adjacent to the water. That can be happening 24/7 in dark and rain and sleet and snow. Shipping doesnt stop, the supply chain doesnt stop. So all these factors are there, and we individually mitigate these risks and try to mitigate them down, explained Mr Carlton. People do not realise the scale of what goes on in any port. Cranes in a single lift can take 30 tonnes in one go, or can cycle out cargoes of 700 to 800 tonnes an hour. There are all sorts of risks around that, he concluded. JFK's NIECE will give a fresh insight into their family ties to Limerick at the inaugural Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Autumn School this month. Attendees will hear some of the former US Presidents closest living relatives speak about his three Limerick great- grandparents. The autumn school in Bruff, which runs from October 28 to 30, will be a celebration of Irish culture and its diaspora. The first school of its kind to be held in Limerick will honour Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, the mother of President Kennedy, and her grandparents, Mary Anne Fitzgerald and Thomas Fitzgerald from the Palatine Road, Bruff and Michael Hannon from Lough Gur. Kerry Kennedy, a daughter of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy, and Thomas Fitzgerald, a maternal first cousin of President Kennedy, will speak about the Fitzgerald legacy and the familys journey from Bruff to Boston and the significance of the F in JFK. It takes place in, appropriately, the Thomas Fitzgerald Centre at 2pm on Saturday, October 29. Organisers have a packed schedule of events for attendees. It all commences on Friday evening, October 28, with Mayor Frances Foley performing the official opening of the autumn school. There will be a panel discussion on the recent success of Limerick GAA one of the speakers will be former manager Tom Ryan. For full details on everything that is happening during the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Autumn School, click here. Mary Kenny, who describes herself as a veteran journalist, will discuss her book, The Way We Were, Catholic Ireland since 1922. Rural Ireland and its Future will be debated by Ali Harvey, Irish Heritage Council and Deputy Richard ODonoghue. TV broadcaster, Manchan Magan will perform his hugely acclaimed show Aran & Im on Saturday in the Honey Fitz theatre. On Friday night in the same venue will be the premiere of American Wake on the Lough Gur stage. It will be a feast of song, dance and music in remembrance of all the people who left Ireland to travel the world in sadness and joy. On Saturday morning there will be an U14 camogie blitz in the Bruff GAA field with many teams from the county invited to take part. A walk around the historical sites of Bruff on Sunday morning will take in a visit to one of Irelands quirkiest museums, Old Irish Ways, in Cahergullamore, Bruff. On Saturday morning there will be a tour of Lough Gur, where the Fitzgeralds would have played by the lake as children. THE UNIVERSITY of Limerick (UL) has revealed it held talks on housing the Richard Harris archive some years ago but these came to nothing. It comes amid some disquiet around the fact the treasure trove of material will be permanently housed in Cork, as opposed to in the actors home city of Limerick. It is news the former mayor Daniel Butler described as utterly disappointing. A spokesperson for the University of Limerick said its Glucksman Library was in contact with the Harris family a number of years ago to explore the possibility of curating the archive. "While this did not materialise, UL welcomes the Harris familys decision to donate the archive to University College Cork (UCC) where it will be a centrepiece resource for the colleges film and media school. The Harris family is to be commended for ensuring that the archive will remain in Ireland and that the archive will be displayed for the first time in Limericks Hunt Museum," the college added. The exhibition's first port of call upon arrival to these shores will be the Hunt Museum in the city centre. It follows a special request from the film star's family, that it makes its debut on Shannonside. What will be on show is a collection of letters, photographs, literary works, artefacts and both professional and personal documents which belonged to the Grammy and Golden Globe-winning actor, who died in 2002. "Our family is excited about bringing this collection to the public in Limerick and also basing it around the particular academic expertise of Dr Barry Monahan," said Jared, who himself is an international film icon. "We hope the public will enjoy the Limerick exhibition and students of film, music and theatre will find in the collection a fascinating trove of information. Spanning more than 50 years, the Richard Harris Archive gives a unique insight into one of Irelands most legendary actors - and one of Limerick's most famous sons - who starred in some of the most celebrated pieces of cinema. In the collection are Richards personal creative writing manuscripts including poetry, publicity and location photos from his screen and stage performances including Camelot and Pirandellos Henry IV, private memos, items from film sets, Young Munster rugby plaques and pictures, letters and wire communications from family and friends, arts critics and co-performers. Jill Cousins, director of the Hunt Museum stated: "It will be an honour to curate this wonderful archive into an exhibition about one of Limericks favourite sons. We are looking forward to the collaboration with University College Cork (UCC) and the Harris Family and to the joyful experience people will get from a greater insight into the man who was both an athlete and an actor. A preview of the collection was on Friday presented by Jared Harris and UCC at an event attended by members of the Harris family in London. Prominent items from the archives were unveiled at the event which took place in the Savoy Hotels Richard Harris Suite, where the late actor resided for many years. The documents reveal a man whose skills as a gifted athlete and talented rugby player not only served him in practical ways for his performance in This Sporting Life, but for the duration of his career on stage and screen, and as a writer, director and producer of universal acclaim. Exact dates of the collection's appearance in Limerick will be released at a later date. A JUDGE has been asked to dismiss an assault charge brought against a Limerick farmer who is accused of assaulting another man at Ennis Mart last year. At Ennis District Court, this Wednesday, solicitor Daragh Hassett made the application to Judge Mary Larkin to dismiss the case against his client after the alleged injured party failed to appear in court for the hearing. Gary McNamara, aged 43 of Ruan Manor, Ruan, Castleconnell, County Limerick denies assaulting Bernard Earley at Ennis Mart on August 17, 2021. After Mr Earley failed to attend, Mr Hassett told Judge Larkin I am asking for the case to be dismissed." He said: Myself and my client have a certain view of the alleged injured party in this case in relation to his motives." Mr Hassett told the court that following the last call-over of cases, in September, details of the case were reported in the media - including by Limerick Live. Subsequent to the procedural hearing, Mr Hassett said he received a phone call from the (geographic) area where the alleged injured party lives asking for a phone call back from me to discuss the case. The solicitor added: I thought that this was improper. Mr Hassett submitted that the CCTV evidence in the case is of no assistance to the prosecution case and he said he was resisting "in the strongest possible terms" a garda application seeking to have the case be adjourned to next January. Sergeant Aiden Lonergan told the court the alleged injured party could not come to court due to a medical issue concerning a close family relative and that Mr Hassetts office had been informed on Monday that the alleged injured party would not be coming to court. Mr Hassett told Judge Larkin that there was no medical evidence before her in relation to what the alleged injured party has told gardai. After Judge Larkin asked if there was any medical evidence, Sgt Lonergan replied: I cant adduce that today. Noting the reply, the judge said she would adjourn the case to November 2 to facilitate the production of medical evidence concerning Mr Earleys relative. Judge Larkin indicated that if the evidence is not before the court, she "will have to accede to Mr Hassetts application for the dismissal of the case. In court last month, Mr Hassett said that Mr McNamara was to fully contest the case in every way. A native of County Limerick, Mr McNamara, who is a son for Euromillions winner Deloras McNamara, farms a substantial landholding in east Clare. Previously, Mr Hassett told the court that the case is not suitable for legal aid. ADARE Tidy Towns has been named the overall winner of Limerick Going for Gold 2022. The awards ceremony, which was MC'd by Richard Lynch, took place at the Limerick Strand Hotel this Tuesday night - the first since Covid-19 hit in early 2020. Adare Tidy Towns, which was one of six judges' wildcards to qualify for the grand final, will now receive the top prize of 10,000 to be used for the betterment of the local community. The top five in this year's competition was completed by Castleconnell Tidy Towns, Askeaton Tidy Towns, Patrickswell Tidy Towns and Kilmeedy Tidy Towns while Feenagh Tidy Towns was named the Best Newcomer. #BREAKING: @adaretidytowns has been crowned the overall winner of Limerick Going for Gold 2022. See https://t.co/WN7tpfZ2b2 for more details shortly ( via @catdoh98) pic.twitter.com/xHUYarh4xp Limerick Leader / Limerick Live (@Limerick_Leader) October 25, 2022 Kilteely Tidy Towns will receive a 5,000 prize after it was named the overall winner of the Limerick Bee Friends in Bloom competition . The Going for Gold competition is sponsored by the JP McManus Charitable Foundation and has a total prize pool of 60,000 across all categories and is organised by Limerick City and County Council. It is supported by the Limerick Leader/Limerick Live, Live 95, Limerick Post, I Love Limerick, Limerick City Centre Tidy Towns, Southern Media Marketing and Design and the Parkway Shopping Centre. Pubs and nightclubs that fail to tackle sexual harassment and gender-based violence on their premises could lose their licence under proposed new laws. It comes as the Cabinet approved legislation that would allow pubs to open from 10.30am to 12.30am, seven days a week, while nightclubs can remain open until 6am. Venues will be prohibited from serving alcohol after 5am, but dancing can continue for another hour. Opening hours for late bars will remain at 2.30am, while a new later bar permit will be required. The reform of Irelands licensing laws, which have been described as complicated and out-of-date, is expected to be enacted next year. The publication of the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill, which is set to reform and streamline licensing laws, is aimed at supporting and stimulating the night-time economy. As part of the overhaul of the current laws, venues will be expected to comply with regulations when applying for a new licence or renewing a current one. Late bars and nightclubs will have to apply to the district courts to approve a permit, while they will also need CCTV on the premises. Objections to new and renewed licences can be raised by fire services, authorities, gardai and local communities. Speaking at the Royal Hibernian in Dublin, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said that an additional requirement has been added to those who are renewing their licence. She said that venues will be expected to show zero tolerance in tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. If a premises has shown not to support and protect either staff, patrons, performers or anybody on the premises from harassment, including sexual harassment, thats now grounds for objection, Ms McEntee said. Alcohol cant be treated the same as any other commodity, its vitally important to the interests of health, public order and communities and the safety of those work on licensed premises, that they are prioritised. She added: (The Bill) will streamline the system while almost halving the number of licences. At the moment we have 36, it will be reduced to 20. The objective is that we have a licensing system that is not only modern, efficient and cost-effective but only has accountability at its core. She said that pubs are an institution worth protecting and that current laws makes it difficult for an individual to open a pub or reopen a pub. Around 1,829 rural pubs have recently closed while there has been an increase of 329 off-licences across the state. Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise Leo Varadkar said the current licensing system is complicated, extremely out-of-date, with too many licences, too much red tape and uncertainty and cost for businesses. He said the plan is to make it easier to open and operate a nightclub and a pub. He added these proposals will cut red tape. I know its been a very difficult few years for business owners, particularly with the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis, Mr Varadkar said. Announcing new licensing laws today with @HMcEntee @cathmartingreen and @McConalogue: good for hospitality businesses, will boost the experience economy, and create jobs. Will also improve cultural and entertainment offerings in our towns, cities and rural areas pic.twitter.com/FjSnBPIIrY Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) October 25, 2022 Also, it is difficult for people to employ in these sectors. I want to reassure businesses that they can rely on us to back business and jobs to ensure we have a lively economy. Minister for Tourism and Culture Catherine Martin said the reform is part of a wider effort to create a more dynamic and sustainable night-time economy across the country. She said the plans will also see nine new pilot cities and towns getting advisers to help develop a night-time economy. The locations for advisers include Dublin city, Cork city, Limerick city, Galway city, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Sligo, Buncrana and Longford. These new pilot towns and cities will now recruit new night-time economy advisers who will help drive and support night-time economy in their specific areas, Ms Martin said. Today's news on licensing reform is a significant step for Ireland's night-time economy I'm also announcing 9 towns & cities chosen for the new Night-Time Advisor pilot initiative: CorkDublinGalwayLimerickKilkennySligoLongfordDroghedaBuncrana pic.twitter.com/j4VvZOaJzv Catherine Martin TD (@cathmartingreen) October 25, 2022 They will work with business, venues, residents and artists to create a more radiant nightlife for all and bring vitality back to our cities and town centres in a safe and sustainable way. In a statement, the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) said: The Bill has the potential to radically alter how the pub trade operates in this country and a proper analysis of its content is required before the Federation comments further. We will also consult with our membership about next steps. However, from initial soundings, it is fair to state there is huge concern within the trade about elements of the Bill. We will engage with Government at the earliest opportunity, once our analysis of the Bill is complete. In a dire warning to Russia on Tuesday, US Vice President Joe Biden said using nuclear weapons in the conflict with Ukraine would be a serious mistake. I spent a lot of time today talking about that," Biden told reporters after receiving a Covid-19 booster shot, his fifth dose of the vaccine. Asked by reporters whether he thinks Russia is preparing a dirty bomb attack that it would then blame on Ukraine, Biden said: "Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon." This week, Russia claimed that Ukraine could use a 'dirty bomb' on its own soil. A dirty bomb is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials which get disseminated in an explosion. The US and its allies fear that Russia may launch a "false flag" strike using a dirty bomb, possibly to justify the use of conventional nuclear weapons by Moscow as it finds itself in a precarious position in eastern and southern Ukraine. Biden said, I'm not guaranteeing that it's a false flag operation yet. We don't know." NATO calls dirty bomb to be Russia's typical tactic of deception Russia's warning that Ukraine was readying to use a "dirty bomb" fits Moscow's track record of deception, when it "accuses others for what they intend to do themselves," NATO's chief Jens Stoltenberg told AFP in an interview on Tuesday. Moscow has claimed that Ukraine intends to detonate a rudimentary bomb that might disperse nuclear, chemical, or biological materials over a large area. Western officials have denied this assertion. They worry that the Kremlin is preparing a "false flag" operation where it launches such an attack and places the blame for it on Ukraine. The Kremlin has suffered significant losses in its invasion of Ukraine as NATO countries support Kyiv with arms and money. The United States, France, and Britain issued an unified statement saying that "the world will see through any attempt to use the claim as a pretext for escalation." "I would be careful speculating, but we've seen this before, we also saw it at the start of the war," Stoltenberg said in a video interview with AFPTV. "A lot of false accusations against Ukraine were used in a way to 'excuse' the invasion that happened later.... We have seen what has happened before and that makes it necessary to follow closely what Russia now does." Stoltenberg added, "They need to understand that we will not accept a false pretext so that Russia further escalates the war in Ukraine." (With inputs from agencies) On Tuesday, the British media gave Indian-origin Prime Minister Rishi Sunak both plaudits and derision, with some news organisations hailing his leadership as the "new dawn" for the nation while others questioned the legitimacy of his election. Sunak, 42, became the head of the Conservative Party on Monday, making it a very special Diwali for the former Chancellor of the Exchequer who became the youngest British Prime Minister in 210 years when he moved into 10 Downing Street. Every major newspaper in the UK, which once colonised the majority of the world, featured him on the main page. The Guardian published a picture of the 42-year-old Conservative Party leader receiving a heros welcome at the party's head office in London with a banner headline, Unite or die - Sunaks warning to Tory MPs." The Guardian's report noted that Sunak "will become the third Conservative prime minister in under two months and the fifth in six years. He will also make history as the first Hindu to lead the country." The Mail recorded Sunak's premiership as a mile stone event, its headline read, A new dawn for Britain" with the sub-head: "Rishi Sunak becomes our youngest modern PM - and first with an Asian heritage". Striking a similar ebullient note, The Sun summoned a comic universe reference to mark the event. It said, The force is with you, Rishi" with the main image showing him holding a lightsaber. But not all media sources approved of Sunak being the next prime minister of the UK. The banner headline of The Mirror hurled a scathing attack on Sunak. Its headline asked Our new (unelected) PM Who voted for you?" Describing him as twice as rich as the King", its main story said he will now "preside over brutal public spending cuts". Scotlands Daily Record was even more critical of Sunak with the headline Death of democracy". The total wealth of Sunak exceeds 700 million pounds. Sunak and his wife Akshata also own a home in Kensington, a neighbourhood in the heart of London, in addition to their estate in Yorkshire. The couple's total wealth is believed to be GBP 730 million ($837 million), according to this year's "Sunday Times Rich List"; several media outlets have noted that this makes them richer than King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. The Financial Times focussed on the economic challenges that lie ahead for Sunak, a former investment banker-turned politician. The markets look forward to dullness dividend in the wake of Truss turbulence", it said, quoting Tory MPs that they hope Sunak will reassure markets and help hold down borrowing costs". Sunak's caution to Tories that "Failure to heal rifts would 'finish' [the] party" was noted by The Times. The Telegraph published, PM aims to bring warring factions together for one shot at ending economic crisis." On 5 September, Sunak was defeated by fellow Conservative leader Liz Truss in the campaign for prime minister. After 45 days in power, Truss announced her resignation last Thursday in the wake of a revolt within her Cabinet over her economic plans. Sunak is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy. Sunak's parents, retired doctors Yashvir and Usha Sunak, are of Indian heritage and were immigrants from Kenya to the UK in the 1960s. The couple has two daughters. In Southampton, Sunak was born. His grandparents were born in Gujranwala, which is now in the Punjab province of contemporary Pakistan, but they were British Indian natives. The road ahead is anything but easy for the new leader, who faces the uphill task of rescuing an economy in turmoil and unifying a deeply divided Conservative Party. The new leader is the third premier in the span of just seven weeks, following Boris Johnson's partygate exit and Truss' mini-budget disaster. (With inputs from PTI) Senior U.S. officials said Monday they saw no evidence Russia was preparing to deploy a so-called dirty bomb in Ukraine, but threatened consequences if Russia did so after Moscow falsely accused Kyiv of preparing one. This drawing shows how the dinosaur Psittacosaurus may have used its cloacal vent (aka butthole) for signaling during courtship. (Image credit: Bob Nicholls/Paleocreations.com 2020) The first dinosaur butthole ever discovered is shedding light where the sun don't shine. The discovery reveals how dinosaurs used this multipurpose opening scientifically known as a cloacal vent for pooping, peeing, breeding and egg laying. The dinosaur's derriere is so well preserved, researchers could see the remnants of two small bulges by its "back door," which might have housed musky scent glands that the reptile possibly used during courtship an anatomical quirk also seen in living crocodilians, said scientists who studied the specimen. Although this dinosaur's caboose shares some characteristics with the backsides of some living creatures, it's also a one-of-a-kind opening, the researchers found. "The anatomy is unique," study lead researcher Jakob Vinther, a paleobiologist at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, told Live Science. It doesn't quite look like the opening on birds, which are the closest living relatives of dinosaurs. It does look a bit like the back opening on a crocodile , he said, but it's different in some ways. "It's its own cloaca, shaped in its perfect, unique way," Vinther said. Related: Photos: Early dinosaur cousin looked like a croc The well-preserved booty belongs to the dinosaur Psittacosaurus, a bristly tailed, Labrador-size, horn-faced dinosaur, meaning it was a relative of Triceratops . Like its famous tri-horned cousin, Psittacosaurus lived during the Cretaceous period , which lasted from about 145 million to 65 million years ago. Previously, Vinther and his colleagues had studied this Psittacosaurus specimen, found in China, to determine its skin color (opens in new tab), and at the time, he noted that its nether regions were preserved. "Then, I got a chance to look at the specimen again, up close, and suddenly realized, 'Oh my god, the cloaca is actually quite well preserved, and we can actually see some anatomy that I didn't think we could see,'" Vinther said. So, he took a closer look with study co-researchers Robert Nicholls, a paleoartist, and Diane Kelly, an expert on vertebrate penises and copulatory systems at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A close-up look of the preserved Psittacosaurus cloacal vent (top) and an illustration of how it may have looked (bottom). (Image credit: Vinther J. et al. Current Biology. (2021)) None of the reproductive soft tissues (like a penis) were preserved. So the researchers can't say whether the dinosaur was male or female. Even so, this dinosaur likely had copulatory sex, unlike some birds that bump butts when they do a "cloacal kiss" during reproduction, Vinther said. To get a more complete picture of Psittacosaurus' cloacal vent, Kelly compared it with those of living land vertebrates. The vent is the opening, and the cloaca, which comes from the Latin word for "sewer," is the muscular chamber behind it. Based on its preserved anatomy, the opening could have been either horizontally oriented, like a bird's, or vertically oriented, like a crocodile cloaca, she said. A Psittacosaurus fossil (top), housed at the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Germany, has preserved skin, pigmentation and the first known cloacal vent on record (bottom). (Image credit: Bob Nicholls/Paleocreations.com 2020) Moreover, the team noticed that the outer regions of the cloaca were covered with a dark shade of melanin. Perhaps this darkly pigmented area was a type of visual display, similar to bright-red butts seen in baboons, the researchers said. The reddish-brown Psittacosaurus was countershaded, meaning it had a dark back and a light underside, so its pigmented posterior would have stood out, he said. This dark melanin may have also provided antimicrobial protection something seen in humans. "We have melanin in certain parts of the body that never sees the light of day," Vinther said. "Our liver is chock-full of melanin because we don't want microbial infections in these places." The pigmented lobes on each side of the dinosaur's anal opening might have held musk-secreting glands, the researchers added. These glands are found in both male and female crocodilians, and in those creatures, they release a fatty, smelly substance during courtship, Kelly told Live Science. And, just like in most land vertebrates (except for mammals, which have more than one hole for defecation, urination and reproduction), this dinosaur used its hole for everything, which explains why researchers found a fossilized poop in its butt. "It's like a Swiss Army knife of excretory openings," Vinther said. "It does everything." The same Psittacosaurus cloacal vent was described in October 2020, when another team posted their research in the BioRxiv database (opens in new tab), meaning it has yet to be peer-reviewed or published in a journal. Vinther, who had shared his data with that team for another project, said the researchers used the cloacal vent data without his permission. However, "there were misunderstandings and miscommunications about the nature of the research on both sides," said Phil Bell, a senior lecturer of paleontology at the University of New England in Australia, one of the researchers on the October 2020 study. The new study was published online Tuesday (Jan. 19) in the journal Current Biology (opens in new tab). Originally published on Live Science. According to the police report, candidate Charles Van Morgan was at the election commission screaming about politics, cursing, getting in peoples faces and harassing voters on Monday. Morgan told us on Tuesday that is not true - he said he was campaigning. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Longford has been selected to be part of a pilot initiative supporting the development of a vibrant and diverse night-time economy across the country. The pilot scheme will see a Night-Time Economy Advisors recruited. Longford Town joins Dublin City, Cork City, Limerick City, Galway City, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Sligo, and Buncrana in the programme. The project intends to invest in bringing life and vitality back to our towns and villages through culture and arts, and supporting the Night-Time Economy. Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin said support will be provided to the nine pilot cities and towns to enhance their night-time culture. Minister Martin identified the aim of the scheme: One of my priorities as Minister is to invest in bringing life and vitality back to our towns and villages through culture and arts, and supporting the Night-Time Economy is a crucial aspect of this. Nine pilot towns and cities have been announced today and they will recruit new Night-Time Economy Advisors who will help drive and support a more diverse and sustainable Night-Time Economy in their localities, engaging with the community, businesses, venues and artists to implement plans that make sense for each town or city. The pilot projects follow announcements on the reform of the licensing laws that will allow pubs to stay open to 12:30am and nightclubs until 6am. Minister Martin secured 6 million in budget 2023 for developing the Night-Time Economy and as part of todays announcement has also committed to working with the sector and other relevant stakeholders to develop a grant process for sound-proofing of suitable venues. The pilot cities and towns were selected by an independent review panel, led by the City and County Management Association (CCMA) and supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Night-Time Economy Advisors will work with businesses, communities, venues, residents and artists to create a more vibrant night-life for all. Minister Martin said: I would like to thank the CCMA for their role in leading this process and I look forward to getting the Advisors in place and getting started. The programme announcement coincides with the publication of the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill which reforms and streamlines licensing laws. If the proposals are adopted nightclubs will be allowed to stay open until 6am, and pubs will be permitted longer operating hours, under the new laws to be approved by Cabinet today. Justice Minister Helen McEntee is seeking approval to modernise Ireland's 200-year-old licensing laws. As well as extending nightclub hours, pubs will be allowed to stay open to 12.30am every day, while late bars can operate to 2.30am daily. The changes will bring an end to early closing on Sundays. The minister intends to enact the bill in 2023. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: October 25 2022 Arem Rodgers fired 11 rounds, striking a 26-year-old victim seven times in the vestibule of a Terrace Ave. building. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Hempstead man was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison for a 2020 ambush shooting at an apartment building on Terrace Avenue in Hempstead that left his victim with serious physical injuries. Arem Rodgers, 51, pleaded guilty before Judge Terence Murphy on September 6, 2022, to charges including Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (a B violent felony); and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a C violent felony). The defendant was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison and five years post release supervision. This defendant calmly ambushed his victim, firing off 11 rounds in a calculated attempt on the mans life, said DA Donnelly. After being shot seven times, and sustaining serious physical injuries, the victim miraculously survived. Arem Rodgers tried to take a life and will now suffer the consequences of his actions. DA Donnelly said on March 6, 2020, at approximately 8:11 p.m. in the vestibule at 107 Terrace Avenue in Hempstead, the defendant fired approximately 11 rounds from a loaded handgun through a glass door, striking a 26-year-old victim seven times in the legs, shoulder, chest, and spine, as he tried to escape. Rodgers then fled the scene to a nearby building. The victim suffered significant injuries, including damage to major organs, three fractured ribs, and a left lung laceration. Rodgers was arrested on May 18, 2020, in Mineola by members of the Nassau County Police Department. Business & Finance, Health & Wellness By Chris Boyle Published: October 25 2022 Receiving a Magnet Designation demonstrates Plainview Hospital is deeply committed to excellence in health care and nursing in particular, Legislator Drucker said. From left, Marianna Vazquez, Associate Executive Director for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Syosset and Plainview Hospitals, Legislator Drucker, and Michael Fener, Executive Director of Plainview Hospital, on Friday, Oct. 21. Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D - Plainview) joined Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling, Plainview Hospital Executive Director Michael Fener and hospital staff on Friday, Oct. 21 to celebrate its Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for excellence in nursing. Plainview Hospital underwent its three-day Magnet survey from Wednesday, Aug. 31 through Friday, Sept. 2. The Magnet Recognition Program highlights organizations worldwide where nursing leaders successfully align their nursing strategic goals to improve the organizations patient outcomes. New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said , "Teachers are essential to our communities, and we need them now more than ever. We must support and empower new teachers in their careers, especially as we all adapt to a new age of education. I thank Governor Hochul for continuing to make strategic investments to help attract and retain these vital professionals." Funded programs would involve the State University of New York (SUNY), the City University of New York (CUNY), and/or private colleges partnering with public school districts and/or BOCES to provide reduced or free tuition for teaching candidates, including books and fees, resident wages and fringe, and stipends for living expenses. These stipends allow easier access to the field for aspiring teachers, and allows the Empire State Teacher Residency Program to be a creative pathway into teaching for teachers from diverse backgrounds. Teacher residency programs, in which teachers in training are given a mentor and real teaching experience under the mentor's supervision, have been proven to dramatically increase teacher retention rates and improve the experience of educators in the early, toughest years of teaching. These programs expand access to high need communities that often face barriers by reducing costs and incentivizing teachers to work in geographic locations facing shortages. This leads to increased student success due to higher teacher retention and resources. "With the tremendous responsibility of inspiring and shaping the minds of younger generations, New York's teachers deserve to be set up for success," Governor Hochul said. "This investment will ensure new teachers have the mentorship and support to adapt to a challenging and ever-changing field. New Yorkers deserve the best education, and our teachers are essential in providing that." Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the launch of the Empire State Teacher Residency Program through the New York State Department of Labor. This program will provide matching funding for local public school districts and/or Boards of Cooperative Educational Services to create two-year residency opportunities for graduate-level K-12 teacher candidates. The program will provide $30 million in funding to subsidize master's degree or teaching certification programs for qualified residency program candidates. The program will prioritize diversity among candidates and partnering mentors, with a particular focus on high-need subject areas and geographic locations facing shortages. This will provide support for both communities in need and teachers from diverse backgrounds. SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley said, "SUNY has long played a key role in preparing teachers to educate the next generation of leaders in classrooms statewide. We need highly-qualified, passionate, and dedicated teachers now more than ever, as the pandemic impacted students both academically and emotionally. As the teaching profession has evolved, our colleges and universities have expanded programs and increased support to ensure graduates' success. Last year alone, about 7,500 SUNY students were awarded teacher certificates. More are needed, and from all backgrounds, as we know students who have teachers who look like them and share their life experience have better outcomes. We applaud Governor Hochul for her commitment to education and are proud of SUNY's contribution to the new residency program." CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez said, "CUNY prepares a third of New York City's new public school teachers each year, more than any other university, and this new program will help these aspiring teachers get the support they need to become the teachers our city's students deserve. Teaching is one of the most challenging and crucial jobs in any society and I'm grateful to Governor Hochul for her ongoing commitment to helping our educators at every level." New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta said, "Giving aspiring teachers an in-depth opportunity to learn on the job from high-quality mentor teachers and develop connections with students is key to setting future educators up for success. As we work to attract more people to our profession, this program shows that New York is dedicated to reversing staff shortages, helping diversify the education workforce and giving staff the tools they'll need to teach and mentor their own students. We thank Gov. Hochul for her commitment to public education and the people who are dedicated to helping our students succeed." The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities President Lola Brabham said, "On behalf of CICU's member colleges and universities, I thank Governor Hochul for her consistent work in strengthening pathways for new teachers. This investment will diversify and grow our teacher workforce. CICU member campuses across New York graduate 58% of bachelors and graduate students who become educators. We are excited to be a part of this solution and our campuses look forward to partnering with the State to make this program a success." This Empire State Teacher Residency Program builds on Governor Hochul's bold and diverse education initiatives announced during her 2022 State of the State to address teacher shortages and make schooling more accessible for all New Yorkers. She followed through on these promises during her 2023 Budget announcement where she invested an unprecedented $31.5 billion in education, the highest level of State aid ever. The Budget not only created this state teacher residency program, but also includes initiatives to upskill some of the 100,000 current paraprofessionals and teaching assistants in New York State schools. This investment also included $1.1 billion for high-quality prekindergarten, which would allow approximately 17,500 additional students to access full-day pre-kindergarten across the State and a total of $100 million of matching funds over two years to be provided to school districts and BOCES with the highest needs to address student wellbeing and learning loss in response to the trauma brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. To find more information on the program or see if your public school district or BOCES is eligible to apply, visit https://dol.ny.gov/ funding-opportunities-0. (Alliance News) - The EU commission on Tuesday approved Philip Morris International Incl's purchase of smokeless tobacco company Swedish Match, after the Marlboro cigarette maker agreed to sell off a tobacco distribution business in Sweden. With the green light from Brussels, Philip Morris passed a key hurdle as the US group looks to steer away from its traditional cigarette business. To secure the USD16 billion deal, Philip Morris International offered to divest SMD Logistics, an arm of Swedish Match that gave it "a de facto monopoly on distribution of tobacco and nicotine products in Sweden," the EU's antitrust enforcer said in a statement. The transaction is not yet final, and Philip Morris increased its offer for Swedish Match on October 20 in order to win over investor holdouts. Stockholm-based Swedish Match derives more than 65% of its revenue from smoke-free products, including chewing tobacco and the Zyn brand of nicotine pouches. The group is also known for making cigars and "snus", a form of snuff particular to Nordic countries. Philip Morris announced in 2016 a long-term goal to stop selling cigarettes and replace them with alternatives that it says are less harmful. The US company sells cigarette brands such as Marlboro and Chesterfield in 180 markets outside the US and has invested billions of dollars since 2008 in vapour products, oral nicotine and other "reduced-risk" products. Last year it clinched a controversial takeover of British breathing inhaler manufacturer Vectura, despite fierce opposition from health campaigners and medical groups. The Philip Morris group plans to generate at least USD1 billion in annual net revenues from nicotine-free products by 2025. source: AFP Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Suella Braverman is back as UK home secretary, only days after she dramatically quit Liz Truss's government after being accused of breaching the ministerial code. Downing Street on Tuesday confirmed that Braverman, who caused controversy with a string of provocative comments during her previous six-week stint in the role, will return as Home Secretary in Rishi Sunak's Government. She threw her support behind Sunak in the contest to replace Liz Truss, in what was widely seen as a significant endorsement by a darling of the Tory right. Braverman originally left the role last week after she said she had made a "technical infringement" of the rules by sending an official document from a personal email, and was now taking responsibility. Her exit made her the shortest-serving home secretary in modern political history. She also raised eyebrows when she accused opposition parties of being a "coalition of chaos" during a debate in Parliament on the Public Order Bill. She told the Commons: "It's the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati, dare I say, the anti-growth coalition that we have to thank for the disruption that we are seeing on our roads today." At the Conservative Party conference earlier this month, Braverman told a fringe event she would "love to be here claiming victory. I would love to be having a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda. That's my dream. That's my obsession". She said it will be "amazing" if the first UK flight carrying migrants to the African country takes off by Christmas. source: PA Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - Upland Resources Ltd on Tuesday said a capital raise through a placing will be used to progress mining activities on its Sarawak licence in Malaysia. The London-based oil and gas company, which has assets in Malaysia, Tunisia and the UK North Sea, has raised GBP310,000 before expenses through a placing of new ordinary shares. The fundraising was completed at zero discount to the closing bid price on October 25, and was arranged by Optiva Securities Ltd. The company will issue 124.0 million new shares at 0.25 pence each. Upland Resources shares were trading 10% higher at 0.30p each in London on Monday afternoon. The company said the funds will be used to progress activities in Sarawak on Block SK334, namely a technical study funded by a joint venture agreement recently drawn through its subsidiary, Upland Resources Sarawak Sdn Bhd, with Big Oil Ventures Sdn Bhd. Upland's outlay towards the completion of the study is expected to be USD250,000. Block SK334, which covers 6,685 square kilometres, is in the northern region of Onshore Sarawak, Malaysia, and borders pre-discovered oil fields across the border with Brunei. "The company continues to be run as a relatively low-cost operation, this fundraise more than covers our commitments to the joint technical study and adds to existing capital to maintain other commitments," said Chair Bolhassan Di. "All those involved are very encouraged about the potential of significant hydrocarbons present in the study area (Block SK334) and we hope to be updating further in due course." By Holly Beveridge; hollybeveridge@alliancenews.com Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. President Joe Biden wasn't expecting one of his biggest initiatives to be put on hold for indefinite time. The student loan forgiveness program has been stalled and there are some important details that all borrowers need to know in order to fully grasp the situation. This is considered one of the biggest setbacks of the Joe Biden Administration, it has been teporarily blocked by court. Take a look at what all borrowers need to know about this setback. All of those who have student debt were probably happy they were going to benefit from this initiative that was already supposed to start. Back in August, the president said that he would forgive up to $20,000 for millions of people who borrowed money in student loans. But there is a major culprit this hasn't happened yet, you can even take a wild guess and you'll probably be right about it. Who's to blame for the loan forgiveness program being on hold? You guessed it right, Republicans are the ones to blame for this program being on hold. They have presented a large number of challenged to the policy that has left it in jeopardy even as the application for theprogram went live. Since the moddle of October, about 22 million Americans have applied for this loan forgiveness program. But the most significant setback came last Friday, right after President Biden presented the program with many students as witnesses. A United States appeals court has temporarily blocked the program from moving forward right after that ceremony ended. Back in September, attorneys general from the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina sued the Biden Administration as an attempt to stop this plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student debt. It was believed they lacked the legal standing to make this law suit stand. But none of these states gave up on their pursuit, they filed for an appeal and begged court to stall the plan. As a result, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted this emergency petition and left the Biden Administration without the power to start forgiving any student debt for now. As long as this law suit doesn't get settled, no student's loan debt will be forgiven. In the town of Potsdam, Germany, a group of climate activists threw mashed potatoes at a painting by Claude Monet in protest against the extraction of fossil fuels. Fortunately, the artwork was not damaged. Two activists from the group Letzte Generation, chose the painting entitled 'Les Meules' - exhibited at the Barberini Museum in that city - to throw a substance at it, which was later reported to be mashed potatoes. "If it takes a painting - with #PureDePotatoes or #TomatoSoup thrown in - for society to remember that the course of fossil fuels is killing us all: Then we'll give you #PureDePotatoes in a painting!" the group wrote on Twitter, along with a video of the incident. Four people were involved In total, four people were involved in the incident, according to DPA. Museum authorities later commented that thanks to the glass protecting the painting, it was not damaged. The work was removed to clean the glass, and is expected to return to exhibition on Wednesday. 'Les Meules' is part of the 'Haystacks' collection. "While I understand the urgent concern of activists in the face of climate catastrophe, I am surprised at the means by which they are trying to give weight to their demands," said the museum's director, Ortrud Westheider. Another attack on a work of art Monet's painting is the latest work of art to come under attack by climate activist groups, whose aim is to draw attention to and raise awareness of global warming. Just a few weeks ago, another similar group, the British Just Stop Oil, threw tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh's painting 'Sunflowers', which is on display at the National Gallery in London. The same group has had similar events with other works, such as an antique copy of Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' at the Royal Academy of Arts in the British capital, and John Constable's 'The Hay Wain', also at the National Gallery. Military photographer using lenses to record PLA Air Force's growth EditorHuang Panyue Time2022-10-25 18:01:27 Editor's note: On the occasion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China Military Online selected 3 groups of photos that illustrate various aspects of the Chinese PLA Air Force (PLAAF)'s development during the past years. This is the first group in the series. The PLAAF was officially established on November 11th 1949, and has witnessed tremendous developments, especially in terms of weaponry after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. File photoYu Hongchun () Yu Hongchun () is a member of China Photographers Association and the vision director of the Chinese Air Force magazine. Since August 2020, he has taken multiple trips on military transport planes to photograph air force planes in motion. He, through the open rear door of the transport plane flying at an altitude of thousands of meters and a speed of more than 300 kilometers per hour, used the 80-400mm lens to capture the wonderful moments of various main fighter jets during the aerial force-on-force training exercises. Mark Sutcliffe sweeps to victory in race for Ottawa's top job: all four east end councillors easily win re-election Fred Sherwin Oct. 24, 2022 In the end, the election that was turned out to be the election that wasnt. In what was supposed to be a two-horse race between mayoralty candidates Mark Sutcliffe and Catherine McKenney, the contest for the top job in Ottawa turned out to be a runaway victory for the latter as Sutcliffe garnered more than 51 per cent of the vote compared to just 38 per cent for McKenney. Former Ottawa mayor Bob Chiarelli finished a distant third with just five per cent. Sutcliffe capitalized on a coalition of both Liberal and Conservative supporters as well as Ottawas business community to get the better of McKenney who garnered most of her support from Ottawas social progessives. Theres was a fear on the part of a number of people in Sutcliffes camp that Chiarelli might peel away voters from their candidate but that never materialized as he turned out to be a total none factor. During his victory speech, Sutcliffe thanked McKenney for her service to the city and extended an olive branch to her supporters. To the people who voted for Catherine, I want you to know that I have listened to your concerns and expectations throughout this campaign. I believe there is common ground for us. And I promise to continue to listen. I will be a mayor for all of Ottawa, said Sutcliffe. He also listed public transit and making Ottawas roads safer as two of his main priorities now that he has been elected mayor. Sutcliffe ended his speech by calling on Ottawas residents to join him in helping Ottawa reach its full potential as the National Capital. It is time for a change. But its also time for unity, said the mayor-elect. We have so much potential. We have so much opportunity. We have so much responsibility. From this moment, lets start working together. Lets start working together to build a better city for everyone. Sutcliffes first challenge will be to get his fellow councillors, a large number of whom have been elected for the first time on the same page. At least four members of the incoming city council are already on the same page with each other, and thats all four city councillors from the east end, commonly referred to as the East Block. Orleans North-Cumberland councillor-elect Matt Luloff, Orleans East-Navan councillor-elect Catherine Kitts, Orleans West-Innes councillor-elect Laura Dudas and Beacon Hill-Cyrville councilor-elect Tim Tierney were all re-elected with over 70 per cent of the vote in their respective races. Tierney bested them all by garnering more than 80 per cent support. The new council will be sworn in on Nov. 15 and will immediately have to focus their attention on the 2023 city budget. With two years of service already under her belt, Kitts says that she is more than ready to hit the ground running to tackle such issues as road resurfacing in the rural part of her ward, improving transit service in all parts of the ward and making roads throughout the ward safer. Luloff, Dudas and Tierney are all in lockstep with Kitts and each other in terms of where their priorities lie. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Najla Al-Mangouch, affirmed Tuesday that "the strengthening of Africa's sovereignty stems from the implementation of comprehensive and wide-ranging reforms in the security and military sectors" An airman is the first U.S. servicewoman to attend the Royal Thai Air Force's Air Command and Staff College, as the school begins to admit female officers for the first time in its history. Maj. Jessica Padoemthontaweekij, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, joined the class Oct. 3. Previously, the country's Air Command and Staff College had been open to men only. "I am excited about the opportunity to learn and integrate with the Royal Thai Air Force, and to be a part of a momentous step forward in the integration and representation of women leadership and diversity in this bilateral military partnership," Padoemthontaweekij said in a press release Monday. Read Next: Air Force Awarding 96 Flying Crosses, 12 Bronze Stars for Afghanistan Evacuation Efforts The Royal Thai Air Force opened its eligibility policy to women "in an effort to promote diversity and inclusion," an Air Force press release said Monday. Five women from the country's air force will join alongside Padoemthontaweekij. She was "one of the most qualified officers" for the opportunity, an Air Force spokesperson said. "Her selection for this deliberate development was based on her strong demonstrated potential for future contribution to the Air Force," a Department of the Air Force spokesperson told Military.com. Thailand and the United States have had a formal military partnership agreement for more than 200 years. Since 1970, the Royal Thai Air Force has sent 128 officers to complete Air Command and Staff College training at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Likewise, the Department of the Air Force frequently sends airmen and Guardians to allies and partners' military colleges and schools. Last year, Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones ordered a review of gender-specific policies, the service said in the press release. She directed a review of the U.S. collaboration with the Royal Thai Air Force's Air Command and Staff College and the eligibility requirements, paving the way for the change. "Leaving talent on the table means we're leaving lethality on the table, and we're not about to do that," Ortiz said in the release. "I'm proud that we could take this step forward together with the Royal Thai Air Force -- a significant step toward strengthening the enduring U.S.-Thailand alliance." Padoemthontaweekij's enrollment marks Ortiz's latest effort to analyze and address some gender disparities and policies that excluded pregnant service members in the Department of the Air Force. Ortiz announced last month that pregnant service members and civilians can now apply to Air Force Officer Training School, reversing the service's policy that barred candidates from going through the program until 12 months postpartum. In August, Air Mobility Command allowed pregnant airmen to keep more information about their gestation private from their units. Also in August, officials at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Hill Air Force Base in Utah and Robins Air Force Base in Georgia created more private and secure spaces for breastfeeding airmen to pump. Earlier this year, the Air Force's Maternity Uniform Pilot Program, otherwise known as "Rent the Camo," was unveiled and will give pregnant airmen free maternity uniforms at certain bases. Additionally, in March, a new policy gave active-duty dual-military couples in the Air Force and Space Force extra time to decide whether they want to separate from service after having a child. The Department of the Air Force began enacting a lot of these policies following a 2021 Air Force Inspector General report that pointed out that maternal bias was one of the primary reasons women did not feel included in the ranks. -- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly. Related: Ban on Pregnant Service Members and Civilians Applying to Air Force Officer Training School Lifted A battalion commander is forbidding soldiers under his command from wearing their Army-issued fleece jackets while on a rotation in South Korea, where local average temperatures during the winter frequently dip below freezing. "The fleece cold weather jacket is not authorized for wear as an outer garment," Lt. Col. Geoffrey Lynch, commander of 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, said in an August memo reviewed by Military.com. A spokesperson for Fort Bliss, where the unit is based, did not return a request for comment ahead of this story's publication. Maj. David Matoi, Lynch's executive officer who is listed as the memo's point of contact, did not respond to a request for comment. Read Next: Ash Carter, Former Defense Secretary under Obama, Passes Away Suddenly at Age 68 It is unclear why Lynch outlawed the fleece as an outergarment, given that Army clothing regulations specifically say that the jacket is meant to be worn on "mild cold days," with the memo referencing those same rules. The other regulation referenced in the memo was a paragraph out of the Army's regulatory guidelines on uniforms which gives commanders broad authority on dictating what troops can wear, "Soldiers may wear the [cold weather] jackets and trousers as outer garments, to include the fleece jacket, when authorized by the commander." It's not the first time a debate over the fleece has popped up, as questions sporadically surface about whether the jacket is primarily intended to be an undergarment worn under other cold weather gear. Though Army rules make it clear the jacket can be worn as an outer garment and are otherwise generally loose on when and where troops can wear it. A top Army official overseeing uniform rules squashed any of that confusion back in January. "It's an outer garment," Sgt. Maj. Ashleigh Sykes, the top enlisted leader for uniform policy said on Twitter in January. "There is hook and loop for name tapes, rank, and US Army to make that obvious." Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston, the service's top enlisted leader, endorsed the message. "That settles that," he tweeted. -- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon. Related: The Army Cut Women's Clothing Allowance While Awarding Men More Money Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Senegal joined Tuesday the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) as an observer, on the occasion of the 24th ministerial meeting of the organization being held in Cairo, Egypt, announced the state agency APS, citing an official source 25.10.2022 LISTEN Thousands of patrons at the just-ended 2022 MTN Stands in Worship were thrilled to the tunes of anointed songs from Diana Hamilton, Piesie Esther, Koda, PerezMusic, NSROMAmusic, and MTN Viva Voices as they led the audience into the throne room. The much-anticipated gospel musical concert held at the Fantasy Dome, Trade Fair La Accra on Saturday, October 22 under the theme: Arise and Worship, brought together Christians and gospel music fans on one stage for worship and praise to the Almighty God. Celebrated Ghanaian gospel artists including Diana Hamilton, Piesie Esther, Koda, PerezMusic, NSROMAmusic, and MTN Viva Voices delighted the audience with their powerful and alluring voices. Each artist showed their worship and praise prowess when they took their turn on stage and had the audience on their feet throughout the time they were on stage. The back-to-back praises and worship brought some needed warmth and joy to the hearts of the patrons. Rev. PJ Markwei, an ordained Minister of the Gospel and seasoned musician, also led the gathering to the throne of God with his awe-awakening voice as he ministered his anointing-filled songs, leaving an indelible mark on the minds of patrons. The concert, which is an annual gospel music event aimed at entertaining Ghanaian gospel music fans, was organized to thank God for the mercies and the kindness He continues to shower on Ghana. The organizers said this years MTN Stands in Worship had been successful as music fans were satisfied with a night full of surprises. MTN Stands in Worship has become one of the most hyped on MTNs calendar. Speaking at the event, Director, Aglow Ghana and Former President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie said corporate organizations cannot rule out the place of God in their business growth and commended MTN for such activity. Since the year 2020 businesses have had some tough and challenging times but God has given us the opportunity to meet here alive. I pray for Ghanaians to stand together for peace and I believe that God will rule in the affairs of Ghana, said Mrs. Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie. She entreated Ghanaians to stand together for peace in the conviction that God will rule in the countrys affairs; adding that they should develop hearts of gratitude and live in peace. She also called on Ghanaians to eschew bitterness and show love to one another, especially during this tough period. Other speakers including Mrs. Kuranchie Ankrah who graced the occasion prayed and delivered peace messages as well. The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye; Lasmid, winner of MTN Hitmaker 8, and all the artistes on the show also shared messages of peace and hope with the audience. The annual gospel concert, powered by MTN Ghana, has seen some of the worlds biggest music acts give off electrifying performances that have left lasting memories on patrons. Amazingly, you can dial *1355# to select the songs of the artistes who performed at MTN Stands In Worship as your Caller Ring Back Tone. Everyone who calls you gets to listen and dance to your favourite artistes song while they wait to talk to you. Get other Caller Tunez from other artistes today and enjoy your favourite songs only on MTN. Nneoma Ukpabi 25.10.2022 LISTEN Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has suspended its Imo state Chairman, actress Nneoma Ukpabi. This is coming after a young upcoming actress called Nneoma out for collecting the sum of N400,000 from her to get registered as an actor, the Dailypost reported. She further alleged that the actress subjected her to all kinds of assault, torture and maltreatment. Reacting to the incident, the AGN president, Emeka Rollas, in a post on his Instagram page, announced the immediate suspension of the actress while an investigation into the allegations is undertaken. He, however, summoned Nneoma to appear before the disciplinary committee to defend herself from the allegations. The president wrote, I got this report on how this lady was treated, I followed the matter up through the Delta State chairman to draw a conclusion that the boys were complicit with Nneoma on this matter. No new member or any human deserves to be treated in this manner. We have just suspended Nneoma Ukpabi indefinitely until she and her accomplices are brought to book and she clears herself before the National Disciplinary committee. Mr John Quiacoo, the newly elected Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Constituency has vowed to maintain the Constituency as the stronghold of the Party in the Central Region. He said the visible signs of economic desperation and hopelessness had eroded the political fortunes of NPP aside it failed campaign promises, making the NDC more attractive. Addressing scores of party supporters after the Constituency elections on Saturday, Mr Eshun who retained his post for the third time, thanked all party faithful for their support in diverse ways. He declared, we are working hard to maintain the constituency as the stronghold of the party in the Central Region. Mr Quaicoo polled 776 out of the total vote of 1,473 to beat his contender, Mr Michael Asmah under the supervision of the Electoral Commission. Mr Francis Aduabeh won the Vice Chairmanship slot whilst Anthony Worronto Eshun, Judith Biney, Nelson Kojo Botsio, Comfort Ansah, Irene Aidoo, Frank Ahyiechovi, Ato Bonsu, Martin Adu Yaboah, were elected as additional executive members. For the Secretary position, Charles Entsuah emerged the winner, after a keen competition with Cosmos Anthony Cobbinah and Bernard Benyah. Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim won the Zongo Caucus position as against his sole contender, Hussein Yahya. Mr Obed Aduko Ayine was elected the communication Officer in a close contest with Mr Joseph Baidoo, whilst the Deputy Communications Officer went to Mr Joseph Arkoh. The Youth Organiser went to Mr Matthew Attipo as against Messrs Dacosta Woode and Ekow Cantah and the Deputy Youth Organiser was won by Mr Samuel Cobbinah and the Women's Organiser position was won by Ms Vivian Sortoh. Mr Francis Obeng was elected as treasurer. Later, Mr Samuel Atta Mills, the Member of Parliament (MP) for KEEA told the Ghana News Agency one of the major goals of the NDC was to ensure that the party won the 2024 elections to continue with its good works. Declaring Victory in 2024; thats our goal, that's our task, and by the Grace of God, we will achieve that. Since the return to constitutional rule in the Fourth Republic, the NDC has presented itself as the most dominant force in Ghanaian politics. That, he said, had been made possible by what he described as a culture of sacrifice and commitment to firm up its core values. The MP said the party believed in the principles of democratic accountability, respect for human rights, the rule of law, economic freedom and social justice, saying those values had stood the test of time and must continue to guide the partys actions now and in the future. GNA Along a highway engulfed by dark waters, Nigeria residents load dozens of boats full of food to bring assistance to the victims of the country's worst floods in a decade. Waiting by the waterside, past the many half-submerged trucks, Bolaji Phillips looks on next to his vehicle, which is filled with cassava flour, rice and noodles. "My wife and I consulted and decided to withdraw our savings, the little we have, to do something for the people," the 40-year-old said. Aid is slowly coming to southern Nigeria after the biggest floods since 2012 killed more than 600 people and affected nearly three million others, according to official figures. Many have fled their homes, including to overcrowded displacement camps. The others, completely cut off from the world, remain in communities swallowed by the waters. Efforts now focus on passing the damaged and partly impassable highway linking Rivers and Bayelsa states -- among the two most devastated regions. Residents have been volunteering to bring aid those trapped and displaced by the floods. By PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (AFP) Near the town of Ahoada, volunteers and NGOs are doing vital work until official aid slowly reaches the most destitute. "The damage is enormous. The government has not done much so far. We are totally alone," said Winner Written, a 32-year-old entrepreneur among those helping out. "We are just individuals trying to help one another." "Suffering" Over the weekend, volunteers loaded precious fuel in yellow jerrycans onto the boats heading to flooded villages. Rivers State authorities have allocated one billion naira ($2.3 million) to help victims, especially around Ahouda, one of the worst hit. Flooding has submerged communities and devasted croplands. By PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (AFP) The United States said it has donated $1 million in humanitarian aid. Rescue officials said they have started delivering 12,000 tonnes of food across the country after the aid was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. But on the ground, few have seen the results of these efforts so far. Supplying food is almost impossible, hampered by strong currents or waters that are strewn with obstacles or choked with vegetation, and aid coordination is hindered by lack of mobile coverage in remote areas. In a black tank top, Jeremy Ogboka, 35, lends a hand on a section of the half-flooded highway. "Right here, one of the speedboats capsized. Luckily, we saved them all," he said. "We help as we can but nobody pays us. So many people are suffering. It's been two weeks the road is blocked." Using two speedboats the Nigerian navy in the area has provided security and transport for facilitating humanitarian aid. A rescue mission headed this weekend to the remote areas ferrying members of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and sailors to bring aid and evacuate those they could. "Humanitarian crisis" Guided by young people who know the route to the ravaged communities, the motorboats sink into the heavy vegetation, struggling against the currents. After half an hour of laborious progress, the remains of a village appeared. No sign of life. Seated at the front of the vessel, the second lieutenant in charge kept his hand on his assault rifle. The navy has been helping aid workers reach remoter areas, but flooding has made travel complicated. By PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (AFP) "This is a volatile region. Two months ago, we arrested many kidnappers, criminals and acquired many rifles," he said. All around, almost everything is submerged. The roofs and the panel of a school protrude, the only signs of a semblance of life now submerged. Boat engines bog in the leaves as the current tugs at the vessel, making it impossible to advance to a flooded village where some victims requiring medical care managed to call NEMA. Eventually, the rescue mission is aborted. In addition to aggravating food insecurity -- farmland and crops were devastated -- the deadly floods have caused an outbreak of cholera, according to the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC). In 2012, particularly deadly floods ravaged Nigeria, but residents said this year's disaster was becoming much worse. "Nothing has been done after to minimise the impact of the floods," said Opuwill Ayitu, a 40-year-old volunteer. "A humanitarian crisis is looming." A French publishing house announced on Monday that it has suspended plans to release a book by writer Gabriel Matzneff, currently under investigation for allegedly raping children, after staff at the Paris-based Nouvelle Librairie received "death threats". Matzneff, who is 86-years-old, has made no secret of his preference for sex with under-age teenagers, speaking at length about his activities on TV and publishing an essay in the 1970s entitled "Les Moins de Seize Ans" ("Under-16"). Despite an ongoing judicial investigation involving the author, the Paris-based Nouvelle Librairie had planned to publish a new collection of his articles called "Derniers ecrits avant le massacre" ("Final Words Before the Massacre"). In a statement released on Monday, the company announced that "we've found ourselves forced to postpone indefinitely the release" of the book. "Some reactions have been totally disproportionate. At a time when freedom of expression is dangerously losing ground, Nouvelle Libraire plans to stand up for it. From prize-winner to pariah "But it cannot accept serious death threats issued to its staff, whom it must protect," the publisher added, saying ithe company had already been targeted by vandalism. As recently as 2013, Matzneff was feted by a wide cross-section of the French literary establishment, winning the prestigious Renaudot Prize for a previous collection of essays. His standing changed following the publication in 2020 of a book by a leading publisher, Vanessa Springora, describing how she was groomed by Matzneff when she was 14. Coming in the wake of the "MeToo movement, Springora's book "Consent" was a turning point, encouraging others to come forward with allegations of abuse against Matzneff -- as well as sparking a wider discussion about the prevalence of paedophilia in French society. Since no recent victims have come forward to accuse Matzneff, he may not face trial, as Springora's allegations date to the 1980s and now exceed the legal timeframe established by the statute of limitations. Russia on Monday reiterated its unsubstantiated claim that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory, saying Kyiv has nearly completed work on a device laced with radioactive material. "According to the information we have, two organisations in Ukraine have specific instructions to create a so-called 'dirty bomb'. This work is in its final stage," Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said in a statement. With Ukrainian forces advancing into Russian-occupied Kherson province, Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu phoned Western counterparts on Sunday to tell them of Moscow's suspicions. Western leaders rejected the claim, warning Moscow against fabricating pretexts to escalate the conflict. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of France, Britain and the United States reaffirmed their support for Ukraine against Russia. US Secretary of state Antony Blinken on Sunday told his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, the world would see through any attempt by Russia to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation of the war. Ukraine said the dirty bomb claims were "dangerous" lies, while Kuleba said Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves. Kherson advances Russia has ordered civilians to evacuate territory it controls on the western bank of the Dnipro River, where Ukrainian forces have been advancing since the start of this month. A Russian defeat there would be one of Moscow's biggest setbacks of the war. Kherson's regional capital is the only big city Russia has captured intact since the invasion in February, and its only foothold on the west bank of the Dnipro, which bisects Ukraine. The province controls the gateway to Crimea, the peninsula Russia seized and claimed to annex in 2014. Lack of mediation Meanwhile the Kremlin said Monday that France and Germany were showing "no desire" to participate in mediation on the Ukrainian conflict, and praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's offer to organise talks. "Ankara takes a different position from that of Paris and Berlin ... and has declared its readiness to continue mediation efforts," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "(French President Emmanuel) Macron and (German Chancellor Olaf) Scholz have shown no desire to listen to Russia's position or participate in mediation efforts. (with wires) In the 2002 movie Minority Report (based on a short story by Philip K Dick), director Steven Spielberg imagined a future in which three psychics can see murders before they happen. Their clairvoyance allows Tom Cruise and his Precrime police force to avert nearly all potential homicides. Twenty years on, in the real world, scientists and law enforcement agencies are using data mining and machine learning to mimic those psychics. Such predictive policing , as it is called, is based on the fact that many crimes and criminals have detectable patterns . Predictive policing has enjoyed some successes. In a case study in the US, one police department was able to reduce gun incidents by 47% over the typically gun-happy New Year's Eve. Manchester police in the UK were similarly able to predict and reduce robberies, burglaries and thefts from motor vehicles by double digits in the first 10 weeks of rolling out predictive measures. Predictive policing has improved in leaps and bounds. In the past , humans had to manually pore over crime reports or filter through national crime databases. Now, in the age of big data, data mining and powerful computers, that process can be automated. But merely finding information is not enough to deter crime. The data needs to be analysed to detect underlying patterns and relationships. Scientists deploy algorithms and mathematical models such as machine learning, which imitates the way humans learn, to extract useful information and insights from existing data. Recently, we turned to a mathematical method conceived in the 18th century to refine our approach. By tweaking an existing algorithm based on this method, we significantly improved its crime prediction rates. This finding holds promise for applying predictive policing in under-resourced contexts like South Africa. This could help reduce crime levels some of the highest in the world and rising . It's a situation the country's police force seems ill-equipped to curb. Marrying two different approaches Thomas Bayes was a British mathematician. His famed Bayes' theorem essentially describes the probability of an event occurring based on some prior knowledge of conditions that may be related to that event. Today, Bayesian analysis is commonplace in fields as diverse as artificial intelligence, astrophysics, finance, gambling and weather forecasting. We fine-tuned the Naive Bayes algorithm and put it to the test as a crime predictor. Bayesian analysis can use probability statements to answer research questions about unknown parameters of statistical models. For example, what is the probability that a suspect accused of a crime is guilty? But going deeper like calculating how poker cards may unfold, or how humans (especially humans with criminal intent) will act requires increasingly sophisticated technologies and algorithms. Our research built on the Naive Bayes algorithm or classifier, a popular supervised machine learning algorithm, for crime prediction . Naive Bayes starts on the premise that features the variables that serve as input are conditionally independent, meaning that the presence of one feature does not affect the others. We fine-tuned the Naive Bayes algorithm by marrying it with another algorithm known as Recursive Feature Elimination . This tool assists in selecting the more significant features in a dataset and removing the weaker ones, with the objective of improving the results. We then applied our finessed algorithm to a popular experimental dataset extracted from the Chicago Police Department's CLEAR (Citizen Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting) system, which has been used to predict and reduce crime in that American city. That dataset has been applied globally because of the rich data it contains: it provides incident-level crime data, registered offenders, community concerns, and locations of police stations in the city. We compared the results of our enhanced Naive Bayes against that of the original Naive Bayes, as well as against other predictive algorithms such as Random Forests and Extremely Randomized Trees (algorithms we have also worked on for crime prediction). We found that we could improve on the predictions of the Naive Bayes by about 30%, and could either match or improve on the predictions of the other algorithms. Data and bias While our model holds promise, there's one element that's sorely lacking in applying it to South African contexts: data. As the Chicago CLEAR system illustrates, predictive models work best when you have lots of relevant data to work with. But South Africa's police force has historically been very tight-fisted with its data, perhaps due to confidentiality issues. I ran into this problem in my doctoral research on detecting and mapping crime series. This is slowly shifting. We are currently running a small case study in Bellville, a suburb about 20km from Cape Town's central business district and the area in which our university is located, using the South African Police Service data for predictive policing. None of this is to suggest that predictive policing alone will solve South Africa's crime problem. Predictive algorithms and policing are not without their flaws. Even the psychics in Minority Report, it turned out, were not error-free. Fears that these algorithms may simply reinforce racial biases, for instance, have been raised both in South Africa and elsewhere . But we believe that, with continuous technological improvement, predictive policing could play an important role in bolstering the police's responsiveness and may be a small step towards improving public confidence in the police. Dr Olasupo Ajayi of the Department of Computer Science at the University of the Western Cape and Mr Sphamandla May, a master's student in the department, co-authored this article and the research it's based on. Omowunmi Isafiade 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. By Omowunmi Isafiade, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, University of the Western Cape A top Pakistani news anchor was shot dead by police in Kenya after he fled his home country to avoid sedition charges, investigators said Monday, prompting calls for a full probe into what one media rights group branded an "utterly disturbing murder". Arshad Sharif, 49, was a frequent critic of Pakistan's powerful military establishment and supporter of former prime minister Imran Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April. In a phone call with Kenyan President William Ruto, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for a transparent investigation into the late-night shooting on Sunday. Kenyan national police spokesman Bruno Shioso said the journalist was fatally wounded by an officer after his car drove through a police barrier in the Magadi area, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the capital Nairobi. "It is then that they were shot at, fatally injuring late Arshad Mohammed Sharif," he said in a statement, adding that the journalist was travelling with a man described as his "brother" Khurram Ahmed. "National Police Service regrets this unfortunate incident," he said. The killing triggered concern among media groups and a protest in the Pakistani city of Karachi. According to a police report seen by AFP, the car carrying the two men was struck by around nine bullets, but continued on to the home of another Pakistani national. There, Sharif was found to be dead "with a gunshot wound on the head which had penetrated from the back". The report said police at the time had been on the lookout for a stolen car and an abducted person and had set up a makeshift roadblock. A protest was held in Karachi after the killing of Pakistani news anchor Arshad Sharif in Kenya. By Asif HASSAN (AFP) In a post on Twitter, Pakistan PM Sharif said he had asked Ruto to "ensure fair & transparent investigation into shocking incident. He promised all-out help including fast-tracking the process of return of the body to Pakistan." In August, the journalist had interviewed senior opposition politician Shahbaz Gill, who said junior officers in Pakistan's armed forces should not follow orders that went against "the will of the majority". The comment led to the news channel being briefly taken off air and an arrest warrant issued for Sharif, who fled the country. The channel ARY later said it had "cut ties" with him. Gill was detained following the interview, and Khan's criticism of the judiciary over the detention led to his own appearance in court. 'Harassment and arrest' Pakistan has been ruled by the military for several decades of its 75-year history and criticism of the security establishment has long been seen as a red line. "I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist today, as per police he was shot in Kenya," Sharif's wife Javeria Siddique tweeted. Pakistan is ranked 157 out of 180 countries in a press freedom index compiled by Reporters without Borders, with journalists facing censorship and intimidation. Media rights group Reporters Without Borders (known by its French acronym RSF) said Sharif had been shot dead with two bullets in "unclear circumstances" and urged an international investigation into "this gruesome and utterly disturbing murder". The killing was "all the more baffling since he had just left his home country to Kenya in order to escape harassment and arrest", it added on Twitter. RSF's call was echoed by the Kenya Editors' Guild which said those responsible should be brought to book. "This would not only demonstrate Kenya's and the government's ability to protect its citizens and visitors but also assure Kenyans and the international community that Kenya is safe for everyone, including journalists whose rights it should protect." Earlier this month, Ruto had vowed to overhaul Kenya's security forces and disbanded a police unit accused of extrajudicial killings. According to Missing Voices, a campaign group focused on extrajudicial killings in Kenya, there have been 1,264 deaths at the hands of police since it began collecting data in 2017. jaf-ecl-ho-txw/bp Uganda has reported 14 confirmed cases of Ebola in the greater Kampala region, the country's health minister said Monday, but sought to assure anxious residents that the situation in the capital was under control. So far, the death toll across the country from the Ebola epidemic declared in late September has climbed to 44, according to World Health Organisation figures issued last week. Uganda's health ministry meanwhile says there have been 90 confirmed cases overall, and 28 deaths. Health Minister Ruth Jane Aceng told AFP there had been 14 confirmed cases in the Kampala area the past 48 hours, including nine who were contacts of a fatality from Kassanda, one of two central districts at the heart of the outbreak. Of the nine, she said those infected included seven family members from Masanafu, a densely populated slum area in Kampala which lies near the Kasubi royal tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and not far from two of Uganda's two main private universities. President Yoweri Museveni earlier this month ordered Kassanda and Mubende, the epicentre of the outbreak, to be put under lockdown, imposing a travel ban, a curfew and the closure of public places. But Aceng told AFP Monday: "The situation in Kampala is still under control and (there is) no need to restrict people's movements." 'Disease is in our midst' Residents of the capital, a city of about 1.5 million people bordering Lake Victoria, said they were anxious. "It is getting scarier now that Kampala is recording Ebola cases," said Rebecca Nanyonga, a 27-year-old mother of two. "The government has not done much to sensitise Kampala residents on Ebola," she said. "Parties and music concerts are still held yet the disease is in our midst." Ebola is spread through bodily fluids, with common symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea, and combatted through time-honoured ways of tracing, containing and quarantining. Outbreaks are difficult to contain, especially in urban environments. Uganda's last recorded fatality from a previous Ebola outbreak was in 2019. The particular strain now circulating in Uganda is known as the Sudan Ebola virus, for which there is currently no vaccine. WHO has said that clinical trials could start within weeks on drugs to combat the Sudan strain. The Ebola crisis follows the Covid-19 pandemic, which knocked the landlocked country's economy hard. "I had relaxed when Covid-19 cases went down. I am now putting back restrictions including visitors to my home," said Ronald Kibwika, a 45-year-old Kampala businessman. According to WHO figures, Uganda had more than 169,200 Covid cases and 3,630 deaths. "We are at (the) mercy of God if Ebola cases rise in Kampala, because most people don't take health precautions, and health services are still poor," said Kampala businesswoman Anita Kwikiriza, 31. Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Over recent months, funding shortfalls have forced UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to make cuts to its lifesaving aid to refugees and other forcibly displaced people in a number of operations across the world Witnesses have come forward to tell AFP of the "absolutely terrible, terrible day" of violence that left 50 dead during widespread protests last week against the decision by Chad's military ruler to extend his junta's grip on power. The unprecedented clashes between security forces and young demonstrators in the capital N'Djamena and elsewhere also left more than 300 injured. There had been calls for several days for peaceful protests last Thursday -- to mark the date when the military had promised to hand over power in the unstable Sahel country. Junta head Mahamat Idriss Deby, a 38-year-old five-star general, has been in power since his iron-fisted father -- was killed in an operation against rebels in April 2021. He has since angered many at home and embarrassed backers abroad by hanging on to power for a further two years. The evening before Thursday's bloodshed, 75-year-old retired teacher Djim Toide said he "saw security forces vehicles parked on a roundabout near my house". "I thought they were conducting routine checks. Then at about four in the morning I started to hear gunshots." Chadians protested when the military reneged on its promise to hand over power. By - (AFP) The building where he lives in the southern Moursal district of N'Djamena "filled with smoke". 'Live bullets' "Things calmed down for a bit. And then the shooting started again," he told AFP. "So I went out into the street to see what was happening. I saw youths running all over the place chased by the security forces." He said the road was blocked with hastily erected barricades. Protesters were throwing stones and the police were firing tear gas. Remadji Allataroum, a student at N'Djamena university, said she was woken at 2:00 am by protesters blowing whistles. "The protesters came out of nowhere. They filled the streets, chanting 'justice! equality!'," she said. Allataroum, who lives in the capital's southern Abena district, said the atmosphere became palpably tense at around 6:00 am, when police intervened and "scuffles" broke out with protesters. The security forces retreated briefly at around 7:00 am. Map of Chad locating the capital N'Djamena. By (AFP) "The protesters seized the opportunity to put up roadblocks. They started burning tyres and kept chanting," she said. Then the police returned. "They started firing live bullets and two protesters were hit in the head. They fell down dead right in front of me. "It was an absolutely terrible, terrible day. "Things only started to calm down a bit at the end of the afternoon," she recalled. Crying out for help As on every workday morning, journalist Bertrand Teyane had been due on Thursday to go into the office. "But everywhere was shut off by the demonstrators' roadblocks," he told AFP. He said he saw "clashes between police and young protesters". Teyane, who has three children of his own, said he heard "two women crying out for help in the street" near his house. "I decided to go outside to see what was happening and I'd only got a few metres (yards) when I saw two lifeless bodies stretched out on the ground. Police fired live bullets at protesters. Some made it to a hospital in N'Djamena. By - (AFP) "One was covered in the national blue, yellow and red flag. The other was just lying there covered in blood. He'd been hit in the stomach." Teyane said that by mid-afternoon there was an air of desolation about the capital -- burnt-out wrecks of motorbikes and a car near the American embassy, police driving around in convoys "toting semi-automatic rifles". "Around 5:00 pm, I heard gunshot and I thought to myself, 'It's starting up again'," he said. "I didn't dare go home until the firing stopped." Member of Parliament(MP) for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said leaders who have made the mistake of fearing guns instead of the people have had deep regrets. The North Tongu MP's comments come on the back of recent comments by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his recent tour of Kumasi. Delivering a speech at the Idris Barracks, President Akufo-Addo urged the Military to continue to guard the peace of the country. I want to encourage you to continue the good work that youre doing for our country. I encourage you to stand firm in your loyalty to the Republic, your loyalty to the Constitution of our nation so that the orderly, peaceful development of our country which is the only way that can guarantee the future prosperity we are all working for can come about. So that these [present] generations of Ghanaians will leave as our legacy, that even when things were difficult in Ghana, we all held together under our Republican institutions and our constitution to find a way to a better future for our nation. I am confident that we can do it and I am counting on you to help me do it, President Akufo-Addo said. Reacting to the Presidents comments, in a Facebook post, Monday, 24 October 2022, the North Tongu MP, stated: President Akufo-Addo should not be begging soldiers while dismissing the legitimate demands of suffering civilians with utter contempt. Throughout history, leaders who make the fatal mistake of fearing guns instead of the people have deeply regretted the guns were silent but people power toppled bad leaders during the Arab Spring and much recently in Sri Lanka. In Sudan, 8 months of angry demonstrations led by disillusioned young people from 2018 eventually resulted in the overthrow of strongman Omar al-Bashir on April 11 2019, after 30 brutal years in power. According to Mr Ablakwa, Soldiers cannot protect any government; only governments own humane policies and responsible conduct can guarantee its protection. This is why it is absolutely imperative that President Akufo-Addo regains consciousness from his comatose and implement urgent remedial measures to rescue suffocating Ghanaians. The pain and suffering under this unprecedented collapsed economy is visceral and tangible. He suggested that the President fire his Finance Minister NOW; the clueless Economic Management Team ought to be disbanded with dispatch; corruption and profligacy should be uprooted; embark on ruthless retrievals of all stollen taxpayer funds; cancellation of reckless prestige projects; his bloated government including the disgraceful position of CEO for a non-existent Keta Port must be drastically pruned, the countless retirees on contract should go home and catch a well-deserved rest; and as we have often demanded it is time to convene a non-partisan economic rescue forum to harvest fresh ideas. He further suggested that if the President cannot pursue these as outlined, he should simply resign without further delay. "When the people are hungry and angry, it is most unwise to contemptuously ignore them and go begging soldiers. In any case, Ghanaian soldiers dont live in a different economy, they are experiencing the same excruciating hardship and hopelessness we are all confronted with. He added: President Akufo-Addo should fear empty stomachs, not loaded guns. -classfmonline.com The former right-hand man of Ivory Coast's ex-president Laurent Gbagbo told AFP on Monday that he will return home next month and join the reconciliation process after both were acquitted of crimes against humanity. "I am going back to my country on November 26 and will take part in the reconciliation that is so dear to my compatriots," Charles Ble Goude told AFP. President Alassane Ouattara's office had approved the return date, he added. Gbagbo returned to Abidjan in June 2021 but Ble Goude had to wait until the presidency gave the greenlight. The West African state remains deeply scarred by the 2010-11 conflict, which erupted after Gbagbo refused to concede electoral defeat to Ouattara. Some 3,000 people were killed and the country was divided on north-south lines. Both Ble Goude and Gbagbo were finally acquitted by the International Criminal Court in March 2021. Charles Ble Goude hads led the pro-Gbagbo nationalist movement of Young Patriots. By SIA KAMBOU (AFP/File) Ble Goude had been arrested in Ghana in 2013 and transferred to The Hague the following year. Nicknamed the "street general" for his ability to organise a crowd, he led the pro-Gbagbo movement of Young Patriots. Ble Goude, aged 50, has not joined the new political party PPA-CI that Gbagbo launched a year ago. "I do not want to be a clan chief. I ask those with whom I fell out and do not have the same political ideas for forgiveness," Ble Goude told France RFI radio station in April last year. Both Ble Goude and Gbagbo were sentenced in their absence to 20 years in jail in Ivory Coast over the post-electoral violence. Gbagbo, 77, was granted a presidential pardon in August. Hundreds of 'Brofot' vendors at Anwiankwanta in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti Region have for the first time taken to the streets to protest over worsening economic conditions in the country. Clad in red armbands, the vendors on Monday October 24 suspended activities over high cost of inputs particularly cooking oil. The Queen Mother of Bofrot Vendors Association who led the protest Nana Akomea Mansah in an interview with this reporter said they are suspending their trade for one week to drum home their concerns. "Just recently we bought 25 litres of cooking oil around Gh 650, to our surprise, the same quantity is now selling at Gh1000, and this is just one of the many inputs we use in our business. "We are pleading with the government to as a matter of urgency turn things around to save our business "We are asking the government to reduce the high cost of living, especially on food prices because the situation is killing our business," she stated. They are expressing displeasure with the Nana Addo-led governing NPP over the high cost of living in the country. The protestors also raised concerns over the depreciation of the cedi, which they say is crippling a lot of businesses. Fact-checking institution, Dubawa has held a two-day workshop on Media and Information Literacy, with a focus on Fact-Checking. The training is part of the organization's fact-checking training workshops for journalists in Ghana's non-urban communities. The main goal of the project, according to Caroline Anipah, Country Lead, Dubawa Ghana, "is to train journalists outside of Ghana's major cities, who play a critical role in the country's development but are often overlooked in media development efforts." She added, "Normally, the training is organized for journalists in city centers but this time we decided to host one for those in rural communities to help them improve their capacity." Raissa Sambou, a Ghanaian Times journalist, from the Central Region, said the training honed her skill on how to use modern fact-checking tools and understand information disorders. "The training was highly educative," she added. "And I hope it will be replicated to reach more journalists in other parts of the country." "I'm now familiar with the fact-checking procedures, and understand the information verification process," Sani Salis, a journalist with Haske Radio in Kumasi, recounts his training experience. The project is divided into two parts: the first is a capacity-building workshop for fact-checking journalists, which has trained 40 journalists in Kumasi and Tamale already; another 20 are expected to be trained in Accra. The second, selected journalists from the training will receive a three-month fact-checking mentorship. 25.10.2022 LISTEN A former NDC Member of Parliament for Gomoa East Constituency, Lawyer Thomas Aubyn has cautioned the NDC against disunity that could affect the party's chances in the 2024 general elections. He said posterity will not forgive them if the NDC fail to win the elections. According to the former legislature, signs were clearly written on the walls that the NDC could form the next Government. He noted that it is possible if the NDC strengthens its disunity and factionalism. Addressing Gomoa Central NDC supporters soon after their Constituency elections to elect new executives at Gomoa Abonyi last Sunday, Lawyer Thomas Aubyn stressed the need for unity to prevail in the party. "We lost the 2020 general elections especially in the Gomoa Central not because the NPP were strong, the problem came from the NDC. There were a lot of divisions in the party and that led to our defeat. We just gave the power to them on a silver platter. "Now there is going to be a new dimension to the NDC in Gomoa Central. For 20 years, I have not involved myself in active politics. I now have children and grandchildren. I have to secure their future and that brighter future is in the hands of the NDC. They have all it takes to rescue Ghanaians from the present economic hardships. "Ghanaians won't forgive us if we fail to vote for His Excellency John Dramani Mahama to form the next government because they are anxiously waiting for the NDC to bring relief to their lives. "Let me assure here and now that am going to do everything possible within my power to bring all hands on board for the NDC to recapture the 'borrowed' seat from the NPP," Lawyer Aubyn stressed. He called on all former appointees in the NDC to join the Rescue Mission to regain control of Gomoa Central Constituency. Former Gomoa Central Constituency Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Derrick Mbir lauded the party for the peaceful manner the elections were conducted. He was hopeful that the newly elected Constituency Executives would spearhead the growth of the party and rekindle the spirits of the party faithfuls to recapture the parliamentary seat. A newly elected Gomoa Central Constituency Treasure for the NDC, Madam Agnes Owusu Onoma pledged to work assiduously with other Constituency Executives especially with the Women's Organizer to ensure total victory for the NDC in the Gomoa Central Constituency. A total of 984 delegates from 115 branches of the party took part in the Constituency elections with 39 aspirants contesting for various positions. At the end of the polls, the Incumbent Chairman, Mr. Kofi Afful was reelected to retain his position. He pulled 480 votes to beat his closers rival, Mr. Ekow Nkrumah Sarfo obtaining 358 votes. Other Executives elected were, Madam Alice Mensah as Women's Organizer, Madam Agnes Owusu Onoma as Treasurer, Mr. John Kobina Gyesi as Constituency Organizer and Mr. Hackman Aidoo as Constituency Secretary. The rest were Mr. Ibrahim Seidu Vice Chairman, Mr. Carlos Anokye Communication Officer and others who were elected Unopposed. They were accordingly sworn into office to work as Constituency Executives. In a related development, the Agona East NDC last Saturday failed to hold its Constituency Elections at Agona Nsaba to elect its executives. Over 1,161 delegates from 129 branches of the party were expected to vote to elect 28 Constituency Executives. The indefinite postponement was as a result of shortage of ballot papers. 25.10.2022 LISTEN As part of its efforts to help address challenges hampering the cocoa and forestry sectors in the country; Conservation Alliance has taken another judicious step by introducing the Human Elephant co-existence Project within the Kakum Conservation area in the Central Region of Ghana. The project was launched in Assin Aworoso with funding from the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) under the 2022 autumn grant program and will be implemented within the Kakum Conservation area in the Central Region of Ghana for the next 18 months. The project Strengthening Human-Elephant Co-existence seeks to promote elephant conservation and enhance peaceful co-existence between elephants and humans in the Kakum Conservation Area. Field Coordinator for Conservation Alliance, Ebenezer Darko said the objective of the project is to help enhance the capacities of farmers and local communities to adopt effective anti-crop raiding techniques which will deter elephants from straying into their farmlands and communities. He explained that in order to enrich the natural habitat of wildlife in the area, the project will restore degraded forests to safeguard elephants and promote their survival while sequestering carbon alongside. He explained that farms with chili-pepper grease fencing are not likely to be raided by elephants. Its time farmers employ these cost effective techniques to deter elephants from raiding their farms. Our work brings together people and skills needed to build Ghanas capacity to conserve biodiversity through sound science, local initiatives and good governance, he said. Chief Resource Guide, Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission, Emmanuel Peasah explained that as habitats contract and human populations expand, the sustained competition between humans and elephants for resources in the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA) has resulted in a dire conflict. He said that unrivalled competition results in increasing incidents of human-elephant conflicts that cause crop losses, property damage, and human injuries and even deaths leading to animosity towards wildlife and retaliatory killings of elephants. Planting of palatable crops (maize, cocoa, among others) close to the park boundary by farmers has led to the hike in the incidence of elephant crop raids within the landscape. Its time our farmers adopt the chili-pepper grease fencing innovation, which will not be raided by elephants, he added. Law Enforcement Officer,Wildlife Division, Kakum, Daniel Konzin indicated that they are introducing this program because it is an essential tool to support sustainable agricultural production and protect the forest. Through dialogue with farming and forest communities, we will distill and analyze their feedback on the effectiveness of our project and the need for more cooperation and collaboration will be of very important in the implementation of this project." Chief of Assin Aworoso and Chairman for the project launch, Nana Kuaa Asare Odamusi II in his remarks emphasized the need to protect elephants as keystone species in the ecosystem and highlighted that one of the pathways to achieve this is through partnerships like the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) and Conservation Alliance International. He used the opportunity to thank Conservation Alliance International for helping build an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. In the area of restoration and preservation of forests and biodiversity, I am very happy that Conservation Alliance with its partners are helping strengthening Human-Elephant Co-existence in the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA)." A farmer in the Assin Aworoso conservation area where the project was launched expressed profound gratitude to the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) and Conservation Alliance International for the support and pledged to lead the way to reduce human elephant conflict in the area. This project is a good opportunity for us to learn about elephant conservation and crop raid prevention techniques such as chili-pepper grease fence, he added. In attendance at the project launch were Ama Akayema Sasu (Natural Resource Officer) Conservation Alliance, Allan Amoako - Gyedu ( Enterprise Development Officer) Conservation Alliance, officials of Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission, Park Managers, NADMO, Ghana Tourism Authority, Community Leaders and some cocoa farmers in the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA) who all took part in the Project launch. About Conservation Alliance Conservation Alliance (CA) is a not-for-profit non-governmental environmental organization. CA brings together the people and skills needed to build Africas capacity to conserve biodiversity through sound science, local initiatives and good governance. CA aims at assisting fringe communities in Africa in creating economic opportunities that result in improved wildlife and habitat management, and wealthier healthier communities. This project was supported by the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) under the 2022 autumn grant program. In response to multiple news reports that prominent Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was shot dead near Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: We are saddened by the tragic death of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya, said Beh Lih Yi, CPJs Asia program coordinator, in Frankfurt, Germany. CPJ is seeking further details about the incident. There must be a swift and transparent investigation by authorities into his death, and authorities must release the full details as soon as possible. Sharif, 49, previously worked as an anchor with Pakistans ARY TV, and it is not immediately clear why he was in Kenya. His wife, Javeria Siddique, confirmed the death on Twitter Monday, and police released a statement saying an officer fatally shot Sharif on Sunday in a remote area outside the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Sharif left Pakistan in August after an arrest warrant was issued following his interview on ARY TV with Shahbaz Gill, a close aide to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who made comments considered offensive by the military, according to those reports and CPJ reporting. The ARY news channel was briefly taken off the air in Pakistan in August, and on August 31, the channel said it was parting ways with Sharif, citing a breach of conduct on social media. 25.10.2022 LISTEN The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma Central Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Hon. Abdul Latif Dan has congratulated aspirants, the security services and members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for ensuring a successful and peaceful elections over the weekend. The MP also commended delegates and aspirants for conducting themselves peacefully before, during and after the Constituency elections. Hon. Abdul Latif Dan in a statement also commended the efforts of the Electoral Commission (EC), the Ghana Police Service, the Regional Executives, Directors of Election and every individual who played a role in ensuring that the NDC had a successful, free and fair elections in Ablekuma Central Constituency. He further congratulated the aspirants who emerged victorious and wished those who could not make it better luck next time. He also expressed his willingness to unite with all aspirants for victory 2024. The NDC Party conducted elections in over 200 constituencies across the country. However a number of Constituencies had their election postponed to another date. On the morning of October 24, 2022, the Liberia Maritime Authority, as Designated Authority of Liberias International Port Security Program held a meeting with a delegation from the United States Coast Guard to mark the beginning of a weeklong pre-assessment visit to Liberia. In remarks, the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Liberia Maritime Authority, Eugene Lenn Nagbe stressed the critical consideration Liberia gives to International Security program with the cognizance that security issues within waters worldwide do not only affect select countries but Liberia as well. The Liberia Maritime Authority attaches great importance to security standards to remain in compliance so that we can be a strong contributor in the chain of securing our waters and not to be a weakling, given that one weakling would determine the strength of the entire chain, he said. According to Commissioner Nagbe, the last visit of the US Coast Guard identified some areas that needed to be improved, efforts have been made to direct focus on those aspects of the countrys port security regime. Moreover, Liberia is still open to improvement. He assured the visiting US Coast Guard officials that the Liberian team will ensure that the assessments are carried out freely with minimal interference as a demonstration of the countrys willingness to take the security of its ports to another level. Commissioner Nagbe emphasized that the US Coast Guard assessment trams visit is very critical for Liberia as a country working hard to improve on its security indicators. Since your last visit, a whole lot has happened and where there would be concerns for attention, we will act appropriately, he assured the visiting USCG team. As a way providing the team with empirical context, the Director of Maritime Security and Chief ISPS Compliance Officer, Mr. Simeon Cheah said several measures have been taken to strengthen international port security program across the country with periodic assessments and audits of approved security procedures at various facilities. He said further that where challenges were identified, steps were taken to correct them, adding that with the involvement of all stakeholders; security drills were conducted nationwide in a bid to test the viability of security practices. The Liberian Maritime Security Chief informed the United States Coast Guard officials that fines, penalties and other forms of punitive actions are considered to compel compliance among the various agencies of Government. Mr. Cheah indicated that a National Maritime Security Strategy is being reviewed for implementation to emphasize Liberias commitment to upholding international best practices in security standards. The Head of the visiting US Coast Guard delegation, Mr. Daniel VanBuskirk said the assessment would seek to identify best practices in the implementation of port security program. These findings, according to him, are shared with other nations for the purpose of knowledge sharing, alignment of security practices and giving keen attention to low cost innovations and security practices that have shown to have significant impact. He stressed that the US Coast Guard believes that in sharing these best practices, security can be enhanced and confidence boosted. We have witnessed continual improvement in security in Liberia since 2016. So, ships that come to the United States from Liberia are no longer subjected to certain conditions, he indicated. Mr. VanBuskirk pointed out that the visiting team would review the port security system that was in place before Liberia was removed from the US Coast Guard Advisory List. This would be to ensure that the improved security system is in place post-Covid-19. According to the US Coast Guard Regional Analyst for Africa and the Middle East, he was glad to hear that fines and other punitive regimens are in place to ensure that every major actor plays their part. He said this was not the case in other countries. Source: Director, Corporate Communications 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 25.10.2022 LISTEN Introduction The debate on illegal gold mining (popularly called galamsey in Ghana) is intensifying in recent days. Historically, the term galamsey or illegal Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASM) evolved from the corruption of the phrase gather and sell, which was the description the first foreign industrial large-scale miners gave to the traditional method of gold mining in the Gold Coast era. It became part of our lexicon in the colonial era. Today, galamsey is a household term for infamous reasons. The wanton destruction of the nations forests, water bodies, and arable lands by galamsey operators is in free fall mode and that has become a major concern of every patriotic and godly citizen of the country. Although illegal mining has been in Ghana for a long time, in the last two decades, many institutions including the church, traditional rulers, and government have identified galamsey as a major threat to the ecosystem in the country. By ecosystem, I mean the place where the community of organisms such as aquatic and terrestrial life is conserved. The ecosystem also hosts matter and energy which are essential for human existence. Yet the diverse life in the ecosystem (biodiversity) is put under extreme stress, even danger, when humans whose prime divine mandate is to protect the ecosystem find themselves incapacitated and helpless as a result of their own careless and destructive acts as is being experienced with the fight against illegal mining in Ghana. Looking at the complexity of the problem brought on by the galamsey menace, weighted against the backdrop of the recalcitrance of culprits, probably strengthened by the assumed invincibility of their connections, the likely question to pose is whether to continue with the campaign to protect the ecosystem or to back off altogether as vulnerable and helpless spectators? This question should be answered by every Ghanaian as we engage in the debate on the activities of galamsey. From reports and government pronouncements, stringent measures have been put in place and practical efforts are seen to have been committed to the fight against illegal mining. What is yet to materialize, though, are tangible results that should manifest in the restoration of the nations water bodies and our once cherished arable lands which are now lying heavily ravaged to their former glory. While some think the setback in the fight against galamsey is a political issue others attribute it to economic hardship and should, therefore, be permitted to operate freely, regardless of its ripple effects on the ecosystem. What then is the way forward in the face of these perspectives? As the debate intensifies, one could easily see the frustration in the face of stakeholders and agencies involved in the fight against illegal mining. The situation, however, is dicey and the debate is inconclusive as there seems to be no clear-cut solution. However, a useful question is, why is the galamsey debate raging without a positive conclusion? We can only answer this question with a deep appreciation of our obligation toward the protection of the ecosystem. Two Fundamental Facts about the Ecosystem Ostensibly, many people have not come to terms with two major facts about the ecosystem: Firstly, the ecosystem is Gods creation and must be jealously protected and cared for by humanity as stewards of God. Secondly, the ecosystem is our place of abode, and we also depend on it for our survival and comfort. We become the direct beneficiaries if it is laid in its original state of equilibrium, in which its nature remains desirably intact. Thus while this article attempts to explore a few scientific reasons why the ecosystem must be protected for our good, the major focus is to draw our attention to the fact that the ecosystem, biodiversity, or the biosphere, as we may choose to call it, is Gods creation and every godly person has a civic and divine responsibility to protect it. If this becomes very clear to us as a nation with over ninety percent claiming to be religious in one way or the other, then we can succeed in the fight against galamsey. When people realise that the fight against galamsey is not just a political issue and environmental problem but also a divine mandate for every godly person to fulfil, we shall have a wider patronage of zealous Ghanaians in the fight. Once they clearly understand that they are stewards of God in taking care of the ecosystem, they will not wait for any person to persuade them to do the needful. In this article, I have chosen to use ecosystem, biosphere, and biodiversity more than the term environment for a good reason in the light of the reflections in our discussion. The Lucrativeness of the Gold Business It is not far-fetched to say that dealing in gold is a lucrative business in the global market and the enthusiasm with which people invest in the gold business has always been part of human tradition. Gold is so expensive that even an ounce of it as of the beginning of October 2022 was over GHC18,000. But unlike other mineral resources such as oil and gas which requires very sophisticated systems and technology for extracting, gold mining is relatively easy and even unprofessional people can mine and refine it using improvised devices and methods. The difference in the process is that while accredited mining companies conduct their activities by strictly following the laid down standard operating procedures in mining, others may choose to operate without recourse to proper procedures and laws on mining. Nonetheless, due to the lucrativeness of the gold business and the use of unscientific means for mining, regulation of illegal mining has become an adverse challenge in Ghana although most people are well informed of the consequences. Having considered the rapid rate at which our ecosystem is being destroyed by illegal gold mining activities, is society losing sight of the fact that we are stewards of Gods creation? We may attempt to answer this question as we progress with the discussion. Gods Creation versus the Perception about the Environment The perception humans have about the ecosystem is consequential to how it is treated. We must know that the ecosystem is Gods creation and not just an environment to be exploited. Some Christian writers argue that there is a distinction between the notion that we live in no more than a physical environment and the fact that everything in this world is the creation of God. The Bible says, The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein (Ps. 24:1, ESV). For Christians, what is known to be an environment falls within the context of Gods creation and we shall give account to Him on how we treat it. Sadly, the exploitation of Gods creation and injustice to the ecosystem becomes prevalent as long as people consider it only as a physical environment around them and not Gods creation. Most Ghanaians claim to be religious and yet the vicious destruction of our ecosystem as a result of illegal gold mining tends to suggest that many of them have chosen to ignore their call as Gods stewards because of the lucrativeness in the exploitation of Gods creation. They ignore the fact that we are the custodians and stewards of everything God has created, and it is incumbent upon us to safeguard it against destruction. Care of Creation as Social and Divine Responsibility The care of Gods creation is both our social and divine responsibility that must not be underrated. Just as caring for the poor and the vulnerable is a vital responsibility in society, so also must we care for our vulnerable ecosystem as Gods creation. It is incumbent upon us to commit ourselves and resources to care for the ecosystem and the integrity of Gods creation. Our stewardship to protect the dignity of the ecosystem must not be an exclusive responsibility of some specific stakeholders, agencies, or individuals in society. The fight against galamsey must have a bi-partisan approach where we all join hands to find a lasting solution to the problem. If we understand that the physical environment is Gods creation, then it is not intended for exploitation and society is the right agency to preserve it for Him. We live where the ecosystem is being destroyed under our very eyes by illegal mining activities, why are we helpless in dealing with the situation? Have we forgotten that care for Gods creation is still a divine mandate that must be a fundamental responsibility of all godly people? Our religiosity is deficient if we exempt creation care and tacitly supervise the destruction of the ecosystem. Even though the fight against environmental degradation appears to be insurmountable, no excuse is enough in the sight of God as long as we know that the problem is caused by human beings. The earth is the property of God and humans who are created in the image and likeness of God must be passionate about protecting the ecosystem to His glory. The diverse lives in the ecosystem, also known as biodiversity, portray the glory of God and His provision for the comfort of humanity in this world. From the biblical point of view, biodiversity (as well as the waters and the mountains) are not idols to be worshipped, neither are they merely natural resources to be exploited but creation to be cared for as creations of God (Gen. 2:15; Ps. 24:1). Creation is Gods handiworks that declare His glory as stated by the Psalmist: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Ps. 19:1). This is how Paul puts it: For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10, NIV). Creation belongs to God (Deut. 10:14) and He treasures His creation (Gen. 1:31), including humankind. If we understand this, we would not take delight in destroying the environment in any way and for any reason. The Significance of the Biosphere and Biodiversity Scientifically, the biosphere or the ecosystem is the whole area that covers the planet earth, including the atmosphere, water bodies, and land that supply life to living organisms. It can be described as a large community of organisms. A related word is the term biodiversity. It involves the variety of life on earth such as plant species, animal species, and micro-organisms with their diverse characteristics. In Gods wisdom, both the biospheric context of our world and the biodiversity in our environment give us our sense of living and comfort. Humans are both inhabitants of the biosphere and part of the biodiversity. As our place of abode, any negative effect on biodiversity has direct repercussions on the existence of humanity, because it is the habitat of all kinds of organisms as well as non-living environmental factors that naturally interact with us to produce energy and nutrients for our survival. The adverse health problems caused by environmental degradation cannot be overemphasized and it is so pronounced that every person is in one way or the other a potential victim. Many of us are quite aware of this and yet we tacitly watch the damage being caused to our environment by human activities. The Nature of the Ecosystem Within the ecosystem as a community of organisms, there are living organisms (the biotic) and non-living organisms (the abiotic) which, as components in the biosphere, interact with or are interdependent on one another for survival or for a specific function. Human beings are part of the biotic component of the biosphere. They are scientifically secondary as well as tertiary consumers which imply that they cannot survive without the existence of other living organisms which tend to become their sources of feeding and survival. Scientifically, we are heterotrophs; that is, living organisms that cannot produce their own food but depend on other organisms to survive. The laymans understanding is that we feed on some organisms and survive by depending on them. If they are exterminated, our very existence will be jeopardized. It is good to learn that we are consumers that absolutely depend on the ecosystem and some aspects of the food chain. Indiscriminate destruction of the ecosystem means we are making our very existence uncomfortable. Samuel and Sugdens (1999:349) statement is crucial here: Although creatures receive life ultimately from God, human beings are intertwined with all other creatures, and in this sense dependent upon them for life. Yet humans are also called to a special task of caring for creation in a shepherdly manner, since they reflect Gods image in a unique way. The import of Samuel and Sugdens statement is that scientifically, human beings are crucial species of the kingdom of life in the community of organisms in the biosphere. We are to study the organisms (both biotic and abiotic) in the ecosystem, understand where we belong, the extent of our stewardship towards their survival and our survival as well, and reflect upon Gods infinite knowledge in providing life-saving organisms for us to depend on them for our survival. Public Education is Required Conspicuously, the genuine commitment to protecting the ecosystem may largely depend on our understanding of the fact that we depend on the ecosystem for our survival. Is it not amazing that by Gods provision of biodiversity, we get water, food, medicinal resources and pharmaceutical drugs, and wood products? We need not belabour the importance of biodiversity to our survival as humans because their usefulness and importance are obvious to every person but, unfortunately, they are all suffering from the recklessness of human activities. What must be clear here is that our friends, family members, co-workers, and loved ones are direct beneficiaries of the food chains and food webs of the ecosystem as well as the abiotic factors of the biosphere. What happens to humanity if the ecosystem is destroyed completely through human activities? What would be the future of our children if the entire biodiversity in the light of water bodies, beautiful mountains, animals, and plant lives are destroyed indiscriminately? The bottom line, however, is that when this education is made known to people, the fight against galamsey and care for the environment will be a priority for every family without playing politics with it. The Love-of-Money Syndrome The rampant evil in todays society is attributed to the love-of-money syndrome that the Bible talks about. This explains why Gods creation is suffering from sin and reckless activities just for personal gain of humanity. Human activities against the ecosystem are so reckless that no life is spared by their onslaught, even including human life. Humanity has decided to do anything for money and fame. The biblical assertion that For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10, NIV) has become the real issue being battled in our generation. Humans exploit the biospheric resources for a living, forgetting that we are also part of consumers of the food web and any damage to the ecosystem has direct repercussions on our very existence. Therefore, the issue of climate change and pollution of the environment, which are already affecting humanity, including the church, must come as a major concern for every person. God cherishes His creation (Gen. 1:31) and enjoins us to be good stewards of it (Gen. 1:28; 2:15; Ps. 24:1; Jer. 2:7; 1 Pet. 4:10). Until we return to the scriptures for the right application of the values and principles of Gods Kingdom regarding our stewardship of His creation, the quest for rapid riches, by all means, will continue to be an albatross around the neck of our contemporary society. If the eagerness for money and wealth acquisition is the fundamental reason for our grief, then faithful application of Gods Word is the answer to this issue. The Intervention of the Ghanaian Clergy in Protecting our Environment Doing the work as stewards of Gods creation, the church in Ghana has been an advocate of responsible caring for the environment. Periodically, they get involved in environmental care campaigns by planting trees, cleaning our communities, and engaging stakeholders for public education on the need to protect the environment from destruction. On 14th October, 2022, the Ghanaian clergy took their stewardship to another patriotic and glorious level by visiting some galamsey sites in the Eastern Region of Ghana to survey the extent of damage to the environment. The concern of the clergy is that as stewards of Gods creation, they cannot be idle while their Fathers creation is being destroyed. As clergy, they are well informed of the implications (both scientific and spiritual) that the destruction of the environment has on the existence of humanity. The initiative of the clergy in touring some of the affected areas in which the environment has been destroyed by illegal mining activities is commendable. It is, therefore, recommended that all patriotic and godly citizens in Ghana put aside their diverse expediencies to support the cause of protecting the ecosystem. The move of the clergy suggests to us that we must rise beyond the usual blame-game syndrome and collectively adopt pragmatic measures to stem the tide of our invaluable ecosystem. The Prayer Factor in the Fight against Galamsey Prayer simply means communication with God. As long as we believe that the world is created by God, we go by the conviction that our effort about solving problems in the world must also have recourse to God through prayers for a pragmatic solution. When COVID-19 started the religious leaders in Ghana prayed and there is evidence to show the extent of Gods intervention in the situation. Whenever there are national crises those who know their God would first cry unto Him for His intervention as they look for other means of addressing the situation. It does not mean that the prayer factor of the saints should be a hindrance to the strategies and approaches of those who are perceived to have pragmatic solutions to the problem. The visit of the clergy to the galamsey sites has triggered a new strand of debate as to whether prayer is necessary at this stage of our national crisis. But prayer into the galamsey crisis is, indeed, necessary on the same score that we prayed with the advent of the COVID-19 and the Lord heard our prayers and spared our lives with the scanty resources we have in this country to combat the spread of the pandemic. Meanwhile, during that time, some people scorned the church for praying, with the argument that pandemics are so serious that we must not respond to them with prayers. Sadly, some people feel anything about God should always be relegated to the background and allow humans to find their own solutions. The Bible says, It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes (Ps. 118:9, NIV) and it goes further to question: I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? (Jer. 32:27, NIV). Thus the prayer factor in the fight against galamsey should not be relegated to the background. The strong conviction is that prayer must also be part of solving human problems bearing in mind that pragmatism should not be at the expense of the spirituality of any faith community. Jesus statement that With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Lk. 1:37, NIV) is one of the scriptural passages from which we draw our convictions. The concept of prayer has not expired because it is not a human invention; it is divine. Diverse Approach to Issues The blatant fact is that every person approaches a situation based on his or her values, convictions, and belief system. Every genuine Christian believes in the potency of prayer in any problem, irrespective of how others think about the situation. In biblical times, Moses prayed, and the Red Sea parted to make way for Israel to walk on dry land (Ex. 14:21-24). This may seem weird to secularists and ungodly people but those with a spiritual lens will not struggle to accept it as the gospel truth. God still does signs and wonders in the affairs of humans and those of us who believe attest to Gods miraculous interventions in various situations. Another simple response to the debate is that there is a national crisis confronting us as a people and we need solutions from any person who thinks to be patriotic, godly, and apt with the needed expertise to be part of addressing the situation. Having been monitoring the debate, the good thing is that we are all on the same page looking for a solution to the problem so we should move beyond name-calling, accusations, and counter-accusations and come on board with a pragmatic approach to prudently address the galamsey situation in the country. Thus the involvement of the clergy also has both spiritual and psychological impacts on the fight against galamsey. The clergy has many adherents in their churches and when church members see the active involvement of their pastors in the fight against galamsey, it can send a strong signal to them about the seriousness of the matter. The clergys initiative also suggests to us that both divinely and scientifically, there is every reason for the church to include the preservation and care for the ecosystem in its diaconal responsibility. By extension, the church may also consider eco-theology in its leadership training and discipleship activities so that Christians will be well-educated on the need for managing and preserving the ecosystem in harmony with Gods stewardship mandate for His children. If providing healthcare to people, building schools to educate people, and establishing agricultural institutions are vital in society; then the church should take full responsibility for the restoration of our biosphere to its original glory for our good. The protection of our water bodies, maintenance of the ecosystem, and protecting the creation of God from destruction must be an integral part of our mission as godly people. Conclusion We must come to accept the reality that the biosphere is the context for all we do and our being as we admit the fact that God has entrusted His creation into the hands of humankind (Gen. 1:28; 2:15). The corruption of society and the evil emanating from the love of money must not be allowed to prevail over our mandate as stewards of God. It is good to remind ourselves that some people are still having the good intention to genuinely address the corruption in society if we support them. We should not be like the prophet Elijah who thought that all the prophets of God had been killed by Ahab and his wife, Jezebel (1 Kgs. 18:22) when in fact God had reserved seven thousand in Israelall whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him (1 Kgs. 19:18, BSV; cf. Rom. 11:4). As people lament over corruption in our system, there is a need for the few corrupt-free people in society to shine their light and lead the rest to cause a massive transformation that we so desire and yearn for. That is why living by the standards of God will put us in a good position to love our neighbors as ourselves as well as take proper care of Gods creation, and stand against anything that threatens the peaceful existence of humanity. Thus if society clearly understands the scientific and divine responsibilities towards the care for the ecosystem, there will not be apathy in our fight against the destruction of the environment for personal gain. The final submission, however, is that the galamsey debate may not be conclusive as yet but it is hoped that addressing it from both scientific and biblical points of view will bring us significant progress. Since we have all admitted the fact that the destruction of the ecosystem is caused by human activities, it is good to psyche ourselves that the onus lies on us to avert the trend and save the biosphere for our good. Finally, let us find a common ground in the debates about the galamsey issue and join hands to address the situation, it is not as insurmountable as it is perceived to be. Vincent Anane Denteh (Rev.) Email: [email protected] 0555874497 2022 Vice President of Ghana, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia 25.10.2022 LISTEN Deputy National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Hamilton Nixon-Biney has called on Ghanaians to pile pressure on Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to address the hardships in the country. According to him, it is important for the Vice President to address Ghanaians on the challenges facing the country. The economic hardships are real and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia must speak because he is head of the economic management team. We want to hear from Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia because he is the Head of the Economic Management Team during these difficult times, Chief Hamilton Nixon-Biney told Asempa FM in an interview on the Ekosii sen programme on Monday. The NDC Deputy National Organiser continued, I am not targeting the vice president Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia but he is the Head of the Economic Management Team and should speak to Ghanaians on the economic hardships. Ghanaians must call out Dr. Bawumia to explain why the massive economic hardships. He needs to speak. Meanwhile, Chief Hamilton Nixon-Biney says he will be protesting the hardships in the country with a demonstration at the office of the Vice President this week. The move he says is to draw the attention of Dr. Bawumia to the need to speak on the hardships in the country. I would picket at the office of the vice president this week in order alert Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia that he needs speak on the economic hardships. I thank the Ghana Police Service for granting me permission to picket at the office of the vice president. Ghanaians are suffering, Chief Hamilton Nixon-Biney shared. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has accused politicians of "cheating" and "skirting" to "avoid their responsibilities" while the world faces an "unprecedented climate crisis. In an interview with France Inter radio, the 19-year-old said people needed to understand that the house is on fire", while also criticizing the media for not disseminating enough information. Educating people and listening to scientists was the key to fully understanding the global scale of the climate emergency, Thunberg said while adding that society was describing the symptoms of the crisis" without explaining its causes. It's like if the house burns down and you say, how am I going to turn off the oven? It is important to put out the oven, but it is necessary to understand above all that there is a fire in the house. That is our concern, Thunberg said. Info wars While people have plenty of information on global warming, they do not have enough knowledge, Thunberg added despite "increasingly clear and unequivocal scientific data". "I believe this climate crisis is also a crisis of the information which is not disseminated as it should be, the teenager said, adding the media needed to perform better. Ongoing climate change, she said, was linked to humanity's actions and may even be changing much faster than we realise. At this "particularly decisive moment in human history, Thunberg is campaigning for an end to the extraction of fossil fuels at the current rate, and an end to fossil fuel subsidies. The people who have contributed the most to this crisis will be the least affected by the effects of this climate change, while those who have contributed the least will suffer more, Thunberg told France Inter. She points the finger at the role of politicians, who "constantly cheat" and "avoid their responsibilities. Her interview on French radio coincides with the international release of Thunberg's book called The Climate Book, which among other things includes advice from climate activists on how to stop destroying the Earth. 25.10.2022 LISTEN Pressure group Economic Fighters League is proferring some measures to government to help save the economy from total collapse in the wake of the economic crunch. In the group's view, it's high time government officials parked their fuel-guzzlong SUVs for low-cost alternative means of transport. The group, in a statement issued on Monday, October 24, 2022, said each minister and deputy minister has two vehicles - one V8 and one saloon car. "At the current rate, one land cruiser is not less than $100,000, that is more than GHC1 million. Currently, there are 86 ministers, meaning the total value of what they drive around is not less than GHC139 million," the statement listed. "In addition, these cars have big engines that consume so much fuel. This fuel is given to all the ministers for free," the statement added. Economic Fighters calculates: "Daily, these 86 V8s will consume not less than GHC1 million worth of fuel." The pressure group is worried that it is a reckless and incompetent practice to keep these vehicles at the expense of the public purse. "At this critical juncture, the best decision would be to sell all the V8 cars. This will not only get us money from the sales but will save us fuel," it reasons. "This is what the Economic Fighters League would have done. #thealternativeiscoming," the statement ended Source: Classfmonline.com Some Members of Parliament on the Majority side have expressed displeasure over the current state of the Ghanaian economy. The Majority MPs have issued a warning to President Akufo-Addo indicating that they will boycott the 2023 Budget if he continues to back Ken Ofori-Atta to remain at post as the Finance Minister. The MPs elected on the ticket of the NPP want the President to fire the Finance Minister as well as Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen. Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, October 25, lawmaker for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah Kubi stressed that Majority MPs are unhappy with the current state of the economy where the citizenry are subjected to unprecedented hardships. We are unhappy with the developments in the country, we consulted our constituents who also expressed same sentients. We want the President to remove Ken Ofori and Chares Adu Boahen, he told the press. Hon. Andy Appiah Kubi continued, We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the President changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State in the Finance Ministry without further delay. We want to serve notice, and notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority Caucus here in Parliament will not participate in any business of Government by or, for the president by any other Minster. We hope that those of us in the back bench and members of the Majority caucus will abide by this prayer. We are saying that if our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing neither will we participate in the debate. The Majority MPs demanding the sacking of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta are 80 in number. Should they boycott the 2023 budget, it will be impossible for the remaining Majority MPs to get the numbers to neutralize the Minority for the budget to be approved. The Majority Caucus in Parliament has vowed to boycott all business of government until the Minister in charge of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta is sacked. Addressing the media on Tuesday, October 25, the spokesperson for 80 Majority MPs demanding the dismissal of the Finance Minister, Andy Appiah Kubi stressed that they also want Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen removed from his position. We are unhappy with the developments in the country, we consulted our constituents who also expressed same sentiments. We want the President to remove Ken Ofori and Chares Adu Boahen. We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the President changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State in the Finance Ministry without further delay. We want to serve notice, and notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority Caucus here in Parliament will not participate in any business of Government by or, for the president by any other Minster, Andy Appiah Kubi told the media. Hon. Appiah Kubi who is a Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North further noted that all 80 MPs will not be present for the 2023 budget hearing of the Finance Minister if the President refuses to heed calls for his removal. We hope that those of us in the back bench and members of the Majority caucus will abide by this prayer. We are saying that if our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing neither will we participate in the debate, Andy Appiah Kubi added. After defending the Finance Minister on several platforms as the best, it is unclear whether President Akufo-Addo will be forced to sack Ken Ofori-Atta following the announcement by the Majority Caucus. 25.10.2022 LISTEN The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo has taken a swipe at the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison. Adongo wants the BoG Governor to resign after accusing him of being incompetent. This is a man who has failed to come to Parliament for the past 3 years in violation of his own law. He was supposed to report to us every 6 months to update us on our forex developments but does not show up. And he goes around calling others for meetings. He should have resigned by now. Exchange rates do not respond to meetings. They have a lot to do with the lack of liquidity in the market. The exchange rate we have now is as a result of the incompetence are seeing. Isaac Adongo who is also a member of Parliament's Finance Committee made the call on the back of a request by some Majority MPs for the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen to be sacked. Mr. Adongo welcomed the news and said this move when successful will not be enough if the Bank of Ghana Governor is still in office. He believes Dr. Addison is equally incompetent and should step aside. ---citinewsroom Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim 25.10.2022 LISTEN The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim has claimed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given the Finance Ministry to Ken Ofori-Atta as a reward for helping him become President. Addressing the media in Parliament on Tuesday, the Member of Parliament for Banda Constituency alleged that Ken Ofori-Atta used his Data Bank to cushion the President during his campaign. He argues that it is the reason President Akufo-Addo has refused to sack the Finance Minister although things are not going well. I see their press briefing as long overdue. If they meant well, the day they went to a cabinet meeting and president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo pointed to them that 'you want me to sack my Finance Minister, when he was sponsoring my campaign where were you?' This is what he told them in a cabinet meeting. That was the day we were expecting them to come with such a statement, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim told the media. The Banda MP continued, The reason why Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo doesnt want to sack Ofori-Atta is that Ken Ofori-Atta used his Data Bank to support his campaign to become president. Therefore the Finance Ministry is as compensation to the Finance Minister. And thats why he is not sacking him. Early on Tuesday, the Majority Caucus in Parliament called on President Akufo-Addo to sack the Finance Minister. According to the MPs numbering over 80, they will boycott the 2023 budget reading and hearing if the President decides not to heed the call to sack of Ken Ofori-Atta. Pakistan will hold a formal inquiry into the killing in Kenya of a top TV news anchor who fled the country to avoid sedition charges, the prime minister said Tuesday. Arshad Sharif, a strident critic of Pakistan's powerful military establishment and supporter of former premier Imran Khan, died when Kenyan police opened fire on his car at a roadblock outside the capital at the weekend. Kenyan officials say it was a case of mistaken identity, as officers thought they were firing on a stolen vehicle involved in an abduction. "I have decided to form a Judicial Commission to hold an inquiry into the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in order to determine the facts of the tragic incident in a transparent & conclusive manner," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted on Tuesday. Mainstream and social media in Pakistan were rife with speculation that Sharif, who had spoken publicly about death threats against him, had been deliberately targeted. "It was a planned assassination," tweeted Shireen Mazari, a Khan loyalist and cabinet minister in his previous government, calling the official version of events a "lie". "We know, you know so don't in our time of grief add to our anger also." Sharif fled the country in August, days after interviewing senior opposition politician Shahbaz Gill, who said junior officers in Pakistan's military should disobey orders that went against "the will of the majority". The comment led to the news channel being briefly taken off air and an arrest warrant issued for Sharif. Gill was detained following the interview, and Khan's criticism of the judiciary over the detention led to his own appearance in court. Pakistan has been ruled by the military for several decades of its 75-year history and criticism of the security establishment has long been seen as a red line. It is ranked 157 out of 180 countries in a press freedom index compiled by Reporters without Borders, with journalists facing censorship and intimidation. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the establishment had "a long, grim record of violent tactics to silence journalists". Journalist Hamid Mir, who has survived at least two assassination attempts, cautiously welcomed the inquiry. "Please remember that a judicial commission comprising three Supreme Court judges was announced in 2014 to investigate assassination attempt on my life in Karachi," he tweeted. "I got six bullets. 8 years have been passed and I am still waiting for the commission report." The killing has also sparked outrage and suspicion in Kenya, where earlier this month, President William Ruto disbanded a police unit accused of extrajudicial killings, and vowed to overhaul the country's security forces. Sharif's body was due to be returned to Pakistan on Wednesday, his wife tweeted. Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikoi Central, Patrick Boamah, has said he does not believe in breaking the eight but in winning successive elections. According to the MP, he will support the removal of cabinet ministers, if that it is what it will take for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to win successive elections. Speaking to Class FMs Parliamentary Correspondent, Kekeli Havila, Tuesday, 25 October 2022, the Okaikoi Central MP, supported calls for the removal of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by the Majority caucus. It's a good call, that as a concerned majority, we want our government to succeed. So if for example common fund has not been released and its affecting the performance of MPs and MMDCEs who have been appointed by the President, then steps ought to be taken, we need to hear from our Finance Minister, we need to hear from our President on steps that are being taken. When it comes to the removal of a Minister, the Constitution says you need 2/3 of members present and voting and its like secret ballot, from the way things are you cannot guarantee it, you cannot and so I dont think its the interest of our side of government to remove our Minister. He noted that the party has to do what it deems best in order to sustain its interests of breaking the eight. But when push comes to shove, to save the party, the government that were asking to break the eight, which I dont believe in, I believe in winning successive elections. Were not here to win two elections and say were breaking the eight. No, he stressed. He added: I believe in winning successive elections, eight is just too small so whatever it takes for the government to put in place the right measures, if it requires removing all the cabinet ministers and setting up a new government, then well support it if that is what will win us successive elections, we support it. The majority caucus in parliament has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to compel Finance Minister Ken Ofor-Atta and the Minister of State in the Finance Ministry, to resign. The Majority caucus have also threatened to boycott the reading of the 2023 budget statement in Parliament if government fails to heed their demand. Speaking to the Parliamentary Press Corps, when Parliament resumed on today, spokesperson for the majority, Andy Appiah Kubi, noted that the recent economic challenges facing the country is of great concern to the majority caucus. He further noted that the removal of Mr Ofori-Atta from office will restore the hope of Ghanaians in the countrys economy. Were by this medium, communicating our strong desire that the President change the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State in the Finance Ministry without further delay in order to restore hope into the financial sector and reverse the downward trend in the growth of the economy, he said. He stressed that: The Minister of Finance Honourable Ken-Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Honourable Charles Adu-Boahen, be removed from office. According to the majority caucus, it will not participate in any government business in the House, if the two persons are not removed from office. Notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the majority caucus here in Parliament will not participate in any business of government by or for the President by any other Minister. Were saying that if our request is not responded to positively, we will not be here for the budget hearing neither will we participate in the debate, it said. Source: classfmonline.com The Minority Caucus in Parliament has taken steps to have the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta removed from office. The Minority successfully filed a motion of censure to initiate the processes to get rid of the underfire Finance Minister Today, Tuesday, October 25. The NDC Members of Parliament have also welcomed the decision by the Majority Caucus to join the calls for the dismissal of Ken Ofori-Atta. In compliance with Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the NDC Caucus in Parliament has successfully filed a motion for his immediate removal. Were glad theres positive indication some of our NPP colleagues will support us, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has confirmed in a post on social media. Earlier today, 80 Members of Parliament on the Majority side called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately remove Ken Ofori-Atta from the Finance Minister. The Majority MPs have threatened that failure of the President to heed their demand would be forced to boycott the 2023 budget hearing. We are unhappy with the developments in the country, we consulted our constituents who also expressed same sentiments. We want the President to remove Ken Ofori and Chares Adu Boahen. We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the President changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State in the Finance Ministry without further delay. We want to serve notice, and notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority Caucus here in Parliament will not participate in any business of Government by or, for the president by any other Minster, MP for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah Kubi told the media. Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo had earlier shot down calls to sack Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta. In his view, the Finance Minister has performed excellently and does not deserve to be sacked just because things have been tough since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Ghana. I came to office in 2017 when we were under an IMF programme. This same Ken Ofori-Atta was able to manage the economy for the first 3 to 4 years. We were then one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. We had an average growth rate of 7% a year. For someone who has been able to do all these, how do I turn my back on him? For me, his performance has been excellent. That is why I have great difficulty in understanding what is going on, President AKufo-Addo said in an interview with OTEC FM on Monday, October 17 during his four-day tour of the Ashanti Region. According to the President, he does not accept the criticism that his government has taken Ghana back to the IMF because of mismanagement. He argues that the current economic challenges have little to do with decisions taken by his government. It is very easy for people to say we went back to the IMF due to mismanagement of the economy. I do not accept that criticism because the reasons why we got into the situation we find ourselves has very little to do with us. In fact, the IMF confirmed this. It was a difficult decision to take, but I think that when you are in the church like I am now, you cannot but take such decisions. I am the head of the government and I take full responsibility for it., President Akufo-Addo stressed. Eleven leaders from Central Africa gathered in Kinshasa on Tuesday to discuss the troubles in Chad, where dozens were killed last week during protests at the military's grip on power. The summit of the Economic Community of Central African States is focussing on Chad's "political transition process," ECCAS said in a statement, referring to plans to return the country to civilian rule. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi's office, quoting what it described as a "source close to the (ECCAS) organisation," said the talks were likely to appoint a mediator in the process. The meeting comes days after clashes between Chadian police and protestors in which 50 people died, including a dozen members of the security forces, according to a government toll. Chad, an ECCAS member, is being represented by Mahamat Idriss Deby, who was appointed "transitional president" by a national forum earlier this month. The 38-year-old five-star general has been in power since his iron-fisted father, Idriss Deby Itno, was killed in an operation against rebels in April 2021. His junta initially vowed to hold elections within 18 months -- a deadline that has now been extended by two years. Deby also once pledged not to be a candidate in the future ballot, but the national forum declared he was entitled to take part. Tshisekedi, in an opening speech to the summit, called last week's bloodshed a "dramatic mistake." Hopes for national consensus, which had been the purported goal of the Chadian forum, "seem to have shattered," he said. "The political crisis... has unfortunately revived," Tshisekedi said. "The task now is to get the transition back on track," he said, before initiating talks behind closed doors. Chad. By (AFP) Thursday's protests had been called by opposition campaigners to mark the date when Chad's junta had promised to hand over power. But in a televised address late Monday, Deby said a "meticulously prepared insurrection" had taken place with the "support of foreign powers," which he did not name. A Geneva-based NGO, the World Organization against Torture (OMCT), earlier reported at least 80 deaths in a provisional casualty toll in N'Djamena and four southern towns -- Moundou, Doba, Koumra and Bebedjia. "Young people were reportedly summarily executed there this morning (Monday)," the OMCT said, adding that hundreds had been arrested, and some tortured. The African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) last week issued statements strongly condemning the crackdown and attacking violation of freedom of speech and assembly. Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Sammi Awuku, has confirmed the President of the World Lottery Association (WLA), Rebecca Paul, would be in Accra for the Authoritys 60th anniversary celebrations slated for 7th to the 10th of December this year. It has been an amazing gathering of all the Industry Players from over 100 countries committed to Responsible Gaming and Good Causes at the World Lottery Summit in Vancouver. Congratulations to President Rebecca Paul and her reelected executives as they continue to steer the affairs of the World Body for another term. The NLA is grateful that for the first time the World Lottery Association President will be visiting Africa to Grace our 60th Anniversary and the African Lotteries Association Conference in Accra in December, he revealed. Mr. Awuku, who just returned from the World Lottery Summit held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada said though the NLA chalked 60 September 29, 2022, the actual anniversary celebrations would be in December and would be attended by both Rebecca Paul and Ghanas President Akufo-Addo. Ghanas NLA was highly commended at the World Lottery Summit for responsible gaming and pragmatic steps against illegal lottery. Ghanas NLA has been spearheading a war against illegal lottery activities and adopted new creative measures put in place by the current Director-General, Sammi Awuku. The 2022 World Lottery Summit, attended by over a thousand delegates drawn from various continents said the WLA would be more focused on responsible gaming and good causes because illegal lottery led to revenue loss to the tune of 1.8 trillion dollars in 2022 alone. Ghana was represented at WLA Summit by Sammi Awuku and Dr. George Gyamfi-Osew the immediate past Director of Operations of the Authority. The World Lottery Authority (WLA) holds its meetings every two years but could not hold the 2020 event as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meetings amongst other things take stock of the various member countries' programs, Regional reports, suspensions and expulsions from the Association. Again, it is also to consider new members who meet the criteria and to promote Responsible Gaming and Good Causes within the various Lottery Bodies. This year two lottery bodies from Russia and Belarus were suspended by the Organization for their governments role in the ongoing Russian/Ukraine conflict which has left many dead. WLA President Rebecca Paul said since they were asked to denounce their role and prove that revenue generated were not being used to fund the war were not adhered to they must face the consequences. Karpowership Ghana Company Limited has awarded scholarships to 20 brilliant but needy students at the Takoradi Technical University (TTU) in the Western Region. The beneficiaries are students offering civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering programmes. They were selected through a competitive process that saw over 100 students apply. The applicants were screened and the top 20 were eventually selected to benefit from the scholarship scheme. The tuition fees and other educational expenses of the beneficiaries will be paid for by the company. The Corporate Communications Manager of Karpowership Ghana, Ms. Sandra Amarquaye explained the objective of the scholarship scheme is to support brilliant but needy students to continue pursuing tertiary-level education. She said the company was passionate about helping Ghana meet Sustainable Development Goal 4 on ensuring improved access to quality education. Ms. Amarquaye said the Karpowership TTU Scholarship Scheme will also offer opportunities to beneficiary students to undertake internship programmes with the company when they are on vacation. We would want these students to have a practical feel of what they are studying in class, our aim is to impact lives wherever we operate, she said. The Vice-chancellor of the university, Rev Prof John Frank Eshun expressing his gratitude to Karpowership for the gesture and advised the beneficiaries to justify the support received by focusing on their books. He said, this gesture by Karpowership is a clear indication that you share in the vision in the vision of Takoradi Technical University, that is poised to be a world class technical University recognized for execellence innovation and societal relevance. A beneficiary of the Karpowership TTU Scholarship Scheme Stephanie Larbie expressed appreciation to Karpowership Ghana for granting them the opportunity to be part of their scholarship programme aimed at shaping their future positively. Other officials present at the event included Pro Vice chancellor prof Victor Kweku Bonzie Micah, the Registrar Dr Moses Maclean Abnory and the Director of Finance Dr Gabriel Sam Ahinful. The Paris prosecutor's office is investigating a franco-russian association, in an effort to establish whether the organisation's leaders, a French MEP and a former senator, obtained advantages in exchange for promoting positions favourable to Moscow. Two inquiries are in progress, one concerning suspicion of corruption and abuse of office, the other investigating possible breach of trust and money laundering. According to a source close to the investigation, European Union parliamentarian Thierry Mariani, a member of the far-right National Rally, who has co-chaired the suspect association since 2012, and Yves Pozzo di Borgo, a former centrist member of the upper house Senate and member of the association, are at the centre of the probes. According to Le Monde daily, Mariani and Pozzo di Borgo benefited from trips financed by Russia. The investigation will seek to establish to what extent these inducements could be linked to positions taken in favour of Russia. The Franco-Russian Dialogue association was created in 2004 under the patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Jacques Chirac, his French counterpart at the time. It presents itself as "a privileged instrument of communication between the political, economic and cultural circles of the two countries" which aims to "contribute to the deepening of strategic relations and the privileged partnership between France and Russia". Preliminary investigations were opened following a report from Tracfin, the financial intelligence unit of the French economy ministry. Mariani told the French news agency AFP he was "stunned" when he "discovered the existence of these investigations through the press". He said the association's accounts were "transparent and controlled" and that he had not received "any payment" from the group. "I do not hold any shares in a Russian company," he said. Mariani added that the association had "returned the keys to the premises" it had been occupying because of a shortage of contributions. (With AFP) Four suspects arrested in connection with the disturbances recorded during the Constituency elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Fomena in the Ashanti Region over the weekend have been convicted. The Police on Sunday, October 23, 2022, arrested suspects Kingford Anku, Adjei Evans, Francis Amoah, and Akwesi Aquah in connection with disturbances during the Adansi North NDC Constituency election held at Fomena. As the ballots were being counted, the suspects destroyed chairs and other properties belonging to the Nana Abu Bonsra Primary School where the election was held. The four were arraigned before the Bekwai Circuit Court, today, October 25, and have been convicted and fined an amount of GHS6000.00 each or three months imprisonment in default. The Conviction has been officially announced through a statement by the Ghana Police Service on its Facebook page. The body of well-known Pakistani television journalist Arshad Sharif is being repatriated to Pakistan on Tuesday from Nairobi, Kenya, two days after he was allegedly killed by police at a roadblock on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital. Sharif was reportedly working on a documentary about a Pakistani criminal cartel that had ties in Kenya when he was killed. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier on social media he had spoken to Kenyan President William Ruto and was assured that he would investigate the killing. He is not related to the journalist. Kenya National Police Service (NPS) said in a statement that Sharif was killed by officers manning a roadblock after they mistook him and his brother Khurram Ahmed for kidnappers who had fled with a child from the Starehe neighbourhood in Nairobi. The statement added that their car, driven by Khurram, went through a police roadblock late Sunday evening that had been hastily constructed using small stones. The officers opened fire as the car went through without stopping. Nine bullets hit the car, and one hit Sharif in the head. Corruption documentary Sharif had left Pakistan after threats on his life for critically reporting on the current prime minister. According to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists, Sharif left Pakistan after police issued an arrest warrant following his interview on ARY TV with Shahbaz Gill, a close aide to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who made comments considered offensive by the military. Private Pakistani channel ARY TV was briefly taken off the air. ARY TV said on social media it was firing Sharif for breach of conduct. He reportedly came to Kenya in August, and he had been working on a documentary that featured Kenyan investigative reporter John-Allan Namu. Behind Closed Doors was focusing on what International Human Rights Foundation permanent member Adil Raja called state sponsored criminal cartel of Pakistan. Former prime minister Imran Khan came out, condemning former ARY prime time news anchor Sharif's killing, saying he was murdered for his journalism and called for an investigation. Kenya police watchdog Independent Police Oversight Authority said it was opening a probe into the case. "There's an alleged police killing of a Pakistani national at Tinga market, Kajiado county, last evening. Our rapid response team has already been dispatched," said IPOA Chairperson Ann Makori on Monday. The US also pressed the Kenyan government to investigate the death. We're deeply saddened by the death of Arshad Sharif. We encourage a full investigation by the government of Kenya into his death," said US State Department spokesman Ned Price. The body was flown from Nairobi to Doha, Qatar before arriving in Pakistan on Tuesday. The funeral will be held on Thursday. Subin MP, Hon. Eugene Boakye Antwi 25.10.2022 LISTEN Member of Parliament (MP) for Subin Constituency, Hon. Eugene Boakye Antwi has stressed that Ken Ofori-Atta must no longer be allowed to continue as Finance Minister. According to him, Ghana is a democratic country and should not be run like a family affair. Speaking to Asempa FM in an interview on Tuesday on the Ekosii sen programme, the Subin MP who is unhappy about the economic challenges wants Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta sacked saying, We're running a democracy and not a family dynasty. He explained that the 80 Majority Members of Parliament have nothing against the President or the Finance Minister but only want to save Ghana and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government. My principle is that I don't speak ill of fellow party members. I don't want to stretch Ken Ofori-Atta's issues. We are not against President Akufo-Addo nor Ken Ofori-Atta. We're fighting to save Ghana and the NPP. I have been loyal to President Akufo-Addo for 20 years and have nothing against him. We want Ken Ofori-Atta sacked, Hon. Eugene Boakye Antwi said. The Subin MP further noted that he is ready to put his parliamentary seat on the line and does not care if pushing for the sacking of the Finance Minister will cost him his seat. The concerned Majority MPs have warned that if President Akufo-Addo fails to fire Ken Ofori-Atta, they will be forced to boycott the 2023 budget hearing and all other government business in the House. Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has filed a motion of censure to have the Finance Minister removed. The president of the troubled Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadera, on Tuesday fired the country's top judge, a move the opposition lashed as a "constitutional coup" aimed at extending his time in power. Touadera issued a technical decree, read on national television and radio, that amounted to a sidelining of the head of the Constitutional Court, Daniele Darlan. It touched on regulations passed in 2017 covering the election of judges to the court, and said specifically that Darlan was now subject to "definitive preclusion" from office. A coalition of opposition parties and civil society groups, the Republican Bloc for Defending the Constitution (BRDC), accused Touadera of mounting "a constitutional coup d'etat." It "violates sacrosanct constitutional rules that (Constitutional Court) judges cannot be removed from office," the BRDC said, adding that it would file a lawsuit against the decree on Wednesday morning. Darlan has been a long-standing thorn in Touadera's side and is frequently attacked or threatened on social media and in pro-government rallies. On September 23, her court annulled presidential decrees setting up a committee to rewrite the constitution -- a move that had sparked fears Touadera was seeking to breach the country's two-term presidential limits. Approached by AFP, Darlan said she would refrain from commenting until the opposition's judicial complaint had been concluded. The CAR is one of the poorest and most unstable countries in the world, experiencing only rare moments of peace since it became independent from France in 1960. It plunged into bloody civil conflict in 2012 that was eased by an intervention by France, the former colonial power, and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission. As relative stability returned, Touadera was elected in 2016 and was returned for a second term in 2020, despite widespread accusations of electoral flaws. As rebel groups advanced on the capital during the election period, Touadera brought in Russian paramilitaries to help shore up his government, strengthening security ties with the Kremlin. Eleven pupils at a school for the blind in Uganda have burnt to death after a fire tore through a dormitory as they were sleeping in the early hours of Tuesday. The youngsters were trapped inside and unable to escape because the windows of the building had been made burglar-proof, a government minister told AFP. The disaster occurred at about 1 am (2200 GMT Monday) at the Salama School for the Blind in the district of Mukono, east of the capital Kampala. "The pupils were burnt beyond recognition and we are going to do a DNA test to establish their identities," Mukono district security head and presidential representative, Fatuma Ndibasa, told AFP. She said the dormitory that caught fire was housing 21 girls. "But three managed to escape, 11 died and six are admitted with serious injuries, one other girl had minor injuries." Earlier, one grieving father had told AFP he had lost his son in the blaze. Distraught family members gather after the fire at a school for the blind in Uganda. By BADRU KATUMBA (AFP) School headmaster Francis Kirube, who is also blind, said some disadvantaged boys at the school had been sleeping in a room next to the dorm, so the authorities were still trying to determine the identity of those who had died. "Unfortunately we have discovered the windows of the dormitory where they were sleeping, the windows were burglar-proofed (in line with a) government directive. So the pupils could not escape the fire and got burnt," the minister for people with disabilities, Hellen Grace Asamo told AFP. 'Crime scene' AFP images showed a charred but still largely intact building where the fire had broken out, its window frames and door blackened and the corrugated roof damaged. Map of Uganda locating Mukono, where a deadly fire broke out at a school for the blind. By (AFP) Forensic teams were seen in white protective gear at the school, while grieving parents gathered nearby, comforting each other. Internal Affairs Minister General Kahinda Otafiire told AFP that the school had been cordoned off as a "crime scene" and vowed that there would be a full investigation. "As government we shall go to the root cause of the fire and if there are any culprits they will be apprehended and the law will take its course," he added. Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles III, had been due to visit the school during her trip this week to Uganda, which marked its 60th anniversary of independence from Britain earlier this month. A trader in Mukono, Richard Muhimba, told AFP earlier that he had lost his son in the blaze, saying: "No words can explain the pain I am going through. "I visited my child on Saturday, he was in good health and in less than three days he is gone... Please give me time to go through this pain," said Muhimba, before hanging up. The school had opened in 1999. By BADRU KATUMBA (AFP) A friend told AFP that the child was aged 15 and that Muhimba was a father of five. The headmaster said that although Salama largely catered to blind girls between the ages of six to about 14, the school had taken on some disadvantaged boys from the local community and that some were sleeping in a next door room. The East African nation has suffered a string of deadly school fires in recent years. In November 2018, 11 boys perished and another 20 suffered severe burns in a suspected arson attack at a boarding school in southern Uganda. In April 2008, 18 schoolgirls burned to death along with one adult when a fire engulfed their dormitory at a junior school near the Ugandan capital. In March 2006, at least 13 children were killed and several hurt when fire razed an Islamic school in western Uganda. In July the same year, six children died in a similar fire in the east. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. There is something disgustingly distateful and utterly hypocritical about a former President, who's seeking to take another bite at the cherry being happy to oversee an amorphous operation codenamed "Ways and Means" to destabilise the current occupant of the same office he seeks to return to. Indeed, the great Greek philosopher Aristotle was right when remarked that "it is not possible to rule well without having been ruled. This Aristotle theory seem to have a perfect correlation with the antics of former President Mahama, who having failed to rule Ghana well when he had the opportunity is now engaging in evil machinations and inferior tactics to stage a comeback. Yes, the grapevine hadn't lie. Mahama and his surrogates are behind the persistent booing of president Akufo-Addo at various fora. It is trite that Mahama and his backers mobilised their supporters in London to masquerade as protesters to go and embarrass the president. Indeed, the paid agitators booed and hissed when President Akufo-Addo and his wife, Rebecca, were at the London School of Economics (LSE) to deliver to lecture in 2018. They followed it up to the US in 200, and resssurected their dirty scheme recently at the Global Citizen concert here in Accra. As if that is not enough, they did it yet again when the President visited Eastern and Ashanti Region just last week. As a matter of fact, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has alluded to this by indicating that the booing of President Akufo-Addo at the 2022 Global Citizens Festival in Accra was a reflection of the mood of the Ghanaian youth. There's also a commentary from Mahama front men like Okudzeto Ablakwa, Stan Dogbe and the likes stating that the booing will continue. What we are witnessing is gaslighting from a political party and its leader. I shouldn't, at this stage, be surprised the depths to which Mahama will stoop to, but he has shown everyone once again what a depraved and manipulative, scheming character he is. It has become second nature to the NDC and its media collaborators to put factional and personal interests above the country. We are having this conversation because Mahama is placing his own parochial ambition above national interest and to further his ambition to become President. It all makes you sick, and also says much about the current state of the NDC. Mahama had the mandate and he squandered it. We all know it. The attempt by the NDC to breathe life back and legitimacy into a politically dead Mahama is absolutely inconceivable. Realistically, how can the chaotic, shameless shambles of a man so recently defenestrated by the masses and thrown out of office in the wake of massive corruption and 'Dumsor economy,' conceivably hope to return to the presidency? This man was indescribably messy the last time he was at the Presidency. He broke the presidential code and was simply embarrassing at the job. Truly, Mahama was so tired on the job, and was so inadequate, so unpleasant and so very shabby. And yet he feels like staging a comeback by deploying inferior tactics against the very office he is seeking to come back to. If this country gave sancturary to him, allowing him to attain the highest office in the land, as well as having the opportunity to take as much as he could from the state, then he owes it as a matter of honour to all those who follow. Let those paid agitators and their stooges in the gutter press who championed all this terrible toxicity we have endured know that, a fool when given enough rope, eventually with absolute certainty, they will hang themselves. Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah Bonsu- Deputy Director of Communications, NPP 25.10.2022 LISTEN A Nigerian Signwriter who abducted a 14-year-old girl and defiled her has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Gender Based Violence Court at the Police Headquarters, Accra. Efe James Edema, 19, charged with defilement and abduction, pleaded guilty. The court presided over by Mrs Abena Amponsah Boansi convicted Edema on his own plea. Prosecution led by Inspector Opoku Aniagyei narrated that the complainant was the father of the victim. Inspector Aniagyei said the complainant resided at Ayikuma together with the victim and that the accused resided at Nungua. The prosecution said last year Edema went to work at Ayikuma and befriended the complainant and the family. It said, however, during September 10, this year, the accused, now convict, informed the complainant that his work had ended at Ayikuma, and that he would be returning to Nungua. To the surprise of the complainant, the prosecution said the complainant in the evening of September 10, this year, realised that the victim was no where to be found after Edema had left. It said the complainant went round in search of the victim but to no avail. The prosecution said the complainant, therefore, reported the matter to the Police at Ayikuma on September 11, 2022. It said the complainant then posted the pictures of the victim on the status of his phone and other social media platforms. Afterwards, the prosecution said the complainant was informed by his brothers at Nungua that, they had seen a girl who resembled the victim in the company of Edema. The prosecution told the court that the complainant asked his brothers to snap pictures of the accused and the victim and send same to him (the complainant). When the pictures of the victim and Edema were sent to the complainant, he identified the victim. The prosecution said the complainant went to the Nungua Police Station with an Extract of Occurrence from Ayikuma Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit for assistance. It said Edema was nabbed by the Police and the complainant was issued with a medical report to send the victim to the hospital for examination. A full medical report on the victim was submitted to the Police. GNA Okaikwei Central MP, Hon. Patrick Yaw Boamah 25.10.2022 LISTEN The Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikwei Central Constituency, Hon. Patrick Boamah has explained the calls by Majority MPs to sack Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. According to him, it has become necessary to ensure the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) following the deepening economic crisis that is making government unpopular. He noted that the direction the country is heading must be changed to give relief to the suffering Ghanaians and enhance NPP's chances in the next general election. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the Okaikwei Central MP stressed that all 80 Majority MPs who want President Akufo-Addo to sack Ken Ofori-Atta will support the President if he decides to fire all cabinet ministers as long as it will be in the interest of the NPP. When push comes to shove to save the party, the government that we are asking to break the 8 which I dont believe in, I believe in winning successive elections. We are not here to win two elections and say we are breaking the 8. No. I believe in winning successive elections, eight is just too small. So whatever it is for the government to put in place the right measures if it requires removing all the cabinet ministers and setting up a new government we will support it. If that is what will win us successive elections we will support it, Hon. Patrick Boamah argued. This was after some Majority MPs announced at a press briefing that it is time President Akufo-Addo dismissed Ken Ofori-Atta. The MPs are of the view that times are hard and the economy is performing badly under the Finance Minister. They believe that if he stays on, the NPP risks losing the 2024 general elections. Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has also filed a motion of censure to have the Finance Minister removed from office in accordance with the 1992 Constitution. Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is expected to visit India and Pakistan next month, according to reports. The Saudi Crown Prince is likely to visit the two countries on November 14 while on his way to the G20 summit in Bali (Indonesia), reports quoting sources said. The Crown Prince is visiting India on Modi's invitation, they added. It would be a day-long visit. Mohammed bin Salman had earlier visited India in 2019. 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. During their meeting, PM Salman and PM Modi are expected to exchange views on the present energy security scenario due to the Russian war in Ukraine , and the western coalition sanctions that neither India nor the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has joined. The visit has geopolitical significance given U.S.-Saudi tensions over oil production cuts by the OPEC+ grouping that includes Russia, after which U.S. President Joseph Biden, who will also be in Bali, had warned of consequences for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In Delhi , the two leaders will review bilateral projects including the progress on Mr. Salmans 2019 promise of $100 billion investment in India, particularly in oil reserves, and green energy projects, which hasnt yet fructified. Mr. Modi has visited Riyadh twice, in 2016 and 2019, and announced a number of MoUs and projects as well, which will be reviewed, said officials. On the other hand, Pakistan PM Shehbaz is visiting Saudi Arabia as the Saudi crown prince is also planning to visit Pakistan next month. Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman is expected to travel to Islamabad next month on a crucial visit Pakistan is hoping will lead to yet another financial bailout package from the oil-rich Arab nation. The visit comes at a time when the coalition government led by Shehbaz is facing an imminent long march of former prime minister Imran Khan and when Saudi Arabia is involved in a diplomatic row with the United States over the recent cut in oil supplies by major exporting countries. Pakistan in a surprise and significant move took a public stance on the US-Saudi row and backed Riyadhs position.But the statement in favour of Saudi Arabia at this juncture may help Pakistan get the much needed financial support from Riyadh. The US has been furious over the OPEC+ move to cut oil supplies by 2 million barrels a day despite request by President Joe Biden to the contrary. On the other hand, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has invited Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to visit Bangladesh in September this year. Ambassador of Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia handed over the invitation letter to the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Waleed El Khereiji at his ministry's office in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, said a press release issued today (September 30, 2022). The envoy also conveyed greeting to the Saudi prince for becoming prime minister of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz named his son and heir Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom's prime minister in September. MBS can visit Bangladesh to strengthen bilateral relations between Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia. Bangladesh and Sau Arabia need each other. Bangladeshi government and people also want the visit of the MBS. MBS' visit to Bangladesh will definitely pave the way of Saudi Investment in Bangladesh. MBS should visit Bangladesh as he visits South Asian countries such India, Pakistan. As Bangladesh as an important stakeholder in South Asia now, MBS should visit in Bangladesh also. During his meeting with Sheikh Hasina, Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also focused on trade, investment and defence sectors in October, 2018. Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has highly appreciated Bangladeshs tremendous development under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said that he wants to be a part of that development. Im aware of the stunning development that took place in Bangladesh at recent time and I want to be a part of that uplift, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque quoted the Saudi prince as saying while briefing reporters after a meeting between Al Saud and Hasina in Riyadh on Wednesday, reports BSS. Shahidul said Al Saud also asked Saudi officials to go to Bangladesh and send experts as well to find out what is happening there.Then we will take decision in which sectors Bangladesh needs investment, said Al Saud, who is also the kingdoms prime minister and defence minister. The official journey of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia relations started in 1975 when Riyadh recognized the newly born South Asian nation as a sovereign country. Since then these two countries have maintained cordial and close friendship. State-level visits from both sides have contributed to further developing their bilateral bonding. The current Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, is expected to visit Bangladesh on March 16. Bangladesh expects the visit will take bilateral ties to new heights by ensuring more economic cooperation. Muslim-majority Bangladesh attaches a special priority to its relations with Saudi Arabia as the birthplace of Islam. Both countries have common social norms and cultural values derived from their religious practices. Also, they share similar views on many regional and global issues, especially those directly related to the Muslim world. Their common interest led them to cooperate in different regional and international platforms such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations. Their current ties have further been reinforced by deepening cooperation in the fields of investment, trade, investment, manpower, defense, education and culture. As Bangladesh perceives Saudi Arabia as one of its trusted friends, it is the need of the hour to analyze the expectations of Bangladeshis from the KSA's MBS visit. Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh labor market cooperation Saudi Arabia is the most sought-after destination for Bangladeshi expatriates. From 1976 to 2021, Bangladesh exported 45.81 lakh migrant workers to the Kingdom -- almost 34 percent of the countrys total manpower export. Even amid the pandemic gloom in 2020 when most labor markets remained shut down, the Kingdom employed over 160,000 Bangladeshi workers. Last year, Bangladesh exported over 600,000 migrants abroad, of which 460,000, almost 76 percent, went to Saudi Arabia. In the last five years, Saudi Arabia has become the top destination for Bangladeshi migrant workforces. The richest Gulf country is implementing a number of mega projects under its Vision-2030 which may turn the country a better job destination for Bangladeshis if proper steps are taken during the upcoming visit. Bangladesh is on the highway to be graduated from the Least Developed Country (LDC) group by 2026. After the graduation, Bangladesh will not be eligible for many preferential treatments that are exclusively available for LDCs in global trade. Limited access to these preferential facilities will have adverse impact on the balance of payment of Bangladesh, especially with the unavoidable negative impact on its total export earnings. To counter these challenges, Bangladesh may negotiate with Saudi Arabia to ensure duty-free access to the Saudi market even after the LDC graduation. Support for Rohingyas Since the genocide orchestrated by Myanmar military on Rohingya community in 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting 1.2 million Rohingya refugees. Besides, Bangladesh had been experiencing a negative trend in the international humanitarian assistance funds for supporting these refugees. Being the leader of the Muslim world, Bangladesh may expect that Saudi Arabia will take initiative to end the plight of Rohingyas by ensuring their safe and dignified return to their homeland. Bangladesh may talk with the Saudi minister regarding more financial support to ensure life-saving assistance required to support the Rohingya refugees. Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh multidimensional relations The tremendous economic growth of Bangladesh in the last 50 years has made the country a financial and industrial hub of South Asia. According to the World Bank, Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies of the world supported by its consistent growth in ready-made garment exports, demographic dividend and stable macroeconomic conditions. Because of the economic success, Saudi Arabia now perceives Bangladesh - going beyond the religious dimension - as a lucrative investment destination. Saudi Arabia is now one of the most reliable bilateral development partners of Bangladesh, the relations dynamics of which have evolved from one-layered to multi-dimensional cooperation over time. The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) is planning to allocate some 300 acres of land to Saudi investors in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar in Chattogram. It is expected that both countries will sign billion-dollar worth investment proposals, from the part of Saudi Arabia, including some energy sector-related projects. Saudi investors can invest in Bangladesh's 100 special economic zones, large-infrastructure undertakings, textiles, IT and agro-based industries. Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh military ties On the initiative of King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and under the leadership of Saudi Defense Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the first Islamic military alliance in history was formed on 15 December 2015 comprising 34 Muslim countries including Bangladesh. Now the number of member states is 41. Military relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have been strengthened. A joint military exercise between the two countries was held already in March 2018, hosted by Saudi Arabia. The name of this exercise is Gulf Shield-1. Sixteen members of the Bangladesh Army took part in the month-long military exercise. This was the first joint military exercise of the Bangladesh Army with Saudi Arabia. Apart from Bangladesh and host Saudi Arabia, 23 other countries have taken part in it. Joint Gulf Shield 1, the exercises involved tens of thousands of personnel from the land, sea and air forces of 24 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the U.S., the U.K., Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt and Malaysia. Its purpose was to increase military cooperation. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina arrived in Saudi Arabia on April 15, 2018, to deliver and attend the closing ceremony. He was invited by King Salman of Saudi Arabia. Through this exercise, a new horizon of military relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia can be opened. Of course, this is a very strong decision from the side of Bangladesh. In the early 1990s, the Bangladesh Army participated in the Gulf War for the first time. The Bangladesh Army has ample opportunities to work with Saudi Arabia. Counterterrorism, economic diplomacy, tourism, Covid-19 vaccine diplomacy may be the sectors of mutual cooperation between KSA-Bangladesh relations. KSA always supports Bangladesh in favor of Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar, refugees who were forcibly displaced by the Myanmar government in 2017. Bangladesh has sheltered them temporarily. But they have to be repatriated in Myanmar in the long run. Hopefully, in the changed world situation and in the international political context, Saudi Arabia-Bangladeshs good relations will play a strong role in the Muslim world. Wherever Muslims in the world, including Syria, Iraq, Palestine and Myanmar, are being persecuted and oppressed, they will play an effective role in solving their problems. Every Muslim around the world has high hopes for Saudi Arabia. We hope that in the coming years, Saudi Arabia will do its best to fulfill its responsibilities through good relations with all Muslim countries, including Bangladesh. given that the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia has recently become more cordial. Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh commerce ties The Minister of Commerce of Saudi Arabia emphasized the importance of expanding trade between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia by using information technology and digital platforms and promoting Bangladesh's development progress and trade capabilities internationally. Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi. On October 12, 2022, in his office in Riyadh, the ambassador of Bangladesh appointed to Saudi Arabia. He emphasized these issues in a bilateral meeting with Mohammad Javed Patwari, BPM (Bar). Appreciating Bangladesh's progress in economic development after overcoming the epidemic, the Commerce Minister said that it is an expression of Bangladesh's capabilities. He said that good relations exist between brotherly Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. In order to take this relationship to a new level, he called for strengthening the commercial relationship between the two countries. He assured all cooperation from Saudi Arabia in this regard in the meeting. Referring to his visit to Bangladesh in 2019, the minister said that he has a long-standing relationship with Bangladesh. He highly praised the leadership of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and expressed hope to see Bangladesh as a strong economic power in the world in the near future. The Ambassador apprised the Minister about the recent initiatives taken between the two countries in the field of trade and commerce. He also informed about the 14th joint commission meeting to be held between the two countries at the end of this month. At this time, the ambassador sought the minister's assistance regarding duty-free entry of 137 products from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia. The minister assured effective support in this regard. He expressed interest in increasing the import of these products in Saudi Arabia by referring to Bangladesh's advanced sectors such as fish, halal meat, ready-made garments, leather products, medicine, electronics and ceramic products. Besides, the two sides also discussed the ongoing Saudi investment in Bangladesh and the Saudi proposal in this regard. During his visit to Bangladesh in 2019, the Ambassador referred to the agreement of the two sides to establish a 'Joint Working Group' to enhance bilateral trade and sought the assistance of the Commerce Minister in this regard. The Minister emphasized the expansion of trade between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia by increasing bilateral communication using information technology and digital platforms. At the same time, he also emphasized on effective promotion of Bangladesh's growing economy and commercial potential internationally. Saudi Arabia will always remain beside Bangladesh in various aspects in order to make its dream come true towards the development, Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa bin Yousef Al Duhailan said. In a message marking the 92nd Saudi National Day today (September 24, 2022), he said Saudi-Bangladesh relation is deep-rooted and excellent based on strong foundation of religious, cultural, economic and humanitarian ties." Saudi Arabia always stands beside Bangladesh helping it, especially in the time of hardship," he said. Essa bin Yousef said Saudi-Bangladesh relations witnessed more strength after the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the Kingdom in 2016 and meeting with the King of Saudi Arabia King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, as well as frequent high-level visits by a number of Bangladeshi high officials to Saudi Arabia and vise-versa. Samina Akhter, a columnist About 75 health workers in Obuasi are undergoing training in cervical cancer prevention and other infectious diseases in Obuasi. The month-long capacity building workshop is being sponsored by AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine as part of its 10-year Socio-Economic Development Plan. Addressing the media after a short opening ceremony, Dr. Justin Sonaa Dakora, Principal Medical Officer of the AGA Health Foundation said the training workshop was specifically designed to equip healthcare workers in Obuasi with the skills and knowledge to deal with cervical cancer and other infectious diseases. Current estimates indicate that every year 2,797 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 1,699 die from the disease in Ghana. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in women in Ghana after breast cancer. It is reported that most nurses, midwives, Physician Assistants and Medical Doctors (including Specialists) graduate without the skills to screen for cervical precancer and treat precancerous lesions of the cervix to prevent cancer. This, Dr. Dakorah believes has become necessary for AngloGold Ashanti to step in to sponsor nurses and health practitioners in general to undergo training on how to identify cervical cancer, testing and appropriate treatment for it. "We are doing this training for a month. The Ultimate Goal is to have a cervical cancer center in Obuasi in about a year or two. So I call on all stakeholders to put our shoulders to the wheel and work together to achieve this." Dr. Justin Sonaa Dakora also emphasized that the training will also focus on other infectious diseases like COVID-19, Ebola, HIV and Hepatitis B prevention. With the lesson learnt from the outbreak of COVID-19, he said it is important for health workers to be abreast with information on how to prevent COVID-19 and other related diseases. He also hinted that the training program will focus on Neonatal resuscitation which he said was critical in their bid to reduce Neonatal deaths in Obuasi. Bridging the capacity building gap in the health sector Miss Delphine Gborgblorvor, the Obuasi East District Health Director on her part lauded Anglogold Ashanti for its resolve to train healthcare professionals in Obuasi. She said the company has lined up series of training workshops, all in their quest to close the capacity building gap in healthcare delivery in Obuasi. "It is obvious that there are gaps regarding training for our Staff. Government cannot do it all so we continue to rely on AngloGold Ashanti who have been supportive over the years in training and provision of medical support," she stated. Addai Owusu, the Coordinator for Sustainable Development Partner (SDP), facilitators for the workshop said the training was on a need basis stating that infectious disease prevention, cervical cancer prevention and Neo-natal resuscitation are areas of major concern in Obuasi. 25.10.2022 LISTEN The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has extended a congratulatory message to the new UK Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak. The 42-year-old Rishi Sunak has been elected the new UK Prime Minister. British Asian replaces Liz Truss to become the 57th British Prime Minister. In a statement on social media, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has extended a goodwill message to the new PM. The President in his statement says he hopes the tenure of Rishi Sunak will see Ghana and the UK strengthening their ties of cooperation and collaboration. Warm congratulations to Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak, on becoming the 57th British Prime Minister in this difficult period of his countrys and the worlds fortunes I am hopeful that his tenure of office will strengthen and deepen even further the ties of co-operation, collaboration and friendship between Ghana and Great Britain, and provide us with the platform to create progress and prosperity for our respective peoples. Congratulations, once again, and best wishes for his and his countrys success, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said in a post on Twitter. Mr. Sunak in the past has served as MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire and was also the British Chancellor under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The ECOWAS Resident Representative Office in Liberia and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in collaboration with international partners formally launched a series of dialogues on peace, security and development on Friday, 21, October 2022. The exercise will comprise monthly national dialogues on carefully selected topics to be addressed by various international partners and is expected to be rolled out over 11 months. Delivering the keynote address and performing the formal launch of the dialogue series, H.E. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia, applauded the concept of the dialogue series as a pathway for consolidating peace. Minister Kemayah pledged the unwavering support of the Government of Liberia to ensure the conduct of free, fair, transparent, peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in keeping with international standard and best practice. H.E. Josephine Nkrumah, Resident Representative of the President of ECOWAS Commission in Liberia, speaking at the event, reemphasized the critical role ECOWAS continues to play in conflict prevention, peace building, and security through the various strands of stakeholder engagements, and the implementation of protocols on good governance and security. The overarching objective has been to foster political stability, socio-economic development and a realization of the dividends of democratic governance for the ECOWAS Community that indeed is an ECOWAS of the people a people centered approach to ECOWASs primary objectives," Ambassador Nkrumah informed the audience. Ambassador Nkrumah commended the Government and good people of Liberia for the immense and enduring goodwill ECOWAS continues to enjoy in the country. She noted that it was a true attestation to the strong bond built over a difficult phase of Liberias journey towards peace, security and development. It is in the spirit of this bond that we will be sharing our joint experiences, reflections and views from a regional perspective and contextualized within the Liberian socio-economic and political landscape, Ambassador Nkrumah disclosed. In brief remarks, His Excellency Dr. Jakob Haselhuber, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Liberia, pointed out that as in a years time, Liberia will be heading towards Presidential and parliamentary elections, they as outside observers, partners and friends of the Liberian people follow with great interest the developments in the run-up to the elections. Ambassador Haselhuber then assured Liberians: we will stand by your side for the further strengthening of democracy and the rule of law in your beautiful country. For his part, Professor T. Debey Sayndee Director, Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation, University of Liberiaexpressed appreciation to ECOWAS and partners for the bold and laudable step taken by to engage on issues of peace, security, and development for Liberia. The Minority in Parliament has said Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia must also be held accountable for Ghanas economic crisis. As some Majority MPs and the Minority in Parliament piled pressure on the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, stressed that Dr. Bawumia needed to resign as the Chairman of the Economic Management Team now to save the Ghanaian cedi and the economy of Ghana. The Minority said it would have used its power to go after the Vice President if that was possible. I believe that he [Ofori-Atta] did not do this alone. The Vice President must be made to step aside as the chairman of the Economic Management Team because he has failed woefully. Unfortunately, Parliament does not have the right to censure him on that grounds. If not, we would have gone after him first, Mr. Forson said. The briefing came after Parliament resumed from recess and some Majority MPs had called for the dismissal of Mr. Ofori-Atta , and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen. The Minority has also filed a motion for a vote of censure on the Finance Minister. ---Citinewsroom The First batch of 100 river wardens out of 300 being trained have successfully completed a four-week intensive pre-deployment training course at the Eastern Naval Command in Tema. They were trained to protect the country's water bodies and prevent them from further pollution by the activities of illegal miners. At the passing-out ceremony in Tema, Mr George Mireku Duker, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, in charge of Mines, said the first batch were drawn from districts along the Ankobra, Bonsa, Pra and Tano rivers. He said the training was to develop their swimming, water confidence and boat handling techniques, which were achieved through classroom lectures, practical demonstrations, physical training and drills. The Deputy Minister said the training of the wardens underscored the government's determination to fight illegal mining and build a responsible, viable and sustainable industry that would be beneficial to the state and the investment community. The small-scale mining sector was a channel through which the country could build local champions to meet the target of ownership enhancement in the industry. Operation Halt II, Community Mining Scheme, procurement of gold katcha machines, speed boats and the recent engagement with chiefs and the assemblies for support are measures instituted by the government to mitigate illegal mining. Statistics from the mining sector showed that small-scale mining was one of the key drivers of Ghana's economy, hence the necessity to properly regularise it at all levels. Mr Mireku Duker appealed to Ghanaians to support the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) as a national concern, particularly to communities along the river bodies, and report those involved to the authorities. He congratulated the wardens and urged them to discharge their duties with patriotism, selflessness and integrity, adding; Daunting days lie ahead of you. The temptations of bribery, greed for money and many more are likely to sway off your purpose, but I urge you to put on the armour of patriotism and above all, foster peace and prosperity in the various communities through which the various river bodies flow. Some of the trainees received awards for exceptional performance in the various drills. These included best swimmer, best boat handler, best team leader, Best Physical Trainee, Best in Drill, and Overall best trainee. The Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command, Commodore Emmanuel Ayesu Kwafo, said the initiative was a valuable addition to the many efforts to curb illegal mining. He expressed the hope that the partnership would go a long way to end illegal mining on river bodies and destruction caused to lands and natural resources. GNA Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has backed some New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament who want Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta fired. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, Mr. Iddrisu said the Finance Minister is not fit to find solutions to the current economic difficulties plaguing Ghana. Pouring out his frustrations with the current happenings around the economy, Haruna Iddrisu said Ofori-Atta: cannot manage or supervise his own mess, he is not fit for purpose. He, therefore, called on his colleagues on the other side of the House to ensure Ofori-Atta is removed. The Minority in Parliament has already filed a motion for a vote of censure against Ofori-Atta in addition to some NPP MPs who are calling for the head of the Finance Minister and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen. The Majority Leader further indicated that no Minister in government is beyond the reach of censure and reproach if the prevailing conditions call for such measures. Mr. Speaker, we are serving you notice that we will take every step that this Parliament hasto censure any Minister who is not living up to expectation, and we will lead the way with the Honorable Minister for Finance. ---citinewsroom Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu is worried Ghana may not be able to secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund before the reading of the 2023 budget. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday as the House returned from recess, Mr. Iddrisu the delay sealing the IMF support could have dire consequences on the Ghanaian economy. Mr. Speaker, sooner than later, in pursuit of the Public Financial Management Act, the Minister for Finance will have to appear before us with his budget statement for 2023. My wish would have been that he secured an IMF bailout before the budget, but that does not seem possible. And that itself comes with major economic ramifications for our country, he stressed. I am told that the IMF wants to further conduct debt sustainability analysis because they are not satisfied with the last examination of our books that they did. Probably, a debt restructuring may become necessary, but I am saying that, ideally Ghana should secure an IMF bailout before budget because what budget will you be presenting without a position of the IMF? The heat for the removal of the Finance Minister and Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, has intensified, with some New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament also adding their voice to such call. The Minority in Parliament has already filed a motion for a vote of censure against Ofori-Atta. Touching on the motion, Haruna Iddrisu said: Mr. Speaker, we are serving you notice that we will take every step that this Parliament hasto censure any Minister who is not living up to expectation, and we will lead the way with the Honorable Minister for Finance. So what I will expect from my fellow opposites is to support us to exit him [Ken Ofori-Atta]. He cannot manage or supervise his own mess, he is not fit for purpose, he charged the Majority Caucus to stand with them in the demand for Ofori-Attas removal. ---citinewsroom October 25, 2022 Media Continue To Push 'U.S. Officials Said' Claims Even When Those Are Obvious Lies Back in April it was widely reported that the U.S. government is intentionally lying about the war in Ukraine: In a break with the past, U.S. is using intel to fight an info war with Russia, even when the intel isn't rock solid - April 6, 2020 - NBC News It was an attention-grabbing assertion that made headlines around the world: U.S. officials said they had indications suggesting Russia might be preparing to use chemical agents in Ukraine. President Joe Biden later said it publicly. But three U.S. officials told NBC News this week there is no evidence Russia has brought any chemical weapons near Ukraine. They said the U.S. released the information to deter Russia from using the banned munitions. Its one of a string of examples of the Biden administrations breaking with recent precedent by deploying declassified intelligence as part of an information war against Russia. The administration has done so even when the intelligence wasnt rock solid, officials said, to keep Russian President Vladimir Putin off balance. Coordinated by the White House National Security Council, the unprecedented intelligence releases have been so frequent and voluminous, officials said, that intelligence agencies had to devote more staff members to work on the declassification process, scrubbing the information so it wouldnt betray sources and methods. Despite knowledge that the U.S. government officials are lying to them 'journalists' at major U.S. media continue to report their 'not rock solid' claims as facts. The New York Times reports on the northern Kherson region, where new Russia troops deployments prevent a long planned Ukrainian attack: They are not preparing to exit now, Gen. Kyrylo O. Budanov, the head of Ukraines military intelligence service, said in an interview with a Ukrainian news outlet, Ukrainska Pravda, that was published on Monday. They are preparing to defend. ... They are creating the illusion that everything has gone, General Budanov said. At the same time, on the contrary, they are bringing in new military units there and preparing the streets of the city for defense. The loss of Kherson would be a severe military and symbolic blow for Mr. Putin, who has rejected requests from his commanders on the ground that they be allowed to retreat from the city. A look at the map will immediately throw the last assertion into doubt. bigger bigger The northern Kherson region on the right side of Dnieper river is a strategic launching pad that allows for future attacks in several directions - Mykolaiv, Odessa, Kryvy Rih, Nikolaiev, Dnipro and beyond. No officer who has learned a bit about wars would want to give up such a strategic position. That is why the assertion that commanders requested a retreat from that area strikes me as obviously false. A click on the link the New York Times provides to support its claim convinces me that it stinks: President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has thrust himself more directly into strategic planning for the war in Ukraine in recent weeks, American officials said, including rejecting requests from his commanders on the ground that they be allowed to retreat from the vital southern city of Kherson. A withdrawal from Kherson would allow the Russian military to pull back across the Dnipro River in an orderly way, preserving its equipment and saving the lives of soldiers. The mid September report quoted above provides zero evidence that the claim made by 'American officials' is based on anything but fantasy. It is simply an assertion, likely a false one, by U.S. officials. In a current Washington Post piece U.S. officials make a similar but different assertion which, again, is likely false: The confidant who vented to Russian President Vladimir Putin recently about his militarys handling of the war in Ukraine was Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the founder of a Russian mercenary group that is playing a critical role for Moscow on the battlefield in Ukraine, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Prigozhins criticisms echoed what he has been saying publicly for weeks, the officials said, speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive intelligence. But the revelation that he felt comfortable sharing such a harsh rebuke of the Russian military effort with Putin in a private setting shows how his influence is rising as Moscows war falters. ... The Washington Post previously reported that a Russian insider confronted Putin personally to spotlight mismanagement of the war effort but did not name that individual. The Post reported that the exchange was considered significant enough to include in the daily intelligence briefing provided to President Biden. Prigozhins frustration with the Russian Defense Ministry and his growing tension with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu are also the subject of a separate U.S. intelligence report that has been circulating among officials in Washington, according to people who have read the file. So U.S. intelligence is claiming that Prigozhin and Putin recently had a meeting during which Prigozhin vented his anger. How would the U.S. know that? Does it have microphones inside the Kremlin? Is there a mole deep inside Putin's administration who serves him his tea? I don't think so. Down in the 11th paragraph the Post finally says that Prigozhin himself is strongly denying any recent meeting with Putin as well as any 'venting': Prigozhin denied recent personal contact with Putin in comments to The Washington Post made late Monday through his press service. First, I did not communicate personally with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin either recently or in any foreseeable future. I did not criticize the management of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the conflict in Ukraine. Therefore, I cannot comment on anything, he said, adding that he had no right to criticize or praise the work of Russias armed forces since he was not a military expert. That statement sounds more truthful to me than any of the claims those anonymous U.S. officials make. So why do U.S. officials come up with such nonsense? NBC News and other outlets told us why: The administration has done so even when the intelligence wasnt rock solid, officials said, to keep Russian President Vladimir Putin off balance. That is of course not the real reason. Putin is a professional. He knows what requests his commanders have made or not made. He knows that he did not meet Prigozhin. The real function of those false assertions is to project Russia as weak, to deceive the U.S. public to keep up the support for the U.S. proxy war against Russia. That may or may not work. But as long as 'journalists' are willing to write down such nonsense there are also no costs to any of the 'U.S. officials' producing it. They will only stop making up shit when they are called out for it. Posted by b on October 25, 2022 at 14:09 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page By Chen Yang When answering a question about a bilateral security agreement recently signed by the Japanese and Australian governments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the regular press conference on October 24 that, "the Asia-Pacific region does not need military blocs, still less groupings that could provoke bloc confrontation or stoke a new Cold War. People in the region will be on heightened alert and stand against any act that undermines regional peace and stability and hurts regional solidarity and cooperation". Asahi Shinbun reported on October 23 that Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida held talks with his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese in Australia the day before, and they released a new joint declaration on security cooperation 15 years after the previous one. The two countries have had frequent interactions recently. On May 24, 2022, just one day after he was sworn in, Albanese flew to Tokyo for the Japan-Australia-India-US (QUAD) Leaders' Meeting, during which he had one-on-one talks with Kishida. They then both attended the NATO summit in June. In September, Albanese flew to Tokyo again for former prime minister Shinzo Abe's funeral and talked with Kishida. Sankei Shimbun commented on Kishida's recent visit to Australia that it is not only his first visit to the country since taking office in October 2021 but also an answer to Albanese's earlier visit in order to build a friendly personal relationship. Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center of East China Normal University, said Fumio Kishida originally planned to visit Australia in January 2022 but had to postpone it because of COVID-19. Seeing adjustments in Canberra's domestic and foreign policies after the election in May, he decided to pay the visit now partly to reaffirm bilateral relations. Canberra's choice of Perth, a western city by the Indian Ocean, as the site of the meeting is highly symbolic it implies the Japan-Australia relationship is in the service of America's Indo-Pacific strategy. Japanese media believed Japan and Australia are one step closer to becoming "quasi allies", citing the new joint declaration on security cooperation, which is a highlight of Kishida's Australia visit. According to Chen Hong, the signing of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) early this year and the release of the new joint declaration now have cleared the way for Australia to interfere in Northeast Asian affairs and for Japan to enhance its influence in South Pacific via Australia. Their next steps are worth close attention. Both Japan and Australia are Americas allies in the Asia Pacific. In recent years, they have taken an active part in supporting the Big Brothers strategic deployments in the region, either joining the US-led small circles or throwing their weight around on Americas back or organizing the so-called joint military exercises, which have seriously undermined regional peace and stability. Chen Hong attributed the intensified Japan-Australia cooperation based on the Indo-Pacific strategy to Americas influence. Australia is a member of both the Five Eyes and the AUKUS, two organizations that Japan is barred from joining directly by its domestic laws. However, by deepening its defense relation with Australia, Japan can indirectly get one foot in these two small circles infused with Cold War mentality and ideological confrontation, in hopes of raising its position in Americas Asia-Pacific strategy. This will in a way expand the Five Eyes alliance and the AUKUS, which doesnt bode well for peace and stability in the Asian Pacific region. Editor's note: Originally published on haiwainet.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Students' desk adhere to social distancing requirements in a classroom during a news conference at New Bridges Elementary School, ahead of schools reopening, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in New York, Aug. 19, 2020. Snake escape shuts down Swedish zoo Bangkok Post (furzy) Penguin feathers may be secret to effective anti-icing technology PhysOrg (Chuck L) Philippines: Student anti-cheating exam hats go viral BBC (resilc) Experiments Spell Doom for Decades-Old Explanation of Quantum Weirdness Quanta (David L) The biological research putting purpose back into life Aeon (Anthony L) Epics overhaul of a flawed algorithm shows why AI oversight is a life-or-death issue STAT Being just 5kg overweight increases odds of needing new knees by up to one-third, Australia study finds South China Morning Post #COVID-19 Math Scores Fell in Nearly Every State, and Reading Dipped on National Exam New York Times (resilc). Attributed to Covid, but: NYC students took hit in math, gained slightly in English, during pandemic New York Post. Could very much use reader assistance. I tried searches, and found no evidence of remotely similar declines in the UK or France. Is this just search sucking or did the US do a particularly lousy job with remote learning during Covid? Recall in addition that the UK had more strict lockdowns than the US did. New study: "At 3-6 mo. after mild/asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, virus-specific antibodies in saliva were substantially induced signifying a strong reactivation of latent viruses (EBV, HHV6 and HERV-K) #MECFS antibody responses were significantly stronger" #LongCovid 1/ pic.twitter.com/Z3nUa1qcye Climate/Environment China? What would a US war with China look like? Responsible Statecraft Inside Myanmars anti-junta rebel forces DW (resilc) Old Blighty Is Rishi too rich to be PM? Unherd. Deadly subhead: People wont accept austerity from a man with a heated pool. New Not-So-Cold War Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharovas comment in connection with information about Kievs plans to stage a dirty bomb provocation Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. (hat tip Tom Pfotzer). Notice in para 3, Zakharova describes where the dirty bomb is supposedly being built. It is hard to imagine that Russia has not brought at least these details to the attention of its major allies, and if the intel is good or at least colorable, this puts a crimp in the plans, since the entire point is to pin the tail on Russia. See also: Russia ready explain to everyone interested what Kievs plotting, diplomat says TASS. This appears to be based on later remarks or perhaps the Q&A. From Rev Kev after I saw the above: LAVROV CONFIRMS INFORMATION THAT KIEV INTENDS TO USE DIRTY BOMB FALSEFLAG Bitchute. Russia not backing down. Lavrov says (contra Western claims) that Russia is supplying info. Source: Russia Requests UNSC Meeting on Kievs Dirty Bomb Plans Sputnik US breaks ice, Russia thaws Indian Punchline (Kevin W). Hopefully correct re trajectory, but the messaging is going full bore the other way, as in promoting escalation. Also overlooks that State and the CIA really want a war with Russia, while the Pentagon does not, and State and the CIA seem to have Bidens ear. * * * Frustrating not to be able to get updates on if and how much electrical grid and other shelling Russia has done overnight, since its an indicator of pacing and objectives, as well as the degree to which Ukraine is getting better at shooting down Russian missiles and drones. The MSM has gone pretty quiet on this topic and Twitter is not very good. This is a new item but it reflects past damage and the likely pace of repairs, not any action as of 10/25: https://t.co/2U0PAo0Ayq The Ukrainian national energy company Ukrenergo announced that it has limited the supply of electricity to industrial consumers throughout Ukraine. B92.net in English (@b92english) October 25, 2022 * * * Business groups say bans on Russian aluminium will decimate European industry Reuters (guurst) Russia becomes second largest gas supplier to China, surpassing Australia Interfax The price of gas in Europe fell below $1,000 per thousand cubic meters Teller Report Russian Oil Logistics In Chaos With Weeks Until Sanctions Bite Bloomberg (guurst) * * * Progressive Caucus tries to clarify call for Biden to find diplomatic solution to Ukraine The Hill Whatever Happened to the Antiwar Left? American Conservative Ukraine: German President Steinmeier arrives in Kyiv DW * * * Yves here. Please note that the title is in quotes because it is the translated title of a new article from a Russian military journal that Helmer has translated in full below. Aside from this nervous-making reading, officials in Russia do appear to be genuinely edgy: By John Helmer who has been the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to have directed his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. Originally published at Dances with Bears Last week on October 19 the US Navy announced that General Michael Erik Kurilla [lead image, lower right] , commander of CENTCOM, conducted a visit aboard the USS West Virginia [top], a U.S. Navy Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine at an undisclosed location at sea in international waters in the Arabian Sea. Kurilla was joined on the USS West Virginia by Vice Admiral Brad Cooper [lower left], commander of the U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet and NAVCENT. The Fifth Fleet and the Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) are headquartered at Bahrain on the Persian Gulf. From Bahrain down the Gulf to the Masirah Island airbase, off Oman, is a flight distance of 1,047 kilometres. From Masirah to the West Virginia and its escort was within helicopter flight range. Two days later, the Pentagon reported that on October 21, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu. Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing war against Ukraine. They spoke again on October 23, according to Austins spokesman, because Shoigu had requested a follow up call. Less than 24 hours elapsed before Austin telephoned his Kiev counterpart, Alexei Reznikov, to reiterate[d] that the United States rejects the public and false allegations by Russia about Ukraine and any attempt to use them as a pretext for further Russian escalation of its unlawful and unjustified war against Ukraine. The same day, in the Moscow evening, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a communique confirming that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley spoke with Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov today by phone. The military leaders discussed several security-related issues of concern and agreed to keep the lines of communication open. In accordance with past practice, the specific details of their conversation will be kept private. RIA, the Russian state news agency, reported that in their conversation the generals discussed the possibility raised by Moscow that Ukraine might use a dirty bomb. The call took place shortly after a similar conversation between Gerasimov and his British counterpart. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the British chief of staff, announced that Gerasimov had requested their conversation. According to Radakin, he had rejected Russias allegations that Ukraine is planning actions to escalate the conflict, and he restated the UKs enduring support for Ukraine. The military leaders both agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the UK and Russia to manage the risk of miscalculation and to facilitate de-escalation. The conversation followed the Defence Secretarys call with his Russian counterpart yesterday and a call between the Foreign Ministers of France, the UK, and the USA last night. That preceding call of foreign ministers, involving Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the US, produced a joint statement of committ[ment] to continue supporting Ukraines efforts to defend its territory for as long as it takes. Earlier today, the defense ministers of each of our countries spoke to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu at his request. Our countries made clear that we all reject Russias 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. We further reject any pretext for escalation by Russia. Blinken then telephoned his Kiev counterpart, Dmitry Kuleba, to repeat both parts of the message that the Ukraine should not escalate to using a nuclear weapon, and that Russia should do likewise. In case there was hardness of hearing or weakness of command and control in Kiev, or ambiguity between what Reznikov and Kuleba thought they were hearing from Washington and London, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had met Austin at the Pentagon on October 18. They then telephoned to talk again on Sunday, when they reaffirm[ed] the U.S.-UK defense relationship and the importance of transatlantic cooperation. Their conversation today was a continuation of their discussion at the Pentagon last week, which covered a wide range of shared defense and security priorities, including Ukraine. Austin telephoned Kiev again yesterday to repeat to Reznikov that he should make sure the allegation of a Ukrainian nuclear weapon escalation was false; and that the allies had given Moscow this assurance in exchange for Moscows undertaking against further escalation read Russian nuclear response. At the same time yesterday, Vzglyad, the Moscow security publication, published its assessment of the escalating nuclear threat to Russia from the US, as the Kremlin, Defence Ministry, General Staff and the Stavka see it now. A translation into English follows. Left to right: General Valery Gerasimov; General Mark Milley; Admiral Sir Tony Radakin; General Lloyd Austin. Source: https://vz.ru/ The US has shown its readiness to launch a nuclear strike on Russia. October 24, 2022 Text: Alexander Timokhin Does the United States have the ability to instantly, within a few minutes, launch a disarming and unreciprocated nuclear strike on Russia? For decades, it was assumed that no, any US attack would cause an immediate similar response from the Russian armed forces. But now there is reason to believe that Washington has come to a different conclusion and brazenly demonstrates it. On Thursday, October 20, an exceptional event took place in the Arabian Sea. It was publicly announced that Michael Kurilla, commander of the US Central Command, paid a visit to the Ohio-class West Virginia SSBN (submarine with ballistic nuclear missiles), which specially surfaced in the Arabian Sea. This submarine, like all its sister ships, is armed with 24 Trident II ballistic missiles, each of which can carry 10 warheads at a maximum, which in total gives the vessel an ammunition supply of 240 strategic nuclear warheads. But the fact is that the purpose of such vessels is always to be secretive and never to reveal the location of their patrol. The fact that now the location of this SSB [ballistic missile submarine] is expressly highlighted, it is impossible to understand otherwise than a special signal. It is difficult to remember when earlier in this way any American military commander so clearly and openly visited a boat at sea on combat duty. All this is directly related to the nuclear deterrence system that exists between Russia and the United States. Nuclear deterrence and nuclear attack Nuclear war, the preparation for it and its conduct, is not as simple as the average person thinks. Lets briefly list the key concepts. When two sides in this case, Russia and the United States both have nuclear weapons, and the means of their delivery to enemy territory, a missile attack warning system, and the technical capability to launch ballistic missiles after this system detects the launch of enemy missiles, then a simple missile attack becomes suicide for the attacker. If the United States or Russia launches their ballistic missiles at the enemy, the enemy will be able to launch their missiles before the attacking sides missiles reach their target. Such a strike, when a counterattack is carried out before the enemys missiles have reached target, is called a counter-counter [-]. It is applied with the help of intercontinental ballistic missiles based in deep underground silos and ready to launch immediately. The problem is that the interval from launch command to the counter-strike takes time. And besides, it is necessary that someone from among the leaders who have the authority to order such a strike would be physically able to do it that is, would be alive, conscious, and so on. This vulnerability can be exploited by delivering a socalled (for Americans, the term is decapitation strike). A strike aimed at destroying the leadership. There are various ways to prevent or to balance the consequences of such a strike we will not list them, nor the methods of their application (not only by missile strike). In addition to the decapitating blow, there is such a thing as a disarming blow ( counterforce strike). Its goal is to attack the nuclear arsenal of the victim country in such a way that the enemy, even with a workable leadership, simply does not have time to launch its missiles in response. To do this, the time for which the blow is struck should be less than the enemy needs to make a decision and pass the order to the launchers. Therefore, in addition to providing a retaliatory nuclear strike, the countrys nuclear forces have been invested with the means of ensuring the guaranteed possibility of a retaliatory strike. Which will be produced even if the enemy struck first, and all his missiles hit their targets before at least something was launched in response. The most common way to ensure a retaliatory strike is strategic submarines. As a result, the enemys attack in any case causes a counter-counter or retaliatory strike. Nuclear war turns out to be a dead end; it cannot be won; and even the initiator who has attacked successfully also dies. This principle is called mutually assured destruction. It was this, and not anything else, that guaranteed the absence of major wars on our planet since 1945. However, today the situation is somewhat different. The number of nuclear warheads has become such that the exchange of nuclear strikes cannot lead to the guaranteed death of all living things. The number of carriers of nuclear weapons has fallen to such numbers that even after a massive, all-out strike, wildlife, untouched cities and towns, and people will remain in the Northern Hemisphere. A nuclear war without the death of all participants has become possible. The second problem is the combat stability of the Russian nuclear forces in their current configuration. Russia was able to revive the Missile Attack Warning System (SPRN). The missiles that are supposed to retaliate and counter-strike are regularly updated. But now our fleet has fewer ships than Japan. There is no possibility to intercept or block all dangerous waters with the operations of Russias anti-submarine forces. And this means that, as in the case of the Arabian Sea, the Americans and the British who can hold the area, will be free to manoeuvre there in order to strike from locations where the missiles can reach us too quickly. For example, in the Northern, Norwegian, Barents, Mediterranean and Arabian Seas. Russian strategic submarines are few in number today compared to the Soviet times. Together with the qualitative superiority of the US Navy, this creates an environment where the Americans can destroy our submarines immediately before the attack begins. This, alas, is a fact known to specialists. At the same time, 44% of all strategic nuclear warheads in Russia are placed on submarines. And almost all of them are in two (!) fleet bases vulnerable to the first strike. The Russian strategic aviation has never learned to fight like the American one, and it is not a means of guaranteed retaliation. The combination of these factors creates a technical opportunity for the United States to launch a successful disarming nuclear strike against Russia without receiving a significant blow in response. At the same time, the intensity of anti-Russian propaganda is such that the western man in the street will not have to justify anything from that perspective everything is already prepared. And right now there is the hint of the possibility of such a strike when the West Virginia surfaced in the Arabian Sea. Chinese factor, flight time and impact mechanics Some experts believe that the American SSB was carrying out tasks to put pressure on China during the CPC [Chinese Communist Party] Congress. On the one hand, it is indeed easy to attack China from the Arabian Sea from the rear the approach of missiles to its populated areas will be from its deserts in the west of the country. But there is no logic in such pressure. The Americans dont know exactly where the Chinese have missiles. In addition, China does not have its own full-fledged SPRN [missile attack warning system]. The Americans can organize a sudden strike on this country with Pacific submarines from other directions. They simply do not need to threaten China from the Indian Ocean, and without this, they have a full array of threats. In contrast to China, the coordinates of Russian underground launchers and the corridors along which mobile installations moved until recently are known to the Americans extremely accurately. We gave them all the information ourselves during mutual inspections of each others missile positions. Thus, the strategic missile submarine in the Arabian Sea is a hint not to China, but to Russia. At the very least we should not rule it out. In order for the strike on our country to be successful, it must be delivered faster than we will have an alarm, an assessment of the situation for the command to launch. To do this, the distance from which the strike is carried out must be about 3,000 kilometres, otherwise the flight time of the missiles will be too long. So now lets look at the map. When the SSB is deployed in the northern part of the Arabian Sea, it just happens to be at about such a distance from the installations of the 31st Missile Army of the RVSN [Russian Strategic Rocket Forces, HQ Orenburg] and some parts of the 33rd Guards Army of the RVSN [Russian Strategic Rocket Forces, HQ Omsk], which allows the submarine to deliver the same disarming blow in the minimum flight time. It is clear that such a task cannot be solved by one submarine. And it is clear that such a task cannot be solved solely from the Arabian Sea. But no one is talking about one and only. The deployment of SSBMS in this sea area is not a preparation for a strike against Russia. But this is a demonstration that technically the United States can strike such a blow if it sees fit. And theyre not bluffing. There is one technical aspect that is little-known to the layman. A ballistic missile can fly not only along the normal trajectory for itself, when the payload is lifted into the upper point of the trajectory and drops down from there. In addition to ballistic trajectories, missiles can also fly along the so-called flat (depressed in English terminology). The meaning of the flat trajectory is that the rocket goes very low, not even rising to 300 kilometres. With such a trajectory, ranges and accuracy suffer greatly, the dispersion of combat warheads increases, but this turns out to give a serious gain in flight speed to the target and a very small flight time. If during a strike from the Arabian Sea, for example on the 13th missile division [13th Orenburg Red Banner Rocket Division] in the Orenburg region, employing a conventional trajectory, the flight time of the missiles is comparable to the time required for making a decision and passing the command for a counter-strike. However, when striking from there by a flat trajectory, the picture changes dramatically, and not in our favour. At the same time, there are ways to compensate for the dispersion of interceptors. Firstly, these are the new fuses in the W76-2 combat warheads, which allow for time-synchronized detonation of the warheads, preventing them from flying past the target. Secondly, there is the mutual overlap of the affected areas when working on a target from several submarines. Thirdly, the US has made progress in hypersonic gliding attack warheads. A clear sign of the ambition of the United States to deliver such disarming strikes sometime in the future would be evidence that they are firing missiles along flat trajectories, and there is such evidence. Since 2015, three videos of such tests have been filmed by random eyewitnesses and have become publicly available. The Americans are clearly working on launching missile strikes using such schemes. And now they are showing us their readiness to bring a strategic submarine to the point of a salvo at point-blank range. Across Russia. Of course, its easier said than done. One still needs to deploy a sufficient number of submarines to strike. It is necessary not to frighten the enemy and not to cause an emergency exit to the sea of all its strategic missile carriers, not to cause the dispersal of strategic bombers, tankers and cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. What is necessary is that that the mobile ground-based missile systems do not have time to run away too far for the inconspicuous B-2 and B21 bombers, which will go in the second wave to mop up those remnants of the strategic missile forces that would have survived the missile strike unless the [US] launch team still did not pass through the [Russian] system known as Perimeter [western name, Dead Hand] or otherwise. Its all very complicated, and the risks of loss of surprise are very high. But their chances of success are not zero. With the visit of West Virginia to our soft underbelly, the Americans clearly show how far they are willing to go if they deem it necessary. The Americans are sending an extremely clear signal for them, nuclear war is no longer unthinkable, and not impossible. 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Even though this account is appearing in the Journal, as opposed to say the New York Times or Washington Post, it comes off as a concerned but still orthodox account of why a key relationship is going off the rails. However, the headline demonstrates its core flaw, that the authors, no doubt mirroring conventional wisdom, depict the big reason for the breakdown as personalities, that Biden and Mohammed bin Salman cant abide each other. The article contends that because the Saudi kingdom is a small place, administratively speaking, the US-Riyadh relationship has always been conducted on a personal basis, to a significant degree between the President and the King or Crown Prince, as appropriate. Now it is true that both sides have made the deteriorating relationship pretty personal. Reading between the lines, just the same way the Biden Administration deliberately goaded China in its Alaska summit, so to Team Biden appeared to try to set out to put the Saudis in their place: When Mr. Biden was elected, Prince Mohammed huddled with advisers at a seaside palace to complete a plan to woo the new president, according to people familiar with the matter. The Saudis delivered a few concessions on a topic Mr. Biden had campaigned onhuman rightsincluding the eventual release of Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent womens-rights campaigner who says she was tortured in detention, and two Saudi-American prisoners. And they quickly patched up a feud with neighboring Qatar after leading an economic boycott against it which Mr. Trump had initially supported. Mr. Bidens response shocked Prince Mohammed, the people said. In his first weeks in office, the president froze Saudi arms sales, reversed a last-minute Trump administration decision to label Yemens Houthi rebels a foreign terrorist organization, and published the intelligence report on Mr. Khashoggis killing which Mr. Trump had previously dismissed. For the Biden administration, these steps were a necessary correction. To the Saudis, Mr. Bidens early moves were a slap in the face. Admittedly, the fact the Saudis have also made responses that look petty has made it easy to focus on the poor dynamics. As we recounted, the US was incandescent when OPEC+ cut production by 2 million barrels. The Saudis would have none of the US chiding accusing them of being Rooskie stooges and they released details intended to put the Biden administration in a bad light, that they had effectively conceded the necessity of the output cut but has pressed the Saudis to put it off for a month, clearly to help Biden at the midterms. Nowhere does the article acknowledge that the US and EU are trying to break OPEC+ with their oil price cap scheme. Nor does it acknowledge that other Middle Eastern OPEC members cleared their throats to say they supported the cuts (as in denied the US charge that the went along because the Saudis insisted). The Saudis have continued goading the US by not inviting it to the new, so-called Davos in the Desert. Moon of Alabama describes how the US press is covering for this diss in Some Media Wont Tell You When The Saudis Snub Biden. If you read the article carefully so to not be distracted by the (intriguing) backstory of how the US historically dealt with the Saudi royals for decades, which has the effect of turning the tale into a bit of a celebrity drama, it does contain what is the underlying driver of the breakdown: the Saudis want to redefine the relationship in light of different power dynamics and needs and the US wants none of it. First, the US is no longer a dominant customer for Saudi oil. From the article: Since the 1940s, Washingtons relationship with this insular dynastic monarchy grew around an implicit understanding that the U.S. would ensure Saudi Arabias territorial integrity and the Muslim kingdom would keep oil flowing to a global economy dominated by America. Those calculations have changed over time. The Saudis once sold the U.S. over 2 million barrels of oil every day, but thats fallen to less than 500,000 barrels a day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The U.S. grew to become the worlds biggest oil producer, and China is now the biggest buyer of Saudi oil, followed by India. Second, and critically, the Saudis despite being huge US weapons buyers, do not value US security guarantees as much as they once did. Maybe not being able to prevail in Yemen despite US help has something to do with that? Again from the Journal: Oil-for-security is dead, said Ayham Kamel, head of Middle East and North Africa at political-risk advisory firm Eurasia Group. The two sides seem to be having a problem accepting that that old deal is over, with Riyadh focused on security and Washington focused on oil. Ive featured this clip repeatedly, but it makes a key point that official outlets cant afford to see, let alone relate: America has performed badly in the Middle East and has largely withdrawn from that theater, so any security guarantees are debased compared to their historical value. For those who have time, the somewhat coded discussion of Irans part of this story, starting with Iran effectively breaking the JCPOA process starting at 1:22:30, or you can go straight to Biden and MbS part at 1:27:30 (you can watch at 1.25x): The article effectively admits that even though the Administration is mad as hell, it cant do much about an increasingly intransigent independent Saudi Arabia. First, no one is going to admit that too many college tuitions depend on weapons sales to the Saudis. Second, with as Ritter pointed out, Israel looking weak, the US needs the Saudis even more for the perception that they are players in the Middle East. No one is yet discussing the unthinkable: that the Saudis would start buying weapons. If the oil production cut made steam come out of Biden Administration ears, theyd go nuclear if they could. Aggressive regime change operations would swing into action pronto. And the Saudis would face major switching costs in terms of having to train on and bel able to repair different weapons system. So the US and Saudis are like the rich unhappy couple that find a divorce too expensive and messy to pursue. But the US is then faced with its limited ability to stop the Saudis from engaging in what it regards as cheating on the relationship. The article points out: The next big test comes in early December, when three events with major significance for global energy markets are set to collide: another OPEC+ meeting and plans by the European Union for an embargo of Russian oil and by the Group of Seven wealthy nations to cap the price of Russian crude. I dont expect the Saudis to do much, certainly not as much as the US wants, if (now more like when) the Russian oil restrictions kick in and Russia delivers on its threat not to sell crude at a non-market price. If the Journal think things are ugly now, odds favor than they aint seen nuthin yet. My job with the Post has evolved since October 2000, when I began work with The City Paper. In 2008, both publications became aligned via former owner SouthComm Inc. I have served as Post managing editor since 2011. Follow William Williams Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today KateLynn White graduated from Tennessee State University, where she was an editor of the student newspaper. She interned for The Tennessean and The Tennessee Tribune before joining the Nashville Post in 2022. She also contributes to the Nashville Scene. Follow KateLynn White Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today (Natural News) There is a popular meme circulating on social media. It says something to the effect of in nature, poisonous creatures display bright colors to warn other species of their toxicity. This is called warning coloration in biology. Dart frogs, redback spiders and coral snakes are three examples of colorful, toxic creatures that can kill humans. (Article republished from TheCOVIDBlog.com) Monarch butterflies are colorful and fun to watch. They cannot harm humans (unless you eat zee bugs as Klaus Schwab wishes). But birds and other predators get extremely sick when they eat monarchs. That teaches them a lesson to never eat them again, to stay away from monarchs no matter what. Humans are also animals that cannot escape the natural order of the world. The aforementioned meme typically includes a photo like one of the following, juxtaposed with one of the foregoing colorful, toxic creatures of nature. It reminds us of Boston Childrens Hospital, which denied providing chemical and physical castrations for children (gender reassignment surgery) despite their own advertisements saying they do so. Said advertisements display more warning coloration, along with a scar on the throat (indicating a shaved-down Adams apple). Human warning coloration was rare, even in large U.S. cities, prior to the turn of the millennium. Homosexual culture existed. But it was private and almost never out in the open. Now you see it in every corner of the country, even in what used to be known as the Bible Belt. Its no coincidence that 9/11 and conditioned acceptance of homosexual culture commenced right around the same time, when The Great Reset (former New World Order) officially kicked off. Digging deeper into the depopulation agenda The COVID Blog started the LGBTV (for vaccine) acronym because the mRNA and viral vector DNA injections are required for admittance and acceptance into that culture. Both homosexual culture and the injections (vaccine genocide) are vital elements of the depopulation agenda. The previous eliminates procreation, while the latter eliminates human life in real-time. The COVID Blog frequently cites data from the Human Right Campaign (HRC), which brands itself as the largest LGBT rights organization in the United States. Its most recent data from March found that 92% of American homosexual culturists have received at least one injection, with 96% boosted or planning to get boosted. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data also confirm that U.S. homosexuals are near-universally vaxxed. White homosexual men and women have the highest vaccination rates of any other groups in the U.S. (94% and 89% respectively), according to the CDC. Black and Latino homosexuals have lower vaccination rates about 70% and 76%, respectively. But that doesnt really matter, since the culture is inherently self-deleting. Homosexuals are the marketing department for Pfizer, Moderna, et al. They neither need, nor want to be paid. For whatever reasons, LGBTV love Fauci, injections and being told what to do as much as they love sexual degeneracy. They are obsequious and obedient, two traits the powers-that-be (TPTB) love in humans. No human is allowed to criticize LGBTV culture in any way, shape or form without being cancelled from social media, corporate America, and any/everything else. Everybody over the age of 40 watched the homosexual (depopulation) agenda materialize in real-time, beginning in the late 1990s. This blogger wrote an article back in 2009 entitled Gay is the New Jew, not the New Black, putting all these observations on paper. For context, the slogan gay is the new black was popular back then. You could literally sense and feel the disturbing energy shift in the world from 1999 to 2009. The article was written after seeing previews of the ABC (USA) television series Modern Family. The show and its homosexual themes debuted that fall (2009). This blogger has not owned a television since at least that time. Almost every prediction in said article came true. It was quite easy to see what was happening and the direction of the world at that time, with 9/11 being the fuse to ignite The Great Reset. The term homophobic is to LGBTV culture, as antisemitic is to Zionists. Both cultures/religions are completely off-limits to criticism in the United States. LGBTV received the same societal sanctity as Israel. Now the mRNA and viral vector DNA injections (that Israelis created) receive that same societal sanctity. The irony is that Israel doesnt allow homosexual marriages in the country, but recognizes some rights of homosexual people married in different countries. TPTB needed a charismatic liar like President Barack Obama to manipulate a very important and necessary voting bloc for Democrats to win (Black Americans). This blogger even fell for the Obama propaganda before realizing the mistake in mid-2009, and has never voted again. Obamas job was to solidify homosexual culture as Americana, in the same realm as apple pie and Uncle Sam. He was also tasked with manipulating a traditionally conservative, but reliably Democratic voting bloc (Black Americans) into accepting degeneracy. Black clergy and others revolted against Obama once the jig was up prior to the 2012 Presidential Election. But by that time, a large majority Black Americans were manipulated to the point of worshiping and voting for Obama no matter what. Read more at: TheCOVIDBlog.com (Natural News) The preservation of human beings and animals using low temperatures has long been known, with Arizona-based Alcor Life Extension Foundation being a leader in the practice. Its facility in the Grand Canyon State holds 199 people and almost 100 pets in ice for a revival in the future. According to Alcors website, cryonics pertains to the practice of preserving life by pausing the dying process using subfreezing temperatures with the intent of restoring good health with medical technology in the future. Established in 1972, the non-profit Alcor based in Scottsdale, Arizona was set up to help bring cryonics to the world. Alcor President Emeritus Max More explained that the 199 patients they hold in tanks filled with liquid nitrogen are only legally dead and not biologically deceased. He believes cryonics could be their savior, with future advances in medical technology enabling their treatment and return to the peak of health. (Related: Texas set to build worlds largest cryopreservation center, housing 50K frozen humans with plans to one day revive them.) Two-year-old Matheryn Naovaratpong from Thailand, who died of brain cancer at her young age, is among Alcors patients. More explained: She is by far our youngest patient. Both her parents were doctors and she had multiple brain surgeries, and nothing worked, unfortunately. Naovaratpongs parents are determined to reunite with their daughter in the future, when advances in medicine can finally treat her. Alcor attracts patients young and old from all walks of life. Aside from the young Thai girl, cryptocurrency pioneer Hal Finney also had his body cryopreserved at Alcor following his death from complication linked to Lou Gehrigs disease in 2014. People can put their whole body in a high-tech freezer for future revival, at a hefty cost of $200,000. However, there is an option to place the brain on ice for a discounted fee of $80,000. Cryonics far more complicated than merely freezing, defrosting According to Alcors former president, the process is far more complicated than merely freezing and defrosting. After the patient has been announced legally dead, the body will be saturated in an ice bath. During this procedure, a mechanical CPR device is employed to guarantee blood circulation and medications for the purpose of protecting the cells against damage. More said this prevents the patient from going back to consciousness and blood clots. He added that maintaining blood pressure is critical for life, much like in the organ donation process. He explained that the bodies are not scientifically frozen but vitrified. We dont want to freeze the patient. We want to vitrify them. And the reason is that once you cool to very cold below freezing, the solution, instead of crystallizing, will just get thicker and thicker and its like a glassy block holding all the cells in place without any internal structure and so does no damage, said More. And once we reach that point, around minus 110 degrees, the body becomes truly solid and absolutely nothing is happening in the body. Theres no biochemical activity whatsoever, certainly no neurological activity. So, at that point, it doesnt matter whether you wait a day or 100 years, youre going to be just the same as when you started. Mores wife, futurist and author Natasha Vita-More, thinks those who volunteered for cryopreservation wont be alone once they are restored. They will most likely have family members and or friends who have also signed up for cryonics A person who had cancer or ALS or some other type of injury or disease is revived. The disease or injury cured or fixed, and the person is, has a new body cloned or a whole-body prosthetic or their body reanimated and meet up with their friends again, Vita-More said. More stories like this can be found at WeirdScienceNews.com. Watch this video that discusses the use of cryotherapy for health restoration. This video is from the Biohacking Secrets channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Cryogenics pioneer claims man frozen in liquid nitrogen 50 years ago will be brought back to life. Cryogenically frozen organisms brought back to life by scientists. The worlds first cold-weather body decomposition farm to be built at Northern Michigan University. Sources include: StrangeSounds.org Alcor.org DailyMail.co.uk Brighteon.com (Natural News) As the globalist propaganda deeming animal protein sources as hazardous to the environment ramps up, the demand for alternative protein sources has also started to increase. The Sustainable Protein System (SPS) seeks to address this demand, but it appears that companies focused on animal proteins are bankrolling this endeavor. Established in 2004, the Netherlands-based Food Valley is responsible for running the SPS. Its website explains that the SPS seeks to tap the potential for localized protein production chains to improve quality and availability. Also, tapping into existing animal-protein and cross-crop knowledge can be a valuable source for rapid technology transfer for alternative protein applications. Food Valleys headquarters in the Dutch town of Wageningen gathers more than 6,500 scientists under the SPS. Some of the alternative proteins endorsed at the companys HQ include insects, algae, fungi and mycobacteria. The main focus, however, is on plant-based alternatives to meat. More than 60 multinational firms including Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Cargill, Kikkoman and Dupont have invested in the Food Valley. Unilever, meanwhile, built an 85 million ($83.81 million) Foods Innovation Center in the town to conduct research on plant-based ingredients and meat alternatives. Plant-based food giant Upfield also established a Food Science Center, albeit at a lower cost of 50 million ($49.30 million). (Related: Bill Gates quietly pushing globalist-backed FAKE MEAT by investing in companies that manufacture it.) In a piece for UnHerd, farmer and historian John Lewis-Stempel divulged that there are currently no less than 3,500 multinational small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) at the Food Valley. This is a remarkable number of which are vegan start-ups, he wrote. They can smell the money, and vegan ethics invariably melt when some suit from a [corporate entity] opens the wallet even when that suit is from the very meat industry vegans profess to despise. Lewis-Stempel mentioned that the flow of tainted money into veganism began in 2016, with meat processing giant Tyson Foods having a five percent stake in fake meat startup Beyond Meat. Two years later in 2018, Unilever bought Dutch fake meat company De Vegetarische Slager for an estimated 30 million ($29.58 million). In 2021, Brazilian meat giant JBS bought fake meat firm Vivera for 341 million ($336.32 million). Strong culture of secrecy in Food Valley According to Lewis-Stempel, any vegan SME settling in Food Valley need not worry about funding. Food Valley is subsidized by the Dutch state and the European Union. Both have pumped hundreds of millions of euros into Food Valley. In 2020, the Dutch Research Council granted 1.7 million for a single research project into animal-free milk protein. Lewis-Stempel also pointed out that transparency in Food Valley, especially with regard to the ingredients of alternative proteins it promotes, is limited. Will meat substitutes actually provide us with any nutrients at all? We wont know. The exact composition of the product will be, of course, a corporate, patented secret meaning anyone who wants the ability to feed themselves in a world without farm animals will have to cough up [money]. One example he mentioned was the faux steak being pushed as an alternative to the real thing. He wrote: You can bet that the principal ingredients are wheat gluten, soy and water so add a carbohydrate-induced obesity epidemic to the enervation of the masses. Lewis-Stempel also referenced an instance involving Dutch investigative journalist Vincent Harmsen who sued Wageningen University & Research, the Food Valleys driving force. When Harmsen went to court asking the university to release information about its scientists connection to agrochemical firms Syngenta, Monsanto and Bayer, the court upheld the universitys right to not say anything. The historian ultimately commented that industrially produced crops will be fed into factories owned by food multinationals and transformed into a meat substitute. Big Veganism will kill home cooking, meals made out of prime ingredients, which is a form of freedom, a creative act, Lewis-Stempel said. Check out FrankenFood.news for more stories about lab-grown food. Watch this video that expounds on the lies surrounding lab-grown fake meat. This video is from the Energy Matters, LLC channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Another plant-based fake meat company, Planterra, bites the dust. Nobody wants fake meat because its disgusting, expensive and woke. Fake meat grown in labs might make investors rich, but its a nightmare for human health. YouTube vegan video celebrities exposed for secretly eating meat after experiencing health problems. Sources include: UnHerd.com Foodvalley.nl OOSTNl.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Australias largest bank has begun tracking the carbon footprints of its clients based on how their purchases are allegedly affecting the climate. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank), with over AU$1.09 trillion ($693 billion) in assets, is Australias largest bank. The bank recently partnered with CoGo, a carbon management solution firm, to launch a program that links a clients purchases to how much carbon dioxide those purchases cause. It also provides them with warnings when they are going over the average. These features are now part of the banks online banking platform. (Related: Bank Australia to stop approving loans for new fossil fuel cars, will only handle car loans for EVs.) CommBank is even providing customers with an option to pay a fee to allow the bank to offset their carbon footprint for them. It lists the national average carbon footprint to be 1,280 kilograms (2,822 pounds) per person, a long way from the supposedly more sustainable carbon footprint of 200 kilograms (441 pounds) per person. The company calculates a persons carbon footprint by showing its equivalent in different measures. These include telling a customer how many trees cut or how many kilometers driven by car their carbon footprints are equivalent to. By combining our rich customer data and CoGos industry-leading capability in measuring carbon outputs, we will be able to provide greater transparency for customers so that they can take actionable steps to reduce their environmental footprint, said Commonwealth Bank Group Executive for Retail Banking Services Angus Sullivan. Concerns about financial privacy and security raised by carbon footprint tracker CommBanks carbon footprint tracker also comes in the form of an app. This app, as per the banks statement, will give customers individualized breakdowns of their carbon emissions, which will then be divided into spending categories like utilities, transportation and personal shopping. The app will then provide users with suggestions for how they can lower their impact on the environment, such as taking public transit over driving, using reusable bags or switching to renewable energy sources at home. CommBank General Manager for Strategy Investments and Transformation Ben Morgan said the bank is providing CoGo with all of its customer data to provide people with personalized and granular information about how their spending allegedly harms the environment. A customers carbon footprint is an estimate that considers things such as personalized spending data and transaction behaviors using select CommBank products, said Morgan. We can then assign each transaction emissions factor data per industry type, which is provided to us by CoGo to calculate their carbon footprint. What this means is that the bank will be voluntarily handing over private customer data to a corporation in order to influence how people should spend their money. The bank has also been criticized for being hypocritical with regard to its support for so-called climate change mitigation. Australian environmental group Market Forces pointed out that CommBank is still heavily financing new coal, oil and gas projects. The group claims the bank has poured tens of billions of Australian dollars into major Australian fossil fuel companies since 2016. If they are so worried about dead trees as a result of bank spending, why are these imbeciles running a bank at all? asked Mark Latham, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council and a member of the conservative One Nation party. Visit GreenTyranny.news for more stories like this. Watch this clip from the Daily Dispatch on InfoWars as host Harrison Smith discusses the Commonwealth Banks carbon footprint tracking program for its clients. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Australia following Communist Chinas footsteps with digital ID system. Australian study treats climate change skepticism as a mental disorder. The Highwire with Del Bigtree: Net Zero is a deliberate attack on global food supply. South Australia declares climate emergency in preparation for coming climate lockdowns. Globalists want to track your individual carbon footprint for total control over your travel, food and consumption of goods. Sources include: InfoWars.com GreenMatters.com Statista.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) A dirty bomb has reportedly been planted in Ukraine and is about to be donated by Ukrainian forces in order to blame Russia and justify a USA / NATO escalation into World War III. Thats the warning from Russias Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who has reportedly been making a series of calls to leaders of western nations to warn them of this false flag plot. As Mac Slavo writes from SHTFplan.com: In calls to Western leaders that included the United States, Britain, France, and Turkey, Russias defense minister said Ukraine is plotting a false flag dirty bomb attack. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has started warning that Ukrainian forces are preparing a provocation with a radioactive device. Once this radiological attack is initiated, it would of course provide a narrative to the dishonest western press to call for an escalated NATO attack on Russia. Knowing this attack is coming, Russia would be forced into a position of initiating a first strike pre-emptive retaliation, resulting in Russia potentially nuking major cities across the U.S. and Europe. This appears to be the goal of the Barack Obama / Susan Rice / Victoria Nuland / Joe Biden criminal cabal, which clearly wants to escalate this conflict into a global nuclear war so that America is destroyed, covering their tracks for decades of financial looting, kickbacks, bribery, election rigging and other forms of corruption. Russia knows all this and doesnt want this to escalate into a global nuclear conflict. Thats why they are sounding the alarm. But western nations arent listening. Also from SHTFplan, Britain has also strongly rejected the claims from Moscow. From CNBC.com: The Defense Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation, the ministry said. Thus, Britain is claiming that when Russia is trying to de-escalate the situation by warning about a false flag dirty bomb, that warning is itself an escalation. France seems to recognize the danger in all this, as reported by CNBC: The French Ministry of the Armed Forces said that Shoigu told his counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, that the situation in Ukraine was rapidly worsening and trending towards uncontrollable escalation. Thus, Russia finds itself trapped in a western-engineered escalation toward global thermonuclear war. The USA and Western Europe have no real industrial capability to wage a war with Russia As I point out in todays Situation Update podcast below, if the USA and Western Europe go to war with Russia, they will lose that war. Why? Because of deindustrialization. The vast majority of metals smelting operations in Europe have already been shut down due to high energy prices. Aluminum operations are down more than 70%, and just this weekend, the largest steel manufacturer in the world ArcelorMittal in Germany is warning it will have to shut down for the same reason. From SlayNews.com: Reiner Blaschek, the CEO of ArcelorMittal Germany, warns that the German wing of the company can no longer compete due to soaring energy costs Gas and electricity prices, which have soared in recent months due to sanctions and Russias decision to cut gas flows, have left many industrial companies with input costs too high to remain profitable. Without steel, you cannot manufacture military equipment. Not even artillery rounds. No steel = no capacity to fight war, in other words. The United States has offshored most of its own steel manufacturing to other countries, leaving very little domestic production capability. As a result, even if the U.S. has funding to produce more military equipment, it still depends on steel and rare earth minerals from China and other countries. The F-35 production run, notoriously, was recently shut down by the Pentagon due to dependence on a rare earth mineral from China. Furthermore, the culture of America has been transformed into an entitlement snowflakian work ethic, where most younger Americans dont have any real work ethic and refuse to work in weapons factories altogether. Labor shortages mean that U.S. based weapons manufacturers cant even find the personnel to keep their factories running. Recently, when Joe Biden promised more HIMARS artillery systems to Ukraine, very few people realized that those HIMARS systems have to be manufactured from scratch and wont be delivered until 2025 at the earliest. Thus, Joe Biden is promising weapons that dont exist, and pretending that printing money will somehow automatically translate into weapon systems magically appearing out of thin air. But reality doesnt work that way. You actually need steel and labor and energy to produce weapons. Europe has no affordable energy due to the economic sanctions against Russia and the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline by U.S. forces. Thus, Europe has near-zero capacity to manufacture weapons of war. And the U.S. has no reliable labor supply, nor a sufficient weapons manufacturing infrastructure to fight a real war with Russia. With over one million artillery rounds already shipped to Ukraine so far this year, Americas own munitions stockpiles are red-lining. Theres almost nothing left, and there are no factories churning out a supply that would be sufficient to fight a world war. Meanwhile, Russia has its own domestic supply chain, lots of steel and cheap energy galore While Europe and the USA can barely manufacture weapons, ammunition or aircraft, Russia has all the natural resources necessary to wage an industrial supply chain of tanks, aircraft, diesel fuel, ammunition, rockets, ICBMs, nuclear warheads and everything else you might imagine. Russia has its own domestic supply chain to produce iron ore and steel, for example, and it has all the cheap energy to do so in an economical fashion thats achieved at a fraction of the production cost of western nations. Russia, in other words, can continue to build tanks, artillery, aircraft, rockets, nuclear warheads, battle gear, firearms, self-propelled guns and everything else needed to wage a kinetic war, and they can fund it all with record revenues from sales of oil, fertilizer, natural gas, diesel fuel, aluminum, copper, gold, wheat and other communities, all readily purchased by countries like China, India, Turkey, Iran and many more. Russia is raking in record profits due to the (failed) economic sanctions of the West, meaning Russia now has both excess revenues and its own domestic industrial supply chain to keep building weapons of war. The entire British Army likely wont last two weeks in a war with Russia. And the 101st Airborne as much as the men and women in uniform are loyal and courageous just isnt equipped with the heavy gear required to fight and win a land war with Russia. You cant beat Russia in a land war by using light infantry. Furthermore, Pentagon standards have been watered down to appease the woke crowd, and virtually none of the younger soldiers in the 101st have ever seen actual combat. Even those who served in Afghanistan (in other branches or divisions) have never experienced combat when you dont have air superiority. On top of that, the Screaming Eagles (the 101st) are only at 60% strength due to difficulty in recruiting new soldiers. The Airborne Division isnt even at the strength it was in Desert Storm, and the Iraqis didnt have Russias artillery, tanks, Iskanders or air defense systems. Thus, it seems likely that the 101st Airborne, should it be sent to engage Russia in a ground war in Ukraine, will be soundly defeated by veteran Russian forces that are now battle-hardened and extremely well equipped due to Russias geographical proximity, rail systems, industrial base and anti-air defense systems (S-400, S-500). If the 101st is thrust into a ground war with Russia, America should prepare to see a steady stream of flag-draped coffins arriving on military bases as casualties mount up. No doubt the western press will censor any images of such coffins and try to pretend that soldiers somehow arent dying in Ukraine, just as they are currently pretending nobody is dying from vaccines (even as they drop dead by the day). Furthermore, NATO has no effective air defenses against Russias missiles or drones. Russias hypersonic missiles (and even subsonic missiles) simply cannot be stopped by NATO defenses, a fact that should be obvious from all the successful missile strikes across Ukraine this year. The bottom line? If theres anyone who is desperate enough to use nukes in this war, its NATO or the USA for the simple reason that they dont have any other option. Thats probably why NATO forces are attempting to run a dirty bomb false flag and push this war into the nuclear realm as quickly as possible. The problem, of course, is that billions of people could die from the resulting nuclear apocalypse, famine and collapse. Perhaps thats exactly what they want. Hear more in todays Situation Update podcast here: Russia warns NATO / Ukraine has planted dirty bomb and intends to detonate Radiological event would be used to justify USA attack on Russia War would dramatically escalate, likely to nuclear conflict, overnight 101st Airborne has been deployed to Poland, near Ukraine border Todays young, green troops have NO IDEA what real war is like US military standards have been watered down for the snowflake generation Largest steel plants in the world shut down in Germany Western Europe has virtually no STEEL production remaining Steel is required to build weapons of war such as tanks, artillery rounds USA and Europe have virtually no INDUSTRIAL means to supply a war Russia has its own domestic supply chain, manufacturing, cheap energy, steel, etc. There is NO QUESTION that NATO and the USA would be DEFEATED by Russia in a Ukraine war CDC director Walensky has covid again, even after all vax shots and boosters Sit down, Wilson! Interview with Trevor Loudon Brighteon: Brighteon.com/cadd23ad-e855-4c1b-ba6d-a605c71a07c9 Bitchute: Bitchute.com/video/zFbl9mBcqHzO/ Rumble: Rumble.com/v1pjw1j-situation-update-oct-24-2022-dirty-bomb-false-flag-event-to-ignite-world-wa.html Banned.Video: Banned.video/watch?id=63566b0be59f7124041f71dc Discover more interviews and podcasts each day at: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/HRreport Follow me on: Brighteon.social: Brighteon.social/@HealthRanger (my breaking news gets posted here first) Telegram: t.me/RealHealthRanger (breaking news is posted here second) Banned.video: Banned.video/channel/mike-adams Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@healthranger Gettr: GETTR.com/user/healthranger Parler: Parler.com/user/HealthRanger Rumble: Rumble.com/c/HealthRangerReport BitChute: Bitchute.com/channel/9EB8glubb0Ns/ Clouthub: app.clouthub.com/#/users/u/naturalnews/posts Join the free NaturalNews.com email newsletter to stay alerted about breaking news each day. Download my current audio books including Ghost World, Survival Nutrition, The Global Reset Survival Guide and The Contagious Mind at: https://Audiobooks.NaturalNews.com/ Download my new audio book, Resilient Prepping at ResilientPrepping.com it teaches you how to survive the total collapse of civilization and the loss of both the power grid and combustion engines. BLA is the only Baloch groups with a dedicated suicide squad, the Majeed Brigade. The Majeed Brigade is named after two brothers, Majeed Langove Senior and Majeed Langove Junior by Tushar Ranjan Mohanty On October 22, 2022, six Security Force (SF) personnel were killed and another four were injured when the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) targeted an Army convoy at the Zarghoon Ghat area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan. While claiming responsibility for the attack, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch stated that an SF convoy consisting of 10 military vehicles was targeted by the groups Special Tactical Operations Squad (STOS), adding that at least two enemy vehicles were destroyed. He warned that BLA would continue to target occupying forces until their full withdrawal and the liberation of the Baloch motherland. On October 21, 2022, four SF personnel were killed and another two injured, when BLA cadres targeted an Army vehicle with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in the Izbotki area of Johan tehsil (revenue unit) in the Kalat District. BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack. Map of Pakistan On October 21, 2022, Hafeezullah, a local agent of the Pakistani military intelligence, was killed by BLA cadres in the Zehri area of Khuzdar District. While claiming responsibility, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch claimed that Hafeezullah was involved in the forcible disappearances of Baloch youth in Zehri and adjoining areas. He added that the BLA would bring to justice all other local collaborators of enemy forces as well. On October 19, 2022, a soldier was killed and several were injured when BLA targeted an Army outpost in the Tigran area of Zamuran tehsil in Kech District. While claiming responsibility for the attack, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch reiterated the attacks against the occupying forces would continue. On October 7, 2022, one Army soldier was killed and two were injured when BLA cadres targeted an Army post with hand grenade near the Degree College in the Sariab Road area of Quetta. BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack. On October 7, 2022, one Army soldier was killed and several were injured when BLA cadres attacked an Army outpost in the Sheh Mardan area of Kalat District. BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), BLA-initiated attacks have led to 37 SF deaths in the current year (data till October 23, 2022). During the corresponding period of 2021, BLA had killed 11 SF personnel. The whole of 2021 recorded 20 SF deaths in BLA attacks. Since August 1, 2004, when the first BLA attack recorded by SATP, five soldiers and a civilian were killed when BLA cadres targeted SF vehicles in the Khuzdar District, at least 171 SF personnel have been killed by the BLA (data till October 23, 2022). On year-on-year basis, fatalities recorded in 2022, with still over two months to go, is the highest in a year since then. The previous high of 31 was recorded way back in 2011. Significantly, BLA claimed that SF fatalities were on a steep and continuous rise since 2019. While no BLA-claimed SF fatality was reported in 2018, there was one such fatality in 2019, increasing to eight in 2020 and spiking to 20 in 2021. Since August 1, 2004, BLA-linked violence has also led to 146 civilian deaths, including eight in the current year. The BLA claims that those killed were state agents. Between August 1, 2004, and October 23, 2022, 147 BLA cadres have also been killed. Meanwhile, BLAs growing strength is reflected in the February 2, 2022, simultaneous attacks by BLA cadres on the Panjgur and Nuskhi Army camps in Balochistan. Though Pakistan Government sources claimed only four SF fatalities, Radio Zrumbesh, quoting BLA spokesman Jeeyand Baloch, claimed that 45 SF personnel were killed when a martyred fidayeen (suicide attacker) rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate of the Frontier Corps headquarters at Nushki, clearing the way for other fidayeen to enter. More recently, on September 25, 2022, six Pakistan Army officials, including two majors, were killed after a helicopter crashed during a rescue mission near Khost in the Harnai District of Balochistan. BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch claimed responsibility, asserting that the helicopter had been shot down by rocket launchers. Moreover, BLA carried out an audacious attack on April 26, 2022, in which at least five persons, including three Chinese nationals, their Pakistani driver and a security guard, were killed when a women suicide bomber blew herself up near a van, transporting Chinese nationals from the Karachi University Hostel to the Confucius Institute in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh. A Karachi University spokesperson confirmed that three of the deceased were Chinese nationals. BLA claimed responsibility for the attack. The female suicide bomber, Shaari Baloch alias Bramsh, who belonged to BLAs Majeed Brigade, was the first Baloch woman suicide bomber. Indeed, among the major Baloch insurgent groups, such as the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Balochistan Liberation Tigers (BLT) and United Baloch Army (UBA), BLA has been leading from the front in recent times. Since January 2022, different Baloch groups have carried out at least 68 attacks, out of which BLA alone was responsible for 36. Comprised mostly of Marri and Bugti tribe members, BLA was formed in response to the growing resentment in Balochistan over the continuous Government exploitation of the provinces natural resources and the neglect of development and welfare. The group has about 6,000 cadre spread across Balochistan and in the bordering areas of Afghanistan. It is currently led by Hyrbyair Marri who is in exile in London. Bashir Zeb Baloch is the commander-in-chief of the outfit. BLA is the only Baloch groups with a dedicated suicide squad, the Majeed Brigade. The Majeed Brigade is named after two brothers, Majeed Langove Senior and Majeed Langove Junior, who carried out suicide attacks in August 1974 and March 2010, respectively. Majeed Senior tried to assassinate then Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto when he was on an official visit to Quetta. He wanted to the Prime Minister for his dismissal of the National Awami Partys government in Balochistan, but Majeed Senior lost his life during the operation. Majeed Junior sacrificed himself to save his associates when SFs raided the house where they were staying in Quettas Wahdat Colony. Majeed Junior held back the SF raiders to give his associates time to escape. Following Majeed Juniors death, a BLA leader, Aslam Achu, established the insurgent groups suicide squad, and named it the Majeed Brigade, currently led by Hammal Rehan Baloch. The Brigade carried out its first vehicle-borne suicide attack on December 30, 2011, when Baaz Khan Marri targeted tribal elder Shafiq Mengal, son of former acting Chief Minister and Federal Minister Naseer Mengal, on the Arbab Karam Khan Road in Quetta. Shafeeq, who had run a death squad targeting Baloch insurgents in different parts of the province, escaped unhurt, but 14 persons, including women and children, were killed, and 35 others were injuries. Subsequently, the Majeed Brigade went into dormancy due to lack of funds and recruits, and it took the group seven years to carry out its second suicide attack, when a bus carrying Chinese engineers was targeted in Dalbadin in August 11, 2018. Aslam Achus 22-year-old son, Rehan Aslam Baloch, executed the attack. Majeed Brigade suicide bombers also hit the Chinese Consulate in Karachi (November 23, 2018); Gwadars Pearl Continental Hotel (May 11, 2019); and the Pakistan Stock Exchange (June 29, 2020). Apart from Majeed Brigade, BLA has a formed STOS, which works directly under Bashir Zeb Baloch. and is tasked to monitor and eliminate Army officers and their local collaborators. Recently, on July 13, 2022, STOS abducted Lieutenant Colonel Laiq Baig Mirza along with his cousin Umer Javed, near the Warchoom area of Ziarat District. BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch claimed that Mirza was arrested in an intelligence-based operation for his direct involvement in the Baloch genocide, and grave human rights violations, including enforced disappearances of women and children, among other crimes. Mirza was later killed when an Army Quick Reaction Forces team tried to rescue him. Two days later, his cousin Umer Javeds body was recovered. One of the longest surviving Baloch insurgent groups, BLA has increased its operations against SFs and state agents. The outfit is likely to intensify its operations in days to come, justifying the escalation on the grounds that the Pakistani state has failed to meet the genuine demands of the Baloch people. Views expressed are personal Tushar Ranjan Mohanty is a Counter-terrorism Expert on Pakistan at Institute for Conflict Management (ICM) in New Delhi (Natural News) Private investigator Mark Stephens joined the Oct. 17 edition of The Dr. Hotze Report on Brighteon.TV to discuss how election fraud is being committed. Stephens is a former investigator for the Houston Police Department and a key figure in uncovering vote fraud during the 2020 elections in Harris County. Host Dr. Steve Hotze said this fraud is what Americans need to watch out for during the November 2022 midterm elections. To this end, Hotze and Stephens set up the Liberty Center for God & Country to uphold election integrity. We want to ensure that our elections are fair and that nobody ends up stealing elections, which frankly violates the Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not steal,' Hotze explained. Stephens talked about his investigation of vote fraud, which began with sworn affidavits submitted to the Texas Supreme Court. The documents revealed a staff member of Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis bragging about bringing in 700,000 illegal votes through mail-in ballots. In another instance, a witness disclosed that two individuals were involved in forging signatures for mail-in ballots. The female witness first informed the Harris County Sheriffs Department about this revelation before reaching out to Alan Vera, ballot security chairman for the Harris County Republican party. Hotzes guest confirmed speaking to the witness directly, attesting to a sworn affidavit she had given to an election fraud investigator. According to Stephens, this was an important piece of the election fraud puzzle as it proved that thousands of illegal mail-in ballots were active. The physician seconded Stephens analyses, remarking that dishonest people are requesting and signing up phony names to get voter registration cards. These people sign up would be 65 or older voters and then they write in for ballots by mail. And the ballots by mail get sent back to the individuals that filled out these false voter certificate requests and they get those ballots by mail. Stephens: Vote fraud no longer an allegation, but a fact According to Stephens, election fraud is no longer an allegation but a fact, citing how it is well-planned and well-organized. Hotze agreed, pointing out that vote fraud through mail-in ballots is just one way of undermining election integrity. According to the physician, additional votes are cast for a particular politician through made-up tens of thousands of individuals, voting for dead people and persons that live in post office boxes or vacant lots that dont exist. He reiterated that vote fraud by mail is a federal offense. The Dr. Hotze Report host stressed that corrupt politicians dont care about the vote harvesters who are caught by the law, because all they care about is power so they can continue to milk the system financially. He added that fraudulent ballots sent by mail are verified by the countys Early Vote Ballot Board with members of its signature verification committee being all Democrats. This was not the first time Hotze exposed vote fraud on his Brighteon.TV program. During his shows Oct. 3 episode featuring investigative reporter Aubrey Taylor, Hotze focused on his guests revelation that Democratic Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was the mastermind behind vote fraud in Harris County. Taylor also cited fraudulent ballot requests during his appearance on Hotzes program. One such request came from an elderly lady now based in New Orleans who had not been in Harris County for 26 years. The said request was granted, and a blank ballot was sent to an address in the 18th congressional district of Texas under Lees purview. Another request saw a person asking for an absentee ballot, despite being dead for almost 30 years. Taylor managed to get information through an open-records request, which revealed the dead individuals requesting absentee ballots. Ultimately, both the program host and guest agreed that Palmer and her crew may be voting on behalf of these individuals. Follow VoteFraud.news for more stories about vote harvesting. Watch the October 17 episode of The Dr. Hotze Report below. The Dr. Hotze Report airs every Monday and Saturday at 5 p.m. on Brighteon.TV. More related stories: The Sheriff Mack Show: 2020 US election fraud is greatest coup against the American people Brighteon.TV. The Dr. Hotze Report: Texas congresswoman paid vote harvesters to vote on behalf of the dead, the elderly and non-residents Brighteon.TV. Election integrity expert: Voter fraud is real, and it happens through mail-in ballots. The Prather Point: Jeffrey Prather lauds investigative journalist Lara Logan for exposing 2020 election fraud Brighteon.TV. Sources include: Brighteon.com 1 Brighteon.com 2 (Natural News) Israeli lab-grown meat company Redefine Meat has signed a deal to establish a new 3D-printed meat factory in the Netherlands. Redefine Meat sells a line of lab-grown meat products under the brand name New Meat. These fake meats are manufactured using 3D printers to mimic certain types of meats like steaks, tenderloins, striploins and other choice and premium cuts. The company currently operates large-scale meat printers in the city of Rehovot in Israel, just south of Tel Aviv. (Related: Fake meat grown in labs might make investors rich, but its a nightmare for human health.) The cultured meat startup recently established a partnership with Monaco-based meat importer and exporter Giraudi Meats. This partnership involves providing Redefine Meat with $170 million in financing and making Giraudi Meats the exclusive European distributor for New Meat products. In addition, both companies have agreed to set up a new factory for 3D printing meat in the Netherlands with the hope that this foothold will help establish New Meat products as viable alternatives to what they call conventionally produced meat, or actual meat raised by ranchers in fields and farmlands. New Meat is currently available in Israel, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany in almost 1,000 restaurants that are currently paying the company about $40 per kilo. Redefine Meats agreement with Giraudi Meats gives the meat importer and exporter distribution rights for New Meat products in France, Greece, Italy and Sweden. Giraudi Meats is expected to follow this up by distributing the products to dozens more countries next year. Redefine Meat co-founder and CEO Eschar Ben-Shitrit said the decision to partner with Giraudi Meats was influenced by the meat companys exclusive nature and his desire to forge New Meats reputation into one of high class. They dont do just regular meat. They do exclusive meat, said Ben-Shitrit. And as you can imagine, you dont find exclusive meat in regular retail. They distribute to restaurants some that they own and they also distribute directly to distributors in smaller countries. And of course, butchers, but again, not your standard butcher. Redefine Meat will be able to increase fake meat production following acquisition Redefine Meat grows its fake meat using genetically modified cells cultured in labs, which are then 3D printed to mimic meat products. Some of the New Meat products are made from ingredients including soy and pea proteins, chickpeas, beetroot, nutritional yeasts and coconut fat. Our product is meat, it has the same attributes, it is just manufactured in a different way, claimed Ben-Shitrit. The fact that our products are now being sold by Giraudi meats, the same people who sell high-quality meat, shows that they are not compromised vegan products. Ben-Shitrit noted that, with the acquisition of a meat factory in the Netherlands, the company will be able to increase the production of its fake meat goods on a commercial scale. While we dont have unlimited capacity, our capacity will grow more than 15 times this month, and we will continue to grow until we are at full capacity which will be 500 tonnes [551 tons] a month, said Ben-Shitrit. We are moving from 15 to 20 tonnes [16.5 tons to 22 tons] a day. Learn more about lab-grown meat at FakeMeat.news. Watch this clip from InfoWars as host Harrison Smith discusses a vegan burger that won an award for tasting like human meat. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: GMO ingredients in fake meat Impossible Burgers linked to health issues. Nobody wants fake meat because its disgusting, expensive and woke. Bill Gates quietly pushing globalist-backed FAKE MEAT by investing101010101010110 in companies that manufacture it. Science pushes cruel new artificial cultured meat that involves slicing into heifers while still alive. Scientists in Iceland are using genetically modified barley to create lab-grown meat. Sources include: Expose-News.com Reuters.com FoodNavigator.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Weve seen the reports and the evidence. For some of us, closer to home than wed like. (Article by Mike Miller republished from RedState.com) As I reported in mid-October, Joe Biden and Barack Obama accomplished what even Richard Nixon couldnt do, despite his desperate efforts during the Watergate scandal. As Texas Senator Ted Cruz articulated, Obama pushed hard partisans into career positions at DOJ, the FBI, the intelligence agencies, and the IRS, and targeted his political enemies. It has now metastasized under Biden. And as I reported in April, a group of former intelligence and national security officials issued a jointly signed letter warning that pending legislative attempts to restrict or break up the power of Big Tech monopolies Facebook, Google, and Amazon would jeopardize national security. Lets break this down, so far: Former intelligence and national security officials argue that centralized censorship is not only crucial to protecting national security but also in advancing U.S. foreign policy, on one hand, and the Obama-weaponized DOJ, FBI, and IRS targeting political enemies metastasizing under the presidency of Joe Biden, on the other hand. What could possibly go wrong? Were about to find out. The New York Post on Sunday published a piece by investigative journalist Miranda Devine about a little-noticed federal lawsuit, Missouri v. Biden, that is uncovering astonishing evidence of an entrenched censorship scheme cooked up between the federal government and Big Tech that would make Communist China proud. (Note: While the lawsuit hasnt been extensively covered by the legacy media, RedState has reported on it, including smoking gun emails obtained via the discovery process which demonstrate the coordination.) According to Devine, 67 government officials or agencies including the FBI are accused in the lawsuit of violating the First Amendment by pressuring Facebook, Twitter, and Google to censor users for alleged misinformation or disinformation. Victims of the Biden-Big Techs censorship enterprise, Devine said, include The Post, whose Hunter Biden laptop expose was suppressed by Facebook, and then Twitter in October 2020 after the FBI went to Facebook warning them with great specificity to watch out for a dump of Russian disinformation, pertaining to Joe Biden, with an uncanny resemblance to our stories. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, whos leading the action, summarized the lawsuit: We allege that top-ranking Biden administration officials colluded with those social media companies to suppress speech about the Hunter Biden laptop story, the origins of COVID-19, the efficacy of masks, and election integrity. Devine further said Big Tech censorship is related to alleged misinformation about COVID pandemic lockdowns and vaccines, as well as material from esteemed infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists that proved over time to be correct and eventually, much of which was adopted as official policy by the CDC. Read more at: RedState.com (Natural News) During a recent Zoom meeting attended by government officials, the city of Oakland in California debated whether or not law enforcement officers should be allowed to kill people with shotgun-armed robots, to quote The Intercepts Sam Biddle. You read that right: elected folks and possibly even some unelected folks up in northern California want cops to be furnished with non-human killing machines at some point in the future. (Related: Big Tech wants to eliminate all human harvesters and replace them with crop-picking robots.) It is actually the Oakland Police Department itself pushing for the robots, which its citizen oversight body is not necessarily comfortable supporting. For the time being, shotgun-armed robots will not be part of the Oakland force, but that could change in the future. The department said it will continue to pursue lethal options, Biddle writes about what was said at the latest meeting. When asked whether the Oakland Police Department will continue to advocate for language that would allow killer robots under certain emergency circumstances, Lt. Omar Daza-Quiroz, who represented the department in discussions over the authorized robot use policy, [said], Yes, we are looking into that and doing more research at this time.' Do you want your local police force to be equipped with gun-toting robots that murder people? It all reportedly started back on September 21 when a meeting of an Oakland Police Commission subcommittee, which deals with such matters, discussed issues concerning modern American policing. In Oakland, which is riddled with crime (and has been for decades), local police officers want to use military-grade weapons against citizens, including flash-bang grenades and tear gas, both of which have become standard equipment there. This is not enough, though. Oakland police really want those firearm-equipped robots, too, including a gun-shaped percussion actuated nonelectric disruptor, which is often used by bomb squads out on the battlefield. The PAN disruptor affixes to a robot and directs an explosive force typically a blank shotgun shell or pressurized water at suspected bombs while human operators remain at a safe distance, Biddle writes. Picture a shotgun barrel secured to an 800-pound Roomba on tank treads. According to Daza-Quiroz, these armed robots are safe because human officers supposedly take special care to ensure that their weapons are loaded with blank rounds. When asked by Jennifer Tu, a fellow with the American Friends Service Committee and member of the Oakland Police Commission subcommittee on militarized policing, if the robots are capable of receiving real live rounds, she was told by Daza-Quiroz that they can and absolutely youd be getting a shotgun round. Silence filled the room for a few moments before Commissioner Jesse Hsieh asked if the local police department plans to actually use live rounds in the robot PAN disruptor, to which Daza-Quiroz said no. I mean, is it possible we have an active shooter in a place we cant get to? And hes fortified inside a house? Or were trying to get to a person, Daza-Quiroz went on to ramble before trailing off to shift towards another matter. The takeaway from what took place that disturbing day is that Oakland police force and presumably other police departments across the United States having similar plans in mind wants heavily armed robots to do its job with live rounds, which will supposedly only be deployed during emergencies. Keep in mind that emergencies have been used as the excuse time and time again to terrorize the American public and chip away at our constitutional freedoms (i.e., the covid public health emergency, the 9/11 terrorist attack emergency, and so much more). Want to learn more about the Orwellian future the globalists have planned for the planet? Visit Tyranny.news. Sources for this article include: TheIntercept.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) A study confirmed that the risk of dying from the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is almost zero percent for the vast majority of people around the world. According to the pre-print paper by Stanford University medical scientist Dr. John Ioannidis, COVID-19 mortality rates only range between zero percent and 0.57 percent among individuals younger than 70 years old worldwide. He looked at 36 studies plus an additional seven preliminary national estimates for his paper. The Greek-born researcher broke down the mortality rates due to COVID-19 infection by age group: Zero to 19 years old 0.0003 percent 20 to 29 years old 0.003 percent 30 to 39 years old 0.011 percent 40 to 49 years old 0.035 percent 50 to 59 years old 0.129 percent 60 to 69 years old 0.501 percent For more than two years, Ioannidis has asserted that the risk of the virus is very minimal if not zero and that public health protocols such as massive lockdowns, shutting down of businesses and schools, masking and vaccine mandates are really not needed. Together with the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, he has argued that the risk factor for most people is exponentially smaller than for the vulnerable, typically the elderly who already are afflicted with multiple serious illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease Ioannidis insisted these people could be cared for in nursing, assisted living and private homes with early treatments while the healthy are allowed to go about their business, independent news company WND reported. Dr. Paul Alexander, a former adviser to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), agreed with Ioannidis in a piece on his Substack. He wrote: Ioannidis shows us what we have been arguing for two years, to strongly protect the elderly and leave the rest of non-elderly society alone, free. No lockdowns or school closures, no mandates [and] no vaccine. Moreover, the erstwhile HHS advisor also compiled more than 400 studies reflecting how lockdowns, shelter-in-place policies, school closures, masks and mask mandates failed to minimize virus transmission and lessen death rates. In a separate piece for the Brownstone Institute, Alexander stated that restrictive policies were ineffective and devastating failures, causing immense harm, especially to the poor and vulnerable within societies. Weve known this for a very long time now, but governments continue to double down, causing misery upon people with ramifications that will likely take decades or more to repair. Experts proven correct: COVID-19 was never deadly to majority Alexander pointed out that cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough and other experts have been right all along that the infection fatality rate (IFR) for the vast majority is really low, as per the studies they looked into. Ioannidis wrote in his studys abstract that the IFR of the virus among non-elderly people in the absence of vaccination or prior infection is important to estimate accurately, since 94 percent of the global population is younger than 70 years and 86 percent is younger than 60 years. The Stanford researcher echoed the Texas cardiologists point, suggesting early interventions for certain vulnerable age groups. McCullough has always made it clear that both Big Pharma and Big Government should be denounced for allowing gain-of-function research and the COVID-19 vaccines, with the latter causing the biggest medical-biological catastrophe of all time. (Related: Prather Point: COVID-19 vaccine is the biggest medical-biological catastrophe of all time, says Dr. Peter McCullough Brighteon.TV.) We had lost 250,000 Americans directly due to the virus. And since the vaccines, 750,000 people have died. The vaccines have actually prolonged the pandemic, didnt stop the virus transmission and didnt reduce hospitalization and death. It was all a series of false claims for an unsafe set of products, he told Brighteon.TV host Jeffrey Prather during the Sept. 23, 2022 episode of the latters program Prather Point. McCullough added that the widespread corruption in academic medicine, peer-reviewed literature and medical societies has suppressed introduction to early intervention methods and promoted fear in order to push the clot shots worldwide. Visit Pandemic.news for more COVID-related news. Watch Dr. Peter McCullough insist that the COVID-19 vaccines caused more harm than good on Prather Point. This video is from the BrighteonTV channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Biden says COVID-19 pandemic is over, yet he is still pushing Americans to get vaccinated against their will. The death business is BOOMING thanks to covid vaccines. Covid deaths hit new record in hyper-vaccinated Australia. Pandemic of the vaccinated: NSW surveillance report confirms jabbed individuals are more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19. Sources include: WND.com 1 medRXiv.org PAlexander.Substack.com WND.com 2 Brighteon.com (Natural News) Dr. Robert Malone blasted Boston University (BU) in Massachusetts for breaking the rules with its creation of a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) strain with an 80 percent lethality rate. Malone made this remark during an Oct. 19 interview with Tommys Podcast host Thomas Patrick Carrigan. He remarked that the BU strain is absolutely a chimeric virus version of the original variant from Wuhan, which has a 100 percent mortality rate. The university developed the COVID-19 strain in an effort to discern whether modifications in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein are responsible for the shift in mortality associated with the B11529 omicron variant or its later sub-strains. The mRNA vaccine technology inventor, however, pointed out that there are clearly domains outside of the spike protein that contribute to the morbidity and death in the mutant form versus the precursor strain. What matters about this is that BU circumvented the rules. They should not have been doing gain-of-function research, Malone told Carrigan. The renowned scientist added that the university somewhat went rogue in terms of its oversight process for ensuring compliance with federally established norms. There is a whole lot of scrambling going on right now about whether or not this was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They had attributed the funding to NIH, but [it] disavowed any knowledge of any authorization or even awareness that these studies were ongoing. So, then we have BU trying to cover its tracks. (Related: NIH confirms Boston lab that created deadly new 80% death rate covid strain did NOT receive agency research approval.) Malone: BU shouldnt have received BSL-3 contract Malone stated that BU received the contract for a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) high containment facility located in an urban area of Boston which should not have been awarded to the university in the first place. A 2013 article on Medium elaborated on these risky facilities, saying that BUs National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) houses BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories, in addition to a BSL-4 laboratory. Malone attributed this to political motivations by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is set to retire by the end of 2022. He compared Faucis actions of allocating grants, contracts and facilities to certain institutions as similar to that of congressmen using pork barrel policies. This, Malone added, is how BU managed to end up with the NEIDL facility. According to the mRNA vaccine technology inventor, studies such as the one undertaken by BU are often funded as pilot projects in the hopes of getting a larger contract. He added that the general principle to get a contract or major grant from the NIH is to complete at least half of the research that a university is requesting funding for before submitting a proposal. Universities understand how this game is played. The way it works is that the deans and the university basically get between a 40 percent, and up to 110 percent tax, on any of the money thats actually awarded for the purpose of doing the research. We call these indirect costs, but thats what it is, he said. All of this is really about generating massive amounts of federal subsidy for the medical schools and their research complexes. Watch the full conversation between Dr. Robert Malone and Thomas Patrick Carrigan about BUs new COVID strain below. This video is from the Tommys Podcast channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Boston lab accused of engineering super-deadly covid strain through gain-of-function research: 80% death rate achieved in mice. Lab-invented bio-terrorism: researchers discover unique, manmade viral manipulations of the COVID-19 strain. The 80% kill rate of Boston Us weaponized COVID virus aligns alarmingly with Deagels 2025 depopulation forecast for America as the globalists open up Pandoras Box. Sources include: Brighteon.com Medium.com (Natural News) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ignored preliminary safety signals in the Pfizer emergency use authorization (EUA) data. After Pfizer was court-ordered to release hundreds of thousands of documents related to their experimental vaccine, researchers uncovered serious safety signals that were ignored by government regulators. There is enough evidence to suggest that the mRNA vaccines pose a threat to pregnancy and contribute to infertility in both females and males. Vaccine spike proteins concentrate in distal organs, damaging the function of the ovaries For one, the engineered spike protein that is encoded and translated in the cells of the vaccinated tends to concentrate in the ovaries of women. The vaccine manufacturers had previously asserted that the spike proteins are neutralized in the deltoid muscle immediately after vaccination. Instead, the spike proteins evade immune detection, cause inflammation throughout the body, and concentrate in various distal organs, most notably the ovaries. The ovaries are the glands where eggs form, where female hormones oestrogen and progestogen are synthesized. In the study, the vaccine-induced spike proteins traveled to the liver, spleen, heart, pituitary gland, the thyroid and the ovaries, causing unknown damage along the way. The total lipid concentration of the spike proteins continued to go up after 15 minutes, from .104ml to 1.34ml after one hour, to 2.34ml after four hours, and then to 12.3ml after 48 hours. Figures from the UKs Public Health Scotland show massive real-world consequences to the poisoning of womens ovaries. The number of women suffering ovarian cancer in 2021 was monstrously higher than rates of ovarian cancer from 2017-2020. Study shows covid-19 vaccine causes damage to mens sperm Second, an Israeli study shows that male vaccine recipients experience significant losses to the total motile count of their ejaculated sperm. The vaccinated male recipients showed an average sperm count reduction of 22% three months after taking a two-dose series of the covid-19 injection. A 19% sperm reduction remained in the final measurements. The study, published in the journal Andrology, was the first to show how the covid-19 vaccines would depopulate the Earth by attacking male fertility. Covid jab heightens risk of spontaneous abortion, abnormal implantation Finally, the EUA data shows that the vaccine heightens the risk of failed implantation, miscarriage, and spontaneous abortion. It turns out that the covid-19 vaccines damage the endocrine system of the body, causing inflammation that harms normal protein synthesis and hormonal balance. Buried in the Pfizer documents is an important observation on pregnancy loss. Of the 34 known pregnancies exposed to Pfizer covid-19 vaccination prior to February 2021, a total of 23 ended in spontaneous abortion! Another two pregnancies ended in premature baby death; two were ruled intrauterine death; one was a neonatal death; and five had a pending outcome. Out of the 34 cases, only one of the pregnancies had a normal outcome. The study that Pfizer used to promote the vaccines safety examined the vaccines effects on 21 Wistar Han rats compared to 21 rats that didnt receive the jab. The study ignored an entire data set on the increased risk of supernumerary lumbar rib formation in the vaccinated group. This ignored evidence showed that the vaccine is more likely to cause abnormal foetal formation and birth defects. This birth defect was 295% higher in the vaccinated group. Moreover, the number of fertilized ova that failed to implant was twice more likely in the vaccinated group. The regulators didnt consider these safety signals, and instead they wrote, Animal studies do not indicate direct or indirect harmful effects with respect to pregnancy. How can drug regulators and vaccine manufacturers be trusted at all going forward? With mens sperm counts falling, with miscarriage, infertility, and ovarian cancer rates going up, the beleaguered populations of the world must stand and say, Never Again! Sources include: ExposeNews.com PHMPT.org [PDF] [1] Scotland.io OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com PHMPT.org [PDF] [2] ScienceDirect.com InfertilityMovie.org (Natural News) Scientists called for a moratorium on the rollout of 5G after a study revealed that government regulators were not being fully transparent on the technologys health hazards. A study conducted by the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) and subsequently published in public health journal Environmental Health highlighted the risks of exposure to radiation from 5G technology. Researchers also said the existing exposure limits for wireless radiation are inadequate, outdated and harmful to human health and wildlife. In this regard, ICBE-EMF called for an independent assessment of the dangers and impacts of wireless radiation and an immediate moratorium on the further rollout of 5G wireless technologies until safety is demonstrated and not simply assumed. Lead study author Dr. Lennart Hardell said in a press release that multiple robust human studies of cell phone radiation have found increased risks for brain tumors. These are supported by clear evidence of carcinogenicity of the same cell types found in animal studies, he continued. Hardell and his co-authors also blasted regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection for ignoring the risks of 5G, even though a multitude of studies indicating the dangers of exposure to wireless radiation are already in print. The ICBE-EMF is a multi-disciplinary consortium of scientists, doctors and related professionals who are, or have been, involved with research related to the biological and health effects of electromagnetic frequencies up to and including 300 GHz and dedicated to ensuring the protection of humans and other species from the harmful effects of non-ionizing radiation. Pregnant, children, EMF hypersensitive are the most at risk The Defender, the official news outlet of the nonprofit Childrens Health Defense, interviewed study authors Hardell and Joel M. Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California, Berkeleys School of Public Health. The two authors discussed their findings and their advocacy to raise awareness of the dangers of 5G. According to Moskowitz, exposure to cell phones and other wireless devices should be limited, especially for pregnant women, children and those electromagnetically hypersensitive. As much as possible, these people should at least minimize their exposure to wireless radiation, they advised. They also compiled suggestions on how to reduce wireless radiation exposure via an online resource. These include keeping devices such as smartphones and cordless phones at a distance from the body and particularly the head; using these devices in areas where there is a strong signal; reducing secondhand exposure to other individuals devices; and switching off household wireless devices at bedtime. The 5G technology has many new features never tested for safety, including different carrier frequencies, new modulation and pulsing schemes, beam-forming, phased arrays, and massive MIMO [multiple input, multiple outputs], Moskowitz said. The proximity of small cell antennas near where people live and work could pose health problems in addition to wireless radiation exposure from 5G cellphones. Meanwhile, Hardell noted that the pulses can be extremely high with 5G technology. The risks are not studied, especially not long-term, he said. (Related: Still think 5G is harmless? Scientific American issues warnings about the confirmed and UNKNOWN DANGERS of 5G tech.) Visit 5GAlert.com to know more about the risks of 5G on human health and the environment. Watch the below video that talks about the scientists call for a moratorium on 5G rollout due to exposure hazards. This video is from the Nothing To See Here channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Scientists call for moratorium on 5G after study shows regulators ignoring health risks of radiation. 5G poses health risks; humans must limit exposure to EMF, RF. 5G and 4G both linked to cell and tissue damage, DNA destruction. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org EHJournal.BiomedCentral.com SaferEMR.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) CONSUMER ALERT: The NuManna company, since 2017, has continued to falsely and fraudulently claim that their organic storable food products known as Organic Family Pack are Health Ranger Approved and are being tested for heavy metals and pesticides by the Natural News labs. In truth, no NuManna products have been tested by the Health Ranger or Natural News since 2016, even though such claims are prominently featured throughout NuMannas present-day marketing materials, website, product labels, Amazon listings and PDF documents (see examples below). NuManna cut off the Health Ranger royalties in 2017, refused to provide product samples for lab testing, yet continued to fraudulently use the Heavy Metals Tested label claims and Health Ranger Approved claims for the next five years, while deliberately ignoring repeated requests by the Health Ranger and Natural News to remove such claims from their website and their labels. This was done, we believe, in order for NuManna to profit from deceptive marketing and advertising practices that exploited the food science reputation of Natural News and the Health Ranger to intentionally deceive customers for more than five years. In addition NuManna has failed to pay commissions and affiliate fees to numerous retail distributors of its products. We have personally spoken with four distributors who say they were owed money that NuManna refused to pay. The deception must stop. After years of demanding corrections and being ignored by NuManna, we are going public with the full story, and we are filing our claims and evidence with the FTC, DOJ, the AG of Missouri and the USDA. (Updated with note about CCOF, see below.) Hear the full podcast here: Brighteon.com/cced3b10-ce9e-43c8-a4b7-00f34da4124d The NuManna company fasified heavy metals testing claims on their product Fraudulently claimed Natural News was testing products for pesticides and metals In truth, NO samples were sent for testing since early 2017 NuManna was fully aware of their deception and they did it deliberately NuManna refused to remove Natural News / Health Ranger testing logos and endorsements NuManna accused by multiple distributors of failing to pay owed affiliate fees NuManna violated agreements and has failed to pay owed royalties NuMannas false claims and deceptive marketing practices may be CRIMINAL violations NuManna hides behind the shield of being Christian Is NuMannas organic CCOF certification claim even real? Health Ranger preparing to file evidence with FTC, DOJ and AG of Missouri Customers encouraged to demand refunds from NuManna FACTS: The NuManna company sells an organic family pack of storable food labeled the Organic Family Pack. (1) NuManna and the Health Ranger signed an agreement on June 6 of 2016, in which the two partners would, work together to develop a line of long term organic food storage products that are co-branded and co-promoted. (2) As part of this agreement, NuManna agreed that Natural News would conduct routine, repeated testing of its ingredients in order to ensure the cleanliness of its final products being sold to customers. Per the agreement, NuManna agreed to send at least 1 lb. of each formulation to [NaturalNews] no less than 30 days prior to production date. The agreement also specified that NuManna would produce samples for the testing of each production run as follows: Each Production Run: Unless agreed otherwise, NuManna shall submit a sample from each production run of the Products to be tested by [NaturalNews] no less than 15 days prior to shipment date. FACT: In reality, NuManna never provided even a single sample for any subsequent production run beyond the original formulation testing in 2016. Fact: NuManna has sold many millions of dollars worth of Organic Family Pack products since 2017, through a network of retailers and also via Amazon.com (3). We confirmed today with one of NuMannas retailers that the false claims labels are still being used in their retail distribution channel. From the front label of their product: Zoomed in: No testing of NuManna products since late 2016 No testing by Natural News was conducted on any NuManna product from early 2017 to the present day. Yet NuManna continued to falsely claim such testing was being conducted in its various labeling, marketing materials, website, PDFs and other similar materials (see exhibits below). Over the last 24 hours, as NuManna became aware that Natural News was about to publish this story, NuManna has been furiously scrubbing its website of all such claims. This was only done as a last minute weve been caught panic, but we had already archived all the relevant web pages, graphics, etc. As background, the NuManna family pack product was originally formulated by NuManna with the help of Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, in 2016, where our team conducted heavy metals testing of the raw materials in 2016 and advised NuManna on which offensive or questionable ingredients to remove from their product in order to make it organic-friendly. In exchange for this, it was agreed at the time that: NuManna would pay the Health Ranger a royalty on all sales of the product, in exchange for continued testing and co-promotion. That NuManna would provide NaturalNews would samples for EACH production lot and would wait for NaturalNews testing approval before releasing such lots to the public. That Natural News would retain the right to approve all marketing materials used by NuManna in relation to the products. NuManna violated all three provisions of this agreement, cut off communication with the Health Ranger and Natural News, claimed to have suffered an accounting emergency and refused to respond to repeated requests to remove false claims from their labeling and marketing materials over the subsequent five years. NuManna is a very dishonest company run by extremely dishonest people. Their names are Daniel Brigman (the owner) and Todd Fairbourne, the operations manager. More about these two later. Lab testing artwork was fraudulently used without our permission, to mislead customers for five years The artwork used by NuManna to claim Heavy Metals Tested and Pesticide Tested and Non-GMO was created and produced by Natural News, and provided based on strict conditions. From the 2016 contract: [NaturalNews] shall provide NuManna with logo artwork for Low Heavy Metals Verified; Health Ranger Approved; Glyphosate Tested; and Microbiology Tested. Numanna will only continue placing these logo artworks onto their marketing materials and products when the most recent and current production lot/batch is lab tested/approved by [NaturalNews]. Yet for five years following this, NuManna broke the terms of the contract, failed to provide raw materials samples for testing, failed to submit final products for testing, yet continued to use the provided marketing materials and claims even though NuManna knew such claims were false and misleading to customers. Even to this day as of yesterday NuManna is still using Health Ranger Approved claims in its marketing materials, while also claiming Heavy Metals Approved via the Natural News labs. Here are some examples of the false claims continuing to be used from 2017 through October of 2022: On the NuManna Family Pack product label: All these label badges were designed by us, and provided to NuManna contingent upon their continued testing and approval by us. NuManna violated that and never pursued any additional testing, while also cutting us off from any subsequent royalty payments. From the NuManna product catalog PDF: From the NuManna website home page: From the NuManna Organic Family Pack product page: The NuManna product comparison chart that continues to claim Health Ranger Approved: Amazon.com NuManna Organic Family Pack product listing, carrying the same false claims found elsewhere on NuMannas marketing materials: Note the use of Health Ranger Approved on the Amazon.com listing page, above. Once again, this was used fraudulently, dishonestly, repeatedly and maliciously, to deceive Amazon customers and to profit from deception. For years, we tried to get them to stop, and they refused What follows are excerpts from a series of email exchanges with NuManna and its principals, where we repeatedly demanded they stop using our logos, endorsements and lab testing badges. Over and over again, NuManna refused to take any action. Finally, in late 2021, they decided to take action to remove these items. So they temporarily removed them and then began using them again a few weeks later, proving they were deliberate in their actions and that they were fully aware of the deception in which they were engaged. (This eliminates the We didnt know excuse, which holds no water.) October 9, 2018: Hi Daniel- My name is - and I work for Mike Adams, at NaturalNews and the Health Ranger store. I am reaching out today about the misuse of our logo on your products. Please consider this our final request to remove any/all Health Ranger Approved seals/logos off product labels. Please notify your affiliates to update any product images on their sites as well to only include product photos without our logo. I am attaching an image of what I am referring to. Second, please remove any/all verbiage about our support, backing and lab testing immediately from you websites. You will also need to notify any affiliate websites. We cut ties a year ago and that has been ample time to remove this information. We have not tested your products in this time, therefore, this information is no longer truthful nor valid. I am hoping this can be resolved this quickly. I appreciate your support. Thank you. There was no action on our repeated requests until October of 2021: Oct 1, 2021: Hi there- This is - and I work for Mike Adams, the Health Ranger. I have reached out 2 times before today asking for our Health Ranger logo to be removed from the storage buckets. I am hoping if I ask nicely one more time, you will follow up with our request to remove our name from your site, labels, etc. If I do not hear back, we will be forced to obtain our attorney and take matters through the legal route please let me know you received this. Thank you. October 2, 2021: Thanks for reaching out. I will [let] Dan (owner) and production know to get the labels redone. It was my understanding they had. But, I will follow up asap Thanks Todd NuManna October 4, 2021: Thanks for the heads up. We will start working on our website asap. As for Amazon, I will let our dealers that are on Amazon to address the photos they are using asap. I want you to know that I looked into our labels and our labels have been changed. I have attached one of our labels to show you. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Thanks Todd Note that even in October of 2022, NuManna was still using the fraudulent labels with the false claims. The email above proves that Todd was fully aware of the issue, and that he lied to Natural News about changing labels, yet continued to use the labels with the false claims. The emails shown here are not the full extent of the communications between Natural News and NuManna, but they demonstrate several key things: That Natural News made repeated requests for the badges, logos and endorsements to be removed. That NuMannas top principals were aware of the issues we raised. That NuManna deceptively promised to stop using the testing claims and endorsement claims, even though they deliberately continued to use them to deceive their customers. Did you purchase NuManna products based on false claims of heavy metals testing, pesticide testing and Health Ranger Approved status? If you purchased a NuManna product based, in whole or in part, on the false claim that such products were Heavy Metals Tested or Pesticide Tested via the Natural News ICP-MS lab, or that such products were Health Ranger Approved, then you were deceived. We believe you are owed a refund. The heavy metals status of such products cannot be affirmed by us, nor can the pesticide status be affirmed, since we conducted no testing on these products sold from 2017 2022, and since no samples were even provided to us for such testing. Thus, the NuManna Organic Family Pack products you have in your possession may potentially be contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides despite being claimed organic, since organic certification requires no heavy metals testing and no pesticide testing. Note that based on our current information, we do not believe that NuManna retailers / distributors had knowledge of the facts presented in this article, so it would be unfair to assume they were aware of these issues when they represented NuManna products. For this reason, please do not badger, condemn or harass NuManna resellers or retail distributors. They are likely just as surprised at reading this article as you are. Although they unknowingly profited from NuMannas deception, they were likely not complicit in the scheme, and morally speaking, they should be granted the assumption of plausible deniability of any foreknowledge of this situation. Actions you can take to hold NuManna accountable for their years of deception and fraud Here are some actions you can take to protect yourself from NuMannas false advertising practices and to seek a resolution: 1) File a complaint with the FTC at this link: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov 2) Contact NuManna and demand a refund: Phone: 1-888-597-0775 [email protected] https://numanna.com/contact-us/ 3) UPDATE: This action item has been removed based on a response from CCOF after Natural News contacted them to inquire about the status of the organic certification of NuManna-branded products. CCOF responded and told us there are NuManna-branded products which are certified by CCOF, but that for further details we would need to acquire organic certification details from NuManna itself. So far, NuManna has not publicly produced its organic certification details, but they say they are going to post those details publicly. Note that organic certification requires NO lab testing whatsoever. Organic doesnt mean anything is tested for heavy metals, GMOs or pesticides. The USDA organic certification system is a paperwork audit of inputs onto food or farms. No lab testing whatsoever is carried out during organic certification of end products. Thats why pesticide and heavy metals testing must be conducted in addition to organic certification. 4) Alert your local newspapers to this survival food deception and point them to this story. You can also find this story on Food.news at the following link: https://www.food.news/2022-10-25-numanna-exposed-five-years-of-false-claims-fraud-misleading-metals-testing-claims.html 5) Contact the Attorney Generals office in Missouri to file a complaint: https://ago.mo.gov/app/consumercomplaint 6) File a complaint with the Department of Justice at your state level. Every state has a Dept. of Justice. Just search for Department of Justice [state] file consumer complaint to find the website for your state. 7) Repost this story on your own blog. You may repost this story freely, and please give credit to NaturalNews.com and the Food.news link for this story: https://www.food.news/2022-10-25-numanna-exposed-five-years-of-false-claims-fraud-misleading-metals-testing-claims.html 8) File a complaint with the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators in your state. You can find the list at this link. 9) Contact us if you have knowledge of other schemes or fraud issues in which you believe NuManna may have engaged. We have set up a special Protonmail.com email address for this purpose. If you send from your own protonmail.com account, this email will be encrypted end to end: [email protected] You may also use the above email if you are an attorney and you are looking to file a class action lawsuit against NuManna. After vetting your intentions and law firm, we will provide documentation for your case. Seeking redress We have the proof that NuManna fraudulently, deceptively marketed products to its customers and did so knowingly for many years. We demand that NuManna take the following actions: 1) HALT all use of Natural News logos, claim, Health Ranger Approved claims, and any related endorsements, across all NuManna marketing materials, including website, product labeling, PDFs, trade show materials, interviews, graphics, printed materials, emails and all forms of electronic materials. 2) Issue a public letter of apology to the Health Ranger, Natural News and all NuManna customers for using fraudulent, misleading claims over these last five years and for deceiving their own customer base over the use of these label claims which NuManna knew to be false and misleading. 3) Immediately issue a full refund or store credit (customers choice) to ALL customers who purchased Organic Family Pack products from June of 2017 present. 4) Place a prominent public statement on their home page, admitting to this five-year deception they have carried out, apologizing to their customers and to Natural News, and providing a clickable link by which customers can receive a full refund for relevant purchases. Keep this statement in place for one full year, above the fold on the NuManna home page. 5) Provide documented PROOF of organic status of all production lots of their products over the last five years so that customers can see that NuManna wasnt deceiving them about organic claims in addition to other claims. Provide proof of an organic certifier audit of your raw materials and manufacturing facility within the last year. Have you had a bad business experience with NuManna? Contact us Reach us about this story at: [email protected] Legal issues To NuMannas attorneys: If you decide to sue this publisher for telling the truth in this article, we will counter-sue, we will organize a class action lawsuit among your customers, we will seek discovery of all your financial records, organic batch production records and product testing records, and we expose additional business practices of yours to the world. We cannot be settled into silence. We do not want your money. We want the truth to finally be known, and we want all the people you have deceived to finally learn the details of how exactly they have been lied to while you gained dishonest profits. For the record, for any government regulators interested in pursuing prosecutions of NuManna, I will gladly testify under oath to all the facts presented in this article, I will sit for depositions, and we will provide original artwork files, contracts, emails, phone call logs and other details to participate in any investigation of NuMannas business practices. A copy of this article, with supporting evidence, is being hard copy mailed to the Attorney General of Missouri and several other states. Citations: (1) https://numanna.com/product/organic-family-pack/ (2) June 6, 2016 contract signed by Daniel Brigman and Mike Adams (3) https://www.amazon.com/NuManna-Servings-Emergency-Survival-Separate/dp/B01MTSWUE4/ UPDATED: 10/26 This story has been updated to reflect the response from CCOF that confirms NuMannas organic certification. NuManna has stated they will publicly post their organic certificates. This is still pending. (Natural News) New Zealand (NZ) farmers hit the streets on October 20 to join a countrywide protest against Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns proposal to place a tax on emissions from livestock in a bid to address the climate change issues. The farmers brought their tractors, 4x4s and farmyard vehicles that interrupted traffic in Wellington and other major cities, demanding cancellation of Arderns plans to tax burps and farts of livestock. The said levy on livestocks belching and flatulence proposed by the Ardern government would be the first of its kind in the world. (Related: Climate change craziness: New Zealand plans to tax FARTS and BURPS of farm animals.) NZ has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050. That includes a pledge that it will reduce methane emissions from farm animals by 10 percent by 2030 and by up to 47 percent by 2050. No other country in the world has developed a system for pricing and reducing agricultural emissions, so our farmers are set to benefit from being first movers, the prime minister said when she announced the plan. The key to us is that what we do is workable, its pragmatic, it can be introduced in a timely way and will actually bring down our emissions. But this policy angered the Kiwi farmers, calling the tax punitive. Bryan McKenzie of the farming advocacy group Groundswell NZ, the group that organized the nationwide rally, called the proposed tax an existential threat to rural communities. After years of faux consultation, the government has given up on all pretense of a fair and workable agricultural emissions policy, he said. The groups website published their Were Not Going To Take It campaign, wherein they enumerated several reasons why the flatulence tax is a bad idea. The government must stop proposed emissions tax, and undo legislation putting agriculture into the ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme), the group said. This emissions tax on food production will lead to food scarcity, higher food prices, and more land going into pine trees. This will lead to poor outcomes for rural communities and rural businesses the government acknowledges this in their document. Most farmers have had enough, said one Wellington demonstrator named Chris. Its getting hard to carry on farming and this government isnt really supporting us its a tough gig at the moment. Even some rural mayors supported the farmers protest. They are a vital contributor to our economy both regionally and nationally and are some of the most sustainable food producers in the world, having one of the lowest carbon footprints, the mayors of Grey, Buller, and Westland said in a statement, referring to the farmers. According to the mayors, Arderns tax emissions levy could create food scarcity and higher food prices with a significant economic impact on useable farmland and flow-on effects to small rural communities. Ardern: Money raised from the levy will be used to incentivize Kiwi farmers Analysts have observed that climate alarmists took the opportunity presented by Arderns regime which followed the Netherlands move to reduce greenhouse gasses to continue to fearmonger. This countrys rural and agricultural sector has been hard hit by floods, intense storms and droughts this year alone, Emily Bailey of Climate Justice Taranaki said on their social media account. Farmers can either adapt and rapidly bring down their emissions or they and everyone else will suffer more. Ardern said all the money collected from the proposed farm levy would be put back into the industry to fund new technology, research and incentive payments for farmers. New Zealands farmers are set to be the first in the world to reduce agricultural emissions, positioning our biggest export market for the competitive advantage that brings in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food, she said. NZs Agriculture Minister Damien OConnor touted the act and said that it was an exciting opportunity for the island country and its farmers. Farmers are already experiencing the impact of climate change with more regular drought and flooding, OConnor said. Taking the lead on agricultural emissions is both good for the environment and our economy. ClimateAlarmism.news has more stories related to nonsensical government policies on climate change. Watch this video that talks about why cattlemen are being told to shut up. This video is from the What is happening channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: New Zealand mulls taxing farmers for the burps and farts of their animals. Lunacy: Prince Charles backs proposal to make burping cows wear masks to fight climate change. Climate lockdown: UCL professor advocating lockdowns to combat climate change. Global war on MEAT: Now Ireland is culling cows to fight climate change. Sources include: TheNewAmerican.com ChannelNewsAsia.com GroundswellNZ.co.nz NPR.org Brighteon.com A multifaceted response from Europe has so far prevented its energy woes from creating widespread social and economic destabilization. But with winter approaching, the crisis is far from over and risks are getting worse. by John P. Ruehl While European energy prices have eased slightly in recent months, stress continues to build across a continent that has long been dependent on access to cheap Russian energy. Protests related to high energy costs have been held from Belgium to the Czech Republic in Europe. Fuel shortages have led to long queues to buy petrol at gas stations in France. The Dont Pay UK movement has urged British citizens to enter a bill strike by refusing to pay energy bills until gas and electricity prices are reduced to an affordable level. Europes remarkably high energy prices have also fueled climate change protests across the continent. Abandoned fuel pump, Aeroclub Borovo, Vukovar, Croatia [ Photo: Nikola Johnny Mirkovic/ Unsplash] European governments have resorted to diverse measures to manage the crisis. After the EU banned Russian coal imports, coal regulations were reduced in Poland, which has led to illegal coal mines being operated in the country. Aid packages, such as Austrias 1.3 billion euro initiative, aim to help companies struggling with mounting energy costs. The UK has capped the price of average household energy bills at 2,500 pounds ($2,770) a year for two years from October and also announced a cap on energy per unit for businesses, charities, and NGOs in September. Italy has shown considerable capability in diversifying its energy imports from Russia since the beginning of the year to reduce its dependence on the Kremlin. Under former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italy began to increase its reliance on Russian energy, a process that continued even after his election defeat in 2011 and Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014. This reliance came to an abrupt end after Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Italy signed natural gas deals with Egypt and Algeria in April and held additional talks with the Republic of Congo and Angola regarding energy supplies as well. In June, Italy also purchased two additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels, adding to the three LNG terminals it already operates, to further diversify its natural gas (gas for short) supplies. Not all countries, however, have matched Italys success of diversifying their energy imports. France declared it would cap power and gas price increases for households at 15 percent in 2023. But since more than half of Frances 56 nuclear reactors have been shut down for maintenance (Europes summer drought also prevented the water-based cooling systems of the French nuclear plants from functioning), France will struggle with mounting energy costs as well as upholding its traditional role as an electricity exporter to other European countries. Like other European countries, Germany chose to nationalize some of its major energy companies, such as Uniper in September. In October, the German government proposed a 200 billion euro energy subsidies initiative. With gas storage projected to reach 95 percent capacity by November, Germany has also provided itself with significant protection. But Germany lacks LNG infrastructure and remains vulnerable if Russia cuts off gas through pipelines completely. Currently, Germany is at level two of the countrys three-tier emergency gas plan, with the last stage introducing direct government intervention in gas distribution and rationing. Because Germany makes the largest contributions of funds to the EU, its economic vulnerability poses concerning implications for the rest of the bloc. And in addition to suffering from gas shortages, Central European countries will also suffer from the effects of gas rationing in the German industrial sector, given their integration into German supply chains. Such uncertainty has blunted investment in the region, further compounding Europes economic issues. These issues have underlined the perception that while Russian coal has been relatively easy to ban in Europe and Russian oil is slowly being phased out, Russian natural gas remains too important for much of the continents energy mix to be shunned completely. Dozens of ships carrying LNG have been stuck off Europes coast, as the plants that convert the seaborne fuel back to gas are operating at maximum limit. High gas prices have meanwhile resulted in key industries across Europe that are reliant on the energy source to shut down, sparking fears of uncontrolled deindustrialization. In addition to national strategies, European countries have pursued collective initiatives to confront the energy crisis. On September 27, Norway, Denmark, and Poland officially opened the Baltic Pipe to supply Poland with natural gas. On October 1, Greece and Bulgaria began commercial operation of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) pipeline, which serves as another link in the Western-backed Southern Gas Corridor project to bring natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. On October 13, France began sending Germany natural gas for the first time, based on an agreement that Germany would generate more electricity to supply France during times of peak consumption. The European Council stated on September 30 that EU states will implement a voluntary overall reduction target of 10 percent of gross electricity consumption and a mandatory reduction target of 5 percent of the electricity consumption in peak hours. Additionally, the EU continues to debate imposing a price cap on Russian gas to the EU, and the G7 countries and its allies agreed on September 2 to implement a price cap on Russian crude oil and oil products in December 2022 and February 2023, respectively. Germany, however, has led criticism over the proposal to cap the price on all gas imports to the EU, stating that the EU lacks the authority to do so, alongside expressing concerns that gas providers will simply sell gas to other countries. Norway, traditionally Europes second-largest gas provider after Russia, also indicated it would not accept a cap on gas, and Russia stated it would not sell oil or gas to countries doing so either. The resulting restrictions in energy supply would likely further raise prices. European countries also remain bound by their own interests, further undermining multilateral cooperation. Croatia, for example, announced it would ban natural gas exports in September. Many European countries have criticized Germanys planned 200 billion euro subsidies plan for fear that it could trigger economic imbalances in the bloc. Germany, meanwhile, declared it would not support a joint EU debt issuance on October 11, only later agreeing to the measures out of pressure from its European allies. In September, the UK accused the EU of pushing British energy prices higher by severing energy cooperation following Brexit. The U.S. and Norway have also been singled out by EU members for profiting off the current energy crisis. Varying levels of vulnerability have resulted in some European countries breaking with the continental norm and negotiating with Russia. Serbia, which is not in NATO or part of the EU, signed its own natural gas deal with Russia in May, while Hungary drew the ire of Western allies by signing its own gas deal with Russia in August. Hungary was among the first European countries to agree to purchase Russian natural gas in rubles, stabilizing the Russian currency as sanctions were placed on the Russian economy. If the crisis worsens considerably, other countries may follow suit. As Europes energy crisis has continued, many countries across the world have become increasingly wary. European demand for LNG and a willingness to pay premiums has meant suppliers are increasingly rerouting gas to the continent. Though rich competitors like South Korea and Japan have been able to contend with European competition for LNG, it has caused shortages elsewhere. Bangladesh and Pakistan, for example, have struggled to secure their traditional LNG imports since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Blackouts in these countries have increased, causing them to resort to more carbon-intensive energy alternatives and prompting renewed talks with Russia over LNG imports and developing pipeline networks to supply natural gas to Asia. Europes decades-long exposure to Russian energy means that its current energy crisis will persist for years. Even with predictions for a relatively mild upcoming winter, overcoming this energy crisis will require cooperation and sacrifice among European statesparticularly if the war in Ukraine escalates further. While the Wests solidarity will be put to the test, poorer, energy-vulnerable countries will continue to fall victim as a result of the fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This article was produced by Globetrotter. John P. Ruehl is an Australian-American journalist living in Washington, D.C. He is a contributing editor to Strategic Policy and a contributor to several other foreign affairs publications. He is currently finishing a book on Russia to be published in 2022. (Natural News) There are many instances of blatant scandal stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic involving federal government officials, but none so aggravating as findings reported this week by The Wall Street Journal. It seems that as federal officials who worked on the pandemic were first getting word of some new virus spreading across the globe after originating in China, they dumped stocks ahead of a Wall Street-slamming economic shutdown. The Journals report began: Federal officials working on the government response to Covid-19 made well-timed financial trades when the pandemic beganboth as the markets plunged and as they rallieda Wall Street Journal investigation found. In January 2020, the U.S. public was largely unaware of the threat posed by the virus spreading in China, but health officials were on high alert and girding for a crisis. A deputy to top health official Anthony Fauci reported 10 sales of mutual funds and stocks totaling between $157,000 and $480,000 that month. Collectively, officials at another health agency, Health and Human Services, reported 60% more sales of stocks and funds in January than the average over the previous 12 months, driven by a handful of particularly active traders. By March of that year, a number of agencies within the federal government were developing broad measures to help prop up the markets and the economy in general. At the time, then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao bought more than $600,000 in a pair of stock funds even while her agency was working up policy responses to the widening pandemic. Her husband, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), had taken the lead in negotiations regarding a gigantic market-boosting stimulus spending measure, the WSJ investigation found. And as the government was devising a loan package aimed specifically at helping companies including Boeing Co. and General Electric Co., a Treasury Department official involved in administering the aid acquired shares of both companies, the report noted. According to an analysis by the outlet, millions of dollars worth of stock were owned by federal officials in industries that were to become most affected by the pandemic and the governments response to it. Some 240 federal staffers and officials at health agencies and the Defense Department, which would also play a key role in the vaccine rollout, reported having between $9 million and $28 million worth of stocks in drug, biotech, and manufacturing companies that were awarded federal contracts related to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Almost 400 officials spread across 50 agencies also reported owning stocks in industries that were hardest hit by pandemic lockdowns, like the airlines, hotel companies, restaurants, cruise lines and resorts, many of whom dumped those stocks ahead of the lockdowns. Senior federal officials are required to disclose their financial assets and transactions and those of their spouses and dependent children in annual reports, the WSJ reported. Federal employees are barred from working on matters in which they have a significant financial stake, from trading on nonpublic information learned on the job and from taking any official action that creates an appearance of a conflict of interest. But what is also true is that ethics officials for federal agencies almost never have a full idea of what employees are privy to or are working on, especially when it comes to rapidly moving, governmentwide mobilizations in response to an emergency situation facing the country. That said, U.S. officials were alerted to what would become known as the COVID-19 virus by Jan. 3, 2020, and over the next few months scores of federal officials across a wide swath of federal agencies all involved in some way with the pandemic would unload or buy key stocks they knew would be affected negatively or positively by the pandemic and the policies being devised and implemented to combat it. Ordinary Americans, of course, had no such luxury of advance notice, so they watched as their 401(k) retirement accounts, their jobs, and their livelihoods were destroyed. Our government no longer truly serves Americans; it serves itself. Sources include: WSJ.com MichaelSpenger.Substack.com (Natural News) In his quests to stack the College of Cardinals, reshape the U.S. episcopate, and usher in a different Church, Pope Francis has promoted a slate of radical American cardinals with a shared vision that would all but destroy the Catholic Church as we know it. (Article by Raymond Wolfe republished from LifeSiteNews.com) With his recent elevation of San Diegos Cardinal Robert McElroy, Pope Francis has now appointed half of all cardinal electors from the United States. His four other American cardinals share McElroys decidedly liberal bent: Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey; Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago; Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C.; and Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. The five men, mostly little-known bishops before the Francis papacy, are now among the most powerful in the Church, boasting a long list of curial appointments and control over two of the most prominent sees in America. Each of them has alleged connections to ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, whom Pope Francis reportedly consulted on episcopal appointments. Any of them could be the next pope. In addition to their newfound influence, the Popes liberal American cardinals have a radical agenda that aims at nothing less than revolution in the Church. Their vision, much of it rooted in Francis controversial apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, includes dismantling the Churchs understanding of sin and conscience, overhauling Catholic teaching on homosexuality and the family, entrenching LGBT activism within the Church, and shielding homosexual abusers while crushing the faithful Catholic priests and laity who stand in their way. The cardinals apparently see a major opportunity in Pope Francis Synod on Synodality, which Cardinal Gerhard Muller, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, recently described as a hostile takeover of the Church. They wont prevail over the Bride of Christ, of course. But for now, theyre doing what they can to mold the Church and millions of souls according to their anti-Catholic, pro-LGBT designs. Below is an in-depth look at their perverse agenda. Cardinal Cupichs Amoris Laetitia revolution At the center of the cardinals agenda is Amoris Laetitia, which underpins their homosexual activism, dismissal of doctrine, and push to give Communion to unrepentant adulterers and homosexuals. Cardinal Cupich in particular has promoted Amoris Laetitia as a revolution in Catholicism that changes the Churchs centuries-old understandings of conscience, doctrine, and sin. The Chicago cardinal immediately saw Amoris as a game changer, including for how the Church deals with two of liberals major obsessions: homosexuals and divorced couples living in public and permanent adultery. In a lecture at Cambridges Von Hugel Institute in 2018, Cupich presented Amoris Laetitia as a new paradigm of catholicity that he said forces a paradigm shift in the Church. According to Cupich, this shift involves a new understanding of conscience in which people can discern that God is calling them to remain in sin, or, in Cupichs euphemistic wording, at some distance from the Churchs understanding of the ideal. He cited highly controversial paragraph 303 of Amoris Laetitia, which claims that conscience can recognize that a situation is objectively wrong but that God does not necessarily require someone to avoid it due to a concrete complexity of ones limits. In other words, the voice of conscience, the voice of God could very well affirm the necessity of living at some distance from the Churchs understanding of the ideal, Cupich said. It is hard to overstate the significance of this hermeneutical shift. Indeed, in Cupichs view, Catholic doctrine the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints is now apparently defective and secondary to so-called self-revelation. Traditional teachings can no longer preemptively be applied to peoples particular challenges after Amoris Laetitia, Cupich said. The Churchs whole ministry must be transformed into accompaniment of individuals as they discern for themselves how to act, even if that means contradicting Catholic teaching. Communion for sodomites and adulterers For Cupich, these principles pave the way for a sacrilegious agenda that includes giving Holy Communion the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ to known sodomites and adulterers who come to the decision in their conscience that God is impossibly calling them to live in sin and profane Him in the Eucharist. Asked how he would accompany divorced and remarried couples seeking the sacraments, Cupich responded, If people come to a decision in good conscience, then our job is to help them move forward and to respect that. The conscience is inviolable and we have to respect that when they make decisions, and Ive always done that. He took the same approach to homosexuals: I think that gay people are human beings too and they have a conscience. And my role as a pastor is to help them to discern what the will of God is by looking at the objective moral teaching of the Church and yet, at the same time, helping them through a period of discernment to understand what God is calling them to at that point. Cupich expressed a similar position upon the release of AL and later affirmed that he would not deny either the sacraments or Christian burials to unrepentant homosexuals. Its not up to any minister who is distributing the Eucharist to make a decision about a persons worthiness or lack of worthiness. Thats on the conscience of those individuals, he has said. A liberal renegade for decades, Cupich doesnt care that his revolution contradicts Catholic tradition and canon law. As canon law still makes clear, and as Pope St. John Paul II reiterated in Ecclesia de Eucharistia, those who have been obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion. Homosexual acts are most certainly manifest grave sin, as is adultery. The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifically notes, echoing St. John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio, that the divorced and remarried cannot receive Eucharistic communion without complete continence. In fact, John Paul IIs landmark encyclical on moral teaching, Veritatis Splendor, almost exactly describes and condemns Cupichs paradigm shift, rejecting attempts to legitimize so-called pastoral solutions contrary to the teaching of the Magisterium, and to justify a creative hermeneutic according to which the moral conscience is in no way obliged, in every case, by a particular negative precept. (56) Such a position attacks the very identity of the moral conscience and diverges from the tradition and teaching of the Church, the saintly pope declared. Not just Cupichs revolution But Cardinal Cupichs heterodox Amoris Laetitia revolution isnt just his. The rest of Pope Francis American cardinals share his great interest in Amoris Laetitia and have aligned themselves with his interpretation of it. Besides Cupich, the Popes other U.S. cardinals have overwhelmingly embraced giving Holy Communion to adulterous couples and homosexuals who reject chastity. In 2018, Cardinal Farrell joined Cupich to organize a series of conferences on Amoris Laetitia at dissident Catholic colleges across the U.S. that featured talks by Cardinal Tobin, then-Archbishop Gregory, and then-Bishop McElroy. The conferences followed an Amoris Laetitia seminar organized by Cupich in 2017 that was attended by Farrell, Gregory, and McElroy. In an address at Villanova University in 2018, Tobin echoed Cupichs Von Hugel speech, praising Amoris Laetitia as a paradigm shift like the Second Vatican Council. McElroy, perhaps Cupichs closest ideological ally, launched a diocesan synod about Amoris Laetitia within months of the documents release in 2016. Hes made no secret about his desire for revolution as well, and recently called for a transformation of the Church and changes to reformable doctrine. Besides Cupich, the Popes other U.S. cardinals have overwhelmingly embraced giving Holy Communion to adulterous couples and homosexuals who reject chastity. Farrell slammed then-Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput in 2017 for saying that divorced and remarried couples could not receive Communion without sexual continence. McElroy has also endorsed a pathway of conscience for adulterers to discern whether God is calling them to return to the Eucharist. Gregory and Tobin have hinted at similar stances. Regarding active homosexuals, McElroy has insisted that he, like Cupich, would not deny them the sacraments or Christian burials. That approach is the appropriate policy that I would hope the priests would observe, he told the dissident National Catholic Reporter. Our fundamental stance has to be one of inclusion in the church. Moreover, Tobin, McElroy, and Gregory have all presided over or personally approved LGBT-themed Masses where homosexuals and their sex partners receive Communion. Cardinal Tobin welcomed an LGBT pilgrimage at his cathedral as one of his first acts as archbishop of Newark. The New York Times reported with delight: But Cardinal Tobins welcome to Mass on May 21 has been the most significant of such recent gestures, because of the symbolism of a cardinal welcoming a group of gay Catholics, some of whom were married to same-sex spouses, to participate in the Sacrament of Holy Communion at the center of a cathedral, no questions asked. I am Joseph, your brother, he told the assembled homosexuals at the pilgrimage, which was organized by a man in a same-sex marriage. Tobin has since approved annual Pride Masses celebrated by a dissident priest, Fr. Alexander Santora. As archbishop of Atlanta, Gregory said Mass for and hosted retreats of Fortunate Families, a pro-LGBT organization founded by activists who reject Catholic teaching on chastity and sodomy. In 2016, McElroy presided over an LGBT-themed Mass featuring a national drag queen activist who spoke at the event and presented McElroy and his auxiliary bishop (now the bishop of Phoenix) with awards on behalf of a drag queen group. Theres apparently no shortage of such Masses in Chicago. Cardinal Cupich allows weekly liturgies hosted by an archdiocesan group, AGLO, that affirms LGBT identities and orientations. Rotating priests say Mass each Sunday at a Methodist church for the Chicago chapter of DignityUSA, yet another dissident LGBT group. In June, two homosexuals gave a Gospel reflection promoting their sodomitic lifestyle during Mass at Old St. Patricks Church in Chicago. The priest who invited them to speak doesnt appear to have faced penalties and is still listed as a pastor there. Attacking Catholic teaching on homosexuality Blaspheming the Eucharist and trying to dismantle Catholic moral theology are unfortunately only the beginning of Cupich and his fellow cardinals perverse agenda: They also want an overhaul of Catholic teaching to legitimize homosexuality and so-called LGBT families. The cardinals have repeatedly voiced their antipathy toward Catholic doctrine that homosexual acts and desires are disordered and want those teachings changed to something more inclusive. Cardinal Tobin has sharply condemned the Churchs recognition of homosexual behavior as intrinsically disordered a teaching which Sacred Tradition has always declared. Tobin blasted that terminology as very unfortunate language in a 2019 interview. Lets hope that eventually that language is a little less hurtful, he said. Cardinal McElroy has attacked the same teaching as very destructive language that I think we should not use pastorally, telling the Jesuit America magazine that the Church must instead refer to sodomy with inclusive, embracing terms. Cardinal Gregory has made similar remarks: The language that the Church uses in speaking of [homosexuals] sexual orientation is often unwelcoming and condemnatory, he has said, apparently referring to Catholic teaching that the inclination to sodomy is objectively disordered. He further criticized the severity of the Churchs moral language about homosexuality for allegedly suggesting that certain members of the Church are superior to others. Under Cardinal Farrell, the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life has increasingly become a platform for such views. Earlier this year, the dicastery invited Aaron Bianco, a well-known homosexual activist in a same-sex marriage and former employee of Cardinal McElroy, to speak at a Vatican conference on Amoris Laetitia. Bianco predictably rebuked Catholic teaching on sexuality and blasphemously claimed that the homosexual orientation comes from God. Cardinal Cupich, for his part, agrees that the Church should embrace the propaganda terms of the LGBT movement. Homosexuals and gender-confused people, he said, should be called the way that they want to be called rather than us coming up with terms that maybe were more comfortable with. Cupich specified that the terms gay and lesbian, LGBT, all of those names that people appropriate to themselves, should be respected. After Cupich removed a conservative priest, Fr. Paul Kalchik, from his parish for burning a pride flag, the Archdiocese of Chicago refused to say whether the left-wing prelate upholds Church teaching that sodomy is intrinsically disordered. The cardinals views are notably similar to those of the German Synodal Way, which demands a reevaluation of doctrine on homosexuality and affirms the homosexual orientation as equal to any other sexual orientation. The family under attack In addition to their attacks on Church teaching against homosexuality, the Francis cardinals have shown their disdain for the Catholic understanding of the family (one man and one woman, married and raising children) and have conflated same-sex relationships with authentic families. Even before the Synodal Way, Cardinal Cupich laid the groundwork for a radical doctrinal shift on the family, again based on Amoris Laetitia. The accompaniment called for by Pope Francis in AL should inform and shape doctrinal development, Cupich declared in his Von Hugel lecture. Doctrine can develop as a result of the Churchs merciful accompaniment of families, he added, describing this revolutionary principle as the linchpin of Amoris Laetitia. Cupich took a shot at the family in the same speech, claiming that Gods self-revelation is present among people who dont meet the Churchs marital ideals. He had previously affirmed that homosexuals can be good parents and later praised many positive elements in same-sex relationships. The Magisterium actually couldnt be clearer that same-sex unions are not and cannot ever be families. At the Vaticans Youth Synod in 2018, a group moderated by Cupich directly challenged the Churchs emphasis on the traditional family and asserted that there are many other forms of family other than the nuclear family or the extended family. The Church should even accept and even honor a family unit at odds with Catholic teaching, the group suggested. Cardinal Tobin has also claimed that the Church is moving on the question of same-sex couples, and Cardinal McElroy has commended what he has called loving and familial relationships which enrich the lives of homosexuals. McElroys 2016 synod on Amoris Laetitia called for embracing LGBT families as part of a spirituality of family life which is deeply inclusive. The San Diego bishop, long at the front line of leftism in the Church, has endorsed same-sex adoption for decades. Before last years World Meeting of Families, the undersecretary of Cardinal Farrells dicastery made clear that it too supports LGBT families in the spirit of Amoris Laetitia. Farrell has hinted at his approval of homosexual unions and recently stated that the Church doesnt speak about civil unions or other forms of marriage besides sacramental matrimony when teaching on marriage. The Magisterium actually couldnt be clearer that same-sex unions are not and cannot ever be families: There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to Gods plan for marriage and family. The cardinals and Fr. James Martin In their quest to revolutionize the Churchs approach to homosexuality, the Popes American cardinals have found a key ally in celebrity priest and Vatican consulter Fr. James Martin, S.J. The five cardinals, in fact, have all crucially promoted Martins pro-LGBT movement and fueled it with their high-level support. Martins heterodoxy is extreme and well-documented: Among other things, the infamous priest has encouraged same-sex marriages, insisted that Catholics should reverence them as loving acts, suggested that Catholic doctrine on the sinfulness of homosexual acts is not authoritative and that chastity is not required of homosexuals, and urged homosexuals to kiss during Holy Mass. Like his cardinal allies, Martin has challenged Catholic teaching that homosexuality is disordered, as in his pro-LGBT book Building a Bridge, and wants the Church to recognize same-sex unions as families. Cardinal Muller has condemned Martins activism as nothing short of heresy. When Fr. Martin released Building a Bridge in 2017, establishing himself as a major LGBT activist in the Church, top Vatican cardinals blasted him for obscuring the truth about the grave evil of homosexuality. Cardinal Robert Sarah, then the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, identified Martin as one of the most outspoken critics of the churchs message with regard to sexuality in a critique of the book. But at the same time, Farrell, Tobin, Gregory, and McElroy wrote glowing recommendations of Building a Bridge, giving it the appearance of orthodoxy and undercutting Cardinal Sarah and Fr. Martins other conservative critics. Catholic writer Brian Williams noted at the time that Martin is only one man but that his writings carry much more weight because of the prelates endorsements. They are favored sons of Rome. Each of them. And everyone knows it. Most of all their brother bishops, he observed. While we are right to condemn the LGBT ministry of men such as Fr. James Martin, it is also important to understand who is really responsible for this revolution. Cardinal Cupich has heaped praise on Martin as well and, along with Gregory, personally invited him to speak in his archdiocese. I wanted to make sure that I affirmed what [Father Martin] was doing, Cupich said in 2017, as Martin faced growing backlash from conservative Catholic leaders and institutions. I wanted to let him know that I supported him. Cardinal Farrells dicastery later invited Fr. Martin as an honored speaker alongside Cupich at the 2018 World Meeting of Families (WMOF), where Martin gave a speech demanding normalization of homosexuality in parishes. The WMOF drew heavily on Amoris Laetitia. In recent years, Martin has amassed hundreds of thousands of online followers, regularly toured Catholic schools across the country, and even starred in a documentary produced by Martin Scorsese about his dissident ministry in no small part thanks to his friends in the College of Cardinals. Entrenching homosexual culture in the Church Though the cardinals have agitated for doctrinal change, it may not be happening as quickly as they would like, as Cardinal Tobin has suggested. In the meantime, theyre entrenching their agenda in the Church in other ways, including by cultivating LGBT activism within their dioceses and letting homosexuals infiltrate the priesthood despite the Vaticans ban. Soon after taking control of the Diocese of San Diego, McElroy named homosexual activist Aaron Bianco as his LGBT ministry coordinator and installed him in a parish where he led youth outreach and parish programs, spread dissident propaganda, and targeted faithful Catholics. The parish has continued the LGBT activism that Bianco started since he left. McElroy also publicly backs ordaining homosexuals as priests as long as they say that theyll be celibate. The Vatican formally prohibits ordaining men who present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture, but McElroy has ignored Vatican directives about homosexuality before. Tobin, like McElroy, hired an avowed LGBT activist for a major diocesan position. In a bombshell 2018 report by Catholic News Agency (CNA), six anonymous priests of the Archdiocese of Newark testified to an ongoing homosexual subculture under his leadership. The cardinal had made headlines earlier that year for accidentally tweeting a romantic text around the time that he housed an Italian actor in his rectory. In Gregorys Atlanta, after a priest was caught in a homosexual affair, Gregory restored him to active ministry three years later while allowing Fr. Henry Gracz, his spiritual guide for abuse victims, to march in pride parades and go to homosexual clubs. Graczs parish, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, hosted a meet-up for New Ways Ministry, a Vatican-blacklisted LGBT group, while Gregory served as archbishop. It currently advertises a pride parade and an LGBTQIA+ potluck. Gregorys record hasnt been much better in Washington, where several parishes, including the Biden familys Holy Trinity Church, proclaim the false gospel of LGBT ideology. The Chicago archdiocese has been a hotbed of LGBT activism under Cardinal Cupich. As bishop of Dallas, Farrell promoted and protected a priest, Fr. Arthur Mallison, involved in an infamous pornographic website for homosexual priests. Farrell left Mallison in active ministry until parishioners created a media firestorm. In 2016, Farrell endorsed a Dallas-area LGBT organization associated with New Ways Ministry over the Church-approved apostolate Courage to the indignation of local Catholics. And in Chicago, when a priest came out as a proud homosexual, Cardinal Cupich allowed him to continue as a parish priest, though Cupich immediately ousted Fr. Kalchik. He also has yet to take action against a married lesbian campus ministry director at a prominent Chicago Catholic high school. Indeed, the Chicago archdiocese has been a hotbed of LGBT activism under Cardinal Cupich. AGLO, the archdiocesan LGBT group, has promoted blatant homosexual obscenity in recent years, and Old St. Patricks operates another dissident LGBTQ+ ministry at one point led by a man in a same-sex marriage. New Ways Ministry lists 14 LGBTQ-friendly parishes in Chicago and several more in the surrounding area. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, Gregory, McElroy, and Cupich gave back-to-back keynote speeches at annual conferences of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP), a network of liberal priests that has encouraged ordaining homosexuals and women. Unsurprisingly, the cardinals also do virtually nothing to satisfy their grave obligation to ensure adherence to the Catholic faith in institutions particularly schools in their dioceses. Nominally Catholics universities in San Diego, Chicago, Washington, and New Jersey aggressively promote abortion, LGBT ideology, and even satanism with no repercussions. Those institutions, moreover, continue to enjoy the patronage of the same prelates supposed to hold them accountable. One of the worst offenders, Chicagos Loyola University, recognizes student groups that advertise drag queen shows and pride parades. But Cupich still chose it as the location for a conference earlier this year with Tobin and other liberal prelates. The University of San Diego pays for sex change surgeries and abortions, but McElroy has been happy to speak and celebrate Mass there nonetheless. Protecting abusers, punishing the faithful While promoting pro-LGBT activists and clerics, the cardinals have all covered up or dragged their feet on homosexual and pederastic abuse: Cardinal Cupich waited weeks to remove a seminary rector caught with homosexual child pornography and didnt report him immediately to police, giving the priest time to discard evidence. Afterward, Cupich helped obstruct sex abuse reform at the U.S. bishops 2018 conference with now-disgraced Cardinal Donald Wuerl. to remove a seminary rector caught with homosexual child pornography and didnt report him immediately to police, giving the priest time to discard evidence. Afterward, Cupich helped at the U.S. bishops 2018 conference with now-disgraced Cardinal Donald Wuerl. Cardinal McElroy covered up allegations of pederastic abuse by a priest in his diocese, according to accusers and lawyers , in addition to McElroys other abuse scandals. , in addition to McElroys other abuse scandals. Cardinal Gregory was held in contempt of court for failing to release the records of a since-laicized priest accused of abusing numerous boys and a girl, and withheld documents about the priest from a civil review board. A jury later awarded one of the priests male victims $6 million. for failing to release the records of a since-laicized priest accused of abusing numerous boys and a girl, and documents about the priest from a civil review board. A jury later awarded one of the priests male victims $6 million. Cardinal Farrell served as auxiliary bishop and vicar general to ex-Cardinal McCarrick while McCarrick was archbishop of Washington. The two even shared a residence together. Farrell has insisted that he was shocked by the revelations of McCarricks serial abuse a claim that priests and observers have found hard to believe. Farrell, formerly a prominent member of the Legionaries of Christ with alleged ties to the orders predatory founder, has also been criticized for mishandling of clerical abuse in Dallas, including for failing to report an abusive priest to law enforcement after removing him from ministry. and have found hard to believe. Farrell, formerly a prominent member of the Legionaries of Christ with to the orders predatory founder, for mishandling of clerical abuse in Dallas, including for failing to report an abusive priest to law enforcement after removing him from ministry. Cardinal Tobin has faced criticism for withholding information about predatory priests and leaving them in active ministry. The archdiocese has reportedly kept credibly accused priests off of its official list. After 2018 CNA report, it revealed that one priest identified by CNA as an alleged abuser was later deemed fit for ministry. The cardinals sympathy toward LGBT activists and frequent leniency on homosexual abuse makes a sharp contrast with their approach to conservative Catholics and Latin Mass devotees in particular. Cupich and McElroy have strenuously denied that homosexuality is linked to the clerical abuse crisis, despite evidence that the vast majority of priestly abuse in recent decades (and a massive amount of abuse in their dioceses) has been perpetrated against young, largely adolescent, males. For Gregory and Tobin, too, the problem isnt homosexuality but clericalism. The cardinals sympathy toward LGBT activists and frequent leniency on homosexual abuse makes a sharp contrast with their approach to conservative Catholics and Latin Mass devotees in particular. Since Pope Francis announced restrictions on the traditional liturgy last year, Cardinals Cupich, Gregory, and McElroy have vaporized several flourishing Latin Mass parishes against the cries of Catholic families. Cupich, a longtime opponent of traditional worship, well went beyond Francis restrictions, banning the Latin Mass on Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost and requiring written permission to celebrate Mass ad orientem. Gregory adopted a similar policy despite overwhelming opposition from his clergy and the pleas of a recently widowed mother of seven. At the same time, the Francis cardinals have taken aim at orthodox priests, including Chicagos Fr. Kalchik and Fr. Richard Bu?, San Diegos Fr. Richard Perozich, and Newarks Fr. Peter West. Cardinal Cupich last year ordered all priests in Chicago to get the abortion-tainted COVID-19 injections or face disciplinary action. No religious exemptions were granted. Synodality: The end game? The cardinals means to achieve their broader revolutionary goals is apparently synodality, another fixation of the Francis papacy and the theme of the Popes Synod on Synodality. Synodality is Pope Francis long-game to remake the Church and will require changes on how we do and are church, Cardinal Tobin claimed last year. He slammed Catholics critical of the approach as guilty of heresy. According to Cardinal McElroy, synodality demands sustained and unrelenting action to effect transformation in both the Church and society. The Popes synodal process, McElroy has said, seeks nothing less than a recasting of the culture of the church that will endure for generations. The deposit of faith is not an inert and abstract body of teaching, he ominously wrote. Cupich has ambitious hopes for synodality as well and has described it as a reform that penetrates throughout the Church: A process that merely changes policies, even if it is the fruit of the finest acts of collegiality, is not enough. It is the conversion of men and women throughout the entire Church parents and priests, catechists and religious, parish leaders and bishops and the conversion of ecclesial cultures on every continent that we must seek. In his Von Hugel lecture, he defined a genuinely synodal Church, as one with no hierarchical distinction between those with knowledge and those without, or, in other words, one in which laity shape doctrine. Their views align closely with those of Pope Francis and Synod leadership. The Pope has described the goal of the Synod on Synodality as creating a different Church, and top synodal officials have indicated that it may lead to significant changes to the Churchs teaching and structure. The Newark archdioceses synodal report also highlighted calls for doctrinal change, including on contraception, LGBT ideology, and womens ordination. Reports from Chicago and San Diego included hostility to Catholic teaching on sexuality, and the synodal report of the Archdiocese of Washington appeared to describe LGBT households as families. Cardinal Muller has condemned the Synod as an attempt at the destruction of the Catholic Church. The success of the initiative and those behind would mean the end of Catholicism, the German cardinal starkly warned in a viral interview this month on EWTNs The World Over. He stressed in recent remarks to LifeSiteNews that heretics and dissidents wont win in the end, however. Jesus will defeat all errors in the Church, Cardinal Muller said. But in the meantime, he lamented, so many individuals can lose their faith. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com (Natural News) A recently released analysis by the Boston Chemical Data Corp Hazardous has found radioactive particles all over Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri. This followed a previous assessment made by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which also discovered high levels of radiation near the elementary school in suburban St. Louis. The latest report, which comprised indoor testing and more extensive samples from the school grounds, is even more shocking as it verified fears of contamination. Based on dust and soil samples collected in August, scientists discovered damaging, radioactive material in several locations inside the school, including the gymnasium and kitchen as well as on the grounds. The researchers found that levels of the isotope lead-210 were more than 22 times the anticipated background level in an outdoor, kindergarten play area. Apart from the radioactive lead isotope, the researchers also detected high levels of radium-266, polonium-210, several isotopes of thorium and other compounds in and around the school. (Related: Soil around Fukushima site remains contaminated with dangerous radioactive waste) The report stated that inhaling, ingesting or even mere skin contact with these particles can cause significant injury to humans. Jana Elementary School is located near a small stream known as Coldwater Creek, which was contaminated with uranium and other radioactive waste from a World War II. A 21.7-acre area upstream of Jana Elementary School, called the St. Louis Airport Site, served as the storage and dumping area for radioactive material made as part of the Manhattan Project for decades. From there, nuclear waste leaked into the ground and springs of Coldwater Creek and flowed down the branch of the Missouri River. Ashley Bernaugh, president of the Jana Elementary School parent-teacher association, told National Public Radio that she was heartbroken when she learned of the report. It sounds so cliche, but it takes your breath from you, Bernaugh said. In response to the findings, the school district issued a statement last October 14 stating it was aware of the report regarding radioactive contamination at Jana Elementary. School officials working on transferring students to various schools in the district The district is now working on the next steps, such as consulting legal and scientific experts. Safety is always our top priority, and we are actively discussing the implications of the findings, the school district said in a statement. Coldwater Creeks cleanup has been continuing for more than two decades, but the restoration efforts were not enough. In 2021, the Army Corps of Engineers moved the completion date for the cleanup to 2038. This has been in our community for over 80 years. We expect the school board to make the agencies responsible for this to come in and clean it up, Bernaugh told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. For the time being, the next steps for the school, its students and the community are still uncertain. Meanwhile, the Hazelwood School District announced recently that Jana Elementary School will turn to virtual learning while school officials work on transferring students to various schools in the district in the coming weeks. The Hazelwood School District Board of Education will be working with our legal counsel to communicate to the appropriate agencies responsible, the necessity to immediately clean up and remediate any and all hazardous waste at Jana Elementary and any other District sites, the school district said in a statement. The school district warned parents in August about possible hazards and disruptions of classes after the Army Corps of Engineers testing discovered radioactive contamination on the banks of the creek, which was at the edge of the schools property. Watch the video below to know how radioactive the water from Pilgrim Nuclear Plant is released into Cape Cod Bay. This video is from the What is happening channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Blunder at Fukushima: Mistake may have contaminated groundwater with radioactive waste. Japanese schools continue to be used as storage for post-Fukushima radioactive waste. Zelensky warns of radiation disaster as Russia accuses Ukraine of shelling its own nuclear plant. Radioactive nuclear waste storage tank in Washington leaks gallons of contaminated liquid. Pacific Ocean compared to a war zone as sea life ecosystem collapses; radioactive waste continues to pour into the ocean. Sources include: StrangeSounds.org ABCNews.go.com (Natural News) The war in Ukraine following Russias invasion continues to drag on with new warning signs appearing in recent days, which indicate both sides may be planning false flag attacks that will kill thousands and further escalate the conflict. In a report from The Hill, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of plotting to destroy a large dam and hydroelectric plant that is currently located in a portion of the country controlled by Moscows forces. Speaking to a meeting of the European Council, Zelenskyy said his country has evidence that Russia has planted mines at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and could be preparing to blow it up, warning that such an attack could flood the critical city of Kherson and cause cooling issues at Europes largest nuclear power plant, the report stated, though it is not clear what the evidence is or how it was obtained. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian president noted that if such an attack is actually carried out, then it will be a catastrophe for Ukrainian civilians living in the area. The dam of this hydroelectric power plant holds about 18 million cubic meters of water, he said. If Russian terrorists blow up this dam, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, will be in the zone of rapid flooding. Hundreds, hundreds of thousands of people may be affected. He noted further that Russian troops have already evicted the dam workers and had since taken over complete control of the facility. They have complete control over the station, Zelensky added. It is necessary to act immediately so that Russia does not have the opportunity to realize this catastrophe. According to We Are Change: For the past nearly two weeks Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraines energy grid, with Kiev saying that already one-third of power stations in the nation have been attacked. Zelenskys dramatic allegation ties into this theme of Ukraine lately denouncing attempts to degrade its national energy infrastructure. Strangely enough, though not for the first time, both warring countries are currently accusing the other of major false flag operations in the works. Russian state media aired some unusual claims on Thursday. Ukraine has a nuclear bomb primed in Mykolaiv which it will detonate and then blame on Russia so that the US has a justification for getting directly involved in the war and launching missiles on Russia, noted BBC Russia watcher Francis Scarr. Today on Russian TV: Ukraine has a nuclear bomb primed in Mykolaiv which it will detonate and then blame on Russia so that the US has a justification for getting directly involved in the war and launching missiles on Russia Got all of that? ? pic.twitter.com/Zfvln18j6P Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) October 19, 2022 We Are Change added: From nearly the start of the Russian invasion in late February, charges of false flags have abounded in both Russian and Ukrainian media, and sometimes these theories are pushed directly by top officials. Prior charges that chemical weapons had been used early in the war, however, had never been verified and were subsequently downplayed by Western officials and pundits. Meanwhile, the Biden administration ordered a large contingent of the famed 101st Airborne Division to Romania, where they are conducting live-fire exercises near the countrys border with Ukraine. The deployment to Europe is the first for the division in nearly 80 years when elements jumped into France during D-Day. Were ready to defend every inch of NATO soil, the divisions deputy commander, Brig. Gen. John Lubas, told CBS News. We bring a unique capability, from our air assault capability Were a light infantry force, but again, we bring that mobility with us, for our aircraft and air assaults. Sources include: CBSNews.com WeAreChange.org (Natural News) The European Union (EU) is still struggling to find the culprit behind an eight-fold increase in childrens excess deaths in Europe. The EU was forced to conduct a probe after the independent news outlet Daily Expose published an intensive analysis about the matter. It zeroed in on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granting emergency use authorization (EUA) in May 2021 to the Pfizer Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 15 years old. Citing official mortality figures for the continent, the Expose said on Aug. 29, 2022 that there was a shocking 691 percent increase in deaths among children up to week 33 of the year since EMAs approval. Prior to the EUA, deaths among children in 2021 were below the expected rate. But following the EUA, excess deaths among children had risen by a shocking 1,599 percent by the end of the year compared to the 2017 to 2020 average. (Related: Excess deaths among children in Europe soar following vaccine rollout for younger age groups.) The Expose cited data from EuroMOMO, which tracks statistics in Europe. It mentioned that overall pooled estimates of all-cause mortality showed increased excess deaths, especially among those 65 years old and older. It did not mention, however, the elevated mortality rate among children aged zero to 14 years. EuroMOMO later acknowledged the elevated excess mortality among children in bulletins and and opened a Europe-wide investigation into the possible causes. Since mid-2021, the accumulated level of mortality in Europe in the age group 0-14 years seems to have increased, EuroMOMO said in its week 36 bulletin. The possible explanations are being investigated. But a month already passed since the EU investigation commenced. Data showed that thousands of children have died in this period, resulting in hundreds of further excess deaths. The statistics provider still had nothing to stay on the investigation, not even one update. About 26K excess deaths recorded just in England and Wales since April In England and Wales, excess deaths in 22 weeks since the week ending April 24 have exceeded the five-year national average at 25,952. The United Kingdoms Office for National Statistics (ONS), reported that numbers are rising by more than a thousand per week. According to ONS, 94 percent of all COVID deaths since April have been among the boosted and quadruple vaccinated, proving mortality rates per 100,000 are highest among the vaccinated population in all age groups and further hinting that the vaccines could be the major factor in why so many people are dying. England and Wales suffered 10,673 deaths in the week ending Sept. 16, equating to a new high of 1,009 excess deaths compared to the U.Ks five-year average. This number constituted a 10.4 percent rise on the average from 2016 to 2019, plus the numbers from 2021. Only 309 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 that week, meaning it equates to only 30 percent of the excess deaths and just 2.8 percent of all deaths. There is still no official statement from the British government on the reasons why a lot of people are dying outside of the 11,791 deaths that were connected to COVID-19 since April. U.K. health institutions reportedly refused to conduct an investigation into the vaccines. This elevates analysts suspicion that the government benefits from the free vaccines and Big Pharma is trying to hide the adverse effects. Visit VaccineDeaths.com for more news about the growing mortality rate around the world since the rollout of COVID-19 injections. Watch Member of the European Parliament Cristian Terhes explain why EU countries that have the highest vaccination rate also have the highest mortality rate. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Mass die-off happening now: Close to 26,000 excess deaths recorded in England and Wales since April. European children suffer appalling 755% increase in excess death after COVID VACCINE approval. Health Experts are baffled by shocking increase in Excess Deaths but the rest of us knew it would happen. Excess deaths in the UK increased 5 months after mass COVID booster campaign. Sources include: GlobalResearch.ca Expose-News.com 1 Expose-News.com 2 Brighteon.com (Natural News) Jason Sullivan, a specialist in social media and Twitter, developed a social media monitoring algorithm called J6 DELETED that has blown the lid on the so-called insurrection that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, after Joe Biden won the election. Sullivan was subpoenaed in 2018 by the special counsel investigating the accusation at the time that Donald Trump was colluding with Russia. Sullivan would become the lead investigative consultant to the former presidents legal team, during which he made some interesting discoveries. In an interview, Sullivan revealed that certain influencers colluded with Twitter employees and leadership to steer the insurrection narrative. This would ensure that only the globalist-approved narrative went viral on the social media platform. (Related: By all appearances, the January 6 insurrection was an FBI false flag event.) Weve created an algorithm that enables us to determine which tweets are on a trajectory of becoming a viral event, Sullivan said. We are watching social media intelligence in real-time, all day, every day, based on specific search terms, key phrases, and hashtags. Our algorithm can tell us exactly how much traction a particular tweet is receiving and how often people are reciprocating, such as liking and retweeting. When it meets a certain threshold, we are automatically alerted. The world was rupared on January 6 by VOX editor Aaron Rupar Leading up to January 6, Sullivan went on to explain that he and others were actively monitoring and controlling every viral event that took place that day in relation to the word Trump. All such content was immediately flagged. We were listening to people who were trending, Sullivan added. We were listening to people who were leaking things. We were listening to people who were seeding disinformation. What we discovered is that there were trends that clearly indicated there was going to be some type of false flag operation on January 6. A careful probing of all captured content revealed to Sullivan and his team that Twitter was, in fact, systematically removing content to steer the narrative, which we know ultimately steered the outcome as well. I want to make it perfectly clear that we conducted this sting operation, Sullivan said about the captured tweets, which were admitted as exculpatory evidence in a case against Twitter. We have it all. We have all of the tweets and all of the exculpatory evidence Twitter thinks it scrubbed from the internet. We have them all. The J6 Deleted document trove was then produced from all that evidence. It is available to the public for viewing at J6Deleted.com. One of the influencers who Sullivan and his team caught spreading misinformation that day was Aaron Rupar, an associate editor at VOX. Rupar created no less than 18 tweets that went viral that day, which contributed to the rampant spread of misinformation. Such information was then used by the likes of Stacey Abrams and Oprah Winfrey to spread the information further and codify it as truth even though it was all lies. Rupar is so well known for spreading misinformation that his last name is now recognized as both a verb and a noun in Urban Dictionary, the meaning being to lie with impunity; a brazen statement with a focus on misleading, usually with intention of a predetermined outcome. Another misinformation spreader was a professor at Harvard University by the name of Lawrence Tribe, who spread at least eight viral Twitter posts on January 6, most of which insulted and berated Trump as the responsible party. The latest news about Twitter and the rest of Silicon Valleys misinformation shenanigans and obsession with lying can be found at BigTech.news. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com NaturalNews.com J6Deleted.com (Natural News) Women are more prone to suffer adverse events from Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines than men. This startling finding came out of a study conducted by React19, a science-based non-profit that provides advice and support for individuals suffering from long-term COVID-19 vaccine-related injuries. (Related: Doctor verifies VAERS data showing COVID-19 vaccines increase dangers to womens reproductive health.) A total of 508 patients experiencing post-vaccination adverse events were evaluated in October 2021 by React19 as per its website and found that 81 percent of those reporting injuries were females with ages ranging from 30-50 years. Its finding jibed with the data from Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), which showed that women comprised around 65 percent of the vaccine injury reports. Also, 41 percent of these adverse events happened to women aged 18-49. Older women were not spared from these adverse events, with those in the 50-59 bracket and the 65-79 group constituting 35 percent of the injury reports since the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Menstrual irregularities are the top complaint The main complaint after getting the jabs turned out to be menstrual irregularities, according to a survey done by My Cycle Story covering over 6,000 women. Compared to those who didnt get injected, vaccinated women experienced an increase of nearly one day in their menstrual cycle a finding corroborated by other studies worldwide. A particular entry in the questionnaire posed a concern: decidual cast shedding (DCS). Thats because fewer than 40 cases of DCS have been documented around the world for the past century. After the vaccines, at least 292 women experienced DCS in which an intact piece of tissue containing mucus and blood passes through the vagina. This can happen during the menstruation period and is sometimes taken as a sign of ectopic pregnancy. What is more alarming, however, is the admission of the Food and Drug Administration that it knew 18 percent of pregnant women suffered miscarriages following the COVID-19 vaccination. Another large study found that mature women who got the jabs are at heightened risk of suffering health conditions, including having a miscarriage, fertility issues, fetal cardiac arrest and menstrual abnormality. A United Kingdom study in December 2021 revealed an increased risk of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscles), pericarditis (inflammation of lining outside the heart) and thrombosis (formation of blood clots in the veins or arteries) associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Other studies also linked the COVID-19 vaccines to other health conditions like myalgia (muscle pains), arthralgia (joint pains), chest pains, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain, severe headaches, blurred vision, formation of tiny blood spots, nausea and vomiting. Despite earlier denials of the adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccines, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky recently admitted that there have been four adverse events linked to the shots: severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock), blood clotting, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (rapid-onset muscle weakness that can lead to paralysis) and heart inflammation. The adverse effects have turned out to be so many and varied that health researchers are now pushing for a worldwide moratorium on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy until randomized prospective trials document safety in pregnancy and long-term follow-up in offspring. Claire Rogers of the Truth for Health Foundation said: Theres enough of a safety signal in our research in looking at VAERS that we should pause the vaccines until they are studied more in-depth. No wonder, Pfizer has discontinued its COVID-19 vaccine trial in pregnant women in several countries launched in February 2021. The reason given for the stoppage was the slow recruitment of expectant mothers, which is a flimsy excuse. Most likely, the data they obtained, which it cited as incomplete numbers, did not conform to what the pharmaceutical giant is hoping for. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) can no longer ignore the data at hand. The WHO wrote on its website in January 2021: The use of this vaccine (Moderna) in pregnant women is currently not recommended unless they are at risk of high exposure (e.g. health workers). Its clear, women, especially those who are pregnant, are at risk of injuries brought about by the COVID-19 vaccines. Visit VaccineDamage.news for more stories related to vaccine injuries. Watch the video below about the WHOs new guideline on the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, telling women not to take the jab unless they are at risk of high exposure to coronavirus. This video is from the Mid East Salt & Light Brigade channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: The FDA KNEW: 18% of pregnant women miscarried following covid vaccination but shots were given emergency authorization anyway (UPDATE). Ben Armstrong: Pfizer knows the COVID vaccine is dangerous for pregnant women. BBCs vaccine is safe for pregnant women expert just happens to also be principal investigator of Pfizers COVID injection in pregnancy trial. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org HopkinsMedicine.org WomensHealthResearch.UBC.ca TheEpochTimes.com Brighteon.com Experts warn that the world will fall short of its deforestation goal without prompt action. In 2021, forest destruction decreased, although not by enough to achieve the 2030 promise set by 145 nations. Global Forest Loss Global forest loss decreased in 2021, but an assessment shows that the crucial climate target of halting deforestation by 2030 would still be missed without immediate action. The area destroyed in 2021 decreased by 6.3% due to advances in several nations, particularly Indonesia. However, the destruction of the most carbon- and biodiversity-rich tropical rainforests decreased by just 3%, while approximately 7 million hectares were lost. The CO2 emissions brought on by the fallen trees were equal to those of Japan and the whole European Union combined. Also Read: Developing Nations Demand Rich Nations Provide Compensation for Climate-Caused 'Loss and Damage' Urgent Need According to researchers, deforestation must be stopped to keep global warming to 1.5C over pre-industrial levels. 145 nations committed to stop logging by the end of the decade at the Cop26 climate summit held by the UN in Glasgow last year. The destruction and degradation of forests bring on 10% of the world's carbon emissions. According to the assessment's authors, the proclamation made by the Glasgow leaders would be as "empty" as the commitment made by nations to halt deforestation by 2020 in 2014. According to researchers, deforestation must be stopped to keep global warming to 1.5C over pre-industrial levels. 145 nations committed to stop logging by the end of the decade at the Cop26 climate summit held by the UN in Glasgow last year. The destruction and degradation of forests bring on 10% of the world's carbon emissions. According to the assessment's authors, the proclamation made by the Glasgow leaders would be as "empty" as the commitment made by nations to halt deforestation by 2020 in 2014. They said that there was a lack of political will, that the methods being taken to stop deforestation were not transparent or clear, and that just 1% of the necessary financing was being offered. "The [Glasgow statement] was a huge occasion, the first time such a target had been endorsed at the leaders level by so many nations, covering 90% of the world's forests," said Erin Matson of Climate Focus, a policy group and one of the coalitions of organizations that did the evaluation. "However, we are not on the course. Even though there has been a slight improvement, it could just be temporary. By phasing out or reversing safeguards, many nations endanger their development. For instance, Indonesia did not extend its ban on the use of palm oil when it came to an end in September 2021, and legislation on employment creation that was just passed puts natural forests in grave danger. Failed Efforts Brazil, whose deforestation has increased under president Jair Bolsonaro after declining under his predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had the highest area of lost forest in 2021. Scientists have stated that the outcome of the election between the two candidates on October 30 will likely influence the future of the Amazon. The risks are great, Matson declared. "We are swiftly approaching another wave of empty pledges and disappearing forests," said David Gibbs, a research associate at the World Resources Institute's (WRI) Global Forest Watch. The methods include international trade restrictions, government prohibitions with strong enforcement, partnerships with the cattle, soy, wood, and other commodity corporations whose goods are most closely associated with deforestation, and enhancement of Indigenous and other locals' land rights. Related Article: Environmental Justice: How and Why Environmental Activism Became Mainstream For more news update about Environmental Action, don't forget to follow Nature World News! Competition plays a significant role in animal kingdoms. Animals manage to adapt to various habitats with the competition. In new research, scientists found that the brains of Trinidadian Killifish evolved larger to survive and thrive in a high-competition environment. The result derived from the research experiment. Species in the animal kingdom find their ways to exist and co-exist. Some have a defensive mechanism to defend against the threat of predators. Animals like snakes use their bright colors to warn of potential danger. The extremely competitive environment could affect animals for their existence. According to a new study, research showed that Trinidadian Killifish evolved brains larger that could help them adapt and increase their survival against competitors and dangers. The research was published in Ecology Letters, and it is available to read in Phys.Org. Survival in a high-competition environment According to the article, the Trinidadian Killifish was seen to evolve into larger brains after being exposed to a high-competitive environment, noting the very need to fit and survive. Based on the report, Professor Matthew Walsh and Kaitlyn Howell led the study by examining the connection between the brain and the Trinidadian Killifish's survivability. The researchers looked into the killifish response to high-competition areas with predators and lack of predators. Professor Matthew Walsh explained that the study helps to highlight the significant role of competition in the animal kingdom. Moreover, the study considered experimental evidence showing how the Killifish managed to evolve its brain to adapt and survive, affecting the animal's brain-size variation. The researchers observed the fish in the 30-day experiment in Arima, Trinidad, noting that the fish would try to thrive in finding food. The researcher found the following: Killifish did not show any sign of change in their brain size in the high-competition environment in their native habitat. The study explained that the experiment revealed that the said Killifish was adaptive, showing larger brains due to intense competition Animals' vibrant color Meanwhile, the previous report on the effect of bright colors on animals showed that they could intimidate or impress other animals. The researchers at the University of Arizona looked into the animals' color and how they used it for their purposes. It also considered the potential link to the animals' ancestors. Also Read: How Bright Colors Could Impress and Intimidate in Animal Kingdom According to the report, the research findings could help contribute to the book of knowledge about animals' evolution and their colors' impact on their survival or existence. The research found a connection between the animals' vibrant colors and their ancestors. It only means that animals posing bright colors for mating signals were connected to their descendants active during the day. Meanwhile, the animals showing their bright color as a warning signal were from the descendants of ancestors active during the night. While some animals pose their colors to threaten or impress, some animals, like the Male Rock Hyrax, unfolded extraordinary singing skills to attract potential female partners. The male rock Hyrax sings in a beat, showing mating partners that they are healthy and a way to initiate courtship. Related Article: New Research Using Zinc Isotope Analysis Suggests Neanderthals Could be Carnivores For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News. The prolonged drought in portions of the Midwest has impacted farmers, suffering from the effect on their harvest production. With almost nonexistent rainfall, farmers lamented that the very low irrigation without rain affects their farms, calling the event the worst since 2012. The worsening and prolonged drought resulted in less production of major crops, impacting both the farmer and consumers. A sufficient water irrigation supply could help meet the farmer's expected harvest or multiply their harvests. However, the uncertainty of rain watering their fields has been a question. Effect on harvests Although farming has experienced the worst of the environment, the farmers said that the drought they have now is worst and unusual, resulting in dwindling the water supply needed by their harvest. According to the report published in Phys.Org, climatologist Brian Fuchs said that the lack of moisture could persist into winter and next spring, taking note of no significant change in what they have seen. Fuchs is also from the National Drought Mitigation Center - at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Farmers also have to deal with the grasshoppers that affect the flowers. The report noted that Tucker Farms, located in Venango, Nebraska, was threatened not only by the worst drought but also by the grasshoppers. Meanwhile, farmers reported that the Midwest suffered from declining water supply to water shortage. The water shortage due to drought is not seen since 2012. According to the article, director emeritus Rex Buchanan of the Kansas Geological Survey noted that what farmers have experienced appears different in the dry or drought years from 2020 to 2012. The report explained that parts of Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota's Midwestern states are also affected, affecting the production of major crops in the United States, including soybeans, corn, and wheat. It added that the impact of drought on the harvest of major crops in the country had reduced the yield predictions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Also Read: Air Quality in the Pacific Northwest Expected To Improve After Residents Suffered From Wildfires' Smoky Haze In previous reports, portions of the Midwest have been changing, from sudden widespread temperature cooldown and rebound to warming temperatures, according to the forecast. Meanwhile, the Northwest has had the same warm weather as the Midwest. With the changing and rollercoaster weather pattern, the forecast added that the winter season this 2022 would be warmer than expected. Drought-stricken river Meanwhile, reports showed that the Mississippi River has been experiencing a prolonged drought resulting in a historically low water level. The drought also impacts the river, providing water supply to many farmers. According to the forecast, the river would have no significant changes this year and in the coming winter. On the other hand, the latest weather forecast showed that parts of the Southern U.S would expect stormy weather. The severe weather conditions could alleviate the heat in the Southern U.S, allowing drought-stricken areas to drench with water and residents to feel cool weather. Residents experiencing moderate to extreme drought in their areas should be cautious about the potential health-related risks of prolonged exposure to scorching weather temperatures. Related Article: Woman Searching For Rocks Found Human Bones at Mississippi River's Historic Low Water Levels For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News. The record shows that Washington rejected Macrons initiatives as well as entreaties from Putin and Zelenskyy to resolve issues through diplomatic dialogue. The West Must Stop Blocking Negotiations Between Ukraine and Russia by Vijay Prashad Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This war has been horrendous, though it does not compare with the terrible destruction wrought by the U.S. bombardment of Iraq (shock and awe) in 2003. In the Gomel region of Belarus that borders Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian diplomats met on February 28 to begin negotiations toward a ceasefire. These talks fell apart. Then, in early March, the two sides met again in Belarus to hold a second and third round of talks. On March 10, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia met in Antalya, Turkiye, and finally, at the end of March, senior officials from Ukraine and Russia met in Istanbul, Turkiye, thanks to the initiative of Turkiyes President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On March 29, Turkiyes Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, We are pleased to see that the rapprochement between the parties has increased at every stage. Consensus and common understanding were reached on some issues. By April, an agreement regarding a tentative interim deal was reached between Russia and Ukraine, according to an article in Foreign Affairs. Abandoned car in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine [Photo: Nick Tsybenko/ Unsplash In early April, Russian forces began to withdraw from Ukraines northern Chernihiv Oblast, which meant that Russia halted military operations around Kyiv, Ukraines capital. The United States and the United Kingdom claimed that this withdrawal was a consequence of military failure, while the Russians said it was due to the interim deal. It is impossible to ascertain, with the available facts, which of these two views was correct. Before the deal could go forward, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Kyiv on April 9. A Ukrainian media outletUkrainska Pravdareported that Johnson carried two messages to Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: first, that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be pressured, not negotiated with, and second, that even if Ukraine signed agreements with the Kremlin, the West was not ready to do so. According to Ukrainska Pravda, soon after Johnsons visit, the bilateral negotiation process was paused. A few weeks later, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv, and following the trip, Austin spoke at a news conference at an undisclosed location in Poland and said, We want to see Russia weakened. There is no direct evidence that Johnson, Blinken, and Austin directly pressured Zelenskyy to withdraw from the interim negotiations, but there is sufficient circumstantial evidence to suggest that this was the case. The lack of willingness to allow Ukraine to negotiate with Russia predates these visits and was summarized in a March 10, 2022, article in the Washington Post where senior officials in U.S. President Joe Bidens administration stated that the current U.S. strategy is to ensure that the economic costs for Russia are severe and sustainable, as well as to continue supporting Ukraine militarily in its effort to inflict as many defeats on Russia as possible. Long before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, since 2014, the United States hasthrough the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative of the U.S. Department of Defensespent more than $19 billion in providing training and equipment to the Ukrainian military ($17.6 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022). The total annual budget of the United Nations for 2022 is $3.12 billion, far less than the amount spent by the U.S. on Ukraine today. The arming of Ukraine, the statements about weakening Russia by senior officials of the U.S. government, and the refusal to initiate any kind of arms control negotiations prolong a war that is ugly and unnecessary. Ukraine Is Not in Iowa Ukraine and Russia are neighbors. You cannot change the geographical location of Ukraine and move it to Iowa in the United States. This means that Ukraine and Russia have to come to an agreement and find a solution to end the conflict between them. In 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy won by a landslide (73 percent) in the Ukrainian presidential election against Petro Poroshenko, the preferred candidate of the West. We will not be able to avoid negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Zelenskyy said on a TV panel, Pravo Na Vladu, TSN news service reported, before he became president. In December 2019, Zelenskyy and Putin met in Paris, alongside then-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and Frances President Emmanuel Macron (known as the Normandy Four). This initiative was driven by Macron and Merkel. As early as 2019, Frances President Emmanuel Macron argued that it was time for Europe to rethink our relationship with Russia because pushing Russia away from Europe is a profound strategic error. In March 2020, Zelenskyy said that he and Putin could work out an agreement within a year based on the Minsk II agreements of February 2015. There are points in Minsk. If we move them around a bit, then what bad can that lead to? As soon as there are no people with weapons, the shooting will stop. Thats important, Zelenskyy told the Guardian. In a December 2019 press conference, Putin said, there is nothing more important than the Minsk Agreements. At this point, Putin said that all he expected was that the Donbas region would be given special status in the Ukrainian Constitution, and during the time of the expected Ukraine-Russia April 2020 meeting, the troops on both sides would have pulled back and agreed to disengagement along the entire contact line. Role of Macron It was clear to Macron by 2020 that the point of the negotiations was about more than just Minsk and Ukraine; it was about the creation of a new security architecture that did not isolate Russiaand was also not subservient to Washington. Macron developed these points in February 2021 in two directions and spoke about them during his interview with the Atlantic Council (a U.S. think tank). First, he said that NATO has pushed our borders as far as possible to the eastern side, but NATOs expansion has not succeeded in reducing the conflicts and threats there. NATOs eastward expansion, he made clear, was not going to increase Europes security. Second, Macron said that the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019and Russias mirroring thatleaves Europe unprotected against these Russian missiles. He further said, As a European, I want to open a discussion between the European Union and Russia. Such a discussion would pioneer a post-Cold War understanding of security, which would leave the United States out of the conversation with Russia. None of these proposals from Macron could advance, not only because of hesitancy in Russia but also principally because they were not seen favorably by Washington. Confusion existed about whether U.S. President Joe Biden would be welcomed into the Normandy Four. In late 2020, Zelenskyy said he wanted Biden at the table, but a year later it became clear that Russia was not interested in having the United States be part of the Normandy Four. Putin said that the Normandy Four was self-sufficient. Biden, meanwhile, chose to intensify threats and sanctions against Russia based on the claims of Kremlin interference in the United States 2016 and 2018 elections. By December 2021, there was no proper reciprocal dialogue between Biden and Putin. Putin told Finnish President Sauli Niinisto that there was a need to immediately launch negotiations with the United States and NATO on security guarantees. In a video call between Biden and Putin on December 7, 2021, the Kremlin told the U.S. president that Russia is seriously interested in obtaining reliable, legally fixed guarantees that rule out NATO expansion eastward and the deployment of offensive strike weapons systems in states adjacent to Russia. No such guarantee was forthcoming from Washington. The talks fizzled out. The record shows that Washington rejected Macrons initiatives as well as entreaties from Putin and Zelenskyy to resolve issues through diplomatic dialogue. Up to four days before the Russian invasion, Macron continued his efforts to prevent an escalation of the conflict. By then, the appetite in Moscow for negotiations had dwindled, and Putin rejected Macrons efforts. An independent European foreign policy was simply not possible (as Macron had suggested and as the former leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev had proposed in 1989 while talking about his vision for a common European home that would stretch from northern Asia to Europe). Nor was an agreement with Russia feasible if it meant that Russian concerns were to be taken seriously by the West. Ukrainians have been paying a terrible price for the failure of ensuring sensible and reasonable negotiations from 2014 to February 2022which could have prevented the invasion by Russia in the first place, and once the war started, could have led to the end of this war. All wars end in negotiations, but these negotiations to end wars should be permitted to restart. This article was produced by Globetrotter. Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor, and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is an editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is a senior non-resident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest books are Struggle Makes Us Human: Learning from Movements for Socialism and (with Noam Chomsky) The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power. According to an expert, climate change is causing the brain-eating amoeba found in Lake Mead to spread out. After a Nevada boy who contracted the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri passed away last week, news of the organism gained attention. A scientist has recently claimed that the amoeba's range may be expanding, possibly as a result of climate change. Death by Naegleria Fowleri A boy under the age of 18 who might have been exposed to the amoeba while visiting the Lake Mead National Recreation Area died on Wednesday, according to the Southern Nevada Health District. As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), N. fowleri is a single-celled organism that can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). This leads to severe brain damage and has a mortality rate of more than 97%. The amoeba can be discovered in warm freshwater areas like lakes, canals, rivers, ponds, and even shoddy heated swimming pools. Jimmy Whitworth, a London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine professor, said in an interview with Newsweek that the silt found at the bottom of such bodies of water is probably where the amoeba can be found. Neither seawater nor pools that have been well-maintained contain it. N. fowleri infections are extremely uncommon, despite millions of exposures occurring each year across the United States. Whitworth added that, rarely, it can directly invade the brain through the nose and consume brain cells in humans, resulting in a very nasty infection. Within one to twelve days after infection, PAM's first symptoms can appear. Confusion, a stiff neck, inattention to the environment, seizures, loss of balance, and hallucinations are among the symptoms. The disease advances quickly after the onset of symptoms. Whitworth also said that symptoms like a headache, fever and altered mental state typically appear five days after exposure. Almost always, it ends fatally quickly. Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis Cases According to CDC figures, there were 154 cases of PAM reported in the United States between 1962 and 2021, and only four of these patients went on to recover. The majority of infections have happened in southern states including Texas and Florida. However, evidence indicates that the amoeba's range is expanding northward, possibly as a result of climate change, the same culprit for some areas to have lower water levels and warmer freshwater bodies having higher temperatures. Caused by Climate Change? Whitworth said that only warm water, having a temperature above 86 degrees Fahrenheit, is conducive to Naegleria activity. The amoeba may be extending its range in response to climate change. It has been diagnosed for the first time in the United States, where three cases are diagnosed annually, and has recently been reported as far north as Minnesota and Nebraska. It has been reported in Europe in Spain, Italy, and further north in connection with hot springs. Its prevalence is likely underdiagnosed and unrecognized elsewhere in the world, making it difficult to determine whether it is spreading. In a previous interview, Jennifer Cope, a medical officer from the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch-CDC, told Newsweek that the areas of the United States where infections occur are shifting. The first Naegleria infection was discovered in Minnesota in 2010, 600 miles further north than any other case ever discovered. There is a statistically significant trend toward the north in the latitude of exposures among US cases associated with recreational water. Cope added that It has been established that Naegleria can live and thrive in environments with warm freshwater, but researchers are unsure to what extent climate change plays a role. Read also: According to Scientists, a Brain-eating Amoeba Are Rapidly Spreading Due to Climate Change Lake Mead Amoeba The boy's death in Nevada represents the first case of an N. fowleri-related fatality that can be linked to a potential exposure during their visit to Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The country's largest reservoir in terms of water storage, Lake Mead, has shrunk to record lows this year as a result of the ongoing megadrought plaguing large areas of the western US. Naegleria fowleri poses a low risk to the general public, but the CDC advises people to use caution when swimming or entering warm freshwater, Newsweek reports. Things to Remember to Avoid Naegleria Fowleri Risks According to Healthline, infection can be prevented through the following: Do not dive or jump into warm freshwater bodies, especially in the summer. When in warm freshwater bodies of water, swimmers should hold their noses shut, keep their heads above water, or use nose clips. It is not recommended to submerge one's head in hot springs or other untreated geothermal water. Avoid stirring or digging in the sediment in warm, shallow freshwater. Related article: Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills Child in Nebraska; Second Death Reported Since July In Alberta, a massive grizzly bear weighing 450 pounds was shot by people driving by. According to a statement from Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement, the bear was killed on October 14 around 4 PM. According to officials, the person who shot and killed the animal drove up before making a quick U-turn. The number of grizzly bears in Alberta was predicted to range from 856 to 973 in 2021. The population once covered a larger portion of the Canadian province. However, in recent years, their numbers have sharply decreased. They continue to be contained in the Rocky Mountains as well as the Foothills Natural Region of Alberta. In 2010, grizzly bears were formally listed as threatened species, making bear hunting prohibited in that area. Shooting, Killing Wildlife in Alberta An Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement spokesperson said in an interview with Newsweek that they were unable to comment on details of the incident because the case was still open. Also, an investigation is still going on. They can only confirm that it was a mature male grizzly bear with a weight of about 450 pounds. The spokesperson added that in the province, bears are now and then shot and killed, but this is not something that is frequently seen. To quickly and fairly resolve situations like this, Albertans who accidentally shoot and kill a bear should report the incident to their neighborhood Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Office right away. According to a statement posted on Facebook, officials are aware that a blue Dodge truck that had a red quad in the box was the only vehicle spotted in the area at the time of the shooting. No More Grizzly Bear Hunting According to The Globe and Mail, an Albertan news website, in 2006, all grizzly bear hunting permits were revoked, and a plan for the recovery of the species was created. But since black bears are common in the province and are legal to hunt, it seems to be possible that the person who shot the bear thought it was a black bear. The firm statement said that Fish & Wildlife officers think the driver or passengers in this car might know something crucial to their investigation. Fish & Wildlife officers are requesting that anyone who believes that the grizzly bear was mistaken for a black bear call the Report a Poacher Hotline. Read also: Man Survives Grizzly Attack in Wyoming Unpopular Ban The prohibition on hunting grizzly bears is unpopular with some Canadians. A Facebook user responded to the statement by saying that some people are very upset that there is no season for grizzlies, and by doing this, they are demonstrating their disregard for the law. Other people said that grizzly bears occasionally cause problems by getting into houses and causing damage. Another user of the same social media platform said that a raffle must be held, and only a certain number of these animals must be killed each year. There are many more bears, which are causing problems in residential and agricultural areas. The same user added that sadly, this bear appears to be quite beautiful, Newsweek reports. Grizzly Bears According to Western Wildlife, although they are occasionally portrayed as ferocious predators in the media, in reality, grizzly bears are typically solitary animals. Grizzly bears are highly intelligent, inquisitive, and remember things very well, especially the location of food sources. Although grizzly bears are active both day and night, they frequently change their routines in areas with a lot of human activity to avoid people. Related article: College Wrestler Got Into a Brawl with Bear to Rescue Teammate Major Hurricane Roslyn made landfall in Mexico on Sunday, October 23, bringing heavy rain, flash flooding, and landslides. Several people died as the powerful storm struck the coastline of the Central American nation. In addition, the hurricane also forced widespread evacuations, caused massive travel disruption, and led to power outages as it wreaked havoc across the country coastline. Major Hurricane Roslyn At least three people were killed when Major Hurricane Roslyn struck Mexico's Pacific shore with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour). This is in addition to the torrential rain, floodwaters, and mudslides the category 3 hurricane brought to western Mexico, the BBC report said. Since then, the major hurricane has been downgraded to a tropical cyclone. However, Tropical Cyclone Roslyn still threatens the country with flood risk, especially in low-lying grounds and communities near bodies of water. The aftermath of the East Pacific Ocean storm left flooded roads, overturned vehicles, and damaged houses. Reports suggested that the tropical storm severely affected the states of Jalisco and Nayarit the most. The fatalities from the latest weather event involved an elderly man who was hit by a beam after a roof fell on him. On the other hand, two women died after being crushed by collapsing buildings. There was no further mention of any related deaths. However, the death toll number is still possible to increase as local authorities could find other potential fatalities in areas affected by floodwaters and mudslides. Roslyn also submerged vehicles and trucks in deep water, which were evidence based on images and videos that surfaced on Monday, October 24. Fallen trees and landslides also blocked highways in the affected areas, according to AccuWeather. Also Read: Roslyn becomes Tropical Storm, Expected to Hit Western Mexico with Heavy Rainfall and Hurricane Conditions Worst Affected Areas In Nayarit state, the worst affected area is reportedly in the town of Tecuala and mud was seen further south along the coast in the town of Sayulita. In Jalisco state, flash flooding and power outages occurred in the town of Puerto Vallarta, causing only minor damage, the state's governor confirms, as cited by the BBC. Local sources also said flights have returned to normal after being disrupted due to the hurricane landfall. People have also started to return to their homes. Meanwhile, beaches will remain closed until further notice, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramirez adds. Prior to the landfall of Tropical Storm Roslyn, municipal authorities in Jalisco and Nayarit had established emergency shelters for evacuees. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Roslyn reached Mexico's mainland at 5:20 a.m. local time near Santa Cruz in northern Nayarit, a coastal province of Mexico where popular tourist beaches are located, as cited by Reuters. Major Hurricane Roslyn is currently the 17th named system in East Pacific hurricane season this year. Earlier this year, US weather authorities from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have warned that there will be a very active 2022 season consisting of above-normal number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes. Related Article: Roslyn Strengthened to Category 3 Hurricane Causing Damaging Winds and Heavy Rains in Mexico A new study analyzing fragments of the planet's oldest ancient rocks offers some of the clearest evidence yet that the Earth's crust was pushing and tugging in a way comparable to present plate tectonics at least 3.25 billion years ago. The research also gave the first evidence of when the planet's magnetic north and south poles switched locations. Laying the geological groundwork for life on Earth The two findings provide insight into how such geological shifts may have resulted in a more favorable setting for the evolution of life on Earth, as per ScienceDaily. The researchers reveal that portions of the Earth's oldest surface were changing at a pace of 6.1 centimeters per year and 0.55 degrees every million years using unique methodologies and equipment. This pace is more than triple the rate at which the ancient crust was demonstrated to be moving in a prior investigation by the same researchers. Plate tectonics is the most reasonable and convincing explanation for the speed and direction of this latitudinal movement. According to AleBrenner, a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a member of Harvard's Paleomagnetics Lab, there's a lot of work that seems to suggest that early in Earth's history plate tectonics wasn't the dominant way in which the planet's internal heat gets released as it is today through plate shifting. This information allows us to rule out hypotheses that do not include plate tectonics with more certainty. For example, scholars may now argue against phenomena such as real polar wander and stationary lid tectonics, both of which can cause the Earth's surface to change but are not part of current plate tectonics. Because the newly revealed greater rate of speed contradicts the characteristics of the other two processes, the results lean more toward plate tectonic motion. The scientists also explain what is thought to be the oldest evidence of when Earth reversed its geomagnetic fields, meaning the magnetic North and South Poles swapped positions, in the publication. According to NASA, this sort of flip-flop is typical in Earth's geologic history, with the pole reversing 183 times in the previous 83 million years and maybe several hundred times in the last 160 million years. The reversal reveals a lot about the magnetic field of the planet 3.2 billion years ago. The magnetic field was likely steady and powerful enough to prohibit solar winds from degrading the atmosphere, which is one of the most important implications. This understanding, when paired with the findings on plate tectonics, provides insights into the conditions under which the first forms of life evolved. "It creates a picture of an early Earth that was already highly geodynamical developed," Brenner explained. It possessed many of the same kinds of dynamic processes that result in a more stable Earth's environmental and surface conditions, making it more viable for life to emerge and develop. The Earth's outer shell now comprises around 15 changing slabs of crust, or plates, that support the planet's continents and seas. The earliest chunks of crust are forced into the inner mantle, never to reappear, making it difficult to determine when plate tectonics began. Only 5% of all rocks on Earth are more than 2.5 billion years old, and none are more than 4 billion years old. Overall, the work adds to the increasing body of evidence showing tectonic activity occurred very early in Earth's 4.5 billion-year history and that early forms of life evolved in a more temperate climate. In 2018, project members returned to the Pilbara Craton, which runs for around 300 kilometers. They dug through the primeval and thick slab of crust there to gather samples, which were then tested for magnetic history in Cambridge. The Quantum Diamond Microscope was created by Harvard academics from the Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) and Physics. Fu and Brenner intend to continue their research on the Pilbara Craton while also going beyond it to other ancient crusts across the world. They are looking for ancient evidence of modern-like plate motion as well as when the Earth's magnetic poles reversed. Read more: Tectonic Plates Are Moving Faster as Earth Ages The theory of plate tectonics Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains how significant landforms evolve as a result of underground movements on Earth, as per the National Geographic. The hypothesis, which gained traction in the 1960s, revolutionized the earth sciences by describing a wide range of phenomena such as mountain formation events, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Plate tectonics describes how the Earth's outermost layer, or lithosphere, which is made up of the crust and upper mantle, gets split up into enormous rocky plates. These plates rest on top of the asthenosphere, a partly molten layer of rock. The plates move relative to one other at varying speeds due to asthenosphere and lithosphere convection, ranging from two to fifteen centimeters (one to six inches) each year. This tectonic plate contact is responsible for numerous geological structures, including the Himalayan mountain range in Asia, the East African Rift, and the San Andreas Fault in California, USA. Before the 20th century, it was proposed that continents migrated throughout time. However, Alfred Wegener, a German physicist, revolutionized the scientific argument. In 1912, Wegener published two publications on the notion of continental drift. Despite initial dismissal, the notion gained traction in the 1950s and 1960s as fresh evidence emerged to corroborate the concept of continental drift. Ocean bottom maps revealed a gigantic underwater mountain range that nearly ringed the whole planet. According to an American geologist called Harry Hess, these ridges are the consequence of molten rock rising from the asthenosphere. Related article: Scientists Discover Dinosaur-Era Sea Swallowed Up By Tectonic Plates TAU and the Hebrew University collaborated on a study that precisely dated 21 destruction levels at 17 archaeological sites in Israel by recreating the direction and/or strength of the earth's magnetic field recorded in charred residues. The new information confirmed Biblical stories of Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian, and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Geomagnetic fields reveal the truth behind Biblical narratives The groundbreaking interdisciplinary study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on Yoav Vaknin's doctoral thesis, which was supervised by Prof. Erez Ben-Yosef and Prof. Oded Lipschits of TAU's Institute of Archaeology, as well as Prof. Ron Shaar of the Hebrew University's Institute of Earth Sciences, as per Phys.org. Geophysicists studying the mechanism of the earth's magnetic field track variations in this field over history, according to the experts. They do this by utilizing archaeological finds containing magnetic materials that, when heated or burned, preserve the magnetic field at the time of the fire. Thus, in a 2020 study, researchers recreated the magnetic field as it was on the 9th of Av, 586 BCE, the Hebrew date of Nebuchadnezzar's and his Babylonian army's destruction of the First Temple and the City of Jerusalem. The researchers were able to reconstruct the magnetic fields recorded in 21 destruction levels using archaeological finds found over several decades at 17 locations around Israel, as well as historical knowledge from ancient inscriptions and Biblical stories. They used the information to create a trustworthy new scientific technique for archaeological dating. According to Yoav Vaknin, "based on the similarity or difference in intensity and direction of the magnetic field, we can either corroborate or disprove hypotheses claiming that specific sites were burned during the same military campaign; additionally, we have constructed a variation curve of field intensity over time that can serve as a scientific dating tool, similar to the radiocarbon dating method." The academics cited the destruction of Gath of the Philistines (now known as Tel Tzafit in the Judean foothills) by Hazael, King of Aram-Damascus. Various dating methods date this incident to about 830 BCE, however, it has not been proven that Hazael was also responsible for the destruction of Tel Rehov, Tel Zayit, and Horvat Tevet. The latest analysis, which discovered complete statistical synchronization between the magnetic fields observed at all four locations at the moment of demolition, offered a compelling case for their annihilation during the same campaign. A devastation level at Tel Beth-Shean, on the other hand, recorded a completely different magnetic field, refuting the popular belief that it was also destroyed by Hazael. Instead, the magnetic data from Beth-Shean show that this city, along with two other sites in northern Israel, was most likely destroyed 70-100 years earlier, a period that might match with the Egyptian Pharaoh Shoshenq's military expedition. The Hebrew Bible described Shoshenq's campaign, as does an inscription on a wall of the Temple of Amun in Karnak, Egypt, which lists Beth-Shean as one of his victories. One of the most intriguing discoveries made by the new dating method concerns the end of the Kingdom of Judah. According to Prof. Erez Ben Yosef, the final days of the Kingdom of Judah are hotly discussed. Some experts suggested, based on archaeological evidence, that the Babylonians did not fully destroy Judah. While Jerusalem and the Judean foothills' frontier cities vanished, neighboring communities in the Negev, the southern Judean Mountains, and the southern Judean foothills were mostly unscathed. Prof. Oded Lipschits said that the new dating technique is unique in that it is based on geomagnetic data from locations with known exact demolition dates from historical sources. The magnetic field of the Earth is crucial to human survival. Most people are unaware that without it, there would be no life on Earth since it protects us from cosmic radiation and solar wind. Also Read: On The Advent Of Space Archaeology [VIDEO] Whodunits from the Bible Vaknin and colleagues combined and compared magnetic data from previously dated sites with evidence from undated sites spanning from Beth She'an in Galilee to Be'er Sheva in the Negev desert, as per Haaretz. Their findings provided answers to various biblical archaeological mysteries. The remnants of big structures destroyed by a catastrophic fire at Tel Beth She'an are one mystery. Excavators at the site have wavered between assigning the city's destruction to Pharaoh Sheshonq I, the historical Shishak who attacked the Levant around 925 B.C.E., or to the Aramean armies of Hazael of Damascus, who captured sections of the Holy Land around a century later. The researchers discovered that this specific disaster in the Galilee cannot be traced to the Arameans by collecting the charred bricks at Beth She'an and comparing the data to the magnetic image from places previously associated with Hazael's rampage, most notably the Philistine city of Gath. The intensity and direction of the magnetic field recorded in Beth She'an, on the other hand, suggested that the last time the ancient walls were heated to a high temperature was in the late tenth or early ninth century B.C.E., which is consistent with the Egyptian invasion led by Sheshonq, as recounted in the Bible (1 Kings 14:25-26) and on the walls of the pharaoh's own temple at Karnak. Related article: Archaeology: Angkor Wat in Cambodia Was Larger and Different Than Thought Catastrophic severe weather conditions with thunderstorms rampaged Western Europe, especially in northern France and southeastern England. The storm caused damaging winds, heavy rains, and unexpected tornadoes. The fierce storm resulted in massive damage to property in the affected portions of Western Europe. Residents who experienced the powerful storm returned to check their residences, with some sustained heavy damage from the onslaught. Reuters reported that the storms with tornadoes impacted people in northern France, rampaging their homes. The report from the Pas-de-Calais region added that over 150 individuals were immediately evacuated on Sunday. Tornadoes and heavy rains Meanwhile, the latest severe weather from AccuWeather showed that a severe thunderstorm emerged last Sunday, causing to impact on areas in Northern and Western Europe, noting that the storm caused 50 to 65 mph wind gusts and heavy rainfall. In Northern France, the report said that one individual sustained minor injuries. While some areas in the Hauts-de-France and Normandy were also affected, which recorded unexpected tornadoes. On the other hand, portions of South London noted damaging winds that emerged due to the powerful storm. Meanwhile, the report added that Bihucourt suffered from the tornadoes causing damage to communities in the area, including the power lines. With the power lines being damaged, the report explained that portions of southeastern England suffered from power outages. State authorities have immediately been deployed to clear the aftermath of the tornadoes and storm. Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center has been monitoring a potential tropical depression from Bermuda. The report said that the brewing system was tracked moving northward. A low-pressure area was located in the area, and NHC explained that the low-pressure would not develop in the next 48 hours to five days. Also Read: Roslyn Strengthened to Category 3 Hurricane Causing Damaging Winds and Heavy Rains in Mexico Meanwhile, the report added that the Hurricane Center also detected a low-pressure area north of Puerto Rico. With a few days before the end of October, the first week of October could become rainy for communities that the tropical system would hit. What to do during tornadoes Being safe during the impact of tornadoes is important. It could wreak havoc on homes, properties, and infrastructures. The U.S CDC suggested tips to be safe when tornadoes hit. CDC emphasized the need to become aware of the tornadoes developments. Having radios with battery or internet devices could help provide urgent announcements about the weather and tornadoes. Prepare a tornado emergency plan with your family members. A safe place to stay is important. A basement could become a shelter, especially when your area is prone to tornadoes. Be calm. Have basic emergency necessities, including water supply, medicines, and food packs. If you can contact your family, notify them about your status or safety. Once the tornado's impact abates, check for sustained injuries and seek medical assistance immediately. If you are outside, go to the nearest building where you can find shelter. Stay updated with tornado warnings when you travel to areas with severe weather conditions. Related Article: U.S Midwest Farmers Worry About Drought that Could Threaten Major Crops' Harvest For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News. There was a violent incident between new Russian recruits on October. Men recently mobilized were on a firing range when two Moslem recruits opened fire on the Slavic (ethnic Russians) recruits and killed eleven and wounded fifteen before they were killed. The two shooters were Moslem and sought to avoid hitting other Moslem troops. About ten percent of the men mobilized for army service during late September were Moslem. Currently about 20 percent of the Russian population consists of ethnic minorities, most of them Moslem. These Russians do not want to die for Russia or even live in Russia. Many Moslems were conquered and incorporated in the Russian empire over the last few centuries. Most of them formed their own nations when the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991. There was still a significant minority of Moslems remaining and most would prefer to be anywhere but Russia. During World War II the percentage of Moslems in combat units was low early in the war because Russia did not trust large groups of armed Moslems. In the closing months of the war, most Moslem, and often non-Slavic, troops were found in combat units. Slavic troops had made up most of the combat troops until then but by the end of 1944 the army had to replace losses with Moslem troops. The loyalty of these non-Slav troops was assured by the fact the Russians were winning and about to enter Germany, where all the troops were allowed to loot and rape civilians when they werent killing the few remaining German troops. After 1945 the Russian army returned to its policy of keeping most non-Slav men out of combat units. There were plenty of support units where Moslem recruits could safely (for Slavic troops) serve out their conscription service. This discrimination against non-Slav soldiers continued after the Soviet Union dissolve but there were some changes. In 2014 Russia changed its mind about keeping young men from the Caucasus out of the military. In a surprise move the Russian army announced that it would allow young men from the Caucasus to volunteer for military service and be conscripted as well. This had been promised at the end of 2012 but nothing happened, until the end of March announcement. Why the change? The Caucasus is one of the few places in Russia where a lot of the young men want to join the military. Thats because while conscription is generally unpopular in Russia, there are some areas where mandatory military service is seen as an opportunity, not something to be avoided. Yet young men in Chechnya have not been subject to conscription since 1992, even though the Chechens generally did quite well in the military. The Russian Army no longer wanted them after 1991 because thats when Chechnya went into rebellion and the attitudes of young Chechen men changed. Chechen recruits had always been a lot of trouble for their commanders and in the early 1990s that got worse as many began to claim they were devout Moslems and demanded that the army provide them with special (halal) food, prayer rooms in the barracks, and extra time off for prayer. The usual punishments (beatings or even imprisonment) did not faze the Chechens. If beaten by NCOs or other soldiers, they would get organized to eventually inflict retribution. If sent to prison the misbehaving recruits would join groups of Chechen prisoners who tended to rule the prisons they were in and were often feared by the guards. After the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the Russian military simply stopped trying to draft Chechens or accept them as volunteers. Those who wanted to serve had to take up legal residency in some other part of Russia and be able to get a good conduct reference from local police before the recruiters would accept them. After 2010 the provincial government in Chechnya instituted their own conscription (which is technically illegal) where those young Chechens who wanted to serve could do so in two special military units that only operated in Chechnya. Less than two hundred men were involved initially and local army commanders were willing to cooperate (or too scared to refuse). The national government tried to reinstate conscription for Chechnya in 2001, but that effort ended after the few recruits taken proved to be as troublesome as ever and were released from the military. The provincial battalions proved to be a success and that played a part in allowing Chechens back into the regular army. There are similar, but less severe, problems with two neighbors of Chechnya (Dagestan and Ingushetia), so starting in 2009 fewer and fewer people were drafted there either. Most of the people in these two areas are not ethnic Chechens but they have some of the same bad attitude and behavior problems. Most other ethnic groups in the Caucasus (Ossetians, Adygeans, Kabardians, Cherkess, Balkars, and Karachays) continue to be conscripted or allowed to volunteer for military service. Now everyone is, except for those with criminal records or connections with known Islamic terrorists. Dagestan and Ingushetia pointed out that there were many loyal and effective Moslems in the local security forces and this helped get the military ban rescinded. The army has long had reasons for not wanting recruits from some parts of the Caucasus. Even before 1991, the Russian dominated army warned company (units of about a hundred troops) commanders to not allow more than ten Chechens in their unit. Experience had shown that ten or more Chechens (or other men from the Caucasus) would form a very tight, tough, and disciplined clique that would prey on the other troops in the company and cause all manner of discipline and crime problems. If you found yourself with more than ten Chechens it was best to try and transfer some of them out. That is no longer a major problem, but company commanders are still warned to be wary of troops from the Caucasus. While the Chechens were the worst in this respect, the other Caucasus nationalities came close. But these days, the young men want to join the army and get a few years military experience, so they can qualify to become a "contract" soldier. These troops are paid a lot more and are considered "professional troops." Commanders actually prefer contract soldiers from the Caucasus, although many will admit that it's still not wise to have more than ten of them in an infantry company. This admiration of the military qualities of troops from the Caucasus probably played a role in lifting the restrictions. Another reason probably has to do with the loyalty of Caucasus troops already in the military and the usefulness of local pro-Russian militias in the Caucasus. Finally, the army learned how to check character references of Caucasus recruits, and this proved effective in keeping the troublemakers out. Another factor is the method used to pacify Chechnya in the 1990s. The Chechens tried, throughout the 1990s, to maintain their independence from Russia in the aftermath of the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The Chechens could not govern themselves, and Chechnya became a hideout for numerous criminal gangs who did whatever they wanted. This involved starting a kidnapping, robbery and extortion crime wave all over southern Russia. In 1999, Russia, now led by Vladimir Putin, invaded to reassert its authority and reduce Chechen criminality in southern Russia and the Caucasus. Several years of bloody fighting followed, until a majority of the population agreed to shut down the gangsters. Since then, Chechnya has been at peace, at least by local standards. As Russia had done before, they sought out and selected a Chechen clan leader who was willing and apparently able to rule Chechnya for the Russians. The first Chechen president of the Chechen Republic (as areas where minorities predominate are called) was Akhmad Kadyrov, the father of the current president Ramzan Kadyrov. Akhmad took power in 2003, having convinced Putin that the Kadyrov clan could do the job. Akhmad was assassinated in 2004, something his son and heir Ramzan took to heart. Ramzan convinced Putin that the assassination was always a risk that came with the job in the Caucasus and that although he was young (28 when his father was killed) he could do the job. Putin installed Ramzan as president and sent more money to rebuild Chechnya. This involved much of the money used to keep other clans in line. Ramzan proved more adept at this then his father has ruled 2007, after spending a few years as second-in-command. Ramzan Kadyrov is very much Putins man and has been consistently loyal, even after Putin invaded Ukraine. Kadyrov has supplied small but very effective and loyal Chechen units to fight in Ukraine. He does thus by making sure his men are qualified and are paid more than any other Russian troops, and paid on time too. Chechens are not afraid of dying in combat and are much feared by opponents. They are not invincible and have suffered casualties. The Ukrainian respect but do not fear the Chechens. If Ukrainian troops encounter Chechens, they change their tactics. The Chechens are a nuisance but there are not enough of them to change the course of the war. This bothers Kadyrov because he knows that losing all of Ukraine would put his patron in danger of being replaced and Kadyrov could lose his job and his life if that happened. In 2003, when Akhad Kadyrov took over running Chechnya, many of the criminals and Islamic militants fled to neighboring "republics" (as the semi-autonomous ethnic provinces in Russia are called); mainly Ingushetia to the west, and Dagestan to the east. Dagestan was able to handle the influx of Chechen gunmen, at least at first. But in Ingushetia the violence kept getting worse. Some of the violence was just criminal activity, because tiny (population half a million) Ingushetia has an unemployment rate of over 50 percent. But there are also Islamic radicals who used to operate in Chechnya. And then there are a lot of guns in the hands of the population, so it's often difficult to tell who shot who and why. The Russian government blames a lot of the unrest on local officials who, while pro-Russian and dominated by former KGB officials, are generally inept and corrupt. As these things go, the federal government won't intervene unless the gangs based in Ingushetia began raiding southern Russia. Corruption and feuds (between clans and ethnic groups) causes a lot of the violence, which is organized and focused via gangs of Islamic radicals. Most of the 4.4 million people in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan are Moslem, and never much liked Russians. Although the Russians have reduced the violence over the last 20 years, it persists, much to the embarrassment of the national government. This volatile mixing of organized Russians and unruly Caucasus minorities has been a problem for centuries, ever since the Russian empire reached the Caucasus two centuries ago. Many of the largely Moslem Caucasian tribes saw it as their right to raid the wealthier Christian Russians. The Russians fought back, escalating to Cossacks and eventually the army and violence has persisted ever since. During World War II the Russians mistrusted the Chechens so much that they moved most of the Chechen population to Central Asia in 1944, killing many in the process. Over the next two decades those exiles were allowed back to the Caucasus but both Russians and Chechens have not forgotten. What's surprising is that there aren't more Islamic terrorist attacks by Russian Moslems. Some 14 percent of Russians are Moslem, but only some of those in the Caucasus, where a few percent of the Russian population live, are really into Islamic radicalism and terrorism. Relations between Slav Russians and the various ancient peoples of the Caucasus, which includes Christians Georgians and Armenians, as well as Moslem Chechens and dozens of other distinct ethnic groups, have been bad for centuries. But as the Russians discovered in the 1990s, even allowing Chechens to be independent did not solve the problem. Letting the Ingush government run its own finances also proved overly optimistic. The venerable VPN, which has for decades provided remote workers with a secure tunnel into the enterprise network, is facing extinction as enterprises migrate to a more agile, granular security framework called zero trust, which is better adapted to todays world of digital business. VPNs are part of a security strategy based on the notion of a network perimeter; trusted employees are on the inside and untrusted employees are on the outside. But that model no longer works in a modern business environment where mobile employees access the network from a variety of inside or outside locations, and where corporate assets reside not behind the walls of an enterprise data center, but in multi-cloud environments. Gartner predicts that by 2023, 60% of enterprises will phase out most of their VPNs in favor of zero trust network access, which can take the form of a gateway or broker that authenticates both device and user before allowing role-based, context-aware access. There are a variety of flaws associated with the perimeter approach to security. It doesnt address insider attacks. It doesnt do a good job accounting for contractors, third parties and supply-chain partners. If an attacker steals someones VPN credentials, the attacker can access the network and roam freely. Plus, VPNs over time have become complex and difficult to manage. Theres a lot of pain around VPNs, says Matt Sullivan, senior security architect at Workiva, an enterprise software company based in Ames, Iowa. Theyre clunky, outdated, theres a lot to manage, and theyre a little dangerous, frankly. At an even more fundamental level, anyone looking at the state of enterprise security today understands that whatever were doing now isnt working. The perimeter-based model of security categorically has failed, says Forrester principal analyst Chase Cunningham. And not from a lack of effort or a lack of investment, but just because its built on a house of cards. If one thing fails, everything becomes a victim. Everyone I talk to believes that. The October 8th explosion on the Kerch Strait bridge was apparently one of several attack plans developed by Ukrainian and British special operations personnel. This planning began back in April and several plans were developed. One involved cruise missiles hitting concrete pillars supporting the bridge where it consisted of a long span over the shipping channel. A similar attack plan called for divers to approach at night and place explosives on these pillars. In both cases the key central span would be destroyed and cut road and rail traffic for months while repairs were made. The Russians were apparently aware of this vulnerability and soon after the invasion began defenses around the central span were increased to defeat or disrupt missile or underwater attack. This did not deter the Ukrainians who continued to consult with their British counterparts on other plans for destroying key portions of the bridge. Ukraine wants the bridge gone because it enables easy access to Crimea by the Russians and restricts the size of ships that can enter that portion of the Ukrainian coast. In 2019 the railway link across the new Kerch Strait bridge connecting Russia with Crimea was opened for service. This enabled the bridge to move 13 million tons of freight and 14 million passengers a year. The bridge cost nearly $4 billion and is mainly a prestige and diplomatic project as it enables Russia to control the Sea of Azov. In April 2018 Russia declared the Sea of Azov, reached from the Black Sea via the 4.5-kilometer-wide Kerch Strait, was now under Russian control. The Crimean Peninsula, when it was part of Ukraine, was separated from Russia by the Kerch Strait. Maximum depth of the strait is 18 meters (59 feet) and there had long been talk of building a bridge between Crimea and the Kerch Peninsula (now and always part of Russia). After Russia seized Crimea in 2014, proposals that a bridge be built actually turned into reality. The Kerch Bridge opened in March 2018, at least the highway part, the sturdier railroad section took longer to complete. With that Russia declared the Sea of Azov under Russian control and no foreign ship could enter with Russian permission. The Russians seized ships trying to reach the Ukrainian ports of Berdiansk and Mariupol that are on the shore of the Sea of Azov. Russia was putting these two ports out of business. Ukraine accused Russia of violating international law as well as a 1990s Russia-Ukrainian treaty that prohibited the seizure of Crimea or building the bridge and restricting access to the Sea of Azov. The problem with the bridge is that it only allows about 30 percent of the large bulk carrier ships that visit Ukrainian ports to get into the Sea of Azov. Taking down that portion of the bridge would reopen the Sea of Azov to large ships. The October 8th dawn attack on the bridge was only partially successful. This attack involved a special bomb weighing several tons carried by a truck crossing the bridge. It was a suicide mission for the driver and the explosives went off short of where they were intended to detonate for maximum damage. It is unclear if this was a driver error or timing error on the detonator. If the bomb had gone off at another point, three deck sections would have dropped into the water rather than one. With one span down the Russians were able to make temporary repairs and resume limited vehicle traffic within a day. The explosion did ignite adjacent railroad cars carrying fuel. The light from these fires could be seen from a long distance. The fire weakened the structure but the Russians were unsure of how much. They continued running normal rail traffic. Fully restoring the highway span is taking longer, limiting vehicle traffic until it is completed. If three deck spans had gone into the water, vehicle traffic would have been halted for weeks and limited traffic only for months. Russian leader Putin was furious about this attack and regarded it as yet another unpredictable and effective Ukrainian innovation that Russian forces were unable to cope with. If the railroad portion of the bridge collapses, Russia is one step closer to losing Crimea to the advancing Ukrainian forces. The rail line just to the north of the two road lines was much more important as only it could carry the vast quantities of fuel required by Russian aircraft based in the Crimea, plus the supply and armored vehicles in the Kherson area to the north. The Russians had declared the bridge essential for the defense of Crimea and the support of military operations north of Crimea. At the time of the bridge attack the Ukrainian offensive was making progress in capturing all the Russian occupied territory north of Crimea. Once that is done, the only supply route into Crimea will be the Kerch bridge. The Ukrainian advance also brings Ukrainian HIMARS trucks close enough to launch attacks on the Kerch bridge. The new Russian commander of forces in southern Ukraine admitted that his depleted ground forces were unable to halt the advance. While admitting to the worst-case scenario, the new commander does have some units he can depend on and is deploying them to slow the Ukrainians down as much as possible. The recent partial mobilization declared by Russia in mid-September was only able to put about two-thirds of the men it expected into uniform. Most of those new troops were dismayed to find themselves sent to Ukraine after a few days or weeks of training and with inadequate equipment. When these new troops reached southern Ukraine, they found the supply situation worse and they were assigned to depleted (by casualties and desertion) units led by uninspiring officers. These are the units that are unable to halt the Ukrainian advance. Russia is putting some new troops through longer training but the equipment shortage is everywhere and few Russian troops are really enthusiastic about fighting to keep Ukrainians from taking back their territory. While the recent Kerch bridge attack was not a complete success, it was demoralizing for many Russians who had been told a successful attack on the bridge was unlikely and the Ukrainians were not going to take back as much territory as they have in the last ten weeks. The U.S. Army has developed and is testing a new SEP (System Enhancement Package) update called SEP4 (or SEPV4) for its M-1 tanks. The last upgrade (Sep3) entered service in 2020 after years of testing. The new upgrade contains lots of incremental improvements of features the SEP3 tanks already have. This includes upgrades to the gunners sight and a meteorological sensor that collects data on weather conditions to improve accuracy of the main gun. The U.S. Army has led the world in tank gun accuracy for decades and the SEP4 features offer small improvements. Since the 1980s there have only been these incremental improvements for use against opponents who largely use T-72 upgrades that have not closed the wide effectiveness gap with the M1 and a few other similar tanks (Leopard 2, Chieftain, LeClerc and Merkava), A major advantage of the M1 is that it has more combat experience than any other tank, especially its primary opponent: improved T-72/90 models. The most recent combat experience for these tanks has been in Ukraine, when the most modern Russian tank failed in a spectacular fashion against modern Western portable anti-tank weapons. These infantry weapons have a long history of success and to capitalize on that Poland has obtained lots of them and even built its own versions. Noting the similar success of the M1, a year ago Poland ordered 250 M1A2SEP3 tanks for $6 million each. These will be new tanks, not upgrades of older models. The M1A2SEP3 is also known as the M1A2C and is currently the most advanced version of the M1. The Poles consider this tank the best option to deal with any new Russian tank developments. The 66-ton M1A2C also includes the Israeli Trophy ADS (active defense system) which has proved itself in combat and is capable of defeating ATGMs (Anti-tank guided missiles) and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades). Deliveries will begin in late 2022 and be completed in about four years. The 250 Polish M1A2s will complement the 240 used German Leopard 2A4s Poland obtained at bargain prices since 2002, along with a license to upgrade them to the 2A6 standard as the 62-ton Leopard 2PL. Poland is also upgrading over a hundred of its 380 older Russian T-72 tanks, most of them built in Poland during the Cold War and 225 PT-91s, a much-improved T-72 variant designed and built locally since 1995. Poland plans to retire its remaining T-72s as the M1A2s arrive. Currently the most advanced Russian tank in service is the T-72B3, which is considered as good as the T-90, a 48-ton T-72 upgrade introduced in 1993 as the T-72BU but had a marketing name change to T-90. Over 3,200 were built and most were exported to India where they were produced under license. The 45-ton T-72B3 is cheaper and considered by Russian commanders and crews as equal to the more expensive T-90. Russia uses about 2,000 T-72B3s, put most of its 590 T-90s in storage and uses the T-72B3 for its active-duty units. Russia lost most of those T-72B3s in Ukraine since February along with many of the T-90s brought out of storage. Poland sees its M1 order as a prudent and successful investment. Russia has a new tank design, theT-14, that improves on the T-72 but has not been in combat and is too expensive to purchase in large quantities. The 48-ton T-14 is a radical new design that appears quite impressive but has so far proved too complex and too expensive to mass produce. Mass production was supposed to have started in 2015 but technical problems and shrinking defense budgets halted that until 2020 when covid19 restrictions again delayed production until 2022. The war in Ukraine means further delays. Russia has fewer than a hundred development and pre-production T-14s which have been undergoing field tests with tank units since 2016. The T-14 has a three-man crew and a fully automated turret with the three crew all in an armored capsule under the turret. The T-14 relies on a lot of new tech, some more advanced than any other Western tank has installed. Getting all that tech to work reliably has been a major problem. Getting all these problems fixed has made the T-14 more expensive, at about $4 million each. Thats twice what the reliable T-72B3 costs and Russian combat commanders and crews will have to be convinced that the T-14 works and is not just as reliable as the T-72B3, but also better at surviving in combat. Mass production to build less than two hundred more T-14s was supposed to begin in 2022. At the moment it looks like the Polish M1A2Cs will be the first American tanks to meet the T-14 in combat if Russia ever tries to make a move on Poland and has any new tanks to do it with. The M1A2C tank is considered the best combat proven tank in the world. But there are many different models of M1s, which vary considerably in their combat capability. The earliest model is only about half as capable as the 2013 M1A2SEP2 model. The M1 is an old design with the first of 3,273 M1 tanks produced in 1978. This version had a 105mm gun. The first of 4,796 M1A1s (with a 120mm gun and depleted uranium armor) was produced in 1985. Another 221 were built for the U.S. Marines, 555 co-produced with Egypt and another 200 M1A1s sent to Egypt. Production of the M1A2 (with improved fire control systems) began in 1986, with 77 for the US Army, 315 for Saudi Arabia, and 218 for Kuwait. Another 600 M1s were upgraded to M1A2 standards. Deliveries of these upgrades began in 1998. In 2001 the army began to upgrade 240 M1A2 tanks as part of an ongoing SEP program with better thermal imaging and fire control equipment as well as communications and computer equipment that would allow tanks to operate a full color "battlefield internet" with each other, as well as headquarters and warplanes with similar equipment. By 2013 the army had upgraded 700 tanks to the M1A2SEP2 standard and built another 240 new M1A2SEP2 vehicles. The goal is to get at least 2,000 upgraded to M1A2SEP2 or higher in the 2020s. So far over 10,000 American M1 tanks have been produced and most of them subsequently updated at least once, mainly in the 1990s. The army is planning to maintain and upgrade its M1 tank fleet (some 7,000 of them) into the 2030s. The M1 has already been in service since the 1980s and may become the first MBT (main battle tank) design to stay in service for half a century. Technically, some World War II tanks achieved that dubious goal but not in the service of a major power. The SEP3 entered service in 2020 after being introduced for testing in 2017. SEP3 includes more improvements in the previous TUSK armor and RWS (remote weapons station) machine-gun upgrades as well improved electricity generation and distribution for all the electronic gadgets that need recharging (or whatever) as well as upgraded communications and networking and installation of VHMS (Vehicle Health Management System) and the use of LRMs (Line Replaceable Modules) to make it easier to upgrade or repair problems. The new communications features include ADL (Ammunition DataLink) to use airburst rounds. There is also an improved counter-IED (improvised explosive device) armor package, an upgraded FLIR (night vision heat sensor) and an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) under armor to run electronics while stationary instead of the engine. The final addition was the Trophy ADS. The SEP2/3 upgrades also expanded on MVP (Multifunction Vehicle Protection) features which includes external cameras that let the crew see what is going on outside at all times. (day or night or in bad weather). The SEP program is continuous, upgrading existing M1A2 tanks to the new SEP3 standard as well as upgrading more M1A2SEPs to the SEP2 level. These upgrades keep the M1, or at least some of them, competitive with more recently designed and built tanks. The U.S. (mainly the army) has over a thousand of the SEP2 upgraded M1A2s and is getting as many of those upgraded to SEP3 as the budget allows. The original M1A2SEP was developed in the late 1990s by upgrading protection and a few other minor fixes. These were followed after 2003 after combat experience in Iraq with TUSK (Tank Urban Survival Kit) and evolved into the SEP2 upgrade. TUSK was installed on hundreds of tanks headed for Iraq as well as several hundred more M1s that had battle damage repaired and TUSK upgrades installed at the same time. TUSK entered service in 2007 with reactive armor panels for the side and rear of the tank, to provide added protection from RPGs. A slat armor panel protects the engine exhaust outlet of the tank from RPGs. A 1.5-ton belly armor kit, which can be installed in two hours, provides additional protection from mines and large bombs. Enhancements also include night vision for all crew members. There is also a telephone added to the side of the tank, so that infantry can more easily communicate with the crew when the tank is "buttoned up" (all hatches closed). The complete TUSK kit cost about $500,000 per vehicle and required about twelve hours to install all the components. Later additions to TUSK included a rear-view camera for the driver and RWS so the commanders' .50 caliber (12.7mm) machine-gun could be operated from inside the tank. This is particularly useful if the tank is taking a lot of small arms fire. This led to providing all-round vidcam views of what was going on outside the tank. The M1A2SEP2 made most of the TUSK items standard and added more improvements like the RWS for the 12.7mm machine-gun as standard, as well in computer hardware, including color flat screen displays for the crew and software, including a new operating system along with improved TUSK ERA (explosive reactive armor), making the external phone standard and upgrading the transmission to make it more reliable. The electronics on the M1 have undergone several upgrades so far, in addition to new ammo types for the main gun. A major enhancement was depleted uranium armor, which made the M1 virtually invulnerable from the front. The one remaining item in need of major improvement is the 1,500-horsepower gas turbine engine. Past improvements here included electronic monitors on many engine components, an electronic logbook (to record all pertinent engine activity), and a maintenance program that makes the most of all this data. If the engine is monitored closely and constantly, it's possible to carry out maintenance in a timelier (before something fails) manner. The army would also like to develop an improved (more efficient and less expensive to maintain) engine, but that is also a costly item they can't afford at the moment. MVP can also link to audio sensors that work with video sensors to automatically detect where enemy fire is coming from. The United States tested MVP on their M2 IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle). New anti-tank weapons are always being developed and the army wants to at least be able to afford new gear to deal with new threats. One threat that is currently ignored is top attack warheads (that put a shaped charge type attack against the thin top armor). There are also new types of mines and electronic threats. If the M1 is to survive for half a century it will have to evolve, as well as endure. The M1A2C is an evolutionary design compared to the T-14 which is a revolutionary design with a lot of new techs introduced at once. Work is underway in Rantoul on two new commercial buildings that will become home to five businesses, four of them national chains, village Administrator Scott Eisenhauer said. Unless "Aetna offers a contract Carle feels is fair," the health system will not treat state retirees who enroll in the only health plan option the state is offering them for next year an Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO plan a top Carle official tells The News-Gazette. Ethan Simmons is a reporter at The News-Gazette covering the University of Illinois. His email is esimmons@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@ethancsimmons). Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). Currently, the building is not fully accessible for all our students, so by adding an elevator, improving the heating and cooling and installing new windows, the existing spaces within the building can be better utilized to accommodate any new programming the district may add in the future." An increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) is a dangerous condition that can be caused by brain bleeds, a brain tumor, cerebral edema, traumatic brain injury, and hydrocephalus. ICP monitoring is thus a key aspect of patient care in patients with these disorders. Additionally, ICP measurements are relevant when estimating cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), an indicator of cerebral autoregulation (CA). CPP is linked to neuronal function and neurovascular coupling, and CA defines how the brain maintains a constant blood flow. Given these broad implications and applications in clinical decision-making, precise ICP monitoring is a vital patient management tool. While current tools for ICP monitoring are precise, they can cause hemorrhage or infections and are time-consuming. Although noninvasive alternatives exist, they have limitations such as poor generalizability, low predictive capacity, and a lack of reliability. Thus, diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are emerging as promising noninvasive solutions. Notably, NIRS has several advantages over other noninvasive methods-;low cost, bedside compatibility for long-term and continuous monitoring, along with user independence. In a new study published in Neurophotonics, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) successfully deployed a NIRS device to continuously monitor hemoglobin concentration changes. The team built on previous research where they estimated ICP from cardiac waveform features measured using DCS, and also identified the correlation between relative changes in oxyhemoglobin concentration and ICP. But how were they able to measure ICP using the NIRS data? First author on the study, Filip Relander, explains, "We developed and trained a random forest (RF) regression algorithm to correlate the morphology of cardiac pulse waveforms obtained through NIRS with intracranial pressure." To validate their algorithm, they conducted preliminary tests in a preclinical model. They measured fluctuations in invasive ICP and arterial blood pressure while profiling the changes in hemoglobin concentrations. Following this, they examined the performance of signals derived from the hemoglobin concentration and CBF to accurately verify the precision of their algorithm. From a proof-of-concept standpoint, the results were very promising. There was a high correlation between the ICP estimated using the RF algorithm and the actual ICP measured using invasive techniques. We showed, by validating the findings with invasive ICP data, that the trained RF algorithm applied to NIRS based cardiac waveforms can be used to estimate ICP with a high degree of precision." Jana Kainerstorfer, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at CMU and Study's Senior Author Furthermore, the results indicated that the RF algorithm could interpret waveform features extracted from both NIRS and DCS, highlighting its useability. The parameters used in the algorithm can be obtained from NIRS measurements, combined with electrocardiograms and mean arterial blood pressure, which are regularly used for clinical evaluation. Thus, if this RF-based platform can produce robust ICP measurements in subsequent human trials, its potential for clinical use would be tremendous. According to Neurophotonics Associate Editor Rickson C. Mesquita, Professor at the University of Campinas, "Assessing ICP noninvasively is of great value for monitoring patients in a critical condition, such as those in the intensive care unit. The future of NIRS in this space is exciting!" Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by an accumulation of -amyloid protein (A) in brain tissue, is a leading cause of dementia. Researchers at Tokyo University of Science have previously reported on the oxytocin-induced reversal of impaired synaptic plasticity triggered by amyloid peptide (25-35) (A 25-35 ). They now show that an oxytocin derivative with modifications to enhance brain perfusion can reverse A 25-35 -induced cognitive impairment in mice. The cognitive decline and memory loss observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is attributed to the accumulation of -amyloid protein (A), which impairs neural function in the brain. Experimentation has shown that oxytocin, a peptide hormone primarily responsible for parturition, bonding, and lactation, also regulates cognitive behavior in the rodent central nervous system (CNS). This finding, along with the identification of oxytocin receptors in CNS neurons, has spurred interest in the potential role of oxytocin in reversing memory loss tied to cognitive disorders like AD. However, peptides like oxytocin are characterized by weak blood-brain barrier permeability, and so can only by efficiently delivered to the brain via intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration. ICV, however, is an invasive technique which is impractical to implement clinically. Delivering peptides to the CNS via intranasal (IN) administration is a viable clinical option. Prof. Chikamasa Yamashita at Tokyo University of Science recently patented a method to increase the efficiency of peptide delivery to the brain, by introducing cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) and a penetration accelerating sequence (PAS) through structural modifications. Previous work had confirmed that both CPPs and the PAS benefit the nose-to-brain delivery pathway. Now, a group of researchers, led by Prof. Akiyoshi Saitoh and Prof. Jun-Ichiro Oka, leveraged this approach to prepare an oxytocin derivative: PAS-CPPs-oxytocin. Their findings were published online in Neuropsychopharmacology Reports on 19 September 2022. We have previously shown that oxytocin reverses amyloid peptide (25-35) (A 25-35 )-induced impairment of synaptic plasticity in rodents. We wanted to see if PAS-CPPs-oxytocin could be delivered more efficiently to the mouse brain for clinical application, and if it improved cognitive functional behavior in mice." Prof. Jun-Ichiro Oka The group first developed an A& 25-35 peptide-induced amnesia model by supplying A 25-35 to the mouse brain using ICV delivery. During the course of the study, the spatial working and spatial reference memories of these mice were evaluated using the Y-maze and Morris water maze (MWM) tests. After confirming that memory was affected in A 25-35 -impaired mice, PAS-CPPs-oxytocin and native oxytocin were administered using the IN and ICV routes respectively, to see if learning and memory improved in the treated mice. Finally, the distribution of the IN-administered oxytocin derivative in brain tissue was profiled by imaging of a fluorescent-tagged oxytocin derivative. The results of this study were quite promising! The tagged PAS-CPPs-oxytocin showed distribution throughout the mouse brain following its IN administration. While the ICV administration of native oxytocin improved test outcomes in both the Y-maze and MWM tests, the IN administered PAS-CPPs-oxytocin yielded memory improving effects in the Y-maze test. Hailing the team's discovery, Prof. Oka says,"My team is the first to show that the oxytocin derivative can improve the A 25-35 -induced memory impairment in mice. This suggests that oxytocin may help reduce the cognitive decline we see in Alzheimer's disease." Why are these findings clinically useful? Prof. Oka explains the broader implications of their work,"The oxytocin derivative enters the brain more efficiently. Furthermore, since IN delivery is a non-invasive procedure, this modified version of the hormone could potentially be a clinically viable treatment for Alzheimer's disease." A study of nearly 2,000 children found that those who reported playing video games for three hours per day or more performed better on cognitive skills tests involving impulse control and working memory compared to children who had never played video games. Published today in JAMA Network Open, this study analyzed data from the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and other entities of the National Institutes of Health. This study adds to our growing understanding of the associations between playing video games and brain development. Numerous studies have linked video gaming to behavior and mental health problems. This study suggests that there may also be cognitive benefits associated with this popular pastime, which are worthy of further investigation." Nora Volkow, M.D., NIDA Director Although a number of studies have investigated the relationship between video gaming and cognitive behavior, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the associations are not well understood. Only a handful of neuroimaging studies have addressed this topic, and the sample sizes for those studies have been small, with fewer than 80 participants. To address this research gap, scientists at the University of Vermont, Burlington, analyzed data obtained when children entered the ABCD Study at ages 9 and 10 years old. The research team examined survey, cognitive, and brain imaging data from nearly 2,000 participants from within the bigger study cohort. They separated these children into two groups, those who reported playing no video games at all and those who reported playing video games for three hours per day or more. This threshold was selected as it exceeds the American Academy of Pediatrics screen time guidelines, which recommend that videogaming time be limited to one to two hours per day for older children. For each group, the investigators evaluated the children's performance on two tasks that reflected their ability to control impulsive behavior and to memorize information, as well as the children's brain activity while performing the tasks. The researchers found that the children who reported playing video games for three or more hours per day were faster and more accurate on both cognitive tasks than those who never played. They also observed that the differences in cognitive function observed between the two groups was accompanied by differences in brain activity. Functional MRI brain imaging analyses found that children who played video games for three or more hours per day showed higher brain activity in regions of the brain associated with attention and memory than did those who never played. At the same time, those children who played at least three hours of video games per day showed more brain activity in frontal brain regions that are associated with more cognitively demanding tasks and less brain activity in brain regions related to vision. The researchers think these patterns may stem from practicing tasks related to impulse control and memory while playing videogames, which can be cognitively demanding, and that these changes may lead to improved performance on related tasks. Furthermore, the comparatively low activity in visual areas among children who reported playing video games may reflect that this area of the brain may become more efficient at visual processing as a result of repeated practice through video games. While prior studies have reported associations between video gaming and increases in depression, violence, and aggressive behavior, this study did not find that to be the case. Though children who reported playing video games for three or more hours per day did tend to report higher mental health and behavioral issues compared to children who played no video games, the researchers found that this association was not statistically significant, meaning that the authors could not rule out whether this trend reflected a true association or chance. They note that this will be an important measure to continue to track and understand as the children mature. Further, the researchers stress that this cross-sectional study does not allow for cause-and-effect analyses, and that it could be that children who are good at these types of cognitive tasks may choose to play video games. The authors also emphasize that their findings do not mean that children should spend unlimited time on their computers, mobile phones, or TVs, and that the outcomes likely depend largely on the specific activities children engage in. For instance, they hypothesize that the specific genre of video games, such as action-adventure, puzzle solving, sports, or shooting games, may have different effects for neurocognitive development, and this level of specificity on the type of video game played was not assessed by the study. "While we cannot say whether playing video games regularly caused superior neurocognitive performance, it is an encouraging finding, and one that we must continue to investigate in these children as they transition into adolescence and young adulthood," said Bader Chaarani, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont and the lead author on the study. "Many parents today are concerned about the effects of video games on their children's health and development, and as these games continue to proliferate among young people, it is crucial that we better understand both the positive and negative impact that such games may have." Through the ABCD Study, researchers will be able to conduct similar analyses for the same children over time into early adulthood, to see if changes in video gaming behavior are linked to changes in cognitive skills, brain activity, behavior, and mental health. The longitudinal study design and comprehensive data set will also enable them to better account for various other factors in the children's families and environment that may influence their cognitive and behavioral development, such as exercise, sleep quality, and other influences. The ABCD Study, the largest of its kind in the United States, is tracking nearly 12,000 youth as they grow into young adults. Investigators regularly measure participants' brain structure and activity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and collect psychological, environmental, and cognitive information, as well as biological samples. The goal of the study is to understand the factors that influence brain, cognitive, and social-emotional development, to inform the development of interventions to enhance a young person's life trajectory. Do many Swedes obtain antibiotics without a prescription, and what drives their behaviour when this happens? The answers are important when it comes to dealing with antibiotic resistance, which is a serious challenge for the entire healthcare sector. Practical philosophers and political scientists at the University of Gothenburg have carried out a large study examining Swedes' experiences of - and attitudes towards - obtaining antibiotics without a prescription. The researchers are affiliated with the Centre for Antibiotic Resistance Research (CARe) at the University of Gothenburg, and their study has recently been published in the scientific journal PLOS One. In order to slow down the development of resistant bacteria it is key to limit the use of antibiotics. This is why healthcare services are trying to limit prescriptions for antibiotics, with doctors being encouraged to take a restrictive approach. At the same time, there are many opportunities to get hold of antibiotics without a prescription, such as when traveling abroad, via foreign contacts or from online pharmacies that circumvent national regulations. "First we conducted a smaller pilot study," says Christian Munthe, who led the study in collaboration with Erik Malmqvist and Bjorn Ronnerstrand. "Eighteen percent of respondents indicated that they had obtained antibiotics without a prescription and 16 percent would consider doing so, which was highly concerning. Their motivation was often that they were unhappy with or did not trust healthcare." Few research studies The researchers only found a few publications on the subject, most of which dealt with related phenomena or pharmaceuticals in general. However, no study had examined the issue specifically for antibiotics, or why some people circumvent society's rules that are intended to control antibiotic use. We therefore went ahead with a large study using the SOM Institute's Swedish Citizen Panel, with several thousand people who make up a more representative sample of the population as a whole, enabling us to examine the hypothesis that trust in healthcare plays an important role in this phenomenon." Christian Munthe, Study's Lead Author One of their main findings was that the proportion of Swedes who have obtained or want to obtain antibiotics without a prescription is lower than the pilot study suggested. At the same time, almost twice as many - just under 5percent of the respondents - would be willing to do so in the future compared to those who reported having done so (2.3percent). The other main finding is that trust in healthcare - or lack of trust - outweighed all other potential explanatory factors, such as level of education and concerns about one's own health. Action needed "Because we know that trust in healthcare varies widely from country to country, our results provide a strong reason for countries with trust rates that are lower than the Nordic countries to review the situation and put measures in place if it turns out that many people are obtaining antibiotics without prescriptions." The researchers believe that Sweden also has good reason to monitor this issue in view of how many people are prepared to buy antibiotics without prescriptions in the future. "It is also important to consider the need to maintain and strengthen trust in healthcare when devising strategies to limit antibiotic use." In a recent study published in PLOS Digital Health, researchers reviewed existing literature on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care to characterize the AI applications used in the clinical applications during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, investigate the location, timing, and extent of AI use in healthcare, and examine the United States (U.S.) regulatory approval processes. Background Despite the large number of approvals granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to AI applications in healthcare in the last six years, the adoption of AI applications in different areas of healthcare has been limited. Furthermore, there is limited information on the development and use of AI applications during the COVID-19 pandemic, unlike the significant and rapid growth in telehealth and vaccine technologies. While previous reviews have reviewed the potential uses, challenges, and impacts of AI applications for COVID-19 clinical response, many of the reviews found methodological flaws and potential biases in the use of AI applications in clinical practice. A scarcity of reviews provides a comprehensive report on the development, testing, and applications of AI in COVID-19 clinical responses. About the study In the present scoping review, the researchers searched academic and grey literature for studies that would provide answers to the following four questions: 1) what are the AI applications used in COVID-19 clinical responses; 2) what are the locations, timelines, and extent of the use of these applications; 3) how do these applications differ from the pre-pandemic healthcare technology, and how stringent is the U.S. FDA approval criteria for these applications; and 4) what is the publicly available evidence recommending the use of AI applications in healthcare? The study began with consulting healthcare stakeholders such as clinicians, patient advocates, insurers and health system representatives, researchers, public policymakers, industry representatives, and public health officials for recommendations on study design and documents to be included in the review. Various databases were then searched for literature available after January 2020 on the use of AI in COVID-19 clinical responses, and the AI applications identified from the literature review were examined in detail for additional information on the developer and use. Applications were included in the review if they met three criteria. First, the application had a patient health-related function as some part of the patient evolution, diagnosis, decision-making, or treatment process. Applications that were part of drug development or biomedical research were not included. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Secondly, the AI application was directly involved in the COVID-19 clinical response. Applications available through government health websites and medical testing and symptom check sites for even limited periods qualified for the review. Lastly, the application used artificial intelligence, machine learning, or deep learning algorithms. The extent of AI application use was determined by the number of patients cared for with the use of the AI application in the COVID-19 clinical response. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developments classification of high-, middle-, or low-income countries was used to determine the location of AI application use. Results The results reported the use of 66 AI applications in the COVID-19 clinical response, which were grouped into six functional categories. The lung evaluation AI applications assessed computed tomography (CT) scans or X-rays or both, for the presence of pneumonia, pneumothorax, or other lung abnormalities due to COVID-19. Symptom checker AI applications used demographic data, risk factors, and symptoms provided by the patient to calculate COVID-19 risks and provide healthcare recommendations. Patient deterioration AI applications monitored the vital signs and health conditions of COVID-19 patients and provided information to make healthcare decisions. These were used by clinicians in hospitals, assisted living facilities, and to monitor patients isolated in their homes. Several applications predicted the likelihood of COVID-19 infections from different sources of information, such as volatile organic compounds in breath, geographically grouped data, patient demographics, blood test results, and luminescent signals from antigen test strips. Some applications used demographic and medical record data to predict the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes and were used by clinicians in hospitals, telehealth facilities, and outpatient clinics. Other applications carried out various functions such as image acquisition, response prediction to treatment, immune response detection, etc. These applications used neural networks, advanced tree-based methods, and supervised and unsupervised machine learning methods. A large number of the applications were deployed between January and June 2020, in the initial phases of the pandemic, and were largely used in high-income countries such as the U.S., and China, with very few being used in middle to low-income countries. No clinical trials evaluating the use of AI applications in COVID-19 response were found, and the few publications supporting the use of some of the applications were independent evaluations. Conclusions In conclusion, the scoping review reported the location, function, potential benefits, scope, type, and input data of AI applications used in clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is a plethora of academic literature discussing AI models, there is a dearth of academic reports on the use of these AI models in clinical practice. The limited evidence in the literature makes it difficult to determine the benefits of AI use in the pandemic response efforts. Further studies on the real-world applications of AI in healthcare are required. A recent study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases indicated that Iceland was the stepping stone for the translocation of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) between North America and Europe. HPAIVs of the haemagglutinin 5 (H5) subtype with zoonotic potential emerged from domestic geese in the 1990s in China. The viral descendants have spread ever since and evolved into several clades, forming many genotypes and sub-genotypes and threatening poultry production. These HPAIVs have spread into Africa, Eurasia, and North America due to repeated incursions into migratory aquatic birds in Asia since 2005. Europe witnessed severe epizootics of HPAIVs in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 influenza winter seasons, renewing concerns about the spread of HPAIVs to North America. Moreover, the H5N1 virus was detected in wild birds in December 2021 in Canada, with subsequent introductions into poultry farms along the eastern United States (US) coastline. Phylogenetic analyses suggest a close relationship between the influenza viruses in North America and H5N1 genotypes in Europe. The study and findings The present study demonstrated that HPAIVs were transferred from Europe to North America through Iceland via migratory birds. A retrospective examination of wild bird samples revealed an HPAI case in a dead juvenile white-tailed sea eagle in Iceland in October 2021. This bird carried a satellite transmitter from July 2021. The young bird died on October 8, 2021. The autopsy showed gross pathologic changes such as fibrinous pericarditis and swollen liver, kidneys, and spleen, indicating a severe disease that caused death. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction tests revealed high viral loads of the HPAIV H5N1 in all tested organs. Veterinary officials ramped up passive surveillance in early 2022 through public reports of sick/dead wild birds. A pink-footed goose, common raven, and northern gannet tested H5N1-positive in mid-April. Public awareness and reports of sick/dead birds increased sharply after this news was released. Twenty-one wild birds across ten species tested positive for the H5N1 virus since April 2022. The authors performed whole-genome sequencing for three samples with high viral loads. H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b was detected in the samples. Phylogeographic and phylogenetic analyses revealed a close relationship to the H5N1 genomes from North America and Europe, grouping in two recently defined B1 and B2 hemagglutinin clusters in the clade. These findings were suggestive of at least two independent incursions of the HPAIV H5N1 into Iceland. The viral genome sequence from 2021 was grouped in the B1 hemagglutinin cluster between the genome sequences from northern Europe, Canada, and the eastern US coastline. Further analyses ruled out reassortment with other avian influenza virus strains from Europe. Time-scaled analyses showed the circulation of similar viruses from Winter 2020 to Spring/Summer 2021 in northern Europe, suggesting that the virus spread from the British Isles to Iceland to Canada and the US east coast. Since white-tailed sea eagles are resident species, it was unlikely that they were responsible for the virus introduction into Iceland. The infection of the eagle was perhaps a result of feeding on the infected. Some possible prey species, including gulls, geese, and waders, were confirmed to have been infected in the Spring/Summer of 2021; moreover, these species migrate from the North Sea region and the British Isles. Additionally, H5N1 genomes isolated from two chickens were sequenced. This provided evidence of another independent incursion of the hemagglutinin B2 cluster viruses. The phylogeographic analysis demonstrated that the virus was introduced into Central Europe from Northern Asia. Viruses of the B2 cluster have not yet been reported in North America. Conclusions The study provided evidence of two independent translocation events for H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses from Europe into Iceland through the British Isles in October 2021. The breeding colonies of pelagic birds are situated along the Northern Atlantic coasts. The daily reports of sick/dead gannets and H5N1 infection of gannet carcasses since April 2022 hint at a possible threat of a large-scale HPAIV outbreak. Hence, passive surveillance efforts must focus on colony-breeding and scavenging species. In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers explored genomic rearrangements in monkeypox (MPX) virus (MPXV) genomes and investigated whether such rearrangements represented viral adaption to humans (host). Background Studies have reported that poxviruses evolve at a slower rate compared to ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses, with genomic rearrangements such as gene loss or gain as the key drivers for adaption to hosts. In 2022, the MPXV outbreak has affected most parts of the world, and MPX appears to have been established in human communities. About the study In the present study, researchers assessed MPXV genomic losses and gains and investigated if they were representative of MPXV adaptation to human hosts. A total of 339 samples confirmed as MPXV-positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were sequenced by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis. The team extracted deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from the samples and prepared shotgun libraries. They constructed MPXV genomes by de novo assembly and mapped them to a reference protein sequence. The sequences were aligned, and all genomes were conveyed to the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) GenBank database. Results The team reported five 2022 outbreak MPXV genomes with extensive gene duplications and losses, including duplications of up to 18,000 base pairs (bp) to the opposed genomic end from the left (L) to the right (R) terminal inverted repeats (ITR) region, and insertion site deletions of up to 16,000 bp, as a probable human host adaption. The L to R duplications were also found in a clade I MPXV genome from 2005 and in a genome from the current 2022 multi-national MPXV outbreak. In addition, the R to L end duplications was noted with the MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI339 genome. The MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI338 genome showed a 2,309 bp deletion in the same site downstream of the L ITR but devoid of an insertion. Identical duplications were observed among 20 II clade MPXV genomes between 1958 and 2018. The MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI335 genome showed duplications from the area downstream of the L ITR, inclusive of the MPXVgp-005 and -007 genes, to the area located above the R ITR between the MPXVgp-182 and -188 genes, resulting in MPXVgp-184 and -187 truncation and complete MPXVgp185 and MPXVgp186 deletion. The duplication size (2921 base pairs) to the R terminal region and the 8893 bp-deletion led to the formation of a 191176 bp-long total genome with ITR region extension between 6400 bp and 9398 bp. Identical deletion and duplications were observed in the MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI336 genome with MPXVgp-005 to -008 gene duplication and insertion between MPXVgp-177 and -188 at the R end, with MPXVgp187 truncation and complete MPXVgp-178 to -186 gene deletion. Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today A 4040 bp duplication and 15303 bp deletion led to the formation of a 185852 bp-long genome with 10460 bp ITRs. The MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI337 genome demonstrated an identical deletion and duplication pattern, with the greatest 5282 bp-long duplications [MPXVgp-005 to -010 (shortened)] towards the R terminal region with the greatest 16926 bp deletion [MPXVgp-176 to -187 (shortened)]. The length of the MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI337 genome was 185251 bp with 11641 base pair ITRs. The MPXV Sudan 2005 genome exhibited a 10550-base pair-long duplication at the same region post the L to R ITR and a 2108 bp deletion. The duplication in the E-ChVir28389 genome showed an 858 bp duplication from the L to R ITR and a 2048 bp deletion. In addition, R to L end duplications were observed for the MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI339 genome that had 18214 bp duplication [genes MPXVgp174 (shortened) to 187 (shortened)] to the L terminal region, leading to MPXVgp-005 to -010 gene deletions of 6701 base pairs. The length of the genome increased to 208804 bp with 24695 bp extended ITRs. All L to R duplications included 1 of the MPXVgp-005 to -014 genes with deletion of 1 MPXVgp-175 to -187 genes or vice versa for R to L duplications. Deleted genes correlated with antigenic signal losses or continued evolutionary persistence by disease attenuation. Contrastingly, acquired genes may favor immune evasion of host defense responses. MPXVgp-006 is an epidermal growth factor-like protein with homology to the vaccinia virus C11R gene, and cell culture experiments have shown that C11R lowers nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B) activation. Other genes duplicated were MPXVgp-008 (zinc-finger protein, apoptosis inhibition), MPXVgp-009 [interleukin (IL)-18 functional inhibitor], and MPXVgp010 (shortened ankyrin or host range protein). Further, all L to R duplications caused deletions of at least MPXVgp-184 (shortened) to -187 (shortened), and MPXVgp-184,186 did not show orthopoxvirus homology. MPXVgp-185 showed homology to the vaccinia B22R gene that is homologous to inhibitors of serine protease. B22R deletion has been documented to reduce vaccinia virus virulence and replication. For the MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI337 and MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI336 genes, MPXVgp180 (B19R) and MPXV182 (B21R) were deleted further and were identified as candidates of potentially key MPXV virulence genes. The third candidate D10L (MPXVgp013), and the B19R and B21R genes were duplicated in the MPXV/Germany/2022/RKI339 genome, and the fourth one was duplicated in the Sudan KC257459 MPXV genome. Conclusion Overall, the study findings highlighted gene duplications and losses as probable mechanisms of the current 2022 outbreak MPXV for host adaption and underscored the need for continued surveillance efforts for the MPXV genome ends instead of or in conjunction with the ongoing non-synonymous MPXV mutation monitoring. *Important notice bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. Alzheimer's disease is associated with a reduction of insulin receptors in brain microvessels, which may contribute to brain insulin resistance and the formation of amyloid plaques, one of the disease's hallmarks. That's according to a study published today in scientific journal Brain by a team from Universite Laval and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The work leading to the discovery was headed by Frederic Calon, a professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and a researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods and the CHU de QuebecUniversite Laval Research Centre. The findings could affect the search for new Alzheimer's drugs. Several clinical trials are underway to assess the efficacy of diabetes drugs for Alzheimer's disease. Our study shows that drugs do not need to cross the bloodbrain barrier of microvessels to affect brain insulin resistance. Instead, they can target insulin receptors located in cerebral microvessels. That expands the range of drugs that could be tested for Alzheimer's." Frederic Calon, Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy and Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods and the CHU de QuebecUniversite Laval Research Centre The research was made possible by a longitudinal study that began in 1993 and involves about 1,100 members of some 30 religious congregations in the United States. The participants have agreed to undergo annual medical and psychological tests and donate their brains after death. The Brain article is based on data from 60 deceased individuals who participated in this extensive study. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Examination of their brains revealed that: Insulin receptors are found primarily in blood microvessels, not neurons, as previously thought. Alpha-B insulin receptor subunits were less prevalent in the microvessels of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Cognitive test scores were lower in subjects with fewer alpha-B insulin receptors in their microvessels. Subjects with fewer alpha-B insulin receptors in their microvessels had more beta-amyloid plaques in their brains. Experiments carried out by the researchers on transgenic mice used to study Alzheimer's disease showed that the quantity of alpha-B receptors in microvessels decreased with age and disease progression. "Our findings suggest that the loss of alpha-B insulin receptors in brain microvessels contributes to insulin resistance in the brain and cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease," Professor Calon said. These findings support the idea that Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease with a strong metabolic component. "Metabolic dysfunction exacerbates Alzheimer's, and Alzheimer's amplifies the metabolic problem. It's a vicious circle," said Professor Calon. The authors of the study are Manon Leclerc, Philippe Bourassa, Cynthia Tremblay, Vicky Caron, Camille Sugere, Vincent Emond and Frederic Calon from Universite Laval, and David Bennett from Rush University Medical Center. This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Mr Chan (left) pays a courtesy call to Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of China to the Kingdom of Bahrain An Waer. Financial Secretary Paul Chan promoted Hong Kongs unique advantages to financial and business leaders in Bahrain as he continued his visit to the island country. Mr Chan met Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakats Chief Executive Officer Khalid Al Rumaihi to exchange views on global financial markets and investment strategies. Similar discussions continued during Mr Chan's meeting with Osool Asset Management Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. Osool is the investment arm of the Bahrain Social Insurance Organization. Mr Chan pointed out to both parties that Hong Kong is where international capital converges with a high concentration of financing businesses. He also highlighted the citys unparalleled unique advantages as an important gateway to the Mainland and Asian markets that have tremendous investment potential. The finance chief encouraged companies and funds to make full use of the strengths and convenience of Hong Kong as a platform and convergent point of industry chains, and tap the vast investment opportunities on offer to them In his meeting with Bahraini family business group YBA Kanoo Group, Mr Chan introduced the competitive edges and investment opportunities of Hong Kong as an international financial centre, as well as measures to help family offices establish themselves in the city. He also paid a courtesy call to Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of China to the Kingdom of Bahrain An Waer in the morning. AMES, Iowa Oct. 6, 2022 The Iowa Transportation Commission will hold its next business meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, 435 Park Street, in Des Moines. While the meeting is open for in-person attendance by delegations and the public, participation via conference call or Teams is encouraged to minimize the number of in-person attendees. This is to assure adequate social distancing measures can be accommodated. Business meeting agenda Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022 Time Title Presenter 8 a.m. *Approve Minutes of the Sept. 13, 2022, Commission Meeting Danielle Madden, Commission assistant, 515-239-1919 Commission Comments DOT Staff Comments *Administrative Rules 761 IAC -411 Persons with Disabilities Parking Permits Melissa Gillett, director, Motor Vehicle Division, 515-237-3121 *Administrative Rules 761 IAC -605 License Issuance Melissa Gillett, director, Motor Vehicle Division, 515-237-3121 *Administrative Rules 761 IAC -720 Iowa Airport Registration -750 Aircraft Registration Stu Anderson, director, Transportation Development Division, 515-239-1661 *Administrative Rules 761 IAC -13 Contested Cases Scott Marler, director, Iowa Department of Transportation, 515-239-1101 *Revitalize Iowas Sound Economy (RISE) application Dyersville Craig Markley, director, Systems Planning Bureau, 515-239-1027 *State Recreational Trails Program Funding Recommendations Craig Markley, director, Systems Planning Bureau, 515-239-1027 *Railroad Revolving Loan and Grant Program Recommendation Tamara Nicholson, director, Modal Transportation Bureau 515-239-1052 *Fiscal Year 2024 Highway-Railroad Crossing Safety Program Kris Klop Modal Transportation Bureau 515-239-1108 *2024 Highway-Railroad Crossing Surface Repair Program Kris Klop Modal Transportation Bureau 515-239-1108 8:10 a.m. Adjourn *Action items Public input meeting agenda Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2021 *Input meeting will begin shortly after the conclusion of the Commission business meeting. Time Title Presenter 8:15 a.m. Opening remarks Richard Arnold, Commission chair 8:20 a.m. City of Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie 8:25 a.m. Des Moines Area MPO Stephanie Riva 8:35 a.m. City of Mason City Mayor Bill Schickel 8:50 a.m. Legislator Introductions/Comments 9:05 a.m. Iowa Living Roadways Julia Badenhope 9:20 a.m. City of Osceola Ty Wheeler 9:35 a.m. Unscheduled delegations Monday, Oct. 10, 2022 Transportation tour The Commission and Iowa Department of Transportation staff will tour transportation projects in central Iowa on Monday, Oct. 10, starting at 8:45 a.m. at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, 435 Park Street, in Des Moines. The tour will end around 2:30 p.m. at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, 435 Park Street, in Des Moines. Transportation-related matters may be discussed, but no action will be taken on the tour. Monday, Oct. 10, 2022 Informal workshop session The Commission will meet informally with staff from the Iowa DOT on Monday, Oct. 10, in person and via conference call beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown, 435 Park Street, in Des Moines, following the tour. While the meeting is open for in-person attendance by the public, participation via conference call or Teams is encouraged to minimize the number of in-person attendees. The following transportation-related matters may be discussed, but no action will be taken during the meeting. The items are listed in no order and may be discussed at any point during the workshop. Commission input Directors welcome Administrative Rules Chapter 411 Persons with Disabilities Parking Permits Chapter 605 License Issuance Chapter 720 Iowa Airport Registration Chapter 750 Aircraft Registration Chapter 13 License Issuance Transportation Trends Update 2023 Highway Program Balance Report RISE project Dyersville Local Development Grant Program Recommendations State Recreational Trails Program Funding Recommendations (Recommendations were presented at the September 2022 Commission meeting and can be viewed at https://iowadot.gov/systems_planning/Grant-Programs/-Federal-and-State-Recreational-Trails Railroad Revolving Loan and Grant Program Funding Recommendation (Recommendations were presented at the September 2022 Commission meeting and can be viewed at https://iowadot.gov/iowarail/Financial-Assistance/rrlgp#24240567-applications-recommendations-and-awards Fiscal Year 2024 Highway-Railroad Crossing Safety Program Recommendations were presented at the September 2022 Commission meeting and can be viewed at https://iowadot.gov/iowarail/safety/federal-aid-crossing-safety-program 2024 Highway-Railroad Crossing Surface Repair Program (Recommendations were presented at the September 2022 Commission meeting and can be viewed at https://iowadot.gov/iowarail/safety/grade-crossing-surface-repair-program # Editors note: There are two ways to listen to the Iowa Transportation Commissions informal workshop session or business meeting or public input session when scheduled. The broadcast feed and phone lines are active 15 minutes prior to each meeting or session and discontinued immediately after a meeting ends. Live audio and some presentation materials will be available via the Microsoft Teams Meeting Teams link. For those who wish to only join via audio, dial 515-817-6093 and use conference ID 440 237 881# Iowa DOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other nondiscrimination statutes. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact Nikita Rainey, Civil Rights Bureau Director at 515-239-1304 or by email at civil.rights@iowadot.us. By Yan Yu The White House recently released its National Security Strategy 2022. The report, allegedly delayed by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, sees China as "the most serious long-term challenge to the international order" and vows that America must win the competition with China, revealing to the full the worlds only superpowers deep-rooted Cold War mentality and growing strategic anxiety. A quick look at the new report shows that the Biden administration is no wiser than its predecessor regarding its perception and understanding of the so-called strategic competition with China. Rather, it has more undisguisedly targeted China, labeling it as the top rival. Reuters quoted former US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel as saying that competition with China is pervading every chapter and that the current strategy has shifted to an overwhelming emphasis on that subject. Some analysts said the new National Security Strategy report has shown Biden administrations consistent China policies in a more systematic light: the government will increase investment at home to become more economically and technologically competitive and rely more on Americas alliance network to contain China. Biden has spared no effort in hyping the major-country competition since he came into office. He has attacked and smeared China in the ideological domain, restricted Chinas development in science and technology, used financial tools to suppress Chinese enterprises, and moved faster to form the anti-China cliqueAll these moves are fundamentally aimed at competing with China in all areas and curbing its development on all fronts, so as to maintain Americas global hegemony. Such an aggressive stance is driven by Washingtons hegemonistic mindset of power politics and exposes its strong anxieties about China. Will a strong China really threaten the US and the world, as some American politicians claim? The answer is a firm no. Facts have proven that ever since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), it has never started a single war or conflict, or encroached upon one inch of aforeign land. On the contrary, China, upholding the concept of peaceful development, has actively preserved global strategic stability and steadfastly maintained international order, being a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order, a provider of public goods, and a mediator on hot-spot issues. Its concrete actions have been a powerful ballast for world peace, and its new development has provided new opportunities for the world. Speaking of the new National Security Strategy, Daniel Russel said the reports ambitious goal to form the most extensive alliance of nations to respond to global challenges would hardly come through without Chinas cooperation. Yet certain American politicians, indulging themselves in the China paranoia, have been imagining the so-called China threat and hyping the China challenge, only to drive bilateral relations further in the competitive direction. Its interesting that while the new report defines China as the biggest geopolitical challenge, it affirms the possibility of peaceful coexistence and hopes for the US to win the strategic competition with China in peaceful ways. However, in Washingtons dictionary, peaceful coexistence is just a cover-up term for its incessant moves at decoupling, halt of supply, and increased tariff, for its increasingly intensified military containment of China, and for its constant instigation of confrontation between other countries and regions against China. China and the US both stand to benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation. If the US really wants to stay competitive in the world, it should break away from the long outdated Cold War mentality, meet China halfway on the principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, and steer bilateral relationship back to the track of healthy and steady development. Thats the right way to go, one that is conducive to the US itself, to all stakeholders, and to the world at large. Editor's note: Originally published on haiwainet.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. In almost all cases of a domicile search, the police need a warrant. However, many motorists are unaware that their vehicle does not hold the same status as their home regarding police searches. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, vehicles hold reduced rights of privacy. Law enforcement officers are allowed to search a vehicle with a legal warrant, and in some situations, they can even do a vehicle search without a warrant. For a vehicle search, the police need probable cause, which means they must have enough suspicion that the person has committed a criminal act to search their vehicle. For example, the police might not be able to search a vehicle during a routine traffic stop, but if they smell narcotics in the vehicle, that is enough for them to have the legal right to search it. According to Weber Law in Utah, anything found in the vehicle can be used as evidence in a court of law if the vehicle search was legal. In what states are car searches legal? All states adhere to the constitutional rights of motorists. The law enforcement officer will be violating the Fourth Amendment Rights of an individual if they search a vehicle without a valid reason or permission of the driver. In all states, a police officer has the right to search a vehicle if they believe the search is necessary for their safety. Motorists should keep in mind that if the police have a valid reason, a driver does not have the legal right to refuse a vehicle search. The United States Constitution sets the minimum level of protection for the rights of an individual, but the states have the authority to provide even more rights. This means a state can pass laws with greater restrictions on law enforcement officers searching a vehicle without a warrant. One of the reasons that vehicle searches have less strict privacy rules compared to domiciles is that vehicles can be quickly moved from the jurisdiction by the time a warrant is obtained. This makes it important to give authority to the police to search a vehicle if they have probable cause. A motorist should have a lesser expectation of privacy in a vehicle compared to their home. Consult a lawyer If a police officer searched your vehicle and you believe that they did not have a valid reason to do so, you should consult a lawyer. If the police search was illegal, your lawyer can have the evidence found in the vehicle suppressed and removed from the case. If you denied the police officer permission to search your vehicle, and they still proceeded to do so, they need to prove that they had probable cause or valid reason for the search. If they can't prove this in court, any evidence obtained from your vehicle can become inadmissible. If you have been accused of a crime based on evidence found in the search of your vehicle, speak with an attorney. The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman yesterday witnessed the signing protocols of the following agreements: A cooperation agreement between Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman in the security field to enhance the competence of the security bodies in both countries. It was signed by Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa and his Omani counterpart Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi. A cooperation agreement in the field of maritime transport and seaports between the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the government of the Sultanate of Oman. The agreement aims to enhance cooperation in the field of maritime transport and freedom of navigation and to contribute to the development of maritime transport between both countries. It was signed by Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Mohammed bin Thamer Al Kaabi and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Bader bin Hamad Al Busaidi. A cooperation agreement between Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) and Sultan Qaboos University to boost cooperation in the field of studies and research, exchange expertise and coordinate in organizing conferences and symposiums. It was signed by Derasat Chairman Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Bader bin Hamad Al Busaidi. An agreement to establish a Bahraini-Omani Investment Holding Company. It aims to establish a joint holding company between the two countries in the investment field. It was signed by Chairman of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sameer bin Abdullah Nass and Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry Redha bin Jumaa Al Saleh. Granting the Sultanate of Oman the right of sovereignty over the information of its subscribers. It aims to develop, improve and sustain the quality of the electronic services and the cloud computing centers in the Kingdom of Bahrain for the beneficiaries, and to provide the appropriate environment to attract more foreign investments to the region. The agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Dr. Abdellatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and his Omani counterpart Sayyid Bader bin Hamad Al Busaidi. Granting the Sultanate of Oman the status of an approved partner for the International Center for Sea and Air Cargo Services. The agreement aims to develop economic and trade relations between the two countries, allowing companies in the Sultanate of Oman to obtain accreditation as an operator of this service with granting them a number of privileges. It was signed by Minister of Industry and Commerce Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Bader bin Hamad Al Busaidi. HM the King and HM the Sultan of Oman have blessed the signing of the agreements which will contribute to further developing cooperation between the two brotherly countries. Then, the following memoranda of understanding were signed by both countries: A MoU between the Information and eGovernment Authority in the Kingdom of Bahrain and Omans Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. It was signed by Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. A MoU between the Bahraini government, represented by the Ministry of Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs, and the Omani government, represented by the Interior Ministry, to boost cooperation in the municipal field. It was signed by Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. A MoU between Bahrains Higher Education Council and Omans Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. It was signed by Education Minister Dr. Majid bin Ali Al Noaimi. A MoU between Bahrains Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Omans Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion to protect competitiveness and prevent monopoly. It was signed by Minister of Industry and Commerce Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani. A MoU between the National Space Science Agency and Omans Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. It was signed by Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Mohammed bin Thamer Al Kaabi. A MoU between the government of Bahrain, represented by the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and the Omani government, represented by the Civil Aviation Authority, to boost cooperation in air navigation. It was signed by Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Mohammed bin Thamer Al Kaabi. A MoU between the Ministry of Social Development in Bahrain and the Ministry of Social Development in Oman. It was signed by Social Development Minister Osama bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Staff Reporter Persistent scammers are spinning out new schemes, and the latest is the alleged creation of a commercial bank that offers endless loans to the expatriates. Express Bank Bahrain doesnt have a physical address or a phone number to be accessed. Still, it claims it has been offering thousands of Bahraini dinars in loans to customers since its establishment in 2018. The bank approached some potential victims on various social media platforms. In addition, the scammers have also been targeting people across the Mideast, including Kuwait and the UAE. The Daily Tribune had reported earlier about the fraudsters using fake social media accounts to target the online banking and financial transaction network in the Kingdom. Fraudsters generally target victims by making calls to their mobile phones or sending SMSs to obtain data. Later the money is either transferred to a third partys accounts hacked by the scammers or used to purchase various goods from online platforms through e-wallets. The Central Bank of Bahrain, many a time, has carried out campaigns and circulated messages alerting over the possibility of falling victim to online fraudsters. Speaking to The Daily Tribune, a resident employed with a private firm shared his ordeal: I am in charge of recruitment and hence get many calls from South Asian countries. Many job aspirants regularly send their resumes and applications to my WhatsApp number. A few weeks ago, I received a link, and upon clicking the link, I got connected to a video call, which I instantly disconnected. However, the next day I received a call from the same number, asking to update my bank details. When I refused to do that, then began a long series of threatening calls demanding money. They threatened to tarnish my image on social media platforms. When I blocked the number, they started sending threatening messages through voice clips. When I spoke about this to many friends and colleagues, I could learn that a good number of them also had similar experiences. But, unfortunately, the social media platforms are no safer; instead, these platforms became a weapon for these fraudsters to cheat. Highlighting the dangers within cyberspace, cybersecurity expert Muhammed Shiras said: In light of the pandemic circumstances, social media usages have risen tremendously. All network operators now provide unlimited access to the Internet as part of their bundle package plans. As the usage has increased, fraud and misleading news feed over cyberspace has also gone up proportionately. Therefore, one should be vigilant before liking posts, pages, or accounts on social media platforms. One false click can take you to another unknown strange world compensating for your money, privacy, and other personal information. Before following any account, verify those pages, posts, followers, and interests to confirm their authenticity. And never click any malicious links before reviewing the background. Think before you click and keep yourself safe online. Ali Beshara, the Head of Information Security and Risk Management at The BENEFIT Company, attributes the rise in online fund transfer scams to a lack of alertness on the part of users. Mr. Beshara points out that this kind of cybercrime involves social engineering - a term used by information security professionals to describe the action on the part of hackers, who deploy their highest social engineering skills to get information, which is supposed to be kept as a secret, private and never shared, from their victims. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Two research papers, jointly prepared by the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Women on the COVID-19 pandemics challenges to Bahraini women, recommended accounting for womens diverse experiences and needs, away from a unified mold shared with men. The papers, titled, The Impact of Covid-19 on Women in Bahrain and Bahraini Women and Remote Work, were prepared by Dr Omar Ahmed Al-Ubaydli, Derasats Director of Studies and Research, and UNDP Researcher Deema AlMoayyed, called for providing rest periods for some women during challenging times. A consideration highlighted by the research called for adopting a hybrid work model with hours split-scheduled between home and the workplace, which would in turn enhance business continuity for pregnant, nursing and care-taking mothers, and further called for evaluating accomplished work instead of work hours, in addition to helping staff acquire the computer and application-based skills necessary for remote work. Research relied on a survey of around 350 Bahraini women and a focus group session with several of them, to identify and discuss the socio-economic impacts created by the pandemic as a challenge to Bahraini women. The research deduced certain aspects of the pandemic positively affected Bahraini women, such as improved family ties, health, longer time closely spent with family members. However, another set of negative effects included monitoring children during remote education periods, shorter personal care routine sessions, and reduced personal interaction with friends and the extended family. Another deduction noted that the pandemic posed another opportunity for women to receive support from the remaining family members like husbands, parents, and children. Relationships with nuclear family members improved significantly, but declined with distant relatives, friends, and colleagues due to social distancing. Most women were able to secure support to handle family disputes and psychological problems during the pandemic, with a recurring observation of large variation in responses. A sub-group from the survey specimen saw essential benefits to their lives because of remote work, derived from increased flexibility and spared commute time, with some reporting higher productivity compared to conventional office work. A conclusion showed psychological support during the pandemic was among the most pursued needs, especially among middle-aged women. Both papers are published on the Derasat website for those interested in further readings. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com BIC, Sakhir Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East, said it has signed a payment services agreement with Eazy Financial Services EazyPay, Bahrains leading and most innovative payment services provider. The agreement was held at the headquarters of the Bahrain International Circuit in the Sakhir area, in the presence of Sherif Al-Mahdi, Chief Commercial Officer of the Bahrain International Circuit, and Nayef Tawfiq Al-Alawi, Founder & CEO of Eazy Financial Services. As part of the agreement, BIC will be provided with a series of electronic payment services to help enhance business operations and therefore offer the circuits customers an enhanced experience. These services include providing the Circuit with state-of-the-art Pointof-Sale (POS) Terminals placed at BIC outlets to accept all types of Debit and Credit cards from Visa & MasterCard, including the acceptance of the latest method of payment using Crypto assets via Binance App, which is regulated with the support of the Central Bank of Bahrain, making BIC the first International Circuit in the World to accept crypto assets Payments in a regulated, secure and extremely fast manner. BIC Chief Commercial Officer Sherif Al Mahdy commented: The services they offer will benefit our operations greatly while offering a smooth, hassle-free experience for our customers. Nayef Tawfiq Al Alawi, Founder & CEO of Eazy Financial Services, expressed his delight saying: We are very proud Today to become the partners of the Bahrain International Circuit, the home of Motorsports in the Middle East. Tameem Al Moosawi, General Manager of Binance Bahrain, said, This agreement enables BIC to become the first international racing circuit in the world to accept crypto-asset payments through Binance Pays partnership with EazyPay, showcasing how the Kingdom of Bahrain is continuously in the forefront, supporting regional & global players in keeping up with global trends. , Oct 25 ( ANI Asia ) - Daishiro Yamagiwa, Japan's minister in charge of economic security, became the first minister of Fumio Kishida's government on Monday to step down over his ties with the controversial Unification Church. Yamagiwa submitted his resignation directly to the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a private meeting, reported Nikkei Asia. The minister's ties with the church have been under intense scrutiny. After his meeting with Kishida, Yamagiwa told reporters that it was a "last minute" decision to resign as he did not want to be a distraction during current parliamentary sessions and to deflect attention away from the formulation of economic policy during this time of turbulence, reported Nikkei Asia. "I regret giving credibility to (Unification Church) by attending gatherings, and from now on, I will be careful not to do it again," Yamagiwa said. Public criticism of the minister had grown as new information surfaced about his ties with the group. Until last week, he had repeatedly claimed that he did not remember attending the gatherings of the Unification Church. He also claimed that he was unable to dig up details on meetings as he would discard such documents and materials at the end of each year, reported Nikkei Asia. ...continue reading Oct 25 (ANNnewsCH) - 24 taiwannews.com.tw - Nov 09 For centuries, holy men, pilgrims and nobles journeyed the sacred paths that crossed Japan in search of knowledge and enlightenment. At the end of a long day tramping the mountain paths, they invariably sought out an "otera," or temple, to rest their weary bodies. , Oct 25 ( cointelegraph.com ) - In Japan, the city of Fukuoka is looking toward the future of Web3 in its latest partnership with Astar Japan Labs, the company behind Japans leading blockchain, the Astar network. Fukuoka is the countrys second-largest port city and has officially been designated as a National Special Strategic Zone. Now it also plans to become the countrys hub for all things Web3 and crypto. The Astar Japan Labs partnership will allow both entities to work together on new use cases for Web3 technologies. Fukuoka joins more than 45 companies working with Astar, including Microsoft Japan and Amazon Japan. According to the announcement, the city wants to attract global, competitive businesses to the area. Representatives from Astar will regularly visit the city to provide education and new use cases both locally and throughout the country in collaboration with local governments. ...continue reading , Oct 26 ( NHK ) - Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Tuesday named a replacement for his Economic Revitalization Minister. Yamagiwa Daishiro resigned Monday after heated opposition criticism for his links to the religious group formerly known as the Unification Church. It had been revealed that he attended multiple meetings of the church and related organizations and met at least twice with the widow of the church's founder. Yamagiwa had repeatedly said he didn't recall the events. At the Lower House session on Tuesday, opposition parties criticized Kishida for letting Yamagiwa stay on too long. Ohsaka Seiji of the Constitutional Democratic Party said, "Yamagiwa responded by saying over and over again that he had no recollection. The public got sick and tired of hearing his totally irresponsible reply." Asano Satoshi of the Democratic Party for the People criticized Kishida saying, "Prime Minister Kishida is also to blame for what has happened, because he was so slow to make an important personnel decision." Kishida says he takes seriously the fact that he appointed Yamagiwa to a cabinet post in the first place. He said, "I will accept the criticism from the opposition, and work extra hard to ensure that there will be no delay in implementing all important policy programs that the government is working on." Kishida appointed former health minister Goto Shigeyuki of the Liberal Democratic Party as the new economic revitalization minister. ...continue reading Features Reporter Hayley has contributed to The News Record since her freshman year and is now going into her junior year as the features reporter. She has completed an internship for VMSD Magazine and is now interning for the College of Arts and Sciences MarComm office. Eight scholarships will be awarded to young Canadian women studying to become commercial pilots or maintenance engineers Four aspiring commercial pilots to become CAE Women in Flight Air Canada ambassadors Scholarship applications open Nov. 1 here Editor's Note: A video marking this enhanced scholarship is available here. MONTREAL, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada and CAE today announced the two Montreal-based global aviation companies are joining together to advance diversity in aviation doubling the number of 2023 Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships granted to young Canadian women studying to become commercial pilots or maintenance engineers. Up to four aspiring commercial pilots will be invited to join the CAE Women in Flight program as an ambassador. Air Canada and CAE Join Forces to Advance Diversity in Aviation, Doubling the 2023 Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships (CNW Group/Air Canada) Launched in 2019, the Judy Cameron scholarships were previously awarded to four recipients, which is increasing to eight with the support of CAE and their Women in Flight ambassador program. The annual Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships, established in honour of Air Canada's first female pilot to help foster the next generation of women following in her trailblazing footsteps, are awarded in conjunction with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation. "I am delighted that CAE is partnering with Air Canada to double the Captain Judy Cameron scholarships for Canadian women in flight training. Financial support to assist with the high cost of flight training is crucial to their success. When I began my first flying lesson in 1973, I never imagined that someday I would be able to encourage other women to enter this amazing career. Thanks to Air Canada and CAE for helping women to follow their dreams and fly. The Northern Lights Aero Foundation is honoured to be part of this," said Judy Cameron, Boeing 777 Captain at Air Canada (retired), and Director, Northern Lights Aero Foundation. "Air Canada has long championed gender equality particularly in non-traditional, highly specialized aviation careers, and we are incredibly pleased to have CAE, our long-time flight simulation partner, join with us to double the number of Captain Judy Cameron scholarships that will be offered for 2023. This means together, we can expand the reach to help more young women across Canada in their studies as commercial pilots or maintenance engineers. We look forward to seeing these recipients follow their aviation dreams and in future, certify as airworthy, or be in command of, an Air Canada aircraft," said Murray Strom, Senior Vice President Flight Operations at Air Canada. "Diversity, equity and inclusion are central to CAE's culture. We are proud to collaborate with our long-time partner Air Canada on our first scholarship-matching initiative as part of CAE's Women in Flight ambassador program," said Nick Leontidis, Group President, Civil Aviation, CAE. "The Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship program aligns with our efforts of creating a movement that encourages young women to dream big. A movement started by pioneers like Captain Cameron, inspiring young women everywhere to pursue careers in aviation." Scholarship applications open on Nov. 1, 2022 here. About Judy Cameron Judy Cameron became the first female pilot hired by Air Canada, Canada's largest airline, in April 1978 at the age of 23. She was the first woman to graduate from Selkirk College's Aviation Technology Program in 1975. Throughout her flying career of 40 years and over 23,000 hours, she has flown the DC-3, Twin Otter, Hawker Siddeley 748, DC-9, Lockheed 1011, Airbus 320, Boeing 767 and Boeing 777 to the far corners of the world. She became a captain in 1997 and in 2010, she became the first female captain in Canada of a Boeing 777, the largest aircraft in Air Canada's fleet. She retired in 2015, received the Elsie MacGill Northern Lights award in the Flight Operations category that year, and in 2016 she was chosen by the 99s (International Organization of Women Pilots) to be on its Canadian postage stamp. Today, Captain Cameron continues her volunteer work mentoring and supporting the next generation of female pilots with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation. Air Canada proudly launched the Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship in her honour in 2019. About CAE Women in Flight Ambassador Program CAE's Women in Flight Ambassador program is helping create a movement to encourage young girls and women to dream big and have no limits. With only five percent of women pilots worldwide, this program is geared to show women that they too can reach for the sky. This is a co-branded program in which CAE is partnering with airline customers globally to create women pilot ambassadors via scholarships ranging from partially funded to fully-funded pilot training. Launched in 2018, the program was expanded in July 2022 to include to include partnership with more airline customers. The program was initially limited to candidates enrolled in one of CAE's airline-sponsored cadet training program. With the evolution of the program, CAE is also matching existing airline scholarships. The goal of the program is to build a community of ambassadors who demonstrate leadership skills, active involvement in their communities, perseverance, who are passionate about aviation, and can inspire women to join the pilot profession. To learn more about the program, go to CAE Women in Flight Ambassador Program | CAE About Air Canada Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 50 airports in Canada, 47 in the United States and 69 internationally. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada's Aeroplan program is Canada's premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada's passenger flights and cargo-only flights with its fleet of Boeing 767-300 freighters. Air Canada has committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. About CAE At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying simulation training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, airlines, defence and security forces, and healthcare practitioners to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we're everywhere customers need us to be with more than 13,000 employees in more than 200 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents 75 years of industry firststhe highest-fidelity flight and mission simulators, surgical manikins, and personalized training programs powered by artificial intelligence. We're investing our time and resources into building the next generation of cutting-edge, digitally immersive training and critical operations solutions while keeping positive environmental, social and governance (ESG) impact at the core of our mission. Today and tomorrow, we'll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter. Follow us on Twitter: @CAE_Inc Facebook: www.facebook.com/cae.inc LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cae Hashtags: #CAE; #CAEpilot Read our FY22 Annual activity and corporate social responsibility report. Internet: aircanada.com/media Sign up for Air Canada news: aircanada.com Media Resources: Photos Videos B-Roll Articles SOURCE Air Canada For further information: [email protected] VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Albert Labs International Corp. (Albert Labs (CSE: ABRT) (FSE: VB50), the "Company"), a pharmaceutical drug development company focussed on gaining regulatory approval for active compounds to treat various mental health conditions, has published a corporate update highlighting the progress that has been made since closing its Series A private placement and some information on its future plans and activities. Overview Series A Private Placement Albert Labs completed its Series A private placement in tranches between February 2021 and March 2022, an offering of 18,947,500 shares and gross proceeds of CAD$4,736,875, with senior management investing CAD$2,690,215 and the balance of CAD$2,690,215 coordinated with support from Chrystal Capital Partners. This placement took place concurrently with a reverse take-over transaction that would see Albert Labs' shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), subject to restrictions with a large proportion of shares held under escrow terms. The Company's key strategies were, and remain as follows: (i) to manufacture and deliver natural psilocybin in the form of a prescription drug known as KRN-101 to trial centres, and (ii) to initiate Real World Evidence (RWE) trials, including all necessary partnerships, to lead to a regulatory approved medication for treating anxiety and depression, initially in cancer patients. Operational Progress 6-month Update The Company has made substantial progress, in spite of an economic environment that has presented widespread challenges to financial markets and business operations across all sectors. Some of the most significant milestones that have been achieved by the Company over the last 6-months include: March 2022: Albert Labs International Corp. listing on Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) Filing US Provisional Patent for standardised and scalable manufacturing of natural pharmaceuticals, including KRN-101 April 2022: Established Pre-Clinical Advisory Board, chaired by globally-renowned toxicology expert, Dr Ricardo Dinis-Oliveira May 2022: Granted Health Canada Licence for production, sale (through the Special Access Programme) and export of Schedule 1 substances Successful technology transfer, procurement and implementation of pre-clinical programme at Schedule 1 analytical and toxicological laboratory in Porto, Portugal RWE Clinical Trial protocols written (with partners at the University of Manchester , Christie Hospital, and National Cancer Research Institute) for the study of KRN-101 as a treatment for cancer-related distress, including Albert Labs' psychotherapy protocols June 2022: Ethical approval received for Albert Labs' pre-clinical programme for KRN-101 toxicology studies at laboratory in Porto pre-clinical programme for KRN-101 toxicology studies at laboratory in Professor Sara Tai appointed as Lead Clinical Researcher for RWE Clinical Trial, Senior Clinical Psychology Professor at the University of Manchester July 2022: Mike Thompson MBE, former CEO of the Association for the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and Senior Vice-President of Commercial Strategy at GSK Global, and Katie Shelton-Innes , experienced UK growth company finance expert, appointed to Board of Directors August 2022: New International PCT Patent Application (No. PCT/CA2022/051281) filed for proprietary manufacturing method, providing industry-leading levels of scalable and consistent natural Psilocybin-based pharmaceuticals September 2022: Successful technology transfer and implementation of KRN-101 manufacturing process and quality assurance procedures ready for pre-clinical studies at laboratory in Porto October 2022: Received Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) accreditation for pre-clinical programme allowing for submission of pre-clinical data to global regulatory authorities (including MHRA, EMA and FDA) In the near future, the Company will continue work on: The completion of KRN-101 toxicology studies to GLP standards, ready for CTA, and available for licensing and Special Access Programmes; Third-party validation (to Good Manufacturing Practice standard) of KRN-101 data for Clinical Trial Application (CTA); Pre-CTA MHRA Scientific Advice Meeting Partnership negotiations to extend clinical research into further regulatory jurisdictions Dr. Michael Raymont, CEO of Albert Labs: "We have made significant progress over the last 6-months, establishing our pharmaceutical operations across three jurisdictions, the United Kingdom, European Union and North America. As is inevitable with an early-stage company, especially in the drug development R&D area, some milestones are achieved as planned, while others require "workarounds" or extensions." A key differentiator for Albert Labs is the growth, extraction and use of a mycelium extract, which includes a spectrum of key bio-actives present in its natural form. Mycelium is a complex, living organism and there may be therapeutic value from the combination of key bio-actives present in our primary drug target, KRN-101. Using patent-pending, bioreactor-based manufacturing technology, the Company has been able to produce consistent, standardised, and pharmacologically valuable APIs'; KRN-101 is a unique asset that meets the highest product requirements for global regulatory standards. Most importantly, KRN-101 strengthens the long-term value of the company, not only as a potential therapeutic to treat millions but also offers potential for extensive intellectual property protection. "Developing and refining our standardised, "quality-regulated" API production process is a major accomplishment, and the additional time we took resulted in a robust production process with additional intellectual property potential," said Dr. Raymont. The Company has also been working on expanding its market access programme. Albert Labs primary focus is still the treatment of patients in the United Kingdom, by aiming for the execution of a Real World Evidence clinical trial and pursuing all corresponding reimbursement mechanisms. In addition, however, the Company is now in a position to start the process to pursue, in parallel, an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application in the US. If successful, this would take KRN-101 directly into the largest pharmaceutical market in the world, the United States. "We feel that the strategy of parallel tracking work toward both UK and US regulatory approval reduces risk as compared to the single-track approach, while at the same time, increasing and accelerating our developments over the longer term. We will need to augment our resources to allow for the increased scope of work", said Dr. Raymont, adding, "Over the next few months, we will be working on some key milestones, which we need to reach in order to deliver our treatment in the clinical setting." Business of Albert Labs International Corp. Albert Labs is a pharmaceutical drug development company, focussed on gaining regulatory approval for active compounds in the treatment of mental health, and providing rapid access to effective prescription medicines for people suffering from mental health disorders. Its team of experts leverage advanced culture technology and natural extraction, coupled with a comprehensive regulatory approach, to accelerate the development of mental health drugs, for which the needs are both urgent and unmet. Albert Labs looks to develop solutions through an approved, fast track clinical pathway focusing on Real World Evidence (RWE). RWE studies are an increasingly recognised clinical route, heavily used in oncology and recently, in the successful development of COVID-19 vaccines. Through collaborations with research institutions, hospital centres and government agencies, Albert Labs uses existing clinical infrastructure to deliver and improve patient access to its treatment. Albert Labs' first drug target, KRN-101, is a potential solution for cancer-related anxiety, a market of over 15 million people with roughly 1 million new sufferers each year. From this initial focus, Albert Labs will address broader mental health concerns, reported to affect over a billion people worldwide. The company's goal is to deliver effective medicines to suffers with mental health concerns in the shortest possible time without compromising safety and/or quality, while also providing significant returns to shareholders. Albert Labs (CSE: ABRT) (FSE: VB50) is publicly listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) . You can find more details about Albert Labs on our website here . ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Albert Labs International Corp. Dr. Michael Raymont Chief Executive Officer, Chairman Cautionary Statement This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including without limitation any statements concerning the Company's intentions, plans, estimates, beliefs, or expectations regarding the future. Although the Company believes that any such intentions, plans, estimates, beliefs, and expectations in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such intentions, plans, beliefs, and expectations will prove to be accurate. The Company cautions readers that all forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Readers are advised to rely on their evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligations to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise unless required by the applicable securities laws. SOURCE Albert Labs International Corp. For further information: Email: [email protected], Website: https://albertlabs.com/, Tel: +1 778-819-0740, Tel: +44 1625 324 960 /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAW./ VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 24, 2022 /CNW/ - Canada Energy Partners Inc. (NEX: CE.H) (the "Company" or "CE") today announced the execution of a Participation Agreement ("PA") and Joint Operating Agreement with Arcadia Operating, LLC ("Arcadia") and the Standard Mutual Assurance Company, LLC to drill three development wells on the Grand Slam oil and gas production leases in Matagorda County, Texas. The Grand Slam field is located 90 miles south of Houston and the three proposed well sites are in the middle of existing oil and gas infrastructure, pipelines and gathering stations. The Grand Slam field entered production in 2,000 and has a history of prolific production. The fundamental terms of the PA are as follows: (i) the Company will advance USD$13.5 million to acquire interests in the three development wells; (ii) upon commencement of production, the Company will receive first priority to 70.74% of the net production revenues; and (iii) upon repayment of the Company's capital contributions, the working interest entitlements will be adjusted to 53.06%. Figure 1. Grand Slam location map (CNW Group/Canada Energy Partners Inc.) Table 1 (CNW Group/Canada Energy Partners Inc.) The Company intends to complete an equity financing to fund its capital contribution obligations under the PA and to provide for working capital. The terms of the proposed financing will be announced shortly in consultation with the Company's capital markets advisors. Completion of the proposed transaction under the PA is subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. "This agreement represents our first project in Texas and we are excited to partner with Arcadia Operating and SMAC Partners as we are aligned on the significant potential of the Grand Slam Project," said Grant Hall, President and CEO of Canada Energy Partners. "The company continues to investigate and review other investment opportunities and will be using the funds earned from the Grand Slam to pursue similar opportunities wherever they are located." Opportunity Highlights Located in one of the world's major mega basins Asset surrounded by major upstream and midstream infrastructure Up to $28 Million of NPV (10) potential of NPV (10) potential Gross reserves of 21 BCF and 674 MBO associated with proposed development plan Additional unquantified contingent resources provide optionality and running room Highly experienced and proven management Project largely de-risked Grand Slam (Figure 1) offers and attractive opportunity to acquire 53.06% working interest by drilling three (3) development wells in the thickest portion of the Claughton A&B reservoirs (Frio Fm), that will recover ~21 BCF & 647,000 Bbls of gross reserves at a total capital expenditure of approximately $13.5 million. Each new well is estimated to cost ~$4.7 million to drill and complete (D&C). It is expected the new wells will produce a balance mix of gas (85%) and liquids (15%), providing a high-margin stable cashflow. Arcadia is the non-operated partner and brings nearly 100 years of operating experience in the basin. Grand Slam is a liquid-rich gas field discovered in 2000 by the completion of the Runnells Gas Unit Well No.3. The discovery well initially produced 22 MMscfpd. Located in the heart of the Frio trend wedged between several large gulf coast fields 90 miles SW of Houston in Matagorda County. Grand Slam is covered by proprietary 3D seismic, it produced ~21 BCF of gas and 665,000 Bbls of condensate, out of 7 wells within the leased acreage (704 acres). Historically, some of the wells had an initial production (IP) ~20 MMscfpd and 620 Bcpd. (Figure 1). Reserves volumes reported below (Table) are the result of a third-party reserves evaluation as of June 1, 2022, performed by Chapman Petroleum Engineering Ltd. ("Chapman") of Calgary, Alberta and was conducted in accordance with the definitions, standards and procedures contained in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluators Handbook ("COGEH") and National Instrument 51-101 - Standards for Disclosure of Oil and Gas Activities ("NI 51-101"). The table below shows the Total Proved Undeveloped (PUD), Probable (2P) and Possible (3P) reserves in Gross and Net to CEP. Chapman's reserves evaluation only considers the proposed three (3) well development plan. Other resources could be produced with additional infill drilling locations as estimated by the Operator. Arcadia is a 93-year-old independent Texas based oil and gas company with its antecedent founding in 1929 shortly after the discovery of the great East Texas oil field. The company which was a part of the early Texas petroleum industry pioneers was headquartered in Tyler, Texas for 61 years before moving to Dallas, Texas in 1991. The company's operational activities have been primarily focused on the Gulf Coast, Eastern, and Southern regions of Texas where it has overseen thousands of wells in all phases of development. Forward Looking Statement Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's objectives, goals or future plans. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; those additional risks set out in CEP's public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Glossary Bbls: barrels of crude oil BCF: Billion Cubic Feet of natural gas Bcpd: barrels of condensate per day MMscfpd: Millions of standard cubic feet of natural gas per day (gas volume at 60F and 14.65 psia) MBO: Thousands of barrels of Oil. Qualified Person's Statement The technical information contained in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Ricardo Chona, a consultant to CEP. Mr. Chona is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), holds a M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech) and has over 30 years' experience in the oil and gas industry. The recovery and reserve estimates provided in this news release are estimates only, and there is no guarantee that the estimated reserves will be recovered. Actual reserves may eventually prove to be greater than, or less than, the estimates provided herein. In certain of the tables set forth above, the columns may not fully reconcile due to rounding. SOURCE Canada Energy Partners Inc. For further information: CANADA ENERGY PARTNERS INC., Attention: Grant Hall, President, Email: [email protected], Direct Phone: (520) 668 4101 YELLOWKNIFE, NT, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - The Canadian Coast Guard's Inshore Rescue Boat station in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut has wrapped up its season, and closed on October 25, 2022. This year, the station opened on June 29, and provided essential search and rescue services during the boating season. Crews carried out 3 training exercises, responded to 3 search and rescue cases, and travelled over 1,240 nautical miles. Inshore Rescue Boat crew on the water near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Crews wrapped up operations on October 25, 2022. (CNW Group/Canadian Coast Guard) In Rankin Inlet, the Inshore Rescue Boat station is an important part of the marine emergency response system, and works closely with the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, Inuit communities, and other northern organizations to increase maritime safety in the Arctic. During the boating season, crews ensure 24/7 search and rescue services to the Nunavut communities of Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet, and Whale Cove. The Rankin Inlet Inshore Rescue Boat station originally opened in 2018, with funding from the Oceans Protection Plan. Additional funding was announced in August 2022 that will see the station upgraded to an Arctic Marine Response Station for its reopening in 2023. The Canadian Coast Guard will use these resources to hire and train additional crew from local communities; extend the station's operational season by one month annually beginning in 2023, to better align with the full ice-free boating season in the area; procure an additional search and rescue vessel, purpose-built for Arctic operations; and, undertake additional infrastructure improvements to enhance operational capabilities. The Canadian Coast Guard operates Inshore Rescue Boat stations from coast to coast to coast to provide supplementary maritime search and rescue services during the busy boating season. Marine emergencies can be called into the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at 1-800-267-7270. The Oceans Protection Plan is a Canadian success story. When Indigenous Peoples, industry, communities, academia, and government work together to protect our environment, grow our economy, and support good jobs across the country, we deliver real results. A renewed and expanded Oceans Protection Plan will keep our oceans and coasts healthy, advance reconciliation, and build a clean future for our children and grandchildren. Related Products: Associated Links Stay Connected Follow the Canadian Coast Guard on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. SOURCE Canadian Coast Guard For further information: Media Relations, Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Arctic Region, 204-984-4715, [email protected] The Benue Youth Forum, BYF, on Monday, lashed out at the Peoples the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubak... The Benue Youth Forum, BYF, on Monday, lashed out at the Peoples the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar over his comment on the recent killing in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State by Fulani herders. BYF said Atiku urinated on the graves of those killed by Fulani herders in Ukum Local Government Area of the state. Terrence Kuanum, the President of the Forum, accused Atiku of justifying the killings in the area by Fulani herders. He said Atikus comment that the heinous acts were due to sustained clashes between farmers and herders, was condemnable. In a statement, Kuanum expressed disappointment over the unfortunate message credited to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar in which he simply urinated on the graves of scores of people recently murdered by Fulani herdsmen in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. He added: That the PDP presidential candidate tagged the dastardly killing of children, women and the aged in their sleep as escalation of intercommunal violence clearly heightens the suspicion as to his level of insensitivity and complicity in the incessant attacks on Benue communities. Equally sad and irresponsible is the comment by Alhaji Atiku that suggests that the killings in Benue state were caused by lack of inclusion and integration of people into communities where they live, work, pay taxes and raise their children. The President of the Forum also accused Atiku of habouring hatred for the state Governor, Samuel Ortom. He added: It is not surprising that Alhaji Atiku who has not hidden his hatred for Governor Samuel Ortom for his (Ortoms) resilience towards ensuring that Benue people dont surrender their lands to cattle breeders has never really been sincere in condemning the issue especially as his kinsmen are known to be behind the killings, maiming, destruction of property and displacement of innocent villagers from their communities. The Forum charged the former Vice President to outline his strategy on how to tackle the killing of the people of Benue State if elected. He warned that Atiku should forget votes from the state if he fails to outline his plans on how to tackle these killings in the state. BYF also reiterated the need to strip Atiku of the Zege Mule u Tiv chieftaincy title. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has referred to Kashim Shettima, vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the c... Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has referred to Kashim Shettima, vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the chairman of the Osinbajo ice cream company. Osinbajo said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the launch of a book titled Deputizing and Governance in Nigeria, authored by Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano. Distinguished Kashim Shettima, who is also the majority shareholder and chairman of the Yemi Osinbajo ice cream company, the vice-president, who was the special guest of honour at the event, jokingly said. In June, Shettima, who had been campaigning for Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, for the APC presidential ticket said Osinbajo would not make a good president because he is a nice man. Osinbajo is a good man; hes a nice man. But nice men do not make good leaders, because nice men tend to be nasty. Nice men should be selling popcorn, ice cream, the former governor of Borno had said at the time. But hes a very decent person. I cant doubt that. Hes my personal friend and Ill rather not comment on his person. But hes a very decent man. That I can tell you. The comment had stirred varied reactions from Nigerians, while an ice cream stand was also a feature at the venue of the APC presidential primary in June. A Senior Special Assistant on Youth Development to the Delta State Governor, Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, Comrade Patrick Oghenerhoro, a.k.a Paleke... A Senior Special Assistant on Youth Development to the Delta State Governor, Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, Comrade Patrick Oghenerhoro, a.k.a Paleke has dumped the governor and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state. Oghenerhoro said he has enormous confidence in Ovie Omo-Agege as a Deltan who desires the development of the State and wellbeing of her people. He stressed that he believes in his vision to build a new Delta. Oghenerrhoro further explained that he has carefully looked at the political credentials of all the candidates gunning for the Delta governorship seat in the coming general elections and that only Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has demonstrated capacity and genuine interest towards rebuilding the State. Paleke, as he is fondly called, said voting for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori, is like extending the tenure of Okowa and prolonging the sufferings of Deltans. Hon. Oghenerhoro said he prefers the general interest of Deltans above his personal monetary gains, hence he has decided to resign his membership of the PDP as well as his appointment as Senior Special Assistant,SSA from the Okowa-led administration. He assured Deltans that he will work with several others to bring more hands and resources towards rescuing the State and placing it on a progressive lane. Prior to this time, Paleke was one of the most trusted political allies of the governor. He was former PDP Youth Leader in Ethiope-East and a former member Board of Trustees Urhobo Youth Council. The President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, said Nigeria was already experiencing the negative fallout of climate change seen in the floo... The President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, said Nigeria was already experiencing the negative fallout of climate change seen in the flooding, desert encroachment, and drought experienced in various parts of the country. According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari said this at an audience he granted the former United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on the sidelines of the First World Bio Summit 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. The statement is titled Nigeria facing climate change challenges, President Buhari declares during meeting with Ban Ki-Moon in Seoul. During the conversation, Buhari expressed delight with the existing cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Korea, especially in energy supply, citing gas exports to the Asian country. He also described education as a critical investment in addressing unemployment and underdevelopment, calling for a closer focus on health challenges. On his part, the former UN Chief who advocates Climate Change remediation and chairs the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for Better Future sympathised with the President over the flooding. Ki-moon called for more investment to improve education and avert environmental degradation and preventive diseases to meet the core Sustainable Development Goals. He thanked Buhari for attending the World Bio Summit, adding that his presence would highlight the importance of global action and cooperation in developing vaccines and technology to meet the huge threat and challenges of pandemics. Ki-moon also noted that Nigeria is a very important country, having prominent citizens occupying sensitive positions in global organisations. Therefore, he called for more people-to-people engagements and cultural cooperation between both countries even as he sought Nigerias support in Koreas bid to host an EXPO in 2030. Explaining his pet project, the ex-UN Scribe said his Global Centre on Adaptation is trying to mobilize resources to help developing countries fight climate change. He urged donor countries to fulfil their financial commitments to the Global Climate Fund. Buhari and his guest also discussed the role of gender equality in attaining a prosperous society while calling for an end to the war in Ukraine. The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has condemned a series of attacks on gubernatorial candidates in Ebonyi State by thugs al... The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has condemned a series of attacks on gubernatorial candidates in Ebonyi State by thugs allegedly sponsored by the ruling party. In a statement on Tuesday by its President General, Goodluck Ibem, the coalition lamented the recent attack on Professor Benard Odoh, Governorship candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in the state allegedly carried out by the state government-owned security outfit, Ebubeagu. According to the coalition, such attacks by Ebubeagu Operatives are wicked, barbaric, and a clear sign of a dictator in power under a democratic administration in Ebonyi State. The vicious attack on gubernatorial candidates of other political parties is a clear sign that the state government is neck deep into corruption and any person or persons that is seen as a stumbling block to enthroning another administration that will cover her tracks is a threat and a candidate for an attack. An administration that served the people dutifully, sincerely and has nothing to hide will not be interested in attacking her opponents in the state. The coalition called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba to immediately arrest and prosecute the Ebubeagu Operatives allegedly responsible for the attack on Professor Benard Odohs campaign convoy. COSEYL further demanded the immediate disbandment of Ebubeagu Operatives in the state. We are in a democratic administration and the will of the people is paramount. The Ebubeagu Operatives have outlived her purpose and it is time to disband them immediately. We have heard a series of their attacks on innocent Ebonyians in the past which they denied but the recent attack on Professor Benard Odoh has exposed their evil deeds in the state, the statement added. Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, blew hot on Monday as he advised Nigerians against supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023. Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, blew hot on Monday as he advised Nigerians against supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023. The governor warned that the country would break if APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari. Obaseki made the remarks at the inauguration of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council. The governor said the Nigerias debt would soon hit N60trillion, a situation that would affect generations. Our heads should be examined as citizens if we contemplate voting for a government like APC. Like I said, God forbid APC comes into power. This country will break uphis country will fail. Obaseki stressed that nobody has done the kind of damage the APC government has done. The governor told party members and supporters that he does not know how the nation will recover. Obaseki said his heart was beating, and that by the time PDPs Atiku Abubakar wins, we will not be able to sleep day and night The debt of Nigeria is going to N60trillion. When are we going to get out of it? Every day, every month they are printing (money). When I spoke more than a year ago, I did not know it was as bad as this. What will happen to the naira, only God will help us. They have destroyed the bases of this country, he declared. The Lagos State Police Command has commenced a probe into the attack on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign train. Police Public Rel... The Lagos State Police Command has commenced a probe into the attack on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign train. Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin made the announcement on Monday. The spokesperson confirmed that the party notified the DPO in Badagry of the locations of its visits and security was provided. However, the campaign train made an unscheduled visit to a totally different and undisclosed location on their way back without commensurate notification to the police, he said. Hundeyin said the command was waiting for the victims complaints as the statements would assist in the ongoing investigation. The assurance is hereby given that no stone will be left unturned to arrest and prosecute the attackers, the PRO added. Party members and supporters of PDP governorship candidate, Olajide Adediran (Jandor) were ambushed on Sunday. They were returning from a journey to the Ikoga Junction area of Badagry Local Government. The PDP declared that the culprits were loyalists of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Publicity Secretary, JandorFunke 2023 Campaign Council, Hakeem Amode said several members of Jandors entourage, including journalists, were injured. The spokesperson said that thugs were shouting APC while shooting guns and using dangerous weapons. Our party raised concern over the threat to use APC sponsored thugs to attack the campaign programmes of our gubernatorial candidate, Amode noted. Jandor hails from the Badagry division of Lagos. The flagbearer and his running mate, Funke Akindele visited Islamic and Church leaders hours before the attack. The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has assured the wife of the APC Presidential candidate, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, that the relief mater... The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has assured the wife of the APC Presidential candidate, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, that the relief materials she donated to the state will be judiciously distributed to the victims of the flood. He spoke Monday, October 24th, 2022 when he received in the Presidential Lodge at Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, wife of the APC Presidential candidate who visited the state to sympathize with those displaced by flooding which has ravaged some parts of the state. Ortom on behalf of the Government and people of the State, expressed appreciation to Senator Tinubu for the visit to identify with the flood victims, stating that her visit rekindled hope in those displaced by the flooding. The Governor then mandated the Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Dr Emmanuel Shior to ensure judicious distribution of the relief materials to only those who have been affected by the flooding. Senator Tinubu in her remarks announced a donation of 10 million naira to the victims of the floods. She recalled her fond relationship with the people of Benue state, noting that what affects the people also affects her. She said her visit was not to campaign but to sympathize with those devastated by the floods and expressed optimism that the little relief items made available will provide succour to the victims. Senator Tinubu further urged those affected by the flood not to be weighed down by the situation but continue to push on. Items donated included cartons of Indomie, spaghetti, macaroni, sugar, beverages, rubber cups and disposable plates. The wife of the APC Presidential candidate who was received by the wife of the Benue Governor, Dr. Eunice Ortom was accompanied on the visit by the wife of the APC vice presidential candidate, Mrs Nana Shettima, Mrs Regina Akume, the disputed APC Governorship candidate, Hyacinth Alia and his running mate, Sam Ode among others. Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, says Nigeria will not succumb to threats by foreign airlines to shut down operations in Nigeria. ... Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, says Nigeria will not succumb to threats by foreign airlines to shut down operations in Nigeria. Sirika said this on Monday at a stakeholder meeting held in Abuja, to address issues concerning foreign airlines trapped funds in Nigeria. The meeting was attended by representatives of the airlines, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON), travel agencies, Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, and other aviation industry stakeholders. British Airways had threatened to suspend their operations in Nigeria over its inability to repatriate earnings in foreign exchange. Also, Emirates suspended its flight operations in Nigeria over the issue, but later resumed after the Central Bank released some funds to airlines. But last week, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) placed a ban on visa applications from Nigeria. Speaking at the meeting, Sirika said he expected the foreign airlines to empathise with Nigeria in this difficult situation, given the amount of money they make in the country and should not threaten to shut down operations. Advertisement If you disagree, we expect that you come to us and we negotiate and we give you what we have in the hope that we finish paying; what I have problem with is threats, he said. Every country; every airline will threaten Nigeria. We will not fly to Nigeria again, we are not giving Nigerians visa, we wont do our operations, we will shut down Abuja and Lagos. Please countries have been shut completely and they did well, there are examples in Asia, the Middle East and even Europe; we are not afraid of being shut. It will help us to do better; our school and hospitals will do better; we will begin to go to our own hospitals and to our own schools. Advertisement If you shut down Nigeria, it does not make any sense and we are not threatened. ENFORCEMENT OF BASA AGREEMENT On his part, Gbajabiamila, said Nigeria would enforce its bilateral aviation safety agreement (BASA). He said there was the need for all stakeholders to shift ground in the interim, but insisted that, in the long run, the solution is to implement BASA agreements. Gbajabiamila said government would make efforts to, at least, pay half of the trapped funds by the end of 2022. This, he said, would allow Emirates Airline of the UAE to return to status quo and the alleged UAE visa ban on Nigerians to be lifted. Even if we clear the backlog, we will still run into these issues for as long as the BASA agreement of reciprocity is not respected because we will continue to accumulate, he said. If BASA is respected, Nigerian airlines will reduce the deficit going to the foreign airline, so there is no running away from that and we will enforce that. Gbajabiamila said national interest should always be on the front burner. He added that if the visa ban was connected, in any way, with the trapped funds; that would be the most nauseating thing he would ever hear. The lawmaker said it was important to resolve the issues as failure to do so would be tantamount to cutting your nose to spite your face. We will in the long run, sit with the government of UAE and let it know that Nigeria is not a country that you can toy with, he said. I know that there are ways where Nigeria has upper hand on them; the doctrine of reciprocity is not confined to the issue at hand. It can be defined in a broad term and that is what I want the government of UAE and indeed any other country to realise. National pride and sovereignty are two important things. What they wouldnt take, they should not dish out. 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 Thank you for using NNY360! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Periods of rain. High near 50F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight A steady rain this evening tapering to showers and becoming mixed with snow overnight. Low 34F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 90%. The French Quarter is old. If you dig, youre probably going to find something. But not even that self-evident truth could prepare the residents of New Orleans for what was unearthed in February 1840. By then, the old jail, or calaboose built, rebuilt and then rebuilt again over the citys first 122 years next to present-day St. Louis Cathedral had proven too small for the growing city, and so work began on a new prison. It would be a big one this time, located near Congo Square. Designed by Joseph Pilie and A. Voilquin, and crowned by twin cupolas, the 1836 structure stood three stories and spanned an entire block which meant it could hold considerably more prisoners than the old calaboose. Once the new prison opened, the city sent in a work crew to begin tearing down the old calaboose. Thats when they made a startling discovery. Enter Pere Antoine From an architectural standpoint, a good prison is designed with one chief goal: to keep in people who want desperately to get out. By that measure, the old calaboose was a good prison. Consequently, tearing it down was a bear. The mortar of the Spaniards, made from the lime of lake shells, was as tenacious as the most durable cement, and would not yield. It was found easier to cut through the solid bricks than to try to separate them, and, therefore the work of tearing the old donjon down occupied some time, read a description of the process published in 1840s Historical Sketchbook and Guide to New Orleans. Once it was finally demolished, the lots on which much of the old jail sat were sold and prepared for redevelopment. In the process, though, crews unearned something disturbing: long-forgotten subterranean vaults, located 8 feet down. In one of the vaults we learn there was found a gold crucifix weighting 27 lbs., (and) also a quantity of human bones, read a report in The Daily Picayune. At the bottom of this vault a door was discovered, apparently leading to vaults still deeper. The discovery led to speculation that the vaults may have been used as a torture chamber by Pere Antoine, the populist but exceedingly pious former rector of St. Louis Cathedral, who had died 11 years earlier. Unpleasant intent To be clear, there was no evidence linking Pere Antoine to the vaults, but the idea was plausible for one simple fact: In spring 1789, Pere Antoine informed then-Gov. Esteban Rodriguez Miro that he had been appointed by the Spanish crown to serve as Commissary of the Inquisition. Whats more, he told the stunned Miro in a lengthy letter, he was under orders to establish a tribunal in New Orleans that would export the Spanish Inquisition the same violent and intolerant effort to convert all of Spain to Catholicism to the New World. When I read the communication of that Capuchin, I shuddered, Miro wrote in June 1789. Concerned such a campaign would chill immigration to Louisiana, Miro dispatched soldiers that night to Pere Antoines cabin. There, they arrested him and loaded him onto a ship that sailed the next morning for Cadiz, Spain. The beloved priest had been expelled from Louisiana. He would return a couple of years later, after Miro left office. He was more mellow this time, his Inquisitional intentions apparently abandoned. He continued to minister to the people of the city, however, and they continued to love him. To recap: Pere Antoine was a complicated guy. But any suggestion that he was torturing heretics in dungeons beneath the calaboose was nothing but speculation. Even that 28-pound crucifix turned out to be a fire dog, or andiron, intended to hold burning logs in a fireplace so air could circulate beneath them. But why were the vaults there? There are a thousand and one conjectures, the Picayune wrote. Thered be at least one attempt to dig for answers. Digging in The Inquisition suspicions would linger for years in New Orleans. Meanwhile, most of the land behind the Cabildo on which the old calaboose sat was redeveloped, with three new structures going up on it. One is the old Arsenal, a three-story Greek Revival structure designed by architect James Dakin and built on the site in 1839 to house artillery and other military stores. Next to it, at the corner of St. Peter Street and Cabildo Alley which runs from St. Peter to Pirate Alley is an 1842 brick structure standing three stories and known as the Jackson House. The name appears to be merely honorific; there is no known connection between it and Andrew Jackson. Finally, at the corner of Cabildo Alley and Pirate Alley is another three-story former residence built in 1842. It was long known as The Calaboose, given the previous use of the site, but in 1937, it was rededicated as Maison Creole, or Creole House, in honor of a group of visiting French and Canadian dignitaries. All three buildings, along with the Cabildo, are owned and maintained by the Louisiana State Museum as part of the Cabildo complex. But in 1989, the sites penal past resurfaced once more when the state hired a team to excavate portions of the courtyard between the Cabildo and the Arsenal to see what they could learn about the old calaboose. Among the things unearthed were a bunch of marbles, a couple of old coins, pipe stems, jewelry fragments and the like. They also found a lot of bones but not human bones. Rather, they were cow bones, pig bones and lots and lots of rat bones. What the 1989 dig didnt find were any more ersatz crucifixes or alleged torture devices. Of course, theres always time for another dig. Sources: The Times-Picayune archives; Historical Sketch Book and Guide to New Orleans, by New Orleans Press; New Orleans Prisons, A Geographic Exploration, by Richard Campanella; The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld, by Frank Asbury; Origin and Early History of the Louisiana Penitentiary, by Leon Stout. Know of a New Orleans building worth profiling in this column, or just curious about one? Contact Mike Scott at moviegoermike@gmail.com. In this wonderful world, there are famous people, there are superfamous people and then there is Louis Armstrong, who is in so many ways in a class by himself. His voice is instantly recognizable. His smile is known the world over. His peerless musical talent nothing short of genius, by any measure truly changed American culture. And therein lies the challenge of making a documentary about the most favored of New Orleans favorite sons: What can anybody tell us about Pops that we dont already know? Turns out, filmmaker and journalist Sacha Jenkins has found a way: by letting Armstrong do the talking. Consequently, Jenkins latest work, Louis Armstrongs Black & Blues doesnt play like your standard biography. Its more intimate than that, more personal and far more revealing than most works about the jazz giant. Stripping away the myth Here, Jenkins does nothing less than strip away the myth to expose the true measure of the often-conflicted man behind it. Jenkins film is buoyed by a wealth of archival materials: photographs, film footage, old interviews, Armstrongs own collection of ephemera. The linchpin to the whole project, though the element that sets it apart are the snippets from hundreds of hours of audio diaries Armstrong kept starting in the late 1940s and continuing through to his death in 1971. Containing everything from his innermost thoughts to conversations with friends, Armstrong captured them on a reel-to-reel recorder he toted along with him in a steamer trunk. At times, they are humorous, showcasing his razor wit. But at other times, they are deeply insightful, giving voice to thoughts about such things as race that he for the sake of his career dared not broadcast widely. LOUIS ARMSTRONGS BLACK & BLUES 3.5 stars, out of 4 FEATURING: Louis Armstrong, Nas, Wynton Marsalis. Director: Sacha Jenkins. RATED: R, for language. RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 44 minutes. WHEN AND WHERE: begins streaming Oct. 28 on Apple TV+, with a New Orleans theatrical premiere set for Nov. 4 at the Prytania Theater Uptown as part of the 33rd New Orleans Film Festival. Thats not to say the prodigious charm that made him a star is absent. Its still there. It was simply a part of who he was. But in exposing this more personal side of him, Louis Armstrongs Black & Blues breaks through the public persona he so carefully curated over the years. Candid and unguarded Here, he is candid. He is unguarded. He is vulnerable. He is a flesh-and-blood human being. It all starts strongly: Following a brief introductory montage featuring the likes of Orson Welles, Wynton Marsalis and Count Basie, Jenkins film gives itself over to a soul-stirring performance by Armstrong of the powerfully melancholy Black & Blues. Its the song for which Jenkins film got its title, and when Armstrong growls its vocal hook What did I do / to be so Black and blue? it becomes the perfect entree to whats to come over the next 1 hour and 46 minutes. As the film moves through its first act, those familiar with the broad strokes of Armstrongs life and career might find it a little slow to gain traction, as Jenkins is obligated to rehash much of what we hometown fans already know. But even then, the towering charisma of Armstrong whether he is performing, being interviewed or just musing keeps things lively. By the time it hits its stride, it becomes a fascinating portrait. In its best moments, it brings Armstrong vividly back to life. And if thats all it did, that would be plenty. But to watch Louis Armstrongs Black & Blues feels at times like youre hanging with Pops himself, which is an enormous gift. Opening eyes and ears Early in the film, Marsalis who is essentially Americas jazz professor at this point talks about how he, as a younger man, dismissed Armstrong as cornball, old-timey, Uncle Tom-like. A cringe-inducing clip from 1932s Rhapsody in Blue that shows Armstrong in leopard-print jungle attire illustrates the point effectively. But, Marsalis continues, one day his musician father sent him a tape of Armstrongs playing and challenged him to learn some of Pops solos. He tried. And he couldnt do it. Just like that, the sheer musical virtuosity broke through and Marsalis eyes and ears were opened. For the first time, he saw the real Armstrong. Now, thanks to Louis Armstrongs Black & Blues, others can, too. Mike Scott can be reached at moviegoermike@gmail.com. The state and several parishes have signed off on a long-delayed $100 million settlement with one of several oil and gas companies accused in court of damaging Louisianas coast. Mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Inc. and its subsidiaries agreed to the settlement in 2019, but payment of the funds was stalled by some of the parishes that stood to gain from it. Big Oil has spent millions of dollars in lobbying costs to try to prevent the settlement from being finalized, said John Carmouche, an attorney representing six coastal parishes that sued oil and gas companies. After two years of fighting, the parishes have finally finalized the settlement to restore the coast of Louisiana. The settlement required 12 coastal parishes with environmental damage caused by oil and gas companies to approve the deal, but four of them Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin and Iberia refused, saying they preferred to work with companies on voluntary projects to restore wetlands lost to the Gulf of Mexico over the past century. The deadlock was broken when the state Department of Natural Resources signed the deal on behalf of the holdout parishes, a move that ran counter to the parish governments wishes but will likely boost their restoration efforts. A spokesperson for Freeport confirmed the agreement had been signed by all parties but declined further comment. The deal comes a week after a federal appeals court sent a similar lawsuit, also led by Carmouche, back to state court for trial, potentially clearing the way for more than 40 similar suits that allege billions of dollars in coastal wetland damages by oil and gas companies to also move forward. The 2019 settlement with Freeport was considered a breakthrough in the yearslong push to force oil and gas companies to repair decades of damage. Now an Arizona-based mining company with oil and gas wells in south Louisiana, Freeport was headquartered in New Orleans until a merger led to its 2007 relocation. Canal dredging, drilling, oil spills and waste disposal by oil and gas companies are considered some of the main contributors to Louisianas land loss crisis. Over the past century, the state has lost more than 2,000 square miles of land, an area about the size of Delaware. Some local leaders were hesitant to target an industry that had long provided good-paying jobs. In refusing to sign the deal, Lafourche President Archie Chaisson III blamed the disappearing coast not on the oil and gas industry but on Mississippi River levees, which prevent sediment from rebuilding land along the coast. In 2020, Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove praised the industrys contributions to his parishs economy while blasting the settlement, which he called a money grab by trial lawyers. Both parish leaders could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. Acting against Doves wishes, Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joseph Waitz Jr. signed off on the deal and hired an outside law firm to represent him in a possible lawsuit. Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. John the Baptist, Vermillion and Cameron parishes were represented by Carmouches firm, Baton Rouge-based Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello, on the original lawsuit against Freeport. Carmouche declined to say how the $100 million will be distributed among the 12 parishes. A framework for how to spend the money will need to be determined by the state Legislature, he said. Freeport will make an initial payment of $15 million and additional payments of $4.25 million each in 2023 and 2024. The remaining $76.5 million would be tied to reimbursements from the sale of environmental credits. The deal gives Freeport preferred status from the sale of environmental credits related to projects funded with its settlement. Also called carbon credits, these financial instruments are generated by projects that cut greenhouse-gas emissions, such as tree plantings or marsh restorations. Credits can be used to offset an owners other pollution-causing endeavors or the credits can be sold to other companies. The full disbursement of the money will likely take 22 years, Carmouche said. He hopes other oil companies will follow Freeports lead and settle the more than 40 other coastal damage suits hes representing against Chevron USA, Exxon Mobil Corp., ConocoPhillips Co., BP America, and Shell. For five years, we have fought to return these coastal cases to Louisiana state court so Louisiana citizens can decide what each company needs to do to restore our coast to its natural state, Carmouche said. Freeport has chosen to act responsibly (while) Big Oil has chosen to spend millions on lobbyists. Staff writer Tyler Bridges contributed to this report. Ruling could result in trials against oil majors over Louisiana wetlands damage Action could clear way for as many as 42 trials for wetland damages that could total billions of dollars. +5 Louisiana coastal worker fined after rupturing oil pipeline at BP spill restoration site A heavy equipment operator from Harvey was sentenced by a federal judge to two years probation and fined $2,500 for rupturing an oil pipeline Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry walks from the building to address media members outside the 19th Judicial District Courthouse in Baton Rouge, as abortion rights protesters hold signs and shout, after a hearing there on Monday, July 18, 2022. District Judge Don Johnson heard arguments regarding the state's 'trigger law' Monday to determine whether the clinics could continue to stay open temporarily or be shut down again, deciding in favor of extending the temporary restraining order one day, and requesting more information be presented to him before another hearing Tuesday morning. Court watchers agree the law will ultimately be either upheld or struck down by the state Supreme Court. East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome holds up a Stormwater Utility Fee "Frequently Asked Questions" pamphlet during an announcement of the parish-wide stormwater utility fee that the city-parish administration proposed in October. Rick Speer, left, is director of the city-parish Department of Environmental Services, and Fred Raiford, center, is city-parish Director of Transportation and Drainage. These are some of Liberia's Political Carpetbaggers: L-R: Sen. Browne, Rep. Jurry, Sen. Taylor, Rep. Sonii & Rep Gwagolo There have been interesting recent weeks in Liberia. For those of us that have been watching Liberian politics since the 90s, it feels very much like Deja vu. It is often said that the route in politics is littered with broken relationships and strange bedfellows. This is playing itself out in Liberia currently. With the 2023 election drawing closer, defections from one political party to the other have hit the political class. Liberian politicians are moving camps, divorcing and marrying new political suitors, and erecting new shades to ply their political trade. Avalanche of individual politicians have recently decamped from one party to the other. The most astounding, was the mass defection of members of the national legislature from the former ruling Unity Party (UP), Alternative National Congress (ANC), and Liberty Party (LP) to the ruling Congress of Democratic Change (CDC), a constituent party of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) during the party 17th anniversary. Grand Cape Mount County Senator, Simeon Taylor, in a rather surprising move, dumped the ANC of presidential hopeful Alexander Cummings and pitched his tent with the ruling CDC. Maryland County District #1 representative UP member P. Mike Jurry and Grand Cape Mount County District #2, Representative Mambu Sonii of the LP also formally broke ranks with their respective parties. Representative Johnson Gwagolo of Nimbas District #9 and Sen. Gbleh-bo Brown (Independent) of Maryland County were among those lawmakers who joined the ruling CDC. The Chairman of the Liberian Peoples Party (at the time) Cllr. Joseph Kpator Jallah became a proxy candidate of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change in the senatorial by-election in Lofa County and won; he also pitched his tent with the ruling CDC. Also, the ANC's former vice Standard Bearer Ambassador Jeremiah C. Sulonteh officially joined the CDC. The ruling Coalition of Democratic Change has also experienced its losses through defections. Dr. Toga G. McIntosh, a founding member of Charles Taylors National Patriotic Party (NPP) announced his support and pledged his allegiance to the Presidential bid of Mr. Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) who is now the standard bearer of the Collaborating Political Party (CPP). Previously, Dr. McIntosh broke ranks with the NPP and joined the Unity Party of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf where he served as Minister for Planning and Economic Affairs and Vice President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Dr. McIntosh was once the presidential hopeful of the Unity Party for the 2017 presidential election. Dr. Togar Gayewea McIntosh later joined the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP). LPDP joined the Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC). After the coalition won the 2017 presidential election, Dr. McIntosh served as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the CDC. The Senator of Maryland County, Senator H. Dan Morais from the National Patriotic Party joined a 44-member Team, dubbed Team Cummings 2023. Also, George W. Wisner who served as the Unity Party Campaign Coordinator for the 2011 elections and Former Executive Director of the National Investment Commission during Sirleafs administration joined Team Cummings 2023 as well as Former Bassa County Superintendent Madam Julia Duncan-Cassell. There was also the defection of Ambassador Lewis Brown, a founding member of the National Patriotic Party and the ruling coalition. Ambassador Brown pledged his support to the presidential bid of opposition leader Alexander Cummings. During Charles Taylors dictatorial rule, Brown was the National Security Adviser and Adviser on Political and Domestic Affairs, between 1999 and 2001. He also served as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in 2002. In 2003, he was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Taylors government's Chief Negotiator at the Accra Peace Talks. In 2011, Ambassador Lewis Brown assisted in forming the National Democratic Coalition (NDC) with Professor Dew Mason as its Standard Bearer. Brown served as Liberias Minister for Information between 2012 and 2016 and later was Liberias Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations during the regime of Madam Sirleaf. Such defections indeed would shake the foundation of any political party. However, it is not the first-time defections are heating the Liberia polity. With 2023 fast approaching, it is normal for politicians to re-position themselves in a way that things will favor them. It happened in 2011 with mass defections from the then-opposition party CDC and Liberty Party to the then-ruling Unity Party. Now, the shift has reversed. The opposition is divided. Several heavyweights from the opposition had pulled out of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP). The CPP was instrumental in the 2020 senatorial election Today, mass defections have arguably destroyed the CPP. So Why Do Liberian Politicians Bounce Between Political Parties? Many have questioned the rationale and legality of the action, especially as it happens whenever general elections are coming closer. While many Liberians have lambasted politicians for defecting from one party to another, others say there is nothing wrong with the action, provided it is within the ambit of the law. Many reasons have been proffered for these defections. Political parties in Liberia tend to lack ideologies and explicit messages that separate them from each other. Because of the countrys tribal, religious, and geographic divide, political parties are driven by personalities as opposed to ideologies. For example, in the United States, political parties are defined by their platforms, or manifestoes as they are called in Liberia. So, if a Democrat candidate comes knocking at your door, you have a sense of where he or she stands on the current critical issues. When a politician defects, as they say in Liberia, he or she usually moves with hundreds or thousands of individuals, including officials of the party that he or she is leaving. While political parties are vessels to government and power all over the world, they are the main way to get into government in Liberia. In politics, as it is often said, there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. The line that separates one Liberian politician from the other is so thin that some Liberian politicians have practically traversed all political parties in a bid to satisfy their burning interests. By moving from one political party to the other, they make new friends with whom they share the same personal interests at the moment and not the country's interests. For example, in 2017, 19 Liberian Senators pledged their support for Joseph Boakai's 2017 Presidential Bid including Senator Albert Chie who somersaulted to Weahs CDC after Weah won the presidency. Senator Albert Chie is now a member of the CDC and the Pro Tempore of the Liberian senate. Defections, decamping and cross-carpeting have become the order of the day in Liberian politics. Irrespective of the word they use to describe their reasons, one thing remains the same, political prostitution is a politicians second nature. Liberian politicians especially have perfected the art of hopping from one party to the other that Liberian politics has become a glorified game of jump rope. At this rate, every political party in Liberia might as well merge into one big association of fork-tongued traitors with no umbrella to hide under. They will, at last, be forced to deal with the chaos that they have created, with no opposition to blame or run to for refuge. Then they can fix their mistakes or give up power altogether. In Liberia, politicians are perceived to always be after their selfish interests. They dont have the interest of the common man at heart. This has been given as a reason for the gale of defections. Nobody decamped for the unpaid pensioner or for the teachers, health workers, soldiers, police, etc. who work for months without pay, and the litigant that cannot afford the cost of Justice. Nobody decamped for the children who beg to clean our windshieldsSee? Nobody decamped for them. Our politicians are fighting for their pockets and only God will deliver us from their hands. They want to satisfy themselves. It is not in the interest of Liberians. From what we are seeing, it is obvious that politicians are in business. They are shameless people. They are not fighting for us, no plan for Liberia, and that is why they are fighting their way to the top. The defections are for selfish reasons, but if you ask them, they will say it is for the benefit of the masses. They are just playing games. They are migrating like rats running from one room to another and keep saying they are working for us. If you need to trust anyone, trust yourself first. Liberian politicians defect for the sake of proximity to power. The current defections and counter-defections of our politicians from one political party to another sadly confirm that our politicians are deeply corrupt and without ideology as previously stated. Most of them are in politics to sustain themselves with stolen money, but not to serve the electorates. How can we grow and develop as a nation? Unfortunately, the youths whose future is being wantonly destroyed are in jubilation over this. God help Liberia. We are very clear in our minds and share the collective conviction that our present woes are a result of the collective failure of leadership by those who have been in the leadership of our country for decades and the establishment that has institutionalized support in their self-interest. Dogs eat their own vomit, but the main problem with defection is that the defector takes along with him the office he occupies by belonging to his former party. In another clime, the appropriate thing would be for decampees to resign from the offices they occupy before joining another political party. Hence, when a major political officeholder decamps from his party to the other, it becomes a huge issue that ends up affecting the entire polity. The consequences could sometimes threaten democracy. What we are seeing today is not done in the interest of democracy. Liberia is a dynamic country with a growing population in West Africa. The citizens deserve parties that are not only generating answers to the countrys complex problems but are also engaging its citizens about the best way forward. When the citizens go to vote on October 10, 2023, we are hoping they will vote for the candidate and party that has put forth the best vision for the future of this country, not the recycled political goons. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF has announced the establishment of the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company in partnership with Saudi Tadawul Group. In the new entity, PIF will be holding 80% majority stake, while Saudi Tadawul Group will have the rest of the 20% stake. Announcing the new venture, PIF said the company will offer guidance and resourcing to support businesses and industry in the region as they play their part in the global transition to net zero, ensuring that carbon credit purchases go above and beyond meaningful emission reductions in value chains. This comes following last year's announcement by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PIF, for the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) initiative. He had then highlighted Saudi Arabias leading role in contributing to the reduction of the impact of climate change and encouraging institutions to reduce their carbon emissions as part of several initiatives that were launched in that regard. Headquartered in Riyadh, the companys announcement will help facilitate the efforts of the worlds largest-ever carbon credit auction being held today (October 25) at the 6th edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh. The auction will involve a total of one million tonnes of carbon credits and will offer high-quality credits including Corsia compliant, Verra registered certificates. Yazeed A. Al-Humied, Deputy Governor and Head of Mena Investments at PIF, said: "We are delighted to announce the establishment of the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company, which coincides with the auctions announcement a major milestone for the Middle East and North Africa region." "We are passionate about the potential for voluntary carbon markets to deliver additional carbon reduction benefits throughout the region, thereby ensuring the Mena region is at the forefront of climate action and that Saudi Arabia is a leading force in solving the climate challenge," he stated. According to him, the new firm will play an important role in PIFs wider efforts to drive the investment and innovation required to address the impact of climate change and support Saudi Arabias efforts to achieve net zero by 2060. Engineer Khalid A Al Hussan, CEO of Saudi Tadawul Group, said it had an important role to play in championing Saudi Arabias efforts towards a sustainable future. "We continuously work towards encouraging the adoption of ESG disclosures in the Saudi capital market, to advocate for a better, more transparent future. We are delighted to be an integral part, strategically and operationally, in the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company," stated Al Hussan. "We believe it will be instrumental in supporting Vision 2030 and in further realizing the Groups vision of being a gateway to the Mena region for global investors," he added. Riham ElGizy, Director of VCM Initiative, said the inaugural auction represents the first step towards becoming a leading presence in the global voluntary carbon market ecosystem. "With an expected one million tonnes of carbon credits available to trade, we predict that our auction will be the largest carbon credit auction to date," he noted. The companys establishment is a continuation of PIF initiatives to support Saudi Arabias green agenda and follows previous announcements by the Fund, including the completion of its $3 billion inaugural green bond, and the various renewable projects PIF is spearheading as part of its commitment to develop 70% of Saudi Arabias renewable energy capacity, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.-TradeArabia News Service Bahrains Oil and Gas Holding Company (nogaholding) has appointed the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the worlds leading management consulting firms, to assist in the development of a National Energy Strategy for the kingdom and build a supporting Operating Strategy for nogaholding and its portfolio companies. This announcement comes as nogaholding undergoes a strategic transformation in line with the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the sector, said a statement. The National Energy Strategy and the Operating Strategy will facilitate and drive the transition of the nogaholding Group of companies from a traditional oil and gas only focus into a more progressive and responsible group of energy companies, it said. The strategy will also pave the way and prepare the oil and gas sector for the journey towards delivering a more sustainable, long-term approach aligned with the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 and the kingdoms net-zero goals outlined by HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister at COP26. To develop the National Energy Strategy, a steering committee will be appointed and it will include senior officials from various ministries and other key stakeholders. Group Chief Executive Officer of nogaholding, Mark Thomas, commented: nogaholding is committed to transitioning its operations and aligning them with the aspirations of the Government of Bahrain and His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Majestys Representative for Humanitarian Works and Youth Affairs and Chairman of nogaholding. By working closely with BCG, we aim to deliver energy security, maximize the value of Bahrains natural resources, while also decarbonizing and moving to alternative energy sources over the next decade. BCG, established in 1963, has and continues to work closely with both the public and private sectors globally to develop strategies that help accelerate business transformations and deliver tangible benefits supporting the set business, social, economic and climate targets. -TradeArabia News Service Oman Air Holidays has introduced two new packages that showcase the best of Omans nature, culture, and hospitality, launched just in time for the popular winter season. The bespoke packages offer visitors the choice of an all-inclusive, eight-day tour around the countrys must-see attractions, or, for those just stopping through, a relaxing one-day mini-break in the charming capital city of Muscat. From rolling desert to lush mountains, pristine beaches to historic villages, Oman is the perfect destination for those who like to go off the beaten track. With untouched natural landscapes, a rich and captivating heritage, and renowned warm hospitality, Oman is a true bucket-list destination. Our Best of Oman and Muscat Mini-Break packages are designed to ensure visitors dont miss a thing, while providing them with plenty of choice, flexibility, and value, said Mundher Al Shaikhani, Senior Manager of Oman Air Holidays. Both packages offer great rates and a variety of customisable add-ons based on individual travel requirements. Plus, with our parent company Oman Air connecting travellers to Oman via its international network, our guests can count on an exceptional experience for their entire journey. Catering to long and short-stay visitors, Oman Air Holidays new packages provide them with appealing options that meet their distinct travel needs. The Best of Oman eight-day tour will take guests on a mesmerising journey to some of the countrys most charming cities and glorious natural landscapes, including the traditionally rooted capital, Muscat; Al Jabal Al Akhdar, or green mountain; the historic city of Nizwa; the magical desert dunes of Al Sharqiya Sands; the quaint port of Khasab, the subtropical city of Salalah, and much more. Meanwhile, for stopover visitors looking for an unforgettable 24-hour getaway, the Muscat Mini-break offers the chance to explore the capital, complete with breathtaking mountains, immaculate beaches, and historical landmarks, all for just $99 per night. Offering a wide selection of tailored packages, excels in creating amazing and unique travel experiences to some of the worlds most exciting destinations. With the introduction of its new Oman-focused packages, Oman Air Holidays is welcoming more and more international tourists to discover the beauty of Oman, complemented with the award-winning service and hospitality of Oman Air. TradeArabia News Service Google has introduced Android 13 (Go Edition), a new version of its latest OS intended for budget smartphones. Adapted for its 'Material You' design language, Android 13 (Go Edition) contains several changes and improved customisation options, mirroring the regular Android 13. 4 Reviews Google has unveiled a new version of Android (Go Edition), a version of its smartphone OS designed for cheap handsets like the Redmi A1 Plus. Now based on Android 13, Go Edition does with some features that Google includes within stock Android. As such, Android 13 (Go Edition) uses less RAM than its full-fat counterpart, needs less internal storage to run and has lower processor requirements too. In a blog post, Google explains that this year's major update includes greater customisation options and introduces 'Material You' to Android (Go Edition). Hence, budget smartphones will soon offer various colour schemes matching your home screen wallpaper. Additionally, Android 13 (Go Edition) allows you to set languages on a per-app basis, a feature that all stock versions of Android 12 lacked. The Boy Scouts of America will honor Fred, Donna, Joshua and Ashley Halpern, owners of Alberts Diamond Jewelers, at the 30th annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner on Nov. 9. The celebration will begin at 6 p.m. at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road in Munster. Jeff Strack, president/CEO of Strack & Van Til, is the event chairman. The Pathway to Adventure Council of the Boy Scouts of America will honor the Halpern family for their charitable ventures, including the annual auction for multiple sclerosis, which has raised more than $2.6 million. The family also supports Foodbank of Indiana, NWI Parkinsons, the Boys & Girls Club, South Shore Arts, the Humane Society and Tradewinds. For more than 30 years, Alberts Diamond Jewelers has given its Most Improved Student Award to area students and the Hometown Heroes Award to local first responders. Established by the Boy Scouts of America, the Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner celebrates outstanding individuals in the community for their impact on the lives of others in Northwest Indiana. Community members are invited to join the Pathway to Adventure Council in honoring the 2022 Distinguished Citizen Award recipients. For more information, contact Development Director Abby Krause, 312-786-4657 or Abigail.Krause@scouting.org. To register online and review sponsorship opportunities for the Nov. 9 dinner, visit tinyurl.com/BSADCD. Proceeds will be used for Scouting programs in Northwest Indiana. Barcelo Mussanah Resort has entered into two long-term agreements with Nowa Itaka and Cedok that will introduce additional flights from Poland and the Czech Republic to Muscat for the first time, commencing this month. The first flight coming from Prague, the Czech Republic landed in Muscat International Airport 24tht October and this week flights from Warsaw, Poland will follow. The visiting guests will stay at Barcelo Mussanah Resort, South Al Batinah for seven and 14 nights stay. The visitors will have a specially formulated itinerary that will give them a taste of Oman's culture and heritage, as well as its famed hospitality. These agreements with Nowa Itaka and Cedok are a significant milestone for our stakeholders and a valuable contribution to the tourism sector in the region. We look forward to providing an authentic Omani experience to our guests throughout their stay at the resort, said Dermot Birchall, General Manager, Barcelo Mussanah Resort. According to World Economic Forum, Oman is one of the safest countries to travel to and has been consistently voted as a must-visit destination by international media organisations. The number of visitors to Oman during 2022 has seen a substantial increase compared to previous years and is expected to grow even more. The new agreement includes weekly flights from Warsaw and Prague to Muscat till March 2023, welcoming 380 guests per arrival to the region. Speaking on behalf of Nowa Itaka, Piotr Wrzesniewski said: Muscat and Al Batinah are relatively unexplored destinations for Poland, we are very excited to open this new destination within our portfolio. TradeArabia News Service 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. The Indiana Manufacturers Association recently inaugurated its latest Hall of Fame class, which includes two Region companies. It also conferred an award on BP, one of the biggest industrial employers in the Region. The Indianapolis-based trade association, which represents the interests of one of the largest economic sectors in the Hoosier State, inducted Konrady Plastics of Portage and Munster Steel Co. of Hammond into its Hall of Fame. Other honorees included Boyer Machine and Too Company of Columbus, Functional Devices of Sharpsville, Heritage Environmental Services of Indianapolis, My-te Products of Indianapolis, Stone City Products of Bedford and Caterpillar of Lafayette, Muncie and Franklin. The Indiana Manufacturers Association inducted them at its 2022 Manufacturers Hall of Fame Luncheon in the Bitwell Event Center in Indianapolis last week. Its meant to honor the manufacturing industry and shine a spotlight on individual companies that have made significant contributions to the industry. Cook Medical and Cook Group President Pete Yonkman headlined the event as the keynote speaker. Hes worked with the Bloomington-based medical device manufacturers for more than 20 years, leading its effort to open a new manufacturing facility at Goodwill Commercial Services in Indianapolis. Cook Medical and Goodwill Commercial Services won the Community Impact Award. Angie Holt with Rathburn Tool & Manufacturing in Auburn and Bill Kennedy at Kennedy Tank & Manufacturing in Indianapolis won the Emerging Leader Awards. Magna in Muncie and the Northeast Indiana FAME Chapter in Fort Wayne won Manufacturing Talent Champion Awards. Mike Lunsford with Dart Controls in Zionsville won a Lifetime Achievement Award. BP America in Whiting won the Innovation Excellence Award. "We are proud to honor these amazing companies and individuals who make Indiana manufacturing work, and who strive to continually grow, change and evolve," Indiana Manufacturers Association President and CEO Brian Burton said. "Our industry has seen incredible change over the past few years, and we applaud and celebrate the accomplishments of those who have been instrumental in reaching for new goals to improve and advance Indiana manufacturing." The Indiana Manufacturers Association represents more than 1,100 companies across the state and is the second oldest manufacturers association in the country, dating back to 1901. Disabled American Veterans, a century-old service group serving veterans who suffered disabilities, will host a veterans tribute dinner at Hard Rock Casino in Northern Indiana in a few weeks. The Tribute to our Veterans Who Served in the Middle East will honor veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf War. The annual event will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 12 on Veterans Day weekend. The 21+ is open to veterans and the general public. Former Prisoner of War Jessica Lynch will share her story as a keynote address sponsored by the South Shore Friends of Veterans. She was injured and captured when Iraqi forces ambushed her unit, the 507th Maintenance Company, during a convoy operation. She was held captive until U.S. Special Forces rescued her from an Iraqi hospital in 2003 in the first successful rescue of an American POW since World War II. Will Beiersdorf, the executive director of the Road Home Program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, also will talk about how his nonprofit, Salute, Inc. helps veterans. The Naval Reserve and Illinois Army National Guard veteran started the foundation that assists injured military members and their families. He also leads the Road Home Program at Rush that helps veterans afflicted by PTSD, traumatic injuries and other invisible wounds of war. Dave Matthews tribute band Trippin Billies will perform after the speakers. Tickets are $30 and include dinner. A cash bar will be available. Proceeds go to the DAV Glenn F. Renicker, Chapter #17 in Hammond, DAV Chapter 102 of Valparaiso and other service organizations in Northwest Indiana. For tickets, visit eventbrite.com. PORTAGE Police say after encountering a "staggering stench" inside a mobile home, they found the residence and a child nearly covered in feces and a 39-year-old mother asleep, heavily intoxicated and unapologetic about the living conditions. Former Portage Police Chief Troy Williams said the living conditions were some of the worst he has seen in his 26-year career as a police officer. "As I passed the kids' room, I looked inside and found there to be an overwhelming amount of feces," officer Christopher Leer wrote. "It also appeared that (the child) had been left to play with the feces as it was smeared on the walls and on her things." He said dried feces had to be cleaned from the child's arms, legs and between her toes. Jamie Pressley was taken into custody and faces two felony counts of neglect of a dependent and two misdemeanor counts of neglect of an animal for the two undernourished and dirty dogs in the residence. "It should also be noted that at no time while I was in the presence of Ms. Pressley did she express any concern/care for her child, dogs or reason for the state of their home," Williams said. Police said they were called out shortly after 10 p.m. Monday to a mobile home in the 300 block of Beige Avenue to check on Pressley, who had not been to work since Thursday. Leer said he was met with a "staggering stench that overpowered my senses" when entering the mobile home and found an abundance of trash and clutter throughout the interior, and heaps of animal and suspected human feces. "I had a hard time finding a path clear of trash or feces to the back of the trailer to Jamie's room," he wrote. He said he also found empty or partially consumed liquor bottles on the floor and within reach of the child, with Pressley asleep in a room with a pool of urine in the center. Pressley appeared irritated that police were at the residence and only seemed to care about who "called the cops," Leer said. A portable breath test found Pressley nearly three times the legal limit for drinking and driving. Police said they also found two guns in the residence; one on top of the refrigerator was loaded with a round in the chamber. A case worker with the Indiana Department of Child Services was contacted about the child, police said, and the dogs were turned over to animal control. GARY A 43-year-old man faces potential charges for attempted murder after state police determined that he shot the occupant of a vehicle Sunday. Andres Perez of East Chicago was out on bond for an attempted murder allegedly committed in July, Indiana State Police said. After Sunday's incident, Perez was taken into custody and lodged in the Lake County Jail without bond. He faces felony charges of attempted murder, stalking while armed with a deadly weapon, battery by means of a deadly weapon and three counts of criminal recklessness with a firearm. Indiana State Police said a trooper was dispatched around 3:40 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report of a vehicle occupant who was shot while driving. The caller was eastbound on Interstate 80 near Burr Street when the driver of a GMC Yukon fired shots at the caller's Acura MDX. The driver of the Acura drove until the GMC was out of sight and stopped on an exit ramp on Interstate 94 to call police. The victim was transported to Franciscan Hospital in Chesterton for treatment. A bullet hole was found in the passenger door, according to state police. Investigators determined that Perez was the perpetrator, then obtained a warrant for his arrest and search warrants for his residence and vehicle. Both were served Tuesday morning. PORTAGE A 25-year-old East Chicago man was nabbed with 30 grams of cocaine over the weekend when the vehicle he was in was spotted going 30 mph in a 70-mph zone along a local stretch of Interstate 94, Porter County police said. A county police officer said he stopped the eastbound vehicle at 11:34 p.m. Sunday after nearly striking it in the middle lane of the highway. The driver reportedly told police that he and passenger, Joseph Buncich, were headed to a friend's house in St. John from their house in East Chicago. The driver admitted to using cocaine earlier in the day but said he was no longer intoxicated, police said. He repeatedly said cocaine found in the vehicle was not his and he didn't know it was in the vehicle. When police had Buncich leave the vehicle, they spotted a plastic bag with white residue, the arrest report says. They then found Buncich carrying a digital scale, $850 in cash, brass knuckles and another plastic bag with residue. Police said they searched the vehicle and found plastic bags near the passenger seat containing 30 grams of what tested positive for cocaine. The driver was warned about his slow driving and released from the scene; Buncich was taken to the Porter County Jail on a felony count of possessing cocaine, police said. HAMMOND Police are seeking the public's help in identifying a man in the wake of a robbery Monday afternoon at the Centier Bank at 5433 Hohman Ave. Police received word of the robbery around 2:35 p.m. after a panic alarm was sounded at the bank, Hammond police Lt. Steven Kellogg said. "Officers arrived and learned that a male gave the teller a note demanding money, and implied he had a weapon," according to Kellogg. "The teller complied and the male fled with an unknown amount of money," he said. The man is described as white, wearing dark clothing and a surgical mask covering part of his face. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Sgt. Marc Ferry at 219-853-6490. CROWN POINT Crown Point resident Hunter Valles returned home after an explosion at a Region steel mill set him aflame, scarred him with severe burns and led doctors to give him a 1% chance of survival. But Valles faces a long road ahead as he looks to recuperate from the many injuries he suffered after a March 3 explosion at the slag pits at Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor Works mill in East Chicago forever changed his life. "It's hard to see some of the things we had to see," his father, Jeffrey Valles, said. "It was hard to see him go through it. They tried their best to paint the picture, for you to have an understanding of how graphic it's going to be, how gruesome it's going to be. But until you see it firsthand you can never understand it. It's pretty rough." He's struggling with pain and looking at a decade or more of additional surgeries. "You're just glad to be alive," Hunter Valles said. "If it wasn't for the people who took care of me, the support I had from my family and friends, it wouldn't be the same. It's difficult to really understand how easy it is to get lost in your own head. "You have people there who help you snap out of it. It helps a lot. It helps to bring your morale up to keep fighting and keep going because you know you have people out there who love you." The pain has at times been excruciating. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone," he said. Valles, a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, worked for the contractor Phoenix Services. He was operating a loader at the steel mill in East Chicago when water got into the slag pits, igniting a massive explosion. He escaped from the cab and ran to the top of the hill while on fire, but suffered third-degree burns over 80% of his body. "My hats off to the doctors and nurses that treat that every day," Jeffrey Valles said. "How they sleep at night is amazing. It's pretty horrific." Doctors at the University of Chicago performed at least 46 surgeries, largely skin grafts. They saved his life, Jeffrey Valles said. "The care that he received at the University of Chicago was second to none," he said. "I have never seen a team of doctors and nurses who work like that place did. It was absolutely amazing, from the people who do the blood draws to the people who do the X-rays to the nurses. "At one point in time he started having problems with his vitals," he said. "It was within seconds that room was full with nurses and doctors to save him. I don't believe if he had been anywhere else other than the University of Chicago he would have made it just because of the care he received." Valles had to overcome long odds to survive. "When you get the doctors talking about palliative care and what to do, that's a huge hurdle, coming from the best doctors in the world," Jeffrey Valles said. "It's amazing. The odds that he overcame are amazing." Hunter Valles spent more than seven months in the hospital, first at the University of Chicago and then at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he learned to walk again despite not having any feeling in his feet or having lost 75% of the muscle in his lower left leg. "It's a tremendous uphill battle," Jeffrey Valles said. "He had to fight. The pain he had to go through, I couldn't imagine. Not only does the pain from the accident still sit with him, he's in pain every day. They say it will be that way for a long time and will probably never change." Hunter Valles had a high threshold for pain. "They say it's going to be a long road," Jeffrey Valles said. "He's looking at at least two years in outpatient rehab, approximately. That's going to depend on additional surgeries." It's been difficult for his parents to see him suffer. "I don't even have words for it, especially when you can't fix it," Jeffrey Valles said. "That's the hardest part. When you see your kid in pain, you want to do something. You want to do anything you can do to fix it to stop the pain from happening. And there's nothing you can do." He's had to listen to his son scream while nurses change his dressings. "Even when you know it's what's absolutely best for him, when you hear the blood-curdling scream even with all the medication he's on, that never goes away," he said. "It just doesn't go away. When somebody's that sedated and under that many pain meds, and you know it's gruesome." Some of the strongest medicines haven't been enough to alleviate his pain. "You don't understand what pain is until you've been a burn victim," he said. "There's nothing that takes the pain away. He would have anxiety leading up to a dressing change. It was coming. He knew it was going to hurt." Hunter Valles is starting the next phase of his treatment. He's seeing specialists for nerve damage and the muscle damage in his leg, hands and shoulders. "The next phase is actually to find out what else is wrong," Jeffrey Valles said. "We know there's nerve damage to the legs. We know there's damage to the left hand. There were partial amputations." They know some of what to expect, such as they will want to transfer muscle from some parts of his legs to more damaged parts to give it more strength. But the course of his future treatment remains uncertain. "We don't really know what's next until we start seeing all the specialists," Jeffrey Valles said. He'll have to undergo more surgeries for his scars. "When you do skin grafts, you get what are called contractures, which is when scars start to heal and it draws everything in and starts to squeeze you," Jeffrey Valles said. "They'll have to go into different surgeries to relieve those areas and cut open the scars from what I understand. They'll either let it grow back in our their own or transfer skin in another skin graft." That process alone could take up to 10 years. "We don't know what that looks like yet," Jeffrey Valles said. "We know it's going to be a long road. We know it's going to take a lot of hard work." Hunter Valles, who was in a medically induced coma for months, moved back home with his parents who will help him get to outpatient care. They will take him to physical rehabilitation, get him to appointments with the wound doctor and get him the medication he needs. He'll need daily inspections of his skin and the skin grafts. "We'll take care of him and help him get to whatever he needs," Jeffrey Valles said. Hunter Valles had to remain at the hospital until he hit certain milestones, such as being able to dress himself and being more self-sufficient. He can now again feed himself with his right hand. It was a challenge to learn to walk again, requiring baby steps that included a walker with wheels on it to keep his balance and keep him upright. It was a crutch he could lean on. "It was very difficult," Hunter Valles said. "There were days I didn't think it was ever going to happen because it was just failure after failure. One day it started clicking. I started being able to walk with assistance. I was able to get braces and then start walking on my own." Hunter Valles said he had a lot of support along the way, including from fellow union members and co-workers who called him and texted him to check in on how he was doing. They went to see him in rehab. "I can't describe how much it meant," he said. "I was definitely looking forward to getting back home. It's been a long time. It feels great being able to see somebody again. You kind of feel that there's somewhat normal of a life again rather than just being stuck in a hospital and just waiting for the day you can get out." He's back home but not back to his previous life, Jeffrey Valles said. "The freedom to go drive somewhere, go do something for yourself, that's gone," he said. "We don't know when or if that will ever return. That's the unknown. We love that he's here finally but we don't know what tomorrow brings. That's the hardest part. We know where we're going more or less. He doesn't. Just jumping into your car, grabbing something to eat, going to the store, those things are gone for him." Jeffrey Valles hopes the industrial accident that forever hurt his son will lead to more safety measures being adopted at the steel mill. "I hope nobody ever had to go through this again," he said. "I don't want to see anybody go through this." A GoFundMe campaign is raising funds for the family's medical expenses: HIGHLAND Sundays graduates of United Way of Northwest Indianas Level Up program stepped onto a stage to receive congratulations and a gentle reminder: This is only the beginning. Keep on pushing and leveling up, Rafael Swift of Hammond told them. It does not stop. Swift and wife Lourdes, 2021 graduates of the program, addressed the graduation dinner for the 69 newest graduates at the Wicker Park Social Center. Lourdes tried to enter the workforce after having not worked for five years. Through Level Up, she has earned certification in medical billing. This has been a true blessing, she said. They helped us achieve our goals. They made our goals their goals. Rafael, having worked for Lake Ridge Schools, has become certified in insurance and plans to open his own office. Level Up has been life-changing, inspiring, he said. Its never too late to start over. Lourdes called the program truly a family. Theyve been with me every step of the way. Rafael described Level Up as a community that will nurture you and help you grow with life goals. It will help you not give up in overcoming that poverty mindset. Level Up provides access to soft-skills training, financial education, trade certification training, job connection, employment and retention guidance, and elimination of financial and social-economic barriers. Depending on their circumstances, participants complete the program in 12 to 18 months. Clients must commit to and complete all program requirements, including meeting one-on-one with Level Up staff and meeting income and household requirements. In return, they receive financial education counseling; access to workshops on such topics as expense planning, credit, savings and homeownership; career planning support, assistance navigating community resources and a support network. The program began in 2019 and graduated its first class of 45 people last year. Director Erin Stojic noted that 1 in 4 Northwest Indiana households is struggling financially daily: These people are hard-working, working maybe two, three jobs, with no benefits. They cant afford basic necessities. We created this program to help them get better-paying jobs, to make more money to survive and thrive." She added, We help people find their program and make sure its the right program. We try to identify barriers that keep persons from getting needed resources. We help them navigate through their situations. Graduate Kristopher Prisco, of St. John, entered the program in October 2021 when he was working in an auto shop in Lynwood. He was looking for more personal training from a teacher. Today he is a welder. The program helped me manage through school, and I was capable of getting a job, he said, adding that Level Up helped him learn to save money. Alicia L. Hampton, owner of Strike & Walk Da Cup Welding of Hammond, partners with Level Up to prepare students. This takes a lot of work, dedication and sacrifice, she said. And they did it. Tyler Johnson, of East Chicago, went from working at a health-care staffing agency to being a licensed massage therapist. I learned my possibilities are endless, Johnson said. Loretta Dozier, of East Chicago, works as a medical assistant for the Indiana Department of Child Services. I can work with children and help their lives, she said. Maria Cruz, of Schererville, entered Level Up in January and completed the program two months later. She works as a medical assistant at a Munster medical professional building. They were very helpful, especially with my family, said Cruz, the mother of five, ages 5 to 29. I want to do more. I want to become a registered nurse. Kimberly Campbell of Merrillville is proud of her son, Christopher Smith, for completing the program and landing a new job. Poet Carnessa Carnes of Michigan City, opening the graduation program, encouraged the new graduates to keep your momentum. Dont stop here. Make a difference in the community," United Way board president Jeff Strack said. Adam ODoherty, president and CEO of United Way of Northwest Indiana, hopes the program grows to have 1,000 graduates then 10,000 more. Too many people are struggling in our society, and we gotta change that, he said. We have to elevate families to break the cycle of poverty. The program is always taking new enrollees. To learn more about Level Up, visit unitedwaynwi.org/level-up or call 219-464-3583 in Porter County or 219-923-2302 in Lake County. WASHINGTON President Trump was more personally involved in his campaigns effort to obtain Democratic emails stolen by Russian operatives in 2016 than was previously known, phone records introduced in federal court on Wednesday suggested. Federal prosecutors disclosed the calls at the start of the criminal trial of Roger J. Stone Jr., Mr. Trumps longtime friend, who faces charges of lying to federal investigators about his efforts to contact WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign. Russian intelligence officers had funneled tens of thousands of emails they stole from Democratic computers to WikiLeaks, which released them at critical points during the presidential race. The records suggest that Mr. Trump spoke to Mr. Stone repeatedly during the summer of 2016, at a time when Mr. Stone was aggressively seeking to obtain the stolen emails from Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. The prosecutors noted that they did not know what Mr. Stone and Mr. Trump had discussed. But they stressed that the timing of their calls dovetailed with other key developments related to the theft and release of the Democratic emails. The phone records are the first concrete suggestion that Mr. Trump may have had a direct role in his campaigns effort to benefit from Russias hidden hand in the election. At the very least, the calls and other evidence underscored the eagerness of senior campaign officials and other Trump associates to reap the rewards of what the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, later called a sophisticated and alarming covert Russian influence operation. Ranchi, Oct 25 (UNI) A driver and cleaner of the bus lost their lives as a bus in which they were sleeping inside at Khadgada bus stand under Kanta Toli Police Station area of the state capital caught fire. Police sources on Tuesday said that at the time of the incident the driver and cleaner identified as Madan Mahto and Ibrahim were sleeping inside the Moonlight bus. Police said that the duo had burnt diyas inside the bus and had gone to sleep. Somehow through the diya fire spread in the bus and both of them were charred to death. Upon seeing flames rising from the bus people informed the police and fire Brigade station. The fire tenders reached on the spot and doused the flames however by that time both the men had died. Later their bodies were taken out from the bus and sent for postmortem to RIMS. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has expressed his grief over the incident. He had prayed to the almighty to rest the souls in peace and give strength to families to overcome the burden of grief. UNI AK ARN WASHINGTON The Justice Department announced on Monday that it had indicted two Chinese intelligence officials who are believed to have unsuccessfully tried to obtain inside information about a federal investigation into a Chinese telecommunications company accused of stealing trade secrets, which people familiar with the situation later identified as Huawei Technologies. The Chinese intelligence officials, Guochun He and Zheng Wang, paid bribes to an official with access to sensitive details of the investigation into Huawei by the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, according to charging documents unsealed on Monday. The person turned out to be an agent working for the F.B.I. who handed over phony documents. The indictment was part of three unrelated legal actions against Chinese operatives in the United States that senior law enforcement officials announced on Monday, a day after President Xi Jinping of China solidified his grip on power as the Communist Party congress in Beijing closed. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Christopher A. Wray, the director of the F.B.I., issued blunt denunciations of China during a news conference, accusing the countrys leaders of meddling in the American judicial system, stealing technology and bullying Chinese citizens who emigrate to the United States. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and other senior officials noted a history of Russias accusing others of doing what Moscow is contemplating and of attempting false flag operations that could create a pretext for intervention. The Russian defense minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, had claimed over the weekend that Ukraine was preparing to detonate a dirty bomb, a phrase that describes a conventional explosive, like dynamite, that is wrapped with radiological waste. In a series of phone calls on Monday with NATO nations, Moscows top military commander, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, repeated the allegation. Such a bomb is not a nuclear device; it has none of the explosive power of a nuclear weapon. But it is an effective weapon of terror, and the resulting radiological contamination can make several city blocks uninhabitable for a period of time. And because it involves nuclear material, it can often be confused, in public discussion, with an atomic weapon. The flurry of phone calls between American, NATO and Russian officials came after more than six months in which communications were sparse. And the sudden frequency of the calls, and resultant warnings, reflected what American officials said was a greater level of concern about possible nuclear use by Russia than at any point during the war. It came 60 years to the week after the Cuban Missile Crisis, whose lessons have been both studied and debated by President Bidens aides in recent weeks. They say their concern is that Mr. Putin, frustrated by the failures of his conventional forces, may now reach for unconventional weapons or bluff that he is willing to use his nuclear arsenal to try to fracture the Western alliance with Ukraine. The man who sold a gun to a British national who used the weapon to take four people hostage at a Texas synagogue in January was sentenced on Monday to nearly eight years in prison, the Justice Department said. The man, Henry Dwight Williams, 33, who had previously been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, pleaded guilty in June to being a felon in possession of a firearm in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas, prosecutors said. Mr. Williams sold the pistol to Malik Faisal Akram two days before Mr. Akram used it to take four people hostage inside Congregation Beth Israel of Colleyville, a Fort Worth suburb, on Jan. 15, the Justice Department said. Mr. Akram, 44, was killed by an F.B.I. hostage-and-rescue team after a harrowing 11-hour ordeal, during which one hostage was released and the three others escaped unharmed. Chad Meacham, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said in a statement on Monday that this defendant, a convicted felon, had no business carrying much less buying and selling firearms. Call it a generational and stylistic dance between Frank Gehry and Maya Lin. Thats how Gideon Lester, artistic director at Bard Colleges Gehry-designed Fisher Center, referred to its forthcoming neighbor a Lin-designed building that will provide studios for the centers dance, theater, opera and orchestral performances. The 25,000-square-foot building, which will cost $42 million and has not yet been named, is set to break ground next fall, the college said on Tuesday. Were really bursting at the seams, Lester said in an interview. The Fisher Center is a hybrid building: Its a professional performing arts center and its a producing house. But its also the home to several of Bards academic programs in the performing arts. Were using all the spaces in the building, all the time. Beyond the need for more room, Bard is also hoping to double down on its growing cultural prominence far from its Hudson Valley campus due in no small part to the Fisher Centers role as an incubator of new shows. Among its successes is Pam Tanowitzs Four Quartets, lauded in 2018 by the New York Times critic Alastair Macaulay as the greatest creation of dance theater so far this century. THE SINGULARITIES, by John Banville The Irish novelist John Banville writes prose of such luscious elegance that its all too easy to view his work as an aesthetic project, an exercise in pleasure giving. This impression was no doubt reinforced by his Booker Prize-winning novel The Sea (2005), which is uncharacteristic in its simplicity and openness. But what drives Banville and his relentless hunt for the ideal adjective and simile and cadence is a desire to touch something elusive and not quite nameable while providing a parallel or overlapping commentary on that doomed but never pointless effort. Although he is often compared to Nabokov, with particular reference to his arch and swaggering narrators, and an emphasis on doubles, Banvilles most important debts are to literary-minded German thinkers (Nietzsche, Heidegger), philosophically inclined German writers (Kleist, Rilke, Hugo von Hofmannsthal) and others in that line of descent, notably Beckett and Wallace Stevens, from whom Banville borrowed an epigraph as long ago as 1976, for Doctor Copernicus, and a title, The Blue Guitar, as recently as 2015. The Singularities, Banvilles exhilarating new novel, offers itself quite overtly as a rumination on, or rummage around, ideas about representation. Like much of his best work, it aims to both scrutinize and confront one of the central challenges of the human endeavor: how to create an accurate portrait of things. It has two, very different, know-it-all narrators. One is a god or godlet, a never-identified son of Zeus, who has access to human thought and takes the reins for 10 of the 17 chapters. The other is the academic Jaybey (a homophone for his creators initials), who is writing a biography of the late mathematician Adam Godley and has been invited to examine his papers at the Godleys estate in County Wexford, Ireland. In Banvilles version of history, Godleys Brahma theory proved the existence of infinite universes and immediately produced an interference effect in the world. Like the blue guitar in Stevenss poem, which changes things as they are, the discovery does not only reflect reality but has a direct impact on it. New York, for example, is called New Amsterdam again. Cold fusion is possible, so car engines and other machines run on salt water. What confuses matters, for the characters and occasionally the reader, is that the overhaul has not been total. The recently released convict Freddie Montgomery, who confessed to a murder in Banvilles 1989 novel The Book of Evidence, turns up at his childhood home, only to find that it is now (and perhaps always has been) the Godley residence. But Montgomerys status as a villain in Irish society hasnt changed, and he is forced to adopt a pseudonym, Felix Mordaunt. The war in Ukraine is raging, Russian natural gas exports to Europe are dwindling and the winter heating season is approaching. That would seem like a recipe for higher prices, yet the cost of the fuel, which is vital for heating homes and for powering electricity plants and industry, has been plummeting. The benchmark European price of natural gas this week fell to a level that is more than 70 percent below its record high in August. One of the main reasons for the plunge in prices is that Europe, at least for now, has all the natural gas it needs. That is because over the summer, Europe went on a global buying spree as Russia, its longtime main supplier, reduced its flow of natural gas. Across the continent, governments and businesses have aggressively replenished how much gas they are holding in storage. At the urging of European Union officials and at a high cost, energy companies and governments have filled underground caverns and other facilities to more than 90 percent of capacity, compared with less than 80 percent year ago. Mr. Zicherman and three colleagues said in an interview with The New York Times that they worked hard to add audiobooks to their app according to the App Stores guidelines. Those are effectively hurdles that we have to workaround, Mr. Zicherman said. The challenges with Apple, which also sells audiobooks, contrast with Spotifys experience on Google Play, a store for apps on the companys Android operating system. Google approved Spotifys Android app, allowing listeners to click a button and receive an email about how to purchase audiobooks online. Apple has made the App Store a centerpiece of its strategy to evolve from a business driven by device sales into one propelled by the sale of software and services. The store, which is estimated to generate about $24 billion in annual sales from the 30 percent fees it collects, has little overhead and generates profits of nearly 80 percent, according to testimony and documents discussed as part of an antitrust lawsuit brought by Epic Games. Apple contends that the distribution it provides across billions of iPhones and iPads has helped Spotify and other apps succeed. It says routing app purchases through its payment system protects users from fraud and keeps the App Store safe for users. A spokesman noted that British antitrust authorities decided not to investigate competition issues in the music streaming business earlier this year. Spotify on Tuesday reported a loss for the third quarter of about 194 million euros, or $193.3 million, as advertising sales increased less than expected. The company said total revenue rose by 21 percent to about 3.04 billion, or $3 billion, buoyed by the addition of seven million paid subscribers. It now has 195 million paid subscribers. The companys share price fell nearly 5 percent in after-hours trading to $92.35. I spent the first week of October laid up with Covid. When I wasnt laid up in bed, I was laid up on the couch. (A special thanks to teen dramedies for keeping me company.) Unsurprisingly, like anyone whos under the weather, recovering at home or generally indisposed, cooking was not on my personal agenda. More likely than not, youll soon know someone (or be someone) who needs takeout or a care package. Here are some options for where to order a restorative meal. Unilever has issued a voluntary recall of more than a dozen aerosol dry shampoo products sold in the United States, saying they may contain elevated levels of benzene, a carcinogen. The affected products were produced before October 2021, the conglomerate said, and are from several different brands owned by Unilever: Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI and TRESemme. The voluntary recall of select products, identified by production codes, applies to the United States and Canada. Unilever United States said in a statement that it had not yet received reports of adverse events from customers. Unilever U.S. is recalling these products out of an abundance of caution, the company said, adding that retailers had been instructed to pull the recalled products off shelves. To the Editor: Re Why Republicans Are Surging, by David Brooks (column, Oct. 21): Dont accomplishments count for anything? The Democrats, with small majorities in both houses of Congress, have achieved an enormous amount. They have identified problems and have begun to deal with many of them. Sure, they havent done all they would like or we need but they are working on it seriously. Contrast their efforts with the statements, not to mention the actions, of the Republicans. Anyone who thinks Republicans are going to deal conscientiously with the problems is delusional. I worry a lot about the midterms. Too many races are much closer than they should be including those here in Pennsylvania and, incredibly, Georgia. The stakes are very high. Stephen M. Davidson Philadelphia To the Editor: One reason that Republicans appear to be surging is that the climate crisis is given so little emphasis in the midterms. It will have far-reaching consequences if the foes of climate action take control of Congress. They would thwart further urgently needed federal action. More airlines step up winter flights to SL Colombo, Oct 25 (UNI) With more European carriers planning to fly into Colombo from next month, Sri Lanka Tourism anticipates a busy winter season. Swiss leisure airline Edelweiss, Air France, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) and Russias largest charter airline Azur Air will resume service to Colombo from the first week of November, the Daily FT reported. The resumption of airline operations in Sri Lanka is a reflection of the efforts made by the Tourism Ministry internationally, to revive the industry ahead of the winter season. Overall, the subway remains far safer than other forms of transportation. Indeed, one reason New York City is much safer overall than small-town or even suburban America is that far fewer people die in traffic accidents. And there remain many reasons to praise New Yorks subway. There have been frequent debates about how New Yorks system compares with those of other large cities, especially London. New York clearly loses on aesthetics: The system is dingy and yes, you do sometimes see rats on the track. Its also confusing for visitors; at least once a month I find myself explaining to strangers that no, the express train doesnt stop at Columbus Circle. On the other hand, the New York subway, with its extensive four-track system which lets it put many local stops close together while allowing easy transfer to fast express trains is arguably more functional than its counterparts elsewhere. And its main function is to make a high-density lifestyle possible. Not everyone wants to live that way, but some do. For what its worth, dense urban environments dont have to be the hellscapes I suspect many Americans imagine they are. The two New York neighborhoods I know best, the Upper West Side and Jackson Heights, Queens, have population densities of 61,000 and 42,000 people per square mile, respectively. Both have extremely busy main commercial streets but are surprisingly quiet once you get off the main drags. And I wonder whether people who havent experienced it appreciate how life-enhancing it can be to have a huge range of services within easy walking distance. Not everyone would want to live that way. But not everyone wants to live in a car-based metropolis like Atlanta or Dallas, either. Its only thanks to mass transit systems like the New York subway that the United States can offer large numbers of people an alternative to sprawl. So the subway makes America more varied in lifestyles, which enriches the nation as a whole, both culturally and economically. What were to be the limits of democratic control in the United States? Du Bois asks. Was the rule of the mass of Americans to be unlimited, and the right to rule extended to all men regardless of race and color? And if not, he continues, How would property and privilege be protected? On one side in the conflict over these questions was an autocracy determined at any price to amass wealth and power; on the other was an abolition-democracy based on freedom, intelligence and power for all men. The term abolition-democracy began with Du Bois and is worth further exploration. Abolition-democracy, Du Bois writes, was the liberal movement among both laborers and small capitalists who saw the danger of slavery to both capital and labor. Its standard-bearers were abolitionists like Wendell Phillips and radical antislavery politicians like Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens, and in its eyes, the only real object of the Civil War was the abolition of slavery and it was convinced that this could be thoroughly accomplished only if the emancipated Negroes became free citizens and voters. It was also clear to some within abolition-democracy that freedom in order to be free required a minimum of capital in addition to political rights. In this way, abolition-democracy was an anticipation of social democratic ideology, although few of its proponents, in Du Boiss view, grasped the full significance of their analysis of the relationship between political freedom, civil rights and economic security. Opposing abolition-democracy, in Du Boiss telling, were the reactionaries of the former Confederate South who sought to re-establish slavery by force. The South, he writes, opposed Negro education, opposed land and capital for Negroes, and violently and bitterly opposed any political power. It fought every conception inch by inch: no real emancipation, limited civil rights, no Negro schools, no votes for Negroes. Emperor penguins have been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act because the animals sea ice habitat is shrinking, federal officials announced Tuesday. Experts predict that 99 percent of the worlds emperor penguin population will disappear by 2100 without significantly reducing carbon pollution. The Antarctic sea ice, where the penguins spend much of the year, is under stress. Heat-trapping gases released by humans use of fossil fuels is causing the ice to disappear and break apart. That ice is essential to the animals livelihood it is where they breed, raise their chicks and escape predators. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, endangered means a species could face extinction throughout all or a large portion of its range. Threatened means a species is likely to become endangered in the near future. There are between 625,000 and 650,000 emperor penguins in the wild, or 270,000 to 280,000 breeding pairs, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The service's director, Martha Williams, said in a statement that the listing reflected the growing extinction crisis. Shortly after John Mayer started performing with Dead & Company, the current iteration of the rock band the Grateful Dead that features some of its surviving members, fans began sending him T-shirts. These really thoughtful packages, he recalled recently, like welcoming me to the neighborhood. The Grateful Dead has a rich history of bootleg merchandise made and sold by its obsessive followers. But one shirt among the gifts sent to Mr. Mayer stuck out from the rest. It featured a blooming rose and bones and came from two designers based in Los Angeles named Elijah Funk and Alix Ross, who ran a small business called Online Ceramics, which trafficked not in clay vessels but T-shirts and accessories. Before I could even attribute what I was looking at to Online Ceramics, I was reacting to it in a way that was like, Oh, this is too smart to be dumb, Mr. Mayer said. Despite its name, Online Ceramics does not, in fact, sell clay objects. The name is a red herring of sorts, creating an if you know, you know status for the brand from the jump. After Russia claimed that Ukraine would use a dirty bomb a conventional explosive that can spread radioactive material on its own territory, Western countries reacted with skepticism, noting that Russia often accused others of doing what Moscow was considering doing itself. Russia provided no evidence to support its claim. But on right-wing media and in many right-wing communities online, Russias claim was portrayed as believable, and as a dire warning that could serve to escalate Russias war on Ukraine for Ukraines benefit, or even trigger a new world war. Alex Jones, the American conspiracy theorist who often spreads lies on his Infowars platform, during his online show on Monday suggested that Ukraine would detonate a dirty bomb within its borders and then blame Russia as a pretext to bring NATO fully into the conflict and start World War III. My analysis is, about 90 percent at this point, that theres going to be full-on public war with Russia, and at least a tactical nuclear war in Europe, he added. The Gateway Pundit, another right-wing American news site, repeated Russias claims in an article on Sunday and asked: Would this surprise anyone? I was like, this cant have happened right in my backyard, she said. It honestly seemed like a mistake at first, that these pictures were pictures of America. This was an anxious summer, with both the coronavirus and President Trumps re-election campaign raging. Wohl found herself driving, alone, through the private roads of what had once been the camp and the nearby bungalow community, with streets named for Hitler, Goebbels, Goering. (Those names have long been changed, but a restrictive housing covenant, which allowed only buyers who could prove German ancestry, stood until 2017.) On those drives, she was looking for evidence of what this place had been and how its past had been. On that Sunday in October, we took a similar drive, past Bach Court and Schiller Court, past signs that announced the community as private and the roads as having no outlet. There were no swastikas anymore. American flags and Trump flags had replaced the Nazi ones. A handful of buildings and bungalows from the 1930s remained. Otherwise the community looked aggressively normal, if strangely deserted, which had been Wohls experience. What shocked me the most was how mundane and pretty and sort of regular everything seemed, she said. Its part of what prompted me to write the play, because if were going to live up to the moral imperative of never again, we have to look at these stories, we have to tell these stories and we have to learn from them. For much of its running time, Camp Siegfried resembles a romantic drama, a coming-of-age story. Thats a queasy proposition, considering the plays setting. In this boy-meets-girl, the girl lives on Hitler Street. Wohl who has Jewish ancestry, a Jewish husband and is raising her daughters in the Jewish faith is mindful of this, anxious even. I find her very nervous about these risks, Cromer, who is also Jewish, said during a phone interview, beautifully nervous and not self-congratulatory about them at all. But that doesnt stop her from taking them. It is difficult for her not to take these big risks. And then she executes them with rigor and thoroughness and depth. She does irresponsible things really responsibly. Its devastating to know that this whole journey was for nothing. MARGARET DIAZ, 28, who arrived at the U.S. border two days after an expulsion policy was announced. She said she had sold what she had to travel north from Chile with her husband and two daughters. In the lead-up to the midterm elections, campaigns are inundating millions of people with political text messages. Its easy to see why. Text messages are much cheaper for political campaigns than TV ads or online ads. Software enables campaigns to quickly create and send bulk messages directly to voters phones. Another bonus: Many people who ignore campaign emails actually open and read phone messages. New rules put in place this year by mobile phone carriers were supposed to reduce the flood of unsolicited political text messages. But many people find they are being bombarded more and more with campaign messages they never signed up for. If you are being spammed with political robotexts, Id like to hear from you. Im a technology reporter at The New York Times who investigates the societal impacts, and unexpected consequences, of tech trends like campaign texting. The potential benefits for voters seem clear: Political text messages can provide useful information. Two right-wing political operatives have pleaded guilty in Ohio to a telecommunications fraud charge for arranging thousands of robocalls that falsely claimed that the information voters included with mail ballots could be used by law enforcement and debt collectors, prosecutors said. The operatives, Jacob Wohl, 24, of Los Angeles, and Jack Burkman, 56, of Arlington, Va., entered their pleas on Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in Cleveland, prosecutors said. The men were indicted in 2020 after they were accused of using the robocalls to intimidate residents in minority neighborhoods to refrain from voting by mail at a time when many voters were reluctant to cast ballots in person because of the coronavirus pandemic. The calls also claimed that the government could use mail-in voting information to track people for mandatory vaccination programs, prosecutors said. These individuals infringed upon the right to vote, which is one of the most fundamental components of our democracy, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor, Michael C. OMalley, said in a statement announcing the guilty pleas on Monday. Pennsylvania State University canceled a planned comedy event on Monday that was to be co-hosted by the founder of the Proud Boys, a far-right group, after a demonstration against the speakers turned violent. Penn State officials had previously said they would host the event featuring the Proud Boys founder, Gavin McInnes, in the interest of supporting free speech even as they criticized what they called the speakers vitriolic and hateful language. But the university reversed course just before the event on Monday night, saying in a statement that the campus police had determined that it should be canceled because of the threat of escalating violence. The universitys president, Neeli Bendapudi, said in a statement that a peaceful street protest against the event had turned violent. She said it was her understanding that Alex Stein, a co-host of the comedy event, had entered the crowd and raised tensions. Nairobi, Oct 25 (UNI) An investigation has begun in Kenya after well-known Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was shot dead by police at a roadblock on Sunday. He was "fatally wounded" while he was a passenger in a moving vehicle after it failed to stop, according to a police statement, BBC reported. Sharif was a critic of Pakistan's military as well as a vocal supporter of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan. The 49-year-old had left Pakistan in August after complaining of harassment. He had previously been in the UK and Dubai before travelling to Kenya. It is not known exactly what he was doing in the East African country. Journalists in the Pakistani city of Karachi held a street protest over his killing on Monday. Kenya's police watchdog -- the Independent Police Oversight Authority (Ipoa) -- said it had sent its rapid response team to the site of Sunday evening's shooting in Kajiado county near the capital, Nairobi, the BBC reported. The team will be investigating the "alleged police killing of a Pakistani national", Ipoa chairperson Ann Makori told journalists. A police statement said it regretted the "unfortunate incident", the report said. Officers had set up the roadblock as they were looking for a stolen car. "(The) deceased's motor vehicle came upon the police barrier which they drove through. It is then that they were shot at," the statement added. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted that he was "deeply saddened by the shocking news of journalist Arshad Sharif's tragic death". He later said that he had spoken to Kenya's President William Ruto requesting a "fair and transparent investigation... He promised all-out help including fast-tracking the process of return of the body to Pakistan". Pakistan's Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb warned people against speculating about the circumstances surrounding the death, the BBC reported. In a brief message on Twitter, Sharif's wife Javeria Siddique said she had lost a "friend, husband and my favourite journalist". Calling for a "proper judicial investigation", former Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was "shocked" at what he described as a "murder", adding that he "paid the ultimate price for speaking the truth". Khan was removed from power in April after losing a vote of no confidence. Sharif, who had backed Khan, then started complaining that the country's Federal Investigation Agency was harassing him and he left Pakistan. UNI MR TAIPEI, Taiwan Ringed by barbed wire and high gray walls, and once the site of a secretive military detention center, the museum just south of Taipei makes for a surprising tourist hot spot. The Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park, housed on the campus of a former military school, is a chilling reminder of the excesses of Taiwans not-so-distant authoritarian past when its rulers imposed martial law for four decades. The moldering concrete buildings with fading paint were once the site of secret tribunals where political dissidents were tried and the detention center where at one point several hundred people were held in crowded quarters. Once known as the Jing-Mei Detention Center, the site has found new appeal in Taiwan after Speaker Nancy Pelosi and pro-democracy activists who have criticized China met there in August, with visitor numbers rising in the weeks since. Its relevance was also underscored at the Chinese Communist Partys twice-a-decade congress that took place last week, during which Beijings determination to absorb its democratic neighbor was a major talking point. WASHINGTON A group of House progressives on Monday urged President Biden to engage in direct diplomatic talks with Russia in an effort to seek a realistic framework for a cease-fire. In a letter led by Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, 30 House Democrats called on the Biden administration to pursue every diplomatic avenue to support such a solution that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine. We agree with the administrations perspective that it is not Americas place to pressure Ukraines government regarding sovereign decisions, the lawmakers wrote, adding: But as legislators responsible for the expenditure of tens of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in military assistance in the conflict, we believe such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues, including direct engagement with Russia. The letter came less than a week after Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, said that if Republicans win a majority in next months midterm elections, his members would be unwilling to write a blank check to Ukraine, suggesting it could be more difficult to secure congressional approval for large infusions of aid. By Tuesday, Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chairwoman of the caucus and the letters principal author, had taken it all back. Ms. Jayapal faulted unnamed aides for releasing the letter, which she said had been drafted several months ago but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting. The unusual turnabout came after a biting backlash from other Democrats, who accused the 30 lawmakers who signed the document of undermining support for Kyiv at a critical time in its war against Russian aggression, and of sowing division within the party just two weeks before the midterm elections. It was a striking show of internal Democratic rifts just as the party is in the final stretch of an uphill fight to keep control of Congress, and it pointed to a subtle but distinct shift in how lawmakers are approaching the war in Ukraine. Over the last year, as Congress has approved more than $60 billion for Ukraine the largest amount of military aid the United States has committed to any country in a single year in nearly half a century, since the Vietnam War there has been little in the way of dissent or debate from lawmakers in either party. The aid has been approved by overwhelming margins, and members of Congress in both political parties have largely kept to themselves their questions about the Biden administrations strategy for American involvement. The outraged response to the progressives letter this week including streams of biting messages on Twitter and private calls from upset donors and the ensuing retraction suggested that support for Ukraine in Congress remains strong, and that the appetite for openly questioning the administrations strategy is still relatively weak. But it also pointed to growing uneasiness among antiwar Democrats about the scope and consequences of American involvement in a war that has dragged on for months, just as Republicans pressing to take the majority in Congress are more openly questioning money for Ukraine. Years later, the idea of Nord Stream 2, a sibling pipeline that would double the originals capacity, was condemned by many Central and Eastern European countries, as well as by the United States, which warned that it would permit Moscow to tighten Germanys reliance on Russian gas. Although the $11 billion pipeline was completed last year, German authorities shelved it just before Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Although the newer pipeline has never been used, and the original one has not delivered gas since July because of what Gazprom calls technical issues, both were filled with highly pressurized methane to help the pipes withstand water pressure on the floor of the sea. Both Nord Streams are composed of two strands of pipe running along the seafloor. The explosions caused leaks along both strands of Nord Stream 1, but in only one strand of Nord Stream 2. Its other strand remains intact. Murky images published last week by the Swedish tabloid Expressen pointed to the force of the explosion that hit Nord Stream 1, seeming to show that several segments of pipe were severed from the main pipeline. Trond Larsen, a submersible drone operator whose images were commissioned by the Swedish newspaper, pointed out that, when the pipes burst, the highly pressurized gas up to nearly 3,200 pounds per square inch disturbed the seabed, appearing to bury parts of the damaged pipe. I believe we saw the part of the pipe going west still buried in the seafloor, the end of the pipe going east lifted up from the seafloor, Mr. Larsen said in a telephone interview. He said there was very little debris in the area, perhaps because the rush of gas had pushed it all away, or it had already been removed by the Swedish investigators. Last week, German investigators also sent a vessel equipped with underwater drones and a diving robot to comb the seafloor in the same area for more evidence of the explosion. Rishi Sunak became the youngest prime minister in modern British history on Tuesday at the age of 42. But the country is not unaccustomed to youthful leaders. Tony Blair, a Labour leader, and David Cameron, a Conservative, both became prime minister at 43 just slightly older than Mr. Sunak is now. Mr. Blair served as Britains leader from 1997 to 2007, and Mr. Cameron served from 2010 to 2016. Britains youngest ever prime minister remains William Pitt the Younger, who took office in 1783 at the age of 24. Mr. Blair and Mr. Cameron spent years as leaders of their parties when they were in opposition, and thus had time to prepare before becoming prime minister. Mr. Sunak, by contrast, will take his first steps as party leader while also governing in the full glare of the Downing Street spotlight. Mr. Sunak entered Parliament in 2015 after spending more than a decade in the finance industry, first with investment bank Goldman Sachs and then with two hedge funds. His rise through the ranks of the Conservative Party has followed a conventional, if rapid, trajectory, amid the turmoil that came after the 2016 Brexit vote and the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the countrys economy. Several months before Britains 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union, around the time that Boris Johnson came out in support of Brexit in a dramatic turn, a much lesser-known politician also declared his support. Rishi Sunak, who on Tuesday became prime minister, broke ranks with then-Prime Minister David Cameron, hailing Brexit as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our country to take back control of its destiny. In becoming an early supporter of Brexit, Mr. Sunak helped to pave the way for his unusually rapid ascent in British politics. The countrys youngest prime minister in modern times at 42, Mr. Sunak became a member of Parliament just seven years ago and was appointed in 2020 as chancellor of the Exchequer by Mr. Johnson. His early support of Brexit put him on that right side of history within the Conservative Party, said Tony Travers, a professor of politics at the London School of Economics. In his first address as Britains prime minister, Rishi Sunak vowed on Tuesday to lead a government of integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Here is his speech in full: Good morning, I have just been to Buckingham Palace and accepted His Majesty the Kings invitation to form a government in his name. It is only right to explain why I am standing here as your new prime minister. Right now our country is facing a profound economic crisis. The aftermath of Covid still lingers. Putins war in Ukraine has destabilized energy markets and supply chains the world over. I want to pay tribute to my predecessor, Liz Truss. She was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country it is a noble aim and I admired her restlessness to create change. But some mistakes were made not borne of ill will or bad intentions, quite the opposite, in fact but mistakes nonetheless. And I have been elected as leader of my party, and your prime minister, in part, to fix them. And that work begins immediately. Dominic Raab, 48, was announced as Mr. Sunaks deputy prime minister and justice secretary, returning to positions he held for a year, until last month. Though he had held several senior government positions, Ms. Truss did not name him to her short-lived cabinet. He was foreign secretary at the start of Mr. Johnsons term in office as prime minister. Mr. Raab had to stand in for Mr. Johnson in leading the government in April 2020, when the prime minister was in the hospital with a serious case of Covid-19. Mr. Raab, a hard-line supporter of Brexit, had also briefly served as Brexit minister for Mrs. May before resigning from her cabinet in disagreement over her negotiations with the European Union. He was first elected to Parliament in 2010. Mr. Raabs father was a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia who fled the Nazis in 1938. Mr. Raabs paternal grandparents, who remained, were killed in the Holocaust. Foreign Secretary: James Cleverly Image Credit... Daniel Leal/Agence France-Presse Getty Images James Cleverly was reappointed as foreign secretary, one of the most important roles within the cabinet, despite the fact that he had notably supported Mr. Johnson rather than Mr. Sunak in the recent contest for the Conservative Partys leadership. As late as Sunday afternoon, hours before Mr. Johnson withdrew his name, Mr. Cleverly continued to voice his support. Mr. Cleverly, 53, whose mother came to Britain from Sierra Leone in West Africa, was once a lieutenant colonel in the army reserves and has long been a proponent of Brexit. He served briefly this year as the education secretary and before that held a series of junior ministerial roles. JERUSALEM Israeli forces carried out a major raid against a Palestinian militia in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, killing a leader of the group and four other men, according to members of the militia and Palestinian officials. The predawn raid targeted the Nablus-based militia known as the Lions Den, which emerged this year and does not answer to any of the established Palestinian factions. Many Palestinians have championed the groups fighters as popular heroes, in part because Israels occupation of the territory has dragged on for more than a half-century and become increasingly entrenched. Israel has blamed the Lions Den for a rise in shootings that it says are aimed at its troops and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, including one that killed a soldier this month. It said that it had killed the groups leader, Wadie al-Houh, in an exchange of gunfire, adding that he was the main target of the raid and was responsible for producing bombs and obtaining weapons for the group. This year has already been the deadliest in the West Bank since 2015 for Palestinians in the conflict with Israel. And the raid, along with the threat of revenge attacks, raised tensions further in an already volatile atmosphere ahead of Israels general election, which is set to take place next week. Located on a hill in the heart of Rome and featuring the only ceiling mural ever painted by the Italian Baroque old master Caravaggio, Villa Aurora is widely regarded as the worlds most expensive house. The 30,000-square-foot, 16th-century villa is located a short walk from the famous Via Veneto, home to some of Romes best hotels, and close to the iconic Piazza di Spagna and the ancient Porta Pinciana. Originally a hunting lodge, the villa is all that remains of a 30-hectare complex owned by Italys Ludovisi noble family, who gave the country numerous diplomats, patrons of the arts, and even a Pope. Today, Villa Aurora finds itself at the heart of a legal battle and an Italian court has ruled that it should be sold at auction. Only the price set for the property is so high that no one seems interested in paying it. Photo: Google You have to have a billionaire; a millionaire is not enough for this, Princess Rita Boncompagni-Ludovisi, the villas current occupant, told NPR. It needs someone with deep pockets, who doesnt care if you have to spend 10 thousand on a water leak or something. 72-year-old Princess Rita Boncompagni-Ludovisi is the third wife of Prince Nicolo Ludovisi Boncompagni. Now she and three sons from the princes first marriage are engaged in a legal battle with the precious Villa Aurora at its center. Since the parties could not come to an understanding, an auction was decided, with the proceeds to be split between them. But auctioning off the worlds most expensive house is no easy feat. Back in January, when the first auction was held, the estimated price for Villa Aurora was 471 million (at the time $539 million). And, despite its historical and artistic value, no one was really surprised that the property didnt have a buyer. I would have been amazed if a buyer had come forward. The price is too high, Alessandro Zuccari, a professor at Sapienza University in Rome who helped with the valuation, told The Guardian. Lets see what happens in April, but I doubt anyone will come forward then what would someone like Bill Gates do with Villa Aurora, especially with all the extra costs? A pristine location in the heart of Italys capital, and an unrivaled history tied to some of the greatest thinkers and artists in Europe are not enough to give Villa Aurora the title of worlds most expensive house. That can be attributed to the artistic treasures it houses, particularly the ceiling mural painted by Carravaggio, itself estimated to have a value of 310 million. It was reportedly painted in 1597 and only discovered sometime in the 1960s. In April, Villa Aurora went under the hammer once again, this time with a roughly 20% discount from the original 471 million asking price, but no one seemed eager to bid on it. Now, Princess Rita Boncompagni-Ludovisi has asked some of the worlds top real estate agencies to find a buyer for the home, but that is proving a tall order. Princess Boncompagni-Ludovisi has asked the Italian Government to purchase the villa and preserve it, and her wish was shared by the nearly 40,000 signatories of a petition, but despite the discounted price, Villa Aurora would most likely pulverize the budget of Italys Ministry of Culture. For the time being, Villa Aurora remains on the market and retains the title of worlds most expensive house. Nairobi/Islamabad, Oct 24 (UNI) Senior journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif was shot dead by the Kenyan police Sunday night in a mistaken identity case while travelling to Nairobi from the countrys Magadi town, Kenyan newspaper reported, The Star citing law enforcement officials. We had an incident of shooting which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity involving a journalist. We will release more information later, a police officer told The Star. The report published on its website stated that Sharif was shot in the head and killed by police after he and his driver allegedly breached a checkpoint. The Star reported that Sharif was hailed to stop for identification but his driver allegedly drove past the checkpoint. This led to a brief chase and shooting that left the journalist dead, it added. The Kenyan publication said that Sharifs driver was injured and taken to hospital. It added that the driver told the law enforcement officials that he and Sharif were developers and headed for a site in Magadi. The police headquarters said that Kenyas Independent Policing Oversight Authority will investigate the case. At the same time, a senior police officer shared that a comprehensive statement would be released later. Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has confirmed that the body of Arshad Sharif, the slain Pakistani senior journalist, has been identified in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Pakistan High Commissioner, Kenyan police authorities, and doctors are currently in the mortuary, where Sharifs body has been kept, the minister said. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed sorrow over the death of the journalist and said that the Pakistani government is in contact with Kenyan authorities in this regard. The unbelievable incident of journalist Arshad Sharif's murder is extremely shocking and an irreparable loss to the journalist community of Pakistan. I offer my condolences to journalist Arshad Sharif's family, journalist community and his fans, said the foreign minister. Following the news of Sharif's death, condolences started pouring in from across the country. President Arif Alvi termed Sharif's death a "great loss to journalism and Pakistan". "May his soul rest in peace and may his family, which includes his followers, have the strength to bear this loss," tweeted the president. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sadness over the "shocking news of journalist Arshad Sharif's tragic death". "May Allah SWT grant him a place in Heaven. My deep condolences and prayers for the bereaved family," he said. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the militarys media wing, said they are deeply aggrieved over the unexpected death of senior journalist Arshad Sharif. May Allah elevate him to higher heavenly status, the military said. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also demanded a transparent inquiry into the circumstances of the journalist's death. UNI GNK Finn Partners has teamed with Galen Growth, a data-driven health market intelligence company, to chart the fragmented digital landscape, identify emerging trends and growth opportunities, and look beyond equity funding to explore whats next in the fast-paced market. They will release their first report, Global State of Digital Health," which draws input from more than 12K health ventures, at the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas next month. The report will show that digital health venture capital rose from $2B in 2011 to $44B in 2021. North America accounted for 46 percent of the funding value. Gil Bashe, who is global health and purpose chair at Finn Partners, told ODwyers that its misguided to consider year-to-year investment totals as an indicator of the sectors vitality. Funds that poured into digital health at the beginning of COVID fueled the pump of health innovation across the categoryfrom self-care to sick care and remote patient monitoring to wearables, he said. He said investment remains steady in many hot hub regions for innovation but it has shifted from late-stage to early-stage digital health technologies. He promised the Finn Partners/Galen Growth report will cut through the hype and offer an objective perspective. A second report will be released at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco with quarterly studies slated throughout the upcoming year. Thomas Graham One job of the public relations practitioner is to find ways to best tell the truthoften a truth well told for a client that has forgotten to report and celebrate the human stories behind its progress and success. Were all humans and connected through our stories, after all. Oftentimes, the professional publicist turns out to also be the right choice to lead an entire disparate community of influencers to come together and move society forward. Here in Texas, the first major assignment of that sort we undertook at Crosswind was to successfully organize and promote a 2012 effort to win a $286 million federal grant for Texas A&M and the biotech industry surrounding the College Station campus. That victory was the largest federal healthcare grant in the states history and acted as a platform event for the thriving multi-billion-dollar biotech center that now exists in College Station ten years later. In 2015, Crosswind organized the Flood Aid TX concert, which mobilized hundreds of small businesses and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for desperate flood victims in our state, even elevating international awareness of the Texas tragedy. This article is featured in O'Dwyer's Oct. '22 Healthcare & Medical PR Magazine (view PDF version) This year, were helping to organize and support a new initiative of the Texas Advocacy Project to form a broad state-wide coalition to block and end the trafficking of children and adults into and across Texas. I serve on the board of TAP, a remarkably effective force already in ending dating and domestic violence in our state. The attorneys and social workers who provide free services to victims have seen first-hand the horrors and devastating impact of human trafficking which is often the background to brutal acts, mostly against women. A social worker and an attorney walk alongside the victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and now human trafficking to guide them on their journey from victim to survivor to empowerment and freedom. The new Texas-wide coalition seeks to ignite a common effort across the state to root out and bring to justice those who are secretly profiting from whats essentially the transport and sale of women and children for sex, a shadowy world that also includes a remarkable number of commercial operations that depend on undocumented workers to advance their financial goals. Usually, a PR agencys client is a single entity with a clear mission, and our job is to find ways to authenticate that mission, often hidden in the clients overlooked history, and then broadcast those goals and credentials to key publics and influentials. In the case of a coalition formation, we must often help a disparate group of agencies and activists define its common mission, then sell each entity on the declaration of intent, and finally take that commitment to media to market enduring and substantial social change. Sometimes its a bit like herding headstrong cats, but weve found at Crosswind that the diplomatic skills that go into organizing a public interest coalition work well in forming teams to achieve our agencys more conventional funded assignments. We recently formed and led a rainbow cooperative of Texas PR and advertising agencies that won a significant State of Texas contract to communicate critical health information for young women who live in reduced circumstances. The winning cooperative we organized represents the complete rainbow of ethnic communities in Texas and has led to our own successful internal effort to recruit and further diversify Crosswinds own team of agency professionals. *** Thomas Graham is President, CEO and Founder of Crosswind Media & Public Relations in Austin, Texas. Tim Ryan How out of touch is the New York Times? The paper cant figure out how Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan has a good shot of beating author and venture capitalist JD Vance in the Ohio Senate seat. The Times published a huge analysis of Ryan on the front page of the Oct. 24 paper, as if he just fell to Earth. It decided that Ryans daily uniform that features a Ohio State hoodie, Dropkick Murphys t-shirt, untied white Nikes and use of Metallicas Enter Sandman as a theme song is part of a curated political brand. Thats coastal elitism hogwash. Ryan is just what Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown says he is: a normal guy. Brown is another normal guy and the only Democrat to hold statewide office in Ohio. See the connection, NYT. Ryan, who grew up in Ohios Mahoning Valley, which was devastated by the collapse of the steel industry, is authentically pro-union and against globalization. He chided Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential run for promising to put coal miners out of work. Ryan is as authentic as Vance is in his phoniness. One-time Trump critic Vance is now one of his biggest boot-lickers, or as Ryan colorfully put it ass-kisser." The Times should put more normal guys and girls on its payroll and let them loose beyond metro New York. Filmmaker Michael Moore is back in the news with the prediction that Democrats are going to win big in the midterm election due to a heavy turnout of young voters and the backlash against the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Moore says Democrats are down in the dumps about the election, partly due to the media narrative that the party is going to take a shellacking. The coverage gets inside peoples heads and they begin to feel deflated and want to quit, wrote Moore on his blog. You start believing that we liberals are a bunch of losers. And by thinking of ourselves this way, if youre not careful, you begin to manifest the old narrative into existence. Moore does have a good record in calling elections. He was about the only lefty who predicted Donald Trump would beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. He also predicted mail-in ballots would power Joe Biden to a win over Trump, whom he called a bigot and psychopath. Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX satellite company, has launched his own flight of fancy, telling shareholders that Teslas stock market capitalization will one day exceed the combined market cap of Saudi Arabian Oil Co and Apple. Aramcos market cap stands at $8T as shares trade at $36.50 on Oct. 24. Apple checks in at $2.4T as the stock changes hands at $149 each. Teslas market cap is $650B at $207 per-share. The electric vehicle companys cap capped out at $1.2T in April before Musk made his audacious $44B offer to buy Twitter. Teslas market cap has been in decline since Musk announced his Twitter deal as investors worry that hell have to unload shares to pay for his shiny social media toy. The car companys stock is down more than $6 a share on Oct. 24 on news that it may have to cut prices in No. 2 market, China, due to increased competition. Theres also concerns about the slowdown in Chinas economy and its long-range outlook under Xi Jinping, who has consolidated his power in the Chinese government. Elons market cap goal is just a pipedream. Congratulations to the new British prime minister Rishi Sunak. who may have a tough time dealing with the growing labor unrest in the UK. The man of the people bit isnt going to work out for Sunak. As Labor MP Nadia Whittome posted on Twitter: Rishi and his wife have a fortune of $750M, which is about twice the wealth of King Charles III. Remember this whenever he talks about making 'tough decisions' that working class people will pay for, she wrote. UW, Wyoming SBDC Network to Host Workshop in Cheyenne For anyone contemplating starting a small business, the thought alone can be daunting. However, advice and assistance are available. John Privette will discuss the basics of starting a business during a Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network workshop titled Start Your Own Business Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 6-7 p.m. at the Laramie County Library, located at 2200 Pioneer Ave. in Cheyenne. The presentation is in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). To register, go here. Registration is free. Privette, Wyoming SBDC Network regional director for Laramie and Goshen counties, will cover the development of a business model, legal structure options and the reality of startup financing. For more information, call Maureen Johnson, CARES Act recovery program manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email mjohn125@uwyo.edu. The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. The presence of Big Tech in the UKs financial services market has caught the eyes of the regulator. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seeking views on the possible competition harms and benefits of the Big Tech push into financial services sectors and the infrastructure on which it is based. Sheldon Mills, executive director of [...] Rishi Sunak on his first day as prime minister promised hope everyday after addressing the UKs economic challenges, but it already seemed that way for the pound today. Sterling surged as much as 1.8 per cent against the US dollar, pushing it far above the $1.03 record it reached after former PM Liz Trusss disastrous [...] The Bank of England's deputy governor has said it is "engaging" with the Treasury over the fiscal event expected on 31 October. A couple from Kelowna, B.C., who were escorted off their flight from Toronto in August have filed a lawsuit against Swoop Airlines and two of its employees, accusing all three of racial discrimination and defamation. Bob Geldof has backed climate change protesters who threw tomato soup over Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting - saying they were "1,000% right" in their actions. The population of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales continued to decline in 2021, according to the latest estimate. But the report suggested the decline is slowing, noting no right whale deaths have been reported in Canadian waters in three years. A burglar has been convicted of murdering an 86-year-old woman in her home after beating, gagging and tying up the pensioner,.. Belfast Telegraph 25 Oct 2022 The Canada Infrastructure Bank has made a deal with Ontario Power Generation to provide $970 million to build the country's first small modular reactor. Upworthy 28 Oct 2022 The gunman who killed two people and wounded several others in a school shooting in St. Louis, Missouri, on Monday was flagged by.. The target was a concert held by an ethnic minority group in conflict with the ruling military, opposition groups and media.. euronews 24 Oct 2022 LeoVegas Partners with Swedish University Research Team to for Gambling Harm Study Published October 25, 2022 by Lee R Academia meets iGaming in a key new study in Sweden sponsored by LeoVegas. Operating giant LeoVegas is partnering with a Swedish university research team on a problem gambling study in a proactive attempt to identify signs of problem gambling earlier. The Study Sweden-based Karolinska Institutets Department of Clinical Neuroscience of the academic team is the partner for a four-year initiative committed to strengthening and expanding methods for identifying and preventing problem gambling through the operators customer data. The Model The comprehensive analysis seeks to develop, evaluate and implement new mental illness-focused mapping and identification tools. The Collaboration LeoVegas provides the funding and data, in cooperation with associate professor and research team leader Philip Lindner. LeoVegas Goals The Sweden-based iGaming powerhouse cited the initiative as a component of the wider organisational goals of reducing the harmful effects of gambling through informing the topical responsible gambling debate with evidence-based observation. LeoVegas Chief Speaks LeoVegas CEO Gustaf Hagman explained the priority of responsible gaming for the LeoVegas Group: We believe that our industry must take greater responsibility for contributing knowledge and facts about gambling-related problems, and learning how to minimise these issues." Significance of Research Hagman further expressed overall organisational pride in partnering with Karolinska Institutet in carrying out what he called valuable research in the future hopes that decision-makers and the igaming industry will be able to apply the findings in order to support more responsible gambling. Research Team Leader Speaks The contribution to the industry as a whole and the betterment of society was echoed as a priority by team leader Lindner: As researchers at universities, we have a duty to spread knowledge that is useful to society. This collaboration gives us a unique opportunity to study data that hasnt previously been available for research." Study Focus Lindner identified the priority of providing new ways of identifying and helping players at risk, at the earliest possible stage. Safer Gambling Week The project has been announced during the fifth year of UKs Safer Gambling Week, the annual event where the industry shares tools and information to reduce gambling harm by encouraging all players to understand their own habits better. Study Benefits While Safer Gambling week encourages players to be more reflective in order to equip themselves with the tools to self-manage better, the LeoVegas study stands as an effective complement to show the industry cares and provides some internal assistance to players. Outlook This looks like the best use of gaming data to date. Instead of using it just to engage players, the data certainly as an added value as far as providing consumer information that can protect players as well. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Regional Director for Emergencies at the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Richard Brennan, has expressed the organization's willingness to provide full support to Libya in the area of emergency preparedness and response This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions This morning, Apple is calling on its global supply chain to take new steps to address their greenhouse gas emissions and take a comprehensive approach to decarbonization. The company will evaluate the work of its major manufacturing partners to decarbonize their Apple-related operations including running on 100 percent renewable electricity and will track yearly progress. Apple has been carbon neutral for its global corporate operations since 2020, and is laser-focused on its ambitious goal to become carbon neutral across its entire global supply chain and the life cycle of every product. As the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt around the world, Apple also announced new initiatives and investments aimed at helping decarbonize the global economy and promote innovative climate solutions for communities. These include significant investments in renewable energy in Europe, partnerships to support businesses transitioning to clean energy, and new support for projects that advance natural carbon removal and community-driven climate solutions around the world. Fighting climate change remains one of Apples most urgent priorities, and moments like this put action to those words, said Tim Cook, Apples CEO. Were looking forward to continued partnership with our suppliers to make Apples supply chain carbon neutral by 2030. Climate action at Apple doesnt stop at our doors, and in this work, were determined to be a ripple in the pond that creates a bigger change. (Click on image to Enlarge) Mobilizing Supply Chain Climate Action As part of Apples supplier engagement, the company is partnering with its worldwide supply chain to urge accelerated action to achieve carbon neutrality for their Apple-related corporate operations. The company requires reporting on progress toward these goals specifically Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reductions related to Apple production and will track and audit annual progress. Apple will partner with suppliers that are working with urgency and making measurable progress toward decarbonization. Additionally, Apple is encouraging suppliers to address the greenhouse gas emissions beyond their Apple production, prioritizing clean energy. As part of the companys work to achieve its 2030 goal, Apple has reduced its emissions by 40 percent since 2015, largely through improvements in energy efficiency, low-carbon design, becoming carbon neutral for corporate operations, and transitioning its supply chain to renewable electricity. More than 200 suppliers representing more than 70 percent of Apples direct manufacturing spend have already committed to using clean power like wind or solar for all Apple production. Major manufacturing partners including Corning Incorporated, Nitto Denko Corporation, SK hynix, STMicroelectronics, TSMC, and Yuto have committed to power all Apple production with 100 percent renewable energy. To help suppliers meet their commitments and go even further, Apple offers a suite of free e-learning resources and live trainings through its Clean Energy Program, and works closely with its suppliers and local partners to identify effective solutions for renewable energy and carbon removal. More than 150 supplier representatives have participated in live trainings this year alone. Apple plans to donate these resources to create a first-of-its-kind public training platform that is free for businesses across many different industries, ensuring that companies of all sizes in Apples supply chain and beyond will have access to the resources and advocacy networks needed to speed their transition to 100 percent clean energy and carbon neutrality. Expanding Clean Energy to Address Customer Product Use As part of Apples commitment to clean energy, the company has sourced renewable energy to power all of its corporate offices, retail stores, and data centers in 44 countries since 2018, and its suppliers have brought more than 10 gigawatts of clean power online around the world. Building on this progress, Apple plans to facilitate the construction of large-scale solar and wind projects in Europe, with projects ranging between 30 and 300 megawatts following an initial request for proposals issued earlier this year. Over the next several years, the company aims to procure enough renewable energy to power all Apple devices on the continent with low-carbon electricity, while continuing to power corporate offices, retail stores, and data centers with 100 percent clean energy. In total, the planned investments will add 3,000 gigawatt hours per year of new renewable energy on the grid. The European investments are part of the companys larger strategy to address the approximately 22 percent of its carbon footprint that comes from the electricity customers use to charge their devices. Wherever possible, Apple plans to bring clean energy projects online in grids with high carbon intensity, enhancing the impact on Europes electricity sector at a time when renewable generation is critically needed. Earlier this year, the company announced new renewable energy projects in the United States and Australia designed to address customer product use. Customers in the United States can now play a role in decreasing the carbon footprint of iPhone with Clean Energy Charging. Available starting this month in the United States through iOS 16, the new feature looks at the sources of the electricity during expected charge times and optimizes for when the grid is using cleaner energy sources like solar or wind. To continue to advance climate-smart decision-making for customers, employees, and partners, Apple has joined the University of California, Berkeleys CoolClimate Network, a research partnership to motivate and empower individuals and organizations to make low-carbon choices. Advancing Equitable and Financially Viable Climate Solutions Around the World Apple today also announced three new projects through the Restore Fund, a first-of-its-kind carbon removal initiative that aims to generate a financial return while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In partnership with Conservation International and Goldman Sachs, Apple has invested with three high-quality forestry managers in Brazil and Paraguay to restore 150,000 acres of sustainably certified working forests and protect around 100,000 acres of native forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Together, these initial forestry projects are forecast to remove 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in 2025. To ensure accurate monitoring, reporting, and verification of the projects carbon removal impact, Apple is working with partners to analyze satellite imagery and deploy innovative remote sensing technologies. As Apple continues to make progress reducing emissions by 75 percent by 2030, the company prioritizes high-quality nature-based solutions for the 25 percent of remaining emissions that are unavoidable with existing technologies. At the same time, Apple is working to spur entirely new solutions, including through support for analysis by Carbon Direct identifying pathways for developing sustainable aviation fuels. A member of the ChangemakerXchange community takes part in a workshop on social innovation in Cologne, Germany. ChangemakerXchange and Apple are partnering to strengthen climate leadership in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. In addition to the Restore Fund projects, Apple today announced new partnerships to advance community-driven climate solutions around the world: In Namibia and Zimbabwe, Apple is working with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to promote climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods through the Climate Crowd program. Climate Crowd works hand in hand with communities facing the worst impacts of climate change to build resilience and develop alternative livelihoods that depend on the preservation and restoration of natural resources in the region from climate-smart agriculture to beekeeping and rainwater harvesting. In this region, the program also supports interventions like clean cookstoves that help communities get the critical energy resources they need without depleting the natural resources around them. In China, Apple has partnered with China Green Carbon Foundation to conduct research, demonstrate best practices, and build stakeholder networks around the goal of increasing the amount and quality of responsibly managed nature-based carbon sinks. The partnership will support identifying and mapping prioritized areas in the Sichuan province, as well as developing best practice guidelines and methods for forest management that could be replicated in other regions. Apple will also support a pilot in Chengdu to demonstrate carbon removal potential in urban and semi-urban areas, which will help establish best practices for carrying out carbon removal projects in urban areas of China, and improve climate adaptation and resilience. In the Chyulu Hills region of Kenya, Apple has partnered with Conservation International since 2020 to demonstrate that improved livestock management can help restore crucial rangelands, store carbon, and build climate-resilient pastoral livelihoods across Africa. To date, the project has trained hundreds of local Maasai community members in updated rangeland management techniques, including more sustainable grazing practices, reduction of soil erosion, natural regeneration, and the creation of women-led grass seed banks. This morning, the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK posted a report wherein it noted that Big Tech firms presence in UK financial services markets has been steadily increasing, with the potential to expand further and change markets quickly. The study is focused on Apple, Google, Amazon and Meta. The 60 page discussion paper mentions the four big tech companies 111 times. Sheldon Mills, Executive Director of Consumers and Competition: "In recent years, Big Techs entry into financial services, in the UK and elsewhere, has demonstrated their potential to disrupt established markets, drive innovation and reduce costs for consumers. Across the world, weve seen the capability of Big Tech to offer transformative new products in areas such as payments, deposits and consumer credit. We want to make sure that these benefits are fully realized while, at the same time, ensuring good consumer and market outcomes. This is vital when we consider the role of Big Tech firms in the provision of key technological infrastructure like cloud services. The discussion we are starting today will inform the FCAs pro-competitive approach to digital markets, and I encourage consumers, firms and fellow regulators to join the conversation." To begin the discussion, the FCA has published analysis focusing on the potential competition impacts of Big Techs entry in four vital retail sectors: payments, deposit taking, consumer credit and insurance. By combining financial services with their existing business, Big Tech firms can bring benefits to consumers. These might be innovative new offers with highly competitive pricing driven by increased efficiency, delivering healthy competition with incumbent financial services providers. But in the longer term, Big Tech firms could pose competition risks if they rapidly gain market share, and they are able to exploit market power. No regulatory changes are being proposed at this stage, and the FCAs paper aims to stimulate discussion to inform its regulatory approach to Big Tech firms as part of the new UK pro-competitive regime for digital markets. The FCA has a long-established reputation for supporting innovation and competition across financial markets and it is committed to delivering fair value for consumers in digital markets, as outlined in its latest Business Plan. You could review the full 60-page Discussion Paper here. At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Performance is surprisingly competitive Vivid, bright screen Cellular connectivity for on-the-go work Fantastic battery life New Windows Studio Effects generally work well Cons eSIM connectivity had issues Audio isnt as rich as earlier tablets Inking isnt quite as good Expensive No headphone jack Arm processor has some compatibility issues with games Our Verdict If youre in the market for an always-connected Windows tablet for office work, wed recommend you take a look at the Surface Pro 9 (5G). Best Prices Today: Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (5G) Retailer Price $1599.99 View Deal We recommend that you consider buying the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (5G) Windows tablet, with an Arm chipnot an Intel or AMD chipinside. Thats a first for us, and we hope its not the last. Read reviews of the Surface Pro 9 with a large grain of salt, because there are two significantly different products hiding under the same brand name. The Surface Pro 9 is built on an Intel 12th-gen Core chip (Alder Lake), while the Surface Pro 9 (5G) uses a separate SQ3 chip co-developed by Qualcomm to Microsofts specifications. Were reviewing the Surface Pro 9 (5G) here. The Surface Pro 9 (5G) is essentially the Surface Pro X, now renamed and brought under the Surface Pro 9 brand umbrella. Inside it is the SQ3, an Arm chip thats technically incompatible with the X86 architecture of Intels Core and AMDs Ryzen processors, but can run most Windows apps both via a special Arm-optimized version of Windows 11 plus a special code interpreter. What it boils down to is this: The Surface Pro 9 (5G) should offer somewhat more battery life and somewhat less performance than the Core version of the tablet, based on our tests. But its not that much less, and thats the surprise. Nevertheless, there are still application compatibility issues if you wander too far from its mission: handling day-to-day Office tasks and browsing via Microsoft Edge. The Surface Pro 9 (5G) is also the only SP9 to include a 5G radio inside, meaning that youll enjoy always-on connectivity once you leave the range of the nearest Wi-Fi router. Were also told that Microsoft does not plan to sell a 5G version of the Surface Pro 9 with a Core chip inside, either if you want an always-connected Surface Pro 9, the Surface Pro 9 (5G) is it. A special Liberty Floral keyboard is available in limited quantities to celebrate the Surface lines 10th anniversary. Michael Crider/IDG Unlike the Surface Pro 9, the Surface Pro 9 (5G) does not include a pair of Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, which usually requires an Intel processor. Instead, the Surface Pro 9 (5G) includes standard USB-C ports rated at the vanilla 10Gbps spec instead. This matters in two ways: first, you wont be able to use a Thunderbolt dock to expand this tablets I/O capabilities. You also wont be able to use a powered Thunderbolt dock to charge the tablet either, and will have to depend on the 39W charger to charge the tablet through the Surface Connect port. This is not an enormous issue; you can use Microsofts Surface Dock 2, the upcoming Microsoft Audio Dock, or an inexpensive USB-C dongle to provide some I/O expansion capabilities, and the in-box charger works just fine. But its another difference between the two. Otherwise, aside from shaving a sliver off of the chassis weight, the Surface Pro 9 is essentially the same as the Surface Pro 8: the same design, with a Surface Pro Signature Keyboard (sold separately) which can tuck the optional Surface Slim Pen 2 (usually bundled with the Signature Keyboard) into its recharging cubby. Two new color options are available: Sapphire and Forest, with a special Liberty floral blue Surface Pro 9 color option in limited quantities to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Surface tablet. Microsoft has continued to offer two sub-versions of the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Pro 9 (5G), which vary by operating system. Our review unit of the Surface Pro 9 (5G), supplied by Microsoft, uses Windows 11 Home. An optional Surface Pro 9 (5G) for Business ships with both Windows 11 Pro. Business customers also enjoy better support options. Surface Pro 9 (5G) features and specs Display: 13-inch PixelSense Flow (28801920, 267 PPI) up to 120Hz with dynamic refresh rate 13-inch PixelSense Flow (28801920, 267 PPI) up to 120Hz with dynamic refresh rate Processor: Surface Pro 9 (consumer): 12th-gen Core i5-1235U, Core i7-1255U; Surface Pro 9 for Business: Core i5-1245U, Core i7-1265U; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: Microsoft 3.00GHz SQ3 Surface Pro 9 (consumer): 12th-gen Core i5-1235U, Core i7-1255U; Surface Pro 9 for Business: Core i5-1245U, Core i7-1265U; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: Microsoft 3.00GHz SQ3 Graphics: Surface Pro 9: Iris Xe (Core i5, i7); Surface Pro 9 with 5G: SQ3 Adreno 8cx Gen 3 Surface Pro 9: Iris Xe (Core i5, i7); Surface Pro 9 with 5G: SQ3 Adreno 8cx Gen 3 Memory: Surface Pro 9: 8/16/32GB LPDDR5 RAM; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: 8/16GB LPDDR4X RAM Surface Pro 9: 8/16/32GB LPDDR5 RAM; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: 8/16GB LPDDR4X RAM Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB removable SSD; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: 128GB/256GB/512GB removable SSD 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB removable SSD; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: 128GB/256GB/512GB removable SSD Ports: Surface Pro 9 (5G): 2 USB-C 10Gbps; Surface Pro 9: 2 USB-C (USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4). Both SP9 models include 1 Surface Connect port, 1 Surface Keyboard Port Surface Pro 9 (5G): 2 USB-C 10Gbps; Surface Pro 9: 2 USB-C (USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4). Both SP9 models include 1 Surface Connect port, 1 Surface Keyboard Port Security: Camera (Windows Hello) Camera (Windows Hello) Camera: Surface Pro 9: 5Mpixel/1080p (user-facing), 10MP/1080p and 4K video (rear-facing); Surface Pro 9 with 5G: same, but with Windows Studio Effects Surface Pro 9: 5Mpixel/1080p (user-facing), 10MP/1080p and 4K video (rear-facing); Surface Pro 9 with 5G: same, but with Windows Studio Effects Battery: Design capacity: 46.5Wh; Full capacity, 49.2Wh Design capacity: 46.5Wh; Full capacity, 49.2Wh Wireless: Both: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: see below Both: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: see below Operating system: Consumer, both Surface Pro 9 versions: Windows 11 Home; Business, Surface Pro 9: Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: Windows 11 Pro Consumer, both Surface Pro 9 versions: Windows 11 Home; Business, Surface Pro 9: Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: Windows 11 Pro Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches Weight: Surface Pro 9: 1.94 pounds; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: 1.95 pounds (mmWave); 1.94 pounds (Sub6) Surface Pro 9: 1.94 pounds; Surface Pro 9 with 5G: 1.95 pounds (mmWave); 1.94 pounds (Sub6) Color: Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire, Forest, Liberty (limited supplies) Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire, Forest, Liberty (limited supplies) Price: Surface Pro 9 (consumer): $999 to $2,599.99, depending on configuration; Surface Pro 9 with 5G (consumer): $1,299.99 to $1,899.99; Surface Pro 9 for Business: $1,099.99 to $2,699.99; Surface Pro 9 with 5G for Business: $1,399.99 to $1,899.99 ($1,599.99 as tested) Surface Pro 9 (consumer): $999 to $2,599.99, depending on configuration; Surface Pro 9 with 5G (consumer): $1,299.99 to $1,899.99; Surface Pro 9 for Business: $1,099.99 to $2,699.99; Surface Pro 9 with 5G for Business: $1,399.99 to $1,899.99 ($1,599.99 as tested) Optional accessories: Surface Slim Pen 2: $97 on sale at Amazon; Surface Pro Signature Keyboard: on sale at Amazon for $149.99 Yes, the Surface Pro 9 (5G) is all about the hardware. But its also a showcase for the latest features of Windows 11, and youll see the updated Microsoft Edge browser (complete with a luxurious look at its features, including the new icon sidebar on the right side) when you first open it. Mark Hachman / IDG Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (5G): Out of the box Microsoft sent us a Surface Pro Signature Keyboard in what appears to be the Sapphire color, along with the Surface Slim Pen 2. Microsofts setup process doesnt seem to differ too much from what Windows 11 now asks of you. Youll still need a Microsoft account to proceed, though that opens the door for automatic installation of Microsoft 365 (Office 365) as well as migrating apps and settings from any other previous installations. Expect to see the Surface app pop up randomly early on, asking you to set up your Surface Slim Pen 2, including questions about what hand you ink with as well as a general overview of how the pen works. Inking is far more fundamental to the Surface Pro experience than, say, the Surface Laptop 5. The power button and volume rocker have wandered about the top and sides of the Surface Pro over the last few generations. The Surface Pro 9 (5G) returns to the design of the Surface Pro 7+, with the power and volume rocker on top, next to one another. The Surface Pro 9 (5G), like its 5G-less cousin, is a Windows tablet, with the SP9s traditional kickstand that allows it to recline just 15 degrees or so off of the horizontal. The Surface Pro 9 experience is part consumption, as the lightweight tablet and kickstand allows it to be propped up in all sorts of non-traditional locations; part creation, via inking on the tablet; and part productivity, with the magnetically attached Signature keyboard allowing it to emulate a traditional clamshell notebook. It does all of these pretty well. Mark Hachman / IDG In general, the Surface Pro tablets do best on a flat surface, versus a typical clamshell laptop which can perch on your lap. Otherwise, youll have to hold the 13-inch SP9 tablet up, grasping it by the rather large bezels on the sides. The display matches the Surface Pro 8, which increased the display size slightly, with better resolution than rival tablets from Dell and others. You might think by now that Microsoft would use some sort of AI intelligence to sense which fingers are merely holding the tablet, and which are interacting with it. Thats not the case, and everything looks a bit antiquated as a result. A pair of USB-C (not Thunderbolt) ports are on the left side of the Surface Pro 9 (5G). But wheres the headphone jack? Mark Hachman / IDG When comparing it to other tablets like the Apple iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab series, the Surface Pro 9 is hard-pressed to hold its own. But in the Windows space, versus traditional laptops, the SP9 stands out, with a display resolution that pushes past 1440p and with excellent pixel density. The PixelSense Flow screen continues to be simply beautiful, with a dynamic 120Hz option for improved smoothness and inking. According to our colorimeter, the Surface Pro 9 (5g) puts out an extremely bright 443 nits of screen luminance and covers much of the sRGB color gamut as well. Thats about ten more nits than the Surface Pro 8 pushed out, and should allow you to work in the shade, if not daylight. Thats ideal for an on-the-go, connected tablet. The Surface Pro 9 (5G) emphasizes creativity, with a wide color gamut. Mark Hachman / IDG Microsofts 5G tablet foregoes Dolby Vision IQ, a visual display improvement that the new Surface Laptop 5 includes but this device does not. The Surface Pro 9 (5G) uses an Arm processor, typically much more power-efficient than an X86 chip. Its fanless, and justifiably so; we could hardly feel any warmth on the rear of the tablet, either after copying files, decompressing them, or running workloads. The tablet only became marginally warm when connecting it to a secondary display via a USB-C cable. The Surface Pro 9 (5G) puts out enough light that you can work in moderate daylight. This was taken about 3PM, on a sunny day. Mark Hachman / IDG Unlike the Surface Laptop 5 (or virtually any other product that uses an Intel or AMD X86 processor) the Windows performance settings have no effect. With an X86 chip, you can get significantly increased performance for free; with the Surface Pro 9 (5G) the settings are there, but are just for show. We understand that while Microsoft would have liked to add in Thunderbolt, that just didnt happen. We have a 4K test display that includes a USB-C input, and it powered that display without any problems at all. (Naturally, it can only run its internal display at 120Hz, however.) Microsoft phased out the microSD card slot in earlier Surface Pro models, but you can replace that with a separate USB-C dongle. How is the Surface Pro 9 (5G) to type on? Microsofts Surface Pro Signature Keyboards havent changed that much in the last few years, save for the addition of the charging cubby for the Slim Pen 2. Yes, the magnetic connector holding the keyboard to the tablet does secure the tablet well enough to use it on your lap, but youll probably prefer to use it on a desk or tabletop in most cases. While youll probably prefer the stability of typing on a clamshell laptop, the inclined Signature Keyboard is absolutely usable for everyday use. The Surface Pro Signature Keyboard hides the Slim Pen 2, tucked underneath the fold. Mark Hachman / IDG What happened to the Surface Pro 9s headphone jack? The Surface Pro 9 (5G)s speakers provide a soft but balanced soundscape with noticeably less volume than prior generations. Put against the Surface Pro 8, theres simply little point of comparison: previous Surface tablets have punched above their weight in terms of audio quality, and the Surface Pro 9 (5G) seems to be trading on that legacy with less to back it up. Yes, the specs say that theres still the same 2W speakers inside it, but I find that hard to believe. In fact, the Surface Pro 8 has a toggle switch within the Windows 11 Settings menu to toggle on audio enhancements. The Surface Pro 9 (5G) lacks that feature, and frankly sounds almost identical to the SP8 with that switch toggled off. Using headphones, though, thankfully rectifies those flaws, and my Google Pixel earbuds sounded terrific. The Surface Pro 9 (5G) still ships with a rear camera, if thats your thing. Mark Hachman / IDG Its worth noting, though that those are Pixel USB-C wired earbuds. Why? Because the Surface Pro 9 (5G) has joined the ranks of those devices that have killed off the headphone jack alongside the Surface Pro X still a black mark in my book. I dont want to have to charge Bluetooth earbuds to use my tablet. If you feel differently, thats fine. The Surface Pro 9 (5G)s webcam, however, is one of the devices highlights. First, the Surface Pro family has always used a 1080p webcam, and theyre usually among the best of any laptop or tablet, anywhere. Though the webcam image shot with the camera is a bit soft, the image quality, color, and lighting is quite good. I typically capture these webcam images in the morning, but this was captured in the afternoon, with side light. Its still very well done. The image captured by the Surface Pro 9 (5G)s webcam is pretty good, with good detail, lighting, and color. Mark Hachman / IDG But theres another reason to buy the Surface Pro 9 (5G), and thats what Microsoft calls Windows Studio Effects. Inexplicably, theyre buried within the Settings menu (Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras > Surface Camera front) but theyre offered (right now) on no other Surface device Microsoft offers. Specifically, Windows Studio Effects offer three features: background effects (specifically blurring), Eye Contact, and automatic framing. While other applications offer background blurring, the key is that Windows offers this as a general control, so it isnt dependent on the app itself. (Its a little unclear whether an apps effects will be able to override this or not.) Microsoft offers two blurs: a portrait blur that vaguely blurs the background, and a deeper standard blur that makes the background largely unrecognizable. These are all previewable within Settings, by the way. Interestingly, both models of the Surface Pro 9 ship with a webcam with a 4-degree tilt, which we have to assume contributes to its capability for automatic framing. This Windows blur is a necessity for a crowded home office, full of various test equipment and so on. Mark Hachman / IDG Eye Contact is a feature that, like FaceTime for Apples iOS, attempts to use AI to fix your gaze on the camera, no matter if youre actually looking at something else. Again, this is a Windows control, so it should be active in Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and other apps. But its not previewable, so youll have to trust (ha!) that youll look as if youre actually paying attention. (It didnt work with a phone movie I recorded of my face, with my eyes darting this way and that.) Thats a bit risky during those group meetings or staff calls, so play it safe until you can test it out with a friend. Automatic framing does work, however. In a perfect world, automatic framing would work as a sort of face tracking, tracking your face as you move around. And it does! within some limits. The webcam does a nice job of identifying your face and zooming in to it. If youre seated at your desk during a call, its unlikely that this will make a difference. But if you stand up or slide your chair back, automatic framing should step in. We captured automatic framing in action to create this GIF, below. Note that youll need Windows 11s 2022 Update, and the October experiences update, and a device with a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 or equivalent (SQ3) to make this work. Mark Hachman / IDG How is the Surface Pro 9 (5G) for inking? The Surface Pro 9 (5G) continues to support the tablet well, even maximally reclined, for inking. Microsoft has also finally nailed the pens design, too: though youll need to buy a Surface Pro Signature Keyboard, the way that the flat Surface Slim Pen 2 conceals itself within it and charges when not in use is just about perfect. (Make sure not to buy the Slim Pen 2 separately without the keyboard, as the standalone Pen 2 doesnt come with a charger.) One of the few things we havent tested was how long the Slim Pen 2 lasts; Microsoft says that the pens internal rechargeable battery can last up to 15 hours, which should be just fine before it has to be returned to its cubby to recharge. We havent had any complaints, nor do the users we interact with online. The Slim Pen 2, inside the charging cubby. Michael Crider/IDG The Slim Pen 2s flat shape is a bit awkward to use, though the redesigned Pen 2 has a sharper nib, allowing for more precision. It also applies 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. I really cant tell how accurate this all is, though we tested the inking capabilities by inking a series of straight lines. below, with a straight edge. The pen-tablet interaction on most tablets introduces jitter (wobble) under certain situations, especially when inking slowly on a diagonal. The Surface Pro 8 offered an exceptional inking experience, though I dont think the Surface Pro 9 (5G) is as good, as there seems to be more jitter when inking slowly and diagonally, which is where it creeps in. Theres no noticeable ink offset, though, as the ink flows directly underneath the nib. Again, Microsoft seems to have oversold the haptic feedback. When inking on the tablet your fingers should receive a bit of resistance, like inking on paper, I really couldnt feel it. It appears that the ink jitter in the Surface Pro 9 (5G) is more pronounced than what we found in our Surface Pro 8 review. Mark Hachman / IDG Cellular performance One of the selling points of the Surface Pro 9 (5G) is its ability to connect on the go. Microsoft provides two options: either you can insert a physical SIM card into the back of the tablet, via a pop-out door that also houses the replaceable SSD, or you can sign up with one of two built-in eSIM providers and use that instead. If you choose the latter (as I did), you dont need a physical SIM card at all. Thats certainly the more convenient option. Unfortunately, Im not sure its the most effective. I signed up for a 1Gbyte, 7-day eSIM plan with GigSky, one of the built-in providers, for $9.99. Neither GigSky nor Ubigi, the other provider, offer 5G connectivityunfortunate considering this SP9 includes 5G in its name. Theres also no obvious provision to save your GigSky password via the browser, and I hadnt installed a password manager. Across my test sites, I received decent connectivity, but not quite up to snuff to a Samsung Galaxy S22 5G phone. In two locations with middling to poor signal quality, the eSIM not only failed to connect but asked me to activate the eSIM again, after Id paid for and actually used the eSIM at another location in town. Were told that these stripes are antenna bands that are used to improve reception, though it wasnt that great on our tests. Mark Hachman / IDG I received a maximum of 268Mbits down and 1.69Mbits up within sight of the cellular tower, and progressively worse results elsewhere 132 Mbits and 76Mbits. Thats not that shabby, and more than enough to work or stream a movie, as I did. Otherwise, without a 5G offering, and with middling bandwidth, Id be tempted to look into what my provider would offer to wirelessly tether my phone, or what it would cost for a secondary physical SIM. Pop this SIM cubby open with a SiM tool and you can insert a physical SIM card inside. Mark Hachman / IDG How good is the Surface Pro 9 (5G) performance? The short answer? Not that bad, surprisingly. Normally, wed use a standard suite of benchmarks to evaluate the Surface Pro 9 (5G). But the fact that theres an Arm chip inside complicates matters. While the SQ3 Arm chip runs most applications, it doesnt run all of them, and its this unexpected What? Really? response that can still turn off potential buyers. For most common applications, though the Surface Pro 9 (5G) should run most everything youd throw at it: Office apps, Microsoft Edge and competing browsers, even the nitty-gritty apps like the Windows Command Line app. (Earlier versions didnt always do this.) Just dont expect to play games; the tablet will not install some games and CAD software, and some third-party drivers or antivirus software, according to Microsoftgames with OpenGL 1.2 or above or with anti-cheat software, essentially. Streaming our test 4K60 test YouTube stream looked gorgeous on the tablets screen, thanks to the great color fidelity. But YouTube only delivered a 1440810 stream, though it didnt drop a single frame. The Netflix and Hulu apps worked as expected. You can download and run Google Chrome, if youd like. Wed normally provide links to comparative tablets, but there really arent any right now. We can recommend reading our review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s Gen 1, which uses the 8cx Gen 3 and should be roughly comparable to the Surface Pro 9 (5G) and its SQ3 chip. We dont have the Surface Pro 9 with a Core chip inside of it to compare to. the new surface laptop 5 sports a traditional intel CPU and laptop design Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (15-inch) Read our review Normally, wed test our suite of benchmarks that measures general day-to-day app performance, with CPU tests, and so on. But some of those applications still wont work on Arm. Therefore, were forced to play the junior varsity: a PCMark 10 Apps test suite by Underwriter Laboratories that measures how well the tablet loads and uses Microsoft Office apps; a related UL test, 3DMark, which tracks 3D performance; and a browser-based benchmark that tries to fill in the gaps in how well the tablet will handle other applications. One of our test applications that has run previously, PCMark 8s Creative workload, simply refused to run after numerous attempts. Its one of the frustrations of this platform. But there has been a surprising amount of improvement in the Snapdragon infrastructure. Again, its unclear whether or not that our limited test suite is just topping out in terms of theoretical performance, but we were surprised at how well Snapdragon caught up and even exceeded a Core chip. Case in point: WebXPRT 3. Its a legacy Web app, even passed over by the developer in favor of a new version. WebXPRT performs photo editing, spreadsheet work, digital scanning, and so on, using tools like Web Workers and Javascript. And yes, it topped the Surface Laptop 5, Microsofts clamshell notebook that uses the 12th-gen Core (Alder Lake) chip. Though we have a limited set of comparative laptops, the Surface Pro 9 (5G) is keeping up with Microsofts latest. Mark Hachman / IDG Heres a more compelling benchmark. If you think of the Surface Pro 9 (5G) as primarily an office machine, running Microsoft 365 (Office) apps and browsing the web well, thats what the PCMark 10 Apps test measures. And the Surface Pro 9 (5G) holds its own. In PCMark 10 Apps, theres only a 14 percent gap in performance between the Surface Pro 8 and its Core chip to the Surface Pro 9 (5G) and its Arm processor. Mark Hachman / IDG Finally, we used 3DMarks Night Raid, a cross-platform 3D GPU test, to evaluate how the Adreno 3D core inside the SQ3 fares. Here, it doesnt quite hold up to the Iris Xe cores used within the Intel Core chips. Theres a significant gap, but its not extraordinarily huge, either. Because of some benchmark database snafus, we werent able to directly compare the Lenovo ThinkPad x13s Gen 1 (a clamshell that uses the comparable Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 processor from Qualcomm) except for this test. The scores are almost exactly equal. The Adreno graphics core from Microsoft and Qualcomm cant really keep up with the Iris Xe integrated GPUs of Core chips, but thats not really the point of the Surface Pro 9 (5G) Mark Hachman / IDG Battery life is certainly a key metric, too, and we use a video rundown test to measure how long the tablet will last when you use it in class, in meetings, and on the couch. We believe that our tests more directly correspond to real-world usage, as our test conditions use a much brighter screen than Microsoft itself does. This is where Arm processors typically shine, as the Surface Pro 9 (5G) does here with about 15.75 hours of real-world battery life. We turn the Wi-Fi and cellular radios off for this test, which will affect your battery life, as will the work you perform on it. But this is still a great result. Mark Hachman / IDG Should you buy the Surface Pro 9 (5G)? We didnt extensively test the Microsofts tablet for compatibility with modern applications due to time constraints, and thats traditionally been the weakest point of the Arm argument. You can see that we struggled to get some of our benchmark applications to work, and were not going to award an Editors Choice award based upon that. But the thrust of Windows on Arm has always been the core applications, namely Microsoft 365/Office and web browsing, and how they run. All of those load and run as expected. Battery life, the other selling point, has been somewhat superseded by Intels Evo platform by convincing laptop makers to build their clamshells a little thicker and with more battery, they easily extended their run time. As a tablet, the Surface Pro 9 (5G) sits within a niche, without the ravenous competition of the clamshell notebook space. That gives it breathing room. But, excuses aside, its now within striking distance of mainstream Core products. We dont have the Surface Pro 9 and its Intel Core processor to test, but the Surface Laptop 5 stands in. The tablets battery-life argument holds up, and yes, you can argue that you can trade off a bit of lower performance for improved connectivity. So yes, the Surface Pro 9 (5G) did unexpectedly well. Were impressed. Is it the best tablet in its class? We dont know. But yes, wed recommend that you consider the Surface Pro 9 (5G), and hope for continued competition from Microsoft and Qualcomm in the future. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 4 laptop is swanky as heck thanks to its minimalist exterior. However, its definitely more than just a pretty face. Lenovos currently selling this model for $989.40, which is a savings of $659.60. While the 1080p webcam, backlit keyboard, and fingerprint reader are nice additions, the specs are also solid. Lets get right into it. The ThinkBook 13s is rocking an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U CPU, AMD Radeon 680M integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of PCIe SSD storage. Thats more than enough power for word processing, spreadsheet work, web browsing, and maybe some light gaming. The 13.3-inch non-touch display has a 19201080 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. According to Lenovo, the displays brightness measures 300 nits. If that number is indeed accurate, then you can expect a relatively vibrant display. This is an awesome sale at Lenovo, so you better swoop in now and grab this laptop before its gone for good. Get the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 4 laptop for $989.40 at Lenovo Some concerned teachers in the Ashanti and Central regions have rejected calls by the leadership of the teacher unions over the revocation of the appointment of the new Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr Eric Nkansah. His appointment came after the former Director General, Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwah was sacked by the President. Four teacher unions at a press conference in Accra criticised the appointment saying the Dr Nkansah is a banker and has not risen to the teaching rank to merit that poisition. But the concerned teachers think otherwise. They say the former head of the GTEC has what it takes to handle the position, especially when his role is purely administrative and has also garnered a lot of experience in the classroom should the argument of thuse discrediting him hold. Convenor for the concerned teachers, Nicholas Adu Berko explained why they have taken a swipe on the stance taken by the other unions. Usually when there is an issue, our respective Union leaders throw them to us at the circuit and district levels to make our contributions on what to do. But when the president mbetioned Mr. Eric Nkansah, nobody consulted us. We only saw our leadership saying they reject his appointment. Yes, on paper he is a banker but this is someone who has thought from the basic level up to the tertiary. He was teaching at the Kumasi Technical University, then Kumasi Polytechnic. Then he went to GES to head the Ghana Tertiary Education Council so when the lecturers issues came up and all he was the liaison between them and the government during their negotiations. And Director General is purely administrative. So how can you tell us such a person cannot be GES Director-General, he noted. 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 Chief Linguist to the Okyehene, Nana Kwadwo Antwi Boasiako says his King, Amoatia Ofori Panin II never referred to Ghanaians venting their frustrations about President Nana Addos governance as villagers and witches. He claims the revered King's comment have been twisted and taken out of context by the media. He [Amoatia Ofori Panin II] never said that those people (criticising Akufo-Addo's poor governance) are villagers and witches, listen to the full tape and tell me where he said that, he challenged. The Okyehene's Chief Linguist was speaking in an interview on NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Montie. Background The Okyehene, Amoatia Ofori Panin II has been in the news for allegedly describing critics of President Akufo-Addo's governance as villagers and witches. Speaking at the inauguration of the Archeaconry Service held at the St. Martin Anglican Church in Kyebi in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region on Sunday, October 23, 2022, the traditional leader called on Ghanaians to appreciate the significant contribution of the president to the development of the country. Cultured Person Never Insults An Elder He explained that the presidents numerous policies such as the Free Senior High School, are reasons Ghanaians should be grateful to him. We must appreciate the feat of the president and show him an appreciation for what he has done for Ghana. We must defend and protect him. " those insulting the president are children of villagers. They are uncivilized. No well-nurtured person will insult an elderly. If you were raised in the church, you will not insult an elder. If you are not a villager then you may be a witch or wizard, he was reported to have said. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari,79, says the UK governing party's decision to choose Rishi Sunak as the next prime minister is a milestone and inspiring for young people. Mr Sunak, 42, will be the UK's first British Asian prime minister and the youngest for more than 200 years. Mr Buhari called for more cooperation between Nigeria and the UK to strengthen the enduring partnership and unbreakable friendship between the two countries. He also stressed the need to increase trade and investment within and between Commonwealth countries to boost the health and wealth of all our peoples. Nigeria, which has the biggest population in Africa, gained its independence from the UK in 1960. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Police have arrested suspects Nana Owusu Banahene and James Quainoo in connection with some disturbances at Dzorwulu Accra, over disputed land. The suspects allegedly organised some thugs with an excavator to demolish a four-bedroom apartment building at Dzorwulu on 24th October 2022. Before the demolishing, the suspects and their accomplices attacked the occupants of the house. The Police responded to the scene to restore calm. The perpetrators upon seeing the police abandoned the excavator and escaped from the scene. Police later had information that one of the vehicles belonging to the suspects had run into a ditch and was attacked by a mob who pelted them with stones, injured one of the suspects, James Quainoo and set his car ablaze. Police proceeded to the place and the Ghana National Service was called in to help quench the fire. The injured suspect is at the hospital receiving medical attention (his photograph could not be taken due to his condition). An investigation has so far revealed that no one was shot during the incident. Investigation continues and all available footage on the incident is being reviewed as part of the investigation process. Efforts are underway to arrest all other perpetrators to face justice. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The United Nations will sign a new Cooperation Framework with Ghana to provide the country with $500 million. Described as the most important instrument for planning and implementation of UN development activities in Ghana, the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, scheduled to be signed today, will be implemented over a period of three years. A Director of the UN Operations in Ghana, Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba, who represented the UN Country Director at a health walk in Accra at the weekend, disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic after the exercise. The instrument outlines the UN development systems integrated contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with a commitment to leave no one behind, to fundamental and a human rights-based approach, to gender equality and womens empowerment, to building resilience and sustainability, and to strengthening accountability. Anniversary The walk was a platform to commence activities to mark 77th anniversary of the formation of the United Nations on the theme: Building on the 3Ss Solidarity, Sustainability and Science Towards a more Resilient Ghana. Participants were drawn from the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Police Service, the Immigration Service and the Prisons Service. The walk started from the forecourt of the State House, and took participants through some principal streets of Accra and back to the State House. Ms Charles-Monwuba said the health walk was also to sensitise Ghanaians to the presence of the UN in Ghana and to demonstrate the collaboration between Ghana and the world body. Collaboration It is also to demonstrate the collaboration and good hospitality the UN in Ghana has enjoyed from the Government and people of Ghana, and also for the health benefit of the exercise, she added. Other activities lined up to mark the anniversary included a debate by students, a flag raising ceremony, and a reception for the diplomatic community and the host government. Ms Charles-Monwuba said these were to showcase Ghana as a strong member state of the UN, and also to show that the UN was in Ghana to stay and serve. The Director II of the Multilateral Relations Bureau of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Joyce Asamoah-Koranteng, urged Ghanaians to play their respective parts in raising the flag of Ghana. The signing ceremony will be attended by the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the UN Resident Coordinator, and heads of UN agencies, funds and programmes and the diplomatic community. 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 On Tuesday, October 25, about 80 Members of Parliament within the governing New Patriotic Party were reported to have signed a petition demanding the removal of Ken Ofori-Atta as finance minister. The group, through a press conference, also demanded the removal of Charles Adu Boahen, who serves as a Minister of State at the finance ministry; a close ally of Ken Ofori-Atta. The MPs explained that their position follows several concerns over the poor management of the economy, which has forced the government to seek IMF assistance. The group added that should the president fail to heed to their call, they will no longer do business with the government nor support the 2023 budget. The MP for Asante-Akim North, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, who introduced himself as the spokesperson for the Majority Caucus, said that several concerns raised on economic management have been sent to government, but are all yet to yield the intended results. In the wake of the development, some Ghanaians on social media have lauded the confidence of the majority MPs. Although President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has on numerous occasions backed down against calls to change his finance minister, the pressure now appears to be mounting from within his own party. Some citizens have also already concluded that the president would likely not dismiss Ken Ofori-Atta, basing their assumption on the close family ties Akufo-Ado has with the finance minister. While this is yet to come to fruition, GhanaWeb Business has compiled a list of potential candidates who are likely to be the best replacements if Ken Ofori-Atta is taken off the job at the Ministry of Finance. Dr Mark Assibey Yeboah Dr Assibey-Yeboah is a former Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament. During his tenure as chair, he led many engagements toward sound economic indicators of government. He has also earned himself a reputation for being an economic guru among his peers. Prior to Ghana returning to the IMF, Dr Assibey-Yeboah warned of harsh economic conditions and therefore called on the government to resort to the Fund at an earlier time ahead of its July 1, 2022 decision. He also cast doubts on the governments ability to raise the projected GH6.9 billion revenue target from the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), insisting they would not be able to realise the intended target a prediction which came to be. Dr. Assibey-Yeboah holds a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Economics degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He also holds an MS (Agricultural and Resource Economics) from the University of Delaware, USA. He has earned an MA and a Ph.D. both in Economics from the University of Tennessee, USA specializing in International Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics and Econometrics. Dr Assibey-Yeboah has worked in various capacities, locally and abroad. He has served as lecturer at the University of Tennessee, USA and worked in a similar capacity as an Adjunct Faculty at Milligan College, Tennessee-USA. The former lawmaker has also served as a senior economist at the Bank of Ghana and has been a lecturer at the Ghana Telecom Technology University College and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Professor Gyan-Baffour Prof. George Yaw Gyan-Baffour is a Ghanaian development economist. He was in charge of the former Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. He is credited for the introduction of Ghanas first Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism which was used for assessing the progress of national development and dubbed the 'Annual Progress Report'. Despite the ministry no longer being in existence, the mechanism continues to be used in the monitoring and evaluation tool of Ghanas development agenda. He also supervised the preparation of the Coordinated Program for the Economic and Social Development of Ghana (2002-2012), which is a constitutional requirement for the President of the Republic of Ghana. Prof. Gyan Baffour is also credited for leading the team that prepared Ghanas first compact under the Millennium Challenge Account. Prior to leaving for the USA to further his education, Prof. Baffour worked at the Ministry of Industrial Science and Technology from 1974 to 1984. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Economists of Ghana and has served on various boards of institutions, including the Bank of Ghana. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in Industrial Relations; a Post Doctorate diploma from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government; an MA in economic policy from University of Wisconsin, Madison; a BSc. (Hons) degree in Economics from the University of Ghana. With additional files from the Ministry of Planning Kwame Pianim Kwame Pianim is not a stranger when it comes to finance and economic management in Ghana. The renowned economist is a management and investment consultant who has served in various capacities in government and the private sector. He served as an Economic Research Officer of the United Nations-USA, from 1964 to 1970. He was the Acting Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning from 1970 to 1972 and served as Deputy Managing Director of Ghana Aluminum Products Limited, Tema. He was also Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board from 1978 1979. The veteran economist also served as the Chairman of Ghana Financial Services Limited at Bayport Financial Services Limited and was the Chairman of the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC). Kwame Pianim attended Achimota Secondary School and holds a B.A. Double Honors in Economics and Political Science from the University of New Brunswick, Canada (1963) and M.A. in Economics from Yale University (1964). With additional files from the Chamber of Independent Power Producers Dr. Ernest Addison Dr. Ernest Kwamina Yedu Addison is an economist and the 15th Governor of the Bank of Ghana. He attended the Methodist College and the Mfantsipim School for his primary and secondary education. Dr. Addison then proceeded to the University of Ghana and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from 1982 to 1986. From 1987 to 1989, he obtained an M.Phil in Economics and Politics from the University of Cambridge in England and later a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics from McGill University in Canada. Before he was appointed Governor of the BoG, Dr. Addison served as the former Director of Research at the Bank of Ghana from 2003 to 2011, as well as an Economist at the African Development Bank. He specializes in financial policy and economic management. 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 President Nana Addo Dankwa 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: 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 Two former presidential aspirants and a private legal practitioner have called for a national consultative dialogue to find lasting solutions to the countrys economic challenges. The Government, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, have attributed Ghanas economic hardship mainly to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Dr Abu Sakara Foster, the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) Presidential Candidate in the 2012 elections, Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, an Independent Presidential Candidate in the 2020 elections, and Mr Martin Kpebu, a private legal Practitioner, in a discussion on a local television station on Saturday said the country needed a consensus to surmount the challenges. Dr Abu Sakara, who is the Founder of the National Interest Movement a non-partisan civil society platform, said Ghana had reached a point where the ideas of political parties alone could not solve its challenges. He said: Drastic situation requires drastic measures, and we need to call for a national meeting to build consensus on, which way to go. We must accept and admit that no one group of people in Ghana can solve the problems. We have a crisis, and we must first contain it by accepting that its a collective work to solve the situation. We must come together, build consensus, face reality and come up with long term plan, Dr Abu Sakara, emphasised. He called for a fundamental reform to the constitution to bind Governments to go by the countrys long-term national development plan for inclusive and sustainable growth. On governance, he called for a shift from the attitude of borrowing to spend to having a prudent and fiscally disciplined economy that invested in agriculture and manufacturing. We must grow the economy through agriculture and manufacturing and adjust trade and investment policies into these areas. There must be an underlying conveyor belt to transition small-scale farms and agribusinesses into medium-scale and large-scale in the long term, the Agronomist said. Also speaking on reforms, Mr Yeboah said the time had come for Ghana to make changes to the 1992 constitution, which he noted had some defects that Government in power exploited to their advantage. We need to change the constitution, until the constitution is changed, we cant develop. The NDC (National Democratic Congress) and the NPP (New Patriotic Party) are benefiting from the defects in the Constitution, he said. Mr Kpebu called for a constitutional process to remove both President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, from office, stressing that they had failed to fulfil the Article 36 requirement of the constitution. Article 36 (1) states that: The State shall take all necessary action to ensure that the national economy is managed in such a manner as to maximize the rate of economic development and to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every person in Ghana and to provide adequate means of livelihood and suitable employment and public assistance to the needy. Mr Kpebu said: The President and the Vice President should go, and there should be a buffer of experts constituted to support the Speaker of Parliament who will then take over as President because he is from the other side of the political divide. We need a Kumepreko demonstration and then Parliament takes up from there. One third of MPs (Member of Parliament), lets make the efforts to remove Akufo-Addo from office otherwise it will be an indictment on all of us, the private legal practitioner said. The Government has admitted to the economic hardship and confident that measures taken and the ongoing negotiations with the IMF for a loan support programme would help alleviate the sufferings of Ghanaians in the shortest time possible. 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 NIGERIA: Father allegedly bats his 2-month-old son with hanger in Imo for disturbing his sleep, breaks the baby's arm leading to amputation The National Human Right Commission (NHRC) and the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Imo State chapter have called on the Imo State Government and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately arrest and prosecute one Mr Confidence Amatobi, for allegedly assaulting his 2-month-old baby, Miracle. Mr Amatobi was said to have assaulted little Miracle with a plastic hanger and broke the baby's arm for disturbing his sleep. The incident led to the amputation of the fractured arm at the Pediatrics ward of the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Owerri. NAWOJ, NHRC and the aggrieved mother of baby Miracle, made the call for justice in Owerri the Imo State Capital. Imo State Chairperson of NAWOJ, Dr Dorothy Nnaji who spoke to newsmen after visiting the amputated boy at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri, confirmed that the injury inflicted by the 31-year-old father, a native of Amurie in Isu LGA of the state, led to the amputation of the little boys right hand. Mrs Nnaji who frowned at the dastardly cruel act of Mr Amatobi expressed shock that a father could assault his innocent child simply because he was crying and disturbing his sleep. She disclosed that Mr Amatobi was reported to have repeatedly hit the baby with a plastic hanger to stop him from crying until the right hand broke. "The perpetrator, Mr. Confidence Amatobi, who hails from Amurie in Isu L.G.A used a plastic hanger on the baby, simply because he was crying that the 20-year-old mother left to ease herself. He used wood and elastic bands to tie the baby's hand when he saw that hand was broken and swollen," Mrs Nnaji said. "He locked the mother and baby to prevent her from talking to neighbours or seeking help. He also took her phone from her. After two days she found her way out and sought help from her neighbours. The guy was arrested by a vigilante but he escaped. By the time help came, the baby's hand was already decayed. The only option was to cut off baby Miracle's right hand from shoulder," View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lindaikejiblog (@lindaikejiblogofficial) Source: LIB 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 Kyedomhene of Akyem Tafo, Nana Adepa Amponsah Yeboah has established a foundation dubbed as " Nana Adepa Development Foundation"( NADF) which is set to help raise funds to take care and handle the welfare of the Aged, widows, the needy but brilliant students and the vulnerable in her Community and Ghana as a whole. The motivation for the ruler to do that is to give hope NANA ADEPA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION LBG (NADF) Supporting the social development ; Motivate the Youth , Helping the Needy Children but Brilliant, Empower Women, Widows and Ages. Touching Lives for a Better Community At the lunching and fundraising of the Project, Nana Adepa Amponsah Yeboah 1 said this decision commensurate with her five year anniversary of her Enstoolment on the Kyidomhene stool for the people of Akyem Tafo. According to Nana Adepa, she can't withstand it especially when she sees the vulnerable who are in diverse need of help and are not getting any, this she says out of pity pushes her to go all out to help such individuals with her little resources. she added that, she takes delight when she's able to responds to the needs of the vulnerable who comes her way for assistance or support hence she was inspired to set up a foundation to champion her course. At the foundation lunch, World Diplomatic Federation (WODIF) together with Global Alliance for Women Development (GAWD) and Women Leadership Code International (WOLCINT) also ushered Nana Adepa into the groups and gave her an honor and a new title as a member of the groups. Nana Adepa Amponsah Yeboah 1. with an Honour of Doctor Of Philosophy In Executive Leadership by World diplomatic Federation with her title, Her. Rt. Noble Empress Nana Adepa Amponsah Yeboah 1. A certificate, citation given to her reads"May it hereby be known unto you, Nana Adepa Amponsah Yeboah 1, CEO of Orbit Doyag Group of Companies that, the World Diplomatic Federation ( WODIF) together with Global Alliance for Women Development (GAWD) and Women Leadership Code International (WOLCINT) wishes to acknowledge your immense contribution to socio-economic development. Your essense of womanhood defines a true picture of a help mate to the world, In acknowledgement of your exclusive self driven and determination as a traditional ruler and entrepreneur, you are self- made woman of integrity , exquisitely districting in all your details. Thus making you achieve your purported dreams in great success , in philanthropy, you are daring at heart when the need arises. Hundreds have had relatives through your foundation initiatives. You are a prodigy , God sent woman , a passionate to relinquish your pedigree to support the poor and needy. The World Diplomatic Federation "WODIF" distinctly celebrate the bravery beholding your instinct and approach that drives you in fulfilling your mission. Many are called , but few like you were born with an extraordinary charge and a mantle to fulfil an uncommon duty in this contemporary era. Nonetheless, the World Diplomatic Federation "WODIF" in affiliation with Global Alliance for Women Development GAWD and Women Leadership Code International- "WOLCINT" , pronounce this day of your coronation as an extraordinary moment to confer on you " PRESTIGE WOMAN OF INTEGRITY HONOURS". The honor was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree by World Diplomatic Federation (WODIF) due to her leadership skills and contributions towards humanity and her community in general. Mr. Isaac Rickson, the Vican Lord and the Supretendent General for World Diplomatic Federation (WODIF) said , the group in recognition of the immense contribution of Nana Adepa Amponsah Yeboah 1. to society deems it appropriate to honour her as such. According to him, World Diplomatic Federation "WODIF" aims at putting the spotlight on individuals who contributes to impact lives of the vulnerable and help promote the cultural and traditions of Ghana and Africa at large, hence after several times of research conducted by the team , it was manifested that she is one of such individuals in Africa , therefore this is to motivate her to continue to champion the good course not only in Ghana but internationally. After the honor, Nana Amponsah Adepa Yeboah (I), Akyem Tafo Kyidomhene and the CEO of Orbit Doyag Group of Companies , thanked the group for such an honor. Source: Michael Akrofi 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 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. Former President John Dramani Mahama has advised the government to rally the citizens in efforts to surmount the economic challenges facing the country. He noted that in circumstances such as the current economic crisis, the support of everyone was important, stressing that the government had to let the people know what sacrifices they needed to make and why those sacrifices were necessary. "If your ship is sinking and ships are passing by and asking if you have any trouble and you deny it and say that everything is fine, you will sink and that is what has happened. We all need to come on board and see how best to salvage the situation," he stated. Mr Mahama gave the advice during a courtesy call on him by the National Executive of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) last Friday. The purpose of the visit was to introduce the new executive of the association to the former President, solicit his support, guidance and advice in order to make the association better, and also to invite him to the upcoming GJA Awards. The GJA delegation was led by the President, Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, who took time to share with the former President the associations vision to re-brand and transform. The other GJA executive were its Vice-President, Linda Asante Agyei; the National Organiser, Dominic Hlordzi; the General Secretary, Kofi Yeboah; the Treasurer, Audrey Dekalu, and the Public Relations Officer, Rebecca Ekpe. Similar calls In August, this year, the former President made a similar call for a national dialogue after some credit rating agencies downgraded the countrys economic outlook and its ability to borrow. Apart from Mr Mahama, the immediate past Country Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dr Albert Touna-Mama, and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) had also called for a national dialogue. Mr Mahama noted that in order for the government to get the needed support to bring the economy back on track, it had to be transparent about the underlying issues. The first step is to come clean and tell us the state of the economy; you must put everything on the table, and that's why I call for a national dialogue. I say bring the best brains together; I've been President before and it served me well. We were able to come up with a good document which we eventually took to the International Monetary Fund," the former President stated. Calling on the government to act as quickly as possible, Mr Mahama explained that with the slippery slope down which we're going, if action is not taken quickly, we won't end well." Vigilant Mr Mahama urged the media to be vigilant in the face of the current state of the country. "It's the role of all journalists to be more vigilant at this time when the country is facing economic challenges. The current state of our economy is terrible; we have never in all our history been in a place like this," he said. The former President added that the current status of the media on the Press Performance Index was a matter of concern. "Our performance has been so poor; this shows that we have a problem, he stated. Media harassment Mr Mahama expressed concern about President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos attitude towards media practice. For a President who says he prefers a reckless media to a docile one, yet this same recklessness is why the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) officers pick people up and detain them, is not acceptable," he stated. Subsequently, Mr Mahama charged the association, as the mouthpiece of the media, to speak up and make sure journalists operate in an atmosphere free of oppression. "There have been some cases of harassment of media people for what they do and one of your own paid the ultimate price, the assassination of Ahmed Hussein-Suale. As of now the people who perpetrated the act have not been apprehended. You must not sleep on it, continue to fight to bring them to book," Mr Mahama charged the GJA. Congratulations Former President Mahama congratulated the new GJA Executive on their election and expressed his confidence in their ability to deliver. Let me thank you for the honour of calling on us and to congratulate Albert and your team on your election as the new executive. I also want to commend you for the new initiatives you have announced. Many of us watchers of the media were getting a bit concerned with the delay in democratisation within the organisation and you being the watchdog of our democracy, if you yourselves could not get it right, then there were concerns. There was a lot of concern expressed about it. But Im happy that your elections finally took place and new executives have been put in place, he said. In the company of the former President were the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo; the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor; a former Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Julius Debrah; the NDC National Communications Officer; Sammy Gyamfi, and aides to the former President, Joyce Bawa Mogtari and Stan Dogbe. Passion Briefing Mr Mahama, the GJA President said the association was aware of how passionate the former President had been when it came to the media in the country, adding that Mr Mahamas contributions towards expanding the frontiers of the media were worth mentioning. And as a practitioner yourself, we deem it prudent to pay you this important courtesy call to introduce the new leadership of the association and to re-engage you as our member. Your support and promotion of press freedom is non-negotiable. As a communication expert, we are here to share with you some of our key visions and commitments so as to get your guidance and support in achieving them. We cant do it all alone, and that is why we are calling on you, Mr Dwumfuor said. The GJA president further stated: We are also looking at re-branding and transforming the association. In the past, we were seen to be more reactive than proactive. We have exhibited this for years, and this time around, there is a need for us to give the association a new face. In so doing, we just upon assumption of office, put together an awards review committee to look at how to review the over 25-year-old award scheme to make it more appealing and attractive to members and other stakeholders. 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 There were tense moments, surprises and upsets in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency elections that took place at the weekend across the country. The election were billed to have taken place in 276 constituencies, including the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) areas which has no representation in Parliament but were withheld in 24 constituencies. Injunctions were also placed on the Suame and Amenfi East constituencies in the Ashanti and Western regions over discrepancies in the album. The 24 constituencies where elections did not take place were in the Eastern, Central, Volta, Upper West and Greater Accra regions. No show/ tense moment In addition, there was no election in the New Juaben South constituency in the Easter Region although the venue for the election was ready. It had to be rescheduled to a date yet-to-be announced. There were tense moments in some of the voting centres because of late arrival of ballot papers and inconsistencies in the voting list, and they included Adenta, Ho Central, Chiana-Paga, Navrongo Central, Talensi, Binduri and Bongo constituencies. The elections also recorded some surprises and upsets in some of the constituencies. Notable among them were the Asawase Constituency where the constituency chairman, Musah Abubakar, was unseated by one of the dark horses, Faisal Dauda. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, whose candidate, the incumbent, lost the chairmanship position, was booed by a section of the supporters of the party at the venue. The MP who is also the Minority Chief Whip had to be escorted by security on duty. Faisal won by 946 votes as against the incumbent, Abubakar, who polled 775 votes. Upsets There was also a dramatic come back in Wenchi in the Bono Region where a former chairman, Mohammed Asomah, staged a comeback to defeat the incumbent, Sina Sheihu Wahab. There was a similar upset in the Ablekuma South Constituency in the Greater Accra Region where there was a complete overhaul of the old faces. From the Bono Region, Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Biiya Mukusah report that the newly-elected chairman, Asomah, a timber merchant, who was the chairman of the constituency between the period 2010 and 2014, obtained 657 votes to defeat the incumbent, Wahab, who had 509 votes in the keenly contested election. The incumbent youth organiser, Nana Kwame Atuahene, was elevated to the position of the vice-chairman while Suleman Al-Hassan and Uthman Yakubu Bamba retained their positions as secretary and deputy constituency secretary respectively. The elections in the Bono Region went on successfully in 11 out of the 12 constituencies last Saturday. The constituencies are Sunyani East, Sunyani West, Tain, Wenchi, Dormaa East, Dormaa West, Dormaa Central, Jaman North, Jaman South, Berekum East, Berekum West and Banda. Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu reports from the Western Region that 16 out of the 17 constituencies held their elections smoothly last Saturday. A total of 391 positions were up for grabs, contested by 830 candidates. They included the chairmanship, the vice-chairman, constituency secretary and the deputy. Most of the incumbent executive members were retained except in the Shama, Jomoro, Tarkwa Nsuaem and Mpohor constituencies. Credible Album In the Upper East Region, 10 constituencies out of 15 successfully conducted their elections, reports Gilbert Mawuli Agbey. In the other five remaining constituencies elections were only held for the positions of the women and youth organisers because delegates had contested the credibility of the album. A date is yet to be fixed to rectify the album for the rest of the positions to be contested for. The five constituencies are Chiana-Paga, Navrongo Central, Talensi, Binduri and Bongo constituencies respectively. The 10 which successfully elected their constituency executives were Bolgatanga East, Bolgatanga Central, Bawku Central, Zebilla and Garu constituencies. The rest were Tempane, Pusiga, Builsa North, Builsa South and Nabdam constituencies. Apart from the discrepancies in the delegates list and the late arrival of ballot papers as well as voting time, voting was generally peaceful. Due to the cumbersome nature of the voting process vis-a-vis the total number of delegates, almost all the constituency elections were completed on Sunday. Speaking to Graphic Online, the Regional NDC Director of Elections, Donatus Nyaaba, said a new date would be set for the remaining constituencies to hold their elections. Results In the Garu Constituency, Thomas Martey Laari was elected chairman with 377 votes as against 276 votes polled by Abaare Abugba John. In the Secretary position, Akasire James had 387 votes to defeat Isaaka Amoli who got 265 votes. In the Bawku Central Constituency, Ndego Mohammed Awindago secured 667 votes to be elected Constituency Chairman. He beat three others, Messrs Alhaji Moro Alhassan, Ndunia Tahiruand Adamu Salaam Atuak who had 370, 132, and 25 votes respectively. For the position of secretary, Osman Abugrago was elected with 786 votes as against 370 polled by Karim Amadu, the only challenger. From Ho, Alberto Mario Noretti reports that the incumbent chairman of the Ho Central Constituency, Franklin Kofi Gedzia, retained his position in last Saturday's election. He polled 1,347 votes to beat highly tipped Gershon Adeklo who received 647 votes from the delegates. In all, 2,223 delegates from the 247 branches turned up at the venue as early as 6am for the elections. A total of 58 candidates from the branches contested 10 executive positions. There was a stand-off as a result of the absence of the names of delegates from the Ahoe Market Square B, H, and OLA Branch C, Ho Kpodzi E.P JHSA, Branch G from the electoral album (register). The stand-off, however, subsided for voting to commence at 10a.m. on a smooth note. Vincent Amenuveve and Augustina Tawiah report that delegates in the Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfro Constituency retained Bright N.A. D-Modzaka as chairman of the constituency. After a keenly contested elections last Saturday, Modzaka polled 1,150votes to beat Peter Nana Asiedu who got 292 votes. Agbo Tetteh Shaibu grabbed the vice-chairman position with 1,094votes to defeat Eric Sosu who got 279votes.Dan Bright Abayateye was elected secretary as he polled 968 votes to beat the incumbent, Sam Ampiah, who got 462 votes.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, whose candidate, the incumbent, lost the chairmanship position, was booed by a section of the supporters of the party at the venue. https://t.co/cl3VqHEa9Y pic.twitter.com/3BmEJurqWN

GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) October 24, 2022
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 Head of Economics at the University of Ghana, Professor William Baah Boateng, has raised concerns about the economic waste under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo resulting in the hardships Ghanaians are currently facing. Speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Professor Baah Boateng underscored the need for the President to cut down the size of his appointees as well as check the redundancy in State enterprises. He noted that there are many staffers at the Presidency whose duties are a duplication of the work given to his appointees, yet the staffers receive huge salaries. "We always talk about the number of Ministers; 110 and so forth. I admit it is a big number but it is not limited to the Ministers alone. Do you know we have Presidential Staffers Act? The staffers in Jubilee House are equivalent to a lot of the Ministers, are you aware of that? So, if we have presidential staffers numbering about 100 and 110 Ministers, some of the presidential staffers' equivalent is Deputy Ministers. Some of their equivalent is Ministers and others are Cabinet Ministers. They collect the same remuneration that we say it's too big for the Ministers," he said. He also stated that the output of a lot of the people working in State enterprises doesn't match the number of the workforce, thus placing a huge burden on the government. The Senior Lecturer further decried the politics where successive governments abandon infrastructure projects started by their predecessors stressing it makes the nation run into debts. He argued that because government neglects the projects, it is compelled to borrow to defray the debts. "It puts pressure on your cedi and these are the things that give us problems," he stated. He advised the President to check the excesses in his government. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic reconvenes tomorrow, Tuesday, October 25, 2022. A statement issued by the Office of the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, has said. It said: In pursuance of Standing Order 37 of the Parliament of Ghana, I, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, hereby give notice that the Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic shall commence on Tuesday, the 25th day of October 2022, at ten oclock in the forenoon at Parliament House, Accra. In a related development, a statement from the Public Affairs Directorate of Parliament, Monday, said Sixty-six Bills, including the Affirmation Action Bill, 2022, Ghana Housing Authority Bill, 2022, Minerals and Mining (Amendment), 2022, Small Scale Mining Bill, 2022, Petroleum Revenue Management (Amendment Bill, 2022 and the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (Amendment) Bill, 2021 were expected to be laid before the House. It said a Private Members Bill, which was referred to the Council of State would also be laid before the House. Eleven Bills are currently at the committee level, out of which seven are Public Bills and four, Private Members bills. Among them are the Intestate Succession Bill, 2022, at the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Armed Forces (Amendment) Bill, 2022, at the Committee on Defence and Interior, the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and the Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, at the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2021, at the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. According to the statement, there were also Instruments at various stages to be laid before the House. The Speaker is expected to admit Papers, Petitions, Motions for Debates and Questions to be answered by sector ministers during this meeting, it said. Other events during the meeting will be the presentation of the annual budget for 2023 and the festival of nine lessons and carols. The House adjourned sine-dine on Thursday, July 28, 2022. Mr Speaker, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Hosue is expected to resume the third week in October, Mr Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader said. Members of Parliament (MPs) go into recess thrice in a Session the first recess is from March to May, the second, from July to October with the last being December to January. The MPs use the recess for committee meetings, visiting their constituencies and other Parliamentary-related works. 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 Ernest Owusu Bempah, a Deputy Director of Communications for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has asked Ghanaians to have confidence in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to resolve the continuous fall of the Ghana Cedi against the US Dollar. Ernest Owusu Bempah said the NPP has the track record of instituting prudent measures to strengthen the local currency and the economy in general. In a statement, he indicated that the issues affecting the Cedi and the economy are global matters affecting almost every country presently as a result of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. "Ghana is not alone in this struggle," he stressed. He indicated that just like Ghana, the United States of America is also experiencing high prices of goods and services due to the war in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden recently blamed Russias invasion of Ukraine for domestic price hikes and global food supply shortages, praising American farmers for being the breadbasket of democracy amid the war. America is fighting on two fronts, Joe Biden said during a speech in a barn in Kankakee, Illinois. Ernest Owusu Bempah said these happenings in the US and several other countries show that the situation is not peculiar to Ghana alone. Ghanaians should have confidence in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to restore the Cedi because we have done it before in the past. The NPP is the only party that has the track record of developing the economy and strengthening the Cedi. The economy was doing well prior to Covid and the Russia Ukraine war, portions of his statement said. President Akufo-Addo has also said the difficult situation Ghanaians are saddled with presently will be over soon. He appealed to the people of Ghana to have faith in him to tackle the challenges facing the country. I know the challenges Ghanaians are facing, I appeal to you to have faith in me to solve the challenges, this too shall pass, he said at the St Mark Anglican Church at Kyebi in the Eastern Region as part of his three-day tour of the region on Sunday October 23. As part of measures to deal with the challanges, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has announced that the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison will be meeting Managing Directors of Banks and some forex bureaux. This is also part of efforts to halt overpricing. Mr Oppong Nkrumah said these at a press conference on Monday October 24. The Bank of Ghana will be meeting the Managing Director of some of the Banks and the heads of the forex bureau association to hold discussions aimed at ensuring that the supply of forex on the market is stabilized and the overpricing is halted so that, those who need forex for business get it without hindrances at the banking halls as against rates on the black market or some other quarters, he said. He added, we will also be looking at long-lasting measures to ensure that forex rate is stabilized in the country, even as we expect a lot more inflow of forex following the completion of the syndication of the COCOBOD transaction loan." The Economic Management Team (EMT) is also meeting to appraise itself on some of the recommendations as we get closer to the end of the year. On Thursday, Cabinet itself will be meeting to receive what has gone through the EMT and updates from the IMF negotiation so that some decisions will be made and then update the country on the next step forward. 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 The Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Henry Kokofu, has expressed profound gratitude to Ghanaians for enduring the current economic hardships. Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Mr. Kokofu admitted that Ghana is saddled with huge economic challenges but was however appreciative that despite the economic crises of the nation, the citizens continue to show resilience. "We must thank Ghanaians. The average Ghanaian has resilience. The average Ghanaian has patience. The average Ghanaian knows how to endure hardships. An average Ghanaian knows this is his/her only country, so we must all unite in times of difficulties and find solutions," he said. He was hopeful the Akufo-Addo administration is on track to finding a lasting solution to them. He believed the President is working hard around the clock to better the lives of the citizenry and called on them to remain patient. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu says he will be organizing the infamous Kume Preko demonstration against the Nana Addo-led government. According to him, the aim is to force President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to step down from office for his 'extremely poor leadership'. Lawyer Martin Kpebu who was speaking on NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie' called on Ghanaians to join the campaign to oust the 'incompetent President'. "What Ghanaians can do to get the President removed is to organize demonstrations. The police have given me permission for the Kume Preko reloaded demonstration next Saturday, November 5. It starts from the Obra Spot at 7:00 am, every Ghanaian should make it a point to be there, he said. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Hilarious Ghanaian comedian Richmond Amoakoah, widely recognized as Lawyer Nti in the show business, has bemoaned the presidents shortcomings. Many Ghanaians have criticized the president on their social media accounts and expressed their disgust in his governance. Lawyer Nti has sent a lengthy message to the president on his Facebook page, expressing his dissatisfaction with him. His post reads; Open letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Dear President Akufo Addo, I trust you are doing well. I write to you today as someone who followed you keenly on your journey to become a President. I believed in you so much and voted happily for you every single time you contested for the seat of the Presidency. Unfortunately, like many Ghanaians today, I am filled with broken heart, disappointment, anger and sadness as I write you this letter. Sir, you said many things on your way to becoming the President and sadly the reality of today is worse than the situations you passionately spoke against. Your recent responses to the plight of Ghanaians on your tours have been very disappointing and insulting to say the least. We are the very same people you begged to give you a chance to redeem the image and dire economic times of the past. The current situation of the country when measured against your own words, and that of Dr Bawumia, on your way to the Presidency is laughable. When you had to sit and change the things for which we voted for you, you were busy blaming President Mahama for years. After exhausting the Mahama card, you went to Covid and then straight to Russia Ukraine war. Mr President, reasonable Ghanaians are not oblivious of these factors and its impact on Ghana and the rest of the world but we should be doing way better than we are doing today. I am saying this because the man Candidate Akufo-Addo as President was touted as someone who could turn around our fortunes as a people. However, I must say many Ghanaians including me do not believe you can look in the mirror and say you have done your very best for the country. I do not believe you are happy about your numerous promises to the Ghanaian people especially the youth against your performance as a President. Mr. President, you have failed the youth and the swan-song is Nana Addo ama yn sa asi fm. The booing you have been receiving on your recent tours is actually how people feel about you. Do not let your handlers deceive you that NDC is behind that because they are not. When Journalists call you out, do not let your handlers tell you such journalists have been paid by some people to discredit you. Sir, please do not let the few people that your party executives and appointees organize to flood places to meet you on your tour with cheers deceive you. Mr. President, those are merely party fanatics who do not represent genuinely how many Ghanaians feel about the current economic crisis Ghana faces. A lot of Ghanaians I have encountered both on my travels across Ghana and on social media are not happy. Mr. President, you know deep down that you could have done better. You know deep down that we shouldnt be where we are today. You know that you could have done better in your fight against corruption and Galamsey. Sir, you know you could have protected the public purse better and could have acted in the best interest of Ghana, not a few party people and financiers, and damned the consequences because that is the kind of person we thought you were. A lot of people including me were wrong about the disciplined and no nonsense Akufo-Addo we were told about. Mr. President, I am convinced you being defensive and pushing the I dont care posture is your way of dealing with how you feel deep down about your performance as President. You dont seem to care because you know you have failed the many youth you told to Believe In Ghana. It is unacceptable but we can understand because you wont be on the ballot again after this term. However, Mr. President, please do better and salvage the situation. You cannot go out like this after all the fight you have fought to get to where you are today. May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong. Citizen Richmond Amoakoh aka Lawyer Ntikateche Bombay Isaiah. Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/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 Dr. Antonio D'Angelo, head of the pediatric emergency department at Sainte-Justine hospital in Montreal, is shown in this handout image. Soaring cases of respiratory syncytial virus in Quebec have pushed the positivity rate to 15 per cent in Montreal and Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Sainte-Justine hospital ** MANDATORY CREDIT** Hereditary Chief Frank Brown gives back a gift to Vancouver Police Chief Const. Adam Palmer which was given to him and the hereditary chiefs during the Himas speeches while at the uplifting ceremony for Maxwell Johnson and his family at the Big House in Bella Bella, B.C., on Monday, October 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito A dentist holds instruments in Skokie, Ill., on Friday, June 12, 2020. The House of Commons standing committee on health voted Monday night to adopt Bill C-31, sending it back to the House for a vote. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Charles Rex Arbogast On 24 October 2022 the WCO kicked off its series of regional consultations on WCO modernization, beginning with the MENA region. Thirteen Member administrations participated in this fully virtual consultation. The MENA regional consultation was chaired jointly by the regional Vice-Chair, Mr. Jalal Qudah of Jordan, and WCO Deputy Secretary General Mr. Ricardo Trevino Chapa. The discussions focused on seven specific issues, identified from an initial diagnostic prepared by the Secretariat concerning the current internal situation of the Organization and potential improvements for moving towards overall WCO modernization. The participants from the MENA region welcomed this initiative and expressed the view that ambition was needed in order to improve the current processes and make them better adapted to global realities and trends. They agreed that WCO governance would benefit from more standardization and streamlining of internal protocols, especially in relation to human resources (HR) and project management, and the regional entities. They considered that a corporate approach in these areas would strengthen the WCO and enhance its assertiveness, allowing for improved resource management and more balanced negotiations with donors. Overall, they believed that the WCO needed to switch from its role of organizer towards a role of proactive initiator of projects and activities. Transparency and seamless flow charts were particularly seen as enablers in this context. In his concluding remarks, the Vice-Chair for the MENA region acknowledged that modernization was a long-term process, and welcomed the fact that the WCO had started to address it with the full involvement of the Members. The Deputy Secretary General thanked the MENA Region for its fruitful contribution and gave an assurance that the process would remain fully transparent and inclusive for the membership. The WCO Modernization Plan is one of the key deliverables specified in the Strategic Plan 2022-2025 for responding to the needs identified in the Focus Area Governance and accountability. These regional consultations will be pursued, with the objective of presenting a Modernization Plan to the Policy Commission and Council in June 2023 for endorsement. 20 October 2022 marked the end of the 3-day WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition held in Maastricht, the Netherlands. On behalf of the Conference host closing remarks were provided by Mr. Arno Kooij, Deputy Director General of the Customs Administration of the Netherlands who thanked all involved in the Conference and highlighted the need for Customs administrations around the world to respond speedily and effectively to the rapidly changing world of trade and logistics. This requires robust, flexible and innovative administrations that focus all their efforts on developing and implementing quality technology said Mr. Kooij. Some take-aways from the Conference were also outlined in the closing remarks of Mr. Brendan OHearn, Deputy Director for Procedures and Facilitation at the World Customs Organization (WCO). Among those was the need for Customs to apply out-of-the box thinking to manage the exponential growth of Business to Consumer (B2C) cross-border shipments, which had to be done in partnership with the private sector. There was a lot of potential offered by Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things, but there was still room for improvement with regard to the uptake by Customs and the data governance aspects surrounding the deployment of these technologies. Moreover, creating and sustaining a culture with data at its core was considered to be of high relevance to the current environment in which Customs administrations operate. What was also key was collaboration. First, collaboration through sharing between Customs administrations of data, good practices, and even ready-to-implement solutions, such as automated threat detection algorithms, but also collaboration between Customs on one hand and the private sector and academia on the other hand. When it comes to sharing of data, the important prerequisites were legislative framework, technological framework, and carefully defined datasets. Mr. OHearn concluded by saying that the discussions during the past three days had proven the relevance of the WCO Technology Conference in offering a forum for sharing of information, insights, experiences and best practices. Last, an announcement was made that the 2023 WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition will be hosted by the Customs Administration of Viet Nam in Hanoi. From 17 to 20 October 2022, the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) hosted the Hot-zone Prioritization Forum, under the WCO Project OCTAGON, at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels. This inaugural Forum is an initiative to identify sub-regional hot-zones at higher risk of exploitation by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and terrorist groups, as well as their money laundering activities. The scope of this forum is to provide a platform for the discussion, analysis and evaluation of the highest priority sub-regional hot-zones across Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. The prioritization list generated by this forum will allow FIUs and Customs administrations to better focus their efforts on specific geographical sub-regions and implement targeted methodologies to address organized crime activity, money laundering and terrorism financing risks more efficiently and effectively. The prioritization list will be established for three years, with an annual Forum convocation conducted to ensure that major events and newly identified organized crime, money laundering and terrorist financing trends are considered. Project OCTAGON is a new initiative within the AML-CTF program that is focused on countering TCOs and money laundering activities. The Hot-Zone Prioritization Forum is the first of three focal elements of the project. The second element is the provision of in-depth mentoring and training for Customs administrations. The third one is the enrollment of six frontline customs officers from high-risk areas into the Gemological Institute of Americas Gem Certification Program. The intention is to establish a group of Customs gemological experts to operate in countries at risk of gem smuggling. The PokerStars European Poker Tour London moved closer to crowning a champion in the 5,300 EPT Main Event, as a busy Day 2 saw the field play down deep into the money. Frenchman Julien Sitbon leads the field of 80 remaining players, just as he did after Day 2 of the 1,100 UKIPT Main Event. Sitbon went on to finish 11th in that event, and takes another lead into Day 3 looking to better that previous result. Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts RANK PLAYER COUNTRY CHIP COUNT BIG BLINDS 1 Julien Sitbon France 1,000,000 200 2 Pedro Garagnani Brazil 930,000 186 3 Ben Heath United Kingdom 914,000 182 4 Carl Probsting Germany 769,000 153 5 David Docherty United Kingdom 665,000 133 6 Ole Schemion Germany 635,000 127 7 Nils Pudel Germany 602,000 120 8 Conor Beresford United Kingdom 565,000 113 9 Ramzi Karam Lebanon 531,000 106 10 Sergio Coutinho Portugal 480,000 96 239 players began the day with a bag from their opening flights, while 36 more registered prior to the start of play. That brought the tournament total to 749 entries, creating a total prize pool of 3,632,650. The eventual champ will take home 664,400 and the title of EPT London Main Event champion. Sitbon was one of two players to reach the seven-figure mark in chips on the day as Ben Heath looked on his way to the tournament lead after a double knockout, only to lose ground in the final level. Heath is among a group of notable names in contention, including Day 1b chip leader Ole Schemion. Ramon Colillas Others in that group include Adrian Mateos, Jack Sinclair, and PokerStars Ambassador Ramon Colillas. 50,000 EPT Super High Roller winner Henrik Hecklen is in a great position for another deep run at the Hilton Park Lane, as is 1,100 UKIPT Main Event champion Martin Jacobson. After notable uses of pocket aces several times during his title run, Jacobson flipped the script as he cracked aces to stay alive early in the day. Other faces bringing a bag into Day 3 included Benjamin Pollak, Erik Seidel, EPT London Ladies Champion Jessica Pilkington, and Ambreen Mirza, fresh off her 80th place run in this weeks 2,200 UKIPT High Roller. Day 2 Action Among the early eliminations on Day 2 was PokerStars Ambassador Benjamin Spragg, who moved all in with the superior hand only to see Jonathan Barusta connect on the turn and river. The parade to the exits was consistent all day long, with notables Philippe Souki, Dominik Nitsche, Mustapha Kanit, Daniel Dvoress, and Danny Tang all finishing short of the money. Once the players went hand for hand, the bubble was taken care of quite quickly as Eugenio Peralta was eliminated on just the second hand of the bubble, running ace-high into pocket kings. Day 3 will resume on Tuesday at 12 p.m. local time, with action beginning on Level 16 at blinds of 2,000/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante. The schedule once again calls for five 90-minute levels, with 20-minute breaks in between each. Stay tuned to PokerNews as they continue towards the final table of the 5,300 EPT Main Event here in London. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) lied and said that the left defunded the police when police funding increased under Democrats Jordan tweeted: The Left defunded the police and let criminals out of jail. Just reminding you. Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) October 24, 2022 Just reminding you Jim Jordan is lying. An ABC News analysis found: ABC Owned Television Stations examined the budgets of more than 100 cities and counties and found that 83% are spending at least 2% more on police in 2022 than in 2019. Of the 109 budgets analyzed, only eight agencies cut police funds by more than 2%, while 91 agencies increased law enforcement funding by at least 2%. In 49 cities or counties, police funding has increased by more than 10%. A CNN fact check found that the ads Republicans are running about defunding the police are often based on pure fiction, and they make nonsensical claims that omit the positions of Democrats on police funding. The defunding the police scam is a talking point that Republicans have tried to turn into reality through repetition. Democrats are not defunding the police, but as president, Trump tried to cut police funding consistently in his budgets. Biden requested $300 million in funding for cops that Trump tried to defund. Jim Jordans party is trying to defund the police, while Biden and Democrats are willing to spend to reduce crime and keep communities safe. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has lost tens of thousands of dollars from investing in Trumps media company that is under federal investigation. Business Insider reported: On October 22, 2021, the congresswoman from Georgia invested between $15,001 and $50,000 in Digital World Acquisition Corp., a blank check special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. One year after Greene made her investment, the stocks value plummeted by more than 82 percent, according to Markets Insider, meaning the congresswoman lost between $12,330 and $41,100 from this one investment. Only one other member of Congress, Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) invested in Trumps media company, and Bucshons investment was smaller than Greenes. The same members of Congress that claim to loyally stand by Trump dont trust him with their money. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a true believer, which is why Trump is reportedly considering her to be his potentially 2024 running mate. Investors have bailed on Truth Social. Trumps media company is under federal investigation for potential fraud, as his business partner has turned information over to the SEC about an attempted Trump shakedown to get his wife Melania stock in the company. The stock that Greene bought is virtually worthless. Donald Trump ripped off the government, ripped off taxpayers, and has a lifelong history of fraud. Marjorie Taylor Greene has proven the old adage correct that a fool and their money are soon parted. A massive crane stood above the new structure on Wall Street in Moncks Corner. Attached to the crane was a hose that spit concrete into seams to form walls and eventually the entire frame to a house for a mother and her three children. Read moreHabitat for Humanity strengthens home and family The founder of a Charleston engineering and construction firm is facing more than two dozen felony charges related to work his company did at a Nucor Corp. steel plant in Kentucky. Tony Berenyi said the allegations of financial wrongdoing are false and are driven by a former mill employee's hope of escaping a lengthy prison term. Berenyi, founder of Berenyi Inc., was charged in an Oct. 20 indictment with conspiracy, money laundering and wire fraud over payments he made to Jaymin Vinson, a former Nucor engineer who was overseeing an expansion at the steel giant's Gallatin County, Ky., mill starting in 2018. Federal prosecutors said the payments totaling $452,125 were kickbacks to Vinson for steering construction work to Berenyi's firm. The payments were hidden in the project's overall costs, according to court documents. Vinson, of Delaware, Ohio, pleaded guilty in July to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. His sentencing is scheduled for May 8. Berenyi told The Post and Courier this week that Vinson was extorting the money from his firm and cooked up the kickback allegations so prosecutors will recommend a light punishment. "He's got a wife and two boys and instead of just saying, 'I screwed up,' he has allegations that are false," Berenyi said Oct. 24. "He's trying to minimize his damage by saying it was my idea." Berenyi said he ultimately told Nucor about what he termed was a "shakedown," and that led to Vinson's firing and the construction contract being revoked. According to court documents, Berenyi informed the Chrlotte-based steelmaker of the scheme in December 2019. "He's going down, but before he gets sentenced, he's trying to suck me in," Berenyi said. "The truth is this was his scheme and his idea. We look forward to proving our case in court, if it goes to court." According to court documents, Berenyi and Vinson first met in 2008 while working on a different project and they developed a years-long professional and personal relationship. In 2017, the two men met at the Belterra Casino Resort in Indiana, where prosecutors say Berenyi proposed paying Vinson a "finder's fee" for ensuring his firm would get the construction contract for an upcoming expansion at Nucor's plant in Kentucky. An indictment stated that Nucor paid Berenyi about $7.4 million for work at the Gallatin County plant in 2018 and 2019. Berenyi then made payments to Vinson totaling 15 percent of that amount, according to court documents. Nucor was able to recoup some of the payments it had made to Berenyi when the contract was canceled, but prosecutors are seeking restitution of $452,125. Vinson has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the Berenyi case as part of his plea agreement. No court date has been set for Berenyi. According to Berenyi Inc.'s website, the company provides architecture, engineering and construction services and has been involved in some of South Carolina's largest industrial projects, including expansion at the Continental Tire plant in Sumter, construction of a transload facility for plastic pellet shipper Frontier Logistics and design and contractor services for a port at Nucor's steel mill in Berkeley County. Berenyi, a graduate of The Citadel with a civil engineering degree, founded the firm that bears his name in 1989. It's the end of Ecstasy as ex-Charleston cruise ship sails toward the scrap heap Santee Cooper changes its mind on the site of its next power plant If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit Maura Hogan is the arts critic at The Post and Courier. She has previously written about arts, culture and lifestyle for The New York Times, Gourmet, Garden & Gun, among other publications. LEXINGTON A deal to lure a new $80 million Chick-fil-A distribution center near Cayce won a key approval from Lexington County Council on Oct. 25. The investment by the Georgia-based company, Chick-fil-A Supply, would bring 165 jobs to the county, according to county documents. The distribution center will be located on 68 acres next to the Amazon distribution center in Saxe Gotha Industrial Park south of the city of Cayce near Interstate 77, plans show. The company will pay $3.43 million for the property, as well as another 32 acres of undevelopable wetlands on the site. In exchange for its investment, Chick-fil-A Supply will be eligible for reductions in its property taxes and will lock in a set tax rate for 30 years. Under the agreement, the company will be able to buy down its tax bill by 25 percent for five years and 20 percent for another five years after. The Lexington County site will mark the fast-food restaurant's third distribution center in the Southeast. Chick-fil-A has a 216,000-square-foot center in Cartersville, Ga., northwest of Atlanta, that employs some 220 workers and supplies about 225 restaurants, according to the Chick-fil-A Supply company website. A second center in Mebane, N.C., which opened this year west of Durham, is 170,000 square feet and will employ 160 workers delivering to 150 restaurants. County Council voted the deal ahead but still will have to take one more vote at a later date to give the agreement full approval. Chick-fil-A Supply joins a number of other companies in the popular industrial park near the crossroads of interstates 77 and 26. The park also houses Nephron Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries, Amazon and a Dominion Energy building. The Charleston County School District's board unanimously voted to approve goals and guardrails for its planned restructuring during an Oct. 24 board meeting. The board first presented the goals and guardrails during a meeting earlier this month. They came up with them after having around a half dozen community meetings during which they listened to questions and concerns from local residents about their governance overhaul. Under the new governance model, the board would focus more on students' academic performance, handing its administrative responsibilities over to the superintendent's office. Prior to the vote, Superintendent Don Kennedy presented his thoughts on the goals and guardrails the board put forth earlier in the month. His main suggestions were making the goals more specific and including interim goals. He said the interim goals are not directed toward the board, but will measure whether the superintendent's office and the district is on track to reach its goals. For example, one of the proposed goals was to increase the percentage of Black and Hispanic 5th grade reading at grade level by 2027. The percentage was not specified, and Kennedy recommended raising it from 25.5 percent in July 2022 to 60.7 percent in July 2027. The interim goals for literacy included raising the percentage of Black and Hispanic kindergartners demonstrating "low risk" from 47 percent in April 2022 to 63.9 percent in April 2025, and the percentage of Black and Hispanic PK4 students who scored in Tier 1 on their myIGDIS in both rhyming and sound ID from 26.9 percent to 50.2 percent during the same period. "We believe if we meet these three interim goals it gets us closer and closer to the ultimate goal of closing those gaps for our African American and Hispanic scholars," he said. The district office's other notes were along the same vein. For the second goal they said the percentage of all CCSD students enrolled in eighth grade achieving a C or higher in Algebra 1 should increase from 24.9 percent in the academic year ending in 2022 to 60.3 percent in May 2027. The percentage of students in the 4-year cohort who graduate college and/or career ready should increase from 67.7 percent in August 2021 to 86.2 percent in August 2027. The board had a couple recommendations regarding some of the guardrails. Their concerns mainly involved the fourth guardrail that said the superintendent should not allow disparate treatment of or low expectation for any students. They were also worried about the fifth guardrail that said the superintendent shall not allow a negative or unsupportive staff culture. Sign up for our Education Lab newsletter. Email Sign Up! Courtney Waters, the board's vice chair, said the guardrails don't seem very concrete. "It just feels very subjective and difficult to determine if anything is changing," she said. When the board voted, they did so under the agreement interim goals for those guardrails would be adjusted. Kennedy said the next step of the governance restructuring is to develop a progress model and protocols for how staff will interact with the school board. The governance overhaul has been met with mixed reactions. Education groups like the Council of Great City Schools, a coalition of 77 of the country's largest urban public school districts, that says it allows the board to concentrate more on how to best assist students academically. Its critics say that it gives the superintendent too much power. Many of those opposed to the restructuring are also concerned about its timing. The board is attempting to do this on the cusp of the Nov. 8 election. This is a pivotal election for the school district that will completely shake up the makeup of the board. In 2020, Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill that assigned CCSD school board members to single member districts instead of at-large seats meaning that in this election all nine board seats are up for grabs. Many of the current school board members decided not to run again or dropped out of the race. Kennedy's position is also temporary. The board has indicated it intends to hire a new superintendent sometime after the election. Donate to our Investigative Fund to support journalism like this Our public service and investigative reporting is among the most important work we do. Its also the most expensive reporting we do. We cant do it without your support. Donate Now GREENVILLE A controversial mixed-use development proposed for a property in West Greenville is going back to the city's planning commission amid fierce opposition from the surrounding community. Greenville City Council voted unanimously to return the project, which would be called The Woven, to the commission during an Oct. 24 meeting after close to 90 minutes of public comment and council discussion. The rezoning and annexation that would make way for the project will go back with a litany of conditions, including that the commissioners consider scale, density, greenspace, transitional space, traffic impact and affordability. It is also required that the project return to council before the end of the year. Proposed for a roughly three-acre tract where Saco, Smith and Traction streets meet Pendleton Street, The Woven has been a point of contention in the surrounding neighborhood for months. It would include more than 250 apartments and up to 30,000 square feet of commercial space, as well as a community park at the rear of the property. Residents in West Greenville have raised concerns that the scale and design of the development would conflict with the neighborhood's character and that the project would increase property values, accelerating the gentrification the area is already experiencing. The planning commission previously voted 5-1 to recommend denial of the annexation and rezoning required for the project at a July meeting, but the changes narrowly survived a first reading by City Council by a 4-3 vote in August. When The Woven appeared on City Council's agenda Oct. 24 for a second reading, it drew a crowd to council chambers. During the public comment section of the meeting, 10 residents spoke against the project while one spoke in favor. Among those who spoke in opposition was Anne King, whose Burdette Street home sits near the proposed site. She said she believed The Woven as proposed would be out of character with the surrounding community and implored city council to delay a decision on the rezoning as Greenville awaits a draft of its new zoning ordinance later this year. "Please don't accept Woven just because a developer is ready to build it," she said. "We need the bold vision that Greenville is known for." Kwadjo Campbell, chair of the Greenville County Democratic Black Caucus, also spoke out against the proposed development. The Woven, he said, would worsen the racial displacement the area is experiencing as increasing property values push established residents out of historically black neighborhoods. "The African American community, who supported the majority of the councilmembers here on council, they're already hanging on by a thread," he said. Greg McPhee, owner of the Anchorage, a prominent restaurant in West Greenville across from the planned site of the development, spoke in favor of the project, saying that it would bring needed foot traffic to the district and bolster local businesses. "We've seen multiple small businesses, including about 10 food and beverage operators, come and go in the span of six years, either driven to other parts of town with better density and infrastructure, or out of business, having their dreams financially shattered," he said. "The pieces needed to create a sustainable Village of West Greenville have not been fully realized in our eyes." Ryan Johnston, who spoke on behalf of the applicant, said the developers took pains to design a project that would fit into the West Greenville community and add needed amenities to the area. During council discussion, Councilman Ken Gibson said he doesn't oppose establishing a mixed-use development on the property, but that he was uncomfortable with the fact that it was presented to council with a list of 15 proposed amendments. He said he also did not believe the area had the infrastructure to support the density proposed in the project. City Councilwoman Lillian Brock Flemming, who represents the district the property in question sits in, echoed those concerns and said she wanted the developer to make a better effort to reach out to the community. She also said the proposal to make 10 percent of the units in the development accessible to people making 80 percent of the area median income and below did little to address the area's affordability needs. "What your saying to me in plain terms is your not talking about the people who live in West Greenville," she said. "You're talking about bringing in a whole new community and getting rid of these people." Among the amendments that city council is sending back to the planning commission is a required expansion of the development's affordability. The amendment would require the developers make 20 percent of the apartments affordable to people making 40, 60 and 80 percent AMI. The change would make the project eligible for a fee in lieu of tax recently enacted by the county and a city density bonus that allows an additional story to be added to the structure. Council stipulated that the planning commission must return the rezoning and annexation request with a full report by Dec. 12. The Summerville Medical Center recently showcased their "adorable butterballs" fresh out of the oven and born on Thanksgiving. The bundles of joy (Tiana, Jack and John) were all sporting our special holiday onesies for their respective debuts. Read moreS'ville Medical Center presents Thanksgiving babies With three grown children out of the nest and building their own lives, a widowed Eva Samuel suddenly found herself alone. But still with so much love to share, her nurturing instincts told the native Summervillian that her days of mothering were far from over. Read moreFoster mom opens her heart to needy youth You are the owner of this article. Alex Murdaugh's former law office is going on the offensive in response to a recent claim that lawyers at the storied Hampton firm helped Murdaugh steal from one of their former clients. In a new filing, lawyers for the firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, Detrick slammed the Oct. 7 lawsuit as "false and highly defamatory" and asked a judge to sanction the two Orangeburg attorneys who filed it. The 41-page motion alleges attorneys Glenn Walters and Korey Williams authored the lawsuit earlier this month without properly investigating their claims or first reviewing their client's PMPED file "which would have immediately alerted them to the fact that their allegations were false." The PMPED response blasted a lawsuit filed on behalf of Manuel Santis-Cristiani, a Mexican national, who hired Murdaugh and the PMPED firm to represent him in a personal injury case after a 2008 car accident in Colleton County. Walters and Williams, who now represent Santis-Cristiani, alleged Murdaugh and other PMPED lawyers settled Santis-Cristiani's case in 2013 but never told him the settlement's worth and never sent him any of the money. In reality, PMPED's lawyers wrote, Santis-Cristiani knew about the settlement and received the full amount he was owed from it nearly $74,000. PMPED attached to its filing a copy of a wire transfer showing it sent the money to Santis-Cristiani after his case ended in 2016. In a strange twist, the firm conceded that Murdaugh did steal a separate, $70,000 chunk of the settlement proceeds. But that money was owed to a hospital for Santis-Cristiani's 2008 medical bills, not Santis-Cristiani himself, PMPED said. And the firm said it had no knowledge of that theft until last year. Efforts to reach Walters and Williams for comment Oct. 25 were unsuccessful. Jim May, one of several outside attorneys representing PMPED, said the new filing "speaks for itself" and declined to comment further. Walters and Williams filed the Santis-Cristiani lawsuit in the wake of criminal indictments and other civil lawsuits that have accused Murdaugh of using various accomplices and a fraudulent bank account to steal nearly $9 million from legal settlements and fees owed to his clients, law partners and others who trusted him. The Santis-Cristiani lawsuit was the first that accused other PMPED attorneys of being involved in Murdaugh's alleged schemes. The PMPED firm, which has since dissolved and rebranded as the Parker Law Group, has denied any knowledge of Murdaugh's thefts until September 2021, when it accused the once-respected Hampton attorney of stealing and forced him to resign. Murdaugh has been disbarred by the state Supreme Court and faces decades in prison in connection with those alleged financial crimes. He also stands accused of killing his wife and son in a pair of grisly slayings that sparked international attention in June 2021. The new PMPED filing accuses attorneys Walters and Williams of violating judicial rules by filing their lawsuit without first checking the facts of their claims. It asks a judge to remove the law firm and two of its former partners, Ronnie Crosby and William Barnes III, as defendants in the case. Santis-Cristiani "was fully aware of the terms of the settlement and approved them," the filing states. He even traveled to Hampton County from Mexico in March 2013 to take part in a mediation that led to the settlement, it states. Santis-Cristiani does not speak English and relied on an interpreter, Blanca Simpson of Hampton County, to keep him apprised of developments in the case, PMPED said in the filing. In sworn affidavits attached to the filing, Crosby and Barnes said they called Simpson after they were named as defendants in Santis-Cristiani's new lawsuit. Simpson, who was ultimately granted power of attorney to act on Santis-Cristiani's behalf, told them Santis-Cristiani knew about his settlement and received the money, according to those affidavits. Crosby and Barnes said Simpson told them they had done nothing wrong and shouldn't have been named defendants in the new lawsuit. They said Simpson wasn't aware of the lawsuit or the allegations made in it until speaking with Barnes on Oct. 10, three days after the claim was filed. "This wasn't supposed to go this far," Crosby said Simpson told him. HILTON HEAD Newly released recordings reveal sheriffs deputies' discomfort with Circuit Judge Carmen Mullens alleged attempts to make stuff up to arrest a troubled man at the center of a 2017 disturbance in her neighborhood. The cruiser camera recordings, while difficult to make out at times, appear to support Beaufort County sheriffs deputies statements in a just-uncovered incident report that the judge tried to orchestrate the mans arrest to get him removed Dec. 7, 2017, from the gated community where she lives. Yet, the audio also appears to support Mullen's statements that her primary concern was keeping the man safe as he had a mental health episode. During the course of the 30-minute incident, Mullen alternately recommended deputies arrest the man for either credit card fraud or trespassing or harassment or disorderly conduct. When they refused, she suggested someone might drive him to a gas station where he was banned so deputies could arrest him there for trespassing, according to recordings obtained by The Post and Courier through an open-records request. Thats entrapment, a deputy cautioned. Yeah, Im not worried about that, the judge replied. The incident in Port Royal Plantation has drawn fresh scrutiny of Mullen, who was already the subject of a pair of official complaints over her ties to disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh, who faces murder and embezzlement charges. The encounter was first brought to light last week after Liz Farrell of the Murdaugh Murders Podcast tracked down a report on the incident. Eric Bland, a trial attorney who filed one of those previous complaints, said Oct. 25 he found The Post and Courier's reporting on the recording "very troubling." Bland said he sent a copy of the article to judicial misconduct investigators at the state's Office of Disciplinary Counsel. Judges are required to be honest both inside the courtroom and out, Bland noted. The recording sparks concerns both because it appears to depict a judge attempting to orchestrate an arrest under false pretenses and because it seems to contradict Mullen's previous statements about what happened that day, Bland said. "It has to be investigated," Bland said. "She deserves every benefit of the doubt. She deserves due process. But this is a situation where you can't just sweep this under the rug." In a statement last week, Mullen denied any wrongdoing, saying the report did not accurately capture the conversations that occurred that night. She insisted she was simply trying to help a longtime family acquaintance get psychiatric help and stay out of harms way. After Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner stood by his deputies account of the incident, The Post and Courier filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking dashboard camera recordings of the episode. Cameras on two cruisers recorded audio of the encounter, but no video. The audio is plagued by an incessant hum and is nearly unintelligible at the outset. But the cameras captured enough of the conversation to corroborate much of the deputies statements, as well as Mullens stated intent to help former lawyer Ernest Lotito, who was reportedly placed on disability inactive status by the S.C. Supreme Court in 1995 due to mental illness. Mullen did not immediately respond to an email sent Oct. 25 seeking further comment on the episode. The scene unfolds Deputies went to a Port Royal Drive home around 5:20 p.m. that day after a resident contacted security asking for help removing a man from her property. The deputy arrived to find Lotito talking on a phone in the driveway. The deputy noted in the report that Lotito appeared to be a mental subject, but was not a threat. The resident is heard on the cruiser recordings complaining about Lotitos erratic behavior and asking for help in getting him removed so she can get her life back. The recording does not capture the deputies reply, but their report indicates that they advised her on the process for an eviction. Mullen showed up at the home a short time later and told deputies she was very familiar with Lotito, who had been an acquaintance of her husband for more than 20 years. He had also appeared in her court. She said he could be loud but he aint going to hurt anybody, adding that he is a prince when hes medicated for his mental health issues. Hes a sweetheart at the jail, she said. Mullen indicated she didnt know the woman who had been hosting Lotito in her home, a point confirmed by the woman when reached by The Post and Courier last week. Still, the judge told deputies, the poor girl needed a break and Lotito needed proper care. She said it was ridiculous that the woman would have to evict him from her house. I think yall have to take him in. I mean, I dont think you have a choice, Mullen said. Im not sure what you charge him with right now, but youve got to get rid of him. Lotito at one point appeared on the recording and did not seem to recognize Mullen or her husband, whom he has known for years. He is heard urging people to come see a fort he had built in the backyard. Can we talk about probable cause right here? Mullen said after Lotito insisted someone was flying him to a Kentucky senator to deliver weed. No question he is acting weird, a deputy replied. Mullen asked if he could be arrested for trespassing, but the deputies said it wasnt that simple since he had a right to be there. So the judge went to confer with the resident, saying Lets see if I can find some charges ... to take him in. The resident explained that she had reported Lotito for using her credit card numbers without permission. Mullen turned to the deputies and asked if they could produce arrest paperwork on the spot based on the woman's statements. So my question is ... why cant we just draw something up right now, sign a warrant and lets take him for breach of trust? the judge asked. The judge then told deputies about how someone had arranged in the past to get rid of Lotito, saying you are going to just die laughing. She then recounted how that person had driven Lotito to a Kangaroo gas station in Beaufort where he was on trespass notice and then called deputies to come arrest him for violating the order. A deputy informed Mullen that the credit card allegations would have to be presented to a local magistrate for consideration before a warrant could be issued for Lotitos arrest. I mean, I could sign a warrant, Mullen replied. I sign them all the time. When Mullen and the resident apparently moved away to continue their conversation, a deputy sighed and said, Mmmmmh ... This is getting (unintelligible). A deputy then called a superior and said, This is starting to get to a supervisors status because the judge is trying to find ways to arrest him. He explained that he had tried to tell the judge the matter needed to go to the magistrate but she wanted to sign the warrant herself on the spot. After getting off the phone, the deputy told a colleague they would provide an incident number for a report and then leave the scene. But Mullen approached the deputies again and suggested deputies arrest Lotito for disorderly conduct or harassment, alleging he was making threats against the resident. When the deputy questioned the grounds for that charge, the judge said the likely outcome if they left is that someone would drive Lotito back to the Beaufort gas station where he had been banned and have him arrested again by other officers. Thats when the deputy responded that such a scenario would be entrapment. That term is commonly defined as tricking someone into committing a crime in order to secure a prosecution. Later problems The deputies ultimately left without making an arrest. Mullen said in her statement last week that her husband arranged for someone to drive Lotito to a local hotel for the night. A separate incident report obtained by The Post and Courier details how deputies were called to a disturbance at the Days Inn on Marina Side Drive shortly after midnight after staff said Lotito became loud and disruptive. Deputies found Lotito to be acting erratically and drove him to a hospital for observation, the report stated. In April 2018, Lotito was indicted by federal authorities for allegedly threatening to kill then-President Donald Trump with a sniper rifle. He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a psychiatric facility, federal court records show. The court ordered he be released in November 2020. Mullen has said Lotito called her husband a few months ago to say he was living in Charleston at a halfway house, had a job and was doing well. Reached Oct. 25, Lotito said he considers Mullen a "first-class individual through and through" and believes she was truly trying to get him the help he needed. Judge Mullen, in sum, was concerned for my best interests only, he said. Mullen has come under fire in recent months after a pair of attorneys sounded alarms about her handling of a multimillion-dollar wrongful-death settlement involving Alex Murdaugh, a disbarred Hampton attorney who now stands accused of stealing nearly $9 million from legal clients, his former law partners and others who trusted him. He also has been charged with murder in the June 2021 fatal shootings of his wife and son. First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe and Bland filed a formal complaint months ago with the state office that investigates judicial misconduct but have heard nothing since. Meanwhile, Mullen remains on the bench in South Carolinas southern 14th Circuit, where generations of Murdaugh attorneys ran a high-powered law firm and served as the areas top prosecutor. Avery G. Wilks contributed to this story from Columbia. CONWAY The Horry County Republican Party chairman who resigned in September is refusing to hand over control of the partys finances and social media accounts to the new leaders. Despite his departure over accusations state party leaders were meddling in county party politics and did not show enough support for former President Donald Trump, Roger Slagle declared himself the "duly elected" chairman in a Oct. 21 video posted on the county party website. "I am in this fight and will not relent to this coup," Slagle said. Reese Boyd, a Myrtle Beach attorney who was elected Horry County Republican chairman on Oct. 11, said he is hoping to avoid a lawsuit or state party intervention to gain access to the party's bank accounts and social media platforms. He said the new administration has the county party membership list. "This is not a fight that any of us went looking for," Boyd said. "They are the ones, the prior leadership team, who set this in motion by all resigning. All we've done is try to act and respond appropriately to the developments that they set in motion, but it's not a coup." Slagle could have run again for party chairman during two special meetings if he regretted quitting, Boyd said. Two weeks after resigning along with the rest of his leadership team, Slagle called a special county GOP meeting and asked to rescind his notice. Party leaders countered his exit had already been accepted. In his new video that does not mention previous resignation, Slagle denounced the S.C. Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick and the state party for not recognizing him as the county party's leader. "I demand that you cease and desist from any statements or communications which recognize any invalidly elected officers or any irrelevant provisional officers," Slagle said. The S.C. Republican Party recognizes Boyd and a recently elected slate of officers as Horry Countys new leadership. "You cant rescind a resignation and pretend it didnt happen, Claire Brady, communications director for the S.C. Republican Party, said. The S.C. Republican Party did not comment on whether it would intervene, but called Slagle's refusal to resign as a "distraction." "Election Day is two weeks away and polls are already open," Brady said. "Were focused on electing Republicans up and down the ballot across the state. Horry County, the states fourth-largest county, is one of South Carolinas top three Republican strongholds. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has often credited the county in helping him win elections and the region was a huge backer of Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. Now in their ongoing fight, the sides plan to hold separate party meetings next month. Boyd has a Horry County GOP meeting planned Nov. 1 in Conway, the first since he was elected chairman. Slagle has called a meeting for Nov. 7, the day before Election Day, in Myrtle Beach to elect a new vice chairman and state executive committee members in what he believes to be the countys true GOP party leadership. The S.C. GOP has been fighting with officers of parties in Horry and Greenville counties who have questioned the loyalty of state party leaders to Trump. A slate of party leaders in Greenville County, a dominant GOP stronghold, resigned in 2021 after pressure from pro-Trump activists. In early 2021, a faction of Horry County Republicans, who call themselves "America First Patriots" in connection with a famous Trump campaign tagline, became party executive committee members. Federal investigators have charged an Upstate man with storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, bringing the tally of South Carolinians arrested in connection with the botched uprising to 19. Laurens resident Alan Scott Culbertson, 59, was picked up by law enforcement on Oct. 24 and released the same day on $25,000 unsecured bail. His arrest comes less than a month after authorities charged a Fountain Inn couple who traveled with Culbertson to Washington, D.C., for then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally. The trio marched on the Capitol with a crowd of Trump supporters who believed his erroneous claims that Democrats had stolen the 2020 election from him, charging documents state. Culbertson, William John Wyatt Gallman and Joei "Josie" Leann Gallman entered the building around 2:20 p.m., just minutes after then-Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress fled to safety, investigators alleged. The trio lingered in the building for nearly half an hour, taking pictures as they walked through the Rotunda and Statuary Hall like tourists, according to arrest warrants. They aren't accused of assaulting police or vandalizing the building, as many other defendants are. Congress later reconvened that evening to formally certify Democrat Joe Biden as the country's next president. Culbertson declined to comment when reached by phone Oct. 25. His involvement in the Jan. 6 riot was documented in Sept. 16 warrants filed by investigators against the Gallmans, but authorities haven't explained why they waited a month to arrest Culbertson. Social media posts indicate Culbertson is a family friend who is involved in stock car racing with the Gallmans. A magistrate judge ordered Culbertson and the Gallmans to avoid contact while their cases are pending. Court forms listed Culbertson as a potential witness in the Gallmans' criminal matter. Culbertson is among the latest of nearly 900 defendants from all 50 states who have been ensnared in the Department of Justice's Jan. 6 probe, the largest criminal investigation in American history. Agents have tracked down Culbertson and other alleged rioters with the help of anonymous tipsters, social media, GPS data, news footage and video from surveillance systems and body-worn cameras. Evidence of the defendants' involvement is typically overwhelming, which is why almost all of the cases to be resolved so far have ended in guilty pleas or convictions. Of South Carolinas 19 defendants, 10 have pleaded guilty and one more Citadel cadet Elias Irizarry is scheduled to do so on Oct. 26. Seven have been sentenced, with four getting prison time ranging from 14 days to 44 months. The rest are still weighing the charges against them. Culbertson's case has been transferred to Washington, D.C., where all the Capitol defendants are being tried. The idea of creating housing villages for young teachers came to South Carolina 15 years ago, when then-S.C. Education Superintendent Jim Rex talked it up as a way to provide community for new teachers moving to rural communities, where they might otherwise feel isolated. A few districts loo Read moreEditorial: Pursue teacher housing plan in the open, with attention to details Former Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Republican Ellen Weaver in the race for state superintendent of education, calling her "a leader in everything she's ever touched" who will help teachers and empower parents despite her having never taught in a classroom. Haley made the announcement Oct. 24 while standing and smiling alongside Weaver before the two headlined a rally that doubled as a fundraiser in downtown Charleston. The event, which was held inside an upscale private dining room, was not open to the press but Haley and Weaver took questions from the media beforehand. Haley has become a sought-after national GOP surrogate who has flexed her political muscle in top-of-the-ticket races around the country, chiefly federal races for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, along with governor and state attorneys general. Haley confirmed her endorsement of Weaver marks the first time she's waded into a statewide education contest this election cycle. When asked about her decision to support Weaver, a conservative think-tank leader who has never taught or worked in a school, Haley turned the question around and retold the story of her own unlikely political rise. "I think citizens tend to say, 'Oh there's a criteria and there's a playbook.' Well, everyone thought that I shouldn't run against a 30-year incumbent in a primary. Everyone thought that I shouldn't run for governor. People said I wasn't qualified to be the U.N. ambassador," Haley said. "What I know is the thing that trumps all that is leadership," Haley said, nodding to Weaver. "When you get someone in there that understands (that's) what their goal is, it's not about resumes." The debate over Weaver's qualifications has dominated the race that will determine the next leader of education policy for the states 777,000 students and 54,700 teachers. She entered the race without a master's degree, a qualification required by a previously little-known South Carolina law that states candidates for state superintendent must hold a masters degree and have "broad-based experience" in either public education or financial management. Weaver has since said she obtained her master's from Bob Jones University, but she took Haley's lead and asserted the role is about her ability to lead and manage a multibillion-dollar state agency. "I am proud to stand with someone who has a track record of proven leadership because, again, that's what this job is about," Weaver said. "I am not running to be a classroom teacher. I am running to put the experience that I have had in over 20 years of public service to work on behalf of the students, the parents and the teachers of this state." Weaver faces Democrat Lisa Ellis, a Richland 2 teacher and the founder of the South Carolina teacher advocacy group SC for Ed, and Green Party candidate Patricia Mickel for the top education job. Ellis' campaign earlier characterized Haleys visit as a sign that Weaver and Haley are more focused on advancing their political ambitions than representing South Carolinas students and families. The Haley endorsement also illustrated how politicized education races have become across the country. In her remarks, Haley advocated for a discussion on school choice and voiced opposition to critical race theory and transgender athletes playing in girls sports. "If you have a 5-year-old girl and she goes to kindergarten and she's White, you tell her she's bad," Haley said, shaking her head. "And if she's Brown or Black, you're telling she's not going to be good enough and she's always going to be a victim." Republicans have been quick to seize on education as a winning political issue this election cycle, especially after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin campaigned on the idea of giving parents more say over what their children are learning in schools in 2021. Election Day is Nov. 8, and the two-week, no-excuse early voting period is already underway. DUNCAN A famous Texas-based burger chain caused a stir earlier this year when it hinted it may set up shop for the first time in South Carolina. Now, Whataburger's entry to the Palmetto State seems destined for Duncan, a small town along Interstate 85 about halfway between Spartanburg and Greenville. On the evening of Oct. 24, the Duncan Town Council had a special called meeting to host public hearings and vote on multiple annexations. One annexation request was a second reading on the property at 1537 E. Main St., a former Bank of America building next to a Zaxby's. Per the agenda, the property is currently unzoned and located in Spartanburg County. The proposal is to establish the zoning classification of General Business District. The head of the Duncan zoning department and Fire Chief Barry Frost described the property as a "little doughnut hole" that was not previously in the town, so this "fills in that little doughnut hole." "The property is being negotiated by the owner and Whataburger for a Whataburger site," Frost said. He added that the company wanted the property to be brought into the city "before they did anything." "My thing is it's not signed, sealed, delivered until I see a site plan, and then I see dirt being scratched," Frost said. "Once I see the ground start moving around, then I will be excited." The council unanimously passed the annexation. Town Administrator Cameron Fant confirmed "yes" when asked by The Post and Courier if this was the Texas-based Whataburger and a not a restaurant with a similar name. In two separate emails to a communications firm representing Whataburger, the newspaper asked for confirmation the East Main Street property was under consideration by the burger chain. The spokesperson declined to provide confirmation or any additional information. A representative from real estate company Collett, which represents the property, did not respond to an email or call about the potential transaction. The former bank building is just south of Exit 63 along I-85. It is surrounded by other food chains such as Jersey Mike's Subs, Bojangles, Cracker Barrel, Dunkin' and Zaxby's. There are more than 900 locations of Whataburger nationwide, with about 700 of those located in Texas. Its headquarters was once based in Corpus Christi before it relocated to San Antonio in 2009. The restaurant is best known for the food reflected in its name: burgers. Other states with restaurants include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Were going to offer some bonus podcast content this week as there is a lot going on in the run-up to next Mondays Supreme Court oral argument on the Harvard/UNC affirmative action admissions cases. We may even have a couple short episodes of the 3WHH on a couple of loose ends from last weekends show to respond to some listener questions and comments. But first, this special and highly newsworthy episode. Last February John Yoo and I hosted the distinguished legal scholar Richard Epstein for a lecture at Berkeley Law on his most recent book, The Dubious Morality of Modern Administrative Law. Given that we were still under a mask mandate on campus at the time, Richard decided to talk about our COVID misadventures as a prime example of the administrative state run amok. Following the lecture, we posted it to the law schools YouTube channel as we always do. Lo and behold, a few days ago YouTube took down the video of Richards talk on ground that it violates YouTubes terms of service relating to spreading misinformation about COVID. Heres how the universitys website for our Public Law and Policy Program now appears: Let that sink in: at the home of the modern free speech movement, YouTube has decided to play its Big Brother role to the hilt. YouTube further informs us that we have a Community Guidelines strike on our record, and a one-week probation period during which we are prohibited from posting any new content or streaming any event. (And we have a brand new lecture from Ilya Shapiro in the can and ready to go). Clearly the minimum response is to share the lecture with our listeners now. And so here it is. Stay tuned for updates. So listen here, of mask up and head over to our hosts at Ricochet. Nicholas Wade is the excellent former New York Times science reporter. I want to recommend his City Journal essay/review Friends in viral places. Wade takes up a new book on the origin of Covid-19 whose author he describes as a well-regarded and widely published writer about viruses and natural history[.] The review is educational and entertaining. Among other things, Wade indicts the author for shortchanging the lab-leak theory of the viruss origin. Wade writes: The case that Covid originated in a lab is not yet proven, but as circumstantial evidence goes, its pretty good. Few people appreciate quite how compelling this case is (see the outline below) because science journalists who work for the mainstream press have, by and large, failed to present it in full to their readers. He finds this to one of the books failings, but not the only one. Here is the promised case for the lab-leak origin that Wade presents briefly at the conclusion of his review: Collins and Fauci have advocated since 2011 for the benefits of enhancing natural viruses in the lab with the hope of predicting future epidemics. From their powerful bureaucratic positionsthey fund most virology research in the U.S.they outmaneuvered critics who argued that the risks of creating novel infectious viruses were sky high and the benefits nugatory. From 2014 onward, Fauci gave money, via Daszak, to researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology to collect bat coronaviruses in the wild and to manipulate the viral genomes in the lab. The goal was to see which held the greatest potential for infecting people. In 2018, the Wuhan researchers applied to DARPA, a Defense Department agency, for a grant to construct novel, SARS-like viruses. Their plan was to take genetic elements such as the one known as the furin cleavage site and to insert them into a specific position on viral genomes. That position, a single point on the viruss 30,000-unit long genome, is called the S1/S2 junction of the viruss spike gene. Many viruses have furin cleavage sites, but none of the 300 known members of the SARS-like family of coronaviruses do. This is important because viruses often swap genetic elements with other viruses of their own family, but they cannot naturally acquire elements that their family does not possess. In 2019, a novel virus, SARS-CoV-2, emerged in the city of Wuhan, home of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and launched the Covid pandemic. The viruss most unusual feature and a cause of its infectivity is a furin cleavage site inserted at the S1/S2 junction of its spike protein, just as outlined in the Wuhan virologists proposal to DARPA. The genetic coding of the viruss furin cleavage site is designated in a sequence of units common to human cells and supplied in laboratory kits, but it is very rare in coronaviruses and unknown in the SARS-like coronavirus family. Though viruses spill over from animal hosts to people quite often, they usually leave a trail of evidence when they do so. In the case of the SARS1 epidemic of 2003, virus researchers were able to trace the host population of wild bats, the mutations in the virus as it adapted from bats to civets and then to people, and the immunological traces it left in the human population. If SARS-CoV-2 has a natural origin, we should expect the same pieces of evidence to emerge. In three years, none has. This is Wades concluding paragraph: All this information, including the critical DARPA grant application, was available before Quammens book deadline. In telling only one side of a story that has two, he and many of his fellow science writers have failed their readers. NOTE: I have corrected my attribution of the essay/review to John Tierney rather than Nicholas Wade. Tierney is also an excellent former New York Times science reporter who writes for City Journal. I regret the error. Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time. Winston Churchill Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof. Inscription on the Liberty Bell Joe Bidens mental decline is obvious to everyone, to the point where Joe himself has acknowledged that it is legitimate to worry about his fitness for office. That was big of him. The latest in Bidens long string of senior moments (to use a phrase that, in this context, is unfair to seniors) came when he told an interviewer that the forgiveness of student debt that he purported to implement by executive order was narrowly passed by Congress. First the video, then a larger point: Here is the full clip for all you clowns who say its out of context. Biden first falsely claims he signed a law to cancel student loan debt, then says he got it passed by a vote or two. ??????? pic.twitter.com/JKdKde24db Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) October 24, 2022 Like so many recent video clips, this one shows a shocking mental degeneration. Does Biden really not remember that loan forgiveness didnt pass the Congressit never could haveand that he himself circumvented Congress, and the law, by signing an executive order? Apparently not. But that raises a more basic question: did Biden ever understand that he signed such an order? Charitably, one might imagine that Biden knew what he was doing at the time, but then forgot. But why should we assume that? Based on the evidence of our eyes, it seems equally likely, if not more so, that there was never a time when Biden understood that loan forgiveness couldnt pass Congress; that it was deemed helpful to Democrats election chances; and that he therefore should sign an (illegal) executive order. Who carried out that analysis? Who came up with a legal justification, to the extent there was one? Who prepared the executive order? Who told Joe Biden to sign it? Was Biden in the loop at all? Does Biden know anything about the order, other than what he may have read off a teleprompter at the time? Who, in short, is acting as president? I dont know the answer to that question, but I dont think it is Joe Biden. Union Bank of Nigeria Plcs shares climbed on Tuesday to their pinnacle since June 14 as the market was awash with buy orders from investors following an announcement of a tender offer by by Titan Trust Bank, its new majority owner. Union Banks shares wne up 9.32 per cent as of 09:43 WAT, 13 minutes after the market opened to trade. That was less than one per cent shy of the 10 per cent maximum daily appreciation limit set by the Nigerian Exchange. Titan Trust said Monday it will launch a mandatory takeover bid to procure 6.6 per cent of the common stock of Union Bank from minority shareholders, according to a regulatory filing seen by PREMIUM TIMES. A tender offer is a bid to minority stockholders of a publicly listed company to sell their shares. Titan Trust sealed the deal leading up to the acquisition of a 93.4 per cent holding in the 105-year old bank earlier this year, a reverse takeover completed for an undisclosed sum. As required by the Nigerian stock market regulations, the mandatory offer allows Titan Trust to purchase the remaining 6.6 per cent shareholding equivalent over 1.9 billion ordinary shares, a tender bid to be priced at N7.00 and offered at a premium above the market price, standing at N5.9 on Monday, the day the offer was announced. The N7.00 was the price at which the block trade was executed, Union Bank said. Titan Trust has received the Securities and Exchange Commissions approval to launch the MTO, a statement posted on the website of the Nigerian Exchange said. A business combination of both entities will result before the turn of the year, a source close to the deal told PREMIUM TIMES. He said the brand name Union Bank will be adopted. Titan Trust has set 5pm on 31 October as the qualification date for the tender offer, the day by which names of interested shareholders must appear in Union Banks register of members to be eligible. The date will similarly serve as the settlement date for trades conducted on 26 October. Tropical General Investments Group (TGI), the conglomerate parent company of Titan Trust and Union Bank, has an annual revenue totalling $1.5 billion. TGIs broad interests span banking, agribusiness, petrochemicals, real estate among others. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Rishi Sunak is set to be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This follows the withdrawal of Penny Mordaunt from the leadership race of the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party has the majority in the British parliament and thus the partys leader automatically becomes the head of the UK government. Mr Sunak, who enjoys the support of the majority of the Conservative Party parliamentarians, will be the first British Asian Prime Minister of the UK. He will succeed Liz Truss who resigned as prime minister last week after only 45 days in office. Ms Truss succeeded Boris Johnson who was forced to resign amidst multiple scandals. Mr Sunak served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 2020 and 2022 under Mr Johnson but later resigned from the cabinet following the multiple scandals. Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, confirmed Mr Sunak will be the next leader of the Conservative Party and the next prime minister. He was the only candidate after Ms Mordaunt pulled out just before the 14:00 deadline. Mr Sunak formally declared his intention to run as prime minister on Sunday but had been in the background garnering support from tories. He was however in the race that brought Ms Truss to power, where he emerged second after her. On Monday, as Ms Mordaunt dropped out of the race, she noted she was proud of her campaign and would fully support Mr Sunak. The opposition Labour Party and the Scottish National Party have both called for general elections. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A contract seen by OCCRP shows how Aboubakar Hima, who allegedly skimmed millions from $240 million in corrupt arms deals in his native Niger, may be up to his old tricks further from home. At the beginning of this year, a Senegalese state agency signed a deal to purchase $77 million worth of assault rifles, semi-automatic pistols, ammunition, and other weapons from a little-known local firm that had only been set up a couple months earlier. The contract was unusual in other ways, too. The agency that bought the arms was not the military, but the Environment Ministry. Still, the contract was never put out to bid, and once the deal was signed it was kept quiet, ostensibly due to Senegals defense security law. But OCCRP, in partnership with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, learned of the deal and obtained a copy of the contract. The supplier of the arms, Lavie Commercial Brokers, turns out to have been set up by the notorious West African businessman Aboubakar Hima, who is suspected of siphoning millions from inflated arms deals in Nigeria and his home country of Niger. An expert who discussed the Senegal deal with OCCRP reporters said irregularities in the contract suggested its price might also have been inflated. Hima, who is often known by the nickname Petit Boube, is no stranger to controversy. He has had some of his millions seized by the U.S. and South African authorities over illicit arms deals, and is wanted in Nigeria for his alleged role in making fraudulent arms deals with the government. In 2020, OCCRP revealed that a Nigerien government audit found Hima had brokered corrupt arms deals worth $240 million. Perhaps conscious of his own notoriety, Hima may have sought to disguise his involvement in the Senegalese arms contract. While he is the only person named on registration documents for Lavie Commercial Brokers, the contract was signed on his firms behalf by Israel-based David Benzaquen, the companys general manager. Benzaquen founded an Israeli company called Lavie Strategies, which is licensed to export weapons by Israels Ministry of Defense. He is a former employee of Israeli arms dealer Gabi Peretz, a close friend of Senegals President Macky Sall. Peretz is known to supply military equipment to countries in West and Central Africa. Around the time that Himas firm obtained the Senegal contract, Peretz offered a 300-million-euro credit line to the Senegalese military, according to the Africa Intelligence news outlet. Cest Lavie Benzaquens company was incorporated in Israel in 2013 under the name Gour Arye Africa Ltd, before being changed to Lavie Strategies in 2019. According to its website, Lavie Strategies is also present in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Nigeria and Ivory Coast, and specializes in projects in the military, agricultural and medical sectors. Its unclear how (or if) Lavie Commercial Brokers which was incorporated by Hima in Senegal in November 2021 is connected to Benzaquens Lavie Strategies, but reporters found a number of other similarly named companies around the world, most of them tied to either Hima or Benzaquen. In Burkina Faso, registration documents show Hima is the manager of Lavie Commercial Brokers and Lavie Consulting Limited, both set up in January 2022. In Niger, Hima is the manager of Lavie Strategies Limited and Lavie Consulting, both incorporated in early 2021. Company records from Dubai show the existence of Lavie Commercial Brokers in the United Arab Emirates. There is no owner or manager named, but the contact email address is david@lavie-strategies.com, suggesting Benzaquen might be involved with the company. Reporters also identified a Lavie Strategies Burkina in Burkina Faso and Lavie Consulting LLC in Delaware in the U.S., although neither Hima nor Benzaquen appeared on these corporate records. In an emailed response to questions, Peretz said he had not had any contact with Hima since at least 2015 and had no knowledge of Lavie Commercial Brokers. He said Benzaquen had not worked for him since 2018 and does not represent us, and that he had no knowledge of Lavies contract in Senegal. Senegal has been fighting a decades-long armed conflict with rebels in the southern Casamance region, along its borders with Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Guerilla groups in the forests have smuggled timber and cannabis to finance themselves, and Senegalese forest rangers overseen by the Environment Ministry must arm themselves as a result. But experts questioned whether the Environment Ministry should have signed such a large and secretive weapons contract. We can ask ourselves the question if it is really necessary [for forest rangers to have assault rifles], said Professor Semou Ndiaye, a consultant and researcher in corruption and good governance. [The arrangement] is opaque. It is a deal that is directly arranged and naturally, there is a risk of corruptionthe authorities can do as they see fit and there is a heightened risk of overpricing [of contracts]. An analyst with experience in the security sector in Senegal, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said it was very unlikely the Environment Ministry would need to spend tens of millions on arms. There have been recent increases in fighting between the army and rebels in Casamance, but I am not aware of any major incidents with the forest rangers, he said. I dont think such a big contract should be signed by a single ministry without the involvement of security forces. And the Environment Ministry is obviously not buying weapons for the army. Experts also said it was surprising and problematic that Senegal would ink a major arms deal with a dealer found to be defrauding other governments. No responsible buyer, whether a government agency or a private company, does business with an individual who has a record of fraudulent dealing, said Richard Messick, a former senior operations specialist at the World Bank who now consults for international organizations on legal development and anticorruption. It may be that the accusations against Mr. Hima are without merit. A responsible buyer would make absolutely sure of that before contracting with him, he added. Abdou Karim Sall and Aboulaye Daouda Diallo, who signed the contract in their respective roles as Minister of Environment and Minister of Finance at the time, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. OCCRP could not reach Hima for comment. Reporters sent detailed questions to Himas Nigerian lawyer Kayode Ajulo, but he refused to pass them on to his client. I dont run such errands, he said. Haaretz contacted Benzaquen by telephone, but he refused to respond to questions. Senegals Ministries of Environment and Finance did not respond to written questions. From Paper to Bullets Himas path to West African arms dealer was an unconventional one, aided by his marriage and the necessities of war. His first known business was Imprimerie du Plateau, a printing firm he set up in Niger in 2003. In 2005 he married the daughter of the countrys former president, Ibrahim Bare Mainassara, who had been killed in a coup some years earlier. The marriage brought him closer to Nigers political establishment, and by 2010 he was in the arms business in neighboring Nigeria. In Nigeria, Hima made a fortune during the 2010-2015 administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. He worked frequently with Sambo Dasuki, a national security adviser to the Jonathan government who was later accused of mismanaging $2.1 billion connected to arms deals. Hima set up a Nigerian arms-dealing firm, Societe DEquipments Internationaux Nigeria Ltd, in May 2014, not long after nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram Islamic militants. Facing immense pressure to rescue the girls but under a U.S. arms embargo, the Nigerian government turned to brokers like Hima. Between 2014 and 2015, Hima netted over $400 million in fraudulent arms contracts, according to the countrys Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which claimed he received government money for the purchase of military equipment for Nigerian forces but didnt supply all of the gear. Hima allegedly bribed Nigerian military officers to win these contracts, according to Nigerian court records. One was Alkali Mohammadu Mamu, a former group managing director of the Nigerian air forces holding company, who was found guilty of corruption after taking $300,000 in currency and an unknown number of cars from Hima. The Nigerian findings were similar to the findings of the Inspection Generale des Armees, an independent body that audits the armed forces in Niger. Auditors, looking at the period 2011 to 2019, discovered that many deals Hima facilitated in that country were significantly overpriced and the equipment was sometimes never delivered. Those deals by Hima, according to the audit report, were worth $240 million. Procurement Problems In addition to fraudulently selling weapons to Nigeria, Hima also ran into trouble procuring the weapons in the first place. In both the U.S. and South Africa, he tried to buy arms from dealers that did not have the prozper registration or export licenses. In South Africa in 2014, officials seized $5.7 million wired to a South African arms brokerage company, Cerberus Risk Solutions, by Himas firm SEI because Cerberus didnt have the required registration to deal in arms in South Africa, according to media reports. The following year, the U.S. seized more than $6 million from Ara G. Dolarian, a U.S.-based arms broker, who had signed contracts totaling $246.4 million to sell arms to Hima for Nigeria, even though Dolarian did not have the appropriate licenses. Dolarians application to supply the arms had been rejected by the U.S. Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, but he continued dealing with Hima and negotiating with different arms vendors in violation of Americas Arms Export Control Act, according to a civil action suit taken by U.S. authorities, which sought the forfeiture of the money Hima had wired to Dolarian. Hima had paid Dolarian a total of $8.6 million but never got any arms. Hima later sued Dolarian in U.S. court to recover his money. In 2019, Dolarian pled guilty to brokering an illegal arms deal with the Nigerian government. Red Flags and Five-Star Travel OCCRP could not confirm whether the weapons in the Senegal deal have been delivered, but the contract covers a wide range of materials and services, from guns and ammunition to boats, pick-up trucks, cars, uniforms, and even drone training courses. Lavie Commercial Brokers agreed to finance the deal upfront, with the Senegalese authorities then paying the company in installments of about 9.06 billion CFA francs ($15.4 million) annually until 2026. The Senegal deal also provides for two Lavie-funded trips to Dubai for a six-person Senegalese delegation, so that officials can inspect the items before their delivery to Senegal. The contract says the officials are to travel business class and stay at a five-star hotel. Experts said the contract has red flags for artificially inflated pricing the same offense that Hima was previously accused of in Niger and Nigeria. Most concerningly, the costs are not itemized. Instead, only the single lump sum of 45.3 billion CFA francs ($77 million) is cited in the document. Good practice in any contract for goods or equipment is to itemize the price of the individual items, said Messick, the former World Bank specialist and corruption expert. When a single price is quoted for numerous itemsit is very hard to know whether the government is being overcharged, Messick told OCCRP. Chidi Nwaonu, a defense expert with London-based Peccavi Consulting, also said the lack of price itemization in the contract was a red flag. The arms trade is traditionally opaque and corrupt but in Africa it is even more so as arms purchases are shrouded by national security, he added. A transparency campaign group representative in Senegal called for an investigation into the contract and warned of the damaging effect corruption has on the country. Corruption weakens the Senegalese state and compromises the development and stability of the country, said Papa Fara Diallo, president of the Seneglese office of Publish What You Pay, a global coalition of pro-transparency campaigners. Even if defense secrets mean certain pieces of information cannot be made public, that does not mean the authorities can allow acts of corruption or embezzlement of public money. Fact-checking was provided by the OCCRP Fact-Checking Desk. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The federal government has expressed strong disapproval of the unverified security alert recently issued on Nigeria by certain embassies in the country. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, condemned the act on Tuesday in Abuja at a ministerial panel of the on-going UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Week. The minister also criticised the Nigerian media outlets and social media personalities for spreading the security alerts without verifying its authenticity and consequences. Mr Mohammed was a panelist at the UNESCO session with the topic, National Media and Information Literacy Frameworks, Sustaining Beyond Disinformation moderated by Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO. Other discussants on the panel are Nigeria Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Opiah and UK Minister of Tech and Digital Economy, Damian Collins, who participated virtually. The United States and the United Kingdom missions in Nigeria had on Sunday issued separate security advisories warning that terrorists may attack Abuja. They advised citizens of their countries to avoid Abuja except for essential services. In a statement by its spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, the State Security Service (SSS) advised residents to be calm bur take precautions. While advising that necessary precautions are taken by all and sundry, the populace is enjoined to remain alert and assist security agencies with useful information regarding threats and suspicious criminal acts around them, Mr Afunanya said. In his presentation, Mr Mohammed said the warning issued by the embassies which was not the true position of the security situation in the country could create unnecessary tension and panic. He also condemned the media outfits which fed on the unverified security alert to attract traffic to their site without considering the effects on the country. Some media outlets and social media personalities are usually caught spreading unverified information on their platforms just for click bait and the attendant monetary gain. Talking of click bait, this may be what informed the spread of the supposed security alert issued recently by some foreign embassies in Nigeria. One would imagine that if indeed this kind of security alert was issued, it was for the attention of citizens of the issuing countries in Nigeria. Suddenly, this alert found its way into the media, both new and traditional, thus creating panic in the polity. Schools were shut. Businesses were closed. Travel plans were altered. Lives were disrupted. No one cared to find out about the authenticity of these alerts. They just published, got the benefit of massive click bait and damned the consequences, he said. He reiterated his position that the country is safer today than at any time in recent times, with the efforts and sacrifices of the military. The minister said the security forces had been proactive and as far as insecurity is concerned, the worst is over for Nigeria. He, therefore, urged Nigerians not to panic but to be alert at all times. We do not discountenance the fact that terrorists, bandits and their kind would always want to do whatever it takes to disrupt our nations peace, security and stability. READ ALSO: SSS calls for calm amidst fears of terror attack in Abuja Well, I can assure all that our military and other security agencies have continued to do everything possible to secure and protect Nigerians and foreigners living in Nigeria. Terrorists have been hard hit and put on the run. Bandits have been decimated and scattered, he said. Speaking on the theme of the session, the minister defined disinformation as a deliberate act to spread falsehood with extreme consequences on national peace, security and stability. He said the threat of disinformation to national and global peace and stability is glaring, as it undermines the trust by citizens in the system. The minister said people must join hands to address the scourge of disinformation, that was threatening global existence. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print An American woman, who allegedly helped the founder of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, to facilitate a $20 million bank fraud, has admitted receiving $20,000 for her roles over a period of two years. Ebony Mayfield pleaded guilty to the charge at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, in Atlanta, on 29 June. PREMIUM TIMES reported that following her guilty plea, the trial judge, Eleanor Ross, has fixed 28 October (Friday) for her sentencing. A bartender and nightclub dancer, Ms Mayfield was engaged by Mr Onyema as a manager for his Atlanta, Gerogia-based Springfield Aviation Company LLC in 2016. The company was purportedly set up to specialise in the wholesaling, trading, and sale of commercial aircraft and parts. The US government says Ms Mayfield was engaged to enter into aviation-related contracts on behalf of Springfield Aviation, despite her lack of education, training, or licensing in the review and valuation of aircraft and aircraft components. In her plea bargain in filed in June, she confessed to signing and submitting fake documents enabling a $20 million credit disbursement from Nigeria to US bank accounts, purportedly for Air Peace to buy five Boeing 737 passenger planes from Springfield Aviation. Both Air Peace, a major Nigerian commercial airline, and the purported aircraft seller, Springfield Aviation, are owned by My Onyema. Prosecutors alleged that the aircraft referenced in the letters of credit and other fake documents submitted with respect to the deal were already owned by Air Peace. None of them ever belonged to Springfield Aviation, the prosecution said. Under the law she was charged, Ms Mayfield risks a maximum jail term of five years as her punishment, aside full restitution of the proceeds she derived from the alleged crime. I received $20,000 for my irrational behaviour Ahead of the sentencing scheduled to come up on Friday, the woman has pleaded with the judge to sentence her to conditional release, instead of imprisonment. Ms Mayfield admitted in her court filing submitted by her lawyer that she behaved irrationally by helping Mr Onyema to sign the fake documents, admitting that she received $20,000 over the two years period for the part she played in the scam. There is no doubt Ms. Mayfield knew right from wrong. She behaved irrationally in trying to help the co-defendants by signing false forms for their benefit. Over the period of the conspiracy, Ms. Mayfield was paid approximately $20,000 in total by the co-defendants to sign and file the paperwork at issue, her lawyer, Manubir Arora, wrote in the document filed on 13 October. She said her acts were a tremendous aberration from the person she actually is. But she said makes no excuses for her poor decision making. She urged the judge to show mercy on her as she tried to make amends for her actions by confessing to law enforcement when arrested, cooperating with federal authorities as the investigation continued, and finally, accepting responsibility. Alleged fraud Between November 2016 and October 2017, prosecutors said, Mr Onyema applied for export letters of credit to cause the transfer of funds from a Nigerian bank account for Air Peace to Springfield Aviations bank account, purportedly to fund the purchase of aircraft by Air Peace from Springfield Aviation. Springfield Aviation, according to court documents, was established by Mr Onyema in the U.S. State of Georgia in April 2016 purportedly to specialise in the wholesaling, trading/ and sale of commercial aircraft and parts. Prosecutors say Mr Onyema and other conspirators submitted false documents, including fabricated purchase agreements, bills of sale, and valuation, purportedly to enable Air Peace to buy five Boeing 737 passenger planes from Springfield Aviation. They also alleged that he founded and used Springfield Aviation to facilitate large transfers of funds from his Nigerian bank accounts to the United States. He allegedly moved about $15 million from Springfield Aviations account with a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Atlanta, Georgia, to his personal savings account with the same bank in 27 transactions in 2017. The flagged 27 transactions took place between 22 March and 29 November 2017. Mr Onyema and Air Peace Limiteds Head of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, are facing 36 charges at the District Court in Atlanta, in connection with the alleged $20 million fraudulent scheme. Among the charges preferred against them are bank fraud, credit application fraud and money laundering. Each of the flagged 27 online transfers carried out by Mr Onyema within nine months in 2017 involved values ranging from $100,000 to $1 million. The transactions totalled $15.14 million. Each of the 27 transactions stands alone as a charge of money laundering. Under the money laundering charges, prosecutors alleged that both Messrs Onyema and Eghagha, aided and abetted by others, attempted to engage in a monetary transaction involving a financial institution, with effect on interstate and foreign commerce. They alleged that each of the transactions involved more than $10,000 criminally derived from unlawful activities including bank fraud and credit application fraud. In November 2020, the government of the state of Georgia dissolved Springfield Aviation over its failure to file its annual registration and/or failure to maintain a registered agent or registered office in this state. Mr Onyema denied all the allegations of fraud levelled against him when the charges against him were unveiled by the US government in 2019. Although he said the charges did not reflect his personality as a business owner, he and his co-defendant have yet to appear in court. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the No Work, No Pay policy of the Nigerian government against members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the unions recently suspended strike. NLC also called on the government to honour all collective bargaining agreements with unions in the tertiary education sub-sector, especially with regards to wages and conditions of service. In a communique issued after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Kebbi State on Monday, NLC said it observed a collapse of effective collective bargaining machinery in the tertiary education sub-sector. The communique, which was signed by NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, and Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, reads in part; This fact is buttressed by recent protracted industrial dispute in public universities in the country which was consummated in industrial litigation, arm-twisting of conciliation efforts and extreme violations of human and trade union rights, withholding of the salaries of university workers and interference in trade union activities including balkanization of trade unions in the tertiary education sub-sector and overt threats to proscribe existing trade unions. The NLC-NEC said it resolved to defend trade union independence as guaranteed by the clear provisions of labour laws. The union, therefore, asked the government to release the withheld salaries owed the university workers. The labour union also called on the Minister of Labour and Employment (Chris Ngige) to respect the provisions of Nigerias Constitution, Trade Unions Act (CAP T14 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria), Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on respect for trade union independence, promotion of tripartism and social dialogue in the exercise of his mandate as a minister. No Work No Pay The Nigerian government had insisted it would not pay the eight months salaries of the university lecturers for the period the strike lasted. ASUU embarked on strike on 14 February to demand that the government honour the agreements it has had with the union. The industrial action continued until the union suspended it on 14 October, exactly eight months after it commenced the strike. The suspension followed the order of the appeal court which ordered the union to obey the industrial courts ruling that ASUU suspend its strike pending the determination of the substantive suit at the National Industrial Court. The Nigerian government had, through the Minister of Labour and Employment, referred the dispute to the court. But the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, was said to have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to pay the lecturers salaries for the period. ASUU Vice President, Chris Piwuna, also stated last Wednesday, that the union is optimistic that their salaries would be paid. Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Terrorists operating in Zamfara State attacked a police station in Magami community of Gusau on Tuesday and stole the phones of police officers on duty. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the terrorists arrived in the community around 3:40 p.m. and went straight to the police outpost. Magami is one of the conflict-ravaged communities in Zamfara State. Incessant attacks by terrorists have forced several residents to flee to Gusau, the state capital, for safety. A local journalist who reports the terror attacks in the state, Abdul Balarabe, said the attack was possibly the terrorists way of sending a clear message to security agencies in the state. From what Ive learnt so far, the terrorists didnt hurt any of the policemen they found at the counter but only collected their phones and other valuables and made some threats, Mr Gusau said. He said after collecting the phones, the terrorists shot sporadically into the air, causing commotion before they went back into the bush. Highway blockades Also on Tuesday, some terrorists attacked the Funtua-Gusau highway in the state. There has been an upsurge of terrorist attacks along the Funtua-Gusau highway, the major highway linking Zamfara with neighbouring Katsina State. Residents said the road has become dangerous for motorists and commuters due to the activities of the terrorists. Road users said the danger zones on the highway include Sheme, Yankara on the Katsina State side of the road and Kucheri, Magazu, Wanzamai on the Zamfara side. In Tuesdays attack on motorists, Mr Balarabe said a commuter was shot twice in the leg when the driver of the vehicle he was travelling in refused to stop after being ordered to by gunmen. Around 1:05 p.m today (Tuesday) evening, the terrorists came out in large numbers and blocked the road. The person shot was in a vehicle that refused to stop, he said. The terrorists blocked the road from Magazu to Kucheri. He said when soldiers arrived at the scene and cleared the road, the terrorists escaped through a bush path and blocked Wanzamai to Yankara for over 30 minutes. A security source who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the press, said the terrorists are taking advantage of crops planted on the sideways of highways to hide when being pursued by security personnel. The problem were facing is that maize, millet and guinea corn planted by people have been providing the terrorists with a temporary hideout. They hide in the crops to launch attacks and quickly retreat back, the source said. The police spokesperson in Zamfara State, Mohammed Shehu, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the two attacks but in an earlier statement he sent to PREMIUM TIMES, he confirmed the terrorists are blocking highways. He said the police commissioner in the state, Kolo Yusuf, visited the most vulnerable highways including the Funtua-Tsafe highway and promised to tackle the activities of terrorists attacking motorists. In the statement, Mr Shehu said additional armed tactical squad officers have been deployed to protect commuters The Commissioner of Police Zamfara State Command, CP Kolo Yusuf psc, today patrolled the entire Gusau Yandoto Tsafe Funtua Road for hands-on assessment of the security challenges, and personally supervised some strategic points where the operational deployment of additional Police tactical squad was made to ensure the safety of travellers along the route. In the course of the patrol, the commissioner of Police also mapped out some salient and strategic locations along the road which were instantly fortified with the deployment of Police tactical operatives drawn from the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), and Anti Violence Squad of the Command, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission to Nigeria has said the outcome of the 2023 general election could have effects on the subregion. The group stated this when it visited the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, in Abuja on Monday. The group was led by Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, former Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the Director of Political Affairs, ECOWAS Commission, Remi Ajibewa, said the subregional body looks forward to successful and credible elections in West African countries especially Nigeria in 2023 given the leadership role the country played in the sub-region. We all know the importance Nigeria holds, given the fact that, as they used to say, if Nigeria sneezes, the whole West Africa catches cold and we dont pray that will be the result. So we are here to listen to you, to see the area of challenges that we might also report. Mr Ajibewa said they were in Nigeria on fact-finding ahead of the countrys 2023 general elections in line with ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol 2021 to observe elections in Nigeria. He said that Articles 11, 12 and 13 of the protocol mandated the commission to deploy an electoral fact-finding mission to every member state of ECOWAS that were about to conduct an election, especially a presidential election. And this is why we are here and in the cause of our being here in Nigeria, there will be visits first to ECOWAS Commission, which we have done that is to brief the head of mission. Then, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where we have been this morning, then the Inspector-General of Police, then some civil societies and INEC. READ ALSO: Basically, the reason why we normally do that is that we believe INEC is our friend, so, thats some of the things that weve had, we also put it across to them, areas where discussion. So in the course well also be visiting the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. We will be visiting the resident electoral commissioners. We will be visiting the security agencies. We will be visiting the traditional and religious leaders. We will be visiting the civil society, having audience our discussion with them, all to know the preparedness of these stakeholders we are meeting. But in particular, we will not miss out the political parties, given the fact that they constitute the sort of important role. Then in the course well be meeting the media, speaking with the Bar Association, the courts as well because of their role, he said Mr Ajibewa said the delegations visit to Nigeria was not the first as that was done during other previous elections in the country, including the 2019 general elections. Responding, Mr Yakubu said INEC has invited interested international organisations across the world to come and observe general elections. The INEC chairman disclosed that it was a demonstration of the commissions openness and ritual to receive international observers. Election Observation is an important part of ensuring transparency and credibility in elections. We have always benefited from the insight of election observation missions. For instance, you are here on fact-finding, we will hear from you what you have found so far, which will help us in concluding our preparations for the election. And I look forward also to receive any report at the end of the process in February and March so that we can learn even more from the inside, he said. The chairman assured the ECOWAS team that Nigerias 2023 general elections would be technology driven. Let me restate the commitment of INEC Nigeria free, fair and credible elections driven by technology. The 2023 general election in Nigeria will be driven by technology not only as a matter of legal requirement but also as a matter of course, for us in the commission. So, I want to assure the ECOWAS team that we are committed to delivering a credible election in the next four months and a few days, which will be Nigerias seventh successive elections, since the restoration of democracy in 1999, Mr Yakubu said. Mr Yakubu, who commended ECOWAS for its commitment to credible elections in Nigeria, said it was the first to arrive Nigeria for the election. ECOWAS has demonstrated that seriousness and commitment to ensuring that we get it right electorally in this region in the next few weeks, Im sure many more organisations will come. Mr Yakubu also stressed the need to restore democratic government in all West African countries including Mali, Burkina and Guinea. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The social messaging platform, WhatsApp, is temporarily down. The platform, used by millions of Nigerians, stopped working on Tuesday morning. Several Nigerians have taken to another platform, Facebook, to express their frustrations with the development. This is not the first time the platform will be experiencing a glitch. On 4th October 2021, it was unavailable for a while until it was restored. Before then, there had been other reports of glitches without any notice. As of the time of filing this report, Meta, the parent company that controls Facebook and WhatsApp, was yet to issue a statement concerning the hitch. Update The messaging platform, WhatsApp, is back in operation after experiencing a glitch. The glitch lasted for over an hour as monitored by our reporter. It affected not only Nigerians but WhatsApp users in many other countries including India. This newspaper had earlier reported how the platform was temporarily down on Tuesday morning with users expressing their frustrations with the development. Many had felt they ran out of data for internet connection or that their phones had issues until they realised the social media platform was experiencing a glitch. READ ALSO: Some users who were frustrated with the development said they used another platform, Telegram, for their virtual conversations and video messaging instead of WhatsApp. Although the glitch has been fixed, Meta, the parent company that owns WhatsApp, is yet to issue a statement on why the glitch happened. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print At least 5,623 cases of gender-based violence were recorded within four years in Nigerias Northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, a report by the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) has said. The incidents were recorded between January 2018 to July 2022, according to the report. The three conflict-torn states have seen devastating attacks by Boko Haram terrorist group, over the years. Reported cases of rape in the camps for displaced persons have become an epidemic. MCNs National Team Leader, Muhammed Tabiu, said this during a two-day workshop on results and lessons of initiatives to address Sexual and Gender-Based in the three states held in Abuja on 20 October. The event was in collaboration with The Managing Conflict in Nigeria (MCN) Programme funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the British Council. The Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) and SARC Steering Committees compiled 5,623 incidents involving child abuse and other sexual and gender-based violence from January 2018 to July 2022 for the BAY (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe) states, the report said. The study also said that 640 arrests, or 88.6 per cent of the total number of SGBV incidents recorded, were made in the four years period. In addition, it stated that 82 offenders had been charged, with eight convictions recorded across various courts in the three states. According to the organisation, its data was collated through its units set up in hospitals, and offices of the police, NSCDC, and other security agencies, in response to reports of widespread SGBV cases across the three states. Mr Tabiu, who is also a professor and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the initiative was developed to offer services for survivors and victims of gender-based violence. According to him, it also led to the establishment of the Family Support Units FSUs in divisions and the Criminal Investigation Departments (CID) of the police. He said the new police unit responds to reports of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and other issues affecting families. Prosecution challenges, special courts Mr Tabiu said although the states have recorded success in working with its respective ministry of justice and womens affairs to bring perpetrators to book, people do not like reporting rape cases because of the stigma and profiling and also the increased trauma of the victims. Bringing offenders to book through prosecution is very challenging in the country with a lot of weaknesses, the professor said, adding, however, that a number of states have been taken by the programme to support and increase the level of conviction. The team leader also revealed that Adamawa and Yobe states now have specialised courts for the handling of rape cases, as the centre had pushed for. All three states have changed their law to provide for more punishment for rape and broaden the definition of rape cases, he said. And another intervention is advocating for courts to be designated to have specialised courts that would help in fast-tracking the prosecution of cases of rape. Nearly two-thirds of women in the north-east have experienced one or more forms of gender-based violence, Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator said in a report published by the UN in 2019. Saleh Samanja, the Commission for Justice and Attorney General Yobe state remarked that the state has established about six Sexual Referral Centres, that take care of the medical needs of victims of sexual assaults including rape. He said the centres are located across the various local governments in the states. The impacts are being felted generally by the society The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development Adamawa State, Saso-Benson Ali, said cases of sexual and gender-based violence remained on the rise, despite the ministrys efforts to reduce it. She said the state has no records of successful convictions involving sexual violence. She, however, lauded the police and other security agencies for their efforts towards ensuring that violators are brought to justice. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested no fewer than 192 suspected drug traffickers between January and September in Ebonyi State, South-east Nigeria. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Iyke Uche, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abakaliki, said the agency seized 113.414 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa. He added that 0.0621kgs methamphetamine, locally known as Mkpurummiri, was also seized within the period under review. The seizures were made by our personnel in different locations across communities in the state, Mr Uche said. On the level of drug trafficking in the state, the commander said Ebonyi has low drug business but many consumers. There is no prevalent drug business here in Ebonyi, but there are consumers. We counselled a total of 92 drug users in the state in the period under review. READ ALSO: NDLEA destroy acres of Indian hemp farm in Oyo Most crimes usually take place with the intake of drugs. Of course, there are drug-enhanced violent crimes. So, we will intensify efforts on sensitisations, we are going to strengthen campaigns in schools in order to nip drug abuse in the bud in the state, Mr Uche said. Mr Uche said the NDLEA would continue to work assiduously to rid the state of drug abuse and traffickers. He sought media support to deepen the sensitisation campaign in order to curtail the menace of illicit drugs in the state. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Edo branch of the Nigerian Red Cross Society on Tuesday appealed for immediate help to victims of flooding that had affected no less than 30 communities in the state. The secretary of the branch, Wilson Ekhomogiazin, made the appeal in a statement in Benin. Mr Ekhomogiazin said the appeal had become necessary as residents displaced included pregnant women, lactating mothers and children. While we enjoy the comfort of our sleep and warmth in our homes, people in over 30 communities from three LGAs have been displaced by flooding in the state. These included pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and their children, as well as men whose only means of livelihood have been washed off by flood. These people have resulted into self-help by locating higher grounds and building make-shift camps for their families. They are being exposed to malaria and acute colds, snake and scorpion bite, and are having discomfort from their sleep because most of these shelters are built with zinc, Mr Ekhomogiazin said. The Red Cross, he said, would appreciate donations to help ease the sufferings of the people. He called for items such as food, drilling of boreholes for access to clean drinkable water or water supply, tent and other shelter materials, fumigation system and mosquito nets. Others are clothing materials, power-generating sets, medical and sanitary materials, soaps and monies, amongst others. The Red Cross asked interested members of the public to pass their donations to the society through Mr Ekhomogiazin. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print After seven chaotic weeks as prime minister, Ms Truss spoke on Tuesday of the need to praise tax cuts and celebrate reversing the national insurance hike imposed by Mr Sunak when he was chancellor. She warned that the nation continues to battle through a storm but insisted she believes that brighter days lie ahead. She then travelled to Buckingham Palace to formally tender her resignation to the King after just 49 days in office, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in history. Speaking from Downing Street, Ms Truss said: From my time as prime minister Im more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the challenges we face. We simply cannot afford to be a low-growth country where the government takes up an increasing share of our national wealth and where there are huge divides between different parts of our country. We need to take advantage of our Brexit freedoms to do things differently. Ending her speech, she said: We continue to battle through a storm but I believe in Britain, I believe in the British people and I know that brighter days lie ahead. (dpa/NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed 28 November to deliver ruling in a motion filed by a former senator, Ita Enang, seeking to be joined in the suit filed by Akanimo Udofia and the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over who should be the APC governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State. Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the date on Monday after counsel for the parties adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the motion. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Enang, former special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, had filed the motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1290/22, after Justice Nwite granted him leave to do so. The application, seeking to join Mr Enang, a governorship aspirant of APC, as 2nd defendant in the suit, was dated and filed on 12 October. NAN reports that APC and Mr Udofia had sued INEC as the sole defendant in the matter. Mr Udofia, a factional governorship candidate of the APC, is seeking an order compelling INEC to accept his name as governorship candidate for Akwa Ibom 2023 poll. He is also asking for an order directing the commission to publish his name as forwarded by the party to it. The plaintiffs had, in the suit, argued that INEC cannot refuse to publish the name of a person sent to it as the candidate of a political party. The court, after listening to parties in the suit, had fixed 6 October for judgment. But the appearance of Mr Enang in court forced the judge to halt the delivery of the judgment. Mr Enang drew the attention of the court to his presence as a party seeking to be joined in the matter. He argued that he would be prejudiced if the court delivered its judgment without hearing him. Akanimo Udofia not APC member Meanwhile, in the affidavit in support of the motion for joinder, Mr Enang averred that he contested in the APC Akwa Ibom governorship election of May 26, alongside with the 2nd plaintiff (Udofia) and others. He argued that the intention of the plaintiffs is to obtain judgment behind his back, having refused to serve him with the court processes, knowing that he is a necessary party for the just determination of this suit. Mr Enang, therefore, urged the court to grant his application to enable him protect his interest as a candidate of the APC in the governorship election. When the matter was called, Mr Enang, who appeared for himself, told the court that on 19 October, he filed better and further affidavit where he exhibited INECs report that there was no governorship primary for APC in Akwa Ibom. He said that Mr Udofia filed the suit despite a similar matter which had been reserved for judgment in the Federal High Court, Uyo. Mr Enang told Justice Nwite that he had set out the prayers in Abuja and Uyo courts clearly in his points of law filed to make it easier for the court to determine that the two matters are similar. My lord, this is the same subject matter, same claim and same parties. I have not seen this practice for a long time. As a trustee at the bar, I have not seen a situation where counsel in a matter who has appeared before the same court sitting in another jurisdiction will file a case like, he said. He called the attention of the court to Federal High Court chief judges Practice Direction which states that parties, in a pre-election matter, must filed non-duplicity of suit. Mr Enang argued that Mr Udofia and his lawyer filed a non-multiplicity of suit before Abuja court, despite a similar matter pending in the Uyo court. He vowed to take up the matter against them. On why I should be joined in the suit, I am the appropriate person who contested and won in the election. If any name must be forwarded to INEC, it has to be my name, he said. Mr Enang, who alleged that Mr Udofia was not an APC member as at the time the poll was conducted, said he (Udofia) contested in the PDP governorship primary election held on May 25 before coming to contest the APC primary on May 26. We have also exhibited the ballot papers of the PDP in our application, he said. Lawyer to the plaintiffs, Valentine Offia, opposed the application. Mr Offia, who urged the court to dismiss Mr Enangs motion, said the subject matter in the two suits are different. He said while Mr Udofia is contending INECs refusal to accept his name as forwarded to it by APC, Mr Enangs suit in Uyo stemmed from the election conducted on May 26. The judge consequently fixed 28 November for ruling on Mr Enangs motion for joinder. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A medical doctor, Oyedeji Alagbe, on Tuesday, told an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court how a man, Chukwudi Anyanwu, allegedly raped his neighbours 13-year-old daughter four times in a month. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Anyanwu is charged with defilement, contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Mr Alagbe, who works with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), was led in evidence by the state counsel, Bukola Okeowo. He said that he managed and produced the medical report of the survivor after she presented herself at the Mirabel Medical Centre, Lagos, on 3 June 2021. The survivor gave a brief account of what happened to her when she presented herself alongside her aunt, who also corroborated her account at Mirabel Centre. She said a man known as Chuks, who happens to be her neighbour, had sexual intercourse with her on four different occasions in May 2021 in his room, after she ran errands for him. She said the defendant warned her not to tell anyone, and that it was a blood stain on her bed that caught the attention of her aunt, Mr Alagbe said. The witness also told the court that the survivor was clinically stable, well-dressed and coherent with verbal conversation when he examined her. Mr Alagbe said the survivors genitalia (private part) had a natural covering (hymen) with focal areas of healed injury. She had two notches in her vagina. Other component parts of her genitalia were normal. Her anus was also found to be normal. I came to the conclusion that her genitalia examination findings are in keeping with forceful penetration into her vagina. Absence of injury at the time of the examination does not negate the survivors account to have had a penile penetration into her vagina, he said. The witness told the court during cross-examination by defence counsel, Emmanuel Ochai, that there was no DNA sample taken from anyone to ascertain that the defendant committed the offence. Mr Alagbe also told the court that his medical report did not indict anyone. ALSO READ: Teacher allegedly rapes teenager in Lagos school The witness said he documented the survivors verbal account which was before the court. He testified that apart from sexual intercourse, blunt penetrating objects and other forceful activities could cause injury to the hymen. The prosecution alleged that the defendant committed the offence on 27 May 2021, at Aguda, Lagos. It also alleged that the defendant defiled the survivor by penetrating her vagina with his penis. The judge, Ramon Oshodi, adjourned the case until 23rd January 2023, for the continuation of trial. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has donated N50 million to flood victims in Bayelsa State. He made the donation when he visited Yenagoa, the state capital on Tuesday, to have a personal experience of the devastation that victims of flooding across the country have been thrown into in the past weeks. This was contained in a statement from his media office. Atiku described the scenes as horrendous and stressed the need for Nigeria to accord to climate change. His visit comes days after the Labour Partys presidential candidate, Peter Obi, announced the suspension of his campaign activities to visit flood victims across the country. He had called on other candidates to do same. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said about 2.5 million persons are affected and over 603 persons killed by the flooding caused by the rains across the country. Some affected states are Kogi, Benue, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Imo, Abia, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Niger, Plateau and parts of the Federal Capital Territory. Atiku said his experience in Yenagoa is a story of human trauma under the spell of natures fury where public infrastructure like roads and power lines have been swept away in a flash, and facilities like hospitals and schools are destroyed and remain unavailable. While he commiserated with the victims who have lost their lives, he called for help and said nothing is too big or too small to show empathy with them. I wish to make a donation of N50 million to the victims in Bayelsa State, he said. While we continue to advocate for charity in help of the victims, I want to reiterate my earlier call for the federal government to immediately launch an independent Flood Disaster Relief Fund that will provide succour to the victims of the floods. It is a national emergency relief fund, similar in scope to what was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to that end, I wish to call on my friends and associates in the corporate world and in private capacities to join in this cause. He also called on governments at all levels to activate measures to forestall the food shortages and further increment in the already high cost of food that are bound to arise from the loss of hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmlands. He pleaded for the establishment of a temporary fund for farmers to ameliorate their losses and give them capital for next years planting season. The federal government was advised to consider increased releases of grains from the Strategic Food Reserves and review the import policies to allow for the interim importation of food to make up for shortfalls in food production. And to forestall the recurrences of such devastating levels of flooding, the government must build the critical infrastructure required to contain excess water along the banks of the Rivers Niger and Benue, he said. If elected as president in the presidential elections next year, Atiku added, he will commit to completing the Dasin-Hausa Dam in Adamawa State to manage the release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. And work with state governments like Bayelsa to build the required flood management infrastructure such as levees and dykes in key locations in the Niger and Benue Basins. My government, if given the opportunity, will retool our disaster awareness apparatus, such as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NHSA), to better forecast disasters and give the warning signals required to activate our national emergency response protocols. This retooling, he explained, will also include the reform of the Nigerian Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) to ensure that it anticipates and responds to disasters such as this, more efficiently than it did, in the current situation. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission to Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja called for more discussions and dialogue between political parties and INEC for a successful conduct of the 2023 general elections. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, leader of the mission and former Chairman, Ghana Electoral Commission, gave the advice at his meeting with national leaders of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC). IPAC is the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria. Mr Afari-Gyan noted dialogue as an important mechanism for successful elections and advised political parties to work with INEC to ensure that the elections were credible and successful. I advise that you talk to one another often. If you see anything that is of significance to you, try to agree on a way forward on it Dialogue between yourselves; dialogue with the electoral commission, Mr Afari-Gyan said He told leaders of the political parties that in Ghana where he was chairman of the electoral body for many years, a lot of innovations were brought in through agreements and suggestions by political parties. Responding to concerns raised by IPAC members on violence and vote buying, Mr Afari-Gyan advised political parties to play by the rules and allow citizens to choose freely at the 2023 elections. Everybody is talking about violence and the use of money. It is a perennial problem in Africa. We are coming to rely on too much money in elections and there will be a time that if you dont have enough money, you cannot contest an election. That defeats the essence of democracy. A poor man who has good intentions for the people should be able to offer himself or herself, even though he does not have loads of money, he said. He noted that issues raised were important to free and fair elections. It is unfair if you are buying votes. When we say free and fair elections, there are certain things you are free to do and there are certain things you are not free to do. You are not free to buy votes or cause violence or intimidate people. It is not only INEC that should be fair but also political parties and their candidates. IPAC has a role to play in ensuring credible elections. People should be free to choose. There should not be any form of compulsion. Every citizen is free by law on who to elect, Mr Afari-Gyan stressed. In his remarks, IPAC National Chairman, Yabagi Sani, commended ECOWAS for showing commitment to credible elections in Nigeria. Mr Sani, also the National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), said with the presence of the ECOWAS delegation in Nigeria some of the concerns regarding the 2023 general elections would be addressed. He noted that the essence of elections in every country was to afford the citizens the opportunity to choose their representatives. You are here at the right time because issues of violence and the use of money are not things that will give one peace of mind. If this visit is not taking place, perhaps such things will happen with impunity and the results of the elections will be different from the will of the people As IPAC, we are happy that INEC is doing a lot to ensure that we have credible, peaceful, reliable and all-inclusive elections by way of digitalising the process. By its commitment, INEC has shown that it is ready to give its all to ensure that the outcome of the elections will make Nigeria and Africa proud, he said. Mr Sani expressed optimism that the new Electoral Law would make the elections to be successful. He also expressed political parties commitment to credible elections and urged ECOWAS to continue to show interest to ensure that the elections were free and fair. Earlier, a member of the ECOWAS delegation, Remi Ajibewa, said it was in Nigeria for fact-finding to ascertain the level of stakeholders preparedness for the 2023 elections. The visit, he explained, was in line with ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol 2021 to observe elections in Nigeria. He said that the mission had already met with INEC, many Civil Society Organisations and the Inspector-General of Police and his team. Mr Ajibewa assured that the mission would also meet with other stakeholders in all geopolitical zones including most of the political parties, the media and the judiciary. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The messaging platform, WhatsApp, is back in operation after experiencing a glitch. The glitch lasted for over an hour as monitored by our reporter. It affected not only Nigerians but WhatsApp users in many other countries including India. This newspaper had earlier reported how the platform was temporarily down on Tuesday morning with users expressing their frustrations with the development. Many had felt they ran out of data for internet connection or that their phones had issues until they realised the social media platform was experiencing a glitch. READ ALSO: Some users who were frustrated with the development said they used another platform, Telegram, for their virtual conversations and video messaging instead of WhatsApp. Although the glitch has been fixed, Meta, the parent company that owns WhatsApp, is yet to issue a statement on why the glitch happened. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Central Bank of Nigeria has said it would launch a national domestic card scheme on January 16, 2023. The scheme will be launched through the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems (NIBSS) in partnership with the Bankers Committee. A statement by the CBN spokesperson, Osita Nwanisobi, said the scheme would accelerate financial inclusion and deliver lower cost payments services that are more accessible and affordable for Nigerians. Nigeria is Africas largest and most vibrant economy and the pace of digitisation and innovation, alongside the expansion of mobile penetration and the proactive policy initiatives of the CBN have driven the accelerated adoption of digital financial services, he said. Considering the strength and breadth of its banking sector and the rapid growth and transformation of its payments system over the last decade, Nigeria is ideally positioned to successfully launch a national card scheme, he said. The bank said apart from fostering innovation within the Nigerian domestic market, the scheme would allow banks to offer a variety of solutions including debit, credit, virtual, loyalty and tokenized cards amongst others. By launching the scheme, the CBN said Nigeria would join countries like India, Turkey, China, and Brazil who have used this means to service the underbanked areas in their jurisdiction. The CBN recognizes the significant benefits from delivering Africas first central bank-driven, domestic card scheme, which when delivered at scale has the potential to become the largest in Africa, and one of the largest in the world. The bank also said domesticating the card scheme would further enhance data sovereignty, enabling the development of locally relevant products and services and reducing demands on foreign exchange. HOW WILL THIS WORK The CBN has not provided full details of how the scheme will work. But a national domestic card is expected to rival Visa and Mastercard, the markets biggest players. READ ALSO: Reps direct CBN to suspend sale of Polaris Bank Visa and Mastercard have dominated the card payment market in Nigeria. While they remain convenient especially for international transactions, domestic cards are expected to better serve the unbanked market and increase competition within the payment landscape. The cards should also have the capacity to reduce Nigerias reliance on foreign-owned financial services companies. But the direct participation in the market by the central bank may disrupt the market structure and innovation by other players. It may also crowd out competition. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Court of Appeal has refuted media reports that it transferred three justices on the panel that dismissed the charges against Nnamdi Kanu and ordered his release from custody. A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal comprising Jummai Sankey, Oludotun Adefope-Okojie and Ebiowei Tobi, gave the judgement freeing the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on 13 October. The panel discharged him of charges of terrorism and treasonable felony after declaring the Nigerian governments forcible extradition of Mr Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021 to face criminal charges as illegal. It held that the trial, which was ongoing at the Federal High Court in Abuja was in gross violation of local and international laws. Consequently, the panel struck out the seven-count charge pending before trial judge, Binta Nyako, who had earlier dismissed eight of the amended 15 counts filed against Mr Kanu after he was brought back to Nigeria last year. Media reports on the recent reshuffling of judges of the Court of Appeal had focused only on the judges that sat on Mr Kanus case. The reports gave the impression that the three judges were targeted for transfer. But, the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Umar Bangari, said in a statement on Tuesday, that posting of judges is a routine, and that only one of the judges who sat on Mr Kanus case was affected. In fact, 21 out of 81 Justices, including 6 Presiding Justices of the Court, were affected by the postings, Mr Bangari said. He added that the essence of the posting was to invigorate the justice delivery system of the Court of Appeal. It is therefore incorrect and uncharitable to insinuate that the Hon. Justices who delivered the judgment in the Nnamdi Kanu Appeal were the targets of the routine posting exercise. Read Full Statement below: PRESS RELEASE RE: NNAMDI KANU: 3 JUSTICES ON APPEAL COURT PANEL TRANSFERRED The attention of the Court of Appeal has been drawn to a publication in the Vanguard Newspaper of Monday 24th October, 2022, as well as its on line version, with the caption Nnamdi Kanu: 3 Justices on Appeal Court Panel Transferred, followed by similar publications by other newspapers The publications in question conveyed the innuendo to the effect that the recent postings of justices of the Court of Appeal were in connection with, or in response to the judgment of the Court of Appeal of 13th October, 2022 in Nnamdi Kanu V. the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We wish to state categorically that the general postings of the Justices of the Court of Appeal under reference were routine and aimed at reinvigorating the justice delivery system of the Court. In fact, 21 out of 81 Justices, including 6 Presiding Justices of the Court, were affected by the postings. Indeed, of the 3 Justices that sat and determined the said Appeal, only one was affected by the general postings It is therefore incorrect and uncharitable to insinuate that the Hon. Justices who delivered the judgment in the Nnamdi Kanu Appeal were the targets of the routine posting exercise. A few minutes of inquiry by the Vanguard Newspaper, or the other Media houses that followed up with similar publications, could have clarified this fact; unless of course the publication was intended for other purposes. Details of the recent postings are available in the office of the Chief Registrar of the Court for verification. We also appeal to the Vanguard Newspaper in particular and the media in general to exercise restraint and circumspection in reporting matters pertaining to the Court and its operations. The Court of Appeal has an open door policy of providing easy access to the Media to make inquiries and seek clarifications on any matters of interest to the media for the benefits of the general public. It is therefore unhealthy to rush into publishing unconfirmed information as in this case, please. We urge members of the public to discountenance this misinformation. Umar M. Bangari, Esq. Chief Registrar. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State and his deputy, Benedict Alabi, on Tuesday led their loyalists and supporters in a solidarity walk for presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, and his running mate Kashim Shettima. The supporters began the walk around 9 a.m. from the state government house in Oke-Fia and marched through Alekuwodo, Ola-Iya, Odi-Olowo, Isale-Osun, Oja-Oba, Station road, Ajegunle and ended at Freedom park in Osogbo. The supporters were cabinet members of the Oyetola administration, executive members of APC in the state, and party loyalists. The governor and all the supporters were kitted in cloth and face caps inscribed with the APC logo and pictures of Messrs Tinubu and Shettima. The supporters sang different solidarity songs to woo residents of the state to vote for APC in 2023 general elections. Mr Oyetola, while addressing the supporters, recounted contributions of the APC presidential candidate to previous elections held in the state. Tinubus popularity is well grounded in Osun State, he said. He has been with us in Osun since 1999, he contributed heavily to the emergence of progressive victory in this state. Nigerians should not leave this country for those that will experiment with it through governance. We must vote for the person who is experienced. He has changed Lagos State. He claimed that the APC presidential candidate is the best person to solve Nigerias problems. Tinubu wont only state problems but he will proffer solutions to them by presenting a framework to address them. Other candidates are lamenting over insecurity without telling us how they will end it but Asiwaju, when he unveiled his manifesto, it is clear that he will address the use of technology to solve the problem of insecurity. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Lagos State Government has ordered a coroners inquest to ascertain the cause of death of late Bimbo, the wife of celebrity Lagos auto dealer, Ikechukwu Ogbonna,(Alias IVD), who allegedly died recently as a result of severe injuries from a fire. The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, gave the directive in a statement on Tuesday. Mr Onigbanjo said that thorough investigation would be carried out to ascertain the cause of Bimbos death. He added that findings of the investigation would be made public in due course and appropriate sanctions meted out to anyone found culpable. A coroners inquest has immediately been requested, in line with section 14 and 15 of the Coroners Systems Law, Laws of Lagos State 2015, to determine the cause and circumstances of death. By Section 14(1)(d) of the Coroners System Law of the State: A report of death shall be made to any of the agencies for the report of death or the office of the Coroner and be subject to post-mortem examination where there is reasonable cause to believe that the cause of death was: violent, unnatural or suspicious. Section 15(1) and (9) further enjoins the Coroner to hold an inquest whenever he or she is informed that the death of the deceased person was in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation or believes an inquest is desirable following the report of a reportable death, he said. The commissioner noted that as a government, the security and wellbeing of citizens were of utmost importance while assuring the public that everything will be done to ensure that the cause of death is known. The attorney-general also charged the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) to assist the police and other law enforcement agencies in investigating the case and ascertaining the cause of death of the late Bimbo which had attracted wide media attention. The Executive Secretary of DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, also reiterated the state governments resolve to ensure perpetrators of sexual and gender based violence crimes were brought to face the full wrath of the law. Mrs Vivour-Adeniyi also urged residents to report cases of domestic and sexual violence cases to the DSVA office in Alausa Ikeja or call the toll free number 08000333333 (24/7) NAN reports that late Bimbo reportedly died on 15 October from the fire injuries she sustained in her matrimonial home. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Senate Public Account Committee has begun a probe into the Special Public Works programme coordinated by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in 2020. The panel has demanded a list of the 774,000 Nigerian beneficiaries that the programme was aimed at recruiting. The committee resolved to request the list on Tuesday after some of its members disclosed that none of their constituents benefited from the programme launched in 2020. In 2020, the Nigerian government earmarked N52 billion for the Special Public Works Programme to recruit 1,000 young Nigerians from each of the 774 local governments for three months and pay them N20,000 each. The planned implementation became controversial when lawmakers clashed with Festus Keyamo, the minister of state for labour and employment, who was coordinating the programme. While the minister said the lawmakers wanted to bypass him despite receiving 15% job slots in the programme, the lawmakers said the minister should not be in charge of the programme. They passed a resolution that put the NDE as the implementing agency and accused Mr Keyamo of plans to sabotage it from the agency. The lawmakers also urged the ministry of finance to release the funds for the implementation of the Special Public Works programme directly to the NDE. The ministry was warned against releasing the funds if it would breach the due process, Appropriation Act 2020 (As Amended) as well as the NDE Act. Weeks later, the federal government announced the commencement of the programme and a few times, Mr Keyamo would tweet about the progress so far. Day of reckoning At the NDEs budget defence on Tuesday, members of the committee present said that none of the constituent members benefited from the scheme. Rivers senator, George Sekibo, told the panel that nobody was selected among the constituents he nominated for employment. He complained that all names submitted by the federal lawmakers, who are the real representatives of the people, were not considered. In the same vein, Michael Nnachi (PDP, Ebonyi South) said he could not identify a single person from his constituency that benefited from his senatorial district. He, therefore, proposed that the NDE produce the list of beneficiaries from his senatorial district. After the deliberation, the chairman of the committee, Mathew Urhoghide, gave the NDE two weeks to submit a comprehensive report of the beneficiaries of the scheme in the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The committee members also unanimously agreed that the NDE submits names, phone numbers and account details of the 1,000 beneficiaries in each of the 774 local government areas within two weeks. Although the representative of the NDE, Isah Abdul, a director of the agency, requested three weeks to give the agency ample time to compile a comprehensive list, the panel declined. The NDE is expected to appear before the committee in two weeks with a comprehensive list of beneficiaries. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Mr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, the Governor of Zamfara State has recently been in the news for the wrong reasons. The unsavoury reports ranged from his controversial proscription of political campaigns and unlawful banning of some media houses in the state to the current allegation of diverting billions of naira belonging to the state for the purchase of choice properties in Abuja Federal Capital City. The embattled governor has been under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged money laundering. The governor however, received a temporary reprieve when Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in a ruling read on Friday, 14 October, 2022, restrained the EFCC from confiscating six prime properties in Abuja which were traced to him. Delivering the judgment, Justice Ekwo said: From the position of the law, especially Section 308 of the Constitution, EFCC has no other option than to wait till the end of the tenure of office of the respondent. The nations top anti-graft agency had gathered and presented to the court seemingly incontrovertible evidence that Mr Bello Matawalle laundered Zamfara States money running into billions of naira to acquire the following six prime plots of land in Abuja Federal Capital Territory (FCT): (A) Plot 729, Idu Industrial Layout; (B) Plot 1327, Cadastral Zone A05, Maitama District; (C) Plot 2934, Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama District; (D) Plot 730, Cadastral Lone A06 Maitama District; (E) Plot 2804b, Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama District & (F) Plot 515, Cadastral Zone B00, Kukwaba District. The litigation Officer of the EFCC had deposed to an oath before the Court and stated that by his position, he was conversant and familiar with the facts and circumstances in an application by the Commission for the respondent to forfeit in the interim the above properties in the schedule herein under section 17 (1) (2) (3) and (4) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act, 2006. The EFCC informed the Court that sometime in October 2021, it received intelligence report from a patriotic Nigerian that the incumbent Zamfara State, Mr Bello Mohammed Matawalle was unlawfully using State funds to acquire several properties worth billions of naira in the nations capital city, Abuja. The intelligence report revealed that between October 2020 and December 2020, the Ministry of Finance, Zamfara State, allegedly transferred a total sum of Two billion, one hundred and seventeen million, seven hundred and fifty-one naira (N2, 117, 751,000:00) into the Zenith Bank account number 1017028409 of the Directorate of Investment and Business Development, Office of the Executive Governor, Government House, Gusau, Zamfara State. A copy of the statement of account of the Directorate of Investment and Business Development was attached by the Commission and marked as Exhibit EFCC 3. Sometime in November 2020, one Mr Abubakar Halliru was said to have contacted one Mr Sani Bako to use his company (Aceworld Consult and Integrated Services Limited) to receive money from the above Zamfara State Government and launder the same by the purchase of properties in Abuja. Again, a copy of the statement of Sani Bako was attached by the EFCC and marked as Exhibit EFCC 4. Following the agreement, the sum of One billion, seven hundred and sixty-three million naira (N1,763, 000, 000:00) was deposited into the account of Aceworld Consult & Integrated Services Limited on 11 and 16 of December, 2020 respectively from the bank account of the Directorate of Investment and Business Development, Office of the Executive Governor, Government House, Gusau, Zamfara State. A copy of the Zenith Bank Statement of AceworId Consult & Integrated Services was similarly attached by the Commission and marked as Exhibit EFCC 5. On 14 December 2020, Mr. Sani Bako (MD of Aceworld Consult & Integrated Services Limited) acting on the instruction of Mr Abubakar Haliru, transferred the sum of Three hundred and fifty million naira (N350,000,000:00) into the Providus Bank account number 5400550513 of Fezel Nigeria Ltd. as part payment for the purchase of Plot 729, Idu industrial Estate, Abuja, on behalf of Mr Bello Matawalle. A copy of the Providus Bank statement of account of Fezel Nig. Ltd was attached by the Commission and marked as Exhibit EFCC 6. Furthermore, sometime in December 2020, Mr Abubakar Haliru contacted one Ashafa Saidu, an unregistered bureau de change (BDC) operator, to allegedly receive funds from the said Zamfara State Government account and launder same for the purchase of properties in Abuja on behalf of the governor. Based on the preceding agreement, according to the EFCC affidavit, Mr Abubakar Haliru also allegedly handed over hundreds of thousands of United States Dollars (USD) to Mr Ashafa Saidu which the latter handed over to Saadu A. Sadiq on 4 December, 2020 for conversion into naira for onward transfer into the account of vendors for the purchase of Plot 729, Idu Industrial Estate, Abuja. A copy of the statement of Ashafa Saidu was attached by the Commission and marked as Exhibit EFCC 7. Mr Ashafa Saidu, Chief Executive of ASG Yanware Ventures, said to be an unlicensed BDC operator, contacted his colleagues Saadu A. Sadiq Sadiq & Sons, AZA Yanware Ventures Enterprises, Naziru Aliyu Ibrahim, Mohammed Yahuza, and B Goni Multi Services Limited to receive and launder money on behalf of Mr Abubakar Haliru for the purchase of Plot 729, Idu Industrial Estate, Abuja. READ ALSO: Based on the agreement in the preceding paragraphs, Aceworld Consult & integrated Services Limited, acting under the instruction of Mr Abubakar Haliru allegedly transferred the rest of the money it received from the Directorate of Investment and Business Development, Office of the Governor of Zamfara State, amounting to over One billion, four hundred million naira (N1, 400, 000, 000:00) into various bank accounts of unregistered BDC operators such as AZA Yanware Enterprises, Doura & Sons Global Enterprises, B Goni Multi Services Limited, Mohammed Yahuza, Marisco Global Enterprise and Gandankanya Global Concept. AZA Yanware Enterprises, Mohammed Yahuza, and B Goni Multi Services Limited received a total sum of Six hundred and thirty-one million naira (N631, 000, 000:00) as part of the N1, 763. 000, 000:00 sent into the account of Aceworld Consult & Integrated Services Ltd. Having received the sum of One billion, four hundred million naira (N1,400,000,000:00), Saidu Ashafa transferred the sum of Three hundred and fifty-three million naira (N353,000,000.00) into the Providus bank account of the Fezel Nig. Ltd allegedly on behalf of Gov. Matawalle for the purchase of Plot 729 Idu Industrial Estate. Between 4 December 2020, and 9 December 2020, Saidu A. Sadiq & Sons transferred additional sum of Three hundred and thirty-five million naira (N335, 000, 000:00) into the Providus Bank account 54005505 of Fezel Nig. Ltd for the purchase of the said Plot 729 Idu industrial Estate allegedly for Gov. Matawalle. Mr Ashafa Saidu allegedly acting on the instruction of Abubakar Haliru caused one Ibrahim Naziru Aliyu, a BDC operator, to deposit the sum of Sixty million naira (N60, 000. 000:00) into the Providus Bank account number 54005505 of Fezel Nig. Ltd for the purchase of Plot 729 Idu industrial Estate allegedly for Mr Matawalle. AZA Yanware Enterprises further transferred the total of One hundred and nine million, nine hundred and eighty thousand naira (N109, 980, 000:00) into the account of Fezel Nig. Ltd for the purchase of Plot 729 Idu industrial Estate allegedly for Gov. Matawalle. ASG Yanware Ventures acting on the instruction of Saidu Ashafa, transferred a total of Thirty-two million naira (N32, 000, 000:00) into the Providus Bank account of Fezel Nig Ltd for the purchase of Plot 729 Idu Industrial Estate allegedly for Gov. Matawalle. Sani Ibrahim Muhammad allegedly transferred the sum of Twenty nine million (N29, 250, 000), two hundred and fifty thousand naira) into the Providus Bank account of Fezel Nig. Ltd for the purchase of Plot 729 Idu industrial Estate allegedly for the Governor. Based on the alleged arrangement between Ashafa Saidu & Abubakar Haliru, the bureau de change operators deposited the total sum of Nine hundred and fifty-nine million, two hundred and thirty thousand naira (N959, 230, 000.00) into the Providus Bank account of Fezel Nig. Ltd for the purchase of Plot 729 ldu Industrial Estate allegedly for MatawaIle. A copy of the chart showing the laundering of the funds from the Zamfara State Government account was attached by the Commission and marked as Exhibit EFCC 8. Aceworld Consult Integrated Services transferred a total sum of Two hundred and seventy million naira (N270, 000, 000.00) to Mohammed Yahuzas bank account an unlicensed BDC operator towards the purchase of the said properties for the Governor. Aceworld Consult Integrated Services transferred a total sum of Two hundred and eleven million naira (N211,000,000:00) to Goni Multi Services Ltds bank account (an unlicensed BDC operator) allegedly for the purchase of properties allegedly for the governor. Aceworld Consult Integrated Services further transferred a total sum of Two hundred and eighty million naira (N280,000,000:00) to Gondankaya Global Concept Ltds bank account (another unlicensed BDC operator) allegedly for the purchase of properties for Matawalle. Aceworld Consult Integrated Services according to the EFCC, transferred the total sum of Two hundred and seventy million naira (N270,000,000:00) to Daura Sons Global Enterprises bank account (an unlicensed bureau de change operator) for the purchase of properties allegedly for Governor Matawalle. Aceworld Consult Integrated Services equally transferred a total sum of One billion, two hundred million naira (N1, 200, 000, 000:00) to S. Morisco Enterprises bank account (an unlicensed BDC operator) purportedly for the purchase of properties for the governor Aceworld Consult Integrated Services transferred a total sum of One billion, two hundred and thirty-one million naira (N1, 231, 000, 000.00) to unlicensed BDC operators on the instruction of Mr Abubakar Haliru for the purchase of the properties listed in the schedule to the EFCCs application for Interim Forfeiture for the alleged benefit of Governor Matawalle. The property at Plot 515 Cadastral Zone B00, Kukwaba comprising 8.78 hectares was acquired from the original allottee by Belsha Printing Press Limited (a company allegedly belonging to Gov. Matawalle) who entered into joint development of the property with PeachVille Platinum Limited. A copy of the agreement between Belsha Printing Press and PeachVille Platinum Press Limited was attached by the Commission and marked as Exibit EFCC 9. Prior to the foregoing damning revelations by the EFCC, the Commission had an unfinished business with the Zamfara Governor, Mr Matawalle. He was charged in the #Dasuki arms procurement deal that resulted in the embezzlement of $2 billion through the office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the former National Security Adviser. With the latest court ruling, the commission is believed to be patiently waiting for Governor Matawalles tenure to elapse, so that he would answer for his alleged misdoings. Also, some relief had come the way of some of the respondents to the charges as the court has held that the commission should cease from sealing off the properties without first obtaining court order. According to Justice Ekwo, the EFCC could conduct its investigation without sealing off the properties and disrupting businesses of the occupants. So far, the persons arrested in connection with the alleged fraudulent property deals were profiled, interviewed and granted bail. EFCC said in August 2022 that one of the persons arrested in connection with the case, one Evelyn Odagundoye initially denied working for Mr Matawalle but that it was established later through forensic analysis on her phone that she was running the business (Beisha) on the property for Matawalle. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AgroSpheres, a leader in developing the next generation of environmentally friendly crop health products, announced today that it had raised $22 million in a Series B financing round led by Lewis & Clark AgriFood and Ospraie Ag Science. Bidra Innovation Ventures and its existing investor, Cavallo Ventures, participated in the financing round. This funding will be used to accelerate product commercialization, expand manufacturing capacity, and seed broader applications of the AgroSpheres AgriCell platform technology. AgroSpheres raises $22 million in a Series B financing round led by Lewis & Clark AgriFood and Ospraie Ag Science. Tweet this AgroSpheres' team members working in the lab "In this unprecedented bear market, food security, environmental footprint, and supply chain resilience are of paramount importance," said Payam Pourtaheri, Founder and CEO of AgroSpheres. "We are thankful for the support from our partners at Lewis & Clark, OAS, Bidra, and Cavallo, as we take significant strides towards our vision of a future built by nature's technologies and bring our biobased technologies to partners globally." AgroSpheres' biomanufacturing platform has enabled cost-effective manufacturing and successful field application of novel biological modalities. The unprecedented field success of foliar-applied AgriCell-RNAi technologies has garnered significant industry interest. The company directly addresses the three key bottlenecks that biologicals face today: cost, performance, and stability. Following AgroSpheres' open technology demonstration day, Robb Fraley, Ph.D., known by many as the father of agriculture biotechnology, endorsed the technology as the one that will deliver on the unfulfilled promise of RNAi in Agriculture. "The manufacturing expansion will allow us to deliver on the increasing demand for shelf-stable RNA and supply high-quality RNA at the lowest market price to partners in industry, in academia, and at the farm gate," said Ameer Shakeel, Founder and CTO of AgroSpheres. Manufacturing, biorationals, and Formulation-as-a-Service (FaaS) are the three pillars of AgroSpheres. The biorational division is spearheading the first commercial launch in Agriculture of AgroSpheres' biodegradable encapsulation technology applied to volatile organic small molecules. In partnership with distribution, the product portfolio comprises AgriCell-enabled dose reduction and enhanced performance botanical inputs for crop health. The FaaS division holds major strategic collaborations between AgroSpheres and key AgBiotech companies, aimed at enabling novel biological modalities and microplastic or solvent replacement from existing formulations. The company's three pillars work collectively to achieve AgroSpheres' mission of providing farmers with reliable and affordable biobased solutions worldwide. "AgroSpheres' breakthrough technology is best in class, backed by verifiable evidence. The results speak for themselves," said Amar Singh, President, BIDRA Innovation Ventures. "Fall armyworm in Africa is a critical pest impacting millions of lives. We are particularly interested in how AgroSpheres' technology can be used for Faw, especially considering resistance and toxicology issues with some of the incumbent chemistries today." "We are extremely impressed by the AgroSpheres' founders and the cutting-edge biological manufacturing and delivery platform they have developed," said Larry Page, Ph.D., Managing Director, Lewis and Clark AgriFood. "As longtime AgTech investors, we are aware of the challenges in bringing effective bio-based solutions to growers. AgroSpheres has the biomanufacturing capability and consistent, year-to-year field trial results validated by third parties across the globe to be an industry-changing company for the years to come." As part of Series B, Larry Page has joined AgroSpheres Board of Directors. About AgroSpheres AgroSpheres envisions a future built by nature's technologies. Located in Charlottesville, VA, the company's mission is to transform agriculture through reliable and affordable biobased solutions. AgroSpheres' patented AgriCell and AgriShell technologies enable the development of biological pesticides that have a multi-year shelf-life and high efficacy in the field. AgroSpheres' delivery platform makes it cost-effective to deliver oils, small molecules, and semiochemicals in the field at a significantly reduced dose. For more information, visit www.agrospheres.com. About Lewis & Clark AgriFood Lewis & Clark AgriFood is a St. Louis-based group of experienced investment professionals who are passionate about investing in companies that are at the forefront of food and agriculture innovation. We look for companies that deliver benefits to the stakeholders in the food and agriculture sector, from the producer, through the supply chain, all the way to the consumer. We invest in companies that are at the growth stage of their evolution, poised to scale their technology to a national or global scale. As founders, operators, investors, and scientists, our seasoned investment team brings a breadth of quality sector experience to every investment. For more information, visit www.lewisandclarkagrifood.com . About Ospraie Ag Science Ospraie Ag Science LLC is an investment vehicle that supports productivity enhancing companies in the agriculture technology space with a focus on sustainable solutions that improve the quality of life for farmers and society. Utilizing our extensive network and 25 years of experience investing in agriculture markets, we identify solutions that help farmers "Do More With Less" and that increase profitability, reduce environmental impact and improve their quality-adjusted yield. For more information, visit www.ospraieagscience.com . About Bidra Innovation Ventures We identify, nurture, and empower innovative solutions to boost agricultural ecosystems worldwide. Founded in 2022, Bidra is a U.S.-based agtech fund with the backing of Morocco's Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and OCP mining group. About the Wilbur-Ellis Companies Founded in 1921, the Wilbur-Ellis companies are leading international marketers and distributors of agricultural products, animal feed and specialty chemicals and ingredients. By developing strong relationships, making strategic market investments and capitalizing on new opportunities, the Wilbur-Ellis companies have continued to grow the business, with sales now over $3.3 billion. CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Lewis & Clark Agrifood IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AIVITA Biomedical, Inc., a biotech company specializing in innovative stem cell applications, today announced that CEO Hans Keirstead, Ph.D., led a team of eminent scientists to meet with the 14th Dalai Lama, by his invitation, for a multidisciplinary exploration of the scientific evidence of consciousness. In their meeting, the parties contemplated neuroscience, medically recorded near-death experiences, quantum and theoretical physics, reincarnation, medically recorded out-of-body experiences, and the scientific evidence of mind-spirit benefit to health. The discussion explored whether any evidence exists from the various scientific domains to support a model of consciousness, and whether consciousness could reside outside of the human body. The visiting participants were Hans Keirstead, Ph.D., renowned neuroscientist, and developer of numerous human cell therapies; Sir Roger Penrose, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate and renowned mathematical quantum physicist and one of the world's leading experts on black holes and quantum physics; Peter Fenwick, M.D., neuropsychiatrist, neurophysiologist, and one of the leading authorities in the scientific study of end-of-life phenomena; Adrian Kent, Ph.D., a quantum physicist at the University of Cambridge and a leading expert in theoretical relationships in quantum physics and entanglement; Olaf Blanke, Ph.D., a professor and world leader in the neurological basis of self-consciousness and investigator of out-of-body experiences through fMRI; and Wayne Jonas, M.D., an integrative health expert who has investigated the impact of spirituality on medical research and practice. Dr. Keirstead's efforts in organizing this expedition exemplify his global thought leadership and AIVITA's ongoing commitment to global science advocacy. Excerpts from these discussions will be published at a future date. About AIVITA Biomedical Founded in 2016 by pioneers in the cell therapy industry, AIVITA Biomedical, Inc. utilizes its expertise in stem cell growth and directed, high-purity differentiation to enable safe, efficient and economical manufacturing systems which support its therapeutic pipeline. Our cancer immunotherapy targets the seed of all cancers, tumor-initiating cells, with a unique pan-antigenic approach that targets all neoantigens specific to the patient's cancer. Our patient-specific cancer treatments have shown tremendous promise including eradicating tumors, without harmful side effects in melanoma, and renal cell cancer, and prolonging progression-free survival in glioblastoma. Our COVID-19 Vaccine Enabling Kit is targeted to emerging nations enabling point-of-care vaccine production in minimally equipped facilities by minimally-trained third-party technicians. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as applicable. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our plans, beliefs, expectations and assumptions, as well as other statements that are not necessarily historical facts. You are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve risks and uncertainties. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date as of which it is made, and we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements. This communication also contains market data related to our business and industry which includes projections that are based on a number of assumptions we believe are reasonable and most significant to the projections as of the date of this communication. If any of our assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual results may significantly differ from our projections based on these assumptions. This communication is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein. SOURCE AIVITA Biomedical, Inc. ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ASI Government, LLC (ASI) announced today that it has expanded its leadership team by adding two outstanding and accomplished experts in the most challenging federal acquisition environments. ASI announced today that it has expanded its leadership team by adding two outstanding and accomplished experts. Tweet this Will Roberts, ASI Doug Stuck, ASI Mr. William (Will) Roe Roberts, the first Chief of Acquisition for the DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), has joined the ASI team as Director of Acquisition Solutions for Technology. Will led the way for DoD's acquisition of the infrastructure, including several needed contracts, to promote adoption of at scale Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions. These technologies are poised to fundamentally change every domain and use case that they touch, including the world of government work and the experience of citizens as they interact with service providers. Will's background is ideally suited to enable future innovations in the business of government. Will's expertise, experience, and training enable him to add robust value to ASI's clients and their future acquisitions. He will engage with ASI's Digital IT Acquisition Professional (DITAP) training, similar training services for the DoD, and advising and assisting clients with modern technology acquisitions. Will is a member of the ABA and Florida Bar as of 2011, receiving his law degree from Stetson University College of Law. Mr. Doug Stuck returns to ASI to be our Director of Client Solutions. In that role, he leverages his experience and relationships to match ASI's capabilities to solve the challenges Federal Acquisition leaders face. Prior to joining ASI this spring, Doug worked for eight years at the Virtual Acquisition Office (VAO), formerly a division of ASI. During that time, he worked to evolve and grow the VAO's product suite, including the Virtual Acquisition Office (VAO) and Applied Learning Online (ALO) subscription services. Prior to joining VAO in 2014, Doug spent 15 years implementing enterprise-wide, organizational change initiatives for federal government clients. In that role, he was had the opportunity to work directly with acquisition and policy executives to implement strategic, acquisition focused programs by combining innovative procurement techniques and proven lessons learned from collaborating with best-in-class federal leaders. Prior to that, Mr. Stuck worked at GE Capital IT Solutions in their Federal Defense Sector. Doug is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a BSBA in Marketing. ASI's CEO, Tim Cooke, said, "ASI is pleased and proud to welcome Will and Doug to the family. We look forward to their contributions to creating successful and innovative solutions and acquisition outcomes for our clients." About ASI Government LLC For more than 25 years, federal civilian, defense, homeland security and intelligence community programs and procurement organizations have relied on ASI Government LLC as a pioneer and gold-standard partner in cost-effectively delivering successful approaches and enabling services for complex, high-value, high-risk acquisitions that increase government's capability, performance and service to the American people. For more information, please contact: Mark Attwa, EVP/CFO at [email protected] or 703-253-6355. SOURCE ASI Government DENVER, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avanta Residential today announced that the firm closed on 27 acres of land with the Riverstone master-planned community in Canton, Georgia to develop a built-to-rent community. The community, called Avendale at Riverstone, marks Avanta's first project in Georgia. The single-family rental community will consist of 278 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom patio and townhomes. Community amenities will include a leasing center, clubhouse, and resort-style pool, and will offer green space, pocket parks, a yoga lawn and dog parks. Avendale at Riverstone "With this acquisition, Avanta will expand its footprint into Georgia and continue to build our portfolio in the South," said Terence Johnson, Senior Vice President of Development. "The location of Avendale at Riverstone is ideal, with its proximity to national retailers as well as major employers." Avendale at Riverstone is conveniently located 35 miles north of downtown Atlanta, between Atlanta and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Riverstone neighbors a commercial center containing a Publix Supermarket, Michaels, Home Depot and a Belk Department Store as well many restaurants including Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse, Outback and many other food establishments. Avanta plans to deliver homes at Avendale at Riverstone in 2023. About Avanta Avanta, a national leader in the build-for-rent industry, was formed in 2020 to respond to the demand for lower-density rental housing. Avanta was created from the deep experience of Hunt Companies Inc., a diversified, family-owned holding company responsible for completing more than $8.5 billion in real estate development and over 70,000 single-family rental homes across the United States, 50,000 of which are still owned and operated today. Avanta is committed to developing thoughtful, well-designed, amenity-rich homes for lease throughout the U.S. Avanta is active in Texas, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Colorado and is expanding its footprint. For more information, please visit www.avantaresidential.com. SOURCE Avanta Residential The battery monitoring IC market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 11.3% during 2022-2031 Rise in the demand for EV battery monitoring systems globally is expected to fuel the sales growth in the battery monitoring IC market The presence of many key players makes Asia Pacific a dominating market region WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global battery monitoring IC market is expected to reach a value of US$ 4.8 Bn by the end of 2031, according to an assessment by Transparency Market Research (TMR). In addition, the review finds that the market for battery monitoring IC is likely to expand at a CAGR of 11.3% during the forecast period, from 2022 to 2031. The Asia Pacific battery monitoring IC market is expected to gain sizable growth prospects during the forecast period owing to the presence of many key players in the region and increase in R&Ds focused on power battery management systems. Moreover, the Asia Pacific battery monitoring IC market is being driven by a surge in use of electric vehicles (EVs) and the existence of favorable government initiatives in the region, notes a TMR review that provides key information on best battery monitoring systems available in the market. Request Sample Report at -https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=84963 Battery Monitoring IC Market: Key Findings The demand for large-scale battery arrays is being rising for backup and carry-through energy storage, according to a TMR analysis that offers important data on the future business opportunities in battery monitoring IC market. Moreover, there has been a surge in the demand for rechargeable batteries in order to provide more power and higher voltages in several applications including hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and EVs, lawn equipment, uninterruptible power supplies, and power tools. Some of the key cell parameters used in order to measure effectual management include charge/discharge current, temperature, and terminal voltage. The measuring performance needed for advanced battery packs is considerably high and each cell is required to be measured within a few milliamps (mA), degrees Celsius (C), and millivolts (mV). Hence, the role of multi-cell ICs is important for the determination of state-of-health (SOH) and battery pack state-of-charge (SOC). This helps in providing key data on how to monitor battery charge and how to monitor lithium battery and determine remaining battery pack capacity (run time) and total life expectancy. Companies developing battery control IC are focusing on addressing the issues pertaining to reading a single cell in a series string with precision during unfavorable electrical environment and high CMV. Such ICs can not only offer the basic readings but also resolve several issues such as isolation and timing skew technical problems, notes a TMR study that sheds light on the battery voltage monitoring IC. The government authorities of several nations globally are promoting the use of EVs. Moreover, they are taking initiatives in order to spread awareness pertaining to the advantages of such vehicles. These factors are anticipated to drive the growth prospects in the global battery monitoring IC market during the forecast period. Furthermore, the market is being driven by a rise in the R&Ds focused on advancing the performance of EVs. Ask for References - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=ARF&rep_id=84963 Battery Monitoring IC Market: Growth Boosters Increase in the use of EV battery monitoring systems across the globe is likely to result into profitable prospects in the battery monitoring IC market Surge in the application of multi-cell battery monitoring ICs is creating lucrative avenues in the market Battery Monitoring IC Market: Key Players Some of the key players profiled in the report are: Analog Devices, Inc. Texas Instruments Incorporated. NXP Semiconductors. Maxim Integrated Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. Renesas Electronics Corporation. STMicroelectronics Microchip Technology Inc. Diodes Incorporated Panasonic ROHM Co. Ltd Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc. Infineon Technologies AG Make an Enquiry before Buying -https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=EB&rep_id=84963 Battery Monitoring IC Market Segmentation Battery Type Lithium-ion-based Lead-acid-based Nickel-based Flow Batteries Others Type Battery Protection IC Cell Balancing IC Cutoff FETs Battery Fuel Gauge ICs Battery Chargers IC Others Number of Cells Up to 2 2- 4 4 - 10 10 -16 Above 16 Application Power Tools UPS System Home Appliances E-bikes Electric Vehicle Energy Storages Systems (Solar, Grid, Telecom Equipment's etc.) Personal Electronics and Appliances Others End-use Industry Automotive Consumer Electronics Energy and Utility IT and Telecom Others (Industrial, Marine, etc.) Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa & South America Electronics and Semiconductors Research Reports Dismounted Soldier Systems Market- Dismounted Soldier Systems Market to reach US$ 2.65 Bn by the end of 2031 Cable Assembly Market- Cable Assembly Market is expected to surpass the value of US$ 292.6 Bn by 2031 Piezoelectric Actuator Market- Piezoelectric Actuator Market is expected to surpass the value of US$ 1.5 Bn by the end of 2031 Commercial Satellite Imaging Market- Commercial Satellite Imaging Market is expected to reach US$ 7.0 Bn by the end of 2031 Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC) Market- Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC) Market is expected to reach US$ 23.29 Bn by the end of 2031 Tunable Diode Laser Analyzer Market- Tunable Diode Laser Analyzer Market is estimated to register a promising 10.30% CAGR between 2019 and 2027 High-Voltage Switchgear Market - high-voltage switchgear market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period and reach US$ 18,898.7 Mn by 2026. Voltage Calibrator Market - voltage calibrator market is expected to reach US$ 271.27 Mn by 2026. The market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.28% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2026. Spintronic Devices Market - Spintronic Devices Market is expected to reach a value of US$ 5.69 Bn by the end of 2031, it is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 24.7% from 2022 to 2031. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, is a global market research company providing custom research and consulting services. TMR provides in-depth insights into factors governing demand in the market. It divulges opportunities across various segments based on Source, Application, Sales Channel, and End-Use that will favor growth in the market over the next 9 years. Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. For More Research Insights on Leading Industries, Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8e-z-g23-TdDMuODiL8BKQ Contact Us: Rohit Bhisey Transparency Market Research Inc. CORPORATE HEADQUARTER DOWNTOWN, 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 USA Tel: 1-518-618-1030 USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Website: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: https://tmrblog.com Email: [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1682871/TMR_Logo_Logo.jpg SOURCE Transparency Market Research GREENWICH, Conn., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Belpointe PREP, LLC (NYSE American: OZ) ("Belpointe OZ" or the "Company"), a publicly traded qualified opportunity fund, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of 1750 Storrs Road, Storrs, Connecticut ("1750 Storrs"). 1750 Storrs is a 19-acre development site located near the University of Connecticut in Storrs ("UCONN"), where the Company anticipates building a 120-unit Class A multifamily mixed-use development. The project is located in a designated Opportunity Zone and is situated within a 5-minute drive of the UCONN campus. The development site is located inside the town's designated mixed-use development district, commonly known as the Four Corners. According to the University's official statistics, total enrollment at UCONN has increased over 14% between 2013 and 2021, to over 31,000 students. The University expects enrollment to continue to increase over the next few years as application trends continue to rise, further exacerbating the current housing issues. UCONN only has the capacity to house approximately 12,000 students on the Storrs campus. Affordable off-campus housing supply is not sufficient to satisfy the increasing demand. The 1750 Storrs development will feature approximately 120 one- and two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom townhomes in five 3-story buildings situated on 19 acres of undeveloped land. Amenities are anticipated to include a clubhouse, with state-of-the-art fitness center, chef's kitchen and more. The development will also include approximately 48,000 square feet of retail and office. "This investment presents a tremendous opportunity due to the extreme disparity between student demand and supply of available housing units," said Brandon Lacoff, Chief Executive Officer of Belpointe OZ. "We are excited to begin construction on this development so we can provide desirable rental housing to the growing student population." About Belpointe OZ Belpointe OZ is a publicly traded qualified opportunity fund, listed on NYSE American under the symbol "OZ." To date, Belpointe OZ has raised more than $345 Million of equity capital in its ongoing qualified opportunity fund offering, with over 2,500 units in its development pipeline throughout four cities, representing an approximate total project cost of over $1.3 billion. Belpointe OZ has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for the offer and sale of up to $750,000,000 of Class A units representing limited liability interests in Belpointe OZ (the "Class A units"). Before you invest, you should read Belpointe OZ's most recent prospectus and the other documents that it has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Belpointe OZ and the offering. Investing in Belpointe OZ's Class A units involves a high degree of risk, including a complete loss of investment. Prior to making an investment decision, you should carefully consider Belpointe OZ's investment objectives and strategy, risk factors, fees and expenses and any tax consequences that may results from an investment in Belpointe OZ's Class A units. To view Belpointe OZ's most recent prospectus containing this and other important information visit sec.gov or belpointeoz.com. Alternatively, you may request Belpointe OZ send you the prospectus by calling (203) 883-1944 or emailing [email protected]. Read the prospectus in its entirety before making an investment decision. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking, such as statements containing estimates, projections and other forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words and phrases such as "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," "could," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "seek," "should," "will," "would," "expect," "objective," "projection," "forecast," "goal," "guidance," "outlook," "effort," "target" or the negative of such words and other comparable terminology. However, the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Any forward-looking statements expressing an expectation or belief as to future events is expressed in good faith and believed to be reasonable at the time such forward-looking statement is made. However, these statements are not guarantees of future events and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors beyond our control. Therefore, we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in any forward-looking statement. Except as required by applicable law, including federal securities laws, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform them to actual results or revised expectations. Investor and Media Relations Contact: Cody H. Laidlaw Belpointe PREP, LLC 255 Glenville Road Greenwich, Connecticut 06831 [email protected] 203-883-1994 SOURCE Belpointe PREP, LLC The winners of the first annual space health challenge, Advanced TeleSensors, Deep Space Biology, Myelin-H, Nano PharmaSolutions, ViBo Health, and Xtory, will participate in the Care In Space 13-week accelerator program. EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boryung , an investment and management company, Axiom Space , the world's leading commercial space station company, and Starburst Aerospace , the leading global aerospace and defense startup accelerator and strategic advisory practice, have officially announced the six startup winners of the inaugural Care In Space (CIS) Challenge. CIS Challenge Winners Hosted by Boryung in collaboration with Axiom Space and Starburst Aerospace, the CIS Challenge aims to advance the future of space health and the next generation of pharmaceutical, bioscience, and medtech development in space. The first of its kind, the program is positioned to accelerate the development of space health and health-adjacent solutions to increase access to space, solve human healthcare-related problems in space, and create novel healthcare solutions in space for terrestrial use. Space health encompasses all stages of the 'Healthcare Journey' from initial monitoring and diagnosis, to treatment, therapeutics, and continuing care. The CIS Challenge leverages the extreme conditions of space to drive innovation and build viable, scalable companies at the intersection of commercial space and biomedical science. The annual challenge supports early-stage entrepreneurs and their startups as they develop revolutionary solutions and technologies that will allow for extended life and travel in space as well as the manufacturing of advanced health treatments to be built in space for use on Earth. August 4, 2022, was the first annual CIS Challenge Pitch Day at UCLA. Finalists selected from the initial application process had the opportunity to pitch their solutions to aerospace, bioscience, and bio/medtech industry experts who assessed entrepreneurial acumen, scientific merit, business model viability, and overall feasibility in order to choose winners. The six founders and their startups are awarded an equity investment of $100K, admission into the Care In Space 13-week accelerator program mainly operated by Starburst to help bring their ideas to fruition, and the unique opportunity to receive mentoring directly from Axiom. The winners will gain access to Axiom's integration team, which has successfully flown dozens of payloads to the International Space Station. This mentorship helps to prepare these startups for on-orbit research and manufacturing and to address the critical challenges we face with extended periods of space travel and habitation. The winners will also benefit from a large network of biomedical and aerospace industry leaders, academic labs, startups, and investors at the global scale. The CIS accelerator cohort launched on September 12, 2022, and it will conclude with a CIS Challenge Demo Day at the beginning of December 2022, during which teams will showcase their progress to investors. The 2022 Care In Space Challenge Winners are Advanced TeleSensors, Deep Space Biology, Myelin-H, Nano PharmaSolutions, ViBo Health, and Xtory. Advanced TeleSensors builds a Non-Intrusive Cardiac Monitor for Remote Patient Monitoring. Led by Sajol Ghoshal (CEO & President) and Eric Farrell, M.D. (Chief Medical Officer), the ATS team provides touchless, non-intrusive, continuous, real-time cardiac and respiration monitoring by using radar to sense the patient's vital signs, which eliminates the issues with wearable devices, customer discomfort, and other concerns. Learn more about Advanced TeleSensors at www.cardio.io Deep Space Biology develops an AI-Driven Platform for Biological Discoveries in Space. Led by Montana Bilger (Co-Founder), Michael Boerrigter (Co-Founder), Guillermo Delgado Aparicio (Co-Founder) and Kimberly Washington (Executive Vice President), Deep Space Biology's platform aims to accelerate the scientific discovery of unknown and unforeseen biological relationships that may aid or hinder human space exploration by providing proactive identification of adverse health outcomes faced by space crews. Learn more about Deep Space Biology at www.deepspace.bio Myelin-H works on the Development of Neuromorphic Software for Terrestrial and Space Health. Led by Zied Tayeb (Co-Founder), Samaher (Co-Founder) and Othman Baraka (Co-Founder), Myelin-H's goal is to accelerate medical research on brain diseases and support hospitals and doctors by providing an intelligent processing engine to interpret complex biosignals and indicate the right treatment for patients suffering from various neurological disorders. Learn more about Myelin-H at www.myelinh.com Nano PharmaSolutions is Improving Drug Solubility Through Nano-Formulation. Led by Kay Olmstead, Ph.D., MBA (CEO), Sam Koh, Ph.D. (CTO), Saeyeon Lee, MS, PMP (COO) and Patricia Lady, MBA, CPA (CFO), the team at NanoPharma Solutions is supporting the bioavailability of insoluble drugs by generating drug nanoparticles using physical vapor deposition (PVD) nanocoating method without using any chemicals or solvent. Learn more about Nano PharmaSolutions at www.nanopharmasolutions.com ViBo Health is designing Personalized Predictive Healthcare using Smart Health Tracking. Led by Gil Travish, Ph.D. (CEO & Co-Founder), Ronald C. Stone, CPA (CFO) and Michael Corrigan (Strategy & Business Development), ViBo Health is democratizing Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) from a research clinical tool into a table-top multi-metabolite scanner to help patients track their health with actionable guidance provided on a dashboard. Learn more about ViBo Health at www.vibo.health Xtory is Enhancing Human Performance through Extended Reality (XR) and Interactive Storytelling. Led by Mahdi Ebnali (Co-Founder), Roger D. Dias (Co-Founder), Rodrigo Cerqueira (Co-Founder) and Mahdi (Ehsan) Nabiyouni (Co-Founder), the Xtory platform, which is dedicated towards professionals working in high-stress, psychologically challenging environments like astronauts and clinicians, devises solutions for more efficient training using immersive stories and real-time decision support. Learn more about Xtory at www.xtory.io As opportunities for space exploration and commerce expand, the CIS Challenge is set to support critical developments that will make space accessible and safe for all of humanity. To learn more about Care In Space and how to apply to future rounds of the challenge, please visit: www.careinspace.com About Boryung Boryung contributes to the progress and development of the pharmaceutical industry by embodying the spirit of interdependence and is committed to human health. Accordingly, we strive to realize the company's vision of becoming a "Lifetime Care Company". Boryung pursues the "achievement of interdependence based on humanism" and participates in various corporate philanthropic activities. Furthermore, we aim to become a global company, not by becoming content, but by continuously innovating and transforming. More information about Boryung can be found at www.boryung.com About Axiom Space Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure, Axiom operates end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while privately building its successor, Axiom Station, the first permanent commercial destination in Earth's orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home. More information about Axiom can be found at www.axiomspace.com About Starburst Starburst is an innovation catalyst in the aerospace industry. They are the first and only global aerospace accelerator, connecting startups with corporates, investors and government, while providing strategic growth and investment consulting services for all. With offices in Los Angeles, Paris, Munich, Singapore, Seoul, Tel Aviv, and Madrid, the team has built an ecosystem of key players with 15000+ startups in its network. Starburst's accelerator program helps startups scale their business in aviation, space, and defense with access to the largest group of corporate stakeholders to help startups win their first contracts. More information about Starburst can be found at www.starburst.aero Media Contact Matt Jaffe [email protected] SOURCE Starburst NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BRS & Co. ("BRS"), a New York-based private equity firm, Rosser Capital Partners ("RCP"), a Greenwich, CT-based private equity firm, and Doug Thompson, former COO of Texas Roadhouse, have partnered to acquire Tumble 22 Holdings, LLC ("Tumble 22" or the "Company"), a full-service, bar-centric, hot chicken restaurant concept with five locations in Texas. Inspired by Nashville hot chicken, Tumble 22 offers a simple menu featuring all-natural, Texas-raised chicken prepared using its proprietary seasoning. The Company was founded by successful restauranteurs Guy Villavaso and Larry Foles who, over the course of three decades, have created and operated distinctive restaurant concepts under the Guy + Larry Restaurants umbrella including Z'Tejas Southwestern Grille, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, Hopdoddy and Roaring Fork. Guy + Larry Restaurants will maintain an ownership position in the Company going forward. Post-closing, Doug Thompson will be CEO of the Company. "Tumble 22 is a differentiated restaurant concept with an unrelenting focus on food quality and customer service," said Tory Rooney, Managing Director at BRS. "We are beyond excited to be partnering with Tumble 22 to accelerate growth in new and existing markets." Jacob Organek, RCP Managing Director, said, "We are excited to partner with Doug Thompson and Guy + Larry Restaurants as we look to expand the concept." Doug Thompson, CEO of Tumble 22, said, "It's all about the people. Tory and Jacob are experienced partners on the financial side. Guy and Larry are legends in the industry, and I am honored to grow their brand. Tumble 22 has a fun culture, incredible food, and phenomenal growth potential. I am thrilled to begin this new venture." Guy Villavaso, Guy + Larry Restaurants CEO, said, "BRS's and RCP's partnership, knowledge of the restaurant industry, and capital support will be invaluable in helping Tumble 22 build upon its success in the emerging hot chicken space and develop its brand across a broader geographic area." The Company's financial advisor was Geraty Investments. BRS and RCP's legal advisor was Greenberg Traurig, LLP. About BRS & Co. BRS is a New York based private equity investment firm with combined capital invested of $1.2 billion, focused on investing in lower middle market consumer goods and services businesses. Since 1996, BRS has purchased over 50 portfolio companies for aggregate consideration of over $6.9 billion. In addition, BRS portfolio companies have completed over 40 add-on acquisitions. For more information, please visit www.brs.com. About Rosser Capital Partners Rosser Capital Partners is a lower middle market investment firm with a focus on investing in emerging concepts and brands within the restaurant, retail and consumer industries. We seek to partner with strong management teams who have demonstrated the skills, commitment and discipline to create shareholder value over time. Over the last 25 years, the principals of Rosser Capital Partners have completed 27 transactions for an aggregate consideration of over $2.5 billion. For more information, please visit www.rossercapitalpartners.com. SOURCE BRS & Co. GREENVILLE, S.C., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Canal Insurance Company is pleased to announce that Nora N. Crouch joined the company's Board of Directors on October 12, 2022. CANAL INSURANCE COMPANY APPOINTS NORA CROUCH TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ms. Crouch is a former Fortune 500 financial services executive, most recently serving as Chief Accounting Officer for Markel Corporation. At Markel, she oversaw SEC and statutory reporting, global tax, accounting policy, operational accounting and reporting, and internal control functions. She also served as a finance subject matter expert advising the company on mergers and acquisitions, organizational and cost transformation initiatives, and system implementations. During her tenure with Markel, Ms. Crouch served on the Board of Directors of Markel Ventures, the company's in house private equity investment arm, and on the Board of Directors of AMF Bakery Systems, Markel Ventures' first portfolio company acquisition. "We are fortunate to have Nora Crouch joining our Board of Directors. Her experience, judgment, and values are a great match for our company which is entering an exciting new chapter in its 83 year history," noted Lansing Crane, the Chairman of Canal's Board of Directors. "Canal's Board and ownership expects to build on the company's profitable performance, strong capital position, and experienced, effective, management team to achieve sustained profitable growth as well as diversification. Nora will enhance our effectiveness as a board, and be a valuable resource for our management team." Prior to joining Markel, Ms. Crouch served in tax and accounting roles at The Family Channel, Best Products, Life of Virginia, and Ernst & Young. She began her extensive financial services career as an auditor in the Richmond, Virginia office of PwC. She is a graduate of James Madison University, where she obtained a B.B.A. in Accounting. Ms. Crouch is also a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter. Ms. Crouch currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the James Madison University College of Business, the Board of Directors of Richmond National Group, and the Board of Directors for John Hancock Life Insurance Company USA and its various subsidiaries. About Canal Insurance Company Rated A- by A.M. Best, Canal Insurance Company has specialized in providing insurance to commercial trucking and specialty transportation insureds through selected professional agents for more than 80 years. Visit canalinsurance.com for other news and information. Media Contact: Laura Beth Medley Vice President, Chief Human Resources & Corporate Communications Officer 864-250-9283 [email protected] SOURCE Canal Insurance Company The inaugural award recognizes executive leaders from some of the most transformative, impactful SaaS companies BOSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Creatio, a global vendor of one platform to automate workflows and CRM with no-code and a maximum degree of freedom, today announces its CEO Katherine Kostereva has been named one of The Top 50 SaaS CEOs of 2022 by The Software Report (TSR). The leaders on this year's list have demonstrated expert leadership in some of the most transformative, impactful SaaS companies in the industry. The Software Report is a leading online publication that provides software market research and insights to over 49,000 software executives and professionals. The awardees of 2022 were selected based on thousands of nominations from colleagues, peers, other software industry professionals, and the TSR in-house industry research. TSR weighed the qual3ity and consistency of the nominations submitted on behalf of each candidate against the overall size and impact of the organizations they lead. Under Katherine's leadership, propelled by the drive and mutual vision of the Creatio team for the future of the no-code industry, Creatio has grown into a global company with over 700 employees in seven offices around the world. Millions of workflows are launched on Creatio's platform daily in 100 countries by thousands of clients. Creatio is recognized by top analyst firms, including Gartner and Forrester, and has some of the highest customer satisfaction scores in the industry. Katherine Kostereva is also a co-author of the No-code Playbook that was presented during a prominent virtual show on October 4, 2022. The online event featured a star guest, Steve Wozniak, the Silicon Valley icon and Co-Founder of Apple, and Creatio's customer Virgin Media O2 Business. The Playbook is the result of the company's continuous focus on evangelizing the no-code approach and commitment to enabling its broad adoption. The 200-page hands-on guide takes a deep dive into building the no-code development process by business-led and fusion teams. The No-code Playbook helps organizations embrace efficient, lean, and iterative development by empowering non-technical professionals to deploy business applications without deep technical and coding skills. About Creatio Creatio is a global vendor of one platform to automate workflows and CRM with no-code and maximum degree of freedom. Millions of workflows are launched on our platform daily in 100 countries by thousands of clients. Genuine care for our clients and partners is a defining part of Creatio's DNA. For more information, please visit www.creatio.com. Media Contact: Vera Mayuk +1 617 765 7997 [email protected] SOURCE Creatio FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 19, 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) publicly released a warning to employers "to be wary of third-parties who are advising them to claim the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) when they may not qualify" ( Link ). This release is undoubtedly in response to the proliferation of what are now commonly referred to as "ERC mills" across the U.S. that are pushing highly aggressive eligibility positions and are largely staffed by non-tax or non-accounting professionals. EZ-ERC's CEO Kenneth Dettman seconds this warning "Without a doubt, nearly every business owner or operator with an email address has received multiple emails from ERC mills dangling the prospect of a 'little known' payroll credit that can result in a $26,000 per employee cash credit. With the heightened scrutiny by the IRS and AICPA, it is especially important for employers to keep their guard up and use common sense when deciding whether to pursue the ERC through a third-party provider." EZ-ERC's CEO, Kenneth Dettman, Echoes IRS' Warning on Predatory "ERC Mills" Tweet this What is an ERC Mill? The term "ERC mill" is now commonly used to describe the countless ERC service providers the IRS is alluding to in their recent warning. The most common criticism of these "firms" is that they are largely comprised of non-credentialed sales and marketing professionals purporting to be "ERC experts" or "consultants" and pushing tenuous, high-risk eligibility positions, often solely reliant on CDC/OSHA guidance and/or supply chain disruptions in an effort to universally qualify all businesses for the ERC. A few common traits typical of ERC mills are as follows: No CPA Ownership or Accounting Management . They are rarely founded, owned, and/or managed by tax, accounting, payroll, or legal professionals. Rather, most of them are owned and operated by "serial entrepreneurs" with little to no experience in the specialized tax or accounting services industry. . They are rarely founded, owned, and/or managed by tax, accounting, payroll, or legal professionals. Rather, most of them are owned and operated by "serial entrepreneurs" with little to no experience in the specialized tax or accounting services industry. Outsourced Tax, Accounting & Legal Service Functions . ERC mills often have the majority of their "workforce" (most of which are independent contractors) focused on sales, marketing, and business development efforts. While most of the larger ERC mills have hired a token CPA or lawyer in-house, most rely heavily on third-party accountants and lawyers to perform the tax, accounting, and/or legal work required in connection with the ERC. Hence, they in effect operate as a sales and marketing organization, with all actual technical work outsourced to an unrelated and independently liable party. . ERC mills often have the majority of their "workforce" (most of which are independent contractors) focused on sales, marketing, and business development efforts. While most of the larger ERC mills have hired a CPA or lawyer in-house, most rely heavily on third-party accountants and lawyers to perform the tax, accounting, and/or legal work required in connection with the ERC. Hence, they in effect operate as a sales and marketing organization, with all actual technical work outsourced to an unrelated and independently liable party. Overtly Aggressive Marketing Tactics on Eligibility . ERC Mills often perpetuate aggressive marketing campaigns through various digital channels to entice well-meaning business owners into their grip. They dangle the prospect of a $26,000 employee credit and assure a high likelihood of eligibility for all businesses. Their eligibility positions are often based on obscure supply chain disruptions and/or rely on non-qualifying or outdated Federal guidance issued by the CDC and OSHA. These are considered weak positions in the industry and have a lower likelihood of withstanding IRS scrutiny. . ERC Mills often perpetuate aggressive marketing campaigns through various digital channels to entice well-meaning business owners into their grip. They dangle the prospect of a employee credit and assure a high likelihood of eligibility for all businesses. Their eligibility positions are often based on obscure supply chain disruptions and/or rely on non-qualifying or outdated Federal guidance issued by the CDC and OSHA. These are considered weak positions in the industry and have a lower likelihood of withstanding IRS scrutiny. Significant Contract Disclaimers to Shift Liability . Well aware of the fact that they lack sufficient credentials and experience to provide bona fide tax advice, most ERC mills include significant disclaimers and waivers of liability within their service agreements. These disclaimers often indicate that the "services provided" are not tax, accounting, or legal advice. EZ-ERC's Take: EZ-ERC's executive leadership team is comprised of multiple CPAs and/or attorneys with big firm experience (Big Four, Big Law, and Top 25 global consulting firms), and maintains that ERC services should indisputably be provided by a firm comprised of experienced tax, accounting, and legal professionals that are supported by a sales and function marketing, not a firm of sales and marketing professionals that are supported (usually externally) by tax and accounting professionals. "Tax" The ERC is a Federal payroll tax credit governed by the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 3134 and the regulations thereunder. It is further supplemented by IRS Notices 2021-20, 2021-23, and 2021-49. The most complex ERC fact patterns involving aggregation, full-time employee count, and related party issues, are all governed by pre-existing IRC, tax regulations, and case law (which are incorporated by reference in the above-mentioned Notices). Hence, the starting point for the ERC should always be based on relevant technical tax code and guidance that is unequivocally most suitable to be analyzed by experienced tax professionals . "Law" The concept of a "full or partial suspension", as defined in Notice 2021-20, is explicitly a facts and circumstances-based test. It is therefore essential that the test is evaluated by professionals that are experienced with other IRS facts and circumstances tests and, in many cases, merits a bona fide legal analysis conducted by a licensed attorney. "Accounting" The calculation of the credit, analysis regarding the interaction between the ERC and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and interpretation of the disqualified related party rules are inherently exercises in accounting . "IRS Audits" Finally, the possible "defense" of an ERC audit would typically need to be conducted by a CPA, Enrolled Agent (EA), or licensed attorney. It therefore goes without saying that experience in prior IRS audit defense is essential for a service provider that agrees to assist in ERC audit defense. EZ-ERC encourages all business owners and operators to use common sense principles in both selecting an ERC service provider and ultimately deciding to pursue the ERC. If, during the sales and execution process, there is no interaction with a tax or legal professional, but rather a self-proclaimed "ERC expert" is explaining to you why you (along with virtually every other business) are undeniably eligible for the credit, it's worth taking a step back and reevaluating potential quality or integrity issues of the firm you are working with. This is particularly true if you've agreed to pay upfront or contingency-based fees pursuant to a contract that stipulates that the services you are receiving are anything but tax, accounting, or legal services. In the words of Carl Sagan, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." While there remain extraordinary ERC opportunities out there for many business owners, be sure to demand an extraordinary service team that provides an exceptionally detailed and substantiated work product. To learn more about EZ-ERC's management team, please feel free to view their bios HERE : Kenneth Dettman , Managing Director (Chief Executive Officer) , Managing Director (Chief Executive Officer) Maxwell Burns , Managing Director (Head of Tax and Accounting Services) Managing Director (Head of Tax and Accounting Services) Kyle Morabito , Managing Director (Chief Legal Officer) , Managing Director (Chief Legal Officer) Jeffrey Budzik , Managing Director (Technical Services Leader) , Managing Director (Technical Services Leader) Garner Reesby , Chief Financial Officer , Chief Financial Officer Adam Fischer , General Counsel , General Counsel Victoria Beck , Compliance Counsel To learn more about the "Advantages" of working with EZ-ERC over ERC mills and other ERC competitors, please visit our "EZ-ERC Advantages" page HERE . For a summary of "Who and Where are We?", click HERE . EZ-ERC is not law firm and does not provide legal advice. To the extent it is determined that a legal analysis is required, EZ-ERC coordinates an external legal memorandum or opinion free of additional charge to our clients. Learn how EZ-ERC can help you or someone you know at www.EZ-ERC.com Contact: Casey Finigan Dettman | [email protected] SOURCE EZ-ERC GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- During November, CHS and the broader community acknowledge those whose lives have been impacted by adoption and those who facilitate the process. This month helps spread awareness and encourages all to learn more about adoption. Children's Home Society of NC supports National Adoption Month National Adoption Month celebrates the families who have grown through adoption. It also recognizes the journey of the many children who are still waiting for their destined families. It further highlights the thousands of children nationwide in need of adoption, and how easy it is to make a difference even if you cannot adopt. "During National Adoption Month, we hope you will take the opportunity to spread the word about the more than 12,000 children in foster care here in North Carolina who so longingly hope for a permanent, safe, and loving family of their own, and offer them your support," said Shannon Enoch, CHS Executive Director of Programs. Children's Home Society strives for a permanent, safe, and loving family situation for children through reunification with their families of origin, and when that is not possible, through adoption. "We view adoption as a lifetime commitment, and we commit to our children and families to support them through the entirety of their adoption journey," Enoch added. Children's Home Society has celebrated more than 16,000 adoptions since 1902. With over 12,000 children in foster care in our state, and 450-plus aging out each year, we continue to work tirelessly in our mission to promote the right of every child to a permanent, safe, and loving family. Today, CHS continues to create new families as well as to provide families with the support and resources they need to be healthy, stay together, grow stronger, and thrive. For more information about Children's Home Society, preserving family well-being, becoming a foster or adoptive parent, volunteering, or providing financial support, call 800-632-1400 or visit www.chsnc.org. About Children's Home Society of North Carolina Children's Home Society offers a network of services and support throughout North Carolina to help establish and sustain healthy, loving relationships in every family. For 120 years, Children's Home Society has provided a broad spectrum of programs and services including adoption, foster care, parenting education, family preservation, and teen responsibility. Children's Home Society believes in the importance of family, not only in the life of a child but also in the foundation of a community. For more information, visit www.chsnc.org . SOURCE Childrens Home Society of North Carolina Seasoned Cloud Industry Leader Has Proven Success Growing Companies and Developing Innovative Go-to-Market Strategies SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearScale, a leading AWS consulting services company, announced the promotion of Natallia Beliakova to the position of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). In this newly created role at ClearScale, Beliakova will accelerate and scale global revenue by identifying and leading the execution of new growth strategies. Beliakova was promoted from VP of Business Development and Alliances at ClearScale, a role in which she led business development, strategic partnerships, and partner-enabled sales. Beliakova will continue overseeing the company's Business Development and Alliances team, as well as its strategic relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS). However, she will now also focus on establishing long-term, strategic sales plans and processes, including revenue forecasting and alignment of the company's revenue-generating teams. "I'm honored to take on this new role as Chief Revenue Officer at ClearScale," Beliakova said. "I'm excited to leverage my experience and partnership with the rest of the ClearScale leadership team, our board of directors, and our private equity firm Cohere Capital to identify new markets and develop new revenue streams for ClearScale, while driving greater business value for our customers." ClearScale is an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner with 11 AWS Competencies that is backed by a strategic growth investment from private equity firm Cohere Capital. ClearScale provides a complete range of AWS cloud consulting services to customers across all industries, with specializations ranging from cloud migration and modernization to big data to managed services. ClearScale has delivered more than 1,000 customized cloud projects for over 500 customers since its founding in 2011. "I'm thrilled to promote Natallia into this new strategic, revenue-focused role at ClearScale," said Pavel Pragin, Chief Executive Officer at ClearScale. "Since she was hired in 2019, Natallia has been passionate about creating go-to-market strategies and driving business growth. She helped design the service offerings that enabled ClearScale's customers to transform their businesses with tailored cloud capabilities. Now, as the first CRO of ClearScale, I'm confident in Natallia's ability to identify and lead the execution of innovative strategies that will increase sales and broaden the client base at ClearScale." This news follows the company's promotion of Pavel Vasilyev to Chief Technology Officer and the appointment of Pawel Maksymczak to Regional Director of Central Europe earlier this year. ClearScale also recently supplemented its advisors by naming Norman Gennaro, ZenDesk's President of Worldwide Sales, to the board of directors. About ClearScale ClearScale is a cloud-native systems integration, strategic consulting, and application development company founded in 2011. The company has successfully delivered more than 1,000 innovative cloud projects for clients ranging from startups to large enterprises and public sector organizations. ClearScale's cloud experts design, implement, optimize, and manage customized cloud solutions that help customers achieve their business transformation initiatives. For more information, visit www.clearscale.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Contact Public Relations 1-800-591-0442 [email protected] SOURCE ClearScale Acquisition expands data center portfolio and managed cloud expertise for CloudScale365 clients NEWARK, Del., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CloudScale365, a leading provider of state-of-the-art managed IT services today announced the completion of the company's acquisition of Priorpoint, a top regional service provider located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Priorpoint Priorpoint is a knowledge leader in the managed cloud and on-premises IT services market with offerings that align with CloudScale365's cloud, hosting, security, and business continuity solutions. The acquisition also doubles the company's regional data center portfolio. CloudScale365 serves 4,000 corporations, non-profits, and government agencies in 21 countries, and currently has over 750 customers in the Southeastern United States. "We're continuing to meet our goal of thoughtful expansion into strong U.S. markets, starting with Northern California last year," said Patrick Hannon, CEO of CloudScale365. "This most recent acquisition of Priorpoint provides increased data center capacity and additional managed cloud and IT service offerings. There is also great synergy between our corporate culturesthese are all benefits we're excited to pass on to CloudScale365 clients." "In today's fast-paced, growing IT market, the expansive knowledge and high level of service of our combined organizations will set current and future clients and employees up for success," said Jason Casey, CEO of Priorpoint. "The team at CloudScale365 has vast experience merging companies for long-term growth, and the company shares the same passion and values that have served Priorpoint well when supporting our small- and mid-sized business customers." About CloudScale365, Inc. Founded in 1996, CloudScale365 empowers organizations to reach new heights by aligning business goals with the right technology. The company's consultative approach to managed ITincluding cloud migration, security, disaster recovery, and business continuityenables organizations to work more efficiently, in a secure environment, anytime, anywhere. A Tier 1 Microsoft Cloud Solutions Provider with 24/7 global support, CloudScale365 is a trusted partner for planning, migrating, deploying, and managing an organization's entire IT ecosystem. For more information, visit www.cloudscale365.com. About Priorpoint For nearly three decades, Priorpoint has offered best-in-class managed cloud and on-premises IT services that provide exceptional reliability and maximum flexibility while safeguarding organizations' top intellectual assetdata. We own and operate state-of-the-art data centers that are fully equipped to service our clients' IT, backup, and disaster recovery needs. Priorpoint's commitment to excellence, coupled with our wealth of expertise in developing IT solutions that support current and future business goals, provides our clients with peace of mind. Our business is protecting your business. For more information, visit www.priorpoint.com. CloudScale365 and the CloudScale365 logo are trademarks of CloudScale365, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Media Contacts: Marketing Department CloudScale365, Inc. Tel: 888-608-6245 Email: [email protected] SOURCE CloudScale365 TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving, an industry leader in stress-free solutions for moving and junk-hauling needs, named Marc Richard as the Senior Vice President of Operations. He previously served as a Vice President of Franchise Operations for Smoothie King, where his team supported 200 + franchisees and 450 locations. Prior to joining Smoothie King, he held several roles with Domino's Pizza, including Director of Corporate Operations and Director of Franchise Operations. As Director of Franchise Operations, he led a team of 10 Business Consultants in influencing and partnering with 185 franchisees who operated close to 1,100 units generating nearly $1 Billion in annual retail sales. "I have a great respect and appreciation for franchisees and the dedication that is required to deliver an outstanding experience for their customers, guests and clients on a daily basis," said Marc Richard, Senior Vice President of Operations for College HUNKS. "Seeing the rapid expansion that College HUNKS has had in the past few years and knowing the impact that they are having on both their franchisees and the community is what drew me to the HUNKS organization." "Marc's experience guiding franchising teams to success made him an ideal match for College HUNKS. He brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to the organization, and his leadership will be a key part of the organization's mission to Move The World," said Roman Cowan, Brand President of College HUNKS. Marc is an alumnus of Michigan State University where he received a Bachelor's in Finance. About College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving was originally founded by two college buddies with a beat-up cargo van and now has more than 200 franchises providing full-service tech-enabled residential and commercial moving, junk removal, donation pickups, and labor services in the United States as well as Canada. H.U.N.K.S., which stands for Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable, Service, is a socially conscious, values-based organization and has a national partnership with U.S. Hunger, which strives to end childhood hunger. The company strives to become recognized as an iconic brand, renowned for its world-class company culture and service, while also providing a viable employment and franchise opportunity to pursue personal and professional fulfillment. For more information, visit www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.com . Media Contact: Brianne Barbakoff [email protected] 786-605-9228 SOURCE College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving Granahan McCourt Capital founder used his headline keynote to present a blueprint for building customer centric open-access networks and praised the Irish Government for making long-term decisions that will benefit rural communities for generations to come DUBLIN, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "The telco industry has grown up making decisions that put the network first and the customer second. In today's world, that's backwards." This was the warning given by telecoms entrepreneur David McCourt at last week's Network X event, as he delivered a highly anticipated headline keynote at the most comprehensive telco event in the world. David McCourt was a headline speaker at Network X (PRNewsfoto/Granahan McCourt Capital) As chairman and CEO of Granahan McCourt Capital, the worldwide investors in technology, media and telecommunications, McCourt is described by the Economist as "possessing impeccable credentials as a telecom revolutionary." Among his many ventures, he is the founding investor and Chairman of National Broadband Ireland (NBI), which is delivering the largest Public Private Partnership in European telecoms, responsible for the Irish Government's $3billion National Broadband Plan. McCourt praised the country's policymakers for making decisions which he described as "incredibly bold, ambitious and long-term." Taking to the stage at Network X, McCourt spoke about new and emerging business models and approaches that are disrupting the status quo in telecoms. With over 30 years of experience in financing, designing, building and operating networks all over the world, McCourt has been responsible for introducing a number of industry firsts. Through various ventures, Granahan McCourt was the first to build a competitive network in the US; the first overbuilder; and the first to bundle video, voice and data, now considered the norm. "The common drivers behind these moves is a focus on improving quality of service and making customer experience seamless, as well as understanding how to create networks with real scale. I believe that these are the common factors that all Altnet owners should be measuring success on, and the best business model to deliver them is a customer-centric, open-access wholesale model," said McCourt. Industry research from KPMG suggests that up to 80% of network owners want an open-access platform to increase penetration and McCourt confirmed appetite is growing in all major markets around the world. In 2013, Granahan McCourt bought Irish-based Enet, which operates the Irish state's metropolitan area networks. With this, McCourt built one of the first non-regulated open-access networks in the world and quickly grew it to serve over 70 global and regional service providers. It was here, he says, that the company started to develop its own technology platform specifically for open-access, that underpins its ability to drive scale by designing and developing the business with the customer at the heart of every decision. Moving from one of the first non-regulated open-access networks in Enet to one of the biggest in NBI, Granahan McCourt has continued to build out the second generation of this technology platform, with inherent knowledge of operating high-performance open-access networks. The result has surpassed all expectations, with NBI having nearly 60 ISPs onboarded and integrated within a year. Penetration has hit over 30% in areas where the network has been live for only six months, rising to 40% in 12 months. "Today, Ireland boasts one of the best talent pools globally in fibre networks and we are developing this into a Centre of Excellence which will serve the rest of Europe's telecom needs. The experience within this Irish Centre of Excellence can provide the blueprints for Altnets in other nations to build customer-centric networks. "The move to open-access wholesale is underway and like in everything, there will be winners and losers. The winners, in my view, will be the ones that design their business around the customer," concluded McCourt. Visit www.granahanmccourt.com Media contact: Tom Webb Tel: +44 (0)203 633 5552 [email protected] Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1929233/Granahan_McCourt_Capital_David_McCourt.jpg SOURCE Granahan McCourt Capital HUDSON, Ohio, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE: DBD) will release 2022 third quarter financial results on Tuesday, Nov. 8 before trading begins on the New York Stock Exchange. Octavio Marquez, president and chief executive officer, and Jeffrey Rutherford, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will discuss the results during a conference call and webcast beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. Prior to the call, Diebold Nixdorf will provide a press release summarizing business and financial results, and a shareholder letter containing other highlights from the period. The press release and letter will be accessible by visiting the Investor Relations section of Diebold Nixdorf's website located at http://www.dieboldnixdorf.com/earnings. Live access to the conference call, as well as the replay, will also be available on this website. To access the call, we encourage you to pre-register at https://www.netroadshow.com/events/login?show=d580da18&confId=42384. After registering, a confirmation will be sent via email and will include dial-in details and a unique PIN code for entry to the call. To avoid long wait times, we suggest registering at least one day in advance to receive your unique PIN code. Registration will be open throughout the live call. You may also access the call and register with a live operator. The conference call will last approximately one hour. Participants should plan to dial in 15 minutes prior to the session. Details on the call are as follows: Dial-in number Conf. ID Time/Date Conference Call Toll free: 844-200-6205 723127 8:30 a.m. ET; Nov. 8, 2022 International: 929-526-1599 About Diebold Nixdorf Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) is a world leader in enabling connected commerce. We automate, digitize and transform the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world's top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, our integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of consumers each day. The company has a presence in more than 100 countries with approximately 22,000 employees worldwide. Visit www.DieboldNixdorf.com for more information. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/diebold Twitter: twitter.com/dieboldnixdorf Facebook: www.facebook.com/DieboldNixdorf YouTube: www.youtube.com/dieboldnixdorf DN-F SOURCE Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated Fastest-Growing Pet Franchise Now Named No. 325 on Prestigious Ranking PHOENIX, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dogtopia, the international dog daycare franchise, has recently been announced as no. 325 on Franchise Times magazine's Top 500 annual ranking, climbing up 24 spots from last year and marking the brand's highest placement yet. The Franchise Times Top 500 list measures U.S.-based franchises global systemwide sales and franchised units based on the previous year's performance. Dogtopia has experienced an 85.7 percent increase in units sold over the past three years. "We are thrilled to be recognized as both a leading franchise and a leading dog daycare brand, and are excited to continue our growth into the New Year," said Neil Gill, CEO and President of Dogtopia. "We are so grateful to our franchise partners, pet parents and teams. We couldn't have achieved this without them and their commitment to building safe and welcoming communities for our furry friends." On track to have 220 locations operating by year end, Dogtopia expects to open another 60+ new daycares this upcoming year and plans to have more than 350 open by 2025. This rapid growth will be driven by recently signed franchise agreements which will expand the brand into new and existing territories, such as Albany, Baltimore, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Las Vegas. Dogtopia continues to attract some of the most experienced multi-brand franchisees looking for diversification and a piece of the booming pet sector. Along with its ranking on the Franchise Times Top 500, Dogtopia has earned accolades on 2022 editions of Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 and Inc. Magazine's 5000, coming in at no. 51 and no. 3,244, respectively. For more information about the Dogtopia franchise, visit www.dogtopia.com . About Dogtopia: Founded in 2002, Dogtopia is an early pioneer and innovator in the pet services industry, offering an experience focused on wellness, quality of care, safety and transparency in the market. The ultimate destination for improving the physical and mental well-being of dogs and pet parents, Dogtopia helps our furry friends live long, healthy, and happy lives with services that address canine wellness in a holistic manner. Pet parents have the assurance of leaving their beloved furry family members in the hands of trained professionals in an environment created with the safety of dogs in mind, including an open-play environment with comfortable rubber flooring to ease joints and paws, top quality meals and snacks, as well as webcams for pet parents to check in on their pups. For more information, visit www.dogtopia.com. Media Contact: Jayne Bauer, Fishman Public Relations, [email protected] or 847-945-1300 SOURCE Dogtopia Alvier Mechatronics backed by industry leader parent company Hoganas AB Collaboration decreases time-to-market, increases sustainability and leverages the industry's most advanced technology for development of electrified propulsion FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Drive System Design (DSD), a company specializing in the rapid engineering and development of electrified propulsion systems and Alvier Mechatronics, an engineering service company with special competence in advanced materials and production methods for sustainable, high-volume applications, are joining forces to provide the mobility industry with engineering services to support sustainable electrified propulsion solutions across automotive, commercial vehicle, off-highway, marine and aerospace applications. Drive System Design and Alvier Mechatronics Establish Joint Operating Agreement to Provide Sustainable Electrified Propulsion Solutions The two companies signed a joint operating agreement to combine DSD's expertise in full electrified propulsion system design encompassing simulation, prototyping and validation, with Alvier Mechatronics' industry-leading capabilities in powder metallurgy and electromagnetic design. This collaboration will unlock significant improvements in the development of electrified systems, and bring innovative turnkey solutions to the industry, including: Speed-to-market increase by combining metallurgical and electromagnetic phases of development and reduced prototype lead-time. increase by combining metallurgical and electromagnetic phases of development and reduced prototype lead-time. Sustainability improvements in the use of CO2, resulting in an overall reduction during the development process, to complement both companies' ability to reduce CO2 production during system operation. improvements in the use of CO2, resulting in an overall reduction during the development process, to complement both companies' ability to reduce CO2 production during system operation. Expertise from the combined experience and resources of Hoganas AB, DSD and Alvier Mechatronics. "This collaboration will capitalize on the combined skills and capabilities of each company to serve our new and existing customers in exciting ways," said Daniel Herven, CEO, Alvier Mechatronics. "Working with Alvier Mechatronics is a great opportunity for DSD to diversify its contribution to the advancement of sustainable electrified propulsion across an array of critical industries," said Mark Findlay, managing director, DSD. "It is a company with trusted capability in the industry, and we look forward to pushing the boundaries of sustainable electrification." About Drive System Design Inc. Drive System Design (DSD) Inc. specializes in the rapid engineering and development of electrified propulsion systems and associated technologies through decades of experience, turnkey capabilities and unmatched expertise that customers trust. Based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, its globally recognized engineering team works directly and collaboratively with automotive, commercial vehicle, aerospace and defense OEMs, Tier-1s and industry research bodies. The company offers unparalleled proficiency in systems integration, simulation lead design, efficiency enhancement, development testing, and the analysis and control of transmission systems and electrified powertrains. For more information, visit drivesystemdesign.us. About Alvier Mechatronics: Alvier Mechatronics is part of the Hoganas Group, market leader in metal powder. As a start-up company founded in 2018 with the ambition to develop knowledge driven eDrive solutions Alvier Mechatronics offers companies a fast track to build high-performance and integrated eDrive solutions through advanced engineering services. From concept ideation through design, simulation, validation and prototyping to building a-samples, we use a systematic approach to obtain lower weight and a reduced number of parts while increasing overall efficiency. For more information, visit alviermechatronics.com. Media Contact Kaleigh Jerzykowski MBE Group on behalf of Drive System Design Email: [email protected] Phone: 248-225-8012 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928327/Drive_System_Design_and_Alvier_Mechatronics.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928328/Drive_System_Design_Logo.jpg SOURCE Drive System Design WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Known around the world and exhibited at many of the world's major museums is Indian Qatari Artist M.F. Husain. The iconic artist was called "The Picasso of India," because both Picasso and MF Husain exhibited together in Brazil. Husain has an important body of work, an exceptionally long and strong auction history at Sotheby's, Christie's, and a place in the international canon. DualPower NFT Now, Collectors and aficionados of rare art are in for a big treat. DualPower NFT is scheduled to be dropped as 3333 NFT mints of the artist's most iconic horses on the Ethereum blockchain. DualPower, an artwork called "form follows function" features iconic horse/s behind a car, which will come in diverse traits and colors. This work of M.F. Husain has never been released either in print or in any digital derivative form. After random distribution minting from the website, the NFTs will be revealed on OpenSea. This drop comes as a second drop to follow the #DualFacedNFT from the innovative minds of LNMH. The idea to create NFTs for DualPowerNFT arose after we realized that our first free NFT drop DualFaced of MF Husain's artwork on Sept 7th, 2022, was wildly successful. It minted all 10,000 in mere 19 minutes. Just like M.F. Husain, who took advantage of emerging technology to bring his art to the masses, we want to pay tribute with these DualPower NFTs to bring affordable art to the masses, said Kent Charugundla, Managing Member of LNMH and Tamarind Art who is one of the largest independent collectors of MF Husain seminal works and a IP/copyright holder. The NFT drop of horses "FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION" DualPower branded drop is a unique opportunity for fine art collectors to get hold of NFT works of these rare Husain derivatives in varied colors and traits. Reveal will be 24 hours after 100% of the NFTs are minted out on Opensea. This NFT drop is a collaboration between TamarindArt, LNMH and LAVA. LAVA provided all of the needed digital rendering and creative services for this drop. Mint is scheduled for November 22nd, 2022, with Allow list qualifiers for pre-minting. Joining the allow list for DualPower.io is simple visit the official website and fill out a form. There are some simple rules to follow while entering the AllowList. "We want millions of people who know his work to be able to participate in the way that they never could before, and we want to introduce his genius to millions more," and this is just the beginning. For more information about the drop and other details, please visit our website at www.dualpower.io Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dualpowernft Twitter: https://twitter.com/dualpowernft About LNMH LLC LNMH is a producer of fine art NFTs, metaverses, Web3 related technologies for artists, galleries, and global brands. LNMH also collaborates with other entities, where needed, for IP licensing and other digital IT services. http://LNMH.IO About Tamarind Art Gallery, LLC. Tamarind Art is a collector, publisher, gallery, Copyright/IP holder of its own MF Husain works, and one of the largest global collectors of MF Husain's art works. For more information contact https://tamarindart.com About LAVA MEDIA NYC LLC. LAVA is in the business of providing contract creative services for wide variety of clients. It uses multiple global artist collectives and renderers in providing the finest creative cloud services, graphics, and a digital marketing to its clients. Lava uses multiple AI engines and programmers in supporting its clients. More information about the company, contact http://LAVA.NYC SOURCE LNMH LLC ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eagle Hill Consulting again has secured a spot on The Washington Business Journal's ranking of the Largest Women-Owned Businesses in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. Ranked by total revenue in 2021, Eagle Hill rose to the fifteenth spot among regional businesses that are woman-owned. "The Eagle Hill team continues to deliver for our clients, and that's what has propelled our continued growth," says Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. "We're intentional about sustaining a culture that equally values our clients and employees. Ultimately, this empowers our employees to succeed and delivers innovation that solves complicated workforce challenges facing our clients." The Washington Business Journal ranks Eagle Hill as one of the largest women-owned businesses in Washington, D.C. area. Tweet this Earlier this year, Forbes named Eagle Hill as one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms. Additionally, ALM recently named Eagle Hill an employee well-being innovator, Vault named the company at top company to work for, and Eagle Hill earned the Great Place to Work certification. Learn about current careers opportunities at Eagle Hill. Eagle Hill Consulting LLC is a woman-owned business that provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of Strategy & Performance, Talent, and Change. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. A leading authority on employee sentiment, Eagle Hill is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with employees across the U.S. and offices in Boston and Seattle. More information is available at www.eaglehillconsulting.com. SOURCE Eagle Hill Consulting BOGOTA, Colombia, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) informs that at the extraordinary General Shareholder's Meeting held on October 24, 2022, its Board of Directors was appointed as follows: Non-Independent Representatives: Monica de Greiff Lindo Gonzalo Hernandez Jimenez Independent Representatives: Gabriel Mauricio Cabrera Galvis Carlos Gustavo Cano Sanz Saul Kattan Cohen Sandra Ospina Arango Luis Santiago Perdomo Maldonado Esteban Piedrahita Uribe Sergio Restrepo Isaza Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia and one of the main integrated energy companies in the American continent, with more than 18,000 employees. In Colombia, it is responsible for more than 60% of the hydrocarbon production of most transportation, logistics, and hydrocarbon refining systems, and it holds leading positions in the petrochemicals and gas distribution segments. With the acquisition of 51.4% of ISA's shares, the company participates in energy transmission, the management of real-time systems (XM), and the Barranquilla - Cartagena coastal highway concession. At the international level, Ecopetrol has a stake in strategic basins in the American continent, with Drilling and Exploration operations in the United States (Permian basin and the Gulf of Mexico), Brazil, and Mexico, and, through ISA and its subsidiaries, Ecopetrol holds leading positions in the power transmission business in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia, road concessions in Chile, and the telecommunications sector. This press release contains business prospect statements, operating and financial result estimates, and statements related to Ecopetrol's growth prospects. These are all projections and, as such, they are based solely on the expectations of the managers regarding the future of the company and their continued access to capital to finance the company's business plan. The realization of said estimates in the future depends on the behavior of market conditions, regulations, competition, the performance of the Colombian economy my and the industry, among other factors, and are consequently subject to change without prior notice. This release contains statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements, whether made in this release or in future filings or press releases or orally, address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, including in respect of the Company's prospects for growth and its ongoing access to capital to fund the Company's business plan, among others. Consequently, changes in the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward -looking statements: market prices of oil & gas, our exploration, and production activities, market conditions, applicable regulations, the exchange rate, the Company's competitiveness and the performance of Colombia's economy and industry, to mention a few. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. For more information, please contact: Head of Capital Markets Tatiana Uribe Benninghoff Email: [email protected] Head of Corporate Communications Mauricio Tellez Email: [email protected] SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A. The acquisition of the German-based and cloud-native company easybell is essential to Dstny's growth strategy and adds a new country as well as new capabilities to the group. BRUSSELS, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dstny, a European leader in business communications, announced the acquisition of easybell, a cloud communication challenger in Germany that provides Cloud PBX and VoIP telephony to B2B customers. With their fully digital approach and a well distributed network of 2,000 partners, they are both fast-growing and highly competitive in the German market. Key profiles from left, Daan De Wever CEO Dstny, Markus Hendrich CEO ecotel, Dr. Andreas Bahr, CEO easybell "With easybell onboard, we are not only adding Germany as a country, one of the most exciting markets in Europe. We are also adding exceptional people and talents to our group. easybell is years ahead with their digital mindset and their ability to sell products online," says Daan De Wever, CEO of Dstny Group. easybell stands out as an innovative and highly experienced operator of telecommunication services with a modern sales and marketing approach. The powerful combination of partner and online sales has led to a strong B2B growth. With 28M in sales, 75 employees and fully automated processes, they are well positioned to lead the Dstny operations in Germany. "Dstny and easybell share the same pan-European vision, and by joining Dstny, we can speed up our internationalization process significantly. We also get access to a product portfolio, which is positioning us as an innovation leader in our home markets today and tomorrow," says Dr. Andreas Bahr, CEO of easybell. "The previous shareholders have been looking for strategic partners to accelerate the impressive growth of easybell even further," says Markus Hendrich, CEO of ecotel communication ag, the former majority shareholder of easybell. "From what I have learned during the process, Dstny will help easybell break into other European markets even faster, while Dstny will get presence in Germany. ecotel will remain a supplier to easybell in the long run, making the transaction beneficial for all parties involve. Q Advisors, a leading global TMT investment banking boutique, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Dstny in connection with this transaction. For further information Sien Plas Investor Relations Officer Dstny Email: [email protected] Steffen Hensche CMO easybell GmbH Email: [email protected] ecotel Investor Relations: [email protected] PR-contact: [email protected] Christian Hed - CMO Dstny Email: [email protected] Tel: +46856269603 About Dstny Dstny is a leading European provider of cloud-based Business Communications. The company simplifies the everyday lives of more than 3 million Dstny Powered People today: the interactive tools in Business Communications are delivered asa-service and bring employees and customers together across all communication formats (voice, video, chat, and other). The Dstny tools are natively mobile-first, locally adaptable, easy to use, and easy to integrate, for companies, partners, and service providers. By combining innovative technology with close relationships with partners and service providers, and with strong local teams, Dstny can deliver the best possible user experience and make the latest applications accessible to companies across Europe. Headquartered in Brussels, Dstny has 800 employees in 7 European countries (Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, UK) and an annual turnover of nearly 190 million in 2021. More info: www.dstny.com About easybell easybell was founded in 2006 and is a Berlin-based internet and telephony provider with close to 100,000 business and private customers and 75 employees. It offers comprehensible, reliable, and fair products for everyone who needs professional telecommunications. It is specialized in IP-based communications: the product range includes VoIP telephony, SIP trunks, a cloud PBX developed in-house and optional broadband-connections. easybell has recently won the German fairness award 2022 and stands for flexibility, transparency, and ease of use - that's why the tariffs can be cancelled monthly, there are no hidden costs, and many additional services are included. This concept is summarized in its motto: Easy. Professional. Connected. More info: www.easybell.de About ecotel communication ag The ecotel Group (hereinafter ecotel), operating throughout Germany since 1998, specializes in the marketing of IT and telecommunications solutions in various segments. The parent company is ecotel communication ag with headquarters in Dusseldorf. Including its subsidiaries and holdings, ecotel employs more than 200 talents. ecotel serves more than 50,000 B2B customers nationwide with a full-service offer of cloud-communication and fiber services. More info: www.ecotel.de Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1927872/Key_Profiles.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1927871/Dstny_Logo.jpg SOURCE Dstny WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federation for American Immigration Reform issued the following statement, as well as a deeper dive into FY 2022 border numbers, based on data quietly released late Friday night by the Biden administration: "In typical fashion, the Biden administration attempted to conceal the reality of a historic crisis they created by releasing final FY 2022 border numbers late on a Friday evening, hoping in vain that no one would notice on the eve of consequential midterm elections. After digging through them, we can see why," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "Some 2.7 million migrantsthose who illegally entered or were otherwise inadmissible at a port of entrywere encountered at our borders in FY 2022, bringing the total under President Biden to a whopping 5.5 million. One thing is clear: These record-breaking numbers are a direct consequence of open-borders policies implemented by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the person who appointed him, President Joe Biden," charged Stein. "This deliberate sabotage of our nation's immigration laws demands that the president remove Mayorkas from his position immediately. Otherwise, the impeachment of his disgraced cabinet member is sure to be one of the first orders of business in the next Congress." "Nothing will improve until there is a public servant leading the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who believes in bordersand secure ones at that. We cannot even begin to reverse this disaster so long as our nation's immigration policies are in the hands of someone who is bent on compounding it. No matter how late at night this administration releases data, the numbers still speak for themselves. President Biden needs to clean house at DHS, and, if he is not prepared to do it, Congress needs to clean it for him, beginning with the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas," Stein concluded. FAIR Border Snapshot for FY 2022 Some 2.7 million migrantsthose who illegally entered or were otherwise inadmissible at a port of entrywere encountered at our borders in FY 2022. 2.2 million of them were apprehended along the southwest border, setting a new record and eclipsing all four years of the Trump administration combined. Since President Biden took office, around 5.5 million illegal aliens have crossed our borders a crisis of epic proportions. FAIR's figure contains the 4.4 million nationwide total reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) which includes around 3.9 million at our southwest border as well as approximately 1.1 million "gotaways" who have entered the country undetected per agency sources. Based on publicly available CBP data, court filings, and "gotaways," FAIR estimates that 2.4 million were either released by federal authorities or entered the country's interior undetected. Border Patrol agents encountered 98 known or suspected terrorists in FY 2022. In FY 2021, that number was 15. In FY 2020, it was three and in FY 2019, zero. This number only includes known or suspected terrorists who were apprehended, not those embedded in the 1.1 million who evaded law enforcement while entering the country and eventually disappeared into American communities. Migrant deaths at the southwest border totaled 856 in FY 2022the deadliest year on record. The amount of fentanyl seized in the last month of the fiscal year is equivalent of more than 414 million lethal dosesbringing the FY 2022 lethal dose total well into the billions. More fentanyl has crossed the border in the last two months under President Biden than in all of FY 2019 under President Trump's leadership. Contact: Ron Kovach, 202-328-7004 or [email protected]. ABOUT FAIR Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced. SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) Toy Company To Celebrate Two Decades in Business with Events for Employees and Customers ELKHORN, Neb., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nebraska-based Fat Brain Toys was launched on Halloween evening, 2002. Approaching 20 years later, the company is celebrating both its employees and customers with special events to recognize the milestone. Fat Brain has seen many toy trends come and go in 20 years, and even created one of their own with their popular Dimpl brand toys. But, as much as things have changed, much has also stayed the same. The company was inspired by the founders' 10-year-old son, Adam. Twenty years later, he is now the company's lead industrial designer. The company's first employee is, too, still with the company. "This team, that believed in us and joined us for this crazy journey, has truly been a gift," exclaimed Karen Carson, co-founder of Fat Brain Toys. But in other ways, the company has undergone massive changes that have enabled it to become one of the largest direct-to-consumer toy companies in America. Starting with a website and 200 square feet in the basement of the founders' home in 2002, the company now occupies 195,000 square feet of warehouse space, has two retail store locations and a corporate headquarters, and sells their toys in more than 140 countries around the world. "Approaching this milestone, it's been therapeutic to reminisce about where we've been and how far we've come as a company," said co-founder Mark Carson, "but seeing the joy a toy brings to a child never gets old!" The company will kick off the celebration starting October 25th with a 20% off sale on its website and retail stores in Omaha and Kansas City. Fat Brain employees will ring in the occasion with a Halloween-inspired costume party and live music. About Fat Brain Toys Fat Brain Toys is one of the nation's leading direct-to-consumer toy companies. Unlike mainstream alternatives, Fat Brain Toys creates and curates quality toys, games, and clever gifts that enable children to learn through pure, authentic play. Fat Brain Toys' products are available at leading retailers around the world, including their own website, www.fatbraintoys.com . Fat Brain Toys is a family-operated business based in Elkhorn, Nebraska. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Fat Brain Toys HANGZHOU, China, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Flashforge Guider 3 Series products, including Guider 3 3D printer and Guider 3 Plus 3D printer, are available to order from Oct. 20, 2022. Customers with purchase intention please go to your local distributors or go to Flashforge official website to place orders. Guider 3 and Guider 3 Plus meet different utility demands. Guider 3 is a cost-effective professional 3D printer for small batch production, well catering for 3D print users from small businesses, personal workshops, and education institutions. Guider 3 Plus is a professional 3D printer suitable for rapid prototyping of medium- and large-size figures. Also a good option for making models of art and architecture. Flashforge Guider 3 Series 3D printers Guider 3 Series improved in productivity and model quality Guider 3 Series 3D printer products, as Flashforge's blockbuster project 2022 being threw high weight, advance a lot in productivity and in printout quality. Guider 3 series printer adopts brand new CoreXY structure which supports 250mm/s-high-speed and low-noise printing. That means one 3D printer unit of Guider 3 series could shorten printing time by 40%-60%. The increased productivity of Guider 3 Series is never at the expense of decreasing print quality. Even at high-speed print mode, Guider 3 series products still ensure printed models with finer and preciser details. The same motion structure as they have, the two printer types of Guider 3 series have their unique features. Guider 3 Plus with a super large print size of 350*350*600mm is capable of printing medium and large figures, art building miniatures, and other large models. It features fast printing and rapid prototyping, while Guider 3 with a lightweight and compact body design is more suitable for small batch production. It can be used more flexibly. Guider 3 Series meet diverse application needs With the rising demands of small batch manufacturing and personal customized modelling, rapid prototyping and fast delivery become a competitive advantage of Guider 3 series. The improved printing efficiency of Guider 3 series can meet various needs from small enterprises, personal studios, schools, etc. By using Guider 3 series 3D printer facilities, makers can expand their production capacity even under confined production space and limited budget! Guider 3 series 3D printers also configure with a powerful management system, which make it possible to manage multiple 3D printer units in one computer. Makers can also online monitor each unit's printing process. Those features contribute to faster respond to market demands. More features Guider 3 3D printers are equipped with two types of build plate: a glass plate and a flexible steel plate. Makers can make different choices when printing with different filaments. Glass plate, with super smooth and flat plate surface, ensures the first layer of printed models much smoother; just using a shovel to easily to take off models. Flexible steel plate is a magnetic one that can be easily adsorbed and removed from the bottom build platform. It can be bent slightly to take off big models. Guider 3 Plus comes with two well-sealed compartments, functioning as two filament drying boxes. Filaments using on Guider 3 Plus are kept in sealed and dry environment, preventing from getting moist whether during printing or not. About Flashforge Guider 3 series 3D printers are developed by Flashforge FDM R&D team. Flashforge enterprise is world-known in the 3D printing industry. It has been ploughing deep in the development of professional-use 3D printers. Except for the Guider 3 series products introduced above, Flashforge also takes pride in Creator 4 series products, another cluster of Flashforge professional-use 3D printers that are excellent in printing engineering materials and carbon-fiber/glass-fiber composite materials. Besides 3D printer units, FlashForge also offers high-quality 3D printing materials, free slicing software matched with 3D printers, and a full range of after-sales services. Flashforge enterprise is aiming at making contributions to digitalized manufacturing, providing 3D printing solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises and leading to a new future of 3D printing intelligence. For more information of Flashforge Guider 3 series products, please contact: Website: https://www.flashforge.com/ SOURCE Zhejiang Flashforge 3D Technology Co., Ltd PALM BEACH, FL, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FinancialNewsMedia.com News Commentary - Battery management system (BMS) is an important link between on-board power battery and electric vehicle, mainly used to diagnose battery temperature, current and power supply. Specific functions include: real-time monitoring of battery physical parameters, battery state estimation, online diagnosis and early warning, charge, discharge and precharge control, equilibrium management and thermal management. A battery management system in an electric vehicle manages a rechargeable battery to ensure it operates safely and efficiently. BMS is designed to monitor the parameters associated with the battery pack and its cells, apply the collected data to eliminate safety risks and optimize battery performance. According to a report from Mordor Intelligence, the global battery management system market is expected to reach USD 5.4 billion in 2022 and is projected to register a CAGR of over 4.85% during the forecast period (2022-2027). The market was negatively impacted by COVID-19 in 2020. Presently the market has now reached pre-pandemic levels. The report said: "Over the medium term, the growing demand for battery management systems is expected to stimulate the market growth of battery management systems. Furthermore, the increasing adoption of electric vehicles, the need for robust charging infrastructure, and the focus on increasing the energy efficiency of batteries are also expected to drive the growth of the market studied Technological advancements in battery management systems with advantages, such as reduced complexity, better efficiency, and improved reliability, among others, are expected to provide growth opportunities in the forecast period." Active stocks in news today include: KULR Technology Group, Inc. (NYSE: KULR), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE: QS), FREYR Battery (NYSE: FREY), NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). Mordor Intelligence continued: "The Asia-Pacific region dominates the market and is also likely to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to the rapid rise in sales of electric vehicles in countries like China and Japan. This rise has been due to the extensive efforts of the governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Lithium-ion batteries are mostly used in EVs as they provide high energy density, low self-discharge, less weight, and low maintenance. For internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles, the lead-based battery is being widely used and is expected to continue to be the only viable mass-market battery system for the foreseeable future." KULR Technology Group, Inc. (NYSE American: KULR) BREAKING NEWS - KULR TECHNOLOGY BEGINS PHASE 2 BATTERY SAFETY TESTING FOR LOCKHEED MARTIN - Testing Utilizes KULR's Leading Bomb Calorimeter Product - KULR Technology Group, (the "Company" or "KULR"), a leading energy management platform accelerating the electrification of the circular economy, has commenced Phase 2 development of its passive propagation resistant ("PPR") battery systems for the Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) ("Lockheed"). Following a successful Phase 1 trial in November 2021, the testing for Phase 2 began in Summer 2022, utilizing KULR's recently implemented bomb calorimeter and leveraging the Company's technological advancements in PPR energy products for its Advanced Energy Systems. A bomb calorimeter measures the total heat generated in a particular reaction. Data gathered with KULR's bomb calorimeter can be used in combination with additional information collected from running experiments in the Company's Fractional Thermal Runaway Calorimeter ("FTRC"), licensed from NASA, for similar cell types. The FTRC supports the determination of both the total amount of heat generated and the fraction of heat contained within the ejecta compared to that retained in the cell body. These compiled datapoints are critical for cell selection decisions and for designing battery systems that are safe against the unique cell level thermal runaway response. In addition to serving NASA and defense contractors, the versatile FTRC also provides significant value to commercial leaning companies that wish to develop better battery pack and battery management system ("BMS") designs. "Lockheed Martin is a valued KULR customer, and we are encouraged to be jointly proceeding to Phase 2 in developing our PPR energy products for their Advanced Energy Systems," said Dr. William Walker, KULR's Director of Engineering. "We are confident our state-of-the-art technological capabilities will meet their needs and lead to a continued, longstanding partnership with one of the leading aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology companies in the world." KULR has developed a multitude of products to increase the performance of aerospace and U.S. Department of Defense ("DoD") technologies and is continuing to research new and innovative thermal management and energy solutions. CONTINUED Read this entire press release and more news for KULR at: https://www.kulrtechnology.com/news/ In other industry news of note includes: Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) recently announced third quarter 2022 net sales of $16.6 billion, compared to $16.0 billion in the third quarter of 2021. Net earnings in the third quarter of 2022 were $1.8 billion, or $6.71 per share, compared to $614 million, or $2.21 per share, in the third quarter of 2021. Cash from operations was $3.1 billion in the third quarter of 2022, compared to $1.9 billion in the third quarter of 2021. Free cash flow was $2.7 billion in the third quarter of 2022, compared to $1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2021. "Lockheed Martin delivered a solid quarter, highlighted by strength in free cash flow, orders, and operating margins, that positions us well to achieve our full-year commitments," said Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO James Taiclet. "Our continuing ability to deliver strong financial performance in turn enables further investments in the 21st Century Security technologies essential to support our customers in conducting effective Joint All-Domain Operations. These technologies include hypersonics, directed energy, and autonomy, as well as cutting edge digital capabilities in our evolving 5G.MIL open standards-based architecture. In addition, we are investing in production and sustainment capacity for the solutions needed now to defend our allies and our nation, including F-35, Javelin and HIMARS. Moreover, we today announced an additional $14 billion in share repurchase authority to go with our recently increased, industry-leading dividend for the benefit of our investors." QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE: QS), a leader in developing next-generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries, recently announced it will release 2022 third-quarter financial results after market close on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. This will be followed by a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time). Jagdeep Singh, co-founder and chief executive officer, and Kevin Hettrich, chief financial officer, will participate on the call. Shareholders can submit and upvote questions they would like addressed on the earnings call. QuantumScape management will respond to a selection of the most upvoted questions. Please submit questions on this online Q&A platform. We will accept questions on the Q&A platform until Tuesday, October 25, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time). The earnings call will be accessible live via a webcast on QuantumScape's IR Events Calendar page. An archive of the webcast will be available shortly after the call for 12 months. FREYR Battery (NYSE: FREY), a developer of clean, next-generation battery cell production capacity, has recently entered into an agreement with Aleees (TWSE: 5227), the Taiwan-based lithium-iron phosphate ("LFP") cathode battery material manufacturer. The agreement, which includes ongoing services and support from Aleees, provides FREYR with a worldwide license to produce and sell LFP cathode material based on Aleees' technology, and to build production facilities leveraging Aleees' industrial expertise. FREYR anticipates that the agreement will enable FREYR to meet the future LFP cathode material needs of the Giga Arctic battery production facility in Mo i Rana, Norway. Volumes could furthermore be deployed to FREYR's planned Giga America project in the U.S. "There is high global demand at present for active cathode material in general and LFP material in particular. By consummating this licensing agreement with Aleees, FREYR is well-positioned to achieve speed and scale of LFP cathode production for our Giga Arctic battery manufacturing plant and beyond. Aleees is one of the best-established LFP cathode producers outside of mainland China and is recognized for their world-class production technology. FREYR should derive an advantage by accessing the knowledge and capabilities of the Aleees team to help FREYR build a strong, localized supply chain for high quality raw materials," commented Dr. Tilo Hauke, EVP of Supply Chain Management, FREYR. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) recently announced that it plans to report third-quarter 2022 financial results before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in a news release to be posted on the company's website at www.NextEraEnergy.com/FinancialResults. The company will issue an advisory news release over PR Newswire the morning of Oct. 28, with a link to the financial results news release on the company's website. As previously communicated, the company will make available its financial results only on its website. John Ketchum, chairman, president and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy, Kirk Crews, executive vice president, finance and chief financial officer of NextEra Energy, and other members of the company's senior management team will discuss the company's third-quarter 2022 financial results during an investor presentation to be webcast live, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Oct. 28. Results for NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP) also will be discussed during the same investor presentation. 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Contact Information: Media Contact email: [email protected] - +1(561)325-8757 SOURCE Financialnewsmedia.com DUBLIN, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Solar Water Pumps Market- Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Competition, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2017-2027 Segmented By Type, By Capacity, By Application, By Operation, By Region" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Solar Water Pumps Market stood at USD484.46 million in 2021 and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 8.46% by 2027 A solar water pump system is basically an electrical pump system that is powered by one or more Photovoltaic (PV) panels. A typical solar pumping system includes a solar panel array that runs on electricity, which in turn powers a bore or ground pump. Moreover, it operates on the photovoltaic principle. PV (photovoltaic) systems absorb radiant solar energy and convert it into electricity while a solar pump is operating. This generated electricity for the entire system is used for many purposes such as irrigation, potable drinking water and community water supply. Rising Environmental Consciousness and Growing Demand to Reduce Reliance on Fuel Sources The growing use of solar water pumps in areas without grid electricity is propelling the solar water pump market through 2027. Farmers in India, for example, are increasingly using solar pumps for irrigation due to unplanned power outages, with government assistance in the form of subsidies. Such policies to encourage the use of solar pumps, combined with stringent government regulations on carbon emissions, are boosting the growth of the market. Numerous advantages provided by solar water pumps, such as higher efficiency, cost-effectiveness, ease of maintenance, long operating life, environmental friendliness, and less reliance on fuels, are accelerating market growth. The growing agricultural activities to meet rising food demand, as well as the need for a clean and fresh source of water, are driving the use of solar water pumps for irrigation. Growing Emphasis on Technological Advancement Technological advancement is a major factor driving growth in the market for solar water pump systems. Manufacturers of solar water pump systems are looking for new ways to improve the operation and maintenance efficiency of solar panels and water pump systems. Shakthi Pumps Limited, an Indian developer of water pumps and motors, for example, received a patent in April 2022 for a unidirectional solar water pump with a power generator system. By utilising panels and generating extra power to feed the grid, the new technology ensures efficient performance. Declining Prices of Solar Water Pumps Millions of people across the world lack access to clean water. Ground water is extracted in many countries using electric water pumps that are powered by diesel. However, these systems not only necessitate costly, on-going maintenance and the purchase of fuel, but they also pollute the atmosphere with carbon dioxide. Solar water pumps, also defined as photovoltaic water pumping (PVP), are a tested and proven option that is functionally, financially, and environmentally sustainable. The cost of advanced solar technologies has dropped dramatically in recent years. Prices for solar panels used in such systems have dropped by up to 80%. Furthermore, these panels have a lifespan of about 25 years and require little maintenance during that time. These factors have made solar water pumping an extremely viable way to increase energy access in developing countries and communities, while also creating a strong resistance to changes in rainfall caused by climate change or unreliable seasonal patterns. Some governments have chosen to subsidise the cost of solar pumping, which has increased the pool of shared learning for this emerging technology. Increasing productivity Water collection is difficult for those living in developing countries. It may be necessary to walk for several hours in each direction. Solar-powered water pumps save time by eliminating the need to collect water, improve health, and free up time for more productive activities. When farmers are not reliant on rainfall or electricity, they can produce more food. As a result, the market for Solar Water Pumps is steadily expanding. Competitive Landscape Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Solar Water Pumps Market. Shakti Pumps ( India ) Ltd. ) Ltd. Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd. C.R.I. Pumps Private Limited Oswal Pumps Limited Bernt Lorentz GmbH & Co. KG Aquasub Engineering Greenmax Technology China Samking Solar Pump Lubi Electronics Vincent Solar Energy Tulima Solar Ltd. Grundfos Holding A/S Topsun Energy Limited Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. Novergy Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Adpower FZCO Report Scope: Global Solar Water Pumps Market, By Type: Submersible Surface Global Solar Water Pumps Market, By Capacity: Below 5 HP 5-8 HP Above 8 HP Global Solar Water Pumps Market, By Application: Irrigation Drinking Water Industrial Others Global Solar Water Pumps Market, By Operation: AC Pump DC Pump Global Solar Water Pumps Market, By Region: Asia-Pacific India China Japan Indonesia Australia South Korea Vietnam Thailand Bangladesh Pakistan Africa South Africa Nigeria Morocco Algeria Kenya Zimbabwe Namibia Uganda Europe Germany Spain Italy France United Kingdom Russia Netherlands North America United States Mexico Canada South America Brazil Chile Argentina Colombia Peru Middle East Turkey UAE Saudi Arabia Israel Egypt For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dedl5y Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- American Veterans Honor Fund , a grassroots political organization built from the ground up to aid Veterans in their mission to continue their service by running for office and engaging in political elections, has announced the launch of their 2022 Midterm Get Out the Vote campaign. This campaign is focused on encouraging Veterans to get to the polls and vote for those that will lead the country with the same values as they themselves exhibited while in the military. In the coming weeks, it is the organization's goal to begin mobilizing as many Veteran votes as possible. They will be reaching out to hundreds of thousands of Veterans in key states to galvanize their vote and make a difference. The Get Out the Vote initiative will be focused in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. Veterans have served their country honorably. This November, we ask you to answer the call once again and cast your vote Tweet this "As a Veteran, you have served your country honorably. This November, it is time to answer the call once again and cast your vote in the 2022 Midterm Election," an American Veterans Honor Fund representative said in a statement. November provides voters the best opportunity to begin getting our country back on track. But research shows that midterm elections often yield lower turnout than presidential elections. While it is inevitable that some voters will sit out an election, or never vote at all, we need our Veterans to show up and vote more than ever before. Every vote matters and by mobilizing Veteran votes, we can change the outcome of an election and send a message to every level of government. "We need veterans on both sides of the political process; we need Veterans running for office and we need Veterans to get out and vote! They know better than anyone what it looks like to serve our nation, and we need them to get involved in this important election!" the AVHF representative concluded. On Tuesday, November 8, take a stand and vote! See American Veterans Honor Fund's midterm election advertisement here . The American Veterans Honor Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. Contributions are not tax deductible. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. SOURCE American Veterans Honor Fund LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A global leader in health and wellness PR, Dunn Pellier Media announces the promotion of Melissa Edwards to Vice President of Publicity. Edwards previously served as Senior Publicist. She is based in Stamford, CT and reports to CEO Nicole Dunn Garay. Overseeing the company's publicity teams, Edwards will spearhead campaigns and the overall success of DPM's health and fitness PR and wellness and lifestyle accounts. Melissa Edwards As a result of her tireless efforts and success, Edwards will now serve as the Vice President of Publicity. In this role, Edwards will focus on leading the culture, training, and development of our teams and manage and oversee the company's health and fitness PR accounts and activities. She will also be responsible for educating the wellness PR agency on public relations best practices, paving the way for new media relations, and ensuring the publicity goals of our clients are being met. Edwards will oversee the roster of health and wellness clients while guiding the entire health and fitness account services team. "Melissa is simply fantastic. I have worked with her for the last three years as a Senior leader and am ecstatic that our company has a tremendous executive to lead our strategic publicity efforts and publicists," said Dunn Garay. "In addition to her impeccable track record for garnering amazing results for clients, she is all things positive, kind, and cares about all things wellness. She's a perfect fit for the VP role." Edwards is a seasoned PR professional who graduated with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Emerson College in Boston. Prior to working at DPM, Melissa led media relations efforts for a variety of established and emerging clients ranging from health and fitness, consumer and trade brands and services in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. Over the last year, Dunn Pellier Media has had a 5% annual growth rate, with both their client roster and team expanding. The agency closed a number of new big accounts and is the go-to agency in health and fitness PR, wellbeing PR, and health and wellness PR. Dunn Pellier Media is also happy to welcome two new talented Publicists to the core team; Haley Enriquez and Marissa Bachrach working out of Chicago. As the wellness space swells to a more than $1 trillion industry, countless brands are jumping into the growing market. In this next era of wellness, brands are working with consumers who are not just informed, they are also purpose-driven. Even seemingly unrelated products and services like cars, real estate, and even credit cards are carving out their spot in the wellness industry. If you are a brand looking for help to thrive and want to give consumers something that is more diverse, grounded, and all-encompassing, hiring a health and wellness public relations team (like Dunn Pellier Media) will chart a new course for your brand in response to the ever changing wellness and media trends. About Dunn Pellier Media: Dunn Pellier Media specializes in health and wellness public relations. Our team is passionate about all things wellness while connecting brands, experts, and other game-changers in the space. Our clientele ranges from health and fitness experts, corporate wellness brands, and innovative health and fitness apps. To learn more about what we do visit www.dunnpelliermedia.com. For brands interested in PR contact Nicole Dunn Garay at [email protected]. SOURCE DUNN PELLIER MEDIA Privacy-preserving record linkage solution receives FedRAMP authorization, allowing federal agencies to securely and privately link healthcare data. PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthVerity, Inc., the leader in Identity, Privacy, Governance and Exchange (IPGE) for real-world data, today announced that it has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorization at the Moderate security impact level for its Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL) solution. At present, the FedRAMP marketplace lists 40 federal agencies that have granted HealthVerity an Authority to Operate (ATO). HealthVerity PPRL leverages advanced identity resolution techniques to link patient records across time and data sources by creating unique but persistent identities, also called HealthVerity IDs (HVIDs). HVIDs can be used to source and study patient-centric transactions in a HIPAA-compliant manner at scale from the nation's largest ecosystem of healthcare and consumer data. Now listed on the FedRAMP Marketplace , the HealthVerity PPRL solution can be contracted by any government agency without additional vetting required eliminating onboarding cost and time burdens. HealthVerity PPRL allows federal agencies to securely and privately link healthcare data. Tweet this FedRAMP is a federal government program that promotes and provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud-based information system products and services. It uses a common, standardized security framework to assess cloud products and services to ensure the cloud service provider's (CSP's) product and the organization's security complies with required security standards for the protection of federal information. "Obtaining FedRAMP certification for HealthVerity PPRL allows federal government agencies to benefit from the industry's most accurate means to manage identity and linkage for healthcare and consumer data on a fully interoperable, privacy-protected basis," said John Cappiello, chief technology officer for HealthVerity. "With a FedRAMP Moderate ATO, HealthVerity joins a very distinguished and select group of CSPs delivering the highest security standards in the healthcare industry." HealthVerity has a history of serving key government agencies to support public health initiatives. Last month, HealthVerity was awarded a contract with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to implement a data discovery and governance platform for their National Childhood Cancer Registry (NCCR). Additionally, HealthVerity was awarded the largest-ever contract for real-world data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in September 2021 to advance COVID-19 research. The organization also supported the NCI in a groundbreaking study of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in February 2021, announced a research contract with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support a COVID-19 clinical study and treatment opportunities in June 2020, and was awarded a PPRL contract for COVID-19 vaccine data with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in November 2020. About HealthVerity Pharmaceutical manufacturers, payers, and government organizations have partnered with HealthVerity to solve some of their most complicated use cases through transformative technologies and real-world data infrastructure. The HealthVerity IPGE platform, based on the foundational elements of Identity, Privacy, Governance and Exchange, enables the discovery of real-world data across the broadest healthcare data ecosystem, the building of more complete and accurate patient journeys, and the ability to power best-in-class analytics and applications with flexibility and ease. Together with our partners, HealthVerity has built the modern way to data for the health insights economy. To learn more about the HealthVerity IPGE platform, visit www.healthverity.com. Contact: Jen Kaczmarczyk Vice President of Marketing [email protected] SOURCE HealthVerity Flare Capital and HSS leading $21M Series A fundraising round for RightMove Powered by HSS, a national virtual triage and nonsurgical physical therapy solution that produces better outcomes at reduced costs NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world's leading academic medical center specializing in musculoskeletal health, today announced a $21M Series A to launch RightMove Powered by HSS, an independent for-profit company, whose mission is to make high quality, patient-focused virtual musculoskeletal physical therapy available to all Americans. The round, led by Flare Capital and HSS, will be used to build out RightMove's technology platform and create a nationwide network of specialty-trained physical therapists. RightMove expects to be live and treating patients in late Q2 2023. RightMove addresses a critical need as half of all U.S. adults experience MSK-related issues leading to an annual national health expenditure of over $380 billion USD and rising. Access to high-quality physical therapy has been shown to reduce unnecessary surgeries, injections, emergency room visits, and imaging - resulting in better outcomes at a lower cost for patients, employers and payors. Amy Fahrenkopf, MD, senior vice president of HSS and president of HSS Health, has been appointed interim CEO of RightMove while an executive search is underway. "We believe RightMove can address an unmet need in the market by being a true value-based partner to health plans and employers through our proven care model, use of specialty trained physical therapists and unparalleled experience providing telerehabilitation," says Dr. Fahrenkopf. "RightMove is a milestone opportunity for people and businesses everywhere to make the vital first step in treating orthopedic conditions with the benefit of 159 years of specialized expertise," said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO at HSS, "Flare Capital is a great partner to help scale the impact of HSS' unique knowledge and capabilities." "RightMove is addressing one of the biggest challenges in healthcare right now, and it is doing so with a truly differentiated offering," said Michael Greeley, co-founder and general partner, Flare Capital Partners. "The amount of money spent on musculoskeletal care every year is staggering and there is urgency in the market to find meaningful solutions for employers and payers. We were drawn to the unique opportunity to partner with the global leader in musculoskeletal care, to quickly scale a company that cares deeply about both clinical quality and value for its customers." About HSS HSS is the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 13th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2022-2023), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report "Best Children's Hospitals" list (2022-2023). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a third consecutive year (2023). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest complication and readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 145 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu. About Flare Capital Flare Capital Partners strives to help build significant healthcare technology, digital health, and healthcare services companies to improve health outcomes and broaden access while lowering costs of care. We partner with inspirational entrepreneurs who seek to transform the business of healthcare by developing innovative and impactful products and services. Flare Capital is a team of proven healthcare technology investors and senior operating executives known for thought leadership and unparalleled strategic industry resources. Our firm has raised some of the industry's largest dedicated venture capital funds focused on early-stage opportunities in healthcare technology innovation, and our investors include leading healthcare companies, major institutional investors, important family offices, foundations, and sovereign wealth funds. We are full life-cycle investors in our portfolio companies as we work alongside entrepreneurs over their entire company-building journey. Select portfolio companies include Aetion, Aspen RxHealth, Bright Heath, Cayaba Care, Cohere Health, Eden Health, HealthVerity, Iora Health, Oshi Health, Somatus, and VisitPay. The firm has developed the very successful Flare Scholar program with over 250 participants and actively leverages its extended industry network, Executive Partners, and Industry Advisory Board for the benefit of the entrepreneurs and founders with whom it is privileged to partner. Learn more at www.flarecapital.com and follow the firm on Twitter @flarecapital. SOURCE Hospital for Special Surgery Supporting TSA's Mission Since 2013 With Enrollment Technology Solutions RESTON, Va. , Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IDEMIA, the leading biometric solutions provider for government agencies nationwide, announced today that it has processed its 15 millionth enrollment for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck Application Program. IDEMIA has been an authorized TSA PreCheck enrollment provider since 2013. IDEMIA provides enrollment for TSA through an extensive network of more than 530 locations nationwide. This year, IDEMIA has expanded its TSA PreCheck enrollment program through airport enrollment sites and hundreds of mobile enrollment events nationwide with the goal of making enrollment in the program accessible and easy. For more information on enrollment locations and mobile enrollment opportunities, visit here. IDEMIA announced today that it has processed its 15 millionth enrollment for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck Application Program. IDEMIA has been an authorized TSA PreCheck enrollment provider since 2013. Tweet this "We're proud of our long-standing support of TSA's vital mission to secure America's transportation ecosystem," commented Lisa Sullivan, senior vice president, travel and transport, IDEMIA I&S North America. Enrolled travelers enjoy a simplified screening process at more than 200 airports nationwide. IDEMIA also provides enrollment for other TSA vetting programs, including Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), Hazardous Materials Endorsement Threat Assessment Program, and Flight Training Security Program (FTSP). To learn more about the TSA programs for which IDEMIA provides enrollment services, complete an application or schedule an appointment visit: https://tsaenrollmentbyidemia.tsa.dhs.gov/. About IDEMIA I&S North America IDEMIA I&S is a leader in identity security and authentication services to governments and private companies, operating in North America. Our mission is to help people access what matters most more quickly, more safely, and more securely, in both the physical and the digital worlds. Our best-in-class technology helps to authenticate and secure physical and digital transactions. IDEMIA is recognized by the National Institute of Standards (NIST) as a top-ranking participant in the Institute's passenger facilitation simulation testing as well as in its regular Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) rankings, reinforcing the trustworthiness and reliability of IDEMIA's facial recognition solutions for government and consumers alike. For more information, visit www.na.idemia.com / Follow @Idemia_NA on Twitter and on LinkedIn Media Contact: Danielle Ostrovsky Hi-Touch PR [email protected] (410) 302-9459 SOURCE IDEMIA Identity & Security USA LLC CHICAGO , Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Industry 5.0 Market by Technology, Device, Application and Geography - Global Forecast to 2027. Industry 5.0 refers to the production model where main objective is to leverage human expertise in collaboration with smart macheneries and robots. It focuses on obtaining resource-efficient and user-preferred industrial manufacturing solutions compared to that of Industry 4.0. The adoption of Industry 5.0 helps to achieve cost optimization, leveraging greener and environmental friendly solutions, and focus on personalization and creativity areas in the industrial manufacturing sectors. Big Data, internet of things, human-machine interface, cyber security, industrial robots, augmented reality and virtual reality, and 3D printing, are some of the advanced technologies focused under Industry 5.0 ecosystem. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=35376359 Surging adoption of industrial robotics and automation across manufacturing sector Increasing demand for industrial robotics and automated machineries across manufacturing and processing facilities will drive the Industry 5.0 market growth. The industrial robot helps to cut down production costs, achieve economies of scale, and saves timeline in manufacturing facilities. According to World Robotics 2021 report, the annual installations of industrial robots accounted for 435,000 units in 2021 and it is expected to reach 518,000 units by 2024 with a 6% y-o-y growth rate. Also, as of October 2021, over 3 million industrial robots were operating in manufacturing facilities around the world. The increasing deployment of industrial robots will support the Industry 5.0 market growth over the forecast period. Proliferation of smart factories across the globe will accelerate the Industry 5.0 market growth With the evolution of Industry 5.0, and rising adoption of noval technologies such as digital twin, machine learning, artificial intelligence, internet of things, etc. across industrial sector has led to increasing demand for smart factories world wide. Favorable government initiatives and investment schemes to support advancements in manufacturing is support the adoption of smart factories. For instance, in December 2021, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Government of China has released a 5-year plan which targets digitalization of over 500 smart factories across the country by 2025. Such supportive initiatives will fuel the Industry 5.0 market growth over the forecast timeframe. The study categorizes the Industry 5.0 market based on by End-use and Geography - Global Forecast to 2027. Industry 5.0 Market, by End-use Vertical Manufacturing Supply Chain Management Automotive Healthcare Electronics & Foundry Industry 5.0 Market, By Region Introduction North America Europe APAC RoW High cost associated with the adoption of Industry 5.0 solutions by SMEs The cost of implementing advanced technologies such as edge computing, blockchain, human-machine interface, virtual reality, is on the higher side. This costly investments is not suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) especially when they are engaged into low-volume productions. This may pose a major challenge for the growth of Industry 5.0 market to some extent. Inquiry before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=35376359 Key players in the Industry 5.0 market ABB KUKA, Nexus Integra, Siemens AG, Rockwell Automation Inc. Schneider Electric, IBM Microsoft Corporation Cisco Systems, Inc. Challenges: High maintenance leads to hours of shutdown In August 2022 , ABB ( Switzerland ) launched its new smart factory in India which follows Industry 5.0 standards that includes human and cobots collaboration. The launch of new smart factory will enhance the productivity by 40%, and expected to have a test automation ration of around 50%. , ABB ( ) launched its new smart factory in which follows Industry 5.0 standards that includes human and cobots collaboration. The launch of new smart factory will enhance the productivity by 40%, and expected to have a test automation ration of around 50%. In August 2021 , UnifyTwin, Inc. (US) announced the launch of new Industry 5.0 solution which focuses on unifying human and machine intelligence to eliminate the digital blind spots to achieve smart manufacturing operations. About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Unified Platform for Real-time Event Streaming and Data Transformation. SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InfinyOn, a real-time event streaming company, announces the v0.10 beta release of the InfinyOn Cloud platform. Building an infrastructure for real-time event streaming is challenging, expensive to scale, and difficult to operate. InfinyOn Cloud provides a modern approach that reduces the cost and complexity of operating and managing real-time data pipelines. Enterprises can bring real-time intelligence to data pipelines for Edge and Cloud use cases with InfinyOn Cloud. "We were able to rapidly build an event driven architecture with end to end data pipelines that sourced MQTT data, with inline transformations and sink it to a postgres database" said Ben Cleary, CTO of Klarian. "InfinyOn Cloud has enabled Klarian to build highly tuned data models, delivering actionable insights within the energy sector." InfinyOn SmartModules, powered by WebAssembly, allows users to program unique functions, apply intelligence and enrich data. "WebAssembly allows small data processing modules to be moved anywhere at a fraction of the cost when compared with VMs or containers'' said Alex Williams, Founder and Publisher for The New Stack. InfinyOn users can apply filters, mask private fields, remove invalid records, and use machine learning at the edge or in the Cloud in a single platform. Shift from ETL to STL InfinyOn introduces a new concept of Stream, Transform and Load (STL), a fundamental paradigm shift from Extract, Transform and Load (ETL). Traditional ETL pipelines are batch driven and often consist of a fragmented architecture that is difficult to manage and includes lots of software or microservices to make data usable. "Implementing the novel concept of STL, users can quickly build programmable data pipelines for real-time actionable insights." said Grant Swanson, InfinyOn VP of Marketing. "Eliminating ETL tools creates substantial cost savings and a simplified architecture for our users." Industry First Data Transformation App Store - SmartModule Hub SmartModule Hub is an industry-first app store where users can share and reuse data transformations to quickly build sophisticated data pipelines. "SmartModule Hub is a centralized catalog that empowers engineers to build and share stream transformations across the organization." said Infinyon CTO, Sehyo Chang. "Data Engineering, Data Science and Machine Learning Ops teams will benefit by leveraging existing SmarModules instead of writing custom transformations. The combination of STL and SmartModule Hub accelerates development and significantly reduces time to market." IoT Edge and Cloud Use Cases Gartner predicts that "By 2025, more than 50% of enterprise-managed data will be created and processed outside the data center or cloud." IoT big data statistics show that with the increased adoption of IoT devices, the amount of data generated will reach 73.1 zettabytes (ZB) by 2025. I&O leaders must plan for the growth of IoT and related data at the edge, protect their enterprise from edge growing pains in security and connectivity, and prepare for changes in edge computing use cases. The InfinyOn Real-time Data Platform bridges the edge to the cloud. Distributing intelligence with SmartModules between edge and cloud plays a critical role in developing valuable insights for business decisions across all sectors and industries. InfinyOn Cloud can be used for numerous use-cases including predictive maintenance, supply chain automation and real-time inventory management while minimizing data transfers. About InfinyOn InfinyOn, a real-time event streaming company, has architected a data platform for event stream processing and real-time transformation. Their flagship product, InfinyOn Cloud, is a fully managed Fluvio service, powered by Rust and WebAssembly, that allows organizations to deploy and operate large-scale data pipelines from edge to Cloud. The data platform includes a SmartModule Hub that enables enterprises to program their data pipelines as they flow between producers and consumers for real-time services. Fluvio and InfinyOn Cloud were built using the Rust programming language known for its strong safety, small footprint, and low memory utilization. To learn more, please visit infinyon.com. Media contact Grant Swanson 408-624-7001 [email protected] SOURCE InfinyOn NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Akouos, Inc. (AKUS), relating to its proposed acquisition by Eli Lilly and Company. Under the terms of the tender offer, AKUS shareholders are expected to receive $12.50 in cash plus one CVR of up to $3.00 per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/akouos-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. About Monteverde & Associates PC We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers in 2013 and 2017-2019 as a Rising Star and in 2022 as a Super Lawyer in Securities Litigation. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, we have recovered or secured over a dozen cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases. If you own common stock in AKUS and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405 New York, NY 10118 United States of America [email protected] Tel: (212) 971-1341 Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitae (NYSE: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, today announced that it will report its third quarter 2022 financial results on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, and will host a conference call and webcast that day at 4:30 p.m. Eastern / 1:30 p.m. Pacific to discuss its financial results and recent highlights. To access the conference call, please register at the link below: https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/944547022 Upon registering, each participant will be provided with call details and access codes. The live webcast of the call and slide deck may be accessed here or by visiting the investors section of the company's website at ir.invitae.com . A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived on the company's website. About Invitae Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA) is a leading medical genetics company whose mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower prices. For more information, visit the company's website at invitae.com . Contact for Invitae: Hoki Luk ir@invitae.com SOURCE Invitae Corporation GSPV Fund II on target for Q4 closing of $100 million fund, with a mission to digitize and decarbonize the built environment TORONTO and LICHTENSTEIN, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Liechtenstein Group, an investment group owned by the Princely House of Liechtenstein, has made a key investment in Greensoil PropTech Ventures Fund II, putting the $100 million PropTech investment fund on target for a Q4 closing. Stephan Langer (left), investment director at the Liechtenstein Group, signs an agreement with Gideon Soesman, co-founder and managing partner of Greensoil Investments, on October 17 at Greensoil's Toronto headquarters. The LGT Group is partnering with the $100 million Greensoil PropTech Ventures II fund to find, invest in and test PropTech from innovative startups in Europe and North America. With LG Group's new investment, the GSPV II fund is on track for a Q4 closing. Greensoil Investments Headquartered in Vienna, with real estate holdings in the United States and Europe, the Liechtenstein Group manages a portfolio of companies, operating globally in the sectors of Agriculture & Food, Forestry, Renewable Energy and Real Estate. The Liechtenstein Group's investment in GSPV underscores a shared view that innovative concepts are necessary for a sustainable real estate sector and a commitment to its own diverse real estate holdings. "The Liechtenstein Group rarely invests in venture capital funds," said Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein, CEO and Managing Partner of the Liechtenstein Group. "We chose Greensoil PropTech Ventures because its goals align with the Liechtenstein Group's vision to make real estate more sustainable through cutting-edge technologies." Based in Toronto, GSPV invests in early to mid-stage venture capital opportunities across the United States, Canada, Europe and Israel. Pioneers in PropTech, GSPV announced the launch of a second venture capital fund in March 2021, to leverage GSPV's deep industry expertise with its ability to develop lasting partnerships and build businesses that will create more efficient and sustainable real estate across sectors. "The Liechtenstein Group is known for taking a thoughtful, holistic approach to increasing sustainability in real estate, agriculture and other key sectors," said Gideon Soesman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Greensoil Investments. "We are pleased to work with an entity whose culture is so deeply rooted in sustainability and innovation." The Liechtenstein Group's investment comes amid a series of fundraising and investment activities by GSPV. Since GSPV Fund II's March 2021 launch announcement, the fund has invested in six portfolio companies, including Oxygen8, Wynd, Home365, Miru, Intelligent City and Ivy Energy. Oxygen8 of Vancouver is a manufacturer of compact, high-efficiency HVAC and Energy Recovery Ventilation Systems that continuously draw in fresh air and use cutting-edge heat exchanger technology to recapture energy from the exhaust air. Wynd Technologies Inc. is a San Carlos, Calif.-maker of indoor air monitoring and purification technologies that detect, predict and remediate issues with proprietary, AI-powered software, sensors and analytics. Wynd's air purification technology also can be integrated with major HVAC systems and other products offering air purification solutions. Home365 is a Palo Alto, Calif.-based tech- and data-driven residential property management platform. Home365's premium OneRate service, its flagship product, uses internet-enabled sensors, artificial intelligence and modeling software to reduce the cost and carbon footprint of residential rental properties. Miru Smart Technologies of Vancouver is bringing next-generation electrochromic windows to the residential and commercial real estate markets, blocking unwanted UV rays and controlling building temperatures with automated tinting. Miru's glass also could extend the battery life of electric vehicles by reducing the energy needed to heat and cool cars, which could allow vehicles to travel up to 10% farther. Ivy Energy, out of San Diego, Calif., has pioneered technology that allows residential property owners and tenants to use solar power for apartment buildings and townhomes. The firm's software tracks and bills for solar energy usage, while rewarding tenants' power-usage decisions to create efficiencies and cost savings. Intelligent City of Vancouver is a modular construction company full of architects, designers and engineers. The firm uses proprietary software to create customized housing and commercial buildings of up to 18 stories with mass timber. Intelligent City expedites and simplifies construction, radically reducing costs and greenhouse emissions. Greensoil Investments also recently released its Impact Report 2022, a comprehensive white paper chronicling the growth of mission-driven investing in AgTech, FoodTech and PropTech companies that are facilitating the smarter, more efficient use of energy, water and land. Established in 2011, Greensoil Investments has launched two Greensoil Agro & Food Technologies Funds (GAFT I in 2011, GAFT II in 2013) raising a total of $40 million, in addition to establishing the $59 million Greensoil Building Innovation Fund (GBIF) in 2015 and Greensoil PropTech Ventures II (GSPV II) in 2020. ABOUT GREENSOIL PROPTECH VENTURES Greensoil PropTech Ventures' mission is to digitize and decarbonize the built environment, the biggest asset class on the planet, which is responsible for up to 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. GSPV invests in early to mid-stage venture capital opportunities in North America, Europe and Israel that make real estate more productive, efficient and sustainable. Backed by real estate and institutional Limited Partners, GSPV has a successful track record of backing, scaling and exiting high-impact PropTech companies. For more information, visit www.gspv.vc. ABOUT LIECHTENSTEIN GROUP Liechtenstein Group is an investment group owned by the Princely House of Liechtenstein, operating in the sectors of Agriculture & Food, Forestry, Renewable Energy and Real Estate. The Group pursues a long-term investment strategy with an international orientation, focused on its four core sectors. Further information may be found at www.lgroup.com. Contact: Daniel Axelrod, Shea Communications, [email protected], Office: (212) 627-5766 SOURCE Greensoil Investments Q3 DDoS report details attack trends, including the expanding base of CLDAP reflectors DENVER, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With October's focus on cybersecurity awareness, Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) and its threat research team, Black Lotus Labs, today released a pair of research reports including: New intelligence from Black Lotus Labs regarding the proliferation of Connectionless Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (CLDAP) reflectors a known attack vector that is easily prevented with well-documented best practices. The Q3 2022 Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) report, which provides the latest data and trends from the Lumen DDoS mitigation platform. Black Lotus Labs discovered more than 12,000 CLDAP services are open to the internet a 60% increase over the past year. Tweet this DDoS attacks by the numbers -- all data are from the Lumen DDoS mitigation platform Read the Black Lotus Labs blog titled "CLDAP Reflectors on the Rise Despite Best Practices" and the Lumen Q3 DDoS report. CLDAP Research: Background: CLDAP is an essential service in Microsoft environments. When improperly configured to expose the service to the internet, CLDAP can carry a bandwidth amplification factor of up to 70 times the volume of traffic sent. This makes it an enticing target for cybercriminals launching DDoS attacks. As soon as the CLDAP vulnerability was discovered in 2016, best practices for mitigating the threat were published; and yet, six years later, the number of exposed CLDAP reflectors is on the rise. Using Lumen's global network visibility, Black Lotus Labs tracks CLDAP reflectors with a proprietary validator that registers distinct IPs that are open to reflection. This is a more precise assessment of the breadth of reflectors than has previously been available to the industry. Notable findings: Black Lotus Labs discovered more than 12,000 CLDAP services are open to the internet a 60% increase over the past year. One of the observed reflectors recently emitted 17 Gbps of traffic. At this level, just 100 CLDAP reflectors could be leveraged to wage an attack greater than 1 Tbps. "It is alarming that CLDAP continues to be prolific and capable of generating large, impactful attacks especially when we have well-documented best practices for prevention," said Mark Dehus, director of threat intelligence for Lumen Black Lotus Labs. "Organizations running Active Directory should understand the risks of publicly exposing CLDAP, and we strongly recommend they restrict access to only the hosts and networks that need access." Lumen response Black Lotus Labs is continuing to track and analyze vulnerable CLDAP reflectors and feed the intelligence into the Lumen Connected Security portfolio. The team is also expanding efforts to notify legitimate, third-party hosts of CLDAP reflection activity, and blocking long-lived CLDAP reflector traffic from traversing the Lumen global backbone. Notable findings from the Lumen Q3 2022 DDoS report: Lumen mitigated 5,547 attacks in Q3 a 21% increase over Q2 and the largest bandwidth attack scrubbed was 493 Gbps. This is nearly half the size of the largest mitigation in Q2 which, at 1.06 Tbps, was Lumen's largest to date. Although Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) attacks only accounted for 3% of all mitigations, this attack vector which targets VoIP infrastructure remains of interest due to a dramatic upward trend over the past year. This quarter saw a 59% increase over Q2. The top five targeted industries were Telecommunications, Gaming, Software and Technology, Government and Finance. Of the 5,500+ attacks Lumen mitigated in Q3, nearly 40% targeted a single government customer. Despite the bombardment and a concentrated effort around July 4 , the customer experienced no downtime. "The combined research from Black Lotus Labs and the Lumen DDoS mitigation platform underscores an important reality for businesses today," said Peter Brecl, director of security product management for Lumen. "Cyber criminals are always looking for new ways to achieve their goals, and attacks have become more complex. This means organizations need to consider a holistic security solution that includes DDoS mitigation to protect the availability of infrastructure and applications, Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) to protect against application-layer attacks, and bot management services to protect from malicious or unwanted bots. As organizations navigate through their digital transformation, this type of multi-layered approach is more important than ever." Additional Resources: About Lumen Technologies and the People of Lumen: Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 400,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences. Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com/home, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks in the United States. SOURCE Lumen Technologies NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MBE certified Embrace Partners, Inc. ("Embrace"), a tech-driven managing general underwriter (MGU) of specialty commercial insurance and surety and a consulting firm focused on cultivating project-ready diverse businesses for construction projects, today announced the appointment of key executives to its Board of Directors. The Board will include Vince Tizzio, CEO, Specialty Insurance & Reinsurance at AXIS; Paul Wendler, Senior Vice President at CAC Specialty; Valerie White, Senior Executive Director at LISC NY; and R. Sharon Smith, Senior Managing Director and Chief of Staff at Ambac Financial Group, Inc. ("Ambac") Embrace and Ambac recently announced they have formed a strategic partnership in which Ambac has assumed a minority ownership stake in Embrace. Claude LeBlanc, Ambac CEO noted that, "David Cayemitte is both a visionary and a tactician, having launched The Cayemitte Group, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm/MBE in 2005. We are excited about this strategic partnership and investment in Embrace and proud to support this mission-driven company." Embrace Partners is led by industry veteran David Cayemitte, a well-respected thought leader and active participant in the insurance and the MWBE marketplaces. As a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Embrace will respond to and participate in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Embrace's mission balances a moral view with a business objective of aligning corporate America in a way that will help bridge the gaps of inequality. Embrace's operating platform will adopt a "digital-first" mindset, leveraging technologies such as data science, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing to put efficiency and customer experience at the forefront of its model. Placing insurance with Embrace allows buyers to advance their DE&I platform in exchange for excellent products and services. For example, Embrace has entered a new arrangement with Westchester, a Chubb company that offers commercial P&C excess and surplus coverages sold through wholesale brokers. Through the new facility, Westchester's wholesale distribution partners will be able to place business through the Embrace platform, helping brokers & customers meet their diversity goals through insurance spend. Mr. Cayemitte, a former executive at AIG, The St. Paul Companies and Travelers, explains, "Diversity has become a top priority for leading organizations both in the public and private sectors. Insurance procurement and DE&I-focused programs are formidable mediums to advance ESG commitments." He continued "Embrace Partners marks a momentous achievement within the insurance industry and leads a broader movement to broaden economic opportunities for historically marginalized groups. One of our primary goals is to increase participation by minority- and women-owned business enterprises and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses in public projects through access to training, working capital, bonding, and insurance placement." Embrace has assembled an ecosystem of services that cultivate project-ready small and diversely owned businesses in construction. Embrace will offer educational services through the Minority Business Development Institute, a 501(c)(3) corporation founded by Cayemitte in 2010, and supported by Embrace as a main donor, to provide economic opportunities for minority-owned businesses. MBDI-trained contractors have been sourced by companies and government agencies that require diverse spend for development projects, including the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). "David and his team are laser-focused on helping underserved populationsspecifically, minority- and women-owned businesses and disabled veteran-owned businessesparticipate in the construction industry," said Michael Clay, Senior Director of the Opportunity Programs Group and Co-Leader of Procurement for DASNY. "They provide the training, capital access and bonding needed to bid on projects as a primary contractor, which is a game-changer. Partnering with Ambac will enable Embrace to offer these crucial programs to contractors across the nation." Embrace has already begun to engage other minority-owned vendors to facilitate its mission and circle dollars in diverse-communities, including by hiring Delphin Investment owned by Haitian born CEO Guy-Max Delphin to provide underwriting services, and Blanche LCC, a black-owned CPA firm to provide advisory and accounting services. Contacts David Cayemitte, President and CEO, Embrace Partners [email protected] 646-753-1526 SOURCE Embrace Partners School District on Track to Have 326 Electric School Buses in Three Years and an Entirely Electric School Bus Fleet in 10 Years BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), one of the nation's largest school districts, and Highland Electric Fleets (Highland), the leading provider of school bus fleet electrification-as-a-service in North America, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday for the country's single largest deployment of electric school buses at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. "Moving to electric transportation is not only a necessary response to climate change, but it is also something students have asked for at Board of Education meetings," said Montgomery Board of Education President Brenda Wolff. "Partnerships with organizations like Highland are so important. It allows us to demonstrate our commitment to becoming a more sustainable organization while defraying the high upfront cost of electric school buses." During the 2021-2022 school year, MCPS installed electric infrastructure at one of its transportation depots and saw the delivery of its first 25 electric buses. This school year, another 61 buses will be delivered, and electric infrastructure will be installed at three more transportation depots. Superintendent Monifa B. McKnight says the school system is proud to be at the forefront of this work. "Moving to an electrified school bus fleet makes sense and is the future of transportation for all of us," she said. "The school bus is the first and last contact with our students each day, and a new, modern school bus reflects our commitment to an excellent experience for students." Climate change and concerns about student and community health are driving school bus electrification mandates around the country, including in Maryland. The state's Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 requires all new school bus purchases and contracts to be electric by 2025. "Toxic pollutants can be as much as 2.5 times more prevalent inside a typical diesel school bus than inside an electric school bus," said Maryland House Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo. "Considering this, along with the carbon emissions caused by the 17,000 gallons of fuel that MCPS diesel buses use daily, electrifying our school bus fleets is an imperative public health, climate change, and environmental priority. MCPS' work to electrify their bus fleet will improve health outcomes for children today and protect our air quality for years to come." On a typical school day, MCPS diesel buses use approximately 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel, which emit greenhouse gases and harmful matter from tailpipes. Replacing the diesel bus fleet with electric buses brings MCPS closer to its pledge of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2027 and 100% by 2035. "School buses will now be the symbol of safe and sustainable student transportation," said Congressman Jamie Raskin from Maryland's 8th Congressional District. "We don't need our school buses to emit diesel fumes dangerous for our children and everyone else. School buses can embody and actualize the new green era we are entering." Highland is partnering with MCPS to upgrade 326 school buses to electric by 2025. The collaboration will deliver cleaner, healthier transportation for students and local communities and support electric grid reliability with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services and the nation's first use of electric school buses to provide synchronized energy reserves. "This project is momentous not only for its size but also because it demonstrates that school bus fleet electrification is not a pipe dream or something to be deferred, said Duncan McIntyre, CEO of Highland Electric Fleets. "Highland is proud to work with MCPS to show that it is possible to deploy electric buses that protect our children's health and preserve our environment, and do so affordably, at scale, today." Highland uses an innovative public-private partnership model that removes the upfront cost and complexity of upgrading to electric school buses. This makes deploying electric buses faster to help communities meet the mandates. According to Dana Edwards, Education Administrator at Montgomery County Public Schools, said, "This was no easy task, but doing it with Highland, who is focused and dedicated and really understands the needs of kids, made a difference." A press kit and photos from the event can be found here . About Highland Highland Electric Fleets is the leading provider of electrification-as-a-service for school districts, governments, and fleet operators in North America. To learn more, visit https://highlandfleets.com . Highland Electric Fleets Media Contact: Mission Control Communications for Highland [email protected] MCPS Media Contact: Chris Cram, Director, Department of Communications [email protected] SOURCE Highland Electric Fleets Developer Plans to Build Four Buildings off First Coast Expressway JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Merritt Properties, a full-service commercial real estate firm with over 21 million square feet of space throughout Maryland, North Carolina, Florida and Virginia, has successfully acquired 16 acres of land in Jacksonville, Florida for the development of a 158,400-square-foot flex/light industrial business park. This marks the developer's second speculative, flex/light industrial project in the market. Merritt Properties Expands Jacksonville Footprint, Acquires 16 Acres for Flex/Light Industrial Business Park. Developer Plans to Build Four Buildings off First Coast Expressway. "We are incredibly excited to expand Merritt's presence in Jacksonville," said Pat Franklin of Merritt Properties' Florida leasing team. "There is increased demand for small-bay, dock-loaded product throughout Jacksonville, so we are confident that this park will be well-received by a wide range of companies who are seeking office and warehouse space. Buildings will primarily cater to small businesses needing 2,700 to 10,000 square feet." Located in Clay County, one of Florida's fastest growing regions, the development is situated just off First Coast Expressway, within the boundaries of the 6,400-acre master planned community of Oakleaf. The park will feature four single-story, flex/light industrial buildings ranging from 21,600 to 57,600 square feet. Each will offer 20-foot clear heights, ample parking and spacious truck courts. "The business park will be a great home for small businesses given its position off First Coast Expressway, near bustling residential areas, community recreation facilities and retail locations," added Franklin. "Clay County Economic Development Corporation is excited to partner with Merritt Properties as they expand their offerings into Clay County. We are thankful for Merritt leading the way with well-designed, well-positioned facilities that can meet the operational needs of a variety of tenants," said Crawford Powell, president of Clay County Economic Development. "We look forward to seeing this project support the continued growth in Clay County as it is completed." Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year. The first phase will consist of three buildings along Armstrong Lane, just off the expressway. "Newly constructed, Class A light industrial product is challenging to find within the market, which is why this speculative development will be a desirable addition to the local area and to our existing Jacksonville portfolio," said Gary Swatko, director of development and construction at Merritt Properties. "The park's location, size and design will uniquely accommodate the needs of small to mid-sized users and provide flexibility for future growth." The company's first development in Jacksonville, Imeson Landing Business Park, is under construction with an expected November 2022 delivery. Once complete, this park will feature five flex/light industrial buildings totaling 266,200 square feet. Merritt also owns and manages Magnolia Park, a three-building, 80,863-square-foot flex/light industrial park in Duval County. David Little of Watson Commercial Reality, Inc. represented Merritt and Arlene Leslie Mount of O'Connor Development Corporation represented the seller in the transaction. To inquire about leasing options, visit www.Merritt-FL.com. About Merritt Properties Established in 1967, Merritt Properties is a full-service commercial real estate firm with over 21 million square feet of office, flex, warehouse, industrial, retail and build-to-suit throughout Maryland, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. Our company is committed to "Creating Homes for Businesses" and providing the highest quality service to our customers. Merritt is unique in that we build for the long-term and manage all of our properties internally. Therefore, we value trust, integrity, respect, and lasting relationships over short-term gain. And, because every Merritt employee is also an owner of the company, we each have a vested interest in the success of our customers. That's why we are responsive and committed to honest and fair business dealings that grow customer relationships into long-term partnerships. SOURCE Merritt Properties, LLC Development to Add 270 Apartment Homes to Western Portland Locale BEAVERTON, Ore., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mill Creek Residential, a leading developer, owner-operator and investment manager specializing in premier rental housing across the U.S., today announced construction is underway on Modera Raleigh Hills, a contemporary apartment community located in the western portion of the Portland metropolitan area. The five-story community, which will feature 270 apartment homes, is based in the emerging Raleigh Hills neighborhood in Beaverton, home to the world headquarters of Nike and Tektronix. Modera Raleigh Hills will boast larger floor plans to accommodate the work-from-home boom, in addition to co-working and conference spaces. First move-ins are anticipated for summer 2024. "We are thrilled to join the Raleigh Hills neighborhood and firmly believe this community will blend the best aspects of urban and suburban living," said Sam Rodriguez, senior managing director of development in Portland for Mill Creek Residential. "Modera Raleigh Hills will offer amenities typically found in suburban communities, such as larger home sizes, ample parking and best-in-class amenity spaces. The proximity to downtown Beaverton and the MAX light rail lines will provide added conveniences for our residents." Situated at 4822 SW Western Avenue, Modera Raleigh Hills will be positioned within blocks of Highway 217 and Beaverton's downtown area. In addition to the Nike and Tektronix headquarters, each less than a 12-minute drive from the community, the Intel Campus is located 24 minutes away in Hillsboro. The community will sit within a 20-minute drive of Portland's Central Business District and a 10-minute bike ride from the MAX Line, which provides additional connectivity to the metropolitan area. The area boasts an improving Walk Score of 79 and a Bike Score of 71. Modera Raleigh Hills will consist of studio, one- and two-bedroom homes with various layouts and an average square footage of 806. Community amenities will include a swimming pool and spa, club-quality fitness center, dedicated private and shared co-working spaces, clubroom with demonstration kitchen, barbecue grills, rooftop patio, courtyard and pet wash. Residents will also have access to a media room, package lockers, dedicated bike storage and EV-charging stations. Apartment homes will include a variety of refined features and finishes, including stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, tile backsplashes, roller shades, luxury vinyl-plank flooring, in-home washers and dryers, walk-in closets, smart thermostats and private patios or balconies. Bathrooms will be equipped with LED lighting, including backlit mirrors. Modera Raleigh Hills will mark Mill Creek's eighth ground-up development in the Portland area. Others include Modera Akoya, Modera Belmont, Modera Buckman, Modera Morrison and Modera Pearl. About Mill Creek Residential Mill Creek Residential Trust LLC is a national rental housing company focused on the development, acquisition and operation of rental communities in targeted markets nationwide. The national company, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida proactively develops, acquires, constructs and operates communities through its seasoned team of real estate professionals in offices across the United States. Mill Creek is building its portfolio in many of the nation's most desirable markets in Seattle, Portland, the San Francisco Bay area, Southern California, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Austin, Houston, South Florida, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, New York, and Boston. As of June 30, 2022, the company's portfolio is comprised of 118 communities representing over 31,000 rental homes that are operating and/or under construction. For more information, please visit www.MillCreekPlaces.com. Media Contact Stephen Ursery LinnellTaylor Marketing [email protected] 303.682.3945 SOURCE Mill Creek Residential CHEYENNE, Wyo., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ParaWerx, a multi-utility cryptocurrency, is proud to be the title sponsor of the 2022 Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation's (XCGIF) charity event "Operation Knockout", hosted by Randy Couture, founder of XCGIF. MMA and Crypto partner up for Veterans Tweet this Operation Knockout Round 11 Graphic The Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation is a volunteer organization that donates 100% of their proceeds to soldiers and their families. They work with likeminded companies to organize events that benefit our veterans and their families. ParaWerx is proud to be the title sponsor for this year's Operation Knockout, which is being hosted at the Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on November 19th 2022. This annual MMA charity event was established in 2010 and showcases the best up and coming amateur MMA athletes from Xtreme Couture MMA and around the country. ParaWerx is a multi-utility cryptocurrency that among other utilities, is developing global point-of-sale crypto payment processing. At the heart of the ParaWerx EcoSystem, a portion of every transaction supports veterans around the world through partnerships with nonprofit organizations such as the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation. ParaWerx founder, Lee Tolleson, is excited to be working with XCGIF in helping veterans and their families. When asked about the motivation behind partnering with XCGIF, he explained: "With more than 30,000 U.S. veteran suicides since 9/11, and an even higher number of veterans that are without shelter in the U.S. on any given night; working with Randy Couture's foundation in helping veterans and their families was one of those incredibly easy decisions that didn't require any thought. I am hoping that with added support from ParaWerx in sponsoring this event, XCGIF can bring more desperately needed assistance to the service men and women that gave us so much. For further information on the Operation Knockout event on November 19th in Las Vegas, and/or how you can get involved with the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation, visit: https://xcgif.org/ For further information on ParaWerx, visit: https://para.global SOURCE ParaWerx October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month RANDOLPH, Mass., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Employers who hire individuals with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) will benefit from the unique skills and strengths they can bring to any workplace. In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the National Autism Center at May Institute offers the following 10 reasons why these individuals make good employees: They want to work and are dedicated to doing a good job. Those who have participated in vocational training programs have undergone extensive assessments and job training that have determined their skills and interests. Generally, these interests and skills match up with the job they are seeking. They have dedicated teams of people supporting them who will provide them and their employers with any assistance that is required. They are often extremely detail-oriented, a trait that can be a major asset in many jobs. With appropriate on-the-job supports, they can learn to do a variety of tasks. They are genuinely interested in the people they work with and for. This can create a positive social climate in the workplace. They usually will stay at one job for longer periods of time than the typical worker. Hiring people with IDD is an important part of creating a diverse workplace one that respects and values individuals from all walks of life. Successful work experiences help these individuals become more independent and better able to contribute to their communities. The unemployment rate of individuals with a disability is nearly 60% higher than the rate of individuals without a disability. People with IDD and their families are a significant part of our economy. They will be more likely to do business with companies that support diversity in their hiring practices. "Improving employment opportunities for adults with IDD will result in a "win-win" situation," says Margaret Walsh, M.A., BCBA, Clinical Director for the May Center for Adult Services. "It will benefit the business community by providing employers with access to a larger pool of capable, previously under-utilized employees. And it will benefit individuals with IDD by giving them an opportunity to use the skills they have mastered, earn a fair wage, and lead more independent and fulfilling lives." About the National Autism Center at May Institute The National Autism Center is May Institute's Center for the Promotion of Evidence-based Practice. It is a dedicated to serving children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by providing reliable information, promoting best practices, and offering comprehensive resources for families, practitioners, and communities. For more information about the National Autism Center at May Institute, please visit www.nationalautismcenter.org. SOURCE National Autism Center Neste Corporation, Press Release, 25 October 2022 at 4.30 p.m. (EET) ESPOO, Finland, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Neste to supply the Air France-KLM Group with more than 1,000,000 tons (approximately 1.26 billion liters) of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel over a period of 8 years starting in 2023. This SAF agreement is one of the largest of its kind in the aviation industry and supports the Air France-KLM Group's commitment to a more sustainable aviation sector. Using Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%* over the fuel's life cycle compared to using fossil jet fuel. The Air France-KLM Group (AF-KLM) and Neste have announced the expansion of their existing cooperation with a new strategic partnership for the supply of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to the Group. This new SAF agreement for a period of 8 years is one of the largest of its kind in the aviation industry to date. Fully committed to reducing its environmental impact, the Air France-KLM Group aims to reduce its CO 2 emissions per passenger/km by 30% by 2030 compared to 2019 - a target which has been submitted to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Its decarbonisation trajectory includes the incorporation of 10% SAF by 2030, alongside fleet renewal and eco-piloting. The contract with Neste, part of a first set of long-term supply agreements, constitutes a further step for the Group to achieve its 10% SAF incorporation targets. "Neste is fully committed to helping the aviation industry achieve its 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target, and sustainable aviation fuel will play a central role in that effort. Today's announcement, which marks a significant next step forward in our cooperation with Air France-KLM Group, underscores how we continue to support companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Neste aims to help customers cut emissions by at least 20 million tons of CO 2 e annually by 2030 with our renewable and circular solutions," says Matti Lehmus, President and CEO of Neste. "This landmark partnership with Neste is an important and concrete step towards the decarbonisation of our operations. This contract embodies our long-term commitment to the development of SAF's production capabilities around the world, to the benefit of the industry as a whole," said Fatima Gloria de Soussa, Director Sustainability, Air France-KLM Group. The agreement builds on SAF supply to the Air France-KLM Group which started in 2019 but the two companies have been working together for several years with KLM being one of the first airlines using Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel. "As the world's leading producer of SAF, we are helping the aviation industry to work towards a more sustainable future, already today. This long-term collaboration with Air France-KLM shows how we are working together in a number of areas. By the end of next year, Neste will have an annual SAF production capacity of 1.5 million tons, ready to support the Air France-KLM Group and other airlines in Europe and across the globe," says Thorsten Lange, Executive Vice President, Renewable Aviation at Neste. Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel is an available solution today. As a drop-in fuel it can be used with existing aircraft engines and airport fuel infrastructure, requiring no new investment. Neste MY SAF is produced from 100% sustainably-sourced, renewable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste. *) When used in neat form and calculated with established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, such as CORSIA methodology Neste Corporation Susanna Sieppi Vice President, Communications Further information: Neste: Please contact Neste's media service, tel. +358 800 94025 / [email protected] (weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. EET). Air France-KLM: Air France-KLM Press Office, +33 1 41 56 56 00 - [email protected] - @AirFranceKLM - https://airfranceklm.com/ CONTACT: The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/neste/i/neste-saf-af-klm-press-release,c3105395 Neste SAF AF-KLM press release SOURCE Neste PHOENIX and SAN CARLOS, Ariz., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA) , a Native-led nonprofit serving remote reservations in the southwest and northern plains regions of the U.S., teamed up with Operation Warm and Molina Complete Care of Arizona ("Molina") to provide the gift of new coats to elementary students in Arizona. Students from San Carlos, Ariz. Courtesy of PWNA. New coats were provided to every child at two K-6 schools on the San Carlos Reservation in San Carlos, which has a poverty rate of approximately 54%. The distributions took place at St. Charles Apache Mission School with 121 students and Rice Elementary with 727 students, both longtime partner schools of PWNA. "Less than 1% of all charitable giving supports Native American causes, yet 61% of Native children live in poverty or low-income households," said Joshua Arce, president and CEO of PWNA. A lack of retail stores and jobs on reservations make it difficult for families to secure coats and other seasonal apparel for their children, amid temperatures that dip below freezing. "This partnership is a good example of how organizations can effectively team up to make a difference for one of the most vulnerable populations in our country. We thank Operation Warm and Molina for supporting this important initiative as we approach winter." "Molina's mission is to improve the health and lives of our members and communities by delivering high-quality health care and support resources," said Minnie Andrade, plan president of Molina Complete Care of Arizona. "We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with PWNA and Operation Warm to help children stay warm and comfortable during the winter months." "We are grateful to be a part of this wonderful initiative alongside PWNA and Molina," says Grace Sica, executive director of Operation Warm. "Something as simple as a warm winter coat can make a big difference in a child's life." ABOUT PWNA PWNA is a Native-led nonprofit committed to championing hope for a brighter future for Native Americans living on remote, geographically isolated and under-resourced reservations. Established in 1990, PWNA collaborates with reservation programs to serve immediate needs and support long-term solutions for strong, self-sufficient Tribal communities, improving life for 250,000 Native Americans annually. For more about PWNA, visit NativePartnership.org. ABOUT MOLINA HEALTHCARE Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, provides managed healthcare services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Molina Healthcare served approximately 5.1 million members as of June 30, 2022, located across 19 states. For more information about Molina Healthcare, please visit molinahealthcare.com. ABOUT OPERATION WARM Operation Warm is a national nonprofit that manufactures brand-new, high-quality coats and shoes for children in need. We partner with compassionate individuals, community organizations, and corporations across North America to connect underserved children to the community resources they need to thrive. Over the last 23 years, Operation Warm and our partners have offered the gifts of brand-new coats and shoes as a bridge for families in need to access everything from flu shots to new books. To make a lasting impact on the lives of children, visit operationwarm.org. Media Contact: Helen Oliff (540) 825-5950 x205 [email protected] SOURCE Partnership With Native Americans NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NYC whistleblower attorney Timothy J. McInnis announced a $86,676 settlement against The Rensselaerville Institute (TRI), a non-profit organization providing educational services for young people located in Delmar, NY. The settlement resolves False Claims Act allegations in a qui tam whistleblower complaint filed by former CFO Alexandra Poole under seal in August 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. The case was unsealed October 25, 2022, by order of United States Magistrate Judge Andrew T. Baxter. The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York intervened in the action on October 18, 2022 and spearheaded the settlement, according to Attorney McInnis. Poole's complaint alleged that TRI defrauded the Small Business Administration (SBA) Payroll Protection Program (PPP) by knowingly overstating its average monthly payroll. TRI did this to unlawfully increase the amount of an SBA-guaranteed loan it could receive. The SBA subsequently determined TRI had, in fact, overstated its average monthly payroll on its PPP loan application and received excess funding of $86,676. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, TRI acknowledged and accepted responsibility for this conduct. As stated in the Settlement Agreement, the PPP was established pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ("CARES") Act, in March 2020. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to small businesses suffering economically from the COVID-19 pandemic through forgivable loans for payroll and other specified expenses. Poole's complaint further alleges the SBA made approximately 5.2 million PPP loans, totaling nearly $700 billion, many with little or no lending controls or oversight. While ensuing PPP fraud was rampant, there have been very few recoveries under the civil qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, observed Attorney McInnis. These provisions allow private citizens to sue on behalf of the Government in order to help stop fraud against the United States and recover ill-gotten gains, McInnis explained. Even more rare, is a successful qui tam suit against a non-profit organization, McInnis said, noting he believes this is the first of its kind. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, Poole, who is known as a qui tam relator, will receive $17,000 (19.6%) as a reward for initiating the lawsuit and prompting the Government's investigation. Poole also alleged whistleblower retaliation/wrongful termination by TRI and that claim, as well as the amount of attorneys' fees to be awarded to McInnis Law and co-counsel Tabner, Ryan and Keniry, LLP remain unresolved by the Settlement Agreement. On behalf of Ms. Poole and her attorneys, Attorney McInnis expressed appreciation for the investigative and settlement efforts of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York and the SBA. The case is captioned, United States ex rel. Alexandra Poole v. The Rensselaerville Institute, Inc., et al., 1:21-cv-943, United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. For additional information, please contact Attorney Timothy J. McInnis, of McInnis Law, 521 Fifth Avenue, 17th Fl., New York, NY 10175, at (212) 292-4573 or [email protected]. SOURCE McInnis Law Future Minerals Forum will take place from January 1012, 2023, in Riyadh and is expected to attract more than 9,000 participants RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) today announced initial details about the second Future Minerals Forum (FMF), which will take place from January 10-12, 2023 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh. FMF 2023 will gather global mining industry leaders, including governments and business executives from around the world, and provide a platform to discuss the future potential of mining in Africa, and West and Central Asia. Speaking about the event, His Excellency, the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef, said, "The Future Minerals Forum is a one-of-a-kind event for global mining leaders to convene, discuss and explore the new mining hub emerging from Africa to Western and Central Asia. With vast untapped mineral resources, these lands represent significant investment opportunities for those with the vision and capabilities to support the development of the global circular carbon economy and the transformation of the energy sector." FMF is expected to welcome more than 9,000 participants and 170 prominent international speakers, including government ministers, mining investment leaders and heads of major mining companies from more than 100 countries. On January 10, the Ministerial Roundtable will be attended by high-level government delegations and non-governmental organizations involved in the mining sector. On January 11 and 12, FMF will host numerous sessions, presentations and discussions on regional and international topics related to the sector. Among the issues on the agenda are: The global outlook and future of mining, regionally and worldwide The sector's critical role in the energy transition The contribution of mining to the development of societies Mining opportunities in the Kingdom and the wider region that stretches from Africa to Western and Central Asia . The event also will provide opportunities for attendees to explore how they can collaborate more closely to maximize the benefits of mining for sustainable economic development, the development of integrated value chains, technology, and sustainability. The first edition of FMF, held in January 2022, was attended by governments, international organizations, major mining companies, financial institutions, academics and researchers. Participants unanimously agreed on the importance of the region (Africa, West and Central Asia) in meeting global mineral demand thanks to its unique geology and significant reserves of high-demand mineral commodities. Moreover, attendees praised Saudi Arabia for its mining sector, agreeing that the nation has all the right ingredients to become a center of mining excellence, able to lead the development of the industry from Africa to West and Central Asia. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928831/Future_Minerals_Forum_Logo.jpg SOURCE Future Minerals Forum The healthcare management consulting firm tops the list with an impressive 626.76% growth rate since the firm was founded in early 2019 NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SCALE Healthcare, the nation's premier healthcare management consulting firm, ranked #1 on Consulting Magazine's 2022 Fastest Growing Firms list, one of the most prestigious industry awards recognizing high-performing consulting firms of any sector in the US. SCALE Healthcare ranked #1 Fastest Growing Firm in 2022 by Consulting Magazine with impressive 626.76% growth rate Tweet this SCALE Healthcare awarded #1 Fastest Growing Firm in 2022 by Consulting Magazine "We're honored to be recognized as the #1 fastest growing consulting firms in the nation as it validates our amazing team's hard work and is proof that we have a unique business model and a very important mission to improve the business of healthcare in America, and soon in Europe, said Roy Bejarano, Co-Founder & CEO, SCALE Healthcare. "Our full range of multidisciplinary solutions, offered exclusively for healthcare organizations, has made us stand out amongst other healthcare management consultancies and I believe this has been one of the biggest contributions to our exceptional growth year over year." This is the seventh year Consulting Magazine has honored the industry's most successful firms. The nomination committee analyzes firms of all sizes and sectors based on their rate of revenue growth over the past three years, gathering revenue figures on December 31, 2019, and again on December 31, 2021. Since SCALE Healthcare was first established in 2019, the firm has rapidly evolved into one of the leading healthcare management consulting firms in the US closely advising the nation's top healthcare CEOs, executives, management teams, physician leaders and their organizations to accelerate growth & elevate management performance across healthcare services. SCALE Healthcare's team is comprised of 120+ advisors who have deep operational real-world experience and insights in healthcare services and are highly dedicated in building modernized healthcare delivery platforms for clients to yield better results and elevate healthcare's management team performance. "The pandemic caused a major uptick in private equity investment in healthcare companies," said Jason Schifman, Co-Founder and President, SCALE Healthcare. "Because of this, we're seeing more of a demand than ever before to help healthcare organizations and their physicians prepare for rapid and sustainable growth and SCALE has the unique breadth of multidisciplinary services and knowledge to do so." In 2022, SCALE Healthcare announced the addition of five new company subsidiaries and launched a new online healthcare educational content platform, SCALE Education, that will elevate healthcare operations performance, leadership, and culture by offering insights from the nation's top healthcare CEOs, expert market research analysis, and opportunities for peer engagement & collaboration. Looking ahead, the firm is aiming to expand its operations in Europe in 2023, further develop its experienced team of healthcare operational advisors, progress the firms SCALE Education online platform for physician insights, as well as improve its data analytics and compliance offerings. "We're expecting an even stronger growth period in the next three years, anticipating increased external healthcare market acquisitions of clinical and business service assets. The future will continue to present our healthcare leaders with multi-disciplinary challenges, and it will be the most adaptable and agile consulting firms who will continue to see rapid growth next year," said Bejarano. To see the full list of Consulting Magazine's 2022 Fastest Growing Firms, visit https://www.consultingmag.com/2022/10/12/consulting-magazine-ranks-fastest-growing-firms-for-2022/. About SCALE Healthcare SCALE Healthcare, founded in 2019, is the only healthcare management consulting firm in the US to offer a full range of multidisciplinary solutions exclusively to healthcare service organizations including provider platforms, hospital systems, and healthcare focused private equity groups. At SCALE Healthcare, our team of 120+ operational experts closely advise the nation's top healthcare CEOs, executives, management teams, physician leaders and their organizations to accelerate growth & elevate management performance across healthcare services. We provide relevant, proven experience across every management discipline and clinical specialty that falls within healthcare services. Our team of advisors bring extensive healthcare knowledge in a broad range of specialty practice areas, providing our client partners with comprehensive, best-in-class insight and recommendations. SCALE Healthcare's lineup of companies includes: SCALE Education SCALE Marketing SCALE Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) SCALE Finance SCALE Talent Search SCALE Compliance & Risk Management SCALE Corporate Development SCALE ASCs SCALE Consulting SCALE Data Analytics SCALE Market Research SCALE Due Diligence In 2022, SCALE Healthcare was ranked #1 Fastest Growing Consulting Firm in the US by Consulting Magazine. The firm is headquartered in New York City, with local market presence in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. For more information, visit www.scale-healthcare.com and follow us on LinkedIn. SOURCE SCALE Healthcare ShipBob's new features and updates allow ecommerce brands to fulfill orders through Amazon on a global scale, along with automated FBA prep in the US. CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ShipBob, the leading global omnifulfillment platform, has launched first-of-their-kind features and enhanced offerings to optimize ecommerce business owners' experience with Amazon fulfillment. ShipBob's new Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) prep automation in the U.S. streamlines the process of preparing and sending ShipBob merchants' FBA inventory to Amazon. As the first fulfillment company to offer this, it allows for faster inventory placement and for merchants to use ShipBob as their centralized inventory hub. In addition, ShipBob has rolled out the capability to offer Fulfilled By Merchant (FBM) in nine of the largest ecommerce markets across the globe: U.S., Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland. "We are here to support our merchants and their ambitions to efficiently scale globally. Amazon is an important sales lever for many of our merchants, so we are bringing new levels of automation to the Amazon FBA prep process that alleviates major pain points for sellers," said Dhruv Saxena, CEO and co-founder of ShipBob. "Also, as we have been rapidly expanding internationally with our fulfillment centers across Canada, the UK, Europe, and Australia, this new Amazon FBM offering around the world unlocks so much opportunity for our merchants to differentiate from their competitors when they need every advantage they can find." ShipBob's enhanced Amazon FBM integration offers: Fulfillment of FBM orders for 6 new global marketplaces: ShipBob can fulfill orders for Amazon's marketplaces in the United Kingdom , Germany , France , Spain , Italy and Poland , as well as in the United States , Canada and Mexico as previously available. ShipBob can fulfill orders for Amazon's marketplaces in the , , , , and , as well as in , and as previously available. Seamless integration with Amazon: Merchants can connect ShipBob with their Amazon storefronts, products, inventory and orders (via automatic, bulk or manual syncs) in just a few clicks from the ShipBob App Store, along with 40+ integrations like Shopify, BigCommerce, Walmart and others. Merchants can connect ShipBob with their Amazon storefronts, products, inventory and orders (via automatic, bulk or manual syncs) in just a few clicks from the ShipBob App Store, along with 40+ integrations like Shopify, BigCommerce, Walmart and others. Enhanced tracking capabilities: Through integration enhancements, merchants now have increased visibility due to hourly syncing between the ShipBob and Amazon platforms. Behind Shopify, ShipBob is the second platform to integrate directly with Amazon to sync inventory quantities every 15 minutes. ShipBob's new Automated FBA Prep solution is a value-added service in the U.S. that offers brands that outsource fulfillment to ShipBob the following benefits: Simplified FBA prep for increased efficiency: ShipBob's integration with Amazon automates the FBA prep process from order creation to fulfillment by syncing order and shipping label information between the two platforms, providing merchants with significant time savings. Merchants are able to prep orders directly from ShipBob's dashboard and can choose between a ShipBob or Amazon prepaid shipping label. As a result, new orders won't go on hold, speeding up processing time by up to 2 days. ShipBob's integration with Amazon automates the FBA prep process from order creation to fulfillment by syncing order and shipping label information between the two platforms, providing merchants with significant time savings. Merchants are able to prep orders directly from ShipBob's dashboard and can choose between a ShipBob or Amazon prepaid shipping label. As a result, new orders won't go on hold, speeding up processing time by up to 2 days. Quick inventory placement: The automated FBA prep service streamlines the process of getting inventory to Amazon from ShipBob's fulfillment centers in the U.S. This new workflow results in faster fulfillment and lessens the risk of delays associated with manual FBA prep. The automated FBA prep service streamlines the process of getting inventory to Amazon from ShipBob's fulfillment centers in the U.S. This new workflow results in faster fulfillment and lessens the risk of delays associated with manual FBA prep. The ability to bypass Amazon workflows : With ShipBob's new API, merchants get a more error-proof way to send inventory to Amazon, while avoiding complicated workflows and maintaining 100% compliance. It's as simple as selecting the product, lot (if applicable) and quantity. Box dimensions, package weight and other information is not required for sellers to complete within ShipBob. : With ShipBob's new API, merchants get a more error-proof way to send inventory to Amazon, while avoiding complicated workflows and maintaining 100% compliance. It's as simple as selecting the product, lot (if applicable) and quantity. Box dimensions, package weight and other information is not required for sellers to complete within ShipBob. Centralized omnichannel inventory hub: ShipBob serves as the logistics hub for ecommerce brands (sales channel-agnostic), allowing businesses to effortlessly send inventory from ShipBob to Amazon (and other retailers) with ease. For additional information on ShipBob's Amazon fulfillment solutions and to request a pricing quote, please visit https://www.shipbob.com/partners/amazon/ . About ShipBob ShipBob is the leading global omnifulfillment platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses to provide them access to best-in-class supply chain and fulfillment capabilities. The ShipBob platform provides merchants with a single view of their business and customers across all of their sales channels such as Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, Target and more, and enables them to manage products, inventory, orders and shipments, and leverage analytics and reporting to run their business effectively. Founded in 2014 out of Chicago, ShipBob was launched through Y Combinator by co-founders Dhruv Saxena and Divey Gulati, two entrepreneurs who saw a need for more efficient shipping for ecommerce businesses. Today, the company has raised $330.5 million in funding and operates a global logistics network with 30 fulfillment centers across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union and Australia. Learn more by visiting shipbob.com . SOURCE ShipBob Beloved American Restaurant Icon Aligns with Soft Drink and Beverage Category Leader The Coca-Cola Company for the Throwback LTO and Thematically Ties its Longevity and Industry Relevance with Unbeatable Offers for its Valued Guests NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With 75 days left in 2022, Shoney's is ready to party like it's 1947, the year it was born, 75 years ago, when it changed the restaurant industry forever. Shoney's 75th Anniversary Coke Float Shoney's 75th Anniversary The iconic, All-American restaurant treasure, which began humbly as a single drive-in restaurant in the Almost Heaven atmosphere of Charleston, West Virginia, is still thriving in 16 states decades later due to the leadership of its effervescent and charismatic Chairman and CEO Mr. David Davoudpour. Now headquartered in Nashville, the Southern-style dining gem, has aligned with another icon, The Coca Cola Company, to bring to its guests a Coke Float, which will bring back memories of yesteryear while Mr. Davoudpour's focus is on the future. "I love this brand so much that I purchased it in order to create new heartfelt memories for a restaurant created decades ago to be America's Dinner Table," said Mr. Davoudpour. "This milestone and significant anniversary are a celebration of fresh food, our collective families and communities and team members. Everyone has a fond Shoney's memory. It is our job to make sure we create new ones, starting today, with special offers that will last until the end of this year, beginning with a Coke Float you simply will not find anywhere but Shoney's." The limited time only Coke Float is a back-to-the-future gem featuring vanilla ice cream and Coca-Cola fountain soda, priced generously at $2.99. Shoney's is also featuring a commemoratively-and-value-priced Two for Tuesdays, two of its legendary Fresh Food Bars all day every Tuesday through year's end for $19.47 as well as a French Fry lover's dream come true: all-you-can-eat fries for $.75. Finally, in what is destined to be a collectors' item, Shoney's will be selling a high quality 75th celebration T-shirt with a vintage logo by the acclaimed Next Level Apparel brand. It is available in-restaurant only while they last, and they won't. "As always, we want to provide quality all day, every day," continued Mr. Davoudpour. "Generations have looked to us for delicious food, friendly service in a warm and welcoming environment. The legend of Shoney's is not a myth and we are excited to treat our current fans and future generations for years to come back for another serving," concluded Mr. Davoudpour, only adding, "Our guests can count on us for consistent excellence in every area of the Shoney's experience. We are a family-first, community-focused organization. We don't have a plan B because we not only believe in plan A, we live it and serve it every day." Since it opened its doors in 1947, Shoney's, which was founded by West Virginia native and Shoney's namesake Alex Schoenbaum, was part of the Big Boy franchise for over 30 years. From day one to present day, now carried on with the passion of Mr. Davoudpour, Shoney's continues to be recognized as a premiere family dining restaurant. It is consistently praised for having the best rating for value among all family dining chains while also being hailed for its service, menu variety and diners' recommendations. Some of its signature items, including the famous Slim Jim sandwich (grilled, smokehouse ham served on a toasted hoagie with melted Swiss cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and Shoney's signature sauce), remain on the menu today. Its world-renowned iconic desserts such as house made Strawberry Pies (by the slice to whole to-go) still resonate. Perhaps its biggest star is the world-famous Hot Fudge Cake, which thanks to Mr. Davoudpour's generosity, has its own holiday (National FREE Hot Fudge Cake Day this year Thursday, December 1, 2022). Since acquiring the great American eatery in 2007, Mr. Davoudpour has been on a driven and spirited mission to reinvigorate and revitalize Shoney's, a family-friendly, southern-style restaurant brand. Shoney's is one of the first and has always been one of the most popular, family casual dining concepts in the United States. Of course, price and participation for all promotions may vary; please contact your local Shoney's for inclusion information and other details. Visit www.shoneys.com for more information and follow Shoney's on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram and YouTube. Media Contacts Derek Farley derekPR for Shoney's 704-941-7353 [email protected] SOURCE Shoney's St. Kitts Tourism Authority continues to garner prestigious media coverage and award recognitions following the Venture Deeper campaign launch BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the summer season winds down, the excitement surrounding St. Kitts continues to grow. From a newly launched brand campaign to impressive accolades, the destination continues to amaze travellers and the travel industry while capturing global attention for its tourism product. St. Kitts Impresses With Recent Successes In late September, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority officially launched the destination's new brand campaign, Venture Deeper , to further accentuate the island's unique qualities that speak to the modern traveller. In celebration of the launch, The Tourism Authority hosted an intimate gathering of media, stakeholders and honoured guests to be among the first to view the new campaign. Attendees luxuriated in the atmosphere at LAVAN541; a space reimagined to transport guests to the luscious rainforests and stunning beaches of St. Kitts. Complete with crafted rum cocktails and authentic Kittitian cuisine, the event featured interactive rum courses guided by Jack Widdowson and Roger Brisbane, which offered a compelling look into one of St. Kitts' upcoming endeavours. In tandem with the New York Venture Deeper launch event, The Tourism Authority expanded its scope into Canada, hosting a culinary event in Toronto that immersed guests into the rich culture of Kittitian cuisine. "The spotlight on St. Kitts has certainly brightened the past few months," said Ellison "Tommy" Thompson, CEO of St. Kitts Tourism Authority. "First, the launch of 'Venture Deeper' was met with positive reception from our target audiences and has given St. Kitts an authentic brand identity. Secondly, we have an innovative new tourism product in development that will capture leisure travellers' attention and make St. Kitts stand out as a premier Caribbean destination. With new developments in the pipeline, we are confident the rest of the year is looking even brighter for St. Kitts." St. Kitts continues to be awarded for its unmatched landscape, cuisine, hospitality, and experiences. The 2022 Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards, one of the most prestigious travel industry recognitions, ranked St. Kitts among the Top Islands in the Caribbean and recognized The Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour in the Top 40 Resorts in the Caribbean Islands. St. Kitts was also honoured as a Silver Award Winner in the notorious 2022 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards for the Caribbean- Overall Destinations-Adventure Destinations category. Further, the destination retained its position as a hotspot for diving and was awarded the prestigious title of Caribbean's Top Diving Destination 2022 at the 29th annual World Travel Awards. "St. Kitts is thrilled to be recognized across such highly-regarded publications and awards," said Melnecia Marshall, Deputy CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. "It is incredibly fulfilling to see our beautiful country stand out as a top choice for travellers." The Tourism Authority saw great success fostering relationships with key industry leaders at recent tradeshows and conferences and looks forward to attending numerous upcoming consumer and travel trade shows, including The Coterie Retreat in Jamaica. About St. Kitts St. Kitts is the larger of two islands that make up the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. 18 miles of green mountain ranges stretch from Mount Liamuiga in the north, to the southern peninsulaeach end, an entirely different and equally fulfilling experience. The island's serendipitous location between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea gives its coast distinctively varied hues. Our beaches range from golden tones, to salt-and-pepper, and alluring black volcanic sand. Venture Deeper into the magic of St. Kitts and discover what the destination holds, while simultaneously venturing introspectively into a journey of self-discovery. Peel back the many layers of our beautiful island to discover culture, history, adventure, and culinary delights around every corner. *If you are travelling to St. Kitts, it is required that you complete the online Immigration and Customs ED Form before arrival. Upon completion, you will receive a receipt with a QR code that you must present upon arrival in St. Kitts. Your QR code can be printed out or scanned directly from your phone. For more information about St. Kitts, visit www.visitstkitts.com . Contact: Taylor McDonald [email protected] SOURCE St. Kitts Tourism Authority ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- StarCompliance ("Star"), a leading provider of employee compliance technology solutions, is proud to announce the release of its new License & Registration software solution, which will greatly improve transparency into the multistep license and registration process, and provide a direct electronic connection to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"). "In many cases, the license and registration process can take six to eight weeks, which is a long time for businesses not to be able to capitalize on the activities of their registered representatives," said Andy Cheong, Managing Director and Head of Product Management at Star. "We wanted to simplify the process and improve visibility into it. License & Registration gives firms the confidence they need to focus more on revenue-generating opportunities and keep related compliance risks to a minimum." StarCompliance announces its new License & Registration software solution with direct electronic connection to FINRA Tweet this Unveiled during Synergy '22 in Washington, DC, the new software solution will enable compliance professionals to effortlessly monitor the requests and approvals for licenses from a centralized location, stay up-to-date on Continuing Education (CE) due dates, view exam-window expirations and employee-submission statuses, and more. By improving the transparency into and efficiency of the lengthy license-and-registration process, Star is addressing the industry-wide problem of having registered representatives unable to work and hence not generate revenue due to licensing delays. Star also revealed that its new License & Registration solution will include enterprise reporting capabilities, with improved progress and time tracking. All of this critical data will be hosted in a single location and accessed through a user interface focused on intuitive use and efficient workflows. About StarCompliance StarCompliance is a leading provider of compliance technology solutions. Trusted globally by forward-thinking companies in 114 countries, Star's future-ready compliance platform delivers on-demand configurability, multi-jurisdictional integrity, and the actionable intelligence companies need to monitor for conflicts, meet regulatory obligations, and reduce risk. Compliance no longer needs to be complex. Check out Star's intuitive, straightforward UX and give your employees the multi-layered protection they need to comply with confidence. www.starcompliance.com SOURCE StarCompliance Legal community gathers to commemorate the OPD and support public defense in Maryland. BALTIMORE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) and the Association for the Public Defender of Maryland (APDM) are pleased to announce they are hosting an evening of celebration honoring fifty years of the Maryland Office of Public Defender 's commitment to equality, dignity, and justice for all. The Office of Public Defender 50th Anniversary Gala will take place Tuesday, November 1, 2022, at 6 PM, at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, MD. The Gala will highlight the work of the dedicated attorneys and staff of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender who advocate for indigent clients, seek justice, protect civil rights, and preserve liberties. Guests will have an opportunity to connect and mingle with colleagues in the legal profession from a variety of practice sectors and jurisdictions throughout the evening. The Gala offers a cocktail hour, dinner and presentations from notable speakers and celebrated members of the legal community, emceed by The Daily Record's Tom Baden. Speakers, Honored Guests and VIPs include: Rep. Jamie Raskin Hon. Chief Judge Matthew J. Fader Hon. Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera (Ret.) (Ret.) Hon. Gary E. Bair (Ret.) (Ret.) Natasha Dartigue , Public Defender of Maryland , Public Defender of Maryland Paul H. DeWolfe , Former Public Defender , Former Public Defender Lisa Monet Wayne , Executive Director, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers , Executive Director, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Ronald Weich , Dean, University of Baltimore School of Law , Dean, University of Renee Hutchins, Dean, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law of Law Roger Fairfax , Dean, American University Washington College of Law , Dean, Washington College of Law Harry S. Johnson , President, Association for the Public Defender of Maryland Board , President, Association for the Public Defender of Kristin Henning , The Blume Professor of Law & Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic, Georgetown Law , The Blume Professor of Law & Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic, Georgetown Law Kirsten Gettys Downs , Executive Director, Homeless Persons Representation Project , Executive Director, Homeless Persons Representation Project Sharon E. Goldsmith , Executive Director, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland , Executive Director, Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland Susan Francis , Executive Director, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service , Executive Director, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service Victoria Schultz , Executive Director, Maryland Legal Aid , Executive Director, Maryland Legal Aid Josh C. Toll , Partner & Head of Pro Bono, King & Spalding , Partner & Head of Pro Bono, King & Timothy F. Maloney , Principal, Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, PA , Principal, Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, PA Donald P. Salzman , Pro Bono Counsel, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP OPD is honoring the following partnerships and staff with awards at the event: 50th Anniversary Warrior for Justice Award: The University of Baltimore School of Law , Innocence Project Clinic OPD has partnered with the University of Baltimore School of Law since 2008 to establish the Innocence Project Clinic (IPC). Currently led by Assistant Public Defender Erica Suter , the IPC engages UB law students in the investigation and advocacy on behalf of public defender clients who have been convicted in Maryland state courts of crimes they did not commit. The clinic represents clients in post-trial litigation efforts to secure exonerations, and advocates for relevant changes in Maryland law. To date, the clinic has secured the exoneration of 13 clients. Among the clinic's clients is Adnan Syed , whose conviction has received international attention and was recently vacated due to withheld Brady material. since 2008 to establish the Innocence Project Clinic (IPC). Currently led by Assistant Public Defender , the IPC engages UB law students in the investigation and advocacy on behalf of public defender clients who have been convicted in state courts of crimes they did not commit. The clinic represents clients in post-trial litigation efforts to secure exonerations, and advocates for relevant changes in law. To date, the clinic has secured the exoneration of 13 clients. Among the clinic's clients is , whose conviction has received international attention and was recently vacated due to withheld Brady material. 50th Anniversary Warrior for Fairness Award: Williams & Connolly LLP for the Pro Bono Fellowship Program Since 2017, associates from Williams & Connolly have served as fellows with the OPD. During their 6-month fellowship, fellows are embedded in OPD district offices working side by side with OPD attorneys and staff to provide zealous representation to indigent clients in trial court matters. Over the years, fellows have afforded zealous representation to clients in the Charles County , Montgomery County and Prince George's Counties offices. The first OPD Williams & Connolly Fellow, Joseph Q. Wood , is now the partner in charge of the fellowship program. , and Counties offices. The first OPD Williams & Connolly Fellow, , is now the partner in charge of the fellowship program. 50th Anniversary Warrior for Dignity for all Award: Dawn Kouneski Working in the Human Resources Division (formerly Personnel Division) of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender for 35 years, there is nobody who knows more about the attorneys and staff of the OPD than Dawn Kounseki. Starting with OPD at the age of 17, while still in high school, Dawn has made it her life's work to ensure OPD is a place where all employees feel satisfied and motivated. She is integral to all aspects of OPD hiring and retention, and has been a lifeline throughout the COVID pandemic, ensuring the health and safety of OPD staff while ensuring that we remained updated and compliant on state guidelines 50th Anniversary Warrior for Dignity for All Award: Kisha Petticolas A tireless advocate for her clients and her community on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Assistant Public Defender Kisha Petticolas was a leader in the effort to secure the removal of the Talbot Boys statue from the grounds in front of the Talbot County Courthouse. She was a named plaintiff in the lawsuit that successfully led to the statue's removal and engaged former Maryland Public Defender Paul DeWolfe on the issue, resulting in OPD's involvement as an organizational plaintiff. Richard Potter and the NAACP Talbot County were also plaintiffs in the litigation; the ACLU of Maryland and Crowell & Moring LLP served as counsel. "On behalf of the Maryland State Bar Association, we applaud the Office of Public Defender for its fifty years of service to the Maryland legal community,'' said Anna Sholl, incoming Executive Director, Maryland State Bar Association. "For decades, OPD attorneys and staff have worked tirelessly to provide superior representation to their clients while also tackling systemic obstacles that impact clients' lives, and working toward meaningful criminal justice reform. We thank them for their leadership and look forward to honoring OPD at the upcoming November Gala." To purchase tickets to the Maryland Office of Public Defender 50th Anniversary Gala, visit MSBA.org . SOURCE Maryland State Bar Association BALI, Indonesia, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Known as a brand wellness-focused, The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud Bali invites guest taking comfort and wellness to the next level through the brand's Six Pillars of Well-being unveils The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud Bali the brand's first hotel in Ubud area. This resort features 120 contemporary guestrooms, suites and villas, each equipped with the Heavenly Bed includes Lavender Balms as a bedside amenity and Heavenly Bath will deliver total relaxation. Get Ready to Rise at The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud, Bali featuring a natural running trail and signature spa experiences set amidst rolling green hills, rice paddies and the winding Wos River. Numerous dining options including the all-day dining venue Tabia, which offers international cuisine and local specialties, set within an expansive indoor-and-outdoor space offer a selection of healthy dishes from Westin's Eat Well menu. Tall Trees offers a splendid dining experience complemented with an unrivaled view of the river and tropical forest. Tasty light bites, refreshing cocktails and drinks are available at The Lobby Bar that is set in a full bar concept with a smart design. A reflection of our commitment to wellness, Heavenly Spa by WestinTM offers uplifting wellness programs that focus on holistic health to replenish your mind and body. The relaxing spa facilities feature five treatment rooms as well as four outdoor spa pavilions overlooking the natural scenery, plus a jacuzzi and steam room. There is also an open-air pavilion with stunning views of the surrounding landscape for early-risers to partake in morning yoga and meditation classes. Guests looking to stay fit while traveling can make use of the 24/7 Westin WORKOUT Fitness Studio or run like local with RunWESTIN . Kids can splash around the nearby children's pool which features a miniature waterfall to blend in with the natural surroundings and is situated next to the Westin Family Kids Club where adventurous activities and guided, interactive programming await young guests. The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud, Bali is also a convenient choice for meetings and special events with two flexible meeting rooms that situated at the main hotel entrance for convenient access. When combined, the two connecting Chakra and Prana meeting rooms encompass a total of 160 sqm. In addition to relaxing at the resort, guests can visit the center of Ubud within a short driving distance from the resort such as Ubud Monkey Forest, Ubud Royal Palace, Ubud Art Market or Tegalalang and many more. For reservations, please visit www.westinubud.com or call to +62 361 301 8989. SOURCE The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud, Bali The recognition program honors companies and nonprofits providing people compelling reasons to care about them and offering inspiration for others to buy in RYE BROOK, N.Y., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Company announced today its second annual Brands That Matter list, honoring brands that communicate and demonstrate brand purpose. These companies and nonprofits have achieved relevance through cultural impact and social engagement, and authentically communicated their missions and ideals. The final list, which includes large multinational conglomerates, small-but-mighty companies, and nonprofits, recognizes 145 brands that give people compelling reasons to care about themand offer inspiration for others to buy in. All 145 have found an ability to forge an emotional connection with customers, whether leading on the environment or pop culture, engaging B2B customers, or responding meaningfully to current events. All brands that applied were considered for overall recognition. Additionally, there are also honorees on category-specific lists based on region, size, and status. "This year, we've expanded the Brands That Matter program to evaluate honorees in the context of how they matter within the category in which they compete for people's attention or loyalty. The result is a wide-ranging list of honorees that are making their mark on culture, and through social impact," said Brendan Vaughan, Fast Company's editor-in-chief. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) tirelessly innovates to respond to the needs of an ever-changing world, while advancing its mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. When patients across the country faced increased hardship and struggled to receive crucial medical care, LLS over-delivered to meet the needs of the blood cancer community, including: Activating the LLS National Patient Registry, a project of the Michael J. Garil Patient Data Collective, which captured the largest data set to date (12,000 patients) on vaccine safety and efficacy for all major blood cancer and treatment types. The registry informed national public health policy, including the CDC's approval of a third COVID-19 booster for immunocompromised patients. Connecting people in times of growing isolationreaching 23% more through online support groups and connecting 31% more blood cancer patients with lifesaving clinical trials. Expanding clinical trials to underserved community-based hospitals and clinics in urban, rural, and low-income communities. Galvanizing pediatric cancer care, an area lacking innovation for 50 years, by putting $175 million toward transforming treatment for kids with blood cancer with the Dare to Dream project. toward transforming treatment for kids with blood cancer with the Dare to Dream project. Providing relief for those impacted by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian through the LLS Financial Relief Fund. Through it all, LLS exceeded its goals by 23%, raising $168 million through Light The Night, Team In Training, Visionaries of the Year, and other in-person events, to fund more research and services than ever. "It's an honor to be recognized as the only cancer organization and the only healthcare organization in the not-for-profit category. This is an important moment to acknowledge our success depends on so many others. We are not the authors of our innovation but steward it with the power we have as conveners," said Troy Dunmire, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's COO. "It's everyone we collaborate withthe patients, philanthropists, partners, volunteers, researchers, and healthcare providerswho make our mission possible." Every action matters and there are so many ways to support LLS's mission: Donate at LLS.org to advance research and help more patients and families, become an advocate for better healthcare policies, engage with one of many volunteer opportunities, or follow on social media (@LLSusa). Fast Company editors judged each brand on relevancy, cultural impact, ingenuity, and business impact to compile the list. Click here to see the complete list. The November issue of Fast Company magazine is available online now and will be on newsstands beginning November 1, 2022. About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Brendan Vaughan. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com. About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the global leader in the fight against blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has regions throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. LLS is one of Fast Company's "2022 Brands That Matter." One of only nine nonprofits, LLS stands out among brands around the world for its relevancy, cultural impact, ingenuity and mission impact. For additional information visit lls.org/lls-newsnetwork. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For media inquiries only, please contact [email protected] SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Based in Alberta, Canada, RFP is the largest independent fertility clinic in Western Canada; marks the second Canadian-based provider to join North America's fastest growing network of clinics HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prelude Network (Prelude), the largest and fastest-growing network of fertility clinics in North America, announces today its continued expansion through the partnership with Regional Fertility Program (RFP) in Alberta, Canada. This marks the second Canadian-based fertility clinic to join the Prelude family. In 2021, Prelude partnered with the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM), solidifying its place as the largest network of clinics in North America. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, RFP has been providing aspiring parents with cutting-edge fertility care since 1984. In addition to being one of the longest-running fertility clinics in Western Canada, RFP is also the largest independent clinic in that area. Its multidisciplinary fertility and healthcare experts are dedicated to delivering the most personalized and highest level of reproductive medicine and services to each patient. RFP's patient-centric approach and commitment to investing in the latest assisted reproductive technologies has earned the provider one of the highest pregnancy rates in the country. Since 1984, RFP's in vitro fertilization (IVF) program has successfully delivered 17,000 babies. Joining Prelude gives RFP the unique opportunity to share with and learn from Prelude's vast network of physicians, many of whom are innovators in the fertility space. Many of Prelude's award-winning physicians and embryologists have pioneered some of today's most advanced reproductive treatments, including IVF, cryopreservation, egg freezing, and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). "Prelude is proud to welcome Regional Fertility Program to our premium network of fertility clinics and extend our best-in-class practices to one of Canada's most prestigious fertility providers," says TJ Farnsworth, Founder and CEO of Inception Fertility, the parent company to Prelude. "We also look forward to making Inception's ancillary brands more accessible to aspiring parents in Western Canada and providing them with a broad scale of fertility programs, products, and services that will meet every need of their fertility journey." In addition to the RFP Pharmacy, an independent, on-site licensed pharmacy accredited by the Alberta College of Pharmacists, RFP provides a full spectrum of fertility support services, including diagnostics, intrauterine insemination (IUI), IVF, PGT, surrogacy, fertility preservation, a donor program, and LGBTQ+ services. "We are excited to join Prelude and be among a distinguished group of fertility clinics and providers who share our same mission and approach to personalized patient care," says Shu Foong MD, FRCSC, Medical Director of RFP. "We look forward to this next chapter in our history and the opportunity it gives us to make reproductive healthcare services even more accessible, as we believe everyone deserves the chance to have a baby." About Inception Fertility Inception Fertility (Inception) is a family of fertility brands committed to helping patients build their own families. Built by patients for patients, Inception's purpose is to achieve the highest bar in experience, science and medicine in an effort to enhance each patient's experience and achieve better outcomes. Inception's medical experts are leading pioneers in fertility care. Our doctors are some of the first to use breakthrough assisted reproductive technologies (ART) including in vitro fertilization (IVF), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and fertility preservation services and they continue to lead the industry by building on these technologies by through development, research and thought leadership. Through its growing family of national organizations which includes The Prelude Network, the fastest-growing network of fertility clinics and largest provider of comprehensive fertility services in the U.S.; Pathways Fertility, clinics that provide affordable, individualized and high quality care; MyEggBank, one of the largest frozen donor egg banks in North America; Bundl Fertility, LLC (Bundl), a multi-cycle fertility service bundling program and HavenCryo, a long-term reproductive preservation and storage solution provider, Inception is working to deliver on its promise to push the envelope of what is possible for exceeding patient expectations. About The Prelude Network The Prelude Network (Prelude), the fastest-growing network of fertility clinics and largest provider of comprehensive fertility services in North America, is the clinic network of Inception Fertility a family of fertility brands that touches every part of the fertility journey, including diagnostics and treatment to financial accessibility. Each clinic, as part of the Prelude Network, is committed to delivering the highest level of personalized fertility care by the nation's leading reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists, and practitioners by focusing on an excellence in science, medicine and the patient experience. The growing Prelude Network has over 40 total locations nationwide, offering a wide range of fertility services including egg freezing, IVF, genetic testing and egg/embryo storage, among others. MEDIA CONTACT: Mia Humphreys Krupp 239-297-6592 [email protected] SOURCE The Prelude Network Coit College of Pharmacy alumni will have a clearer pathway to obtaining an MBA CHANDLER, Ariz., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The first programmatic partnership between the University of Arizona (UArizona) and the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC) will launch between the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the UArizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at UAGC. This partnership represents an important milestone in the UAGC integration into UArizona, as it opens the door for more programmatic partnerships in the future. The official launch takes place Friday, October 28, 2022, at 6 p.m. at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy Alumni Celebration event, which is part of the UArizona Homecoming festivities. Dr. Maja Zelihic, Dean of the Forbes School of Business and Technology at UAGC and Department Chair Dr. Jorge Cardenas will be present to provide more information to PharmD alumni and answer their questions. "This partnership represents an important milestone in the UAGC integration into the University of Arizona." Tweet this "Senior Vice Provost Dr. Iris Lafferty, Dean Zelihic, and the UAGC team are wonderful partners, and I am so excited to bring this unique educational opportunity to our alumni at a reduced cost," said Dr. Rick Schnellmann, Dean of the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. "This collaboration will help our graduates broaden their skillsets and set them on a path for greater career advancement." "I applaud Dean Schnellmann's vision and commitment to his students. He is forward thinking in recognizing how a Forbes School of Business and Technology MBA poises PharmD students for next generation leadership in the Pharmacology field," said UAGC Sr. Vice Provost Dr. Iris Lafferty. "I'm proud to support this endeavor, recognizing its promise for both UArizona and UAGC collaborations in the future." This partnership provides an easier and more affordable path for UArizona Doctor of Pharmacy alumni to pursue their MBA. They can save time by applying completed PharmD credits and transferring them to the UAGC MBA to receive up to nine credits.* In addition, this MBA program will save them up to $7,560. Additional savings on tuition and fees may apply. "With our shared commitment to the University of Arizona community, we are excited to offer Doctor of Pharmacy graduates a cost-efficient opportunity to earn their MBA," said Dean Zelihic. "The University of Arizona PharmD alumni can now discover a challenging, rich, and relevant Forbes School of Business and Technology MBA program that aligns with the Forbes brand, one of the most respected names in the business world." UAGC is proud to support MBA students with flexible, 100% online classes; accelerated six-week courses; 24/7 support, including free on-demand tutoring; $0 application fee and no standardized testing requirements. As the UArizona and UAGC family grows, additional collaborations are anticipated. *The transferability of credits is subject to the University of Arizona Global Campus transfer credit policies and requires the submission of official transcripts. The official transcripts will be evaluated to determine the credits that will officially apply toward a UAGC degree program. About the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy The University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy is the premier pharmacy college in the Southwest, and one of the top in the nation, focused on drug discovery, toxicology, pharmaceutics, health outcomes and sciences, pharmaceutical education and research through interprofessional training and collaborative public/private partnerships. Preparing pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists in undergraduate, professional, graduate and post-doctoral programs, the college embraces an entrepreneurial spirit, providing tailored educational opportunities to broaden students' experiences. Established 75 years ago as the first health sciences college at UArizona, the college has a long history of improving science and health, both in Arizona and around the world. It is currently ranked No. 5 among the nation's 143 colleges of pharmacy by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. For more information: pharmacy.arizona.edu About University of Arizona Global Campus The University of Arizona Global Campus ("Global Campus" or "UAGC") is an independent university that is operated in affiliation with the University of Arizona. Global Campus is designed to provide flexible opportunities for working students from diverse backgrounds who seek to gain knowledge and skills that will help them to achieve their life and career goals. Global Campus is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and is one of the nation's most innovative online universities with approximately 25,000 students. UAGC offers more than 50 degrees at the associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. For more information visit uagc.edu. SOURCE University of Arizona Global Campus BRAND INTRODUCES A NEW MULTI-SENSORY RETAIL CONCEPT DEDICATED TO MAKING SELF-EXPRESSION COMFORTABLE FOR ALL HIGH-RES CONTENT Credit: UGG SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California-based global lifestyle brand UGG (a division of Deckers Brands [NYSE: DECK]) proudly launched Feel House is a multi-sensory community space dedicated to making self-expression comfortable for all. Initially introduced as a public relations concept in March 2022, Feel House returns this fall as consumer-facing retail pop-ups in Brooklyn, New York; Chengdu, China; and Seongsu-dong, Seoul, South Korea, so that UGG consumers from around the globe can participate in the one-of-a-kind experience. UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK UGG LAUNCHES FEEL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK "UGG has always been an emotional brand because of the way it makes you feel," said Anne Spangenberg, President of UGG & Koolaburra by UGG at Deckers Brands. "Through sensorial and interactive environments, our Feel House space is meant to strengthen the bond we have with our consumer." "Feel House is dedicated to memorable store experiences that put the consumer first," said Gerard Marceda, Sr. Director of Retail for North America. "We are proud to open the first Feel House pop-up in Brooklyn, New York and serve a new community." The Brooklyn-based Feel House, which was curated and crafted in partnership with Matte Projects, puts a laser focus on community both the local community where the store is located, and by tapping existing members of the UGG family, including past partners to contribute to the space. UGG partner and curator, critic, and author Kimberly Drew enlisted local artists to create custom work centered around the idea of "feeling." Made exclusively for Feel House, Shawna X, Grace Miceli and Alicia Mersy's pieces will be on display through January 2023. Shawna X created artwork representing an act of weaving and sorting through complexity to seek truth and healing, made with a mix of traditional, digital and AI mediums. Grace's digitally illustrated comic features twelve rectangular panels designed to push her toward opening up and exploring her inner world. For Alicia's work, she built and fabricated an affirmation-covered sofa in collaboration with Furniture Abu Akram of Brooklyn, made to encourage total awareness and positive action toward maintaining the integrity of our true self. Consumers can now enter the Feel House through a sensory tunnel and enter the world of UGG. Inside the pop-up, a sanctuary space delivers on the necessity of refuge, by giving consumers a cozy and calming space to reset and recharge. Special audio and lighting installations allow for visitors Zen-like mindfulness and meditation, a true escape from the outside world. A custom scent was created in partnership with New York-based Olfactory NYC and references the UGG brand's signature suede through bold notes of dry leather, apricot, and salt, with a light, refreshing sea breeze, as a nod to its origin story, born on the beaches of Southern California. There is also an interactive wall, where consumers can contribute to the space by sharing their feelings through art and words. To continue to support organizations that champion mental wellness and belonging for vulnerable communities, UGG will partner with two nonprofits this holiday season, host panel events at the Feel House and donate $50,000 to each partner. PFLAG is dedicated to creating a more caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them through support, education, and advocacy. Sad Girls Club is committed to destigmatizing mental wellness for Millennial and Gen Z, women, girls, and femmes of color; and UGG will be co-hosting an event with Elyse Fox, filmmaker, mental health advocate, and founder of Sad Girls Club on Nov. 17, 2022. Feel House will feature a curated assortment of the UGG brand's iconic heritage silhouettes including the globally beloved Classic Boot franchiseClassic Micro Mini, Classic Ultra Mini, Classic Mini II, and Classic Short IIand new heritage silhouettes, updated with a platform outsole, which has been recently seen on top models like Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Adut Akech, and Elsa Hosk, as well as numerous digital influencers at the start of the autumn season, or as the brand has officially dubbed UGG Season. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the brand's ever-popular Adirondack and Butte winter boots will also be available for purchase at pop-up. With cold winter months and the holidays just around the corner, Feel House further proves that UGG is the ultimate one-stop shop for everyone on anyone's gift list. The brand celebrated the opening through an exclusive weekend of events from Oct. 21-22. On Friday evening, UGG brought together Kimberly Drew and local artists, Shawna X, Alicia Mersy, and Grace Miceli's for an intimate Q&A about their work at Feel House. Internationally celebrated tattoo artist JonBoy customized UGG Classic Boots with tattoo-inspired designs, while New York City-based violinist and composer Sean Bennett of Yozart treated guests to a special musical and interpretive dance performance. The second night, UGG continued the celebration of the Feel House launch. Guests were treated to a special performance by GRAMMY Award-nominated musician Tierra Whack while DJ Quiana Parks played a special set to open and close out the evening. JonBoy returned to Feel House to continue customizing UGG Classic Boots. Notable attendees included actor and model Evan Mock, actor Myha'la Herrold, actor and musician Lourdes Leon, and model, actor, and artist Ella Emhoff. Feel House New York Retail opening: Friday, Oct. 28, 2022 25 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249 Retail hours: Monday through Saturday from 11:00 am 8:00 pm E.T., & Sunday from 12:00 pm 6:00 pm E.T. Feel House China Retail opening: Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 Location: Chengdu, China Feel House South Korea Retail opening: Nov. 24 Dec. 3, 2022 Location: Seongsu-dong, Seoul, South Korea Feel House Zepeto (Metaverse) Launch Date: Nov. 24, 2022 Location: Zepeto App 'Feels Like Connection' Exclusive Consumer Events Nov. 17: Conversation with Elyse Fox of Sad Girls Club & Special Surprise Guest Dec. 2022: Panel discussion with PFLAG For more information on Feel House, please go to www.ugg.com/feel-house. About UGG Founded in 1978 by an Australian surfer on the coast of California, UGG is a global lifestyle brand renowned for its iconic Classic boot. First worn by Hollywood royalty, fashion editors and then the world, UGG designs and retails footwear, apparel, accessories, and homewares with an uncompromising attitude toward quality and craftsmanship. UGG is an environmentally and socially conscious brand which strives to be socially just, economically inclusive, and environmentally restorative. Delivering more than $1.5 billion in annual sales, UGG partners with the best retailers globally and owns concept and outlet stores worldwide in key markets including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing. For more information, please visit www.ugg.com @ugg #FeelsLikeUGG Press Contact: UGG Matty Magnin PR Manager Mobile: 917-842-2391 [email protected] SOURCE UGG New research shows that when it comes to cyber risks in the workplace, over a third (35%) of U.S. employees express little-to-no concern about theft of company data However, U.S. businesses can do more to support employees - nearly a third (31%) say there is no cyber training at all in their workplace, despite 77% finding it interesting Educating employees and building a cyber-aware culture is the first line of protection LAVAL, QC, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Terranova Security, a global leader in security awareness training, is today launching a report that showcases the level of cyber security awareness among workers in the United States. Overall, the research uncovered that U.S. businesses still aren't doing enough to protect their organizations from cyber threats by not providing proper cyber awareness training and education. In collaboration with research company Ipsos, Terranova Security surveyed 1,500 U.S. employees and found that the level of concern over cyber risks was alarmingly low. Just over a third (35%) of employees express little-to-no concern about data theft at work, and 20% believe they can't be targeted at all by cyber criminals. The research shows there is still confusion among employees over who is responsible for protecting company data, despite human error being the cause of 95% of cyber issues. More than three-quarters (76%) of U.S. employees believe it's the IT department's responsibility to protect company data, compared to just 53% who understand they play an essential role. These findings come at a time when the danger from a breach is at an all-time high. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 294 million people were impacted by data breaches in 2021. The research highlights that U.S. businesses are failing to provide employees with enough education on common cyber threats and security best practices. Only 41% of employees say they work in a company where cyber security awareness training is mandatory. 43% haven't participated in any cyber security training, and nearly a third (31%) indicated that their company doesn't offer any relevant training at all. These low training rates aren't due to a lack of interest from employees, as 77% believe cyber security training is interesting, and 57% have started or completed the training when it's offered to them. "The research shows that there's some work to do on educating people about the important role they play in protecting data at work, but the responsibility doesn't just fall on them," said Theo Zafirakos, Chief Information Security Officer, Terranova Security. "It's clear that security awareness training fell by the wayside for many American businesses, even though cyber crime is rising, and that's a concern. But employees also have an appetite for learning more about it. These people are the first line of defense against any cyber attack. By investing more in education and building a culture around data security within the business, companies will set up a powerful barrier against any cyber threats." Read the full Ipsos report and learn more about Terranova Security here. About Terranova Security Terranova Security, part of the HelpSystems solution ecosystem, has been transforming the world's end users into cyber heroes for more than 20 years. Using a proven pedagogical framework, Terranova Security training solutions empower organizations worldwide to implement programs that change user behaviors, reduce the human risk factor, and build a security-aware organizational culture. As a result, any employee can better understand phishing, social engineering, data privacy, compliance, and other critical best practices. With the addition of new features like its Content Hub and Security Awareness Index, Terranova Security consistently innovates to support all organizations' cyber-security objectives. These industry-leading solution additions also strengthen long-term information security for all professionals, regardless of region or sector, in an era where remote work and borderless productivity are standard. Learn more at terranovasecurity.com. About IPSOS Ipsos is the third largest market research company in the world, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people. Our research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data coming from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques. "Game Changers" our tagline summarises our ambition to help our 5,000 clients to navigate more easily our deeply changing world. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD). ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP www.ipsos.com SOURCE Terranova Security NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Liang Zhao , Founder and CEO of public relations and marketing consultancy Vansary , will speak at the Money20/20 conference in Las Vegas, the largest global fintech event enabling payments and financial services innovation for connected commerce. Alongside Michelle Tran, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Sales at Vestwell, and Mark Sievert, Head of Growth at Finli, the panel will discuss how race, culture, and gender shape careers entitled "Representing Difference Communities" as a part of the Do Better Together Agenda. In her talk, Zhao will address the current state of female and minority representation in technology, disparity between the stereotype of Asian women leaders as the "model minority" and the "promotable" traits that are rewarded in the tech field. In addition, she will review the benefits of a diverse leadership team that are increasingly shown to elevate financial performance and product relevance. Among the professional and management ranks of the nation's top companies, one in every 45 white men and one in every 60 white women are executives. For Asian managers and professionals, only one in every 96 men and one in every 124 women hold a top job. 44% of Asians in STEM jobs report experiencing discrimination at work, according to a 2018 report from Pew Research Center. Asian and Native American female lawyers get the least amount of legal business from big corporations. "Asians are the least likely racial group to be promoted into leadership ranks in the tech sector. Asian women, in particular, are the least likely to become executives and founders of VC backed companies due to a double bias from the intersectionality of gender and race," said Zhao. "It's time to create a defined space for Asian women to claim roles, funding, and leadership profiles that will advance technology shaping the future of our finances, healthcare, and family lives." Following Money20/20, Zhao and Tran will launch Tiger Collective with the goal of creating a space for fortifying Asian female leaders of tomorrow. Zhao is passionate about mentoring blossoming young women and Asian descendents with the mission of empowering them to take positions that start with "chief" in the title. She also does pro bono work for local and immigrant-owned small businesses around the country to adapt to a digital marketplace. Zhao founded Vansary in 2019. She started her career working with Fortune 500 companies on their globalization efforts and helped build awareness of new business units and products for over 20 countries. She went on to manage relationships for Moody's analytics. Zhao was originally born in Luoyang, Henan, and grew up in New Mexico. She has her Masters in Finance from Tulane University, where she also earned bachelor's degrees in both Marketing and Communications. The panel will take place on October 25th at 2:30 p.m. PST at Floor 2, Bellini 2004-2006 & 2104 - 2106, of The Venetian Las Vegas located at 3355 S Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89109. About Vansary Vansary is a public relations and marketing consultancy driving emboldened narratives for individuals and businesses, cultivating high-impact conversations in an evolving digital marketplace. Vansary helps trailblazing businesses weave rich tapestries of impactful presence to elevate executive profiles and grow businesses. With our team's diverse backgrounds spanning theories and applications of sales, marketing, public relations, law, education and philosophy, Vansary designs articulate solutions for business growth applied to the modern global commercial landscape. Our team constructs novel pathways and opportunities to connect brands with their audience, mapping out innovative campaign strategies and building experiences to multiply handshakes and elevate business success. For more information, visit www.vansary.com Contact: Liang Zhao, +15057206933 SOURCE Vansary Investment supports the continuing innovation and expansion of Wildfire's white-label shopping rewards platform SAN DIEGO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wildfire Systems Inc. , an innovative fintech platform that powers white-label reward programs and shopping companions, today announced that it has secured a strategic investment from Citi Ventures . The funding will support Wildfire's technological innovation and continued ability to deploy new features that will drive rewarding online shopping experiences for consumers worldwide. The company's white-label, turnkey offering enables partners which include financial institutions (FIs), telecom leaders, and technology companies to provide their customers with cashback rewards, digital coupons and other benefits when they shop at thousands of online merchants. "Wildfire is a leading player at the intersection of embedded finance, e-commerce, rewards, and loyalty," said Luis Valdich, Managing Director & Head of Fintech Investing at Citi Ventures. "We are excited to invest in Wildfire given its strong market traction and vast potential to help financial services firms drive revenue, engagement, customer acquisition and retention." "We are thrilled by Citi Ventures' investment in Wildfire. As an investor in several successful consumer fintech startups including Honey, which was acquired by PayPal in 2019 Citi Ventures really understands our business and appreciates our value proposition," said Jordan Glazier, CEO of Wildfire Systems. "I look forward to working with the Citi Ventures team to continue to grow our business." Wildfire has received $24.5 million in venture investment to date, including this new investment from Citi Ventures. The company announced a $15 million Series A round in August 2021, co-led by TTV Capital and QED Investors . Other investors include Mucker Capital , Bonfire Ventures , Moonshots Capital , B Capital , and BAM Ventures . Wildfire continues to establish partnerships with many of the world's leading financial services organizations. Recently the company announced a partnership with Visa , the world leader in digital payments. Wildfire's platform will power Visa's new Visa Affiliate Marketing Solutions (VAMS) program, providing Visa's vast network of card issuers with a rich set of benefits they'll deliver to consumers with the most advanced and comprehensive shopping rewards solution on the market today. For more information on Wildfire Systems' white-label rewards platform, please visit https://www.wildfire-corp.com . About Wildfire Systems, Inc. Wildfire Systems provides an enterprise platform which enables clients to embed social commerce, cashback rewards, digital coupons, and shopping companions within their existing services. Wildfire's patented suite of technologies rewards online shopping and harnesses digital word-of-mouth, delivering enhanced user experiences, consumer loyalty, and new revenue streams for clients. Wildfire drives incremental revenue for over 50,000 online merchant programs in over 50 countries. The company is based in San Diego and was founded in 2017. For more information, visit www.wildfire-corp.com . About Citi Ventures Citi Ventures catalyzes innovation and accelerates growth in the tech and financial services ecosystems. The group invests in and partners with category-defining startups with the potential to augment and enhance Citi's products and services, and works with Citi colleagues, clients, and the innovation ecosystem to experiment with next-generation technologies and develop new products and services that respond to the changing landscape of the 21st century. Since its founding in 2010, the team has invested in over 100 startups across seven focus areas, from Fintech to DLT & Digital Assets. For more information, visit https://www.citi.com/ventures . SOURCE Wildfire Systems Trial Lawyers Join Medical Malpractice & Health Care Practice in New York and Transportation Practice in California NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National law firm Wilson Elser announced today that three lateral partners joined the firm in October: Riki Ghosh in the Medical Malpractice & Health Care Practice and Asir Fiola and Celeena Pompeo in the Transportation Practice. "Growing our firm through the acquisition of good leaders helps attract and retain the next generation of lawyers who will work with them and learn from them," said Wilson Elser Managing Partner R. Douglas Noah Jr. "Riki, Asir and Celeena not only fill that role but also bring new levels of potential for the future to two of our practices with a history of impressive growth." Ghosh joins the firm in New York from Ekblom & Partners. He represents physicians, health care providers and medical centers in a variety of complex matters and has more than a decade of trial experience. Having worked at a boutique white-collar criminal defense firm and as a public defender, Ghosh has litigated extensively at the state and federal levels. He earned his J.D. degree in 2010 from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and a B.A. degree in Economics in 2006 from the University of Texas at Austin. Ghosh is the third partner to join Wilson Elser's Medical Malpractice & Health Care Practice this year. In September, Tim Sheehan and Joe Swart came on board from DeCorato Sheehan Merolesi & Federico LLP. Fiola and Pompeo join Wilson Elser from Selman Breitman LLP located in Orange County, California. They bring trial and arbitration experience that will further strengthen the litigation and trial capabilities of Wilson Elser's Transportation Practice. Both will service clients from the Los Angeles office's new satellite location in Orange County, California. The Los Angeles office is one of the firm's oldest, established in 1979. Together, the two locations enable Wilson Elser attorneys to better accommodate the legal needs of more clients across the area. Fiola will focus his practice on legal matters in the areas of trucking, transportation and general liability, as well as product liability and toxic tort. With almost 20 years of trial experience, he has represented insurance and private clients in all areas of civil litigation, including cases arising out of automobile accidents, construction accidents, construction defects, subrogation claims, breach of contract and premises liability. Fiola earned his J.D. degree in 2002 from Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, and a B.A. degree in 1997 from the University of California, Los Angeles. Pompeo will handle legal matters in the areas of trucking and transportation, as well as general liability, product liability and toxic tort matters. She has represented insurers, corporations and small business owners in the defense of personal injury suits, including cases arising out of catastrophic injury. Pompeo has nearly 10 years of experience with multi-party trucking and transportation cases, as well as extensive arbitration and second-chair trial experience. Pompeo received her J.D. degree in 2013 from Whittier Law School with magna cum laude honors and a B.A. degree in 2005 from California State University, Fullerton. About Wilson Elser Wilson Elser is the preeminent defense litigation firm in the United States. At any given time, our more than 900 attorneys are engaged in some 100,000 defense and coverage matters, with many defending clients in various local, state and federal courts. Indeed, over more than four decades, our litigation, coverage and trial lawyers have gained a reputation for taking on and prevailing in the most challenging and technical cases, frequently "parachuting in" to assume unresolved matters from other law firms. Our success also derives from winning on our clients' terms and rigorously adhering to their guidelines. We are ranked 105 in the Am Law 200 and 57th in the National Law Journal's NLJ 500. For more information, go to www.wilsonelser.com PR Contact: Andrew Blum, AJB Communications [email protected] | 917.783.1680 SOURCE Wilson Elser Albertsons Companies Foundation Presented $560,000 Donation to Best Buddies, a Global Nonprofit Supporting Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Hosted by Best Buddies Celebrity Ambassador Jason Lewis, the Event Took Place on Saturday, October 15, at the Summit Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California MIAMI, Fla., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 19th annual Best Buddies Challenge: California presented by Core Hydration & Safeway Foundation raised $2 million for Best Buddies International . Proceeds benefited programs dedicated to creating opportunities for friendship, employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Hundreds of guests participated in the challenge on Saturday, October 15, at the Summit Skywalker Ranch. Cyclists, advocates, and celebrity supporters alike attended this annual event and took to the start line to ride 70 miles down the majestic coastal vistas and beautiful countryside in Marin County, California. Safeway Northern California Division President Karl Schroeder presented a $560,000 check presentation to Best Buddies International during the opening ceremonies. Hosted by Best Buddies celebrity supporter Jason Lewis, the event celebrated Safeway Foundation's impressive commitment to enriching the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through their fundraising and employment efforts. "The Safeway Foundation prizes our longstanding commitment to our community partners, and Best Buddies is a great example of that relationship," said Safeway Northern California Division President Karl Schroeder. "We are honored to provide financial support to an organization that has been such a vital advocate of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities." "In 2015, I was approached by Best Buddies and was blown away by how they help facilitate space for the participants in their program which best suits each individual," said Best Buddies celebrity ambassador Jason Lewis. "The most human thing we can do is create space for another person to flourish. Everyone deserves to feel valuable and good about themselves in every aspect of their lives. Everyone is deserving of someone to love and someone to love them back. I'm extremely honored to work with Best Buddies and help advance their mission to enrich the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. "Best Buddies is built on the power of partnerships and a shared vision for creating a more inclusive society for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities," said Chairman, Founder, and CEO of Best Buddies International Anthony Kennedy Shriver. "We are incredibly grateful for Safeway Foundation's $560,000 donation and their commitment to employing people with IDD. Their exemplary leadership and generous donation give individuals with IDD access to meaningful employment, income and allow them to make a positive contribution to society." Safeway stores in Northern California, Northern Nevada and Hawaii, through its respective Foundation, collaborated with Best Buddies this year to raise awareness and funds at store locations in support of the organization's mission. Collectively, the regions raised an impressive $560,000 for Best Buddies, which will impact the lives of thousands of program participants. In addition to their generous financial contributions to Best Buddies, Albertsons Companies is also an active employer of people with IDD. Since 2007, Albertsons has hired employees through the Best Buddies Jobs program in Massachusetts, California, Texas, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Participants from the Best Buddies Jobs program currently work throughout their stores in these regions, maintaining various positions where they demonstrate their skills and abilities while contributing to a more inclusive workplace. During the event, Best Buddies Global Ambassador Katie Meade was surprised with a video from 7-time Super Bowl Champion and philanthropist Tom Brady . Brady met Meade back in Boston in 2003 at the Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port event, and the two have bonded in genuine friendship for nearly two decades. The ride concluded with a gourmet luncheon and a program hosted by Best Buddies International's Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Anthony Kennedy Shriver, designed to celebrate Best Buddies programs and key supporters for their efforts in creating a more inclusive world for people with IDD. With nearly 3,000 chapters worldwide, Best Buddies impacts 1 million people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities across 50 states and 47 countries annually. ABOUT BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL: Best Buddies is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to nearly 3,000 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies' nine formal programs Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies, Jobs, Ambassadors, Promoters and Inclusive Living engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 47 countries, positively impacting the lives of nearly 1 million people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org, facebook.com/bestbuddies or twitter.com/bestbuddies . SOURCE Best Buddies International Third-Quarter Highlights: Company reports GAAP earnings per share of $6.77 . . Adjusted earnings per share of $2.69 , excluding the impact of special items. Q3 2022 Q3 2021 GAAP EPS $ 6.77 $ 2.45 Special Items (4.08) 0.13 Adjusted EPS $ 2.69 $ 2.58 Memo: GAAP operating income margin 48.2 % 20.0 % Adjusted operating income margin 21.5 % 21.1 % See the "Supplemental Financial Information Non-GAAP Measures" section for applicable information. Sales of $8.6 billion , down 4 percent year-on-year, which included impacts of negative 1 percent from divestitures and negative 5 percent from foreign currency translation due to strength of U.S. dollar. , down 4 percent year-on-year, which included impacts of negative 1 percent from divestitures and negative 5 percent from foreign currency translation due to strength of U.S. dollar. Organic sales growth of 2 percent year-on-year which included a 1.4 percentage point headwind from the decline in disposable respirator demand. Operating cash flow was $1.5 billion , down 18 percent year-on-year, while adjusted free cash flow was $1.4 billion , down 16 percent year-on-year. , down 18 percent year-on-year, while adjusted free cash flow was , down 16 percent year-on-year. 3M returned $1.0 billion to shareholders via dividends and gross share repurchases. returned to shareholders via dividends and gross share repurchases. Received approximately $1 billion in consideration and reduced outstanding shares by 16 million via exchange offer due to Food Safety divestiture. ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 3M (NYSE: MMM) today reported third-quarter 2022 results. "We continue to execute our strategies and deliver for our customers in a highly uncertain environment," said 3M chairman and CEO Mike Roman. "Excluding the impact of the decline in disposable respirator sales, our team posted over 3 percent organic growth. We delivered sequential and year-over-year margin expansion, amidst macroeconomic challenges and the strengthening U.S. dollar." "We continue to position 3M for the future through investments for growth, productivity and sustainability, along with active portfolio management," Roman continued. "This quarter we divested our food safety business and began executing the work-streams to successfully spin our Health Care business, resulting in two world-class, public companies." 3M updated its full-year sales and earnings expectations to reflect the continued strengthening of the U.S. dollar and the uncertain macroeconomic environment. Total sales growth: -3.5 to -3.0 percent vs. -2.5 to -0.5 percent prior Organic sales growth: 1.5 to 2.0 percent vs. 1.5 to 3.5 percent prior Acquisition and divestiture sales growth: -0.5 percent vs. 0 percent prior Foreign currency translation impact on sales: -4.5 percent vs. -4.0 percent prior Adjusted earnings per share^: $10.10 to $10.35 vs. $10.30 to $10.80 prior to vs. to prior Operating cash flow^ of $6.8 to $7.4 billion contributing to 85% to 95% adjusted free cash flow conversion^ See the "Supplemental Financial Information Non-GAAP Measures" section for applicable information. ^ As further discussed at * therein, 3M cannot, without unreasonable effort, forecast certain items required to develop meaningful comparable GAAP financial measures and, therefore, does not provide them on a forward-looking basis reflecting these items. Conference Call 3M will conduct an investor teleconference at 9 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. CDT) today. Investors can access this conference via the following: Live webcast at http://investors.3M.com . . Live telephone: Call 800-762-2596 within the U.S. or +1 212-231-2916 outside the U.S. Please join the call at least 10 minutes before the start time. Call 800-762-2596 within the U.S. or +1 212-231-2916 outside the U.S. Please join the call at least 10 minutes before the start time. Webcast replay: Go to 3M's Investor Relations website at http://investors.3M.com and click on "Quarterly Earnings." Go to 3M's Investor Relations website at http://investors.3M.com and click on "Quarterly Earnings." Telephone replay: Call 800-633-8284 within the U.S. or +1 402-977-9140 outside the U.S. (for both U.S. and outside the U.S., the access code is 21999291). The telephone replay will be available until 11:30 a.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. CDT) on October 31, 2022. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplemental Financial Information Non-GAAP Measures View the Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplemental Financial Information Non-GAAP Measures on 3M's website: https://investors.3m.com/Financial-Statements-Q322 Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking information about 3M's financial results and estimates and business prospects that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by the use of words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "aim," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will," "should," "could," "target," "forecast" and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance or business plans or prospects. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: (1) worldwide economic, political, regulatory, capital markets and other external conditions and other factors beyond the Company's control, including natural and other disasters or climate change affecting the operations of the Company or its customers and suppliers; (2) risks related to public health crises such as the global pandemic associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19); (3) foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations in those rates; (4) liabilities related to certain fluorochemicals, including lawsuits concerning various PFAS-related products and chemistries, and claims and governmental regulatory proceedings and inquiries related to PFAS in a variety of jurisdictions; (5) legal proceedings, including significant developments that could occur in the legal and regulatory proceedings described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2021, as updated by the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 26, 2022, and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q (the "Reports"); (6) competitive conditions and customer preferences; (7) the timing and market acceptance of new product offerings; (8) the availability and cost of purchased components, compounds, raw materials and energy (including oil and natural gas and their derivatives) due to shortages, increased demand or supply interruptions (including those caused by natural and other disasters and other events); (9) unanticipated problems or delays with the phased implementation of a global enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, or security breaches and other disruptions to the Company's information technology infrastructure; (10) the impact of acquisitions, strategic alliances, divestitures, and other unusual events resulting from portfolio management actions and other evolving business strategies, and possible organizational restructuring; (11) operational execution, including scenarios where the Company generates fewer productivity improvements than estimated; (12) financial market risks that may affect the Company's funding obligations under defined benefit pension and postretirement plans; (13) the Company's credit ratings and its cost of capital; (14) tax-related external conditions, including changes in tax rates, laws or regulations; (15) matters relating to the proposed spin-off of the Company's Health Care business, including whether the transaction will be completed, or if completed, will be on the expected terms; the risk that the expected benefits will not be realized; the risk that the costs or dis-synergies will exceed the anticipated amounts; the ability to satisfy the various closing conditions; potential business disruption; the diversion of management time; the impact of the transaction (or its pendency) on the Company's ability to retain talent; potential impacts on the Company's relationships with its customers, suppliers, employees, regulators and other counterparties; the ability to realize the desired tax treatment (including whether an Internal Revenue Service private letter ruling will be sought or obtained); the risk that any consents or approvals required will not be obtained; risks associated with financings that may be undertaken and indebtedness that may be incurred in connection with the transaction; and (16) matters relating to the voluntary chapter 11 proceedings of the Company's subsidiary Aearo Technologies and certain of its affiliates (the "Aearo Entities"), including legal risks related to the chapter 11 proceedings; potential impacts to the Company's reputation and its relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, regulators and other counterparties and community members; potential impacts to the Company's liquidity or results of operations, including risks related to the amount that will be necessary to fully and finally resolve all of the Company's obligations to make payments to resolve such claims under the terms of its funding and indemnification agreement with the Aearo Entities; and the Aearo Entities' ability to navigate the chapter 11 proceedings to obtain approval and consummation of a plan of reorganization. Changes in such assumptions or factors could produce significantly different results. A further description of these factors is located in the Reports under "Cautionary Note Concerning Factors That May Affect Future Results" and "Risk Factors" in Part I, Items 1 and 1A (Annual Report) and in Part I, Item 2 and Part II, Item 1A (Quarterly Reports). The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements discussed herein as a result of new information or future events or developments. About 3M At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily as our employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to the world's problems at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews. Please note that the company announces material financial, business and operational information using the 3M investor relations website, SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. The company also uses the 3M news center and social media to communicate with our customers and the public about the company, products and services and other matters. It is possible that the information 3M posts on the news center and social media could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, the company encourages investors, the media and others interested in 3M to review the information posted on 3M's news center and the social media channels such as [email protected] or @3MNews. Contacts 3M Investor Contacts: Bruce Jermeland, 651-733-1807 or Diane Farrow, 612-202-2449 Media contact: Tim Post [email protected] SOURCE 3M BANGKOK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei's 13th Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) kicked off in Bangkok today with a keynote from the company's Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu. "5G has grown faster than any previous generation of mobile technology," began Hu. "In just three years, we've seen solid progress in network deployment, consumer services, and industry applications." Ken Hu speaking at MBBF 2022 "5G is in the fast lane," he continued, "and we should all be proud of the progress we've made. But there's more we can do to maximize its value. We need to work together to fully unleash the power of 5G networks and expand into services like cloud and system integration. Together, we can drive leapfrog development in 5G networks, applications, and the industry as a whole." As of October 2022, more than 230 carriers around the world have launched commercial 5G services. In total, the industry has set up over three million 5G base stations, serving more than 700 million subscribers. In telecoms, consumer services still account for the bulk of carrier revenue. As 5G becomes more prevalent, its vastly superior experience is driving new shifts in consumer behavior, including a sharp rise in high-definition video traffic. New mobile applications that take advantage of 5G's greater speeds and lower latency have doubled average user data consumption (DOU) and are increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) by 20%40%, contributing to steady growth in carrier revenue from connectivity. At the same time, B2B 5G applications are also becoming a new engine for carrier revenue growth, producing considerable value in industries like oil and gas, manufacturing, and transportation. These applications are not only innovative they're generating real commercial value for carriers. In 2021, for example, Chinese carriers brought in over CNY3.4 billion (roughly USD500 million) in new revenue from more than 3,000 industrial 5G projects. What's more, these projects also generated 10 times that amount from related data and integrated ICT services. B2B 5G applications are poised to become the fastest growing revenue stream for carriers. 5G is enabling new service scenarios, applications, and business models, paving the way for unprecedented growth opportunities in the industry. "To seize these opportunities," said Hu, "there are a few things we need to do." Building out networks for better user experience Beyond expanding coverage, networks should be built in a way that optimizes different types of user experience. For example, Chinese carriers have optimized their networks for TikTok and other popular video services, reducing first input delay by 50% and frame freeze by 90%. This much smoother video experience has doubled data consumption and is attracting new users to 5G services. Driving the development of 5.5G To push 5G to the next level, Huawei worked with carriers and industry partners to propose four features for 5.5G, the next evolution of 5G technology: 10 Gbps downlink, 1 Gbps uplink, support for 100 billion connections, and native intelligence. "The industry needs to come together to define standards, prepare the spectrum, and build out the ecosystem," said Hu. Driving service innovation to maximize the value of 5G With large bandwidth and low latency, 5G can be integrated with cloud and AI to provide entirely new services for consumers and businesses alike. Carriers can deliver new experiences like extended reality (XR), cloud gaming, and enriched calling services for individual consumers, and provide enterprises with more comprehensive digital transformation solutions. These open up new revenue streams, presenting an opportunity for carriers to go beyond connectivity and move into cloud services and system integration. Industry digitalization is the next wave of global economic development. As a key enabler of digital transformation, 5G opens up a world of new opportunities. But the ICT ecosystem needs to work together to make the most of them. "If we work together, we can drive leapfrog development in 5G networks, applications, and the industry as a whole," Hu concluded. The Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2022 is hosted by Huawei, together with its industry partners GSMA and GTI. This annual forum gathers mobile network carriers, vertical industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from around the world to discuss how to make 5G a commercial success, as well as other high-priority industry topics like green development, intelligence, and 5G evolution. For more information, please visit: https://www.huawei.com/en/events/mbbf2022. --End-- Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928828/Ken_Hu_speaking_MBBF_2022.jpg SOURCE Huawei HERNDON, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Steady growth continued for the ACH Network in the third quarter of 2022, with 7.6 billion payments processed valued at $19.2 trillion. Those are increases of 4.2% and 6%, respectively, from a year earlier. Same Day ACH showed particularly robust growth. There were 176.6 million same-day payments, up 23.5% from the third quarter of 2021. The value of those payments$478.5 billionreflects a 102.7% rise from a year ago. "As more users of the ACH discover Same Day ACH, they are seeing the value it provides." Tweet this ACH Network Third Quarter 2022 Results "As more users of the ACH discover Same Day ACH, they are seeing the value it provides," said Jane Larimer, Nacha President and CEO. "Same Day ACH payments so far in 2022 have moved more than $1.25 trillion. With a $1 million capability for Same Day ACH payments and settlement with funds availability four times daily, the ACH Network is helping to meet America's faster payment needs." Business-to-business (B2B) ACH payments increased 11.5% to 1.5 billion as organizations large and small continued moving away from checks in favor of faster and safer ACH payments. This is consistent with the 2022 Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) Digital Payments Survey, released earlier this month, which showed that just 33% of B2B payments in the United States and Canada are made by check, down from as high as 81% in 2004. Among the benefits cited most were settlement speed, more efficient reconciliation, and fraud control. Other notable third-quarter increases include a 10.2% rise in internet payments to 2.4 billion and a 15.5% jump in person-to-person (P2P) payments to 76 million. "These quarterly results once again show that the modern ACH Network is there for individuals and businesses who rely on it day in, day out, to quickly and securely make and receive payments," said Larimer. About Nacha Nacha governs the thriving ACH Network, the payment system that drives safe, smart, and fast Direct Deposits and Direct Payments with the capability to reach all U.S. bank and credit union accounts. More than 29 billion ACH Network payments were made in 2021, valued at close to $73 trillion. Through problem-solving and consensus-building among diverse payment industry stakeholders, Nacha advances innovation and interoperability in the payments system. Nacha develops rules and standards, provides industry solutions, and delivers education, accreditation, and advisory services. Contact:Dan Roth Nacha 703-561-3923 [email protected] SOURCE Nacha MIAMI, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Care Resource Community Health Centers, Inc. celebrates the first anniversary of the Special Purpose Outreach Team (SPOT) mobile medical clinic. This mobile medical clinic was inaugurated in October 2021 in response to the opioid crisis, ongoing HIV epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic in Broward County. The SPOT's unique ability to be mobile has permitted the program to perform COVID vaccinations, infectious disease screenings, onsite telehealth visits, wound care, hepatitis vaccinations, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and more. The SPOT Mobile Medical Clinic According to Thomas Smith, Ph.D., LMHC, LMFT, MCAP, Director of Behavioral Health Services with Care Resource, "Since its inception one year ago, The SPOT program has enrolled 228 participants, exchanged needles 1,350 times, collected 72,572 used syringes, and distributed 53,437 clean needles. For a whole year, this program has taken thousands of used needles off the streets and has prevented countless overdoses by providing education, medical care, and linkage to substance use disorder treatment programs. Moreover, 1,000 Narcan kits have been distributed, resulting in 375 opioid overdose reversals." The SPOT mobile medical clinic is the only Syringe Services Program (SSP) approved by Broward County and authorized under the Florida Infectious Disease Elimination Act (IDEA). Validated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SSPs take used needles off the streets and prevent overdoses by providing education, medical care, and linkage to substance use disorder treatment programs. The SPOT began as a foundational gift made by Peter B. Cinelli, M.D., a retired New York surgeon and Fort Lauderdale philanthropist. Additional funding was provided by United Way of Broward County, Care Resource, the Fishman Family, and a Gilead FOCUS award. Donations to The SPOT Fund offset the cost of new syringes, support educational and outreach materials, and the operations of our mobile clinic. Learn more at: TheSpotBroward.org. About Care Resource: Care Resource provides affordable, high-quality healthcare and support services to the most vulnerable and diverse medically underserved populations of South Florida. Their health centers offer comprehensive health and support services to address the full health care needs of pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients in South Florida. Care Resource is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization and a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), with four locations located in Midtown Miami, Little Havana, Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale. Learn more at: CareResource.org . SOURCE Care Resource Zhavoronkov's "Longevity Pledge" invites the world's 1% and longevity enthusiasts to make longer, healthier human lifespans a reality for everyone DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the artificial intelligence, biotech and longevity pioneer Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, has publicly called for the world's most successful founders, altruistic billionaires, and dedicated longevity pioneers to join him in his unorthodox and principled "Longevity Pledge." Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, is the founder and Chief Longevity Officer of Deep Longevity, the founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, and an adjunct professor at the esteemed Buck Institute for Research on Aging. He serves on the Visionary Board of the Longevity Science Foundation, is part of the advisory board for longevity and biotech venture capital firm LongeVC and advises multiple other non-profits and startups working in longevity biotechnology. He is a renowned artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and longevity expert, founder, and scientist, hailing from Canada and Latvia. Today, Alex Zhavoronkov formally announced his personal " Longevity Pledge ." Through this pledge, Zhavoronkov committed all of his wealth and resources, as well as all of his remaining time to supporting and developing research and clinical solutions for extending healthy productive longevity for everyone on the planet. "Making productive longevity, or the ability to live a longer, healthier life, is the most altruistic cause you can support," said Alex Zhavoronkov. "If we could extend everyone's life by just one more high-quality, healthy year, our world would benefit from roughly 8 billion more impactful years in a few generations. These years could mean thousands of new medical and scientific discoveries, impactful action on climate change, and more. This is no time to waste. I hope my example will motivate people with similar backgrounds to not only commit their wealth, but also their intellect, skills, and ingenuity to this strangely underappreciated cause." Alex Zhavoronkov's personal Longevity Pledge included: - Committing his entire fortune (including future earnings) to the cause of human longevity - 100% of his time to advising, founding, creating and pursuing longevity initiatives - Invest solely in companies with the potential to extend healthy, productive life, forming a global longevity ecosystem. These companies can grow, become sustainable, give rise to other companies, and return profits that can be reinvested in other longevity enterprises. The full pledge can be read here. By inviting others to join the Longevity Pledge, Alex Zhavoronkov believes that four significant breakthroughs for human longevity will be accelerated from approaching release in 20+ years to broadly available in 5 years: - The development of AI-powered drug discovery platforms that will significantly derisk, accelerate, and democratize the discovery of novel therapeutics. The cost of drug discovery and development may exceed $3 billion to launch just one novel drug on the market. The process from disease hypothesis and target discovery to launch of the drug in the clinic can take at least 12 years and fails 99% of the time (source: Insilico Medicine, founded by Alex Zhavoronkov, which is at the forefront of this field and utilizes artificial intelligence, robotics and its global team to accelerate drug discovery). - Personalized medicine, treatment and drugs: Develop fully automated systems that can customize care to each patient and help discover novel therapeutics and therapeutic combinations for individuals. - Cryotherapy/cryobiology and biostasis: Recent advances can allow doctors to freeze and unfreeze organs rapidly, and possibly entire bodies, to enable long-term storage, transport, and even "biostasis" for the terminally ill or irreparably frail. - Artificial intelligence and robotics-powered hospitals: All of the above breakthroughs support the creation of entirely new research and clinical infrastructure for medical care and repair. Creating an AI/robotics-driven preventive and regenerative research hospital is Alex Zhavoronkov's ultimate goal. To learn more, please visit Longevity.Pledge . About Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD Professor Zhavoronkov is a Latvian and Canadian scientist and founder. He received his bachelor's degrees from Queen's University in Canada. After graduating, he began his career in the telecommunications and graphics processing unit (GPU) semiconductor industry, which catalyzed his interest in artificial intelligence and neural networks. In 2004, he decided to pursue a career in aging and longevity biotechnology and completed a master's degree at Johns Hopkins University and his PhD in biophysics from MSU. Afterwards, he directed the bioinformatics and regenerative medicine laboratories at one of the world's largest pediatric hematology, oncology, and immunology research centers. He also worked at and consulted several biotechnology companies and charitable foundations. In 2014, he founded Insilico Medicine , one of the first and largest AI-powered clinical-stage biotechnology companies with end-to-end drug discovery capabilities. At Insilico, he raised over $415 million, developed eight preclinical candidates, and took the aging research- and AI-discovered and AI-designed antifibrotic drug into human clinical trials. He also founded Deep Longevity , which is now part of a publicly-traded Endurance Longevity, a company specializing in aging biomarkers, and published the first aging clocks using deep learning. In 2013, he founded the Aging Research for Drug Discovery (ARDD) conference in Basel, Switzerland, which moved to the University of Copenhagen in 2019. Today it is the largest industry conference in longevity biotechnology. He serves on the Visionary Board of the Longevity Science Foundation and is the head of the advisory board for longevity and biotech venture capital firm LongeVC. Since 2012, he has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles in Nature, Science, PNAS, and many other top journals. He also wrote a book called " The Ageless Generation ," published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2013, which explained the pressing need to accelerate aging research to revive the global economy and avoid economic collapse. Since 2018, he has contributed to Forbes.com on pressing topics in AI and longevity. Learn more about Alex Zhavoronkov and the Longevity Pledge at www.LongevityPledge.org . Press Contact Rachel Pipan, [email protected] , +31642213615 SOURCE Longevity Science Foundation OAKVILLE, ON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. ("AQN") (TSX: AQN) (NYSE: AQN) today announced plans to release its third quarter 2022 financial results on Friday, November 11, 2022, before market open. AQN will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 a.m. eastern time on Friday, November 11, 2022, hosted by President and Chief Executive Officer, Arun Banskota, and Chief Financial Officer, Darren Myers. Conference call details are as follows: Date: Friday, November 11, 2022 Time: 8:00 a.m. ET Conference Call: Toll Free Dial-In Number 1-800-806-5484 Toll Dial-In Number (416) 641-6104 Event Passcode 8338665# Webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/9wsn4dfd Presentation also available at: www.algonquinpowerandutilities.com About Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. and Liberty Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., parent company of Liberty, is a diversified international generation, transmission, and distribution utility with over $17 billion of total assets. Through its two business groups, the Regulated Services Group and the Renewable Energy Group, AQN is committed to providing safe, secure, reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable energy and water solutions through its portfolio of electric generation, transmission, and distribution utility investments to over one million customer connections, largely in the United States and Canada. AQN is a global leader in renewable energy through its portfolio of long-term contracted wind, solar, and hydroelectric generating facilities. AQN owns, operates, and/or has net interests in over 4 GW of installed renewable energy capacity. AQN is committed to delivering growth and the pursuit of operational excellence in a sustainable manner through an expanding global pipeline of renewable energy and electric transmission development projects, organic growth within its rate-regulated generation, distribution, and transmission businesses, and the pursuit of accretive acquisitions. AQN's common shares, Series A preferred shares, and Series D preferred shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols AQN, AQN.PR.A, and AQN.PR.D, respectively. AQN's common shares, Series 2018-A subordinated notes, Series 2019-A subordinated notes and equity units are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols AQN, AQNA, AQNB, and AQNU, respectively. Visit AQN at www.algonquinpowerandutilities.com and follow us on Twitter @AQN_Utilities. SOURCE Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. Former Industry Vice President Launches Anago Master Franchise Operations in Oklahoma City OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Anago Cleaning Systems, an industry-leading commercial cleaning franchise with over 1,700 Regional and Unit Franchises throughout the U.S. and Canada, announced its newest franchise operations in Oklahoma. Commercial cleaning franchise industry veteran and entrepreneur, Eric Adame, will lead the Anago Master Franchise expansion in the Sooner State with an immediate focus on Oklahoma City and surrounding municipalities. "I left my career to focus on Anago and decided on the great state of Oklahoma because of my previous years of traveling through the state and becoming familiar with the business climate and people," says Eric. "I love Oklahoma City and its people and am excited about the prospect of helping first-time entrepreneurs and others realize their dreams of small business ownership." For those interested in learning more about Anago's unit franchise opportunities in Oklahoma City, Eric says, "One of the biggest beliefs I have in business is supporting others. Entrepreneurs are a rare, special breed of people with the courage to invest in themselves, their work ethic, and their merit. I want those considering this opportunity to know I have traveled the path they're on, and it's important for them to know they're not alone in this journey." Eric's extensive business experience includes the roles of Regional Vice President and Regional Director for another commercial cleaning franchise system. Before that, he spent years in the consumer and rent-to-own management industry, fine-tuning his skills in multi-unit business processes, operations, and, most importantly, customer service. After several businesses where Eric held minority ownership rights were sold, he decided it was time to venture out independently. After looking at several brands in the commercial cleaning franchise space, Eric chose Anago Cleaning Systems for its brand promise, company culture, integrity, genuine kindness, and personal touch of the people he encountered at Anago. "I left my career to focus on Anago and decided on the great state of Oklahoma because of my previous years of traveling through the state and becoming familiar with the business climate and people," says Eric. "I love Oklahoma City and its people and am excited about the prospect of helping first-time entrepreneurs and others realize their dreams of small business ownership. Oklahoma City is a competitive market for commercial cleaning. Still, with the growth and the high level of service offered by the Anago brand, I am confident we can offer a competitive advantage to all businesses looking to outsource commercial cleaning operations." "Eric's professional background speaks directly to the core attributes needed to be a successful Master Franchise owner, and we're thrilled to welcome him into our franchise system," said Adam Povlitz, CEO & President of Anago Cleaning Systems. "Most importantly, Eric walks the walk regarding paving pathways and guiding others into small business ownership. He's reachable, approachable, and genuinely interested in the personal and professional success of others, making him the textbook Master Franchise Owner and ambassador of the Anago brand." For those interested in learning more about Anago's unit franchise opportunities in Oklahoma City, Eric says, "One of the biggest beliefs I have in business is supporting others. Entrepreneurs are a rare, special breed of people with the courage to invest in themselves, their work ethic, and their merit. I want those considering this opportunity to know I have traveled the path they're on, and it's important for them to know they're not alone in this journey." "Eric knows what it takes as a first-time business owner because he's done it repeatedly for other majority stakeholders. This is important especially given an undetermined financial landscape. With the nation facing a possible recession, taking that step makes it that much more difficult. Eric understands this from experience while adding the compassion to help others find success," added Povlitz. Because of this strong business ethic, history of growth, and business-friendly franchise program, Anago is consistently recognized by industry peers, including its regular inclusion within Entrepreneur's suite of ranking systems. Anago has earned top positions for several years running in all the magazine's main ranking systems. These include Fastest Growing Franchise, Top-Ranked Franchises Under $50K, Top Home-Based Franchise, and Top Global Franchise. Anago Cleaning Systems' continued inclusion within these rankings demonstrates the brand's rising popularity with franchisees and clients. "Anago Cleaning Systems is a pioneer of the Master Franchise system, offering successful mid-career professionals to operate their regional franchises while allowing small business owners to invest in their own success," added Povlitz. "Both levels simply focus on running their business while we provide the assistance, technologies, and critical marketing tools to grow. We expect continued growth and expansion into 2023 and beyond as an industry." The new Anago Oklahoma City office is located at 6303 N. Portland Ave, Ste 201. To explore unit franchise opportunities with Anago of Oklahoma City, contact Eric Adame at 405.724.4433 ext. 1004 or email [email protected]. About Anago Cleaning Systems Anago Cleaning Systems is an international commercial cleaning franchise brand. Founded in 1989, Anago has set the worldwide standard in business support and structure for local and regional companies to provide unparalleled cleaning services to businesses. Utilizing the Master Franchise System, Anago supports over 45+ Master Franchisees and 1,700 Unit Franchisees. Anago was ranked #34 overall by Entrepreneur magazine in its latest Franchise 500 ranking. For further information, visit www.AnagoCleaning.com. Press Contact: Perry Athanason/TopFireMedia/ [email protected] /917-319-2126. SOURCE Anago Cleaning Systems BAYPORT, Minn., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Andersen Corporation, manufacturer of America's most loved brand of windows and doors*, has been named a Forbes World's Best Employer 2022. Honorees were chosen based on an independent survey by Statista Inc., which polled 150,000 full and part-time workers across 57 countries. Respondents were asked questions relating to their employment experience including working conditions, salary, potential for growth, diversity and how likely they would be to recommend their employer to a family member or friend. Andersen Corporation has been named a Forbes Worlds Best Employer 2022, ranking 15th in the "Engineering and Manufacturing" category and 158 out of 800 companies overall. Andersen ranked 15th in the "Engineering and Manufacturing" category and 158 out of 800 companies overall. With over 13,000 employees and more than 30 manufacturing, distribution and retail locations, Andersen and its portfolio of brands work to deliver an exceptional experience to employees, customers and the broader community. "Our employees are our greatest asset and the foundation of our success as a company. Investing in our employees as individuals furthers our commitment to inspiring every employee to achieve their full potential, making Andersen a globally recognized employer of choice and a special place to work," said Chris Galvin, president and chief operating officer at Andersen. "The innovative learning, development and advancement programs we offer at Andersen not only support our employees to meet the needs of their job today but develop employees to have fulfilling long-term careers at Andersen." Examples of Andersen's employee training programs include: Training centers designed for educating new employees on the manufacturing process, enabling them to build muscle memory and gain the skills they need to be successful before they work on the plant floor. Dock-to-Driver program where talented warehouse team members can obtain technical training at an accredited truck driving school and transition their career to become an Andersen commercial driver. "English @ Work," an on-site English course available to Andersen employees at no cost, with a focus on developing language competencies for work and life. Development programs focused on building awareness, internal capacity and skills, and strengthening the company's commitment to an inclusive and diverse workplace. In addition to the World's Best Employer's award, Andersen has been recognized in Forbes' America's Best Large Employers and America's Best Employers for Diversity. "Since our founding nearly 120 years ago, we work every day to enable our employees to achieve their dreams, our communities to be stronger and for everyone to have a healthier, more fulfilling place to live," said Karen Richard, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Andersen. "This honor recognizes our dedication and progress on our journey to be a company everyone loves by further developing and advancing our workforce, increasing our culture of inclusion and positively influencing the communities in which we live and work." View the full list of Forbes World's Best Employers 2022 award-winners. *2022 Andersen brand survey of U.S. homeowners ABOUT ANDERSEN CORPORATION Andersen was founded in 1903 on the philosophy of working "all together" to deliver on its promise to its customers. Every day, the company's more than 13,000 employees are empowered to imagine what's possible and do what's right. Andersen delivers products for the way people live, unmatched performance for the comfort and security homeowners desire, and endless design options to achieve any style. Headquartered in Bayport, Minn., Andersen Corporation and its subsidiaries manufacture and market window and door products under the Andersen, Renewal by Andersen, EMCO and MQ brands. Andersen, a privately held company, operates manufacturing sites across North America and Europe. Andersen has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2022 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award. Visit us at andersenwindows.com. Follow us on Facebook @AndersenWindows, Twitter @AndersenWindows, and Instagram @andersen_windows. SOURCE Andersen Corporation NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NYSE: ARGO) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. This lawsuit is on behalf of investors that purchased or otherwise acquired Argo common stock between February 13, 2018 and August 9, 2022. Lead Plaintiff Deadline: December 20, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in ARGO: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/argo-group-international-holdings-ltd-loss-submission-form?id=32956&from=4 Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. NEWS - ARGO NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Argo's reserves were wholly inadequate and its underwriting standards were not prudent as was represented; (ii) Argo had dramatically changed its underwriting policies on certain U.S. construction contracts as far back as 2018; and (iii) these policies were underwritten outside of the Company's "core" business including in certain states and for certain exposures that were far riskier than investors understood and that the Company no longer would service moving forward. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Argo you have until December 20, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Argo securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the ARGO lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/argo-group-international-holdings-ltd-loss-submission-form?id=32956&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. 535 Fifth Avenue 4th Floor New York City, NY 10017 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm Holders of .ART DNS and ENS domains to receive an airdrop of .ART tokens WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- .ART Group today announced the launch of Protocol.art , a Web3 infrastructure for the community of creators and art collectors. The rollout begins with the integration of Ethereum Name Service (ENS), allowing members of the .ART community to go beyond their standard DNS domain and streamline their digital identity to the Web3 space. These one-of-a-kind domains can be minted as NFTs to hold or trade on the open market. With Protocol.art, even existing .art web domains can be used on Ethereum. The second phase of Protocol.art will focus on the distribution of governance tokens to DNS and ENS holders. The governance is centred around a voting-based system drawing heavily from the DAO model. The ecosystem will be governed by two sides: elected art institutions, councils, and universities, as well as crypto companies. Accredited museums, appraisers and distinguished community members in the governance ecosystem are paramount for building the next generation of tools for onboarding cultural objects onto the blockchain. "...we are beginning the process of building a world art heritage ledger on the blockchain." Tweet this "With the integration of Web3 technology into our domain registry, we are beginning the process of building a world art heritage ledger on the blockchain. With Web3 being the inevitable future that we are striving to bring closer to the art market, the ledger will bring added value to art by creating traceable digital assets and telling stories that can't be seen by simply looking at artworks," said .ART founder, Ulvi Kasimov. "When we tokenize more cultural objects, we reduce the gap between blue chip art and collectors around the globe, making it collectible, tradable, displayable, and reliable to trade." About .ART .ART is the internet domain for the world's art and creative community. Launched under an exclusive agreement between UK Creative Ideas Ltd and ICANN in 2016, .ART is one of the fastest growing top-level domains for creatives, with more than 220,000 domains registered to date. In 2019, .ART launched " Digital Twin " to securely archive art and cultural object metadata. .ART's global team across London, Beijing, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. shares the mission to bring technology and art together, creating a digital infrastructure for the international creative community. For more information, visit www.art.art . SOURCE .ART The world-renowned sneaker and streetwear boutique adds a sophisticated shopping experience for women via hard-to-find products and local activations PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global streetwear and sneaker boutique atmos is pleased to announce the opening of its new atmos Women's concept and the launch of its private label atmos Pink for the first time in the United States. Taking over the Second Floor of the atmos Philadelphia location, atmos Women's is a 1,400 square foot dedicated space, adding to the retailer's growing women's presence in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea. This new location will feature atmos' private label products and a curated collection of brands, while providing a space where the community can gather and interact. atmos Women's - Philadelphia, PA atmos Pink The new atmos Women's location in Philadelphia will address the underserved market of women's streetwear, where consumers are more than ready to embrace a new retail concept. The full retail floor is dedicated to offering the latest styles for women, while expanding the footprint and product offering of emerging designers and heritage brands. atmos Women's will provide a connection with the sneaker-conscious female consumer that is unparalleled to the current market offerings. atmos' private label, atmos Pink, will also debut in this Philadelphia location for the first time in the United States. The collection offers classic pieces with a Tokyo twist. Designed by the atmos Women's team in Japan, the pieces offer trend-forward comfort with the versatility to be dressed up or down. "We believe in giving our female sneaker customers an experience unlike any sneaker boutique in the world. Our nine atmos Women's locations (branded as atmos Pink throughout Japan and Southeast Asia) are shining examples of how we put her first," states Mel Peralta, VP of Brand Concepts of atmos Global. "The beautiful Walnut Street boutique allows us to expand our elevated, tailor-made footwear shopping experience and focuses on the community of women who get dressed from the feet up." "We're excited to bring the energy and community of atmos Women's Japan to the US! Our goal is to create a hub for women in Philadelphia through authentic partnerships that cater to the modern woman," states Marissa Le, Director of Marketing & Digital of atmos USA. "We're tapping an array of local female artists and entrepreneurs to offer a diverse range of services and experiences in our new boutique!" atmos Women's will incorporate products from brands across footwear, apparel, headwear, and accessories. In addition to atmos private label, atmos Pink , other brands include, MISBHV , KNC , BAPE , Andersson Bell , CIRIACO , Hanna Jewett , Carhartt WIP , Brain Dead , Honor the Gift , Ksubi , and more. atmos Women's is celebrating the opening with a packed calendar of free events all month from now through Sunday, November 22, 2022 at the new Second Floor location. Women-owned small businesses and creatives from Philadelphia, as well as New York and Washington, D.C, will be joining the festivities and offering services of their own. Guests will enjoy dance workout classes from Trillfit , weekend nail bar powered by Nailcon , as well as various other activities including aura photos, floral workshops, tooth gems, sound bath meditations, and more. The new atmos Women's boutique is located at 1509 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 and will be open from Monday-Saturday from 11AM-7PM, and Sunday 12PM-5PM. For more information or to shop online, please visit www.atmosusa.com . About atmos USA It all started in Harajuku, Tokyo. Founded by Hommyo Hidefumi in 2000, atmos began as a small footprint storefront selling vintage sneakers. Since then, it has blossomed into a global streetwear and sneaker boutique known for steadily creating grails over the last two decades. While atmos has collaborated with adidas, ASICS, and PUMA - many avid collectors associate atmos with their Nike Air Max collabs. The Nike x atmos "Safari", "Animal Pack", and "Elephant" Air Max 1 are still some of the most sought after sneakers of all time. atmos currently has 49 shops globally, located across Japan, Southeast Asia and America. atmos USA New York | Philadelphia | Washington D.C. atmosusa.com | @atmos_USA Media Contacts: [email protected] | [email protected] SOURCE atmos Leading national staffing franchise opens first location in West Virginia BECKLEY, W.Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AtWork, a rapidly growing national staffing franchise, announced today the opening of its new office in Beckley, West Virginia, the company's first in the state. The location is owned and operated by veteran entrepreneur Tiffany Kapp and is located at 219 North Kanawha Street, Beckley, West Virginia, 25801. "We're so happy to open our first location in the state of West Virginia under Tiffany's leadership," said Jason Leverant, President and COO of AtWork Group. "AtWork's national success is a testament to hardworking franchise owners like Tiffany and the expertise, tools, and resources of AtWork's national franchise network. We look forward to seeing she and her team establish a strong foothold in the Mountain State!" "I am very excited for the opportunity to bring AtWork to West Virginia," said Tiffany Kapp, Owner. "I believe the amazing business model and assistance the franchise brings to the staffing industry will be a huge opportunity for businesses and workers in Southern West Virginia!" The business will primarily serve the industrial, manufacturing, and logistics industries, facilitating temporary, contract to hire, and full-time placements. The business may be reached at 304-513-3387 or at AtWork.com/Beckley. For more information on AtWork, visit AtWork.com. SOURCE AtWork Group Jeff Farrah will lead AVIA as the trade association's first Executive Director WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the unified voice of the diverse companies developing autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA) announced the appointment of Jeff Farrah as the organization's inaugural Executive Director. "We are excited to add Jeff's leadership and expertise to the AV industry. Jeff's appointment as Executive Director signals how far AVIA and the AV industry have progressed in recent years, and the creation of this position is a natural next step in representing the safety, mobility and economic opportunities supported by AVs," said David Quinalty, chair of the AVIA Board of Directors. "This new role will be a valuable voice for the technology's safety and mobility benefits for all road users as well as disabled, aging, and disadvantaged communities. His extensive experience with trade associations and on Capitol Hill make Jeff uniquely suited to navigate public policy issues, build relationships, and drive AVIA forward into the future." "With road deaths at their highest peak in decades, severe stress on our supply chains, and American technological leadership under threat, it is a critical time for policies and initiatives that support AV advancement on our roads," said Ariel Wolf, General Counsel to AVIA. "We're looking forward to continuing the success of the association under Jeff's leadership." Prior to joining AVIA, Farrah was General Counsel of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) where he championed public policy to support the American entrepreneurial ecosystem and managed legal and operational aspects of the association. A veteran of Capitol Hill, Farrah was Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, advising then-Chairman John Thune and members of the committee on technology and telecommunications issues. He also served as General Counsel to U.S. Senator Scott Brown advising on a range of policy and legal issues. Before his Senate career, Farrah was an attorney at a leading Washington, DC law firm for international trade matters. "Autonomous vehicles offer a once-in-a-generation leap in innovation toward a safer, more efficient, and more mobile world for those in need. I'm thrilled to be joining this industry and to partner with the many policymakers, like-minded organizations, nonprofits, and other commercial sectors that recognize the value of the AV industry," said Farrah. "I look forward to amplifying the exciting developments that AVs are already fulfilling and to working in the trenches with stakeholders on the policies needed to achieve AVs' full potential." Farrah is a southern California native with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law. AVIA represents a unique cross section of the world's most innovative technology, automotive, trucking, delivery, and rideshare companies. Established in 2016, AVIA was the first advocacy organization dedicated exclusively to AVs. The association has matured into a global trade association that engages with federal, state, local, and international policymakers, while representing the breadth of the large, diverse, and expanding AV industry. In six years, the association has more than tripled in membership, reinforced its role as the unified voice of the AV industry, and significantly increased engagement with lawmakers and regulators. As Executive Director, Farrah will lead AVIA's day-to-day operations and chart the Association's long-term strategy and growth. Ariel Wolf will continue to serve as General Counsel to AVIA, supported by the Venable team. More than 43,000 Americans died on U.S. roads last year, marking the largest increase since federal data tracking began. Autonomous vehicles must be part of a comprehensive policy approach to save lives. AVs are never drunk, distracted or drowsy driver conditions that cause thousands of crashes each year. Engineered to avoid typical human errors and equipped with 360 sensors and state-of-the-art technology, AVs undergo rigorous testing in computer simulations, on test tracks and with trained safety drivers before operating without a driver on public roads. About the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA) Argo AI, Aurora, Cruise, Embark, Ford, Gatik, Kodiak, Lyft, May Mobility, Motional, Navya, Nuro, TuSimple, Uber, Volvo Cars, Waymo and Zoox are members of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA). AVIA works with lawmakers, regulators, and the public to realize the safety and societal benefits of autonomous vehicles. The association is comprised of companies with technical expertise and experience in the technology, automobile, rideshare and trucking sectors. Bringing together their varied backgrounds, the companies formed AVIA to advance AVs' tremendous safety, mobility and economic benefits to consumers in the safest and swiftest manner possible. For more information, visit our website www.theAVindustry.org . CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Awale Resources Limited ("Awale" or the "Company") (TSXV: ARIC) is pleased to provide the following update on ongoing exploration activities at the Odienne gold-copper project in Cote d'Ivoire (Figures 1 and 2). The Odienne Project is subject to an earn in joint venture agreement ("JV") with Newmont Ventures Limited ("Newmont"). New soil and termitaria sampling at the BBM Prospect (Figure 3), which is located approximately 13 km northeast of the Sceptre target, has delineated a 3.5km long > 50ppm (80th percentile) copper ("Cu") anomaly with a 2km >104ppm Cu core (98th percentile). The BBM copper anomaly has been defined through pXRF analyses and is also associated with elevated values of both molybdenum and arsenic. The BBM prospect sits adjacent and parallel to an interpreted belt-basin margin which is a typical setting for gold mineralization in west Africa. These latest results are indicative of a fourth significant copper target at the Odienne JV with similarities to the nearby Sceptre, Charger and Lando targets (Figure 2). Total cumulative strike length of these four Cu-Au anomalies now exceeds 13km. Both Sceptre and Charger are gold anomalous, with recent drilling at Charger returning high grade gold intercepts along with significant Cu values (see Company News Release dated 16th August 2022). The Company announced the commencement of ground geophysical surveys over the Sceptre and Charger anomalies on Oct 13th, 2022. The current work program is being funded by Newmont as part of an earn-in JV agreement through which Newmont retains the option to earn-in to a minimum 65% interest, from Awale, in the Odienne project in return for the sole funding of USD 15M in exploration (see Company News Release dated May 31, 2022). Awale is the project manager for the initial 3-year phase. View Attached Figures: https://www.awaleresources.com/_resources/images/2022-10-24-BBm-Figs-Final.pdf Company CEO Glen Parsons commented today: "The BBM target is yet another new and exciting Iron Oxide Copper Gold ("ICOG") target with encouraging copper grades and we await the gold and multi-element ICP results. The footprint and geochemistry of the BBM prospect is consistent with the Sceptre, Charger and Lando targets and the proposed IOCG setting at Odienne. Furthermore, the proximity to an interpreted major basin margin structure is also favourable. These new results from the BBM target in concert with the previously announced Lando, Sceptre, Charger targets and Empire discovery confirm the significant scale of the mineralized system at Odienne. This success is directly attributable to the team's sound and systematic exploration approach. To date the Odienne JV has discovered orogenic gold mineralization in the Empire Corridor, and four distinct large copper plus gold targets. The real potential and scale of Awale's Odienne district focus and first mover advantage is only just being recognized (refer Figure 5). We are rapidly approaching the impending drill program at the Sceptre and Charger targets in early December, which will commence once results from our ground geophysical surveys are received. We continue to focus on both new target potential and the existing target pipeline to meet the JV objectives, as per our agreement with Newmont and we look forward to further positive results." *Notes: A Handheld InnovX Vanta X-Ray Fluorescence Analyzer or pXRF was used for the analysis reported in this release. pXRF analysis is considered indicative of metal grades. All samples reported air dried and sieved to -80 mesh before analysis. The BBM Prospect The BBM ('Belt Basin Margin') prospect has a significant size and tenor copper geochemical footprint, like Sceptre or Lando. The mineralization sits close to a high strain contact to the east which is interpreted by company geologists to be a major domain boundary between volcanics and volcaniclastic rocks to the east and deep-water sedimentary rocks to the west. Belt/Basin margins are considered highly prospective in west Africa with several large gold camps located along and close to these boundaries. Approximately 500 samples collected from this pXRF anomaly have been sent for 52 element ICP and gold analysis. Results are expected in 4 to 6 weeks. Based on observed geology and setting, both the Lando and BBM prospects are expected to be gold anomalous along with the anomalous copper geochemistry reported in this release. Further to this, a 6km extension to the BBM anomaly is now held by the Company through the recently acquired Sienso permit from Turaco (see company news release dated July 19th 2022). The Sienso permit has broad spaced - c.1km soil sample lines covering the permit area which were completed by Resolute in 2020 and 2021 (Figure 4). Next Steps The company is working toward finalizing a drilling program in late Q4. The recently commenced Induced Polarization ('IP') ground geophysics consisting of targeted surveys (gradient array and pole dipole sections) at both Charger and Sceptre are considered a final phase of work necessary to complete drill planning and targeting. The surveys are expected to be complete in the next fortnight and results to follow soon after. Upon completion the IP will contribute to planning of scout drilling in December. At the BBM prospect the Company awaits ICP/MS multielement analysis in the next 4 to 6 weeks About Awale Resources Awale 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 200km 2 of granted tenure and 400km 2 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. Quality Control and Assurance pXRF analysis is completed by the company with an Innov-X Vanta Handheld XRF Analyser, samples are hand crushed and dried where necessary and sieved to -80 mesh (passing 170 micron) and analysed for 90 seconds using 3beam 'soil mode'. Standards are used in the stream every 50 analyses; field duplicates are also routinely analysed. Laboratory analytical work for auger/soil and termitaria geochemical samples is being carried out at the independent Intertek Laboratories Australia Ltd. an ISO 17025 (2017) Certified Laboratory. Samples are stored at the Company's field camps and put into sealed bags until collected by Intertek from the Company's secure Bondoukou or Odienne office and transported by Intertek to their laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana for preparation. Samples are logged in the tracking system, weighed, dried, and pulverized to better than 85%, passing a 75-micron screen, this pulp sample is then shipped to Australia where 10-gram split is analysed by ICP/MS with an Aqua Regia digest. Blanks, duplicates, and certified reference material (standards) are being used to monitor laboratory performance during the analysis. Qualified Person The technical and scientific information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved for release by Andrew Chubb, the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr Chubb is the Company's Chief Operating Officer and holds an Economic Geology degree, is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG) and is a Member of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). Mr Chubb has more than 18 years of experience in international minerals exploration and mining project evaluation. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD AWALE RESOURCES LIMITED. "Glen Parsons" Glen Parsons, President and CEO Forward-Looking Information This 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 SOURCE Awale Resources NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BayPort Credit Union today announced it is donating $10,000 to the Salvation Army Florida to support its hurricane relief fund. One hundred percent of designated disaster donations go to direct services for survivors and first responders. The Salvation Army Florida provides resources and personnel to meet Hurricane Ian's immediate and continued relief needs. Hurricane Ian made historic landfall as a Category 4 storm on the night of Wednesday, September 28, 2022, on the west coast of Florida. "The credit union philosophy of 'People Helping People' doesn't end here at home," said Jim Mears, President/CEO of BayPort Credit Union. "BayPort's field of membership includes a collection of coastal communities, and we understand the devastation a storm may cause. We are saddened by the destruction created by Hurricane Ian and want to leverage our support in whatever way we can." BayPort has selected the Salvation Army due to its longstanding partnership with the Salvation Army of the Virginia Peninsula. The Salvation Army of the Virginia Peninsula serves the Hampton, Newport News, York, Poquoson, and Gloucester-Mathews areas, assisting those in need with housing, utilities, food, after-school childcare, and camp opportunities for youth. BayPort is the region's only Community Development Financial Institution and a National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Low-Income Designated Credit Union. Membership is open to those who live, work, worship, volunteer, or attend school in the Greater Hampton Roads area. BayPort is ranked in the top five percent of credit unions nationwide by asset size. About BayPort In 1928, 12 shipyard workers from Newport News Shipbuilding formed an organization with a specific purpose as a low-interest source of loans and a trusted place to deposit money. Today, BayPort Credit Union is rated a Superior 5-Star credit union by Bauer Financial, managing $2.2 billion in assets and servicing nearly 148,000 individuals and businesses with 27 branch locations across the Virginia Peninsula and Southside communities. Visit us at www.bayportcu.org. SOURCE BayPort Credit Union NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. This lawsuit is on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Barclays American Depositary Receipts on a U.S. open market between February 18, 2021 and March 25, 2022. Lead Plaintiff Deadline: November 22, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in BCS: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/barclays-loss-submission-form?id=32948&from=4 Barclays PLC NEWS - BCS NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Barclays PLC made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: a) as of December 31, 2020 and February 18, 2021, Barclays had a material weakness in its internal control environment due to the fact that the over-issuance had occurred and was not immediately identified; and b) they failed to disclose that as of February 18, 2021 (i) Barclays Bank PLC ("BBPLC") had and was selling unregistered securities in excess of the amounts registered by the August 2019 shelf registration statement, (ii) BBPLC was violating U.S. securities laws and/or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, subjecting Barclays to legal liability, and (iii) BBPLC was required to conduct a rescission offer for those unregistered securities. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Barclays you have until November 22, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Barclays securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the BCS lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/barclays-loss-submission-form?id=32948&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. 535 Fifth Avenue 4th Floor New York City, NY 10017 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm Largest hospital in the state adopts CareRev's technology platform to connect with local talent PARAMUS, N.J., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, New Jersey's largest hospital and a clinical affiliate of Rutgers, announced a partnership with CareRev, a technology platform that connects hospitals and health systems with local nurses and other healthcare professionals. With CareRev, Bergen New Bridge can identify and hire local qualified nurses, certified nursing assistants, and technicians per diem to accommodate fluctuating patient volumes and fill in gaps to support the hospital's full-time staff. "CareRev's technology allows us to build relationships with talent in our own backyard, while adding additional support for our full-time staff which is critical following the last few years of the pandemic," said Deborah Visconi, President and CEO, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center (BNBMC). "This partnership forges a new industry standard benefiting healthcare facilities and workers at a time when Bergen New Bridge Medical Center celebrates our fifth anniversary and reflects on our transformational journey." CareRev works with hospitals and health systems throughout the country who need a ready supply of labor to support their existing workforce. These facilities are willing to meet the needs of today's healthcare workforce, many of whom are looking for more flexible schedules. Credentialed healthcare professionals in New Jersey will soon be able to use the CareRev app to find and book shifts to work when and where they want, without committing to a minimum or maximum number of shifts. According to the National Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, by 2030, New Jersey will face a nursing shortage of 11,400 nurses. While facilities across the United States continue to struggle with healthcare staffing, CareRev's scalable platform mitigates staffing issues by connecting healthcare facilities directly to local, pre-qualified healthcare professionals, eliminating third-parties and streamlining the hiring process by automating and simplifying the credentialing and onboarding processes. BNBMC partners with the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) as part of a network of collaborators and innovators who have a long history of identifying and implementing solutions to improve New Jersey's patient outcomes. NJII facilitated the introduction of BNBMC to CareRev to help support their long-term workforce strategy. "Bergen New Bridge Medical Center's adoption of CareRev's technology will strengthen the facility with access to an adaptable, highly skilled workforce and helps keep healthcare local by recruiting directly from our own communities," said Jennifer D'Angelo, SVP & General Manager, Healthcare Division, New Jersey Innovation Institute. "This partnership is about Bergen County healthcare professionals helping patients in their community. Bergen New Bridge Medical Center is paving the way with a new approach to healthcare staffing," said Will Patterson, Founder and CEO of CareRev, and former ICU nurse. "We are thrilled to launch in New Jersey at the state's largest hospital. The impact of this partnership extends far past the walls of this facility and will shape a new status quo for healthcare workers across the state." About Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Bergen New Bridge Medical Center (BNBMC), a clinical affiliate of Rutgers, is a 1,070-bed hospital located at 230 East Ridgewood Avenue in Paramus, NJ. The Medical Center is both the largest hospital and licensed nursing home in NJ and the fourth largest, publicly owned hospital in the nation. Bergen New Bridge, a not-for-profit safety net facility, provides high-quality comprehensive services, including acute and ambulatory care, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, long-term care, 24/7 emergency department, surgical suites, physical rehabilitation, pharmacy, laboratory, radiologic services (including digital mammography. It is a leading provider of COVID 19 testing, vaccinations, and therapeutics. Bergen New Bridge is in network with all major New Jersey commercial insurance plans covering 99.91% of NJ residents and is a Veterans Community Care Provider. It is also a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). Learn more at www.newbridgehealth.org About CareRev CareRev is a technology platform empowering healthcare professionals to take control of their careers. CareRev provides a direct line between healthcare facilities and local clinical talent, cutting out the middleman and enabling professionals to work where and when they want. Together, we're building the local, resilient, flexible healthcare workforce of the future. CareRev serves over 32 major metropolitan areas nationwide at over 70 hospitals and health systems, and over 540 outpatient centers and skilled nursing facilities. More than 22,000 clinical professionals (and growing!) are included in CareRev's network. For more information, visit www.carerev.com or follow us on LinkedIn. About NJII New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), a subsidiary of NJIT, was founded in 2014 and combines the vast resources of NJIT, strong industry and government relationships, and proven methods to drive innovation and deliver transformative products and services. To achieve this, NJII is organized into four innovative divisions that guide our activities: healthcare, entrepreneurship, defense and homeland security, and professional and corporate education. NJII Healthcare Division was named the state designated entity to manage and develop the NJHIN in 2015 to advance interoperability IT for the state of New Jersey. For more information, visit: https://www.njii.com/ Contact for Bergen New Bridge: Contact for CareRev: Donnalee Corrieri Anneka Meyer (201) 937- 4030 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE CareRev SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global BFSI crisis management market size is anticipated to reach USD 43.28 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 18.4% from 2022 to 2030. Various technological advancements such as AI-based applications, the usage of Big Data, and cloud computing are expected to create growth opportunities for crisis management service providers in the global market. Moreover, the crisis management market is witnessing a rise in popularity owing to benefits such as digitization of banks and financial services, adoption of AI, cloud-based platforms, and work-from-home culture. Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report: In terms of component, software held a dominant share of over 70.0% in 2021. The software segment is dominant as the crisis management software enables the key stakeholders to stay informed and helps crisis teams to coordinate response activities The services segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 22.7% over the forecast period. This is due to the increased focus of technology companies on the development of technology as a service (TaaS) In terms of deployment, the cloud-based segment accounted for the largest share of over 55.0% in 2021. There is significant growth in this segment as cloud computing provides banking firms with higher degrees of fault tolerance, data protection, and disaster recovery In terms of enterprise size, the large enterprises segment grabbed a leading share of over 60.0% in 2021. This is due to the fact that companies in this category produce a large amount of data and must therefore adhere to regulatory initiatives According to a report by Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship, the small and medium enterprises segment requires crisis management plans to deal with the crisis. The segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 20.2% over the forecast period In terms of application, the risk and compliance management segment captured a leading share of over 30.0% in 2021 and is projected to maintain its dominance over the forecast period. This is due to the rise in cloud-based technology trends in the risk and compliance management industry. The crisis communications segment is projected to register the highest CAGR of 20.4% over the forecast period as according to Business Continuity Institute's estimation in 2020, 84% of the firms had crisis communication platform In terms of end-user, the banks segment held a dominant share of over 50.0% in 2021 as they largely adopted digital platforms and networked solutions. The financial service providers segment is expected to expand at the highest CAGR of 20.0% over the forecast period. This is due to an increase in the number of investments in fintech in Asia Pacific (APAC) (APAC) APAC is expected to expand at the highest CAGR of 20.3% over the forecast period due to the rise in fintech deals in the region. The North American region held the largest share of over 30.0% in 2021 owing to the presence of prominent crisis management service and software providers Read 182-page full market research report for more latest Insights, "BFSI Crisis Management Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Component (Software, Services), By Deployment, By Enterprise Size, By Application, By End-user, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030", published by Grand View Research. BFSI Crisis Management Market Growth & Trends The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the crisis management market. The banking, financial services, and insurance sector continued to operate despite the pandemic. Financial institutions adopted remote working at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to which the adoption of cloud technology became a priority. AI and cloud-based technology became essential for crisis management providers to efficiently handle BFSI firms' issues and concerns. As a result, during the pandemic, the adoption of crisis management expanded. BFSI Crisis Management Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global BFSI crisis management market by component, deployment, enterprise size, application, end-user, and region: BFSI Crisis Management Market - Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Software Services BFSI Crisis Management Market - Deployment Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) On-premise Cloud-based BFSI Crisis Management Market - Enterprise Size Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Large Enterprise Small And Medium Enterprise BFSI Crisis Management Market - Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Risk & Compliance Management Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Incident Management & Response Crisis Communication Others BFSI Crisis Management Market - End-user Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) Banks Insurance Companies Financial Service Providers BFSI Crisis Management Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030) North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany France Italy Asia Pacific China Japan India Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa List of Key Players of BFSI Crisis Management Market NCC Group Noggin LogicGate, Inc. MetricStream Inc. 4C Strategies IBM CURA Software Solutions Everbridge Konexus SAS Institute Inc. Deloitte RQA Europe Ltd. Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research: Banking Encryption Software Market - The global banking encryption software market size is expected to reach USD 5.03 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 13.0% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing need for modern security solutions worldwide is anticipated to drive the growth of the industry. In addition, the rising incidences of cyber-attacks also bode well for growth. The global banking encryption software market size is expected to reach by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 13.0% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing need for modern security solutions worldwide is anticipated to drive the growth of the industry. In addition, the rising incidences of cyber-attacks also bode well for growth. Digital Banking Platform Market - The global digital banking platform market size is anticipated to reach USD 107.1 billion and to expand at a CAGR of 20.5% by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The rise in internet users and the customers' shift from traditional to online banking are key drivers for market growth. - The global digital banking platform market size is anticipated to reach and to expand at a CAGR of 20.5% by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The rise in internet users and the customers' shift from traditional to online banking are key drivers for market growth. Third-party Banking Software Market - The global third-party banking software market size is expected to reach USD 47.90 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing prevalence of online banking solutions worldwide to improve customer experience is anticipated to drive the industry expansion. Browse through Grand View Research's Next Generation Technologies Industry Research Reports. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Grand View Compass | Astra ESG Solutions Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc Biohaven advances development of its extracellular target degrader platform technology (MoDEs) for therapies across a variety of diseases including neuroscience, immunology and oncology Through its continued collaboration with Yale University in the laboratory of Professor David Spiegel and Biohaven Labs, Biohaven has made further innovations in this ground-breaking technology with new patent applications covering additional targets and functionality In-licensed from Yale University in 2021, the MoDE platform is based on patent applications filed by Yale in 2018 and 2019 NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Biohaven Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN; "Biohaven") today announced advancements in the development of its MoDE extracellular target degrader platform technology licensed from Yale University for various disease indications, including, but not limited to, neurological disorders, cancer, infectious and autoimmune diseases. In 2021, Biohaven entered into a worldwide, exclusive license agreement to develop and commercialize the MoDE platform based on ground-breaking research conducted in the laboratory of Professor David Spiegel at Yale University. Under the license agreement, Biohaven acquired exclusive, worldwide rights to Yale's intellectual property directed to its MoDE technology, which pertains to the clearance of disease-causing proteins and other biomolecules by targeting them for lysosomal degradation using multi-functional molecules. Professor Spiegel commented: "Targeted protein degradation (TPD) has emerged as a promising and exciting therapeutic strategy, however, the majority of existing TPD technologies to date rely on the ubiquitin-proteasome system that targets intracellular proteins. To address this limitation, our lab developed MoDEs, a class of modularly designed, bifunctional synthetic molecules, which are capable of mediating the degradation of extracellular proteins through the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR). MoDE molecules mediate the formation of a ternary complex between a target protein and the ASGPR, which is expressed primarily on hepatocytes, and the target protein is then endocytosed and degraded by lysosomal proteases. The MoDE platform is differentiated from existing approaches, such as Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTAC), in that it does not rely on ubiquitin ligases, and allows for a broad range of targets to be degraded." Through the novel approach, Professor Spiegel demonstrated the modularity of the MoDE technology by synthesizing bifunctional molecules that induce the degradation of both antibody and pro-inflammatory cytokine proteins. When initially published, the data obtained by the Spiegel Lab represented the first experimental evidence that non-proteinogenic, synthetic molecules could be employed for the TPD of extracellular proteins both in vitro and in vivo. The MoDE platform discovered at Yale University is described in a peer-reviewed publication entitled "Bifunctional Small Molecules that Mediate the Degradation of Extracellular Proteins" (Nature Chemical Biology 2021, 17, 947953) and in various Yale University patent applications, including applications published as WO 2019/199621 and WO 2019/199634, both of whom are based on provisional applications filed in 2018. Subsequent to the Yale patent filings, others have referred to such multifunctional molecules for extracellular protein degradation as "ASGPR Targeting Chimeras" (ATACs) (see, for example, https://endpts.com/an-ra-backed-startup-atacs-a-novel-challenge-looking-to-spur-protein-degradation-outside-the-cell) or "Lysosome-Targeting Chimeras" (LyTACs) (see, for example, https://endpts.com/going-where-protacs-cant-versant-unveils-50m-bet-on-carolyn-bertozzis-lytac-tech-with-a-seasoned-biotech-exec-at-the-helm). Both Yale and Biohaven continue to expand the intellectual property portfolio underlying the platform with a series of new applications filed worldwide that disclose and claim various aspects of the multifunctional degraders and methods for their use. Since entering into the license agreement with Yale in 2021, Yale has filed more than eight additional patent applications covering this technology. About Biohaven. Biohaven is a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of life-changing therapies for people with debilitating neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, including rare disorders. Biohaven is advancing a pipeline of best-in-class therapies for diseases with little or no treatment options, leveraging its proven drug development capabilities and proprietary platforms, including Kv7 ion channel modulation for epilepsy and neuronal hyperexcitability; glutamate modulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder and spinocerebellar ataxia and myostatin inhibition for neuromuscular diseases. Biohaven's portfolio of early- and late-stage product candidates also includes discovery research programs focused on TRPM3 channel activation for neuropathic pain and CD-38 antibody recruiting, bispecific molecules for multiple myeloma. More information about Biohaven is available at www.biohaven.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The use of certain words, including "continue", "plan", "will", "believe", "may", "expect", "anticipate" and similar expressions, is intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the future development, timing and potential marketing approval and commercialization of development candidates are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual results, developments and events may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including: Biohaven's ability to complete the offering of its common shares on the proposed terms, or at all; Biohaven's expectations related to the use of proceeds from the offering of its common shares; the expected timing, commencement and outcomes of Biohaven's planned and ongoing clinical trials; the timing of planned interactions and filings with the FDA; the timing and outcome of expected regulatory filings; complying with applicable U.S. regulatory requirements; the potential commercialization of Biohaven's product candidates; the potential for Biohaven's product candidates to be first in class or best in class therapies; and the effectiveness and safety of Biohaven's product candidates. Additional important factors to be considered in connection with forward- looking statements are described in Biohaven's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including within the sections titled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this new release, and Biohaven does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. MoDEs is a trademark of Biohaven Therapeutics Ltd. Biohaven Contact: Jennifer Porcelli Vice President, Investor Relations [email protected] 201-248-0741 Mike Beyer Sam Brown Inc. [email protected] 312-961-2502 SOURCE Biohaven Ltd. HAMBURG, Germany, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Third-party logistics startup Boxy has introduced enhanced warehouse and shipping capabilities Korber and Boxy have collaborated to improve e-commerce fulfillment at Boxy's newly established distribution center in Budapest, HU. The solution is set to bundle and optimize the processes for numerous e-commerce retailers in the Central Eastern European (CEE) region. Korber and Boxy have improved e-commerce fulfillment at Boxys distribution center in Budapest. Michael Brandl, Executive Vice President EMEA Operations Software at Korber Business Area Supply Chain, said: "Today's consumer expectations impact the supply chain in unprecedented ways. Up to 92 % of orders are made online, with more than three quarter of these delivered to homes. Combine this with the complexity of rising expectations for same-day delivery in not only Europe, but globally. At Korber, we're committed to provide the right technology to address these challenges." While customer experience is at the heart of many e-commerce retailers, Boxy has gone live with a modern distribution center and a highly innovative logistics software landscape. In line with the startup's mindset and its fast growth since its foundation, the company capitalizes on a highly scalable fulfillment platform powered by Korber's Warehouse Management System (WMS), Shipping and Dispatch System (SDS) and Unified Control System (UCS) managing all of the automation, which consists of different manufacturer AMR's, pick- and put-to-light solutions. Operating in a 10,000 sqm site, the solution allows Boxy to offer same-day-delivery service by sorting parcels into 85 different destinations, routes and delivery times. The solution can easily scale as Boxy continues to experience grow of its business allowing investments to be made in conjunction with business growth. Andras Tancsics, CEO of Boxy explains: "Korber is at the heart of our customer fulfillment strategy and a true game changer for us to comply with the steady growing pressure of customer demands. We are proud of the result and the value we have brought to market in record time of less than 12 months to achieve overall positive results in productivity and efficiency." At the core of Boxy's supply chain ecosystem is the integrated interplay of Korber's WMS, UCS and a variety of automated warehouse components by trusted robotics solution providers Geek+ and Libiao. Korber's UCS orchestrates the robotics solution for goods-to-person as well as parcel sortation, workstations for the goods-to-person picking area and sortation induction stations. Through integrated pick-by-light and put-to-light technology, the solution accounts for exceptional efficiency and minimal training effort. The result is improved productivity and interconnectivity with seamless information visibility during peak performance: by integrating the robotic control system with the UCS, the AMRs' operations can be continuously adjusted to maintain an efficient flow of goods and comply with growing customer demands for shopping convenience and delivery speed. Enhanced shipping performance is moreover supported through Korber's Shipping & Dispatch System (SDS) which facilitates shipment processing for a wide range of parcel delivery companies and freight forwarders to define the right service provider from both a quality and cost point of view. About Boxy Cutting edge technology, the largest robotized fulfillment warehouse in Hungary, brand new same-day delivery fleet that's Boxy. Boxy provides robotized warehouse logistics to online stores with up to 30-50% savings compared to manually controlled and self-owned warehouse costs. Even for the smallest online stores, ranging from 100 monthly orders to millions. About the Korber Business Area Supply Chain Supply chains are growing more complex by the day. Korber uniquely provides a broad range of proven, end-to-end supply chain solutions fitting any business size, strategy or appetite for growth. Capable of delivering software, automation, voice, robotics, and materials handling plus the expertise to tie it all together. We are a global partner not just for today, but also as the needs of supply chains continue to evolve. Conquer supply chain complexity with Korber. The Business Area Supply Chain is part of the global technology group Korber. Find out more on www.koerber-supplychain.com Contact: Mary-Jane Wurker Corporate Communications Manager Korber Business Area Supply Chain [email protected] T +49 6032 348-2921 SOURCE Korber Supply Chain The investment round, backed by actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, looks to have a positive impact in amplifying LCI's mission of delivering cruelty-free, ethical and sustainable footwear in redefining the eco-luxury sector LCI: 100% vegan luxury sneakers made from recycled, renewable & biodegradable materials LONDON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- British fashion brand LCI launched in mid-2021 with a mission to build the most ethical and aspirational experience for the customer of today. Success for LCI is as much about making an impact as focusing on revenues and brand desirability. Today, the brand announced a 4 million seed round for the 15-month-old start up, as well as an investment from actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio to further LCI's impact-driven mission of redefining the sector. "We exist to make a difference and are delighted to have Leo on that journey with us." - LCI CEO Emmanuel Eribo Tweet this LCI CEO, and self-proclaimed industry outsider, Emmanuel Eribo states "for most consumer brands today, success is measured by sales and popularity. At LCI, we believe that there is a third pillar that is just as important as these two, Impact. The greater the impact, the more successful we are. Today, it's essential we do more than just make a fantastic product. We are here to change things. That's why it's always important for us to think differently, to swim against the tide." LCI manufactures and sources all of its products in Europe, paying a premium for certified eco-materials, with each pair made using certified recycled ocean plastic. They focus on monthly, rather than seasonal, production cycles to reduce waste and their impact on the planet, while donating 10% of online profits to wildlife conservation charities. To date the brand has removed over 982,000 plastic bottles, land and ocean bound, that are spun into a premium, durable material used in the making of the LCI sneakers. In addition, its profit share model has enabled grassroots organizations like SEE Turtles to save over 100,780 new hatchlings. That's how LCI defines style and purpose. The announcement of an investment by Leonardo DiCaprio will enable the young, creative label to amplify its mission to a wider global audience, driving awareness and shining a light on the causes that matter while LCI continues to make waves in the fashion industry. "I am proud to be an investor in LCI, a brand dedicated to minimizing its environmental impact, and centered around creating cruelty-free, ethical footwear," said DiCaprio. DiCaprio's authenticity to the cause was key to the founding team. "Today, sustainability is one of the most used buzzwords," says CMO, Philippe Homsy. "We want LCI to cut through the noise and be judged by our impact. Through education, innovation, and donations, we've built a business model that is driven by our passion. With Leo, we could not have hoped for a more genuine and committed partner." Thinking outside of the box is key to LCI, and they have no intention of abandoning this guiding mindset. Homsy adds, "There's a significant advantage to being unconventional. Approaching obstacles with fresh eyes and real intent helps to shape the brand's perspective. LCI is a living, breathing community that represents a movement that's relevant today. Any momentum we have is due to the belief in our mission." LCI is a bold reminder that a sleek aesthetic does not have to come at the cost of environmental ethics. This 4 million seed round comes after only 15 months since launch in mid-2021, during which the mission-driven brand has achieved seven figures in sales within its first year, expanding into twenty-six global markets and partnering with some of the world's most notable retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, to name a few. LCI is gearing up to democratize other verticals in fashion too. CEO Emmanuel Eribo adds, "LCI is all about working with people who believe in our mission and see the world the way that we see it. It's always been about more than footwear, we exist to make a difference and are delighted to have Leo on that journey with us." LCI sneakers start at 140 and are available online at www.lociwear.com . Press Contact: Katie Rintala [email protected] About LCI LCI was founded in April 2021 by Emmanuel Eribo, Philippe Homsy, Frank Eribo & Mark Quaradeghini, London-based entrepreneurs with a vision to champion style and sustainability, expressed in their statement debut sneaker collection. 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and unisex, LCI sneakers are handmade in Porto, Portugal using recycled ocean plastics, as well as renewable and biodegradable materials where possible to help deliver a stylish eco-conscious sneaker. Production is scaled up or down in response to demand to manage environmental impact. 10% of online profits on every pair purchased are donated to conservation charities focused on protecting wildlife. Instagram: @LOCIWEAR SOURCE LCI Aaron White Promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer and Wade Allen Returns to Role as Chief Digital Officer DALLAS, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Brinker International, Inc. today announced Aaron White has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer, Brinker International. In her new role, White will oversee all aspects of the Team Member experience for Brinker and Chili's Grill & Bar, including recruitment and retention, talent selection, learning and development, and diversity, equity and inclusion. At an enterprise level, she will also lead key business priorities such as culinary operations, restaurant services, Guest engagement and Team Member relations. Aaron White Promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer Wade Allen Returns to Role as Chief Digital Officer "Given the importance of Team Member and manager retention, we're moving our people function closer to the operation," said Kevin Hochman, President and CEO of Brinker International. "And with previous leadership roles in PeopleWorks our HR department and extensive operations experience, Aaron was the perfect candidate to help us achieve our hiring and retention goals and make our positions in the field easier, more fun and more rewarding." Aaron joined Chili's as an hourly Team Member and has devoted her twenty-plus year career serving Chili's restaurant teams and Guests. In her most recent role as Senior Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Chili's, Aaron oversaw operations for more than 500 restaurants to ensure best-in-class operations and deliver excellent Guest and Team Member experiences. Her tenure with the brand has also included roles such as VP, Operations Services; Sr. Director, PeopleWorks; and Area Director. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and business from the University of Tennessee. "I've had a passion for this industry since I started working in restaurants in high school, and I've always been motivated by supporting the growth and development of Team Members throughout their careers," said White. "I'm honored to take on this role and am ready to tackle our retention goals and redefine our labor model to better support our operators and Team Members." In addition, Wade Allen will return to his role as Senior Vice President, Chief Digital Officer, this time with a focus on growing the company's off-premise business and driving the digital Guest experience online through the Chili's app, To-Go and Delivery. "Given the $1 billion in annual Chili's sales consumed off-premise, it's clear that Guests now view Chili's as a delicious home meal replacement," Hochman said. "I'm pleased that Wade has jumped into the opportunity to explore and determine how we might remove friction from the Team Member and the Guest experience to continue to drive this important part of our business." Allen joined Brinker in 2014 and was previously SVP of Innovation with oversight of culinary innovation, engineering, strategic growth, and the development and execution of virtual brands. He has held multiple leadership roles in technology, analytics and digital marketing. He will work with the Chili's CMO, George Felix; CIO, Pankaj Patra; and COO, Doug Comings to identify strategies and plans to accelerate the Chili's off-premise business, most of which is transacted digitally. "My roots are in technology, data security and analytics, and I'm excited to continue to use technology to transform and improve the off-premise experience for our Guests," said Allen. "Chili's has always been a leader in leveraging tech in the industry, and we will continue to innovate and make strides with ease, personalization and hospitality at the forefront." ABOUT BRINKER INTERNATIONAL, INC. Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT) is one of the world's leading casual dining restaurant companies and home of Chili's Grill & Bar, Maggiano's Little Italy and two virtual brands: It's Just Wings and Maggiano's Italian Classics. Founded by Norman Brinker in Dallas, Texas, we've ventured far from home, but stayed true to our roots. Brinker owns, operates or franchises more than 1,600 restaurants in 29 countries and two U.S. territories. Our passion is making people feel special, and we hope you feel that passion each time you visit one of our restaurants or invite us into your home through takeout or delivery. Learn more about Brinker and its brands at brinker.com. SOURCE Brinker International Payroll Company, L.P. Registration is now open for the three-day hybrid Summit being held March 2123, 2023 SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Business Architecture Guild, an international community of business architecture practitioners, with members in over 100 countries, today announced that registration is open for the 11th annual Business Architecture Innovation Summit. The Summit will be held virtually and in-person in Reston, VA, USA, March 2123, 2023. Over the past decade, the Business Architecture Innovation Summit has been the premier event for business and IT leaders to learn about industry advancements, success stories, and key learnings from around the globe. Co-sponsored by the Business Architecture Guild and the Object Management Group, this three-day event features a wide variety of experiential and leading-edge topics, discussion panels, and networking opportunities for in-person and remote attendees. Sample topics include: Enabling Strategy Execution & Change Management through Business Architecture Improving Customer Experience with Business Architecture Leveraging Business Architecture to Enable AI, Digital Transformation & Digital Twin Defining Business Architecture's Role in Establishing an Agile Enterprise Formalizing Business Architecture's Role in Data Architecture & Software Design Establishing & Scaling an Enterprise-wide Business Architecture Practice Using Reference Models to Establish a Business Architecture Baseline Business Architecture Standards: A Leading-Edge Update According to Ivan Blinov, past Summit attendee, "Having attended and participated in multiple Summits over the past decade, I've seen firsthand the increasing maturity of business architecture topics, presenters, and content. I'm looking forward to another great Summit in 2023, especially the opportunity to network with participants and leading thinkers in the global business architecture community." Past Summits have featured speakers from a wide variety of industry sectors across six continents, helping organizations frame their vision for maturing their practice. For those new to the discipline, the Summit is preceded by a half-day Business Architecture Primer, which is offered free of charge to virtual and onsite Summit attendees. About the Business Architecture Guild The Business Architecture Guild is an international, not-for-profit, member-based association that provides valuable resources to business leaders, practitioners, and others interested in the field. The Business Architecture Guild is the source for A Guide to the Business Architecture Body of Knowledge (BIZBOK Guide) and exclusive provider of the Certified Business Architect certification program. SOURCE The Business Architecture Guild NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow evening, the Committee for Economic Development, the public policy center of The Conference Board (CED), will honor six US business leaders and their companies for demonstrating extraordinary leadership in challenging times. The CED Distinguished Leadership Awards Celebration will take place at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. By shining a light on their bold, compassionate leadership, CED inspires the broader business and policy communities to address the biggest national challenges of today and tomorrow. "For more than a quarter century, CED's Distinguished Leadership Awards have been honoring business leaders and their companies with a strong commitment to corporate citizenship, business stewardship, and advancing public policy on key business and economic issues in the nation's interests," said Dr. Lori Esposito Murray, President of CED. "The Awards exemplify CED's mission, the legacy of its founders, and its longest serving Trustee, Peter G. Peterson." CED congratulates the recipients of the 2022 Distinguished Leadership Awards: Dr. Albert Bourla , Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. , Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. Award presented by James Quincey , Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company , Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company Heyward Donigan , President and CEO, Rite Aid , President and CEO, Rite Aid Award presented by Robert E. Knowling, Jr. , Chairman, Eagles Landing Partners , Chairman, Eagles Landing Partners Dan Schulman , President and CEO, PayPal , President and CEO, PayPal Award presented by Hans Vestberg , Chairman and CEO, Verizon , Chairman and CEO, Verizon Penny Pennington , Managing Partner, Edward Jones , Managing Partner, Award presented by Indra K. Nooyi , former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo , former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo Chris Kempczinski , President and CEO, McDonald's Corporation , President and CEO, McDonald's Corporation Award presented by John W. Rogers, Jr. , Chairman and Co-CEO, Ariel Investments , Chairman and Co-CEO, Marc N. Casper , Chairman, President, and CEO, Thermo Fisher Scientific , Chairman, President, and CEO, Thermo Fisher Scientific Award presented by James P. Gorman , Chairman and CEO, Morgan Stanley About the Honorees To learn more about this year's honorees, visit CED's Awards Celebration website and watch or listen to the Leadership in Challenging Times discussion series. In candid conversations, the honorees speak about the unprecedented challenges facing our nation and how they are helping to chart a path forward for their companies and the nation-at-large. About CED The Committee for Economic Development (CED) is the public policy center of The Conference Board. The nonprofit, nonpartisan, business-led organization delivers well-researched analysis and reasoned solutions in the nation's interest. CED Trustees are chief executive officers and key executives of leading US companies who bring their unique experience to address today's pressing policy issues. Collectively they represent 30+ industries, over a trillion dollars in revenue, and over 4 million employees. www.ced.org About The Conference Board The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org SOURCE Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) BROWNSVILLE, Texas, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Alliance for Hispanic Health, Healthy Americas Foundation, and Brownsville Community Health Center will celebrate their 16th annual Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! event in Brownsville. The event includes free health screenings, COVID-19 tests and vaccines and boosters, cooking demonstrations, health and wellness activities for the whole family, and referrals to community health services. The 2022 event series is sponsored nationally by the Siemens Foundation. "It is vitally important to our community and families to participate in this event not just for continuity but also for everyone's well-being particularly after dealing with the COVID 19 Pandemic. This is a fun way to get back our lives and reap the results of learning to stay healthy for now and for our future," commented Paula Gomez, Chief Executive Officer for the Brownsville Community Health Center, co-hosting with the Healthy Americas Organization. "Reducing health disparities requires a multi-faceted approach, including continuous preventative care and early detection. We're honored to provide our CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test to the local health fair participants as part of this effort," said Dave Pacitti, President, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.; Head of the Americas, Siemens Healthineers; and member of the Siemens Foundation Board of Directors. "We're committed to advancing health equity by promoting primary healthcare, diagnostic screening, workforce training for the healthcare sector, and capital loan support for community clinics, and thrilled to support Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! in Brownsville," concluded David Etzwiler, CEO of Siemens Foundation. "It is especially important that communities have access to health screenings, given the millions of important screenings that were missed or delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic." said Dr. Jane Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the nation's leading Hispanic health advocacy group. "We also celebrate the 16th year of Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! in Brownsville with the Brownsville Community Health Center as well all the efforts to support individuals and families have the best health possible." In addition, the event will feature the All of Us Research Program, a historic effort to gather data from one million or more people living in the US to accelerate research and improve health. What: Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! event featuring: Free Health Screenings: including HIV/STI, vision, liver, glucose, blood pressure, and COVID-19 tests and vaccines including HIV/STI, vision, liver, glucose, blood pressure, and COVID-19 tests and vaccines Fitness: Yoga Yoga Healthy snacks: produce giveaway and nutrition education produce giveaway and nutrition education Family fun: Games, raffles, and much more! Games, raffles, and much more! Science: Featuring the All of Us Research Program Where: Gladys Porter Zoo, 500 E Ringgold St, Brownsville, TX 78520 When: Saturday, October 29, 2022 from 9:00am to 1:00pm Cost: FREE! To find a Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! event in your city, please call the Su Familia Helpline at 1-866-783-265 or visit www.healthyamericas.org/get-up-get-moving. To learn more about the All of Us Research Program, please visit www.JoinAllofUs.org/Juntos. Contact: Edgar Gil Rico (202) 797-4331 [email protected] SOURCE National Alliance for Hispanic Health RAON turns Ceragon's IP-50FX Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway into a two-in-one cell site router and radio indoor unit, reducing Total Cost of Ownership as well as energy consumption ROSH HA'AIN, Israel,, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ceragon Networks Ltd., the global innovator and leading solutions provider of 5G wireless transport, today announced that its Radio Aware Open Networking (RAON) software announced earlier this year is now available for purchase as part of its IP-50FX Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway (DCSG) solution. The solution will be presented at the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) Fyuz 2023 event, October 25-27, 2022, in Madrid, Spain. The RAON software is designed to increase operational efficiency, simplify radio monitoring and management, and reduce energy consumption at a time when global energy prices are adversely impacting OPEX. By enabling the cell site gateway to act as a virtual in-door unit with a single IP address, RAON empowers unified monitoring and management capabilities. It informs the cell site router of any changes in connected outdoor radios, allowing for data-driven decisions such as rerouting for optimal traffic flow. The RAON-enabled two-in-one configuration combines a cell site router (CSR) and radio indoor unit (IDU) into a single device, increasing operators' flexibility to meet changing capacity demands while also achieving cost savings via: Eliminating the need to power, cool, connect, and provide rack space for two separate devices. Minimizing energy consumption Reducing operational, administration, and maintenance (OAM) complexity, as well as provision complexity. Diego Mari Moreton, Meta Connectivity Technologies & Ecosystems Manager and Lead of the TIP Open Optical Packet Transport Project Group commented: "Ceragon's RAON software running on its IP-50FX hardware is the real-world realization of TIP's DCSG goal of a truly open and disaggregated hardware and software solution. Ceragon holds a unique position as a vendor that currently has a solution represented across all three OpenSoftHaul segments Outdoor Units, Indoor Units, and Network Operating Systems. Ceragon's IP-50FX solution not only met but exceeded all requirements defined by the DCSG subgroup, and we were thrilled to award them with a Ribbon signifying that IP-50FX is TIP Compliant." Ulik Broida, Ceragon EVP Portfolio Management, commented, "Providing our customers with intelligent multi-purpose tools that improve operational efficiency, simplify network management, and reduce energy consumption has been a long-held guiding principle for Ceragon. Today we deliver on that goal in a big way. The IP-50FX DCSG running RAON in tandem with IP Infusion's OcNOS delivers phenomenal value. This dual-purpose open-design provides operators new levels of freedom and flexibility, enabling them to quickly respond to rising capacity demands and making it easy to upgrade as they grow". For additional information, or to contact our team of experts, CLICK HERE. About Ceragon Networks Ceragon Networks Ltd. is the global innovator and leading solutions provider of 5G wireless transport. We help operators and other service providers worldwide increase operational efficiency and enhance end customers' quality of experience with innovative wireless backhaul and fronthaul solutions. Our customers include service providers, public safety organizations, government agencies and utility companies, which use our solutions to deliver 5G & 4G broadband wireless connectivity, mission-critical multimedia services, stabilized communications, and other applications at high reliability and speed. Ceragon's unique multicore technology and disaggregated approach to wireless transport provides highly reliable, fast to deploy, high-capacity wireless transport for 5G and 4G networks with minimal use of spectrum, power, real estate, and labor resources. It enables increased productivity, as well as simple and quick network modernization, positioning Ceragon as a leading solutions provider for the 5G era. We deliver a complete portfolio of turnkey end-to-end AI-based managed and professional services that ensure efficient network rollout and optimization to achieve the highest value for our customers. Our solutions are deployed by more than 400 service providers, as well as more than 800 private network owners, in more than 150 countries. For more information please visit: www.ceragon.com Ceragon Networks and FibeAir are registered trademarks of Ceragon Networks Ltd. in the United States and other countries. CERAGON is a trademark of Ceragon Networks Ltd., registered in various countries. Other names mentioned are owned by their respective holders. Ceragon Marketing Contact: Tanya Solomon Ceragon Networks [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1704355/Ceragon_Networks_Ltd_Logo.jpg SOURCE Ceragon Networks Ltd Report analyzes benefits, financing, R&D activity and more to reveal emerging standouts in medical science United States and Mainland China at the forefront of RNA technology advancement LONDON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today announced the release of a new report, RNA Technology Companies to Watch. The report identifies seven emerging innovators in the field of medical science who are solving for undruggable disease targets. The report draws on data and analytics from BioWorld, an award-winning suite of news services delivering actionable intelligence on the most innovative therapeutics and medical technologies in development, published by Clarivate. Leveraging Clarivate and BioWorld data and insights paired with analysis of drug benefits, financing, R&D activity and more, this report explores what sets these companies apart and why they are companies to watch. With great potential to address unmet therapeutic needs, therapies that act upon or incorporate RNA to fight disease have gained traction over the last decade and were pushed into the spotlight further with the regulatory approvals of mRNA vaccines during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Success with rare diseases, which typically do not respond well to traditional approaches, is setting RNA therapies apart. Demonstrating benefits such as fewer side effects and lower cost to enhanced efficacy and accessibility, this emerging therapeutic modality is giving hope to patients and clinicians. However, RNA technologies present challenges, including the innate limitations of instability, high innate immunogenicity and challenges with targeted delivery, among other factors. Despite these challenges, the space remains promising. In the report, Clarivate has identified seven recently created innovative RNA technology companies that are developing solutions to tackle currently undruggable targets for undruggable targets within the space, including: Aro Biotherapeutics a company pioneering the development of tissue-targeted genetic medicines with a patented platform technology, Centyrin, positioned to precisely target diverse therapeutics to specific cells of interest. Lead programs include Centyrin-oligonucleotide conjugate therapies meant to provide targeted delivery of oligonucleotides to extra-hepatic tissues and Centryrin-small interfering (siRNA) conjugate therapies for oncology targets. a company pioneering the development of tissue-targeted genetic medicines with a patented platform technology, Centyrin, positioned to precisely target diverse therapeutics to specific cells of interest. Lead programs include Centyrin-oligonucleotide conjugate therapies meant to provide targeted delivery of oligonucleotides to extra-hepatic tissues and Centryrin-small interfering (siRNA) conjugate therapies for oncology targets. Cargene Biopharma Inc -- a company developing highly specific, stable, potent, siRNA-based oligonucleotide therapeutics via the company's OSCAR algorithm and SMoP pharmacophore design platform. The company aims to address a broad range of diseases, with an initial focus on liver and ophthalmic disorders. a company developing highly specific, stable, potent, siRNA-based oligonucleotide therapeutics via the company's OSCAR algorithm and SMoP pharmacophore design platform. The company aims to address a broad range of diseases, with an initial focus on liver and ophthalmic disorders. DTx Pharma Inc -- a company that has developed a proprietary platform technology called FALCON (Fatty Acid Ligand Conjugated OligoNucleotide). The FALCON platform has the potential to address multiple therapeutic areas, including CNS, cardiovascular, immunology and oncology. a company that has developed a proprietary platform technology called FALCON (Fatty Acid Ligand Conjugated OligoNucleotide). The FALCON platform has the potential to address multiple therapeutic areas, including CNS, cardiovascular, immunology and oncology. HAYA Therapeutics SA -- a precision therapeutics company that has developed a proprietary drug discovery engine, DiscoverHAYA, enabling a pipeline of lead, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-targeting, anti-fibrotic candidates for many tissues including lung, kidney, liver and the solid tumor microenvironment. The company's lead development candidate (HTX-001) is a modified ASO targeting the lncRNA Wisper, a cardiac myofibroblast-enriched driver of fibrosis. a precision therapeutics company that has developed a proprietary drug discovery engine, DiscoverHAYA, enabling a pipeline of lead, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-targeting, anti-fibrotic candidates for many tissues including lung, kidney, liver and the solid tumor microenvironment. The company's lead development candidate (HTX-001) is a modified ASO targeting the lncRNA Wisper, a cardiac myofibroblast-enriched driver of fibrosis. Laronde a company whose platform, Endless RNA (eRNA), involves novel, closed-loop, programmable, persistent, non-immunogenic RNA constructs to express therapeutic proteins inside the body. a company whose platform, Endless RNA (eRNA), involves novel, closed-loop, programmable, persistent, non-immunogenic RNA constructs to express therapeutic proteins inside the body. Replicate Bioscience a company designing self-replicating (srRNA) immunotherapies with a primary focus on drug resistance in oncology and new treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Lead candidates include RBI-1000 for breast cancer, RBI-2000 for solid tumors, RBI-3000 for lung cancer and RBI-8000 for inflammatory/autoimmune disease. a company designing self-replicating (srRNA) immunotherapies with a primary focus on drug resistance in oncology and new treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Lead candidates include RBI-1000 for breast cancer, RBI-2000 for solid tumors, RBI-3000 for lung cancer and RBI-8000 for inflammatory/autoimmune disease. Strand Therapeutics -- an emerging company developing next-generation, programmable, long-acting mRNA therapeutics capable of delivering precise, multi-functional, potentially curative treatments with a single dose for cancer immunotherapy and other diseases. Mike Ward, Global Head of Life Sciences and Healthcare Thought Leadership, Clarivate: "Success with mRNA vaccines targeting COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the potential of RNA technologies for other diseases. Pharmaceutical companies are now very keen to identify the next generation of RNA-focused technologies that will deliver future medicines with the potential to deliver better treatments." Lynn Yoffee, Publisher, BioWorld said: "Because RNA is known to directly regulate important cellular processes, the misregulation of various processes in diseases has led to an expanding level of research and now many therapeutic strategies being pursued by these companies and more. BioWorld has been tracking the launch and progression of new biopharma firms for more than three decades and the development timeline can be very long. But the speed with which mRNA technology delivered vaccines to fight COVID-19, for example, highlights the value of this technology. These seven firms are strong examples of companies leveraging RNA to effectively treat a variety of diseases." The momentum of RNA technologies is apparent in the significant increase in scientific knowledge, IP and deal-making value over recent years. From 2010 to 2020, the number of patents filed globally increased by 52%, and the number of RNA-related research publications jumped by 160% between 2012 and 2021.1 In addition, the United States and Mainland China are at the forefront of RNA technology advancement, with activity in Mainland China accelerating. Of the top 20 organizations with RNA-related patents globally, those based in Mainland China accounted for 41% of the patents, followed by the United States (40%).2 RNA companies need to differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded market by identifying the addressable market to contribute to long-term viability, ultimately maximizing patient benefit and commercial success. To learn more about the RNA Technology Companies to Watch report, visit here. For more Drugs to Watch updates and analyses throughout the year, visit the Drugs to Watch web page and follow Clarivate for Life Sciences & Healthcare Twitter and LinkedIn. Methodology for the RNA Technology Companies to Watch Report Clarivate analysts assessed the changing RNA landscape with a variety of proprietary data sources, including: BioWorld, Cortellis Deals Intelligence, Derwent Innovation, Web of Science and other industry sources such as company announcements, filings and peer-reviewed publications. Clarivate experts and analysts weighted companies according to factors, including: medical, business and scientific challenges these companies are attempting to solve; patient unmet need and/or burden of disease their solutions aim to address; whether the company has demonstrated proof of concept and achieved key developmental milestones; positioning in clinical trials; relationships with notable scientific and academic institutions; financial positioning, including funding secured, relationships with industry and institutional investors, financial runway and prospects for future fundraising or partnerships; and ownership and status of intellectual property (IP) estate. Please note that Clarivate generated data featured in this report reflects findings prior to October 21, 2022. The RNA Technology Companies to Watch is based on Clarivate's current expectations reflective of existing data, but actual results derived from companies featured in the Report and herein may differ. About BioWorld With writers and editors stationed around the globe, BioWorld, published by Clarivate, reports the breaking news and provides key perspective on hundreds of therapeutics and devices in development, the companies behind those candidates, the business development transactions that evolve the markets, and the regulatory hurdles that both challenge and guard the processes. BioWorld has a long tradition of excellence in journalism. Collectively, the news services have been honored with 63 awards dating back to 1998, including 15 for its daily news services. Join the conversation and mention BioWorld on Twitter and Clarivate for Life Sciences & Healthcare on Twitter and LinkedIn. About Clarivate Clarivate is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the pace of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of Academia & Government, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Professional Services and Consumer Goods, Manufacturing & technology. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com. 1 Source: Web of Science 2 Source: Derwent Innovation Media contact: Catherine Daniel Director External Communications, Life Sciences & Healthcare [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1159266/Clarivate_Logo.jpg SOURCE Clarivate Plc HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Coastline Exploration Limited ("Coastline"), the upstream oil and gas company focused on East Africa, is donating $1.4m in food aid to 6,000 households in Somalia to help with the famine relief effort. The food will be donated across three areas, Barawe in South West, Hobyo in Galmudug, and Kismayo in Jubaland, with 2,000 households in each region receiving six essential food types including sugar, rice, wheat flour, cooking oil, spaghetti and milk powder. Every family will receive 87.5 kg of food and 20 litres of cooking oil. Somalia is confronting its worst drought in 40 years after four successive seasons of poor rainfall have caused livestock to die and crops to fail, with rural populations in hard-to-reach areas the hardest hit. It is affecting around 7.8 million people which is half the population and 90% of the country is facing extreme drought. Coastline's donation follows those by other organisations including the United Nations World Food Programme and the British Red Cross. The distribution of Coastline's food aid will commence as soon as possible. Coastline has invested in and is committed to Somalia for the long-term and has been engaged with multiple stakeholders in Somalia since 2018 in respect of its plans for the development of the country's offshore energy industry to enhance the future prosperity of the Somali people. W. Richard Anderson, Chief Executive of Coastline, commented: "Somalia needs all the help it can get to alleviate the chronic drought and famine conditions that are being so cruel to so many families. We hope that this food aid donation will go some way to ease the suffering." About Coastline Exploration Coastline Exploration, the US based upstream oil and gas company focused on East Africa, was established to help develop the hydrocarbon industry. The Company believes there is huge potential for further significant oil and gas discoveries across offshore East Africa including offshore Somalia. www.coastlineexploration.com Enquiries J&H Communications Tel. +44 (0)20 3950 7822 [email protected] James Henderson George Hudson Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1926345/Coastline_Exploration_Ltd_Logo.jpg SOURCE Coastline Exploration Ltd Online Event on November 17 Will Bring Together Leading Automotive Developers and Security Engineers BONN, Germany, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Code Intelligence, the automated testing platform, today announced it will be hosting FuzzCon Europe: Automotive Edition , a 100% online event, on November 17 at 4 pm CET. Code Intelligence's FuzzCon Europe - Automotive Edition will bring together leading developers, security engineers, and testing automation experts from the automotive industry to engage in coding sessions focused on real use cases and challenges, and learn from experienced developers who will share their best practices on securing automotive software. Event sessions include: Current Challenges in Automotive Software Security Testing Presented by: Sergej Dechand , CEO & Co-Founder, Code Intelligence Presented by: , CEO & Co-Founder, Code Intelligence Historical Vulnerabilities in Automotive: Common Bug Classes Present in Embedded Software Presented by: Andreas Weichslgartner, Senior Technical Security Engineer, CARIAD Presented by: Andreas Weichslgartner, Senior Technical Security Engineer, CARIAD Integrating Fuzz Testing into an Automotive Cybersecurity Test Strategy Presented by: Nico Vinzenz , Cybersecurity Expert, ZF Group Presented by: , Cybersecurity Expert, ZF Group Fuzzing Beyond Cybersecurity Presented by: Rene Palige, Expert Automotive Software Security, & Rosemary Joshy , Head of Global SW Strategy, Innovation and Business Improvement, Continental Presented by: Rene Palige, Expert Automotive Software Security, & , Head of Global SW Strategy, Innovation and Business Improvement, Continental How To Improve Automotive Security Presented by: Michal Frenkel , VP Products & Strategy, & Victor Marginean , Presales Worldwide Director, Argus Cyber Security Ltd. "We're excited to bring together leading minds on the cutting edge of the automotive developer and security community for FuzzCon Europe: Automotive Edition," said Sergej Dechand, CEO & Co-Founder, Code Intelligence. Attendees of our virtual event can expect to discuss and learn about how best to comply with the latest industry standards, how to deal with the growing technical complexity of modern software, and how to improve security testing in automotive software." Code Intelligence recently announced a new open-sourced security tool, CI Fuzz CLI, which lets automotive developers and security professionals run coverage-guided fuzz tests directly from the command line to find and fix vulnerabilities at scale. CI Fuzz CLI can be integrated into common build systems, integrated development environments (IDEs), and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) tools. CI Fuzz CLI has language support for C/C++ and CMake. For more information on the FuzzCon Europe: Automotive Edition, and to register, visit: https://www.fuzzcon.eu/automotive-edition#Registration About Code Intelligence Founded in 2018 by Sergej Dechand, Khaled Yakdan, and Matthew Smith, Code Intelligence offers an automated software security platform that helps developers ship more secure code. The startup has raised $15.7 from Tola Capital, HTGF, Thomas Dohmke (CEO of GitHub), and others. Code Intelligence is trusted by Google, Deutsche Telekom, Bosch, and CARIAD, among others. About Fuzz Testing Fuzz Testing is a dynamic testing method for finding functional bugs and security issues in software. During a fuzz test, a program or function under test gets executed with invalid, unexpected, or random inputs to uncover unlikely or unexpected edge cases. Learn more: What is Fuzz Testing? Media Kit Link Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1830464/Code_Intelligence_Logo.jpg SOURCE Code Intelligence 13 Qing Dynasty and Modern Artworks Snapped-Up by Collectors SINGAPORE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Metaverse Blockchain company Coinllectibles, a fully owned subsidiary of Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG), is pleased to announce that the "Magnificent Ceramic Series" priced at more than US$3.8million has been completely sold out. Previously launched in September 2022, the collection of 13 Qing Dynasty and modern artworks were promptly snapped up by collectors. As a follow-up, Coinllectibles will be launching another 9 items that are collectively priced at US$547,000. Each collectible will be tagged with a Coinllectibles' signature Digital Ownership Token ("DOT") that includes legal documentation addressing ownership, a valuation report and high resolution images of the piece that is minted on the Blockchain. Similar to the "Magnificent Ceramic Series", the next series will feature a collection of exquisite antique works made by modern artists. There will be 7 limited edition ceramic paintings as well as 2 ceramic vases. These rare ceramics collectibles were all delicately created through an extremely high level of Chinese craftsmanship. The ceramic painting, titled "High Relief Round Ceramic Painting with Gold Decorated Dragon Pattern" is an imitation of a classic masterpiece made during the period when the ceramic industry was under the supervision of Tang Ying under the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Such high-relief ceramic printing with Dragon patterns has the most demanding firing requirements for ceramic production, which require meticulous measurement and deliberation. Only available in 7 quantities on Coinllectibles MetaMall, this item is an extremely rare collection of the finest and most elegant wares. Commenting on the launch, Nancy Wong, Chief Assets Officer at Coinllectibles said, "We are very encouraged by the response from collectors for the Magnificent Ceramics Series. The 13 pieces from the previous series were priced at a premium, with the highest being US$508,000 for a piece. These 9 pieces are priced between US$48,000 to US$63,000 per piece, and we hope that more collectors will come on at these price points." For more information on the Magnificent Ceramics Series, please visit www.coinllectibles.art. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are often indicated by terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "intend," "look forward to," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future business activities including the expansion into the decentralized financing space. These forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or projected herein include uncertainties associated with operating a business in Singapore and Hong Kong, risk of interference by the PRC government, ability to compete, that financial resources do not last for as long as anticipated, and that COSG is a holding company that may not realize the expected benefits of DOT's offered by Coinllectibles. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in COSG's regulatory filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in its annual report on Form 10-K filed on April 15, 2022. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. COSG undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise. For media queries, please contact: [email protected] About Cosmos Group Holdings Inc Cosmos is a business group that operates in two business segments: Arts and Collectibles Financing Through Coinllectibles, the group provides authentication, valuation and certification (AVC) service, sale and purchase, hire purchase, financing, custody, security and exhibition (CSE) services to art buyers through traditional channels, as well as through leveraging blockchain technology through the creation of digital ownership tokens (DOTs). With subsidiaries licensed under Hong Kong's Money Lenders Ordinance, the group currently primarily provides unsecured personal loan to private individuals, with a small portfolio of mortgage loans. The group is integrating the two business segments by offering secured financing services to prospective art and collectibles purchasers to provide a one-stop arts and collectibles purchasing and financing experience. About the Company Coinllectibles Coinllectibles is a technology company supporting the collectibles industry with a focus on rare memorabilia and artworks that exist and have intrinsic value in the real world, whether tangible or intangible in nature. Coinllectibles applies blockchain, marketplace, metaverse and DOT technologies as tools to disrupt and enhance the real world collectibles industry. The technology underpinning DOTs (digital ownership tokens) has multiple functional use cases that Coinllectibles is applying to areas including art, sports, watches, numismatics, limited edition toys, limited edition fashion wear and sneakers. DOTs have the power to transform our societies and some areas may be subject to regulations. Coinllectibles uses DOT technology solely to provide a legally-binding digital ownership token (DOT) to a tangible or intangible collectible. Website: www.coinllectibles.art Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coinllectibles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coinllectibles/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/coinllectibles LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coinllectibles Telegram: https://t.me/Coinllectibles About Coinllectibles Fusion DOT Coinllectibles prides the Fusion DOT as the industry "Gold Standard". Being a Gold Standard, a Fusion DOT contains the following on Arweave (1) a sale and purchase agreement reflecting the purchase, by the person minting the Fusion DOT, of the underlying asset at a fair value with all rights and restrictions clearly detailed, (2) bailment terms governing the rights to possession whilst the underlying asset remains with Coinllectibles, (3) a transfer deed reflecting the transfer of the ownership of the underlying asset (together with all rights and restrictions) by the transferor to the holder of the Fusion DOT, (4) ownership title deed written into the description of the Fusion DOT and (5) the unequivocal identification file of the underlying asset, whose ownership is reflected in the title deed represented by the Fusion DOT. SOURCE Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the research report, the Competitive Intelligence Tools Market will witness a YOY growth of 9.78 in 2022 at a CAGR of 10.38% during the forecast period. The report is segmented by deployment (cloud-based and on-premise) and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and South America). Request Free Sample Report. Vendor Insights Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Competitive Intelligence Tools Market 2022-2026 The competitive intelligence tools market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying various organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. The intensifying market rivalry is forcing vendors to implement a variety of growth methods, such as promotional efforts and advertisements. This helps them increase their product and service exposure. In order to remain competitive in the market, several suppliers are also implementing inorganic expansion strategies, including M&As. The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including: Brandwatch BuzzSumo Ltd. CI Radar LLC Clootrack Software Labs Pvt. Ltd. Comintelli AB Crayon Inc. Crunchbase Inc. Digimind Evalueserve Inc. G2.com Inc. Klue Labs Inc Find additional highlights on the growth strategies adopted by vendors and their product offerings, Buy Sample Report. Geographical Market Analysis Demand for competitive intelligence is increasing in the US as a result of growing digitization. Consequently, US companies are leveraging cloud services to improve various business processes and operations. As more employees use competitive intelligence tools, small businesses are increasingly relying on cloud solutions. Additionally, the popularity of competitive intelligence products will rise due to the growth of cloud computing across businesses. Cloud computing systems are undergoing massive expansions because of their increasing applications across various sectors. The US is also the world's largest consumer and producer of data. The significant amount of data generated in the area is fueling the expansion of the market for competitive intelligence technologies worldwide. Furthermore, countries such as the US, China, Japan, the UK, and Germany are expected to emerge as major markets for Competitive Intelligence Tools Market during the forecast period. Download Free Sample Report. Key Segment Analysis The cloud-based intelligence solutions will significantly increase its market share during the forecast period. The threat of data security and privacy breaches is propelling the growth of on-premises data storage so that end users can control and secure their generated data. All these services offered will contribute to the expansion of the global competitive intelligence tools market during the forecast period. Key Market Drivers & Challenges: One of the key drivers driving the growth of the competitive intelligence tools market is the exponential increase in data. Various sources, such as mobile devices, the Internet, and social media, produce large amounts of information. Organizations find it difficult to manage and analyze this massive database effectively due to the growing diversity, volume, and velocity of data. Furthermore, competitive intelligence devices assist organizations in converting unstructured and semi-structured data into structured and meaningful information. As a result, an exponential increase in data will have a positive impact on market growth during the forecast period. The major factor limiting the growth of the competitive intelligence tools market is data privacy and security concerns. Concerns about data security and privacy on the cloud have increased globally. Businesses that use public cloud-based storage have little control over the safety of their customer's data. As a result, they move the less crucial data to the public cloud. An essential component of cloud infrastructure and apps is data security and there is a constant risk of business-critical information leaking and manipulating due to which concerns over data security and privacy will have a negative effect on the market's expansion during the forecasted period. Get lifetime access to our Technavio Insights! Subscribe to our "Basic Plan" billed annually at USD 5000. Related Reports: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Market in BFSI Sector by Service and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The report extensively covers artificial intelligence (AI) market segmentation in the BFSI sector by end-user (banking, investment and securities management, and insurance) and geography (North America, APAC, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and South America). Blockchain Technology Market in BFSI Sector by Type and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026: The report extensively covers blockchain technology market segmentation in the BFSI sector by type (public blockchain, private blockchain, and consortium blockchain) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA). Competitive Intelligence Tools Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 10.38% Market growth 2022-2026 $28.90 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 9.78 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 34% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, UK, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading companies, Competitive Strategies, Consumer engagement scope Key companies profiled Brandwatch, BuzzSumo Ltd., CI Radar LLC, Clootrack Software Labs Pvt. Ltd., Comintelli AB, Crayon Inc., Crunchbase Inc., Digimind, Evalueserve Inc., G2.com Inc., Klue Labs Inc., Meltwater BV, NetBase Solutions Inc., Pathmatics Inc., Semrush Holdings Inc., Similarweb Ltd., Slintel LLC, SpyFu, Talkwalker Inc., and Adthena Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get customized segments. Table of contents 1 Executive Summary 1.1 Market Overview Exhibit 01: Executive Summary Chart on Market Overview Exhibit 02: Executive Summary Data Table on Market Overview Exhibit 03: Executive Summary Chart on Global Market Characteristics Exhibit 04: Executive Summary Chart on Market by Geography Exhibit 05: Executive Summary Chart on Market Segmentation by Deployment Exhibit 06: Executive Summary Chart on Incremental Growth Exhibit 07: Executive Summary Data Table on Incremental Growth Exhibit 08: Executive Summary Chart on Vendor Market Positioning 2 Market Landscape 2.1 Market ecosystem Exhibit 09: Parent market Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics 3 Market Sizing 3.1 Market definition Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition 3.2 Market segment analysis Exhibit 12: Market segments 3.3 Market size 2021 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026 Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 4 Five Forces Analysis 4.1 Five forces summary Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.4 Threat of new entrants Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.5 Threat of substitutes Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.6 Threat of rivalry Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026 4.7 Market condition Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026 5 Market Segmentation by Deployment 5.1 Market segments Exhibit 24: Chart on Deployment - Market share 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 25: Data Table on Deployment - Market share 2021-2026 (%) 5.2 Comparison by Deployment Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Deployment Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Deployment 5.3 Cloud-based - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 28: Chart on Cloud-based - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 29: Data Table on Cloud-based - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 30: Chart on Cloud-based - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 31: Data Table on Cloud-based - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.4 On-premise - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 32: Chart on On-premise - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 33: Data Table on On-premise - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 34: Chart on On-premise - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 35: Data Table on On-premise - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 5.5 Market opportunity by Deployment Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Deployment ($ million) 6 Customer Landscape 6.1 Customer landscape overview Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria 7 Geographic Landscape 7.1 Geographic segmentation Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%) 7.2 Geographic comparison Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison 7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 42: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 43: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 44: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 45: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.4 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 47: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 48: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 49: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 51: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 52: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 53: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 55: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 56: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 57: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 59: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 60: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 61: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 64: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 65: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.9 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 67: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 68: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 69: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.10 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 71: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 72: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 73: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 75: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 76: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 77: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 79: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million) Exhibit 80: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) Exhibit 81: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%) 7.13 Market opportunity by geography Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by geography ($ million) 8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 8.1 Market drivers 8.2 Market challenges 8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges Exhibit 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026 8.4 Market trends 9 Vendor Landscape 9.1 Overview 9.2 Vendor landscape Exhibit 84: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation 9.3 Landscape disruption Exhibit 85: Overview on factors of disruption 9.4 Industry risks Exhibit 86: Impact of key risks on business 10 Vendor Analysis 10.1 Vendors covered Exhibit 87: Vendors covered 10.2 Market positioning of vendors Exhibit 88: Matrix on vendor position and classification 10.3 Comintelli AB Exhibit 89: Comintelli AB - Overview Exhibit 90: Comintelli AB - Product / Service Exhibit 91: Comintelli AB - Key offerings 10.4 Crayon Inc. Exhibit 92: Crayon Inc. - Overview Exhibit 93: Crayon Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 94: Crayon Inc. - Key offerings 10.5 Crunchbase Inc. Exhibit 95: Crunchbase Inc. - Overview Exhibit 96: Crunchbase Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 97: Crunchbase Inc. - Key offerings 10.6 Evalueserve Inc. Exhibit 98: Evalueserve Inc. - Overview Exhibit 99: Evalueserve Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 100: Evalueserve Inc. - Key offerings 10.7 Meltwater BV Exhibit 101: Meltwater BV - Overview Exhibit 102: Meltwater BV - Product / Service Exhibit 103: Meltwater BV - Key offerings 10.8 NetBase Solutions Inc. Exhibit 104: NetBase Solutions Inc. - Overview Exhibit 105: NetBase Solutions Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 106: NetBase Solutions Inc. - Key offerings 10.9 Semrush Holdings Inc. Exhibit 107: Semrush Holdings Inc. - Overview Exhibit 108: Semrush Holdings Inc. - Business segments Exhibit 109: Semrush Holdings Inc. - Key offerings Exhibit 110: Semrush Holdings Inc. - Segment focus 10.10 Slintel LLC Exhibit 111: Slintel LLC - Overview Exhibit 112: Slintel LLC - Product / Service Exhibit 113: Slintel LLC - Key offerings 10.11 SpyFu Exhibit 114: SpyFu - Overview Exhibit 115: SpyFu - Product / Service Exhibit 116: SpyFu - Key offerings 10.12 Talkwalker Inc. Exhibit 117: Talkwalker Inc. - Overview Exhibit 118: Talkwalker Inc. - Product / Service Exhibit 119: Talkwalker Inc. - Key offerings 11 Appendix 11.1 Scope of the report 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist Exhibit 120: Inclusions checklist Exhibit 121: Exclusions checklist 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$ Exhibit 122: Currency conversion rates for US$ 11.4 Research methodology Exhibit 123: Research methodology Exhibit 124: Validation techniques employed for market sizing Exhibit 125: Information sources 11.5 List of abbreviations Exhibit 126: List of abbreviations About Us: Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Seniors Can Learn About their Medicare Options from Home HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Baby boomers who are aging into Medicare or want to explore their options for 2023 can attend a virtual seminar from the comfort of their own homes. Starling Physicians is offering a Virtual Medicare Shop and Compare Expo, 12:30 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The online seminar is a great opportunity for seniors to learn more about their Medicare options. Registration is desired, but not required. To register, visit: StarlingSeniorCareAdvantage.com. The online seminar will include several sessions, including a physician panel entitled: "The Benefits of Value-Based Healthcare;" Medicare 101 sessions by independent, licensed brokers; as well as insurance company presentations. The event is hosted by Starling Senior Care Advantage, a program offered by Starling Physicians. Do not worry if you miss the webinar. You can still watch the Medicare information program online at StarlingSeniorCareAdvantage.com. About Starling Senior Care Advantage Starling Senior Care Advantage is a collaborative approach to care delivery that focuses on preventative care and providing care coordination resources. This program is open to senior patients of Starling Physicians. More information about Starling Senior Care Advantage and Medicare informational resources are available at StarlingSeniorCareAdvantage.com SOURCE Starling Senior Care Advantage HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Confie, the largest personal lines insurance distribution company in the U.S., today announced the continued expansion of its business process outsourcing division (BPO) with the launch of a new service center in Tijuana. The new facility, Confie's second in Mexico, will help accommodate the company's rapid growth in customer call center and outsourcing services, as well as facilitate expected future development. Confie opened Seguros Confie, the shared services center and BPO division of Confie, in 2010. In 2021, popular publisher and social media leader Yo Amo Tijuana named the 1,500 seat, state-of-the-art headquarters "Best Call Center to Work For". The nearshore facility operates 24 hours a day to deliver high-quality efficient support for Confie's US brands and its customers. Confie BPO's mission is to help companies optimize their operations for maximum productivity and profitability while providing world-class service to their customers. "This expansion marks significant growth for our BPO division and an even greater opportunity for businesses to leverage our transformative business outsourcing tools to increase customers and revenues," said Cesar Soriano, CEO, Confie. "Our team of skilled professionals and bilingual agents work across multiple channels to communicate with customers to deliver positive, measurable results for businesses." Seguros Confie currently has more than 1,200 skilled staff members, nearly all of whom are bilingual and bicultural. It will expand with 200 more at the new facility. Interested parties can visit confiemx.com to learn more about available positions. Confie is also committed to its local presence in Mexico, with a strong social responsibility program. This program allows employees to voluntarily help the community by donating every two or three months to local associations that support important efforts such as migrants, pet rescues, vulnerable women, and shelters. Confie's culture as a supportive and collaborative neighbor and team has positioned the company as one of the most well-known call centers in Tijuana's financial zone that provides jobs to bilingual citizens. "Seguros Confie has been positioned as one of the best companies to work with due to its adaptation to change and implementation of innovations. Today, Seguros Confie has the most prepared and qualified staff to offer solutions to all our customers with success," said Javier de la Torre, senior vice president of operations and GM Tijuana. "What distinguishes us is our commitment to creating an environment where our team members are encouraged to grow and be a positive influence on their communities. We are a company that focuses on people and that leads to success in business." For more information on Confie's Business Process Outsourcing division, visit confiebpo.com. About Confie Established in 2008, Confie is the nation's leading personal lines insurance distribution company. Today, Confie meets customers wherever they are with more than 800+ retail locations in 23 states, the Bluefire general agency, and a telephone and online shared service center servicing all 50 states. With flexible insurance options, outstanding value, and convenient service, Confie's aspiration is to be the most trusted source of insurance solutions so our customers can have peace of mind. Confie is a portfolio company of Alliant. For more information about Confie, visit www.confie.com. About Seguros Confie Seguros Confie started its operations in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, in 2008, when Confie, the largest independent personal lines agency and broker in the U.S, acquired Freeway Insurance and transitioned support operations and administration to Tijuana. Over the ensuing years, the company moved to a brand new facility in the financial zone of Tijuana in 2016. Today, Seguros Confie has more than 1,200+ employees distributed in both locations and remotely. Seguros Confie serves all 50 states in the U.S. To learn more about Seguros Confie visit www.confiemx.com. About Confie BPO In 2010, Confie opened a nearshore business process outsourcing division to help companies optimize their operations by providing call center solutions to maximize their probability. Shortly after, Confie BPO became the outsourcing leader in the insurance, financial and healthcare industries by providing transformative tools and cutting-edge technology for businesses seeking customer growth and increased revenue. They offer a wide range of inbound and outbound call services that are easily customizable, integrate seamlessly and deliver measured results. For more information about Confie BPO, visit www.confiebpo.com SOURCE Confie OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CLR) (the "Company") plans to announce third quarter 2022 results and file the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The Company also plans to publish a third quarter 2022 summary presentation to its website at www.CLR.com on Wednesday, November 2, 2022. The Company does not intend to host a conference call in connection with its third quarter 2022 results. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/95419/continental_resources_logo.jpg About Continental Resources Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR) is a top 10 independent oil producer in the U.S. and a leader in America's energy renaissance. Based in Oklahoma City, Continental is the largest leaseholder and the largest producer in the nation's premier oil field, the Bakken play of North Dakota and Montana. The Company is also the largest producer in the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma and is the second largest leaseholder in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and tenth largest in the Permian Basin of Texas. With a focus on the exploration and production of oil, Continental has unlocked the technology and resources vital to American energy independence and our nation's leadership in the new world oil market. In 2022, the Company will celebrate 55 years of operations. For more information, please visit www.CLR.com . Investor Contacts: Media Contact: Rory Sabino Kristin Thomas Vice President, Investor Relations Senior Vice President, Public Relations 405-234-9620 405-234-9480 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Continental Resources SHANGHAI, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE: DQ) ("Daqo New Energy", the "Company" or "we"), a leading manufacturer of high-purity polysilicon for the global solar PV industry, today announced that its subsidiaries Xinjiang Daqo and Inner Mongolia Daqo had signed a six-year high-purity polysilicon supply agreement with a leading solar manufacturing company in China. Under the supply agreement, Xinjiang Daqo and Inner Mongolia Daqo will provide this leading manufacturing company with a total amount of 432,000 MT high-purity mono-grade polysilicon from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2028. Actual prices will be negotiated by both parties monthly according to market conditions. Mr. Longgen Zhang, chief executive officer of Daqo New Energy, commented, "We continue to see robust demand for high-purity polysilicon as our downstream customers are expanding their capacities very fast and want to secure the supply for their raw materials. We expect that high-efficiency solar modules based on N-type technology will increase the market share very rapidly starting from next year. N-type technology requires even higher purity of polysilicon than the current P-type mono technology. We have confidence to benefit from this trend and differentiate us from our competitors by providing high-purity polysilicon to address the fast growing demand for N-type products." About Daqo New Energy Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE: DQ) ("Daqo" or the "Company") is a leading manufacturer of high-purity polysilicon for the global solar PV industry. Founded in 2007, the Company manufactures and sells high-purity polysilicon to photovoltaic product manufactures, who further process the polysilicon into ingots, wafers, cells and modules for solar power solutions. The Company has a total polysilicon nameplate capacity of 105,000 metric tons and is one of the world's lowest-cost producers of high-purity polysilicon. For more information, please visit www.dqsolar.com Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this announcement, as well as the Company's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the demand for photovoltaic products and the development of photovoltaic technologies; global supply and demand for polysilicon; alternative technologies in cell manufacturing; the Company's ability to significantly expand its polysilicon production capacity and output; the reduction in or elimination of government subsidies and economic incentives for solar energy applications; the Company's ability to lower its production costs; changes in the political and regulatory environment; and the duration of COVID-19 outbreaks in China and many other countries and the impact of the outbreaks and the quarantines and travel restrictions instituted by relevant governments on economic and market conditions, including potentially weaker global demand for solar PV installations that could adversely affect the Company's business and financial performance. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the reports or documents the Company has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information or any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. SOURCE Daqo New Energy Corp. CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dental Implants and Prosthetics Market is projected to reach USD 14.1 billion by 2027 from USD 9.9 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Growth in the dental implants and prosthetics market is primarily due to the development of technologically advanced solutions, changing lifestyles and unhealthy food habits, and growing consumer awareness and rising focus on aesthetics. The dental industry has evolved over the years with the development of new dental materials. Patient compliance has concurrently increased, with a sharp rise in the demand for minimally invasive procedures. Adhesive dentistry is an area that has gained attentionthis uses composite materials to improve aesthetics and strengthen teeth with minimal damage to tooth structures. As a result, the number of people opting for such procedures has increased. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=695 Browse in-depth TOC on "Dental Implants and Prosthetics Market 405 - Tables 52 - Figures 332 - Pages Based on design, tapered dental implants commanded a larger share in the dental implants market Based on design, the dental implants market is segmented into tapered dental implants and parallel-walled dental implants. In 2021, tapered dental implants commanded a larger share in the dental implants market. The segment's large share is due to the greater demand for bone-level tapered dental implants, which are cost effective, offer improved primary stability in the soft bone, enable less time-consuming one-stage implant procedures, and provide patients an immediate restoration solution. Based on material, PFM accounted for the largest share in the dental prosthetics market Based on material, the dental bridges and crowns market is segmented into PFM, all-ceramics, and metal. PFM accounted for the largest share in the dental prosthetics market in 2021. The segment's large share is due to the high strength and stability (due to the underlying metal), lower cost (as compared to gold-based crowns and bridges), and desired aesthetics. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=695 Based on type of facility, hospitals and clinics held the largest dental implants and prosthetics market share Based on the type of facility, the dental implants and prosthetics market is broadly segmented into hospitals and clinics, dental laboratories, and other facilities. Hospitals and clinics held the largest dental implants and prosthetics market share in 2021. The large share and high growth of the hospitals and clinics segment is due to the increasing number of dental clinics and hospitals, rapid adoption of advanced technologies by small and large dental clinics and hospitals, and a rising number of group dental practices in developed countries. The Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period Based on geography, the dental implants and prosthetics market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. The Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. The high growth of the Asia Pacific market is due to the rapidly increasing geriatric population and medical tourism. Key players in the dental implants and prosthetics market The prominent players in the dental implants and prosthetics market are Institut Straumann AG (Switzerland), Envista Holdings Corporation (Danaher Corporation) (US), DENTSPLY Sirona, Inc. (US), 3M Company (US), Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (US), Henry Schein, Inc. (US), Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (Japan), COLTENE Group (Switzerland), Ivoclar Vivadent AG (Liechtenstein), AVINENT Implant System (Spain), OSSTEM Implant Co., Ltd. (South Korea), Bicon, LLC (US), Adin Dental Implant Systems (Israel), DIO Corporation (South Korea), Thommen Medical AG (Switzerland), Septodont Holding (France), Southern Implants (South Africa), Keystone Dental Inc (US), BEGO GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Ultradent Products Inc(US), VOCO GmbH (Germany), DMG Chemisch-Pharmazeutische Fabrik (US), Shofu Inc (Japan), Bisco Inc. (US), Dental Technologies (US). Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=695 Browse Adjacent Market: Medical Devices Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Dental Consumables Market - Global Forecasts to 2027 Oral Care Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 Orthodontic Supplies Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 Cosmetic Dentistry Market - Global Forecasts to 2025 Endodontics Market - Global Forecasts to 2022 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/dental-implants-prosthetics-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/dental-implants-market.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Curing diabetes with the help of sugars Immune cell targeting restoring tolerance in type 1 diabetes mellitus ABCOUDE, Netherlands, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DC4U, a preclinical-stage immunology company developing innovative treatments for auto-immune diseases and allergies, today announced to have been awarded a 1.7 million Eurostars (SiaDM) grant together with a Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) research group led by prof. Bart Roep, Intavis Peptide Services GmbH (IPS), and prof. Karsten Kretschmer of the Technische Universitat Dresden (TUD), for the joint development of an innovative treatment for Type I diabetes. DC4U logo The new groundbreaking approach uses paradoxically - sugars to re-educate the immune response and restore tolerance to the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. Earlier clinical studies by the group of Bart Roep revealed that it is feasible to modulate the immune response and induce tolerance to pro-insulin using immune cells from the patient trained by vitamin D3. However, this procedure is complex, expensive, and laborious. DC4U's glycoimmunology technology research offers an off-the-shelf alternative. This is where sugar meets protein. Ground-breaking glycoimmunology research by DC4U's CSO prof. Yvette van Kooyk, ensures the efficient targeting and triggering of dendritic cells (DCs) in order to elicit a specific, potent, and long term immune response without adverse effects. Fused together with expertise and knowledge of the LUMC (Netherlands), this unique combination can accelerate the development of a potential cure for Diabetes Type 1, which can benefit millions of patients Professor Bart Roep, Professor of Diabetology, Immunopathology & Intervention and Director of the Dutch National Diabetes Center of Excellence at the Leiden University Medical Center, comments: "I'm thrilled that we've been awarded this Eurostars grant, as with this project we will be one important step further in a career long journey to translate new understanding of the mechanisms leading to type 1 diabetes to finding a solution for millions of patients suffering from this condition. The revolutionary approach provided by this consortium and specifically with the help of DC4U's resolution of a more practical immune modifier through its glycoimmunology technology, will support those goals and will set an important next step." Professor Yvette van Kooyk, DC4U's Chief Scientific officer, 2019 Spinoza Prize laureate and head of the Dendritic Cell Immunobiology Unit at VU Medical Centre Amsterdam, adds: "The application of our groundbreaking GlycoDCTM technology in type 1 diabetes provides the opportunity to develop a cure for patients with this disease. A strong and close collaboration with the group of Professor Bart Roep from the LUMC and specialized service from Intavis and TUD, has resulted in a unique scientific approach that can change the course of treating autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes." About type 1 diabetes mellitus Type 1 diabetes is a serious autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are attacked by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone that is essential to allow sugar to enter the cells and fuel our bodies. The condition usually starts at an early age and requires life-long substitution with insulin through daily injections. Type 1 diabetes affects more than 8 million people worldwide and can result in serious side effects including kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, foot ulcers, blindness and early death. Currently, there is no known way to prevent or cure type 1 diabetes. Treatment of its symptoms with insulin is required for survival. About Eurostars Eurostars is a European innovation programme, a Eureka network and European Commission initiative. Eurostars provides financial support for projects through national funding of each participating country. Eurostars helps (small) companies to install market-oriented technological development and aims to shorten the time-to-market of new technologies and reduce technical risks. For more info on Eurostars please visit: www.eurekanetwork.org/countries/netherlands/Eurostars/ About DC4U technologies DC4U is a preclinical life science company developing treatments for autoimmune diseases and allergies. Its GlycoDCTM technology can effectively and specifically suppress the immune system targeting dendritic cells by glycan modified antigen conjugates. This innovative and safe approach can potentially treat millions of people worldwide serious diseases Its GlycoDCTM technology is based on extensive research by Chief Scienctific Officer Prof. Yvette van Kooyk, for which she was awarded the Spinoza Prize 2019, the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. For more info visit: www.dc4u-technologies.nl About Intavis Peptide Services IPS is a leading provider of synthetic peptides, peptide arrays, peptide pools and resins as well as a research and development partner for projects in immunology. The goal of the IPS is to support the scientific and clinical community with peptide-related products that will lead to novel personalized vaccines or immunotherapies. Fore info on Intavis, please visit: www.intavispeptides.com Please contact for more info: DC4U Technologies, Abcoude, The Netherlands Henk Vietor, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer T: +31 6 55 816 195 E: [email protected] LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Leon Melens T: +31 6 538 16 427 E: [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928149/dc4u_logo.jpg SOURCE DC4U Mentoring, Resources and Support Are Critical to Business Success WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Formerly incarcerated individuals are 45% more likely to become entrepreneurs versus those without a criminal record but face greater challenges on the path to business success, according to a meta-analysis from SCORE, mentors to America's small businesses and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. Tweet this From Prison to Entrepreneur: SCORE Offers Support, Resources The U.S. leads the world with the largest percent of its overall population in prison, with 2.2 million incarcerated individuals. For the 600,000 returning people released each year, finding employment can be difficult: the unemployment rate is 27.3% for the formerly incarcerated vs. 5.8% in the general population. Employment discrimination, limited resumes/skills, and legal restrictions limit the hiring of individuals with certain classes of convictions. Those who do find jobs earn lower wages, with median annual income at $10,000. "Small businesses launched by the formerly incarcerated typically do not require much human or financial capital, such as cleaning services, construction, trucking or other service industry roles," said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston. "Most are funded with support from family and friends, or bootstrapping, which requires working multiple jobs to fund small business aspirations. In addition, formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs hire five people, on average, as their businesses grow." Path to entrepreneurship for formerly incarcerated is rocky Entrepreneurship offers a path forward for people rebuilding their lives after time in prison, resulting in higher income and lower recidivism. However, challenges remain: Probation and parole requirements limit the ability to spend time starting a business (as they are required to have a job) Financing is often denied due to a criminal record Lack of technology skills / education, particularly business classes Higher cost of doing business due to higher insurance premiums and limits on occupational licenses (as hours spent in prison vocational programs do not count) Mentoring, support are critical components to small business success Data shows that returning individuals who pursue entrepreneurship are 33% less likely to reoffend. In addition to reduced recidivism, formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs also achieved higher rates of both employment and income. Successful entrepreneurship programs for the formerly incarcerated include key elements: Broad program activities and supports such as job readiness, financial management Mentoring Interdependence, networking and peer engagement Tailored credit building and credit access In Connecticut, SCORE volunteers provided monthly business training at several prisons pre-pandemic. "We educated individuals six months before release to give them tools and a chance to be successful. They were eager to learn," explains Mark Cutler, regional vice president for SCORE Northeast. "Both pre- and post-release, SCORE's 10,000 expert mentors are uniquely equipped to provide our mentoring and educational services for free." "Having someone believe in you makes a difference in whether you are successful as a returning citizen," said a formerly incarcerated SCORE client. "I knew what I wanted to do but not how. SCOREprovided information to help me on my journey." Visit www.score.org to learn more. About SCORE: Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide, creating 25,084 new businesses and 71,475 non-owner jobs in 2021 alone. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Follow @SCOREMentors on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. CONTACT: SCORE 202-968-6428 [email protected] SOURCES: https://www.sentencingproject.org/the-facts/#map https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kylie-Hwang/publication/340270406_Entrepreneurship_as_a_Response_to_Labor_Market_Discrimination_for_Formerly_Incarcerated_People/links/5e81410ba6fdcc139c13d52c/Entrepreneurship-as-a-Response-to-Labor-Market-Discrimination-for-Formerly-Incarcerated-People.pdf https://www.forbes.com/sites/annefield/2020/11/29/more-entrepreneurship-less-recidivism-among-the-formerly-incarcerated/?sh=4153150e2c6d https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/AFN-PrisonToProprietor.pdf https://leading.gsb.columbia.edu/features/entrepreneurship-is-a-viable-option-for-the-formerly-incarcerated/ https://nycfuture.org/pdf/CUF_Reentry_Entrepreneurship_Report_6.pdf SOURCE SCORE Dr. Carl Thornfeldt: The Pioneer on Skin Barrier Research, Known as "The Father of Skin Barrier Repair" BOISE, Idaho, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- October 2022 marks the 20th Anniversary of Epionce Skincare, and 20 years of putting the skin barrier first. Board Certified Dermatologist Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, Founder of Episciences, created Epionce Skincare to achieve clear, itch-free skin for his patients' chronic skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea. Dr. Thornfeldt began his skin barrier research in the early 1990s, through which he established the fundamentals of protecting and strengthening the skin barrier, which are used across the entire skincare industry today. Truly a pioneer, he was awarded with the first ever patent on skin barrier health in 1997. Dr. Thornfeldt is always on a mission to create effective skincare products that drive active ingredients into the skin without breaking down or irritating the barrier. After years of intense research on the topic, he looked to botanicals for a solution, which at the time was not readily accepted by the medical community. In 2002, the flagship Epionce Renewal Facial Cream was born and sold exclusively through Dr. Thornfeldt's own medical practice in Southwest Idaho. This barrier repair formula leverages extracts of safflower, rosa canina, avocado and flax to achieve the optimum ratio of lipids. Advanced clinical testing confirmed that this formula accelerated barrier repair more than twice as effectively as 100% petrolatum, and four times better than any commercially available moisturizer used by the dermatology community. In 2006 at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) annual event, Dr. Thornfeldt presented a Clinical Study on Epionce Renewal Facial Cream's antiaging powers. When paired with Epionce Lytic Tx, participants and physicians saw the same antiaging results typically achieved with retinoids, but without the irritation often caused by retinoids due to their damaging impact on the skin barrier. Epionce barrier nurturing products are backed by patient safety studies and decades of proven clinical results. These are proven formulations that address skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis and rosacea, as well as skin aging, which are common results of a damaged skin barrier. The products fall into four main categories: Cleanse & Repair, Correct & Boost, Renew & Fortify, Protect & Prevent, and are designed to be customized by a medical professional for a patient's skin type and concern. "Epionce Skincare has grown from one product sold in our one practice in Idaho to nearly 30 barrier protecting products recommended, trusted and sold by dermatologists worldwide, in more than 10 countries," said Dr. Thornfeldt. "We're proud to say that we have helped millions of people achieve their skin care goals without the use of harmful chemicals that damage the skin barrier." Epionce Skincare has received multiple beauty awards in leading national publications including NewBeauty, Shape and Women's Health; and in 2015 was awarded the best topical skincare at the Aesthetic Industry Awards. Dr. Thornfeld has published eight national studies on barrier health, which is why he has become known as the "Father of Barrier Repair." To meet global demands, Epionce Skincare built its own 18,000-square foot laboratory and manufacturing facility in Boise where all Epionce products are researched, designed, formulated and tested for superior product performance, safety, freshness and efficacy. Dr. Thornfeldt continues his skin barrier research in this facility, conducting new studies that will enable Epionce Skincare to further enhance skin barrier health. Medical heritage and clinical research is at the heart of Epionce and fulfills Dr. Thornfeldt's mantra, "if you keep the skin barrier healthy, beautiful skin follows." Epionce Skincare is available in the U.S. through thousands of medical skin professionals as well as Epionce.com, Dermstore.com and Lovelyskin.com. SOURCE Epionce Skincare NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Archaea Energy Inc. (LFG), relating to its proposed acquisition by BP plc. Under the terms of the agreement, LFG shareholders are expected to receive $26.00 in cash per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/archaea-energy-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you. About Monteverde & Associates PC We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers in 2013 and 2017-2019 as a Rising Star and in 2022 as a Super Lawyer in Securities Litigation. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, we have recovered or secured over a dozen cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases. If you own common stock in LFG and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341. Contact: Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC The Empire State Building 350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405 New York, NY 10118 United States of America [email protected] Tel: (212) 971-1341 Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC ( www.monteverdelaw.com ). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric Requenez has joined Ropes & Gray as a partner in the firm's asset management practice, based in the 500-lawyer New York office. Eric advises market-leading real estate and other private fund clients in the formation, structuring and capitalization of their funds, offering first-rate counsel to GPs, LPs, and distributors. His work also encompasses securities offerings, investment, regulatory and compliance matters, transactions, and other corporate matters. Chambers USA ranks Eric for private equity fund formation. His clients told Chambers that Eric "has incredibly strong commercial awareness and offers incredibly insightful solutions to complex matters," provides "valuable insight and guidance on industry standards," and that he offers "very detail-oriented and experienced private fund counsel." "With Eric, Ropes is making an important addition to its private funds team, strengthening the firm's real estate focus," said Julie Jones, chair. "Eric's approach is commercial. Clients appreciate that, and it's what makes him a great fit with our other, business-minded private funds lawyers." "Demand for our private funds expertise continues to grow and we are excited to be adding Eric to our team. It's a vote of confidence that leading funds continue to turn to Ropes & Gray for their most complex structuring, investment, regulatory and compliance matters. These clients will benefit from Eric's exposure in the market," said David Djaha, managing partner. Bryan Chegwidden, chair of the firm's global asset management practice, said: "Eric's understanding of private funds, including real estate and credit funds, is excellent and complements our existing strengths. We are pleased that Eric has decided to join Ropes & Gray." Eric served the last two years on Law360's Editorial Advisory Boards for Private Equity and is a frequent contributor to the Private Equity Law Report. "Ropes & Gray's established platforms in real estate and asset management drew me to the firm," Eric said. "I am excited to join the team because of its outstanding lawyers, their teaming mentality and the firm's first-rate clients." Eric is one of 26 private fund partners and counsel across the U.S., London, and Asia to either join Ropes & Gray or be promoted in the past 20 months, bolstering the firm's global private funds offerings, known across the asset management industry for excellence in guiding clients in ambitious and complex fund work. Consistently recognized by Chambers USA for its outstanding work on fund formation, investment funds, hedge funds, investor representation, and regulatory & compliance, Ropes & Gray attorneys are strategically advising asset management firms on all aspects of their expanding businesses, and fund sponsors and fund investors on the full range of fund types and asset classes. About Ropes & Gray's Asset Management Practice More than 300 Ropes & Gray lawyers in the United States, Asia and Europe focus on advising a global client base of asset management firms across the entire spectrum of private and registered fund structures, investment strategies, and asset classes. Our deep asset management experience enables Ropes & Gray to identify significant commercial, regulatory and economic issues, understand emerging trends, and craft innovative solutions that are unique to the concerns of clients throughout the industry and in jurisdictions around the world. About Ropes & Gray Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm with approximately 1,500 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government. The firm has offices in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring. Media contact: Amanda Howard [email protected] 617-235-4510 SOURCE Ropes & Gray CAMAS, Wash., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fisher Investments , one of the world's largest independent, fee-only investment advisers, was named a 2022 Top Workplace for diversity and inclusion (D&I). Fisher Investments was selected based on anonymous employee survey feedback about culture drivers critical to organizational success. "This recognition reflects our welcoming workplace culture, where every employee can thrive and build a lifelong career helping our clients achieve their investment goals," said Fisher Investments CEO Damian Ornani. He added, "Our employees are our most valuable asset and enable us to deliver unparalleled service to our clients around the world." The Top Workplaces engagement survey measures key workplace cultural drivers, including diversity and inclusion. D&I refers to the active programs and policies a company enacts to promote representation, acknowledgment, and participation of people of different backgrounds, races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, ages, abilities and religions. "I am proud our employees shared they feel valued and supported" said Carrianne Coffey, Fisher Investments' Senior Executive Vice President of Private Client Group International. "Fostering a positive work environment for everyone is core to our mission of helping more clients build better financial futures." "This award is a testament to our culture of inclusivity," said Naj Srinivas, Fisher Investments' Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Head of Diversity & Inclusion. "We believe in actively supporting diversity across the vast spectrum of human differences to create an authentic place of belonging for all." About Fisher Investments Fisher Investments is an independent, fee-only investment adviser. As of 3/31/2022, Fisher Investments and its subsidiaries manage over $197 billion in assets globallyover $156 billion for private investors, $39 billion for institutional investors and $2 billion for US small to mid-sized business retirement plans. Fisher Investments maintains four principal business groups: US Private Client, Institutional, Private Client International and 401(k) Solutions, which serve a global client base of diverse investors. Founder and Executive Chairman Ken Fisher wrote the Forbes "Portfolio Strategy" column from 1984 through 2016, making him the longest continuously running columnist in the magazine's history. In recent years, Ken's columns have run consistently in major media outlets around the world, spanning more countries and more volume than any other columnist of any type in history. Ken has also authored 11 books, including four New York Times bestsellers on finance and investing. Over the last decade, Ken has regularly appeared on CNBC, Fox Business, Fox News, CNN International, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg TV, and numerous other financial news outlets. For more information on Fisher Investments, please visit www.fisherinvestments.com . This recognition is based on anonymous employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by Energage, LLC and the Top Workplaces organization. The anonymous survey measures 15 culture drivers that Top Workplaces identifies as critical to organizational success. To qualify, companies must have 150 or more employees in the United States and achieve a workplace survey response rate of 35%+. Companies with the highest overall average scores (in comparison to like-sized companies within their industry) were named a Top Workplace in D&I Practices. Fisher Investments and its affiliates do not pay to be considered or selected for this award. Media Contacts SOURCE Fisher Investments Family-owned Fresh Cravings, the fastest growing hummus brand in America, continues to innovate with the launch of new Jalapeno Cilantro, Lemon Garlic, and Mediterranean Hummus flavors PHOENIX, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh Cravings , the family-owned, Arizona-based snacking brand expands its line of chilled dips, with the addition of three new innovative hummus flavors: Jalapeno Cilantro, Lemon Garlic, and Mediterranean. These new flavors are now available at Walmart nationwide, in the deli section, and join the Fresh Cravings Hummus lineup of Honey Jalapeno, Everything Bagel, Roasted Red Pepper, Roasted Garlic, Spicy Red Pepper, and Classic. Fresh Cravings, the family-owned, Arizona-based snacking brand has expanded its hummus lineup at Walmart with three new innovative flavors: Jalapeno Cilantro, Lemon Garlic, and Mediterranean. These new flavors are now available at Walmart nationwide, in the deli section, and join the Fresh Cravings Hummus lineup of Honey Jalapeno, Everything Bagel, Roasted Red Pepper, Roasted Garlic, Spicy Red Pepper, and Classic. The brand's mission is to 'Crave Goodness,' as such, all Fresh Cravings Hummus recipes begin with a blend of select, premium ingredients: chickpeas, creamy tahini, and Chilean Extra Virgin Olive Oil, making it the only hummus available with this unique EVOO. Building upon this savory foundation, Fresh Cravings Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus springs forth with spicy jalapeno peppers, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice. Fresh Cravings Lemon Garlic Hummus bursts from a balanced blend of lemon, roasted garlic, onion, and sea saltmaking it a flavorful addition to pasta, wraps, and more. Fresh Cravings Mediterranean Hummus transports tastebuds with the indulgent richness of roasted red bell peppers, garlic, basil, and Kalamata-style olives. "Our team's driving force is to find ways to deliver surprise and delight to our customers and to invite them to embrace new innovations and unexpected flavors," said FoodStory Brands Chief Marketing Officer, Jay Whitney. "We are proud to bring these three new flavors forward, always with the goal of offering elevated fresh-snacking options, made with high-quality ingredients, to consumers across the country." As the fastest growing brand of hummus and one of the newest to enter the category, Fresh Cravings surpassed 40 other brands, in the past two years, to become the fourth largest hummus brand in the US. Its hummus boasts double-blind taste test victories against the national category leader. To find a product near you, visit freshcravings.com or follow on @FreshCravingsSalsa via Instagram or Facebook About Fresh Cravings Fresh Cravings is proudly family-owned and operated and is the fastest growing national brand across refrigerated salsa and hummus, sold in more than 11,000 retail locations. We 'Crave Goodness' in all that we do, from creating elevated recipes to giving back to our communities. We believe that snacking should begin with high-quality ingredients and bold flavors worth celebrating. Fresh Cravings launched in 2015, with a line of refrigerated salsas, and as an answer to the dull, jarred salsa blends found in center store, we made ours with vine-ripened tomatoes and crisp vegetables that are never cooked or pasteurized. We are known for authentic-tasting chilled salsas and flavor-filled hummus, along with unique plant-based vegan dips and veggie-packed creamy dips that are sure to satisfy any craving. Our dips consistently outperform the competition on purchase intent and preference in double-blind sensory testing. Fresh Cravings is part of FoodStory Brands, a family-owned, Arizona-based company, which searches the world to bring thoughtfully curated and affordably priced food and beverage products to your table. For more information on Fresh Cravings visit: www.freshcravings.com or @FreshCravingsSalsa Facebook and Instagram . SOURCE Fresh Cravings Former Edge & Node CEO, Yaniv Tal, unveils plans for a decentralized global database that will live in The Graph's ecosystem; targets expanding web3 into new sectors including politics, health, science, and more SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yaniv Tal, Co-Founder of The Graph and former CEO of Edge & Node, today unveiled details around his new company, Geo, a web3 browser and knowledge graph app aiming to harness crypto tools to organize the world's public knowledge and information into a global decentralized knowledge graph. The company will collate blockchain data and develop a browsable user interface accessible to anyone. While Geo will leverage The Graph for data indexing, it will operate as a separate business entity. Founder of Geo, Yaniv Tal, commented on today's news: "From my earliest days building The Graph, I envisioned a global decentralized knowledge graph. Today we have the infrastructure to efficiently access blockchain data for thousands of developers, but we need to go a step further to organize real world data that everyone can use on a daily basis. That is the role Geo will play, and I'm thrilled to be working alongside a great team of engineers and developers to embark on our journey of building Geo into its full form." Information on Geo is interconnected and verifiable. The collection of data will be decided upon by flexible reputation and governance systems; each community can decide how they want to come to consensus on their facet of the knowledge graph. The interface will display the process used to vote on and accept information. Geo Genesis, a stripped down version of Geo for web will be available in the coming weeks. Geo intends to become a new tool for organizing information, becoming the system of record for multiple sectors, including but not limited to politics, health, and science. Each industry can manage its own data, processes for allocating power through reputation, and user interfaces. Leveraging Geo as a coordination tool across verticals, will allow participants to structure arbitrary knowledge and come to consensus on information ranging from simple facts to complex policy decisions. Tal continued: "We want to leverage Geo to help experts capture their knowledge and get to consensus on difficult questions. Developers will be able to build amazing applications and end users will be able to interact directly with an intuitive interface to create, customize, and mix and match data and UI blocks without needing to code." The company's plan is to launch with a series of in person events in San Francisco, where it will test its ideas in one of the world's premier technology and web3 hubs. Once successful, the plan will be to expand Geo's footprint to other cities and scale around the globe. For more information on Geo, please visit: geobrowser.io. About Geo Geo is a web3 browser and knowledge graph app aiming to organize the world's public knowledge and information into a global decentralized database. Founded by Yaniv Tal, Geo will collate and distribute blockchain data into an easy-to-use browsable interface. Industries including politics, health, science, and more can manage their own data, processes for allocating power through reputation, and user interfaces. For more information on Geo, please visit: geobrowser.io. Media Contact Dillon Arace M Group Strategic Communications (on behalf of Geo) [email protected] SOURCE Geo New clients, including retail, fashion, grocery, hotel and restaurant brands, will utilize Givex's industry-leading gift card program TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Givex Information Technology Group Ltd. ("Givex") (TSX: GIVX) announced today the continued growth of its Australia office, which recently delivered custom gift programs for major multi-unit retailers with more than 3,000 locations to utilize its industry-leading gift card program. "We opened the Australia office in 2008, and have been very pleased with our consistent growth over the last fourteen years," said Larry Samuels, Managing Director of Givex Australia and New Zealand. "Our team is working diligently to expand our footprint with new and existing clients throughout our region." The Givex Australia and New Zealand office successfully set up custom gift card programs for several major retail, fashion, grocery, hotel and restaurant brands, highlighting the flexibility of the Givex platform. In addition to gift cards, Givex also offers leading point-of-sale system GivexPOS, loyalty programs, Kitchen Display System (KDS), GivexPay and more. "Clients continue to come to Givex because of our best-in-class customer support, our ability to create custom programs and seamless integrations, as well as our robust analytics and reporting," said Samuels. "It's been a great year for Givex in Australia and New Zealand, and we look forward to continuing our growth trajectory for the balance of the year and beyond." About Givex Givex (TSX: GIVX) (OTCQX: GIVXF) is a global fintech company providing merchants with customer engagement, point of sale and payment solutions, all in a single platform. We are integrated with 1000+ technology partners, creating a fully end-to-end solution that delivers powerful customer insights. Our platform is used by some of the world's largest brands, comprising approximately 116,000 locations across more than 100 countries. Learn more at givex.com . SOURCE Givex DUBLIN, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global and China Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Report, 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Hybrid Research: China Hybrid EV penetration rate will hit 22% within five years With the development of automobile energy-saving and new energy technologies and the promotion of low-carbon emission reduction policies worldwide, fuel economy and low-carbon emissions have been in the spotlight of automobile development, and hybrid electric vehicles have become R&D focus of current automobile industry. The commercialization of hybrid vehicles has been developing for more than 20 years, with four major markets in the world: Europe, the United States, Japan, and China, which differ in technology, strategy and marketplace. Different automakers are also diversifying their hybrid system architectures. At present, hybrid technologies vary with technology platforms. Hybrid vehicles are accelerating the pace of replacing fuel vehicles in China According to statistics, 6.495 million new energy passenger cars (EVs+PHEVs) were sold globally in 2021, up 107.9% year-on-year with the market share hitting a record as high as 9%; wherein, the sales volume of battery-electric passenger cars (EVs) swelled by 69% year-on-year to 4.6 million units, and the sales volume of plug-in hybrid electric passenger cars (PHEVs) increased by 31% year-on-year to approximately 1.9 million units. In 2021, the global sales volume of energy-efficient HEVs jumped by more than 20% year-on-year to approximately 3.5 million units. Catalyzed by a series of policies such as emission regulations, Measures for the Parallel Management of Corporate Average Fuel Consumption (CAFC) and New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Credits of Passenger Car Companies, Energy-saving and New Energy Vehicle Technology Roadmap 2.0, energy-saving and new energy vehicles are burgeoning. Low fuel consumption and Measures for the Parallel Management of Corporate Average Fuel Consumption (CAFC) and New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Credits of Passenger Car Companies have prompted automakers to accelerate the transformation toward electrification and speed up the deployment of 48V, HEV, REEV, PHEV and other hybrid roadmaps. In 2021, the sales volume of hybrid passenger cars in China reached 1.778 million units, including 470,000 PHEVs, 105,000 REEVs, 689,000 HEVs, and 513,000 48V mild hybrids. With the development of hybrid systems of Chinese independent brands, PHEVs will outsell HEVs and 48V mild hybrids by 2022. REEVs have performed well since the launch, and will still grow at a relatively high growth rate from 2022 to 2027. The penetration rate of hybrid electric passenger cars in China will fetched 8.3% in 2021, and it is expected to hit 22% by 2027 with sales over 5.5 million units. After several years of development, Chinese independent brand automakers have made significant progress in hybrid vehicle technology, even surpassed Japanese companies such as Toyota and Honda in some aspects of performance. OEMs have mass-produced a new generation of DHE + DHT + integrated electric drive hybrid architecture From the perspective of technical route selection: 48V hybrid technology maintains steady growth by continuously improving motor efficiency and electrification level. At this stage, it is mainly driven by foreign OEMs; HEV technology-based models pay more attention to development of energy saving, cost reduction, system simplification, etc.; PHEV technology is developing towards low energy consumption and high cost performance, and China has explored an independent development of PHEV technology path; has explored an independent development of PHEV technology path; REEV technology is complementary to other hybrid technologies due to its simple structure. High battery life and driving experience are welcomed by consumers. Driven by star models such as Li, AITO, and Voyah, it will grow rapidly in the next few years. From the perspective of hybrid technology platform layout of OEMs, domestic OEMs have independently developed DHE (hybrid special engine) + DHT (hybrid special transmission assembly), and the platform supports multiple hybrid architectures such as HEV, PHEV, and REEV at the same time. Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction to Hybrid Vehicles and Related Policies 1.1. Introduction to Hybrid Vehicles 1.2 Global and Chinese Carbon Emission Policies 1.3 China's Policies for Hybrid Vehicles 2 Status Quo of Hybrid Vehicles 2.1 Global New Energy Vehicle Market 2.2 Chinese New Energy Vehicle Market 2.3 Micro Hybrid Market (12V Automotive Start/Stop System) 2.4 Mild/Medium Hybrid Market (48V+BSG/ISG System) 2.5 Strong Hybrid Market (HEV) 2.6 Plug-In Hybrid Market (PHEV 150V+) 2.7 Range-extended Hybrid Market (REEV) 2.8 Sales Forecast for Hybrid Vehicles in China 3 Hybrid Vehicle Technology Routes 3.1 Classification of Hybrid Power System Technology (by Power Structure) 3.2 Classification of Hybrid Power System Technology (by Drive Motor Power) 3.3 Classification of Hybrid Power System Technology (by Motor Location) 3.4 Classification of Hybrid Power System Technology (by Hybrid Level / Fuel Economy) 3.5 Key Technologies of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Industry Chain 3.6 Development Trends of Hybrid Technology 3.7 Comparison between Hybrid Vehicle Technology Solutions at Home and Abroad 4 Hybrid Vehicle Technology Suppliers 4.1 Valeo 4.2 Bosch 4.3 Continental / Vitesco Technologies 4.4 BorgWarner/Delphi 4.5 Schaeffler 4.6 GKN 4.7 Hunan Corun New Energy 5 Hybrid Vehicle OEMs 5.1 Toyota 5.2 Honda 5.3 Nissan 5.4 Volkswagen 5.5 GM 5.6 Volvo 5.7 BMW 5.8 BYD 5.9 Geely 5.10 SAIC 5.11 GAC 5.12 Great Wall 5.13 Chery 5.14 BAIC For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h58s8t Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets DETROIT, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today reported third-quarter net income attributable to stockholders of $3.3 billion and EBIT-adjusted of $4.3 billion driven by record third-quarter revenue of $41.9 billion. GM reaffirms its full-year earnings guidance. Downloads Results Overview Three Months Ended ($M) except where noted September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Change Revenue $ 41,889 $ 26,779 $ 15,110 Net income attributable to stockholders $ 3,305 $ 2,420 $ 885 EBIT-adjusted $ 4,287 $ 2,922 $ 1,365 Net income margin 7.9 % 9.0 % (1.1) ppts EBIT-adjusted margin 10.2 % 10.9 % (0.7) ppts Automotive operating cash flow $ 6,502 $ (2,602) $ 9,104 Adjusted automotive free cash flow $ 4,593 $ (4,385) $ 8,978 EPS-diluted(a) $ 2.25 $ 1.62 $ 0.63 EPS-diluted-adjusted(a) $ 2.25 $ 1.52 $ 0.73 GMNA EBIT-adjusted $ 3,894 $ 2,125 $ 1,769 GMNA EBIT-adjusted margin 11.2 % 10.3 % 0.9 ppts GMI EBIT-adjusted $ 334 $ 229 $ 105 China equity income $ 330 $ 270 $ 60 GM Financial EBT-adjusted $ 911 $ 1,093 $ (182) __________ (a) EPS-diluted and EPS-diluted-adjusted include a $0.03 and $0.07 impact from revaluation on equity investments in the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. Nine Months Ended ($M) except where noted September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Change Revenue $ 113,627 $ 93,420 $ 20,207 Net income attributable to stockholders $ 7,935 $ 8,278 $ (343) EBIT-adjusted $ 10,675 $ 11,456 $ (781) Net income margin 7.0 % 8.9 % (1.9) ppts EBIT-adjusted margin 9.4 % 12.3 % (2.9) ppts Automotive operating cash flow $ 11,606 $ 309 $ 11,297 Adjusted automotive free cash flow $ 6,006 $ (3,839) $ 9,845 EPS-diluted(a) $ 4.73 $ 5.55 $ (0.82) EPS-diluted-adjusted(a) $ 5.48 $ 5.73 $ (0.25) GMNA EBIT-adjusted $ 9,334 $ 8,153 $ 1,181 GMNA EBIT-adjusted margin 10.0 % 11.0 % (1.0) ppts GMI EBIT-adjusted $ 871 $ 552 $ 319 China equity income $ 477 $ 854 $ (377) GM Financial EBT-adjusted $ 3,301 $ 3,856 $ (555) __________ (a) EPS-diluted and EPS-diluted-adjusted include a $(0.13) and $0.27 impact from revaluation on equity investments in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. 2022 Guidance Full-year net income of between $9.6 billion and $11.2 billion , and EBIT-adjusted of between $13.0 billion and $15.0 billion and , and EBIT-adjusted of between and Full-year EPS-diluted of between $5.76 and $6.76 , and EPS-diluted-adjusted of between $6.50 and $7.50 and , and EPS-diluted-adjusted of between and Full-year net automotive cash provided by operating activities guidance range of between $16.0 billion and $19.0 billion , and adjusted automotive free cash flow guidance range of between $7.0 billion and $9.0 billion See below for reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures or visit the GM Investor Relations website for complete details. Conference Call for Investors and Analysts GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra and Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson will host a conference call for investors and analysts at 8:30 a.m. ET today to discuss these results. Introductory remarks will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Those who wish to listen to the call may dial in using the following numbers: United States : 1-800-857-9821 : 1-800-857-9821 International: +1-517-308-9481 Conference call passcode: General Motors General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company focused on advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which will power everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac , Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar , a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found at https://www.gm.com . Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements: This press release and related comments by management may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are any statements other than statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements represent our current judgment about possible future events and are often identified by words such as "anticipate," "appears," "approximately," "believe," "continue," "could," "designed," "effect," "estimate," "evaluate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "initiative," "intend," "may," "objective," "outlook," "plan," "potential," "priorities," "project," "pursue," "seek," "should," "target," "when," "will," "would," or the negative of any of those words or similar expressions. In making these statements, we rely upon assumptions and analysis based on our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors we consider appropriate under the circumstances. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any future events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of factors, many of which are described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or other factors that affect the subject of these statements, except where we are expressly required to do so by law. Non-GAAP Reconciliations The following table reconciles Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders under U.S. GAAP to EBIT (loss)-adjusted (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders(a) $ 3,305 $ 2,420 $ 7,935 $ 8,278 Income tax expense (benefit) 845 152 1,308 2,300 Automotive interest expense 259 230 719 723 Automotive interest income (122) (38) (245) (102) Adjustments Cruise compensation modifications(b) 1,057 Patent royalty matters(c) (100) Cadillac dealer strategy(d) 158 175 GM Korea wage litigation(e) 82 Total adjustments 158 957 257 EBIT (loss)-adjusted $ 4,287 $ 2,922 $ 10,675 $ 11,456 __________ (a) Net of net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests. (b) This adjustment was excluded because it relates to the one-time modification of Cruise stock incentive awards. (c) This adjustment was excluded because it relates to the resolution, in the three months ended March 31, 2022, of substantially all matters related to certain royalties accrued with respect to past-year vehicle sales. (d) These adjustments were excluded because they relate to strategic activities to transition certain Cadillac dealers from the network as part of Cadillac's electric vehicle strategy. (e) This adjustment was excluded because of the unique events associated with Korea Supreme Court decisions related to our salaried workers. The following table reconciles diluted earnings (loss) per common share under U.S. GAAP to EPS-diluted-adjusted (dollars in millions, except per share amounts): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Amount Per Share Amount Per Share Amount Per Share Amount Per Share Diluted earnings per common share $ 3,278 $ 2.25 $ 2,375 $ 1.62 $ 6,931 $ 4.73 $ 8,141 $ 5.55 Adjustments(a) 158 0.11 957 0.65 257 0.18 Tax effect on adjustments(b) (39) (0.03) (296) (0.20) (43) (0.03) Tax adjustments(c) (271) (0.18) (482) (0.33) 45 0.03 Deemed dividend adjustment(d) 909 0.62 EPS-diluted-adjusted $ 3,278 $ 2.25 $ 2,223 $ 1.52 $ 8,019 $ 5.48 $ 8,400 $ 5.73 __________ (a) Refer to the reconciliation of Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders under U.S. GAAP to EBIT (loss)-adjusted for adjustment details. (b) The tax effect of each adjustment is determined based on the tax laws and valuation allowance status of the jurisdiction to which the adjustment relates. (c) These adjustments consist of tax benefit related to the release of a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets considered realizable as a result of Cruise tax reconsolidation in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, tax benefit related to a deduction for an investment in a subsidiary in the three months ended September 30, 2021 and tax expense related to the establishment of a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets in the nine months ended September 30, 2021. These adjustments were excluded because of the unique nature of these events and significant impacts of valuation allowances are not considered part of our core operations. (d) This adjustment consists of a deemed dividend related to the redemption of Cruise preferred shares from SoftBank in the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The following table reconciles net automotive cash provided by (used in) operating activities under U.S. GAAP to adjusted automotive free cash flow (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Net automotive cash provided by (used in) operating activities $ 6,502 $ (2,602) $ 11,606 $ 309 Less: Capital expenditures (2,054) (1,829) (5,771) (4,235) Add: GMI restructuring 24 Add: Cadillac dealer strategy 27 44 Add: GM Korea wage litigation 19 26 19 Add: Patent royalty matters 145 145 Adjusted automotive free cash flow $ 4,593 $ (4,385) $ 6,006 $ (3,839) Guidance Reconciliations The following table reconciles expected Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders under U.S. GAAP to expected EBIT-adjusted (dollars in billions): Year Ending December 31, 2022 Net income attributable to stockholders $ 9.6-11.2 Income tax expense 1.7-2.1 Automotive interest expense, net 0.7 Adjustments(a) 1.0 EBIT-adjusted(b) $ 13.0-15.0 __________ (a) Refer to the reconciliation of Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders under U.S. GAAP to EBIT (loss)-adjusted for adjustment details. (b) We do not consider the potential future impact of adjustments on our expected financial results. The following table reconciles expected EPS-diluted under U.S. GAAP to expected EPS-diluted-adjusted: Year Ending December 31, 2022 Diluted earnings per common share $ 5.76-6.76 Adjustments(a) 0.74 EPS-diluted-adjusted(b) $ 6.50-7.50 __________ (a) Refer to the reconciliation of diluted earnings (loss) per common share under U.S. GAAP to EPS-diluted-adjusted for adjustment details. (b) We do not consider the potential future impact of adjustments on our expected financial results. The following table reconciles expected automotive net cash provided by operating activities under U.S. GAAP to adjusted automotive free cash flow (dollars in billions): Year Ending December 31, 2022 Net automotive cash provided by operating activities $ 15.8-18.8 Less: Capital expenditures 9.0-10.0 Adjustments 0.2 Adjusted automotive free cash flow $ 7.0-9.0 SOURCE General Motors Co. New product fills market void for self-employed and investor clients seeking to build homes COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GO Mortgage, a nationwide, independent mortgage bank licensed in 42 states and the District of Columbia and a subsidiary of GO Companies, today launched an innovative non-QM construction loan program designed to provide greater options and a smoother financing experience for self-employed borrowers and real estate investors seeking to build a home. The new Non-QM Single Close Construction Loan can be used to finance up to 90% of a borrower's home construction for loans up to $2 million. The program is perfect for borrowers who do not qualify for new construction financing through standard income qualifications. Instead, a borrower's income can be qualified through 12 to 24 months of bank statements, or on a debt service credit ratio (DSCR) basis using the expected rents on an investment property. As one of the first of its kind in the industry, the program was designed to give more borrowers the green light to financing that fits their needs while providing simplicity, speed and flexibility, said GO Mortgage CEO Michael Isaacs. "Too often, our loan officers were encountering clients who could afford to build, but do not qualify through conventional means or were discouraged by the complicated nature of construction lending," Isaacs said. "Our new program solves both of these issues, so that any self-employed borrower, business owner or private investor can achieve their homebuilding goals and isn't left standing on the sidelines." The Non-QM Single Close Construction Loan can be used for primary residences, second homes or investment properties, including duplexes, non-warrantable condos and manufactured housing. While the program offers the ability to put down as little as 10% toward new home costs, borrowers can also qualify for 80% financing and pay no mortgage insurance with a minimum 680 FICO score. With a 720 score or higher, they can qualify for up to 85% LTV and pay no mortgage insurance. During the construction phase, GO Mortgage will provide financing at an interest only rate. After construction is complete, borrowers do not have to refinance their construction loan into a permanent loan and then encounter a second closing, which is typical of most construction loan products. The program allows a maximum build time of 24 months. Borrowers can lock their permanent loan rate within 60 days of the construction's completion. GO Mortgage is an experienced home construction lender and one of the largest sellers of construction loans to Fannie Mae. The company handles the entire financing process in house, including builder approvals, inspection services and funding draws. Because of this, the company can better control costs compared to lenders that outsource these processes. By enabling more borrowers to finance the building of their own homes, the Non-QM Single Close Construction Loan program can also help alleviate the nation's shortage of housing inventory, Isaacs said. "Our mantra is 'no loan left behind,'" Isaacs said. "It's demoralizing to miss any opportunity to help someone achieve their homeownership goals, so our job is to make sure we have every product under the sun that a client may need. And when borrowers can't find the financing they're looking for, we'll create it for them." To learn more about GO Mortgage's Non-QM Single Close Construction Loan program, visit https://gomortgage.com/single-close-construction. About GO Companies Go Companies, LLC is a holding company designed to provide a one-stop experience for consumers desiring to buy or build a home, including end-to-end real estate brokerage, mortgage financing, title Insurance and property and casualty insurance services. GO Companies was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit http://gocompaniesllc.com. Press Contact Mike Murray Strategic Vantage [email protected] (240) 498-0863 SOURCE GO Companies WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded GovCIO one of two spots on its $340M full and open Scalable Ways to Initiate Flexible Tasks (SWIFT) IDIQ for Domain 1 - Platforms as a Service. This five-year contract vehicle was established by the ICE Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the Enterprise Platform Services Branch (EPSB) to centralize ICE's requirements for platform development, RPA, AI/ML, data visualization, and collaborative Services through an Accelerated Service Delivery Model (ASDM). Through this vehicle, GovCIO will have the opportunity to support platform development initiatives in multiple low-code/no-code platforms with a focus on ServiceNow and Microsoft Power and Dynamics. This will include assisting with platform governance, the interconnection between platforms within the ecosystem, and customization and development to modernize legacy applications and minimize manual processes. This contract will also explore any potential future platform software for consideration by the agency as technology continues to grow and advance. "Through this DHS ICE SWIFT contract, we are enabling ICE to act on the execution of their ASDM, allowing for rapid deployment of development teams to analyze, define, configure, and develop in platform technologies that will improve functionality for officers in the field. This centralization will also enable ICE to make the best technology decision for the long-term environment across their environments with clear governance and structure for continued enhancement," said Alex Brown, GovCIO Veteran and Enterprise Technology Sector Senior Vice-President. With the DHS ICE SWIFT IDIQ, ICE will be able to analyze its mission needs outside of a specific technology and then immediately contract with leading companies with the correct mission and technology experience to provide the best technical solution for their requirements. "This new award continues GovCIO's successful delivery of ServiceNow development with our current work with ICE T8 contract and enables us to foster growth and opportunity within the program team and the entire DHS organization," said Jim Brabston, GovCIO CEO. About GovCIO GovCIO is a rapidly growing provider of advanced technology solutions and digital services for the federal government. Combining our extensive federal experience with the latest innovations in IT and disruptive approaches, our experts develop comprehensive solutions to meet the most pressing demands of today's government agencies. From the U.S. Military to Health and Human Services, we have an impressive track record of helping our customers optimize how they operate. GovCIO is transforming government IT, empowering our federal customers to meet the challenges of today while building the government of tomorrow. Let us show you what we can do. Visit www.govcio.com for more information. Media Contact: Geraldene Darden [email protected] SOURCE GovCIO Deployments of Oxitec's new male-selecting Friendly Aedes aegypti in densely populated neighbourhoods in the Brazilian city of Indaiatuba over 11 months resulted in up to 96% suppression of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. in densely populated neighbourhoods in the Brazilian city of Indaiatuba over 11 months resulted in up to 96% suppression of the mosquito. This safe and targeted mosquito control technology is the first genetically engineered pest control product available for purchase by governments, households, businesses and communities. The invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito, which threatens billions of people across the globe, is the world's primary transmitter of the viral diseases dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. OXFORD, England, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Oxitec Ltd, a leading developer of biological pest control solutions, today announced the scientific publication of results from groundbreaking large-scale pilot releases of its new male-only, female-lethal Friendly Aedes aegypti solution in the Brazilian city of Indaiatuba. Deployments of non-biting male Friendly Aedes aegypti over 11 months in densely populated, dengue-impacted urban communities led to significant suppression of the resident pest Aedes aegypti population by up to 96%. This level of efficacy against a difficult-to-control, disease-spreading mosquito, demonstrated in 2018 and 2019, laid the groundwork for a new class of mosquito control products that use the Friendly Aedes aegypti technology in simple, scalable, "just-add-water" form factors that require no special training to deploy. Those products are being launched commercially in Brazil right now. An Oxitec public engagement event in Piracicaba Published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, the study tested two different doses of Friendly male mosquitoes deployed in densely populated neighborhoods in Indaiatuba. Resident pest populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito were monitored over time in these communities, and their abundance was compared with populations in other neighborhoods that did not receive Friendly male mosquitoes. During the peak mosquito season (November 2018 to April 2019) treated mosquito populations were suppressed by 88% and 96%, relative to those in untreated areas. These successful pilots preceded commercial deployments of the Friendly Aedes aegypti product, which is shipped as packaged eggs to customers in a just-add-water device. After placement in a mosquito-affected area, water is added and within days non-biting Friendly males emerge to find and mate with pest female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. As their female offspring cannot survive, season-long placement of these boxes leads to effective, safe and targeted reduction of local Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Approved by Brazilian government regulators in 2020, the product is now sold to businesses and households to combat Aedes aegypti, which spreads the dangerous viral diseases dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. Oxitec's Chief Executive Officer, Grey Frandsen, commented that "the publication of these groundbreaking results provides yet another validation of our Friendly Aedes aegypti solution as an effective, and now importantly scalable mosquito control tool. We now offer the world's safest, most sustainable, most targeted and most effective product to combat the disease-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito. As this solution is made available to households, communities, cities and businesses across Brazil, we're excited about delivering impact throughout the country with a broad range of stakeholders, and about the promise this demonstrates for even wider-scale impact against mosquitoes around the world. More exciting announcements are coming soon." Natalia Ferreira, Oxitec Brazil's director, said "Dengue presents such an everyday threat to communities across Brazil. I'm immensely proud of my team, based in Sao Paulo state, for their part in demonstrating the unparalleled effectiveness of Friendly Aedes aegypti in combating the mosquito responsible for most dengue transmission in Brazil. Our focus now is to deliver national impact by ensuring that we provide world-class products to our rapidly expanding customer base across Brazil." For further details of the Friendly Aedes aegypti pilot studies, the full peer-reviewed publication is available here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.975786/full. About Oxitec Oxitec is the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock. Founded in 2002 at the University of Oxford, Oxitec is led by a passionate team comprised of 15 nationalities and is supported by world-class public, private and non-profit partners. Learn more at oxitec.com . Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1925027/Oxitec_event.jpg SOURCE Oxitec Ltd BROOKLYN, N.Y., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Helping Hand for Relief and Development is proud to announce partnership with the Pakistani American Law Enforcement Society (PALS) to provide needed aid to flood victims in Pakistan. PALS members of the NYPD have been collecting donations at precincts across New York City for HHRD to ship to Pakistan. Currently, enough goods to fill five shipping containers have been collected, sorted, and packed. A ceremony with police chiefs, police commissioners, and the New York Consul General of Pakistan was held last week to commemorate this remarkable effort. New York Consul General of Pakistan Ayesha Ali speaks at press conference with members of PALS, the NYPD, and HHRD. Today, members of PALS will be arriving in Pakistan to witness Helping Hand's work on the ground. The law enforcement officers will be traveling with Helping Hand's team across the country to visit medical camps, goods distributions, and other projects. They will also be visiting Mipur Khas in the Sindh province to inaugurate the construction of homes sponsored by PALS. HHRD is registered as an International NGO (INGO) in Pakistan and currently supports 10,000+ orphans, 1,600+ children with disabilities, 900+ annual water projects, and more. Additional long-term programs provide empowerment and support each year to 500,000+ through In-Kind Gifts, 2,500+ through Skills Development & Livelihood, 750+ through Education, 22,000+ through Healthcare & Nutrition, 20,000+ through Physical Rehabilitation, 250,000+ through Seasonal Programs, and more. To learn more and to donate, please visit www.hhrd.org/PakistanFloods. Ranked one of the highest-rated charities by Charity Navigator for over ten years, donating to Helping Hand USA means ensuring donations go directly to those who need it most. To donate please visit www.hhrd.org or call 1-888-808-4357 (HELP). HHRD is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization. Tax ID# 31-1628040 Media Contact: Ilyas Choudry 313-279-5378 [email protected] SOURCE Helping Hand for Relief and Development STAMFORD, Conn., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Access to quality therapeutic services from autism service providers can be a ray of sunshine for families whose child has received an autism diagnosis. Children in Connecticut with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) desperately need treatment, and this demand is only anticipated to grow. According to a report by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed the number of ASD diagnoses in 2016 was about three times the amount documented in 2000, and today, has a prevalence rate of about 1 in 44 children. To bridge the gap in care for children with ASD, organizations like Helping Hands Family (HHF) have emerged across the Northeast to meet the growing need for autism-related services. HHF has announced that they are expanding to Connecticut to assist the growing need for autism services in the state. Their treatment for autism, which is known as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), is the only therapy that has been recommended for the treatment of autism by The American Psychological Association and the United States Surgeon General. Regional Director of Operations for NJ, NY and CT, Allyson Kroneberger, M.A., BCBA, remarks: "Helping Hands Family is excited to expand to the state of Connecticut. In our hopes to fulfill our mission of making autism services personal, we are overjoyed to bring our individualized approach to the families of Connecticut. Understanding that intensive ABA treatment cannot wait, we are here to help provide guidance and individualized treatment to the families in need." HHF's recent expansion into Fairfield County demonstrates the organization's commitment to fulfilling its purpose of closing the deficit in children's access to ABA services across the country. It is ideally positioned to be an abundant resource for local families with its experienced clinical team and impassioned dedication to helping the autism community. If you are a parent in Connecticut and looking for services, don't hesitate to contact Nikki Marchetti at (973) 967-3267 or visit www.hhfamily.com. About Helping Hands Family Helping Hands Family (HHF) is a growing provider of Applied Behavior Analysis therapy in the Northeast. The HHF clinical team is comprised of autism professionals with decades of experience. They are devoted to delivering customized treatment plans through science-based programs to help children with autism progress socially and support new ways of interacting with the world. Media Contact: Colleen MacDonald [email protected] SOURCE Helping Hands Family Fast Company's recognition program honors companies providing people compelling reasons to care about them and offering inspiration for others to buy in. NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Company announced today its annual Brands That Matter list, honoring brands that communicate and demonstrate brand purpose - Hero Cosmetics earned a place on the list in the Established Excellence category. The companies and nonprofits named have achieved relevance through cultural impact and social engagement, and authentically communicating their missions and ideals. Fast Company Brands That Matter 2022 Hero Cosmetics The final list, which includes large multinational conglomerates, small-but-mighty companies, and nonprofits, recognizes 145 brands that give people compelling reasons to care about themand offer inspiration for others to buy in. All 145 have found an ability to forge an emotional connection with customers, whether leading on the environment or pop culture, engaging B2B customers, or responding meaningfully to current events. "This year, we've expanded the Brands That Matter program to evaluate honorees in the context of how they matter within the category in which they compete for people's attention or loyalty. The result is a wide-ranging list of honorees that are making their mark on culture, and through social impact," said Brendan Vaughan, Fast Company's editor-in-chief. "Hero exists to help people reclaim skin confidence with our gentle and effective acne solutions. We have worked hard to earn the trust of our consumers engaging with them on an emotional level and communicating with empathy. Our products are quite literally life-changing and it is so rewarding to see how we impact our consumers' lives in a positive way. It is an honor to have our work be recognized by Fast Company in its Brands That Matter list. It validates our good work and motivates us to keep going." - Ju Rhyu, Co-founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics In 2022, Hero Cosmetics is widely recognized and uniquely accessible to consumers. Sold at an enviable list of the top retailers in over 8,000 nationwide doors and 10+ dot com sellers, a box of Mighty Patch sells every 2 seconds. In addition to being physically accessible, all products in the brand are priced affordably as Hero believes skincare and skin confidence should be available to all. To reach this point, Hero Cosmetics has built a community around its purpose: to empower all people to feel confident in their skin. Hero wants to help people overcome the emotional obstacles that come with issue-prone skin so nobody has to let their skin get in the way of showing up in the world. For every skin problem, Hero is on a mission to create a skin solution with easy to use yet powerfully effective acne, skin, and body care products. About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Brendan Vaughan. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com. About Hero Cosmetics Hero Cosmetics is a functional skin solutions brand focused on acne-prone skin and part of the Church and Dwight family of power brands. Hero brand makes products for every type of pimple problem for anyone who's ever had a breakout. Hero offers a complete regimen for acne-prone skin which started with the Mighty Patch and now extends into a holistic skincare routine with products like Clear Collective, Rescue Balm, Lightning Wand, and Force Shield SPF. The products work to address the full lifecycle of breakouts. Hero provides your skin the tools it needs to fight on its own so you can take back control and reveal the hero inside. Media Contact: Foundation, [email protected] SOURCE Foundation Final Round of Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions Completes $8 Million Initiative Funding Major New Works in Bay Area Communities MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced today the final 10 recipients of its Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions. This year's commissions, in Media Arts, will support leading artists in partnership with an array of Bay Area cultural institutions and nonprofit organizations. The commissioned artists will develop major new works that incorporate elements of many artistic disciplines, including dance, music, and theater, with cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, genetic engineering, and robotics. Dennis Russell Davies and Maki Namekawa perform at Hertz Hall in Berkeley, Calif. on March 5, 2022 at a performance organized by 2022 Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions recipient Other Minds. Projections were included live by Cori OLan (aka Gerfried Stocker), artistic director of Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria. Photo courtesy of David Magnusson and Other Minds. Created in honor of the Hewlett Foundation's 50th anniversary , the five-year, $8 million Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions are a symbol of the foundation's commitment to artistic expression and public engagement with the arts in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the announcement of these final 10 grants, the full cohort of 50 world-class artists working in partnership with Bay Area nonprofit organizations is now complete. Previous recipients of the awards include luminaries such as composer Meredith Monk, multimedia artist DJ Spooky, and vocalist The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol, who created works commissioned by Mills College, Internet Archive, and Art + Soul Oakland, respectively. Commissioned artists receive funding to achieve their creative vision in partnership with the local nonprofits. Many of the works from earlier rounds have already premiered, while others will debut in the coming months and years, with Bay Area audiences being the first to see important new works in the performing arts premiered in their communities. "These new commissions in Media Arts celebrate a group of outstanding artists who are merging longstanding storytelling and performing arts traditions with emerging technologies to create art that is fresh, contemplative, and spirited," said Emiko Ono, director of Hewlett's Performing Arts Program. "We're honored to support these exciting projects that weave together the performing arts and technology and will deeply resonate with Bay Area communities." This year's Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions, selected from more than 100 applications through a process administered for the foundation by Creative Capital, will premiere over the next three years at a range of Bay Area cultural centers and institutions. "Working with new technology is the only way of nearly ensuring that art is not duplicative," said Ben Levine, the lead artist working with AXIS Dance Company on "Kinematic/ Kinesthetic." "The project aims to use disability robotics, a young and burgeoning field, to create new movement opportunities not possible without technological assistance. And while there are dozens of emergent technologies currently in development to assist people with disabilities, the medical field focuses on improving everyday function and emulating familiar movement. The artistic lens of this project will abandon these parameters and embrace unfamiliar or 'un-human' movement. While much of my past work has allowed me to tinker with hobbyist electronics, the resources provided by the Hewlett 50 grant will be instrumental to take my work to the next level. The grant will also enable me to grow my relationship with AXIS and to join forces with their incredible company of artists." The lead artists for this year's projects are: Jen Liu, who will combine augmented reality, web interfaces, choreography, sculptural props and costumes, and audio to tell stories of people whose lives have been made invisible; Ben Levine, who will create dance work incorporating disability robotics; anthropologist Heesoo Kwon, who will imagine a space for our past and present to converge, creating a community process with shamanistic ritual elements to heal from generational traumas; Skawennati, who will help bridge traditional First Nations food and dress culture across borders; Stephanie Dinkins, who will honor and care for often overlooked histories by archiving them within living trees for future extraction and sharing; Eve Sussman and Simon Lee, who will use livestreamed performances to examine how human nature changes not at the pace of technological advancement, but at the rate of human emotion; Susana Ruiz and Huy Truong, who will invoke the last Chinatown in Santa Cruz, Calif. through site-specific augmented reality performances and memorials; Trimpin, who will explore the interplay between humans and machines through choreography and music set on an ensemble of human and autonomous dancers and cellists; Heather Dewey-Hagborg, who will explore multimedia hybrid performance and live film investigating xenotransplantation; and Cristobal Martinez and Kade L. Twist, who will use generative music performance and instruments that use video game mechanics to explore relationships between land, community, and worldview. This year's commissioning organizations are: / (pronounced slash), AXIS Dance Company, Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, Gray Area, Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose, Long Now Foundation, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Other Minds, The Exploratorium, and Leonardo/ISAST. Previous rounds of the Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions supported the creation and premiere of new works in the disciplines of music composition, dance, theater, and folk and traditional arts. More information about this year's commissions and presenting organizations and information about all 50 commissions can be found on the Hewlett Foundation website . For more information on the Hewlett 50 Commissions and the Hewlett Foundation's Performing Arts Program, please visit hewlett.org . About the Hewlett Foundation The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a nonpartisan, private charitable foundation that advances ideas and supports institutions to promote a better world. For more than 50 years, the foundation has supported efforts to advance education for all, preserve the environment, support vibrant performing arts, strengthen Bay Area communities, make the philanthropy sector more effective, and foster gender equity and responsive governance around the world. Today, it is one of the largest philanthropic institutions in the United States, awarding over $516 million in grants in 2021 to organizations across the globe to help people build better lives. Media Contact: Heath Wickline Deputy Director of Communications, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation [email protected] 415.518.2580 SOURCE The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HiddenLayer , a pioneer in cybersecurity products dedicated to protecting artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, today announced the public launch of the HiddenLayer MLSec Platform and its Design Partner Program . The first of its kind AI cybersecurity platform empowers security operations and data science teams to protect their AI investments against adversarial machine learning attacks. The platform is comprised of the company's flagship product HiddenLayer MLDR, Model Scanner, and Security Audit Reporting. HiddenLayer is seeking early Design Partners looking to fulfill their cybersecurity needs as they increase their investments in AI while helping shape the future of a safer AI world. Price Waterhouse Cooper predicts that AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030 with 85% of business leaders thinking AI will significantly change the way they do business in the next five years. Adversarial Machine Learning attacks are the newest and most destructive development of the threat landscape, targeting our most advanced and important technology. An evolution of traditional cybersecurity threats like malware, ransomware, phishing, spam, and data breaches that modern environments are not prepared to defend against. Tom Bonner, HiddenLayer's Senior Director of Adversarial ML Research, explains how companies can safeguard AI with HiddenLayer MLDR in the SAI team's recent blog . "Organizations of every industry are investing heavily into AI to take advantage of its many benefits," said Howard Levenson, AI/ML Industry Advisor. "The HiddenLayer MLSec Platform bridges the knowledge gap between security and data science teams and provides easy to use products that defend against adversarial abuse." "The rapid adoption of AI/ML introduces a new attack surface for threat actors to exploit, so we need the tools and knowledge to be able to shed light into the areas our machine learning models are most vulnerable to attack," said Malcolm Harkins, Chief Security & Trust Officer at Epiphany Systems. "The HiddenLayer team consists of subject matter experts in the domain of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. They have developed products that allow our Security Operations teams to stay ahead of the new threats in AI." The answer to this strong demand for AI/ML cybersecurity, HiddenLayer MLDR uses a patent-pending ML-based approach to analyze Machine Learning Model events in real-time to identify malicious activity without requiring any access to the organization's ML models or sensitive training data. HiddenLayer has partnered with leading organizations in the AI/ML space including Databricks, NVIDIA, and MITRE to accelerate adoption of ML Security across multiple industries. About HiddenLayer HiddenLayer helps enterprises safeguard the machine learning models behind their most important products with a comprehensive security platform. Only HiddenLayer offers turnkey AI/ML security that does not add unnecessary complexity to models and does not require access to raw data and algorithms. Founded in March of 2022 by experienced security and ML professionals, HiddenLayer is based in Austin, Texas, and is backed by cybersecurity investment specialist firm Ten Eleven Ventures. For more information, visit www.hiddenlayer.com and follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter . Media Contact: Rachel Kaseroff [email protected] SOURCE HiddenLayer RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilb Group announced today that it has acquired North Carolina-based Allegacy Benefit Solutions, further expanding the company's growing presence in the Southeast and broadening its expertise in the employee benefits arena. The acquisition took effect October 1, 2022. Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Allegacy Benefit Solutions designs robust, custom employee benefits programs and is committed to meeting client needs by building packages that help attract and retain top talent, promote engagement and reduce absenteeism, and maintain a healthier and more financially secure workforce. Sharon Yarborough, Chad Huff, and their team of insurance professionals will join Hilb Group's Southeast regional operations. "This partnership represents a tremendous step for our organization and for our clients," Allegacy Benefit Solutions Vice President Chad Huff said. "With Hilb Group, we have the opportunity to build on and enhance the products and services we deliver to our customers. We are thrilled for what's ahead and what we will achieve together." "We are extremely excited to join Hilb Group," said Allegacy Benefit Solutions Senior Vice President Sharon Yarborough. "Our team looks forward to providing the same local, trusted service to our customers and community, while utilizing the national resources offered through our partnership with the Hilb Group." "Allegacy Benefit Solutions has established a strong reputation and valued relationships in an important market," Hilb Group CEO Ricky Spiro said. "Consistent with our growth strategy, they are positioned to deliver even greater offerings to an expanding client base. We are pleased to welcome them to the Hilb Group and excited for our next steps together." About Hilb Group: The Hilb Group is a leading property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Hilb Group is a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Hilb Group seeks to grow through strategic acquisitions and by leveraging its resources and expertise to drive organic growth in its acquired agencies. The company has completed more than 140 acquisitions with over 100 offices in 22 states. Hilb Group is rated as one of the Fastest Growing Brokers by Business Insurance, a Top P/C Agency by Insurance Journal, and one of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Inc. 5000. For more information on Hilb Group's growth as well as career opportunities, please visit our website at http://hilbgroup.com. Media Contact: Peter Lobred 804.548.4629 [email protected] M&A Contact: Ryan Havermann 804.414.6508 [email protected] SOURCE The Hilb Group, LLC HAL Pils made in partnership with Seattle-based Pike Brewing SEATTLE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line is saying cheers to its 150th Anniversary by introducing a limited-edition Pilsner beer HAL Pils made in partnership with Pike Brewing that will be served on board across the fleet. Holland America Line chose the Seattle-based brewing company to honor the location of its U.S. headquarters and position as Seattle's Hometown Cruise Line. "There's no better way to honor our past and celebrate our present than to choose a classic beer style like a Pilsner..." Tweet this Holland America Line is saying cheers to its 150th Anniversary by introducing a limited-edition Pilsner beer HAL Pils made in partnership with Pike Brewing that will be served on board across the fleet. A Pilsner was selected for the limited-edition 150th anniversary beer due to its classic European style and newfound popularity in the craft brewing world. Made in partnership with Pike Brewing, Holland America Line chose the Seattle-based brewing company to honor the location of its U.S. headquarters and position as Seattles Hometown Cruise Line. A Pilsner was selected due to its classic European style and newfound popularity in the craft brewing world. A zesty, bright and refreshingly hoppy brew, HAL Pils is made with Mosaic Hops, an iconic hop from the Yakima Valley in Washington state, yielding floral and light melon flavors, big aroma and a dry finish. "A special-edition brew in a beautiful collector's can is the perfect way to mark our 150th anniversary," said Anthony Stice, vice president of dining and beverage operations for Holland America Line. "There's no better way to honor our past and celebrate our present than to choose a classic beer style like a Pilsner that's having a resurgence in the craft beer world. It's clean, refreshing, and crisp and our guests are really going to enjoy this exclusive production." The commemorative can is adorned with the iconic Jan van Beers poster of 1898 showing a woman in a nautical-blue dress and striped, white hat that mirrors the funnels of the Holland America Line steamship she's holding above her head. Holland America Line gave the label a twist with the company's modern logo and updated color scheme. HAL Pils will be available in all bars and lounges fleetwide starting in January 2023. Six-packs also will be available for purchase in the shipboard shops. For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com. Editors Note: Photos are available at https://www.cruiseimagelibrary.com/c/upq7dh4x. Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the Holland America Blog. You can also access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com. About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)] Holland America Line has been exploring the world for 150 years with expertly crafted itineraries, extraordinary service and genuine connections to the destinations. Offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience, its fleet visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world and has shared the thrill of Alaska for 75 years longer than any other cruise line. Holland America Line's 11 vessels feature a diverse range of enriching activities and amenities focused on destination immersion and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from a Culinary Council of world-famous chefs. CONTACT: Bill Zucker, Erik Elvejord PHONE: 800-637-5029, 206-626-9890 EMAIL: [email protected] SOURCE Holland America Line HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Neighborly, the world's largest home services company of more than 30 brands, named Houston, Texas-based Real Property Management Preferred as its coveted Franchise of the Year at its annual conference in Nashville, TN. The title of Franchise of the Year honors Real Property Management franchise owners who have achieved the highest level of business growth, client satisfaction, and engagement. With over 400 RPM Franchises competing for the top spot, the prized designation quantifies the pinnacle of success for a devoted franchise team. Neighborly, the world's largest home services company, names Real Property Management Preferred "Franchise of the Year." Tweet this Shawn and Joni Wolfswinkel, owners of Houstons Real Property Management Preferred, on being named the Franchise of the Year for Neighborly's entire Real Property Management franchise system. Shawn and Joni Wolfswinkel, owners of Houston's Real Property Management Preferred, celebrate being named Neighborly's Franchise of the Year with Real Property Management President Jeff Pepperney. Shawn and Joni Wolfswinkel, franchise owners, are thrilled that their staff has been recognized for their outstanding performance. "All of us at Real Property Management Preferred are excited to be honored as the Franchise of the Year recipient," said Joni Wolfswinkel, Broker and Owner. "We're also extremely grateful to Neighborly and everyone at Real Property Management. We look forward to continuing to build upon this success and stand committed to our efforts to lead our markets by maintaining the absolute best practices and customer service toward managing rental properties for our investors. Shawn and I are so appreciative of our fantastic employees, and we're all very proud to have achieved this amazing milestone together." For well over a decade, real estate experts Shawn and Joni Wolfswinkel have operated their Real Property Management Preferred franchise in the Houston, TX, region, offering full-service residential rental management for single-family and multi-family rentals. For a free rental analysis of your investment property, visit our Wealth Optimizer at https://www.htownrpm.com/wealth-optimizer. About Neighborly Neighborly is the world's largest home services company with more than 30 brands and 5,000 franchises collectively serving 12 million+ customers in six countries, focused on repairing, maintaining, and enhancing homes and businesses. The company operates online platforms that connect consumers to service providers in their local communities that meet their rigorous standards as a franchisor across 18 service categories at Neighborly.com or through the Neighborly App. More information about Neighborly, and its franchise concepts, is available at Neighborlybrands.com. About Real Property Management Preferred Real Property Management Preferred is the trusted leader for professional residential property management services in Houston, Texas. Visit https://www.htownrpm.com Media Contact: Brett Moses Communications Director [email protected] SOURCE Real Property Management Preferred BANGKOK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2022 (MBBF 2022), James Chen, President of the Global Sales Dept of Huawei Carrier BG, delivered a keynote entitled "Making Strides Towards 5G Success". In his speech, Chen said, "We've seen fast progress in 5G. To fully unlock the value of 5G, we need to accelerate deployment, explore 5G business cases and make the most of every band, every hertz, and every watt. Together, we can take 5G from a leading brand and leading technology, to a leading experience and a leading business. And we can make 5G a commercial success." James Chen speaks at MBBF 2022 Chen described how 5G is driving industry development in many aspects. Compared with 4G, 5G networks are 10-times faster, delivering speeds greater than 1 Gbps. 5G users also consume two times more data than 4G users more than 20 GB per month and that amount is expected to keep growing. This creates huge opportunities for carriers in three areas: user experience, IoT, and industrial digitalization. User experience can generate more revenue than ever before, as carriers shift away from traffic-based business models. This can be achieved by offering 5G packages priced based on other factors like speed, latency, and uplink experience. IoT is also a booming market with a rapid growth in both consumer and industrial IoT services, which is expected to create 100 billion IoT connections. Finally, in industrial digitalization, 5G provides high-quality connections, and services like private lines and networks that are helping carriers expand into the B2B market. With 5G, carriers can diversify their portfolios beyond connectivity, and identify new sources of revenue. Despite these opportunities, 5G rollout is still inconsistent across different countries. Right now, 5G coverage is only available for 29% of the global population much lower than 4G, which covers 92%. According to Chen, to fully unlock the value of 5G and make it a commercial success, it is necessary to accelerate 5G network deployment, and make the most of "every band, every hertz, and every watt." First, spectrum will have to be better utilized. All spectrum bands can be used for 5G, but different bands, such as TDD bands, FDD bands, and mmWave bands, produce optimal performance in different scenarios. Second, massive MIMO will need to be used in every band to get the most out of every hertz. Third, building on the 10x energy efficiency of 5G over 4G, ongoing innovation will need to be made at three separate layers equipment, sites, and networks to enable every watt to carry more bits, and help build 5G networks with optimal performance and energy efficiency. AI will also need to be applied in 5G networks to make the most of limited network resources. At the end of his speech, Chen said, "5G is changing the mobile landscape, but this is just the beginning. Huawei will continue to innovate in technologies to maximize the value of each band, hertz, and watt, help global customers build 5G networks with the best experience, optimal energy efficiency, and highest efficiency, and continuously create value for customers. Together, we can make 5G a commercial success." The Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2022 is hosted by Huawei, together with its industry partners GSMA and GTI. This annual forum gathers mobile network carriers, vertical industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from around the world to discuss how to make 5G a commercial success and other hot topics like green development, intelligence, and 5G evolution. For more information, please visit: https://www.huawei.com/en/events/mbbf2022 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1929111/James_Chen_speaks_MBBF_2022.jpg SOURCE Huawei CLEVELAND, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. (NYSE: HY) will release its 2022 Third Quarter financial results and will file its 2022 Third Quarter 10-Q after the close of the market on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. In conjunction with this release, the Company will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 to discuss its results for the 2022 third quarter. To register for this conference call, please use the following link: https://www.netroadshow.com/events/login?show=5d333ac1&confId=41878. After registering, a confirmation will be sent via email, including dial-in details and unique conference call access codes required for call entry. Registration is open throughout the live call. To ensure you are connected prior to the beginning of the call, the Company suggests registering a day in advance or a minimum of 15 minutes before the start of the call. The call will also be webcast live on Hyster-Yale's Investor Relations website at https://www.hyster-yale.com/investors. For those not planning to ask a question of management, the Company recommends listening via the webcast. Please allow 15 minutes to register, download and install any necessary software. Following the conference call, a replay will be available at (866) 813-9403 (Toll Free) or (929) 458-6194 (Local). The replay access code is 901518. An archive of the webcast will also be available on the Company's website two hours after the live call ends. About Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, offers a broad array of solutions to meet the specific materials handling needs of customers' applications. The Company's wholly owned operating subsidiary, Hyster-Yale Group, Inc., designs, engineers, manufactures, sells and services a comprehensive line of lift trucks, attachments and aftermarket parts marketed globally primarily under the Hyster and Yale brand names. Subsidiaries of Hyster-Yale Group include Bolzoni S.p.A., a leading worldwide producer of attachments, forks and lift tables marketed under the Bolzoni, Auramo and Meyer brand names, and Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC, an alternative-power technology company focused on fuel cell stacks and engines. Hyster-Yale Group also has significant joint ventures in Japan (Sumitomo NACCO) and in China (Hyster-Yale Maximal). For more information about Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. and its subsidiaries, visit the Company's website at www.hyster-yale.com . SOURCE Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. New facilities represent U.S. investment of approx. USD 5.54 billion Commercial production to begin 1H 2025 with annual capacity of 300,000 units HMG to become a leader of electrified mobility solutions with investment Hyundai Hope, Hyundai Hope On Wheels, Genesis Inspiration Foundation and Kia Accelerate the Good donate USD 1.54 million to a variety of Georgian charity initiatives SEOUL, South Korea and BRYAN COUNTY, Ga., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, along with Governor Brian P. Kemp, and company officials, and state and local leaders, officially broke ground today on Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) LLC's new manufacturing plant at the Bryan County Mega site. The celebration included a morning groundbreaking on site, followed by a future technology expo at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, where the company highlighted "advanced technology and extraordinary human achievement" with a wide array of exhibits for hundreds of attendees from the community in attendance. From left to right: Trip Tollison, president and chief executive officer, Savannah Economic Development Authority, Pat Wilson, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Jose Munoz, president and chief executive officer, Hyundai Motor North America, Sean Yoon, president and chief executive officer, Kia North America and Kia America, Jay Chang, president and chief operating officer, Hyundai Motor Company, Republic of Korea Ambassador, Tae-yong Cho, Euisun Chung, executive chair, Hyundai Motor Group, Brian P. Kemp, Georgia Governor, Buddy Carter, Congressman, Raphael Warnock, Senator, Jon Ossoff, Senator, Don Graves, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Carter Infinger, Savannah JDA Chairman, Anna Chafin, president and chief operating officer, Development Authority of Bryan County, are photographed at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America Groundbreaking Ceremony in Savannah, Georgia, on October 25, 2022. Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group, Euisun Chung, is photographed speaking at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America Groundbreaking Ceremony in Savannah, Georgia, on October 25, 2022. From left to right: Trip Tollison, president and chief executive officer, Savannah Economic Development Authority, Pat Wilson, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Jose Munoz, president and chief executive officer, Hyundai Motor North America, Sean Yoon, president and chief executive officer, Kia North America and Kia America, Jay Chang, president and chief operating officer, Hyundai Motor Company, Republic of Korea Ambassador, Tae-yong Cho, Euisun Chung, executive chair, Hyundai Motor Group, Brian P. Kemp, Georgia Governor, Buddy Carter, Congressman, Raphael Warnock, Senator, Jon Ossoff, Senator, Don Graves, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Carter Infinger, Savannah JDA Chairman, Anna Chafin, president and chief operating officer, Development Authority of Bryan County, are photographed at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America Groundbreaking Ceremony in Savannah, Georgia, on October 25, 2022. Executive Chair of Hyundai Motor Group, Euisun Chung, Jack Kemp, Governor of Georgia, and Jose Munoz, president and chief executive officer, Hyundai Motor North America, are photographed at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America Groundbreaking Ceremony in Savannah, Georgia, on October 25, 2022. Jose Munoz, president and chief executive officer, Hyundai Motor North America, is photographed at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America Groundbreaking Ceremony in Savannah, Georgia, on October 25, 2022. The $5.54 billion investment by the company and its affiliate suppliers was announced five months ago and includes plans to produce a diverse range of innovative Hyundai, Genesis and Kia electric vehicles (EVs) and a new battery manufacturing facility. HMGMA will create more than 8,100 jobs over the next few years as the company aims to establish a stable supply chain for EV battery and other EV components in the U.S. market. HMGMA's new smart factory is expected to begin commercial production in the first half of 2025. "Hyundai and the people of Georgia share many qualities: respect for our histories, ingenuity, creativity, and determination to make the world better for the next generation," said Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung. "Today, our EVs are recognized as best in class, and with this partnership, we are determined to be the global leader in electrification, safety, quality, and sustainability. With the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, we will continue to evolve beyond an automaker to the world's leading mobility solutions provider." "With more Georgians working than ever before, record jobs and investment coming to all parts of our state, and award-winning workforce development programs and infrastructure, the Peach State's economy is reaching new heights," said Governor Brian Kemp. "Our partnership with Hyundai Motor Group and the groundbreaking of this innovative facility exemplifies that unprecedented success. With a long-term commitment to improving lives and livelihoods, we look forward to continuing this partnership and seeing its impact on both this community and our state as a whole." Approximately $1 billion is anticipated to be invested by non-affiliated HMGMA suppliers in connection with the project in other locations. Learn more about the project at www.georgia.org/hyundaimotorgroup. Hyundai Motor Group to Lead U.S. Electrified Mobility Industry Hyundai Motor Group will be a leader in the U.S. auto market's EV transition with the new facility. The Group is accelerating its electrification efforts with the global target to sell 3.23 million full electric vehicles annually by 2030. To realize this goal, the Group plans to establish a global EV production network that will ensure a stable supply of EVs around the globe. With the additional EV and battery production capabilities in the U.S., the Group aims to maintain its position as one of the top three EV providers in the U.S. The Group plans to lead the EV market not just in sales, but also in terms of design, technologies, and mobility solutions optimized for the electric mobility era. The investment is in line with the U.S. government's roadmap to accelerate electrification, as global OEMs are announcing plans to expand their local EV production in the U.S. Last year, the U.S. government announced a new initiative under which sales of zero-emission vehicles should account for at least half of OEM's new vehicle sales by 2030. Showcasing the Future of Group's Smart Manufacturing: Intelligent, Sustainable and Data-driven The new plant will boast a highly connected, automated, and flexible manufacturing system, which organically connects all elements of the EV ecosystem to realize customer value. The Georgia facility will become an intelligent manufacturing plant. All processes of productionorder collection, procurement, logistics and productionwill be optimized utilizing AI and data. The innovative manufacturing system will also help create a human-centered work environment with robots assisting human workers. As part of the Group's commitment to sustainability, the plant will primarily rely on renewable energy sources to power the facility and use emission-reduction technologies to meet the RE100 requirements. HMG Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives In addition to their commitment to creating new jobs and opportunities in Georgia, HMG celebrated and announced new connections with the local economy that will enrich the health of local communities through their corporate social responsibility programs. Donations to date total $1.54 million. Hyundai and Genesis Donations Hyundai and Genesis, along with its various social responsibility initiatives and nonprofit organizations, have donated $940,000 to local organizations. This includes programs through Hyundai Hope and Genesis Gives, which have previously collectively committed $120,000 to nearly ten organizations supporting local communities in and around Bryan County. New initiatives include: Hyundai presented Georgia Tech , a leading technological research university, with a $120,000 donation to provide scholarships in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). For the next four years, two $15,000 scholarships will be awarded to eligible students. , a leading technological research university, with a donation to provide scholarships in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). For the next four years, two scholarships will be awarded to eligible students. Hyundai Hope On Wheels, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes and treatments for children diagnosed with cancer, presented $500,000 Hyundai Scholar Hope and Young Investigator Grants to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to continue its long-standing fight against pediatric cancer. Since 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has pledged $200 million in support of more than 1,100 childhood cancer research grants. Hyundai Scholar Hope and Young Investigator Grants to Children's Healthcare of to continue its long-standing fight against pediatric cancer. Since 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has pledged in support of more than 1,100 childhood cancer research grants. Genesis Inspiration Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to improving educational outcomes for children through the arts, presented donations totaling $200,000 to two Georgia-based nonprofit organizations, drawchange and Paint Love. Genesis Inspiration Foundation has donated nearly $5 million to fund youth arts programming since its inception in 2018. Kia Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives Kia's Corporate Social Responsibility program, Accelerate the Good, aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and seeks to inspire human potential, spark innovation and champion sustainability in U.S. communities. As part of Kia's commitment to the Bryan County, Georgia community, Kia's Accelerate the Good program will donate $600,000 to help local youth realize their hopes and dreams. This includes: Purchase a Home Family Promise of the Coastal Empire - $300,000 Houses homeless families that recently lost their homes and purchases homes for them. Houses homeless families that recently lost their homes and purchases homes for them. Establish a Kia Kid's Cafe America's Second Harvest of GA - $100,000 Establishes after-school programs where low-income children can eat and receive tutoring. Cafe America's Second Harvest of GA - Establishes after-school programs where low-income children can eat and receive tutoring. Support Kids with Cancer St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - $100,000 Pays travel expenses for pediatric cancer care at St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee . Pays travel expenses for pediatric cancer care at St. Jude in . Bridge the Digital Divide Inspiredu - $100,000 Supports low-income children with technology and resources to facilitate learning. About Hyundai Motor Group Hyundai Motor Group is a global enterprise that has created a value chain based on mobility, steel, and construction, as well as logistics, finance, IT, and service. With about 250,000 employees worldwide, the Group's mobility brands include Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Armed with creative thinking, cooperative communication, and the will to take on any challenges, we strive to create a better future for all. More information about Hyundai Motor Group, please see: www.hyundaimotorgroup.com Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor Group believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader. SOURCE Hyundai Motor Group Stock Market Symbols GIB (NYSE) GIB.A (TSX) www.cgi.com/newsroom CGI also named a 'Major Player' in IDC MarketScape for Energy Transition and New Utilities Business Models MONTREAL, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) has been named as a "Leader" in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Industrial IoT Service Providers for Utilities 2022 Vendor Assessment.1 CGI has also been named a "Major Player" in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Service Providers for Energy Transition and New Utilities Business Models 2022 Vendor Assessment2. In naming CGI as a leader among industrial IoT market players, IDC says, "CGI has successfully worked with some of the largest utilities in Europe and North America for decades, establishing long-term relationships." The report also noted, "Over the past few years, CGI has focused on streamlining its IP and solutions offerings, including in 2020 when it launched CGI OpenGrid360." Commenting on CGI as a Major Player with services for the energy transition and new business models, the IDC MarketScape also states, "The company has developed a framework to support companies along their ESG journeys, and it has strong expertise regarding the use of emerging technologies for specific utility use cases." "As energy and utility companies pursue their sustainability goals, CGI brings industry expertise and proven solutions to help them use digitization and data to evolve their operations and better serve customers," said Peter Warren, Vice President and Global Industry Lead, Energy & Utilities, CGI. "We're pleased to participate in these important IDC MarketScapes that help companies evaluate service providers." The IDC MarketScape IIoT vendor assessments evaluated service providers based on 20+ industry-specific use cases in areas such as predictive and prescriptive maintenance, remote asset monitoring, remote workforce/field service technician monitoring, commercial and industrial building energy management, electric vehicle charging station management, and digital twins. The IDC MarketScape for energy transition and new utilities business model vendor assessments evaluated vendors based on more than 40 use cases. About IDC MarketScape IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.' ____________________________ 1Doc #US47587121, October 2022 2Doc #US47586721, September 2022 About CGI Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 88,500 consultants and other professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2020 reported revenue is C$12.16 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com SOURCE CGI Inc. NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. Class Period: March 16, 2018 to August 29, 2022 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: December 13, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in IGT: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/igt-class-action-loss-submission-form?id=32954&from=4 International Game Technology PLC NEWS - IGT NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that International Game Technology PLC made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) IGT overstated its compliance with gaming and lottery laws and applicable regulations; (ii) IGT and/or one or more of its current and/or former subsidiaries engaged in illegal gambling operations; (iii) the foregoing conduct subjected the Company and/or its current and/or former subsidiaries to a heightened risk of litigation and significant related costs; (iv) the Company downplayed the full scope and severity of its financial exposure to, and/or liabilities in connection with, the lawsuit filed against IGT's subsidiary in April of 2018; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in IGT you have until December 13, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased IGT securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the IGT lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/igt-class-action-loss-submission-form?id=32954&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. 535 Fifth Avenue 4th Floor New York City, NY 10017 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm Veteran-owned small business partners with American Institutes for Research and CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech to create career opportunities, address employers' tech staffing needs DE KALB, Ill., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Industrial Automation & Cybersecurity For America Foundation (IACFAF), an innovator in training programs for transitioning service members and other underserved populations, has added cybersecurity support technicians to its career preparation offerings. IACFAF has joined CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech as a multi-employer sponsor serving employers and apprentices. They are actively recruiting employers in need of cybersecurity talent and individuals interested in joining the cyber workforce to participate. "Apprenticeship can be transformational for veterans and young people. We've seen how earn-and-learn opportunities can transform lives, and change how businesses hire early-career talent," said John Tucker, IACFAF president. "Our partnership with CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech further strengthens the quality of the training and will support businesses in Illinois with their hiring needs by supplying them with the skilled and qualified talent they are struggling to find," Tucker added. Employer demand for cybersecurity professionals is strong and growing, according to CyberSeek, the cybersecurity workforce analytics platform. For the 12-month period ending in September 2022, employers across the country listed 769,736 openings for cybersecurity positions or jobs requiring cybersecurity skills. In Illinois, cybersecurity job postings totaled 26,900. Jobs are available at all career levels entry, mid and advanced and a range of roles. "This critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals should signal to employers that they need to become more creative with their talent acquisition practices and more expansive in the candidates they consider," said Amy Kardel, senior vice president, workforce relations, CompTIA. "Apprenticeship training is a prime example of how companies can build a robust tech talent pipeline to meet their immediate and long-term staffing needs. Training for cybersecurity support technicians delivered by IACFAF follows National Guideline Standards for the job role developed by CompTIA and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). Apprentices receive on-the-job experience and classroom instruction in the foundations of technology, including how to detect cyber threats and implement changes to protect an organization. The USDOL selected the American Institutes for Research, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health and the workforce, and CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the IT industry and workforce, to serve as a national Industry Intermediary for expansion of apprenticeships in tech occupations. About IACFAF Industrial Automation & Cybersecurity For America Foundation (IACFAF) is a veteran owned small business that was established in 2019. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide job skills training in Cybersecurity and Industrial Automation to professionals, active military personnel, veterans, the underemployed, and underserved which will contribute to developing a workforce having the necessary skills required to fill all of the critical jobs in these areas. In addition, the Foundation provides consulting services in cybersecurity, industrial automation, architectures, infrastructures, networks, and IT training. More information is available at https://iacfaf.org/us/. About CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech is a national initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to increase the number of skilled technology workers and expand tech career opportunities for diverse populations, including women, individuals with disabilities and people of color. https://www.comptia.org/content/lp/apprenticeships-for-tech. Media Contact Steven Ostrowski CompTIA [email protected] 630-678-8468 SOURCE CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- INMOTION, the top-rated manufacturer in personal electric transportation, celebrated the 10th anniversary of its founding on October 24th. It marks the 10th anniversary of INMOTION introducing the electric balancing vehicle to the world for the first time. Back in 2013, INMOTION's first sensor-controlled vehicle made its debut at CES, it quickly grabbed people's attention and became widely popular. INMOTION 10th Anniversary Nowadays, through persistent efforts and innovations, INMOTION has grown to global popularity and established high brand recognition in the market of electric unicycles and electric scooters. Its products are now sold to customers in over 50 countries worldwide. "INMOTION set the new standard for safer and more reliable personal electric vehicle in its first decade, and we just get started. We aim to get millions of users love riding and make travel greener and more sustainable." said Bob Yan, the CEO of INMOTION. To commemorate this milestone, INMOTION launched the event to look for the long-lasting INMOTION Customer and offered huge discounts in all INMOTION retail stores from October 24 to October 31. Enter to win, or simply to learn more about detailed information, please visit www.inmotionworld.com About INMOTION Founded in 2012, INMOTION is a global high-tech company integrated with R&D, manufacturing and marketing sensor-controlled vehicles for personal transportation. At present, INMOTION's products lines cover electric unicycle, electric scooter, e-bike, hoverboard and more. Centered on these product lines, INMOTION will always strive to shape the transportation sector by crafting more cutting-edge rides to simplify the travel and commute within the city for all riders of all ages. PR Contacts: [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE INMOTION Company to Host Investor Day in New York on November 16, 2022 NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovid Corp. (NYSE: CTV), a leading independent connected TV (CTV) advertising delivery and measurement platform, today announced that it will report third quarter 2022 financial results before the market opens on Friday, November 11, 2022. Management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss Innovid's financial results, recent developments and business outlook at 8:30 a.m. ET, following the release of the financial results. Speakers will include Zvika Netter, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Tanya Andreev-Kaspin, Chief Financial Officer and Tal Chalozin, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. What: Innovid Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results Conference Call When: Friday, November 11, 2022 at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time Webcast: A live webcast of the call can be accessed from the Investor Relations section of Innovid's website at http://investors.innovid.com/. Following the call, a replay will be available on the company's website. Dial-in: To access the call via telephone in North America, please dial 877-407-3211. For international callers, please dial +1 201-389-0862. Audio Replay: An audio replay of the conference call will be available until February 11th, 2023 following the end of the conference call via the company IR website ( https://investors.innovid.com ) The Company also announced it will be hosting an Investor Day on November 16, 2022, at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. Key members of Innovid's senior management team will host a series of presentations beginning at 2:00 P.M. Easter Time until 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time. The events, along with supporting materials, can be accessed live or via an archived replay through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website . As space for Investor Day is limited, in-person attendance is by invitation only and advanced registration is required. Please contact Investor Relations with any questions at [email protected] . About Innovid Innovid powers connected TV (NYSE: CTV) advertising streaming, personalization, and measurement for the world's largest brands. Through a global infrastructure that enables data-driven personalization, real-time decisioning, scaled ad serving, and accredited measurement, Innovid offers its clients and partners streamlined solutions that optimize the value of advertising investments across screens and devices. Innovid is an independent platform that leads the market in CTV innovation, powered by proprietary technology and exclusive partnerships designed to fuel the future of TV advertising. Headquartered in New York City, Innovid serves a global client base through offices across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit innovid.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter . SOURCE INNOVID Undefining beauty with a rebellious spirit that fuses science and nature Developed in partnership with world-renowned Pentagram PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "We don't swim with the current. We create it," said Lisa Gandolfi, PhD, VP, Marketing. This is the confidence and rebellious spirit behind Inolex's new corporate identity launching this week. Inolex - Sustainable ingredients for health, beauty, and wellness. The new brand was developed over a yearlong partnership with world-renowned design studio Pentagram. Michael Gericke and team led the endeavor. The result is a bold approach shaped to inspire positive rebellion in the beauty and personal care industry. Inolex's new identity delivers an edgy, contemporary attitude for the fiercely independent company with a century-plus pedigree. With its distinct teal wordmark and compact logo of a singular X, the Inolex logo has been carefully designed as a recognizable graphic element that expresses the company's fluidity between science and nature throughout its thoughtful, sustainable ingredient design. Why is an ingredient company that is "behind the label" intent on taking its brand to such a distinct position? "Inolex has been pushing the envelope for years, introducing sustainable technologies that have challenged and redefined ingredient mainstays in health, beauty, and wellness," said Gandolfi. "We've had the essence of our identity, this kind of rebellious spirit, in our products and our approach, for decades. Through our work with the Pentagram team, we were able to distill who we are and what we offer to the industry into an elegant and artistic visual design and imagery that transcends all that we do." The company is being intentional not to define beauty with imagery of people. Instead, Pentagram has developed a visual language using expressive, translucent natural imagery and abstract textures. The proprietary imagery portrays the duality of nature and science with dynamic compositions that evoke curiosity and create a feeling of freshness with calm breathing space. Even Inolex's new wordmark, with its bespoke letterforms and distinctive X connotes the tempered irreverence and agile character that the company exudes. Pentagram's Michael Gericke, one of the firm's most well-known and respected partners, led the team responsible for developing Inolex's new brand identity. "Inolex's leadership truly cares about people and our environment. They challenged and encouraged us to be boldeven rebellious," says Gericke. "We expressed their passion for innovation as a positive force and disruptor in an industry on the threshold of extraordinary change." And while a focus on sustainability is indeed top of mind throughout the beauty care industry, the centrality of sustainability is unmistakable at Inolex. According to Chief Executive Officer David Plimpton, the company challenges itself to think differently to invent the future of ingredient platformsand its people and products exist to serve the greater good. "Sustainable ingredient design, leading with science and honoring nature, is our core capability as a company. We place value on encouraging intellectual curiosity, embedding thoughtful, responsible design into our ingredients, and celebrating enduring partnerships with our customers so that we can create better consumer products together," said Plimpton. "Can you be disruptive while still caring deeply for others? Absolutely." It's that sentiment, balancing expertise in science while being bold stewards of people and place, that Inolex believes will serve to inspire where the beauty care industry goes in the decades to come. Inolex's new brand is a clear indication of the company's futureand where its imaginative approaches are poised to take the industry. About Inolex Inolex is a fiercely independent company that designs sustainable ingredients for health, beauty, and wellness. We don't swim with the current; we create it. We envision and realize solutions to advance the needs of our customers. We challenge ourselves and the industry to think differently. Honoring nature, we design emerging technologies that ensure the safe and optimum performance of leading brands in more than 85 countries. Our designers are guided by the Principles of Green Chemistry, to invent the future of sustainable ingredient platforms. By balancing conscious science with nature and artistry, our imaginative approaches become the building blocks for exceptional products that care for people and our planet. We are Inolex. Thinkers, Designers, Creators, and Rebels. About Pentagram Pentagram is one of the world's most well-known and respected international design consultancies and was recently named the most influential design firm of the last fifty years. The firm has successful offices in New York, London, Austin, and Berlin. Pentagram's work touches a full spectrum of dimensions and media in an environment that promotes collaboration and creativity. Pentagram's practice is wide-ranging and encompasses graphics and identity, strategy and positioning, products and packaging, exhibitions, digital experiences, advertising and communications, data visualizations and typefaces, sound, and motion. The structure is unique. It is the only major design studio where the owners of the business are the creators of the work and serve as the primary contact for every client. This approach reflects Pentagram's conviction that great design cannot happen without passion, intelligence andabove allpersonal commitment, and is demonstrated by a portfolio that spans five decades, many industries, and clients of every size. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928478/Inolex_New_Corporate_Brand_Identity_Image.jpg SOURCE Inolex TSUKUBA, Japan, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA) researchers have elucidated the mechanism behind organic antiambipolar transistors (OAATs), a new class of transistors with possible applications in artificial intelligence and neuromorphic devices. (Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M105739/202210178267/_prw_PI1fl_u042C0e8.jpg) Transistors are one of the basic building blocks of modern technology and electronics. The emergence of artificial intelligence and brain-like devices has brought about a need for multiple logic gate operations to be conducted on the same transistor chip. Even the gold standard, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors, cannot handle such a large load of operations. Hence, the search is on for technologies that can. Researchers from WPI-MANA, led by Dr. Ryoma Hayakawa, have been investigating a new class of transistors, OAATs. OAATs can support multiple logic gate operations owing to a unique property called negative differential transconductance (NDT). The research team's extensive work, directed by Dr. Yutaka Wakayama, has looked to first elucidate the charge-carrier mechanism in these devices, and then also apply them to multiple logic gate operations. "We needed to know how OAATs work so that they could then be improved upon. So, we directly visualized the electron flow in an OAAT, using a technique called operando photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM). We were then able to understand where the transistor junction gets its exciting switchable property," explains Wakayama. The PEEM experiments showed that a depletion layer is formed at the lateral p-n interface; this generates a large potential difference, enhancing electron conduction in the transistor. Armed with this knowledge, the research team looked at its applicability. "By adjusting input voltages across OAATs, we could achieve five different logic gate operations on the same device. We could even switch between two logic gates with a given set of inputs," explains Wakayama. OAATs are stable and reliable, operating for months. They can surpass CMOS devices for many applications. Keeping this in mind, the work done at WPI-MANA could lead to a massive reduction in the number of transistors required in current integrated circuits and improve their processing ability, enabling the development of more advanced technology that can handle large amounts of operations. Research Highlights Vol. 79 https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol79.html MANA Research Highlights https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/ SOURCE International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA); National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) LONDON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Semiconductor Executive Summits (I.S.E.S.) - USA will take place in Arizona on March 7-8, 2023 at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, with more than 150 industry leaders, visionaries and technology experts convene again in Arizona to present insights into the latest trends, innovations and developments across the microelectronics supply chain. The event will be co-hosted by Headline Partner, Greater Phoenix Economic Council. The International Semiconductor Executive Summits - USA, the premier conference for leaders in the Semiconductor eco-systems, will feature on-site keynotes and executive panels with thought leaders from the semiconductor ecosystem, academia and government. Registration is now open: www.ises-usa.com "Greater Phoenix is one of America's longest-standing semiconductor hubs, with a thriving and diverse ecosystem that is home to research and development, manufacturing, and headquarters facilities for some of the most well-known companies in the industry. The spirit of collaboration that has paved the way for growth in this market is similar to the experience at the International Semiconductor Executive Summit (ISES). We're proud to partner with ISES. From coordination to the quality of the network, ISES offers the unmatched opportunity to connect with semiconductor executives and thought leaders for executive-level discussions that shape the future of the semiconductor industry in the U.S." Greater Phoenix Economic Council Council President & CEO - Chris Camacho "After the huge success of the ISES USA 2022 hosted in Arizona where tickets were sold out a month before the event. We had in presence all the top level executives from the leading companies in semiconductor manufacturing be it Intel Corporation, Samsung Electronics, AMD, TSMC, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Broadcom Inc., Google, Micron Technology, SkyWater Technology, Foundry, GlobalFoundries, Western Digital, NXP Semiconductors, Applied Materials, Lam Research, KLA ... you name it was in presence. Semiconductor Companies from across the entire supply chain will network and showcase the latest technologies and solutions. Our members understand the importance of collaboration within the eco-system for it to function efficiently. Together we will move at a faster pace and indeed Silicon Desert is a reality now. Arizona is a great choice to host such a leading executive platform and evidently impactful organisations like the Greater Phoenix Economic Council make things happen. In this business, one not only needs to talk the talk but most importantly also walk the walk. Any semiconductor company should know Arizona has a great ecosystem and definitely should approach GPEC for local support! We are excited and looking forward ISES USA 2023 already... and we, the ISES community are ready to support in Making Semiconductors In America Great Again. With the success on the CHIPS Act passage and significant new fab investments happening in the U.S., we're so excited to welcome back key semiconductor industry players to the International Semiconductor Executive Summits USA on March 7-8 to explore new business and collaboration opportunities at the heart of continuing innovation, Arizona!" - said Salah Nasri, President of the International Semiconductor Executive Summits President - Salah Nasri. Key Topics of The International Semiconductor Executive Summits 2023 - USA Advanced Packaging This session will feature data-sharing breakthroughs that are leading to smarter manufacturing processes, higher yields, and new semiconductor innovations. Thought leaders will engage attendees on topics including advances in chip enablement, logic & memory integration, 3D High Bandwidth integration, HPC Packaging Roadmap, package architecture goals, hybrid bonding, future of 3D stacking, thermal innovations, optical interconnects, and improving data-sharing across the microelectronics supply chain. Memory Manufacturing This session will feature memory scaling trends, DRAM/NAND challenges & enablers , defect detection requirements, gaps, metrology challenges and enablers . enablers Supply Chain Ensuring the future of the strategic semiconductor industry in the US required a solidification in supply chain. This session will cover big data and artificial intelligence for operations Management in the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry, factory automation and optimisation , advanced process control, defect inspection and unique logistics solutions. Work Force Development Building and strengthening the semiconductor talent pipeline to sustain the current accelerated pace of innovation and growth must be of a top priority. This session will highlight solutions to strengthen strategic initiatives for Semiconductor Companies. Industry Market Trends Market trends and a 2023 update on forecasts and insights on semiconductor manufacturing supply chain and M &A Forecast will be presented in this session. Perspectives on key semiconductor industry trends from Wall Street analysts will be thoroughly discussed. COVID-19 Safety Protocols To ensure the well-being of all its visitors, I.S.E.S. monitors developing federal, state, and local health and safety recommendations and requirements to determine the most appropriate safety protocols for in-person events. Follow International Semiconductor Executive Summits on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/internationalsemiconductorexecutivesummit/ About International Semiconductor Executive Summits (I.S.E.S.) I.S.E.S. is where decision makers in Semiconductor Manufacturing connect to inspire, collaborate and share ideas in a trusted network. A leading industry associated that consists of members from the entire Semiconductor ecosystem responsible for the innovations in Equipment & Materials Manufacturers, OSATs, Foundries, IDMs, IC Design Houses, Software and Services to the actual end user such as High Performance Computing, AI, Automotive Electronics, 5G/6G and etc. I.S.E.S. hosts its Summits annually in the following regions: United States of America, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, China, and Singapore. The MEMS World Summit EU, China and South East Asia are I.S.E.S. Strategic Communities. I.S.E.S. provides a unique industry platform dedicated for collaboration, where global leaders connect and innovate with peers, partners and customers to accelerate the semiconductor industry. Visit www.isesglobal.com to learn more, contact us, and connect with the International Semiconductor Executive Summits (I.S.E.S) on LinkedIn (hyperlink: https://www.linkedin.com/company/internationalsemiconductorexecutivesummit/ ), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TjWccCFQfo) and WeChat. Association Contact Jubed Miah Email: [email protected] SOURCE International Semiconductor Executive Summits All in 1, Portable, and Affordable Metaverse instructional fitness adventures that transport you to exotic destinations worldwide. Experience each location at home via your TV, smart device, or VR headset. IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fuzelo today announced the introduction of the First Metaverse Yoga/Pilates Total Body Gym, combining new, futuristic AI-Blockchain powered metaverse fitness technology with the first portable workout system that brings a yoga/Pilates gym, a total workout gym and metaverse travel adventure experiences to the home. Fuzelo Fuzelo Fuzelo The system easily folds and features patented dual upper and lower resistance units that merge multiple exercises into one workout. Its advanced AI provides health metrics and exercise tracking to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses while guiding improvement in the areas that need attention. Consequently, a 20-minute workout can be reduced to just 9 minutes. The Metaverse Yoga/Pilates Total Body Gym is designed to be affordable, with a starting price of just $99. Overcoming the Obstacles to Working Out Researchers at the CDC have revealed that almost 80 percent of adult Americans do not get their weekly recommended amount of exercise. The most common reasons people do not exercise: "I don't have the time," "Gym equipment or memberships are too expensive," or "Working out is repetitive, boring and just not fun." Moreover, new research has found that the body begins to look and feel older starting at 30, each year losing 10 ounces of lean body mass or muscle that's replaced with fat tissue. At age 50, that rate doubles; at 60, aging triples. All this is avoidable with 7-to-9 minutes of resistance exercise each day. Resistance workouts with Metaverse Yoga/Pilates Total Body Gym are considered one of the best ways to impact weight loss, burning calories up to 72 hours after exercising. Individuals can travel to the top of the Himalayas with Tibetan monks, glide through the pyramids with Cleopatra or meditate by the Taj Mahal with an Indian guru. An Experienced Team of Innovators A leader in artificial intelligence, motion capture and fitness research for more than 25 years, CEO Michael Kocourek has worked with Fuzelo's multi-award-winning Chief Creative Officer, Mike Smith, to partner with more than a dozen film production studios around the world, leveraging the Unity gaming engine to pioneer a hybrid metaverse that composites on-location footage with special-effects animation, thereby conjuring a unique workout experience. With over 5 years of research and development, the Metaverse Yoga/Pilates Total Body Gym has been developed by designers, aerospace engineers and exercise physicians to ensure affordability, user- friendliness, and portability. It's available on Kickstarter starting at $99. The first 1,000 contributors will receive a free VR headset. As a holiday special, Fuzelo is offering a special gift card that triggers a video starring a trim and buff Santa (and his sexy elves) leading a North Pole metaverse travel workout. Contact Information Michael Kocourek Email: [email protected] Phone number: 310-890-1241 Website Metaverse Yoga-Pilates Total Gym & Guided Travel Workouts. Kickstarter SOURCE Fuzelo A limited collectible whisky inspired by the Ethiopian Arabica coffee bean NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Macallan has unveiled the new expressions that form the second edition of The Harmony Collection , a limited annual release series driven by the brand's inherent curiosity and its innovative and creative mindset. A collection exploring The Macallan's future packaging journey, each release features distinctive packaging that incorporates organic by-products and gives them new life. The Macallan Harmony Collection Smooth Arabica and The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica celebrate the world of coffee and have been inspired by the Ethiopian Arabica coffee bean. The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica and The Macallan Harmony Collection Smooth Arabica, the single malt whiskies in this year's release, celebrate the world of coffee and have been inspired by the Ethiopian Arabica coffee bean. Their hybrid packaging was created using repurposed and recycled materials including coffee bean husks which would have otherwise been discarded. The Macallan Whisky Maker Steven Bremner has created the intensely flavored whiskies to pair perfectly with coffee. He immersed himself in the art of coffee by hosting a masterclass with world renowned coffee experts at The Macallan Estate. He explored the incredible journey from field to cup, uncovering the unique process and distinct flavor profiles at each stage. Among the coffee masters who shared their knowledge with Steven were Ethiopian coffee grower Kenean Asefa Dukamo, whose family works with the Arabica variety showcased by the whiskies; Scottish coffee roaster Lisa Lawson, a pioneer of speciality coffee in Scotland acclaimed for her roasting techniques; and award-winning American barista Andrea Allen, renowned for creating incredible coffee experiences. UK-based coffee artist Dhan Tamang crafted a range of coffee art, sharing his knowledge on the art of the perfect coffee serve and sensory perceptions, while leading coffee historian Professor Jonathan Morris, provided an insight into the roots of coffee and how it has become the global phenomenon it is today. Steven Bremner, Whisky Maker, The Macallan, said: "Exploring the world of coffee with our masters in the industry, who shared their knowledge, creativity, and love for their art, was both an education and an inspiration. There are many parallels between the approach to creating incomparable whisky and coffee. Each requires unique skills and craftsmanship to achieve depth and complexity of taste and both worlds aim to deliver an extraordinary consumption experience." Drawing inspiration from the Arabica coffee bean from Ethiopia, renowned as the birthplace of coffee, Steven selected a harmonious combination of American and European oak casks to achieve the distinctive notes offered by the single malts. Inspired by Intense Arabica is reminiscent of a sweet yet strong espresso coffee and has a higher ABV of 44%, while Smooth Arabica conveys the flavors of a gently spiced and soft americano which come through at an ABV of 40%, and both can be paired with coffee to provide a new way to savor The Macallan. "To create the coffee-inspired second edition of The Harmony Collection, I sought out intense notes in The Macallan's traditional sherry seasoned European oak casks that would offer the rich and satisfying elements of coffee, with the influence of sherry seasoned American oak casks adding sweeter and softer vanilla notes for a balanced and rounded experience. "Each expression has been paired with two different variations of Ethiopian coffee, which accentuate the unique tasting notes within the whisky when enjoyed side by side, creating an exciting new sensorial experience of The Macallan," said Steven Bremner, Whisky Maker, The Macallan. Scottish coffee roaster, Lisa Lawson, said: "Today, people have a greater understanding of coffee, they know the vocabulary, they know what they like, and with whisky it's the same. Whisky goes well with coffee - it comes at the end of a meal and it's natural for whisky and coffee flavors to sit together." In homage to their coffee inspiration, the new expressions are presented in a beautifully crafted presentation box, which incorporates repurposed coffee bean husks, a by-product in the coffee-making process. Paper expert Michele Posocco from Italian paper mill Favini worked with The Macallan to create the innovative packaging. The rich red pantone color on the Inspired by Intense Arabica pack reflects the coffee fruit, while the vibrant green on the Smooth Arabica pack represents the unroasted coffee bean. The Harmony Collection commenced with the release of Rich Cacao last year, followed by Fine Cacao earlier this year, which both incorporated discarded husks from cacao pods in their packaging and offered distinctive chocolate flavor profiles. The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica will be available at The Macallan Estate Bar, The Macallan Online Boutique and in premium retailers, bars and restaurants around the world from October 2022, with availability in the US from November 2022. Smooth Arabica will be available in The Macallan Airport Boutiques, key airports around the world and China Hainan Island duty free shops from November 2022. Whisky Maker's Notes: The Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Intense Arabica ABV: 44% Color: Crema Aroma: Tiramisu, cappuccino, gingerbread, raisins, almonds, sweet oak and vanilla Palate: Espresso, dark chocolate, raisin, tiramisu, blackberry, vanilla, Brazil nut and sweet oak Finish: Long, dark roast coffee, balanced and sweet The Macallan Harmony Collection Smooth Arabica ABV: 40% Color: Toffee Aroma: Ground coffee, hazelnuts, sweet raisin, dark cherry, toffee, vanilla and sweet oak Palate: Americano, raisins, cherries, soft spices, walnut, vanilla and oak Finish: Lingering coffee bean turning sweet and creamy For further information, please contact: [email protected] About The Macallan Founded in 1824, The Macallan is renowned worldwide for its extraordinary single malt whiskies. Their outstanding quality and distinctive character reveal the uncompromised excellence pursued by The Macallan since it was established by Alexander Reid, on a plateau above the River Spey in north-east Scotland. In 2018, The Macallan opened a new chapter in its history with the launch of its award-winning Speyside distillery. Designed by internationally acclaimed architects to promote sustainability, the building takes inspiration from the surrounding ancient Scottish hills. It stands nearby Easter Elchies House, the Highland Manor built in 1700 which is The Macallan's spiritual home and remains the heartbeat of The Macallan's beautiful 485-acre Estate. Crafted without compromise. Please savor The Macallan responsibly. SOURCE The Macallan BEIJING, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jianglai Consulting is a business consulting boutique based in Beijing. It delivers global investors contextual insights on China's economic development. Jianglai estimates that China's economic policy is likely to be continuous according to its close observation of the recent activities associated with the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization and official statements during the 20th CPC National Congress. The City of Qingdao, the Site of the SCO Demonstration Zone On October 18, the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone in Qingdao, Shandong province and Shandong Province, released 20 cases of institutional innovation, involving logistics and transportation, trade development, production capacity cooperation, transformation of scientific and technological achievements, free flow of personnel, and convenient financial supply. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Demonstration Zone has opened 27 international and domestic freight trains, reaching 51 cities in 22 countries and regions, totaling more than 2,000 trains. The SCO Demonstration Zone established an industrial park dedicated to cross-border e-commerce enterprises in June 2020, and now more than 200 companies have been settled. Some businesses are from Yiwu, Zhejiang province. In the past, their goods had to be shipped, taking 55 to 60 days to arrive at Russian overseas warehouses; after moving to the demonstration zones, it saves 45 days for the goods to arrive Europe, and greatly reduces the cost. In 2021, Qingdao held more than 200 economic and trade activities to help local enterprises carry out cross-border trade. Chinese officials have been sending positive signals to the market. Plans for a dual-circulation economy requiring more domestic production and consumption doesn't mean the country wants to scale back from globalization, Zhao Chenxin, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference during the convening of the CPC 20th National Congress. That means China will continue to open up to the global economy, even as it focuses on more high-quality growth and fostering domestic demand. To the question, whether China's economic policy will change, some analysts believe that China's economic policy after the 20th National Congress is expected to continue to open up to the outside world and increase exchanges with important international partners in trade. The economic policy after the 20th National Congress is likely to be more continuous rather than changeable. International cooperation in the areas of green energy and traditional manufacturing is estimated to be enhanced. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1929009/Jianglai_Consulting_Logo.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1929008/Site_of_the_SCO.jpg SOURCE Jianglai Consulting eDiscovery leader reaches elite-level partnership reinforcing commitment to cloud-based solution SEATTLE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JND eDiscovery, a globally recognized leader in end-to-end eDiscovery and litigation support services, today announced that it has become a RelativityOne Gold Partner for providing exceptional service experience to its RelativityOne end users. This makes JND one of only eight service providers in the world that can claim this most elite distinction. JND eDiscovery offers award-winning end-to-end eDiscovery solutions through RelativityOne. With a single point of contact for clients, and 100% Relativity-certified personnel, JND places a premium on responsiveness, communication, and tailoring its offerings to each client's specific needs. JND's RelativityOne environment features a suite of patent-pending apps and is routinely recognized as the standard for innovation in the industry. "Achieving the level of Gold Partner is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of the entire JND team," said Scott Lombard, SVP of JND eDiscovery. "We pride ourselves on providing an unparalleled user experience and unique solutions to our clients and look forward to continuing to innovate within the RelativityOne environment." JND eDiscovery is participating in the 13th annual Relativity Fest, an event for the eDiscovery and compliance communities, taking place in Chicago on October 26-28, 2022; sessions are also accessible via an online platform for those unable to attend in person. Interested participants can register for the event here. "We are excited to congratulate JND eDiscovery on achieving RelativityOne Gold Partner status. JND's commitment to delivering outstanding customer service is just one of many reasons that their team exemplifies what it means to be a Gold Partner," said James Zinn, Director of Commercial Partnerships at Relativity. "I look forward to witnessing the new heights JND will reach as they continue supporting customers throughout every stage of their eDiscovery journey." About JND eDiscovery JND eDiscovery is a Minneapolis-based division of JND Legal Administration, a legal management and administration company trusted by law firms, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies nationwide. Founded by Jennifer Keough, Neil Zola, and David Isaac, JND delivers best-in-class legal services in the areas of class action settlement administration, mass tort claims and lien resolution, eDiscovery, legal notice programs, government services, and healthcare solutions. The company has offices in California, Minnesota, New York, and Washington. For more information, visit www.JNDLA.com. Follow JND on LinkedIn. About Relativity Relativity makes software to help users organize data, discover the truth and act on it. Its SaaS product RelativityOne manages large volumes of data and quickly identifies key issues during litigation and internal investigations. The AI-powered communication surveillance product, Relativity Trace proactively detects regulatory misconduct like insider trading, collusion and other non-compliant behavior. Relativity has more than 300,000 users in approximately 40 countries serving thousands of organizations globally primarily in legal, financial services and government sectors, including the U.S. Department of Justice and 198 of the Am Law 200. Relativity has been named one of Chicago's Top Workplaces by the Chicago Tribune for 10 consecutive years. Please contact Relativity at [email protected] or visit http://www.relativity.com for more information. SOURCE jnd BOSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The John Hancock Closed-End Funds listed in the table below announced earnings1 for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The same data for the comparable three-month period ended September 30, 2021 is also available below. Three Months Ended 09/30/22 Ticker Fund Name Current Fiscal Year End Net Investment Income Per Common Share NAV Total Managed Assets Total Net Assets HEQ Hedged Equity & Income Fund 12/31 $1,705,289 $0.140 $10.74 $131,239,011 $131,239,011 BTO Financial Opportunities Fund 12/31 $2,115,750 $0.110 $31.27 $725,776,572 * $600,776,572 Three Months Ended 09/30/21 Ticker Fund Name Current Fiscal Year End Net Investment Income Per Common Share NAV Total Managed Assets Total Net Assets HEQ Hedged Equity & Income Fund 12/31 $1,729,155 $0.141 $12.93 $157,996,559 $157,996,559 BTO Financial Opportunities Fund 12/31 $2,554,506 $0.135 $38.02 $844,331,042 * $719,331,042 *Total managed assets include assets attributable to borrowings under a Liquidity Agreement. 1 Earnings refer to net investment income, which is comprised of the Fund's interest and dividend income, less expenses. Earnings presented represent past earnings and there is no guarantee of future results. Amounts distributed by the Funds may vary from the earnings shown above and will be announced in separate press releases. Up-to-date distribution rate information is available on John Hancock Investment Management's web site at www.jhinvestments.com by clicking on "Closed-End Funds" under the "Daily Prices" tab. Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. An investor should consider a Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. About John Hancock Investment Management A company of Manulife Investment Management, we serve investors through a unique multimanager approach, complementing our extensive in-house capabilities with an unrivaled network of specialized asset managers, backed by some of the most rigorous investment oversight in the industry. The result is a diverse lineup of time-tested investments from a premier asset manager with a heritage of financial stewardship. About Manulife Investment Management Manulife Investment Management is the global brand for the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 18 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com. SOURCE John Hancock Investment Management NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Kohl's Corporation (NYSE: KSS) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. Class Period: October 20, 2020 to May 19, 2022 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: November 1, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in KSS: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/kohls-class-action-loss-submission-form?id=32941&from=4 Kohl's Corporation NEWS - KSS NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Kohl's Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Kohl's new strategic framework to "drive top-line growth," "expand operating margin," and become "the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle" (the "Strategic Plan") was not well tailored to achieving the Company's stated goals; (ii) the defendants had likewise overstated the Company's success in executing its Strategic Plan; (iii) Kohl's had deficient disclosure controls and procedures, internal control over financial reporting, and corporate governance mechanisms; (iv) as a result, the Company's board of directors was able to and did withhold material information from shareholders about the state of Kohl's in the lead-up to the Company's annual meeting; (v) all the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to have a material negative impact on Kohl's financial condition and reputation; and (vi) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Kohl's you have until November 1, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Kohl's securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the KSS lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/kohls-class-action-loss-submission-form?id=32941&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. 535 Fifth Avenue 4th Floor New York City, NY 10017 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm Leading Coffee Franchise Inks Development Agreement to Grow Footprint in One of Its Top Markets NAPLES, Fla., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, a leading coffee franchise renowned for its premium sourcing, roasting, and quality 100% Hawaiian coffees and international blends, announces the signing of a 20-unit development agreement along the Florida Gulf Coast the largest deal in brand history. This puts the brand on the fast track to reaching its expansion goal to open 150 new locations over the next five years, with a number of territories available nationwide. Making Bad Ass Coffee history is Marquee Coffee LLC, a group of business partners led by Ardel McKenna. Originally from Chicago, IL, he has been a frequent visitor to Naples, FL for three decades and became an official resident in 2016. McKenna is immersed in southwest Florida development and formed Marquee Coffee LLC with two other partners specifically for this growth opportunity with Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii. "Since my first visit to one of the original Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii locations on 3rd Street in Olde Naples, I knew this was hands down the best coffee and coffee experience around," said McKenna. "Coffee became an integral part of my routine early in my career while on the trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade that combined with my knowledge of the Florida real estate market made for an easy decision to become a franchisee. Simply put, Bad Ass Coffee fits my personality and I've fallen in love with the product and now more locals and tourists alike along the Florida Gulf Coast can witness the same Bad Ass Coffee experience and premium products that I have." Marquee Coffee LLC plans to open all 20 stores within the next seven years between Bradenton and Naples as well as Marco Island. McKenna and his team are currently targeting sites in the greater Naples and Fort Myers Beach areas for the first locations to open in 2023. "We're in the process of re-building southwest Florida after the result of Hurricane Ian, and now Bad Ass Coffee gets to be a part of that," added McKenna. "Whether locals and tourists are looking for a quick cup of joe or somewhere to hang out and stay while Bad Ass Coffee delivers both." Earlier this year, the brand announced a 5-unit agreement in the Tampa/Clearwater area and will soon be celebrating the grand opening of a new location in Pensacola Beach slated Q4. The senior leadership team believes that Florida is one of its strongest markets because of the performance and brand familiarity of existing stores. A current franchisee is actively expanding along the Florida panhandle, and there is strong interest in Orlando, Tallahassee, and the South Florida Atlantic Coast. "Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii has had repeated success in Florida for 20 years, and has built a loyal following of local regulars and seasonal residents/vacationers," shared Scott Snyder, CEO of Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii. "Our brand experience and messaging are consistent with the Florida market, and Ardel understands that. His expertise and skills will be a tremendous addition to our system." Year-to-date development includes five new store openings with five more expected before year end, 13 locations under construction, and an additional 79 units sold. The company also saw a 66% increase in average unit volume compared to last year, up 76% from 2019, which is credited to systemwide investments and enhancements. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii was born on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1989 with the dream of sharing American-grown, premium Hawaiian coffee with customers everywhere. In addition to premium coffee from the famous Kona region of the Big Island, Bad Ass Coffee also sources from Kauai and Maui. Beyond premium Hawaiian coffees, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii serves up a full menu of popular blended drinks, signature lattes, cold brews, teas, innovative foods with a Hawaiian twist, and branded merchandise. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is looking to partner with qualified and engaged individuals seeking single and multi-unit opportunities. The brand offers an affordable, highly scalable opportunity with strong profit-potential. Franchisees can expect a total investment range between $385,500-$778,000. As International Franchise Association VetFran members, veteran franchisees who join will receive a $10,000 discount off the initial franchise fee. For more information on Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii franchise opportunities, visit badasscoffeefranchise.com or call 833-205-2224. About Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii was born on the Big Island of Hawai'i in 1989 and is dedicated to sharing premium Hawaiian coffees "with a kick" from the Hawaiian Islands through 24-US franchise locations with additional 93 shops in various stages of development. Today, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii stores also serve popular blended drinks, teas, food, along with other international premium coffees and sell popular branded merchandise with exceptional service and the Aloha Spirit. Bad Ass Coffees are available in franchise stores, online and will soon be available through grocery, hospitality, and specialty retail channels. The Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii brand and franchise is owned by Royal Aloha Franchise Company, LLC. For more information, visit badasscoffee.com and connect on Facebook and Instagram @badasscoffeeofhawaii. Franchise information is available at badasscoffeefranchise.com. SOURCE Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As California begins to finalize a groundbreaking privacy law this week, Consumer Watchdog is calling on the agency drafting regulations to tighten rules so users can take back their private data. Last-minute changes to the rules include getting rid of the requirement to identify third-party recipients of data and allowing businesses to forgo displaying the privacy choices made by consumers. Our personal data is sold hundreds of times a day and worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but if regulations for a first-in-the-nation privacy law are drawn correctly, consumers will get unprecedented control over their personal information beginning in just a few months. "The Privacy Commission needs to get these rules right and these last-minute proposals would weaken otherwise tough rules in favor of California privacy rights," said Justin Kloczko, a tech and privacy advocate for Consumer Watchdog, who authored the new report Privacy Dawn. "Your personal data is what determines what kind of loan or job you get, or ads you see. It's the duty of the Privacy Commission to protect our rights fully." In a new report, Consumer Watchdog analyzed draft regulations by the body tasked with enforcing the law, the California Privacy Protection Agency. The regulations take effect January 1, 2023. The commission will convene to finalize regulations on Oct. 28-29. The threat of federal preemption is also examined, as the proposed American Data Privacy and Protection Act would take away California's stronger privacy rights. Read the report here. Just from browsing the Internet the average U.S resident has their data auctioned off 750 times a day. That's double the amount of Europeans and more lucrative than Amazon sales. Facebook alone makes up to a $1,000 annually per person selling personal information. Experts say these auctions occur in nanoseconds, fueling a half a trillion-dollar digital ad market. The more specific personal data is, the more money an entity is willing to pay for it. But new privacy regulations because of the voter-approved California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 are being finalized now, and they give people the option to opt-out of data selling and sharing with third parties, providing a crucial shield from personal information getting into the wrong hands. Preemption will supersede the progress of states like California who wish to improve on the laws put in place federally. "As people come to understand that data has become a valuable extension of themselves, they can now take back what is theirs," said Kloczko. Here are how the regulations can be improved: Making it Easy to Opt-Out: The proposed regulation says a business may provide the consumer with an option "to provide additional information" to facilitate the consumer's request to opt- out of sale/sharing. The language could be interpreted as allowing companies to ask for a name and email frequently when someone opts out. Unnecessary hurdles in the opt-out process goes against the intent of the law. Consumers are likely to get fatigued if constantly asked to confirm their privacy choices. The proposed regulation says a business may provide the consumer with an option "to provide additional information" to facilitate the consumer's request to opt- out of sale/sharing. The language could be interpreted as allowing companies to ask for a name and email frequently when someone opts out. Unnecessary hurdles in the opt-out process goes against the intent of the law. Consumers are likely to get fatigued if constantly asked to confirm their privacy choices. Immediately Honor Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: Under the regulations, businesses have 15 days to honor a person's request to stop selling or sharing data with third parties, as well as 15 days to limit use and disclosure of sensitive personal information. This is a massive window that threatens to upend the intent of the entire law. Even when someone opts out, personal information will still be sold because businesses are granted a two-week grace period. Businesses should be forced to honor a person's opt-out request just as soon as they are able to sell your data, which privacy experts say is mere seconds. This gap should be eliminated. Under the regulations, businesses have 15 days to honor a person's request to stop selling or sharing data with third parties, as well as 15 days to limit use and disclosure of sensitive personal information. This is a massive window that threatens to upend the intent of the entire law. Even when someone opts out, personal information will still be sold because businesses are granted a two-week grace period. Businesses should be forced to honor a person's opt-out request just as soon as they are able to sell your data, which privacy experts say is mere seconds. This gap should be eliminated. Display Privacy Choices: The board should not delete the requirement stating that a consumer's opt-out choice must be displayed. Under the board's proposed change, a business will not be required to display on its website whether it has processed a consumer's choice to opt out of sale/sharing personal information, leaving people in the dark about whether they have exercised their privacy rights. The board should not delete the requirement stating that a consumer's opt-out choice must be displayed. Under the board's proposed change, a business will not be required to display on its website whether it has processed a consumer's choice to opt out of sale/sharing personal information, leaving people in the dark about whether they have exercised their privacy rights. Identify Third Parties: The privacy board has proposed to delete the requirement that businesses identify third parties who collect personal information within a notice of collection. Users need to know who will have their information in order to exercise their privacy rights. The report also highlights the most important regulations: The ability to opt-out of data being shared with third parties. Some companies argued that 2018's CCPA only prevented the 'sale' of data, not the data sharing that fuels the business model of many social media and advertising companies. Businesses must display on their websites a "Do Not Share/Sell My Information" button and a new "Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information" button on their home page. Consumers will now be able to prevent the use of sensitive data by first parties, including: health, race and ethnicity, precise location, sexual preference, union membership, and religious beliefs. More transparency: businesses also must provide a list of categories of sensitive information collected, whether personal information is sold or shared, and the length of time the business intends to retain each category of personal information. People can also use a single opt-out signal that every website and company must honor. This enables people to notify websites of their privacy choices instead of individually opting out on each website. Opt outs must be frictionless, meaning they can't use deceiving language or pop ups to fatigue users. "Dark Patterns," or the deceiving ways in which businesses convince users to give up their privacy, are banned. The right to delete or correct inaccurate personal information a business has compiled, and to notify third parties of requested changes. CPRA also expands deletion requests by mandating businesses notify third parties who have the data. Data use needs to be proportionate to the purpose. A company can't use data for a reason that's completely unrelated to the reason the consumer provided it. For example, a flashlight app cannot use your geolocation for it to function. Real accountability: The CPPA can perform announced or unannounced audits of entities to check for CPPA non-compliance. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Global malware volume tops 4 billion, flat through three quarters Malware attempts dipped 8% in U.S., rose 3% in EMEA Despite 31% decline in global ransomware attempts from 2021, volume exceeds full-year totals when compared to four of the last five years (623.3 million) Customers saw an average 1,014 ransomware attempts through three quarters 91% of IT leaders cited financially motivated attacks as biggest concern Capture ATP earns seventh consecutive 100% threat detection score in ICSA Labs Advanced Threat Defense (ATD) Q3 2022 testing MILPITAS, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SonicWall, publisher of the world's most quoted ransomware threat intelligence, today released new threat data through the third quarter of 2022. SonicWall recorded more than 4 billion malware attempts globally while year-to-date ransomware attempts in 2022 have already exceeded full-year totals from four of the last five years. In the recent 2022 SonicWall Cyber Threat Mindset Survey, 91% of organizations reported that they are most concerned about ransomware attacks, indicating a rise of anxiety among security professionals. "Being a security professional has never been more difficult," said SonicWall President and CEO Bob VanKirk. "The cyber warfare battlefront continues to shift, posing dangerous threats to organizations of all sizes. With expanding attack surfaces, growing numbers of threats and the current geo-political landscape, it should be no surprise that even the most seasoned IT professional can feel overwhelmed. Armed with the latest cybersecurity tools, SonicWall partners can play a vital role in helping customers stay secure in even the most dynamic threat environments." Ransomware Attacks Shift, Tactics Intensify, Diversify After a record-breaking 2021, overall ransomware attacks have trended down in the first three quarters of 2022 especially in the United States (-51%). However, attack locations have continued to shift, as ransomware attempts jumped in the U.K. (20%), EMEA (38%) and APJ (56%) compared to the same time frame last year. Proprietary SonicWall threat intelligence also found that Q3 2022 was the lowest quarterly ransomware volume since Q3 2020. Even in decline, SonicWall recorded 338.4 million ransomware attempts since the beginning of the year. It is easier than ever to perform ransomware attacks. With Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) offerings, even less technical cybercriminals can purchase ransomware kits on the dark web and target organizations with minimal experience. Ransomware actors also are diversifying their business models and broadening their networks as demand for their services continues to grow, leading to an explosion in the variety of different tools and resources being offered via illicit marketplaces. According to SonicWall survey data, organizations are concerned with how easily ransomware attacks can be launched and 89% cited concern of financially motivated threats. "Ransomware has evolved at an alarming rate, particularly in the past five years not only in volume but in attack vectors," said SonicWall Emerging Threat Expert Immanuel Chavoya. "The latest Q3 data shows how bad actors are getting smarter in the development of evolutionary strains and more targeted in their assaults." Cryptojacking, IoT Malware Volume Continue Upward Trend Hackers are increasingly targeting financial firms, such as banks and trading houses, with cyberattacks designed to maliciously use computer systems to illegally mine cryptocurrencies. Cryptojacking numbers jumped 35% globally through three quarters, including a 377% spike in EMEA and 160% increase in APJ. With more smart devices entering the digital space every day there is a growing need for Internet of things (IoT) security. IoT devices have multiple ways to connect to a network, offering multiple attack vectors to exploit. IoT malware climbed 92% globally, with 82% and 200% jumps in APJ and North America, respectively. "With over 1.4 million endpoints collecting data around the globe, SonicWall has more data to uncover emerging threat trends and provide a true depiction of what is happening in the cyber threat landscape," said Solutions Granted (SGI) CEO Michael Crean. "They say knowledge is power and SonicWall's proprietary data helps SGI stay informed, which in turn helps us educate our customer base. Leveraging SonicWall's research helps SGI create actionable steps to help us keep our customers safer!" Machine Learning Uncovering 'Never-before-seen' Malware Variants SonicWall's patented Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection(RTDMI) technology identified 373,756 never-before-seen malware variants during the first three quarters of 2022 a 22% increase year-to-date. One of these never-before-seen malware variants was Spyder Loader, which was observed targeting government organizations in Hong Kong in October 2022. SonicWall RTDMI proactively detected this malware strain and SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers were the first to publish their analysis in a March 2021 SonicAlert a showcase of RTDMI's machine learning-powered capabilities. SonicWall Capture ATP Showcases 'Perfect Threat Detection' In October 2022, SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) with RTDMI earned its seventh consecutive 100% threat detection score in ICSA Labs Advanced Threat Defense (ATD) testing for Q3 2022, the solution's 11th consecutive certification. ICSA Labs is an independent third party that tested SonicWall's solutions using never-before-seen malware samples, many just hours old. To learn more about SonicWall security efficacy and perfect threat detection scores from Capture ATP, please visit SonicWall.com/ICSA. About SonicWall Capture Labs SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers gather, analyze and vet cross-vector threat information from the SonicWall Capture Threat network, consisting of global devices and resources, including more than 1 million security sensors in nearly 215 countries and territories. SonicWall Capture Labs, which pioneered the use of artificial intelligence for threat research and protection over a decade ago, performs rigorous testing and evaluation on this data, establishes reputation scores for email senders and content, and identifies new threats in real-time. About SonicWall SonicWall delivers Boundless Cybersecurity for the hyper-distributed era in a work reality where everyone is remote, mobile and unsecure. SonicWall safeguards organizations mobilizing for their new business normal with seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across boundless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces. By knowing the unknown, providing real-time visibility and enabling breakthrough economics, SonicWall closes the cybersecurity business gap for enterprises, governments and SMBs worldwide. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. SOURCE SonicWall Kevin L. Miller brings extensive skill in healthcare private equity and M&A; Jason B. Caron provides comprehensive regulatory and compliance experience. CHICAGO and WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce the addition of two partners with highly regarded transactional and regulatory healthcare experience: Kevin L. Miller joins the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Practices, and Jason B. Caron joins the Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice. Kevin L. Miller (left) and Jason B. Caron (right) The partners bring a powerful combination of market experience and sector knowledge, coupled with an impressive track record of advising on private equity and strategic transactions in the healthcare industry, as well as on complex healthcare regulatory matters. "We're delighted to welcome Kevin and Jason to the firm," said Charles Ruck, Global Chair of Latham & Watkins' Corporate Department. "Their deep industry knowledge and unique skill sets complement our well-established and sophisticated, high-end healthcare practice." Latham provides leading life sciences and healthcare industry knowledge, legal expertise, and commercial and government insight. The new partners add to the firm's capabilities, and have advised on an array of high profile matters, including: M&A and private equity transactions, strategic affiliations, investments, and joint ventures Provider equity alignment and long-term incentive plan matters Regulatory, reimbursement, and policy matters Federal and state fraud and abuse matters such as anti-kickback, self-referral, false claims, and false billings Corporate compliance matters and government inquiries, audits, and investigations "Kevin and Jason are extraordinary additions to the team, and will be great assets to our clients. They enhance our ability to provide the counsel needed in today's ever-changing healthcare environment. Their track record advising at the cutting edge of the industry underscores their many talents, and we are thrilled to be welcoming them," added John Manthei, Global Chair of Latham's Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice. Stuart Kurlander, former Global Co-Chair of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice, and current Global Co-Chair of the Israel Practice added, "The depth and breadth of knowledge needed to operate effectively in the healthcare industry today cannot be overstated. When you overlay that knowledge with the complexity of the regulatory and legal environment, you begin to understand why bringing on Kevin and Jason is another important and critical step in fully serving our healthcare and life sciences clients today and into the future." Bringing decades of experience with many of the largest and most active players in this industry, each brings their own focus and will contribute to helping clients navigate the opportunities and challenges resulting from the continued explosive growth in the healthcare industry. Kevin L. Miller, based in Chicago, brings significant experience advising private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on complex transactions in the healthcare services and life sciences industries. With a strong healthcare regulatory background, Miller also routinely counsels clients in evaluating healthcare industry trends and investment opportunities, along with the structuring and negotiation of strategic transactions involving healthcare companies. Miller said: "Latham's stellar position in the market means the firm is well placed perhaps uniquely so to respond to the increasingly sophisticated and complex legal needs for investors and operators in the healthcare and life sciences sector. I am eager to work closely with the rest of Latham's multi-disciplinary healthcare team." Jason B. Caron, based in Washington, D.C., counsels a wide array of healthcare and life sciences organizations ranging from early-stage innovators to established multifaceted national health systems on complex regulatory, reimbursement, and policy matters. He also regularly advises private equity, growth equity, and venture firms as well as lenders, pension funds, and family offices that invest in or support the healthcare and life sciences communities. Caron said: "I was attracted to Latham's broad corporate platform, top-tier healthcare and life sciences practice, and robust emerging company, private equity, and public company client base. Latham's stellar reputation for working on the most complex and innovative matters is well known, and I am eager to start working with existing Latham clients and grow our presence in the constantly evolving healthcare services marketplace." Mary Rose Alexander, Office Managing Partner of Latham's Chicago office, said: "Kevin and Jason have the industry experience, reputation, and substantive abilities to support our healthcare and life sciences growth strategy in the near- and long-term. Their experience and client relationships will help us grow our healthcare transactional, regulatory, and advisory capabilities in tandem with the ongoing expansion of our M&A, private capital, and technology practices." "Their experience fits well with the complex corporate transactions and high-stakes regulatory matters on which we regularly advise," added Dan Lennon, Office Managing Partner of Latham's Washington, D.C., office. Miller received a JD from Cornell Law School and a BA from Northwestern University. Caron received a JD, with honors, from the University of Maryland and a BS from George Washington University and is a former critical care paramedic. Both partners join Latham & Watkins from McDermott Will & Emery LLP. About Latham & Watkins ( lw.com ) Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world's largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability. Notes to Editors 1Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in Israel through a limited liability company. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Contacts Charles Ruck, Global Chair of the Firm's Corporate Department, +1.714.755.8245 John Manthei, Global Chair of the Firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice, +1.202.637.2211 Stuart Kurlander, former Global Co-Chair of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice, and current Global Co-Chair of the Israel Practice, +1.202.637.2169 Mary Rose Alexander, Office Managing Partner of Latham's Chicago office, +1.312.876.7672 Dan Lennon, Office Managing Partner of Latham's Washington, D.C., office, +1.202.637.2347 SOURCE Latham & Watkins LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of The GEO Group, Inc. ("GEO" or "the Company") (NYSE: GEO) for violations of the securities laws. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. If you are a shareholder who purchased shares between November 7, 2018 and July 17, 2019, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected]. The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. CONTACT: The Schall Law Firm Brian Schall, Esq. 310-301-3335 [email protected] www.schallfirm.com SOURCE The Schall Law Firm The Merger Expands Brokerage's Brooklyn Presence and Global Reach with New Dyker Heights Office and Enhanced Professional Presence BROOKLYN, N.Y., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty, one of Brooklyn's premier real estate firms, today announced its merger with Weichert Realtors The Franzese Group, a well established real estate company with more than two decades of service. The Franzese Group is headed by Anthony Franzese and Vincent Blandino, experienced leaders and real estate brokers with a combined 50 years of experience in the industry. The company's office is located in the Dyker Heights neighborhood at 1524 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11228, enhancing the team's capacity to support client needs throughout the city and around the world. "I am very happy to be working with Anthony, Vince, and the entire Franzese group. We have always admired their business acumen and appreciate their excellent reputation," said Gerard Longo, Principal of Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty. "I am certain that this collaboration will bring about innovative and bold results. We look forward to bringing greater value and benefit to the Madison Estates Sotheby's Team as we continue to expand our reach across Brooklyn." Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty has now added an additional 50 real estate professionals to its roster and has grown exponentially since its affiliation with Sotheby's International Realty back in 2021. It recently completed a historic auction via Sotheby's Concierge Auctions' online marketplace, attracting more than $70 million in offerings from 56 bidders from around the world. The team also has strong ties to the community, supporting various charitable efforts with a strong focus on advocating for youth initiatives. "The New York real estate market continues to attract buyers with a unique mix of business, lifestyle, cultural, and other interests," said Anthony Franzese, Managing Partner and licensed real estate broker. "After twenty years as friendly rivals, I'm thrilled to be joining forces with Gerard, Joseph, and the entire Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty team to elevate our capacity to support client needs in Brooklyn and beyond." "As we continue to grow our company and take our business to the next level, we look for strategic partners who are like-minded, ethical, and as professional as we are," said Joseph Baglio, President, CEO, and broker at Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty. "It was an honor to have Anthony Franzese, Vince Blandino, and their group join us. Together we can offer a vast amount of knowledge and experience, unlike any other brokerage." To learn more, please visit mesothebysrealty.com or find Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty on LinkedIn , Facebook , or Instagram . About Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty is one of Brooklyn's most established Real Estate firms. Since 1953 Madison Estates SIR has maintained a stellar reputation and continues to evolve year after year. Through our affiliation with Sotheby's International Realty we are able to combine our local strengths with their international reputation for unparalleled prestige and history. Our talented group of professionals are passionate about your needs. We provide the finest Real Estate services and ensure that every transaction is a seamless one. Press Inquiries: Jenna Guarneri JMG Public Relations 212-206-1645 [email protected] SOURCE Madison Estates Sotheby's International Realty Steven M.R. Covey keynotes virtual conference co-hosted by North American Meat Institute MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Maple Leaf Foods (TSX: MFI) yesterday held its 12th Food Safety Symposium as part of the company's commitment to facilitate food safety information sharing and collaboration in the food industry with a goal of creating a safer, healthier food supply. With the theme How Measurement, Management and Transparency Builds Long Term Trust Among Stakeholders, Maple Leaf Foods partnered with the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) Protein PACT in co-hosting the timely event. The Symposium featured keynote speaker, Stephen M.R. Covey, author and co-founder of CoveyLink and FranklinCovey Global Trust Practice. Calling trust "the currency of our time," Covey said that trust is given in response to displays of character and competence. He also shared the elements and value of high trust organizations and cited studies showing the connection between trust and high performance. "Speed happens when people trust each other," Covey said, "and nothing is as fast as they speed of trust." "Today's leaders are expected to lead change with agility, and to develop high-performing teams," said Covey. "It is trust that turns a group into a team. Trust is the ultimate collaboration tool and the linchpin of a collaborative partnership." In addition, a panel of leading food safety experts shared their thoughts about what can be learned from the industry's non-competitive approach in creating Listeria Control Best Practices and workshops and how these kinds of efforts can create value and trust for stakeholders. "We all have the same goal and that's public health to make sure we're putting out safe, quality, wholesome food to the public," said Sharon Beals, Chief Food Safety Officer at CTI Foods. "I see a lot more collaboration and openness in the industry ... together we're smarter and that's how we improve." "The non-competitive nature of the event processors teaching processors it creates a tremendous learning environment," said Jeremiah Johnson, Corporate Manager of Regulatory Compliance, Food Safety and Sanitation at Hormel Foods. "It's about impacting public health and us saying we can come together to minimize the impact of salmonella in products. And we're starting to do these things right now with NAMI's support." A second panel discussed the value of food safety audits in encouraging transparency and continuous improvement. Panelists agreed that how a company responds to a finding during an audit is more important than the audit itself. "We don't live in a perfect world," said Andrew Clarke, senior director of quality assurance at Loblaw Companies Limited, adding that companies must respond in an appropriate manner. Panelists also noted that findings on audits can strengthen food safety if these findings are viewed with an eye towards continuous improvement. David Rasmussen, director of quality at The Kraft Heinz Company said, "We want to avoid situations where looking good replaces being good." In the closing panel, Randy Huffman, Ph.D., Chief Food Safety and Sustainability Officer at Maple Leaf Foods; Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of NAMI; Jim Snee, CEO of Hormel Foods, and Michael McCain, Executive Chair of the Board and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, discussed the Protein PACT, its ambitious visions and targets for 2030 and the increasing demand among consumers for transparency. Snee welcomed the increasing transparency that the Protein PACT will bring to the meat industry and the opportunities for trust building. "We often hear 'big food is bad.' We want to be GOOD big food." McCain agreed: "Transparency is a central and defining attribute of who we are. It's one of the secret sauces to trust-building." Next year's Maple Leaf Foods Food Safety Symposium date will be announced soon. For information on food safety at Maple Leaf Foods, visit: https://www.mapleleaffoods.com/our-commitments/safe-food/ About Maple Leaf Foods Maple Leaf Foods Inc. ("Maple Leaf Foods") is a carbon neutral company with a vision to be the most sustainable protein company on earth, responsibly producing food products under leading brands including Maple Leaf, Maple Leaf Prime, Maple Leaf Natural Selections, Schneiders, Schneiders Country Naturals, Mina, Greenfield Natural Meat Co., Lightlife and Field Roast. Maple Leaf Foods employs approximately 14,000 people and does business in Canada, the U.S. and Asia. The company is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, and its shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MFI). Related Links: https://www.mapleleafoods.com SOURCE Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Cactus Custody will provide Trovio Group with institutional-grade custody services for digital assets with unrivaled DeFi access SINGAPORE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Matrixport, one of the world's largest digital assets financial services ecosystem, today announced that Cactus Custody , its qualified institutional custodian, now supports the Trovio Group, Asia Pacific's leading hybrid asset manager and technology solutions architect. Matrixport's Cactus Custody Announces Partnership with Trovio Group Under the partnership, Trovio Group will tap into unparalleled DeFi connectivity and industry-leading warm and cold storage solutions with the highest level hardware security modules (FIPS 140-2 Level 3 or above). Cactus Custody will also provide institutional-grade crypto management and audit trails. Thomas Barton, Chief Operating Officer of Trovio Group, said: "We are excited to partner with Cactus Custody on their institutional custody services. As our DeFi product offering continues to grow, it is imperative that we work with market-leading providers who ultimately can provide best-in-class security and risk management. We look forward to collaborating with Cactus Custody across a range of custodial solutions to ensure that Trovio Group has access to institutional-grade security and cutting edge products." Cactus Custody boasts its unparalleled DeFi connectivity based on the integration with MetaMask Institutional (MMI). Its DeFi connect feature supports 12+ EVM chains; Ethereum, EthereumPOW, EthereumFair, Optimism, Arbitrum, BNB, Polygon, Avax C-chain, Fantom, Klaytn, SmartBCH, Heco and will support more assets in the future. Justin Buitendam, Head of Institutional Sales, Matrixport, said: "We are delighted to provide Trovio Group with our custodian services, offering an optimum balance of security, operation risk controls, and asset liquidity. Trovio Group's confidence in our custodian solutions is a testament to our high level of service standards for institutions and we will continue to enhance institutional access to the world of DeFi and Web3." With over 200+ institutional clients, Cactus Custody currently supports 100+ major digital assets with an unprecedented number of customized ERC-20 tokens function & NFT on 26+ chains. It recently secured USD 50M insurance cold storage coverage protecting digital assets against employee collusion, third party theft and physical loss or damage of private keys. About Trovio Group Trovio Group is Asia Pacific's hybrid asset manager and technology solutions architect. Founded in 2017, the Trovio Group is reimagining existing markets and infrastructure and the global economic landscape. The evolution of commerce through digitisation, data capture and decentralisation is challenging multiple industries, creating opportunities for investors, leaders and stakeholders. Trovio has offices in Amsterdam, the Bahamas, Singapore and Sydney. For more information, please visit trovio.io . About Cactus Custody Cactus Custody is a qualified custodian and a Hong Kong Trust Company that meets the capital reserve requirement and acts within regulatory and AML guidelines. To learn more about our solutions, visit https://www.mycactus.com/en About Matrixport Matrixport is one of the world's largest and most trusted digital assets financial services ecosystem. The company's services include prime brokerage, Cactus Custody, spot OTC, fixed income, structured products, lending as well as asset management. Matrixport serves individuals as well as over 800 institutions across Asia and Europe. For more information, please visit www.matrixport.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1927793/CactusTrovio__1__ID_ec7902fe2b5d.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1560145/matrixport_logo_blue_white_Logo.jpg SOURCE Matrixport Funding supports organizations seeking to improve community health equity NORTHFIELD, Ill., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Medline has awarded 11 grants to nonprofit organizations providing housing, meals, prison healthcare monitoring, education, job training, breast cancer support, and other programs addressing the barriers to optimal healthcare. These grants are administered through the company's Community Impact Grant program, which seeks to improve community health by addressing social determinants of health. Since 2018, Medline has donated more than $2 million to 236 nonprofit organizations, all addressing social determinants of healththe economic and social conditions that impact disparities in health status and care, as well as life expectancy. This year's Community Impact Grants total $250,000. Since 2018, Medline has donated more than $2 million to 236 nonprofit organizations, all addressing social determinants of healththe economic and social conditions that impact disparities in health status and care, as well as life expectancy. "Medline is honored to support these nonprofit organizations working tirelessly to support communities disproportionately impacted by the economic and social conditions that influence life expectancy," said Karen Frey, Medline senior philanthropy manager. "The challenges facing our communities are never-ending and, in some, growing exponentially. We hope to have a direct impact on improving health equity and population health in low-resource communities." The 2022 Community Impact Grant recipients, and how they will utilize their funding, are as follows: Ann's Place ( Danbury, CT ) will continue to provide and expand their breast cancer and other cancer support programs, including the organization's Health Equity Initiative (HEI), serving Spanish-speaking patients and their families. The HEI program provides additional support for members of the community that face language, economic and cultural barriers, or have limited access to healthcare, education and transportation. ( ) will continue to provide and expand their breast cancer and other cancer support programs, including the organization's Health Equity Initiative (HEI), serving Spanish-speaking patients and their families. The HEI program provides additional support for members of the community that face language, economic and cultural barriers, or have limited access to healthcare, education and transportation. Chicago Urban League ( Chicago, IL ) will conduct focus groups on chronic disease, childhood obesity, mental health, substance abuse, additions and infections, to ensure that barriers to basic healthcare are identified, understood and properly linked to available resources. ( ) will conduct focus groups on chronic disease, childhood obesity, mental health, substance abuse, additions and infections, to ensure that barriers to basic healthcare are identified, understood and properly linked to available resources. Covenant House Illinois ( Chicago, IL ) will support the organization's youth program, focused on moving young people from the street into stable and permanent housing while reducing violence and future adverse health outcomes. ( ) will support the organization's youth program, focused on moving young people from the street into stable and permanent housing while reducing violence and future adverse health outcomes. Cradles to Crayons ( Chicago, IL ) will provide at least 210,000 packages of goods to children from low-income families across the Chicago area, helping to close the health and education equity gaps that are disproportionately affecting individuals experiencing poverty. ( ) will provide at least 210,000 packages of goods to children from low-income families across the area, helping to close the health and education equity gaps that are disproportionately affecting individuals experiencing poverty. Hospitality Homes, Inc. ( Boston, MA ) will support immune-safe lodging for low-income patients and families seeking healthcare in Boston . ( ) will support immune-safe lodging for low-income patients and families seeking healthcare in . John Howard Association ( Chicago, IL ) will fund the organization's Prison Monitoring & Advocacy program, monitoring access to and the quality of prison healthcare for incarcerated adults and juveniles. ( ) will fund the organization's Prison Monitoring & Advocacy program, monitoring access to and the quality of prison healthcare for incarcerated adults and juveniles. Lake County Haven ( Libertyville, IL ) will provide women and children experiencing homelessness with direct, professional services designed to help them develop the tools and resources needed to secure healthy, safe and stable housing. ( ) will provide women and children experiencing homelessness with direct, professional services designed to help them develop the tools and resources needed to secure healthy, safe and stable housing. Project Angel Heart ( Denver, CO ) will prepare and home deliver nearly 400,000 "medically-tailored meals" to more than 2,400 low-income Coloradans living with severe illness. ( ) will prepare and home deliver nearly 400,000 "medically-tailored meals" to more than 2,400 low-income Coloradans living with severe illness. Regional East Texas Food Bank ( Tyler, TX ) will support the organization's Mobile Pantry Program, benefitting individuals and families in targeted census tracts and rural East Texas communities with high levels of need. ( ) will support the organization's Mobile Pantry Program, benefitting individuals and families in targeted census tracts and rural communities with high levels of need. The Ellie Fund ( Needham, MA ) will support the organization's Equitable Pathways program, helping to support the growing need for "lifesaving support services that women and particularly women of color need to survive and health from breast cancer." ( ) will support the organization's Equitable Pathways program, helping to support the growing need for "lifesaving support services that women and particularly women of color need to survive and health from breast cancer." YMCA of Asheville and Western North Carolina , Inc. ( Asheville, NC ) will support pregnant and parenting teens, ages 13 to 19, through the organization's MotherLove program. The Community Impact Grant program is just one of the many ways that Medline is helping to address social determinants of health in the U.S. and throughout the world. In 2020, the company launched the Medline Cares (Community, Action, Resources, Education and Solutions) program, to stimulate health equity and improve population health in the communities where Medline employees live and work. Medline also partners with humanitarian relief organizations throughout the world to identify and deliver much-needed medical supplies to clinics and communities. Between 2018 and 2021, Medline donated nearly 1,000 metric tons of medical supplies, valued at approximately $13 million, to support healthcare in more than 80 countries. More recently, the company resumed international global health trips , helping to create medical supply inventory and supply chain solutions. Learn more about the many ways that Medline is working to create positive social and environmental change, here and around the world at https://www.medline.com/about-us/social-responsibility/. About Medline Medline is a healthcare company; a manufacturer, distributor, and solutions provider focused on improving the overall operating performance of healthcare. Partnering with healthcare systems and facilities across the continuum of care, Medline provides the clinical and supply chain resources required for long-term financial viability in delivering high-quality care. With the scale of one of the country's largest companies and the agility of a family-led business, Medline is able to invest in its customers for the future and rapidly respond to a dynamically changing market with customized solutions. Headquartered in Northfield, Ill., Medline has 30,000+ employees worldwide and does business in more than 125 countries and territories. Learn more about Medline at www.medline.com. Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/MedlineIndustries] Twitter [https://twitter.com/Medline] LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/company/9402] YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/medlineindustries] SOURCE Medline Chrissy brings 15 years of wealth management operational experience ATLANTA, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Merit Financial Advisors ("Merit"), a Georgia-based financial advisory firm that specializes in financial planning and wealth management solutions for high-net-worth individuals and families and those navigating life transitions, announced today that it has hired Chrissy Lee as Chief Operating Officer. Chrissy has more than 15 years of wealth management and broker dealer experience. She joins Merit from Asteria Wealth and Kalos Financial, where she was President and Chief Operating Officer. In her new role, she will be responsible for operational strategy, driving strategic growth through mergers and acquisitions, onboarding process and business development, technology implementations, and managing the day-to-day operations of the firm. "After a two-year search, we are thrilled to hire Chrissy, who is the perfect fit for our core values," said Kay Lynn. "At Merit, our organizational process and structure are critical to our success, and Chrissy will help us streamline efficiencies within the firm. As we are experiencing rapid growth, we need someone who can keep up with our expanding team, and we are confident that Chrissy is the right person for the job." Based in Atlanta, Chrissy has been involved in the advancement of initiatives in the financial industry, previously having served on the board of directors at Institute for Portfolio Alternatives and served on the Advisory Council of Docupace, technology provider for wealth management firms to digitize data and increase efficiency. She also created the Women Advisor Network to support and recognize those that continue to push for positive change in the industry. She also served as a member on IPA's Diversity and Inclusion committee as well as the Technology, Operations, and Innovation team. Chrissy's firm belief and passion that her role is to serve clients, fuels her drive to be involved and have a voice within the industry. With her experience in supervising 125+ financial advisors and corporate team, Chrissy is poised to lead Merit's team utilizing both her technological and operational knowledge and management experience. "An organization's culture and how it serves the clients is critical to its success, and it's also the reason I decided to join Merit," said Chrissy. "Diversity is also something I am extremely passionate about, and I'm ecstatic to be joining a company that prioritizes inclusion. In an industry that's primarily male-dominated, more than half of Merit's team is women, which is so refreshing." Merit's leadership team, which is comprised of the firm's CEO and Founder, Rick Kent, and President Kay Lynn Mayhue, is now two-thirds women. Chrissy will work closely with Kay Lynn and report to Rick. About Merit Financial Advisors Merit Financial Group, LLC, doing business as Merit Financial Advisors ("Merit"), is a national wealth management firm that supports both the independent broker-dealer and RIA models. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Merit has 36 offices throughout the U.S. and managed $6.1 billion in assets as of September 30, 2022 ($4.47 billion in advisory, $1.56 billion in brokerage assets and with $92 million in assets under advisement). For more information, please visit www.meritfinancialadvisors.com. Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through Merit Financial Group, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Merit Financial Group, LLC, Merit, Merit Financial Advisors are separate entities from LPL Financial. SOURCE Merit Financial Advisors The Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa 2022 report finds that closing the usage gap is crucial to realise the potential of mobile connectivity, while 5G activities gather momentum KIGALI, Rwanda, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MWC Africa: The GSMA's first in-person MWC Africa opened its doors today in Kigali, Rwanda with a fireside chat between H.E. Paul Kagame, the President of the Republic of Rwanda and Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA. The theme of the opening Keynote, "Building a Digital Future, Together" led the event's discussions about how mobile connectivity, a major engine of growth, is bringing endless potential by accelerating digital transformation for all business sectors in Africa, from healthcare and education to manufacturing and financial services. The GSMA's first in-person MWC Africa opened its doors in Kigali, Rwanda with a Keynote fireside chat between H.E. Paul Kagame, the President of the Republic of Rwanda and Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA. H.E. Paul Kagame said, "Africa is home to creative and tech-savvy youth, looking for the right platform to contribute solutions. We cannot afford to reduce them to a statistic only, or sit idly by, as they seek opportunity outside of Africa. Our young people have a lot to offer. We must do our part and keep our promise to them. To leave no one behind, we must create a more enabling legal and regulatory environment. However, to leave no one behind means a number of things as well, and we must recognise that digital transformation is not a zero-sum game, where progress comes at the expense of the most vulnerable. Not at all. Everyone, regardless of status, gender, or nationality, must benefit if we want to create lasting change." GSMA MWC Africa brings together industry sectors, business leaders and policymakers with the region's mobile ecosystem to discuss the continent's ambition to enhance the power of connectivity. The event also marks the release of the Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa 2022 report which finds that closing the mobile internet usage gap[1] is crucial to realising the potential of mobile connectivity, with 5G-related activities beginning to pick up across the region. "Africa stands at a unique moment in time. Over the past two decades, mobile growth across Sub-Saharan Africa has been phenomenal. Today, 46% of the population is connected and subscribed to mobile services, rising to 50% by 2025. In 2021, mobile technologies and services generated around 8% of GDP across Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting 3.2 million jobs across the region. Imagine what Africa will be when everyone is connected," said Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA. "To continue the momentum and create more jobs and foster inclusion and reduce inequality, we have to ensure that everyone has access to connectivity and can benefit from all it offers." "We anticipate welcoming attendees from nearly 90 countries across Africa and around the world who will gather this week to convene and hear from over 60 speakers, 45% of whom are female," said Angela Wamola, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, GSMA. "Mobile connectivity and connected technologies are enablers, supporting countries as they build forward better in pursuit of economic recovery and resilience. At MWC Africa, we will examine the urgency to bridge the digital divide for building inclusive, sustainable societies across Africa." The Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan 2022 report The report calls for stakeholders to address the main barriers to mobile internet adoption, including affordability and digital skills, to realise the potential of mobile connectivity to drive economic growth and development. Its findings reveal how mobile connectivity is helping the region's post-pandemic economic recovery by creating the digital technologies and services needed to build back economies that are more productive and efficient. Other key findings Include: 40% of the adult population is now connected to mobile internet services. However, the usage gap remains a challenge: 44% live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks, but do not yet use mobile internet services. In 2021, the mobile ecosystem supported more than 3.2 million jobs (directly and indirectly) and made a substantial contribution to the funding of the public sector, with $16 billion raised through taxes on the sector. raised through taxes on the sector. By 2025, mobile's contribution to the GDP of Sub-Sahara Africa will grow by $65 billion (to almost $155 billion ), as the countries in the region increasingly benefit from increased take-up of mobile services. (to almost ), as the countries in the region increasingly benefit from increased take-up of mobile services. By 2025, 4G will account for a third of mobile connections in the region, compared to under a fifth of connections in 2021. 5G Africa: realising the potential 5G-related activities have begun to pick up across Africa, including spectrum auctions, pilots and commercial trials, as well as efforts to develop locally relevant 5G use cases. Our new report launched today, "5G Africa: realising the potential," reveals that 5G will contribute $26 billion to Africa's economy by 2030. Retail, manufacturing, and agriculture are among the sectors that will see the most impact. Additionally, 5G will account for 20% of mobile connections in Africa by 2030. Today there are commercial 5G networks in more than 10 countries and many more countries are expected to launch commercial 5G by 2025. More insights about MWC Africa 2022 To ensure equal participation of persons with disabilities at MWC Africa, sign language interpretation will be provided at the event by the GSMA Innovation Fund for Assistive Tech start-up, Signs Media Kenya Limited, creators of the on-demand sign language interpretation app, assistALL. MWC Africa is supported by Mastercard, MTN, Orange, ZTE, and our supporting partners ASVL Summit 2022 and Smart Africa. We thank them for their contributions and encouragement to help the delivery of the industry-leading agenda. Mobile World Live, the event's Lead Media and Broadcast Partner, is live streaming the event keynotes. Please click here to download the "Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa 2022" report and here for the "5G in Africa: realising the potential" report. Click here to read more information about MWC Africa 2022. And check our MWC Africa press webpage for more news and content. About GSMA The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today's biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com. 1. The usage gap describes where people who live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks but do not yet use mobile internet services. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1929434/GSMA_MWC_Africa.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1913980/GSMA_Logo.jpg SOURCE GSMA GREENVILLE, S.C., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National Asset Services (NAS), one of the Country's leading commercial real estate companies, known for maximizing property value in all economic situations, successfully delivered a buyer for the 34 Tenants-in-Common (TIC) Co-Owners of Verdae Village Shopping Center, a grocery anchored community shopping center. The sale of the property comes ahead of a November loan maturity. National Asset Services, one of the Country's leading commercial real estate companies, known for maximizing property value in all economic situations, successfully delivered a buyer for the 34 Tenants-in-Common (TIC) Co-Owners of Verdae Village Shopping Center, a grocery anchored community shopping center. The sale of the property comes ahead of a November loan maturity. Despite a very narrow range of prospective buyers, due to challenges presented with the property's ground lease, the NAS team resourced and identified a buyer whose acquisition strategy fit with the Verdae Village property's potential. NAS assumed asset management of the property in 2018 and immediately began to strategically fill property vacancies to strengthen the property's NOI. And despite two major tenants filing chapter 11 during the Covid-19 Pandemic, tenant occupancy was over 95% at the time the property was marketed for sale. While TIC structured properties are still part of the commercial real estate landscape, large properties with many TIC ownership positions are uncommon in today's marketplace. One reason for the aversion to utilizing the TIC structure is that it requires unanimous approval of every TIC co-owner to sell the asset. Further, at the closing of the sale transaction then requires each member to execute all requisite documents pursuant to the transaction requirements with strict adherence to deadlines. Imagine having all TICs available on the days leading up to the closing signing documents, managing delivery to title and escrow for the closing etc. "With an impending loan maturity date, we felt an immense responsibility to unify our TIC clients and deliver the best possible outcome possible for the investors in this asset," commented Karen E. Kennedy, President and Founder of NAS and NAS Investment Solutions. "Moving a very large TIC group, through a sale process was daunting, but our team was successful in getting the job done! We found the co-owners, in their final moments of ownership, to be extremely supportive. I am so very proud of my team at NAS led by Adi Peery, CSM, Vice President Portfolio Management." The TIC Co-Owners were represented in the sales transaction by the Colliers International's Atlanta-based Southeast Retail Investment Sales Team of Joe Montgomery, Senior Vice President and Scott Israel, Vice President. Built in 1989 and located in Greenville, SC, Verdae Village benefits from its location near Interstate 85 which is just one-half mile south of the 241,548 square -foot center. Situated on just over 24 acres, the center is anchored by Food Lion, K&G Fashion Super Store, Office Depot, and Planet Fitness. Since 2008, NAS has served over 2,500 investment clients and has established an impressive track record for investment property management. The track record includes generating over $585 million in cash distributions to property investors and managing a commercial real estate portfolio of 169 diverse commercial properties, comprised of 24.422 million square-feet, in 30 states. The overall value of NAS' managed portfolio in the company's 14-year history, totals over $3.325 billion. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, NAS manages a wide range of diverse commercial real estate: Office, medical office, multifamily, retail, student housing, assisted living and industrial flex properties. The company manages solely owned and multi-owner properties. NAS offers a wide range of asset management capabilities. They include: Property management; project management; lease administration; acquisition and disposition services; real estate strategy analysis; long-range business objectives; monitoring changing market conditions; investor relations; real estate and investor accounting; loan modification and workout solutions; exit and hold strategies; leasing & marketing; tenant retention plans; research studies; site selections; feasibility studies; insurance risk management; capital improvement planning and tracking; property tax appeal services and cost segregation services. Contact: JW Robison [email protected] 310.795.8985 SOURCE National Asset Services New Hybrid Vault solution includes a permit-ready design, production, transportation and installation, resulting in a faster, safer and more cost-effective system Vancouver, Wash., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Environmental Containment Corporation (ECC) today announced its formation as a company. Originally conceived as a collaboration between Superior Concrete and National Precast, the companies have now joined forces to form ECC. A provider serving the fast-growing stormwater containment market, ECC offers cast-in-place detention vaults, precast ponds, and precast vaults, all of which come with trusted installation. The company's Hybrid Vault, a comprehensive solution for stormwater containment, is now available throughout the Northwestern U.S. Environmental Containment Corporation - faster, easier and more cost-effective solutions for the design and construction of stormwater systems. See more at envcontainmemt.com. Typical stormwater containment installations involve multiple companies and contractors for engineering, design, production, transport and installation. ECC offers a comprehensive solution that includes a complete, permit-ready set of sealed structural drawings and calculations, manufacturing and final site installation. With a unique, all-in-one approach and the Hybrid Vault's efficient, modular design, ECC solutions are fast, safe and cost-effective. "ECC's Hybrid Vault system provided us with a more cost-effective solution than having to piece together the design, engineering, product sourcing and installation of the different components of our stormwater containment system," said Josh Erholm, project manager, Ram Construction General Contractors. "Because we didn't have to coordinate across different vendors and service providers, ECC helped our project stay on schedule and budget." ECC uses the same robust water-tight technology used in precast segmented tunnel liners rather than corrosive pipes which require more soil backfill and can degrade over time. This means ECC's Hybrid Vault systems are rated to a higher, heavier traffic standard than typical structures, resulting in a more structurally sound containment system. Structural precast top slabs are designed to meet loading requirements before they leave the manufacturing facility and don't rely on backfill or installation to achieve their intended design strength. The Hybrid Vault is designed to maximize storage space and typically requires less than 30% of the storage footprint than the alternatives. Its efficient shape and small footprint mean less excavation and less land intrusion, reducing land use and maintenance costs down the road. ECC stormwater containment vaults are guaranteed watertight, and the company's precast concrete products are produced in accordance with both NPCA and PCI guidelines. In addition, precast products, through SMaRT Certification, have been deemed to be the most environmentally-sound buried infrastructure product on the market, helping customers achieve their sustainability goals. "ECC is the only full-service stormwater containment solution in the Pacific Northwest," said Ron Sparks, CEO, Environmental Containment Corporation. "Because we are responsible for every step of the project, we can truly guarantee the functionality as intended. Our customers have one vendor to deal with, so it both simplifies the process and enables us to significantly reduce the cost while providing our customers with robust, environmentally sound solutions for stormwater management." About Environmental Containment Corporation Environmental Containment is one of the largest stormwater runoff containment companies in the Pacific Northwest. Providing solutions since 1994, National Precast and Superior Concrete officially joined forces in 2022 to form Environmental Containment Corporation (ECC), offering cast-in-place detention vaults, precast ponds, and precast vaults, all of which come with trusted installation. Visit www.envcontainment.com or call 360-904-0199. Media Contacts Bluehouse Consulting Group, Inc. Jennifer Allen Newton +1 503-805-7540 [email protected] Anne Schneider +1 503-780-3471 [email protected] SOURCE Environmental Containment Corporation OSLO, Norway, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Navamedic ASA (OSE: Nava) will be presenting its third quarter 2022 results on Tuesday November 1, 2022. The presentation will be held at Haakon VIIs gate 2 in Oslo and the event will start at 08.30 CET. The live webcast will also be available at the following URL: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20221101_4/ For further information, please contact: Kathrine Gamborg Andreassen, CEO, +47 951 78 680 E-mail: [email protected] Lars Hjarrand, CFO, +47 917 62 842 E-mail: [email protected] About Navamedic Navamedic ASA is a full-service provider of high-quality healthcare products to hospitals and pharmacies. Navamedic meets the specific medical needs of patients and consumers by leveraging its highly scalable market access platform, leading category competence and local knowledge. Navamedic is present in all the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Benelux, with sales representation in the UK and Greece. Navamedic is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: NAVA). For more information, please visit www.navamedic.com SOURCE Navamedic ASA New research from Catalyst shows that employees want their organizations to take action on abortion access. NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent survey commissioned by global nonprofit Catalyst, which works to accelerate progress for women through workplace inclusion, reveals that nearly one in three employees (30%) is considering leaving their jobs due to their employer's response to the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Almost half of those surveyed (44%) said their organizations and leaders are not doing enough to ensure abortion access. One third (33%) said they want their CEO to advocate for abortion rights. New research from Catalyst shows that employees want their organizations to take action on abortion access. Tweet this When organizations took action, employees noticed. Employees were nearly twice as likely (83% vs 45%) to say that their organization genuinely cares about addressing employee needs if their organization took action in response to Roe v. Wade being overturned. "The data is clear: abortion access is a critical workplace issue," said Lorraine Hariton, Catalyst's president and CEO. "Employees are assessing their careers and making decisions based on how their leaders address this issue. Clear communication and meaningful action go a long way." Catalyst's September 2022 survey of more than 1,000 adults working in the US examined how employers' action or inaction around abortion access has impacted employees' feelings about their workplaces and career pathways. Employees say their companies are not doing enough when it comes to abortion access. Two-fifths (44%) of employees said their organizations and leaders are not doing enough to ensure abortion access. That number is higher among younger employees, with more than half (52%) of employees ages 18-34 (57% of women, 48% of men) saying their organization is not doing enough to ensure abortion access for employees (by providing healthcare plans that cover abortion or covering travel expenses for abortion care, for example). Employers are not communicating clearly with their workers about reproductive benefits and policies. More than half (59%) of employees want more clarity and transparency about their organization's policies on reproductive healthcare. That number is higher for younger employees, with more than two-thirds (69%) of employees ages 18-34 (70% women, 69% men) wanting more clarity on those benefits. Employees want their organizations to provide abortion benefits. More than half (52%) of employees ages 18-34 (57% of women, 47% of men) say they would likely use employer-provided financial or travel benefits to access abortion care if they or their partner needed them. One in three (34%) respondents said they would not be able to afford to travel for an abortion without financial assistance from their organization. Additionally, 37% of respondents said they would not be able to get time off work to travel for an abortion without assistance from their organization, such as written policies, benefits, or manager support. Younger employees are making career decisions based on how their employers address abortion access. Younger employees ages 18-34 are particularly concerned about their career pathways post-Roe. Nearly half (46%) of employees ages 18-34 (47% of women, 44% of men) are concerned that they won't have the career they planned because Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Survey methodology This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Catalyst from September 6-8, 2022, among 1,227 employed US adults 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. View the full findings at www.catalyst.org. About Catalyst Catalyst is a global nonprofit supported by many of the world's most powerful CEOs and leading companies to help build workplaces that work for women. Founded in 1962, Catalyst drives change with preeminent thought leadership, actionable solutions and a galvanized community of multinational corporations to accelerate and advance women into leadershipbecause progress for women is progress for everyone. Media Contacts Erin Souza-Rezendes Vice President, Global Communications Catalyst [email protected] SOURCE Catalyst LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to a recent spike in overdose deaths of students and young adults from fentanyl addiction in the Los Angeles area, Inspire Malibu is rolling out a new program for fentanyl users that includes MAT (Medication Assisted Therapy), individual therapy, and harm reduction counseling. The Biden-Harris administration is the first presidential administration to embrace a harm reduction approach for users and the community, which will also be added to our fentanyl rehab program. The reason so many people are dying from fentanyl drug overdose is due to them not knowing that the drug they are using is cut with fentanyl. Almost any drug on the market these days is cut with fentanyl. Drugs such as cocaine, heroin, meth, molly, Percocet, and Adderall. It is cheaper, more potent, and very addictive making it high in demand for street drug manufacturers. Fentanyl is a fast acting synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin, meaning that even a small quantity can cause an overdose. However, drug dealers will sell their products without advertising the real chemical structure of the drug being sold, therefore causing the loss in our communities. Our fentanyl detox program is highly successful and can change the life course of someone who desperately needs it. Tweet this Think about a young student experimenting with drugs for the first time who may not know to check whether the Xanax they are taking is laced with fentanyl, causing a severe reaction due to its high potency and fast action. And once someone is addicted the dangers of fentanyl withdrawal or death are imminent. Inspire Malibu's fentanyl rehab program will educate its clients and their support systems about the dangers of fentanyl use and overdose, how to test the fentanyl drug with test strip kits, and how to prevent an overdose with Narcan (Naloxone nasal spray). Our primary goal at Inspire Malibu is to help educate our community to prevent usage but also reduce harm when someone is using. Our fentanyl detox program is highly successful and can change the life course of someone who desperately needs it. We support someone going through fentanyl recovery every step of the way. If you or a loved one is suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction, Inspire Malibu has state of the art, lifesaving programs for those in need. For additional information, visit us at https://www.inspiremalibu.com/ Inspire Malibu (800) 444-1838 30101 Agoura Ct Suite 103, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 SOURCE Inspire Malibu NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Executive Networks announces the launch of a new peer network: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Network 250 (IDEA250) to help the world's 250 largest companies unlock their potential to solve some of the biggest challenges of our time -- DE&I, and well-being -- for their employees and for the world. Jeanne Meister, EVP of Executive Networks and founder of Future Workplace. "Talent, DE&I and well-being are top priorities for all global CHROs, and the real value of this peer network is the ability to learn from leaders who are doing it right in order to create actionable and sustainable IDEA solutions," said IDEA250 Network Director Maggie Inbamuthiah. "This is particularly important in the DE&I and well-being space, where being recognized and embraced for your differences is essential and translating values across an organization is crucial," she continued. The launch of IDEA250 is an integral part of Executive Network's commitment to helping HR professionals solve global inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility challenges. For more than 20 years, Executive Networks has been working with the globe's top CHROs to facilitate targeted and trusted peer conversations, gathering insights and data, and providing research results to its members to solve tomorrow's HR issues, today. Executive Networks learned in interviews with IDEA250 founding members who are instrumental in the launch of the network that they will work together to tackle the historic and fast-evolving issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Learn more about Executive Networks IDEA250 here. Global CHRO of the Future Research International Webinar Executive Networks recently launched the results of the Global CHRO of the Future Research results after surveying and interviewing 112 of the world's top CHROs representing more than four million employees. According to the research, the top three priorities for CHROs are talent retention and attraction, diversity, equity & inclusion, and well-being. For years, global companies and networks have focused on DE&I and well-being through a U.S.-centric lens. Although DE&I and well-being are among the top issues for all global CHROs, regardless of where they are based, how it shows up in various cultures is distinct and unique. The emphasis on the Black Lives Matter movement, and reproductive healthcare benefits, although hot and important issues in the U.S., aren't as relevant outside of North America. Europe is testing a four-day work week for the well-being of their employees and in China, customers are driving companies to address inclusion and diversity with the products and services they are offer. Join Executive Networks' expert panel of global CHROs to discuss the unique research results, regional challenges, insights, and solutions for companies responsible for global employees. Tuesday, November 8, 2022, North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, 10:00 a.m. EST (New York time) Panelists: Alice Heezen , Synthomer - UK , Synthomer - UK Lone Tvis, Ramboll - Denmark Kirsi Nuotto, VTT - Finland Maryjo Charbonnier , Kyndryl - U.S. , Kyndryl - U.S. Jeanne Meister , Executive Networks - U.S. , Executive Networks - U.S. Maggie Inbamuthiah, Executive Networks India Moderator: Mike Dulworth , Founder and CEO, Executive Networks, Inc. Register for the workshop here. Media Contact: Marie Gill CMO, Executive Networks 206.669.8493 [email protected] SOURCE Executive Networks Amid rising suicide rates among young adults, the campaign from AFSP, The JED Foundation and the Ad Council provides resources to start conversations around mental health, with an emphasis on reaching Black and Hispanic/Latine youth NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The national Seize the Awkward campaign today released new Public Service Advertisements (PSAs), "We Can Talk About It," to inspire young adults (1624) to start conversations around mental health with friends. The award-winning communications program, a joint effort from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and The Jed Foundation (JED) in collaboration with the Ad Council, promotes mental wellness to reduce the risk and rate of suicide among young adults. According to new data from the CDC, the suicide rate among young people aged 15 to 24 rose 8% in 2021an increase of 345 lives lost, and the highest increase among any age group. On top of these widespread struggles, Black and Hispanic/Latine people in the United States are less likely to receive mental health care, and their experiences of racism and discrimination can exacerbate mental health struggles. "We know the pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of our teens and young adults. That's why the Seize the Awkward campaign, which provides guidance for friends supporting one another, is more important than ever," said AFSP CEO Bob Gebbia. "And we are pleased that the latest campaign ads place emphasis on reaching Black and Hispanic/Latine youth who are struggling. At AFSP, we are committed to doing everything we can to help address the mental health and suicide prevention needs of underrepresented populations." "We are pleased to continue our collaboration with The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Ad Council on Seize the Awkward's newest efforts, as young people need more support than ever in protecting their mental health," said JED CEO John MacPhee. "Black and Hispanic/Latine youth face additional challenges in accessing the care they deserve. As mental health leaders for our country's youth, we are responsible for providing resources that address the unique challenges that all young people face while advocating for increased equity in mental health." Recognizing the need for culturally relevant content and resources for Black and Hispanic/Latine young adults, the Seize the Awkward campaign created "We Can Talk About It." The new PSAs, developed pro bono by award-winning creative agency and longtime partner Droga5, reflect the lived experiences of a diverse range of young people. Inspired by the insight that young people are surrounded by harmful messages around mental health, "We Can Talk About It" encourages them to counteract these messages by reaching out to friends who may be struggling. The campaign aims to equip all young adults with accessible and relatable information to help talk about mental health with friends and directs audiences to SeizeTheAwkward.org for more resources. "'We Can Talk About It' isn't just the title of these new PSAsit's an affirmation that by starting honest conversations about mental health struggles, we can break through barriers and help more people feel heard and supported," said Ad Council Chief Campaign Development Officer Heidi Arthur. "Along with our valued partners, we're proud to help change the narrative around mental health and provide young adults with resources to be there for each other." "For the last five years, Droga5 has been leading the creative development of the Seize the Awkward campaign. This time we focused on Black and Hispanic/Latine youth who often face even more pressure when it comes to mental health," said Droga5 Executive Creative Director Kevin Brady. "Our film took a frank look at how the pressures of racism, masculinity and toxic positivity can affect mental health and let all youth know that the first step is reaching out to a friend to talk about how they're feeling." The PSAs will appear nationwide across all media platforms, including broadcast, digital, social, out-of-home and print. The films were directed by Haya Waseem and director of photography Chris Lew. The "We Can Talk About It" PSAs are the latest among many ongoing activations for the Seize the Awkward campaign. Throughout 2022, creative and influencer content has launched across all major social and digital platforms in partnership with Meta, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap and TikTok. Additionally, the campaign is teaming up with Adobe to raise awareness about the mental health struggles that young adults face, coming together on content and resources that make it easier for young adults to connect and support people close to them who may be facing mental health challenges. Recent highlights include: Since its inception in January 2018, Seize the Awkward has been a trusted source of information for millions of young adults across the country, driving over 2.8 million visits to the campaign's website. For tools and resources to start a conversation with a friend around mental health, visit SeizeTheAwkward.org and @SeizeTheAwkward on Instagram. The Ad Council The Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge. The non-profit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing to address many of the nation's most important causes. The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk. Smokey Bear. Love Has No Labels. The Ad Council's innovative social impact campaigns raise awareness, inspire action and save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org , follow the Ad Council's communities on Facebook and Twitter , and view the creative on YouTube . American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through public education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, and with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states including Puerto Rico with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report , and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube . The Jed Foundation (JED) JED is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation's teens and young adults. We're partnering with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. We're equipping teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other. We're encouraging community awareness, understanding, and action for young adult mental health. Connect with JED: Email | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Snapchat | Pinterest Droga5 Droga5, part of Accenture Song, is a creative agency with offices in New York, London, Dublin, Tokyo and Sao Paulo. From integrated communications and experience innovation to business design, Droga5 exists to build and sustain the most influential brands of the 21st century through creativity. Droga5 was founded in 2006 and has been recognized as Agency of the Year more than 25 times and was named both Ad Age and Adweek's Agency of the Decade (20102019). Droga5 clients include JPMorgan Chase, Kimberly-Clark, LVMH, Instacart, Levi's, Meta, Molson Coors, The New York Times, Kaiser Permanente, Adobe and Lululemon among others. Visit Droga5.com or @droga5 on all social platforms to get to know us better. SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention LAS VEGAS, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Next10, Inc., dba Ultimate Holdings Corporation (OTC PINK: NXTN) ("UHC"), is excited to announce that its Ultimate Logistics, LLC subsidiary is having a positive and productive 2022 that supports continued growth. In addition, UHC provides a business update for shareholders regarding recent and upcoming developments. UHC provides lease-to-own opportunities for over-the-road (OTR) truck drivers. The Company's "Ultimate Program" gives experienced, carefully vetted OTR drivers access to an unprecedented range of financing, tools and services that support their desire to become independent owner-operators. Throughout 2022, Ultimate Logistics has significantly increased its inventory, adding 15 new 2023 Kenworth T680 Next Generation semi-tractors and eight new 2023 Vanguard 53-foot refrigerated trailers to its Boise, Idaho, facility. Another six new 2023 Kenworth T680 Next Generation semi-tractors and seven new 2023 Vanguard 53-foot refrigerated trailers will also be delivered to the same facility this year. This increase in inventory creates the opportunity for UHC to expand its team of drivers and continue its growth pattern. "To the best of our knowledge, no one in the United States offers the benefits of The Ultimate Program. We handle everything OTR carriers need to be successful, including insurance, road and fuel tax filings, licenses and permits, FMCSA audits, and drug and alcohol consortium compliance. We treat every driver with respect and integrity," states UHC CFO Kathryn Volin. "We believe this commitment is the foundation of our success. As a result, we are pleased to announce a solid performance in 2022, which will bring with it an increase in shareholder value. UHC is providing ongoing critical building blocks to continue to grow the Company with a strong bottom line." UHC also announces the completion of its 2019-2020 Audited Financials and reports that auditing of 2021 financials is progressing. Upon completion of the 2021 audit, UHC plans to file a registered offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission "SEC" to become a reporting issuer and to raise funds to support continued growth of its trucking operations. About Next10, Inc. Next10, Inc. (OTC: NXTN), dba Ultimate Holdings Corporation ("UHC"), provides lease-to-own opportunities for experienced over-the-road independent owner operators, allowing him/her to fulfill their dreams of owning their own trucking company without the financial and day-to-day operational burdens. UHC offers a unique, one-of-a-kind, one-stop-shop program. The Ultimate Program provides its carriers more than 30 services, removing typical business overhead issues and time-consuming challenges, as well as providing all the services required by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), so the carrier can focus on their driving. This program increases the carrier's monthly income above the industry average and generates recurring positive revenues for the Company. By focusing on the carriers and how the Company can assist them financially during these challenging times, UHC added a fuel bonus program for miles driven each commission period. UHC has also reduced the carrier's monthly semi-tractor lease payment. These two items can increase a carrier's income by up to $1,900 per month. The Company has achieved profitability every month since 2013 when Ultimate Logistics originally established The Ultimate Program. The grass is as green as it gets in the trucking industry at UHC. For more information, visit www.UltimateHoldingsCorp.com CONTACT: [email protected], +1 612-386-0606 This Press Release does not constitute an offering of any securities for sale. Safe Harbor Statement: This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and OTC Markets, Inc. OTC Disclosure and News Service. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Next10, Inc. WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson (Ret.), NGAUS President -- I would like to know the real reason why the White House Office of Management and Budget opposes creating a Space National Guard. So far, OMB's stated logic doesn't add up. The latest argument appears in the Oct. 18 Statement of Administration Policy related to Senate debate on the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. OMB said the nation doesn't need a Space Guard because space is "solely a federal mission." Combat is also solely a federal mission. The National Guard has an array of direct combat units. We have them because the Guard is the primary combat reserve of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. But this critical federal mission hasn't prevented them from conducting a multitude of life-saving state missions over the years. And despite space being "solely a federal mission," space units currently in the Air Guard have responded to floods and wildfires in a state status. They did the same during the lengthy pandemic response. This is what makes the Guard unique among the components of the U.S. armed forces every unit has both a federal mission and a state mission. They train for their warfighting mission, but they can use their assets to help their states when needed. The Air Force began placing space units in the Air Guard in the 1990s because service officials knew the Guard could build and sustain them with highly qualified people. That has certainly turned out to be true. The 14 Air Guard space units across seven states and Guam have some of the most skilled and experienced personnel in the U.S. military. Many bring expertise from their full-time work in high-tech fields. Unfortunately, they were left behind when the Pentagon stood up the Space Force nearly three years ago. OMB says they can all be "migrated" to a currently undefined hybrid Space Component that would include some part-time positions. I'm sure the concept briefs well on PowerPoint slides. But these are people who joined the Guard to serve both their nation and their state. They take pride in their state affiliation. They also enjoy the benefits their state service provides. Air Guard space unit commanders tell me the vast majority of their personnel don't want to leave the Guard. This means without a Space Guard, the nation will lose this expertise and the unique public connection the Guard currently provides to military space missions. Conspicuously absent from the latest OMB statement is any mention of cost. OMB previously said Space Guard would have a price tag of $500 million a year, implying this would be an added expenditure. The figure was wildly inflated and quickly panned by those who knew better. The units that would comprise a Space Guard are already on the payroll, their facilities and equipment are already in place. They would need new uniform tapes and signs, which would come with a cost. That would be a one-time fee of about $250,000, according to the Pentagon. This issue and the nation would benefit from a little more open discussion. But don't expect anyone in the Defense Department to speak up. A former National Guard Bureau chief says defense officials are essentially under a "gag order" not to speak about a Space Guard. Additionally, he and others say there are Pentagon studies and reports favorable to creating a Space Guard that haven't been released. My guess is that OMB opposition is actually driven by a few influential people in the current administration who don't like the states involved in the defense of the United States. Our association often has to deal with this view in Washington, despite the fact it ignores centuries of critical Guard contributions to the nation's defense and the preservation of American lives and values. It also runs counter to some of the fundamental principles of the Constitution. NOTE: A provision to create a Space National Guard is in the House version of the fiscal 2023 NDAA. It is not in the Senate Armed Services Committee's markup, but there is an amendment creating a Space Guard under consideration for the final Senate version of the bill. It is sponsored by a bipartisan group that includes Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. About NGAUS: The association includes nearly 45,000 current or former National Guard officers. It was created in 1878 to provide unified National Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on Guard requirements. Today, 144 years later, NGAUS has the same mission. SOURCE National Guard Association of the U.S. Nordic Capital's eleventh large cap fund is the largest fund raised in the firm's history, over 45% larger than its predecessor Strong demand from a globally diversified base of new and returning investors attracted to Nordic Capital's investment strategy and strong portfolio performance and track record STOCKHOLM, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nordic Capital today announced the completion of its largest ever fund raise with the successful closing of Nordic Capital Fund XI ("the Fund") at its hard cap of EUR 9 billion, exceeding its EUR 8 billion target. The Fund, one of the largest and fastest private equity funds to be raised in Europe this year to date, closed in nine months in some of the most challenging fundraising conditions in private equity history. With a c.100% re-up rate and increased GP commitment, Nordic Capital Fund XI is over 45% bigger than its predecessor large-cap fund (Nordic Capital Fund X), which raised EUR 6.1 billion in October 2020. "The close of Nordic Capital's largest ever fund is a significant milestone for Nordic Capital. To have secured such strong commitments from both new and returning investors and robustly exceeded the fund target size in some of the most challenging fundraising conditions in private equity history is a great achievement for the team. Nordic Capital has consciously grown the fund size over the last five years in tandem with its evolving and highly focused investment strategy and strong pipeline of opportunities. The quality of a GP's strategy and its ability to achieve true value creation at the company level is put to the absolute test in challenging economic conditions. With this successful close, investors have given a very strong vote of confidence in Nordic Capital's strategy, our sector expertise, focus on operational and sustainable improvements and ability to deliver highly attractive returns. Nordic Capital thanks them for their great support," commented Kristoffer Melinder, Managing Partner, Nordic Capital Advisors. Nordic Capital Fund XI saw strong demand from a diversified global base of new and returning blue-chip investors that were attracted to Nordic Capital's focused investment strategy, including its niche-sourcing and sub-sector expertise, and its track record of creating value through business transformation and solid earnings growth. Nordic Capital's strategy of focusing on non-cyclical growth businesses in partnership with management and with a focus on operational improvement, has been validated by the strong performance and resilience of the existing portfolio in challenging macro-economic conditions. Its record of portfolio growth, deal generation and execution capabilities, as well its clear commitment to ESG were highly attractive to investors. Nordic Capital's current portfolio companies have on average achieved 11% organic employment growth in 2021. Portfolio companies have on average secured an 12% increase in annual sales and a 15% increase in EBITDA per year since Nordic Capital's inception. Kristoffer added: "Nordic Capital Fund XI has already made three investments, partnering with great companies and talented management teams. Each is a perfect fit for the Nordic Capital strategy, operating in segments that have been identified as strong areas of growth by our sector focused investment advisory teams. In times of market volatility, this deep expertise serves Nordic Capital and its investors well, and the Funds can invest selectively in the right opportunities through a robust Shadow Portfolio. We look forward to maintaining this disciplined approach with Nordic Capital Fund XI." Nordic Capital Fund XI will continue to apply deep and specialist experience to its core sectors including Healthcare, Technology & Payments and Financial Services, and selectively, in Industrial & Business Services. Its mandate includes investment in mid to large companies within these sectors in Europe; and within Healthcare and Technology & Payments globally. Par Norberg, Partner and Head of Investor Relations, Nordic Capital Advisors, commented: "We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Nordic Capital's truly global investor base. The fundraise of EUR 9 billion over nine months for Fund XI was made possible with the overwhelming continued support from our long-standing existing investors, with a c.100% re-up rate and strong backing from new investors, many of whom have chosen Nordic Capital as their only new relationship this year. We are humbled that in a busy year with volatile market conditions, investors have prioritised and partnered with Nordic Capital and we are enthusiastic about continuing to nurture and strengthen these relationships." Nordic Capital has built a tested sector-based sourcing process which has been refined over three decades. This has already enabled the Fund to make three investments: RiskPoint Group, a global independent specialty insurance underwriter based in Copenhagen, with offices in Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Zurich, Madrid, London and New York; Equashield, a leading global provider of hazardous drug compounding technologies, with products sold across five continents and the most used Closed System Drug-Transfer Device ("CSTD") in the US, and in addition, it invested alongside CVC Funds in the public to private acquisition of Cary Group, a European leader in the repair and replacement of vehicle glass and automotive bodywork. Over the last twelve months, Nordic Capital has enjoyed a strong deal pipeline, and its sourcing strategy has enabled it to invest in high quality assets such as Equashield, Cary Group, RiskPoint, ProGlove, Ascot Lloyd, Bilthouse, Care Fertility, RLDatix, Vizrt and Inovalon. It has also continued to drive an active buy-and-build strategy for its portfolio companies. Nordic Capital has also made full exits of three portfolio companies, as well as partial sell downs in publicly listed companies. Fund XI attracted investors from across the globe, with investors from every continent including 34% from North America, 31% Europe, 23% from Asia, 10% from the Middle East and 1% from RoW. The investor base comprises a well-diversified mix of institutional investors: public and private pension funds (c. 42%); sovereign wealth funds (c. 23%); fund of funds (c. 14%); endowments and family offices (c. 11%) and financial institutions (10%). The new Fund expands Nordic Capital's blue-chip investor base with c. 30% of commitments deriving from new investors. The re-up rate by capital of Fund X LPs in Fund XI is c. 100%. The Fund also drew significant support from Nordic Capital's own team, as well as portfolio company management teams and industrial advisors. The fundraising was led by Nordic Capital's Investor Relations team, supported by Rede Partners who acted as global placement agent, Transpacific in Asia, Ameris in South America, with Kirkland & Ellis as lead legal counsel, supported by Carey Olsen. Press contact: Nordic Capital Katarina Janerud, Communications Manager Nordic Capital Advisors Tel: +46 8 440 50 50 e-mail: [email protected]m About Nordic Capital Nordic Capital is a leading private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and selectively, Industrial & Business Services. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested more than EUR 21 billion in 130 investments. The committed capital is principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway and South Korea. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com "Nordic Capital" refers to, depending on the context, any, or all, Nordic Capital branded entities, vehicles, structures and associated entities. The general partners and/or delegated portfolio managers of Nordic Capital's entities and vehicles are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which are referred to as "Nordic Capital Advisors". CONTACT: Katarina Janerud Communications Manager+46 8 440 50 69 [email protected] The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/2166/3654217/1643087.pdf Nordic Capital_Fund XI final close_Press Release_2022-10-25 https://news.cision.com/nordic-capital/i/kristoffer-melinder-hr-05-5mb,c3105209 Kristoffer Melinder HR 05 5MB https://news.cision.com/nordic-capital/i/22-09-nc-par-norberg-0308,c3105210 22 09 NC Par Norberg 0308 SOURCE NORDIC CAPITAL Industry Veteran Joins the Organization to Help Architect the Future of Pager's People Operations and Growing Workforce NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pager , the leading organization in virtual care, navigation, and collaboration, today announced that Cammie Blais has joined the company in the role of Chief People Officer. In her new role as CPO of Pager, Cammie will oversee all aspects of human resources and will implement strategies to promote best practices in people management, organizational development, talent management, and talent acquisition. She will also have a keen focus on company culture and employee engagement as Pager continues to grow its workforce. Cammie Blais, Pager's Chief People Officer "Pager is thrilled to welcome a highly-regarded and demonstrated leader in Cammie Blais to help guide our next chapter of expansion and innovation," said Pager CEO Walter Jin. "She brings a wealth of experience in establishing high-performing teams, and has a proven track record in implementing programs that lead to enriched cultures. Our people are at the heart of delivering on our vision to make healthcare accessible for all. The addition of Cammie to our leadership team will enable Pager to continue attracting and retaining top talent that will drive value based care forward for our customers." Cammie brings exceptional leadership across all facets of People Operations strategy on a global scale, having recently served as the Senior Vice President of People at DispatchHealth. While there, Cammie was part of the executive team that expanded DispatchHealth from 20 employees to a multi-market, 2,400-employee, healthcare disruptor. She has also spent time as a people executive in the financial, publishing, and government sectors. "I couldn't be more excited to be joining Pager as its Chief People Officer," said Cammie. "I am deeply passionate about taking care of our people, as it's arguably one of the richest assets we leverage to drive customer satisfaction. Harnessing the power of our people, plus Pager's remarkable tech-enabled services platform, creates immense value in the market. I look forward to working with Walter, the Pager leadership team, and our People team in the coming months to seize this opportunity and pioneer the way people get access to and receive healthcare." Cammie is a graduate of Wharton's Executive Chief Human Resources Officer Program, and is a highly sought-after strategist who has helped organizations achieve back-to-back Great Place to Work certifications. About Pager Pager is a virtual care collaboration organization that provides access to whole-person healthcare in a trusted, convenient, connected care experience, like having a "doctor in the family." Pager helps people make better healthcare decisions by enabling better access and reducing costs, making care simple and easy to understand throughout the entire care journey. Through a combination of high-tech AI automation and high-touch concierge services, Pager offers an integrated, full-service experience including triage, telemedicine, e-prescriptions, appointment scheduling, after-care follow-up, care advocacy and customer service. Pager's omni-channel communications platform connects the fragmented healthcare ecosystem by aggregating a care team of nurses, doctors, pharmacists, coordinators, advocates and more, in one place. Pager partners with leading payers, providers and employers representing more than 15 million people across the United States and Latin America. To learn more, visit us at www.pager.com. Source: Pager SOURCE Pager Innovative Industry 4.0 solution provides data collection, increased accuracy, energy efficiency and safety for heavy duty applications ROSEMONT, Ill., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic, a leader in cordless assembly technology, will demonstrate its AccuPulse 4.0 Transducerized Series, beginning today at the Assembly Show in Booth #1113 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The AccuPulse 4.0, Panasonic's next-generation transducerized mechanical pulse tool, was designed to help manufacturers improve quality control and accuracy, increase energy efficiency and safety, and collect data on the assembly line while reducing costs. The AccuPulse 4.0 has been nominated for Product of the Year, Fastening Solutions, for the Assembly Show's New Product Awards, which recognizes 20 new, innovative products that will be displayed at the show. Built with four onboard microcomputers and a transducer to intelligently manage torque, motor control and wireless communication, the ultimate lightweight and high torque AccuPulse 4.0 meets the needs of manufacturers for an Industry 4.0-compatible assembly solution. As an energy-efficient and eco-friendly tool, the AccuPulse 4.0 reduces annual maintenance costs compared to competing pulse tools. "Panasonic's AccuPulse line of cordless mechanical pulse tools was specifically designed with worker safety in mind, to allow for freedom of movement and flexibility, and greater production efficiency in a compact, high quality solution," said Aziz Lokhandwala, Senior Product Manager for assembly tools at Panasonic Eco Systems North America. "With the AccuPulse 4.0, we have enhanced features and expanded the benefits to provide one of the most advanced cordless mechanical pulse tools in industries where high torque precision fastening is required, including but not limited to automotive, aviation, farming and construction equipment. The built-in intelligence and advanced programming of the AccuPulse 4.0 will allow the quality engineer to monitor and control performance on site and remotely. The reactionless ergonomics and durability of the tool will foster a healthier and safer work environment." Key features of the AccuPulse 4.0 Transducerized series include: 20-120Nm torque control range with high speed and no reaction for increased worker safety and freedom of movement Durable high-resolution non-contact torque transducer for reliable torque measurement Patented double hammer mechanism and torque curve detection algorithm for high accuracy Advanced programmable features for greater productivity and plant automation 2-way wireless communication for advanced error proofing Data collection for torque, angle, time, OK/NOK, pulses, and graphing Eco-friendly, low maintenance, and energy efficient For more information about Panasonic AccuPulse 4.0 mechanical pulse tools, click here. Panasonic Eco Systems North America is a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America. About Panasonic Corporation of North America Newark, NJ-based Panasonic Corporation of North America is committed to creating a better life and a better world by enabling its customers through innovations in Sustainable Energy, Immersive Entertainment, Integrated Supply Chains and Mobility Solutions. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation. One of Interbrand's Top 100 Best Global Brands of 2021, Panasonic is a leading technology partner and integrator to businesses, government agencies and consumers across the world. Learn more about Panasonic innovations at https://na.panasonic.com/us/. SOURCE Panasonic Corporation of North America QINGDAO, China, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Every aspect of modern life is becoming smarter, and it's time to upgrade the dog walking gear. Pawaii recently launched a professional pet harness with a QR ID tag, which is great news for pet owners concerned about loss. Usage scenario of dog harness According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), approximately one-third of pets will become lost during their lifetimes, with less than 2% of cats and 15 to 20% of dogs being returned to their owners. However, registering ID information for pets can increase the likelihood that lost cats will be returned to owners to 38.5% and the likelihood that lost dogs will be returned to their owners to 52.2%. Pawaii pet tags for dogs can provide your pet with a unique ID. A pet owner can quickly register a customized ID file for their pet by scanning the QR code on it. If your pet becomes lost, a finder can scan the QR code on this tag to obtain your contact information and contact you as soon as possible. This tiny ID tag can significantly increase your pet's return rate. Aside from the pet tag, the Pawaii dog harness is designed to meet the needs of both humans and pets. A 360 surrounded type harness can relieve traction pressure and give you more control over your pet. This no-pull dog harness can meet the needs of your high-energy pet thanks to its soft and breathable harness and firm and sturdy buckles. Furthermore, with its highly reflective and colorful design, this harness for dogs can keep your pet safe from getting lost or being involved in a traffic accident. Pawaii's designers believe that simply putting this harness on your pet is like giving them a warm hug. Both the ID tag and the dog vest harness are thoughtfully and humanely designed, with the ID tag assisting in pet reuniting and the dog harness packed with details. We care for pets while also considering human comfort. Pawaii's brand vision is well represented by focusing on the present while striving for a better future. Pawaii, a pet supply company, is committed to creating stylish, high-quality, and intelligent products that break down barriers between humans and pets. Pawaii insists on meticulously designing every detail of pet gear, paying special attention to product quality and user experience to bring more warmth and happiness to every pet family. Pawaii anticipates exploring more with pet owners in the future to better understand pet demands and to depict a smart and colorful blueprint for pet families in the new era through innovative technology, collected product data, and continuous optimization and iteration. SOURCE PAWAii SALISBURY, Md., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a company commitment to inspire the next generation of farmers, Perdue Farms is continuing its support of the National FFA Organization's Give the Gift of Blue Program with a $20,000 grant funded through the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. This donation is part of the company's Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors outreach focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities. A $20,000 Perdue Foundation grant is supporting the National FFA Organizations Give the Gift of Blue Program. (FFA file photo) FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) is a student organization that prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. "We are the largest school-based youth organization in the country with over 850,000 members across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands," said Molly Ball, president of the National FFA Foundation and chief marketing officer of the National FFA Organization. "Through the support of our donors, the Give the Gift of Blue Program provides an FFA jackets and scarf or tie to FFA members who otherwise could not afford one of their own. In the past, Perdue has impacted over 350 students with their generous support." FFA members are required to wear official dress, which includes an FFA jacket and scarf or tie, to participate in competitions and attend the National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis. The FFA blue jacket, part of the organization since 1933, generates pride in those who wear it, highlighting the state and local chapter they represent and giving students a sense of belonging. "The National FFA Give the Gift of Blue Program is funded by corporations, individual donors and foundations, and we are grateful for their continued support," Ball said. "We always strive to make this program the most impactful, for the most students, as possible. To date, more than 15,000 FFA members have been gifted an FFA jacket thanks to donors like Perdue Farms and the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation." Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, applauds the work of the National FFA Organization's Give the Gift of Blue Program. "FFA is an important organization for the future of agriculture and the next generation of farmers in this country," she said. "The iconic blue jackets are a point of pride for FFA members. We are proud to provide funding to enable youth who cannot afford the jacket the opportunity to participate in a unique tradition." About the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation , the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture. About Perdue Farms We're a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services. The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE brand, Niman Ranch , Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats , Coleman Natural , and Yummy , as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms and Full Moon , is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com . Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. Now in our company's second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com . About National FFA Organization The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 850,000 student members as part of 8,995 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter. About National FFA Foundation The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders and support the future of agricultural education. A separately registered nonprofit organization, the foundation is governed by a board of trustees that includes the national FFA president, educators, business leaders and individual donors. For more, visit FFA.org/Give. SOURCE Perdue Farms DUBLIN, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO), a leading provider of Consumer Self-Care Products, today announced that it will release its third quarter 2022 financial results on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The Company will also host a conference call beginning at 8:30 A.M. (EST). The conference call will be available live via webcast to interested parties in the investor relations section of the Perrigo website at http://perrigo.investorroom.com/events-webcasts or by phone at 888-317-6003, International 412-317-6061, and reference ID # 8518983. A taped replay of the call will be available beginning at approximately 12:00 P.M. (EST) Tuesday, November 8, until midnight Tuesday, November 15, 2022. To listen to the replay, dial 877-344-7529, International 412-317-0088, and use access code 7261267. About Perrigo Perrigo Company plc (NYSE: PRGO) is a leading provider of Consumer Self-Care Products and over-the-counter (OTC) health and wellness solutions that enhance individual well-being by empowering consumers to proactively prevent or treat conditions that can be self-managed. Visit Perrigo online at www.perrigo.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements." These statements include statements regarding the expected timing of the release of financial data and relate to future events or the Company's future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements of the Company or its industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof; if the timing of the earnings release or the manner of accessing the conference call should change in any material respect, the Company will make a further announcement. Investor Contact Bradley Joseph, Vice President, Global Investor Relations & Corporate Communications; (269) 686-3373; E-mail: [email protected] Nicholas Gallagher, Senior Manager, Global Investor Relations & Corporate Communications; (269) 686-3238, E-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Perrigo Company plc Charles Malik Institute event examines seminal essay NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 20, the Philos Project and the Charles Malik Institute hosted "Isaac & Ishmael," a Muslim-Christian- Jewish conversation on shared roots and difference between three scholars: Mustafa Akyol, Dr. Habib Malik, and Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm. The discussion drew from the essay "Israel and Ishmael," written more than four decades ago by Fr. Luke (Ramzi) Malik. The essay, the origins of which date back to the 1940s, might be seen as a theological precursor to recent attempts at cooperation and normalization in the region. According to Dr. Malik, the author's nephew, platitudes that generally characterize "interreligious dialogue" have often become vehicles for political statements that "paper over" serious and fundamental differences between religious traditions. He cautioned against this superficial treatment, saying, "Facing and acknowledging the differences among the three Abrahamic traditions is the mature way to proceed instead of watering them down... Differences, even profound ones, need not become occasions for perpetual conflict." Mustafa Akyol acknowledged that Abrahamic faiths are competitive in guarding "[their] truth," but said, "I believe Jews, Christians, and Muslims can live together. Political sovereignty is a political issue not a theological issue," a distinction often lost in the Near East, but one he felt "a lot of Muslims" shared. In a nod to this long held idea of religion as an impediment to progress of the sort seen in the Abraham Accords Rabbi Lamm mused "whether or not the forces of enlightenment, progress, technology really are so incompatible with traditional faith, with community, with values. Or perhaps, in fact, they are powered by those very forces." Robert Nicholson, Founder and President of the Philos Project, echoed this hopeful and forward-looking vision of the Abrahamic faiths: "All Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have this teleological view of history... it's this idea that history is going somewhere." Indeed, the Near East is on the move. Two years since their signing, the Abraham Accords show no signs of reversing. Further gestures toward normalization like Saudi Arabia's opening of its airspace to Israeli flights point to a future Father Malik so presciently envisioned. This momentum is inspiring efforts like Philos' Abraham's Missing Child Initiative, which aims to seize upon this historical moment to support and sustain Christian communities in the Near East. See the full video here. SOURCE Philos Project California-based software startup further differentiates MES platform by adding immediate messaging capabilities to save time in the factory REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pico MES, a manufacturing execution system (MES) software company focused on automating critical manufacturing procedures of small to mid-sized manufacturers, today announced it has launched a new alert feature to its next generation MES platform. Pico's digital work instructions, allows both new and experienced operators to utilize their systems efficiently, can be experienced firsthand, and the system data collection capabilities through connected tools will demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of its data management and insights. The new feature, Operator Alert, allows an operator to immediately contact support with the press of a single button, resulting in faster issue resolution and improved overall production yield. The unique new feature allows operators to send immediate alerts through automated email, text and/or message, both Microsoft Teams and Slack. The alert messages are sent to supervisors, manufacturing engineering and/or quality leadership to address issues encountered in the middle of a production shift. The speed of the messaging feature allows the operator to move on to a new production build at their station without having to walk around to track down a colleague who can help solve the issue. When the leader arrives to address the issue, they can work in tandem with the operator right at the station, with the least amount of disruption to production. "Pico MES knows firsthand that production speed and quality remain a significant focus for factories. And now, even when encountering a challenge, factories can address it much more quickly than they have in the past, minimizing disruption to the production lines," said Ryan Kuhlenbeck, CEO and Co-Founder, Pico MES. "We feel strongly about providing simple, relatable features that keep small to midsize manufacturers more competitive in the market, and this new alert feature by Pico MES is a key to bringing support directly to the operators." The new feature will be rolled out directly to existing customers and will be included in the onboarding process for all new customers. Pico MES continues to communicate with the market on a regular basis to add capabilities to its platform and drive efficiencies for U.S. manufacturers. Additionally, Pico has announced that it is partnering with Ingersoll Rand (IR), a global provider of mission-critical flow creation and industrial solutions, at the upcoming 2022 Assembly Show on October 25-27 in Chicago, IL and will launch a range of exciting tool, technology and data innovations. The companies will be located at booth 613 and key features include the new QX Multiplier high torque tool, Zero Gravity air balancer and the family of cordless QX Connect tools for IR, while Pico will demonstrate its digital work instructions and connected tools capabilities, as well as their new Operator Alert feature, which is a finalist in the show's 2022 New Product of the Year awards. PICO's Co-founder and CEO, Ryan Kuhlenbeck will be speaking at 2:45pm CT on Wednesday, October 25, "Connecting Your Tools Can Be Easy (Despite What Some People Say)" in Theatre #1. About Pico Pico empowers small and mid-sized manufacturers to improve their productivity. The Silicon Valley-based company has a suite of machine learning tools, which tie directly into manufacturing processes and provide real-time data. Pico is founded by experienced plant engineers from firms like General Motors, Alta Motors, Tesla, Amazon and Ford. For more information about Pico, please visit picomes.com . SOURCE Pico MES PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) ("PGE" or the "Company"), a fully integrated energy company, today announced the commencement of an underwritten public offering of $375,000,000 of shares of its common stock, all of which are being offered in connection with the forward sale agreements described below. Barclays and J.P. Morgan are acting as the joint lead book-running managers for the offering. In connection with the offering of shares of common stock, the Company expects to enter into forward sale agreements with each of Barclays Bank PLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (or affiliates thereof) (which the Company refers to as the "forward purchasers"), with respect to $375,000,000 of shares of the Company's common stock. The underwriters of the offering also expect to be granted a 30-day option to purchase up to $56,250,000 of additional shares of the Company's common stock. If the option to purchase additional shares of the Company's common stock is exercised, the Company expects to enter into one or more additional forward sale agreements with the forward purchasers in respect of the number of shares of the Company's common stock that are subject to exercise of the option to purchase additional shares. In connection with the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements, the forward purchasers (or their affiliates) are expected to borrow from third parties and sell to the underwriters an aggregate of $375,000,000 of shares of the Company's common stock (or an aggregate of $431,250,000 of shares of the Company's common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). However, a forward purchaser (or its affiliate) is not required to borrow such shares if, after using commercially reasonable efforts, such forward purchaser is unable to borrow such shares, or if borrowing costs exceed a specified threshold. If a forward purchaser (or its affiliate) does not deliver and sell all of the shares of the Company's common stock to be sold by it to the underwriters, the Company will issue and sell to the underwriters a number of shares of its common stock equal to the number of shares that such forward purchaser (or its affiliate) does not deliver and sell, and the number of shares underlying the relevant forward sale agreement or such additional forward sale agreement will be decreased by the number of shares that the Company issues and sells. Pursuant to the terms of the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements, and subject to its right to elect cash or net share settlement, the Company intends to issue and sell, upon physical settlement of the forward sale agreements or any additional forward sale agreements up to an aggregate of $375,000,000 of shares of common stock (or an aggregate of up to $431,250,000 of shares of common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) to the forward purchasers. The Company expects to physically settle the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements in full on one or more dates no later than 24 months from the date of the preliminary prospectus supplement. The Company will not initially receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of its common stock by the forward purchasers (or affiliates thereof). The Company intends to allocate an amount equivalent to the net proceeds from this offering to finance, in whole or in part, one or more eligible green investments as defined in its Green Financing Framework. Pending allocation, the Company will manage any portion of the net proceeds that it receives, but has not yet been allocated to eligible investments, in accordance with its normal liquidity management practices. The Company expects to use a portion of the net proceeds that it will receive upon settlement of the forward sale agreements to repay outstanding indebtedness. All of the shares of common stock will be offered under the Company's effective shelf registration statement that has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC's website. When available, a copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from Barclays Capital Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (or by email at [email protected] or telephone at 1-888-603-5847); J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (or by email at [email protected] or telephone at 1-866-803-9204); or by visiting the EDGAR database on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Portland General Electric Company Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. As of September 30, 2022, the company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 1.9 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements Statements in this news release that relate to future plans, objectives, expectations, performance, events and the like may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements related to PGE's expectations regarding the completion, timing and sizing of its proposed public offering, its expectations with respect to granting the underwriters options to purchase additional shares, the expected physical settlement of the forward sale agreements, and use of proceeds, as well as other statements containing words such as "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "promises," "expects," "should," "conditioned upon," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. As a result, actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included in this news release are based on information available to the company on the date hereof and such statements speak only as of the date hereof. The company expressly disclaims any current intention to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the distribution of this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise. Prospective investors should also review the risks, assumptions and uncertainties listed in the company's most recent annual report on form 10-K and in other documents that we file with the SEC, including management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations and the risks described therein from time to time. Media Contact: Investor Contact: Nik Blosser Jardon Jaramillo Public Affairs Investor Relations Phone: 503-464-2388 Phone: 503-464-7051 SOURCE Portland General Company DCISionRT Reclassifies over 50% of DCIS Patients with Low-Risk Clinicopathology into Elevated or Residual Risk Groups Who Benefit Greatly from Radiation Therapy LAGUNA HILLS, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Prelude Corporation (PreludeDx), a leader in molecular diagnostics and precision medicine for early-stage breast cancer, today announced study results demonstrating that DCISionRT provides patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) superior risk and RT benefit prediction compared to common clinicopathologic features. The data was presented in an oral presentation at the 64th Annual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Meeting, held on October 23 26, 2022 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX. This study, titled 'Re-thinking clinicopathologic risk assessment in DCIS: Pooled data from validation studies comparing a 7-gene DCIS assay to clinicopathologic features alone', highlighted that clinicopathologic criteria were poor predictors of 10-year ipsilateral breast recurrence (IBR) rates and radiation therapy (RT) benefit in 926 women from four international cohorts. "With DCISionRT, clinicians can now identify which DCIS patients, despite having low-risk clinicopathologic features, who can decrease their risk of recurrence by 70% or more with RT after breast conserving surgery. Utilizing this genomic tool, we can also confidently identify a truly Low Risk group of patients who can safely forego RT, even if they have high risk clinicopathologic factors," said Chirag Shah, MD, Co-Director of Comprehensive Breast Program and Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH. "It is important to follow the clinical evidence when making the best treatment decisions with our patients. As clinicians, we should not rely on clinicopathologic factors alone, which are inadequate to personalize radiation treatment decisions, especially when compared to the DCISionRT predictive test." "DCISionRT provides unique game-changing information to enable physicians and DCIS patients to confidently make a personalized treatment decision," said Dan Forche, President and CEO of PreludeDx. "We are honored by the overwhelming recognition of this latest data with oral presentations at three national medical conferences and the recent publication of validation data in ASTRO's prestigious Red Journal." About DCISionRT for Breast DCIS DCISionRT is the only risk assessment test for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) that predicts radiation therapy benefit. Patients with DCIS have cancerous cells lining the milk ducts of the breast, but they have not spread into surrounding breast tissue. In the US, over 60,000 women are newly diagnosed with DCIS each year. DCISionRT, developed by PreludeDx on technology licensed from the University of California San Francisco, and built on research that began with funding from the National Cancer Institute, enables physicians to better understand the biology of DCIS. DCISionRT combines the latest innovations in molecular biology with risk-based assessment scores to assess a woman's individual tumor biology along with other pathologic risk factors and provide a personalized recurrence risk. The test provides a Decision Score that identifies a woman's risk as low or elevated. Unlike other risk assessment tools, the DCISionRT test combines protein expression from seven biomarkers and four clinicopathologic factors, using a non-linear algorithm to account for multiple interactions between individual factors in order to better interpret complex biological information. DCISionRT's intelligent reporting provides a woman's recurrence risk after breast conserving surgery alone and with the addition of radiation therapy. In turn, this new information may help patients and their physicians to make more informed treatment decisions. About PreludeDx PreludeDx is a leading personalized breast cancer diagnostics company dedicated to serving breast cancer patients and physicians worldwide. Founded in 2009 with technology licensed from University of California San Francisco, PreludeDx has focused on developing precision breast cancer tools that will impact a patient's treatment decision. Our mission is to provide patients and physicians with innovative technologies that improve patient outcomes and reduce the overall cost burden to the healthcare system. Before making a treatment decision, Know Your Risk. PreludeDx is a Fjord Ventures portfolio company. For more information on how PreludeDx is making a difference for patients, please visit the Company's website: https://preludedx.com and follow us on Twitter @PreludeDx, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. PreludeDx, the PreludeDx logo, DCISionRT, the DCISionRT logo, DecisionTree, Decision Score, The DCIS Test, Know Your Risk and Your Biology, Your Decision are trademarks of Prelude Corporation or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the United States and foreign countries. Media Contact Investor Contact Cory Dunn Andrew Wade 760.705.7464 949.600.8925 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE PreludeDx SHARJAH, UAE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Britts Imperial University College, UAE is an Academic Centre & Education Partner of top-tier globally recognized British & European universities to offer Bachelor's, Master's, Executive Master's and Doctorate degree programs awarded by these universities to aspiring learners from across the globe. Britts Imperial University College campus located in the Sharjah Publishing City Steered by a team of Seasoned Educationalists as the Board of Governors, with decades of experience, Britts Imperial College boasts of a visionary leadership team from across the globe which is committed to unlocking the potential of their students by providing them with the necessary tools to thrive in today's world. With an emphasis on practical training and giving best internship opportunities, our professors guide students in every step of their graduation journey. Assessments are based on assignments, case studies, entrepreneurship projects, and collaborative presentations. Britts Imperial University College is accredited by various prestigious UK exam bodies and welcomes students from more than 31 countries. Top ranked university degrees accredited globally, parent university campus transfer to UK, Europe and USA with post study stay back and work opportunities, the ability to work while studying in UAE, hybrid teaching methodology coupled with scholarships and flexible payment structure, are the distinguishing factors at Britts Imperial College. With a vibrant campus in the heart of Sharjah, best student housing in Dubai at affordable cost, Scholarship assistance, Britts Imperial College facilitates student residence visas as well for international students. Dedicated student success mentors ensure the students get all the help that is needed along their journey and the placement department ensures a high employability quotient amongst the graduates. Britts Imperial draws upon global best practices of pedagogy in online and on-campus learning, that results in providing an interactive peer-to-peer learning environment, developing advanced research capabilities and encourages students to work while they study to gain practical hands-on skills needed for employability. Through a broader choice of carefully designed majors in the disciplines of Business & Management, Engineering Management, AI & Data Science, Computer Science, Healthcare, Sport and Events Management, Britts Imperial College ensures the students are Job Ready with the new age skills that the Industry demands. International Industry Faculty and student diversity of more than 31 nationalities coupled with internationally accredited degrees from reputed top ranked global universities with options of global mobility makes Britts Imperial College a truly global platform for fulfilling students' global aspirations and ambitions. Britts Imperial College stands proudly and will continue to be a beacon of excellence in higher education, with a determinedly international outlook, for generations to come. Britts Imperial University College Sharjah Free Zone Sharjah, UAE. Email: [email protected] Tel: +971(06)7675511, +971-522161590 www.brittsimperial.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928900/Britts_Imperial_University_College_Campus.jpg SOURCE Britts Imperial University College, Sharjah NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws. Class Period: April 14, 2022 to September 28, 2022 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: December 19, 2022 No obligation or cost to you. Learn more about your recoverable losses in RAD: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/rite-aid-class-action-submission-form?id=32955&from=4 Rite Aid Corporation NEWS - RAD NEWS CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Rite Aid Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) despite representations to the contrary, the number of new members that the Elixir pharmacy benefit management services business was adding during the selling season ending on January 1, 2023 was in material decline; (ii) Rite Aid was likely to recognize a significant charge for the impairment of goodwill related to Elixir due to a decrease in "lives" covered by Elixir's pharmacy benefit management services business; and (iii) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Rite Aid you have until December 19, 2022 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Rite Aid securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees. HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the RAD lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/rite-aid-class-action-submission-form?id=32955&from=4. ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: J. Klein, Esq. 535 Fifth Avenue 4th Floor New York City, NY 10017 [email protected] Telephone: (212) 616-4899 www.kleinstocklaw.com SOURCE The Klein Law Firm Unique extension of core platform focused on boosting sales for local businesses in The City of Dublin DUBLIN, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- To help boost local commerce and small business activity, Reach a brand-empowering partnership platform today announced it has come to an agreement with the City of Dublin, California, to deploy ReachPlaces, a unique extension of its platform focused on local markets. The goal of the partnership is to help local businesses and residents mutually thrive in the current economic environment. ReachPlaces will provide Dublin residents one platform to manage and make the most of their local business relationships. In turn, local businesses benefit and drive growth by "partnering" directly with their customers, offering them unique benefits for their engagement thanks to Reach's powerful proprietary incentive system. The partnership will also help support municipal and community programs and initiatives. "The City is pleased to partner with Reach in the launch of the region's newest local business stimulus program," said Mayor Melissa Hernandez. "This program will provide our businesses with a competitive advantage while rewarding those who shop in Dublin. This is truly a win-win program that will support both our brick-and-mortar establishments and local area residents. The Dublin Marketplace is particularly important to our diverse and hard-working small businesses who represent the uniqueness and beauty of the City." ReachPlaces is an extension of the Reach Marketplace, a powerful customer platform designed to complement current loyalty programs while also optimizing the direct relationship between companies and their customers. ReachPlaces focuses the power of the Reach Marketplace on a specific geographic area, like a municipality or shopping mall. In both cases Reach works to reimagine the relationship between a business and its customers, forging a partnership that encourages the two to work together. "Our partnership with the City of Dublin is a unique opportunity to breathe new life into the Dublin economy as local businesses and residents continue to grapple with the aftershocks of the pandemic," said Mike Ribero, CEO of Reach. "ReachPlaces brings a new way for Dublin residents and local businesses to engage and create maximum, mutual value. We are excited to see what this extension can do for the community in Dublin and many other cities to come." Having reached an agreement today, The Dublin Marketplace Powered by ReachPlaces is scheduled to launch in time for the holiday season in early December. It is open to all businesses and residents of The City of Dublin as well as local area residents. To learn more about Reach, please visit www.joinreach.com. About Reach: Reach is a powerful customer platform designed to complement current loyalty programs while also helping optimize existing CDP or CRM systems. For customers, Reach is an empowering mobile app that puts them at the center of all their brand relationships. Reach enables customers to take control of their data and receive compensation for sharing it directly with brands they approve. Brands benefit from the compliant, actionable, and timely personal data shared directly and proactively by customers. The data shared includes all monthly spending (line-item receipts), real-time location, and other relevant data, offering visibility beyond each brand and category, yielding a true 360 view of the customer. Media Contact Lauren Kershner 925.980.0321 [email protected] SOURCE Reach INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Renaissance Foundation, established by Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Companies, announced it will donate $25,000 to the American Red Cross to help people recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Ian. Renaissance serves thousands of plan members in the southern U.S., including Florida and the Carolinas, where the storm and flooding left a path of destruction in its wake. "We are thankful for the efforts of the American Red Cross and others who are working together to provide basic necessities and assistance to those affected by this storm," says Jeff Kolesar, interim president and CEO of Renaissance. "With thousands of people suffering losses from Hurricane Ian, we trust the Red Cross to help with relief and recovery efforts." "We are grateful to the Renaissance Foundation for its generous gift to support the Red Cross disaster relief and response efforts in Florida," says Eric Corliss, regional chief executive officer, American Red Cross of Central Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands, whose local workforce is among the more than 2,400 Red Crossers that have supported this relief effort to date. "The Red Cross is using financial donations to help provide shelter, meals and relief supplies to people in need. Our top priority is to get people the help and assistance that they urgently need." "We know it will take many months for communities to recover and rebuild, and we encourage others, whether corporations or individuals, to join in supporting relief efforts," says Kolesar. About the Renaissance Foundation The Renaissance Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established by Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company with a mission to protect the overall health and well-being of individuals and families. Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of America and its sister company Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of New York, offer ancillary benefits for employer groups and individuals nationwide. With headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., Renaissance is focused on providing outstanding dental, vision, life and disability insurance solutions and service. Visit www.renaissancebenefits.com, and find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. SOURCE Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of America SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Renew Breakup Bootcamp is hosting its first-ever coed retreat, using a scientific and spiritual approach to transform heartbreak. This four-day retreat will take place in Philo, California led by founder and Chief Heart Hacker Amy Chan. "We are thrilled to welcome both men and women to this retreat. Heartbreak can make you, or break you. And having personally struggled after a traumatic breakup, I've made it my mission to help others so they can start their next chapter with positive momentum," Founder and Chief Heart Hacker, Amy Chan says. "For the last 6-years this retreat has focused on helping women. But, there was a gap and opportunity to extend this healing framework to support bi-gender identities. Especially after living through the global pandemic, I'm looking to support this growing demand. With our thoughtful programming model, we know our guests will take home the tools needed to change and enlist healthy, lasting love." The retreat includes lodging in a luxury estate surrounded by nature and daily programming. It begins on Friday, Nov. 11 and ends on Monday, Nov. 14. Additional highlights include: Chief Heart Hacker, Amy Chan will dive into the psychology of attachment, and provide practical tools to love in a healthy way will dive into the psychology of attachment, and provide practical tools to love in a healthy way Dr. Cat Meyer, Psy. D. will guide somatic healing exercises and help align the conscious and subconscious mind Colette Pervette , Ph.D. will teach about the psychology of power dynamics , Ph.D. will teach about the psychology of power dynamics Co-Founder of Men's Group, EVRYMAN, Owen Marcus will lead sessions on upgrading emotional leadership and teach tools to step out of habitual stress will lead sessions on upgrading emotional leadership and teach tools to step out of habitual stress Dr. Daniel Ellenberg , Ph.D, will discuss the male internal operating system and teach practices on self-directed neuroplasticity , Ph.D, will discuss the male internal operating system and teach practices on self-directed neuroplasticity Sadia Bruce , E-RYT 500, YACEP will guide therapeutic movement classes to release emotion stuck in the body , E-RYT 500, YACEP will guide therapeutic movement classes to release emotion stuck in the body A private chef will cook healthy meals using organic and local ingredients To learn more, visit renewbreakupbootcamp.com . Due to the intimate nature of this retreat, space is limited. About Amy Chan Amy is the Founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp. She is a relationship columnist, and also the Editor-in-Chief of Heart Hackers Club . She's the author of the New York Times featured book, Breakup Bootcamp The Science to Rewiring Your Heart. SOURCE Renew Breakup Bootcamp MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics & Health Care Compliance Association (SCCE & HCCA) has released results of the 2022 Salary Surveys. These surveys, last conducted in 2019, contain the latest information about compensation for the corporate compliance and ethics and healthcare compliance communities. The following survey reports are available for download: Cross-Industry Chief Compliance Officer and Staff Salary Surveys [ download ] download Healthcare Chief Compliance Officer and Staff Salary Surveys [ download ] "As we all know the pandemic greatly affected the employment market and there has been great curiosity about the impact on the compliance profession," said Adam Turteltaub, Chief Engagement and Strategy Officer at SCCE & HCCA. "These surveys will help answer a lot of questions people have about what compensation levels should be in the new environment." Earlier this year, we surveyed compliance and ethics professionals on a variety of compensation-related topics. The salary information was strictly confidential and administered by Fondulas Strategic Research LLC, an independent professional survey research firm located in East Sandwich, MA. Survey results are presented for both the total sample of survey respondents, and for specific segments within the sample, to allow individuals and organizations to compare their own data to the results of those with similar characteristics. Reported data includes the average salary for each position, salary by geographic region and industry, and a comparison between certified and non-certified professionals. The reports are available for review on the SCCE website and HCCA website. SCCE & HCCA members have exclusive access to an interactive report that allows for advanced filtering and sorting of the data for additional insights. About SCCE & HCCA Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) was founded in 1996 to serve the healthcare compliance profession and expanded in 2004 with the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) to serve the global compliance and ethics community across all industries. In 2011, HCCA incorporated with SCCE to form Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics & Health Care Compliance Association (SCCE & HCCA). With a combined 19,000+ members in 100 countries, SCCE & HCCA is the largest association furthering the interests of the compliance and ethics profession. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, SCCE & HCCA exists to champion ethical practice and compliance standards and to provide the necessary training, publications, certifications, and other resources for ethics and compliance professionals. Visit the SCCE website at www.corporatecompliance.org or call 888.277.4977 Visit HCCA's website at www.hcca-info.org or call 888.580.8373 SOURCE Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics & Health Care Compliance Association BILBAO, Spain, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SealPath, a leading provider of zero-trust data-centric security and enterprise digital rights management, announced the launch of SealPath Data Classification powered by Getvisibility, leveraging the latest Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to provide their customers with an advanced standard of visibility, protection, control, and a dynamic understanding of their data as it is being created. This innovative AI-enhanced data classification solution provides the insights and continuous automated protection that enterprise customers need to securely and accurately classify data over its entire lifecycle. Thus, organisations across multiple business verticals gain the ability to prevent data leaks and achieve compliance with the strictest data protection regulations. With SealPath's classification, the user receives suggestions about the classification level when creating and editing a document. The software learns and adapts to different document types, continuously improving accuracy through AI, and allows organisations to classify unstructured information with unprecedented confidence. SealPath's information protection is 100% integrated with the new intelligent data classification system so that those files labeled with a certain classification level or subject to a specific regulation can be protected automatically and without user intervention. "SealPath Data Classification powered by Getvisibility was born in response to the outdated technologies most modern companies currently utilise to classify and manage their data. The solution's machine learning models have been pre-trained for years via data containing a wide array of data types from personal information, medical and financial to defense data. Combined with robust software specialised in data classification, these thoroughly trained models minimize human error, costs, and time in labelling corporate information. We expect this new AI-powered approach will transform how organisations classify and protect their data," Luis Angel del Valle, CEO of SealPath, stated. SealPath Data Classification deploys a flexible approach, considering different dimensions such as data sensitivity, associated regulations, data types, and scope of dissemination. Consequently, the system can adapt the classification to the organisation based on the aforementioned dimensions, enabling the automated protection of tagged data via AI/ML algorithms. SealPath's protection, coupled with the AI and Machine Learning-powered classification system, streamlines an organization's efforts to avoid sensitive information data classification errors quickly and cost-effectively. About SealPath SealPath is a European leader in Zero-Trust Data-Centric Security and Enterprise Digital Rights Management, working with major companies in more than 25 countries. SealPath has been helping organisations across multiple business verticals, such as Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Retail, Finance, Healthcare, and Public Administrations, protect their data for over a decade. SealPath's client portfolio includes organisations within the Fortune 500 index and Eurostoxx 50. SealPath makes it easy to avoid costly mistakes, lower the risk of data leaks, ensure security for confidential information and protect data assets. Learn more: https://www.sealpath.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/sealpath Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1926309/SealPath_Data_Classification_Logo.jpg SOURCE SealPath AI-Based Software as a Medical Device to Register Over 35% CAGR through 2022 & Beyond The latest report on the software as a medical device market conducted by Fact.MR uncovers critical trends and opportunities across various key segments in terms of device type, software technology, application, and region between 2022 and 2032. The report emphasizes on providing exclusive insights into the market to assist key players in making well-knitted strategies to gain a competitive edge. NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global software as a medical device (SaMD) market is expected to reach US$ 1.1 billion in 2022, registering 16.7% CAGR during the forecast period (2022-2032). Sales in the market are projected to surpass US$ 5.4 billion by 2032 as integration of artificial intelligence, and advanced technology is surging in healthcare sector. Increasing use of Internet of things (IoT) in the healthcare industry and government efforts to improve the infrastructure are likely to drive the growth in software as a medical device market. Further, monitoring blood pressure, respiration rate, continual collecting of particular metrics in case of chronic conditions, and offering remote support are some of the functions of IoT in healthcare. As a result, the adoption of IoT in the healthcare industry will boost the expansion over the forecast period. Software as a medical device enhances the effectiveness of medical devices and existing treatment programs, resulting in faster and higher-quality data collection and improved health outcomes. As these solutions are faster and less expensive to upgrade than hardware solutions, the demand in the U.S., the U.K., and other developed regions is expected to surge. Ability to easily seek user input on host devices also contributes to shorter market time, faster product revisions, and faster innovation. As a result, the benefits provided by these solutions are projected to propel the growth in software as a medical device market over the decade. Get A Free Sample Copy of this Report! https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=7679 Regionally, Asia Pacific software as a medical device market will witness significant growth as a result of quick regulatory changes in medical devices and favorable policies across China and India. Furthermore, adequate government rules for developers regarding the design of diagnostics and medical devices are expected to boost the market. The market for software as a medical device was dominated by PCs and laptops, in terms of device type. The segment is likely to maintain its dominance during the projection period due to technological advancements in laptop designs that enable the installation of smart sensors, which is transforming the compatibility between these devices and the SaMD. Key Takeaways: North America software as a medical device market is expected to register 15.8% CAGR between 2022 and 2032. software as a medical device market is expected to register 15.8% CAGR between 2022 and 2032. Based on software technology, the artificial intelligence (AI) segment grew at a CAGR of more than 35% over the past decade. The U. S is expected to account for a demand share of 90.2% in North America software as a medical device market. software as a medical device market. Japan software as a medical device market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 17.8% over the upcoming decade. software as a medical device market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 17.8% over the upcoming decade. Chronic illness and disease management application market will grow by 5.2x between 2022 and 2032. Based on application, screening and diagnosis will hold a market share of 53.4% in 2022. Growth Drivers: Introduction of AI-based software applications and the advancement of technology will drive the growth in software as a medical device market. The adoption of software as medical devices has substantially enhanced market growth due to the simplicity of handling and faster decision-making. Restraints: Expansion is likely to be hampered by increasing instances of cybercrime and a lack of cybersecurity, which may impede earning consumer confidence. Growth of software as a medical device is hampered by their intangible character, which allows for many copies and wide distribution. Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RC&rep_id=7679 Competitive Landscape: To maintain their position, key players in the software as a medical device market are adopting organic growth techniques such as new developments and launches. Players in the market are focusing on increasing their capacity as well as their worldwide presence, employing both organic and inorganic growth strategies including acquisitions and partnerships. For instance, In 2022, iCAD, Inc., a global medical technology company offering novel cancer detection and therapeutic solutions, announced today the introduction of a new webinar series, ProFound Insights, ProFound Impact, which will feature client success stories throughout the year. iCAD, Inc., a global medical technology company offering novel cancer detection and therapeutic solutions, announced today the introduction of a new webinar series, ProFound Insights, ProFound Impact, which will feature client success stories throughout the year. In 2022, Hyperfine, Inc., the manufacturer of Swoop, the first FDA-cleared portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system TM, is pleased to announce that Queen's University and Kingston Health Sciences Centre will deploy a Swoop system as part of their health services for six towns in the James Bay and Hudson Bay Area . Hyperfine, Inc., the manufacturer of Swoop, the first FDA-cleared portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is pleased to announce that Queen's University and Kingston Health Sciences Centre will deploy a Swoop system as part of their health services for six towns in the James Bay and . In December 2020 , MaxQ AI, Ltd. has developed a second-generation ACCIPIO clinical platform for the healthcare sector in order to help physicians give "smarter care" through improved clinical workflow. Key Companies Profiled by Fact.MR GE Healthcare iCAD Inc. Hyperfine Research Star Tietronix Software, Inc. S3 Connected Health Ideagen BrightInsight, Inc Inzentiz Zuhlke Group Orthogonal More Valuable Insights on Software as a Medical Device Market In the latest study, Fact.MR offers a detailed study on global software as a medical device market for the forecast period of 2022 to 2032. This study also highlights key drivers promoting the sales of software as a medical device through detailed segmentation as follows: By Device Type: Smartphones Laptops/Desktops Wearable Devices By Software Technology: Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning By Application: Screening and Diagnosis Monitoring and Alerting Chronic Condition & Disease Management Digital Therapeutics By Region: North America Latin America Europe East Asia South Asia & Oceania & Oceania MEA Choose Quick and Secure PayPal Payment Mode to Get Full Access of This Report https://www.factmr.com/checkout/7679 Key Questions Covered in the Software as a Medical Device Market Report What is the projected value of the software as a medical device market in 2022? At what rate will the global software as a medical device market grow until 2032? Which are the factors hampering the growth in the software as a medical device market? Which region is expected to lead in the global software as a medical device market during 2022-2032? Which are the factors driving the software as a medical device market during the forecast period? Explore Fact.MR's Coverage on the Technology Domain Software Defined Perimeter Market: The global software defined perimeter market is projected to reach US$ 28.2 Billion in 2032 and exhibit growth at a CAGR of 14.3% in the forecast period from 2022 to 2032. Cloud services and mobile enterprise solutions are gaining popularity in the industry, which will accelerate growth. Clientless Remote Support Software Market: The global clientless remote support software market size is poised to grow at a CAGR of 14.5% between 2022 and 2032, reaching a valuation of US$ 6.7 billion by 2032. As cloud-based software services and support software for training become more popular, solution suppliers of clientless remote assistance software could benefit from increased business prospects. Public Safety Software Market: Fact.MR predicts the global public safety software market to reach US$ 20 billion by 2031 and showcase growth at a CAGR of 9% between 2021 and 2031. The market for public safety software is expanding thanks to an increase in both criminal activity and natural disasters. Check it Out More Reports by Fact.MR on Technology Industry https://www.factmr.com/industry/technology About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a market research and consulting agency with deep expertise in emerging market intelligence. Spanning a wide range from automotive & industry 4.0 to healthcare, technology, chemical and materials, to even the most niche categories. We are committed to deliver insights that help businesses gain deeper understanding of their target markets. We understand that making sense of the vast labyrinth of data can be overwhelming for businesses. That's why focus on offering insights that can actually make a difference to bottom-lines. Specialties: Competition Tracking, Customized Research, Syndicated Research, Investment Research, Social Media Research, Business Intelligence, Industry Analysis, Thought Leadership. Contact: Mahendra Singh US Sales Office 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Tel: +1 (628) 251-1583, +353-1-4434-232 (D) E: [email protected] Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713666/FactMR_Logo.jpg SOURCE Fact.MR HELSINKI, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2022 Millennium Technology Prize has been awarded to Scientia Professor Martin Green of the UNSW Sydney, Australia, for his innovation that has transformed the production of solar energy. The 1 million global award for technology, conferred every two years, recognised Green's leadership in the development of the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC). Since its development in 1983, the PERC has gone on to become the most commercially viable and efficient silicon solar cell technology for use in solar panels and for large-scale electricity production, accounting for almost 90% of the global solar cell market. Green developed the PERC with his team by improving the quality of both the top and the rear surface of standard silicon solar cells. When sunlight in the form of particles called photons enters a cell, it excites the electrons within the silicon. In this excited state, electrons can move through the cell, creating electric current. The improved surface of the PERC allows the electrons to maintain this excited state or move freely for longer, resulting in greater and more efficient energy generation. The PERC has helped increase the conversion efficiency of standard solar cells by over 50% in relative terms from 16.5% in the early 1980s to 25% in the early 2000s. The innovation has greatly reduced the costs of using solar panels, making solar energy more affordable than fossil-based alternatives. PERCs can also provide an energy supply to homes without them needing to be connected to a grid, ensuring a reliable power supply for remote communities. Sauli Niinisto, President of the Republic of Finland and Patron of the prize, conferred the Millennium Technology Prize upon Green at a ceremony in Helsinki today. Professor Green said: "It is a great honour to have been selected to receive such a prestigious prize. It not only recognises my contribution to photovoltaics [the conversion of light into electrical power], but also the achievements of my students and research colleagues at UNSW, as well as those of the broader photovoltaic research and commercial community. "I believe the Prize will increase my credibility as a spokesperson for what needs to be done to address climate change. We need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy to sustain the trajectory of human civilization on our shared planet. The pace of change is accelerating and the world will shift to solar and wind energy over the coming decade. I believe a huge transformation of historic significance is underway." Green and his team are currently working on combined cell technologies to reach 40% solar cell efficiency by exploring options such as stacking cells on top of each other. Green said: "Solar cells are increasingly being used to replace large power stations that use fossil fuels. In 2021, 20 countries or regions including Australia, Chile, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam and California (US) generated between 8% to 25% of their total electricity supply from solar energy, with this number growing quickly. "The rapid cost reductions in solar energy that my work has facilitated have come just in time, right at the point when the importance of acting immediately to address climate change has become overwhelmingly obvious." Professor Minna Palmroth, Chair of the Board of Technology Academy Finland, said: "Professor Green's innovation has already and will continue to greatly enhance the quality of life for billions of people globally and enhance environmentally sustainable development, from national power grids to private housing." Professor Paivi Torma, Chair of the International Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize, said: "PERCs can help us provide low-cost energy solutions and mitigate climate change. Continued research on solar cells is needed to replace their constituents that have limited supply, such as silver, with more abundant alternatives." The 2022 ceremony celebrating Green's innovation will be held alongside the Millennium Innovation Forum, also hosted by Technology Academy Finland, which runs from October 25-26. The Forum brings together internationally renowned experts to discuss how technology can solve the world's greatest challenges. Speakers include Bellingcat's investigative journalist and Executive Director, Christo Grozev, who implicated the Russian government in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and is currently investigating war crimes being committed by Russia in Ukraine. It also features Tim O'Reilly, Web 2.0 forerunner and Silicon Valley expert; and Marissa Mayer, ex-CEO of Yahoo, and Google's 20th employee and first female engineer. The innovation forum's session on diversity in research and development will be hosted by Finland's Research and Innovation Council, which is chaired by Finnish Prime Minister. There will be a press conference with Professor Martin Green at 9:00 am EEST (UTC+3) on 25th October 2022, embargoed until 25th October 2022, 6.30 PM EEST (UTC+3). Professor Green will also deliver a lecture at 5:10 pm EEST (UTC+3) on 26th October 2022. For more information, press conference details or interview requests, please contact: Saiansha Panangipalli Email: [email protected] and [email protected]; Tel: +91 99715 74820 Q/A with Martin Green about PERC: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M5qSa2GnIdH0clWpOHDXIxWZdKeiVUqx/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107249428655872742154&rtpof=true&sd=true Watch and download a video and photos about Professor Martin Green, the 2022 Millennium Technology Award prize winner: here. About the Millennium Technology Prize: The 1 million Millennium Technology Prize is the preeminent award focused on technological innovations for a better life. This includes work that improves human well-being, biodiversity, and wider sustainability. Overseen by the Technology Academy Finland, it was first awarded in 2004 and its patron is the President of the Republic of Finland. Winners are selected by a distinguished international panel of experts from academia and industry. Innovations must be backed up by rigorous academic and scientific research and fulfill several criteria, including promoting sustainable development and biodiversity, generating applications with commercial viability, and creating accessible socio-economic value. Past winning projects range from DNA sequencing that helped to develop COVID-19 vaccines, to ethical stem-cell research and versatile, affordable smart technology. For other information, visit https://millenniumprize.org/ . The previous winners of the Millennium Technology Prize are: 2004 - Sir Tim Berners-Lee for the World Wide Web; 2006 - Professor Shuji Nakamura for the production of the first successful blue LED, the final step in creating a brilliant white LED; 2008 - Professor Robert Langer for his work in controlled drug delivery, the underlying technology behind mRNA vaccines. 2010 - Professor Michael Gratzel for third generation dye-sensitized solar cells, which promise electricity-generating windows and low-cost solar panels; 2012 - Joint winners: Professor Shinya Yamanaka , for ethical stem cell research and Linus Torvalds for the Linux open-source operating system, which has become the basis of Android smartphones, tablets, digital television recorders and supercomputers the world over; 2014 - Professor Stuart Parkin , for developing increased data storage density, which has enabled a thousand-fold increase in the storage capacity of magnetic disk drives; 2016 - Dr Frances Arnold , for her work on directed evolution, which mimics natural evolution to create new and better proteins in the laboratory, and is being used to create green alternatives to fossil-based raw materials; 2018 - Dr Tuomo Suntola , for atomic layer deposition (ALD), that enables manufacture of nanoscale thin material layers for microprocessors and digital memory devices, which has helped revolutionize smartphones. 2020 - Joint winners: Professor Shankar Balasubramanian and Professor David Klenerman , for the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology that can accurately determine the complete DNA sequence of an organism at a low-cost and in super-fast times and has helped researchers identify the underlying factors in individuals that contribute to their immune response to COVID-19. About the Millennium Innovation Forum: The Millennium Innovation Forum brings together people from business, academia, and the public sector to discuss new solutions to global problems. This year's forum is hosted by Jason Palmer, presenter of The Intelligence podcast published by The Economist. Sessions include Diversity in RDI, Green Transition, Digital Transformation and Resilience. For information on speakers, sessions and watching the forum and Professor Green's lecture online, visit: https://millenniumprize.org/events/millennium-innovation-forum/ To request press accreditation for attending the Millennium Innovation Forum, visit: https://e.eventos.fi/events/tapaus/millennium-innovation-forum/mif-media About Technology Academy Finland: Technology Academy Finland (TAF) awards the global 1 million Millennium Technology Prize and runs associated events and initiatives. It provides an international meeting ground for corporate life, academia, and policymakers, and promotes Finland's position in the global community. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/13722/3653705/1642744.pdf MTP2022 Press Release SOURCE Technology Academy Finland (TAF) Jonathan Mugler brings over 20 years of fashion retail experience to Stand Out For Good, Inc. and AS Revival KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stand Out For Good, Inc., parent company of popular women's fashion brand Altar'd State, announces the opening of an activewear brand for everyday and welcomes Jonathan Mugler as brand president. The company's newest brand is devoted to women on the journey of physical, mental and spiritual growth. AS Revival is created for movement of all kinds like a walk on the beach, a trip to the local market, a morning yoga class or a casual day of running errands. I am proud and overjoyed to join Stand Out For Good, Inc. and lead this beautiful and inspiring new brand, said Jonathan Mugler, AS Revival brand president. AS Revival Logo "I am proud and overjoyed to join Stand Out For Good, Inc. and lead this beautiful and inspiring new brand," said Jonathan Mugler. "AS Revival is welcomed by a family of successful brands that are dedicated to making a difference for their guests and communities around the world. I look forward to seeing the brand and company continue to grow." Jonathan Mugler brings more than 20 years of fashion retail experience driving in-store and digital growth, elevating the customer experience and delivering industry-leading results for a variety of well-known brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic and Victoria's Secret. While at Victoria's Secret, Jonathan served as executive vice president and general merchandise manager of PINK. Jonathan was responsible for ensuring that PINK company culture focused on best-in-class collaboration between merchandising, design, marketing, planning and stores, ultimately leading to outstanding product for the PINK customer. He most recently served as interim president at tween retailer Justice, overseeing all aspects of the business. "We're delighted to have Jonathan join the team as our new AS Revival brand president. His industry experience, focus and dedication to the guest will help grow a successful new brand and continue our commitment to offering an uplifting and welcoming customer experience," said Aaron Walters, chairman and CEO of Stand Out For Good, Inc. "AS Revival reflects the style our guest loves and provides the activewear shopping experience she deserves." AS Revival will soon open its first brick-and-mortar locations in Colorado, Tennessee, South Dakota and North Carolina. For more information, visit asrevival.com . About AS Revival AS Revival is an activewear brand for everyday devoted to women on the journey of growthphysical, mental, and spiritualmeeting her wherever she is in her journey. AS Revival is committed to offering an uplifting, welcoming and inspiring shopping experience to leave the guest feeling confident, celebrated and inspired. AS Revival is created for movement of all kinds like a walk on the beach, a trip to the local market, a morning yoga class or a casual day of running errands. To learn more, visit asrevival.com . About Stand Out For Good, Inc. Stand Out For Good, Inc. is a purpose-based, inspiring lifestyle and fashion family of brands rooted in community and committed to giving back. From welcoming experiences and warm associates to thoughtfully curated products in-store and online, Stand Out For Good, Inc. represents 128 Altar'd State stores, 36 Arula boutiques, eight Vow'd boutiques and five Tullabee boutiques in 39 states. Stand Out For Good is built upon the founding principles of giving back and making a difference in the world. Locally in communities nationwide and globally too, Stand Out For Good, Inc. has partnered with over 4,000 nonprofits that provide food, clothing, resources, education, and love to children in need. To learn more about the Stand Out For Good, Inc. family of brands, visit their websites at altardstate.com , arula.com , vowdweddings.com , tullabee.com and asrevival.com . Media Contact: Laura Mansfield, APR Tombras [email protected] 865.599.9968 SOURCE Stand Out For Good, Inc. DUBLIN, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Strategic Overview of Start-ups Disrupting the Global Connected Car Industry, 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. In-vehicle innovations and futuristic technologies are allowing automakers to offer a new generation of products and services to drivers and passengers. The possibilities have given rise to numerous start-ups that are helping original equipment manufacturers to develop solutions or use vehicle data in new ways. This study includes a list of more than 175 start-ups in the fields of connected services, user-based insurance, vehicle data platforms, telematics, cybersecurity, and software platforms. The publisher considers a start-up to be any entrepreneur/intrapreneur venture where 1 or more entrepreneurs, family members, or friends provide the initial funding; any firm dependent on pre-seed, seed, and series funding; or any firm that a parent company spins off to form a new entity/subsidiary. The publisher used 2 benchmarking levels to further assess companies in the following areas: management team regional impact market attractiveness employee strength year of establishment business scalability total addressable market portfolio strength stakeholder ecosystem partnerships cyber-risk intensity From this, a final top 10 is determined in each segment, and the 3 leaders are examined in more detail. The project also explores growth drivers and restraints that will affect the connected car market through 2028, examines recent funding and regional presence, and presents growth opportunities that warrant further exploration and action. Key Topics Covered: 1 Strategic Imperatives Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative 8T The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on Start-ups in the Connected Car Industry Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline EngineT 2 Market Overview Research Scope Market Segmentation and Definitions Key Competitors Connected Car Unit Shipment Forecast Connected Car Unit Shipment Forecast by Region Unit Shipment Forecast for Cars With Embedded Telematics Analysis by Segment and Region Growth Drivers Growth Restraints Start-up Definition The Start-up Methodology Step 1 of the Benchmarking Criteria - Definition Step 2 of the Benchmarking Criteria - Definition Benchmark Overview The Start-up Ecosystem Top 3 Players in Key Connected Car Segments Key Participants Investing in Start-ups Recently Funded Start-ups Connected Car Start-ups by Region APAC Emerging as a Global Destination for Start-up Investments for the Connected Car Market Start-up Penetration by Segment Key Conclusion and Findings 3 Connected Services Shortlisting Exercise - Step 1 of the Benchmarking Criteria Criteria to Shortlist Companies Start-up Evaluation Radar - Scorecard Cubic Telecom Profile INRIX Profile Sibros Profile 4 Cybersecurity Shortlisting Exercise - Step 1 of the Benchmarking Criteria Criteria to Shortlist Companies Start-up Evaluation Radar - Scorecard Upstream Security Profile AutoCrypt Profile Argus Cyber Security Profile 5 Telematics Shortlisting Exercise - Step 1 of the Benchmarking Criteria Criteria to Shortlist Companies Start-up Evaluation Radar - Scorecard PATEO Profile Autotalks Profile Cambridge Mobile Telematics Profile 6 Vehicle Data Platforms Shortlisting Exercise - Step 1 of the Benchmarking Criteria Criteria to Shortlist Companies Start-up Evaluation Radar - Scorecard Wejo Profile Otonomo Profile Miovision Profile 7 User-based Insurance Shortlisting Exercise - Step 1 of the Benchmarking Criteria Criteria to Shortlist Companies Start-up Evaluation Radar - Scorecard Metromile Profile Zego Profile Root Insurance Profile 8 Software Platform Shortlisting Exercise - Step 1 of the Benchmarking Criteria Criteria to Shortlist Companies Start-up Evaluation Radar - Scorecard Sonatus Profile Mapbox Profile Cover Genius Profile 9 Growth Opportunity Universe Growth Opportunity 1 - Collection and Analysis of Vehicle Data Growth Opportunity 2 - Advanced HMI Technologies Growth Opportunity 3 - Electric and Autonomous Technology 10 Next Steps Your Next Steps About the Publisher List of Exhibits Legal Disclaimer Companies Mentioned Sonatus Mapbox Cover Genius Metromile Zego Root Insurance Wejo Otonomo Miovision PATEO Autotalks Cambridge Mobile Telematics Upstream Security AutoCrypt Argus Cyber Security Cubic Telecom INRIX Sibros For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/cr09w9 Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Surge Energy US Holdings Company ("Surge Energy" or the "Company") announces a full repayment in October of the Company's revolving credit facility ("Credit Facility"). The primary usage of the outstanding debt on the Credit Facility was for two acquisitions in 2021 that resulted in increased acreage of approximately 22,000 acres, added over 100 drilling locations, added cash flow generating production, and increased the Company's scope and scale. The total acquisition consideration was $457.5 million at the time of each closing. The outstanding debt on the Credit Facility at year-end 2021 was $355 million. Additionally, the Company has further reduced debt via partial repurchases of the Company's Senior Notes due 2026 and Senior Notes due 2027. Through October 24, 2022, the Company has repurchased $69 million of face-value bonds, resulting in a total debt reduction of $424 million in 2022. As a result of the debt reduction, the Company's trailing twelve-month leverage ratio has also improved and is expected to be approximately 1.0x by year-end 2022. "The quick pay down of the revolver following the acquisitions in 2021 is a result of Surge's strong assets, commitment to discipline, and the quality of our people," stated Chief Financial Officer James Welch. "This paydown once again positions Surge for additional growth in the future." About Surge Energy Surge Energy US Holdings Company is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the development, exploitation, production and acquisition of oil and natural gas reserves in the Midland Basin of West Texas, one of three primary sub-basins of the Permian Basin. The Company is headquartered in Houston, Texas, and currently holds approximately 114,000 net acres in the Permian Basin. For more information, visit our website at www.SurgeEnergyA.com. SOURCE Surge Energy Hong Kong: Govt not to appeal judicial review The Government announced today that it has decided not to appeal against the Court of First Instances October 21 judgment on the judicial review application on COVID-19 Vaccination Medical Exemption Certificates. It made the decision after considering legal advice, the exigency of the fight against the epidemic and the interest of the relevant stakeholders and public at large. It will instead amend the relevant regulations to provide a clear legal basis for the relevant directions. The Prevention & Control of Disease (Vaccine Pass) (Amendment) Regulation 2022 was gazetted today to provide a clear legal basis for handling the exemption certificates issued by individual doctors suspected to have failed to conduct clinical assessment for patients in accordance with Department of Health guidelines to uphold the integrity and robustness of the Vaccine Pass system. Specifically, the amendment regulation empowers the Secretary for Health to declare specified exemption certificates as invalidated when there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that a registered medical practitioner had issued them without conducting clinical assessment. The Secretary for Health may also, on the grounds of public interest, declare all the specified exemption certificates issued by a registered medical practitioner as invalidated. Before those certificates are declared as invalidated, the health chief must have regard to all relevant factors, including but not limited to the possible adverse consequences of the integrity and robustness of the Vaccine Pass system. Whether the registered medical practitioner had issued any exemption certificate without conducting clinical assessment as well as the number, pattern and mode of issuance of exemption certificates by the medical practitioner within a particular span of time should also be taken into consideration. Additionally, the advice of the Director of Health should be taken into account. The amendment regulation also extends the expiry date of the Prevention & Control of Disease (Vaccine Pass) Regulation by six months from December 31, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The Government emphasised that the Vaccine Pass is an important tool to fight against the epidemic and safeguard public health. To uphold the integrity and robustness of the pass and taking into account the court's judgement on the judicial review, the Government has the responsibility to plug the relevant loophole to provide a clear legal basis in preventing those who may not meet the exemption's original intent from continuing to use the certificate. The objective of the relevant measure is to protect individuals who have not yet completed the COVID-19 vaccination course and to reduce the risks borne when they enter high-risk premises, while at the same time, avoiding placing an unnecessary burden on the public healthcare system. The amendment regulation will be tabled at the Legislative Council tomorrow for negative vetting and will be effective on the same day. This story has been published on: 2022-10-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SUSE incorporates its portfolio of Linux and Kubernetes Management into Edge 2.0 providing a secure stack that will allow customers to scale edge operations Also debuting at KubeCon NA, new innovations for the Rancher by SUSE portfolio that will enhance security for cloud native workloads DETROIT, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KubeCon North America -- SUSE, a global leader in innovative, reliable and secure enterprise-grade open source solutions, today announces new advancements that will empower customers to accelerate and scale edge infrastructures as well as transform edge operations. In conjunction with the new advancements for Rancher, SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) Micro and SUSE NeuVector, SUSE's Edge solution brings a highly secure, integrated and scalable platform that simplifies, centralizes and automates Kubernetes and Linux OS lifecycle management across distributed edge locations. "Combining the industry's most widely adopted certified lightweight Kubernetes distro and our industry leading enterprise-ready secure Linux OS built just for the Edge, we're one of the first to deliver a fully integrated cloud native solution that addresses our customer's number one challenge the need to scale. They need the right cloud infrastructure and edge solutions that can scale simply and successfully manage 1000s of clusters across multiple geographical locations," said Keith Basil, SUSE General Manager of Edge. "The amalgamation of cloud native technologies, increased computing speeds, and artificial intelligence is accelerating edge computing. To meet this demand and continue our innovation we will significantly expand investment in our edge business in 2023." A Cloud Native Stack for Full Lifecycle Management at the Edge The need for edge computing is growing. Gartner predicts that by 2025, more than 50% of enterprise-managed data will be created and processed outside the data center or cloud. Similarly, The Linux Foundation found that Edge Computing will be 4x larger than cloud and will generate 75% of data worldwide by 2025. To set customers up for success for the next generation of embedded edge devices and allow customers to scale, SUSE Edge 2.0 delivers a full range of cloud native edge management solutions with security seamlessly integrated across the full stack from applications to Kubernetes to operating systems. With varying edge uses general edge, telecom and automotive that require additional capabilities, only SUSE provides a use case-based edge solution to match the exact needs of the customer. Additional capabilities of Edge 2.0 include: Reduces operational complexity Customers will benefit from a fully integrated solution that offers cost-efficient, centralized management at scale for unsupervised edge locations. This enables IT operators to add new edge devices easily and deliver rolling updates with no impact on availability, which reduces the IT skills required for organizations to deploy modern, cloud native applications at the edge. Customers will benefit from a fully integrated solution that offers cost-efficient, centralized management at scale for unsupervised edge locations. This enables IT operators to add new edge devices easily and deliver rolling updates with no impact on availability, which reduces the IT skills required for organizations to deploy modern, cloud native applications at the edge. Ability to manage both Kubernetes and operating system SUSE Edge 2.0 manages Kubernetes and the underlying operating system from a single control plane and includes around the clock break-fix support and expert consulting services. This enables customers to deliver hassle free operations at every stage of development, including design, deployment and maintenance, when running complex, cloud-native workloads in edge-based locations. SUSE Edge 2.0 manages Kubernetes and the underlying operating system from a single control plane and includes around the clock break-fix support and expert consulting services. This enables customers to deliver hassle free operations at every stage of development, including design, deployment and maintenance, when running complex, cloud-native workloads in edge-based locations. Operating system built for the Edge The latest release of SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) Micro 5.3, which is a lightweight operating system purpose built for containerized and virtualized workloads, is now fully integrated with Rancher. Together with Rancher will provide seamless deployment of SLE Micro 5.3 and give customers the ability to manage operating systems and Kubernetes from one dashboard. Additionally, with Elemental being fully open source, customers now have even more choices for underlying infrastructure. The latest release of SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) Micro 5.3, which is a lightweight operating system purpose built for containerized and virtualized workloads, is now fully integrated with Rancher. Together with Rancher will provide seamless deployment of SLE Micro 5.3 and give customers the ability to manage operating systems and Kubernetes from one dashboard. Additionally, with Elemental being fully open source, customers now have even more choices for underlying infrastructure. Security for any distributed environment With SUSE Edge 2.0, customers can securely implement edge applications at any remote location, in a mini-data center or as an Industrial IoT (IIOT) edge device. Additionally, most secure organizations such as defense and government can incorporate SLE Micro, which adheres to the commercial cybersecurity product certification that is mandated by federal procurement requirements and is planned to be listed at NIAP as under evaluation for FIPS 140-3 certification and Common Criteria. For application level in-cluster security, SUSE NeuVector can be added on top to provide the defense in depth protection as well as zero-trust runtime security. Enhanced Security for Cloud Native Workloads Businesses are increasingly faced with keeping costs down, improving run time and ensuring workloads are secure and scalable all while ensuring they don't get locked into one vendor. With more than 100 million downloads and tens of thousands of production deployments around the world, Rancher maintains its position as one of the industry's most widely adopted container management platform. New features with the upcoming release of Rancher 2.7 will help customers better secure and manage Kubernetes workloads across virtualized, cloud, and bare metal environments, including adding additional operating system management functionality. SUSE NeuVector provides the industry's highest level of security and compliance without compromising application performance and hardware resources. With the upcoming release of SUSE NeuVector 5.1, customers will benefit from more efficient and powerful vulnerability scanning and admission controls across multiple clusters through centralized enterprise scanning, auto-scaling scanners, and support for the new Kubernetes (1.25+) pod security admission (PSA) standard. This release supports the Cilium network plug-in, which will benefit Cilium users with advanced security capabilities, including zero-trust security automation and the full layer 7 firewall protection like WAF (Web Application Firewall), DLP (Data Leakage Prevention), DPI (Deep Packet Inspection), among others. This will also help the same security controls to scale across clusters and clouds which may have different or multiple types of CNI plugins. In addition, the release of open source build tools for the Open Zero Trust project, based on NeuVector, are now available for community users to create and build their own versions of Open Zero Trust. SUSE customer testimonial: "In typical industrial shop floor environments, operational technologies to control automation systems are very difficult to integrate into IT systems. Using SLE Micro, K3s, Rancher and NeuVector in our industrial solutions bridges the gap between shop floor and IT. For our customers, the above components allow for enterprise-IT-grade standardization, security and compliance throughout the whole life cycle of the automation solution." said Dr. Stefan Odermatt, Senior Vice President Global Business Center Systems Research & Development at SICK AG. For more information on Rancher by SUSE, stop by our booth at KubeCon NA (#P23) or to learn more about building the next generation of intelligent edge products with SUSE, visit www.suse.com/solutions/edge-computing. About SUSE SUSE is a global leader in innovative, reliable and secure enterprise-grade open source solutions, relied upon by more than 60% of the Fortune 500 to power their mission-critical workloads. We specialize in Business-critical Linux, Enterprise Container Management and Edge solutions, and collaborate with partners and communities to empower our customers to innovate everywhere from the data center, to the cloud, to the edge and beyond. SUSE puts the "open" back in open source, giving customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow. The company employs more than 2,000 people globally. SUSE is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Forward-Looking Statements Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the company, including statements containing the words "aims," "targets," "will," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," and similar expressions, may constitute forward-looking statements and should be read with caution. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including competitive landscape, development of customer deals, reliance upon customer relationships, management of growth and acquisitions, the possibility of undetected software issues, the risks of impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturns, pricing pressures and the viability of the Internet. In addition, any forward-looking statements included herein represent views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. The Company does not have any obligation to update its forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to change and should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date other than the date of this press release. Copyright 2022 SUSE LLC. All rights reserved. SUSE and the SUSE logo are registered trademarks of SUSE LLC in the United States and other countries. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Natalie Paffmann, [email protected] SOURCE SUSE $25,000 Grand Prize Awarded to Student-Teacher Sarah Grace Ralston of New Albany, Ohio for Italy-Inspired Via Napoli Burger ST. HELENA, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sutter Home Family Vineyards, creator of the nation's longest running burger contest, today announced Sarah Grace Ralston of New Albany, Ohio as the Grand Prize Winner of its annual Build a Better Burger Recipe Contest, an American tradition since 1990. Sutter Home awarded Ralston with a $25,000 cash prize after five culinary judges tasted and declared her Via Napoli Burger the winner at the annual live cook-off held at the historic Sutter Home Victorian Inn in Napa Valley. Five regional champions competed for the top prize, with recipes spanning the Char Siu Glazed Banh Mi Burgers with Pickled Carrots & Pork Pate submitted by Chera Little of Austin, Texas to the Plant-Based Greek Perfection created by Kathleen McCarey of Tampa, Florida. All five semi-finalists received high praises from the judging panel, but only Ralston was awarded the enviable $25,000 grand prize that inspired hundreds of recipe entries during the contest's 32nd year. Winning "Via Napoli Burger" inspired by the flavors of Italys Naples and Amalfi Coast regions Grand Prize Winner: Student-Teacher Sarah Grace Ralston of New Albany, Ohio Sarah Grace Ralston (right) receives $25,000 grand prize at cook-off held at historic Sutter Home Victorian Inn in Napa Valley The Via Napoli Burger recipe that won the hearts of the judging panel borrowed inspiration from the flavors of Italy. "I had just returned from a dream trip to Italy with my extended family and I was feeling inspired by the incredible bounty of wonderful flavors," Ralston recounted. "A highlight was a trip to Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Sun-ripened red tomatoes bursting with flavor, huge bright lemons, fresh rocket arugula and gorgeous Italian meats were everywhere I looked. Creating this burger was a fun way to celebrate my adventure." Ralston's wine pairing came just as intuitively. "Personally, my all-time favorite Sutter Home wine is the Red Blend. I knew that it would pair perfectly with that Italian flavor. I just wanted to stick with my favorite. I knew it would pair perfectly and I just went with it." The live judging panel lauded the decision; following Ralston's announcement as winner, Chef Lars Kronmark of Culinary Institute of America praised, "The wine pairing with your burger was the best of all five." Five judges comprised the judging panel: Ziggy Eschliman, @ziggythewinegal; Katie Hamilton Shaffer, @feastitforward; Chef Lars Kronmark, Culinary Institute of America; Liam Mayclem, Eye On The Bay & The Foodie Chap; and Liren Baker, @kitchconfidante. Each appreciated the burger's balance of flavors and rich inspiration from Italy's Naples and Amalfi Coast regions. "The burger was really creative, with an extraordinary use of ingredients," Eschliman said. "I thought it had all the things, from start to finish; it was juicy, it was succulent, it was delicious, it was savory, with a little bit of sweet. It had everything that you would want. The creativity for me was really tops. Plus, it was Italian it took me right there. It's the best way to get to Italy every bite of it." Mayclem concurred: "The burger delivered on everything that was promised. It was juicy, it was yummy, it was a party on the palate. You took us on a trip to Italy. You delivered on the name. All the other burgers were great in their own way; this one went over the top and delivered." Hamilton Shaffer put it even more simply, "No joke, I ate every bit of the burger. You are amazing. I loved it. I would have eaten five of them." Baker concluded, "Every burger was amazing, but yours had the wow factor. I cannot wait to make it at home over and over again." Student-Teacher Ralston's well-deserved big check will be put to good use next school year. "I am currently student teaching in a first-grade classroom and I'm graduating in May," Ralston said. "I hope to have my own kindergarten or first-grade classroom, so I'm going to use the money to buy books for my students, buy a beautiful carpet for the classroom and just make it the most welcoming space possible for them." The family-owned Napa Valley winery shares in Ralston's celebration. "The Sutter Home team couldn't be happier that Sarah took home the grand prize of this year's Build a Better Burger Recipe Contest," said Jennifer Hohman, director of marketing for Sutter Home. "We all join Sarah in raising a glass of her favorite Sutter Home Red Blend and we wish her all the best as she begins this next chapter of her exciting teaching career." Sutter Home's Build a Better Burger Recipe Contest will once again open in spring 2023, for its 33rd year. All are encouraged to submit their favorite burger recipes for their chance to win $25,000. For additional information on the contest or to access past Sutter Home Build a Better Burger recipes, along with wine pairing suggestions, visit www.sutterhome.com. About Sutter Home When the Trinchero family bought the Sutter Home Winery in 1948, they had vision, passion and a keen insight into consumer tastes. In the early 1970s, Sutter Home revolutionized the way Americans enjoyed wine when it created the first-ever White Zinfandel, introducing a new, sweeter style of winealong with several other crowd-pleasing varietalsat an affordable price. By the 1980s and 1990s, Sutter Home became a household name as the second largest independent, family-owned winery in the United States. In 2005, the winery was the first to produce the groundbreaking single-serve, 187mL package in lightweight plastic bottles. Today, Sutter Home continues to reflect the evolution of its consumers, offering 24 different varietals in 750mL, 187mL and 1.5L bottles, plus 500mL Tetra Pak packages. For more information visit www.SutterHome.com. Social Media Facebook: @SutterHome Instagram: @SutterHomeWines Twitter: @SutterHome SOURCE Sutter Home Family Vineyards RESTON, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Takt, the leader in modern Labor and Productivity software, has announced the appointment of Marc Levin to Chief Revenue Officer. Marc joins Takt to accelerate the company's ongoing expansion in North America, as companies increasingly prioritize productivity and employee engagement and retention as a result of ongoing labor and supply chain challenges. Marc comes to Takt with 30+ years of experience in the Supply Chain sector, with an emphasis on Retail, CPG, and Technology clients. Marc has spent his career helping companies leverage modern and emerging technologies to address real world scenarios with actionable intelligence. He is recognized as both a sales and strategy development leader, with accomplishments that span North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific Region. "Some of the most recognizable retail, e-commerce, and CPG companies already rely on Takt to create operational efficiencies and employee engagement within their facilities. Labor and productivity challenges continue to be a boardroom discussion, and I am excited about helping our customers promote the potential of their team members." "From our first conversation, it was clear that Marc was a true 'builder,' capable of creating Sales and go-to-market teams from the ground up," remarked Takt CEO & Co-founder Glynn LoPresti. "He has an incredible revenue-focused acumen, and is a perfect cultural fit for Takt. He will be an invaluable part of the success of the Takt company and team." About Takt Headquartered in the heart of Northern Virginia's tech corridor, Takt provides the insights and actions that drive increased productivity and engagement in operational facilities. The Takt platform puts organizations in control of their productivity and empowers colleagues at every level with the information and guidance they need to make an impact: improving efficiency; reducing cost; and creating a more engaged workforce. https://www.takt.io/ Media Contact: Alex Rhea (571) 390-3113 [email protected] SOURCE Takt, Inc. MILFORD, Conn. and LONDON and COLOGNE, Germany, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Teavaro and the Customer Data Platform Institute today released a free, in-depth training course on Identity Resolution. The course is the first in a series planned by CDP Institute, a vendor-neutral organization that educates organizations about customer data management tools and techniques. The Identity Resolution course is available for online, on-demand delivery. It includes modules on Identity Resolution Fundamentals, Identity Graphs, Data Privacy and Identity Resolution, and Benefits of Identity Resolution. Each module includes several lessons with video lecture, exercises, and downloadable supplemental materials. Users can complete the course at their own pace. Anyone can register for the course at https://academy.teavaro.com/. There is no fee and student information will not be shared with anyone outside of Teavaro and the CDP Institute. "Identity resolution is a critically important but poorly understood topic for today's marketers," said Dr. Dirk Rohweder, COO and Co-Founder of Teavaro, a cloud-based Customer Data Platform that helps organizations deliver personalized marketing experiences on any media and device. "We are pleased to offer this course as a way of helping the marketing community understand how to gain the most value from modern identity resolution techniques." "We applaud Teavaro's generosity in making this course available to the marketing community," said David M. Raab, CEO and Founder of the Customer Data Platform Institute. "Equipping marketers with a better understanding of identity resolution will help them to address third-party cookie deprecation, new privacy regulations, and customer expectations for a unified experience across all interactions." About Teavaro Teavaro helps you to truly connect with your customers in a digital world. Our platform creates value from knowing your customers based on consent. Identity resolution across devices, channels, and domains is the foundation of our offering and any first-party data strategy. It is the key enabler for personalization, higher media efficiency, and improved multi-touch attribution. Our enterprise-grade platform is built based on data security and privacy by design. Combining innovation with agility, we support you to build real-time marketing at scale. Teavaro is certified as a RealCDP by the CDP Institute. About CDP Institute The Customer Data Platform Institute educates marketers and marketing technologists about customer data management. The mission of the Institute is to provide vendor-neutral information about issues, methods, and technologies for creating unified, persistent customer databases. Activities include publishing of educational materials, news about industry developments, best practice guides and benchmarks, directories of industry vendors, and consulting on related issues. The Institute is managed by Raab Associates, a consultancy specializing in marketing technology and analysis. Raab Associates identified the Customer Data Platform category in 2013. Funding is provided by a consortium of CDP vendors. SOURCE Customer Data Platform Institute; Teavaro LONDON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tech-driven hospitality provider, Bob W, which offers a smarter and more sustainable alternative to hotels and short-stay rentals, has secured 21 million in series A funding, led by IDC Ventures, Elevator Ventures, Verve Ventures and Flashpoint. Sebastian Emberger (L) and Niko Karstikko (R), co-founders of Bob W (photo credit: Bob W) Based in Helsinki and Tallinn, Bob W services consumers as well as companies, including international start-ups and next-generation enterprises in fields such as tech and creative industries. Despite being founded just before the pandemic, Bob W has quickly become a rising star in the hospitality space, seeing its year-on-year revenue grow by 800%, along with excellent margins, whilst achieving an average guest rating of 4.8 (out of 5) and a net promoter score of close to 90. The series A funding comes as a vote of confidence in Bob W's ground-breaking concept: tech-powered short-stay apartments that combine hotel-like quality with the authenticity of individual rentals. Besides funding expansion into new and existing markets, there will be investments made into scaling its autonomous full-stack tech platform. Niko Karstikko, co-founder and CEO of Bob W, comments: "Our goal is to use the funds to create a new industry benchmark for digital experience, and to support our explosive growth in new European markets beyond the UK, Spain, Finland and Estonia, where we currently operate. "We have demonstrated, despite the challenging business and investment climate, that we can deliver a strong performance, which is reflected in our ability to raise capital. The resilience that we have shown, underpinned by our unique concept, robust tech platform and genuine sustainability credentials, sets us up perfectly for future expansion, whether through organic growth or mergers and acquisitions. "We are resetting the expectation of hospitality for the consumer and now we can expand our reach across Europe with over 20 cities in our expansion pipeline." The Bob W brand is taking head on the challenge of gaining a market leadership position in the tech-enabled hospitality operation space. For more information on the brand and properties in its portfolio visit https://bobw.co. NOTES TO EDITORS About Bob W Bob's exceptionally cool short-stay accommodation caters to the 21st-century traveller who wants it all: the consistent quality of a hotel and the authentic flair and affordability of a short-stay rental. The company combine the best of both worlds in its tech-powered and sustainably operated properties in Europe's most interesting neighbourhoods. Backed by Europe's top venture capitalists, family offices and entrepreneurs including ByFounders, IDC Ventures, Elevator ventures, Verve VC, NREP, Tesi, Wolt-cofounder Miki Kuusi and Supercell-cofounder Ilkka Paananen, Bob W is building the technology to give every guest a local, contactless five-star experience at scale. The tech company operates in 4 markets in Europe today with rapid expansion secured across the continent. Check out Bob W's 60-second intro video to learn more. For Bob W press pack, images, assets and more visit https://bobw.co/press. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1927911/Bob_W.jpg SOURCE BOB W TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Global IT research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group has released a new blueprint titled Considerations for a Move to Virtual Desktops. The industry resource was created to assist IT professionals in considering virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) or desktop as a service (DaaS). These solutions can increase user satisfaction, reduce IT complexity, decrease management and storage costs, and maintain a secure and effective environment for both the end user and the business. The four dimensions of the end-user experience, according to Info-Tech Research Group's "Considerations for a Move to Virtual Desktops" client advisory deck. (CNW Group/Info-Tech Research Group) Info-Tech's new research analyzes the user experience data that the IT industry tracks but often doesn't use or even consider. VDI or DaaS users expect the user experience to be at least equal to that provided by a physical desktop and typically do not concern themselves with the underlying infrastructure. If the experience is less, it means IT has failed in the considerations for VDI/DaaS. "If employees are the competitive edge and key differentiators for a business, Infrastructure & Operations (I&O) has a duty of care to ensure that the employees' digital experience enables and does not impede the value of that asset," says John Annand, principal director at Info-Tech Research Group. Hybrid work environments and the security concerns that come with them have accelerated the move to VDI and DaaS solutions, but implementation comes with its own unique set of challenges to consider when deciding which solution is best suited for the business. In addition to considering the user experience, IT must also ensure productivity standards throughout the process, both strategically and tactically. Common obstacles IT departments may encounter include complicated shared infrastructure, inadequate in-house training, or insufficient staff to execute migration or manage post-migration activities such as governance and retention policies and other security, compliance, legal, and data classification concerns. Info-Tech Research Group recommends that organizations define their end goals, frame solutions based on end-user workloads, and understand the pros and cons to decide which solutions will best meet business needs. The new data-backed blueprint offers self-evaluation tools and questions IT leaders can ask themselves in order to accomplish these steps: Define and build your value hypothesis/proposition\ What is the business case? Who is championing the investment? Identify the project management team and stakeholders. Set goals to be achieved based on value. Identify KPIs and metrics to measure success. Identify use cases and personas Identify possible user friction ( e . g ., emotional, cognitive, interaction). Understand current infrastructure shortcomings and capabilities ( e . g ., network, security posture and tolerance, staffing needs, qualified technicians, end-user devices, etc.). Articulate use cases into functional and non-functional requirements Separate must-haves and nice-to-haves. Categorize requirements into identifiable functionality capabilities. Review your outputs and identify "gotchas" using the MECE (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive) principle. Conducting a self-evaluation of the business and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of in-house technical skills and business requirements will assist IT leaders in making the right decision when it comes to VDI or DaaS solutions. For the full research-driven resource, download the Considerations for a Move to Virtual Desktops blueprint from Info-Tech Research Group. To learn more about Info-Tech Research Group, visit www.infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and Twitter. About Info-Tech Research Group Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations. Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and Industry analysts through the ITRG Media Insiders Program. To gain access, contact [email protected] . SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group BEIJING, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Edianyun has updated the prospectus for the HKEX listing application. As disclosed by Hong Kong Stock Exchange on September 9, Edianyun submitted its listing application to the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange again, with CICC as its sole sponsor. Edianyun, China's major office IT integrated solution provider, offers one-stop office IT services on a subscription basis for SMEs. According to Frost & Sullivan, Edianyun is the first and largest office IT integrated solution provider in China in terms of revenue, number of devices under service, and remanufacturing capacity. Stand in the Forefront of the Innovative Office IT Services Edianyun provides SMEs with innovative one-stop office IT solutions, and deliver customized computer devices with pre-installed OS, optional software and independently developed office IT management tools as customers require. The company can also provide managed IT services. Edianyun is able to provide one-stop services ranging from device ordering, management, field check to bulk shipping. In other words, Edianyun can offer comprehensive IT service support for business customers. Edianyun provides 24/7 IT support and assistance through remote help desk services and implements quality control standards both internally and externally to enhance customer experience. Edianyun channels attention to every detail of service like a butler to enhance its credibility and satisfy customers. Edianyun performs routine inspection on hardware during regular on-site visits to proactively address minor hardware issues before they escalate into expensive and unplanned outages, and thereby minimize office IT downtime for customers. Edianyun shifts its focus from IT hardware and its basic maintenance to one-stop IT operation and maintenance management. By providing software and system maintenance and data services, the service team can help customer ensure consistent and stable IT operations. The Good Development Momentum Reflected by Financial Data The updated prospectus shows that Edianyun has a good financial performance: its revenue has increased from RMB 632 million in 2019 to RMB 813 million in 2020 and RMB 1,184 million in 2021, and from RMB 518 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 to RMB 656 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022; its gross profit margin has increased from 38.0% in 2019 to 41.4% in 2020 and 47.7% in 2021, and from 47.9% for the six months ended June 30, 2021 to 50.9% for the six months ended June 30 of 2022. The adjusted net profits of Edianyun for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the year ended June 30, 2022 are RMB 94 million and RMB 74 million, respectively. The digital transformation demand of SMEs promises Edianyun strong and huge development potential. The growth and resilience shown in the financial data proves that the innovative business model of Edianyun is viable. Specifically, it's about providing customer-oriented one-stop services, efficient operation system support and accumulated remanufacturing technologies to seek dynamic and coordinated development. SOURCE Edianyun DUBLIN, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aluminium Market - Global Industry Analysis (2018 - 2021) - Growth Trends and Market Forecast (2022 - 2030)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global aluminum market is expected to grow from its 2021 valuation of US$ 245.7 billion and reach US$ 498.5 billion by 2030. This growth will occur at a sound CAGR of 5.8% between 2022 and 2030. Aluminum is one of the most widely used metals in the world. From airplanes to utensils, aluminum's use cases are far-reaching. Its qualities such as lighter weight, durability, corrosion resistance, and heat and electricity conductivity have diversified its end-use applications. The ability to use aluminum in a wide range of industries, rapid industrialization, and tech-driven developments in the automotive industry are expected to augment the demand for aluminum in the coming years. Moreover, secondary aluminum is also gaining tremendous traction owing to its application in construction materials, transportation, packaging foils and cans among others. The cumulative force of these factors is poised to unlock new revenue avenues in the global aluminum market. Key Insights and Trends Across Global Aluminum Market The rolled and extruded aluminum segment accounted for a share of over 60% in the global aluminum market in 2021. This is due to its diverse applications in aerospace, automotive, electrical, consumer goods, and packaging industries. As of 2021, the Asia Pacific commanded a staggering 69% of the total value share. APAC's automotive, construction, and manufacturing sectors are expected to maintain their status as the key demand pools within its aluminum market. commanded a staggering 69% of the total value share. APAC's automotive, construction, and manufacturing sectors are expected to maintain their status as the key demand pools within its aluminum market. In terms of volume, secondary aluminum held an overall share of 29% in the aluminum market owing to its advantages, such as lower production costs and lesser energy consumption. Rolled and Extruded Aluminum to Garner Promising Demand Amidst Extensive Application in Diverse Industries Aluminum semis are available in a wide range of shapes and sizes including extruded, rolled, forged, cast, and cable forms. Among these, rolled and extruded aluminum generate significant demand in the overall aluminum market. Flat-rolled aluminum finds considerable application in industries such as aerospace, electrical, automotive, consumer goods, and packaging. The growing focus on building lightweight and fuel-efficient automobiles are creating promising market trends for rolled aluminum. It is used in the car's body, interior and exterior panels, and heat exchangers. Meanwhile, extruded aluminum is in high demand owing to its strength, durability, and flexibility. This makes it an excellent product for usage in construction, transportation, and consumer goods industries. Such widespread applications are set to maintain the global aluminum market growth during the study period. Asia Pacific to Lead Aluminum Market Amidst Flourishing Manufacturing Industry The thriving manufacturing sector and high consumption of aluminum in the Asia Pacific are set to establish the region as the leading aluminum market in the projection period. Major economies such as China and India are contributing significantly to such market growth. Notably, promising advancements in China's automotive and aerospace industries are scaling the expansion of APAC's aluminum market. Furthermore, favourable construction and automotive manufacturing activities in India are enabling the Asia Pacific to sustain its dominance in the global aluminum market. Notable Market Players Some of the prominent market entities operating in the global aluminum market include China Hongqiao Group Co. Ltd., Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco), Shandong Xinfa Aluminium Group, United Company Rusal IPJSC, Emirates Global Aluminium, Alcoa Corporation, and Hindalco Industries Limited. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Market Overview 2.1. Market Definitions and Segmentations 2.2. Market Dynamics 2.2.1. Drivers 2.2.2. Restraints 2.2.3. Market Opportunities 2.3. Value Chain Analysis 2.4. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 2.5. Covid-19 Impact Analysis 2.5.1. Supply 2.5.2. Demand 2.6. Role of Aluminum in Low Carbon Future 2.7. Government Policies to Encourage Aluminum Sustainability 2.8. Impact of Ukraine-Russia Conflict 2.9. Economic Overview 2.9.1. World Economic Projections 2.9.2. Electric Car Registrations and Market Share, 2015-2021 2.9.3. Per Capita Aluminum Consumption, by Major Countries, 2020 2.10. PESTLE Analysis 3. Production Output and Trade Statistics 3.1. Global Bauxite Reserves, by Country, 2021 3.2. Global Bauxite Production, by Region, 2021 3.3. Global Alumina Production, by Region, 2021 3.4. Global Primary Aluminum Production, 2018 - 2021 3.5. Aluminum Import Statistics, 2018-2021 3.6. Aluminum Export Statistics, 2018-2021 4. Price Trends Analysis and Future Projects, 2018 - 2030 4.1. Global Average Price Analysis, by Source, US$ per Kg 4.2. Prominent Factors Affecting Aluminum Prices 4.3. Global Average Price Analysis, by Region, US$ per Kg 5. Global Aluminum Market Outlook, 2018 - 2030 5.1. Global Aluminum Market Outlook, by Source, Volume (Kilo Tons) and Value (US$ Mn), 2018 - 2030 5.1.1. Key Highlights 5.1.1.1. Primary Aluminum 5.1.1.2. Secondary Aluminum 5.2. Global Aluminum Market Outlook, by Product, Volume (Kilo Tons) and Value (US$ Mn), 2018 - 2030 5.2.1. Key Highlights 5.2.1.1. Flat 5.2.1.2. Extruded 5.2.1.3. Forged 5.2.1.4. Cast 5.2.1.5. Wires & Cables 5.2.1.6. Misc. (Pastes, Pigments, etc.) 5.3. Global Aluminum Market Outlook, by End-users, Volume (Kilo Tons) and Value (US$ Mn), 2018 - 2030 5.3.1. Key Highlights 5.3.1.1. Automotive 5.3.1.1.1. Conventional Vehicles 5.3.1.1.2. Electric Vehicles 5.3.1.2. Transportation 5.3.1.2.1. Aerospace 5.3.1.2.2. Rail 5.3.1.2.3. Marine 5.3.1.3. Packaging 5.3.1.4. Construction 5.3.1.5. Consumer Durables 5.3.1.6. Machinery & Equipment 5.3.1.7. Electrical 5.3.1.8. Misc. (Sport Goods, Defense, etc.) 5.4. Global Aluminum Market Outlook, by Region, Volume (Kilo Tons) and Value (US$ Mn), 2018 - 2030 5.4.1. Key Highlights 5.4.1.1. North America 5.4.1.2. Europe 5.4.1.3. Asia Pacific 5.4.1.4. Latin America 5.4.1.5. Middle East & Africa 6. North America Aluminum Market Outlook, 2018 - 2030 7. Europe Aluminum Market Outlook, 2018 - 2030 8. Asia Pacific Aluminum Market Outlook, 2018 - 2030 9. Latin America Aluminum Market Outlook, 2018 - 2030 10. Middle East & Africa Aluminum Market Outlook, 2018 - 2030 11. Competitive Landscape 11.1. Product vs Application Heatmap 11.2. Manufacturer vs Application Heatmap 11.3. Company Market Share Analysis, 2021 11.4. Competitive Dashboard 11.5. Company Profiles 11.5.1. Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco) 11.5.1.1. Company Overview 11.5.1.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.1.3. Financial Overview 11.5.1.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.2. China Hongqiao Group Co. Ltd. 11.5.2.1. Company Overview 11.5.2.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.2.3. Financial Overview 11.5.2.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.3. United Company Rusal IPJSC 11.5.3.1. Company Overview 11.5.3.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.3.3. Financial Overview 11.5.3.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.4. Shandong Xinfa Aluminum Group 11.5.4.1. Company Overview 11.5.4.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.4.3. Financial Overview 11.5.4.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.5. Rio Tinto Group 11.5.5.1. Company Overview 11.5.5.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.5.3. Financial Overview 11.5.5.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.6. Emirates Global Aluminum 11.5.6.1. Company Overview 11.5.6.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.6.3. Financial Overview 11.5.6.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.7. Alcoa Corporation 11.5.7.1. Company Overview 11.5.7.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.7.3. Financial Overview 11.5.7.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.8. State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC) 11.5.8.1. Company Overview 11.5.8.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.8.3. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.9. Norsk Hydro ASA 11.5.9.1. Company Overview 11.5.9.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.9.3. Financial Overview 11.5.9.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.10. Hindalco Industries Limited 11.5.10.1. Company Overview 11.5.10.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.10.3. Financial Overview 11.5.10.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.11. Vedanta Limited 11.5.11.1. Company Overview 11.5.11.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.11.3. Financial Overview 11.5.11.4. Business Strategies and Development 11.5.12. South32 Limited 11.5.12.1. Company Overview 11.5.12.2. Product Portfolio 11.5.12.3. Financial Overview 11.5.12.4. Business Strategies and Development 12. Appendix For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/onlfj Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg SOURCE Research and Markets Consolidated Results of Operations - Three-Month Periods Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021: KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Health Realty Income Trust (NYSE:UHT) announced today that for the three-month period ended September 30, 2022, net income was $4.8 million, or $.35 per diluted share, as compared to $5.3 million, or $.39 per diluted share, during the third quarter of 2021. As calculated on the attached Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule"), our funds from operations ("FFO"), were $11.8 million, or $.86 per diluted share, during the third quarter of 2022, as compared to $12.6 million, or $.92 per diluted share, during the third quarter of 2021. The decrease in our net income of $496,000, or $.04 per diluted share, during the third quarter of 2022, as compared to the third quarter of 2021, was due primarily to: (i) a decrease of $630,000, or $.05 per diluted share, related to a vacant specialty hospital located in Chicago, Illinois, on which, as discussed below, the lease expired on December 31, 2021; (ii) a decrease of $569,000, or $.04 per diluted share, resulting from an increase in interest expense due primarily to an increase in our borrowing rate and increased borrowings; partially offset by; (iii) a net increase of $288,000, or $.02 per diluted share, resulting from the asset purchase and sale agreement with Universal Health Services, Inc. ("UHS") that occurred on December 31, 2021; (iv) an increase of $193,000, or $.01 per diluted share, resulting from the impact of the fair market value lease renewal on Wellington Regional Medical Center, which became effective on January 1, 2022, and; (v) an increase of $222,000, or $.02 per diluted share, resulting from an aggregate net increase in the income generated at various properties. During the third quarter of 2022, as compared to the third quarter of 2021, our FFO decreased $816,000, or $.06 per diluted share. The decrease was due to the above-mentioned $496,000, or $.04 per diluted share, decrease in net income experienced during the third quarter of 2022, as compared to the third quarter of 2021, as well as a $320,000, or $.02 per diluted share, decrease in depreciation and amortization expense incurred on our consolidated and unconsolidated investments. Consolidated Results of Operations - Nine-Month Periods Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021: For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2022, net income was $15.5 million, or $1.12 per diluted share, as compared to $17.6 million, or $1.27 per diluted share during the first nine months of 2021. As calculated on the Supplemental Schedule, our FFO were $36.4 million, or $2.64 per diluted share, during the first nine months of 2022, as compared to $38.0 million, or $2.76 per diluted share, during the first nine months of 2021. Our financial results for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021, included a gain of $1.3 million, or $.09 per diluted share, related to the sale of certain real estate assets. After adjusting the reported net income for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021 for the $1.3 million gain, as computed on the Supplemental Schedule, our adjusted net income was $16.2 million, or $1.18 per diluted share, during the first nine months of 2021. The decrease in our adjusted net income of $776,000, or $.06 per diluted share, during the first nine months of 2022, as compared to the comparable period of 2021, was primarily due to: (i) a decrease of $2.3 million, or $.16 per diluted share, related to a vacant specialty hospital located in Chicago, Illinois, on which, as discussed below, the lease expired on December 31, 2021; (ii) a decrease of $842,000, or $.06 per diluted share, resulting from an increase in interest expense due primarily to an increase in our borrowing rate and an increase in our borrowings; partially offset by; (iii) a net increase of $954,000, or $.07 per diluted share, resulting from the asset purchase and sale agreement with UHS that occurred on December 31, 2021; (iv) an increase of $863,000, or $.06 per diluted share, resulting from the impact of the fair market value lease renewal on Wellington Regional Medical Center, which became effective on January 1, 2022, and; (v) an increase of $500,000, or $.03 per diluted share, resulting from an aggregate net increase in the income generated at various properties. During the first nine months of 2022, as compared to the comparable period of 2021, our FFO decreased $1.6 million, or $.12 per diluted share. The decrease was due to the above-mentioned $776,000, or $.06 per diluted share, decrease in adjusted net income experienced during the first nine months of 2022, as compared to the first nine months of 2021, as well as a $816,000, or $.06 per diluted share, decrease in depreciation and amortization expense incurred on our consolidated and unconsolidated investments. Dividend Information: The third quarter dividend of $.71 per share, or $9.8 million in the aggregate, was declared on September 7, 2022 and paid on September 30, 2022. Capital Resources Information: At September 30, 2022 we had $290.1 million of borrowings outstanding pursuant to the terms of our $375 million revolving credit agreement and $81.8 million of available borrowing capacity as of that date, net of outstanding borrowings and letters of credit. New Construction Project: In January 2022, we entered into a ground lease and master flex-lease agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS with the intent to develop, construct and own the real property of Sierra Medical Plaza I, an MOB located in Reno, Nevada, consisting of approximately 86,000 rentable square feet. This MOB will be located on the campus of the Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center, a newly constructed hospital that is owned and operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of UHS, which was completed and opened during April of 2022. Construction of this MOB, for which we have engaged a non-related third party to act as construction manager, commenced in January 2022 and is anticipated to be completed and opened during the first quarter of 2023. The cost of the MOB is estimated to be approximately $34.6 million, approximately $16.9 million of which has been incurred as of September 30, 2022. The master flex lease agreement, which is subject to reduction based upon the execution of third-party leases, is for approximately 68% of the rentable square feet of the MOB. Vacant Specialty Facilities: As previously disclosed, the lease on the specialty hospital located in Chicago, Illinois, expired on December 31, 2021 and the facility is currently vacant. During the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2021, we earned $390,000 and $1.2 million, respectively, of lease revenue in connection with this property. The operating expenses incurred by us in connection with this facility during the three and nine-months ended September 30, 2022 were $240,000 and $1.1 million, respectively. Prior to 2022, the former tenant was responsible for the operating expenses on this facility. Pursuant to the terms of the lease that expired in December, 2021, we earned approximately $1.6 million of lease revenue during the 2021 full year. We estimate that the aggregate operating expenses for the three vacant specialty facilities, including the facility located in Chicago, Illinois, as well as facilities located in Evansville, Indiana, and Corpus Christi, Texas (which have been vacant since 2019), will approximate $900,000 during the remaining three months of 2022. Future operating expenses related to these facilities will be incurred by us during the time they remain owned and vacant. We continue to market these specialty facilities to potential interested parties. However, should these properties continue to remain vacant for an extended period of time, or should we incur substantial renovation or demolition costs to make the properties suitable for other operators/tenants/buyers, our future results of operations could be materially unfavorably impacted. General Information, Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors and Non-GAAP Financial Measures: Universal Health Realty Income Trust, a real estate investment trust, invests in healthcare and human-service related facilities including acute care hospitals, behavioral health care hospitals, specialty facilities, medical/office buildings, free-standing emergency departments and childcare centers. We have investments or commitments in seventy-six properties located in twenty-one states. This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current management expectations. Numerous factors, including those disclosed herein, those related to the potential impact of COVID-19 on our financial results, as well as the operations and financial results of each of our tenants, those related to healthcare industry trends and those detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (as set forth in Item 1A-Risk Factors and in Item 7-Forward-Looking Statements in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and in Item 7-Forward-Looking Statements and Certain Risk Factors in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022), may cause the results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements which reflect management's view only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Many of the factors that could affect our future results are beyond our control or ability to predict, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future operations and financial results of our tenants, and in turn ours, could be materially impacted by various developments including those related to COVID-19. Such developments include, but are not limited to, decreases in staffing availability and related increases to wage expense experienced by our tenants resulting from the nationwide shortage of nurses and other clinical staff and support personnel, the impact of government and administrative regulation and stimulus on the health care industry; declining patient volumes and unfavorable changes in payer mix caused by deteriorating macroeconomic conditions (including increases in uninsured and underinsured patients as the result of business closings and layoffs); potential disruptions related to supplies required for our tenants' employees and patients; and potential increases to other expenditures. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and its impact on the economy, we may experience a decrease in prospective tenants which could unfavorably impact the volume of new leases, as well as the renewal rate of existing leases. The COVID-19 pandemic may delay our construction projects which could result in increased costs and delay the timing of opening and rental payments from those projects, although no such delays have yet occurred. The COVID-19 pandemic could also impact our indebtedness and the ability to refinance such indebtedness on acceptable terms, as well as risks associated with disruptions in the financial markets and the business of financial institutions as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could impact us from a financing perspective; and changes in general economic conditions nationally and regionally in the markets where our properties are located resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are not able to quantify the impact that these factors will have on our future operations, but developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our future financial results. We believe that, if and when applicable, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share (as reflected on the Supplemental Schedule), which are non-GAAP financial measures ("GAAP" is Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America), are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. In addition, we believe that, when applicable, comparing and discussing our financial results based on these measures, as calculated, is helpful to our investors since it neutralizes the effect in each year of material items that are non-recurring or non-operational in nature including items such as, but not limited to, gains on transactions. Funds from operations ("FFO") is a widely recognized measure of performance for Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs"). We believe that FFO and FFO per diluted share, which are non-GAAP financial measures, are helpful to our investors as measures of our operating performance. We compute FFO, as reflected on the attached Supplemental Schedules, in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT"), which may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs that do not compute FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition, or that interpret the NAREIT definition differently than we interpret the definition. FFO adjusts for the effects of certain items, such as gains on transactions that occurred during the periods presented. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered to be an alternative to net income determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, FFO should not be used as: (i) an indication of our financial performance determined in accordance with GAAP; (ii) an alternative to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP; (iii) a measure of our liquidity, or; (iv) an indicator of funds available for our cash needs, including our ability to make cash distributions to shareholders. A reconciliation of our reported net income to FFO is reflected on the Supplemental Schedules included below. To obtain a complete understanding of our financial performance these measures should be examined in connection with net income, determined in accordance with GAAP, as presented in the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in this report or in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including our Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and our Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. Since the items included or excluded from these measures are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance under GAAP, these measures should not be considered to be alternatives to net income as a measure of our operating performance or profitability. Since these measures, as presented, are not determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Investors are encouraged to use GAAP measures when evaluating our financial performance. Universal Health Realty Income Trust Consolidated Statements of Income For the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenues: Lease revenue - UHS facilities (a.) $ 7,471 $ 7,574 $ 22,291 $ 21,971 Lease revenue - Non-related parties 12,836 13,115 38,664 39,324 Other revenue - UHS facilities 255 236 717 669 Other revenue - Non-related parties 221 280 718 816 Interest income on financing leases - UHS facilities 1,368 - 4,107 - 22,151 21,205 66,497 62,780 Expenses: Depreciation and amortization 6,658 6,813 20,046 20,551 Advisory fees to UHS 1,297 1,121 3,787 3,272 Other operating expenses 6,875 5,980 20,728 17,485 14,830 13,914 44,561 41,308 Income before equity in income of unconsolidated limited liability companies ("LLCs"), gain on sale and interest expense 7,321 7,291 21,936 21,472 Equity in income of unconsolidated LLCs 346 303 943 1,341 Gain on sale of real estate assets - - - 1,304 Interest expense, net (2,819) (2,250) (7,408) (6,566) Net income $ 4,848 $ 5,344 $ 15,471 $ 17,551 Basic earnings per share $ 0.35 $ 0.39 $ 1.12 $ 1.28 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.35 $ 0.39 $ 1.12 $ 1.27 Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Basic 13,776 13,762 13,769 13,755 Weighted average number of shares outstanding - Diluted 13,801 13,783 13,792 13,777 (a.) Includes bonus rental on McAllen Medical Center, a UHS acute care hospital facility of $727 and $2,048 for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2022, respectively, and includes bonus rental on three UHS acute care hospital facilities of $1,828 and $5,171 for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021, respectively. Universal Health Realty Income Trust Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule") For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) Calculation of Adjusted Net Income Three Months Ended Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Amount Per Diluted Share Amount Per Diluted Share Net income $ 4,848 $ 0.35 $ 5,344 $ 0.39 Adjustments - - - - Subtotal adjustments to net income - - - - Adjusted net income $ 4,848 $ 0.35 $ 5,344 $ 0.39 Calculation of Funds From Operations ("FFO") Three Months Ended Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Amount Per Diluted Share Amount Per Diluted Share Net income $ 4,848 $ 0.35 $ 5,344 $ 0.39 Plus: Depreciation and amortization expense: Consolidated investments 6,658 0.49 6,813 0.50 Unconsolidated affiliates 295 0.02 460 0.03 FFO $ 11,801 $ 0.86 $ 12,617 $ 0.92 Dividend paid per share $ 0.710 $ 0.700 Universal Health Realty Income Trust Schedule of Non-GAAP Supplemental Information ("Supplemental Schedule") For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) Calculation of Adjusted Net Income Nine Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Amount Per Diluted Share Amount Per Diluted Share Net income $ 15,471 $ 1.12 $ 17,551 $ 1.27 Adjustments: Less: Gain on sale of real estate assets - - (1,304) (0.09) Subtotal adjustments to net income - - (1,304) (0.09) Adjusted net income $ 15,471 $ 1.12 $ 16,247 $ 1.18 Calculation of Funds From Operations ("FFO") Nine Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 September 30, 2021 Amount Per Diluted Share Amount Per Diluted Share Net income $ 15,471 $ 1.12 $ 17,551 $ 1.27 Plus: Depreciation and amortization expense: Consolidated investments 20,046 1.46 20,551 1.49 Unconsolidated affiliates 885 0.06 1,196 0.09 Less: Gain on sale of real estate assets - - (1,304) (0.09) FFO $ 36,402 $ 2.64 $ 37,994 $ 2.76 Dividend paid per share $ 2.125 $ 2.095 Universal Health Realty Income Trust Consolidated Balance Sheets (amounts in thousands, except share information) (unaudited) September 30, December 31, 2022 2021 Assets: Real Estate Investments: Buildings and improvements and construction in progress $ 636,320 $ 608,836 Accumulated depreciation (243,079) (225,584) 393,241 383,252 Land 56,631 54,897 Net Real Estate Investments 449,872 438,149 Financing receivable from UHS 83,651 82,439 Net Real Estate Investments and Financing receivable 533,523 520,588 Investments in and advances to limited liability companies ("LLCs") 9,661 10,139 Other Assets: Cash and cash equivalents 8,102 22,504 Lease and other receivables from UHS 5,083 4,641 Lease receivable - other 8,233 7,109 Intangible assets (net of accumulated amortization of $14.9 million and $14.2 million, respectively) 9,936 9,972 Right-of-use land assets, net 11,467 11,495 Deferred charges and other assets, net 23,303 11,971 Total Assets $ 609,308 $ 598,419 Liabilities: Line of credit borrowings $ 290,100 $ 271,900 Mortgage notes payable, non-recourse to us, net 50,251 56,866 Accrued interest 346 346 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 13,606 12,157 Ground lease liabilities, net 11,467 11,495 Tenant reserves, deposits and deferred and prepaid rents 9,911 10,328 Total Liabilities 375,681 363,092 Equity: Preferred shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding - - Common shares, $.01 par value; 95,000,000 shares authorized; issued and outstanding: 2022 - 13,802,200; 2021 - 13,785,345 138 138 Capital in excess of par value 269,241 268,515 Cumulative net income 805,030 789,559 Cumulative dividends (853,312) (823,998) Accumulated other comprehensive income 12,530 1,113 Total Equity 233,627 235,327 Total Liabilities and Equity $ 609,308 $ 598,419 SOURCE Universal Health Realty Income Trust New subject rankings include artificial intelligence and meteorology. WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today published the 2022-2023 Best Global Universities rankings. The overall ranking in the new edition evaluates 2,000 schools up from more than 1,700 last year on academic research and reputation. The 2022-2023 edition includes universities from more than 90 countries. The following countries have the most schools in the overall ranking: China : 338 : 338 United States : 280 : 280 Japan : 105 : 105 United Kingdom : 92 : 92 India : 81 "The Best Global Universities rankings offer prospective students a valuable resource for exploring higher education options outside of their home country," said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News. "Over the past nine years, these rankings have expanded to include more schools and more subjects, while maintaining a consistent focus on institutions that prioritize academic research." This year's edition adds four new subject rankings: artificial intelligence; education and educational research; meteorology and atmospheric sciences; and water resources. Powered by Web of Science data and InCites metrics provided by Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, the Best Global Universities methodology weighs factors that measure a university's global and regional research reputation and academic research performance. For the overall ranking, this includes bibliometric indicators such as publications, citations and international collaboration. Each of the 47 subject rankings has its own weighting based on academic research performance in that specific area. 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Overall Best Global Universities Top 10 Harvard University (U.S.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.) Stanford University (U.S.) University of CaliforniaBerkeley (U.S.) University of Oxford (U.K.) University of WashingtonSeattle (U.S.) Columbia University (U.S.) University of Cambridge (U.K.) California Institute of Technology (U.S.) Johns Hopkins University (U.S. Africa Top 3 University of Cape Town ( South Africa ) University of Witwatersrand ( South Africa ) Stellenbosch University ( South Africa ) Asia Top 3 Tsinghua University ( China ) National University of Singapore Nanyang Technological University ( Singapore ) Australia/New Zealand Top 3 University of Melbourne ( Australia ) University of Sydney University of Queensland ( Australia ) Europe Top 3 University of Oxford (U.K.) University of Cambridge (U.K.) University College London Latin America Top 3 Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil) Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil) Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile The Best Global Universities rankings serve the broader U.S. News mission of providing trusted information and rankings such as Best High Schools , Best Colleges and Best Online Programs to help all students navigate their education options. Specifically for Chinese students, U.S. News offers online resource centers published in Chinese to help guide prospective undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in studying abroad. For more information on the Best Global Universities, visit Facebook and Twitter using #BestGlobal. About U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, Real Estate and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C. About Clarivate Clarivate is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the pace of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of Academia & Government, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Professional Services and Consumer Goods, Manufacturing & Technology. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com . SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P. Enabling software-assisted deployment of automated equipment directly from the cloud to the factory floor with step-by-step guidance MONTREAL, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Vention, the leading digital manufacturing automation platform (MAP), has officially announced the launch of its new software-assisted deployment digital twin, MachineCloud. Manufacturers now have the tool to successfully deploy automated equipment and build their core expertise in industrial automation from the design phase up to the deployment stage. Vention's Manufacturing Automation Platform (MAP) - from the design to deployment (CNW Group/Vention) By leveraging the digital twin data of the machine already present on Vention's Manufacturing Automation Platform, Vention can now offer a complete customized deployment flow by effectively eliminating the typical hassle of hardware and software commissioning. Users can program their MachineLogic sequences and deploy them on their automated equipment from anywhere in the world with MachineCloud's remote control capabilities. Within all manufacturers' reach, in the form of simple and interactive step-by-step guidance, MachineCloud provides real-time visibility of the machine operations such as status and e-stop events, from anywhere in the world. Working in unison with Vention's motion controller, MachineMotion, Vention's Customer Support team can remotely connect to your machine and provide same-day support. Other MachineCloud features include software-assisted setup for hardware and wiring, remote access to MachineMotion data log file, machine configuration checker and application checker. "Over the last 6 years, we have empowered companies to accelerate industrial automation - re-shoring production and upskilling the workforces. Simplifying deployment was a necessary next step, and we tackled it by linking the real machine and its digital twin like never before," said Etienne Lacroix, CEO of Vention. "We are only scratching the surface of the user experiences that are only possible by leveraging cloud technology to combine industrial automation hardware and engineering software." About Vention Vention helps some of the most innovative manufacturers automate their production floors in just a few days through a democratized user experience. Vention's online-first manufacturing automation platform allows clients to design, automate, order, and deploy automated equipment directly from their web browsers. Vention is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with new offices in Berlin and Boston. The 380-person company serves 3,000+ customers on five continents and 25 manufacturing industries. To learn more, visit vention.io or follow us on LinkedIn. SOURCE Vention Annual Gala Returns to In-Person Fundraising Event for Veterans and to Honor Veterans Day SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- VetsinTech, the leading national non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans through tech-based programs and opportunities in education, employment, and entrepreneurship, announced its 8th Annual Veterans Day Gala planned for Friday, November 11th, beginning at 6:00 pm PST. This year marks the return of its in-person event. The Gala is held each year in the fall to fund educational scholarships for veterans and military spouses and to celebrate Veterans Day. VetsinTech Fall Gala 2022 "VetsinTech provides an essential service to our veterans, and I'm proud to support their efforts to help veterans transition to successful careers in tech," Founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and a board member of VetsinTech. "This event is a great way to recognize veterans' talent and their diversity in the tech sector." A preview of festivities at VetsinTech Veterans Day Gala includes: Participating luminaries: Ken Wayne - Anchor of KRON TV will serve as Emcee of the event Celebrity appearances via video include: The Gronks (Rob, Chris, and Papa G), Cliff Dorsey , and Craig Newmark (founder craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies) A pre-Gala Silent Auction and Live Auction led by Warriors Hype Man - Franco Finn will offer one-of-a-kind items and unique experiences that participants can bid on to purchase. "Our annual event is a great way to bring people together to celebrate our veterans and support their new chapter to embark on a startup or springboard into a career in tech. I'm most grateful to our generous sponsors who have supported VetsinTech, enabling us to extend our programs to reach more veterans," said Katherine Webster, Founder and CEO of VetsinTech. The following sponsors have teamed with VetsInTech to celebrate veterans and raise money for their tech education: Adobe Foundation, Amazon, AT&T, Comcast, Constellation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Disney, DraftKings, InfoSec, MMI Agency, Oracle NetSuite, Resilience, Stagwell and WorkDay. "We are honored to sponsor this year's VetsinTech Gala, while representing the larger Stagwell network," said Maggie Malek, CEO of MMI Agency. "My service in the military was life-changing in so many ways. Foremost among those were the lessons in leadership, teamwork and camaraderie I took away and continue to apply as an executive." Malek's colleague and fellow veteran, Stagwell's Constellation CEO, Justin Lewis, expanded upon the value of the partnership. "The award-winning network of organizations that comprise Stagwell has been built on a foundation of creativity and technological innovation, so the opportunity to support Veterans and their families in like-minded pursuits represents a great illustration of our purpose in practice," said Lewis. Interested parties can purchase tickets at http://events.vetsintech.co/gala2022/ . Companies and organizations interested in VetsinTech Gala sponsor opportunities can still purchase event sponsorships or tickets . About VetsInTech Based in San Francisco, with more than 70,000 vets strong and 20 chapters across the country, VetsInTech is the leading national non-profit devoted 100% to springboarding veterans into tech careers. VetsinTech harnesses the national technology ecosystem to benefit veterans returning from active military duty who want to apply their exceptional training, skills, and experience to a new technology career. Comprising technology industry leaders and former service members, VetsinTech is the only non-profit supporting our veterans through tech-based programs and opportunities in education, employment, and entrepreneurship. For more information, interested parties can visit www.vetsintech.co . Press Contact: Carmen Hughes Ignite X 650.4534.8553 [email protected] SOURCE VetsinTech Expected to bring 300 high-wage commercial electric vehicle OEM jobs to Auburn Hills Supported by a $2.5 million grant from the state of Michigan AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, VIA Motors, a U.S. based All-Electric Commercial OEM Vehicle Manufacturer at the forefront of fleet electrification, announced its new 98,000 square feet headquarters and technical center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Supported by a $2.5 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund, administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the facility will act as a regional hub for VIA's vehicle design and testing - including the development of prototype vehicles. VIA Motors HQ and Technical Center (PRNewsfoto/VIA Motors) "Our goal is to provide the best electric work trucks for fleets everywhere, and this facility is critical to achieving that goal," said Bob Purcell, CEO of VIA Motors. "We're excited and proud to partner with the city of Auburn Hills and the State of Michigan, tapping into the region's automotive expertise to help global fleets shift towards a zero emission, commercial electric vehicle (EV) future." VIA Motors offers a full portfolio of electric work trucks from classes 2-5 with a variety of configurations. From box trucks and cutaways to stake trucks and walk-in vans, VIA provides tailored electric solutions for fleets that meet their needs at costs they can afford. The facility will further boost Michigan's efforts to position itself as the global leader in the future of mobility and vehicle electrification. VIA chose Michigan because of the state's robust supply chain for electric vehicles and mobility. In addition, the knowledge and skill level of talent in the auto industry and the state's leadership in the industry are expected to benefit the company as it continues to grow. "We're a region and state of innovators, it's in our DNA. VIA Motors is a high-tech company that's going to be headquartered in the Detroit Region as we continue to deliver cutting-edge automotive and advanced mobility technology to the world. The Detroit Regional Partnership is proud to support the MEDC and Oakland County on this project," said Maureen Donohue Krauss, president and CEO, Detroit Regional Partnership VIA anticipates the facility will be home to a workforce of up to 300 people working in high-wage jobs. The city of Auburn Hills plans to support talent attraction and marketing. Individuals interested in careers with VIA should visit https://www.viamotors.com/via-delivers/careers/. "We are excited to welcome VIA Motors to the Auburn Hills community. Their expertise in sustainable and innovative mobility solutions are a welcomed addition to our growing EV solutions sector. This investment continues to build on Auburn Hills' reputation as a great place to invest and do business. We appreciate their confidence and look forward to partnering with them to provide an environment where their business can grow and thrive," said Mayor Kevin McDaniel, Auburn Hills, Michigan. "The decision by VIA Motors International to locate its technical center and headquarters and bring 300 new jobs to Auburn Hills reinforces the region's reputation as a leader in advanced mobility manufacturing," said Oakland County Executive David Coulter. "And the collaboration by the state, Oakland County, the city of Auburn Hills and the Detroit Regional Partnership proved to be a winning combination to help to land this pivotal project." VIA Motors is in a pending transaction with Ideanomics, a global group with a mission to accelerate the commercial adoption of electric vehicles. Once it becomes part of Ideanomics, VIA can offer a total package that makes it easy for fleets to transition to electric drive vehicles, charging infrastructure and financing. VIA's technical center in Orem, Utah, will continue to operate as an R & D facility and hub for the Western United States. The two technical centers will support VIA's prototyping, as they finalize their full production manufacturing facility. "Congratulations to the VIA team on your growth and success. We are excited to welcome you to Michigan, and appreciate this vote of confidence in our talented workforce and leadership position in electric vehicle manufacturing," said Quentin L. Messer, Jr., CEO of MEDC and President and Chair of the MSF Board. "Today represents only the beginning of an exciting relationship with VIA Motors. We are grateful to the Governor, legislators and local officials for their continued support of the Michigan Business Development Program, which has allowed VIA to grow in our state. We're pleased to work with local partners like the Detroit Regional Partnership, Oakland County, and the city of Auburn Hills to bring these high-wage jobs to Southeast Michigan, and we look forward to welcoming more companies like VIA to Michigan." ABOUT VIA MOTORS INTERNATIONAL, INC. VIA is a leading electric commercial vehicle company with proven advanced electric drive technology, delivering sustainable mobility solutions for a more livable world. VIA designs, manufactures, and markets electric commercial vehicles, with superior life-cycle economics, for use across a broad cross-section of the global fleet customer base. VIA's vehicles are optimized for each fleet's needs, with intelligent software packages and fleet monitoring systems that are designed to reduce cost and improve operating efficiencies. VIA is a systems-driven company and strives to optimize the total fleet experience including energy, maintenance, uptime, route mapping and more, with reduced development time, improved quality, driving comfort, energy efficiency and connectivity. VIA Motors is in a pending transaction with Ideanomics, a global group with a simple mission, to accelerate commercial adoption of electric vehicles. https://www.viamotors.com ABOUT MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (MEDC) The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state's marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan's economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter. Contact: Derek Larsen [email protected] SOURCE VIA Motors SHANGHAI, Oct. 25. 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wavemaker China, a Group M agency under WPP, hosted a "two-person" participatory art exhibition entitled "Real Face" in collaboration with Bu Yang, Big Fish Community Design Center and Tommy Hilfiger from October 21-23 in Shanghai, China. The experimental art event aimed to inspire people to step out of their comfort zone to embark on a journey of self-discovery and explore the merits of social diversity and inclusiveness. The entrance of "Real Face" participatory art exhibition, where participants enter the immersive "destruction" scene from here The art show was in an innovative residential community Contemporary artist Mu Xiaoyu burned his mask to represent the rebirth of self-awareness Visitors who attended "Real Face" art show were encouraged to explore their true selves. Participants were asked to attend with a friend or partner whom they're familiar with and became a part of the exhibition while exploring their deeper true selves by creating masks in the form of paintings or collages. Every visitor was asked to create two masks, one for themselves (effectively a self-portrait), and another which was a portrait of their companion. Breaks through or remains, visitors will have the ability to recognize and shape "self" much like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. "Real Face" invited creatives from different fields to create a unique art experience. A total of 300 visitors participated in the three-day art show held at a pioneer community center "Xin Hua" in Changning District. Here, art is not displayed in museums, it can also be integrated into the life and community. Every piece of work created by each visitor was exhibited as part of the art show. One self with two masks was also a silent yet brave dialogue that awakened a profound journey of self-exploration, the uncertainties also inspired people to seek common ground while reserving the differences, and new ideas will blossom through self-reflection and deep thinking. With the belief in the virtue of nurturing a socially inclusive and diverse workplace, Wavemaker hopes that through the "Real Face" art experiment event, more and more people will be inspired to seek their true selves under different guises while exploring their creative side at the same time. The "Real Face" art exhibition is part of a wider effort by Wavemaker in line with their corporate social responsibility, to promote social diversity and inclusiveness. Initiated by: Wavemaker, Bu Yang, Big Fish Community Design Center, Tommy Hilfiger. Supported by: Xinhua Community Design Center, China Advertising, PR Newswire, Wong Lo Kat, Qudan Biotechnology, T.O.P Drinks, Zhihu, DeepBlue, PangJing, BottleDream, AdQuan, Pan Shanghai, MakingPark. About Wavemaker We believe there always is a better way to grow. We positively provoke growth for our clients by reshaping consumer decision-making and experiences through media, content, and technology. The Wavemaker way is globally consistent. Fueled by the world's most powerful consumer data, we understand where and how marketing can intervene decisively to help brands win more sales. Our 7,200 people across 90 markets have the deep knowledge, confidence, and courage to provoke growth for some of the world's leading brands and businesses. We are a part of GroupM, WPP's global media investment management company. Discover more on wavemakerglobal.com, Twitter and LinkedIn. SOURCE Wavemaker ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid the ongoing infant formula shortage, families are experiencing additional stress as they struggle to find nutritious options for their babies. Western Sky Community Care recently donated 75 cans of critically needed infant formula, approximately equal to 1,500 meals, to First Choice Community Healthcare in Albuquerque to distribute to underserved families. Western Sky also donated nursing pads, tote bags, teddy bears, play pens and car seats. Around the country, supply chain issues have affected the availability of infant formula for children ages 0-12 months, and while efforts have been made by the federal government to increase availability, many parents across New Mexico continue to struggle to find formula particularly those in rural and underserved areas. Infant formula is critical to the health and development of newborns. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 1 in 4 parents exclusively breastfeed their children up to the age of 6 months, leaving the overwhelming majority of parents and caregivers at least partially dependent on formula. "At Western Sky, we understand how critical infant formula is to a newborn's health and development, as it has the right balance of nutrients needed for growth," said Dr. Susan Lewis, Western Sky Community Care Chief Medical Director, "That's why the increased cost and scarce availability of infant formula is distressing for families, especially those living in rural and underserved regions of New Mexico." If impacted by infant formula shortages, Western Sky is encouraging families to follow these guidelines and to seek out community resources for additional support, as needed: DO talk with your pediatrician and ask if they have supplies of formula. Your local WIC office may also be able to suggest places to look. and ask if they have supplies of formula. Your local WIC office may also be able to suggest places to look. DO check smaller stores and local community pharmacies , which may not be out of supply when the bigger stores are. , which may not be out of supply when the bigger stores are. DO try new formulas. Many babies can switch brands of formula, including generic store brands, unless your infant is on a specific extensively hydrolyzed or amino acid-based formula. Ask your pediatrician about recommended specialty formula alternatives available for your infant. Many babies can switch brands of formula, including generic store brands, unless your infant is on a specific extensively hydrolyzed or amino acid-based formula. Ask your pediatrician about recommended specialty formula alternatives available for your infant. DO NOT make a homemade formula or use imported formulas . This is not safe for your infant, as there are specific nutritional needs for an infant. The FDA reviews and makes sure that all infant formula sold in U.S. stores meets very strict rules about their ingredients to ensure it supports healthy growth and development. . This is not safe for your infant, as there are specific nutritional needs for an infant. The FDA reviews and makes sure that all infant formula sold in U.S. stores meets very strict rules about their ingredients to ensure it supports healthy growth and development. DO NOT switch to cow's milk or other milk substitutes from the dairy section of the grocery store, such as almond or soy beverages (sometimes labeled as milk). This is true for babies 0 12 months of age. from the dairy section of the grocery store, such as almond or soy beverages (sometimes labeled as milk). This is true for babies 0 12 months of age. DO NOT water down formulas or use toddler formulas for infants younger than 12 months old. This includes adding more water when mixing powdered formula or adding extra water to ready-to-serve, non-concentrated liquid formula. Both practices affect the nutrition your infant is getting. This includes adding more water when mixing powdered formula or adding extra water to ready-to-serve, non-concentrated liquid formula. Both practices affect the nutrition your infant is getting. DO NOT purchase expired or damaged cans. Check expiration dates. For families impacted by infant formula shortages, Western Sky Community Care members can contact the Community Connections Help Line for supply assistance at 866-775-2192 from 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time. About Western Sky Community Care Established to deliver quality healthcare in the state of New Mexico through local, regional, and community-based resources, Western Sky Community Care is a Managed Care Organization and subsidiary of Centene Corporation. Western Sky Community Care exists to improve the health of its beneficiaries through focused, compassionate, and coordinated care. Their approach is based on the core belief that quality healthcare is best delivered locally. For more information, visit www.westernskycommunitycare.com. About First Choice First Choice Community Healthcare is a Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC) system with nine health centers in three counties, including one school-based health center. They offer primary medical care, dental care and WIC services and have integrated behavioral health care in the primary care setting for established patients. They have provided a healthcare care home for over 40 years, and play an integral role in getting access to all people regardless of income or insurance status. SOURCE Western Sky Community Care SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Woodruff Sawyer, one of the largest independent insurance brokerages in the US, today announced Todd Dorsey has joined the firm as Vice President in the Private Equity and Venture Capital Group. Prior to joining Woodruff Sawyer, Todd served three years at Lockton, where he provided risk mitigation solutions for private equity and private equity-backed portfolio companies. Todd Dorsey In his role, Todd will be partnering with private equity firms, growth equity firms, alternative asset managers, strategic acquirers, family offices, and their portfolio companies on a variety of insurance-related solutions frequently utilized in middle market transactions. This includes insurance and employee benefits due diligence for active transactions as well as transactional risk solutions (Reps & Warranties, Tax Opinion, Litigation, and Contingent Liability). "I've always admired Woodruff Sawyer from afar due to their high level of specialization and expertise, much of which is highlighted in their industry- advancing thought leadership," says Dorsey. "My role provides an exciting opportunity to work alongside leaders within the Private Equity community, run fast for clients, and be a crucial part of growing the Private Equity & Transactional Risk Group here at Woodruff Sawyer." Luke Parsons, Woodruff Sawyer Senior Vice President, Private Equity and Venture Capital Group, adds, "Todd brings tenacity and curiosity to his role and a real desire to help us build the practice. His work with the Private Equity and Transactional Risk teams is vital to our growth, and we're thrilled to have him join us at Woodruff Sawyer. I look forward to the positive impact he will have for our clients." About Woodruff Sawyer As one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the US, Woodruff Sawyer protects the people and assets of more than 4,000 companies. We provide expert counsel and fierce advocacy to protect clients against their most critical risks in property & casualty, management liability, cyber liability, employee benefits, and personal wealth management. An active partner of Assurex Global and International Benefits Network, we provide expertise and customized solutions where clients need it, with headquarters in San Francisco, offices throughout the US, and global reach on six continents. For more information, call 844.972.6326, or visit woodruffsawyer.com. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Woodruff Sawyer SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Xenocor, a Utah-based medical device company, announced that it has hired AJ Dorff and Christian Kirschner, two of the medical device industry's top sales talents, to partner with Tony Watson, COO for the commercial launch of the Saberscope, the world's first true HD, fog free, articulating, single-use laparoscope. "The successful introduction of a disruptive technology requires proven talents beyond those used in the world of incremental innovation. Pulling surgeons out of their classical perceptions of what a visualization platform should deliver is no easy task. These remarkable executives lend their passion and experience to changing laparoscopic surgery forever and we are thankful they have chosen to join our team." Said Tony Watson, COO of Xenocor. These remarkable executives lend their passion and experience to changing laparoscopic surgery forever. Tweet this AJ Dorff joins Xenocor as Area Vice President of the North. He has delivered successful sales and marketing outcomes for nearly 20 years. His extensive experience in driving disruptive technologies and product adoption includes established industry leaders Intuitive Surgical, Zimmer Biomet and Stryker, as well as a number of start-ups. His expertise in developing strategic solutions to enhance the physician experience and patient outcomes sets him apart as a leader. Christian Kirschner joins Xenocor as the Area Vice President for the East. He is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 2 decades of experience founding and advancing companies spanning multiple industries. In Christian's most recent position, he was tasked with building and leading Smith+Nephew's global outpatient program. His work significantly contributed to the transformation of the way leadership, management and the sales force approached doing business. He has worked with hundreds of ASCs and hospitals across the US and globally building deep value for his diverse stakeholders. With the Saberscope's innovative single-use design, it sets itself apart from all other laparoscopes on the market today. All traditional laparoscopes present unnecessary visualization challenges, workflow complexity, patient risk, cost, and waste. The Saberscope system addresses every one of these challenges. It is completely fog free, sees better through smoke and steam and articulates to 90 degrees in every direction. By virtue of being single-use, it eliminates complex setup and sterilization logistics as well as scope related cross-contamination risks. With no upfront capital required, it removes significant hospital financial burden. Lastly, it is recyclable and creates less waste than traditional scopes. The Saberscope system is FDA cleared for use in laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery. Xenocor's devices have been used in over 300 live human cases. Xenocor is a privately held company that designs, develops, and commercializes medical devices including the Saberscope system. Xenocor has 11 combined issued and pending U.S. and global patents. www.XENOCOR.com View product video here: https://vimeo.com/505004139 Live procedures footage here: https://vimeo.com/505743964 Xenocor contact: (844) 936-6267; [email protected]. SOURCE Xenocor, Inc. New Partnership Creates The Perfect Fusion of Journey and Destination NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Two pioneering travel brands innovative private jet company XO and Lacure announce a partnership to bring the world's most discerning travelers effortless access to unique luxury escapes across the globe. In celebration of their collaboration, the partners have dubbed a private island in the Grenadines, XO Private Island. XO and Lacure With Lacure, XO Members have exclusive access to the island including two private residences and three beachside cottages which are surrounded by a Caribbean paradise of breathtaking ocean views, white sand beaches, rainforests, coral reefs, soft tropical breeze, and a pristine, unspoiled natural landscape. Seamless private travel arranged through XO ensures guests reach this secluded destination seamlessly with elevated service. XO Members can enjoy unique benefits when they book a private jet and Lacure Villa experience, including complimentary ground transportation, personalized experiences at the villa such as private chefs and fitness instructors, concierge credits, and complimentary access to the Lacure Insider Membership Program. "This is the type of rare partnership that defines XO experiences beyond the jet," said Lynn Fischer, Chief Marketing Officer at XO. "We always want to offer our Members the utmost in elevated travel, hospitality and location. Now XO Members not only have the opportunity to experience private villas in exquisite locations across the globe but we can also uniquely offer them an entire private island experience." Brandon Weaver, Lacure's Chief Commercial Officer adds, "Lacure makes 'once-in-a-lifetime travel' the standard. All our properties combine the most personalized luxury hotel experience with the tranquility and privacy of a luxury villa, or even an entire island. We are so pleased to name this private island destination, XO Island. There is little else that compares." From locations in tranquil, remote destinations including the island of St Barths to the energy and excitement of St Tropez, Lacure's global portfolio of private villas completely reimagines the luxury stay. XO is revolutionizing global access to private aviation through its innovative membership options, multiple ways to fly, and groundbreaking mobile app. With XO, private flyers can choose to book an entire private jet or individual seats all with efficiency, transparency and easy accessibility through XO's unique app technology, or a dedicated XO Aviation Advisor. XO's access to a network of over 2,400 aircraft encompasses the full spectrum of cabin sizes including long-range, and super-long-range aircraft, as available. For more information on the exclusive XO and Lacure partnership, contact [email protected] or visit www.flyxo.com/benefits . *XO Global LLC is not a direct air carrier and does not operate flights. All air transportation will be undertaken by properly licensed carriers. *The relationship between XO and Lacure is that of independent contractor and not a partnership or joint venture. SOURCE XO UTILITY IMPOSTER ROBOCALLS STRIKE STRUGGLING FAMILIES IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- YouMail issued a new robocall threat advisory today warning that Americans are under threat from utility-related imposter robocalls. These utility scam calls pretend to be from major American gas, electric, and other utilities to defraud unsuspecting consumers with threats of rapid disconnection if one's "utility bills" are not paid immediately. Unfortunately, these scammers are rushing to take advantage of the rising number of families who are falling behind in their utility payments. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, the share of Americans vulnerable for this reason is roughly 1 in 6 families, or nearly 20 million homes. The details of the scam calls vary, though they generally tell the target that their service is about to be disconnected and they need to press a key to make a payment or talk to someone at the company. Some calls come from a completely random phone number and mention a generic company name, like "your Electric Company." For example: Dear Customer. This is a disconnection notice from your Electric Company. Please be aware that your service will be disconnected within the next 30 minutes due to non-payment. Immediate action is required to avoid disconnection today. For automatic payments and payment arrangements, press one. To speak to an account specialist, press two. For other inquiries and billing related questions, press three. Others use a local phone number to the area code (and sometimes prefix) of the person they're calling and mention specific departments to connect to, such as this: This is the Notification Department of your Electric Company service provider. You have an automatic interruption of service in the next 30 to 45 minutes due to delinquent account status. If you find this to be an error or would like to stop the interruption, please press one to speak with the billing department. Otherwise please press two to speak with the disconnection department. Thank you for choosing our services. Still others call from a toll-free number (sometimes spoofing a known utility number), and mention a specific utility company name, often one likely to be the one known to the target, such as this: Dear customer. This is an automated message from PG&E, Pacific Gas and Electric. This call is to inform you that your electricity service will get disconnected in the next 45 minutes due to a payments issue with last payments. To avoid any disconnection or speak with a live agent, please press one. For billing and disconnection, press two. For finance department, press three. Thank you for choosing us, goodbye. These calls are being made to all regions of the country, comprising almost all major utilities in the U.S. at some point, and are estimated to total as many as tens of millions of calls each month. More scam calls are expected to follow as more and more families fall behind on their bills. These calls are especially tricky for consumers to recognize as scams, especially those who may be receiving legitimate payment reminders and other robocalls from their utilities, as these robocalls have also gone up significantly in volume as families fall behind on utility payments. The damage from these calls is considerable, with various utilities suggesting an average of $650 in losses per successful scam. "At this point, utility imposters making random phone calls have a very good chance of reaching someone who is behind on their payments, and who will be susceptible to these scams," said Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail. "The only prudent thing for a consumer to do is simply let these calls roll to voicemail, and then call their utility directly at the phone number on their bill or on the utility web site. In addition, it's wise for consumers to run robocall blocking apps like YouMail to filter out most of these calls automatically, saving them time and trouble." At YouMail, we want consumers to understand the extent of fraudulent calling that's currently out there, so they can protect themselves. Users of the YouMail robocall blocking app are protected because the app correctly identifies and blocks such calls automatically. However, these types of fraud calls can be very hard for other consumers to identify, especially when a business they have a relationship with is involved, such as the utility providing their gas, electricity, or water. These call volume estimates come from extrapolating from the call behavior seen by the users of the YouMail call protection app, the same mechanism used for the monthly YouMail Robocall Index. About YouMail, Inc. YouMail protects consumers, enterprises, and carriers from harmful phone calls. YouMail provides US and UK consumers app-based call protection services through the YouMail, Another Number, and HulloMail apps. These solutions answer over a billion live calls per year across well over 10 million registered users, powering America's most robust telephone sensor network in identifying and providing zero-hour protection against illegal calling campaigns and cyberattacks. YouMail Protective Services leverages this sensor network to protect consumer-facing enterprises by detecting and helping shut down imposter traffic that can lead to financial or brand damage, as well as to protect carriers with robocall mitigation services that detect and help stop bad traffic originating, traversing, or terminating on their networks. This sensor network is also used to provide the YouMail Robocall Index is the nation's definitive source on telephone network activity and attacks. YouMail, Inc. is privately funded and based in Irvine, California. Contact: Rohan Notaney for YouMail Lumina Communications [email protected] SOURCE YouMail Inc. Bader Al Kharafi : "This deal represents a major step in ZainTech's expansion strategy and our determination to transform Zain into a leading ICT and digital lifestyle provider" Full integration of the BIOS operations within ZainTech to happen over the next 12-18 months, expanding the services offered to governments and enterprises DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ZainTech, the one-stop digital and ICT solutions powerhouse of Zain Group, announces it has entered into an agreement for the complete acquisition of BIOS Middle East, a regional managed secure cloud provider with a presence in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. The acquisition, subject to regulatory approvals, will result in the full migration and integration of BIOS Middle East's operations within ZainTech over the next 12-18 months. Dominic Docherty, BIOS Managing Director (L) and Andrew Hanna, ZainTech CEO (R) Since its establishment in 2002, BIOS has served over 300 global and regional customers by offering managed services and cloud solutions with 24x7x365 support and a measurable SLA. CloudHPT, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, managed multi-cloud access, security as a service, infrastructure as a service, and disaster recovery as a service are just a few of the capabilities provided by over 140 BIOS professionals across the region. Commenting on the agreement, Bader Al Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO said, "This deal represents a major step in ZainTech's expansion strategy and our determination to transform Zain into a leading ICT and digital lifestyle provider. ZainTech is a key part of Zain's value accretive '4Sight' strategy centered on evolving Zain's core telecom business to maximize value and build on the company's many strengths to selectively invest in growth verticals beyond standard mobile services." Andrew Hanna, ZainTech CEO said, "Managed cloud is a highly relevant and critical business area for our region, and with BIOS's established strong customer base, years of experience, and exceptional team, this strategic acquisition will supercharge our capabilities in hybrid and multi-cloud managed services and expand our offerings." Hanna continued, "ZainTech is a young company focused on becoming a leading technology partner to corporates and governments in the region. We look to achieve this through organic growth and acquisitions of value-adding companies. The decision to acquire BIOS was driven by its relevance, presence, leadership, market access, and expertise." Hanna concluded, "Integrating the BIOS operations within ZainTech, coupled with leveraging Zain Group's regional footprint and advanced network, will enable us to provide customers the best enterprise cloud experiences in the region." Dominic Docherty, BIOS Middle East Managing Director, said, "BIOS shares with ZainTech the goal to become the region's leading multi-cloud managed service provider. This deal will allow us to accelerate and scale towards that goal, with further benefits to both our customers and people. I am excited and energized to become part of the ZainTech team". ZainTech's cloud business supports organizations, in regulated and non-regulated industries across its footprint, in leveraging the power of the cloud to deliver transformational IT outcomes. Through global alliances, significant investments in automation, and strong advisory, professional, and managed services, ZainTech's cloud business brings customers high-quality cloud capabilities with flexible pricing that helps optimize and reduce their total cost of ownership. More on ZainTech ZainTech is a regional Digital & ICT solutions provider unifying Zain Group's ICT assets to offer a unique value proposition of comprehensive digital solutions and services under one roof. The company is positioned to drive the transformation of enterprise and government customers in the MENA region by providing a center of excellence and managed solutions across the ICT stack including cloud, cybersecurity, big data, IoT, AI, smart cities, drones, and emerging technologies. ZainTech will leverage Zain's global reach, unique regional footprint, and infrastructure across its operations in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates as well as in other key markets in the Middle East. ZainTech forms a key pillar in the evolution of Zain's core telecom business to maximize value and build on the company's many strengths to selectively create and invest in growth verticals beyond standard mobile services. This ultimately serves to support Zain's vision of becoming a leading ICT and digital lifestyle provider. Please visit www.zaintech.com More on BIOS Middle East Established in 2002, BIOS Middle East (BIOSME) is the GCC's Local Cloud & Managed Service Provider with cloud footprint in the UAE, KSA and Oman. The company works to give its 300 plus customers the capabilities to become cloud-enabled and promote digital transformation. To do this, BIOSME provides managed services and cloud solutions with 24x7x365 support backed by a measurable SLA for a fixed monthly fee. BIOSME solutions include Managed Services, Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Disaster Recovery-as-a-service, Managed Multi-cloud across our cloud, CloudHPT, AWS and Azure. The company's mission is to help customers use IT to free up time, money, and resources, so they can focus on the 'business of improving and running their business.' For more information, please visit www.biosme.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1929102/Dominic_Docherty_and_Andrew_Hanna.jpg SOURCE ZainTech The partnership will power a better buying experience for customers and dealers AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rollick, the leading relationship technology provider for the Marine, Powersports, and RV industries today announced that Zero Motorcycles, the global leader in electric motorcycles and powertrains, has rolled out Aimbase, Rollick's industry-centric lead management platform. The company will soon include RollickDR, the digital retailing solution. The platform will provide dealers with a more tailored experience when handling leads across systems and primarily in their preferred CRM provider. "We are constantly evolving to provide the most qualified leads to our dealers and to support Zero Motorcycle buyers throughout their customer journey," said Jackie Frenzel, Director of Dealer Network Development for Zero Motorcycles. "We are focused on investing in solutions that meet dealers on their terms while providing a modernized experience to engage and fast-track potential buyers." Zero's brand marketing team will be able to use several different levels of segmentation and automation through Rollick's Aimbase platform. Dealers will be able to integrate Zero's leads into their existing sales process while also providing Zero with further visibility through lead disposition reporting. Rollick's digital engagement module, RollickDR, will enable a better buying experience for consumers wanting to complete more of their transaction online. "Zero is a premium electric motorcycles and powertrains manufacturer and we are proud to partner with them to power the best buying experience for both dealers and potential customers," said Jeff Coffman, SVP, Enterprise Solutions and Marketing at Rollick. "When that experience starts on the brand website, Zero begins building loyalty before the customer steps foot in the dealership." Related: About Rollick, Inc. Rollick connects manufacturers, dealers, and finance and insurance providers with in-market consumers in several recreation and industrial industries to deliver a seamless customer journey. Rollick's OEM solutions include new customer acquisition, enterprise lead management, customer experience/loyalty, and marketing automation. For more information, visit Rollick . About Rollick's Aimbase Marketing Technology Aimbase is the only marketing technology solution in the recreation and industrial equipment industries that combines enterprise lead management, marketing automation, and customer lifecycle management in one platform. About RollickDR Rollick's digital retailing solution provides a consolidated tool to help consumers gather detailed transaction information about a potential purchase and, when ready, provide all of the researched information to the dealer. With RollickDR, consumers can get pre-qualified for financing, review OEM & dealerships offers, estimate the value of a trade-in, schedule appointments, and reserve a vehicle in a simple interface that can be embedded on OEM and dealer websites. About Zero Motorcycles Zero Motorcycles is the global leader in electric motorcycles and powertrains. Designed and crafted in California, Zero Motorcycles combines Silicon Valley technology with traditional motorcycle soul to elevate the motorcycling experience for forward-thinking riders around the world.For more information, visit https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/ . SOURCE Rollick CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zing Health founder Dr. Eric E. Whitaker will expand the company's collaboration with key stakeholders in the new role of Executive Chairman and transition his operational role as the company's CEO to President Andrew Clifton. Whitaker and Clifton will work closely together to ensure a seamless leadership transition that continues the Medicare startup's exponential growth. Zing Health Executive Chairman Dr. Eric E. Whitaker and CEO Andrew Clifton will work closely together in the Medicare startups leadership transition for exponential growth. "Our strategic objectives as a physician-founded Medicare Advantage insurer are to put the medical practitioner at the center of healthcare transformation and to address the social determinants that keep communities healthy," Whitaker said. "At this point in Zing Health's growth, these goals deserve my complete focus. I'm proud of our healthcare startup's maturity in building a world-class team and infrastructure. Andrew is the right person to take our organization to the next level." An internal medicine physician trained at UCSF, Harvard and the University of Chicago, Whitaker is a former Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and a nationally recognized authority on population health. The Chicago native has used his influence and knowledge to lead Zing Health in extending Medicare Advantage plans to under-resourced populations. Clifton, an innovator in Medicare Advantage plans at Advise Insurance, WellCare Health Plans and Centene Corp., joined Zing Health as president in July. For 2023, Zing Health has expanded its unique health maintenance organization and point-of-service offerings, including special needs plans for members with diabetes or heart conditions. "Dr. Whitaker will continue to be a great mentor for me, and we'll be partners in advancing Zing Health going forward," Clifton said. "We have ambitious growth targets over the next several years and will continue to build a market-leading member experience that engages in a much more culturally competent way than other health insurers." As Executive Chairman, Whitaker will build on his relationships with policymakers, investors, regulators, practitioners and the American Medical Association to advocate for population health issues and organize clinical and civic stakeholders in the Midwest Health Equity Coalition. "Black and Brown populations are harder to reach and serve. Policymakers must recognize the issues in addressing their health disparities," Whitaker said. "There's a strong need to make sure that underserved populations are dealt with fairly and equitably. I'm convinced Zing Health will continue to be a force for healthcare innovation and transformation." Since its spinout in 2019 from Health2047, the Silicon Valley innovation subsidiary of the American Medical Association, Zing Health has addressed inadequacies in the healthcare system by creating tech-enabled, community-based Medicare Advantage health plans. The insurer has expanded its Illinois, Indiana and Michigan provider networks, has gained a national footprint with the acquisition of Lasso Healthcare and was honored with the inaugural Social Impact Award at Chicago startup incubator 1871's 15th annual Momentum Awards. "We've grown to a 176-person company which has employees in 31 states," Whitaker said. "We were named one of Modern Healthcare's Best Places to Work in 2022 thanks to our phenomenal culture. I'm excited for what the future holds on our mission to help all seniors get the health care they deserve." About Zing Health Founded in 2019, Zing Health Holdings Inc. is a physician-founded insurance company making Medicare Advantage the best it can be for eligible beneficiaries. Named one of the 2022 Best Places to Work in Healthcare, Zing Health adopts a community-based approach that addresses the social determinants of health, keeping individuals and communities healthy while returning the physician and the member to the center of the healthcare equation. Each member gets personalized care and service, access to facilities designed to help them better meet their healthcare needs and a dedicated care team. For more information on Zing Health, visit myzinghealth.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Kimberly Palacios Purpose Brand 773-853-4794 [email protected] SOURCE Zing Health COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Another day, another award for Zipline Logistics. Columbus Business First has named Zipline a Fast 50 Fastest Growing Company in Central Ohio for the 12th time in its 15-year history! Zipline ranked #22 out of 50 honorees. Zipline Logistics is a Fast 50 Fastest Growing Company in Central Ohio for the 12th time in its 15-year history! Tweet this "We are thankful for our hardworking, dedicated team members and amazing clients for getting us here," said Andrew Lynch, Zipline Logistics President and Co-Founder, "We have so many exciting initiatives in the pipeline that will only propel us forward and build upon the long-term retention that has taken Zipline to where it is today." The Fast 50 awards ceremony took place at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, October 20th. Niki Pardi and Jonathan Edwards both top performing Zipline account managers accepted the award on Zipline's behalf. The duo met several Columbus Crew players, got to check out the Crew locker room, and received a custom Crew Jersey with 'Zipline Logistics' on the back! Earlier this year, Zipline was also named a These awards recognize rapidly growing and top third-party logistics providers in the industry. About Zipline Logistics Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Zipline Logistics has a 15-year history of being a consistently recognized, rapidly growing, and reliable 3PL that exclusively services the consumer-packaged goods sector. Their uniquely qualified carrier network, world-class team of retail transportation experts, and state-of-the-art shipper intelligence tools maximizes client revenue and gross margin by eliminating out-of-stocks through optimized, on-time in-full performance. Zipline's processes were built specifically to resolve the most critical logistics challenges faced by consumer goods brands shipping into retail. Ninety-seven percent of Zipline orders are destined to land on a retail shelf in stores like Walmart, Costco, Bath & Body Works, Whole Foods, and Best Buy. For more information, visit www.ziplinelogistics.com or follow Zipline on social media @ziplinelogistics. SOURCE Zipline Logistics DALLAS, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ZOCCAM Technologies, Inc., the leading platform for payment solutions in real estate, announces that it will be awarded an additional patent expanding their patent portfolio to seven, all of which cover payments and payment data. ZOCCAM connects directly to the financial institution to provide a simple, more secure method for delivery of payments to real estate settlement service providers resulting in a better overall customer experience. Founded in 2015, ZOCCAM is the leading provider of mobile payments in the real estate space and will facilitate over 3.5 billion dollars of earnest money deposits in 2022 alone. "When ZOCCAM launched our goal was to facilitate earnest money deposits that met the goods funds requirements for each state. We have achieved that goal and are now in a unique position to leverage our connectivity and relationships with financial institutions to facilitate other types of payments, no matter the payment rails," says founder and CEO Ashley Cook. ZOCCAM's technology was the first to facilitate mobile earnest money payments to title companies and has remained the leader in the space. Today, ZOCCAM is utilized in every state by the largest national title insurance companies, brokers and independent title agents. For more information, visit www.ZOCCAM.com, and join us at fb.com/ZOCCAMre and twitter.com/ZOCCAMre. SOURCE ZOCCAM SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, today announced that it has won the "Most Innovative Network Slicing Use Case" Award and the "Most Innovative Private Network Project" Award at Network X 2022 held in Amsterdam, Netherlands. China Mobile and ZTE's SPN (FGU) Fine Granularity Unit and Commercialization awarded "Most Innovative Network Slicing Use Case" ZTE& awarded& "Most Innovative Network Slicing Use Case"& and& "Most Innovative Private Network Project" at Network X 2022 The industrial verticals production service and high-quality private line slices ask for small bandwidth but high performance, requesting deterministic latency, hard isolation and high-reliability transport. However, the traditional Ethernet using Best Efforts forwarding cannot meet these demands. China Mobile has partnered with ZTE to propose SPN (Slicing Packet Network) to introduce the hierarchical hard slicing into Ethernet for the first time. With the granularity being reduced from 5Gbps to 10Mbps, the SPN supports forward compatibility as well as scalable fine-granularity transport pipe. At the same time, it binds to MPLS VPN and SRv6 services to guarantee end-to-end zero packet loss and provides forwarding with deterministic latency and circuit-level physical isolation, so as to build one network for different purposes. This network provides differentiated service transport with flexible bandwidth, physical isolation and deterministic latency for 5G private networks and enterprise private lines. ZTE, China Mobile and NR Electric's E2E 5G TSN for Green Grid awarded "Most Innovative Private Network Project" In the power grid field, efficient use of clean new energy such as wind and solar energy is an effective means to achieve green and low carbon target. However, wind power and solar energy are easily affected by the weather and regions, and they are unstable. Accurate measurement, control, and real-time interaction are required. Conventional mobile network mechanism cannot meet the strict network requirements of the power industry. ZTE has released the Time Promised Communication solution, which integrates 5G TSN/5G LAN/URLLC/SLA accurate control related to time-sensitive networks as defined by 3GPP Release 16. TPC solution combines software and hardware to effectively solve the network latency and jitter caused by traffic conflicts and communication interference. It is combined with the slicing technology to reduce 5G end-to-end latency, which guarantees the determinacy of the communication network. Instead of optical cables, TPC solution enables flexible access to the last mile, greatly reducing communication network construction costs. It accelerates the deployment of new energy such as solar energy and wind energy, and helps the power industry achieve the strategic goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. The Network X Awards 2022 is held by Informa, a leading international events, digital services and academic knowledge group, to recognise achievement, innovation and excellence across the telco industry. This year Network X is combining 5G World, BBWF (Broadband World Forum) and the newly launched Telco Cloud to bring together fixed and mobile markets in one place. Media Contacts: Margaret Ma ZTE Corporation Tel: +86 755 26775189 Email: [email protected] SOURCE ZTE Corporation Washington, Oct 25 : North Korea is believed to be "continuing preparations" for a nuclear test while the US is set to face any threat posed by the "recalcitrant" country, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Department Press Secretary Ned Price said that the US also remains open to engaging in dialogue with Pyongyang, Yonhap news agency reported. "Our concern regarding the potential for another North Korean nuclear test, which would be its seventh, has been consistent for some time now. We assess that the DPRK is preparing its Punggye-ri test site for what would be its seventh test," Price said in a daily press briefing, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "We are preparing for all contingencies in close coordination with our partners and allies around the world," he added. The spokesperson noted steps to be taken by the US may include "adjustments" to US defence posture. "We are prepared to make both short- and longer-term adjustments to our military posture as appropriate in responding to DPRK provocation and as necessary to strengthen both defense and deterrence to protect our allies in the region," he said. The remarks came as Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman began a three-day visit to Japan earlier in the day for bilateral and trilateral talks with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts. Price said much of Sherman's ongoing trip to Tokyo will be "dedicated to discussing the challenge that the DPRK poses to the region." The department spokesperson also reiterated US commitment to engage in dialogue with the North. "We have made consistently clear that we harbor no hostile intent towards the DPRK. We remain open to dialogue. We remain open to diplomacy," he said. "At the same time, our commitment to the security of our personnel in the region, of our treaty allies is ironclad," added Price. John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council (NSC), expressed concerns over North Korea's recent provocations, while highlighting the possibility of a potential nuclear test. "We have been consistently concerned about North Korean provocations. It's not just because they have accelerated missile launches, for instance, in the last few weeks. It's been a consistent concern of ours, which is why several months ago, again, we added some intelligence capabilities off the Korean Peninsula to help us get a little bit better insight," he said in a telephonic press briefing. North Korea fired nearly a dozen ballistic missiles in just three weeks from late September, bringing the total number of ballistic missiles it launched this year to 44, the largest number of ballistic missiles fired in a single year, according to US officials. "We have said that the North Koreans could conduct the nuclear test at any time. We still believe that's the case," said Kirby. The NSC strategic communications coordinator also reaffirmed US commitment to engage in dialogue with Pyongyang, saying the US has offered to sit down with the North "without preconditions." "And that offer stands today. No preconditions. We are willing to sit down and start to have a dialogue." Badaun, Oct 25 : A 66-year-old retired school teacher was shot dead by his son and daughter-in-law over a trivial domestic dispute in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district. The police arrested the couple on Monday evening. Senior Superintendent of Police O.P. Singh said Satpal, a resident of Amroli village under the Wazirganj Police Station area, was shot dead on October 18 when he was going to the market. The police registered a case against unknown persons, and started investigations. Satpal's family members denied having any enmity with anyone. During the investigation, it came to the fore that a close relative of the retired teacher was involved in his killing, the police official said. The SSP said that after retirement, Satpal lived with his younger son Vipin Singh and had bought a tractor and a car for him (Vipin). He also helped Vipin start a dairy business. However, a few days ago, Satpal started living with his elder son Harish after being upset by the behaviour of his younger son Vipin and daughter-in-law Pooja. This apparently offended the son who thought that the father would not help his elder brother financially. Chicago, Oct 25 : At least three people were killed, including the suspect, and seven others were injured in a shooting at a high school in St. Louis, in the US' Missouri. A woman died at hospital, and a teen girl was pronounced dead inside the school, both of gunshot wounds, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a report by St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The suspect, a male estimated to be in his 20s, was shot inside the school and pronounced dead at hospital. The shooting was reported after 9 a.m. local time on Monday at Central Visual & Performing Arts High School. By 9:30 a.m., the entire area was blocked off by police, ambulances and a SWAT van. Students and staff streamed from the school with hands in the air. The police did not indicate how the shooter got inside the building, the report said. Washington, Oct 25 : A former police officer of Minneapolis in Minnesota state of the US on Monday pleaded guilty in the death of African American man George Floyd. J. Alexander Kueng, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in manslaughter after prosecutors and Kueng's defence attorney agreed to recommend a sentence of 42 months in prison, Xinhua news agency reported. Kueng is the second to plead guilty to the state charge, following his former colleague Thomas Lane, who pleaded guilty earlier this year. A third former officer, Tou Thao, previously rejected a plea deal and agreed on Monday to go forward with a trial by stipulated evidence on one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that Kueng's guilty plea "hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd's family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice." Floyd, 46, died on May 25, 2020, after an encounter with Minneapolis police, during which officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Kueng, Lane, and Thao were also present and on duty. Chauvin was sentenced in a federal court to 21 years in prison earlier this summer for violating Floyd's civil rights. The sentence is running concurrently with Chauvin's state sentence of 22.5 years after he was convicted for second and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. Floyd's death sparked outrage and protests across the US in the summer of 2020 against police brutality and systemic racism. Bijnor, Oct 25 : The family of a pharmacy owner, who died in the custody, has blamed Haryana police for the custodial death. Sanjeev Kumar, who owned a pharmacy in Sevaram locality in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested by the Haryana Police on October 15 in a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The Haryana Police brought him to the Bijnor locality on remand on Saturday and they stayed in a hotel on Saturday night. According to the Haryana Police, Sanjeev Kumar tried to escape from its custody by jumping through a second-floor window and died after falling, Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajendra Singh said. Haryana Police officer Pradeep Kumar who was accompanying Sanjeev Kumar, said he was rushed to a local hospital in a critical condition and later referred to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Sanjeev Kumar's brother Pawan has lodged a complaint with the police alleging that excessive harassment and assault by the Haryana Police led to the death. The Haryana Police had also arrested Sanjeev Kumar's associate and drug supplier Rashid in the case. Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajendra Singh said the matter was being investigated. London, Oct 25 : With Indian-origin Rishi Sunak set to take charge as the British Prime Minister, calls for general election are getting louder with almost two-thirds of voters wanting it before the end of the year, a poll has found. Some 62 per cent of people said they wanted to see a general election be held in 2022, once Rishi Sunak had taken office as Prime Minister, polling company Ipsos has found. At the beginning of August, 51 per cent of people told Ipsos they would back a general election. The latest figures came from a survey of 1,000 adults between October 20 and 21. Sunak, who is expected to go to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III, ruled out an election quickly after he was announced as the new Conservative leader. "Certainly, he said that there will be no early general election," Simon Hoare, a senior MP who supported Sunak, told reporters. In the UK, the next general election due to take place under the law is January 2025, but the Prime Minister has the power to decide a date any time before then. The proportion of calls by the UK public calling for a general election has increased since Liz Truss announced her resignation on October 20, the Evening Standard reported. Also, opposition parties have ratcheted-up their election calls, claiming Truss's successor has "no mandate". Boris Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries said it will be "impossible" to avoid a general election in the weeks ahead, as Rishi Sunak was named as Prime Minister-in-waiting. "I think everybody who I've spoken to, the public, have said we should be having a general election," Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner told local media. Another Ipsos poll, taken between October 19 and 20, said that Sunak will begin his premiership trailing opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer. It found that 36 per cent of people thought Sunak would make a good prime minister -- a higher total than any other Conservative but slightly behind Sir Keir's total of 46 per cent. Sunak will make a bad Prime Minister with 32 per cent of the people saying that about him while 28 per cent think Sir Keir would do a bad job. "In choosing Rishi Sunak as the next prime minister, the Conservative Party have picked a contender with the widest appeal, but the public are still uncertain whether he will do a good job in office," Keiran Pedley, director of political research at Ipsos, said. Around 54 per cent of Conservative voters thought Sunak would do a good job as Prime Minister, compared to 52 per cent who thought Johnson would do a good job if he was brought back, the Ipsos poll said. New York, Oct 25 : US midterm elections next month will almost certainly add a member to the "samosa caucus", as the Indian Americans in Congress call themselves, with the likely election of Shri Thanedar to the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party stronghold of Detroit. He could become the fifth Indian American member of Congress if all the other four are re-elected - a very strong possibility, according to forecasts. An entrepreneur and self-made millionaire Thanedar, 67, who was born in Belgaum in India, is an unlikely Democratic Party candidate for the constituency covering a chunk of Detroit, a city that is overwhelmingly African American. Although the eight African American candidates split the votes in the intra-party election in August for the Democratic Party's nomination that virtually guarantees success in the general election, Thanedar's story of coming up from poverty - having once worked as a janitor - to become a successful businessman and his message of economic upliftment for the community struck a chord with party members. FiveThirtyEight, an election data analysis outfit, puts his chances of winning at 99 per cent against the Republican candidate Martell Bivings, who is an African American. The four current members of the "samosa caucus" - all Democrats - appear to be comfortably placed for re-election according to polls and analytical forecasts. FiveThirtyEight rated all of them as "very likely" to win. One of them, Krishnamoorthi found his constituency located around Chicago in Illinois slightly altered with the addition of some Republican-leaning areas in the redrawing that takes place every ten years. He has expressed doubts about his chances, even headlining an appeal to his supporters, "I could lose". But a poll in his constituency gave him a six per cent lead over Republican Chris Dargis and Politico Forecast had him likely winning while FiveThirtyEight gave him a 98 per cent chance of victory. Politico Forecast said the constituencies of the other three were "solidly Democratic". In California, FiveThirtyEight gave a 99 per cent chance of victory for Ro Khanna who is running against another Indian American, Republican candidate Ritesh Tanden. It set Ami Bera's odds in California at 98 per cent and Premila Jayapal's at 99 per cent in Washington State. There are also other Indian Americans running for Congress with almost no chance of winning, but could use the opportunity to raise their profile. They include Republicans Sandeep Srivastava in Texas and Rishi Kumar in California each with a FiveThirtyEight odds of one per cent. Earlier, in the Republican primary elections to select candidates, Abhiram Garapati lost in Texas and Hima Kolanagireddy in Michigan. Shrina Kurani, a Democratic, lost the open primary in California. Sri Preston Kulkarni, who ran for the House from Texas in 2018 and 2020 as Democrat is not running again. A former diplomat, he lost his election by less than seven per cent of the votes after it was sabotaged by some fellow Democrats with an anti-Hindu agenda who made an issue of his participation in the "Howdy Modi" rally in Houston in 2019 that featured India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former President Donald Trump, and legal election contributions from Hindus. Another Democrat, Hiral Tipirneni, who lost by less than five per cent in Arizona in 2020 is also not contesting this time. Thanedar, who is now a Michigan state legislator, ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic party nomination for governor in 2018. He came to the US in 1979 and got his PhD in chemistry and an MBA. He took out loans to buy a company he worked for, Chemir, and built it from a $150,000 company to one with a revenue of $14 million before selling it for $26 million, according to his LinkedIn page. He next started Avomeen Analytical Services, a chemical testing laboratory. He sold the majority stakes in it in 2016 and, according to his campaign bio, retired to get involved in public service to answer "the call to fight for social, racial and economic justice". Thanedar said on his campaign site that he grew up in poverty in a family of ten in India and worked in odd jobs to support his family after his father retired. "I'll never forget what it's like to live in poverty, and I'll never stop working to lift Detroit families out of it", he wrote. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) Washington, Oct 25 : US President Joe Biden called the impending UK premiership of Rishi Sunak a "groundbreaking milestone". Biden, as most other world leaders, is still getting used to the Indian-descent Sunak's name. He called him "Rashi", which was a full vowel off Sunak's actual first name Rishi. But that slip mattered little to his audience - Indian Americans at a White House celebration of Diwali hosted by the President and First Lady Jill Biden with Vice-President Kamala Harris, the first Indian-American elected to that office. "We've got news Rashi... Rashi Sunak is now the Prime Minister," Biden said to a cheering audience of Indian Americans, adding, "As my brother would say 'Go figure'." President Biden has not officially said anything yet on Sunak's emergence as the presumptive Prime Minister - although he was aware of the next steps as he said, "I think tomorrow when he goes to see the King" - so his remarks at the Diwali event were politically astute. Sunak's rise has been followed closely by Indian Americans, specially those who see in him - "a proud Hindu", as he has called himself - someone who testifies and caps the rise of Hindus worldwide, more than Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who rules a Hindu-majority India. Sunak was born into an Indian-descent family that immigrated to the UK from East Africa. His father's family traces descent to Gujranwala in Pakistan and he is the first person of colour to hold the top democratically elected position in the county that was once an empire that never saw the setting sun. Biden brought up Sunak at a point in his speech where he talked about hate, both speech and actions. "I used to think we could defeat hate coming out of the civil rights movement, but (it, hate) only hides," he said, adding, "It hides under rocks until it's given oxygen and it comes out when prejudiced people are speaking. Violent extremists are a rising threat." Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about celebrating Diwali with her mother's family on their visits to India. Shyamala Gopalan, the mother, came to the US to study medicine and stayed on to become a cancer researcher. New York, Oct 25 : Hosting a Diwali reception at the White House, which was attended by more than 200 prominent Indian-Americans, US President Joe Biden thanked the community for making the festival of lights a joyous part of the American culture. More than a billion Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists celebrated the festival of lights in the US, India, and around the world on October 24. "We are honoured to host you. This is the first Diwali reception of this scale in the White House ever to be held. We have more Asian-Americans than ever before in history and we want to thank you for making the Diwali celebration a joyous part of American culture," Biden said while addressing the Indian-origin community at the East Room on Monday. With a population of more than 4.5 million, Indian-Americans make up 1.4% of the US population and are the largest group of South Asian-Americans. Biden, along with First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, thanked the South Asian community across America for their optimism, courage, and empathy. "Together, South Asian Americans reflect the soul of who we are as a nation, whether helping us emerge stronger from this pandemic, building an economy that works for everyone, or serving and protecting our communities and our country," Biden said. A record 130 Indian-Americans are in key positions of Biden administration -- the best representation from the community that makes up around 1 per cent of the American population. Biden also shared his picture on Twitter lighting the lamp at the White House with a message that "Diwali is a reminder that each of us has the power to dispel darkness and bring light to the world". "This Diwali, may we remember that from darkness there is power in the gathering of light. That the American story depends not on any one of us, but on all of us," the President tweeted. "To those celebrating and connecting with one another during this festival of lights: Happy Diwali," he added. The Bidens called the reception the largest since the People's House started celebrating the festival during the George Bush administration. The reception was also marked by cultural events, including performances by sitarist Rishab Sharma and dance troupe The Sa Dance Company. Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 Vienna, Oct 25 : A team of inspectors from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit two sites in Ukraine at the request of the government in Kiev, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement. In the statement issued on Monday, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the agency is aware of statements made by Russia on Sunday about alleged activities at the two nuclear sites. Grossi confirmed that both locations are under IAEA safeguards and have been visited regularly by the agency inspectors. He added that the IAEA received a written request from Ukraine on Monday to send teams of inspectors to carry out verification activities at the two locations. "The IAEA inspected one of these locations one month ago and all our findings were consistent with Ukraine's safeguards declarations," said the Director General. "No undeclared nuclear activities or material were found there." The IAEA is preparing to visit the locations in the coming days, he said, adding that the purpose of the safeguards visits is to detect any possible undeclared nuclear activities and material. Grossi's announcement comes amid Russian accusations that Ukraine is preparing to use 'dirty bombs'. Dirty bombs contain radioactive material, such as uranium, which is scattered through the air when its conventional explosive detonates, the BBC reported. They do not need to contain highly refined radioactive material, as is used in a nuclear bomb, which makes them cheaper and easier to manoeuvre. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Ottawa, Oct 25 : Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has greeted the Sikh community on the occasion of Bandi Chhor Divas. In an official statement issued on Monday, the Prime Minister said: Today, we join Sikh communities in Canada and around the world to celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas. On this holiday, Sikhs commemorate the story of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, who was imprisoned in 1619 at Gwalior Fort. "When given the chance to be liberated from prison, the Guru refused to be released without the 52 innocent kings who were imprisoned alongside him. Ultimately, he succeeded at freeing himself and the kings." "Today, families and friends will gather to pray, feast, and light candles at their homes and gurdwaras as symbols of hope, guidance, and freedom. On Bandi Chhor Divas, we reflect on the importance of standing in solidarity with those around us facing injustice, and the importance of serving those in need. "This celebration is also an opportunity to recognize the important contributions that Canadians of the Sikh faith have made -- and continue to make -- to building a stronger Canada. On Bandi Chhor Diwas (prisoner liberation day), the sixth Sikh guru, Sri Guru Hargobind, returned to Amritsar after being released along with 52 princes from imprisonment by the Mughal emperor Jahangir from Gwalior prison in 1619. Chennai, Oct 25 : The Tamil Nadu Police have arrested five people in the Coimbatore car blast case in which one person was killed, said officials here on Tuesday, adding that the case is likely to be taken over by National Investigation Agency (NIA). The arrested have been identified as Mohammed Talka, Mohammed Azharuddin, Mohamed Navas Ismail, Mohammed Riyas and Firoze Ismail. Sources in the Tamil Nadu Police investigation team, which is probing the case, told IANS that the probe has been extended to Kerala. The probe team said that Mubin had been to Viyyur central jail and had met Mohammed Azharuddin, an accused in a terror related case. A team of senior officers of the Tamil Nadu Police were in Kerala for further investigation. Tamil Nadu Director General of Police C. Sylendra Babu met the investigation team led by Additional Director General of Police, Thamarakannu at Coimbatore on Monday and discussed the progress of the case. An explosion happened at 4 a.m. on Sunday near the famous Eeswaran temple at Ukkadam. The body of a 25-year-old youth Jameesha Mubin was recovered from the blast site. Ukkadam is a highly sensitive area of Coimbatore and was the centre of action in the 1996 Coimbatore blasts leading to the death of 56 people and injuring more than 200. Mohammed Talka, who has been arrested in the case, is the son of Navas Khan, who is the brother of the main accused in the Coimbatore blasts. Police said that after the recovery of nails and marbles from the accident site, it was suspected that the deceased was planning to make a low intensity device. The raids at the residence of the deceased found potassium nitrate and sulphur and this led to further investigation and probe on the involvement of other people in the conspiracy. After questioning, the police have arrested five men. Tamil Nadu Police officers told IANS that the probe was likely to be taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Opposition parties, AIADMK and BJP, have come out strongly against the failure of the state police. The AIADMK interim general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami told the mediapersons that whenever the DMK assumes power in the state such things happen, and charged that the law and order situation in the state has hit a new low . BJP leader and state president K.Annamalai has come out strongly against the DMK government and state police and demanded an NIA probe. Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 25 : In Kerala, the CPI-M is known for taking to the streets at the drop of a hat, but this happens whenever they are in the opposition, but with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan now firing on all cylinders, the CPI-M led Left Front government is caught in a quandary and perhaps for the first time, they are taking to the streets, while being in office. Leaving nothing to chance, the CPI-M led by none other than its powerhouse Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself is leading from the front to take on Khan and what the party state secretary M.V. Govindan himself said, it will be one of the biggest protests ever seen in the state on November 15. And as a trailer to the biggest protest, all across the state, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Left party workers will be taking to the streets against Khan, whom they think is trying to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda across the universities in the state. Already cut up with Khan, who first showed the exit door to 15 Kerala University senate members for not adhering to his decision to take part in a senate meeting early this month, and the other day acting on a Supreme Court directive asked the vice-chancellor (V-C) of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University of Kerala - M.S. Rajasree, and eight other V-Cs of various universities to quit. This has ruffled Vijayan and the entire Left. Following an urgent sitting of the Kerala High Court on Diwali day, the Kerala High Court held that the letter issued by Khan, directing the V-Cs of eight universities in Kerala to resign, was no longer valid since the Governor himself later issued show cause notices asking the V-Cs for their response. The court, therefore, ruled that the V-Cs can continue in their posts till the Governor passes a final order after following the procedure under law. All these V-Cs have been asked to reply latest by November 3. Khan has been peeved for a while against Vijayan, since the latter gives scant respect to the former by totally ignoring conventions and protocols, which has been in vogue for long. Incidentally, it was Vijayan who suffered a rude jolt in 2006 when the then Governor R.L. Bhatia gave the nod to prosecute him in the SNC Lavalin case. Popular media critic A.Jayasankar recalled that the CPI-M then in opposition tried to send warning signals to Bhatia not to do anything "foolish", but he gave the sanction to prosecute him and that case continues even now. "So, if the CPI-M thinks that they can take on the Governor, they will end up the way Vijayan ended in 2006, as the Governor has his own set of rules and he will act accordingly, as has been seen in the country for long," said Jayasankar. The Congress-led opposition is, however, playing the waiting game and so far has not reacted even as the fight between Vijayan and Khan is getting intense, while the state BJP has threatened that they will not sit idle, if Khan comes under duress from the ruling Left. "None should forget the residence of Vijayan is not far to where Khan lives, so that should not be forgotten," said state BJP president K. Surendran. So at the moment Khan is on a strong wicket, while the CPI-M is not, as they are in office currently and various news TV channels are digging out old videos when leaders like Vijayan were in the opposition and were attacking the then government-led by Oommen Chandy in the solar scam case. New Delhi, Oct 25 : Indian-origin Rishi Sunak who is set to take charge as the British Prime Minister, shepherded the UK's new crypto ambitions during his tenure as Chancellor. Under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he wanted to turn the country into a crypto hub, reports CoinDesk. He helped formulate the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which, if passed into law, could give local regulators sweeping power over the crypto industry. It is likely to begin with bringing asset-driven crypto, like stablecoins, into the scope of payments regulations. "Under his leadership, the country's coin producer, the Royal Mint, was tasked with creating a non-fungible token (NFT) collection, which has yet to come to fruition," the report mentioned. Adam Jackson, director of policy at Innovate Finance, called Sunak a "champion of fintech". "It's a positive for crypto and the general economy," Ian Taylor, director of the industry lobby group CryptoUK, told CoinDesk. As Johnson's chancellor, Sunak was also behind the financial aid during Covid lockdowns -- including furlough payments and the 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme for restaurants. Sunak, 42, a Conservative Party politician who is of Indian descent, will be the next Prime Minister of Britain. In his first, brief public statement after being elevated, he said: "I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility; and I will work day in, day out to deliver for the British people." It will be the first time a non-white will occupy the position of head of government in the US. London, Oct 25 : Rishi Sunak becoming UK's Prime Minister is "our Barack Obama moment", said leader of the Hindu temple set up by the Indian-origin leader's grandfather. Rishi Sunak's grandfather Ramdas Sunak, who was from Gujranwala town (now in Pakistan), set up the Vedic Society Hindu Temple in Southampton in 1971. "It's like for the UK, it's the Barack Obama moment, where a non-white person becomes Prime Minister for the first time, also a person from Indian origin and Hindu which is another dimension and everyone is very proud," Sanjay Chandarana, president of the temple, told LBC News. He added that Rishi Sunak regularly comes to the temple located in Hampshire city when he is in his hometown. Rishi Sunak, who will be taking charge as the Prime Minister after meeting King Charles III, visited the temple in July, just a couple of days before he resigned as chancellor. He had offered a family prayer and had lunch at the temple. Chandarana told LBC News that he is sure that Rishi Sunak will come to the temple for prayers once he becomes the Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak made history when he swore his oath to Parliament after the 2017 general elections with his hand on a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, as pointed out by 'The Guardian'. And he was also the first occupant of No 11, Downing Street, the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to celebrate Diwali at the doorsteps of his then home. Despite growing up in Britain and going to Winchester, Oxford University and then Stanford, Rishi Sunak has never glossed over his cultural roots, staying away from beef and keeping a statuette of Lord Ganesha on his work table. "I can proudly say that I am a Hindu and being a Hindu is my identity," he said in a media interview, adding that his faith "gives me strength, it gives me purpose. It's part of who I am," Rishi Sunak had told The Times earlier this year. Chandarana said Rishi Sunak's appointment as Prime Minister showed that integration was working in the UK. "It will unite the country, because he practices Hindu religion religiously and one of the key values we have is that the whole world is our family and we believe in unity in that respect," the temple leader told LBC News. Rishi Sunak is scripting history as UK's first Prime Minister of colour and the first Hindu premier. Los Angeles, Oct 25 : Kanye West has been dropped by talent management company CAA. In addition, a completed documentary about rapper will be shelved in light of his recent antisemitic comments, MRC studio executives Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley announced in a memo on Monday. "This morning, after discussion with our filmmakers and distribution partners, we made the decision not to proceed with any distribution for our recently completed documentary about Kanye West. We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform," they wrote, reports 'Variety'. "Kanye is a producer and sampler of music. Last week he sampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3,000 years -- the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain." They added: "The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or antisemitism in general is dismaying but not surprising. What is new and sad, is the fear Jews have about speaking out in their own defense." In recent weeks, West has made controversial remarks about Jewish people, which led to his Twitter and Instagram accounts being restricted. On Sunday, antisemitic demonstrators gathered on a 405 Freeway overpass in Los Angeles and hung banners praising West. The news of CAA dropping West and the cancellation of his documentary comes after UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer sent a company-wide memo denouncing antisemitism and calling for a boycott of West on Sunday night. West was briefly a UTA client, but moved back to CAA after a year. "Regrettably, antisemitism, racism and many forms of hate and intolerance are part of the fabric of society. Generally, they live as a plague eroding the health of communities and are combatted by understanding, tolerance and the general goodness of most people," Zimmer wrote. "But throughout history some have used their public platform to spew the plague out loud and spread the contagion to dangerous effect. Kanye is the latest to do so, and we're seeing how his words embolden others to amplify their vile beliefs. I've also seen copies of horribly antisemitic flyers left this weekend on the doorsteps of homes in LA neighborhoods, showing that the 405 banners are not the end of it." Shivamogga, : Oct 25 (IANS) Tension prevailed in Karnataka's Shivamogga district on Tuesday after a group of miscreants threatened the family members of slain Bajrang Dal activist Harsha, who was hacked to death earlier this year. The police have made tight security arrangements throughout the district to avoid any untoward situation. According to the police, the incident took place late Monday night. The miscreants also assaulted a person, identified as Prakash, and escaped the spot after locals gathered. Prakash, who is currently hospitalised, told the police that a total of nine miscreants, all wearing masks, came on three bikes and they were carrying machetes and swords. Superintendent of Police Mithun visited the spot and instructed to monitor the situation. Harsha was hacked to death by a gang of miscreants on February 20 amid the height of hijab crisis triggering concerns on law and order situation. Harsha who was popularly known as Harsha Hindu, was in the forefront of Hindutva activities and questioned illegal transportation of cows. He shared fierce Hindutva messages on his social media accounts and also commented on the hijab issue. The murder had led to widespread violence in the state. Washington, Oct 25 : The US Justice Department has charged two Chinese intelligence officers, accusing them of attempting to obstruct an investigation into the telecommunications conglomerate Huawei. Although law enforcement officials did not publicly name the company in the statement late on Monday, both CNN and The Wall Street Journal reported that the case concerns Huawei. Overall, two Chinese nationals were arrested and 13 were charged in three separate cases for alleged participation in malign schemes in the US on behalf of the government of China. Defendants Guochum He and Zheng Wang were accused of working on behalf of the Chinese government to obtain confidential information and trial evidence related to a Justice Department investigation into Huawei. "As these cases demonstrate, the government of China sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the US and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights. They did not succeed," said US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. In the complaint, the US claimed that Guochum and Zheng attempted to recruit a law enforcement employee to work on behalf of the Chinese government and obtain information related to the US's ongoing investigation against Huawei in Brooklyn. "The actions announced today take place against a backdrop of malign activity from the government of the People's Republic of China that includes espionage, attempts to disrupt our justice system, harassment of individuals, and ongoing efforts to steal sensitive US technology," added Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. The US has maintained that Huawei poses a significant risk to national security. Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou entered a plea deal last year with the US to avoid potential charges of fraud and trade secret theft. According to Axios, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to ban all sales of new Huawei and ZTE telecommunications devices in the US. New Delhi, Oct 25 : Despite the Delhi government imposing a blanket ban on the storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers, over 200 emergencies and fire related calls were received by the fire department on Diwali day. Officials said that only nine calls were related to the fire, caused due to firecrackers. "A total of 201 calls related to fire instances were received from across the city by the brigade on Diwali," said Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Service (DFS). "Many fires resulted from lighting diyas and a large number of instances were of garbage catching fire, probably because firecrackers fell on them," said another fire official. According to data, in 2021 there were 152 fire related calls received by the department. In 2020, a total of 205 calls were received while in 2019 the department got 245 calls related to fire instances. On Monday, the biggest fire was reported in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar area and 10 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames. Two firemen were injured while four people were rescued after the fire that broke out in a factory in the area on Diwali evening. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. The fire official said that a fire call was received from Gandhi Nagar area at around 6.50 p.m. in a factory at gali number 12, Raghubar Pura-2 following which 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. In another incident, fire broke out at a restaurant in northwest Delhi's Prashant Vihar area. "We received information regarding the ablaze at 8.50 p.m. following which seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot," said a fire department official. This year's Diwali saw nearly 2,900 personnel of the fire department deployed across the national capital and additional fire stations were also set up. Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 Canberra, Oct 25 : Australia's Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday flagged a government crackdown on the black market vaping industry, revealing that the federal government will bolster the regulatory framework around e-cigarettes. Under Australian laws, it is illegal to use, sell or buy nicotine e-cigarette products without a prescription from a doctor, reports Xinhua news agency. Despite the current restrictions, according to The Australian newspaper, about 1.1 million people in the country use vaping products. "The rate of young Australians aged 18-24 who reported using e-cigarettes nearly doubled, from 2.8 per cent in 2016 to 5.3 per cent in 2019," the Minister told News Corp Australia. "Our government is concerned about the increased marketing and use of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people," Butler said. State and territory health ministers have called for the federal government's help in the crackdown on e-cigarettes. Meanwhile, the tobacco industry has called for e-cigarettes to be legalised and taxed rather than stricter bans. Kolkata, Oct 25 : The people of West Bengal, especially those in the coastal and Gangetic belts, heaved a sigh of relief, after escaping the onslaught on cyclone Sitrang which made landfall only in between Tinkona Island and Sandwip in Barisal district of Bangladesh. According to the IMD, Sitrang has already lost much of its strength and has been converted into a deep depression, which will subsequently lose strength over the next few hours. Although the coastal districts of West Midnapore, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas witnessed gusty winds and light to medium rainfall, there was no report of any major mishap or devastation. The impact was also not much in the Sunderbans, which was perceived to be most vulnerable. The least impacted was the state capital of Kolkata, which witnessed sporadic drizzles throughout Monday, thus not dampening the mood of Kali Puja and Diwali much. However, as a precautionary measure the state administration has barred fishermen from moving to the deep sea for fishing. Similar restrictions have been imposed on tourists in seaside resorts. Meanwhile, weather conditions have started improving in different pockets of the state since Tuesday morning. According to IMD predictions, the condition will improve further in the next four hours. Bright sunshine is evident over Kolkata already at the time the report was filed. At the same time, the Sitrang effect had subsequently brought down the temperature in and around Kolkata. As per predictions of the IMB office in Kolkata, the maximum and maximum and minimum temperatures in the city will be 29 degrees Celsius and 23 degree Celsius on Tuesday. The maximum temperature in Kolkata on Monday was 24.7 degrees, seven degrees below the normal, while the minimum was 21.5 degree Celsius. Chennai, Oct 25 : Industries in Tiruppur and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu will be affected as the migrant workers in large numbers have left for their hometowns on a long holiday in view offestivities. After the Covid-19 pandemic created a big lull in celebrations, this year most of the labourers and skilled workers from the North Indian states have left for hometowns. Coimbatore, which is home to a large number of Medium, Small and Micro industries, is facing acute shortage of hands. K.M. Murugan, a small industrialist while speaking to IANS said , "I have 223 workers and more than 90 per cent are from the North Indian states. Of these most are staying here with their families, but still they have left for their hometowns to celebrate Diwali with their extended relatives, including parents, cousins and others." In Tiruppur also the market was affected as most of the workers have left. Chandra kumar.K.L, owner of a small textile unit in Tiruppur while speaking to IANS said, "Indeed our work is affected but for me my workers are more important. Let them be refreshed after meeting their families and I have told them to come back only after ten days. I have already informed my clients that I will need ten more days for any deadline." With Vietnam and Bangladesh vying with each other to encroach into the Indian textile export market, ten days of leave is a huge gap leading to the loss of business, but the owners are keen that the workers enjoy their holidays. Several industries in Tiruppur had also booked flight tickets for their employees so that they utilise their leave properly instead of spending time in trains. Chennai, Oct 25 : Banking services across the nation will get affected on November 19, with members of the All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) going on strike, said an official. The members will strike work in protest against targeted victimisation of bankers for being active in the union. According to AIBEA General Secretary C.H. Venkatachalam, in the recent period, the attacks are not only increasing but there is a common thread in all these attacks. "There is a design in these attacks. There is some method in the madness. Hence, we have to resist, retort and repulse these attacks at the AIBEA level as a whole," Venkatachalam told his members. He said AIBEA union leaders have been dismissed/retrenched from service by Sonali Bank, MUFG Bank, Federal Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. Venkatachalam said government banks like Bank of Maharashtra is denying trade union rights while Canara Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and IDBI Bank are outsourcing many banking activities. According to him, at the Central Bank of India, it is 'jungle raj' with the management resorting to indiscriminate transfers. Venkatachalam said more than 3,300 clerical staff have been transferred from one station to another violating the bipartite settlement and bank level settlement. Before the nationwide strike, AIBEA members will stage different kinds of protests. Mumbai, Oct 25 : People in Maharashtra and rest of India, barring the northeastern states, are eagerly waiting to witness the first partial solar eclipse coming at the height of Diwali season after 1995, a top astronomer said here on Tuesday. The eclipse will start at 4.39 p.m. in Mumbai and will go on till 6.08 p.m., with the timings varying in different parts of the state and the rest of the country, as the moon's shadow straddles across the sun. "For tradition-bound Indians, the significance is it is the first Diwali season partial solar eclipse after a gap of 27 years and it will be a rare partially covered sun that will set this evening," well-known astronomer Prof. Bharat Adur, Director of Akash Ganga Centre for Astronomy, told IANS. For India, another solar eclipse will happen only after another 10 years, in 2032, so, people must make it a point to watch this celestial spectacle indirectly and safely, cautioned the AGCA head. However, Prof. Adur said another total solar eclipse will take place in 2024 in the US and an AGCA team will head there to study it in detail. Tuesday's magnificent sky show, when the moon will be positioned between the sun and Earth, will originate in the northern hemisphere in Europe, starting with Finland, but will not be a 'diamond-ring total solar eclipse', he said. The longest duration of Tuesday's spectacle will be in Jammu and Kashmir, two hours and six minutes, with 55.75 per cent sun covered, followed by Ladakh at around 55 per cent coverage, plus in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The eclipse duration will be shortest in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and barely a few minutes in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as the sun sets, according to Prof. Adur. A Bhopal-based astronomer, Alok Mandavgane, in collaboration with ASI-POEC, has prepared an app, "Solar Eclipse Alok", which provides full details of today's celestial phenomenon, for different cities, states of India. Several scientific and astronomical organizations run by the government and private sector, plus amateur organisations are going to live-stream the eclipse on various social media, to enable people track it without any risks, said Mandavgane. Mumbai's Nehru Science Centre has also made arrangements for people to view the eclipse at its premises or on its Facebook page, said an official. In Maharashtra, with clear early winter skies after the monsoon officially departed, the partial solar eclipse shall be visible best in places like Palghar, Thane, Nashik, Pune, Mumbai and other districts. Prof. Adur, Mandavgane and other experts have appealed to people, especially children, not to view the partial solar eclipse directly as it can cause temporary or permanent vision problems. Several major temples in India and Maharashtra have shut their doors for the day in view of the partial solar eclipse and people would be engaged in certain religious rituals connected with the phenomenon for the day. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 Chennai, Oct 25 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has commenced the preliminary investigation into the car blast in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore, suspects a planning of a terror strike similar to Sri Lanka's Easter bombings in South India. The Tamil Nadu Police officers, who have conducted a detailed probe, has also found that Jashmee Mubin had tried to establish contacts with some terror elements, including the main conspirator behind the Easter Day bombing in Sri Lanka. Jashmee Mubin was killed in the car blast that happened on October 23. However, sources in Tamil Nadu Police told IANS that this conspiracy angle was not confirmed. The sources said that the presence of Al Uma founder S.A. Bashas' brother Navas Khan's son, Mohamed Talik, has given a clear indication that a major conspiracy angle was behind the car blast. The police are investigating whether the car blast was a direct suicide attack or whether the gas cylinder explosion was accidental. An explosion happened at 4 a.m. on Sunday near the famous Eeswaran temple at Ukkadam. The body of a 25-year-old Jameesha Mubin was recovered from the blast site. The Tamil Nadu Police have arrested five accused in the car blast case, said officials here on Tuesday. The arrested have been identified as Mohammed Talka, Mohammed Azharuddin, Mohamed Navas Ismail, Mohammed Riyas and Firoze Ismail. Ukkadam is a highly sensitive area of Coimbatore and was the centre of action in the 1996 Coimbatore blasts leading to the death of 56 people and injuring more than 200. Shimla, Oct 25 : Rebels within the ruling BJP may cost it more than the main opposition Congress for the elections to the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly on November 12. Political observers say the rebels are more vocal in the BJP compared to the Congress, though both parties have been gripped with infighting, besides the ruling party facing anti-incumbency. The BJP last week cleared its last list of candidates, denying the party ticket to 11 sitting legislators, shifting seats of two ministers, denying nomination to one minister, whose son has been fielded from that constituency, and swapping seats of two veterans owing to infighting. Most of the ticket aspirants have threatened to contest as independents as there is no new political outfit this time. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in its maiden fray to the Assembly polls, has announced 58 of its 68 candidates. The prominent saffron faces who were denied ticket include legislator Kishori Lal from Anni and BJP state vice-president Ram Singh from Kullu. In Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, and Kullu districts, the prominent rebels include Abhishek Thakur, son of six-time legislator Roop Singh, from Sundernagar; Gyan Chauhan from Nachan and Hiteshwar Singh, the son of Maheshwar Singh, from Banjar. They have filed their nominations as independent. However, Maheshwar Singh, the scion of the erstwhile Kullu estate, is the BJP's candidate from Kullu town. Singh's nomination has left BJP state vice-president Ram Singh furious. Political observers told IANS that the BJP is facing strong dissent after the allocation of tickets in Dharampur, Karsog, Jogindernagar and Darang constituencies in Mandi district, which may upset BJP's applecart. From Dharampur, the stronghold of Cabinet minister Mohinder Thakur, the BJP has nominated his son Rajat Thakur from where the lawmaker's daughter Vandana Guleria has raised a banner of revolt. She accused his father of promoting patriarchy. She asked the party that why the daughters are denied their rights amidst its welfare programmes to empower womenfolk like Beti Hai Anmol. As the name of his brother cleared, Vandana resigned from the post of general secretary of the BJP Mahila Morcha. At Karsog constituency, supporters of BJP MLA Hira Lal have been gunning the BJP high command for giving ticket to a new candidate. Supporters of former BJP minister Gulab Singh Thakur, the father-in-law of Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, are upset as the party has given ticket to Prakash Rana, the sitting legislator from Jogindernagar who won the election as an independent. The BJP has even ignored the claim of its veteran and two-time chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was keen to avenge his 2017 poll defeat at the hands of his one-time protege Rajinder Singh Rana of the Congress by entering the fray again from Sujanpur in Hamirpur district. "Will contest if the party asks me," Dhumal, 78, the father of Union minister Anurag Thakur, was often quoted as saying before the announcement of the list. As the party registered a handsome win in 2017, the party's chief ministerial candidate Dhumal faced defeat in a straight contest by 1,919 votes in Sujanpur, the seat in his home district of Hamirpur, where he was asked to contest from despite his reluctance. Upset supporters of Cabinet ministers Suresh Bhardwaj and Rakesh Pathania are questioning the high command over changing their stronghold seats at the last minute. In politically significant Kangra district, sitting lawmaker Ramesh Dhawla shifted to Dehra from Jawalamukhi, while former minister Ravinder Singh Ravi, a loyalist of Dhumal who announced to quit the BJP if denied party's ticket, shifted to Jawalamukhi from his traditional seat Dehra. Ravi lost to the independent legislator Hoshyar Singh, who joined the BJP in June. Chief Minister Thakur was keen to field Hoshyar Singh from Dehra but Dhumal opposed his nomination. He even apprised BJP national President Jagat Prakash Nadda about the possibility of 'revolt' by former minister Ravi for ignoring his interest. After denying party's ticket, Hoshyar Singh said he was receiving threats of raids by the Enforcement Directorate. He said he had nothing to hide and investigating agencies could check all his bank accounts. Justifying the changes in ticket allocations, a senior BJP leader told IANS: "In a bid to counter the anti-incumbency factor, we have introduced new faces and changes seats." The Congress, too, is not lagging in infighting. Upset over the denial of a ticket, seven-time lawmaker Gangu Ram Musafir announced to contest as an independent from the pocket borough Pachhad in Sirmaur district. BJP leader Indu Verma, the wife of three-time lesgilator Rakesh Verma, in July joined the Congress. She was inducted into the party for giving a shot in the arm but she was denied the party ticket from her husband's stronghold Theog in Shimla district. Her joining came after former BJP state president Khimi Ram had switched over to the Congress. He is in fray from Banjar in Kullu district. Polling in Himachal Pradesh will take place on November 12, while the counting of ballots on December 8. The last date for the withdrawal of nomination is October 29. By October 29, the picture of rebels and disgruntled leaders pose challenge on how many seats and to which party more will be clear. There are over 55 lakh eligible voters in the state for 68 assembly seats. 1.86 lakh of these are first-time voters whereas 1.22 lakh aged 80-plus, according to the Election Commission of India. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) Los Angeles, Oct 25 : The first woman to testify in Harvey Weinstein's Los Angeles trial broke down in tears, crying and breathing uncontrollably as she faced the jury to detail her sexual assault allegations against the former Hollywood producer and already-convicted rapist. The witness, known as Jane Doe #1, was the first to be called by the prosecution. The woman is a foreign actress, whose first language is not English. She speaks Russian, Italian and English, though her translator accompanied her in the courtroom and was utilised during her testimony, reports 'Variety'. The woman claims she was assaulted by Weinstein in February 2013 at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival during Oscars weekend, when he allegedly showed up unannounced to her hotel room in the middle of the night and forced his way in -- and then onto her. At the time of the alleged incident, Weinstein had only met Jane Doe #1 in passing at a couple of industry events. The two had barely spoken to each other, other than an introduction, she testified. The woman was visiting L.A. for a business trip to the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival because she was invited as a guest of the festival's founder. As a popular actress in Italy, Jane Doe #1 was required to walk red carpets at the festival, occupy VIP sections of the theatre and attend exclusive industry dinner parties. According to the woman, Weinstein suddenly showed up to her hotel, Mr. C Beverly Hills, after the actress returned to her hotel room past midnight one evening. She says she had not informed him of where she was staying, let alone engaged in much conversation with him at all, so she was confused as to how he knew her whereabouts and why he was there. After returning to her hotel and dressing in a robe to get ready for bed, the hotel lobby called her room to say she had a guest. "I said I didn't expect any guest," Jane Doe #1 recalled to the jury. The hotel staff informed her it was Weinstein downstairs. "I was confused... I didn't understand what he was doing in the hotel." She told the hotel staff that she could come downstairs, but Weinstein refused that offer. The next thing she knew, he was knocking on her door and loudly announcing himself. He said, "I want to talk to you." Through tears, she told jurors that she opened the door so that he would stop knocking because the noise was so loud; she was embarrassed that hotel guests might hear the commotion. "He just walked in," she said. "I was really confused. I didn't understand what was going on... I remember thinking, 'Did he follow me?' I don't know him." The woman alleges that Weinstein forced himself into the hotel room and sat next to her on the bed. He took off his jacket and asked her to give him a massage. "I asked him to go," she said, saying that Weinstein didn't listen and instead moved closer to her. When he came to the bed, he became a different person," she testified. "I started to be more direct and ask him to go away." In an effort to get Weinstein to leave, she had told him that she was a mother of three and showed him photos of her children on her phone. She recalled asking him to leave repeatedly, explaining that nothing was going to happen and that she wasn't sure why he was under the impression that she was interested in any romantic or physical interaction with him, especially since they didn't know each other. At one point, he allegedly told her she was "beautiful," commenting on her breasts by stating that they were too big for her to be a successful actress. When he made that comment, she asked him to leave again. "He became more physical," she said when asked by prosecutor, deputy D.A. Paul Thompson, how Weinstein's behaviour changed, sharing that he tried to hold her hand and take off her robe. "He opened his pants, he (held) my hand and he was touching himself," she said, adding that she tried to stand up. "I was panicking and started crying... He said, 'It's okay. Like, c'mon.' He didn't care." Jane Doe #1 then alleged that Weinstein took off his pants. "I was terrified," she testified. "I was afraid. He was treating my room as his home, and treating me not human... I was asking him please to leave." Crying and taking deep breaths on the stand, it appeared to be difficult for Jane Doe #1 to continue her testimony. When she was questioned further by the prosecutor, she went into gruesome detail of her allegations. "He had a problem with his erection," she told the jurors, "And said to 'suck him and suck his balls.'" She says Weinstein, only wearing his shirt, grabbed her hair and pulled her head towards his "private part." She continued, "He forced me to do what he asked... I was crying, choking." Jane Doe #1's testimony came after opening statements from the prosecution and defence. in their opening statement, Weinstein's legal team told the jury that, while Jane Doe #1 is claiming she was assaulted by Weinstein, she attended a party thrown by the Weinstein Company years after the alleged incident and proudly posted a photo from the red carpet onto her own social media. Tokyo, Oct 25 : Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday appointed former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as economic revitalization minister to replace Daishiro Yamagiwa who resigned over his ties with the controversial religious sect, Unification Church.. Goto, 66, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker, will assume the ministerial post later in the day and will be charged with compiling a new economic package to combat surging prices and lead debates on the funding of a supplementary budget, reports Xinhua news agnecy. Kishida said Goto, a seventh-term lower house member who joined the Finance Ministry in 1980, was appointed on the back of his experience in politics and his skills as a communicator. For his part, Goto, who was named health minister in October last year when Kishida formed his Cabinet, said he will work steadily to tackle rising prices as well as to respond to the yen's weakening which is further inflating costs. Yamagiwa's resignation a day earlier marked the first for a Cabinet member under Kishida. He had been under increasing pressure from the public and opposition parties to step down for his links to the controversial sect. On numerous occasions he denied his connections to the organisation, claiming he did not remember certain meetings, including with the church's leader. An internal probe by the LDP in September found that around half of its lawmakers had some kind of connection to the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, with the ruling party having ordered all ties to be severed a month earlier. Amid slumping support for his Cabinet, Kishida earlier this month instructed his culture minister Keiko Nagaoka to launch an investigation into the contentious church based on "the right to ask questions" under the Religious Corporations Act. The probe will mark the first time the government here has exercised the right and an expert panel will convene on Tuesday to discuss a number of issues pertaining to "the right to ask questions". The Unification Church is also known to have coerced followers into making exorbitant donations, leaving some of them in financial ruin. Tetsuya Yamagami, who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8, had also blamed the organisation for his family's financial downfall. Los Angeles, Oct 25 : Ahead of the midnight release for the 'Bejeweled' music video, Taylor Swift, 32, appeared on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' to share behind-the-scenes details about her latest release. Swift revealed that the 'Anti-Hero' music video was treated "as a first single," but 'Bejeweled' was made for the "fans who like certain things like glitter and Easter eggs and lots of little cameos," reports 'People' magazine. Swift called it "a twist on a Cinderella story" and shared that the cameos are just as magical. According to 'People', she revealed that her longtime friends and collaborators, the HAIM sisters, appear as the stepsisters and Oscar winner Laura Dern plays her evil stepmother. "How did you get in touch with Laura Dern?" asked host Jimmy Fallon. Swift playfully replied that she told the actress, 55, that she wrote a one-page script in which Dern would get to call her a "tired, tacky, wench." 'People' further states that Swift mentioned that instead of having someone portray the fairy godmother, Dita Von Teese appears in the music video as "the fairy goddess" and expressed that she is "one of the most iconic performers." Fans will also see cameos from producer Jack Antonoff and "the genius makeup artist and creator" Pat McGrath. According to Swift, the 'Bejeweled' music video has a "psychotic amount" of Easter eggs to the point where a PDF document was created for it. New Delhi, Oct 25 : With a view to nurture the growing interest of deep space tech startups in India, India Space Congress, 2022 (ISC'22) announced a number of initiatives to showcase excellence by engaging with 'iDEX 75 Space Challenges' which was announced by Prime Minister during the Defence Expo, partnering with Microsoft to extend Founders Hub benefits to the 15 shortlisted startups. As part of the Founders hub program, 15 selected startups may apply to Founders Hub and avail up to $150,000 worth of free Azure credits. Five finalists of Space Tech startups will be pitching their ideas to the industry leaders and investors at the session 'Pitch Right for Skyrocketing Startups' on October 27, 2022. A specially curated mentorship engagement with senior executives of leading companies is in store for the startups. Anil Prakash, DG - SIA-India said, "SIA-India welcomes these engagements to help startups to launch their ambition to the next orbit with sure chances of success. With iDEX and Microsoft onboard, we look forward to the beginning of a partnership that will reap benefits to the deep tech space startups. These alliances will work towards fostering, incubating and hand holding promising startups." He further added, "The India Space Congress will have on the same platform decision makers, industry stakeholders and policy makers. The three-day congress will not only pave way for deliberations but will also provide a learning curve to stakeholders." The three-day India Space Congress 2022 is going to witness 500 plus delegates, 180 Speakers, 35 thematic sessions from 20 nationalities. The platform is to open dialogue, discuss business models, talk about regulatory challenges and possible learnings from other geographies, generate interest in the new entrepreneurs - all this towards the goal of making 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' a reality. Speakers from 30 countries will indulge in intense discussions and will touch upon various aspects of space segments and build up a new age space ecosystem in the country. Beijing, Oct 25 : Shares of Chinese firms listed in the US have slumped on concerns that President Xi Jinping will continue with his ideology-driven approach at the cost of economic growth. Chinese technology giants Alibaba and Baidu fell by over 12 per cent in New York, the BBC reported. Investors fear the world's second largest economy will be held back by its tough Covid-19 restrictions. One analyst said Beijing was in a "tug-of-war" between measures to boost growth and its zero-Covid policies. On Monday, shares in technology giant Alibaba closed 12.5 per cent lower on the New York Stock Exchange, after hitting a 52-week low earlier in the day. Internet company Baidu lost 12.6 per cent, while e-commerce platform Pinduoduo plunged by almost 25 per cent. It comes after China's ruling Communist Party wrapped up its twice-a-decade congress on Sunday. During the week-long event President Xi, who secured a historic third term in charge, offered no timeline for the easing of the country's strict measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The zero Covid policies have seen some of China's biggest cities being put into lockdown, including the financial, manufacturing and shipping hub of Shanghai. China's economy is facing "policy stimulus and multiple growth headwinds including Covid restrictions, a property market downturn and slowing exports," Minyue Liu from BNP Paribas Asset Management told the BBC. "We expect the (Chinese) government to face continued domestic pressure on its zero-Covid policy," she said Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, Oct 25 : A notorious burglar, who used to steal things from schools in Delhi's Najafgarh area, has been arrested by police, officials said on Tuesday. The accused was identified as Manoj Kumar, 32, a resident of Dwarka Mor area and he was previously found involved in more than 10 cases of robbery and burglary. Police said that they have also recovered two LED televisions, which were recently robbed, from the possession of the accused. According to M. Harsha Vardhan, DCP Dwarka, two incidents regarding burglary were received at Najafgarh police station in which two cylinders and one LED were reported to be stolen from Shiaan International School and one LED was stolen from Holy World School. "Both schools are in Najafgarh. A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code was registered and investigation was taken up," said the DCP. "On October 23, specific inputs were received regarding one person who was involved in recent burglary incidents in Najafgarh area. The informer told police that he is currently present at Ghasipura area with his friends," he said. Acting on the inputs, a trap was laid and Manoj was apprehended by the police team. "During interrogation, he disclosed his involvement in recent burglary incidents. He also told police that he had stolen two LEDs and gas cylinders from Shiaan International School and Holly World School," said the DCP. "The stolen cylinder was sold to one hawker. Further at his instance, two stolen LEDs were recovered from Jai Vihar, Najafgarh," the DCP added. Mumbai, Oct 25 : Bollywood actor Vicky Kaushal celebrated his first Diwali with wife Katrina Kaif and his family. The actor took to his Instagram to share a picture of himself in the company of Katrina. In the picture, the two can be seen with their back facing the camera as they pull off ethnic wear with panache. But what made everyone go 'awww' was Vicky's cute caption for Katrina. Captioning the picture, the Uri' actor wrote, "Ghar ki Lakshmi ke saath Lakshmi pooja ho gayi. Aap sabhi ko humaari taraf se shubh Diwali (Done with the customary Lakshmi Pooja with the Lakshmi of our house. Wishing everyone a very happy Diwali)." After he uploaded the picture, Vicky received a plethora of comments from the fans and his industry friends. While both Nimrat Kaur and casting director Mukesh Chhabra put up heart emojis under the picture, fans flooded the post with their comments, with many of them calling Vicky "a perfect husband material" much like the English title of his 2018 release 'Manmarziyaan' which also starred Taapsee Pannu and Abhishek Bachchan. On the work front, while Katrina is gearing up for her upcoming horror-comedy 'Phone Bhoot', Vicky has an array of films in the pipeline. The actor recently wrapped up the first schedule of his biopic 'Sam Bahadur' based on the life of India's first Field Marshal and legendary war hero Sam Manekshaw. Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2022 -- Syndicated from IANS Mumbai, Oct 25 : After a meandering celebration of Diwali in the house of 'Bigg Boss 16', the upcoming episode will see Nimrit Ahluwalia and Soundarya Sharma pay for their mistakes as they constantly converse in English instead of Hindi. Image Source: IANS News Bigg Boss reprimands Nimrit Ahluwalia and Soundarya Sharma for repeatedly speaking English when the rules mention that they have to speak in Hindi. Bigg Boss asks them to apologise to India and continue doing so until his next command. Image Source: IANS News Later, Bigg Boss will make an announcement and choose two contestants who will be 'Shaitan Ki Aawaz'. These chosen contestants will get a chance to decide amongst themselves and pick other two fellow contestants whom they want to save from nomination this week, sending the other contestant directly into the nomination zone. Bigg Boss chooses three pairs of contestants for this task. Image Source: IANS News In the episode, Shalin advises Gautam about Soundarya, asking him to take things slow and telling him that the gravity of this situation for him is different and for Soundarya is different. The sweetness remains intact in the house as Abdu Rozik wins hearts with his performance on 'I am a disco dancer' and 'Goron ki na kalon ki' with a retro feel. Latest updates on Bigg Boss Season 16 -- Syndicated from IANS Man sets his bike on fire, breaks window panes of police post in Delhi's Khan market. Image Source: IANS News Man sets his bike on fire, breaks window panes of police post in Delhi's Khan market. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Oct 25 : A man, in an inebriated condition, set his bike on fire in front of a police post in Delhi's Khan market area on Tuesday, and also pelted stones and bricks damaging the police property. The accused, identified as Nadeem, a resident of Hauz Rani, was arrested on the spot. According to a senior police official, a call was received at around 7.30 a.m. on Tuesday at Tughlak road police station regarding the burning of a bike in front of a police post (chowki) at Khan Market. "Police team immediately reached the spot and found Nadeem under the influence of liquor and he was also very aggressive, however, the police team overpowered him," said the official. "He damaged the police post's window panes on three sides with bricks. He even put his bike and standees of police on ablaze," said police. "A case under section 436 (mischief by fire or any explosive substance), 285 (negligent conduct), 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), 283 (causing danger, obstruction or, injury in any public way or line of navigation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and 3/4 prevention of damage to public property Act has been registered," said the police. "The accused has been arrested and sent to judicial custody. Investigation is in progress," police added. Sources said that Nadeem got married recently. But, due to some reasons the marriage broke after which he was stressed and angry. Shivamogga : , Oct 25 (IANS) Slain Bajrang Dal activist Harsha's family has asked the police for protection from anti-social elements, who were giving life threats to them in Karnataka's Shivamogga district. Ashwini, Harsha's sister, said on Tuesday that the bike-borne miscreants, who killed her brother, would not spare his friends as well. A group of nine persons wielding weapons created ruckus and gave life threats to Harsha's family members late Monday evening. They also assaulted a person, whose brother was involved with the Hindu organisations. "The authorities should protect our family. We had lost Harsha eight months ago. There have been many stabbing incidents reported in the region since then," she said. The BJP is ruling at the Centre and in the state. Shivamogga Assembly constituency is represented by the BJP, she added. "But, when will we get protection? Harsha was targeted and killed. He was killed because of his association with the Hindu organisations and Hindutva work. If he is killed, where is the protection for us?" Ashwini asked. Meanwhile, BJP MLA and former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa said that the incident was a failure of the police department. He also chided that the Congress and other parties were silent over the incident. "This emboldens them and makes them think that they are supported by the Congress," he added. "The goondas should be tamed by their community elders, leaders and religious heads. Not all Muslims are into this. A few are attempting to destroy the harmony and they should be effectively dealt with." The former Minister also said that Harsha's sister and family members were like his own family and all protection would be ensured to them. Eshwarappa represents the Shivamogga Assembly constituency. The Hindu organisations and activists are demanding that the ticket for Shivamogga constituency must be given to Harsha's sister. The former BJP Minister added that he will abide by the party's decision. Lucknow, Oct 25 : The much-awaited Tele-ICU programme at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) will begin very soon. Professor R.K. Dhiman, Director SGPGIMS, said that during the Covid pandemic SGPGIMS had played an important role in consultation and treatment of the patients admitted in 52 medical colleges of the state. In addition, the institute imparted training to more than 50,000 health care workers during Covid time and contributed fully to the Covid management of Uttar Pradesh. "On the basis of experiences that SGPGIMS had, we designed the Tele ICU programme," he said. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between SGPGIMS and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited. Power Grid has given Rs 11.7 crore to SGPGI as a Corporate Social Responsibility for Tele ICU programme. This Tele ICU programme is based on hub and spoke model, where SGPGIMS is the hub and spoke are the six old medical colleges of Uttar Pradesh which include Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Agra, Jhansi and Meerut. Hub will be connected to the spoke by highly modernised technology and dedicated internet. Through this process, the treatment of the ICU patients admitted in these medical colleges will be supervised in the hub also. The on-site ICU team of these medical colleges and off-site ICU team of SGPGIMS will exchange their knowledge and get real time updates of the patients 24x7 through audio visual technique. This is an attempt to improve the quality of these ICUs of medical colleges and bring them at par with SGPGIMS so that the patients can get the best ICU care in medical college next to their place. This will also minimise the risk of transporting sick patients from one setup to another. This continuous coordination will also bring a positive change in the performance and work style of healthcare workers posted in ICUs of these medical colleges. The Director also informed that after the success of this programme, this system will be extended to the 75 districts/ICU of medical colleges in UP. Celebrity was praising the beauty of Greater Noida through Facebook Live, crooks took off mobile. Image Source: IANS News Celebrity was praising the beauty of Greater Noida through Facebook Live, crooks took off mobile. Image Source: IANS News Celebrity was praising the beauty of Greater Noida through Facebook Live, crooks took off mobile. Image Source: IANS News Greater Noida, Oct 25 : Child environmentalist Licypriya Kangujam, was targeted by two bike-borne youths in Greater Noida West on October 23 while she was filming the preparations and Diwali lightings in the area via Facebook live. The activist was online through a Facebook live outside Nirmala Aspire Housing society, when two miscreants snatched her mobile. "It's very urgent. My mobile phone was just snatched away (10 minutes ago) by two bike-borne thieves while I was going live on my facebook in front of the Bellana Street market, Greater Noida, Sector 16B opposite Nirala Aspire. Kindly help me!," the 11-year-old tweeted while tagging Noida Police. Kangujam is an environmental activist from India and the founder of 'The Child Movement'. She has been advocating climate change, environmental protection since the age of six. She also gave a speech on climate change at the International Seminar on Climate Protection in Madrid, Spain 2019, after which her popularity increased. San Francisco, Oct 25 : Graphics chip giant Nvidia is investigating graphic card reports that have had power cables burn or melt for some users. A Reddit user posted details of RTX 4090 card issues, which shows burn damage on a new adapter cable. The connection on the card was also damaged and melted, reports The Verge. Another Reddit user replied to the same thread showing similar damage to an Asus RTX 4090 card power connector. "We are investigating the reports, "Bryan Del Rizzo, Nvidia spokesperson, was quoted as saying in the report. "We are in contact with the first owner and will be reaching out to the other for additional information," he added. There are concerns that if the 12VHPWR power connector, which is intended for new ATX 3.0 power supplies, is bent in a particular way, it can cause problems, the report said. Earlier, a YouTuber warned about the new connector, calling it "dangerous", "Abut Nvidia disagreed. "I think you're worrying about issues that do not exist, "Brandon Bell, a senior technical marketing manager at Nvidia, replied in an email. Recently, a report claimed that RTX 4090 GPU (graphics processing unit) can be used to crack an eight-character password in minutes. According to the report, a group of the latest GPUs was strong enough to quickly crack passwords and it could likely be cracked by even a single RTX 4090 within days. An eight-character password might be cracked in 48 minutes using a password hashing system with eight 4090 graphics cards. London, Oct 25 : Indian-origin Conservative party politician Rishi Sunak on Tuesday officially became the Prime Minister of UK after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, the media reported. In his first address as the Prime Minister, Sunak said: "UK is under economic distress... economic stability tops my agenda... my actions will speak louder." "I will give my all to help the people... hope to live up to the demands," he added. Sunak will be the UK's third leader in seven weeks after winning a Tory leadership contest triggered by Liz Truss stepping down as the prime minister, the BBC reported. After being selected by Tory MPs on Monday, he warned the country faced a "profound economic challenge". Sunak ruled out an early general election, despite calls from Labour, the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party. -- Syndicated from IANS Chennai, Oct 25 : The law and order situation in Tamil Nadu is deplorable and not in order, deposed AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) said on Tuesday in wake of the Coimbatore car blast. In a statement, he said that he had been repeatedly reminding the DMK government that terrorism, murder, extremism, robbery, and violence were widely prevalent in the state. Panneerselvam said that the visit of the Director General of Police to the site of the blast is a clear indication that there was more to it than was told. He also claimed that petrol bomb attacks have become routine in the state and murders are being committed at a drop of the hat. He said that the Coimbatore car blast is a latest of a series of crimes that were taking place in the state and said that it reminds the people of the Coimbatore serial bomb blasts of 1998, which also occurred during the regime of the DMK. Panneerselvam called upon Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to personally intervene in the issue and to protect the people from those indulging in crimes like murder and violence. In a related development, the AIADMK's interim General Secretary, K. Palaniswami also came out heavily against the failure of the law and order situation in the state. The former Chief Minister said that an independent investigation has to be carried out into the car blast to ascertain whether any extremist elements were involved in it. The NIA has commenced a preliminary investigation into the Sunday morning car blast after the police raids on the premises of the deceased youth have recovered potassium nitrate, sulphur, and other materials required for making bombs. The police have also arrested five associates of the killed youth Jameesh Mubin, including Mohammed Talik, son of Nawas Khan who is the brother of Al Uma founder and Coimbatore serial bomb blast accused, S.A. Basha. New Delhi, Oct 25 : The Supreme Court has quashed the admission of seven students, who were admitted in postgraduate courses in dental sciences in 2018, saying they got admissions illegally and the backdoor admissions cannot be justified. The top court declined to accept the request from the colleges and the students to permit them to continue the course or to declare their results as they have completed their studies. A bench comprising justices M.R. Shah and M.M. Sundresh said: "Once it is found that the respective original writ petitioners were granted admissions illegally and their admissions are backdoor, thereafter to allow them to continue their course shall be perpetuating the illegality." The bench quashed the admission of seven students into a postgraduate course in dental sciences in 2018 in dental colleges in Chhattisgarh. Citing judgments, the bench said applying the law laid down by the top court the prayer on behalf of the institutions/students to allow them to complete their course is not required to be accepted. It observed, "The undue sympathy would lead to perpetuating the illegality and giving premium to the students who got admissions illegally." The top court said even if on the last date of admission, seats remained vacant there was no ground by the institutions/colleges to grant admissions unilaterally and that too without intimating the vacant seats to the Directorate of Medical Education, Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The bench said nothing is on record that any other students were given any opportunity to apply for admissions in the respective institutions/colleges for admission on the seats that remained vacant. "It is not appreciable how the original writ petitioners came to know that at 4:30 p.m. on May 31, 2018, the seats have remained vacant in the institutions/colleges. The only inference can be that the institutions and the students were hands in glove and the students got admissions illegally," it added. The bench said in the mop up round of counselling, the original writ petitioners did participate but could not secure admission on merits in the respective colleges/institutions in which subsequently they got admissions through backdoor. "The submission on behalf of the private institutions and even the students that they were meritorious students and the merit is not given go bye cannot be accepted", it noted. The bench said it is required to be noted that all the original writ petitioners continued their studies/course pursuant to the interim order passed by the high court and the state government promptly took a decision to annul/cancel their admissions on the ground that their admissions were absolutely illegal. "The High Court ought not have passed such an interim order directing to grant admissions or continue with admission/course. The interim order passed by the High Court is not legally sustainable. As per the settled position of law, nobody can be permitted to take the advantage of the order passed by the Courts," said the bench. The top court allowed the appeal of the Dental Council of India and set aside the interim order of the Chhattisgarh High Court. Dentist Sailendra Sharma and six others were not allotted PG seats even in the mop round, however they were given admission in the PG courses after the expiry of the deadline. The authorities concerned came out with an official communication annulling the admissions, which was challenged in the high court. The Dental Council of India moved the apex court challenging the high court order. London, Oct 25 : In his first address to the nation via a televised statement in front of 10 Downing Street, now his official residence-cum-office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Britain's first non-white, non-Christian head of government Rishi Sunak pledged: "I will unite our country not with words, but with action." He did not mince words about the "mistakes" made by his immediate predecessor, Liz Truss and said: "I have been elected as leader of my party and your Prime Minister in part to fix them." He added: "This will mean difficult decisions to come." Sunak promised that he will be as caring as he was as Chancellor of the Exchequer during the Covid pandemic, saying: "I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today." But he indicated the current generation of Britons have to settle the country's debt, instead of leaving this for their children or grandchildren. At the end of his five and a half minute speech, he waved to the assembled journalists and camera crews before entering the historic door and building. Earlier, British monarch King Charles III granted Sunak an audience at Buckingham Palace and formally invited him to constitute a government. Sunak is the youngest Prime Minister of Britain in 200 years. He has risen to this position after only seven years in politics. He was previously an investment banker and hedge fund manager. He is of Indian origin by virtue of his grandparents hailing from pre-partition India, though his parents were brought up in East Africa. He himself was born in Southampton. His wife Akshata Murthy, a businesswoman, is Indian. -- Syndicated from IANS Bengaluru, Oct 25 : Congratulatary messages continued to pour in for Karnataka's son-in-law and first UK's Prime Minister of Indian origin, Rishi Sunak. Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mines and Coal Pralhad Joshi stated on Tuesday that he feels it a proud moment as Rishi Sunak hails from India. He further stated that he wishes him all the success. Rishi Sunak is taking over responsibility at a time when the whole of Europe is going through a difficult time, said Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Rajeev Chandrashekhar, who is also a member of Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, further stated that he knew Rishi Sunak personally and he is a highly competent person. Former Infosys Chief Finance Officer V. Balakrishnan stated that it is a historic moment. "Britain shows to the world that a migrant can also become the Prime Minister of their country. It is a sign of mature democracy," he added. Jacob Crasta, former chairman of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), stated that the development is good for India. It will pave the way for UK technology to come to India. He also stated that the development also helps India and UK to sign the Free Trade Agreement. "Hearty Congratulations to Rishi Sunak, senior Conservative party leader and Britain's Prime Minister-elect. He is connected to our Karnataka," stated former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. "I am overwhelmed with the election of Sri Rishi Sunak, son in law of Infosys founder Sri N.R. Narayanamurthy & Smt Sudha Murthy. I am confident that Sri Rishi Sunak will effectively lead Britain & help to bring its economy back on track," Kumaraswamy stated. Rishi Sunak is married to Akshata Murthy, who is daughter of Infosys Co-founder Narayanan Murthy. New Delhi, Oct 25 : Global FMCG giant Unilever Plc has recalled some popular brands, including Dove, of its aerosol dry shampoo, after it was discovered that they had benzene related contamination, according to media reports. Benzene can cause cancer. As per reports, some other brands which have been recalled include Nexxus, Suave, Tresemme and Tigi, which makes Rockaholic and Bed Head dry shampoos, according to a notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration's website. Recalled products are mainly those which have been manufactured before October 2021. The reports said that the move had raised questions about safety of aerosol in person hygiene products. Apart from Unilever's recall, several other similar products have been recalled in the last 18 months like Johnson & Johnson's Neutrogena, Edgewell Personal Care Co.'s Banana Boat, and Beiersdorf AG's Coppertone, reports said. The problem mainly arises from the propellants used to spray the personal-care products from the cans. Unilever said this was the case with its dry shampoo recall, the media reports said. New Delhi, Oct 25 : India won a coveted position in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) with its representative Shefali Juneja unanimously elected Chairperson of the Air Transport Committee, after 28 years. Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday termed this as good news. "Great News! This solidifies India's position in the global aviation ecosystem, and strengthens our journey towards becoming the largest civil aviation market," he said in a tweet. He was responding to a tweet by India at ICAO saying: "India wins coveted position in ICAO to become- Chairperson of Air Transport Committee, after 28years.Representative of India, Dr Shefali Juneja gets unanimously elected in Council today." Juneja has previously served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation dealing with international agreements. Representative of India in ICAO since August 2019, she helped to transform the bilateral air service negotiations by implementing Open Skies as per the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016. Prior to joining the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Juneja, a 1992 batch officer of the Indian Revenue Service, served on many sensitive and challenging assignments, semi-judicial positions, and administrative and financial positions in the government. ICAO is funded and directed by 193 national governments to support their diplomacy and cooperation in air transport as signatory states to the Chicago Convention (1944). Its core function is to maintain an administrative and expert bureaucracy (the ICAO Secretariat) supporting these diplomatic interactions, and to research new air transport policy and standardisation innovations as directed and endorsed by governments through the ICAO Assembly or by the ICAO Council which the assembly elects. New Delhi, Oct 25 : The Supreme Court recently set aside the Telangana High Court order permitting DNA testing to determine the paternity of two children in a matrimonial dispute, holding such a direction would be invasive to the physical autonomy of a person and also violate the right to privacy. A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Vikram Nath said: "The trial court as also the revisional court had completely ignored the said factor and proceeded as if the children were material objects who could be sent for forensic analysis." It noted that the substance of the complaint was not related to paternity of the children of the mother, who claimed she had been forced to cohabit and develop a physical relationship with her brother-in-law, in a dowry harassment case with her husband and his brother. The woman had lodged a complaint against her husband and his brother under Sections 498A, 323, and 354 and other ancillary provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The top court noted that the trial court allowed the woman's application mechanically, on the premise that the DNA fingerprint test is permissible under the law. It said that both the trial and the high court ignored that the paternity of the children was not in question in the subject-proceedings. It further added that merely because something is permissible under the law cannot be directed as a matter of course to be performed particularly when a direction to that effect would be invasive to the physical autonomy of a person. The bench said: "The consequence thereof would not be confined to the question as to whether such an order would result in testimonial compulsion, but encompasses right to privacy as well. Such direction would violate the privacy right of the persons subjected to such tests and could be prejudicial to the future of the two children who were also sought to be brought within the ambit of the trial court's direction." In February 2017, the high court had ordered a DNA test on the claim made by the mother of two children. The woman had filed an application under Section 45 of the Indian Evidence Act with the appeal seeking direction to obtain an expert opinion for the DNA fingerprint test comparing blood samples of her two daughters. The trial court allowed her plea, which was challenged by her husband and his brother before the high court. The high court held that such a DNA fingerprint test was permitted under Sections 53, 53A and 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).A Setting aside the high court order, the top court said: "The judgment under appeal, blood sampling of the children was directed, who were not parties to the proceeding nor were their status required to be examined in the complaint of the respondent no.2. This raised doubt on their legitimacy of being borne to legally wedded parents and such directions, if carried out, have the potential of exposing them to inheritance related complication." Jharia : , Oct 25 (IANS/ 101 Reporters) Women take multiple trips to get water from pond as leaky pipelines, defunct hand pumps and inordinate delays in installing new supply infrastructure hit them hard. "I was very happy when my marriage was fixed to a person living in Jharia town of urban Dhanbad. I thought I would lead a comfortable life. But now, I can say we are far better off in our village in Bihar in terms of basic amenities," says Anju Devi (25), who shifted to Baniahir Colony after her marriage four years ago. Anju and other women wake up at 4 a.m. for the first of their many trips to the pond, their only source of water located one km away. As men in the household leave for work in the morning, both breakfast and lunch need to be prepared early. Without water, everything comes to a standstill. "As a newly-wed, my in-laws arranged water for me in the first few months. But pretty soon, it became clear that I will have to step out. In less than a year of marriage, I joined the other women of the family in bringing water," Anju tells 101Reporters. Though not a pleasant experience with passersby eyeing them, many women take bath at the pond and wash their clothes there to avoid the tiresome work of taking water home. "There is no other option. This is the only practical solution," says Anju, who carries her three-year-old daughter in her arms all along. "The days I am unwell, my husband has to fetch water. It means he will miss a day of work, which translates into a loss of a day's income," says Anju, whose husband Vikash Ravidas (32) works as a daily wage labourer and earns around Rs 350 per day. Mala Devi (45), a vegetable vendor and sole breadwinner of her family of three schoolgoing children, says, "If I do not have to spend three to four hours daily just getting water, I would have been able to earn more by making more rounds of colonies or by spending more time on farming." "Many women in the locality supplement their income by working as domestic help or in shops. However, their primary tasks are household chores and fetching of water. We spend a lot of time and energy on getting water, which affects our ability to earn a living," says Manju Devi (43) of Baniahir. She cultivates vegetables and sells the surplus in local markets. "When hard-pressed for time, I sometimes take my children's help, which eats into their study time," adds Manju, who came here after her marriage 22 years ago. "The situation remains the same since then. The only solace now is that there is a pond in the locality. It was dug around a decade ago. Before that, we used to walk around 3 km to get water," she recalls. "The area is known for its water crisis now. Nobody in nearby towns wants to marry their daughters to the boys in the locality," sighs Manju. Unkept promises Baniahir colony is a backward area, where 110 of the total 150 households have Dalit residents, and the rest have Muslims. Its location near a mine contributes immensely to the abysmal groundwater level. Even the pond in the area is not replenished with groundwater. It is fed by water spillage from the main supply pipeline laid by the civic body, Jharkhand Mineral Area Development Authority (JMADA). Since most of the residents are labourers at construction sites or wholesale markets, they cannot afford water connections from the JMADA directly to their homes. "There are no wells here. Of the three hand pumps, two do not work. The functional one dispenses dirty mine pit water unsuitable for drinking. Yet, residents use it for household chores," Prem Bachchan Das (53), the president of Jharkhand Rickshaw Mazdoor Sangh, tells 101Reporters. The supply from JMADA water standpost is so erratic that at times people have to queue up in the middle of the night. Most often, it ends up in verbal and physical fights with people jostling for their share. "A few families who have taken JMADA tap water connections are also not better off. Due to leakages in the pipeline laid over 50 years ago, the pressure is very low. Water comes for less than half an hour every alternate day or so," he adds, while alleging that some individuals have taken advantage of the situation by funnelling out water from the main JMADA pipeline. "This water is filled up in tankers and sold in areas with crisis for Rs 10 per gallon," he says. Claiming that politicians come to the colony only during elections, Das says they raised the issue before all those who came to seek votes during the last Assembly elections. It has been three years now, and their promises to fix the problem remain unfulfilled. Meanwhile, Jai Kumar, the councillor of Jharia's ward number 38 under which Baniahir falls, admits that the water crisis is prevalent in most parts of Jharia, though Jal Jeevan Mission has been implemented in different wards of the coal town as per government records. "There are areas where water supply could be easily ensured by the new L&T infrastructure under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, but it has been delayed as old water supply pipelines have not been replaced. Our repeated requests to the authorities concerned have fallen on deaf ears," says Kumar. The Dhanbad Municipal Corporation is executing the Rs 317-crore project, utilising the District Mineral Foundation Trust fund, to lay a new water treatment plant as well as intake wells, water tanks and pipelines. "Due to delays, it is unlikely to be completed by the year-end or even next year," informs Kumar. Ironically, the project has been lagging behind by about 16 months. Its foundation stone was laid in October 2019, with the completion deadline set for May last year. Baniahir no exception In Deepu Dhaura, located 3 km from Baniahir, the water crisis is so intense that some people get the opportunity to take a bath only once a week. "We have to walk more than 1.5 km to Kujama to get water from a public tap. The rush is such that we hardly get water in a bucket or two. Sometimes, we end up purchasing drinking water. So, you can imagine how hard it is to find water to cleanse oneself or for household chores. Many people end up using water from ditches," says Kiran Devi (22), a homemaker. Asmania Devi (47) says she sometimes goes near the mine site to take a bath in pit water. For drinking purposes, there is no other option but to buy from water vendors. The daily expenses of her family is around Rs 200, out of which Rs 10 is spent per day for procuring water. Ward number 37 former councillor Anup Sao says the basic problem affecting around five lakh residents of Jharia lies with the old water supply infrastructure of JMADA. "We have raised the issue with all relevant authorities, including the JMADA officers, district administration and people's representatives. But the problem is yet to be addressed for reasons best known to them." In colliery areas, the only source of drinking water is the JMADA supply from the Damodar. Pankaj Kumar Jha, Sub Divisional Officer of Water Supply Division, JMADA, says, "Leakages in the pipeline or motor burnouts disrupt water supply. We try to respond to such complaints as quickly as possible." He expresses hope that the water crisis would be largely resolved within a year of the new infrastructure coming into existence. More water connections may be allotted in existing as well as new areas once the new facilities are up and running. (Praduman Choubey is a Dhanbad-based journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of freelance reporters) New Delhi, Oct 25 : The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Tuesday slapped its second penalty on Google within a week -- this time to the tune of around $113 million (Rs 936 crore) -- for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies. Last week, the market watchdog had imposed a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in the Android mobile device ecosystem. In its fresh ruling, the regulator found Google to be dominant in the markets for licensable OS for smart mobile devices and market for app stores for Android smart mobile OS, in India. "Selling of in-app digital goods constitutes an important means for app developers to monetise their creations/innovations. However, for in-app digital goods to be distributed to purchasing users, developers must configure their apps so that all purchases of the digital goods go through Google's payment system, which processes the transactions," it said. Google's Play Store policies require the app developers to exclusively and mandatorily use Google Play's Billing System (GPBS) not only for receiving payments for Apps (and other digital products like audio, video, games) distributed/sold through the Google Play Store but also for certain in-app purchases. If the app developers do not comply with Google's policy of using GPBS, they are not permitted to list their apps on the Play Store and thus, would lose out the vast pool of potential customers in the form of Android users. "Making access to the Play Store dependent on mandatory usage of GPBS for paid apps and in-app purchases is one sided and arbitrary and devoid of any legitimate business interest. The app developers are left bereft of the inherent choice to use payment processors of their liking from the open market," said the CCI. Google India was yet to react to the fresh CCI ruling. India is Google's largest market by users. The CCI also directed Google to cease and desist from indulging in anti-competitive practices. "Google shall allow, and not restrict app developers from using any third-party billing/ payment processing services, either for in-app purchases or for purchasing apps. Google shall also not discriminate or otherwise take any adverse measures against such apps using third party billing/ payment processing services, in any manner," said the regulator. In relation to computation of penalty, the Commission noted that there were glaring inconsistencies and wide disclaimers in presenting various revenue data points by Google. Accordingly, the Commission imposed a penalty at 7 per cent of its average relevant turnover amounting to Rs 936.44 crore upon Google. The tech giant has been given a time of 30 days to provide the requisite financial details and supporting documents. Mumbai, Oct 25 : Actor Rhys Ifans, who plays the character of Otto Hightower in the streaming show 'House of the Dragon', recently opened up about his character's relationship with the late king and the matter of kingship. The show's finale takes some dark and shocking twists in the wake of King Viserys' (Paddy Considine) death, one of the major ones being Otto Hightower's (Rhys Ifans) brutal and conniving strategy to install Aegon on the Iron Throne. Talking about the same, Rhys said, "Otto really likes Viserys. He thinks Viserys is a good human being. Viserys is kind, he is compassionate and he is fair but those qualities don't necessarily make for a good king in this world." He further mentioned, "And Otto understands that more than the King does. Otto understands very well that this is a game. And for any kind of notion of stability to flourish or exist that game must be played, and it must be played ruthlessly. Otherwise it descends into chaos." Set 200 years before the events of 'Game of Thrones', 'House of the Dragon' is a prequel series and takes the viewers into the world of Westeros and explores the Targaryen family. 'House of the Dragon' is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar in India. Mumbai, Oct 25 : The Kannada film 'Kantara' continues to be in the news. After raking in impressive collections, the film is now gaining traction on the Internet because of an alleged claim of plagiarism over one of its tracks titled 'Varaha Roopam'. A Kerala-based band 'Thaikkudam Bridge' has accused the makers of the Kannada film of ripping off their song 'Navarasam'. 'Varaha Roopam' features the same melody as that of 'Navarasam' and follows the same chord progression on guitars only difference being a prominent Nadaswaram in the former while 'Navarasam' has the same spectrum of notes played on carnatic violin. The band expressed their displeasure on social media and released a statement with regards to the same. They also mentioned they're mulling over taking a legal action against the team of 'Kantara' and its producers, Hombale Films to settle the dispute and infringement of their intellectual property. Sharing the album cover of their song next to the poster of 'Varaha Roopam', they wrote in the caption, "From our and our partner's standpoint, we would like our listeners to know that Thaikkudam Bridge is in no way or form affiliated with 'Kantara'. The unavoidable similarities between our IP 'Navarasam' and 'Varaha Roopam; in terms of audio is therefore a blatant infringement of copyright laws." They further mentioned, "From our standpoint the line between 'Inspired' and 'Plagiarized' is distinct and indisputable and therefore we will be seeking legal action against the creative team responsible for this. There has been no acknowledgement of our rights over the content and the song is propagated as an Original piece of work by the movie's creative team". In the film, 'Varaha Roopam' comes at an important plot point during the dance performance of Buta Kola when the Guliga God possesses the body of one of the characters. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed New Delhi, Oct 25: "Even in the rarest of my dreams, I never thought of myself as a ticket favourite to a place like Shimla -- the erstwhile summer capital of India, during the British era. It's my party and my leadership, which hand picked me and now I find myself in the poll fray," says Sanjay Sood, 57, BJP's choice for Shimla (Urban) assembly constituency. Former ABVP activist, who turned tea-seller at Shimla's old bus stand to earn his livelihood in the 1980s, says he had no means to make a great career. He, thus, settled down to a small business but did not sever his relations with the BJP. But now, as he has become a candidate, Sood feels the business will be handled by his brother or his workers, who had been assisting him . "I have told newspapers to finance my studies in the school and college as my family had no big means to send us (four brothers) to higher studies out of Shimla. I also worked in the student council for five years but had to stop that because of financial issues," he says recalling his early days in Shimla. When he set-up his tea-shop, it allowed him to share his family's financial burden. A former councillor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, Sood has replaced party veteran and incumbent minister Suresh Bhardwaj, who has been shifted to Kasumpti -- a neighbouring Shimla constituency. Bhardwaj is among two sitting ministers whom the party has shifted to other constituencies apparently to field new faces -- a record 24 chosen by the BJP to counter anti-incumbency. "I am grateful to my party for fielding a small worker like me from this prominent Shimla seat. I am in seventh heaven as it is truly a big honour for a small worker like me. I neither applied for the ticket nor lobbied for this. I don't know who really suggested my name. It's all BJP's own assessment about me, my prospects and the loyalty factor," he told India Narrative over phone. Asked about his association with the BJP , Sood says: "This is a party which has a history of encouraging grass-root workers. During my ABVP days I had worked closely with J.P. Nadda ji (who is now BJP's national president) but I never met any other senior leader barring those who were visiting the state for the party related matters." Sood advises the media not to draw any comparison with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on him being a chaiwala . But, till the election campaign enters its crescendo, "Chai pe Charcha" will definitely remain alive as he will be locked in a triangular contest with two former Deputy Mayors of Shimla -- Harish Janartha (Congress) and Tikender Singh Panwar (CPM). (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative Islamabad, Oct 25 : The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) removed (October 21) Pakistan from its "grey list" after more than four years. The multilateral watchdog said Islamabad would continue its work to further improve systems to combat terror financing and money laundering. At the conclusion of FATF's two-day plenary meeting in Paris, the body's president, T. Raja Kumar of Singapore, announced that Pakistan was being taken off the grey list in line with a consensus decision by the watchdog's 39 member countries. The reforms carried out by Islamabad were good for the security and stability of Pakistan and the region, he said. While Pakistan may have exited from the 'Grey List', its history of support to terrorist individuals and entities shows that it is unlikely to reform itself into a good cop overnight! A recent article by Aparna Rawal for South Asia Voices (October 17) informs that the deep state in Pakistan remains synonymous with an intricate network of terror, narcotics and funding which span the globe. At the forefront of Pakistan's operations is D Company and Haqqani Network. Most of these crime syndicates thrive through extortions, violence, kidnappings and even assassinations while re-routing funds through formal channels like charities or legitimate business enterprises. A quick glance at the past shows how the deep state in Pakistan used money laundering for terror and narcotics trading in its global operations. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is known to support various entities, terror outfits or rackets which would benefit their well-articulated "Gazwa-i-Hind" (bleed India with thousand cuts) strategy against India and which will also allow them to exert their influence in the South Asian regions by all possible means. This is also one of the reasons why Dawood Ibrahim proved to be effective. To be indispensable to the ISI, he funded ISI-funded terror organizations, while in exchange he received ISI protection. This arrangement served the twin purposes, of firstly, providing a front for ISI's dealings with terror outfits and secondly, for moving funds required to covertly support the outfits. Since 2016, the ISI has been aggressively and covertly operating in activities to destabilize India. There have been many Pakistani sleeper cells active in India, with the D Company's affiliations. Arms transportation and terror funding are becoming more evident through the hawala channels. Several ISI-trained components are being tasked to carry out reconnaissance missions against India. Recently, the D Company-ISI hand was exposed through various crackdowns on terror modulesconducted by Indian security agencies. On September 22, an ISI agent Lal Mohammed was shot dead in Nepal. He delivered counterfeit Indian currency from Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh to India. Lal used to provide logistical support to ISI and had links to Dawood Ibrahim and his D Company. Apart from D Company's own terrorist activities, the organization has maintained relations with other terror outfits and even made donations to them through their front companies. On September 26, Riyaz Bhatti was also arrested in an extortion case. Besides, henchmen employed for extortion and other criminal activities, Dawood has several agents who make investments on his behalf worldwide. Rasheed Saeed is a known D Company agent who reportedly handles the revenues coming to the company under Chhota Shakeel. Saeed's cover has been managing director of a Mumbai-based events company that is known for hosting promotional events for Bollywood films. Tiger Memon continues to be a partner in a firm that deals in steel exports. Recently, five of D Company's operatives were arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch, Anti Extortion Cell. This occurred, months after Dawood's close aide, and brother-in-law of Chota Shakeel, Salim Fruit was arrested in August 2022 by the NIA. He was accused of extorting Rs 62 lakh. In this context, it is important to mention that most cases relating to money laundering have their origins in the covert support provided to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, by Pakistan's ISI. The informal channels stem from the mutual understanding for support of the mujahideen cause, which was not limited to a particular region, but extended to a global network for waging jihad. For several years, Pakistan's ISI funnelled money to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan with the help of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, founded by Agha Hasan Abedi, a Pakistani businessman. Its primary purpose was ostensibly to fund armed groups abroad. The Bank of Credit and Commerce International was also responsible for transferring funds and arms to the Iran-Contra arms deal. From the 1970s to the 1980s, Bank of Credit and Commerce International had set up a quid pro quo approach with all their clients. It would provide unsecured loans to its wealthy clients in exchange for access to the global markets. Their clients included a Saudi financier who received a loan of $500 million and in return was entrusted to buy a controlling interest on Bank of Credit and Commerce International's behalf in two American banks. The organization became famous for providing unsecured loans to wealthy investors in the Middle East. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, another client of BCCI, was able to utilise their service to transfer most of his oil revenue to investments globally. This also included the clandestine funding of politically volatile projects such as Pakistan's nuclear programme in the 1980s. In June 2018, the FATF had placed Pakistan on its list of countries under increased monitoring, or the so-called grey list, for its failure to tackle terror financing, especially the activities of UN-designated terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Pakistan was given two action plans with 34 action items to strengthen its ability to counter both fund-raising by terrorists and money laundering. FATF action against Pakistan demonstrates the urgent global requirement to cut terror funding to contain terror activities in the South Asian region. The lesson learnt is that while Pakistan has exited the grey list, hidden below the surface, it is business as usual for the deep state. Nothing is likely to ever change in Pakistan! Chennai, Oct 25 : Tamil Nadu BJP President, K. Annamalai, flayed M.K. Stalin-led DMK government's 'hesitancy' in declaring the Coimbatore car blast as a 'terror attack'. While addressing media persons on Tuesday, the BJP president said that party representatives would meet the Tamil Nadu Governor, R.N. Ravi in a couple of days' time and brief him about the apprehensions of the state unit in the Coimbatore blast case. Annamalai said that the deceased Jameesha Mubin had changed his WhatsApp status two days before the blast indicating that he was about to die. The BJP president said that he was challenging the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police, to deny the existence of such a WhatsApp status. He said that the elite 'Q' branch of the Tamil Nadu police had failed to monitor the activities of Mubin even after he was questioned by the NIA in 2019 in connection with the Easter day blast in Sri Lanka. He slammed the 'Q' branch, saying that the agency had totally failed in this. When questioned whether NIA could have monitored Mubin's activities closely after the interrogation, he said that law and order was totally the responsibility of the state government and added that the NIA unit of Chennai was accorded the status of a police station only recently. Annamalai has also written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. To a question on what he had written to Shah, the IPS officer-turned-politician said that it was not right to disclose that but added that it was regarding the NIA investigation into the case. The BJP state president also said that the Tamil Nadu police have lost their professionalism ever since the DMK government assumed office in the state and added that the police were now busy monitoring political opponents of the ruling party. When asked whether the Tamil Nadu police were not disclosing the exact details of the car blast in bid to not create panic among the people, he said that the police still calling it a 'gas cylinder blast' was not acceptable. New Delhi, Oct 25 : Shiv Sena-UBT President and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is likely to join Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Bharat Jodo Yatra when it reaches the state, though details of his exact participation are not available yet, sources said. NCP chief Sharad Pawar will be also joining the Yatra. To a query on the topic, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said: "We were in the MVA government in Maharashtra and Shiv Sena was an ally, and we will welcome whoever wants to join the Yatra." However, sources say that the detail is being worked out with the Shiv Sena-UBT leader as a show of massive strength in wake of the MVA government's fall due to defections. The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Telangana on Sunday to a grand welcome by the state party leaders and cadres. After covering four states during the last 45 days, the Yatra entered the state at Gudeballur in Narayanpet district after exiting Karnataka from Raichur, before taking a Diwali break. Party leaders said the yatra will resume on October 27 from Makthal. Bengaluru, Oct 25 : The Congress on Tuesday mocked the discipline in Karnataka's ruling BJP after the latter's MLA attacked former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. Commenting on BJP MLA Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal's attacks on Yediyurappa, the Congress, on its social media account, said that the BJP which calls itself disciplined is limited to follow its discipline only in terms of wearing khaki shorts, in a reference to the RSS members' dress. Yatnal had said that funds are being supplied from Bengaluru to Vijayapura to defeat him in the elections to the local authorities. The BJP MLA had earlier said that large bags of money were exchanged during the appointment of the Chief Minister and caused huge embarrassment for the ruling BJP government. He also attacked the ruling state government on the issue of corruption. The Congress said that it is 'BJP versus BJP' in the state. Guwahati, Oct 25 : Amid the controversy around the setting up of private "Miya Museum" in Assam's Goalpara, the district administration sealed the museum on Tuesday soon after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma raised questions on its funding. The museum was inaugurated in Dapkarbhita area of the district on Sunday. The term "Miya" is used mostly by the indigenous communities to refer to Bengali or Bengal-origin Muslims who have settled on both sides of the Brahmaputra river in Assam since the late 1890s after the British brought them for commercial farming and other work. A notice of Lakhipur Revenue Circle was pasted at the door of the Miya museum said: "As per the direction of the DC, this PMAY-G house of Mohar Ali S/O Somesh Ali of village Dapkarbhita is hereby closed until further order." The Chief Minister said that the police would initiate a probe into the source of funding for setting up the "Miya Museum". "Those people who set up the Miya Museum would have to answer the government's queries, failing which legal action would be initiated against them," Sarma told the media. The Chief Minister said that he has been always saying that the emergence of Miya poetry, Miya schools are challenging issues of grave concern. Noting that such instances are not good signs for the indigenous society, Sarma said: "Whoever considers themselves to be Indian citizens, must think of setting up a resistance socially and politically against such elements." The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs and leaders in Assam have also asked the state government to demolish the museum that showcases the culture of migrant Muslims. BJP legislator Prasanta Phukan had first demanded the state government pull down the newly inaugurated museum. Former BJP MLA, Shiladitya Dev, who is also the chairperson of the Assam Linguistic Minority Development Board, urged the state government to take stronger action against the museum and the people set up it. However, supporting the "Miya Museum", Congress MLA from southern Assam's Karimganj North constituency, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha said: "There is a need to preserve the culture and identity of the large number of Bengalis who vote in Assam." Former Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed earlier proposed setting up of a "Miya Museum" in Guwahati's Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. The Assam Chief Minister had rejected that proposal. The Kalakshetra, popular with tourists, showcases the cultural heritage of multi-ethnic Assam. In the "Miya Museum", set up by the Asom Miyan (Asomiya) Parishad, traditional farming and domestic items made from wood and bamboo among others were displayed. Kolkata, Oct 25 : Beyond the imagination of many environment activists and green technologists, the pollution level on the Kali Puja night of Monday and the morning after in Kolkata, which has been reported as the world's second most polluted in to a recent report of HEI SoGA, came down to a record low in the last 40 years. Experts attributed this achievement to the windy weather and continuous drizzles in the city throughout Monday night because of the Cyclone Sitrang impact and bright sunny Tuesday morning as the two reasons for this record achievement for the city. Compared to the national capital, which has been rated the world's most polluted city as per the same report of HEI SoGA, the night of Kali Puja and Diwali on Monday in Kolkata was environmentally greener and cleaner in true sense. However, there is a slight black spot in Kolkata's achievement on this count, since as regards to sound pollution on Monday night was record high in the last three years. Green technologist and environment activist, Somendra Mohan Ghosh, who and his team goes on measuring the air and sound pollution levels on the nights of Kali Puja every year, told IANS that when the pollution level in New Delhi on Monday night was hovering around 340 microgrammes per cubic metre, the same was roughly around 40 microgrammes per cubic meter in Kolkata during the same period. "Let me give you some figures. On Monday night, the pollution level was at 338 MG per cubic metre in New Delhi's Anand Vihar as against 49 MG per cubic meter in Ballygunge area in south Kolkata. So, the morning after Kali Puja the usual scene of smoggy air was absent this time," Ghosh added. He also provided some comparative figures for Kolkata to what it was last year. "Last year, the pollution level on Kali Puja night in Jadavpur area in South Kolkata was 244 MG per cubic metre, which came down drastically to around 44 MG per cubic metre this year. Similarly at Bidhannagar in the northern outskirts of Kolkata, the level this year was roughly around 40 MG per cubic metre, which was 224 MG per cubic metre last year. This is a record low in any Kali Puja night during the last 50 years," Ghosh said. He said that there are two reasons for this drastic improvement. "First because of the Cyclone Sitrang impact there was wind throughout Monday evening and night along with continuous drizzles, which sanitised the air to a great extent. In addition to that there is a bright sunny morning on Tuesday because of which the pollution in the air evaporated further. However, there is nothing to be complacent about. The people of Kolkata should continue to be careful in the coming days as well," Ghosh added. However, he lamented the rise in noise pollution on Monday night, which according to him, was the highest in the last three year. "This was between 100 to 120 decibels. "In 2020 and 2021, there were lots of restrictions on the sale and burning of firecrackers. This year the state administration only allowed burning of Green Crackers whose sound level cannot be brought down below 90 decibels," he added. New Delhi, Oct 25 : Newly elected Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will preside over first Central Election Committee meeting on Wednesday to finalise ticket for Gujarat assembly election. Kharge will formally take charge as party President on Wednesday. The assembly election is yet to be announced by the Election Commission. The Congress is likely to field new faces after more than dozen MLAs switched to BJP. The party last time won 77 seats but its number has reduced due to defection. The BJP is likely to give 25 per cent tickets to new faces in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, however, added that the winnability of the candidate will be considered for renominations as well as nomination. In an informal chat with the mediapersons in Vadodara on Sunday evening, Shah said, "There is no fixed strategy of repeat and no repeat, winnability is the only criteria, the party's parliamentary board will finalise candidates. But the party will nominate at least 25 per cent fresh faces." Mumbai, Oct 25 : The Bombay High Court has ruled that defaming a husband by labelling him a "womaniser" and "alcoholic" without proving the allegations tantamount to "cruelty". A division bench of Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Sharmila Deshmukh also upheld the November 2005 divorce order by a Pune family court of the couple - the 50-year-old widowed woman and her retired army major husband who died during the pendency of the trial - after which his legal heirs were made party in the case. She claimed that her late husband was a "womaniser" and an "alcoholic" and due to these vices, she was deprived of her conjugal rights. The husband's lawyer informed that court that the petitioner had caused mental agony by making such false and defamatory allegations against him, including before the members of a social institution where he was doing social work. In the order, the division bench noted that the woman's conduct in making such unwarranted and false allegations against her husband's character resulted in damaging his reputation in society and amounted to "cruelty". Besides her own statements against her husband, the woman could not produce any evidence to substantiate her allegations, including from her own sister, especially since he was an ex-army officer belonging to the upper strata with a standing in the society. The bench also referred to the husband's deposition in the family court in which he stated that his wife had separated him from his children and grandchildren, and how her "unwarranted, false, and baseless" allegations resulted in shredding his reputation in the society. It said that "cruelty" is broadly defined as a conduct that inflicts upon the other party such mental pain and suffering to make it impossible for them to live with each other, and it was a fit case for granting the divorce. The former army officer had moved the Pune family court seeking divorce on grounds of mental agony inflicted by his wife and it granted this in 2005, but the woman challenged the decision in the high court. New Delhi, Oct 25 : Aiming to enhance its safety oversight function, the Civil Aviation ministry is set to increase the number of safety related posts at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). "In order to strengthen the security of the aviation services, it has been decided to increase the safety related posts in DGCA as ensuring safe air operations is of paramount importance to the Ministry of Civil Aviation," said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia through the official twitter handle on Tuesday. Recently, in a letter to the Civil Aviation Minister, Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi, on October 14, highlighted an incident of smoke inside the cabin of a flight and sought necessary action to ensure airlines maintain the highest level of safety standards. On October 12, SpiceJet's Bombardier Q400 aircraft operating its flight to Hyderabad from Goa had an emergency landing in Hyderabad after smoke filled up its cabin. The minister in response to Rajya Sabha member's letter had said in a communication, "The observations made by DGCA were communicated immediately to SpiceJet for rectification. DGCA is keeping a close watch on the situation and shall take all appropriate action to avert any untoward incident." The letter written by the Minister also said, "The Ministry and DGCA place highest importance on the safety of air operations and have taken several proactive measures to enhance the safety of air operations and minimise air occurrences." "You would appreciate that the surveillance inspections as per the annual surveillance plan for Spicejet has been increased to 47 in 2022-23 as against 33 in 2019-20. Further, overall 155 surveillance inspections were carried out on aircraft in 2019-20. In the year 2022-23, 202 surveillance inspections have been completed so far," the Minister had said in his letter. New Delhi, Oct 25 : Over Rs 254 crore has been earned so far from disposal of scrap during a short period of three weeks of the ongoing Special Cleanliness Campaign 2.0, while 37.19 lakh square feet of space has been cleared, which was earlier occupied by junk and scrap. Union Minister of State Personnel, Public Grievances Jitendra Singh on Tuesday informed about the status and progress of Special Swachhta Campaign 2.0 which was launched on October 2 and will conclude on October 31. The Minister also informed that 40 lakh files reviewed, 3,05,268 public grievances redressed, 5416 MPs' references replied and 588 rules eased during the said timeline. The Special Campaign 2.0 has been implemented in remote outstation offices, foreign missions and posts, attached and subordinate offices, besides citizen centric Swachhata initiatives. The Campaign, holistic in size and scale, witnessed widespread participation from thousands of officials and citizens who came together to create a movement for Swachhata in Government offices. Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Secretaries to Government of India participated in the Special Campaign 2.0 providing leadership and guidance in implementation. In three weeks, the Department of Posts has conducted the cleanliness campaign in 17,767 Post Offices, the Ministry of Railways has conducted in 7,028 Railway Stations, Department of Pharmaceuticals in 5,974 campaign sites, Department of Defence in 4,578 campaign sites and Ministry of Home Affairs in 4,896 campaign sites. As per the Ministry, the progress of Special Campaign 2.0 is monitored on a dedicated portal and is reviewed on a weekly basis by the Secretaries. Beijing, Oct 25 : Political protests are not allowed in China. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that runs the government, court, army and even media; doesn't allow any criticism of its leadership. A violation of that rule would lead to forced disappearance and/or execution. There is no official record on death penalties in China as the single-party regime treats such information as "state secrets". However, unofficial evidence suggests that the country delivers maximum capital punishments of over 1,000 a year, followed by Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia etc. One can blame the Sharia law for the high rate of capital punishment in the middle-eastern countries. But China has no such excuse. Regular law and order issues don't result in such a high rate of capital punishment either. With an identical population, Indian courts delivered 77 death sentences in 2020. Clearly, the death sentences in China are political. CCP kills its critics. As a rule, therefore, Chinese citizens camouflage their dissent against the regime by protesting against economic issues -- like the recent mortgage strike. Even that is not easy either, as was evident in the video footage of military tanks rolling on the streets to scare agitators against a series of recent bank fails. In that China, banners came up accusing President Xi Jinping for his 'zero covid' policy. That too days or weeks before Xi would seek an exceptional third term at the party congress. All Chinese leaders after Mao served a maximum of two terms. To begin with, two banners popped up at Beijing's university hub of Haidian. One declared Xi a "dictator". The other read: "We want food, not PCR tests. We want freedom, not lockdowns and controls. We want respect, not lies." The all-powerful Chinese government did everything to remove the evidence of the dissent from the internet. But, more such banners popped up across China. "The slogans have since appeared clandestinely in at least eight Chinese cities including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, as well as Hong Kong, according to VoiceofCN," a Bloomberg report said. Apparently, Chinese citizens are getting desperate for political reform -- once proposed by Deng Xiaoping -- and not without reason. CCP continued with totalitarianism by promising economic good. That promise is now failing. Faltering economy Growth numbers have been dwindling in China for the last 10 years and have now plummeted to the bare minimum. Last month, the World Bank projected China to grow by a mere 2.8 per cent in 2022, that's half of the 5.5 per cent growth promised by Beijing. Moreover, for the first time in three decades, China's growth would lag behind the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. The latest IMF projection pegs China's growth in 2023 at 4 per cent, lower than the projected 4.9 per cent growth in emerging and developing Asia. The IMF projections are, however, more optimistic than many contemporary studies which are predicting much slower growth. "We've been warning for years why we thought the consensus for ongoing, robust Chinese economic growth was wrong, and how the economy would be growing at just 2 per cent by the end of this decade," Neil Shearing, chief economist of Capital Economics said in a September 26 note. The slowdown is structural with all three major growth engines -- property or construction, exports and domestic consumer demand. Even IMF agrees that the property sector which contributes 29 per cent of China's GDP is collapsing. A closer look will reveal lack of reforms is the primary reason behind this failure. China created an artificial boom in the property market, which inflated GDP numbers for decades and sucked citizens' savings. Real estate developers made merry on ultra-cheap bank finance. Local governments, which are essentially local units of the CCP, were happy to make money from land sales. Newly built buildings were pulled down to make way for the new ones. Citizens were happy to see their money growing. The federal government, which is the highest leadership of the CCP, made merry of the inflated GDP by pursuing neo-colonial political dreams. Corrupt governments in Asia and Africa were lured by Belt and Road (BRI) moneybag. Projects were implemented at a highly inflated cost. Chinese companies went back home with inflated profits. Politicians made money. Poor countries became indebted and lost sovereign rights over ports, rail lines etc. The entire paradigm is now under threat. Post-pandemic, these countries became bankrupt. China can take over their assets but will not get back the money. Global demand is plummeting. Excess capacities built at huge state subsidies are closing down. The collapse in the property sector in China is leading to bank failures and wiping out citizens' savings. They can no longer splurge on costly automobiles, premium branded apparel or pricey jewellery. According to some sources, auto sales also dropped in September. A worried China deferred release of monthly data on industrial production, retail sales, fixed asset investment etc for September. However, India -- which was once referred to as a laggard -- is firing from all cylinders. There is no unrest. The Indian government is stable and so is the economy. Retail businesses reported a 21 per cent jump in September compared to the pre-Covid levels in 2019. Electronic permits for inter-state transfer of goods shot up to a record high in September, signalling robust festive buying. Passenger vehicle sales scaled a record one million units in the September quarter, following the easing of the global semiconductor shortage. Despite reducing global demand, Indian IT giant Infosys reported better-than-expected profits in September. IMF has predicted India to grow by 6.8 per cent in 2022 and 6.1 per cent in 2023, way above the average for emerging Asia, and become the third largest economy -- after the US and China -- by the fiscal year 2027-28. Need political reform So what's behind this change of fortunes between India and China? The answer lies in their political structure. The market economy essentially runs on democratic principles where information will flow freely and stakeholders will enjoy the freedom to take decisions. The equilibrium is reached through consensus. China defied this principle. Back in 1978, the Chinese Communist Party or CCP promised to create a "socialist market economy." In reality, the regime introduced one of the cruelest forms of capitalism, epitomized by the Barbie doll economics, under the protection of single-party rule. To be fair to China, it worked beautifully in the first three decades when they grew by 10 per cent year-on-year. Power was centralized. Decisions were taken from the top. Local CCP machinery implemented them. Roads, airports, and seaports were built in no time. Industrial production grew. China earned global repute as 'the nation that delivers'. On the contrary, the Indian Constitution demands that the federal government should take States on board in the decision-making and implementation process. This is easier said than done in a multi-party democracy where the federal and State governments are often run by parties of contradictory ideologies. Naturally, India's growth performance remained lacklustre. Critical second-generation reforms -- like 'one nation, one tax' (GST), denationalization of the coal sector, bankruptcy code etc -- had to wait for three decades since economic liberalization in 1991. Yet, India did reform and is reaping the harvests now. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva credited India's post-pandemic growth performance to structural reforms. The difference lies in accountability. Indian citizens can punish their governments for failure. Congress was routed in the 2014 elections for rampant corruption during the Congress-led UPA rule (2004-14) in Delhi. Chinese citizens cannot punish CCP for its failures and Xi Jinping can become President for life, with little care for its people. Bhopal, Oct 25 : Three persons of a Dalit family, including a woman, were shot dead by their neighbours in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district on Tuesday, while another member of the family was injured and was undergoing treatment at a government hospital in the district, police said. A quarrel broke out between neighbours -- the Patel and Ahriwar families -- over an alleged molestation, which led to the crime in Deoran village in Damoh. During preliminary investigation, police found that the tension broke out on Monday evening when Jagdish Patel, the main accused, and his wife alleged that his neighbour Manak Ahirwar molested her. While this was brought under control, Patel, along with his other male members of the family, barged into the Ahirwars' house and opened indiscriminate fire on them. Manak Ahirwar, his father Ghamandi Ahirwar, 60, and his mother Rajpyari, 58, died on spot, while one of his brothers Mahesh Ahirwar has been injured and admitted to Damoh district hospital, police said. After the incident, the entire Patel family went missing from their home, but police claimed to have arrested Jagdish Patel. "Jagdish has alleged that one of the victims - Manak Lal Ahirwar, 30, allegedly sexually harassed his wife and that was the cause of the crime," Damoh's Superintendent of Police, D.R. Teniwar said. Sources told IANS that Jagdish Patel, said to be a village strongman, and he often used to indulge into fights with people. Sources also claimed that there has been a dispute between Ahirwar and Patel families over a plot of land. Responding to the land dispute issue, the SP said: "A team of district revenue officials are verifying the facts regarding land dispute. We can not say much at this stage on the land dispute issue, we are investigating the matter." Teniwar said police have launched a manhunt for six other accused - all members of Jagdish Patel's family. Apart from murder and assault charges, a case under SC/ST Atrocities Act has also been registered. "Main accused Jagdeesh Patel, has been arrested and we have constituted different teams to find out the other accused soon," he said. Later, the family members and others from the Ahirwar community staged a demonstration at Damoh with the bodies of the victims. They demanded stern action against the guilty, including use of bulldozers to raze their "illegal" property. The SP said that he talked to the agitators and assured them that the police and administration were handling the matter with due seriousness and all possible steps to punish the guilty would be taken, after which the demonstration was called off. The incident has sparked a political controversy in the state as the opposition Congress alleged that law and order situation in the state is deteriorating day by day. State Congress chief and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that the incident was very unfortunate and demanded a high-level probe. "There should be strict action on the guilty following the high-level probe. Government should provide all possible aid to the family and provide full security to other members," he said. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has also condemned the incident and targeted the state government over the law and order situation. "This incident, reminiscent of the dark ages, exposes not only the law and order situation under the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, but also the failure of the government to provide security to the poor, Dalits, tribal and women. There should not be any soft dealing with the criminals. The BSP demands strict action," she tweeted. The village where the incident occured falls under Patharia assembly constituency and the sitting MLA, Rambai Govind Singh is from the BSP. IANS tried to speak to him but he was not reachable. Ajay Kumar Tandon, a Congress MLA from Damoh district, however, said that the incident came as a shock for the entire district. "People of a family barged into one's house and opened fire at them killing three. This shows that people have no fear of police here in Damoh. Question arrise that was the Patel family carrying guns at his home? Today's incident was the failure of the law and order situation of the state," Tandon told IANS over phone. Kolkata, Oct 25 : A lower court in Kolkata on Tuesday remanded Trinamool Congress legislator and former president of West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) Manik Bhattacharya to three days of judicial custody in connection to his alleged involvement in the primary teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal. He was presented at the lower court following the completion of his 14 days of custody with Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday, as the special court of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in the city was closed because of the festival season. So instead of accepting ED's plea for 14 days of judicial custody, the lower court remanded Bhattacharya to just three days of judicial custody and he will be presented at the special court of PMLA in the city again on October 28. On Tuesday, ED's counsel Feroze Edulji brought some serious charges against Bhattacharya during the course of his argument. He said that following preliminary investigation the central agency has traced property worth Rs 10 crore owned by Bhattacharya and his family members. Edulji informed that ED sleuths have traced Rs 3 crore from a bank account held jointly by Manik Bhattacharya's wife, Satarupa Bhattacharya and a deceased person named Mrityunjoy Chakraborty. The ED counsel questioned that although Chakraborty died six years ago, his name has been continued as a joint holder of a bank account which raises doubts that a portion of the scam proceeds were diverted to that account. The ED's counsel also informed the court that a compact disc was recovered from the residence of Manik Bhattacharya by the ED sleuths, where there were some folders containing the names of 4,000 individuals. On cross-checking with WBBPE authorities the central agency sleuths confirmed that 2,500 out of that 4,000 have secured jobs as primary teachers. Bhattacharya's counsels moved the bail applications on grounds of his age and health conditions. His counsel also objected to the ED's move to take their client far away to the ESI Hospital in Joka in the southern outskirts of Kolkata for regular medical checkup instead of nearby state-run SSKM Medical College & Hospital. This, according to his counsel, was an extra harassment for him. However, the ED's counsel opposed that argument claiming that when the court had already expressed doubts of the medical reports of SSKM in such cases, there was no point in taking him there for medical checkup. Finally, after hearing both sides, the court remanded Bhattacharya to three days of judicial custody. Kohima, Oct 25 : The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) would soon resume the peace talk with the government representative for Naga talks, A.K. Mishra in Delhi, officials said on Tuesday. An official in Kohima said that NSCN-IM General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, who is now in Nagaland, would join other senior leaders in Delhi to restart the talks with Mishra, a former Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau. Since September last year, Mishra visited Nagaland three times and held a series of meetings with the NSCN-IM leaders, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and various other leaders and stakeholders. Mishra, during his visit to Nagaland in September last year, also discussed the Naga issue with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the Convener of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). Local media, quoting the official sources, reported that the Centre was expected to present a 'common draft' in the next round of discussions. The Naga political groups are expected to study and deliberate on the draft before giving their nod for a common agreement. An inclusive common draft is reportedly being worked out to club both 'status paper' of the Agreed Position and the 'competency clauses' of Framework Agreement before inking of the final agreement, the media report said. After over 80 rounds of talks between the Centre and the Naga groups, dominated by the NSCN-IM, there is still a stalemate over the contentious issues of separate Naga flag and constitution. The NSCN-IM has been demanding a separate flag and constitution, which the former government interlocutor and then Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi had rejected on a number of occasions. Highly-placed sources said that the Central government was willing to allow the proposed Naga flag in socio-cultural activities, but the NSCN-IM rejected the proposal. The Naga groups as part of their pressure tactics hoisted the 'Naga national flag' and held several events in Nagaland and in many villages in the Naga-dominated areas of neighbouring Manipur to celebrate 'Naga Independence Day' on August 14, a day before Independence Day. On the occasion of the 'Naga Independence Day', NSCN-IM General Secretary had said: "All Nagas unite with one decision, one faith, and one politics on the principle of Nagalim for Christ." He had said the Nagas have endured 25 years of gruelling ceasefire, living up to "our commitment for a peaceful solution to the Naga political issue". Guwahati, Oct 25 : Assam has been battered by heavy rain since Monday due to Cyclone Sitrang spoiling the Diwali festivities across the state. Heavy rainfall has lashed the Kamrup district while Guwahati faced waterlogging in several areas of the city on Tuesday. Maligaon, Santipur, Fatashil Ambari, Hatigaon, Sijubari, etc areas in the city were waterlogged due to incessant rain. The citizens have faced issues while transporting from one place to another in Guwahati. But as Tuesday was a holiday declared by the state government due to the Diwali celebration, it has given some respite to daily commuters. Meanwhile, because of winds and heavy rain, a large tree fell on the Guwahati-Shillong route at Khanapara and blocked the busy route on Tuesday morning. However, the District Disaster Management Authority personnel rushed to the spot, chopped the tree, and cleared the highway in a few hours. The other districts of Assam have also witnessed heavy rainfall activities for the last two days. Several houses have been damaged in the Nagaon district due to gusty winds. Numerous trees and electric poles were uprooted in various parts of the district due to the cyclonic storm Sitarang on Monday night, an official said. Kaliabor, Bamuni, Sakmuthia tea estates, and Boraligaon areas of central Assam have also reported damages in several houses. Infrastructure damages have occurred in different parts of the state due to the cyclone. However, no casualties have been reported till now in Assam. As reported by the state disaster management authority, a total of 83 villages were affected by cyclone Sitarang. At least 162 houses were either partially or fully damaged and 325.501 hectare crop was also damaged due to this cyclonic storm. Earlier, the weather department predicted widespread rainfall activities over the northeastern region due to the cyclonic storm Sitrang. Sanjay O'Neill Shaw, Director of Guwahati Regional Meteorological Centre, said that the depression over northeast Bangladesh and the neighborhood moved north-northeastward and further weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area and lay centred over northeast Bangladesh and adjoining Meghalaya on Tuesday morning. "It has continued to move north-northeastwards and weakened into a low-pressure area", he added. The Met department said that the weather is likely to get better from Wednesday in Assam. Modasa : , Oct 25 (IANS) A youth's hand was cut off from his wrist by three men at Bayad in the Aravalli district of Gujarat after the former allegedly failed to repay Rs 2,500 to one of them. The incident took place on Monday evening on Diwali. The victim has identified as Vijay Salat and the main accused has been identified as Sailesh Barot. The victim told the local media, "I had borrowed Rs 2,500 from Sailesh Barot. On Monday evening, he came to my house armed with a sword to recover the amount. When I pleaded helplessness to repay the amount immediately, he hit my wrist and amputated my hand after which he even hit my legs with the sword." Vijay added that the accused Sailesh was accompanied by his father Kanu and Ravi Barot. All the three persons fled away after injuring the victim. Vijay was rushed to the Bayad government hospital from where the doctor referred him to the Ahmedabad government hospital. Investigation Officer Sanjay told IANS that the doctors conducted a seven-hour operation but failed to successfully replant the hand of the victim. The victim's statement has been recorded while the accused Sailesh, his father and the other person have been booked for attempt to murder, the police officer said. The police have arrested Sailesh and are questioning him, but the two other accused are still absconding. London, Oct 25 : Less than a week after she resigned as Home Secretary, contributing to the fall of the Liz Truss government, Indian-origin UK Minister Suella Braverman has been re-appointed to the same role in the Rishi Sunak government. She is the first woman appointee in the new Sunak government, the BBC reported. Braverman had resigned last Wednesday over a "mistake", saying in her resignation letter, that she had sent an official document from her personal email address, breaking the ministerial code. However, she also criticised Truss, saying her government had "broken key pledges that were promised to voters". Responsible for overseeing UK borders, policing and counter-terrorism as Home Secretary, Braverman is the second Indian-origin leader to hold the role, after Priti Patel. Patna, Oct 25 : Two cases of "honour killings" were reported from Bihar's Bhagalpur and Sheohar districts on Tuesday, police said. The first incident took place in Bhagalpur where a man killed his sister for her inter-caste marriage. The deceased was identified as Siwani Singh, 22, a native of Sajaur in the district. She was having an affair with her boyfriend Prince Tiwari, a relative of former MP, late Prabhash Chandra Tiwari. Angry over her decision, her brother Shahil Singh alias Kalu shot her from close range. Her father Nirbhay Singh, a 'dabang' (strongman) in the region, had fixed her marriage with a person belonging to their own Rajput caste. "As Siwani was not happy with the decision, she fled from the house on October 22 and went to Dumka with here boyfriend Prince. They were tied the knot in a temple and returned to Bhagalpur. Nirbhay and Shahil were not happy with her marriage. When Siwani came to Sajaur, Shahil opened fire on her, leaving dead on the spot. We have launched a manhunt to nab him," said a police officer of Sajaur police station. In another incident, three persons, including her father and brother, were arrested on the charge of killing a 19-year-old girl in Sheohar on Tuesday. The incident occurred at Lachu Tola village where the victim was having an affair with a youth but her family members were against it. Her father Virendra Pandit, uncle Chandra Bhushan Pandit and brother confessed that they had committed the crime and dumped the dead body in a pond. United Nations, Oct 25 : UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres congratulated Rishi Sunak on becoming the Prime Minister of the UK and looks forward to working closely with him, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday. "The United Kingdom, as a permanent member of Security Council, is obviously a very important and critical partner to the United Nations on an extremely wide range of issues on our common agenda," he said. "We congratulate him and we look forward to working very closely with the new Prime Minister," Dujarric added. (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis) New Delhi, Oct 25 : Four people, including a woman, in north Delhi sustained injuries after they were shot by their neighbour for bursting crackers, police said on Tuesday. The incident was reported from Keshav Puram area. Police said that the accused, identified as Arvind, 41, was apprehended with an illegal automatic pistol and a live cartridge. The injured, identified as Manju Jain, Dalmeet Singh, Shubham Jain, and Ankur Jain, are undergoing treatment and their condition is said to be stable, said the official. According to DCP, Northwest, Usha Rangnani, a police control room (PCR) call was received at Keshav Puram police station regarding the firing incident on the intervening night of October 24-25. "After receiving the call, a police team rushed to the spot and found 4 injured people, who were then shifted to a nearby hospital. On enquiry, it was revealed that Arvind got irritated by the noise in his neighbourhood, as some people were bursting crackers in the locality and when he confronted them, he got agitated and fired gunshots and injured 4 people," she said. "A case under Sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Arms Act has been registered and the accused Arvind was arrested," the DCP said, adding that further probe is still going on. London, Oct 25 : Rishi Sunak has made the first appointments of his reshuffle by keeping Jeremy Hunt as UK chancellor and appointing Dominic Raab as deputy prime minister and justice secretary, after the departure of nearly a dozen cabinet ministers, the media reported. The new prime minister also re-appointed James Cleverly as foreign secretary, Ben Wallace as defence secretary and Suella Braverman as home secretary, just days after she left the role for breaching the ministerial code with an email leak, The Guardian reported. The appointments are a sign Sunak is attempting to reach out across the party, given Wallace and Cleverly were prominent supporters of Johnson, while Braverman is influential on the party's Eurosceptic right, The Guardian reported. The decision not to have a change of personnel in No 11 will be viewed as an attempt by Sunak not to upset the markets after weeks of turbulence over the Conservatives' economic plans under Liz Truss's administration. The pound rose to its highest level since before Truss's mini-budget last month after Sunak's appointment as prime minister. Raab returns to the roles he held under Johnson, as deputy prime minister and justice secretary. Simon Hart, another cabinet minister from the Johnson era, has been brought back in to restore party discipline as chief whip. Sunak also appointed Nadhim Zahawi, another key Johnson supporter, as party chairman, and his own key ally, Oliver Dowden, as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster -- a problem-solving role in the Cabinet Office. Grant Shapps, the former transport secretary who filled in as home secretary for less than a week, is moving to be business secretary, The Guardian reported. Several senior figures quit the government on Tuesday, with Jacob Rees Mogg stepping down as business secretary and Brandon Lewis resigning as justice secretary. Sunak sacked Chloe Smith as work and pensions secretary and the under-fire Wendy Morton as chief whip. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Chennai, Oct 25 : Customs officers at the Chennai airport rescued five dwarf and common spotted cuscus being smuggled into India, and arrested the passenger carrying the marsupial animals. A senior Customs official said that the common spotted Cuscus were concealed inside the check-in baggage of the passenger who arrived from Bangkok. He was intercepted by Customs officers for a search of his luggage. "On examination of checked-in baggage five common spotted Cuscus were recovered. Since the live animals were imported illegally, they were deported back to the country of origin through Thai Airways in consultation with Animal Quarantine and Certification Services," the official added. A case under the Wildlife Protection Act was lodged and other government departments concerned duly informed. The accused was produced before a local court where customs officials requested that he be sent to judicial custody, and the court accepted it. New Delhi, Oct 25 : The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Tuesday issued an advisory, a second one in less than a week, asking all citizens to leave the war-torn nation by all available means. It said that many Indian citizens had left Ukraine after the first advisory had been issued on October 19. The Indian embassy further advised citizens to contact it for any assistance needed for crossing the border. It also advised the citizens to contact Indian embassies in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia as per their exit plans. On October 19, the Indian embassy in Ukraine had issued an advisory asking Indian citizens not to travel to that country and had also urged Indians there to leave at the earliest, due to the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Guwahati, Oct 25 : The Assam Police on Tuesday detained two individuals including Asom Miyan (Asomiya) Parishad president Mohar Ali after the Goalpara district administration sealed the private "Miya Museum" -- set up by Muslims. The museum was sealed by the authorities after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma raised questions on its funding. Ali, and Abdul Baten were apprehended from Lakhipur and brought to Goalpara Sadar police station for questioning. Assam's Special Director General of Police G.P. Singh in a tweet said: "Mohar Ali of Goalpara and Abdul Baten of Dhubri have been detained. Further investigation and interrogation would be carried out about their association with AQIS/ABT." Assam police since April this year have arrested around 40 terror suspects in connection to Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an affiliate of the Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) terror group backed modules and a strict vigilance is being maintained, particularly in the minority-dominated areas of western and central Assam. The "Miya Museum" was inaugurated in Dapkarbhita area in western Assam's Goalpara district on Sunday. The term "Miya" is used mostly by the indigenous communities to refer to Bengali or Bengal-origin Muslims who have settled on both sides of the Brahmaputra river in Assam since the late 1890s after the British brought them for commercial farming and other work. A notice of Lakhipur Revenue Circle, pasted at the door of the "Miya Museum", read: "As per the direction of the DC, this PMAY-G house of Mohar Ali S/O Somesh Ali of village Dapkarbhita is hereby closed until further order." The Chief Minister said that the police would initiate a probe into the source of funding for setting up the "Miya Museum". "Those people who set up the Miya Museum would have to answer the government's queries, failing which legal action would be initiated against them," Sarma told the media. The Chief Minister said that he has been always saying that the emergence of 'Miya poetry', 'Miya schools' are challenging issues of grave concern. Noting that such instances are not good signs for the indigenous society, Sarma said: "Whoever considers themselves to be Indian citizens, must think of setting up a resistance socially and politically against such elements." The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs and leaders in Assam have also asked the state government to demolish the museum that showcases the culture of migrant Muslims. BJP legislator Prasanta Phukan had first demanded the state government pull down the newly inaugurated museum. Former BJP MLA, Shiladitya Dev, who is also the chairperson of the Assam Linguistic Minority Development Board, urged the state government to take stronger action against the museum and the people set up it. However, supporting the "Miya Museum", Congress MLA from southern Assam's Karimganj North constituency, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha said: "There is a need to preserve the culture and identity of the large number of Bengalis who vote in Assam."Former Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed earlier proposed setting up of a "Miya Museum" in Guwahati's Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. The Assam Chief Minister had rejected that proposal. The Kalakshetra, popular with tourists, showcases the cultural heritage of multi-ethnic Assam. In the "Miya Museum", set up by the Asom Miyan (Asomiya) Parishad, traditional farming and domestic items made from wood and bamboo among others were displayed. Shillong, Oct 25 : The Meghalaya government on Tuesday signed an agreement with the state owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) for commissioning of three hydro electric projects with a total generation capacity of 235 MW. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, also in charge of the Power department, after the agreement signing ceremony, said the NEEPCO under the agreement would set up the Umiam stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 hydro power plants. The Umiam stage 3 is in the final stage and NEEPCO is expected to start the implementation process soon. Both Stage-I and Stage-II would cost around Rs 1,750 crore with 70 per cent loan. Noting that Meghalaya has been facing power deficit of 50 per cent of total demand of electricity during peak hours, Tynsong said that he told the NEEPCO officials and engineers to ensure that the signing of an agreement on Tuesday should not remain in the paper but should be made into a reality at the earliest. He said that the state government is likely to scrap agreements signed earlier with few more private investors as they failed to execute their commitments. Silchar, Oct 25 : Three ganja smugglers on Tuesday were arrested in Assam's Silchar town, an official said, adding 50 kg ganja was also seized from their possession. The arrested individuals have been identified as Sikandar Kumar, Dharmendra Kumar, and Arman Semai -- all hailing from Patna. A police officer said that on Tuesday morning, the three were roaming near the Hanuman temple adjacent to a flyover in the Tarapur area of the town. He the BSF intelligence wing and the police conducted an operation to nab the smugglers following a tip-off about their presence in the area. "Sikandar Kumar tried to escape after realising the BSF and the police personnel were trying to apprehend them. However, all three of them were chased and caught," the police officer added. The ganja seized from them was wrapped in 36 packets. According to police, they brought ganja by train from Agartala. Their intent was to take the consignment back to Patna by train. They were supposed to board a train in the afternoon but were apprehended before they could leave. Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 25 : Edtech unicorn BYJU's courted further controversy on Tuesday with its employees in Thiruvananthapuram claiming around 170 of them are being forced to resign from the company. The matter, raised on social media by Technopark Today, an IT professionals community portal, was escalated by IT welfare organisation 'Prathidhwani' to Kerala Labour Minister C. Sivankutty. Employees and Prathidhwani representatives also met the minister on Tuesday. Apart from ensuring that BYJU's does not force employees to resign, they demanded a revision of the company's exit policy for its employees. Along with ensuring payment of their October 2022 salary on November 1, employees are demanding a one-time settlement of three months' salary, earned leave encashment, and full-settlement of variable pay. According to the employees in Thiruvananthapuram numbering around 170, Byju's, with its office located in the Technopark, is planning to wind up its operations in the state headquarters. Sivankutty, in a Facebook post, said: "The employees of BYJU's app from Technopark Thiruvananthapuram had come to see me. The employees have many grievances, including job loss. The Labour Department will conduct a serious investigation in this regard." With losses of Rs 4,500 crore reported in FY21, BYJU's has been facing tough times in recent times. The company had recently announced cost-cutting measures including paring down manpower. Hammerson and Allianz Real Estate, on behalf of the Dundrum Retail Limited Partnership, announce that construction has commenced on its first-ever Irish residential-led scheme, The Ironworks. The new scheme is located on the Sandyford Road entrance of the Dundrum Estate, which is spread across 27 acr... [] 2022 Life Sustaining and Meritorious Service award recipients from ComEd. The people who receive these awards reflect what is good and noble in society... MEA Energy Association (MEA) is honored to bestow Life Sustaining and Meritorious Service Awards to fourteen employees of ComEd, the largest electric utility in Illinois and longtime member of MEA. Kyle Schwartz, Chicago North, sr. engineering design tech and Jose Favela, Chicago North, general engineer, were presented Life Sustaining Awards for using chest compressions to save a persons life. Schwartz and Favela arrived at a project location and noticed a man and woman at the opposite end of the alley. The man collapsed and the woman called out in distress. She started calling 911 and Schwartz and Favela went over to assist. One of them was able to obtain the phone from the woman and describe the location as the woman was too distraught to do so. The womans phone ran out of battery almost immediately, so the ComEd tech called 911 using his own phone, while at the same time rubbing his knuckles hard on the mans sternum. The 911 operator instructed the tech to start chest compressions until the paramedics arrived. While the tech was doing chest compressions, the other tech went to the opening of the alley and flagged the paramedics down when they arrived. The paramedics told Schwartz and Favela that the man would survive thanks to their assistance. Twelve other ComEd employees were recognized with Meritorious Service Awards for actions ranging from assisting at roadside accidents to providing first aid. They are: Gordon McElhone, underground mechanic | Assisted an elderly man with first aid. Michael Beall, Chicago north construction supervisor | Provided assistance at a crash site. Chris Ziccarelli, sr. engineering tech | Stopped an assault in progress by drawing attention and calling 911. George Anderson, sr supervisor customer field operations | Prevented an individual from running into a low hanging power line. Levon Lawrence, construction crew leader; Doug Ford, construction crew leader; Matt Czerwinski, electric mechanic; Percy Adu-Asah, electric mechanic; - Shawn White, electric mechanic; and Marcell Jennings, electric mechanic | Found a young lost child and stayed with her until her father arrived. Steven Martin, sr energy tech and Jermaine Burton, energy tech | Aided an elderly woman in distress. The people who receive these awards reflect what is good and noble in society, said John Gann, membership sr. vice president of MEA. Their actions are a testament to who these individuals are and to the training they receive as ComEd employees. MEA Life Sustaining Awards are presented to individuals from member companies who have saved the life of another. The Meritorious Service Award is granted to recognize those who have performed actions in the service of another that are considered above and beyond. Applications for the MEA Life Sustaining and Meritorious Service Award are reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee of MEAs Board of Directors. Read about all MEA awards at https://www.meaenergy.org/awards. For questions contact John Gann, johng (at) MEAenergy (dot) org, or (651) 289-9600 x105. About MEA: MEA serves the people that deliver electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses. We were founded as a trade association over 115 years ago by distribution utilities whose vision was to improve safety and efficiency. Today, we fulfill the same purpose through education, leadership development, and industry connections. Energy delivery companies, contractors, and suppliers around the country benefit from our 55 summits, roundtables, and webinars, 400+ online technical courses, safety assessments, evaluator training, operator qualification compliance tools, and leadership courses for field personnel. Hastings Equity Partners We are proud of the team we have built at Hastings and believe our value-oriented approach to investing, long-term dedication to the space, and understanding of the dynamics and requirements needed to operate, transform, and scale founder-led businesses is unique to Hastings. In recent months, Hastings Equity Partners (Hastings) announced the acquisition of four founder-led companies, resulting in the firms two latest platform investments. The two platform investments are Community Tree Service (Community Tree), a California-based vegetation management company, and Traffic Control Partners (TCP), which was formed through the merger of three leading traffic control and safety companies in the Midwest. Hastings, a lower middle-market private equity firm, founded in 2004, focuses on partnering with founders and investing first institutional capital in the industrial and business service sectors. Hastings generally targets companies that maintain, operate, and upgrade mission-critical infrastructure. The Hastings team is operationally focused and has a hands-on approach to scaling and transforming investments. In the past 17 years, they have invested in 57 unique companies across four funds, and recently made their first platform investment in Fund V, which is currently in market. In June 2022, Hastings acquired Community Tree as the first platform investment in Fund V. The company was founded in 2001 by Adolfo Garcia and provides a broad suite of vegetation management services to utilities and municipal governments on the West Coast. Hastings has demonstrated a keen understanding of our services, our industry, and our employees safety-first culture. The Hastings team has already begun working with us on developing strategies to propel the business forward, said Garcia, Community Trees President & Founder. Garcia added, we are excited to partner with Hastings and to take Community Tree to the next level with both new and existing customers. In July 2022, Hastings formed Traffic Control Partners, a leading provider of traffic control solutions to support road maintenance work for public and private customers in the Midwest. TCP is the combination of three founder-led traffic services businesses: Traffic Control & Protection, TSI Traffic Control, and Traffic Control Specialists. The founders of each business all retain significant ownership and will continue to be actively involved in day-to-day management of the business. TCP is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the significant demand for traffic control services. Our company has the people, experience, and capital to allow us to take our business to the next level and take care of our customers better than ever before, said Brian Triska, President of TCP Indiana. Customers can expect TCP to continue as a trusted and best-in-class partner with additional resources, wider reach, and increased service offerings to meet their growing needs. In September 2022, Hastings completed the sale of Code Red, a leading provider of safety equipment and solutions supporting the mission-critical safety needs of industrial facilities throughout the US. Hastings purchased Code Red in 2019, partnering with the founders and industry executive, Nick Mowbray, to recapitalize and acquire two strategic add-ons: Critical 2-Way Communications and Turnaround Logistics. The combination of the three companies has resulted in a scaled operation, filling a void in the middle-market left by the consolidation of several competitors in prior years. Founder of Code Red, Mike Miller said, everything Hastings told us they were going to do, they did, since the first time we met them. Throughout Hastings three-year investment, Code Red underwent a period of substantial transformation with revenues increasing 30% and EBITDA doubling. The sale of Code Red was completed in September, resulting in a 3.4x return to Hastings limited partners. Ted Patton, Founder and Managing Director at Hastings, said of the recent transactions, we are proud of the team we have built at Hastings and believe our value-oriented approach to investing, long-term dedication to the space, and understanding of the dynamics and requirements needed to operate, transform, and scale founder-led businesses is unique to Hastings. Patton continued, we will continue to unearth off-market opportunities, invest first institutional capital, and drive value for our investors and employees of our portfolio companies. Hastings Equity was recently named by Inc. as a 2022 Founder-Friendly Investor, honoring the firm as one of the best private equity firms with a successful track record of backing entrepreneurs. Joe Conlon, Managing Director at Hastings Equity, commented, we seek to foster strong partnerships that can generate wins for everyone. Not only are we committed to our owner-operators and investors, but we are also committed to the employees and the mutual goals of each relationship we form. Above all, we believe in our team, and in the business owners with whom we work. We hold the owners work, expertise, and opinions in high regard. About Hastings Equity Partners Founded in 2004, Hastings Equity Partners is a lower middle-market private equity firm. Hastings invests first institutional capital in North American founder-led companies within the industrial and business services sectors, where it has deep operating and investing experience. As a preferred capital partner, Hastings seeks to empower businesses to reach their full potential. For almost two decades, the firm has formed long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs while utilizing a hands-on approach to help optimize operations, accelerate revenue growth, and significantly increase equity value. For more information, visit http://www.hastingsequity.com. Structural Glass Staircase Circle Redmont has launched a new website that reflects a change in ownership, new modern branding, and showcases modern applications of walkable glass. Circle Redmont, an industry-leading supplier of glass flooring, now located in Medina, Ohio, was founded in the late 19th century. The company came together as a result of numerous contributors and predecessors collaborating. Those initial companies included American 3 Way-Luxfer Prism Company, Owens Illinois Glass Company, Products Research and Chemical Corp., Circle Steel Partition Company, and Rudy Redmont. In the 1960s, the Sandor family took ownership of the company and moved the focus to expertise in integrated structural glass systems. In 2021, the newest generation of the Sandor family executed another shift in the companys history by making Circle Redmont a DBA of Light Penetrating Systems. We wanted a website that would immediately speak to architects and designers and provide inspiration as to the wow factor of glass, said owner Fred JR Sandor. Our structural glass flooring, pavers, glass stairs, and vault lights lend themselves to showcase projects. We knew the site needed to carry that through and reflect the awe-inspiring work of our clients. As part of the website redesign, a new, updated logo was developed for the Circle Redmont brand that incorporates the Light Penetrating Systems name. An easy-to-navigate product menu allows visitors to find information about Circle Redmonts flagship products like the Glass Bullets and Cast Iron Vault Lights or the Glass Pavers and Precast Concrete. We are really pleased with the direction our company is going, and we feel the website reflects that excitement, Sandor said. I look forward to continuing to build our reputation for expertise and excellence in glass flooring applications for many years to come. To learn more about Circle Redmont, visit the website http://www.circleredmont.com today. ## About Circle Redmont Circle Redmont has become the go-to source for architects and designers who need assistance in turning their visions into reality. Circle Redmonts structural glass products are defined by the companys commitment to both engineering and design, and they will last a lifetime. Company Contact Fred Sandor Circle Redmont, DBA Light Penetrating Systems 1213 Medina Road Ste B Medina, OH 44256 800.358.3888 http://www.circleredmont.com Microsoft Solution Partner - Modern Work Our goal is to empower people and drive growth through the adoption of Microsoft technologies. We play a vital role in helping our customers gain efficiency by leveraging their Microsoft investment. shared Anthony Joseph, Microsoft Program Director of Data Pros. Data Pros, a New Jersey based Managed Services Provider, has attained the Microsoft Cloud Partner - Modern Work designation in the recently revamped Microsoft Partner Program. Data Pros is one of the first Microsoft Partners to achieve this designation, which went live October 3rd. Attainment requires a significant investment in advanced skilling certifications and a proven history of client success in your designation. Previously Data Pros and has been recognized as the most responsive Microsoft partner in five cloud categories. As companies continue to look for ways to navigate todays economic challenges, partners like Data Pros are more equipped than ever to meet their clients needs. Were giving partners the skills, the resources, the assets, and the partnership to enable them to show customers how they can run their businesses more cost-effectively digitally, stated Nicole Dezen, Microsofts Chief Partner Officer, and Corporate Vice President of global partner solutions. The Modern Work specialization recognizes Data Pros' ability to help its customers navigate their digital transformation journey. Our goal is to empower people and drive growth through the adoption of Microsoft technologies. We play a vital role in helping our customers gain efficiency by leveraging their Microsoft investment. shared Anthony Joseph, Microsoft Program Director of Data Pros. This team has very successful track records in medical device markets and in developing significant technology to enhance clinical results for millions of patients. YorLabs, a developer of cutting-edge intracardiac image guided therapy solutions, today announced the appointment of Gregory Greg D. Casciaro to the companys Board of Directors. Casciaro has 40 years of medical device experience and has held leadership roles in both public and private companies. We are pleased to welcome Greg to the YorLabs leadership team, said Glen McLaughlin, president and CEO, YorLabs. His extensive experience in the medical device industry, including several cardiac therapy solutions companies, will provide superb insights and guidance in our goal of developing the next generation, intracardiac image guided therapy platform. Casciaro is currently the president and CEO of Foldax Inc, the maker of Tria Heart Valves. Previously, he was the CEO, president and director of Cardiac Dimensions, as well as AccessClosure, Inc., a medical device company that was acquired by Cardinal Health. He also served in similar capacities at XTENT, a medical device company acquired by Biosensors International Group, and Orquest, a private company manufacturing and selling biotherapeutic products to the orthopedic market, which was acquired by DePuy Acromed, a division of Johnson and Johnson. He has been a member of the board of directors of QT Vascular Ltd., a Singaporean-listed company engaged in the design, assembly and distribution of therapeutic solutions for the minimally invasive treatment of complex vascular diseases, since 2001. Casciaro graduated from Marquette University with a B.S. in Business Administration. I joined the Yorlabs board, because of the high quality team Glen has assembled, said Casciaro. This team has very successful track records in medical device markets and in developing significant technology to enhance clinical results for millions of patients. It is exciting to join YorLabs in its endeavors to enable excellence in patient care. Todays cath lab faces numerous challenges including capital constraints and disparate systems within the interventional cardiac (IC) and Electrophysiology (EP) markets. YorLabs vision is to provide a comprehensive, integrated therapy imaging solution with outstanding image quality and significantly improved workflow, while offering relief from large capital outlays and enabling ongoing, state-of-the art visualization. To this end, YorLabs is designing its solution to provide automatic upgrades to maintain cutting-edge technology throughout the lifecycle of the platform. The company is developing novel algorithms to enable world class, intracardiac image guided therapy performance with dedicated application and procedural based settings and offerings. This solution will be an intuitive user interface platform, resulting in significant clutter and size reduction along with a greatly enhanced workflow. Greg is well qualified to serve on our board of directors, said Anshumali Roy, founder and chief technology officer for YorLabs. He has extensive management experience with growth companies and in mergers and acquisitions in the medical device industry all of which will benefit YorLabs in successfully achieving its vision. About YorLabs Todays Cath Lab faces numerous challenges including capital constraints and disparate systems. YorLabs is developing a world class, intracardiac image guided therapy platform with dedicated application and procedural based settings. The YorLabs solution is designed to be an intuitive platform while eliminating large capital outlays and significantly enhancing workflow. For further information, visit http://www.yorlabs.com. Neuralert will be the first, non-invasive, continuous wearable monitor that automates stroke detection, and will lead to more patients getting proven treatments, faster. With the delivery of working wristband devices and development of the software that utilizes our stroke detection algorithm, we are extremely proud to have achieved this major milestone,said Eric Corkhill, Neuralert CEO. Neuralert Technologies, makers of a lightweight, non-invasive wristband device that automates stroke detection and alerting, has announced that it has achieved Minimum Viable Product (MVP) status. To achieve this milestone, recently developed purpose-built wearable devices are now combined and working in conjunction with its patented algorithm and alerting software, completing the functional arc of stroke detection, data analysis, and medical staff alerting. One of the hallmark indicators of stroke is asymmetrical arm movement (e.g., weakness, neglect or less movement on one side). Neuralerts device can detect the onset of asymmetric movement in as little as fifteen minutes even if the wearer is asleep. The stroke detection devices require no time wasting baseline development, greatly speeding stroke detection, assessment, and treatment, which can saves lives, improve outcomes, and helps enable patients to continue to live full and independent lives. "Our mission is to end the devastation caused by a stroke that is not detected in time for effective treatment, said Eric Corkhill, Neuralert CEO. With the delivery of working wristband devices and development of the software that utilizes our stroke detection algorithm, we are extremely proud to have achieved this major milestone. Neuralert will be the first, non-invasive, continuous wearable monitor that automates stroke detection, and will lead to more patients getting proven treatments, faster. Neuralerts mission is to accelerate the treatment for stroke via faster detection and automated alerting. One out of four people living today will have a stroke, making it the No.1 cause of long- term severe disability and the No. 5 cause of death. Recent advances in treatment have led to remarkably improved outcomes from stroke but only if discovered in time. Delays in stroke identification result in lower likelihood of receiving time critical treatment resulting in worse outcomes and even death. In the hospital, identifying stroke symptoms is challenging, as patients are bed bound and/or sedated, making strokes harder to detect, and nurses are not able to assess patients frequently enough to insure that it is identified in time for treatment. Neuralert constantly monitors for stroke and automates an alert resulting in a faster stroke detection process than manual methods used today. Neuralert has undergone rigorous studies which have shown that the device is able to detect stroke in as quickly as 15 minutes. Reduction in stroke detection time will save patient lives, improve outcomes, and reduce hospital costs and liability. We are thrilled that Neuralert has achieved Minimum Viable Product status. said Steven Messe, MD, Neuralert Co-Founder. Our device represents a breakthrough in technology that offers significant advantages over current alternatives. Stroke is a terrible disease which causes death and major long-term disability, so being able to detect it at a stage when it is most treatable is incredibly exciting, as there will be a tremendous benefit for both patients and their families. About Neuralert Technologies: Founded in 2019 as a spin-out from the University of Pennsylvania, Neuralert Technologies mission is to transform the method of monitoring for stroke symptoms in hospitalized patients. By combining lightweight, non-invasive, wearable devices with a patented algorithm, the Neuralert system constantly monitors patients for stroke symptoms and automatically alerts hospital staff when detected. Neuralerts device speeds treatment, saves lives, and improves outcomes. Neuralert Technologies is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit https://www.neuralert.co/. Follow us on social media at: Twitter: https://twitter.com/neuralert Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Neuralert LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/74542407/admin/ Dallas Business Journal Best Places To Work 2022 "This award is well deserved and a huge testament to the leaders creating a space of belonging and learning for our team members." Every year, this annual award is organized by the Dallas Business Journal to recognize the companies that best embody strong, team-centric culture using feedback collected through anonymous employee surveys. SPOTIO is a DFW-based SaaS provider that has enabled field sales teams to become more efficient and productive since they began operations in 2014. This year, SPOTIO ranked 12th among the top 30 companies in the small business category and its also the third time the company has received this distinction. SPOTIOs leadership team was especially excited to receive such positive results based on the solid cultural foundation they've worked hard to achieve and maintain. According to SPOTIOs People Operations Director, Chereen Pasha, "This award is well deserved and a huge testament to the leaders creating a space of belonging and learning for our team members. It's uplifting for me to be a part of a supportive, motivating, and kind work community.SPOTIO is truly unique compared to traditional corporate environments. I think it's ahead of its time in the best way possible." SPOTIO has aimed to have a positive work environment by keeping its core values and purpose at the center of everything they do, even while experiencing significant growth. The company has grown its employee number by about forty percent in the past year. They plan on celebrating this accomplishment with team members and leaders as a thank-you for contributing to their overall vision and success. "It all starts with having a strong core purpose and core values at the center of everything we do. If this is done right, you'll attract and retain the right people with the right cultural match," said Founder and CEO Trey Gibson. "Doing this has kept SPOTIO's foundation strong, and we're grateful to have such awesome people on our team." If you're interested in joining SPOTIO, the company has reported that they are looking to expand their team even more in the coming weeks. Those that may be interested in joining the team can apply at https://spotio.com/careers/. About DBJs Best Places to Work Now in its 20th year, the Dallas Business Journals Best Places to Work program showcases the top 100 companies in the North Texas region in five classifications: Micro (10-24 employees), Small (25-49), Medium (50-249), Large (250-999) and Extra-large (1000 +). To be eligible, organizations must have at least 10 employees and be located in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Grayson, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant or Wise counties. For the full list of DFWs Best Places to Work, click here. About SPOTIO SPOTIO is the leading field sales engagement platform built for field sales teams to grow pipelines, improve productivity, and close more deals. SPOTIO centralizes field sales team activities and provides sales organizations with the visibility and insight needed to drive revenue. Thousands of customers worldwide rely on SPOTIO to accelerate growth with their field sales teams. SPOTIO is a privately held company based in Addison, Texas. The report highlights the immense growth opportunity for Wisconsins vibrant and dynamic biohealth industry, and its role in being a crucial driver in the states economic growth. BioForward Wisconsin, the collective voice of Wisconsins robust and comprehensive biohealth cluster representing more than 220 member organizations, shared results of the Wisconsin Biohealth: Industry Landscape and Economic Impact Reporthttps://www.bioforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/TEConomy-Wisconsin-BioForward-Report-webready.pdf which highlights the statewide biohealth industry as a leading economic growth and innovation driver for Wisconsin. According to the report, prepared by TEConomy Partners, LLC, a global leader in research, analysis, and strategy for innovation-based economic development, Wisconsins biohealth industry is leading the state out of the economic challenges of the pandemic years, outpacing other major state industries with strong high-wage job growth that is generating significant economic impacts throughout the state. Among the highlights from the third-party report are: Economic Impact: The total state economic impact contribution by the biohealth industry is $32 billion in direct, indirect, and induced sources, as well as $1.2 billion in state and local taxes. Jobs: Wisconsins biohealth research organizations, manufacturers, digital health, and distribution companies directly employ nearly 52,000 individuals, and have seen 10.6 percent job growth since 2018, significantly outpacing the states overall job growth of negative 2.7 percent. This employment supports approximately 77,000 additional jobs, leading to the full biohealth job impact reaching nearly 129,000 jobs throughout the State of Wisconsin. Wages: The high-quality jobs generated across the biohealth industry pay approximately $96,000 annually on average (70 percent above overall industry average in Wisconsin) reflecting the high value-adding activities and skilled workforce deployed across scientific research and development, manufacturing, sales, distribution, and other key roles. Funding: Wisconsin-based institutions and organizations received $554 million in National Institutes of Health funding in 2021 (an increase of 19 percent since 2018). Additionally, venture capital and angel investments in Wisconsins biohealth industries totaled a new high of $191 million in 2021 (an increase of 49 percent from the average levels of investment seen in the prior three years). Also, Wisconsin biohealth companies received Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards totaling nearly $46.8 million between 2018-2021. Research & Development Innovation: Wisconsin benefits by having an especially large and leading university Research & Development (R&D) engine, which in 2019 and 2020 surpassed $1 billion in annual expenditures. Biohealth-related R&D in Wisconsin has outpaced the U.S. in growth since 2018. COVID-19 Impact: The report specifically emphasizes the COVID-19 pandemics effect on the states biohealth industry stating, During the core pandemic years in 2020 and 2021, most of Wisconsins biohealth industry continued to grow. Driving much of the gains was the biomedical research and testing subsector, which ramped up its employment base by 22 percent; drugs and pharmaceuticals had 16 percent job growth, and biomedical distribution rose by nearly 5 percent. Regional Footprint: While primarily concentrated in the Madison and Milwaukee regions, Wisconsins biohealth industry is broad-based, spanning several regions across the state, including developing clusters in in Green Bay, Sheboygan, Eau Claire, and La Crosse. The report highlights the immense growth opportunity for Wisconsins vibrant and dynamic biohealth industry, and its role in being a crucial driver in the states economic growth, said BioForward CEO Lisa Johnson. This strong growth, high wages, expanding career opportunities, and impressive innovation in the biohealth sector are just what the state needs amidst current economic challenges and headwinds. Considering the entirety of the biohealth industry and its robust ecosystem, the report displays how Wisconsin is advancing with progress across every measure from 2018, and seeing strong levels of activity, Johnson continued. This sector continues to be a key economic and innovation driver for the state, leading Wisconsin out of the challenges of the pandemic years, outpacing other major state industries with strong, double-digit and high-wage job growth. The reports authors also noted that the states biohealth industry is, critical to the Wisconsin economy, and the state needs this industry now more than ever not only to contribute its significantly high wages and outsized economic impacts, but also to solve intra-state and broader global health and quality of life challenges. The report was funded by BioForward Wisconsin and industry partner Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. About BioForward BioForward Wisconsin is the collective voice of Wisconsin's robust and comprehensive biohealth cluster, representing more than 220 member organizations across an integrated network of health solution leaders, including research institutions, biotech and biopharma, digital health, medical device and diagnostics, and healthcare institutions. It is an action-oriented association that focuses on initiatives to strengthen the state's talent pipeline; collaborations to develop supply chain partnerships; educational and networking events to enhance professional development; and legislative advocacy to highlight the economic and social impact of the biohealth industry on the state, nation, and world. Learn more about BioForward Wisconsin at http://www.bioforward.org. Titanic Mystery Deep Ocean Reef 2900 meters We didnt know what we would discover. On the sonar, this could have been another shipwreck. Ive been seeking the chance to explore this large object for decades. It was amazing to explore this area and find this fascinating volcanic formation teeming with so much life, says PH Nargeolet. During the 2022 Titanic Expedition an extremely productive and dense ecosystem was discovered 2900 meters deep near the wreck of the Titanic. The provisionally dubbed Nargeolet-Fanning Ridge was originally recorded as a blip on sonar 26 years ago by PH Nargeolet, a veteran Nautile submersible pilot and Titanic diver. After more than two decades of wondering if the blip was a shipwreck or geologic feature, PH got his chance to dive on the target and explore the ridge that now provisionally carries his name. The mystery was finally solved with the financial support of OceanGate Expeditions Mission Specialist Oisin Fanning and the analysis provided by OceanGate Foundations scientific team. Video footage released by OceanGate Expeditions shows the awe-inspiring environment that was discovered. We didnt know what we would discover. On the sonar, this could have been any number of things including the potential of it being another shipwreck. Ive been seeking the chance to explore this large object that appeared on sonar so long ago. It was amazing to explore this area and find this fascinating volcanic formation teeming with so much life, says PH Nargeolet. This discovery will improve the way we think about biodiversity of the abyss. The apparently basalt volcanic formations are remarkable, and we are astonished at the diversity and density of the sponges, bamboo corals, other cold-water corals, squat lobsters, and fishes that are thriving at 2900 meters deep in the North Atlantic Ocean, says Research Professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmingtons Center for Marine Science and OceanGate Expeditions chief scientist, Dr. Steve W. Ross. Uncovering this previously unknown ecosystem also provides an opportunity to make a comparison to the marine biology on and around Titanic. The variety of lifeforms, concentration of life, and the overall ecosystems may differ between the deep artificial reef of the Titanic and this newly revealed natural deep ocean reef. The similarities and differences will help us better understand our deep-sea environments, continues Dr. Ross. As a marine biologist, getting to dive to the depths of our oceans to see something no other human has seen before is an awe-inspiring experience. Looking through Titans viewport and observing this beautiful undersea basalt volcanic formation which is so full of life is why we do the work we do, says Professor of Applied Marine Biology & Ecology in the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Murray Roberts. We look forward to reviewing the video footage, the numerous photographs that were captured during the dive, and the environmental DNA analysis of the water samples we collected. Scientists have always been surprised about how far sponges and corals spread across the ocean. Were running computer simulations to understand this better and I expect these unexplored rocky areas are critical in explaining how these animals can disperse across the vast distances of the deep muddy seafloor. We need to share this information with the scientific community and policy makers to be sure these vulnerable ecosystems get the proper attention and protection they deserve, explains Dr. Roberts. When I learned about the possibility of a dive to uncover the mystery of what was seen on sonar in 1998, I knew I wanted to be a part of the effort, shares Oisin Fanning, OceanGate Expeditions Mission Specialist. It is a privilege to get to work with OceanGate Expeditions, OceanGate Foundation, and the scientific team to better understand what lies deep below the surface of our oceans, explains Fanning. These studies are supported by OceanGate Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which provides financial support for marine research and applied technology. OceanGate Foundation brought together a team of marine biologists, maritime archaeologists, and GIS mapping experts from the U.S., Scotland, and England to support the studies undertaken during expeditions. In 2022, this team included: OceanGate Expeditions Chief Scientist, Dr. Steve W. Ross, Adjunct Professor, University of North Carolina at Wilmington Professor Murray Roberts, Professor of Applied Marine Biology & Ecology, University of Edinburgh Dr. Lea-Anne Henry, Reader in Marine Ecology, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh Dr. Anna Gebruk, Scientific project manager, benthic ecologist, University of Edinburgh Dr. Bridget Buxton, Associate Professor of Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Rhode Island Dr. Rod Mather, Professor and Chair; Director of Archaeology and Anthropology M.A. Program, University of Rhode Island Chris McCabe, Marine Archaeologist, Gray and Pape and GIS Specialist, University of Rhode Island Morgan Breene, Ph.D. candidate in Global and Imperial History, University of Oxford The computer simulations and scientific outputs of this study will link to wider ecosystem research in the Atlantic through the European Horizon 2020 funded iAtlantic research programme. OceanGate Expeditions longitudinal research work of the Titanic and surrounding areas will continue in 2023 with the support of OceanGate Expeditions crewmembers, the scientific team, and citizen explorers who serve as Mission Specialists. Aspiring Mission Specialists interested in supporting the 2023 Titanic Expedition should contact OceanGate Expeditions for qualifications, availability, and additional details. OceanGate Expeditions Media Inquiries | Lisa Dreher | lisa.dreher@oceangateexpeditions.com | +1 425-442-1301 Expedition Inquiries | Kyle Bingham | kyle.bingham@oceangateexpeditions.com | +1 425-595-6343 Investor Inquiries | Bob Shuman | robert.shuman@oceangatexpeditions.com | +1 425-595-5017 Business Inquiries | Bob Shuman | robert.shuman@oceangatexpeditions.com | +1 425-595-5017 Watch: A 26-Year-Old Titanic Mystery Solved Meet Titanics Awe-Inspiring Neighbor in the Deep Sea. ABOUT OCEANGATE EXPEDITIONS OceanGate Expeditions Ltd., is dedicated to direct human exploration of the undersea world. Not satisfied with scratching the surface of the ocean near the shoreline, OceanGate Expeditions charters manned submersibles to create expeditions at depths far deeper than can be reached with SCUBA. The organization conducts undersea expeditions to explore and document the 95% of the seafloor that man has never visited including iconic shipwrecks, hydrothermal vents, deep-sea canyons, and uncommon biological events around the world. These expeditions, to depths approaching 4,000 meters (13,123 feet), provide rare opportunities for citizen scientists to observe the mysteries of the deep sea and expand our understanding of our home, Earth, the blue planet. Visit http://www.oceangateexpeditions.com. Follow OceanGate Expeditions on: YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn ABOUT OCEANGATE FOUNDATION OceanGate Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fueling underwater discoveries in nautical archaeology, marine sciences, and subsea technology through public outreach and supplemental financial support. The organization was founded by entrepreneurs with a passion for ocean exploration who want to expand the world's appreciation and understanding of the deep ocean. Since 2010, OceanGate Foundation has been providing supplemental financial support to augment primary research grants that enable to efficiently conduct extended and enhanced research studies during expeditions occurring in locations across the globe. Visit http://www.oceangatefoundation.org. Q5id, Inc. has announced a new agreement with SecurTest, Inc., a leading provider of on-demand employment background checks with its patented iReviewNow process and employment and education verifications. The agreement will deliver access to Q5ids patented Proven Identity (KYE) Know Your Employee solution through SecurTests technology. Know Your Employee (KYE) by Q5id offers an additional layer of protection for employers to verify identities of potential candidates before a background check is conducted, eliminating the expense of running background checks on fraudulent actors. With occupational fraud on the rise, costing U.S companies an average of $8,300 per month, KYE proves the potential hire is who they say they are. We look forward to our new partnership with SecurTesta leading background screening institutionbringing the benefits of proven identity to their thousands of existing U.S. clients, says Q5id CEO Steve Larson. We also look forward to supporting SecurTests efforts to verify the identities of expatriates in foreign countries. This is an ideal entry point for introducing Proven Identity into the global marketplace. Identity can never be assumed; it must be proven. Founded in 1978, SecurTest has established a new industry standard for background screening and FCRA compliance with its triple-patented iReviewNow. As a result, SecurTest is relied on by various branches of the U.S. government to perform background investigations. In addition, banks, international schools, small to mid-size employers, and Fortune 500 companies depend on SecurTest daily. Our agreement with Q5id and its Proven Identity platform enhance our industry-leading background check process by providing verified, proven identities. We believe this partnership with Q5id will provide us a sustained competitive advantage that will redefine the background check process across the globe, says Steven C. Millwee, CPP President and CEO, SecurTest. Moreover, the combination of the patented Q5id and patented iReviewNow by SecurTest creates a one-of-a-kind background screening program that protects candidates and clients from identity fraud. KYE by Q5id will help protect SecurTests clients from intellectual property (IP) theft and loss of trade secrets, customer attrition, and irreparable damage to a companys brand and reputation. Q5ids Proven Identity solution offers the most robust, frictionless customer experience available on the market, authenticating identities in a matter of seconds. About SecurTest Since 1978, SecurTest has been the leading global provider of accurate background reports and biographical questionnaires, giving employers the facts they need to make wise hiring choices. iReviewNow helps identify quality applicants, employees, vendors, government clearances, and consumers while assisting companies in mitigating risks and navigate challenging EEOC and FCRA regulations. For more information on SecurTest or iReviewNow, please visit please visit securtest.com or call 800-445-8001. About Q5id Q5id is the world leader in proven, authenticated, trusted, secure, self-managed individual identity. Our vision is to change how the world works. In this new world, people take back control of their individual identities. Identity theft disappears, and companies know their customers as never before. Proven, authenticated, trusted, secure, self-managed individual identity is the future, and we are delivering it today. Learn more: q5id.com. Contact Q5id, Inc. Media Relations (503) 389-0985 media@q5id.com Follow us on Twitter: @Q5idProvenID Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/q5id/ Like us on Facebook: @provenidentity Were launching a new look and feel at FLIBS, but the vision and values behind the name 26 North remain the same, said Mike Carlson, 26 North founding partner. Our energetic new brand look comes with a strengthened commitment to our clients. On the occasion of the 2022 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), 26 North is proudly celebrating another year of incredible growth and success with the launch of a string of new client services, along with a new look for the yachting brand. A new corporate identity and a freshly designed modern show space will welcome FLIBS attendees to discover all the new offerings at 26 North, the leading yacht brokerage firm which was recently named in Inc. Magazines 2022 roundup of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Were launching a new look and feel at FLIBS, but the vision and values behind the name 26 North remain the same, said Mike Carlson, founding partner. Our energetic new brand look comes with a strengthened commitment to our clients, as we introduce a wide range of programs and services dedicated to helping you discover your yachting vision. 26 North specialists will be available in the updated exhibit area to detail the companys new client service offerings, which have expanded to Charter Management, Concierge, and Apparel. 26 North Charter Management With 26 North Charter, yacht owners enjoy white-glove charter management, guided by an experienced in-house charter manager dedicated to positioning your vessel in a competitive global ne twork. The team secures only the most compatible opportunities to unlock your vessels earning powerall while prioritizing your own private use and enjoyment. Whether owners seek to maximize their yachts charter potential with year-round or seasonal charter, charter management handles all the details that you would rather not. 26 North Concierge The new members-only concierge service is the first of its kind, designed for yacht owners distinct requirements. With an intricate understanding of the ultra-luxury lifestyle, 26 North Concierge personalizes every journey to inspire and amaze. Director of Concierge Dayna Mcleod is a trusted industry authority with extensive experience in attending to the most discerning clientele, with insider connections that open doors to unbelievable destinations and discoveries. 26 North Bespoke Your yachts signature is so much more than a logo. Thats why 26 North has developed a full range of mens and womens apparel that showcases your vesselessentially your very own fashion labelto express your love of adventure on and off the water. Clients can order individual pieces on demand, or our team can outfit your crew from head to toe. 26 North will showcase a breathtaking collection of yachts for sale and charter at FLIBS, October 26th 30th, on Docks FG 22-28 (between Bahia Mar and Hall of Fame Marinas). Attendees are welcome to explore the new show space, book a private consultation to learn more about the new Charter, Concierge and Bespoke services, and tour the yachts on view. About 26 North Yachts Founded in 2011, 26 North Yachts is one of the leading motor yacht brokerage and consulting firms in the United States. The company caters to buyers and sellers of premium vessels ranging from 70 to 140 feet, with inventory that sells over 50 percent faster and for a higher percentage of the asking price than competing listings. With a seasoned group of experts, proven marketing strategies and extensive experience closing deals on some of the worlds finest yachts, 26 North Yachts is the preferred partner for buyers and sellers in the North American market. Learn more at http://www.26NorthYachts.com. For more information about the class action lawsuit against Target Corporation, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The Los Angeles employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Target Corporation alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Target Corporation is currently pending in the Kern County Superior Court, Case No. BCV-22-102580. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. Target Corporation allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code 2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and other California Class Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones as a result of and in furtherance of their job duties. Additionally, the complaint alleges Defendant 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. For more information about the class action lawsuit against Target Corporation, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** Liebherr hands off new LR 1400 SX to Bigge at bauma 2022. During a ceremony on the first day of bauma 2022, Liebherr handed over Bigges newest addition, a Liebherr LR 1400 SX to join the companys Perfect Fleet. This is the largest multipurpose crawler crane that Liebherr has ever built, a design based on the LR 1300 SX, the best-selling crawler crane. As the demand for lifting heavier loads continues to grow, the LR 1400 SX is the resulting crane from Liebherr that excels due to its power, speed, and ease of operation at a load capacity of 440 US-tons. At the handover, Bigge emphasized that the LR 1400 SX on display at Bauma is one of many more models that will be added to their fleet, with three more units already on order. The purchase represents Bigges significant commitment to offering a Perfect Fleet to customers and partners everywhere, providing the right crane to the right market at the right cost. The LR 1400 SX has several features that make it stand apart despite its size including ease of transport and assembly. The heaviest part of transport is the uppercarriage. It includes the carbody center section and the A-frame parts that never need to be disassembled. Even the walkways and railings can easily be folded up and remain on the crane for transport. Thanks to the crane's self-assembly system, it is easy to assemble and disassemble the hoist winches, crawlers, carbody counterweight, and boom sections all of this without a service crane. The crane can even lift, lower, and secure the 165 US-tons rear counterweight hydraulically. The rear counterweight itself is modular and can be equipped with 5.5 or 11-ton counterweight slabs, depending on the requirements. The LR 1400 SX is equipped with a powerful 450 kW Liebherr diesel engine the most powerful engine in its class. The crawlers are now equipped with four drive motors that make it easier to maneuver on construction sites with difficult ground conditions. Third LR 1700-1.0 to join the Perfect Fleet Bigge currently operates two LR 1700-1.0 crawler cranes and has ordered a third for delivery in 2023, intended for use in industrial construction and wind power. Bigge will then operate the largest fleet of this type of crane in the USA. The LR 1700-1.0 combines the benefits of economical transport of 660 US-ton class crawler cranes with the performance of 825 US-ton class lattice boom cranes and also features all the innovations of Liebherrs crawler crane developments from recent years. Liebherrs LR 1700-1.0 is THE benchmark in this crane class for lattice boom cranes both for classic industry and wind power work. The boom can be raised to a height of up to 650 ft, comprising the main boom at 334 ft and a luffing jib at 314 ft. These lattice sections enable the crane to be used in purely main boom mode with a length of up to 531 ft. Minimal wear is becoming more and more important for moving the crawler travel gear, particularly during jobs at wind farms. The Liebherr engineers have therefore made the structural steelwork for the crawler carriers particularly robust and increased the size of the rollers. The 4-fold drive for the travel gear is standard. Two more LR 1500s and LTM 1230-5.1s on order for delivery in 2023 Bigge operates the largest fleet of LR 1500s in the US. Two more LR 1500s are on order for delivery in 2023. For the first of these, Bigge has ordered equipment for wind power and industrial applications. As the biggest buyer of cranes in the industry, Bigge will also expand its fleet of all-terrain cranes with an order of two LTM 1230-5.1 s from Liebherr to be delivered in 2023. The Liebherr team is delighted with the orders from its long-standing customer both for the continued partnership but also because many industry insiders consider an order from Bigge to be a seal of quality. The crane rental company advertises to offer its customers the Perfect Fleet with the best cranes in their class for sale and rent. The animation shows the LR 1400 SX from its transportation to the jobsite to the execution of lifting work: Liebherr - Crawler Crane LR 1400 SX - YouTube. About Bigge Since 1916, Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. has been the premier provider of best-in-class cranes. Bigge offers crane rentals, cranes for sale, crane parts, and specialized heavy lift equipment to customers across America. With headquarters in California and Texas, Bigge operates a strategic network of over 20 service locations nationwide, allowing them to provide logistical and field support throughout the United States. Bigge actively buys and sells new and quality used cranes and maintains a rental fleet of more than 1,600 assets. Safety, teamwork, results, innovation, and passion are central to Bigges core values. Bigge continues to lead the crane industry into the 21st century with generations of combined experience in the crane and rigging industry. To learn more, visit bigge.com. Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD Neil B. Friedman, M.D., FACS, Director of The Hoffberger Breast Center and Medical Director of The Weinberg Center for Women's Health and Medicine at Mercy, and Maria C.E. Jacobs, M.D., head of Radiation Oncology at Mercy, are guests of the hospitals ongoing talk show series, Medoscopy, airing on Facebook Watch, Wed.-Thurs., Oct. 26-27th at 5:30 p.m. EST (http://www.facebook.com/MercyMedicalCenter). A 30-minute pre-taped program that explores the background and lives of Mercy clinicians, patients and others, Medoscopy was launched in spring 2021 and airs in two 15-minute segments. To view past episodes, visit the Medoscopy playlist on the Mercy Medical Center YOUTUBE channel. In this latest installment, timed for October National Breast Cancer Awareness Month -- Drs. Friedman and Jacobs discuss their work in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer conditions. On more personal notes, Dr. Friedman reveals he enjoys reading, particularly fictional political thrillers, and his interest in building construction. Dr. Jacobs discusses the challenges of leaving her native Venezuela to come to the U.S., unable at the time to speak English, but thanks to her mentors, and some serendipity, found success in her field of radiation oncology. During Medoscopys regular show and tell segment, Dr. Jacobs presents a ceremonial pin that was presented to her father in honor of his efforts in helping found Sears Roebuck in Venezuela in the late 1940s/early 1950s, as well as a medal that Dr. Jacobs had given to her mother as a gift that she had earned for her achievement at Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. Dr. Friedman began his medical career as Chief Resident at the nationally renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Today he is a board certified breast cancer doctor, named Humanitarian of the Year by the Mildred Mindell Cancer Foundation and served as Chairman of the American Cancer Societys Research Administrative Committee, a member of its Executive and Professional Education Committees, and on its Board of Directors. Dr. Maria Jacobs has been recognized as a "Top Doctor" by Baltimore magazine and as a Health Care Hero by The Daily Record. She also has been invited to participate in various programs for the Brooklyn Leadership School for Young Women in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Friedman were the first team of doctors in the state of Maryland to use Intraoperative Radiotherapy (IORT) which is discussed at length during the segment. Medoscopy is filmed on the campus of Mercy Medical Center in downtown Baltimore with video, sound, and lighting by Zinnia Film. Founded in 1874 by the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Medical Center is located in downtown Baltimore City, about six blocks from Baltimore's famed Inner Harbor. A university-affiliated teaching facility, Mercy is a Catholic hospital with a national reputation for women's health care, orthopedics, and other specialties. Mercy is home to the renowned Weinberg Center for Women's Health & Medicine, and the $400+ million Mary Catherine Bunting Center. For more information, visit http://www.mdmercy.com, and MDMercyMedia on Facebook and Twitter, or call 1-800-M.D.-Mercy. -30- New LipoAI LipoAI delivers the energy much faster and more efficiently than previous technologies, and patients are more comfortable post-operatively. I have seen no issues with post-op numbness or hypersensitivity in the areas treated like other energy-based skin tightening devices. - Carey Nease MD Cartessa Aesthetics has built a reputation for identifying and marketing state-of-the-art non-invasive aesthetic technology since inception. Working closely with the leading global manufacturers, Cartessa looks for devices that offer a true benefit to providers and patients in the most high-demand treatment categories. The latest addition to their portfolio, LipoAI, represents the companys move into the minimally invasive space. Introduced to an exclusive audience of current customers at their user forum in Scottsdale, Arizona last week, LipoAI offers a new, technologically superior, safe and minimally invasive adjunct to traditional liposuction to meet their patients body contouring needs. Cartessa is working closely with DEKA, the Italian manufacturer who brought the first generation of laser-assisted lipolysis (LAL) to market, to bring the newest advanced LAL technology into the aesthetic field in the form of LipoAI. Utilizing 1444nm wavelength, the gold standard for fat and water absorption, LipoAI offers a shorter pulse duration to reach higher peak power and a higher frequency than previous generations; these advancements make LipoAI a faster, more controlled and more energy efficient device. LipoAI also boasts an exclusive AI Mode, which uses predictive algorithms to facilitate bi-communication between the provider and the device, adjusting energy delivery in real time to improve accuracy, safety and efficiency of energy distribution. For nearly a decade, DEKA conducted extensive research in collaboration with leading Italian universities to analyze thousands of data points balancing the multiple variables such as laser energy, dosimetry, absorption coefficients and real-time temperature behavior. The result is AI Mode, a sophisticated, predictive algorithm that allows LipoAI to adapt to the providers technique, adjusting energy delivery intelligently and automatically. LipoAI delivers the energy much faster and more efficiently than previous technologies, and patients are more comfortable post-operatively, said cosmetic surgeon Carey Nease, MD. I have seen no issues with post-op numbness or hypersensitivity in the areas treated like other energy-based skin tightening devices. Cartessa is known for bringing cutting-edge technology from around the globe in every aesthetic category to the best aesthetic providers in North America. With leading products in major categories including RF microneedling, CO2, and laser hair removal, Cartessa is excited to introduce innovation in a category that marks the companys first foray into minimally invasive procedures. The Aesthetic Society 2021 Aesthetic Plastic Surgery National Databank cites liposuction as the #1 surgical procedure performed. As a hugely popular procedure, with several limitations such as little to no skin retraction, extensive downtime, trauma to the surgeon and patient, and blood loss, LipoAI improves upon the previous generations of laser-assisted lipolysis to address a clear need in the marketplace. Not only is LipoAI a more powerful and intelligent device, shared Gabe Lubin, Founder and CEO of Cartessa, but LipoAI also produces a better patient experience: less bruising, minimal pain and less recovery time compared to other methods of liposuction, making the device a welcomed advancement for providers and their patients alike. LipoAI is available for U.S. providers with liposuction experience and is exclusive to Cartessa Aesthetics. About Cartessa: Cartessa Aesthetics is a leading North American aesthetic company focused on cutting-edge technology and industry leading customer support. Thanks to an independent business model and established relationships with top global manufacturers, Cartessas product portfolio offers true competitive advantages for practices and patients across every aesthetics category. Customers benefit from expertly vetted devices and end-to-end support to maximize the clinical outcomes and returns of their investment. About DEKA M.E.L.A. DEKA M.E.L.A. is a controlled company of the large multinational Italian group EL. EN., listed on the Star Segment of the Milan Stock Exchange (ELN.MI). The company, which has more than three decades of laser experience, chose DEKA as its company name which means attainment of perfection and excellence and is also 10 in Greek, the perfect number according to Pythagoras. The Florentine company is rooted in a culture that has made excellence of thought its dominant feature. Due to its invaluable cultural heritage and unique historical background, DEKA encompasses into its vision a promise of universal value: to turn every scientific discovery into a concrete benefit for physicians and patients, and to translate every technological innovation into ongoing improvements for the range of products and services it offers. City of Exeter joins the California Purchasing Group The City of Exeter invites all potential vendors to register online. The City of Exeter announced today that it has joined the California Purchasing Group, a regional purchasing group that helps local governments post, distribute and manage RFPs, quotes, addendums and awards online. The City of Exeter invites all potential vendors to register online with the California Purchasing Group to access its upcoming solicitations by visiting https://www.bidnetdirect.com/california/cityofexeter. The City of Exeter joined the purchasing group in July. In joining, they have become the 10th participating local government agency utilizing the system to streamline the purchasing process. The California Purchasing Group is a single, online location for managing sourcing information and activities and provides local California government agencies a method to minimize costs and time delays associated with the procurement process. The City of Exeter was distributing bids and managing the procurement process manually before joining the system. In joining, the City of Exeter looks to save time, increase competition and achieve cost savings over the traditional paper-based bid process. The City of Exeter now has access to an extensive vendor pool, thereby enhancing competition without increasing distribution costs. In addition to the existing vendors on the California Purchasing Group, all vendors looking to respond to bids with local government agencies can register online: https://www.bidnetdirect.com/california/cityofexeter. The City of Exeter invites all current vendors not already registered on the purchasing group to do so today. Vendor registration is easy and takes only a few minutes online. Registered vendors can access bids, related documents, addendum and award information. In addition, the California Purchasing Group offers a value-added service to notify vendors of new bids targeted to their industry, all addenda associated with those bids and advance notice of term contract expiration. A robust NIGP code category list allows vendors registering to find the correct codes and receive matched bids. By using the California Purchasing Group, our valued vendors can now access not only our open bids, but those from other municipalities, counties and school districts throughout the state. In addition to the time savings we anticipate, our vendors will also benefit from registering in one location for all local bid opportunities. We invite all of our current vendors to register or contact the vendor support team with any questions, stated Daymon Qualls, Public Works Director of the City of Exeter. Vendors may register on the California Purchasing Group: https://www.bidnetdirect.com/california/cityofexeter. Bidnet Directs vendor support team is available to answer any questions regarding the registration process or the bid system at 800-835-4603 option 2. Other local California government agencies looking to switch from a manual bid process, please contact the California Purchasing Group for a demonstration of the no-cost sourcing solution. About the City of Exeter: The City of Exeter is in Tulare County, California, United States. It is situated in the San Joaquin Valley near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The city has a population of over 10,000. Boasting the finest navel oranges in the world, Exeter, California, has a rich agricultural heritage built on a hundred years of American tradition. Exeter is known for growing the sweetest oranges in the world and as the Citrus Capital of the World. About Bidnet Direct: Bidnet Direct, powered by mdf commerce, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. Bidnet Direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the California Purchasing Group, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,600 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers I am thrilled that Aloette and our entire field have come together to draw awareness and support to this very important issue, says President of Aloette, Cathy McKenna. We are hoping for a tremendous week so that we can really give back to our community. Aloette, an industry leader in providing clean beauty solutions that are gentle for skin and the environment, is announcing an exciting charity incentive for Mental Health Awareness Month. From October 23rd-October 31st, Aloette will be donating a portion of all party sales to organizations in the US and Canada that address the mental health issues that women face throughout their lifetime. Aloette says their goal is to raise awareness and help stop the stigma associated with asking for help with mental health issues. I am thrilled that Aloette and our entire field have come together to draw awareness and support to this very important issue, says President of Aloette, Cathy McKenna. We are hoping for a tremendous week so that we can really give back to our community. Research states that 1 in 5 women experience a common mental health disorder at least once in their lifetime. Aloette wants to be a part of the solution to expand knowledge, treatment, compassion, and understanding to those dealing with mental health issues. The beauty and skincare brand has asked both customers and consultants to help raise funds for the cause in the following ways: Consultants: Book Aloette parties both in person and virtually to help raise funds for the cause. Consultants are encouraged to share personal stories, if comfortable, or facts related to mental health issues on social media using Aloette graphics as well as creating personal content regarding mental health. Customers: Host a party from October 23rd-October 31st and a position of sales will be donated to the charity Aloette is supporting. As a special thank you, Aloette will be giving customers one of the new Jetsetter Palettes for $10 for those hosting a party during the last week of October 2022. Other ways that Aloette fans can help is by making an independent donation to the organizations Aloette supports, such as Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Seek Her Foundation in the US, or other outside mental health organizations. Aloette also encourages others to join The Hub, Aloettes Facebook group, to share mental health stories with Aloettes supportive community. Customers and consultants at Aloette agree that women are #BetterTogether regarding promoting and raising awareness for mental health struggles, and those at Aloette are excited to help stop the stigma regarding mental health. About Aloette Aloette is North Americas premier age-defying beauty brand, providing women of all ages and origins with the high-quality skin care and cosmetic products and home-based business opportunities in the health and beauty industry. Incorporating clean and cutting-edge cosmetic ingredients and technology, Aloette offers an array of high-performance makeup and skin care solution lines designed to help deliver real results. Aloette Cosmetics is an Astral Brands company. For more information, visit http://www.aloette.com. Students enrolled in Kalamazoo Valley Community Colleges Wind Turbine Technician Academy (WTTA) now have a new wind turbine to use for hands-on training, thanks to a recent donation from a long-time educational affiliation partner, Heritage Sustainable Energy. An open house to celebrate the donation and showcase the colleges training facility is planned for Oct. 28 from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Groves Campus located at 7107 Elm Valley Drive in Kalamazoo. Traverse City, Michigan-based Heritage donated the generator, gearbox, systems controls, and hub assembly of a 160-foot-tall Vestas V44 turbine to the college last month. The turbine stood just west of Traverse City for more than 25 years. When built in 1996 by Traverse City Light and Power, it was the United States tallest and largest energy-producing wind turbine. Heritage purchased the turbine in 2014 and the colleges WTTA provided repairs, upgrades, and routine service to the turbine over seven years. It was decommissioned in August of 2022 to make way for a two-megawatt solar field expansion. Heritage Sustainable Energy has long supported education and the value of programs that help workforce development. The hands-on training our academy students received by servicing the turbine in the field for the last decade has been an important part of our curriculum, said Tom Sutton, director of wind energy and technical services for the Wind Turbine Technician Academy. The value of this industry-education partnership is demonstrated by the placement rates of graduates who are made job ready upon graduation because of the willingness of companies like Heritage who believe in high quality, hands-on education. The media and attendees will have the chance to watch training demonstrations on the newly donated equipment and tour the training facility during the open house. Today, American wind power supports more than 100,000 jobs. Kalamazoo Valley Community College, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, created the Wind Turbine Technician Academy in 2009 to meet workforce challenges of the wind industry and support students interested in launching careers as wind turbine technicians by providing a fast-track to jobs that are in demand and pay high wages. Kalamazoo Valley offers the course as a non-credit, full-time program allowing students the chance to be job-ready in less than six months. Focused on specific, hands-on competencies, the unique training model followed at the academy moves students from the classroom to the learning labs and into the field quickly. More than 96 percent of Wind Turbine Technician Academy alumni work in the wind industry, with the majority accepting offers for employment prior to graduation. The academy is offered twice a year, in January and July. For more information, visit http://www.kvcc.edu/wind. Document Locator completes SOC 2 Type II certification ColumbiaSofts SOC certification was made all the more straightforward using their own Document Locator software to manage policies, procedures, quality manuals, and log reporting, said ISSQUAREDs SVP Cloud Services John Charles. ColumbiaSoft, a leader in document control for quality and compliance, has successfully completed the Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II audit for its document control software system, Document Locator. The independent audit conducted by Control Logics certifies that ColumbiaSofts business practices, including its policies, procedures, and operations meet the highest standards of security, availability, processing integrity, and confidentiality. Independent SOC 2 validation is critical for ColumbiaSofts customers across all industries, and especially those in highly regulated areas where quality and compliance are a concern. The comprehensive audit spanned several months and shows that ColumbiaSoft meets the standards of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). Compliance was achieved with the expert consulting of ISSQUARED, a market-leading provider of IT Consulting, Cybersecurity, Cloud, IT Infrastructure, and Managed IT Services. ColumbiaSofts SOC certification was made all the more straightforward using their own Document Locator software to manage policies, procedures, quality manuals, and log reporting, said ISSQUAREDs SVP Cloud Services John Charles. Businesses use Document Locator to consistently manage documents that are essential for their own quality and compliance initiatives. Specialized document control functions, including managing revision levels of documents, user roles, electronic approvals, audit logging, required reading, digital signatures with DocuSign or Adobe Acrobat Sign, and comprehensive reporting empowers quality managers and document control professionals to advance their own compliance with programs for ISO, FDA, food safety, SOC, and more. About ColumbiaSoft Corporation ColumbiaSoft is a leading document control software company that helps businesses and government agencies enforce consistency and control in document processes. As a Microsoft Gold Cloud Platform partner, DocuSign integrator, and Adobe Solutions Network partner, the companys products fully integrate with familiar applications used by information workers every day. ColumbiaSoft is a privately held company based in Portland, Oregon and was founded in 1998. For more information, visit http://www.documentlocator.com. ### All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. We are excited to welcome Joseph into the Conserva Irrigation family as oneof our newest franchisees, announced Jake Mathre, Director of FranchiseOperations. Conserva Irrigation is happy to announce that Joseph Alvarado has opened a new franchise location, serving the Tucson area. Known as Conserva Irrigation of Tucson East, Alvarado will lead a team of irrigation designers and technicians in repair, maintenance, and installation of home and commercial irrigation systems. Some of the areas that Alvarados operation will serve include Tucson, Vail, Catalina Foothills, Corona de Tucson, Green Valley, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, and Tanque Verde. We are excited to welcome Joseph into the Conserva Irrigation family as one of our newest franchisees, announced Jake Mathre, Director of Franchise Operations. With his past business experience and network, we are confident he will have a significant impact in water efficiency and education in the Tucson region. Conserva Irrigation of Tucson East is the first location in the state of Arizona. Before purchasing the local Conserva Irrigation operation, Alvarado served in the Air Force. The Air Force gave me the tools to lead and manage people said Alvarado. Now, I know that I want to positively impact my community by hiring local talent and creating local community leaders through my role as a Conserva Irrigation owner. Alvarado is an Air Force Veteran who spent 20 years serving at various locations throughout the US. Now, Alvarado and his wife, Valerie, are excited to begin their journey of business ownership. When the two arent helping local Tucson residents and business owners improve their irrigation systems and save water, they like to spend time with their daughter and volunteer at their local Church. Joseph proudly leads Life Track classes at the Church, as well as helps out with the Mens Ministry group. The Alvarados enjoy being active members of their community and look forward to teaching their community about water conservation and irrigation for years to come. About Conserva Irrigation Founded as a franchise in 2017, Conserva Irrigation is the only national outdoor irrigation company founded on the principle of water conservation. The brand is part of Outdoor Living Brands, a market-leading franchisor of premium residential and commercial outdoor living services. With nearly 181 territories operating across the country and growing, Conserva Irrigation is helping home and business owners reduce water consumption through its use of a proprietary irrigation auditing system and water-efficient irrigation products. Conserva Irrigation was recently listed on Entrepreneur Magazines 2022 Franchise 500 list at #230. Additionally, the brand was recognized on the Landscape Management 150 list at #119 and the 2022 Inc. 5000 ranking. For more information about Conserva Irrigation, visit ConservaIrrigation.com, IrrigationFranchise.com or OutdoorLivingBrands.com. Throughout this book, I have provided solid evidence to make the case that the messianic prophecies were fulfilled through Jesus, Dr. Pourfarzib said. I hope the reader will find the truth as I have." A lover of both science and his faith, deacon, and author Dr. Ramin Pourfarzib introduces his newest book, The Anointed One: 350 Reasons Jesus is the Messiah, a religious study for Christian readers examining the messianic prophecies through Jesus Christ. In the book, Dr. Pourfarzib provides ten common objections given in response to the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies through Jesus Christ, with supporting biblical and historical evidence. This study presents direct responses to these belief systems, using the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian Bible, by offering evidence for the case that messianic prophecies were fulfilled through Jesus. Throughout this book, I have provided solid evidence to make the case that the messianic prophecies were fulfilled through Jesus, Dr. Pourfarzib said. I hope the reader will find the truth as I have." The book cites a significant amount of scripture and features testimonies from Jewish rabbis and individuals whove accepted Jesus as their Messiah. Dr. Pourfarzib invites readers to pursue and seek the truth, accept salvation, and experience transformation in their lives. Why do people reject Jesus as their Messiah? Dr. Pourfarzib said. There are many reasonsa lack of understanding of the Bible, belief that the Messiah has not come yet but will come, or the idea that the New Testament was fabricated. No matter the reasons for rejecting or accepting Jesus, it is vital to know the facts. The Anointed One: 350 Reasons Jesus is the Messiah By Dr. Ramin Pourfarzib ISBN: 9781664263673 (softcover); 9781664263680 (hardcover); 9781664263697 (electronic) Available at [Westbow Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the author Dr. Ramin Pourfarzib is a Christian, deacon, author, and scientist. In the last 28 years, Pourfarzib held leadership positions at various pharmaceutical companies and a diagnostic laboratory. He has published over 70 papers and abstracts in several academic journals throughout his career. Currently, he serves as a deacon at Rechoboth Baptist Church in Tenn. To learn more, please visit https://www.westbowpress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/835011-the-anointed-one. General Inquiries: LAVIDGE Phoenix Taylor Moralez tmoralez@lavidge.com 480-306-6597 GPR Ventures has acquired its first property in Texas, in the fast-growing city of Midland, with the purchase of a 204,337 square foot industrial warehouse. At GPR Ventures, we focus on maintenance and upkeep of our properties, with tenant relations as one of our top priorities. We plan to immediately execute several capital improvements, including new paint and signage, and look forward to building great relationships with the current tenants. GPR Ventures is making its mark in Texas, with the purchase of a 204,337 square foot industrial warehouse in Midland, which will serve as an industrial and public storage building. The 49-unit building is currently 91% occupied, with 35 tenants. Though this marks GPR Ventures 45th overall acquisition since 2011, this is the companys first-ever purchase in Texas. Located at 2703 W. Industrial Ave., the new acquisition is just minutes away from Highway 20 and centrally positioned within the city. At GPR Ventures, we focus on maintenance and upkeep of our properties, with tenant relations as one of our top priorities, said GPR Ventures co-founder and Managing Principal Phillip Rolla. We plan to immediately execute several capital improvements, including new paint and signage, and look forward to building great relationships with the current tenants. CLICK TO TWEET: https://ctt.ec/PBfk7 Small Town, Big Charm Midland consistently ranks as one of the top places to live in Texas due to its fast growth, strong oil and natural gas industry, and unique combination of big-city charm and small-town culture. Midland is also home to two colleges, including a Texas Tech University campus. Planned Capital Improvements GPR Ventures plans to invest over $200,000 in interior and exterior capital improvements, including preventative roof maintenance, fresh paint to update the buildings appearance and visibility, and the addition of exterior stairs to improve unit accessibility. Lighting upgrades and improvements to common-area restroom are also in the plans. For more information on GPR Ventures and its complete portfolio, visit https://www.gprventures.com/. About GPR Ventures Founded in 2011, GPR Ventures is a privately held real estate investment firm with offices in Silicon Valley and Sacramento that specializes in providing real estate opportunities for a select group of sophisticated investors. GPR Ventures uses a dynamic, fully developed process and the acquisition-to-disposition expertise of founders Glen Yonekura and Phillip Rolla to yield consistent results. GPRs portfolio includes 102 industrial and office buildings totaling over 3 million square feet and an additional 36 acres of land. For additional information, please visit GPRVentures.com or call (408) 559-3300. I have personally worked with Canidae since 2015 to build a regenerative grain and legume supply chain, and were proud to formally partner together to reduce and eventually eliminate farm chemicals from their ingredients." - Clint Brauer, GREENFIELD INCORPORATED CEO. GREENFIELD INCORPORATED, the company offering Robots-as-a-Service to broad-acre farmers and delivering regenerative agriculture ingredients at scale, announced today its first consumer-packaged goods (CPG) partnership with premium pet food company Canidae to supply regeneratively-farmed grain sorghum harvested by GreenFields F2F | FLEET-TO-FARM BOTony, which uses a mechanical approach to significantly reduce the need for broadleaf herbicides in broadacre agricultural applications. Current weed control methods in broadacre farms which encompasses nearly 250 million acres nationwide hinge on herbicides and tillage, which are some of the greatest roadblocks to scaling regenerative agriculture. GreenFields revolutionary BOTony provides a healthier alternative by leveraging robotics to eliminate weeds. I have personally worked with Canidae since 2015 to build a regenerative grain and legume supply chain, and were proud to formally partner together to reduce and eventually eliminate farm chemicals from their ingredients, said Clint Brauer, GREENFIELD INCORPORATED CEO. We look forward to collaborating with more CPG brands as we work toward completely eliminating chemicals in pet and human food. As part of the partnership, Canidae benefits by being one of the first companies to utilize GREENFIELD INCORPORATEDs upcoming Grassbot, which is currently in development to completely eliminate the need for herbicides in no-till broadacre food production. From our sustainably-produced, nutritionally-dense food to our environmentally-friendly packaging, Canidae is proud to continue its 25-year-long commitment to providing America with dog and cat food that is good for both pets and the planet, said Dana Paris, Canidae's Chief Marketing Officer. Canidae products are available nationwide in thousands of Independent Pet Specialty stores, as well as, at national pet retailers such as Petco, Petsmart, Amazon.com, and Chewy.com. About GreenField Incorporated GreenField | Bots, not Chems! GREENFIELD INCORPORATED uses robots to replace chemicals. Eat, Make and Grow Food without all the chems! GREENFIELD INCORPORATED provides ingredients without all the chems to manufacturers who make healthy food for families and pets. GreenFields Fleet-to-Farm delivers robots to farmers who replace chemicals and improve profits. GREENFIELD INCORPORATED helps you manage the adoption curve of regenerative agriculture. Wherever you are, and wherever you want to go, we can help. GREENFIELD INCORPORATED is the leader in making regenerative farming work for consumers, ingredient manufacturers, and farmers at scale. GreenFields SourceSolve matches food manufacturers with the chem-free ingredients they need for clean, nutrient-dense food. GreenFields BOTony | Chem-free, Carbon-Negative Regenerative Process coordinates the forthcoming suite of GreenField bots to deliver chemical-free, carbon-negative, nutrient-dense ingredients. GreenFields GreenField F2F | FLEET-TO-FARM product is applicable to over three hundred million acres of broad-acre farming. GreenFields 6C>Chems | MORE CARBON, LESS CHEMS not only sequesters carbon but also removes chemicals for a holistic approach to environmental management. Food manufacturers interested in sourcing ingredients to make food without all the chems, farmers interested in robots as a service to grow food without all the chemicals, and third-party manufacturers interested in licensing GREENFIELD INCORPORATED agricultural robotics technology platform can learn more at: http://www.GREENFIELDINCORPORATED.com About Canidae Pet Food Company From the first truckload of food delivered to the latest batch of pet food cooked in their Pet Nutrition plant in Brownwood, Texas, Canidae's story is one to be proud of. Canidae was founded in 1996 by two pet owners who knew they could make pet food better. Better nutrients. Better flavor. Better for our dogs and cats and better for us all. They've been committed to quality ever since. That commitment is upheld today in more than just their nutrient-rich, premium pet food. It inspires everything they do, from the land they harvest and the farmers they work with, to the people they employ and the local pet food stores they partner with. All of Canidaes products are vet-reviewed high-quality and perfectly balanced for optimal health at an affordable price point with no fillers, artificial flavors or artificial preservatives. Canidae is partnering with US farmers and green technology companies to bring new, sustainable practices to pet food including lowering pesticide use, reducing runoff and adopting regenerative farming practices. For more information, please visit http://www.canidae.com @canidaepetfood @canidaepetfood @canidaepetfood InScribe is a digital student support platform that leverages the power of community and artificial intelligence to connect students with the answers, resources, and individuals they need to succeed. "The best education experiences are collaborative, and extending digital communities across mobile spaces increases interactivity."-Veronica Skudlarczyk, Vice President of Product and User Experience at InScribe InScribe, which delivers game-changing digital community solutions, has launched its mobile app, giving students convenient, seamless access to peers, faculty, and resources anytime, anywhere. The mobile app facilitates deeper connectivity between schools and students, improving on-the-go student support, engagement, and communication, as well as reinforcing a sense of belonging among learners. "We believe that community should come to the student. Student participation and productivity are so much stronger when students don't have to search for access," said Veronica Skudlarczyk, Vice President of Product and User Experience at InScribe. "The best education experiences are collaborative, and extending digital communities across mobile spaces increases interactivity. This added level of flexibility empowers students to reach the people and knowledge they need right where they are, ensuring a supportive and engaging educational experience." InScribe's mobile app gives students the opportunity to connect in a timely manner and improves speed of response time, especially after hours and on weekends when many students are doing coursework. Students can search for information and ask questions when they are top of mind, as well as receive notifications right on their phone. For peers and moderators, the app makes it easy to contribute to conversations and respond so students can quickly get an answer. It is reported that only 12% of students feel a strong sense of belonging at their schools. InScribe's digital spaces give students a place where they can bond and form authentic relationships. Students know they are never alone; they are a part of something bigger. They have a built-in support network of peers they can rely on to get help, strategize, share common interests, and encourage each other throughout the learning experience. About InScribe InScribe is a digital student support platform that leverages the power of community and artificial intelligence to connect students with the answers, resources, and individuals they need to succeed. InScribe's digital communities cut across the traditional support silos in higher education, giving students a single place to turn when they need helpno matter the topic or time of day. Students benefit from on-demand, peer-to-peer, and student-to-expert collaboration that helps them feel more connected, increasing student engagement, satisfaction, and retention. Learn more about InScribe at https://www.inscribeapp.com/. The company has arrived at an inflection point in its history, and the revenue-based financing provided by Decathlon Capital Partners will support its accelerating growth in the future. - John Borchers, Managing Director, Decathlon Capital Japan Crate, whose subscription boxes and online store share the culture of Japan with an expanding base of consumers worldwide, has landed a significant investment from Decathlon Capital Partners to support its growth. Details of the revenue-based funding transaction were not disclosed. Hank Rao, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Japan Crate, said the company, headquartered in Los Angeles, will use the funding to expand its product offerings, enhance its distribution and expand its customer support. Japan Crate brings the awesome culture of Japan to the world through candy, food treats, stationery, household items, toys and beauty products delivered through monthly crates and our Sugoi Mart online store, Rao said. The flexibility of revenue-based financing through Decathlon Capital positions our company to continue its strong growth trajectory even as the economic environment changes. No equity or ownership was exchanged for the growth capital from Decathlon, and Japan Crate was not required to give up any control of the company. Japan Crate will repay the investment through its future revenues. John Borchers, Managing Director of Decathlon Capital Partners, said Japan Crates management team has a clear vision for the companys continued growth. Japan Crate has created partnerships with some of Japans best-loved brands, continues to streamline its distribution system and is strengthening its already robust retail and omni-channel marketing initiatives, Borchers said. The company has arrived at an inflection point in its history, and the revenue-based financing provided by Decathlon Capital Partners will support its accelerating growth in the future. About Japan Crate Japan Crate is the leading Japanese culture subscription box that shares the experience of Japan through monthly crates of candy, snacks, kawii items, stationery, noodles, toys and beauty products. Japan Crates products include Japan Crate, Doki Crate, Umai Crate, Gacha Crate, Kira Crate and Inku Crate. The company also shares Japanese culture through its Sugoi Mart online store. Japan Crate, a privately held company founded in 2014, has offices in Toyko and Los Angeles. Learn more at http://www.japancrate.com. About Decathlon Capital Partners Decathlon Capital Partners provides growth capital for companies seeking alternatives to traditional equity investment. Through the use of highly customized revenue-based financing solutions, Decathlon provides long-term growth capital without the dilution, loss of control and operational overhead that often comes with equity-based funding. With offices in Palo Alto and Park City, Decathlon is the largest revenue-based funding investor in the U.S. and is active across a wide range of sectors. Learn more at http://www.decathloncapital.com. Know Your Future: an enjoyable discussion of prophetic dreams. Know Your Future is the creation of published author Joyce Porter Strollo, a graduate of Southwest Missouri State. She raised three sons and now enjoys her grandchildren. Strollo shares, When some of Joyce Porter Stollos night dreams and some of her daydreams came true, she understood the power of the subconscious part of the mind, how it can take information from the conscious mind and then create the future by receiving and sending information into the universe. As dreams about the future were revealed to her, and evidence of knowing the future was verified, then she wanted to share about the peace gained from knowing the future. When you sleep an average of eight hours a day or one-third of your life, and you live to the age of seventy-five, then you have slept twenty-five years. Of the twenty-five years, it is estimated by studying eye movement while asleep that five of those years are in a dream state. To minimize or discard the value of dreaming is minimizing five years of your life. Once you know about prophetic dreams and learn that someone has experienced them plus benefited from them, then you will recognize their value. We need to understand how important dreams are and how to gain peace from knowing future events. Joyce Porter Strollo is the key to helping you know your future through dream interpretation. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Joyce Porter Strollos new book will challenge readers to a new perception and understanding of their dream experiences. Strollo shares in hopes of aiding others in deepening their connection with their spiritual selves and, in turn, their dream state. Consumers can purchase Know Your Future at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Know Your Future, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Leading e-commerce parcel carrier LaserShip/OnTrac is partnering with Nashville General Hospital Foundation (NGHF) to provide hunger relief to individuals struggling with food insecurity in Davidson County. Through weekly delivery services, LaserShip/OnTrac has facilitated 600 food deliveries to recipients of NGHFs Food Outreach Program since March and has helped the foundation reach an additional 20 households each week. The partnership with NGHF is executed as part of LaserShip/OnTracs Time of Need initiative, through which the company provides in-kind services to local organizations within communities it operates that work in hunger relief, health improvement, and disaster recovery. Delivering a difference in the communities where we serve is at the heart of what we do, said Josh Dinneen, Chief Commercial Officer of LaserShip/OnTrac. We are proud to partner with the Nashville General Hospital Foundation to feed Tennesseans in need and help make a positive impact in the Nashville area. Founded in 2020 to provide hunger relief to victims of the Nashville tornadoes and COVID-19, today NGHFs Food Outreach Program supports individuals and families struggling with food insecurity across Davidson County. In just two years since launching the program, NGHF has provided over 250,000 no-cost, nutrient-dense, shelf-stable meals to more than 10,000 households. Nashville General Hospital Foundations volunteer partnership with LaserShip/OnTrac has been an important part of supporting those in our community living with food insecurity. We are so grateful to Lasership/OnTrac for their weekly delivery of no-cost, nutrient dense food totes that bring shelf-stable, heart-healthy food to those in need, said Kate Haygood, NGHF Volunteer & Food Outreach Program Manager. One in seven people in Davidson County live with food insecurity. With partners like LaserShip/OnTrac, our food outreach program is able to make sure many families can receive life-sustaining nutrition deliveries at home. LaserShip/OnTrac and NGHF recently expanded their partnership to facilitate monthly deliveries of 100 shelf-stable meals to the Hispanic Family Foundation (HFF). HFF provides a number of programs focused on strengthening and improving the quality of life of Hispanic families in Middle Tennessee. The announcement of LaserShip/OnTracs partnership with NGHF comes over a year after the companys Tennessee expansion. LaserShip opened its first-ever branches in Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville in May 2021 to help e-commerce retailers reach over 4 million Tennesseans, while creating hundreds of new jobs. Since expanding to Tennessee, LaserShip merged with West Coast-based carrier, OnTrac, in late 2021 to create the first nationwide last-mile delivery network for e-commerce. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Manu Aggarwal at pr@lasership.com. ### To stay up-to-date on LaserShips latest news, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. About LaserShip, Inc. and OnTrac Logistics, Inc. In late 2021, LaserShip and OnTrac merged to form the first transcontinental carrier of choice for last-mile e-commerce deliveries. The combined company brings together two complementary operating footprints across the United States and enhances retailers ability to meet growing demand in the consumer e-commerce delivery market. With more than 65 years of experience, LaserShip/OnTrac has evolved into a critical part of the e-commerce infrastructure and is trusted by leading retailers and shippers that desire reduced transit times and increased flexibility within their supply chains. For more information, visit lasership.com or ontrac.com. Lightbridge Academy, one of the nations leading providers of early education and child care, has been experiencing major franchise growth over the past few years. Now, heading towards the end of 2022, the East Coast-based franchise is expanding into new markets and providing entrepreneurs the opportunity to introduce an essential service to their local community. So far this year, Lightbridge Franchise Company has celebrated 11 signings for a total of 20 locations, entering new markets like Texas and Ohio while continuing to grow in existing Mid-Atlantic markets like North Carolina and Florida. The brand plans to open the first Charlotte and the second Nashville area locations by year's end. Over the years, the focus has been on concentrically building out from New Jersey to Pennsylvania and New York, and this strategy has enabled us to ensure we are operationally strong, said Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales Jim DiRugeris. We wanted to build close to home and put the infrastructure in place to ensure that we could provide the necessary support to our existing owners before expanding further from the home base. Now were more than ready for that expansion, and so are our franchisees. Naimishkumar (Nick) Patel is one of the franchise owners behind the recent signing in Cincinnati. After discovering the concept, Patel says he was thrilled by the idea of bringing the Lightbridge Academy name to the state of Ohio for the first time and signing on for multiple units. We loved the team, the business model and the way they operate, Patel said. The brand itself is great, and their numbers and growth tell their story of success. We wanted to earn money while also providing a high-quality early education service in a clean, nurturing, happy environment where the children can thrive educationally, developmentally and in life. Our history is in hospitality and retail, but with Lightbridge Academy, we knew we could be more involved with our community. In addition to multi-unit signings, private equity is also fueling Lightbridge Academys growth this year. In 2021, Westerly Group and Elmsley Capital bought a majority stake in the fast-growing early education and child care franchise. This year, the firm is continuing to build out the systems, processes and platforms that will help the Lightbridge Academy system grow and position individual franchisees for success. But it's not just franchise growth the Lightbridge Academy brand is celebrating this quarter. The Lightbridge Foundation, the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization associated with the early education and child care franchise, officially surpassed $1 million in dollars raised as it continues its mission to support children and working parents in the communities it serves and beyond. This is a very exciting time for both the foundation and Lightbridge Academy, said Lightbridge Foundations Executive Director Audrey Feci. The company has been growing rapidly over the past year, and as we open more centers, we are able to raise more money for the Lightbridge Foundation. This allows us to expand our support of those in our Circle of Care. In celebration of Lightbridge Academys 25th anniversary, CEO Gigi Schweikert wrote The Birthday Book to highlight the importance of celebrating this milestone and what makes each child uniquely special. This book recognizes all those in our Circle of Care - past, present and future - that have come together to form an extended family, said Schweikert. We are a part of the lives of all Lightbridge Academy families and it is an honor to share so many of their important milestones. Looking ahead to the rest of the year and beyond, the team is focusing on signing agreements for the remainder of its target markets across Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. As the three quarters of this year have shown, we are expanding rapidly but responsibly with both new and existing franchisees, said DiRugeris. Now, with return-to-office headwinds impacting communities all across the country, Lightbridge Academy is well-positioned to continue that growth and further establish ourselves as The Solution for Working Parents. About Lightbridge Academy: Established in 1997, the company was founded as a family business based on core values and a Circle of Care philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of children, their families, teachers, center owners and the community. Lightbridge Academy provides quality early education and child care programs to children aged six weeks through kindergarten. The company currently has over 140 child care centers either open or in development throughout Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. In response to COVID-19, Lightbridge Academy launched The Lightbridge Promise as the Gold Standard for health & safety in the child care industry. In 2020, the company was featured on the Inc. 5000 ranking, Franchise Times Top 200+ awards, and on Newsweeks 2021 list of Americas Best Customer Service. In 2022, Lightbridge Academy was featured for the 7th year on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 and for the 2nd year on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. Nicole's unique experience is highly relevant and firmly aligned with our goal of elevating business operation solutions in K-12 districts nationwide, making her an ideal addition to LINQ's Board of Directors, said Tim Clifford, Executive Chairman at LINQ. LINQ, the only 100% cloud and browser-based school nutrition and administration solutions available to the K-12 industry, today announced the appointment of seasoned school financial expert Nicole Conley to its Board of Directors. Conley is currently a Managing Director for Siebert Williams Shank Co. LLC, the largest woman and minority-owned investment bank in the United States. Previously, she served as the Chief Finance, Business, and Operations Officer for the Austin Independent School District. Conley managed a nearly $3 billion budget and capital program, including 129 school communities serving more than 80,000 students. Nicole's unique experience is highly relevant and firmly aligned with our goal of elevating business operation solutions in K-12 districts nationwide, making her an ideal addition to LINQ's Board of Directors, said Tim Clifford, Executive Chairman at LINQ. As a nationally recognized school finance expert, Nicoles skill set and deep expertise will be invaluable to the diverse districts we serve. We look forward to her contributions as we elevate LINQ's solutions to build stronger schools. Conley has over 20 years of financial management experience, including more than a decade in an executive role. She has served large, complex, urban systems, including the City Council of New York, the New York City Department of Education, District of Columbia Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Atlanta Public Schools. The Speaker of the House appointed Conley to serve on the Texas Commission on Public School Finance, whose work culminated in a historic $11.6 billion investment into public education and property tax relief. In addition, Conley lobbied the state of Texas to better fund public education. She served on this influential committee in 2018 that helped shape marquee legislation the following year that made sweeping changes to the Texas school finance system, which emerged as a national model for funding equity. In 2019, the Texas Association of Business Officials honored Conley with its Champion for Education Award. In addition, the friends of Texas Public Schools distinguished her as Ambassador of the Year, the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders recognized her as one of its Ground breaking Women, and the Austin Business Journal named her among its Profiles in Power; subsequently earning her their Legacy CFO award in 2022 after being named CFO of the year in 2011. She also earned the Umstattd Award from Phi Delta Kappa, University of Texas Chapter, for outstanding service to public education. LINQ has a strong purpose of empowering the central office heroes who make K-12 districts stronger. I'm honored to play a role in the company's next chapter of strategic transformation, Conley said. I am grateful for the trust of the Board and look forward to bringing my decades of experience to support schools in addressing ongoing business operations performance. To learn more about LINQ's solutions for schools, visit http://www.linq.com. About LINQ For over 30 years, our mission has been to empower the everyday heroes who make K-12 districts and schools stronger. Combining best-in-class technology with industry-leading expertise, we help school and state administrators rise to the challenges of today while building the foundation for a better tomorrow. Improving efficiency, optimizing performance, and managing compliance through our suite of administrative, financial, and nutritional solutions to help you make a bigger impact for your staff, students and communities. To find out more about LINQs integrated suite, visit LINQ.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Businesses depend on data more than ever before to drive strategy and improve business processes. At the same time, remote work broadens the attack surface, and a continually evolving regulatory landscape adds additional complications. A NYC area Microsoft Gold Partner and cyber security consultant examines Microsoft Security Services in a new article on the eMazzanti Technologies website. The informative article first asserts that a hybrid workforce and the demand for remote services necessitate comprehensive security strategies to optimize and protect the business. The author then explores the Microsoft Security Services product families, including Threat and Vulnerability Management, Identity Management, and Compliance and Privacy offerings. He concludes by discussing Microsoft Security Services for Small Business and how Defender for Business automates the process of protecting, detecting, and responding to threats. Businesses depend on data more than ever before to drive strategy and improve business processes, stated Almi Dumi, CISO, eMazzanti Technologies. At the same time, remote work broadens the attack surface, and a continually evolving regulatory landscape adds additional complications. Below are a few excerpts from the article, Microsoft Security Services Deliver Critical Data Protection with 3-Pronged Approach. Threat and Vulnerability Management To prevent, identify and respond to attacks, Microsoft provides the Defender and Sentinel product lines. Microsoft Defender products combine threat protection with attack detection and response, working across domains, endpoints, and apps. Using built-in AI, Defender automates prevention and remediation, providing 24x7 security. Microsoft Sentinel augments security with scalable, cloud-native security incident event monitoring (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR). Sentinel gathers and analyzes data at scale from all devices, users, and applications in the organizations network. Using AI, it then hunts and investigates threats, allowing rapid incident response. Identity Management Microsoft Entra provides sophisticated tools for identity governance to ensure appropriate access and simplify regulatory compliance. It automates the processes of creating identities and updating access when employees change roles or leave the company. Thus, it protects against privilege elevation by ensuring that users have exactly the access they need to system resources. Compliance and Privacy Data security has become nearly inseparable from regulatory compliance and privacy concerns. Microsoft Purview and Microsoft Priva deliver powerful tools to help organizations achieve and maintain compliance. The information governance features of Microsoft Purview deliver critical data visibility through an elastic data map and powerful search options. Microsoft Security Services for Small Business As a Microsoft Gold Partner, eMazzanti helps organizations of all sizes identify security vulnerabilities and implement a comprehensive security strategy designed to fit their needs and budget. Interested parties may request a complimentary Cyber Security Awareness Kit to learn more about the threats they face and what can be done to protect the business. Have you read? Microsoft 365 Security Features Protect Business Data from Evolving Threats Cyber Security for Business is Critical, Regardless of Business Size About eMazzanti Technologies eMazzantis team of trained, certified IT experts rapidly deliver increased revenue growth, data security and productivity for clients ranging from law firms to high-end global retailers, expertly providing advanced cyber security, retail and payment technology, digital marketing services, cloud and mobile solutions, multi-site implementations, 247 outsourced network management, remote monitoring, and support. eMazzanti has made the Inc. 5000 list 9X, is a 4X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP, NJ Business of the Year and 5X WatchGuard Partner of the Year! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, info@emazzanti.net or http://www.emazzanti.net Twitter: @emazzanti Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies. National University, the veteran-founded nonprofit university serving 40,000 working adult learners, educators, and members of the military community today announced its membership with the Military Spouse Employment Partnership. Today, NU military affairs representatives join 70 newly selected partners at the DoD-sponsored induction ceremony followed by two days of orientation, knowledge sharing, and networking events in Arlington, VA. As part of its commitment, NU will collaborate in job fairs and recruiting events, provide opportunities via the partner job portal, and help to educate workforce leaders and hiring managers to harness the unique skills and contributions military spouses offer organizations every day. National University is dedicated to whole human education, said Meg OGrady, senior vice president of military and government programs at NU. We were founded 40 years ago by a retired officer to not only serve military members, but to empower spouses who also deserve career opportunities that are flexible and can grow in the always-changing landscape of military life. With credential-rich pathways and a holistic approach to student support, well-being, and successNU delivers world-class student experiences that have prepared 200,000 graduates for the next chapter of their careers. Today, twenty-four percent of NU students are military affiliated. With roots in the military, NU was selected to join the ranks of what is currently over 610 employer partners that have placed more than 249,000 military spouses in careers throughout the nation. DoD first launched the program in June 2011 with the mission of connecting military spouses with partner employers. It was created in direct response to the Presidential Study Directive-9, Strengthening Our Military Families Meeting Americas Commitment, which outlined the federal policy for increasing support for military families so they could have fulfilling lives while supporting service members. According to DoD, military spouses incur an unemployment rate of 24 percent, and a 25 percent gap in wages compared to nonmilitary spousesyet 77 percent of them want or need work. A centerpiece of the program is the job portal, which hosts 600,000 open job requisitions. This year, for the first time, the Arlington event will include an in-person hiring fair to bring even more employer partners and spouses together. MSEP is close to my heart having built my own career as a military spouse while also leading the establishment of this program when I worked at the Department of Defense to develop the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program, said OGrady. Its been incredibly rewarding to see the program and our next generation of military spouses grow togetherand now as an employer partner representing National University, weve come full circle. About National University: National University, a veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of hard-working adults by providing accessible, affordable, achievable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diegos largest private nonprofit university, NU offers over 75 online and on-campus programs and flexible four-week classes designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to over 30,000 students and 190,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. National Universitys merge with Northcentral University will be complete in November 2022, growing the institution by over 10,000 students and 80 graduate and doctoral programs. Learn more at NU.edu. Ramsey Lewis's new CD, "The Beatles Songbook: The Saturday Salon Series, Volume One" [The Beatles] have a catalog of songs that can stand up as standards that are fun to play and fun to solo on. I don't know any other pop act whose music has been recorded across the board like this. The late, legendary pianist Ramsey Lewis offers an intimate, familiar affair with his solo piano recording "The Beatles Songbook: The Saturday Salon Series, Volume One," to be released January 6 on Steele Records. This selection of tunes by the iconic songwriting duo of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, approved for release by Lewis, is also a surprising DIY project, created during livestreamed sessions in Lewiss own Chicago home. Lewis, of course, is no stranger to covering of postwar pop music. He had a smash 1965 hit with his cover of Dobie Grays The In Crowd, which he followed up with a successful version of Hang on Sloopy. He has even assayed the Beatles catalog before, scoring a minor hit with A Hard Days Night and even releasing "Mother Natures Son," an homage to the Beatles White Album, in 1968. He was a latecomer, however, to unaccompanied piano performance. Until recent years, Lewis had almost never performed as a soloist. But the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to perform any other way, and during the lockdowns Lewis initiated a series of monthly webcasts called The Saturday Salon. Always an artist with a populist touch, Lewis included the Beatles songs in his webcasts because it was music that, like his own, had demonstrated universal appeal. They have a catalog of songs that can stand up as standards that are fun to play and fun to solo on, he said. Their music has been recorded by symphonies and orchestras, rock bands, jazz bands. I dont know any other pop act whose music has been recorded across the board like this. Even with their exhaustive coverage, Lewis is able to unlock new secrets and breathe new life into the tunes. His And I Love Her explores the possibilities of both the songs harmonies and its famous four-note riff. Rocky Raccoon gets a beautiful reharmonization. Lewis plays up the gospel roots of Hey Jude, and in the ballads Blackbird and Golden Slumbers he finds previously unknown reservoirs of the blues. Lifted directly from the 2020 livestream audio, "The Beatles Songbook" sounds like the home recording it is. But that sound is a feature, not a bug: It amplifies the intimacy of the performance, as if we were hearing a message from a friend, and reminds us that to the end, Lewis was able to work in any circumstances and create great art. Ramsey Lewis was born May 27, 1935 in Chicago. He began playing piano at the age of four, learning classical from teachers, gospel from the church, and jazz from his fathers record collection. Through Wells High School and into Chicago Musical College he intended to become a concert classical pianist, but fate intervened: While working at a record store, Lewis met bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt, fellow jazz lovers who joined with him to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio. In 1965, after a decade of working together both on bandstands and on Leonard and Phil Chesss Argo Records, Lewis and the trio achieved a surprise top 10 pop hit with their version of The In Crowd, recorded live in Washington DC. The record made Lewis a star, which he compounded with subsequent hits Hang on Sloopy, A Hard Days Night, and Wade in the Water. After the trio disbanded, Lewis carried on with new ensembles and continued pursuing pop-jazz success, surfacing on the pop charts again with members of Earth, Wind & Fire on 1974s "Sun Goddess." His popular success continued into the 1980s and 90s, when he formed the popular crossover group Urban Knights. In the 21st century, Lewis became a revered elder statesman of jazz, finding a career renaissance as a composer, broadcaster, educator, and artistic director of the Ravinia Jazz Festival. Lewis was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters fellowship in 2007. He spent his final year working with journalist Aaron Cohen on his memoir, "Gentleman of Jazz" (to be published May 2023 by Blackstone Publishing), before passing away at his Chicago home on September 12, 2022. SIUE earns Best for Vets recognition for military service members and veterans on campus. "Not only is SIUE an institution that is accepting of veterans, but we also continuously strive for veterans to see themselves represented among all our diverse populations on campus. Being a veteran is an important part of ones identity." Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has again received national recognition via the Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges ranking. The recognition underscores the Universitys commitment to successfully connect the military and civilian world through its Office of Military and Veteran Services. Military and Veteran Services is honored that SIUE is recognized as a 2022 Best for Vets College, said Telisha Reinhardt, assistant director of military and veteran services. Not only is SIUE an institution that is accepting of veterans, but we also continuously strive for veterans to see themselves represented among all our diverse populations on campus. Being a veteran is an important part of ones identity. I am proud SIUE has made profound efforts over the years to recognize that. In 2021, Military and Veteran Services opened the Military and Veteran Resource Center (MAVRC) in the Morris University Center on the Edwardsville campus. The MAVRC is a space where military-connected students can congregate, receive information on benefits and resources, and study. Additionally, in 2020, Military and Veteran Services developed its Green Zone program, a military culture awareness training module for faculty and staff. It launched in spring 2021 with nearly 40 faculty and staff participants. In support of the Universitys value of inclusion, Military and Veteran Services created From Uniform to University, a panel discussion series highlighting diverse identities and issues within military service. As a student, a veteran, and a leader in the SIUE Student Veteran community, it is no surprise that SIUE has received this honorable recognition, said junior Payton Bealon, of Springfield, president of the Student Veterans of America SIUE Chapter. The hard work and dedication put forth by the Military and Veterans Services office here at SIUE has paved the way for this recognition. I hope this serves as a beacon for future military-affiliated students as it did for me when I was deciding what university to start my academic career at." Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges is the largest and most comprehensive rankings of schools for military service members and veterans, helping them make important decisions about their education. Official rankings are developed based on results from an annual survey, which are analyzed along with public data about colleges and universities obtained from the Department of Education and Department of Veterans Affairs. The 2022 rankings are available at colleges.militarytimes.com. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high-quality education that powerfully transforms the lives of all individuals who seek something greater. A premier metropolitan university, SIUE is creating social and economic mobility for individuals while also powering the workforce of the future. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi Rivers rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 13,000. Mice with lung cancer were treated with macrophage-targeting CAR T cells resulting in reduced numbers of tumor macrophages (right side), shrunken tumors, and extended survival. Our initial goal was just to use the CAR T cells to kill the immunosuppressive macrophages, but we discovered they were also boosting tumor immunity by releasing this powerful immune-boosting molecule, - Brian Brown, PhD A new approach to cancer immunotherapy that uses one type of immune cell to kill anotherrather than directly attacking the cancerprovokes a robust anti-tumor immune response that shrinks ovarian, lung, and pancreatic tumors in preclinical disease models, according to researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. The findings were published October 11, 2022 in the journal Cancer Immunology Research [https://doi.org/10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-21-1075 . The study involved a twist on a type of therapy that uses immune cells known as CAR T cells. CAR T cells in current clinical use are engineered to recognize cancer cells directly and have successfully treated several blood cancers. But there have been challenges that prevent their effective use in many solid tumors. Most solid tumors are heavily infiltrated by a different type of immune cell called macrophages. Macrophages help tumors grow by blocking the entry of T cells into tumor tissue, which prevents CAR T cells and the patients own T cells from destroying the cancer cells. To tackle this immune suppression at the source, the researchers engineered T cells to make a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that recognizes a molecule on the surface of macrophages. When these CAR T cells encountered a tumor macrophage, the CAR T cell became activated and killed the tumor macrophage. Treatment of mice bearing ovarian, lung, and pancreatic tumors with these macrophage-targeting CAR T cells reduced the number of tumor macrophages, shrunk the tumors, and extended their survival. The killing of tumor macrophages allowed the mouses own T cells to access and kill the cancer cells. The investigators further demonstrated that this anti-tumor immunity was driven by release of the cytokine interferon-gammaa molecule involved in the regulation of inflammatory responsesfrom the CAR T cells. Our initial goal was just to use the CAR T cells to kill the immunosuppressive macrophages, but we discovered they were also boosting tumor immunity by releasing this powerful immune-boosting molecule, said senior author Brian Brown, PhD, Director of the Icahn Genomics Institute and Associate Director of the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute (PrIISM) at Icahn Mount Sinai. It was a one-two punch from this single treatment. Shifting the sights of CARs from cancer cells to tumor macrophages potentially addresses another key barrier to the successful elimination of solid tumors with CAR T cells. There are very few proteins found exclusively on cancer cells and not on healthy tissues that can be used to target cancer cells in solid tumors directly without damaging the healthy tissue. The macrophages found in tumors that suppress immunity are very similar across different types of cancer and very different from macrophages in healthy tissues. This has led to an interest in macrophage-depleting agents for cancer therapy, but approaches developed to date have had limited success in clinical trials. Our molecular studies of human tumors have revealed macrophage subsets present in human tumors and not in normal tissues and are similar across tumors and across patients. So macrophage-targeting CAR T cells could be a broad way to target different types of solid tumors and improve immunotherapy, said Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, co-senior author of the study, and Director of PrIISM. Next, the researchers are working on tumor macrophage-specific CAR and generating humanized versions of the genetic instructions, so that they can be introduced into cancer patients own T cells. The paper is titled, Targeting macrophages with CAR T cells delays solid tumor progression and enhances anti-tumor immunity. Additional co-authors are Alfonso R. Sanchez-Paulete, PhD, Jaime Mateus-Tique, Gurkan Mollaoglu, PhD, , Sebastian R. Nielsen, PhD, Adam Marks, Ashwitha Lakshmi, Jalal A. Khan, MD, PhD, C. Matthias Wilk, MD, Luisanna Pia, Alessia Baccarini, PhD, all from Icahn Mount Sinai. B.D.B. was supported by NIH (R01CA257195) and a grant from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy. M.M. was supported by NIH (R01CA254104). A grant from the Applebaum Foundation also supported the project. A.R.S.P. was supported by a grant from Fundacion Alfonso Martin Escudero (Spain). About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the eight- member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to a large and diverse patient population. Ranked 14th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Icahn Mount Sinai has a talented, productive, and successful faculty. More than 3,000 full-time scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across 34 academic departments and 35 multidisciplinary institutes, a structure that facilitates tremendous collaboration and synergy. Our emphasis on translational research and therapeutics is evident in such diverse areas as genomics/big data, virology, neuroscience, cardiology, geriatrics, as well as gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Icahn Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, and Masters degree programs, with current enrollment of approximately 1,300 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,000 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. In addition, more than 550 postdoctoral research fellows are in training within the Health System. A culture of innovation and discovery permeates every Icahn Mount Sinai program. Mount Sinais technology transfer office, one of the largest in the country, partners with faculty and trainees to pursue optimal commercialization of intellectual property to ensure that Mount Sinai discoveries and innovations translate into healthcare products and services that benefit the public. Icahn Mount Sinais commitment to breakthrough science and clinical care is enhanced by academic affiliations that supplement and complement the Schools programs. Through the Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai. Additionally, MSIP develops research partnerships with industry leaders such as Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and others. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is located in New York City on the border between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, and classroom teaching takes place on a campus facing Central Park. Icahn Mount Sinais location offers many opportunities to interact with and care for diverse communities. Learning extends well beyond the borders of our physical campus, to the eight hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System, our academic affiliates, and globally. Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. When businesses were asked how likely they would be to fire employees who are unwilling to return to work in person, 44% said somewhat likely while 46% said very likely. Digital.com, a leading independent review website for small business online tools, products, and services, recently released its findings from a survey of 1,000 U.S.-based businesses and remote workers. In order to find out how business owners are responding to worker resistance to return to office (RTO), and how workers are responding to RTO pressure, survey respondents were asked about their future plans for remote work. Of the respondents identifying as business owners, 68% said that they plan to increase the number of days and/or employees required to be in person within the next six months. Thirty-four percent of this group said they will require around one-quarter of their employees to work at least partially in person, 34% will require about half their workforce, 24% will require three-quarters of their workforce, and 7% will require all employees to come in at least some of the time. When businesses were asked how likely they would be to fire employees who are unwilling to return to work in person, 44% said somewhat likely while 46% said very likely. However, the majority of employees would prefer to work in person just 3 days/week or less. Just one-quarter (26%) of workers say they would be willing to work fully in person if required by their employer, while 6% say they would never be willing to work in person even if required. Additionally, thirty-two percent say they are somewhat likely to quit if their employer requires them to work more days in person than they are willing to, while 21% say they would be very likely to quit. In fact, 7% even said that a 25% raise would not be enough to entice them back to working in person. The good news for workers is that the vast majority of companies are somewhat (52%) or very (40%) open to negotiating with employees who dont want to work in person. Additionally, businesses demonstrated a willingness to provide the incentives that employees rated as most important to them, including salary increases. For the full survey results, please visit Digital.com at: https://digital.com/rto-battle/ ABOUT DIGITAL.COM Digital.com reviews and compares the best products, services, and software for running or growing a small business website or online shop. The platform collects Twitter comments and uses sentiment analysis to score companies and their products. Digital.com was founded in 2015 and formerly known as Review Squirrel. To learn more, visit https://digital.com. After laying off 140 employees in mid-July, a loss of 35% of its workforce, Callisto Media made another significant reduction on Monday and reportedly closed, at least temporarily, its physical offices in both New York and in Emeryville, Calif. Although the scale of layoffs is unspecified at press time, former employees estimate that as many as 200 employees were jettisoned, dealing another severe blow to the employee ranks. CEO Benjamin Wayne, who founded the independent nonfiction press with Matt Oesterle in 2011, delivered the news to staff in a virtual meeting at noon on Monday. In a recording provided to PW, he told the workforce, when we planned in the early part of the summer for the difficulty of the market ahead, we were already looking at one of the most challenging markets that I had seen in 28 years as a CEO. We've been trying to raise money since this summer, but like every venture company trying to raise money in this market, we found that there simply isn't any. No outside investors are writing new checks. Wayne insisted that Callisto, due to the strength of its annuity and its economic model, has the ability to become profitable, and we have the support of our existing investors to provide a very small amount of cash to bridge to that profitability. But it requires that we take swift and decisive action to restructure our costs and our cash flow as an organization. Back in July, Waynes promise of swift and decisive action translated into massive layoffs, and once again employees braced for bad news. Callisto staffers already felt uneasy. Two weeks ago, we had gotten news that the RTO [return-to-work order] was not going to be enforced, an anonymous staffer told PW. On Wednesday, [Oct. 19,] we got a G-chat from one of the executives saying the office is closed. Employees were informed that the company was taking into account new CDC guidelines for Covid, to account for the office closure, though it was unclear what new protocol they were referring to. That same Wednesday, keycards to California and New York office spaces were deactivated. When we went into the NYC office, apparently all our security cards were disabled and there was talk of a Covid outbreak, wrote a staffer. Was this all BS as they were preparing to close the office? Wayne told staffers that those on the go-forward team would meet in the coming weeks to learn the new strategy and understand your role in helping Callisto continue to succeed in the months and quarters ahead. Those slated for dismissal received emails 10 to 15 minutes after the CEOs statement, notifying them of their status. In the email, which has not specified our severance, we can retain our [work-issued laptop] computers if we sign our [severance] agreements, an ousted employee said. Julys laid-off workers also sat with an HR team for an exit interview, but this time around, the explanatory email sufficed. Maybe theyll reach out and do exit interviews later, said the now ex-staffer. But theyre kind of aware [of how it went last time and] maybe they did not want to go through another [large set of] exit interviews. In a press release, Wayne acknowledged that the company was "immediately restructuring its operations," in a move that would impact both its New York and California staffs and yield "significant cost savings." He insisted Callisto will "continue our double-digit growth," but said "the timing uncertainty of a public offering, and instability of the broader market, dictate a near-term focus on balanced growth and profitability. Though Wayne did not point to the exact cause of the downturn in Callisto's financial results, the decline in juvenile nonfiction sales is certainly one reason. The company enjoyed big gains in 2020, riding the wave of parents looking for materials to educate and entertain their children when schools were locked down. The publisher's Rockridge Press imprint was a big winner in 2020 led by My First Learn-to-Write Workbook, which was one for the biggest hits of the early pandemic. The book has sold 1.4 million copies since its August 2019 release and although, according to NPD BookScan, it has sold about 285,000 copies so far thus year, that sales rate it below that of the last two years. Moreover, the entire juvenile nonfiction category has seen unit sales of print books fall 10% through mid-October according BookScan. For all of 2021, unit sales in the category dropped 6% from the high-water mark of 2020. Callisto said it has sold more than 50 million units since it was launched in 2011. This story has been updated with further information. The Frankfurt Book Fair took place this past week, with Wednesday and Thursday reserved for publishing professionals and the fair open to the public Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Attendance numbers are not yet available, but estimates put it at about 75% of a typical prepandemic year. Reflecting on this years fair, director Juergen Boos said, We exceeded our expectations. After two years, one when we were digital and one when we were hybrid, and having so many important people here nowfrom the king and queen of Spain, to Olena Zelenska, to publishers from across the globereaffirms the importance of the fair to facilitating business, fostering cultural exchange, and building community. On the show floor, booths were scaled down, aisles were wider, and foot traffic was notably lighter than in 2019, the last year FBF was fully open to exhibitors and the public. The smaller footprint had its benefits. I think a lot of people have gotten very accustomed to doing business on Zoom, and some of the usual suspects I would meet with arent here, said Margot Atwell, newly named publisher of the Feminist Press, who last attended the fair in person in 2015. But I think sometimes that can be nice, because you get a chance to talk to people you might not otherwise get to talk to. Still, ones reaction to the scale of FBF depends on ones expectations. If youve been here before, the fair might look small, said Brian OLeary, CEO of BISG, who noted he had a full schedule of meetings. But there are a lot of people here for the first time, and its surprising to them just how big it really is. Among the first-timers was Katja Egenolf, a publishing student from Cologne who is working at Open Letter Books in Rochester, N.Y. It is way different than I expected it to be, she said. I expected it to be uptight and formal, but in the end it is just people who love books and who want the best for readers. Michele Cobb, executive director of PubWest and the Audio Publishers Association, is a regular at FBF and was pleased to return. Its fantastic to be back in a robust global arena and share the energy of being together, she said. Whats different is the amount of reflection and questioning of how we have changed and not changed over the past two years, and how we can continue to support each other positivity, embrace technological advances, and improve the satisfaction of readers and staff without losing anything and while finding new ways to grow. When it comes to books, one key trend is the ongoing global interest in young adult fiction, particularly romantasy, a trend blending romance and fantasy. Fantasy with lots of romance in the YA category seems to be a thing, said Nicole Eisenbraun, agent and translation rights manager at Ginger Clark Literary. Claudia Galluzzi, a senior rights manager at Rights People who represents U.S. titles in Arabic-, Greek-, Italian-, Portuguese-, and Spanish-language markets, said that its practically all anyone is asking for in any of her markets. Rights to the titles that we had in the newer catalogs have already been snatched immediately, she said, noting that the trend started during the pandemic but has grown over the past year in particular. Obviously, you dont want to be in the presentyou want something to take you to other worlds and other realities. Another trend is selling rights to stories that originate in digital formatssuch as memes or webtoons and transitioning them to print, said Yongin Beatrice Lin, a Seoul-based publishing consultant who works with Storytel and represents rights for several Korean publishers. Likewise, there was a heavy presence of rights buyers from streaming platforms, including Netflix, Spotify, and others. One of the highlights for many at the fair was the pre-recorded address delivered by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine. It goes without saying that all participants to the fair are convinced that books are key to a better world, and this is also true for Ukraine, he said. Today and tomorrow, all book professionals in Ukraine must be in a capacity to resume their activities and to promote their culture to their citizens and to the world. For Ukrainian literature to be present at the Frankfurt Book Fair with a large stand and many publishers present is also an act of resistance, and it is the duty of the book world to support their efforts to preserve and promote their books. Zelenskyy added, European publishers and publishers from all over the world have already shown support. This is only the beginning, and we need to involve the States too. The many Ukrainian publishers on hand in Frankfurt were eager to share their stories with visitors. We have to do our work, because what else do we have, said Yulia Kozlovets, director of the Book Arsenal Festival in Kyiv, who helped organize the program for Ukrainian publishers at FBF. The other global crisis on everyones minds is the rising costs of goods and services. In her speech at the opening press conference of the fair, Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, director of the Borsenverein (the German booksellers and publishers association), acknowledged that there is economic trepidation in the book business, especially tied to rising energy prices resulting from Vladimir Putins decision to cut off energy supplies to Germany in response to sanctions following his invasion of Ukraine. If a bookstore sees its energy cost go up 300%, she said, it may go bust. There is a silver lining, said Ronald Schild, CEO of MVB (Marketing und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels), the leading publishing services company for the German book industry and the parent company of PubNet and PubEasy in the U.S. Booksellers are saying, in Germany at least, that they anticipate they will have strong sales this Christmas as people downgrade their gift giving from expensive items, like new iPads, to books, which are still relatively affordable for people. All said, three years away from Frankfurt has wiped away any cynicism people in the industry might have felt about their annual trip to Germany. I think nobody is ever honest about Frankfurt, because everybody loves to be negative about how awful it is to have to come here, how terrible a city it is, and how terrible the food iswhen actually everybody loves it, said Cathryn Summerhayes, an agent at Curtis Brown in the U.K. Its a guilty pleasure, and its a little secret that we all love expensive currywurst and 20 gin and tonics at the Frankfurter Hof and singing inappropriate karaoke with CEOs of publishing houses and discussing nothing about our books at meetings, just how long we stayed up and who was the last to bed. About the future of the fair, Summerhayes was bullish. I think itll go on forever and ever, she said. I cant see an end to it. This is the beating heart of publishing, and whoever says theyre really, really glad that they couldnt come this year is lying their ass off. For efforts to make world-class STEM education accessible and affordable, Purdue University has been named a Fast Company Brand That Matters for the second year in a row. It is, again, the only university on the list of international names, including Nike, Fender and Salesforce.org. (Purdue University photo/ John Underwood) Purdue again the only university on list of brands making positive social change WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. For the second year in a row, Purdue University is the only university selected by Fast Company as one of its Brands That Matter, a list honoring companies and organizations for communicating their brands mission and ideals with intention and authenticity. One of only 13 two-time honorees, Purdue shares this years honor with internationally recognized brands like Nike, Salesforce.org and Fender. I didnt think I could be more excited than last year when Purdue was honored as an inaugural Fast Company Brand That Matters with the likes of Nike and McDonalds, said Mike Berghoff, chairman of the Purdue Board of Trustees. But being one of only 13 brands worldwide to be chosen again, and again the only university, recognizes how intentional we have been about brand building based on our amazing product and what we stand for. It is a privilege to be recognized in this way, and I congratulate everyone involved. Fast Company says that this years Education winners, a category Purdue shares with Coding Dojo and Lego Education, deserve recognition for keeping learning engaging, accessible and inclusive. Noting Purdues now iconic tuition freeze, which will have saved Purdue families $1 billion by 2023, Fast Company credits Purdue for keeping higher education attainable for anyone with the will to pursue it." Purdue has seen record fall enrollments for the last eight years, with 71% of undergraduate degree recipients earning a STEM degree in 2022, up from 44% in 2010. With enrollment growth, Purdue has also seen the growth in the number of degrees earned. In 2012-13, Purdue conferred 9,704 bachelors degrees. In 2021-22, that rose to 12,943. And rising numbers hasnt meant a drop in quality. By offering innovative STEM programs in tune with advances in microelectronics and national defense, remaining at the cutting-edge of exploratory space missions, as well as endeavors like Purdue Global, Purdue Polytechnic High Schools and the Equity Task Force, Purdue has redefined the traditional role of a university and allowed the greater Purdue campus to become a hub for top talent that drives innovation in industries that affect the world. Engineering a variety of transformative initiatives that help make a valuable and relevant education accessible to more, Purdues programs, perhaps more than in any year before, highlight how a university can invest in its community and people. The excellence and ideals that led Fast Company to recognize Purdue University for a second year come to life in Purdue Global, said Frank Dooley, chancellor of Purdue Global. Beginning with the expansion of Ethan Bradens portfolio to lead marketing and communications for Purdue Global in addition to Purdue University, there has been an impactful and passionate new emphasis on telling our story as part of Purdues overarching land-grant mission. Braden is executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for Purdue University and Purdue Global. For Purdue, this is what living its land-grant mission looks like in the 21st century: Preparing underrepresented and marginalized students for college by reinventing the high school experience. Now in their fifth year, with more than 1,000 students across three locations with a fourth to come, the Purdue Polytechnic High Schools prepare high school students underserved by the traditional curricula of public schools for the demands of Purdue and that of a premier college STEM education. Offering working adults an opportunity to complete their college degrees with confidence in their decision and investment. Created by Purdue in 2018, and with more than 35,000 students currently enrolled in more than 175 online programs, Purdue Global exists so working adults can earn a high-quality education online and have the confidence that their degree is one employers will respect. Pursuing improved representation and equity. Continued investment in Equity Task Force initiatives, including a new class of faculty who bring a diversity of research and representation; the dedication of the Winifred and Frieda Parker residence halls; research and action on the minority student college application experience; and the hiring of former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams as executive director of health equity initiatives. Creating partnerships that place Boilermakers in proximity to the most in-demand fields and excellent research, including leading work in microelectronics and national defense. Programs such as The Data Mine directly connect students with corporations like Cummins Inc., Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Corp.; the Purdue Memorial Union Club Hotel employs over 400 hospitality students each semester; and Discovery Park District at Purdue is host to dozens of tech partners including Rolls-Royce, Saab, and the most recently announced: SkyWater Technology. Purdue has positioned itself as a brand and university that holds itself accountable to the real purpose under which it was created: a land-grant institution for the people of the state of Indiana and the entire country, said Shawn Taylor, the newest appointee to the Purdue trustees. Being named a Brand That Matters reflects delivering on that promise, for today and tomorrow. In addition to the now iconic tuition freeze, which will have saved Purdue families $1 billion by 2023, Purdue also was named the countrys No. 4 most trusted public university by Morning Consult. It is also recognized as a top 10 public university by The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education and a top 10 Most Innovative University for five years straight by U.S. News & World Report. Our role as the driver and steward of the Purdue University brand is to amplify the character already lived, day in and day out, by our students, faculty, staff and alumni, says Kati Pratt, executive director of brand and marketing strategy for Purdue. And that is easy when your team truly believes in this place. By degree or by choice, we are all Boilermakers. The November issue of Fast Company magazine, including the complete list of 2022 Brands That Matter, is available online now and will be on newsstands beginning Nov. 2. Writer/Media contact: Christy McCarter, mccarter@purdue.edu, @ChristyMcCarter Launched in the Nordics and the Baltic states last year, Staccs aims to provide fans with the opportunity to relive their favourite concerts, on-demand, advert free, in the highest quality possible. Following the initial rollout of the platform, the company has recently launched Staccs TV to provide music fans a glimpse into what it calls the the vast and unique music content that is available from its streaming service.Having launched in 2021, Staccs says that it is building the worlds greatest concert catalogue in history, which streams longform audio visual and music documentaries to a premium standard . The streaming service is available for any device and screen size, allowing fans to watch on the go, in any format, whether it be on a mobile device or synced up to a web browser. Details of a UK launch will be shared later.Staccs sees its new agreement as being able to support the future platform and market expansion plans the company is gearing towards. It is designed to will allow music fans to unlock and enjoy snippets of unique material on Staccs TV such as documentaries, concerts and interviews with their favourite artists and bands, as well as exclusive Staccs Originals content.The company assured that fans can expect programming from a mixed genre of music including rock, pop, punk and metal artists from across the world. The channel will be available via Samsung TV Plus in Sweden and fans can opt to subscribe to the main Staccs platform at any time, opening full access to the premium home of concerts and music content on-demand.Staccs believes that its basic user-centric model opens up commercial opportunities for the music industry and that Staccs TV is just one way in which rights holders will benefit from licensing their content on the platform. By providing Samsung TV Plus users a glimpse of the content available, Staccs will attempt to increase subscribers to its full service, and that they will be encouraged to see more - and therefore benefitting rights holders further with an increased user base.Were excited to secure this deal with Samsung as it gives us access to a new audience and enables us to showcase our exceptional programming to more music fans across Sweden, said Staccs marketing manager Sofia Stefanovic.Consumer interest is at an all time high with the live music industry seeing a record number of bookings for next year and although the large players in the streaming industry have made advancements in terms of their offering, we see a unique opportunity for artists and the Staccs platform to reach fans through TV. This partnership is an important stepping stone to being recognised as the unrivalled home for concerts and music content on demand.. Long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who is moving to Disney+ outside the U.K. and Ireland. ADVERTISEMENT Disney and BBC confirmed in a press release Tuesday that the show will stream on Disney+ in the U.S. and other regions beginning with Season 14. Doctor Who will continue to air on BBC in the U.K. and Ireland. Season 14 will feature David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor in three specials and introduce Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Russell T. Davies will return as showrunner. "I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds -- with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK," Davies said. "Doctor Who has captivated the imaginations of families around the world for the past six decades. We are so excited about this collaboration with the BBC, and the opportunity to bring this iconic franchise -- and Russell T. Davies ' brilliant vision -- to life for a huge new global audience. Grab your sonic screwdrivers and prepare to travel through time and space!" Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis added. The new season will premiere in November 2023 to coincide with the show's 60th anniversary. Doctor Who originally premiered on the BBC in 1963 and aired for 26 seasons. The series was revived in 2005. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. On Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, a large group of people gathered on the Arch Bridge in Williamsville for a ceremony marking the official opening of the new bridge over the Rock River. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 46F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 23F. Winds light and variable. Photographer / Multimedia Editor Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer. Rep. George Till of Jericho is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist who has served in the Vermont State Legislature since 2008. Dr. Till is also an associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UVM School of Medicine. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media. Our View Our View: Fixing Brattleboro's darker side will take all of us Cambodian-American Ouk Touch says he hopes to sell the shoe for US$1 million A shoe thrown by former Cambodian soldier Ouk Touch flies past Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during a visit to Washington, D.C., May 11, 2022. The man who threw a shoe at Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last year says he got the shoe back from police and plans to auction it off to raise money for charity work in the country. Cambodia-American Ouk Touch says he hopes to raise U.S.$1 million. Ouk Touch, 72, threw the shoe from a pair of black $85 Clarks at Hun Sen during his visit in May to Washington DC for a summit between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. The shoe didnt hit Hun Sun. At the time, a video of the incident went viral on social media, and Cambodian officials rushed to condemn Ouk Touch and demand he be punished by U.S. authorities. Exposing someone to ones shoe sole is considered an insult or repulsive gesture in many Asian and Mideastern cultures. But no charges have stemmed from the incident since, Ouk Touch said. I wasnt summoned to court. It has been quiet, he said about any subsequent investigation. I am happy that I got [the shoe] back, he told Radio Free Asia. I want to sell it so I can help the poor, victims and those who dont have food to eat in Cambodia. I want to sell it for $1 million. Anyone who wants to buy the shoe can reach him directly, he said. The shoe that Ouk Touch threw at Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on May 11, 2022. Credit: Ouk Touch My action, it was just throwing a shoe at Hun Sen. But Hun Sen threw grenades at the Cambodian people, peaceful protesters. Hun Sen is a dictator, and he has killed many people, including my relatives, said Touch, 72, a former soldier in the Cambodian army in the early 1970s. Ouk Touch was reportedly referring to when armed men attacked Hun Sens elected coalition partners in 1997, killing 16 people and wounding 150. No perpetrators of the attack have been brought to face trial. I have intended to do this for a long time because I want him to be humiliated, nothing more than that, he said, adding that after the incident he slept better. Aside from a handful of visits since 1999 to the United Nations for annual meetings, Hun Sen has made very few trips to the United States. He attended the West Point graduation ceremony of his son and now designated heir, Hun Manet, in May 1999. He also took part in the first U.S.-ASEAN summit hosted by former President Barack Obama in California in February 2016. The U.S.-ASEAN summit hosted in May by U.S. President Joe Biden was part of his intent to center American foreign policy on the Indo-Pacific in response to the growing competition with China in the region. After the shoe-throwing incident, Hun Sen notably used it as justification for further targeting his political opponents. If the U.S. considers shoe-throwing as freedom of expression, it is encouraging [the practice] in other countries, he said a few days afterward. Now I am concerned for the safety of the opposition party leadersWe can also throw shoes at opposition party leaders heads in Cambodia. In response to Ouk Touchs announcement of wanting to auction the shoe, Cambodian government spokesperson Phay Siphan told RFA that there were differences between the United States and Cambodia in terms of culture, belief and respect. Cambodia cant accept it, Cambodia regards this action as an insult, he said, but he added that he respects the decision made by U.S. authorities not to press charges. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Nawar Nemeh. A portrait of Chinese journalist Gao Yu is displayed by a protester in front of the national emblem of China during a demonstration in Hong Kong, May 11, 2014. Chinese police have yet to release dissidents and rights activists from house arrest and other restrictions in the wake of the 20th party congress, with one activist detained for breaking restrictions, people targeted by the measures told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday. Independent political journalist Gao Yu said she was taken on an enforced "vacation" for more than two weeks, ahead of the party congress, which ended Sunday. "It's been 16 days today," Gao said, adding that she had only brought enough medication to last 14 days. "I thought I would be allowed home after the party congress ended, so I brought 14 days' worth." "I have asked to go home, she said. I have to get to the hospital for a follow-up appointment." Gao said she had been banned from posting to Twitter during the party congress. "I saw a lot of people tweeting, but I wasn't allowed to tweet," she said. "They even told me to delete some tweets I had already sent." Ahead of the congress, at which Xi was elected to an unprecedented third five-year term, Chinese police launched a large-scale "stability maintenance" operation removing anyone pursuing complaints against official wrong-doing, migrant workers and political dissidents from view. Some critics of the regime, like Gao, were taken out of town on "vacations" by the state security police, while others were placed under guard in their homes and warned against posting to social media or giving interviews to foreign media. "Stability maintenance" measures can range from enforcing house arrest to stave off potential activism, to hiring "interceptors" to bring petitioners back from Beijing, to escorting dissidents under house arrest to hospital appointments or grocery shopping at politically sensitive times of the year, including the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. Under Xi Jinping, such operations have grown to include a plethora of law enforcement agencies and committees, including state security police who target peaceful activists, political dissidents, religious believers and ethnic minority groups as potential "threats" to social stability. While the cost of the stability maintenance regime that shores up the ruling party's grip on power isn't clearly labeled in annual budgets, political analysts say it has likely more than tripled under Xi, to an estimated 1 trillion yuan. Getting Stricter A rights activist who declined to be named said the measures taken this year have been tougher than in previous years. "The security measures for the 20th party congress are unprecedented," the activist said. "It's as if they are dealing with a major enemy. The police are on duty round the clock, and all leave has been canceled." Anyone being monitored has to check in at the police station or take a selfie at home every day to prove they aren't going anywhere, the activist said. "I'm still in Changsha, and I'll be going back to Beijing in a couple of days," Beijing-based dissident Ji Feng told RFA, saying his return has been delayed by the COVID-19 Health Code tracker app. "I have to wait for my ... health code to turn green [after quarantine]," he said. "I was in Kunming earlier, and now I have to quarantine for seven days in Changsha ... because Kunming's health code [isn't] green." Rights activists in the central province of Hunan said they will likely remain under round-the-clock surveillance or on enforced "vacation" under Wednesday. An activist from Zhuzhou city, who gave only the surname Li, said one of their number had been detained for breaking house arrest. "Ren Ming refused to listen when they told him not to go out during the 20th party congress, so they could keep track of his whereabouts," Li said. "He went out anyway, and they detained him." Ren is being held under 11 days' administrative detention, a sentence that can be imposed by police on perceived "troublemakers" for up to 15 days without the need for a trial, Li said. Most other Zhuzhou activists remain under house arrest until Wednesday. "There are still people whose freedom of movement is restricted, and a Vietnam War veteran will be restricted until Oct. 26," Li said. "He was taken to Yanling county, which is administered by Zhuzhou, where he was placed under house arrest." "It's not clear whether everyone will have regained their freedom by Oct. 26," he said. Translated and written by Luisetta Mudie. As the death toll rises to as many as 70, roadblocks prevent the wounded from getting medical attention. In this photo provided by a citizen journalist, a mass burial ground with newly placed gravemarkers for the victims of Sunday, Oct. 23 Myanmar junta airstrikes are seen in Hpakant township, northern Kachin State, Myanmar, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. Church members in Hpakant buried the victims close to the site of the airstrike on Tuesday since military junta was blocking the roads in and out of an area hit with airstrikes killing a large number of civilians. UPDATED at 8:27 p.m. EDT on 10/25/2022 Myanmars military has blocked off roads leading in and out of concert grounds that its jets hit with an airstrike that killed as many as 70 people and wounded dozens more, many of whom were in desperate need of medical attention, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia. There are about 150 injured patients and 60-70 people are already dead, said a resident, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. I am very worried as we cant give any medical treatment to the injured. We approached the junta blockage gates and asked if we could help but they wouldn't let us through. In Sundays attack, fighter jets dropped bombs on crowds at a concert near Hpakant township, in Kachin state, celebrating the anniversary of the Kachin Independence Organization, or KIO, which has been advocating for greater autonomy for one of the largest ethnic groups in northeastern Myanmar. Colonel Naw Bu, a KIO spokesperson, said the confirmed death toll stood at 62 as of Tuesday afternoon, with the same number wounded. But the death toll could rise if those badly wounded didnt get medical attention. This is such an inhumane act. It was not in a battle, he said. The junta intentionally attacked us when we were all peacefully celebrating together with many civilians. It was cowardly and inhumane. This is definitely a war crime. It was the bloodiest airstrike since the military took control of the government in a February 2021 coup, which has led to months of fighting between the military and various rebel groups. The junta was blocking access even to local aid groups, a relief worker told RFAs Burmese service. Most local aid groups from Hpakant went there but we couldnt reach them, he said. Unable to get through, some rescue organizations have given up. The injured patients are getting no medical treatment, he said. Retaliation for rebel attacks In a statement, the juntas foreign ministry said the area was a KIA base restricted to the public, not a concert site, and that the bombing was retaliation for on rebel terrorists for their attacks on security forces. Security forces had to retaliate in self-defence and to take necessary measures against armed terrorists, it said. Reports that civilians and musicians were fabricated, the ministry statement said said. But residents reached by RFA said most of the dead were civilians, and a few were members of the Kachin Independence Army. The juntas Minister of Social Affairs for Kachin State, Win Ye Tun, said he was not informed that troops were blocking the roads into the area. We are arranging to help those injured and support the people there with necessities. Its started, he said. But I dont know about the rest of the story about the battles. In this Feb.2, 2021 file photo, Myanmar junta soldiers stand guard at a road barrier manned with armored vehicles blocking a road leading to the parliament building in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Military junta has blocked off roads leading in and out of an area in Hpakant township, northern Kachin State, Myanmar that hit with an airstrike on Sunday, Oct.23, killing more than 70 people and injuring 150 others, many of whom are in desperate need of medical attention, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia. Photo: AP We have been picking up bodies and parts of bodies, so I think more than 70 are dead. Since [the injured] are trapped here, many are trying to give them medical treatment with what little supplies we have, one resident said, asking not to be identified. The Kachin Independence Organization said the juntas attack was aimed at causing the maximum possible deaths as civilians were attending a music concert. The group said it will transform this sorrowful incident into a revolutionary force and accelerate the fight against the military dictatorship. Several Kachin musicians were among the dead, including keyboard player Zakhon Zau Mum, also known as Ko King. The junta prevented his family from transporting his body back to his hometown, a family member told RFA. We cant go get his body, she said. Ive been told that they are preparing to bury all dead bodies in some village that we dont know. International condemnation On Monday, the U.N.s Myanmar office called the attack an excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians. The embassies of the U.S., E.U., Norway, Switzerland and the U.K. issued a joint statement saying the attack showed the juntas disregard for its obligation to protect civilians and respect the principles and rules of international humanitarian law. The juntas Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushed back against statements made by the U.S. and the U.N., saying they were one-sided. Foreign governments and the United Nations are advised to verify facts before making statements, it said. Elaine Pearson, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch called the airstrike an apparent violation of the laws of war, which prohibit attacks causing indiscriminate or disproportionate civilian harm. She accused the military junt of carrying out crimes against humanity and war crimes. How high does the death count need to reach before governments around the world impose consequences that will impact the juntas behavior? she asked. Pearson urged the U.N. Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the junta and to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court. She also called on Southeast Asian leaders, who will meet at the ASEAN Summit in November in Cambodia to signal their support for such efforts. ASEAN released a statement expressing its concern about the escalation of violence in Myanmar, including against civilians. We, therefore, strongly urge utmost restraint and immediate cessation of violence, it readm adding that all concerned parties should engage in constructive dialogue to find a peaceful solution. The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, a group of independent international experts, condemned the airstrike, with former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee calling it horrific. Junta fighter jets deliberately attacked a nighttime music concert attended by hundreds of civilians knowing it would likely cause catastrophic loss of life, an act that constitutes a war crime, Lee said. When will the international community, including the UN and ASEAN, stand with the people of Myanmar and support the democratic revolution? Killing civilians in an airstrike was the ultimate act of junta cowardice and inhumanity, former chair of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, Marzuki Darusman, said. Sadly, it is entirely consistent with the campaign of scorched-earth that the Myanmar military has been waging against the peoples of Myanmar, including the Kachin, with impunity not just for the last 20 months but for decades, said Darusman. Translated by Myo Min Aung. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Update: Adds reaction from sources within the blocked off area as well as responses from the junta, the Kachin Independence Organization and the international community. Australia, Canada and the UK will join the drills in mid-November. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and the Japanese helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga sail with other ships in formation during Keen Sword exercise, Nov. 8, 2018. The Japanese and U.S. militaries will hold another large-scale joint exercise next month, this time also joined by ships and aircraft from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Exercise Keen Sword will take place from Nov. 10-19 on military installations in Japan, its surrounding waters and airspace. The theme this year will be joint responses in gray zone situations and to armed attacks, the Japanese Defense Ministrys Joint Staff Office said in a statement. The exercise involving 26,000 troops, 20 ships and 250 aircraft from Japan; plus 10,000 troops, 10 ships and 120 aircraft from the U.S. side will test the readiness and improve the interoperability between the two militaries, the statement said. The soldiers, ships and aircraft are drawn from different branches of Japans self-defense forces including the army, navy, air force and the marines, as well as the space force. Alongside the Japanese and American troops, personnel from four warships and two aircraft from Australia, Canada and the U.K. will also take part. The joint exercise will demonstrate our strong will to never allow any attempt to change the status quo in the region, the Japanese statement said. Keen Sword was first held in 1985, with field training and command post exercises, also known as Keen Edge, alternating every year. This years event is the 16th field training exercise. A Japanese troop during a simulated training scenario as part of exercise Keen Sword 21, Nov. 4, 2020 CREDIT: U.S. Navy Security threats from China The joint drills will take place on and around Amami Oshima and Tokonushima islands in southern Japan, as well as on Tsutara Island, west of Nagasaki. The drills will include an array of joint operations such as amphibious, land, naval and air operations. The two sides will also conduct a combined logistics supply operation and a special operation in the space and cyber fields. Japan and the U.S. have just completed a three-day joint training exercise, Resolute Dragon, in the Aomori Prefecture, Japan, on Oct. 13. Before that, maritime forces from Japan, Canada and the U.S. conducted joint exercise Noble Raven in the South China Sea from Sept. 23 to Oct.1, in which Japan deployed one of its submarines. As China becomes increasingly assertive in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, Japan and allies in the region seek to hold more regular joint military exercises and deepen cooperation. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (center right) pose with a baby wallaby and koalas in Perth on Oct. 22, 2022 CREDIT: Tony McDonough/Pool/ AFP On Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese signed a security agreement to strengthen security ties between the two countries. Tokyo and Canberra pledged to accelerate their exchange of intelligence and Japans military will train and exercise alongside Australian troops in northern Australia, according to the newly-signed Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation. We need to work together to build common defense capabilities so that Australian and Japanese military forces can work together more easily, such as with the U.S. under integrated deterrence, which is a centrepiece of the U.S. National Security Strategy, said Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst in defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Asian NATO The agreement, although it doesnt mention China, is largely seen as an effort to counter growing security threats from Beijing. Australia and Japan, together with the U.S. and India, are already part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as the Quad. The two countries need to strengthen the Quad's ability to deal with hard security and defense issues, according to Davis. The analyst said Australia should also look at how Japan could play a role in AUKUS, another security-focused grouping between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. China has repeatedly criticized what Beijing calls attempts by the U.S. and partners to form an Asian NATO. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday the region does not need military blocs, still less groupings that could provoke bloc confrontation or stoke a new Cold War. Speaking of the Australia-Japan new security pact, Wang said that bilateral cooperation needs to be conducive to mutual understanding and trust among countries, rather than target any third party or undermine their interests. Beijing wants to sabotage Australia's defense and strategic relationships, and break up U.S. alliance structures across the Indo-Pacific, said Canberra-based Davis. So, we're going to ignore Chinese outbursts and move forward to strengthen defense relations between Canberra and Tokyo, as that's in our national interest, he said. Since its founding in 1986, the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity has striven to combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality. In late January, the human rights organization ran a full-page advertisement in The New York Times calling for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing unless China ended its persecution of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Now, the foundation has added grantmaking to its lineup of activities, focusing on funding advocacy for the Uyghurs. The foundation expects to award about U.S. $250,000-$500,000 early next year to two groups, each representing one of its focuses, as determined by relevant advisory committees, according to the Jewish Insider. The funding is significant in that it is coming from an influential Jewish organization at a time when majority-Muslim countries joined China in voting down a measure for the U.N. Human Rights Council to conduct debate on a U.N. report that Chinas atrocities against Uyghurs may constitute crimes against humanity. Adile Ablet of RFA Uyghur recently spoke with Elisha Wiesel, the foundations chairman of the board and son of late Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, about the grantmaking activities and what the foundation hopes to accomplish with its focus on the Uyghurs. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. RFA: The Jewish Insider reported that the Elie Wiesel Foundation will support the Uyghur cause now that the organization is becoming a grantmaker. Why? Wiesel: One of the things were doing with the Elie Wiesel Foundation today is were pivoting from running direct programs, which is what the foundation used to do. It used to host conferences. It used to be [active] particularly in Israel, with Ethiopian Jews who had arrived. We decided we could have a bigger reach and have more partner organizations that we could help supply funding to. We can also supply some of our time and our thoughts. We can help use my fathers name to achieve good in the world. We thought a lot about this path that were embarking on [in terms of] the hats my father wore during his lifetime. He was so many things to so many people. My father was a teacher, a philosopher, a refugee, a student. And we said, maybe what we can do is for every different type of role that my father played, we can eventually open up a line of grantmaking and partnership. When we thought about where to start, my view and the boards view were that the two most important roles father played were that of an activist and a teacher, so these are the two lanes that the foundation is starting with. Once we decided what that activism would be, the question then became which cause do we want to attach ourselves to in the beginning as we start this? For me, theres really no cause that is as compelling as the Uyghur cause, which has a lot of properties that fit the way my father approached the world. Look at the size and the scope of the atrocities that are occurring with the Uyghur people the mass imprisonment of a million Muslims, family separations, the concept of going to jail just because of who you are rather than something that you did. These are terrible human rights violations, and they are being perpetrated by a major actor on the world stage. One of the things to know about my father is that he was not afraid of speaking truth to power. Its very hard to imagine getting the Chinese government to change course and doing something more humane, but its not impossible. We were inspired as we looked at the Soviet Union which was treating Soviet Jews in a certain way, but many people thought you never were going to be able to change it; the best you can hope for is that you can help a few people by reaching out to people in power, but to try to achieve something on a massive scale just wouldnt happen. My father disagreed. He disagreed with many important people, and he worked with students in this country to build a movement from the ground up. There were many great leaders there who ultimately had great impact with the Soviet Union. Thats why I think the Elie Wiesel Foundation is inspired by big projects that seem impossible ones that seem really difficult, but ones that we feel are very important. RFA: What do you expect to achieve with the organizations that the foundation will work with? Wiesel: The goal is ultimately to have an impact, but how you measure impact is very difficult. Is anything that we fund in this first year and our activist players focus on the Uyghurs going to change the world and move it upside down in one year? I think were more humble than that. One of the things that my father said about the Holocaust was that it was important for the people who were suffering to feel heard and know that people cared, even if the world couldnt do anything about it. One of the things that hurt the most was that there was a sense that the world didnt care. If we can do anything to raise the stature of the story, and if we can find a partner organization to work with that, it would make the Uyghurs suffering more a part of our daily consciousness so that the Uyghurs feel heard. Then they would say, OK, maybe the world isnt fixing everything right away for us, but at least we havent been forgotten. At least, we know that somebody is thinking about us. Even that for us would be a very significant accomplishment. Our approach is a humble approach. [Part of] the way that we think about it is that we dont know what the right answer is. We dont know what the strategy is, but we want to hear ideas. Thats why what were really hoping for is that many different organizations doing work in the Uyghur space will go to our website and send us their ideas tell us what theyre doing, so that the more ideas we have, the better the chance of our finding the one that is right for us to partner with. RFA: Which criteria will you use to select partner organizations? Wiesel: I cant say that theres one particular criterion, but the boldness of the vision is important the idea that its something that is unlikely to happen unless we get involved. We want to be involved with emerging efforts, ones that we can help grow and bring others into. The quality of the people doing the work [also matters]. Do we believe that its being sponsored by people who are visionary but also capable of executing, that this is a partner that can really deliver on the sorts of things that they want to achieve? These are the things that we will try to sort out. But the truth is that the paper application process is only the beginning, and with ideas that we think look interesting, were going to want to have many conversations with the grantees. We have an excellent staff at the foundation that is trained and ready to have those conversations. RFA: One of the members of the advisory board for the Uyghur grants is Gulhumar Haitiwaji, the daughter of Gulbahar Haitiwaji, who wrote a memoir about the three years she was detained in a re-education camp in Xinjiang. What role will the advisory board members play? Wiesel: Im really glad you mentioned the advisory boards because they are not going to be permanent board members of the Elie Wiesel Foundation. Were going to convene one-time advisory groups. Were very glad to have [Gulhumar] join the advisory group for [Uyghur grants]. We very much wanted someone from the community with strong connections. I read her mothers book, and I was fortunate enough to interview her and the daughter. They are unbelievable. There are very clear thinkers with such strong messages to send. Were very fortunate, but were also lucky to have a number of other great stars join us. We have Mark Hatfield, who is the executive director of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. This is the society that some 70 years ago helped my mother find somewhere to live when she came over with her family as a refugee from Europe. We also have Natan Sharansky, a close friend of my fathers, who was a refusenik. He was imprisoned by the Soviets and went on to become a major human rights activist himself. We have very notable and thoughtful people to help us. We know we need a lot of advice and a lot of opportunities to find the best [partner]. RFA: What message would you like to send to China? Wiesel: My message is that history is something you want to be on the right side of. Future generations will look back at this time and theyll say, OK, who did what? Who was on which side here? A documentary called The U.S. and the Holocaust by [American filmmaker] Ken Burns recently came out, and so many people are watching it because its fascinating to see in the 1930s and the 1940s what different people were doing, what different countries were doing, what different groups were doing, and where they were aligning on this issue. For those people who did everything they could do to prevent a war with Germany and those who did everything they could to prevent saving the Jews, they dont look good in retrospect in history. Now, the message is simply that [people are] doing things that are expedient because they have trade relationships or theres a deal on the line or theres money involved. And then there is doing things that are right for the generations and for the long term. I hope in time that the thinking will shift. I was invited to speak to the U.N. on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January, and I was given only three minutes. I gave my last minute 100% to the Uyghur cause before the Beijing Olympics. I was warned beforehand that everybody was so angry [that the foundation had issued a message]. Theyre like, You cant do these things; how can you put out this message? There was a lot of pressure to not give that message because I think the United Nations itself is a little conflicted on how it feels about this. But the good news is that months later, [former U.N. human rights chief] Michelle Bachelet actually went [to China] and came back with some findings that there are human rights violations. So, even the U.N., which is the slowest of these organizations, the most bureaucratic, and [one with] the most voices, is potentially capable of coming around and seeing this more clearly, which gives me confidence that the world will follow. The people have no weapon except for their cell phones to fight against corruption, says Le Manh Ha. Vietnamese citizen journalist Le Manh Ha pictured in a screenshot of an undated video published on his Facebook page. A Vietnamese court sentenced citizen journalist Le Manh Ha to eight years in prison and five years of probation on the charge of disseminating anti-state materials for his advocacy on behalf of citizens who lost land to a major hydropower project, his attorney and wife said. Le Manh Ha, 52, has been active as a land petitioner since the early 2000s, campaigning against the relocation of farmers in Tuyen Quang province who were displaced by a hydroelectric project. In May 2018, he founded a YouTube Channel called The Voice of the People Le Ha Television to let land petitioners and farmers speak out against the injustices they faced. Ha also interviewed many land rights petitioners across the province. In Vietnam, corruption defeats the people because corruption has been equipped with modern weapons, Ha wrote on Facebook the week before authorities arrested him in mid-January. The people have no weapon except for their cell phones to fight against corruption. After his arrest, the provinces newspaper and the local police newspaper said Ha had prepared, posted and shared on YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms, many articles and video clips with content that propagandized, distorted and defamed the state and spread fabricated information to sow confusion among the people. The Tuyen Quang Provincial Peoples Court held Has one-and-a-half-day trial after two postponements in September, charging Ha under Article 117 of Vietnams 2015 Penal Code. The article broadly prohibits distributing propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and is frequently used by authorities to stifle peaceful critics of the countrys one-party communist government. Those convicted of crimes charged under Article 117 can be sentenced to five to 20 years in jail. Displaced by power plant Ha and his family were forcibly displaced. They used to reside in the provinces Na Hang district, but they had to relocate to Tuyen Quang city in 2004 because of the construction of a hydropower plant. His family and hundreds of other households said they were unfairly compensated for land lost to the project. They sent petitions to various provincial and central government officials, but their complaints have not been resolved. Though all land in Vietnam is owned by the state, land confiscations have become a flashpoint with residents, who have accused the government of pushing small landholders aside in favor of major infrastructure projects and lucrative real estate developments and of paying insufficient compensation for their losses. Since January, Vietnamese authorities have convicted six activists and Facebookers on the charge of disseminating anti-state materials, handing down prison sentences ranging from five to eight years. To date, the country has 49 prisoners of conscience jailed on this charge, while a dozen others have been detained for investigation. Four lawyers defended Ha, who pleaded not guilty at the trial. Court authorities allowed Has wife, Ma Thi Tho, to attend the trial as a person with related interests and permitted Has supporters and other relatives to watch the proceedings from a nearby room. Exercising freedom of speech Has defense team believed that the verdict was wrong, one of the lawyers told RFA on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. The lawyers presented a lot of evidence to prove that Mr. Le Manh Ha had not violated Article 117, the attorney said. The trial developments, from the questioning to debating sessions, did not reflect the nature of the incident. The prosecutor did not respond to many arguments thoroughly, and the verdict summarized the defense lawyers viewpoints too briefly, he said. Has wife, Ma Thi Mo, told RFA that when the judge allowed Ha to say some final words at the trial, he stressed that what he had done was exercise freedom of speech. Though Vietnams constitution guarantees that citizens shall enjoy the right to freedom of opinion and speech, those critical of the government or those who discuss certain topics deemed unacceptable by the Communist Party of Vietnam are often subject to intimidation and imprisonment. He said that all of his actions showed his patriotism and reflected his own opinions and that he did not intend to oppose the state or to defame the peoples government, Mo said about her husband. She also said Ha requested that the government remove Article 117 from the Penal Code and Article 16 from the Law on Cybersecurity. Ha requested an appeal right after the judge announced the verdict. UN Human Rights Council Earlier this month, Vietnam was elected to a three-year term to the U.N. Human Rights Council beginning in 2023, despite calls by human rights groups that the country should be excluded because of its dismal human rights record. Before the court issued the sentence, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, called on the Vietnamese government to allow people like Ha to express their opinions peacefully in order to become a responsible member of the council. If Vietnam is serious about being a productive, contributing member of the UN Human Rights Council to which it was recently elected, the government should release all people locked up for simply expressing opinions the government doesnt like, Robertson said. Translated by Anna Vu for RFA Vietnamese. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Senior company officials and a member of the customs department are allegedly involved. Police seized more than 100 billion dong (U.S. $4 million) in cash from the smuggling ring. UPDATED at 9:23 a.m. EDT on 10/25/2022. Dong Nai provincial court in southeast Vietnam is about to start hearing the largest gasoline smuggling case in the country. It involves the alleged smuggling of 200 million liters (52.8 million gallons) of counterfeit gasoline, worth VND2.9 trillion (U.S. $116.6 million). The case is due to start Tuesday and last up to 60 days. It involves 74 defendants and also 53 individuals and organizations with related interests and obligations. The public prosecutor has issued indictments against Dao Ngoc Vien, director of Ocean Hai Phong; Phan Thanh Huu, director of Phan Le Hoang Anh Trading; Nguyen Huu Tu, director of Phan Le Hoang Anh Trading and 70 accomplices for smuggling. Ngo Van Thuy, Captain of Team 3 of the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department at the General Department of Customs is being prosecuted for taking bribes. According to the indictment, from March 2020 to February 2021, Phan Thanh Huu, Nguyen Huu Tu, Dao Ngoc Vien and their accomplices made 48 trips, bringing nearly 200 million liters (52.8 million gallons) of illegal gasoline into Vietnam. Most of the gasoline has already been sold, earning them hundreds of billions of dong. Huu is said to have made more than 105 billion dong (U.S. $4.2 million). The indictment also says the Customs Departments Thuy "received gifts" worth around 800 million dong ($32,180) in order to not to stop Tus ship In a related case on July 15, a military court sentenced 14 defendants for smuggling, accepting bribes, and helping other to to flee abroad illegally. The charges date from between March 2020 and Feb. 2021 when the director of Phan Le Hoang Anh Trading, gasoline smuggler Phan Thanh Huu, and his accomplices smuggled about 200 million liters of gasoline, worth about U.S.$130 million, into Vietnam. This story has been updated to correct a currency conversion in the first paragraph. Ukrainian authorities struggled to resume essential services throughout the country after the latest barrage of Russian strikes on infrastructure sites as both sides prepared for the upcoming winter season, with some troops and materiel bogged down in muddy fields in eastern and southern Ukraine. 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. Much of the city of Kherson -- recently recaptured by Ukrainian forces from Russian occupiers -- remained without electrical power on November 27 as authorities worked to get the grid operational again. Officials said only about 5 percent of the population has been reconnected and was receiving electricity. Meanwhile, in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko -- who has come in for criticism from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for being slow to restore services -- told the November 27 edition of Germany's mass-circulation Bild newspaper that work was proceeding at "record pace" in the capital. Earlier, Serhiy Kovalenko, chief operating officer of YASNO, which provides energy to Kyiv, said the situation in the city had improved but still remained "quite difficult." He indicated that residents in the capital should have at least four hours of power per day. Following overnight strikes, shelling by Russian forces continued on November 27 in several areas in eastern and southern Ukraine. Officials said both sides appear to be slowed by the rain and muddy conditions but that the approaching colder temperatures could set the stage for renewed action. The Institute for the Study of War, an influential think tank that has closely monitored Ukraine war developments, said reporting from critical frontline areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine, including Svatove, Bakhmut, and Vuhledar, indicates that operations on both sides are currently bogged down by heavy rain and resulting heavy mud. Temperatures are forecasted to drop throughout Ukraine over the next week, which will likely freeze the ground and expedite the pace of fighting as mobility increases for both sides, it said in its update. It is unclear if either side is actively planning or preparing to resume major offensive or counteroffensive operations at that time, but the meteorological factors that have been hindering such operations will begin lifting. The governor of the Kherson region, Yaroslav Yanushevych, said on November 27 on his Telegram channel that Russian forces shelled the southern Ukrainian region more than 50 times this weekend. Yanushevych accused Russia of terrorism and of targeting civilians, reporting that one person had died and two had been injured in the shelling. Much of the city of Kherson remains under difficult conditions, with UN resident coordinator Denise Brown telling AP that civilians continued to leave the area in large numbers. The level of destruction, the scope of the destruction, whats required in the city and in the oblast -- its massive, she said, adding that UN teams were bringing in food, water, medicines, blankets, and mattresses to the area. Time is of the essence, of course, before it becomes an absolute catastrophe, Brown was quoted as saying. In the eastern Donetsk region, five people were killed in shelling over the past day, according to Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. Overnight shelling was reported by regional officials in the Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk areas to the west. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said one person was killed and three wounded in the northeastern region. With reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa 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. ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Police in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, have detained opposition activists who planned to hold a rally to challenge next month's early presidential election. Bibigul Imanghalieva, a member of the unregistered Algha, Qazaqstan (Kazakhstan, Forward) party, told RFE/RL by phone that she and several of her colleagues were detained for several hours early in the morning in different parts of the city before they could hold the demonstration, which was to fall on October 25, Republic Day, which commemorates Kazakhstan's declaration of state sovereignty in 1990. According to Imanghalieva, leading activists, Aset Abishev, Aidar Syzdyqov, and Qanatkhan Amrenov, were among those detained. She added that she and other activists were released three hours later. Imanghalieva says she and other members of the unregistered party had officially filed a request with the Almaty city administration last week asking for permission to hold a rally on October 25. Other activists told RFE/RL that the chairwoman of an independent group of election observers, Arailym Nazarova, was also detained by police. Her mobile phone has been switched off since the morning of October 25. In the capital, Astana, police cordoned off a square near Zhengis (Victory) Avenue where activists had planned to gather, not allowing anyone to enter the site. At least two activists were detained there. Opposition activist Amangeldy Zhakhin said on Facebook on October 25 that police did not allow him to leave the village of Shortandy on October 25 as they tried to prevent his trip to Astana, the capital, where he planned to organize a rally to question the election, scheduled for November 20, at which incumbent President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev will face off against five relatively unknown candidates. Activists in the cities of Aqsai, Pavlodar, and Oskemen also said they were blocked from travelling to Astana to take part in a rally. Toqaev, who has tried to position himself as a reformer, called the early presidential election on September 1 while also proposing to change the presidential term to seven years from five years. Under the new system, future presidents will be barred from seeking more than one term. Critics say Toqaev's initiatives have been mainly cosmetic and do not change the nature of the autocratic system in a country that has been plagued for years by rampant corruption and nepotism. Toqaev's predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev, who had run the tightly controlled former Soviet republic with an iron fist for almost three decades, chose Toqaev as his successor when he stepped down in 2019. Though he was no longer president, Nazarbaev retained sweeping powers as the head of the Security Council. He also enjoyed substantial powers by holding the title of elbasy or leader of the nation. Many citizens, however, remained upset by the oppression felt during Nazarbaev's reign. Those feelings came to a head in January when unprecedented anti-government nationwide protests started over a fuel price hike, and then exploded into countrywide deadly unrest over perceived corruption under the Nazarbaev regime and the cronyism that allowed his family and close friends to enrich themselves while ordinary citizens failed to share in the oil-rich Central Asian nation's wealth. Toqaev subsequently stripped Nazarbaev of his Security Council role, taking it over himself. Since then, several of Nazarbaevs relatives and allies have been pushed out of their positions or resigned. Some have been arrested on corruption charges. In June, a Toqaev-initiated referendum removed Nazarbaev's name from the constitution and annulled his status as elbasy. In less than two months, the European Union is expected to cut about 90 percent of oil imports from Russia. The decision was announced back in May as a part of a sanctions package that was adopted in response to Moscows invasion of Ukraine. While Serbia has not joined these sanctions, this measure will likely have an impact on its oil supplies as well. Heres a look at how they will be affected. According to 2021 data, Serbia produces about 20 percent of the oil it needs and imports the rest (about 80 percent) -- mostly from Iraq. Russia is the second biggest supplier, delivering almost one-quarter of the oil imported to Serbia. Currently, Russian oil gets to Serbia via Croatia. It goes from the Omisalj Terminal to an oil refinery in Pancevo via the JANAF pipeline. However, the deliveries will likely stop as all seaborne oil imports to the EU (including Croatia) will be banned as of December 5. While tankers with Russian oil will no longer be allowed to deliver to the EU, the oil will probably still come to several European countries via Druzhba -- one of the largest oil pipeline networks. Germany and Poland are expected to stop buying Russian oil from the pipeline by the end of this year. However, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic were given temporary exemptions for these deliveries so that they would have more time to cut their dependency on Russia. As previously mentioned, Serbia is also dependent on Russian resources. Therefore, the country has recently intensified its energy cooperation with Hungary. In June for example, they signed an agreement, which provided Serbia with additional space for gas storage. Earlier this month, Hungary also said it was ready to help Serbia with gas supplies if needed. Recently, the two countries decided to take their cooperation to another level. On October 10, Hungary and Serbia agreed to build a new pipeline segment that would ensure Russian oil deliveries to Serbia by connecting the country to the Druzhba pipeline. Newly appointed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to support Ukraine to the "conclusion" of its battle to repel invading Russian troops as the Kremlin said it sees "no grounds" for a positive shift in relations with the United Kingdom. Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke by phone on October 25 after Sunak, a former finance minister, was invited to form a government by King Charles. Sunak assured Zelenskiy that the United Kingdom's support for Ukraine "would be as strong as ever under his premiership, and President Zelenskiy could count on his government to stand in continued solidarity," a spokeswoman said. Zelenskiy voiced confidence that ties between Ukraine and Britain would grow. "I believe that the partnership between our states, as well as Britain's...leadership in defending democracy and freedom will continue to strengthen further," Zelenskiy said in his nightly address to the nation. The Ukrainian leader also invited Sunak to visit Ukraine. Zelenskiy said later on Twitter: "In an excellent conversation with @RishiSunak we agreed to write a new chapter in Ukraine-U.K. relations but the story is the same -- full support in the face of Russian aggression." Sunak, a Hindu, expressed support for Ukraine in some of his first public comments after becoming the United Kingdom's first leader of color and its youngest prime minister in two centuries. The 42-year-old told reporters that he fully supports Ukraine in a "terrible war that must be seen successfully to its conclusion." Britain, along with the United States, the European Union, and many other Western allies, has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since Russian forces invaded in late February. Sunak also spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden on October 25, a Downing Street spokesperson said. Biden told Sunak that "the U.K. remains America's closest ally." The two leaders are set to meet in person at the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia. The U.K.'s support for Ukraine has strained relations with the Kremlin, which said on October 25 that it sees no reason to expect an improvement in ties any time soon. "At the moment, we see no grounds for hope that there will be any positive changes in the foreseeable future," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow. "Russia remains open and ready to discuss the most difficult issues at the negotiating table, but not to the detriment of our own interests," Peskov added. Sunak replaces Liz Truss, who was brought down after just 44 days in office by her economic program, which roiled financial markets, pushed up living costs for voters, and enraged much of her own party. Sunak, a multimillionaire former hedge fund boss, told Conservative Party lawmakers in parliament on October 24 that they faced an "existential crisis" and must "unite or die." He also said Britain faces a "profound economic challenge" and needs stability and unity. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Russian rockets and Iranian-made drones have destroyed more than one-third of Ukraine's energy sector, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a conference on Ukraine reconstruction on October 25. 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. "Russia is destroying everything so that it is harder for us to get through the winter," Zelenskiy said via video link to the Berlin conference, which was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and other senior politicians and officials. Addressing the gathering, Von der Leyen said the attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure amounted to "pure acts of terrorism" and called the scale of destruction in Ukraine "staggering," with the World Bank estimating the toll of the damage at 350 billion euros ($345 billion). Von der Leyen said a coordination platform for Ukraine's reconstruction needed to be launched "as soon as possible, preferable before the end of the year or early at the beginning of next year." Scholz told the conference that Russia's sustained drone attacks represent a new low point in its war against Ukraine but are also a sign of Moscow's desperation. Scholz said rebuilding Ukraine was a "generational task" that must start immediately, even as Russia's invasion rages on. "What is at stake here is nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century -- a generational task that must begin now," Scholz said. However, Zelenskiy told the conference that Ukraine had yet to receive "a single cent" toward a fast recovery plan worth a total $17 billion. He also asked the international community to cover an expected budget deficit of $38 billion next year for his war-torn country. And the Ukrainian Minister for Communities and Territories Development, Oleksiy Chernyshov, said the reconstruction of Ukraine must begin even while the fighting continues. "It is very important to understand that given the fact the war is still going on, the initial recovery should start right now," Chernyshov told German news agency dpa ahead of the start of the conference. Ukraine's prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, told the conference that the urgent need for rebuilding will not stop the government from enacting the reforms needed to keep the country on the path toward European Union membership. Shmyhal said that the government plans to introduce EU standards for various industrial sectors, customs reforms, and a liberalization of labor laws even as fighting continues on the ground. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa Written By Managing Editor she/her | Bridget is the Messengers managing editor. She oversees the newsroom and covers the Maple Run and Franklin West school districts, the communities of St. Albans and Fairfax and pays attention to recreation, food and the arts. She's also an avid cyclist and skier. | Local Democratic candidates running for various state seats take the stage during the rally in Taylor Park held Saturday. The group was bolstered by the appearance of Becca Balint, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch, who came out to give progressive stump speeches and prop up the Democratic vote in Franklin County. Carlsbads City Council waded into the national sanctuary state issue Monday evening, voting 4-1 to back the federal governments lawsuit against California. They also agreed the city should file a legal brief when appropriate in support of the federal action against the states Senate Bill 54, which prohibits local law enforcement officials from investigating arrestees immigration status or reporting that status to federal authorities. The weighing in on this is purely political, and its divisive, said Councilwoman Cori Schumacher, who voted against the motion. Advertisement However, the other four council members emphasized the need for public safety, and said that law enforcement officers need all the tools they can get. Our laws are becoming more difficult to enforce, said Mayor Matt Hall. It takes many agencies working together to keep us safe. A handful of other local jurisdictions have taken a position on the state law, which limits what state and local law enforcement officials from investigating arrestees immigration status or reporting it to federal authorities. Federal officials have said the law pre-empts their authority. So far three cities National City, Chula Vista and San Diego have stepped up to support the state law, while two jurisdictions Escondido and San Diego County have voted to oppose it. More than 70 people spoke at the crowded April 4 meeting where the Escondido City Council agreed to file an amicus brief in support of the federal lawsuit. The issue has led to heated meetings across the county. The Carlsbad session was calm and lightly attended, though some of the speakers were passionate. Almost 20 people addressed the council at a special single-issue meeting held at the citys Faraday Administration Center, and a majority of them supported the states sanctuary law. Councilman Keith Blackburn placed the subject on the agenda, saying the city should take a position on Senate Bill 54 because so many residents have asked about it. Resident Brian Connor said the federal lawsuit is founded on racism and raw tribalism. I think its deplorable, Connor said. We have in power now a federal government which is out of control, and I urge you to resist. Carlsbad has a low crime rate, he said, and immigrants are not a significant factor in the crimes that are committed. Others urged the council to show compassion, and said the federal government is only adding to the fear and uncertainty already in the community. Do not make news for intolerance and bigotry, resident Linda Breen told the council. I dont think that is good for our city. Glenn Bernard, a retired Marine and former teacher, urged the city to support the federal government, and compared sanctuary cities to the South in the Civil War. I cannot see the difference between a sanctuary state and a secessionist state, Bernard said. California is one of seven states in the U.S. that have declared themselves sanctuary states, according to the National Center for Immigration Studies. President Trump has said he intends to block federal public safety funding for cities and states with sanctuary policies, though so far federal judges have prohibited that action. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl PLEASANT GROVE, Utah (AP) Megan Huntsman was clear about what she did with six of her newborn babies. Huntsman, 39, told police she either strangled or suffocated them immediately after they were born. She wrapped their bodies in a towel or a shirt, put them in plastic bags and then packed them inside boxes in the garage of her home south of Salt Lake City. Whats not clear is why. A day after her arrest on charges of killing her six babies, investigators and her neighbors puzzled over the grisly discovery, including how she could have concealed a half-dozen pregnancies over a 10-year period. Advertisement How can you have a baby and not have evidence and other people know? asked neighbor SanDee Wall. You cant plan when a baby is going to come. Just the thought of somebody putting a baby into a box is a heartbreaker. Huntsman, who was arrested Sunday on six counts of murder, was ordered held on $6 million bail $1 million for each baby. The remains of a seventh baby police found appears to have been stillborn, authorities said. According to a probable cause statement released by police Monday, Huntsman said she gave birth to at least seven babies between 1996 and 2006 at her former home in Pleasant Grove, a leafy, sleepy town about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City. All but one of the babies was born alive, she said. During the interview with police, she was unemotional and matter of fact, according to Pleasant Grove police Lt. Britt Smith. Her estranged husband, Darren West, made the discovery Saturday with fellow family members while cleaning out the garage of the house, which is owned by his parents. He called Huntsman, who admitted to him it was her baby, according to court documents. West called police, who then found the bodies in the garage. Investigators believe Huntsman is the mother of them all based on what she has told them but have ordered DNA tests to make sure thats the case. They dont know who the babies fathers are. It could take weeks to get the results, Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman said. Huntsmans three daughters one teenager and two young adults also lived in the house. Investigators believe West and Huntsman were together when the babies were born, but dont believe he was aware of the killings. Buhman said Huntsman is the principle suspect, but didnt rule out more arrests as the investigation continues. Police have talked with West as they investigate his level of knowledge and involvement in the deaths, Smith said. He was living in the house during the decade that authorities believe Huntsman had killed the babies, Smith said. Hes been cooperative, and was devastated by the discovery, he said. Smith said the three daughters have been interviewed, but he declined to discuss what they said. West pleaded guilty in federal court in 2005 to two counts of possessing chemicals intended to be used in manufacturing methamphetamine, according to court records. In August 2006, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison, but appealed three times. West was released from a federal prison in California in January and transferred to a halfway house in Salt Lake City, said Chris Burke, spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. During the Drug Enforcement Administration investigation in 2005, agents stopped by the house, spoke with Huntsman and looked around but its unknown how extensive the search was. As he maintained his innocence, Huntsman wrote a letter asking a federal judge to consider leniency at sentencing. Darren is a remarkable man, husband, brother, son, son-in-law, friend and father of our three beautiful daughters, she wrote, continuing, Please we need this guy to keep our family together. Neighbor Sharon Chipman said the couple married young, and Huntsman never worked except for a short stint at a grocery store. The three daughters who were living in the house were good young women who have turned out remarkably well considering their father has been in prison, Chipman and Wall said. Wests parents have played an influential role in their upbringing, especially the youngest, who is still in junior high. Wall said shes puzzled about why Huntsman would have killed the babies, especially considering her youngest daughter, now a young teen, was born during the decade Huntsman told authorities she killed the other babies. Why was one of them saved? Wall said. Neighbors said they noticed Huntsmans weight fluctuated over the years, with her toggling between baggy and tight clothes, but they didnt realize she was pregnant. Cheryl Meyer, a psychology professor at Ohios Wright State University, said some women who kill their children hide or deny her pregnancy and then dispose of the baby after its born. Meyer said concealers are typically teenagers who do not repeat the act. These are usually girls who are 17, get pregnant, become scared to death and dont want to tell their parents, said Meyer, who has written about mothers who kill their children. Theyre not 30-year-old women who can go have an abortion. To combat this, states, including Utah, have safe haven laws that allow women to drop off unwanted newborns to authorities with no questions asked. The mother can remain anonymous as long as the child has not been subject to abuse or neglect. In coming days, defense attorneys for Huntsman are likely to closely examine her background to search for any evidence of mental illness or a family history that would help explain the alleged killings, said George Parnham, who represented Andrea Yates, the Texas woman who drowned her five children in her bathtub in 2001. Defense attorneys also will try to determine whether Huntsman sought an abortion and if she told anyone about her pregnancies all in hopes of understanding actions that otherwise appear incomprehensible, Parnham said. You start off with the very nature of what happened. Is there a rational motive? he said. ___ Associated Press writers Michelle Price in Salt Lake City and Matthew Brown in Billings, Mont., and news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report. Unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), popularly known as UFOs, are of interest for both national security and air safety and NASAs independent study on UAPs aligns with one of the agencys goals to ensure the safety of aircraft. The study began on October 24, 2022, and will be performed by 16 team members. Exploring the unknown in space and the atmosphere is at the heart of who we are at NASA, said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. Understanding the data we have surrounding UAPs is critical to helping us draw scientific conclusions about what is happening in our skies. Data are the language of scientists and makes the unexplainable, explainable. Over the course of nine months, members of NASAs UAP team will lay the groundwork for future study on the nature of UAPs for the agency and other organizations. To do this, they will identify how data gathered by civilian government entities, commercial data, and data from other sources can potentially be analyzed to shed light on UAPs. They will then recommend a roadmap for potential UAP data analysis by the agency going forward. The study will focus solely on unclassified data. A full report containing the teams findings will be released to the public in mid-2023. The NASA official responsible for orchestrating the study is Daniel Evans, the assistant deputy associate administrator for research at NASAs Science Mission Directorate. NASA has brought together some of the worlds leading scientists, data and artificial intelligence practitioners, aerospace safety experts, all with a specific charge, which is to tell us how to apply the full focus of science and data to UAPs, Dr. Evans said. The findings will be released to the public in conjunction with NASAs principles of transparency, openness, and scientific integrity. The members of NASAs team on UAPs are: (i) David Spergel, chair NASAs independent study on UAPs, is the president of the Simons Foundation where he was the founding director of its Flatiron Institute for Computational Astrophysics. (ii) Anamaria Berea is an associate professor of Computational and Data Science at George Mason University. Her research is focused on the emergence of communication in complex living systems and on data science applications in astrobiology, for the science of both biosignatures and technosignatures. (iii) Federica Bianco is a joint professor at the University of Delaware and a senior scientist at the Multi-city Urban Observatory. She is a cross-disciplinary scientist with a focus on using data-science to study the Universe and find solutions to urban-based problems on Earth. (iv) Paula Bontempi a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. (v) Reggie Brothers is the operating partner at AE Industrial Partners. (vi) Jen Buss is the CEO of the Potomac Institute of Policy Studies. She is nationally recognized as an authority in her field for science and technology trends analysis and policy solutions. (vii) Nadia Drake is a freelance science journalist and contributing writer at National Geographic. (viii) Mike Gold is the executive vice president of Civil Space and External Affairs at Redwire. (ix) David Grinspoon is a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and serves as a frequent advisor to NASA on space exploration. (x) Scott Kelly is a former NASA astronaut, test pilot, fighter pilot, and retired U.S. Navy captain. (xi) Matt Mountain is the president of the Association of Universities for Research and Astronomy (AURA). (xii) Warren Randolph is the deputy executive director of the Federal Aviation Administrations Accident Investigation and Prevention for Aviation Safety department. (xiii) Walter Scott is the executive vice president and chief technology officer of Maxar, a space technology company that specializes in earth intelligence and space infrastructure. (xiv) Joshua Semeter is a professor of electrical and computer engineering as well as the director of the Center for Space Physics at Boston University. He researches interactions between Earths ionosphere and the space environment. (xv) Karlin Toner is the acting executive director of the FAAs Office of Aviation Policy and Plans. (xvi) Shelley Wright is an associate professor of physics at the University of California, San Diegos Center for Astrophysics and Space Studies. She specializes in galaxies, supermassive black holes and building optical and infrared instruments for telescopes using adaptive optics such as integral field spectrographs. _____ This article is based on text provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Great Lakes Region: Briefing and Consultations Tomorrow morning (26 October), the Security Council will hold a briefing and consultations on the Great Lakes region. Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia will brief on the Secretary-Generals latest semi-annual report on the implementation of the 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSC Framework) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes Region, which covers the period from 16 March to 15 September (S/2022/735). Some regional countries may participate at tomorrows meeting under rule 37 of the Councils provisional rules of procedure. Xia is likely to highlight the deteriorating security situation in eastern DRC and its grave implications for regional peace and stability. The Secretary-Generals report describes the resurgence of the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23), an armed group operating in North Kivu province, and its capture in June of Bunagana, a town located on the border with Uganda. It also mentions the increasing attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group active in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, and the criminal activities of the Forces democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu armed group operating in North Kivu province. The Secretary-Generals report refers to increased tensions between the DRC and Rwanda due to mutual accusations over cross-border incidents. The Congolese government has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23, allegations which Kigali consistently denies. In this regard, the DRC has cited a leaked July report of the Group of Experts (GoE) assisting the 1533 DRC Sanctions Committee, which apparently said that the GoE has solid evidence regarding Rwandas support to the M23. Rwanda has rejected the report of the GoE. Kigali has also accused the Congolese government of supporting the FDLR. In an 18 October report, Human Rights Watch argued that the Congolese government has worked with the FDLR, providing direct support to the armed group. Xia may elaborate on the work of the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), which comprises military experts from ICGLR member states and conducts investigations on security incidents. The EJVM has investigated allegations by the DRC and Rwanda and shared its confidential reports with the two countries. The Special Envoy might reference regional diplomatic efforts carried out under the auspices of the East African Community (EAC) and the ICGLR, while underscoring the need for coordination of these efforts. Xia has also been engaging with regional leaders to advocate political solutions to ease tensions. The Secretary-Generals report describes the two-track approach that has been pursued by the EAC through the Nairobi process. This includes a political track to facilitate consultations between the Congolese government and armed groups operating in eastern DRC. Two rounds of consultations were held in Nairobi in April and May involving 56 Congolese armed groups and representatives of local communities and civil society, including of women and youth organisations. The military track entails the deployment of a regional force to curtail the activities of armed groups which refuse to engage in the political consultations in Nairobi. The Secretary-Generals report mentions the decision of the EAC heads of state summit, which was held in Arusha on 20 and 21 July, to expedite the deployment of the regional force and set up a special fund to support the process. In August, Burundi deployed an infantry battalion to South Kivu province as part of the EAC regional force. This was followed by Kenya deploying its advance forces as part of the regional force in September. Tanzania and South Sudan are expected to do the same. On 9 September, the DRCs Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Christophe Lutundula Apala Penapala and EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki signed the status of force agreement (SOFA) for the regional force. On 6 July, the Chairperson of the ICGLR, Angolan President Joao Lourenco, hosted Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Luanda for talks aimed at easing tensions. The two countries agreed on a roadmap that includes the immediate withdrawal of the M23 from occupied positions, based on the decisions of the Nairobi process. They also vowed to defeat the FDLR and its splinter groups. On 22 September, French President Emmanuel Macron facilitated a meeting between Tshisekedi and Kagame in New York and secured an agreement on the withdrawal of M23 from Bunagana. However, media reports indicate that the M23 has refused to leave the town and has resumed fighting with the Congolese armed forces. Xia may provide updates about the implementation of the PSC framework to break the cycle of conflict and violence in the DRC and the Great Lakes region. In this regard, he might refer to the meeting of the guarantors of the PSC framework the AU, the ICGLR, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the UNon 6 July in Nairobi. A communique adopted by the guarantors following the meeting welcomed the regional efforts through the Nairobi and the Luanda processes to address the deteriorating security situation in eastern DRC and reduce tension between the DRC and Rwanda. Xia may also elaborate on his offices work in support of the Contact and Coordination Group (CCG), established by countries of the region to facilitate their joint efforts in implementing non-military measures to address the security challenges in eastern DRC. He may underscore the need for the rapid activation of the CCGs operational cell to implement concrete measures to respond to the existing security challenges. In terms of promoting human rights and accountability, Xia may highlight the meeting of regional ministers of justice on 16 June in Kinshasa that led to the adoption of a declaration on enhancing regional judicial cooperation and mutual legal assistance on criminal matters. He may also speak about his efforts, together with the ICGLRs Executive Secretary Joao Samuel Caholo, to mobilise international support for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2021 Khartoum workshop on natural resources. The workshop discussed coordinated efforts by relevant stakeholders to fight the illicit exploitation and trading of natural resources in the DRC and the Great Lakes region. Council members are supportive of addressing the root causes and drivers of conflict in the Great Lakes region through a comprehensive regional approach. They may call on countries of the region to reaffirm their commitments to the PSC framework, especially in light of its upcoming tenth anniversary, which will be marked in February 2023. Council members also appreciate the role of the Special Envoy and his support for regional efforts. At tomorrows meeting, the A3 members (Gabon, Ghana and Kenya) may highlight the 31 August communique adopted by the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) that endorsed the Nairobi and Luanda processes. The Chair of the 1533 DRC Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Michel Xavier Biang (Gabon), along with representatives of several other Council members, will be visiting the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda from 7 to 18 November. They are expected to engage with relevant regional actors to identify additional individuals and entities whose actions may trigger sanctions designations, among other things. The US has been active on this issue, calling on member states to freeze the assets of M23 members and deny funds and any other economic resources to the group, which is designated under the 1533 DRC sanctions regime. Several Council members are likely to underline the need for coordination among the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and regional countries undertaking military operations in eastern DRC. Some members may underscore that such activities should comply with international humanitarian law and human rights law. They may also stress the need to ensure coordination of ongoing regional efforts. France may recall the September meeting between the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda facilitated by Macron and emphasise the need for the two countries to implement their agreements. Several Council members are expected to express support for non-military solutions to the persistent security challenges in the region and encourage enhanced efforts by the CCG in this regard. Some members may also emphasise the need to address the issue of illegal exploitation of natural resources, as well as the spread of small arms and light weapons in the region. Syria: Meetings on the Political, Humanitarian and Chemical Weapons Tracks This morning (25 October), the Security Council will hold a briefing on the political and humanitarian situations in Syria, which will feature briefings from Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and OCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy Reena Ghelani, respectively. Consultations may follow. This afternoon, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu is expected to provide a briefing to the Council, possibly followed by consultations, on the Syria chemical weapons track. Political Track Pedersen is likely to describe his offices efforts to facilitate contacts among the parties to the Syria Constitutional Committeethe government side, the opposition, and civil societywith the aim of reconvening the committee in Geneva before the end of the year. In recent months, the government delegation to the Constitutional Committee has refused to participate in a new round of talks, apparently because of Russias stated concerns about the venue for the meetings, which have been held at UN premises in Geneva, Switzerland, since the committees launch in 2019. Russia has stated that it does not view Switzerlandwhich has supported EU sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine on 24 Februaryas an impartial actor. At the 14 September Council meeting on Syria, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia (Russia) said that it was important for the Constitutional Committee to resume its work but added that the discussions should not [be] tied to a specific location, while the UK and the US accused Russia of stalling the convening of the committee. Notwithstanding disagreements over the location of the committees meetings, at the 29 August Council briefing on Syria, Pedersen observed that the real problem with the committee is not the delay in convening it, but its lack of progress on substance. In previous sessions of the Constitutional Committee, the parties have not been able to engage in meaningful discussions about their amendments to proposals on constitutional principles. Pedersen is also expected to update the Council on his efforts to promote what he has referred to as a step-for-step approach to the political process, whereby various stakeholders in the Syria conflict would agree on reciprocal confidence-building measures. In this regard, following a 17 October meeting in Damascus with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the Special Envoy told reporters that he had discussed with Mekdad his ideas for all parties to engage in a step-for-step process. While he did not specify their precise nature, Pedersen has previously noted that confidence-building measures could focus on such matters as abductees, detainees, and missing persons; humanitarian assistance and early recovery; conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees; and the restoration of better economic conditions. Council members may be interested in learning more about his discussions about step-for-step measures with Mekdad, as well as conversations on this issue that Pedersen had held with various government officials and diplomats in New York, Washington, Berlin and Amman in September and October. Humanitarian Track The precarious security situation in Syria is an expected focus of todays meeting. Ghelani may underscore that civilian casualties continue to result from airstrikes, shelling, gunfire, and the use of improvised explosive devices by the different conflict parties, particularly in the north-west, the north-east and the south of the country. She might also express concern about airstrikes in and around civilian sites, such as health facilities and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Ghelani may note that the humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate amid a shortage of funding to address this situation. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths noted in his 14 September Council briefing that 14.6 million people are in need of assistancethe highest number since the wars outset. As at 30 September, the humanitarian response plan for Syria was 26.7 percent funded. Members are likely to be interested in hearing an update from Ghelani on the delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria, both cross-line (that is, across domestic frontlines from Syrian government-held areas into areas outside government control) and cross-border (through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border). Ghelani may note that the most recent cross-line delivery occurred on 22-23 October, with 18 trucks entering north-west Syria from Aleppo, carrying food, water, sanitation items, and other supplies that are expected to assist some 56,000 people. Most Council members emphasise the importance of aid delivery through both cross-line and cross-border modalities in Syria, while underscoring that the cross-border aid mechanism, most recently renewed through resolution 2642 in July, is essential to saving lives in Syria. In contrast, China and Russia believe that cross-border deliveries are an extraordinary measure that undermines Syrias sovereignty and should be supplanted by enhanced cross-line assistance. These differing perspectives are likely to be reiterated today. Ghelani may also share with Council members the latest information on early recovery and livelihood projects in Syria. The Secretary-Generals most recent 60-day report on the humanitarian situation in Syria (S/2022/775), dated 19 October, notes that over 350 such projects were being implemented in Syrias 14 governates by late August. These projects include the repair of essential civilian infrastructure, solid waste removal, and vocational training, among other areas. Another issue that Ghelani may discuss is the rising incidence of cholera across the country. The outbreak of the disease was announced by Syrias Ministry of Health on 10 September. As at 14 October, 68 deaths had been registered from cholera and 15,823 cases of the disease were suspected across the country, according to the World Health Organization. The Secretary-Generals 19 October report says that the source of the outbreak is likely tied to people drinking unhealthy water from the Euphrates River and irrigating their crops with contaminated water. It adds that the cholera crisis has been exacerbated by water scarcity in the country, which has limited access to safe water supplies and is due to factors such as inconsistent rainfall and damage to water infrastructure. Council members are likely to express concern about the cholera outbreak in Syria. They may be interested in hearing more about the steps that are being taken by humanitarian actors on the ground to assist the government in curtailing the spread of the disease. Chemical Weapons Track This afternoon, Nakamitsu is expected to reiterate, as she has consistently for several years in her briefings to the Council, that gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies remain in Syrias declaration of its chemical weapons stockpiles to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). She may note that the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) has been unable to hold its 25th round of consultations with Syrian authorities in Damascus, as the Syrian government has been unwilling to issue a visa to the DATs lead technical expert. Nakamitsu may further reiterate that the OPCW has not received information on the unauthorised movement of the two cylinders related to the chemical weapon incident that took place in Douma on 7 April 2018, as she most recently noted in her 29 September briefing to the Council. Council members hold starkly different views on the chemical weapons track in Syria. Several members have expressed support for the OPCWs work, maintaining that it is credible and essential, and have criticised Syria for not adhering to its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia, on the other hand, claims that the OPCWs work is biased and politicised. Other members tend to be less critical of either the OPCW or the Syrian authorities, emphasising the need for both sides to enhance their cooperation with one another. Delegates launch the Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2022 in Hanoi on October 25. (Photo: VNA) The event seeks innovation and digital transformation solutions to enhance the capacity of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It focuses on improving SMEs governance capacity, strengthening their ties with foreign invested and major companies, supporting Vietnamese SMEs to grow strongly to proactively join and move to higher positions in global supply chains, and reinforcing connectivity and the effectiveness of policy dialogue between the Government and businesses. Speaking at the launch in Hanoi, Vu Quoc Huy, Director of the Vietnam National Innovation Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), said the annual program is part of the MPIs InnovateVN initiative, in which NIC works with domestic and foreign tech firms and partners to promote innovation-based economic growth with new business models, products, and processes. This initiative aims to assist the development of 500 pioneering innovation businesses by 2030 and help improve the public sectors innovation capacity. It also plays the core role in nurturing a comprehensive innovation ecosystem in Vietnam and developing the country into an attractive destination for global technology and innovation investors, he added. Participants in the launching ceremony on October 25. (Photo: VNA) In his remarks, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung called for cooperation among the public sector, the private sector, and domestic and foreign socio-economic elements to invent, test, and carry out innovation initiatives for a prosperous Vietnam. Rafael Frankel, director of public policy for South Asia and Southeast Asia at the Meta group, said his company hopes the solutions sought in this program will strongly fuel digital transformation and promote the competitiveness of over 800,000 SMEs in Vietnam. According to the MPI, the 2022 program invites solutions and initiatives from organizations and individuals around the world. The best 15 entries will be honored at a ceremony slated for April 2023. Apart from prizes totaling US$300,000, winning solutions will be implemented in Vietnamese localities. Their inventors will receive assistance from NIC, Meta and other partners, including Goldsun Media, Up Co-working Space, Amazon Web Services, Google and Viettel, to improve capacity, research and develop products, and advertise solutions. Vietnamplus Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen (R) receives newly-appointed Consul General of Belarus to HCMC, Ruslan Varrankou. At the receiving ceremony for the Consul General of Belarus, Mr. Nguyen Van Nen extended his congratulations on Mr. Ruslan Varrankous new position on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The citys Party Chief hoped the new Consul General of Belarus would contribute to further promoting the relationship between the two nations, especially HCMC and Belaruss localities. He expressed his sincere thanks for the sharing and support taken by the Republic of Belarus in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in the southern economic hub. The citys leader highly appreciated Vietnam-Belarus cooperative relations and believed it would be continually developed when the bilateral cooperation in economy and investment still has high growth potential. He hailed the opening of the Consulate General by Belarus in the southern metropolis and wished Consul General of Belarus to HCMC, Ruslan Varrankou a success in the new tenure in the city. At the reception for newly-appointed Consul General of Belarus to HCMC, Ruslan Varrankou For his part, Mr.Ruslan Varrankou affirmed that Belarus is keen to develop cooperation with Vietnam. The Consulate General of Belarus would focus on strengthening relations between the two countries, including HCMC and localities in Belarus. He informed that Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko will visit Vietnam at the end of this year with the participation of many businesses and investors. The visit is expected to create a driving force and new potential for the two nations. Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen (R) and Consul General of Switzerland to HCMC Werner Bardill At the receiving ceremony for Consul General of Switzerland to HCMC Werner Bardill, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen recalled 50 years of the long-lasting relationship between Vietnam and Switzerland. He expressed his sincere thanks for the sharing and support taken by Switzerland in the fight against the pandemic battle and its official development assistance (ODA) program on poverty reduction and other effective projects. He hoped that HCMC would continue to enhance cooperation with Switzerland in the main sectors, including finance, banking, construction of transport infrastructure, urban planning, and building science and technology. Consul General of Switzerland to HCMC Werner Bardill said that he pays attention to the enhancement of cooperation with the city in the fields of economy, commerce, culture, and science. He hoped that HCMCs leaders would create favorable conditions for Swiss businesses in the coming time. By Thanh Hang Translated by Kim Khanh Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Hieu (upper, left) and Namibian Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Jenelly Matundu (upper, right) hold talks via videoconference on October 24. (Photo: VNA) Deputy Minister Hieu valued the two countries cooperation at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, and thanked Namibia for backing Vietnams candidacy for a seat in the UN Human Rights Council for 2023 -2025. Speaking highly of bilateral relations, Matundu underlined her countrys consistent support for Vietnams struggle for national liberation in the past as well as national development efforts at present. She also asked Vietnam to share experience in addressing war aftermath and coordinate in the implementation of the UN Security Councils Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace, and security. The two officials agreed to increase all-level mutual visits and step up meetings between Vietnamese and Namibian ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses so as to create prerequisites for multifaceted partnerships, especially in economy, trade, and investment. They held that there remains much room for cooperation in economy, trade, and investment. They highlighted the determination to raise bilateral trade by providing the best possible conditions for commodities of the two countries' strength to enter each others markets and encouraging enterprises to seek investment and business chances in each others countries. With 80 percent of agricultural products in Namibia imported, Matundu said this is a big opportunity for Vietnamese firms and investors, adding that her country hopes to export meat and meat products to the Southeast Asian nation. Both sides shared the view that their countries boast huge potential for agricultural cooperation. Hieu noted Vietnam has reaped many agricultural achievements and also successfully carried out agricultural cooperation projects in many African countries. It is ready to share experience and work with Namibia to develop agriculture like what have been obtained in a trilateral project on fisheries among Vietnam, Namibia, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Matundu also called on Vietnam to resume the exchange of agricultural experts to help Namibia with rice farming and aquaculture, which was implemented during 2010 - 2014. In addition, Namibia wishes to learn from Vietnams experience in building the Diplomatic Academy and promote the exchange of experts, lecturers, and students, she noted. During the talks, the two sides also agreed to accelerate the negotiation of important agreements to create preconditions for bilateral cooperation. Deputy Minister Matundu said she will ask her ministrys units to ratify the agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders between the two countries early. VNA Here are stocks to watch out for: Reliance Industries: The oil-to-telecom major Reliance Industries announced consolidated profit at Rs 13,656 crore in Q2FY23, against Rs 13,680 crore in the same period last year. Revenues surged 33.7% to Rs 2.32 lakh crore, led by strong performance of the oil-to-chemical, telecom and retail operations during the quarter. Consolidated operating profit, including the impact of special additional excise duty imposed by the government in July, surged 14.5% on year to Rs 34,663 crore. Jio Platforms recorded 27% YoY growth in profit at Rs 4,729 crore backed by strong topline and operating performance, with average revenue per user growing 23.5% YoY to Rs 177.2 per subscriber per month during the quarter. ICICI Bank: The country's second largest private sector lender witnessed 37% YoY growth in Q2FY23 standalone profit at Rs 7,558 crore, with a significant fall in bad loan provisions. Net interest income increased 26.5% YoY to Rs 14,787 crore, with net interest margin expanding around 30 bps on sequential as well as on year basis. Kotak Mahindra Bank: The bank reported 27% YoY growth in standalone profit at Rs 2,581 crore for Q2FY23. Net interest income also grew 27% YoY to Rs 5,099 crore, with net interest margin expanding by 72 bps YoY to 5.17% for the quarter. The bank reported a significant 68% YoY decline in provisions and contingencies at Rs 137 crore, while the asset quality performance for the quarter has also seen further improvement in Q2. RBL Bank: The bank's Q2FY23 profit grew 6.5 times YoY to Rs 201.55 crore on a low base. There was a considerable decline in provisions and contingencies at Rs 241 crore, a YoY drop of 26 percent. Net interest income grew 16% YoY to Rs 1,064 crore during the quarter, with net interest margin rising 49 bps YoY to 4.55%. Gross NPA declined by 28 bps QoQ but there was a 10 bps QoQ increase in net NPA. Yes Bank: The lender recorded a 32% YoY decline in profit at Rs 153 crore, impacted by higher provisions for bad loans that surged 54% YoY to Rs 583 crore in Q2FY23. Net interest income for the quarter at Rs 1,991 crore increased by 32% YoY, with net interest margin expanding by 40 bps YoY (up 20 bps QoQ) to 2.6%. Hindustan Unilever: The company's profit grew by 19.6% year-on-year to Rs 2,616 crore in quarter ended September FY23, with domestic volume growth at 4%. Revenue increased 15.9% YoY to Rs 14,751 crore during the quarter. EBITDA rose by 7.8% to Rs 3,377 crore, but margin fell by 170 bps YoY to 22.9% in Q2FY23. HUL declared an interim dividend of Rs 17 per share for FY23. Zydus Lifesciences: The company has received approval from USFDA to market Ketorolac tromethamine tablets. The drug is used for relieving moderately severe pain, usually after surgery. The drug will be manufactured at company's formulation manufacturing facility at Ahmedabad SEZ. Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Bega Cheeses chief executive Paul van Heerwaarden will step down from his position within the next few months, with chief operating officer Pete Findlay set to take his place. Van Heerwaarden has been with the dairy giant for more than a decade and has been in the CEO role for nearly six years. Begas current CEO, Paul van Heerwarden (left) is set to retire in coming months, with chief operating officer Pete Findlay (right) appointed his successor. Credit:Eamon Gallagher During his time in the top job, he oversaw the acquisition of US multinational snacking giant Mondelez grocery business in Australia, which included Vegemite and other Kraft brands, as well as the acquisition of Lion Dairy and Drinks, which brought household names Yoplait, Big M and Pura Milk back into Australian hands. Executive chairman Barry Irwin commended Van Heerwaarden for managing the company through many changes and for his dedication to dealing with challenges and opportunities. People who have heard Scott speak in meetings say she has been critical of Trumps election denial claims, though she mostly keeps her personal politics private. (She is registered as unaffiliated.) One colleague recalled that in a meeting shortly after the 2020 election, Scott seemed in disbelief as she described how people she considered otherwise serious and rational thought there was any chance Trump could legitimately stop President Joe Bidens inauguration. And according to a message that Scott sent around the same time, which Dominion lawyers recently cited in court, she warned against giving the crazies an inch, referring to pro-Trump conspiracy theorists. NPR first reported on that message, but a transcript of the hearing in which it was disclosed has since been sealed by a judge at Foxs request. Fox has suffered several setbacks in court lately as it has tried to narrow the scope of the case and limit what internal communications it is required to hand over to Dominion. A judge has granted voting company Dominion access to her emails and text messages from the period after the 2020 election when Fox anchors and guests amplified some of the most outrageous falsehoods about Dominion and its supposed role in a plot to steal the election. Credit:AP In a statement, Fox News Media lauded Scott for expanding the company into numerous new businesses. We are extremely proud of Suzanne rising through the ranks to become one of the most successful CEOs in the media industry and her track record of incredible results speaks for itself. Lawyers for Fox have said that its commentary on the 2020 election and Dominion was protected by the First Amendment and inherently newsworthy. There is nothing more newsworthy than covering the president of the United States and his lawyers making allegations, Fox News Media said in a statement. Dominion has disputed that. If it were up to Fox, the more newsworthy the lie, the greater their right to spread it, a Dominion spokesperson said. However, the First Amendment does not give broadcasters the right to knowingly spread lies or disregard the truth. Scott, 56, enjoys a close relationship with the Murdochs, who value the knowledge of Fox News she has accumulated over nearly 30 years with the network and who trust that she has the right vision to expand the business as cord cutting threatens the cable industry, according to two senior Fox colleagues. The Murdochs, however, have been forced to make hard choices about even their most favoured CEOs when scandal overwhelms. In 2010, Rupert Murdoch, chair of Fox Corp., reluctantly pushed out Rebekah Brooks, who ran his British newspapers and was a close protege, amid a police investigation into phone hacking by journalists who worked for her. Scott maintains a much more discreet profile than her predecessor, Roger Ailes, a whisperer to Republican presidents who cultivated a Svengali-like image in the media before numerous accusations of sexual harassment led to his downfall. She grew up in northern New Jersey, where she lives today with her husband and teenage daughter. Her first job for Fox was as an assistant to one of Ailes top deputies. Her first big promotion was to a senior producer position on Greta Van Susterens show. She would go on to oversee network talent and then programming. Colleagues say she pays careful attention to whats on Fox, often watching from her office with the sound off and occasionally offering advice to producers and hosts on how sets could look better, outfits sharper and guests could be more compelling. Under her direction, Fox News has maintained not only one of the biggest audiences in cable but also in all of television, occasionally drawing more viewers than traditional broadcast networks such as ABC. And Fox News collects far higher ad rates than its competitors an average of almost $US9,000 for a 30-second commercial in prime time, compared with about $US6,200 for CNN and $US5,300 for MSNBC, according to the Standard Media Index, an independent research firm. (The writer of this article is an MSNBC contributor.) As CEO, Scott has adopted a mostly deferential view of dealing with talent, current and former hosts said. Loading Ailes believed that no host should ever assume they were bigger than the network or him. In 2010, for instance, after Hannity made plans to broadcast his show from a Tea Party rally in Cincinnati where organisers had billed him as the star attraction, Ailes ordered the host to scrap his plans and return to New York, threatening to put a chimpanzee on the air if he didnt make it back in time, recalled one former Fox employee. But in a sign of how times have changed, star hosts such as Carlson and Hannity have spoken at political events in recent years. According to one Fox journalist, the biggest stars at the network are given much wider latitude today. Speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, this person added: Tucker is in charge of Tucker. Hannity is in charge of Hannity. Carlson, whose 8pm show draws the highest ratings of any in cable news prime time, has boasted about operating without any interference from upper management. I dont clear anything with anybody, Carlson said recently at a journalism symposium. One Fox executive who speaks regularly with Scott said Carlsons claim is not true. Scott has faced criticism for not reining in some of Foxs biggest names, including Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity. Credit:AP Scotts supporters argue that much of the tone of the criticism that shes too hands-off is sexist. Her supporters are also quick to point out that Scott has elevated numerous women into powerful spots, forming a League of Their Own, as some inside Fox have taken to calling it. Dana Perino, Harris Faulkner, Sandra Smith and Martha MacCallum all have their own daytime shows. And for the first time, a woman, Shannon Bream, is the host of Fox News Sunday, the networks signature political talk show. If she were the CEO of CNN, lets be honest, the cover stories would never end, said Perino, a former aide to President George W. Bush who co-hosts two hours on Fox News every weekday. She doesnt get that kind of recognition, but she doesnt need it either. The picture of Scott that was painted in lawsuits filed by former Fox News female employees over Ailes misconduct, however, was not quite so flattering. In one from former anchor Julie Roginsky, for instance, Scott is described as part of a team that recruited employees to publicly disparage Gretchen Carlson, the former host whose secret recordings of her meetings with Ailes helped bring him down. Fox has denied those claims. Several women and men who worked at Fox said Scott was viewed as the enforcer of Ailes leggy, blonde aesthetic for women on the air while she was a more junior executive, communicating to them things a man could not say. Ailes, according to one former Fox executive who spoke directly to him about his relationship with Scott, once said: I dont want to call you guys to tell the girls to hike their skirts up. So I call Suzanne. In a statement, Fox News Media defended Scott, noting that she had increased the number of women in executive roles by 50 per cent. She has revitalised the culture and led a reorganisation of the management structure, the statement said. The story of longtime anchor Shepard Smiths departure in the fall of 2019 revealed much about her reluctance to police top Fox talent. According to two people who spoke to Smith, one of the few politically independent voices left at the network then, his employment became untenable after he and Carlson took veiled shots at each other on their respective programs over the validity of the charges that would eventually lead to Trumps first impeachment. Loading Smith, they said, was stunned that week to read on the website of Vanity Fair something he knew wasnt true: that Scott had told him to stop criticising Carlson or she would pull him off the air. Smith, who had already quietly been negotiating his exit from Fox, told friends he believed that Carlson was behind the erroneous leak. He demanded that Scott and Jay Wallace, president of Fox News, personally issue a full-throated denial of the story. None came only a quote from a Fox representative in the Hollywood Reporter saying that neither executive had spoken directly to Smith about the incident. Three weeks later, Smith shocked colleagues when he announced live on his 3pm program that he was leaving Fox News after 23 years. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The financial markets response to Xi Jinpings coronation and the belated release of Chinas third-quarter economic data was, well, lets just say it was less than enthusiastic. Sharemarkets tumbled and the yuan slid, again. The Shanghai Composite was down 2 per cent; the CSI 300 was down 2.9 per cent; Hong Kongs Hang Seng index lost 6.4 per cent (a 13-year low) and Nasdaqs Golden Dragon index of US-listed Chinese stocks slumped 14.4 per cent. The offshore yuan hit a record low and has now fallen more than 12 per cent in the past six months. Whether markets responded to the confirmation of Xis third term and the complete stacking of the Politburo Standing Committee, the centre of power in China, with his loyalists, or to the release of the countrys third-quarter economic data a week after its scheduled release is impossible to deduce. In reality, it is probably a mixture of both. Chinese President Xi Jinpings appointment to a third term hasnt been well received by markets. Credit:AP The composition of the Politburo was unsettling for investors, particularly foreign investors, because it makes it more likely that Xi will persist with his hardline economic and social policies, particularly the zero-COVID policy that has caused rolling disruptions within the economy. The gambling of billions of dollars in dirty cash through NSW poker machines could be combated by the mandatory use of cashless cards, according to the findings of a joint law enforcement agency inquiry set to cause shockwaves through Australias gaming sector. An inquiry, Project Islington, led by the secretive and powerful NSW Crime Commission, found a significant amount of money which is put through poker machines is the proceeds of crime, including drug dollars, and called for the introduction of cashless gaming cards. Mandatory cashless gaming cards would hinder money laundering, report finds. Credit:Nick Moir Billions of dollars gambled in NSW in the year to 30 June 2021 was dirty money, Project Islington found, while warning that some pubs and clubs were failing to do enough to stop drug cash entering their machines. The inquirys conclusions about the rampant breaches of money laundering laws are significant because it is the first time any dedicated law enforcement investigation has unequivocally said poker machines are being used by criminals to gamble vast amounts of tainted cash, shattering claims by the gaming lobby there is no dirty money problem in pokies venues. Long before the reality renovation television show of the same name, the Dymocks Building on Sydneys George Street was called The Block. Promoted as Sydneys most modern building, with shops on 11 floors, it was described in 1929 as a refuge to those who object to the noise and bustle of traffic. Dymocks has been selling books on the same spot in George Street since the 1880s. Credit:State Library of NSW Designed by architect F.H.B. Wilton, the interwar Commercial Palazzo-style building is among 50 of Sydneys most significant buildings that will be open to the public during Sydney Open on November 5 and 6. Sydney Open takes the public into homes and spaces usually off limits, including buildings designed by architect Harry Seidler; the home Woodlands, where Ethel Turner wrote Seven Little Australians; and Wirian, the home of artist Martin Sharp. A surprise plea of guilty by Sydney man Scott White earlier this year to the 1988 murder of Scott Johnson should not have been accepted by a judge because there was no evidence White understood what he was admitting to, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal has been told. White shocked his legal team in January during a hearing to determine the admissibility of evidence ahead of his trial for the murder of Johnson, whose naked body was found at the bottom of a cliff at Manlys North Head. White was arraigned as a formality, but sensationally declared I am guilty. Scott White, right, has been sentenced for the 1988 murder of Scott Johnson. At the time, Whites lawyers unsuccessfully applied to have the plea withdrawn, with Justice Helen Wilson observing he had been clear and emphatic, and despite suffering from anxiety and an intellectual disability was found to be fit to plead. But on Tuesday, Whites barrister Tim Game, SC, told the Court of Criminal Appeal his client had made a plea of convenience without fully grasping what he was admitting to. NSW megaprojects are being over-engineered with tonnes of unnecessary, costly materials driving up the price and carbon footprint of the multibillion-dollar builds, Infrastructure Minister Rob Stokes has warned. Stokes said NSW would fail to reach its goal of a net zero economy by 2050 without addressing overservicing in its $110-billion infrastructure pipeline, where concrete and steel are being superfluously added to projects. NSW Infrastructure Minister Rob Stokes says the state must rethink how it approaches large infrastructure projects. Credit:Rhett Wyman Carbon emissions from construction material including concrete and steel are estimated to represent up to 10 per cent of Australias carbon output. A new report produced by Stokes and Infrastructure NSW has flagged including those emissions in the business cases of future projects. We want things to be robust and well-built, but that shouldnt mean just throwing more concrete and steel into our bridges, roads and railways, Stokes told the Herald. Shots fired in alleged armed robbery at Sydney shopping centre Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss Four new Catholic primary schools, a new school campus, and upgrades to 13 Catholic and low-fee independent schools have been promised by Premier Daniel Andrews in an election funding pledge valued at $717 million over four years. The announcement focuses on Victorias growth areas, particularly in the west and north-east of Melbourne, with two new schools and an upgrade promised in the key state election seats of Yan Yean and Melton. Independent and Catholic schools will receive hundreds of millions in new funding if Labor is re-elected. Credit:iStock Federal seat McEwen, which covers state seat Yan Yean, had a -2 per cent swing against Labor in this years federal election. Similarly, the federal electorate of Hawke, which covers Melton, had a -2.59 per cent swing against the ALP. Of the funding, $450 million will go towards building and upgrading Catholic and independent schools across the state, with Catholic schools receiving at least 70 per cent of the investment, in line with their share of students. Homicide detectives have charged a fourth man in connection to the fatal shooting of a former associate of jailed drug kingpin Tony Mokbel in Melbournes south-east more than three years ago. Mitat Rasimi was ambushed and shot dead just metres away from his home in Dandenong on March 3, 2019, allegedly because of a debt he owed the Comancheros. Mitat Rasimi. Credit:Nine News Rasimi, who was driving his car at the time of the hit, was found unresponsive with a number of gunshot wounds by police after crashing into a pole on Dawn Avenue. He had attended a meeting at a coffee shop frequented by members of the Albanian community on Lonsdale Street in Dandenong in the hours before being gunned down. Warning: This report contains details which some readers may find distressing. One of the states most prolific paedophiles horrific abuse unravelled when his daughter noticed a hidden camera set up in the family bathroom and asked her mother what it was. His wife later asked their four children, what are the rules about our private parts? The children responded not to show anyone, or let anyone touch them. One then asked, is it OK if Daddy takes photos? Suspicious, the wife separated from the 47-year-old businessman in 2019 and in 2021 scoured their home and work space for clues, uncovering an empty USB. Im so tired all the time, reads another submission, and no one can help me. Most are anonymous, but Mary Klestadt, 65, wanted to tell her story. She was working out five times a week and managing the family company; after a mild bout of COVID she now has crushing and immovable fatigue that sleep and rest cant touch. Reading is exhausting; holding a conversation almost impossible. Examine, a free weekly newsletter covering science with a sceptical, evidence-based eye, is sent every Tuesday. Below is an excerpt sign up to get the whole newsletter in your inbox. A third submission comes from a person trying to push through headaches, nausea and brain fog, while watching her sick leave slowly dwindle. She has an appointment at a long COVID clinic in 90 days. I worry about being out of the house for more than a couple of hours. Some days the whole thing just makes me cry. I hope it is going to start getting better soon. Weve looked before at the evidence on risk and prevalence of long COVID suffice to say I dont think the question of how likely anyone is to get it is settled. Australia needs high-quality prevalence studies, particularly because our risk will be different to other countries: most people infected with COVID in Australia were already vaccinated. But even if the true risk is very small, the absolute number of people with long COVID is going to be large because so many people have been infected. Arguing about prevalence, as Burnet Institute deputy director Professor Margaret Hellard pointed out to the parliamentary inquiry committee, probably misses the point. Submissions to the inquiry paint a picture of baffled GPs and disbelieving friends and family. Associate Professor Louis Irving from the Royal Melbourne Hospitals post-COVID clinic told the inquiry his neuropsychologists had been doing cognitive testing on young people with brain fog; they could find no abnormality, he said, other than hypervigilance. There are no longer four horsemen of the Apocalypse. There are five stubborn donkeys of debt and deficit, and their names are interest, aged care, health, defence and the NDIS. The 2022-23 redo budget from Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher reveals clearly just how the new crew are wreaking havoc through the nations finances. Several factors will wreak havoc on the economy. Credit:Louie Douvis So out of control is one donkey, the cost of servicing the federal budgets interest bill will surpass what the government spends on the nations public hospitals by 2025-26. Since taking office, Chalmers and Gallagher have referenced the five spending donkeys and the long-term financial risk they pose. An ambitious agreement between the federal and state governments will build an extra 20,000 affordable homes over five years and aims to boost the level of housing construction to more than 200,000 properties a year to help address the countrys housing crisis. The government will spend an extra $350 million on building 10,000 affordable homes in the five years from 2024, and states and territories have agreed to contribute funding or in-kind support to construct 10,000 more in that time frame. The Commonwealth will provide finance through the Housing Australia Future Fund to build social and affordable housing. Credit:Rhett Wyman Those commitments are on top of the governments previously announced target of building 30,000 social and affordable homes in the first five years of the Housing Australia Future Funds creation. The scheme to build 1 million new homes, as reported on Tuesday morning, was confirmed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers in his first budget speech on Tuesday evening. What you should know: The government has bundled together cheaper childcare, an expanded paid parental leave scheme, cheaper medicines, more affordable housing and future wages growth as a $7.5 billion plan to deliver cost-of-living relief. But cheaper medicines wont start until January 1, and the other measures begin even further into the future while families are feeling the crunch now. Defence and foreign affairs Funding for defence rises 8 per cent in 2022-23 and rises to more than 2 per cent of GDP over the next four years. Aid funding will rise to $1.4 billion over four years, with $900 million of that to be spent in the Pacific and $470 million for South-East Asia. What you should know: After close to $50 billion in promises back in March to fund cyber warfare capabilities, increase the number of defence personnel to 80,000 people, and purchase equipment, this budget is very steady as she goes, as the government awaits strategic reviews due in March. Aid funding has increased and is squarely focused on the region. Infrastructure Theres $8.1 billion for priority rail and road projects, including nearly $2.6 billion for Victoria, just under $2.1 billion for Queensland, $1.4 billion for NSW and $630 million for Western Australia. The headline projects include $2.2 billion for Melbournes Suburban Rail Loop, $866 million for Queenslands Bruce Highway, $500 million to begin planning and early work on high-speed rail from Sydney to Newcastle, and $400 million for an Alice Springs to Halls Creek corridor upgrade. Funding for new dams has been slashed by $1.7 billion over four years. What you should know: The headline figure for the Coalitions last budget in March was $17.9 billion for priority rail and road projects. This time round, the numbers are smaller $8.1 billion in keeping with the limited ambition of Chalmers first budget. Loading Housing The housing accord between governments, investors and industry has been unveiled with a target to build one million new homes over five years, starting in 2024. To get it started, an initial $350 million down payment has been made to pay for 10,000 affordable homes. Election promises feature heavily, including the Housing Australia Future Fund, which aims to build an extra 30,000 social and affordable homes, a Help to Buy scheme that is supposed to get 40,000 eligible Australians into a home with a lower deposit, and a Regional First Home Buyer guarantee to create another 10,000 home owners each year. What you should know: The fact Anthony Albanese grew up in social housing is central to his origin story, and affordable housing has been a central focus of the prime minister for years. This budget represents an expansion of Labors election promises. Loading Health From January 1, the governments election promise of cheaper medicines will be delivered. In practice, that means the PBS maximum co-payment to get a script filled will fall from $42.50 to $30. The states pitch to extend additional COVID funding beyond the end of 2022 has been denied, but $235 million will be spent over four years for so-called urgent care clinics to reduce pressure on public hospitals. There is also $2.6 billion in funding for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments for people who are at risk. The National Disability Insurance Scheme will cost $166.6 billion over four years, a rise of $8.8 billion, while the agency that runs the scheme will hire an extra 380 staff at a cost of $158.2 million. A fraud squad will be created to stop the scheme being rorted, at a cost of $126 million over four years. What you should know: State government pleas to extend extra hospital funding have fallen on deaf ears, which all but guarantees a federal-state funding fight as the year draws to a close. Education, skills and small business TAFE is a big winner, with the government to fund 480,000 fee-free places. Indigenous Australians, young people, jobseekers, unpaid carers and people with a disability will be given priority access. From January 1, 180,000 of the places will be available at a cost of $1 billion, and another 300,000 from 2024. Universities will have an extra 20,000 places funded over two years, at a cost of $485.5 million, with health, education, engineering and technology courses given priority. Ten thousand new energy apprenticeships will be offered to train people as electricians who could, for example, install solar power systems and with support payments of up to $10,000 during their apprenticeship. Loading What you should know: Like much else in the budget, this package of measures is focused on delivering Labors pre-election promises and priorities. The higher education sector will welcome this extra spending, as will the business community, which is crying out for more skilled workers. Climate and natural disasters The government has poured billions into supporting families. That includes $531.6 million over the next four years to expand the Commonwealth paid parental leave program from 18 to 26 weeks but the full six subsidised months wont be available to new parents until 2026. The government is also spending $4.6 billion to increase childcare subsidy rates for all families with annual incomes below $530,000 up to a maximum of 90 per cent. Parents can expect more financial support. Credit:Peter Braig Treasury estimates the childcare subsidy changes will increase the number of hours worked by women with young children by up to 1.4 million hours a week the equivalent of an additional 37,000 full-time workers. The government has also unveiled a housing agreement between all levels of government, and has set a target for 1 million homes built in five years to help ease the housing crunch and provide affordable housing across the country to those who need it, including women fleeing domestic violence, and essential workers. Some families may also get assistance buying a home, including through the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, which will provide 10,000 places each financial year for home buyers to get into the market with a 5 per cent deposit. A separate Help to Buy shared equity scheme will also assist some home buyers to purchase a new or existing home with a smaller deposit. Retirees More retirees will have access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, with the income threshold for access to be lifted from $61,284 to $90,000 for singles and from $98,054 to $144,000 (combined) for couples, at a cost of almost $70 million over four years. More retirees will have access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. Credit:Peter Braig There has been an extension of an existing tax break allowing one-off post-tax contributions to superannuation of up to $300,000 from the sale of family home, with the minimum eligibility age lowered from 60 to 55 years of age. Loading Medicines will be cheaper for about 3.6 million Australians. General patient co-payment for treatments on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will be reduced from $42.50 to $30 on January 1, 2023. Age pensioners can access a one-off $4000 credit to their work bonus income banks in 2022-23, to give older Australians the option to work and keep more of their money. The temporary income bank credit will increase the amount pensioners can earn this financial year from $7800 to $11,800 before their pension is reduced, enabling pensioners who want to work to immediately boost the supply of labour to help meet shortages. Those retirees in aged care facilities will benefit from new requirements for a qualified registered nurse on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week from July 1, 2023. Average care minutes will increase to 215 per resident, per day, from October 2024. Taxes on electric vehicles will be reduced to help encourage uptake. High-income earners There are no changes in the budget to the legislated stage three personal income tax cuts, which will see the 37 per cent tax bracket abolished, the 32.5 per cent bracket reduced to 30 per cent, and the 40 per cent bracket lifted from earnings over $180,000 to earnings over $200,000 from July 2024. Taxes on electric vehicles will be reduced to help encourage uptake. Exempting electric vehicles from fringe benefits tax and the 5 per cent import tariff will cost the government $345 million. Loading Small businesses Small business owners will be able to access free mental health and counselling services under a $15.1 million investment in support services. Businesses desperate for skilled workers also stand to benefit from the increase to the permanent migration cap to 195,000 for this financial year, and $42.2 million to help reduce the visa backlog. The additional TAFE and university places will also benefit businesses, with many of the spots focused on industries that have experienced skills shortages, including hospitality and teaching. Weve taken action when it comes to securing supply, and you saw that over recent weeks where we announced the agreement for the non-contracted gas to be made available here in Australia, Albanese told Radio National on Wednesday morning. So youve already seen the government with our shoulder to the wheel. But the first step was to ensure supply. When you ensure supply then you have an impact on price. And well continue to look at further regulatory measures, as the treasurer flagged yesterday. The budget forecast a 20 per cent increase in retail electricity prices on average nationwide in late 2022 and a 20 per cent increase in retail gas prices this financial year. Those price hikes are already underway and the government has few levers to stop them going ahead. The budget also forecast a further 30 per cent increase in retail electricity prices on average nationwide in the year to June 2024 and a further 20 per cent increase in retail gas prices in the same year. Due to compounding, the electricity increase would be 56 per cent over two years while the gas increase would be 44 per cent over two years, but the government could intervene before the full impact is realised. The budget included further support for the Australian Energy Regulator and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission but the decisions to act on prices such as price caps would need federal cabinet support and coordination with state governments. The government has blamed the war in Ukraine for increasing oil, gas and coal prices worldwide and negotiated a heads of agreement with gas exporters one month ago to increase local supply, but cabinet ministers have backed the case for greater intervention. Loading Energy Minister Chris Bowen has spoken to state and territory ministers about further regulation but did not highlight any new measures in his statement on budget night, arguing instead that a mammoth shift to renewable energy would ease price pressures over time. The cheapest form of energy is firmed renewables, even more so as global coal, oil and gas prices spike, he said. Business Council of Australia chief Jennifer Westacott said the government needed to encourage more investment in the electricity grid but highlighted the importance of the capacity mechanism that can put a priority on reliable power supply from coal and gas power plants. The former Morrison government proposed the capacity mechanism but the idea was resisted by some state governments on the grounds it favoured fossil fuels when they wanted a faster shift to renewable energy. Weve got to stop mucking around with policy, which has been going on for a decade, Westacott said. Loading Encourage companies to invest in transmission, weve got to get some kind of what they call a capacity mechanism in place. Which was all about reliability and affordability. We have to have gas in that system if were going to have reliable and affordable power. Then weve got to stay the course on a really sensible transition to a low carbon economy, a net zero economy. ACTU president Michele ONeil said a super tax on gas exporters should be considered because it could fund rebates to households. Its really important to see the super profits tax considered and think of how that can be used to provide some relief, ONeil said. We also know that the government has some more work to do here, starting by getting into the room the gas producers, the manufacturers and the unions in the energy area and talking about this. But theres got to be some pretty urgent action to give some relief about those prices going up in energy. Asked whether the Coalition would back a fresh interventionist approach for the energy market, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor said the devil would be in the detail. A deal to share COVID-related hospital costs equally between federal and state governments will end on New Years Eve, despite pleas from health ministers across the country to continue the arrangement until 2025. Spiralling inflation, hundreds of thousands of delayed elective surgeries and the ongoing impact of the pandemic have driven the cost of running public hospitals to record levels. At a meeting of national cabinet last month, states and territories formally requested the shared funding be extended until June 30, 2025 at a cost of $1.5 billion. Credit:Getty But in a blow to public hospitals, the federal budget allocated no extension to the shared hospital funding model. At a meeting of national cabinet last month, states and territories formally requested the shared funding be extended until June 30, 2025 at a cost of $1.5 billion. Premiers and chief ministers also demanded that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese abolish the 6.5 per cent annual cap on the rise in hospital costs and requested an urgent review of the calculations behind the billions of dollars allocated to public hospitals in a move that threatened to blow out the federal health budget. Doctors have repeatedly warned that the funding being proposed for public hospitals by the federal government is too little to address ambulance ramping, record surgery waitlists and increasing complexity of care, coupled with soaring costs of new medical treatments for thousands of people expected to suffer from long COVID. Costs at public hospital are rising so quickly that states and territories are expected to exceed the cap this financial year. Projections until 2026 show hospitals expenses are expected to skyrocket by millions of dollars each year. The government allocated more than $808 million in 2022-23 to extend elements of its COVID-19 response. This included $759 million to share the costs of vaccine delivery, testing and treatments and $48.3 million to extend general practitioner-led respiratory clinics program. This funding will all end on December 31. The federal government also allocated $980 million for general practice as well as $143.3 million commitment to support access to healthcare in rural and regional areas. One of the barriers we encountered early on was that people dont think politics is going to do much to improve their lives ... people cant think of any political issues. Loading What we teach people to do is to get beyond that and find out what people do, [ask] how much are you paying in rent, what could be done to improve their situation. Chandler-Mather takes a data-driven approach to politics. He has studied the long-time Labor seat of Richmond, which takes in the suburbs of Fitzroy, Collingwood, Clifton Hill and Richmond, and believes it has the right demographic markers young progressive renters to be turned green. When I am looking down here from afar, frankly, I sort of feel like this should be a Greens seat, he said. The demographic of Richmond is, in many ways, classically considered a much better chance than any federal seat in Queensland, and we won three. Richmond is held by retiring veteran Labor MP Richard Wynne on a notional 5.8 per cent, but pollsters and Labor Party insiders believe Greens candidate Gabrielle de Vietri will win the seat next month by pursuing anti-government sentiment. I sort of feel like this [Richmond] should be a Greens seat. Former Labor strategist and pollster Kos Samaras believes Richmond is the Greens best shot, but believes the party also has a strong chance in Northcote and Albert Park. In suburbs where the residents are very young and there are high numbers of renters, they are voting for the Greens or teals and I doubt that Green juggernaut is going to slow down, he said. The majority of Millennial voters are now voting away from the major parties because they see them as a legacy of the last century. Two federal MPs who lost their Queensland seats in the so-called Greenslide that swept the sunshine state have accused the once-minor Greens party of capitalising on broad dissatisfaction with politics and believe the major parties need to adapt to the new political landscape. Terri Butler was the high-profile Labor MP ousted by Greens candidate Max Chandler-Mather in May. Credit:Dan Peled Former Labor MP Terri Butler lost her seat of Griffith once held by Kevin Rudd to Chandler-Mather. She warned that any anti-government sentiment in Victoria would bolster the Greens campaign. They are very good at conflating the two major parties because they campaign on anger, Butler said. It works because if you are angry and you want to blame someone, its easy to convince voters that parties of government are the problem, she said. They see us all as one thing. Former Liberal MP Trevor Evans, who lost his seat of Brisbane to the Greens in May, believes the major parties have been hesitant to criticise the Greens in the past over fears that doing so would legitimise the threat. By doing so, Evans said the Greens have been able to outbid major parties on policy promises without being accountable as they aren't a party of Government. If we are seeing the slow breakdown of the two parties, it will be increasingly important to start to criticise other alternatives, Evans said. The Greens success in Queensland came off the back of catastrophic flooding in the state, which highlighted climate change concerns, coupled with the unpopularity of Scott Morrison as prime minister and broad dissatisfaction with the major parties. Several Labor Party sources, speaking to The Age on the condition of anonymity, believe similar conditions exist in Victoria and harbour concerns Labor has done little to counter the threat. Loading While the results in the Resolve Political Monitor, conducted for The Age by research company Resolve Strategic, show that Premier Daniel Andrews is on track for another crushing election victory in November, respondents who backed Labor held reservations about the premier. This is apparently a popular Labor government, but when you look under the hood, a lot of people are really dissatisfied, more broadly with the political system, Chandler-Mather said. Until recently, Labor insiders also held concerns about retaining the seat of Northcote in Melbournes inner-north which Labors Kat Theophanous won by 800 votes when she ran against Lidia Thorpe in 2018. At the last election, the Greens campaign was derailed by offensive tweets by one of Thorpes staffers and a series of separate scandals that challenged the culture of the Greens. Several Labor MPs, speaking to The Age on the condition of anonymity to discuss campaign matters, said the latest revelations that Thorpe, now a Greens senator, had failed to declare a possible perceived conflict of interest in her relationship with former high-ranking bikie Dean Martin, would again be used to highlight some cultural problems within the party. Dean Martin and Lidia Thorpe at a Melbourne market last month. Credit:Facebook Lidia Thorpe still has issues here, one Labor MP said. When they deserve it, holding them to account is important. Much of the Greens confidence about boosting their representation in the lower house comes from the impending retirement of two long-serving Labor MPs. Loading As well as Wynne, the Greens hope the retirement of Albert Park MP and former health minister Martin Foley will strengthen the chances of their candidate, Kim Samiotis, winning that seat. At the federal election in May, Greens candidate Steph Hodgins-May almost won the federal seat of Macnamara, which covers similar territory to the Albert Park electorate. But Labors Josh Burns eventually claimed victory after nine days of counting. Nina Taylor is Labors candidate for the seat, hopeful of moving downstairs from the upper house. She told The Age she was confident she could retain the seat for her party. Recently, it has become common to compare the coming winter in Ukraine with the Russo-Finnish Winter War, fought from November 1939 through to March 1940. The Finns resisted a massive Soviet invasion of their nation, resulting in a peace agreement which temporarily ended hostilities. But this deal also saw the Finns cede 9 per cent of their territory to the Soviet Union. The Winter War, seen historically as a David versus Goliath conflict, is notable for the clever use of terrain and weather by a defending military force. But it also offers another important lesson for observers of the war in Ukraine: wars can be fought, and battles can be won during the most extreme weather, including the depths of winter. A woman warms her dog in the Ukrainian town of Kivsharivka, as temperatures fall in eastern Europe. Credit:AP Both the Russian and Ukrainian strategies are predicated on a continuation of hostilities over the coldest months. However, they will have different approaches. For Russia, the aim is to draw the war out over winter and well into 2023. A key element of this is the insertion of masses of newly mobilised troops into Ukraine to stabilise the front line. But the most important aspect of Russias strategy for winter is its strategic energy warfare. Putins energy war, which has already affected 30 per cent of power generation capacity in Ukraine, will see heating restricted, more burst water pipes and a range of other hardships for the population. While stockpiling of warm clothing and firewood commenced some time ago, many Ukrainians are either displaced from their homes, or living in damaged residences, making them more vulnerable to the ravages of winter. PHILIPSBURG:--- Community Development, Family, and Humanitarian Affairs (CDFHA), a division of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor, is tasked with (co)implementing educational and social empowerment programs, as well as working with vulnerable groups within the community, including the elderly. As a result, the CDFHA conducted an audit of four senior organizations, which revealed, among other things, the need for info sessions tailored exclusively to the elderly. CDFHA then held numerous informational sessions for the elderly, one of which was titled "Hygiene For Seniors" and covered information about the entire body, from the hair to the feet, as well as care recommendations for various body parts. Minister Ottley visited the groups to spend time talking, and answering questions, and even joined them in playing dominoes. Given the focus on hygiene during the information sessions, Minister Ottley offered each person a hygiene gift basket containing personal care items. I will do my best to invest more time in visiting our seniors and I will continue to introduce programs to benefit them, said Minister Ottley. ~ Executive Secretary will resume duties within a short. ~ PHILIPSBURG:--- The executive secretary of NV GEBE Samira George will return to work within a short as the management of NV GEBE has lifted the suspension. George was suspended on May 30th, 2022, she was accused by former management of leaking documents to certain media workers on St. Maarten. George was also accused of stealing a hard drive that had GEBE internal information. SMN News learned that the current head of Human Resources Bares Kingsdale and the Temporary Manager had an internal investigation conducted to see if there is any evidence on the accusation levied against George who worked as an Executive Secretary to the former management team and former temporary manager Mauricio Dembrook. An internal notice from the current temporary manager Troy Washington sent out today October 24th, 2022 informed the staff of NV GEBE that George will soon return to work soon and asked that all staff of NV GEBE welcomes the employee back to work. It is not yet known if the company has decided to compensate George for the damages she suffered for the past five months. PHILIPSBURG:--- Twelve Round 3 grant recipients of the Resources For Community Resilience (R4CR) program completed the learning benchmark training. This learning benchmark training (LBT) forms an integral part of the R4CR program and the main aim is to offer grant recipients an opportunity to exchange experiences, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned during project implementation. This creates an opportunity for them to network, learn from and guide each other, providing tools to strengthen this and future projects. It also provides the program managers with vital information to tailor R4CR to better meet the needs of participating Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Each LBT is unique in the sense that the program is designed taking into account the strengths, weaknesses and needs of the grant recipients stated Jose Sommers, Training and Capacity Strengthening Manager of R4CR. The R4CR program includes a grant scheme as the funding mechanism for community and social rehabilitation initiatives on Sint Maarten and focuses on improving the capacity of local civil society organizations (CSOs) in reconstruction and resilience activities post-hurricane, Irma. The thematic Learning Benchmark Training was held on October 18 and 19 at the St. Maarten Senior Citizen Recreational Center Foundation in Hope Estate. The main topics during the first evening were Project Opportunities and Challenges, Project Reporting, and The Grievance Redress Mechanism. The grant recipients described the opportunities and challenges they face while implementing their projects and how they are coping with them. The reporting session focused on the needs of the monthly technical and financial reports as well as the requirements of the final project report, which is due in February 2023. The final topic on the first evening was the grievance redress mechanism; which is an important tool that CSOs use during the project to record and follow up on all issues, challenges, bottlenecks, and complaints. On the second evening, CSOs talked in-depth about sustainability and the evening was capped off with a CSO Market Place. Sustainability is something that affects all CSOs because they all depend on external funding and volunteers to provide services to the community. The grant recipients were encouraged to think about and describe their strategies to achieve sustainability in the near future. The CSO Market Place provided the grant recipients with the most fun during the training. It is closely linked to sustainability and the basic premise is teaching CSOs how to collaborate with each other by using each others products and services without using money (which is mostly in short supply). It is a modern incarnation of the old-fashioned barter trade system that was very common in Ole St. Maarten. With the LBT completed, the R4CR team is now focusing on the information sessions for Round-5 financing. Interested CSOs can sign up for the information session on Wednesday, October 26 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, October 31 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, or the online ZOOM session on November 2 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. The R4CR program is financed by the Government of the Netherlands via the Sint Maarten Trust Fund which is administered by the World Bank, monitored by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), and executed by VNGI. Project activities by registered CSOs can cover subject areas such as neighborhood initiatives, sports/recreation, nature/environment, culture, poverty relief, daycare centers/after-school programs, youth employment, skills development, psycho-social support/health/well-being, and gender-based violence. For more information about the R4CR program or an overview of all current projects please visit www.r4cr.org or the Facebook page (R4CRSXM). PHILIPSBURG:--- There is word out that the Honorable Minister of T.E.A.T.T. will be lifting the moratorium on taxi permits. Supposedly, 40 permits will be issued. We'd like to publicly state that we are not in favor of the Minister doing so without the reinstatement of the Steering Committee. As regular participants in our main economy, we can first-handedly determine that the current state of our island's main economy does not support a demand for more taxis. Although we may see numbers within the millions, this does give an adequate projection of visitor expenditure within the cruise sector. Unfortunately, the public transportation sector has been turned into a playing field for political leverage, government personnel's personal interests, and clouded judgment due to greed. These persons do not see the negative impact their personal interests are having on the tourism industry and the island's main source of income. St. Maarten may be the only place in the world where an island ambassador does not have to know anything about the very island they are an ambassador of. We are kindly asking that the messy pile that has been created over the years does not grow into an even messier situation, where the trickle-down effect compromises the island in its entirety. The mess must first be cleaned before we can invite others in. We hope that the Honorable Minister does his best to work in the interest of the people of St. Maarten, says DSTA President Maya Friday. ~Regional leaders to attend KOBB in Curacao~ PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs for Sint Maarten, Silveria E. Jacobs received Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra, today, Tuesday, October 25, during a bilateral meeting hosted in the government administration building. The meeting is part of the Ministers scheduled visit from October 24 to 26, to discuss current geopolitical developments in Europe and the Western Hemisphere with the Prime Ministers and Governors of the Countries. When we speak of developing Sint Maarten, we see that clear communication between our local, regional, and international partners places us in a space to have dialogue that would otherwise be unavailable to us. With the current state of affairs around the world, it is important to strengthen our strategic partnerships, especially with our Kingdom partners to address global crises which directly impact us as Small Island Developing States, said Prime Minister Jacobs. The Prime Minister and Minister Hoekstra discussed various matters related to Foreign Affairs, such as the ongoing cooperation with the French side of the island. It was noted that progress is being made on various fronts such as education, health, law enforcement and justice cooperation. Minister Hoekstra indicated that he would be pleased to host a Quadripartite Meeting between Sint Maarten, Saint Martin, France, and The Netherlands to finalize new agreements between the parties regarding improved cooperation on these topics. It is proposed for the beginning of 2023 if the parties capitalize on these matters over the months to come. Prime Minister Jacobs and Minister Hoekstra are pleased with the progress related to the border negotiations and agree that it is of great importance for the island that the discussion on the exact location of the border is settled. Minister Hoekstra arrived in the afternoon of 24 October and has also met His Excellency Governor of Sint Maarten Ajamu Baly and Prefet of Saint Martin Vincent Berton. The Prime Minister and Minister Hoekstra will travel on to Curacao today, for a meeting with the Prime Ministers of Curacao and Aruba, connected to the Kingdom Consultation on Foreign Relations or Koninkrijks Overleg Buitenlandse Betrekkingen (KOBB). During the KOBB several topics of regional importance will be discussed, such as (geo)political developments in the region, issues related to safety and security, the position of Small Island Developing States, access to funding, membership of regional organizations and consular matters. Faith Mwasha from Tanzania Tanzania, the home of Mount Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park, is also home to one Southwest Minnesota State University student, Faith Mwasha. A senior this year, Mwasha will be graduating soon with a degree in finance. She is the only student at SMSU who comes from the East African country just south of the equator. After looking for a university to finish my undergraduate degree, I came across SMSU in a search, she said. The affordability really drew me in. The tuition rates were inexpensive; I applied and committed to coming here! In comparison to her previous institution, she appreciates the size of SMSU. The classes were large, and I never felt like I could have a personal relationship with my professors. That isnt the case here, I am in smaller and more intimate class sizes. Mwasha is involved in the student senate, the student government group on campus. She is the public relations coordinator and enjoys planning events like the blood drive and elections. I think the university experience is better here. I enjoyed going to Gold Rush Days especially; there are a lot of things to do on campus. She enjoys the small, calm vibe of Marshall. It isnt too hectic, but large enough to still meet new people. The environment of Marshall makes it easy to stay focused on my studies, she said. Its a far cry from her hometown, Dar-es-salaam, which she describes as crowded. Tanzania has 61 million people. The coastal city of Dar-es-salaam, with over 6 million people, is the largest in the country, and one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Its hot and there are always a lot of people in the streets. They also arent as friendly as the people Ive met in Minnesota! You can have a conversation with anyone, even at Walmart. At home, people tend to keep to themselves. As the largest city in Tanzania, it is known for beaches, islands, seafood, and music. I really miss my family and the beaches," she said. "We have safari tours and the movie The Lion Kings scenery was loosely based on Tanzania! Her favorite food from Tanzania is chipsi mayai, which is a french-fried omelet. It is a popular street food item, and she says almost everyone enjoys this. I think the only people that dont like it are health conscious. It is sometimes served with kachumbari, a tomato and onion salad dish. After graduation, Mwasha hopes to find work in Minneapolis. I think that there are more opportunities here for me to be successful. Mwasha doesnt mind being the only student from Tanzania thanks to the friendly atmosphere here. She hopes her experience will inspire other students from her country to consider SMSU. Bus shelters just got mobile: Freshwave and Clear Channela?s 4G connected bus shelters Residents of and visitors to Tower Hamlets can enjoy enhanced 4G mobile signal thanks to bus shelters with built-in small cell connectivity. Connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider Freshwave and Clear Channel UK collaborated to devise a solution that would allow the technology to be seamlessly integrated into bus shelters in the London borough. As a result, small cell technology from any infrastructure-as-a-service provider can be installed anywhere therea?s a Clear Channel shelter and a requirement to increase network capacity in the area. Following the success of this new approach, the 5G-ready technology will now be added to further bus shelters in the borough in the coming months. Out of Home media and infrastructure company Clear Channel UK manages the bus shelters which the small cells have been installed in on behalf of mobile network operator Virgin Media O2. Customer data usage is increasing by around a third annually and with 5G also meaning networks need to be densified, new ways of providing connectivity must be found. Busy areas such as high streets, where bus shelters are already providing an essential public service, place greater demand on networks as more people are trying to use the mobile signal from the same macrocell. Outdoor small cells immediately increase access to top speeds and capacity in the area around them, making it easier for people to connect. Using existing street assets, as opposed to building new assets, not only makes it faster and easier for the mobile operators to enhance their networks, it also reduces the amount of clutter on the streets. This ability for Clear Channela?s bus shelters to host mobile technology provides a whole new set of options and locations for network operators. Bus shelters provide a robust structure and excellent capacity to carry the technology. And with the need for connectivity infrastructure only increasing, bus shelters are an exciting new option for operators as they seek to bolster their networks. Simon Frumkin, CEO at Freshwave, said: aIa?m proud of our constant engineering and design innovations, as well as the way we collaborate in new ways with industry partners and local authorities. Smart cities and towns need new approaches to digital connectivity. And the more existing street assets that can be used to bring this to our towns, the better it is for both the mobile network operators and the customers and communities they serve. This is why wea?re already working on a multi-operator, multi-technology design for bus shelter use too.a Will Ramage, Co-Managing Director at Clear Channel UK, said: aWea?re glad Freshwave are the first organisation to have seized this opportunity with us, and ita?s been great working with the team for this pilot. Helping to provide mobile connectivity plays a big part in our Platform for Good commitment to the public, and wea?re excited to support this technology in lots of other communities around the UK.a Pete Hollebon, Radio Network Engineering Outdoor Small Cell and Microcell Delivery Lead at Virgin Media O2, said: aCollaboration with partners such as Freshwave and Clear Channel is crucial to delivering the best possible network experience for our customers. This industry-first achievement provides us with new options when it comes to our continual network improvements and wea?re looking forward to adding the technology to further sites.a -Ends- Catching up with the global E-Invoicing and E-Reporting developments: The E-Invoicing Exchange Summit Asia re-opens its doors in Singapore E-Invoicing is no longer the future it is happening now, and at lightning speed. All around the world businesses and governments are implementing systems for E-Invoicing and E-Reporting. In several countries it is mandatory already or will become soon. But only if implemented in an efficient and consistent way, the huge benefits e. g. real time early warning systems for fraud or cost saving invoicing and reporting processes will be fully realised. As good as this sounds, there are challenges and hurdles still to overcome: How can processes be standardised and optimised across the globe? How can a truly global interoperability lead to benefits for all stakeholders? The E-Invoicing Exchange Summit Asia will re-open its doors in Singapore on December 7 and 8, 2022. After a 3-year interruption experts and thought-leaders will share and discuss in-depth information about the recent developments and future trends in the field of E-Invoicing and E-Reporting with a strong focus on APAC countries. A unique opportunity to get in personal contact with leading experts from governments and industries to elaborate and answer these questions. Among others, these speakers have confirmed: Leong Der Yao, Geok Seong Wah, and Bill Xiao, IMDA, Singapore Craig Smith, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand Ellen Cortvriend and Brecht Van Petegem, PwC, Belgium Hiroyuki Kato, Digital Agency, Government of Japan and Atsuya Sugawara, Delegate of Japan Peppol Authority, Japan Bimal Jain, Chairman of Indirect Tax Committee of PHD Chamber of Commerce, India AndrA Hoddevik, Secretary General, OpenPeppol Todd Albers, Sr. Payments Consultant Payments, Standards and Outreach Group, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, USA Ivo Moszynski, Chair Forum for Electronic Invoicing Germany and Richard Luthardt Member of the Board of European E-Invoicing Service Providers Association Vinicius Pimentel de Freitas, Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations, Panama Furthermore, the event will host two thought leading panel discussions addressing the Upcoming drivers and shifts for national E-Invoicing initiatives in Asia-Pacific and the Next steps for truly global interoperability. Information on the E-Invoicing Exchange Summit and special ticket rates valid for public sector and typical senders of a high volume of invoices: www.exchange-summit.com/asia Vereon AG organises leading-edge seminars, conferences and workshops addressing current business issues. Distinguished experts in research, science, industry and politics regularly present practical solution approaches and pioneering trends. Leaders and specialists from all sectors appreciate these information platforms to build knowledge, exchange experience and make valuable new contacts. Investments in lithium zinc before the jump The U.S. is investing $2.8 billion in lithium. Private investors can invest in lithium companies. This immense investment by the U.S. should fuel the rush for lithium, also called the \white gold.\ According to the U.S. government, domestic production of EV batteries should be boosted, including the production of the materials used. According to the Biden administration, half of all newly registered vehicles should be all-electric or hybrids. Many countries are promoting the electromobility trend, whether in the U.S., Germany or Norway, where hardly any internal combustion vehicles are still crossing the counter. Lithium is a key component of lithium-ion batteries. Australia mines the most lithium, and China is the leader in lithium refining and lithium-ion battery production. Chile and Argentina, as well as Zimbabwe, Portugal or Brazil also have the coveted white gold. Likewise in Mongolia. Here, ION Energy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu0HcV0vEdA owns two very promising lithium projects. Mongolia is a mining-friendly country. But another metal could also start its triumphant march, namely zinc. It is used to protect iron and steel against corrosion, and zinc is needed for the energy transition. Wind and solar modules need zinc. The London Metal Exchange is currently examining the complete exclusion of Russian metals. Some zinc smelters have already ceased operations, such as the Nordenham zinc smelter, citing the energy crisis in Europe. And zinc stocks are at an all-time low, while supply looks bad. On the London Metal Exchange, the low of the beginning of 2020 has almost been reached. That\-s when an investment in a zinc producer like Griffin Mining https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgDgfmsT5UU -, China\-s largest zinc producer, might be considered. Griffin Mining holds an 88.8 percent stake in the successfully producing Caijiaying mine in Hebei province. Current corporate information and press releases from Griffin Mining (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/griffin-mining-ltd/ -). In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid. Disclaimer: The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998 312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/ 20.5 - "Guardian Written by Marco Schnabel Directed by James Whitmore, Jr. Reviewed by KathM I said Leon should have moved out of that house years ago. I mean, how can you live in a place that was essentially destroyed and where your wife DIED? And Zivas father too, but, yeah, not interested in Eli. And tonight? He comes across burglars in his house, chases two off, and kills the other! Never let it be said that Leon Vance, former champion boxer, is still not fit and ready for action. But we have a story to continue. Despite a potential threat to his life, Leon decides that he still plans to attend an Interpol meeting in Berlin. He even picks out a shiny team of bodyguards, but Parker dismisses them and decides to protect Leon himself. The Director leaves McGee in charge because, why? I guess he doesnt have an assistant director or anything. Parker does an exceptional job as Leons bodyguard, so much so that he stops Leon from visiting comely German agent Lena Paulson by himself with a nice bottle of wine. It's like taking your mom on a date, but it is ust as well because when they arrive, they find Lena beaten and bloody in her hotel room. While Parker and Leon are having fun with nail polish remover (please try at home and report back), Torres and Knight are checking out the other agents on the op where Leon and Lena met. It was called Fortress, and the baddie who was killed was called Umarov. His girlfriend was killed as well. Interestingly, we also discover that $3 million in diamonds went missing and was never checked into evidence. Who was responsible for checking it all in? Lena, of course, made a trip to Antwerp (the diamond capital) shortly thereafter. Does anyone want to tell Leon that his potential life partner is a thief? They were talking about moving in and everything. Leon is lonely, and had hoped that Lena could help him from becoming that agent . You know, the one whos alone, perpetually drinking and telling stories about his glory days at reunions. This would have been an interesting conversation for Leon to have with Gibbs because while Parker was a good listener and has been there, Gibbs had been through the whole thing with Leon. From losing his wife and watching his kids grow up and away, it would have been a good place for these former co-workers to talk to one another. The last time wed seen Gibbs, he was finding a place of peace, and I think Leon might be looking for the same. Could our Director be following (possibly) Torres out the door? We come to find out that Lena is a do-gooder of sorts. Yes, she did take the diamonds, but she also took a neglected baby found at the shootout. Rather than leave her to the Umarovs, Lena raised a little girl, who she called Heidi, herself, along with her sister Elizabeth, who was currently caring for her niece. And the diamonds? Lena put those in a trust for her daughter, considering it her inheritance. So yeah, Im pretty sure it's Game Over for Leon. Or not. Its hard to tell. His woman and sister are lying thieves who stole a baby and a load of money. True, they did it with the best of intentions (I stand by this), but that doesnt change the fact that Leon was nearly killed by the men Sergi Umarov, the brother of the man killed in the op six years ago, sent to his house. When Lena wakes, and Leon tells her Heidi and Elizabeth are safe and the baddies are dead or in prison, he is able to tell her that he and Parker are going to overlook the diamonds thing, but cant tell her whether they have a future. I guess well have to wait and see. And I dont think this was a Leon leaving story, I think it may have been an I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship story between Parker and Leon. PS - Oh, and while some are going all Middle School about it, there is no way the gang would have shown up at their Directors house in their jammies, even if theyre a bit social. So there could have been better ways to show Knight in Jimmys shirt. That being typedgiggle, giggle! Latvia earn promotion to League C of the UEFA Nations League despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Andorra, while Moldova leave it late to beat pointless Liechtenstein 2-0. Latvia have been promoted to League C of the UEFA Nations League despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Andorra at the Estadi Nacional this afternoon. Dainis Kazakevics's side went into their final match of the campaign with a two-point lead over Moldova at the top of Group D1 and knowing that their fate was firmly in their own hands. Simply avoiding defeat against an Andorra side they beat 3-0 in June would secure top spot, but they made their supporters sweat courtesy of late goals in both of the group's games today. Vladislavs Gutkovskis opened the scoring for Latvia five minutes into the second half of their match, and it looked as though they would make it five wins from six until Andorra's late equaliser. Albert Rosas netted for the hosts to earn them a point, and two quickfire goals late on for Moldova in the group's other game meant that they could not afford another slip-up. Latvia held on to top the group by virtue of their superior head-to-head record over Moldova, whose late show in Chisnau was ultimately only enough to finish second, level on points with Latvia. A stoppage-time brace from Victor Stina at least ensured a winning end to the campaign for Moldova, seeing Liechtenstein fall agonisingly short of their first point of the group in the process. Shaheed Al Hafed, 24 October 2022 (SPS) - The Polisario Front has reaffirmed that the relaunch of the peace process in Western Sahara remains conditional upon an explicit renunciation of adherence to confiscating the Sahrawi people's right to freedom and self-determination. In a statement culminating the meeting of its Permanent Office today, Monday, chaired by the President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, the Polisario Front reaffirmed that the relaunch of the peace process in Western Sahara remains dependent on an explicit renunciation of the adherence to the confiscation of the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence and compelling Morocco to put an end to the rebellion against international law and legitimacy. If the responsibility of the United Nations and the Security Council vis-a-vis the decolonization of Western Sahara, Africa's last colony, is at stake, the statement adds, the Sahrawi people today more than ever will continue with unanimity, faith and confidence its just and legitimate struggle under the leadership of its sole legitimate representative, the Polisario Front, until the full sovereignty of the Sahrawi Republic over its entire national territory is achieved. The Office commended the broad support that the national cause received during the deliberations of the United Nations General Assembly and its Fourth Committee in its current session, as well as when the issue was brought to the table of the Security Council. The Permanent Office of the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front reiterated the Sahrawi people's thanks and gratitude to all the brothers and friends who stood firmly by their side at this historical stage of their struggle, led by sister Algeria. 062/T Approximately 44 tons of aluminum waste were stopped upon entering the country through northern Petea customs, Satu Mare county, informs a press release from the Sighetu Marmatiei Border Police Inspectorate (ITPF). According to the source, the Satu Mare border police in cooperation with workers from the Satu Mare Environmental Guard did not allow the entry into the country of two trucks loaded with aluminum waste destined for companies from Satu Mare county. The first truck, registered in Hungary, driven by a Hungarian citizen, transported, according to the documents accompanying the goods, aluminum waste from a commercial company in Hungary to a company in Satu Mare county. The second truck, registered in Romania, driven by a Romanian citizen, was also transporting aluminum waste from a commercial company in Slovakia, which was going to a company in Satu Mare county. In both cases, the control authorities decided not to allow the transported goods to enter the territory of Romania, thus returning them to the territory of Hungary, says ITPF Sighetu Marmatiei.AGERPRES At its meeting on Tuesday, the Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT) examined and approved the proposals of the Ministry of Energy for the improvement of Romania's energy resilience, shielding the population and ensuring the continuity of electricity and gas supplies at prices that do not burden the citizens, the Presidential Administration announced. The assessment of the region's energy and transport connectivity opportunities was a point on the CSAT agenda. Other subjects approached at the meeting were the stimulation of short- and medium-term investments in the development of onshore and offshore natural gas production, the short-term use of all coal-based energy resources for overcoming the current energy crisis, increasing the extraction capacity from underground gas storage facilities, as well as the materialization of the dialogue with external partners to ensure access to alternative gas sources in Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, the USA and Saudi Arabia. CSAT members concluded that both the introduction of 4th generation small modular nuclear reactors, as well as the reinforcement of the electricity and natural gas transport infrastructure are very important in the medium term. The main point on the CSAT meeting's agenda was the analysis of the Ukraine war and its implications for Romania. "The consequences of the conflict triggered by the Russian Federation against a sovereign state are also felt in the extended Black Sea region, affecting the states in the region, as well as the Euro-Atlantic and global security as a whole," the release states. In this context, the Council discussed the support Romania will continue to provide to Ukraine. Proposals for countering the potential threats were examined, so that peace in the Black Sea region is maintained and the expansion of the conflict is prevented. These proposals mainly envisage the implementation of all the decisions adopted at the NATO Summit in Madrid, strengthening the armed forces, increasing the number of Allied exercises on Romania's territory, intensifying the dialogue with Turkey, Bulgaria and Georgia regarding the security of the Black Sea, as well as capitalizing on economic and interconnectivity opportunities in the extended Black Sea region. The CSAT members reaffirmed Romania's top priority of strengthening national security and defense, the Presidential Administration also points out. The implementation of international sanctions was also discussed, from the perspective of Romania's interests, with an emphasis on the restrictive measures adopted against the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. AGERPRES The members of the Supreme Council for Country's Defence (CSAT) approved, in Tuesday's meeting, to update the "Army 2040" program, in the main directions: the budgeting of the army's personnel needs, the reconfiguration of endowment programs and the efforts to restore stocks, the modernization of the defense industry, as well as the measures for better maintenance of qualified military personnel, the Presidential Administration informs, in a statement sent to AGERPRES. The analysis of the measures regarding the modernization of the Romanian Army was one of the items on the agenda of the CSAT meeting. The "Army 2040" program pursues the development of national military capabilities to ensure that the Romanian state fulfills its constitutional obligation to defend Romania's territorial integrity. "In the context of the decision to allocate 2.5% of the GDP for Defense, starting from 2023, the CSAT members concluded that there are all the prerequisites for the creation of an armed forces structure with high fighting ability, equipped with modern equipment, interoperable with those of allies, able to deploy quickly on the national territory or to support our allies, self-sustainable and with multidimensional means of protection, with a flexible and efficient command and control system," the quoted press release says.AGERPRES President Klaus Iohannis has convened a meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace for today at 14:00hrs, told Agerpres. According to an October 11 press release from the Presidential Administration, the meeting's agenda includes security amid Russia's aggression against Ukraine - implications for Romania and improving the country's energy resilience to ensure energy security through operational adaptation and development of new energy production facilities amid the war in Ukraine. Also on the agenda there is a report on the measures adopted by Romania in order to implement the sanctions established internationally October 2021 - September 2022, as well as measures regarding the modernisation of the Romanian armed forces. In the context of the war in Ukraine, NATO and the EU have affirmed the firm will to defend the values of humanity on the basis of which they were established, the head of the Defense Staff (SMAp), Daniel Petrescu, said on Tuesday in a message sent on Romanian Army Day, told Agerpres. "We are in a year that will remain recorded in universal history as the period in which the Russian Federation unleashed a bloody war against Ukraine. The peace in Europe, which, by the way, was showing signs of weakness, dissipated on February 24, once with the brutal, illegal and unjust offensive actions of the regime in Moscow against the neighboring people. However, it is also the year in which the great contemporary projects, NATO and the EU, affirmed their firm will to defend the values of humanity on the basis of which they were established," Petrescu declared. He added that "NATO's rapid defensive reconfiguration on the eastern flank has led to the strengthening of the deterrence and defense posture in this area of Europe". "The response measures of the Romanian Army and the increasing relevance of the NATO presence in our country resulted in the strengthening of the national defense capacity, including the component of increasing the reaction capacity of the national force structure, as well as the strengthening of the allied shield in our country and in the Black Sea region. The results of military cooperation in an allied context, from the last decades, are now visible in the plan of the joint training of the forces and in that of the development of the infrastructure necessary for the preparation for the fight," Petrescu pointed out. He affirmed that "we will continue, at an accelerated pace, the consolidation of our own defense capacity, and the allied states will increase the consistency of their forces and capabilities in Romania". "We are in full process of putting NATO's solidarity into practice. The footprint of the allied presence is the new normal of the present and will remain a component of the collective posture for the defense of Romania's territory, as an integral part of the allied territory," said the head of SMAp. Petrescu showed that "the fate of the Army is linked to the fate of Romania". "The institution of national defense, subordinated exclusively to the will of the people, is fully committed to the sacred mission of guaranteeing and defending the values of the Romanian state," Petrescu said. "Every day, the military are engaged in tasks and activities that serve to fulfill this mission. However, there is a day in the calendar dedicated to the institution of defense, in which the active military, as well as their retired colleagues, publicly reconfirm their will to remain closely connected to the fate of the army," he added. Deposits of non-government resident customers went up by 1.0 percent month on month to 491,700.7 million RON, while the annual growth rate was 8.7 percent (down 6.2 percent in real terms), the National Bank of Romania (BNR) press release informed on Tuesday, told Agerpres. RON-denominated deposits of residents, representing 63.3 percent of deposits of non-government customers, picked up by 0.8 percent to 311,330.5 million RON month on month. In year-on-year comparison, they grew by 6.9 percent (down 7.8 percent in real terms). RON-denominated household deposits increased by 1.2 percent to 160,951.6 million RON month on month, and by 1.7 percent (down 12.2 percent in real terms) year on year. Furthermore, according to the BNR, RON-denominated deposits of other sectors (non-financial corporations and non-monetary financial institutions) rose 0.3 percent (up to 150,378.9 million RON) month on month and 13.0 percent (down 2.5 percent in real terms) year on year. Foreign currency-denominated deposits of residents, representing 36.7 percent of total volume of deposits of non-government customers, moved up by 1.5 percent against August 2022 to 180,370.2 million RON when expressed in domestic currency (when expressed in EUR, these deposits decreased by 0.3 percent to 36,445.8 million EUR). Compared to September 2021, this indicator grew by 11.9 percent when expressed in RON (similar evolution when expressed in EUR). Foreign currency-denominated deposits of households increased by 0.8 percent from August 2022 to 125,503.7 million RON when expressed in RON (when expressed in EUR, these deposits went down by 1.0 percent to 25,359.4 million EUR). In year-on-year comparison, this indicator expanded by 9.2 percent when expressed in domestic currency (similar evolution when expressed in EUR). Foreign currency-denominated deposits of other sectors increased 3.2 percent against August 2022 to 54,866.5 million RON when expressed in RON (when expressed in EUR, these deposits grew 1.4 percent to 11,086.4 million EUR). Compared to September 2021, this indicator moved up by 18.6 percent when expressed in RON (18.5 percent when expressed in EUR). The report of the fact-finding mission to Schengen hopefuls Romania and Bulgaria, which will be presented on Wednesday in Brussels, is "highly positive" for Romania, government sources said on Tuesday, adding that the Netherlands did not send experts on ground that this assessment mission "was not broad enough". "The report is highly positive for Romania. (...) The Netherlands did not send experts to the assessment mission, arguing that it was not broad enough, it did not cover several fields," the official sources said. Romania proposed the Netherlands to conduct an additional separate mission, but the Netherlands has not yet answered the invitation, the cited sources said. Also, the Romanian Minister of the Interior and his Dutch counterpart agreed to meet in The Hague at a date that has yet to be settled. The cited sources specified that the reference to organized crime in the Dutch Parliament's resolution on the Schengen Area refers to Bulgaria. "If the Schengen accession decision is taken in December, the airports' entry into the free movement area will happen in March," the sources mentioned. The issues raised by the Netherlands with regard to Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen accession actually have to do with its internal policy, as elections will be soon organized in this country, the sources explain. The EC and member states' experts will present on Wednesday to the Schengen working group in Brussels their report and conclusions following the Schengen assessment mission to Romania and Bulgaria, and the Council must next take the necessary steps for the two countries, together with Croatia, to fully join the free movement area, the European Commission's spokesperson on home affairs, migration and internal security Anitta Hipper told AGERPRES. he General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs that on Monday, a number of 75,819 people entered Romania through border points throughout the country, of whom 7,693 were Ukrainian citizens, decreasing by almost 4.5 percent compared to the previous day, told Agerpres. According to a release sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday, approximately 158,600 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, with more than 42,000 means of transportation, completed the control formalities at the border crossing points nationwide, both on the way in and on the way out. As of 10 February 2022 (the pre-conflict period), a number of 2,664,486 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. In the relevant areas - the border crossing points and the "green border," the border policemen discovered 48 illegalities (23 offenses and 25 contraventions) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens, with the amount of fines enforced exceeding 15,600 lei. On Monday, a number of 21 foreign citizens were not allowed to enter the country because they didn't meet the requirements stipulated by the law, while a number of 17 Romanian citizens were not allowed to leave the country for various legal reasons. Pension reform is a first exam that the Government of Romania will have to pass, because pensions have a significant expenditure component in the public budget, of over 100 billion lei, the Minister of European Investments and Projects, Marcel Bolos told a Tuesday's specialized conference, told Agerpres. "If there is something to be negotiated in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), surely that area is not related to the reforms. So, the reforms are a mandatory condition. It is not an easy task and the time we have available for the implementation of the reforms, sometimes we would like it to be a period for a much longer time. I could group the reforms into two categories. A first category is that of the big reforms related to the pension system, taxation, even corporate governance. There is little talk about this reform, but there we have an immense resource and wealth to manage, the one that concerns state companies. Then we have the reforms that, in general, are with reference to institutional mechanisms and through which the state is sought to be more modern, more flexible, more transparent, easier ( ...) Everyone knows the pension reform is a hot topic in any discussion. My colleagues in the Government know just as well how many discussions are held on this pension reform and it is a first exam that Romania's Government will have to pass. Because there are two reforms, of special pensions and of [regular] pensions, which have a significant expenditure component in the public budget, of over 100 billion lei. It is the money that is managed in the public pension system, regardless of the components we are referring to," said Bolos. He mentioned, at the same time, that the teams dealing with the PNRR negotiations must also have a level of professional performance and training corresponding to the interlocutor, otherwise "the recipe for failure is on the table". PwC Romania is organizing on Tuesday the conference with the topic "PNRR - Investments for the future economy." The Invictus veterans' relays that set off in Marasesti, Fagaras and Chisinau reached on Tuesday their final destination in the north-western city of Carei - Satu Mare County; the participants were welcomed in a ceremony organized at the Romanian Soldier's Memorial in honor of Romanian Army Day. This year's Invictus veterans' relays traveled three routes totaling over 3,500 kilometers. The blue route started in front of the Heroes' Mausoleum in Marasesti, the yellow one had Fagaras as starting point, and the red one started in Chisinau; civilians and troops raced the relay on foot or on bicycles. The volunteers handed the flag to the commander of the Satu Mare Garrison, Gheorghe Balaj, who then presented it to Carei mayor Eugen Kovacs, the tricolor was then hoisted at the monument. The volunteers received plaques on behalf of the General Staff. The events organized in Carei in celebration of Romanian Army Day included a religious service, the laying of wreaths at the Romanian Soldier's Memorial, and a parade. An exhibition of military equipment was mounted in the courtyard of the Karolyi castle. Carei was the last swathe of Romanian land freed from fascist occupation in an offensive that ended on October 25, 1944. President Klaus Iohannis congratulates the new British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, on his appointment. "Congratulations, Rishi Sunak, on being appointed as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland! I look forward to working together to strengthen our Strategic Partnership," the head of state wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.AGERPRES Romania has a distinct place within NATO and it is indisputably a security provider in the Black Sea region and on NATO's Eastern flank, President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday, in a speech on the Day of the Romanian Army, told Agerpres. He added that NATO presence in Romania has constantly increased in recent years. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca also attended the ceremony in Carol Park. Iohannis added that "the army was and will continue to be the symbol of tenacity" and emphasised that Romania is "stronger alongside its partners and allies." Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca will pay an official visit to Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, during which he will have meetings with his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo, the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, as well as the Secretary general of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, the agenda sent by the Government on Tuesday, reads. Nicolae Ciuca will meet on Wednesday with the President of the European Parliament, as well as with the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen. The Prime Minister will meet, at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance, with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the two officials also having scheduled a joint press conference. Also on Wednesday, the head of the Romanian Executive and his Belgian counterpart will have a meeting and hold a joint press conference. On this occasion, several documents will be signed: the bilateral cooperation agreement between the Belgian Center for Nuclear Research and the Horia Hulubei National Institute for Research, Development for Nuclear Physics and Engineering (IFIN-HH), the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the nuclear field between the Autonomous Technology Directorate for Nuclear Energy (RATEN) and the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN). The head of the Romanian Government will also hold consultations with the representatives of the Romanian and Belgian business community. Nicolae Ciuca will also meet with Manfred Weber, the president of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. Also, the prime minister will have meetings with Ambassador Iulia Matei, the permanent representative of Romania to the European Union COREPER II, and with Ambassador Dan Neculaescu, permanent representative of Romania at NATO. On Thursday, Prime Minister Ciuca will meet with Adina Valean, the European Commissioner for Transport, and with the delegation of Romanian MEPs. The delegation led by the Prime Minister includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, and the Minister of Justice, Catalin Predoiu.AGERPRES Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca tweeted congratulations, on Tuesday, to the new British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, wished him success in fulfilling his mandate, showing that he is looking forward to working together for the development of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. "Congratulations Rishi Sunak as the new leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister. I wish you much success in fulfilling your important mandate and I look forward to working together for the development of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United Kingdom," Ciuca said in a message on Twitter.AGERPRES The training and endowment of the Romanian Army continue to represent key directions in strengthening the defence capacity of our country to better respond to the geostrategic demands and challenges as an external border state of the Euro-Atlantic community, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca stated on the occasion of the Romanian Army Day, told Agerpres. "The Day of the Romanian Army, which we celebrate today, is a timely tribute to all the heroes who fell in battle for the defence of the Romanian land. Now, we have the best opportunity to thank today's generations of Romanian soldiers, in whom we all place the trust for the defence of the country or who represent us with honour in missions and different theatres of operations around the world under the auspices of the North Atlantic Alliance, the UN or the European Union. Professionalism, responsibility, honour, courage and dedication - this is the profile of the soldiers of the Romanian Army, confirmed by the appreciations constantly received from international partners and allies. The fact that, this year, the Global Firepower report ranked Romania among the most powerful military forces in the world, positioning it as the 11th military force of the European Union and the 14th of NATO, confirms the added value that the more than 18 years of membership in the North Atlantic Alliance have brought to the Romanian Army and the continuous process of modernization starting once with our accession to the organization," said Nicolae Ciuca. The head of the Executive underscored that the importance of the defensive capacity is more obvious than ever in this period, when "Russia's irresponsible military aggression on Ukraine" threatens the security of the region and even of the whole world. "Taking into account this context, the training and endowment of the Romanian Army continue to represent key directions in strengthening the defence capacity of our country so as to better respond to the geostrategic demands and challenges as an external border state of the Euro-Atlantic community. After the beginning of the war in Ukraine, an important decision was made in this regard, to increase the allocation for defence from 2 to 2.5pct of GDP, with a significant contribution for endowing the Romanian Army with modern military equipment and technology, as well as reprioritizing some of its programmes. We are currently running several programmes to modernize the equipment in the endowment and equip it with multi-role aircraft, with modern defensive systems and equipment, radar systems, as well as with equipment for decontamination and individual collective protection," said Ciuca. The Prime Minister emphasized the high level of training of the Romanian military and expressed his confidence in the Romanian Army's ability to respond to current defensive and security requirements. "The concept of a professional army, around which the field of defence is thought, also requires professional personnel, specialized to the latest standards, and the Romanian troops prove with each mission the high level of their training. We thank you for how seriously you understand to do your duty. In addition to the body of professional soldiers active at the national level, we have numerous soldiers deployed in NATO, EU, UN and coalition missions. The Romanian Army continues to enjoy the trust of the citizens, and this encourages us in the steps we take to also ensure an operational reserve of trained people, through the recruitment of voluntary reservists and voluntary military training. From the experience gained as a Minister of Defence and a military officer, knowing the high level of training of my former colleagues, I have full confidence in the Romanian Army's ability to respond to current defensive and security requirements," Ciuca said. At the end of his message, the head of the Executive thanked the Romanian military for how seriously they understand to do their duty to increase the country's defense level, including the support of the approximately 5,000 foreign soldiers deployed in Romania within the NATO Battle Group in Romania, of the US detachments present in our country, of the NATO commands in Romania, as well as of some joint exercises and the air police mission. The PM also said he had a lot of respect for the soldiers wounded in mission, whose power to move forward regardless of obstacles is "touching and a real life lesson." "Happy returns to the Romanian Army! Happy returns to the Romanian troops and all the Army personnel!," said Ciuca. President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday signed the decree by which Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca designates himself as interim Minister of National Defence, told Agerpres. Also, the head of state signed the decree acknowledging the resignation of Vasile Dincu from the position of Minister of National Defence and the termination of his position as a member of the Government. Romanians continue to trust the Romanian Army and the Church the most, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, said on Tuesday in his message on the occasion of the Day of the Army, told Agerpres. "The Romanian Army, along with the Church, are always trusted the most by the Romanians with this year fully proving to us how important the Army is, at a time when no one believed that Europe could ever know the horrors of an illegitimate and unprovoked war," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook. He congratulated the Romanian troops "for the responsibility, professionalism and involvement" they prove every day in ensuring the security of our citizens and our country. "Just as the Army protects us all, the Romanian state must do its duty. Allocating a budget of 2.5pct of GDP is important for endowing the Romanian Army with modern technology, but it is also necessary for the troops to have due respect from the state, as happens in all other NATO member countries. That is why I am convinced that Prime Minister Ciuca will try to make every effort to remove from the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) the provision introduced by some idiots by which military pensions are considered special pensions. As a son of the military, I will always be on the side of the military. And I hope that everyone will do their job so that justice will be done to the military. Happy birthday to the Romanian Army!," Ciolacu also wrote. Romania has a very serious problem of credibility in front of the big investors, which it will hardly be able to solve, due to the repeated changes in the legislation, said on Tuesday, Daniela Daraban, executive director of the Federation of Associations of Energy Utility Companies (ACUE). "Romania is more vulnerable today compared to other countries that have their own resources, because no investments were made in the last 15-20 years. The main causes are the legislative changes and the way in which they were made. Once we are very generous with the legislation, and in two or three years we change our policy and make a very restrictive legislation. And this causes unpredictability and a very big problem of the state's credibility in attracting investors. We already have a pattern and with a lot of effort we will return to a level of credibility to ensure the return of serious investors to Romania for partnerships in the development of projects involving serious investment funds," said Daraban, during the Romanian Economic Forum, told Agerpres. She mentioned that even in the Black Sea gas projects, investors participate in joint ventures, in order to share the risk. "I wish that the two remaining investors, OMV Petrom and Romgaz, have the appetite and the possibility to assume the risk of such investments. (...) We change the objectives far too often in the energy sector, we do not have integrated planning," according to the quoted source. Regarding the scheme for compensation and capping of invoices, she considers that OUG 119 should be improved with other measures. "We pre-financed this scheme, we appealed to the banks and that's how the exposure increased. In recent months, the volume of payments has increased, but the gap (the difference between what the suppliers must receive and what the state actually pays, ed. n. ) is still increasing. A solution is urgently needed for suppliers to have access to liquidity," said the executive director of ACUE. As many as 692 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, up 387 from the previous day, with almost 16,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Tuesday, told Agerpres. Of the new cases, 150 were in re-infected patients, who tested positive more than 90 days after the first time they recovered from the disease. Most of the newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Romania since the previous reporting were recorded in Bucharest City - 161, Brasov County - 41, and Cluj County - 40. The highest 14-day notification rate is in Bucharest City - 0.90, followed by Cluj County - 0.69, Timis County- 0.62, and Sibiu County - 0.62. As of Tuesday, 3,284,350 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania. - Hospitalisations - As many as 773 people with COVID-19, down 51 from the previous reporting, including 49 minors, are hospitalised in Romania at specialist care facilities. Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 102, up six, inlcuding one minor, are in intensive care. Of the 102 patients admitted to ICU, 91 are unvaccinated against COVID-19. - Deaths - According to the ministry, three Romanians, two men and a woman, are reported dead in the last 24 hours. All the deaths were recorded in the age group 70-79 years. All deaths were in patients with comorbidities, and one death was in a vaccinated patient. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 67,168 people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania. A series of ceremonies for the awarding of scholarships, patronages and royal decorations by the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Margareta, will take place on Tuesday at the Royal Palace, and the evening will end with the traditional Royal Concert, held on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, told Agerpres. Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, will award, at 5:00 p.m., the "King Ferdinand I" and "Queen Maria" Scholarships to a man student and a woman student from the State University of Moldova, as well as the "King Mihai I" and "Queen Ana" to a man student and a woman student from the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest and from the Technical University of the Republic of Moldova, the Royal House informs in a release sent to AGERPRES on Monday. In the continuation of the ceremony, HRH Margareta will grant the High Patronage certificate to the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon Federation, as well as the Royal Supplier certificate to some companies and individuals from our country. At 5:45 p.m., Her Majesty Margareta will confer a series of orders and royal decorations on personalities from Romania and abroad. Among the decorated personalities will be soprano Nelly Miricioiu, sportsman Horia Tecau, His Holiness Father Timotei, Archbishop of Arad, Secretary of State Luca Niculescu, journalist Ovidiu Nahoi, Dr. Jonathan Eyal, the director of studies of the Royal United Services Institute in London. In the same evening, from 19:15, on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, the Royal Concert is scheduled, dedicated to the support of Romania's young artists. Her Majesty Margareta, His Royal Highness Prince Radu and Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia will take part in the event. The Royal Charity Concert is a gala evening dedicated to artistic talent and offers the public the opportunity to get involved in supporting the new generation of Romanian artists. The Royal Concert is one of the longest-running and most successful fundraising events in Romania, and the funds from sponsorships and donations made over time total over 1,800,000 euros. Secretary of State for European Affairs Daniela Gitman participated on Monday in the 8th high level meeting of the Development Centre Governing Board within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which was held in Paris, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) informed, told Agerpres. According to a release sent to AGERPRES, the high level meeting called "Together for a dynamic, solid and green development" took place in the context of the 60th anniversary since the establishment of the OECD Development Center and provided the opportunity to exchange views on the relevance of cooperation for development in view of mitigating the effects of the multiple current crises and the impact of climate change over the developing countries, as well as in relation to the imperative of combating gender discrimination. In her intervention delivered within the segment dedicated to the social-economic impact of the multiple current crisis, Secretary of State Gitman highlighted Romania's support granted to the benefit of the most vulnerable states following the latest global and regional developments, both through international organizations and at bilateral level. In this context, she underscored the essential role of international cooperation and and multilateralism as levers for identifying good practices and instruments in the matter, through which support can be provided according to the needs and priorities of developing states. The Romanian official also brought to mind the importance of observing the commitments assumed at international level in the area of international cooperation for development and humanitarian assistance, including the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this context, Daniela Gitman presented Romania's efforts in fighting the effects of the war in Ukraine, insisting on the measures passed by Romania's Government to the benefit of children and youngsters from Ukraine, who are refugees in our country, the MAE mentions. The State Secretary also mentioned the significant impact of the conflict started by Russia over food and energy security, as well as he need to counter false narratives. In respect to the current context of energy insecurity determined by the effects of the war in Ukraine, the Secretary of State presented the efforts at bilateral level and through regional initiatives to strengthen the infrastructure which ensures the transport of energy resources in Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans and the South Caucasus, occasion with which she highlighted Romania's decision to supply electricity to the Republic of Moldova. In preparation of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) and the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15), State Secretary Daniela Gitman brought to mind the importance which Romania pays to the decarbonization of energy sector, the increase in renewable energy production and the opportunity to use electricity based on hydrogen and natural gas. According to the release, within the talks of the last plenary session of the meeting on gender equality and opportunities, the Romanian official mentioned the strong impact of the pandemic on women and girls, which was exacerbated by the effects of the war in Ukraine and, from this view, she highlighted the worrying conclusions of the report of the UN Inquiry Commission on crimes and violations of human rights and international law committed in Ukraine since 24 February. In this context, she mentioned Romania's support in the proceedings initiated by Ukraine against the Russian Federation at the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights and emphasized that there can be no impunity for the violation of human rights, including the rights of women and girls, for abuse and violence. State Secretary Daniela Gitman also mentioned the role of education in the emancipation of women, combating domestic violence and promoting equal opportunities and treatment. Moreover, she underscored that gender equality was one of the priorities of Romania's Presidency of the EU Council and, at the same time, it represents a priority in Romania's mandate as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the period 2023-2025. The participants in the 8th high level meeting of the Governing Board of the OECD Development Centre passed, at the end of the works, the Policy Statement on Future Perspectives, a document that briefly presents the issues highlighted in the discussions of the high level representatives and through which the member states committed to support the Development Centre, as a platform for knowledge sharing and political dialogue between OECD member and non-member states, as well as with other partners. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) announces the launch of the logo of the meeting of the Allied Foreign Ministers in Bucharest, an event that will take place on November 29 and 30. The visual identity of the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers has in the foreground the Triumphal Arch in Bucharest, the centenary of which was marked this year. The Triumphal Arch, built between 1921 and 1922 according to the project of the architect Petre Antonescu, is a symbol of Romania's victory in the First World War and of the Great Union. The November 29 and 30 meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers is the first of its kind that Romania hosts, after organizing the Alliance's Summit in 2008. Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Finland, Sweden and Bosnia and Herzegovina were invited to participate in the meeting of foreign ministers from NATO countries, according to official sources. The meeting will include four sessions related to the implementation of the decisions made at the NATO summit in Madrid, the war in Ukraine, energy security and partners.AGERPRES Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Finland, Sweden and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been invited to participate in the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers that will take place on November 29 and 30 in Bucharest, official sources said. The meeting will include four sessions dedicated to the implementation of the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Madrid, the war in Ukraine, energy security and NATO partners. Romania hosts for the first time a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers. A NATO Summit was organized in Bucharest in 2008. AGERPRES CLAYTON Centene Corp. reported an 11% boost in quarterly revenues on Tuesday, driven by growth in Medicare and Medicaid membership. Quarterly revenues rose to $35.9 billion for the quarter that ended on Sept. 30, from $32.4 billion during the same quarter last year. The Clayton-based health insurer reported a $738 million profit, up from $584 million during the same quarter last year. The company announced a new contract with Express Scripts, which will begin providing pharmacy benefits management services for Centene in 2024. And the company said it is appealing a decision in California that would cause it to exit several large counties. The state of California announced in August that Centenes Health Net of California was awarded contracts in nine counties but would no longer serve members in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Kern counties. Centene and other insurers have filed protests with the state over the decision. On Tuesday, Centene CEO Sarah London told investors that the company plans to exhaust all avenues for appeal. Centene takes the matter of filing protests seriously, London said. When we do so it is not a matter of reflex. Earlier this month, Centene stock tumbled after the federal government published updated Medicare Advantage quality results, showing the companys ratings had declined. Centene attributed to changes in COVID-related disaster relief provisions, and London said leadership have taken aggressive action to improve the ratings. That has included hiring a chief quality officer, setting up systems to track metrics in real time and adding quality improvement as a compensation metric for all employees. Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today ST. LOUIS Its OK to not be OK. That was Congresswoman Cori Bushs message in the moments after the nations latest fatal school shooting, this one on the south side of St. Louis. She spoke those words at the sort of news conference that is all too commonplace in America. A law enforcement official in this case interim police Commissioner Michael Sack tells us what we know about the horrific violence that just took place. Three people are dead and several others injured after a young man with a gun aimed it at students and teachers at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and started firing. The citys leaders, including Bush and Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, gave heartfelt messages about the victims and first responders. And then various politicians and others filled social media feeds with thoughts and prayers, frustration over inaction over guns, warnings that it was too soon for politics or heartbreaking text messages from their children at the school. Bushs message is an important one because the trauma of gun violence is real. And it likely has already affected the lives of some of the young people and adults who ran in fear Monday. Everyone who survived here is going to take on trauma, Sack said. Indeed, they will. And then, as though their trauma is meaningless to the politicians who rushed out statements, nothing will be done to stop the next school shooting, or theater shooting, or grocery store shooting, or synagogue shooting. We are the only country that has this problem, wrote Michael Bishop on Twitter on Monday after picking up his daughter, a student at CVPA, at the Schnucks grocery store down the street. Thats not OK. Its not OK that we know what the problem is too many guns. And yet Republicans in Congress and the Missouri Legislature regularly stop any meaningful action to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill or, in the case of assault rifles, banning them altogether. Its not OK that Republicans like to blame Democratic leaders of cities like St. Louis for high homicide rates as a political talking point. And yet when those Democratic leaders try to take basic steps to protect their citys residents from gun violence, Republicans block them from acting. Its not OK that after every school shooting Columbine, Newtown, Uvalde, St. Louis we write the same narrative, with similar fact patterns, and nothing is ever done. Well, almost nothing. After Uvalde, there was the slightest bit of progress, with Congress passing and President Joe Biden signing a gun safety bill that expanded background checks on 18- to-21-year-olds. It also added incentives for states to pass red flag laws and increased federal gun protections for domestic violence victims. It was a step in the right direction. But here in Missouri, we have a Legislature that passed a law that seeks to exempt the state from federal gun regulations. Jones, who grieved with gun violence victims on Monday, filed a lawsuit in conjunction with St. Louis County Executive Sam Page to overturn that state gun nullification bill. The lawsuit is pending. Its not OK that a city full of children who experience gun violence on a regular basis has to turn to the courts to stop lawmakers from passing laws that actually increase the possibility of gun violence in that city. Thats been the reality in Missouri since the 2007 repeal of a law requiring permits to purchase a handgun. Since then, legislators have regularly weakened gun safety laws. The result has been an increase in gun violence, leading to an additional 50-plus deaths a year in the state, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The death toll rose by three on Monday, this time at a school, where everybody should feel safe. Our children shouldnt have to experience this, Jones said on Monday, echoing a message that gets repeated every year, at every school shooting, over and over. Its so unfair, she said, fighting back tears. Its so unfair. Its not OK that this keeps happening. Its OK to not be OK about that. ST. LOUIS Students, parents, teachers and politicians made one point clear during Mondays vigil for the victims of the school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School: they want more than thoughts and prayers. I hope nobody ever has to hear things that I heard. The screams, the banging, the gunshots, said Bryanna Love, a senior at the school. More than anything, I am pissed, and you should be too. How many more people have to die? ... How many people have to be traumatized like this before the federal government, the state government does something? This is going to affect me and everybody who was in that building for the rest of our lives. Love was one of the survivors who spoke and advocated for change at the vigil in Tower Grove Park on Monday night. More than 200 people gathered at the Roman Pavilion, listening to survivors tell their stories. They wiped away tears, hugged one another and clapped in support. Some in the crowd stood with their heads bowed, while others solemnly held candles. The gunman, 19-year-old Orlando Harris, graduated from the school last year, and police said they suspect he had mental health issues. He fatally shot student Alexzandria Bell, 16, and teacher Jean Kuczka, 61. His gun reportedly jammed, giving some students time to take shelter and escape, and police ultimately shot and killed him. Dylan Fritz, a senior at Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, another high school that shares a campus with CVPA, described running out of the school. He told the crowd that when he got home, he lay on the couch emotionless for hours. He showed up to the vigil not planning to speak. But when he heard others, he said, it lit a fire in his soul. I just came here for my classmates, said Fritz. Im a student. I wanted to go to school today and learn. I was there to learn. I was not there to hide in a corner. Guns do not belong in schools. State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley told the crowd Kuczka was her former teacher and remembered her as a tough, dedicated instructor who never gave up on her. State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge told the audience he felt he failed in advocating for more gun control but promised change during the next legislative session. U.S. Rep. Cori Bush encouraged students, parents and teacher to speak with the citys Behavioral Health Response mental health and crisis specialists scattered in the audience. After Love and Fritz spoke, some members of the response team approached them, handing them cards with 24-hour crisis number. You survived, one worker told Fritz. I know, he said. Thats the hardest part. Knowing Im alive and someone else is not. Were going to get through this, the worker replied. ST. LOUIS A gunman entered a south St. Louis high school on Monday with a long gun and multiple high-capacity magazines, shooting a teenage girl and a health teacher to death and injuring several others before police shot and killed him, authorities said. Police identified the suspect late Monday as Orlando Harris, 19, a graduate last year of the school, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, at Arsenal Street and South Kingshighway near Tower Grove Park. One survivor heard the shooter say he was tired of everybody in the school. Police said the damage could have been far worse. The shooters gun jammed at one point, one student said, giving kids time to escape. And police found more than a dozen 30-round magazines on him. Authorities did not release the names of the woman and the teenage girl who died. But relatives of the woman identified her to the Post-Dispatch as 61-year-old Jean Kuczka, who taught health and physical education. Kuczka, a mother of five, lived in the Dittmer area of Jefferson County. And family and friends said sophomore Alexzandria Bell, 15, loved art and dance and was constantly smiling. Four other students were shot and injured two in the leg, one in the arm, and one in the hands and jaw. Two more students suffered abrasions, and a girl fractured her ankle. Interim St. Louis police Commissioner Michael Sack said Monday evening that he was extremely proud of the police response. The call for an active shooter came in at 9:11 a.m., and the shooter was shot 14 minutes later on the schools third floor. He said a security officer saw the man trying to enter the building, and police were alerted. Several parents and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones also commended the police response. This could have been much worse, Sack said. Sack refused to say how the gunman got into the building but said all doors were locked. The building has metal detectors and seven security officers. Sack said the gunman had no criminal history. There are two magnet high schools on the campus Central Visual and Performing Arts, with about 400 students, and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, with about 300 students. David Williams, a math teacher at the school, said the school principal came over the loudspeaker around 9 a.m. and said the code phrase that indicates a shooter in the building. Williams heard multiple shots outside his classroom, and one of the windows on the classroom door was shot out. He then heard a man say, You are all going to (expletive) die. Police havent said how many shots were fired inside the school. Elijah Pohlman, a 15-year-old sophomore, said it was chaos when the code came over the loudspeaker. He said he texted his parents that he loved them, then heard four gunshots and took off running. He said he almost ran into a body in the hallway on his way out. I dont even know how to deal with it, he said later. Im scared. Raymond J. Parks, a dance teacher at the school, said he was about to teach a ballet class when he saw the shooter wearing all black with a long gun out of the corner of his eye. Parks said the man pointed the gun at him but did not fire for some reason. Taniya Gholston, 16, was in the dance class when the shooting started. He said like, Im tired of this damn school, and, Im tired of everybody in this damn school, she said. Taniya said the shooters gun eventually jammed and that she was able to run for safety. Ranaiyah Cole was in the dance class too, stretching, when she heard a gunshot. We hid in a corner behind a mat, said Ranaiyah, 16. Once the gunman ran off, Ranaiyah and her classmates darted out of the school and to a vacant Walgreens building. Nylah Jones, a ninth grader at the school, said she was in math class when the shooter fired into the room from the hallway but could not get into the classroom. Students piled into the corner of the room and tried not to move as the shooter banged on the door, she said. Ryane Owens, 18, a senior at CVPA, said students thought it was a drill at first. Then we heard noises. Once you heard the boom, said teacher Michael De Filippo, all the chuckling and laughing in the back of the room stopped. Taniya Lumpkin was in speech and debate class at the time. She said a staff member told them to close and lock the door as they do for an intruder drill, but they didnt know if it was real or not. Next thing you know, we just heard gunshots, Taniya said. First single shots rang out, then multiple, then single again, she said. Jamiah Hampton, 16, was in vocal class on the fourth floor of the building when she heard gunshots on the third floor. I heard one big one, and then there were so many I stopped counting, she said. Im confused why people are so cruel. By 9:30 a.m., the area around the school was blocked off by police, ambulances and a SWAT van. Students and staff streamed from the buildings with hands in the air, filing up Hereford Street toward the Schnucks grocery store on Arsenal, where hundreds of evacuees gathered. There, students and their parents reconnected, hugging and crying. One boy was consoling his mother. Im glad its over. My friends are alive. Its OK, Mom. Its OK, Im here, he said. Earlier Monday, Mayor Jones and Rep. Cori Bush spoke at the first news conference of the day. Its so unfair, Jones said, choking up. Im heartbroken for these families. Our children shouldnt have to experience this. Bush said it is vital to get help if you need it in the shootings aftermath: If you dont know who to talk to, you can call our office, she said. Its OK to not be OK. In Washington, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the shooting with reporters: In the wake of Newtown, Parkland, Buffalo, Uvalde and countless other shootings in communities across the country, we need additional action to stop the scourge of gun violence, calling on the U.S. Senate to approve an assault weapons ban and take other commonsense actions. St. Louis Public Schools announced late Monday evening that classes will be canceled Tuesday at Central Visual and Performing Arts and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience high schools in the wake of Mondays shooting. CVPA was Southwest High School for decades until 1992. ST. LOUIS The day after a 19-year-old stormed a south St. Louis high school with an AR-15-style rifle, killing a teacher and 15-year-old student, city politicians said theyre going to have to get creative with their response to prevent a repeat incident. New restrictions on guns are almost certainly out, officials said. Calls for action from students, teachers and parents are unlikely to elicit help from a Republican-dominated Missouri Legislature that has ended permit-to-purchase requirements and resisted age limits. And state law bars the city from making tougher rules of its own. The things we know would have the most effect immediately are the things were prohibited from doing, said Alderman Megan Green, whos running for aldermanic president this fall. Its heartbreaking. Leaders also demurred on suggestions, including from some state lawmakers, that school security guards should be armed. We dont want to further traumatize our children by having them have to deal with armed guards every day, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones told reporters Monday. Theres some hope that the ongoing police investigation into the shooting will offer more feasible suggestions. Investigators have been looking into whether mental illness played a role. And at a briefing Tuesday, authorities said the gunman left behind handwritten notes about being a loner with no social life, which he called the perfect storm for a mass shooting. We have to figure out what happened with this young man and at what points could he have been helped, Jared Boyd, Jones chief of staff told the Post-Dispatch. Green and Alderman Jack Coatar, who is also running for aldermanic president, both said bolstering mental health services in the city could be part of the solution. Green said the city also needs to do more to get at the root causes of violent crime, like childhood lead poisoning and generational poverty. Alderman Joe Vaccaro, who chairs the boards public safety committee, said police and prosecutors may also want to hold the people around the shooter accountable for negligence. Vaccaro said he couldnt imagine how the gunman managed to acquire and store an assault rifle and several large magazines without someone noticing. I dont know what the answer is other than accountability, he said. Once we do that, I think youll see a change. JEFFERSON CITY Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine on Tuesday called Attorney General Eric Schmitt a habitual liar after he said Valentine supported a radical defund the police agenda. Missouri Voters Guide for today's elections The Post-Dispatch and the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis present this guide to the candidates and races on the Nov. 8 ballot. Along with the statement on Twitter, Republican Schmitt released an ad that starts by showing a picture of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, Alderman Megan Green, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush and state Sen. Karla May, with a narrator saying, Tishaura Jones and her radical team want to defund our police. The ad cuts to Bush advocating for defunding the police in an interview and then shows a clip of Valentine expressing her willingness to work with Jones on any of the things that she wants to work on. Trudy Busch Valentine supports their anti-cop agenda, the ad narrator says. Jones, a Democrat supporting Valentine in the Senate race, responded less than two hours later on Twitter, referencing the school shooting in St. Louis on Monday. A day after a lone gunman killed 2 people and injured several others, the #SchmittShow puts this out instead of coming to STL to be in community with grieving students, staff and families, Jones said. More proof that he doesnt give a damn about us. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas joined in on the social media platform: The ease with which leaders who know better villainize Black women in this state is infuriating, particularly at challenging times. Tishaura and Cori, their challenges and their successes, are a lot like those of my mother, my sisters, my community. Valentine shared a clip of an interview earlier this year in which she said she is against defunding the police. Its a shame that yet again career politician Eric Schmitt has chosen to continue his sad pattern of lying to Missouri voters this time lying about my support for law enforcement, Valentine said. We deserve a Senator who will lead with honesty and integrity, not a habitual liar. Schmitts spokesman has pointed to Jones plan last year to move $4 million out of the city police departments $171 million budget to fund affordable housing, homeless services, a victims support program and civil rights litigators as evidence of defunding the police. The strategy of attempting to tie a more moderate candidate to controversial positions isnt a new one for Missouri Republicans. In 2020, Gov. Mike Parson tied state Auditor Nicole Galloway, his Democratic opponent in the gubernatorial election, to the defund the police movement, which Galloway also rejected. Parson won the governors race by a double-digit margin. The Tuesday ad wasnt the only action by Schmitt to receive criticism this week. Schmitt was criticized Monday for tweeting out an endorsement video from former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the school shooting. There was just a (expletive) school shooting in the state you want to represent in the senate and youre posting THIS you (expletive) ghoul!?!?! tweeted Tess Yocom, a Democrat from St. Louis. Less than a half-hour after he tweeted the Trump video, Schmitt tweeted about the school shooting. Our hearts are with the students at the Central Visual and Performing Arts School and their families as they seek to heal from this senseless tragedy, and we commend the brave men and women of law enforcement for their quick and decisive action, Schmitt said. Editors note: An earlier version of this story misspelled Tess Yocoms name. Missouri Voters Guide for today's elections The Post-Dispatch and the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis present this guide to the candidates and races on the Nov. 8 ballot. WEBSTER GROVES A former police chief was among eight local St. Louis County mayors who called for tighter gun regulations Tuesday during a meeting with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Trudy Busch Valentine. We have probably the most liberal gun laws in this state, in the country, and its scary that anybody can get a gun, Florissant Mayor Tim Lowery, a former police chief, said Tuesday during the roundtable of mayors at a Llywelyns Pub in Webster Groves. We can certainly see the effects of that yesterday. Its scary. Were having a hard time protecting kids in our schools. The meeting, which included mayors of some of the countys largest cities and chief economic drivers, came a day after a deadly school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts and Collegiate School of Medicine & Bioscience high schools, which share a south St. Louis campus, left three dead, including the shooter. Police say 19-year-old Orlando Harris, who graduated from Central last year, shot and killed student Alexzandria Bell, 15, and teacher Jean Kuczka, 61, with an AR-15 rifle before he was killed by police. During a wide-ranging conversation, mayors called for a multifront approach to combating crime, including resources for education and mental and behavioral health treatment. But the discussion frequently returned to how a widespread availability of guns contributed to crime. Lowery, a Democrat who leads the countys most-populated city at about 52,000 residents, was among mayors criticizing Republican state lawmakers including Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Valentines opponent in the Nov. 8 election for loose gun regulations, including a recent law declaring federal gun laws will not be recognized or enforced in Missouri. Schmitt has defended the law, which is currently being challenged in court. Lowery, whose father was also a police chief and mayor, said the law effectively bars local police and prosecutors from helping federal officials enforce gun laws. We got officers stopping cars on the street, where four or five of these people have guns, and theres nothing they can do about it, Lowery said. Its all of our state legislators right now that have done this to us. We cant even enforce our federal laws because of laws that Eric Schmitt helped put in place. A spokesman for Schmitts campaign did not return phone calls requesting comment. Webster Groves Mayor Laura Arnold said police have documented a rise in car thefts in the city, which they attribute to burglars hoping to find guns and money inside cars. Part of the rise in crimes is because guns are so readily available, she said. Beverly Hills Mayor Brian Jackson said local leaders of urban areas should be allowed to set their own gun regulations to help combat day-to-day gun violence in the region, including a shooting in Beverly Hills Supermarket in September that left a man dead. Legislation has turned our state into a war zone, and there are no real borders or walls between municipalities, he said. The roundtable, organized by former Webster Groves Mayor Gerry Welch, also included mayors of Clayton, Brentwood, Kirkwood, Maplewood and Frontenac. Valentine on Tuesday called for a state law that would prohibit people younger than 21 from purchasing a gun, as well as universal background checks and so-called red flag laws that would allow police to get court orders to temporarily take away guns from people deemed dangerous. The statement stopped short of calling for a complete national ban on assault rifles. Valentine said she wanted to work to get military-style assault weapons out of the wrong hands. I definitely believe in the Second Amendment, Valentine said in an interview after the discussion with mayors Tuesday. There are a lot of people that are responsible gun owners. Missourians want to hunt, they want to use guns for sports. Its a federal law that handguns cannot be sold to people under 21. It should be a state law that no guns, handguns or long guns can be sold to any person under 21. Valentine also called for expanding mental health services, reading aloud part of a letter police said was written by Harris, the shooter, in which he described himself as an isolated loner. I think we have to address mental health because I think so many of these mass shootings are because of people that are mentally ill, Valentine said. And I think a lot of them are seeking care and help but they cant find it. When in southern Spain, I cant resist popping into the British colony of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is hardly signposted in Spain, as if Spain wishes the British colony didnt exist. (Drivers follow highway signs to La Linea, the last Spanish town.) But when you see that famous Rock of Prudential standing boldly above the sea, you know its here to stay. The 30,000 people living along a 2.5-square-mile lip of land under the famous and strategic rock are happily English. And quirky Gibraltar is determinedly not Spanish. But while over 90 percent of its citizens chose to stay with Britain in a 2002 referendum, almost 96 percent chose to stay with the European Union during the 2016 Brexit referendum, showing the complicated position the colony faces going forward. Along with being not Spanish, the colony is part British and part Gibraltarian. They have the big three-pronged English electrical plugs, their own currency (its the pound sterling but, like Scotland, they have their own version), and their own Web domain (gi). Gibraltars Anglican Church is proudly headquarters of the Anglican Church in Europe (not very centrally located for the business of administering that vast parish). The people have that typical British correctness I got lectured by the woman at the tourist board for not giving them advance notice of my visit. They recently tried to change the name of what for many centuries has been known as the Moorish Castle to the Medieval Castle (but it is Moorish so it didnt stick). Gibraltars economy, once dominated by the military, is now based mostly on tourism. And that includes quickie weddings only 48 hours notice is required and its legally British. Sean Connery got married here. And, of course, Beatles fans remember from the Ballad of John and Yoko, that Mr. and Mrs. Lennon, too, got married in Gibraltar near Spain. While the British military presence is now dwarfed by the British sun-seeker presence, the colony is encrusted with military souvenirs stout ramparts, war memorials, and 30 miles of defense-related tunnels drilled into its rock. As you drive the military roads that switchback to the summit of the rock, you notice big, rusted iron rings spiked into the pavement every 20 yards designed to enable soldiers to hoist up the giant cannons that once helped the Brits seal off the Mediterranean. The town of Gibraltar is pretty humble. Spaniards come for duty-free sugar, tobacco, and booze. For sightseers, the attraction here is the rock itself with its viewpoint on the summit, gregarious apes (actually a gang of about 200 tailless monkeys whose presence here supposedly assured the continued British control of the colony), and siege galleries. Several hundred yards of the tunnels (drilled for military purposes over the centuries) are open, giving tourists a chance to hike across the face of the rock and actually peer out of the cannon holes back at Spain. A cable car lifts visitors to the summit, or you could join a taxi tour instead. Gibraltars taxi drivers are trained to give a fun circuit around the rock with several stops, grand views, and the highlight for many some fun with those precocious monkeys. The lift and the 90-minute taxi tour each cost about $40. Old England seems to permeate the island. As we drove high above the port, my taxi driver pointed down to a tiny breakwater and said, Thats where they pickled Admiral Nelson after the Battle of Trafalgar. (While he won, Nelson died, too. According to legend, his body was preserved in a barrel of spirits for the trip back to London.) The Gibraltar business sense is quirky. The hotels are twice as expensive as those across the border in Spain (and not as comfortable). For a decade Ive said, English food is no longer as bad as its reputation. Now Ill add: except in Gibraltar. And the businesses pad their bottom line by gouging anyone who comes in and spends euros. Gibraltar business people say, Sure, we take euros. Later you realize it comes with about a 20 percent loss in the exchange rate. Nevertheless, tourism is booming. Midday the pedestrianized main street (which locals call Main Street) is a virtual human traffic jam. And more planes are landing in the colony than ever before. While that only comes to a handful of planes a day, its now more important than ever that when you walk across the military airstrip that marks the border between Spain and this quirky remnant of the British Empire you look left, right, and up. As CTV Advertising Evolves, Heres What It Can Learn from the $200B Paid Search Model Driven by COVID-19, consumers have drastically shifted the bulk of their purchasing habits to online. In response, brands and advertisers have had to pivot their business models to reach those digitally reliant consumers. Companies also have to grapple with getting the attention of consumers who are constantly plugged into content on digital devices. As of 2022, 92% of households were reported to be reachable by CTV programmatic advertising. Additionally, 85% of consumers report using second devices such as smartphones or tablets while watching television. And while marketers have always intuitively grasped televisions ability to influence sales, the arena has been historically dominated by a handful of advertisers who could afford the mediums high cost-of-entry and smaller businesses have been forced to sit on the sidelines. CTV advertisers are certainly doubling down. Digital ad spend increased by 49% and CTV advertising spend is expected to reach $50 billion by the end of 2022. That number is only forecast to grow as we enter into the 2023 planning season. Marketers of all sizes have before them a unique opportunity to capitalize on this evolving format. But before they do that, its important to take a look at where innovation currently lies within CTV advertising, where it has room to grow, and how marketers of all sizes can find their place in the medium. Ironically, its likely going to require the industry to think back to the early days of paid searchand apply some of those same market principles to todays formatsto usher in the renaissance of CTV advertising. Where were at as an industry now Television has never been inclusive of smaller brands and measurement of its effectiveness has always been elusive since it is not clickable. Traditionally, it has been anchored in 1:1 sales processes, expensive ad buys, and notoriously poor measurement and attribution. These factors have resulted in the roughly $75 billion TV market being dominated by 500 advertisers who drive 85% of TV ad spend. Largely because of that, the market has stagnated while performance-based digital media, with its sophisticated approaches to precision ROI, has seen virtually unimpeded growth, and now accounts for over $200 billion in annual spend. This does not have to be the case. An important look back to understand how we got here For the last 20 years, as consumers have spent more time online, ecommerce has exploded. And the key driver of online commerce is a concept that was introduced 25 years ago by marketing visionary Bill Gross in an Internet incubator in Pasadena, California. The advent of this revolutionary model would forever impact how goods and services were sold. From todays vantage point, his thought process behind this at-the-time startling innovation was fairly straightforward: What if consumers could identify people who already had a need for or an interest in something and put a relevant ad in front of them at the exact moment when they expressed it? And what if media were sold in an automated marketplace, where any marketer could reach a global audience instead of just a few, a few hundred or even a few thousand people? This marketplace model was first implemented in Bills paid search engine, GoTo.com, which launched in 1997 and generated quick adoption by enabling millions of businesses to advertise to mass audiences. And that was just for startersthe marketplace model ultimately led to the re-invention of all digital media, from paid search (Yahoo, Google, Bing) to social media (Facebook, Snap, etc.) to display and video advertising (Yahoo, The Trade Desk, etc.), as well as new categories including ride sharing (Uber), food delivery (Instacart), event tickets (StubHub), real estate (Realtor.com) and property rentals (Airbnb). Today, nine million businesses participate in digital marketplaces like Google and Facebook, spending more than $200 billion annually. History repeats itself; it will take marrying the old with the new to advance So as the global marketplace becomes even more reliant on digital advertising, how can digital advertisers reach audiences that have become increasingly tech-savvy over the past few years? Streaming TV is quickly becoming the dominant way consumers watch TVtoday there are nearly half a billion paying subscribers between Netflix and Disney+ alone. This trend will only accelerate. And to reach these consumers, advertisers are flocking to TV in record numbers, enabled by search-like, self-managed CTV buying and measurement consoles that can measure actual business outcomes (e.g., website visitors and sales) and ROI that result from TV ad viewing on a deterministic basis. By 2024, more than 200,000 search and social advertisers will be active on CTV. Digital-first marketers that move to TV will usher in a new renaissance period of television advertising, benefiting content producers and consumers. And it starts today. [Editor's note: This is a contributed article from tvScientific. Streaming Media accepts vendor bylines based solely on their value to our readers.] Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Drug discovery leader Dr James Osborne brings strong track record of delivering drug candidates for oncology and CNS disorders Proteros selected for its cutting-edge structure-based drug discovery engine Signals new phase as Adrestia moves a portfolio of validated synthetic rescue targets into drug discovery for genetically defined neurologic and cardiomyopathic diseases CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Adrestia Therapeutics, a leader in synthetic rescue therapies for genetic diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr James Osborne as Head of Chemistry and the initiation of a multi-target partnership with Proteros biostructures GmbH (Munich, Germany) to accelerate the discovery of first-in-class candidate drugs for intractable diseases. Throughout my career Ive watched our industry design candidate drugs for targets that turned out to be inadequately validated," said Tom Heightman, Adrestias Chief Research and Development Officer. Adrestia is different: our synthetic rescue platform is identifying novel targets that are highly validated by clinically relevant human cellular experiments with strong support from human genetics. Given our high conviction in these targets, we are applying parallel drug discovery strategies to maximize probability of success and accelerate timelines to IND. Im thrilled to be working with James and Proteros were poised to deliver some revolutionary new medicines. James Osborne is an accomplished drug discovery leader with experience in several successful biotech companies. He has led or been involved with the delivery of seven drug candidates across a range of target classes. In Jamess most recent position he ran the medicinal chemistry function at Amphista Therapeutics. Prior to that he led small molecule discovery at GW Pharmaceuticals and held project and medicinal chemistry leadership roles at Astex and Charles River Labs. James started his drug discovery career at the Institute of Cancer Research. He holds an MSc in Chemistry and a PhD in organic synthesis from Nottingham University and completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Oxford. "Im really excited by the opportunity of Adrestias target portfolio, said Dr. Osborne, and I look forward to exploiting a range of modalities including small molecule and oligonucleotide chemistries. Our collaboration with Proteros allows us to apply sophisticated structure-guided drug design methodologies including crystallographic fragment screening, artificial intelligence and virtual library screening. As a leader in structure-based drug discovery, Proteros enables Adrestia to accelerate its drug discovery activities by providing access to leading protein biochemistry, assay development and high throughput protein structure capabilities. Adrestias carefully validated targets discovered through their unique platform and their disease applications are an inspiration to Proteros. We are delighted to support Adrestia in their accelerated drug discovery endeavors for a variety of complex targets to treat genetic diseases, said Debora Konz Makino, VP Business Unit Discovery Solutions. The collaboration is already providing Adrestia with world-first protein crystal structures and is using both the Swiss Light Source (Villigen, Switzerland) and the Diamond Light Source, the UK's synchrotron facility, to enable rapid drug design. About Adrestias synthetic rescue platform Adrestia has developed a leading synthetic rescue drug development platform, which has already identified completely new targets for treating intractable genetic diseases. The platform identifies and validates novel targets across the human genome and delivers optimized drug candidates. The platforms data contributes to Adrestias synthetic rescue Atlas of the human genome. As the Atlas expands, it will identify both rare and common diseases with a shared genetic component where synthetic rescue drugs could offer new hope for treatment. This scalable platform builds on decades of research by Professor Steve Jacksons laboratory at the University of Cambridge into synthetic rescue and the related concept of synthetic lethality for the treatment of cancer. The Jackson Laboratorys foundational work is complemented by world-class genomic analyses, screening and drug discovery activities led by recognized experts in their fields who have joined Adrestia. About Adrestia Adrestia is a leader in synthetic rescue therapies for genetic diseases. As many directly causative mutations are not druggable, synthetic rescue embraces the much broader target set represented by functionally connected genes, to correct the effects of the causative mutations and rescue health. Adrestia is creating a synthetic rescue Atlas of the human genome and advancing a portfolio of first-in-class therapies, initially for neurologic, neuromuscular and cardiomyopathic diseases. Adrestias platform and in-house programs are complemented by a target discovery alliance with GSK and a Huntingtons disease collaboration with noted researchers including Dr Sarah Tabrizi at University College London. Adrestia was co-founded by Professor Steve Jackson and the deep technology investment fund Ahren Innovation Capital, which co-led Adrestias Series A financing along with GSK. Jackson co-originated the first synthetic lethality drug, olaparib, which was the first drug approved to treat cancers caused by inherited mutations. For further information, visit: www.adrestia.com. About Proteros biostructures GmbH Proteros is a privately-held company with expertise in structure-based drug discovery powered by a cutting-edge discovery engine tailored to unlock even the most technically challenging disease-relevant targets. The company provides small molecule drug discovery services and its comprehensive enabling technology platforms, coupled with roots to Nobel Prize winning science and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, have enabled prominent contributions to several lead optimization programs and clinical-stage compounds. Proteros scientific rigor can accelerate overall research timelines for clients by solving the High-hanging-fruits of the early drug discovery and development stages and the company is consistently seen as the go-to partner for Hit to Lead Optimisation services. Proteros supports many of the worlds top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies and more than 200 pharmaceutical and biotech partners in the U.S., Europe and Japan. For more information please visit www.proteros.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005119/en/ Investors Robert Johnson [email protected] Media Tom Donovan [email protected] +1 857 559 3397 For Proteros Debora Konz Makino VP Business Unit Discovery Solutions Phone: +49 89 700761-0 Email: [email protected] Source: Adrestia Therapeutics Costumed Gilead Protest, Wed., October 26, 12:00 pm, Foster City, CA SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a weeklong, twice-daily series of protests targeting drug maker of Gilead Sciences over the Bay Area companys drug pricing and policies. The protesters, who have repurposed Gileads logo as Greediad, will start protesting each day at 8:30 a.m. and resume again at 12:00 noon PT in front of the headquarters of Gilead Sciences (333 Lakeside Dr., Foster City, CA 94404). A larger theatrical protest with costumesa $1 million dollar bill, pigs heads and snouts, advocates dressed as burglars with money bags slung over their shoulderswill take place on Wednesday, October 26 at 12:00 noon PT. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025006113/en/ Advocates protest Gileads drug pricing and policies, with theatrical demonstrations including costumes mimicking the companys price gouging and billion dollar profit margins. (Photo: Business Wire) WHAT: GileadGreediad!Drug Company Protest WHEN: Weds., Oct. 26 at 12:00 noon NOTE: Wednesdays PROTEST will be a larger, more theatrical protest with advocates dressed in costumes WHERE: In front of: Gilead Sciences, Inc. Headquarters 333 Lakeside Dr., Foster City, CA 94404 WHO: 35-50 advocates & protesters with Greediad and other banners and signs According to a 340B Report article from March, Gilead became the 15th drug manufacturer to place unlawful restrictions on 340B contract pharmacy programs. Lawyers for the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) in both the Biden and Trump administrations have said these restrictions are clearly illegal, yet drug companies like Gilead forge ahead with the lawbreaking in search of even greater profits. Moreover, according to the 340B Report, Gilead is now refusing to offer the 340B discount price for HIV drugs to providers who use contract pharmacies. Earlier this year, Gilead suddenly, dramatically increased the price that safety net providers pay for Descovy a drug needed for both HIV treatment and HIV prevention. The 340B drug pricing program is administered by the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). It has helped provide low-cost medications and better health outcomes for millions of Americans and the nonprofit clinics and hospitals that serve them. Safety net providers like Ryan White providers who serve patients living with HIV have the right under the 340B statute to purchase drugs for their patients at a discounted price. In March, Gilead put profits before patients by unilaterally imposing unlawful conditions on when and how it will give discounts for certain Hepatitis C drugs. We are fighting against Gileads greed to fatten their corporate pockets. Their money-making schemes not only impact community partners and providers but also patients, like myself. I am one of many voices of community advocates who stand against pharma greed. Gilead cares more about money than lives, said Jesse Brooks, AIDS advocate and AHF mobilizer. In response to Gileads (and others) illegal restrictions on 340B access for higher profits, AHF also earlier this year asked Congress and the FDA to conduct a formal investigation of Gilead as well as increase scrutiny of the actions of pharmaceutical companies. In conjunction with the week of Gilead protests October 24 through October 28, AHF will also run a series of Gilead/Greediad ads in several Bay Area print and online publications. The Greediad advertisements will note that: Gilead Sciences has made tens of billions of dollars from drug price gouging. Gilead is infamous for charging $1000 for a single pill of the Hep C drug Sovaldi. Gilead is being sued by thousands of HIV patients for knowingly selling an inferior drug until its patent ran out. Gilead replaced the inferior drug with Biktarvy and has now slashed its patient assistance program. Gilead has doubled the price they charge to safety net providers of their HIV prevention drug Descovy. Gileads greed has no limit making them the poster child for drug company profiteering. AHF mobilizers will be also deploying social media in real-time at many of these Gilead protests and will be using hashtags: #BadGilead #PeopleBeforeProfit #GreedyGilead AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.7 million individuals in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025006113/en/ Lauren Hogan, AHF Associate Director, Communications +310.940.0802 [email protected] Jesse Brooks, AHF Bay Area Advocacy Mobilizer, +1.510.575.8245 mobile [email protected] Tonya Thurman, MHA, Associate Director of Mobilization Campaigns for AHF +1.216.288.5945 mobile [email protected] Source: AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) BRYN MAWR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) announced today that subsidiary Aqua Pennsylvania has received approval by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Authority for a PENNVEST grant to construct a treatment facility for two of its Hatboro well stations in Horsham Township, Montgomery County. The treatment will remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which have found their way into Pennsylvanias waterways due to widespread industrial uses in fire-fighting foams, carpets, clothing, furniture fabrics, paper packaging for food and other materials that are resistant to water, grease or stains. The $5.5 million grant, which alleviates the cost of treatment for Aqua ratepayers, will help support Aquas construction of new ion exchange contactors and related well station improvements to accommodate the new treatment. Since 2018, Aqua has worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to complete studies showing that the proposed resin treatment system will provide the desired treatment to Aquas wells. Most recently, Aqua received a PENNVEST loan to construct a similar treatment facility at its North Hills well in Upper Dublin Township. Aqua Pennsylvania and Essential Utilities have led the way on PFAS remediation in this region, through transparent communication with our customers via WaterFacts.com, a forward-looking action plan for treatment, and setting our own company-wide standard as we await regulatory guidance, said Essential Chairman and CEO Christopher H. Franklin. Just as significantly, we are advocating for our customers by seeking alternate funding for PFAS remediationfrom filing suit against the responsible chemical manufacturers, to successfully applying for grants like PENNVEST to minimize the financial burden on our customers. This is the second PENNVEST grant the company has secured. In 2020, it received $4.5 million for the construction of a PFAS treatment facility at the North Hills well station in Abington Township, which was voluntarily removed from service in 2016 due to PFAS testing results. That well is expected to be returned to service by the end of 2022. On behalf of Aqua Pennsylvania I want to thank the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and PENNVEST for their support in helping us secure this grant, which will improve drinking water quality by continuing our efforts to minimize the presence of PFAS in our local communities without impacting water rates. This helps us to achieve our mission of protecting and providing earths most essential resource, said Aqua Pennsylvania President Marc Lucca. This is an issue of primary importance to us as a drinking water utility and to our broader community, we remain committed to working hard for our customers. Aqua Pennsylvania began reporting monthly PFAS testing results in 2016, and in 2018, the company created an action plan to make significant investments to help treat for PFAS. Aqua has invested over $1 million in equipment to increase laboratory testing capacity; installed granular activated carbon and resin filters on four systems with the highest level of PFAS; conducted engineering evaluations of the Neshaminy water treatment plant and evaluated the effectiveness of the Horsham Air National Guards treatment system based on contaminant levels in the Neshaminy Creek; and assessed alternative treatment options, including ion exchange resins and other technologies. In 2020, Aqua proactively established a company-wide standard of 13 parts per trillion (PPT) for PFAS, which was significantly less than the 2016 Environmental Protection Agency health advisory level of 70 PPT. This treatment standard, which was based on the most stringent state guidance at the time, enabled the company to address contaminants uniformly across nearly 1,500 water systems in the companys eight-state footprint. About Essential Essential is one of the largest publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas providers in the U.S., serving approximately 5.5 million people across 10 states under the Aqua and Peoples brands. Essential is committed to excellence in proactive infrastructure investment, regulatory expertise, operational efficiency and environmental stewardship. The company recognizes the importance water and natural gas play in everyday life and is proud to deliver safe, reliable services that contribute to the quality of life in the communities it serves. For more information, visit http://www.essential.co. About Aqua Pennsylvania Aqua Pennsylvania provides water and wastewater service to approximately 1.5 million people in 32 communities throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Visit AquaAmerica.com for more information or follow @MyAquaAmerica on Facebook and Twitter. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which generally include words such as believes, expects, intends, anticipates, estimates and similar expressions. The company can give no assurance that any actual or future results or events discussed in these statements will be achieved. Any forward-looking statements represent its views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause the companys actual results to differ materially from the statements contained in this release. Such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements relating to the capital to be invested by the water divisions of the company. There are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements including the factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with the companys business, please refer to the companys annual, quarterly and other SEC filings. The company is not under any obligation - and expressly disclaims any such obligation - to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. WTRGG View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025006125/en/ Sarah Courtright Communications Manager Media Hotline: 1.877.325.3477 [email protected] Source: Essential Utilities Inc. Award winners recognized for improving convenience for customers, increasing operational efficiency, and driving new business growth LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CONNECTIONS CONFERENCE Guidewire (NYSE: GWRE) congratulates the winners of its 2022 Innovation Awards: E.design Insurance, Hollard Insurance, and Mountain West Farm Bureau and its subsidiary 360 Insurance Company with partner Smart Communications. In its sixteenth year, this years awards honor Guidewire customers that are adapting to an accelerating pace of industry change and evolving customer needs in innovative ways. Winners were announced during Connections, Guidewires annual customer conference. The 2022 winners are: E.design Leveraged Guidewire InsuranceSuite, CustomerEngage, and ServiceRepEngage to release &e, the industrys first digital automobile insurance product in Japan, providing increased value to customers. E.design embarked on a digital transformation journey to completely revamp its systems and provide its policyholders the ultimate customer experience. The company also simultaneously implemented a customer experience-focused business strategy. E.design deployed InsuranceSuite as its new core platform, CustomerEngage and ServiceRepEngage to deliver a seamless digital experience to its policyholders and customer service representatives, and is also leveraging Guidewire for Salesforce to enable data synchronization between InsuranceSuite and Salesforce Financial Services Cloud. E.design Insurance is the first Guidewire customer to deploy Guidewire for Salesforce in the Asia-Pacific region. In May 2021, the company launched an entirely new auto insurance product, &e (pronounced as Andy). Benefits of the initiative include: All processes in the insurance lifecycle from quotes to policy changes can now be completed with a smartphone; Accurate quotes can be delivered in 60 seconds via the upload of policy information with a smartphone camera through a user-friendly interface; One-tap accident notification using an IoT (Internet of Things) sensor; Video of the customers car accident can be reproduced based on the impact and GPS data detected by the IoT sensor; and Safe driver scores can be calculated using the IoT sensor. Scores can be turned into points and redeemed for rewards. The project is not only innovative from a technology perspective, but also from a product and social perspective. Aiming for an accident-free society, E.design makes donations to local governments efforts for reducing accidents and promoting safe driving when accident rates of their customers drop to a certain level. If the accident rate of their customers drops below the annual target accident rate, the company makes an additional donation on top of their ongoing donations. For additional information on E.design, visit https://www.edsp.co.jp/. Hollard Insurance Raising the standard for broker claims notification and updates with Guidewire ClaimCenter and ProducerEngage, to deliver first-rate broker servicing for Australian brokers. Hollard is transforming its broker claims market offering in Australia with the introduction of Guidewire ClaimCenter and ProducerEngage for broker notification and management of claims. The companys claims notification process previously required manual input on every claim and at times required a call or email to brokers to obtain additional information before lodgement could be completed. This process could take 3-4 days to flow through Hollards system, but with digitization, it can now happen instantly. In addition, the claim information captured easily assists agents to start the repair process. Hollards customers and brokers are progressively being empowered to interact with the company through a channel of their choice and can get information on a claim in one interaction without the need for the broker to call Hollard. Additionally, the broker portal allows brokers to raise a catastrophe event claim directly to Hollard to ensure the right repairers can be appointed for a quick resolution. The rollout to all brokers is expected to be completed in early 2023. The portal supports multiple lines of business, allowing brokers to raise claims and get claims information with one login, and enables brokers to view all claims quickly in a single view from their desktop or in the field with customers. The straight through lodgement ensures staff will no longer need to complete manual processes at notification, and with the assignment and reserve rules built in ClaimCenter, Hollard gets the claim triaged and reserved automatically as soon as the broker completes the claim in the portal. These improvements and enhancements to come will provide Hollard with a distinct advantage in the broker market in Australia. For additional information about Hollard Insurance, visit www.hollard.com.au. Mountain West Farm Bureau Putting customer experience at the center of its digital transformation, Mountain West Farm Bureau enriches the policyholder experience with efficient communication via multiple channels. In addition, Mountain West unlocks the business value of data with targeted reporting and analytical solutions. Mountain West sought to move to a digital-first approach to elevate the experience for both its customers and employees. Mountain West leveraged integrated cloud-based technologies to improve operational processes and enrich the policyholder experience. By leveraging Guidewire InsuranceSuite in Cloud along with Smart Communications, Mountain West was able to: Reduce policy maintenance related activities by 95% with the redesign of hundreds of forms. Achieve over $3M in savings by consolidating the number of policy administration tools used from 5 to 1, reducing IT reliance, and lowering processing costs. Recreate nearly 1000 documents and set them up for delivery through trigger events. The digital-first customer communications strategy provides agility and speed while meeting compliance requirements. In addition, Mountain West is using Data Studio (through the Early Access program) along with Explore to unlock the business value of data by building targeted business-ready dashboards. The data sets and visualizations in these dashboards provide near-time operational insights across policy, claims, and billing processes. Through a rapid delivery cadence, Mountain West continues to develop new reporting and analytical use cases that push the boundaries of delivering business value from data to its users. For additional information on Mountain West Farm Bureau, visit www.mwfbi.com. For more information about Smart Communications, visit www.smartcommunications.com/guidewire/. On behalf of Guidewire, Id like to congratulate the winners of our Innovation Award program and thank all the customers who submitted entries. We were impressed with the high-quality of the submissions, said Guidewire CMO Brian Desmond. As these award winners demonstrate, Guidewire customers are continually raising the bar for agility and innovation. About Guidewire Software Guidewire is the platform P&C insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently. We combine digital, core, analytics, and machine learning to deliver our platform as a cloud service. More than 500 insurers in 38 countries, from new ventures to the largest and most complex in the world, run on Guidewire. As a partner to our customers, we continually evolve to enable their success. We are proud of our unparalleled implementation track record, with 1,000+ successful projects, supported by the largest R&D team and partner ecosystem in the industry. Our marketplace provides hundreds of applications that accelerate integration, localization, and innovation. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn NOTE: For information about Guidewires trademarks, visit https://www.guidewire.com/legal-notices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005978/en/ Melissa Cobb Senior Public Relations Manager Guidewire Software, Inc. +1 (650) 464-1177 [email protected] Source: Guidewire Software, Inc. NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: HCA), one of the nations leading healthcare providers, today announced an organizational change that includes the creation of a third operating group. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025006062/en/ Jon Foster - HCA HEALTHCARE ANNOUNCES OPERATIONAL REORGANIZATION (Photo: Business Wire) The change, which will be effective January 1, 2023, is designed to enhance alignment with the companys strategy, streamline areas that can improve long-term performance, and provide greater focus and better coordination to support the business. The announcement includes the promotion of Jon Foster, currently President of HCA Healthcares American Group, to Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Foster will oversee all growth and operational support areas, including Development, Payer Contracting & Alignment, Strategy & Innovation, Service Lines, Ambulatory Surgery Division, Physician and Provider Relations, and the UK Division. In addition, Mike Marks, currently Vice President Financial Operations Support, will be promoted to Senior Vice President-Finance and report to Foster. He will oversee Parallon, Case Management, and Performance Improvement areas as well as the companys financial resiliency program. Jon and Mike are two of the most seasoned operations executives in the company, and I am confident they will provide tremendous leadership and support to the organization in these important areas, said Sam Hazen, HCA Healthcares Chief Executive Officer. They will also play an important role in assisting with other strategic initiatives, including the transition into three operations groups. The three groups will have five domestic divisions inside each. This change is designed to allow for more focused support for the companys networks across the enterprise and more speed and agility in decision making and execution. The group presidents will report to Hazen. Erol Akdamar, currently President of the North Texas Division, will be promoted to President American Group. He will oversee the Gulf Coast, San Antonio, North Texas, Central West Texas, and Continental divisions. Ronnie Midgett, currently Chief Financial Officer of the North Texas Division, will be promoted to Chief Financial Officer of this group. Tim McManus, currently President of the Capital Division, will be promoted to President National Group following the retirement of Chuck Hall, which was announced in August. He will oversee the Capital, North Carolina, TriStar, Mountain, and Far West divisions. Russ Young, currently Chief Financial Officer of the East Florida Division, will be promoted to Chief Financial Officer of this group. Richard Hammett, currently President of the North Florida Division, will be promoted to President Atlantic Group. He will oversee the newly created hospital group, which includes the West Florida, East Florida, North Florida, South Atlantic, and Mid America divisions. Ricardo Pavon, currently Chief Financial Officer of the National Group, will be Chief Financial Officer of this group. The announcement also included the following division leadership changes: Brian Cook, currently President of the Far West Division, will assume the North Florida Division President role. Jackie Van Blaricum, currently Chief Executive Officer at Riverside Community Hospital, will be promoted to Far West Division President. Allen Harrison, currently President of the San Antonio Division, will be promoted to North Texas Division President. Dan Miller, currently the Chief Executive Officer at Methodist Hospital, will be promoted to San Antonio Division President. Chad Christianson, currently Chief Executive Officer at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, will be promoted to Continental Division President. He replaces Sylvia Young whose plans to retire after a 35-year career with HCA Healthcare were announced locally. William Lunn, currently Chief Executive Officer at Chippenham-Johnston Willis Hospital, will be promoted to Capital Division President. And, Kristin Dyer, currently Chief Financial Officer of the North Florida Division, will be promoted to North Texas Division Chief Financial Officer. HCA Healthcare is fortunate to have incredible talent throughout its executive ranks, said Hazen. These people are a testament to this. They have been successful in many different roles over their years with the company, and I have absolutely no doubt that they will accomplish even more in their new roles. About HCA Healthcare Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nations leading providers of healthcare services comprising 182 hospitals and approximately 2,300 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44%. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its more than 35 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media. All references to Company, HCA and HCA Healthcare as used throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025006062/en/ INVESTOR CONTACT: Frank Morgan 615-344-2688 MEDIA CONTACT: Harlow Sumerford 615-344-1851 Source: HCA Healthcare DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mary Kay Inc., one of the worlds innovative skincare companies, has announced a new partnership with the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) with its registered office in Geneva, Switzerland, to award grants to researchers at the 51st Annual ESDR Meeting. The congress took place between September 28 October 1, 2022, in person with the sessions recorded and available on-demand after the congress. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005847/en/ Women are seeking more advanced at-home beauty treatment options and our Upstream Innovation team is meeting this need by designing new products that provide compelling skin benefits. Participation at international conferences like ESDR is one way we share and learn about the latest advancements in skincare science to remain relevant in our research efforts and build industry-wide connections, said Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Innovation Officer, Product & Science at Mary Kay. (Credit: Mary Kay Inc.) Mary Kay will be awarding two $20,000 grants to researchers conducting groundbreaking and innovative studies in skin health or skin diseases, for which eligible applicants can apply through December 9, 2022. Winners will be announced during a special virtual event this coming March preceding the inaugural meeting of the First International Societies for Investigative Dermatology conference in May. With these funds, Mary Kay hopes to empower researchers to uncover new perspectives and interventional strategies in dermatology. Mary Kay presented exciting new findings at the 51st annual ESDR meeting as part of its ongoing research focused on the biology of skin aging. The team explored the changes over time that impact the eye, specifically the upper eyelid. Over time, the upper eyelid contours begin to sag, leading to a droopy or hooded appearance. Currently, only in-office options have been shown to significantly improve the appearance of droopy lids. At the annual meeting, Geetha Kalahasti, Associate Principal Scientist, Upstream Research, Clinical & Scientific Credentialing at Mary Kay shared the results of a clinical study that evaluated the effectiveness of a cosmetic formulation containing botanical extracts as a topical solution to treat droopy lids. Botanical extracts targeted three main components that contribute to the effect - dermal matrix degradation, weakening of the upper eyelid retractor, and shifting of upper eyelid fat pads. The findings showed significant improvement in eyelid droopiness and contouring, providing a promising at-home cosmetic solution to the droopy eye concern. Two independent board-certified dermatologists evaluated the clinical images and confirmed the results to be compelling. Women are seeking more advanced at-home beauty treatment options and our Upstream Innovation team is meeting this need by designing new products that provide compelling skin benefits. This is just one of the many ways we meet and exceed consumer expectations, said Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Innovation Officer, Product & Science at Mary Kay. Participation at international conferences like ESDR is one way we share and learn about the latest advancements in skincare science to remain relevant in our research efforts, build industry-wide connections, and establish Mary Kay as a global leader in skin science. ESDR supports investigative dermatology with the goal of improving the health of patients who are suffering from skin disorders. The annual European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) Conference is held in Europe each year every September. The content of this years annual ESDR meeting included guest lectures from internationally recognized scientists, oral presentations from peer-reviewed abstracts, cutting-edge frontier talks in skin science, educational symposia on a wide range of topics, electronic presentations of posters, and interactive workshop-type sessions. With an attendance of over 1,100 registered delegates from 51 countries, the ESDR annual meeting attracts scientists from all over the world with an interest in dermatology to discover the latest basic, clinical, and translational research findings. On behalf of the ESDR board, we would like to thank Mary Kay for its support of the ESDR and its generous contribution to ESDR activities. A key objective of our Society is to promote innovative research in investigative dermatology and to support researchers' activities in translational skin research. We are honored, grateful, and delighted to have Mary Kay as part of this effort, said Eli Sprecher, Chair of the Scientific Program Committee of ESDR. ABOUT MARY KAY One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty company in 1963 with one goal: enriching womens lives. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. As an entrepreneurship development company, Mary Kay is committed to empowering women on their journey through education, mentorship, advocacy, networking, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in enriching lives today for a sustainable tomorrow, partnering with organizations from around the world focusing on promoting business excellence, supporting cancer research, advancing gender equality, protecting survivors of domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com, find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter. ABOUT THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR DERMATOLOGICAL RESEARCH (ESDR) The European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR), founded in 1970, is a non-profit organization promoting basic and clinical science related to dermatology. The ESDR is the largest investigative dermatology society in Europe with a current membership of about 1100. By supporting investigative dermatology and skin research, the ESDR contributes to an in-depth understanding of skin homeostasis and towards improving the health of patients suffering from skin and venereal diseases. The ESDR facilitates the exchange of information relevant to investigative dermatology between clinicians and scientists worldwide. The ESDR also organizes educational events throughout the year to further knowledge in dermatological research. For more information, please visit: https://esdr.org/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005847/en/ Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications marykay.com/newsroom 972.687.5332 or [email protected] Source: Mary Kay Inc. (All metal prices reported in USD) TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sierra Metals Inc. (TSX: SMT) (BVL: SMT) (NYSE AMERICAN: SMTS) (Sierra Metals or the Company) reports third quarter 2022 production results and announces its decision to voluntarily delist its common shares from the New York Stock Exchange American (NYSE) and the Bolsa de Valores de Lima (BVL). Delisting is intended to reduce costs and simplify Sierras administrative and compliance structure associated with these listings. The Companys common shares will continue to be listed and traded in Canadian dollars on the TSX. Production results are from Sierra Metals three underground mines in Latin America: The Yauricocha polymetallic mine in Peru, and the Bolivar copper and Cusi silver mines in Mexico. Third Quarter 2022 Consolidated Production Highlights As a result of the mudslide incident and the community blockade that followed, mining operations at Yauricocha were suspended for approximately 20 days in September. Consolidated mill throughput decreased 12% when compared to the previous quarter and 25% when compared to Q3 2021, due to lower throughput at Yauricocha and slower ramp up at Bolivar as a result of an unforeseen flooding event in the Bolivar NorthWest zone. Consolidated copper equivalent production was 7% lower compared to the previous quarter and 24% lower when compared to Q3 2021 Suspension of production and financial guidance remains in effect. Consolidated Q3 2022 Results The Company previously announced that results will be released on Tuesday, November 15th with a shareholder conference call and webcast on Wednesday, November 16th. Correction: The Companys Q3 2022 results will be released on Monday, November 14th after market close and the shareholder conference call and webcast will be held on Tuesday, November 15th at 11:00 AM EST. Dial in and event link details remain the same. Click here to register. Luis Marchese, CEO of Sierra Metals, commented, The tragic mudslide event that took place at the Yauricocha Mine last month has been extremely difficult for all of us at Sierra Metals. Safety for everyone remains our highest priority. As such, mining operations have re-commenced at a portion of the Yauricocha Mine, while a very thorough safety assurance process continues before restarting operations in the remaining areas. Additionally, the extended work stoppage at Yauricocha, due to the road blockade by a local community, concluded after an agreement was reached. The agreement is currently in the process of being implemented. He continued, Bolivar's turnaround effort has been delayed due to unexpected flooding events during most of the quarter at the Bolivar NorthWest zone in addition to operational delays in implementing a new raise bore to add ventilation. The flooding is currently under control. Further, after an in-depth review, examining the advantages and disadvantages of Sierras listings, management and the Board determined that it would be in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders to voluntarily delist from both the NYSE and the BVL exchanges. The decision is intended to create simplification and to reduce significant costs associated with the continued listing on the NYSE and BVL. He concluded, Sierra Metals has endured an unfortunate sequence of events, that have brought the Company to its current position. Our goal is to find the best path forward for the Company and its stakeholders. Consolidated Production Results Consolidated Production Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Q3 2022 Q2 2022 % Var. Q3 2021 % Var. 2022 2021 % Var. Tonnes processed (t) 561,906 640,181 -12% 750,208 -25% 1,792,817 2,312,163 -22% Daily throughput 6,422 7,316 -12% 8,574 -25% 6,830 8,808 -22% Silver production (000 oz) 669 608 10% 807 -17% 2,011 2,722 -26% Copper production (000 lb) 6,299 8,334 -24% 8,256 -24% 20,957 25,686 -18% Lead production (000 lb) 3,878 3,333 16% 7,841 -51% 11,427 24,805 -54% Zinc production (000 lb) 10,815 10,426 4% 19,112 -43% 31,733 64,368 -51% Gold Production (oz) 2,199 2,622 -16% 2,261 -3% 6,744 7,709 -13% Copper equivalent pounds (000's)(1) 16,637 17,794 -7% 21,870 -24% 50,202 71,966 -30% (1) Copper equivalent pounds were calculated using the following realized prices: Q3 2022 - $19.26/oz Ag, $3.51/lb Cu, $1.49/lb Zn, $0.90/lb Pb, $1,730/oz Au. Q2 2022 - $22.65/oz Ag, $4.30/lb Cu, $1.79/lb Zn, $1.00/lb Pb, $1,872/oz Au Q3 2021 - $24.20/oz Ag, $4.25/lb Cu, $1.36/lb Zn, $1.07/lb Pb, $1,790/oz Au. 9M 2022 - $21.95/oz Ag, $4.12/lb Cu, $1.66/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,826/oz Au. 9M 2021 - $25.81/oz Ag, $4.17/lb Cu, $1.31/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,796/oz Au. Throughput from the Yauricocha Mine during Q3 2022 was 269,057 tonnes, a 15% decline when compared to the previous quarter. When compared to Q3 2021, throughput from the Yauricocha Mine was 17% lower due to the suspension of mining activity and work stoppages during the third quarter, which resulted in a 31% decrease in copper equivalent pounds produced. At the Bolivar Mine, throughput was 227,669 tonnes during Q3 2022 or 11% lower as compared to Q2 2022. Lower throughput, combined with lower grades in copper and silver resulted in a 10% decrease in copper equivalent pound production when compared to the previous quarter. When compared to Q3 2021, throughput at Bolivar was 38% lower and while grades were higher for silver and gold, they were not enough to offset the lower throughput, resulting in a 16% decrease in copper equivalent pounds produced. At Cusi, throughput was 65,180 tonnes during Q3 2022 or 2% lower as compared to Q2 2022. The slightly lower throughput was offset by higher grades in all metals, resulting in a 32% increase in silver equivalent production. When compared to Q3 2021, a 7% increase in throughput, combined with higher head grades for all metals except lead, resulted in a 22% increase in silver equivalent production. Yauricocha Mine, Peru The Yauricocha Mine processed 269,057 tonnes during Q3 2022, which was a 15% decrease when compared to Q2 2022 and an 11% decrease in copper equivalent pounds produced. While silver, lead and zinc grades increased by 7%, 24% and 15%, respectively, copper grades decreased by 17% and gold decreased by 24% when compared to the previous quarter. When compared to Q3 2021, there was a 17% decrease from the 324,196 tonnes processed in the same quarter of 2021 and a 31% decrease in copper equivalent pounds produced. Negative variances in the grades of all metals were the result of restricted access to higher grade areas of the mine and contributed to the lower production of all metals at Yauricocha during Q3 2022. The significant decrease in tonnage and copper equivalent pounds produced at Yauricocha is a result of the suspension of mining activities due to the mudslide that occurred on September 11, 2022 and the subsequent blockade that took place at the mines main entrance. A summary of production from the Yauricocha Mine for Q3 2022 is provided below: Yauricocha Production Nine Months Ended September 30, Q3 2022 Q2 2022 % Var. Q3 2021 % Var. 2022 2021 % Var. Tonnes processed (t) 269,057 317,087 -15% 324,196 -17% 901,394 979,316 -8% Daily throughput 3,075 3,624 -15% 3,705 -17% 3,434 3,731 -8% Silver grade (g/t) 47.61 44.65 7% 56.84 -16% 43.70 56.04 -22% Copper grade 0.77% 0.93% -17% 0.87% -12% 0.83% 0.71% 17% Lead grade 0.72% 0.58% 24% 1.14% -37% 0.65% 1.23% -47% Zinc grade 2.16% 1.88% 15% 3.06% -29% 1.95% 3.35% -42% Gold Grade (g/t) 0.41 0.54 -24% 0.51 -20% 0.49 0.46 7% Silver recovery 62.27% 58.64% 6% 76.11% -18% 61.61% 79.70% -23% Copper recovery 77.30% 78.66% -2% 74.61% 4% 77.55% 69.84% 11% Lead recovery 83.60% 75.81% 10% 87.33% -4% 79.73% 90.15% -12% Zinc recovery 84.28% 79.21% 6% 87.39% -4% 81.33% 89.82% -9% Gold Recovery 20.79% 21.62% -4% 21.96% -5% 20.83% 20.91% 0% Silver production (000 oz) 256 267 -4% 451 -43% 779 1,385 -44% Copper production (000 lb) 3,514 5,127 -31% 4,641 -24% 12,920 11,020 17% Lead production (000 lb) 3,579 3,060 17% 7,146 -50% 10,467 23,683 -56% Zinc production (000 lb) 10,815 10,426 4% 19,112 -43% 31,733 64,368 -51% Gold Production (oz) 743 1,179 -37% 1,169 -36% 2,979 3,102 -4% Copper equivalent pounds (000's)(1) 10,794 12,105 -11% 15,596 -31% 33,702 46,775 -28% (1) Copper equivalent pounds were calculated using the following realized prices: Q3 2022 - $19.26/oz Ag, $3.51/lb Cu, $1.49/lb Zn, $0.90/lb Pb, $1,730/oz Au. Q2 2022 - $22.65/oz Ag, $4.30/lb Cu, $1.79/lb Zn, $1.00/lb Pb, $1,872/oz Au Q3 2021 - $24.20/oz Ag, $4.25/lb Cu, $1.36/lb Zn, $1.07/lb Pb, $1,790/oz Au. 9M 2022 - $21.95/oz Ag, $4.12/lb Cu, $1.66/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,826/oz Au. 9M 2021 - $25.81/oz Ag, $4.17/lb Cu, $1.31/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,796/oz Au. Bolivar Mine, Mexico The Bolivar mine processed 227,669 tonnes in Q3 2022, an 11% decrease from 256,372 tonnes in Q2 2022. Lower production during Q3, a 5% decrease in copper grades and a 2% decrease in silver grades resulted in a 10% decrease in copper equivalent pound production when compared to Q2 2022. When comparing Q3 2022 to Q3 2021, the Bolivar mine processed 38% fewer tonnes of ore. Copper grades were 2% lower while silver and gold grades were 9% and 159% higher, respectively which was not enough to offset the overall decrease in tonnes processed. The mines copper equivalent production for the quarter decreased by 16% when compared to the same quarter last year. Operational ramp up has been slower than expected due to unforeseen flooding in the Bolivar NorthWest zone during the quarter. A summary of production for the Bolivar Mine for Q3 2022 is provided below: Bolivar Production Nine Months Ended September 30, Q3 2022 Q2 2022 % Var. Q3 2021 % Var. 2022 2021 % Var. Tonnes processed (t) 227,669 256,372 -11% 364,941 -38% 671,597 1,121,880 -40% Daily throughput 2,602 2,930 -11% 4,171 -38% 2,558 4,274 -40% Copper grade 0.60% 0.63% -5% 0.61% -2% 0.61% 0.75% -19% Silver grade (g/t) 12.14 12.36 -2% 11.18 9% 11.90 16.70 -29% Gold grade (g/t) 0.27 0.24 13% 0.10 159% 0.23 0.17 35% Copper recovery 92.05% 90.61% 2% 73.06% 26% 89.60% 79.06% 13% Silver recovery 79.95% 80.99% -1% 71.97% 11% 82.72% 81.91% 1% Gold recovery 64.67% 65.93% -2% 73.23% -12% 64.98% 67.62% -4% Copper production (000 lb) 2,785 3,207 -13% 3,615 -23% 8,037 14,666 -45% Silver production (000 oz) 71 83 -14% 95 -25% 212 494 -57% Gold production (oz) 1,267 1,283 -1% 899 41% 3,142 4,117 -24% Copper equivalent pounds (000's)(1) 3,799 4,199 -10% 4,531 -16% 10,559 19,495 -46% (1) Copper equivalent pounds were calculated using the following realized prices: Q3 2022 - $19.26/oz Ag, $3.51/lb Cu, $1.49/lb Zn, $0.90/lb Pb, $1,730/oz Au. Q2 2022 - $22.65/oz Ag, $4.30/lb Cu, $1.79/lb Zn, $1.00/lb Pb, $1,872/oz Au Q3 2021 - $24.20/oz Ag, $4.25/lb Cu, $1.36/lb Zn, $1.07/lb Pb, $1,790/oz Au. 9M 2022 - $21.95/oz Ag, $4.12/lb Cu, $1.66/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,826/oz Au. 9M 2021 - $25.81/oz Ag, $4.17/lb Cu, $1.31/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,796/oz Au. Cusi Mine, Mexico Operating at an average throughput of 745 tpd, Cusi processed 2% fewer tonnes of ore in Q3 2022 as compared to Q2 2022. Higher grades in all metals resulted in a 32% increase in silver equivalent ounces. When comparing Q3 2022 to Q3 2021, ore tonnage increased by 7%. Silver production increased 31%, with gold and lead production decreasing by 2% and 57%, respectively. Silver equivalent production of 374,000 ounces for the quarter was 22% higher than in Q3 2021. A summary of production for the Cusi Mine for Q3 2022 is provided below: Cusi Production Nine Months Ended September 30, Q3 2022 Q2 2022 % Var. Q3 2021 % Var. 2022 2021 % Var. Tonnes processed (t) 65,180 66,722 -2% 61,071 7% 219,826 210,967 4% Daily throughput 745 763 -2% 698 7% 837 804 4% Silver grade (g/t) 187.44 146.34 28% 161.03 16% 169.57 151.98 12% Gold grade (g/t) 0.19 0.17 12% 0.18 6% 0.18 0.16 13% Lead grade 0.26% 0.23% 13% 0.62% -58% 0.25% 0.29% -14% Silver recovery (flotation) 87.24% 82.07% 6% 82.63% 6% 84.86% 81.77% 4% Gold recovery (lixiviation) 48.28% 43.64% 11% 55.89% -14% 47.46% 43.90% 8% Lead recovery 80.70% 80.78% 0% 82.64% -2% 78.59% 82.36% -5% Silver production (000 oz) 342 258 33% 261 31% 1,020 843 21% Gold production (oz) 189 160 18% 193 -2% 623 490 27% Lead production (000 lb) 299 273 10% 695 -57% 960 1,122 -14% Silver equivalent ounces (000's)(1) 374 283 32% 306 22% 1,115 920 21% (1) Silver equivalent ounces were calculated using the following realized prices: Q3 2022 - $19.26/oz Ag, $3.51/lb Cu, $1.49/lb Zn, $0.90/lb Pb, $1,730/oz Au. Q2 2022 - $22.65/oz Ag, $4.30/lb Cu, $1.79/lb Zn, $1.00/lb Pb, $1,872/oz Au Q3 2021 - $24.20/oz Ag, $4.25/lb Cu, $1.36/lb Zn, $1.07/lb Pb, $1,790/oz Au. 9M 2022 - $21.95/oz Ag, $4.12/lb Cu, $1.66/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,826/oz Au. 9M 2021 - $25.81/oz Ag, $4.17/lb Cu, $1.31/lb Zn, $0.99/lb Pb, $1,796/oz Au. Delisting From The NYSE American and BVL Stock Exchanges Sierra Metals will notify the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and the National Commission on the Supervision of Companies and Securities of its withdrawal of the common shares from listing on the NYSE and BVL, respectively. The Company decided to pursue the voluntary de-listings after concluding that the disadvantages of maintaining its listing on the NYSE and the BVL outweighed the benefits to the Company and its shareholders. It was determined that a delisting will simplify Sierras administrative and compliance structure and reduce costs associated with the listing fees. The decision to voluntarily delist the common shares from the NYSE and BVL will not impact the Companys listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The common shares will continue to be listed and traded on the TSX, subject to compliance with TSX continued listing standards. The Company expects that the last day of trading of the common shares on the NYSE will be on or about November 14, 2022 and on the BVL on or about December 15, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of the requirements and completion of the internal processes of the latter exchange. Shareholders holding shares in U.S. brokerage accounts should contact their brokers to confirm how to trade Sierra Metals shares in the future on the TSX. Likewise, shareholders holding shares acquired through Peruvian stockbroker agents should contact their brokers to confirm how to trade Sierra Metals shares in the future on the TSX. Quality Control Americo Zuzunaga, FAusIMM (Mining Engineer) and Vice President, Technical, is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About Sierra Metals Sierra Metals Inc. is a diversified Canadian mining company with Green Metal exposure including copper production and base metal production with precious metals byproduct credits, focused on the production and development of its Yauricocha Mine in Peru, and Bolivar and Cusi Mines in Mexico. The Company is focused on increasing production volume and growing mineral resources. The Company also has large land packages at all three mines with several prospective regional targets providing longer-term exploration upside and mineral resource growth potential. For further information regarding Sierra Metals, please visit www.sierrametals.com. Continue to Follow, Like and Watch our progress: Web: www.sierrametals.com | Twitter: sierrametals | Facebook: SierraMetalsInc | LinkedIn: Sierra Metals Inc | Instagram: sierrametals Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities legislation, including with respect to the delisting of the Common Shares on the NYSE and BVL (and the timing thereof), results of the delisting and the timing of the release of the Companys Q3 2022 results and shareholders call and webcast. Forward-looking information relates to future events or the anticipated performance of Sierra and reflect management's expectations or beliefs regarding such future events and anticipated performance based on an assumed set of economic conditions and courses of action. In certain cases, statements that contain forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these words or comparable terminology. By its very nature forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual performance of Sierra to be materially different from any anticipated performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, the risks described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated March 16, 2022 for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and other risks identified in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which filings are available at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively. The risk factors referred to above are not an exhaustive list of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements about the future and is inherently uncertain, and the Company's actual achievements or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking information due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. The Company's statements containing forward-looking information are based on the beliefs, expectations, and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking information if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, one should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025006064/en/ Investor Relations Sierra Metals Inc. Tel: +1 (416) 366-7777 Email: [email protected] Luis Marchese CEO Sierra Metals Inc. Tel: +1 (416) 366-7777 Source: Sierra Metals Inc. By integrating with SAP Ariba Supplier Risk, the platform enables businesses to monitor supplier compliance status in real-time, helping companies manage safety, sustainability, and business risk. OREM, Utah & HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Avetta, LLC, a leading provider of supply chain risk management (SCRM) software, today announced that its Supply Chain Risk Management platform is now available on SAP Store. Through integration with SAP Ariba Supplier Risk, the platform provides critical insights into supplier management workflows enabled by SAP Ariba solutions. Integrating Avettas Supply Chain Risk Management data directly into business processes enables our customers to make better decisions toward safe and sustainable procurement practices, said Taylor Allis, chief product officer at Avetta. We are excited to collaborate with SAP and offer our platform on SAP Store to reduce risks in the supply chain for our customers with solutions that will transform supply chain operations. Using the Avetta platform, businesses can check supplier compliance status in real-time and identify high-risk vendors within their supply chains. Avetta provides critical decision-making data to help decrease risk events within an organization. The Avetta Supply Chain Risk Management platform delivers the following benefits: For clients, it provides a unified platform that manages risk across safety; liability; workforce qualifications; sustainability and environmental, social and governance; diversity; financial health; and cybersecurity programs. For suppliers, it reduces time and cost by demonstrating their superior business qualifications to many clients from a single system. For workers, it offers a central workforce portal to digitally store their required job roles, training, competencies and certifications. SAP Store, found at store.sap.com, delivers a simplified and connected digital customer experience for finding, trying, buying and renewing more than 2,000 solutions from SAP and its partners. There, customers can find the SAP solutions and SAP-validated solutions they need to grow their business. And for each purchase made through SAP Store, SAP will plant a tree. Avetta is a partner in the SAP PartnerEdge program. The SAP PartnerEdge program provides the enablement tools, benefits and support to facilitate building high-quality, disruptive applications focused on specific business needs quickly and cost-effectively. About Avetta The Avetta SaaS platform helps clients manage supply chain risk and their suppliers to become more qualified for jobs. For hiring clients in our network, we offer the worlds largest supply chain multi-risk management network to manage supplier safety, sustainability, worker competency and performance, and business and financial risk. We perform contractor prequalification and worker competency management across major industries, all over the globe, including construction, energy, facilities, high tech, manufacturing, mining and telecom. For suppliers in our network, our audit and verification services help lower their safety incidents rate by 29%. As a result, nearly 50% of members find additional job opportunities within the first year of joining. In addition, our suppliers receive privileged access to the Avetta Marketplace, where dozens of partners offer special discounts for business services like insurance and work gear. Avetta serves 500+ enterprise companies and 125,000+ suppliers across 120+ countries. Visit https://www.avetta.com/ for more information. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221024005891/en/ For more information, press only: SnappConner PR Mark Fredrickson, +1 801-806-0161 [email protected] Avetta Kendra Lamer [email protected] Source: Avetta, LLC FILE PHOTO: A pump is seen at a gas station in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday, rebounding from an early fall of more than $1 a barrel, on a lift from a weaker dollar and supply concerns highlighted by Saudi Arabia's energy minister. Brent crude futures rose 26 cents to settle at $93.52 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose by 74 cents to $85.32. Both benchmarks rose and fell by $1 during the session. The U.S. dollar index fell during afternoon trade, making greenback-denominated oil less expensive for other currency holders and helping to push prices higher. Further support came from comments by Saudi Arabia's Energy Mister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman that energy stockpiles were being used as a mechanism to manipulate markets. "It is my duty to make clear that losing emergency stocks may be painful in the months to come," he told the Future Initiative Investment (FII) conference in Riyadh. Meanwhile, tightening markets for liquefied natural gas (LNG) worldwide and supply cuts by major oil producers have put the world in the middle of "the first truly global energy crisis," Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said. The comments out of Riyadh and from the IEA are "a reminder that when it comes to the energy crisis, it's far from over," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group. "There are still concerns the market is undersupplied." Uncertain economic activity in the United States and China, the world's two biggest oil consumers, limited oil's gains, however. On Monday, government data showed China's crude oil imports in September were 2% lower than a year earlier, while business activity contracted in the euro zone, Britain and the United States in October. Goldman Sachs Chief Executive David Solomon said that he believes a U.S. recession is "most likely," while a recession could be occurring in Europe. The U.S. Federal Reserve could raise its benchmark overnight interest rate beyond the 4.50%-4.75% range if it does not see real changes in behavior, he said at the FII conference. U.S. crude stocks rose by about 4.5 million barrels for the week ended Oct. 21, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Gasoline inventories fell by about 2.3 million barrels, while distillate stocks rose by about 600,000 barrels. [API/S] U.S. government data on crude stockpiles is due on Wednesday. (Reporting by Stephanie Kelly; Additional reporting by Rowena Edwards and Mohi Narayan; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Paul Simao and David Gregorio) Brinker International, Inc. today announced Aaron White has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer, Brinker International. In her new role, White will oversee all aspects of the Team Member experience for Brinker and Chili's Grill & Bar, including recruitment and retention, talent selection, learning and development, and diversity, equity and inclusion. At an enterprise level, she will also lead key business priorities such as culinary operations, restaurant services, Guest engagement and Team Member relations. "Given the importance of Team Member and manager retention, we're moving our people function closer to the operation," said Kevin Hochman, President and CEO of Brinker International. "And with previous leadership roles in PeopleWorks our HR department and extensive operations experience, Aaron was the perfect candidate to help us achieve our hiring and retention goals and make our positions in the field easier, more fun and more rewarding." Aaron joined Chili's as an hourly Team Member and has devoted her twenty-plus year career serving Chili's restaurant teams and Guests. In her most recent role as Senior Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Chili's, Aaron oversaw operations for more than 500 restaurants to ensure best-in-class operations and deliver excellent Guest and Team Member experiences. Her tenure with the brand has also included roles such as VP, Operations Services; Sr. Director, PeopleWorks; and Area Director. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and business from the University of Tennessee. "I've had a passion for this industry since I started working in restaurants in high school, and I've always been motivated by supporting the growth and development of Team Members throughout their careers," said White. "I'm honored to take on this role and am ready to tackle our retention goals and redefine our labor model to better support our operators and Team Members." In addition, Wade Allen will return to his role as Senior Vice President, Chief Digital Officer, this time with a focus on growing the company's off-premise business and driving the digital Guest experience online through the Chili's app, To-Go and Delivery. "Given the $1 billion in annual Chili's sales consumed off-premise, it's clear that Guests now view Chili's as a delicious home meal replacement," Hochman said. "I'm pleased that Wade has jumped into the opportunity to explore and determine how we might remove friction from the Team Member and the Guest experience to continue to drive this important part of our business." Allen joined Brinker in 2014 and was previously SVP of Innovation with oversight of culinary innovation, engineering, strategic growth, and the development and execution of virtual brands. He has held multiple leadership roles in technology, analytics and digital marketing. He will work with the Chili's CMO, George Felix; CIO, Pankaj Patra; and COO, Doug Comings to identify strategies and plans to accelerate the Chili's off-premise business, most of which is transacted digitally. "My roots are in technology, data security and analytics, and I'm excited to continue to use technology to transform and improve the off-premise experience for our Guests," said Allen. "Chili's has always been a leader in leveraging tech in the industry, and we will continue to innovate and make strides with ease, personalization and hospitality at the forefront." ABOUT BRINKER INTERNATIONAL, INC.Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT) is one of the world's leading casual dining restaurant companies and home of Chili's Grill & Bar, Maggiano's Little Italy and two virtual brands: It's Just Wings and Maggiano's Italian Classics. Founded by Norman Brinker in Dallas, Texas, we've ventured far from home, but stayed true to our roots. Brinker owns, operates or franchises more than 1,600 restaurants in 29 countries and two U.S. territories. Our passion is making people feel special, and we hope you feel that passion each time you visit one of our restaurants or invite us into your home through takeout or delivery. Learn more about Brinker and its brands at brinker.com. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of global market infrastructure and tradable products, and SBI Holdings, Inc. ("SBI"), a pioneer of internet financial services in Japan, today announced the companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") whereby they have agreed to discuss potential business collaboration opportunities in the areas of traditional and digital finance. The MoU between Cboe and SBI lays the foundation for the potential exchange of resources and information with respect to pursuing cooperation and planned joint business initiatives between the two firms in equities, digital assets, and other financial products and services, subject to any applicable regulatory approvals. The MoU creates the opportunity for Cboe and its Japanese equities market, Cboe Japan (formerly Chi-X Japan), to potentially reach additional investors and expand its presence in the Asia Pacific financial markets, and for SBI to leverage Cboe's expertise in equities and digital assets in an effort to expand its offering and global distribution network. "Cboe is pleased to enter into this memorandum of understanding with SBI and we look forward to working together to leverage the expertise of our respective companies in mutually beneficial ways," said Ed Tilly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cboe Global Markets. "SBI's diverse business across financial services, including its leadership position in Japanese equities, will provide the opportunity for Cboe to expand our presence in the region, bringing innovative technology, products and services to even more investors. Further, our recent expansion into digital assets through Cboe Digital, a market and clearinghouse based on the exchange principles of transparency and regulatory compliance, supported by a network of intermediaries, providing client-driven solutions that help institutions fully embrace this emerging asset class, will provide SBI the opportunity to grow its global network for providing products and services in the digital asset space." Yoshitaka Kitao, Representative Director, Chairman, President and CEO of SBI Holdings stated, "I recognize that Cboe and SBI Group have a lot in common; both led the reform of the financial industry and have aggressively entered into the field of digital finance by utilizing cutting-edge technology. The chemistry between the two companies will bring about new waves of changes to the Japanese financial market and promote regulatory reforms in Japan that will benefit investors in Japan, especially, the retail investors, and ultimately contribute to solving the long-standing social issue of 'shifting from savings to investment'." Headquartered in Tokyo, SBI has significantly grown its business as a pioneer of internet finance service in Japan through its financial services businesses that include brokerage, banking, insurance, and asset management. In the proprietary trading system (PTS) business, SBI has contributed to the establishment of a fair and stable trading market as the major shareholder of Japannext Co., Ltd., which is Japan's largest proprietary trading business operator. Recently, SBI has begun proactively engaging in the expansion of its business in the field of digital finance through the use of distributed ledger technology such as security tokens and striving to create a global corridor that supports the consistent function of issuance, distribution, and custody for security tokens. This announcement is not an offer, whether directly or indirectly, in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, or South Africa or in any other jurisdiction where such offer pursuant to legislation and regulations in such relevant jurisdiction would be prohibited by applicable law. Shareholders not resident in Sweden who wish to accept the Offer (as defined below) must make inquiries concerning applicable legislation and possible tax consequences. Shareholders should refer to the offer restrictions included in the section titled Important information at the end of this announcement and in the offer document, which has been published on the Offer website (www.smokefree-offer.com). Shareholders in the United States should also refer to the section entitled Special notice to shareholders in the United States at the end of this announcement. On May 11, 2022, Philip Morris Holland Holdings B.V.1 (PMHH), an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI), announced a recommended public offer to the shareholders of Swedish Match AB (Swedish Match) to tender all shares in Swedish Match2 to PMHH (the Offer). An offer document regarding the Offer was made public on June 28, 2022 (the Offer Document) and a supplement to the Offer Document was made public on July 22, 2022. On October 20, 2022, PMHH increased the price in the Offer from SEK 106 to SEK 116 in cash per share, and announced that it will not further increase the price in the Offer. Today, PMHH announces that PMHH has received all necessary approvals from authorities and that this condition for completion of the Offer has been satisfied. In addition, PMHH is obligated to remind the shareholders of Swedish Match of certain U.S. regulatory requirements, including with regard to PMHHs right to waive or reduce the acceptance level condition after the acceptance period ends, and reminds the shareholders of Swedish Match of the terms of the Offer. Today, PMHH announces that the European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Swedish Match, subject to PMHHs divestiture of Swedish Matchs subsidiary SMD Logistics AB following the completion of the Offer. PMHH does not believe that Swedish Matchs earnings and operations will be materially affected by the divestiture and the continued operation of SMD Logistics AB by a third-party outside of the Swedish Match Group. Hence, with respect to the Offer and completion of the acquisition of Swedish Match, PMHH has obtained all necessary regulatory, governmental or similar clearances, approvals, decisions and other actions from authorities or similar, including from competition authorities, on terms which, in PMHHs opinion, are acceptable. Accordingly, this condition for completion of the Offer has been satisfied. We are pleased to have received all necessary regulatory approvals, and believe the best and final price in our revised offer for Swedish Match provides very compelling value for the shareholders of both Swedish Match and PMI, said Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer of PMI. The revised offer retains a 90% acceptance condition, which is critical to capture the full potential of the combination. Should the offer fail, we are well prepared to proceed autonomously to develop IQOS and the rest of our smoke-free portfolio in the U.S. The acceptance period for the Offer expires on November 4, 2022. All other conditions for completion of the Offer are still applicable to the Offer as set forth in the Offer Document. Reminder of certain terms of the Offer and required reminder of certain U.S. regulatory requirements, including with regard to PMHHs right to waive or reduce the acceptance level condition after the acceptance period ends As stated in the Offer Document, completion of the Offer is conditional upon, inter alia, the Offer being accepted to such extent that PMHH becomes the owner of shares representing more than 90 percent of the total number of outstanding shares in Swedish Match (on a fully diluted basis)3 (the acceptance level condition). PMHH has reserved the right to waive, in whole or in part, one or more of the conditions set out in the Offer Document (including, with respect to the acceptance level condition, to complete the Offer at a lower level of acceptance). The acceptance period under the current Offer timetable expires on November 4, 2022. To satisfy U.S. regulatory requirements, PMHH is obligated to announce the possibility of any waiver or reduction of the acceptance level condition via a press release issued at least 5 business days prior to the end of the acceptance period (i.e., October 28, 2022, under the current Offer timetable). While as of today there has been no decision to reduce or waive the acceptance level condition, with the purpose of satisfying U.S. regulatory requirements, PMHH hereby reminds the shareholders of Swedish Match that it may (but is not obligated to) reduce or waive the acceptance level condition after the expiration of the acceptance period on November 4, 2022, and complete the Offer at a lower level of acceptance. In the event of such a reduction or waiver, (i) PMHH would not reduce or waive the acceptance level condition below 50 percent of the total number of registered shares in Swedish Match and (ii) PMHH would grant an additional acceptance period of at least 5 business days from announcement of the waiver of the acceptance level condition, whereby the Offer is declared unconditional. In compliance with U.S. regulatory requirements, PMHH informs the shareholders of Swedish Match that if they have already tendered their shares in the Offer, but their willingness to tender will be affected by a possible reduction or waiver of the acceptance level condition as described herein, they should withdraw their tenders immediately, but in any event, before the expiration of the acceptance period on November 4, 2022. To be valid, such withdrawal must have been received in writing by Handelsbanken Issue department (address: Handelsbanken Capital Markets, Offerings & Issue Services, SE-106 70 Stockholm, Sweden) not later than 17.00 CET on the last day of the acceptance period on November 4, 2022. Shareholders of Swedish Match holding nominee-registered shares wishing to withdraw acceptance shall do so in accordance with instructions from the nominee. This announcement is not an indication of current or expected acceptance levels. For further information on the potential effects of a reduction or waiver of the acceptance level condition, PMHH refers shareholders of Swedish Match to the description thereof included in the Offer Document. For administrative questions regarding the Offer, please contact your bank or the nominee registered as holder of your shares. The information was submitted for publication on October 25, 2022 at 8.00 p.m. (CEST). Information about the Offer www.smokefree-offer.com Important information This press release has been published in Swedish and English. In the event of any discrepancy in content between the two language versions, the Swedish version shall prevail. This announcement is not an offer, whether directly or indirectly, in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, or South Africa or in any other jurisdiction where such offer pursuant to legislation and regulations in such relevant jurisdiction would be prohibited by applicable law (each a Restricted Jurisdiction). This offer constitutes an "exempt take-over bid" for purpose of applicable Canadian securities laws and shareholders resident in Canada are entitled to participate in the Offer on the same terms as shareholders in other applicable jurisdictions. The release, publication, or distribution of this press release in or into jurisdictions other than Sweden may be restricted by law, and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction other than Sweden should inform themselves about and observe any applicable requirements. In particular, the ability of persons who are not resident in Sweden to accept the Offer may be affected by the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are located. Any failure to comply with the applicable restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws and regulations of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, the companies and persons involved in the Offer disclaim any responsibility or liability for the violation of such restrictions by any person. This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with Swedish law, the Takeover Rules, and the Swedish Securities Councils rulings regarding interpretation and application of the Takeover Rules, and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this press release had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of jurisdictions other than Sweden. Unless otherwise determined by PMHH or required by Swedish law, the Takeover Rules and the Swedish Securities Councils rulings regarding interpretation and application of the Takeover Rules, and permitted by applicable law and regulation, the Offer will not be made available, directly or indirectly, in, into, or from a Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws and regulations in that jurisdiction, and no person may accept the Offer by any use, means, or instrumentality (including, but not limited to, facsimile, email, or other electronic transmission, telex, or telephone) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or of any facility of a national, state, or other securities exchange of any Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws and regulations of that jurisdiction, and the Offer may not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality, or facilities. Accordingly, copies of this press release and any formal documentation relating to the Offer are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed, or sent in or into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws and regulations of that jurisdiction, and persons receiving such documents (including custodians, nominees, and trustees) must not mail or otherwise forward, distribute, or send them in or into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws and regulations of that jurisdiction. The availability of the Offer to shareholders of Swedish Match who are not resident in and citizens of Sweden may be affected by the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are respectively located or of which they are citizens. Persons who are not resident in or citizens of Sweden should inform themselves of, and abide by, any applicable legal or regulatory requirements of their jurisdictions. The Offer and the information and documents contained in this press release are not being made and have not been approved by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the FSMA). Accordingly, the information and documents contained in this press release are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom, unless an exemption applies. The communication of the information and documents contained in this press release is exempt from the restriction on financial promotions under section 21 of the FSMA on the basis that it is a communication by or on behalf of a body corporate that relates to a transaction to acquire day-to-day control of the affairs of a body corporate or to acquire 50 percent or more of the voting shares in a body corporate, within article 62 of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005. This press release contains statements relating to future status or circumstances, including statements regarding the remaining transactional steps and requirements and the ultimate success of the acquisition, that are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as anticipates, intends, expects, believes, or similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to many factors, many of which are outside the control of PMI and PMHH. Any such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and PMI and PMHH have no obligation (and undertake no such obligation) to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except for in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Merrill Lynch International (BofA Securities) and Citigroup Global Markets Limited (Citi), which are authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated in the U.K. by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the PRA, are acting as financial advisers for PMHH and for no one else in connection with the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than PMHH for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice in connection with the Offer or any other matters referred to in this announcement. Neither BofA Securities, Citi, nor any of their respective affiliates, directors, or employees owes or accepts any duty, liability, or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, consequential, whether in contract, in tort, in delict, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of BofA Securities or Citi, respectively, in connection with this announcement, any statement contained herein, the Offer, or otherwise. Special notice to shareholders in the United States The Offer described in this press release is made for the issued and outstanding shares of Swedish Match, a company incorporated under Swedish law, and is subject to Swedish disclosure and procedural requirements, which may be different from those of the United States. In the United States, the Offer will also be made in accordance with certain provisions of the United States federal securities laws, to the extent applicable, including Section 14(e) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Regulation 14E thereunder (Regulation 14E); provided that PMHH has requested, and the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) has granted, relief exempting the Offer from certain requirements of Regulation 14E in order to align aspects of the Offer in which Swedish laws and market practice conflict with U.S. federal securities laws. Accordingly, the disclosure and procedures regarding the Offer, including with respect to withdrawal rights, the Offer timetable, notices of extensions, announcements of results, settlement procedures (including as regards to the time when payment of the consideration is rendered), and waivers of conditions, may be different from requirements or customary practices in relation to U.S. domestic tender offers. Holders of the shares of Swedish Match domiciled or resident in the United States (the U.S. Holders) are encouraged to consult with their advisers regarding the Offer. Swedish Matchs financial statements and all financial information included herein, or any other documents relating to the Offer, have been or will be prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and may not be comparable to the financial statements or financial information of companies in the United States or other companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The Offer is made to the U.S. Holders on the same terms and conditions as those made to all other shareholders of Swedish Match to whom the Offer is being made. Any information documents, including the Offer Document, are being disseminated to U.S. Holders on a basis comparable to the method pursuant to which such documents are provided to Swedish Matchs other shareholders. The U.S. Holders should consider that the price for the Offer is being paid in SEK and that no adjustment will be made based on any changes in the exchange rate. It may be difficult for U.S. Holders to enforce their rights and any claims they may have arising under the U.S. federal or U.S. state securities laws in connection with the Offer, since Swedish Match and PMHH are located in countries other than the United States, and some or all of their officers and directors may be residents of countries other than the United States. U.S. Holders may not be able to sue Swedish Match or PMHH or their respective officers or directors in a non-U.S. court for violations of U.S. securities laws. Further, it may be difficult to compel Swedish Match or PMHH and/or their respective affiliates to subject themselves to the jurisdiction or judgment of a U.S. court. To the extent permissible under applicable law or regulations, and in reliance on relief granted by the SEC exempting the Offer from certain of the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under Regulation 14E, PMHH and its affiliates or its brokers and its brokers affiliates (acting as agents for PMHH or its affiliates, as applicable) may from time to time and during the pendency of the Offer, and other than pursuant to the Offer, directly or indirectly purchase or arrange to purchase shares of Swedish Match outside the United States (or securities that are convertible into, exchangeable for, or exercisable for such shares). These purchases may occur either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices, and information about such purchases will be disclosed by means of a press release or other means reasonably calculated to inform U.S. Holders of such information, to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations. In addition, affiliates to the financial advisers to PMHH may also engage in ordinary course trading activities in securities of Swedish Match, which may include purchases or arrangements to purchase such securities as long as such purchases or arrangements comply with applicable laws and regulations. Any information about such purchases will be announced in Swedish and in an English translation available to the U.S. Holders through relevant electronic media, including the Offer website at www.smokefree-offer.com, if, and to the extent, such announcement is required under applicable Swedish or U.S. law, rules, or regulations. The receipt of cash pursuant to the Offer by a U.S. Holder may be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes and under applicable U.S. state and local, as well as foreign and other, tax laws. Each shareholder is urged to consult an independent professional adviser regarding the tax consequences of accepting the Offer. Neither PMHH nor any of its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents or any other person acting on their behalf in connection with the Offer shall be responsible for any tax effects or liabilities resulting from acceptance of this Offer. NEITHER THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY U.S. STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THE OFFER, MADE ANY COMMENT UPON THE MERITS OR FAIRNESS OF THE OFFER, MADE ANY COMMENT UPON THE ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE, OR MADE ANY COMMENT ON WHETHER THE CONTENT OF THIS PRESS RELEASE IS CORRECT OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE IN THE UNITED STATES. For the purposes of this press release, United States and U.S. mean the United States of America, including its territories and possessions and all states of the United States of America and the District of Columbia. ________________________ 1 A Dutch private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap), with corporate registration number 20028955 and corporate seat in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands, indirectly wholly owned by PMI. 2 Excluding any treasury shares held by Swedish Match (currently 4,285,810 shares). 3 Excluding any treasury shares held by Swedish Match (currently 4,285,810 shares). Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) today announced the commencement of an underwritten public offering of $375,000,000 of shares of its common stock, all of which are being offered in connection with the forward sale agreements described below. Barclays and J.P. Morgan are acting as the joint lead book-running managers for the offering. In connection with the offering of shares of common stock, the Company expects to enter into forward sale agreements with each of Barclays Bank PLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (or affiliates thereof) (which the Company refers to as the "forward purchasers"), with respect to $375,000,000 of shares of the Company's common stock. The underwriters of the offering also expect to be granted a 30-day option to purchase up to $56,250,000 of additional shares of the Company's common stock. If the option to purchase additional shares of the Company's common stock is exercised, the Company expects to enter into one or more additional forward sale agreements with the forward purchasers in respect of the number of shares of the Company's common stock that are subject to exercise of the option to purchase additional shares. In connection with the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements, the forward purchasers (or their affiliates) are expected to borrow from third parties and sell to the underwriters an aggregate of $375,000,000 of shares of the Company's common stock (or an aggregate of $431,250,000 of shares of the Company's common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). However, a forward purchaser (or its affiliate) is not required to borrow such shares if, after using commercially reasonable efforts, such forward purchaser is unable to borrow such shares, or if borrowing costs exceed a specified threshold. If a forward purchaser (or its affiliate) does not deliver and sell all of the shares of the Company's common stock to be sold by it to the underwriters, the Company will issue and sell to the underwriters a number of shares of its common stock equal to the number of shares that such forward purchaser (or its affiliate) does not deliver and sell, and the number of shares underlying the relevant forward sale agreement or such additional forward sale agreement will be decreased by the number of shares that the Company issues and sells. Pursuant to the terms of the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements, and subject to its right to elect cash or net share settlement, the Company intends to issue and sell, upon physical settlement of the forward sale agreements or any additional forward sale agreements up to an aggregate of $375,000,000 of shares of common stock (or an aggregate of up to $431,250,000 of shares of common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) to the forward purchasers. The Company expects to physically settle the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements in full on one or more dates no later than 24 months from the date of the preliminary prospectus supplement. The Company will not initially receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of its common stock by the forward purchasers (or affiliates thereof). The Company intends to allocate an amount equivalent to the net proceeds from this offering to finance, in whole or in part, one or more eligible green investments as defined in its Green Financing Framework. Pending allocation, the Company will manage any portion of the net proceeds that it receives, but has not yet been allocated to eligible investments, in accordance with its normal liquidity management practices. The Company expects to use a portion of the net proceeds that it will receive upon settlement of the forward sale agreements to repay outstanding indebtedness. All of the shares of common stock will be offered under the Company's effective shelf registration statement that has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC's website. When available, a copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from Barclays Capital Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (or by email at [email protected] or telephone at 1-888-603-5847); J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (or by email at [email protected] or telephone at 1-866-803-9204); or by visiting the EDGAR database on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. FILE PHOTO: The Warner Bros logo is seen during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France, June 22, 2022. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard (Reuters) -Warner Bros Discovery Inc on Monday put a price tag on its decision to scrap "Batgirl," "The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo" and other series and films deemed unworthy of the investment: as much as $2.5 billion. The newly combined media company said that costs associated with cutting content could reach $2.5 billion, making up a significant part of the total $3.2 billion to $4.3 billion in charges related to its financial restructuring. AT&T Inc's WarnerMedia unit and Discovery Inc completed their merger in April to form Warner Bros Discovery. The company's chief executive, David Zaslav, promised investors he would realize $3 billion in post-merger savings. In a regulatory filing on Monday, Warner Bros Discovery detailed how Zaslav and his leadership team plan to achieve the promised cost cuts, which will be substantially completed by the end of 2024. The media company said it was expecting to book a pretax charge of $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion in the third quarter, much of it related to the removal of 36 titles from the HBO Max streaming service, including originals like the teen drama "Generation" and the animated anthology series "Infinity Train." Warner Bros Discovery said it anticipates $800 million to $1 billion in costs related to layoffs throughout the company, and another $400 million to $700 million by consolidating facilities. The company has undertaken a series of cost-cutting measures since the merger, including canceling projects such as the live-action version of the DC Comics character "Batgirl" and a planned "Wonder Twins" film, and shutting down the CNN+ streaming news service less than a month after its highly touted launch. In its most recent quarterly report in August, the company had laid out a new strategy to merge the HBO Max streaming service with Discovery+, combining WarnerMedia's dramas, comedies and movies with Discovery's reality shows. The company declined to say how the charges would impact its third-quarter results, due for release on Nov. 3. Analysts polled by Refinitiv estimate a pretax loss of $771 million. Shares of the company were down 0.3% in after-market trading. (Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru and Dawn Chmielewski in Los AngelesEditing by David Gregorio and Matthew Lewis) By David Shepardson (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants the U.S. telecommunications regulatory agency to ensure a delay in some 5G C-Band transmissions from smaller operators. Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said the agency wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to mandate voluntary mitigations that AT&T and Verizon agreed to earlier this year mandated for 19 smaller telecoms and other spectrum holders. In a previously unreported letter dated Friday, Nolen cited industry data established "aviation safety would be compromised if the U.S. government does not codify certain additional operating limits in the 5G C-Band environment." The letter was sent to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel was copied. The NTIA, FAA and FCC did not immediately comment. Concerns that the 5G service could interfere with airplane altimeters, which give data on a plane's height above the ground and are crucial for bad-weather landing, led to disruptions at some U.S. airports earlier this year. Nolen's letter warns that without the FCC mandating the mitigations "the FAA would be forced to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of the traveling public, raising the likelihood of flight disruptions across the United States." In June, Verizon and AT&T voluntarily agreed to delay some C-Band 5G usage until July 2023 as air carriers work to retrofit airplanes to ensure they will not face interference. Airlines CEOs on Jan. 17 had warned of an impending "catastrophic" aviation crisis that could have grounded almost all traffic because of the 5G deployment. A deal struck shortly before a January deadline did not prevent dozens of foreign carriers from canceling international flights to the United States, and it cast the U.S. regulatory system in an ugly light. Nolen's letter said "the aviation industry is aggressively retrofitting the current U.S. domestic and international fleets that fly in the United States" with radio frequency filters. But it added "data indicates that even retrofitted aircraft would be susceptible to interference if the report and order is not modified, resulting in renewed concerns about unsafe interference." Earlier this year, the FAA and altimeter manufacturers divided the U.S. commercial passenger airline fleet into four groups based on their tolerance to interference. It remains unclear if the four-member FCC has the authority to retroactively impose conditions on companies that purchased spectrum at auction or if would have the votes to make any changes. The FAA has shrunk zones around airports where Verizon and AT&T cannot fully use towers. Verizon said the June agreement would allow it to "lift the voluntary limitations on our 5G network deployment around airports in a staged approach." The FAA letter said the voluntarily mitigations by AT&T and Verizon "have resulted in the safe deployment of more than 50,000 wireless antennas across the nation." It noted that "the FAA has no authority" to require the 19 other spectrum holders to adopt the same precautions. Nolen's letter seeks near-term conversations at senior levels between the NTIA, FAA and FCC. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora Ellis) FILE PHOTO: An image of Elon Musk is seen on a smartphone placed on printed Twitter logos in this picture illustration taken April 28, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration (Reuters) - Elon Musk has notified co-investors who committed to help fund his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc that he plans to close his buyout of the social media firm by Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Equity investors, including Sequoia Capital, Binance, Qatar Investment Authority and others have received the requisite paperwork for the financing commitment from Musk's lawyers, the source added. The move is the clearest sign yet that Musk plans to comply with a Delaware court judge's deadline to complete the transaction by Friday. The banks that committed to fund Musk's buyout of Twitter have finished putting together the final debt financing agreement and are in the process of signing the necessary documents, according to a Bloomberg News report. Musk pledged to close the deal on a video conference call on Monday with bankers who are helping fund the deal, according to the report. Twitter declined to comment. Musk's lawyers were not immediately available for comment. Twitter shares jumped on the news and were trading up 3% at $52.95 on Tuesday, closer to Musk's offer price of $54.20. Musk has pledged to provide $46.5 billion in equity and debt financing for the acquisition, which covers the $44 billion price tag and closing costs. Banks, including Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Corp, have committed to provide $13 billion of debt financing to support the deal. Equity investors, including Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, will pitch in with $7.1 billion. The closure of the deal will put to rest months of speculation that the erratic entrepreneur would abandon the takeover. Musk has touted himself as an advocate of free speech and has been critical of Twitter's approach to monitoring violent or hateful content, which has led to bans on many prominent conservative voices. (Reporting by Anirban Sen and Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva) FILE PHOTO: A sign featuring Canopy Growth Corporation's logo is pictured at their facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada, January 4, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie By Shariq Khan (Reuters) - Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corp is creating a holding company to speed up its entry to the United States and buy partners Acreage Holdings Inc, Wana Brands and Jetty Extracts, sending its U.S.-listed shares up 27% on Tuesday. The deals are expected to make Canopy profitable, with a leading market share in the United States and control over its marijuana assets in the country once it gets federal permission. Growing and selling marijuana is currently illegal under the U.S. federal law. But with President Joe Biden recently seeking a review on how the drug is classified, a potential change in legislation would allow Canopy to operate directly. Canopy is now betting on such a move as it cuts costs through layoffs, shuts stores and exits international markets, while focusing on premium high-potency offerings in effort to attain profitability. In anticipation of a federal nod, Canopy on Tuesday outlined a holding company structure to set up Canopy USA LLC, which it will own indirectly. The new entity will take over Acreage in return for shares of Canopy Growth, fulfilling a $3.4 billion option that the Canadian company had taken in 2019. It will similarly take over Wana and Jetty, consolidating the three firms under a single ownership. Canopy USA will have its own board of four directors with two of them designated by Canopy Growth. The deals, which need shareholder approvals, would see Corona-maker Constellation Brands Inc become a more passive owner of Canopy Growth. Constellation owns around 35.7% of Canopy's common stock, which it intends to convert into exchangeable shares. The conversion would keep its stake unchanged, but it will give up rights to nominate directors to Canopy Growth's board. Constellation could still choose not to convert its stake, in which case Canopy USA will not proceed with the deals. Separately, U.S. cannabis REIT AFC Gamma Inc has amended its $100 million credit facility with Acreage to give it access to an additional $50 million. (Reporting by Shariq Khan; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Arun Koyyur) HOUSTON, Oct. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Archrock, Inc. (NYSE: AROC) (Archrock) will host a conference call on Thursday, November 3, 2022, to discuss its third quarter 2022 financial and operating results. The call will begin at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Archrock will release its third quarter 2022 earnings report prior to the conference call. To listen to the call via a live webcast, please visit Archrocks website at www.archrock.com. The call will also be available by dialing 1 (888) 440-5667 in the United States and Canada, or 1 (646) 960-0476 for international calls. The access code is 4749623. A replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days on Archrocks website shortly after the call. About Archrock Archrock is an energy infrastructure company with a primary focus on midstream natural gas compression and a commitment to helping its customers produce, compress and transport natural gas in a safe and environmentally responsible way. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Archrock is the leading provider of natural gas compression services to customers in the energy industry throughout the U.S. and a leading supplier of aftermarket services to customers that own compression equipment. For more information on how the Company embodies its purpose, WE POWER A CLEANER AMERICATM, visit www.archrock.com. SOURCE: Archrock, Inc. For information, contact: Megan RepineVice President, Investor Relations(281) 836-8360[email protected] Source: Archrock HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE: CSV) ("Carriage" or "Carriage Services") is pleased to announce that it has acquired substantially all the assets of Heritage Funeral and Cremation Services and Forest Lawn East Cemetery ("Heritage"), a business consisting of three stand-alone funeral homes, a cemetery, and a cremation focused business, located in the Charlotte, North Carolina market. When we started considering our options for a succession plan, we knew exactly the type of company we had in mind. We wanted a company that would respect us and what our team had built and would allow us the flexibility to continue operating as we always had to achieve our goals and serve our families. We were able to find all that and more with Carriage and the transition has been seamless thanks to their approach in blending us into their operation. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for all of us, stated Harris High and Carolyn Williams, former owners of Heritage Funeral and Cremation Services and Forest Lawn East Cemetery for the last 25 and 51 years, respectively. "As we have gotten to know Harris and Carolyn, we have had the good fortune to learn more about their passion for Heritage, Forest Lawn East, their community and their team. We are committed to protecting and building upon that passion and the legacy that they, along with Carolyns father, have built over the years. The addition of Heritage, as a leader serving more than 1,200 families a year in one of the fastest growing markets in the country, aligns well with our focus on partnering with the best remaining independent funeral and cemetery businesses in high growth strategic markets. We are honored that Harris and Carolyn have selected Carriage and we look forward to supporting the Heritage team in the years to come," stated Steve Metzger, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Carriage Services. About Carriage Services Carriage Services is a leading provider of funeral and cemetery services and merchandise in the United States. Carriage operates 173 funeral homes in 26 states and 32 cemeteries in 11 states. For more information, please contact us at [email protected]. Cautionary Statement Certain statements made herein or elsewhere by, or on behalf of, Carriage (the "Company") that are not historical facts are intended to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are based on assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable; however, many important factors, as discussed under "Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Statements" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, could cause the Company's results in the future to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein and in any other documents or oral presentations made by, or on behalf of, the Company. The Company assumes no obligation to update or publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company. A copy of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other information about the Company and news releases, are available at http://www.carriageservices.com. Source: Carriage Services, Inc. Hatboro, Pennsylvania, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deleted Scene Tattoo Removal is a staple in Hatboro, Pennsylvanias tattoo and laser community. Deleted Scene uses advanced technology to safely and effectively remove unwanted tattoos. It also fades existing tattoos to make room for a cover-up or new tattoo while introducing its clients to reputable tattoo artists and studios. Since opening its doors in 2020, Deleted Scene Tattoo Removal has moved to a new location and added a second laser to its practice to deliver full-spectrum removal and treat more unwanted tattoos. The laser tattoo removal practices new space includes an art gallery, and it will be working to further the art community. When we first opened, we were working out of a local tattoo shop and helping the clients fade their existing tattoos before getting a cover-up, said Hannah Stevens, owner. Weve grown a lot over the past two years, and Im so happy to finally have my own space for Deleted Scene. I can treat more customers and continue serving my community through complete laser tattoo removal and fading. The most exciting thing is upgrading my laser to treat multicolored tattoos. Thanks to the Trinity, I can remove bright blue and green inks. Im excited to provide even faster ink clearance and treat all tattoo colors. The Astanza Trinity combines two fully powered systems, a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and a Q-switched ruby laser. Together, these lasers produce three wavelengths 1064 nm, 532 nm, and 694 nm for completely removing all tattoo colors. The Trinitys 694 nm ruby wavelength is unique because it targets resistant pigments like vibrant blues and greens that traditional wavelengths cannot clear. The Trinity is safe for all skin types and targets only unwanted ink, leaving the surrounding skin tissue unharmed. Deleted Scene Tattoo Removal has done a tremendous job of delivering high-quality treatments and customer care at an affordable price, said Bryce Fisher, Astanza Account Representative. Hannahs upgrade to the Trinity is proof of her dedication to delivering the best tattoo removal treatments and results throughout Hatboro and beyond. About Deleted Scene Tattoo Removal Deleted Scene Tattoo Removal is a specialty business focusing on complete tattoo removal, selective tattoo removal, and fading for cover-up tattoos. Owner, Hannah Stevens, worked for several years in the tattoo industry and founded Deleted Scene Tattoo Removal after seeing the high demand for tattoo removal and modification. Stevens received expert training from New Look Laser College, the worlds leading laser tattoo removal training program, and is a Certified Laser Specialist and Laser Safety Officer. Deleted Scene offers complimentary consultations and discounted packages. To book a free consultation, visit https://www.deletedscenetattooremoval.com/, call (267) 988-1499, or follow them on Instagram and Facebook. Deleted Scene is located at 219 North York Road, Hatboro, PA 19040. About Astanza Laser Astanza is the leader in lasers for tattoo removal, hair removal, and additional aesthetic procedures. In addition to delivering cutting-edge medical laser devices such as the Duality, Trinity, MeDioStar, PicoStar, and DermaBlate systems, Astanza offers an unbeatable partnership through The Astanza Experience, which is made of the Business Builder System, 3-Business Day Service Guarantee, and Lifetime Training and Support. Together, these components give Astanza clients a complete range of training, marketing, and business consulting services to achieve success in this growing field. Astanza is an award-winning company that has received several accolades from leading industry organizations, including MyFaceMyBody and Aesthetic Everything. They are also certified as a Great Place to Work and ranked #47 on Fortunes 2022 Best Places to Work in TexasTM and #49 on Fortunes Best Workplaces in Health CareTM . Astanza Laser is headquartered in Dallas, TX, with customers throughout North America and Europe. For product, investor, or press information, call (800) 364-9010, or visit https://astanzalaser.com/. Connect with Astanza on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Astanza Laser Astanza Laser (800) 364-9010 [email protected] Source: Astanza Laser PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Escalon, the leader in the over $300 billion Essential Business Services (EBS) market, today announces it has entered into a recapitalization agreement with New Harbor Capital. Escalon's first investment partner in 16 years, New Harbor Capital will make a substantial investment in Escalon for continued organic growth, M&A opportunities, and technology advancement. Escalon's EBS solution is a one-stop shop for all the back-office business essentials growth-minded companies need, including accounting, bookkeeping, taxes, insurance, payroll, benefits, and recruiting. With this new investment, Escalon's EBS solution will be equipped to offer companies of all sizes the services and resources needed to take their business to the next level. "New Harbor's investment marks an important milestone in Escalon's history," said Ruby Sahiwal, Escalon CEO. "In the last two years, we've acquired Early Growth and Full Stack Finance, both leaders in financial, CFO, and HR services for VC-backed and VC-bound companies. Now, with New Harbor's investment, we can build on that momentum to continue to serve more businesses in relieving their burden from non-core activities." "We are thrilled about this partnership potential," said Justin Marquardt, Partner at New Harbor. "Escalon's unique value to small and medium-sized businesses combined with the huge Essential Business Services market is an incredible opportunity. We look forward to helping them accelerate their growth." About Escalon Services Escalon, together with acquired companies Early Growth and Full Stack Finance, is the one-stop solution for all Essential Business Services (EBS), including FinOps (CFO services, bookkeeping, and accounting), PeopleOps (human resources, benefits, recruiting, and payroll) and Risk (business insurance). Since 2006, Escalon has helped over 5,000 companies across a range of industries and in 22 countries optimize their back offices. Escalon has been named to Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list five times over the past six years. For additional information, please visit http://escalon.services/. About New Harbor Capital New Harbor Capital is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on investing in growth-oriented business services, health care, and education companies. Our Partners have over 80 years of combined experience, partnering with strong management teams to systematically enable accelerated growth in value creation. Since 2000, the New Harbor team has completed over 230 investments. As an experienced strategic partner, New Harbor supports management with ideas, connections, and resources to capitalize on growth potential. For additional information, please visit http://www.newharborcap.com. Contact Information: Celene Robert Director of Markeing [email protected] This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Source: Escalon (escalon.services) Pittsburgh, PA, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Innovative Designs Inc. (OTCQB: IVDN), with its unique insulated Insultex House Wrap, is offering a selected Florida contractor involved in the rebuilding of damage from Hurricane Ian, free product to help in the Florida restoration project. Applying Insultex House Wrap will not only protect the homeowner with a protective water-vapor barrier, but also add an additional R-Value of six, which will result in energy savings. Innovative Designs CEO commented, The widespread impact from Hurricane Ian devastated many areas. We felt the need to help someone who is in need of assistance at this time. DisclaimerCertain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking" statements as defined by federal law. Such statements are based on assumptions, but there is no assurance that actual outcomes will not be materially different as those implied. Any such statements are made in reliance on the "Safe Harbor" protections provided under the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to various factors, including the risks and matters discussed in the Company's SEC filings available at http://www.sec.gov. Contact:Joseph Riccelli412-799-0350[email protected] Source: Innovative Designs Inc. State of Nebraska, State of Missouri, State of Arkansas, State of Iowa, State of Kansas, and State of South Carolina v. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., et al. Washington, D.C., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New Civil Liberties Alliance, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group, has filed an amicus curiae brief in the lawsuit brought by six StatesNebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolinato block the Biden Administrations unlawful student loan debt cancellation plan. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued a stay of the executive action while it considers the States emergency request. NCLA urges the Eighth Circuit to halt the debt cancellation plan while it considers the States arguments on appeal because the plan is so obviously unconstitutional. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Educations invocation of the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003 to rewrite statutory provisions to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars owed to the Treasury violates both the Vesting and Appropriations Clauses of the Constitution. The Department of Educations scheme is legislative in character because it amends laws duly passed by Congress. It is also an appropriation because any amount of canceled debt directly reduces funds that would otherwise flow into the Treasury. The HEROES Act would be unquestionably unconstitutional if it empowered an executive agency like the Department of Education to amend statutes and appropriate funds. Yet, that is in essence what the Biden Administration (mis)interprets that law to do. In short, the Department of Education relies on an unconstitutional interpretation of the HEROES Act to justify its unlawful mass debt cancellation. Plaintiff States also would suffer concrete and irreparable injuries absent an injunction. In addition to the injuries set forth in the Motion for Injunction Pending Appeal, the student loan debt cancellation plan further injures the States by taking away congressionally enacted incentives under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program for student-loan borrowers to find and maintain employment at state agencies. NCLA represents the Cato Institute in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas in a similar challenge to the Biden Administrations invocation of the HEROES Act to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars of federally held student debt. Like 501(c)(3) organizations, States benefit as employers from the incentive scheme built into the PSLF. And, like nonprofit employers, States as employers will be irreparably harmed by the Biden Administrations unlawful infringement of the PSLFs incentive structure. The government argues that the HEROES Act should be read broadly to grant it license to make virtually any modification or waiver of prior acts of Congress it deems necessary to address the Covid-19 pandemic, including wiping out debt owed to the Treasury. But if construed so broadly, the Act would divest to an executive agency Congresss sole power to make laws and appropriate funds, in violation of Article I of the Constitution. Adherence to the separation-of-powers principles embedded in the Constitution is, in NCLAs view, essential to maintaining our Republics representative form of government. NCLA released the following statements: This attempt to wipe out a half-trillion dollars of debt owed to the Treasury is an obviously unconstitutional attempt by the President to usurp Congresss power of the purse. The President is attempting a fait accompli before courts intervenehe knows that once the ledger is illegally wiped clean, there is little hope of recouping losses to the public fisc. An injunction pending appeal exists for this precise scenario: to halt a clearly unlawful action that cannot be undone. Sheng Li, Litigation Counsel, NCLA The States are financially affected by this lawless action and should have standing to bring the matter to court. It is amazing that even the proponents of this action can barely allege a legal basis for it. The Constitution puts the power of the purse in Congress. That is where it should stay. John J. Vecchione, Senior Litigation Counsel, NCLA For more information about this issue visit here. ABOUT NCLA NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group founded by prominent legal scholar Philip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the Administrative State. NCLAs public-interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unlawful power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights. ### October 25, 2022 Philips showcases innovations in its end-to-end stroke care pathway solutions aimed at improving treatment and quality of life for stroke patients Symposium hosted by Philips features leading clinical experts discussing early detection of stroke, new guidelines for reperfusion therapy, and the health economic impact of a novel stroke pathway: direct-to-angio-suite Amsterdam, the Netherlands Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced it will showcase the companys latest advances to support the treatment of stroke patients at the 14th Annual World Stroke Congress (WSC 2022, October 26-29, Singapore). Philips end-to-end stroke care solutions help advance stroke care through early detection and an optimized workflow that reduces the time to treatment a key factor in delivering the best stroke patient outcomes. To connect information, technologies, and people across the stroke care pathway, enabling care teams to work quickly and act decisively, Philips works closely with stroke care partners such as MedTech stroke care company Nicolab, who will join Philips at the 2022 World Stroke Congress. Globally, one in four adults over the age of 25 will suffer a stroke in their lifetime [1], making it the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide [2]. The key to improving outcomes for stroke patients is to provide treatment as quickly as possible. Physicians in an emergency stroke setting are fighting the clock and under intense pressure to make optimal treatment decisions. Despite the imperative for speed, care teams currently lose valuable time due to gaps in communication, information, and access to stroke expertise. "This World Stroke Day we are committed to improving stroke care, said Angelique Balguid, Head of Marketing for Neurovascular Portfolio at Philips. At each vital step, from early detection to treatment and recovery, we are collaborating with caregivers to speed up the stroke care pathway, because every minute matters for stroke patients. We aim to push the boundaries and set new standards, so that clinicians can act faster, improve outcomes, and grow access to care. Challenging the status quo of stroke careOn Wednesday, October 26, from 12:00 to 13:00 in Hall Summit 2 at this years World Stroke Congress, Philips will host a satellite symposium with talks from leading clinical stroke care experts, featuring Drs. Rotem Sivan-Hoffman, Head of the Radiology Department at Meir Medical Center (Haifa, Israel) and founder and Chief Medical Officer at CVAid, Prof. dr. Wim H. Van Zwam, PhD, Interventional Radiologist at Maastricht University Medical Center (Maastricht, The Netherlands), and Dr. Marc Ribo, PhD, interventional neurologist at University Hospital Vall d'Hebron, (Barcelona,Spain). The discussion will be moderated by Philips Angelique Balguid and explore a range of topics, including the early detection of stroke, new guidelines for reperfusion therapy, and the health-economic impact of a novel stroke pathway: the direct-to-angio-suite approach. To learn more about Philips in-booth demonstrations, immersive experiences, and the full schedule of events click here. Solutions across the stroke care pathwayPhilips comprehensive stroke suite includes solutions for stroke monitoring and communication in ambulances, tele-stroke patient assessment, diagnostic imaging and analysis, image-guided therapy, neurological monitoring and assessment, and more. These solutions are aimed at improving diagnostic confidence and time to treatment, and helping reduce the risk of a second stroke. Philips Neuro suite is based on the companys Image Guided Therapy System Azurion. This suite is delivering the latest advances in interventional neuroradiology, such as the companys industry-leading CT-like SmartCT 3D visualization and measurement tool, to assist interventional neuroradiologists with diagnosis and treatment. . Philips solutions leverage the advanced CT capabilities of the companys Spectral CT 7500 spectral CT scanner to improve diagnostic capabilities for radiologists. The Spectral CT 7500 offers enhanced gray and white matter differentiation [3] and improved image quality for the detection of subtle hemorrhage [4] and may help in the detection of ischemic stroke through enhanced visualization of vascular anatomy. Philips is also integrating cloud-based, end-to-end, artificial intelligence-based [5] stroke triage, communication, and management solutions through StrokeViewer, via its partnership with Nicolab, aiming to improve patient outcomes by connecting care teams to optimize the overall stroke workflow. Supporting post-stroke remote telemetry, Philips Holter ePatch replaces the cumbersome setup of conventional Holter monitors with a small unobtrusive body sensor and patch adhered to the patients sternum for up to 14 days of continuous, high-quality electrocardiogram (ECG) recording for reliable diagnosis [6] of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Philips also provides an end-to-end service to support practices in the deployment of ePatch, enabling efficient workflows, enhancing the patient experience, and providing robust data analysis using cloud-based AI-enabled Philips Cardiologs software. The future of stroke care To learn more about Philips stroke care solutions and stroke management click here. A media backgrounder on how Philips is enabling the future of stroke care by connecting and integrating the patient journey can be found here. Social responsibilityEarlier this week, the Philips Foundation announced it is exploring the possibilities of deploying Philips' expertise in stroke care in underserved settings, as well as supporting several projects designed to identify best practices and scalable initiatives to create a bedrock for better stroke care, such as the support of the development of a new online platform called Collavidence to increase stroke research funding. [1] World Stroke Organization [2] Global Burden of Stroke, PubMed. [3] Neuhaus V, et al. Improvement of image quality in unenhanced dual-layer CT of the head using virtual monoenergetic images compared with polyenergetic single-energy CT. Invest Radiol. 2017;52(8):1. DOI: 10.1097/RLI.0000000000000367. [4] Gulko E, et al. Differentiation of hemorrhage from contrast enhancement using dual-layer spectral CT in patients transferred for acute stroke. Clin Imaging. 2021;69:7578. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2020.06.046. [5] We embrace the following formal definition of AI (source: HLEG definition AI) [6] Patient will need to replace patch on day 5 of wear, or sooner as required For further information, please contact: Joost MalthaPhilips Global Press OfficeTel.: +31 6 10 55 8116E-mail: [email protected] About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment, and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2021 sales of EUR 17.2 billion and employs approximately 79,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter. Attachments Source: Royal Philips TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What: The Ford government made specific claims about their plans regarding hospital privatization leading into the election and post-election. The Ontario Health Coalition will be joined by Democracy Watch in a press conference at the Queens Park media studio to release the evidence challenging these claims. The Health Coalition will announce its plans for a major campaign to stop the privatization. When: Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 10 a.m. Where: Queens Park media studio, Toronto. For media who are not in the Queens Park press gallery and/or are unable to attend the Queens Park media studio, you can watch the livestream on the Legislative Assembly website and join by teleconference at (+1) 888 886 7786. Who: In Toronto Natalie Mehra, Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition; Duff Conacher LL.B., founder, Democracy Watch. Across Ontario: Guelph: Wednesday October 26 at 10 a.m. via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7825576599?pwd=dWRkbUEraXdkZTR5MVpBejJyL3NJUT09 Meeting ID: 782 557 6599 Passcode: k4XaJZ London: Wednesday October 26 at 10 a.m. outside Advanced Medical Group, 230 Victoria St. Haliburton: Wednesday October 26 at 11:45 a.m. at Haliburton Highlands Health Services, 7199 Gelert Rd Chatham: Thursday October 27 at 10 a.m. via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89792453850?pwd=YUoxSWR2NW03WXpxeEtZU0NQQWQ0dz09 Meeting ID: 897 9245 3850 Passcode: 777676 Waterloo: Thursday October 27 at 10 a.m. via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83445698137?pwd=RmpQbWNyTmhVWXJlN1lrSTl2emUvZz09 Meeting ID: 834 4569 8137 Passcode: 256095 Sarnia: Wednesday November 2 at 2 PM outside MPP Bob Baileys office, 805 Christina St. N., Point Edward For more information: Natalie Mehra, executive director, 416-230-6402 Toronto/Ontario wide; Barb Hogg, [email protected] Guelph; Peter Bergmanis, 519-860-4403 London; Bonnie Roe, 705-457-6579 Haliburton; Shirley Roebuck, 226-402-2724 Chatham/Sarnia; Jim Stewart, 519-588-5841 Waterloo. Source: Ontario Health Coalition Nashville, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ovation Fertility teams are presenting six poster presentations at the 2022 ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo, which takes place in Anaheim, California, October 22-26, 2022. Additionally, several Ovation scientists are leading courses, workshops and roundtable discussions at the annual event, where top experts in reproductive medicine discuss the latest in reproductive care. One of the most powerful contributors to Ovations success is our collaborative approach to research, says Matthew Tex VerMilyea, PhD, HCLD/CC, Ovations vice president of scientific advancement. Our scientific teams pursue their passion for research not only in collaboration with their peers across the Ovation network of IVF and genetics labs, but also in partnership with Ovation partner physicians and innovators serving the fertility care community. This year, that includes the founders of an AI fertility company on the other side of the globe. These research partnerships highlight the importance of teamwork and innovation as we work to achieve our purpose of bringing the joy of parenthood through innovative science.This years Ovation-supported poster presentations cover a diverse range of topics, from the use of artificial intelligence in embryo evaluation to the effect of delayed egg maturation on embryo development. Ovation research presented at ASRM 2022 will be available at www.OvationFertility.com/Research. About Ovation Fertility Bringing the Joy of Parenthood Through Innovative Science Ovation Fertility is a national network of reproductive endocrinologists and scientific thought leaders focused on reducing the cost of having a family through more efficient and effective fertility care. Ovations IVF and genetics laboratories, along with affiliated physician practices, work collaboratively to raise the bar for IVF treatment, with state-of-the-art, evidence-based fertility services that give hopeful parents the best chance for a successful pregnancy. Physicians partner with Ovation to offer their patients advanced preconception carrier screening; preimplantation genetic testing; donor egg and surrogacy services; and secure storage for their frozen eggs, embryos and sperm. Ovation also helps IVF labs across America improve their quality and performance with expert off-site lab direction and consultation. Learn more about Ovations vision of a world without infertility at www.OvationFertility.com. Attachment Amy Hall Ovation Fertility 214.893.8214 [email protected] Source: Ovation Fertility WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Truliant Federal Credit Union announced today that it has started its South Carolina market expansion with a ribbon cutting at the Truliant Upstate Regional Office in downtown Greenville. The expansion also includes the opening of a second freestanding branch at Cherrydale Point within the next few weeks. Truliant purchased the historic building in 2021 and renovated the three-story, 19,000-square-foot facility at 110 W. North Street in the Historic District of downtown Greenville. Truliants Upstate operations will be managed from this location. Built in 1920, the credit unions new regional office supports commercial lending, financial advisors, Truliant at Work, community outreach and mortgage services. To provide the highest levels of service, the credit union is dedicating a significant portion of the regional office to an onsite training center that can accommodate up to 18 employees. The South Carolina expansion will create more than 60 jobs over the next several years, including branch staff, ancillary services, support services and back-office roles, among others. The 70-year-old credit union has a branch on Pelham Road in Greenville, which opened in 2016 and replaced a long-standing Airport Road location. Truliant traces its history in Greenville back almost three decades to its business relationship with the JPS Textile Group. JPS partnered with Truliant in 1994. Truliant has a long history in Greenville, and we plan to do here what we do best: Offer great value to our members and provide straightforward financial solutions that helps them meet their goals, said Todd Hall, Truliants president and CEO. Over the next several years, the Upstate will represent a significant percentage of our overall expansion. Our contiguous strategy south along the I-85 corridor is the next logical step for Truliant. We see a great opportunity in the Upstate market. This area aligns perfectly with our growth strategy. In addition to the credit unions existing branch location, a newly constructed branch office located at 6 State Park Road in Cherrydale Point will open in November. Leading the regional branch expansion is Jason Swink, the Upstate market director, who has worked for the credit unions branch operations since 2020. The fully staffed location includes three Spanish speaking bilingual representatives to address language barriers that present obstacles to understanding financial services, tools and technology and how best to use them. A second new location in Easley will open in early 2023, and a third will open in Greer later in the year. The combined locations represent more than 28,000 square feet. These locations reflect our commitment to the entire Upstate region and are part of a continued effort to provide residents with excellent financial services. It will help drive more job creation and commercial lending growth, reinforcing the Upstates reputation as a commercial center, Hall said. In addition to serving as its business lending center for the Upstate, the regional office will provide operational support for Truliants branch expansion. During the last three years, the credit union offices in North Carolina and Virginia have added additional services for mortgages, business services, insurance services, financial advisors, indirect lending and digital services. Truliant will offer all of these services in the Upstate, and many of the adjacent South Carolina markets will benefit from the new locations, ancillary services and third-party services. The Upstate locations will form the fourth regional concentration of Truliant branches. The other regions are in the Charlotte-Metro area, the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. Truliant strives to be an integral part of the communities it serves through valuable financial services, such as free checking, great rates, and convenience and through community involvement. At its regional office opening, the Truliant Foundation made a $10,000 donation to the Greenville Chamber Foundation to support the Chambers LaunchGVL program. This initiative through a partnership between the Chamber and Greenville County Schools connects high school students with work opportunities to strengthen the workforce and to help close the skills gap in Greenvilles high-demand occupations. Weve been laying the foundation for this expansion over the last two years by increasing outreach with community organizations and businesses, strengthening our knowledge of the region and carefully filling positions that underscore Truliants total strategy, Hall said. We know that to be successful, Truliant needs the support of the Upstate South Carolina community. So we intend to continue cultivating it with our partners, he said. About Truliant Federal Credit Union Truliant is a mission-driven, not-for-profit financial institution that improves lives by providing financial guidance and affordable financial services. Truliant was chartered in 1952 and now serves 293,000+ members. Truliant has more than 30 Member Financial Centers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Attachment Heath Combs Truliant Federal Credit Union 3362932054 [email protected] Source: Truliant Federal Credit Union NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At a ceremony held in New York City during UN's 77th General Assembly and Climate Week's 14th year, Verijet CEO Richard announced the execution of a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Dimensional Energy Inc. to purchase a minimum of 750,000 gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2025. Kane said, "We are excited to leverage Dimensional's groundbreaking carbon dioxide (C02) to fuels technology in the creation of truly Sustainable Aviation Fuel made from captured atmospheric carbon dioxide (C02) and water cracked with clean energy sources. Dimensional's technology is transformational. We are thrilled to participate alongside Dimensional in decarbonizing aviation." Jason Salfi, CEO of Dimensional Energy Inc., said, "Aviation as a form of transportation is forecast to grow by 50% over the next 20 years. I am excited to be working with Verijet to decarbonize aviation by offering the service of zero emissions air travel by pairing Dimensional's sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with Verijet's high-performance jets." About Verijet A Florida-based private jet charter company, Verijet, is disrupting the market by offering consumers a reduced carbon footprint option while flying private, and at a lower price point. Verijet's mission is to transform aviation responsibly, be the best airline on and for the planet, and democratize private flight. Founded in late 2020, Verijet makes flying privately available to more people and places than ever before. Verijet is a technology company that has morphed into an air carrier - revolutionizing private aviation through the power of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and large-scale computing combined with the most innovative, advanced, and safest jets in the air today. Backed by an experienced team of aviation investors, professionals, and suppliers, Verijet has grown quickly and operates a fleet of 20 radically safe, quiet, and environmentally friendly Cirrus Aircraft SF50 Vision Jets in the U.S. Verijet recently completed the 5,000th revenue flight in just over 22 months of operation with a 100% perfect safety record. To learn more or to book a trip, call 833-Verijet or visit our website at www.verijet.com. About Dimensional Dimensional Energy envisions a world free from fossil fuel dependency. We use carbon dioxide emissions as a replacement for fossil carbon to make the fuels and products people use daily. Our team of subject matter experts comes from all over the world with a shared purpose of making the sustainable materials necessary for a truly circular economy and bringing about climate justice for all. Our technology can produce energy locally at a scale that can satisfy global demand without extracting resources or fomenting conflict. Learn more at www.dimensionalenergy.com. Contact Information: Allison Kane Chief Experience Officer, Public Relations, Advertising, & Brand Development [email protected] +1 561-489-5320 Related Images Image 1: Verijet Logo&CarbonNeutral Verijet logo with carbon neutral tag line. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. Attachment Verijet Logo&CarbonNeutral Verijet Logo&CarbonNeutral Source: Verijet, Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Defiance Silver Corp. ("Defiance" or the "Company") (OTCQX: DNCVF) (FSE: D4E)is pleased to provide an update on the Zacatecas district drill program, including high grade Ag-Zn-Pb-Au mineralization in the heart of the Veta Grande vein system at the Zacatecas silver project, further extending the limits of mineralization below the 2014 resource area. Highlight of Results DDSA-22-52 - Intersected high-grade silver, base metals, and gold over 0.9m (from 400.72m to 401.62m ) of 4.18 g/t Au, 868 g/t Ag, 4.61% Pb and 17.05% Zn or 2172 g/t AgEq, within a larger interval of 3.38 metres of 1.96 g/t Au, 344.91 g/t Ag, 2.12% Pb and 8.01% Zn or 956 g/t AgEq (from 400.22m to 403.60m), representing one of the highest-grade intervals drilled to date in the main San Acacio project area (see Fig. 2 and 3). The hole was drilled approximately 50 metres below the reported high-grade intervals of DDSA-21-37, which returned 3.0m (from 270.45m to 273.45m) of 689.7 g/t Ag and demonstrates the continuity of this mineralized body at depth below the resource area (see Fig. 3). DDSA-22-53 - Was drilled to test approximately 50m below hole DDSA-21-40 (4.55m @ 241g/t Ag from 314.4m to 318.95m). DDSA-22-53 deviated significantly from the targeted pierce point towards the western limit of the mineralized shoot. but still intercepted 2.0m of 0.51 g/t Au, 121 g/t Ag, 1.36% Pb and 4.85% Zn or 434 g/t AgEq (from 301.17 to 303.17m). Continued exploration in this zone further demonstrates the expanding resource potential of important structural intersections and their respective roles in resource development (see Fig. 2). Chris Wright, Chairman & CEO, commented: "We continue to be encouraged by the expanding envelope of mineralization well outside the limits of the current resource area. The mineralized body encountered by high-grade drill holes DDSA-21-36 & 37 and then further at depth with hole DDSA-22-52 clearly demonstrates the strength of the mineral system and the exploration potential at depth outside of the current resource area. We will continue to test these structures in order to understand the limits of the mineral system for future resource planning." Overview Map of Drill Locations Figure 1-Plan map of Defiance's San Acacio project area, including location of current and past drill holes. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2950/141780_9e7a2afab4bdeaf3_002full.jpg Long Section of Drilling Figure 2 - Schematic long section showing Veta Grande system drill results and mineralized shoots, as well as approximate limits of 2014 resource estimate and historic underground workings. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2950/141780_9e7a2afab4bdeaf3_003full.jpg Cross Section Figure 3-Cross Section of drill hole DDSA-22-52, showing Ag g/t (left) and Zn % (right) on drill-string trace and outline of main Veta Grande vein. To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2950/141780_9e7a2afab4bdeaf3_004full.jpg Discussion of Results Hole DDSA-22-52 was designed to test approximately 50m below hole DDSA-21-37 and has demonstrated that the recently-discovered mineralized zone extends deeper (see Fig. 3). This mineralized shoot remains open at depth and also contains the recently-reported intercepts, including: 1.57m @ 2.27g/t Au, 1090 g/t Ag from 248.7m in DDSA-21-35 and 3m @ 0.42g/t Au and 689 g/t Ag from 270.45m in DDSA-21-37 (See News Release dated April 28th, 2021). Holes DDSA-22-53 and DDSA-22-54 were designed to test another mineralized shoot east of DDSA-22-52. DDSA-22-53 was drilled to test approximately 50m below hole DDSA-21-40 (4.55m @ 241g/t Ag from 314.4m, (See News Release dated August 4th, 2021). DDSA-22-53 deviated significantly from the targeted pierce point towards the western limit of the mineralized shoot but still intercepted the mineralized zone (see Fig. 2). DDSA-22-54 was designed to test at the same level and approximately 70m west of DDSA-21-40. Hole DDSA-22-54 intercepted some grade but appears to be very close to the western limit of the mineralized zone (see Fig. 2). Holes DDSA-22-55 & DDSA-22-58 were designed to gain further structural information east of the Veta Grande resource area as well as to confirm historic results drilled by Silver Standard in 1995. Structural complexity in this area has led to a poor understanding of the mineralization in this zone. The company is encouraged that drilling returned appreciable Ag grades and is in the process of further modelling this zone in anticipation of future drilling. Holes DDSA-22-56 & DDSA-22-57 are pending analytical laboratory checks and will be released when data is finalized. The highest-grade silver mineralization at the San Acacio project is typically associated with honey-coloured sphalerite, argentiferous galena, variable silver sulfides and sulfosalts, and spatially correlated with amethyst. The highest-grade gold mineralization is typically associated with pyrite, brown to red-coloured sphalerite, and occasionally with hematite. The hanging wall mineralization tends to express as a more conventional vein to veinlet array morphology while the Veta Grande often occurs as a large breccia-vein with typical intermediate to low-sulfidation epithermal textures and gangue minerals. San Acacio hosts a current inferred mineral resource estimate containing 16.97M oz silver (17.76M oz AgEq) grading 181.94 g/t silver (192.5 g/t AgEq) with a 100 g/t AgEq cut off (see the Technical report titled: Technical Report and Resource Estimate, San Acacio Silver Deposit, Zacatecas State, Mexico by Giroux and Cuttle dated September 26, 2014, which is available on Sedar and the company's website here). Table of Results Hole From To Interval (m) Au g/t Ag g/t Pb % Zn % AgEq g/t DDSA-22-52 397.46 407.62 10.16 0.70 121.18 0.72 2.86 339 Including 400.22 403.60 3.38 1.96 344.91 2.12 8.01 956 Including 400.22 402.00 1.78 2.79 616.02 3.35 11.38 1495 Including 400.72 401.62 0.90 4.18 868.00 4.61 17.05 2172 DDSA-22-53 301.17 303.17 2.00 0.51 121.00 1.36 4.85 434 DDSA-22-53 343.02 344.14 1.12 0.52 126.66 0.23 1.02 226 DDSA-22-54 255.07 255.87 0.80 0.11 100.37 0.04 0.24 123 DDSA-22-54 280.46 282.40 1.94 0.62 29.07 0.42 1.15 150 DDSA-22-55 256.12 258.31 2.19 0.29 78.72 0.06 0.17 114 Including 257.88 258.31 0.43 0.70 204.00 0.17 0.50 293 DDSA-22-58 213.28 214.32 1.04 0.07 96.14 0.02 0.25 114 Table 1 - Silver equivalent is calculated using the following formula: Silver-Equivalent (AgEq) = [(Au_ppm x 53.05)+(Ag_ppm x 0.61)+(Pb_ppm x .0018)+(Zn_ppm x 0.0028)]/ 0.61. Metal price assumptions are Au:$1650, Ag:$19, Pb: $0.85, Zn:$1.3. 100% recovery has been assumed for all metals. At this stage of the project, no metallurgy has been completed, and the reader is cautioned that 100% recoveries are never achieved. True thickness is assumed to be 50%-80% of downhole width. Drill Hole Information Hole Number Total Depth Azimuth Dip Easting Northing Elevation (m) DDSA-22-52 489 10 -57 751495 2526170 2626 DDSA-22-53 400 67 -70 751663 2526202 2603 DDSA-22-54 441 36 -65 751666 2526199 2602 DDSA-22-55 342 52 -45 752839 2525326 2590 DDSA-22-58 365 54 -43 752702 2525481 2607 Table 2 - Drill collar details. All coordinates in WGS84 UTM Zone 13N. Next Steps Drilling program at Veta Grande with planned start date in November. Follow-up drilling will be focused on expanding the resource footprint at Veta Grande by building on the success of the past drill campaigns. Additional follow-up targets include: Newly-discovered deep historic workings east of the previously known limit of mining. Footwall vein north of the main Veta Grande Structure. Recently-identified cross structures and vein splays with the potential to host significant mineralization. Metallurgical drilling for planned resource estimate. Continued regional exploration to design a follow-up drill program at Lucita. Confirmation drill program to determine cut-off date for resource estimate preparation. Discussion of QAQC and Analytical Procedure Samples were selected based on the lithology, alteration, and mineralization characteristics; sample size ranges from 0.25 - 2m in width. All altered and mineralized intervals were sent for assay. One blank, one standard, and one duplicate were included within every 20 samples. Standard materials are certified reference materials [CRMs] from OREAS and contain a range of Ag, Au, Cu, Pb, and Zn values. Blanks, standards, and duplicates did not detect any issues with the analytical results. Samples were analyzed by ALS Chemex Laboratories. Sample preparation was performed at the Zacatecas, Mexico, prep facility, and analyses were performed at the Vancouver, Canada, analytical facility. All elements except Au and Hg were analyzed by a multi-element geochemistry method utilizing a four-acid digestion followed by ICP-MS detection [ME-MS61m]; mercury was analyzed after a separate aqua regia digest by ICP-MS. Overlimit assays for Ag, Pb, and Zn were conducted using the OG62 method (multi-acid digest with ICP-AES/AAS finish). Gold was measured by fire-assay with an ICP-AES finish [50g sample, Au-ICP22]. San Acacio History Zacatecas State continues to be the top producer of silver in Mexico and is one of the reasons Mexico remains the world's largest silver-producing region. The Zacatecas-Fresnillo Silver Belt is one of the most prolific silver producing areas in the world. Production at the San Acacio mine dates to at least 1548 when Spanish colonialists mined mainly bonanza oxide ores, typically grading in excess of 1kg/tonne Silver. The various veins were mined intermittently until the mid-1800s when an English company drove the ~2km Purisima tunnel to allow for deeper underground access and drainage. From the late 1800s until the Mexican Revolution in 1920, mining consisted of intermittent production from bonanza grade ores. During the Mexican Revolution, heavy fighting in the Zacatecas region led to the halt of most mining endeavors. In the mid 1920's, a cyanide plant targeting silica rich ores and a floatation plant for complex Pb-Zn ores were built with varying success until the transition from oxide to sulphide rich ores made for recovery complexities. In the mid 1930s the first tonnage estimate was created on the property, although the project sat mostly idle save for some stope and adit rehabilitation at Purisima and Refugio. Production was largely dormant except for some small processing done by CIA Fresnillo in the late 1930s to early 1940s. In the mid- 1990s Silver Standard Resources Inc. began a systematic exploration and evaluation program targeting an open pit silver mine consisting of backfill, remaining stopes and silica-rich hanging wall and footwall mineralization of the Veta Grande structure. This entry by a publicly-listed company kicked off nearly 3 decades of exploration, development, and bulk-scale processing. Defiance Silver has been exploring the project since 2011 and has focused primarily on identifying mineral resources. Drilling by previous operators as well as Defiance Silver from 2009 to early 2017 confirmed the presence of significant mineralizing events that provide evidence for a long-lived mineralizing system. Drilling in late 2017 and early 2019 outlined complexities in the structural geology of the area and identified significant "down dropped" and rotated structural blocks as the company tested the Veta Grande at similar elevations where it was encountered by earlier mining and drilling. Shares for Debt Defiance also reports that it intends to settle $70,975 of debt through the issuance of up to 366,538 common shares of the Company (the Shares). About Defiance Silver Corp. Defiance Silver Corp. (TSXV: DEF) (OTCQX: DNCVF) (FSE: D4E) is an exploration company advancing the district-scale San Acacio Deposit, located in the historic Zacatecas Silver District and the Tepal Gold/Copper Project in Michoacn state, Mexico. Defiance is managed by a team of proven mine developers with a track record of exploring, advancing and developing several operating mines and advanced resource projects Defiance's corporate mandate is to expand the San Acacio and Tepal projects to become premier Mexican silver and gold deposits. Mr. George Cavey, P.Geo, V.P Exploration for Defiance Silver is a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 and has approved the technical information concerning the Company's material mineral properties contained in this press release. On behalf of Defiance Silver Corp. "Chris Wright" Chairman of the Board For more information, please contact: Investor Relations at +1 (604) 343-4677 or via email at [email protected] . www.defiancesilver.com Suite 2900-550 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6C 0A3 Canada 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. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Defiance Silver Corp. relies upon litigation protection for forward-looking statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141780 Herzliya, Israel and Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Innocan Pharma Corporation (CSE: INNO) (FSE: IP4) (OTCQB: INNPF) (the "Company" or "Innocan") a pharmaceutical technology company focusing on developing innovative drug delivery platform technologies and owner of a proprietary IP portfolio, is pleased to announce its participation in a webinar titled "Investor Day: Companies Disrupting The World We Live In",co-hosted by IR Labs Inc . ("irlabs") and the NEO Exchange. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, from 10:00AM to 5:00PM ET. The event will feature presentations and Q&A with some of the most innovative public companies in Canada, and will cover topics including investor relations, environmental, social and governance ("ESG") matters and innovation generally. To attend the webinar, please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__J46eRPsQuqrIKg2yNV0hQ Iris Bincovich, CEO of Innocan said, "It is an honor to participate in the IR Labs' Investor Webinar, to showcase the Innocan's innovation achievements and growth strategy." "We are excited to announce this new webinar and showcase leading Canadian publicly-listed companies at the forefront of technology, health, clean energy and more!" said Caroline Sawamoto, Principal and Co-founder of irlabs. "We are partnering with the NEO Exchange to increase awareness for the companies that are building our global economies and prioritizing ESG." "As a disruptor ourselves, bringing much-needed competition as Canada's mainboard stock exchange for the innovation economy, the NEO Exchange is honoured to sponsor the virtual investor conference hosted by irlabs, a firm that is aligned with our values in challenging the status quo," added Jos Schmitt, President of NEO. "We look forward to hearing from the disruptive companies that are shaping tomorrow, including a number of public companies that have selected NEO as their exchange of choice. The irlabs conference is a must-attend for investors and advisors who are seeking opportunities to tap into future-ready companies with incredible potential for growth." About IR Labs irlabs is a dynamic investor relations firm that applies innovative strategies to create visibility, drive investor engagement and make an impact. We are industry and sector agnostic and supports both private and public companies with their investor relations programs, corporate communications and corporate governance. For more information visit www.irlabs.ca. About Neo Exchange With more than 250 unique listings, including some of the most innovative Canadian and international growth companies, and ETFs from Canada's largest ETF issuers, the NEO Exchange is Canada's Tier 1 stock exchange for the innovation economy. Fully operational since 2015 and acquired by Cboe Global Markets in 2022, NEO provides access to trading across all Canadian-listed securities on a level playing field. NEO lists companies and investment products seeking an internationally recognized stock exchange that enables investor trust, quality liquidity, and broad awareness including unfettered access to market data. For more information, visit www.neo.inc. About Innocan Innocan is a pharmaceutical technology company that operates under two main segments: Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Wellness. In the Pharmaceuticals segment, Innocan focuses on developing innovative drug delivery platform technologies comprised of cannabinoids science to treat various conditions and improve patients' quality of life. This segment involves two drug delivery technologies: (i) LPT CBD-loaded liposome platform, which facilitates exact dosing and the prolonged and controlled release of CBD into the blood stream; the LPT delivery platform research is in the preclinical trial phase for two indications: epilepsy and pain management; and (ii) CLX CBD-loaded exosomes platform, which aims to target the central nervous system through regeneration and by addressing inflammation. In the consumer wellness segment, Innocan develops and markets a wide portfolio of innovative self-care products to promote a healthier lifestyle. Under this segment Innocan has established a joint venture by the name of BI Sky Global Ltd., which focuses on developing advanced targeted online sales. www.innocanpharma.com For further information, please contact: For Innocan Pharma Corporation: Iris Bincovich, CEO 15162104025+ +972-54-3012842 +442037699377 [email protected] Dr. Eva Reuter Investment Relation- Germany +46-69-1532-5857 [email protected] NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Caution regarding forward-looking information Certain information set forth in this news release, including, without limitation, information regarding research and development, collaborations, the filing of potential applications with the FDA and other regulatory authorities, the potential achievement of future regulatory milestones, the potential for treatment of conditions and other therapeutic effects resulting from research activities and/or the Company's products, requisite regulatory approvals and the timing for market entry, is forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Innocan's control. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Innocan, including expectations and assumptions concerning the anticipated benefits of the products, satisfaction of regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions and satisfactory completion of requisite production and distribution arrangements. Forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this news release. The key risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: general global and local (national) economic, market and business conditions; governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities; and relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, customers, business partners and competitors. There are also risks that are inherent in the nature of product distribution, including import / export matters and the failure to obtain any required regulatory and other approvals (or to do so in a timely manner) and availability in each market of product inputs and finished products. The anticipated timeline for entry to markets may change for a number of reasons, including the inability to secure necessary regulatory requirements, or the need for additional time to conclude and/or satisfy the manufacturing and distribution arrangements. As a result of the foregoing, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this news release. A comprehensive discussion of other risks that impact Innocan can also be found in Innocan's public reports and filings which are available under Innocan's profile at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may vary materially from the forward-looking information. Innocan does not undertake to update, correct or revise any forward-looking information as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141709 Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - October 25, 2022) - Vanstar Mining Resources Inc. (TSXV: VSR) (OTCQX: VMNGF) (FSE: 1V8) ("Vanstar", or the "Company") is pleased to announce final results from its drill program at the Bousquet-Odyno project. The drill program totaled 32 holes for 9,127 metres and the results announced today include data from 19 drill holes which continue to intersect wide stringer zones in the 5 identified mineralized zones on the property. Highlights reported today include: Zone A BO-22-73: 31.5 m @ 1.36 g/t Au, including 13.5 m @ 2.44 g/t Au BO-22-94: 13.5 m @ 1.12 g/t Au Main Zone BO-22-69: 10.5 @ 2.31 g/t Au, and 6.40 m @ 3.41 g/t Au BO-22-68: 6.00 m @ 3.00 g/t Au, and 9.00 m @ 1.22 g/t Au BO-22-70: 16.00 m @ 1.20 g/t Au Zone C BO-22-85: 15.00 m @ 1.27 g/t Au Drilling in 2022, as reported today and on May 30, June 20, and August 31, 2022, identified wide intersects of mineralized quartz stringer zones near surface in most zones as well as high grade zones that are open to depth. The Main Zone and Zones A and C are of particular interest given their wide near surface intercepts. A total of 15 holes were drilled in the Main Zone. All holes have identified broad high-grade gold at depth and have defined continuity of multiple stringer zones. Hole BO-22-69 intersected 10.5 m @ 2.31 g/t Au and Hole BO-22-88 intersected 7.5 m @ 1.99 g/t Au. Visible specks of gold were observed in a few holes. The Main Zone has been traced over a strike length of 400 m down to an approximate depth of 300 m and remains open at depth. In Zone A, Hole BO-22-63 demonstrated the high-grade potential at depth with an intercept of 21.5 m @ 5.23 g/t Au, including 10.5 m @ 10.14 g/t Au. Hole BO-22-73 assayed the widest mineralized intercept on the property to date (31.5 m @ 1.36 g/t) and is in proximity to previously announced holes BO-22-81, with results of 27 m @ 1.36, BO-22-76, 9.00 m @ 3.96 g/t, and BO-22-94 with an intercept of 13.5 m @ 1.12 g/t Au. As of this drill program Zone A has been drilled for a strike length of 300 m, down to 250 m and remains open at depth. In Zone C, Hole BO-22-85 assayed 15.0 m @ 1.27 g/t Au which is the best intercept to date on this zone. More drilling will be needed to understand the attitude of this zone. Zone D includes previously announced holes BO-22-78 and 80 had drill results of 9.5 m grading 1.37 g/t Au and 10.5 m grading 2.00 g/t Au, respectively, in proximity of historical hole 80-3, which intersected 6.0 m grading 3.38 g/t Au. The preliminary interpretation of Zone D is that we could be in a mineralized cross-structure which opens up new targets on the project. More drilling is needed to confirm this interpretation. All zones justify further drilling with targets at depth and to verify the presence of mineralized cross-structures. Zones A and D are associated with conglomerate units that extend to the western boundary of the property with only a few drill holes on this sedimentary sequence and offer additional targets area to the west. See Figure 1 for a plan map indicating the location of released holes and Table 1 for a list of results from the 2022 drill program. J.C. St-Amour, President and CEO, said "Our drilling program allowed us to identify multiple stacked near surface mineralized gold zones and brings the combined strike length of the system to 800 m. Every hole drilled in this program encountered gold mineralization and has yielded additional targets for future drilling. The presence of wide mineralized stringer zones near surface offer promising opportunities for future development and there remains significant potential for high grade gold discoveries at depth, as has been demonstrated by other mines along the Cadillac Break." The Bousquet-Odyno project is located approximately 6 km from IAMGOLD Corporation's ("IAMGOLD") Westwood mine and processing facilities. The following video demonstrates the proximity of the Bousquet Odyno project to regional infrastructure and the Westwood mill. Figure 1: Plan map of the Bousquet-Odyno Project indicating drill hole location. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8185/141814_5574da7974f769e1_002full.jpg Table 1: Results from the 2022 Bousquet-Odyno Drill Program including previously released holes HOLE # FROM (m) TO (m) LENGTH (m) AU (g/t) Metal Factor (g*m) Maine Zone BO-22-68 157.0 166.0 9.00 1.22 11 Including 163.0 166.0 3.00 2.28 7 218.5 224.5 6.00 3.00 18 BO-22-69 166.0 173.5 7.50 1.25 9 190.7 192.0 1.30 2.30 3 207.6 214.0 6.40 3.41 22 219.3 223.5 4.25 0.71 3 229.0 230.0 1.00 3.51 4 247.0 257.5 10.50 2.31 24 BO-22-70 133.0 149.0 16.00 1.20 19 163.0 164.5 1.50 1.25 2 206.5 209.8 3.25 1.45 5 BO-22-71 205.0 207.0 2.00 1.31 3 212.2 216.2 4.00 1.85 7 227.5 232.0 4.50 0.75 3 237.0 238.5 1.75 1.81 3 245.5 248.0 2.50 0.85 2 BO-22-72 216.0 219.0 3.00 1.41 4 228.1 230.5 2.40 2.65 6 236.1 236.9 0.80 8.27 7 BO-22-86 173.5 175.0 1.50 1.85 3 BO-22-88 217.0 218.8 1.80 1.71 3 250.0 257.5 7.50 1.99 15 BO-22-89 320.0 321.0 1.00 6.10 6 335.5 341.2 5.70 0.86 5 Including 338.5 341.2 2.70 1.10 3 347.5 356.5 9.00 0.99 9 BO-22-90 208.0 209.5 1.50 1.48 2 325.0 326.5 1.50 1.29 2 BO-22-92 278.0 284.0 7.00 0.83 6 Zone A BO-22-73 56.5 58.0 1.50 2.47 4 103.0 134.5 31.50 1.52 48 Including 112.0 125.5 13.50 2.44 33 BO-22-76 59.5 68.5 9.00 3.96 36 70.0 73.0 3.00 0.94 3 86.5 92.5 6.00 0.81 5 BO-22-93 103.0 106.0 3.00 0.69 2 110.5 116.5 6.00 0.92 6 121.0 123.0 2.00 1.97 4 167.5 169.0 1.50 1.05 2 BO-22-94 280.0 293.5 13.50 1.12 15 311.5 316.0 4.50 0.92 4 Zone B BO-22-94 13.0 17.5 1.30 4.50 6 210.7 214.2 3.50 1.66 6 Zone C BO-22-82 179.5 181.0 1.50 1.48 2 BO-22-83 140.5 142.0 1.50 0.94 1 BO-22-84 62.5 64.0 1.50 0.72 1 BO-22-85 41.5 56.5 15.00 1.27 19 Including 47.5 52.0 4.50 3.15 14 BO-22-87 112.0 113.5 1.50 1.05 2 *True widths are estimated at 65 to 95% of the core interval. Table 2: Drill Hole information 2022 Bousquet-Odyno Drill HOLE-ID EASTING NORTHING EOH AZIMUTH DIP BO-22-63 678419 5344358 340 350 -70 BO-22-64 678549 5344517 277 350 -70 BO-22-65 678581 5344498 274 350 -63 BO-22-66 678616 5344472 288 350 -63 BO-22-67 678637 5344495 298 350 -55 BO-22-68 678723 5344638 243 350 -68 BO-22-69 678740 5344664 274 350 -66 BO-22-70 678781 5344682 265 350 -61 BO-22-71 678802 5344669 256 350 -61 BO-22-72 678820 5344678 293 350 -60 BO-22-73 678112 5344287 151 142 -62 BO-22-74 678049 5344415 358 180 -45 BO-22-75 678109 5344453 325 142 -45 BO-22-76 678118 5344283 325 142 -45 BO-22-77 677965 5344200 316 157 -45 BO-22-78 677373 5344037 250 343 -54 BO-22-79 677309 5344074 139 343 -54 BO-22-80 677318 5344001 223 343 -54 BO-22-81 678104 5344235 199 167 -50 BO-22-82 678424 5344164 235 157 -50 BO-22-83 678442 5344191 277 157 -45 BO-22-84 678491 5344107 202 157 -45 BO-22-85 678576 5344172 202 157 -45 BO-22-86 678428 5344302 502 350 -73 BO-22-87 678545 5344244 274 157 -45 BO-22-88 678560 5344451 352 350 -65 BO-22-89 678597 5344448 367 350 -70 BO-22-90 678630 5344417 345.2 350 -68 BO-22-91 678647 5344450 397 350 -55 BO-22-92 678754 5344605 346 345 -66 BO-22-93 678113 5344287 208 142 -70 BO-22-94 678066 5344412 325 142 -69 Qualified Person Mr. Gilles Laverdire, P.Geo, consultant geologist and qualified person under NI 43-101 has read and approved this press release. About Bousquet-Odyno Bousquet-Odyno is comprised of 37 contiguous mining claims covering approximately 1,492 ha and is located directly south of highway 117 between the towns of Rouyn-Noranda and Malartic in the Province of Quebec. The Property lies within the Abitibi greenstone gold belt, along the Cadillac break, a prolific gold bearing regional structure that has produced 100 million ounces of gold since 1900. Vanstar can earn a 75% interest in the project from IAMGOLD by spending $4 million over four years. IAMGOLD will have the right to back-in to 50% of the project. About Vanstar Vanstar Mining Resources Inc. is a gold exploration company with properties located in Northern Quebec at different stages of development. The Company owns a 25% interest in the Nelligan project (3.2 million inferred ounces Au, NI 43-101 October 2019) and a 1% NSR. The Nelligan Project won the "Discovery of the Year" award at the 2019 Quebec Mineral Exploration Association Xplor Gala. Vanstar is also earning 75% into the Bousquet-Odyno project located along the Cadillac Break and owns 100% of the Felix property in the Chicobi Group (Abitibi mining camp, 65 km East of Amex Perron property), the Amanda property, a 7,306 ha property located on the Auclair formation with historical gold showings up to 12.1 g/t Au over 3 meters, and the Frida and Eva properties located in the James Bay area. Source: JC St-Amour. President and CEO +1 (647) 296-9871 [email protected] www.vanstarmining.com The TSX Venture Exchange and its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange Policies) do not accept any responsibility for the truth or accuracy of its content. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward -looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at WWW.SEDAR.COM). To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/141814 Open source projects under the vendor-neutral CD Foundation umbrella supporting larger strategic focus on extending continuous delivery security DETROIT, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Continuous Delivery Foundation (CDF), the open source software foundation that seeks to improve the world's capacity to deliver software with security and speed, today announced at its CD Summit that Pyrsia became its newest Incubating Project, Tekton completed the graduation process, and CDEvents released v0.1. "Interoperability and Supply Chain Security are the keys to the growth of the modern Software Delivery ecosystem. The Continuous Delivery Foundation is making great progress this year towards these goals: Project Pyrsia brings package delivery to our ecosystem. Tekton shows great adoption and wide collaboration in the industry, and its graduated status is well deserved," said Oleg Nenashev, CDF TOC Chair, Sr. Director at the Dynatrace OSPO, Jenkins and Keptn maintainer. "Shortly, the CDEvents standard should boost interoperability between projects, and I'm happy to see so many multi-tool presentations at the CD Summit. Thanks to all member organizations and individual contributors that help us to move forward!" Pyrsia Joins the CD Foundation Pyrsia (pronounced "pir-see-ah") is a decentralized package network to secure the software supply chain of open source dependencies by creating a system that secures open source builds and distribution. This is key to accelerating supply chain security across several different languages. With Pyrsia, developers can gain confidence by having transparency on the source of the package and solutions provided for best practices in all aspects of software delivery. Pyrsia repo and install instructions here: https://github.com/pyrsia "We are excited for Pyrsia to be joining the CDF because it assures Pyrsia will continue to grow on a solid foundation utilizing a fair, open, and transparent governance model," Stephen Chin, VP of Developer Relations at JFrog, and CD Foundation Board Chair. "Pyrsia brings leaders in the software industry with decades of experience developing, deploying, and securing code pipelines. The CDF will work together to set the groundwork for a system that provides unmatched security workflows for open source builds and distribution of packages." Pyrsia democratizes the distribution of artifacts; anyone can disturb and distribute open source dependencies/packages without going through a central place. This allows communities and organizations to contribute, instead of relying on a single/ central service. "Developers are often frustrated with the security gates slowing down the delivery pipeline. Pyrsia is driven by the open source developer community to quickly and easily leverage any package with full transparency," said Fatih Degirmenci, Executive Director, CD Foundation. "Transparency is critical for the security and advancement of the global development of software. The CD Foundation is excited to work closely with Pyrsia to be key in scaling supply chain security." CDF is committed to making sure Pyrsia has a broad representation of different technology companies, cloud providers, and more such as cross-project collaboration with Tekton, CDEvents, as well as collaboration with other groups within the CDF. Tekton is Graduating The CD Foundation Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) conducted public voting to decide on the graduation status for Tekton. The Tekton community is very proud of the results of the vote and will continue working to make Tekton better and safer for its users. The Graduated Stage for projects under the CD Foundation umbrella is when they have reached their growth goals and are now on a sustaining cycle of development, maintenance, and long-term support. Graduated Stage projects are used commonly in enterprise production environments and have large, well-established project communities. Tekton is a powerful and flexible open source framework for creating CI/CD systems, allowing developers to build, test, and deploy across cloud providers and on-premise systems. Tekton is used today by several end-user companies and as a basis for several cloud offerings. It also provides the base platform for a range of open source projects in the CI/CD space and beyond. Tekton benefits from a large and diverse community, with contributors from many different companies. It is one of the CD Foundation's founding projects. The Tekton community features an open governance model, strong design principles and development standards and security practices, like a dedicated vulnerability management team, security scans integrated into CI and an independent security audit which was recently announced. CDEvents Releases v0.1 CDF recently announced it is hosting the CDEvents project, a vendor-neutral specification for defining the format and information model of event data to enable interoperability across services, platforms and systems used in the software production ecosystem. The first release version of the CDEvents spec v0.1.0 is being announced. It covers events spanning from configuration management systems, through CI and CD, enough to calculate DevOps metrics like the lead time for changes and deployment frequency. CDEvents v0.1.0 features versioned schemas for all events and SDKs in Golang and Python to help tools produce and consume CDEvents. A Java SDK is being worked on as well. The first release includes a CloudEvents binding, so it supports out-of-the-box transport over several different messaging systems. The current release of the CDEvents specification is available here. For more information, the CDEvents project has published their first whitepaper called: CDEvents: The Next Evolution in CI/CD Technologies. The CD Summit + Spinnaker Summit are being held October 24 - 25 co-located at KubeCon CloudNativeCon North America 2022, at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. The CD Foundation provides a wide range of services to support open source projects, and projects begin the process as an Incubating Project. This is for projects that are interested in reaching broad adoption and have identified a growth plan for doing so. Projects receive mentorship from the CD Foundation Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) and are expected to actively develop their community of contributors, governance, project documentation, and more. Full details on bringing an open source continuous delivery project to the CDF are available here. About Pyrsia Pyrsia is a Decentralized Package Network improving the security of open source software and the supply chain security of these libraries that are critical for software development. Pyrsia aims to secure the software supply chain of open source dependencies by creating a system that secures open source builds and distribution. Visit the Pyrsia website: https://pyrsia.io/ About Tekton Tekton is a cloud-native solution for building CI/CD systems. It consists of Tekton Pipelines, which provides the building blocks, and of supporting components, such as Tekton CLI and Tekton Catalog, that make Tekton a complete ecosystem. Tekton is part of the CD Foundation, a Linux Foundation project. For more information, see the Overview of Tekton. About CDEvents CDEvents is a common specification for Continuous Delivery events, enabling interoperability in the complete software production ecosystem. It's an incubated project at the CD Foundation. To get started, please see the CDEvents Documentation: https://cdevents.dev/ About the Continuous Delivery Foundation The CD Foundation seeks to improve the world's capacity to deliver software with security and speed. The CDF is a vendor-neutral organization that is establishing best practices of software delivery automation, propelling education and adoption of CD tools, and facilitating cross-pollination across emerging technologies. The CDF is home to many of the fastest-growing projects for CD, including Jenkins, Jenkins X, Tekton, and Spinnaker. The CDF is part of the Linux Foundation, a nonprofit organization. For more information about the CDF, please visit https://cd.foundation. Additional CD Foundation Resources The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact: Jesse Casman, [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cd-foundation-welcomes-new-software-supply-chain-security-project-pyrsia-announces-tekton-graduation-and-cdevents-release-301658458.html SOURCE CD Foundation Streamlined Solution Delivers First Verification of Employment Service Developed Specifically for the Staffing Industry ATLANTA, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Equifax (NYSE: EFX) announced the launch of Talent Report Employment Staffing, the first and only pre-employment verification service designed specifically to meet the unique needs of the staffing industry. By providing instant verifications of employment via The Work Number database in a single, streamlined report, Equifax Workforce Solutions is helping staffing professionals fill roles more quickly and with greater confidence. According to the American Staffing Association, U.S. staffing companies hire 16 million temporary and contract employees during the course of one year, and roughly six in 10 staffing employees work in the industry to fill in the gap between jobs or to help land a job. Faced with the dual challenges of high hiring volume and high turnover, staffing companies will be able to leverage Talent Report Employment Staffing to help support their employer clients with more efficient hiring processes. "In today's uncertain hiring market, it's critical for staffing companies to be able to move quickly when they've found the right candidate for their client," said Lisa Chall, Vice President, Onboarding and Talent Solutions at Equifax Workforce Solutions. "Given our long history of serving staffing clients, Equifax is uniquely positioned to anticipate their needs and develop innovative new solutions to help meet unique industry requirements." Talent Report Employment Staffing is powered by The Work Number, providing the most complete employment and income verification coverage available, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The web-based and integrated solution helps provide greater flexibility to staffing agencies and their employer clients, with instant report access to real-time candidate data. Each report provides credentialed verifiers with candidate information on the two most recent employers, including employer name, job title, start date and end date (when applicable). Talent Report Employment Staffing will be available to the staffing industry in the first quarter of 2023. For more information on other pre-employment verification services available from Equifax, click here. ABOUT EQUIFAX At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 14,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com. FOR MORE INFORMATION Daniel Jenkins for Equifax Workforce Solutions [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/equifax-to-enhance-pre-employment-verification-services-with-new-talent-report-employment-staffing-301657481.html SOURCE Equifax Inc. HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Neighborly, the world's largest home services company of more than 30 brands, named Houston, Texas-based Real Property Management Preferred as its coveted Franchise of the Year at its annual conference in Nashville, TN. Neighborly, the world's largest home services company, names Real Property Management Preferred "Franchise of the Year." The title of Franchise of the Year honors Real Property Management franchise owners who have achieved the highest level of business growth, client satisfaction, and engagement. With over 400 RPM Franchises competing for the top spot, the prized designation quantifies the pinnacle of success for a devoted franchise team. Shawn and Joni Wolfswinkel, franchise owners, are thrilled that their staff has been recognized for their outstanding performance. "All of us at Real Property Management Preferred are excited to be honored as the Franchise of the Year recipient," said Joni Wolfswinkel, Broker and Owner. "We're also extremely grateful to Neighborly and everyone at Real Property Management. We look forward to continuing to build upon this success and stand committed to our efforts to lead our markets by maintaining the absolute best practices and customer service toward managing rental properties for our investors. Shawn and I are so appreciative of our fantastic employees, and we're all very proud to have achieved this amazing milestone together." For well over a decade, real estate experts Shawn and Joni Wolfswinkel have operated their Real Property Management Preferred franchise in the Houston, TX, region, offering full-service residential rental management for single-family and multi-family rentals. For a free rental analysis of your investment property, visit our Wealth Optimizer at https://www.htownrpm.com/wealth-optimizer. About Neighborly Neighborly is the world's largest home services company with more than 30 brands and 5,000 franchises collectively serving 12 million+ customers in six countries, focused on repairing, maintaining, and enhancing homes and businesses. The company operates online platforms that connect consumers to service providers in their local communities that meet their rigorous standards as a franchisor across 18 service categories at Neighborly.com or through the Neighborly App. More information about Neighborly, and its franchise concepts, is available at Neighborlybrands.com. About Real Property Management Preferred Real Property Management Preferred is the trusted leader for professional residential property management services in Houston, Texas. Visit https://www.htownrpm.com Media Contact: Brett MosesCommunications Director[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/houstons-real-property-management-preferred-wins-national-franchise-of-the-year-award-from-neighborly-301657772.html SOURCE Real Property Management Preferred eDiscovery leader reaches elite-level partnership reinforcing commitment to cloud-based solution SEATTLE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- JND eDiscovery, a globally recognized leader in end-to-end eDiscovery and litigation support services, today announced that it has become a RelativityOne Gold Partner for providing exceptional service experience to its RelativityOne end users. This makes JND one of only eight service providers in the world that can claim this most elite distinction. JND eDiscovery offers award-winning end-to-end eDiscovery solutions through RelativityOne. With a single point of contact for clients, and 100% Relativity-certified personnel, JND places a premium on responsiveness, communication, and tailoring its offerings to each client's specific needs. JND's RelativityOne environment features a suite of patent-pending apps and is routinely recognized as the standard for innovation in the industry. "Achieving the level of Gold Partner is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of the entire JND team," said Scott Lombard, SVP of JND eDiscovery. "We pride ourselves on providing an unparalleled user experience and unique solutions to our clients and look forward to continuing to innovate within the RelativityOne environment." JND eDiscovery is participating in the 13th annual Relativity Fest, an event for the eDiscovery and compliance communities, taking place in Chicago on October 26-28, 2022; sessions are also accessible via an online platform for those unable to attend in person. Interested participants can register for the event here. "We are excited to congratulate JND eDiscovery on achieving RelativityOne Gold Partner status. JND's commitment to delivering outstanding customer service is just one of many reasons that their team exemplifies what it means to be a Gold Partner," said James Zinn, Director of Commercial Partnerships at Relativity. "I look forward to witnessing the new heights JND will reach as they continue supporting customers throughout every stage of their eDiscovery journey." About JND eDiscovery JND eDiscovery is a Minneapolis-based division of JND Legal Administration, a legal management and administration company trusted by law firms, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies nationwide. Founded by Jennifer Keough, Neil Zola, and David Isaac, JND delivers best-in-class legal services in the areas of class action settlement administration, mass tort claims and lien resolution, eDiscovery, legal notice programs, government services, and healthcare solutions. The company has offices in California, Minnesota, New York, and Washington. For more information, visit www.JNDLA.com. Follow JND on LinkedIn. About RelativityRelativity makes software to help users organize data, discover the truth and act on it. Its SaaS product RelativityOne manages large volumes of data and quickly identifies key issues during litigation and internal investigations. The AI-powered communication surveillance product, Relativity Trace proactively detects regulatory misconduct like insider trading, collusion and other non-compliant behavior. Relativity has more than 300,000 users in approximately 40 countries serving thousands of organizations globally primarily in legal, financial services and government sectors, including the U.S. Department of Justice and 198 of the Am Law 200. Relativity has been named one of Chicago's Top Workplaces by the Chicago Tribune for 10 consecutive years. Please contact Relativity at [email protected] or visit http://www.relativity.com for more information. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jnd-ediscovery-announces-relativityone-gold-partner-status-at-relativity-fest-301658241.html SOURCE jnd SHANGHAI, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai Electric's Go! 0 Carbon Walker public service campaign launched on World Walking Day has recently come to a successful conclusion. The campaign encouraged the public to walk rather than drive and, by doing so, help to make a low-carbon future a possibility. Every 2,000 steps completed by a participant represented one of the firm's zero-carbon projects, turning on a light on a designated signboard. Once every one of the lights had been turned on, a lucky draw was held, with one participant receiving a complimentary prize. Another feature of the campaign was that the first 1,200 attendees who completed 20,000 steps during the event will be joining Shanghai Electric in Yan'an, a city in China's Shaanxi province. Here, they will witness the value of the online environmental initiative when they plant the exclusive Zero-Carbon Tree as a genuine opportunity to participate in low-carbon practices. As an inseparable part of what it means to adhere to ESG principles, efforts in the public sector are key to social progress, with a broad and profound impact on both nature and society. Responding to the Chinese government's mission to reach the carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 (referred to as the 30-60 dual carbon goals), Shanghai Electric has added to the robustness of its own business through a range of best practices and strong capabilities. In the energy and manufacturing sectors, the two areas most responsible for the country's energy consumption, Shanghai Electric has been building new, comprehensive power systems and a complete solution for futuristic zero-carbon industrial parks in a move to take the lead in helping the Chinese government achieve its decarbonization goals. Making going green a vital part of its mission, Shanghai Electric has already taken many steps to vastly reduce its impact as much as possible on the ecological environment. The firm's 44-square kilometer 700MW thermal power and 250MW photovoltaic solar power facility in Dubai is currently the world's largest solar thermal project in terms of installed capacity, investment scale and molten salt energy storage. During the construction of the facility, Shanghai Electric made environmental protection a key priority, appointing a local professional animal welfare agency to undertake an on-site survey and organize the safe transfer of local fauna, including lizards, camels, antelopes and red foxes. The effort also included the relocation of over 200 precious trees that had been growing on the site for years. The Dubai project has not only become a new benchmark for global solar power generation under the umbrella of the Belt and Road initiative but also demonstrated the actions taken by Chinese companies in protecting the environment and benefiting people's livelihoods during their involvement in overseas projects. The company has also extended its going green initiative to the public sector. In 2022, Shanghai Electric and Green Carbon Foundation undertook a green public service project whereby 1,200 trees were planted on the west bank of the Yellow River in Yan'an, a city in Shaanxi Province, in order to create a low-carbon forest to protect the river, as well as to assist the country in meeting the 30-60 dual carbon goals through practical actions. Shanghai Electric is committed to preserving the planet and advocating eco-friendly ideas throughout the whole company. In April 2021, Shanghai Electric made a one-time donation of 700,000 yuan to support an economic development project in Shanghai's Fengxian District, in addition to providing marketing support to Zhuangxing Town in Fengxian District to help in the sale of produce worth more than 1.3204 million yuan. The firm also played a role in promoting cooperation between the country's western and eastern regions, as well as revitalizing rural areas. In 2021, Shanghai Electric Power Generation Group, Shanghai Mitsubishi Elevator, and Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group, three subsidiaries of Shanghai Electric, partnered with three villages in Fuyuan County, Qujing, Yunnan Province, where each one of the subsidiaries furnished support to one of the villages. Over the course of 2021, Shanghai Electric provided 450,000 yuan in assistance funds to deal with identified practical issues, while helping to solve logistics issues in terms of getting more than 9.0516 million yuan worth of produce into the hands of consumers. These actions went a long way in helping accelerate the revitalization of rural areas. As early as 2017, Shanghai Electric started to build the first rural distributed water treatment demonstration project in Huapiao Village, Chenjia Town, Chongming District. Without emitting any odor or noise, the compact 10-square meter integrated domestic sewage treatment station specially designed for the district was able to easily treat some 30 tons of domestic sewage discharged daily by over 100 farming households living in the proximity of the village. In 2020, Shanghai Electric put together a package that included its proprietary integrated intelligent sewage treatment equipment, prefabricated facilities, sewage treatment technologies, river and lake dredging techniques, as well as digital intelligence and eco-friendly information technology, to build a comprehensive water environment management solution in its rural sewage treatment PPP project in Huaiyuan County, Bengbu, Anhui Province. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nft-adopts-1200-trees-shanghai-electrics-zero-carbon-campaign-comes-to-a-successful-conclusion-301657890.html SOURCE Shanghai Electric PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) ("PGE" or the "Company"), a fully integrated energy company, today announced the commencement of an underwritten public offering of $375,000,000 of shares of its common stock, all of which are being offered in connection with the forward sale agreements described below. Barclays and J.P. Morgan are acting as the joint lead book-running managers for the offering. In connection with the offering of shares of common stock, the Company expects to enter into forward sale agreements with each of Barclays Bank PLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (or affiliates thereof) (which the Company refers to as the "forward purchasers"), with respect to $375,000,000 of shares of the Company's common stock. The underwriters of the offering also expect to be granted a 30-day option to purchase up to $56,250,000 of additional shares of the Company's common stock. If the option to purchase additional shares of the Company's common stock is exercised, the Company expects to enter into one or more additional forward sale agreements with the forward purchasers in respect of the number of shares of the Company's common stock that are subject to exercise of the option to purchase additional shares. In connection with the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements, the forward purchasers (or their affiliates) are expected to borrow from third parties and sell to the underwriters an aggregate of $375,000,000 of shares of the Company's common stock (or an aggregate of $431,250,000 of shares of the Company's common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). However, a forward purchaser (or its affiliate) is not required to borrow such shares if, after using commercially reasonable efforts, such forward purchaser is unable to borrow such shares, or if borrowing costs exceed a specified threshold. If a forward purchaser (or its affiliate) does not deliver and sell all of the shares of the Company's common stock to be sold by it to the underwriters, the Company will issue and sell to the underwriters a number of shares of its common stock equal to the number of shares that such forward purchaser (or its affiliate) does not deliver and sell, and the number of shares underlying the relevant forward sale agreement or such additional forward sale agreement will be decreased by the number of shares that the Company issues and sells. Pursuant to the terms of the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements, and subject to its right to elect cash or net share settlement, the Company intends to issue and sell, upon physical settlement of the forward sale agreements or any additional forward sale agreements up to an aggregate of $375,000,000 of shares of common stock (or an aggregate of up to $431,250,000 of shares of common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) to the forward purchasers. The Company expects to physically settle the forward sale agreements and any additional forward sale agreements in full on one or more dates no later than 24 months from the date of the preliminary prospectus supplement. The Company will not initially receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of its common stock by the forward purchasers (or affiliates thereof). The Company intends to allocate an amount equivalent to the net proceeds from this offering to finance, in whole or in part, one or more eligible green investments as defined in its Green Financing Framework. Pending allocation, the Company will manage any portion of the net proceeds that it receives, but has not yet been allocated to eligible investments, in accordance with its normal liquidity management practices. The Company expects to use a portion of the net proceeds that it will receive upon settlement of the forward sale agreements to repay outstanding indebtedness. All of the shares of common stock will be offered under the Company's effective shelf registration statement that has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC's website. When available, a copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from Barclays Capital Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (or by email at [email protected] or telephone at 1-888-603-5847); J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717 (or by email at [email protected] or telephone at 1-866-803-9204); or by visiting the EDGAR database on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Portland General Electric Company Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon. As of September 30, 2022, the company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 1.9 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE owns 16 generation plants across Oregon and other Northwestern states and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements Statements in this news release that relate to future plans, objectives, expectations, performance, events and the like may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements related to PGE's expectations regarding the completion, timing and sizing of its proposed public offering, its expectations with respect to granting the underwriters options to purchase additional shares, the expected physical settlement of the forward sale agreements, and use of proceeds, as well as other statements containing words such as "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "promises," "expects," "should," "conditioned upon," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. As a result, actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included in this news release are based on information available to the company on the date hereof and such statements speak only as of the date hereof. The company expressly disclaims any current intention to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the distribution of this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise. Prospective investors should also review the risks, assumptions and uncertainties listed in the company's most recent annual report on form 10-K and in other documents that we file with the SEC, including management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations and the risks described therein from time to time. Media Contact: Investor Contact: Nik Blosser Jardon Jaramillo Public Affairs Investor Relations Phone: 503-464-2388 Phone: 503-464-7051 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/portland-general-electric-company-announces-public-offering-of-375-000-000-of-shares-of-common-stock-301659137.html SOURCE Portland General Company LA County Board of Supervisors Chair, Holly J. Mitchell, Poised to Make Landmark Conference Speech Highlighting the Future of Housing In Los Angeles and Metropolitan Areas. LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- StartupStarter is pleased to announce the participation of Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair, Holly J. Mitchell, and Boxabl Founder, Galiano Tiramani, in the upcoming Equity Crowdfunding Week Conference in Los Angeles California. This event is set to be the world's largest retail investment conference and will be held live on November 09 11, 2022, at the Immersive Art Park Wisdome LA. This three-day event will showcase the most innovative companies raising capital in the private markets, raise awareness of investment opportunities open to the public, and provide investment and capital raising workshops. Not to mention, speakers will include Holly J. Mitchell LA County Supervisor, Galiano Tiramani Boxabl Founder, Arden Lee Weedmaps CFO, Layne LaFrance Cryptokitties Founder and Chris Anthony Aptera Founder among many others. Participants can expect to connect with leaders across many different industries- from cannabis & wellness, cleantech, blockchain & web3, e-commerce & retail, to startup and real estate. Participating companies include Upfront Ventures, Techstars, Meta, Boxabl, Aptera, Saleen Automotive, Dapper Labs, Morgan Stanley, Eli Electric Vehicles, Miso Robotics, and many more, as well as the biggest names from the equity crowdfunding industry such as Wefunder, Dalmore Group, Kingscrowd and DealMaker. The venue that is Wisdome LA, provides the perfectly innovative backdrop for participating companies to showcase their products and services; while a street fair has been organized to cater to large exhibitions by Boxabl Casitas, EVs such as Aptera and Eli, Saleen Luxury Vehicles and a lineup of ecommerce. The street fair will be held on Colyton Street (next to Wisdome). To complement all the action, participating retail startups will be providing free drinks and products throughout the event. Additional programming includes The 2022 ECW Pitch Competition in partnership with Dapper Labs, Upfront Ventures, Techstars, Ventures and Stonks; an opening reception for The 2022 Equity Crowdfunding Awards hosted by Expert Dojo in Santa Monica,; music performances every night; and an NFT wallet for the conference provided by Dapper Labs and much more. Cofounder and CEO Jose Barrera shares: "We are extremely excited to welcome LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell to Equity Crowdfunding Week. This conference covers topics and themes near and dear to our heart: namely, providing access and opportunities to the local community. Prior to the passage of the JOBS Act, investment opportunities were only reserved for institutional and wealthy investors. Equity Crowdfunding Week is changing that, and we want to ensure that our communities have the tools they need to take part. I'm excited to see the support and participation of the City of Los Angeles as we embark on this mission." To learn more or attend the conference, click HERE. About StartupStarter, Inc.: StartupStarter is a business education media studio that produces conversion-optimized content for global brands and audiences. The company has worked with over 200 brands and over 1000 startups. StartupStarter also produces the Equity Crowdfunding Week conference, the largest equity crowdfunding investment event in the world. https://startupstarter.co/ecw. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/startupstarter-announces-participation-of-los-angeles-county-supervisor-holly-j-mitchell-and-boxabl-founder-galiano-tiramani-in-upcoming-2022-equity-crowdfunding-week-conference-301659244.html SOURCE StartupStarter New subject rankings include artificial intelligence and meteorology. WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today published the 2022-2023 Best Global Universities rankings. The overall ranking in the new edition evaluates 2,000 schools up from more than 1,700 last year on academic research and reputation. The 2022-2023 edition includes universities from more than 90 countries. The following countries have the most schools in the overall ranking: China: 338 United States: 280 Japan: 105 United Kingdom: 92 India: 81 "The Best Global Universities rankings offer prospective students a valuable resource for exploring higher education options outside of their home country," said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News. "Over the past nine years, these rankings have expanded to include more schools and more subjects, while maintaining a consistent focus on institutions that prioritize academic research." This year's edition adds four new subject rankings: artificial intelligence; education and educational research; meteorology and atmospheric sciences; and water resources. Powered by Web of Science data and InCites metrics provided by Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, the Best Global Universities methodology weighs factors that measure a university's global and regional research reputation and academic research performance. For the overall ranking, this includes bibliometric indicators such as publications, citations and international collaboration. Each of the 47 subject rankings has its own weighting based on academic research performance in that specific area. 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Overall Best Global Universities Top 10 Harvard University (U.S.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.) Stanford University (U.S.) University of CaliforniaBerkeley (U.S.) University of Oxford (U.K.) University of WashingtonSeattle (U.S.) Columbia University (U.S.) University of Cambridge (U.K.) California Institute of Technology (U.S.) Johns Hopkins University (U.S. Africa Top 3 University of Cape Town (South Africa) University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) Stellenbosch University (South Africa) Asia Top 3 Tsinghua University (China) National University of Singapore Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) Australia/New Zealand Top 3 University of Melbourne (Australia) University of Sydney University of Queensland (Australia) Europe Top 3 University of Oxford (U.K.) University of Cambridge (U.K.) University College London Latin America Top 3 Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil) Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil) Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile The Best Global Universities rankings serve the broader U.S. News mission of providing trusted information and rankings such as Best High Schools, Best Colleges and Best Online Programs to help all students navigate their education options. Specifically for Chinese students, U.S. News offers online resource centers published in Chinese to help guide prospective undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in studying abroad. For more information on the Best Global Universities, visit Facebook and Twitter using #BestGlobal. About U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, Real Estate and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C. 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View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-news-unveils-2022-2023-best-global-universities-rankings-301657929.html SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P. 0001800347 false 0001800347 2022-10-25 2022-10-25 0001800347 us-gaap:WarrantMember 2022-10-25 2022-10-25 0001800347 us-gaap:CommonClassAMember 2022-10-25 2022-10-25 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): E2open Parent Holdings, Inc. (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter) Delaware 001-39272 86-1874570 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.) 9600 Great Hills Trail , Suite 300E Austin , TX (address of principal executive offices) 78759 (zip code) 866 - 432-6736 (Registrants telephone number, including area code) (Former name or former address, if changed since last report) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the Registrant under any of the following provisions: Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share ETWO New York Stock Exchange Warrants to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 ETWO-WT New York Stock Exchange Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (240.12b-2 of this chapter). Emerging growth company If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosures. From time to time, E2open Parent Holdings, Inc. presents and/or distributes presentations to the investment community to provide updates and summaries of its business. On October 25, 2022, an investor presentation attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated by reference was posted to the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.e2open.com. This investor presentation will be used by members of management at investor conferences and various interactions with the investment community. The information in Item 7.01, including the exhibit hereto, is being furnished and shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated into any registration statement or other filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing. Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits. (d) Exhibits. Exhibit Number Description 99.1* Investor Overview Presentation, dated October 2022 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted in Inline XBRL) * Furnished herewith 2 SIGNATURE Pursuant to the Requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized. E2open Parent Holdings, Inc. Date: October 25, 2022 By: /s/ Laura L. Fese Laura L. Fese Executive Vice President and General Counsel 3 ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS EX-99.1 XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION DEFINITION LINKBASE DOCUMENT XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION SCHEMA DOCUMENT XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION PRESENTATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION LABEL LINKBASE DOCUMENT IDEA: R1.htm IDEA: etwo-20221025_htm.xml IDEA: Financial_Report.xlsx IDEA: FilingSummary.xml IDEA: MetaLinks.json More than a year after the collapse of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, Air Force leaders have approved some of the militarys most esteemed decorations for 108 airmen who helped in last summers gargantuan evacuation of Afghan refugees. Air Mobility Command said Friday in a statement that it will issue 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 12 Bronze Stars and one Gallant Unit Citation for their work during Operation Allies Refuge. Make no mistake, we should have done this last year immediately after the operation, and I recognize our airmens frustration with the process, unit commander Gen. Mike Minihan said in the statement. Were making that right. Commanders will present the medals to airmen over the next few weeks, the statement said. Minihan is scheduled to personally present the first Distinguished Flying Crosses and Bronze Stars during a November visit to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, according to the statement. Seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, which are awarded for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight, will be rendered with the V device, recognizing the recipient for valor and actions beyond what is expected in combat flight operations. An additional 74 airmen will receive the medal embellished with the C device, denoting they earned the award under combat conditions. Of the 12 airmen to be awarded the Bronze Star, two will receive the medal with the V device, recognizing valor or heroic action during military operations against an armed enemy on the ground. The 621st Contingency Response Group, which is dually based at McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Californias Travis Air Force Base, will collectively receive a Gallant Unit Citation. Airmen with the rapid response expeditionary unit were lauded for their swift airfield repair and work that allowed evacuations to continue after civilian air traffic controllers fled as Taliban forces closed in on the beleaguered Kabul airport. The awards are among an additional 350 individual decorations approved for actions in support of the massive evacuation. That is one of the biggest batches of awards approved for individual contributions to what the Air Force calls the largest noncombatant evacuation in U.S. military history. The awards were delayed by administrative hurdles tied to unit approval authorities after the end of the operation in September 2021, the command said in a statement. One year later, an Air Force expert board panel met to review the citation submissions from command leaders and approved them. Evacuation flights tasked thousands of airmen with unprecedented levels of personnel transfers and within days turned air bases in Kuwait, Qatar, Germany and the United States into major impromptu evacuation hubs. Ramstein Air Base alone spent more than $56.3 million in two months of supporting 30,000 evacuees, the Pentagon reported in December 2021. All told, at least 124,334 people were airlifted out of Afghanistan as it fell back into the hands of the Taliban. Air Mobility Command, whose 110,000 members provide the majority of the Department of Defenses airlift capability, said it had already issued 4,500 decorations to airmen who participated in the evacuation missions. The world witnessed history during that airlift, borne on the shoulders of mobility heroes, Minihan said. This recognition is long overdue for what our heroes did during those historic 17 days. STUTTGART, Germany The challenges of surging thousands of troops into Norway, which U.S. Marines regard as their gateway to Europe, gave rise to a recent gathering of military officials there to strategize on mobilizing manpower and ammo. The Stuttgart-based U.S. Marine Forces Europe and Africa joined U.S. Army logisticians and Norwegian personnel for a five-day session starting Oct. 17, during which they worked through deployment scenarios in the event of a regional threat. Marines would be pressed to deploy rapidly on the necessary scale, said MARFOREUR/AF planner Paul Rosenbloom, who added that coordinating with the Armys 21st Theater Sustainment Command would be critical. I know that is what 21st TSC does, so I reached out to the experts, Rosenbloom said in a statement Monday. The U.S. forces and their counterparts from the fellow NATO member country assembled at Rygge Air Base in Norway, where they focused on ways to quickly flow up to 15,000 Marines and their equipment into the country. Scenarios involved the use of airports and seaports, pre-positioned stocks and ammunition flow, the Kaiserslautern, Germany-based 21st TSC said in the statement. In the event Norway is under direct threat, the U.S. Marine Corps is obligated to assist in Norways defense, the Army statement said. The contingency planning coincided with Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has sharpened Western allies focus on logistical matters. Norwegian navy Commander Senior Grade Anders Fanavoll said Russias battlefield logistics shortcomings have reinforced the importance of effectively managing supply lines and troop movements. That can be decisive, he said in the statement. For us, just showing that we are planning for this I think that would be quite a deterrence, to show (the Russians) that we are able to do this kind of operation. The Marine Corps history in Norway dates back to the Cold War, when a network of giant mountainside caves was established to store enough firepower for at least 4,600 Marines. The idea was to build depots that could protect the hidden stashes in the event of a nuclear attack. The Marines still maintain the cave sites, which have taken on added significance because of NATOs concerns about a more aggressive Russia. The Corps also routinely rotates contingents into Norway for periodic drills, with a special focus on cold weather training. The United States should combine with India, Australia and Japan to launch a standing Indo-Pacific maritime force to counter China, according to a former U.S. chief of naval operations. The members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, an informal group seen as a strategic hedge against Beijings rising military power and in recent years have trained together during the Malabar naval drills. However, retired Adm. Gary Roughead, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies/Nikkei Symposium in Tokyo Oct. 18, said the four should stand up a permanent force. "My belief is that to get the Quad moving, we should establish a standing Quad maritime force that's in being all the time," he said, Nikkei Asia reported Friday. He suggested the command of that force "would rotate perhaps every six months among the countries." The force would support coast guards and help protect maritime resources, said Roughead, who oversaw U.S. naval operations from 2007 to 2011. One of only two officers in the Navys history to have commanded both the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, Roughead also suggested splitting the Indo-Pacific command with a headquarters in Northeast Asia and another covering Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. "To think that there is one entity that can control military forces across this wide area, [considering] the way China has adapted over the last 25 years, I think is a false assumption," he said, according to Nikkei. The idea of a combined Indo-Pacific naval force seems akin to maritime groups of four to six frigates or destroyers employed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, said former Navy Capt. Jan van Tol, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a nonprofit defense-policy think tank in Washington, D.C. These groups are intended to be NATOs standing immediate reaction forces, he told Stars and Stripes in an email Tuesday. NATOs maritime forces, however, are composed from nations that are formal treaty allies, Van Tol said. And it is difficult to see India acceding to such a relationship as they have historically remained neutral and not part of any military alliance, he said. A permanent unit would give members a sense that they have a real-world mission rather than training together periodically before heading back to homeports, according to retired Marine Col. Grant Newsham, a senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. If you want to bring people together and create a team, you want them working and living together, he said in an email Monday. Navies from other free nations might want to join such a force as occasional or regular participants, Newsham said. Darwin, Australia, would be a candidate for the forces homeport, he said, but other options could include Guam, Japan, Palau or the Federated States of Micronesia. A Quad maritime force would need at least one warship from each nation along with several others to keep it operational, Newsham added. Were it me, I would use a couple amphibious ships as the 'core' of the force and add a couple surface combatants or a supply ship and a combatant, he said. The force could train for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, which involves 90% of the skills needed for warfighting. It might also conduct patrols to combat illegal fishing in the central Pacific, where Chinese fishing boats are serial poachers, Newsham said. The creation of a Quad maritime force would likely upset Beijing, he said. I imagine there will be political reticence all around mostly fear of angering China, and I should imagine the navies themselves will resist, citing lack of resources to devote to the effort, he said. The proposal seems premature, according to Carlyle Thayer, an emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales and lecturer at the Australian Defence Force Academy. The Quad, he said in an email Monday, is focused on nontraditional security issues such as global health, climate, infrastructure, cyber security, critical and emerging technologies and space. Military interaction among the four members, such as participation in [Exercise] Malabar, takes place outside the formal Quad process, he said. It is difficult to see either India or Japan committing naval assets to opposite ends of the Indo-Pacific Region on a standing basis out of their normal area of current operations. CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea Seoul should be fully prepared for North Korean provocations in the event of a crisis between China and Taiwan, South Koreas chief diplomat said this week. Foreign Minister Park Jin, speaking to lawmakers Monday at a briefing for the Foreign and Unification Committee, said North Korea may engage in provocative behavior and exacerbate a potential crisis in the Taiwan Strait. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is very important for the peace and stability of our Korean Peninsula, Park said. Therefore, we would like to continue to work together with the U.S. while firmly maintaining the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance. So far this year, North Korea has carried out 40-plus missile tests, aerial sorties, artillery fire and prepped for a nuclear test behavior officials in the South describe as provocative. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, during a live-streamed speech Tuesday at the National Assembly hall in Seoul, reiterated that the North has completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test, its first since 2017. Yoon told CNN in September that North Korea could increase its provocations if China attacked Taiwan. The top priority in that scenario, he said, would be the robust alliance between Washington and Seoul. Chinese President Xi Jinping, addressing the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Saturday, said Beijing is resolutely opposing and deterring separatists" who seek Taiwan's independence. 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, Xi said, according to a transcript from Chinas Foreign Ministry. The commander of U.S. Forces Korea and U.N. Command, Army Gen. Paul LaCamera, said in September that the U.S. military should examine the second- and third-order effects of a China-Taiwan conflict on U.S. troops in South Korea. USFK has about 28,500 troops on the peninsula. LaCamera, speaking during a panel discussion hosted by the U.S.-based Institute for Corean-American Studies, declined to speak more specifically. What starts local becomes regional and global pretty quickly, he said, adding that there could be impacts here, and I think we have to be prepared for them. Three days after LaCameras remarks, South Korean Vice Minister of National Defense Shin Beom Chul said Seoul and Washington have not discussed deploying U.S. troops from South Korea to Taiwan, according to an MBC Radio interview. JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii The long-anticipated first step in emptying fuel from the Navys massive Red Hill underground storage tanks near Pearl Harbor is set to begin Tuesday, Navy officials said. Over the next week, the Navy will drain roughly 1 million gallons of fuel from three miles of pipelines between the facility and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Rear Adm. John Wade, the commander of Joint Task Force-Red Hill, said during a news conference Monday at the joint base. Wade and Capt. Shawn Triggs, the operations director for defueling, fielded questions from reporters while standing near an above-ground tank that will be used to hold some of the pipeline fuel. There's another 104 million gallons in the storage tanks, Wade said. In order to defuel, the first step that we need to do is to safely remove the fuel from those pipelines. That is called unpacking. The unpacking allows us to then conduct repairs, modifications and enhancements so that we can get to the larger defueling effort with the greatest risk reductions possible to make that the safe evolution. The unpacking this week represents the first time fuel has flowed through the pipelines since Nov. 28. The facility ceased operations that day after jet fuel was discovered in one of three wells the Navy uses for its water distribution system for two dozen military communities on and near the joint base. Thousands of residents were temporarily relocated to Waikiki Beach hotels earlier this year as the Navy isolated the contaminated well and flushed water mains and pipes in homes. Hundreds claim to suffer from long-term conditions and illnesses related to using the fuel-tainted water. Members of four of those families filed suit in federal court in September, the first of possibly hundreds of plaintiffs likely to seek compensation. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on March 7 ordered the facility to be permanently closed. The defueling of the Red Hill facility is the right thing to do for our community, for the people of Hawaii, for our environment, for national security, Wade told reporters Monday. The unpacking process is broken into four phases, with the first two focused on safety inspection and valve checks already completed. Phase three beginning Tuesday and lasting six days is expected to remove most of the fuel, Triggs said. Phase three will be a gravity drain of a significant portion of the fuel that's up in Red Hill. By significant roughly about 90% of the fuel that's in those pipelines will be removed via gravity. Gravity can only get us so far, Triggs said. We're going to have to actually remove the residual fuel by pulling it out of the line, and that actually will be done in phase four. Triggs motioned to a fuel tank that can hold up to 400,000 gallons and said that the final fuel squeezed out will be loaded into it. All fuel emptied from the pipelines will be used by local ships and aircraft, he said. The three pipelines to be emptied hold differing fuels: 162,000 gallons of F-24, a commercial grade jet fuel; 216,000 gallons of JP-5, a kerosene-based jet fuel; and 691,000 gallons of F-76, a maritime diesel fuel. Although the unpacking will happen over almost a weeks time, there will only be about 12 hours of actual fuel movement, Triggs said. Once the pipelines are emptied, they will be repaired and upgraded over the following year so that the 104 million gallons in the tanks can be safely removed, Triggs said. The Navy estimates that the facility will be emptied and ready for permanent closure in the summer 2024. Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See more stories here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea U.S. Forces Korea on Tuesday reported its lowest weekly count of new COVID-19 cases so far this year, more than two years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Twenty-eight people within USFK contracted the virus Oct. 11-17, according to the commands weekly update. It reported 38 new cases from Oct. 4-10. USFK, which has about 28,500 troops under its command and thousands more Defense Department civilian employees, contractors and family members, reported 1,599 cases from Jan. 4-10, its highest weekly count this year. U.S. military commands rescinded nearly all social-distancing measures in June. As of Sept. 3, proof of a negative COVID-19 test prior to departing for South Korea is no longer required for international travelers, according to the website for the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Eighth Army commander Lt. Gen. Bill Burleson, speaking Oct. 19 at a museum unveiling at Camp Humphreys, said it was nice to see so many faces without having to wear masks and to be able to meet together, now that weve by and large put the coronavirus behind us. The updated COVID-19 bivalent booster and this seasons flu vaccine are available for eligible recipients at immunization clinics in most U.S. military bases in South Korea. For example, boosters are available on a walk-in basis on Humphreys at the Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital, and flu shots are available at the Humphreys Reception Center. New cases of the coronavirus respiratory disease in South Korea also continue to fall. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 43,759 new cases Monday, according to its Tuesday update. KDCA on March 17 reported 621,328, its highest one-day caseload this year. Over 25.3 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in South Korea since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. South Koreas government lifted its outdoor face mask mandate in September and business curfews in April. Masks are still mandatory indoors, however. Speaking to news reporters during a Monday briefing, COVID-19 Special Task Office chief Jung Ki-suck said innocent victims will be affected if the government lifted its indoor mask mandate preemptively. COVID-19 infections are likely to increase from the moment we go unmasked, Jung said. We could decide to lift indoor mask mandates if none of our citizens die, theres no problem in intensive care units and everyone is treated without big trouble; but it is not such a situation. Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report. YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan Local police are recommending criminal charges against a U.S. Navy sailor who allegedly charged into a group of people and injured several of them near the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet. The male sailor, 29, whose identity has not been disclosed by either the Navy or Japanese authorities, is accused of running into five people around 8:30 p.m. July 9 in Zushi, eight miles from the naval base, a Kanagawa Prefectural Police spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Monday. Japanese government spokespeople are customarily required to speak to the media on condition of anonymity. A 58-year-old woman from Yokohama suffered several broken bones, including a broken upper jaw and a broken nose, and a 33-year-old man from Tokyo sustained sprained cervical vertebrae, according to the spokesman. The remaining three sustained minor injuries. Police on Friday recommended the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office indict the sailor on charges of bodily injury, the spokesman said. Prosecutors, not police, decide formal charges under Japans criminal justice system. Neither police nor the prosecutors office provided further details of the incident. The police recommended charges after a monthslong investigation, according to their spokesman. Naval base spokesman Randall Baucom said the sailor is assigned to the base but declined to identify the service member by name, age, rank, gender or specific command. The Navy takes all allegations involving misconduct of our Sailors, Navy civilians, and family members very seriously, he said Monday in an email to Stars and Stripes. Any questions about the investigation should be referred to Japanese authorities. In response to the incident, the Zushi Municipal Assembly passed a unanimous resolution Sept. 6 demanding the U.S. military apologize, compensate the victims and increase oversight on service members actions. The incident is a serious criminal act that Zushi city has not experienced in recent years, the resolution said. It is absolutely unacceptable that it caused fear and anxiety; not just to the victims, but to Zushi citizens. The resolution also urged the U.S. military to educate its service members on Japanese law and discourage them from visiting Zushi. U.S. Forces Japan did not acknowledge or respond to multiple emails or phone calls requesting comment about the resolution as of Tuesday afternoon. Zushi, a popular beach resort town, is often frequented by sailors and other Americans living in Yokosuka due to its proximity to the base. WASHINGTON Ash Carter, the 25th secretary of defense who led the U.S. military for the final two years of President Barack Obamas administration and who was responsible for some of the armed forces most consequential social changes in recent history, died late Monday. He was 68. Carter, who had been serving as director of Harvard Universitys Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, died of a sudden heart attack, according to Douglas Elmendorf, dean of Harvards John F. Kennedy School of Government. It is with deep and profound sorrow that I write to inform you that our colleague, teacher, and friend Ash Carter passed away [Monday] evening after suffering a heart attack, Elmendorf said in a statement. This loss is so sudden and so devastating. Carter was Obamas fourth defense secretary and succeeded Chuck Hagel in February 2015. He served in the office until Obamas final day in January 2017. During his time in the Defense Department, Carter favored increasing U.S. aid to Ukraine and opened all military roles to women, lifting the final barriers to female troops serving in every combat position. As president, I relied on Ashs strategic counsel as we invested in innovation and a stronger, smarter, more humane and more effective military for the long term. Under his leadership, America accelerated its counterterrorism efforts, opened combat roles to women, modernized its weapons systems and strengthened our alliances around the world, Obama said in a statement. During his tenure as defense secretary, Carter ended the longtime ban on transgender troops serving openly. The ban was later reinstated by former President Donald Trump and again struck down by President Joe Biden. Carters decisions were controversial, including within the Pentagon that he ran. The Marine Corps and the Pentagons top officer, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pushed back against his decision to open all combat roles to women in December 2015, urging him to continue the ban of female Marines from certain jobs, including the infantry and fire-support reconnaissance. But Carter after some three years of Defense Department study on the issue could not be dissuaded. He argued those who could meet the standards to serve in a military job, despite its inherent dangers or physical difficulties, should be afforded the opportunity to do so. The important factor in making my decision was to have access to every American who can add strength to the force, Carter told reporters at the Pentagon, while announcing the historic decision on Dec. 3, 2015. Now more than ever we cannot afford to have barriers limiting our access of talent. Some six months later, Carter made a similar argument in ending the longstanding ban on transgender persons serving openly in the military. Announcing the bans end on June 30, 2016, Carter said the Pentagon needed 100% access to Americas population to ensure it could recruit and retain quality service members. Before he became Obamas Pentagon chief, Carter served in a variety of other defense roles in the department. He was an assistant secretary of defense under former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s and he was an undersecretary for technology and logistics for the first two years of Obamas presidency. Before Carter joined the Defense Department, he taught at Harvard for several years during the 1980s and was director of the Center for Science and International Affairs from 1990 to 1993 before he joined Clintons Cabinet. Born in Philadelphia in 1954, Carter attended high school in Abington, where he starred in several sports. He briefly attended the University of Edinburgh in Scotland before graduating summa cum laude at Yale College in 1976. Later, he became a Rhodes Scholar and attended the University of Oxford in Britain, graduating in 1979. For the next few years, he was a research fellow at Rockefeller University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT, he wrote a research paper that concluded then-President Ronald Reagans proposed Strategic Defense Initiative a controversial space-based defense system known colloquially as Star Wars even if it were possible to build, would not protect the United States from a Russian nuclear attack. During his time as defense secretary, Carter emphasized he felt that Iran was a significant threat to the West and cautioned China against island-building in the South China Sea. Carter spent his tenure overseeing the U.S. militarys efforts to battle Islamic State militants across Iraq and Syria, via a powerful U.S.-led bombing campaign and training and support of local ground forces by American and allied troops. He also oversaw U.S. war efforts in Afghanistan, where Obama elected toward the end of his presidency to keep thousands of troops despite his long-held pledge to end the presence of American troops there. Carter traveled frequently as defense secretary to Iraq and Afghanistan to meet with troops fighting those wars. He also was critical of Russian military maneuvers in Syria, where Moscow supported Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and his campaign against Syrian rebels seeking to remove him from power. Carter rose to the top post at the Pentagon less than a year after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Moscows aggression led Carter to propose deploying U.S. ground missile systems to strategic locations in Europe an attempt to counter Russias ability to make war in Ukraine. Ash Carter was a friend of many years, an esteemed colleague and a patriot who served this nation with distinction, former national security adviser Condoleezza Rice wrote in a tweet. His loss is a great one that will be felt by many. So very sorry to hear about the sudden passing of Ash Carter. A fine leader, close friend, colleague and a brilliant mind, retired U.S. Adm. James Stavridis wrote in a tweet Tuesday. Sail proudly, Mr. Secretary. In late 2015, Carter briefly became the focus of a Pentagon controversy when it was discovered that he had used a personal and private email account when he conducted official business during his first few months as defense secretary, a violation of department rules. Carter later admitted hed made a mistake. After leaving the Pentagon, Carter wrote a memoir titled Inside the Five-Sided Box: Lessons from a Lifetime of Leadership in the Pentagon in 2019. Carter is survived by his wife Stephanie and two children, Ava and Will. Stars and Stripes reporter Corey Dickstein contributed to this report. DETROIT (Tribune News Service) FBI agents Tuesday arrested a federal employee who lied about working for the Taiwan Navy and using the COVID pandemic as cover to move to Taiwan, according to a criminal case unsealed in federal court. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee Yifei Chu, 57, of Ypsilanti, was charged with making false statements about his contacts with the Taiwan Navy and falsifying documents while applying for a security clearance. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. The 32-page criminal complaint details a rare local investigation involving members of the FBIs Counterintelligence Division, which investigates, exposes and tries to prevent national security threats from foreign intelligence services and other intelligence activities. The investigation uncovered multiple lies revealed after federal investigators searched Chus emails and other electronic devices and discovered prolonged contact with members of the Taiwanese Navy. Chu, who also is known as Philip Chu, is expected to make an initial appearance later Tuesday in federal court in Detroit. The investigation emerged in December 2020 after Chu, a naturalized U.S. citizen, applied for a three-year assignment working for the U.S. Navy in the Office of Naval Research Global at the U.S. embassy in Singapore. The position requires a secret sercurity clearance. During the application process, Chu made false statements, including during an interview with background investigators and in an affidavit, according to an FBI special agents affidavit filed in federal court. Those false statements included Chu failing to dislcose extensive contacts with Taiwan naval officials and a Taiwan company, including that he had been hired as a consultant on a classified naval project, according to the affidavit. Chu also concealed that he lived in Taiwan for about 11 months from 2020-21 without his supervisors knowledge. Chu was born in Taiwan and signed paperwork indicating he had renounced his citizenship in 2008, according to the FBI. They believed Chu worked remotely from his residence in Michigan during the 11-month period he was in Taiwan, The FBI special agent wrote. A review of Chus emails revealed he owned a condominium in Taiwan as recently as 2010. Some of the associated emails and attachments were documents that appear to be sale negotiations, contracts for sale, associated parking spaces, and property deeds, the FBI agent wrote. Investigators say Chu also met repeatedly with members of the Taiwanese Navy on a military base in Taiwan while working as a consultant. Chu also lied about obtaining a new Taiwanese passport and traveling to the country in 2020 and as recently as August. Chu also sought to conceal the fact that he is still a citizen of Taiwan, prosecutors said Tuesday. Chu is at least the second person arrested in Metro Detroit in recent years by members of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. Amin Hasanzadeh, an Ann Arbor engineer and a post-doc researcher at the University of Michigan, was arrested in November 2019 and accused of sending tech secrets to Iran. A subsequent court filing revealed FBI agents surreptitiously entered Hasanzadehs apartment in December 2017 and approximately five years passed before Hasanzadeh became aware of the search. The search was fruitful as investigators found thousands of confidential files belonging to Hasanzadehs employer. (c)2022 The Detroit News Visit at www.detnews.com Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See more stories here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) President Joe Biden is urging a vaccination push as he braces for a winter wave of COVID-19 cases that could again drive up hospitalizations and deaths, but this time without a blank check to fight the surge. Congressional Republicans have blocked more funding for vaccines and treatments, forcing the government to scrounge what money it can for those and to lean on the private sector for care. Thats raised questions about whether stocks of tests, vaccines and Pfizer Inc.s Paxlovid treatment pills will last. Biden, hampered by an increasingly shoestring budget, is enlisting U.S. businesses to elevate booster uptake as vaccine coverage dwindles, other treatments grow obsolete and low supplies run out. The president was joined at the White House Tuesday by executives from CVS Health Corp., Rite Aid Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Biden, who received his own booster, asked employers to host on-site clinics for flu and coronavirus vaccines, email workers urging them to get shots, and offer paid time off for employees with side effects. As a country we have a choice to make, said Biden, urging people to get updated boosters. Can we repeat what happened in the past winters more infections, more hospitalizations, more loved ones getting sick, even dying from the virus? Or can we have a much better winter, if we use all, all the tools we have available to us now? In addition to a lack of funding, the administration also faces widespread public apathy, with masking and distancing almost entirely abandoned across the country. Biden himself declared last month the pandemic was over, and virtually never wears a mask, even among crowds of his supporters. The U.S. has also largely abandoned COVID-specific press briefings. Hospitalizations have now begun to rise in some European countries and areas of the U.S., as new versions of the virus, such as the XBB variant, become better able to evade immunity from vaccines or previous infections. Biden again on Tuesday urged Congress to step up with much needed COVID funding. Help us stay ahead of the virus, he said. My message to Congress is that we must pass more COVID funding, said Lawrence Gostin, director of the ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. COVID isnt over and, we are going to see many more American deaths unless Congress acts and the public understands the importance of vaccinations. Roughly 20 million people have so far gotten an updated booster, with numbers picking up since the shots were authorized early last month. Still, the administration wants higher vaccination numbers and expects a spike in cases driven by cooler weather and holiday gatherings, an official familiar with their plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A winter wave could also bring testing shortages. Bidens team is working to build stockpiles and is in touch with retailers, warning them to not be caught flat-footed. Its too soon to say whether pharmacies and others have bought enough tests for winter, the official said. Aside from vaccines, the U.S. has relied on Paxlovid to minimize severe cases. Supplies remain strong, but its not clear that will last all winter, the official said. Its also unclear whether the U.S. would be able to buy any more which may force the drugs transition to the commercial market, likely reducing use. It is going to cost money to get a shot or to get Paxlovid or other treatments. That will mean the U.S. will fall even further behind our peers, Gostin said. The U.S. needs to develop vaccines and treatments that are more resilient to variants, and that wont happen without new funding, the official said. Our vaccine campaign funds are very, very limited and that has definitely made it harder to get people vaccinated and to run a real campaign, Bidens COVID-19 response coordinator, Ashish Jha, said last week during a Georgetown panel discussion hosted by Gostin. Monoclonal and pre-exposure treatments are proving less effective at countering new variants and may soon be rendered ineffective, Jha said. Our medicine cabinet which should be getting bigger as we go further along in this disease is actually getting smaller. The administration has been preparing broadly for the potential turnover of senior figures after the Nov. 8 midterm elections, but the COVID-19 team is poised to remain largely intact. Anthony Fauci, the famed immunologist, is retiring, including from his role as Bidens chief medical adviser. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, meanwhile, have indicated they plan to remain in their roles, saying that between COVID-19 and other priorities ample work remains. Biden on Tuesday urged employers to adopt generous and flexible vaccination and sick-leave plans, even as the administration contends the worst of the virus is over. Biden heralded a program Walgreens is expected to launch that would allow Americans living in areas designated by the government as socially vulnerable to have online Paxlovid prescriptions delivered for free by Uber Inc. and DoorDash Inc. drivers. But its unclear if those initiatives will be enough with dwindling vaccines and Paxlovid as the entire U.S. defense. The U.S. has one of the worst vaccination rates among high-income countries of the world, Gostin said. That means we will continue to have relatively higher rates of hospitalization and death. 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (Tribune News Service) In March, Iraq War veteran Carl Larson took a leave from his digital marketing job in the Puget Sound region to join in the Ukrainian struggle against the Russian invasion of their country. He spent his toughest weeks in the front-line trenches of northeast Ukraine. Artillery fire kept him awake through most of the nights, and it was easy to confuse stray dogs walking nearby with Russian soldiers who might be scouting the position of his unit of the International Legion of the Defense of Ukraine. The risks of exiting the trenches were brutally demonstrated on the afternoon of May 31. Larson and several other soldiers gathered by a command post in a nearby house. A Russian shell hit a tree, then shrapnel fragments struck the head and groin of German legionnaire Bjorn Clavis. The soldiers lacked a generator to charge their radio and also a vehicle. So they had to use a runner to summon medics. Some 40 minutes later, aid arrived. But Clavis died in an ambulance. He lost too much blood, Larson said. Larson is convinced Clavis could have been saved if the unit had been able to charge their radios. And since his July return to his home in Snohomish County, he has been raising money to buy generators and other supplies for the legion troops, who amid the fall chill have shifted from defensive positions in trenches to joining Ukraines fast-moving offensive to reclaim territory held by Russians. On Thursdays, Larson gathers with a group of legion supporters in a banquet room at European Foods, a grocery and restaurant in north Seattle. Over bowls of borscht and plates of cutlets they share news about the legion and what equipment is needed. Larson says Ukrainian as well as legion units suffer from supply shortages despite international aid that includes more than $18.2 billion in U.S. government security assistance since 2021. The legions current list of needs includes more cold-weather equipment, drones, communications and vehicles. And some who have served in the legion say that their units, when compared with other front-line forces, have had more serious shortfalls. Were a great PR stunt because Wow, look at all these foreign soldiers who are willing to put their lives on the line for Ukraine, said Stuart Burnside, a British veteran from Yorkshire who has been in Ukraine since February. But were fed on scraps to be fair. Others say shortages are a shared hardship. Unfortunately, right now, the reality is theres not enough supplies, said Evelyn Aschenbrenner, an American who left a teaching job in Poland to staff an International Legion administrative job. Ukraine way more stressful The legion was formed by the Ukrainian government to organize combat units of foreigners to fight in the war. The Russian government declared that they would be seen as mercenaries and if captured, lack the standing of regular- duty troops. But that did not deter a surge of people, many from North America, Great Britain and Europe, but also some from Latin America and the former Soviet Republic, from making their way to Ukraine, where they receive training and are paid for their service. Larson, 48, had joined the U.S. Army four months after 9/11 and worked as a combat engineer in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As he settled into middle age, he was inspired to take up arms again by what he viewed as the moral imperative of preventing the slaughter of civilians and thwarting Russian President Vladimir Putins goal of military conquest. He said his experiences in Ukraine where way more stressful and frustrating than his service in Iraq. Early on, Larson was dismayed by some of the would-be recruits who had no military experience, or appeared unstable. And Larson initially balked at joining the International Legion, concerned by where he might be sent, what he would be tasked to do and whom he might serve with. But after discussions with Ukrainian officials, he took a job helping to screen new recruits to the legion and prepare them for service. Then, he joined a legion battalion and spent five weeks in training, much of it as a platoon leader, before deploying to the front. Larson said his unit took up position in zigzagged trenches, some of which were initially made by German soldiers during World II then reoccupied some eight decades later. We just dug them out. They were quite well made, Larson said. In the hours before dawn, he sometimes had to deal with business back home calling contractors to fix a house that he and his wife had purchased in Snohomish County. Some of the legion soldiers Larson encountered served for a few months and left, others had been in Ukraine since late winter. Most get a code name that can be easily remembered and spoken over the radio. Larson was told his would be Grinch. Through the course of his service, Larson said the legion evolved, emerging as a more cohesive, fighting force composed largely of a more professional mix of hundreds of military veterans. (Detailed legion troop numbers are not publicly released.) Larson concluded his military career in Ukraine had dead-ended after clashes with a Ukrainian officer whom he alleged stole money from the unit. The officer was reprimanded but stayed in command, and Larson was assigned a new job digging ditches. A legion spokeswoman said she could not comment on individual allegations and individual situations. But she said that we have firsthand experience standing up against corruption and problematic people. It can be done, and it is done. With his wife eager for his return, Larson decided to fly back home to Washington a few weeks earlier than he had planned. Return to Washington Back in Washington, Larson has stayed in touch with some of the legion soldiers as they have advanced to towns once held by the Russians. The legion casualty count has climbed. Now, we have soldiers who engage in combat, and they are more direct targets for tanks and grenades, Aschenbrenner said. The legion has released what the communications spokesperson called a partial list of eight legion deaths. Burnside, as of Oct. 5, said more than a dozen had died. Its difficult. We are losing friends, he said. Larson recently formed a nonprofit to help supply the legion. He says that a chain of custody to combat those trying to divert and profit from aid has been established to get supplies to legion soldiers. He also has raised money for the legion at events organized by the Ukrainian American community in the Puget Sound region. Larson does not plan to return to duty with the legion. My wife has hid my passport, he said. Hopefully, she hasnt burnt it. (c)2022 The Seattle Times Visit at www.seattletimes.com October Board News Posted: Oct. 21, 2022 Board Approves New, Lower Medical Plan Premiums for Most 2023 Health Care Program Enrollees and a $600 Premium Rebate for Current Enrollees At the October meeting of the State Teachers Retirement Board, the board approved measures that will provide a $600 rebate to current health care plan enrollees and new, lower premiums for most plan enrollees for 2023. The new 2023 premiums will be even lower than what was recently shared in open-enrollment materials. Based on the health care funding status and increased recoveries in the Medicare prescription drug program, the board approved a health care premium rebate of $600 for each enrollee with coverage by the STRS Ohio retiree health care medical program in October 2022. Retirees will receive an estimated $66.4 million in rebates for themselves, spouses and dependents. The premium rebate will be paid to STRS Ohio retiree health care program members in the December 2022 pension payment (premium rebate will not exceed premiums actually paid in 2022). The newly approved medical premiums impact STRS Ohio Health Care Program enrollees in the Aetna Medicare Plan as well as benefit recipients enrolled in non-Medicare plans. A sample of the new premiums is shown below. STRS Ohio will also be sharing this news via email, online, through our social media channels and by direct mail for enrollees who do not have an email address on file. Benefit Recipients With Medicare (30 or more years of service for those who retired before Aug. 1, 2023, or 35 years of service for those retiring on or after Aug. 1, 2023) Plan Premium With Medicare Part B Credit* Lower Than 2022 Premiums by: Aetna Medicare Plan (Medicare Advantage PPO) $31 $46 *In April, the board voted to replace the current $29.90 Medicare Part B reimbursement to a premium credit of $30. This column shows the premium with the new Part B credit applied. Benefit Recipients Without Medicare (30 or more years of service for those who retired before Aug. 1, 2023, or 35 years of service for those retiring on or after Aug. 1, 2023) Plan Benefit Recipient Monthly Premium Lower Than 2022 Premiums by: Medical Mutual & Aetna Basic (Indemnity or PPO) $286 $137 AultCare (PPO) $232 $105 Paramount Health Care (HMO) $262 $61 A complete list of medical premiums is available here. Health Care Funding Status Improvement Generated by Lower-Than-Expected Claims, Expenses STRS Ohios actuarial consultant, Cheiron, shared the results of its annual actuarial valuation of STRS Ohios health care plan at the October meeting. The report showed that lower than expected claims and expenses primarily from STRS Ohio plan enrollees covered by Medicare led to an improvement in the status of the health care fund. The health care fund balance was $4.57 billion as of June 30, 2022, down from $4.93 billion last year; however, the funded ratio of the plan improved to 231% from 175% last year. The fund is projected to remain solvent for all current members as long as plan experience matches assumptions. Benefit payouts for the fiscal year totaled about $418 million, an average of more than $1.15 million per day. The improvement in the funded status of the health care fund provided the board the opportunity to consider the health care rebate and premium reductions that are detailed in the lead story of this newsletter. Pension Valuation Report Shows Lower Funded Status in Fiscal 2022 Cheiron also shared the results of its fiscal 2022 pension valuation report a snapshot of the overall financial condition of the pension fund. The report showed a decrease in the market value funded status of the plan, due primarily to investment returns in fiscal 2022 that were lower than the 7.0% assumed rate of return. Funding is typically measured in two ways the funded ratio and the funding period. STRS Ohios funded ratio that is, the asset value compared to liabilities decreased to 78.9% from 87.8% as measured at market value. In other words, future benefits are 78.9% funded. When measured using the actuarial value of smoothed assets compared to accrued liabilities, the funded ratio increased slightly to 80.9% from 80.1% last year. For actuarial measurements, investment gains and losses are smoothed over four years to spread market volatility. Some investment gains from the prior year were recognized this year, and about $2 billion of investment losses from fiscal year 2022 will be recognized over the next three years. The shortfall between the pension funds actuarial assets and liabilities is called the unfunded actuarial liability (UAL). During fiscal 2022, STRS Ohios UAL decreased to $20.1 billion from $20.8 billion. The funding period is a measure of the time needed to close that gap and reach a funded ratio of 100%. This measure also improved, decreasing to 11.5 years from 14.0 years in last years report. Board Hears Alternative Investments Asset Class Presentation STRS Ohio Investment Department staff provided the board an overview of the alternative investments asset class, noting the purpose of these investments is to provide diversification, growth and income. The asset class is comprised of private equity and opportunistic/diversified investments. Staff shared that alternative investments have increased total fund returns over the one-, three-, five- and 10-year time periods ending June 30, 2022. Staff provided an update on one of the boards strategic initiatives to grow its direct and co-investments program within alternative investments. This initiative includes objectives to generate good risk-adjusted returns, build a diversified portfolio, lower investment costs by paying lower or no fees, build and maintain skilled investment staff and expand capabilities of the program. Retirements Approved The Retirement Board approved 325 active and 75 inactive members for service retirement benefits. Other STRS Ohio News Retirement Board Election Notices to Mail to Employers in Early November Election notices for the 2023 Retirement Board election will mail in early November to all employers to inform STRS Ohio members about the upcoming election. The spring 2023 election is for one contributing member seat currently held by Arthur Lard. Those eligible to run for the contributing member seat include members presently contributing to STRS Ohio or those who have contributions on deposit with STRS Ohio (including members who are receiving disability benefits). Members interested in running for this seat may request an election packet and nominating petitions beginning Nov. 1 by calling STRS Ohio toll-free at 888-227-7877. The deadline for STRS Ohio to receive nominating petitions is Feb. 24, 2023. Board members are not compensated for board service other than reimbursement for actual, necessary expenses. Board Presentation Slides Available on the Web Two Days Prior to Board Meeting State Teachers Retirement Board meeting presentation slides are uploaded to the STRS Ohio website two days prior to each board meeting. The files are marked as preliminary until the public meeting takes place. The presentations are available at: www.strsoh.org/aboutus/board/materials.html. Mangan was previously handed a 14-year jail term in 2008 after he was caught with a loaded handgun in the toilet of a pub An escaped prisoner who led gardai on a high-speed chase through Dublin suburbs narrowly missing a pedestrian and other motorists has been sentenced to 15 months in prison. John Mangan (54) had escaped from Loughan House open prison in October 2021 and was caught riding a motorbike around Park West Industrial Estate, Dublin 12, at around 3pm one November afternoon a number of weeks later. Mangan has previous convictions for conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of drugs and guns and was due for release from prison in March 2024. Mangan was previously named in court as being involved in the murders of Dublin gangland figure Martin 'Marlo' Hyland and innocent plumber Anthony Campbell. He was handed down a 14-year jail term in May 2008 after he was caught with a loaded handgun in the toilet of a pub. He was on bail for possession of cannabis resin valued at 341,787 at that time. Mangan had pleaded guilty to possession of the cannabis resin for sale or supply on February 4, 2006 in Drumcondra and possession of a firearm in the Comet Pub, Santry on August 24, 2007. Garda Gary Farrell told Jennifer Jackson BL, prosecuting on Tuesday that Mangan ignored the garda instruction to stop the vehicle which led to a high-speed pursuit that lasted about 20 minutes. It came to an end after gardai, using the assistance of the air support unit, set up a road block on Carpenterstown Road, in Castleknock. Gda Farrell confirmed that during the chase Mangan drove through a number of red lights, overtook and undertook vehicles into oncoming traffic, drove around a roundabout the wrong way, drove onto a footpath narrowly missing a pedestrian and drove into oncoming traffic during which he nearly collided with a number of different vehicles. Marlo Hyland murder suspect John Mangan in high security Mountjoy Prison after jail escape Dublin man accused of driving on footpath and into oncoming traffic during road rampage Mangan of Larkhill Road, Whitehall, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a charge of endangerment, dangerous driving and driving without insurance around the Lucan and Castleknock area of Dublin on November 9, 2021. He was serving his prison term in Loughan House when he escaped. His defence counsel, Kieran Kelly BL, defending submitted that it was during lockdown and Mangan was anxious to visit his partner after she was diagnosed with cancer. Mr Kelly said his clients sentence was due to expire in 2024 and he has yet to be charged with escaping lawful custody. This case is expected to be brought before the District Court. Counsel said his client apologises for his driving and regrets his role. He submitted that when Mangan first sped off it was because he was in fear but he continued the chase when he should not have, Mr Kelly said. Mangan has five grandchildren and is now clean of both drink and drugs, counsel submitted. He described him as a reformed man who is currently serving his time in Portlaoise prison. Judge Martin Nolan said that while Mangan was at large from an open prison he took part in serious dangerous driving that could have led to a catastrophic collision which could have caused death or serious injury. He referred to the fact that he viewed three minutes of CCTV footage. He was undoubtedly driving this bike at great speed and he seems to be able to manage this bike at great speed, Judge Nolan said. He has to serve another punishment for driving the way he did, the judge continued before he sentenced him to 15 months which he said must be served consecutively to his current term. He further disqualified Mangan from driving for two years. Mr Fitzgerald claims he first discovered last July that his name had been put on "false" mortgage documentation for "six or seven" properties in Portugal GAA hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald has claimed in High Court proceedings he is the victim of a fraud that has resulted in a legal action against him before a Portuguese court. The current Waterford senior hurling manager is fighting proceedings against him by a receiver and a fund in which possession is sought of a house owned by Mr Fitzgerald and in which his sister Helen lives. Mr Fitzgerald from Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, claims he first discovered last July that his name had, without his knowledge or consent, been put on "false" mortgage documentation for "six or seven" properties in Portugal. Mr Fitzgerald claims that a former ACC Bank official, Jarlath Mitchell, whom he had professional dealings with several years ago, entered his name on the "false mortgages and documents". Mr Mitchell, with an address at Drimnagh Road, Dublin, was jailed in 2013 for two years after he admitted stealing over 450,000 from customers to pay off debts from unsuccessful investments in the property market. Mr Fitzgerald claims Mr Mitchell had been his relationship manager and accepts that he took out loans with ACC. He alleges that based on Mr Mitchell's advice he bought an apartment in Portugal. That property is not the subject of the Portuguese action. However, Mr Fitzgerald says he had no idea he was involved with the other properties until he received documents from the Portuguese courts during the summer. He has had to instruct Portuguese lawyers to defend himself in those proceedings in Portugal. In a sworn statement, Mr Fitzgerald, who is also a mentor in the Irelands Fittest Family TV programme, said that Mr Mitchell was jailed for falsifying documents. He claims that 45,000 that was held on deposit in ACC which he claims is currently unaccounted for. As a result, Mr Fitzgerald, represented by Ronnie Hudson Bl, instructed by solicitor Max Mooney, has sued ACC Loan Management and Mr Mitchell for damages for alleged fraud, negligence and deceit. Mr Fitzgerald's fraud proceedings were mentioned when a separate case against him and his sister Helen Fitzgerald came before the Deputy Master of the High Court John Glennon on Tuesday. The Master/Deputy Master deals with pretrial matters before they go before a judge of the High Court. Pepper Finance and receiver James Anderson of Deloitte, who was appointed over certain assets of Mr Fitzgerald, had issued a summons against the siblings seeking possession of the property where Helen Fitzgerald lives, at Clonara, Sixmilebridge. Mr Hudson told the Deputy Master that the mortgage for the property was taken out with ACC Bank, but the loan was allegedly acquired by Pepper, which counsel called "a vulture fund." Counsel said Mr Fitzgerald had obtained a mortgage for the house to pay off the loan for the house but was unable to redeem the mortgage of just over 200,000. It was Mr Fitzgeralds case that Pepper was refusing to allow him redemption of the mortgage unless he pays an interest surcharge of 25,000. He claims that Pepper is not entitled to the surcharge, and the proceedings against him and his sister are needless and ill-conceived. Mr Fitzgerald, who won All Ireland hurling titles as a player and manager with his native Clare, said that the action against his sister over the property could not be reasonably dealt with without reference to his own action against ACC and Mr Mitchell. When the case against Mr Fitzgerald and his sister was called on Tuesday there was initially no appearance by the Pepper/receiver representatives and the case was struck out.. However, shortly afterwards, lawyers for the plaintiffs appeared and asked the Deputy Master to reinstate the case, as they had been detained in another courtroom. Mr Hudson opposed the reinstatement and said the proceedings would result in Ms Fitzgerald being evicted.. His client, a well-known hurling player and manager who is also known for being "straight up" in his business dealings, wants to redeem the mortgage but was prevented from doing due to an unreasonable demand by Pepper. Mr Glennon, after considering submissions from both sides, said that without the consent of the parties he did not have the legal power to reverse his decision. He agreed with counsel for the plaintiffs that the reality of the situation was that the case would most likely be either reinstated on appeal or the summons could be re-issued in a short time. That surgery caused pretty noticeable scarring, and youll see the pictures Harvey Weinsteins alleged deformed genitalia will be crucial evidence in the prosecutions case against him in Los Angeles, where the former movie mogul is on trial for sexually assaulting four women. In opening statements on Monday, Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson described to jurors how several women who have accused Weinstein of assault have identified that there are unique things about his body after he had a surgery in 1999. That surgery caused pretty noticeable scarring, and youll see the pictures, Thompson said. Because of an infection, his testicles were actually taken from his scrotum and put into his inner thighs. The prosecutor added that while none of the women who are set to testify against Weinstein can describe the 70-year-olds anatomy perfectly, most of them will be able to describe these abnormalities that they observed during the assaults. Weinstein who is already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York is now on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting four women in Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013. Each of these women came forward independently of each other and they will tell you that the defendant assaulted them, Thompson said. After the defendant assaulted the women, they felt emotionally devastated. They feared that he could destroy their careers if they reported what he had done to them. Weinsteins four accusers to testify in the case are expected to be identified only as Jane Does, though California Gov. Gavin Newsoms wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, is among the accusers and has previously been identified as Jane Doe 4. Seventeen years ago, when she met the defendant in 2005, she was a powerless actor trying to make her way in Hollywood, Thompson said, without specifically naming Newsom. Weinstein allegedly raped her in a West Hollywood hotel room after she was lured there under the pretenses of a business meeting, Thompson said. Four other women, separate from the Jane Doe accusers, will also testify at trial that Weinstein sexually assaulted them, but their allegations did not lead to criminal charges. One of the original women involved in the trial appears to have dropped out, but Thompson remained tight-tipped when asked if she would still testify. While we have no comment at this time, our office is tirelessly ensuring all of the victims in this case receive justice, officials with the DAs office told The Post on Monday. In his opening statements, Weinsteins lawyer Mark Werksman told how before the MeToo movement, it was commonplace in Hollywood for women to trade sex for career advancement. He said: Hollywood was an entirely different place. In Hollywood, sex was a commodity. Thats the way things were done. The former movie mogul has denied any non-consensual sex and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The hearing will now begin on December 12 and is likely to run into a second day. The case against Patrick Quirke which led to a murder conviction was largely circumstantial Farmer Patrick Quirkes appeal against his conviction for the murder of love rival Bobby Ryan has been delayed. The Supreme Court appeal was due to get underway today, but the Chief Justice apologised to the legal teams involved, saying a difficulty had arisen. The hearing will now begin on December 12 and is likely to run into a second day. The legal teams were informed of the postponement of the hearing yesterday. But the precise reason for the delay was not disclosed during a brief online case management hearing which took place instead this morning. Patrick Quirke Mr Justice Donal ODonnell said he wanted to re-fix a date so the hearing could take place as soon as possible. He also said the court had read the submissions made and considered that it would not be a case that is suitable for a remote hearing. There will be a significant number of issues arising which the court would like to explore orally with counsel, the Chief Justice said. I am anxious that it would be dealt with during this term in light of the preparation that has been done and given the fact it was listed for hearing. The Chief Justice also said he would prefer if the case had the capacity to run into a second day. This is due to the addition of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) as an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, which judges will also hear from, in addition to counsel for Quirke and counsel for the DPP. The human rights watchdog is to make submissions in relation to the reach of search warrants, amid concerns it has about ensuring there are proper safeguards are in place when electronic data is seized during searches. The issue is one of two points of appeal that will be considered by the court. The other relates to how pathology evidence was heard during Quirkes trial. Mr Ryan (52), a part-time DJ known as Mr Moonlight, disappeared in June 2011 after spending the night at his girlfriend Mary Lowry's home in Fawnagown, Co Tipperary. Quirke (53), a married farmer who previously had an affair with Ms Lowry, "discovered" the body in a run-off tank on her farm, which he was renting, nearly two years later. Among items seized by gardai from Quirkes home during a subsequent murder investigation was a computer. Detectives found that internet searches had been conducted in relation to the decomposition of human remains and DNA. The evidence was a crucial part of the largely circumstantial case which led to Quirkes conviction in 2019 following the longest criminal trial in the history of the State. Quirke, of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, previously unsuccessfully challenged the validity of the search warrant on various grounds in the Court of Appeal, including that it did not refer to computers. The killer was not produced for todays online case management hearing and is not expected to be present in court or online when the full hearing gets underway in December, despite requesting to be allowed view the proceedings via video link. Quirke previously failed in a challenge on 52 grounds of appeal in the Court of Appeal. In a determination published earlier this year, the Supreme Court said it would hear a further appeal on two issues of general public importance. These relate to the extent of any requirement to identify what might be searched for when applying for a search warrant, and, secondly, the extent of the discretion vested in the DPP as to what witnesses she calls at trial, with particular reference to expert witnesses. Cooper has spent most of his adult life in prison A once-feared underworld hardman who was linked to an infamous gangland murder has fallen on hard times and has been caught dealing sleeping tablets. Jeremy Cooper (56), originally from Dublins north inner city but of no fixed abode, was once a major gangland criminal who was involved in the kidnapping of a drug dealer who was tortured and killed in the mid-1990s. He was also part of a ruthless gang who carried out terrifying home invasions in the 1990s and had links to well-known gang leaders, including Brian Rattigan and John Gilligan. However, in recent years Cooper, who is a drug addict, has been reduced to working as a street dealer selling small quantities of zopiclone sleeping tablets, known as zimmos. Cooper, who has 79 previous convictions for offences including drug dealing, armed robbery and false imprisonment, appeared in Dublin District Court where he received a six-month suspended sentence for selling the tablets. The court heard gardai were on patrol at Amiens Street in the north of the city on May 9, 2020. They saw Cooper engaged in a drug transaction, handing over a tray of zopiclone tablets to a drug addict. Cooper was detained for a search. Six trays of zopiclone were found. He also had 150 in cash in a sock. Cooper has spent most of his adult life in prison. He was involved in one of the most notorious crimes of the 1990s when he was a part of a gang who abducted Mark Dwyer, who was blamed for the disappearance of 40,000 ecstasy tablets imported by a gang led by Cotton Eye Joe Delaney. Cooper was one of three armed and masked men who burst into Mr Dwyers flat in Ballybough in Dublin and tied him up before taking him to a house, where he was tortured. Jeremy Cooper was involved in false imprisonment Dwyers body was found dumped in a field in Scribblestown Lane, Finglas with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Delaneys son Scott was found bound and gagged beside the body, but he later admitted this was a ruse. Joe and Scott Delaney were later convicted of the murder. Cooper was initially charged with murder but the murder charge was dropped after he agreed to plead guilty to false imprisonment. He received a 12-year sentence for his involvement. Cooper also received a 14-year sentence for a horrific home invasion in Tipperary in May 1997. He pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning the family of five at their home in Cloneen, near Clonmel. The sentence handed down to rapists Gerard McKenna and Paul Sheridan totalling just 15 years sparked considerable controversy Two evil brutes who abducted and raped a vulnerable 12-year-old girl could find themselves caged for longer, it has emerged. Their vile crimes, carried out just days before Christmas in 2019, at a well-known beauty spot in Co Antrim, caused widespread revulsion at the time. And the sentence handed down to rapists Gerard McKenna and Paul Sheridan totalling just over 15 years has also sparked considerable controversy. Now the Sunday World can reveal that Northern Irelands top prosecutor, Stephen Herron, is looking again at the case to see if he can appeal. While sentencing is a matter for the judiciary, the Director of Public Prosecutions does have the power to refer particular sentences to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that they may be unduly lenient, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service said. We are considering whether there is a legal ground to refer the sentence in this case to the Court of Appeal for consideration. Gerard McKenna Just weeks ago Gerard McKenna (30), from the Whiterock area of west Belfast, was handed a nine-year sentence. His pal and accomplice Paul Sheridan (25), from Hillfoot Crescent in Ballynahinch, was given six-and-a half years. The maximum penalty for rape is life. In this case, the judge explained the difference in sentencing between the depraved pair was down to the fact that McKenna denied the offences and still remains highly confident that he will be acquitted on appeal. Sheridan admitted his guilt and did not subject the victim to any further humiliation. Both with a catalogue of previous convictions, the judge said neither showed any great insight into the damaging effects of their offending and were instead caught in a cycle of drink and drug abuse. Lagan Towpath Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie welcomed the news that prosecutors were looking at the case again, which comes on the back of a letter he wrote describing the sentences as far too lenient. Sometimes a crime is so vile it takes your breath away in disbelief, said Beattie. Then you read the sentence handed out to those convicted of that crime and you get genuinely angry. Such was the feelings I felt when Gerard McKenna and Paul Sheridan were sentenced. Last year McKenna was unanimously convicted of the abduction and rape of the 12-year-old girl on the Lagan Towpath in Lisburn and with sexually assaulting a second victim, her friend. His mate Sheridan later admitted the same sick crimes. The impact on their victims was made evident during many hearings. The 12-year-old who was raped said what happened broke her and it left her feeling scared and afraid. As well as jail, the judge ordered both to serve an extra three years under supervised licence upon release as he was satisfied the pair were dangerous. McKenna and Sheridan must also sign the police sex offenders register for an indefinite period. Users are not thinking about crime or the Kinahans, they are just looking to get high or have fun on a night out Leading voices on drug use in Ireland have said decriminalisation may help solve Ireland's addiction problems. Criminologist Trina OConnor told viewers of RTEs Monday Night Live last night that decriminalising the user by allowing people to have small amounts of illicit drugs should be the next step for the country. She said people should be given access to supports rather than going through the justice system. Labour TD Aodhan O Riordain said 70% of the drug cases in Irish courts are for possession for personal use and some for as little as drugs amounting to 2. He said this targeting of calls a complete waste of time and resources for Gardai. He revealed that Ireland currently has the third highest overdose rate in Europe and people addicted to drugs feel like they cant come forward without the risk of being treated like a criminal. "There is a tsunami of cocaine coming at this country and Europe and we havent yet reached saturation, said Nicola Tallant, the Sunday World Investigations Editor. RTEs Monday Night Live took a deep-dive into the Kinahan drug cartel and how deeply they have damaged communities in Ireland. Nicola Tallant revealed how the organised crime group has forged bonds with other mafia bosses internationally, forming a super cartel and hiding out in the UAE for the last six years. Kinahan bosses are still living a luxurious lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates despite recent sanctions, she told viewers. The programme took a look at the damage the drug trade is doing to people in Ireland and how much addiction services are struggling to cope. 3,500 people were on the waiting list for a detox bed last year, with most waiting at least nine months. Conor Harris was an inter-county GAA player before he became hooked on cocaine, almost taking his own life after struggling with addiction and owing big debts to dealers. I swore when I finally did clear them off that Id stop, but I couldnt I just ended up getting in debt again and again and again, he admitted. "I needed to be removed from society to be taken away from the drugs, he said on his struggles to quit after a near-death experience. He said people can end up giving small amounts of their wages every week to feed their drug use, eventually amounting to 20k debts like he had. Users like Conor are not thinking about crime or the Kinahans, he said, they are just looking to get high or have fun on a night out. Communities are broken by drug abuse that is tearing families apart, Conor who now works in addiction support said, revealing people are going broke trying to clear the debt of family members. One addiction support worker who appeared on the programme said children as young as 10 years-old have been using cannabis and casual conversations around drugs have implied to young people that theyre safe to use. Labour TD Aodhan O Riordain said the lack of injection centres across the country is feeding the problem. "Every day that this centre isnt open means that somebody is more likely to contract Hepatitis-C, more likely to contract HIV and more likely to die in their own filth in a laneway in Dublin city centre, the TD. He said it is social inequality that is pulling children into the ranks of drug gangs. Adnan, who was originally from Bosnia but had been living in Ireland for over 30 years, was violently assaulted and died as a result of his injuries This is the man who is now the subject of a major Garda murder investigation following his violent death in Dublin over the weekend. Adnan Asic (60) died after a fatal assault in the early hours of Saturday, October 22, as he was walking towards Blanchardstown Road North from the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. Gardai said that Adnan, who is originally from Bosnia but had been living in Ireland for over 30 years, was violently assaulted and died as a result of his injuries. Initially gardai couldn't explain his injuries but a post mortem revealed he died as a result of a violent assault. Speaking at the scene after launching a murder investigation, Superintendent Peter Burke of Blanchardstown Garda Station said: Adnan was in Ireland for almost 30 years. He was a completely innocent man (of) this assault. He has family back in Bosnia and he has some family here in Ireland as well. Adnan had been found lying on the ground at the busy junction but gardai said he had not been hit by a car but had been violently assaulted. Adnan was fatally assaulted on this junction between 2am and 3am on Saturday morning, in the early hours, Superintendent Burke added. Were appealing today for any witnesses or any person passing (in a car) that. would have dashcam footage to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station or indeed any garda station with this information. Gardai said in a statement that they they are investigating all the circumstances surrounding the death of the 60-year-old man in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 at the weekend. An incident room has been established at Blanchardstown Garda Station and the investigation is being carried out under the direction of a senior investigating officer, gardai added. A family liaison officer has been appointed and continues to keep the family informed of the investigation. Gardai are continuing to appeal to any person who were in the vicinity of Blanchardstown Road North at the junction with the Old Navan Road or the N3 (Mulhuddart) Flyover and surrounding areas between 2am and 3am on Saturday, October 22, to contact the investigation team at Blanchardstown Garda Station. In particular, they are appealing for any road users (particularly taxi drivers) travelling in these areas at these times who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) to make this 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. Gardai conducted the searches as part of an ongoing investigation into criminal activity in the Kilmallock area over the past number of months. Three people were arrested after gardai carried out five raids in Co Limerick yesterday. Gardai conducted the searches as part of an ongoing probe into criminal activity in the Kilmallock area over the past number of months. Five premises were searched during yesterdays operation, a garda spokesperson said. It had been reported that more than 20 officers took part in the pre-planned intelligence operation led by gardai in Bruff with the assistance of the Armed Support Unit and officers from Limerick city. One local told Limerick Live: "There were guards everywhere." Gardai said the three people who had been arrested were detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at garda stations in Limerick. All three persons have since been released without charge and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Investigations are ongoing. An Uzi was used in this attack it wasnt used to give anyone a fright, a source said. Garda at the scene of the shooting A man in his early 30s who was shot in the Tallaght area tonight Is suspected of being involved in a feud in the locality, it has emerged. Officers are working on the theory that he was shot a number of times with a machine gun as he sat in car with a female who was uninjured in the gun attack. The target suffered minor facial injuries in the incident and gardai have made no arrests. An Uzi was used in this attack it wasnt used to give anyone a fright, a source said. The target was lured to the location, the source added. Gardai are investigating following a shooting incident in Tallaght, Dublin 24 on Tuesday the 25th of October, 2022, a garda spokesman said. Shortly after 6:20pm, Gardai were alerted to reports of shots fired in the Donomore Crescent area of Tallaght. A man in his 30s was treated at the scene for an apparent gunshot wound and taken by Ambulance to Tallaght University Hospital. His injures are not thought to be life threatening. The scene is currently preserved and a technical examination is to be conducted. No arrests have been made at this time. Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward. They are particularly keen for anyone with camera footage (including dash-cam) to make this available to them. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station 01-6666000, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. From haunting ghost hunts to frightening festivals, theres something for everyone seeking to celebrate the scariest weekend of the year. As the birthplace of Halloween or Samhain, Ireland goes all out when it comes to spooky festivities. From haunting ghost hunts to frightening festivals, theres something for everyone seeking to celebrate the scariest weekend of the year. Heres 10 of the most exciting Halloween events taking place from Friday, October 29 to Monday, October 31. The Nightmare Realm, Dublin Nightmare Realm Dublins most terrifying scare-fest returned to the capital earlier this month at a brand-new location across the Liffey the historic fruit and vegetable market on Marys Lane. From just 22, Irelands largest indoor scream park will terrify and delight those who dare to brave its five fright zones. Tickets are currently sold out for most of the bank holiday weekend, but some slots remain on Monday, October 31, Tuesday, November 1, and Wednesday, November 2. Ballykelly Drive-in Movie Night, Monasterevin, Co Kildare Dozens of people across the country are sure to stick on some beloved horror flicks this weekend, but for those looking for something different why not try a drive-in movie? Ballykelly GAA club in Monasterevin are hosting two spooky screenings on the evening of Friday 28 October. The early screening of Casper The Friendly Ghost at 6pm is aimed at families but a 9pm screening of Friday The 13th is also on the cards for fear-seekers. Make sure to bring your pals too as tickets cost 30 per car with popcorn, hotdogs, and drinks available to purchase on the night. Haunted Harvest Market, Derry Derry is sure to be buzzing this weekend as the Walled City comes alive for Europes biggest Halloween festival. There are tons of activities planned for all ages from parades to fancy dress parties, but one of the most exciting events on the programme is the Haunted Harvest Market in the city centre. Taking place from Friday until Monday from 12pm to 9pm, visitors can take in the sights and sounds of Samhain as they enjoy some craic agus ceol at this completely free event. Puca Festival, Co Meath Puca Returning to Meath from Friday 28 to Monday 31 October across festival hubs Trim and Athboy, Puca is an authentic and immersive festival that celebrates Ireland as the birthplace of Halloween. Some of the high-profile acts taking over the festival include Imelda May, Gavin James, and The Academic, while comedy favourites like Joanne McNally and David ODoherty will also make appearances. For those hoping to avoid forking out on the festival, a variety of free ticketed events will take place throughout the weekend including Halloween fun, games, and treasure hunts. Check out the full line up and book tickets to Puca Festivals exciting events here. Lismore Castle Dungeon, Co Waterford Lismore Castle, Co Waterford Test your bravery as you descend into never-before-seen parts of Lismore Castle, where you may come face-to-face with spirits who haunt the old Victorian building. Lismore Castle Dungeon is a 360-degree immersive experience involving 24 live actors and eight themed spaces. The event is strictly over-18s and tickets cost 27.55. Farmaphobia, Causey Farm, Co Meath One of Irelands biggest and busiest Halloween events, Farmaphobia sees Causey Farm transformed into five haunting attractions not for the faint of heart. Visitors can expect to come face to face with clowns, ghouls, murderers, and zombies for an evening of terror. Unfortunately, tickets for the bank holiday weekend have just sold out completely but those willing to wait can still get spooked on Tuesday, November 1, and Wednesday, November 2, for 32 per person. Bram Stoker Festival, Dublin Celebrating the legacy of one of Irelands most iconic writers, the 2022 Bram Stoker Festival kicks off this Friday night for four days and nights of deadly adventures. On the agenda are after-hours tours of Marshs Library, special screenings of Nosferatu, and a chilling immersive audio experience. Booking for most events is required, so grab your tickets now for some Dracula-inspired fun. Visit a pumpkin patch, various locations Clissman's Pumpkin Patch in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow. For those who dont fancy being scared this Halloween, visiting a pumpkin patch is a sure-fire way to take part in the celebrations. There are dozens of spots to pick your own gourds scattered around the country, including Streamvale Farm in Co Antrim, Ballycross Apple Farm in Co Wexford, and Killarney Pumpkin Farm in Co Kerry. Availability for each pumpkin farm varies, so make sure to check dates and times with the venue before arriving. Paranormal Tours at Wicklow Gaol, Co Wicklow Wicklow Gaol. Over the years, paranormal activity at Wicklow Gaol has earned the building the reputation of one of the most haunted places in Ireland. This tour offers thrill-seekers a chance to investigate some paranormal activity and come face-to-face with some of the spirits lurking within. The experience will run on Saturday, October 29, from 9pm to 12am with tickets costing 40. Silver Scream at the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin Cinemas most memorable movie monsters return to the big screen at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin 7 this Halloween. The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Lost Boys, and Frankenstein are each being screened over the weekend for fans of classic horror films. A small number of women developed Covid placentitis, an infection of the placenta, and their baby died in the womb, according to the hospitals annual report. A small number of women who caught Covid-19 suffered pregnancy loss in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin last year. The women developed Covid placentitis, an infection of the placenta, and their baby died in the womb, according to the hospitals annual report. There were also a number of near misses, where the placenta was also deemed to have significant placentitis, but in which timely intervention resulted in good foetal outcomes. New guidelines were implemented, including recommendations to consider induction of labour by term for women who were exposed to Covid-19 during their pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester. Separately, at the end of the last quarter of 2020, the hospitals internal clinical risk monitoring systems observed a recent spike in cases of moderate to severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), where the baby suffers lack of oxygen or blood flow around the time of birth. The report said a taskforce was immediately convened by the executive management team and a comprehensive review of all cases that had occurred during 2020 was conducted. A total of 18 cases of moderate-to-severe HIE were reviewed, which represented an increase in the mean number of cases reported over the preceding five years, it said. A series of recommendations were proposed by the HIE taskforce and these were then the subject of a multidisciplinary implementation group, which convened throughout 2021. All of the recommendations were implemented. The hospital had a 10pc increase in births with 8,968 babies born last year, including six triplets. The rate of caesarean section was 37pc. Hospital master Professor Fergal Malone said: The years 2020 and 2021 were of course dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. As if those were not sufficient challenges, we were the victims of cyber warfare in 2021, when a vicious cyber attack targeting the HSE, created disproportionate difficulties for the Rotunda as one of only two fully digital, paperless hospitals in Ireland. We managed an overall 10pc increase in clinical volume in 2021. This included an increase of 800 women to 10,715 pregnancies registered for care in 2021 compared with 2020, leading to 821 more deliveries and 831 more babies to be cared for in 2021. No maternal deaths were recorded but there were 272 obstetric admissions to the Rotunda high-dependency unit (HDU) in 2021, with 78 major maternal illness events. Postpartum haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders and sepsis remain the top three reasons for admission to the Rotunda high-dependency service a consistent trend over the last five years. There were a number of patients transferred to the Mater Hospital. Its something that has been happening all through the years A total of 40 people recorded as having been spiked this year is just the top of the iceberg, it has been warned. Official figures show a surge in drink spiking as 22 people reported having been spiked last year which included several months of lockdown. A spokeswoman for Corks Sexual Violence Centre said that victims rarely report their ordeal to gardai. We are hearing every day, I was spiked, My friend was spiked, My friends friends were spiked, Ms Twomey told The Hard Shoulder. Its something that has been happening all through the years. The centre created an online portal where people can report drink spiking. Ms Twomey said that from January to April this year, more than 100 people actually submitted their experiences to our hub. She also believes that the nature of the crime has evolved over time. Were looking at a phenomenon that has changed quite a bit, she said. In the past it wasnt unusual for somebody to be spiked as a prelude to sexual assault. Whats happening now is that somehow, in some peoples brains, this is considered to be funny and thats why there is so much of it happening. Fine Gael Senator Micheal Carrigy has discussed the problem with students and says one way to combat it would be for pubs and clubs to offer lids to put on drinks. Every time you go into a Delhi, youre going to get a plastic lid for your cup of coffee or your cup of tea, he said. You go into every bar, theres actually beer mats on the counter. So, I felt, why should we not put plastic lids in place to make young women in particular feel more safe? Bobby is 5ft 9in tall in height, is of a slight build, and has black hair and brown eyes with a scar on his right cheek Gardai have issued a freash appeal for information about a teen, missing since July, who was featured on RTEs Crime call last night. Bobby Power, a 16-year-old from Waterford City, was last seen on Friday, July 29. It is understood that Bobby was last seen by his mother, Susan Power, who described him as wearing a black hoodie and black tracksuit pants. However, he has not made contact with friends or family since. Bobby is 5ft 9in tall in height, is of a slight build, and has black hair and brown eyes with a scar on his right cheek. Despite an extensive investigation involving numerous media appeals as well as inquiries with friends, family, and the Waterford community, Bobby has still not been found four months on. Crimecall featured his case last night as part of an appeal to anyone who may have seen Bobby for their assistance. It had been reported previously that Bobby may have been in the North Cork area. Gardai had said in an earlier statement that they believed Bobby may have been in the general Mallow area after being reported missing from his Waterford home. In a statement issued this morning, gardai said they continue to seek the public's assistance in tracing Bobby. Anyone with information on Bobbys whereabouts is asked to contact Gardai in Waterford on 051 305 300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. There is over 50,000 Ukrainians now in the country, all must have secure accommodation Ireland cannot guarantee accommodation for refugees arriving from Ukraine in the next couple of weeks, the Tanaiste has said. Leo Varadkar said the State cannot guarantee homes for anyone travelling from Ukraine because the country is experiencing a severe housing shortage. Speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Mr Varadkar said there is no point in denying the chronic shortage of accommodation. Ireland has done very well as a society and I dont mean as a government, I mean as a society in responding to the Ukraine and refugee crisis, he said. There is over 50,000 Ukrainians now in the country, all must have secure accommodation. There are 12,000 Ukrainian kids now in our schools, 10,000 Ukrainians working, 1,000 studying in our universities. In what is a very difficult situation, I think the Irish public and Irish society has responded very well. But we are experiencing a severe accommodation shortage and there is no point in denying that. As a country we are not in any way going to resile from our international obligations or resile from European solidarity. But we do need to say to people that if you come here we cannot guarantee you accommodation at the moment, and indeed for the few weeks we cant guarantee it. Cabinet sub-committee met last night. Decisions wont be signed off for another few days, so there will be a memo produced for Government. We should be able to sign them off formally in the next couple of days. Some of the measures we are examining include refurbishing buildings, rapid-build housing where possible, increasing the amount of money that is given to families that are willing to take people in or provide a house. Also, aligning what we offer in Ireland with that with other countries so there isnt much of a differential. Lots of different things. Senior government ministers met on Monday night to discuss the accommodation crisis for Ukrainians and refugees arriving in Ireland and measures to address it. Proposals included doubling the monthly payment for people taking in Ukrainian refugees to 800 euro. It came after 44 Ukrainian refugees were recently left without anywhere to live after arriving in Ireland. It is understood that the Department of Children contacted those affected and offered accommodation on Monday. The Government believes nightclub permits will largely be availed of by bigger nightclubs and venues, mainly in cities People enjoy a pint in Dublin over the St Patricks weekend in 2019. Photo by Artur Widak via Getty Images NurPhoto via Getty Images Pubs will be able to serve until 12.30am every night of the week under a major reform of licensing laws. The new legislation will also clear the way for nightclubs to stay open until 6am, but last orders will be required to be taken at 5am. Justice Minister Helen McEntee will bring a memo to Cabinet this morning seeking to modernise the countrys antiquated licensing laws. Under existing legislation, pubs have to stop serving at 11.30pm between Monday and Thursday, with this extending to 12.30am on Friday and Saturday, while final orders are at 11pm on Sunday. Justice Minister Helen McEntee wants to modernise the countrys antiquated licensing laws. Photo: Gareth Chaney This will now be standardised across all seven days of the week with pubs permitted to open from 10.30am to 12.30am every day. In a move aimed at bringing Ireland in line with other European countries, nightclubs will have the option to remain open until 6am with the requirement that alcohol cannot be served after 5am, with dancing able to continue until closing time. Opening hours for late bars will remain at 2.30am and a new late-bar permit will be required to keep serving later than regular pubs. A new system of permits for late bars and nightclubs will be introduced as part of the reforms. The minister is aiming to have legislation underpinning the change to opening hours enacted next year. At Cabinet, Ms McEntee will formally seek permission to begin the process of drafting the Sale of Alcohol Bill to replace a patchwork of 100 laws some of which are over 200 years old and two-thirds of which pre-date the foundation of the State. Once enacted, the bill will lead to one piece of legislation to regulate the sale of alcohol. The new laws are also aimed at supporting the development of the night-time economy. A government source said the new legislation will emphasise that the sale of alcohol cannot be treated like the sale of any other good. We must retain restrictions on its sale and on who is permitted to sell it, and to whom. These proposals will ensure that the sale of alcohol will remain closely regulated, he said. Ireland will maintain a restrictive licensing system with licences only granted by the courts and objections allowed from fire authorities, local authorities, the HSE, An Garda Siochana and local communities. Man drinking a pint of beer. Photo: PA PA The interests of public health officials, gardai, the local community and the safety of those present on licensed premises will be prioritised under the laws. New conditions for operating a late bar or nightclub will include a requirement to have CCTV on the premises and security staff properly accredited with the Private Security Authority. The Government believes nightclub permits will largely be availed of by bigger nightclubs and venues, mainly in cities, and will not be availed of by many nightclubs. Ms McEntee is expected to say the new laws will make sure alcohol is tightly regulated while also protecting the sustainability of the countrys pub and night-time sector. Details of the licensing law reforms will be announced once the Cabinet agrees to overhaul the rules governing the opening of pub, clubs and late bars. They even warned his gangs retribution on the Shankill would be worse than Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine Dublin gangsters have warned UDA boss Mo Courtney hell be Putin his place for robbing them of a stash of guns, we can reveal. The crazed cartel thugs also threatened to wage a holocaust war on Courtney and the rest of the Shankill UDA. Threats and warnings were issued after it was claimed Courtney and his new top dealer stroked a cache of guns from the cross-border drugs cartel. An outrageous voice note threat sent to Courtney and others from the Dublin gang warned of apocalyptic consequences if the UDA tried to take revenge for punishment already dished for robbing them of their guns. Its not clear exactly what that punishment was but a severe beating has already been meted out to a Shankill man who apparently gave up the weapons to the UDA in return for a few grams of cocaine. They even warned his gangs retribution on the Shankill would be worse than Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine. The completely over-the-top threat warned Courtney and the UDA on the Shankill would witness a holocaust war and that the whole lower Shankill estate would be gone and turned into a car park. The deranged gangster warned the UDA to take their punishment because they had robbed them. But we can reveal reports that Courtney has gone into hiding are wide of the mark and instead the convicted killer is standing his ground, telling pals the old dog is ready for one last stand. But his new big-time drug dealer dubbed the New Mr P is absolutely terrified, according to well-placed sources. And we can reveal the simmering feud is threatening to bring a faction of East Belfast UVF into conflict with the West Belfast UDA. A source has claimed notorious rapist Gerry Vermin Verner, whos closely aligned with East Belfast UVF, is believed to be behind the torturing of the Shankill man who its claimed had been looking after the guns for the Dublin-linked gangsters. The vulnerable man is a known drug user and had been bullied into keeping the weapons for the Dublin gang. Rapist: Gerry Verner There were reports last night that one gun had already been returned and Courtney is negotiating with Verner in east Belfast over the other one with cocaine being used as leverage in the deal. Images of the mans badly swollen and battered face were shared on social media along with claims Courtney and his most lucrative drug dealer had gone to ground in fear. Its claimed he was tortured by Verners gang who wanted to know who stole the weapons. They gave that lad a really bad beating to find out who had robbed the weapons, said a source. It seems Mo Courtney sent (name removed) round to his house with some free drugs and took the weapons in exchange. Verners gang, backed by the Dublin boys, went looking for their gear but when they found it missing they laid into (name removed) and tortured him to find out who the thieves were. This guy they battered is a nobody, a vulnerable person really who takes drugs and was used by the gang because he could be easily threatened into storing stuff, and would be too scared to go to the police. Torturing people is Gerry Verners speciality. The convicted rapist, who is protected by East Belfast UVF, has assaulted multiple women and once threatened to chop off the fingers of one female victim who hed tied to a chair. Two months ago we reported how Verner had done a runner from an east Belfast park after he turned up with a gang armed with bats for a fight with hardman and UVF scourge James Hammy Hamilton. Guns were pulled that day and once man was left needing hospital treatment after Verner fled and left his mates to take a kicking. Police reported one man had been beaten over the head with a firearm. That incident has nothing to do with the new brewing feud which has now put Verner in the firing line of West Belfast UDA. The UDA have long had it in for Vermin Verner, said a source. It was the UDA who put him out of north Belfast because of his convictions for rape and other sex attacks of women. Nobody could believe East Belfast UVF gave him protection when he got put out of north Belfast. He must be a good earner for them because theres no other reason loyalist paramilitaries would give a safe haven to a repeat sex offender like that. The UDA would love to have a go at Verner but they know it could bring into conflict with East Belfast UVF. And now it seems it could bring them into a war with some Dublin gangsters. The voice threat has apparently not scared Courtney and sources say the 59-year-old paramilitary chief is ready for one last battle. Mo Courtney has the backing of a heavily armed paramilitary gang in the West Belfast UDA which has killed many times before, said a loyalist source. Everyones saying Mo is running scared but hes like General Custer and hes ready for one last stand. Hes a convicted killer and the old dog is ready for one last big battle. Courtney, who served eight years for the manslaughter of Alan Bucky McCullough, was once a close associate of Johnny Mad Dog Adair before Adair was exiled to Scotland. Courtney remained in Belfast and took control of the Lower Shankill, making a fortune from lucrative drug rackets. Mo is well protected in the Shankill so hes not losing much sleep about these threats. Hes seen plenty of action back in the day with Johnny Adair. Hes lived through countless feuds and threats so he knows what to do when these disputes break out. But his new drug dealer, the guy he brought in to replace Mr P, is sh***ing himself. Hes not used to feuding with rival gangsters. If the reports are right, it was the drug dealer Mo sent round to get the weapons by giving out free drugs and now hes absolutely terrified the Dublin boys or Gerry Verners gang is going to get him. Mo Courtney has been looking for new drug dealers to replace a number of major money-making criminals who have either been jailed or fled the country in recent years. Recently we reported Courtney had found his new Mr P to replace David Dee Jenkins. Jenkins was the terror groups cocaine kingpin and told the Sunday World he had been raking in 500,000 a month from selling drugs on an industrial scale. Jenkins ran an online drugs network under the name Mr P but fled Northern Ireland in March after being told the loyalist crime gang planned to kill him. As reported in this paper several times Gerry Verner known as Vermin because of his sick sex attacks on women was put out of north Belfast by the UDA because of his crimes. But while in prison he struck up a relationship with a leading loyalist who helped set him up in a flat beside his own in Inverary Avenue in the Sydenham area of the city. The UVF guaranteed Verners protection when he got out of prison earlier this year having been returned to serve out his sex sentence because hed breached regulations by mixing with drug dealers when he was released for the first time. Verner was jailed for a minimum of seven years in 2012 for raping, falsely imprisoning, beating up and threatening to kill his 19-year-old victim. Verner (33) subjected the teenager to a terrifying 10 minutes of honesty interrogation during which he threatened to cut off a finger for every lie she told. steven.moore@sundayworld.com Louis tells the Sunday World that U2 were nobodies when he first interrupted their conversation and he had never met them before BAD MOVE: Bono recalls how U2 were talked out of ditching their manager Paul McGuinness by Louis Walsh Louis Walsh today confirms Bonos announcement in his new book that thanks to the X Factor judge an infant U2 decided not to fire their manager Paul McGuinness. Bono recalls one evening in the late 70s when he and the rest of U2 gathered in the upstairs restaurant in Captain Americas on Dublins Grafton street. The group had met for a crisis meeting to discuss grievances they had with McGuinness. Louis Walsh After a heated discussion, we came to a conclusion we would fire Paul from the agreement he hadnt signed and hire Billy McGrath, who managed a group we admired called the Atrix, recalls Bono in his forthcoming autobiography Surrender: 40 Songs one story. Im sorry but I couldnt help overhear you. The speaker, a pale-faced man in his last twenties, had been sitting at the next table we were talking. He adds: I know the person you are talking about, Paul McGuiness, he continued. Youre about to make the biggest mistake of your life if you get rid of him. He told us he managed local showbands, which is how he knew Paul, who represented a folk band called Spud. His name was Louis Walsh, later to become the manager of Boyzone and Westlife, among Irelands most successful pop acts, and then famous in his own right as a judge on the talent show The X Factor. We didnt fire Paul McGuinness or he us. After becoming a multi-millionaire thanks to looking after U2, McGuinness stepped down as manager in 2013 after 34 years at the helm. Louis tells the Sunday World that U2 were nobodies when he first interrupted their conversation and he had never met them before. Manager Paul McGuinness (C)Barry Cronin Asked what U2s reaction to his intervention as the time, he replies: They said thank you and I had forgotten about it totally until recently. He is full of praise for Bono. I think he is a brilliant role model for Irish people... Hes not just a rock star, hes a great politician, hes a great father. Hes great, and hes a great operator, he really is. Bono will start a world tour reading excerpts from the book and playing music.It kicks off in New York on November 2. He appears in Dublins 3Olympia theatre on November 21, which has already sold-out. New Zealand has a taste for adventure as the weather warms up, and the NZ Mountain Safety Council and NZ Police are both encouraging a safe start to summer walking and tramping adventures. Labour weekend is traditionally the beginning of the summer tramping season, when those who have hunkered down for the winter take to the hills for a much-needed jaunt in Aotearoas backyard, says a statement from MSC. It could be the first overnight tramp in a few months or the first day walk since autumn, but the long weekend combined with changeable spring weather means planning ahead is as important as ever, MSC and NZ Police say. MSC chief executive Mike Daisley says public holidays present the opportunity for an extended adventure and with that requires some extra thinking. Its really easy to underestimate the importance of quality planning and preparation, even for short local walks, he says. "Using the right track that suits yours, and everyone in your groups, skills and ability is a good start to planning a safe adventure, as is ensuring that track suits the forecast weather conditions. "Before leaving home, packing warm clothes, checking the weather forecast and understanding how that can change and letting that influence your choice of walk." Plan My Walk by MSC can support trip planning by finding the right track, checking for track alerts and the weather forecast, and ticking off the suggested gear list. This plan can then be sent to group members and emergency contacts. NZ Police acting Senior Sergeant Scott Iszard says being prepared is key. Make sure you have enough supplies, appropriate clothing and suitable equipment such as maps, a compass, a distress beacon and a cellphone. Its also important to leave detailed trip intentions with a reliable contact person and to let them know when to raise the alarm if you dont return. For anyone headed outdoors, a registered distress beacon is the lifeline that can get help to your location in a life-threatening situation. You can rent or buy a distress beacon. Take one with you when you go, it could save your life or someone elses. For more information check out the NZ Mountain Safety Council website or read the Land Safety Code here, and download the Plan My Walk app. Karen OLeary will once again tackle the supernatural when she teams up with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for its Spooky Symphony concerts in Tauranga and Napier from next week. The hilarious star of television comedy Wellington Paranormal, who made her acting debut in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clements cult-classic movie What We Do in the Shadows, will be the presenter of whanau-friendly performances of Spooky Symphony in Tauranga on November 6 and Napier on November 13. Spooky Symphony is a spellbinding experience for all ages, packed with some of the most magical and spooky music ever written. With the audience guided by OLeary, the fun-filled selection includes French composer Paul Dukas unforgettable The Sorcerers Apprentice and Russian composer Modest Mussorgskys exhilarating Night on Bald Mountain, both made famous in Disneys animated film Fantasia, and John Williams Hedwigs Theme from Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. I am so looking forward to Spooky Symphony, says Karen. Hearing the NZSO is such a powerful experience and the music they play is inspirational. Being part of Spooky Symphony also helps bring in my other love, which is education and teaching children and families. It hopefully means that classical music and the Orchestra is accessible to lots of different people. That is such a positive thing. Wellington Paranormal, a comedy spin-off of What We Do in the Shadows, has been broadcast in 70 countries, including HBO Max in the United States. Karen stars as Officer OLeary, who along with Officer Kyle Minogue (Mike Minogue), investigate supernatural occurrences in the Capital. Miguel Harth-Bedoya. The NZSO will be led by Grammy Award-nominated conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya. His previous 2020 concerts with the NZSO were hailed by The Dominion Post as absolutely first-rate. Spooky Symphony is one of three special concerts the NZSO, led by Maestro Harth-Bedoya, perform in Tauranga and Napier in November, as part of the Orchestras Immerse 2022 festival. Ria Hall. Fusing roots, soul and hip-hop with powerful vocals in te reo Maori and English, Tauranga-based music star Ria Hall will perform songs from her celebrated debut album Rules of Engagement given a mesmerising orchestral makeover by the NZSO in Tauranga on November 5 and Napier on November 12. Madeleine Pierard. Napier-born Madeleine Pierard, an internationally acclaimed soprano, performs in Heavenly, a concert featuring music giant Gustav Mahlers majestic and enchanting Fourth Symphony. Heavenly, in Tauranga on November 4 and Napier on November 11, also features Tumblebird Contrails by lauded American composer Gabriella Smith, whose music is inspired by environmental themes. The NZSO Immerse 2022 festival also includes Open Doors, a series of free daytime family events from 10am on November 5 in Tauranga and November 12 in Napier. Whanau can enjoy spooky face painting sessions, instrument jams with NZSO players, masterclasses and more. Tickets to all concerts are available via ticketek.co.nz Heavenly is also performed in Auckland and Wellington. The summer monitoring programme of Waikato region beaches and estuaries is due to get underway at the end of the month with help from two environmental science university students. Every year, Waikato Regional Council staff monitor coastal water quality, estuary benthic macrofauna (sediment-dwelling organisms), stream water quality, freshwater fish and water levels of key lakes and wetlands. Theyre helped during the peak monitoring period by students employed from November to around March. Much of this testing is part of a council drive to gain better information about whats happening in the regions coastal waters and to make the latest results for the coast, rivers and lakes available to the public on the LAWA website www.lawa.org.nz under Can I Swim Here? The number of faecal bacteria present in the water indicate the likelihood of contracting a disease from many possible pathogens in the water such as bacteria or viruses. Seven east coast (Buffalo Beach, Hot Water Beach, Tairua, Pauanui, Whangamata, Onemana and Whiritoa) and two west coast beaches (Sunset Beach at Port Waikato and Ngarunui near Raglan) are tested to see whether faecal bacteria levels are okay for contact recreation such as swimming and surfing. Testing is also carried out at estuarine sites Pepe Inlet at Tairua, Whangamata Harbour entrance, Whaingaroa Harbour near the motor camp and Maraetai Bay at Port Waikato. Coastal and marine science ream leader Dr Michael Townsend says that, as a rule, the water quality at Waikato region beaches is generally good for activities like swimming and surfing. But people should exercise caution for up to 48 hours following heavy rain, because it flushes contaminants from urban and rural land into waterways, which then make their way to the coast. These contaminants may be present in the water for up to two days after heavy or prolonged rainfall. Last summer we recorded two exceedances at Buffalo Beach and Sunset Beach and thats likely due to their proximity to large freshwater systems which will have been impacted by heavy rain. He says providing the public with the best quality information is important. So we work together with district councils and Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand (Waikato) to identify any results that may have public health implications and then communicate them. Te Whatu Ora Waikatos Medical Officer of Health, Dr Richard Wall, recommends that where Public Health warnings are in place, the water at these beaches should be avoided for all recreational use. If you do use the water for recreational purposes when a warning sign is in place, then you are potentially exposing yourself to harmful pathogens that can cause illnesses including gastroenteritis, respiratory illnesses, and ear and skin infections. In addition to the coastal water quality testing, over summer the students will be sorting benthic macrofauna (sediment-dwelling organisms such as shellfish and marine worms) samples collected from estuaries and looking at the characteristics of the sediment to evaluate ecological health. In smaller communities across New Zealand, rangatahi/youth do not have the same level of access to the arts, and exposure to relevant opportunities can be limited. Auckland-based Crescendo Trust of Aotearoa have developed a new pilot programme specifically for the rangatahi in Te Kaha, a small community situated in the Bay of Plenty near Opotiki. Funded by the Ministry of Social Developments Industry Partnerships team and working with a local programme coordinator from Te Runanga o Te Whanau, this new hybrid model of programme delivery enables increased numbers of rangatahi living rurally to gain new skills they may not otherwise have access to. Crescendos programme is a four-week project-based programme that delivers mentoring in-person and online. The project is producing a podcast centred around the theme of Theres Life Behind That Sign, aimed at providing a chance for rangatahi to step back and look at their rohe with a new perspective. Along with the industry-specific skills, this will offer rangatahi the opportunity to build soft skills, such as communication, negotiation and responding positively to critique. We believe that all young people have their own innate gifts and talents and our mentors work with rangatahi to build self-confidence to help them achieve their goals, says Crescendos CEO Cat Percy. Our programmes are delivered by industry professionals so young people not only gain top-quality technical skills, but also gain from the emphasis we put on personal development, self-awareness and wellbeing. Ultimately, we aim to engage rangatahi through sound to build positive futures in our communities throughout Aotearoa. Crescendos CEO Cat Percy. Were excited that rangatahi in Te Kaha will get the opportunity to develop skills in the arts and creative space, while staying local to their support systems, says MSD Industry Partnerships director Amanda Nicolle. This exciting programme partnered with pastoral care will support thriving rangatahi and communities and allow people to access the many opportunities for employment that are being created in this region. MSD Industry Partnerships is funding 24 people to participate in this programme, as a stepping stone into employment. Registration is now open for the second and third cohorts of the programme. People can contact info@crescendo.org.nz for more information. The rescue efforts of helicopter crews following a fatal eruption have led to seven people being recognised as part of the 2022 Special Honours List New Zealand Bravery Awards. Most of the awards on the list refer to the rescue efforts of helicopter crews from the Bay of Plenty following the 2019 fatal Whakaari/White Island eruption. Kahu Helicopters chief executive officer and former SAS soldier Mark Law will receive the New Zealand Bravery Star for his exceptional bravery. Tom Storey from Opotiki, Jason Hill of Opotiki, Tim Barrow Rotorua, Graeme Hopcroft of Tauranga, Callum Mill of Rotorua, and Sam Jones of Te Puke will receive the New Zealand Bravery Decoration. On Monday, December 9 2019, at 2.11pm, an explosive volcanic eruption occurred on Whakaari/White Island in the Bay of Plenty, shooting a massive column of steam into the air and blowing a wave of hot rock, ash, and acid gas across the crater floor. A total of 47 people were present on the island at the time of the eruption, which resulted in the deaths of 22 people, either in the explosion or from injuries sustained. A further 25 people suffered moderate to significant injuries, with the majority needing intensive care for severe burns. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas. Dispatch orders from the New Zealands Air Ambulance Service diverted rescue and paramedic helicopters to Whakatane, as landing on the island was deemed too dangerous post eruption, says a statement about the awards. Law was the first person to arrive on the island after it erupted. He says it's difficult to reconcile his happy memories of the island with the traumatic scene he encountered upon landing. "Seeing so many people in one area who were in so much distress and people that had passed away, in an area that brought so much joy to so many people during all the tours and visits to the island," he said. "That's probably the hardest thing, I think, that probably struck us all." He had been driving along the coast of the mainland when he saw a dark plume emanating from the volcano. He said he did not stop to think about whether he should go. Within 50 minutes, Law had landed his helicopter on the island's landing pad, put on a gas mask, and begun his search, shin-deep in ash. Law had found 20 people at the volcano's crater, eight of whom had already died, by the time Tom Storey and Jason Hill landed in another Kahu helicopter. With acidic air a present issue for the helicopter engines, the pilots left their engines on and rotors turning once landed to improve their chances of taking off again. The casualties were covered in thick ash, had extensive burns and were in various stages of consciousness. Ash fell on the men as they moved about and the acidic air made breathing difficult. Time was of the essence, which became clearer when a young woman died in Storey's arms while he was carrying her to the helicopter. Soon enough, Volcanic Air director and pilot Tim Barrow and pilots Graeme Hopcroft, Callum Mill and Sam Jones arrived from Rotorua in two helicopters to help load people. Three helicopters flew to Whakatane hospital with 12 injured people on board within just 40 minutes. Still on the island, Storey, Mill and Jones did a final sweep to ensure there were no remaining survivors. They carefully grouped bodies close together, placing found phones with the deceased person to help with identification. Whakaari/White Island on the day of the fatal eruption. The efforts of the commercial helicopter pilots and crew resulted in 20 casualties being found on the crater floor, with 12 injured being removed by the commercial helicopters over the course of 40 minutes, and eight deceased repositioned for later recovery. Of the 12 people helicoptered out, 10 died. Law says it has been a tough few years since the eruption. "It destroyed our business, that's for sure," he says. "Put a massive amount of strain on me, and then Covid and all the rest of the story." In November 2020, just before the first anniversary of the disaster, WorkSafe announced it was laying charges against 13 organisations and individuals. Those charged are: the island's owner Whakaari Management Limited and its directors Andrew, James and Peter Buttle; GNS Science; the National Emergency Management Agency; White Island Tours Limited; Volcanic Air Safaris Limited; Aerius Limited; Kahu NZ Limited; Inflite Charters Limited; I D Tours New Zealand Limited; and Tauranga Tourism Services Limited. It specifies the charges do not relate to events on the day of the eruption, or the rescue efforts. All parties have denied the charges they faced. "Being labelled criminals is never the most helpful thing in the world," Law says. While the bravery award did not take the sting out of the WorkSafe prosecution, it did remind him that New Zealanders valued helping each other. "There's still some really good people who treasure effort," he says. "[If] that's someone's life, just go." -Additional reporting by RNZ. Shielding a fellow solider from a live grenade has seen Mike Marvin honoured as part of the New Zealand Bravery Awards. The New Zealand Defence Force Acting Warrant Officer Class 2 is being awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal for an act of bravery for a live firing incident in 2020. Mike, who was a Staff Sergeant, was conducting the role of safety supervisor during a grenade throwing practice at the New Zealand Defence Force Raumai Range on June 18. The aim of the exercise was to re-qualify soldiers on the operation of the hand grenade, says an awards statement. During this activity, Mike stood opposite the soldiers being requalified, observing their drills and handling of the grenades in removing the pin, throwing action and ensuring the thrower assumed a position behind the range safety barricade prior to detonation. He carried out his checks of a junior soldier who approached to carry out their grenade throwing drill. He asked the soldier to confirm their intended target on the range. With checks completed, he instructed the soldier to throw the grenade. The soldier removed the pin, took a throwing stance and released the grenade in a misthrow. The grenade landed dangerously close to the thrower at a distance of no more than 1.5m and did not clear the natural rise that afforded the area of cover and safety during detonation. Michael immediately reacted realising that the grenade had not cleared the top of the mound. He yelled drop grenade and tackled the soldier rearward into a small depression in the ground around 1m below and about 4m away from the grenade, smothering the soldier with his body, thereby providing a shield from the blast. He says his training kicked in immediately. Safety instructors are trained what to do when there is a misthrow. We often practise a dropped grenade scenario, although the real thing had never happened to me before. The grenade exploded but Mike didnt realise he had been injured until about 15 minutes later. At the time we were all concentrating on the soldier I took down as they were in a lot of pain because I landed on them. Someone asked me if I was OK and I lifted up my top and saw I was bleeding. He received fragmentation blast injuries. Eight steel balls from the grenade are still in his lower body as they are too deep to be removed. However, he says he wasnt in much pain and has had no after-effects. The former British Army soldier who has been in the New Zealand Army for 14 years and is a Master Driver for 1(NZ) Brigade, said he was grateful for the safety training he has received. I suppose there was a bit of luck in it too, but training certainly pays off. No blame could be attributed to the soldier, he says. It was just a one-in-a-million incident it just went wrong. A rahui has been place on Lake Rotoma following a fatal crash. Police have confirmed one person died after a car crashed into the Bay of Plenty lake. A car had left the road near the intersection of State Highway 30 and Matahi Road, and was in the Lake, says a police spokesperson. One person was retrieved from the car and resuscitation attempts were made. Sadly, the person died at the scene. Serious Crash Unit has been notified and enquiries in to the circumstances of the crash are ongoing. A rahui is in place in accordance with Te Kawa o Te Arawa. Te Arawa Lakes Trust support hapu to exercise this practice and Kawatapuarangi trustee Arapeta Tahana says the rahui has been placed near the Matahi Road intersection where the accident happened. Our thoughts are with the family of the bereaved, who are grieving and mourning the death of their loved one. Lake Rotoma is now in a state of tapu, whereby the placing of a Rahui is a safety measure which will allow the lake and the environment to replenish itself. A formal karakia has been conducted by local Rotoma hapu Ngati Tamateatutahi Ngati Kawiti. The rahui will be lifted Saturday, October 29. The Italian built Grand Princess is in Tauranga today. The cruise ship can hold up to 3100 passengers at maximum capacity, along with 1100 crew. Built in 1998 in Monfalcone, Italy, the Grand Princess was the largest and most expensive ship built at the time at a cost of $450 million USD. It is the second ship to stop in Tauranga after the two-year absence following the Covid-19 pandemic. This marks the return of an industry which has previously contributed $89m to the Bay of Plenty region in the 2018/2019 season. The Grand Princess is 289.86m in length, 61.26m in height, and has 17 decks. The ship has a large theatre, a large central performance lounge and an aft show lounge. It has been in service since 1998 and was refurbished in 2009, 2011 and 2019. The ship is expected to depart from Tauranga's port at 8.30pm. To see the Grand Princess' live view of Pilot Bay, visit https://www.seascanner.com/ships-position-grand-princess. Offer a personal message of sympathy... By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account. In context: Being the richest person in the world often makes Elon Musk a figure of interest for the US government, especially with SpaceX providing Starlink services and equipment to Ukraine. Last week brought reports that Biden administration officials were discussing whether some of his business ventures should be subject to national security reviews, but the White House has denied these claims. According to Bloomberg, US officials have been concerned by Musk's actions over the last few weeks, particularly his assertion that SpaceX could not continue to supply and support Starlink in Ukraine. Musk said supporting Ukraine by providing it with Starlink services so it can keep accessing the internet in the face of Russian aggression has cost the company $80 million so far, and that the figure will exceed $100 million by the end of the year. He said that SpaceX must create, launch, maintain and replenish satellites and ground stations, and pay telcos for access to the Internet via gateways, all of which costs close to $20 million per month. Musk also noted that the terminals have data usage 100x greater than typical households. Several days after complaining that the government should foot some or all of SpaceX's Ukraine bill, Musk backtracked, confirming the company would fund Starlink in the country "indefinitely." The US was also reportedly worried about the apparent Pro-Russian stance Musk has been taking. He tweeted a poll asking his 107+ million followers if they agreed with his peace plan that included making Crimea an official part of Russia while Ukraine remained neutral. It brought a slew of criticism from politicians and even Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky. Musk also had to deny reports that he's been discussing the prospect of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin. Then there's the Twitter saga. The US government's objection was set to be less about him owning the platform and more about the foreign investors helping fund the deal. They include Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, Binance Holdings (founded and run by a Chinese national), and Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. Bloomberg writes that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) could investigate the Twitter deal over national security risks. Now, however, the White House has said reports of national security reviews being carried out on Musk's business ventures were simply "not true." "Those reportings are not true. So, we'll leave that there. The national security reviewthat is not true," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (via CNET) when asked about the reports. Elsewhere, Twitter recently responded to reports that Musk intends to cut 75% of its workforce when he takes control. It gave a fairly non-committal: "We do not have any confirmation of the buyer's plans following close and recommend not following rumors or leaked documents but rather wait for facts from us and the buyer directly." In brief: Chinese memory chip giant Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC) is reportedly asking its American employees to leave the company due to the US government's new restrictions designed to quash China's semiconductor manufacturing ambitions. Citing four people close to the firm, the Financial Times reports that an unspecified number of US citizens and green card holders are being forced to leave YMTC, and several in China have already been shown the door. Some of the Americans who left were said to have been key to YMTC's breakthroughs in the area of NAND memory chip production. "But there's no other way around [them leaving]," said a senior engineer at the company. The US sanctions introduced earlier this month restrict shipments of American-made electronics or other items that China could use to create chipmaking tools or equipment. It also prevents non-Chinese companies in other countries from using American equipment to service Chinese customers unless granted a license by the US. TSMC has already warned of the "serious challenges" the industry is facing as a result of the US/China spat. However, the Taiwanese firm was granted a one-year license by the US to continue ordering American chipmaking equipment that will allow it to expand in China. The restrictions also require US citizens to seek permission from the Department of Commerce before providing support to Chinese fabs. It's suspected to be the reason why YMTC chief executive Simon Yang, a US passport holder, stepped down to become deputy chair before the sanctions were announced. It's unclear if he will be forced to leave the company. "Asking staff to resign is necessary for the company and the right move for employees' personal risk as well," said a person familiar with the situation at YMTC. "You either give up your citizenship or quit your job," said one Chinese semiconductor executive. This marks another blow for YMTC. There were reports that Apple was considering the Chinese company as a partner to supply 3D NAND chips for the latest iPhones, but the US export controls led to a rethink by Apple. The restrictions are impacting employees, including top-ranking officials, who won't give up their US passports at all Chinese chipmakers, with companies negotiating exits and rescinding job offers. "Now we are not just trying to build up 'US-free' manufacturing lines but also de-Americanise the teams," said one executive. TL;DR: The Windows Dev Kit 2023 is a new Mac Mini-like mini PC aimed at developers who code Windows on Arm applications. Decent specs and a lot of RAM should please app developers while Microsoft is pursuing its world conquest through AI and cloud VMs. After previewing the system at the Build conference in May, Microsoft is now introducing a new device designed for Arm development: Project Volterra has been officially released as the Windows Dev Kit 2023, a compact PC that contains according to Microsoft everything developers need to create apps for the Arm edition of Windows. Windows Dev Kit 2023 has been "purpose-built" to help developers create Windows apps for Arm, says Microsoft. The device is based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 SoC (or "Compute Platform" as the latest digerati jargon goes), and it is equipped with 32GB of RAM and 512GB of "fast" NVMe storage. Connectivity includes support for up to three external displays, using the two USB-C ports and mini-DisplayPort port available; two of those displays can have a 4K resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate. Additional connections include three standard USB-A ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.1. The Windows Dev Kit is available for purchase in 8 countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States) for $600. Microsoft is working to bring a fully featured Arm-native toolchain to its officially-sanctioned device, releasing previews of IDE systems (Visual Studio 2022 17.4), tools, runtimes (Windows App SDK with native Arm support), libraries (VC++ runtime) and toolchains (.NET 7), while .NET Framework 4.8.1, Cloud services (Azure VM) and Arm64EC are available right now. The Windows Dev Kit 2023 also includes support for Qualcomm's Neural Processing SDK. The Redmond corporation says that the Arm native version of Visual Studio 2022 17.4 brings "dramatic" performance improvements for app development, while .NET 7 closes the gap between the x64 and the Arm64 instruction sets, delivering functional parity and improved performance. Microsoft says that Windows Dev Kit 2023 represents "another step in creating a new developer platform" to build high-ambition cloud-native AI applications" and to "enable seamless AI inferencing across cloud and client through our emerging model of hybrid compute and AI with NPU enabled devices." Incomprehensible corporate jargon aside, the new kit should at least offer enough power and capabilities for creating apps without the pain of cheap Windows Arm mini-PCs released before. The big picture: While many in the gadget business love to talk about the technical advancements hidden inside their devices, truth is, nothing makes the same degree of impact as an obvious change in the physical design, or form factor, of the device. The debut of foldable smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold or Motorola's updated Razr, for example, continue to drive the kind of surprise and delight among customers and potential buyers that many companies would love to have. Advanced new processors, additional connectivity ports, enhanced cameras and other internal improvements are clearly important as well, but in an era when so many products are starting to look the same, an intriguing new design of a popular device is bound to get a lot of attention. Thus it's not a big surprise that the unveiling of both a Lenovo-branded notebook PC design and a Motorola branded smartphone with extendable displays at last week's Lenovo Tech World 2022 event got a great deal of coverage. Both of the devices are based on flexible OLED display technology that uses a rollable design, allowing the screens to expand to a larger size at the push of a button. Both devices were clearly labelled as conceptual designs with no firm release date, but they offered an intriguing glimpse at new ways to think differently about some of our most common gadgets. In their own way, each design tackled the nearly universal desire for larger screen sizes without the equally universal concern of not having to carry large devices, making them instantly appealing. Unfortunately, given the state of rollable display technology manufacturing and the physical demands that consumer-level devices would face, it's likely going to be several years before we see commercial implementations of this technology in these types of devices. (LG has introduced a rollable OLED screen-based TV, but it took many years to finally get to market and currently costs about $40,000.) Still, it's great to see Lenovo pushing the limits of what's possible and it's yet another example of the company's long history in driving innovations in physical design. Lenovo's original Yoga series of notebooks, for example, was the first example of a 360-degree foldable hinge design for PCs that's since gone on to become commonplace. The company is also on its second-generation foldable PC design with the latest iteration of the ThinkPad X1 Fold, as well as the second version of its foldable Motorola Razr smartphone. In all cases, they are interesting examples of the strong focus that the company has had on form factors. Remember that Lenovo purchased the IBM PC business back in 2005 and the innovation-driven culture that led to the development of the ThinkPad notebook PC which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and is arguably the archetype of modern laptop designs clearly continued as Lenovo took over the reins. Of course, not all innovative designs prove to be marketplace successes and Lenovo, like all the other major PC vendors, has had some interesting concepts that didn't get much acceptance. There's no doubt, however, that when it comes to fascinating new possibilities or intriguing new form factor innovations for PCs, Lenovo is likely the first company to try them. In many cases, that means they're also the first company to bring them to the mainstream. That same spirit of experimentation and new thinking is starting to reach into other product categories as well, as Lenovo has been putting a great deal of focus recently on XR (eXtended Reality) headsets and other metaverse-related developments. Last year the company debuted their ThinkReality A3 AR (Augmented Reality) glasses and last month they were one of the first companies to debut an advanced enterprise-focused VR (Virtual Reality) headset, the ThinkReality VRX, that offers a color video passthrough capability. This allows the device to switch from a full VR mode to an AR-like Mixed Reality (MR) experience where digitally created content can be overlaid onto the real-world view offered by two high-resolution cameras at the front of the headset. While both headsets feature similarities to existing devices, they also integrate some unique hardware to help them stand out. In the case of the A3, Lenovo chose to go with a tethered design that requires a wired attachment to either certain models of GPU-equipped Lenovo PCs or certain Motorola smartphones. While that the means the device can't function on its own, it does shrink the design down to a much slimmer, more eyeglass-style design than devices such as Microsoft's HoloLens 2. Lenovo's VRX shares some similarities with the recently released Meta Quest Pro (though Meta Quest Pro debuted after the Lenovo VRX). Both devices are based around Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon XR Gen2+ chipset and feature the latest pancake optics for a wider field of view. Lenovo's new headset can function on its own or be tethered to a PC for a higher-quality experience. In fact, Lenovo has partnered with Nvidia for cloud-based, GPU-powered experiences via Nvidia CloudXR. The Lenovo device is also the first VR-capable headset that's capable of working with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Spaces, a software development environment that was initially created to build content for AR headsets. By equipping the VRX with the hardware (and software) necessary to support Snapdragon Spaces, Lenovo is again reflecting their desire to bring new types of functionality to existing product categories. As with all device makers, Lenovo continues to drive important advancements with its technology partners to the inside of its devices. In addition, it's working on important new software tools, services and development environments for many of them, including the multi-vendor Engage XR effort for its headsets. However, the company's focus on form factor innovations gives it a unique opportunity as the world looks for more unique and differentiated designs. A consortium headed by Japan Industrial Partners Inc. (JIP) is exploring a purchase of Toshiba Corp. at a value of around 2.4 trillion ($16.1 billion) in what might be Asia's largest acquisition this year, according to sources familiar with the situation, via Bloomberg News. JIP Is Currently Seeking Financial Help The JIP-led group, which is the preferred bidder to take the Japanese industrial group private, plans to provide 1 trillion ($6 billion) in cash while seeking financing totaling 1.4 trillion ($9.3 billion) from banks along with a committed line of credit of 200 billion ($1.3 billion) in capital investment, the insiders stated, who requested to remain anonymous as the matter is private. The persons interviewed said that at Toshiba's usual meeting with banks on Oct. 20, including Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), the business notified the banks that JIP was valuating the company at around 2.4 trillion ($16.1 billion) and requested the banks for financial help. The increase in Toshiba's share price of around 17% this year has resulted in the conglomerate's market worth increasing to approximately $15.7 billion. As per the estimates done by Bloomberg, an offer of 2.4 trillion ($16.1 billion) would be equivalent to around 5,541 ($ 37.10) per share. This figure is comparable to Toshiba's closing price of 5,391 ($ 36.10) per share on Monday in Tokyo. Sources said that JIP has not yet finalized the equity pledges from its partners, and banks continue to be hesitant about making binding promises. The Pending Acquisition On a story published earlier by Bloomberg News, it would be difficult for both the consortium headed by JIP and a competing group formed by the state-backed investment vehicle Japan Investment Corp. (JIC) to fulfill the deadline of Nov. 7 to line up commitment letters. Deliberations are still taking place, and there is no assurance that the discussions will result in any kind of transaction, the insiders said. They indicated that Toshiba might still make the decision to study the possibility of selling select assets rather than selling the whole firm. Both JIP and SMBC's spokespeople choose not to comment on the matter. In response to a question from Bloomberg News, a spokeswoman for Toshiba said that, as a general rule, they are unable to address questions on applicants or co-investors since doing so may compromise the integrity of the selection process. JIP's Other Negotiations Bloomberg News previously reported that JIP is in the process of negotiating the formation of a partnership with local corporations such as Orix Corp. and Chubu Electric Power Co., in addition to global investment firms such as Baring Private Equity Asia and CVC Capital Partners. This alliance has put out a proposal that would maintain the status quo of Toshiba's existing corporate structure. Investors such as Bain Capital and MBK Partners have reportedly explored the possibility of being engaged in JIC's competing bid group, the sources said. Read Also: Toshiba Reveals 2TB External Storage: 'Most Powerful' SMR Hard Drive? This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Trisha Kae Andrada 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The United States Justice Department announced that it had charged Chinese spies, allegedly obstructing the US investigation of a giant telecom firm on behalf of China. The Justice Department did not disclose which Chinese firm is in question. However, clandestine sources of CNN have confirmed that it is the giant phone maker Huawei. (Photo : WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images) A staff member of Huawei uses her mobile phone at the Huawei Digital Transformation Showcase in Shenzhen, China's Guangdong province on March 6, 2019. - Chinese telecom giant Huawei insisted on March 6 its products feature no security "backdoors" for the government, as the normally secretive company gave foreign media a peek inside its state-of-the-art facilities. The US Justice Department Charges Chinese Spies As per the latest report by the South China Morning Post, the US Justice Department disclosed that it charged two Chinese folks on October 24, Monday. The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that these two men are apparently Chinese intelligence agents. And it turns out that the alleged spies look to be attempting to obstruct a probe on Huawei. According to a recent report by BBC News, the charging documents reveal that the two charged men are Zheng Wang and Gouchun He. The document further disclosed that they allegedly bribed US law enforcement into getting information on an investigation of a Chinese firm. It appears that they are attempting to get their hands on probe details, such as looming criminal charges, the witnesses behind the case, and whatever evidence they might have. But apart from this case information, the two Chinese spies allegedly asked the official to covertly tape the trail strategy meetings for the probe on the China telecom. BBC states in its report that the two Chinese nationals paid the US official in Bitcoin, amounting to roughly $41,000, as well as cash, and jewelry. Read Also: US Election 2022: Which Social Media Site Can Efficiently Handle Misinformation? Facebook and More Is it the US Investigation Against Huawei? The Hong Kong-based news outlet, the South China Morning Post, notes that the charging documents that the US DOJ released do not specifically reveal which Chinese telecom firm investigation was it. But the media platform reports that it is likely to be Huawei, corroborating the revelation of CNN. (Photo : ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) A monitor displays the logo for Huawei behind Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington,DC on July 15, 2020. It is worth noting that the giant Chinese phone maker, Huawei, has yet to respond to the recent announcement of the US Justice Department. However, anonymous sources have confirmed to various news outlets, including Bloomberg, that the Chinese firm was Huawei. The giant phone maker previously faced fraud charges in New York back in 2019. But that's not all. In 2020, the Chinese firm went through more charges in the US, including conspiracy and federal racketeering for allegedly stealing trade secrets of the US, the South China Morning Post reports. Related Article: US is Planning Moves Against TikTok's Plans to Gather Sensitive Information From American Users This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The European Space Agency recorded the sound of the Earth's magnetic field, and it delivers haunting audio for the world, giving everyone an insight as to what the satellite perceived when gathering it in space. In a normal setting, the magnetic field is something that no one can see or hear without any apparatus or instruments that can detect it. It is a known field of energy that protects the planet from cosmic radiation, enveloping the world with its unseen veil that has helped everyone since the early days. ESA Recorded the Haunting Sound of the Earth's Magnetic Field (Photo : ESA) There is new audio from the ESA, and it is one that people would want to hear, focusing on the planet's magnetic field and how it sounds from an up-close experience with the SWARM satellite. The mission made it possible by taking in magnetic signals from the Swarm, and the Technical University of Denmark was able to capture the audio. The audio captures the Earth's magnetic field interacting with intergalactic forces which protect humans, and one of them is the solar wind from the Sun. Despite being massive ocean-like protection full of superheated liquid iron, humans cannot see it a blind eye. It resembles the outer core that is 3,000 kilometers underneath the ground. Read Also: [WATCH] ESA's Mars Express Probe Captures a Martian Moon Eclipsing Jupiter SWARM Satellite Helped Capture the Magnetic Field Sound The ESA's Swarm satellite is a mission that the agency set up to further monitor and understand the Earth's magnetic field, and capturing the audio is only one of its many roles for the planet. While it is the main instrument that researchers used to capture this harrowing sound, the Swarm aims to help explain further and understand the ever-changing electromagnetic field protecting the planet. ESA Missions and Spacecraft The ESA is a known space agency in the world, and it centers on missions that deliver much help to NASA and its partner organizations that monitor the cosmos, focusing on gathering information and more. One of the missions of ESA is to ensure that NASA Artemis' Cubesats reach the Moon safely, and it does this through Estrack. Europe is a massive continent that has many developed countries which also have their stakes in space ventures and studying the planet, with the ESA being at the cusp of it all. There are many planets that space agencies in the world are keeping tabs on, but one of the most significant is ESA's Venus probe which has specific missions to get to know the planet. It will soon go into aerobraking before it dives into Venus' scorching atmosphere, a mission that will further explain the planet. The haunting audio from the Earth's magnetic field is something that the ESA imparts to the public, allowing them to hear what those kinds of presence sound like, especially in the present. While it has no bearing on its actions, the magnetic fields are working non-stop to protect the planet from cosmic threats, one which centers on the unseen battle which takes place regularly. Related Article: Meet ArianeGroup's SUSIE: Europe's Latest Reusable Spacecraft for Many Missions This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Isaiah Richard 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Apple Music and Apple TV Plus prices are now more expensive in the United States (US). The iPhone maker increased monthly and annual subscription fees of these two services. Apart from its streaming services, the Apple One bundle also receives a price bump. (Photo : Getty Images) WUHAN, CHINA - MAY 21: People wait in line to enter the new Apple retail store at Wuhan International Plaza on May 21, 2022 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. According to local media reports, this is the first Apple store to open in Wuhan, and the 44th store in mainland China. Apple Music and Apple TV Plus Prices Increase As per the latest news story by CNBC, Apple has increased the pricing of its subscription services in the US, including its Apple Music and Apple TV+. While the Cupertino-based tech giant is known for its iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, as well as the AirPods and Apple Watch, it also offers subscription services. It has its music streaming platform, Apple Music, which competes with Spotify. Meanwhile, Apple TV+, which brought award-winning shows like Ted Lasso and Severance, is one of the top video streaming services. Although it takes a small pie of the market, it essentially rivals giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. And this time, both its Apple Music and Apple TV Plus are getting more expensive than ever. Apple Music vs. Spotify Pricing To be more precise, the new Apple Music monthly subscription now costs $10.99. A dollar increase from its previous pricing of $9.99. CNBC puts the newly increased pricing of Apple Music into perspective, comparing it with the pricing of its close rival, the podcasting and music streaming service Spotify. It is worth noting that the latter offers its monthly subscription service for $9.99. (Photo : LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images) This illustration picture taken on April 19, 2018 shows the logo of the Itunes app of Apple displayed on a tablet screen in Paris. And as such, an Apple Music subscription is now more costly than an individual plan of Spotify Premium. Apple TV Plus vs. Netflix Besides the Apple Music and Spotify pricing comparison, CNBC also put the subscription fees of Netflix and Apple TV Plus side-by-side. And it turns out that the pricing of Netflix is still more expensive than the streaming service of the renowned phone maker. However, it is worth noting that the library of the Apple TV Plus is significantly smaller than what the streamer that brought us Stranger Things offers. The new pricing of Apple TV+ now costs $6.99 per month, which is at least a $2 increase. CNBC notes that it is the same price as the upcoming ad-supported tier of Netflix, which only costs $6.99 monthly. Read Also: Apple Music Contains 100 Million Songs in Library-Is it a Good Streaming Platform? Why Did Apple Increase Subscription Fees? According to a report by XDA Developers, Apple blames the price increase of its music service on an "increase in licensing costs." On the flip side, the Apple TV+ price bump is due to the increasing library of the streaming service. Related Article: Apple Music New Feature: Artists Can Personalize Profile Pages and Add Lyrics for Their Songs This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Elon Musk's Twitter deal is something that is still under review and consideration by the company he is buying it from, but he already told the world that its system "doesn't make sense." Still, it seems like he has not backed out from the deals and will continue his pursuit of the company, making it private again for the first time in years. The Elon Musk-Twitter deal will soon unfold as the deadline is nearing, and having sensed this alleged problem on its system, will the tech CEO be the one to fix it? Elon Musk Talks About Twitter's Algorithm (Photo : CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images) A known entrepreneur has questioned Twitter's algorithm in a recent tweet, and he also tagged Elon Musk to ask about his plans for the company once he acquires it in the future. Vinny Lingham said that the algorithm does not make sense as there are users with 1,000 followers or more, but only get less than 100 likes for their tweets. Here, Musk responded by agreeing with Lingham's statement regarding the company, with the conversation posted on Twitter's platform. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said that Twitter's system "doesn't make sense," also agreeing with other concerns that people have on the platform, especially with shadowbanning and its malicious software. Read Also: Elon Musk is Reportedly Planning to Lay Off 75% of Twitter's Workforce Yeah, doesnt make sense Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 24, 2022 Musk Needs to Buy Twitter Musk may still be actively pursuing Twitter now, especially with a deadline coming soon for the tech CEO on his acquisition, as according to CNN, failure to buy the company will center on the trial. For the case not to push forth, Musk must close the deal and acquire the entirety of the company. Additionally, it is also up to the CEO to improve and better Twitter's system, especially with the issues which he pointed out and agreed with online. Elon Musk and Twitter Earlier this year, after a surprising turn of events from Elon Musk for buying the largest shares of the short world social media company, the tech CEO announced his plans for the acquisition of the massive company. However, fast forward to July, there have been announcements that Musk is no longer buying Twitter, which the top billionaire confirmed. Musk and his team defended their actions, claiming that Twitter's bots were previously undisclosed in their negotiations was the reason for this backing out of the deal. However, another change of heart took place earlier this October, especially as Musk reinforced the Twitter deal again, saying that he needs the company for his future venture. The future venture is a previously known project by Musk known as "X.com," and it will center on a decentralized platform that is available for all. The turn of events has now led to Musk chasing after Twitter, with the social media company now looking to renegotiate the terms, and seemingly not interested in selling to Musk's team. Still, both are nearing the deadline for the acquisition before their trial takes place in the Delaware court, a case that will pit Musk and Twitter against each other. Related Article: Elon Musk Twitter Deal Debt Reportedly Forces Banks to Hold On to it: Here's Why This article is owned by TechTimes Written by Isaiah Richard 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a robotic gripper that uses thin tentacles to grasp fragile or priceless objects, as reported by Interesting Engineering. (Photo : Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images) HAMMELBURG, GERMANY - MAY 18: The gripper arm of the ground robot "TEL 620 teodor" of German Telerob company holds a dummy mine during a demonstration at the German army base on May 18, 2010 in Hammelburg, Germany. ELROB provides an overview of the current state of affairs in European unmanned system technology and to evaluate commercial off-the-shelf products for military use. Jellyfish Inspired The inspiration for the robot is a jellyfish. In a press release, Kaitlyn Becker, the first author of the paper said, "With this research, we wanted to reimagine how we interact with objects. By taking advantage of the natural compliance of soft robotics and enhancing it with a compliant structure, we designed a gripper that is greater than the sum of its parts and a grasping strategy that can adapt to a range of complex objects with minimal planning and perception." The filaments are a foot-long that are made of rubber tubes, in which one side of the tube is thicker than the other. With this, the tube curls easily when it's pressurized, and wraps around the object. The researchers tested it to pick up various objects, like houseplants and toys. They also used it to pick fruits and vegetables in agricultural applications. The entanglement allows each filament to conform locally with a target object, which leads to a secure but gentle topological grasp. The new approach to robotic grasping will replace traditional grippers that need complex control strategies with compliant filaments that can operate with very simple control. Also Read: Scientists Develop a More 'Human-Like' Robotic Grippers Robotic Grasping Robotic grasping is not a new concept. But robotic grippers are usually massive machines that can be quite dangerous to the surrounding. It is difficult to manipulate fragile objects with it, given that the gripping pressure is too high. Also, the process of programming is quite complicated. Engineers need to teach the robot to grasp a certain object. If that object is taken out of the range of the gripper, the whole plan will be useless. With this new method, the researchers hope to create robots that can assist people in the community, such as spraying pesticide with pinpoint accuracy or performing surgery. On the other hand, it can also be used for harvesting fruits and vegetables in farms. The gripper has an edge over classical grippers, as it uses a small amount of force to hold the object securely, but it's still gentle enough to prevent damage or destruction of the object. The gripper can also be attached to a standard robotic arm. The new robot will be useful in several scenarios. The fact that it requires no programming makes it more efficient than traditional grippers, allowing it to be used in many places, from maneuvering fruits in agricultural applications to grasping a large array of objects in manufacturing processes. Related Article: Squishy Robotic Fingers Collect Fragile Marine Creatures From Ocean Floor This article is owned by Tech Times Written by April Fowell 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Fitbit just released the latest 3.68 version on Android. This time, Google adds Health Connect support on the platform which is currently available on the Play Store. This feature lets the users choose what data can be used from their smartphone. The Health Connect service can utilize your health and fitness data in just a single click between different mobile apps. Fitbit Health Connect (Photo : Fitbit) Before Health Connect arrived at Google Fitbit, it first hit Samsung. The newest Android update reveals that it's now officially available on the Play Store. Android Central notes that you won't be able to see any major changes in the app at the moment, yet you can already enable the Health Connect support from your smartphone. If you happen to explore the Permissions and Data section for the feature, the Fitbit feature will appear inaccessible at the time. The "Not allowed access" will pop up in the app section. However, there's a way to activate it easily. How to Enable Health Connect on Android (Photo : Google Play) 9to5Google says that instead of accessing Health Connect on the Quick Settings section, you can actually observe that it's usable on the Android platform. To do this, head to the App permissions. By this time, Fitbit will be under the "Not allowed access" display. Then, all you have to do is to "allow all" so you can use some data from the various health apps that you use. For instance, the feature can give you insights into your Total calories burned, heart rate, sleep pattern, walking speed, and more. "The data in Health Connect is all on-device and encrypted. Users will have the ability to shut off access or delete data they don't want on their device, and the option to prioritize one data source over another when using multiple apps," Google said about the Health Connect API. Related Article: Fitbit 2022: How to Use the Sleep Tracker to Know Your Sleeping Habits Fitbit Data Handling In a similar report from 9to5Google, Android users can disable and remove their data linked to Health Connect whenever they want. Apparently, the updates for the Fitbit version 3.69 are expected to arrive soon. The bottom bar on the app is not yet accessible on both iOS and Android platforms. Earlier this week, the Health Connect version 0.1.1153.480892628.0-open_beta became available. The update brings a "Recent access" timeline for some users. Back in August, Fitbit announced that it would no longer use Fitbit Connect app this month. The said feature is useful in syncing devices to PC and Mac. This means that you won't be able anymore to transfer health data from your handheld to a computer. Having said that, the desktop won't serve as storage anymore, as well. Google said that the Fitbit Connect app saw a huge decline in the number of monthly users. Because of the inactivity, the company decided to ditch it to make room for the newer updates. Read Also: Google Pixel Spotted Using Twitter for iPhone After Replying to Tim Cook on 'Take Note' Campaign This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Did you ever wonder what the Earth's magnetic field sounded like? Will it also be magnetizing to the ears? Apparently, it's a bit haunting and creepy to say the least. You can hear it yourself with this new soundtrack provided by scientists and musicians that have collaborated to translate magnetic field data into spooky sounds! You can listen to the scary sounds here. Ocean of Liquid Iron The ocean of superheated, spinning liquid iron that makes up our outer core, located around 3000 km beneath our feet, is mostly responsible for producing our magnetic field. According to ESA, it acts like a rotating conductor in a bicycle dynamo, producing electrical currents that, in turn, produce our electromagnetic field, which is always changing. The trio of Swarm satellites, launched by the ESA in 2013, were used to carefully measure the magnetic signals that emanate not only from the Earth's core but also from the mantle, crust, and seas, as well as from the ionosphere and magnetosphere. Swarm is also responsible for providing fresh perspectives about space weather. "The team used data from ESA's Swarm satellites, as well as other sources, and used these magnetic signals to manipulate and control a sonic representation of the core field. The project has certainly been a rewarding exercise in bringing art and science together," musician and project supporter Klaus Nielsen, from the Technical University of Denmark, said in a press release statement. Read also: [WATCH] ESA's Mars Express Probe Captures a Martian Moon Eclipsing Jupiter Soundtrack of Nightmares Even though the soundtrack might sound like it was made out of nightmares, this audio clip accurately captures the magnetic field produced by the Earth's core and a solar storm, as per ESA. At Copenhagen's Solbjerg Square, the team had access to a highly intriguing sound system made up of around 30 loudspeakers buried in the Earth. Each speaker represents a distinct area on Earth, showing how the planet's magnetic field has changed over the past 100,000 years. "The rumbling of Earth's magnetic field is accompanied by a representation of a geomagnetic storm that resulted from a solar flare on 3 November 2011, and indeed it sounds pretty scary," Nielsen added. The purpose of the soundtrack is obviously not to scare people; rather, it is a fascinating reminder that the magnetic field exists and that, despite its eerie hum, life on Earth depends on it. It is worth noting that the intricate and dynamic bubble of the Earth's magnetic field shields us from solar wind-borne charged particles and cosmic radiation. ESA explained that when these particles collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, such as oxygen and nitrogen, some of the energy from the collisions is transformed into the whimsical green-blue light of the aurora borealis, which may occasionally be seen from high northern latitudes. This new soundtrack proves how our planet's magnetic field is not only brimming with wonders but also some creepy noises as well. Related Article: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Captures a Strange Astronomical Explosion Surrounding a Young Star This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An international team of scientists has demonstrated that a particular type of aurora known as the "Isolated Proton Aurora" destroys the ozone layer in our atmosphere, as reported first by Interesting Engineering. They found an ozone hole over 400 kilometers (250 miles) wide immediately above an auroral event. The impact of these particles was only faintly understood up until now. Solar Storms On the sun's surface, massive clouds of electrically charged particles are released during solar storms. Some of these particles may eventually collide with the Earth after traveling millions of miles. Most of these particles are deflected away, but some are caught in the Earth's magnetic field. Their charge ionizes the environment when they are trapped, resulting in the production of nitrogen oxides and hydrogen oxides. Even though high-energy plasma particles can harm the ozone layer, it is still unknown how exactly they do so. This is due to the fact that such particles are difficult to locate because they are not visible to the naked eye. The isolated proton aurora that is produced when these charged particles interact with the upper atmosphere, on the other hand, descends toward Earth. "Isolated proton auroras can be observed by scientific all-sky cameras. Although it is a rather weak aurora, it is also visible to a regular person." Kazuo Shiokawa, a professor at the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research at Nagoya University, said in a statement. To evaluate the effect of radiation-belt electrons, researchers looked at the ozone changes beneath the isolated proton aurora. The scientists combined information from the International Space Station, ground-based electromagnetic wave studies, and satellite remote sensing to find electrons across the aurora. Read also: NASA Captures A Gorgeous Display of Auroras Aboard the International Space Station 400 Kilometer-wide Hole According to the study, isolated proton aurora generated an ozone layer hole approximately 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) wide just below the auroral region. The researchers discovered that the change was far more profound than anticipated when they compared their findings to models. Up to 10 to 60% of the ozone had disappeared after 90 minutes. Scientists were startled by the immediacy and magnitude of such effects. Auroras harm the ozone layer, but it's vital to remember that the damage only affects the mesosphere's ozone layer, and the tear heals swiftly. The more crucial layer, the stratosphere, is unharmed by these auroras. The discovery, according to researchers, can aid in forecasting changes in the Earth's atmospheric environment and variations in space weather. Related Article: 'Cannibal' Gas Cloud Heading Towards Earth: Experts Noticed Propagation Effects at Frequencies Below 30 MHz This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. WhatsApp, a popular messaging app by Meta, has finally returned after a massive outage hit billions of users worldwide. After the disruption, which reportedly lasted for two hours, the social media tech giant apologized for all the inconvenience they caused to everyone who relied on the chatting platform. WhatsApp Comes Back Online (Photo : Alexander Shatov from Unsplash) According to The Guardian on Tuesday, Oct. 25, Downdetector confirms that the outage started at around 7:50 GMT. At that time, several complaints surfaced online about the incident. Over 68,000 Whatsapp users in the UK said they experienced some issues when sending messages. Meanwhile, 15,000 and 19,000 users were affected in South Africa and Singapore, respectively. Aside from that, BBC journalists assigned in Ukraine and Australia said that they could not access the app for a brief moment. This was confirmed by NetBlocks, an internet monitoring association. "We know people had trouble sending messages on WhatsApp today. We have fixed the issue and apologize for any inconvenience," Meta Platforms spokesperson said in a statement. In another report by BBC, Meta did not mention the reason behind the global outage that lasted for two hours. Although WhatsApp went offline, other Meta-backed platforms, including Facebook Messenger and Instagram, were not affected by the issue. Two-Hour Outage is No Match Compared to the 2021 Outage The WhatsApp outage has some implications for some users, especially those doing business meetings through the app. For instance, the outage forced traders to switch to other messaging platforms during trading hours. Per ESET adviser Jake Moore, the downtime has also impacted several industries outside social media. As such, it has significantly affected the financial industry since almost everyone relies on an internet connection as an outlet for communication. Although the outage was already annoying because it lasted for two hours, it's still just minimal compared to the outage that took place last year. Meta said that the downtime lasted for five hours at that time. The reason behind this outage is the mistaken configuration in the network. Having said that, the platform could not operate even though the servers were online and stable. The Facebook engineers spent many hours solving the issue by reversing the update, although this alone took them some time before they fully fixed the problem. To spare for the inconvenience it caused the public, Meta apologized to every user affected by the severe interruption this month. Related Article: [BREAKING] WhatsApp Down: Thousands of Users Report Issues in Sending and Receiving Messages Is the Diwali Season in India to Blame For WhatsApp Outage? The WhatsApp outage arrived at the same time during the festive season in India. Some people blamed the Diwali celebration for causing the outage yet it's not confirmed to be the main reason. While it's likely to slow down the service because of the influx of WhatsApp users at that time, the service interruption did not only happen in India at the very least. Read Also: WhatsApp is Reportedly Developing a Feature that Can Allow Users to Edit Their Text Message This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joseph Henry 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Hive ransomware has claimed responsibility for the latest data breach on Tata Power, a leading Indian energy company, and has begun leaking stolen employee information. Tata Power Hackers Leaks Stolen Data According to TechCrunch, India's largest power generation company disclosed on Oct. 14 that it had been the victim of a cyber attack. Malicious hackers targeted the company's information technology (IT) infrastructure. "The company has taken steps to retrieve and restore the systems." "All critical operational systems are functioning," Tata Power stated at the time, but didn't confirm any detailed information about the intrusion or its impact. Since the cyberattack was discovered, the company has already limited access and implemented preventive measures for employees, as well as on customer portals and other company touchpoints. The corporation also continued to operate while the affected systems were being restored. Based on the same TechCrunch report, the hacker group recently targeted the Costa Rican government and has already published stolen data from the country on their dark web leak site. A report said Hive claimed to have encrypted the company's data on Oct. 3, implying Tata Power was aware of the breach two weeks before filing its initial report. Read Also: Xpeng Obtains Permit to Test Robotaxis in Guangzhou After Passing the Autonomous Driving Test, Aims to Launch in 2023 Contracts, financial and business documents, engineering projects, and employees' personally identifiable information (PII), including Aadhar card numbers, have all been stolen from the attack. Screenshots obtained by several sources also indicate that the leaked document contains engineering drawings, financial and banking records, and client information. HIVE ransomware group has ransomed Tata Power, a multi-billion dollar electric utility company based in Mumbai, India. Tata's confirmed the breach. Customers and sensitive data are effected, but core functionality is present and customers still have electricity. pic.twitter.com/cvBxgDahwQ vx-underground (@vxunderground) October 25, 2022 According to BleepingComputer, threat actors like extortion and ransomware groups frequently start leaking or selling the data they have breached their targets' systems if the target refuses to pay the ransom demand and subsequent negotiations are unsuccessful. As per reports, the Hive ransomware gang has been operating since 2021. They have also been reportedly targeting businesses with high downtime costs, like healthcare providers, energy companies, and retailers. A Look at Indian Cyber Security It is unclear at this time whether Tata Power will be charged for failing to report the cyberattack within hours of its discovery. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) recommends that all enterprises be required to report any cyber incidents to CERT-In within six hours of becoming aware of the event. According to the Internet Society, CERT-In is a government-appointed nodal agency tasked with performing cybersecurity-related functions. The agency has laid out instructions concerning information security practices, procedures, cybersecurity incident prevention, response, and reporting. The average cost of a data breach in India is about US$2.12 million, according to a 2021 IBM survey. Meanwhile, the average mean time to discover a data breach was 239 days, and the average mean time to stop one was 81 days. The adoption of AI, security analytics, and encryption were the top three mitigating factors that were shown to lower the cost of a breach, saving companies between $1.25 million and $1.49 million in comparison to those who did not use these tools to a significant extent. Related Article: n8n.io: the Best Low-code / No-code Workflow Automation Tool for Technical Users 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Medibank, an Australian health insurance provider, has disclosed that more clients than first anticipated had been impacted by the security breach, with the CEO stating the firm is proceeding on the notion that all customers are affected. Earlier this month, Medibank said that the only people who the attack could have harmed were clients of its subsidiary ahm and overseas students. The number of potentially impacted clients has increased to 3.9 million now that the corporation has announced it has received data from hackers that include "main brand customers." Read Also: SingTel Hacker Might Have Accessed Over 10,000 Data From Clients, Staff From Dialog Medibank Extended an Apology to its Clients Medibank apologized to its customers and called the news a "distressing development." "As we continue to uncover the breadth and gravity of this crime, we recognize that these developments will be distressing for our customers, our people, and the community - as it is to me," Medibank CEO David Koczkar said, as reported by The Guardian. Criminals' motives in committing this offense, according to Koczkar, were to cause maximum terror and destruction, particularly to the community's most vulnerable members. "Given the unfolding nature of the cybercrime and the complexity of the data, I'm operating under the assumption that there is a potential that all customers could be impacted," he declared. The Hacker Had Access to Various Customers' Data In a statement, the insurance provider revealed that it had received a new batch of files from the suspected hacker, who had previously claimed to have stolen 200GB of data. Files including information on Medibank, ahm, and foreign student customers were discovered. These files contained the 100 ahm insurance documents received last week, which included personal and health claims data. Last week, the organization received a large batch of records that contained personal information such as names, residences, ages, Medicare numbers, phone numbers, and details regarding medical claims like diagnoses, treatments, and service locations. A Medibank representative has said that the corporation is required by state health record rules to retain customer health information for a period of seven years. Therefore it is probable that the breach affects previous clients of the insurance. Current and past clients will be informed of the next steps, and individuals whose data has been determined to have been hacked will get a separate notification. How the Medibank Data Breach Started On Monday, Oct. 24, an insider disclosed further details of the data breach. According to the source, everything began with the theft of credentials belonging to an employee with extensive privileges within the company. The hacked data were afterward offered for sale on a Russian-language cybercrime site. Another ground of hacker reportedly bought the credentials and walked into Medibank's network, putting up two backdoors in case the first one was caught. Inside Medibank, it's believed that the attacker searched the customer database, as well as the entire network and internal systems, before using a specialized tool to extract data and compress it into a zip file. Related Article: FTC Intends to Fine Drizly and its CEO for Exposing Customers' Data in 2020 This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Trisha Kae Andrada 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. So far this year, over 100 inmates have died violently in Ecuadorian prisons and more than 450 have been murdered since 2020. On Monday, the Ecuadorian prison authorities reported that one person died and two other inmates were injured during a new brawl at the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil City. Through social networks, it was known that the gang fight included shots and the detonation of at least one explosive device. This situation showed once again that the Ecuadorian authorities do not control what happens inside the prisons. "Unfortunately there was a new confrontation at the Guayas prison between members of organized crime groups," the National Comprehensive Care Service (SNAI) director Guillermo Rodriguez said. Previously, on Oct. 3, another brawl in the Latacunga prison in the province of Cotopaxi left 16 dead and 43 wounded, including Leandro Norero, accused of leading a drug gang. #ATENCION A las 19:38 de este 24 de octubre, tanques militares ingresaron a la #PenitenciariaDelLitoral, tras los enfrentamientos entre grupos de delincuencia organizada. Fuente:@abajanae#HojaDeRuta #CrisisCarcelaria pic.twitter.com/raAT5cJ6x2 Hoja de Ruta (@RutaHoja) October 25, 2022 The tweet reads, "At 7:38 pm on Oct. 24, military tanks entered the Litoral Penitentiary after clashes between organized crime groups." Two days later, another massacre took place in the Guayaquil Penitentiary, where 13 inmates were killed and 18 wounded. This was the ninth prison massacre since 2020. So far this year, over 100 inmates have died violently in Ecuadorian prisons and more than 450 have been murdered since 2020. Human rights groups have described the prevailing situation as a "prison genocide" given that President Guillermo Lasso's administration has shown his inability to control the situation. A journalistic investigation revealed that Jorge Lopez gave cash to six officials to be deposited in a bank account of his ex-partner. On Sunday, Peru's President Pedro Castillo dismissed Health Minister Jorge Lopez, whom the press accuses of buying an apartment with money deposited by officials of his institution. "In order to demonstrate absolute transparency in my administration, I decided to terminate his functions. I reiterate my commitment to continue working for the country," Castillo tweeted after the broadcast of the Punto Final program, in which data against Lopez was presented. The journalistic investigation revealed that the former health minister had delivered envelopes with US$2,250 in cash to six officials to be deposited in a bank account owned by Dervy Apaza, his ex-partner and mother of his two daughters. With that money and with the money from the sale of a tomograph, she bought an apartment in Lima, transferring money from her bank account. Peruvian President Pedro Castillo "pointed out that the right-wing first accused him of being a communist, then called him a terrorist, and are now promoting a strategy focused on destroying his image."@peoplesdispatch #Peru #OAShttps://t.co/FuLxr9OjyN Anthony Gutierrez (@mexiwriter) October 21, 2022 Lopez told Punto Final journalists that he gave US$25,000 to trusted officials to be deposited in Apaza's account as part of a family agreement, arguing that he did not know why the officials had made the deposits in parts. Lopez assumed the Health Ministry last April and after his dismissal Castillo will have to name the fourth holder of that portfolio in what goes on in his administration. Since coming to the presidency in July 2021, Castillo has been permanently sabotaged by the right-wing opposition, which has managed to generate instability in his cabinet through the entry of over 70 ministers, most of whom were dismissed shortly after taking office. [Pick] I took care of you all my life... Son in his 40s who murdered his mother for nagging him History has been the National Art Schools best defence against the depredations of narrow-minded politicians and bureaucrats who have schemed to amalgamate the school with another institution or to sell off the campus as prime real estate. The NAS has clung on grimly as its two main rivals have been swallowed up by the universities, owing its continuing existence to a handful of sympathetic politicians on both sides of the fence. The most recent was former state arts minister Don Harwin, who helped secure a new 45-year lease. This positive intervention was a rare event for a government that has spent years systematically vandalising the Powerhouse Museum and is now trashing the State Archives and the Historic Houses Trust. Henry Louis Bertrands Darlinghurst Gaol, 1891, watercolour on paper Credit:Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW The NAS may have finally crept onto that shaky plateau where historic value is recognised as an asset that overrules monetary value to the developers. In Sydney, the Queen Victoria Building narrowly avoided demolition and is now one of the citys great landmarks. The majority of buildings from the Georgian and Victorian eras were not so fortunate, many of them disappearing in the heritage apocalypse known as the Askin era. The NAS has every reason to insist on its unique legacy as a way of securing its future. The argument is made in the most persuasive fashion by Captivate: Stories from the National Art School and Darlinghurst Gaol, an exhibition celebrating 100 years since the school moved to the former Darlinghurst Gaol site, put together by archivist Deborah Beck. Spread over the two floors of the NAS Gallery, plus the Drawing Gallery and the Rayner Hoff Project Space, this is a monumental project that could have been ten times larger. There are few works that might be described as masterpieces, but the sheer variety - the blend of memorabilia, historical photos, paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, posters, films and much else - is incredibly seductive. Given the federal budget was delivered last night, weve been focused on Australian political and economic news for most of the day. Before I sign out for the day, I want to turn briefly to international news. Weve heard a lot of people refer to the war in Ukraine today, but mainly in the context of why power bills are surging in Australia. But whats been happening with the war itself? Earlier this week, left-wing Democrats in the United States sent a letter to US President Joe Biden earlier in the week calling for peace talks with Russia over the war in Ukraine. The letter from the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and signed by 30 House liberals, sparked furious pushback from other Democrats and Ukrainian officials who said was unrealistic to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It came as Republicans were threatening to cut aid to Ukraine if they retake Congress in the midterm elections in November. Loading Military analysts say Russia is unlikely to make serious political gains on the battlefield while Ukraine continues to receive sufficient ammunition from the US, NATO and other allies. As a result, Russias focus was deterring further military aid by fracturing political support in the West. Critics of the letter said it was likely to reinforce Moscows opinion that it had the right strategy and would be counterproductive because Russia was more likely to negotiate if it believed the US was committed for the long haul. In case you missed it, they have now retracted the letter. They said the letter was drafted in June and was released by staff without vetting. The new British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the day he took office, and reiterated British support for Ukraine. For those following the war, it is worth reading this opinion piece by Mick Ryan, a retired major-general in the Australian Defence Force. He explains how the coming European winter could affect military strategy, and how Ukraine could use the cold to its advantage. Several of Ukraines allies are including cold-weather gear in their latest round of military donations. Reports suggest Russian conscripts could be rather less prepared for the cold. Russian social networks show videos of conscripted men complaining of cramped, filthy accommodations, toilets overflowing with trash and a lack of food and medicine. Some showed men displaying rusty weapons. In one video, a group of draftees milled in a field, claiming they had been left there with no food or shelter. Other clips depicted men forced to sleep on bare benches or tightly packed on the floor. With AP NSW residents have been warned grocery bills may rise in coming weeks as the weather event that has swept across the state continues its journey south. Premier Dominic Perrottet will tour flood-hit areas on Tuesday as many affected regions across the state move into clean-up mode. He will visit Moree on Tuesday afternoon, where nearly 4000 people have been warned to evacuate. More than 130 NSW SES warnings remain in place throughout the state as the scale of the damage is slowly being realised. The flood risk and the threat remains across NSW today and will do so for some days to come, NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said in a flood update on Tuesday. You cant fight City Hall, or so the saying goes. In reality, you can most certainly fight City Hall, as Richard Leahy can attest. In November 2021, Leahy sued over a massive digital billboard built next door to the modest house he owns on Musgrave Road in Red Hill, not far from the Normanby Fiveways. Brisbane City Council approved the 11.3-metre high digital billboard in 2018. A Supreme Court judge has now set aside the approval, finding the council failed to consider the impact on neighbouring homes. Credit:Tony Moore Three years earlier, the council had approved the 11.3-metre tall, 5.3-metre wide billboard, but it failed to notify Leahy. The billboard was erected in 2020 blocking views of the city skyline from his timber and tin cottage. Leahy sought answers from the council but was left in the dark. Mary Poppins, the magical nanny who floats in on the east wind in the nick of time in the classic story, has done it again. But this time, the neglected Banks children arent the only ones in need of a spoonful of sugar. Mary Poppins actor Stefanie Jones says bringing the musical to her home state of Queensland is very special. Credit:Daniel Boud Its a story about a broken family on their journey to being fixed, actor Stefanie Jones said. I think we all have a connection to that sort of story in one way or another, especially after the last few years with COVID lockdowns. After a week of pulling sodden carpets and mud-coated furniture from flooded homes, the grassroots volunteer group Flood Warriors that sprang into action to help Maribyrnong residents has had to stand down from the clean-up after experts were sent in. The state government has contracted non-profit Disaster Relief Australia to help wrangle hundreds of volunteers and better organise the immense clean-up of flooded properties. A Disaster Relief Australia official (in blue) attends a Maribyrnong home with community volunteers. Credit:Paul Jeffers More than 50 Disaster Relief Australia staff and volunteers, most with a background in the military and emergency services, flew in from outside Victoria and started their work in Maribyrnong on Saturday. They will later move to regional flood-hit areas. Flood Warriors volunteers, who had been on the scene since October 15, say their efforts ground to a halt on the weekend when they were asked by authorities to stop entering flooded houses due to a risk of asbestos contamination, with one saying it put their fear in me. NSW will receive just 17 per cent of federal funding set aside for key road and rail projects, with the bulk going to Victoria and Queensland after the Albanese government axed billions of dollars from infrastructure funds. The Labor governments first budget since winning the May election gives NSW $1.4 billion over 10 years, which includes $500 million for early works on the Sydney-to-Newcastle fast rail line and $268 million for the New England Highway Muswellbrook Bypass. In comparison, Victoria will receive $2.6 billion. Traffic on Victoria Road near Robert Street in Rozelle. Credit:Kate Geraghty Queenslands share of the $8.1 billion for priority road and rail infrastructure projects will be $2.1 billion. The Northern Territory, with a population of 249,000 people, will get $500 million. While the budget papers do not detail which NSW projects will receive funding, or which ones will be cut, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed ahead of the budget that there would be $300 million for western Sydney roads, and money set aside for upgrading Richmond Road and early works in the north-west growth corridor. Head of Islamic State killed as US forces raid compound in Syria Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss United Nations: Russia on Tuesday took its accusation that Ukraine was preparing to use a dirty bomb - an explosive device laced with radioactive material - to the United Nations Security Council, voicing its concerns during a closed-door meeting of the 15-member body. Were quite satisfied because we raised the awareness, Russias Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters. I dont mind people saying that Russia is crying wolf if this doesnt happen because this is a terrible, terrible disaster that threatens potentially the whole of the Earth. Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia. Credit:AP Russia has alleged that Kyiv has ordered two organisations to create a dirty bomb, without giving any evidence. Russias UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia sent a letter to the United Nations on Monday detailing the accusations. Weve seen and heard no new evidence, Britains Deputy UN Ambassador James Kariuki told reporters, referring to Russias transparently false allegations. He added: This is pure Russian misinformation of the kind of weve seen many times before and it should stop. Seymour "Red" Press, one of Broadway's most prolific behind-the-scenes music-makers, has died at the age of 98. He was a music contractor, responsible for hiring all members of a show's orchestra pit. He began his career as a musician himself, playing saxophone in a small band at the local YMHA. He joined Benny Goodman's orchestra at the Waldorf Astoria in 1957, the same year he made his Broadway debut in the pit of the musical The Body Beautiful. His next show was the original production of Gypsy. He transitioned into his contractor position in the 1970s, when he was hired by the Palace Theatre to fill the orchestra for Shirley MacLaine's engagement there. Press's prolific career with more than 100 productions to his name was filled with hits: the original productions of Dreamgirls, Nine, Drood, the 1990s revival of Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Chicago, and The Light in the Piazza, The Pajama Game, Hair, Shuffle Along, and Sunday in the Park With George in the 2000s. There were flops along the way, too: Bring Back Birdie, Nick and Nora, Rags, Roza, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, and many others. He was a founding member of New York City Center Encores!, working on more than 75 productions during his tenure, only officially stepping down at the end of the 2022 season. As of his death, Press had six shows on Broadway: Chicago, The Music Man, Funny Girl, Into The Woods, KPOP, and Almost Famous. He received a Tony honor in 2007. Press is predeceased by his wife, Nona, and is survived by daughter Gwynn Press Anidjar, stepson Edward Finkenberg, and several grandchildren. For over 30 years, Sharon Lawrence has consistently toggled between theater, film, and television with great success, earning rave reviews for her turns as Velma Kelly in Broadway's Chicago, along with television's NYPD Blue (for which she received three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for her portrayal of Sylvia Costas) and Grey's Anatomy, among other notable series. Now, after a long absence, Lawrence is returning to the New York stage for a three-night run in Robin Gerber's play The Shot, which will be presented as part of the 2022 United Solo Festival. The work is a fictional account of the life of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, who unexpectedly found herself in charge of the influential newspaper after her husband killed himself at age 48. TheaterMania recently spoke to Lawrence, while she was shooting her latest TV series, Joe Pickett, in Canada, about why this play appealed to her, its reaction from female audiences, and her feelings about doing her first solo show. Sharon Lawrence (image provided by the production) This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Given that you studied journalism at college, what was your first reaction when you were asked to play Katharine Graham? That was the main reason I agreed to read the play. My dad was a reporter for a large southeast TV station for over 30 years, and like Kay, I got interested in that world through my father. Actually, one of the first questions Robin asked me was "Do you know Katharine Graham was?" Was the subject matter the only reason you agreed to read the script? No. I liked that Robin, who is a first-time playwright, was both a biographer and a Washington insider. So, I knew she would approach this subject with an angle that might not be typical of other writers. And I always say yes to women contact creators; that's one of my core values. But I did wonder, will this script really be a play? The play tackles some very difficult subject matter, including the domestic spousal abuse that Kay suffered for years. Did you have any misgivings about immersing yourself in this topic? No. But the play isn't about the spousal abuse as much as it is an examination of mental illness, and that's what I was more drawn to. It's called The Shot because that's how her husband Philip took his own life in 1963, and three days later, Kay decided not to let the board of the Washington Post control the paper, so she took over. I had studied the subject of mental illness when I played Vivien Leigh in the play Orson's Shadow, but I felt I had to learn more about it to play Kay. My husband, who is a psychiatrist, was very helpful in getting me to understand the illogical. A person living with mental illness has no control, and the person living with them also has no control. It's such a difficult situation. It's clear you've really come to admire Katharine Graham? Can you say why? I always knew I wanted to be an actress but being publisher of one of the world's most influential newspapers was not her intended trajectory. What we learn from the play, and one of the things that most resonates for me, is how her life experience both her struggles and her privilege -- had prepared her for her future in ways she hadn't expected. This play has had a long life before coming to New York. It was developed at the Ojai Playwrights Conference by you, Robin, and the director Michelle Joyner, and it has had many regional productions, including the one this summer at Berkshire Theatre Festival for which you've been nominated for Outstanding Solo Performance. What kind of audience reaction do you get when you do the show? Whenever I've done the play, including on Zoom, we've done panel conversations after the performance. It's not an easy subject, but people everywhere want to share their stories. I believe community is being built through these experiences. To the three of us, The Shot is more than play, it's a forum for discussion. And we are proud that we're able to support anyone going through these challenges and that a woman like Kay can inspire people from all works of life. We've even used some of these performances to raise money and awareness for domestic abuse. How does doing a solo piece differ from all the other theater you've done during your career? My interest as an actress is in a telling story, and this one is so well-written and compelling to play that I had to say yes. Initially, I was concerned about being lonely onstage; but it's not lonely, in part because of my partnership with Robin and Michelle and the trust we have in each other. Plus, the other characters keep me company; technically, I play four people although some people only hear three -- so I don't ever feel alone. Actors always say the audience is another character. What are you expecting from the New York audience? Yes. The audience is definitely another character. And while I haven't played this festival before, I have done many shows in New York. So, I wouldn't underestimate this audience, especially because they know what solo theater is. I hope they love it as much as I do. American elites tend to aim a fashionably upturned nose at our own cultural heritage. We stumble over ourselves to list the ways any artist embraced by the masses is problematic: Elvis Presley appropriated Black music and, through the dark wizardry of capitalism, made white record executives very rich. All of this is true, but does it negate the joy that music has brought to listeners? It certainly discounts how our problematic culture can be received as liberation in foreign lands suffering under legitimately repressive regimes. This conflict between fancy American manners and global liberal aspirations emerges sharply in the opening scene of Melis Aker's HOUND DOG (the production inexplicably insists the title be in all-caps, a directive I will henceforth ignore). It is now making its world premiere at Greenwich House in a co-production of Ars Nova and PlayCo. The protagonist (who is called "Hound Dog" in the program and "Me" in the script, and is played by Ellena Eshraghi) criticizes her Elvis-worshiping father (Laith Nakli) for consuming music that is the product of "appropriation" and "commercial simplicity." "BLAAH BLAAH BLAAAAH you're such a lemon, Harvard," retorts her friend Ayse (Olivia AbiAssi), a queer woman living In Ankara. When Hound Dog (who graduated from Harvard with a degree in musicology, but has now returned to her native Turkey) accuses her friend of not passing the "Bechdel Test", Ayse responds, "Bro I don't need some Mechdel test, okay, can't say this, can't say that, got enough o' that shit over here." The friction between their different perspectives is dramatically compelling. Ellena Eshraghi plays Hound Dog, and Olivia AbiAssi plays Ayse in Melis Aker's Hound Dog off-Broadway. ( Ben Arons) Having produced a great hook, Aker fails to develop a satisfying melody over the following 95 minutes of this kind-of musical, with dreamy, instantly forgettable songs co-written by Aker and the Lazours. None of the musical numbers do much to further the storytelling. Suddenly appearing onstage with a guitar, Sahar Milani sings all of them accompanied by Ashley Baier (drums), Mel Hsu (bass), and Maya Sharpe (guitar). This band occupies a kind of alternate reality, but their relationship to Hound Dog and her story is never particularly clear. What we can gather from the plot arrives in a series of disjointed scenes, some of which attempt to capture the world as it appears when you're high on marijuana: Hound Dog has an awkward encounter with her American music teacher (Matt Magnusson). She befriends Yusuf (Jonathan Raviv), a local clarinetist and sanitation worker. She feels guilt about missing her mother's funeral for an audition. She watches the silhouette of her father guzzle whiskey in an upstairs window. Dad has been acting increasingly erratic since his wife died, spending hours locked in his room and sewing a shiny pink garment. I briefly wondered, Is dad transitioning? And indeed he is into Elvis Presley. This kind of stream-of-consciousness fantasy can be thrilling when presented with rigor and inventive theatricality. Unfortunately, director Machel Ross never quite convinces us to surrender ourselves to her storytelling the way directors have for previously daring Ars Nova musical projects like Oratorio for Living Things, Rags Parkland, and The Great Comet. Some of that comes from a haphazard application of the rules of the play: Hound Dog wants us to know that its characters are Turkish by having everyone speak in a baseline American dialect. Only when they are speaking English do they betray any hint of an accent. At least, this is how it is supposed to go, but this convention is never followed as scrupulously as it was in last season's English. There are other tells in the staging and design: Dad wears flared white pants during a flashback to 1979 (costume designer Qween Jean does a marvelous job capturing the delightful appropriation and remixing of American style as it travels across borders). But he also wears them in the scene immediately preceding that one, which is set in the early 2000s. We know why: Not enough time in the quick-change. Similarly, the actors struggle with the large shutters on Frank J. Oliva's set, which re-creates the front of an old Turkish house and occupies the width of the theater, pushing the actors onto a narrow strip of playing space between the facade and the audience. A scene that is meant to reveal the band in their mystical musical dimension mostly leaves us confused and wondering about the purpose of the massive amount of foil decorating the interior. Laith Nakli and Ellena Eshraghi appear in Melis Aker's Hound Dog. ( Ben Arons) The actors do their best to deliver emotionally lucid performances amid the chaos, with Nakli giving a particularly impactful portrayal of an older Turkish liberal disenchanted with the failed promise of the Republic, but who still maintains a puckish rocker spirit. AbiAssi, Magnusson, and Raviv deftly navigate multiple roles, working hard to turn the flow of Hound Dog's imagination into a physical reality. They are intermittently successful. There's just so much you can do with a script that still reads like a work-in-progress. Aker likely has several more drafts to go through before Hound Dog has a clear narrative thrust that sweeps the audience up in its weirdness and doesn't allow us escape into our own brains, where we inevitable start constructing calendars and shopping lists (as I caught myself doing multiple times here). Little moments of insight brought me back: Hound Dog celebrates how the song of America becomes beautifully distorted as our cultural megaphone blares across the seas. It makes the audience feel the heavy expectations weighing on anyone fortunate enough to obtain an F-1 visa (especially to attend Harvard). It shows how people find freedom in the most unexpected places. Hound Dog has something to say about all of this, but the language is muddled, like rock lyrics struggling to be heard over the music. ChangeX, supported by a Community Empowerment Fund award from Microsoft, has launched a $40,000 fund to support local community groups, schools, and organizations to start or expand impactful community projects in Cheyenne and Laramie County. This is the third Cheyenne Community Challenge supported by Microsoft. It builds on previous funding awarded in 2020 and 2021, which supported 24 local projects and benefitted almost 30,000 people across Laramie County. Local groups have until December 1 to apply for funding of up to $5,000 to start or expand a community project related to environmental sustainability, digital skills, or community prosperity. Alternatively, local groups can get support to start a new community project, choosing from one of 12 proven ideas. The ideas on offer include Community Fridge, a program designed to share surplus food and reduce food waste, and FIRST LEGO League, a hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math program for children aged 4 to 14. Local groups who apply for funding to start one of the 12 projects on offer will have 30 days to build a small team and design an action plan. On completing these steps, they will be eligible for seed funding of up to $5,000. Funding will be allocated to qualifying applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. ChangeX, supported by Microsoft, has funded more than 500 teams in communities across the US and Europe to start impactful community projects through a series of Community Challenges. The Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund, which provides funding for the Challenge, is an initiative of the Microsoft Datacenter Community Development team. Through its partnership with ChangeX, Microsoft supports communities to thrive, as part of its wider aim to establish a positive presence in the communities where it operates datacenters. Microsoft is committed to Laramie County and its communities, and we are looking forward to supporting a range of impactful projects through this fund. I cant wait to see which of the proven ideas on offer resonate with the local community this year, and am glad that we have an opportunity to support them to drive positive community change through the third Cheyenne Community Challenge, said Dennis Ellis, Microsoft TechSpark Wyoming Manager and local community lead for datacenter community development. Ex-officer Pleads Guilty, Another Waives Right to Jury Trial Over George Floyds Death MINNEAPOLISAnother long trial over the killing of George Floyd was averted on Monday after one former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty to manslaughter and another agreed to take a more uncommon approach and let a judge decide his fate based on the evidence in the case. J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao had been set to stand trial Monday on charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter in the killing of Floyd. Instead, Kueng pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in exchange for the murder count being dismissed. And Thao, who previously told the judge that it would be lying to plead guilty, agreed to whats called a stipulated evidence trial on the aiding and abetting manslaughter count. The two sides will work out agreed-upon evidence in his case, file written closing arguments and let Judge Peter Cahill decide guilt or innocence. If Thao is convicted, the murder countwhich carries a presumptive sentence of 12.5 years in prisonwill be dropped. The days developments pushed the long process of prosecuting the officers involved in Floyds death nearer an end. Floyd died in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, after former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck while holding him down during an arrest on suspicion of using a counterfeit bill at a store. Chauvin was convicted in state court in spring 2021 and later pleaded guilty to federal charges. A fourth officer, Thomas Lane, was convicted of federal charges in February and pleaded guilty to state charges in May. Kueng knelt on Floyds back, Lane held his legs, and Thao kept bystanders back during the restraint. Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted the state cases, said in a statement that he hopes Keungs plea can bring comfort to Floyds family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice. He also said his office is looking forward to a swift resolution of Thaos case. Thao waived his right to a jury trial, as well as his right to cross-examine the states witnesses, call witnesses of his own and testify. But he preserves his right to appeal. His attorney, Bob Paule, told The Associated Press that this allows Thao to still litigate the issue of his guilt or innocence, and its ultimately up to the judge to decide whether this really constitutes aiding and abetting. As part of his plea agreement, Kueng admitted that he held Floyds torso, that he knew from his experience and training that restraining a handcuffed person in a prone position created a substantial risk, and that the restraint of Floyd was unreasonable under the circumstances. Kueng agreed to a sentence of 3.5 years in prison, to be served at the same time as his federal sentence and in federal custody. He will be formally sentenced later and was being returned to federal custodyhe has been at a prison in Ohio since early October. In Thaos case, both sides have until Nov. 17 to submit their materials to Cahill, who said he would decide within 90 days. If convicted of manslaughter, Thao would likely get about four years in prison, to be served at the same time as his federal sentence. Thao, who has been at the federal medical center in Lexington, Kentucky, since early October, said in court that he wished to remain in Hennepin County sheriffs custody while his case proceeds, even though he would be in solitary confinement. Cahill said in court that Thao had recently suffered a concussion, but he did not say how. When asked if there had been an incident at the federal prison, a spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons said he could not comment, citing privacy, safety, and security reasons. Chauvin was convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges last year and is serving 22.5 years in the state case. He also pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyds civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years. He is serving the sentences concurrently at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona. Kueng, Lane, and Thao were convicted of federal charges in February: All three were convicted of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care and Thao and Kueng were also convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the killing. Lane is serving his 2.5-year federal sentence at a facility in Colorado. Hes serving a three-year state sentence at the same time. Kueng was sentenced to three years on the federal counts; Thao got a 3.5-year federal sentence. Kimberly Gwen Polman, a Canadian national, poses for a portrait at camp Roj in Syria on April 3, 2019. (Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo) 2 Canadian Women Repatriated From Syria Detention Camp for ISIS Detainees Two Canadian women have been released from a camp in Syria that detains ISIS fighters and their families and are returning to Canada, according to media outlets. One is Kimberly Polman, who was arrested by Kurdish fighters during the fight against the ISIS terrorist group in 2019. She was detained in Roj camp in northeast Syria for her alleged association with ISIS. The second woman was described as from Quebec and accompanied by two children, according to Global News. Both women and the children were expected to fly to Montreal Tuesday night. The Canadian governments involvement in the repatriation effort is unclear. The Epoch Times reached out to Public Safety Canada for comment and was referred to Global Affairs. Global Affairs said the department could not respond by publication time. The repatriation of Polman comes eight months after the United Nations issued a press release in February calling on Canada to urgently bring her home due to her life threatening illnesses. The release stated that Polman travelled to Syria in 2015 at the request of her future husband whom she met online. A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2020 included an interview with Polmans sister, by the name of Maryanne, who said Polman had met and married an ISIS member online who lured her to the so-called caliphate with promises of love and a nursing career. Polman contacted her family upon arrival in Syria, telling them it wasnt what she expected and her husband was very abusive and that he wouldnt let her leave, Maryanne said. Then we didnt hear from her until June 2016. We thought that she was dead. When Polman contacted her family again, she told them her husband had put her in an ISIS prison for 10 months for being a disobedient wife. She said her captors raped and starved her, the HRW report said. So far, Canada has appeared somewhat hesitant to repatriate adult citizens from the Syrian detention camps, which detained ISIS fighters and their family members. Public Safetys website states that the threats posed by Canadian extremist travellersindividuals suspected of travelling abroad to engage in extremist activitypresent difficult challenges to both Canada and its allies. Given the security situation, the Government of Canadas ability to provide consular assistance in Syria is extremely limited, the department said. Jamie King clears out the rubble and belongings from the washed out foundation and basement of his house in Burnt Island, Newfoundland and Labrador on Sept. 27, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn) A Month After Fiona, Some in Western Newfoundland Fear Things Will Never Be the Same For Peggy Savery, the hardest part of the day comes as she leaves work in her Newfoundland community of Port aux Basques and drives to the home shes been staying in with her husband and son. The familys blue oceanside house was swept into the sea last month by post-tropical storm Fiona, and a photo of it dangling over the ocean was published across North America. Taken by Rene Roy, editor of local newspaper Wreckhouse Press, the picture was a gut-wrenching look at the immediate horrors wrought by the historic storm. But these days, Savery, 59, is increasingly worried about the storms impacts that arent so easily captured. The past month has been anightmare, she said in an interview Monday, and its not clear when it will end. People who lost their homes are traumatized, and living in temporary situations as they wait for news about whether theyll get help to rebuild, she said. Since that morning, the Saverys have been staying with family in the nearby community of Grand Bay, she said. Going to work each day gives her something else to think about, but the dread and uncertainty comes rushing back each night when shes alone again in her car. I sit in my vehicle, and I break down and I think, Where do I go now? What am I doing?' Savery said. Its hard to get in that vehicle and drive to somewhere thats not your home it breaks me every single day. Fiona barrelled through Eastern Canada on the morning of Sept. 24, bringing ferocious winds and storm surge to parts of Atlantic Canada and Quebecs Iles-de-la-Madeleine. The storm tore up roads, washed away homes and left power lines and trees splayed in the streets. In Port aux Basques, a 73-year-old woman died after she was swept out to sea. After two days of surveying damage, officials estimated nearly 100 homes were destroyed along Newfoundlands southern coast. The damage stretched from Port aux Basques, on the islands southwestern tip, to Burgeo which sits about 115 kilometres to the east. The region is home to roughly 5,700 people. Savery and her husband Lloyd were both born in Port aux Basques. Like many rural Newfoundlanders, they moved away when they were young, ultimately settling in Ontario with their son, Josh. But in 2019 they were drawn back home and moved into the blue house on Clement Crescent, overlooking the water. It was the home they wanted to retire in, and they poured their life savings into it. But all that work and moneyalong with her fathers journals, her engagement ring, and her mothers chinadisappeared with Fiona, she said. Like many who lost their oceanside homes, Savery said her insurance company is not covering the loss because her policy didnt include damage from storm surge. The Newfoundland and Labrador government has promised it will help those whose insurance claims have been denied. Last Friday, officials were in Port aux Basques to help people fill out forms to get the process moving. Savery said the government response has been too slow, adding that she hasnt yet heard if shell qualify for financial help, or when it may arrive. In the meantime, her family is surviving on a $10,000 assistance payment from the province that was distributed by The Canadian Red Cross, she said. This is my life. And this is my future. And Im scared right now, she said. Were at the mercy right now of whoever is going to reach out and help. In the nearby community of Burnt Islands, Jamie King said it is still difficult to talk about what he is going through a month after Fionatore the back off his home. The storm also swept away his shed, which had thousands and thousands of dollars worth of tools inside it, he said in an interview. That was my go-to thing. My safe space, I called it, King said, adding: My life as I knew it is gone, ruined. He and his family are staying with his sister and her family, packed into her two-bedroom house. Its not clear when they might be able to rebuild, or wherethough he said it wont be near the ocean in whats now known as the danger zone. Paul Strickland, Burnt Islands deputy mayor, said the town is doing its best to work with the provincial government to find new spots for people like King to rebuild. Still, Strickland said hes expecting some to leave the community altogether. Fiona, he added, has likely changed Burnt Islands forever. The landscape alone already has a different look, he said. But the nature of the town might be a bit different after this. A Wellesley Student Speaks Out Commentary I was appalled, but not surprised, when on Sept. 24, the dean of students at Wellesley College, where I am a student, buried at the end of an email to the student body that all students at Wellesley would be required to receive a shot of the new bivalent COVID-19 booster. Then, on Oct. 11, we were informed that this mandate would take effect on Dec. 1, nearly three weeks before the end of the semester. This announcement follows similar decisions from Tufts University, Harvard University, and the University of California, among others. It also follows a growing body of evidence that there are, for a nontrivial percentage of the vaccinatedespecially the youngserious, potentially lifelong, and potentially fatal side effectssuch as myocarditis and autoimmune diseaseto the vaccine, which Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky acknowledges doesnt stop transmission of the coronavirus. Moreover, this newest bivalent vaccine, designed to protect against the now-defunct Omicron variant, was approved without any trials confirming safety or efficacy. And regarding the latter, at least, the slim evidence we do have isnt promising. So why is Wellesleyand why are all these other collegesmandating that their disproportionately young, disproportionately healthy students partake in a human trial for a vaccine that doesnt stop the transmission of a variant that became almost entirely obsolete months ago? The message from Wellesley couldnt be more clear: The education of students here, or at least our ability to complete it, is contingent on our willingness to take a medical treatment that didnt exist when I enrolled here. Theres no consent, only coercion, with participation in a human trial, joining physical education and foreign language proficiency as a prerequisite for graduation. Administrators, rather than trusting the students whom they admitted to make our own risk-return analyses, have chosen to override basic bodily autonomy in favor of pushing vaccines that seem increasingly concerning for the young, a fact which is now being recognized around the world: In Denmark for instance, public health officials halted vaccines entirely for low-risk people younger than age 50; Norway isnt even doing first shots anymore for those younger than 45 years of age. At some point, the question must be asked whether colleges that ask students to play immunization-card Russian roulette are colleges whose credentials signal anything more than willingness to comply. What risk to safety are colleges such as mine asking students such as myself to assume? When the administrators of Wellesley, a womens college, mandate a fourth shot of a vaccine thats now known to cause menstrual irregularities, a fact confirmed by study after study and acknowledged by even the strongest proponents of vaccination, what theyre saying is not only that we have to choose between immunization against a months-old variant and our education, but also that we have to choose between disruptions to our menstrual and ovulatory cycles and our education. To be blunt, this has the potential not just to disrupt overall health, but fertility, too, so colleges are not just telling us that they get to control and disrupt our bodies, but also, potentially, our families; not just our present, but also, potentially, our future. This isnt even mentioning heart or autoimmune health that COVID vaccination is known to take a toll on, and the host of conditions that vaccination has been proven to cause. Will collegesand college administratorsbe footing medical bills for any health-related problems their mandates cost? Will administrators experience the physical and emotional burden? Because administrators seem to have decided that theres no overreach too personal to commit against students: This is despite the fact that the risk-return analysis that these same administrators conducted last year now appears dubious at best, outright dangerous at worst. If their compulsion to impose more mandates isnt about health or efficacy, it must be about something else. The simplest explanation is that this compulsion is about the mandate itselfabout the appearance of progressivism and elite stature, given that progressive and elite institutions now define themselves by their willingness to look like theyre taking COVID-19 seriously at the expense of essentially every other consideration. Heres a question no administrators seem to be asking: What does it mean when a college tells its students that their bodies belong to the whims of bureaucrats rather than to themselves? It means that students are being groomed to believe that being an educated person means keeping ones head down and submitting to every top-down order uncritically. While a place such as Wellesley prides itself on the atmosphere of intellectualism it claims to foster, and while it claims to value academic freedomwhich formed the basis of President Paula Johnsons speech at a convocation in Septemberall of Wellesleys commitments to autonomy of speech are utterly meaningless when its community is denied autonomy of body, which is also autonomy of mind. On some level, then, ongoing vaccine mandates such as Wellesleys represent the decay of American academia and show where its real loyalties lie. Educating and forming students is, for college administrators, secondary to being part of the right ideological crowd (whether or not that ideological crowd is right). Not all institutions have caved to this pressure: In July, the University of Chicago rescinded its booster mandate and is no longer requiring exemptions from vaccination, and Williams College (which, like Wellesley, is an elite liberal arts college in Massachusetts) at least appears to have walked back its booster mandate. But seeing other institutional policies almost makes the reality at a place such as Wellesley worse. Despite all available evidence, and despite other institutions reversing course, many administrators across the nation who are supposed to concern themselves with the well-being of their students are making decisions not on scientific evidence nor on the safety of their students, but instead on politics. This should scare everyone. Rumblings of anger can be heard at Wellesley, but the constant cycles of cancellation and gaslighting from the college and within the community have rendered many would-be dissenters too emotionally wounded to say a word about college vaccination policies. (Theres a reason Im writing this anonymously.) But this silencing cant possibly last forever. If Wellesleyor any one of the other institutions with remaining vaccine mandatesthinks it faces no consequences, its sorely mistaken: As students, as well as faculty and staff, trace their own adverse medical events back to college mandates, the buck for the physical damage will stop with collegesmorally, legally, and financially. The mandates will fade, but the memory of the mandates will not; colleges such as mine have all but ensured theyre dead men walking. From the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Protesters opposing medical transgender procedures for youth gathered at the American Academy of Pediatrics convention in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Courtesy of TreVoices.Org/Scott Newgent) Activists in Maryland Decry Trans Craze Targeting Teens In a Bel Air middle school near Baltimore, a 14-year-old boy is using the girls locker room to strip down for gym class. At the magnet school in Greenbelt, the transgender club has staged walkouts to protest in solidarity the mistreatment of gays and lesbians in other parts of the country. In Damascus, in semi-rural Montgomery County, a devout Roman Catholic mom is coping with the shock of her 18-year-old sons decision last year to transition to a womaneven though he, like all of her nine children, was schooled at home. What many consider horror stories are motivating grass-roots activists across Maryland to campaign for reform of state-mandated gender-affirming policies and for new school boards that will focus on core subjects such as reading, science, and math. The transgender statistics to them are alarming. Montgomery County Schools, the largest and wealthiest system in Maryland, reported a near 600 percent increase in self-identified transgender teens over the last three years, according to a Twitter post from Elicia-Eberhart Bliss, an assistant principal at Quince Orchard High School. Bliss posted the charts on Oct. 11, the day designated as National Coming Out Day for LGBT persons nationwide. The School System has not published an official survey of trans-identifying students, which may be much higher than the figure in the Tweet. With an estimated 7,000 Maryland teens identifying as gender non-conforming, observers are seeing a rapid rise in the number of students concluding that they are trapped in a body of the opposite sex. Mixed gender locker rooms at an unnamed middle school caused mental and emotional anguish to a student who complained to Republican State Sen. Bob Cassilly, who has challenged the policy in a letter to Harford County School Board leaders. I would like to know by what right the school chooses to override students natural, healthy, and wholesome desire for physical privacy. By what right does the school intrude upon students mental, emotional, and spiritual development, Cassilly wrote to Harford School Board president Rachel Gauthier in a letter published by local media. The mental trauma the school is inflicting on [redacted] is outrageous, Cassilly wrote, asking for a meeting with the full Board of Education. Gauthier pushed back with her own letter stating that Harford County is simply following Maryland State Department of Education guidance, titled Providing Safe Spaces for Transgender and Gender Non-conforming Youth: Guidelines for Gender Identity Nondiscrimination. There is a slew of written school policies on the HCPS (Harford County Public Schools) website, but there is no written policy regarding gender fluid bathrooms or locker rooms. The BOE cites guidance from MSDE and federal law. Not sure what federal law she is referring to, perhaps Bidens executive order to change Title IX to include gender identity, Susan Scott, Harford County Chapter Chair of Moms for Liberty, wrote to The Epoch Times. Harford County Public Schools has clearly signaled that their slavish adherence to gender ideology trumps any concern they have for our girls safety. HCPS has admitted to permitting boys to enter girls locker rooms or restrooms at will, she went on to say. This same extremely dangerous policy led to girls being raped in Loudoun County, Virginia. The Superintendent and Board of Education are far outside of the mainstream of community thought on this issue and will have to answer for this, Scott said in a text. The stories piling up amount to what some call a transgender craze in American public schools. Two mothers told cautionary tales at a gathering of reformers on Oct. 19 in Rockville, at a meeting of a club calling itself United Against Racism in Education. Kent County entrepreneur Lisa Ruth blames TikTok for seducing her daughter during a period of emotional crisis. Although my daughter wont admit it, she started to identify as masculine as a result of a sexual assault when she was 15. The reason: when young girls get sexually assaulted they frequently blame themselves, falling after that into depression. Ruth said. During the lockdown, my daughter got drawn into a TikTok group that promoted transgenderism. A year later, she told me she likes girls; a few months later, she said she wanted to become a boy. My husband and I moved our residence to Kent County so that we could get a better environment. I told the mental health professional at Kent County High School I didnt want the school staff to counsel my daughter, because I knew she was struggling with gender identity. Yet, the first thing the teachers asked my daughter was What are your preferred pronouns I dont know why we are asking our children these questions, Ruth said. She went on to say, the irony is that since my daughter announced that she is transgender, she has gotten applause from all her friends. For the first time in her life, shes a popular person. Yet some teens fall into the transgender craze despite their parents efforts to shield them from public schools. Nicole Eckenrode and her husband, Eric, devout Catholics, decided to homeschool their nine children in northern Montgomery County. My son had a high IQ but was slow to socialize, Eckenrode told The Epoch Times. He joined at age 15 a Catholic youth group and got a crush on a girl who turned out to be lesbian. She introduced him to a chat group on Tumblr that became his glitter family which means the family that really loves you. In January 2020 he came out as asexual panromantic.' My son discovered the world of transgenderism in an online community where he spent all of his time. By Halloween of that year, he wanted to dress up as a girl. He has moved out of the house and lives now on the West Coast. My son isnt thriving where he is, Eckenrode said, adding that she will not encourage him to think he is on the right path. So many Christians go wrong in apologizing for the truth. But I have told all of my kids that I will never lie to you. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky.,(C) speaks about Keystone XL with Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) (L) sponsor of the Keystone XL pipeline bill, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in Washington on Jan. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Alaska Republicans Vote to Censure GOP Leader Mitch McConnell The Alaska Republican Party on Monday voted to censure Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for making allegedly misleading statements about their favored candidate for Senate and endorsing Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Much of the financial support from the Senate Leadership Fund has been used for malicious political attack ads targeted at our endorsed candidate, Kelly Tshibaka, that are gross distortions of fact, the Alaska GOPs resolution said on Monday evening, referring to McConnells fund. We request the Senate Leadership Fund immediately stop the attack ads against Kelly Tshibaka and discontinue the support of all other opposing candidates. The resolution passed 498, according to local media. Reports also indicated that McConnells fund has spent $5 million targeting Tshibaka with attack ads in a bid to help Murkowski. Tshibaka is endorsed by both the Alaska Republican Party and former President Donald Trump. Shes currently running against Murkowski, who voted to impeach Trump last year and was censured by the Alaska GOP for that decision. Recently, Murkowski drew ire from Republicans after she endorsed Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) against former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a Republican. Peltola, meanwhile, told media outlets that shell endorse Murkowski for Senate. Mary is a woman whose heart is as grounded in Alaska as anybody youre going to find, Murkowski told reporters on Friday. On Monday, Tshibaka accused McConnell of making fabricated claims against her in order to get more Alaskans to vote for Murkowski. The incumbent senator, she added, would be a key ally for President Joe Biden in the Senate. The millions of dollars Mitch McConnell is spending on lies about me could be put to better use in other states where a Republican has a chance to beat a Democrat, she said Monday. And the Alaska Republican Party has just told him to butt out of our state. Tshibaka added that Murkowski cares more about her standing in D.C. social circles than she does about the people in Alaska shes supposed to represent. Earlier this year, McConnell drew headlines when he proclaimed that Republicans have a 50 percent chance of recapturing the Senate. Weeks before that, he suggested that GOP nominees lack candidate quality, drawing ire from Trump, who said that the Senate leader should be voted out. Alaskas November 2022 election has a ranked-choice process in which a candidate needs over 50 percent of the vote to win. Murkowski and Tshibaka are the two front-runners. The Epoch Times has contacted McConnells office for comment. Shipping containers will be used to fill a 1,000 foot gap in the border wall with Mexico near Yuma, Ariz., on Aug. 12, 2022. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey acted without federal permission and plans to fill three gaps totaling 3,000 feet in the coming weeks. (Arizona Governor's Office via AP) Arizona Defies Biden Admin, Files Lawsuit and Starts Installing Shipping Container Barrier in Cochise County Arizona has forged ahead with erecting a shipping container barrier along the Arizona-Mexico border in an effort to close the gaps, despite the Biden administrations attempts to prevent the state from doing so. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, announced that the state is moving forward with the project, which will costs an estimated $95 million, on Twitter on Monday. On Friday, we committed to moving forward with our Border Barrier Missionundeterred by the Biden admins efforts to reverse our progress. Today, we continued to follow through on our promise to add physical barriers to the border where possible, Ducey wrote. The border barrier is set to be erected along a 10-mile stretch of land in Cochise County, where there is currently no border wall. Ducey said it will take approximately 2,770 containers to fill in the gaps across extremely rugged terrain but that the state is determined to fill the gapliterally. Ducey took aim at Bidens failed border policies that many experts and Republican lawmakers believe have resulted in an increase in illegal immigrants attempting to enter the United States. Public Safety Crisis The unresolved border and public safety crisis caused by the Biden admin continuesin Arizona, we dont stand idly by when our citizens need us most, Ducey wrote. Arizona isnt afraid of a challenge. We will not back down. We will protect our state. Duceys Border Barrier Mission comes despite an ongoing standoff with the Biden administration regarding Arizonas refusal to remove over a hundred double-stacked shipping containers it placed along the border in Yuma County, including 80 wire-reinforced containers that were placed on bureau lands and 42 on Cocopah Indian Tribe lands. In a letter to Arizona Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer and Arizona Division of Emergency Management Director Allen Clark on Oct. 13, the U.S. Department of the Interior claimed that the 122 containers that were sitting within its lands were a violation of U.S. law, were harming federal lands, and were impeding reclamations ability to perform its mission. The letter also stated that Arizona should not place any new containers along the border because U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been awarded a contract to close two gaps in the border barrier near the Morelos Dam in the Yuma, which is Arizonas busiest illegal border crossing area. Yet in a responding letter on Oct. 18, Clark denied those claims and refused to remove the containers as the state battles with an influx of illegal aliens. Criminal And Humanitarian Crises The myriad of federal agencies that claim jurisdiction on the southern border but do nothing to prevent the public nuisance caused by illegal immigration and criminal activity that exploits the open border is quite frustrating, Clark wrote in the letter. Your letter incorrectly claims Arizona has trespassed against the United States, he continued. The State of Arizona is committed to working with all of our federal partners, including the BOR, to ensure the security of our state and protection of public and private lands However to date, Arizona has not seen any action by the federal government to do so and was therefore required to take its own action. Read More Sinema Stresses Bipartisanship, Decries Radical Politics in Rare Public Appearance Ducey filed a lawsuit (pdf) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on Friday asking that the court affirm the states right to defend itself, citing an unprecedented crisis that has arisen in Arizona and that is the creation of the federal government. The lawsuit asks that the court grant that the state has the constitutional authority to take immediate temporary steps to stem the imminent danger of criminal and humanitarian crises related to the Arizona border. Countless migrants are crossing unsecured areas of the border illegally, the lawsuit states. The result is a mix of drug, crime, and humanitarian issues the State has never experienced at such a significant magnitude, resulting in the State bearing the burden of the federal governments inaction. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter speaks at a press briefing in the Pentagon Briefing Room in Arlington, Va., on May 1, 2015. (Olivier Douliery/Getty Images) Ashton Carter, Obama Defense Secretary, Dies of Heart Attack at 68 Ashton Ash Carter, who served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense towards the end of the Obama administration, has died Monday evening after suffering a sudden cardiac event. It is with deep and profound sadness that the family of former Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter shares that Secretary Carter passed away Monday evening in Boston after a sudden cardiac event at the age of 68, Carters family said in a statement Tuesday. Trained as a physicist, Carter joined the Obama administration at the outset as deputy secretary of defense before he was appointed to lead the Pentagon in 2015, following the resignation of his predecessor, Chuck Hagel. His tenure saw a Chinese military build-up that challenged the status quo in the Western Pacific, a return of American military forces to Iraq to wage war on the ISIS terrorist group, and a deterioration in relations with Moscow in the aftermath of the Syrian civil war. Carter also pushed for closer ties between his department and high-tech firms in what is known as the Third Offset Strategy. The idea was that the American military, whose conventional advantage over its Russian and Chinese counterparts is diminishing, must be able to identify the next generation of concepts and capabilities in order to secure a technological superiority in the coming decades. President Joe Biden, who was vice president when Carter headed the Pentagon, said he and Obama relied on Ashs fierce intellect and wise counsel to ensure our militarys readiness, technological edge, and obligation to the troops. Ash was a leader on all the major national security issues of our timesfrom nuclear deterrence to proliferation prevention to missile defense to emerging technology challenges to the fight against Al Qaida [sic] and ISIS, Biden said in a statement. He opened every field of military service to women and protected the rights of transgender service members. Prior to his death, Carter served as director of the Harvard Kennedy Schools Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, which focuses on international security and diplomacy, environmental and resource issues, and science and technology policy. For over 35 years inside government under presidents of both political parties as well as in the private sector, Carter leveraged his extraordinary experience in national security, technology, and innovation to defend the United States and make a better world, the center said in a statement commemorating Carter. Carter is survived by his wife Stephanie and two grown children, Ava and Will. Australia Could Reach Full Employment If Diversity Hiring Embraced: Report Australia could reach full employment if employers chose to embrace diversity hiring practices, new research has revealed. The Diversity Council of Australia (DCA) has found that although Australia is experiencing a 50-year record-low unemployment level, nearly a third of Australian organisations have noted that they cant find suitable staff to fill jobs. CEO of DCA Lisa Annese said in a media release that there is a wealth of talent in the Australian market with more than three million people looking for work or who want more work. According to the DCA research (pdf), of the three million jobseekers in Australia, most are likely to be from marginalised groups, including people with a physical or social disability like autism, carers, and older jobseekers. More often than not, these potential workers belong to marginalised groups. And not only are these workers being left off recruitment radars, they are experiencing bias and exclusion in the recruitment process itselfboth covertly and overtly, Annese said. Australian organisations need to diversify who and how they hire if they are to meet their workforce needstapping into pools of talent typically left off their recruitment radars. She said that the new DCA research has found that while many employers focus on inclusive recruitment that treats everyone the same, in doing so recruiters often have a bias against job seekers that are neurodiverse or different from the majority. The best way to be equitable and inclusive is to treat people fairlyand sometimes that requires treating some people differently to others, Annese said. Recruitment Processes Need to Consider Diversity The DCA recommends that companies finding it difficult to find skilled workers should make sure that their recruitment processes are open to these marginalised groups and consider how they are defining their merit-based hiring, which they argue can lead to bias. We often rely on the ideal of merit to guarantee fairness, equity, and inclusion in recruitment (for example, we only hire on merit). In theory it should work, but in practice what seems to be an objective processlooking at skill and experienceis often subjective, prone to bias and can amplify inequality. By challenging what the most meritorious or best applicant is, we can avoid falling into this trap by unlocking Australias wider pool of talent, the report said. Interim CEO of Jobsbank, Graeme Kelly, said that the report demonstrates the ways in which Australian businesses can recruit diverse candidates that will improve their bottom line. From construction to cleaning, and from hospitality to healthcare, this report highlights what Australian businesses can do to recruit and retain talented and diverse workforces, improving their inclusivity and their bottom lines along the way, he said. Jobsbank is a not-for-profit recruitment agency which works with business to fill workforce gaps. The company notes that employment of more people with disabilities for example would result in a $43 billion (US$27 billion) increase in Australias GDP and that according to their research compared to colleagues without disabilities, people with disabilities rated 90 percent above average or better on performance. Jobs change lives. And since the earliest days of the Social Procurement Framework, businesses have been calling for practical tools to unlock life-changing employment for Australian jobseekers, Kelly said. The former military barracks in Kingston in the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. (Lawrence Bartlett/AFP via Getty Images) Australian Museum to Launch Scientific Expedition on Norfolk Island The Australian Museum will conduct a comprehensive environmental survey of Norfolk Island, 1700 km northeast of Sydney, over the next two years. Working with the local community, Parks Australia, the Australian Institute of Botanical Science and the Auckland War Memorial Museum, the Australian Museum (AM) aims to learn more about the flora and fauna on Norfolk Island and to increase understanding of pre-European habitation of the Island through an archaeological dig. Where is Norfolk Island, and Why is it Important? Norfolk Island is one of Australias most isolated communities and one of its oldest territories. Located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, Norfolk Island is 1,412 kilometres directly east of Evans Head in New South Wales. Together with the neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island, the three islands collectively form the Territory of Norfolk Island, which had 2,188 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km2, according to the 2021 census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Location of Norfolk Island. (Screenshot/Google maps) The first known settlers in Norfolk Island were East Polynesians, who had departed when Great Britain settled Australia in 1788. The Island served as a convict penal settlement from 1788 until 1855, except for an 11-year hiatus between 1814 and 1825 when it was abandoned. In 1914, the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an external territory. The remote Island boasts a diverse and abundant array of birds, insects, reptiles, and marine life. However, many are rare and endangered species unique to the Island and surrounding area, according to an introduction on the website of AM. Kim McKay, AO, director and CEO of the Australian Museum, said Norfolk Island has notable historic sites offering a unique heritage seldom found elsewhere in Australia and around the world. For nearly two centuries, the Australian Museum has conducted expeditions to document, collect, and examine our land and fauna, which has led to great advances in our geographic knowledge, McKay said. With the depth and breadth of our scientific knowledge, backed by our valuable collections, we are uniquely placed to help inform future management of these areas and contribute to our understanding of the origins of Norfolk Island and how its ecosystems function within the greater global environmental picture. Norfolk Island landscape. (Pixabay) The AMs Norfolk Island expedition will be divided into three phases: 2022: Phase 1: Terrestrial biodiversity survey and archaeological excavations. 2023: Phase 2: Shallow marine biodiversity survey. 2024: Phase 3: Deep water marine biodiversity and oceanographic survey. The first phase began on Oct. 24, with a combined team of more than 20 experts seeking to answer scientific questions such as whether there are any undescribed species on the Island and if the elusive Goulds Wattled Bat, which is endemic to the Island, continues to dwell there. Archaeologists will research the pre-European history of Norfolk Island, particularly the occupation of the Island by Polynesians about 150 years before European settlement. Local Community Key to the Expedition The Norfolk Island community will be critical to the expedition, said Prof. Kris Helgen, the AMs Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute. Our scientists are recognised internationally as experts in their fields, but local collaboration and consultation is essential in both the planning and research phases of scientific expeditions, Helgen said. On one previous expedition to the Solomon Islands, our scientists onlearnedarn about a rare species of rat because of a tip-off by residents. Norfolk Island tree. (Pixabay) Helgen added that to conserve a species, scientists must first know its there. Conservation is at the heart of our expeditions and the work we do throughout the Australian Museum Research Institute, he said. The AMs Lord Howe Island surveys are one such example. The scientists findings contributed to improving the breeding program for the phasmid (stick insect) long thought to be extinct and provided important scientific evidence to support the eradication of invasive black rats from the Island. Scientists from the Australian Institute of Botanical Science will conduct botanical surveys to fill crucial knowledge gaps of Norfolk Islands unique flora, focusing on weeds and non-threatened flora that has flowers or fruit. Electricity Relief for Norfolk Island The expedition comes at a time when the Australian Government is providing a temporary subsidy to Norfolk Island to relieve the impact of increased diesel fuel prices on electricity production costs and charges. A $200,000 subsidy will be offered to Norfolk Island as an interim arrangement for its transition to renewable power, which is a part of the Australian Governments $5.3 million investment in improvements to the Islands electricity network, including the roll-out of solar infrastructure. Norfolk Island landscape. (Pixabay) I acknowledge the pressures associated with increased power costs for both the Council and local residents and businesses. With a rise of 40 percent in diesel fuel prices in recent months, driven by domestic and global freight challenges, Kristy McBain, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, said in a statement on Oct. 24. Having spent time on Norfolk Island, I understand the communitys challenges and want to support measures to alleviate the cost-of-living pressures where possible. The remote location of Norfolk Island, compounded by freight and supply chain shortages on a global scale, means it was appropriate to look at temporary measures to address the significantly increased cost of power for consumers. Barbara Kay: Ontario Boards Move to Drop School Police Program Based on Politics, Not Evidence Commentary School board elections in Ontario, held Oct. 24, have been heated. Many candidates ran to replace trustees obsessed with critical race theory and radical gender ideology. Another issue, no less contentious, deserves closer scrutiny: police presence in schools. The School Resource Officer program (SRO) was inspired by the 2008 shooting death of a student at a Toronto school. With student safety the (then) uncontested objective, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) placed police officers throughout their system. Since then, anti-racismand anti-policeactivism in the United States, spilling over into Canada, has complicated the matter. Well before the May 25, 2020, killing of George Floyd, which propelled anti-police animus through the roof, Black Lives Matter allies in Canada had been protesting SRO programs. In 2017, the TDSB decided to suspend their SRO after activists claimed some 10 percent of students said they felt watched and intimidated by police presence. In 2020, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) voted to end their SRO program, in place since 2016, an iteration of a formal liaison with police that had existed since 1995. The contemporary program had 11 police officers working with staff and students at 196 elementary and high schoolspublic, private, and Catholicacross Hamilton. The lean unit rotated appearances at each school, doing presentations on such topics as personal safety, human trafficking, and cyber-bullying. Officers would respond to incidents by arranging resolution-oriented meetings. They also helped law-breaking students navigate the legal system with a view to avoiding serious penalties. The HWDSB had been the target of a fierce anti-SRO campaign for over a year before the Floyd killing, waged by a group, Students4Justice, who aggressively lobbied the trustees to end SRO. At a board meeting on June 8, 2020, trustees first agreed to review the program, and a report was to be delivered by October of 2020. But under pressure from the activists, a majority of the trustees voted for SRO termination in the citys English public schools. This motion to terminate is for black students. The motion is for indigenous students, Latino students, Muslim students. LGBTQ2+ students. Marginalized students and any student that has felt less than welcome at our schools because of a police presence, said trustee Cam Galindo. Activists applauded, but Hamilton Police Service Superintendent Will Mason expressed disappointment, saying the point of the police program in schools was to build a positive relationship with kids, which becomes difficult if the only time we interact with young people is when something bad happens. Unfortunately, reason and prudence were no match for the high, politicized emotion that carried the day. Do police programs in schools work? That should have been the only consideration for HWDSB. The data available points to their success, but perception may contradict such evidence. And when negative perception is politically weaponizedwith support from trustees flouting their mandate of political neutrality, as happened in HWDSBit can override objective deliberation. Studies of police programs in the United States show that students generally take a positive view of a police presence, but black students, who are more likely to be arrested in school according to the American Civil Liberties Union, take a more negative view. A California survey found that 61 percent of students felt safer with a police officer in their school, but only 41 percent of black students agreed. A New Orleans survey found similar results. A 2017 national study found that arrest rates of children increased after schools received federal grants to hire police officers, starting in 1999, and other studies indicate that black students are more likely to be arrested. But the national study also found that police in schools do make the schools safer; in particular, crime involving violence diminished. There are roughly 5,000 school police stationed across New York Citys public schools, making the school safety division one of the largest single police forces in the country. Unarmed police officers play diverse roles: deploying metal detectors, responding to health crises or conflicts, and arresting students when necessary. Again, racial makeup in school populations seems to be at least somewhat predictive of attitude. According to an analysis of education department survey data from 2019, at New York schools with fewer than 20 percent black students, 83 percent agreed that school safety agents promote a safe and respectful environment at this school. But at schools with more than 80 percent black students, that falls to 76 percent. (A former HWDSB trustee I consulted estimated that fewer than 10 percent of that networks students are black.) More important, thoughbecause of more objectively formed opinionsis that 96 percent of families and 90 percent of teachers in the survey held positive views of school safety agents. What about Canadian schools? An extensive two-year study from Carleton University published in 2018 evaluated the $9 million, 22-year SRO program in five Peel District schools near Toronto. The program is unique in that dedicated officers are assigned to all the regions high schools. Their report concluded that SRO not only reduces crime and bullying but also provides extensive social and economic benefits, estimated at 11 times the annual cost. Of the 1,300 students interviewed from diverse socio-economic neighbourhoods, most held positive views, especially those who had been victimized in the past. One Grade 9 respondent said, If anything goes bad, they are here. You always feel secure. Upon the release of the study, business professor Linda Duxbury, the lead researcher, proclaimed the Peel program a resounding success, and the data from the study unequivocal. She recommended the Peel model to other communities. Her co-author, psychology professor Craig Bennell, director of Carletons Police Research Lab, added, [B]y working with school administrators, school resource officers can help to make school a safer place for our children to grow and learn. We say this with some confidence because, no matter how we looked at this issue within our study, our results were overwhelmingly positive. HWDSB acted precipitately in ending their SRO program without a full review of all this available data. Ironically, a year after its curtailment, a Hamilton Police Association report revealed a year-over-year decrease in youth crime between 2018 and 2019, years when the program was operative. The HWDSBs too-hasty decision sprang from ideological capture of most of the boards trustees. That it was politics rather than responsible trusteeship motivating the vote is borne out by the fact that the three more responsible dissenting trustees, who called for further review before any decision was taken, were made to suffer a humiliating personal smear campaign and career derailment as a punishment for their political apostasy. But thats a story for another day. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. President Joe Biden receives the latest Covid-19 booster shot in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, in Washington on Oct. 25, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Biden Gets New COVID-19 Booster, Urges Americans to Follow President Joe Biden on Oct. 25 received a dose of a new COVID-19 booster and encouraged other Americans to get one of the unproven shots. Biden got a dose of a bivalent booster, which targets the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. No clinical data is available from trials for the boosters, which are made by Pfizer and Moderna. Researchers who compared the updated boosters with the old boosters found they produced similar antibody levels. That didnt stop Biden from suggesting the updated shots will prevent severe illness and death. Let me be as plain as I can: We still have hundreds of people dying each day from COVID in this country, hundreds, Biden told a press conference in Washington. That number is likely to rise this winter. But this year is different from the past. This year, nearly every death is preventable. The White House didnt respond to a request for evidence to support the claim. Biden said that peoples vaccine or previous infection will not give you maximum protection and that a booster would increase the protection to its fullest. Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, wasnt as certain about the protection. Our vaccines should provide the best protection possible about sickness and against serious illness this winter, he said during a separate briefing. The president had already received multiple boosters and recovered from COVID-19 earlier this year. Recovery from COVID-19 bestows protection that is superior to the protection from vaccination, numerous studies have shown. Biden also highlighted how some pharmacies are offering financial incentives to people who get one of the vaccines, including Albertsons giving 10 percent off groceries to people who receive a shot in an Albertsons location. The CEOs of Albertsons, CVS Health, Rite Aid, and Walgreens were among those present. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bidens chief medical adviser; Surgeon General Dr. Vivik Murthy, and Health Secretary Xavier Becerra also stood with Biden as he delivered remarks. After receiving a shot, Biden was asked whether COVID-19 is still a national emergency. We have to make sure it doesnt become one, Biden replied. Biden declared the COVID-19 pandemic over on Sept. 18, but his administration still extended the COVID-19 public health emergency in mid-October. Biden was also asked whether he thought New York Citys decision to rescind its private employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate was a mistake. No, I dont. Thats a local judgment, Biden said. The injection came several hours after the administration announced it would be launching a new advertisement campaign and undertaking other efforts to try to get more Americans boosted, as uptake hasnt yet hit 10 percent after the new shots were authorized in late August. EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Plan Onslaught of Investigations Into Bidens China Ties, Virus Origins If theres a House Republican majority when the 118th Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2023, it will launch an onslaught of congressional investigations to expose, among much else, what members view as the Biden familys abuse of public office to enrich themselves. Three veteran House RepublicansReps. James Comer of Kentucky, Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, plus an unknown player to be named laterwill be at the center of a tidal wave of document demands, televised corruption hearings, depositions, sworn testimonies, subpoenas, cross-examinations, and contempt citations that have been in the planning stages for months. All three promise to go wherever the facts lead. Oversight Republicans are investigating the domestic and international business dealings of President Bidens son, Hunter Biden, and other Biden associates and family members to determine whether these activities compromise U.S. national security and President Bidens ability to lead with impartiality, Comer told The Epoch Times. Comer is expected to become chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform if voters, as widely expected, return Republicans to control of the lower chamber of Congress. The Kentucky Republican, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016, is presently the ranking GOP member of the oversight panel in the Democrat-controlled House. His ascension to chair one of the major House committees in only his fourth term would be among the fastest in recent memory. Hunter and other members of the Biden family have a pattern of peddling access to the highest levels of government to enrich themselves, Comer said. The American people deserve to know whether the presidents connections to his familys business deals occurred at the expense of American interests and whether they represent a national security threat. His views were echoed by multiple GOP members of the House, as well as present and former congressional investigative staff veterans interviewed by The Epoch Times in recent days. Congressional plans to dig into the Biden familys alleged brew of government duties and business dealings have been solidified in recent months, after a laptop owned by Hunter Biden was found to contain thousands of incriminating emails, photographs, and other documents. The laptop materials describe multimillion-dollar deals between companies linked to Hunter Biden and James Biden, the presidents brother, and individuals and firms in Russia, China, Ukraine, and other foreign nations. Those deals were made possible in part by access occasioned for Hunter and James Biden by Joe Bidens duties as vice president under President Barack Obama, and possibly since his elevation to the Oval Office in 2021, investigators believe. Former Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski has insisted that references to the Big Guy in the emails and documents are to the senior Biden, who he said received 10 percent of the proceeds from a deal with Chinese energy firm CEFC. Bobulinski is all but certain to be called to testify during the committees hearings next year. Jordan, the likely Judiciary Committee chairman in a Republican-led House, told The Epoch Times that he will be focused initially on two major areas: Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkass role in creating the worst immigration crisis in American history on the U.S. border with Mexico, and political abuses of the Department of Justice by Attorney General Merrick Garland and senior officials within the FBI. Everyone knows what the Biden administration has done on the border is intentional, so we are going to look at all of that, Jordan told The Epoch Times. There is just a whole host of things that are a problem that I think warrant aggressive oversight. Mayorkas knew, for example, that these guys they accused of using their whips to hit migrants, he knew that was [expletive], like we all suspected it was. Asked about the prospects of an impeachment effort against Mayorkas, Jordan said: This guy certainly warrants it. He came in front of our committee and couldnt remember when I asked him about the status of the individuals on the FBIs terrorist watchlist arrested at the border, and he sneeringly said, I dont know. This guy is bad news. The other big thing, of course, is the Justice Department and how political it has become, with the 14 whistleblowers, 14 FBI agents that have come to us as whistleblowers, so well look at all of that. Weve had more whistleblowers come to us than Ive ever seen while were in the minority, which means we cant do the investigation in the proper way. But theyre willing to do it because its that bad over there. Jordan was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and has been reelected seven times in the years since. The Ohio Republican remarked that the first whistleblower who came to the Judiciary panels GOP members exposed the DOJs creation of a threat tag to be applied to concerned parents protesting at school board meetings. Two other FBI whistleblowers whove come forward to Jordan and the panels GOP membersSpecial Agents Kyle Seraphin and Steve Friendhave since gone public with descriptions of how senior bureau officials pressure agents to exaggerate the extent of violent acts by domestic terrorists. He also pointed to the fact that former FBI senior official Jill Sanborn has agreed to sit down with Republican committee staff for a transcribed interview on Dec. 2 as evidence that more whistleblowers will come forward in the coming months. Sanborn was assistant director of the FBIs Counterterrorism Division and executive assistant director of the bureaus National Security Branch. She is expected to provide significant information regarding DOJ and FBI actions on a host of crucial issues of interest to Judiciary Republicans. Another individual wholl be summoned to testify is Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Comer told The Epoch Times that he plans to continue their oversight of COVID origins, and that theyve already uncovered growing evidence that the COVID-19 virus likely originated from the Wuhan Institute for Virology (WIV) in China and the Communist Party of China covered it up. Comer said that U.S. taxpayer dollars were being funneled to the Wuhan lab to conduct risky experimental research on bat coronaviruses and that the evidence shows that Fauci was aware of this information at the start of the pandemic and may have acted to conceal the information and intentionally downplay the lab leak theory. Jordan also wants to get the facts about the more than 50 former intelligence officials who signed an October 2020 letter claiming the emails on the Hunter Biden laptop were likely part of a Russian disinformation campaign. It looks like they were working with the FBI to put together that letter. Where did that letter originate? Who started it? We need to get to the bottom of all that and how the FBI was a part of that, or not a part of that. It sure looks like they were because they went to Facebook and told them to be looking for Russian disinformation, Jordan said. McMorris Rodgers, whose congressional career began in 2005, is in line to take over the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has oversight responsibility for a host of issues in the energy, environmental, and economic spaces. We have a full agenda to hold President Biden and his administration officials accountable on behalf of the American people for how theyve shut down American energy, broken trust at Americas public health agencies, made the fentanyl crisis worse, and increased our dependence on supply chains controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, among many issues, McMorris Rogers told The Epoch Times. Nothing is off the table. Both Comers oversight and McMorris Rodgerss energy and commerce panels are leading extensive investigations into the origins of COVID-19, with the latter particularly focused on how U.S. taxpayer dollars may have helped fund potential gain-of-function research that might have led to the pandemic. McMorris Rodgers is also looking at how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mismanaged the federal response to the virus, which to date has killed more than 1 million Americans since January 2020. Trust in public health has been broken by the Biden administrations authoritarian actions to mandate vaccines, force masks on children, collude with teachers unions to keep schools closed, and urge Big Tech to shut down free speech, the Washington Republican said. She also said her panel will look into the flawed studies and mischaracterization of data the CDC repeatedly used to justify school closures and mask mandates on children. On the energy front, McMorris Rodgers earlier this year introduced a bill to prevent sales of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to any entity under the control of or influenced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). How the Biden administration has managed the SPR will get heavy attention from the energy and commerce panel. The committee under McMorris Rodgerss leadership is also planning an inquiry into social media giant TikToks relationship to the CCP. We have been doing some investigations as to how the Chinese Communist Party is stealing our data and collecting a ton of data on Americans. TikTok is going to be at the top of the [investigations] list, she told The Epoch Times. Chinas influence on U.S. supply chains and the relationship of some environmental advocacy groups in the United States to Beijing are also on the energy and commerce agenda for 2023. An energy and commerce Republican aide said McMorris Rodgers plans to expand the oversight subcommittee staff, who are already planning their moves for next year. Every member of our staff across all our subcommittees is working together on a robust oversight strategy of the Biden administration, which will inform how we take action on policies to reverse the damage theyve caused to our economy, our global competitive edge against China, and our American way of life, the aide said. The player to be named later is whoever House GOP leaders designate to succeed Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) on the House Administration Committee, which has oversight responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Capitol Complex, including how officials prepared for and responded to the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Davis, the ranking GOP member of the committee in the 117th Congress, was in line to become chairman under a Republican majority, but he lost a June primary that pitted him against Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), after the two were redistricted into the contest by the states Democrat-dominated state legislature. Whoever becomes the chairman can be expected to push forward using groundwork laid by Davis on a host of Jan. 6 issues that have been studiously ignored by the special committee appointed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Those issues include why Pelosi and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser didnt accept then-President Donald Trumps offer of thousands of National Guard troops to help protect the U.S. Capitol building and grounds. It is quite possible that Pelosi and Bowser will be summoned before the panel to testify under oath, according to officials. Also among the Jan. 6 issues to be probed in 2023 are why the government has refused to make public all of the surveillance videos recorded that day, as well as information on what role FBI informants played in fomenting and directing the breach, the apparently unprovoked killing of demonstrator Ashli Babbitt by Capitol Police Officer Lt. Michael Byrd, the unhealthy conditions of detention for Jan. 6 defendants, and the claimed grounds for the extreme punishments of Jan. 6 demonstrators. A Kinney County sheriffs deputy arrests an illegal alien being smuggled from the U.S.Mexico border, through Kinney County, Texas, on Sept. 10, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) Border Agents Encountered 98 Migrants on Terror Watchlist in Past Year, Smashing Record Border Patrol agents encountered 98 illegal migrants, a record high, whose names were on the terror watchlist at the southern border in fiscal year 2022, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data. The terror watchlist numbers coincide with record numbers of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered an all-time high of nearly 2.3 million migrants at the southern border during the October 2021 to September 2022 time period. Border Patrol agents encountered three people on the terror watchlist in fiscal year 2020 and 15 in fiscal year 2021 at the southern border, according to CBP statistics. Theres also been a nearly 600 percent surge in special interest migrants who come from countries where terrorist organizations are known to operate, according to internal data exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Anybody that doesnt think that serious threats to this country are sneaking in right now is naive, former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott told the DCNF at the time. Biden administration officials continue to tout a secure southern border. In September, Vice President Kamala Harris said that the border is secure. There is no question that we have to do what the president and I asked Congress to do. The first request we pass a bill to create a pathway to citizenship. The border is secure, but we also have a broken immigration system and particular[ly] over the last four years before we came in and it needs to be fixed, she said on NBC News Meet the Press. CBP didnt immediately respond to the DCNFs request for comment. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. China allegedly trying to recruit spies on American soil. However, their plan took a twist when the person the CCP tried to bribe turned out to be a double agent working for the US. The nations report card is assessing the state of the U.S. education system, and the grade is not a passing one. The Heritage Foundations Lindsey Burke joins us to explore why. Early voting for the midterms is in full swing across 39 states. Over 7 million ballots are already cast. Illegal immigration encounters reach the highest levels ever recorded. One sheriff in Arizona explains how cartels are recruiting Americans to smuggle people and drugsleading to regular high-speed car chases. Those who questioned election integrity in 2020 were often cast as dangerous. One of them, Arizona state Rep. Mark Finchem, is now running to be Arizonas chief elections official. During a political rally over the weekend, former President Donald Trump reacted to the subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee. Follow CapitolReport on social media: Twitter https://twitter.com/capitolreport Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CapitolReport/ Gettr https://gettr.com/user/capitolreport 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 * Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List. BUY Jan 6 DVD: The Real Story of Jan. 6 Documentary102 Minutes, Color), Promo Code [Steve] for 20% off. President Joe Biden gets another jab, urging Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine once every year. But that comes after he said the pandemic is over, and as the CDC says Americans interest in getting boosted is waning. Arizonas Yuma sector is processing hundreds of illegal immigrants every day, a sharp increase over the past year. Where are they coming from, and how is the border city coping with the surge? We speak with Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, to discuss the current energy crisis and what challenges Americans could face heating their homes this winter. The Alaska Republican Party has voted to censure Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He allegedly spent millions to target a Trump-endorsed Republican in Alaskas U.S. Senate race. Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes has been canceled from a planned event. Penn State University called off his appearance at the last minute. A retired NYPD detective joins us to discuss the rise in crime and the factors behind it. This comes after New York City announced new measures to curb subway crime. Follow CapitolReport on social media: Twitter https://twitter.com/capitolreport Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CapitolReport/ Gettr https://gettr.com/user/capitolreport 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 * Click the Save button below the video to access it later on My List. BUY Jan 6 DVD: The Real Story of Jan. 6 Documentary102 Minutes, Color), Promo Code [Steve] for 20% off. On Oct. 19, Zheng Xiyuan, Consul General of the Chinese Communist Party in Manchester, was interviewed by Sky News (screenshot of the interview video from Sky News), and believed that it was his "duty" for pulling the hair of the Hong Kong protesters shown on the left. ". (Matthew Leung/THE CHASER NEWS/AFP) CCP to Continue Aggressive Wolf Warrior Diplomacy After Party Congress: Analysts After the incident of a Hong Kong democracy protester being dragged into the Chinese consulate in the UK city of Manchester and brutally beaten by four Chinese diplomats, including the Chinese consul general in Manchester, the Chinese communist regime has insisted on continuing its aggressive wolf warrior diplomacy. Protesters were demonstrating outside Manchesters Chinese consulate on the day of the opening of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) national congress on Oct. 16. Hong Kongers in the UK put up a number of protest banners, including Heaven destroys the CCP. Four men from the Chinese embassy then came out onto the street. One of them was seen kicking the protest banner in a video that went viral. Later, the four men dragged a protester from the street, Bob Chan, into the embassy where they began beating him. The UK police had to pull Chan out of the embassy to protect him. The incident has drawn international attention and condemnation. Hongkongers holding a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, UK, were dragged into the consulate and beaten by the staff, on Oct. 16, 2022. (Screenshot of Hong Kong Indigenous Defense Force) The British Foreign Office said it was continuing to investigate the incident and hasnt ruled out the deportation of the Chinese diplomats involved. Zheng Xiyuan, the consul general of the CCP in Manchester, eventually admitted on Oct. 20 to beating the protester inside the embassy but did not admit any wrongdoing. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also defended Zhengs behavior, which represents the regimes aggressive wolf warrior foreign policy, which has caused wide criticism. CCPs Fighting Spirit Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said at a press conference of the CCPs 20th National Congress on Oct. 20 that daring to fight is the spirit of the CCPs diplomacy. He added that the CCPs diplomacy will continue to demonstrate its fighting spirit, improve its combat capability, and will always be ready to safeguard the CCPs national interests and dignity on the front line. Shen Beili, deputy director of the International Liaison Department of the CCP Central Committee, said at a press conference at the party congress on the same day that the CCP will never accept the condescending and bossy preaching of the West, and will never adopt the political system of other countries for China. U.S.-based current affairs commentator Li Linyi said that Ma Zhaoxus speech during the party congress about daring to fight is tantamount to indirectly supporting Zheng Xiyuans assault of the HK protester. Zheng Xiyuan also said in an interview with British Sky News, This is my responsibility. This shows that the CCPs wolf warrior diplomacy will not only continue after the party congress, but will also intensify under Xis re-election, Li said. CCPs Export of Violence Sheng Xue, a Chinese-Canadian writer, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 20 that the assault at the Chinese Consulate in Manchester is a practical manifestation of the CCPs violent revolutionary thinking, which has exported violence to the world. Chinese diplomats are personally promoting the CCPs export of violence. This consul general in Manchester wants to take credit to Xi Jinping as a wolf warrior, but in the eyes of the international community, they clearly see the threat of the CCP to the entire international community, she said. Protesters march down Whitehall, London, England, on Oct. 23, 2022, carrying a banner asking for CCP officials that assaulted Bob Chan to be deported. Bob Chan was dragged into the grounds of the Manchester Consulate and beaten up during a Hong Kong pro-democracy protest on 16 Oct. 2022. (Martin Pope/Getty Images) Zheng Qinmo, director of the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations at Tamkang University, told The Epoch Times that aggressive wolf warrior tactics of CCP diplomats who are overseas appear often, which is enough to show the essence of Xi Jinpings diplomatic thinking in the new era. They totally disregard the hosting countries laws and directly use violence against those who challenge CCP values. Read More Magistrate Rules Chinese Diplomat Has Immunity in Pavlou Case, Dismisses Legal Action Over Public Comments This incident happened during the CCPs 20th National Congress. The wolf warrior behavior of Chinese (CCP) diplomats is a demonstration of their oath of allegiance to Xi Jinping, which is to obey Xis diplomatic guidelines. This incident will make the British people more aware of the nature of the Chinese communist regime, and will further affect the UKs China policy, he said. Zheng pointed out that the incident was the result of many European countries long-term appeasement of the disorderly behavior of CCP diplomats, which makes them believe they can do whatever they want. Relations between the UK and China have grown increasingly tense since China imposed the national security law in Hong Kong. Last year, the UK government granted Hong Kongers holding the British National Overseas visa (BNO) the right to live, work, and study in the UK, and ultimately obtain citizenship. Lin Song, a PhD of political science from the University of New South Wales in Australia, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 19, The CCP has already had huge conflicts with Hong Kong people, and the regime cant stand the fact that the UK takes in so many Hong Kong people. So this time, it seems that this incident was deliberately created to pressure and make trouble for the Hong Kong people in the UK and the UK government. Yi Ru, Li Xinan, Xia Dunhou, Chang Chun, Xia Yu contributed to this report. A new electronic billboard leased by Xinhua, the news agency operated by the Chinese regime, makes its debut in New York's Times Square on Aug. 1, 2011. (Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images) China Controls the Media Narrative in 16 Countries; US Is One of Them Commentary Its common knowledge that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) runs a tightly controlled, carefully choreographed media empire. This expansive operation reaches almost every corner of the globe, influencing narratives and molding the minds of the masses. In recent years, the CCP has intensified its push to exercise complete control over the global narrative. Some countries are particularly receptive to the CCPs demands. A recent report, published by the good people at Freedom House, identified a number of countries where Chinas interference is particularly strong. Worryingly, the United States is one of them. According to the lengthy report, aptly titled Beijings Global Media Influence 2022: Authoritarian Expansion and the Power of Democratic Resilience, the CCPs media influence efforts were deemed high or very high in 16 of the 30 countries analyzed. Not surprisingly, Taiwan; the United States, Chinas biggest rival; and the United Kingdom, a country with close ties to China, experienced the most penetrative influence efforts. Other countries that have also experienced intense levels of Chinese interference include Argentina, Italy, Kenya, the Philippines, and Spain. The influence operation, as is clear to see, is very much global in nature. As per the report, Nigeria is particularly susceptible to the CCPs media influence due to its penchant for authoritarianism and lack of press freedom. The Nigerian government views the Chinese regime as a model for its suppression of local free expression. Moreover, the Nigerian government was (and perhaps still is) using technology operated by China-based companies for this purpose. Nigerian officials are helped in their attempt to emulate China because public opinion is very positive towards China as an economic model. In fact, Chinas economic model is something many Nigerians think their country should seek to emulate, according to the report. In the UK, Chinese interference was labeled very high. As the report noted, paid content from Huawei, a Chinese telecom giant with close ties to the CCP, routinely appears in The Economist. The Financial Times, another British tabloid of considerable repute, carries China Watch. Interestingly, the Daily Mail and General Trusta multinational media company that publishes the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Metro, MailOnline, and New Scientistis a longstanding member of the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN). Headquartered in Beijing and spearheaded by the Peoples Daily, the CCPs premier mouthpiece, the BRNN was established to spread favorable content about China and the regimes Belt and Road Initiative. As the Freedom House report highlights, Peoples Daily happens to have an office in the UK. Other mouthpieces associated with the CCP, including China Daily, China Global Television Network, and Xinhua, also have offices across the UK. Similarly, in the United States, Chinese influence in the media space was identified as very high. For years, China has been influencing various social media platforms and stealing U.S. intelligence secrets. Why wouldnt the CCP attempt to influence media operations? Over the years, the methods deployed by CCP-backed actors have evolved at breakneck speeds. Beijing has pumped inordinate sums of money into sophisticated disinformation campaigns and the hiring of various social media influencers. It has also orchestrated cyberattacks on major news outlets. Cyberbullying of journalists has also occurred with greater frequency, according to the report, as CCP-backed state media outlets struggled to gain a mainstream audience in the United States and public opinion toward Beijing became more negative. The reports authors identified several prominent regional and national news outlets that have run paid inserts from news agencies directly associated with the CCP. Offenders include the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, CNN, and, somewhat surprisingly, Foreign Policy. The New York Times and The Washington Post, two major publications, have included paid inserts from the CCP in the past. The report also discusses how Huawei has been known to subsidize trips for reporters to China, even though U.S. senators have spoken at length about the dangers posed by the multinational technology. Finally, the report outlined the dangers posed by China-based social media companies such as Tencents WeChat and ByteDances TikTok, two CCP-backed apps with tens of millions of American users. Almost 25 percent of the U.S. population now uses TikTok, which serves as both a surveillance tool and a disinformation machine for Beijing. From Lagos to Los Angeles, Beijing is doubling down on its campaign to control how it is portrayed in the world and to bend foreign media to its will, said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. However, as the report clearly demonstrates, a number of countries, including Colombia and Israel, have been resistant to Chinese interference, determinedly refusing to bend to the CCPs demands. Somewhat perplexingly, the United States, supposedly the most powerful country in the world, is not one of them. The United States, it seems, is failing to prevent the CCP from shaping the narratives consumed by so many Americans. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A Canadian Coast Guard helicopter makes an approach to land at the military camp on Baffin Island on Aug. 26, 2014. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Chinas Threat to Canadas Hold on Arctic More Immediate Than Defence Chief Warns, Expert Says China will challenge Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic region sooner than Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre previously warned, an expert told MPs in testimony before a House committee on Oct. 25. Robert Huebert, associate professor at the University of Calgary, told the Standing Committee on National Defence that he believes China is ramping up its military capabilities and seeking to bring nuclear submarines into the Arctic region to vie for control. The timeline for China to challenge Canada will be sooner than the 20 years that Eyre predicted at the committees previous meeting on Oct. 18, Huebert said. The time periods are so short, which means the problem is not 20 years. [The Chinese] are doing the capabilities studies right now, he said, adding that a more specific schedule will depend on when Beijing decides to launch a military incursion into Taiwan. I agree with General Eyre, the Chinese will be a threat. I disagree with his timeline. I think it will be much more immediate than what he is expecting. Once again, on the important dependent of Taiwan. Huebert said Canada is increasingly reluctant to engage the international community, which he said is because of a false belief that geography protects us from concerns about military conflicts launched by Russia and China. But China has been building up its capabilities to compete in the Arctic, with a timeline shaped by the regimes plan to invade the self-ruled democratic island of Taiwan, which it regards as a rogue territory. Theres a huge debate on whether or not the Chinese plan on having their nuclear-powered cruise submarines come into Arctic waters, but if they doand I believe that they are actively preparing for thata cruise missile strike then from the north would be given to try to catch us off guard, he said. All Canadian observers on this point will immediately change their view when the war in Taiwan begins because when the war in Taiwan begins, we will see both the international ramifications along with the Chinese military capabilities, Huebert said. Then we will do a reevaluation in which people will sayjust as were doing with the second phase of the Russian-Ukrainian WarOh, I guess we should have seen this coming.' This view of China posing increasing challenges to the West was echoed by Justin Massie, professor at Universite du Quebec a Montreal, who also testified before the defence committee on Oct. 25. Massie said the once-benign Arctic environment is changing due to the increased power conflicts, marked by the RussiaUkraine War and the rising U.S.China strategic competition, as well as the increased use of armed forces to address environmental issues in relation to climate change. Weve seen these trends on the horizon for a whilethe new militarization of the large powers and climate change. But taken together, they constitute a threat which may force Canada to focus its strategic attention, its resources, and its concentration of those resources on its own territory, he said. Uncertainties The defence committee also heard testimony from Anessa Kimball, a professor at Laval University, who warned about the uncertainties caused by Chinas and Russias ambitions in the Arctic. Uncertainty about future actor behaviour by both Russia and China creates more problems, Kimbell said, pointing to Beijings attempt to create a Polar Silk Road, an expansion of its Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure development strategy introduced by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2013. For China, their interest is in maritime commerce, being able to travel through that area, as well as being able to explore for resources. Weve seen them try a few times over, either by trying to purchase territory or mineral exploration interests in that region, or entering into agreements with international companies, she said, adding that while none of those plans succeeded, Beijing is still trying to carve out space for themselves in the region. Kimbell noted that the most pressing strategic problem for stakeholders is the uncertainty about the future state of the world that follows what appears to be the slow decline of the United States relative to China in terms of economy and politics. The reality is the U.S. and many other Arctic states have sufficient capacities to jointly secure the region in a crisis, she said, noting however that incursions by sea and air could still occur. The current configuration of defence assets in the region offers a level of deterrence from ambition, but is not sufficiently strong enough to deter incursions into the aerial and maritime spaces. Such incursions raise the risk of accidents, misunderstandings. Kimbell said considering Chinas ambitions in the Arctic, the country should be integrated into existing institutional structures to codify norms and reduce externalities. Great power competition is coming to the region. The prospects for cooperation can be increased by identifying issues early and designing appropriate institutional structures to regularize behaviour, she said. Civil Liberties Groups Call for CBC President to Testify at Emergencies Act Inquiry Civil liberties and constitutional rights groups are requesting the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) call on the president and CEO of the CBC, Catherine Tait, to testify in the ongoing public inquiry looking into the governments use of the Emergencies Act. The rights groups, including the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), The Democracy Fund (TDF), and the Freedom Corporation, proposed the move in a letter submitted to PEOC Commissioner Paul Rouleau on Oct. 21, in which they said that Taits evidence would significantly contribute to an understanding of the issues relevant to this Inquiry. As required by law, the POEC is looking into the circumstances surrounding the federal governments invocation of the Emergencies Act earlier this year. The letter noted that the commission is mandated to investigate the impact, role and sources of misinformation and disinformation. It pointed to recent testimony from Pat Morris, superintendent of the Ontario Provincial Police, that the letter said, laid an evidentiary foundation to believe that the news media played a role in propagating misinformation which contributed to the events leading up to the invocation of the Emergencies Act. I was concerned by comments made publicly by public figures and in the media that I believe werent premised in fact, Morris said in his testimony. The media can provide editorials and editorial boards can have stances, he added. I believe that a lot of people were making assertions that werent accurate I did not see information that substantiated what was being said publicly and via the media and I found that the subjective assertions sensationalized and exacerbated conflict. JCCF lawyer Hatim Kheir said in a news release that the groups are asking for Tait to testify because she is the head of Canadas national broadcaster, which is one of the largest sources of news in the country. Given that claims made in news reports were used to substantiate government requests to the Court, such as Ontarios application for a restraint order, and given that Supt. Morris testified that the news reports were inconsistent with his best intelligence, the Commission should hear from individuals who can testify about the medias approach to covering the Freedom Convoy protest, Kheir said. If called, Tait will be cross-examined on journalistic standards, the CBCs approach to covering the Freedom Convoy, its rigour in verifying reports, and the organizations approach to corrections when stories later turned out to be untrue, said the letter. Retractions The POEC is holding a series of public hearings from Oct. 13 until Nov. 25 to look into the Liberal governments invocation of the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 in response to the Freedom Convoy protests and border blockades against the federal COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. The CBC has previously retracted articles that made erroneous reports about the convoy, including a late January article that said Russia could be backing the protest, which it later corrected. In March, the broadcaster retracted a second story concerning foreign influence that claimed a Freedom Convoy fundraiser was shut down due to the suspicious nature of its donations. On February 10 in a report about the protest convoy CBC Radios The World This Hour incorrectly said GoFundMe ended a fundraiser for the protesters over questionable donations to the group, the CBC said in a statement reported by Blacklocks Reporter. On Jan. 28, CBC TV questioned in a broadcast whether Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things as this protest grows or perhaps even instigating it from the outside, a remark that was corrected and later cited as unfit for broadcast by CBC Ombudsman Jack Nagler. Some federal cabinet members including Attorney General David Lametti cited CBC News as a key source of information considered in the governments decision to invoke the act. CBC reported, I believe on February 13, that there was also foreign funding through a variety of different sites, Lametti said while testifying at the Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency on April 26. A health worker prepares a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic in Montreal on March 15, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson) Coalition Presents Letter Signed by Canadian Scientists, Asking Health Officials to Affirm COVID Vaccine Safety Risks A coalition of over 20 public interest groups is calling on the federal government to publicly affirm the material risks and scientific uncertainties related to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, presenting a letter signed by 19 doctors, scientists, and academics across the country. Coming together as the Citizens Group, the coalition wrote the letter to Jean-Yves Duclos and Dr. Theresa Tam dated Oct. 13, asking for transparent answers to all questions and concerns revolving around COVID-19 vaccines. In our view, you have not, to date, properly informed Canadian citizens as to the material risks and scientific uncertainties related to the previously authorized lipid nanoparticle COVID-19 mRNA or adenoviral DNA vaccines, said the letter, submitted by interest groups such as the B.C. Public Service Employees for Freedom, Police for Freedom, and the United Health Care Workers of Ontario (UHCWO). According to the group, the scientific content included in the letter has been reviewed by 19 doctors, scientists, and academics across the country with specializations including medicine, epidemiology, and microbiology. Among them are Philip Britz-McKibbin, a professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at McMaster University, Claudia Chaufan, associate professor of health policy and global health at York University, Bernard Massie, former director of Human Health Therapeutics Research Center of the National Research Council, and Kanji Nakatsu, professor emeritus in pharmacology at Queens University. The Citizens Group says that Health Canada currently has no conclusive data to ascertain the extent to which one may experience cell and tissue damage from receiving the shots in the short or long term, and calls on the public health agency to acknowledge this publicly. The letter included an appendix, titled Proposed Government Safety Risk Statement on COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines, which the group urged the minister and health officer to review and respond to. If you dispute any assertion or principle contained in this Safety Risk Statement, then we respectfully ask that you provide a substantive response and comment so that members of the public may properly understand your position on the matters put forward in this document. Distinct from Traditional Vaccines The Safety Risk Statement asserts that COVID-19 vaccines are distinct from traditional vaccine products in the way they stimulate an immune response in a persons body. All authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work by instructing your cells to express a spike protein that is anchored to that cell. To stimulate an immune response, your immune system initially attacks, damages, and/or destroys that cell, said the statement. Though the vaccine is administered in your arm, a certain portion of your vaccine (currently unknown) goes beyond your arm and distributes throughout your body, where it may be taken up into various tissues, including liver, spleen, adrenals, ovaries, heart and the brain. The extent of cell and/or tissue damage in your body, beyond your arm, may differ widely from person to person. The statement also said that Health Canada has no conclusive data to determine the extent to which a person may experience cell and tissue damage that may impact his or her health in the long term. It is possible that you may incur such damage without necessarily experiencing it as an adverse event related to the time of vaccination, it said. Moreover, with each successive dose on this platform, the damage may be cumulative. Some types of cellssuch as brain neurons and cardiac muscle cellscannot be regenerated once they die. In an email to The Epoch Times on Oct. 24, one of the letters signatories confirmed the group has not received a reply from Duclos and Tam to date. Unfortunately neither have responded. It was our hope to have these pressing issues addressed or at the very least open some dialogue, said a spokesperson from UHCWO. The Epoch Times reached out to Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada for comment but the department said it was unable to respond by publication time. Booster Campaign The federal government has been calling for an increase in the countrys booster shot uptake in recent months. On Sept. 1, Duclos announced that the government would implement a national campaign encouraging Canadians to receive booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. A national public education campaign was launched a month later saying that it provides Canadians with evidence-based information on COVID-19. Platforms used to convey messages include advertising, social media posts, and information resources that the campaign says encourages behaviours that protect individuals and our communities. Tam also told Canadians in a press conference on Oct. 7 to get boosted within the federal recommended timeline or risk getting themselves and others hospitalized due to falling vaccine immunity against the virus. The group told Duclos and Tam that if they opt to mandate COVID vaccination again this fall with measures that cause loss of employment, movement, and access to services and education, we are entitled to seek any and all legal remedies against you both domestically and through international courts of law. Compensate 40,000 English Care Workers Who Lost Jobs Over Vaccine Mandate, says MP A British MP says that he is particularly ashamed of his vote to dismiss care workers who did not want a COVID-19 vaccination and that he hopes that they can be reinstated and compensated. Danny Kruger MP was speaking at debate in parliament on Tuesday held in response to a petition calling for a public inquiry into COVID-19 vaccine safety, which has received over 107,000 signatures. Although many questions about our COVID response need to be answered, the UK is by no means the worst offender, Kruger told his fellow lawmakers. We are not Canada, New Zealand or China; places where governments think they can exterminate COVID by depriving their population of the most basic civil liberties, he said. However, I am afraid that we still have many questions to ask ourselves, and even much to be ashamed of. I put on record that in hindsight I am particularly ashamed of my vote to dismiss care workers who did not want to receive the vaccine. I very much hope that the 40,000 care workers who lost their jobs can be reinstated, and indeed compensated. COVID-19 vaccinations were made compulsory for all staff working in care homes in England from Nov. 11 2021. A huge loss Alan Miller, co-founder of Together Declaration, told The Epoch Times by email that Krugers comments were refreshing and important. His organisation was formed in 2021 in response to COVID measures with the mission to push back against the rapidly growing infringements on our rights and freedoms Miller said care workers had worked courageously throughout the period in the most difficult of circumstances. He described the compulsory vaccination as a huge loss and a shameful moment for Britain. With over 40,000 lost and now 165,000 shortfall, with 13,000 beds not being released in the NHS and 500,000 awaiting care they need to be, as our Together Care Workers campaign insists: apologised to; reinstated; and compensated, he said. Miller said that the government must clarify guidance, because some care homes are still insisting on no jab no job policies as well as a range of restrictions on visiting and impositions such as mask wearing. This is an insult to all of our most vulnerable members of society and needs to end. While the Care and Quality Commission Report spells out all to painfully the shortfalls, few are admitting responsibility as to why this is so severe. That is why we have over 50,000 signatures growing daily which we shall be handing in to health minister the DHSC very soon, he added. A doctor prepares the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Halifax, England, on July 31, 2021. (Ian Forsyth/Getty Images) No coronavirus vaccine inquiry Health Minister Caroline Johnson told MPs that the government is not planning to open an inquiry solely into the safety of coronavirus vaccines. The government have already commissioned a public inquiry into the pandemic, and covid vaccines will be reviewed as part of that inquiry. There are no plans for an inquiry solely on vaccine safety, she told MPs at the Westminster Hall debate. She echoed Conservative MP Elliot Colburn, the leader of the debate, who said that a public inquiry into vaccine safety would be a waste of taxpayers money. Other MPs at the debate had called on the government to investigate potential vaccine harms. SNP MP Steven Bonnar said that a connection between increase in heart attacks and COVID vaccinations needs to be investigated. He noted that that the COVID-19 vaccination programme is estimated to have saved more than 27 thousand lives in Scotland. But he went on to add, despite that, there has been a significant increase in heart attacks and related illnesses since the covid-19 vaccinations started to be distributed in 2021. To determine whether there is any connection with the COVID-19 roll-out, the government must conduct an immediate and complete scientific investigation, and ensure that the prescribed medical interventions of their response to coronavirus are indeed safe, said Bonnar. Sir Christopher Chope, who chairs the Covid-19 All-Party Parliamentary Group, said that the government seems to be in denial about the risks of these vaccines. He said that the vaccine damage payment scheme is not fit for purpose, and said: Many people now would not touch a booster with a bargepole, and I include myself among them. I am not anti-vaxI had my first two vaccinesbut from all that I have seen and know about this, the increase in boosters is counterproductive for many and dangerous for some, he said. David Shuldman (R) and Avital Livny, creator of the testimonies project, at the Jerusalem District Court, Jerusalem, Israel, on Sept. 29, 2022. (Courtesy of Avital Livny) Court Orders Israeli Authorities to Provide Vaccination Status of People Who Died During Pandemic HAIFA, IsraelFollowing a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from an Israeli citizen, the Jerusalem District Court has ordered the Ministry of Health to provide information on the vaccination status of deceased people and other information. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has until mid-November to provide: total mortality, for any reason, including COVID-19, noting the vaccination status of the deceased, the vaccine doses, and recoveries data about child mortality from COVID-19, noting whether the deceased did or did not have comorbidities COVID-19 mortality with the data segmented by comorbidities and according to vaccination status The order came after David Shuldman, a systems analyst and an economist, filed an FOI request in 2021 for mortality data broken down by vaccination status. He also asked that deaths among people who recovered from COVID-19 be noted. Shuldman filed an administrative appeal after the MoH failed to respond for four months. MoH was also ordered to reimburse most fees as well as pay expenses. Shuldman told The Epoch Times that he hoped the MoH would publish the data but since they didnt, he decided to try to get it and publish it himself. I dont want to publish data analyses. I dont want to rely on analyses that are unofficial. My goal is to get the Ministry of Health to investigate this issue, to publish the data properly, in an official way, he said. MoH did not respond to a request for comment. Three days after the court order, Kan 11, an Israeli state-owned broadcaster, announced the MoH is going to study excess mortality to see whether the higher-than-normal deaths recorded during the pandemic are linked to COVID-19 vaccinations. Vaccination Campaign At the end of December 2020, the state of Israel launched its COVID-19 vaccination program called Give a Shoulder, asking citizens to get vaccinated. Shuldman heeded the call. I was vaccinated twice, he said. My son really tried to convince me to wait. We continued to argue until August 2021. I realized that my son was actually right, he said. Shuldman said he was astonished when his 60-year-old neighbor suffered from cardiac arrest and died just 10 days after a booster. This was a red light for him, and he started to think about the safety of the vaccine. FOI Request After looking for information and doing some analysis of his own Shuldman submitted a FOI application on Oct. 10, 2021, asking for segmented COVID-19 death data. He received an initial response accepting his request but didnt hear anything else. After four months, Shuldman sent a legal notice to the ministry, warning that action may be taken. When he didnt receive an answer, he filed an administrative appeal. That drew a response. In April the MoH provided data, but it was not complete. They ignored most of the data I requested. They claimed they didnt have it, Shuldman said. I asked for a segmentation of total mortality according to vaccination status and recovery. They did not give it. They only gave segmented coronavirus mortality [data]. So Shuldman appealed. September Hearing In September, Shuldman had a hearing with the MoH. At the hearing, an MoH attorney said that in terms of how they understood Shuldmans FOI appeal, they had already provided the data to him: segmentation of COVID mortality by vaccination status and the number of people hospitalized and deceased segmented by comorbidity. The judge responded that Shuldman had requested data about mortality for any reason and not necessarily because of COVID-19, including the vaccination status. And the same goes for hospitalization. He said: Your answer does not address this request at all. In your reply, you claimed that the petitioner requested data about deceased because of COVID when his request was different regarding this factor. The question is if this data can be provided to him? the judge asked. MoHs Attorney said that maybe this data had been given to Shuldman in a previous hearing. However, the judge said that according to his examination it had not. The MoH attorney conferred with officials and after a break came back and said they could provide the data. [Shuldman] got data beyond the data we need to provide by the law, the MoHs attorney said, according to an official court document summarizing the hearing and court order. There are additional requests flooding the Ministry of Health that the ministry needs to address, she said. The MoH and Shuldman agreed that the MoH will provide the data by Nov. 15. The Israeli Public Emergency Council for the COVID19 Crisis, which assisted Shuldman, said in a Telegram post: It is sad and serious that instead of analyzing the data of excess mortality in Israel, the Ministry of Health was fighting in court to hide the data from the public. Medibank signage sits on top of the Medibank building in Docklands, Melbourne of Australia on Oct. 1, 2014. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Customer Data Lost in Cyberattack on Australias Largest Health Insurer Australias largest healthcare insurer Medibank has apologised after revealing customer data had been stolen in a recent cyber attack. It comes after an initial announcement from the insurance giant that customer data for its ahm brand and international student business was lost in a hack. This is a distressing development, and Medibank unreservedly apologises to our customers, the insurer said in a media release on Oct. 24. According to the company, communication with the hacker has revealed that at least 1,100 policy records, which include personal private data, was compromised. However, Medibank noted that it expects the number of affected customers to grow as the investigation progresses. Given the complexity of what we have received, it is too soon to determine the full extent of the customer data that has been stolen. We will continue to analyse what we have received to understand the total number of customers impacted and, specifically, which information has been stolen, the company said. Medibank CEO David Koczkar has apologised saying the latest developments will be distressing for customers, staff and the community. I unreservedly apologise to our customers who have been the victims of this serious crime, he said. This is a malicious attack that has been committed by criminals with a view of causing maximum fear and damage, especially to the most vulnerable members of our community. The hack on Medibank is currently being investigated by the Australian Federal Police. Medibank to Provide Customer Support Medibank also announced a support package for customers affected by the breach. It will include the financial reimbursement of fees for the re-issuing of identity documents that have been compromised, as well as free identity monitoring services for customers who have been compromised. A mental health and well-being support call line will also be established, as well as resources from Australias cyber support service IDCARE. Lastly, for customers in a uniquely vulnerable position, Medibank has arranged a hardship package to provide financial support. These packages will be provided on a case-by-case basis, the company said. Additionally, the company said it was working with Australian banks and government departments to help monitor the situation. Federal Government Criticised For Slow Response to Cyber Attacks Meanwhile, Clare ONeil, the federal minister for cybersecurity has faced criticism for her response to recent cyberattacks on major Australian companies Medibank and the countrys second largest telecommunications company Optus. Shadow Minister for Cyber Security James Paterson, pointed out in a statement that it took the Labor minister one week to respond to the Medibank hack publicly. Ms. ONeil should explain why she accepted the companys initial denial; this was serious, delaying government engagement by a week, Paterson said. In a cyber attack, time is of the essence. Early engagement by the government allows the facts to be established, data theft to potentially be disrupted, and gives customers time to take any necessary steps to mitigate the consequences of the breach. He also called on the federal government to release a timeline of the actions they have taken. Medibank victims have every right to know what steps the Albanese government took and when, Paterson said. People wade through a flooded street amid continuous rain before the Cyclone Sitrang hits the country in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Oct. 24, 2022. (Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters) Cyclone Lashes Bangladesh Killing at Least 9, Flooding Low-Lying Areas DHAKAA cyclone roared into the Bangladesh coast on Tuesday, killing at least nine people, destroying houses, uprooting trees, and disrupting road, power, and communication links, officials said. Mass evacuations before Cyclone Sitrang made landfall on the west coast helped save lives but the full extent of the casualties and damage would only be known after communications were fully restored, they said. It was terrible, it looked like the sea was coming to grab us, Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Bhola district, told Reuters after communications were restored in his neighborhood. We spent a sleepless night, all we could do was pray. The cyclone barreled in from the Bay of Bengal with winds gusting up to 88 kph (55 mph) and a storm surge of about 3 meters (10 feet) that flooded low-lying coastal areas. Power and telephone links have been largely cut and coastal areas plunged into darkness, officials said. Most of the people killed were crushed by falling trees. No major damage was reported in refugee camps in southeast Bangladesh, where more than a million ethnic Rohingya refugees from neighboring Burma (also known as Myanmar) are living in flimsy shelters. Officials advised nearly 32,000 Rohingya refugees who have moved from the camps to a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal to stay indoors. We felt the force of the strong wind but were spared, Rohingya refugee Mohammed Arman told Reuters by phone. Heavy rain fell on the streets of the capital, Dhaka, causing some flooding and disruption to commuters. The cyclone also affected the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump gather near the east front door of the U.S. Capitol after groups breached the building's security in Washington on Jan. 06, 2021. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Delaware Man Gets 2 Years in Prison for Breaching Capitol With Dad on Jan. 6 On Oct 24, a man from Delaware was sentenced to 2 years in prison for misdemeanor and felony offenses related to his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Stop the Steal rally at the U.S. Capitol. Hunter Seefried, 24, and his father, Kevin Seefried, 53, were among the first to approach the building near the Senate wing door. The Seefrieds attended a speech by President Donald Trump near the Ellipse before heading to the U.S. Capitol. Hunter Seefried was seen clearing a large piece of glass from one of the windows of the building to get inside. After 2:13 p.m, they entered the Capitol. Kevin Seefried was photographed parading with a Confederate flag inside the compound. While in the building, both defendants were part of a larger group of individuals who verbally confronted several U.S. Capitol Police officers near the entrance to the Senate Chambers, an Oct. 25 press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated. Both men just stayed inside the compound for around 20 minutes and left the Capitol building at 2:36 p.m. The Seefrieds were arrested on Jan. 14, 2021, in Delaware. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden found the two guilty of felony and misdemeanor offenses last year. Instead of having their case heard by a jury, the men chose to have a bench trial, which is decided by a judge. Both men have been charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and one count of depredation of government property. Court Proceedings Initially, the DOJ sought a 64-month prison sentence for Hunter Seefried. Edson Bostic, his attorney, asked for leniency arguing that the young man was caught up in the momentum of the crowds. Bostic also noted in court papers that the son never hurt or threatened anyone at the Capitol, calling him a decent man. Hunter is a decent, hard-working and caring young man, who was misled and got caught up in the unfortunate events of January 6, 2021, the attorney stated. He is very remorseful and wished he could relive and change his behavior that day. Bostic appealed for probation and home detention instead of prison time. McFadden eventually deemed the DOJs proposed sentencing overly harsh. I believe you are a good man who messed up badly, the judge stated. He attributed the younger Seefrieds impulsiveness to his age. The court ruled that he must also spend a year on supervised release and pay a $2,000 restitution fee. The father is set to be sentenced in January next year. In the 21 months since the Jan. 6 breach, over 880 individuals from almost 50 states have been arrested, including more than 270 people who are charged with impeding or assaulting law enforcement. Around 3,000 people are estimated to have entered the Capitol or assaulted law enforcement officials on Jan. 6. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter told the judge that the DOJ might eventually bring charges against 2,000 individuals. Janita Kan and Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report. Trucks make their way to the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on July 13, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Diesel Supply at Only 25 Days; Biden Admin Response Not Helping, Analyst Says The United States maintains only 25 days of diesel supply, the lowest since 2008, according to recent data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This is down from 34.2 days in the previous four weeks. Total national stockpiles stand at 106.187 million barrels, down about 34 percent since Biden took office. EIA numbers confirm that demand eased in the past week, coming in at 4.072 million barrels, although consumption is still up nearly 20 percent compared to the previous four weeks. The White House announced last week that President Joe Biden is prepared to release more crude oil from the national Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to stabilize gasoline and diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections in November. This is in addition to the administrations six-month initiative to release 180 million barrels that started earlier this year. Yet, this is not helping the diesel crack spreads, which exploded once again, wrote Phil Flynn, an energy analyst and author of The Energy Report. Heating oil and distillate supplies are tight across the world, and while economic turmoil continues to keep oil locked in a trading range, its perhaps a matter of time before oil prices scream to the upside. In the Northeast United States, a part of the country that typically burns more fuel for heating than any other part of the nation, stockpiles have dwindled to their lowest levels since April 1992. National Economic Council Director Brian Deese recently told Bloomberg TV that the Biden administration could tap into the Northeasts emergency diesel reserves if inventories dont rise fast enough. The White House also has left the door open to an export ban on gasoline, diesel, and other refined petroleum products. However, that option has generated criticism from oil and gas industry leaders. Banning or limiting the export of refined products would likely decrease inventory levels, reduce domestic refining capacity, put upward pressure on consumer fuel prices, and alienate U.S. allies during a time of war, Mike Sommers, American Petroleum Institute president and CEO, wrote in a letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. Meanwhile, there could be some relief as two vessels carrying about 90,000 tons of diesel and jet fuel are scheduled to arrive in New York after being diverted from their original European destinations. In addition, Delta Air Lines Trainer refinery in Pennsylvania is poised to return from seasonal maintenance, which will help expand regional diesel output. Since 2020, the United States has lost about 1 million barrels per day in operable refining capacity. Over the past decade, the number of refineries has plunged to 129; in the Northeast, only seven refineries remain. Thats a concern for the trucking industry, because diesel is the second-highest cost for trucking firms, behind labor. With the American Trucking Association reporting a shortage of 80,000 drivers and soaring diesel prices affecting the bottom line of companies, it could spell trouble heading into one of the years busiest periods. DOJ Blocking Requests for Information on Enforcement of Federal Election Scheme A watchdog group is alleging that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is refusing to divulge key details on how the agency is enforcing President Joe Bidens executive order signed last year that directed federal agencies to increase voter turnout. The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) filed a lawsuit against the DOJ earlier this year about how it is implementing the executive order, signed in March 2021 and titled, Promoting Access to Voting. Text of the order, according to a White House statement, is laced with claims that black Americans and other minority groups have faced faced discriminatory policies and as such, federal agencies should partner with local, state, and other election officials to protect and promote the exercise of the right to vote, eliminate discrimination and other barriers to voting, and expand access to voter registration and accurate election information. However, according to FGA, the DOJ has only given the group a series of heavily redacted documents. The organization told Fox News on Tuesday that it will take more legal action against the DOJ, accusing it of hiding alleged details about how the federal government is working on behalf of Democrats. President Biden is deeply unpopular. Its clear his administration has weaponized DOJ to hide records and is using the legal process to run out the clock before the midterm elections, Tarren Bragdon, the head of FGA, told Fox News. DOJ offered flimsy excuses to justify concealing key information regarding their participation in government-funded get out the vote efforts. Following a September court order that ruled in favor of the FGA, the DOJ handed over 135 pages of redacted documents. Among the missing documents was the DOJs 15-page strategic plan that detailed how the agency will help increase voter registration and participation, FGA also said Tuesday. This document is a finished product, completed as part of Bidens executive order. In July, a federal district court ruled the DOJ must turn over the documents to the FGA, and this post-decisional document clearly is required to be disclosed. Order The 2021 executive order said that Attorney General Merrick Garland shall establish procedures, consistent with applicable law, to ensure the United States Marshals Service includes language in intergovernmental agreements and jail contracts to require the jails to provide educational materials related to voter registration and voting, and to facilitate voting by mail, to the extent practicable and appropriate. And it directed the attorney general to take appropriate steps, consistent with applicable law, to support formerly incarcerated individuals in obtaining a means of identification that satisfies State voter identification laws, it said. Stewart Whitson, legal director for the FGA, told Fox on Tuesday that the group will file a new legal complaint to counter [the] DOJs stonewalling, saying, Well ask the judge to compel DOJ to finally reveal documents theyve been hiding, including their strategic plan to carry out President Bidens federal election scheme. The DOJ has not responded to a request for comment. Two armed men dressed in tactical gear were sighted at a ballot drop box in Maricopa County, Arizona, on Oct. 21, 2022. (Courtesy of Maricopa County Elections Department) DOJ Will Not Permit Voters to be Intimidated Following Sighting of Uniformed Vigilantes: Attorney General U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed on Oct. 25 that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will not permit voters to be intimidated during the 2022 midterm elections. The Justice Department has an obligation to guarantee a free and fair vote by everyone whos qualified to vote and will not permit voters to be intimidated, Garland said during an unrelated news conference in Washington. Garland was answering a question about armed vigilantes recently being spotted near a ballot drop box in Arizona. The Maricopa County Elections Department shared several pictures of the Oct. 21 incident on Twitter, saying they are deeply concerned about the safety of voters after two armed uniformed vigilantes were seen near a ballot drop box Friday evening in the city of Mesa, located east of Phoenix. Officials said the two individuals left the site of the ballot drop box after a response from the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office at the request of the elections department. ????On Friday, 2 armed individuals dressed in tactical gear were onsite at our Mesa ballot drop box. After @mcsoaz arrived, the individuals left. @MaricopaCounty Chairman Gates & @RecordersOffice Recorder Richer said they condemn these actions. Read more: https://t.co/iHFPCxeLFT pic.twitter.com/o8JCudzVCj Maricopa County Elections Department (@MaricopaVote) October 23, 2022 Arizona law prohibits people from openly carrying a firearm within the 75-foot limit of a voting location, according to the states guidance on voting place conduct. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer released a joint statement on Oct. 22 to address the matter. Uninformed vigilantes outside Maricopa Countys drop boxes are not increasing election integrity. Instead, they are leading to voter intimidation complaints, the statement reads. Although monitoring and transparency in our elections is critical, voter intimidation is unlawful, it continued. For those who want to be involved in election integrity, become a poll worker or an official observer with your political party. Dont dress in body armor to intimidate voters as they are legally returning their ballots. Increase in Reports of Potential Voter Intimidation The incident comes just days after a couple reported a potential case of voter intimidation outside another ballot drop box in Mesa. In that particular incident, the unnamed voter who attempted to cast their ballot was reportedly approached and followed by a group of individuals, Sophia Solis, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Secretary of States Office, told The Hill. The office has referred the case of the alleged voter intimidation to the DOJ and the states attorney general office for investigation. During Mondays briefing, Garland declined to answer directly whether the agency would get involved in the case. Gates, meanwhile, said in a statement on Twitter that election workers in the county were being harassed as they come to work. We arent going to stand by while our election workers who are your friends, family members [and] neighbors get harassed for doing their jobs, the chairman said. When you observe elections, please do it respectfully. From NTD News (Left) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a primary election night event in Hialeah, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2022. (Right) Florida Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) gives a victory speech in the primary election at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2022. (Chandan Khanna, Octavio Jones/Getty Images) Dozens of Former Charlie Crist Staffers and Colleagues Endorse Ron DeSantis for Governor Dozens of former staffers and colleagues of gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist have endorsed his opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Crist is the former Republican governor of Florida who later became an Independent before he joined the Democratic Party and was elected to the House of Representatives. Hes currently running against DeSantis, a Republican. Together, we have known Charlie in virtually all phases of his career and public life, the open letter stated. We are well-qualified to endorse in the Florida Governors race because we have significant experience in public service to the state of Florida. George LeMieux, former U.S. Senator of Florida and Crists former chief of staff, signed onto the letter. Other individuals who signed include former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, former Agricultural Commissioner Charles Bronson, former Attorney General Bill McCollum, former Crist chief counsel Jason Gonzales, and former State Senate President Kenn Pruitt, as well as dozens more. Governor DeSantis has delivered for Florida. He has led our state with courage and conviction. He has demonstrated his ability to lead us through difficult times, they added. We stand with Governor DeSantis because the stakes are too high. We urge Florida to re-elect Ron DeSantis as our Governor. Crist won his gubernatorial election as a Republican in 2006 but didnt seek reelection and instead ran for the Senate in 2010, ultimately losing to now-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). As he ran for Senate, Crist left the GOP and became an Independent before becoming a Democrat, running for governor in 2014, and losing. He was elected to Congress in 2016 and stepped down earlier this year. On Monday evening, DeSantis and Crist held their first and only debate. At one point, DeSantis brushed off Crists claims that the Republican governor wants to run for president in 2024. Youre running for governor, Crist said. Why dont you look in the eyes of the people of the state of Florida and say to them if youre re-elected, you will serve a full four-year term as governor. Yes or no? DeSantis said hes only looking to defeat Crist and be reelected as Floridas governor. I know that Charlies interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but I just want to make things very, very clear, DeSantis said. The only worn out old donkey Im looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist. DeSantis has not publicly affirmed whether he is seeking a presidential bid in 2024. The Epoch Times has contacted Crists campaign for comment on the letter. A voter fills in his ballot in Lansing, Mich., on Nov. 3, 2020. (John Moore/Getty Images) Election Reform Ballot Proposal Sparks Opposition in Michigan Three former Michigan secretaries of state issued a joint statement this week urging a no vote on a citizen-initiated ballot proposal that would legalize the private funding of elections, require absentee ballot drop boxes in every community, and do away with mandatory photo identification for in-person voters. Proposal 2 would allow a would-be voter to present a signed affidavit attesting to his or her identity instead of a state-issued photo ID. For the 24 years prior to the 2018 election of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, the office was held by Republicans. On Oct. 24, Bensons three Republican predecessors announced their opposition to Proposal 2. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson addresses the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2020. (DNCC via Getty Images) This is a dangerous proposal [that] would prohibit us from ever requiring photo ID to vote, said former Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, who now serves as chairperson of the Elections Committee in the Michigan state Senate. Voter ID requirements are very popular with the people of Michigan. A statewide poll conducted in May 2021 by the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Glengariff Group found that 79.7 percent of Michigan registered voters surveyed supported the photo ID requirement for every in-person voter. In October 2021, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed legislation requiring that a photo ID be presented in order to vote in person. The measure also would have furnished a free state-issued photo ID card to any voter who needed one. The measure was vetoed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. Whitmer has vetoed more than half a dozen election integrity measures that have been sent to her desk by the Michigan Legislature, contending that theyre nothing but voter suppression and that they perpetuate the Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was somehow stolen. Another former Republican Michigan secretary of state, Terri Lynn Land, whos currently a member of the Wayne State University Board of Governors, said in the joint statement that Proposal 2 would allow nongovernmental third parties to fund our elections allowing special interest groups to pay for them. People want fair and impartial elections and allowing special interest groups to pay for them is 100 percent in conflict with that, Land said. Opponents of Proposal 2 point out that it contains no requirement that private donations be divided equally between communitiessomething Republicans fear would benefit the states Democrat-controlled large cities. Candice Miller, also a former Michigan secretary of state and U.S. congresswoman, who now serves as the Macomb County Public Works Commissioner, said, This proposal would instruct clerks to mail absentee ballots, rather than applications, to many voters each year. According to Miller, mailing out actual ballots before theyve been requested by a voter is problematic. Voters who have moved or died would be mailed ballots and that is not a good idea, she said. The main backers of Proposal 2 are the Michigan chapters of the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, and the American Civil Liberties Union. Shelli Weisberg, political director of the ACLU of Michigan, wrote on the organizations website that the provisions of Proposal 2 are common-sense measures [that] will block the ability of partisan election deniers to interfere in the outcome of an election. If passed, Prop. 2 will: create nine days of in-person early voting [and] provide state funding for secure ballot drop boxes, postage for absentee ballots, and absentee ballot tracking, she wrote. According to Weisberg, Proposal 2 would also count ballots from military and overseas voters that are postmarked by election day and received within six days of the election. She said Proposal 2 would allow voters to request an absentee ballot for all future elections. Michigan political consultant Jamie Roe. (Courtesy of Team Roe) Spokesperson Jamie Roe of SecureMiVote, a coalition of citizens opposed to Proposal 2, told The Epoch Times in an Oct. 25 interview, The voters of Michigan need to see through the carefully crafted, positive sounding language of the proposal. In reality, Proposal 2 would make unconstitutional every bill passed by the legislature, and vetoed by Whitmer, that was designed to bring greater integrity and security to our elections. Given the deplorable condition of Michigans voter rollwith move-aways and dead people remaining on the list for decadesby far the most dangerous part of the proposal is the section that allows a voter to sign a one-time application for an absentee ballot and then be mailed an absentee ballot for every subsequent election forever. Benson drew the ire of election integrity advocates when she mailed, at taxpayers expense, an absentee ballot application to every registered voter in the state in the 2020 election cycle. Shes also being sued by the Public Interest Legal Foundation for her failure to remove more than 25,975 dead people from Michigan voter rolls. Los Angeles City Council member Kevin de Leon speaks during an event in Redondo Beach, Calif., on May 22, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) Embattled LA Councilman Kevin de Leon Will Not Be Excused from Meetings LOS ANGELESEmbattled City Councilman Kevin de Leon will not be excused from council meetings as he continues to defy widespread calls to resign over his involvement in the City Hall racism scandal, Council President Paul Krekorian wrote in a letter to de Leon Oct. 24. Krekorian responded to a letter that de Leon sent last week seeking to be excused from meetings in the coming weeks so he can focus on the healing process and take professional sensitivity training. The newly installed council president made it clear that he does not want de Leon to return to the council under any circumstances, claiming that de Leon would cause more harm and disruption. There is no path forward that includes your continued participation in this council, Krekorian said. Four elected officials participated in a recorded conversation in 2021 that included a series of racially charged remarks and discussions over redistricting. Two of themformer Council President Nury Martinez and former LA County Federation of Labor Ron Herrerahave resigned. The councils next meeting is on Oct. 25. de Leon has conducted several television interviews over the last few days stating that he will not resign amid calls for his resignation ranging from President Joe Biden to nearly all of his council colleagues. The councilman said the city needs to heal, and that he wants to be part of that. Neither de Leon nor Gil Cedillo, the other council member facing calls to step down for taking part in the leaked Oct. 2021 recording, has attended a meeting since Oct. 11, when they were forced to leave after protesters shouted at them. A spokesman for Cedillo has repeatedly said that the councilman is at a place of reflection, though Cedillo only has a few weeks left on the council after he lost his re-election bid. A spokesman for Krekorian did not immediately respond Monday when asked if Krekorian has excused Cedillo from attending meetings. Krekorian said that there is no realistic possibility for de Leon to effectively legislate. He pledged that the council would schedule a special election as soon as de Leon resigns. de Leon has claimed in interviews that one of the reasons he is not resigning is that his district would lose representation. I will ensure that a caretaker provides essential constituent services to the people of the 14th District, Krekorian said. Under the City Charter, the council cannot remove de Leon; he would have to resign or be recalled by residents of his district. A seat would be considered vacant if a council member is absent from the city without consent of the Council for more than 60 consecutive days or has ceased to discharge the duties of the office for 90 consecutive days, according to the charter. But City Clerk Holly Wolcott told the Los Angeles Times last week that the rule would likely not be triggered in this case even if de Leon is not attending meetings. I think it is reasonable to assume that as long as a council member is fulfilling most aspects of their duty of office such as constituent services, they are considered at work regardless of whether they attend council meetings, Wolcott said to the LA Times. Expanded Legislation, Insufficient Palliative Care Resources Are Causing Assisted Suicide Numbers to Rise in Canada, Say Physicians Canadas expanding assisted suicide legislation combined with countrywide insufficient palliative care resources are causing case numbers of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to rise, say physicians and hospice workers. Testifying before the parliamentary joint committee on MAiD on Oct. 18, Dipti Purbhoo, executive director of Dorothy Ley Hospice in Toronto, said the varied access to palliative care services in the country may be causing more patients to consider MAiD. Access to palliative care is dependent on where you live, if there are hospice palliative services available, how much information you have about palliative care, whether you speak the language, and whether your doctor or health-care provider thinks it will help you, she said. As a result, many people do not get access to palliative care, which often results in death in hospital without support, and in some cases people choosing medical assistance in dying. Legal in Canada since 2016, MAiD can currently be accessed by patients who are physically and seriously illbut not necessarily terminaland are in an advanced state of decline that cannot be reversed paired with unbearable physical or mental suffering. Starting in March 2023, MAiD will be expanded to patients whose only medical condition is a mental illness and who otherwise meet all eligibility criteria. The reasons we have heard why people choose MAiD is because they dont want to be a burden to their family, Purbhoo told the committee. They dont want to suffer and die alone. They dont want to die in a hospital. Theyre worried about getting care at home, or they want control over how they die. Romayne Gallagher, a doctor from the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians, also testified that the current state of palliative care in Canada is contributing to rising MAiD numbers. For about the past 40 years or so, palliative care has been striving to show people that we do not hasten death and we do not shorten their life, she said. The problem with combining [palliative care] with MAiD is this confusion. Increasing Numbers Between 2016 and 2021, nearly 32,000 Canadians received MAiD, according to Health Canadas Third Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying 2021. The report showed that assisted suicide accounted for over 3 percent of all deaths in Canada in 2021 and added that annual MAiD cases have been increasing steadily year-over-year. In 2019, 5,661 people received assisted suicide in Canada. The following year, that number climbed to 7,603. In 2021, over 10,000 individuals received MAiD. The Government will continue to improve data collection and reporting to provide a comprehensive picture of who is accessing MAID, the circumstances and motivation for considering MAID, and how health care practitioners are implementing MAID across the country, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos wrote in the report. The report also says that over 88 percent of MAiD recipients in 2021 had received palliative care. However, Gallagher told the committee these statistics dont give the full picture. Health Canada reports on MAiD fail to indicate quality or quantity of palliative care received, she said, adding that the statistics show palliative care is often provided late in the illness, with 21 percent receiving it in the last two weeks, and 18 percent less than four weeks prior to MAiD. We should provide palliative care in response to needs, not according to prognosis and not just in the last weeks of life, she added. However, accessing palliative care in Canada is just one of the problems, said Gallagher. There are no measures of the quality of palliative care. Really, this is extremely important because people have trouble defining it, she said. When you think about it, this means that someone can be suffering pain, loss of independence, loss of community, and they finally request MAiD and theyre admitted to a palliative care unit, they will be listed as having received palliative care. Its important to keep that in mind. Path of Least Resistance David Henderson, a doctor and former president of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians, said opposition to expanding MAiD legislation is often dismissed as being overly religious. Im not a religious man, Henderson told the committee on Oct. 18, but said that although hes not completely opposed to assisted suicide laws, he does have reservations. Canadas struggling health-care system, characterized by a shortage of experienced doctors and nurses, is causing difficulties felt most by patients who are dying or in vulnerable positions, said Henderson. Im very concerned that this has opened the door to medically assisted death as potentially a path of least resistance as we see people getting more and more overworked, tired, and exhausted, he said. Madeline Li, a psychiatrist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, told the committee during the same meeting that current assisted suicide legislation leaves too much responsibility in the hands of clinicians because the MAiD eligibility criteria allow for subjective interpretation. Incurability can include treatment refusal, Li said. An advanced state of decline may not need to be progressive. Suffering is determined only subjectively. Henderson added that MAiD is now virtually available to any person for any reason. Im concerned that the government has given health-care professionals essentially a licence to kill without having significant checks in place to ensure people are assessed properly and thoroughly, he said. I ask, is that what the Canadian public actually wants? Fauci and Others Will Be Deposed Commentary Ive posted before on our Missouri v. Biden lawsuit, in which the state of Missouri and Louisianaalong with four private plaintiffs (Jay Bhattacharya, Martin Kulldorff, the advocacy organization Health Freedom Louisiana, and yours truly) represented by the New Civil Liberties Allianceare suing the Biden administration for alleged free speech violations. We now have strong evidence that the executive branch of the federal government has been colluding with social media to censor content on social media platformsincluding Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagramthat questions, challenges, or contradicts the governments COVID policies. This week, the federal judge in the case granted our request to obtain deposition testimony, under oath, from the following current or former government officials: NIAID Director and White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of White House Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty OR former White House Senior COVID-19 Advisory Andrew Slavitt Former White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki FBI Supervisory Special Agent Elvis Chan CISA Director Jen Easterly OR CISA official Lauren Protentis Surgeon General Vivek Murthy CDC Chief of the Digital Media Branch Carol Crawford Acting Coordinator of the State Departments Global Engagement Center Daniel Kimmage. Its worth noting that Fauci (maybe?) responded to his interrogatory written questions, denying that he had any communications with social media platforms. But he also responded in a potentially slippery mannerspecifically, he allowed underling Jill Harper to sign off on the NAIAD responses, even though the written questions were addressed by our attorneys to him. The judge refused to take his written-word-by-proxy as sufficient, as the court order describes: Government Defendants have submitted to Plaintiffs interrogatory responses on behalf of Dr. Fauci, asserting that he has had no direct communications with any social-media platforms regarding censorship. Plaintiffs argue in turn that they should not be required to simply accept those blanket statements as they were submitted, and they argue three reasons why Dr. Fauci should be questioned under oath. First, Plaintiffs assert that Dr. Fauci has refused to verify under oath his own interrogatory responses in violation of this Courts Order. The NIAIDs responses were instead verified by Dr. Jill Harper, who was not named in the Complaint. Accordingly, Dr. Fauci has made no statements under oath regarding his communications with social-media platforms, which violates this Courts Order regarding the discovery that instructed Dr. Fauci to provide interrogatory responses. The Court sees the importance of having Dr. Fauci make statements under oath as it relates to the issues of this matter. Next, 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. The Court concluded that Faucis written word was not sufficient given other evidence in the record, some of which was presented in our complaint and summarized in the judges order: After reviewing the Plaintiffs and the Defendants arguments, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have proven that Dr. Fauci has personal knowledge about the issue concerning censorship across social media as it related to COVID-19 and ancillary issues of COVID-19. The Court has considered that Dr. Fauci is a high-ranking official, especially as he is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President. The Court sees the only potential burden imposed on Dr. Fauci as a result of him being deposed is that of his time. However, the Court acknowledges that any person who is being deposed must sacrifice their time, and it does not see any burden imposed on Dr. Fauci that outweighs the Courts need for the information in order to make the most informative decision on the pending Motion for Preliminary Injunction filed by Plaintiffs. Finally, the Court is aware of a number of substantive reasons why Dr. Faucis deposition should be taken. The first is the publicly available emails that prove that Dr. Fauci was communicating and acting as an intermediary for others in order to censor information from being shared across multiple social-media outlets. The second is that Dr. Fauci has yet to give any statements under oath in this matter. The third is that the Court has no doubt that Dr. Fauci was engaging in communications with high-ranking social-media officials, which is extremely relevant in the matter at hand. Additionally, the crux of this case is the fundamental right of free speech. Any burden that may be imposed on Dr. Fauci is wholly outweighed by the importance of Plaintiffs allegations of suppression of free speech. Accordingly, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have satisfied their burden of proving why a deposition of Dr. Anthony Fauci is necessary in this case, and exceptional circumstance are present. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that Dr. Anthony Fauci cooperate in the Plaintiffs request to depose him for purposes of their preliminary injunction discovery. Theres been some commentary in the press this week on this latest development in the case. Miranda Devine at the New York Post, for example, described the suit as already uncovering astonishing evidence of an entrenched censorship scheme cooked up between the federal government and Big Tech that would make Communist China proud. Her NY Post article then describes how that publication was under the thumb of this censorship regime leading up to the presidential election: Victims of the Biden-Big Tech censorship enterprise include The Post, whose Hunter Biden laptop expose was suppressed by Facebook and then Twitter in October 2020 after the FBI went to Facebook, warning it with great specificity to watch out for a dump of Russian disinformation, pertaining to Joe Biden, with an uncanny resemblance to our stories. We allege that top-ranking Biden administration officials colluded with those social media companies to suppress speech about the Hunter Biden laptop story, the origins of COVID-19, the efficacy of masks, and election integrity, is how the lawsuit was summarized by intrepid Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who is leading the action. The censorship related to alleged misinformation about pandemic lockdowns, vaccines and COVID-19, and included material from the esteemed infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists associated with the Great Barrington Declaration, which proved over time to be correct and eventually much of which was adopted as official policy by the CDC. Similarly, commenting on our lawsuit this week, the intrepid Tyler Durden over at ZeroHedge described how his publication had likewise been subjected to censorship by this regime for commentary on the origins of the virus: 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. Twitters 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. 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. The Epoch Times also published a detailed article this week, which included the following summary of three of the other officials that Judge Doughty ordered to be deposed: The court also found that Flaherty, Psaki, Andy Slavitt, and other officials also have personal knowledge about the alleged censorship issues and ordered them to be deposed. Doughty said theres 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. The plaintiffs argued that Flaherty had extensive oral meetings with Twitter, Meta, and YouTube on vaccine hesitancy and combatting misinformation related to COVID-19. The judge said theres a substantive need for the deposition of Slavitt, who served as the White Houses senior COVID-19 adviser. Doughty noted that Slavitts remarks on a podcast 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. So it looks like this case may continue to get more interesting. Stay tuned here for more updates. And in the meantime, dont be afraid to say what you actually think onlinewith decency and civility, of course, but without suppressing what you know or believe to be true. Originally published on the authors Substack, reposted from the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. The head of the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) vaccine division suggested that it may be time to move on from using mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. The two most commonly used vaccinesmade by Pfizer and Modernause mRNA technology. Johnson & Johnsons vaccine uses an adenovirus and Novavaxs shot, the most recently approved vaccine for COVID-19 in the United States, is protein-based and most similar to the common childhood vaccines. Speaking to Stat News, FDA vaccines head Peter Marks said that a long-term solution to COVID-19 vaccinations may not entail using mRNA technology. We need to look at other types of vaccines. And there are those out there that might provide more durable immunity, he told the outlet. I would love to see us have a very ecumenical look over all of the available vaccines and all of the vaccines in development to try to see whats best moving forward, he added. Not to diss the current mRNA vaccines, but because we owe it to the population to see what might provide the greatest breadth, depth, and duration of immunity against COVID-19, the official added, without elaborating on what the next steps might be. Thats because COVID-19 variants mutate quickly, meaning that even updated booster shots produced by Moderna and Pfizer could prove to be ineffective soon, he said. I would be lying to you if [I said] it doesnt keep me up at night worrying that there is a certain chance that we may have to deploy another boosterat least for a portion of the population, perhaps older individualsbefore next September, October, Marks remarked. Despite Markss assertions about mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer want to use the technology for other ailments, including cancer or heart conditions. The head of Moderna recently announced his firm is working on a project to inject mRNA into peoples hearts following a heart attack. We are now in a super exciting program where we inject mRNA in peoples hearts after a heart attack to grow back new blood vessels and re-vascularize the heart, Stephane Bancel, the CEO, told Sky News in an interview earlier this month. In the meantime, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said he does not recommend giving mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to younger men. An analysis produced by the state found a large increase in heart-related deaths among males between the ages of 18 and 39 after vaccination. In young men, from 18 to 39, it clearly was a signal for increased risk, he told EpochTVs American Thought Leaders program this month. That was the main finding. There are a number of studies that are indicating that these vaccines, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular and cardiac events. And we just added to that with another one, Ladapo remarked. Smoke rises from a grass fire just east of Olive Creek State Recreation Area in southwestern Lancaster County, near Hallam, Neb., on Oct. 23, 2022. (Alex Lantz/Lincoln Journal Star via AP) Fires in Nebraska, Iowa Spur Evacuations, Destroy Homes LINCOLN, Neb.Prairie fires pushed by tinder-dry conditions and winds topping 60 mph (96 kph) led to evacuations in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa and destroyed homes and injured two firefighters south of Nebraskas capital city of Lincoln, officials said. At least two grassland fires were first reported Sunday afternoon south of Lincoln and spread quickly as winds began to pick up and push the fires north, the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office reported. The nearly 300 residents of Hallam, about 20 miles south of Lincoln, were ordered to evacuate their homes, and rural residents of southern Lancaster County and northern Gage County were urged to evacuate because of the fires. Officials also asked farmers to turn on irrigation pivots or other water sources to help combat the fires, which were contained by Sunday evening, with the help of rain showers that moved into the area. Officials said three homes and several outbuildings were destroyed in Lancaster County. Two firefighters also were injured, one seriously. Officials had not released their names or updated their medical conditions by early Monday morning. In southwestern Lancaster County, residents made plans to move cattle and other valuables to Christopher Smiths farm south of the fires. Everybodys just trying to help out, Smith said. Meanwhile, one farms owner worked to spray down the homes back porch with water and set up sprinklers in case the fire got close. Fires near Wisner in northeastern Nebraska and Harrison and Montgomery counties in western Iowa also forced brief evacuations, but there were no reports of injuries or homes damaged there. Emergency management officials in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa said Monday that officials have not pinpointed the causes of the fires. Rain moving across the region Monday with a cold front from the north was expected to help lower the risk of fires in the area. A mural that parents found disturbing and has since been removed was painted on the cafeteria walls at a Pasco County Middle School. (Courtesy of Chelsi Stahr) Florida Parent Faced Job Investigation After Touring School Florida parent Shawn Hayston says he just wanted to tour the public middle school his son is expected to attend next year. What followed, he says, was an act of retaliation that took him totally by surprise. A threat to his job as a firefighter apparently was sparked because he had asked questions about school policies and expressed disapproval of a mural, he and other parents told The Epoch Times. After touring Pine View Middle School with four other parents in August, Hayston was stunned to learntwo days laterthat the tour triggered an investigation of him by his employer in a neighboring county. Hayston, the father of two sons, said he was told that the principal of the Pasco County school had called Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and asked the department to do an investigation into his behavior. Shawn Hayston reads to his sons elementary school class. (Courtesy of Shawn Hayston) He said he was told the schools principal, Jennifer Warren, complained to fire officials that he had been hostile while touring the school, and that she had requested a formal investigation. She told fire officials he had entered the school without authorization, and also said hed been charged with trespassing by the Pasco County Sheriffs Office, the firefighter said he was told. None of that was true, Hayston said. And after a two-week investigation by his employer, Hayston, who has been an active parent volunteer in area schools, was told there was no evidence to support Warrens claims, he told The Epoch Times. He was cleared of all wrongdoing. Still, he feels certain the accusations have tarnished his reputation and record of his 19 years of service in the department. He feels the debacle will make it unlikely for him to be promoted now, even though he has been honored for performing heroic acts while on duty. Hes humiliated, he says, and angryso angry that he plans to run for school board in 2024. Warren and Pasco County Public Schools did not respond to requests for comment by The Epoch Times. Firefighter Shawn Hayston participates in the Great American Teach-In, showing students at his sons school how he gears up to respond to calls for help. (Courtesy of Shawn Hayston) The flap that triggered the investigation arose after Hayston responded to an invitation from fellow parent Jennifer Houston. Shed posted on a citizen watchdog group website that a tour of the Land o Lakes school had been arranged, and other parents could join her. Houston, an artist, already had confronted Warren about concerns about a mural at the school. Shed asked for a meeting with Warren after her own child said the mural looked like it represented that the world is ending, she said. Another parent, Chelsi Stahr, said her son expressed the same worrisome sentiment, Stahr told The Epoch Times. Houston posted a video on Facebook, describing her phone call with Warren about the dark theme of the mural. After viewing her post, other parents also voiced opposition to the artwork. All the reaction from the community got that mural down in three days, Houston reported in a follow-up Facebook video. But Houston had more questions about the school and arranged a tour, inviting other parents to come along. Hayston showed up, and like the other parents, presented identification, and supplied the name of his child, whos expected to enroll at the school next year. After their information was verified by a school worker, Hayston and four other parents were given stickers to wear that identified them as registered visitors, Houston and Hayston told The Epoch Times. Hayston, a Christian, had been concerned about sending his older son to Pine View after hearing about the schools yearbook profiles of gay and transgender students. At this age, kids are confused, and something like this will follow them the rest of their lives, he said. Chloe Cole tearfully shares her detransition journey in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 8, 2022. Shes said she wishes people hadnt cheered her on to take action during a period of gender confusion in her teens. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Hed also hoped to see the controversial mural. But by tour time, the mural had been removed. Still, during the tour, Hayston asked about its theme, hoping to understand the decision that went into displaying it on the schools walls. Its art, Warren and another artist whod done other murals in the school told parents, he said. Its whatever you want it to be. Hayston pushed a little harder. Why the mural had depicted a child in grayscale wearing a gas mask and holding a sign saying, Hate has no home here, and why birds in the mural were wearing tiny gas masks, too? What was the meaning of those images? he asked again. However you want to interpret it, the principal told him, he recalled. During their phone conversation about the mural, Warren had told Houston that the birds represented gay, transgender and non-binary students, Houston said. The group moved on, and later, Hayston questioned the meaning of colorful stickers on doors and on badges teachers were wearing that said, Safe Space. Some teachers at a Pasco County, Fla., school wore these stickers on identification badges or posted them on the doors of their classrooms. They were removed a few days after they were questioned by parents on a school tour, parent told The Epoch Times. (Courtesy of Jennifer Houston) I refuse to answer that, Warren said, parents told the The Epoch Times. When Hayston asked again, he said Warren pointed at Houston and replied, If you want to know the answer, go ask the lady down the hall, because she knows everything. Hayston and Houston said they were shocked by Warrens hostility and didnt understand. Hayston retorted, With all due respect, you are the principal of this school and Im asking you what a safe space sticker is,' he said. And she just wouldnt answer. Houston already had asked Warren about the rainbow-colored stickers a few weeks earlier, and had been directed to the school psychologist. I was told by the psychologist that the stickers were for everyone and not for any particular subgroup, Houston said. Its for everyone, I was told. Houston said she expressed concern the rainbow flag colors on the sticker signaled acceptance of LBGT students, not everybody, she recalled. The LGBTQ+ Caucus of the National Education Association (NEA), the nations largest teachers union, promotes and sells a $2 badge for teachers to wear that says Im here. The back of the badge includes a QR code that leads to websites directed at teens, including a Planned Parenthood manual called Queering Sex Ed with step-by-step instructions on how to perform sex acts with one or more partners. Queering Sex Ed is a guide provided by Teen Health Source, a website suggested as a resource by the NEA-LGBTQ+ Caucus website. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times) After the tour, Houston wanted more information about the stickers. Shed researched and found info on the NEA website for a teacher training on how to become a safe space and use the stickers to signal that. She requested a list of every teacher who had designated their classroom as a safe space. She was told there was no list, and no additional stickers would be issued, she said. The school removed the safe space stickers from all classrooms a few days later, Houston said. Throughout the tour, Principal Warren was combative, Houston said, and left us with more questions than answers. At the end of the tour, Pasco County Public Schools public information officer Stephen Hegarty casually asked where Hayston worked. When he told him, Hegarty responded that knew the departments public information officer well, Hayston said. Hayston thought it was unusual for an official with district administration to be on a tour with parents, but shrugged it off, he said. Two days later, Hayston said he was rocked by news he was being investigated. Houston was astonished, too, she said. It was an attempt to get a parent fired simply for asking questions, she said. When she heard a complaint against Hayston was that hed been hostile toward school officials, Houston said emphatically, I was there. Didnt happen! Between shifts as a firefighter, Shawn Hayston smiles as he enters a hospital on his first day as an emergency department nurse. (Courtesy of Shawn Hayston) Reeling from the news he was being investigated, Hayston resigned from his new second job as a nurse practitioner, he said. He feared the mental stress would keep him from treating patients safely. Though its cut into his income, hes hired an attorney, because he feels targeted by the school board, he said. The lawsuit will cost about $25,000, Hayston said. Hes set up a GiveSendGo account in the hopes of raising money to pay for his Fight for Parental Freedom. Im a blue-collar person, he said. Im struggling. But because of the investigation, Ill probably never get promoted. My reputation is tarnished. Now, whenever someone hears my name, theyre gonna think of me as a troublemaker and an activist. He suspects he caught the school boards attention in 2021, when he spoke against requiring children to wear masks. He complained that masking inhibited the learning process, he said. He also spoke out against the policy of quarantining healthy children after exposure to COVID-19, and against the prospect of mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for schoolchildren. But he never expected the drama that arose after he asked to tour his childs future school, he said. Your conduct is textbook First Amendment retaliation, and your intent to wreck Mr. Haystons livelihood is so callous and vindictive that you face the prospect of being held liable for punitive damages, attorney Jonathan OBrien wrote in a letter to Principal Warren. He cited a published district policy that welcomes and encourages visits to school by parents and other adults. You simply intended to ruin his livelihood and make him suffer, OBrien wrote in the letter. Shawn Hayston speaks at a Pasco County School Board meeting in 2021. (Photo courtesy of Chelsi Stahr) Hes asked Warren to apologize in writing for the pain and suffering caused by the debacle, and retract accusations that Hayston made unlawful entry or had warrants for arrest. The letter goes on to make a legal demand for Warren to allow parents, including the Haystons, to tour the school and see classrooms where their children are taught. And the letter formally warns Warren to cease and desist from contacting the Haystons (sic) employers, or the employers of any parents for retaliatory reasons. The Epoch Times repeatedly contacted the Florida Department of Education, Pasco County Public Schools, and Pine View Middle School principal, Jennifer Warren, requesting comment. None responded. If Ms. Warren cannot operate her school solely focusing on the education that parents expect, she should be terminated from her role as principal, Houston said. Stahr feels the school district has gone rogue. They are willing to destroy the families they claim to care so much about, she said. This behavior needs to be stopped before more false allegations from Pasco County Schools destroy another family. For now, Hayston stands ready to fight. First, he hopes to clear his name fully by receiving a public apology from school officials. He was advised by a state-level education official to take the fight further, he said. As a result, he said he now plans to run for a seat on the county school board in 2024. I want to be that change we all want to see. Nanette Holt contributed to this report. People outside a ballot drop box in Mesa, Ariz., on Oct. 21, 2022. (Maricopa County Elections Department via The Epoch Times) Group Monitoring Drop Boxes Sued for Alleged Voter Intimidation A group that has been observing drop boxes in Arizona was sued on Oct. 24 for allegedly intimidating voters. Clean Elections USA and its founder, Melody Jennings, were named as defendants in the suit, which was filed by lawyers with Marc Eliass law firm on behalf of the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino. The drop box observers are violating federal law, including the Voting Rights Act, the lawsuit asserts. No person, whether acting under color of law or otherwise, shall intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for voting or attempting to vote, or intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any person for urging or aiding any person to vote or attempt to vote, the law states in part. Clean Elections USA members and supporters have gathered outside boxes in Maricopa County in recent weeks to watch as people drop off ballots. Jennings said on social media that people should go to the boxes to act as a deterrent against voter fraud. We must legally deter people from committing voter fraud. The only way we can do this is to monitor those drop box locations with a team of volunteers. That is why were reaching out to patriots like yourself who have similar concerns. In short, we need your help! the Clean Elections USA website states. At least some of the observers have been armed. Some of the observers told a local reporter that they were with Clean Elections USA. The tactics being used by Clean Elections USA arent just profoundly dangerous to voters in Arizona, theyre an affront to the fundamental principles of our democracy, Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino, said in a statement. The groups are seeking a temporary restraining order prohibiting Clean Elections USA from gathering within sight of drop boxes and from following or recording voters or prospective voters at or around drop boxes. Clean Elections USA would also be barred from training, organizing, or directing people to monitor drop boxes if the order is imposed. The case was filed in federal court in Arizona. Clean Elections USA and Jennings did not have lawyers listed on the court docket. Clean Elections USA does not list contact information on its website. Jennings said on Truth Social, former President Donald Trumps social media platform, that observers should follow the law. Knowing that we the citizens of the United States are protecting the rule of law is very satisfying, she said. Several voter intimidation complaints have been lodged in Arizona and referred to the U.S. Department of Justice. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that the agency will not permit voters to be intimidated. Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said that the department has received two suspicious activity criminal reports but that no charges have been filed and the observers have not committed crimes. It doesnt meet the threshold for a crime. This is a free nation. The Second Amendment is as important as the first. So that in and of itself does not constitute a crime, he told reporters when asked about people being dressed in tactical gear and carrying guns. Arizona law bars being armed or trying to persuade voters within 75 feet of a voting location. The federal government, though, may decide that the people violated federal law, Penzone added. His agency is working closely with the Department of Justice. Had Enough Yet? Commentary Im currently down here in the free state of Florida for a summit this weekend where I am one of the legal experts on the panel of lawyers (hence me being a day late in posting this weeks Substack). The lineup of speakers here has been phenomenal. Truly brilliant minds, all coming together to share information and knowledgewhich you know I just love. Hence, my motto, Knowledge is power! Yesterday my speech focused on our disappearing rights, thanks to the incredible amount of government overreach that we are seeing these past couple of years in the name of COVID and public health and safety. I spoke about examples weve been seeing at the federal level with Bidens overreach through his various agencies such as the CDC, OSHA and the EPA, and I spoke about a similar phenomenon happening at the state level, particularly in New York with our unelected governor, Kathy Hochul. I wasnt sure how well the mostly-Floridian crowd of several hundred people would receive my New York-focused discussion of tyranny and how I, together with a group of NYS Legislators, slayed the proverbial dragon of unconstitutional quarantine camps promulgated by Governor Hochul and her Department of Health in their stunning attempt at truly gross overreach. However, to my pleasant surprise, from the very start of my speech, it became obvious to me that the audience was with me. They got it. They realized that despite the fact that they live in a free state, some 1,000 miles away from me, they know that they should be concerned about whats happening in New York. They know that New York seems to be the testing ground of all things communist and authoritarian, as Stew Peters pointed out in our interview. The logic is clear: if something as crazy as forced quarantine camps takes hold in New York, its just a matter of time until it spreads across the nation like a cancer. So when I was on stage, I introduced myself as an attorney from New York, and I started to say, our governor, Kathy Hochul, made a the crowd didnt even let me finish my sentencethey were already booing Hochul! I couldnt believe it. They were that familiar with (and turned off by) Hochul and her anti-Constitutional ways. To this my response was, Wow! Even down here in Florida you know what shes all about. Then I joked with them that I wished they lived in New York and could vote on November 8th. There was a collective laugh from the crowd. As I continued my speech, I told how there was a bill (A416) proposed by former Assemblyman Nick Perry, a Democrat from Brooklyn, which would allow the governor and DOH to lock up New Yorkers, no matter your age, for however long they wanted, at a location determined by the State, based only upon their mere suspicion of you having been exposed to a communicable diseaseno proof needed! I explained that for seven years (including during the height of the COVID hysteria in 20202021), this legislator tried to get his obscenely tyrannical bill passed into law, but he failed time and again. In fact, of the 213 members of the NYS Legislature, not one other lawmaker would back that bill. Not one. They wouldnt touch it. It was too dystopian, too shocking to the conscience, too anti-American. I continued to explain that, in the true fashion of a dictator, Hochul, like Cuomo before her, took the language of that toxic bill and pushed it through the Department of Health in the form of a regulation instead. With just a little bit of backdoor, constitutional run-around, the will of one lone government official became law. Of course you know from reading my prior article that regs have the same force and effect as laws, but oh how they are so much better for authoritarian regimes! Why? Well, because regs do not require any pesky voter input, or any oversight or influence from the annoying constitutionally-conscious, elected officials in the NYS Legislature. Its soooo much easier to carry out your edicts as a monarch if you just issue regulations through your agencies and bypass the whole carking separation of powers doctrine of the Constitution. I digress. Back to my speech: as I told the story of how I learned of Hochuls Isolation and Quarantine Procedures regulation, its total lack of due process protections, and its glaring conflict with existing NYS law, I explained how I simply could not allow the Executive Branch of government to spiral this far out of control so I started drafting a lawsuit against the Governor and her DOH. I knew I had to use an unconventional approach to be successful and withstand a motion to dismiss for lack of standing (see my prior article discussing standing here). I explained how I needed some NYS Legislators to come on my case, for they were clearly being injured by Hochul and her DOH making a law disguised as a regulation, and I told how ultimately, Senator George Borrello, Assemblyman Chris Tague, Assemblyman Mike Lawler, and the citizens group, Uniting NYS, became my plaintiffs. When I continued to explain that on July 8th, the Judge ruled in our favor, striking down the reg as unconstitutional, a breach of separation of powers, and he thus barred the governor and her DOH from trying to enforce the reg, the crowd cheered! Tyranny denied! For now. I then mentioned that, shamefully, Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James plan to appeal my victory. Of course they havent moved forward with the appeal yet, since Election Day is fast approaching. Many hypothesize that they are stalling because they dont want New York voters to know they (Hochul and James) want quarantine camps, since both of them are up for election! After the speeches and panel discussions had ended, we had some time before the dinner segment began, so we enjoyed a cocktail hour where we were able to mingle with some of the attendees. During this time, one of the people who approached me was an older Floridian who seemed to know something about what was going on in New York. Our chat got into the truly abhorrent anti-parental rights bills that are currently being proposed in the NYS Assembly: one that would allow minor children to make their own medical decisions without parental consent (including inoculations and sex-altering procedures), and another that would require schools to teach comprehensive sexuality education starting in KINDERGARTEN straight through 12th grade. (For more details on those bills, check out my other articles here and here.) This, on top of the federal government overreach examples I had discussed in my speech a short while earlier, prompted this gentleman to tell me that hed love to walk around with a sign that says: Had enough yet? Brilliant! It was so short and simple, but so perfectly powerful. It doesnt tell you to vote the crazy Democrats out. It doesnt tell you to vote Republican. It doesnt even tell you to go vote in the first place. BUT, it does make you think criticallysomething that is sorely lacking in our society today. This simple question, Had enough yet? makes you stop and pause to think about your life: how it is going, do you feel safe, are you struggling to pay bills, are you stressed, if so, what is the source of that stress, and so on And then it makes you realize that if you are unhappy with the world around you, then you need to change it. Originally published on the authors Substack, reposted from the Brownstone Institute Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Various studies on COVID, long COVID, and COVID vaccine-injured patients suggest that millions people contend with lasting symptoms after COVID infection or injections. Studies also show that half of the symptoms are neuropsychiatric, resulting in a spike in the number of people suffering depression, anxiety, brain fog, memory problems, and other issues. Other studies have documented a rise in psychosis, a difficulty in telling what is real and what is not. We have covered these studies in the past, and now aim to explain the mechanisms by which this disease can induce such problemsand what can be done to help resolve them. In April 2020, a group of doctors at Strasbourg University Hospital in France published a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on a study of 58 ICU patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection during the one-month period from March 3 to April 3, 2020. Out of the 58 ICU patients, 40 showed agitation, while 26 of the 40 agitated patients had confusion according to the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU. Overall, the patients not only exhibited respiratory problems, but also neurologic disorders, from agitation and confusion to transient ischemic attack, partial epilepsy, and mild cognitive impairment. The main author of the letter, Julie Helms, M.D., Ph.D., also told the BBC that whats more alarming is that many of these patients were young people in their 30s and 40s. A New York Times article dated Dec. 28, 2020 talked about psychotic symptoms in people who had COVID-19. A 30-year-old construction worker in New York City recovered from COVID-19 but became delusional. He thought his relative was going to kill him, so he tried to strangle the relative in bed. A 42-year-old mother of four experienced mild physical symptoms from COVID-19 but developed psychotic symptoms months later. She kept hearing voices telling her to kill herself and her children, and she kept seeing scenes of her children being gruesomely murdered. In April 2020, during the early months of the pandemic, a group of psychologists, researchers, and mental health professionals from around the world issued a call for action for mental health science in The Lancet Psychiatry. They said that there is an urgent need for research to address how mental health consequences for vulnerable groups can be mitigated under pandemic conditions. In June 2020, Robert Stevens, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland said that a large portion of COVID-19 patients suffered from only one symptomconfusion. Stevens warned that we are facing a secondary pandemic of neurological disease. It is not only a neurological disease. What could be even worse is an increasing rate of psychiatric conditions. The Difference Between Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Issues The human nervous system is tangible. It can be touched and measured. But the human psyche is intangible. Neurological problems such as pain, fainting, numbness, and cognitive impairment can be both. The psyche is related to the nerves but more complicated than the nervous system. It cant be seen by our naked eyes however it is sensible and measurable. Neuropsychiatric issues such as hallucinations are directly related to sub-molecular levels. In June 2020, Lancet Psychiatry published a UK-wide surveillance study on neurological and neuropsychiatric complications in patients with COVID-19. The paper defined altered mental status as an acute alteration in personality, behavior, cognition, or consciousness. They report that 31 percent of patients with COVID-19 experienced altered mental status. And 49 percent of the patients with altered mental status were under 60. A more recent study published in Lancet Psychiatry in August 2022 looked at over 1 million patients in the past two years. It was a retrospective cohort study done by scientists from University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, led by professor Paul Harrison. The studied data spans 62 medical establishments in eight countries on four continents, from January 2020 to April 2022. The data came mainly from the United States, but also Australia, the UK, Spain, Bulgaria, India, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The study compared 1.28 million COVID-19 patients against other respiratory infection patients over the same period of time. Age, gender, profession, risk of contracting diseases, and vaccination status were compared. In addition to the persistent risk of cognitive decline, including brain fog and dementia, the risk of psychosis remains even two years after the infection. Psychosis Worsens the Disease and Increases the Risk of Long COVID by 3050 Percent COVID-19 can trigger psychosis. Negative psychological conditions can worsen the incidence of long COVID. A cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry on Sept. 7, 2022, reports that pre-infection psychological conditions may increase the risk of long COVID infection by 1.3 to 1.5 times. The study followed 3,193 persons for one year from April 2020 to April 2021. They reported no COVID-19 infection prior to April 2020 but were infected during the one year follow-up period. Their pre-infection psychological conditions included depression, anxiety, perceived stress, loneliness, and worry about COVID-19. Such risk conditions have surpassed those commonly known risk factors which might trigger long COVID, including old age, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, asthma, cancer, and obesity. These high-risk psychological stresses have been ignored historically. Science has now provided proof to the old saying that illnesses are caused more by psychological reasons than physical reasons. Why COVID-19 Induces Psychological Issues From the cellular point of view, the SARS-CoV-2 virus can cause damage to the brain cells directly. It can also destroy the structure and function of brain mitochondria. This is equivalent to destroying the brains electrical supply system, which causes the brain itself to crash. A meta-analysis of blood cytokine alterations in psychiatric patients, published in Molecular Psychiatry in 2016, states that the common characteristic in acute psychiatric patients is the increase of a type of cytokine called interleukin- 6 (IL-6). According to this study, SARS-CoV-2 can trigger extreme immune responses in humans and release a large number of cytokines, including IL-6. These cytokines can cause damage to the structure and function of nerve cells and increase the risk of psychosis. According to this study, a single spike protein in SARS-CoV-2 can induce IL6 in monocytes and macrophages. Almost all current COVID-19 vaccines have spike proteins. So, vaccination can also cause psychiatric issues. COVID-19 Vaccine Induced Psychosis A paper published in Psychiatry Research in October 2021 describes a case study done by experts from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Stony Brook University in New York and the Northport Veteran Administration Medical Center in New York. The report describes a 31-year-old single Hispanic male who had no history of psychiatric disorders. After receiving his first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, he developed bizarre and inscrutable behavior. Specifically, he became anxious, vigilant, and pompous, and also experienced hallucinations (of people drumming outside). He even mistook a colleague for his lover and talked to himself in his hospital room, saying that an EEG machine in the hospital was communicating with him. Three weeks later, the man received a second dose of the vaccine, and his symptoms deteriorated significantly. The man was treated in the psychiatric ward with milieu treatment, and the hallucinations and delusions resolved after two days. Milieu treatment involves using everyday scenarios to help patients with interaction in community settings. After he was discharged, he returned to his normal work. A review of 11 published reports was published in the Asian Journal of Psychiatry in May 2022. These reports describe 14 cases of psychiatric reactions after COVID-19 vaccines, 11 of which were diagnosed as neurological disorders. Those 11 were an average age of 40, and the patients were four females, six males, and one unspecified. Most of them were young and middle-aged. Five cases of psychiatric disorders happened within hours to 10 days after the vaccination. Three cases reported a loss of sense of direction, hallucination, and agitation. Two cases were mania. One case was depression. Over two-thirds of the cases happened after the first dose of the vaccine. What Exactly Are Emotions and the Spirit? How Can They Have Such a Great Influence on the Human Body? The human being is a mysterious and complicated entity composed of body, mind, and spirit. Modern science has more knowledge and understanding of human organs, cells, and molecules, but the understanding of the human brain is limited and many scientists are reluctant to even acknowledged the human beings exist in any form but the molecular body. In heart transplantation, psychiatric features including donor personality and preferences have even been shown to be transmitted to the heart recipients. For example, the first heart transplant operation took place in 1967. In 1988, Dr. Paul Pearsall, a professor of nursing at the University of Hawaii, first reported on the personality changes in a heart recipient after transplantation. The personality changes included food, music, and art preferences, emotional and temperamental changes, and even identity changes. Another case study was reported in the journal EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing by Larry Dossey in 2008. Carter, a 9-month-old boy diagnosed with congenital heart disease, received the heart from a 16-month-old boy named Jerry, who died due to an accident. After the heart transplant, Carter underwent a surprising change in his language and behavior, almost acting in the same way as Jerry. In 2019, Mitchell Liester, MD, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry published an analysis of organ recipients personality changes in Medical Hypotheses. The analysis concluded that the personality and identity changes were the result of cellular memory. We believe that the human spirit may be a microscopic material particle, which is likely preserved in the microstructure of the human heart (and perhaps all tissues). When people undergo a heart transplant, not only is the physical heart transplanted, but also the character of the person, something of their essential nature, or their spirit, if you will. Other microscopic components may be transplanted as well. Scientists have studied the near-death experiences of Tangshan earthquake (China, 1976) survivors and found that the human body can feel the separation of mind from matter at the moment of death. A core understanding of the human spirit is that it can exist beyond the confines of the physical body and persist without the molecular physical body. Near-death experiences, including the Tangshan earthquake survivors commonly recount an experience that seems to verify this reality. These people routinely recount experiencing themselves without their physical body. Many report a lightness. Scientists found that 68 percent of people had a sense of unfamiliarity with the body, and 43 percent felt their consciousnesses leaving the body. If mind and spirit are matter, and both tied to the physical body in our current existence, it seems reasonable to consider that they can be affected by the virus and even become sick. Music Therapy Helpful In Treating Psychosis After COVID-19 and Vaccines Psychotic patients are characterized by disorders of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and perceptions. There are usually two main groups of symptoms, namely positive symptoms (additions) and negative symptoms (losses). Positive symptoms include hearing voices or seeing things (hallucinations), and acute onset of strange beliefs (delusions). Negative symptoms include feeling down, depression, social withdrawal, and memory problems. Medications do not address the underlying causes. Antipsychotic drugs forcibly suppress the symptoms by drugging the receptors, forcibly blocking them. Drugs developed according to the target lead theory are prone to receptor fatigue and drug resistance, making psychosis even more difficult to treat down the road. If the spirit is at the microscopic level, at a plane of particles smaller than we currently acknowledge a human life to persist at, we need to have an open mind about how to nurture this part of ourselves and explore methods to solve the problem of psychosis. One method is horticultural therapy, which is useful for relieving mental stress. I have visited a mental hospital in the United States where patients do planting and there is a noticeable therapeutic effect. This is why psychiatric hospitals are usually located in places where there are many trees and are close to nature. Another treatment for these conditions is music therapy. Music therapy is a modern and emerging discipline. In the mid-20th century, several universities in the United States established music therapy programs. From a modern medical point of view, human organs vibrate at a certain frequency. Music can resonate with the internal organs through sound waves and by transmitting vibrating energy substances, thus regulating the functions of the organs and improving the health of the organs. Many people feel their pores opening when listening to music. This is related to the functional changes of the skin nerve cells. Scientists have found that music nourishes the brain. Music is an energetic substance, the movement of patterns through air. It has a physical resonance. Good music reduces stress, enhances immune function, balances brain wave activity, increases endorphin levels, and triggers a feeling of inner peace. Not all music has this effect though. Only music that calms us and is good for our physical and mental health can achieve healing effects. Good music can also help the body regulate its corticosteroid levels, control the severity of spastic muscle tremors, reduce cancer-related pain, and reduce stress in patients. Classical Music Can Lessen Depression In randomized controlled trial published in Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 56 college students, 15 males, and 41 females listened to different types of music after undergoing a stress test. Listening to classical and relaxing music of their choice significantly reduced anxiety, anger, and sympathetic nervous system arousal compared to those who sat in silence or listened to heavy metal music. Therefore, listening to less rock music and more classical music will make us happier, more relaxed, and less anxious. Music Therapy Can Improve Psychosis A Cochrane Review published in Cochrane Library looked at 176 studies of people with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like disorders receiving music therapy or standard care. Eighteen trials with a total of 1,215 participants were examined. Compared to standard care, the researchers found that music therapy had a positive improvement in overall status, positive and negative symptoms, and also improved mental status, social functioning, and quality of life. Music Therapy Can Help Reduce Medicine Doses for Psychiatric Patients In 2016, 27 patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, bipolar affective disorder, depressive episode, and specific personality disorders were randomized to receive group music therapy plus standard care (48 weekly sessions of 2 hours) or standard care only. The study measured doses of neuroleptics, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers, and antidepressants. The group without music therapy had increased doses of antidepressants and sedatives. The group that received music therapy and medication showed significant improvements in antipsychotic sedative doses and modest increases in antidepressant doses. The pandemic has brought people physical and mental illnesses. Spirituality is often considered immaterial, but it seems more than reasonable to acknowledge that there is likely an element of existence we are unable to directly measure at this time. People around the world and throughout time have reported sensing, experiencing, or believing in a spiritual plane beyond our material dimension. Nearly all people around the world have believed that something of the human body persists after death. If we do carry something with us that persists in the body while we are alive, and without the body when we die, that it is reasonable to expect it is also affected by our mental, physical, and emotional ailments. With the continuous exploration of spiritual phenomena, I believe that the understanding of the nature of human life will rise to a new level in the future. 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. Yuhong Dong MD from China, PhD Follow Dr. Yuhong Dong, a medical doctor who also holds a doctorate in infectious diseases in China, is the chief scientific officer and co-founder of a Swiss biotech company and former senior medical scientific expert for antiviral drug development at Novartis Pharma in Switzerland. Brain fog, fatigue, and other Long Covid symptoms affect the lives of many people who have recovered from COVID-19. It is generally believed that healthy young adults can recover to a large extent after contracting COVID-19. However, a new Swiss study found that 10 months after contracting the covid, they still have some persistent sequelae, especially Increased BMI (body mass index), high cholesterol, and lower physical stamina, which is suggestive of a higher risk of developing metabolic disorders and possible cardiovascular complications. An interdisciplinary team from the University of Zurich in Switzerland conducted a study on 493 unvaccinated Swiss soldiers (93 percent male) between the ages of 18 and 30 to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on cardiovascular, lung, kidney, nerve, eye, male reproduction, and psychology. The experts divided the participants into four groups, including 251 who had tested negative, 177 who had tested positive more than 180 days before the study (an average of 340 days), 19 who had tested positive less than 180 days before the study, and 46 with asymptomatic infections. The results of the study found that people who tested positive for more than 180 days had a significant trend in metabolic disorders, including increased BMI, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein, compared with those who tested negative. They also exhibited lower physical stamina and increased risk of possible cardiovascular disease. The research team said that even a mild new coronavirus infection should not be underestimated. These findings have social and public health implications and can guide treatment research and policy support for COVID-19 sequelae in young adults. The research was published on Aug. 25 in the internationally renowned scientific journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. On March 3, 2021, Barbara Orandello received her second Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the next day she had a severe headache, nausea, vomiting, and ultimately required neurosurgical evacuation of a large blood clot from her brain. Here is what she and her daughter, Kerry Quinlan reported to FOX News Laura Ingraham on the Ingraham Angle in 2021[i]: Orandello recounted receiving her second dose of vaccine that day, and subsequently waking up March 4th with horrific pain in [her] right eye that sent her off her bed and onto the floor. Her husband was unable to help her stand up, and she was rushed first to a hospital in Loudoun County, Va., and next to another hospital in neighboring Fairfax County, as doctors sought a way to diagnose and treat her urgent medical crisis. Virginia woman recounts massive brain bleed from COVID vaccine, as Fauci tells hesitant folks Get over it Fox News Jul 9, 2021 They took me by helicopter, and they were letting me die, Im going to tell you, they were letting me die, she said, asserting that her condition was very grave. They said to my son, Theres nothing we can do, and Shes comfortable, just let her go, and my son went ballistic, and he got yelling at them to get a brain doctor they got the brain surgeon in, she said. My husband who was en route, had to give permission over the telephone to operate, and I had an emergency craniotomy. Thank God I had a massive brain bleed, she continued. [It was] massive. One-third of my brain was filled with blood, Orandello recounted. The daughter Quinlan, a biologist by trade, told Ingraham that she is pro-science like many, adding that she predicts the inflammation from the vaccine caused an artery to rupture. Like my mom said, you know, a third of her brain was filled with blood and she suffered from a hemorrhagic stroke, Quinlan said. In addition, Ingraham played a clip of Orandello and her husband last Christmas excitedly cooking and celebrating the holiday and she asked her if she could do that same kind of work at this point. Both Mrs. Orandello and Ms Quinlan called me weeks after their appearance on national television and recounted the events. I told them that I believe one of several mechanisms can be at play for neurologically devasting events after mRNA vaccination: 1) a surge in blood pressure causing hemorrhage in the zone of Spike protein mediated inflammation within the brain, 2) triggered atherosclerotic stroke with hemorrhagic conversation, 3) atrial fibrillation with cerebral thromboembolism, 4) a blood condition called vaccine induced thrombocytopenic purpura with hemorrhage and clotting occurred in the brain. Ms. Quinlan sent me a picture from the back of her long arduous days in stroke rehabilitation serving as a reminder of what Moderna did to her with its liability shield and lack of sympathy for any of its victims. Jacob Dag Berild, MD, et al, reported in JAMA on 7757 neurologic events after COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca) in three Nordic countries (Norway, Finland, and Denmark) between January 1, 2020, and May 16, 2021.[ii] These four mechanisms are highlighted in the Table. Dag Berild J, Bergstad Larsen V, Myrup Thiesson E, Lehtonen T, Grsland M, Helgeland J, Wolhlfahrt J, Vinslv Hansen J, Palmu AA, Hviid A. Analysis of Thromboembolic and Thrombocytopenic Events After the AZD1222, BNT162b2, and MRNA-1273 COVID-19 Vaccines in 3 Nordic Countries. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jun 1;5(6):e2217375. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.17375. PMID: 35699955; PMCID: PMC9198750. Separately Dag Berild et al reported on 1295 hip fractures resulting in 1085 deaths after vaccination during the same time period. The Berild report is disturbing because these are large numbers occurring in those ostensibly healthy enough to undergo vaccination and then like Ms. Orandello, suffer a catastrophic event within 28 days of taking the shot. Among the seniors in your circle, how many have suffered a devastating stroke or fall with hip fracture or both shortly after taking the vaccine? Did any doctor attribute the event(s) to vaccination? Did the family raise the issue? What was recorded on the hospital records and death certificate? These are important questions as epidemiologists and investigators study the calamitous impact of indiscriminate COVID-19 vaccination on our senior citizens. Reposted from the authors Substack References [i] Virginia woman recounts massive brain bleed from COVID vaccine, as Fauci tells hesitant folks Get over it Fox News Jul 9, 2021 [ii] Dag Berild J, Bergstad Larsen V, Myrup Thiesson E, Lehtonen T, Grsland M, Helgeland J, Wolhlfahrt J, Vinslv Hansen J, Palmu AA, Hviid A. Analysis of Thromboembolic and Thrombocytopenic Events After the AZD1222, BNT162b2, and MRNA-1273 COVID-19 Vaccines in 3 Nordic Countries. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jun 1;5(6):e2217375. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.17375. PMID: 35699955; PMCID: PMC9198750. Calling it arbitrary and capricious, the New York State Supreme Court on Monday struck down New York Citys COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public workers, ruling in favor of 16 unvaccinated city workers who sued following their termination. This article was originally published by The Defender Childrens Health Defenses News & Views Website Calling it arbitrary and capricious, the New York State Supreme Court on Monday struck down New York Citys COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public workers, ruling in favor of 16 unvaccinated city workers who sued following their termination. The lawsuit was filed July 20 by George Garvey and 15 other New York City Department of Sanitation employees who were fired by the city for non-compliance with the mandate. Judge Ralph J. Porzios ruling is applicable not only to the 16 workers who sued but also to all public employees in New York City, including the police and fire department. So, we just defeated the vaccine mandate for every single city employee not just sanitation, stated attorney Chad LaVeglia, who represented the plaintiffs, following Judge Porzios ruling. #BREAKING Judge Strikes Down NYC Vaccine Mandate for City Workers. Its null and void, says attorney @ChadLaveglia. We just defeated the vaccine mandate for every single city employee. pic.twitter.com/PqqjhfNNCq NYCforYourself (@nycforyourself) October 24, 2022 In an interview with The Defender, New York-based attorney and activist Sujata Gibson, said: This decision is a huge victory for New York City employees. Attorney LaVeglia did a great job of articulating how arbitrary these mandates really are. While the case will doubtless be appealed, I believe this case and the other recent big victories in state and federal courts indicate that the dominoes are falling. Mandate Deemed Unconstitutional, in Violation of Principle of Due Process In his ruling, Judge Porzio focused on the differential treatment afforded to certain classes of private sector employees compared to public sector employees and other private sector employees. Judge Porzio said New York City Mayor Eric Adams made a different decision for similarly situated people based on identical facts when issuing Emergency Executive Order 62. Adams executive order exempted athletes, artists and performers from the citys vaccine mandate. Judge Porzio described this distinction as arbitrary and capricious, writing in his decision: This is clearly an arbitrary and capricious action because we are dealing with identical unvaccinated people being treated differently by the same administrative agency. Granting exemptions for certain classes and selectively lifting [some] vaccination orders, while maintaining others, is simply the definition of disparate treatment. Furthermore, selective enforcement of these orders is also disparate treatment. Citing the New York State Constitution, Judge Porzio observed, No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof, with the purpose of keeping governmental decision-makers from treating differently persons who are in all relevant aspects alike. Judge Porzio also noted the state constitution states, No person may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without the due process of the law. While he conceded that vaccination mandates were enacted in the furtherance of a legitimate governmental purpose, he also argued, There must be a reasonable relation between the end sought to be achieved and the means used to achieve that end. There is no rational reason for vaccination mandates to distinguish City workers, athletes, performers, and other private sector employees, the judge wrote. Either there is a mandate for all, or there is a mandate for none. States of Emergency Meant to Be Temporary Judge Porzios decision also addressed the legitimacy of New York Citys state of emergency, and its blanket rejection of the petitioners religious exemption requests. According to the ruling, 15 of the 16 plaintiffs who applied for religious exemptions to the citys mandate received generalized and vague denials. There was no reason why the City of New York could not continue with a vaccinate or test policy, wrote Judge Porzio in his decision, stating that unvaccinated city employees who had submitted exemption requests could have been allowed to continue working under the condition of regular COVID-19 testing. This is especially the case, the judge said, in light of the consideration that states of emergency are meant to be temporary [emphasis original]. Judge Porzio wrote: The question presented is whether the Health Commissioner has the authority to enact a permanent condition of employment during a state of emergency. This Court finds that the Commissioner does not have that authority and has acted beyond the scope of his authority under the Public Health Law and in violation of separation of powers. The Petitioners herein should not have been terminated for their failure to comply with the Commissioners Order during a temporary [emphasis original] state of emergency. The ruling further noted that under the collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the workers union which went into effect on Jan. 20, 2019, and remains in effect until Dec. 27, 2022 there was absolutely no mention of any vaccination as a condition of or prerequisite to employment. Judge Porzio wrote: How can a condition of employment be created during the term of employment? This Court believes that a new condition of employment cannot be imposed upon these employees when the condition did not exist when they accepted contracted employment. While Judge Porzio said that it is clear that the Health Commissioner has the authority to issue public health mandates and that No one is refuting that authority, he also said this authority does not include the creation of a new condition of employment for City employees. Mandate Not About Public Safety but About Compliance New York Citys vaccine mandate for city employees was not just about safety and public health, it was about compliance, Judge Porzio said. He wrote: If it was about safety and public health, unvaccinated workers would have been placed on leave the moment the order was issued. If it was about safety and public health, no one would be exempt. It is time for the City of New York to do what is right and what is just. The judge also questioned the logic of maintaining the vaccine mandate in light of recent developments at the state and federal level, and because the COVID-19 vaccines have been shown not to prevent infection or transmission of the virus. As of the day of this Decision, CDC guidelines regarding quarantine and isolation are the same for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, he wrote. Judge Porzio further stated: We have learned through the course of the pandemic that the vaccine against COVID-19 is not absolute. Breakthrough cases occur, even for those who have been vaccinated and boosted. President Joseph Biden has said that the pandemic is over. The State of New York ended the COVID-19 state of emergency over a month ago. The judge further recognized the workers who recovered from the virus and thus acquired natural immunity over the course of their employment, prior to their termination. Describing the citys mandate as null and void, LaVeglia stated: For all the brave men and women who have been our first responders and have been brave through all this are now free, and you should be able to go back to work. New York City Appealing Similar Recent Rulings This decision is the latest in a recent string of rulings challenging New York Citys vaccine mandate for public employees that have gone against the city. However, in most of those cases, the city appealed. In an Oct. 5 decision, Judge Porzio ruled New York City must reinstate a Staten Island firefighter, Timothy Rivicci, who also had his request for a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate denied without explanation. Judge Porzio also ordered that back pay dating back to Nov. 5, 2021 the date of Riviccis termination and legal fees be awarded. Three weeks after Porzios decision though, he has not received this financial compensation or been reinstated, leading Rivicci to request the city be held in contempt. Riviccis home is in forbearance and at risk of foreclosure. His wife, who had been a schoolteacher in New York City, also lost her job after not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The city on Monday finally submitted an appeal against Judge Porzios decision, arguing that the religious accommodation decision by the citys fire department and the citywide appeal panel was rational and lawful, adding that unvaccinated firefighters can threaten the health and safety of fellow first responders and the public they closely interact with, including the most vulnerable. Separately, in an Oct. 21 Manhattan Supreme Court ruling, New York Police Department (NYPD) Officer Christopher Anderson was allowed to keep his job despite being unvaccinated. Anderson sued the city Aug. 11, after his request for a religious exemption and his appeal of that rejection were denied without explanation. The lack of explanation formed part of the basis of Judge Arlene Bluths decision. There is no indication that anybody even read [Andersons] arguments, she wrote. In anticipation of being fired and losing his legal challenge, Anderson sold his home one week prior to the decision. He continued his employment after initially receiving a restraining order Aug. 15 against the citys decision to terminate him. The same judge on Sept. 13 ruled that unvaccinated NYPD officer Alexander Deletto could keep his job. As with Anderson, he had requested a religious exemption that was denied by the city without explanation. The city appealed that ruling. In a Sept. 23 ruling, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank reinstated the jobs of several unvaccinated members of the NYPDs union, the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York. The city also appealed that decision. Similarly to Judge Porzios Oct. 24 ruling, Frank ruled that a new condition of employment could not be imposed on city workers who were already employed under an existing collective bargaining agreement. This article was originally published by The Defender Childrens Health Defenses News & Views Website under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please consider subscribing to The Defender or donating to Childrens Health Defense. In response to the declining status of Hong Kong as an international financial hub, wealthy family businesses have become one of the critical KPI performance indicators for the Hong Kong government. Unfortunately, Hong Kong National Security Law and its strict pandemic measures have given its rival Singapore a head start. The number of the mega-rich has surpassed Hong Kong. The photo depicts Victoria Harbor masked by a sea of misty fog. Mar 22, 2022. (TM Chan/The Epoch Times) Hong Kong Seeks Goldmines in the UAE as Over 13,000 Mega-Riches Leaving Hong Kong and China for Singapore In response to the declining status of Hong Kong as an international financial hub, expanding family offices (rich people setting up private companies to manage investment) has become one of the critical performance indicators (KPIs) for the Hong Kong government. With border clearance by China nowhere in sight, Hong Kong officials choose to find their investors in the Middle East. Senior hedge fund managers believe the financial industry will only become more challenging under the current political environment. The policy address recently announced by the Hong Kong government mentioned that the government would implement measures to attract talent and enterprises. It also pointed out in the report that a bill will be proposed within the year to offer tax exemption for eligible family offices. Aiming to set at least 200 family businesses in motion by the end of 2025 and to establish or expand their development in the city, the Hong Kong government and officials have determined the move as one of the top KPIs. Based on previous reports, InvestHK will send staff to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to promote developing family offices in Hong Kong. InvestHK established FamilyOfficeHK in June 2021. According to its plan, the team will be heading to London and Zurich in November to continue its promotion after visiting the Middle East. Singapore Got a Head-start with Family Office Business Hong Kong is two years behind its rival with the family office strategy compared to Singapore. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and The Economic Development Board developed a Family Office Department in March 2019 to promote Singapores positioning as a global wealth management and family office hub. According to data published by MAS, the number of family offices in Singapore skyrocketed four times from 2017 to 2019. As of 2020, almost 400 single-family offices are stationed in Singapore, each with assets of US$100 million. While in 2018, there were only 27 single-family offices. From the quotes of MAS, Bloomberg estimated that by the end of 2021, registered family offices in Singapore would have increased to 700. Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Capital, and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, are some of the names among Singapores wealthy western family offices. Recent reports showed that Mukesh Ambani, Asias second richest man, also set up shop in Singapore. National Security Law and Dynamic Zero are Bad for Business Although developing family offices is not an absolute indicator of successful financial hubs, being overtaken by competitors in such a short time is the epitome of Hong Kongs sinking international financial positioning. The latest ranking of The Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI) proved that Hong Kong fell to fourth place in its global ranking. At the same time, Singapore surpassed Hong Kong and rose to third place, ranking almost neck to neck with New York and London. Edward Chin Chi-kin, a renowned senior hedge fund manager, shared that funding had already left Hong Kong before the pandemic. The decline of Hong Kongs status as a financial hub stemmed from two reasons: 80 percent is affected by the National Security Law, while the strict COVID-19 prevention measures put 20 percent off. Chin further argued that this is the aftermath of the government taking down a Hong Kong-listed company on various charges within a year of the NSL. How do you attract international investors to Hong Kong when the government accuses major shareholders and officers of public companies of violating the so-called national security? When many countries decided to coexist with the COVID-19 virus, Hong Kong still chose to follow dynamic zero and limit gatherings of up to 12 people. Chin believed that the fake pretense of returning to normal in Hong Kong might have impacted negatively. Migration Moves Money Too In a report on global billionaires released by Henley & Partners, a multinational investment advisory firm, the international migration of the wealthy is driving the money relocation, of which Singapore, the Middle East, and Australia become the monopoly winners. The report also estimates that by 2022, 15,000 of the riches will leave Russia permanently, while 10,000 will move away from China. On the other hand, Hong Kong is also expected to lose 3,000 of the wealthiest families. Many wealthy people made Singapore and The UAE their ideal destinations for immigration. The report predicts that the net inflow of the worlds richest reaching the UAE will be close to 4,000, followed by about 3,500 to Australia and 2,800 to Singapore. With the wealthy migrating, Hong Kong, which used to follow Tokyo and was once the second wealthiest city in the Asia-Pacific region, is now surpassed by Singapore and others. Henley & Partners latest report on billionaires ranks the superrich based on someone who can afford at least US$100 million in investable funds. Hong Kong fell short with only 280 billionaires, versus 336 in Singapore. China Construction Banks website states that the family office is a top-tier service with a higher investment threshold and personal or investable family assets of no less than US$100 million. It also pointed out that since family corporations are becoming more professional in the U.S. or Europe, US$25 million is the minimum investment threshold for a single-family and US$10 million for multi-family offices. Private wealth consulting firm KPMG pointed out in its 2019 Hong Kong Private Wealth Management Report, In the next five years, assets rooted and managed from the [China} mainland will account for nearly half of the private wealth management market. The 2021 report also highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic had the most significant impact on Hong Kongs private wealth management business. In recent years, the Beijing government has insisted on the Dynamic-zero policy and cut off the outside world. Hong Kongs commercial industry has been urging the government to reopen its borders with China while the market waits for Chinese funds to travel south. The end of dynamic zero became the most crucial question. Alicia G. Herrero, the chief Asian economist at Natixis, shared with the Epoch Times that, judging from the capital outflow, she believes that Beijing is reluctant to reopen the country next year. It is an enormous risk for the Chinese government, as their biggest fear is what will happen as soon as people leave the country. From Chinas international Balance of Payment Presentation, there was a net outflow of US$45.2 billion in errors and omissions. Herrero pointed out to Reuters that the phenomenon reflects a movement of resident funds in an unofficial format. Not only do foreign asset management companies cease to invest in China, the undocumented fund outflow is also deteriorating due to wavering confidence. Mainland Chinese residents want to withdraw their money. In the 2022 Hong Kong Private Wealth Management Report, the number one driver of the industry growth will depend on further penetration into the mainland market and attraction to the younger generation of investors and family offices to Hong Kong. Hong Kong Government Fishing for the Riches Overseas A senior investment adviser, Mike, said the global situation had given Singapore a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, it will not last indefinitely. Besides, there is still a considerable gap between the capacity of Singapores market and its conventional financial market position compared to Hong Kongs. Mike continued, Hong Kong officials are heading to the middle east first because many wealthy people are in the middle east. In terms of geopolitics and the Sino-U.S. decoupling, it will be relatively safer in some middle eastern countries. The Russia-Ukraine War also drove Russian assets to the middle east. The perspective of senior hedge fund manager Edward Chin worries that it will only become more of an obstacle for the finance industry in the current and future political environment in Hong Kong. Just because your money stays in China does not mean it is your money. Hong Kong might just be the same. Incoming Ontario Provincial Police commissioner Thomas Carrique leaves a press conference at the York Region Police Headquarters in Aurora, Ont., on March 11, 2019. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press) House Committee Will Question OPP Over Conflicting Freedom Convoy Testimonies A House of Commons committee voted Oct. 24 to question Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officials on conflicting testimonies concerning whether or not the Freedom Convoy protest constituted a national emergency. NDP MP Alistair MacGregor presented a motion during a public safety committee meeting on Oct. 24 demanding that OPP officials explain why they told the committee in March that the protest was a national emergency, but said last week that their intelligence concluded otherwise. This committee has to seek clarification on why those two wildly different testimonies were given, said MacGregor. Im quite troubled that the very same police force is giving one answer to the public order commission but a completely different answer earlier [in] the year to a committee of the House of Commons. MacGregors motion passed with unanimous consent. In March, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique told the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that provincial police identified the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa as a threat to national security. However, on Oct. 19, OPP Intelligence Chief Supt. Pat Morris said that, at the time the Ottawa protest was unfolding, neither the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) nor the RCMP deemed it to be a national emergency, and the OPP saw it only as potentially a national security threat. [CSIS and the RCMP] did not see things that reached their threshold in terms of what would be deemed a threat to the security of Canada, Morris told the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC). Morris also said there was an absolute lack of criminal activity surrounding the protest. In terms of producing intelligence, we found no credible intelligence of threats, he said. National Security Threat On March 24, MacGregor and the public safety committee questioned both Carrique and Ottawa Police Service (OPS) interim chief Steve Bell about their assessments of the Freedom Convoy protest. Did your police officers feel that [the protest] was a viable national security threat? MacGregor asked Bell, who turned the question over to Carrique. We did identify it as a threat to national security, through the provincial operations intelligence bureau, on or about February 7, Carrique answered. Carrique added that intelligence reports from right across this country collectively identified the convoy as a national threat. The Emergencies Act was an extremely valuable tool, he said. During Morriss POEC testimony on Oct. 19, he addressed a Feb. 7 situation report from the OPPs Provincial Operations Intelligence Bureau (POIB), which was introduced to the commission as evidence. The report called the convoy protest potentially a national emergency and added it was a volatile situation, a public safety threat, and an officer safety threat. A day after the POIB published its report, Morris said in an email that he was concerned about the reports characterization of the Ottawa protest. I agree with the potential for officer safety and public safety but INSET and CSIS concur that there are no national security concerns. Confirmed today, he wrote. If we have access to something they dont, we can meet them to discuss, but I am not aware of it. Noe Chartier contributed to this report. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, flanked by cabinet ministers, speaks at a press conference after members were sworn into cabinet in Edmonton on Oct. 24, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Jason Franson) In Reference to WEF, Alberta Premier Says She Doesnt Like Billionaires Who Brag About Controlling Political Leaders EDMONTONIn comments about the World Economic Forum (WEF), Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she finds it distasteful when billionaires brag about controlling sovereign nations political leaders. The new premier was repeatedly asked to explain her views on the WEF at a press conference in Edmonton on Oct. 24, following her previous remarks about Alberta Health Services partnership with the World Economic Forum. I find it distasteful when billionaires brag about how much control they have over political leaders, as the head of that organization has, Smith said following the swearing-in ceremony of her cabinet ministers. I think that that is offensive for people who should be directing government or the people who vote for them. In 2017, WEF leader Klaus Schwab said his organization has managed to penetrate the cabinets of governments around the world, while mentioning names of heads of governments in different countries, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Yesterday, I was at a reception for Prime Minister Trudeau and I would know that half of his cabinet or even more than half are actually our young global leaders of the World Economic Forum, he said. Smith was asked to clarify her views on the WEF after she said in an interview on Oct. 21 that Alberta Health Services (AHS) ties to the organization serve no purpose. I believe that Alberta Health Services is the source of a lot of problems that weve had, she said during a livestream on Western Standards Question Period with Premier Danielle Smith. They signed some kind of partnership with the World Economic Forum right in the middle of the pandemic; weve got to address that. Why in the world do we have anything to do with the World Economic Forum? Thats got to end. On July 2, 2020, the AHS published an article saying that it has caught the eye of the WEF, which invited AHS to join its Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare to play a role in shaping future health care on the international stage. The coalitions goals align with those of AHS when it comes to recognizing the rights of individuals and introducing more of a social responsibility into health care, the article said. Smith said during her press conference on Oct. 24 that the person at the helm of WEF is not a doctor, paramedic, or health-care provider. Alberta should be taking its health advice from health-care expertise within the province, she added. I am going to continue working with front-line professionals to solve the problems that we have here. And the problems that we have here are related to emergency services, ambulances, our emergency rooms, as well as the inability to get surgical initiatives at our rural hospitals, she said. Thats the focus that I want to have and all the expertise we need for that is right here in Alberta. Cabinet Sworn In The new premier was speaking at a press conference outside Government House in Edmonton following the swearing-in ceremony for her new cabinet. The cabinet includes all of Smiths United Conservative Party leadership opponents except Leela Aheer, the first to fall off the ballot in the vote count. Former premier Jason Kenneys finance minister Travis Toews was given his former portfolio in the new cabinet, while Brian Jean was made minister of jobs, economy, and northern development. Rebecca Schulz was named minister of municipal affairs, Todd Loewen was given the forestry, parks, and tourism portfolio, while Rajan Sawhney was made minister of trade, immigration, and multiculturalism. Several other members of Kenneys cabinet kept their roles, including Minister of Health Jason Copping, Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro, and Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange. Smith also announced that she will make mandate letters, which outline ministerial priorities, public. I think its a good communication tool for the public, so that the public knows what it is that were working on, she said. And why wouldnt we want to tellweve had such great success in checking off the list of all of the things that had been identified, so I think that we should be celebrating. On the federal level, Trudeau said that his government was the first to make ministerial mandates public after his party won the 2015 election. Chinese students wait outside the U.S. Embassy for their visa application interviews in Beijing, China. (Alexander F. Yuan/AP Photo) Indian Students Outnumber Chinese for First Time in English-Speaking Countries In recent years, China has been the largest source of international students in the United States. This year, however, the situation has changed dramatically, with India becoming the most common country of origin for international students. According to the D.C.-based Chronicle of Higher Education, U.S. consulates worldwide issued nearly 282,000 F-1 visas between May and August of this yeara 2 percent increase over the same period in 2021and an increase of 10 percent over the same period before the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, 84,000 F-1 visas were issued to students from Indiaan increase of nearly 45 percent compared to the same period last year, and nearly 1.5 times more than the number issued during the same period in 2019. Students from China received only about 47,000 F-1 visas during these four monthsa decrease of about 40,000 visas compared to the same period last year. According to data provided by Opendoors, the number of Chinese nationals studying in the United States increased 4.5 times from 67,800 to 372,000 from the 2006/2007 academic year to the 2019/2020 academic year. However, by the 2020/2021 academic year, the number dropped 15 percent to 317,000. The number further dropped to about 252,000 in September of this yeara further 20 percent decrease from the previous academic year, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. India has been the second largest source of international students in the United States over the years, with the number of Indian students reaching a high of about 200,000 between the 2017/2018 and 2019/2020 academic years. It dropped to about 168,000 by the 2020/2021 academic year but in September of this year, the number of Indian students in the United States increased dramatically to a record high of 241,000. Similar Situation in Other English-Speaking Countries The decrease in Chinese students and the increase in Indian students has also been a trend in other English-speaking countries. In the UK, nearly 487,000 education visas were issued from July 2021 to June 2022, an increase of 71 percent over 2019the year before the pandemicwhen 202,000 visas were issued, according to data released by the British government on Sept. 23. Of the 487,000 education visas, 118,000 were granted to Indian students: an increase of more than 80,000 over 2019, which is a more than twofold increase. Meanwhile, 115,000 student visas were granted to Chinese nationals, a 4 percent decrease compared to 2019. Official figures from Canada show that on Dec. 31, 2021, there were 217,000 Indian students holding Canadian student visas. In comparison, there were 105,000 students from China. Australia is seeing a similar trend, where India has surpassed China as the largest source of foreign students in the state of Victoria. In March 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese students accounted for a little more than 25 percent of Victorias international student population, with India coming in second at 24 percent. On March 14 of this year, there were 96,300 visa-holding international students in Victoria, with Indians accounting for a quarter of the total and ranking first, while China dropped to second place, accounting for nearly 20 percent. Indian Students in Europe Also Increasing In September this year, an Indian official revealed in a media interview that the number of Indian students in Germany has tripled over the past seven years. Indians now form the 2nd largest group of international students enrolled in German universities, with 33,753 Indian students currently studying in Germany. In May this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly released a statement, which said, Recognizing the benefit of bilateral student mobility, France maintains the objective of 20,000 Indian students by 2025, which will create opportunities for new businesses, start-ups, and innovation between the two countries. More Restrictive Policies on Chinese Students In the United States, there have been proposals to ban Chinese nationals from graduate studies in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields and restrict participants of the Chinese Communist Partys Thousand Talents Program. Two U.S. senators in May 2020 introduced a bill to ban Chinese nationals from obtaining student visas for graduate studies in STEM fields in the United States, but also provides the president with a national security waiver for use on a case-by-case basis. The Chinese Communist Party has long used American universities to conduct espionage on the United States. Whats worse is that their efforts exploit gaps in current law. Its time for that to end. The SECURE CAMPUS Act will protect our national security and maintain the integrity of the American research enterprise, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said. Similarly, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said, Beijing exploits student and research visas to steal science, technology, engineering and manufacturing secrets from U.S. academic and research institutions. Weve fed Chinas innovation drought with American ingenuity and taxpayer dollars for too long; its time to secure the U.S. research enterprise against the CCPs economic espionage. The bill has not been passed. On May 29, 2020, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning certain Chinese graduate students and visiting scholars in STEM fields from entering the United States if they had any connection with Chinese institutions with military ties, to prevent the transfer of U.S. IP and technology to the Chinese state. The announcement expressed particular concern that some Chinese graduate students and postdoctoral researchers could be easily coerced by the Chinese Communist authorities into becoming collectors of U.S. intellectual property. Then, in September 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce revoked the study visas of more than 1,000 Chinese nationals pursuant to the executive order. A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Kacper Pempel/Illustration/Reuters) Irans Atomic Energy Organization Says E-Mail Was Hacked DUBAIIrans atomic energy organization said that an e-mail server belonging to one of its subsidiaries had been hacked from a foreign country and information published online, state media reported on Sunday. An Iranian hacking group, Black Reward, said in a statement published on Twitter that it had released hacked information relating to Iranian nuclear activities, declaring the action an act of support for protesters in Iran. Their statement, published on Saturday, ended with the words In the name of Mahsa Amini and for women, life, freedoma show of support for protests ignited by her death in the custody of morality police last month. Black Reward said the information released included management and operational schedules of different parts of Bushehr power plant, passports and visas of Iranian and Russian specialists working there, and atomic development contracts and agreements with domestic and foreign partners. The atomic energy organizations general department of public diplomacy and information played down the significance of the released information, saying this move was made with the aim of attracting public attention. It should be noted that the content in users emails contains technical messages and routine and current everyday exchanges, state media reported. Black Reward, in a statement published on Oct. 21, had threatened to release hacked information in 24 hours unless the authorities released political prisoners and people arrested during the unrest. Talks between world powers and Iran aimed at reviving its 2015 nuclear deal are at a standstill, with the United States saying on Oct. 12 that Tehran had shown little interest in reviving the pact. Israeli President Lands in Washington to Visit Biden Administration Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog landed in Washington on Oct. 25 for an official visit to the United States where he will meet with President Joe Biden and other senior officials. The meetings will discuss important developments in our region, from the Abraham Accords to the gas deal with Lebanon, and of course to our desire and hope to have more nations join the circle of regional peace, Herzog said in a video statement before his departure. The Abraham Accords are peace deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain that were hammered out during the Trump administration. We will also discuss other issues including the climate crisis, the climate challengea danger to the entire world and humanityas well as the opportunities for trade and diplomacy, business relations, and others which of course emanate from the unique Israel-United States partnership, Herzog added later. When asked about the agenda for the meetings, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in Washington that she did not have anything specific to share. Biden visited Israel in mid-July. He was greeted by Herzog and Prime Minister Yair Lapid at Ben Gurion Airport. Biden was later shown the Iron Dome and Iron Beam, two defense systems that protect Israel from attacks. He was slated to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, receive Israels Presidential Medal of Honor, and visit American athletes competing in the Maccabiah Games. Herzog said that the Iranian threat is destabilizing not only the Middle East but the entire world and that it requires a firm and united stance against it. Herzogs visit comes ahead of elections both in Israel and the United States. Herzog is not up for election. The election in Israel, on Nov. 1, will decide the next prime minister. Herzog said the visit is an opportunity to reaffirm the friendship between the two nations. Herzog said he will also visit the leadership of the Jewish communities in the United States, which he called, the largest Jewish Diaspora in the world. Israels Strategic Interest in Ukraine Is Changing Because of Iran Commentary Despite frequent appeals and complaints from Ukrainian leaders, Israel has refused requests to provide weapons to Ukraine. Ukraine is now suffering barrages of cruise missiles and suicide drones hitting targets across Ukraine, weapons that are destroying Ukraines critical infrastructure. Israel knows and is deeply concerned that Iran is allegedly supplying Russia with a number of different drones, including the Shahed-136, and may soon be sending tactical missiles to Russia as well. One of the missiles Iran may reportedly send to Russia is the Fateh-110. Fateh-110 is a solid-fuel rocket that has a range of 186 miles (300 km) and carries a 1,433-pound (650 kg) warhead. Fateh comes in different variants. The other missile Iran reportedly plans to supply is the Zolfaghar, which is an extended-range variant of the Fateh-110. Its range is 435 miles (700 km). It uses Russias Glonass (GNSS) GPS for guidance. Russia is running low on its own missile stockpile and needs Irans rockets and drones to stay in the war. Russia apparently tried to get help from China and North Korea, but neither was willing to do so. The Shahed-136 is a loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone. The Russians have reportedly rebadged it as the Geran-2 and claim to have improved it. The Shahed uses Russias Glonass GPS for navigation, and its targets are preselected. The drone has no camera, so it depends entirely on GPS coordinates. The Shahed is slow flying but has a long range. Its made out of a plastic composite, so it has a relatively small radar signature. Russian cruise missiles and alleged Iranian drones have already taken down around 30 percent of Ukraines civilian electrical power infrastructure. If attacks continue, as anticipated, Ukraine will be facing considerable difficulties, especially as the weather deteriorates in winter. Ukraine has specifically asked Israel for its highly successful Iron Dome system. Iron Dome has shot down thousands of Hamas short-range missiles and has been tested successfully at the White Sands U.S. Army proving grounds against simulated cruise missile targets. Iron Dome is a joint Israel-U.S. program. Israels chief concern until now has been not angering the Russians. For a number of years, Israel has had a deconfliction agreement with Russia covering Israeli operations in Syrian airspace. That agreement has allowed Israeli air force raids against Hezbollah and Iranian targets in Syria. Hezbollah, with the help of Iranian specialists, has been bringing more accurate and dangerous missiles and armed drones into Syria for use against Israel. In addition, Iran, Syria, and North Korea built a nuclear reactor in Syria that would have produced plutonium for nuclear weapons. Israel was able to launch an operation to destroy the reactor. Most Israeli air operations over Syria require Russian acquiescence. Russia put air defenses under its own control in Syria at its airbase at Khmeimim and near Tartus, its naval port. Recently, Russia reportedly pulled an S-300 air defense system from Syria along with 1,200 troops, probably redeploying them to Ukraine. As recently as last spring, Israel and Russia reaffirmed the deconfliction agreement, Israel calling the agreement a core interest. In spite of Israels clear statement that it wants to preserve its ties to Russia, Ukraine has kept on pressing Israel demanding Israeli weapons and military support. Benny Gantz, Israels defense minister, made himself unavailable recently for a call from Ukraines defense minister, trying to sidestep Ukrainian demands. Trying to clear up the kerfuffle, Israels Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba trying to soften the blow of Israels refusal so far to sell arms to Ukraine and explaining to the Ukrainian foreign minister Israels worry over Irans alleged involvement with Russia. In fact, the character of the war in Ukraine is changing as Ukrainian forces are pushing Russias army back and inflicting heavy casualties and major equipment losses on them. As Russias position worsens, analysts in the United States and UK are worried Russia could use unconventional weapons against Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia is stepping up attacks on Ukraines critical infrastructure where they are, so far, allegedly using Iranian suicide drones effectively. Ukraine is clearly feeling the pain, hence their campaign to get air defense systems and fixation on Israels Iron Dome system, which they consider highly effective. The Ukrainians can make a case that Iron Dome would protect electricity power plants and pumping stations and other purely civilian installations, giving Israel an excuse to act if it wants to do so. This may be the fulcrum for an Israeli decision, since Iron Dome would not in this context directly support Ukraines war-fighting capabilities. Until now Israel has managed to sidestep Ukraine and the danger supporting Ukraine posed to Israeli interests. But Iran is a threat to Israel, and Iran is allegedly gaining battlefield experience in Ukraine, which is definitely not in Israels interest. More importantly, the alliance between Russia and Iran means that Iran will be in a position to make demands on Russia. One of them surely will be for Russia to drop the deconfliction agreement and oppose Israeli operations over Syria against Hezbollah and IRGC Iranian forces and supply lines. Israel is facing a hard decision. It can continue the policy it has without change or it can find a way to oblige Ukraine and help it secure its power plants, dams, and other civilian facilities. As Russia now needs Iran more than Israel, the decision to supply Iron Dome has become much easier for Israel. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Through their depictions of society from over 200 years ago, Austen's novels have a lot to teach today's reader about modern times Many readers and critics regard Jane Austen (17751817) as the greatest of all female novelists, so much so that to make such a statement seems trite. Some even contend that she stands next to Shakespeare in popularity. Denied fame in her lifetimeAusten published anonymously, in part, to protect the reputation of her father, a clergymantoday, her novels resonate with fans around the world. Young people, especially females, read and reread her works, enraptured by her prose and the Regency era in which she lived. Writers and directors have brought numerous adaptations of her novels to the screen. For more than a decade, the Dumbarton House in Washington has sponsored an annual Jane Austen Film Festival, and the English city of Bath, where Austen spent quite a bit of time, has hosted both the Jane Austen International Film Festival and the Jane Austen Festival, the latter of which includes a ball where attendees deck themselves out in finery copied from Austens day. More than Austens considerable literary talents account for this veneration. Though written more than 200 years ago, her stories continue to appeal because of their sage insights into such universal topics as marriage, money, female friendships, male character, and independence. And then, there are the lessons, unintended and unforeseen by Austen, that her novels offer to readers in the turbulent 21st century. A portrait of Jane Austen by British painter Ozias Humphry (17421810) on display at Christies auction house in New York on April 16, 2007. (STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images) Reading Between the Lines I am no Austenian. Though I long ago read Sense and Sensibility, and once taught Pride and Prejudice, only recently did I open a copy of Persuasion, Austens final novel. Its a story of love and second chances where Anne Elliot, aged 27, finds herself in the company of British Navy Capt. Frederick Wentworth several years after shed broken off their engagement. Here are the drawing rooms, the beauties of the English countryside, and the sophisticated characters that are hallmarks of Austens fiction. But as I made my way through Persuasion, I began to see Austens story as less a telescope into the past and more as a mirror for our current age. She was writing for an audience of her peers, and her observations regarding human nature remain as true now as they were then, but through the men and women she portrays, and through the elegance of her writing, Austen inadvertently points out some deficiencies and imperfections in our own culture. It was this realization that snagged my attention. Language as an Art To most modern readers, especially those new to Austen, her prose sounds contrived and artificial. Yet, if we compare her writing to the correspondence of our Founding Fathers, we find the same stiff formality. Here, for instance, is a single sentence from John Adams apologizing to his future bride, Abigail, after previously writing to her of her flaws, a letter with all the eccentricities of that ages grammar and spelling: My soul and Body have both been thrown into Disorder, by your Absence, and a Month or two more would make me the most insufferable Cynick, in the World. In our time, however, being brief and blunt are the bywords of our compositions and our speech. Were we asked to revise Adamss line, most of us, I suspect, might write, I really miss you. Our ubiquitous use of social media and texting further encourages us to squeeze thoughts into acronyms, memes, or mere blips of words. We gain speed and brevity, sure, but we sacrifice the subtlety and careful wording of Austens educated contemporaries. Sophisticated correspondence was then regarded as an art, with certain conventions of speech and composition designed to allow the expression of ones thoughts and emotions without haste, baseness, or crudity. Lesson No. 1: Austens example reminds us to take better care of our language and to avoid the coarse expressions we so often employ. Drawing Room Etiquette In Persuasion, we meet the admirable Lady Russell, former close friend of Anne Elliots deceased mother who then becomes both friend and mentor to Anne herself. At one point, Austen describes Lady Russell as a benevolent, charitable, good woman, and capable of strong attachments who is most correct in her conduct, strict in her notions of decorum, and with manners that were held a standard of good-breeding. Here again, Persuasion acts as a mirror for our time, when words such as decorum and good-breeding have become antiquities. Not so long ago, for instance, we used to hear other people, usually older men and women, described as gentlemen or ladies, but both forms of address are now under fire, particularly lady, which, for some feminists, is sexist and therefore deemed inappropriate. Most of us, of course, still practice some form of etiquette, teaching our children to say please and thank you and to hold open a door for the elderly, but compared to the world of Austen, manners are in short supply. And, like language, those Regency-era formalities had a distinct purpose, which was to give order and form to daily conduct. Just laws offer this same paradox: They set limits on what were allowed to do but allow a great liberty within the parameters of the law. The formal relations between Anne Elliot and Capt. Wentworth allow them to interact with each other without the awkwardness they might have experienced at a party today. Lesson No. 2: We cant bring back the manners of the Regency era, nor, I suspect, would most of us want to, but we can adhere to a code of etiquette and decorum that eases difficult social situations and comforts our friends and guests. Sense and Sensibility In her novel by this title, Austen advocates for a balance between senserational thoughtand sensibility, which in her age was a term denoting the emotional side of life. To fail to maintain that balance, to allow emotions to dominate thought, or vice versa, is usually catastrophic. Persuasion gives us several characters who achieve this equilibrium. In her treatment of a girlhood friend fallen on hard times and her attempts to bring balance to others around her, Anne is a model of such behavior. Her former fiance, Capt. Wentworth, also keeps a check on his emotions but without allowing pure reason to entirely determine his judgments. Though she occasionally gives Anne poor advice, Lady Russell is also even-tempered and gracious to those around her. Others lack this stability. Annes married sister Mary Elliot Musgrove, for example, is a classic self-centered and fretful personality whos often paranoid about the motives of others and who makes a poor wife and mother. Its unlikely, however, that even in her wildest dreams, Austen ever envisioned a society such as our own, where sentiment so often makes a slave of reason, especially in public. Our politicians pitch their various programs by appealing to our emotions rather than to our common sense, and to hurt someones feelings on social media is a cardinal sin that can bring out a vengeful mob. Ours is an age of unbridled passions, always galloping from one extreme to the next. Lesson No. 3: Let heart and head together rule our decisions and actions. A Final Note When Anne realizes that Capt. Wentworth is visiting Bath, where shes living with her family, she ponders that awkward situation. She hoped to be wise and reasonable in time, Austen writes about Anne, but alas! Alas! She must confess to herself that she was not wise yet. Most of us, whether young or old, might confess that we, too, are not wise yet. But reading Jane Austen can help us get there. Judge Allows Orange County to Open Winter Shelter in Santa Ana After Blocking Previous Site After blocking Orange Countys plans to open a cold-weather shelter in Downtown Santa Ana earlier this month, the federal court judge presiding over the dispute allowed the county to open the shelter in a different location in the city at an Oct. 21 hearing. Its just inhumane to have people sit in the rain, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter said during the hearing. I cant let people sleep out in the rain because of a squabble between the county and city. The newly approved shelter will be located at the National Guard Armory at 612 E. Warner Avenue. The judge previously issued a temporary ruling Oct. 14 to stop the countys plan to open a cold-weather shelterrun in partnership with Salvation Armysaying the city had enough shelter beds. Santa Ana Mayor Vincente Sarmiento opposed the judges most recent decision in an Oct. 24 statement. Although I have tremendous respect for the Court, the drastic reversal by Judge Carter to allow the County of Orange to force yet another homeless shelter on the people of Santa Ana is a slap in the face of our community, Sarmiento said. The city and people of Santa Ana shouldnt have to take on this responsibility and the impacts to our streets, neighborhoods and businesses time and again, while more affluent cities do nothing. At the hearing, Carter also pushed local officials to lower restrictions on its existing shelters. Carter said in the most recent hearing he hopes to see each part of the county has its own low-barrier, walk-up shelters for the winter months. Santa Ana officials responded they would lower their restrictions at the citys facility, opening enough beds for short-term stays. Carter called on the county Board of Supervisors to discuss doing the same at their own facilities. Last week, city officials expressed concern in a statement that a new cold-weather shelter may draw homeless individuals from other parts of Orange County. Also, unlike year-round shelters, this type of seasonal shelter closes during the day and could leave individuals from other parts of the county without a familiar place to go during the day. Sarmiento said the city has more than done its part to help address homelessness in the county by operating its own shelter, hosting the countys shelter, and leading in the creation of new affordable housing. However, our community cannot bear the responsibility and the impacts of caring for virtually the entire homeless population of Orange County, he said in the statement. It is time for other cities to step up and do their part, and for the County to look elsewhere for its future shelters. Before the first shelter site was blocked earlier this month, Sarmiento and City Manager Kristine Ridge told the judge that the city already has sufficient capacity to serve its homeless populationwith 425 beds at a county shelter on Yale Street and 200 beds at the citys shelter on Carnegie Avenue. These exiting shelters require referrals for homeless individuals to be admitted. Referrals can be done by medical providers, law enforcement, and public agencies such as Parks and Recreation and the public library, according to the county (pdf). Currently, there are about 990 homeless individuals in Santa Ana, according to a point-in-time count released by Orange County in May. The report also shows that the citys total homeless population dropped 44 percentfrom 1,769 to 990over the past three years. Its unclear if the shelter will be opened this year, as county stated at the hearing that it has not been able to find an operator after Salvation Army backed out of the agreement altogether last week after the first site was rejected by the judge. OC Supervisor Katrina Foley, whose district covers Santa Ana, did not respond to a request for comment by press time. City News Service contributed to this report. People gather at City Hall to protest New York Citys vaccine mandate in New York City, on Feb. 11, 2022. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) Judge Strikes Down NYC Vaccine Mandate A New York Supreme Court judge on Monday struck down New York Citys vaccine mandate, finding the rule to be unconstitutional, arbitrary, and capricious. Attorney Chad LaVeglia, who announced the verdict outside the Richmond County courthouse, said the mandate was now null and void. So, we just defeated the vaccine mandate for every single city employeenot just sanitation, LaVeglia said in a video on Twitter account NYCforYourself. The ruling strikes down the mandate that saw over 2,000 city workers fired for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine. LaVeglia said the ruling extends to all public workers, including the New York fire department, the police department, and the Department of Corrections. However, the city disagreed and filed an appeal, saying it is keeping the mandate in place. For all the brave men and women who have been our first responders and have been brave through all this are now free, and you should be able to go back to work, he said. George Garvey and 15 others who worked at the New York City Department of Sanitation filed the lawsuit on July 20 after they were terminated for failing to comply with the mandate. Justice Ralph Porzio ruled against the city and found the mandate, which allowed exceptions, to have been an arbitrary and capricious order. He said that Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, made a different decision for similarly situated people based on identical facts in his Executive Order No. 62. However, there wasnt anything in the record to support the rationality of keeping a vaccination mandate for public employees, while vacating the mandate for private sector employees or creating a carveout for certain professions, like athletes, artists, and performers. This is clearly an arbitrary and capricious action because we are dealing with identical unvaccinated people being treated differently by the same administrative agency, Porzio said in his ruling (pdf). No Reason to Terminate for Noncompliance: Judge The ruling noted that all but one of the 16 petitioners applied for exemptions and received generalized and vague denials. They remained unvaccinated during the time their exemptions were being processed. Porzio said there was no reason they couldnt have been allowed to keep working while submitting to COVID-19 testing. There was no reason why the City of New York could not continue with a vaccinate or test policy, like the Mayors Executive Order that was issued in August 2021, the judge said in his ruling. The judge affirmed vaccinations but said that public employees shouldnt have been terminated for their noncompliance with the mandate, noting that almost 80 percent of New York City is vaccinated. A person holds up a signs as people hold a rally in support of a group of teachers fighting enforcement of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine mandate for public school employees at Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, in New York City, on Oct. 12, 2021. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Porzios ruling noted that certain classes of people were granted vaccination exemptions, proving the mandate for public workers to be arbitrary and capricious. It is clear that the Health Commissioner has the authority to issue public health mandates. No one is refuting that authority. However, the Health Commissioner cannot create a new condition of employment for City employees, Porzio said in his ruling. New York City Mayor Eric Adams Executive Order No. 62 renders all of these vaccine mandates arbitrary and capricious. Being vaccinated does not prevent an individual from contracting or transmitting COVID-19. As of the day of this Decision, CDC guidelines regarding quarantine and isolation are the same for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Judge Praises First Responders In his ruling, Porzio said city workers shouldnt be terminated for choosing not to protect themselves with a vaccine, noting that breakthrough cases occur even for those who are vaccinated and boosted. He also noted that President Joe Biden has declared the pandemic is over. The judge noted that New York ended its COVID-19 state of emergency over a month ago. He also noted that the first responders named in the lawsuit continued to work without protective gear, and had created natural immunity after catching COVID-19. They were terminated and are willing to come back to work for the City that cast them aside. The vaccination mandate for City employees was not just about safety and public health; it was about compliance. If it was about safety and public health, unvaccinated workers would have been placed on leave the moment the order was issued. If it was about safety and public health, the Health Commissioner would have issued city-wide mandates for vaccination for all residents. In a City with a nearly 80 percent vaccination rate, we shouldnt be penalizing the people who showed up to work, at great risk to themselves and their families, while we were locked down. If it was about safety and public health, no one would be exempt. It is time for the City of New York to do what is right and what is just, Porzio said in his ruling. Correction: The judges ruling does not specifically apply to all NYC workers, only those who filed the petition. The Epoch Times regrets the error. Chinese leader 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, 2022. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images) Mainland Chinas New Civil War Descends Into Horror Commentary Mainland Chinas new civil war was not resolved with the Chinese Communist Partys 20th Party Congress, which ended on Oct. 22. It just began its move to a new and globally significant phase. Chinas return to Maoism, mass suppression, andas a tool of suppressionstarvation, and internal focus moved into a major new phase with the reelection of Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping. Still, it was a close-run thing for him. Xi was purging senior security officials up to, and into, the start of the Congress, and delayed the release of damning economic officials until after the event in order not to cast shadows on his final seizure of power. Now the civil war within the Party moves into a new phase of fairly open suppression of Xis opponents and the broader public. The damage to the international economy will be immense. The cost to the Chinese people will be immeasurably more severe. The only parallel can be seen in Mao Zedongs own suppression of opponents in the Cultural Revolution (19661976) and the earlier Great Leap Forward (19581962). Many tens of millions of Chinese people diedestimates range from 30 million to 60 millionin Maos efforts to suppress all opposition. The enforced mass starvations of Maoist times can be seen as the progenitors of the current start of urban starvations caused by Xis zero-COVID lockdowns in the cities. And Xi has called himselfand is proving to bea devoted Maoist. The 20th National Congress ended as most people suspected it would: Xi secured a third term, and all of his opponents swept from the powerful posts in the Party. Xis certainty that he had defeated his opponents attempts to thwart his reelection was evident when he was able to purge a main symbol of opposition, his predecessor as general secretary, Hu Jintao, in a deliberately humiliating forced removal of the 79-year-old from the closing ceremony of the Congress. Jiang Zemin, 96, the Partys general secretary before Hu, did not even appear at the Congress. That was the first clue that Xi had triumphed, even as the Congress began. In the end, Premier Li Keqiang was also dropped from the Politburo Standing Committee, as were Standing Committee members Han Zheng (the Shanghai Party chief, loyal to Jiang), Party advisory body head Wang Yang, and Li Zhanshu, a longtime Xi ally and the head of the ceremonial National Peoples Congress. Xi Jinping (R) talks to former leader Hu Jintao as he is assisted to leave the closing ceremony of the 20th Chinese Communist Partys Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) We may not hear from them again. There were signs up and down the line that Xi had won this immediate phase of the new civil war within the CCP. The once fiercely independent South China Morning Post newspaper, in Hong Kong, published a slavishly pro-Xi piece by columnist Alex Lo on Oct. 24, titled Unhealthy talk about mini-purge by Xi Jinping could not be further from the truth. Xis only divergence from old-style Maoism was in form, not in substance: He abandoned Maos Little Red Book, which was used to sloganize the masses. Xi replaced it with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road). He knew Maos slogans could not rouse the world so he would transform the world with cash. BRI became the little red checkbook. But it only worked until mainland Chinas sudden mountain of wealthcreated by Chinese entrepreneurs, not by the Partywas there to sustain the BRIs often illogical loans and investments, all designed to buy friends rather than to guarantee a stable return on investment. So the initiative is now collapsing, along with the internal economy of the BRI. So what happens now? The purge of Xis most visible opponentssuch as Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Le Keqiang, and Han Zhengwas an attempt to kill the snake by cutting off its head. But massive opposition to Xi continues, some of it within the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). Much of it will be driven underground by the removal of the visible opposition leadership. But there have been expressions of concern within the PLA that Xi might jeopardize everything through reckless actions abroad, including a military assault on Taiwan. One particular question is whether Xi, now that he has achieved absolute dictatorship, would still feel an urgency to attack Taiwan and end the original Chinese civil war between the Communist Party and the Nationalists. That civil war, begun after the Republic of China (ROC) emerged from the Imperial era collapse in 1911-12, was never resolved. The ROC government retreated to Taiwan and other islands but was never conquered. Xi wants to end that civil warthe big civil warto ensure that there is no question that the CCP was the unquestioned victor over all of China. But with absolute dominance now over mainland China, he may ease the urgency on the highly-symbolic bid to destroy the ROC in Taiwan. A lot will depend on whether he can contain unrest within the mainland, where economic decline has dramatically motivated the urban population to protest. A war with Taiwan might distract from that, or it might just drain massive military resources that would be needed to further suppress the domestic population. But whatever else happens, the economy will now plunge even further, given the reality that Xis assumption of draconian powereven apart from his specifically anti-market policieswill drive away foreign investment and depress domestic consumption. Chinese demand for raw materials worldwide will continue to decline precipitously. The dreamers in Australia and New Zealand, North America, and Europe must now face the fact that the cash that China injected into the global economy has evaporated. And Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, South East Asia, and Oceania all will see an end to Chinas cash, even as Beijing steps up its threats and demands through wolf-warrior diplomacy. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing on Capitol Hill in Wash., on May 17, 2022. (Anna Rose Layden/Pool/Getty Images) Man Taken Into Custody After Sen. Rubio Reports Canvasser Brutally Attacked A man has been arrested for allegedly beating a person in Florida, authorities confirmed on Oct. 24. Javier Jesus Lopez, 22, was taken into custody for beating a man who was walking around the neighborhood handing out fliers, according to a Hialeah Police Department report obtained by The Epoch Times. Lopez allegedly confronted the man and told him he couldnt pass by him, to which the man responded by moving across the street. Javier Lopez in a mugshot. (Hialeah Police Department) But Lopez pursued the man, prompting the man to say he was on public property, authorities said. Lopez is accused of slamming the man against the ground and striking him multiple times, causing severe swelling to the mans face and leaving his right eye completely swollen shut. The incident took place on Sunday evening on East 60th Street. The 27-year-old victim has not been identified. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) posted pictures of the man who was beaten. Rubio said on Twitter that the man was one of his campaigns canvassers and was canvassing when he was brutally attacked by people who told him Republicans werent allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah. The pictures showed the male victim whose face was badly beaten being transported from the scene in an ambulance. The man was wearing a Marco Rubio shirt. Rubio said he was also wearing a Ron DeSantis hat when he was attacked. Both Rubio and Gov. Ron DeSantis are both running for re-election. Both are Republicans. The man suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery, Rubio said of his supporter. Last night one of our canvassers wearing my T-shirt and a Desantis hat was brutally attacked by 4 animals who told him Republicans werent allowed in their neighborhood in #Hialeah #Florida He suffered internal bleeding, a broken jaw & will need facial reconstructive surgery pic.twitter.com/36QpbySg58 Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 24, 2022 Rubios campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Sgt. Jose Torres, a police spokesman, declined to say whether the man was the same as the man police described as a victim. Hialeah is located in Miami-Dade County. A campaign spokesperson for Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), a former police chief challenging Rubio, told news outlets in a statement that Demings strongly condemns all acts of violence and the attackers should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Campaign volunteers deserve to feel safe in every neighborhood, and were praying for a speedy recovery for the canvasser who was attacked last night, the spokesperson said. John Tory reacts on stage after winning and being elected for a third term as the mayor of Toronto, on Oct. 24, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette) Mayor of Toronto Among Other Big-City Ontario Mayors Re-Elected The mayors of some of Ontarios largest cities have been re-elected, while two former Ontario party leaders carved municipal paths to political redemption Monday, John Tory has won a third term as mayor of Toronto, Bonnie Crombie has secured another victory in Mississauga, and Patrick Brown has been re-elected as mayor of Brampton. Browns main challenger, Nikki Kaur, had the backing of several experienced political players, determined to unseat him. But the man who has taken many knocks along the way in his political career prevailed. This is a win against the politics of negativity, of mudslinging, he said in a victory speech. We ran a positive campaign. We refused to engage in the ugly side of politics and focused on what weve achieved for Brampton over the last four years, and what we hope to achieve in the next four. In Toronto, Tory said housing will be one of his key priorities. Weve come so far over the past eight years, but we have unfinished business that Im absolutely determined to see through, he said. Weve made so much progress on getting transit and housing built and growing our economy Were going to get housing built, much more housing, and much more affordable and supportive housing. Ontario recently granted the cities of Toronto and Ottawa so-called strong mayor powers, which allow the heads of those cities to overrule council votes that conflict with building housing. Tory supported the move, but Ottawas new mayor did not. Former journalist Mark Sutcliffe coasted to victory over councillor Catherine McKenney to become mayor of that city. It was an open race as Jim Watson did not run again. You voted for positive change, Sutcliffe said in his victory speech. You voted for compassion and fiscal responsibility. You voted for a safer, more reliable, more affordable city. Former NDP leader Andrea Horwath was elected mayor of Hamilton, where she began her political career on city council 25 years ago, while former Liberal leader Steven Del Duca was elected mayor of Vaughan, Ont. But neither had an easy ride to victory. Horwath was neck and neck throughout the night with the former president and CEO of the citys chamber of commerce and Del Duca eked out a victory over a longtime city councillor, winning by just 851 votes Voter turnout in Toronto was about 29 percent with most polls reporting. It was roughly the same in Milton and Cambridge, but lower at about 27 percent in Vaughan and 24 percent in Brampton. However, Ottawas race saw a turnout of 44 percent. London will get a new mayor, with Josh Morgan, a city councillor and deputy mayor, winning an open race over former London-Fanshawe MP Khalil Ramal. In nearby Woodstock, the incumbent mayor facing six sex assault charges involving two women went down in a massive defeat. Trevor Birtch garnered just 305 votes, placing fourth well behind winner Jerry Acchiones 3,612 votes. Ken Boshcoff, a former mayor of Thunder Bay, will lead that city again. In the Greater Toronto Area city of Milton, Gord Krantz, who is believed to be Canadas longest-serving mayor, won a 14th term. Voters line up outside a voting station to cast their ballots in Ontario's municipal elections in Toronto on Oct. 22 , 2018. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young) Michael Zwaagstra: Single-Issue Candidates Fare Poorly in School Board Elections Commentary Who were the big winners in the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) election? It depends on who you ask. Progressives certainly had a lot to cheer about. Not only was board chair Scott Piatkowski solidly re-elected, so were fellow progressive trustees Joanne Weston and Kathleen Woodcock. In addition, several newly elected trustees also had platforms that placed them on the progressive end of the spectrum. However, more conservative candidates also had cause for celebration. Mike Ramsay, the trustee suspended by his colleagues for challenging their woke ideology, was handily re-elected in his ward. So was Ramsays frequent ally, Cindy Watson. Not only that but incumbent trustee Laurie Tremble, who had filed the complaint that led to Ramsays suspension, and incumbent Jayne Herring who supported that suspension, were both defeated. In the end, things arent likely to change much in the WRDSB. Progressives still hold a majority on the board and will be able to set the agenda. Meanwhile, Ramsay and Watson will likely continue leading the opposition against their colleagues. Neither side won the clear victory they were hoping for. Further complicating matters is the fact that Ramsay and Weston, both running in the same ward, received a nearly identical number of votes. Since the top four candidates got elected, they were both successful. Clearly, many people cast votes for both Ramsay and Weston, even though their voting records and platforms were diametrically opposed. To understand how this could happen, its important to remember that local elections are different from provincial or federal elections. In most provinces, candidates in local elections run as individuals, not as party candidates. This means that voters base their decisions on the candidates themselves rather than on their party affiliations. As a result, candidates with significant name recognition and a solid record of achievement have a significant edge over those who do not. This is why incumbents have such a strong advantage. Add to this the fact that its often possible for people to vote for more than one candidate at a time and we end up with decidedly mixed results when all the ballots are counted. One thing we clearly saw in school board elections across Ontario is that single-issue candidates (or those perceived as being focused on a single issue) generally fared poorly. For example, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board candidates Chanel Pfahl and Shannon Boschy, who run on a widely publicized anti-woke platform, didnt even come close to winning their respective zones. By making their entire campaigns about stopping the woke agenda, Pfahl and Boschy came across as single-issue candidates. This made it easy for their opponents, and the mainstream media, to typecast them. In addition, Peter Wallace, the author of the anti-woke Blueprint for Canada platform, went down to defeat in his quest to become a trustee in the City of Kawartha Lakes. So did anti-woke candidates Catherine Kronas, Larry Pattison, and Larry Masters in their respective wards in the City of Hamilton. The lesson to take from these results is that voters do not look favourably on single-issue candidates. Being a school trustee is about far more than supporting or opposing a particular political ideology. Rather, trustees must make decisions about a wide range of issues and many of these issues do not fit easily on any political spectrum. For example, whether a candidate is woke or anti-woke is unlikely to have much bearing on the decisions they make about school catchment areas, bus transportation routes, or French immersion programming. Nor does political ideology matter much when it comes to following provincial workplace health and safety protocols. In other words, people want to vote for candidates who will roll up their sleeves and get to work on behalf of students. Most people dont want to see school boards become political battlegrounds. Anyone who is passionate about partisan politics is much better suited for provincial or federal office than for a trustee seat. Nevertheless, political progressives should not be too smug about Ontarios school board election results. Just because most candidates running on an explicit anti-woke platform were unsuccessful doesnt mean that voters have wholeheartedly embraced woke ideology. Otherwise, Mike Ramsay and Cindy Watson wouldnt have handily won re-election in the WRDSB. Being a trustee is a serious responsibility. All newly elected trustees have their work cut out for them in the years ahead. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A woman walks past tents for the homeless lining a street in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Misguided Government Policies Worsen US Homelessness Crisis: Report Homelessness in the United States has increased dramatically over the last decade and is now at crisis levels in many major cities. It is also one of the most pressing issues among voters in many communities right now. According to a new study by the Discovery Institute, the overall number of homeless people across the country is approaching 1.2 million, far greater than the half-million figure typically cited by media outlets. Even before COVID-19, homelessness was on the rise despite huge increases in government welfare spending, the report says. Robert Marbut, Jr., a renowned expert on homelessness and senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, believes that before the federal government can effectively combat the problem of homelessness, it must first understand the root causes. At a luncheon in Washington on Oct. 12, Marbut presented his new research titled, How Congress Can Reform Governments Misguided Homelessness Policies. He argued that homelessness should be treated primarily as a mental and behavioral health issue rather than a housing issue. Marbut was also the executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness under former President Donald Trump from 2019 to 2021. At the heart of the homelessness problem, according to Marbut, is the Housing First policy, which provides homeless people with unconditional access to subsidized housing. This policy has been the main approach for the government to address homelessness in the last 20 years. Number of homeless people in the United States (Source: Discovery Institute Center on Wealth & Poverty) Advocates of the Housing First strategy believe that permanent housing is the best way to address the problem, and that all homeless people should get housing right away, without any conditions. According to critics, the Obama administration adopted Housing First as a one-size-fits-all solution in 2013, which has seen the homelessness problem get worse. As part of his strategic plan to tackle the problem, former President Barack Obama pledged to end veteran homelessness by 2015, chronic homelessness by 2017, and family homelessness by 2020. The results have been disastrous, Marbut says. Marbut contends that the Housing First approach has, in practice, turned into a housing only solution. The policy has had negative consequences, such as the removal of requirements for the homeless to participate in effective support programs and therapies, as well as the elimination of federal funding for wraparound services for treating addiction and mental health problems. An aerial view of people gathered near a homeless encampment in the afternoon heat in Phoenix, Ariz. on July 21, 2022. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) By ignoring the root causes of homelessnesssuch as untreated mental illness combined with substance use disordersHousing First is, at best, an expensive short-term band-aid that only addresses the symptom of an individuals living on the street, Marbut stated in the report. Over the five years prior to the onset of the COVID-19, the number of unsheltered individuals suffering homelessness surged by more than 20 percent, even as subsidized housing vouchers increased over 40 percent, according to the report. The paper purposefully excludes any post-COVID figures to demonstrate that the problem existed prior to the pandemic. The report also states that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) artificially lowers the number of homeless people by excluding those living in rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing. Dispute Over the Cause In recent years, Marbut has come under fire for rejecting Housing First by those who believe that the fundamental cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. They argue that mental health issues are just a small part of the problem. Advocates also defend a flexible approach, stating that the security of a home will assist homeless people to succeed in treatment, jobs, education, and health. A Manhattan Institute study, however, found that Housing First did a poor job of addressing serious mental illness and drug addiction, as well as assisting homeless people find employment and overcome social isolation. Pam Bejarno, 70, has been homeless in the Zone, a growing homeless encampment in Phoenix, for months. Shes had just about everything stolen from her, including her heart medication. Here, she sits in the blistering sun on Sept. 18 on a medical scooter. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times) According to the California Policy Lab, a nonpartisan research center at the University of California, 78 percent of the unsheltered homeless population reported having mental health conditions, and 50 percent said their mental health conditions led to their loss of housing. Furthermore, 75 percent of the unsheltered population indicated substance abuse conditions, and 51 percent said that using drugs or alcohol contributed to their homelessness. These findings were based on an analysis of more than 64,000 surveys conducted in 2019. And California has been the perfect experiment for Housing First, according to Marbut, because all federal and state homeless assistance funds go solely to the program. Despite this, homelessness in the state has been rising faster than the national average. Marbut says there are more deaths among the homeless on the streets each day than there have been American troops killed overseas. Bruce Chapman, founder and head of the Discovery Institute, compared the situation to the dismal social conditions depicted in Charles Dickens novels. Its Dickensian; it goes back to the kind of things you saw in the 18th and 19th centuries, Chapman said at the luncheon. He urged the new Congress to reform the broken policies of the federal government. Although homelessness is most noticeable in Americas largest cities, it is also a growing problem in rural areas, he noted. By Lauri Baratti From TravelPulse For this years Turkey Day celebrations, American travelers are heading to some classic holiday destinations and also others that are less traditional. Allianz Partners just released its Top 10 Thanksgiving Destination Index to reveal which destinations, both domestic and international, are Americans expected favorites for 2022. To find the answers, the premier travel protection company reviewed over 2 million flight itineraries planned for the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. It probably comes as no surprise that New York City, always a highlight of the holiday season, claims the top spot among domestic destinations on Americans autumn travel schedules. Seattle came in second, which is also not unusual, since it typically attracts plenty of outdoor enthusiasts to the forested Pacific Northwest. Climbing a significant five spots from 2021, Orlando made its way into third place, reflecting a broader trend toward warm-weather destinations. Besides which, Orlando serves as a gateway to popular amusement parks and, with its cruise port having resumed normal operations, plenty of cruisegoers will also be passing through. Another Florida favorite, Fort Lauderdale returns to the Top 10 in 10th place after falling off the list in 2021, while Washington D.C. in ninth place made the cut for the first time in five years. Other major U.S. cities occupying the rest of the Top 10 positions: Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas. While Turkey Day isnt celebrated in other countries, U.S. travelers who prefer an overseas escape for the holiday continue the historical trend of choosing Mexican hotspots. Cancun, San Jose Del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta take the top three spots this year among Americans international Thanksgiving destinations. Across the pond, European favorites London and Paris also made the list, coming in fourth and ninth place, respectively. The remaining four spots went to Caribbean beach vacation destinations, with Montego Bay ranking, Nassau sixth, Punta Cana seventh and Oranjestad (Aruba) eighth. Thanksgiving travel tends to provide a deep sense of nostalgia for Americans, whether continuing traditions at the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City or reuniting with family on the beaches of Mexico, says Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Partners USA. No matter where youre headed, the freedom to travel is once again something to be thankful for and deserves to be protected. A travel insurance policy can provide peace of mind for any Thanksgiving plans by safeguarding prepaid travel investments from covered unforeseen events like trip cancellations or interruptions, travel delays, baggage issues or even medical emergencies. 2022 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Prime Minister Liz Truss hosts the first Cabinet meeting with her new Cabinet in Downing Street, London, on Sept. 7, 2022. (Frank Augstein/PA Media) Musical Chairs: Rishi Sunak Carries Out Cabinet Reshuffle and Sacks Truss Supporters The UKs third prime minister since JulyRishi Sunak has carried out a Cabinet reshuffle and replaced a number of ministers who were loyal to his predecessor, Liz Truss. After an audience with King Charles III on Tuesday, Sunak, 42, took over the reins of power and immediately began reshuffling his pack of ministers. Jeremy Hunt remains in post as chancellor, having replaced Kwasi Kwarteng, who had been one of Trusss closest allies until he was unceremoniously sacked by her after the mini-budget they produced went down badly with the financial markets. Truss had been prime minister for only 49 days and her close friend and ally, Therese Coffey, had been deputy prime minister and health secretary for the same period. Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab arriving in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting on Apr. 26, 2022. (Yui Mok/PA) But Coffey has been replaced as deputy prime minister by Dominic Raab, who has also returned to his post as justice secretary after a seven-week hiatus. James Cleverly, who was promoted to the post of foreign secretary by Truss, is also remaining in his post and Ben Wallace, who ruled out a leadership bid last week, stays on as defence secretary. Among those who were shown the door were Jacob Rees-Mogg, a hard-line Brexiteer and close ally of Boris Johnson, who was sacked as secretary of state for business, energy, and industrial strategy. Also out was Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis, who in his seven weeks in office managed to end the barristers strike which had dragged on for months. Education Secretary Kit Malthouse, who had worked closely with Johnson since the former PMs time as mayor of London, also resigned. Grant Shapps, a prominent Sunak supporter, was brought in as home secretary by Truss last week after Suella Braverman resigned under mysterious circumstances. But she has been reappointed as home secretary, with Shapps replacing Rees-Mogg as business secretary. Fifth Education Secretary since July Seeing the writing on the wall, Simon Clarke resigned as levelling up secretary and Ranil Jayawardena quit as environment secretary. Michael Gove, a prominent critic of Trusss tax policies, is set to be reappointed as levelling up secretary. Penny Mordaunt, who had launched a rival bid for the leadership, will continue as leader of the Commons. Jake Berry resigned as chairman of the Conservative Party and Wendy Morton stepped down as chief whip eight days after she led a farcical attempt to force Tory MPs to vote with the government in the fracking debate. She has been replaced as chief whip by Simon Hart. Two other Truss loyalists, Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith and junior minister Vicky Ford, were also sacked and Alok Sharmas role as president of COP26 has been downgraded. Sharma will negotiate on behalf of Britain at COP27 in Egypt next month but he will no longer have a seat at the Cabinet table. Oliver Dowden has been appointed chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, replacing Nadhim Zahawi, who remains in the Cabinet as minister without portfolio. Zahawi will also be the new Conservative Party chairman. PA Media contributed to this report. A UFO captured in declassified military footage. (Department of Defense/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) NASA Starts Independent Study on UFOs With New Team The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Monday began an independent study on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), colloquially referred to as unidentified flying objects (UFOs), with a new team of 16 people. According to NASA, the study will focus solely on unclassified data. The team of 16 will, over nine months, study how data on UAPs gathered by civilian government entities, commercial data, and data from other sources, can be analyzed. 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 Headquarters in Washington, 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. By the end of the study, the team will recommend a roadmap for potential UAP analysis by the agency, thereby laying the groundwork for future study on UAPs for NASA and other organizations. NASA says a full report of the teams findings is expected for public release around mid-2023. Daniel Evans, the assistant deputy associate administrator for research at NASAs Science Mission Directorate, is orchestrating the study. NASA has brought together some of the worlds leading scientists, data and artificial intelligence practitioners, aerospace safety experts, all with a specific charge, which is to tell us how to apply the full focus of science and data to UAP, Evans said. The findings will be released to the public in conjunction with NASAs principles of transparency, openness, and scientific integrity. The team of 16 come from both private and public sectors, and include a former astronaut, an oceanographer, an astrophysicist, a data science professor, and a computer programmer. The teams chair, David Spergel, is the president of the Simons Foundations, a private foundation that supports research in mathematics and science. UFOs have gained renewed public attention after congressional lawmakers held the first public hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years. At the hearing on May 17, Scott Bray, deputy director of Naval Intelligence, showed lawmakers new footage of UFOs but said he didnt have an explanation for the objects seen in the videos. The hearing came after a nine-page report (pdf)a preliminary assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released in June 2021said the UAP Task Force identified 144 UFO sightings from 2004 to 2021 but could only explain one of them. Bray said at the May hearing that since the release of that preliminary assessment, the UAP Task Force database has now grown to contain approximately 400 reports. A man photographs himself depositing his ballot in an official ballot drop box while a long line of voters queue outside of Philadelphia City Hall at the satellite polling station in Philadelphia, Pa., on Oct. 27, 2020. (Mark Makela/Getty Images) Nearly 10 Million Have Voted in 2022 Midterms so Far as More States Open Early Voting More than 9.2 million people have voted so far with just two weeks to go before the 2022 midterms as more states have opened early voting. With two weeks to go before the midterms, several states began their respective early in-person voting, including West Virginia, Missouri, Colorado, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Alaska, and various cities and other municipalities. As of Tuesday morning, 9.2 million people have cast their ballots, including 6.8 million people voting via mail-in ballots and another 2.4 million casting ballots during the early in-person voting phase, according to data analyzed by the University of Floridas U.S. Elections Project. More than three dozen states have already started early voting, the project shows. Early voting phases range from 46 days to three days before Election Day, says the National Conference of State Legislatures. It does seem very robust, early voting I think were looking at more like a 2018 election, definitely, University of Florida professor Michael McDonald told ABC News on Monday of the trend. Republicans are favored to win the House in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, bolstered by frustration over the economy and advantages in the redistricting process that takes place every 10 years. But Democrats are working to hold their ground, campaigning on maintaining access to abortion and other issues. The outlook is murkier in the Senate, where Republicans are bidding to take back control. Several races in key battleground states are tight, leading Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to say the chances of his party winning a majority are just 5050. Republicans could take back the House if they net just five seats in dozens of competitive districts, and they are trying to win dozens. History also gives Republicans reason for optimism. In recent decades, the party thats held the White House has lost congressional seats in virtually every first-term presidents midterm election. If Republicans win the House on Nov. 8, the GOP caucus will elect a new speaker and take power on Jan. 3, 2023. They will run every committee and decide what bills come to the House floor. The same would happen if Republicans take back the Senate, although they would elect a new majority leader. A Republican Senate or House would make life difficult for President Joe Biden and Democrats agenda by blocking or delaying passage of bills as well as the the presidents judicial and executive branch nominees. The majority of House districts arent competitive, thanks to a redistricting process that allows state legislatures to draw their own congressional lines if they decide to, although dozens of seats are still in play this year. Many legislatures draw lines to give advantages to one party or the other. The Associated Press contributed to this report. New Los Angeles City Ordinance Bans Misleading Advertising From Pregnancy Centers The Los Angeles City Council voted 100, with five members absent, to pass an ordinance on Oct. 21 that would punish pregnancy service centers for misleading women through advertising about their services with a $10,000 fine for each violation. Such locations support women who are unsure about whether to have an abortion, give up their child for adoption, or keep the baby. [These kinds of centers] are known to use medically inaccurate information to actively discourage women from seeking abortions or taking emergency contraceptives, Taylor Brewer, an attorney with the California Womens Law Center, said to the council during public comment on the issue. This frequently delays the necessary and sometimes immediate care that these patients are looking for. The new ordinance, which follows a similar 2011 law passed in San Francisco, was proposed by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer in a city council meeting last month. If someone goes to one of these centers and is pressured into changing their mind, altering their decisionthrough inaccurate informationprecious time is lost, Feuer said. When it comes to reproductive health, time matters. And truth matters. Womens rights and health cannot be on the line because of misleading information. A warning issued by California State Attorney General Rob Bonta in June claimed that crisis pregnancy centers are falsely portraying their centers as abortion care, even though they provide neither abortion services nor referrals. While crisis pregnancy centers may claim to offer comprehensive reproductive healthcare services, their mission is to discourage people from accessing abortion care, Bonta said. Perinatal health care facilities in Californiawhich help women with high-risk pregnanciesunderwent inquiries from Bontas office in 2021 to ensure that they were providing women with unbiased information about their health and pregnancy to prevent pregnancy-related deaths due to medical biases against abortions. While the overall rate of maternal death in California has decreased by 55 [percent] since 2006, the maternal death rate of women of color remains disproportionately and alarmingly high, and studies show that the implicit bias of healthcare providers plays a part in the problem, Bonta wrote in August 2021. This week, there will be another reading of the ordinance for secondary approval, which is when it will take immediate effect. Feuers office will oversee enforcing the ordinance. Just 26 percent of eighth graders now perform math proficiently, down from 33 percent in 2019, as part of the biggest such decline in three decades, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. (MoMo Productions/Getty Images) New NAEP Test Scores Are a Disaster Commentary In a predictable yet nonetheless shocking outcome, the latest scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recorded the biggest decline in math in three decades. In mathematics, eighth grade students NAEP scores dropped eight points from 2019 to 2022, according to results released on Oct. 24. Just 26 percent of eighth graders now perform math proficiently, down from 33 percent in 2019. Fourth graders saw a five-point decline in math, with the percentage scoring as proficient dropping from 41 percent to 36 percent. In both fourth and eighth grade reading, students NAEP scores dipped three points from 2019 to 2022. Thirty-three percent of fourth graders reached reading proficiency in 2022, down from 35 percent in 2019. Among eighth graders, reading proficiency declined from 34 percent to 31 percent. Thats rightfewer than one-third of eighth graders now can read proficiently. Overall, 49 out of 50 states saw statistically significant declines in eighth grade math; 33 states saw statistically significant declines in eighth grade reading. Declines in some states were particularly acute: Fourth graders in Delaware fared the worst in math, losing 14 pointsa year-and-a-halfs worth of progress. Fourth graders in Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Virginia, and the District of Columbia lost over a years worth of learning in math (minus 10 points). Virginia fourth graders lost 10 points in reading. Oklahoma eighth graders lost 13 points in math, while Delaware and West Virginia eighth graders lost 12 points. Those in Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania lost 11 points. Eighth graders in Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia lost 10 points in math. As education researcher Ben DeGrow points out, eighth grade math scores on the NAEP are devastating. Ninety percent of states lost at least half a years worth of learning in math, with 18 states losing an entire year. DeGrow notes that only Utah schools and Defense Department schools were spared in the decline. Math and reading declines on the main NAEP follow the declines in math and reading reported in September on the NAEP long-term trend assessment of 9-year-olds. Although scores fell in nearly every state to a greater or lesser degree, as Harvard Universitys Marty West found, student scores declined more on average in states where remote learning was more prevalent. The relationship between remote learning and learning declines is negative and statistically significant, but the strength of the correlation is weak, with remote instruction explaining less than 10 percent of the change in test scores, according to Wests analysis. This means declines in test scores are most likely a combination of bad policies: school closures induced by teachers unions that require emergency remote instruction plus special interest groups preoccupation with radical gender ideology and critical race theory during this crisis. As early as the fall of 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was reporting that in-person learning was rarely a source of COVID-19 outbreak. Yet teachers unions continued to fight to keep schools closed, some even doing so this year in places such as Chicago, Detroit, and Boston. And when they did decide to engage in remote instruction, parents could hear the charge of anti-racism guru Ibram X. Kendi echoing through their childs laptop after a lesson on the gender unicorn. One bright spot exists: Catholic schools. While public school policies led to historic declines in learning over the past two years, Catholic schools safeguarded student achievement. For example, students in Catholic schools saw no declines in fourth grade math, while public school students lost five points. Although public school students lost three points in eighth grade reading, Catholic school students actually gained a point. These scores do matter. As economist Eric Hanushek has demonstrated, academic achievement scores predict future economic growth. Higher scores on the NAEP test in a given state portend higher economic growth in the future. Yet, as some have quipped, two weeks to slow the spread turned into two years to flatten a generation. Sadly, the new NAEP data are proving that to be true. Reprinted by permission from The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak makes a statement after taking office outside Number 10 in Downing Street, in London, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) New UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Vows to Fix Predecessors Mistakes, Ensure Stability Britains new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to fix the mistakes by his predecessor Liz Truss and to rebuild economic stability and confidence. Sunak, 42, became the youngest prime minister for more than 200 years after being appointed by King Charles III at the Buckingham Palace on Oct. 25. Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, the new prime minister said the UK is facing a profound economic crisis caused by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become prime minister and form a new government, in London, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Aaron Chown WPA Pool/Getty Images) Sunak paid tribute to his predecessorwho was forced to step down after her plan to fund tax cuts with government borrowing caused turmoil in the financial marketssaying she was not wrong to want to deliver economic growth. But he said mistakes had been made in her attempt to do so, and he had been elected Conservative Party leader and prime minister in part to fix them. Not Daunted Sunak suggested his government will make difficult decisions to drive down government debt. I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this governments agenda. This will mean difficult decisions to come, he said. The government I lead will not leave the next generation, your children and grandchildren, with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves, he added. Sunak pledged that his government will have integrity, professionalism, and accountability at every level and he vowed to earn the trust of the British public. He said he is not daunted by the task ahead as he stands ready to lead our country into the future. I fully appreciate how hard things are and I understand too that I have work to do to restore trust after all that has happened, he said. All I can say is that I am not daunted. I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands. Meteoric Rise Sunak was born in Southampton in 1980 to Punjabi parents. His father was a family doctor and his mother ran a pharmacy, where he helped her with the books. After private schooling at Winchester College and a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) at Oxford, he took an MBA at Stanford University in California where he met his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of Indias sixth richest man. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak alongside his wife Akshata Murty attend a reception to celebrate the British Asian Trust at the British Museum in London on Feb. 9, 2022. (Ian West/PA Media) A successful business career, with spells at Goldman Sachs and as a hedge fund manager, meant by the time he decided to enter politics in his early 30s he was already independently wealthy. In 2014 he was selected as the Tory candidate for the ultra-safe seat of Richmond in North Yorkshire and was duly elected in the general election the following year. He served as a junior local government minister under Theresa May, and was promoted to treasury chief secretary by Boris Johnson. He became chancellor of the Exchequer at the age of just 39 in February 2020, when his predecessor Sajid Javid resigned. It has taken Sunak only seven years to go from being a new MP to becoming the new prime minister. No other British politician in modern times has made the same journey in a shorter period. PA Media contributed to this report. New York City Keeping Public Worker COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate in Place After Ruling City is 'breaking the law,' lawyer says New York City is keeping its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public workers in place after a judge ruled it was unconstitutional. The city is also appealing the ruling, which ordered the reinstatement of workers who sued the city after they were terminated. The city strongly disagrees with this ruling as the mandate is firmly grounded in law and is critical to New Yorkers public health. We have already filed an appeal, a spokesperson for the citys Law Department told The Epoch Times in an email. In the meantime, the mandate remains in place as this ruling pertains solely to the individual petitioners in this case. We continue to review the courts decision, which conflicts with numerous other rulings already upholding the mandate, the spokesperson added. In a notice of appeal, filed on Oct. 25 with the New York Supreme Courts Appellate Division, city lawyers suggested Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzio erred in his ruling by pointing out that multiple courts have held that the vaccine mandate is entirely lawful and rational. Porzio on Monday found that the mandate was unconstitutional in part because the city carved out exceptions for certain people, including artists, and because the city is preparing to rescind its private employer mandate. Granting exemptions for certain classes and selectively lifting vaccination orders, while maintaining others, is simply the definition of disparate treatment, Porzio said. The 16 former workers who sued all worked for the New York City Department of Sanitation. They were terminated even though their union contracts did not require being vaccinated against COVID-19. Porzio determined the group must be reinstated and are entitled to back pay. Porzio also declared the mandate itself was arbitrary and capricious, or against state law. The city spokesperson declined to address that part of that ruling. Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, did not touch on the ruling during appearances at events on Tuesday. Chad LaVeglia, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, had said that the ruling meant that all city employees who were fired must be reinstated. The city not rescinding the mandate does conflict with the decision, LaVeglia told The Epoch Times in an email. The City acknowledges that the court declared the mandate unconstitutional, but is opting to keep it in place anyway. An order enjoining the City from enforcing the mandate isnt necessary. Once the court declared it unconstitutional, the City shouldve ended it without further court intervention. The City is breaking the law by continued enforcement. And it does so at its own peril, he added. Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmens Association, told The Epoch Times that the ruling will help other lawsuits that terminated workers have filed. Nespoli is among the union leaders who have been pressuring the city to life the public mandate. I think its time that this city becomes whole again and they start bringing back these people back to work, he said. Other Mandates New York Citys Board of Health, meanwhile, voted Tuesday to rescind the private employee and school activity mandates. The unanimous votes mean the mandates will expire on Nov. 1. Adams in September announced the mandates would end soon. Asked why the public mandate was being kept in place, the mayor said at the time that I dont think anything dealing with COVID makes sense and theres no logical pathway of [what] one can do. Board members said they voted the way they did in part because of how many New Yorkers have been vaccinated. Clearly, this is the right time to pull back but I did want to make the comment that I think these requirements in the moment they were initially issued made a huge difference in pushing forward vaccination rates, from which we are all benefiting today, Dr. Joel Forman, a pediatrics professor at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, said before the vote. And Im grateful that the department made those changes then and has put us in a much better place. Editors Note: This story has been updated with a comment from Chad LaVeglia. The Department of Justice (DOJ) logo is pictured on a wall in New York on Dec. 5, 2013. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters) New York Hasidic School Admits to Benefit Fraud Conspiracy, Agrees to Pay $8 Million A Hasidic school in Brooklyn, New York, has agreed to pay $5 million in penalties to resolve an investigation into its allegedly fraudulent conduct, including the illegal use of millions of dollars of government funding for entirely fictitious programs, according to the Department of Justice. The Central United Talmudical Academy in Brooklyn (CUTA), which serves more than 4,600 students in Williamsburg, agreed to pay $5 million in penalties, in addition to over $3 million in restitution it has already paid out, prosecutors announced on Oct. 24. The school agreed to the terms of a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the government on Monday after it admitted to being involved in several overlapping frauds, including a multi-million dollar scheme to wrongfully obtain funds designated to feed needy schoolchildren, prosecutors said. According to the New York Times, CUTA is the largest private Hasidic school in New York. Prosecutors allege that between 2014 and 2016, CUTA received more than $3.2 million in reimbursement for a meal program that was meant to help feed students at the school. Almost Entirely Fictitious However, the program was almost entirely fictitious, prosecutors said, and instead of using the funds to feed the children, the school allegedly utilized it for other things, including holding parties for adults. According to the DOJ, the school fabricated records and lied to government agencies to cover up the alleged scam. Additionally, law enforcement officers who were investigating the allegedly fraudulent conduct also discovered that the school and its employees had utilized a number of other payroll practices to help them commit benefit and tax fraud. Prosecutors claim the school grossly underrepresented employees income, thus enabling them to claim public health benefits such as health care and childcare that they were not entitled to, and thus commit welfare and other benefits fraud. This was done by paying workers in cash and handing them coupons that could be redeemed at local stores, according to the DOJ. The stores would then redeem the coupons with the school to receive payment, thus creating a secret underground economy in which employees obtained usable income unknown to the government. Additionally, the school allegedly provided no-show jobs that allowed some individuals to fraudulently claim tax exemptions and also obtained technology funding but used the money for something other than the childrens educational purposes, prosecutors said. They also allegedly provided childcare services without proper licenses. Mondays million-dollar deferred prosecution agreement comes after the schools former executive director, Elozer Porges, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2019 after pleading guilty in March 2018 for her role in the alleged conspiracy to defraud the government. Path Forward to Repay and Repair Damage Done Her assistant, Joel Lowy, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years probation, 1,000 hours of community service, and $98,407.21 in restitution in April 2022. The DOJ said that the school has undertaken remedial efforts and significant structural changes over the past several years, including applying a zero-tolerance policy to such behavior cited by prosecutors, replacing its executive management team, developing and implementing a set of financial and procedural controls, and creating an oversight board. It has also conducted audits to ensure it remains compliant. As part of Mondays agreement, an independent monitor will assess the schools compliance for a period of three years while also ensuring it continues to follow its legal and ethical obligations, the DOJ said. The misconduct at CUTA was systemic and wide-ranging, including stealing over $3 million allocated for schoolchildren in need of meals, said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York on Monday. Todays resolution accounts for CUTAs involvement in those crimes and provides a path forward to repay and repair the damage done to the community, while also allowing CUTA to continue to provide education for children in the community. A lawyer representing the yeshiva, Marc Mukasey, told the court on Monday that school officials will collaborate with the government to ensure it meets the obligations under the agreement, the New York Times reports. The Central United Talmudical Academy could not be reached for comment. OC Extends Program for Inmates to Rehabilitate Through Dog Training The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 18 unanimously agreed to extend for three years a dog-training program that focuses on inmate rehabilitation. The programoperated by Cell Dogs, Inc.has been in place for about a year at the Theo Lacy Facility, a county jail in Orange. It was first started at the James A. Musick facility in Irvine but was shut down due to the pandemic. Inmates train dogs at the James A. Musick facility in Irvine, Calif. (Courtesy of Cell Dogs, Inc.) Sgt. Todd Hylton, a spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriffs Department, told The Epoch Times that its been a huge success. Wherever the dogs have been, there are less issues. Its really helped the inmates understand how to be able to love one another, because a lot of them may come from difficult situations, Hylton said. The nonprofit, in collaboration with the Orange County Sheriffs Department and Orange County Animal Carewhich provides temporary shelter for stray dogsoffers inmates the opportunity to gain hands-on dog-training experience, develop life skills and positive lifestyle changes, and prepare for success upon release. (Courtesy of Cell Dogs, Inc.) We are a one-stop shop, Cell Dogs, Inc. founder Janette Thomas told The Epoch Times. We organize, facilitate, and graduate the dogs that come into the program. Dogs in the program receive crate training, potty training, basic obedience commands, and cute tricks before being offered for adoption, Thomas said. She said she started the nonprofit 15 years ago. She hasnt taken a salary, she said, so her trainers can be paid adequately. Trainer Lynn works with rescue dog Buddy in 2020. (Courtesy of Cell Dogs, Inc.) Its an expensive program to run because we supply everythingall the supplies, all the food, and all the medical bills, Thomas said. No government funding goes to the program, so it is completely self-sustained through donations and fundraising, she said. One way people can support the company, she said, is to shop through AmazonSmile, the philanthropic version of Amazon. The company donates 0.5 percent of eligible purchases to the charity of the buyers choice. Duff, a rescue-turned-service dog, is placed with his working partner. (Courtesy of Cell Dogs, Inc.) At the Theo Lacy Facility, the nonprofit works with female inmates but hopes males can join soon. Before working directly with the dogs, participants learn the basics of handling, caring for, and training the dogs. After four weeks of classroom learning, participants have between 8 to 10 weeks to care for and train a carefully selected dog they will be working with every day. Earlier this month, Cell Dogs, Inc. also started working with the Orange County Probation Department, where both male and female juveniles will go through the same classes. Thomas said they will begin their training soon, and the nonprofit will be searching for a home for the dogs once they graduate. (Courtesy of Cell Dogs, Inc.) Thanks to the experience, several inmates have become dog trainers once they returned to civilian life, she said. Theyve been trainers for PetSmart and Petco. We also employ and offer job opportunities to trainers we think are amazing, Thomas said. She said her company is responsible for finding dogs for the program, which can be difficult. Temperament is the most important criteria, she said. Qualifying dogs will have gone through dozens of hours of evaluation before being selected, she added. Dog evaluation at a local shelter. (Courtesy of Cell Dogs, Inc.) Important qualities dogs must have, she said, are the ability to work well with people and other dogs, a great temperament, and tolerance for a noisy environment. One bite and were done, so we have to find dogs that are amiable to each other, she said. Careful selection doesnt mean discrimination, though. Weve had small dogs, and the biggest dog we had was 115 pounds. Weve had [dogs with] medical issues. Weve had amputees. Weve had deaf dogs. Weve had dogs with one eye. You name it, Thomas said. Ontario Premier Doug Ford delivers remarks at the opening of the Kubota's new Canadian corporate headquarters and distribution facility in Pickering, Ont. on Oct.12, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young) Ontario Premier Doug Ford No-show at Question Period, Avoids Emergency Act Questions Ontario Premier Doug Ford did not show up for question period at the legislature Tuesday after it emerged that hes challenging a summons to testify at the Emergencies Act inquiry in Ottawa. Ford and former solicitor general Sylvia Jones are fighting the call to appear at the Public Order Emergency Commission, with a government spokesman saying the province will be seeking a judicial review to set aside the summons. Government House Leader Paul Calandra said the premier was too busy to show up for question period on Tuesday. The premier is out today making an announcement and giving a speech, Calandra said after question period. Jones was also not at question period, the first one since the legislature resumed following a six-week break. Ford and Jones, who is now the minister of health, were summoned Monday by the Public Order Emergency Commission to testify at the inquiry. The public probe is examining the federal governments decision to invoke the Emergencies Act three weeks into the so-called Freedom Convoy protests that occupied downtown Ottawa and stopped incoming traffic at the border in Windsor, Ont. Calandra reiterated, to both reporters and in question period, that the province believes the inquiry is a policing matter and not a political one. This is a federal inquiry into the federal governments use of the Emergency Act, he said, adding that two senior provincial bureaucrats will testify. The province has also provided hundreds of pages of documents to the inquiry. Last week Ford told reporters he had not been asked to appear at the inquiry, but lawyers for the commission say the premier and Jones refused repeated requests to appear voluntarily. Joel Harden, a New Democrat who represents a riding the protests descended upon last winter, said the premier must testify at the inquiry. Im not persuaded with the premier saying, Its not my problem. It is your problem, youre the premier of the province, Harden said. We dont want any kind of convoy movement coming to any one of our cities in Canada again, but we have to actually get the best evidencethey have to be in Ottawa, they have to testify. Running and hiding and not facing the music is not appropriate. The province said they are seeking a stay in the judicial review under the grounds the summons are inconsistent with the members parliamentary privilege. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Ford owes it to Ontarians to appear before the inquiry and he should follow the lead of federal politicians who are waiving confidentiality to testify at the proceeding. I think the premier has an obligation to the people of Ontario to show leadership, to be clear and honest about the decisions his government took, and the last time I checked, Ottawa and Windsor are located in Ontario, Schreiner said. By Liam Casey Orange County Power Authority CEO to Be Publicly Evaluated Orange County Power Authoritys (OCPA) CEO Brian Probolsky will undergo a public performance evaluation at a special public meeting in two weeks, the green energy providers board of directors announced Oct. 25. The agencys general counsel Ryan Baron announced following a closed session on the matter that the board voted unanimously to conduct the evaluation, rather than appoint an acting CEO to replace Probolsky, which was originally an item on the closed meetings agenda. This was the boards second decision this year not to oust the embattled chief executive. In another closed session in June, the board opted to retain Probolsky after he filed a whistleblower complaint alleging some board members were seeking to terminate his employment. The board decided to further investigate Probolskys complaint. Following the June meeting, a publicity firm released a statement for the board, announcing an independent attorney would continue an investigation into the complaint. Probolsky filed the complaint in May, claiming Huntington Beach Councilman Dan Kalmick, who is now an OCPA board member, and the citys Mayor Pro Tem Mike Posey, a former board member, conspired to create a common plan and scheme to fire him, place Kalmick on the board, and hire Posey to serve as Chief Business Officer. Thats a position, he said, neither authorized nor created by the board. The OCPA was formed in December 2020 on a promise to provide more renewable energy options at more affordable rates to businesses and residents in Orange County in place of the regions primary electricity provider Southern California Edison. Currently, the OCPA serves four citiesIrvine, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, and Buena Parkcovering more than 38,000 business accounts and nearly 800,000 residents. However, allegations of mismanagement and a lack of transparency have dogged the agency from the start. Power lines in Fullerton, Calif., on Dec. 22, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) State officials, including State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), announced Sept. 15 the agency would be audited by the state. Umberg was joined by State Sens. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) and Assemblymembers Tom Daly (D-Anaheim), Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach), and Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) in requesting the audit of the agencys internal business practices. The state legislators reported receiving multiple complaints about its operation, governance, and basic competence, according to Umberg. The OCPA also promised to provide cheaper energy to customers, but business customers have reported rates increasing over the past half year, he said. The California Public Utilities Commission levied a $1.96 million fine against OCPA in April for failing to purchase adequate electricity to avoid service interruption this summer and beyond. Fire personnel work the scene of a fire in Hartland, Wis., on Oct. 25, 2022. (Scott Ash/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP) Police: 6 Who Died in Wisconsin Apartment Fire Had Been Shot HARTLAND, Wis.The six people found dead after an apartment fire in a southern Wisconsin village last week had been shot in an apparent case of murder-suicide, according to police. The bodies of a couple and their four children were found early Friday after firefighters were called to their burning apartment in Hartland. Ten of the remaining tenants in the four-unit building made it out safely. Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko said Monday evening that all victims had one gunshot wound. Connor McKisick, a father and stepfather to the four children, had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Misko said. The others who died include Jessica McKisick, a 14-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl, and two 3-year-old boys, all who lived with Connor McKisick in one of the apartments. Police did not identify the children, but officials at the schools the girls attended said the older girl was Natalie Kleemeier, and her younger sister Sofina Kleemeier. Misko said all of those who died had a single gunshot wound. He said there is also evidence of an ignitable liquid in the apartment where multiple guns were found. This is a tragic incident for the family of the deceased, for our first responders, and for the Hartland community, Misko said. The incident remains under investigation by Hartland police with assistance from the Waukesha County Medical Examiners Office, the State Fire Marshal, and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Hartland is a village of approximately 9,100 people about 26 miles west of Milwaukee. Police: Boyfriend at Texas Hospital for Babys Birth Kills 2 DALLASA man fatally shot two Dallas hospital employees over the weekend, opening fire after accusing his girlfriend who had just given birth of infidelity, authorities said. Jacqueline Pokuaa, a 45-year-old social worker, and Katie Annette Flowers, a 63-year-old nurse, were killed in Saturdays shooting at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, according to police and hospital officials. Authorities have said Nestor Hernandez, 30, opened fire around 11 a.m. while at the hospital for the birth of a child by his girlfriend. Hernandez, who was on parole from prison and had been granted permission to be at the hospital while wearing an ankle monitor, was shot and wounded by a police officer, authorities said. In my opinion, this is a failure of our criminal justice system, Dallas police Chief Eddie Garcia said at a news conference Monday. A violent individual such as this should not have been on ankle monitor and should have remained in custody. 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) Hernandez has been charged with capital murder but it wasnt clear Monday if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. He was not listed among people being held in the Dallas County jail and authorities said that after the shooting he was treated at Methodist and then taken to another medical faculty for further treatment. Hernandez arrived at the hospital around 10:20 a.m. to visit the woman in delivery and began to strike her repeatedly in the head with a handgun, Garcia said. According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by WFAA-TV, Hernandez started hitting his girlfriend after accusing her of infidelity. Hernandez then started making ominous calls and sending text messages to his family, told his girlfriend that they were both going to die and said whoever comes in this room is going to die with us, according to the Dallas TV stations account of the affidavit. He shot Pokuaa when she came into the room to attend to the woman, then shot Flowers after she looked in the room upon hearing gunfire, Garcia said. Hospital police Sgt. Robert Rangel saw Flowers get shot, called for backup, and took cover outside the room where Hernandez was reloading his gun, the chief said. When Hernandez emerged, Rangel shot him in the leg and, after a standoff, police took him into custody, Garcia said. Garcia said the woman Hernandez struck was treated for her injuries and that a newborn child who was in the room was not hurt. 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) Hernandez was released from prison on parole last October after having been convicted of aggravated robbery, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez. She said he was given permission to be with his significant other at the hospital during her delivery. Authorities havent released any information on how Hernandez came to have a gun while on parole for a felony conviction. Methodist Medical System Police Chief Glen Fowler said Monday that the hospital wasnt given any notice of his criminal history or that he was being tracked with an ankle monitor. Thats not something we normally inquire about for a parent, Fowler said. This is an extremely horrific, out-of-the-norm situation. I wish that we would have known, but that is not some information that was provided to us beforehand. Garcia said Hernandez was sentenced to eight years for aggravated robbery, serving six before he was released on parole last year. In March 2022, he was arrested for a parole violation, then in April released to his parole officer. In June, Garcia said, Hernandez was arrested by police in a Dallas suburb for another parole violation, taken to a county jail and then turned over to the custody of Texas prisons, which released him this September with the ankle monitor he was wearing during the shooting. Dallas County records show that Nestor Hernandez has been arrested repeatedly since 2011, including on charges of aggravated robbery, burglary and the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. By Jake Bleiberg and Jamie Stengle A Metropolitan Police officer is seen at a disused paintball centre during an investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Everard, in Ashford, England, on March 10, 2021. (Leon Neal/Getty Images) Police in London Launch Manhunt for Gunman After Two Killed Police in London are searching for a gunman who shot dead two men and critically injured a third in an incident in Ilford in the early hours of Tuesday. The Metropolitan Police said police were called to Henley Road in Ilford, in east London, just after midnight after residents called 999 and said shots had been fired during a fight in the street. Three men were found lying in the street, with gunshot injuries. One man in his 20s was already dead while a second man died a short time later. The third victim, who was in his 30s, was taken to hospital, where he remains in a critical condition. The Met said work was under way on identifying the victims but no arrests have been made and the investigation is in its early stages. Killings may be linked to drill gangs While there has been no official confirmation, The Epoch Times understands the incident may be related to rivalry between drill gangs in east London. Shootings are relatively rare in Britain and there have only been three gun murders in London this year, prior to Tuesdays incident. In September, Maximillian Kusi-Owusu, 29, a rapper known as M Lo, was shot dead in Kensington High Street. That case remains unsolved. Kacey Boothe, 25, was shot dead in Walthamstow, north east London, in August. Several people have been charged with his murder. In July, Sam Brown, 28, was shot dead at a party in Cheney Row Park, Walthamstow. Jas Athwal, the leader of Redbridge Council, wrote on Twitter: Following the shocking and tragic incident earlier today I have been in touch with the Deputy Borough Commander and the Mayor of London (Sadiq Khan) and requested an additional police presence in Redbridge. Athwal, who was recently selected to replace Sam Tarry as Labours candidate in Ilford South at the next election, added: My thoughts are with all those affected by this senseless crime. PA Media contributed to this report. Protest Would Have Been Cleared Without Emergencies Act, Says Ottawa Police Interim Chief Had the Emergencies Act not been invoked by the Liberal government, law enforcement would still have cleared the Freedom Convoy protests with the federal, provincial, and municipal police forces working together, says Ottawa Police Service (OPS) interim chief Steve Bell. In the absence of the invocation of the Emergencies Act, the OPS, the OPP [Ontario Provincial Police], the RCMPas part of unified commandwere going to clear the protests, Bell told the Public Order Emergency Commission at its Oct. 24 hearing as part of its independent public inquiry into the federal governments use of the act. Bell was OPS deputy chief in charge of intelligence when the Freedom Convoy protests began in January. He was named interim chief on Feb. 15 following the resignation of former chief Peter Sloly and just a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a public order emergency on Feb. 14 and invoked the act. A summary of Bells pre-interview with the commission on Aug. 29 stated that he did not have an opinion on whether the Emergencies Act was necessary to end the occupation. Meanwhile, Bell told the commission on Oct. 24 that the act did help dislodge the protest with four specific measures. He noted as being useful the definition of a no-protest zone, the compelling of tow truck companies to haul away Freedom Convoy vehicles, the freezing of protest supporters financial accounts, and the increased speed to swear in police officers coming from other jurisdictions. Rob Kittredge, counsel for the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, challenged Bell on those four points. Kittredge asked Bell whether the swearing in of officers could have been done without using the Emergencies Act, and within 24 hours. They absolutely could have been sworn in without it. It just could have created a backlog and lag time, said Bell. It could likely have been done in 24 hours, but I dont think the benefit was as to when it could get done. I think the benefit was to that as soon as a member was boots on the ground in Ottawa, landed in Ottawa, they were operationally ready to be deployed. On the issue of compelling tow truck companies to help clear out vehicles, Kittredge made the allegation that emergency powers were never needed for this purpose. I dont know that. So thats a better question directed at Superintendent [Robert] Bernier, said Bell. Kittredge said Bernier is expected to testify to the effect that emergency powers were not needed to compel towing companies to supply trucks or drivers, because by February 13, the OPP had retained 34 tow trucks with willing drivers. About the freezing of financial accounts without a court order, Bell said he had no direct knowledge of that measure inciting protesters to leave voluntarily or being deterred from coming to Ottawa. Bell also said the definition of an exclusionary zone could have been achieved without the Emergencies Act, though that is an uncommon authority that police exercise. The ability for us to be very clear in how we were managing, striking up, and excluding people from that zone was extremely important to us to be able to execute the plans that we did, Bell said. Information revealed so far from senior police officers from other jurisdictions indicates they did not believe the Emergencies Act was necessary to clear the protest. RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki told Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicinos chief of staff in an email sent in the early hours of Feb. 14 that all existing legal tools had not been exhausted. The Trudeau government invoked the act a few hours later that afternoon. Now-retired OPP chief superintendent Carson Pardy, who was in charge of helping to plan the removal of the protest at the time, told the commission on Oct. 21 that the act was not necessary. We had some help with [the provincial declaration of emergency] and the Emergencies Act, but in my humble opinion, we would have reached the same solution with the plan that we had without either of those pieces of legislation, Pardy said. BHP Billiton Chief Executive Andrew Mackenzie is silhouetted against a screen projecting the company's logo at a round table meeting with journalists in Tokyo, Japan June 5, 2017. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo) Qld Coal Miners Plan Action Over Pay Deal Workers at four Queensland coal mines could stop work in protest over conditions being proposed by BHP-Mitsubishi Alliance in a fresh pay deal. The Mining and Energy Union and the miner have been negotiating an enterprise bargaining agreement for workers at the Saraji, Peak Downs, Blackwater and Goonyella Riverside mines for 18 months. Talks have become deadlocked, with the union and company failing to agree on conditions, including the number of permanent jobs, redundancy protections and career progression. MEU Queensland president Stephen Smyth says about 90 per cent of workers covered under the current deal have voted to take protected industrial action over conditions. Many thanks to our members for making their voices heard and showing their strong commitment to taking action in support of current and future permanent jobs in our industry, he said in a statement on Tuesday. Our members at Saraji, Peak Downs, Blackwater and Goonyella Riverside have a proud history of fighting for conditions over many decades. Smyth said the union had been in talks with BHP-Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) for 15 months, followed by another three months of negotiations involving the Fair Work Commission. The union applied for the ballot with the commission, which means any industrial action will be protected. A coal train awaits loading at BHP Billitons Mt Arthur coal mine in Muswellbrook, Australia. . (Ian Waldie/Getty Images) The vast majority of eligible voters supported work stoppages, along with other measures, the union said. Smyth said job security had been eroded in BMAs central Queensland mines, where theres been a steady decline of permanent jobs and a rise in the number of labour-hire contractors, including from BHP provider Operations Services. But BHP-Mitsubishi Alliance said their proposed deal contained industry-leading conditions which addressed employee concerns while keeping its operations safe, productive and sustainable. We are disappointed about the support for industrial action and remain committed to constructive bargaining in good faith through the existing Fair Work Commission process, a spokesperson said in a statement. The best way forward for a win-win outcome is to negotiate an agreement, not industrial action. An RCMP tactical vehicle drives past the Parliament Buildings after a massive police operation quelled the Convoy Protest in Ottawa, on Feb. 20, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) RCMPs Lucki Said All Legal Tools Not Yet Exhausted Shortly Before Emergencies Act Invoked RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki said shortly before the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act to clear convoy protests that not all existing legal tools to deal with the protests had yet been exhausted. I am of the view that we have not yet exhausted all available tools that are already available through the existing legislation, Lucki said in an email to Mike Jones, chief of staff to the minister of public safety, on the evening of Feb. 13. There are instances where charges could be laid under resisting authorities for various Criminal Code offences occurring right now in the context of the protest. The Ontario Provincial Emergencies Act just enacted will also help in providing additional deterrent tools to our existing toolbox. On the afternoon of Feb. 14, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he is invoking the Emergencies Act to clear convoy protests. The email was tabled as part of evidence examined at the public inquiry into the use of the act during the testimony of Ottawa Police Service (OPS) interim chief Steve Bell on Oct. 24. As required by the act, the Public Order Emergency Commission has been formed to evaluate if the high bar for the justification of the use of the act had been met before it was invoked. The commission heard earlier from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) that in their view the use of the Emergencies Act wasnt required to deal with the protests. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Oct. 21, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) In public remarks on different occasions, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino had said that it was on the advice of law enforcement that the government invoked the act. Both RCMPs Lucki and OPSs Bell later told lawmakers in parliamentary committees that they hadnt asked the government to use the act. Both did welcome the additional enforcement powers the tool brought after it was invoked, however. An official from Mendicinos department told parliamentarians in June that the minister was misunderstood, and what he intended to say was that law enforcement had asked for the tools contained in the Emergencies act. Email Luckis email to Jones was in response to an email from him outlining a few requests. The first part of the section in the email where Jones lists his requests is redacted. Joness last request, which is not redacted, is about what the communication plan is for regular updates from the three policing organizations in the days ahead, presumably referring to the RCMP, the OPP, and the OPS. Lucki addresses the communication question in her response, saying, my comms people will be reaching into your comms to see what the Minister is looking as we would also have to coordinate with OPS & OPP. In other parts of her email, Lucki said that she cant yet provide a Critical Infrastructure list, and addresses the implications of the Emergencies Act and the tools under the act that the RCMP may find useful. These additional enforcement tools include prohibitions of assembly in areas such as airports and rail stations, making it an offence to provide gas to fuel protest trucks, giving the police powers to tow trucks, and cell phone disruption, among others. Noe Chartier contributed to this report. Editors note: Details related to the timing of RCMP commissioner Brenda Luckis email in this article were updated following her testimony at the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 15, 2022. Australian farmer Kevin Tongue herds sheep at his property near the rural city of Tamworth, in NSW, Australia, on May 4, 2020. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images) Regional Australia a Budget Battleground Walking down a flooded road in Forbes, in central west New South Wales (NSW), Prime Minister Anthony Albanese smiled as Nationals MP Michael McCormack put an arm around his shoulder. During visits to disaster zones in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania this week, the prime minister greeted local emergency service crews, gumboot-clad locals, and a sheepdog named Linnie. But not everything is cosy between the government, the National Party and rural Australians, as regional funding has become a battleground ahead of Labors first budget. For weeks, senior Nationals have warned rural programs will be on the governments chopping block when it hands down the federal budget on Tuesday night. Nationals leader David Littleproud and Senator Bridget McKenzie both warned the government would rip the guts out of regions, claiming it would cut spending to fund its $2.2 billion transport announcement for Labor-led Victoria. Regional Development Minister Catherine King said the budget was cracking down on any coalition rorts and waste. There will be plenty of regional funding in this budget, King said this week. Dominic OSullivan, professor of political science from Charles Sturt University, said the governments audit was partly of The Nationals making after former leader Barnaby Joyce made a deal on net zero emissions targets in exchange for regional spending. The government has said this will be a difficult budget. There are high levels of debt and spending commitments it took to the election, OSullivan told AAP. The money is not coming from increased tax. One of the target areas is clearly the deal Barnaby Joyce did with the Liberals. The government said no particular coalition program was being targeted as it made funding announcements across critical areas of rural health and connectivity. Doctors said the governments announcement to restore bulk billed video telehealth psychiatry consultations in a $47.7 million (US$37.1 million) spending would improve the desperate state of country mental health services. The Rural Doctors Association expects to see a $146 million workforce spend, honouring a coalition election promise that would give country generalists a pay rise. It will be a landmark change that creates a pull factor for doctors, the associations Dr. John Hall said. But Hall said Labor revealed its misunderstanding of rural needs when it gave workforce priority status to metropolitan suburbs in July, funnelling doctors from the bush. It was bowing to pressure to solve doctor shortages in metropolitan areas, really robbing Peter to pay Paul, Hall said. We are watching this space really closely. As peak regional organisations renewed a push for better connectivity to support health and local economies, Labor committed $2.4 billion for NBN upgrades for 1.5 million homes, including full-fibre access to 700,000 regional properties. Kristy Sparrow, from the influential volunteer group Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australia, said people in the bush needed more help navigating complex connectivity options. You could be living in Wagga Wagga, or you could be living in Woorabinda, you could be 18 or 73 and equally as likely to not know how to get connected, Sparrow said. At the core of many issues in the bush, including skills shortages, is a severe lack of housing. Grassroots campaign group Everybodys Home, which represents hundreds of community service groups, wants the government to commit to building at least 25,000 affordable and social homes per year. It said there was one house for every 10 jobs in some regions, compared to one house for every five jobs in Sydney. OSullivan said housing, skills shortages, and health all require long-term planning. The government will want to be seen to be doing something so that when they go to places like Dubbo or Wagga, or further afield, they can say, Weve got a plan for your GP clinic and a plan for when your kids leave school. Those things are really important. Religious Liberty Once Again Under Attack by the Cultural Elites Commentary PITTSBURGHL. Hafer of the Pittsburgh Daily Post paid a visit way back on June 9, 1847, to Mercy Hospital, the Catholic hospital begun by the Sisters of Mercy, a religious order founded in Ireland. The hospital had just opened its doors four months earlier in a former concert hall smack in the middle of a city on the cusp of transitioning from a frontier outpost to a major industrial hub. The Mother Superior very politely conducted us through the new institution, the cleanliness, neatness are everywhere seen, Hafer wrote. There are two rows of beds where the sick are brought and have every attention and kindness extended to them. It is an institution intended for the accommodation of men and women of every race, creed, and nationality. One year later, Mercy Hospital established the regions first teaching hospital with resident physicians in training. Now, though, this hospital, along with many others across the country, is at risk because of a proposal by the Biden administrationas well soon discuss. But, back to the Sisters. Their Pittsburgh hospital, which now sits on a bluff on the edge of the central business district, has served the city through the Civil War, two world wars, and several deadly pandemics. It remains Pittsburghs only Catholic hospital with specialized services, including neurosurgery, a Level I trauma unit, and state-of-the-art burn services. For most of its existence, the neighborhood it occupies, the Bluff, has been a mix of immigrants, minorities, and students attending the adjacent Duquesne University, also a Catholic institution. Its one of those very unique places in the world of medicine where patients receive spiritual healing and benefit from the best cutting-edge technology in the health care world. All the while, it maintains its mission of welcoming everyone since the day it opened, regardless of race, nationality, age, gender, or religion. There are currently 600 Catholic hospitals in the United States and more than 1,500 long-term health care facilities in the country. According to the Catholic Health Associations statistics, 1 in 7 patients in the United States are cared for in a Catholic hospital, with many of them in underserved minority communities. Their collective mission remains the same since the day the Sisters of Mercy came here in the 19th century. Cultural elites long have been skeptical of the reach of religious freedoms, let alone faith-based care. But their hostility toward these institutions has never been a coordinated effort, until recently. Now, however, three powerful progressive cultural curators (federal and state regulators, legacy media, and left-wing special interest groups) seemingly have banded together to force Catholic hospitals to violate their faith. If successful, their effort would leave millions without health care access. It began this summer when President Joe Bidens appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services planned to revise Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to add pregnancy termination, sexual orientation, and gender identity to already existing protections against discrimination on the basis of sex. In short, the proposal would reverse the Trump administration protections that sought to allow health care professionals to opt out of performing procedures, such as abortions or gender reassignment surgeries, that violate their beliefs. The usual groups against traditional faith piled on. Planned Parenthood, the nations leading provider of abortions, now offers hormone therapy for transgender and gender-nonconforming patients, so it issued a statement immediately praising the Biden administration rule that would punish such Catholic hospitals. The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, in turn, condemned the proposed rule, saying it threatens the Catholic Churchs ability to carry out healing ministries by mandating that health care workers perform life-altering surgeries to remove perfectly healthy body parts. The bishops also expressed their doubts that the Health and Human Services (HHS) rule provided adequate religious-liberty protections: Assurances that HHS will honor religious freedom laws offer little comfort when HHS is actively fighting court rulings that declared HHS violated religious freedom laws the last time they tried to impose such a mandate. The bishops conference called on HHS to disavow any such intent. Interviews with experts in the Catholic health care system say the pressure from multiple powerful progressive institutions on their faith-based providers began in earnest in September when progressive activists began realizing that national Democrats were losing the argument with voters on abortion. Stories in The New York Times and The Washington Post went full-throttle from various angles attacking the Catholic health care system (questioning their charitable mission, their tax-exempt status, and their profits), including an op-ed piece titled I dont want your god in charge of my health care. The consistent theme in most of the attacks was tying the number of Catholic hospitals there are in the country, and their growth, to the Supreme Court decision this summer overturning the alleged constitutional right to abortion. The themes undercurrent is that Catholic health systems religious restrictions should cast doubt on their licenses. An administrator within the Catholic hospital system said the outside pressure is unlike anything he has seen. Religious liberty is often overlooked by elite progressive groups as a prime reason people have immigrated here since before we even formed as a country, starting with reactions to religious persecution in England, Scotland, and Germany in the 17th century. We all once understood that its ingrained in our national DNA to protect that liberty, as well as faith-based religious institutions and charities. Elites dont understand it because many of them lead secular lives surrounded in their professions, personal lives, and neighborhoods with secular peers. They see religiosity as a freak show or a threat to their entitlements to abortions or gender reassignments rather than something with which, based on founding principles, they should coexist. They also miss the faith-based groups right under their noses in their communitiesnot just in Catholic hospitals, but also in a variety of different faith-based services that serve the most at-risk in society and would not be able to provide those services without public funds. The hostility toward the faith-based outfits rarely comes from the residents who surround their hospital or nearby communities; its a new development crafted out of a new age of politics that began during the fight over Obamacare. Alas, it now has escalated during the Biden era largely because our cultural curators in legacy media, institutions, politics, and government are now firmly all on the same, stridently anti-religious page. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks during a press conference on the House January 6 Committee hearings at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 15, 2022. Greene and other lawmakers spoke out against the Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach and the conditions of the D.C. jail where many prisoners arrested in connection to the breach are being held. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Republicans Demand FBI, DOJ Remove Records of People Pressured Into Waiving Gun Rights Republicans are demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) remove the records of people who signed away their gun rights under FBI pressure. In September, FBI officials were found to have had a number of Americans fill out a form that said they want the FBI to make it illegal for them to purchase or own guns forever because of a mental health condition. The form, dubbed the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Indices Self-Submission Form, was originally discovered by a Freedom of Information Act request put forward by pro-Second Amendment group Gun Owners of America (GOA). The story was later picked up and reported on by the Daily Caller. After the story broke, GOA immediately demanded that the FBI reverse these waivers. Weve learned the FBI had no business disarming these individuals. They did not pose a threat to society. The FBI actions were wholly unlawful, Aidan Johnston, GOAs director of federal affairs, told The Epoch Times. GOA demanded at the time that the FBI remove these records from the background check database by Oct. 8 and that Congress enforce the removals. That deadline came and went with none of the records removed. Now, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and other Republicans are similarly demanding the removal of these records. In an Oct. 24 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray, Greene and several of her colleagues argued that the FBI had coerce[d] and intimidate[d] several Americans into signing a form indefinitely waiving away their right to a firearm. The form used to sign away Americans gun rights was created by FBI personnel and used by FBI agents to coerce and intimidate Americans who were not convicted of any crime into signing away their right to obtain a firearm, a right protected by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, Greene wrote. We, the undersigned elected members of the United States House of Representatives, demand full accountability from all law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the lawmakers added. No government officialunelected, appointed, or even electedhas the right to infringe upon Second Amendment rights. Reportedly, and hardly coincidentally, the FBI claims to have discontinued use of this form immediately after its existence was made public. Greene said the continued enforcement of the form against those who did sign it is a violation of federal law. The lawmakers picked up the issue because GOAs original letter to the DOJ explaining why the forms were illegal has gone unanswered by the DOJ, which has been evasive in its responses to Republicans throughout the course of the 117th Congress. Since neither of your offices has responded to GOAs letter, we, as Members of Congress, demand direct answers to the questions stated in their original letter, Greene wrote before demanding confirmation of several points. First, the lawmakers asked for confirmation that the Department of Justice has identified and taken action to remove offending records from any database relating to those who have signed the rogue FBI form. They also sought confirmation that the FBI has taken action to remove the offending records from the NICS system. Finally, the lawmakers sought confirmation that the FBI no longer uses the form. We look forward to your expeditious response to our l etter concerning the American Peoples Constitutional rights that shall not be infringed, Greene concluded. The letter was co-signed by a handful of House Republicans: Greg Steube (R-Fla.) Michael Cloud (R-Texas) Mary Miller (R-Ill.) Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) Chip Roy (R-Texas) Ben Cline (R-Va.) Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) Randy Weber (R-Texas) Lance Gooden (R-Texas) Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) The DOJ did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the letter. Emily Miller contributed to this report. A humpback whale is seen just outside of Hartley Bay along the Great Bear Rainforest, B.C. Sept, 17, 2013. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward) Rescue Team and Whales Acrobatics Help Save It From Dangerous Entanglement in BC A 10-metre-long humpback whale entangled in fishing gear in British Columbias Strait of Georgia has been rescued with the help of a team of experts, a drone, a satellite tag, concerned citizens and an acrobatic twist from the captive itself. The impressive manoeuvring was all accomplished with an even more impressive audience looking on. The trapped animal had a group of companion whales swimming by its side the entire time. Paul Cottrell, the Pacific marine mammal rescue lead for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said calls about a whale caught in fishing line pulling a yellow buoy began coming in last Thursday. Though rescuers spent the whole day looking, it wasnt until the next morning, when a whale-watching crew spotted and tracked the animal off the Gulf Island of Texada, that officials were able to come and place a satellite tag on the trailing gear. So that was huge. Then we could relax a little bit because we would be able to find the animal by the satellite tag, Cottrell said. With the tag as a guide, the team was able to converge on the animal and release a drone to get a closer look at exactly how it was tied up by the rope. We could get a really good birds-eye view. We knew exactly how the gear was through the mouth, he said. There was a buoy on the left side, or the port side of the animal, through the mouth and then on the right side, there was a line protruding trailing much behind the animal, much behind the buoy. Cottrell said they learned they were dealing with about 90 metres of polysteel rope, along with the buoy and prawn fishing gear. The strong, abrasive rope was caught in the whales mouth and had already begun wearing away flesh. That rope in the mouth would prevent the animal from successfully foraging so it was being impacted that way, Cottrell said. The rope can continue to wear into the flesh and sometimes be ingested. So it can be definitely a lethal situation. The rescuers also had to deal with three other humpback whales swimming by the trapped animals side. Despite also the commotion, two of the whales remained next to the trapped animal, and the rescue boats, the entire time, Cottrell said. It complicated things significantly because not only were we worried about the animals getting entangled in that trailing gear from being so close to the whale, also how they would react once we started working to remove the gear. He said encounters with companion animals, particularly a group of this size, are rare. In his more than 50 rescues, it was the first time hed seen a group this large. They do travel together and often youll get the same animals travelling together. Why they chose to continue with this animal when it was under duress and entangled? We dont know, he said. A rescue plan was hatched and the team began slowly cutting line away from one side of the whales mouth hoping that with one side clear the remaining rope would more easily slide out. With the drone operator monitoring the whales so the boat drivers could react to any change in behaviour, the team spent four hours clearing half the entanglement before putting a small amount of tension on the other side. Thats when the whale took over. The animal reacted to that tension and did a spyhop up and a backflip it actually just popped all the line out, Cottrell said. So, the plan worked perfectly. Cottrell said the rescue would not have been possible without the seven calls about the whale that came in over the span of two days including from citizens, a ferry boat captain and the whale-watching crew. In the end, rescuers were able to use the drone to follow the liberated whaleand its companionsas they swam away together. Photo taken on Aug. 20, 2012, shows factories processing rare earths on the edge of the Chinese city of Baotou. China produces more than 95 percent of the world's rare earths, 17 elements crucial for making a range of hi-tech products. Two-thirds of that is processed in mineral-rich Baotou on the edge of the Gobi Desert. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images) Researchers Discover Way to Make Magnets Without Rare Earth Metals Scientists from the University of Cambridge and their Austrian colleagues have discovered a novel method of making magnets without the use of rare earth metals, an innovation that could offer a possibility for Western countries to veer away from overly depending on China for the tech-critical materials. Researchers found a way to produce tetrataenite, an alloy of iron and nickel, which can replace magnets made from rare earths. Tetrataenite usually forms naturally in meteorites. When meteorites cool down, the nickel and iron atoms order themselves in a specific structure, eventually ending up as a material that has properties almost similar to that of magnets made of rare earth elements. This is a process that takes millions of years. However, the research team found a way to replicate the process in a short period of time while studying the properties of nickel-iron alloys containing small quantities of phosphorus. By mixing nickel, iron, and phosphors in specific quantities, the formation of tetrataenite was massively sped up to the extent that the material could be formed in just a few seconds. Rare earth magnets are critical in modern technology devices and used in MRI scanners, wind turbine generators, computer hard disks, traction motors, electric cars, and so on. The researchers hope that they will be able to work with major magnet manufacturers on using tetrataenites as high-performance magnets. Rare earth deposits exist elsewhere, but the mining operations are highly disruptive. You have to extract a huge amount of material to get a small volume of rare earths, said Lindsay Greer, who led the research, according to Phys.Org. Between the environmental impacts and the heavy reliance on China, theres been an urgent search for alternative materials that do not require rare earths. Chinese Dominance The development of tetrataenite magnets is crucial to ending the reliance on China to produce rare earth magnets. The country alone accounts for more than 80 percent of the global supply of rare earths, giving it massive leverage in the sector. While speaking to Epoch TVs China Insider in July, Luisa Moreno, president of Defense Metals, a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company, warned that if China were to stop the export of rare earths to the United States, the American military will face a crisis. Its important for governments in Canada, the United States, Europe, and others to support junior mining companies so that they can develop their projects and support the development of supply chains, she said. Because if that does not happen together with the capital markets, we might end up in severe scarcity outside China for these elements. Chinas leaders have considered limiting the sale of particular rare earths used in American fighter jets, such as the F-35, and other advanced weaponry. The United States is taking steps to plug in such vulnerabilities, and the Pentagon has awarded contracts for developing a rare earths refinery in the country. The facility, which is being set up in Texas, is expected to begin operations by 2025. Destroyed Russian equipment placed in an area at the recaptured town of Lyman, Ukraine, on Oct. 11, 2022. (Francisco Seco/AP Photo) Russia Ramps Up Ukraine Operations Following Annexations Moscow infuriated the West last month by formally annexing four regions of UkraineDonetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Khersoninto the Russian Federation. In the weeks since, it has ramped up its special military operation in Ukraine by calling up fresh troops, imposing martial law, and targeting Ukrainian energy facilities. The conflict has certainly escalated in recent weeks, Halil Akinci, who served as Turkeys ambassador to Russia from 2008 to 2010, told The Epoch Times. Ukraines allies have decried what they view as the illegal annexation of territory by Russia, and officials in Kyiv have repeatedly vowed to recover the four lost regions. Yet despite Western outrage, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has described the four regions as indivisible parts of Russia, saying on Oct. 18 that Moscow would ensure their security as it would any other part of Russian territory. Newly mobilized Russian reservists train at a shooting range in the course of the RussiaUkraine conflict in the Donetsk region in Russian-controlled Ukraine, on Oct. 10, 2022. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters) Mobilizing the Military Following last months annexations, Moscow has stated that it would view any attack on the territoriesby Ukrainian forces or othersas an attack on Russia itself. Reflecting the changed territorial circumstances, the annexations were preceded by Moscows call-up of 300,000 fresh army reservists to reinforce the roughly 1,100-kilometer frontline. The mobilization has been largely portrayed by Western media outlets as unpopular, hasty, and beset with logistical problems, with thousands of fighting-age men in Russia fleeing abroad to escape the call-up. Newly called-up troops appear to lack sufficient training and motivation, Akinci said. They consist mainly of those who cannot evade conscription. Russian officials, including Putin, have admitted that mistakes were made in the initial phase of the mobilization process. However, according to Russian sources, 260,000 fresh troops have been called up so far. Some regions have already completed the process, Peskov said on Oct. 21. While in some regions, partial mobilization continues. When asked about media reports that newly conscripted troops were being sent to the front without adequate training, he said, They will certainly be investigated. Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze at a site of a thermal power plant damaged by a missile strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 11, 2022. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters) Targeting Infrastructure Russias increasingly aggressive stance in recent weeks has also featured stepped-up attacks on power facilities inside Ukrainian territory, including the capital. According to officials in Kyiv, 30 percent to 40 percent of the countrys critical energy infrastructure has been damaged since Oct. 10, when Russia began launching wide-ranging attacks on Ukrainian power facilities. The strikes, which have continued intermittently over the past two weeks, have resulted in rolling blackouts throughout the country. While Moscow has stated that its using high-precision weapons to avoid civilian casualties, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as terrorism. Kyiv and its allies have also accused Russia of using Iranian-built suicide drones, which reportedly explode upon reaching their targets. Both Moscow and Tehran deny Western claims that Iranian drones have been used in the strikes. Russia is trying to paralyze the entire country, Akinci said. By neutralizing energy infrastructure, its putting pressure on the general population in hopes that the [Kyiv] government will be toppled. While the strikes will serve to degrade the Ukrainian war effort, he noted that they will also end up hurting the civilian populace. Stanislav Tkachenko, an adjunct professor at the University of Bolognas political and social sciences department, attributed the shift in Russian tactics to Ukrainian victories in the field and mounting public frustration in Russia. Since early September, Russian public opinion has shown growing dissatisfaction with how the special military operation is being handled, Tkachenko, who specializes in EURussia relations, told The Epoch Times. He went on to note that the first wave of strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure came two days after the Oct. 8 bombing of Russias Kerch Bridge, which links mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. Moscow views the bridge as a key infrastructural corridor into Crimea, Tkachenko said. Any attempt to cut this route would, of course, draw an immediate and decisive response. Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Russian National Security Council meeting via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on Oct. 19, 2022. (Sergei Ilyin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images) Martial Law In a notable development, on Oct. 19, Putin issued a decree imposing martial law throughout the four newly acquired regions. At a meeting of Russias National Security Council held on the same day, he said the four regions were already under martial law, noting that the decree would provide a legal basis for keeping the state of emergency in place under Russian sovereignty. The decree, which went into effect the following day, called for the creation of local defense forces and the expansion of powers afforded to Moscow-appointed regional governors. Notably, the decree also put several of Russias southern regions, especially those that border Ukraine, in a state of high alert. According to Tkachenko, the imposition of martial law means the transition of command from civilian authorities to military administrations and the subordination of all institutions to provide security arrangements for people and infrastructure. He went on to attribute Putins decision to the expanding nature of the ongoing conflict, which, he said, required changes to the command system of [Russian] military forces and the way territories in the war zone are managed. Russia has reacted to the deteriorating security situation by mobilizing all available human and material resources and substantially increasing its forces in the conflict zone, Tkachenko said. Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia, after a truck exploded near Kerch on Oct. 8, 2022. (AFP via Getty Images) Fog of War Recent escalations in the ongoing conflict havent been confined to the war zonenor have they been limited to the Russian side. Along with the dramatic attack on the Kerch Bridge, recent weeks have also seen a spate of attacks on Russian gas pipelines. Late last month, the Nord Stream pipeline, which links gas fields in Russia to Northern Europe, was breached in four different areas. The incident prompted a flurry of recriminations and official probes launched by European governments. In a less widely reported incident, Russian authorities in mid-October arrested several people for allegedly trying to sabotage the TurkStream pipeline, which brings Russian natural gas to Turkey via the Black Sea. While the Kremlin has blamed Ukrainian operatives for the latter attack, which reportedly occurred in Russian territory, the perpetrators of the Nord Stream attack remain unknownat least to the public. The consensus in Russia is that the only logical beneficiary of these acts of sabotage is the U.S. government, Tkachenko said. For a decade, Washington has tried to monopolize the position for American liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Europes energy markets. As of September 2022, that goal was fully achieved. Akinci was also quick to point out that, as a result of the Nord Stream pipeline closure, Europe will be forced to buy more expensive LNG from the U.S. But given the fog of war that the conflict has generated, he said, I dont think we can know who was ultimately responsible. On Oct. 14, Swedish authorities abruptly halted joint investigations with Denmark and Germany into the incident, citing concerns over national security. Tkachenko, for his part, criticized investigations by the Swedish, Danish, and German authorities, describing them as nontransparent and entirely closed to Russian experts and the general public. On Oct. 21, Peskov said the truth about the Nord Stream incident would surprise Europeans if it were ever made public. He didnt elaborate. Syringes and vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Netanya, Israel, on Jan. 5, 2022. (Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images) Texas Rejects New CDC Recommendation to Mandate COVID Shot for Schoolchildren The entity that determines the vaccination schedule for children in Texas was quick to adjust its website on Oct. 20, hours after advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recommendation to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the childrens immunization schedule. After a state representative expressed his concern, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) removed a line on its website that stated: Children need all CDC-recommended vaccines to attend school. Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, said he was pleased the DSHS quickly removed the problematic language from its website. Harrison served as chief of staff for the federal Department of Health and Human Services during the Trump administration. I think governors who blindly defer to the CDC are derelict in their duty. I think state legislatures who allow state agencies to blindly defer to the CDC, at least for COVID vaccines, are derelict in their duty, Harrison told The Epoch Times on Oct. 24. Many states unilaterally adopt the CDC vaccination recommendations without input from elected officials or parents. These people [CDC officials] are approving vaccines based on nothing more than political considerations, and theyre doing it on a regular basis, Harrison said. If we [the Trump administration] had approved a booster, for example with data from only eight mice, there would have been immediate calls for impeachment. One of the CDC advisers who approved the COVID-19 vaccine for children on Oct. 20 said it was an indication that the virus is endemic. When I think about the routine immunization schedule as a pediatrician, I think of it as an opportunity to prevent serious disease and death, Dr. Matthew Daley, an adviser, said. And if something is added to the schedule, its because I feel like the benefits continue to strongly outweigh the risks. The COVID-19 vaccines have proven increasingly ineffective against both infection and severe illness from newer virus variants. In addition, theres no evidence the vaccines protect against severe disease for children younger than age 5. In Florida, the state health department recently advised against the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for healthy children as well as for males aged 18 to 39. Based on currently available data, patients should be informed of the possible cardiac complications that can arise after receiving a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, the Sunshine States Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said in an Oct. 7 statement. With a high level of global immunity to COVID-19, the benefit of vaccination is likely outweighed by this abnormally high risk of cardiac-related death among men in this age group. While Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hasnt issued a statement regarding the new CDC recommendation for children, his spokesperson, Renae Eze, told The Epoch Times that Texas has a longstanding law that protects parents rights to decide what vaccinations their children will get. To protect Texans right to choose for themselves and their children, Governor Abbott issued an executive order last year ensuring exceptions, she said. Abbotts executive order, issued on Oct. 11, 2021, remains in place, subject to legislative action. No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19, the order states. Currently, the Texas Education Code grants the DSHS authority to set immunization requirements without legislative action, which Harrison wants to change with regard to the COVID-19 vaccines. To such an end, Harrison is preparing to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that begins on Jan. 10, 2023. Texas, through the Legislature, must pass a law to ban COVID vaccine mandates. Its a moral imperative, Harrison said. He expects to have the support needed for its successful passage. If we dont ban COVID vaccine mandates and allow unelected bureaucrats in Washington to force needles in the arms of Texans against their will, we might as well give up on the Constitution. We might as well give up on individual liberty, give up on state sovereignty, give up on medical freedom, give up on informed consent, Harrison said. Douglas Loveday, DSHS press officer, told The Epoch Times via email on Oct. 24 that his agency will follow the direction and will of the Legislature. Under the school vaccine exemption section on the DSHS website, a note states that the COVID-19 vaccine isnt listed because the state of Texas does not currently require the COVID-19 vaccine for attendance at schools and day care facilities. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. A student follows along remotely with their regular school teacher's online live lesson from a desk separated from others by plastic barriers in California on Sept. 10, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images) The COVID School Report May Be Faucis Worst Legacy, and Ours Commentary Though the results were blasted on the front page of The New York Times, the disastrous, worst-in-years test scores in reading and math from the COVID-19 period reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) should surprise no one. That they were even worse for the black population also should be no surprise, since parents in poorer communities cant stay home to help their children deal with the diktats of the state, in this case, unconscionable school lockdowns for which there proved to be absolutely no rationale. Its just like the vaccines. No one has been able to verify that they do any good for children either, although they engender many risks, known and unknown, and far into the future. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesnt list COVID of any sort among its leading causes of death for those from 5 to 14 years old. They are accidents, cancer, and, also not surprisingly, suicidemore deaths by suicide than by COVID-19. Its hard to find out, probably because the exact number of children who died from the pandemic is deliberately obscured. An article from March has the headline Covid-19: US tracker overestimated deaths among children. It lists the deaths for children up to the age of 17 at 900, suggesting that number may be inflated. Thats in a country of over 330 million. (For comparison, in 2020 alone, the CDC reported 91,799 deaths from drug overdoses.) And yet, all children must be locked down, vaccinated, and masked up. We live in an era of maximum child abuse, perpetrated by know-nothing politicians and ninth-rate government scientists, that our country will be living with long after most of us are dead. They created a Lost Generation to rival the first one of World War I, actually bypassing it by a considerable amount since while 49.9 million students attend Americas public schools, only 4 million fought in WWI. Think of what all those young kids who were forced to wear masks the moment they enter school, again for no proven reason, will be like as they grow up. If you imagine many will be psychologically dysfunctional, living depressed lives, you will probably be right. If you imagine many will be angry and act out, possibly violently, to themselves or others, theres a good chance you will be right too. Think of the emotional deprivation involved in what happened to them, the lack of true emotional learning (as opposed to the bogus social-emotional learning bandied about by self-described progressives) these kids are experiencing in their formative years while unable to see their peers expressions. Nature abhors a vacuum and in this case, it was filled with destructive propaganda such as critical race theorya construct designed to preserve racism, rather than fight it, driving people apartand wildly premature sexual education teaching children that the solution to lifes problems would be to switch your sex. Reading, writing, and arithmetic went by the wayside. According to the NAEP study, the eighth grade math numbers are now so bad that students are increasingly unprepared for elementary algebra, not to mention anything beyond. They apparently cant conceptualize. Think of the handicap they have been placed under in our high-tech world. How did this all happen? Of course, we can blame Dr. Anthony Fauci and his cohorts as well as Randi Weingarten and her teachers union that seemed to have little concern for their students, only for themselves, as they continually advocated lockdownsand we should. In a just society (I know, I know.), they would be punished severely. We can also blame the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that perpetrated this (evidently with U.S. aid), the very inhumanity of gain-of-function research. But something else is wrong that points directly back at our society as a whole. We let it happen. Normally, a healthy culture would work to put the children first. They are the future, as we all know. We did the opposite, telling ourselves, as many did, that we did the right thing, shunting them aside as we shot them through with untested vaccines, masked them up, and, worst of all, kept them out of school, dumbing them down while keeping them isolated from each other. Hows that for an advanced society? Meanwhile, we wouldnt let those same children see their grandparents on the grounds of protecting the older generation. The healing we have to do is not just making the Faucis of the world and their CCP pals pay for their crimes. We have to figure out how not to let this happen again. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. For decades, well-being across adulthood has followed what social scientists call a U-shaped pattern: higher well-being in young adulthood, a dip during midlife, and increased well-being in older age. But earlier this year, the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University released troubling findings showing that there has been a complete flattening out of the left side of this U-curve. The well-being of young adults has dramatically declined compared to older age groupsa decline that is much larger for age than for any other variable, including gender or race. As reported in JAMA Psychiatry, Our findings support evidence of a mental health crisis and increase in loneliness in the U.S. that has disproportionately affected young adults and extends to multiple additional facets of well-being beyond mental health. Happiness, physical health, meaning, character, social relationships, and financial stability have all significantly declined for young adults. In the words of Tyler J. VanderWeele, one of the authors of the study, this goes beyond a mental health crisis, with potentially dire implications for the future of our nation. Looming Crisis Potential causes for the mental health crisis among youth and young adults have been part of an ongoing cultural discussion. As the National Alliance on Mental Illness recently suggested, social medias constant comparisons and challenges to keep up with the pressure to perform, the expectation that you need to always be on that is part of a technological world, the grief and fear resulting from a global crisis, and constant access to troubling news cycles surely all play a role. But the decline across so many aspects of well-being suggests something even more fundamental is at work. VanderWeele calls it a crisis in meaning and identity, and with it, a crisis in connection. His conclusions parallel those of Columbia Universitys Lisa Miller, whose extensive work as a clinical psychologist and brain researcher led her to conclude that its the absence of support for childrens spiritual growththe innate set of perceptual capacities through which we experience connection, unity, love, and a sense of guidance from the life force in and through usthat has contributed to alarming rates of depression, substance abuse, addictive behaviors, and decreased well-being. The Role of Religion As VanderWeele and Miller both note, religion has traditionally supplied this essential support with significant implications for adolescent development and health. In fact, evidence suggests that religious involvement may have even more profound health effects for adolescence than for adulthood, with far-reaching implications across the life course. A 2003 review of research on the role of religion in the lives of American adolescents attempted to summarize what was known up to that time. Among other positive effects, the report found striking and consistent relationships between adolescent religiosity and healthy lifestyle behaviors, a modest relationship between religiosity and self-esteem and moral self-worth, and modest protective effects against alcohol, smoking, and drug use. Stronger effects were reported for sexual activity with multiple facets of religiosity, including attendance, the importance of faith, and denomination, typically predicting later sexual engagement and less risky behaviors. Recent research incorporating more robust methodological designs has confirmed what these other cross-sectional studies found: Religious participation in adolescence is associated with greater psychological well-being, character strengths, and lower risks of mental illness. For example, a recent longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of adolescents found that religious observance reduced probabilities for drug use, risky sexual behaviors, and depression. Miller similarly found that adolescents who had a positive, active relationship to spirituality were significantly less likely to use and abuse substances (40 percent less likely), experience depression (60 percent), or engage in risky or unprotected sex (80 percent). Why Religion Is Impactful Understanding the mechanisms through which religion positively impacts adolescent and young adult development further clarifies the expanse of its influence. Previous research suggested that religion was largely about social controlencouraging adolescents not do something they otherwise might have done. But it quickly became clear that a more multi-faceted theory of religious influence was necessary, including how religion shapes them through the families in which they grow up. As noted in the 2003 review of research, research consistently confirms the common sense notion that parents and their own religious practices are among the strongest influences on the religious behavior of adolescents. That means, of course, how parents model and teach religious behaviors. But it also means that religion shapes how parents relate to their children, whether in more authoritarian, authoritative, or permissive ways, influencing the quality of the relationship through which their religious beliefs are transmitted. Christian Smiths extensive research of adolescent religiosity led him to articulate three additional mechanisms through which religion positively impacts adolescent and young adult well-being. First, religion provides a set of moral orders that delineate good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable ways of being, and a focus on virtuousness, including self-regulation, a strong sense of self, and compassion for others. Second, religious participation builds competencies, including coping skills, knowledge, and cultural capital, which strengthen health, social status, and life chances. Finally, religious participation opens relationship ties with adults and peers who provide helpful resources and opportunities, emotional support and guidance in their development, and models of demonstrated life paths from which to pattern their own lives. Millers research drawing on MRI images of the brain suggests an even more foundational reality about religious engagement, with particular importance given the unique challenges of todays adolescents and young adults. Miller has identified areas in the brain oriented specifically to the capacity for transcendent awareness. As her brain imaging research indicates, each person is born with a set of perceptual capacities to connect with the transcendent through which we experience unity, love, and connection, and a sense that we are held and guided. When we make full use of these natural capacities, our brains become structurally heathier, indicated by a thicker cortex in the regions of perception; increasing access to psychological benefits, including less depression, anxiety, and substance abuse; and increased access to positive psychological traits, including grit, resilience, optimism, and creativity. Healing a Struggling Generation These realities have particular significance given the crises of meaning, identity, and connection among adolescents and young adults. In fact, as Miller articulates, its the strength and use of these natural spiritual capacities that allows adolescents and young adults to move from loneliness and isolation to connection; from competition and division to compassion and altruism; from an entrenched focus on our wounds, problems, and losses to an openness to the journey of life. That sense of connection to a transcendent source takes an adolescent beyond a pieces and parts model of identity and a splintered, fragmented view of self, she argues, to a deep awareness of who we are to one another and a way of being built on love and connection. But if that innate spiritual capacity isnt nourished, it will atrophy. That is why Miller, VanderWeele, and others are particularly concerned that young adults today have grown up far less likely to have participated in formal worship services or observed religious behaviors in their parents. As the American Enterprise Institutes Daniel Cox recently reported, American religious identity has experienced nearly three decades of consistent decline, so that Generation Z is the least religious generation yet. For Miller, that means the hardwired capacity for transcendencewith all that it means in strengthening meaning, identity, and connectionis completely unformed for the vast majority of adolescence and young adults. No wonder, then, that our young people are in such a crisis. At the same time, there is now greater research-informed understanding that spirituality, whether tied (as it most often is) to a religious tradition or not, is fundamental to our individual and social well-being. That increased understanding provides direction for a potentially powerful key to healing a generation of lonely and struggling adolescents and young adults. This article was originally published on the Institute for Family Studies blog. Cars pass by a memorial to American soldiers from New York State who were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, near Canandaigua, N.Y., on June 4, 2019. Between 2008 and 2016, more than 6,000 veterans killed themselves each year, amounting to some 20 deaths a day, according to a 2018 report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). (Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images) The Pentagons Suicide Report Shows How Deep the Armys Problems Go The Pentagons annual active duty military suicide report shows how the Army continues to lag behind the other services when it comes to military culture, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. While the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force each saw a decline in suicide rates between 2020 and 2021, and rates for the Reserve and National Guard were similar to 2020, the Army saw a slight increase, according to the report. The new numbers suggest the Army, more than any other service, has a long way to go before achieving the cultural changes service leaders have called for, even as the Army faces the largest recruiting crisis in the military, experts in military affairs told the DCNF. The Army reported 176 suicides in 2021, the latest year for which data is available, up from 174 in 2020 and just 145 the year before, the report shows. In contrast, while overall suicides trended upward between 2010 and 2021, the Air Force saw a statistically significant drop from 82 to 51 between 2020 and 2021. [The] Army is struggling in a couple of different areas that could play into the fact that they havent made any significant progress, Cole Lyle, executive director of Mission Roll Call, told the DCNF. Theyre frankly falling short. Suicides were concentrated among males between the ages of 20 and 40 across all branches, and most used personally-owned firearms to take their own lives, the report found. We also continue efforts to improve the quality of life for service members and their families, address stigma as a barrier to seeking help, and expand our safety efforts for our service members and their families, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement after the release of the 2022 report. While we have made progress in these areas, we must continue to do more. Post-combat trauma did not appear to significantly predispose military members commit suicide, as most of the incidents were recorded among individuals with little to no downrange experience, according to Military.com. However, several experts cautioned the DCNF against drawing too much inference from the data regarding the potential causes of changes in suicide rates. This is a difficult subject to address because every data point on each of the graphs represents a human tragedy, and there is no way to know why a person takes their own life, Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, told the DCNF. One variable that ought to be questioned is the impact of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, said Donnelly, citing reports many soldiers who served in Afghanistan and in Iraq have wondered whether their sacrifices were worth it. Suicide rates are associated with the overall culture of the military, experts told the DCNF. In the Army, issues such as persistent moldy barracks and a spike in reports of sexual assault compound with problems experienced across the departments, such as an uptick in the cost of living and dwindling pool of eligible recruits. The Army has pledged $10 billion over the next decade for barrack construction and renovations, Military.com reported. However, the barracks at Fort Stewart, Georgia, among those dealing with mold growth, wont see new living quarters until 2035. In addition, the brutal murder of a female soldier at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2020 sparked renewed attention to the scourge of sexual assault in the Army, resulting in a department investigation that found the department lacked appropriate safeguards to prevent sexual assault and protect victims. It was one of several instances at Fort Hood where unit commanders allegedly neglected servicemembers. Yet, the Army saw a 25.6 percent increase in sexual assault cases in 2021 compared to 2020, significantly higher than the next highest increase, in the Navy at 9.2 percent, according to a DOD report. The other services experienced much smaller percentage changes. The Army has yet to roll out any major initiatives to combat sexual assault, according to Military.com. The Army seems to have lost its mission, said Donnelly. At the same time, the Army faces a recruiting crisis unique among the services. While every branch of the military has struggled to meet recruiting goals, the Army has struggled more than any other service, falling short by 15,000 recruits or 25 percent of its goal by the end of fiscal year 2022, which closed Sept. 30. Concerned Veterans for America Deputy Director John Byrnes pointed to the parallels between a lack of resiliency among todays young adults, leading to a record low number of individuals who are qualified to enlist, and the resiliency of the force as a whole. The fact that we have a recruiting crisis may be reflected in the fact that we have a military suicide issue, Byrnes told the DCNF. Preliminary data from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office for 2022 suggests the Army is seeing a decline in suicide rates. The second quarter of 2022 shows 32 deaths in the active duty component, compared to 57 in the second quarter of 2021 and 41 for the same time period in 2020. The military has made strides in removing stigma associated with mental heath and removing suicide triggers from the services, Office of Force Resiliency executive director Elizabeth Foster said at a Pentagon press conference Thursday. However, years of additional data are required to reliably ascertain whether the DOD has truly made progress. Army Sergeant Major Michael Grinston has highlighted the need to improve quality of life among servicemembers to ameliorate poor mental health and potentially guard against suicide, according to Military.com. Among other things, the Army is revamping basic training, removing the caustic screaming and sudden infliction of arbitrary pain that characterizes the stereotypical experience under a drill sergeant, Military.com reported. Army leadership suffers cultural challenges to understanding where the problem really is, Byrnes told the DCNF. Army is good at fighting our nations land wars; its hard to make them good at doing other things as well. Whats more important, winning our nations land wars or solving for the suicide problem? Byrnes added. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping is now the countrys most powerful ruler in decades. Surrounded by loyalists, where will he lead the nation? Markets may hold the answer. Hong Kong stocks are plummeting to new lows, alongside Chinas currency. New concerns arise over Taiwan. Chinese army officials who had helped monitor the island have been promoted to top positions. Those involved in hacking into the Chinese communist regimes TV network to counter its propaganda faced deadly consequences. Canadas pick for an Oscar brings the story to the big screen. Deterring a war with China demands cooperation. An expert says our leadership needs to shift their approach. 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This Time, the Islamic Regime Is the Only Minority Group in Iran Commentary Iran, as one of the old civilizations in the Middle East, represents a heterogeneous state, consisting of many ethnic, religious, and linguistic populations. Historically, all these populations regardless of their place of habitat, identified with Iran as a historical entity. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, ethnic and religious minorities encountered a new constitution that aimed to define an Islamic state based on Sharia law with Shia supremacy. This law focused on Ummah (a commonwealth of Muslim believers) rather than the unity of the nation, and subsequently excluded all religious minorities, some of whom belonged to different disadvantaged ethnicities that lived in deprived areas. As a result, ethnic and religious minorities faced systematic discrimination and, at some point, considered their identity as threatened. For the last 43 years, the Islamic regime has used the sensitive topic of ethnic diversity to advance its own agenda. Knowing the importance of the territorial integrity of the country for Iranians, especially after the long IranIraq War that helped the regime to consolidate its existence, the authorities vigorously followed the divide-and-rule-policy to isolate citizens into different religious, ethnic, gender, and even linguistic groups, designating them as minorities. One of the tools was the regimes propaganda machine, which politicized ethnic identities by taking advantage of external actors. These actors have always challenged Irans territory and national security by influencing and manipulating a small number of ethnic groups in Iran and labeling them as separatists. In this sense, any critical voice and objection on behalf of the people of these disadvantaged regionsthe main cause of which lay in the negligence of the regimewill be politically labeled and misinterpreted in favor of the regime ideologues. In the same manner, all the miseries, regional disparities, and inequalities of Baluchs and Kurds, for instance, which led to their discontent, will be rendered and showcased as an aspiration to disengage from Iran. Similarly, their raised voices will be misrepresented as a threat to territorial integrity with the help of external actors. The July 1999 uprisings known as the Student Movement are considered the first massive protests in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, being organized mainly by students and journalists. Further waves of protests followed and erupted in different Iranian cities and provinces. Up to this moment, no matter if it was an election fraud protest or an uprising due to economic constraints or a protest against the shooting down of a Ukrainian plane, the protesters main demand was regime change and opposition to the very core of the Islamic Republic. Each time this message was conveyed in all clarity. The very same reason was the incentive for the 2009 uprising known as the Green Movement. This time people started by shouting slogans against the regime and targeting the supreme leader, demanding a regime change and nothing else. However, in front of the eyes of the world and those who were closely monitoring the event, once again we noticed that Iranians were not only left alone, but suddenly the media, followed by the U.S. State Departments deal with the Iranian regime, tried to change the narrative and the direction by giving voice to reformists. This happened at the cost of canceling all the alternative voices, who demanded a regime change. Literally overnight, Mir-Hossein Mousavione of the Islamic Republics architects and the regimes former prime minister during the time of mass executions inside Irans prisons in 1988was showcased as the reformist leader of the movement. From that moment, even the nature of the slogans changed and was reconceptualized in order to promote the pro-reformist movement and support Mousavi instead of regime change. As history repeats, this time the regime along with some Western media once again characterized the 2022 uprisings as ethnonational and labeled them as an ethnic sectarian movement. With this satisfactory description method, the government aims to propagate that it tries to unite people to protect territorial integrity. Many of the regime opponents, influenced by the regime propaganda, share the idea of the possibility of political chaos, which would lead to the disintegration of Iran in the case of a regime change. This is the regimes oldest and simultaneously strongest instrument to insulate different ethnic groups in Iran. However, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Zhina Amini during her detention by the Morality Police (Gast-e ersad) on Sept. 16, 2022, resulted in more widespread and radical protests started by Iranian women regardless of their secular or religious background. This time, Iranian people nationwide intelligently sensed the regimes trick, and thus, became united beyond all differences. To them and the world, Mahsa Amini was an Iranian Kurd. The regime once again is trying to create distraction elsewhere or blame the foreign agents to divert attention from what is happening in the streets of different cities across the country. The Iranian government in its delusions of conspiracy, like before, is trying to misrepresent the movement as being started and fueled by foreign agents. What we are witnessing today is a unique phenomenon initiated genuinely by brave Iranians, predominantly the younger generation, including teenagers, without the interference of any foreign elements, as the regime ideologists would like so audaciously to frame it. Hence, the regime has repeatedly instituted a violent crackdown against protesters, resulting in the injury and detention of hundreds of demonstrators and the death of at least 233 people as of Oct. 15, 2022. What people are fighting for and demanding in the streets today isnt even slightly different from what they were shouting in the streets of different Iranian cities in 2009, during Obamas presidency. They still remember that they were left alone and instead, the Islamic regime received $1.7 billion in cash as a sign of goodwill within the broader appeasement policy of the Obama administration toward the Middle East, and in particular in order to indulge the Mullah regime. What is important to remember is that this wasnt and isnt only a womens issue, even though many Western policymakers are referring to and limiting the dimensions of these revolution-like uprisings to that. Neither is this discontent limited to a specific ethnicity as is misrepresented in some Western media confirming the Iranian regimes policy. Nor is it peaceful for all those hundreds who were killedout of whom at least 23 were childrenand the other hundreds of individuals arrested by Iranian security forces. Its true, women sparked the movement this time, but it isnt only about women, as in all the previous movements women were also on the frontline fighting for freedom and democracy. This isnt merely a womens issue but rather a human issue. Today, people in Iran despite their ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds are together and united. Women and men are fighting shoulder-to-shoulder for freedom and democracy. Now, the Islamic regime is the minority in Iran. Perhaps it isnt clear how soon the barbaric regime will collapse. What is most important to pay attention to is informing Western policymakers about the reality in Iran and demanding that they hear the voices of Iranians clearlyand stopping the media, lobbyists, and individuals from misleading the direction once again. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Marc Miller, centre, Minister of Justice David Lametti and and Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu, appearing via video conference at left, participate in a news conference regarding the order from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to compensate Indigenous children and their families, in Ottawa, on Oct. 29, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang) Tribunal Says $40B Child-Welfare Agreement Doesnt Satisfy All Orders The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal says a $40 billion child welfare settlement agreement the federal government reached with First Nations doesnt meet all the requirements of the tribunals orders. The panel is urging the parties to continue negotiating in a decision released today. In 2019 the tribunal ordered Ottawa to compensate children and families three years after ruling that Ottawa had discriminated against First Nations children for years by not properly funding child welfare services on reserves. The federal government, Assembly of First Nations and lawyers for two related class-action lawsuits, announced a deal to pay that compensation in January. It initially awarded $40,000 to each child and their families who suffered. However the tribunal is concerned with the timeline claimants have to opt out of the compensation and whether all children will receive the full amount. Assembly of First Nations regional chief Cindy Woodhouse says the tribunals decision is devastating and federal ministers also expressed disappointment. Former President Donald Trump speaks at a "Save America" rally to support Republican candidates running for state and federal offices in the state at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, on Sept. 17, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Trump Drops Privilege Claims Over Nine Mar-a-Lago Documents Former President Donald Trumps legal team has withdrawn privilege claims over certain documents seized at his Mar-a-Lago home, a Monday filing shows. The 3-page joint filing (pdf) dated Oct. 24 said the former president dropped his initial claims of attorney-client privilege over a total of nine documents that include dozens of pages. According to the court document from both sides, Trump and government attorneys agreed that the documents could be passed on to investigators in the interest of efficiently resolving such issues and avoiding unnecessary litigation. The parties agree that these materials can be provided immediately to the governments Case Team so that issues concerning executive privilege and the Presidential Records Act can be resolved, the papers read. It came as federal U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie was independently reviewing more than 11,000 government documents and photographs the FBI seized from former President Donald Trumps Florida estate on Aug. 8. Given that 103 documents are marked classified, Dearie, appointed on Sept. 15 as a special master, has until Dec. 16 to determine whether any materials should not be reviewed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which could potentially be covered by claims of attorney-client or executive privilege. Last Tuesday, Dearie encouraged lawyers from both parties to beef up their claims over DOJs criminal investigation. The latest move resolved all outstanding attorney-client privilege disputes with respect to the materials segregated by the Privilege Review Team, the paper reads. Earlier this month, the DOJ appealed Dearies appointment, asking a federal court to halt the use of a special master in the Mar-a-Lago case, in which the department is investigating potential violations of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice. Trump, who called the FBI search and seizure a hoax, has been in a legal battle with the Justice Department since August as his lawyers seek to limit document access in the criminal inquiry. Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the type of privilege. Epoch Times regrets the error. Reaching Within: What traditional art offers the heart Sometimes, lifes difficulties can overwhelm us and cause us to do things we wouldnt normally do. The perceived inability to care for ourselves or our families can cause us to lash out and even harm ourselves or our loved ones. How might we confront these difficult times so that we spread love and care despite our hardships? I think the story of Hagar and Ishmael may provide insight into this question. Hagar and the Angel, circa 1657, by Francesco Maffei. Oil on canvas; 41 3/4 inches by 54 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Public Domain) The Fate of Hagar and Ishmael In Judaic literature, Abraham (meaning father of many) was married to Sarah, but they could not have children. As the story goes, God promised to give Abraham a son who would father a great nation, but had yet to deliver. After the couple wandered for decades and Sarah began losing hope of bearing a child, she suggested that Abraham have a child with Hagar, their maidservant. Abraham agreed with Sarahs proposal, and Hagar became pregnant. Hagar, however, now that she was pregnant, despised Sarah. Sarah did not like this change in Hagar and was rude to her in return, which caused Hagar to run away. When Hagar was alone, an angel approached her and told her to return to Sarah and submit to her. The angel assured Hagar that God was with her and that she would have a son, Ishmael, who would have many descendants. Hagar, comforted by the angel, returned to Sarah. Later, when Abraham was 100 years old, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the son God had promised them. One day, however, Sarah overheard the now-young teenager, Ishmael, mocking them. Sarah demanded that Hagar and Ishmael leave them for good. Abraham didnt want them to leave, but God said to let it be so. Abraham followed Gods command and gave Hagar and Ishmael food and water before sending them away. Hagar and Ishmael took the supplies and disappeared into the wilderness. Soon, however, they ran out of water. Hagar couldnt endure watching her son die of thirst, so she hid him under some bushes and tried to run away. An angel heard Ishmael cry and asked Hagar what was wrong. She explained the situation, but the angel reassured her that God was with her and her son, and there was no need to be afraid. Then, the angel showed Hagar a water source where she and Ishmael could drink. They drank and continued their journey. Ishmael would later become an archer and marry an Egyptian woman to father a great nation and many descendants, as God had promised. Francesco Maffeis Hagar and the Angel The Venetian artist Francesco Maffei depicted the moment when the hopeless Hagar is comforted by an angel, who reassures her that God is with her. Hagar is depicted in red and gold brocade. She places her son in the darkness beneath the tree behind her, and leaves the boy to die. Maffei depicted the boy as a helpless baby, possibly to have us empathize with her plight. Detail of Hagar and the Angel, circa 1657, by Francesco Maffei. Oil on canvas; 41 3/4 inches by 54 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Public Domain) Just in time, the angel appears in front of her and consoles her. Hagar kneels, looks up at the angel, and opens her arms as if to receive the angels message. The angel, dressed in golden yellow, faces Hagar and sympathetically looks down upon her. The angel subtly points to the source of water that will save Hagar and Ishmaels life, at the bottom right of the composition. For the water, Maffei depicted thin lines of white coming from behind the foliage and splashing off the ground to the right of the angels foot, which can be easily missed if the viewer isnt looking for it. Detail of Hagar and the Angel, circa 1657, by Francesco Maffei. Oil on canvas; 41 3/4 inches by 54 inches. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Public Domain) There is a path between Hagar and the angel, and buildings can be seen off in the distance. Trusting in God Hagar was going to leave behind her only son to die because she thought she didnt have the means to care for him. However, she was wrong. God was with her and Ishmael, and they were both blessed. To me, this story reminds us that despite how difficult our lives may become, or how hopeless things may seem, God is with us. Knowing this, we can be confident that our lives will unfold according to Gods will, and therefore there is no reason to be afraid. Hagar and Ishmael are dying of thirst, but we dont have to take this literally to gain some understanding. Maybe their thirst is spiritual. Is this why it takes Gods angel to point out the source of water that would otherwise be easily overlooked? Is the source of water that the angel points to a source of spiritual sustenance? If so, this might also suggest that the things we need from God may not be as readily apparent as we may think. That is, maybe God works in mysterious ways, and maybe we can find sustenance from God in places we might otherwise overlook. Whatever the case may be, I think we have to trust in God, be open to the path chosen for us, and respect life along the way. Does the path between Hagar and the angel represent the journey that God has destined them to take? Does their newfound water sourcetheir spiritual sustenance given to them by Godinaugurate the next step in their journey ahead? Indeed, sometimes things seem difficult or even impossible, but if we trust in God, there is always another path ahead. Have you ever seen a work of art that you thought was beautiful but had no idea what it meant? In our series Reaching Within: What Traditional Art Offers the Heart, we interpret the classical visual arts in ways that may be morally insightful for us today. We try to approach each work of art to see how our historical creations might inspire within us our own innate goodness. UN Anti-Torture Inspectors Suspend Australian Visit After Inspectors Denied Access to Jails We will not cede sovereignty: NSW ministers accuse UN body of trivial pursuits Former Corrections Minister David Elliott of New South Wales (NSW) has said the states decision to reject a UN inspection under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture is because its detention facilities are already laden with oversight, and the UN group has penalised other countries for minor infractions. The now-Transport Minister Elliott said that when the United Nations was established after World War II, there was no suggestion countries would have to surrender their rights to how they managed law and order. I was the corrections minister for four years, and with the support of [former Premiers] Mike Baird and Gladys Berejiklian, I refused to allow the Commonwealth to force UN inspectors upon us, he told Sky News Australia on Oct. 24. I mean, we dont have a problem with torture in our jails in here in New South Wales, and even if we did, we have so much oversight, he said. We have an independent prisons inspector, an ombudsman, ICAC [the Independent Commission Against Corruption]. Weve got the police and courtsall of which are very transparent. David Elliott, NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services, speaks to the media at RAAF Base Richmond in Sydney, Australia on Oct. 23, 2020. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Elliott said he had previously spoken to his New Zealand counterpart about the impact of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Tortureof which it is a signatory as welland revealed they were penalised for relatively trivial issues. They were telling me some terrible things that came about from New Zealands signing off on that protocol, including being fined and warned because there wasnt enough butter on the bread for the prisoners. That flower boxes were too low, forcing prisoners to bend over too much to tend to them, he said. I said to the government at the time Its a vote of no-confidence in the prison officers and corrections officers, and I believe we would be unnecessarily ceding sovereignty. Current, Corrections Minister Geoff Lee said he would not be dictated to by the UN delegation and called for better arrangements. Theyre coming in to try and pick on us, he told a Budget Estimates hearing on Oct. 24, saying the global body would find spurious issues in the states prisons. NSW Minister for Corrections Geoff Lee at a swearing in ceremony at at Government House in Sydney, Australia on Dec. 21, 2021. (Mick Tsikas Pool/Getty Images) What Im worried about is things like them coming back and saying our white bread is sliced too thinly or our stairs are too narrow, he said. Or that we should have blinds on our cells to give inmates more privacy. Its not to allow people just to wander through at their leisure. [The UN] should be off to Iran looking for human rights violations there. Australia in Breach of Torture Protocol, UN Delegate Claims On Oct. 23, the UNs Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) announced they would be suspending a 12-day October visit to Australia citing a lack of cooperation from the state governments of Queensland and NSW. Under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torturewhich has been ratified by 91 statesnational governments are obligated to allow unannounced and unhindered visits from the SPT where individuals are deprived of their liberty, according to a statement. Overview of the session of the Human Rights Council during the speech of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 27, 2020. (Reuters/Denis Balibouse/File Photo) Aisha Shujune Muhammad, head of the four-person delegation originally slated to come to Australia, said the country was in breach of its obligations under the Protocol. It is deeply regrettable that the limited understanding of the SPTs mandate and the lack of cooperation stemming from internal disagreements, especially with respect to the states of Queensland and New South Wales, has compelled us to take this drastic measure, said Muhammad in a statement. This is not a decision that the SPT has taken lightly. She said Australia appeared to do little to implement Protocol obligations across the country. The SPT is neither an oversight body, nor does it carry out investigations or inspections, she added. In response, Australias Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said federal-level facilities were made available for inspection. Australia has been a party to the Convention since 1989 and ratified the Optional Protocol in 2017. No state or territory objected to ratification, he said in a statement. Queensland Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there were privacy issues involved with her states health department blocking access to inpatient facilities. My understanding was that they were facilitating those visits, but of course, there are privacy issues that are involved, and we look forward to working with the UN to facilitate whatever access they need that is appropriate, she told reporters. Students from Bicol University College of Engineering in the Philippines wear anti-cheating hats during exams on Oct. 18, 2022. (Courtesy of Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz) University Students in Philippines Wear Imaginative Hats to Avoid Cheating During Exams Students from a Philippine engineering university have recently made headlines for wearing imaginative headgear to avoid cheating during exams. Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz, a mechanical engineering professor at Bicol University College of Engineering, asked her students to make their own anti-cheating hats to wear during midterm exams. Her students then came up with a range of creative anti-cheating hats, from Spartan helmets to hats made of egg cartons and hangers. She posted photos of their headgear on social media, which quickly went viral. Photos of their anti-cheating hats have also been picked up by various international media. (Courtesy of Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz) I just want to say that I am very proud of my students for being creative and innovative in every way. Good job to all our talented students who inspired more people, Mandane-Ortiz told The Epoch Times on Tuesday. The students said that they really enjoyed the hats of their classmate, [which] bring joyful atmosphere and remove the stress during the exam. They also reminded to study hard and have integrity at all times, she added. Mandane-Ortiz said the purpose of making such hats was to make engineering exams enjoyable and to teach her students about integrity. She praised her students for inspiring their peers to be creative and fun during stressful exams. I really love and proud of my students because their midterm exam in engineering, which is often stressful and pressuring, was given happiness and color. Thank you so much students, she wrote on her Facebook profile. Mandane-Ortiz said the idea was inspired by a university in Thailand, which previously made their students wear paper helmets that resemble horse blinders during exams to prevent them from cheating. (Courtesy of Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz) (Courtesy of Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz) US Chamber of Commerce Warns of Long-Term Economic Losses From Plunging Child Test Scores The U.S. Chamber of Commerce signaled the alarm after the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recently revealed the grim performance of fourth- and eighth-grade American students in math and reading as test scores declined in the single largest drop since record keeping began in 1992. This is a wakeup call for our countryfor policymakers, leaders in public education, and the business community, said Cheryl Oldham, U.S. Chamber of Commerce vice president of education policy. These results show that learning loss has risen to historic levels in part due to the impact of the pandemic, which only exacerbated existing failures in the education system. Even before the pandemic, NAEP results were showing students making little to no progress in reading and math after seeing steady increases for two decades. Eighth-grade math performance dropped eight points since 2019, and about a third of students in both grades cant read at the minimum required level, according to the NAEP report. The decline has affected nearly every single state. While reading levels went down to 1992 levels, almost four in 10 eighth-graders failed to grasp basic math concepts. Eighth grade is pivotal in a students math education as a failure here could alter the trajectories and life opportunities of a whole cohort of young people, potentially reducing their abilities to pursue rewarding and productive careers in mathematics, science, and technology, said Daniel J. McGrath, acting associate commissioner for assessment for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Oldham said that the solution requires more than just money, and that the data pointed to long-term economic losses for the country. She called for a renewed focus on the education system in order to prepare students to lead the jobs of the future. According to the organization, it is working toward improving how testing data is used for school improvement and accountability. Impact of Prolonged Lockdown Restrictions NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr talked about the profound toll of the pandemic, while Julia Rafal-Baer, a K-12 education expert who serves on the National Assessment Governing Board, said that COVID was exceptionally disruptive, and were running out of time to ensure that kids can indeed recover from this level of unfinished learning, according to the74Million website. Federal officials, such as Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, have not directly pointed at the COVID-era restrictions imposed on students like stay-at-home orders and virtual learning mandates to be directly responsible for the drop in test scores. If this is not a wake-up call for us to double down our efforts and improve education, even before it wasbefore the pandemicthen I dont know what will, Cardona told CNN on Monday. Teachers unions, including the American Federation of Teachers, advocated for extended school closures and virtual learning, which have had negative impacts on children, including a spike in child suicide attempts. Reasons Beyond COVID? However, looking back to pre-pandemic 2019, average reading scores for students at both grades four and eight were lower compared to 2017. As for math scores, fourth-grade performances were higher in nine states and lower in three; and for eighth grade, six states performed worse and three better, underlining a clear downward trend. Some social commentators are pointing to other issues at hand that could be affecting childrens school performances like school choice. The latest NAEP scores are a [red flag] and proof that parents need more options than public school instruction, said Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation. Its not enough to say, I want every dollar to follow every student. We need to declare: Parents should be in charge of whats going on in their kids lives. Full stop. Politics is turning into a major factor in school education as fractious issues such as critical race theory (CRT) and gender discussion have become serious areas of contention between parents and teachers, and have also been blamed for the fall in standards. Parents throughout the state are rising up against the sickening sex and gender theory teachings that are being forced on our kids in school, wrote Tudor Dixon, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Michigan on Twitter. We need to stop the nonsense and get our kids back to the basics of reading, writing, and math in schools. Lower expectations and a shift from math and reading toward CRT does not fare well toward creating literate graduates. Public records and other evidence show that state-level and some local education officials are no longer focused on maintaining high academic standards and providing the best public education possible to students, Liv Finne, director of the Center for Education at Washington Policy Center, wrote in her September 2021 report (pdf) regarding the lowering of academic standards by school officials in Washington State as they implement CRT. Instead, a concern for learning has been replaced by an aggressive political agenda designed to instill doubt, mental pain, and low expectations in students. This race-centered agenda also seeks to divide children from teachers, their own communities, and from each other. This harmful trend can only be resolved through policies that return high-quality academic standards to public education and well-funded and supportive education-choice programs that allow families to access alternatives services to meet the learning needs of all children. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland (C), FBI Director Christopher Wray (R) and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco hold a press conference at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on Oct. 24, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) US Charges 2 Chinese Nationals With Trying to Obstruct Probe Into Global Telecommunications Company Two Chinese intelligence officers have been charged by U.S. prosecutors for attempting to obstruct a criminal investigation and prosecution of a Chinese-based global telecommunications company. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the charges on Oct. 24. Prosecutors allege that Guochun He, also known as Dong He and Jacky He, and Zheng Wang, also known as Zen Wang, had orchestrated a scheme to steal files and other information from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York relating to the ongoing federal criminal investigation and prosecution of the telecommunications company. While the telecommunications company is not named in the criminal complaint, prosecutors state that the firm is headquartered in China and operates on a global scale and also conducts business in the United States, where it maintains several affiliates (pdf). The unnamed company is also a defendant in an ongoing prosecution, court documents state. According to the DOJ, He and Wang were allegedly conducting foreign intelligence operations targeting the United States, on behalf of the Chinese government. Bitcoin Bribes Prosecutors also allege the two men paid a U.S. government employee a total of $61,000 worth of Bitcoin cryptocurrency as a bribe to get that employee to steal confidential information pertaining to the Justice Departments ongoing probe of the company, in an effort to interfere with that prosecution. Such information included which employees at the telecommunications company had been interviewed by the federal government, along with a description of the prosecutors evidence, a witness list, potential further charges to be levied against the company, and the governments strategy ahead of trial. However, the employee, whom the two men believed had been recruited as an asset, was in fact a double agent working on behalf of the FBI, according to the DOJ. Both He and Wang have been charged with attempting to obstruct a criminal prosecution of the telecommunications company, while He has also been charged with two counts of money laundering relating to the $61,000 in Bitcoin bribes. If convicted, He faces up to 60 years in prison and Wang faces up to 20 years in prison. While the DOJ has issued arrest warrants for the defendants, they remain at large. The Biden administration has repeatedly warned of the national security risks posed by Chinese companies that are working for the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Todays complaint underscores the unrelenting efforts of the PRC government to undermine the rule of law, said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace on Tuesday. As alleged, the case involves an effort by PRC intelligence officers to obstruct an ongoing criminal prosecution by making bribes to obtain files from this Office and sharing them with a global telecommunications company that is a charged defendant in an ongoing prosecution. We will always act decisively to counteract criminal acts that target our system of justice. US Museum Exhibits Last Apple Daily Edition as Evidence of HK Press Freedoms Collapse Hong Kongs Apple Daily has been out of print for more than a year, and many members of management and editorial staff have been arrested and are still remanded in jail. With the fall of Apple, Hong Kongs media at large has also entered an ice age. Under the supervision of the National Security Law (NSL), mainstream HK media boasts in unison, on a daily basis, the government and the CCP. Even if there are still a few that have not yet turned completely red, they also need to be particularly vigilant and struggle on every report and every word to ensure they do not touch that invisible red line. The shutdown of Apple partly represents the end of an era for press freedom in Hong Kong, but there are still some people and institutions that have not forgotten about it. The First Amendment Museum in the U.S. recently held a virtual exhibition on its web, which displayed an English version of the front page (A1) of the last edition of Apple Daily to let the world understand how Apple fell. Although Apple Daily was once regarded as inciting, lewd, and bloody by the outside world during its early days, it also led, in part, to the reform of Hong Kongs newspaper industry. And its support for democracy was also seen as a key voice daring to defy the authority and strive for Hong Kongs democracy. However, since the implementation of the NSL in June 2020, the National Security Department has not just searched the main office building of Apple twice but also arrested a number of its high-level executives, including founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, and froze the financial assets of Next Media and its subsidiaries at the end of June last year (2021). With the increasing hardship in operation due to the freeze of funds, Apple Daily finally announced that it would officially suspend publication after the last printed edition on June 24, 2021. The front page of this last Apple Daily was titled Hong Kong People make a sorry farewell under the rain, underlined by the catchphrase We Support Apple. Inside, it briefly described the history of the paper and the major news events it had covered over the years. The last Apple also published its own farewell letter to the people of Hong Kong, saying the newspaper had been targeted by the government in recent years when some people even published the personal details of its journalists online. But even under such uninterrupted threats from White Terror, Apple persisted until the very last moment and expressed gratitude to its readers, advertisers, and Hong Kong people for their support over the previous 26 years and their belief in always walking with the Apple. It also pointed out that the founder of Next Media, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, was aware of the managements decision to stop running Apple, and expressed that he fully understands the decision of my colleagues. The U.S. First Amendment Museum hosts a virtual exhibition featuring the English translation of the last edition of Apple Daily. (File photo First Amendment Museum) Apple Daily was founded in 1995, when Hong Kong was on the verge of its handover to China. The first editorial of Apple pointed out that although the HK future was uncertain and full of worries, Apple still chose to remain in this place it called home and refused to be compromised by fear. On the front page of Apple on July 2, 1997, the title was Hong Kong Believes in a Future, expressing its belief that under the Basic Law and the principle of Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy, Hong Kongs freedom and civilization will be guaranteed. Derived from that, it believed Hong Kong people could enjoy prosperity, stability, human rights, and dignity. However, the promise of No change over the next 50 years has been deteriorating over the past two decades, when freedom has not only been compromised but has also brought Apple to a halt. The demise of Apple not only made many Hong Kong people sad but also became an event of concern around the world, and it has not been forgotten even with the passage of time. The First Amendment Museum in the U.S. is currently displaying an English translation of Apple Dailys last-day front page in a virtual exhibition on its website. The websites exhibit profile states that the CCP, through the NSL, empowers the government to arrest critics in the media and education, which led to the disappearance of Apple Daily; and continued to detain Jimmy Lai, who had won the Press Freedom Prize from Reporters Without Borders Reporters sans Frontiers (RSF). The name of the First Amendment Museum is indeed derived from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the U.S. Congress from enacting any laws that regulate an establishment of religion, or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly or the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Since its establishment, the museum has held many physical and virtual exhibitions, most related to freedom of speech. The pavilion of the First Amendment Museum is a former mansion once owned by the family of the late Maine media mogul Guy Gannett. Guy Gannett founded the Portland Press Herald in 1921. He had always supported the freedom of the press and speech. He once said that the newspaper is not private property but an institution involving public interest. He strongly opposed the use of the media for political propaganda. After the Gannett family moved out of the mansion in the 1920s, the Maine state government acquired the mansion in the 1970s as an office. Until the end of 2015, the Gannett family repurchased the mansion, restored and renovated it, and used it as the site of the First Amendment Museum to commemorate Guy Gannetts life-long ambition of guarding the freedom of the press and speech. Many Hong Kong people welcomed and thanked the First Amendment Museums exhibition of Apple Daily. Some people thought it showed that the values of speech and press freedom in Hong Kong were running counter to the passage of time. Some netizens said that although Apple Daily has been suspended for more than a year, they still miss it. In the past, Hong Kong was the only place in China that could publicly commemorate the victims of June 4th. However, with the implementation of the National Security Law, many pro-democracy and media organizations have been disbanded and stopped. There may not be any large-scale commemoration of June 4 in Hong Kong anymore, even when the COVID-19-induced prohibition on gathering is rescinded. Without the media and its voices monitoring the government, the assimilation of Hong Kong by the mainland will become an irreversible fate, and the death knell for freedom of speech in Hong Kong has already been ringing loudly. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Oct. 14, 2022 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) US Needs Tougher Laws Against Federal Stock Traders Commentary The U.S. federal government has over 1.8 million civilian employees and over 1.3 million active duty military personnel. Many have access to confidential information that could be traded in the stock market to give an edge against taxpayer stock traders who pay their salaries. Thats just wrong. A major Wall Street Journal study, published in a series of investigative articles this month, delves into the details of questionable stock trades and conflicts of interest by mostly mid-level officials in the executive branch. The Journal found that laws for public disclosure and recusal from policymaking on issues that would affect their investments are often not complied with and seldom enforced. When enforced, the penalties are typically a slap on the wrist relative to what the federal stock traders, for lack of a better term, can make in the markets. One of the most interesting findings is that Department of Defense officials are among the largest investors, relative to other federal officials, in Chinese stocks. Across the federal government, more than 400 officials owned or traded Chinese company stocks, including officials at the State Department and White House, according to the Journal. Their investments amounted to between $1.9 million and $6.6 million on average a year. Reed Werner, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, reported purchasing as much as $50,000 of Alibaba stock in December 2020. Deliberations were ongoing at the time about whether to bar Americans from investing in Alibaba. Werner was involved in the discussions, according to a Journal source. The Treasury Department decided not to ban Alibaba; that day, its stock value rose 4 percent. Three days later, according to Werners disclosure form, he sold Alibaba stock. That was good timing; as the next day, there were more deliberations about whether to add Alibaba to the blacklist. The logo for Alibaba Group is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, New York, on Aug. 3, 2021. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters) Despite these dubious-sounding trades, ethics officials at the Pentagon certified that Reed was in compliance with the law. The appearance of a conflict of interest and access to confidential information that could be traded on, therefore, was not Reeds fault but a weakness in the law itself. The most senior official covered by the investigation is former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. On March 16, 2020, the S&P 500 index of the biggest U.S. stocks fell 12 percent, pressured by worries about the effect of the pandemic on the economy. That day, Chao purchased as much as $1.2 million worth of funds that track U.S. stocks broadly. Three days later, Chaos husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, released the first draft of his economic stimulus legislation, signed on March 27, 2020, by then-President Donald Trump. Chao and McConnell got pens at the signing. The S&P soared 57 percent by the end of 2020; presumably, so did the family investment. Whether or not Chao had advance knowledge of the stimulus funding, and whether that influenced her decision to invest in the S&P, is unknown. But it does give the appearance of impropriety and, therefore, should never be allowed by an official who holds the public trust. Again, the problem is a lack of effective legislation, not Chaos actions that were within the bounds of a weak law. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), left, and his wife, Elaine Chao, along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), in the background, attend services at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The challenge goes beyond a couple of examples. U.S. officials often hold stocks in companies that lobby them, creating the unacceptable appearance of a conflict of interest. Across 50 federal agencies ranging from the Commerce Department to the Treasury Department, more than 2,600 officials reported stock investments in companies while those companies were lobbying their agencies for favorable policies, during both Republican and Democratic administrations, according to the Journal. When the financial holdings caused a conflict, the agencies sometimes simply waived the rules. Over 200 senior Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials and their family members, for example, collectively owned as much as $2 million in oil and gas stocks from 2016 to 2021, on average. Department of Defense officials in the office of the secretary, and their family members, jointly owned as much as $3.4 million in aerospace and defense stocks during the same period. More than five dozen officials at five agencies reported trading stocks of companies shortly before their departments announced enforcement actions against those companies, such as charges or settlements, according to the Journal. While the government was ramping up scrutiny of large technology companies, more than 1,800 federal officials reported owning or trading at least one of four major tech stocks: Meta Platforms Inc.s Facebook, Alphabet Inc.s Google, Apple Inc., and Amazon.com Inc. Its great when our government officials believe and invest in America. But there should be no appearance of trading on confidential information or a conflict of interest in their policy deliberations. American officials should be focused on their privilege to serve the American people in their official jobs and not wasting their time through stock trading, for which the U.S. taxpayer pays, both in terms of the officials salary, and the loss of stock value against federal traders with confidential information and influence over policy. As a government official, yes, buy into America in its broadest sense. Yes, allow your financial adviser to make decisions without your input. But do not make trades yourself, especially not in areas where you hold power as an official. That power, and the information that comes with it, is a privilege delegated to you by the American people, and it should not be traded away for personal benefit. Human nature being what it is, we cannot expect our officials to follow these ethical principles out of the goodness of their hearts. Tougher laws must be legislated. But as the example of the Chao-McConnell family shows, the fox is guarding the chicken coop. Therefore, Americans need to make noise and take to the streets until our legislators get motivated to do the right thing and limit government officials from playing the markets. Taxpayers should no longer accept the appearance of self-serving corruption in our government. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Police officers keep an eye on protest trucks in Ottawa on Feb. 17, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Violence During Freedom Convoy Was Mostly Felt and Not Actual, Says Ottawa Police Interim Chief Ottawa Police Service (OPS) interim chief Steve Bell says that when he referred to violence during the Freedom Convoy protest, he was referring mostly to violence that was felt by the community and not as defined in Canadas Criminal Code. Bell was testifying before the Public Order Emergency Commission at its Oct. 24 hearing as part of its inquiry into the federal governments decision to invoke the Emergencies Act to clear the protest in February. Throughout the day Bell mentioned that the protest was riddled with violence. At one point he said he had extreme concerns for the safety of our members, for the safety of our community based on the volatility and escalation in violence. He said the community experienced trauma and violence. These assertions were challenged by the lawyer representing the protesters, Brendan Miller, who raised previous testimony before the commission by Ontario Provincial Police intelligence chief Supt. Pat Morris. The lack of violent crime was shocking, Morris had said on Oct. 19 about the protest. Bell said he didnt recall that statement. So is it fair to say that when you use the phrase violence, youre not actually describing any form of physical assaults? asked Miller. Physical assaults do contribute to what Im describing. I was specifically describing the violence that our community felt as a result of the combination of actions that the occupiers engaged in, said Bell. So the violence that they felt, not actual violence, is that what youre saying? Miller asked. That is correct, said Bell. Bell added that he was not referring to the definition of the Criminal Code when mentioning violence, but rather the violence of truck horns blaring at all hours, of people having their masks ripped off, and of people sheltering in their homes. Miller also asked Bell whether he was referring to violence under Section 2 of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Act, which pertains to terrorism and sabotage, when he mentioned violence. Bell said that this wasnt the case. Miller presented an OPS chart with the charges that were laid by date during the protest and remarked that on Jan. 28 and Feb. 13, a total of five charges related to violence were laid. So youd agree with me that thats not unprecedented violence, Miller said. What I saw as I defined violence, it wasnt strictly Criminal Code violence, Bell said. It was the trauma that the community felt. It was the extreme circumstances that they were exposed to, the duration of time that they were exposed to. It has very clearly been described to me by community members as violence inflicted on them. The public hearings of the commission began on Oct. 13. The first witnesses to testify on Oct. 14 were residents of Ottawa, who said they were negatively impacted by the three-week protest. The impact on my physical well-being is quite extensive. I certainly during the experience had difficulty sleeping, I had an effect on my lungs and my throat because of the fumes and other smells, and I also have long-term effects, said Victoria De La Ronde, a retiree with a mobility disability. By Jessica Yadegaran From The Mercury News KAPAA, HawaiiIn a quiet clearing on the lush, tropical fruit and chocolate plantation of Lydgate Farms, we take our first bite of tangy, mucilaginous cacao fruit. The creamy white pulp could have become an epic sour candy flavor had it not been overshadowed two millennia ago by its seed: the source of rich, decadent chocolate. Here, on this 46-acre farm located in the eastern part of the island of Kauai, between Sleeping Giant and Mount Waialeale, the fifth generation of the Lydgate family grows the cacao and turns it into award-winning, single-estate chocolate bars. The Paris-based Cocoa of Excellence program, which recognizes excellence in cocoa farming and premium chocolate, has twice named Lydgate Farms to its list of 50 best chocolates, first in 2017 and again in 2021. Maui Kuia Estate, a cacao farm nestled in the mountains of West Maui, also made the list in 2021. Such prestige usually goes to the Valrhonas of the world. But Hawaii is joining their leagues. Its the only state where cacao grows fruitfullyand the industry is growing. In addition to Maui Kuia Estate, there are cacao farms on the Big Island, including Lavaloha and Honokaa Chocolate Co., both in Hilo. Here in Kauai, as you drive through the winding foothills leading to Lydgate Farms, you know youre in for something special. The humid air is heavy with aromas of soursop, longan, apple bananas, and the more than two dozen other exotic fruits that thrive here. The farm is home to native Hawaiian taro and hibiscus, betel nut palms, and more tropical flowering plants than we can count, including the prized vanilla orchid. For a food and travel writer who has been to Kauai three times, seeing chocolate trees and tasting whats made from themyes, dreamy milk chocolate and dark chocolate bars, but also tea, popsicles, and brewing chocolatewas a rare lesson in tropical terroir. Despite the price tag of $345 for three people, the tour and tasting was a no-brainer for my family. Wed snorkel Napali next time. A real, working chocolate farm isnt glamorous. We arrive at reception, a cottage porch that doubles as Lydgates retail shop, and douse ourselves in bug spray before joining the group. Our guide, Melanie, has a cheerful presence and a chemists knowledge of chocolate, from the branch to the bar. She has us gather around a cacao tree, a wide-branching evergreen no more than 30 feet tall, and explains its origins in the Amazon and why Kauais tropical climate is a perfect match. Lydgate Farms, on the eastern side of the island of Kauai, is home to 3,000 cacao trees. (Courtesy of Lydgate Farms/TNS) The pods on this particular theobroma cacao vary in size and color, from yellow to maroon, and sprout from the branches and even the trunk, where they dangle like red chiles. Because pods dont ripen at the same time, harvesting is constantevery two weeksto ensure each precious, one-pounder is plucked at its peak. Lydgate doesnt have a facility to process the pods from its 3,000 trees, so they are sent to Manoa Chocolate on the island of Oahu, where they are roasted and ground and then returned to Lydgate. The fermentation and dryingthe major steps in developing the chemical compounds that yield chocolates fruity, floral, spice-laden flavorshappen here. Nothing is wasted, either. The staff turns the sweet-sour pulp into refreshing popsicles, perfect to consume after hiking across the farm, and the shells from the roasted cacao beans are turned into tea and brewing chocolate. At Lydgate Farms, the sour white flesh of the cacao bean is turned into popsicles. The shells are turned into tea and brewing chocolate. And the seeds, of course, are roasted and turned into chocolate. (Courtesy of Lydgate Farms/TNS) From there, we seek shelter under the shade of a vanilla bean tree, its vines blooming with long green tendrils. Vanilla is actually an orchid, Melanie explains, and as plants, they dont even start producing pods until theyre 3 years old. When they do bloom, they stay open for a very short timejust 10 to 12 hoursand must be pollinated by hand. Its very labor intensive, she says. To grow, process, pollinate, and ferment vanilla takes a year and a half. A bottle of imitation vanilla extract back home is devoid of this prized nectar. Rather, we learn, its likely made from petroleum and lignin, a byproduct in the papermaking process. Think of the smell of an old library book, Melanie said. We ponder this while walking deeper into the plantation, passing black bamboo and slender, red sealing-wax palms, and arrive in a clearing with benches and plastic chairs. We take our seats as Melanie passes out samples of just-harvested fruit from the farm. We taste starfruit, fleshy longan, and inga, known as ice cream bean for its soft cloud of moist, creamy fruit. Suddenly, another guide, Jake, produces a machete. As we nibble on the fiberless, bright orange, impossibly sweet flesh of a Hayden mango, he begins hacking into a ripe cacao pod, gaining depth and cracking it open to reveal rows of white pulp-enrobed seeds that look like corn on the cob. Curious, I crack open a seed with my teeth. The inside is bitter and bright purple. There are 30 types of exotic fruits growing on the 46-acre Lydgate Farms. The tour includes samples of whats in season. (Courtesy of Lydgate Farms/TNS) The only thing that could top this wonderment would be eating a ridiculous amount of chocolate. And thats exactly what happens next. Coincidentally, the day before our tour, we stopped by the farm for a free chocolate tasting. But the experience that comes with the tour is twice as longmeaning double the chocolate buzzand includes side-by-side comparisons to larger, premium chocolate producers. Its an eye-opening education. We left paradise with more than $100 in high-quality chocolate, including a remarkable, 75-percent dark chocolate bar laced with Koloa Hawaiian rum, and its already gone. But the memory of tasting that bright, candy-like pulp amid an enclave of chocolate treesthat remains. Lydgate Farms makes a variety of chocolate, including dark chocolate with Koloa bourbon and milk chocolate with coffee and cacao nibs. (Courtesy of Lydgate Farms/TNS) If You Go Lydgate Farms offers weekday tours, rain or shine, at 5730 Olohena Road, Kapaa, Kauai. Tours are three hours long and cost $95 for ages 7 to 12 and $125 for ages 13 and older, with tastings of honey, tropical fruits, and chocolate included. The farms chocolate shop is open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays and offers free chocolate samples, too. For more information and to book a tour, visit LydgateFarms.com. #YR@ MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Wall Street Giants Confirmed to Attend Hong Kong Global Financial Summit Hongkong organizations submit letter of opposition to US officials Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is holding the Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit on Nov. 2, and the HKMA announced some 200 global corporate executives have confirmed to attend the summit. Twenty Hong Kong overseas organizations sent a letter to U.S. President Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, and other U.S. politicians, criticizing executives from U.S. financial institutions who disregard U.S. sanctions on Hong Kong. The U.S. sanctions on Hong Kong are limited to monetary transactions and cannot restrict Americans presence at any event. During the press conference on the 2022/23 Budget in February this year, Paul Chan, H.K. financial secretary, announced the HKMA would hold a high-profile Global Financial Leaders Investment Summit, where invitees are senior executives of international and mainland Chinese financial institutions. Top executives could personally experience and understand Hong Kongs unique advantages and investment environment and discuss future global financial opportunities and the role that Hong Kong could play. He stated, to further tap into Hong Kongs strength in attracting investment and our influence as an international financial center. Due to the fifth wave of the epidemic and the strict anti-epidemic policies still ongoing in Hong Kong, society has been questioning how to hold the summit since February. On Sept. 29, Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the HKMA, revealed that the summit to be held in November would be attended by some 200 financial executives, including more than 100 senior executives of global financial institutions and over 30 executive chairmen of global top corporations. Corporates cover banking, securities, asset management, private equity and venture capital, hedge funds, insurance, and other financial institution functions. 20 Hong Kong Overseas Organizations Submit Letters to US Officials On Oct. 17, twenty Hong Kong overseas organizations issued a letter to the U.S. president, secretary of state, secretary of the treasury, members of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, Senate Banking Committee, House Committee of Foreign Affairs, and Senate Committee of Foreign Relations, criticizing senior executives of Americas largest banks for attending the Hong Kong financial summit to gather with perpetrators of human rights violations which was sanctioned by the United States and to support the Hong Kong government. The major co-signing Hong Kong overseas organizations in America include Hong Kong Democracy Council, Chicago Solidarity with Hong Kong, and DC4HK (Washingtonians Supporting Hong Kong). The joint letter stated that financial institutions such as Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, and other financial institutions are planning to attend the summit to gather with Hong Kong officials who are sanctioned by the U.S. government for violating the human rights of Hong Kong people. The joint organizations also criticized the Hong Kong government for utilizing the presence of senior executives of Western financial institutions to conceal the Hong Kong governments actions over the past few years and maintain Hong Kongs status as an international financial center. The Hong Kong government has even praised these financial institutions and their executives as staunch supporters of Hong Kong. The joint letter called for action from the U.S. government, advising Jamie Dimon, J.P. Morgan Chase chairman, Jane Fraser, Citigroup CEO, and other institutions of the risks of violating U.S. policy and the legal and regulatory consequences of participating in the summit. Summit Topics The summit will begin at 9 a.m. on Nov. 2 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Central, Hong Kong. The summit will start off with welcome remarks by Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and a keynote speech by John Lee, Chief Executive, followed by a China Policy SessionPerspectives of Chinese Financial Regulators. The theme of the 2022 summit is Navigating Beyond Uncertainty and comprises three topics. In the first session, Navigating Through Uncertainty, speakers included James Gorman, chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley, Jonathan Gray, president and COO of Blackstone, Colm Kelleher, chairman of UBS Group, and David Solomon, chairman, and CEO of Goldman Sachs. The second session, Sustainable Financefrom Paris to Sharm el-Sheikh and beyond, with speakers including Joseph Bae, co-CEO of KKR, Valerie Baudson, CEO of Amundi, and Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup. The third session is Technology, Innovation and the Future of Finance. Paul Chan, the financial secretary, will deliver a speech leading up to lunch. After lunch is the fireside chat session with Mark Carney, vice chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, hosted by Norman Chan, H.K. Academy of Finance and former chief executive of HKMA, to discuss financial resources and climate change. Simon Lee: Main US Banks Want to Maintain Relationships with HK Government In an interview conducted by an Epoch Times reporter, Simon Lee, a political and economic commentator, said he believes that many U.S. giants are going to attend the Hong Kong Global Financial Summit because they want to continue to maintain a good relationship with the Hong Kong government, as well as for the Hong Kong and Chinese markets. Amid the U.S.-China conflict, all financial institutions want is to stay out of the way and gain benefits from both sides without causing any trouble, he said. A woman from a small Caribbean island helped raise a baby flamingo who, after a while, disappeared. Many months later, the wild bird flew back, ran right up to her rescuer, and snuggled her in a sweet reunion. Animal lover Elly Albers, 54, runs an eco-tourism business in Bonaire. Elly Albers with Baby, the flamingo. (Courtesy of Elly Albers) In 2017, an oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago (the southernmost island country in the Caribbean) wrought havoc in surrounding waters. Authorities from National Park Foundation appealed to Albers for assistance in caring for affected birds so she began to help with cleaning and washing them. A year later, some locals arrived with a tiny flamingo, and Alberswho wasnt even an official bird rehabilitator at the timewas suddenly faced with the challenge of rearing the orphaned bird. However, unbeknownst to Albers, this was the first of many more flamingos to come. It was a steep learning curve with the flamingo, which Albers started calling Baby. After contacting a few organizations in Holland for advice on feeding the five-week-old flamingo, Albers settled into her new role as Babys carer. Since Baby was the only bird at that time, she grew closer to Albers, following her everywhere and even sleeping next to her. When Albers was busy she would keep Baby in a kennel. (Courtesy of Elly Albers) When Baby reached four months of age and could fly by herself, Albers soft released Baby, which meant she was now able to venture into the wetlands around her home with the other flamingos. When Albers drove around the island, she would recognize Baby and call her. She would come out of the water, running up for a hug, Albers said. For the next few months, Baby continued visiting Albers every morning until she suddenly disappeared for a long time. I was kind of heartbroken Albers said. I was afraid because they fly from here to Venezuela, and I was scared that maybe somebody killed her. One morning, after eight months, as Albers was feeding an army of flamingos, she spotted one that looked familiar. I just said to her, hey, wow, you look like Baby. You have bright legs. And she looked at me and she ran up to me and fell down on the ground, Albers said. I started to cry, and called to my husband, look whos back! It was beautiful. I mean, after all that time, they still recognize you. Elly Albers has rescued thousands of flamingos over the years. (Courtesy of Elly Albers) Five years after caring for Baby, Albers now runs an official bird rehabilitation center, Bonaire Wild Bird Rehab, alongside a guided kayak and boat excursion company. Weve probably rescued a few thousand flamingoes now, she said. Weve had some rough seasons with a lot of flamingos coming in at once; sometimes five hundred in a few months. (Courtesy of Elly Albers) (Courtesy of Lorenzo Mittiga via Elly Albers) However, since Baby was the very first flamingo that she cared for, Albers said she has learned a lot from her. She now uses her insights to help other rescued flamingos. The goal of the rehab center is always to return the birds back to their natural habitats. We do not keep birds in cages, Albers said. The goal is to release them where they belong, thats really important I really do not believe in keeping birds in captivity. (Courtesy of Elly Albers) Watch the video: (Courtesy of Elly Albers) 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 Woman Wont Be Charged in Shooting Death of Missouri Firefighter, Prosecutors Say A Missouri woman who shot and killed an off-duty firefighter in Kansas City earlier this month will not be criminally charged because of the states self-defense and defense of others law, prosecutors announced. In an Oct. 24 press release, the Jackson County Prosecutors Office said they wont pursue a second-degree murder charge against the woman, who has not been identified, because she acted in accordance with Missouris stand your ground law when she shot and killed 41-year-old Anthony Tony Santi. Santi died on Oct. 6 outside a gas station in Independence, Missouria suburb of Kansas City. He was shot in the back by the unnamed woman following a verbal altercation that escalated into a brawl between the off-duty firefighter and the womans boyfriend, who has been identified as 23-year-old JaVon L. Taylor. On the day of the incident, Santi overheard Taylor arguing with a female gas station employee because she didnt have the cigar brand of his liking, according to court documents, The Kansas City Star reported. Santi intervened when Taylor refused to leave the store upon the clerks request, also telling him that he shouldnt be disrespectful and leave the store as requested by the employee. The intervention allegedly led to Taylor starting to threaten Santi, records show, leading to a fight outside. A video of the incident recorded by a bystander and shared on social media shows Santi and Taylor in a brawl outside the gas station. The video shows Taylor, who is black, being held in a headlock by Santi, who is white. In the 27-second clip, Taylor appears to give his firearm with an extended magazine to his girlfriend, who is screaming hysterically and desperately asking the off-duty firefighter to release her boyfriend from his grip. Moments after she got her hands on the gun, the woman threatened to use the gun to shoot, which eventually she did, killing Santi. The actual shot itself is not shown in the video. The U.S. District Attorneys Office said in a statement obtained by KCTV5 that Taylor was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the shooting. A probable cause document stated Taylor is a convicted felon for first-degree robbery. The Kansas City Missouri Fire Department (KCFD) said in a statement on Facebook that they were shocked by the death of Santi, a father and lifelong Kansas City resident who started his career with KCFD in 2011. As a close-knit organization, we are shocked by yesterdays tragic loss of FF Santi, and my deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends, said Donna Lake, the agencys fire chief. Witness Testimony Prosecutors revealed more details in the Oct. 24 release about the moments leading up to the shooting. They said the woman fired a single shot in defense of her boyfriend who was being strangled by Santi, adding that her claim was supported by an independent witness who has professional medical training. The witness described Taylor as totally defenseless, noting that he couldnt talk, couldnt breathe [and] he was turning purple and that his eyes rolled back into his head. The woman holding the gun begged Santi to stop as her hands were shaking, the prosecutors office said of the witnesses testimony. Furthermore, the witness also testified that he believed overhearing Santi tell Taylor, Im killing you. Threatening Messages The Jackson County Prosecutors Office said it has received numerous phone calls with offensive racist and sexist language after it announced that no charges would be filed in the shooting death of Santi. These phone calls also include violent threats to our employees and the elected prosecutor, the office stated. Our employees are public servants who offer their careers and lives. They work hard to uphold the rule of law. The rule of law required that this case be declined. One example of a voicemail message directed at Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker was reported by The Kansas City Star. The call included offensive language against the prosecutor. Were going to burn your [explicit] house, the caller reportedly said. Were [explicit] coming for you. From NTD News How one couples act of patriotism turned into a national annual event In 2008, more than 60,000 volunteers placed 100,000 wreaths on veterans headstones nationwide. Recognizing the impact, the U.S. Congress unanimously voted to declare National Wreaths Across America Day to be held annually on the second or third Saturday of December. A total of 60,000 volunteers and 100,000 wreaths didnt just come together overnight. It was a grassroots movement that started with a married couples desire to honor our nations deceased veterans in December 1992. As the owners of a wreath-making company in Harrington, Maine, the couple found themselves with a large surplus of inventory. With the help of then-Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and a volunteer with a truck, the husband and two of his teenage children made the 13-hour trek to Arlington National Cemetery to lay 5,000 wreaths on the graves of fallen Civil War veterans. They didnt know it at the time, but this act would soon be repeated nationwide by far more people than just the four of them. Beginnings The genesis of Wreaths Across America actually occurred decades earlier in 1962, when 12-year-old Morrill Worcester, a paperboy for the Bangor Daily News in Maine, won a trip to Washington. While there, Arlington National Cemetery became an inspirational location for him. Decades later, Morrill founded Worcester Wreath Co. He and his wife, Karen, were the couple that laid the wreaths in Arlington in 1992. To this day, Morrills pilgrimage as a preteen serves as a consistent reminder to him that opportunities stem from the values and freedom afforded to us by our nations veterans. Each December following 1992, the Worcesters continued to lay wreaths in Arlington. A wreath from Wreaths Across America marks the grave of veteran Lambert Wouters. (Courtesy of Wreaths Across America) Going Viral In 2005, a photograph by a Pentagon photographer of Arlington covered in snow and adorned with wreaths circulated on the internet, starting on the Pentagons website. It went viral long before the term was coined. Soon after, thousands of requests poured in via email and phone calls from people wanting to help emulate the Arlington success at the local level, prompting the official formation of Wreaths Across America as a national nonprofit in 2007. Wreaths Across America currently conducts ceremonies at nearly 3,500 locations in all 50 states, as well as abroad and at sea. Last year, it placed 2.4 million wreaths and anticipates placing more than 2.7 million this year. We do most of the national cemeteries, we do most of the state cemeteries, but our largest growth is in community cemeteries, Karen told The Epoch Times. It brings communities together. Volunteers help distribute wreaths provided by Wreaths Across America. (Courtesy of Wreaths Across America) Saying the Names Banksy, the British street artist, once said, They say you die twice: one time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time. With that sentiment in mind, when a volunteer lays a wreath at a marker in a cemetery, he says the name of the veteran out loud and thanks him for his service and sacrifice, thus preventing his second death. Making It Happen This years Wreaths Across America Day is Dec. 17, and the cost to sponsor a wreath is a donation of $15. The charity has a five-dollar back program, where $5 of the $15 is donated to a local civic group, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion. Through that program, weve given back into communities over $18 million to date, said Karen, who serves as the charitys executive director. Coordinating tens of thousands of volunteers and 100,000 wreaths for a one-day event is an enormous undertaking. For starters, they need the wreaths. Although Morrill founded the charity and owns a wreath-making company, hes not an officer of the 501(c)3, and hes not a board member, either. He submits a bid each year through a third party, and whichever company is chosen to supply the wreaths is paid for them. But perhaps the unsung heroes of the operation are the truckers who transport the wreaths to the far corners of the nation, paying for the fuel out of their own pockets. If we didnt have 95 percent of the delivery donated by truck drivers and trucking organizations, it would cost more to deliver them than it ever would to make them, Karen said about the truckers. These days, when the Worcesters make the December trip from Maine to Arlington, its no longer a 13-hour drive in one truck. Its a week-long journey (stopping to meet with various groups along the way) with 150 or more people in a convoy of trucks and buses, often with police and motorcycle escorts, which Karen refers to as a hoopla. We went through one city; they had 800 kids on the side of the road with American flags hollering, USA! Karen said. She noted that on that occasion, the buses carried Gold Star mothers and wives, who said the actions of those children made them proud and helped them to heal. Youth for Troops Wreaths Across America also depends on local sponsors. One such local sponsor is Youth for Troops in Phoenix. Its a youth-led, service-focused nonprofit that offers community service opportunities for all ages to support veterans and deployed service members. It has been sponsoring Wreaths Across America since 2017, with 25 or more volunteers laying wreaths in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona each December. Youth for Troops volunteer Alexandra Ceren stands before the grave of Korean War veteran Arthur R. Coldsmith Jr. at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in December 2019. (Courtesy of Youth for Troops) We were especially honored to place wreaths the last two years on all of the killed-in-action markers at our local cemetery, Tonya Piatt, one of the Youth for Troops founders, told The Epoch Times. This is especially meaningful because we know the brother, also a veteran, of one of these heroes. Hannah Piatt, Tonyas daughter and another founder of the nonprofit, told The Epoch Times that it means a whole lot more when you can put a face to the family. Tonya is also acquainted with the fallen soldiers mother and surviving brother. He takes his mom out there to visit, and to know that the wreath was waiting for them is nice, she said. In addition to volunteering to place the wreaths each December, a smaller group of volunteers from Youth for Troops returns to the cemetery each January to retire the wreaths and brush any detached needles off the markers. Tonyas other daughter, Heather Piatt, is also a founder of Youth for Troops. When she lays a wreath on a grave, she looks at the veterans birth and death dates and calculates his age in her head. At 20 years old, many of the fallen were roughly her age, and she assumes they most likely had plans for a career and family, just as she does now. I cant imagine not wanting to take a few moments out of my day to respect that and honor that and say their names, so their family knows that these 18, 19, 20-year-olds arent forgotten for their sacrifices, she told The Epoch Times. While Youth for Troops volunteers on the local level in Phoenix, Tonya is glad to be part of a national movement. There are opportunities for people and families in every part of the region to volunteer on that December date, she said. Its a great thought that all of these people are volunteering on the same day to honor our heroes. An image of China's leader Xi Jinping is seen at an exhibition about history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at Red Building of Peking University, in Beijing on Oct. 7, 2022. (Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images) Xi Cements Control Over CCPs Military, but Chinas Ability to Win Wars Still Questionable: Analysts The world can expect a more militarily aggressive China after Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term in power, cementing his status as the most powerful Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader since Mao Zedong, the regimes first ruler, according to analysts. Xis tenure for another five years, and perhaps more, also puts him in the position of leading a military that, for the first time in the Partys history, poses a real threat to others in the region, they said. But with newly-appointed loyalists in the military who are aging and lack combat experience, Xi also faces deep uncertainty about whether the Partys military arm, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), can actually win wars with advanced armies. The leaders reappointment as the Partys general secretary came after the close of CCPs 20th National Congress on Oct. 23, during which the composition of the Politburo Standing Committee, the CCPs pinnacle 7-member decision-making body, was also revealed. The four newly-appointment members of the committee were all Xi allies. Aparna Pande, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, told The Epoch Times that Xi is now more powerful than many of his predecessors, including Deng Xiaoping, the CCPs supreme leader from 1978 to 1989, who still had to contend with Party elders. The leaders consolidation of power has been matched by a doubling down of propaganda painting Xi as the Partys core. The CCP amended its constitution on Oct. 22 further cementing Xis policies and ideologies. In 2017, the Partys charter was amended to incorporate Xis own brand of dogma, known as Xi Jinping Thought. Over the past week, several reports about Xi on Chinese state broadcaster CCTVs mobile app were tagged under the title peoples leader. This personality cult under the banner of peoples leader marks the end of the period of Chinas economic reforms initiated under Dengs reign during the 1980s, said Frank Lehberger, a Europe-based sinologist and expert on CCP policies, who noted that Deng had prohibited leaders from establishing personality cults. Heightened Threat With many a comparison being made between Xi and Mao, experts note that while Xi, unlike Mao, isnt a hardened military leader, he has solidified control of the military by rooting out insubordination from the PLA and appointing loyalists. Xi leads the PLA as chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Partys top military body. Grant Newsham, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, told The Epoch Times that Xi is the first Chinese leader since Mao who has the political clout to take the communist regime in his chosen direction. But unlike Mao, Xi has the military capability to take on the United States and to project force in Chinas immediate vicinity, said Newsham, who is also an Epoch Times contributor. He said that the PLA is gradually building the capability to project power both regionally and globally, and that if necessary, Xi will not shy from using his solidified position and progressively capable military to further intimidate and assault Taiwan, the self-ruled island that the CCP claims as its own. For Pande, an unchallenged Xi isnt just a concern for the United States, but also for Chinas neighbors in Asiafrom Japan and South Korea to India and Vietnam. Xi is likely to continue his policies over the last decade that include a more aggressive China that seeks to wipe out the century of humiliation, reclaims territory through salami slicing, and uses the weakness of certain powers (Russia) and distraction of others (U.S.) to build its presence in key parts of the world, Pande said. Such goals indicate the messianic aspect to Xis behavior, according to Newsham, who said that the United States and other free nations should be prepared for a fight. Expect Chinese political warfarea preliminary to kinetic warfareto continue globally, he said. By political warfare, Newsham meant the use of a range of measures, usually non-violent, to weaken, confuse, demoralize, or even defeat an adversary. Chinas leader Xi Jinping (front) walks with members of the Chinese Communist Partys new Politburo Standing Committee, the nations top decision-making body as they meet the media in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 23, 2022. (Noel Celis / AFP via Getty Images) Appointing Military Loyalists While the CCPs military may pose a heightened threat to those in the Asian region and beyond, Lehberger cautions that Xis promotion of generals based on loyalty, rather than combat experience or expertise, represents an Achilles heel. During his 10-year rule thus far, Xi has been extremely suspicious of the top brass of the PLA and has purged many of them while appointing past-retirement-age loyalists around him, Lehberger noted. Xi has also reorganized the complete defense structure, most notably during sweeping military reforms in 2015. This reorganization was designed to prevent PLA generals [from] ganging up on [Xi] and toppling him from absolute power, Lehberger said, noting that it, ironically, also created powerful enemies in the process. To overcome insubordination, Xi on Oct. 24 announced the promotion of a few generals whom he could trust like the 72-year-old general Zhang Youxia whom Lehberger described as Xis neighbor and playing pal as a kid. Zhang, who retained his position as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, is one of the few PLA generals who has actual combat experience, but that was from over four decades ago in Vietnam, the analyst noted. He is so old he should be retired according to CCP rules, but Xi bent the rules in his favor and he now has been elevated to first vice chairman of the Central Military Committee, the second most powerful military man after Xi himself, said Lehberger. The other vice chair role went to He Weidong, who was commander of the 31st Army on the shores opposite Taiwan in Fujian Province, and is equally past retirement age, said Lehberger, adding that the general was formerly in charge of the Western Theater Command, headquartered in Chinas western region and tasked with fighting India. During the last years, Xi liked [Hes] performance in the west and did promote He on a fast track to become boss of the Eastern Theatre Command, the entity in charge of an envisaged invasion of Taiwan. He is now second vice chairman of the CMC after Gen. Zhang, said Lehberger. The third PLA figure promoted to the Central Military Commission was Adm. Miao Hua, 66, whom Xi has known for three decades. Lehberger described Miao as another leading political cadre (without combat experience and just a communist apparatchik in the military) from the 31st Army, whom Xi has known since his days as a Party official in Fujian Province from 1985 to 2002. Xi wants to annex Taiwan, and for this, he needs solid expertise in high-tech warfare, notably air warfare and marine or naval warfare, according to the expert. Therefore, Xi has built up his Navy to impressive proportions [that] now rivals the Americans in number, he said, but its rank and file as well as officers all lack professional expertise, when compared to the best in the region: the Japanese Navy and the U.S. Navy. Lehberger said that Xis choice of Miao mirrors this particular dilemma, and indicates what might unfold in the long run. Miao is just a political officer, basically a scheming bureaucrat without any naval combat experience whatsoever. So, with such a person in charge of the invasion of Taiwan, this can only lead to disaster for Xi himself, he said. But Xi is not interested in professionalism, just personal loyalty. Chinese leader 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, 2022. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images) Xi Jinping Appoints New Administration Members: What Does This Mean for Taiwan? The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced members of its 20th Politburo and Central Military Commission (CMC) on Oct. 23. Four new members of the Politburo have a military background and two CMC members are from Chinas eastern theater command that is responsible for Taiwan, triggering further concerns abroad over Taiwan. The hierarchy of the CCP has the general secretary as the paramount leader, under whom are seven standing members out of the 24 members of the Politburo. The Politburo is reshuffled once every five years when the CCP convenes its national meeting. Theoretically, these highest echelons participate in the CCPs decision-making process. New Politburo Members The CCPs 20th Politburo has 24 members in total, seven of whom are standing members and are considered the second tier of power, under Xi. According to the official announcement, the seven standing members are Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi. The remaining 17 members of the 20th Politburo are Wang Yi, Yin Li, Shi Taifeg, Liu Guozhong, Li Shulei, Li Hongzhong, He Weidong, He Lifeng, Zhang Youxia, Chen Wenqing, Chen Jining, Chen Miner, Huang Kun, Li Ganjie, Ma Xingrui, Zhang Guoqing, and Yuan Jiajun. The last four members have a military background and are newly appointed to the Politburo by Xi. Li Ganjie, the party secretary of Chinas northeastern Shandong Province, is also a nuclear safety expert. Ma Xingrui, party secretary of Chinas western Xinjiang region, and Yuan Jiajun, party secretary of Chinas eastern Zhejiang Province, are both experts in aerospace. Zhang Guoqing, party secretary of Chinas northeastern Liaoning Province, used to be the general manager of China Ordnance Industries Group Corp., Ltd. China Ordnance Industries Group Corp., Ltd. is a state-owned manufacturer of commercial and military products. It is better known as Norinco Group (North Industries Corporation) when doing business with other countries. New Central Military Commission Members There are seven members of the CCPs 20th CMC. Xi Jinping is the chairman of the CMC. Zhang Youxia and He Weidong are the two vice chairmen of the CMC. Other CMC members are Li Shangfu, Li Zhenli, Miao Hua, and Zhang Shengmin. Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli both had combat experience in CCPs war against Vietnam in 1979. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Chinas Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on Dec. 7, 2017. (Sergei Karpukhin/AFP/Getty Images) He Weidong was a former commander of the CCPs eastern theater command. Miao Hua had long served in the 31st Group Army of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), a military formation belonging to the eastern theater command. The eastern theater command is the CCPs frontline military force to combat Taiwan. Internal Political Stability Su Tzu-yun, a military analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan, holds that Xi will continue to prioritize internal political stability during his third term. Most of the Politburo members are Xis confidants, highlighting that Xi still gives top priority to maintaining the internal stability of the CCP, Su said in an interview with the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Oct. 23. The CCP certainly hasnt relaxed its military preparations against Taiwan, but [attacking] Taiwan currently isnt on the top agenda for the CCP. Only when there are serious internal stability issues will the CCP use military tension against Taiwan as a shift of focus, Su said. Su also believes that in Xis third term, tensions over the Taiwan Strait will be maintained. One of the new faces of the CMCHe Weidonghighlights the importance that Xi attaches to his so-called Taiwan agenda, Su said. A helicopter under the Eastern Theatre Command of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) takes part in military exercises in the waters around Taiwan on Aug. 8, 2022. (Eastern Theatre Command/Handout via Reuters) According to Su, He Weidong was only former commander of the CCPs Eastern Theater Command, but Xi promoted him directly to become one of the two vice chairmen of the CMC, which reveals an increased sense of urgency of the CCP toward Taiwan. In addition, Lin Xiangyang, the current commander of the Eastern Theater Command, is a native of Fujian Province. Therefore, the whole military preparation is really focused on Taiwan, Su added. Fujian is the closest province directly facing Taiwan across the strait. Su suggested that Taiwan should stay alert. Taiwan doesnt need to scare itself too much; just keep vigilant but dont be overly nervous, Su said. Increased Uncertainty Feng Chongyi, an associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney, has a different view from Su. When speaking with the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times, Feng said that the majority of the CCPs new administration are Xis confidants, which makes it easier for Xi to have his Taiwan war agenda passed among the top echelons. Feng believed that the U.S. government must have been informed of relevant intelligence on the Taiwan Strait, as Anthony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, said Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline on Oct. 17. Blinken said this in conversation with former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice at Stanford University, while the CCP was convening its 20th national meeting. And if peaceful means didnt work, then it would employ coercive meansand possibly, if coercive means dont work, maybe forceful meansto achieve its objectives. And that is what is profoundly disrupting the status quo and creating tremendous tensions, Blinken also said. Feng said the danger of war over the Taiwan Strait does exist, as Xi warned that the CCP will never promise to renounce the use of force to assert its claim to the self-governing island in his speech delivered to the CCPs 2,000-plus delegates on Oct. 16. A missile is launched from an unspecified location in China on Aug. 4, 2022. The Chinese military fired missiles into waters near Taiwan as part of its planned exercises on Aug. 4. (CCTV via AP) Xis plan to attack Taiwan is to prove that he has made great achievements during his tenure, regardless of the consequences, said Feng. Uncertainties over Taiwan have increased. Normal logic doesnt work at all [with Xi]. Taiwan in Great Danger Wang He, a current affairs commentator and China observer, told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Oct. 22 that Taiwan is in great danger. Wang said that Taiwan has a military force of 189,000 as compared to its population of 23 million. A good comparison is Israel, which has a military of 180,000 as compared to its population of only 8 million. But Israel can mobilize 300,000 to fight within 24 hours, according to Wang. The enemy that Taiwan faces is the CCP, an enemy which is more vicious than what Israel faces, Wang added. Wang said that the United States and Taiwan would be passive if they allowed the CCP to decide when to attack Taiwan. The United States should exert its greatest deterrents so that the CCP dares not act rashly, Wang said. The Biden administration has imposed strict bans on chips, directly cutting off the CCPs high-tech military power. This is a good move. [But] it will be too late if the United States doesnt act now. Attack on Taiwan Wont be Soon Wang Juntao, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Democracy Party and former student leader of the Tiananmen students protest in 1989, believed that Xi wont attack Taiwan in the near future in comments made on Oct. 22. According to Wang, there are two reasons why this is the case. One is that Xi needs time to carry out his internal agenda now that he has secured his third tenure, as Xi was busy with internal fighting before the 20th National Congress of the CCP to secure his power. The second reason is that Chinese military personnel are more professionally trained and that they are afraid to fight, as they know the CCPs weaponry performs poorly on the battlefield. Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya contributed to this report. Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the meeting between members of the standing committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CCP Central Committee and Chinese and foreign journalists at The Great Hall of People in Beijing on Oct. 23, 2022. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) Xis Consolidation of Power Signals a More Aggressive China: Analysts The United States is not seeking a new Cold War with either the Chinese regime or Russia, U.S. President Joe Biden said at the U.N. in September. Yet Chinese leader Xi Jinpings consolidation of power during a twice-a-decade political reshuffle will inevitably intensify competition between the two nations and increase the risk of a cold war, according to Chinese analysts. Xi secured an unprecedented third five-year team in power on Oct. 23 after the close of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) 20th National Congress and installed allies in the Partys top decision-making bodies. The result of this is that the United States and the West face the prospect of an even more aggressive China, according to analysts. This is partly because Xi, the regimes most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, now prioritizes ideology over pragmatism. When politics and ideology completely trump the economy, the space for cooperation [between Beijing and Washington] shrinks, Shen Jung-chin, an associate professor at the School of Administrative Studies at Canadas York University, told The Epoch Times. It means there will be fierce confrontation and competition instead. A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks in front of a large screen in Beijing showing a news broadcast about Chinas military exercises encircling Taiwan on Aug. 4, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images) Security Over Economy The frequent use of the words security and socialism in the report of the 20th Party Congress reveals that national security takes center stage in China, according to Shen. The report featured a separate section with a focus on national security for the first time ever. According to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the report mentioned the word security 91 times, up from 54 times in the 19th Party Congress report. While the 20th Party Congress report pledged that market reforms are still basic state policy, Shen said references to reform, market, and economy were given less emphasis in the landmark document compared with the one from five years ago. Shen also noted that there was no mention of an easing of the regimes zero-COVID policy during an oral version of the report delivered by Xi at the congresss opening ceremony on Oct. 16, even though the strict pandemic-handling approach has damaged Chinas economy. Chinas gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 3.9 percent year-over-year in the third quarter, which is better than expected but still far below Beijings official full-year target of around 5.5 percentits lowest goal in nearly three decades. This weak economic performance comes as the country grapples with a property crisis, renewed lockdowns, and COVID-19 curbs, along with risks of a global recession, Shen said. Pessimism toward Chinas economy was reflected in the Chinese stock markets performance following the announcement of Xis third term. Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index fell by 6.3 percent on Oct. 24, its lowest level since April 2009. The Hang Seng Tech Index plunged by more than 9 percent. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, a gauge of Chinese stocks that are listed in Hong Kong, declined by 7.3 percent, which is its worst performance after a CCP Congress since 1994. This was the worst day for stocks in Hong Kong since the global financial crisis of 2008, while the onshore yuan fell to its weakest level since January 2008. Despite the countrys sluggish economy, Xis speech reveals that the CCP now puts economic development in second place, according to Shen. Ideology, especially the confrontation with the West, is given more prominence in the [policy] framework, he said. Such a trend is worrying. In the congress report, the communist regime alluded to Western nations taking increased actions to counter Beijings aggressions by warning of challenges from a grim and complex international situation. Without mentioning the United States or other countries by name, the report states that external attempts to suppress and contain China may escalate at any time. During Xis tenure, SinoU.S. relations have deteriorated over a series of issues, including the Chinese regimes human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, its aggression against Taiwan, and rampant technology theft. But such tensions are still different from those during the Cold War era, when the United States was estranged from the Soviet Union, Shen noted. In contrast, Washington and Beijing have deep commercial ties that largely arose from the regimes economic reform policies implemented in the 1980s. However, now, it seems Xi is walking toward a different direction, Shen said. Chinas leader Xi Jinping (front) walks with members of the Chinese Communist Partys new Politburo Standing Committee, the nations top decision-making body, as they meet the media in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 23, 2022. (Noel Celis / AFP via Getty Images) One-Man Rule Waving his hands and smiling, Xi led six dark-suited men onto the red-carpeted stage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 23, sending a message of his tightening grip over the Party and the country. Xi and the six men form the Politburo Standing Committee, the Partys pinnacle decision-making body, a group thats now stacked with Xi loyalists. Following the week-long congress, he confirmed his third five-year term as the CCPs secretary general, a feat that none of his predecessors have claimed since Mao Zedong, who ruled the country for 27 years until his death in 1976. The lack of a possible successor to the 69-year-old leader suggests that he may intend to further extend his term, which ends in 2027. Xis precedent-breaking new term was widely expected. But even veteran analysts were surprised that the Partys new generation of ruling elites was dominated by the 69-year-old leaders allies and proteges. Xi has now completely controlled the Politburo Standing Committee, said Li Yuanhua, an Australia-based China expert and a former associate professor at the Capital Normal University College of Education in Beijing. Related Coverage Meet the 7 Men Who Will Rule China Except for the two senior officials who retained their positions in the standing committee, Li highlighted that all four newly appointed members are Xi allies. According to Li, these senior officials were promoted to the Partys highest positions because of their faithful execution of Xis decisions, regardless of their merits. The analyst cited Li Qiang, Xis former right-hand man, as an example. As Shanghai Party chief, Lis strict implementation of the draconian zero-COVID policy left the citys residents and economy struggling to cope amid a two-month lockdown. Confined in their homes or quarantine centers, the citys 25 million residents struggled to obtain food and health care, fueling public anger and provoking small-scale protests. The heavy restrictions in the countrys financial hub also inflicted pain on the countrys economy and ravaged global supply chains. Speculation had swirled that Lis political career was doomed. But Li now takes over the Partys No. 2 position and is believed to become the next premier. Xi Jinpings criteria [for promoting officials] is their connection to him, absolute loyalty to him, and obedience to him, said Feng Chongyi, a professor of China studies at the University of Technology Sydney. Thus the political prospects of officials rely on Xis continued support. Now, the power is all in the hands of Xi, said Lu Yeh-chung, a professor and chair of the diplomacy department at National Cheng-chi University in Taiwan. Yi Ru, Lin Cenxin, Luo Ya, and Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report. That release could not be found. Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari, has congratulated the newly appointed British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. President Buhari welcomed the incoming 42-year-old British PM to office, saying that Sunak is the first British prime minister of Asian descent and the youngest in about 200 years. His congratulatory message was contained in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, issued on Monday. The President said Sunak's appointment would inspire young people across the 56-nation Commonwealth. On behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the largest of 21 countries of Africa that are members of the Commonwealth, I welcome incoming British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to office, stated Mr Buhari. As the first prime minister of British-Asian descent and the youngest in about 200 years, these milestones will be especially inspiring for young people across our 2.4 billion-population, 56-nation Commonwealth. The Nigerian leader continued, On this important day, we should also remember the enduring partnership and unbreakable friendship between our countries United Kingdom and Nigeria. We stand together in this troubled world against terrorism. He expressed his commitment to address the world food crisis that is driving up the cost of living for people and families across the globe. We are steadfast in our commitment to make our countries and our allies more energy secure, he added. The president reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment to continue to partner the UK on the challenges of climate change as part of measures to address desertification. We are pledged to address climate change that forces millions to leave their homes through desertification and attempt to cross the seas into Europe, he said. And we seek to increase trade and investment within and between Commonwealth countries to boost the health and wealth of all our peoples. We seek to deepen our partnership with Britain to achieve these objectives, and more. He added that Nigeria looks forward to working with Mr Sunak and the leaders of other Commonwealth nations to boost the health and wealth of all our peoples. One officer of the Nigeria Customs Service identified as Saheed Aweda, has been killed, while three other colleagues were injured after some hoodlums suspected to be smugglers unleashed attack on them during security patrol. The officers belong to the Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) of the Nigeria Customs Service in Kwara State. The attackers were said to have laid ambush for the operatives who were on patrol in the Baruten Local Government Area of the State. The surviving officers who reportedly sustained life-threatening injuries are currently responding to treatment in an undisclosed hospital. Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the JBPT, Kwara Command, Chado Zakari, described the situation as a fiery exchange between the smugglers and officers. He said, The hoodlums laid ambush and shot sporadically. In the fiery exchange that ensued, one of our officers was killed and three others sustained life-threatening injuries but are now at the hospital. Chado explained that the JBPT while on patrol intercepted 40 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice and thirty 25 litres jerry cans of premium motor spirit (PMS) abandoned along a bush path on the Sinau-Kenu road, Baruten. He said that it was while on transit after the seized items had been evacuated into Our operational vehicles for onward delivery to the warehouse, a group of hoodlums laid an ambush. They shot sporadically at our officers, macheted others and pelted our personnel with stones, bottles, sticks including charms and other dangerous weapons. He said the coordinator JBPT, Compt. Olugboyega Peters has ordered a full-scale investigation into the matter. He added, The sector will not hesitate to use appropriate force in line with the rules of engagement and will leave the officers with no other alternative than to defend themselves in the interest of the nation. The pervasive neediness which proceed from the asphyxiating socioeconomic challenges is the harsh consequence of the nations rapacious elite whose criminality is legendary. And, aside been evasive, the reality on the ground is unashamedly obfuscated by their minders as well as their overt or covert accomplices. The elite criminality is quintessentially characterized by wanton plunder of the nations resources which is done with mindless impunity that puts everything in a dysfunctional state. Like a swarm of locust, they descend on national resources without utter concern for the desperate state of those that will be left hungry and disadvantaged. Feeding their greed is the ultimate fixation. So few, yet they have ingeniously muscled out the majority from the share of the common wealth. They have effectively held the destiny of the citizens and nation hostage by their reprehensible act. On the impoverishment on fellow citizens and decrepitude of the nation they gain in power and wealth. As though, blinded by the surfeit of perks that accompanies their privileged positions many hardly betray emotions to the plight of the impoverished ordinary citizens. Recall they huge pile of Covid-19 palliatives that were stashed in warehouses while citizens rot in hunger only to be exposed during endsars protests. Effectively, they have constituted themselves as something of a god that must be propitiated and worshipped for the crumbs of favour that fall of their massive tables. They have all become insouciant to the routine inconveniences and struggle of the ordinary citizens. When people swear to serve the nation but turn around to serve self, it breeds insufferable pang of disenchantment and cynicism in citizens especially having attached credibility to the catalogue of promises and assurances made in the name of God. However, it beggars belief how hitherto normal and rational people brimming with bright ideas are immediately hobbled after moving into the ring of power from where they return battered by the heavy punches of corruption. It is safe, to point at the extant chronic systemic weakness in our country as the culprit that also sucks sincerity, energy and enthusiasm to work for the general good. Confronting the weakness headlong hasnt really attracted sufficient attention and the will of the powers that be, which further strengthens the audacity of the perpetrators. The huge scam called oil subsidy is a fitting example of the elite criminality. The country buckles under its massive weight and weak from the hemorrhage of vital resources. The only time prosecution over the oil subsidy fraud was instituted it ended in damp squib. The daily fuel consumption stands at 66 million per day today from 40 million per day in 2019 representing about 60%! The fast-paced movement of the figure leaves a huge margin for suspicion. Already, its a fact that smuggling across the borders and falsification of documents to claim money for fuel never imported in the name of subsidy have characterized the program. The staggering 109 billion naira heist pulled by a former accountant general of the federation and his cohorts couldnt have happened without some illustrious accomplices. The princely amount no doubt could have done wonders in transforming lives and communities beyond recognition somewhere. It eloquently tells the story of how the national resources as been turned into game, hunted for personal pleasure. Furthermore, the organized crude oil theft has been a shocking revelation. It is such a sophisticated operation that carries again, the imprimatur of well placed and connected interests. The lost is quite staggering. The poor guys crudely refining the oil were always the whipping child and with the lid blown wide open, it has now exposed the constant spotlight on them as a smokescreen to divert attention from the activities of their well-heeled cousins. The government claims to know the saboteurs yet its taking forever to make them public. It only heightens suspicions. The ordinary citizens are for the most part importune to make sacrifices for the shambles created by a dodgy few. Its a clear travesty that the law only gets gentle on the elite criminality while hard on others. Where a system really works, people pay for their crimes regardless of their standing on the social ladder- it serve as deterrent and an unmistakable message that no one is beyond the law. Much needed socioeconomic development takes flight where the elite get away with blue murder. At every turn, the footprints of the elite criminality lays bare. Nigeria has become a crime scene of sort over the criminality of the privileged few. Regardless of the fantastic agenda enunciated by the next president, the capacity to deal with manifestation of the elite criminality will infinitely define the success of their premiership. Abachi Ungbo - [email protected] The Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has accused authorities of United Arab Emirates of blackmailing Nigeria due to the funds of airlines trapped in the country. Mr Emefiele made this disclosure during an interactive session organized by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. He said the CBN released $110 million to the foreign airlines in August and is due to release another $120 million on 31st of October. Recall that the UAE country has reportedly stopped issuing visas to Nigerians in the past couple of weeks. In reaction to the development, the apex bank governor said Nigeria has over the years prioritized the foreign airlines in allocation of Fx, adding that instead of bearing with the country, some countries are threatening to ban Nigerians. You will be saying either you are cancelling your visa to Nigerians or that you will not fly again because your funds are blocked. We used our discretion to allocate $265 million dollars to the foreign airlines, broken down into spot and forward. We did $110 million on the spot and the rest in 60days forward. On that day, we allocated to IATA $32 million through UBA. Qatar Airways, $22.8 million through Standard Chartered, Emirates, $19.6 million through Access Bank, British Airway; $5.5million through GTB, Virgin Atlantic, $4.8 million through Zenith and others, he said. Meanwhile, Boma Goodhead, a lawmaker from Rivers State, said Nigerians should not be fret over the visa ban, stating that the UAE benefits more from Nigeria. The lawmaker stated that if the UAE is allowed to stay for one year without tourists from Nigeria, its decision would be reconsidered and changed. However, Paulos Legesse, Emirates Manager for Nigeria, said the airline is not familiar with the visa ban, adding that the country will suspend its operation in Nigeria on October 28 over the inability of the country to retrieve its funds. 7-Eleven in Pa Khlok robbed at knifepoint PHUKET: Police are trying to track down a man who robbed a 7-Eleven store in Pa Khlok at knifepoint early this morning (Oct 25). crimepolice By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 25 October 2022, 05:39PM Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Thalang Police were called to the scene, a 7-Eleven store in Baan Para, Moo 4, Pa Khlok, at 3am. The man entered the store wearing blue jeans and a grey long-sleeved jacket, and a black full-face helmet obscuring his face, the employee told police. The man, who stood about 165cm tall, threatened the staffer with a knife to hand over cash from the register. The staffer obliged. The robber made off with about B4,200 in cash, the employee said. The robber was last seen speeding off on a motorbike towards Baan Laem Sai, the employee confirmed. The staffer was unable to identify the make and model of the motorbike due to the darkness, police reported. Thalang Police Chief Col Pisit Chuenphet has tasked Thalang Police Deputy Chief of Investigation Lt Col Suchart Luecha with tracking down the robber. Lt Col Suchart has experience in the area as he used to serve as Pa Khlok Subdistrict Patrol Chief, explained a Thalang Police report. Police are now checking CCTV footage from the store and other cameras in the area to track down the robber and bring him to justice, Thalang Police said. Safe walking path created up Patong Hill PHUKET: Officials have created a new walking path up Patong Hill so people can choose to not walk past the landslide zone where the road collapsed last week. patongtransportSafety By The Phuket News Tuesday 25 October 2022, 10:30AM The path starts on the left side of the Patong Hill road opposite the Patong Shooting Range and leads up the steep hill to the Patong City sign located beyond the landslide zone. Kathu District Chief Siwat Rawangkul was at the site yesterday (Oct 24) to select where the path would traverse and coordinate the installation of the walking path, which is less than 300 metres long. The first 150m is described as normal walking, while the remaining 150m is a stairway leading up. Handrails made from hewn branches have been installed. Sandbags have been placed over muddy areas to help prevent people using the path from slipping. There is a free food and water break point and mobile toilets have been made available at the Patong City sign, nearly as a reward for making it up the steep slope. The path is open 24 hours a day. Lighting has been installed. Police, navy personnel and administrative officers have been assigned to provide security. Mr Siwat noted that the path is a temporary measure only until better, long-term provisions can be made. From the Kathu side, motorbike riders can park in front of the police checkpoint blocking traffic from continuing up the hill and start the walk from there. Car drivers can park at the defunct floating market in Kathu and take a free shuttle bus service from there to the checkpoint. The shuttle service operates from 7am to 8pm. From the Patong side, motorbike riders and car drivers can park at Noen Tong Restaurant or take the free shuttle bus from in front of the Patong Municipality Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, located next to the main Patong Municipality offices on Ratpatannusorn Rd. The free shuttle service operates from 7am to 9pm. Meanwhile, officials last night issued a notice reminding people that all vehicles including motorbikes are prohibited from passing the landslide zone on the hill as a safety precaution. Search for Russian woman to continue one more day PHUKET: The mass search for missing 53-year-old Russian woman Elena Radchenko will continue for only one more day. If no sign of the missing tourist is found tomorrow, officials will call off the mass search efforts, it was confirmed today (Oct 25). By Eakkapop Thongtub Tuesday 25 October 2022, 06:25PM So far no sign of Ms Radchenko has been found since she was last seen exiting the water at Nai Thon Beach last Thursday (Oct 20). The search today continued by land, sea and air, with search teams scouring rocky areas along the coast and thick jungle inland, as well as a navy helicopter conducting its search from the air. However, todays efforts failed to uncover any hints where she might be. The search will continue tomorrow (Oct 26), Sakhu Tambon Administrative Organization (OrBorTor) Chief Trin Panyawai confirmed today. However, he added, If she is not found [tomorrow], the tourist search operation center will be closed. Mr Trin explained that officers helping to conduct the search ahd confirmed that one of Ms Radchenkos room keycard was missing. The hotel [where she was staying] has informed us that one of Ms Elenas [sic] room keycard is missing, because normally there are two keycards for each room, Mr Trin said. We are now looking into that further, he said. Officials had also learned that Ms Radchenko was on her fourth trip to Phuket already this year. He added. Sakhu Police have not ruled out kidnapping, Mr Trin noted. Police are checking additional surveillance cameras in the area, and checking the licence plates of the cars that arrived at and departed the Nai Thon Beach area at the time she disappeared," Mr Trin said. Dyson will spend 500m bolstering its technology and launching 20 beauty products in the next four years. The Singapore-based tech company, which also has a big operation in Malmesbury in Wiltshire, said the investment will see the opening of new beauty research labs. Dyson said the 'vast majority' of the 500m investment will be spent in the UK. But it did not say what the beauty products will be. Billionaire Brexiteer Sir James Dyson set the firm up in 1978 when he 'became frustrated with his vacuum cleaner's diminishing performance' Billionaire Brexiteer Sir James Dyson set the firm up in 1978 when he 'became frustrated with his vacuum cleaner's diminishing performance'. He built the bagless vacuum cleaner now synonymous with the business but has branched out into beauty products, such as the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer, and even developed an electric car. But he was accused of 'betrayal' in 2019 after moving Dyson's HQ from Wiltshire to Singapore. The inventor, 75, is currently suing Channel 4 for libel over a broadcast alleging abuse and exploitation of workers at a factory that used to supply goods to his firm. Credit Suisse has agreed to pay 234m in France to settle a tax evasion and money laundering probe Credit Suisse has agreed to pay 234m in France to settle a tax evasion and money laundering probe. It is alleged the troubled Swiss bank urged wealthy French clients to move their assets to Switzerland. Credit Suisse was accused by French authorities of encouraging rich customers in France to set up bank accounts in Switzerland between 2005 and 2012, which were then out of reach of the French taxman. Credit Suisse will make a strategy announcement this week aimed at putting an end to years of scandals and losses that have eroded confidence. Last week, it agreed to pay 438m to resolve a case related to its sale of residential mortgage-backed securities. Shell is ploughing 1.3bn into a Qatari gas project in a huge boost to supplies Shell is ploughing 1.3bn into a Qatari gas project in a huge boost to supplies. The oil giant will take a 9.4pc stake in North Field South, which will expand Qatars liquified natural gas output by 16m tons a year. Qatar is trying to consolidate its position as the worlds biggest natural gas exporter by ramping up capacity from 77m tons per year to 126m tons per year by 2027. There has been a surge in demand for natural gas, which is seen as a key pillar of the worlds transition to net zero CO2 emissions. Shell boss Ben Van Beurden said its investment in the gas field, run by stateowned QatarEnergy, will help bolster energy security and the transition to net zero. AstraZeneca received a boost from its drug pipeline after US regulators approved two of its treatments for use in patients suffering from liver cancer. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light for the FTSE 100 pharma firms Imjudo and Imfinzi drugs to be used together to treat unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. Liver cancer is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world and causes around 5,800 deaths in the UK every year, Cancer Research said. AstraZeneca received a boost from its drug pipeline after US regulators approved two of its treatments for use in patients suffering from liver cancer The FDA decision follows results of a clinical trial which showed the drug combination caused a 22 per cent drop in death risk compared to sorafenib, a medicine used to treat liver and types of thyroid cancer. The trial also showed 31 per cent of patients treated with Imjudo and Imfinzi were still alive after three years, compared to 20 per cent of those that received sorafenib. Imjudo and Imfinzi contain two different types of antibodies which allow the bodys immune system to kill cancer cells more effectively. Analysts at broker Shore Capital noted the approval highlighted the expanding scope for Imfinzi to be used to combat gastrointestinal cancers. AstraZeneca shares rose 0.6 per cent, or 62p, to 9782p after the news. It follows a string of regulatory successes for AstraZeneca, which has been focused on its drug pipeline after a sales boost from its Covid jab. Its share price has risen by nearly 10pc over the last 12 months making it the second-most valuable firm on the London Stock Exchange after oil giant Shell. Britain's financial services watchdog is set to introduce new rules aimed at cracking down on 'greenwashing' in investment funds. Greenwashing describes businesses making misleading claims about the environmental credentials of their products. The Financial Conduct Authority said on Tuesday that the introduction of new rules would help enhance investors' trust and confidence in funds with a sustainable focus, while bringing the UK closer to achieving its net zero targets. Among the proposals put forward include new restrictions on the use of terms such as 'green', 'ESG' [Environmental, Social & Governance] and 'sustainable' in marketing materials and product names. Green or not: As ESG investing has grown in popularity, greenwashing accusations have become more common, affecting such notable names as HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds Bank It also wants to introduce consumer-friendly labels for sustainable investment products, which will be divided into three categories based on their impact. Eco-friendly investing has become very popular in recent years, with the amount of money in ESG-focused funds climbing by more than half year-on-year to $2.7trillion in 2021, according to research group Morningstar. But as demand for them has grown, accusations of greenwashing have become more common, affecting such notable names as HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds Bank. The FCA's latest move forms part of its broader revamped ESG strategy, which outlines how the regulator will help the UK transition to a more sustainable economy. Sacha Sadan, the FCA's director of ESG, said greenwashing 'misleads consumers and erodes trust in all ESG products.' He added: 'Consumers must be confident when products claim to be sustainable that they actually are. Our proposed rules will help consumers and firms build trust in this sector. 'This supports investment in solutions to some of the world's biggest ESG challenges. This places the UK at the forefront of sustainable investment internationally.' Other proposals suggested by the FCA include requirements for groups to provide investors with more detailed disclosures at the product and entity level should they request them, and a broader anti-greenwashing rule that applies to all businesses. Troubles: Sacha Sadan, the FCA's Director of Environment, Social and Governance, said the practice of greenwashing 'misleads consumers and erodes trust in all ESG products' Each firm is responsible for how it uses the new rules to classify a product, meaning there is no FCA vetting, but the watchdog could challenge the categorisation of any new fund submitted for authorisation. A public consultation on the proposals is open until January. The rules will be finalised by mid-2023 but not come into force until at least June 2024 to give the industry time to adjust. There will be a further consultation on how the rules could be applied to overseas funds, given that many funds sold in Britain are listed in European Union countries like Ireland and Luxembourg. The FCA further announced on Tuesday that it had commenced a review into the effect 'Big Tech' firms, including Amazon, Meta and Apple, have on competition in the UK's financial services sector. Sheldon Mills, the organisation's executive director of consumers and competition, said the focus would be on four key sectors: consumer credit, insurance, deposit taking and insurance. He acknowledged that technology giants could provide many advantages to customers, such as greater efficiency, lower costs and more innovation. But over the longer term, he warned, they 'could pose competition risks if they rapidly gain market share, and they are able to exploit market power.' No regulatory changes have yet been proposed by the FCA, which is inviting parties to provide responses up to 15 January. [October 24, 2022] EC-Council to Speak on Coursera Panel on How Online Learning Can Accelerate Cybersecurity Careers and Help Fill US Cybersecurity Jobs Gap Panel Supports Cybersecurity Awareness Month and New Availability of EC-Council's Popular Essentials Series Trainings on the Coursera Platform TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 27, 2022, EC-Council Senior Vice President and Head of Product Steve Graham will speak on Coursera's online panel about how experienced and apprentice cybersecurity professionals can use online learning to develop their skills and advance their careers. In support of Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the availability of EC-Council's Essentials trainings on the Coursera Platform, the conversation will be moderated by Coursera Chief Operating Officer Shravan Goli. Also to be discussed is the current US cybersecurity jobs gap. Various estimates suggest as many as half of all US cybersecurity jobs are unfilled, a shortfall which corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions will need to address. The panel will also explore how new technologies and online teaching methodologies featuring performance-based learning and hands-on labs prepare professionals to fill key jobs in the cybersecurity workforce. WHO: EC-Council and Coursera WHAT: Online Panel, "How Can Online Learning Accelerate Cybersecurity Careers and Talent" WHEN: October 27, 2022, 1:15 PM ET WHERE: Virtual event on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6985372489073774592/ PRESS OPPORTUNITIES Journalists may monitor the event live at the above link. Interviews with Mr. Graham may be arranged by contacting the Press Contact above. ABOUT EC-COUNCIL EC-Council invented the Certified Ethical Hacker. Founded in 2001 in response to 9/11, EC-Council's mission is to provide the training and certifications apprentice and experienced cybersecurity professionals need to keep corporations, government agencies and others who employ them safe from attack. Best known for its Certified Ethical Hacker program, EC-Council today offers 200 different trainings, certificates, and degrees in everything from Computer Forensic Investigation and Security Analysis to Threat Intelligence and Information Security. An ISO/IEC 17024 Accredited Organization recognized under the US Defense Department Directive 8140/8570 and many other authoritative cybersecurity bodies worldwide, the company has certified 10,000 professionals across the globe. Trusted by seven of the Fortune 10, half of the Fortune 100, and the intelligence communities of 140 nations, EC-Council is the gold standard in cybersecurity education and certification. A truly global organization with a driving belief in bringing diversity, equity and inclusion to the modern cybersecurity workforce, EC-Council maintains 11 offices in the US, the UK, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The company can be reached online at https://www.eccouncil.org/ ### View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ec-council-to-speak-on-coursera-panel-on-how-online-learning-can-accelerate-cybersecurity-careers-and-help-fill-us-cybersecurity-jobs-gap-301657616.html SOURCE EC-Council [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 24, 2022] Actify Aligns with Automotive Industry Associations Company has joined the Society of Automotive Analysts, OESA and AIAG to demonstrate commitment to supporting automotive supplier community DETROIT, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Actify, the leading provider of visualization and program management solutions for the automotive supply chain, is proud to announce that it has joined automotive industry associations Society of Automotive Analysts (SAA), the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) and the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) in recognition of the need for collaboration to navigate the industry transition to electric vehicles. The three organizations Actify has joined share a mission to provide education and bring multiple perspectives and varied insight to their members. At a time of unprecedented business challenges and transition across the mobility sector, Actify recognizes the heightened value of the role played by these associations. Actify is working to help suppliers manage the sharp increase in new OEM model introductions because of electrification with solutions that increase suppliers' program launch capacity by automating and accelerating largely manual business processes. "As a software supplier to more than 1,700 companies in the automotive supply chain, the goal of our visualization and program management solutons is to relieve some of the burdens they carry, streamline their operations, and ease their key staffing challenges," said Dave Opsahl, CEO of Actify. "We look forward to making a contribution to the value that SAA, OESA and AIAG bring to their members, and to benefit from the communication and collaboration they promote." As a member of these leading organizations, Actify will host various informational sessions about automotive program management and program capacity, and attend various events to engage more directly with members. Actify will be an exhibitor at the OESA Annual Automotive Supplier Conference in Novi, MI on November 7th. About Actify For 15+ years, Actify has been helping manufacturers to visualize and interact with design and engineering information. We've led the industry by creating easy-to-use tools that are affordable and improve quality and productivity. Now, Actify is applying everything we have learned to meet the unique needs of automotive program teams. Actify serves a global base of more than 2,000 companies of whom approximately 85% are suppliers to the auto industry. Actify is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan with sales and support in 45 countries through its offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and China, and a global network of partners. For more information, please visit www.actify.com. PRESS CONTACT Angela Simoes 4153022934 https://actify.com/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/actify-aligns-with-automotive-industry-associations-301657516.html SOURCE Actify [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 24, 2022] FSP Microgrid Energy Storage System Creates New Value for Renewable Energy TAIPEI, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FSP, a Top 10 global power supply manufacturer, has been working with leading enterprises to promote ESG sustainability and green governance transformations to meet global targets of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. FSP and renewable energy partners are now investing heavily in the development of distributed energy storage systems (ESS) for microgrids to maximize the benefits of renewable energy technology. In response to the growing demand for renewable energy, Dr. Edward Chen, Associate Manager FSP Product, said that improving the efficiency of distributed ESS products will play an important part in the future development of smart microgrid systems. To build a sustainable smart microgrid system, FSP had to develop a way to integrate all the peripheral devices in a distributed ESS, such as power supplies, chargers, energy storage battery systems. The goal was to implement a PV distributed microgrid system that generates and consumes its own electricity in the following order of priority: "green electriity first, battery charging second, grid power last." FSP has proposed three tiers of ESS for various levels of applications: the mobile EMERGY 3K+ for smart homes, the 10 kW All-in-one ESS, the 60 kW ESS for smart commercial properties, and the 100 kW ESS for smart factories. The ESS design requirements for difference fields of applications are completely different: commercial and factory applications emphasize energy-efficiency and generation whereas the primary application of home ESS is self-consumption. All FSP ESS are designed to be modular, intelligent and customizable. Over the years, a number of successful projects have been deployed which include a private airport in northern Germany, public housing in northern Taiwan, and also a "low-carbon neighborhood" in Kinmen. As a leading global supplier of power supplies, FSP leveraged its many years of R&D experience in power supplies to back the roll-out of smart microgrids and distributed ESS and worked with customers to maximize their contribution to combating global warming. In the future, more products which offer better performance and safety will be developed to create even more diverse solutions for customers with different ESS requirements. Smart microgrid website: https://bit.ly/3D2WRJD Energy storage product video: https://bit.ly/3D1V4Ep Contact Us: https://bit.ly/3CZgTod For more information about FSP products, please visit: FSP website: http://www.fsp-group.com FSP branded product website: http://www.FSPLifestyle.com Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/FSP.global LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/fsp-technology-inc. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/PowerNeverEnds SOURCE FSP [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 24, 2022] Craftsmanship spirit keeps centuries-old traditional crafts in E China's Jining vibrant JINING, China, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Global Times Online: Many traditional crafts in Jining city, east China's Shandong province, fascinate people around the world and brim with renewed vigor, thanks to the craftspeople who dedicate themselves to inheriting and carrying forward local intangible cultural heritage. Chinese pistache woodcarving Chinese pistache woodcarving, national-level intangible cultural heritage in Qufu, a county-level city administered by Jining, has a history of more than 2,400 years. The craft requires wood from Chinese pistache, a rare tree species that symbolizes respect for teachers in China. The best wood for making Chinese pistache woodcarvings are believed to be from trees that grow in the cemetery of Confucius, a well-known ancient Chinese philosopher and educator born in Qufu. Yan Jingxin, the fifth-generation inheritor of the traditional craft, began to learn the technique of making Chinese pistache woodcarvings when he was about seven or eight years old, and has worked in the field for 80 years. The making of Chinese pistache woodcarvings is never a quick process, according to Yan, who stressed that superb craftsmanship is the result of devotion and hard work. Nishan ink slab Nishan ink slab, ink sabs made of stones from Nishan Mountain in Qufu, enjoys great popularity by virtue of its simplicity and special design that is based on the original grain of the stone used to make it. The technique of making Nishan ink slab is a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage item that dates back more than 500 years. "Our ink slabs are neither square nor round, as they are made according to the original shapes of the stones. We believe the natural beauty is more precious than hand-carved design," said Ding Hui, a veteran craftsman who makes Nishan ink slabs. Ding, who came into contact with Nishan ink slab for the first time in 1978, tries to preserve the pristine and natural beauty of stones and create a sense of artistic conception when making ink slabs. He often inscribes lines of poetry on his work and seldom adds decorations to it. Glazed tiles Glazed tiles, a traditional building material in China, represent a national-level intangible cultural heritage item in Qufu. The production of glazed tiles in Qufu involves more than 20 procedures. Wang Deqiang, an inheritor of the Qufu glazed tile producing technique as well as the person in charge of a time-honored glazed tile factory in Qufu, adheres to traditional methods and carries forward the centuries-old technique. Owing to the efforts of craftspeople like Wang, glazed tiles produced in Qufu not only enjoy great popularity with ancient building-related projects at home, but are sold to countries including France, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Chile. SOURCE GLOBAL TIMES ONLINE [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Travel, fashion and fine dining: UOB expands retail offerings across ASEAN with exclusive tie-ups featuring leading regional brands UOB cardholders can look forward to exciting deals and privileges across the region with Singapore Airlines, The MICHELIN Guide, Club21 and Shopee SINGAPORE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UOB cardholders in Singapore as well as Southeast Asia can look forward to exciting deals and offerings in travel, retail and dining as the Bank expands its partnerships with top brands across the region. These partnerships are in line with UOB's sharpened purpose of building the future of ASEAN, serving and connecting more than seven million customers across the region, when the acquisition of Citigroup's consumer banking businesses in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam is completed. They will also reinforce UOB's existing strong position in ASEAN, with the Bank's total year-to-date billings in the region growing by almost 30 per cent year-on-year in September 2022 as borders reopen region-wide. This is more than 10 per cent higher versus pre-COVID levels in 2019. UOB's total year-to-date cross-border billings also experienced more than 80 per cent year-on-year growth during the same period. Given projections[1] of an estimated 430 million more passengers flying into the Asia Pacific this year compared to 2021, UOB is well-positioned via these partnerships to capitalise on the resurgent travel outlook for the region. Working with established names such as Singapore Airlines (SIA), The MICHELIN Guide, Club21 and Shopee, the Bank further augments its rewards programme for UOB customers by offering cross-border discounts, attractive rewards and unique experiences to UOB cardholders in the region. These deals can be accessed via the UOB TMRW app and UOB's the Travel Insider, a one-stop platform that aims to inspire customers to pick up ideas, guides and tips for their trips via featured key opinion leaders, as well as personalise their holiday itineraries with the best deals for flights, accommodation, packages and activities. Jacquelyn Tan, Head, Group Personal Financial Services, UOB, said, "Every customer is unique, and at UOB, we are continuously expanding our catalogue of deals and rewards to ensure that there is an abundance of choices for every lifestyle, passion and need. We are honoured and excited about the strength of the brands that are coming on board, and the exclusive privileges they are extending to our customers across the region. Our partners share our ambition to serve consumers living in and connecting within ASEAN, and this is how we differentiate ourselves as a true regional bank, where geographical borders are not limiting factors to us providing the best rewards to our cardholders across the region." Connecting ASEAN with Singapore's flag carrier airline In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) inked in October 2022, UOB and SIA will explore developing a co-branded credit card for customers in Thailand, where cardholders will be able to enjoy benefits such as earning attractive KrisFlyer miles per dollar spend and travel-related privileges. The KrisFlyer miles can be redeemed for flights with SIA, Scoot, and SIA's partner airlines, exclusive KrisFlyer Experiences or used as cash value for shopping on premium e-commerce retailer KrisShop, and more. To offer existing UOB customers in ASEAN an even more rewarding banking journey, there are also plans to offer enhanced privileges, such as more miles rewards based on their banking segment tier and miles rewards when they achieve certain banking milestones. The MOU will also expand the range of perks for customers through exciting promotional offers to be launched over the coming months. SIA and UOB's span >Singapore-issued KrisFlyer UOB Credit and Debit Cards have been very well-received by cardholders, with combined billings growth of over 50 per cent year-to-date in September 2022. Riding on this success, SIA and UOB will be enhancing the benefits of both cards to include perks like higher miles rewards for KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card members when they shop using Kris+, and more miles for KrisFlyer UOB Debit Card holders when they spend on SIA Group platforms such as for SIA and Scoot flights, KrisShop and Kris+. This list of enhanced benefits will be rolled out by mid-November 2022. JoAnn Tan, Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines, said, "Singapore Airlines and UOB have a strong strategic partnership that has strengthened over the years. It began with the launch of the KrisFlyer UOB Debit Card and KrisFlyer UOB Account in 2017, followed by the lifestyle centric KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card in Singapore in 2019. We are excited to expand and enhance our joint proposition with UOB to offer our customers even more rewards and privileges. This MOU marks another significant milestone in our partnership, and we look forward to offering greater value and engaging our customers in the ASEAN region." Food always makes the heart fonder Malaysian and Thai UOB cardholders are in for a treat, as UOB will be the exclusive partner of the renowned The MICHELIN Guide in these two countries. For Malaysia in particular, where The MICHELIN Guide is making its debut in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, UOB is proud to be the official bank partner. As the sole bank partner, UOB cardholders across ASEAN will receive exclusive invitations to private dinners and gala events at MICHELIN-starred restaurants in Thailand and Malaysia. The customised dining experiences by The MICHELIN Guide are synonymous with UOB's dedication to personalisation, where the Bank celebrates every customer's uniqueness by tailoring offerings to their specific lifestyle and needs. "For over 100 years, The MICHELIN Guide has acted as a destination guide for travellers all over the world, creating memorable experiences for food lovers through our recommendations. Through this partnership with UOB, The MICHELIN Guide enables UOB the opportunity to offer their valued customers unique and delightful fine dining experiences in Thailand and Malaysia," said Mr. Chris Gledhill, Director of MICHELIN Guide Asia and Middle East. Style in every region In support of UOB cardmembers' pursuit of individual style, the Bank has partnered Club21, the leading purveyor of luxury fashion, to offer exclusive access to more than 150 celebrated brands and specially curated seasonal events in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to all its cardholders across the region. "Club21 celebrates 50 years of fashion this year. Our cachet in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand complements the influence that UOB has over stylish, affluent consumers in these markets. This partnership crystallises the synergies between our two brands," said Howe Chegne, Chief Operating Officer of Club21, which is under the COMO Group. Beyond fashion, the COMO Group will also extend a whole suite of travel and dining benefits to UOB cardholders from 14 November 2022. Whether it's shopping or dining at COMO Dempsey in Singapore, staying at selected properties under COMO Hotels and Resorts in Bali, Phuket, Bangkok and the Maldives, or embarking on a digital wellness journey with the Group's wellness arm COMO Shambhala, UOB cardholders can look forward to special privileges such as discounts and a range of perks across the Group's range of establishments. The best deals for regional customers, online as well as offline To strengthen its online retail presence across ASEAN, UOB will be working with eCommerce giant Shopee to bring more exclusive deals and benefits to cardholders. In Singapore, customers are offered up to 10 per cent cash rebate on purchases made on Shopee using the flagship UOB One Card. Since its introduction in 2020, the partnership has growth from strength to strength with UOB Cards billings showing robust growth of over 500 per cent, and number of transactions increasing by 600 per cent to date. With Shopee, UOB is looking at further expanding its successful partnership in the ASEAN region. "Shopee is honoured to be UOB's partner of choice across Southeast Asia. We have a shared commitment of providing easy and secure transactions for customers' daily needs. Through this partnership, we will be able to offer attractive rewards and greater choice to customers when they transact with us. We look forward to more of such meaningful partnerships with UOB to better serve our users across the region." said Zhou Junjie, Chief Commercial Officer, Shopee. Inside scoops on regional deals with Travel Insider UOB's one-stop online travel portal, the Travel Insider, will be bolstering its range of more than 1,000 curated deals worldwide with even more tie-ups with major malls, duty free franchises and restaurant chains across ASEAN. In addition to its unique blend of local insider recommendations, exclusive offers and ability to personalise travel itineraries, the Travel Insider will now feature mall-wide privileges at shopping destinations including ION Orchard and Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, centralwOrld, The EmQuartier and The Emporium in Bangkok, Thailand as well as Pavilion Bukit Jalil and Sunway Malls in Malaysia. Discerning shoppers can also look forward to deals at Thailand's and Singapore's foremost duty-free retailers King Power and The Shilla Duty Free respectively. Foodies can now indulge in attractive discounts at regional restaurant chains Din Tai Fung, Crystal Jade and the TungLok Group of Restaurants, Malaysian franchises Dragon-i Restaurant and Grand Imperial Group, as well as Oversea Restaurant in Malaysia. With its range of deals and offerings, the Travel Insider ensures that UOB cardholders in ASEAN will feel like a local no matter where they venture to worldwide. As part of the Bank's year-end regional campaign, UOB is also giving away a total of 32 pairs of SIA first-class tickets bound for anywhere in the world, to lucky winners from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The weekly lucky draw in each country will commence on 14 November. About UOB UOB is a leading bank in Asia with a global network of around 500 offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Since its incorporation in 1935, UOB has grown organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions. UOB is rated among the world's top banks: Aa1 by Moody's Investors Service and AA- by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings. In Asia, UOB operates through its head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as branches and representative offices across the region. Over more than eight decades, generations of UOB employees have carried through the entrepreneurial spirit, the focus on long-term value creation and an unwavering commitment to do what is right for our customers and our colleagues. We believe in being a responsible financial services provider and we are committed to making a difference in the lives of our stakeholders and in the communities in which we operate. Just as we are dedicated to helping our customers manage their finances wisely and to grow their businesses, UOB is steadfast in our support of social development, particularly in the areas of art, children and education. [1] https://www.mastercard.com/news/news/ap/en/newsroom/press-releases/en/2022/mastercard-economics-institute-easing-of-travel-restrictions-and-pent-up-demand-drives-resurgence-of-travel-in-asia-pacific-in-2022/ SOURCE UOB [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Hebei International Industrial Design Week to open in November SHIJIAZHUANG, China, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ -- The 5th Hebei International Industrial Design Week will be held from November 10 to 16 in North China's Hebei Province, with the Netherlands as the guest of honor. The province's new modern city Xiongan New Area will serve as the event's main venue while some activities will also be held in the cities of Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao and Dingzhou. A series of activities will be featured in the main venue, such as the launching ceremony and keynote speeches, Xiongan Design Forum, the industrial design innovation exhibition, international design new product releases, the third Goldreed Industrial Design Award, Dutch Design Day and design innovation tours, making it an open platform for international design cooperation featuring meetings, exhibitions and awarding ceremonies, according to Hebei Provincial Industry and Information Technology Department. Xiongan Design Forum, World Design Organization (WDO) and World Design Weeks will join hands in hosting a series of activities like keynote speeches and round-table dialogues. Topics will cover urban development, industrial transformation, new normal of production and life, new consumption trends, and sustainable development, among others. Leading figures from domestic and foreign design institutions, manufacturing enterprises and universities will be there to interpret and discuss pioneering design innovation ideas and trends. The International Design New Product Releases will invite top design firms, design masters and cutting-edge designers at home and abroad to launch new designs in conjunction with fashion brand companies and manufacturing enterprises. Besides, representatives from manufaturers, platform enterprises, incubators and financial institutions will also attend the conference, providing opportunities for the industrialization and market-oriented cooperation between the two parties, and helping the transformation of designs into products and the establishment of design values. The Goldreed Industrial Design Award's foreign president WDO Chairman David Kusuma and Chinese president Professor He Renke of the School of Design and Art of Hunan University, as well as other guests, will attend the awarding ceremony. They will unveil the winners of the award's third event and present trophies. To further enhance the event's international influence and brand value, the competition for fourth Goldreed Industrial Design Award will be launched to invite outstanding industrial design institutions, companies, teams and individual designers from all over the world. The activities of the design week will make full use of modern IT technologies such as 5G, VR/AR and big data to display offline activities by means of online exhibition and live broadcasting, breaking the time and space constraints and creating an online design week that never ends. Since 2018, Hebei has held four International Industrial Design Week in the Xiongan New Area, including 139 forums, exhibitions, match-making and exchange activities that have attracted enterprises from over 50 countries and regions, and 25,000 design works. China-based embassies of Finland, Italy and Britain organized delegations trips to the events, and more than 50 well-known design institutions at home and abroad like the WDO and the Hong Kong Federation of Design Associations sent representatives there. The International Industrial Design Week pioneered the mode of organizing expo both online and offline in Hebei. The four events have attracted more than 170,000 attendees and visitors, and more than 28 million visits online. Hebei has leveraged the International Industrial Design Week as an important platform to cultivate and develop industrial design service industry, promote the deep integration of industrial design and manufacturing industry, and bring innovation and development onto the global stage. Industrial data showed that the number of industrial design enterprises in Hebei reaches 470 this year, more than 9 times that of 2017, ranking the fifth in China. There are 20 municipal industrial design industry organizations in Hebei, accounting for 15 percent of the country's total industrial organizations. Hebei has 11 provincial level and municipal-level industrial design awards, ranking the fourth in the country. The province has cultivated 11 national-level industrial design centers, and created 5 in 2021 alone, achieving a historic breakthrough. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hebei-international-industrial-design-week-to-open-in-november-301658097.html SOURCE Hebei Provincial Industry and Information Technology Department [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] HGC "Go Ahead, Performers!" Concert Ends on a High Note Fans flock to shopping mall to enjoy performances by local band per se and buskers, with AI elements to support local music "Movie Night" is specially held to invite customers and colleagues to enjoy Hong Kong productions for free, showing full support to local movie industry HONG KONG, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HGC Broadband under HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) hosted a new edition of HGC "Go Ahead, Performers!" concert on 22 October (Saturday) at the T.O.P This is Our Place shopping mall in Mong Kok. After three successful online concerts earlier this year, the latest one was the first in the series to be held both online and offline, with hundreds of fans flooding the mall and thousands of others joining the YouTube livestream simultaneously in which HGC Group has successfully extended its brand value to the streets while discovering and supporting more local musicians. Just like the concert's previous editions, many local artists and bands were invited to perform live, including local band per se, who thrilled the audiences with their songs. Buskers and opening guest Cynthia Wong also performed multiple hits based on the theme, "A Tribute to Beyond". Audiences' movements were captured using AI elements and broadcast to the screen at the mall, showing their support for the performers and young local talent on the stage. HGC Group is committed to discovering and supporting local musicians in encouraging the young generation to chase their dreams and showcase their talents. This year's HGC "Go Ahead, Performers!" concert series offered many local and international artists and bands the opportunity to perform before an enthusiastic audience. Through various events to come, HGC Group will continue to support young talents in the future. In addition to local music, HGC Group also specifically held a "Movie Night" event earlier to invite customers and colleagues to enjoy Hong Kong movies for free, showing full support to local movie industry while further sharing the spirit of the brand philosophy with the community. About HGC Global Communications Limited HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. HGC has 30 overseas offices, with business over 5 continents. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households. The company provides full-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate, SME and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong's largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing and enriching its current infrastructure and, in parallel, adding on top the latest technologies and developing its infrastructure services and solutions. In 2019, HGC Group completed the acquisition of Macroview Telecom Limited (Macroview), a leading digital technology solution and managed services provider. The addition of Macroview further accelerates HGC Group's digital transformation path and positioning as a pioneering ICT and digital services leader. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies. To learn more, please visit HGC's website at: www.hgc.com.hk SOURCE HGC Global Communications Limited [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Turning towards Clean Energy, PLN Accelerates the Electric Vehicle Ecosystem from Upstream to Downstream JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PT PLN (Persero) today outlined its focus on providing infrastructure to accelerate Indonesia's electric vehicle ecosystem, aimed to reduce the carbon emission on transportation. Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir said the government is fully committed to develop the electric vehicle ecosystem, mainly after President Joko Widodo released Presidential Regulation Number 55 of 2019 on the Acceleration of the Battery Electric Vehicle Program for Road Transportation. For this reason, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) is in full support by assigning a number of SOEs, including PLN, to accelerate the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia. "We all should keep national energy security in appropriate condition, which at this time we import 1.5 million barrels per day for fuel-oil based (BBM) or the equivalent of Rp 200 trillion per year. Electric vehicles are the solution to reduce the foreign exchange abroad," he said. Minister Thohir explained that the transition of electric vehicles has many benefits, both for the economy and the environment. This is in line with the national goal to continue to encourage sustainable economic development. "Electric vehicles are more eco-friendly transportation. The emissions produced are lower than fuel-oil based vehicles, so it will reduce air pollution as well as noise pollution," said Minister Thohir. Moving quickly, the Ministry of SOEs has also assigned a number of SOEs, including PLN, to collaborate on accelerating the elctric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia. President Director of PLN Darmawan Prasodjo stated that PLN is ready to support the acceleration of the electric vehicle ecosystem from upstream to downstream. Besides securing power supply for charging electric vehicles, PLN has also prepared supporting infrastructure and services to facilitate users towards switching to electric vehicles. Currently, PLN has developed 150 units of Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLU) spread over 120 locations. PLN plans to expand 110 units more of SPKLU in 2022. Darmawan said that PLN is pleased to welcome business entities to collaborate in partnerships to provide SPKLU. A new scheme for the provision of SPKLU is the Partnership Investor Own Investor Operate (IO2) in which the Partner prepares investment funds according to the type of SPKLU service, land provision and operation and maintenance. "PLN also cooperates with state-owned banks or Himbara for EV banking service products, car installments and the SPKLU franchise," he said. In addition, for electric motor vehicles, PLN has also provided a General Electric Vehicle Battery Exchange Station (SPBKLU). Currently there are 16 units installed in Jakarta, and 2 units in Surabaya. In 2022, it is planned that 70 SPBKLU units will be expanded with a total of about 300 batteries and locations spread across Java and Bali. "Considering the experience of electric vehicle users, charging is mostly done at home when the vehicle is not in use. Usually at night. For this reason, PLN has also collaborated with ATPM or electric vehicle distributors," he said. Through this collaboration, PLN customers who purchase electric vehicles will immediately be assisted with the installation of home charging and discounts fee on new installation for electric vehicles, namely the 'Super EVeryday' promo. "PLN also provides a 30 percent discount fee for use from home charging electricity from 22.00 WIB to 05.00 WIB," he said. Electric vehicle users are also facilitated, Darmawan said, by Electric Vehicle Digital Services (EVDS). The EVDS is a platform for complete electric vehicle services. "EVDS will improve customer experience by digitizing and integrating all customer service systems for users or potential users of electric vehicles," he explained. PLN is also actively collaborating with other SOEs institutions to scale up an end-to-end EV Battery supply chain through the Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC). Darmawan explained, the potential for nickel in Indonesia will be able to support the acceleration of EV in Indonesia, because the battery component is the most expensive component in an electric vehicle. Therefore, PLN has joined the IBC, a consortium of 4 SOEs, which consists of PLN, Antam, Pertamina and Mind ID, that will engage the mining and energy sectors. "In 2022, PLN will increase the fund up to IDR 513 billion to IBC to develop the battery industry," said Darmawan. SOURCE PT. Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] One more central bank to use Safeture platform LUND, Sweden, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Falck Global Assistance, a risk management partner to Safeture, has signed a new agreement with another major central bank in Europe. The agreement is part of a four-year framework regarding travel risk management for the European Central Bank (ECB). In January, with its partner Falck Global Assistance, Safeture won a public procurement for a four-year framework agreement regarding travel risk management for the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany. The agreement opened up the opportunity to join other institutions, such as the Central Banks of the Eurosystem and other members of the Eurosystem Procurement Coordination Office (EPCO). The new agreement is an important step for adding more of Europe's financial institutions. The central bank can access Safeture's unique platform for managing employee safety, regardless of location. For additional information, visit safeture.com or contact: Safeture CEO Magnus Hultman: +46 706 00 81 66. [email protected] About Safeture: Safeture (founded in 2009) is a Software as a Service (SaaS) company based in Sweden. The company offers a complete platform designed to handle safety and risks for employees, wherever they are. Through world-leading technology and innovative solutions, Safeture helps risk management- and assistance providers secure their clients, global companies, and organizations to protect what matters most - their people. The Safeture share is listed on NASDAQ First North Growth Market Stockholm (ticker: SFTR). Erik Penser Bank AB is the Certified Adviser. The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/17559/3654306/1643180.pdf FINAL PR Safeture Falck Bank ENG 221025 https://news.cision.com/safeture-ab/i/safeture-platform01,c3105314 Safeture-platform01 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/one-more-central-bank-to-use-safeture-platform-301658190.html [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Hong Kong fintech startup Mojodomo launches new brand "On-us" to build a seamless, customized and scalable incentives ecosystem HONG KONG, TAIPEI and SINGAPORE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mojodomo Holdings Limited ("Mojodomo" or the "Company"), Asia's first performance-based voucher solution provider, today announced the launch of "On-us", a new brand aiming to provide customers with a trusted, seamless, personal and social brand experience through incentives solutions that integrate financial, payment and marketing technologies. Since its inception in 2018, Mojodomo has captured significant market share in the incentives industry and established business partnerships with around 50 major enterprises. On top of that, the Company has collaborated with organizations such as Hong Kong Cyberport and the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, supporting various exhibitions and conferences as their digital voucher solution partner to deliver value for participants and drive deeper engagement. Leveraging the launch of On-us, Mojodomo plans to extend its solution beyond banks and insurers to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), providing them with a robust voucher solution via its SAAS (Software As A Service) platform. Through its own zero-waste incentives ecosystem, the Company has also integrated ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) values into its business and marketing solutions. As Mojodomo continues to deepen its implementation of ESG principles, it will further embed these elements into its development strategy to push forward the sustainable development of its business and the industry. To this end, the Company has established partnerships with ESG merchants such as Green Common, Eco-Grey, Redress and the HKFYG Organic Farm, and will introduce more ESG-focuse local and overseas merchants in the future. The new brand "On-us" is derived from the English idiom "it's on us", indicating when someone else will pay on an individual's behalf, reinforcing that this brand experience is intended to make consumers feel rewarded with a special treat. It highlights Mojodomo's aspiration to help companies improve marketing efficiency and more effectively use valuable marketing spend while offering their clients the rewards they truly need and appreciate, thereby creating meaningful social value. This vision reflects Mojodomo's overarching commitment to becoming a consumer-minded B2B brand. As a fintech startup, Mojodomo enables virtual card payments for instant voucher redemption and settlement between businesses and merchants through its omni-tech platform, which can also monitor the redemption of vouchers and collect consumer behavior data in real time. This performance-based and pay-as-you-go voucher solution not only reduces the administrative costs and resource waste of traditional incentive reward programs, but also boosts return on investment (ROI). Additionally, it enables marketers and merchants to better understand customer habits and enhance brand experiences and interactions. Going forward, Mojodomo will operate this platform under the name "On-us", supporting its own brand at the group level and using it as a base on which to build a trusted, seamless, personal and social incentives ecosystem that creates lifetime value for partner brands, merchants and consumers. Dennis Shi, Co-Founder and CEO of Mojodomo Holdings Limited said, "The new 'On-us' brand will help showcase Mojodomo's core values and enrich our corporate identity. In line with our mission to create greater value for brands, merchants, and consumers, On-us and the company as a whole share a vision of generating and delivering impact while driving industry innovation through cross-disciplinary marketing solutions." To date, the Hong Kong-based company has opened offices in Taiwan and Singapore, where Keith Lim was appointed as its SEA General Manager in June 2022. Lim is responsible for building and leading Mojodomo's Singapore team to accelerate the expansion of its local business. As a seasoned and successful startup entrepreneur with deep expertise in the fintech industry, Lim has previously created mobile payment, artificial intelligence and blockchain platforms for major insurers and banks. To build up its business in the region, especially in the SEA market, Mojodomo is also targeting to raise another round of funding next year. This follows the completion of its Series A funding in 2021, with the proceeds used to support product development. About Mojodomo Holdings Limited Mojodomo Holdings Limited (Mojodomo Group) is a Hong Kong-based fintech startup and the inventor of performance-based incentive marketing. Founded in 2018, Mojodomo cracked the code to unredeemed voucher waste by mixing fintech, martech, and paytech disciplines. In 2022, the company restructured and launched the On-us brand to represent a new, consumer-minded era for Mojodomo Group. Backed by Hong Kong Cyberport and Hong Kong Science Park, Mojodomo Group has offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.on-us.com. About On-us On-us, as part of Mojodomo Group, is a new, consumer-minded B2B digital voucher solution provider. Equipped with application programming interfaces (APIs) for omni-channel distribution, On-us is an incentives ecosystem focused on delivering value and deepening customer relationships through customized messages and analysis of consumer behavioral data. Clients include marketers of global financial services providers, people management teams, blue chip property developers, non-profit organizations, and SMEs. For more information, please visit www.on-us.com. SOURCE Mojodomo Holdings Limited [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] LoRa Alliance Announces New LoRaWAN Payload Codec API Feature that Accelerates Device Onboarding to Enable Massive IoT FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The LoRa Alliance, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN standard for Internet of Things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), today announced that it has expanded the LoRaWAN standard with the addition of TS013-1.0.0, an application programming interface (API) for application payload decoder-encoders (codecs). Adopting the new specification will allow device manufacturers and application server providers to reduce deployment complexity significantly. This will make it far easier and faster to deploy LoRaWAN devices at a massive scale. The LoRa Alliance will host a webinar on October 27 at 7 am US PDT to share how to build a standard codec, focusing on its structure and recommendations for optimization. Click here for more information or to register. LoRa Alliance members, working with their customers identified a new opportunity to enhance ease-of-use, said Donna Moore, CEO, and Chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. By doing the work to develop a standardized application payload codec API, we are greatly simplifying the onboarding process, making it easier to integrateand deploy devices, and thereby facilitating massive LoRaWAN deployments. This new specification eliminates yet another barrier to massive IoT with a new standards-based approach. LoRaWAN Payload Codec API Specification When using LoRaWAN to transport application payloads, messages are very compactly encoded to minimize bandwidth usage. As messages reach the application server, they must be decoded to be read and processed. Previously, each device manufacturer or application developer had to write a specific codec for each device and application platform pair, which created friction for device onboarding. With the new payload codec API specification, a codec can be developed once and used on any application platform, achieving considerable savings in terms of reduced complexity and accelerated time to market. The LoRaWAN Payload Codec API standardizes an API for the JavaScript codecs for LoRaWAN devices to enable adoption by both device makers and application server vendors. A standard codec provides the capability to decode uplinks/downlinks and to encode downlinks, allowing new LoRaWAN devices to be easily integrated into any compatible platform. Join the LoRa Alliance This Fall and See How LoRaWAN is Leading Massive IoT Interested in learning more about the new Payload Codec API feature or the many ways that LoRaWAN supports massive IoT deployments? Please join us onsite at: SIDO | November 8 9, 2022, in the Palais de Congres in Paris (free to attendees) Smart City Expo World Congress | November 15 17, 2022, at Fira de Barcelona Enlit | November 29 to December 1, 2022, in Hall 12.1 Stand B192 Editors and analysts interested in arranging a meeting with LoRa Alliance representatives can contact us at [email protected]. About LoRa Alliance The LoRa Alliance is an open, nonprofit association that has become one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector since its inception in 2015. Its members closely collaborate and share expertise to develop and promote the LoRaWAN standard, which is the de facto global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. LoRaWAN has the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both fixed and mobile, and a robust LoRaWAN Certification program to guarantee that devices perform as specified. The LoRaWAN standard has been deployed by more than 170 major mobile network operators globally, with connectivity available worldwide. More information: lora-alliance.org LoRa Alliance, LoRaWAN and LoRaWAN CertifiedCM are licensed marks. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c9bc1634-55bb-4134-a040-d31dd262eb64 MEDIA CONTACT: Kiterocket Stephanie Quinn, LoRa Alliance PR +1 480 529 9685 [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Recession and Recruitment: KUPU Deploys its Expertise to Help Employers Prepare for Economic Downturn KUPU unveils top tips for recruiting during a recession and flexible work as a potential solution. JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KUPU, the bespoke AI-driven platform matching the labor market via dynamic skill-based profile progressions, has announced its plan of action to assist employers in preparing for possible recession times. KUPU recognizes the rising trends and demands of flexible workers - with the view that this is the main target segment for employers. KUPU would like to ensure that companies are prepared and staffed during a recession. "Although the economy has been propped up throughout the pandemic, strain is starting to show globally, and Indonesia is not immune," said Andry The, Chief Information Officer. Flexible working future Employers generally look to reduce headcount during economic uncertainty during a downturn, especially in small and medium enterprises. However, as our exit from the pandemic has shown, this can lead to further problems when the economy bounces bak. HR teams can turn the situation to their advantage if they are switched on and ready to react. "Our app is free of charge. We have features on the platform to ensure enterprises still have the workforce to succeed during a recession," added Andry. KUPU promotes the concept of flexible work and helps recruiters and job seekers find new opportunities, whether long-term, short-term, freelance, project or remote work. Employers can filter applicants for pre-screening before moving on with the in-app online interview. Zarkasih Ramadan, an HR manager at PT Sinergi Integra Services and a long-term KUPU user said, "I found over 100 candidates in the span of 3 days using KUPU app." Recession-proofing Indonesian enterprises KUPU also released top tips on job seeking and recruiting during a recession to ensure that companies and candidates are prepared. See recession as an opportunity to grow When uncertain times hit, it's vital to create a plan that can give you some guidance. Consider your business objectives and priorities, even if a recession does hitoutline essential roles and areas of the business that could benefit from additional support. Taking a proactive rather than reactive approach will put you one step ahead of the competition. Refrain from freezing hiring The initial reaction to economic uncertainty is to stop hiring as a cost-saving exercise, saving money to focus on taking care of existing staff. However, while this saves money in the short term, stopping new hires also means halting business progression. Companies that stop hiring risk losing income, as existing employees face burnout leading to reduced quality of service or product quality. Prioritize Flexi-working To ensure business continuity, identify essential positions by prioritizing the ones that impact your revenue the most. Consider giving your current employees more duties with a promised incentive for the less critical functions. You can also temporarily use freelancers and independent contractors. Candidates looking to upskill and prepare for new opportunities can visit KUPU by downloading the KUPU App in Apple App or Google Play stores. For more information on preparing for a recession, recruiters can visit www.kupu.id. About KUPU Founded in 2021, KUPU is a mobile recruitment platform connecting job providers and seekers. The platform provides upskilling courses to increase employment visibility and to ensure each user is provided with an equal opportunity. KUPU is expanding its following throughout Indonesia and is looking to collaborate with initiatives from the public and private sectors to strengthen the employment industry further. Source: KUPU SOURCE KUPU [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] SMARTsemi Partners with Flip Electronics to Distribute DRAM and Flash Storage Components 2Gb/4Gb DDR3(L), 4Gb/8Gb/16Gb DDR4, and 4GB/8GB eMMC 5.1 components in Industrial and Commercial Grades are distributed through Flip Electronics ALPHARETTA, Ga., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Flip Electronics , a specialist in stocking obsolete and last-time buy semiconductor components, has signed a franchised distribution partnership agreement with SMARTsemi , a division of Smart Modular Technologies, to distribute its line of DRAM and FLASH components. SMARTsemi supplies memory components focused on long-life embedded applications, particularly those in medical, industrial robotics, communications, networking, home/gaming, and defense. "We are pleased to offer our devices through Flip Electronics with their emphasis on customer service and support, a critical factor for our legacy and EOL customers," said Alan Marten, SMART Modular's senior vice president of strategy and marketing. Jeff Ittel, executive vice president at Flip Electronics, explains his company's rationale for the partnership, stating "SMARTsemi is the latest addition to our product portfolio of industry leading manufacturing partners. The long-life cycles of many embedded applications for memory products makes SMARTsemi a viable solution for Flip's focus on providing an authorized source for long term support of parts at the end of their respective life cycles. As new technology evolves, not all applications and designs evolve at the same pace. OEMs turn to Flp to source these products and Flip is there to support them as an ECIA-authorized distributor." About Flip Electronics Based in Alpharetta, Georgia, Flip Electronics has been an authorized distributor of obsolete semiconductor and electronic components since 2015. Flip works closely with their OEM and contract manufacturer clients with consideration into every aspect of the logistics and supply chain process, delivering exceptional solutions suiting clients' needs. These services help avoid costly shutdowns and provide customers with confidence knowing they are not dealing in the grey market. With industry-leading suppliers, knowledge, and supply chain management expertise, Flip assists clients in the sourcing, pricing, and delivery of all their component needs. In addition, Flip's focus on global trends in manufacturing makes it a leader in the electronics industry. Learn more at Flipelectronics.com , call 800.958.4578, or email [email protected] . About SMARTsemi SMARTsemi is an established provider of industrial and commercial grade Tier-1 memory components for embedded applications including medical, industrial robotics, communications, networking, home/gaming, and defense equipment. SMARTsemi is distinguished by its ability to offer extended EOL support for long production lifecycles, packaging and testing flexibility and customization, and an easy-to-use online destination that makes the process of searching, selecting, sampling, and sourcing SMARTsemi components simple. Devices are broadly industry-compatible and available in North America through authorized distributors. Learn more at SMARTsemi.com. CONTACT: SMARTsemi can reached by phone at 877.794.2749, through their website email , or through a SMARTsemi manufacturer's rep . Product Marketing Contacts Jeff Ittel Executive Vice President Flip Electronics 6520 Corporate Ct., Ste. 300 Alpharetta, GA 30005 +1 (800) 958-4578 Ryan Duong Product Line Manager SMARTsemi 39870 Eureka Dr. Newark, CA 94583 +1 (818) 620-5662 [email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smartsemi-partners-with-flip-electronics-to-distribute-dram-and-flash-storage-components-301658106.html SOURCE Flip Electronics [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Shipito Launches Shipito for Business, a Comprehensive International Shipping and Logistics Solution for Growing Companies SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shipito, LLC ("Shipito" or "the Company"), a leading international parcel forwarding company that ships U.S. goods to customers in over 220 countries and territories worldwide, announced today that it has launched Shipito for Business, a comprehensive third-party logistics solution that includes international shipping, order fulfillment and returns management for small to midsize businesses globally and in the U.S. Shipito is a portfolio company of Tritium Partners. For global businesses purchasing goods from .S. retailers that don't ship to international addresses, Shipito provides addresses at its Torrance, California and Tualatin, Oregon warehouses, where goods can be received, stored, consolidated, packed, and shipped at discounted rates. Shipito also offers purchase assistance and multilingual websites and customer support in over 10 languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Japanese and Chinese. Shipito for Business offers the same fast, reliable, and efficient shipping the company's individual customers rely on, but also integrates international shipping, order fulfillment and returns processing into a single, flexible, affordable platform to meet the needs of small to midsize business customers. "We developed Shipito for Business as an outgrowth of our consumer program, after we surveyed our customers and found that some of them were actually running small businesses using Shipito for shipping and fulfillment," said Dave Robinson, General Manager of Shipito. "For merchants that size, fulfillment and returns are often an afterthought, but they quickly become a headache. Additionally, it's often a challenge for small and midsize businesses to find a logistics partner willing to take them on. Unlike our larger competitors, we had the agility to pivot and innovate a comprehensive logistics solution for those small businesses, beyond what we were providing our individual users." Shipito for Business can be used both by international businesses sourcing U.S. goods and U.S. businesses looking to expand internationally. Shipito for Business customers enjoy: discounted, volume-based shipping rates up to 90 days inventory storage fully automated returns management pick-and-pack fulfillment Shipito's API allows Shipito for Business customers to seamlessly connect every step of the logistics processfrom ordering through fulfillment, shipping, and returnswith their own eCommerce site, while easily managing the entire process via Shipito's intuitive web-based administrative console. For more information, please visit www.shipito.com Contact: Lambert Joanne Lessner, +1-212-222-7436, [email protected] Beth Wiegard, +1-954-494-8261, [email protected] SOURCE Shipito [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] PreVeil Announces Series C Funding Round Led by PSG PreVeil, a provider of cloud based end-to-end encrypted email and file collaboration solutions, announced today that it has raised a $20M Series C funding round led by PSG, a leading growth equity firm partnering with software and technology-enabled services companies to help accelerate their growth. PreVeil empowers companies to protect emails and files to securely communicate both within the organization as well as with contractors, vendors and third parties. Unlike traditional security systems, PreVeil takes a Zero Trust approach to data security and assumes that servers, passwords, and IT administrators will be inevitably compromised. All messages and documents sent through PreVeil are encrypted end-to-end, ensuring only intended recipients - and no one else, not even PreVeil - can access the data. PreVeil offers compliance, supply chain, business data, work from home and industry-specific solutions. It is seamlessly integrated into existing enterprise systems like Microsoft's O365 and Google's GSuite for ease of use and deployment. PreVeil serves enterprises requiring both advanced data security and compliance in a simple and cost-effective solution. Its customers include Aerospace and Defense companies and Universities that need to protect sensitive data such as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) to comply with the US Department of Defense's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), the NIST 800-171 standard, and International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) regulations. PreVeil's cost-effective and user-friendly solution ensures organizations, regardless of their size, can quickly operate within these standards and meet the Federal Government's new Zero Trust mandates. PreVeil will use the funding tofuel its efforts to increase its customer base in additional sectors, including professional services, financial services and healthcare. It will also make its military-grade "FIPS" encryption, cloud storage, sharing and messaging capabilities available to third party application developers via open Application Programming Interfaces (API). "Organizations today are facing a more threatening and volatile cyber threat landscape than ever before, coupled with a growing array of regulatory requirements. We built PreVeil to provide a new approach to information security that is tailored to navigate today's complex environment," said Randy Battat, Founder, President, & CEO of PreVeil. "We look forward to partnering with PSG to accelerate our expansion as we continue to help our customers modernize their approach to information security and remain compliant with the most stringent cybersecurity regulations." "PreVeil is widely trusted by over 600 organizations and over 30,000 users operating in the federal government ecosystem, and we believe its solutions are highly applicable across industries, presenting a significant runway for growth," said Rick Essex, Managing Director at PSG. "We're excited to work closely with PreVeil to help them capture the opportunities that lie ahead." About PreVeil PreVeil makes end to end encryption usable for everyday business. PreVeil's encrypted email works with existing apps like Outlook or Gmail, letting users keep their regular email addresses. PreVeil Drive works like DropBox for file sharing, but with far better security. All messages and documents are encrypted end-to-end which means that no one other than intended recipient can read or scan them-not even PreVeil. All data is stored encrypted on Amazon's AWS cloud. PreVeil is designed for both small teams and large enterprises. Individuals can create free accounts for unrivalled privacy, control and security of their data. PreVeil has been selected as the "Editor's Choice" for best encrypted email and filesharing system by PC Magazine for three years in a row. Visit PreVeil online to learn more. About PSG PSG is a growth equity firm that partners with software and technology-enabled services companies to help them navigate transformational growth, capitalize on strategic opportunities and build strong teams. Having backed more than 115 companies and facilitated over 420 add-on acquisitions, PSG brings extensive investment experience, deep expertise in software and technology, and a firm commitment to collaborating with management teams. Founded in 2014, PSG operates out of offices in Boston, Kansas City, London, Paris, Madrid and Tel-Aviv. To learn more about PSG, visit www.psgequity.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005381/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Mevion Selected to Provide Proton Therapy Technology to the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Health Network Mevion Medical Systems is pleased to announce it has entered into a contract with the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network to bring the MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System to Wisconsin. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005298/en/ A specialized vault will accommodate the proton therapy system at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center at Froedtert Hospital campus in Milwaukee, Wis. (Photo: Business Wire) The system will be installed at the Froedtert & MCW Clinical Cancer Center at Froedtert Hospital campus. Construction is scheduled to commence in early 2023, with the first patient treatment expected in 2024, which could make the Froedtert & MCW health network the first health system to offer proton therapy in Wisconsin. Earlier this year, the Froedtert & MCW health network announced a partnership with Legion HealthCare Partners, which will assist with feasibility, design, and construction, as well as successful implementation and management of the complex proton therapy operations of the proton therapy system. Through its Cancer Network, the Froedtert & MCW health network will offer adults treatment with the MEVION S250i system and will work with Children's Wisconsin, one of the nation's top pediatric facilities, to treat pediatric patients with proton therapy. The Cancer Network offers six locations connected with the unparalleled resources of eastern Wisconsin's only academic medical center at Froedtert Hospital campus. Renowned cancer specialists and researchers have disease-specific expertise and find innovative ways to make treatment personalized and effective. The Cancer Network also offers the largest cancer clinical trials treatment program in Wisconsin. Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that better targets radiation doses to cancerous cells with less exposure to healthy tissues. Protons are directed precisely at the tumor, where the beam stops, rather than continuing on through the atient as conventional radiation does. This approach helps prevent complications and secondary cancers and can be used with patients who have previously had radiation therapy. The technology will feature HYPERSCAN Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) technology, coupled with Adaptive Aperture, the industry's only proton multi-leaf collimator. This powerful duo further enhances proton therapy benefits with a more precise and conformal dose delivery to the tumor. The system will also include an integrated dual-energy diagnostic CT scanner for high-precision image guidance and adaptive proton delivery. "Proton therapy supports our ongoing commitment to developing and offering world-class, innovative radiation therapy treatment approaches. We will offer it to patients from diverse communities throughout Wisconsin," said Christopher Schultz, MD, FACR, MCW Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology. "Our mission continues to focus on expanding access to academic medicine with the goal of expanding the availability of precision treatment options. With Mevion's advanced technology, we will be able to offer this caliber of care to more patients when they need it." "We are excited to partner with the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network to bring proton therapy to Wisconsin," said Tina Yu, PhD, chief executive officer and president of Mevion. "We are dedicated to making proton therapy accessible and proud to see our MEVION S250i has enabled more and more centers to offer this advanced cancer treatment to their patients close to home." About Mevion Medical Systems Since 2004, Mevion Medical Systems has been the leading provider of compact proton therapy systems for cancer care. Dedicated to advancing the design and accessibility of proton therapy worldwide, Mevion pioneered the single-room platform and continues to further the science and application of proton therapy. Mevion's series of products, including the flagship MEVION S250i and MEVION S250-FIT* with HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning, represent the world's smallest proton therapy systems that eliminate the obstacles of size, complexity, and cost that exist with other proton therapy systems. Mevion is headquartered in Littleton, Massachusetts, with a presence in Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.mevion.com. *The MEVION S250-FIT Proton Therapy System is not yet available for clinical use Follow us on Twitter: @MevionMedical Connect with us on LinkedIn: Mevion Medical Systems Like us on Facebook: MevionMedical About the Froedtert & MCW health network The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin, supporting a shared mission of patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health network operates eastern Wisconsin's only academic medical center and adult Level I Trauma Center at Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, an internationally recognized training and research center engaged in thousands of clinical trials and studies. The Froedtert & MCW health network, which includes nine hospital locations, more than 2,000 physicians and more than 45 health centers and clinics, draws patients from throughout the Midwest and the nation. In our most recent fiscal year, outpatient visits were nearly 1.5 million, inpatient admissions to our hospitals were 55,085, and visits to our network physicians exceeded 1.1 million. Learn more about the Froedtert & MCW health network. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005298/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Government of Canada celebrates natural sciences and engineering research excellence Top prize awarded to researcher for her breakthrough work on the balance between human needs and wildlife conservation OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Canada is home to a deep pool of exceptional scientists and engineers whose accomplishments range from innovative discoveries to lifetime achievements and influence in the science community. The Government of Canada is committed to celebrating and supporting these talented Canadians as they work to enhance the economic prosperity and well-being of Canadians. Today, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Professor Alejandro Adem, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced this year's recipients of NSERC Prizes. Twenty-six of Canada's world-leading scientists and engineers, and 28 of their industry partners, received NSERC prizes recognizing their exceptional work and contributions to research and training in a range of research fields. Their achievements include advancements in climate change science and plant response, major discoveries in the field of Artificial Intelligence for mobile robots, pioneering contributions in scalable quantum technology, and groundbreaking partnership work on energy storage solutions. Pr. Lenore Fahrig was awarded Canada's most prestigious science prize, the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, worth up to $1 million. Pr. Fahrig's research and career have had transformative impacts for wildlife conservation the world over, inspiring a vast shift in perspective not just in how efforts should be focused, but also in how much impact relatively small actions can have on wildlife preservation. By demonstrating the greater benefit of small patches for species conservation, Pr. Fahrig is empowering communities and individuals to lead small-scale conservation efforts on their farmland, in local parks or in their own backyards with the knowledge that their energies are having a positive effect. Dr. Kerry Rowe, a pioneer of geoenvironmental engineering, is the inaugural recipient of the NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research. Dr. Rowe has transformed the knowledge foundation of landfill barrier systems around the world. His research and experimentation identified new engineering criteria for landfill design that could prevent significant groundwater problems. This work has resulted in two commercialized computer-modelling tools, named POLLUTE and MIGRATE, that are widely used to guide the safe development of waste containment sites globally. Dr. Tomislav Friscic is this year's recipient of the John C. Polanyi Award in recognition of his outstanding advancements in the field of mechanochemistry. Solvents account for a significant proportion of waste in chemical-based industries and their elimination remains one of the holy grails of sustainable chemistry. An alternative methodology for clean, solvent-free chemical synthesis and manufacturing is taking hold thanks to Dr. Friscic. The work conductd and influenced by Dr. Friscic is poised to lead the 'green' revolution of chemical manufacturing, and his breakthroughs have revolutionized the field of mechanochemistry. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) team, composed of world leaders in cosmology, pulsars, high energy astrophysics and galactic emission, is awarded this year's Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering. Together, this powerful collaboration of experts has designed and built one of the most novel and extraordinarily powerful radio telescopes in the world. NSERC also announced the six inaugural recipients of the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships, which recognize early-stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering, and recognized outstanding examples of collaboration that stand as models of effective partnership between partner organizations and colleges or universities by awarding five Synergy Awards for Innovation. Quotes - "The exceptional researchers we honour today highlight the incredible talent that can be found in Canada's research community. Congratulations to the recipients this year, whose incredible work will transform and positively impact the lives of Canadians and inspire the next generation of great Canadian scientists and engineers." The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry - "The recipients of this year's NSERC Prizes are responsible for important scientific and technological breakthroughs, and act as role models within the research community and for future scientists and engineers. By celebrating their work, we recognize the invaluable contributions of the people behind the Canadian discoveries and innovations that will advance knowledge, enhance the well-being of Canadians and make the world a better place." Professor Alejandro Adem, President of NSERC - "It is a huge thrill to receive the Herzberg Medal for my research on biodiversity and species conservation. I am very grateful for the support I have received for this work for more than 3 decades. I hope the award will throw a spotlight on our need to protect the nature that surrounds and sustains us." Professor Lenore Fahrig, Professor of Biology, Carleton University Quick facts Honouring the memory of Canadian Nobel laureate Gerhard Herzberg, the NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal is the agency's highest honour. It provides recipients with up to $1 million in discovery research funding over five years. Today's ceremony celebrates the outstanding achievements of 26 recipients and 28 of their industry partners who received an NSERC Prize from one of the six award categories, with funding totaling up to $4 .25 million. .25 million. For the first time ever, NSERC is honouring Canada's most recent science Nobel laureates by awarding prizes in their names that highlight Canadian research excellence. The prizes are the NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research and the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships. NSERC-funded researchers are honoured every year for achievements that showcase the high caliber of talent and the innovative research taking place in Canadian universities and colleges. Associated links Full list of NSERC prizes, this year's winners and their profiles Stay connected Find more services and information at Canada.ca/ISED . Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media. Twitter: @CDNScience , Facebook: @CDNScience , Instagram: @CDNscience and LinkedIn Follow Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada on social media. Twitter: @NSERC_CRSNG , Facebook: @nserccanada , Instagram: @NSERC_CRSNG , YouTube: NSERCTube and LinkedIn SOURCE Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [October 25, 2022] Proteros and Adrestia initiate multi-target partnership to discover first-in-class drugs for intractable genetic diseases Proteros selected by Adrestia for its cutting-edge structure-based drug discovery engine Proteros to support Adrestia in the discovery of first-in-class drugs for intractable genetic diseases Signals new phase for Adrestias portfolio of validated synthetic rescue targets moving into drug discovery for genetically defined neurologic and cardiomyopathic diseases MARTINSRIED, Germany and Munich, Germany, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proteros biostructures GmbH (Proteros) today announced that it has initiated a multi-target drug discovery partnership with Adrestia Therapeutics (Cambridge, UK), a leader in synthetic rescue therapies for genetic diseases. Proteros will provide access to its entire customizable platform of technologies for early drug discovery guided by the companys experienced discovery teams. The partnership brings together Proteros discovery capabilities which are tailored to unlock even the most technically challenging drug targets with Adrestias expertise in target biology with a novel synthetic rescue drug development platform. The partners will jointly discover lead compounds with the goal of further developing them into first-in-class drugs for intractable genetic diseases. The partnership is already providing Adrestia with world-first protein crystal structures and is using both the Swiss Light Source (Villigen, Switzerland) and the Diamond Light Source, the UK's synchrotron facility, to enable rapid drug design. Adrestias carefully validated targets, discovered through their unique platform, and their broad potential in disease applications are an inspiration to Proteros. We are delighted to support Adrestia in their accelerated drug discovery endeavors for a variety of complex targets to treat genetic diseases, said Dr. Debora Konz Makino, Proteros VP Business Unit Dscovery Solutions. Given our high conviction in our novel targets, we are applying parallel drug discovery strategies to maximize probability of success and accelerate timelines to IND. Im thrilled to be working with Proteros, said Dr. Tom Heightman, Adrestias Chief Research and Development Officer. About Proteros biostructures GmbH Proteros is a privately-held company with expertise in structure-based drug discovery powered by a cutting-edge discovery engine tailored to unlock even the most technically challenging disease-relevant targets. The company provides small molecule drug discovery services and its comprehensive enabling technology platforms, coupled with roots to Nobel Prize winning science and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, have enabled prominent contributions to several lead optimization programs and clinical-stage compounds. Proteros scientific rigor can accelerate overall research timelines for clients by solving the High-hanging-fruits of the early drug discovery and development stages and the company is consistently seen as the go-to partner for Hit to Lead Optimisation services. Proteros supports many of the worlds top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies and more than 200 pharmaceutical and biotech partners in the U.S., Europe and Japan. For more information please visit www.proteros.com. About Adrestia Adrestia is a leader in synthetic rescue therapies for genetic diseases. As many directly causative mutations are not druggable, synthetic rescue embraces the much broader target set represented by functionally connected genes, to correct the effects of the causative mutations and rescue health. Adrestia is creating a synthetic rescue Atlas of the human genome and advancing a portfolio of first-in-class therapies, initially for neurologic, neuromuscular and cardiomyopathic diseases. Adrestias platform and in-house programs are complemented by a target discovery alliance with GSK and a Huntingtons disease collaboration with noted researchers including Dr Sarah Tabrizi at University College London. Adrestia was co-founded by Professor Steve Jackson and the deep technology investment fund Ahren Innovation Capital, which co-led Adrestias Series A financing along with GSK. Jackson co-originated the first synthetic lethality drug, olaparib, which was the first drug approved to treat cancers caused by inherited mutations. For further information, visit: www.adrestia.com. Contact Information For Proteros Dr. Debora Konz Makino VP Business Unit Discovery Solutions Phone: +49 89 700761-0 Email: [email protected] Media Contacts Shaun Brown Executive Director MC Services AG Phone: +44 7867 515 918 Email: [email protected] For Adrestia Investors Robert Johnson [email protected] Media Tom Donovan [email protected] +1 857 559 3397 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) Tours Landsdowne Labs "Children swallow button batteries. That's the reality of our world. Because the batteries become loose from devices, and then can literally burn through the throat of a young child. It happens again and again[leading to] years of treatment, surgery, and therapy." So said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, on an October 7 visit to Landsdowne Labs, at Fairfield University, in Fairfield, CT. Link to video of remarks Landsdowne has since received a patent for technology that rapidly reduces chemical reactions when button batteries are swallowed. To help protect children from button battery ingestion injury or death, Blumenthal co-sponsored the recently passed Reese's Law, which requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to strictly regulate the packaging and labeling of button batteries. But, as Landsdowne Labs CEO Melissa Fensterstock has pointed out, despite careful packaging, over time, batteries be removed from or fall out of used consumer devices, and be swallowed by children, elders or pets-causing injury to bodily tissue. During a tour of Landsdowne's laboratory facilities, Ravikumar Vasudevan, PhD, Landsdowne's Vice President of Engineering, demonstrated how the new technology, when used to encase button batteries reduces chemical reactions that can cause serious tissue burns. The technology employs the earth mineral niobium in deactivating a battery's electrolytic current when the battery is immersed in an electrically conductive aqueous environment such as the esophagus or GI tract. In the demonstration, Vasudevan showed that an untreated battery immersed in saline solution immediately set off an ongoing electrochemical "hydrolysis" reaction causing effervescence, rust formation, and color changes to the solution. For a treated battery, the reaction rate was rapidly reduced, with no apparent change in solution color. In a second demonstration, an untreated battery placed on a slice of delicatessen ham similarly set off an electrochemical reaction, which began to damage the meat as might chemicals commonly used to clear clogged drains. A treated battery mitigated such damage. Landsdowne has confirmed that the technology is compatible with current manufacturing practices, Vasudevan said. Also present on the tour was Trista Hamsmith, whose two-year-old daughter Reese died in 2020 after swallowing a button battery. Hamsmith said: "All it takes is turning around to stir the soup" to miss seeing a child swallow a battery--and tissue damage can occur within 15 minutes. Hamsmith is the founder of Reese's Purpose, a non-profit organization formed to identify, advocate and correct safety issues impacting children and their families. "Reese's Law" is named after her daughter. Fensterstock, who has two small children, cited recent findings, published in the Journal of American Medical Association, that with the burgeoning use of devices powered by button batteries, hospital emergency rooms have seen increasing numbers of children with button battery injuries. batteries. "We are excited that our technology can now be adopted by battery manufacturers," she said. Senator Blumenthal commented: "Landsdowne Labs is proving that Connecticut is a leader in technology designed to save lives and prevent serious injury. Their skilled and dedicated workforce has developed technology to reduce hazards posed by batteries and keep kids safe." Landsdowne Labs, LLC, formed in 2017, is a spinout from the laboratories of world-renowned Robert Langer at MIT and of Jeff Karp at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston. The company's first product, ChildLok, is an innovative button battery technology designed to deactivate batteries following accidental ingestion, made possible by advanced material science. Landsdowne Labs is commercializing this groundbreaking technology for global companies seeking a turnkey, low-cost solution to the growing button battery health crisis. Landsdowne is headquartered in Fairfield, CT. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221024005661/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Open Systems Provides Innovative IoT Security Monitoring to Protect Microsoft Customers Against Cyberthreats Open Systems, a provider of next-gen managed detection and response (MDR) services and the 2022 Microsoft Security MSSP Partner of the Year, today announced the launch of MDR+ IoT, which extends the 24x7 security monitoring of its award-winning MDR+, a next generation managed detection and response (MDR) service, to protect connected devices used in Internet of Things (IoT) and Operational Technology (OT) applications. By adding IoT and OT telemetry to MDR+, customers benefit from 24x7 detection and response that correlates alerts across their IoT, OT and IT environments for maximum visibility and protection as part of a holistic security program. Corporate adoption of IoT and OT devices has grown at breakneck pace as companies seek to improve their business, manufacturing and supply chain operations, but security for these devices lags far behind their IT counterparts. Typically monitored by bespoke security systems or not at all, these devices can suffer from vulnerabilities that blindside security teams and allow bad actors to breach company defenses. MDR+ IoT addresses this by using Microsoft Defender for IoT to ingest telemetry from customers' IoT and OT devices so it can be monitored in line with IT assets within the context of the broader environment. By correlating signals from Defender for IoT with signals from the IT environment, MDR+ IoT can better identify true positives and alleviates the need for security teams to manage the thousands of alerts often generated by IoT and OT environments. By securing IoT and OT devices alongside IT infrastructure, MDR+ IoT protects IoT and OT devices throughout the entire security lifecycle-assessment, prevention, detection, and response. It allows customers to take full advantage of their Microsoft security investments by providing tailored, 24x7 monitoring while reducing attack surfaces and MTTR. "MDR+ IoT addresses emerging threats we're seeing across multiple industries. Mitigating security risks around IoT and OT is increasingly critical, particularly for organizations with mission-critical manufacturing and medical technology," said Tom Corn, Chief Product Officer for Open Systems. "Combining the strength of Open Systems' MDR+, our next generation MDR service, together with Defender for IoT allows us to minimize the threat surface across our clients' entire infrastructures, using the same best practices, rigor and workflow that helped Open Systems win Microsoft's Security MSSP of the Year for 2022." "The risk posed by unsecured IoT and OT assets continues to grow," said Andrew Conway, Vice President Security Marketing at Microsoft. "This integration of Microsoft Defender for IoT with Open Systems MDR+ service provides our joint customers with a compelling solution for discovering IoT and OT devices, and for monitoring them along with their IT assets. This comprehensive solution enables customers to better harden and protect all of their attack surfaces." The industry is already recognizing the value of MDR+ IoT as shown by its winning 2022 IoT Evolution Security Excellence Award. The launch of MDR+ IoT follows yesterday's announcement that Open Systems has achieved Microsoft verified Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) solution status. By achieving this status, Open Systems has proven its robust MXDR services including a Security Operation Center (SOC) with 24/7/365 proactive hunting, monitoring, and response capabilities all built on tight integrations with the Microsoft Security platform. This solution combines expert-trained technology with human-led services and has been verified by Microsoft engineers. Open Systems Managed Security Services Open Systems MDR+ is a next generation MDR service that provides organizations with the comprehensive cybersecurity capabilities of a world-class security operations center (SOC). At the heart of MDR+ is Mission Control, a 247 global security operation that combines certified experts, exemplary processes and seamless technology that integrates with and extends the Microsoft 365 E5 security stack. This enables customers to mitigate threats and reduce risk by fully operationalizing their existing security investments, shrinking their attack surfaces and shortening the mean time to respond (MTTR) to threats. MDR+ is complemented by Open Systems SASE+, a fully managed secure access service edge (SASE) solution for securely and reliably connecting customers' employees to the internet and cloud. Developed from inception with an integrated networking and security stack, the service's cloud-native platform secures all enterprise edges, including endpoints, sites, physical and cloud datacenters and mobile users. Complementing this, its single-pass engine for SWG, SD-WAN, firewall, NDR and unified threat detection ensures line rate speeds due to no service chaining and improves security through integrated policy management and a software-defined perimeter. Additional Resources Blog: Where to Start with Security for IoT and OT Blog: 5 Ways IoT and OT Security Falls Short Blog: Why You Should Care About IoT and OT Connect With Open Systems LinkedIn Twitter About Open Systems Open Systems delivers cybersecurity beyond expectations. Our award-winning managed detection and response (MDR) and secure access service edge (SASE) services connect and protect customers today while increasing their security maturity for tomorrow. Our Mission Control SOCs and NOCs provide 247 global coverage for nearly 10,000 locations across 184 countries. As a five-time Microsoft Gold Partner, we help customers better grasp and reduce their attack surface by unlocking the value of their security investments. With our outstanding 97% retention rate, it's no wonder our customers call it crazy good cybersecurity. Discover more at open-systems.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005409/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Ambac to Release Third Quarter 2022 Results on November 8, 2022 Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: AMBC), a financial services holding company, today announced that it will release third quarter 2022 results on November 8, 2022 following the close of the market. Conference Call On November 9, 2022 at 8:30am (ET), Claude LeBlanc, President and Chief Executive Officer, and David Trick, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will discuss third quarter 2022 results during a live conference call. A live audio webcast of the call will be available through the Investor Relations section of Ambac's website, www.ambac.com. Participants may also listen via telephone by dialing (877) 407-9716 (Domestic) or (201) 493-6779 (International). The webcast will be archived on Ambac's website. A replay of the call will be available trough November 23, 2022 and can be accessed by dialing (844) 512-2921 (Domestic) or (412) 317-6671 (International), using ID# 13732815. About Ambac Ambac Financial Group, Inc. ("Ambac" or "AFG") is a financial services holding company headquartered in New York City. Ambac's core business is a growing specialty P&C distribution and underwriting platform. Ambac also has a legacy financial guaranty business in run off. Ambac's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AMBC". Ambac is committed to providing timely and accurate information to the investing public, consistent with our legal and regulatory obligations. To that end, we use our website to convey information about our businesses, including the anticipated release of quarterly financial results, quarterly financial, statistical and business-related information. For more information, please go to www.ambac.com. The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Ambac contains substantial restrictions on the ability to transfer Ambac's common stock. Subject to limited exceptions, any attempted transfer of common stock shall be prohibited and void to the extent that, as a result of such transfer (or any series of transfers of which such transfer is a part), any person or group of persons shall become a holder of 5% or more of Ambac's common stock or a holder of 5% or more of Ambac's common stock increases its ownership interest. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005229/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] The New InsurTech100 Highlights the Industry's Leading Innovators According to FinTech Global The 2022 edition of the prestigious InsurTech100 list has just been launched by specialist research firm FinTech Global. This is the fifth year for which the list has been compiled to recognise the technology leaders that are providing solutions to drive digital transformation of the insurance industry. LONDON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Every element of the insurance industry value chain is being impacted by technology developments and the pace of change is accelerating as customers shift en masse to digital channels and demand superior products and customer experience. InsurTech (insurance technology) companies are at the forefront of the industry's transformation, helping insurance companies meet the challenges they face. The InsurTech market will continue to grow rapidly and is expected to reach a market size of around $114bn by 2030. As the number and geographical spread of InsurTech companies increase each year, the process to produce the InsurTech100 2022 involved more extensive research than ever. FinTech Global analysed the worldwide InsurTech market to produce a longlist of over 1,800 companies, from which a panel of industry experts seleced the final 100. The finalists were awarded for their innovative application of technology to address a major industry problem, or to facilitate step-change performance enhancements across the insurance value chain. According to Richard Sachar, a director of FinTech Global, "As insurance companies are faced with seismic shifts in consumer behaviour and an intensifying competitive environment, they have no choice but to join the race to digitalise. The InsurTech100 list points the way for senior insurance executives to identify which innovations and companies are having the greatest impact and can help them in that race." These are some of the market-leading companies included on this year's InsurTech100: AkinovA, Bdeo, Companjon, Cortical.io, distriBind, DynaRisk, Evari, FRISS, GIROUX.Ai, Greater Than, hyperexponential, Instabase, InsuredHQ, Majesco, Nanoinsure, Novidea, Optalitix, Relay Platform, Risk Control Technologies, Shapa Health, and Shift Technology. Details on these companies and the entire InsurTech100 list for 2022 is available for free download from the website: www.TheInsurTech100.com. Media contact: Richard Sachar [email protected] 02077491280 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-new-insurtech100-highlights-the-industrys-leading-innovators-according-to-fintech-global-301658517.html SOURCE FinTech Global [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] NightRide Thermal is Honored to Partner with World-Renowned Eco Defense Group in Support of its Vital Mission to Protect Endangered African Wildlife NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eco Defense Group (Park City, UT) has added three NightRide Thermal (Brooklyn, NY) cameras to its arsenal of cutting-edge technology designed to protect African wildlife from the escalating poaching of rhinos, lions, elephants, pangolins and other endangered species that are targeted by an illicit multi-billion-dollar trafficking enterprise. NightRide donated one each of their Scout and Ranger infrared thermal cameras with true heads-up display to Eco Defense Group, while a separate benefactor, Night Vision Rentals, donated another NightRide Scout camera to Eco Defense Group's tireless efforts to support African rangers and conservationists in protecting these vulnerable animals. "Rangers deploy in total darkness to stop the poaching threat that comes primarily at night," said Eco Defense Group president Nathan Edmondson. "NightRide joins our group of key partners to provide asymmetric capabilitiesin this case, vision in the darkest of African nightsto the rangers we train and support." Eco Defense Group consults with first-line animal protection rangers throughout Africa and develops frontline solutions to make wildlife protection units more capable and effective, while simultaneously increasing the safety of the officers and rangers who risk life and limb to protect Africa's indigenous wildlife. The stakes in this battle are high, of course, for Africa's endangered species, but also for the humans trying to protect them. According to the International Ranger Federation, 269 African rangers were killed throughout the continent between 2012 and 2018almost all killed by poachers. "NightRide's unique application of thermal technology could be a game changer in this unconventional battlefield," Edmondson said. "These capabilities will not only help rangers, they will allow the frontline protectors of wildlife to spot, track and observe wildlife without interfering with that wildlife or its hbitat. We feel that NightRide's unique spirit of innovation and cutting-edge technology will act as a force multiplier in Eco Defense Group's areas of operation," Edmondson concluded. "We developed NightRide cameras to prevent some of the common hazards associated with night driving, like pedestrian and bicyclist accidents, missed turns, glare from oncoming traffic and collisions with wildlife, but I never imagined our products would be used in the jungles and savannas of Africa to protect these majestic animals," said NightRide Thermal Founder and CEO Mary Ellen Kramer. NightRide is an infrared-based camera system that empowers drivers to see beyond the range of regular headlightsseeing 1,800 feet and beyond, even on the darkest of nights. The cameras offer high-resolution thermal imaging and are purpose-built for mounting on standard cars, vans and trucks, as well as first responder vehicles for the public safety industry. About Eco Defense Group The Utah-based non-profit Eco Defense Group brings US Special Missions Unit veterans to train African rangers in safe and effective movement against armed poachers. Eco Defense Group never engages poachers directly. For reasons of operational security, ongoing project details and locations are not revealed because this information could jeopardize the safety of the extraordinarily brave men and women Eco Defense Group is privileged to support. To learn more or to donate, visit www.ecodefensegroup.org. About NightRide Thermal NightRide is the leading brand in vehicle-mounted thermal cameras, manufactured by NightRide Thermal LLC, a woman-owned small business located in New York. NightRide cameras offer high-resolution thermal imaging purpose-built for mounting on standard cars and first responder vehicles. To learn more, visit www.getnightride.com. Media Contacts: NightRide Thermal Tim Baker [email protected] Ph: 919-969-3492 Eco Defense Group Lydia Carlson [email protected] Ph: 818-850-3343 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nightride-thermal-is-honored-to-partner-with-world-renowned-eco-defense-group-in-support-of-its-vital-mission-to-protect-endangered-african-wildlife-301658520.html SOURCE NightRide Thermal LLC [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Greenlane Renewables Named a 2022 EDC Export Star ~Greenlane recognized for its impressive growth and impact in global climate change fight~ VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Greenlane Renewables Inc. ("Greenlane") (TSX: GRN) (FSE: 52G) is pleased to announce that it has been named as one of Export Development Canada's ("EDC") 2022 Export Stars. This award recognizes Canadian cleantech companies demonstrating innovation in their field, rapid export growth and an impactful contribution towards a more sustainable economy. This recognition was announced as part of EDC's sixth annual Cleantech Export Week that began on October 24. The event offers a platform for companies, partners, and financiers within the sector to connect, collaborate, and discuss topics shaping the future of cleantech. "The Greenlane team is proud to have been chosen as an Export Star by EDC this year, which highlights not only our technical and business innovation, but also our unwavering commitment to helping our customers and partners across the globe move towards more sustainable operations and lower carbon intensities", said Brad Douville, Chief Executive Officer. "We are honore to accept this award and continue to focus on providing innovative solutions in the global movement to decarbonize our planet. Within that movement, Greenlane remains laser focused on the expanding RNG market as our expertise and competitive technical advantages provide us with the unique ability to meet the needs of biogas projects around the world." "This year's Cleantech Export Stars and Ones to Watch are great examples of Canadian innovation that is contributing to the decarbonization of industries and the sector's growth," says Sophie Dumoulin, Director of EDC's Cleantech team. "We congratulate each of them for making a difference in their fields both at home and abroad, and we look forward to supporting these companies as they continue to commercialize their products, build global partnerships and grow their businesses." About Export Development Canada EDC is a financial Crown corporation dedicated to helping Canadian businesses make an impact at home and abroad. EDC has the financial products and knowledge Canadian companies need to confidently enter new markets, reduce financial risk and grow their business as they go from local to global. Together, EDC and Canadian companies are building a more prosperous, stronger and sustainable economy for all Canadians. For more information about EDC please visit www.edc.ca. About Greenlane Renewables Greenlane is a pioneer in the rapidly growing renewable natural gas ("RNG") industry. As a leading global provider of biogas upgrading systems, we are helping to clean up two of the largest and most difficult-to-decarbonize sectors of the global energy system: the natural gas grid and the commercial transportation sector. Our systems produce clean, low-carbon and carbon-negative RNG from organic waste sources such as landfills, wastewater treatment plants, dairy farms, and food waste streams. To the company's knowledge, Greenlane is the only biogas upgrading company offering the three main technologies: waterwash, pressure swing adsorption, and membrane separation. Greenlane's business has been built on over 30 years of industry experience, patented and proprietary technology, over 100 biogas desulfurization units shipped, and over 135 biogas upgrading systems sold into 19 countries, including some of the largest RNG production facilities in the world. For further information, please visit www.greenlanerenewables.com. SOURCE Greenlane Renewables Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] ALDI U.S. and Spryker: Joint development of digital commerce platform BERLIN and NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ALDI U.S. is always looking for new ways to save its customers time and money. That is the reason why ALDI U.S. and Spryker Systems have been working together to develop a new online food & grocery shopping experience for the US market, offering grocery delivery or curbside pickup for ALDI U.S. shoppers. The new digital commerce platform is currently being tested with a select group of US customers and is planned to be rolled out nationally in a phased approach. Our partnership with Spryker will allow our shoppers another way to access the incredible value they expect from ALDI, says Scott Patton, ALDI's Vice President of National Buying. Sprykers composable and headless commerce platform offers a best-of-breed approach, providing enterprises with the flexibility and scalability needed to adjust to a constantly changing market, accelerating digital growth and transformation, and providing consumers with a more seamless and simple shopping experience, says Boris Lokschin, co-founder and CEO at Spryker. About ALDI U.S. ALDI is one of America's fastest-growing retailers, serving millions of customers across the country each month. With 2,200 stores across 38 states, ALDI is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022. When it comes to value, ALDI won't be beat on price. ALDI has also been No. 1 for price according to the Dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index Report for five years running. Since 1976, ALDI has offered a unique shopping experience where customers never have to compromise on quality, selection or value. In fact, 1 in 3 ALDI-brand products are award-winning. Customers can save time and money by conveniently shopping in-store or online at shop.aldi.us. For more information about ALDI, visit aldi.us. About Spryker Spryker is the leading composable commerce platform for enterprises with sophisticated business models and facilitates growth, innovation and differentiation. Designed specifically for sophisticated transactional business, Sprykers easy-to-use, headless, API-first model offers a best-of-breed approach. It provides businesses with the flexibility to adapt, scale and quickly go to market while facilitating faster time-to-value throughout their digital transformation journey. As a global platform leader for B2B and B2C Enterprise Marketplaces, Thing Commerce and Unified Commerce, Spryker has empowered 150+ enterprise customers around the world. Contact details: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Ushur Adds Healthcare to Automation Portfolio in AWS Marketplace SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ushur , the leader in AI-powered Customer Experience Automation (CXA), today announced its healthcare listing is now available in AWS Marketplace, a curated digital catalog from Amazon Web Services (AWS) that customers can use to find, buy, deploy and manage third-party software, data and services to build and run their businesses. The no-code Ushur platform lets healthcare enterprises rapidly design and deploy automated, personalized member, patient and high-volume business to business (B2B) experiences. The AWS Marketplace listing makes incorporating Ushur into your technology stack easier than ever. The scale, security and resiliency of AWS is instrumental in providing the ability for organizations to modernize and provide new and innovative customer experiences. Ushurs perspective on customer experiences is that building them should be as easy as using them, and its new availability in AWS Marketplace is just one more way for enterprise information technology (IT) departments to increase velocity when partnering with Ushur in the healthcare sector. Ushur VP of Partnerships Bruce Holbert said: Patient and member experiences built by health plans, payers and providers can be big lifts for any IT group to handle on their own. Listing Ushur in AWS Marketplace shortens the process of acquiring a new technology into the healthcare ecosystem and gives our healthcare clients the chance to easily and compliantly design the member experieces weve already seen be so impactful in the market. By leveraging AWS, we are helping to empower healthcare IT teams. Ushur brings speed and velocity to deliver key business objectives, said Ushur CEO Simha Sadasiva. Enterprises across the whole of healthcare want to leverage and deploy technological solutions to create the culture of digital-first companies. Ushur has created one of the most comprehensive platforms for no-code, and automation to help bridge the gap between automating customer conversations and the resulting back-office knowledge work, in one single platform. Ushurs CXA Platform provides non-technical citizen developers with the products and tools they need to drastically improve the engagements between their company and end-consumers. In a market where everyone has access to world-class products designed by digital-native companies, a high-quality customer experience is a requirement and often the difference between retaining and losing customers. Now, building better experiences easily and cost effectively is more important than ever. Ushur for healthcare is generally available in AWS Marketplace starting this week. For more information on Ushur and its no-code platform, please visit ushur.com/platform . About Ushur Ushur delivers the worlds first AI-powered Customer Experience Automation (CXA) platform purpose-built from the ground up to intelligently automate entire customer journeys end to end. Designed to provide delightful, hyper-personalized customer experiences through rapid issue resolution and unified, omnichannel engagement, Ushur is the first-of-its-kind system of intelligence. It combines Conversational Automation and Knowledge Work Automation in a no-code, cloud-native SaaS platform to digitally transform every step of the complete enterprise customer experience, from Micro-Engagements to entire customer journeys. Backed by leading investors including Third Point Ventures, 8VC, Aflac Ventures and Iron Pillar, Ushurs Customer Experience Automation solutions are currently in production at some of the leading healthcare and insurance companies across the globe, including Irish Life, Aflac, Unum, Aetna, Cigna and Tower Insurance. Media Contact Chris Ulbrich [email protected] 415 848 9175 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Inszone Insurance Services Acquires Pierson & Associates Insurance Services Inszone Insurance Services, a rapidly growing, national provider of benefits, personal and commercial lines insurance, announced today the acquisition of Pierson & Associates Insurance. In 1948, Bud Pierson (1923-2011) started his insurance agency in Salinas, CA. Specializing in pensions, 403(b) plans and life insurance, with a focus on healthcare and agricultural businesses, Bud was a constant production leader with Mutual of New York (MONY) and was recognized as Man of the Year in 1963. Randy Pierson joined his father's agency in 1981 and began brokering with other highly rated companies. After a couple years of experience in the industry, he added a health benefits line to the agency. In 1996 Cyndy Pierson, Randy's wife, joined the agency and began to grow the employee benefits side of the agency. After 2004, when Bud retired, Randy and Cyndy took over the business and decided to focus primarily on the benefits side of the business, as it had been extremely successful and there was a lot of potential. Both Randy and Cyndy, as well as the rest of the team at Pierson & Associates, are very involved in their community, volunteering and being part of multiple clubs nd organizations, both independently and as an agency. Inszone Insurance Services looks to continue that involvement and remain close to the community. The commitment to ensuring customers receive superior service for all their insurance needs will remain a priority as Pierson & Associates joins the Inszone Insurance family. As part of the acquisition, Inszone Insurance will retain Pierson & Associates employees, as well as the current location in Salinas, that will continue to operate under the leadership of Randy and Cyndy Pierson. "Our growth in California creates a multitude of opportunities for our agency, our clients, and our employees," said Chris Walters, CEO of Inszone Insurance. "We are very excited to have Pierson & Associates join the Inszone family and we look forward to seeing this team thrive under the Inszone brand." Inszone Insurance is expected to announce a number of important acquisitions in the upcoming months as it continues to build its national presence. About Inszone: Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Sacramento, California, Inszone is a full-service insurance brokerage firm which provides a broad array of property & casualty insurance, along with employee benefits solutions. With a strong, experienced management team, Inszone continues to grow organically, as well as through acquisitions. With 32 locations across California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Missouri, Texas and Illinois, the company is looking to further expand throughout the United States. For more information about Inszone, please visit www.inszoneinsurance.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005941/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] AR Cloud Industry Report 2022 - Collaborative Engagement & Data Management and Security Present Opportunities DUBLIN, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "AR Cloud: The Next Frontier in Augmented Reality" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Advanced technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and extended reality (XR) have seen considerable development in recent years. Many mobile and head-mounted devices support immersive technologies, which require a point cloud for multiple users to view and access information in real time. Companies have invested in building the point cloud to include advanced technologies and innovations for efficient operations. The AR Cloud is a next-generation technology that creates digital replicas of a real-world environment to provide data quickly and conveniently. Companies face significant challenges when operating and managing the AR Cloud, which involves large volumes of continuous data flow that could lead to complexities and inefficient data management. Data security is also vital in a dynamic application environment that holds so much data. Another challenge for AR Cloud companies is the evolving digital era, which increases the need for multiple point clouds running simultaneously, high-bandwidth networks, and fast edge computing. This research covers the following: Introduction to the AR Cloud Technology landscape Trends assessment Factors influencing adoption: Growth drivers and restraints Applications and impact Implementation examples Technology roadmap Growth opportunities Strategic insights Key Topics Covered: 1. Strategic Imperatives 2. Growth Opportunity Analysis Scope of Analysis Segmentation Growth Drivers Growth Restraints 3. AR Technology Landscape Technology Snapshot Key Technology Attributes Internet of Places: Ubiquitous Influence Workflow Overview Impact on Businesses Benefits for Businesses 4. Technology and Market Trends Assessment Technology and Market Trends Patent Landscape Regional Trends and Insights 5. Application and Impact: Implementation Scenarios Industry Applications Impact Assessment Technology Implementation and Use Cases 6. Companies to Action Niantic, US YouAR, US Sturfee, US Augmented.City, Italy XRPANET, US 7. Growth Opportunity Universe Growth Opportunity 1: Immersive Experiences in a Connected World Growth Opportunity 2: Collaborative Engagement Growth Opportunity 3: Data Management and Security 8. Technology Roadmap and Strategic Insights Integrated Technology Roadmap Conclusions Strategic Insights Key Contacts 9. Appendix 10. Next Steps For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6k0i9x Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ar-cloud-industry-report-2022---collaborative-engagement--data-management-and-security-present-opportunities-301658526.html SOURCE Research and Markets [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Kahoot! named one of Fast Company's "Brands That Matter" in 2022 Fast Company's second annual "Brands That Matter" list honors companies and organizations making a cultural impact and offering inspiration to others OSLO, Norway, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kahoot!, the global learning and engagement platform company, today announced it has been named to Fast Company's second annual Brands That Matter list , recognizing companies and organizations that have achieved relevance through cultural impact and social engagement, and authentically communicated their missions and ideals. The brands chosen for this list were selected for their timeliness, relevance, cultural and business impact, clarity, and ingenuity, demonstrating an ability to meaningfully connect and engage with the customers they serve. "This year, we've expanded the Brands That Matter program to evaluate honorees in the context of how they matter within the category in which they compete for people's attention or loyalty," said Brendan Vaughan, Fast Company's editor-in-chief. "The result is a wide-ranging list of honorees that are making their mark on culture, and through social impact." Kahoot! is recognized as a globally impactful brand for its commitment to helping educators and learners of all ages worldwide create engaging learning experiences in any setting. "At Kahoot!, our mission is to make learning awesome. Whether you're in a classroom, a boardroom or your living room, we believe that anyone can create magical learning experiences through harnessing the power of friendly competition, interactivity and play," said Eilert Hanoa, CEO, Kahoot!. "It's an honor for Khoot! to be included in Fast Company's second annual Brands That Matter list, highlighting how we put our mission into action not only by delivering robust solutions, but through engaging our users in rediscovering the joy of learning every day." Since launch, Kahoot! has hosted more than 8 billion participants (non-unique) from over 200 countries and regions. Kahoot! supports all learners from preschoolers exploring through play to professionals collaborating in the workplace and beyond. Approximately 9 million educators have used Kahoot! in the last 12 months to bring next-level engagement to the classroom, as well as millions of families and students at home and hundreds of thousands of corporate teams worldwide, including in 97% of Fortune 500 companies. Visit Kahoot! News to stay up to date on company news and updates. Media Contact: Alejandro Viquez [email protected] About Kahoot! Kahoot! is on a mission to make learning awesome! We want to empower everyone, including children, students, and employees to unlock their full learning potential. Our learning platform makes it easy for any individual or corporation to create, share, and host learning sessions that drive compelling engagement. Launched in 2013, Kahoot!'s vision is to build the leading learning platform in the world. Since launch, Kahoot! has hosted hundreds of millions of learning sessions with 8 billion participants (non-unique) in more than 200 countries and regions. The Kahoot! Group includes Clever, the leading US K-12 EdTech learning platform, together with the learning apps DragonBox, Poio, Drops, Actimo, Motimate, and Whiteboard.fi. The Kahoot! Group is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with offices in the US, the UK, France, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Spain and Poland. Kahoot! is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker KAHOT. To learn more, visit us at kahoot.com . Let's play! About Fast Company Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Brendan Vaughan. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kahoot-named-one-of-fast-companys-brands-that-matter-in-2022-301658921.html SOURCE Kahoot! [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Melio Named to the 2022 CB Insights' Fintech 250 List Melio Recognized For Achievements As One Of The Most Innovative B2B Payments Startups NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CB Insights named Melio to its fifth-annual Fintech 250 ranking , showcasing the 250 most promising private fintech companies of 2022. "This year's Fintech 250 winners are shaping the future of financial services, from payments and banking to investing and insurance," said Brian Lee, SVP of CB Insights' Intelligence Unit. "Representing more than 30 countries, these companies are creating safer and more efficient payment methods, and transforming how traditional banking, insurance and investing products are delivered. Together, they not only make financial services more convenient for users, but also make them available to more people, especially traditionally underserved populations around the globe." "Melio is honored to be recognized as a leader in the industry alongside so many other deserving companies," said Melio CEO and co-founder Matan Bar. "In the past year, Melio has experienced accelerated growth, and we are excited for what's to come as we expand our team to support strategic opportunities on our path to building the business-to-business payments infrastructure of the future." Utilizing the CB Insights platform , the research team selected these 250 winners from a pool of over 12,500 private companies, including applicants and nominees. They were chosen based on factors including R&D activity, proprietary Mosaic scores , market potential, business relationships, investor profile, news sentiment analysis, competitive landscape, team strength, and tech novelty. The research team also reviewed over 2,000 of Analyst Briefings submitted by applicants. Melio provides a single, integrated payments solution that allows small businesses to quickly and seamlessly transfer and receive payments helping with cash flow needs, eliminating late payment costs, and giving businesses back valuable time. Spanning the past 12 months, the company has experienced accelerated growth. It now processes $2.5 billion a month in payment volume and is on track to reach an annual run rate of $40 billion by the end of 2022. Melio has now been recognized on CB Insights' Fintech 250 two years in a row. Quick facts on the 2022 Fintech 250: Equity funding and deals : The Fintech 250 cohort has raised over $115B in equity funding across over 1,100 deals since the start of 2017 (as of 9/20/2022). In 2021 alone, winners raised over $51B across 337 equity deals. : The Fintech 250 cohort has raised over in equity funding across over 1,100 deals since the start of 2017 (as of 9/20/2022). In 2021 alone, winners raised over across 337 equity deals. Unicorns : There are 159 companies with $1B+ valuations on the list. : There are 159 companies with $1B+ valuations on the list. Global Reach: Globalization is a key theme for this year's Fintech 250. The winners represent 33 different countries across the globe - 7 more than last year. Just over half (53%) of the selected companies are headquartered in the US, which is the fewest we've seen in the Fintech 250 since 2017. The UK came in second with 31 winners (12%), followed by India with 14 (6%), Brazil with 9 (4%), and Germany with 7 (3%). About CB Insights CB Insights builds software that enables the world's best companies to discover, understand, and make technology decisions with confidence. By marrying data, expert insights, and work management tools, clients manage their end-to-end technology decision-making process on CB Insights. To learn more, please visit www.cbinsights.com. About Melio Melio's mission is to keep small business in business, helping them to improve their cash flow and workflow, gain more control over their finances, and optimize their business's financial health. Melio was founded by CEO Matan Bar, CTO Ilan Atias, and Ziv Paz in 2018, with headquarters in New York, an R&D center in Tel Aviv, and western U.S. headquarters in Colorado. The company has raised $506 million to date. Melio's smart B2B online payment solution is tailor-made for small businesses' needs. It is a free, simple, and secure solution that allows small businesses and their suppliers to transfer and receive payments quickly and easily. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/melio-named-to-the-2022-cb-insights-fintech-250-list-301658991.html SOURCE Melio [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Atlas Health Expands Leadership Team Atlas Health, the leader in philanthropic medical financial aid, today announced five new executives have joined its leadership team: David Franklin, president; Christopher Parks, chief client officer; Nicole Nye, vice president of Product Management; Nicole Hess, senior vice president of Marketing, and Todd Helmink, head of Strategic Partnerships. They will help the company to expand and grow as a market leader in the patient assistance space by helping hospitals and health systems tap into one of the last unmined revenue opportunities. Atlas Health connects patients to $30B in annual philanthropic aid from over 20,000 patient assistance and social support programs, increasing access and affordability, and improving health outcomes. With decades of entrepreneurial experience building and scaling health tech companies, David Franklin leads Atlas Health's Growth and Delivery team across Marketing, Sales, Partnerships, Pharmacy, Cancer Services and Client Success functions. He previously served as co-founder and COO of Connance, a healthcare revenue cycle and predictive analytics technology company acquired by Waystar. Franklin also drove enterprise profitability and business transformation in prior executive roles at Waystar and at Finvi as he advanced revenue cycle and receivables management for health systems through innovative technology. Christopher Parks leads Atlas's Client Success teams and is responsible for delighting clients by managing the company's Patient Advocacy, Client Success and Implementation teams. Previously, he founded Change Healthcare, a technology platform that improves information flow and ost and quality transparency for payers, providers and patients. Parks also held several senior-level positions with Avaneer Health, a healthcare blockchain interoperability platform; HGE Health, a COPD technology-enabled services company acquired by Vapotherm, and Global Healthcare Exchange, a national healthcare procurement platform. Nicole Nye leads Atlas's Product Management team to advance and evolve product strategy and execution. Over the past 25 years, she launched one of the first consumer-driven health plans in the country and has delivered advanced technology solutions to the provider market. Nye was recognized in 2018 as one of top female revenue cycle management executives to watch. She previously guided product management and strategy in senior roles at McKesson, Connance (now Waystar) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Nicole Hess joins Atlas to lead the Marketing team, leveraging her experience in the health tech space to improve the brand presence and awareness to effectively grow the company. Most recently, she helped to build the marketing and demand gen functions that led to rapid growth at Olive, a healthcare AI automation leader. Previously, Hess has held marketing leadership roles at both publicly traded and VC/PE-backed companies, including Surgical Information Systems (SIS), MedAssets (now FinThrive and Vizient), DocASAP (now owned by Optum) and Connance (now Waystar). Todd Helmink leads Atlas's Strategic Partnership function where he focuses on building out the partner strategy and ecosystem to expand the company's hospital and health system network, as well as establishing new relationships within the Payer, Pharmaceutical and Specialty Pharmacy verticals. He is a health tech and life sciences executive with more than 25 years of experience in driving revenue at scale for both public and private equity-funded organizations. Helmink has held both sales and strategic partnership executive roles at PocketScript, Allscripts Healthcare and most recently, at ConnectiveRx. "We're thrilled to announce the addition of these leaders to the Atlas team," said Ethan Davidoff, CEO and founder of Atlas Health. "Their deep experience, established expertise and stellar reputations will further strengthen Atlas as the leading provider of patient advocacy solutions in the healthcare industry. We're committed to building the Atlas brand, expanding our SaaS platform, continuing to develop scalable systems that foster growth and a world-class client experience - and most importantly, to improving patients' lives." About Atlas Health Atlas Health is the leader in philanthropic medical financial aid, striving to save and improve lives. The company empowers hospitals and health systems with an end-to-end AI-powered patient advocacy solution to match, enroll and collect from over 20,000 patient assistance and social support programs. Patients access and afford the care they need, while hospitals and health systems secure reimbursement for care delivered. Learn more at https://atlas.health/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025006061/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [October 25, 2022] Copperleaf to Host Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results Conference Call VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Copperleaf Technologies Inc. (TSX: CPLF) ("Copperleaf" or the "Company"), a leading provider of enterprise decision analytics software solutions to companies managing critical infrastructure, announced today that it will report its financial results for the third quarter of 2022 on Thursday, November 10, 2022 after market close. The Company will also hold a conference call to discuss its financial results on the same day at 5pm ET. Judi Hess, Chief Executive Officer, Chris Allen, Chief Financial Officer and Paul Sakrzewski, President will host the conference call, followed by a question-and-answer session. Q3 2022 Financial esults Conference Call Details: Date: November 10, 2022 Time: 5pm ET Conference ID: 30472685 Dial-In Number: 416-764-8659 or 1-888-664-6392 Webcast: https://app.webinar.net/nYyw205Mxr3 Replay: 416-764-8677 or 1-888-390-0541 (Available until November 17, 2022) Replay Entry Code: 472685# About Copperleaf: Copperleaf provides enterprise decision analytics software solutions to companies managing critical infrastructure. We leverage operational and financial data to empower our clients to make investment decisions that deliver the highest business value. What sets us apart is our commitment to providing extraordinary experiences, shaped by people who care deeply, products that deliver exceptional value, and partnerships that stand the test of time. Copperleaf is a patron of The Institute of Asset Management and actively participates in shaping the future of asset management standards, including ISO 55000. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, our solutions are distributed and supported by regional staff and partners worldwide. Together, we are transforming how the world sees value. For more details, visit https://www.copperleaf.com/ SOURCE: Copperleaf Technologies Inc. CPLF-IR SOURCE CopperLeaf Technologies Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] This weekend we talked about a controversial Missouri advert hitting mailboxes in KCMO. Here's an early glimpse at reaction and an upcoming joint statement . . . PRESS CONFERENCE 9:00 AM TUESDAY, OCT. 25, 2022 POLICE HEADQUARTERS Mayor Quinton Lucas and Councilwoman Teresa Loar will discuss the status of members of the KCPD and Political Campaigns Recent events have sparked a number of issues within the KC Police Department regarding rules surrounding the participation of members of the PD and political campaigns. Mayor Lucas will discuss the concerns of the latest political mailer sent by State Senator Tony Luetkemeyer and the circumstances surrounding the pictures of the Command Staff of the KCPD shown in the mail piece. Councilwoman Teresa Loar will be speaking about her son, Captain David Loar, who was suspended and forced to retire for allegedly participating in the making of a video by a formercandidate for US Senate Eric Greitens. Section 84.830, RSMo governs the conduct of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department. It arose from the corruption of the Pendergast era in Kansas City, first being enacted in 1939. It has been amended since, but still only applies to the Kansas City Police Department. KCPD Personnel Policy Series 200: Employee Guidelines, 201- Code of Ethics and Rules of Conduct Section IV, Rules of Conduct D. Political Activity outlines the prohibitions of the statute. ################# Developing . . . Once again we're repeat our offer to dig up zombie J.C. Nichols and kill him again. In the meantime, in an apropos location, here's an upcoming talk about Kansas City history that deserves a look . . . A century ago, the tool was blatant redlining. Today, the mechanics of anti-Black housing segregation entail resistance to affordable housing, underinvestment in public transportation, and the over-policing of African American communities. Those practices have rendered geographic lines that divide America into racialized spaces of high and low opportunity, Georgetown Universitys Sheryll Cashin says. She calls it residential caste, a social and economic stratification cemented by discriminatory policies that trap Black people in impoverished neighborhoods while diverting funding to affluent, predominantly white areas. Cashin, the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law, Civil Rights, and Social Justice at Georgetown University and a former law clerk to the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, examines how our country got here and what it will take to end these corrosive exclusionary practices in a discussion drawing from her book White Space, Black Hood: Opportunity Hoarding and Segregation in the Age of Inequality. The event coincides with a special exhibition, REDLINED: Cities, Suburbs, and Segregation, on display at the Johnson County Museum in Overland Park through January 7, 2023. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Like most of our readers, we've been checking this news most of the day. Here are some of the more important stories we've been reading . . . At Least Six Injured in Shooting at St. Louis High School Six people were injured after a gunman opened fire inside the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, Missouri, cops confirmed to The Daily Beast on Monday. Cops said the gunman, identified only as a "male suspect," was taken into custody shortly after he opened fire around 9 a.m. St Louis: Three dead, six injured after school shooting At least three people, including the suspect, have died and six others are injured after a shooting at a high school in St Louis, Missouri. The gunman entered Central Visual & Performing Arts High School shortly after 09:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Monday. White House asks for assault weapons ban after St. Louis school shooting ST. LOUIS, Mo. - There are many organizations and politicians releasing statements after a gunman opened fire at a school in St. Louis today. Few of them can do much about it. The White House issued a statement today asking for a bill to ban assault weapons from the senate. 'It's a nightmare': Father in disbelief after daughter killed in shooting at St. Louis high school Her dad said she had an outgoing personality, loved to dance and was a member of her high school's junior varsity dance team. ST. LOUIS - Tears streamed down Andre Bell's face when he got the heartbreaking telephone call Monday morning. "It's a nightmare," Bell said. 'She was a great teacher:' Missouri lawmaker pays tribute to former teacher killed in school shooting Rep. LaKeySha Bosley (D-St Louis) paid tribute to school shooting victims at a candlelight vigil. One of the victims was her former teacher. ST. LOUIS - When LaKeySha Bosley approached the stage to speak to a crowd of mourners grieving a school shooting, she wasn't just another politician promising to pass gun control measures. Developing . . . Police are appealing to the public for help in finding a missing woman who was last seen in North York. Russia has already lost about 68,420 troops in Ukraine (+480 over the past day). The relevant statement was made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Between February 24, 2022 and October 25, 2022, the enemys total combat losses included also 2,611 tanks (+21 over the past day), 5,321 armored fighting vehicles (+26), 1,674 artillery systems (+1), 377 multiple launch rocket systems (+2), 190 anti-aircraft warfare systems (+1), 271 aircraft (+1), 248 helicopters (+3), 4,054 motor vehicles and fuel tanks (+10), 16 warships/boats, 1,372 unmanned aerial vehicles (+2), 149 special equipment units. A total of 350 enemy cruise missiles were shot down. A reminder that, on October 24, 2022, Ukraines Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks near the Luhansk regions Bilohorivka and the Donetsk regions Bakhmut, Bilohorivka, Verkhniokamianske, Ivanhrad, Klishchiivka, Spirne, Soledar, Marinka and Nevelske. Photo: Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine mk In the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol, a car has exploded near the building of Russias FSB headquarters. The relevant statement was made by Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The Melitopol collaborators have had a bad smoke near the rashists FSB office, which is located in a building of Melitopol gauleiter Balitsky, Fedorov wrote. According to the preliminary data, the car exploded near the premises, where one of the Kremlin propagandists headquarters had been located and where the Russian propagandist news had been rebroadcast. The further details are yet to be checked. A reminder that about seven explosions were heard in the Melitopol district last night. Reportedly, a railway bridge was blown up. mk Ukraines public broadcaster UA:PBC submitted a statement to the European Court of Human Rights due to the shelling of TV transmission towers by Russian invasion forces. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, according to Ukrinform. "Cynically violating the laws and customs of war, Russia is shelling Ukrainian cities, including television transmission towers, so that Ukrainians cannot receive information about the threats in time," the report says. It is noted that as a result of Russian attacks, television towers were struck in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Izium, Lysychansk (Luhansk region), Korosten (Zhytomyr region), Bilopillia (Sumy region), Antopil (Rivne region), Vinnytsia,and Orikhiv (Zaporizhia region). Broadcasting in these territories was suspended for a while. The Russian forces seized the TV tower in Melitopol, suspending broadcasting in several cities; attempts were made to jam the signal of the UA:PBC channels on the Amos satellite; an attempt was made to destroy the television archive in a cyberattack on the website. As reported, Ukraine has officially sent a lawsuit against the Russian Federation to the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague. Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk handed over a list of the necessary military aid for Ukraine to President of the Storting of the Kingdom of Norway Masud Gharahkhani. "I am glad to meet with President of the Storting of Norway Masud Gharahkhani. I am grateful to Norway for the already provided military aid. I welcome Norway's desire to support Ukraine in the future. I handed over the list of necessary items agreed with the Ministry of Defense," Stefanchuk posted on Twitter. As reported, Norway will provide Ukraine with an unprecedented aid package worth more than 1 billion euros. Part of these funds will be allocated for the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities and villages. ol The World Bank has announced the disbursement of an additional $500 million to help Ukraine meet urgent spending needs caused by Russias full-scale invasion. The relevant statement was made by Reuters, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The financing by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the banks main lending arm, was supported by $500 million in loan guarantees from Britain that were announced on Sept. 30, the World Banks statement reads. It comes on the eve of a recovery conference taking place in Berlin on Tuesday, where national leaders, development experts and CEOs will discuss how to rebuild Ukraine after Russias invasion. The Russian invasion continues to cause massive destruction of Ukraines infrastructure including water, sanitation, and electricity networks just as winter is approaching, further endangering Ukrainian people, World Bank Group President David Malpass noted in a statement. The new portion of financing will be used to maintain essential government services. We stand firmly to support the Ukrainian people as they face this unparalleled crisis, the World Bank added. The World Bank has mobilized a total of $13 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine, of which $11.4 billion has been fully disbursed. As of June 1, 2022, Russias invasion caused over $97 billion in direct damages to Ukraine, but it could cost nearly $350 billion to rebuild the country, the World Bank, Ukrainian government and the European Commission said in a report released in September 2022. mk The Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and France, Dmytro Kuleba and Catherine Colonna, coordinated next steps in the work with other countries and within the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to counter Russias nuclear blackmail. The Ukrainian minister wrote this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports. I spoke to my French counterpart Catherine Colonna. We both condemned Russias dirty bomb disinformation campaign. We also coordinated next steps in our work with other countries and within the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To counter these lies and avert any false flag operations by Russia, Kuleba wrote. As reported by Ukrinform, on October 23, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said he had held phone talks with Frances defense minister Sebastien Lecornu, Turkeys Hulusi Akar, and Britains Ben Wallace. During the talks, Shoigu expressed concerns over the alleged possible use of a dirty bomb by Ukraine. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia's statements about the alleged use of a "dirty bomb" by Ukraine indicate that Russia has already prepared all this. Therefore, the world must react to that in the toughest possible way. iy During a working visit to Berlin, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz. The parties discussed support for Ukraine, as well as Russian threats and blackmail. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. In the course of the meeting, Shmyhal thanked the German side for providing support to Ukraine. The first IRIS-T system received by the Armed Forces of Ukraine has proven to be extremely effective, protecting the Ukrainian sky and saving many lives. We also spoke of the extremely important issue the situation at Zaporizhzhia NPP and Kakhovka HPP. Russian terrorists continue to threaten and blackmail. We urge partners to respond to such statements decisively in order to prevent a potential disaster, Shmyhal stressed. In addition, the parties discussed Ukraines reconstruction and the key aspects of cooperation. Shmyhal also expressed gratitude to Scholz for his personal initiative in holding the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin. Photo: Denys Shmyhal, Telegram mk Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi have met in Croatia and discussed the supply of weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The relevant statement was made by Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. An extremely important meeting with Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. The meeting where I once again heard about absolute solidarity with Ukraine. And the recent massive attacks by Iranian kamikaze drones have further strengthened the desire of the United States to support Ukraine, Stefanchuk wrote. In his words, Ukraine is now the defender of the entire civilized world. Ukraine must win, otherwise this world will lose, and the United States stands alongside the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom and their land. I sincerely thank Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi for the comprehensive and continuous support for our state, Stefanchuk stressed. However, the war is not yet over, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine need weapons, Stefanchuk emphasized, adding that they also discussed that issue with Pelosi. A reminder that Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk is paying a visit to Croatia, where the first Crimea Platform Parliamentary Summit will take place on October 25, 2022. Photo: Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine mk The First Crimea Platform Parliamentary Summit has opened in Croatias Zagreb. Acting as the organizers of the Summit, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Speaker of the Sabor of the Republic of Croatia Gordan Jandrokovic welcomed the Speakers of Parliaments from dozens of countries at the National and University Library in Zagreb, where the event is taking place, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. During the main part of the Summit, all participants are expected to deliver a speech. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also address those present at the Summit. Following the Summit, the results will be summed up, and the final statement will be released. mk The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, Marketa Pekarova-Adamova, has proposed establishing an international tribunal to bring to justice Russian citizens guilty of crimes against Ukraine, which will help prevent the undermining of the international order. She said this in her speech at the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "I want to use this opportunity to propose concrete steps - to create an international tribunal for [Russian] crimes against Ukraine in order to bring the aggressors to justice. This includes Russian military personnel and civilians, their accomplices, who are waging war together," Pekarova-Adamova said. She noted that such prosecution is a matter of principle. "If we do not achieve this goal, it will be the undermining of the international order," she said. According to her, the significant presence of the international community at the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform inspires optimism for the joint eventual victory of democracy. Pekarova-Adamova expressed hope that the next summit could be held in Crimea, since the war started there and it should end there. Thanking Pekarova-Adamova for the "powerful messages" in her speech, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said that they have a special weight since the Czech Republic is currently holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Ankara supports the restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea and other occupied territories. Russia must immediately release the imprisoned Crimean Tatars, particularly First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelyal. "We want to express our steadfast support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine together with Crimea and other annexed regions," Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Sentop said during the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform in Zagreb, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. As he noted, Crimea is the homeland of Crimean Tatars who are close to the Turkish people. Therefore, the issue of the peninsula, in addition to security and economic aspects, is important to Ankara because of family ties. "We will not recognize the annexation of Crimea and will support Ukraines integrity and Crimean Tatar on all platforms," Sentop emphasized. According to him, the UN cannot solve the problem of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Therefore, this is an indicator of the need for reforms in this international organization. The world is not only five members of the UN Security Council, he noted. During his speech, Sentop drew attention to the imprisonment of the Crimean Tatars, particularly First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelyal, by Russia. "This needs a reaction. We hope that these people will be released as soon as possible," he stressed. According to Sentop, Turkey rejects all Russias illegal decisions regarding the recent annexation of four occupied regions of Ukraine. The Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey emphasized that Ankara hoped that peace in Ukraine would be established come after Ukraine fully restored its territorial integrity. As he noted, when conditions permit, it will be necessary to proceed to diplomatic negotiations. At the same time, he warned that negotiations do not necessarily mean compromise but the consolidation of achievements on the field through diplomacy. "We are ready to act as a mediator in this process," Sentop stated. As reported, the "court" in Crimea, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, sentenced First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelyal and Crimean Tatar activists Asan Akhtemov and Aziz Akhtemov to 17, 15, and 13 years in prison, respectively, and fines. On October 25, the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform is held in Zagreb, Croatia. Delegations from more than 50 countries and international organizations take part in the event. ol The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, appealed to the countries of the Global South regarding Russia's false accusations of developing a "dirty bomb". He made the relevant appeal at a briefing for foreign media, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "I would also like to specifically address nations of the Global South - Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Friends, Ukraine has never had a plan to develop any dirty bombs. This story is a pure Russian lie and no one should be fooled by it. We will not only refute it, we have invited international monitors to prove Russian allegations false because we have nothing to hide," said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy. Kuleba also emphasized that what is even more concerning is the persistence with which Russian officials are pursuing this false narrative. "This makes us worried that Russia itself may be preparing to commit a crime which it tries to cover in advance by spreading this disinformation. We work actively with partners not only to counter Russian lies, but also to avert any possible Russian false flag operations," the top diplomat added. The head of the Foreign Ministry emphasized that Russia should see that the world will not allow them to continue nuclear blackmail. As reported by Ukrinform, the Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu held phone calls with his French, Turkish, and British counterparts to claim that Ukraine was allegedly plotting a dirty bomb attack on own soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that such statements by the Russian Federation indicate that Russia had already plotted everything, therefore the world should react to this as harshly as possible. The U.S., France, and Great Britain issued a joint statement, condemning Russia's false attempts to accuse Ukraine of preparing to use a "dirty bomb" on its own territory, and confirming steadfast support to Ukraine. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, officially proposed that the IAEA send in a mission to monitorUkraines nuclear facilities in order to refute the lies being spread by Russian Federation about the "dirty bomb". Photo: Ukrainian Presidents Office The head of the Italian government, Giorgia Maloni, during his first address to the countrys parliament on Tuesday, said that Italy would not succumb to Putin's energy blackmail and continue to support Ukraine. This was reported by Financial Times, according to Ukrinform. Giving in to Putins blackmail on energy would not solve the problem, it would make it worse by opening the way to further demands and blackmail, she said. She said her government would offer financial support to families and businesses affected by the energy crisis, warning that the high cost of the move meant her administration might have to shelve some of its campaign promises. The head of government added that Italy would continue to support Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia due to the latters full-scale aggression. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the leader of the Brothers of Italy party Giorgia Meloni, 45, officially took the oath of the head of the Italian government on Saturday, October 22, becoming the first female prime minister in the country's history. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal stated he was convinced that Germany's assistance in supplying weapons to Ukraine would not diminish. He wrote this on Telegram following a meeting with Germanys Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, Ukrinform reports. "The entire German government and people stand behind these consolidated decisions. On behalf of our Government and all Ukrainians, I thanked for this," Shmyhal wrote. According to the Prime Minister, German weapons, in particular, IRIS-T air defense system, proved extremely effective in protecting the Ukrainian sky and the lives of Ukrainians from Russian missiles. I voiced our proposals for improving resistance to Iranian drones and strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities. We count on the support of our partners in this matter," the Prime Minister added. As reported, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal discussed with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen the creation of a financial coordination platform to support Ukraine. iy In the near future, Russian special services are preparing a broad campaign targeting the leaders of the national liberation movements of the peoples populating Russia. Thats according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraines Defense Ministry, Ukrinform reports. The campaign, set to kick off in the near future, will be aimed at compromising the ethnic groups desire for self-determination. "To this end, both in Russia itself and beyond its borders in Europe, the USA, and Ukraine, existing agents of influence in the information and political spheres will be employed. Their task is to convey to the broad masses the opinion about the a priori aggressive, terrorist, or even Nazi nature of any national movements," intelligence reports. The goal of this campaign is to disrupt international support for the right of peoples to protect their rights, language, and culture. In addition, it is about forming in Ukrainian society a negative attitude towards the peoples of the Russian Federation, who suffer from the imperial policy. Traditionally, first of all, the peoples of the Caucasus, who are actively fighting for their right to self-determination, fall under the influence of Russian propaganda. In particular, its the Chechen opposition. Russias military and political leadership currently consider national liberation movements as one of the key threats to the unity and even the very existence of Russia. They are perceived as a factor of instability, causing stiff opposition from the Kremlin's top brass. Intelligence explains that the best way to counter such campaigns is to ignore manipulative messages, regardless of the name of the speaker spreading them. Also, it is about detecting covert "agents of influence" operating under the guise of "opinion leaders." UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visits a Somali family who recently arrived at a temporary site near Dagahaley refugee camp, Kenya. UNHCR/Samuel Otieno NAIROBI As he concluded a five-day visit to Somalia and Kenya on Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, called on global leaders to spare no efforts in assisting countries in the Horn of Africa to break the cycle of conflict and climate crises. As people try to avert famine and seek safety, many have been forced to flee. According to the UNHCR-led Protection and Return Monitoring Network, in Somalia, the number of people displaced internally primarily by drought this year alone is nearing 1 million, with another nearly 500,000 displaced due to conflict and insecurity. Many who have already been forced to flee violence have been displaced yet again by the worst drought in 40 years, brought on by four failed rainy seasons, with a fifth predicted. Globally, such extreme weather events are intensifying and becoming more frequent due to the climate crisis. Despite urgent calls from humanitarian agencies active in Somalia, the catastrophic and multifaceted consequences are largely unnoticed as the worlds attention remains elsewhere. While in Somalia, Grandi met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and expressed solidarity with the people and government of Somalia at this difficult moment. Under the leadership of Somalias authorities, we will continue to step up collective efforts to save lives. UNHCR teams are on the ground doing what they can to help, but weve secured funds to cover just a small percentage of the people in need, Grandi said. He also reaffirmed UNHCRs commitment to supporting the country to pursue solutions for those who have been displaced. In Galkacyo, Grandi met families who had trekked for days to reach displacement sites and heard of the heart-breaking choices they are making for survival, such as leaving behind loved ones or selling their assets to feed their children, and the particular consequences for women and children. These families are the least responsible for global warming, yet they are being hit the hardest. It is tragic and it is shameful, and the world should not look away, he said. In Kenya, Grandi visited refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma, meeting with local and county authorities, host community members and partners. In Dadaab, where Somali refugees have been living in camps for more than 30 years, Grandi saw first-hand how the drought is impacting displacement. More than 50,000 Somali refugees who have arrived in recent years are in dire need of support. Some 20,000 have arrived this year alone. UNHCR is providing basic assistance and supporting local Kenyans with the provision of water and other aid. The drought impact in Kenya is not in the headlines, but it deserves as much attention from the international community, Grandi said. We must get the resources to do more for these arrivals from Somalia and affected Kenyans too. Grandi met with Kenyan President William Ruto and reaffirmed UNHCRs commitment to work closely with his new administration on protection and solutions for refugees as well as to encourage more development support to host communities. Kenya has provided international protection to refugees from across the region for more than three decades and currently hosts over half a million refugees and asylum-seekers. In their meeting, Grandi and President Ruto agreed that allowing refugees to work and integrate with their host communities is the best option to end dependency on humanitarian aid. We have the opportunity for Kenya to be a leader in adopting a settlement model and to achieve sustainable solutions for refugees. We must take advantage of it, Grandi said. I call on the international community to support this promising approach. In Kalobeyei settlement, he saw how much the investments in development, such as the International Finance Corporations Kakuma-Kalobeyei Challenge Fund, an innovative private sector partnership, have already benefitted refugees and, more importantly, the host community. Since Kalobeyei was launched in 2016, it is impressive to see how much progress has been made in development, livelihoods and provision of social services, despite various challenges, despite COVID-19, Grandi said. We cant let the momentum stall and are ready to continue our support to Kenya. ENDS Note to editors: To provide emergency support to some 1.5 million refugees and internally displaced people affected by the drought in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, in June UNHCR urgently appealed for US$42.6 million for the rest of 2022. The overall funding levels of the three country operations indicate that approximately 45 per cent of the funds required for UNHCRs drought response are available. See UNHCRs Regional Drought Appeal for Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Link to B-Roll: For Somalia: https://media.unhcr.org/Share/0jq0jp7f3p35ong1081ud66sv7dag856 For Kenya - Dadaab: https://media.unhcr.org/Share/xf2pjke1nlb3xn53igfs6uiy272wwmm5 For Kenya - Kakuma: https://media.unhcr.org/Share/0aurjn3655akpkq32uexjm726txpf8iy For more information on this topic, please contact: The opportunity to play Division I collegiate football is not something Texas State redshirt Read moreA second chance: Spears' life changed by near death experience Pakistan on Monday proposed the inclusion of "Water Resources Management & Climate Change" as new area of cooperation under the framework of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for efficient water resources management, development of climate resilient infrastructure ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2022 ) :Pakistan on Monday proposed the inclusion of "Water Resources Management & Climate Change" as new area of cooperation under the framework of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for efficient water resources management, development of climate resilient infrastructure. The proposal was made in the third meeting of Joint Working Group (JWG) between the government of Pakistan and People's Republic of China was held here to review the long-term plan of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives Syed Zafar Ali Shah and Pan Jiang through video conference with interval of three years. Director General of the National Development & Reforms Commission of China, representatives of Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Aviation, Finance, Economic Affairs, Gwadar Port Authority, Gwadar Development Authority as well as representatives of their counterparts in China have also attended the meeting. The meeting reviewed and summarized the implementation status of the CPEC projects and deliberated upon the future course of action with regard to implementation of the CPEC long-term plan. Both the sides expressed satisfaction on steady progress made on various projects and agreed to start deepening the work done and then execution of the second phase of CPEC, which is focused on Agriculture Cooperation, Industrial Cooperation, Science & Technology, Information Technology and Socio-Economic Development. It was noted that since the last meeting of JWG on Planning and CPEC Long Term Plan held on November, 2019 a number of developments have taken place. Globally this period remained marred by COVID-19 pandemic preventing free movement of people between countries and regions. Despite these restrictions and difficulties posed by the pandemic, substantial progress has been achieved. Both the sides noted that out of 26 CPEC-Early Harvest Projects, 14 projects including Karachi-Lahore Motorway: Multan-Sukkur Section, KKH (Phase-II) upgradation & reconstruction from Raikot to Islamabad via Mansehra, Eastbay Expressway, 1320 MW Port Qasim Power Plant, 1320MW Sahiwal Power Plant and 720 MW Karot HPP, etc. have been completed, while currently 5 projects including New Gwadar International Airport and 873 MW Suki Kinari HPP etc are under execution. The meeting was also informed that the Government of Pakistan was actively implementing various projects, in close collaboration with the Provincial Governments to ensure efficient and time completion with a view to view to make the CPEC a roaring success and directly monitoring the progress of these projects on a monthly basis. The two sides resolved to redouble the efforts to tap the full potential of cooperation as well as to make sure that the population of Pakistan fully benefit from these projects by utilizing the massive opportunities being created in various sectors. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :President Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Tuesday urged the need for further enhancing bilateral trade and investment between Pakistan and Nepal, which would be mutually beneficial for the people of both the countries. He stated this while talking to the Ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan Tapas Adhikari, who visited the FPCCI Capital Office and met with him, Vice President Umar Masood Ur Rehman and other members of the FPCCI and discussed existing trade and economic ties between the two countries. Speaking on the occasion, the ambassador said that both the countries had great potential to cooperate with each other in various sectors of economy, adding that the bilateral relations between the two countries had always been excellent. Nepal and Pakistan were members of SAARC and had similar cultural and social backgrounds, he said adding that Pakistan was one of the most important countries for Nepal to promote regional trade, especially in perspective of the SAARC regime. He said that the logistics issues, lack of communication and proper marketing were some main hurdles in giving a boost to the bilateral trade and stressed the need for exchanging business delegations to enhance trade and promotion of investment opportunities between the two sides. Speaking on the occasion, President FPCCI Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that Pakistan and Nepal were members of SAARC and enjoyed friendly relations as it kept emphasizing a well-devised strategy for ensuring regional peace through maintaining trade and economic relations among the SAARC countries. Nepal, being a land-locked country between China and India, could understand the importance of regional trade better than others, he said adding that Nepal was an import-oriented economy whose imports were far greater than exports. In the year 2021, Pakistan exports to Nepal were $4.7 million while the imports from Nepal were $ 2.6 million, he said adding that despite huge trade potential, the trade volume between the two countries was very low which stood at $ 7.3 million. Moscow, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :Five people were injured in a blast Tuesday in the Russian-held city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine, the pro-Moscow administration said. "A car exploded near the ZaMedia media group building in Melitopol", damaging it and nearby residential homes, the local pro-Moscow administration said on Telegram. "Five people were slightly injured, including employees of the media group. One was hospitalised," the administration said. Photos showed a grey building block with windows ripped off and burning debris on the ground. There was no official confirmation or denial by Ukraine that its forces were responsible for the explosion. But the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian administration in exile showed photos from an explosion. It added: "This is what the heating in the buildings of collaborators and propagandists should look like! And it will become hotter". The television and radio studio are continuing their work, the pro-Moscow administration said on Telegram. Melitopol, a city with a pre-war population of just over 150,000 inhabitants, is located in the region of Zaporizhzhia that Moscow claims to have annexed. (@ChaudhryMAli88) BERLIN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :Ukraine needs a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild the war-torn country, and Kyiv can rely on the continued support of its international partners, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday. "Together with all our friends and partners, we will resolutely continue to support Ukraine: politically financially, in terms of humanitarian assistance, and also with arms," Scholz said at the opening of an international conference on Ukraine, co-hosted by Germany and the European Union. Scholz condemned Russia's recent military strikes, accused Kremlin of launching "indiscriminate attacks" against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. "Today we do not yet know when this war will end. But it will end. And when it does, we will continue to stand by Ukraine and its struggle for security, freedom and democracy," he stressed. Scholz said today's high-level experts conference will focus on developing ideas and mechanisms to ensure the reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine in the coming years and decades. "So, what it is at stake here is nothing less than creating a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century," he said and underlined that this will require a massive commitment. "The recovery, reconstruction and modernization of Ukraine will indeed be a challenge for generations, one that will require the combined strength of the entire international community," he added. The Marshall Plan was a US-sponsored program for European recovery after World War II, and it brought extensive investment into the region. Tuesday's conference in Berlin is bringing together policymakers, businesspeople, representatives of international organizations and the Ukrainian government to discuss key matters for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. Ahead of the conference, German diplomats said there will not be any political decisions at the meeting. Recommendations of the experts will be published later, to guide policymakers in future decisions on a comprehensive reconstruction and modernization plan for Ukraine. (@ChaudhryMAli88) New York, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :The US consumer's love for enormous vehicles has been seen by outsiders as a curiosity and sometimes a sign of profligacy. Either way, rising concerns about climate change seemed to create a reckoning for the behemoth-sized pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that recently have sustained US automaker profits. Not so, according to Detroit auto giants, who have responded to the climate crisis by launching all-electric versions of the Ford F-150 pickup, the Chevrolet Blazer SUV and other best-selling giants that seemingly promise the possibility that consumers can have it all: address global warming without sacrificing the appeal of larger autos. Leading US environmentalists, along with the Biden administration, have praised announcements of the electric vehicle (EV) rollouts as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Absent has been any discussion of the environmental toll of large EV trucks, which require more energy to recharge and more critical materials than do smaller EVs. In showcasing trucks, Detroit automakers are setting the groundwork for an EV era that mirrors the current profile of US roadways and distinct from Europe, where sedans dominate. Industry insiders like Alan Amici, president of the Center for Automotive Research, see little appetite among American consumers to go small. "People are still clamoring for big pickups and SUVs," Amici said. "I don't expect a return to sedans." The trucks, often marketed in advertisements navigating rugged landscapes, provide lucrative profit margins to automakers and have become so ubiquitous on US roads that some consumers avoid smaller vehicles out of fear of how it would handle a crash with a much bigger auto. Ford and General Motors, both of which report earnings this week, are positioning the vehicles as environmentally friendly based on how they contrast with gas-guzzling equivalents. Luke Tonachel, who heads the clean vehicles program at environmental group NRDC, said electric pickups and SUVs represent a critical step in addressing climate change. "It's incredibly important that we eliminate tailpipe pollution from all cars as soon as possible," Tonachel told AFP. "We need broad acceptance and adoption of EVs across the market. And that's why it's encouraging to see automakers starting to make EVs on all types of car segments, including the most popular ones. " - Customer 'has spoken' - The focus on large vehicles was apparent at last month's Detroit Auto Show, where Biden test drove the EV Cadillac Lyriq, an SUV made by the GM brand. In previous trips to Detroit, Biden cheered on production of GM's EV Hummer and the launch of Ford's F-150 EV. While GM's display at the Detroit show included the Bolt, an EV sedan, greater prominence went to electric versions of three larger Chevies: the Silverado pickup, and the Blazer and Equinox SUVs. "The customer has spoken. SUVs and trucks are what the customer wants," Chevrolet Vice President Steve Majoros told AFP at the show. NRDC's Tonachel notes that some sedans still sell at substantial levels in the United States, but that they are made by companies like Japan's Toyota and South Korea's Hyundai. "The different manufacturers are sort of carving out what they see as their specialty," he said. "The Detroit three automakers, they left the compact car and most of the sedan market years ago." Bertrand Rakoto, global automotive practice leader at Ducker in Detroit, a consultancy, said it makes more sense to focus on trucks to fight climate change. "You're removing the emissions for the large vehicles that are the most emitting," he said. Rakoto, who is originally from France, said the contrast between the United States and Europe reflect different geographic qualities and transportation systems, with space in Europe more precious and public transit more integrated into regular life. - Energy drain - A December 2021 International Energy Agency report bemoaned the rise of SUVs, not only in the United States, but in India and Europe. Most of the vehicles still run on gasoline, meaning that "if SUVs were an individual country, they would rank sixth in the world for absolute emissions in 2021, emitting over 900 million tons of CO2," the IEA said. The analysis said SUV electrification helps, but noted larger vehicles require more critical materials for bigger batteries and consume around 20 percent more energy than a medium-sized car. For Benjamin Stephan, of Greenpeace in Germany, limiting global warming remains critical, meaning "you sort of have to pull every lever available.""Obviously an all-electric pickup truck will have a much better carbon footprint," he said. "But you could reduce that footprint even more by having no car at all, or a much smaller car." (@FahadShabbir) PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :The toll of HIV/AIDs patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has surged to 5,690 registered patients with an increase of 488 new patients reported during the last two months. According to National AIDS Control Program (NACP) statistics released on Tuesday, a total of 4,004 males and 1301 women were included in 5,690 new registered patients. The diagnosis reports of more than one thousand persons were in progress with the National Institute of Health, Islamabad. The data revealed that the virus also became positive among 50 transgenders in Peshawar, 207 male children and 128 minor girls. Similarly, a total of 3,593 AIDs patients were under treatment at Lady Reading Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex. The report said that 1,270 HIV/AIDS patients were admitted in Kohat, Bannu and DI Khan while 251 patients were under treatment at Batkhela hospital. A total of six hospitals in the province were providing free diagnosis and medicine facilities to affected patients. Similarly, more than 12 Afghan nationals and one Nigerian citizen affected by HIV AIDS were also under treatment in Peshawar. Maximum patients in Peshawar belonging to other districts came here in search of better treatment; however, their permanent cure for the disease has not yet been available. The HIV AIDs patients were given antibiotics and painkillers but couldn't become normal. Furthermore, apart from physical relationships, containment medical equipment is also causing HIV AIDS in people, the report added. (@ChaudhryMAli88) German Ambassador Alfred Grannas Tuesday paid his maiden call on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, after assuming his charge, here at GHQ RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :German Ambassador Alfred Grannas Tuesday paid his maiden call on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, after assuming his charge, here at GHQ. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, overall regional situation, bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed. The COAS said Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Germany. The army chief congratulated the dignitary on assuming the office of ambassador and expressed hope that relations between the two countries would further prosper. The visiting dignitary expressed his grief over the devastation caused by floods in Pakistan and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims. He also appreciated Pakistan's continuous efforts for regional stability and pledged to play his role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb Tuesday said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had decided to conduct judicial inquiry to probe the tragic death of senior journalist Arshad Sharif. In a statement, she said the inquiry would be headed by high court judge. The decision had been taken to determine the real facts of death of the senior journalist in Kenya. She said the prime minister had decided to investigate the death of the senior anchorperson. (@FahadShabbir) At least 24 people died after Cyclone Sitrang slammed into Bangladesh, forcing the evacuation of about a million people from their homes, officials said Tuesday Kuakata, Bangladesh, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :At least 24 people died after Cyclone Sitrang slammed into Bangladesh, forcing the evacuation of about a million people from their homes, officials said Tuesday. Cyclones -- the equivalent of hurricanes in the Atlantic or typhoons in the Pacific -- are a regular menace in the region but scientists say climate change is likely making them more intense and frequent. Sitrang made landfall in southern Bangladesh late Monday but authorities managed to get about a million people to safety before the monster weather system hit. Around 10 million people were without power in districts along the coast on Tuesday, while schools were shut across much of the country's south. Police and government officials said at least 24 people died, mostly after they were hit by falling trees, with two dying in the north on the Jamuna River when their boat sank in squally weather. A Myanmar national working on a ship also died by falling off the deck, an official said. "We still have not got all the reports of damages," government official Jebun Nahar told AFP. Eight people are missing from a dredging boat that sank during the storm late Monday night in the Bay of Bengal, near the country's largest industrial park at Mirsarai, regional fire department chief Abdullah Pasha said. "Strong wind flipped the dredger and it sank instantly in the Bay of Bengal," he told AFP, adding that divers were searching for survivors. People evacuated from low-lying regions such as remote islands and river banks were moved to thousands of multi-storey cyclone shelters, Disaster Management Ministry secretary Kamrul Ahsan told AFP. "They spent the night in cyclone shelters. And this morning many are heading back to their homes," he said. Ahsan said nearly 10,000 homes were either "destroyed or damaged" in the storm and around 1,000 shrimp farms had been washed away in floods. In some cases police had to cajole villagers who were reluctant to abandon their homes, officials said. Trees were uprooted as far away as the capital Dhaka, hundreds of kilometres from the storm's centre. Heavy rains lashed much of the country, flooding cities such as Dhaka, Khulna and Barisal -- which took on 324 millimetres (13 inches) of rainfall on Monday. About 33,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, controversially relocated from the mainland to a storm-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, were ordered to stay indoors but there were no reports of casualties or damage, officials said. - Panic and snakes - The cyclone downed trees and brought widespread panic to the southern island of Maheshkhali after power and telecoms were cut. "Such was the power of the wind we could not sleep in the night because of the fear that our homes will be destroyed. Snakes entered many homes. Water also inundated many homes," said Tahmidul islam, 25, a resident of Maheshkhali. In the worst-affected Barisal region, teeming rains and heavy winds wreaked havoc on vegetable farms, district administrator Aminul Ahsan told AFP. In the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal, thousands of people were evacuated Monday to more than 100 relief centres, officials said, but there were no reports of damage and people were returning home on Tuesday. Last year, more than a million people were evacuated along India's east coast before Cyclone Yaas battered the area with winds gusting up to 155 kilometres (96 miles) an hour -- equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. Cyclone Amphan, the second "super cyclone" recorded over the Bay of Bengal, killed more than 100 people in Bangladesh and India and affected millions when it hit in 2020. In recent years, better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced the death toll from such storms. The worst recorded, in 1970, killed hundreds of thousands of people. BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2022) Argentine President Alberto Fernandez discussed with a Chinese company the construction of railways in a number of Argentine provinces, the president's office said on Monday. "President Alberto Fernandez met this afternoon with the head of China Railway International Group (CRIG) to evaluate various infrastructure, energy and technology projects within the framework of Argentina's accession to China's Belt and Road Initiative," the statement said. Argentina and China discussed such projects as the modernization and electrification of the suburban railway service, the construction of roads between the provinces of Chaco and Corrientes, and Santa Fe and Entre Rios. China Railway International Limited (CRIG) is part of China Railway Group Limited, the largest engineering and construction group in China specializing in the construction of railways and tunnels. The company is operating projects in 17 countries. The Belt and Road Initiative is China's international project seeking to promote cooperation between Beijing and over 60 of its trading partners in Asia, Africa and Europe. In February, Argentina announced it will join the Chinese Belt and Road trade initiative and receive funding worth $23.7 billion for various projects from Beijing. WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2022) US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov and discussed support for Ukraine amid Russia's special military operation and allegations that Kiev plans to use a so-called "dirty bomb," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said. "Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke today with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov to reaffirm the unwavering US commitment to support Ukraine's ability to counter Russian aggression," Ryder said during a press briefing on Monday. "He... reiterated that the United States rejects the public and false allegations by Russia about Ukraine and any attempt to use them as a pretext for further Russian escalation of its unlawful and unjustified war against Ukraine. " Ryder said that Austin and Reznikov pledged to remain in close contact. Earlier on Monday, the Russian mission to the United Nations sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying the Kiev regime plans to develop a "dirty bomb" and later accuse Russia for using a tactical nuclear weapon. A dirty bomb contains radioactive isotopes and explosive load that disperses the radioactive materials across large areas. The letter also urged the Western countries and the UN Secretary-General to exert their influence on Kiev and prevent a heinous crime from happening. Syrian people continue to suffer as the conflict remains very active across the country and the political process has not delivered for civilians, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said on Tuesday UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2022) Syrian people continue to suffer as the conflict remains very active across the country and the political process has not delivered for civilians, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said on Tuesday. "Tragically, however, the political process has not so far delivered for the Syrian people and they continue to suffer, not least from acute violence. Even as the strategic stalemate persists, the conflict remains very active across Syria," Pedersen told the UN Security Council. The conflict continues, contributing to the economic challenges in Syria, resulting in humanitarian suffering and a growing burden on livelihoods, he added. The recent cholera outbreak is spreading rapidly and this underscores the need to find a solution to the dire water and health conditions in Syria, Pedersen stressed. As of October 23, almost 1,000 cholera cases have been confirmed in Syria, and over 40 people have died from the disease the country's health ministry said. Syria declared an outbreak of cholera in Aleppo Governorate in September, with the first cases having emerged in August. The outbreak has since spread to neighboring Lebanon. Over 13,000 suspected cholera cases have been reported across Syria. Cholera is an acute bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food or water. Symptoms include severe diarrhea. A person can potentially die from the illness within hours if left untreated, but most people recover after exhibiting only mild symptoms with the help of oral rehydration solutions. ?? #AHORA | El presidente @PedroCastilloTe inaugura Sesion Plenaria del 17 GORE Ejecutivo, junto a Gabinete Ministerial y gobernadores de todas las regiones del pais. Actividad se realiza en el Gran Comedor de Palacio de Gobierno. pic.twitter.com/j1lu3kkrln ?? En vivo | Se inicia el 17. GORE Ejecutivo en Palacio de Gobierno, liderado por el presidente de la republica, Pedro Castillo, el premier Anibal Torres y el titular de la @ANGRPERU y gobernador de Cusco, Jean Paul Benavente. https://t.co/WBzUSrOf15 MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th October, 2022) Two Israeli F-16 fighter jets fired eight cruise missiles at targets in Damascus on Monday, and the Syrian air defense systems shot down half of them, Maj. Gen. Oleg Egorov, the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said on Tuesday. "From 13.50 to 14.02 on October 24, two tactical fighters of the Israeli Air Force F-16 from the Golan Heights launched an air strike with eight cruise missiles against targets located in the city of Damascus," Egorov told a briefing, adding that four missiles were shot down. The incident injured two Syrian soldiers, Egorov added. (@ChaudhryMAli88) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2022) The Netherlands will take part in the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the United Kingdom in 2023, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said on Monday. Earlier in the day, the minister visited the site of the Operation Interflex, a UK-led multinational military operation to train and support the Ukrainian armed forces, in the north of the kingdom. "Impressed during visit to Op. Interflex in the UK, where NLD military personnel provide basic training to Ukrainian recruits. An assignment with great responsibility; one that we will continue in 2023," Ollongren said on Twitter. In August, the Netherlands joined the UK-led program to help train Ukrainian soldiers. The course includes training in weapons handling, first aid on the battlefield, fieldcraft, patrol tactics and the law of armed conflict. The Dutch defense ministry said that about 90 Dutch servicemen are involved in the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the UK. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine responding to calls for help from the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics. The Russian defense ministry said the goal of the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, is to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine, and to completely liberate Donbas. Western countries responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Moscow, while also ramping up their military support for Kiev and providing Ukrainian military with training on a bilateral basis. Moscow has warned the West against further involvement in the conflict, while the EU, the US and NATO have maintained that they are not part to the hostilities despite training Ukrainian soldiers, sending their instructors and hardware to Ukraine, and providing intelligence. VLADIVOSTOK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2022) Trade between Russia and North Korea through the customs points of the Far East has completely stopped but might resume with the opening of the rail traffic by Pyongyang, Yuri Ladygin, head of the regional unit of Russia's Federal Customs Service, said on Tuesday. As of October 2021, foreign trade turnover with North Korea was down 300 times and amounted to 20 tonnes of goods, compared with 5,800 tonnes for the same period in 2020. Russia did not export any goods during that period, while North Korea supplied organic chemicals, vehicles and machinery. "We do not trade with North Korea in any way due to the restrictions that have been imposed by the United Nations on North Korea. It was possible to supply food and medicine there, but not the rest. I hope that the border will open and we will see what goods will be in demand in North Korea. But now there is still no clarity," Ladygin told reporters. At the beginning of September, North Korean Ambassador in Moscow Sin Hong Chol told Russia's Primorsky Territory Governor Oleg Kozhemyako said that the border between the two countries would open by October and freight traffic would resume. However, Pyongyang has delayed the opening of the Khasan-Tumangang railway border point. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th October, 2022) Switzerland may soften its weapons re-export ban for countries that share the same values, the Security Policy Commission of the Council of States, the upper house of the Swiss parliament, said on Tuesday. In recent months, Bern has several times banned Germany and Denmark from supplying Swiss-made ammunition and military vehicles to Ukraine referring to a so called non-re-export declaration, prohibiting to re-export Swiss war materials. "Consideration should be given to the possibility that countries which share our values and whose export control regime is comparable to ours could be exempted from providing a declaration of non-re-export (of weapons), at least in the case where this re-export takes place to another country fulfilling the same criteria," the commission said in a statement. According to the statement, the majority of the commission members believe that this measure would not contradict the principle of neutrality and will boost the country's industry and technological development. "A minority (of members) considers that the current regulations have proven their worth and that a relaxation entails a significant risk of circumvention. It wants to prevent Swiss weapons from ending up in countries at war as much as possible," the statement read. The commission added that it would look at this issue once again at the beginning of 2023. Earlier in the day, Swiss President Ignazio Cassis reaffirmed that Bern, while remaining an important partner to Kiev, would not supply Ukraine with weapons. After Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine, Western countries have been supplying Kiev with weapons and military equipment. Switzerland, in line with the principle of neutrality, is providing Ukraine with direct aid specifically tailored for humanitarian purposes. Moscow has warned the West against further involvement in the conflict, while the EU, the US and NATO have maintained that they are not party to the hostilities despite training Ukrainian soldiers, sending their instructors and hardware to Ukraine, and providing intelligence. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2022) Outgoing UK Prime Minister Liz Truss dedicated her final speech in office on Tuesday to the support of the government's economic policy, despite the fact that it sparked a wave of public criticism and resulted in her stepping down from 10 Downing Street. Truss began her parting speech by saying that it was an honor for her to lead the nation in such difficult times, in particular after the death of UK Queen Elizabeth II. The government "has acted urgently and decisively on the side of hard working families and businesses" during the current economic crisis, she said. "We reversed the National Insurance increase. We helped millions of households with their energy bills, and helped thousands of businesses avoid bankruptcy," Truss said. The official also expressed confidence that the UK "simply cannot afford to be a low-growth country" and stressed the need for the population "to do things differently." "This means delivering more freedom for our own citizens, and restoring power to democratic institutions. It means lower taxes, so people can keep more of the money that they earn. And it means delivering growth that will lead to more job security, higher wages, and greater opportunities for our children and grandchildren," Truss said. In addition, she recalled that London continues and must continue to support Kiev, and strengthen Ukrainian and its own defense systems. Concluding her speech, Truss thanked her family, friends, team and government colleagues for their support and wished success to her successor, Rishi Sunak. "Our country continues to battle through a storm. But I believe in Britain, I believe in the British people and I know that brighter days lie ahead," she said. Truss announced her resignation on October 20, after six chaotic weeks in office, due to criticism over the government's new economic plan and the possibility of increasing public debt for its implementation. She became the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history. On Monday, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak was elected the head of the ruling Conservative Party and, as such, the new prime minister for the lack of other contenders. On Tuesday, UK King Charles III appointed Sunak as the new prime minister asking him to form a government. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2022) Two brothers aged 29 and 40 were violently killed in northeastern Kokoro Province in Papua New Guinea on suspicion of sorcery, the police hief inspector, Jeffrey Lemb, said on Tuesday. "It is understood that the two brothers, Philip Auro (the elder brother) and Daniel, were both attacked after being accused of practising sorcery. Philip was decapitated with a bush knife and Daniel was shot in the chest. We are still in the midst of investigating the case," Lemb was quoted by Papua New Guinea's newspaper The National. The police officer also said that a law enforcement team from Kerema and Malalaua was dispatched to the scene for investigation, according to the report. "The suspects are unknown at this time. But may have included the whole community," Lemb was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Superstitions widely spread in Papua New Guinea support the culture of witch-hunts. Local glassmen and glassmeries, having the power to accuse women and men of witchcraft and sorcery, make money pretending to have the ability to heal people. In March 2022, the country's parliament outlawed the practice, but the realization of the measure seems to have failed because the "healers" rarely face the law. Rishi Sunak on Tuesday became Britain's third prime minister this year and the first person of colour to hold the top job, receiving a flurry of welcome messages from around the world Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Oct, 2022 ) :Rishi Sunak on Tuesday became Britain's third prime minister this year and the first person of colour to hold the top job, receiving a flurry of welcome messages from around the world. Here is a selection of top reactions from global leaders: - Zelensky wants strong partnership - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media that he hoped Sunak would be able "to successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today". He added that he was "ready to continue strengthening the Ukrainian-British strategic partnership", following months with London as one of Kyiv's most vocal supporters against Russia's February invasion. - 'Tackling challenges' with France - France's Emmanuel Macron wrotetweeted that "together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world". - Italy is 'eager' to cooperate - From Italy, newly-installed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that she was "eager to cooperate with (Sunak) and his cabinet on the common challenges, standing for our shared values of freedom and democracy." - 'Close friends' with Germany - "I look forward to our further cooperation and partnership in NATO and (the) G7 as close friends," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted. - Poland wishes 'success' - Polish President Andrzej Duda wrote that he was "looking forward to our meeting and cooperation and wish you success in your endeavours". "Poland and the UK are steadfast allies and are standing together against the Russian invasion of Ukraine," he added. - 'Strengthening ties' with Spain - From Spain, Prime Minster Pedro Sanchez said that "we will continue to strengthen our ties for the benefit of our fellow citizens. Only solidarity and unity will allow us to confront the challenges and consequences of the war in Ukraine". - 'Positive EU-UK relations' - Maros Sefcovic, the European Union's point man on post-Brexit ties with Britain, said that "a positive EU-UK relationship is of strategic importance". He vowed to work towards "a partnership in full respect of our agreements" -- including the contentious issue of British province Northern Ireland's land border with EU-member Ireland. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that "in these testing times for our continent, we count on a strong relationship with the UK to defend our common values". - Russia sees no hope for improvement - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that in Moscow, "we do not see any preconditions, grounds, or hope that in the foreseeable future there will be any positive changes" in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Russia. - Nigeria welcomes 'milestones' - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said that with Sunak "as the first Prime Minister of British-Asian descent and the youngest in about 200 years, these milestones will be especially inspiring for young people" in the Commonwealth, the association mostly of former British colonies. "We seek to deepen our partnership with Britain" to address challenges including terrorism, food insecurity, energy and climate change, Buhari added. - Biden welcomes 'groundbreaking' PM - Even ahead of Sunak's appointment as prime minister by King Charles III -- the monarch's first new government chief since taking over from his mother Elizabeth II -- US President Joe Biden said it was "groundbreaking" that Britain would be led by a person with Indian heritage. "It's pretty astounding, a groundbreaking milestone and it matters," Biden said at a White House celebration of the Indian Diwali festival celebrated on Monday. - Special Diwali wishes from Modi - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not wait for Sunak to be officially appointed, sending congratulations via Twitter on Monday. "As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues," Modi wrote. "Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership," he added. Sunak is married to an Indian, Akshata Murty, the daughter of the co-founder of IT giant Infosys. The Gulf Blue Navigator Program Selects Inaugural Six Startup Companies Tue, 10/25/2022 - 15:30pm Six blue technology startups target improving ocean health, securing critical infrastructure and increasing coastal resilience all while driving economic growth in the new blue economy. The University of Southern Mississippi Research Foundation and SeaAhead, with the support of partners including Jackson State University, has selected the first cohort of blue technology startup companies for the Gulf Blue Navigator. This six-month program provides scaling startups, with innovations relevant to the ocean, with market access to the Gulf of Mexico region, proximity to federal agencies, technical facilities, and expertise. With an emphasis on shortening the timeline of development and market access, the Gulf Blue Navigator positions blue technology startups for success by leveraging the existing strengths and capabilities of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Mississippi Aquarium participated in the rigorous selection process of the high-quality applicants and is looking forward to catalyzing collaborations on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with startups leading the way to innovation for the new blue economy, said Kurt Allen, CEO Mississippi Aquarium. The selection committee narrowed the total applicant pool from 48 applicants across 12 countries to select the final 6 startup companies. Each will receive support for their costs for the program, including travel to the Gulf Coast over the six-month program. The startup companies are: Blue Ocean Gear: Intelligent tracking buoys for commercial fishing fleets, aquaculture farms, and ocean observers, helping them save time and money while gaining critical operational insights. (HQ: California) Marauder Robotics: Remote work platform that collects critical ecosystem data in near real-time and automates underwater tasks done by divers to restore biodiversity. (HQ: Georgia) SeaTrac Systems : Persistent, multi-purpose solar-powered Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USVs) to efficiently, safely and cost effectively perform real-time data collection and communications for research, commercial and defense applications. (HQ: Massachusetts) : Persistent, multi-purpose solar-powered Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USVs) to efficiently, safely and cost effectively perform real-time data collection and communications for research, commercial and defense applications. (HQ: Massachusetts) BeeX: Advanced underwater vehicles with the ability to swarm targets working in tandem with software tools to help reduce the costs and risks of underwater work at scale. (HQ: Singapore) Safety Net Technologies: Solutions that enable sustainable practices in the fishing industry for a world where oceans and people thrive together. (HQ: United Kingdom) SEATREC: Energy harvesting systems that generate electricity from naturally occurring temperature differences in ocean waters to power deep water oceanographic research equipment such as floats, gliders, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), for cost-effective deep ocean data collection. (HQ: California) Participants in the Gulf Blue Navigator will benefit from SeaAheads global network of expertise and success with the Blue Swell Incubator, along with The University of Southern Mississippis renowned facilities, faculty and staff. The program includes advanced interactive workshops taught by practitioners in the field, site visits with large industry and federal agencies, co-working space at the historic Gulf and Ship Island Building in Gulfport, and customized mentorship to meet the needs of each startup. The program will kick off with a splash the first week of November with the cohort visiting all three Coastal counties as a first step to possible partnerships to accelerate commercialization. Mark Huang, Managing Director of SeaAhead, said, The Gulf Blue Navigator program will act as a Gateway to the Gulf, as it is a bridge to connect promising bluetech startups to the unique capabilities and infrastructure on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Gulf Blue Navigator is made possible by the participation, support and financial contributions of our sponsors and partners who assist with recruitment, selection, curriculum, mentoring and more. This program is funded by the Builders Initiative, Mississippi Department of Environmental, Members of Coast Electric Power Association through their Operation Round Up program in partnership with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, with additional financial support from Harrison County Development Commission, Port of Gulfport, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Leidos, Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission, and Keesler Federal Credit Union . Peter Bryant, Program Director for Builders Initiative, said, Gulf Blue Navigator is a great program that will help advance blue economy business solutions to solve some of the most pressing issues facing our oceans. The combination of the academic leadership of The University of Southern Mississippi, the waterfront Gulfport location, and the business accelerator support of SeaAheads venture studio programs will spur innovation and help burgeoning entrepreneurs in the blue economy obtain the skills and assistance they need to grow their businesses. # About the organizations: USMRF The USM Research Foundation is a Mississippi non-profit corporation formed in 1998 and is administered and operated exclusively for the benefit of The University of Southern Mississippi. The foundation supports and enhances the research mission of the University by promoting the increase of useful knowledge and encourages the development of intellectual property owned by the University. The foundation also provides support to the University by managing research contracts, coworking space and entrepreneurial programs. USM The University of Southern Mississippis support for the Gulf Blue Navigator program is anchored by the Marine Research Center with its ability to support autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) development ranging from prototyping to over the horizon at sea testing, the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center which conducts research in algae, fin and shell-based aquaculture as well as recirculating aquaculture system-based farming, and the Mississippi Polymer Institute. SeaAhead Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, SeaAhead Inc. specializes in high potential ocean-focused technology startups, building global networks, and venture financing. Now also co-located in the Gulf & Ship Island building in Gulfport, SeaAheads platform, in tandem with USMs infrastructure and mission of fostering a culture of innovation, will connect promising global blue technology startups to the Mississippi Gulf Coast blue economy. El 17. #GOREEjecutivo, espacio de dialogo, articulacion y accion intergubernamental, se desarrolla con la participacion de ministros de Estado, gobernadores regionales y el alcalde de la Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima. pic.twitter.com/2wB5kCn3ON At the Community of Sant'Egidio's 'Cry for Peace' at the Colosseum, Pope Francis reiterates that religions cannot be used for war, and calls for nations to defuse conflicts with the weapon of dialogue. By Deborah Castellano Lubov Religions cannot be used for war. Only peace is holy, and no one is to use the name of God to bless terror and violence. If you see wars around you, do not resign yourselves! The peoples desire peace." This was the appeal of Pope Francis, along with religious leaders, during the closing ceremony of the annual 'Spirit of Assisi' prayer for peace on Tuesday afternoon at Rome's iconic Colosseum. The Pope recalled that these words he and religious leaders declared together a year ago, gathered in the same place, and said the appeal we launched "is all the more timely today," and "we must strive to do ever better each day." Let us never grow resigned to war. Let us cultivate seeds of reconciliation. "Today let us raise to heaven our plea for peace," the Pope said. In the face of threats of nuclear weapons and anguished pleas, the Pope warned that war constitutes "a failure" and suggested it "summons everyone" to do everything, at every level, to stop it. JP II's 'Spirit of Assisi' The three-day peace summit, held under the theme 'Il Grido della Pace' (The Cry for Peace), was hosted by the Community of SantEgidio, and has welcomed Heads of State, religious leaders, and various high-ranking authorities. This year's gathering marks the 36th edition of the meetings initiated in the wake of the historic World Day of Interreligious Prayer for Peace of 27 October 1986, convoked by Pope St. John Paul II. High-level international venue The event in Rome was inaugurated Sunday at the Nuvola Congress Center in the Italian capital's EUR business district, with the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Matterella. Religious leaders from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism, came together and made an appeal for peace. This marks the third-consecutive year Pope Francis has participated in the annual event. While the Summits generally were held in different European cities, since the pandemic, they have been held in Rome, and with the Holy Father's presence at each prayer gathering. In a special way, I thank the Christian leaders and those of other religions, who have joined us in the same spirit of fraternity that inspired the first historic convocation willed by Saint John Paul II in Assisi, thirty-six years ago. Heartfelt plea 'where peace has been trampled upon' Pope Francis said this year's prayer for peace holds a special importance. "This year our prayer has become a heartfelt plea," he said, "because today peace has been gravely violated, assaulted and trampled upon, and this in Europe, on the very continent that in the last century endured the horrors of two World Wars." Sadly, since then, the Pope lamented, wars have continued to cause bloodshed and to impoverish the earth. Particularly dramatic Yet the situation that we are presently experiencing is particularly dramatic. That is why, he said, we have raised our prayer to God, "who always hears the anguished plea of His sons and daughters." Hatred spreads as fighting continues Peace, the Pope recalled, is at the heart of religions, their sacred writings, and their teaching. This evening, amid the silence of prayer, we have heard that plea for peace: a peace suppressed in so many areas of the world, violated by all too many acts of violence, and denied even to children and the elderly, who have not been spared the bitter sufferings of war. That plea for peace, he lamented, is often stifled, not only by hostile rhetoric but also by indifference. "It is reduced to silence by hatred," he said, "which spreads as the fighting continues." No magic formulas, but everyone is summoned Yet, the Holy Father underscored, the plea for peace cannot be suppressed. "It rises from the hearts of mothers; it is deeply etched on the faces of refugees, displaced families, the wounded and the dying. And this silent plea rises up to heaven." It has no magic formulas for ending conflict, he continued, "but it does have the sacred right to implore peace in the name of all those who suffer, and it deserves to be heard. " It rightfully summons everyone, beginning with government leaders, to take time and listen, seriously and respectfully. That plea for peace, he said, expresses "the pain and the horror of war," which is "the mother of all poverty." Failure of war and threat of nuclear weapons Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil," continued Pope Francis. These convictions, the Pope said, are the fruit of the painful lessons of the twentieth century, "and sadly, once more, the beginning of the twenty-first." Today, in fact, something we dreaded and hoped never to hear of again is threatened outright: the use of atomic weapons, which even after Hiroshima and Nagasaki continued wrongly to be produced and tested. "In this bleak scenario, where, sad to say, the plans of potent world leaders make no allowance for the just aspirations of peoples, Gods plan for our salvation, which is 'a plan for peace and not for evil,'" the Holy Father said, "never changes." "Peace," the Pope said, "is Gods gift, and we have implored that gift from Him." "Yet peace," he clarified, "must be embraced and nurtured by us men and women, especially by those of us who are believers." The perverse rationale of war The Pope then made a series of appeals: "Let us not be infected by the perverse rationale of war; let us not fall into the trap of hatred for the enemy. Let us once more put peace at the heart of our vision for the future, as the primary goal of our personal, social and political activity at every level." "Let us defuse conflicts," he said, "by the weapon of dialogue." In October 1962, amid a grave international crisis, when military confrontation and nuclear holocaust seemed imminent, Saint John XXIII made this appeal: We plead with all government leaders not to remain deaf to this cry of humanity. Let them do everything in their power to safeguard peace. "They will," said Pope St John XXIII, "thus spare the world the horrors of a war, the terrible consequences of which cannot be foreseen... Promoting, fostering, and accepting dialogue at all levels and in all times is a rule of wisdom and prudence that attracts the blessing of heaven and earth. Sixty years later, Pope Francis observed, these words still impress us by their timeliness, saying he makes them his own. "We are not 'neutral', but allied for peace, and for that reason we invoke the ius pacis as the right of all to settle conflicts without violence. Religions cannot bless violence The Pope expressed appreciation that in recent years, fraternal relations between religions have taken decisive steps forward. He also reiterated that religions cannot be used for war, and that God's name can never bless terror and violence. Pope Francis concluded by appealing for nations and peoples to never grow used to war or resigned to it, calling instead for reconciliation and voices raised together to heaven for peace. International event The event, appealing for peace, especially as the world is engulfed by war, and especially the ongoing war in Ukraine, has brought together, once again, an impressive line up of participants, including several Vatican prefects, including Cardinal Kurt Koch of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and Cardinal Jose Tolentino Calaca de Mendonca of the Dicastery for Education and Culture. In addition to presidents of national Bishops' Conferences, Cardinal Raffael Sako of Iraq, and Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris, also were present. At a Mass celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the Holy See, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin stresses their strong relationship, and prays for peace in the country. By Joseph Tulloch Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, on Tuesday, 25 October, celebrated Mass to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations with Armenia. He discussed the special bond between the two states, and expressed his wish that your noble nation enjoy the peace which you desire. A long history In his homily, Cardinal Parolin underlined that although the Holy See and Armenia have only enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1992, their relationship has a long history, predating this formalisation. Armenia, indeed, was the first country to embrace Christianity, and Armenians remain a people of deep faith. An important component of the relationship between the Holy See and Armenia, the Cardinal said, is the respectful dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church, and he emphasised the multiple meetings between the Armenian Patriarch and Pope Francis in recent years. Only last year, Cardinal Parolin pointed out, the Holy See opened an Apostolic Nunciature in Yerevan, an important sign of how the Holy See and Armenia are continually developing their relations in a friendly and earnest way in various fields. St Gregory of Narek, Doctor of Peace The Cardinal also discussed the figure of St Gregory of Narek, the most beloved figure in the Armenian religious tradition, pointing out that this saint, so central to Armenian national identity, was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2015, and added by him to the General Roman Calendar several years later. Cardinal Parolin also noted Pope Franciss comment that, as well as a Doctor of the Church, the saint is also also a Doctor of Peace, quoting a famous line from the Armenian saints Book of Lamentations: Do not destroy those who persecute me, but reform them; root out the vile ways of this world, and plant the good in me and them. Exchange of letters On 23 October, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, exchanged messages with his counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, Foreign Minister of the Armenian Republic. The Armenian minister noted the strong relations between the two countries, which he said were based on shared Christian values, and expressed his desire to continue to co-operate for peace and sustainable development both in the Caucasus region and internationally. Moreover, he expressed his gratitude for the Popes decision to raise St Gregory Narek to the rank of Doctor of the Church, and for the Popes principled position on the Armenian genocide. The Archbishop, meanwhile, also emphasised the strong relations between the two countries, and stressed that the Holy See intends to further strengthen its co-operation with Armenia, aiming in particular to promote justice and peace. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has commented on the processes taking place around Armenia and the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization. Zakharova said that they cannot not be worried about the concerning trends that are gaining momentum in South Caucasus, where, according to her, the West is trying to transfer the confrontational schemes developed in Ukraine. We see what unprecedented pressure from outside the brotherly Armenia comes under. Steps are being taken to discredit Russias policy in the region in an attempt to damage centuries-old ties between our countries and peoples. Numerous foundations, NGOs and media outlets acting on orders from Washington and Brussels are redoubling their efforts to instill anti-Russian moods in society, TASS quoted Zakharova as saying. The Russian MFA Spokesperson expressed confidence that the attempts of external forces to quarrel Moscow and Yerevan will fail. We are determined to strengthen the strategic alliance and multilateral cooperation with Armenia which will help us jointly overcome the existing challenges. We develop the dialogue in military-political and military-technical directions, the trade turnover grows at record rates. Serious projects in transportation and logistics, infrastructures, mining industry and high technologies are being implemented and developed. Dozens of major Russian companies are ready to continue their investments in Armenias economy. We are successfully solving the energy and food safety issues of the Republic, Maria Zakharova said, adding that they also continue contacts in science, education and culture sectors, and the membership to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) brings significant benefits to Yerevan. Coming to the process of settling the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Zakharova slammed the steps of the West on this direction. She stated that the West does not take into account both the specificity of the region and the issue of being sensitive. According to her, the real goal of Washington and Brussels is not the development of compromise and balanced decisions, but self-promotion and squeezing Russia out of the South Caucasus. Zakharova blamed the West for appropriating the trilateral agreements, recalling the recent frequent visits of officials from the European Union, the OSCE, France to Armenia. She said that hasty initiatives are being pushed forward which do not consider the interests of all nations in the region, which will lead to a violation of the balance that was achieved by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in difficult conditions on November 9, 2020. The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson has also commented on the accusations that Russia is not fulfilling its commitments towards Armenia in the security field. She reminded that it was Russia that stopped the war in 2020 by sending peacekeepers who established peace and stability in the region and still have a decisive contribution to solving the military incidents between Yerevan and Baku. According to her, the attempts of external forces to withdraw the Russian peacekeeping contingent are aimed at destabilizing the situation in South Caucasus. We continue the work with partners at all levels in the interests of a comprehensive normalization of the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the unblocking of transportation communications, the border delimitation, agreeing on a peace treaty, solving the humanitarian problems, and the public and expert dialogue. At the same time, in order to achieve peace, the political will and consent of both sides are necessary, Zakharova said. Summing up her comment, Maria Zakharova said that Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for a new trilateral summit in Russia to discuss the entire spectrum of trilateral and bilateral issues. The Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, is visiting Algeria, where he meets with civil and religious leaders and visits the Memorial to martyrs of the war of liberation and the Monastery of Tibhirine. By Vatican News Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vaticans Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, is visiting Algeria on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Holy Sees establishment of diplomatic relations with the North African country. His visit began on Tuesday. According to the programme released on the official Twitter account of the Secretariat of State (@TerzaLoggia), Archbishop Gallagher begins his trip to Algeria with a visit to the Martyrs Monument in Algiers. The memorial commemorates victims of the war of liberation. Later, he holds meetings with the Minister of the Interior, Brahim Merad; and the Minister for Religious Affairs, Youcef Belmehdi. The Archbishop then meets with the Rector of the Great Mosque of Algiers, Mohamed Mamoune El Kacimi El Hassini. The first day of his visit concludes with a conversation with the President of the Algerian Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. On Wednesday, 26 October, Archbishop Gallagher begins the day with a visit to the Tibhirine Monastery, the home of a group of Trappist monks who were martyred in 1996. The monks were beatified in 2018 in Oran, Algeria, along with 12 other individuals martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996. Following the visit to the monastery, Archbishop Gallagher meets with members of the diplomatic corps and civil authorities, followed by an encounter with members of the local Church before his return to Rome. The Holy See encourages joint efforts from all European countries to tackle the ecological and social crises in the wake of the dramatic change in the global security landscape after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. By Benedict Mayaki, SJ The Holy See has called for all countries, developed and developing alike, to work together to address the challenges of caring for the environment and alleviating poverty in society. Monsignor Mauro Lalli made this appeal at the 2022 Mediterranean Conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) taking place in Jordan from 2425 October under the theme, Advancing security and cooperation in the Mediterranean: Fostering dialogue with the OSCE Mediterranean partners for cooperation. Changing security landscape Msgr. Lalli, the charge d'affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Jordan, noted the dramatic change in the global security landscape, including energy and climate security, since the start of Russias war of aggression on Ukraine in February. Indeed, noted Msgr. Lalli, the entire OSCE region faces unprecedented and growing challenges, because of the severe lack of energy supplies that will likely put further strain on many families and industries already affected by the economic crisis. More so, the threat of nuclear war, as well as military activities in the vicinity of nuclear facilities with the heightened risk of dire human and environmental consequences, further adds to the many concerns surrounding the current unstable security and energy situation. Ecological conversion It is in this light that Pope Francis has underscored the urgent need to strengthen joint efforts to build energy security and transition away from fossil fuels. He also urges countries to work together at the political, scientific and technological levels to encourage economic stability, public health, the protection of the environment and integral human development. Pope Francis insists that this is a challenge that requires an ecological conversion, which requires us to convert the models of consumption as well as lifestyles in a way that is more respectful of creation and the integral human development of all peoples, present and future, a development grounded in responsibility, prudence, solidarity, concern for the poor and for future generations. Caring for the environment and alleviating poverty are not separate challenges, but part of the bigger universal challenge to provide for full and authentic human development. The Holy Father also proposes an integral ecology, affirming that we are facing not two separate crises one environmental and the other social but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Common efforts needed The Holy See's representative at the OSCE thus seized the opportunity to call on all countries to work together to address this one, complex social and environmental crisis, noting that multilateral agreements such as the Paris Agreement will not deliver the transformation needed without a prior significant transformation of politics, policies and international cooperation. Such kind of transformation, Msgr. Lalli said, begins with the conversion of our hearts, minds, lifestyles and the way in which we encounter one another as members of the human family. Concluding, the Holy See reaffirmed its support for the work of the OSCE in the Mediterranean region, particularly in intensifying cooperation to address the effects of climate change which also advances common security. The Holy Sees Permanent Observer to the United Nations highlights the dangers of the arms trade, and urges against technological development without responsibility and conscience. By Joseph Tulloch Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, addressed the 77th Session of the United Nations general assembly on Monday. He spoke of the evils of the arms trade, saying that shamefully, there are those who accumulate great wealth through trafficking in the instruments of death. In a second statement, he discussed the dangers of the misuse of communications technology, arguing that our technical prowess has brought us to a crossroads. Ending the arms trade Addressing the Thematic Discussion on Conventional Weapons, Archbishop Caccia reiterated the Holy Sees support for various UN initiatives against the small arms trade. Small arms may be the so-called weapons of limited destruction, he said, but every year they claim hundreds of thousands of lives around the globe. The Archbishop also underlined the deep connection between peace and integral human development. In 1967, the Archbishop noted, Pope Paul VI declared that development is the new name for peace, a call echoed in the UNs 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which states that There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. He concluded by quoting Pope Francis: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. Misuse of communications technology Archbishop Caccia also addressed the Thematic Discussion on Other Disarmament Measures and International Security, choosing the abuse of communications technology as his theme. While, he said, these technologies have the power to bring us closer together, it is also true that they can be used to do harm. This misuse, he said, quoting Pope Francis encyclical Fratelli tutti, stems in part from the fact that our immense technological development has not been accompanied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience. Humanity has thus entered a new era in which our technical prowess has brought us to a crossroads, offering us both great promise and risk. In view of this, the Archbishop offered three suggestions for states conduct in cyberspace. Firstly, he said, they should respect the inherent dignity found in each human person, protecting their freedom of expression and privacy, within reasonable limits. Secondly, states should protect the most vulnerable, both by protecting their own critical infrastructure hospitals, water supply systems, power plants, and so on and by refraining from intentionally damaging that of other states. Lastly, Archbishop Caccia said, states should be guided by justice, and thus, the Holy See encourages capacity-building efforts to benefit those States which do not have an equal share in the fruits of the digital revolution. Cyclone Sitrang slammed into densely populated, low-lying Bangladesh late Monday, killing at least five people as authorities fearing heavy rain and storm surge rushed to move hundreds of thousands out of the system's path. Sitrang, packing winds of 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour, made landfall along the Chittagong-Barisal coast around 9 pm (1500 GMT), government meteorologist Abul Kalam Mallick told AFP. The storm was moving swiftly over the country's southern region and its outer bands were already affecting Dhaka, hundreds of kilometers away from the Bay of Bengal, with trees uprooted and roads flooded in the capital. Mallick said some coastal towns had received nearly 294 milimeters (12 inches) of rainfall. At least five people had been killed in the districts of Barguna, Narail, Sirajganj and the island district of Bhola, disaster ministry control room spokesman Nikhil Sarker told AFP. "The casualties may rise as we are hearing from our officials from some other districts as well," he said. Cyclones the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the Northwest Pacific are a regular and deadly menace on the coast of the northern Indian Ocean where tens of millions of people live. But scientists say climate change is likely making them more intense and frequent, and Bangladesh is already rated by the United Nations as one of the countries most affected by extreme weather events since the turn of the century. Most worrying for authorities was the predicted storm surge of up to three meters (10 feet) above normal tide levels, which could inundate areas home to millions of people. About 33,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, controversially relocated to a storm-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, were advised to remain indoors. The newly formed silt island of Bhashan Char, where Bangladesh has been relocating Rohingya refugees to alleviate overcrowding in their refugee camps, was expected to be hit by heavy rains and strong winds. "The Bhashan Char shelters are protected by a 19-foot-high embankment. Still, we asked people to stay at home," a senior security officer told AFP from the island. The government had hoped to evacuate about 2.5 million other people ahead of the storm, the country's disaster management minister Enamur Rahman told reporters earlier Monday. "The evacuation has already begun from the morning," the minister said, adding that more than 7,000 shelters have been readied in an effort to keep casualties to a minimum. At least 250,000 people had already been evacuated from coastal districts to cyclone shelters by the afternoon, two regional administrators told AFP. Tens of thousands of volunteers were mobilized for the effort, said a spokesperson for the local chapter of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society. "We have already evacuated the most vulnerable people, especially those who live in remote islands and riverbanks and those who live in flimsy houses," Aminul Ahsan, regional administrator of Barisal, told AFP. "In some places we have used force to bring people to cyclone shelters. It is for their own safety," another regional administrator said. The Red Crescent Society has mobilized tens of thousands of volunteers to help villagers evacuate, spokesman Shahinur Rahman said. In the neighboring eastern Indian state of West Bengal, several thousand people were being evacuated as a precaution, with more than 100 relief centers opened, officials said. "A special squad is making a round-the-clock vigil along the coastline of the state," West Bengal government minister Arup Biswas said. "Fishermen have been asked not to venture into the sea. Ferry services have also been suspended," he said. In 2020, Cyclone Amphan, only the second "super cyclone" ever recorded over the Bay of Bengal, killed more than 100 people in Bangladesh and India, and affected millions. Last year, more than a million people were evacuated along India's east coast before Cyclone Yaas battered the area with winds gusting up to 155 kilometers an hour equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. The 1970 Bhola cyclone, one of the world's worst natural disasters, killed several hundred thousand people in Bangladesh then known as East Pakistan and India. In recent years, better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced the death toll from such storms. Africa's leading tourism operators are meeting in Botswana for talks on reviving the industry after the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Intra-African travel is at the top of the agenda at the three-day meeting, which has attracted more than 450 delegates from 43 countries. Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who gave the keynote speech Tuesday at the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum in Gaborone, told attendees they need to focus on ways to encourage travel to and within the continent. "This vital forum will undoubtedly provide the travel and tourism industry in Africa and indeed the rest of the world with a platform for exchanging ideas aimed at promoting travel to and around Africa," Masisi said. "Tourism is a dynamic and competitive industry that requires the ability to constantly adapt to customers' changing needs and desires as customer satisfaction, safety and enjoyment are the focus of the tourism business." Masisi said tourism was showing signs of recovery after the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, which brought most vacation travel to a halt for about two years. The president noted most African countries have eased pandemic restrictions, making it easier and more comfortable for travelers to visit. "The sector is beginning to rebound in 2022 due to more relaxed travel restrictions and a well thought-out strategy, which saw growth of the domestic market and recovery of regional and international markets," Masisi said. While much of Africa looks to foreign tourism dollars, Botswana's Tourism Minister Philda Kereng said intra-African travel was a top focus of the forum to help rebuild the industry. "They are coming out of COVID-19 with enthusiasm, wanting to rebuild together, wanting to rebuild a resilient tourism sector that is going to build and make the economies of our countries bounce back better, and they are coming with new ideas," Kereng said. "They are coming bubbling with energy; they want to energize the government, they want to energize every key stakeholder and player to a better way of doing business within the tourism sector." But poor roads and limited flights in parts of Africa too often force travel to a regional hub, or even outside the continent, for connecting flights to neighboring countries. African tourism insiders say there are major hurdles to intra-African travel. "One of the challenges we face on this continent is visas for ourselves as Africans, most Country A to Country B, and the second issue is connectivity," said Kwakye Donkor, chief executive of Africa Tourism Partners, a Pan-African tourism development marketing and advisory firm. "[For instance], coming to Botswana some of them have to travel across different places, different countries to get here. And not only that, the private sector has to role play in the cost of travel, to drive this particular initiative." German market and consumer data company Statista says COVID-19 cost Africa's tourism sector $87 billion when the pandemic hit in 2020. But there are signs of a strong revival. The United Nations World Tourism Organization says in 2022 international arrivals across Africa were up 171%. U.S. President Joe Biden issued a strong warning on Russia against using a dirty bomb or any other nuclear weapons in its war on Ukraine. "Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake for the use of tactical nuclear weapons," he said Tuesday when a reporter asked whether Russia is setting up a "false flag operation" preparing to deploy dirty bomb as it accuses Ukraine of detonating it in its own territory. "I'm not guaranteeing you that it's a false operation yet. I don't know. But it would be a serious, serious mistake," he said. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday there is reason for concern as Russia has "demonstrated a pattern of accusing others of that which it itself is ultimately planning." On Monday, Price warned of the "profound nature of consequences" should Moscow deploy such weapons. Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, sent a letter, seen by VOA, to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council late Monday, saying Russia "will regard the use of the dirty bomb by the Kyiv regime as an act of nuclear terrorism." Ukraine has strongly denied Moscow's allegations that it is planning to detonate a dirty bomb on its own territory and has in turn accused Russia of plotting to use the threat of a bomb laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation in Ukraine. The U.N. Security Council discussed the allegations at a closed-door meeting Tuesday. "We've seen and heard no new evidence in this private meeting," Britain's deputy U.N. ambassador, James Kariuki, told reporters. "The ministers of the UK, France and the U.S. have been clear: this is transparently false allegations we are hearing from the Russian Federation. Ukraine has been clear; it has got nothing to hide; IAEA inspectors are on the way." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that NATO allies rejected Russia's claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory, adding, "Russia must not use it as a pretext for escalation." Meanwhile, the head of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, in a media briefing, said Russian forces are "preparing to work under radioactive contamination." International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed that "no undeclared nuclear activities or material were found" in Ukrainian nuclear locations. "The IAEA inspected one of these locations one month ago and all our findings were consistent with Ukraine's safeguards declarations," Grossi said. Grossi confirmed that both locations are under IAEA safeguards and have been visited regularly by IAEA inspectors. He added that the IAEA received a written request Monday from Ukraine to send teams of inspectors to carry out verification activities at the two locations. Russia has requested a second council meeting on Thursday to discuss its allegations that the United States and Ukraine have been conducting military biological activities on Ukrainian territory. In a 310-page letter sent to the Security Council, president and the secretary-general, Russia's ambassador rehashes old claims about the two states planning to infect migratory birds, bats and even mosquitos with lethal pathogens and then deploy them to infect Russian troops and/or civilians. Ambassador Nebenzia includes a draft resolution for the council to consider forming a commission to investigate U.S. and Ukrainian compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention. The commission would be made up of the 15 council members and be expected to report back by November 30. Such a proposal is unlikely to gain traction among council members. Rebuilding Ukraine Separately on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged support Tuesday for the "fast rehabilitation" of Ukraine as it faces what she called targeted attacks by Russian forces on civilian infrastructure. Speaking in Berlin at a conference to discuss the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, von der Leyen said Russia is clearly working to cut off Ukrainians from water, heat and electricity services as winter approaches. She said such Russian attacks "are pure acts of terror." Von der Leyen described the scale of destruction in Ukraine eight months after Russia launched its invasion as "staggering." "These are hard, scary and painful days for Ukrainians, but Ukrainians are showing us that they have hope and confidence in the future and they will keep fighting for it. And it is their future that brings us here today," she said. The conference involves representatives from national governments, academic institutions and international organizations. The EU said the talks would cover how to prioritize Ukraine's needs and what options exist for financing projects. No financial pledges or political agreements are expected. Ukraine's government, along with the European Commission and the World Bank, estimated in a September report that it could cost $350 billion to rebuild the country after Russia's invasion. The World Bank on Monday disbursed $500 million, supported by loan guarantees from Britain to Ukraine to help the government maintain essential services. "The Russian invasion continues to cause massive destruction of Ukraine's infrastructure including water, sanitation, and electricity networks just as winter is approaching, further endangering Ukrainian people," World Bank Group President David Malpass said in a statement. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Monday about meeting Ukraine's needs for military aid, according to statements from both sides. VOA's U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer and White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this article. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Officials in Pakistan say a plane carrying "the mortal remains of a renowned investigative journalist who was killed by police in Kenya is scheduled to reach Islamabad late Tuesday as calls intensify for both nations to fully investigate the incident. Arshad Sharif, 50, had taken refuge in the east African nation after fleeing Pakistan in August, complaining of death threats, and a government crackdown on journalists, including cases on controversial sedition charges. Sharif was being driven back to the capital, Nairobi, on Sunday night from the Magadi area when he was fatally shot in the head by police at a roadblock after his driver allegedly breached the barrier set up to intercept a stolen vehicle. The award-winning reporters death shocked and outraged people in Pakistan where he was a household name for hosting the popular political talk show Power Play for years on the private ARY news channel. He often aired reports critical of the government as well as the powerful military, focusing on official corruption. The Nairobi police service on Monday said it regrets the unfortunate incident and promised appropriate action after concluding an investigation. It noted, however, that the shooting was being treated as a case of mistaken identity. Kenyan journalists reporting on the incident questioned the police claims, asking why the officers manning the roadblock did not target the driver and instead hit Sharif in the head, killing him. The four-wheel drive Toyota carrying the slain Pakistani was fired on at least nine times. A postmortem exercise established that Sharif had a head bullet wound and bled to death. US, UN call for probe The United States and the United Nations have also joined calls by human rights groups and media freedom advocates for an independent and transparent inquiry into the deadly shooting, including the circumstances that forced Sharif to flee Pakistan. Were deeply saddened by the death of Arshad Sharif. We encourage a full investigation by the Government of Kenya into his death, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington. Its not entirely clear that we know all the circumstances at this point regarding what led to his death, but we do urge a full investigation. And its clear through his work that Arshad Sharif was dedicated to that fundamental right of freedom of expression, Price said. He noted that the Pakistani reporters work was known around the world. "I think the circumstances need to be investigated thoroughly, and the Kenyan authorities said they would and, I think, the results of the investigation being shared quickly, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference in New York. Pakistans government and military lately have faced increasing criticism for allegedly stifling media freedom and political dissent, charges officials reject as unfounded. On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (no relation to the reporter) tweeted that he would form a Judicial Commission to hold an inquiry into the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in order to determine the facts of the tragic incident in a transparent & conclusive manner. The announcement came shortly after sources confirmed that the Pakistani military had also written a letter to the federal government, calling for an inquiry into the reporters death. A long, grim record of violent tactics to silence journalists explain why the reported murder of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya has sent shock waves through the journalist community, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said in a statement on Monday. The Asia branch of U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was saddened by the journalists death. CPJ is seeking further details about the incident. There must be a swift and transparent investigation by authorities into his death, and authorities must release the full details as soon as possible, said Beh Lih Yi, CPJs Asia program coordinator. France-based Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, condemned Sharifs murder as gruesome and utterly disturbing. The killing of Arshad Sharif is all the more baffling since he had just left his home country to Kenya in order to escape harassment and arrest. In May, he was charged with spreading hate against the military, the global watchdog said. International watchdogs list Pakistan among countries deemed as the most dangerous for journalists. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. On October 25, at 01:30, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire from various caliber small arms at Armenian military positions in the eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. There are no casualties on the Armenian side. As of 08:00 the situation was relatively stable. After two years of low influenza case numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns of a possibly harsh flu season. "The United States has experienced relatively little influenza activity since 2020, thanks, in part, to community mitigation measures used to control the spread of COVID-19, making the country ripe for a severe influenza season," the CDC told VOA in an email. According to the CDC, the flu is already spreading in parts of the South, with relatively high activity levels in Georgia and Texas, compared to the same period last year. Although the influenza season in the U.S. is just beginning, "based on what we have seen in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, flu has the potential to hit us hard this year," Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said earlier this month. Researchers often look to the Southern Hemisphere because its flu season hits first, usually from May to October, to foreshadow what will happen in the north, where flu season usually starts in October, peaks in December and can last through May. Australia's flu season hit that country two months earlier than usual and caused one of its worst seasons in recent years, with cases peaking about three times higher than average, according to the Australian government's Department of Health and Aged Care. During Australia's 2022 flu season, of the 225,332 laboratory-confirmed cases, there have been 308 influenza-associated deaths, the agency reported. In comparison, in 2020, of the 21,266 laboratory-confirmed cases, there were 37 influenza-associated deaths. The flu hit younger people especially hard in Australia. Although COVID-19 has been relatively mild for younger people, experts caution that children may be at especially high risk this year. That's because many children have not been exposed to the flu due to COVID-19 safety precautions, including the use of masks, remote learning and social distancing taken in recent years, leaving them without natural immunity. Influenza A, which causes more serious illness than other strains of the virus, is more prevalent this year, according to CDC data. It also spreads about two to three times more rapidly than Influenza B, a less common type of influenza. Although influenza symptoms are similar to those of a common flu, they are typically more intense and begin more abruptly. The symptoms include common cold symptoms, such as a cough or runny nose, but also range to symptoms such as a fever or body aches. Some people also experience vomiting or diarrhea, although this is more common in children than adults. The CDC urges that Americans ages 6 months and older get a flu shot by the end of October. Experts say it's the best way to be protected from the ailment. "Over the past two years, we've seen some worrisome drops in flu vaccination coverage, especially in some groups of people who are at the highest risk of developing serious flu illness," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a news conference earlier this month. Health officials fear fewer people will be vaccinated because of the anti-vaccine sentiment that increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found that fewer Americans said they will get the flu shot compared to years before. The CDC told VOA News in an email that to help avoid the flu, "people should continue to practice the everyday preventive actions that we saw work so well during the pandemic like social distancing, frequent handwashing, staying home when you are sick, and covering coughs and sneezes." "With a potentially challenging flu season ahead, I urge everyone to protect themselves and their families from flu and its potentially serious complications," Walensky said. Police in Uganda are investigating the cause of a fire at a boarding school for visually impaired students that killed 11 girls, ages four to 13. The fire at the Salama School for the Blind in Uganda's central Mukono district broke out shortly after midnight Monday, in a girl's dormitory that was occupied by 17 children. Kampala deputy police spokesman Luke Owoyesigire said police have deployed a forensics team that will carry out DNA tests before the bodies of the dead children are handed over to family members. "The cause of the fire is currently unknown. But so far, eleven deaths as a result of the fire have been confirmed. While six are in critical condition," Owoyesigire said. The Salam School for the Blind, in the town of Kisoga, is home to 70 visually impaired children. Hudson Kiyaga, the town's mayor, told VOA the fire at the isolated school has left members of the neighboring community in shock. Kiyaga said the school's power switch is in the matron's room, but she did not know what started the fire. The matron escaped the blaze, but was unable to save any students. Charles Nkuse, a school board member, said the school headmaster called him at 12:15 a.m. to tell him the school was on fire and children had died. The fire broke out just a few days before a planned visit by Britain's Princess Anne and Uganda's first lady, Janet Museveni. "We expect to get the first lady, the daughter of the late Queen, Princess Anne, and the husband. They were to be with us on Friday, but I really don't know what will take place," Nkuse said. "But, we are still in terrible condition because, I think, the police are bringing back the dead bodies from Mulago and the parents are here." Since January, several schools in Uganda have caught fire but security officials have yet to determine the cause of the blazes. In its guidelines to schools, the Ministry of Education advises that all dormitories among other school buildings have fire extinguishers at several locations. However, most schools do not have such safety measures in place. The siege at the Tawakal hotel marked al-Shabab's second major attack in Somalia this month amid an offensive against the group by the Somali National Army and allied militia in central Somalia. In early October, a triple bombing in the town of Beledweyne left at least 20 people dead. Abdisalam Guled, the director of Eagle Ranges Services, a Mogadishu-based security company, told VOA that al-Shabab is staging war in every part of Somalia and sending a message to the government in Mogadishu. Guled said Sundays attack on the Tawakal Hotel in Kismayo shows that al-Shabab can attack anywhere any time. He said it also shows how al-Shabab has information about the people preparing themselves to fight the group. Guled says he has information that there were ongoing meetings in the hotel to discuss how al-Shabab could be fought. A long battle Al-Shabab has been fighting to topple the internationally recognized Somali government for more than 15 years. Guled warned that, should the government fail to defeat al-Shabab, the consequences could be disastrous, especially for communities that joined forces with the government and dispatched militias to the battlefront. Guled said the fight against al-Shabab is going on in specific areas and, in order to weaken al-Shabab, there should be more front lines. Jubaland state should join the war; Southwest state should join the war. Guled said clans should be encouraged and authorities in the Puntland state should join the effort. Yusuf Hussein Osman, Jubalands regional state minister for security, described what happened on Sunday. Osman said there were four terrorists; one blew himself up at the gate and three others forced their way into the hotel. All were eliminated, he said. Osman also said the majority of hostages in the hotel were rescued but there were casualties involving students from a nearby school. Osman said plans were already under way for deceased victims of the attack to be buried. Advice: Prep for a long fight Abdiaziz Hussein Issack, a security analyst with the Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center in Denmark, said the government should prepare for a drawn-out battle in Jubaland because al-Shabab has a strong presence there. I think Jubaland state is the stronghold of al-Shabab," he said. "The fiercest war against al-Shabab will take place in this state if the group is defeated in central Somalia. The state is the breeding ground of al-Shabab as the top leaders are in this state. The raid on Sunday was the groups deadliest in Kismayo since 2019 when 26 people among them Somali-Canadian journalist Hodan Naleyeh were killed in an attack on another hotel. South Africa's presidential spokesman said Tuesday that the first round of peace talks on Ethiopia's Tigray region have begun. Few other details have been released, and so far there has been no media access to the venue, at an unknown location in South Africa. Vincent Magwenya, the presidential spokesman, told reporters that the talks, which had previously been delayed, "started today, the 25th of October, and will end on the 30th of October. Word of the discussions came after the Ethiopian government side and the leadership of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, or TPLF, confirmed they had left for South Africa on Monday. The talks are being led by former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo, now the African Unions Horn of Africa envoy, along with South Africas former deputy president, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, and Kenyas former president, Uhuru Kenyatta. The African Union Commission said in a statement that representatives of the United Nations and the United States were participating as observers. AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said he was encouraged by the early demonstration of commitment to peace by the parties and to seek a lasting political solution to the conflict in the supreme interest of Ethiopia." The statement added, the chairperson reiterates the AUs continued commitment to support the parties in an Ethiopian-owned and AU-led process to silence the guns towards a united, stable, peaceful and resilient Ethiopia. Fighting in Tigray has intensified over the past week, with the Ethiopian government aiming to seize the regions airports and other infrastructure. The government said Monday that its forces had continued taking control of major urban centers in the past few days. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced since the Tigray conflict broke out in November 2020. The TPLF dominated Ethiopian politics for decades before being sidelined when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018. Abiy was initially seen as a peacemaker after settling Ethiopias long-running conflict with neighboring Eritrea. That image, however, has been shattered by the war in Tigray, and human rights groups have accused both sides of atrocities. The United States and European Union have both expressed hope the peace talks in South Africa will be successful. Bees pollinate 71 of the 100 crop species that provide 90% of food worldwide. They also pollinate wild plants, helping sustain biodiversity and the beauty of the natural world. But climate change, pesticides and parasites are taking a terrible toll on bees, and they need protecting, said European beekeepers, who held their annual congress in Quimper, western France, this week. The congress, which said some European beekeepers were suffering "significant mortalities and catastrophic harvests due to difficult climatic conditions," was an opportunity for beekeepers and scientists to respond to the major concerns. The European Union, the world's second-largest importer of honey, currently produces just 60% of what it consumes. French beekeepers, for example, expect to harvest between 12,000 and 14,000 metric tons of honey this year, far lower than the 30,000 tons they harvested in the 1990s, according to the National Union of French Beekeepers (UNAF). "I've been fighting for bees for 30 years, but if I had to choose now, I don't know if I'd become a beekeeper," said UNAF spokesman Henri Clement, who has 200 hives in the mountainous Cevennes region in southeastern France. Clement is 62 and not far off retiring. "But it's not much fun for young people who want to take up the profession," he said. Many of the topics buzzing around the congress were evidence of this pesticides, climate change, and Asian hornets, parasitic varroa mites and hive beetles, all invasive alien species in Europe. Challenges includes rain, drought With climate change, "the bigger issue is just the erratic weather and rain patterns, drought and things like that," said U.S. entomologist Jeff Pettis, president of Apimondia, an international federation of beekeeping associations in 110 countries. "In certain places, the plants had been used to a certain temperature. And now it goes up, and you have a hot dry summer, and there are no flowers," Pettis told AFP. No flowers means no pollen, which means bees dying of hunger. Climate scientists say human-induced global heating is intensifying extreme weather events such as flooding, and heatwaves that exacerbate wildfires. "The fires seem to be a big issue," Pettis said. "They come sporadically, and we lose hives directly from flooding and fires. Pettis, a former scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, published a study in 2016 on the quality of pollen produced by goldenrod, a hardy perennial also known as solidago that produces a myriad of small yellow daisy-like flowers. The study showed that the more carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas that accumulates in the atmosphere, the lower the amount of protein in goldenrod pollen. North America bees are dependent on nourishment from goldenrod pollen to get through the winter, Pettis said. "Getting inferior food ... should affect wintering. It could happen with other pollen sources. We don't know." As in France, 30% to 40% of hives in the United States are dying every winter, Pettis said, decimated by varroa mites, pesticides and the destruction of wild spaces where wild plants grow "Today, there are even American startups that are developing drones to pollinize plants in the place of bees. It's utterly appalling," said Clement. Toxic threat Toxic pesticides are another factor decimating bee colonies and other pollinating insects. French molecular biophysics scientist Jean-Marc Bonmatin said parasites such as varroa were "boosted by the presence of neonicotinide pesticides, which directly poison pollinators. Neonicotinoids, chemically similar to nicotine, are systemic pesticides. Unlike contact pesticides, which remain on the surface of the treated leaves, systemic pesticides are taken up by the plant and transported to its leaves, flowers, roots and stems, as well as to its pollen and nectar. These toxic substances can remain in the soil for between five and 30 years, Bonmatin said. The EU restricted the use of three neonicotinoids but not all in 2013 and banned them outright in 2018. But since 2013, several EU states have repeatedly granted "emergency authorizations" to use noxious insecticides on major crops. He said open-source software called Toxibee was being launched soon to help farmers protect bees by identifying the least toxic molecules to use on their crops. "Before they spray the crops with pesticides, they can try to limit their noxious effect," he said. "Because what kills bees will one day damage people's health, too." Pettis strove, however, to remain upbeat, pointing to some of the ways people can help bees. "[We should] diversify agriculture and try not [to] be driven by chemically dependent agriculture, support organic and more sustainable farming." He also stressed the incredible resistance of some bee species, helped by factors in the natural world. He cited the example of a black bee found on the Ile de Groix in Brittany, which has survived varroa attacks without beekeepers treating them for mites or giving them supplementary feeding. "We think the bees are dependent on us, but in reality, they survive pretty well even without us," he said. "And you still have the beauty of the bees. It's such a good thing to work with bees." Experts anticipating a North Korean nuclear test are saying the event would likely involve miniaturized nuclear warheads designed to fit cruise missiles that can target South Korea. The explosive power would be similar to that of the nuclear bombs the U.S. dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 to end World War II, experts said. On Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, speaking before the National Assembly, said North Korea has completed preparations for the seventh nuclear test. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said Monday the U.S. is "preparing for all contingencies" to deal with "the potential for another North Korean nuclear test." VOA's Korean Service contacted North Korea's U.N. mission in New York City asking for comments on Washington and Seoul's assessment of its potential nuclear test but did not get a reply. Satellite images first revealed signs of North Korea's preparations at its Punggye-ri test site in March, and preparations have continued since then. South Korea's National Intelligence Service assessed the nuclear test could come between October 16 and November 7. North Korea conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017. Prelude to nuclear test Experts said North Korea's seventh nuclear test is likely to follow recent rounds of missile launches. Jim Walsh, a nuclear expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Security Studies Program, said North Korea's previous six nuclear tests were "preceded by an escalating series of missile tests." North Korea said on October 10 that a spate of short-range missile tests and an intermediate-range missile test between September 25 to October 4 were aimed at conducting tactical nuclear drills to assess "nuclear counterattack capability." Pyongyang test-fired two long-range cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons on October 12 and said the launches were to check "the operation of tactical nukes," according to a report the next day by the official news outlet, KCNA. Olli Heinonen, former deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who is now a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, said North Korea is likely to "do some nuclear tests in order to manufacture miniaturized tactical nuclear weapons" Pyongyang has discussed. Tactical nuclear weapons refer to short-range missiles capable of carrying small nuclear warheads designed to be used in battlefields. Tactical missiles include short-range ballistic missiles that are approximately 1.2 meters wide and 6.4 meters long and can travel about 1,000 km or less. For nuclear warheads to fit on short-range missiles, the devices must be small and lightweight. Fitting into cruise missile In the anticipated nuclear test, experts said Pyongyang could test even smaller nuclear warheads than ones that could be mounted on short-range ballistic missiles. They said North Korea could test nuclear warheads that fit into long-range cruise missiles. These are half the diameter of short-range ballistic missiles. Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that North Korea probably already has compact nuclear warheads developed by 2017 that can be mounted on short-range ballistic missiles. "When they test this new [nuclear] device, it may be even more compact, allowing them to place it on very short-range missiles, guided short-range ballistic missiles, and possibly even long-range cruise missiles which they've been testing recently," Panda said. A typical long-range cruise missile like the U.S. Tomahawk is about .53 meters wide and 5.6 meters long and can fly about 1,600 km. North Korea launched two long-range cruise missiles on October 12 that flew 2,000 km, according to the KCNA. The two missiles can cover the entire range of the Korean Peninsula, which is about 1,200 km long. Cruise missiles are difficult to detect as they can fly at low altitudes to evade missile defense systems. Explosive yield Experts said the explosive power of diminutive nuclear warheads on tactical missiles would be relatively low. "If the test is for a small, lightweight nuclear weapon intended for delivery by a short-range missile [i.e. a 'tactical' nuclear weapon], then I would expect the yield to be relatively low, perhaps less than 10-20 kilotons," said Gary Samore, who served as the White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration. Each of the two nuclear bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 had explosive yield of about 15 kilotons. Approximately 80,000 people in Hiroshima and 40,000 in Nagasaki are estimated to have died immediately from the bomb blast. Additional tens of thousands died from radiation and other injuries. By comparison, a larger nuclear warhead such as a thermonuclear device has explosive yield of at least 100 kilotons or 1,000 tons of TNT. Samore said such thermonuclear devices are intended for strategic nuclear weapons or larger nuclear warheads on long-range missiles. "Warheads for tactical and intermediate-range missiles might be in the range of power of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs," said Frank von Hippel, former assistant director for National Security at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and co-founder of Princeton University's Program on Science and Global Security and the International Panel on Fissile Material. Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, said, "North Korea's previous tests had limited yields considered suitable for tactical nuclear weapons [from a few to 15 kilotons]." He continued, "If the priority is to develop an operational warhead for tactical missiles, we might see a test with a yield similar to what we saw in 2009-2016, perhaps a little more powerful." Kristensen added that only the sixth nuclear test in 2017 had a very large yield. Experts said Pyongyang would use plutonium when miniaturizing nuclear warheads rather than uranium, which is heavier. David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear inspector and the current president of the Institute for Science and International Security, said there is a chance Pyongyang might test a two-stage thermonuclear device that would use both plutonium and uranium to produce a higher explosive yield. Such a device would be used in strategic nuclear weapons. Von Hippel said by having and using tactical nuclear weapons against South Korea, Pyongyang "would still have left the leverage of being able to threaten to attack the U.S.," with strategic nuclear weapons. South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong said on Tuesday during his meeting with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman that North Korea will face an "overwhelming and decisive response" if it uses a nuclear weapon. A former U.S. military pilot and flight instructor who worked in China was arrested in Australia and faces extradition to the United States, Australian court documents and company records show. Australian Federal Police arrested Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, on Friday in the rural town of Orange in New South Wales, and he appeared in court there on the same day, court records show and two police sources and his lawyer confirmed. His lawyer appeared by videoconference, and Duggan was denied bail and taken to the nearby Bathurst jail, two of the sources said. Duggan is a former U.S. citizen and the federal police were acting on a U.S. request for his arrest ahead of likely formal extradition proceedings, said one of the police sources, who was not authorized to speak publicly. Duggan's next court appearance will be in Sydney in November to consider any bail application. Details of the U.S. arrest warrant and the charges he faces are sealed. "An individual was arrested on 21 October 2022 pursuant to a request from the United States of America for their provisional arrest," a spokesman for the federal Attorney-General's Department said in a written statement to Reuters. "As the matter is before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment further." The arrest came the same week Britain warned dozens of former military pilots to stop working in China or face prosecution on national security grounds under new laws. Australia is also investigating reports some of its former fighter pilots have been approached to work in China. Read full story An aviation source told Reuters that the FBI sought Duggan because of his work in China. His lawyer, Dennis Miralis of Nyman, Gibson and Miralis, said he could not comment. Duggan moved to Australia after a decade in the U.S. military and started a business called Top Gun Tasmania, hiring former U.S. and British military pilots to offer tourists joyrides in fighter jets, company records show and aviation sources confirmed. Duggan also flew ex-military aircraft in Australian air shows, three pilots told Reuters. Top Gun Tasmania's website says Duggan flew Harrier jump jets in the U.S. Marines and was an air combat instructor. He moved to Beijing in 2014 and soon after sold Top Gun Tasmania, filings in Australia for the company show. Duggan's LinkedIn profile said he has been working in Qingdao, China, since 2017 as the managing director of AVIBIZ Limited, described as "a comprehensive aviation consultancy company with a focus on the fast growing and dynamic Chinese Aviation Industry". Hong Kong company records show AVIBIZ Limited was registered there by Australian passport holder Daniel Edmund Duggan in 2017 and dissolved in 2020. Duggan could not be immediately reached for comment. Under Australia's extradition treaty with the United States, the U.S. government will have 60 days to make an extradition request. The treaty allows Australian citizens to be extradited. A Hong Kong court on Tuesday found Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai guilty of two counts of fraud related to a lease. The court found that Lai and two former executives at his company, Next Digital, had sublet part of the office space in the building that housed his media outlet Apple Daily, to another company run by Lai. District court judge Stanley Chan Kwong-chi said the firms business did not conform with the lease agreement and that Lai had hidden the fact the company was using space in the building, The Associated Press reported. The judge said he did not believe that Lai had forgotten that the business was using the office space. Lais former colleague, Wong Wai-keung, was also convicted of fraud. A second executive, Royston Chow, had made a deal to help with the prosecution in exchange for exemption from criminal liability. The verdict means that Lai will be a convicted prisoner going into his national security law trial, said Caoilfhionn Gallagher, who leads the international legal team for Lai. Lai, the founder of Hong Kongs iconic pro-democracy paper, Apple Daily, is due to stand trial December 1 under the 2020 National Security law, on charges that he colluded with foreign powers. In an earlier separate case, a court convicted Lai of unlawful assembly and sentenced him to 13 months in prison for his brief appearance at a banned vigil to mark the Tiananmen Square anniversary. Speaking with VOA before Tuesdays verdict, human rights lawyer Gallagher described the piling up of cases against Lai as law fare. We have seen this in many other cases in regards to journalists being targeted by authorities around the world, Gallagher said. Instead of just using libel laws or counter terrorism laws, which (authorities) have used for many years to try and silence journalists, they are now using a range of other laws, too, like fraud. As well as Lais case, Gallagher cited the range of lawsuits that the Philippines has leveled at another of her clients, the 2021 Nobel peace laureate Maria Ressa. Its very important that people realize that misuse of regulatory, tax and fraud laws is an increasing way in which authorities are trying to crack down on journalists, Gallagher said. Lais son Sebastian has said Hong Kong is using his fathers case to send a message to other independent voices. My dads only crime is to campaign for democracy in the face of tyranny, but for that he has already spent over two years in prison, and faces the rest of his life behind bars, Sebastian Lai said in a statement issued by Reporters Without Borders Monday. A spokesperson for the public relations wing of Hong Kong's police force told VOA via email that because legal proceedings are ongoing, they are unable to comment. The office of the Chief Executive John Lee early Tuesday did not respond to VOA's request for comment. Hong Kong officials have previously dismissed claims that the citys laws are used to target critics. Senior officials have said that freedom of the press is not a shield for illegal activities. Media analysts believe the case against Lai is emblematic. Jimmy Lai is a tireless advocate for press freedom and democracy and his imprisonment is a symbol, said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, of the Committee to Protect Journalists. The cases against him is a way of imprisoning one of the leading voices of democracy in Hong Kong. By putting Lai on trial, authorities are sending a message that no independent journalism is allowed, Martinez de la Serna told VOA, ahead of Tuesdays verdict. Hong Kong passed its national security law in 2020 as a way to bring stability after pro-democracy protests and unrest. But analysts say it has chilled the space for free speech. After the arrest of Lai and several executives at the Apple Daily, a handful of other outlets shuttered, including Stand News and Citizen News. CPJ data on journalist jailings worldwide recorded cases in Hong Kong for the first time in 2021, with eight media workers behind bars there for their work. Human rights lawyer Gallagher said Lais case is emblematic of a decline of press freedoms, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Hong Kong. By convicting Lai in these cases, the message to other journalists and pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong is very clear: keep quiet or you will be next, she said. Citing the closure of independent news outlets, Keith Richburg, president of Hong Kongs Foreign Correspondents Club, told VOA, Press freedom has been eroding in Hong Kong for a while now. The city has experienced a huge rollback on press freedom rankings, he said, noting a steep drop on the Press Freedom Index. Hong Kong fell from 80 to 148 out of 180 countries, where 1 has the best environment for media. It is a precipitous fall, considering Hong Kong used to be one of the most free places for press in Asia, said Richburg, a veteran journalist and media professor. Hong Kong is still a major media hub, with large international outlets based there, and it has more press freedom than mainland China. But Richburg said, Journalists have to figure out how to navigate what I call this new normal. Media can still operate, but you have to be a lot more careful, he said. A lot of sources dont want to talk to media, particularly foreign media now, and journalists never know when they are going to be accused of inadvertently going over these kind of vague red lines, he said. Editor's note: The sixteenth paragraph of this article has been updated to include a response from Hong Kong's police force, sent after publication. Some information for this article came from The Associated Press. As American voters get ready for the midterm elections next month, candidates from both parties are pledging tough policies on China in hopes of wooing voters. American attitudes toward China have worsened in recent years, especially since the 2020 coronavirus outbreak. New data from Pew Research Center said that this year, 82% of Americans have an unfavorable view of China, a historical high. Five years ago, that number was about half, standing at 47%. Polls indicate those negative views are shared by Republicans and Democrats, which is why candidates from both parties are talking about China and Beijings formidable economic power. We have to stop being weak on China. We have to stop sending American jobs to people who hate us, said J.D. Vance, the Republican Senate candidate in Ohio who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. His Democratic opponent, incumbent Representative Tim Ryan, is equally critical. Its us versus China. China is out-manufacturing us left and right, and its time we fight back, he tweeted. Both candidates support keeping steep U.S. tariffs on Chinese products. In Pennsylvania, Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman said he will work to guarantee that we dont allow China to out-innovate us. His Republican opponent for the U.S. Senate, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has made get tough on China one of his key campaign messages. In Missouri, State Attorney General Eric Schmitt calls China a growing military, economic and public health threat. His opponent for the U.S. Senate, Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, criticizes Schmitt for supporting legislation that allows foreign ownership of farmland that her campaign claims has allowed more than 100,000 acres of Missouri land to be purchased by Chinese-controlled companies. In Arizona, Republican challenger Blake Masters insists that Chinese students in America are a threat to U.S. national security. Incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly was a key supporter of the CHIPS and Science Act, a measure that aims at winning the tech war with China. China is pretty much front and center in this election, Dean Chen, an associate professor of political science at the Ramapo College of New Jersey, told VOA Mandarin. When campaigns become highly polarized and highly competitive, there's got to be an issue that is prominent enough that can raise the attention. It is always easier to find an external common enemy and adversary in order to unite local constituents behind themselves, he said in a phone interview. Frank Sesno, a communications professor and director of strategic initiatives at The George Washington University, said China is being framed increasingly in the context of national security and less visibly in terms of economic opportunity. China is being positioned increasingly as a national threat. Not merely a competitor but an adversary. I would say portrayal has intensified, and it appears to be a theme increasingly of both parties, he told VOA Mandarin. 'Rare bipartisan unity According to research by the U.S. China Business Council, an industry group helping American companies do business in China, the number of China-related bills considered by U.S. lawmakers has increased dramatically in the last five years. From 2001 to 2017, the number of China-related bills considered by each Congress hovered around 200 to 250. Since 2017, that number has skyrocketed to some 639 bills in the last Congress and already more than 700 in this Congress. The Biden administration has passed several important China-related bills since coming into office. The CHIPS Act will provide $52.7 billion in investment in U.S. domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research and development to counter China's massive subsidies to its chip industry. The National Critical Capabilities Defense Act seeks to establish a review process for U.S. companies to invest abroad, aiming to prevent U.S. capital from flowing to Chinese technology companies. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act prohibits forced labor products from Xinjiang from entering the United States. All three bills have enjoyed wide support from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. What's most interesting about sentiment on China in this country's politics is it is such a rare point of bipartisan unity, said Dan Schnur, a political science professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked on four presidential and three gubernatorial campaigns as one of Californias leading political strategists. I cannot think of any other issue on which the two parties set aside their differences, especially in an election year, he told VOA. Schnur said the get tough on China card is being received particularly well in Americas heartland, because the upper Midwest has been a base of manufacturing capacity. But over the last few decades, many of those manufacturing jobs have left the U.S. and gone to other parts of the world. When you have a working-class electorate that doesn't feel this globalization is working to their benefit, then it's fairly easy for a candidate of either party to try to capitalize on the sentiments, he explained. Anna Tucker Ashton, director of China corporate affairs at the Eurasia Group, agrees. That is where there is the most acute sense that U.S. jobs were outsourced to China, that China stole American jobs, and that a decrease in overall quality of life in these communities is directly linked to not being tough on China, she told VOA Mandarin. Pew said the negative views of China are tied to Chinas human rights record and concerns about its growing military power. Sesno said Beijing changing its hard-line policies will improve relations. The Chinese are fueling this. Things that are driving those numbers up are China's policy toward Uyghurs, China's threats toward Taiwan, China's nationalist rhetoric, [the] Xi Jinping presidency and a third term, and the increasingly nationalist tenure and tone of the Beijing government, he told VOA. So, this is not happening in a vacuum, and it's not happening merely because of American politics. President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday suggested Iran may be willing to hold talks if the United States showed it respect, but said Tehran would not be pressured into negotiations, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported. Iran and the United States have been drawn into starker confrontation in the past month, a year after Washington pulled out of a deal between Iran and global powers to curb Tehran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions. Washington reimposed sanctions last year and ratcheted them up in May, ordering all countries to halt imports of Iranian oil. In recent weeks it has also hinted at military confrontation, saying it was sending extra forces to the Middle East to respond to an Iranian threat. U.S. President Donald Trump says the 2015 nuclear deal was not strong enough and he wants to force Iran to negotiate a new agreement. Some U.S. officials have spoken of the possibility of new talks. Not 'looking for regime change' Trump said on Monday: "It [Iran] has a chance to be a great country with the same leadership. ... We aren't looking for regime change I just want to make that clear." Fars quoted Rouhani as saying: "We are for logic and talks if [the other side] sits respectfully at the negotiating table and follows international regulations, not if it issues an order to negotiate." Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that Iran would not negotiate with Washington. Rouhani had previously signaled talks might be possible if sanctions were lifted. In Saturday's speech to a group of Iranian athletes, Rouhani noted Trump's recent remarks and suggested the U.S. leader was backing away from statements last year that encouraged regime change in Iran. "The same enemy which declared its aim last year to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran today explicitly states that it does not want to do anything to [our] system," Rouhani said. "If we remain hopeful in the war with America, we will win." YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. The United States is interested in seeing a stable Caucasus region, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said at a briefing. Of course we want to see and weve we have made clear our interest in seeing a stable Caucasus region, a region that where we work both with Armenia and Azerbaijan to de-escalate tensions between those two countries and to work to de-escalate any broader tensions that may arise, Ned Price said. He didnt comment on the question about the recent military exercises held by Iranian Revolutionary Guard on border with Azerbaijan. I dont have a particular comment on that, he said. Iranian judicial authorities have indicted protesters who had been arrested in recent weeks during anti-government demonstrations that rights groups say resulted in several deaths. The chief justice of Kurdistan province Tuesday indicted 110 people. The move came one day after Hossein Fazli Harikandi, the chief justice of Alborz province, issued indictments for 201 protesters. In Qazvin province, the prosecutor said 55 protesters were being indicted. Ali Salehi, the public prosecutor of Tehran, issued indictments for 315 people on charges of gathering and colluding with the intention of acting against the security of the country, propaganda against the system and disturbance of public order. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called some of the arrested protesters agents of the enemy and said that in their cases, judicial and security officials must do their duty. An Iranian judiciary spokesman said charges have also been filed by the criminal prosecutors office in connection with a recent fire that left eight people dead at Tehrans Evin prison. Massoud Satayshi said 25 suspects allegedly involved in incitement and deliberate destruction have been charged. Social media users had reported seeing flames and hearing the sound of gunshots and explosions from the prison. Iranian officials have given differing accounts of events, including saying the unrest was caused by enemy agents and some inmates who tried to escape. They also blamed inmates whom they say set a sewing workshop on fire. Rights groups have accused the Iranian government of seeking to carry out a crackdown inside the prison under the guise of battling the fire and preventing escapes. Nationwide protests and strikes, now in their fifth week, started after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who had been detained for an alleged dress code violation. Protesters in cities across the country have opposed the mandatory wearing of hijabs by women and called for changes to Irans political system. Despite the heavy presence of Syrian and Russian forces in southern Syria, militants affiliated with the Islamic State group appear to be active in the region. Last week, local fighters, some of whom were affiliated with the Syrian government, carried out an operation targeting several hideouts belonging to IS operatives in a town in the southern province of Daraa. During the raid, at least six IS members were killed, and three houses used as IS operations centers were destroyed, according to local news reports. The multi-day operation, which ended Sunday, seemed to be in response to an October 13 bombing of a military bus in the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed at least 18 Syrian soldiers. Russia, a strong backer of the Syrian government, has accused IS cells in Daraa of carrying out the attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA it couldn't confirm whether the individuals targeted in Daraa were responsible for orchestrating the Damascus bombing. "But what is certain is that those killed in the town of Jasim [in Daraa] were Syrian and Iraqi nationals that were indeed members of Daesh," said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the U.K.-based observatory, using an Arabic acronym for the terror group. A media activist in Daraa who requested anonymity for safety reasons told VOA that one of the IS operatives killed during the clashes last week was a high-profile leader responsible for assassinating several former opposition figures in southern Syria. Occasional attacks Since 2018, when Syrian government forces and allied militias recaptured the region from rebel forces, Daraa and surrounding areas have seen occasional attacks claimed by IS militants and other extremist groups. Sadradeen Kinno, a Syria researcher who closely follows militant groups in the war-torn country, said the Syrian regime and its Russian allies have not cleared the south of all radical groups, including IS. "The security situation in Daraa and other southern parts of the country remains fragile because the Syrian regime's ability to provide post-IS stability is different from that of other players that have fought Daesh, such as the [U.S.-backed] Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria," he told VOA. For one, Kinno said, the regime's military units in every part of Syria fall under different foreign commands, including Russia and Iran. "The units that are affiliated with Russia in the south have in recent months proven to be ineffective and disorganized, largely because Russia has been focused on its war in Ukraine," he said, adding that IS cells "have naturally exploited the situation to increase their presence in the south." The Syrian regime is currently not capable of pushing back IS operatives in areas that are entirely under its control, Kinno said. Other experts said the Syrian government could have tolerated the presence of some elements of IS to threaten the remaining rebel groups that have not reconciled with the government. As part of a Russian-brokered deal in 2018, the Syrian government allowed several rebel groups to remain in Daraa if they agreed to lay down their arms or fight under the regime's command. Some groups, however, kept their arms without fighting alongside government forces. "The Syrian regime's narrative is that all fundamentalist groups in the south have been arrested since 2018, but we keep hearing about the emergence of Daesh cells in towns across Daraa," said Hisham al-Masalmeh, a Belgium-based Syrian political analyst who hails from Daraa. "Every town in southern Syria is controlled by dozens of checkpoints, so it's questionable as to how these Daesh cells were able to infiltrate into any town in the area," he told VOA. "It's clear that the regime tries to use them against local rebel groups." This story originated in VOA's Kurdish service. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has selected a replacement for former economy minister Daishiro Yamagiwa, who stepped down Monday amid growing criticism over his ties to the controversial Unification Church. Prime Minister Kishida announced Tuesday that he had named former health minister Shigeyuki Goto to the post, citing his experience and passion for economic and social reforms. Gotos appointment comes as the prime minister is preparing to introduce a major economic stimulus package sometime this month. Public support for Kishidas government has plummeted since the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8 while delivering a speech at a campaign rally in the western city of Nara. The suspected gunman, who was apprehended at the scene, was reportedly angry over Abes suspected links to the South Korean-based Unification Church, which he blamed for his mothers financial ruin. Abe led Japans long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which recently revealed that nearly half of its lawmakers have ties to the Unification Church. Kishida has ordered a formal investigation of the church, which has been described as a cult. Yamagiwa is the first member of Kishidas Cabinet to resign over the scandal. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters. The shooting death of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya has once again raised concern about the behavior of the East African countrys police. Sharif was killed at a roadblock on Sunday as officers searched for a missing vehicle. The suspicious circumstances have caused an uproar in Pakistan, where officials say Kenyan authorities have vowed a fair and transparent investigation. The Kenyan government has released the body of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif for burial after conducting a postmortem on how the well-known journalist was killed. The Pakistani embassy in Nairobi said an autopsy found that Sharif died of bullet wounds to his head and shoulder, and termed the killing an accident. Kenyan police said they were searching for a stolen vehicle with a child inside on Sunday when Sharif refused to stop his car at a checkpoint. Officers opened fire, killing the 50-year-old journalist. Security analyst George Musamali questions the police statement that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity and notes the presence of a paramilitary police unit known as the General Service Unit at the checkpoint. If you are saying you are circulating my car, you need to give a brief description of the vehicle, the registration number, the make of the vehicle and the type of vehicle so whoever is out on the look can easily identify what they are out looking for, said Musamali. But in this case, we [were] only just given a registration numbers, we are not given the color of the vehicle. And also something else, rarely do we have the GSU manning roadblocks. When there is this kind of circulation, it does not touch on the GSU because a GSU is a unit that has its duties, special duties that do not involve erecting roadblocks to catch criminals who have stolen vehicles in Nairobi. In a statement, Amnesty International called for an investigation and said the death of Sharif is among nearly 110 people killed by Kenyan police each year. The Kenyan government said it would investigate the killing and provide answers. The countrys Independent Police Oversight Authority has also deployed its officers to independently investigate the killing of the journalist. Musamali says the judiciary should take charge of the case and police should be blocked from conducting the investigation. The best way to handle this is for the government to order a judicial inquiry into sudden death where people will be put through questions by a magistrate that has been appointed. This will show the ambiguity of all the stories that we are being told, but if we leave and say this is a police investigation, then we definitely will not get answers. Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said Kenya promised to provide fairness and transparency into the killing. International relations expert Kizito Sabala says the death of the journalist will not strain relations between the two countries. I dont think the relationship between Kenya and Pakistan is going to be affected by this killing. I think the present regime is probably going to give a very satisfactory answer. I dont think Pakistan is going to stretch that far. Kenyan President William Ruto recently disbanded another police unit accused of numerous extrajudicial killings. On Monday, four former officers of that unit went on trial, facing murder charges for the killing of two Indian nationals and their driver. As the U.S. military considers Chinas military strength in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. Navy is turning to driverless ships to multiply its forces. VOAs Jessica Stone takes us along for a closer look at this military innovation. Camera: Keith Lane Enraged. That's how Adela Navarro Bello felt after hearing that a state official had been casting doubt on her and her journalism. Zeta, her celebrated investigative news magazine, had just published an article on alleged illicit business dealings by high-level officials in Mexico's Baja California state. A journalist asked Amador Rodriguez Lozano, the state's then secretary-general of government, about the allegations surrounding members of his administration at a town hall meeting. But instead of addressing them, he sought to discredit Navarro and her publication. "Zeta is angry: first, because we are not buying advertising, and second, because we are investigating Adela Navarro's romantic partner," Rodriguez said at a meeting in December 2019. "I think that is the reason why Adela makes up stories." Navarro was shocked. "I was upset, of course," she told VOA. "They were trying to divert the attention from the corruption taking place in that government. They attacked me and Zeta. They attacked my private life." Angered, Navarro filed a complaint with the Baja California Human Rights Commission. Each of Mexico's 31 states and its capital, Mexico City, has a commission. The government body investigates complaints against state authorities, ensures that officials comply with the constitutional mandate on human rights, and recommends reforms to policies and laws. The commission cannot take direct action, but it can recommend prosecution. With media across Mexico coming under continued verbal assault from government officials including President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who, during his media briefings, holds a weekly session on reporters and their work called "Who's Who in the Lies of the Week" the commission can be a step toward mediation. The press office for the office of the president did not respond to VOA's request for comment sent via messaging app. In speeches, Lopez Obrador has said he supports "true" journalists but not those who he claims make millions by working for opponents of his government. In a country regularly cited as one of the most dangerous for journalists, hostile rhetoric such as the president's and online attacks are not to be taken lightly. Nationwide, threats directed at the media are increasing. In the first six months of 2022, London-based rights and free expression group Article 19 recorded 331 attacks, including physical aggression and online violence, in Mexico. Of those, the state was said to be responsible in 128 cases, the rights group found. And when it comes to the digital sphere, threats are more commonly directed at female journalists, studies by Article 19 and other groups have shown. "We see many acts of intimidation, threats, smear campaigns that also have a particularly strong impact on women journalists, because [women] also have a very, very strong social burden," said Itzia Miravete Veraza, a Mexico City-based lawyer who works for Article 19. Women in Mexico already have less equal footing in society, and the online attacks against them are often sexualized or focused on a journalist's appearance and work to further undermine their public role, Miravete said. Still, despite Mexico's machismo culture, women such as Navarro are proving themselves as newsroom leaders even as others try to diminish their work. Still, women such as Navarro are proving themselves as newsroom leaders even as others try to diminish their work. Credibility under attack As the director of a weekly news magazine, Navarro has a tight schedule and is direct in conversation. Her pride in Zeta and its journalists is clear. Its Tijuana newsroom proudly displays Navarro's and her colleagues' work and achievements. Framed front pages showcase their biggest investigations including one of Zeta's early reports into organized crime and drug trafficking in the 1980s. Next to it, a Maria Moors Cabot medal that had been awarded to the magazine's founder, Jesus Blancornelas, in 1998. Navarro received the same award in 2021. "For her courage, and her contributions to understanding the complexities of the U.S.- Mexico border," the prize board said. In a video interview with VOA from Zeta's offices, a portrait of Blancornelas loomed over Navarro as she discussed Mexico's media environment. "They want to kill your credibility and morale to end your career, and for your readers to lose trust in the news magazine. That is what they are trying to accomplish with these defamation campaigns," she said. The then secretary-general's words had stung, Navarro told VOA. A direct attack on her career in investigative journalism that earned her the position of director at Zeta. In her complaint to Baja California's human rights commission, Navarro said that Rodriguez "attacked Zeta" over its reporting. As a prominent outlet tackling organized crime and corruption, Zeta has weathered decades of attacks and threats. Assailants killed two of its team, in 1988 and 2008, and an ambush on Blancornelas in 1997 left his driver dead and the journalist injured. Such attacks have earned Mexico a reputation as a dangerous country for media, a notorious claim to fame that endures today. This year, as of October 25, at least 15 journalists have been killed, according to multiple sources. In many cases, threats precede the slayings. Article 19's Miravete said her organization was seeing an increase in aggression directed at media, especially women. Still, female journalists continue to report on corruption, politics and issues affecting women. Many are driven by the belief that their reporting can effect positive change. As a child, Isabel Mercado dreamed of becoming a journalist, much to the despair of her family. "My family tried to discourage me, saying that this career had no good income. Nobody gets rich by being a good journalist," said Mercado, originally from the coastal city of Los Mochis, in northern Sinaloa state. Seated at her desk in the El Sol de Tijuana newsroom, Mercado recalled her early ambitions. She is glad she pursued her dream, she said, even when she faces a barrage of online hate. In October 2021, Mercado received a call from a group of women in the Tijuana firefighter force. "They hesitated before calling, and later admitted researching my profile and stories before contacting me," she said. The firefighters felt more comfortable talking to her, she said. They wanted to discuss problems in the workplace. "These are women who for many years suffered from mistreatment. Male firefighters were being verbally aggressive and even recording them in uncomfortable situations and sharing the videos," she said. "Some of them had dared to talk to their managers and had no support. Before publishing the story, I talked to the chief, and he acknowledged those kinds of irregularities, but he tried to minimize them." After the story had been published, it attracted hundreds of negative comments on the news outlet's website and on social media, many directed at the female firefighters and Mercado. But for all the negative responses, Mercado's story made a difference. Montserrat Caballero, who took office in October 2021 as Tijuana's first female mayor, read the article and ordered change. The city dismissed the fire chief and made changes to its structural organization. And a woman was appointed as head of gender equality. A victory, at least for now. The women are glad the story brought about changes, but they are unsure they will last, Mercado said. "They are worried that once everyone forgets about it, things will go back to how they were." Community Attempts to discredit or delegitimize reporting, especially by female journalists, is a global phenomenon. In a 2020 survey by UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists, 73% of female-identifying journalists said they experienced online violence. In response to such attacks, a sense of solidarity has developed among female journalists, who are creating networks and spaces to connect, said Denisse Martinez Bucio, spokesperson for Chicas Poderosa, or "Powerful Girls." "Women are mainly looking for a community to be part of," she said. Groups like Martinez Bucio's provide training and security advice and promote reporting on gender-based stories. "We invite them to create journalism or audiovisual stories, to talk mainly about health, economy and gender violence," she said. Sometimes though, the official institutions work. After Navarro submitted her complaint to the human rights commission, Rodriguez issued a public apology: "This comment could be misrepresented and seem like a sexist attack," he said in a video posted to Facebook. The commission's president, Miguel Angel Mora, said that although the case is resolved, the complaint stays on file. "Even though no further action is needed when there is a formal apology, we kept the claim open to do a follow up and leave an antecedent of what these reporters had to go through," Mora said. Another small victory. Vicente Calderon contributed to this article. It originated in VOA's Spanish-language Division. Finland and Sweden's aspirations to join NATO are in doubt as Turkey has renewed its objections to their membership bids. Finnish diplomats met with their Turkish counterparts Tuesday in Ankara, according to local media reports. The meeting marked the latest diplomatic effort by Helsinki to persuade Ankara to agree to its bid to join NATO. For the Atlantic alliance to expand, all members must agree. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced reservations over Finland and Sweden's bid to join, accusing the countries of giving sanctuary to Kurdish groups that Ankara considers terrorists. Speaking to parliament earlier this month, Erdogan said he would closely monitor commitments by both Finland and Sweden to address Turkish concerns. Erdogan said Turkey is not going to give concessions as a country that has fought terrorism for 40 years. Earlier in October, the Turkish leader accused Stockholm of reneging on its commitments to Ankara, saying enemies of Turkey were continuing to operate freely in Sweden. Erdogan, however, said he is ready to meet with Sweden's newly elected prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, to discuss Turkish demands. Huseyin Bagci, head of the Foreign Policy Institute in Ankara, said Erdogan sees NATO expansion as an opportunity. "Tayyip Erdogan tries to increase the leverage of the Turkish bargaining process through this. Maybe at the end, he will say yes, but he has to take now something. It is a calculated act but whether [it is] a miscalculation, we will have to see this," Bagci said. News reports say Sweden has made many security concessions. Ankara is demanding the extradition of dozens of people, including Swedish nationals wanted for terrorist offenses. Analyst Ilhan Uzgel with the Duvar news portal said concessions from Washington are Erdogan's main aim. "The membership bid of Finland and Sweden, he tries to use these two bargaining chips to get something from the West," Uzgel said. "It can be either a meeting with [U.S. President Joe] Biden; it can be the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States, [or] external support during the elections. Something that will help Erdogan get into a better position before the elections." Erdogan is languishing in most opinion polls ahead of elections that Turkey is required to hold by June of 2023. Analyst Uzgel said Erdogan will be reluctant to give up leverage over NATO before the June polls. "My guess is that he is going to use it until the elections. It's a leverage that he needs right now, unless he gets something quite important from the United States," Uzgel said. "He is completely and utterly focused on winning the elections because he is losing support domestically. So, he has to win the elections, so he is going to do whatever it takes to stay in power domestically or externally." Analysts say Erdogan will also be aware that standing up to NATO and, in particular, the United States, plays well among his religious and nationalist base. This means Finland and Sweden could have a long wait until they are able to join the alliance. The Pacific islands are increasingly being used as a transit point for transnational crime, including drug trafficking and money laundering, experts say. Criminal organizations from Asia and the Americas are exploiting limited law enforcement resources on these islands, and drug problems are rising on these tourist paradise locations, according to experts and local reports, mainly from Fiji and Palau. The region is now said by experts to be an increasingly important transit route for the trafficking of drugs and chemical precursors bound for Australia and New Zealand, where drug prices are high and methamphetamine and cocaine use has been steadily increasing. However, experts say, this is only the beginning and things could get worse, as is happening in Thailand, where a meth pill now costs less than $1, and a concerted regional effort is required to stop that from happening. The Pacific is caught in the nexus between the drug cartels of South America and Central America and Asian and Southeast Asian cartels, Jose Sousa-Santos, a senior fellow at the Australian Pacific Security College at the Australian National University, told VOA. They are not only looking to moving the drugs to very lucrative markets in Australia and New Zealand, but also moving drugs from the Americas towards Southeast Asia and Asia and precursors towards the Americas, he said. Santos said many Pacific island states lack capacity to patrol and enforce their borders. Consequently, he said, there has been an uptick in the movement of drugs through the region. However, he said, indigenous criminal networks have also been created that work with transnational syndicates and facilitate their operations in the region, mostly Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga along with Marshall Islands and Northern Marianas. This is something that we have not seen before and it is quite troubling, he said. For example, the U.S. Treasury Department said in December 2020 that the 14K Triad, one of the largest Chinese criminal organizations in the world, has been active in the Pacific. The international crime group mainly engages in drug trafficking, running illegal casinos, racketeering, human trafficking and bribery in Southeast Asia, but it also has engaged in similar activities in Palau, Treasury said. A concrete example of the connection of major criminals and criminal interests to the Pacific is the case of 14K Triad senior figure Wan Kuok-koi, who also goes by Broken Tooth, Jeremy Douglas, the regional representative of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, told VOA. Kuok-koi has invested in Palau through his so-called Palau China Hung-Mun Cultural Association, which he controls, he said. Santos also said in the North Pacific, casinos and Chinese companies were established by transnational syndicates for money laundering and facilitate the movement of drugs while criminal groups in Mexico are moving cocaine and methamphetamine through the Pacific. Increasing challenges With more criminal groups and drugs coming their way from Asia and the Americas, local police on these Pacific islands are now busier with higher local crime rates. For example, the number of drug-related offenses in Fiji has increased from about 200 cases in 2013 to more than 1,500 in 2020, according to Fiji police. Fiji is a transshipment hub for hard drugs and these cases are identified through domestic law enforcement agencies coordination, Assistant Superintendent of Police Maria Serukalou was quoted by The Fiji Sun in June as saying. Serukalou also said there were 549 cases of money laundering recorded under transnational crime cases in 2018 while local statistics showed that roughly $49 million is being laundered on the island annually. Santos also said there has been a rise in the local production of methamphetamine in the Pacific. This includes production by experienced meth chemists who were deported to the islands from Australia and New Zealand and have a connection to the syndicates for chemical precursors, and backyard chemists who use any chemical they can get their hands on to make the drug. At the moment in St. Giles Psychiatric Hospital in Fiji, 80% of mental health admissions are linked to methamphetamine, he said. Douglas said transnational crime in the Pacific is difficult to quantify to put a number or value on, but the threat is very real to the region and its small states, and it has recently become more of a threat. He said the Pacific has been a transit zone for drugs and other trafficked commodities for a long time for the simple reason it is located between Asia and the Americas, but the situation has changed with increased connectivity and technology. He said not only that the region is becoming a destination for powerful drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine, it is also becoming a place where criminals can take advantage of internet and banking infrastructure, and weak or out-of-date laws, to do business. Douglas said the police in the Pacific have long been, and largely remain, focused on local policing and public order, both not surprising and needed, but they have to be more aware of external threat as well, he said. The world has come to the Pacific, and the police that protect it need to be aware of the threats, he said. No region stays isolated from transnational crime threats for long especially given how connectivity and technology have and are changing the nature of crime, he said. Aside from improving awareness, strategic intelligence, and setting policy, the region needs help to improve capacities and to connect and collaborate with agencies from outside the Pacific, Douglas said. The U.N. needs to step in and expand what we do given we are tasked with helping states and regions, and connecting them, to address transnational crime, he added. Santos said there is a lot that the Pacific can learn from Southeast Asia, as the Pacific is at the beginning of what Southeast Asia has been facing for decades and the tactics that are being utilized by transitional transnational criminal syndicates in the Pacific are not different from those being used in Southeast Asia. He said that having greater exchange programs among law enforcement agencies of Americas, the Pacific and Southeast Asia would allow the Pacific to have a greater understanding of these syndicates tactics. The knowledge is there and that is something that Pacific law enforcement agencies and the regional law enforcement architecture should tap into and partner with and not just Southeast Asian law enforcement, but also from the Americas and we are not seeing that and that is something that needs to be looked at, he said. In the Pacific, the problem is in the early stages and we can actually stop the syndicates from taking root so if we can learn the lessons from both sides, that would be critical, he said. Policymakers from around the world met Monday and Tuesday in Senegal to discuss Africa's most pressing security challenges. This year, attendees of an annual conference focused on redefining the role international partners play in promoting stability in Africa. More than 1,000 people participated in the eighth edition of the International Forum of Dakar on Peace and Security. Attendees included the heads of state from Cape Verde, Angola and Guinea-Bissau, as well as high-ranking officials from Japan, Saudi Arabia and France. The event opened with a speech from Senegalese President and African Union Chairman Macky Sall, who spoke about the need to re-examine modern peace operations. If U.N. peacekeepers are being attacked on their own bases, they cant be expected to protect local populations, he said. Threats to peace and stability lie in the deep economic crisis that is shaking the world, Sall said. Millions of people can no longer bear the cost of living, and others fall into extreme poverty, with no hope of a better future. The solution, he said, is to educate and create employment for Africas growing youth population. The conference took place in the wake of Frances withdrawal of military forces from Mali and ongoing criticism of U.N. missions throughout the region. Militant Islamic violence in Africa has doubled since 2019, with a record 6,300 incidents in 2022 a 21 percent increase over last year, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a U.S. Department of Defense research group. The Sahel has been the most impacted, with violent events quadrupling over the same period. Across the continent close to 15,000 people have died this year from extremist-linked violence, a nearly 50 percent increase from 2019. Aude Darnal, a fellow with the Stimson Center, a Washington research organization, said of the violence, "Solutions need to be defined by local actors. They also need to be implemented by local actors. International stakeholders should support, but the leadership needs to come from Africa. Nadia Adam, a Sahel analyst for the nonprofit Center for Civilians in Conflict, said solutions must be built from the inside. Most African countries, especially the youth, now want to make decisions for themselves, she said. They want to be part of the change. And they have the capacity. More people are educated. Government officials attending the conference reiterated that message. Chidi Blyden is the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for African affairs. In a speech, she quoted a Creole saying from Sierra Leone, which translates to When and if theres a problem, look exactly where youre standing. Some of the problems reside there, but more importantly, the solution probably resides there as well, she said. The continent is full of African solutions to global problems. The forum also addressed how to decrease Africa's dependence on international food aid and become more resistant to external shocks, such as the war in Ukraine. Chinese stock markets experienced one of the worst routs in years on Monday, as investors reacted to the news that Chinese President Xi Jinping had not only won a third five-year term in office but had stacked the most senior levels of the government exclusively with individuals loyal to him and his ideology. The Hang Seng Index, which tracks shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, ended the day down 6.4%, its lowest level since 2009. Other stock indices on the mainland were also down sharply, as international investors pulled $2.5 billion worth of capital out of the country, the largest single-day outflow on record. Experts attributed the rush for the exits to the confirmation that China will remain on the course Xi has charted for the country. This includes a "zero-COVID" policy that has led to massive lockdowns and economic disruption, as well as continued government involvement in the banking industry and the broader economy, which has left the country with a mounting debt crisis. Also on Monday, China announced that its economy had grown at a 3.9% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2022. It was slightly higher than expected but still well short of the rate necessary for China to meet the government's prediction that the economy would grow by 5.5% for the full year. The announcement of the economic growth rate had been scheduled for last week but was abruptly postponed, possibly in order to avoid news reports about it distracting attention from the meeting of Communist Party leaders. Politburo shake up That Xi would break precedent and take a third term in office was no surprise, but his accession was accompanied by an unexpected shake-up of the membership of the seven-member Central Committee of the Politburo. Xi replaced four members of the body, which makes all significant policy decisions, with men seen as loyal to him. "What probably shocked a fair number of people was the clean sweep in the standing committee of the Politburo," Ian Johnson, a senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told VOA. "He got all these people in who are basically cronies of his, and people who are identified as more pro-market did not get seats and were shunted aside." Among those elevated to the committee was Li Qiang, the Shanghai Party secretary, who played a major role in a controversial months-long COVID-19 lockdown of that city earlier this year. Also ascending was Ding Xuexiang, Xi's private secretary and head of the Central Committee's powerful General Office. Among those who did not return for another term on the committee was Hu Chunhua, considered one of the more economically liberal thinkers in Chinese leadership, and once seen as a potential successor to Xi. Hu's departure made it abundantly clear that there would be little pushback against Xi's economic policy on the newly constituted committee. "With political ties taking increasing precedence over technocratic experience, the quality of policy implementation could decline," Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics, wrote on Monday in a note to the firms clients. "And the dismantling of remaining checks and balances will make it harder for the Party to shift course if Xi Jinping's policy agenda falters." Focus on security In his remarks to the assembled members of the Communist Party at the beginning of the days-long gathering, Xi broke little ground in terms of announcing new initiatives or changing existing ones. He praised the country's response to the pandemic and indicated no intention of shifting away from that policy. He touted China's extraordinary economic growth over the preceding 10 years, during which the size of the economy more than doubled. While Xi promised continued economic reforms and "opening up" to the rest of the world, he also stressed that state-owned enterprises would continue to play a major role in the economy and that development in the private sector would be "guided" by the Communist Party. A major focus of his remarks was on national security. He painted a picture of a Chinese nation beset by threats from both within and without, promising to "resolutely safeguard the security of China's state power, systems and ideology, and build up security capacity in key areas." Business community disappointed "We were hoping for signals about the need to reset relations with the U.S. Instead, it appears that uncertainty will continue and may worsen," Doug Barry, a vice president with the U.S.-China Business Council, told VOA in an email exchange. "The next inflection point may come if presidents Biden and Xi meet in Bali next month, which would be an ideal time to announce some confidence-building measures with neither person accused of being soft on the other." However, Barry said, positions in both Washington and Beijing appear to be hardening, lowering the odds of compromise being found in the near term. "The good news is that trade between the countries remains good, though both imports and exports are off from last year's totals, probably because of COVID and China's slowing economy," Barry said. "Now with China's leadership in place, we will soon get a better sense of what the future looks like." Market realization Johnson said that the violent reaction by the stock market on Monday may have been a result of a somewhat belated recognition that there is little prospect of China changing course and becoming more market-friendly in the foreseeable future. For the past 30 years, he said, there was a broad assumption among investors that even though China was an authoritarian state, "It was run by people who understood how things work internationally, and they would come up with relatively investor-friendly policies." Now, though, that assumption has "evaporated," Johnson said. "Beijing still talks about reform and trying to kind of open up to the outside world and all this kind of thing," he said. "But there's no evidence of that." YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. The filming of The Last Round in Istanbul, an upcoming drama by French-Armenian filmmaker Serge Avedikian will start in spring 2023. The film is set in 1946 and tells the story of an Irish boxers love story with an Armenian woman as they travel to Djibouti and then to Istanbul. With this film I want to say why we became emigrants, why we were forced to build our future on loss. I want to tell to the new generation that we are forced to do so and we continue suffering new losses. I really want us all to be mentally more stable and stronger because it is no longer possible to build on loss. It is a matter of mentality, we must try to develop culture and our language, the filmmaker told ARMENPRESS. Avedikian says people should re-read the Diary of a Con Artist ( ) by Raffi and other works of the novelist and "remember where we come from. He said that the Diary of a Con Artist has been translated into French and that it is popular in France. I wont match Raffi, but I will make my voice heard through my films, says Avedikian. Avedikian is also the scriptwriter of the upcoming film, and he will also make a cameo. In 2021, Avedikian visited Armenia for the premiere of his Back to Soloz documentary, which tells the story of Avedikian visiting his grandfathers village in Turkey. It was screened in other countries as well. Historians and journalists were among the audiences during screenings in Paris. Through the film the director shows how time has a role in destroying culture and faith. This isnt simply a movie. It is a film through which one can speak about various subjects. Questions were being asked. People who didnt know history were shocked how that history left such traces, how it gave birth to dictators who are erasing and destroying, he said, emphasizing that culture doesnt have borders. Angela Hambardzumyan Photos by Tatev Duryan The threat posed by authoritarian regimes is a "wake-up call for democrats worldwide," Taiwan's leader said Tuesday, as she opened a meeting of global activists that included fugitive Hong Kong dissident Nathan Law. About 200 political and civic leaders from 70 countries, including Iran, Russia and Ukraine, were attending the assembly in Taipei. It began just two days after Chinese President Xi Jinping tightened his grip on power by securing a third term and elevating a group of loyalists to top jobs at a choreographed Communist Party gathering. Democratic Taiwan lives under constant threat of an invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as part of its territory, to be taken one day. President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan's people "have never shied away from the challenges of authoritarian interference... and fought against forces looking to undermine" its democracy. "The challenge posed by authoritarian regimes is an important wake-up call for democrats worldwide," she said in a summit speech that cited Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Law, one of Hong Kong's best-known democracy activists, said he believed Xi's third term would make the world less secure. "It's very clear that Xi Jinping is amassing power, centralizing more power, and I think it has very bad implications for the world," he told AFP on the sidelines of the summit. It is the first time Law has returned to Asia since fleeing Hong Kong in 2020 for Britain. He faces national security charges that have jailed many of the city's democracy activists. Law said he believed Xi's "one-man dictatorship" would be increasingly hard to predict and that the Chinese leader was becoming like Russian President Vladimir Putin. "They will value their personal ambition more than the stability of the country. So, it means that they could have more reckless moves in terms of really threatening Taiwan and threatening the world," he said. China is a key ally of Russia and has not condemned its February invasion of Ukraine. That war has deepened fears that Beijing might attempt to annex the island. There has been an outpouring of public support for Kyiv in Taiwan, which has sent money and vowed to uphold Western sanctions. Ukrainian politician Kira Rudik was also in Taipei on Tuesday, meeting local legislators the first time in 15 years that a lawmaker from Ukraine has visited. "We know your support, we hear it, we see it, we feel it," she told reporters while visiting Taiwan's parliament. "We know about the sanctions that you put against Russia so that they cannot manufacture their weapons." The United Nations appealed Tuesday for more money and access to needy Syrians, as winter sets in and a cholera outbreak strains limited resources. We are just weeks away from another winter in Syria, and a painfully familiar scenario will soon unfold again, U.N. Humanitarian Director of Operations and Advocacy Reena Ghelani told a meeting of the Security Council. Snowstorms, subzero temperatures, strong winds, rains and flooding are expected to hit soon. The U.N. says 14.6 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance more than at any other time in its 11 years of civil war. At least 12 million are food insecure and malnutrition is on the rise, as families cope with a crippling economic crisis that has reduced 90% of the population to living below the poverty line. Drought conditions also have led to the poorest wheat harvest since the wars start. Ghelani said severe fuel and electricity shortages will make it very hard for families to keep warm this winter. This year, the number of people who need winterization assistance has increased by a staggering 30% across the country compared to the previous year, she said. In the northwest, some 2 million people depend on winter assistance to meet their most basic needs. She said most are women and children living in camps with limited or no access to heating, electricity, water or sewage disposal. Without clean water in several areas, cholera has recently surfaced, spreading rapidly and now confirmed in all 14 governorates. There have been at least 24,000 suspected cases and at least 80 people have died from the waterborne disease. The equation is simple: When people drink the same contaminated water that they use to irrigate their crops, and when they do not have sufficient water to practice proper hygiene, waterborne diseases spread, causing people, especially children, to fall ill and sometimes die, Ghelani told the council. The U.N. needs $34.4 million to tackle cholera for the next three months, while its other humanitarian operations in the country remain significantly underfunded with just two months left in the year. Aid renewal Compounding the current crisis is the life-or-death question mark that hangs over U.N. aid operations in the northwest of the country. The Security Council authorization for the eight-year-old operation that moves aid from Turkey through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing into northwest Syria will expire in early January, just as the harshest weather takes hold. More than 4 million people live in northwest Syria, in an area that is outside government control. Humanitarians reach about 2.4 million of them each month by bringing aid convoys through the border crossing. Russia has long sought to end the operation, which Damascus does not like, and has succeeded in using its veto to narrow the operations reach since 2019. During the last renewal in July, Russia refused a one-year extension, complicating logistics planning and hiring for the mission. Now the already difficult negotiations will take place against the backdrop of council divisions intensified by the war in Ukraine. The U.N.s Ghelani said humanitarians need both access from Turkey and from within Syria across conflict lines. A non-renewal of the authorization to carry out cross-border humanitarian assistance at the peak of winter, and in the middle of a cholera response, could cut off access to millions of people in the northwest just when they need it most, she warned. The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, is calling on the Malaysian authorities to stop forcibly deporting asylum-seekers from Myanmar back to their home country, where agency officials say their lives are at risk. The U.N. refugee agency says these forced returns from Malaysia have been going on since April. Over the past two months, UNHCR officials report hundreds of Myanmar nationals have been sent back against their will. UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo says the latest incident occurred on Friday, when Malaysian authorities defied agency efforts and deported an asylum seeker who was being held in detention. Mantoo says sending people seeking international protection back to Myanmar exposes them to harm and danger. The principle of non-refoulment is a cornerstone of international law and is binding on all states, said Mantoo. The situation in Myanmar is forcing people to flee to seek safety within the country and across borders We actually do not have information on what happens to these deportees once they arrive. And that is why we continue to urge they are not sent to Myanmar against their will. The UNHCR has registered more than 183,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia. They include nearly 106,000 Rohingya and some 52,000 other people from ethnic groups fleeing conflict and persecution in Myanmar. Observers say at least 17,500 people are being held in 21 immigration detention centers across the country, including more than 1,500 children. Human Rights Watch reports Malaysia has forcibly returned more than 2,000 Myanmar nationals since April, more than half in the past two months. Mantoo says the UNHCR does not know why this surge of deportations is happening now. But she notes her agency is very concerned about the humanitarian consequences for people affected by this. We are in continuous dialogue and engaging with authorities there on the issue. And this is an ongoing intervention that we are making but I do not really have any more feedback than that. But we are continuing our interventions with the authorities and hope that this will stop. The U.N. refugee agency is reiterating its call to other states in the region to continue offering protection to Myanmar nationals fleeing for safety. It also is urging the Malaysian government to end the practice of indefinitely detaining asylum-seekers and refugees from Myanmar. A recent report by the U.N. human rights office accuses Myanmars military leaders of arresting thousands of people and subjecting them to physical abuse, ill-treatment, and torture, sometimes resulting in death. Myanmars military government has not responded to this latest report but has rejected similar reports in the past. U.S. law enforcement officials on Monday unsealed charges against two Chinese intelligence officers accused of attempting to obstruct the Justice Department's criminal prosecution of Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies. The charges are part of three separate criminal cases announced Monday against 13 Chinese nationals, including 10 agents and government officials. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and other top law enforcement officials announced the charges at a press conference in Washington. "As these cases demonstrate, the government of China sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights. They did not succeed," Garland said. While officials did not name Huawei, a criminal complaint charging the two Chinese intelligence officers contained unmistakable details about the Chinese telecom provider, which was indicted in 2019 on charges of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. The two Chinese intelligence agents, identified in court documents as Dong He and Zheng Wang, are accused of attempting to obtain secret information about the Huawei investigation from a U.S. government employee they believed they had recruited as an asset. The person turned out to be a double agent working for the FBI. "Today's complaint underscores the unrelenting efforts of the PRC [People's Republic of China] government to undermine the rule of law," said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. "We will always act decisively to counteract criminal acts that target our system of justice." He and Wang are charged with attempting to obstruct a criminal prosecution. Additionally, Dong faces one count of money laundering for offering a $41,000 Bitcoin bribe to the U.S. double agent. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the Justice Department charges. According to The Guardian, arrest warrants have been issued for the two men, but whether they will be taken into custody remains to be seen. Both men are understood to be based in China. The other two cases announced on Monday involve a Chinese intelligence campaign to recruit U.S.-based agents and a separate effort by the Chinese government to coerce Chinese dissidents and others living overseas into returning to China. In the agent recruitment scheme, four Chinese nationals, including three Ministry of State Security intelligence officers, are accused of running a 10-year campaign to target prospective agents in the United States, according to an indictment unsealed on Monday. Using the cover of working for Ocean University of China, the MSS officers and others targeted American university professors and others with access to sensitive information and equipment, the indictment alleges. One of their targets was a former federal law enforcement and state homeland security official who taught at an American university. During all-expenses-paid trips to China in 2008 and 2018, the unnamed individual was asked to sign a consulting contract with a Chinese company "whose 'core value' was the 'national interest and national security' of China," according to prosecutors. Suspecting his recruiters were MSS agents, the professor refused and reported them to U.S. law enforcement. The three MSS officers are charged with conspiracy to act as agents of a foreign government. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum of five years in prison. The third case charges seven Chinese nationals with taking part in a two-decade scheme to force a long-sought U.S.-based Chinese national to return to China. The effort was part of China's Operation Fox Hunt, an initiative that China says is aimed at arresting corrupt officials and businessmen who have fled China. U.S. officials, on the other hand, describe it as an "extralegal repatriation effort" designed to target Chinese dissidents around the world. The U.S.-based individual the group sought to return to China was on China's list of 100 top priority fugitives under Operation Fox Hunt. As early as 2002, China got Interpol to issue a red notice alert for the individual's arrest. Two of the seven individuals allegedly involved in the scheme Quanzhong An, a U.S. permanent resident, and Guangyang An, a naturalized U.S. citizen were arrested on Thursday. The charges against the Chinese nationals come months after the Justice Department ended a Trump-era program known as the China Initiative following criticism that it was unfairly targeting innocent Chinese Americans. Despite the initiative's disbandment, law enforcement officials say their efforts to combat China's nefarious activities in the United States, from harassing Chinese dissidents to stealing corporates secrets, remain unabated. FBI Director Wray noted that the FBI opens a new China counterintelligence investigation every 12 hours. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday temporarily blocked a judge's order requiring Senator Lindsey Graham to testify to a grand jury in Georgia in a criminal investigation into whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies unlawfully tried to overturn 2020 election results in the state. Thomas put the case on hold pending further action either from the justice or the full Supreme Court on a request by Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and Trump ally, to halt the order for testimony. Graham filed the emergency application to the Supreme Court on Friday after a federal appeals court denied his request to block the questioning. Thomas acted in the case because he is designated by the court to handle emergency requests from a region that includes Georgia. Graham has argued that his position as a senator provides him immunity under the U.S. Constitution's "speech or debate" clause from having to answer questions related to his actions as part of the legislative process. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has subpoenaed Graham to answer questions about phone calls he made to a senior Georgia election official in the weeks after the November 2020 election. Atlanta-based U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May last month narrowed the scope of questions that Graham must answer from the grand jury, ruling that he is protected from having to discuss "investigatory fact-finding" that he was engaged in during his calls to state election officials. However, May said he may be questioned about alleged efforts to encourage officials to throw out ballots or alleged communication with the Trump campaign. May rejected Graham's bid to avoid testifying altogether. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday declined to block Graham's testimony pending an appeal. Graham is not a target in the investigation, but his testimony could shed further light on coordination among Trump allies to reverse the election results. The senator's lawyers said in his application that the testimony would "undisputedly center on Senator Graham's official acts phone calls he made in the course of his official work, in the leadup to the critical vote under the Electoral Count Act. Trump continues to appear at rallies repeating his false claims that the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. The investigation was launched after Trump was recorded in a January 2, 2021, phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the state's election results based on unfounded claims of voter fraud. During the phone call, Trump urged Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to "find" enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss to Biden. The transcript of the call quotes Trump telling Raffensperger: "I just want to find 11,780 votes," which is the number Trump needed to win Georgia. Trump has denied wrongdoing in the phone call. Legal experts have said Trump's phone calls may have violated at least three state election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties. A U.S. military airstrike has targeted al-Shabab terrorists who were attacking Somali National Army forces, killing two, according to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). The strike Sunday was near Buulobarde, Somalia, 218 km northwest of Mogadishu. AFRICOM says its initial assessment is that two terrorists who were actively attacking Somali forces were killed, and that no civilians were injured or killed. Al-Shabab is the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaida network in the world and has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. forces and threaten U.S. security interests, the command said in a statement Tuesday, adding that it would continue to take action to prevent this malicious terrorist group from planning and conducting attacks on civilians. The U.S. strike comes as al-Shabab launched two major attacks in Somalia this month. A siege at the Tawakal Hotel on Sunday in the southern coastal city of Kismayo killed at least 11 people, and in early October, a triple bombing in the town of Beledweyne killed at least 20 people. The Somali National Army and allied militia in central Somalia have launched an offensive against the terror group. Abdisalam Guled, the director of the Mogadishu-based security company Eagle Ranges Services, told VOA that al-Shabab may have been trying to target government forces that had been meeting at the hotel to plan the offensive against the terror group. VOAs Somali Service contributed to this report. In New Zealands parliament in Wellington, Soraya Peke-Mason has been celebrated as a trailblazer. The Maori politician was sworn in Tuesday as the newest member of the governing Labour party. Now, for the first time, women outnumber men in New Zealand's parliament. The legislature body now includes 60 women and 59 men. Peke-Mason told Radio New Zealand Tuesday that female representation in parliament has been building momentum for some time. It is a special day for me, but it is also a historic occasion for Aotearoa New Zealand," she said. "... it was only a matter of time, I think, that this would come to the fore, given the inclusiveness of our country now. However, National Party lawmaker Judith Collins told local media Tuesday that gender advances in politics did not mean that all women in New Zealand would be treated fairly and insisted that there was more work to do. First to let women vote In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to allow women to vote in parliamentary elections. It would be another 25 years before Canada and Britain did the same. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesdays gender milestone in New Zealand politics was "significant and heartening. Peke-Mason is also the first new lawmaker to have pledged allegiance to the new king, Charles III. The British monarch is New Zealands head of state. The number of women in New Zealands Parliament remained very low until the 1990s. Female participation grew in 1996 when a new voting system mixed member proportional representation was introduced. New Zealand is a South Pacific nation with a population of about 5 million people. Hundreds of Zimbabweans turned out Tuesday for rallies against Western sanctions that the government has long blamed for the countrys economic troubles. The sanctions, some of which date back 20 years, were imposed in response to alleged election rigging and rights abuses under former President Robert Mugabe, who died in 2019. The United States and Britain maintain the targeted sanctions are not the cause of Zimbabwe's problems. About 500 Zimbabweans gathered in the city of Bulawayo on Tuesday for an anti-sanctions rally organized by the ruling ZANU-PF Party. One of the demonstrators, Mabutho Moyo, said U.S. and British sanctions caused the collapse of Zimbabwes economy because industries could no longer get lines of credit. People lose jobs, and the loss of jobs leads to poverty, Moyo said. And poverty, ultimately, to high mortality rates, as you have seen in Zimbabwe. But as [Zimbabweans], we have remained resilient. We have not allowed ourselves just to cry. And through the leadership of comrade Emmerson Mnangagwa, we are not going to beg for anyones support. Zimbabwes Vice President Constantino Chiwenga read a speech for President Mnangagwa that was aired on national television. The sanctions regime undermines the tenets of the human factor approach of nations in pursuit of social sustainable economic development. They are an attack on the freedoms and on the sovereignty of Zimbabwe, Chiwenga read. Further, the illegal sanctions defy the fundamentals and precepts of international law. They challenge the notions of equality of nations and values of global governance enshrined in the United Nations Charter. U.S., British and European Union officials have long rejected Zimbabwes accusations, saying that the sanctions target individuals and certain companies rather than state institutions. They say mismanagement of the economy is the key factor behind Zimbabwes long economic slump, which dates back to 2000. Last week, James OBrien, the U.S. State Departments sanctions coordinator, told an online press briefing that U.S. sanctions are not hurting Zimbabwes economy, as they do not affect banks. A much bigger problem, he said, is the tax revenue lost from billions of dollars in black market, cross-border transactions that take place each year. On Tuesday, the British embassy in Harare released a statement saying its sanctions list had only five people for human rights violations and serious corruption. It added that these measures do not affect trade or economic measures. Trade between the U.K. and Zimbabwe was $175 million last year, and we are working hard to increase this. The embassy said, We want Zimbabwe to succeed. Anything to suggest that the U.K. wants to harm Zimbabwe is simply false. Harare-based independent political commentator Rejoice Ngwenya also doubts the sanctions have much of an effect. Zimbabwe is doing enough business with China and the rest of the world not to even worry who is sanctioning, Ngwenya said. We have enough business associations with other countries, and we have been able to attract enough mining from other countries other than the countries of the West. So, corruption, bad governance and inability to run a simple economy is what is causing economic problems in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe declared October 25 Anti-Sanctions Day and Mnangagwas government called for the protests, asking regional bloc Southern African Development Community (SADC) to support it. The government said Zimbabwe is still being punished for the land reform program under Mugabe in 2000, which forcefully displaced white commercial farmers from their land and gave it to Black Zimbabweans. MONDAY, Oct. 24, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Folks who regularly use weed could be in for a rocky road if they ever require major surgery, a new study reports. Frequent marijuana users tend to experience more pain as they recover from surgery, and they require more opioid drugs (like morphine) to deal with that pain, the researchers found. Its not an enormous amount of additional pain compared to non-users, we found, but we cant say dont worry about it because its not too much, said lead researcher Dr. Elyad Ekrami. He is a clinical research fellow with the Cleveland Clinics Anesthesiology Institute. They needed more opioids to cure their pain, so this is something that is meaningful. The researchers presented their findings Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, held in New Orleans. Marijuana legalization is expanding across the United States, with recreational use approved in 19 states and medical use in 37 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But little has been proven about how marijuana use might affect a person during and after surgery, outside what doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists observe in the hospital. When a patient is using marijuana, the moment when I start inducing giving them medications to have them go to sleep thats when I see the difference, said Dr. Qian Cece Chen, an anesthesiologist with NYU Langone Health in New York City. They need a lot more to go to sleep. Further, marijuana users need more pain medications to stay under during surgery, based on the brain waves, vital signs and breathing patterns that doctors and nurses observe, Chen said. Even in full anesthesia, we see the difference, Chen said. To learn more, Ekrami and his colleagues analyzed data on more than 34,500 patients who had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic lasting more than one hour between 2010 and 2020, and whose recovery required at least a days stay afterward. Of those patients, nearly 1,700 had used marijuana within 30 days of surgery, the researchers said. Marijuana users reported 14% more pain during the first 24 hours following surgery compared to non-users, the results showed. They also consumed 7% more opioidsafter surgery to cope with their pain. There are several theories why marijuana use might make people more sensitive to pain, experts said. Marijuana is known to affect brain receptors that respond to chemicals contained in both weed and opioids, Ekrami said. Regular marijuana use could desensitize those receptors, making opioid painkillers less effective during and after surgery. The fact that fully sedated marijuana-using patients need more opioids to keep them anesthetized is evidence that these brain receptors likely are being jumbled by regular marijuana exposure, Chen said. Under anesthesia, with the suppression of brain activity, that shouldnt be a component, Chen said. They shouldnt be processing any of that surgical stimulation, but they do respond do it. Its also possible that some are using marijuana to self-medicate and cope with anxiety or emotional problems, Chen said. In pain management, we know anxiety contributes to pain, Chen said. Since they cant use weed in the hospital, its possible that their unmanaged anxiety causes them to be more sensitive to pain. Despite all this, the experts said not enough is known to advise patients to cut out marijuana use prior to surgery. Tapering off might not have any effect on their altered receptors, and at the same time could make them more anxious and pain-prone. It's hard to give any recommendations at this point with the current evidence we have on whether to continue using or to stop using prior, said Dr. Shalini Shah, chief of pain medicine at the University of California, Irvine. I think the bottom line really comes down to giving guidance to physicians and clinicians in terms of trying to risk-mitigate your patients from adverse events postoperatively, for those who are on cannabis. To that end, Shah advises patients to be brutally honest with their doctors about whatever recreational drugs they might be taking. The best thing is for patients to be upfront with their physician, their surgeon, their anesthesiologist about what substances whether it's cannabis or alcohol or methamphetamines that they're using prior to surgery, Shah said. Really have a frank conversation about, 'Hey, what are my risks? What's the best evidence? What should I do prior to surgery so I can have a healthy recovery?' Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about the health effects of marijuana. SOURCES: Elyad Ekrami, MD, clinical research fellow, Cleveland Clinics Anesthesiology Institute; Qian Cece Chen, MD, anesthesiologist, NYU Langone Health, New York City; Shalini Shah, MD, MBA, chief, pain medicine, University of California, Irvine; American Society of Anesthesiologists, news release, Oct. 23, 2022 YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Giorgia Meloni on her appointment as Prime Minister of Italy. In a letter sent to Meloni, the Armenian PM wished her productive work and good luck in the responsible position. I am convinced that thanks to your skillful management friendly Italy will have big progress in many areas, PM Pashinyan said in the letter. Italy is a friendly country and important partner for us. Armenia attaches great importance to consistently developing and deepening the friendly ties with Italy based on common civilization and democratic values, mutual interest and the existing mutual sympathy between our peoples. In this crucial time for the Armenian people, you enjoy great respect not only within the Italian-Armenian community but also in the Armenian society due to your fair and principled positions. I am sure that during your administration we will succeed to record new achievements and raise the cooperation between Armenia and Italy to a new qualitative level in all areas of mutual interest. I hope that we will soon have a chance to meet and discuss the entire agenda of our bilateral relations and outline prospects for future cooperation. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the occasion of the Republic Day. The message reads: Dear Kassym-Jomart Kemalovich, Please accept my sincere congratulations and warm wishes on the occasion of the national holiday of Kazakhstan, the Republic Day. Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan has achieved considerable success in the state building process, with its dynamically developing economy and a worthy position in the international arena. I would like to express confidence that the joint efforts aimed at developing mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats, including the implementation of promising projects, fully correspond to the interests of our countries. Dear Kassym-Jomart Kemalovich, Taking this opportunity, I wish you good health and further success, and peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Kazakhstan." YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Since September 14 Azerbaijan has been creating different obstacles for the search operations of the dead bodies of Armenian servicemen in the zone of the latest Azerbaijani occupation, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Twitter. Since 9/14 Azerbaijan has been creating different obstacles for search operations of dead bodies of Armenian soldiers in the zone of the latest Azerbaijani occupation. This is anti-humanistic and unacceptable behavior, the PM said. A giude on how to get from Rome to Pompei and back. Hire a private driver Pompeii was once a significant city of the ancient Roman empire dating back to 2000 years ago. Located in the Campania region of modern-day Italy, the posh villas and elegant houses that once stood on the Roman port town were ruined and buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D 79. Today it is one of the countrys popular tourist attractions: over 2.5 million people visit this UNESCO World heritage site annually. Many travelers, students, backpackers, and vacation goers wonder whether a day-trip tour from Rome to Pompeii is possible - the answer is yes.We recommend this to all of our friends and family., public bus or train routes to Pompeii from Rome. Theway to travel is by car. However, driving in Italy can be daunting. A good solution is to hire a. This will certainly cost more than other forms of transportation, but for older or disabled visitors this is the comfortable and efficient option. Many people like to combine their Pompeii tour with a trip toor a stop on the Amalfi Coast . With a private driver, you have the ability to see more with scheduling flexibility. For a group of three, the charges come out to roughly 50 euros per person each hour. You will save time, the headache of renting a car, and the confusion that can come with navigating a road trip in a foreign country. Go by Train Often travelers enjoy the experience of discovering everything themselves. In this case, doing can beThe journey will take roughly. Here are relatively precise instructions if you decide to organize your trip by train. It is the most economic option. Buy a train ticket from Rome Termini station to Naples Central Station. Trains depart frequently and every day. Make sure to select the high- speed option. Express trains will get you to Naples in 70 minutes. Book in advance to save money. Same day tickets can cost up to 44 each way. Step two: When you arrive in Naples you must make a transfer to the Circumvesuviana train. Head downstairs to the platforms. It is a station connected to the main Naples Central Station. Dont physically leave the Central Station building, but the Circumvesuviana platforms are called Garibaldi Station (confusing, yes). This is where the inter-city or regional trains depart from. You cannot buy tickets for the next train from Trenitalia online or from the Naples Central Station. Purchase tickets at a newsstand inside the Garibaldi Station. Make sure you have cash! The newsstand attendants are usually helpful, but you can only buy a paper ticket with cash. Station ticket offices also provide tickets, but can be complicated if you dont speak Italian, and nonetheless require cash. Buy a roundtrip ticket for 4.60 Euros. You must validate the ticket before getting on the train. Step three: Board a train on the Naples to Sorrento line, via Pompeii and Herculaneum. There are frequent stops. The journey should take about 35- 40 minutes. Delays are not unexpected, however. Departures are scheduled 2-3 times per hour throughout the day. The Circumvesuviana lines are more like metro cars and commuter railways than standard trains. Expect to stand for the entirety of the journey, with locals getting on and off as part of their daily routine. Step Four: Get off at Pompeii Scavi. The entrance to the archeological site is just a short walk from the station. Returning to Rome by train The archeological site, from April 1st - October 31st. Other times of year, it closes atThe last train from Pompeii Scavi to Naples on the Sorrento line departs at 10.24pm. There are no ticket booths at the Pompeii Scavi station. This is why it isin Naples. For your return to Rome Termini Station from Naples Central Station, consider purchasing a low-cost ticket on one of the inter- city trains. It will take an extra hour, but perhaps after a long day touring Pompeii, you wont mind. It will save you money, and you can buy the paper ticket at Naples Central Station, without having to worry about making the more expensive train you booked in advance at a precise hour. Safety Warning: Rome and Naples train stations are notorious for pickpockets. Pay special attention to your belongings, especially wallets and passports. If a person approaches you to the ticket machines to offer their help, do not engage with them. It is a common trick to distract travelers. Keep a close eye on purses, sunglasses, and other personal items while you are on the trains, as tourists often fall victim to thieves on local trains. Also read: Why tourists skip Naples - debunking common misconceptions At Naples Central Station, watch out for people who try to swoop you up under the guise of being helpful and offering directions. It is possible they will lead you to board the wrong train. They do this hoping you will give them a tip for showing you the way. DISCLAIMER: While we strive to report current information at the time of publishing, all schedules and fares must be re-confirmed prior to your trip, as they can change due to inclement weather, mechanical problems, track maintenance, and labor strikes. Hire a guide Explore Pompeii Pompeii is vast. It is easy to wander around for hours, just walking and exploring. Give yourself the flexibility toThe site covers 170 acres, and having someone who knows their way around ensures art historians and curious visitors get the most out of their visit. Pompeii tour guides are passionate and experienced, livening the mood with interesting renditions of what transpired centuries ago.Beware of the Roman cobblestones and pathways, and dress accordingly. The journey can be unforgiving on your feet if you do not have light hiking books. Other necessary accessories are sunglasses, sunscreen, a sun hat, and lots of drinking water. It is also recommended that you bring some snacks (the small bar/ cafe on the museum grounds offers little).The historical site usually opens at 9am, and stays open for the most part of the year. The popular consensus among visitors to the archeological and artistic marvel recommend experiencing Pompeii at your own pace. Explore the amphitheater, uneven streets, houses with no rooftops, lifeless statues, House of Mysteries, the forum, and House of Faun. Finally, take lots of pictures and enjoy your time to the fullest. Colosseum closed to visitors on 25 October. Pope Francis will join other religious leaders at a prayer service for peace at Romes Colosseum on the afternoon of Tuesday 25 October. During his Angelus at the Vatican on Sunday, the pontiff said he would pray for peace in Ukraine and around the world at "The Cry for Peace" event on Tuesday. Scheduled from 16.30 until 18.00, the prayer meeting is part of an inter-religious summit organised by the Rome-based Community of S. Egidio, an annual event launched by Pope John Paul II in 1986. On Tuesday #25October 2022 the Colosseum is scheduled to be completely closed due to the "Prayer for peace" with the participation of Pope Francis and religious representatives. The Roman Forum and the Palatine will close at 13.00 pm, with last admission at 11.30 am. pic.twitter.com/oIfAFtVOiR Colosseo Foro Romano Palatino (@ParcoColosseo) October 20, 2022 Representatives of the worlds major religions are joining political leaders in the three-day event which opened on Sunday at Rome's Nuvola Conference Centre in the presence of Italian president Sergio Mattarella and French president Emmanuel Macron. The prayer service will result in the complete closure of the Colosseum all day on Tuesday, with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill closing at 13.00, with last entry at 11.30. The event will also lead to road closures and traffic disruption in the Colosseum area during the afternoon. For full details about "The Cry for Peace" see S. Egidio website. Photo Wanted in Rome. Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Will they split? Wont they? On Tuesday, we finally got an answer to whether Kanye West and Adidas AG would go their separate ways. The sportswear giant said it was ending its almost decade-long collaboration with the musician, now officially known as Ye, after putting it under review last month. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The company said it would terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. It will cease the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect. Adidas was too slow to walk away from Kanyes controversies. It had come under increasing pressure over recent days to drop the star after his comments targeting Jewish people, including a tweet that resulted in Twitter suspending his account. That followed Ye sending T-shirts down the Paris catwalk with the the slogan White Lives Matter emblazoned on them. On Friday, Kering SAs Balenciaga said it had stopped working with West. Advertisement By acting so belatedly, Adidas made Ye its problem, risking a consumer backlash. Perhaps thats why it had to be particularly strident in its denouncement of Ye and leave no room for its Yeezy lines to live on. Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Yes recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the companys values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness, Adidas said in a statement. It did note that it was the sole owner of all design rights to existing products, as well as previous and new colorways under the partnership. The company said the termination would have a short-term negative impact of up to 250 million ($246.5 million) on its full-year net income, given the high percentage of sales in the final quarter. But the long-term damage will be much bigger. The Yeezy partnership is estimated to generate annual sales of between 1 billion and 1.5 billion, roughly 4%-8% of Adidass group revenue. Advertisement Shares in Adidas fell close to 5% on the news. The separation comes at a difficult time for the company. Last week, it cut its full-year forecast for sales growth and profit, amid Chinas Covid-19 restrictions and lower demand in US and European markets since the beginning of September. Chief Executive Officer Kasper Rorsted will step down next year. His successor will need to find a way to reignite excitement about the brand, which is losing the Gen Z sneaker battle with Nike Inc. In contrast to Adidas, the US company said last month that it was seeing no signs of slowdown in the US. Now Adidass new CEO will have to find a way to fill the hole left by Yeezy too. The sportswear maker has options it could dig into the Adidas archive to try to find another winning sneaker line or expand its collaborations with luxury brands, such as Prada SpA and Kering SAs Gucci. Advertisement In truth, Adidass partnership with Ye ran its course some time ago, but the company was reluctant to relinquish his star selling power. His controversies, which for so long simply kept him at the forefront of consumers minds, may have finally become impossible to bear, but that wont make the divorce any less financially painful. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering consumer goods and the retail industry. Previously, she was a reporter for the Financial Times. 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 The poet Shelley once described poets as the unacknowledged legislators of the world. In todays America, that honor belongs to the armchair warriors of the culture wars. Already on the ascent, left-wing academics such as Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo gained even more influence in the aftermath of George Floyds murder. In reaction, a new generation of conservative culture warriors is rising, taking aim not only at their ideological opponents but also at some of the countrys biggest corporations as their chief executive officers and boards weigh which, if any, side to take. Few of these new warriors on the right have been more effective sharpshooters than Christopher Rufo, who is devoting his life to doing battle with what he regards as the monsters of critical race theory and gender ideology. Rufos articles, social media posts and TV appearances have garnered widespread attention and influence. He has written model legislation for several Republican states, inspired one of Donald Trumps executive orders and produced a guide on how to talk about culture. In one profile, the New Yorker described him as the man who invented the conflict over critical race theory. In another, New York magazine accused him of being a specialist in moral panics. Yet notwithstanding the boiling anger that he has stirred, he came across in our recent conversation as a relatively happy warrior who relishes the daily struggle. (He adds for good measure that his neighbors are heavily armed Republicans so he doesnt fear for his safety.) Hes much less angry than Steve Bannon, who often gives the impression that he has steam coming out of his ears, and much more measured than Ann Coulter, avoiding making outrageous statements except when theyre ascribed to the other side and happily discussing serious thinkers in a serious way. Rufos early targets were in the public sector. Trump acknowledged his influence in issuing an executive order banning programs that taught federal employees and members of the military that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil (Joe Biden has rescinded the order). Republican newcomer Glenn Youngkin unseated Terry McAuliffe from the governorship of Virginia in November 2021, in part because he promised that On Day One, I will ban critical race theory in our schools. (A CBS News poll a month before the election found that 62% of likely voters considered school curriculums on race and history a major factor in how they would vote.) Rufo helped shape DeSantiss Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act and appeared on stage immediately after he unveiled it. Advertisement More recently, he has added woke capital to his list of targets. He was the mastermind behind DeSantiss assault on Walt Disney Co, for promoting CRT and gender ideology and thereby, in the governors opinion, polluting its brand as a family-friendly company. This assault plunged the wokest place on earth, as Rufo dubbed it, into crisis, reducing its share price, putting off conservative subscribers and almost toppling its CEO, Bob Chapek. Other Rufo targets have included Walmart Inc., AT&T Inc., CVS Health Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., Raytheon Technologies Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., Bank of America Corp. and Amex Corp. Why has a man who, only a few years ago, was an unsung film producer become so influential? The standard left-wing answer is that hes part of a vast right-wing conspiracy that is fueled by dark money and proceeds by distortion. Rufo is certainly a hero of the right, with a senior fellowship at the Manhattan Institute and regular appearances on Fox. He is also guilty of putting lots of topspin on his findings he told me that hes an activist who does journalism and a journalist who does activism. Yet much of the Republican establishment was nervous about sponsoring a self-conscious culture warrior, preferring to focus on economic issues. His natural audience was the petty bourgeoisie who felt that something odd was going on and couldnt explain it. Rufo made a name for himself in the wild west of the internet long before the likes of Fox and the Manhattan Institute came calling. He told me that he was radicalized in the process of research he didnt know anything about CRT, a somewhat abstruse brand of theory developed by Derrick Bell, of Harvard Law School, and Kimberle Crenshaw, of Columbia and UCLA, until he investigated the footnotes of the documents he received and started reading Kendi and others. Advertisement Rufos own answer to the question of his success is that he has invented a highly effective business model. He receives tips from sympathetic sources in institutions the length and breadth of the land. The pandemic provided a windfall because so much business that once went on behind closed doors had to be conducted through Zoom meetings and e-mailed documents. He says that he has some 5,000 sources, including contacts in half of the countrys 500 biggest companies. He then publicizes his best scoops on social media his aim is to produce one big story a week which is then taken up by mainstream conservative media, not least Fox News, and then bleeds into the rest of the media. I have the easiest job in the world, Rufo said. I just have to find their own information and show it to the world. This is all self-reinforcing: The higher his profile rises, the more stories he receives. During the dispute with Disney, for example, an inside source sent him a video in which a producer spoke of injecting queerness into programming and proclaimed her not-at-all-secret gay agenda. It is also carefully managed: Rather than just releasing outrageous stories (of which there are bound to be plenty in a country as big as the United States), he fits them into the ideological category of CRT and gender ideology. The aim is to drive up the negatives of vaguely understood terms such as CRT and gender ideology by linking them to a constant stream of unsettling revelations. He then tries to turn outrage into legislation. Advertisement There is more than a hint of Marxism-Leninism about all this. Rufo admits to admiring the lefts discipline and patience. He also talks about learning lessons from leading leftists particularly the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci, who talked in the 1930s about capturing the culture via infiltration of schools, universities, churches, the German student revolutionary Rudi Dutschke, who favored the long march through the institutions, and the American community activist Saul Alinsky, who emphasized the power of popular agitation. Rufo believes that the left has achieved most of its aims: The culture is saturated with progressivism and the institutions, from the federal government to the human resources departments of big companies, have been captured by progressive cadres. Now the combination of the rise of social media and the birth of conservative populism provides a chance to reverse all this. Rufo wants to create an army of activists and outraged citizens who will turn up to school-board meetings or governors rallies and demand change. Rufo has grasped two big things about todays politics. The first is that the culture wars are back in a new form. Irving Kristol once famously told Joseph Epstein, The culture wars are over. We lost. The religious right had imploded in scandals and gay marriage was legalized. Now the rise of a new generation of progressives who regard America as structurally racist and sex as socially constructed has reignited them. Advertisement The second is that the growing gap between American institutions and broader citizenry creates massive political opportunity. The institutions are largely run by a credentialed elite that has absorbed progressive values along with their college degrees. This is increasingly true of corporations as well as public-sector bureaucracies. The citizenry is increasingly skeptical about those institutions, particularly when they touch on family life. The moment when Terry McAuliffe likely doomed his campaign to retain the governorship was during a debate when he said, I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach. What should companies do about the rise of Rufo? Continuing with business as usual is an increasingly risky strategy. Conservatives now have a formidable machine that has already humbled one of the worlds most successful media companies and is geared up for more battles to come. Although opinion polls about CRT and gender ideology are something of a methodological minefield, both issues are clearly red rags to Republican voters. Leading Republicans, not least DeSantis, are toying with an anti-corporate strategy based on Teddy Roosevelts war on giant corporations, but this time focused on concentrations of cultural power, particularly in the hands of media and tech companies, rather than concentrations of ownership. The corporation is chartered by the state. It has a duty to serve the common good of the country, Rufo points out, in words that could easily have come from the left. It is a bold company that sides with controversial cultural positions at a time of squeezed living standards and boiling populism. The simplest answer for companies is to declare neutrality in the culture wars. Rufos overall aim when it comes to woke capital is to make it clear that companies will pay a price for progressive political activism. I want them to fear transgressing the political right, as he puts it. Many companies have embraced activism because, especially after George Floyds murder, they were frightened of falling foul of the progressive left. Hence the recent surge in diversity, inclusion and equity training courses. Now they are learning that they will also pay a high price if they dont back down. Rufo points to Disney as an example. DeSantis has kept up a drumbeat on CRT and LGBTQ issues since his battle with Disney. The Supreme Court has also overturned Roe v. Wade. Disney has kept a notably low profile in response. Advertisement Rufo argues that many companies opting for progressive policies for fear of the left and wanting nothing more than to be left alone would welcome neutrality. But what about companies that are genuinely worried about promoting social justice either for moral reasons (the parlous state of much of Black America remains a moral stain) or strategic ones (America cannot thrive without harnessing the skills of its entire population)? Here, the best advice is to think much more carefully about DEI policies rather than contracting them out to consultants who have drunk deep in the saloon of critical theory or to activists within the corporation. It is true, for example, that there is more to racism than just individual bias as many conservatives would have it. Thanks to the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow and red-lining, African-Americans have significantly less wealth than other Americans. But that doesnt justify CRT claims that all Whites are guilty of unconscious racism requiring an intrusive program of retraining. That will only create resentment. It is also true that the classic liberal formulas of open competition and non-discrimination need to be supplemented if they leave some ethnic groups languishing permanently at the bottom of society. But that doesnt justify endorsing CRT activists who believe that you cant cure racism without abolishing capitalism. That way lies Venezuela. Companies need to remember that the best way to deal with culture warriors on both the left and the right is to embrace the great meritocratic ideal of race and gender blindness that tries hard to rectify past injustices but ultimately judges people not as members of biological or social categories but as individuals. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Advertisement DeSantis Attack on ESG Repudiates Its Superior Returns: Matthew A. Winkler Bidens Debt Relief Plan Will Make American Politics Worse: Clive Crook Stop Calling Everything You Disagree With Anti-Democratic: Tyler Cowen (Corrects quote in last sentence of fifth paragraph.) This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former writer at the Economist, he is author, most recently, of The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World. 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 Ukraine has asked international monitors to inspect two nuclear facilities to ensure material hasnt been diverted to build a so-called dirty bomb. The request followed Russian assertions that Kyivs government was laying the groundwork for the detonation of such a device, potentially contaminating land with radiation and causing mass panic. The US and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have rejected the Kremlins claim. 1. What is a dirty bomb? A dirty bomb is shorthand for what nuclear-security officials call a radiological dispersal device. They usually involve some kind of radioactive waste paired with regular explosives like dynamite, which can spread the contamination upon detonation. They are seen as instruments of terror, built to sow panic and economic damage. It doesnt contain anywhere near the energy or destructive potential of nuclear weapons, which are fueled with highly enriched uranium and plutonium. Those produce atomic chain reactions that can level cities. Advertisement 2. Where does the radiological material come from? Radioactive isotopes like Cesium-137, commonly used in medical and industrial devices, fall outside of International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. Its considered one of the most dangerous agents because of its powdery consistency, which can blow through the air and is soluble in water. Globally, the IAEA has estimated there may be more than 1 million missing sources containing Cesium-137 or other radioactive isotopes such as Cobalt-60 and Iridium-192. The US has spent billions of dollars over decades trying to secure nuclear material worldwide to reduce the probability terrorists could obtain the material for a device. While some radioactive sources have been used for criminal activities, most wind up in low-security scrap yards where they pose a threat to metal recyclers. 3. What if a dirty bomb were detonated in Ukraine? Advertisement The extent of the damage and risk to people would depend on the material used and location of the blast. Should a dirty bomb loaded with Cesium-137 detonate near a border, there would be a risk of cross-border contamination. Some policy makers in NATO countries have suggested that could trigger the alliances binding commitment to mutual defense if any single member is attacked. A similar debate has raged around the Russian occupation of Ukraines Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where artillery and missile attacks have threatened to cause a nuclear accident. Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative member of the UK Parliament, said in August that a deliberate radiological release should prompt NATO to become involved. Organizations like the US Nuclear Emergency Support Team exist to respond to and investigate any use of a radiological dispersion device. 4. What is being done to prevent a dirty bomb detonation? While the IAEA has sent inspectors to two sites in Ukraine, its unlikely that nuclear material under safeguards would be used in an attack. Spent uranium fuel from a reactor is particularly unsuited for a dirty bomb because the materials extreme radioactivity would make it hard for a bombmaker to fashion an explosive device, while detonation wouldnt spread contaminants very far. Instead, most international efforts have focused on prevention. The US convened a series of nuclear-security summits during the Obama presidency, where world leaders formed intelligence networks to share information and assess risks. Radiation monitoring equipment has been installed at border crossings around the world and given to security services. Top officials from the US, UK and France issued a rare joint statement on Oct. 23 warning Russia against any escalation. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share To record all the words ever spoken by humankind, five exabytes of storage would be enough. Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambanis telecom customers used up nearly six times as much data last quarter. As the billionaire businessman targets his 428 million subscribers with a new 5G service and seeks to lure another 300 million feature-phone users to smartphones, the challenge facing him has changed. When he was starting out six years ago, how to sell data in a developing country was the big issue. What to sell next to someone whos already guzzling data is the question now. One answer is financial services. People will always need credit. Whether they deserve it and how much is either left to traditional credit-scoring models, which tend to exclude a broad swathe of the unbanked population. Or, as it has been demonstrated by Ant Group Co. in China and MercadoLibre Inc. in Argentina, creditworthiness may also be gleaned from buyers and sellers transactions data on large online platforms. Thats where Ambani wants to go next to a consumer and merchant lending business based on proprietary data analytics to complement and supplement the traditional credit bureau-based underwriting, his flagship Reliance Industries Ltd. said in a Friday press release. A successful fintech loans platform draws upon what the Bank for International Settlements calls a self-reinforcing DNA loop, shorthand for data, network and activity. The digital trail people leave behind on e-commerce or social media sites can be used to bind them into a strong network, which can be harnessed to encourage borrowing activity, leading to yet more data on consumer behavior. Advertisement This loop is already in place for Reliance. Apart from owning Indias largest telco, the conglomerate also runs the countrys biggest retailer, with more than 250 million transactions last quarter from 50 million square feet of store-front space. Ambani also connects customers with neighborhood shopkeepers so they can order grocery and everyday items online using Meta Platforms Inc.s WhatsApp messaging service. However, Reliances growing heft in data-spewing consumer businesses isnt exactly setting the stock market on fire. The shares topped out at about 30 times forward earnings two years ago; theyre currently trading at a multiple of 20. A windfall Indian tax on transportation fuels and weak refining and polymer margins are hurting the conglomerates legacy petrochemicals and energy operations. Which is why Ambani is spinning off Jio Financial Services Ltd. to double down on the consumer business and put some sizzle back in the stock. Investors will get one share of the new firm for every share held in Reliance. Jio Financial Services stock-market listing perhaps will happen quite quickly if the idea is also to pre-empt rival billionaire Gautam Adani. Adanis shadow lender, Adani Capital, is aiming for an initial public offering by 2024. Will a fast-growing consumer and merchant loan book be enough to impress shareholders? It hasnt worked quite that way for Paytm. The Indian online payments firm hawked eight times more loans in the June quarter than a year earlier, sourcing and servicing customers on behalf of lenders, and yet its shares continue to languish 70% below the price at which they were sold in Indias biggest IPO last November. Advertisement Thats where Reliance will lean on its $200 billion balance sheet, and exploit the cost-of-capital advantage it gets from being rated a notch higher than the Indian government. Eventually, the groups financial services business will seek to become a conglomerate in its own right, with a presence in everything from payments and insurance to digital broking and asset management. But the basic building block will be credit: Jio Financial will hit the ground running by originating keenly priced loans to Reliances vast network of consumers and merchants. Now that the Covid-19 moratoriums on loan repayments are in the rearview mirror, the timing is right. Bajaj Finance Ltd., the leading Indian nonbank lender, is once again back to reporting 20%-plus return on equity with resumption of growth across segments and stable credit costs. The most profitable use of granular customer information in a country like India lies in broadening access to credit: More than three-fifths of the adult population is either invisible to traditional scoring models or not considered worth the trouble by lending institutions. Ambani has the DNA loop: In the six years before the tycoon unrolled his 4G telecom network, mobile phones globally had consumed 120 exabytes. By next year, Ambanis own customers might be burning through that much data annually. Yet, as last Fridays earnings report showed, even after growing by a third over two years, the average revenue per user is only a little more than $2 per month. Its time to put insights from buyer behavior from telecom to retail to work, and unlock some value for Reliance shareholders. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Advertisement Indias Richest Men and the $2 Customer: Andy Mukherjee The Feud that Determined the Ambani Future: Andy Mukherjee Indias Billionaire Race Sees One Pulling Away: Andy Mukherjee This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies and financial services in Asia. Previously, he worked for Reuters, the Straits Times and Bloomberg News. 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 Ewen Stevenson, the experienced and well-respected finance chief at HSBC Holdings Plc, is the first to admit hes never brimming over with optimism, but it seems investors will miss his patient and cautious drawl. The UK-listed banks shares were down more than 9% at one point after it announced his unexpected exit with its third-quarter results on Tuesday. Profits and revenue beat forecasts, but alongside the executive change, HSBC also delivered surprises on bad debt provisions and confusion over its revenue outlook. With bad headlines coming out of the UK and China, two of its most important markets, it might be tricky for the bank to repair investor sentiment quickly. Stevenson will hand over the role to Georges Elhedery, currently co-head of HSBCs investment bank, by the end of the year. Noel Quinn, chief executive officer, and Stevenson said there had been no disagreements over strategy, it was just a natural moment for change at the end of a three-year strategic overhaul. But the speed of Stevensons exit and the fact there had been no sign he was planning to leave still seem odd. Advertisement HSBC took hefty loan-loss provisions related to the UK and China, while it also managed to make an upgrade to its net interest income outlook sound like a downgrade. The bank took a more than $1 billion hit for bad loans in the quarter, more than double the second-quarter total. The UK accounted for 25% of the charge, driven by Britains gloomy economic outlook and a rise in uncertainty. But Quinn added he was pleased to see UK bond and currency markets had settled down in recent days with the change in political leadership. A bigger worry for investors is China and particularly commercial real estate lending in the country. A large chunk of HSBCs property loans, about $12 billion, are done offshore via its Hong Kong bank. These are riskier than direct property lending done on the mainland because HSBCs legal protections and access to the buildings that it lends against arent as straightforward. Stevenson told analysts on the earnings call that the loans were neither secured nor unsecured but somewhere in between, which isnt the most reassuring way of putting it. Advertisement The bank has about $1.3 billion in provisions against the $12 billion offshore portfolio. To put these numbers in context, HSBC has about $1 trillion of loans on its books and $111 billion of core equity capital. A big spike in Chinese real estate losses would certainly hurt profits, but it isnt going to damage the banks balance sheet dramatically. The other big China issue is Premier Xi Jinpings consolidation of power over the weekend and whether that leads to even more restrictions on entrepreneurship and wealth. This is a worry for all the foreign banks that look after money for Chinas rich, including UBS Group AG of Switzerland, which also reported third-quarter results on Tuesday. Chinese stocks sold off heavily in recent days, especially those of technology companies, and the countrys wealthy have been taking cash out of the markets. UBS has seen five quarters in a row of Chinese and other Asian clients slashing the amount of borrowed money behind their financial bets. The cuts have grown through the year and loans in its Asian wealth business have fallen by more than $10 billion since January, or about 24%. Advertisement The Swiss bank said that it still expects Asia and China to show the greatest growth in wealth over the longer term and that the countrys restrictions on the rich would likely be focused on the ultra-wealthy rather than ordinary millionaires. Quinn at HSBC also said he didnt doubt the long-term opportunity in China for wealth and trade and added that foreign financial firms like HSBC were still being granted fresh licenses and allowed to do deals that were expanding their businesses in the country. Some investors are less certain, but it will be a while before Xis intentions for his buttressed power will become clearer. HSBC also managed to trip itself up slightly on Tuesday. Net interest income is one of the most important sources of revenue at any bank, and the headline from HSBC was that it was cutting its outlook for 2023 by about $1 billion to greater than $36 billion. Behind the headline, though, was the explanation that this was driven by the fall in the British pound which has the benefit of cutting the groups costs as well. Without the currency effect, it was actually lifting forecasts by $1.5 billion. Advertisement Plus, the extra funding costs in its financial markets business would be replaced with higher fees for clients, the bank said. Stevenson also said he was low-balling his outlook. The new finance chief will almost certainly have a sunnier style of presentation, but he will have big shoes to fill. Convincing investors to be more optimistic about the UK and China is a tough task right now whatever your demeanor. More From Bloomberg Opinion: UK Political Stability Wont Stop Winter From Biting: Marcus Ashworth How Markets Judged Rishi and Xi; Manilas Dollar Migraine: John Authors The Crypto Story: Matt Levine This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Paul J. Davies is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and finance. Previously, he was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. 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 The rise of remote work might be the best thing to ever happen to the office. Until the Covid-19 pandemic upended our work lives, the office functioned as a do-it-all, be-everything-to-all-people space, balancing desks for individual work with conference rooms for team meetings and social areas for chit-chat. As a result, it did none of these jobs very well. We ended up with open-plan spaces where sound carries freely and with a lot of employees wearing headphones to block out the clamor. There are never enough conference rooms, so employees commute in just to meet over Zoom. Its a space where its hard to be efficient, yet also hard to be collaborative and creative. Fortunately, there is a way out of this morass. Embracing some degree of remote work eliminates the need for so many desks, freeing space that can be prioritized for what offices do best: providing co-workers an opportunity to mingle. Advertisement It will take a different mindset on managements part, but if leaders can embrace the idea that remote work is for concentrating and headquarters is for cooperating, offices might become very different, and vastly superior: more meeting rooms, more social spaces, more natural light, more greenery. Executives might not be able to shorten the long commutes remote workers are desperate to avoid, but they can rethink what their offices offer employees and, in so doing, make those treks more worthwhile. The office of the future will be smaller, but nicer, says Diane Hoskins, co-chief executive officer of design and architecture firm Gensler, who is already seeing some clients adopt this type of layout. She says firms are paying more attention to amenities that really support social interaction among colleagues Wi-Fi-enabled terraces, coffee bars, pool tables. Common areas with sofas, soaring ceilings and walls bedecked with plants. The office itself might be relocated to a part of town thats closer to transit or near bars and restaurants where employees go after work. Relying on a communal fridge to foster employee interaction is out. Making the office feel like an upscale hotel lobby is in. To really get employees to interact with each other, companies that provide food and drink should rethink how its presented, says Ben Waber, CEO of talent analytics firm Humanyze. Rather than offering pre-made coffee, an espresso machine gives people a chance to chat as they wait for the machine to do its work. Serving food buffet-style encourages employees to sit and linger over their meal, as opposed to pre-packaged lunches that workers can easily (and antisocially) bring back to their desks. Advertisement The office will become a place workers return to willingly, if less frequently, if it offers something they cant get at home: camaraderie. Yes, a workplace still needs to have some areas for heads-down tasks. But that shouldnt be rows of cubicles or even assigned desks; a better model for many companies would be a library-like room where people sit with their laptops when they need to work quietly between meetings. (There was just such a room at one of my old jobs, and it was beloved for offering a silent refuge where we could work uninterrupted.) Prioritizing social interaction is why Salesforce decided to reduce its footprint in San Francisco and take a long-term lease at a luxury ranch in the California redwoods; employees are more likely to form meaningful bonds in a space thats actually conducive to socializing. Its also why Harley Davidson has announced plans to repurpose its 500,000-square-foot Milwaukee headquarters, even as the company continues to bring employees together for specific purposes like product development. Advertisement Companies like these have recognized at long last that simply seating people near each other and tearing down all the walls doesnt foster collaboration. That was always a fantasy, says Jennifer Kaufmann-Buhler, a Purdue University historian and author of Open Plan: A Design History of the American Office. (In fact, research shows that open offices lead to fewer interactions between colleagues.) Theyve realized that collaboration and team culture are too important to be left to chance. Thats one reason that Zapier, a workflow automation company with an all-remote workforce, invests in quarterly offsites. The entire purpose is to socialize over team lunches, group hikes and games, says Raj Choudhury, a Harvard Business School professor who has studied the firm. Choudhury found that employees who interact at the offsites are more likely to help each other when back in the virtual world an effect thats especially pronounced for the women on the team. Companies investing in nicer headquarters are hoping that onsite is the new offsite. While this may seem like a contradiction why invest in a place people go less often? its the viability of remote work that frees up the office to become primarily a social gathering space. Advertisement Of course, its possible to go too far in compelling workers to fraternize. Theres a fine line between fostering the connections that improve morale and destroying professional distance. A friend recently confessed that after her company announced a team-building exercise at a water park, she started Googling work-appropriate bathing suits a horrifying oxymoron. Maybe stick with the nice sofas and fancy espresso machines. More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion: Office Markets Are the Real Estate Crash We Need to Worry About: Conor Sen CEOs Cant Fix Our Commuting Problem: Sarah Green Carmichael I Cant Be the Only One Who Doesnt Want to WFH: Paul J. Davies This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Sarah Green Carmichael is a Bloomberg Opinion editor. Previously, she was managing editor of ideas and commentary at Barrons and an executive editor at Harvard Business Review, where she hosted HBR IdeaCast. 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 55 percent majority of Maryland residents favor building a third span at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll finds, as backups at the crossing have recently stretched up to 14 miles amid a long-term repair project. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The support is relatively widespread, with slightly more over 6 in 10 in favor in Howard and Anne Arundel counties combined, the latter where the bridge touches down on the western shore. A slimmer 51 percent majority of Marylanders support Gov. Larry Hogans (R) plan to add express toll lanes to Interstate 270 and the states part of the Capital Beltway, according to the poll, conducted earlier this month. Support drops to a combined 45 percent in Montgomery and Prince Georges counties, where the highways are located. Thats a drop from 55 percent of residents in both counties who supported the toll lanes in a Post-Schar School poll in May. However, it is higher than in a 2018 Post-U. Md. poll that found a combined 41 percent of registered voters in Montgomery and Prince Georges supported express toll lanes. The 2018 poll question did not specify that the highways existing lanes would remain free. The latest poll, conducted by The Washington Post and the University of Marylands Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, finds support for another Chesapeake Bay crossing spans party lines. A 58 percent majority of registered Republicans favor the idea, as do 53 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of independents. Support for adding a third span to the Bay Bridge ranges from 52 percent in Baltimore city and county combined, 55 percent in Prince Georges and Montgomery counties, 63 percent in Anne Arundel and Howard counties together, and 55 percent among residents in other parts of the state. Its all about infrastructure thats something that seems to be neglected around the country today, said Jeff Davis, 63, a retired mail carrier who lives in Upper Marlboro. Advertisement In addition to an expanded Bay Bridge and toll lanes, Davis said, hed like to see better mass transit options to reduce traffic. Its all about moving people and commerce, Davis said. We spend so much time in traffic around here. I think we need a comprehensive transportation system. Overall, Marylanders rank transportation as one of the states less pressing problems, with 10 percent citing road and transit issues as their chief concern. That is about even with those who consider taxes and affordable housing as the top issue and below those who name crime (22 percent) and public education (20 percent). In follow-up interviews, respondents had plenty of opinions about how the state should alleviate traffic congestion, which studies have shown is some of the worst in the country. Some said massive delays related to the recent start of a two-year deck rehabilitation project on the Bay Bridges westbound span have highlighted the need for an additional crossing. A spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority, which operates the bridge, also said recently that the eastbound span will need lane closures for similar work within the next five to 10 years. Advertisement Deirdre Harash, 53, of Stevensville, said shes 100 percent for building an additional span. She said she lives near the bridges eastern end in Queen Annes County and uses it several times a week when she travels to shop and visit family. Her husband crosses it daily to commute to Bowie. The volume of traffic that uses the bridge on a daily basis has just grown tremendously over the last 20 years, said Harash, a patient service coordinator for a cardiology practice in Stevensville. Harash said the state needs to help local roads that get jammed during bridge backups, which she said have become a nightmare since the repairs started in late September. Her husbands 40-minute commute can take 1 hours, she said, and bridge-bound traffic using local roads to circumvent Route 50 has increased 20-fold. Advertisement Another bridge needs to be built, Harash said. Theres no way around it. The state is conducting a $5 million federally required study to assess the potential environmental effects of building a third span. It would augment the original two-lane span, built in 1952, that carries eastbound traffic and the three-lane westbound span that opened in 1973. Both are about four miles long. State officials havent said how much a new crossing would cost or how the state would pay for it. However, a top state official told the Baltimore Sun in 2018 that it could cost up to $10 billion. The poll did not ask whether Marylanders would be willing to pay higher tolls or taxes to fund a bridge expansion but instead whether they would support the project when considering state government budget priorities. Advertisement Douglas Boline, 61, a federal worker who lives in Annapolis, said theres not enough bridge to meet the cross-bay traffic demand. I dont care where it goes, said Boline, who sees the backups on the western shore. I just want more bridge. Some residents say an additional span shouldnt come before other state needs. Vinay Sharma, 28, a lawyer who lives in Columbia, said he recently got stuck in a two-hour bridge backup while heading home from a weekend wedding in Cambridge. He said he appreciates that some motorists rely on it more regularly to commute, but he believes the state should first address more-pressing issues, such as improving public education and reducing crime in Baltimore. To me, traffic on the Bay Bridge is part of life, said Sharma, who grew up in Montgomery County. You plan for it, you deal with it, and then you enjoy Ocean City or wherever youre going. Advertisement Its unclear why support for Hogans plan to add toll lanes to I-270 and the Beltway dropped compared to the May poll. The proposal has come under criticism from environmental groups and leaders in Montgomery and Prince Georges, who say widening the Beltway east of I-270 would destroy homes and environmentally sensitive parkland while doing too little to encourage mass transit use. Support for the toll lane plan varies according to income levels. Nearly 6 in 10 residents with a household income of $100,000 or more favor the lanes. But support falls to half for those making $50,000 to $100,000 and to about 4 in 10 for those earning less than $50,000. Boline, of Annapolis, said he supports adding toll lanes to I-270 as long as they reach Frederick and eventually beyond to Hagerstown. Having lived in Damascus, he said, he knows that upper I-270 is a mess. He said hes fine with the state charging tolls because motorists would have the option of not using the toll lanes. If thats what you need to build the lanes, then fine, Boline said. They need it. Advertisement Others said they were concerned that many motorists would be priced out, especially if the Maryland tolls reached $30 to $40 and more, as they have at peak times on express lanes in Northern Virginia. Lisa Tompkins-Brown, who lives in Silver Spring, said shes very much against toll lanes in Maryland. They might be handy for her commute to Tysons, she said, but any toll above $5 would be too expensive. I worry about people who have lower or more moderate incomes, said Tompkins-Brown, 50, a health strategist. Theyd still be stuck in traffic while those who are more affluent can pay the tolls. It just increases the divide between the haves and the have-nots. Idette Brumbaugh, 53, a registered nurse who lives in Damascus, said shes concerned about the economic fairness of express toll lanes but believes motorists need an alternative to sitting in traffic. I like convenience, Brumbaugh said, and Im willing to pay for convenience. The poll was conducted by phone Oct. 9-14 among a random sample of 860 Maryland residents. The overall results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Scott Clement contributed to this report. GiftOutline Gift Article Some epidemiologists and demographers predict the trend of older, sicker and poorer people dying at disproportionate rates will continue, raising hard questions about the trade-offs Americans are making in pursuit of normalcy and at whose expense. MORE COVERAGE YEREVAN, 25 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 25 October, USD exchange rate down by 1.42 drams to 400.91 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.17 drams to 395.26 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.06 drams to 6.53 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.60 drams to 454.19 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price up by 1.03 drams to 21256.81 drams. Silver price up by 9.86 drams to 247.67 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. A meeting between representatives of respective ministries of Armenia and Turkey is planned soon, during which the implementation of the agreements on launching direct air cargo transportation and opening the land border for citizens of third countries will be discussed, foreign ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan told ARMENPRESS. Soon a meeting is expected on the border between representatives of respective ministries of the two countries to discuss the implementation of the two agreements reached in July. These agreements are the launch of the direct air cargo transportation and opening of the [land] border for citizens of third countries, Hunanyan said. He added that there is no agreement yet on the timeframe or location of the next meeting of the special envoys for normalization. Meiry and Claudia, two of Ernys five daughters, live in Australia. Having heard of Teos legendary skills, theyd flown their mother to Sydney for a second opinion about the operability of her brain tumour. The sisters recall Teo opened the consultation saying the family had done the right thing in coming to see him. While he respected the advice of the Singapore neurosurgeon, Teo told them his risk to benefit ratio was far better than other surgeons. We paid him for her indescribable pain and suffering. Meiry Huang, daughter of Charlie Teos patient Erny, who couldnt speak English, was tired and stressed but her daughters said she kept smiling and trying to communicate her concerns. The two sisters said that the brain surgeon did tell them that there were serious risks with the surgery but he was confident it would be successful. As Meiry was talking to her mother in Chinese, Teo interjected several times, saying, Im the best nobodys better in the world, no one. After telling them their mother either has surgery tomorrow or she accepts death, the family went out into the corridor to try to take in this shocking news. The family had come for a second opinion not expecting to be told that their mother was about to die and surgery had to be done the next day if they wanted to save her. But as they told this masthead, it wasnt just anybody giving them this hope, it was the celebrated miracle worker Teo. However, the outcome of their mothers surgery was dire and her daughters are plagued by guilt and anguish at their part in believing in the hope Teo sold them. Despite Teo telling them the operation was a success and hed removed 95 per cent of the tumour, Erny was paralysed down one side. She couldnt eat, drink, sit up or stand and she could no longer communicate properly. Half of her body was dead, basically, Claudia said. Having paid around $100,000 for the operation, which included $40,000 for Teo personally plus a $1275 administration fee and private hospital costs, Ernys post-operative complications and rehab left the family out of pocket another $150,000. The family flew their mother back to her home in Jakarta where she died on 10 November 2017. My mother lived the last 94 days of her life in a state of complete misery a living hell, said Meiry in her complaint to the HCCC. I believe he vastly downplayed the risks of the operation and took no interest in her mother post-operatively, she wrote. Meiry told the HCCC she and her sisters were willing to pay Teo whatever he asked because of the quality of life he assured us my mother would have. Loading Instead, we paid him for her indescribable pain and suffering, she said. For his part, Teo denied downplaying the risks or pressuring Erny Djie into a hasty decision regarding her surgery. He also told the HCCC the complaint is at odds with his usual practices and his own recollections. Teo also denied the sisters claim that their mother was given a choice of surgery the next day or death. He also denied claiming he was the best. Teo did accept that he said, his minimally invasive surgery provided a different risk/benefit ratio compared to what was offered by most neurosurgeons. One of the reasons he gave to the HCCC for proceeding with the surgery was: While the extent of resection was somewhat controversial, at the time of surgery it was felt that a radical gross total resection (GTR) was necessary to make a statistical difference to survival. The HCCC found that the complaint did suggest problems with Teos obtaining informed consent for surgery. However, the Djie family is furious that all that happened was the HCCC wrote to Teo to remind him of his ethical obligation to provide patients with sufficient knowledge and understanding of the risks and benefits of his surgery to enable them to make an informed decision. Teo has also previously expressed resentment when hes been criticised for taking risks on surgery deemed inoperable by others. I resent because all patients have the right to choose themselves what risks theyre willing to take, he said. Corridor consult Rebecca Anderson was stunned when she was fired as a patient for trying to talk to Teo about the risks she was willing to take. In 2009 Anderson was diagnosed with a brain tumour. While benign, its location meant that it was a difficult surgery. Rebecca Anderson, who was cancelled as a patient by Charlie Teo, and her sister Ilana Lamont. Credit:60 Minutes As a nurse at the same hospital, Andersons first port of call was the renowned neurosurgeon. She was taken aback while he shelled and ate peanuts during her consultation. Given Teos reputation as an aggressive surgeon she wanted to talk to him about the extent of the risks she was prepared to take. Anderson said she asked him not to be aggressive in surgery as her tumour was slow growing and not malignant. I want you to remember who I am. Im a wife, Im a mother and Im a nurse, and I have children, she told him. Teo replied, Well, thats not my style, but Ill try. Anderson grew anxious as her surgery approached and wanted to discuss her fears. She rang Teos office several times, and although she was told Teo would get back to her, he never did. When Anderson ran into Teo in the hospital corridor, she was appalled by his response when she said she just wanted to talk about the risks she was prepared to take but she hadnt been able to get onto him. I dont speak to anyone, why should I speak to you? Youre nothing special. He then told her she had bad karma and he was cancelling her surgery. Dr Teo strode down the corridor yelling over his shoulder, Cancelled. Surgerys cancelled, and that was the last I heard from him, Anderson said. I was absolutely devastated. I was in floods of tears. Andersons husband Michael complained to Prince of Wales Private Hospital and Teo and received what they describe as a sorry/not sorry letter from Teo. Having said he had unfortunately had to agree with the complaint about his behaviour, he then said if a surgeon finds a patient (sic) behaviour concerning he has every right to reject the patient both morally and legally. He then went on to blame Rebecca for the situation turning acrimonious when she tried to speak to him in the corridor. Left or right? For another patient, her blood runs cold when she hears Bonnie Tylers Total Eclipse of the Heart. It was the song playing as she was being wheeled into the operating theatre for brain surgery. Charlie Teo settled a claim from Michelle Smith for operating on the wrong side of her brain. Credit:Wolter Peeters In 2003 Teo operated on Michelle Smith at Prince of Wales Private Hospital to remove a tumour that was causing her epileptic seizures. Twelve weeks after surgery she had a follow-up appointment. Showing the scans, Teo explained that he had removed some of the tumour but a second operation would be needed to remove the rest. Everythings great. You can stop all your meds, Smith recalled him saying. She followed his advice but over the years her seizures got worse and she couldnt hold down a job let alone drive a car. Michelle Smiths 2014 brain scan. The red circles indicate the location of the brain tumour, while the green shows where Dr Charlie Teo operated. In 2014 she had a near fatal car accident. I had a seizure behind the wheel and hit two parked cars, writing off three cars, Smith said. After the accident a fresh brain scan showed none of the tumour had been taken out and that Teo had actually operated on the wrong side of her brain. Thirteen years after the initial surgery, Michelle had another operation to remove the tumour. This time a neurosurgeon at a Sydney public hospital operated at no charge and since then Smith has been seizure-free and feels like shes been given a new life. But Dr Teos mistake still distresses her. She felt Teos failed surgery, compounded by his failure to own up to his mistake, had stolen the best years of her life. When told Teo had denied that hed operated on the wrong side of her brain, Smith replied: The scans dont lie. Its all there. Maybe he needs to look at them again. In 2018 she sued Teo for medical negligence and obtained a confidential settlement. Smith said: I did have a few people ask me why I would even waste my time trying to take on Charlie Teo because hes untouchable. As Australias political class descended on Parliament House for the Albanese governments first budget, a surreal feeling pervaded the Canberra air. Budgets are usually ritualistic occasions, but this year felt undeniably new and strange. The famed budget tree in the Senate courtyard which reliably turns a resplendent red just in time for the regular May budget stood largely foliage-free. A mere smattering of green leaves adorned its branches. Labors economic team: Jim Chalmers, Andrew Leigh and Katy Gallagher. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Determined to assert its authority over the nations finances after almost a decade of Coalition rule, Labor decided to deliver its first budget seven months ahead of schedule which meant 2022 was the first time two budgets were handed down in a single calendar year. But what type of budget would Labors be? Clearly a believer in the under promise, over deliver school of political communication, fresh-faced Treasurer Jim Chalmers was determined to set expectations low. Rather than an extravagant fiscal feast, he had cautioned Australians to expect a fairly standard bread and butter budget ahead of the big day. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. The International Association of Genocide Scholars Executive Board strongly condemns Azerbaijans invasion of the Republic of Armenia and the ongoing aggression against the Armenian people in the Republic and in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and expresses concern about the risk of genocide against the Armenian population of that entity, ARMENPRESS was informed from the website of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. On 13 September 2022, Azerbaijan launched an attack on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Using heavy artillery as well as multiple rocket launchers and attack drones, the Azerbaijani forces shelled the cities and towns of Vardenis, Goris, Ishkanasar, Kapan, Sotk, Artanish, and Jermuk and the surrounding villages in the Republic of Armenia. This attack resulted in over 210 confirmed deaths of Armenian soldiers and numerous civilian deaths and injuries. While a tenuous ceasefire still holds, Azerbaijans violence continues, including allegations of executions of Armenian prisoners of war. Over 7,000 civilians have been displaced, and civilian homes and local infrastructure destroyed in an attempt to ethnically cleanse Armenians from a large portion of the Republic of Armenia. Significant genocide risk factors exist in the Nagorno-Karabakh situation concerning the Armenian population. Noting in particular that this violence occurs in the context of a prior genocide against ethnic Armenians in 1915 - 1923 by the Ottoman Empire (which became Turkey), and the continued relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. In 1920, Turkey sought to disarm the Armenians and arm the Azerbaijanis, resulting in conflict, Armenian exodus, and atrocities against Armenians in an Azerbaijani offensive. Turkey continues to support Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict (including through the provision of drones and mercenaries). Turkish President Erdogan has referred to the Armenians as occupiers, despite centuries of history of Urartians and their descendants, the Armenians, in the region. The current violence is part of a lengthy, related process of violence by the Azerbaijani regime against the indigenous Armenian population of the South Caucasus. There have been several armed conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the NagornoKarabakh territory, in the 1980s-1990s, with the most recent beginning in September 2020 and continuing into 2022, despite supposed ceasefires. The current conflict has included the use of indiscriminate weapons, and civilian deaths and displacement. Azerbaijani authorities have been openly delivering hate speech against Armenians. Acts of incitement or hate propaganda have targeted Armenians. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has specifically noted that the following acts are risk factors for genocide: Systematic and widespread use and acceptance of speech or propaganda promoting hatred and/or inciting violence against minority groups, particularly in the media; and Grave statements by political leaders/prominent people that express support for affirmation of superiority of a race or an ethnic group, dehumanize and demonize minorities, or condone or justify violence against a minority. Azerbaijans state policy includes anti-Armenian discourse and propaganda, including through government speeches and the media. For example, Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has made statements such as: Armenia as a country is of no value. It is actually a colony, an outpost run from abroad, a territory artificially created on ancient Azerbaijani lands. Aliyev does not recognize the internationally recognized territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia: We have perhaps a hundred times more grounds not to recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia than they have not to recognize our territorial integrity. Because everyone already knows this, and so does the world community, that in November 1920 our historical lands of Zangazur [Syunik], as well as Goycha [Sevan], were severed from us and annexed to Armenia. The city of Yerevan was ceded to Armenia on 29 May 1918. So, there are many factors for us, as they say, not to recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia. Aliyev also uses dehumanizing language, such as: We chased them out of our lands like dogs. I said that we would chase them, that we would chase them like dogs, and we chased them, we chased them like dogs. Such statements indicate a systematic campaign to end the presence of Armenians in their historic and present-day homeland. These and other statements demonstrate the existence of a risk of genocide, and may amount to incitement to genocide and possibly other international crimes. There is also a history of cultural destruction in the conflict, leading to a significant fear from Armenians that after the peace deal, which saw the return of Armenian-held land to Azerbaijan, Armenian sites will be neglected, desecrated or destroyed. Some Armenian monuments and churches are hundreds of years old, such as the Saint Nishan church, Dadivank monastery complex and khatchkars in cemeteries, dating as far back as the 9th Century and earlier. It is common for Azerbaijan to present alternative histories for Armenian churches, claiming they are Caucasian Albanian and were Armenianised only in the 19th Century. Such claims have all been debunked outside of Azerbaijan. Rewriting of history and cultural destruction are key hallmarks of genocide. The goal of genocidaires is to destroy, in whole or in part, the targeted group, and one way the perpetrators carry out this destruction is through cultural destruction: eliminating the very essence of the groups identity, and any trace that they existed in that location. The Executive Board notes that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has recognised the seriousness of the hate speech and cultural destruction by Azerbaijan towards Armenians and Armenian culture. In its Provisional Measures order of 7 December 2021, the ICJ considered Armenias claims of violations of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) plausible, and expressed concern that such violations may have serious damaging effects on the protected group. In the interim before deciding on the merits of the case, the ICJ has ordered Azerbaijan, inter alia, to take all necessary measures to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin; and take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and discretion affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of workship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts. Attacks on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia also likely amount to a violation of the United Nations Charter, and breach the Helsinki Final Act and the ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on 9 November 2020, ending the 44-Day Second Karabakh War (27 September 2020 10 November 2020). In order to remove the risk of genocide, the International Association of Genocide Scholars Executive Board calls upon: YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. During the meeting between Ambassador at-Large Edmon Marukyan and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk held on October 25, the interlocutors touched on the issues of regional security and peace. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, in this context, Edmon Marukyan presented to Andrzej Kasprzyk the consequences of the latest aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia on September 13. The Ambassador at-Large particularly emphasized the international community's addressed response condemning Azerbaijani encroachments on Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the OSCE's role in preventing future aggressions and resolving conflicts. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. On October 25, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan had a telephone conversation with US President Biden's Special Assistant and Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council Amanda Sloat. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, the parties discussed the agenda of expansion and development of Armenia-US bilateral relations. Indian Silk and Weaving centers Silk, the queen of textiles dominates the textile industry with its luster, sensuousness and glamour. The history of silk, goes back to 4,500 years. India is the second largest producer of silk, contributing to about 18 per cent of the world production. Today, silk weaving tradition in India revolves around the sari, the ethnic traditional wear that is worn in most parts of the country. The Indians dress themselves in elaborate and colorful silk sarees on festive occasions. The vibrant colours, light weight, resilience and excellent drape etc. have made silk sarees, the irresistible and unavoidable companion ofIndian women. Indian silk is popular all over the world with its variety of designs, weaves and patterns. Silk, one of the oldest known fibre is a protein fibre, produced by the silkworm for spinning around its cocoon. Five main variety of silks are available in India namely Mulberry silk, Tasar silk, Eri silk, Muga silk and Oak Tasar silk. These are obtained from different species of silkworms which in turn feed on a number of food plants. Mulberry silk, known as the commercial silk comes from the silk worm Bombyx mori which feeds on the mulberry plant. In India, the major mulberry silk producing states are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Jammu & Kashmir. Eri Silk, also known as the Endi or Errandi silk is thick, warm, soft, rare and very long lasting. India is a major producer of Eri Silk. It is grown in Assam and eastern parts of India. It is also found in Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa. Eri silk is produced by Philosamia ricini that feeds mainly on castor leaves. Muga Silk, the pride of Assam is known for its natural shimmering golden yellow colour. It is obtained from semi-domesticated multivoltine silkworm, Antheraea assamensis. These silkworms feed on the aromatic leaves of Som and Soalu plants. The muga silk, an high value product is used in products like sarees, mekhalas, chaddars etc. Oak Tasar silk : Less lustrous than mulberry silk, Tassar silk is used mainly for furnishings and interiors. Tasar silk is generated by the silkworm, Antheraea mylitta which mainly thrive on the food plants Asan and Arjun. It is cultivated in the states of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa, besides Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The silk sarees of India are among the living examples of the excellent craftsmanship of the weavers of the country. Their mastery lies in the creation of floral designs, beautiful textures, fine geometry, durability of such work and not the least, the vibrant colours they choose for making sarees. Many states in the country have their own variety of makes in silk as well as weaving centres with their traditional designs, weaving and quality. The silk varieties are renowned by the place where it has been woven. Banaras is one of the leading silk weaving centres in India. Amru silk, Jamvar, Navarangi, Jamdani etc. are the types of Banaras Saris, in which Amru Silk brocades with a heavy pallu of flowering bushes or the flowering mango pattern are very famous. Maharashtra is famous for its Paithani Silk saris, generally with gold dots design and Kosa silk of Bhandara district. Patola silk, known as the pride of Gujarat is noted for their bright colours and geometric designs with folk motifs. Madhya Pradesh is famous for Chanderi, Maheshwari and Tussar silk saris. Specialty of these saris are the contrasting colours and depiction of animal and human figures on the sarees. Silk Bomkai Sambalpuri saris from Orissa comes in single and double ikat weaves. Murshidabad in West Bengal is the home of the famous Baluchari sari in which untwisted silk thread are used for weaving brocades. In the south, heavy silk saris from Tanjore, Kumbakonam and Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu are known for their broad decorative borders and contrasting colors. Kancheepuram silks has an enviable position among the best silk sarees in the country for their texture, luster, durability and finish. Kolegal and Molkalmoru in Karnataka are known for their simple ikat weave with parrot motif on the borders. A wide range of ladies and men's wear like dupattas, sarees, salwars, Sherwanis, caps, handkerchiefs, scarves, dhotis, turbans, shawls, ghagras or lehengas, and even quilts, bedcovers, cushions, table-cloths curtains are made of silk. In short, Silk has been mingled with the life and culture of Indians. YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. On October 25, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in the Vatican on an official visit, had a meeting with Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press serviceof the MFA Armenia. Highlighting that this visit is taking place in the year marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the Holy See, the interlocutors commended our bilateral relations based on Christian values, and historical and cultural ties are dynamically developing. In this context, Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the significant contribution of Pietro Parolin to the development of bilateral relations. They underscored that the continuous high-level visits and meetings between Armenia and the Holy See are a vivid demonstration of productive dialogue. The interlocutors also discussed opportunities for strengthening and expanding cooperation on international platforms, taking into account the common approaches of the sides to urgent issues of the international agenda. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Armenia presented the positions of the Armenian side on the issues of security and stability in the South Caucasus. Foreign Minister Mirzoyan drew the interlocutor's attention to the consequences of the latest aggression carried out by the armed forces of Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia, emphasizing the imperative of the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces, the immediate repatriation of all Armenian prisoners of war and the unconditional observance of the ceasefire regime. The Armenian side emphasized that the main obstacle to the establishment of peace in the region is Azerbaijan's maximalist aspirations and attempts of resolving issues through the use of force or threat of use of force. A reference was made to the issues of the protection of Armenian spiritual and historical-cultural monuments from destruction and distortion of their identity in the territories fallen under the control of Azerbaijan. In this regard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia emphasized that to this day Azerbaijan is hindering the visit of the UNESCO assessment mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas. The eyes of the nation are on Pennsylvania as Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz and Democrat Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman square off in a U.S. Senate debate just weeks ahead of the November election. "There isn't any doubt that three or four Senate seats are likely to decide which party controls the United States Senate," said Terry Madonna, political analyst. Fetterman will be using closed captioning due to issues stemming from a stroke. Madonna tells us he expects them to touch on a variety of topics. "I think crime, which by the way Republicans are using virtually everywhere in the country and abortion which is a big issue for Democrats are likely to be two of a variety of issues that are likely to come up this evening," said Madonna. We asked Madonna how the timing of the debate could play into the election. "I mean it wouldn't take a big effect and would only sort of have to be a marginal effect to give one candidate a clear lead," said Madonna. He said the debate could lead to increased support for the candidates from the voters they have already won over. Madonna said the last comparable midterm was in 2018 when 58 percent of registered voters turned out. "We're going to see that record exceeded," said Madonna. He explained how the candidates could win support from independent voters. "Well, they're going to have to come across as knowledgeable as having a comprehensive view of things, to be careful if they're independent voters not to be too partisan in their responses," said Madonna. Madonna said one of the other topics that could come up tonight is energy with Pennsylvania being the big natural gas state that it is. The debate will air on PHL 17 at 8 p.m. EXETER TWP., Pa. The Exeter Township supervisors on Monday night heard about deficiencies in the township's internal controls. Jim Kimmel, a principal at Hamilton & Musser PC, Mechanicsburg, gave a highlights report of the firm's study of the township's internal controls and their recommendations for improvements. The overriding negative, Kimmel stated, was the fact that the township used five different software systems when one of the systems, MUNIS, had the ability to perform the functions of the other software systems. This overlap leads to the need to reconcile and reenter much data, and is likely more costly than using MUNIS for everything, Kimmel said. Another major flaw in the internal controls, according to the Hamilton & Musser study, was lack of controls over computer access. They found several cases where former employees still had access to the software systems. Kimmel recommended that complete access be limited to the township manager and one or two key employees. Others, including the supervisors, would be given read-only access so they could review information but not change it. The firm also recommended that the township hire an outside accounting firm to assist the understaffed two-person finance office. Later in the meeting, supervisors unanimously approved engaging Fanelli & Co. LLC Accountants, St. Lawrence, for ongoing accounting efforts due to the decreased staff. The proposal is $125 per hour plus expenses. Board of auditors After a sometimes heated discussion among Supervisors Ted Gardella, David Hughes, and David Vollmer, the board approved to reduce the duties for the township board of auditors and return to the status written in the second-class township code definition of that board. The motion, made by Supervisor Michelle Kircher, was passed by a 4-1 vote, with Hughes opposed. The matter concerned an Oct. 4 meeting of the board of auditors and whether or not it, in fact, was a meeting and violated the state Sunshine Act. Fire, library budget proposals Fire Chief Chris Bickings presented the 2023 budget proposal for the Exeter Township Volunteer Fire Department. The proposed budget estimates $1,028,000.00 revenue and $1,746,659.07 in expenses, for a shortfall of $718,659.07. Bickings stated that his biggest problem is finding personnel, especially volunteers. He pointed out that across the country, volunteer firefighters have declined by 54% since 2013, and his department is understaffed 64% of the time during the week. Bickings also would like to hire six full-time firefighters in 2023. The supervisors also heard a 2023 budget presentation for the Exeter Township Community Library from library Director Mallory Hoffman. She presented a balanced budget of $538,725.56 in income and the same in expenses, assuming the township resumes its contribution of $250,000. That amount would trigger a contribution of $180,000 from Berks County and state sources. Supervisor Ted Gardella voiced his approval and asked his fellow commissioners to "think bold about the support we offer to this resource." Reading Country Club ADA compliance Township Solicitor Tucker Hull reported that the Reading Country Club facility assessment for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and universal accessibility was recently completed. Approximately $1.9 million will be required to make the building ADA compliant. No action was taken by the supervisors. Pension plans Also, the supervisors adopted a resolution authorizing payment to three pension plans: $208,046.90 for the police pension plan; $145,013.54 for the employee (non-union) pension plan; and $108,000.00 for the employee (union) plan. Funds for the payments have been provided by the state. Interim township manager The supervisors also approved an addendum that clarifies the power of the interim manager, Betsy McBride, with respect to personnel matters, and authorizes additional hours for interim manager services until the 2023 budget is adopted by the board. Adult daycare facility By a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor David Hughes opposed, the board approved a waiver request for submission as preliminary/final plan for APIS Services, 3929 Perkiomen Ave. Its business entity, Supportive Concepts for Families, is requesting the waiver for a land development submission to be reviewed as a preliminary/final submission to streamline the renovation process. The organization is proposing an adult daycare facility. Will Brugger, township zoning officer, reported that three company proposals have been received for outsourcing residential and commercial building inspections. This is a position currently held by a consultant, Brugger said. A previous staff member was being trained to take over the position. Proposals were pursued to determine rates and services of other firms. The supervisors directed Brugger to get more detailed information. Equipment purchases Authorization was granted to purchase a new woodchipper for $105,000. Part of the cost will come from 902 grant funds, which were approved in 2020. The cost has increased by $20,000 from 2020. Another part of the cost will come from 904 grant funds, which were approved in 2021. The estimated cost from township funds is 10%, or $10,500. In addition, the supervisors approved the purchase 2022 Chevrolet Silverado K3500 at purchase price of $46,456 through COSTARS. BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. Kay River Hill LLC received the approval it needed for its new development, River Hill Estates, on Farmersville Road. The green light for the project came Monday night in a unanimous vote from the Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners. The plan for River Hill Estates includes 44 single-family dwellings and 36 multi-family dwellings built on 29 acres. Kay River Hill had extra capacity built into its stormwater design in previous plans. Realizing that, the developer went back and reallocated the impervious coverage on the development so that every lot even those already built upon will have at least 200 square feet of additional pervious land that was not included prior to the approved design. The new plan will allow for the inclusion of decks and pools in the future, and will require a waiver from the stormwater ordinance. No engineering or technical concerns were raised by the board when asked for their approval for the new design, as it does comply with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission criteria for stormwater. Kay River Hill established there will be no effect on the current water issues the Birchwood area down the street is already experiencing. "The discharge from the basin and the volume is controlled to meet the requirements of the original plans design," the developer confirmed. Each property owner will need to sign off on the revised plan as part of the approval process. Moscow is ready to provide all interested parties with detailed clarifications on preparations by Kiev for a provocation with the use of a `dirty bomb, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Channel One television on Monday, Tass informs. October 25, 2022, 12:10 Russia ready explain to everyone interested what Kievs plotting. Zakharova STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: Earlier on Monday, "the question was answered fully by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, who commented on the situation. He pointed to a certain interest among overseas experts and said we are ready to establish appropriate contact. We want to make it clear to everybody that we are ready to [answer] any questions and that we will give the necessary answers, the Russian diplomat emphasized, adding that Russia had repeatedly reiterated this position. "What the United States, what Britain and France should do now is postpone all their business to sit down and review the materials mentioned by Russia in phone calls and analyze the information in public," Zakharova said. According to her, the Anglo-Saxon duet had created another monster who was currently pushing the world to the most dangerous brink. Zakharova also said Kievs continued shelling of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was a direct proof of its nuclear blackmail. Lavrov told reporters on Monday that the risk of Kiev using a "dirty bomb" would be on the agenda of a UN Security Council meeting soon. According to him, some of Moscows partners had suggested discussing the developments at a professional military level, while he dismissed as "not serious" the Wests rejecting these as false allegations. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, said at a briefing on Monday that Russias top brass had all forces and means ready for executing missions amid radioactive contamination. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu earlier warned his British, US, Turkish and French counterparts of the Ukrainian threat. Washington, London and Paris, however, dismissed Russias warnings as false allegations. Keeping chickens at home may be portrayed as healthy and earth-friendly, but the practice may not be for the faint of heart. At times, it may indeed be "fowl." Chickens are messy and they indulge in cannibalism. Then when they "retire" from laying eggs, there is no gravy train, just a soup pot. Lehigh Valley Planning Commission attorney Gary Asteak, a self-professed "chicken man," said Tuesday that a poultry ordinance proposed for residential parts of Upper Saucon Township overreaches and defies economic sense. The commission stepped out of its usual development and building mode to talk about birds during a meeting of its comprehensive planning committee. Asteak objected to this sentence: "Should there be a question of the health of any animals, they (inspectors) shall have the authority to require an examination by a veterinarian, and such examination will be at the expense of the owner." "The proper action would be to simply turn it into soup," Asteak said. He said chickens cost about $6.50 and taking one to a veterinarian might cost 20 times that, more than $100. He pointed out that the township has no similar authority to require an owner to take a dog, man's best friend, to a veterinarian. "I think (the ordinance) imposes too much discretion on the inspector with respect to health issues," Asteak said. That may just be the beginning. As the City of Bethlehem continues to review a proposal for backyard chickens, the potential for noise, vermin and smell have been noted, but there is a lot more to ponder. The Penn State Extension program, which gives advice on agricultural issues, notes that chickens are not nice to other chickens. They will eat their pen mates. Cannibalism in chickens is "the act of one bird consuming a part of the body of another individual of the same species." Unlike people, chickens do not go after the meaty parts, they favor pecking at bleeding wounds, toes and other vulnerable areas. "There are no firm guidelines for prevention of cannibalistic behavior," according to the Penn State article. It continues, "In a short time, the cannibalistic behavior can become vicious. Such a learned behavior is very difficult to eradicate from a flock." Egg layers that escape from being eaten by their fellow chickens do not go on to enjoy their golden years. "Most commercial layers are kept for 2-3 years as their egg production decreases after this time," according to the University of Wisconsion's extension program. When they stop laying, they stop living. "You may butcher laying hens for home consumption, but as their genetics are for egg production, their meat is tough and there is not as much of it compared to a meat-type chicken," according to the university's "Life Cycle of a Laying Hen" article. "Stewing laying hen meat makes it more edible, as does using it in soups." ThePoultrySite, the news site of the industry, is blunt: "The commercial value of spent laying hens has long been considered negligible." Old hens are considered a byproduct to be euthanized and converted into stew, soup or pet food. Some are put into compost piles, according to the website. After Asteak's comments, LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley said the staff will review its comments on the proposed ordinance before Thursday's meeting of the full commission. The commission can comment on the ordinance, but its passage is up to Upper Saucon Township. Also Tuesday, the comprehensive planning committee reviewed a plan for 508 new housing units in Allen Township. The LVPC is an advisory body with a professional staff that reviews big projects in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Those staff comments are reviewed and sometimes altered by 37 appointed commissioners. After review, the final report is sent to the local municipality, which has the final say in land-use issues. UGI Inc. has agreed to sell its energy marketing business in the U.K. to British Gas for an undisclosed price, as the Montgomery County-based utility reviews its European operations. The business, known as AvantiGas ON, supplies natural gas to about 13,000 "meter points," where the gas leaves the supply network for use by a customer. UGI said the agreement of sale was effective Oct. 21. "The strategic review of the remaining energy-marketing businesses in France, Belgium and the Netherlands is ongoing," Beth Reid, a vice president with UGI International, said in a company statement. UGI operates natural gas and electric utilities in Pennsylvania, natural gas utilities in West Virginia and distributes liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It also manages "midstream" energy assets, where energy products are stored, transported and processed. The company's headquarters is in Valley Forge. Shares in the company are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol UGI. Shares were trading at $33.40, up 56 cents, Tuesday morning. In the last 52 weeks, UGI shares have traded as high as $47.04 and as low as $31.19. LOPATCONG TWP., N.J. - A Warren County diner finally opened Monday morning, just more than a month after a fire put the restaurant's soft open on hold. It was one of two diners located minutes from each other, both destroyed by fires on the same day. Catch 22 Diner opened for the first time Monday. Tony Arzuaga, who owns the restaurant with his son, Jose, says the place was packed. "I didn't think I was going to get that busy today," he said. "The first customer came in. They loved it." The brand-new, Spanish-American diner, on Route 22 should have started serving food about a month ago. But on the same day it was set to open this past September, it caught fire. "I was very emotional, very sad," Tony said. "I was going to give up and I was like, no I just can't give up." Tony and Jose Arzuaga had been working on the diner for months before the fire put a pause to their plans. "We're ready to go," Jose said. "We have all the licenses, the inspections, everything and then I get the phone call and I'm like, just shocked." Now just one month and eight days after the fire, Catch 22 is in business. Tony says he had put up a GoFundMe page but did not set it up properly, so it only garnered $70. But the community was not lacking in support for his family and the diner. "The people are really, you know, texting me and messaging me and 'Tony, when you opening? I heard you're going to have some Spanish food there,'" he said. The father and son also say a business helped them out big. "Special shout out to Lowe's," Tony said. "They really gave me a lot of material at a discount price. They really support the community." Catch 22 Diner caught fire the same day that another diner just minutes away from it also caught fire. Owners say the fire at Catch 22 started around 2 a.m. on September 16. Key City Diner, also on Route 22, caught fire later that same day, around 2:30 p.m., according to owners. Locals called Key City Diner a "staple" in the community. It's been owned by the same family for 22 years. "And then to hear the next day the next diner burned down, we're just like, what is going on?" Jose said. "I give all my prayers out to Key City Diner, I hope they come out good at the end of this," Tony said. The Warren County fire marshal, Joseph Lake, says the two fires were completely unrelated to each other. The fire at Key City Diner was due to an electric short, likely from old wiring. The fire at Catch 22 resulted from failure of an electrical wire, supplying power to the neon lighting around the skirt of the roof. Both fires were ruled accidental. Now, the owners of Catch 22 look forward to a busy future. "We're excited for this weekend, tomorrow and the next day and the next day," Jose said. "I said this can't be real," Tony said. "Is this real? And I look at my son. I'm like, This is real. Yeah, he did it. He did it. We did it." Meanwhile, the owners at Key City Diner tell us they're not close to reopening yet. They say the damage to their diner was far more substantial. But they look forward to reopening, they say, hopefully by this coming summer. Arts Council England (ACE) has revealed it has hit the brakes on its imminent investment programme announcement. The news came today, on the eve of the original announcement date (26 October). The 2023-26 programme has promised to be a seismic moment for many arts organisations, with ACE suggesting it will incorporate a "levelling up" strategy to move funds away from the capital. The current list of NPOs (national portfolio organisations, which receive ACE funding) is around 828. According to reports from February, around 80 new NPOs could be created next year, while around 100 will receive increased funding. It is not stated how many organisations may lose their NPO status. Arts Council England has stated it has "an instruction to move 24m per annum out of London", and that some London organisations have been encouraged to relocate outside of the capital. ACE's chief executive Darren Henley said: "We feel for everyone awaiting the outcome of their funding application. We recognise the importance of giving organisations certainty to enable business planning and we know a delay will cause some disruption. "We thank everyone for their patience. We are working with DCMS to reschedule this announcement as soon as possible." The delay was revealed "following discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)" and that the new "announcement of the portfolio will instead be made as soon as possible within the coming days." At the moment, however, no specific date or time has been given. Jarneia Richard-Noel (Six) is set to appear in a guest star role in Ghostlight at the Union Theatre. The two one-act plays, written by Tamzin Cook, are set in two iconic West End theatres during lockdown, where the ghostly residents "tell us about their lives and deaths while trying to work out if the end is nigh." Act one (entitled The Nanny and the Snitch) at the Palace Theatre follows Victoria, a nanny from the 1920s, and Arthur, a teenager forced into a gang, who died in the '60s after being accused of snitching. Act two (The Unknown Solider) is set in the Dominion Theatre, where an Aftrican American hero from the Second World War dwells, after falling in love with a British air force officer. Ghostlight is directed by Cook alongside Vicky Critchlow and Lewis Asquith and features lighting and sound design by Harvey Sound and set designs by Cook and Critchlow (who also serves as assistant producer). Cook said: "Lockdown was incredibly hard for all of us. I desperately missed theatre and being around creative people at my job in a Musical Theatre Academy. Ghostlight was written as a homage to West End Theatre and to all the people who work and perform in them. While our featured ghosts are fictional, many of the additional characters are real. Getting to research legends of Soho and its environs was a highlight of this project and I hope the audience will recognise some of the characters. "Although these pieces are in part historical, I also wanted to explore contemporary themes. Gangs, police corruption, glass ceilings, homophobia, racism and conversion therapy are discussed through the experience of the characters. "So come hear stories from the West End when it was dark." Presented by Tamzin Cook Creative, Ghostlight runs at the Union Theatre from 27 October to 5 November 2022. . German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that the West intends to provide assistance to Ukraine "for decades" to come, noting that a "Marshall Plan of the 21st century" was on the agenda. He was speaking at the opening of an international conference on the restoration of Ukraine in Berlin on Tuesday, Tass informs. October 25, 2022, 14:36 West is going to provide support for Ukraine for decades to come Scholz STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: "Now is the moment to discuss what the future of Ukraine should be and how it should be financed. We are here today to consider how to secure and maintain funding for Ukraine's reconstruction and modernization for years and decades to come," Scholz said, adding that it was not just a donor conference, but something more fundamental. "This is nothing but creation of a new Marshall Plan for the 21st century - a task for generations that must begin now," Scholz stressed. At the same time, he described as "the right geopolitical decision" the European Unions support for Kiev. In addition, Scholz assured that Western support for Ukraine would last as long as necessary. Scholz assured that Western support for Ukraine would last as long as needed. Germany, he said, will continue to provide comprehensive assistance to Kiev, including the supply of air defense systems. The German chancellor expressed hope that the issue of the restoration of Ukraine would be put on the agenda by the Indonesian authorities during the G20 summit in Bali in November. On Tuesday, an international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, organized by the Group of Seven, is being held in Berlin. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen spoke at the opening. The conference will also be attended by experts, international organizations, analysts, scientists and representatives of civil society. A $145,600 Site Assessment Grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will help clear the way for new development in downtown Beaver Dam. Unused downtown lots are a wasted opportunity, said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the states leading economic development organization. This grant will allow the City of Beaver Dam to clear buildings and begin the clean-up of a long-vacant car dealership and auto repair site with known soil contamination. The site at 109 Ryan Cantafios Way requires demolition of two unused buildings, removal of underground petroleum and hazardous substance tanks as well as asbestos abatement. The Department of Natural Resources has found that engine and waste oil have contaminated the soil at the site. The northeast corner of the site has been most recently the site of the Downtown Beaver Dam Farmers Market. A new location for that market is currently being considered. While the project has yet to be finalized, Beaver Dam Mayor Rebecca Glewen calls the site cleanup the next step in transforming a blighted area into a real asset for Beaver Dam and for Dodge County. This redevelopment project will be another important catalyst for the City of Beaver Dam by continuing to redevelop our downtown commercial district, said Glewen. This project will provide critically needed workforce housing for employees in our entire Dodge County region. This is an exciting opportunity for the city, she added. Were thankful to be working with this developer in a way that will drive downtown economic development and revitalization. The developer still has to put everything together but were one step closer by receiving this grant. Plans call for the site to become a high-density mixed-use development including owner-occupied housing and commercial space. The city is in negotiations to sell the property to prospective developer Kaba Bah and his Madison-based company, Kaba Baal, which specializes in urban and rural downtown developments that spark more community development. We are planning on building new owner-occupied units to serve the community need for home ownership and workforce housing with some commercial space, he said. These catalyst projects will help attract new residents, support existing businesses, increase the tax base, and complement the downtown revitalization efforts. Hughes, along with WEDC Deputy Secretary and COO Sam Rikkers, made the grant announcement during a visit on Monday to Beaver Dam. During the visit, Hughes and Rikkers stopped by businesses that had been supported by WEDCs Community Development Investment Grants. They also toured businesses that had received Main Street Bounceback grants. The popular program provides $10,000 grants to businesses and nonprofits that move into a previously vacant commercial space. More than 6,600 grants have been approved in all 72 Wisconsin counties and the program is funded with $100 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) leads economic development efforts for the state by advancing and maximizing opportunities in Wisconsin for businesses, communities and people to thrive in a globally competitive environment. Working with more than 600 regional and local partners, WEDC develops and delivers solutions representative of a highly responsive and coordinated economic development network. Visit wedc.org to learn more. On October 25, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta (Foreign Minister) Riccardo Paterno of Montecupo in Rome, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said. October 25, 2022, 16:57 Mirzoyan briefs Foreign Minister of Sovereign Order of Malta on Armenias position over NK conflict settlement STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 25, ARTSAKHPRESS: The interlocutors emphasized that the bilateral relations between Armenia and the Sovereign Order of Malta are based on long-lasting historical ties and Christian values of similar origin, expressing readiness to deepen the existing cooperation in numerous fields. The Foreign Minister and the Grand Chancellor discussed the programs implemented by the Order in Armenia in the fields of humanitarian assistance and healthcare and the further deepening of cooperation in these fields. The interlocutors also touched upon the issues of preservation of cultural heritage and the prospects of joint steps in this direction. During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the issues of regional agenda. Minister Mirzoyan briefed the position of the Armenian side regarding Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Referring to the humanitarian situation resulting from the Azerbaijani aggression against the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the need for the immediate withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and the observance of the ceasefire regime. Referring to the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, the Foreign Minister emphasized the response of the international community. Meanwhile, the importance of preserving the Armenian historical, cultural and spiritual heritage in the territories fallen under Azerbaijani control was underscored. The New Lisbon Winter Wanderers will host the clubs first-ever Snowmobile Fun Day in Riverside Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will feature live music, a bucket raffle, free food and a vintage snowmobile show. Original and restored snowmobiles will be on display, with five separate categories for snowmobiles made in or before 1969, 1970 to 1975, 1976 to 1979, 1980 to 1985 and 1986 to the present. Mini-sleds and cutters have their own classes. Trophies will be given out for each category, and Best of Show and Peoples Choice titles will be awarded. The Winter Wanderers will also be offering information and taking sign-ups for their next snowmobile safety course. All residents born after Jan. 1, 1985 who ride on public lands in Wisconsin are required to be certified. There are currently 10 spots left for the clubs November classes. Well teach you how to go, how to stop, how to turn Mostly simple stuff, but stuff you need to be certified to use the trails, member Bryce McNeely said. Then theres a test at the end. The event and the safety course are open to non-members. Snowmobile Day begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.; snowmobiles can be registered for the show until 11 a.m. Coke and dagger Coca-Cola named sponsor for COP27 The beverage company has a questionable record not only when it comes to planetary health its record on human health is abysmal. A farce is a form of comedy that uses a patently ridiculous situation to entertain an audience. This one, regrettably, is not intentionally farcical: COP27 arguably the most important climate conference on the international calendar is being sponsored by Coca-Cola, the worlds foremost producer of plastic waste. Instead of being entertained, the world seems alarmed. Rightly so. From 6 to 18 November, world leaders will head to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt to attend COP27, the 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC is an important international convention that launched the issue of climate change on the global agenda and enabled ground-breaking agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement to reduce and limit greenhouse-gas emissions. The World Health Organization Council on the Economics of Health for All issued a statement on October 13 asserting that COP27 is our last chance to achieve a healthy future for humanity, and a key theme of the conference thus focuses on the urgency of delivering for people and the planet. World leaders attending previous COP meetings have also noted that planetary health and human health are indivisible. The Paris Agreement has been called the most important public health agreement of the century, given the links between planetary and human health. The aggravating contribution of climate change to communicable and non-communicable diseases was noted in a special report emanating from COP24, held in Poland in 2018. The World Health Organization collaborates with the UNFCCC in monitoring the cross-over between policies impacting health and climate. Mass polluter, water user and contributor to human ill health Coca-Cola has been the worlds top plastic producer for four years running (sharing this dubious honour with PepsiCo). Coca-Cola produces more than 120 billion single-use plastic bottles every year and in 2019, it admitted to using 3 million tonnes of plastic packaging in a year. Coca-Cola is defending the sponsorship by claiming it is working to reduce its environmental impact a claim that holds no water considering that its year-on-year carbon emissions actually increased from 2020 to 2021. Speaking of things that hold water, Coca-Cola uses more than 300 billion litres of water annually on its products, with 35 litres of water needed to make every half-litre of Coke. Water is an ingredient in Coca-Cola products, and is used at many points in the beverage supply chain. The agricultural-ingredient supply chain accounts for 80% of the companys water use, which would include, for example, the water needed to grow sugarcane and sugar beet. To ensure it can access this massive quantity of water, Coca-Cola taps into local water sources. For example, in India Coca-Cola operated 58 water-intensive bottling plants, while at one time, thirsty local residents were forced to rely on trucked-in water supply from the government. One local source said that in India, [d]rinking Coke is like drinking farmers blood. At the same time, a local NGO reported that Coca-Cola was offloading cadmium-laden waste in the southern state of Kerala and producing beverages tested in Delhi that contained high levels of four different pesticides. Coca-Cola also pledged to be water neutral a term coined locally at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. However, in 2015, Coca-Cola only managed to offset a mere 2 billion litres less than 1% of its total water footprint. Coincidentally, 2 billion is the same number of human beings that live in water-stressed countries, which are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of water-intense industries. Coca-Cola has a questionable record not only when it comes to planetary health its record on human health is abysmal. Research has shown that the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a significant contributor to overweight and obesity, which in turn leads to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. NCDs are the leading cause of death in South Africa (51%), and worldwide (74%). To quote Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance, in Health Policy Watch, in response to the announcement of the COP27 sponsorship she said, Coca-Cola is already a de facto sponsor of the global obesity epidemic. We are not surprised. Coca-Colas sponsorship of COP27 is a form of greenwashing (a deceptive form of advertising where false or exaggerated claims are made in relation to the positive impact that a company, brand or product is making towards the environment) that has already been condemned for this in at least English-language media. It is not the first time they have done this. A previous sponsorship that exemplified a similar level of green-washing, given Cokes exorbitant water usage to make their products, was seen in Coca-Colas 2006 sponsorship of the World Water Forum in Mexico. This sponsorship aged poorly given that several cities in Mexico have now reached their day zero (which South Africans recently learned meant that the water supply has run out completely) while Coca-Cola manages to continue production using private wells. Various other companies marketing campaigns have used this type of strategy and others such as rainbow-washing (co-opting LGBTQI+ friendly dialogues) and blue-washing (using social-good narratives in their marketing). What is needed There is a bigger discussion to be had by policymakers as well as the broader population on the space we allow these corporate behemoths to occupy, and how we more forcefully call out behaviour that is killing us and our planet. While greenwashing seems to be a common enough trend to make it unsurprising, we still need to fight against this type of unethical corporate behaviour, which undermines efforts such as COP27 that have the potential to save our planet and our health. South Africas Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), Barbara Creecy, has been a major voice at previous COP conferences and one assumes she will lead the South African delegation to Egypt this year. It is imperative that Minister Creecy calls out this blatantly unethical conduct by Coca-Cola at an international level, especially given South Africas own status as a water-scarce country and the continuous fight against plastic pollution, where we see 14 million tonnes of plastic ending up in the marine ecosystem annually. This is and should be a global concern for everyone living on this planet. If action is not taken, the consequences will be dire. DM/MC Petronell Kruger is a public health lawyer at the SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science. She is interested in all aspects of health promotion. Dr Sameera Mahomedy is a researcher in law and policy at the SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science. Her areas of interest include health promotion and constitutional law. This article was first published in the Daily Maverick. Permian Resources Corporation MIDLAND, Texas, Oct. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Permian Resources Corporation (Permian Resources or the Company) (NYSE: PR) announced today that it will report third quarter 2022 financial and operating results after the market closes for trading on November 8, 2022. Management will host an earnings conference call on November 9, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. Central (10:00 a.m. Eastern). Interested parties are invited to participate on the call by dialing (833) 634-2524, or (412) 902-4178 for international calls, and referencing Permian Resources at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call or via the internet at www.permianres.com. A replay of the call will be available on the Companys website or by phone at (877) 344-7529 (Access Code: 5341497) for a seven-day period following the call. About Permian Resources Headquartered in Midland, Texas, Permian Resources is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the responsible acquisition, optimization and development of high-return oil and natural gas properties. The Companys assets and operations are located in the core of the Delaware Basin. For more information, please visit www.permianres.com. Contact: Hays Mabry Sr. Director, Investor Relations (832) 240-3265 ir@permianres.com BELGRADE, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) The 65th International Belgrade Book Fair opened on Sunday at the Belgrade Fair in Serbia, with China as one of the national exhibitors. Represented by the China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Corporation with the slogan of "Reading China," China's exhibition includes literature, language learning books, martial art materials, Chinese medicine books, publications about economy and politics. "We have books about traditional topics like gongfu, panda, and others in Chinese, we also have books about China in English to help foreign readers get to know China's politics, economy, culture, and diplomacy," said Julia, a representative of the Chinese exhibitor. While exploring the "Reading China" stand, Marko, a lawyer from Belgrade, hailed the diverse offer of Chinese publishers. "I am interested in Chinese politics and economy, and I think they are very applicable in our country and could help us improve," he said, adding that by engaging in such cultural exchange "we can only help our society progress and improve." The fair gathered hundreds of exhibitors from Serbia and across the world, including publishers from Germany, Russia, Belarus, Italy, and India, as well as this year's guest of honor, Romania. (Source: Xinhua) Maryland is a stunning state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country. It is named after Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I of England and Scotland. The name Maryland comes from Henrietta Marias maiden name: Marie de Medici. Maryland is home to many important events in American history, including the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812 and the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War. Maryland is known for its seafood cuisine, crab cakes, and historical sites such as Fort McHenry and Mount Vernon. Read More6 Best Cities To Retire In Maryland Annapolis Aerial view of Maryland State House capitol building and state circle with colonial houses in Annapolis Annapolis, Maryland, is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland and has a population of 39,321. The town is located on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Baltimore and about 35 miles (56 km) east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis harbor in Maryland at sunset Annapolis is a historical place with many attractions for tourists to enjoy, such as its Colonial Annapolis Historic District with its cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks; its Naval Academy Museum; its Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium; and its proximity to many other historic sites in Maryland such as St. Johns College (founded 1696), Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (1814), Francis Scott Key Memorial (1927), Washington Monument State Park (1932), Calvert Cliffs State Park (1964), Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Thimble Shoal Light Station Museum & Keepers Quarters Museum & Gift. Read MoreAnnapolis, Maryland Baltimore Baltimore, Maryland Skyline over the Inner Harbor at dusk Baltimore is located on the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. It is approximately 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Washington, D.C., and 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Annapolis, Marylands capital city. Lord Baltimore established Baltimore in 1661 as a new English colony named after his father, George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, who had been granted a royal charter to create a Province of Maryland in 1632. The city served temporarily as the capital of the United States while Philadelphia was under British occupation during the American Revolutionary War from 1777 to 1778. Baltimore has long been an important center for manufacturing and trade. It was one of Americas earliest industrial cities, with its steel mills and shipbuilding industry dating to colonial times. It became one of the first centers for mass production in America with its deepwater port on the Chesapeake. Read MoreBaltimore, Maryland Frederick Historic Building in Downtown Frederick Maryland in the Corroll Creek Promenade Frederick is the county seat of Frederick County and the second-largest city in Maryland. Frederick has a population of about 71,843 people. It is located in the Northern region of Maryland, about 40 miles from Washington D.C., and close to Baltimore and Philadelphia. Historic Downtown Frederick Maryland sign in downtown Frederick Frederick has a rich history that dates back to 1730 when John OConner founded it on land given to him by Lord Baltimore. The city was named after Frederick Calvert, the first Lord Baltimores son and heir apparent. The city has been an important crossroads for travelers since its founding because it sits at the crossroads of two major highways: I-70 and I-270, both major east-west routes across Americas midsection. Hagerstown Hagerstown street view, Maryland Hagerstown is a U.S. state of Maryland city located about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C., in the Appalachian Mountains. It is the county seat of Washington County and the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. Jonathan Hager House and Museum at Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown was founded in 1762 by John OConner on a land grant from George II to his brother James OConner, who had been an officer in the British army during colonial times. It is named after General Edward Hager, who fought during the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) and served as Acting Governor of Virginia from 1781 to 1782. Rockville Historic Mansion at Civic Center Park in Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Rockville was founded in 1778 as Beallsville and was renamed Rockville in 1880. The city is home to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which Congress established in 1901 at the urging of Alexander Graham Bell. Rockville has been home to many famous people, including Bill Gates, Jim Henson, and Steve Jobs. Saint Michaels Sailboat docked along waterfront marina on an overcast morning in Saint Michaels, Maryland Saint Michaels is located on the Chesapeake Bay and has a population of only about 1,500 people. Saint Michaels was founded in 1706 by English settlers looking for a place to build their homes and start their businesses. The town was named after Saint Michael the Archangel, considered the patron saint of soldiers and police officers. The towns economy relies mainly on tourism because it has many historical sites that attract visitors worldwide. Read MoreSaint Michaels, Maryland Chestertown A Chestertown MD Brick Government Building with Brick Walkway in the center of the town Chestertown is a town within Kent County, Maryland. It is located on the Chester River and has a population of about 5,532 people. Chestertown was founded in 1742 by William Brownfield and was named after his hometown of Chesterton in England. A historic house owned by Washington College, a liberal arts and sciences college located in Chestertown (house is named after US president James Madison) The town was originally called Brownfieldtown, but the name was changed to Chestertown in 1806. The Chestertown Historic District is a historic district that includes buildings from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. It includes houses, churches, commercial buildings, and other structures representing Chestertowns development as an important regional center for commerce and transportation during this period. Many famous figures, including U.S. presidents, were born in Maryland. Maryland also has a lot of beautiful historical sites, making it a great place to visit. The state is well known for its rich history, natural beauty, and impressive cultural attractions. Maryland has many museums, historic sites, and natural wonders. You can also learn about the state's history through culture-related activities in the Capital and in Annapolis. If history is your thing, then a visit to Maryland is a must on your list! There are multiple types of power stations, including both renewable power sources and non-renewable power sources. It includes everything from nuclear power to hydro, wind power, geothermal, oil or natural gas power plants, and any other type of power station. The size is determined by the current installed electrical capacity - i.e., the potential amount of energy the power plant could produce, rather than the actual output on any given day or year. 1. Three Gorges Dam, China - 22,500 MW A view of the Three Gorges Dam from a mountain. The Three Gorges dam in China is the largest power station in the world. It can produce 22,500 Megawatts of energy, the most of any power plant on Earth. The dam spans the Yangtze River in central China, just downstream from the Three Gorges. On average, the plant produces 95 TWh of electricity per year. The dam was constructed over several years. It first opened in 2003 but was completed and fully functional to its current capacity in 2012. The plant consists of 32 main turbines and two smaller generators, which together reach the plant's potential energy capacity. The plant set a record for the most annual power production, reaching around 112 TW per hour in 2020 after a particularly heavy monsoon season that flooded the river. In more recent years, flooding has become a growing and very real concern. Read MoreThree Gorges Dam 2. Itaipu Dam, Brazil and Paraguay - 14,000 MW The Itaipu Dam on the Parana River. The power station with the second greatest energy production capacity is the Itaipu Dam, which sits along the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The Parana River powers the dam, which has a power generation capacity of 14,000 Megawatts. This Itaipu Dam consists of 20 power generators, each with a capacity of 700 MW. This power plant is a significant power supplier for Paraguay and has contributed as much as 75% of Paraguay's annual electricity. Read More7 Wonders Of The Modern World 3. Xiluodu Dam, China - 13,860 MW Aerial view of the Xiluodu Dam. The Xiluodu Dam on China's Jinsha River Valley is the third largest power station on Earth. The dam measures 278 meters tall and 698 meters long. It sits between the counties of Leibo and Yonshan and is both a power generator, irrigation system, and flood water control. The dam consists of underground hydroelectric power generators, each with nine hydroelectric units for a combined power capacity of 13,860 Megawatts. 4. Belo Monte Dam, Brazil - 11,233 MW Aerial view of the Belo Monte Dam at the time of its construction. The Belo Monte Dam, formerly called the Kararao dam, is the fourth largest power station in the world. This hydroelectric dam is located in Para, Brazil, along the Xingu River. The dam has 18 turbines and was completed in 2019. This power station has a capacity of 11,233 megawatts. 5. Guri Dam, Venezula - 10,235 MW Guri Dam in southern Venezuela. The Guri Dam first underwent construction in 1969 and was completed in 1986. It was built on the Caroni River in the eastern part of Venezuela. The power station has a capacity of 10,235 Megawatts. The Guri is also sometimes called The Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant and was previously named the Raul Leoni Hydroelectric Plant. It has a height of around 162 meters and a length of 7,426 meters. 6. Wudongde Dam, China - 10,200 MW The Wudongde Dam in China. Image credit: Zhangmoon618 via Wikimedia Commons The Wudongde Dam is another large hydroelectric dam in China. It is located on the Yangtze River's upper section. It spans part of the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in southwest China. The power station has a capacity of 10,200 Megawatts. 7. Jebel Ali Power Plant, UAE - 8,695 MW Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex, with chimneys smoking into the air in Dubai. Editorial credit: Aleksandra Tokarz / Shutterstock.com The Jebel Ali Power Plant is a combination oil and gas-powered CCGT plant. It is located in Dubai, UAE, along the Persian Gulf near the Jebel Ali port. The plant itself is a power complex that contains nine different plants across a distance of some three kilometers. The plant is responsible for the majority of the power supply for Dubai and has a capacity of 8,695 Megawatts, the largest of any gas-fired power plant. The plant also serves as the world's largest desalination plant, producing some 470 million gallons of desalinated water a day. 8. Tucurui Dam, Brazil - 8,370 MW Tucurui Hydropower Plant in Brazil. The Tucurui Dam is a hydroelectric power plant located in Para, Brazil, on the Tocantins River. It is a large-scale concrete gravity dam with an installed capacity of 8,370 megawatts. The dam was the first of its kind to be built in the Amazon rainforest. Hence, its construction is riddled with controversies. Its construction forced many locals out of the area. However, it provided power to roughly 13 million people. The plant and resulting power have also caused industries to boom in the region. Though some see this as highly positive, it has also brought large-scale immigration to the area and widespread deforestation for commercial, residential, and industrial expansion. 9. Jiuquan Wind Power Base, China - 7,965 MW The Jinquan Wind Power Base, also known as the Gansu Wind Farm, is located in the desert of the Gansu province of China. The power base consists of multiple large wind farms and some 92,000 wind turbines, which have a combined capacity of 7,965 megawatts, with a projection to reach 20,000 by 2025. 10. Kori Nuclear Power Plant, South Korea - 7,489 MW The Kori Nuclear Power Plant. Image credit: IAEA Imagebank/Flickr The Kori Nuclear Power Plant is the 10th largest power station in the world and has a capacity of 7,489 megawatts. It is located in Busan, South Korea, and is actually the largest fully operational nuclear generating station in the world based on total reactor count and quantity of operational reactors. Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes will host an Empty Bowls Dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in the parish hall of Sacred Heart Church, 90 Melrose Road, Owasco. The dinner coincides with World Hunger Day and is intended to raise awareness of the agency's hunger programs and services, as well as financial support for them. Guests will learn about local anti-poverty efforts and receive a handmade ceramic bowl to serve as a reminder that hunger exists in the community. The bowls are made and donated by local artists and organizations, including Weedsport and Port Byron schools and Cayuga Community College. Port Byron teacher Sara St. Pierre has been working with Catholic Charities for 10 years to support the event. "Any empty bowl is symbolic to those who don't have food," she said in a news release. "So the empty bowls project became a project of artisans and art for us to remember symbolically that there are so many people out there who do go home to an empty bowl." Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children younger than 10. For more information, call (315) 789-2235 ext. 104, email rhonda.zettlemoyer@dor.org or visit catholiccharitiesfl.org. For many Americans, driving is a joy, a necessity, and a way of life. Hitting the open road is a sign of both freedom (in the Kerouacian sense) and a daily obligation for nine-to-five commuters. Though driving is becoming progressively safer, it can still present a significant threat, particularly in certain areas. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 36,096 fatalities due to motor vehicle accidents in 2019 (i.e., the most recent comprehensive data set). While crashes can occur anywhere, at any time, there are notable trends based on traffic density, driving habits, and weather conditions. The following is a list of the seven most dangerous roads in the United States. The high speed limits of vehicles on a highway makes such roads the most dangerous of all. 1. I-95 - 14.88 deaths/100 miles The longest North-South highway in the country is also the most dangerous. The 1,919-mile-long Interstate 95, from Houlton, Maine, to Miami, Florida, experienced 284 fatalities in 2019. This worked out to 14.88 deaths/100 miles. Most of these incidents occurred near the ends of this East Coast artery - owing to the challenging driving conditions presented by Northeast winters, as well as the problematic patterns exhibited by the Sunshine State. The I-95 near Jacksonville, Florida, is the country's most dangerous road. 2. I-20 - 13.52 deaths/100 miles Interstate 20 cuts East-West (with a slight angular trend) across the Southeastern states, beginning near the tiny community of Kent, Texas (Western terminus), and traversing to the city of Florence, South Carolina. This relatively short, 1,539-mile highway saw a high-density fatality rate of 13.52/100 miles (208 total). It is largely due to I-20 intersecting many high-traffic metropolitan areas (i.e., Dallas-Fort Worth, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Columbia). 3. I-5 - 13.47 deaths/100 miles Connecting the Western United States with both the Canadian and Mexican borders (from Blaine, Washington to San Ysidro, California), Interstate 5 is a significant but potentially dangerous throughline. Because of the large population centers in California (i.e., Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego) and the intense flow of traffic to and from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, this 1,381-mile highway was dealt 186 fatalities, or 13.47 per 100 miles, in 2019. A sign on a highway warning drivers of driving safely. Careless driving is one of the biggest causes of road accidents. 4. I-75 - 13.27 deaths/100 miles The country's second-longest North-South interstate stretches all the way from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (on the border of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada), down to Hialeah, Florida (just North of Miami). This covers a total of 1,786 miles and includes the additional states of Ohio, Tennessee, and Georgia, as well as a number of major cities, such as Detroit, Cincinnati, Atlanta, and Tampa. The key areas to watch for are Michigan during the harsh winters and Florida (specifically, Tampa), which has a notoriously bad track record relative to the rest of the country. These two sketchy regions accounted for a large portion of the 237 deaths (2019), which averages out to 13.27 deaths per 100 miles. 5. 1-35 - 12.56/100 miles The 1,568-mile-long Interstate 35 cuts through the Central U.S. in a predominantly North-South direction. Jumping on at Duluth, Minnesota, on the shore of Lake Superior, one can burn rubber all the way down to Laredo, Texas, on the Mexican border. The 197 deaths across the year (12.56 per 100 miles) occurred near Texas' major population centers of San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin. So take your time and keep a keen eye on these parts. Bad weather conditions are also responsible for many highway accidents in the United States. 6. I-15 - 11.02 deaths/100 miles Interstate 15 heads North-South along almost the entire length of the Western U.S. Its Northern terminus is Sweetgrass, Montana (right on the Alberta, Canada border), while its Southern terminus is San Diego, California (just shy of the Mexican border). En route, the 1,434-mile I-15 passes through Eastern Idaho, much of Utah, and the Southern tip of Nevada. Largely due to excessive speeds/reckless behavior across the Los Angeles to Las Vegas stretch, the latest tally showed 158 fatalities, or 11.02 deaths/100 miles (on average for the entire highway). 7. I-40 - 9.89 deaths/100 miles. Interstate 40 runs nearly coast to coast, in a mostly East-West direction, across the Southern half of the United States. From Barstow, California to Wilmington, North Carolina, I-40 covers approximately 2,555 miles and rolls through such well-known cities as Flagstaff, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Knoxville/Memphis, Tennessee. In 2019, this highway registered 253 fatalities, which works out to 9.89 deaths/100 miles. The main hazard was and continues to be the high traffic volume, particularly during summer. Read MoreThe Most Dangerous Cities In The US Do not let these figures deter you. Interstates are major assets connecting Americans with their neighbors, their expansive landscape, and the everyday essentials of life. It simply helps to be aware of high-risk areas and to take extra precautions when necessary. Thankfully, the roads, and even cars themselves, are becoming safer all the time. In fact, total fatalities dropped by 2% from 2018 to 2019. Email Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter According to the Miami Association of Realtors, total Palm Beach County residential sales decreased 25.5% year-over-year in September 2022, from 2,830 to 2,109, because of rising mortgage rates and low inventory. Palm Beach single-family home sales decreased 19.3%, from 1,450 to 1,170. Palm Beach condo transactions declined 32%, from 1,380 to 939. Palm Beach County single-family home median prices increased 23.4% year-over-year in September 2022, increasing from $469,900 to $580,000. Existing condo median prices increased 17.6% year-over-year, from $246,500 to $290,000. While median prices have increased nationally so has house-buying power because of a long-run decline in rates before March 2022 and the slow, but steady growth of household income. West Palm Beach (No. 5) and Miami (No. 6) ranked among the Top-10 U.S. metros where homebuyer income grew the most during the pandemic via Aug. 2022 Redfin report. Home prices are determined by supply and demand. Lower supply and higher demand create higher prices. Inventory for Palm Beach single-family homes (2.9 months) and condos (2.2 months) are low. Also, one of the supports for home prices is rents and rents are rising strongly. Inventory of single-family homes increased 67.8% year-over-year in September 2022 from 2,370 active listings last year to 3,977 last month. Condominium inventory increased 38.1% year-over-year to 2,806 from 2,032 listings during the same period in 2021. New listings of Palm Beach single-family homes decreased 9.5% to 1,562 from 1,726. New listings of condominiums decreased 22.6%, from 1,530 to 1,184. Months' supply of inventory for single-family homes increased 107.1% to 2.9 months year-over-year, which indicates a seller's market. Inventory for existing condominiums increased 57.1% to 2.2 months, which also indicates a seller's market. A balanced market between buyers and sellers offers between six- and nine-months supply. Total active listings at the end of September 2022 increased 54.1% year-over-year, from 4,402 to 6,783. Total Palm Beach distressed sales decreased 50% in September 2022, from 24 to 12. Short sales and REOs accounted for 0.1% and 0.4% year-over-year, respectively, of total Palm Beach sales in September 2022. Short sale transactions decreased 70% year-over-year while REOs decreased 35.7%. Only 0.6% of all closed residential sales in Palm Beach were distressed last month, including REO (bank-owned properties) and short sales, compared to 0.8% in September 2021. Palm Beach's percentage of distressed sales are on par with the national figure. Nationally, distressed sales represented approximately 2% of sales in September, a marginal increase from 1% in September 2021. Sign Up Free | The WPJ Weekly Newsletter Relevant real estate news. Actionable market intelligence. Right to your inbox every week. Go Thank you for your interest! You will now be receiving our Weekly Real Estate Newsletter. Wells College has announced that an alumna and trustee, Dr. Vicki E. Panhuise, was recently honored with the Leo B. Hart Humanitarian Award from the University of Arizona. Panhuise graduated from the Aurora college cum laude with a degree in mathematics, and went on to earn a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Missouri. She has worked as an engineer, in the aerospace industry and in management consulting, and currently serves as director and treasurer for the nonprofit Laptops to Lesothos. She also has volunteer leadership roles at University of Arizona's Eller College of Management, where she is an advisor, and Wells. The Eller College nominated Panhuise for the award, which recognizes alumni who have made "outstanding contributions to social justice and welfare." In a news release, Wells President Jonathan Gibralter, said he asked Panhuise to serve on its board of trustees due to her expertise in strategic planning and financial management. "She has given freely of her time, treasure, and talent for the past few years, and we are fortunate to have her as a trustee and Wells alumna," he said. "She is admired by so many people." The college added in its news release, "Wells College is delighted to have such a knowledgeable, skilled and philanthropic alumna recognized, and knows she serves as an inspiration to current students and the broader community." For more information, visit wells.edu. Fines for two men caught digging at active badger sett on Wrexham farm The RSPCA has warned that action will be taken against people who commit wildlife crime after two men were caught illegally digging at an active badger sett near Wrexham. A member of the public alerted the police after spotting them on land at Cross Lanes on 30 August last year. One of the men was lying on his stomach in a large rectangular hole which had been dug into a bank. Two quad bikes one of which had a box attached with a terrier-type dog called Rosie inside were also found at the scene. Jamie Barnes (date of birth 27.11.80), of Caernarvon Place, Beeston, Nottingham and Ben Davies (date of birth 20.08.89), of Cwm Mawr, Belan, Welshpool, had both denied one offence contrary to the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, but were found guilty at a trial in August last year. Appearing at Wrexham Magistrates Court last Tuesday (18 October), both men were fined 1,000 and each ordered to pay costs of 600, following a prosecution brought by the RSPCA. The court heard how the men thought the sett wasnt active, despite the fact there were three access tunnels into it with clear badger trails leading in and out, small holes spread out near the sett entrance containing fresh faeces and fresh bedding strewn nearby. Neither of them had been given permission by the farmer who confirmed there was an active sett at the location to dig on his land. In evidence to the court, the police officer who attended the scene said he saw Barnes and Davies lying down and crouching in the hole, which had been dug in the bank going vertically down. A locator collar was seen on a pile of disturbed soil and shovels and other implements were also present. When asked what he was doing, Barnes replied: Im rescuing the dog, we put the dog down after a fox and lost the dog. We had to dig to find it and we are still looking for the fox. When it was pointed out that they were digging into a badger sett and had breached a chamber, Barnes said but its not active, there is no latrine or anything. The police officer asked where the dog was now and Barnes told him she was back in the terrier box. Asked why they were still digging if the dog was out, Barnes commented we were filling it back in again. Rosie, who is owned by Barnes, was shown to the police officer. The RSPCA said that she was covered in mud, shaking and appeared tired. An injury to her nose looked like it may have been caused by a bite from another animal. Both men were reported for disturbing a badger sett. When interviewed, Davies said he was at the location only to assist Barnes and that they hadnt dug into a chamber and didnt think it was an active sett. Barnes said hed been asked by the Wynnstay hunt to get a rogue fox and even though he hadnt seen one enter the sett he was convinced the animal was there because hed seen paw prints. He said they had been digging for approximately two hours before the police officer arrived. A badger expert who visited the location the following day, 31 August, observed a flattened and well used path consistent with that of a badger running to the left and right of the hole that the two men had dug. He also noted fresh badger hair, paths, latrines and holes. After my examination I was left in no doubt at all that the area was that of a currently active badger sett he concluded. Speaking after the case, chief inspector Ian Briggs from the RSPCAs Special Operations Unit the team responsible for investigating serious and organised animal crime, including badger baiting and wildlife crimes said: There were clear and obvious signs that this was an actively used badger sett and this was a blatant attempt to dig and find one. We wont hesitate to take action against people who commit wildlife crime and wed like to thank our partners in this case, as well as the member of the public who so swiftly reported it. PC Dave Allen of the North Wales Police Rural Crime Team, said: I welcome the sentence which sends out a positive message to the rural communities that North Wales Police and partners, who worked closely together as part of this case, take these matters very seriously. Id also like to thank the public for their support by being our eyes and ears and reporting incidents to us when they see wrongdoing in our community. Anyone who witnesses rural crime in their area is urged to contact officers on 101, or via the website. Residents invited to attend candlelit closing ceremony for the Knife Angel A candlelit service will take place tomorrow (Wednesday 26 October) to mark the closing ceremony for the Knife Angel. The sculpture, which is made from over 100,000 seized knives and weapons from all police constabularies across the UK, has been on Queens Square since the start of October. It has toured the country, bringing with it an awareness of the consequences caused in our society by violence and crime especially knife crime. Although the Knife Angel also known as the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression will remain in the city centre until the end of the month, a candlelit service will take place tomorrow (Wednesday 26 October) at the sculpture. Taking place at 6pm members of the public are being invited to attend with either a battery tea light candle or a torch. The Knife Angel will also be illuminated as part of the service. The sculpture has been well received in Wrexham with lots of individuals and organisations visiting to see it. Some groups affected by knife crime made a special visit to the city centre to see it were moved by its presence. Students from secondary schools and Coleg Cambria have also visited and had workshops about knife crime and the feedback from them has been very positive. A spokesperson for Wrexham Council said: The Knife Angel leaves us on 1 November to begin its journey to Gwent but Wrexhams story will continue. The lasting legacy of the Knife Angel will be the continued engagement of partner organisations, including the police and youth services, with young people in order to keep the conversation about knife crime relevant and appropriate. In Coleg Cambrias Bersham Road campus work continues on our own Knife Dragon which is about a third completed but already standing over two metres. The Dragon is being made using weapons safely handed in at local police stations as part of regional amnesty campaigns and may eventually contain knives that were handed in during the Knife Angels visit. Its expected to be completed next summer and will initially be on display at the campus. Wrexham mechanical fitter going for gold at WorldSkills final A Wrexham college is to host the WorldSkills final after the Shanghai competition was cancelled due to the pandemic. It will now take place at Coleg Cambrias Bersham Road site in Wrexham from November 1-4. 24-year-old Charlie Samson is amongst those to compete for gold at the WorldSkills finals this autumn. Representing the college and Chirk-based Kronospan, Charlie joins South Walians George Denman and Michael Jones for the Manufacturing Team Challenge against representatives from Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea, and France. The talented trio were selected from hundreds of participants UK-wide who took part in national skills tournaments pre-pandemic. Previously an apprentice with Magellan Aerospace, mechanical fitter Charlie, from Wrexham, is looking forward to event, and said: It has been a long time coming for all of us, but well worth the wait. To be one of three Welsh participants representing the UK is a huge honour, we are confident about winning a medal and hope it will be gold. The team get on well, we have been training hard and are also looking to have fun and enjoy the experience. My friends, family and everyone at Kronospan have been really supportive and Im sure theyll all be rooting for us when the time comes. He added: Its a shame the overseas competition was cancelled but we will be in familiar surroundings and hopefully that works in our favour. The Manufacturing Team Challenge includes one main project the design and construction to scale of a 3D crane and nine surprise tasks which could include CNC Milling, 3D printing, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and electronics. Cambria lecturer Daytun Unitt is WorldSkills UK Training Manager for this category and feels immensely proud of Charlie and the squad. From a college perspective to have him participate is phenomenal, hes worked so hard and fully deserves his place in the team, said Daytun. It has been a long, hard road for all of them because of the pandemic and the challenges that brought including delays, virtual training sessions and of course the health and safety implications, but they have remained focused on the task in hand. We now look forward to the competition and once again congratulate Charlie for this incredible achievement best of luck, we will be with you all the way. For more information, visit the website: www.worldskills.org. Visit www.cambria.ac.uk for the latest news and information from Coleg Cambria. A doctor with offices in central New York will pay a total of $900,000 in reimbursements and penalties to settle a fraud investigation. The state Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York this week announced a settlement with Ahmad M. Mehdi. According to a news release, the settlement resolves an investigation involving Medicaid overpayments for up-coded medical services, as well as Medicaid payments for smoking cessation counseling that were not sufficiently documented. Up-coding is the improper practice of claiming reimbursement for enhanced and more lucrative procedures than were in fact performed. As part of a joint settlement, officials said, Mehdi has agreed to reimburse $260,000 to the state Medicaid program and pay a penalty amount of $308,750. In the companion civil settlement agreement with the U.S. Attorney, Mehdi will pay $331,250 to the federal government to settle up-coding and smoking cessation claims, and certain claims arising under the Controlled Substances Act. Mehdi is the principal owner of Ahmad M. Mehdi, M.D., P.C., a general medical practice with offices in Groton and Tully. The Attorney General's Office said that between Jan. 1, 2012, through Sept. 17, 2018, Mehdi engaged in up-coding of billings for medical services and billed for smoking cessation counseling services that were not sufficiently documented. He submitted, or caused to be submitted, those claims for payment to the Medicaid program and to various Medicaid Managed Care entities, and these government payors relied on those fraudulent claims to pay him. An audit and investigation uncovered the fraudulent claims. Every dollar scammed from Medicaid is a dollar not spent caring for New Yorkers with actual medical needs, Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. I am proud of the work my team did, together with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York, in uncovering these false claims and securing these funds. Let this settlement be a clear message: We have zero tolerance for lying to Medicaid, and we will hold those who do accountable. The AG's office said that anyone with information about Medicaid provider fraud or abuse or neglect of a nursing home resident may file a confidential complaint online or call the MFCU hotline at (800) 771-7755. The Conservative Party has anointed Rishi Sunak as its new party leader. Worth around 730 million, he will now become the richest prime minister in British history by far. Sunak was nominated by just over 200 Tory MPs and declared the victor Monday after his only remaining challenger in the leadership election, Penny Mordaunt, pulled out at the eleventh hour. Rishi Sunak leaves the Conservative Campaign Headquarters in London, Monday October 24, 2022. Rishi Sunak will become the next Prime Minister after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest. [AP Photo/Aberto Pezzali] A swift, unchallenged coronation of Liz Trusss replacement was what the bulk of the Tory Party had hoped to achieve, to foist the third prime minister in three months on the population and shield their crisis-ridden government from popular anger. But the thoroughly anti-democratic, right-wing leadership election has nevertheless been laid bare over the last four days by the vampire-like return of Boris Johnson from the political grave, ousted by the biggest cabinet resignation in history just six weeks ago amid overwhelming popular hatred. In an open insult to the millions who suffered under his let the bodies pile up in their thousands response to the COVID pandemic, Johnson surged towards the necessary 100 nominations to get on the ballot and claims to have reached the threshold before ending his campaign on Sunday night. His bowing out of the contest says as much as his joining it. Johnson announced, A general election now would be a disastrous distraction, worrying, You cant govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament 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. Johnson lies more easily than breathing. But whether he really had enough MPs backing him to get on the ballot or he was forced into this course of action by a lack of support, and whatever his next steps, the reason for his retreat is the same. There is enormous pressure being placed by the ruling class on the Tories to pull back from the brink and suppress the factional divisions tearing the party apart. Above all, they are tasked with not tipping the country into a general election, which might become a focus for the massive opposition in the working class to the planned agenda of eye-wateringly tough austerity, continued war with Russia, and continued mass infection with COVID-19. Sunak has won the support of the bulk of the Tory party as the man best-equipped to carry forward these policies. Johnsons chancellor, he was the second-most senior figure in the government which played a leading role in NATOs war drive over Ukraine. He continually pushed to remove restrictions on the spread of the pandemic to free the flow of profits. At the height of the pandemic in September 2020, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (centre) meets at 11 Downing Street with (left) Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress and (right) Dame Carolyn Julie Fairbairn, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry. London, September 24, 2020. [AP Photo/Frank Augstein] Where Sunak is seen as an upgrade on his predecessors is on economic policy. Truss had her political throat cut by the global financial oligarchy, which tanked the British economy in protest against her plans for massive government borrowing. In Sunak, an obscenely wealthy former hedge fund partner, they have engineered her replacement by one of their own. Ultimately, the Tories who put him in office were acting on the dictates of the markets. Current Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, again brought in, by Truss, at the behest of the markets to prepare a slew of spending cuts and tax rises for an October 31 (Halloween) fiscal statement, is one of Sunaks leading backers. He wrote in the Sunday Telegraph, To restore stability and confidence, we need a leader who can be trusted to make difficult choices. Sunaks job would be: Acting in the national interest, even when unpopular. Former governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King spelled out what this means in an interview with the BBC. Asked if he would compare the cuts being planned to the austerity of former Tory Chancellor George Osborne between 2010 and 2015, King replied, In some ways it could be more difficult. He added, That doesnt make a very happy picture for the next few years, but what we need is a government that will tell us honestly there is a reduction in our national standard of living because weve decided to help Ukraine and confront Russia, and that means all of us are going to have to share the burden. Osbornes cuts led to over 330,000 excess deaths in 2012-2019, according to a conservative estimate by the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH). Each death was the brutal consequence of cuts to social services and an unprecedented stagnation of wages, which left workers facing the worst cost-of-living catastrophe in living memory. Sunaks coronation is a devastating exposure of the actions of the Labour Party under Sir Keir Starmer. The Labour leader has spent the days since Trusss resignation appealing to the Tory Party to put country first and help vote out the government, while promising to continue where the Tories left off in imposing austerity and waging war if necessary. Speaking to Sky News Sunday, Shadow Levelling Up Secretary Lisa Nandy said of a vote of no confidence, Its entirely up to Tory MPs now We are calling on them to put country before party and do the right thing. Starmer set out his right-wing pitch in an interview with the Sunday Times, making clear that Labour would make no change of direction in government, but offer the ruling class a change of personnel to provide stability. Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain's Labour Party makes his speech at the party's annual conference in Liverpool, England, September 27, 2022. [AP Photo/Jon Super] He argued, We need a serious, credible Labour government that will be the party of sound money and that is the single most likely thing to settle the market completely there are investors with huge amounts of money who dont have confidence in what this chaotic, shambolic party are doing. Warning that the Tory crisis reduces the confidence that the markets and others have in our economy and it trashes our reputation abroad, he added, Talk to any business person who has travelled in the last few weeks and they will tell you. He summarised, We all have a duty to reduce the risk and that is with a general election and an incoming Labour government, with Rachel Reeves as the chancellor, with absolutely clear fiscal rules. In the end, the Tories appealed to by Starmer lined up behind Sunak to make a show of a united Conservative Party. This may fall apart. Labour may yet find an audience for its appeal to Tory rebels for a no-confidence vote among disaffected Johnson supporters. Tory MP Nadine Dorries tweeted, Rishi and Penny, despite requests from Boris, refused to unite which would have made governing utterly impossible. It will now be impossible to avoid a GE [General Election]. Zac Goldsmith MP said, I dont see how we can have a 3rd new Prime Minister& a policy programme that is miles away from the original manifestowithout going to the country. Another Tory MP, Chris Chope, told BBC Radio 4, Unless we can have somebody as our leader in parliament who commands the support and respect of the parliamentary party, we are in effect actually ungovernable a general election is essentially the only answer. British politics has been turned into this Byzantine system of palace coups, court intrigues and backroom deals because the real opposition, the working class, is kept excluded from political life by Labour and the trade union bureaucracy. Millions of workers are pushing for strike action as they are plunged into desperation and poverty. Yet no more than 180,000 have been on strike at any one timeand that only for one day. The Socialist Equality Party calls for rank-and-file committees to seize control of these struggles from the bureaucracy and prepare a general strike. An essential task of these committees is to demand an immediate general election. Major industrial action can topple the government. But what would replace it? Workers are being encouraged by the Trades Union Congress and union leaders to fall in behind Starmer. This must be rejected and opposed, with the most advanced workers taking the decision to build a new socialist leadership. The SEP would use an election to challenge and expose the Tory-Labour conspiracy, alert workers to their shared agenda of war against Russia and China, and class war against the working class, and to build support for the necessary socialist alternative to capitalism and its parties. After assuring the press last week that Ugandas densely populated capital remained Ebola-free and that the outbreak would be rolled back and wiped out by the years end, Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng tweeted on Monday that the case count in Kampala had risen sharply to 14 after nine more people who had been under quarantine were confirmed with Sudan Ebola virus infection. Aceng wrote, Yesterday, October 23, 2022, nine individuals were confirmed positive for Ebola in Greater Kampala region [all under quarantine at Mulago hospital], bringing the total number of cases to 14 in the last 8 hours. The nine cases are contacts of the fatal case which came from Kassanda district and passed on in Mulago hospital. She added, [These are] seven family members from Masanafu and one health worker who managed him [the deceased] in a private clinic together with his wife from Seguku [who was confirmed a day after giving birth]. Fellow Ugandans lets be vigilant. Report yourself if you have had contact or know of a person who has had contact. Lets cooperate to end Ebola. As for the first five cases confirmed 48 hours previously at the Mulago isolation unit, they have been transferred to the Entebbe Ebola Treatment Unit located 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the capital on the shore of Lake Victoria. They were among 60 people in isolation after exposure to known Ebola cases. Although Mubende and Kassanda, the two districts in central Uganda at the epicenter of the current outbreak, were placed under a three-week lockdown, it remains to be seen if such necessary control measures will be implemented in the capital. According to the Ugandan independent daily newspaper The Daily Monitor, cumulative confirmed cases have reached 84 in the country as of October 24, 2022. Adding the probable cases raises the figure to over 90 cases since the declaration of the outbreak on September 20. As for the death toll, there have been at least 44 fatalities (28 confirmed), bringing the case fatality rate of confirmed cases between 30 to 50 percent. Among recent deaths is another health care worker, Dr. John Grace Walugembe, a laboratory technician at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, who died last Sunday, raising the number of medical personnel succumbing to the Ebola infection to five. Twenty-six people, including six health care workers, have recovered and have been discharged. However, the number of contacts has risen to at least 2,007 individuals, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Of these, 931 (46 percent) have completed the 21 days of follow-up, the incubation time for Ebola infection. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that at least eight confirmed Ebola cases have no known links with current cases. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, We remain concerned that there may be more chains of transmission and more contacts than we know about in the affected communities. Map of Ebola outbreak in Uganda and affected districts. [Photo: European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention] The recent report of a confirmed Ebola infection in a female patient who fell ill and was being treated at a hospital in Mityana district, east of Kassanda, exemplifies the concerns raised by the WHO on the complex chains of infection. The patients mother had died a week prior inside a shrine and was buried in the Madudu subcounty in Mubende district. The infected womans child had also recently passed away at Manyi health center in Mityana district, raising suspicions of Ebola. The health workers who were in attendance have been isolated while health authorities attempt to trace all the contacts of this particular case. Additionally, the recognition of Ebola cases in Kampala has raised the dial on the ECDCs risk assessment for the European Union (EU) citizens living and traveling in the country. Before cases were confirmed in Kampala, they wrote that the current risk remains low in the absence of transmission in densely populated areas (e.g., the capital city of Kampala). They added, however, a cautionary note, An increase in cases and, most importantly, the occurrence of chains of transmissions in populated areas and cities would increase the likelihood of exposure of EU/EEA [European Economic Activity] citizens to Ebola virus. The treatment centers in Uganda are presently treating 19 active cases. In their effort to fight Ebola across the country, the government has set out to reinforce its public health complement by recruiting more than 1,000 health care workers from every sector of the field, including epidemiologists, physicians, pediatricians, laboratory technicians, health inspectors, psychologists and social workers. Aceng told The Daily Monitor, We are recruiting 1,490 additional staff, not only for Kampala but to support the entire response. This is in addition to those that are already in the system. Currently, we have many mobile laboratories which are ready for deployment and expect more from our partners. Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is training more than 20 laboratory people that will be able to handle these laboratories. On top of the two isolation centers in and around the capitalMulago hospital, with a capacity for 120 people, and Entebbe hospital, which can take in 62 patientsthe government will build another isolation unit on the playground at Mulago Dental School that will accommodate 60 people. Construction was to commence on Monday and the facility will be ready by one months time, equipped with all the amenities so that it operates like a full hospital, said Aceng. According to the US CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the WHO are expediting the fill and finish of around 8,000 doses of the Sabin Vaccine Institutes experimental vaccine to be deployed as part of a clinical trial in Uganda. Meanwhile, the Serum Institute of India is planning to manufacture up to 30,000 doses of Oxfords Ebola vaccine, which has been shown to induce an immune response in both the Sudan and Zaire strains in their phase one trials. These are expected to be available by the end of November. Most recently, there have been attempts to downplay the dangers of the deadly epidemic. Commenting on the rapidly evolving outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, the United Nations health agencys regional director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, stated last week, The Ministry of Health of Uganda has shown remarkable resilience and effectiveness and [is] constantly fine-tuning a response to what is a challenging situation. Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, the acting head of the Africa CDC, said at another press conference last Thursday, [The Ebola] numbers that we are seeing do pose a risk for spread within the country and its neighbors. But, as to the risk of cross-border contamination, he added, its a manageable risk and not one that presently requires a full emergency mode. Yet, the predicted emergence of Ebola in Kampala raises the threat that the virus could become more enmeshed in dense human populations and break out to neighboring countries and continents. The experience with the 2014-16 outbreak that began in a small village in Guinea in December 2013 has significant parallels to the current outbreak in Uganda. By March 2014, the Zaire ebolavirus had spread to the countrys capital city, Conakry, a city with 1.66 million inhabitants. By the summer, the virus was present in its neighboring countries, Liberia and Sierra Leone. On August 8, 2014, the WHO declared the deteriorating situation in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Before the epidemic was contained and Guinea was declared Ebola-free in June 2016, two and a half years after the first case was discovered, 28,652 confirmed and probable cases were reported, with 11,325 deaths. Besides small outbreaks in Nigeria and Mali and one case in Senegal, three countries in EuropeItaly, Spain and the United Kingdomeach had one case, while the United States had four cases either after exposure in West Africa or in a health care setting. Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, with the imminent collapse of public health infrastructure, rising geopolitical tensions over the growing conflict in Ukraine and a resultant global economic crisis, concerns are mounting over the genuine threat posed by the sudden emergence on the world stage of a far deadlier pathogen than SARS-CoV-2 and monkeypox and the refusal of governments to adequately prepare or respond to it. The following article, submitted to the World Socialist Web Site by two education workers, warns of the disastrous impact that Canadas eighth wave of COVID-19 is already having in schools. Aviva is a Toronto teacher and Laurent is an education assistant in the Montreal area. In the face of the disastrous and homicidal pandemic response of the governments of Doug Ford in Ontario and Francois Legault in Quebec, and the complicity of their union leaderships in the imposition of the live with the virus policy, both Aviva and Laurent are fighting to build the Cross-Canada Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee (CERSC). In contrast to the nationalism and provincialism promoted by Canadas ruling elites and their allies in the education union bureaucracies, the experiences related by these workers demonstrate that education workers across Canada face the same workplace realities and the same fundamental political issues, including the pro-big business policies that promote the mass infection of school workers and students with the deadly coronavirus. For more information about the CERSC, email cersc.csppb@gmail.com or follow its account on Twitter. *********** Education workers entered the fall season under the threat of an 8th surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, with no protection from the deadly and debilitating new variants. Many experts say this wave has now already begun. Hospitalizations are on the rise in several Canadian provinces, including Quebec and Ontario, where the right-wing governments of former businessmen and multi-millionaires Francois Legault and Doug Ford continue to allow the virus to circulate freely in schools and in the community. Governments and public health officers are forced to admit that with an increase of close contact in enclosed spaces as the cold season arrives, a new surge in infections is inevitable. Wastewater analysis, one of the last tools still available to predict relative levels of infection, indicates that a significant increase in cases is underway. Yet Ford and Legault, loyal servants of the financial and business elite, are responding by eliminating all health measures to keep workers on the job so that big business can accumulate its profits. Obviously, we do not know the exact rate of infection as governments have abandoned any form of serious data collection on COVID-19. Every day we see students suddenly leaving school because they have symptoms, but there is no way of knowing if its due to COVID because there is no systematic testing. In Ontario, we cant even write COVID as the cause of students absence. In Quebec, the government had to reveal to the press that almost 4,000 students were absent from school due to COVID as of October 12, a number much higher than last June (less than 3,000). Meanwhile, many pandemic experts such as Ryan Gregory, professor of evolutionary biology in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph, warn that the next wave poses a serious risk to public health as the new Omicron sub-variants currently present in Canada, such as BA.4.6, BA.2.75 and BQ.1, are believed to have the ability to evade immunity acquired through prior infection or vaccination. The current policy of living with the virus is a recipe for disaster, with many hospitals and emergency rooms across the country already at breaking point. For the ruling class, however, as long as hospitals and morgues have rooms for the sick and the dead, the capitalist economy must run at full speed, at all costs. In schools, there are no basic measures to improve ventilation like HEPA filters or Corsi-Rosenthal boxes. In Quebec, classrooms are equipped with CO2 readers, but they are useless because there are no remedial measures if levels prove elevated. While scientists recommend a level of 700-800 particles per million (ppm) of CO2, the government tolerates a level of 1,500! In reality, the level can easily exceed 2000 ppm after an hour of class without windows open in our small, crowded and poorly ventilated classrooms. Governments and public health departments are hiding the extent of the current infection level and the real health risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or reinfection for all individuals. There are currently no mitigation measures in place, including masks. There is no vaccination mandate for children and, in the context of an anti-science campaign nourished not only by far-right anti-vaxx forces but by the governments themselves, the booster-shot percentages among both children and adults are very low. To add insult to injury, the Ford and Legault governments have eliminated the five-day isolation requirement when a person tests positive for COVID-19. This measure was already extremely limited considering that most people are still contagious after day 5, but now infected peoplewhether they are aware of it or not because they are asymptomaticwill transmit the virus exponentially. As governments and school boards have eliminated the 5-days of extra leave introduced to promote isolation during a COVID infection, many workers will be forced to return to work while contagious for fear of losing their regular leave and income. All of this is psychologically painful for those who take the safety of workers and students seriously and who continue to enforce minimal sanitary measures such as masking. We feel ostracized, as we are seen as paranoid. The responsibility for this situationincluding the emergence of new variants that fuel the endless waveslies entirely with bourgeois governments around the world, including in Canada, which have forced the reopening of schools and workplaces and abandoned all protective measures against COVID-19. These homicidal policies were fully endorsed by the education trade unions, which blocked us from protesting collectively against the sacrifice of human life on the altar of private profit. Having voluntarily submitted to the reactionary demands of the fascistic Freedom Convoy that paralyzed downtown Ottawa in February 2022, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the provincial governments subsequently eliminated all anti-COVID protections in schools and the community. They have no intention of reinstating life-saving measures, as these are seen by big business as a brake on their profit accumulation. The result is catastrophic. In Canada, 46,000 people have needlessly died from COVID-19, more than half of them in Quebec and Ontario. According to a recent study, 15 percent of Canadians have suffered or are suffering from Long COVID, which would represent a conservative figure of 1.4 million people. This is one of the factors in the labour shortage that plagues the education and health sectors. Our governments could never have pursued such a policy without the crass complicity of the union apparatuses, which have suppressed the class struggle in every province and acted as the ruling classs policemen by sending us back to work without adequate protection against the virus. Education workers in Ontario and Quebec are in direct confrontation with Ford and Legault as their contracts have either already expired or will do so in the coming months. In Ontario, 55,000 support staff voted 96.5 percent to strike if their demand for wage increases is not met. But the Ontario School Board Council of Unions, affiliated with CUPE, has no intention of leading the fight required to defeat Ford, whose government has vowed to criminalize any strike even before it begins. Showing how out of touch the union bureaucrats are with the rank-and-file, they have not raised a single demand related to COVID protection in bargaining. There is a lot of dissatisfaction among workers with the union bureaucracy, whether it be OSSTF, CSQ, CUPE or others. We are tired of their repeated betrayals at every contract struggle and their refusal to protect us in the face of the pandemic. It is high time that we workers take our struggles out of the hands of the bureaucratic union apparatuses, so that we can advance demands and a fighting program that meet our needs and those of our students. The only solution is to organize independently of the pro-capitalist unions through education workers rank-and-file committees linked in a network across Canada. The CERSC was created in 2021 for this purpose. We want to extend our fight in defense of public education, for high-quality jobs and increased protection from the pandemic to other sections of the working class across Canada and internationally. That is why we are fighting with our class brothers and sisters in the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees. Education workers of all sectors and provinces, join us! For more information on how to join the CERSC, email cersc.csppb@gmail.com or fill out the form below, and the WSWS will put you in touch with the committee. Thirty Democratic members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the White House Monday urging President Joe Biden to begin negotiations with Russia aimed at bringing the US-NATO war in Ukraine to an end. It is the first public call from within the Democratic Party for a negotiated settlement of the war. All of the Democrats who signed the letter are members of the Progressive Caucus, chaired by Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, who was the first name on the list. The others all represent safe Democratic seats, mainly in urban districts, including all the members of the squad, the left-liberal group associated with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. The letter begins with a declaration of support for the all-out US backing for Ukraine, accepting the framework of the war narrative presented by the Biden administration and the US national security apparatus and reinforced by a tidal wave of media propaganda, which ignores the decades-long campaign of NATO expansion eastward and its efforts to surround, weaken and ultimately dismember Russia. Vladimir Putins decision to invade Ukraine, a reactionary response to this NATO campaign, is treated as the criminal decision of one man to attack an innocent neighbor, which requires a global response in defense of the right-wing regime in Kiev, brought to power in 2014 in a CIA-backed coup with fascist forces acting as the spearhead. But the letter then reminds Biden of his concern that a direct military conflict with nuclear-armed Russia could lead to World War III, and that [T]he risk of nuclear weapons being used has been estimated to be higher now than at any time since the height of the Cold War. The letter continues: Given the catastrophic possibilities of nuclear escalation and miscalculation, which only increase the longer this war continues, we agree with your goal of avoiding direct military conflict as an overriding national-security priority. From this starting point, the 30 Democrats draw the conclusion that a prolonged, years-long conflict should be avoided, making a negotiated settlement necessary. They argue, if there is a way to end the war while preserving a free and independent Ukraine, it is Americas responsibility to pursue every diplomatic avenue to support such a solution that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine The alternative to diplomacy is protracted war, with both its attendant certainties and catastrophic and unknowable risks. They sum up: In conclusion, we urge you to make vigorous diplomatic efforts in support of a negotiated settlement and ceasefire, engage in direct talks with Russia, explore prospects for a new European security arrangement acceptable to all parties that will allow for a sovereign and independent Ukraine, and, in coordination with our Ukrainian partners, seek a rapid end to the conflict and reiterate this goal as Americas chief priority. The letter is not an anti-war declaration. Every one of the signers voted for the most recent legislation approving tens of billions more spending on US military aid to Ukraine. The cumulative total of some $60 billion is the largest amount of American military aid to any single country in half a century, since the Vietnam War. Just hours after the publication of the statement, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal issued a statement to clarify the document, declaring, we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support. They are not opposed on principle to the US-NATO intervention, but are clearly concerned that the huge US commitment has no popular support at home and could trigger a nuclear war. An additional concern is that the gargantuan Pentagon budget, swelled by the spending on the Ukraine war, is crowding out whatever remains of domestic social spending, setting the stage for significant cuts in core programs like Social Security and Medicare, especially if the Republican Party wins control of Congress in the November 8 elections. The publication of the letter takes place against the backdrop of an intensification of the war in the aftermath of the bombing of the Nord Stream II pipelines and the attack on the Kerch Bridge over the strait that connects the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Over the weekend, Russian, American, British, Turkish and French officials held an intense series of phone calls on what the Russian defense minister warned was an uncontrolled escalation of the war. At the same time, US politicians are worrying that anti-war sentiment is growing under conditions in which the conflict has triggered a massive cost of living crisis. The White House response to the letter was a bland statement from John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, that Biden appreciates their very thoughtful concerns but that the government of Ukraine would have the final say on any diplomatic contacts with Russia and Putin. Were not going to have conversations with the Russian leadership without the Ukrainians being represented, Kirby said to reporters. Mr. Zelensky gets to determinebecause its his countrywhat success looks like and when to negotiate. This is a transparent and cynical lie. Volodymyr Zelensky takes no significant action without consulting Washington and getting its approval. Without the flood of weapons and financing from the United States, Canada, the European Union and Great Britain, the Ukrainian regime would not last a week. It is the sophisticated and deadly missiles and artillery supplied by the Pentagon and the Bundeswehr that have played the crucial role in turning the tide in the war. By this token, the war is a conflict between NATO and Russia in all but name. Kirby continued, Wed all like to see this war end today, and quite frankly it could end today if Mr. Putin did the right thing and pulled his troops out. Driving all Russian troops out of Ukraine is unlikely to be accomplished without an effort extending over several years, and costing hundreds of billions of dollars, with the continual risk of an escalation into a nuclear conflict. The letter from the 30 Democratic representatives also reveals divisions within the congressional Democratic leadership. The Progressive Caucus is the largest grouping of Democrats in the House, with 99 of the 221 Democrats. While receiving the chairmans signature, however, the letter was signed by less than a third of the caucus. The timing also suggests internal conflicts. The letter was released while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Eastern Europe on a political mission to demonstrate US government support for Ukraine at the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform. This group, established by the Ukrainian government last year, is set to meet in the capital of Croatia, Zagreb. Its purpose is the promotion of Ukraines claim to Crimea, the predominantly Russian-speaking territory annexed by Russia in 2014 after the right-wing putsch in Kiev. Crimea was part of Russia, not Ukraine, after its conquest from Turkey in 1783. It was only transferred to Ukraine in 1954 by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, at a time when both Russia and Ukraine were part of the USSR. Pelosi issued a statement reiterating US support for restoring Ukrainian sovereignty in Crimea, an action that would require the comprehensive military defeat of Russia and would greatly intensify the danger of escalation to the use of nuclear weapons. America joins our democratic partners to reaffirm our pledge to stand with the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom and to hold Russia accountable, she said, until victory is won. The Democratic leader rejected the suggestion by House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy that the US government had given a blank check to Ukraine to finance the war and the operations of its government, and that that commitment might be cut back if Republicans won control of Congress. Regardless of the election results, Pelosi said, I believe that the support for Ukraine and the people of Ukraine will not stop, adding that support for Ukraine is bipartisan, it is bicameral. A shooting Monday morning at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School (CVPA) in St. Louis, Missouri left two people deada health teacher and a studentalong with six wounded. The gunman was killed by police. Police investigate the scene of a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in St. Louis. [AP Photo/Jeff Roberson] The teacher has been identified as 61-year-old Jean Kuczka, the student as Alexis Bell, and the shooter as 19-year-old Orlando Harris, a graduate of the school the year prior. An active shooter call was placed to 911 where officers were notified of a man with a long gun, according to St. Louis Police Commissioner Mike Sack, inside the CVPA high school. Police arrived at 9:10 a.m. and entered the school where a firefight soon ensued, fatally wounding the suspect. While on paper we might have nine victims, eight who were transported and one remained, we have hundreds of others, Sack said at the news conference. Everyone who survived here is going to take home trauma. One survivor, mathematics teacher David Williams, reported Harris made the declaration, Youre all going to fucking die! Another reported the gunman having said he was tired of everybody. Adrianne Bolden, a freshman, recounted his experiences to NBC News, explaining that he and his classmates initially thought an intruder drill was activated. However, upon hearing police sirens outside the building they realized it was no drill. The teacher, she crawled over and she was asking for help to move the lockers to the door so they cant get in, he said. Bolden continued, [W]e had to wait a little longer before the assistant principal came up to one of the windows that was locked, and when we opened it, the teacher said to come on and we all had to jump out of the window. To escape the gunman, Bolden and his classmates jumped out of a window, risking sprained ankles or broken bones. Another student, 16-year-old Taniya Gholston, told the St. Louis Police Dispatch, All I heard was two shots and he came in there with a gun, continuing ,And I was trying to run and I couldnt run. Me and him made eye contact but I made it out because his gun got jammed. But we saw blood on the floor. Another survivor, teacher Michael de Filippo, also reported, Once you heard the boom, all the chuckling and laughing in the back of the room stopped. According to Sack, the doors at the school were locked, but did not elaborate on how Harris was able to enter. Sack said security guards were able to quickly alert cops who arrived within minutes with officers entering the school with no hesitation, engaging the suspect with gunfire, drawing a contrast to the 376 law enforcement officers that refused to engage 18-year-old Uvalde, Texas, elementary school gunman Salvador Ramos as he killed 19 children and two teachers. During a news conference, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, a Democrat, issued the typical hollow words of a pre-written script regarding the school shooting, an all too familiar phenomenon in the United States, saying it was a devastating and traumatic situation. Jones continued her remarks, saying, Our children shouldnt have to experience this; they shouldnt have to go through active shooter drills in case something happens. And unfortunately, that happened today. The shooting at CVPA High School is the fortieth school shooting this year. According to Education Week, 2022 holds the record for most school shootings in a single year since the news organization began recording data in 2018. From January 2009 to May 2018, the United States experienced 288 school shootings. As the days go on, the statistics become ever more harrowing. Since the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre in Littleton, Colorado, more than 311,000 students have experienced gun violence in school. Thirty-two were killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech University shootings in Blacksburg, Virginia, 26 in during the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, 17 in 2018 at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and 19 children aged from 9 to 11 were gunned down along with two teachers, this year at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. These are but the deadliest school shootings over the past three decades. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 2022 has tallied 36,154 deaths as a result of firearm: 16,552 by homicide and 19,602 by suicide. From 1999 to 2017, the CDC reported a 33 percent increase in suicides and in 2020, the firearm homicide rate increased nearly 35 [percent], reaching its highest level since 1994... Such violence is rooted in the capitalist socioeconomic order, based on the subordination of human need to private profit, inequality and war. The American capitalist system and its twin capitalist parties are responsible for the social misery which gives rise to continued eruptions of violence. Only a party oriented toward to the interests of the working class, armed with a socialist program, can provide the working class with the tools to overturn the capitalist social system and put an end to the violence which it spawns. New Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks speech on entering Downing Street made clear that this near billionaire will act on the dictates of the financial oligarchy he himself epitomises. I am standing here as your new Prime Minister, he intoned. Right now our country is facing a profound economic crisis. The aftermath of Covid still lingers. Putins war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking as he arrives in Downing Street. October 25, 2022, London, United Kingdom. [Photo by Lauren Hurley/No 10 Downing Street/Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 The prime minister he deposed, Liz Truss, had made some mistakes I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this governments agenda. This will mean difficult decisions to come. Sunak offered as his credentials his rolling out, as a former chancellor, of the multi-hundred-billion bailout of the corporations at the outset of the pandemic. The difficult decisions he cites is code for imposing the most savage austerity yet on the working class, as demanded by the markets that tore down Truss for not being ready to impose such an offensive immediately. The financial elite insisted that Jeremy Hunt be urgently brought in to replace Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor to tear up the unfunded tax giveaway budget for big business and replace it with eye-wateringly brutal austerity. Sunak has now carried out a major clear-out of 11 of Trusss ministers, but ensured that Hunt is kept as chancellor. In less than a week, on October 31, Hunt will presentas demanded by the global financial aristocracyan emergency fiscal statement focused on escalating austerity against the working class. There will no increase in public spending, while billions more will be diverted to fund the war machine. Sunak announced as a priority supporting our armed forces to back a terrible war that must be seen successfully to its conclusions. On this basis he retained Ben Wallace as defence minister. Last week, Wallace, even as Truss was being wiped out, travelled to Washington to assure the Biden administration of Britains full backing of the US-led NATO war against Russia in Ukraine. Biden congratulated Sunak on Tuesday, tweeting, I look forward to enhancing our cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity, including continuing our strong support for Ukraine. As Sunak entered Downing Street, the British Army were deploying nearly 3,500 troops and up to 800 vehicles to Europe for their largest combat exercise on the continent for over a decade. The troops were part of Exercise Cerberus 22, a large-scale command post exercise, taking place in Germany. In a threat to Russia, a British Army Statement said that the exercise, previously held in the UK on Salisbury Plain Training Area was taking place in its new central European location to test its ability move personnel and equipment on a large scale and to operate in an expeditionary setting rather than being close to home. Colonel Owain Luke, chief of staff, Headquarters 3rd United Kingdom Division (3 (UK) Div), which is running the exercise, declared, In addition to British brigades on the exercise we are also joined by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team from the American 1st Cavalry Division. This exercise is also about building our interoperability with US Forces as well as aligning with NATO procedures and working under Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. While Sunak has not yet committed, as Truss did, to increasing military spending to 3 percent of GDP by the end of the decade (157 billion in extra funding) he will be told in no uncertain terms by Washington to do so. Among the few others who retained their positions from the Truss government is Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Cleverly only entered parliament in 2015, but has positioned himself as a leading anti-China hawk. In line with US imperialisms confrontation with China, and Britains increasingly provocative manoeuvres, Cleverly said in the summer, we do need to look at Chinas influence, not just on the world stage but here in the UK. Dominic Raab, who served under Boris Johnson, returns as deputy prime minister and justice secretary. In the summer, before being sidelined by Truss, Raab introduced in parliament his Bill of Rights, which is set to replace and eviscerate key provisions of the Human Rights Act. Suella Braverman, a vicious right-winger, resigned from Trusss government last week after being in breach of the ministerial code and launched an attack on her for not being firmly committed to anti-migrant measures. Sunak reappointed her as home secretary. She is charged with extricating Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) after lawyers for asylum seekers used it to halt a deportation flight to Rwanda sanctioned under the Nationality and Borders Act. She wrote in Parliaments House magazine in July, Leaving the ECHR is the only solution which solves the problem, claiming it would be entirely consistent with international law. The financial markets were immediately buoyed by Sunaks appointments and pledges, with the pound hitting its highest level since before the Truss/Kwarteng mini-budget. The cost of government borrowing fell back to the level it was before the budget. This is just the calm before the storm in which Sunaks agenda will be shipwrecked. He has an appointment for a head-on conflict with the working class. Sunak must go on the offensive under conditions in which decades of attacks have forced workers to mount the fightback seen in this summers strike wave. As millions of workers fear even switching on the heating due to enormous annual bills that are set to soar above 4,300 next April, the country is being run by a prime minister who is expected to spend 14,000 just to heat a swimming pool at one of his four mansions. Despite the trade union bureaucracy doing all they can to dampen down the movement, struggles so far have included rail, postal, bus, port, refuse workers and barristers. Strikes involving up to two million public-sector workers are in the offing in the next weeks and months. This week, 70,000 university lecturers, librarians and admin staff at 150 universities voted to strike to demand better pay and working conditions and to defend their pension rights. Sunak is faced with a modern-day version of the 12 tasks that even Hercules would balk at. The Financial Times warned in an editorial ahead of the cabinet being selected of Rishi Sunaks uphill struggle to restore British stability, as the former chancellor was the least bad option to be the next Conservative premier. It added, The party has also changed leader for a second time midterm through a deeply undemocratic process of its own devising If Sunak cannot quickly restore stability, an election will be unavoidable. Moreover, He inherits a deeply fractured party facing decisions on issues such as spending and immigration that will inflame the faultlines. Sunak is under pressure from the rightwing to scrap post-Brexit trading rules with Northern Ireland, poisoning relations with the EU. The sordid changeover to yet another unelected Tory prime minister was only possible due to the role of Labour and the trade union bureaucracy, which have kept the government afloat during the last seven years of ever deepening crisis for British capitalism. Labours role as bitter enemy of the working class was demonstrated by the tweet party leader Sir Keir Starmer issued Tuesday. He has called for a general election, which Labour, backed by sections of the ruling class, see as vital for the rescue of British capitalism. But his first move as another bitter enemy of the working class entered Downing Street was to declare, Congratulations, Rishi Sunak, on becoming Prime Minister and making history as the first British Asian PM. The 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) concluded last weekend with the installation of Xi Jinping for a third term as party general secretary; the stacking of the top party body, the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, with Xis supporters; and the incorporation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the partys constitution. Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he leaves the opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of China's ruling Communist Party, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. [AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein] The entire ritualistic and stage-managed affair lauding Xi as the partys core, with its huge bureaucratic apparatus united behind him, belies the enormous crisis that confronts the CCP regime on every front. The elevation and incessant promotion of Xi as a great leader is not a sign of strength, but rather of weakness. Xi has assumed the character of a Bonapartist leader precariously balancing between the subterranean factions rife within the party amid a slowing Chinese economy, profound social tensions and an accelerating drive by Washington towards war with Beijing. Xi opened the Congress with a lengthy two-hour report that referred to the many profound problems confronting his regime for which he could provide no solution. It began with the declaration that the theme of this Congress is holding high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implementing the thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics. Amid the constant repetition of the mantra of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Xi elaborates on his conception of a national development, of what is in reality Chinese capitalism, excised from the world economy on which it is completely dependent. Xis nationalism is rooted in the Stalinist theory of socialism in one country. Leon Trotsky, who defended the perspective of world socialist revolution on which the 1917 Russian Revolution had been based, repeatedly warned that socialism in one country was a nationalist utopia. In 1925, he wrote in his pamphlet Towards Socialism or Capitalism? analysing the future course of the Soviet Union: Academically, it is understood, one can construct within the boundaries of the USSR an enclosed and internally balanced socialist economy; but the long historic road to this national ideal would lead through gigantic economic shifts, social convulsions and crises The impossibility of constructing a self-sufficient socialist economy in a single country revives the basic contradictions of socialist construction at every new stage on an extended scale and in greater depth. In this sense, the dictatorship of the proletariat in the USSR would inevitably have to suffer destruction if the capitalist regime in the rest of the world would prove to be capable of maintaining itself for another long historical epoch. Trotskys farsighted prognosis was to prove correct. The Soviet Stalinist bureaucracy dissolved the Soviet Union in 1991 and opened it up to capitalist plunder. The deformed workers state that emerged in China after the 1949 Revolution proved even weaker and more vulnerableopening the door to capitalist market forces and global corporate investment from 1978 onwards. In his speech, Xi pointed to significant achievements in China, including the astonishing growth of the Chinese economy in the past three decades. However, far from being a purely national economic development, it was the product of the enormous advances made by the 1949 Chinese Revolutionitself the result of international processes that gave rise to the Russian Revolution and the post-World War II revolutionary movements of working class. The very fact that Xi has to cloak his capitalist policies under the mantle of socialism speaks to the high esteem in which the Chinese Revolution is held among broad layers of the working class in China. The capitalistic nature of China today, however, is reduced to an addenduma minor blemish on otherwise healthy socialism! In his speech, Xi was able to point to the governments considerable achievement in suppressing repeated waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and saving millions of lives. Its zero-Covid policy, itself a response to the expectations of working people that their welfare would be safeguarded, demonstrated that the virus could be eliminated, but only if organised internationally. The very economic rise of China, however, has only compounded the problems confronting the regime that can find no resolution within a national framework. Economic growth has led to an enormous intensification of social tensions, fuelled by growing social polarisation between rich and poor and the relentless exploitation of the working class. What Trotsky wrote about the Soviet Union, that it required access to the resources and technology of the world, is certainly true of China. Its extraordinary economic growth has been completely bound up with its transformation into a cheap labour platform for global corporations. It was and remains reliant on access to the world market to sell its goods and at the same time requires access to international capital and advanced technology. However, the international lifelines of the Chinese economy are now under threat. Its very growth has generated enormous tensions with American imperialism, which regards it as the chief threat to its global hegemony. As Xi noted, without ever directly referring to the US, there are drastic changes in the international landscape, especially external attempts to blackmail, contain, blockade, and exert maximum pressure on China. Capitalism with Chinese characteristics now confronts imperialism with American characteristics. The US is marshalling its allies and its economic and military resources to undermine and subjugate China. The Biden administration has maintained the massive trade tariffs on China imposed by Trump and widened its technology bans to include all advanced semi-conductors and the equipment required for their manufacture. The US and its allies, already at war with Russia in Ukraine, are seeking to goad China into taking military action to reunify Taiwan, which is being armed to the teeth. Xi and the CCP regime are well aware that the US-NATO war in Ukraine is the antechamber for war with China, but they have no progressive answer to US aggression. In response to the US embargoes and military build-up, the CCP is desperately seeking to catch up technologically and militarily. But the logic of this arms race is the rapid descent into war between nuclear-armed powers that spells annihilation for humanity. The regime itself is one of crisis. In his report, Xi painted a devastating picture of the sclerotic, bureaucratic apparatus that installed him as top leader. It is a party plagued by a lack of clear understanding and effective action, as well as the slide toward weak, hollow and watered-down party leadership and practice Despite repeated warnings, pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance persisted Some deep-seated problems and institutions and barriers built by vested interests were becoming more and more apparent... misguided patterns of thinking, such as money worship, hedonism, egocentricity, and historical nihilism were common, and online discourse was rife with disorder. All this had a grave impact on peoples thinking, and the public opinion environment. When Xi speaks of corruption, it is always reduced to bad individuals and their intentions, but never to the social order of capitalism. Moreover, it is a regime in which all power remains in the hands of the bureaucracy in a country of 1.4 billion people. In Xis advanced socialist consultive democracy, the apparatus decides if and when anyone will be consulted over the decisions that impact their lives. The CCPs nationalist response to the global crisis of the capitalist system is pursued in one form or another by the US and all the imperialist powers, as well as by the Russian regime. It is a road that leads inexorably to escalating military conflict and a world war involving nuclear-armed powers, as the clash of the national interests of these states cannot be solved through peaceful means. The very issues raised by Trotsky, against socialism in one country and economic nationalism, retain extraordinary relevance and are the key to understanding the fundamental contradictions confronting the Chinese regime. The only viable alternative to economic nationalism is the perspective of world socialist revolution that animated the 1917 Russian Revolution and the founding of Communist parties around the world, including in China. It is that program that workers in China and internationally need to take up in the fight to end the scourges of disease, poverty and war engendered by capitalism. For the second time in less than a week, police have arrested an Auburn student for making a threat against Auburn Junior High School on social media. Auburn Enlarged City School District Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo informed parents of the new incident in a call Monday night. He said the student, who attends the junior high school, has been charged by Auburn Police Department with making a terroristic threat on Monday. The Monday threat followed a similar incident on Friday in which Auburn police charged a student with the same crime after the student admitted making a threat on Twitter. In both cases, the students said they were not being serious in making the social media posts. "Parents, please, we need your help," Pirozzolo said. "Explain to your children the severity of the legal and school consequences that will be enforced for this behavior." Auburn police said the student involved in Monday's incident is 12. "The Auburn Police Department was notified by a parent of a student at Auburn Junior High School that someone had sent their child a screenshot of a message that referenced shooting up the school and looking for a gun," APD said in a news release. "After investigating the matter, police were able to find the original message and the account that sent the original message. ... The students parent was notified and they brought the child to APD, where the child subsequently admitted to sending the message." Superintendent: Student arrested for 'joke' that threatened Auburn school The Auburn Police Department arrested a student who admitted to posting a threat against Auburn Junior High School on Twitter and Facebook, th A number of workers in Sri Lanka have joined hands with their international class brothers and sisters to extend their enthusiastic support to Will Lehman, the Mack Trucks worker in the US who is running for president of the United Auto Workers (UAW). Several workers produced video statements, pointing to the significance of Lehmans call for the abolition of the UAW apparatus and the international unity of the working class. They also spoke about the parallel between the issues confronting workers in the US and those confronting workers in Sri Lanka. Sarath, a machine operator in Dammam, Saudi Arabia said he has closely followed the Lehman campaign as a regular reader of the World Socialist Web Site. It is urgent to building the leadership of international working class, Sarath said. This is a new experience for the working class, since the theme of Will Lehmans campaign is the power to the rank-and-file workers. In country after the country, the trade union bureaucracy is so corrupt and openly working with employers to betray workers struggles by operating as industrial policemen. It is crystal clear to us that Will Lehman comes forward to give leadership and political perspective to the American working class that is becoming more militant as its living conditions have been continuously deteriorating. The ongoing war over Ukraine has been led by the US with the aim of dismantling Russia. It is very dangerous and is the beginning of a third world war. It has already caused an increase in fuel and food prices, which is having a devastating impact on the living conditions of working class. Lehmans campaign gives enormous support to building the IWA-RFC [International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees]. I hope that the working class in the Middle East can resolve the problems they confront as a part of the fight to build the IWA-RFC. Vasantha is a health care worker who is also a member of the Health Workers Action Committee (HWAC) in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Even though trade union leaders say they represent interests of the working class, actually they defend interest of the capitalist class, Vasantha said. As Sri Lanka is passing through an enormous economic crisis resulting in a lack of foreign reserves, the government is cutting funding for public services, with the health sector a major target of austerity measures. Doctors and other medical workers have repeatedly warned about a critical shortage of life-saving medicines in hospitals. Thousands of health care workers, including doctors, have participated in demonstrations to demand these medicines. The HWAC was formed in response. I strongly support Will Lehmans campaign, Vasantha said, which is fighting to take power from a corrupt bureaucracy and place it in the hands of rank-and-file workers. I urge all workers to support his campaign. Even though the working class is the majority of the population, only a handful of capitalists control the world. If the workers are united, they can control the world. That is why we are emphasizing the need to form action committees through which we can organize these mass struggles. I urge workers in every country to form action committees like we have done here in Sri Lanka. War has already destroyed many countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan. It is destructive to mankind. If people across the world unite against the war, we can certainly put an end to it. Kadeepan is a tea plantation worker at the Glenugie Estate in Maskeliya, Sri Lanka and a representative of the Workers Action Committee. The UAW has been betraying workers for a long time, he said. They took decisions against the workers in support of the US government and companies imposing their profit interests on workers. And it is acting to increase exploitation. The bureaucrats have also looted the assets of the union. Will Lehman is contesting in this election to defend the rights of workers and fighting to transfer power to the rank-and-file workers from the bureaucracy. Today, the problems faced by working people all over the world stem from the economic crisis deepened by the war in Ukraine against Russia waged by the US and NATO. This war is developing towards a nuclear war. The governments in the US and Europe are funding and arming this disastrous conflict and imposing the burden of it on the people. Therefore, the working class must fight to abolish the capitalist system, the root cause of this war, and establish workers governments. And this struggle must be based on socialist program. The fight by Will Lehman is based on this perspective. He is fighting to unite the international working class. We support his brave fight and appeal for workers all over the world to learn the lessons of his struggle. The administration of Democratic President Joe Biden apprehended more migrants in fiscal year 2022 than any other president in a single year on record, according to statistics published Friday by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) division of the Department of Homeland Security. Migrants from Colombia, front, wait to be processed by Border Patrol agents near the end of a border wall Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, near Yuma, Arizona. [AP Photo/Gregory Bull] In its annual statistical review of enforcement actions, dated October 21, CBP reported that more than 2.3 million migrants were apprehended at the US southern border during the 12 months ending September 30, 2022. This annual total represented an increase of 37 percent over the previous record of 1.7 million apprehensions set the year before by the CBP under Biden. Prior to 2021, the record of 1.6 million apprehensions was set in 2000, before the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and in the final year of the Clinton administration. Records for border patrol actions stretch back to 1960, when the Eisenhower administration apprehended just 21,022 individuals at the southwest border. In the inhumane bureaucratic language of US immigration policy, the total number of actions by CBP in 2022 was composed of Title 42 Expulsions, Title 8 Inadmissibles and Title 8 Apprehensions. Title 42 refers to a little-known section of US health law that permits the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prohibit individuals seeking asylum in the US from entering the country when there is serious danger of the introduction of [a communicable] disease into the United States. The Title 42 assault on the rights of migrants was implemented by the Trump administration during the third month of the coronavirus pandemic. It is noteworthy that Trump took this measure despite maintaining the position that the virus was under control and the risk is low to average Americans up to March 13, 2020 when he declared a national emergency. One week later, he used his emergency powers to attack the fundamental right to asylum through border expulsions under the provisions of section 265 of Title 42 to forcibly return migrants back to Mexico or their home countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. According to the American Immigrant Council, Despite the claim made by the [CDC] that this order was necessary from a public health perspective to protect the United States, public reporting has shown that the policy originated in the [DHS] and the Trump White House. In the case of Title 8 actions, US law permits individuals to be characterized as inadmissible and deportable for a host of reasons such as having been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude related to property or failure to appear without reasonable cause for an immigration proceeding. However, it is equally significant that the apprehensions of the Biden administration have far surpassed those the Trump White House, which made xenophobia and the assault on the rights of immigrant workers a central plank of its far-right domestic political agenda. Although Biden claims to oppose Title 42 actions against asylum seekers, the administration is aggressively complying with court orders to keep it in place as part of political accommodation with far-right Republicans. The 2022 CPB data shows that nearly a quarter of all border encounters were with families, while 6 percent involved children met by border patrol officials without parents or guardians. Nearly 70 percent of the apprehensions continued to be of single adults. The brutality of the US border policy under both the Democrats and Republicans is manifest in the rising number of deaths at the US-Mexico border. The year 2022 was the deadliest on record, with more than 800 people dying during their attempts to reach the US. Although these statistics are not public, an unnamed senior border patrol official shared them with National Public Radio. The NPR report said, Drownings are part of the reason why. Hundreds more have perished from extreme heat in remote borderlands, or in the backs of tractor-trailers. The CBP data shows that a growing number of migrants are from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua while fewer are coming from northern Central America. When Biden was asked about this at a press briefing in September, he said that it was not rational to send these asylum seekers back to their home countries, but added, were working with Mexico and other countries to see if we can stop the flow. According to a report in Yahoo News, the growth in migrant numbers from these countries reflect deteriorating economic and political conditions and that border patrol agents, especially in Texas, are sending immigrants without friends or family in the US to locations that have no idea that they are coming. While most migrants are expelled immediately under Title 42, others are released with notices to appear in immigration court or under humanitarian parole. These migrants must tell agents where they will live, but most do not have any address to provide. Lauren Wyatt, managing attorney with Catholic Charities of New York, told the Associated Press, It almost seems as though, at the border, officials are simply just looking up any nonprofit address they can or just looking up any name at all that they can and just putting that down without actually ever checking whether that person has mentioned it, whether there's beds or shelter at that location, or whether this is even a location that can provide legal assistance. Toyota is working on a new version of the Innova MPV, it is expected to be called Innova Hycross. Toyota Indonesia has teased the Innova Hycross on their social media handle. The image only shows the front-end design of the Innova Hycross and it looks radically different from the current Innova Crysta. It is expected that the Innova Hycross will make its global debut next month. Toyota is already testing mules of the Innova Hycross on Indian roads. It is expected that the Innova Hycross will be sold alongside the Innova Crysta. The Hycross will be a petrol-only offering that will most likely get a strong or mild hybrid system. Currently, the Innova Crysta is only being offered only with a petrol powertrain. Toyota is not accepting bookings for the diesel engine. Also Read : Toyota Innova Hycross spied, gets floating touchscreen The front of the Innova Hycross takes some inspiration from Toyota Corolla Cross which is sold in the global market. There is an up-right hexagonal grille. This helps in increasing the road presence and appeal of the Innova Hycross. There are sleek LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps. Although, the LED DRLs are not visible in the picture. The bonnet has strong creases that give an SUV-like look to the MPV. From the spy shots, it has been revealed that there will be horizontally mounted LED tail lamps and 10-spoke alloy wheels. In terms of dimensions, the Innova Hycross will be slightly larger than the Innova Crysta. This should help in opening up more cabin space. Moreover, the Innova Hycross is expected to be based on a monocoque chassis which means that it should have better ride and handling and the body roll should also decrease. There is a high chance that the Innova Hycross will be a front-wheel drive vehicle. This means no transmission tunnel which helps in more foot space for the occupants. Front-wheel drive vehicles also are less complicated and deliver better fuel economy because there is less drivetrain loss. First Published Date: Beijing (Gasgoo)- The head of Li Autos intelligent driving AI algorithm unit and chief AI scientist, Wang Yilun, is said to resign from the Chinese new energy vehicle startup soon, a local media outlet said on October 25. L9; photo credit: Li Auto During his tenure, Wang Yilun is mainly responsible for the R&D of AI algorithms such as intelligent driving perception and map, and reports to Lang Xianpeng, vice president of Li Auto. After his rumored resignation, Wang Yilun may dabble in startup businesses, said the media channel. The executive is still transferring his works and is expected to leave Li Auto at the end of the month. Insiders disclosed that Li Auto is looking for a VP of algorithms to take over Wang's work. Wang Yilun graduated from Stanford University and majored in computer science. He joined Li Auto in December 2020, when the automaker was in the heated stage of developing proprietary algorithms. Wang's perceptual algorithm team is made up by hundreds of members. Notably, Wang Yilun also once served as a senior expert of Huawei Automotive BU. Regarding Wang Yiluns resignation hearsay, Li Auto denied the authenticity while Wang said that he was not in a position to respond. Beijing (Gasgoo)- On October 24, FAW-Volkswagen celebrated its 25,000,000th vehicle rolling off the production line at the assembly shop of the companys Changchun base. Photo credit: FAW-Volkswagen The vehicle which helped the automaker achieved the milestone was a Tavendor, FAW-Volkswagens five-seater SUV model. According to the automaker, its 20,000,000th vehicle rolled off line on March 30, 2020, signifying that it took the company two years and seven months to realize the new record. Notably, FAW-Volkswagen said that it is so far the only passenger vehicle maker in China to produce and sell 5 million vehicles from 2020 to date. On the other hand, the memorable vehicle, the Tavendor, is the endgame of FAW-Volkswagens SUV strategy, which has kicked off presale on October 13 this year. The Tavendor offers four trim levels to choose from, with a price range of 276,900-327,900 yuan ($37,900-$44,880). The SUV is powered by a 2.0T turbocharged four-cylinder engine that, with a maximum power of 162kW and 137kW, respectively, depending on trim levels. The vehicle is installed with a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission and a four-wheel drive system. The Tavendor can be expected to hit market for sale in mid-November. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On Oct. 25, Chinese electric vehicle (EV) startup NIO signed an agreement to launch its international business headquarters in Jiangqiao town, Jiading district, Shanghai city, according to a post on an official WeChat account of Jiading district government. The new headquarters covers an area of around 98.8 mu (65,870 square meters) with a floor area ratio of 2.7. The area available for construction covers about 178,000 square meters. Photo credit: NIO Leveraging NIO's multi-year technical and R&D strengths in the new energy vehicle (NEV) field, the company's international business headquarters will contain abundant functional facilities for R&D, office works, automobile display, etc. In the future, it will operate as the foothold for NIO's international businesses like automobile export. NIO said one week ago via its WeChat account that it had already kicked off deliveries of its ET7 all-electric sedan in four European countries, namely, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, marking a further substantial progress for NIO's overseas business development. According to NIO, the ET7 delivery in Germany immediately came after the company hosted the NIO Berlin, a launch event in Europe under the theme "A New Horizon", on Oct. 7, 2022 (Germany Time). On Oct. 16, NIO delivered the first batch of ET7s to users in the Netherlands. The deliveries also commenced in mid-Oct. in both Denmark and Sweden. NIO announced in mid-Sept. that NIO's Power Europe Facility in Hungary delivered its first Power Swap Station to Germany. The significant battery swap station was officially launched at the end of Sept. As NIO's first overseas plant, NIO Power Europe Plant is the manufacturing, service, and R&D center for NIO's power products in the continent. Its operation will support NIO's goal of deploying 1,000 Power Swap Stations outside China by 2025. U Pick It, an automotive scrap yard east of Flagstaff, was still open Tuesday -- albeit in a limited capacity -- after plumes of black smoke rose from the center of the yard on Leupp Road Monday afternoon. No one was injured in the fire that was reported around 2 p.m. Monday. A pile of scrap on Monday had caught fire -- scrap made up of automotive parts, many of which contained or were exposed to flammable chemicals. An employee speculated that a gas tank might have been the source of ignition for the fire, and confirmed that no vehicles were engulfed by the blaze, only vehicle parts. Because fire crews cant be certain of what kinds of materials are fueling the scrap fire, they said theyre proceeding with caution. A number of small explosions did occur Monday, likely the result of unknown chemical compounds or accelerants that are often present in automotive scrap yards. A crew from Summit Fire District Station No. 31 on Tuesday morning returned to U Pick It to continue to monitor and keep the fire contained. Fire crews and a county tender shuttle had been monitoring the fire around the clock and will continue to work on quenching it until the embers are out, a process that might take days. The flames, according to Summit Fire, are essentially contained. Neighbors were advised on Monday evening to shelter in place. The black smoke generated by the fire posed air quality concerns that were lifted Tuesday. A U Pick It employee explained the smoke is affecting business. Its going to be a rough couple of days, he said. Anyone who visits the yard might need to wear a mask because of the smoke. U Pick It ordinarily buys scrap and old cars for cash. Then they help customers search through their used inventory to find and remove the vehicle parts they need. Its a bring-your-own-tools experience and one the business seems to hope to offer again soon. As of Tuesday, it was not buying any scrap, and parking was limited to accommodate fire crews. Press Release October 25, 2022 Legarda, other PH senators hold official visit to France to enhance bilateral cooperation in key areas between both nations Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda embarks on an official visit to France with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and other Philippine senators to meet with their French counterparts and discuss how to enhance the bilateral ties between the two nations. "This meeting is an opportune time for us to assess our country's strong ties with the French Republic and discuss how we can foster our friendship and cooperation, especially on areas that concern both the Philippines and France," Legarda stated. According to Legarda, matters relating to the environment, and the blue economy would be among the topics to be tackled in their meetings. She stressed that deliberating on the issues is timely and significant as these are connected to climate change, which remains a top global concern. "Our visit to France is a chance for the Philippines to convey our vision, plans, and involvement in addressing global challenges such as climate change. Our country fully recognizes France's steady allegiance to be a global leader in addressing the issue, and we are fully committed to supporting the Paris Agreement," said Legarda. The Paris Agreement, also referred to as the Paris Climate Accord, is an international climate change treaty adopted in 2015 by members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In 2017, Legarda, who chaired the Subcommittee on the Paris Agreement under the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sponsored the Philippines' concurrence in ratifying the agreement. Aside from this, she also leads the Philippines into assenting to the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People after United States Senator Russell Feingold sought her guidance and leadership in bringing the Philippines to the HAC, an agreement started by France, among other nations. "These are just some of the issues we intend to bring to the table during our meetings. The Philippines and France enjoy 75 years of fruitful and vibrant friendship and cooperation in various areas such as economy, defense, food security, and people-to-people relations, and these, too, are part of our agenda," Legarda said. "It is an honor to be part of the Philippine delegation once again, and I look forward to making our bilateral ties with France stronger," she concluded. The Philippine delegation is also meeting with the France-Southeast Asia Parliamentary Friendship Group led by its president, Senator Mathieu Darnaud. Its Philippine counterpart, the Philippines-France Parliamentary Friendship Association, is led by Legarda, its founder and president. Joining Legarda and Zubiri in the visit are Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor Ejercito, and Senators Manuel Lapid, Maria Lourdes Binay, Grace Poe, and Christopher Lawrence Go. Adidas has cut ties with Kanye West, ending their lucrative partnership with the rapper following his repeated antisemitic comments. The sportswear giant who, over the weekend, dropped their latest Yeezy sneaker collaboration said in a statement Tuesday that they will no longer work with West, noting that the company "does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech." "Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness," the company said on its website. Their statement continued, "After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect." RELATED: Balenciaga Cuts Ties with Kanye West amid 'White Lives Matter' Shirt and Antisemitic Remarks ANAHEIM, CA - JUNE 03: Rapper Kanye West performs onstage at the Power 106 Powerhouse show at Honda Center on June 3, 2016 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/FilmMagic) Scott Dudelson/FilmMagic Kanye West Financial analysts speculate Adidas could lose $240 million from the split, NBC News reported. For more on this story, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. The collapse of West's biggest brand deal which is estimated to bring in up to $2 billion a year, according to The Washington Post, or close to 10 percent of the company's annual revenue comes after weeks of outcry sparked by remarks from the 45-year-old Grammy winner, who threatened earlier this month on social media that he would be going "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE." Ye and Jason Lee attend the jeen-yuhs experience and special screening celebrating Netflix's new documentary, "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy"; An Adidas store in Lower Manhattan Johnny Nunez/Getty Images; Spencer Platt/Getty Images Over the weekend in Los Angeles, banners were unfurled on a 405 Freeway overpass by Neo-Nazi that featured antisemitic signs and referenced West with the words, "Kanye is right about the Jews." West doubled down on his comments overnight in an interview on the Lex Fridman Podcast, saying, "It's genocide and population control that Black people are in today, in America, that is promoted by the music and the media that Black people make that Jewish record labels get paid off of." Story continues RELATED: Kim Kardashian Speaks Out After Ex Kanye West's Antisemitic Remarks: 'Hate Speech Is Never OK' A slew of celebrities including Lizzo, John Legend, Jamie Lee Curtis and more have publicly criticized West for his comments, while social-media support for Jewish people has spread thanks to a campaign kicked off by Jessica Seinfeld. Jewish groups have also condemned the "Flashing Lights" rapper. "Hate speech is never OK or excusable," West's own ex-wife Kim Kardashian, with whom he shares four kids, wrote on Twitter Monday. "I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end." Kanye West and designer Matthew Williams attend the Givenchy Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty RELATED: Everything to Know About Kanye West's Feud with Adidas Adidas now joins Balenciaga in the list of brands cutting ties with West. "Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist," Kering, the brand's parent company, said in a Friday statement obtained by Women's Wear Daily. Last month, West also ended the deal between his fashion brand YEEZY and Gap after two years. Attorneys for the Donda artist notified Gap that YEEZY LLC was terminating their partnership in a letter that accused the retail giant of breaking their agreement by not releasing apparel or opening planned retail stores, according to The Wall Street Journal. Following Adidas' announcement on Oct. 25, Gap also made a statement denouncing West's comments and saying the brand would be pulling all remaining YEEZY pieces from stores. "In September, Gap announced ending its YEEZY Gap partnership. Our former partner's recent remarks and behavior further underscore why. We are taking immediate steps to remove YEEZY Gap product from our stores and we have shut down YEEZYGap.com," the statement from the brand reads. "Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values. On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination," the statement concluded. RELATED: Kanye West Wears 'White Lives Matter' Shirt at His Yeezy Season 9 Fashion Show in Paris West, who legally changed his name to Ye last October, appeared at his Yeezy Season 9 Paris Fashion Week show donning a long-sleeve shirt printed with the phrase "White Lives Matter," which is considered a "hate slogan" by the Anti-Defamation League. Despite its backlash, he continued to defend the fashion choice during an interview on Tucker Carlson Tonight. "I do certain things from a feeling, I just channel the energy," he said on the Fox News show. "It just feels right. It's using a gut instinct, a connection with God, and just brilliance." 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. Prior to Adidas' decision on Tuesday, West was becoming more vocal about his creative differences with the athletic company, saying in a recent interview that "I could say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me." He also used Instagram to express his discontent about his working relationship with the brand (or lack thereof), accusing the company of leaving him out of Yeezy-related decision-making and calling out top executives. Oct. 24MOULTON A Russellville man is facing six felony charges including attempted murder, fatally stabbing a dog and shooting into two houses and two vehicles and was arrested by Lawrence County Sheriff's Office after the incidents on Saturday afternoon. The Sheriff's Office said Todd Lee Hood, 30, remains in Lawrence County Jail with no bail set as of Monday morning. He is also facing four misdemeanors. Felony charges are attempted murder, aggravated cruelty to an animal, third-degree burglary and three counts of discharging a firearm into a dwelling/vehicle. A 35-year-old Russellville woman driving the vehicle with Hood was charged with two misdemeanors, authorities said. In a statement from the sheriff's office, deputies responded to a call of a vehicle being shot at 3:43 p.m. Saturday along Alabama 24 in the Mount Hope community. A witness told deputies that a man got out of a vehicle and fired into a residence and a vehicle at the home. The witness gave deputies a description of the suspect's vehicle that fled the scene, according to the report. At 5:12 p.m. a vehicle matching the same description was seen parked in front of a residence on Lawrence County 374 in Hillsboro, the Sheriff's Office said. According to witnesses, the suspect forced his way into the residence and fatally stabbed the homeowner's dog. The report said a concerned neighbor in a vehicle confronted the suspect. The suspect threatened the neighbor's life, the Sheriff's Office said. The suspect retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and shot at the neighbor who was still in his vehicle. The neighbor was not struck by gunfire, authorities said, and was able to follow the suspect's vehicle. Deputies with the assistance of Moulton Police, stopped the suspect's vehicle in the Langtown area, northeast of Moulton. The report said evidence was found at the scene that matched by incidents. The Sheriff's Office said the first victim is believed to be a former boyfriend of the woman arrested. The second incident is believed to be the home of the father and grandparents of the woman's child, the report said. The woman was released on $2,000 bond, according to Chief Deputy Brian Covington. mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel. Blu DeTiger Photo: Christina Bryson (Courtesy of Capitol Records) Blu DeTiger has shared her inventive and infectious latest single, Elevator, with a little help from her friends and family. The track, which is the rising pop stars first since Julys Biig Piig collaboration Crash Course, finds DeTiger using the titular elevator as a metaphor for escaping a draining relationship. I go up, go down in my elevator/Dont wanna talk right now, see you alligator, she sings in the chorus. Load me up in a slingshot, send me over the moon/Baby, I can be a big shot too, too, too. The accompanying video shot fittingly in an industrial-sized elevator features cameos from some of DeTigers friends, family, and fellow musicians. The cast list includes Uffie, Rebecca Black, Alexander 23, influencer Vinnie Hacker, Chromeos Dave 1, Bad Suns Gavin Bennett, DeTigers brother Rex, and more. The concept for the video was simple get me and my friends in an elevator and see what happens, the artist explained in a press release. We had so much fun making this and I think that comes across. Of the song itself, she added: Elevator is an upbeat, tongue-in-cheek way of expressing how I feel when Im stuck in the elevator (of life). Its about moments when Im down and need to be taken back up. The song is about turning a bad situation, like being caught in an elevator with someone you dont like or just feeling down, and going through it and getting past it. Its encouraging. The lyric I could be a big shot too reminds me that I can take control of my own journey and path. Elevator arrives days before DeTiger kicks off her latest North American headline tour at Boston, MAs Royale venue on November 3. Tiffany Day will support her on the run, which will wrap up with a hometown show at New Yorks Webster Hall on December 3. You can find the full itinerary and tickets on DeTigers official website. Prior to Crash Course, the young star released the Chromeo collaboration Blutooth/enough 4 u, and, before that, the solo single Hot Crush Lover. Of the latter, she explained: Hot Crush Lover is about letting go and opening yourself up to the possibility of meeting someone else. Its about snapping out of how youre feeling, gaining some confidence, and learning to have fun and live your life uninhibited. The video is meant to reflect this feeling. Its wild, colorful, fun, to the point where eventually Im dripping in slime. Story continues Buy or stream Elevator. For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music. uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG. Mick Zdeblick Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct an error about the location of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. The leader of a Medford, Oregon, hospital has been hired to run the Community Memorial Health System that includes hospitals in Ventura and Ojai. The system's Board of Trustees said Monday they've hired Mick Zdeblick to succeed Gary Wilde, who has served as CEO and president of the system since 2004. Wilde, 67, announced his pending retirement in April and is set to leave Jan. 9 when Zdeblick begins his duties. Zdeblcik, 59, has served as CEO of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford since 2017. He previously worked as chief operating officer at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View and vice president of hospital operations at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "He has a broad background," said Richard Rush, chair of the Community Memorial board of trustees. "I think hell bring strong traits. Hes a very personable guy. I think hell work well with staff." The not-for-profit health system employs nearly 3,000 people and includes Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, Ojai Community Hospital, a network of clinics and a skilled nursing facility on the Ojai hospital campus. Zdeblick comes aboard as hospitals nationwide face staffing shortages and financial challenges. "The COVID pandemic hit all hospitals very hard," Rush said. "Its not an easy time. It takes a person who is willing to take on a challenge and deal with all the issues that face hospitals now." Viral duo arrives: Here's what we know about Ventura County's emerging flu season, vaccine choices The hiring follows a nationwide search that brought candidates from inside and outside the system. In a news release, Zdeblick said he was honored to be selected. The unique culture of the organization, as well as its unrivaled commitment to its mission, make it an invaluable asset to the community," he said. "I look forward to joining and leading the organization as we endeavor to ensure the availability of exceptional health care in Ventura County. Story continues In his April announcement, Wilde said he had been considering retirement but held off because of the pandemic and projects, including bond refinancing for Ventura's $275 million Community Memorial Hospital that opened in 2018. Gary Wilde Wilde came to the hospital nearly two decades ago after the board asked the previous CEO, Michael Bakst, to resign because of a rift with physicians who sued the hospital. Under his watch, the system grew to include the Ojai hospital, a network of family health centers and other facilities. Rush has credited him with changing the system's culture. "Everyone was sad that Gary would be leaving because we all hold him in such a high regard," Rush said Monday. "But its time to move and build upon what Gary has built in place." Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255. SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: To see more stories like this, subscribe here. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Community Memorial Health System hires Mick Zdeblick as CEO Leslie Jordan, dolly parton and jimmie allen Getty (3) Jimmie Allen, Leslie Jordan and Jimmie Allen Country musicians are mourning the loss of Leslie Jordan, the beloved actor best known for his roles on Heart Afire and Will & Grace, following his death on Monday. He was 67 years old. Jordan's rep confirmed to PEOPLE he died in a car crash in Hollywood, California, after an apparent medical emergency. The accident occurred at around 9:30 a.m. local time, according to the LAPD. Since the news broke, country stars have paid tribute to Jordan on social media honoring his career as an actor and musician, as well as his infectious sense of humor. Dolly Parton dedicated a heartbreaking tribute to her "little brother" Jordan on Instagram. "Well I am as hurt and shocked as if I have lost a family member," began the country icon, 76. "Leslie and I had a special bond, I think the world felt they had a special bond with him. I know people always say, 'Oh, they will be missed' but in this case that could not be more true. He will be missed by everyone who knew him personally and by everyone who was entertained by him. Rest in peace lil' brother." Last year, Parton and Jordan teamed up on a track called "Where the Soul Never Dies" for his album Company's Comin. Meanwhile, in April 2021, he spoke to the Los Angeles Times about collaborating with the musician. He told the outlet that he had been a fan of hers for years and once drove hours from his hometown in Chattanooga, Tennessee to hers in Sevierville, Tennessee, in hopes of running into her. When he finally got his chance, he was stunned. "I couldn't even breathe," he recalled. "I went over there and she was all dolled up for a Christmas special that she did. And we sat there and even though we were masked and socially distant, we just glommed on to one another." Afterward, people asked him what she was like: "Well, you know exactly what she's like," he said. "You don't have to meet her to know what she's like. I just adored her." Story continues TJ Osborne who collaborated with Jordan on "In the Sweet By and By" shared a sweet photo with the star where they're wearing matching bomber jackets. "Thank you for bringing us all so much joy, Leslie. We will meet again on that beautiful shore," he wrote. Brothers Osborne, which is made up of TJ and his brother John, also shared some words and a family photo with John's wife Lucie Silvas, the brothers' sister Natalie and her boyfriend, and songwriter Kate York: "Rest in peace you sweet sweet man. You left a fullness in people's hearts, a smile on their faces, and joy in their souls. We'll meet again in the sweet by and by, Leslie." Meanwhile, Tanya Tucker who was also featured on Jordan's album wrote a lengthy message on Instagram alongside a silly video with Jordan. In the caption, she recalled his wonderful sense of humor and his ability to make others laugh. "The laughter has died along with my funny funny friend, @thelesliejordan. I'm taking some time off the road in another country and I feel so far away on this very sad day," she wrote. "It's impossible to have any joy or laughter in a place where people come to do Just That. Smiles, cheerful beautiful memories, songs and dancing Today there are none. Why do the ones we need the most to make us happy have to pass too soon? I don't understand!!!" Tucker concluded, "The only good thing about this is that he is with his precious Mother who he adored and she adored him. Rest easy with her Leslie I know God is laughing his crown off!!!" Brandi Carlile, who recorded "Angel Band" with Jordan, began her tribute with Jordan's iconic line: "Well s. Someone had to say it " "I will never understand why God took him home so early. I can't make sense of this loss right now. I wish I had more profound words to soothe the souls who have lost the laughter and light today Most people know how he made us (his fellow hunker-downers) laugh smile and reconsider our collective tattered faith in God," she wrote, calling him a "gift to humanity." "But few people know the thankless work he did to hold the hands of the rejected and to walk traumatized and forgotten queer people from the trenches to the throne." Jimmie Allen kept his tribute short and sweet, sharing a photo with Jordan as they both smiled from ear to ear: "LJ Rest In Love brother. Thanks for the talks and the 6am texts. You brought a smile to so many people. " For Charlie Worsham who recorded "Working on a Building" with Jordan the actor was someone who brought light into this world. "i can't believe he's gone, though i believe with all my spirit that the circle remains unbroken and that he's up in heaven right now, talking to Jesus and the angels, probably saying something like, "well s what are y'all doin?" Kelsea Ballerini shared a photo on her Instagram Stories from the moment she first met Jordan backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and Reese Witherspoon was there! Ingrid Andress shared photos and videos from inside a dressing room, where Jordan is hilariously posing and fixing her hair. "it's truly mind blowing how quickly life comes and goes. @thelesliejordan spread nothing but light and love, and that's something we all shall continue to do in his honor," the "Wishful Drinking" singer wrote. "seeing so many people post about him shows me how much love he gave, and it's very powerful. RIP you beautiful soul " Cassadee Pope also paid tribute to the star and wrote that she's "never known such love and kindness." "I'll miss this fella and his stories more than words can express," she wrote on Instagram. "My heart goes out to his family and loved ones. Rest easy, Leslie " Country duo Kate and Alex shared a photo with the star on Instagram and wrote he was, "One of the kindest souls we've ever met. You treated everyone you came across like family. You will be missed Rest easy Leslie " Lady A's Hillary Scott wrote a lengthy tribute for Jordan and recalled the time she interviewed him (and how nervous she felt!). "We talked about his gospel album and his gospel roots. We also learned of just how much we had in common," she wrote. "We had lunch after we chatted over FaceTime and it was a JOY to spend those few hours with him. If you followed Leslie on Instagram over the pandemic you know that there is arguably no one who was a brighter more comedic light in such an unsteady and scary time." Maren Morris reposted a hilarious video of Jordan jamming out to Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B's "WAP" on her Instagram Stories. In the post, she wrote, "broken hearts and laughter. RIP." Chase Wright shared a photo with Jordan from what appeared to be a football game, and called him one of the "brightest souls." "You gave the world so much Joy and laughter. When everything seemed to be falling apart, you taught us to laugh again," he wrote. "Not only that, but your kindness was contagious and an example for all. Much love @thelesliejordan you're truly an inspiration." Meanwhile, songwriter Shane McAnally revealed a lesson that Jordan taught him and that he plans to carry with him forever. "If our purpose on this earth is to love and be lovedhe fulfilled his times a million. He was already an angel long before he went to heaven, so I know his journey was seamless.but God I will miss him, as will we all," he wrote. "Thank you, Lesliefor reminding me over and over that being yourself is your greatest gift. I will never ever forget our times together. I love you always." CMT host Cody Alan paid tribute by sharing how his work impacted the world and confessed that he was "heartbroken" over Jordan's death. "He was as joyous as he was authentic. A friend to many in Nashville thanks to his love of country & gospel musiceven releasing an album of southern favorites on Company's Comin' just last year," he wrote. "And what a wonderful new audience he found over social media during the pandemic, with millions discovering his comedic brilliance for the first time. He will be missed. #RIP" Sara Evans called it "a sad sad day. I recently got to know Leslie and we became fast friends! He was so kind and funny and authentic! We had him as a guest on Closet Chaos and he couldn't have been more gracious and kind to us! He will be greatly missed!" Musical trio Chapel Hart posted a sweet carousel of photos with Jordan including one where he's bowing down to them. "There are no words literally from the moment we all locked eyes SPARKS you couldn't tell we all hadn't been friends for 20 yrs!!!" they recalled. "But I imagine that was @thelesliejordan with ANYONE he encountered! We were asked at the @opry to introduce Leslie as a surprise special guest and we looked on stage and he was OUT THERE DANCING WITH THE CLOGGERS!!!" they continued. "We could all take a page out of our dear friend's book LIVE LIFE OUT LOUD AND MARCH TO THE BEAT OF YOUR OWN DRUM, BECAUSE WHO'S A BETTER CONDUCTOR THAN YOOOOUUUUU!!!!!" Randy Houser remembered the actor in his own words. "Well S Y'all. Can't say how much this fella meant. What a beautiful light in the world he has been. RIP buddy." Margo Price wrote that Jordan "radiated joy in a way that was so unique and pure. He was a light in a dark world and will be so missed." Leslie Jordan radiated joy in a way that was so unique and pure. He was a light in a dark world and will be so missed. Margo Price (@MissMargoPrice) October 24, 2022 Meanwhile, for ERNEST, "losing a legend" was "sad sad news." "I had the pleasure of getting to know this dude over the past year. We talked on here and texted a bit but finally got up to have lunch a couple months ago when he was in town.. we laughed hard and talked about his plans for releasing music," he wrote. "He loved Nashville and country/ gospel music so much. He brought joy to millions of folks One of the sweetest guys I've met." Jelly Roll felt grateful he got to meet Jordan. "You were one of the sweetest most caring souls I ever had the encounter of knowing," he wrote on Instagram. "I'm glad I told you I loved you everytime we spoke or came across each other. Lord knows the Heavens are celebrating today, meanwhile Your fellow hunker downers already miss you down here. Energy never dies , it transfers." Amid repeated accusations between the warring parties that the other one plans to escalate their conflict by using a non-conventional weapon, President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned Russia it would be a "serious mistake'' to detonate a nuclear arm. For the last three days the Russians have been making unsubstantiated accusations that Kyiv intends to launch a so-called dirty bomb, which causes terror by scattering radioactive waste when it explodes. The Ukrainians have responded by saying Moscow is establishing a pretext for using a nuclear weapon in a war it's losing on the battlefield. Biden said it's not clear whether the Kremlin is trying to set the stage for a nuclear attack, but repeated previous warnings from his administration against such a move. Let me just say, Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake if it were to use a tactical nuclear weapon, Biden said. Im not guaranteeing you that its a false-flag operation yet -- don't know -- but it would be a serious, serious mistake. Earlier in the day, Ukraines nuclear energy operator said Russian forces were performing secret work at the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant -- the largest of its kind in Europe -- raising concerns they might be preparing a radiological attack. UKRAINE SHOOTING DOWN DRONES: Up to 85% of Russia's killer drones reportedly shot down by Ukraine. Live updates Other developments: European Union leaders brought together experts to work on what German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called a new Marshall Plan for rebuilding Ukraine, a reference to the U.S.-sponsored program that helped revive Western Europe after World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his government to cut through bureaucracy to crank out enough weapons and equipment to provide troops fighting in Ukraine. Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk appealed to citizens staying abroad not to return for the winter to conserve power that has been reduced by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. Story continues In a delayed visit to Kyiv, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his country would help rebuild destroyed Ukrainian towns right away and send more advanced weapons. In April, Ukraine made it clear Steinmeier was not welcome because of his previous support of closer ties with Russia, which he later said was a mistake. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the U.S.-led West of increasing arms supplies and providing intelligence to the Kyiv regime in an effort to "destroy our centuries-old national statehood." GRINER 'VERY NERVOUS': Brittney Griner's drug charges appeal in Russia: What we know Progressive Democrats take back request that Biden negotiate end to Russia's war Facing swift backlash for their timing and message, 30 progressive House Democrats on Tuesday withdrew the letter they sent President Joe Biden the day before urging him to negotiate an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. Coming two weeks before the midterm elections and amid Russia's increasingly desperate attempts to reverse course on the battlefield, the letter appeared to undermine U.S. support for Ukraine, pressing Biden to pursue "a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire.'' Many fellow Democrats and Ukrainian officials, who have said Russian President Vladimir Putin won't negotiate in good faith, denounced the letter, prompting the stunning reversal. Biden has maintained that it's up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to decide the terms of a peace deal with Russia. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, said in a statement the letter was written months ago and required further vetting before its release. She also sought to distance its contents from last week's comments by GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy that Republicans won't give Ukraine a "blank check'' if they retake the House. The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian forces, Jayapal's statement said. Members of Ukrainian National Guard push a mortar launcher at a position along the front line in Kharkiv region on October 25, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images) ORIG FILE ID: AFP_32M643L.jpg Ukraine destroying Russian attack helicopters Russia's fleet of attack helicopters is taking a beating at the hands of Ukraine's portable air defense systems, the British Defense Ministry said in its most recent assessment of the war. There have been at least 23 verified losses of Russias Ka-52 HOKUM attack helicopters in Ukraine since the invasion, representing more than 25% of Russia's fleet of 90, the assessment says. Dozens of other helicopters also have been shot down. "Russia is still failing to maintain adequate air superiority in order to reliably carry out effective (airplane) support near the front line," the assessment says. "And its artillery ammunition is running low." Russian commanders are likely resorting to high-risk attack helicopter missions as one of the few options available to provide close support for troops in combat, the assessment says. White House blasts 'sham' Russian appeal hearing in Griner case A Russian court's rejection of Brittney Griner's appeal of a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession means the WNBA basketball star will "continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today," national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. Sullivan said the administration was continuing to talk with Russian officials about a possible prisoner swap, and he lauded Griner's family for "courage in the face of these unimaginable circumstances." Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said the Russian court dispensed a quick resolution, unlike the appeals process in U.S. federal courts. "Griners best hope now appears to be some form of prisoner swap with Russia," he said. Griner, who appeared in a Moscow-area courtroom via video link from a cell at her detention facility, was arrested Feb. 17 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscows Sheremetyevo Airport. Griner, 32, said she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. One week after her arrest, Russia invaded Ukraine, and U.S.-Russia relations sank to a near-historic low, complicating efforts to free her. IAEA to inspect two Ukrainian nuke plants after 'dirty bomb' claims International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said the agency is preparing to inspect two Ukrainian nuclear facilities amid Russias claims that Ukraine is developing a dirty bomb. Ukraine requested the inspection after its nuclear energy company Energoatom claimed that Russia was carrying out unauthorized construction work near the Zaporizhzhia plant's Dry Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility. Energoatom warned that destruction of containers stored there could lead to radiation contamination over hundreds of square miles. Chechnyan leader wants Ukraine cities 'wiped off the face of the Earth' The Kremlin-backed head of the Russian region of Chechnya says the Russian military should destroy Ukraine cities in retaliation for Ukrainian shelling of Russian towns along the border. Authorities in Russias Kursk and Belgorod regions have reported Ukrainian shelling that damaged infrastructure and residential buildings. Ramzan Kadyrov said on Telegram that if a "shell flies into our region, entire cities must be wiped off the face of the Earth so that they dont ever think that they can fire in our direction. Kadyrov has been a frequent critic of the Russian military effort. Earlier this month, Kadyrov said Colonel-General Alexander Lapin should be fired after retreating from the Donetsk-region city of Lyman. "If I had my way I would have demoted Lapin to private, would have deprived him of his awards and would have sent him to the front line to wash off his shame with the rifle in his hands," Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine live updates: Russian helicopters downed; Griner loses appeal Ralph Fiennes, the actor behind Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, again voices his support for Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, another person who shall not be named in certain circles. The once universally beloved writer behind the best-selling wizarding world franchise has become a widely controversial figure for consistently spreading anti-trans rhetoric and views on social media and in writing she's published. Rowling stated last November on Twitter that, as a result, she's "now received so many death threats" she could "paper the house with them." Fiennes, who previously came to Rowling's defense when the controversy was heating up in 2021, spoke to The New York Times in a recent interview in which he mentions the Harry Potter creator. "J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings. It's about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being," the actor said. "The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it's appalling. I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But it's not some obscene, uber-right-wing fascist. It's just a woman saying, 'I'm a woman and I feel I'm a woman and I want to be able to say that I'm a woman.' And I understand where she's coming from. Even though I'm not a woman." HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2, Ralph Fiennes Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in the 'Harry Potter' movies Many LGBTQ activists have called Rowling a TERF, meaning she's part of the trans-exclusionary radical feminist movement a movement that supports women's rights but does not acknowledge trans women as women. In the past, she appeared to condemn the trans rights movement as "doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode 'woman' as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few before it," she once wrote. Rowling has said she supports LGBTQ individuals, including trans people. Story continues Last year, Fiennes told The Telegraph in the U.K., "I can't understand the vitriol directed at her. I can understand the heat of an argument, but I find this age of accusation and the need to condemn irrational. I find the level of hatred that people express about views that differ from theirs, and the violence of language towards others, disturbing." Rowling has experienced a lot of criticism for her views, including from prominent LGBTQ organizations like GLAAD and The Trevor Project. But those critiques seem to make her more adamant about sharing this kind of rhetoric. Apart from the criticism, police in Scotland made inquiries after activists shared photos of themselves standing in front of Rowling's home with her address on display. No arrests have been made. JK Rowling and Ralph Fiennes Dave M. Benett/Getty Images 'Harry Potter' actor Ralph Fiennes appears next to author J.K. Rowling. Recently, British talk-show host Graham Norton left social media after a spat between Rowling and musician Billy Bragg that played out on Twitter involving Norton's comments. Norton was asked during a moderated Q&A about Rowling and the idea of cancel culture. Norton didn't name Rowling nor did he directly answer the question, but he offered a thoughtful response. "You read a lot of articles in papers by people complaining about 'cancel culture,'" he said. "You think, in what world are you canceled? I'm reading your name in a newspaper, or you're doing an interview about how terrible it is to be canceled. I think ['cancel culture'] is the wrong word. I think the word should be accountability." Norton went on to say when he, as a celebrity not involved with an issue, responds to an issue, he then becomes a part of that conversation, which is something he's trying to avoid. "If people want to shine a light on those issues, and I hope that they do, then talk to trans people," he continued. "Talk to the parents of trans kids. Talk to doctors, talk to psychiatrists. Talk to someone who can illuminate this in some way." Alas, Norton became the focal point after Rowling and Bragg sparred on Twitter, and he has since left the platform. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: A half-a-dozen states attempting to shut down President Joe Bidens student debt forgiveness plan say their future financial losses are enough to permanently block the plan that would cancel debt for millions of Americans, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The six conservative states Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina argued the president lacks the authority to forgive student loan debt en masse. They also contested they would be financially harmed should the federal government cancel billions in student loan debt. Should they lose their appeal, the states requested that the court keep a temporary injunction on the plan in place for a week so they "can seek relief from the Supreme Court." A federal judge in Missouri had dismissed the states' case, saying the group of six lacked the standing to sue, but the states appealed to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which temporarily blocked the plan late Friday. Of its 11 active judges, George W. Bush appointed five, Donald Trump appointed four, and George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama appointed one each. Demonstrators call for the cancellation of student loan debt outside the U.S. Department of Education earlier this year. The demonstration was organized by the Debt Collective, a group that bought and discharged student debt at Bennett College, an all-women's school. The appeals court temporarily blocked the Biden administration from moving forward with its plan, though hopeful borrowers can continue to file applications to have their debt forgiven. It isn't clear when the court would take further action. Biden has criticized the states and other conservative groups attempting to derail the mass debt forgiveness plan. No forms or log-in required: Application for Biden's student loan forgiveness plan is available: Here's what to know Twenty-two million of you applied (in one week)," Biden said Monday at a Democratic National Committee event. "The Republican response? Sue the federal government and block that relief." Under Bidens plan, borrowers making less than $125,000 or $250,000 for married couples can claim up to $20,000 in student loan debt relief. Story continues Why are the states trying to block the president's student debt relief plan? The states argued, as they did in a lower court, that the mass debt cancellation plan would prompt borrowers with Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) most of which are commercially held but federally backed to consolidate their debts into Direct Loans. The federal government owns Direct Loans and can discharge them. What will student loan forgiveness cost: Biden's plan will cost US about $400 billion, CBO estimates Some of the states suing are home to quasi-state agencies that service these types of loans. Initially, Biden's plan encouraged borrowers to consolidate their loans so they would be eligible for loan forgiveness. The federal government abruptly ended that option, cutting as many as 800,000 FFEL borrowers from the debt relief plan. The Biden administration noted in court filings that it removed the incentive to consolidate even before the states filed their lawsuit. As a result, the feds said there is no ongoing harm to the states. In response to the federal government, the states argued Tuesday that it didnt matter when the government decided to limit FFEL borrowers from relief, but rather when they told the public. The states contend that happened after they filed their lawsuit, and so the threat posed by consolidation is relevant. President Joe Biden speaks about beta testing of the student debt forgiveness application earlier this month. Several of the states also argued they could lose out on future earnings. For example, they said loan servicers with ties to the states, like the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA), would lose money if the loans theyre servicing, Direct or FFEL, were suddenly canceled. Another option for loan forgiveness?: Feds bet on changes to rules for public service debt relief Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina also stated that they typically tax student loan debt relief, but because they cant do so through 2025, they would miss out on taxing debt relief under Biden's plan. That loss in revenue, they argue, is because of the American Rescue Plan, which prevents student loan debt discharges from being included in a taxpayers federal adjusted gross income through 2025. These four states use taxpayers federal adjusted gross income as a baseline to determine their state level taxes. Under existing law, the states are set to tax a substantial amount of student loan debt discharge after 2025, according to the states original appeal to the court. Because the cancellation will immediately reduce the pool of debt to discharge in the future, it will result in less for the states to tax. How is the federal government arguing for student debt relief? The federal government in response has said loan servicers are not guaranteed income from managing student loan debt. They further said states can set and change their tax codes as they see fit. Prior to this case reaching the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, judges have dismissed the legal challenges to the presidents plans, in large part because the plaintiffs were unable to prove they would be harmed on an ongoing basis by debt cancellation. On Monday, the administration criticized the states for their efforts to block the student debt relief plan. Federal attorneys argued that if the appeals court found it necessary to intervene, that the court narrowly tailor its relief. If the courts ultimately barred citizens from those states from receiving debt relief, about 2.8 million people would be affected. The states also argued that a partial injunction wouldnt provide the desired relief because MOHELA services loans nationally. Additionally, they argued that barring borrowers from the program in certain states would be ineffective because people and their loans move from state-to-state. More: White House fires back in court against block on student loan debt forgiveness Across the country, about 40 million people are eligible to have some or all of their student loan debt forgiven. Contact Chris Quintana at (202) 308-9021 or cquintana@usatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter at @CQuintanadc. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Biden cancel student loan debt? These states say no. Here's why Rishi Sunak alongside his wife Akshata Murty (Ian West/PA) (PA Wire) Rishi Sunaks billionaire father-in-law Narayana Murthy has offered his congratulations to the new prime minister. In a statement he said: Congratulations to Rishi. We are proud of him and we wish him success. We are confident he will do his best for the people of the United Kingdom. Sunaks connections with Narayana Murthy make him the richest-ever prime minister. But how much is Sunak and his family worth? Narayana Murthy is the founder of Indian IT company Infosys. His wealth is valued at $4.5 billion (3.9 billion) according to Forbes. Infosys now has a market cap of around 67 billion. Sunaks wife Akshata Murty controls about 0.9% of the share capital of Infosys, which is worth 629 million, according to Refinitiv data. Sunaks brother-in-law Rohan Murty controls a 1.5% stake in the business worth 982 million, giving the siblings a combined stake of over 1.6 billion. On top of their shareholding of Infosys, the family also receive dividends. Akshata Murty is estimated to have received Infosys dividends worth 13.7 million since last year. Murty and Sunak, who married in 2009, own a string of luxury properties worth an estimated 15 million, from a Pacific Ocean facing penthouse apartment in celebrity enclave Santa Monica, to a rambling Georgian manor house in North Yorkshire. In London, they own two properties including a five-bedroom mews house in Kensington and pied-a-terre apartment in South Kensingtons Old Brompton Road. The couple bought their primary London residence in 2010, a year after they married. They paid a reported 4.5 million for the five-bedroom mews house, which is now understood to be worth 7 million. Sunaks staggering wealth came under scrutiny during his battle with Liz Truss over the summer to become leader of the Conservative party. The former Goldman Sachs employee rejected claims that his wealth made him out of touch with voters. At a leadership hustings event in Darlington, Sunak said: I think in our country, we judge people not by their bank account, we judge them by their character and their actions. And yes, Im really fortunate to be in the situation Im in now, but I wasnt born like this. My parents worked really hard to provide me with all these opportunities. Im not going to apologise for what they did for me. And in fact, thats why I want to do this job because I want to provide those opportunities for everyone else. Presidential politics, age, and a contrast in styles: DeSantis and Crist take center stage at Florida's lone gubernatorial debate Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, and former Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democrat of Florida, participate in a debate at the Sunrise Theatre, Monday, October 24, 2022, in Fort Pierce, Florida. Crystal Vander Weit/TCPalm.com via AP, Pool Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist debated on Monday. They disagreed on abortion, immigration, and education. DeSantis, the youngest governor in America, also bashed Crist over his age. FORT PIERCE, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist, a former congressman, faced off Monday in their lone debate before the election to decide who will lead Florida over the next four years. DeSantis has become a fan favorite to run for president in 2024, particularly if former President Donald Trump doesn't run again. Republicans have an advantage in Florida because they've out-registered Democrats by 270,000 people in the state, and DeSantis also has significantly outraised Crist, who was a Republican governor from 2007 to 2011. The debate Monday was Crist's main chance to try to close the gap in polling, which favors DeSantis. Throughout the debate, the audience cheered for both sides. Liz Quirantes, the debate moderator from CBS12, repeatedly told the audience not to cheer, but they ignored her. Here are the main takeaways from the night, hosted at the Fort Pierce Theatre: DeSantis punted on whether he'd serve out four years as governor During the debate, Crist accused DeSantis of being motivated more by his future ambitions than by a desire to be governor of Florida. At one point, he asked DeSantis directly whether he'd commit to serving all four years, even though both candidates had agreed to debate rules that they may not ask each other questions. DeSantis paused and then asked the moderator whether it was his time to speak. "I know Charlie wants to talk about 2024 and Joe Biden, but let me be clear: The only worn-out old donkey I want to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist," he said, referring to the political symbol for Democrats. The retort had the effect of dodging the question while bashing President Joe Biden, who will be 80 in a month, and Crist, 66, in the process. DeSantis, 44, is the youngest governor in America. Story continues Crist tried to steer the conversation to abortion Democrats are hoping to make inroads with voters after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed a national right to abortion. Crist is no exception, vowing to protect abortion rights. He raised abortion rights several times throughout the debate before the moderator asked about it. "You're talking about all these other issues because you dont want to talk about a woman's right to choose," Crist told DeSantis at one point. DeSantis signed a bill into law this year that makes it illegal to have an abortion after 15 weeks into a pregnancy, including in cases of rape and incest. He did not directly answer a question about whether he'd seek to limit abortion further if given a second term. Florida's law is being challenged in court. DeSantis tied Crist to Biden On the campaign trail, DeSantis rarely says Crist's name. When the two faced off on Monday, he referred to Biden's policies on everything from economic to energy policy as the "Biden-Crist" policies. Crist, he said, frequently voted with Biden. DeSantis' frequent criticisms of Biden are just one reason that many in political circles believe the governor will seek the White House in 2024. Biden also lost Florida to Trump in 2020. Trump won the state in 2016, too, but made inroads four years later. Crist on Monday called out DeSantis for his focus on the president. Crist has openly supported and embraced Biden, and the president is scheduled to campaign with Crist in Florida on November 1. Crist cast himself as a unifier Crist has messaged his campaign similarly to the way Biden did in 2020 framing himself as someone who is a unifier and has experience. The implication he's working to get across is that he views DeSantis as a MAGA Republican and that he can defeat DeSantis the same way Biden defeated Trump. Crist cast DeSantis as a "bully" throughout the debate. He alluded to when DeSantis told college students at one of his events in March to take their face masks off, saying "we've got to stop with this covid theater." "We know you love to bully people," Crist said of the exchange, which went viral. He accused DeSantis of trying to "whitewash" the state's approach to education by limiting certain instructions about race and of using migrants as "props for your political gain" when he sent them from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. "You need to lead by uniting people not dividing them," Crist said. "He talks about dividing us all night long. It's what he does. It's who you are. It's what he's about." The only issue Crist and DeSantis agreed on was that that the Parkland gunman, who killed 17 people at a high school in Florida, should have been sentenced to death. Read the original article on Business Insider Will Smith had the support of many top celebrities this past Monday (Oct. 24) when he held a private screening for his upcoming film Emancipation. Attendees included Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Dave Chappelle, Kenya Barris, Tyler Perry, fashion designer Fawn, Blacksmith Records co-founder Corey Smyth, and more. The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air star shared an elated Instagram post at the end of the evening. EPIC night!!! said the 54-year-old. Thanx for coming to see #Emancipation. Hope yall enjoyed!! @davechappelle @cblacksmith @badgalriri @kenyabarris @officialfawn @tylerperry @asaprocky @westbrook @appletvplus Tyler Perry, Kenya Barris, and Corey Smyth had their own social media praise for the film and overall night as well, with Perry saying Im still haunted by Emancipation. Its truly powerful, moving and captivating. And the conversation afterwards with this group was legendary. Thank you, Will Smith, for the preview. Barris added, Emancipation is true art, power and everything else a film should be. You got one, Will Smith. Smyth also kept his recap short and sweet, saying The picture only tells 1/2 the story. Glad to be part of such a great moment. #Emancipation. Earlier in October, Smith, Emancipation director Antoine Fuqua and Apple Original Films held a screening in Washington, D.C. in partnership with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations annual conference. Following the films showing, they held a discussion moderated by Mary Elliott, the curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Story continues It is especially noteworthy to see the support and excitement for the Oscar winner after his infamous March 2022 incident where he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards. The comedian made jokes about Smiths wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her bout with alopecia. Smith has since apologized, which Rock did not accept. In Emancipation, the Philadelphia actor stars as a runaway slave named Whipper Peter. Peter escapes his Louisiana plantation in an effort to join the Union Army during the Civil War. The film premieres in movie theaters on Dec. 2 and AppleTV+ on Dec. 9. Click here to read the full article. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump's "divisive" politics ruined his billionaire friends business, real estate financier Tom Barrack said at his criminal trial in New York City on Monday. "Disastrous," he said, describing how his personal relationship with Trump affected his multi-billion dollar global investment business. Barrack's case presents a rare sight: an unbelievably wealthy baron facing the real threat of prison time. He's accused of putting the nation's security at risk by misusing his position of influence and power with the Trump administration to cut secret deals with the United Arab Emirates. In this behemoth trial that started last month, federal prosecutors are trying to prove that Barrack abused the access he got to the incoming president by using it to secretly lobby on behalf of Arab royals. For example, an indictment updated in May claimed that Barrack quietly tweaked the GOP platform at the 2016 Republican National Conventionmaking sure to avoid any mention of the Saudi royal familys connection to the 9/11 hijackers. Trumps Billionaire Pal on Trial for Secret Foreign Lobbying For jurors, the trial has also become a crash course in the complex and often paradoxical U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East. Feds have had to thread a needle, describing its fractured relationship with competing royal families in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, maintaining that they are indeed friendly at timesbut not as trustworthy as one might assume, and certainly not allies, as one prosecutor put it. The trial is also timely, as the Justice Department portrays Saudis as reluctant friends on the global stage just as the Biden administration vows that the country will suffer consequences after its leaders snubbed the U.S. presidents request to keep the price of oil downand instead sided with Russia by voting to reduce output from the 13 countries that make up the oil cartel known as OPEC. The investment mogul is a longtime friend of Trumps from the celebrity's heyday in the 1980s New York real estate world. Barrack's early support for Trump played a pivotal role in Wall Street lining up behind the Republican in 2016. He would go on to chair Trumps inaugural celebrations, which were mired in accusations of self-dealing and corruption that ended in a settlement with the District of Columbia attorney general. Story continues But on the stand Monday, Barrack frowned and shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he lamented four years of chaos that ensuedand seemed to blame his association with Trump for his legal troubles today. "Would it have been better to support someone else?" his defense attorney asked. "In hindsight, unquestionably," Barrack groaned, citing the "continued drama this president found himself in." Trumps Billionaire Pal Watered Down GOP Platform on 9/11 for Saudis Barrack testified that Trump's racist Muslim ban and nonstop political scandals made it harder for the investment firm Colony Capital to keep alive its business relationships with Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. "I thought he would transition. The style was something I and others didn't appreciate," he said. When asked how Trump affected his professional life, Barrack began to point the finger at the former president for his current legal woes. "I'm sitting with all of you today," he said, before prosecutors interrupted him with an objection and prevented Barrack from finishing the sentence. Barrack held back from criticizing the anti-democracy MAGA movement too harshly, visibly playing the jurors with "both sides" talk. "I never envisioned that... we could have the dilemma... we can't talk to each other without debate... on all sides," he said. "They're all trying to do the right thing. It's just ugliness." The company Barrack founded, Colony Capital, rebranded as DigitalBridge Group shortly before the feds arrested him in Los Angeles and charged him in the present criminal case. Barrack stepped down from the board and resigned as CEO. 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. Russia plans to use a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting to repeat its baseless claim that Ukraine was preparing a false flag dirty bomb attack on its own territory. The Kremlins UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia wrote late last night to Antonio Guterres, UN secretary general, repeating the allegation that Ukraine would use a radioactive explosive on its own territory to blame Moscow for nuclear warfare. The foreign ministers of France, Britain and the United States have rejected Russias allegations as transparently false and aimed at laying grounds for an escalation. Kyiv asked UN inspectors to visit nuclear sites in Ukraine in an apparent attempt to gather evidence against Russias claim. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it would inspect two sites, both of which have already been visited by the watchdog, one as recently as one month ago. Russian state media said Ukraine was using sites in Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv to prepare the explosives. The IAEA did not name the facilities it would inspect. Key Points IAEA to probe nuclear sites at Kyivs request German president makes first visit to Ukraine Car bomb injures five in Russian-occupied Melitopol reports 11:04 , Liam James A car explosion near the office of a tv channel in Russian-occupied Melitopol has injured at least five people, officials said. The citys Russian-controlled administrations Telegram channel said the blast hit the buidling of ZaMedia a Russian propaganda broacaster. The Telegram post said: The blast wave in the building on several floors took out windows and interior doors. Neighbouring residential buildings and a car passing by at the time of the explosion were also damaged. Five people were slightly injured, including employees of the media holding, one was hospitalised. The TV channel and radio studio continue their work. Ivan Fedorov, the Ukrainian elected mayor of Melitopol, also reported the explosion. He shared the below photographs in a post about the explosion. Story continues Blast outside TV channel headquarters in Melitopol (Ivan Fedorov/Telegram) Damage inside the building (Ivan Fedorov/Telegram) EU chief urges Ukraine reconstruction 10:20 , Liam James Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, has urged international partners to help Ukraine rebuild swiftly. We have no time to waste, the scale of destruction is staggering. The World Bank puts the cost of the damage at 350bn (304bn), she told a reconstruction conference for Ukraine in Berlin. Volodymyr Zelensky, appearing on video link, said Russia had destroyed one-third of Ukraines energy sector and complained that Kyiv had not seen a single cent of a requested rapid recovery fund worth 17bn. Ms von der Leyen said the EU would send 1bn in emergency assistance. Germany said the conference, which it is hosting as part of its year-long G7 presidency, aims to develop a Marshall Plan for Ukraine. We can never match the sacrifices Ukrainians are making every day. But we can stand with them and provide what they need for relief, fast rehabilitation and reconstruction. This is why we are gathered here today at the #RecoveryOfUkraine conference https://t.co/KpdLTOkPot Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 25, 2022 Russia turning to high-risk helicopter attacks on front line MoD 09:25 , Liam James Russia is likely turning to risky helicopter attacks to support its troops on the front line in Ukraine, as Moscow struggles to get a hold on the skies, Britains Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Strikes from Russian jets have proved ineffective on the front line so far, while Moscows artillery stocks are running low, the MoD said. Attack helicopters are often flying in high-risk conditions without the expected level support from jets, the MoD said, pointing to heavy losses of the Russian air fleet. There have been at least 23 verified losses of Russias Ka-52 Hokum attack helicopter in Ukraine since the invasion. This represents over 25 per cent of the Russian Air Forces in-service fleet of 90 Ka-52s, and nearly half of Russias total helicopter losses in Ukraine, the MoD said. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 25 October 2022 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/bZmLpOMrm8 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/xz5YZDfgkT Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) October 25, 2022 German president makes surprise visit to Kyiv 08:54 , Liam James German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has arrived in Ukraine for a surprise visit, his first since Russia invaded the country on 24 February, his office said in a statement. Mr Steinmeier said he was looking forward to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. My message to the people of Ukraine is: You can rely on Germany! he said in the statement. Besides military support, Mr Steinmeier added, his trip would focus on helping to repair destroyed infrastructure, such as power grids, water pipes and heating systems, as quickly as possible before winter arrives. The German president was set to visit last Thursday but the trip was cancelled at short notice after the Russian bombing of Kyiv. German chancellor Olaf Scholz has previously visited Ukraine. Steinmeier arrived in Kyiv this morning (German Federal Government) Moscow to bring dirty bomb claim to UNSC 08:21 , Liam James Russia plans to raise its dirty bomb claim at the UN Security Council (UNSC) today after being rebuffed by Ukrainian allies. The Kremlins UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia sent a letter to the United Nations late last night on its allegation that Ukraine would use an radioactive explosive on its own territory to blame Moscow for nuclear warfare. We will regard the use of the dirty bomb by the Kyiv regime as an act of nuclear terrorism, Mr Nebenzia wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UNSC in the letter, seen by Reuters. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russias claim suggested Moscow was planning to launch such an attack and blame Kyiv. The foreign ministers of France, Britain and the United States rejected Moscows allegations as transparently false. The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation, they said in a joint statement. Later, the United States issued a warning to Moscow. Weve been very clear with the Russians ... about the severe consequences that would result from nuclear use, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. There would be consequences for Russia whether it uses a dirty bomb or a nuclear bomb. Nuclear inspectors to probe dirty bomb claims 07:49 , Liam James The UN nuclear watchdog is preparing to send inspectors in the coming days to two Ukrainian sites at Kyivs request, after Russia claimed Ukraine could deploy a dirty bomb in a false flag attack. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is aware of statements made by the Russian Federation on Sunday about alleged activities at two nuclear locations in Ukraine, the IAEA said in a statement, adding that both were already subject to its inspections and one was inspected a month ago. The IAEA is preparing to visit the locations in the coming days to look for any possible undeclared nuclear activities and material, it added. Russian state media said the two sites involved in the operation were the Eastern Mineral Enrichment Plant in central Dnipropetrovsk and the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv. The IAEA did not name the facilities it would inspect. Ukraines defense minister is confident that Kyiv will eventually obtain Western tanks and fighter planes to help push Russian forces out of his country, but thinks Washington will have to lead the way before allies will follow. I'm really optimistic that Abrams tanks are possible in the future and I am sure that fighter jets like F-16s, F-15s, or Gripen from Sweden will also be possible, Oleksii Reznikov said in a wide-ranging interview about the state of the war and rebuilding the Ukrainian defense industry. NATO countries have spent months debating whether to send modern, main battle tanks such as the Leopard from Germany or Abrams from the United States. German officials have so far declined, saying they won't be the first to send NATO-grade heavy armor over concerns it could be seen as an escalation by Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. officials, meanwhile, contend that Abrams tanks are logistically complex fuel guzzlers that would be difficult to sustain on the battlefield in Ukraine. Reznikovs optimism persists despite all of the political and logistical challenges in convincing Western countries to supply more modern, NATO-grade weapons to Ukraine. He noted that many of the items once considered off-limits drones, rockets and artillery have eventually made it to Kyiv, in a frustrating game of red lines that are later crossed by world governments. Soon after he was appointed defense minister last November, Reznikov came to Washington and asked for Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, but was told no, it's impossible, he said. I asked them why. The answer was because it's forbidden by the law and political issues. Then in January, a month before the invasion, we got our first package from Lithuania. It was the Stingers, and we got it with permission from the United States. So for me, it's an example that if you hear it's impossible, it means it will be possible in the future. The same process was repeated with 155mm howitzers and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, which have had a huge effect on the battlefield since arriving over the summer. Story continues The most important decision of the bunch, in the near-term at least, should be what kind of main [battle] tank we will have for the armed forces of Ukraine, because we understand that all our partners who have an industry that can produce tanks like Britain, France and Germany they will wait for the political decision from the United States, he said. After the first Abrams [arrives] Im sure we will have Leopards, Marders [German infantry fighting vehicles] and other types of heavy armored vehicles like tanks. Poland has already donated 250 older Russian tanks to Kyiv, models that Ukrainian tank crews are familiar with. But with Moscow continuing to send its own tanks and armored personnel carriers to the fight, Ukrainian leaders say more modern tanks would be invaluable in pushing the Russians back. Despite the prominence of cruise missiles and drones in this latest phase, the war will continue to be fought on the ground, village to village. And given Russias seemingly endless supply of armored personnel carriers, artillery pieces and tanks, Kyiv will continue pressing its case for more armor. As for fighter jets, preliminary discussions over eventually providing Ukraine with F-16s continue, though there is no sense among officials in Washington that it would happen in the thick of the fight as it is being waged today due to the logistics of training Ukrainian pilots and sending the requisite spare parts for sophisticated aircraft. More optimism over weapons Ukraines use of Western weapons is not only helping push Russian troops from occupied territory, but it's also a way for countries to test their equipment against a Russian army that until recently was considered second only to the United States. We have a combat testing field in Ukraine during this war, Reznikov said. I think that all [countries] see how we use these systems, you know that we have eight different 155mm artillery systems in the field so it's like a competition between systems to see which proves most effective. The latest test of some of those systems is pitting air defenses against Russian cruise missiles and Iranian drones, which Russia is using to terrorize civilians and strike infrastructure. The entire civilized world should be trying to find the solution of how to jam them, or how to hit them, because it's a real threat for the entire world because they will use this equipment against Western targets one day, he said. They will use them because it's a very efficient [drone], and I think it's a real challenge for Europe and NATO. Civilian harm and terrorism Reznikov is also concerned Moscow is using the forced removal of civilians from the southern city of Kherson to justify further strikes on infrastructure, while blaming Ukraine for the attacks. Probably Russians will use this as a pretext to destroy some kind of civilian [infrastructure] in Khersons district, or Kakhovka, and they will say it was done by the Ukrainians, he said. After that, there will be a response again by the Russians against our water supply facilities, our energy facilities, or other kinds of critical infrastructure like they did after the explosion on the Kerch bridge this month. As the war grinds through its eighth month and Ukrainian forces continue to take back territory in the east and the south, Russia's nuclear threats and its hammering of civilian targets are being seen as a desperate attempt to make up for its failures on the battlefield. But the threats, which led to a flurry of phone calls over the weekend between U.S. and British military leaders and their Russian counterparts with calls to Reznikov in between have been vague enough to allow Moscow room to back off. You know, when you have this kind of madness in your neighbor, you have to understand that there are risks, but for me personally it's not so imminent of a risk right now because I'm not sure and I think that Russians are not sure that they are technically prepared to do it, he said. Reznikov also wonders which targets Russia would hit, saying any nuclear use on the battlefield would also affect Russian troops in the area. A Black Sea demonstration by Russia could also have wide-ranging effects on NATO members Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, which border the waterway. Attacks on the energy and power-generation infrastructure aimed at terrorizing the civilian population well away from the battlefield is a tried-and-true Russian tactic, however, used in Chechnya and Syria to make up for what Russian forces lacked on the battlefield, he said. It's a really terrorist state and we are still waiting for the decision from the United States for recognizing [Russia] as a state who sponsors terrorism together with the Iranian side, Reznikov said. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe this month passed a resolution declaring Russia as a "terrorist" regime, following similar declarations from the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The U.S. and U.K. have not gone that far, but following a meeting of NATO states in Brussels this month, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley said Russia has deliberately struck civilian infrastructure with the purpose of harming civilians. They have targeted the elderly, the women and the children of Ukraine. Indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilian targets is a war crime in the international rules of war. Rebuilding Ukrainian industry The U.S. and a group of allies met in Copenhagen in August to map out a plan to provide long-term assistance to Ukraines military, which includes repair and sustainment for equipment, a key goal in keeping forces in the field and ready to fight. Reznikov said that meeting and another one this month in Brussels, in which dozens of countries pledged more air support to Ukraine, gave him a sense that Western countries are willing to help for years to come. At the Brussels meeting, I felt the emotion and the real involvement of the ministers of defense from the different countries and from the United States and United Kingdom also, he said. In balancing the immediate battlefield needs with long-term plans, however, we have two challenges, he said. We need to arrange systems for repairing and maintaining what we have in the armed forces of Ukraine on the battlefield, second in [larger repair facilities] in Ukraine not far from from the battlefield, and third, with a more sophisticated repair and maintenance system that could be organized in Europe, like in Poland, Slovakia or Romania, for example. Reznikov suggested forming joint ventures with Poland, the U.K. and Germany to develop weapons and equipment that could be built in Ukraine, specifically for air defense systems. We have to develop a UAV industry not only for aerial drones, but also on land and in the sea because it's the future of war. Ukraine has already shown it can build its own weaponry, having sunk the Russian cruiser Moskva in April with an indigenously produced Neptune missile. But more is needed. We are still waiting for the Switchblade 600 drones, which the U.S. has promised to help Kyiv boost its stock of loitering munitions that can hover over a target before an operator guides it to impact. The drones maker, AeroVironment, said this month the first shipment of 10 drones should arrive within weeks. He notes that Iran has sold 2,400 drones to Russia in recent weeks, so for this moment, I would say that Iranian drones temporarily win this competition, Reznikov said. While tanks and fighter planes remain a work in progress, air defenses will continue to be priority number one in the coming months, he said. We need to divide the targets in the air for example, to strike cruise or ballistic missiles our defense systems will use rockets like IRIS-T from Germany and [soon] there will also be [the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System], or our Soviet systems like Buk. Against the Iranian drones we can use cheaper equipment like Gepard from Germany or Stingers and Starstreak, or other equipment from our partners, he said. Bolstering that protective blanket over Kyiv and other cities remains top of mind for Ukrainian officials, as the missiles and drones keep coming. That's why we ask our partners to find the solutions with different systems not only for the middle-range or long-range, we need short-range systems [from] different countries that have those systems like Sweden, Germany and the United States, Reznikov said. While the needs are large and continuing, Reznikov said the constant stream of meetings and calls with allies gives his government confidence that aid will keep flowing, even as Ukraine pushes to build its own systems to provide for its own defense. I get a clear signal from all sides that no matter what, the countries will support Ukraine until the end of this war, and I'm sure that the end of this war will mean victory for Ukraine. An organization has filed a lawsuit against the York County Board of Elections, saying it is violating federal law by failing to provide ballots, materials and assistance to voters who are fluent in Spanish. CASA, an organization that advocates for the rights of Latinos, immigrants and working class families, details in the lawsuit how some voters have struggled to cast a ballot over the years because York County conducts elections "almost entirely" in English. Many of the voters were educated in Puerto Rico, where the dominant language is Spanish, and are not fluent in English, according to the lawsuit and a news release. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 protects their rights as American citizens and requires that Spanish-language ballots, registration, election materials, instructions and assistance be provided so they can effectively exercise their right to vote. One woman, who attended school and college in Puerto Rico, needed an interpreter when she voted in the 2016 election, but no one was available. She sought help from her husband, but he was not allowed in the voting station, the lawsuit states. She has not voted since then because, in part, she was unaware of and confused about voting procedures. However, she does wish to cast a ballot in the upcoming election. The organization is seeking intervention through the courts. With the voter registration deadline past and the election on Nov. 8, "the irreparable injury to Plaintiff CASA's members is imminent," the lawsuit states. The court has scheduled a hearing on Friday, said Julia Chapman, litigation partner at Dechert LLP. It's not too late for the county to make changes for the upcoming election, and it would greatly improve the ability of Spanish-language voters to cast a ballot effectively, she said in an email. Election 2022:Your guide to the Pennsylvania general election 'I deserve the chance to understand my vote' York County does not provide Spanish-language ballots in the majority of its precincts, the lawsuit states. Even the ones that do lack sufficient election materials or assistance. Story continues Only 18 of the 161 precincts offer ballots in both English and Spanish, Chapman said, and the Voting Rights Act requires compliance on a county-wide basis. In addition to the ballots, CASA seeks to ensure that voters in all precincts have access to Spanish-language voting assistance. That includes registration materials, voting guides, voting instructions, polling place signage and websites as well as Spanish-speaking poll workers, the lawsuit states. The U.S. Census shows that more than 39,000 Latinos live in York County, which is about 8.6 percent of the population, the release states. More than 14,000 are of Puerto Rican descent, and about 750 individuals cannot speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process. "When I lived and voted in Puerto Rico, I always voted in Spanish," Juan Ortiz Torres, a York County resident and member of CASA, said in the release. "When I voted in York County, it's all in English, and no one seemed to know how to help Spanish speakers. I deserve the chance to understand my vote just like any other eligible voter." Election 2022:Don't count on PA election results on Nov. 8, secretary of state says. Here's why. York County issues a statement on lawsuit CASA sent a letter to the county in mid-September about the issues and did not receive a response, the lawsuit states. The organization's counsel sent additional correspondence, demanding specific changes. The parties met in mid-October, and the organization's counsel followed up with a letter outlining actions the county could take to improve language access prior to election day, the lawsuit states. But the county canceled a follow-up meeting. The County of York issued a statement last week: "York County has engaged in discussions with CASA and LatinoJustice over the last several months in an effort to understand their concerns about our election process. Yet, we have not been served with or provided a courtesy copy of any court filing and only learned about the possibility of a lawsuit through media inquiries. We have searched the federal court docket and have been unable to find any lawsuit filed against York County. We look forward to defending any claims that might be made in the future and have no ability to comment further about pending litigation, much less litigation about which we have not been notified." President Commissioner Julie Wheeler declined to comment because of the litigation. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York County fails to assist voters who are fluent in Spanish: lawsuit A top Ukrainian government officials cryptic tweet could be a sign that the US is preparing to augment Kyivs air defence capabilities with a widely-used surface-to-air missile system. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the Biden Administration is considering using the presidents drawdown authority allowing him to provide allies with existing stocks of weapons to arm Ukraines defence forces with the MIM-23 HAWK missile system. Two US defence officials said the HAWK which stands for Homing All The Way Killer would be an upgrade from the Stinger man-portable air defence system which Ukrainian forces have been employing against Russian jets and cruise missiles. Although HAWK dates back to the Vietnam era, the systems have recieved multiple upgrades over the years and although it was last fielded by the US Marine Corps in 2020, it has remained popular with US allies and is currently employed by Turkish and Iraqi defence forces. Any US-owned HAWK systems provided to Ukraine would supplement four launchers which Spanish authorities said theyd turn over to Kyiv earlier this month. The Ukrainian government has repeatedly asked American officials to upgrade their air defence capacity, and his chief of staff Andriy Yermak appeared to allude to the request being granted in a Tuesday morning tweet. Mr Yermak told his 996,000 followers there would be good news soon, with his message accompanied by a Statue of Liberty emoji. There will be good news soon. Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) October 25, 2022 Neither Mr Yermak nor representatives of Mr Zelenskys office immediately responded to a request for comment from The Independent. A court hearing in Russia will consider an appeal against Brittney Griner's nine-year sentence. Also in the news: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis debated democratic challenger Charlie Crist last night amid swirling rhetoric about a presidential run for the Republican incumbent. Two people were killed and seven others injured in a shooting at a St. Louis high school. I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Want some Tuesday motivation? Here's 25 times teachers gave us the best advice. OK, let's dive into Tuesday's top headlines. Brittney Griner 'very nervous' ahead of drug charges appeal in Russia Brittney Griner will have her appeal heard Tuesday in Russia. The two-time U.S. Olympian and Phoenix Mercury star is seeking a reduction of the nine-year sentence she received for drug charges in August. "She is prepared for the appeal and is very nervous," Griner's legal team said in a series of statements released by her representatives. Griner's lawyers filed the appeal in August after she had already been convicted of bringing vape cartridges that contained hashish oil into Russia. Read more The goal of an appeal: Griner is at the mercy of the Russian political system and will likely depend on a prisoner swap orchestrated by the United States government to return sooner regardless of her appeal's outcome. US basketball player Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony in August for drug smuggling, is seen on screens via a video link from a remand prison before a court hearing to consider an appeal against her sentence, at the Moscow regional court on October 25, 2022. Ron DeSantis and Charlie Crist spar Potential Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis repeatedly refused to commit to serving another four years as Florida governor if re-elected, and said during a debate Monday he is currently focused on defeating Democratic challenger Charlie Crist. Crist said the incumbent is more interested in running for president two years from now, and that he is doing it by promoting divisive social issues such as opposition to abortion and school regulations that target gay, lesbian and transgender students. Read more Story continues One thing to know: Monday's face-off served as the only televised debate before election night, and Crist clearly knew it was likely his last chance to change the course of his flagging and out-financed campaign against DeSantis. DeSantis weaved around abortion: Crist has tried to make the governors race a referendum on abortion rights in Florida, but DeSantis for months has dodged questions about what further restrictions he wants (the state's 15-week ban went into effect in July). As Republicans grow in Florida, Palm Beach County, once deep blue, gets more purple. Gubernatorial races across the country are taking a prominent role in forming national policy on a number of important fronts. From Maine to California, gubernatorial elections will be held in 36 states this fall with most featuring incumbents running for reelection. Supporters of Democratic candidate for governor Charlie Crist march past a supporter of Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, as they arrive at the Sunrise Theatre ahead of a debate between DeSantis and Crist, in Fort Pierce, Fla., Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. 2 killed, 7 injured in shooting at St. Louis high school Two people were killed and seven others injured after a former student opened fire Monday in a St. Louis high school before he was fatally shot by police, officials said. The gunman, identified as 19-year-old Orlando Harris, fatally shot a 61-year-old woman and 16-year-old girl at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, St. Louis Police Department Commissioner Mike Sack said in a news briefing. The gunman graduated from the school last year and has no prior criminal history, Sack said. He had almost a dozen 30-round, high-capacity magazines on him, Sack added. Read more Michigan teenager pleads guilty to murder, terrorism charges in Oxford High School shooting. ''Pandemonium'': Weekend shooting in North Carolina leaves 6 injured, including toddler. What happened at the third trial over the death of George Floyd? Jury selection for the third and likely final trial over the death of George Floyd was canceled Monday after one of the defendants pleaded guilty and another waived his right to a jury trial. Former Minneapolis police officer J. Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter just before jury selection began Monday. Meanwhile, former officer Tou Thao waived his right to a jury trial and agreed to proceed with a trial by stipulated evidence, meaning Judge Peter Cahill will deliver a verdict. The joint trial of Thao and Kueng was the third over Floyd's death and likely the last. Both former officers are already serving time on federal convictions of violating Floyds civil rights. Read more Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao, left, and his attorney Robert Paule arrive for sentencing for violating George Floyd's civil rights outside the Federal Courthouse Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Just for subscribers: These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Already a subscriber and want premium content texted to you every day? We can do that! Sign up for our subscriber-only texting campaign. Records reveal feds misled Tanzanian police after US citizen killed woman After a Peace Corps employee in Tanzania went on a reckless drunk driving spree in 2019 that left one woman dead and another badly wounded, U.S. State Department officials acted fast to thwart efforts to hold John Peterson accountable, according to hundreds of pages of documents obtained by USA TODAY. State Department officials told police in Dar es Salaam that Peterson had diplomatic immunity. He didn't. Read more Q&A: What hundreds of records show and dont about fatal Peace Corps crash. Five scandals that have put the Peace Corps in a negative light. Can't click "read more"? That's because this investigation can only be ready by USA TODAY subscribers. If you'd like to support our newsroom's ability to report stories like these please consider subscribing. Peace Corps worker John Peterson went out drinking, hired a sex worker, then hit and killed a woman with his car in Tanzania in 2019. He has never been charged. Photo of the day: Haunting Halloween decor around the US It's spooky season! From eyes on a house to daunting massive skeletons in front yards, it's the time of year to haunt up your decor. And if you're getting ready to welcome trick-or-treaters, click here to read our rundown of the most popular Halloween candies by state. Click here to see more spook-tacular home photos. Taunton residents Eric and Michelle Kenney have created an over-the-top Halloween display at their home on Lori Lane in Taunton. The Kenneys welcome visitors to stop by and view the seasonal scene and are collecting donations of non-perishable food items for the Matthew Mission Food Pantry in Taunton. One more thing Titled Hello everyone, a raccoon waves on a Florida beach after being fed shrimp by the photographer, Miroslav Srb. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note, shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this subscribe to USA TODAY here. Associated Press contributed reporting. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brittney Griner, DeSantis, Crist, St. Louis, George Floyd: Daily Briefing The Mondial de lAuto in Paris was once one of the largest, most spectacular exhibitions of the automotive world. Originally known as the Salon de lAutomobile, the show dates back to 1898 and became the venue for notable debuts including the Citroen DS, the Lamborghini Miura and the first ever Ferrari GT car, the 166 Inter. Although significantly scaled back since its pre-pandemic glory days, this years show, held October 18 through 23, was nevertheless a good reminder of some of the cool, funky and downright strange cars we wont get to see stateside. Here are the standouts. More from Robb Report Alpine Alpenglow Concept The hydrogen-powered Alpine Alpenglow Concept. With heavy design influences from a Le Mansprototype racer, the hydrogen-powered Alpenglow sets the tone for Alpines design language going forward for both motorsport and road cars. The resurrected marque, owned by the Renault Group, debuted its A110 back in 2017 and says it will expand its lineup with three future electric models, as well as an entry in the new LMDh class that will compete at Le Mans. The Alpenglow measures more than 16 feet long and 6.5 feet wide, and features highly aerodynamic sculpting and red-and-blue horizontal lighting signatures that give off the glow for which the car is named. Alpine says the vehicle is built around two hydrogen tanks, but hasnt otherwise disclosed any technical specs. Hopium Machina Vision The production version of the Hopium Machina Vision is expected to be priced at about $118,000. Once you stop giggling at the name, the car created by a former French racing driver (whose pronunciation of the brand sounds like opium) is intriguing, with a hydrogen power-train configuration and a purported 620-mile range. The design, however, appears to be a mishmash of elements from other existing cars, with proportions not unlike the Lucid Air, and front and rear lighting signatures nearly identical to those of the now five-year-old Lexus LC. Still, the French marque says its serious about making the model the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan and is taking reservations for its premier crop of production cars, which are due to be built in Vernon, France. Priced at about $118,000, the Hopium Machina is expected to begin deliveries at the end of 2025. Story continues Renault 4Ever Trophy Concept The Renault 4Ever Trophy Concept is an electric, rally style EV inspired by the Renault 4 built from 1961 to 1992. With the rugged and retro 4Ever Trophy Concept, Renault proves that electric vehicles dont always have to equate to flush surfaces and perfect aerodynamics. With chunky bumpers and fenders, a higher ground clearance and a spare tire attached to the roof, the 4Ever is, in some ways, the antithesis of current EVs. Renault says the 4Ever is an electric take on the Renault 4, made from 1961 to 1992, while the Trophy moniker is a nod to the 4L Trophy rally held annually in the Moroccan desert as a fundraising effort to help with the education of children in the region. We expect that, although this is a concept car, a version of the compact EV will reach production in Europe in the next couple of years. DS E-Tense Performance The 815 hp DS E-Tense Performance is an electric concept inspired by Formula E racers. A French luxury brand under the Stellantis umbrella (the ever name-changing company whose portfolio includes Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Jeep and others), DS showed its electric concept inspired by Formula E cars this year in Paris. With a carbon-fiber monocoque and two electric motors, the E-Tense Performance (opening image) makes 815 hp and is capable of up to 600 kw of regeneration capacity. Design elements of the concept will inspire the DS lineup of production cars, including the front end and thin lighting signatures. The metallic green paint attempts to mimic the coloration of iridescent beetles and changes its appearance depending on the light. While its not possible to own a physical version of the DS E-Tense Performance, the automaker introduced 100 NFTs that were sold off at auction. Dacia Manifesto The Dacia Manifesto has the look of a formidable off-roader and is claimed to have a minimal environmental footprint. A door-less off-roader that looks like a Meyers-Manx and lunar rover had a badass child, the Dacia Manifesto is meant to be just that: a statement that reaffirms an unrivaled vision for an essential, cool, robust car with a minimal environmental footprint. The vehicles plastic parts contain a large amount of recycled polypropylene, and interior materials include natural cork. And, of course, the removable seat coverings double as sleeping bags. Dacia says the entire vehicle is waterproof and can be hosed off with a water jet. Although its not intended for production, the Manifesto, much like the Renault 4Ever, represents a shift from small, jellybean-style EVs to more rugged, capable lifestyle vehicles. Click here to see more photos of these five cars. The DS E-Tense Performance concept at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. The Tyrannosaurus rex, the worlds most notorious dinosaur, has been having something of a moment on the auction circuit over the last couple of years. Back in 2020, Christies made headlines with the auction of Stan, one of the most complete T-Rex skeletons ever unearthed. It sold for the Jurassic haul of $32 million before finding a permanent home in an Abu Dahbi museum. Now another rare T-Rex skeleton will be crossing the block next month. Standing at 16 feet tall and 43 feet long, Shenmeaning God-likewill be the first Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton to be auctioned in Asia as it heads to Christies 20th-21st Century Art Evening Sale in Hong Kong on November 30. It is expected to hammer down for between $15 million to $25 million. More from Robb Report Only 20 T-Rex skeletons have been discovered to date, with most found incomplete. Shen is a 54 percent complete skeleton with 79 bones, including a well-preserved skull along with frontal, jugal and other distinguishable bones. The remains were found along the Hell Creek formation in Montana before being examined and prepared in Germany. Shen is one of the best T.rex ever discovered; he considerably advances the science of paleontology and our knowledge of theropod behavior, Dr. John R. Nudds, a professor at the University of Manchester, says of the skeleton on the listing website. Shens skeleton consists of 79 bones and is 54 percent complete. Of course, not everyone will welcome another sale of a rare dinosaur skeleton. In July, critics in the scientific community spoke out against the sale of a Gorgosaurus skeleton at Sothebys that fetched $6.1 million. They argued that, given the scientific and historical importance of the dinosaur skeletons, the remains should be held in a museum for the public and not in a private collection. Story continues While Shens permanent home will be determined by her new owner, it is possible that she follows in Stans footsteps and ends up in a museum or institution. For the time being, though, the public will have a chance to see her in both Singapore and Hong Kong in the weeks leading up to the sale. In Singapore, she will be on view at the Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall from October 28 to 30. A month later, shell be showcased at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from November 26 to 30. Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. silver and white cat with light blue eyes who got stuck in a pipe Courtesy of Nationwide An audacious cat found himself in a chilly situation after plunging 45 feet deep into a drainpipe, where he was half-submerged in freezing cold water for hours. Rafa, a Siberian mix from Seattle, decided he was going on an adventure after he sneaked out the front door of his house this past April while his mom labored to bring some pizza boxes inside. However, this spontaneous trek didn't exactly go to plan. Rafa's owners, Jose and Susan, noticed their cat was missing after it seemed eerily quiet in their house. They set off on a search right away but had no luck. They resumed the next morning, and Susan eventually heard meows in the distance while calling Rafa's name. The couple found out the noises were coming from a nearby storm drain, so they needed to call for extra help. RELATED: Watch This Youngster Rescue a Stranded Cat from a Storm Drain in Brazil Neighbors, the fire department, Seattle Public Utilities staff, and Roto-Rooter employees all united to help save the trapped, freezing feline. The cat, nicknamed Puffy, had plummeted 45 feet down the sloping pipe, and he was up to his neck in freezing waterand an incoming storm was going to fill the pipe with even more water. The team had to act fast to get Rafa out safely before the storm arrived, but it wasn't easy. The team worked to cut down obstructing blackberry bushes, dig up the pipe, and cut the pipe open over the course of several hours. Thanks to their hard work, Rafa was finally free and safe in Jose's arms. He was rushed to an emergency veterinarian right away and was diagnosed with severe hypothermia and other complications. Thankfully, after spending a week at the ICU, Rafa made a full recovery and was back to his boisterous self in no time. Thanks to Rafa's wild adventure, he earned the Hambone Award from insurance provider Nationwide. The Hambone Award is given to the most peculiar pet insurance claim of the year, as voted on by the public. Rafa's family received the winning prize: a $1,000 gift card, a $1,000 donation in their name to a pet charity of their choosing, and the ham-shaped Hambone Award trophy. Story continues Rafa faced some tough competition for the coveted award, beating out 12 other nominees. His competition included an orange cat who became covered in spray foam insulation, a mini Australian shepherd who was stung by a jellyfish-type animal, a Doberman pinscher who scuffled with a raccoon, and a Siamese mix who went for a spin in the dryer. Russell, a California mixed-breed dog who cracked several teeth after falling face-first onto a concrete step, finished in second place. Rex, a shih tzu from Michigan who lodged a wishbone in his throat, captured the bronze. The families of Russell and Rex were awarded a $500 gift card and $500 donation in their name to a pet charity of their choice. Even with their serious injuries, all the Hambone nominees have fully recovered. RELATED: Is Pet Insurance Really Worth the Cost? Whether its dry or sweet, bottled on its own or as part of a blend, Chenin Blanc is a wildly versatile grape variety. Pulsar Imagens / Alamy Stock Photo Historically, Chenin Blanc has been most famously grown in the Loire Valley. There is a legitimate argument to be made, however, that its many expressions from South Africa rival their French counterparts. It also thrives in California, where its been grown for generations. Thats the beauty of Chenin Blanc: Its versatility is remarkable, and the range of styles in which it can be produced means that it appeals to a broad swath of preferences. What is Chenin Blanc Wine? Chenin Blanc is a white or sparkling, dry or sweet wine produced from the grape variety of the same name. Its typically redolent of fruit, vivid with mouthwatering acidity, or in the best cases both. The popularity of Chenin Blanc has been growing for years, especially among so-called New World producers who are finding exciting locations from South Africa to California to grow it and creative, often forward-thinking ways to make it, whether through inventive work with the lees, experimenting with aging vessels, and more. No matter what style youre considering, Chenin Blanc wines offer the potential to appeal to a range of taste and texture preferences. Where Does Chenin Blanc Wine Come From? Chenin Blanc is most famous grown and produced in France and South Africa. In Frances Loire Valley, the appellations of Vouvray and Sanennieres are arguably the most well-known, though Anjou and Saumur are also highly regarded. (Those place-names will appear on the label instead of the grapes name, in most cases.) The Chenin Blanc-focused appellations of Quarts de Chaume and Jasnieres are also worth looking for, as are sparkling Cremants de Loire, in which Chenin Blanc often plays an important role. For quite some time, South African Chenin Blanc was known by its Afrikaans name Steen, though more producers are using Chenin Blanc on their labels these days. Story continues In South Africa, Chenin Blanc does particularly well in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Swartland. In California, Chenin Blanc has a long (if not widely well-known) historylook for Chalone or Lang & Reed for excellent examples. Notable ones can also be found in Washington State, Argentina (Catena Zapata produces a delicious one), and, to a lesser extent, Australia. Why Should You Drink Chenin Blanc Wine? Chenin Blanc is one of those grape varieties that seems to offer something for everyone, yet has remained stubbornly below the proverbial radar among a broad sweep of consumers. Sparkling Chenin Blanc as well as bubbly that incorporates Chenin Blanc into the blend often offers serious value for the money: Cremant de Loire is food-friendly, perfect as an aperitif, and can be found for well under $30and often far less. At the table, Chenin Blancs naturally bright acidity makes it an excellent foil for richer foods: That "zipiness" cuts through butter and cream and perks up everything from flaky fish to poultry. Chenin Blanc even serves as a delicious option for the notoriously difficult-to-pair Thanksgiving dinner: It will work with roasted turkey, liven up stuffing, and, in its slightly sweeter versions, even work alongside sweet potatoes. (Not so much with cranberry sauce, however, as the tart acidity and added sugar in the dish call for something more akin to a slightly chilled Beaujolais Nouveau or, even better, an IPA.) What Does Chenin Blanc Taste Like? Drier versions of Chenin Blanc tend to remain vibrant with orchard, citrus, and stone fruit notes that are cut through with mouthwatering acidity and often a spine of minerality.When theyre made in a sweeter style, and especially the botrytized ones of Quarts de Chaume (this means that the grapes were affected by Botrytis cinerea, the same fungus responsible for Sauternes and Trockenbeerenauslese), they take on a distinctly honeyed character that makes them perfect for cheese courses and dessert, as well as pairing partners for foie gras. Most producers want to showcase Chenin Blancs bright, crisp acidity, which is why these wines are not often aged in oak(and when they are, its generally older oak, which imparts fewer additional flavors). Sparkling and dry non-sparkling Chenin Blanc are best served chilled, though the wine will become more complex as some of the chill diminishes in the glass. Sweeter versions are best enjoyed cool but not too cold, which will allow their honeyed and sometimes earthy and floral nuances to express themselves more fully. Chenin Blanc is best enjoyed from a Sauvignon Blanc-style or universal wine glass. Five Great Chenin Blanc Wines There are countless great Chenin Blanc wines on the market today. These five producers, listed alphabetically, are a perfect way to start exploring all that Chenin Blanc has to offer. Aperture and Chappellet Winemaker Jesse Katz has become one of the more buzzed-about producers in Napa Valley in recent years. His reds and whites are generous, structured, and often very age-worthy. The 2020 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc, from the Aperture Soil Series of wines, is crafted from 1940s dry-farmed Chenin Blanc. It shows notable creaminess and weight, bright lemon-lime acidity, hints of lime blossoms, lime leaves, and graham crackers through the finish. Chappellet, which produces one of the most esteemed Cabernet Sauvignons in Napa Valley their iconic Pritchard Hill bottling also produces the Molly Chappellet Signature Chenin Blanc. The 2021 is vibrant and deeply mineral, with flavors of lemon pith and fresh ginger dancing alongside apricot pits and hard pears. Its a phenomenal wine to enjoy on its own, or with food. Domaine Huet This classic producer has been in Vouvray for nearly a century and represents an excellent range of what Chenin Blanc is capable of in the most expert hands. And the land in which much of their Chenin grows is extraordinary. Their demi-sec bottling of Le Haut-Lieu is crafted from Chenin Blanc thats grown on a parcel that the Huet family acquired in the late 1920s, resulting in impressive historical knowledge of how to make the most of it. LEcole No. 41 Though better known for their reds, Ecole No. 41 also crafts an old vine Chenin Blanc from the Yakima Valley. Their materials refer to it as Vouvray-style, though it translates that classic through the distinct lens of Washington State. Leo Steen Among a rewarding, varied range of wines, the 2018 Jurassic Vineyard Chenin Blanc from Santa Ynez Valley shines: The nose here is gorgeous, transparent and mineral, with lemon oil and hot rocks. On the palate, minerality, lemon pith, almonds, and yellow plums come through in this highly textural wine. Raats Family Wines This top Stellenbosch producer makes two Chenin Blancs an Original and Old Vine. Both of them showcase what makes the Western Cape of South Africa such an important location for this grape variety. false President Joe Biden faces growing calls from activists and even a former crown prince to openly back regime change in Iran as the countrys Islamist rulers face a wave of protests. But Biden and his aides are unwilling to go that far. Instead, the administration is charting a middle path one that voices support for the Iranian protesters and helps them through both easing and imposing some sanctions, but which falls short of an all-out pressure campaign to isolate Irans government or abandon nuclear talks with the regime, according to six U.S. officials familiar with the issue. This week, the administration is expected to unveil more sanctions on Iran related to the protests. Among the possible targets are mid-level Iranian police commanders who have abused demonstrators. The overall strategy is likely to disappoint many in a complex constellation of activists whose voices are driving much of the public debate about the Iranian regime. It also could make crafting U.S. policy toward the Middle East even harder, especially if Irans regime snuffs out the protests and emerges more emboldened to pursue a nuclear program and cause trouble in the region. But the Biden administration is unified on the approach, according to those involved in discussions. There arent camps, a State Department official said. The U.S. officials said they must factor in everything from the human rights demands of Irans protesters many of them young and female to the U.S. preference for using diplomacy to keep Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Irans decision to sell drones and other weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine also is complicating the picture. Its a dilemma: How do you square your short-term national security imperatives, like preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, with the longer-term goal of encouraging positive political change in Iran? asked Michael Singh, a former National Security Council official under then-President George W. Bush, about what faces Biden and his team. These things are not mutually exclusive. Your policy success will come down to advancing both goals in parallel. Story continues But the reality, U.S. officials said, is that the Biden administration has relatively limited tools to help the demonstrators keep up the pressure on the regime. Already, regime forces have cracked down on the protests, killing hundreds and imprisoning thousands. Its unpredictable, its emotional, there are kids being shot, and everyone thinks we have magic powers, one U.S. official familiar with the issue said of the protest movement. The U.S. officials POLITICO interviewed hold a variety of positions in the administration. They all spoke on condition of anonymity in part because of the sensitivity of the topic. The protests began in mid-September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She is suspected of having been beaten after she was taken into custody by Irans morality police, who reportedly accused her of not properly wearing a headscarf. Soon, some Iranian women began taking off their headscarves in public, violating Irans Islam-based laws, and Iranians of all backgrounds began marching. The demonstrations have continued for weeks, despite crackdowns by regime security forces, along with protesters demands ranging from more rights for women to an end to their Islamist government. The movement appears largely leaderless at this point. Prominent Iranians inside and outside the country have shown solidarity with the protesters, often through social media. And while many are calling for the U.S. to take a tougher-than-ever stance against Iran, they often disagree about what that should look like. Among those opposing the regime is Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran, whose father was deposed as Irans shah during the late 1970s revolution that paved the way for the Islamist regime. Pahlavi, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area and says he supports a secular democracy in Iran, has called for the international community and the United States to back regime change in Tehran, though without military intervention. The Biden administration, however, says that would be a step too far. U.S. officials dont even like to talk about the idea of such a policy stance, even though they say theyd love to see the regime collapse. Its not up to us. Its up to the Iranian people, a second U.S. official said. Some U.S. officials pointed out that even former President Donald Trump, who walked away from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and adopted a maximum pressure policy toward Iran, didnt formally call for regime change. Though the Trump administration put forth 12 demands on Iran so far-reaching some analysts said they effectively amounted to backing regime change, the administration carefully said it was seeking behavior change. Because of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the deadly debacle that followed, the term regime change is toxic in Washington. So some Iran hawks are urging Biden to instead adopt an approach similar to what former President Ronald Reagan did with the Soviet Union undermine the regime in ways that expose and exacerbate its internal weaknesses. Others draw comparisons to the international campaign to end apartheid in South Africa. That could include everything from publicly naming more of the regimes victims to finding ways to support labor movements in Iran, said Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive officer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank that has long agitated for a tougher Iran policy. We could be using our cyber capabilities in a much more profound way, Dubowitz added, while noting that secrecy rules make it hard to know what the U.S. is doing on that front. We could be going after their command-and-control systems their surveillance systems. Biden and his top aides were quick to speak out in support of the Iranian protesters; the president did so during his annual speech to the U.N. General Assembly in September, saying, We stand with the brave citizens and the brave women of Iran who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights. One major reason U.S. officials moved fast on the rhetorical front: They wanted to avoid the situation that faced then-President Barack Obama in 2009, when protests broke out in the wake of a disputed Iranian presidential election, then fizzled due to a heavy-handed regime response. Republicans and many Iranian activists accused Obama of waiting too long to publicly support the protesters. Obama aides said they waited in part because they were told by some Iran observers that speaking out could undermine the protesters by fueling regime claims that their movement was U.S.-controlled. To a degree, concern about avoiding making the protests about the United States still shapes some of the Biden administrations thinking, the U.S. officials said. But it has nonetheless swiftly taken other steps to help the protesters. They include imposing economic sanctions on some regime officials and relaxing some rules so that protesters can access communications tools to better organize. The administration has been considering other ways to punish the regime, including pushing Iran off of a U.N. commission that deals with womens rights, one of the demands some Iranian activists have set forth. At the same time, it is weighing sanctions and other means to punish Iran for selling weapons, such as drones, to Russia as it wages war on Ukraine. Theres been a strong consensus-based approach, with no rifts inside the administration, four of the U.S. officials said. Everybody asks themselves every day, Is there something that weve missed? Is there something else that we should do? the State Department official said. Every meeting that we have, we talk about what it is that were realistically able to do. The administration is unwilling, however, to listen to some activists demands that it walk away from its longstanding goal of restoring the Iran nuclear deal. That agreement, which Trump quit, placed severe curbs on Irans nuclear program in exchange for U.S. and international sanctions relief. When people manage to shake the regime, dont go and shake the hand of the same regime and give it billions of dollars, said Masih Alinejad, an activist who is in regular touch with women inside Iran who are protesting and who has been threatened by the regime herself. She said shes told top U.S. officials such as national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Dont bury human rights underneath the deal. Pressed on this, U.S. officials above all note that the talks to revive the agreement had stalled even before the protests. U.S. officials insisted the administration has not sent any message to Iran about restarting the talks, disputing reported claims by Iranian officials otherwise. Our only message would be: stop killing your people and stop sending weapons to Russia to kill Ukrainians, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said. Still, Biden aides wont permanently rule out negotiations with a regime they argue would be even more threatening to the Middle East and the world if it obtained nuclear weapons. The president made a commitment that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said last week. We continue to believe that diplomacy is the most effective, the most sustainable means by which to realize that commitment on a basis that is both permanent and verifiable. Some activists are focused on the people behind the policy and want Biden to fire Rob Malley, his special envoy for Iran. Malley has led the U.S. teams efforts to restore the nuclear deal. Malley drew criticism over the weekend for a tweet in which he said Irans protesters wanted their government to respect their dignity and human rights. Activists said Malley was misrepresenting what the protesters wanted, which was an end to the regime. A senior State Department official dismissed talk of a Malley ouster. Rob is a tremendous public servant whose leadership as Special Envoy will remain indispensable, the official said. Adding to the complexity for the administration is that Iranian activists, especially those outside Iran, are far from united. While theres a growing sense among Iranians that its long past time to give up on reforming the regime and instead topple it, there are disagreements on tactics. For instance, some say imposing sanctions on Iran is a bad idea because such economic measures often hurt ordinary Iranians. Others say sanctions are the best, most realistic way to weaken the government. Many Iranian activists criticize one another in public forums, and, even when they slam the Biden team, its often for opposite reasons. Meanwhile, reliable information from inside Iran is hard to get because of the regimes efforts to limit access to the internet and social media. Key questions now include how long Irans protests can last, how much they will grow, and how the regime will respond if it feels the situation has gone beyond its control. Irans clerical leadership has many weapons at its disposal, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps security force, and the repression could become more severe. At the same time, some U.S. officials note, revolutionary movements including the one that brought Irans Islamists to power more than 40 years ago sometimes take many months or even years to achieve their aims. Then, of course, the critical question becomes, What replaces the regime? But at this point, thats a subject that U.S. officials dont even want to hypothesize about. By Joan Faus BARCELONA (Reuters) -Spanish authorities moved a luxury yacht linked to the sanctioned head of Russian defence group Rostec after the shipyard where it was berthed stopped receiving payments for its repairs, a transport ministry source said. The multi-million-dollar Valerie was transferred to a marina last month, the source and other officials said, highlighting the logistical challenges authorities have faced managing vessels being held across Europe because of sanctions imposed over Russia's military actions in Ukraine. Spain ordered the ship "frozen" - meaning the vessel can not be used or sold - in March, saying it was acting on European Union sanctions. The yacht is tied to Sergei Chemezov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a police source and another source with knowledge of the matter have told Reuters. Chemezov, contacted twice through Rostec this month, did not respond to requests for comment. Payments for the ship's repairs at Barcelona's MB92 shipyard stopped soon after the freezing order, the transport ministry source said, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. MB92 asked authorities to relocate the ship so its berth could be used, the source added. The Valerie is now moored in the nearby Marina Vela marina and its name has been changed to the Meridian A, Reuters documentation checks and pictures of the vessel show. MB92 declined to give details about why the ship had been moved or to comment on its payments. Marina Vela did not respond to a request for comment. James Jaffa, a lawyer for British firm Jaffa & Co which specialises in yachts, said the owners of frozen boats "face a difficult question" when it comes to maintenance costs. "Do they pay for the upkeep of a boat which they have no control over, certainly no enjoyment, or just leave it and see what happens?," he said. "I think most oligarchs would happily say 'Well I can't use, I am not paying for it, let's release it'," Jaffa added. Story continues The yacht was moved on Sept. 20 by maritime authority officials and escorted by Spain's civil guard police, a spokesperson for that force said. SANCTIONS, CHALLENGES Chemezov has been under EU and U.S. sanctions since 2014 over Russia's annexation of Crimea. He was also named in sanctions imposed by Australia in March over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The 85-metre (279-foot) long yacht, that Spain has said it is worth $140 million, is formally owned by Chemezov's stepdaughter, Anastasia Ignatova, according to the European Union's sanctions list to which she was added in April. Its immobilisation was unsuccessfully challenged in Spanish courts in March by Sulberg Services Limited, a company registered as the yacht's owner in the Equasis shipping database. Sulberg argued that Spanish authorities could not prove who owned the yacht and could therefore not freeze it. A Madrid court rejected the claim in April. Ignatova, contacted through a Moscow university where she has lectured, did not respond to a request for comment. A lawyer for Sulberg declined to comment. In Spain, where six vessels have been frozen following sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, the running costs of a frozen yacht remain the owner's responsibility. Reuters revealed this week that other sanctioned Russians are paying for the upkeep of yachts frozen in France and Spain using a little-known European law adopted as domestic legislation that allows such payments. It was not immediately clear who, if anyone, was paying for the vessel's upkeep in the new marina, or why it was renamed. The name Meridian A is now written on labels on its stern while the metal tags with its prior Valerie name are gone. The yacht first displayed its new name on Sept. 19, a day before it was relocated, according to analytics provider MarineTraffic. The yacht's crew declined to comment. Its UK-based manager did not respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Joan Faus; Additional reporting by Javier Alvarez and Jonathan Saul; editing by Aislinn Laing and Andrew Heavens) Rodney Graham, an artist whose dryly funny works about repetition made him one of Canadas most celebrated artists, died at 73 on Saturday in Vancouver. In an announcement of his death, his four galleries303 Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Lisson Gallery, Galerie Rudiger Schottle, and Esther Schippersaid he had been battling cancer for the past year. More from Robb Report Since the 90s, Graham has been widely celebrated in the international art world for films, photographs, paintings, and more that involve the artist offering up banal scenarios. They feel designed to bore or irk their viewers, who have responded to them with a mix of confusion and laughter. His most famous work remains the 1997 video Vexation Island, in which the artist performs as a seafarer in dated garb who lies asleep on a beach, seemingly alone. For almost all of the videos nine-minute runtime, Graham remains in his mysterious slumber. Then, at the very end, he wakes up after a coconut falls on him. Although Graham had been creating art since the 70s, Vexation Island is considered his breakthrough. It was shown at the 1997 Venice Biennale, where Graham represented Canada. Writing in Artforum, curator Dan Cameron called it infuriatingly hilarious. His first video, Halcion Sleep (1994), could be labeled similarly. It consists of little more than a grainy long take of the artist asleep in the trunk of a car after ingesting Halcion, a drug typically prescribed to people suffering from insomnia. As he rests, he is driven from a hotel to his home. It was like a reverse-kidnapping kind of thing, Graham once told the Globe and Mail. Rodney Graham, Antiquarian Sleeping in his Shop, 2017. Graham was also a performer in many of his more recent photographs, which have been shown widely and exhibited as lightboxes. He appears in them enacting scenarios that feel both vaguely familiar and slightly tough to pin down: a beefy tattooed guy leaning over a balcony, a man in a sterile, retro lecture hall with a TV set parked in front of a chalky blackboard. Story continues Some of these works appeared to have specific referents, such as 2007s The Gifted Amateur, November 10, 1962, in which Graham poses as an artist spilling yellow paint down a tilted canvas in a midcentury home. The painter Morris Louis, as New York Times critic Roberta Smith once noted, died two months before the date noted in the works title. Theres a roguish charm to Rodney Grahams art, but it is ultimately aloof, as if intended to entertain a party of one, namely himself, Smith wrote. The rest of us can certainly watch if we choose to, but its not required. Watch, many of his viewers did, and with glee, too. The writer Rachel Kushner once praised a film in which Graham drops LSD as being deliberate, precise, complicatedjust as you might have suspected. The artist and musician Kim Gordon once said she loved the lyrics of Grahams music, which he began producing before he even turned to art. Rodney Graham, Dinner Break (Salisbury Steak), 2017. Rodney Graham was born in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in 1949. He attended the University of British Columbia for art history and, later, Simon Fraser University, where he was taught by the drummer Ian Wallace. With Wallace, he was part of the band UJ3RK5, whose members also included the photographer Jeff Wall. In the years afterward, Graham would be considered a part of the Vancouver School alongside Wall, Wallace, Stan Douglas, Ken Lum, and Vikky Alexander. All of these artists utilized reproductions and restagings in their photo-based practices to consider the slippery nature of reality, especially when it was filtered through the lens of a camera. Grahams earliest works, from the late 70s and early 80s, are far more conceptual than the works for which he later became known. Many of these had to do with camera obscuras, a device that can display a flipped image on a wallessentially a form of projection that dates back to projectors came into being. He would photograph trees and exhibit the resulting pictures upside-down, alluding both to this proto-projection technology and to the true nature of vision itself. Before the brain rights it, the eye sees a tree upside down in the same way it appears on the glass back of the large format field camera I use, he once said. In the 80s, he began to make more frequent use of loops in his work, rearranging ready-made text lifted from a Georg Bucher novel until it no longer made sense. Rodney Graham, Gary Oak, Galiano Island, 2012. Whether he was focused on the Marlboro Man or Rheinmetall typewriters, Graham always took up his subject matter with a spirit of serious curiosity and playful subversion. This extended to the paintings he produced toward the end of his career. They looked a lot like Cubist masterpieces or overlooked modernist gems, but in fact, Graham had carefully engineered them that way. Viewers interested to learn more would find out that Graham had actually determined their compositions in Photoshop. By the end of his career, he had appeared in one edition each of the Venice Biennale, documenta, and the Whitney Biennial, as well as a host of other recurring international showcases. He had had retrospectives at the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, the Museum Voorlinden, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and he had been named to the Order of Canada. But he still remained humblefor the most part. When Frieze asked in 2007 what he would choose to do if he were not an artist, he said, Being a rock starhey wait a minute I AM a rock star! Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Matthew Perry reveals in his upcoming memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, that he had to pull out of Adam McKays star-studded Netflix comedy Dont Look Up after a medical scare in which his heart stopped for five minutes (via Rolling Stone). The actor was at a rehab center in Switzerland at the time. He writes that a combination of hydrocodone and propofol stopped his heart. According to Rolling Stone, Perry was set to play a Republican journalist in Dont Look Up and even shot a scene with Jonah Hill. The actor writes in his memoir that Dont Look Up would have been the biggest movie Id gotten ever. He was even set to share scenes with Meryl Streep. During filming, Perry was already taking hydrocodone. More from Variety When Perry went to the rehab center, he lied to his doctors about having severe stomach pain in order to get prescribed hydrocodone. In fact, I was ok, he writes. It still felt like I was constantly doing a sit-up so it was very uncomfortable but it wasnt pain. To help with his pain, the doctors decided to have Perry undergo surgery to put some kind of weird medical device in my back. The actor took hydrocodone the night before his surgery and was then administered the anesthesia drug propofol during the surgery, the combination of which stopped his heart. I was given the shot at 11:00 a.m., Perry writes. I woke up eleven hours later in a different hospital. Apparently, the propofol had stopped my heart. For five minutes. It wasnt a heart attack I didnt flatline but nothing had been beating. I was told that some beefy Swiss guy really didnt want the guy from Friends dying on his table and did CPR on me for the full five minutes, beating and pounding my chest. If I hadnt been on Friends, would he have stopped at three minutes? Did Friends save my life again? Story continues He may have saved my life, but he also broke eight of my ribs, Perry adds. Perry concludes by writing that he was in too much pain after the medical incident to return to the Dont Look Up set. He says the decision to exit the movie was heartbreaking. The one scene Perry did shoot for the movie did not make it into the movies theatrical release. Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is now available for pre-order and releases on Nov. 1. Perry has been promoting the book for the last couple weeks, revealing that he spent around $9 million on his sobriety over the years. 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday addressed his new Government Coordination Council to hasten the countrys war efforts in Ukraine, alluding to the coronavirus pandemic as one reason to accelerate decisionmaking. The Kremlin announced the councils creation on Friday, saying it would improve coordination within Russias government as the country continues to face territorial losses in its invasion from a Ukrainian southern offensive. We faced certain difficulties and the need to upgrade our work, give it a new momentum and new character when we were responding to the coronavirus pandemic, Putin told the group, according to remarks released by the Kremlin. We managed to do much then to update these regulations and get rid of the archaic procedures that are preventing us from moving forward at the pace the country needs, he added. Putin said the group, which is headed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, includes deputy prime ministers, agency heads and regional representatives. The body will look to more effectively provide medicine and equipment to support Russias invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow dubs a special military operation, although Putin did not explain in detail how these objectives would be accomplished. If we follow standard bureaucratic procedures and hide behind formalities, we will not achieve the desired result in any area, he said. We established a mechanism like the Coordination Council with the express purpose of resolving all issues faster and more effectively. Putin initially hoped to quickly force Ukraines surrender when Russia invaded the country in February, but Russian forces have seen a series of setbacks, first failing to take the capital city of Kyiv and now facing losses in territory captured in the spring. Various U.S. and Western officials have indicated Russia has faced a variety of tactical and equipment failures during the invasion, and President Biden has said Putin totally miscalculated. Story continues The efforts of Putins new coordinating group will look to counter gains made by a Ukrainian offensive previously focused in the countrys northeast that has now extended to the south. As Russian forces retreat from an increasing number of settlements and towns, Putin has escalated the conflict by calling up to 300,000 reservists, threatening the use of nuclear weapons and annexing four Ukrainian regions. Last week, Putin declared martial law in the four regions, which experts say could mean mass deportations of Ukrainians out of the Russian-occupied territory as Kyivs forces inch closer to Kherson, the sole regional capital controlled by Moscow. Russia has also accused Ukraine of producing biological weapons and planning to use a radioactive dirty bomb, claims that have been condemned as Russian propaganda by U.S. officials. Ukraine has cited those claims as evidence Russia itself is planning to stage a major attack in Ukraine, referencing purported evidence of planted mines at a dam and Putins past threats of nuclear warfare. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Red. Rosso. The color of love, passion, power. And Valentino Garavanis muse of a hue. In fact, a color so prevalent for the Italian fashion house to this day, that its archives as artfully shared in Assoulines new Valentino Rosso out Tuesday feature an incredible 550 shades of red spanning Garavanis reign to current creative director Pierpaolo Picciolis. More from WWD For the Valentino maison, red is not just a color. It is a non-fading mark, a logo, an iconic element of the brand, a value, reads a red page in the coffee table book featuring a quote from the designer himself. In a March 1999 issue of WWD, a feature on color being the biggest Oscar trend of the year, Valentino Garavani, who had made a couture dresses for Whitney Houston and Meryl Streep that year, said: For my actresses, I still believe white, black and pale gray are the most becoming for major eventsIn daylight and the Oscar arrivals are in daylight strong colors can look almost vulgar. Im not sure these colors even work for fashion during the day. The only color I work with is red, because it is the good luck color of Italy. Its not shocking to see a woman in red. Not a retrospective, rather an answer to how prevalent red has been in Valentinos collections, Piccioli, cataloguing for the book some of the houses most exquisite pieces in red and pink, set out to explore what the color reflects. Valentino Archives is a living and pulsing ecosystem in which all of our treasures are ready to tell their own stories when interrogated. This time, we wanted to know how many red dresses we have, how present Rosso Valentino is in all of our creations. So this book, maybe, is an answer to that question, or the beginning of something more, he writes in the foreword. The first red dress presented in striking contrast on a white page in Valentino Rosso is the first Valentino created for his first haute couture collection presented for spring 1959 in Rome. The dress was made of red tulle, with a streamlined strapless neckline cascading into a balloon skirt detailed with tulle roses. Its name was Fiesta. Story continues Red gives the Fiesta dress its modernity, creating its landscape all in one tone, writer and curator Charlie Porter notes in the introduction to the book. The power of a garment or outfit created from one single tone, he continues, focuses the mind. The notion is one Piccioli has also played with through Pink PP, allowing superior craftsmanship and detailing to radiate undistracted by any other shade or pattern. The color, which is an official Pantone hue and one Piccioli considers among the maisons shades of red, has become synonymous with modern-day Valentino and has, in many ways, reinvigorated a love for the shade. Pink makes some appearances throughout the book, including a spread of voluminous gowns from Picciolis haute couture fall-winter 2018-19 collection. More than 300 pages, featuring more than 180 iconic Valentino gowns and accessories, Valentino Rosso tells the tale of red and the relationship the house has had with it over more than 50 years. Throughout, quotes from Garavani and Piccioli, as well as designers and fashion icons, bring life to the notion of the color, and its feeling for them. Red is the great clarifier bright and revealing. I cant imagine becoming bored with red it would be like becoming bored with the person you love, French American fashion editor Diana Vreeland once said. Whether examining the hues influence in European art as early as 1593 or its early influence on Valentino Garavani at the opera Carmen, where the designer said he came to understand that there was no better color after black and white, Porter explores what color has contributed to clothing and the emotions it evokes. When we talk about clothing, we talk about its properties as if they are external to us. Most of them are: the yarn, the resulting material, its cut, its form. These are the physical qualities that are independent of us. This is not the case when we perceive the color of the garment. That perception exists within our brain. By perceiving the color, we are connected to the garment itself, he writes. Color, like red, breaks from gender, breaks from control. It connects with desires, instincts, urges and understandings that cannot be controlled. Valentino Rosso lets outsiders into the houses well-preserved archives, and draws fashion insiders further into what Valentino Garavani saw in red, and all it held the power to do. In one of the books quotes, he says, [Red] is a strong color but at the same time its a non-color. Its neutral: like black, brown, blue, white. Its not pale or a pastel shade. It conveys lots of energy, lots of oomph. Red is life, passion, love. Its the cure for sadness. The book, part of Assoulines Legends Collection, comes in silk hardcover with a luxury slipcase and retails for $250. Launch Gallery: Assouline's 'Valentino Rosso' Coffee Table Book Best of WWD Click here to read the full article. If all politics is local, then the Louisville Metro Council seats up for election on Nov. 8 are fairly important to shaping the future of the Derby City. All odd-numbered districts, or 13 seats, are on the ballot this year, but the May primary resulted in six contested races for voters to decide this fall. District 1 was initially a race between Republican Charlie Bell and Democrat Tammy Hawkins, but Bell eventually chose to seek a school board seat. The District 5 race features incumbent Donna Purvis, a Democrat, and independent candidate Quintez Brown, but after Brown had registered to run, he was charged in February with shooting at mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg. He remains held in federal detention while his state and federal court cases are pending. The 26-member Metro Council has a current makeup of 19 Democrats and seven Republicans. More:Election Day is soon. Everything you need to know about voting in Kentucky Here's our voter guide on the candidates in the contested races. Some responses have been lightly edited for clarity. District 7 Paula McCraney (Democrat) Age: 63 Occupation: CEO and Performance Consultant for P Mc & Associates; owner and operator of The Traveling Boutique Political offices held: Metro councilwoman since 2018 Mike Parrino (Republican) Age: 70 Occupation: Retired, former financial controller of multistate corporation, IT and business consultant/owner, federal bank examiner Political offices held: None Chris Thieneman (Independent) Age: 57 Occupation: Real estate professional Political offices held: None What policies, ordinances and efforts must Louisville enact and keep in place over time in order to try to stem violence, shootings and homicides? McCraney: "Full funding of LMPD and recruiting, reclaiming and retaining officers to effectively implement community policing. Equally important is funding public safety programs such as GVI (Gun Violence Intervention) and Cure Violence (violence interruption) and strengthening programs that pair social workers with LMPD to handle mental health and drug abuse crises." Story continues Parrino: "We need an emphasis on reducing crime and improving public safety, hiring more police officers, better pay for police and correction officers, community policing, drug treatment during incarceration, fully supporting Group Violence Intervention program, oppose efforts to release violent or drug-related criminals, additional crime deterrent technology." Thieneman: "I would propose police reform along with prioritizing LMPD within Metro Council. Louisville is not safe until all citizens are safe. I will help bring a culture to the department that encourages good officers to come forward to help weed out the dirty cops. We currently have good officers that are scared of retribution for exposing corruption." What is one idea that you would seek to implement or introduce in your district if elected? McCraney: "Proposed for District 7 are 520-unit apartments and 72-unit townhomes. These initiatives and the impending Veterans Medical Center will attract more residents, visitors and traffic. Therefore, I plan to contribute funding and oversee the widening of Herr Lane and portions of Brownsboro Road between Herr Lane and Seminary Drive." Parrino: "I would like to see better long range planning/coordination/appropriation of state funds with state agencies, local utilities and Metro Government regarding infrastructure and road improvements. District 7 has several state-controlled roads that are inadequate for current and future population growth." Thieneman: "We must take politics out of the affordable housing equation and leave it to the people the city has hired to make affordable housing more accessible. As a builder and developer whos seen the corruption firsthand, the city would have thousands more opportunities for home ownership if it were not for the demands of politicians to get their kickbacks." District 9 Alexandra Martindale (Republican) Age: 29 Occupation: Human resources and training manager Political offices held: None Andrew Owen (Democrat) Age: 50 Occupation: President of Preston Thomas Properties LLC and commercial real estate investor Political offices held: None What policies, ordinances and efforts must Louisville enact and keep in place over time in order to try to stem violence, shootings and homicides? Martindale: "We must recruit and retain 300+ well-paid and trained officers that our city is currently lacking, and further implement Group Violence Intervention (GVI). Before proposing any additional, we should enforce our existing laws regarding illegal gun possession and keep violent offenders off our streets." Owen: "We must invest in the people and places that have the least economic, social and political capital. It will take time, but ensuring people have access to government services and jobs that pay a living wage will go a long way toward mitigating the hopelessness and anger that lead to violence and crime." What is one idea that you would seek to implement or introduce in your district if elected? Martindale: "I would seek to implement a Business Improvement District around Frankfort Avenue. This is money, untouched by government nor funded by residents, that would fund 'ambassadors' to pick up trash, trim branches affecting pedestrians and escort the homeless away from parks/businesses to connect them with city and mental health resources." Owen: "Improve the public infrastructure in the 9th District to make our commercial corridors more inviting and walkable. Within a year, I expect neighbors to notice the many small improvements to curbs, sidewalks, plantings, public art, signage, benches, etc. that make up a safe and inviting sense of place and encourage families to 'stroll the Avenue.'" District 13 Mark Fox (Democrat) Age: 63 Occupation: Retired operations major for Louisville Metro Police Political offices held: Louisville Metro Criminal Justice Commission member Dan Seum Jr. (Republican) Age: 63 Occupation: Retired small business owner who also helped initiate Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana and assisted his father, former state Sen. Dan Seum, with some policymaking Political offices held: None What policies, ordinances and efforts must Louisville enact and keep in place over time in order to try to stem violence, shootings and homicides? Fox: "I believe the key is to enforce the laws that we already have. In other cities we have seen how trying to legislate your way out of a problem only impacts those that are already obeying the law and playing by the rules. Enforce current laws in a constitutional and respectful way." Seum: "I believe the best solution to dropping homicides is Gang Violence intervention. Safety is our citizens' main concern, and the facts show that most of the violence is gang/drug related. I will make sure we properly fund qualified police officers to circumvent the growth of gangs." What is one idea that you would seek to implement or introduce in your district if elected? Fox: "I want to continue the fight for dollars for those of us living outside the Watterson Expressway. Many in my District felt left behind when the city-county merger took effect in 2003. I will continue to stand firmly and fight for what my community expects and deserves from their government." Seum: "I will immediately find ways to enhance our Community Park as well as Jefferson Forest. I was invited to our local park to view the warped bleachers and neglect. I was a middle school football coach. I understand the value of youth sports and parents. I plan to ensure our park is updated." District 17 William Bezoenik (Independent) Age: 58 Occupation: Mainframe engineer Political offices held: None. Kent Hall (Republican) Age: 61 Occupation: Retired from Jefferson County Clerk's Office. Political offices held: City commissioner, Murray Hill. Markus Winkler (Democrat) Age: 43 Occupation: Manager of HR Information Systems at a Fortune 100 company Political offices held: Metro councilman since 2018 What policies, ordinances and efforts must Louisville enact and keep in place over time in order to try to stem violence, shootings and homicides? Bezoenik: "I support police and community policing." Hall: "Nothing is more important for restoring public safety in our community than taking steps to fully staff our police force with competent, qualified professional officers who are equipped and trained to do the job. Secondly, our most experienced officers are choosing to leave the police force to go where they are better paid and better treated. Thirdly, we have a significant need to improve the morale within our police force. Once we elect a new leadership team that focuses on delivering these three key things we will go a long way toward making our city safer." Winkler: "We need a three-pronged focus: prevention, enforcement, adjudication. Prevention: Fund our anti-violence and intervention efforts that are starting to work. Enforcement: Fund efforts that attract and retain officers, getting us to full force strength through new hires, rehires and laterals. Adjudication: Stronger judiciary partnership to ensure those committing violent crimes receive maximum penalties." What is one idea that you would seek to implement or introduce in your district if elected? Bezoenik: "My one idea is more community policing. But we need to address our failed current chief and failed mayor. We need to address concerns that are real to our citizens, infrastructure, safety (and) out of control spending. I want to see (a) common sense administration." Hall: "A fully staffed police force is my top priority. (Also) I don't want any more major developments approved for this portion of the county unless the necessary infrastructure is already in place. ... One example of this is Westport Road. It was widened, straightened and flattened, and a huge increase in traffic followed. Now, if you attend public meetings, they talk about the need to add turning lanes, or traffic signals or improved curbing, striping and lighting after residents already don't feel safe to pull out in traffic at their intersections." Winkler: "One focus area will be continued improvements to infrastructure including additional traffic mitigation measures; investments in amenities in Hounz Lane and Berrytown parks; constructing a multi-use path to Tom Sawyer Park; median improvements along our commercial corridors to ensure our area remains a great place to live, work and play." More city politics:Attorney, developer, runner: Craig Greenberg wants 'big changes' if he is Louisville mayor District 21 Stephen Dattilo Jr. (Republican) Did not respond. Betsy Ruhe (Democrat) Age: 60 Occupation: Environmental educator with the Louisville Nature Center Political offices held: None John A. Witt (Independent) Could not be reached for comment. What policies, ordinances and efforts must Louisville enact and keep in place over time in order to try to stem violence, shootings and homicides? Ruhe: "We need to reduce the number of guns on our streets, whether that is through buy-back programs, destruction of seized weapons or other means. As a community, we also need to intervene before violence occurs, breaking the cycle of violence." What is one idea that you would seek to implement or introduce in your district if elected? Ruhe: "I will work to ensure our citizens have access to safe, stable housing and the resources to stay in it. My office will work with other organizations to get our homeless neighbors the resources they need to become productive citizens." Other city politics:From J-Town to downtown, Bill Dieruf touts his 'centrist' bona fides for Louisville mayor District 25 Khalil "Charlie" Batshon (Republican) Age: 36 Occupation: Restauranteur, entrepreneur; has served as vice chair of Southwest Community Ministries and on board of Kentucky Restaurant Association Political offices held: None Amy Holton Stewart (Democrat) Age: 58 Occupation: Retired from Jefferson County Public Schools; was the family resource and youth services center coordinator at Pleasure Ridge Park High School and Greenwood Elementary Political offices held: Metro councilwoman since 2021 What policies, ordinances and efforts must Louisville enact and keep in place over time in order to try to stem violence, shootings and homicides? Batshon: "Added pressure on our judicial system and state leaders to get tougher on violent and drug crimes and not put people accused of these types of crimes back on our streets. Many of these people are committing more crimes while they await trial and their presence on the streets can fuel even greater violence." Stewart: "We need to hire more officers to assist our depleted LMPD force and give our divisions the backup they need. I sponsored the LMPD raise to incentivize the hiring and retention of officers. I speak daily to state lawmakers and judges to hold criminals accountable to address carjackings, robberies and juvenile crime." What is one idea that you would seek to implement or introduce in your district if elected? Batshon: "Getting the representatives from our area to stand up to the rest of the city and stop taking the South End for granted and pushing funding to areas inside of the Watterson. We must invest in the infrastructure, parks and other resources in the South End and demand the attention of the mayor and business leaders." Stewart: "I have secured land and funding to build a new park in South Louisville that will include a sprayground and playground for citizens to have access to recreational and green space. This project will help close the gap of parks inequity in Southwest Louisville." Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 2022 Election: What to know on Louisville Metro Council candidates (Getty Images) Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has unilaterally acted to block South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham from being compelled to give evidence before the Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury investigating former president Donald Trumps efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. Justice Thomas, whose wife Ginni Thomas recently appeared before the House January 6 select committee to testify as to her involvement in efforts to keep Mr Trump in office against the wishes of US voters, issued a one-page order staying a Georgia district court order permitting enforcement of a Fulton County judges subpoena compelling Mr Graham to testify about phone calls he made to Georgia officials in the weeks following Mr Trumps loss. Mr Graham has been fighting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis push for his testimony, which he claims would violate the US Constitutions speech or debate clause barring members of the House or Senate from being questioned in any other place about their official actions. The GOP senator had argued that his calls to Georgia officials were part of an informal investigation carried out in his then-role as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the Georgia district court rejected those claims and instead ruled that he could be questioned about the calls by Ms Willis and grand jurors. After Mr Graham appealed the ruling to the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, a three-judge panel affirmed the lower court decision, writing that he had failed to demonstrate that he is likely to succeed on the merits of his appeal. Mr Graham again appealed the ruling last week, this time to the Supreme Court, which divides supervision of appeals from the 12 circuit courts among its nine members. Because Justice Thomas handles the 11th Circuit, the case was his initial responsibility. While in many instances justices refer such emergency appeals to the full court for consideration, Justice Thomas instead acted unilaterally to issue a single-sentence order states that the Georgia courts 1 September order is hereby stayed pending further order from either Justice Thomas or the entire Supreme Court. Story continues Justice Thomas, the courts most senior associate justice, has been facing calls for him to recuse himself from matters involving the 2020 election and the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Legal experts have questioned his prior decision not to recuse himself from a case involving Mr Trumps efforts to block the House select committee from accessing his former administrations records, citing his wifes involvement in efforts to overturn 2020 election results in several swing states. Ms Thomas, a veteran conservative activist, has long maintained that she and her husband do not discuss each others professional activities. Chip Somodevilla/Getty On Monday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, sent a letter to President Biden on behalf of 30 liberal Democrats urging the administration to consider a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire in Ukraine. But on Tuesday, facing fierce blowback, she reversed course and blamed her staff for releasing the letter without vetting. In the plea to Biden, the caucus wrote, We agree with the Administrations perspective that it is not Americas place to pressure Ukraines government regarding sovereign decisions, and with the principle you have enunciated that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, the letter said. But as legislators responsible for the expenditure of tens of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in military assistance in the conflict, we believe such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues, including direct engagement with Russia, to reduce harm and support Ukraine in achieving a peaceful settlement. The opposition was, not altogether unpredictably, immediate. Republican leaders have stated publicly that they plan to reconsider their support for Ukrainian military aid if they retake Congress in the coming months. Meanwhile, experts say Russian troops in Ukraine have committed war crimes under international law, and that granting the Kremlin any concessions at all, especially allowing them to keep parts of Crimea they annexed illegally, would improperly reward an outlaw regime. There is moral and strategic peril in sitting down with Putin too early, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) tweeted in response. It risks legitimizing his crimes and handing over parts of Ukraine to Russia in an agreement that Putin wont even honor. Sometimes, a bully must be shown the limits of his power before diplomacy can work. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a Massachusetts Democrat who did not sign the letter, tweeted, This letter is an olive branch to a war criminal whos losing his war. Ukraine is on the march. Congress should be standing firmly behind @JoeBidens effective strategy, including tighternot weaker!sanctions. Story continues Jayapals first reaction to the backlash was to issue a public statement reaffirming support for Ukraine and clarifying her earlier call for diplomacy. Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support, Jayapal said. On Tuesday afternoon, Jayapal did a complete 180 and withdrew Mondays letter in its entirety. She laid the blame at the feet of unidentified staffers, claiming the missive had been sent out in error. The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting, Japayal said. As Chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this. Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over. One of the more blatant attempts to throw your own staff under the bus Ive seen since getting to Washington pic.twitter.com/VyLMefdI4g Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) October 25, 2022 Jayapal said in her retraction that the proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces. A source later told Politico that Jayapal had personally approved the letters release on Monday. National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby told CNN that the White House received the letter and the members of the administration certainly appreciate the sentiments expressed by these members of Congress. But, he cautioned, When you see and you listen to his rhetoric, and you see the other thingsbe they atrocities, the war crimes, the airstrikes against civilian infrastructure that the Russians are committingits clear Mr. Putin is in no mood to negotiate." Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here 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. Two years ago, a majority of voters in South Dakota passed a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana. However, a lawsuit last year prevented the Mount Rushmore state from joining the nearly 19 other states in the country that have regulated cannabis sales for their adults. Proponents of the 2020 measure are taking it back to the polls this November with a new ballot measure, one that they hope will show naysayers that the general public wants change. "The fact that a law that was approved by 54% was repealed by a lawsuit is something the people have not ignored," Matthew Schweich, the deputy director of the advocacy group the Marijuana Policy Project, who has been spearheading the efforts of the 2022 ballot, told ABC News. MORE: Abortion access, labor rights, legal pot among initiatives up for vote in states this November Recent polling shows that the state's ballot initiative outcome could be tight and policy experts tell ABC News that it will have a major impact on the future national cannabis laws. PHOTO: People passing a joint. (STOCK IMAGE/Getty Images) "Every year there is a cumulative effect, there is more data, there is more political will to change policies," Dr. Mason Marks, Florida Bar Health Law Section Professor at Florida State University College of Law, told ABC News. Ballot initiative deja vu In the 2020 election, South Dakota had two separate ballot measures related to legalizing cannabis. Initiated Measure 26, which legalized medical marijuana, passed with roughly 69% of the vote, while Constitutional Amendment A, which legalized recreational marijuana for adults, passed with 54% of the vote, according to election records. The latter ballot measure was blocked a year later in a lawsuit filed by two highway patrol officers on behalf of Gov. Kristi Noem. The South Dakota Supreme Court ruled on Nov 24, 2021, that the measure couldnt become law because it violated the states requirement that constitutional amendments deal with just one subject. PHOTO: In this July 16, 2021, file photo, Kristi Noem, governor of South Dakota, speaks during the Family Leader summit in Des Moines, Iowa. (Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE) "South Dakota is a place where the rule of law and our constitution matter, and thats what todays decision is about," Noem said in a statement after the court decision. Story continues MORE: Senate Democrats unveil long-awaited marijuana legalization bill Schweich said South Dakotans who supported the measure have been furious. Legalized cannabis supporters were able to get enough signatures for a new ballot this year. PHOTO: Yes on 27 campaign manager Matthew Schweich (second from right) and deputy campaign manager Quincy Hanzen (second from left) and two Measure 27 supporters at a campaign event in Sisseton, SD, located on the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation. (Matthew Schweich ) If Initiated Measure 27 passes it would legalize "the possession, use, and distribution of marijuana." "I spoke with these people and I was amazed at how many people who signed the petition say this was about restoring the will of the people," Schweich said. Support waning slightly A poll released last week by South Dakota State University has shown that this year's ballot measure could be a very close vote. Roughly 45% of South Dakotan voters are in favor of IM 27 while, 47% are opposed, and 8% are undecided, according to recent poll results. The poll, which was conducted between Sept. 28 and Oct. 10, interviewed 565 state voters and had a margin of error of +/- 4%, pollsters said. "It really is too close to call," David Wiltse, an associate professor of political science at South Dakota State University who oversees the poll, told ABC News. Wiltse noted that legalized cannabis is a lower priority for a lot of voters compared to the state and congressional races. "A lot of people will hold off giving a definitive answer three or four weeks out," he said. MORE: New Jersey starts legal recreational marijuana sales today Bob Burns, a distinguished professor emeritus of Political Science at South Dakota State University, said the electorate's mood has changed since 2020, especially since medicinal marijuana passed. PHOTO: In this June 2, 2020, file photo, voters cast their ballot at a polling location in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE) "Since medical has been put in place we have a certain segment that is reconsidering their stance on recreational," Burns told ABC News. "Some voters felt that medical was important but they went with both [2020 ballot measures] because they didn't know which one was going to be approved, and if recreational passed then medical would too." While there was major support from South Dakotans to legalize cannabis, the latest ballot measure has had some opposition. Protecting South Dakota Kids, a coalition of residents, medical professionals, pastors and others, has spoken out against the measure contending legalizing cannabis wasn't needed to reform the criminal justice system. "The promises of a windfall of new revenue have been unrealized, but their taxpayers are left funding the marijuana industry. Their citizens are seeing rising lawlessness, marijuana-related emergency room visits, drug treatment, and increased traffic fatalities," James T. Kinyon a spokesman for the group told ABC News in a statement. Ripple effect Marks noted that South Dakota's new initiative is different from other previous ballot measures, in that its language is broad and doesn't include any language about dispensaries or regulation, leaving those protocols up to the state. "It eliminates criminal penalties to grow, and use and share," he said. "Essentially it's taking the drug off the schedule on a state level." Marks noted that there has been a push for years for the federal level to remove cannabis from the DEA's list of scheduled drugs and South Dakota's measure could give those arguments more weight. "If this influences national policy, it would be huge," he said. In the meantime, the national discussion over marijuana will certainly play a role in the ballot measure's outcome in South Dakota and other locations this election, according to Marks. Voters in North Dakota, Missouri, Maryland and Arkansas will also decide if their adult residents can purchase and use legalized cannabis in this year's election. PHOTO: Where Recreational Marijuana is Legal in the Country (ABC News Photo Illustration) Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia allow for recreational marijuana use for adults. On Oct. 5, President Joe Biden announced he was pardoning all Americans who've been convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law. He also requested Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland to expeditiously review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. MORE: Legal marijuana movement builds as more states change laws Marks said Biden was not only committing to a campaign promise but also tapping into the changing attitudes Americans have about legalized cannabis. The percentage of Americans who support legalizing marijuana went from 32% to 67% between 2009 and 2019, according to the Pew Research Center. Burns noted that whatever happens with the South Dakota initiative, legislators in the state and others throughout the country will have to address this trend. "The general population has certainly been out in front of the elected officials when it comes to marijuana," he said. Legalized recreational weed in South Dakota gets election redo this November originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Gerald Reed, a former Illinois inmate who alleged he was beaten by Chicago police detectives who worked under disgraced former Cmdr. Jon Burge, was released from prison last year after Gov. J.B. Pritzker commuted his life sentence amid a series of bizarre turns that saw Reeds murder conviction overturned, reinstated and then overturned again. But Reeds case took another pivot Tuesday when a special prosecutor retrying the double murder case asked a judge to set bond for him. Prosecutor Robert Milan alleged Reed went on a three-state crime spree that involved cases in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin after his release. The prosecutors request poses an unusual question for the judge to consider: Should a defendant be held in jail until he can post bail if he has already served the sentence for the crime he is accused of? A Cook County judge previously ruled that even if Reed is again tried and convicted, he cannot serve more time in an Illinois prison in connection with the 1990 case. Reeds defense points out he is already in custody in the new charges. Judge Steven G. Watkins denied the prosecutors request to issue a warrant because Reed is already in custody on the new charges, but he took the matter of bond under advisement and said he would issue a written ruling. In this situation, if this defendant could not post bond, and we already know he cannot be sentenced to another day in the Illinois Department of Corrections, he would in effect be incarcerated even though his sentence is commuted, Watkins said. Reed was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of murdering two people in 1990, but he has maintained that two detectives working under Burge beat him until he confessed to fatally shooting Pamela Powers and Willie Williams on the South Side. Judge Thomas Gainer in 2018 threw out his convictions and his statement to police after years of hearings over Reeds allegations that he was tortured by the Chicago police officers. Reed remained in custody while prosecutors said they would bring him to trial again, without the tainted confession. Story continues But after Gainer retired, the new judge assigned to the case, Judge Thomas Hennelly, reviewed it and reinstated Reeds conviction and life sentence. Reed, though, was released from prison in 2021 after Pritzker commuted his sentence, freeing him but leaving his conviction intact. Later that year, in another reversal, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Reeds conviction should indeed be thrown out. Reed is one of dozens of defendants who have accused Burge and his midnight crew of detectives of torturing them to secure murder confessions in a sprawling scandal that has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in settlements, legal fees and other compensation to victims. While arguing the new bond motion Tuesday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Milan detailed a series of crimes allegedly involving Reed in August and September that are pending in multiple states, including the theft of $46,000 in tools from a Kenosha water utility department, theft of $100,000 in construction equipment from a business in north suburban Hoffman Estates and an armed robbery and attempted armed robbery of two women in Hammond. Milan argued that Reed poses a danger to the public and that he shouldnt be allowed to run roughshod over the community after his original sentence commutation. How does Mr. Reed thank the governor and the state of Illinois? He does so by committing this three-state crime spree, Milan said. In response, Reeds attorney Elliot Zinger said it makes absolutely no sense to issue another warrant for Reed and set a bond in the double murder case when he is already in custody on the new allegations. Regarding the bond issue, Zinger said he cant speak to the evidence in the other allegations Reed is facing, but noted that high bail amounts in those cases would likely mean Reed remains incarcerated. That doesnt change the status of this case, Zinger said of the double murder the special prosecutor is handling. The governor commuted his sentence indicating there can be no further jail time in this case. mabuckley@chicagotribune.com MATTHEW PERRY - Credit: Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images Matthew Perry was set to make an appearance opposite Meryl Streep in Dont Look Up but had to pull out of the film following a medical scare while at a treatment center in Switzerland amid his decades-long addiction battle. The actors heart stopped for five minutes, and doctors broke eight of his ribs trying to resuscitate him. Despite his success as a television actor, securing the part in Adam McKays political satire would have been the biggest movie Id gotten ever, Perry writes in his upcoming memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, out November 1. More from Rolling Stone His character was set to be a Republican journalist who had three scenes with Oscar-winning Streep. Flying out to Boston, where the movie was primarily filmed from Nov. 2020 to Feb. 2021, McKay loved one of Perrys on-the-fly pitches so much that it ended up being used in a group scene. But Perry was in the midst of crippling alcohol and opioid addiction, which his book traces back to his first drink at age 14 and his first Vicodin after sustaining an injury while filming Fools Rush In. Perry estimates he spent up to $9 million on rehab and sobriety efforts over the years. Even while shooting a group scene with Jonah Hill for Dont Look Up, he writes that he was on 1,800 milligrams of hydrocodone. Around this time, Perry says he went to a luxury rehab in Switzerland, where he was put up in a villa overlooking Lake Geneva and had his own butler and chef. Unable to completely give up his addiction, Perry says he was insisting to his doctors that he had severe stomach pain so theyd prescribe him drugs. In fact, I was OK, he writes. It still felt like I was constantly doing a sit-up so it was very uncomfortable but it wasnt pain. Story continues Doctors at the rehab center had been prescribing Perry hydrocodone, but to help with his pain further, they decided to put some kind of weird medical device in my back, which would require surgery. The night before the operation, Perry writes that he stayed up all night taking hydrocodone. In the operating room, he was administered propofol, which is regularly used for anesthesia. But the drug stopped Perrys heart. I was given the shot at 11:00 a.m., he writes. I woke up eleven hours later in a different hospital. Apparently, the propofol had stopped my heart. For five minutes. It wasnt a heart attack I didnt flatline but nothing had been beating. I was told that some beefy Swiss guy really didnt want the guy from Friends dying on his table and did CPR on me for the full five minutes, beating and pounding my chest. If I hadnt been on Friends, would he have stopped at three minutes? Did Friends save my life again? He may have saved my life, but he also broke eight of my ribs, he adds. Perry writes he was in too much pain to continue with Dont Look Up and had to pull out of the film. Calling the decision heartbreaking, Perry never got to film with Streep and ultimately, the one scene Perry did manage to film didnt make the movies final cut. Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. Oct. 25This report reflects public Pittsburg County District Court records filed at the Pittsburg County Courthouse between the dates listed. The reader should keep in mind that these are charges, and not evidence of guilt. with active arrest warrants issued by the court are included in this report. Dispositions of the charges are published in subsequent reports. Many names are similar and, in some cases, identical to a person not being charged. When names are identical, the News-Capital will publish a disclaimer, which more completely identifies the person being charged. CRIMINAL MISDEMEANOR FILINGS: Arena Coles, 23, Addison, Texas Possession of controlled dangerous substance, public intoxication Brandon Burton, 40, Sardis, Mississippi Protective order violation, driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked Leonard Boyed Gray, 41, no address given Larceny of merchandise from retailer Nicholas Brett Conley, 48, McAlester Possession of controlled dangerous substance x2, driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked, reckless driving Kyle Khai Xiong, 48, Lane Failure to carry insurance/security verification form, transporting opened container of intoxicating beverage, improper tag lamps George McGuire, 48, McAlester Petit larceny Beverly Lyn Sheets Bell, 27, Kiowa Unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest Dustin Jerome Pollock, 48, Kiowa Unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia Shane Logan Adams, 25, McAlester Threaten to perform act of violence Luis Alfredo Hernandez-Corona, 30, Woodward Burning in drought emergency conditions, trespass upon railroad property, obstructing officer, possession of controlled dangerous substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, knowingly receiving or concealing stolen property James Willard Stephens, 46, McAlester Obstructing officer, resisting an officer Shannon Lynn Mills, 42, McAlester Petit larceny Aminate Shittu, 27, Tyler, Texas Driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked Story continues James Marcus Brown Jr., 47, McAlester Trespassing after being forbidden Kimberly Renee Cooper, 31, Hartshorne Domestic abuse-assault and battery CRIMINAL FELONY FILINGS: Don Wayland Samuels, 53, Canadian Trafficking in illegal drugs Mark Andrew Lewis, 61, Wichita Falls, Texas Actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, transporting loaded firearm in motor vehicle Moises Aranda, 33, Albuquerque, New Mexico Assault and battery on a police officer, assault on a police officer, obstructing officer, failure to operate bicycle with proper reflectors Jalen Tyreik Green, 26, Krebs Shooting with intent to kill, assault, battery, or assault and battery with a dangerous weapon x2, malicious injury to property under $1,000 James Brandon Boatright, 43, McAlester Larceny of motor vehicle x3 Nathan Rex Upton, 33, McAlester Aggravated possession of child pornography, possession of controlled dangerous substance MISDEMEANOR DISPOSITIONS: Haken Javon Shine, 38, Eufaula, received two concurrent one-year deferred sentences for two counts of possession of controlled dangerous substance. Bobby Lee Vaughn Ingram, 38, McAlester, received a six-month deferred sentence for larceny of merchandise from a retailer. Julian Alan Kamrud, 20, Seiling, received an 18-month deferred sentence for driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. John Henry Stults, 43, Whitefield, received two concurrent one-year suspended sentences for possession of controlled dangerous substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Richard Rushing, 54, McAlester, received two concurrent six-month suspended sentences for driving a motor vehicle while under the influence and transporting opened container of intoxicating beverage. Shannon Lloyd Cruce, 51, McAlester, received a one-year suspended sentence for driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked. Jerry Ray Britzman, 54, Stigler, received an 18-month deferred sentence for leaving scene of accident-damaged fixture. Matell Alfonso Swboni, 20, McAlester, received a one-year suspended sentence for domestic abuse-assault and battery. Silas Evin Stufflebean, 28, McAlester, received a one-year sentence in the Pittsburg County Jail for possession of a controlled dangerous substance with credit for time served. Counts of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and trespassing after being forbidden were dismissed. Paul Robert Baer, 54, McAlester, was ordered to pay a fine and court costs for public intoxication. Jacob Wayne Newman, 21, Savanna, received a 30-day deferred sentence for public intoxication. Sheirdan Sexton Jr., 44, McAlester, received three one-year suspended sentences for possession of controlled dangerous substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked. Charges of failure to keep right, improper muffler, fail to register vehicle within 30 days of purchase, and operating vehicle with expired/improper tag/decal were dismissed. Eric Lee Ingram, 33, Council Hill, received two concurrent one-year suspended sentences for possession of controlled dangerous substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Two counts of driving with license suspended were dismissed against Jerry Ray Luna Jr., 38, Ada. Domestic abuse-assault and battery was dismissed against Johnny Wayne Snow, 39, McAlester. Driving with license suspended was dismissed against Jerome Shane Lands, 53, McAlester. Possession of controlled dangerous substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia were dismissed against Branden Beauchamp, 21, Eufaula. Possession of controlled dangerous substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked and transporting opened container of intoxicating beverage were dismissed against Phillip Simmons, 50, Noxville, Ohio. Trespass after being forbidden was dismissed against Angella Lee, 58, Eufaula. Unlawful carry was dismissed against Artyle Don Jacobs, 38, Eufaula. FELONY DISPOSITIONS: Jerry Ray Luna Jr., 38, Ada, received an eight-year suspended sentence for unlawful possession of controlled drug with intent to distribute. Charges of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked were dismissed. Jerome Shane Lands, 53, McAlester, received two concurrent six-month sentences in the Pittsburg County Jail for obstructing an officer and resisting an officer. Counts of bringing contraband into jail/penal institution and public intoxication were dismissed. Justin Datron Harris, 36, McAlester, received a four-year suspended sentence for possession of firearm after felony conviction. A charge of unlawful possession of controlled drug with intent to distribute was dismissed. Dustin Lee Harp, 39, Wilburton, received a one-year suspended sentence for knowingly receiving or concealing stolen property after it was amended to a misdemeanor along with a six-month suspended sentence for petit larceny. James Curtis Shull, 36, McAlester, received two 15-year suspended sentences for two counts of trafficking in illegal drugs with remaining balance suspended upon the successful completion of the Christian Alcoholics and Addicts In Recovery program. Charges of destroying evidence and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia were dismissed. Possession of firearm after former felony conviction, possession of controlled dangerous substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia were dismissed against Jerry Ray Luna Jr., 38, Ada. Possession of firearm after former felony conviction was dismissed against Joe Anthony Salazar, 36, San Antonio, Texas. Accessory to shooting with intent to kill was dismissed against Brittany Wood, 36, Checotah. UKRAINSKA PRAVDA TUESDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2022, 17:46 Aleksey Pavlov, assistant secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, has said that Ukraine should be "desatanised". Source: Kremlin-aligned news outlet RIA Novosti, quoting Pavlov Details: Pavlov claims that Ukraine has turned into a "totalitarian hypersect" where citizens have abandoned Orthodox values, and therefore "desatanisation" is becoming an urgent issue. Pavlov admits that the exact number of sects in Ukraine is unknown, but "the number is in the hundreds." Quote: "Using internet-based manipulations and psychotechnology, the new government [formed after 2014 - ed.] has turned Ukraine from a state into a totalitarian hypersect. Moreover, the authorities in Kyiv were the first to turn into militant fanatics whose views are directly opposite to those of normal people. I believe that with the continuation of the special military operation, it is becoming increasingly urgent to carry out the desatanisation of Ukraine, or, as Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic [part of the Russian Federation] aptly put it, its complete de-shaitanisation." [Shaitan are evil spirits in Islam.] Background: Earlier, Kadyrov accused the Armed Forces of Ukraine of attacking Russian oblasts and expressed dissatisfaction with the "weak responses" of the Russian Federation. He called for Ukrainian cities to be wiped off the face of the earth. Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council, advised Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-controlled head of Chechnya, to get out of Ukraine and stand up for the independence of his homeland before the aggressor becomes interested in destroying it as well. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ANCHORAGE, AlaskaSarah Palin may have been away from politics for over a decade, but one thing hasnt changed: When shes handed a microphone, anything can happen. But what happened during one of Palins most high-profile appearances of her campaign for Congress was emblematic of the somewhat surreal, extremely personal race shes run. Its been so bizarre that she just might pave the way for a Democratwho happens to be a good friendto win in November over herself and another Republican, whom she happens to strongly dislike. On Saturday, Palin appeared alongside her rivals in that raceRep. Mary Peltola, the Democrat who won Augusts special election, and Republican Nick Begichfor a candidate forum at the Alaska Federation of Natives annual convention. In essentially the same breath, Palin called for the investigation of President Joe Biden for illegal activities and then all but endorsed her friend Peltola. This is the toughest campaign, because of her. Mary! Palin exclaimed. Doggone it, I never have anything to gripe about, I just wish shed convert on over to the other party. But other than that, love her. More importantly to the race, as much as Palin loves Peltola, she may detest Begich. How a Democrat Won a State With Just 12% Dem Voters Since both entered the race to replace the late Rep. Don Young, Palin and Begichtwo brand names in Alaska politicshave feuded in bitter and personal fashion. And because of Alaskas unique election system, what Palin said at the conventionwhich was broadcast to a statewide audienceamounted to just a big FU to Begich, as one Alaska Republican told The Daily Beast. The state uses a system called ranked choice voting, where voters are asked to rank multiple candidates of all parties in order of preference. If no candidate gets a majority on the first round, those who voted for the last-place candidate will see their votes transferred to their second choice. If Republicans dutifully toed the party line and ranked Palin and Begich as their top two candidates, they might have a strong shot of winning back Alaskas House seat. But Palin has long resisted telling her supporters to rank the red, and has trashed Begich while praising Peltola. Story continues Continuing to give her supporters essentially a green light to back Peltola, as Palin did over the weekend, is what makes many Alaska political observers bullish that the Democrat will repeat her upset and win a full two-year term in November. But Palins love for Peltolaand hatred for Begichdoes not appear to be some Machiavellian strategy to beat the ranked choice system. Peltola is likely to place first on the initial round of voting, so the race will hinge on who the last place finishers supporters rank second. If Palin finishes last, she may well take Begich down with her. As tempting as it may be to think of Palin imploring her voters to rank Peltola second as a strategy to force Republicans to vote for her or hand the seat to a Democrat, it seems far more based on honest personal preferencea true statement of both hatred and admiration. Meanwhile, Peltola is also taking a kind tack with the former vice presidential nominee. The nastiest thing Peltola will say about Palinand shes been given many opportunities to tee offis that the former governor looked far more glamorous than she did when both were pregnant at the same time while serving in the Alaska State Capitol. If I dont like her, its only because she looked so much better, Peltola told The Daily Beast. Sarah has a genuine relationship with Mary dating from their time in Juneau, and a genuine dislike of Nick, said Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democratic state lawmaker. I think her actions show that shes ultimately relationship-driven, as much as those in the GOP wish she would do otherwise. Trumps Least Favorite GOP Senator May Survive Again But the fact that Palins beef with Begich and her fondness for Peltola could tip the race is just one of several characteristically strange things about the former governors return to the spotlight, 14 years after she first rocketed to national prominence as John McCains running-mate in 2008. According to a number of Alaska insiders and voters interviewed by The Daily Beast, Palin has run a low-key campaign. Beyond occasional interviews with Alaska media, she has eschewed the traditional campaign trail and isnt running much in the way of TV or radio ads. The Daily Beast attempted to contact the Palin campaign through her website to inquire about her campaign schedule but did not receive a reply. Meanwhile, Palins critics often accuse her of the worst possible sin in Alaska politics: spending too much time in the Lower 48. I'm out every single day working hard, and Sarahs spent a lot of time out of state, Begich said, in an interview with The Daily Beast. People have noticed that. Despite having the Complete and Total Endorsement of former President Donald Trump, Palin has alienated most of the conservative establishment and rank-and-file party activists of Alaska, who are largely supporting Begich. And many Alaskans have a strong distaste left in their mouths from Palins resignation as governor in 2009, which many saw as tantamount to quitting on the state. Yet, despite it all, Palin retains considerable support, and virtually every Alaska voter knows who she is. In the August special election, she got 31 percent of the vote on the first ballot, edging out Begich, who got 28 percent. That outcome puzzled many in Alaskaand some cant decide whether its a sign of her enduring sway or her irrelevance in a state that has moved on without her. The people who still love her really deeply love her, said Joelle Hall, executive director of the Alaska AFL-CIO. Its just a way smaller number than I think she thought it was going to be. Although the Alaska race is increasingly getting attention not because of Palin but Peltola, the former governor and her outsized shadow continues to loom large over the race. And nowhere is that clearer than on the campaign trail with Begich. In Alaska, Begich has as notable a name as Palins. His grandfather, Nick Begich Sr., was the states Democratic congressman until his death in a plane crash in 1972. His uncle, Mark Begich, was a Democratic U.S. senator from 2009 to 2015 and the former mayor of Anchorage. How a Ludicrous Sarah Palin Feud Could Hand Alaska to Democrats On Friday, Begich supporters held a birthday fundraiser for him in an airplane hangar at the edge of the Anchorage airport. At times, Palins presence was inescapableand not just because her former in-laws were in the crowd supporting Begich. Jim Palin, the father of Palins ex-husband Todd, has publicly endorsed Begich. He told The Daily Beast its nothing personal against his former daughter-in-law: We believe strongly he is the best candidate for the position. Real simple, Palin said. Were proud to be supporting him. When asked why he believes so many Alaskans continue to support the former governor, Palin was at a loss. I cant answer that one, I really cant, he said. Shes been really out of the scene for quite a few years. Shes always been very popular, no question about that, but Nick Begich got into this campaign over a year ago, and hes been at it hard and fast doing the right thing, and were proud to be supporting him. In interviews and on the stump, Begich is sharp, prepared, and smooth as a seasoned politicianin other words, everything Palin is not. But even in his disciplined remarks, she is frequently a foil. Riffing on Alaskas national significance at his fundraiser, Begich couldnt help but make an allusion to one of Palins defining gaffes of the 2008 campaignburnishing her national security appeal by saying that Russia was visible from Alaska, which was subjected to a brutal parody from Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live. For a lot of people, we're just a curiosity, but we need to be more than that, Begich said. And, oh yeah, there is Russia, right there. Ill say it too, its right next door. At that, the crowd burst out in laughter. But asked how he navigates the long shadow that Palin and her reputation casts on Alaska, Begich has a characteristically disciplined answer. Your question answers itself, because her reputation is so well-known. Everyone in Alaska already has an opinion formed about Sarah Palin, Begich said. And my race hasn't been about Sarah. It's about the future of the state of Alaskathats where the focus has been and thats where voters have been resonating with my campaign. Sarah Palin Loses Special Election for U.S. House Seat to Democrat Mary Peltola Begich and his allies insist that, despite Palins eagerness to praise Peltola and her reluctance to play by the rules of the ranked choice system, he is in a better position to win in November than in August. He told The Daily Beast there may be as many as 100,000 voters who did not participate in the special election who could show up in November. Plus, Begich said, Republicans are finally getting the hang of the strategy of ranked choice votingeven as party leaders continue to slam the system as corrupt, as Trump did in a social media post on Monday. It's a really complex message to communicate, because it's not intuitive, but people are starting to understand, Begich said. Many people after these events are coming up to me saying, yeah, I ranked someone else first previously, but now you're my number one choice. For some in Alaska politics, one of the more fascinating aspects of Palins comeback is how much her reaction to Peltola reminds them of Palin herself. When Palin won her 2006 campaign for Alaska governor, she cobbled together an unusual political coalition with a populist and anti-establishment appealnot to mention a serious amount of personal charisma. This thing you see about Mary, this starstruck adoration, is exactly how people felt about Sarah Palin, said Hall, of the AFL-CIO. She was adored, thronged, mobbed. She wasnt famous yetits just that people really liked what she had to say. With Peltola on a path to becoming Alaskas latest political starand Palins comeback bid on the precipice of stallingthe former governor couldnt seem to resist getting on the bandwagon herself. We are in Marys house, and I know that, Palin told the crowd at the Alaska Natives convention. I was proud of her as all of you are. 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. Stock photo of a voting booth Hill Street Studios/Getty Images The Arizona GOP asked for donations to help with the 2021 Maricopa County election analysis. Texts show the GOP was clear that the money would not go toward the audit, per the Washington Post. "We were expressly told that we could/should not raise money for the audit," Arizona state GOP chairman wrote. In 2021, the Arizona GOP sent out scores of fundraising emails asking people to support the Republican-led audit of the 2020 elections. However, text messages sent at the time by Arizona state GOP chairman Kelli Ward paint a different picture of where the money went, per a new report from the Washington Post. Party fundraising emails sent between May and September 2021 asked supporters to "Help America's Audit," the Post reported. The GOP also used fundraising site WinRed to ask voters to "Support the Maricopa County forensic audit." During that time, the Arizona Republican Party sent at least 92 emails mentioning the audit and raised $1.1 million, according to the Post. In contrast, $865,000 was raised collectively in 2020 and 2022, the Post reported. However, in June 2021 during which time the fundraising emails were being sent Ward told Washington Republicans that the money was not to be used for the audit, according to text messages relayed to the Post by an anonymous source. "We have not been raising money to pay for the audit," Ward texted Republicans on June 25, 2021, the unnamed source who knew of the message contents told the Post. "We were expressly told that we could/should not raise money for the audit and auditors before the audit began." In the same text, Ward wrote that the Arizona GOP would instead use the funds to "keep the pressure" and "communicate" about an audit, the source told the Post. In response to questions about the fundraising emails, Arizona GOP spokeswoman Kristy Dohnel told the Post the money went to "covering costs for security" during the audit. "The Republican Party of Arizona has been able to raise millions of dollars under Chairwoman Kelli Ward's leadership with amazing partners and relentless grass roots donors," Dohnel told the Post. Story continues Following the Post story about the Arizona GOP audit emails published Monday, journalist Josh Dawsey reported that Trump had a "tense" phone call with Ward. Ward is a close ally of Trump, according to people close to Trump who spoke to the Post. "President Trump is passionate about the Arizona America First candidates and wants them to win in November so does Chairwoman Ward," Dohnel said in a statement to Insider. The 2021 Republican-funded audit into the Maricopa county election results confirmed that President Joe Biden had won the election against former President Donald Trump. The election analysis was financially backed by prominent Republicans like former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and lawyer Sidney Powell. A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider House progressives on Tuesday retracted a letter they sent Monday to President Joe Biden in which they urged him to directly negotiate with Russia on an end to the war in Ukraine, now in its ninth month. "The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting," Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said in a statement Tuesday. Jayapal said she accepts responsibility for its release. PHOTO: Rep. Pramila Jayapal holds a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., August 12, 2022. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) MORE: Russia-Ukraine live updates: Kremlin responds to rejections of its 'dirty bomb' claim Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar confirmed in a statement to ABC News Tuesday that the 30 progressives wrote the letter over the summer "in response to reports that Ukraine was being pressured by Washington not to negotiate." The retraction follows backlash from both Democrats and Republicans, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It also comes less than a day after Jayapal clarified the letter's meaning after initial criticism from lawmakers. "Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom in the face of the illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter advocates for a change in that support," Jayapal said Monday. "Diplomacy is an important tool that can save lives -- but it is just one tool." When asked if the White House advised the Progressive Caucus to retract the letter, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday declined to comment on the letter. "We appreciate the bipartisan effort," she said about funding for the war effort to date, "and we are going to continue to be in conversations with members of Congress on how to continue to move forward in order to support Ukraine in their efforts," Jean-Pierre said at her daily press briefing. Speaking Tuesday, Pelosi vowed that Ukrainian aid would be included in an end-of-year funding bill. While the progressives who penned the letter urged direct talks with Russia, none of them have opposed more aid for Ukraine. Story continues "Congress has secured over $60 billion in security, economic, humanitarian and budget assistance for Ukraine," she said at an international aid conference summit in Zagreb, Croatia. "And more will be on the way when we pass our omnibus funding bill this fall." PHOTO: Nancy Pelosi listens to the speech of Ukraine's President via a video link on the opening session of the International Crimea Platform summit in Zagreb, on October 25, 2022. (Damir Sencar/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) In her remarks, Pelosi made it clear that the U.S. will continue defending democracy in Ukraine "until victory is won." Those comments make her the highest-ranking Democrat to seemingly buck the Progressive Caucus' message, which other Democratic lawmakers have criticized. Arizona Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego pushed back on the letter on Twitter, saying, "The way to end a war? Win it quickly. How is it won quickly? By giving Ukraine the weapons to defeat Russia."The letter also ruffled feathers among some who signed it. "I signed this letter on June 30, but a lot has changed since then," California Democrat Sara Jacobs tweeted. "I wouldn't sign it today." Wisconsin Democrat Mark Pocan also said in a tweet that the letter was written over the summer and held for release until now. "I have no idea why it went out now. Bad timing," he said. Directly engaging with Moscow as the now-retracted letter called for would mark a major shift from Biden's strategy of providing billions in military and economic aid as talks with Russia have faltered in recent months. PHOTO: Servicemen of Ukrainian Military Forces Employees load trucks with US military aid at Kyiv's Boryspil airport on Feb. 9, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images, FILE) House Republicans plan to put up a fight on passing Ukraine aid. Top House Intelligence Committee Republican Mike Turner of Ohio told reporters Monday that the end-of-year funding is going to be "the wild, wild west of spending" as Democratic lawmakers attach their final wish list of items during the upcoming lame-duck session. "The problem with Ukrainian funding in the House is not Ukraine," he said. "It's all the things that are being attached to it that have nothing to do with Ukraine." MORE: How much has US military aid helped Ukraine's stunning offensive? Turner later signaled that the House GOP, including Leader McCarthy, would support providing more weapons to Ukraine. It all comes weeks before the midterm elections in which Republicans could take over control of the House. Last week, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told Punchbowl News that a Republican House majority in the next Congress would not support "a free blank check" for Ukraine as Americans face a recession at home. Asked about the letter during her press briefing Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration is "very thankful" for the "bipartisan support" for Ukrainian aid it has enjoyed in Congress since earlier this year. Jean-Pierre said she had not seen the letter but that the White House would "continue to keep those lines of communication open and continue to have conversations with members of Congress." B7B3674EFB12D933EA4A2B97C7405DD4.10!24!22 Cpc Letter for Diplomacy on Russia Ukraine Conflict by ABC News Politics on Scribd After backlash, House progressives retract letter to Biden on Ukraine strategy originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Riyad Mahrez missed a penalty but Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League knockout stages as group winners as they earned a 0-0 draw at Borussia Dortmund, who also secured their place in the last 16. Mahrezs penalty in the second half was Citys best chance in a match that saw Pep Guardiolas side create few chances, with Erling Haaland brought off at half-time on his return to his former side. But Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made the save down to his right as Dortmund held on to claim the result they needed in order to finish as runners-up in Group G. The German side had the better of the opening half and had the best chance of the opening period, which was put wide by Youssoufa Moukoko. The draw suited both sides, however, after Sevilla beat Copenhagen 3-0 earlier in the day. Borussia Dortmund vs Man City HT: Dortmund the better side as Haaland and Cancelo brought off (0-0) PENALTY SAVED! Mahrez misses again from spot as Kobel makes stop (0-0) FT! City win Group G as Dortmund also progress after 0-0 draw BV Borussia 09 Dortmund 0 - 0 Manchester City FC FULL TIME: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:58 , Jamie Braidwood Some huge results elsewhere tonight: RB Leipzig 3-2 Real Madrid Celtic 1-1 Shakhtar Donestk Benfica 4-3 Juventus Dinamo Zagreb 0-4 AC Milan PSG 7-2 Maccabi Haifa FULL TIME: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:51 , Jamie Braidwood The referee blows up slightly early, which sums up the last 20 minutes of this match. Both teams knew that a draw suited them so played out a goalless draw. However, it means City win the group and Dortmund go through too. Everyone is happy. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:46 , Jamie Braidwood 88 mins: Meanwhile Mahrezs night is over. He is brought off for Cole Palmer following his penalty miss, which was Citys best chance of getting the win. It wont matter too much, though, as this heads towards its inevitable conclusion. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:45 , Jamie Braidwood Story continues 87 mins: Hummels has had an excellent game for Dortmund tonight but the veteran defender is shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Alvarez. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:43 , Jamie Braidwood 84 mins: Theres a half-shout for a Dortmund penalty as the hosts stage a rare attack on the City goal. Brandt tries to make his way into the box as Dias comes over to tidy up, but the Germany forward believed there was a touch as he went to ground. Nothing given. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:40 , Jamie Braidwood 82 mins: Grealish is finally on for City - although it looks like Guardiola wont bother risking De Bruyne. Meanwhile, there is lots of excitement elsewhere. Benfica are 4-3 ahead against Juventus while RB Leipzig are beating Real Madrid 3-1. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:39 , Jamie Braidwood 78 mins: Were not heading for a grandstand ending, but both teams will be happy with this result as things stand. A draw will mean City are group winners while securing Dortmund their place in the knockout stages. Sevilla win over Copenhagen earlier means Dortmund cant be caught, as they have the head-to-head advantage over the Spanish side. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:34 , Jamie Braidwood 75 mins: City have brought the game back under control following that spell from Dortmund. Its still quite strange watching a Guardiola team with four centre-backs, and Stones and Akanji are heavily involved in the build-up. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:31 , Jamie Braidwood 73 mins: Hazards free kick is blocked by the City wall, who jumped. Grealish is now set to come on for City. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:30 , Jamie Braidwood 71 mins: Oooh. Free-kick to Dortmund in a dangerous position. Adeyemi cuts inside and blasts a shot at goal which strikes Akankis hand. The defender is also booked. Its harsh, but Dortmund get the free kick. Its Adeyemis last involvement as he is replaced by Malen. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:26 , Jamie Braidwood 68 mins: Save, and a better one this time from Kobel! City keep up the pressure and it breaks to Alvarez, who did well to get the snap-shot away. Kobel gets down to his right to beat it away. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:25 , Jamie Braidwood 67 mins: Save! Better play from City as Stones finds Gundogans run into the box. The midfielder gets the shot away but it is only at Kobels near post. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:24 , Jamie Braidwood 66 mins: Meanwhile, Mahrez has missed three of his last four penalties for City. Grealish has joined De Bruyne in warming up on the touchline. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:23 , Jamie Braidwood 65 mins: It feels like City have more control now, and are less vulnerable to the counter-attack. Dortmund have barely threatened in the past 15 or so minutes. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:20 , Jamie Braidwood 62 mins: There are more City appeals as Fodens cross is blocked by Sule in the box. The City fans think it hits the defenders arm, but it was blocked by his chest. Foden is starting to get joy out on the left after being moved out to the wing. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:18 , Jamie Braidwood 60 mins: A huge let off for Dortmund, that would have been harsh on them - even if there could be no complaints about the decision. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City - PENALTY SAVED! 21:15 , Jamie Braidwood Its another miss from Mahrez from the penalty spot! Kobel makes the stop to his right! Thats two penalties in a row missed by Mahrez in the Champions League, following his miss in the 0-0 draw against Copenhagen. If only Haaland was on! Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City - PENALTY TO CITY! 21:14 , Jamie Braidwood Wow - so clumsy from Emre Can, who dives in on Mahrez in the box and leaves the referee with an easy decision to make! Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:13 , Jamie Braidwood 55 mins: Rodri is back on, while Kevin De Bruyne is warming up for City. Dortmund then have a huge chance as the space opens up for Can to slide in Adeyemi, but hes too slow and City get back in their shape. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:12 , Jamie Braidwood 53 mins: Rodri gets crunched in a tackle from Schlotterbeck, and the midfielder stays down. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:10 , Jamie Braidwood 51 mins: More Dortmund pressure! Reyna digs out a cross to Moukoko, who cant quite get it under control with Ake providing pressure. Its then sent back in but Moukoko cant add the finishing touch. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:09 , Jamie Braidwood 48 mins: It didnt look as if either Haaland or Cancelo had any injuries or knocks when they were brought off, but Guardiola may offer more of an explanation later. Remarkably, thats only the fourth time Haaland has failed to score in a match for City, in what was his 16h appearance in all competitions. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:05 , Jamie Braidwood 46 mins: And we are back underway. City are currently playing without any full-backs, and John Stones can now be seen tucking into midfield when City are in possession. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:03 , Jamie Braidwood Wow - Haaland is off! He is replaced by Silva at half time, while Cancelo is brought off too for Akanji. Guardiola resting his stars ahead of the weekend. HALF-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 21:01 , Jamie Braidwood City will be making half-time changes. Manuel Akanji and Bernardo Silva look ready to come on. HALF-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:59 , Jamie Braidwood Chelsea secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages with a 2-1 win in Salzburg earlier. You can read the report for that match, here. Kai Havertz stunner books Chelseas place in knockouts with thrilling win at Salzburg HALF-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:58 , Jamie Braidwood Its been a good half for Dortmund, who have created the best chances while keeping City and Haaland quiet at the other end. The German side will hope they do not regret missed chances from Adeyemi and, particularly, Moukoko in the second half. HALF-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:48 , Jamie Braidwood Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:47 , Jamie Braidwood 45+1 min: Chance! Right at half time, Fodens cross finds Ake at the back post but the defender cant keep the header down! Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:45 , Jamie Braidwood 43 mins: Citys attack breaks down as Pep Guardiolas side look to strike before half-time. Dortmund have been disciplined defensively while Alvarez and Haaland have been very quiet. Cancelo wins a free kick on the left wing, so City will have the chance for a final ball into the box. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:43 , Jamie Braidwood 41 mins: Chance! Dortmund threaten again following interplay between Adeyemi and Moukoko. This time the striker gets a shot on target but its too close to Ortega to trouble the goalkeeper. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:42 , Jamie Braidwood 40 mins: Dortmund have done more than enough to lead but they will be pleased with how few chances City have been able to create despite their possession. A draw would be an excellent result for Dortmund, they are not under pressure to win. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:37 , Jamie Braidwood 36 mins: Big chance! Dortmund again find Adeyemi down the right, and the forward plays a dangerous ball across the face. Moukoko is free in the middle but the striker opens his foot too much and the shot from close range is skewed wide! Thats a let off for City, who are open in the space being left behind Cancelo. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:35 , Jamie Braidwood 34 mins: Half an opening for Haaland, after Schlotterbeck lost possession to Foden. If Foden could squeezed the pass through to Haaland he would have been in, but Hummels stepped across well - not for the first time. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:34 , Jamie Braidwood 32 mins: Great tracking back from Can to deny Foden on the counter-attack, just as the forward was starting to pull away. Dortmund had found space out wide through the lively Adeyemi but they had given it away cheaply with the ball inside. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:31 , Jamie Braidwood 29 mins: Gundogans free-kick is headed away by his former team-mate Hummels, as the Dortmund fans roar their approval with their side reaching the half-hour mark. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:29 , Jamie Braidwood 27 mins: A better spell for Dortmund, who have offered more threat than City despite seeing less of the ball. Haaland is then fouled by Can from behind, just as the forward was picking up speed 25 yards out away from goal. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:27 , Jamie Braidwood 25 mins: Chance! Dortmund threaten again on the counter-attack! Adeyemi is released by Bellingham down the right, with the forward picking out Reyna with a square ball. Reynas shot is saved comfortably by Ortega when he should have done better. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:25 , Jamie Braidwood 23 mins: More possession for City, more boos from the Dortmund fans... Cancelo almost picks out Foden with sharp ball inside but it was too obvious. Haaland then looks up in frustration as Foden fails to find his run, instead looking for Alvarez. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:22 , Jamie Braidwood 20 mins: City are starting to settle down and find some fluency, which triggers some boos and jeers from the Dortmund fans. City are up to 70 per cent possession after the opening 20 minutes. Cancelo thinks hes in down the left following Akes chip but the full-back is offside. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:19 , Jamie Braidwood 17 mins: First opening for Haaland! City slice Dortmund open as Gundogan spots the ball in behind, but Hummels races back to slide in on Haaland. The defender then gets to his feet to get his head to Mahrezs cross. (Getty Images) Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:17 , Jamie Braidwood 15 mins: Chance! Citys defensive line is caught out and Adeyemi can race through on the right. With the angle closing, Orteta makes the save. A relief for Stones who looked to have been playing him onside. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:16 , Jamie Braidwood 14 mins: Rodri, who saw a stunning goal ruled out for offside in Copenhagen last time out, drags wide from distance with Citys first shot. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:15 , Jamie Braidwood 13 mins: Foden looks for Cancelo on the overlap but his ball is cut out by Adeyemi. Its encouraging for City that Foden was able to find that pocket of space in the inside channel, though. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:12 , Jamie Braidwood 11 mins: Cancelo looks for Haaland out on the left but overhits the cross, and Dortmund can recover. The hosts are playing with a tough line of five in midfield tonight. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:10 , Jamie Braidwood 8 mins: Brandt looks for the top right corner but doesnt manage to trouble Ortega, on what is a rare start for the goalkeeper with Ederson on the bench. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:08 , Jamie Braidwood 6 mins: It actually means City look even more like 3-5-2 at times, with Cancelo pushing wide left and Mahrez pulling out to the touchline on the right. However, Cancelo gets caught and picks up a yellow card for a foul on Adeyemi on the edge of the area, giving Dortmund a chance. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:05 , Jamie Braidwood 3 min: An early opening for Dortmund as Brandt gets forward after Rodri gets caught on the ball, and it requires the returning John Stones to be sharp as he gets back to cover. With Cancelo also pushing forward to join Citys line of attackers, Pep Guardiolas side may be open at times. Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:02 , Jamie Braidwood 1 min: There is an early shot for Borussia Dortmund as Moukoko fires over from the angle, but Hazard had been offside in the build up. City look close to being 4-2-4 when on the ball tonight, with Foden and Mahrez either side of Haaland and Alvarez. Kick-off! Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Manchester City 20:00 , Jamie Braidwood Underway! Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City 19:56 , Jamie Braidwood Here we go! Kick-off is not far away as Erling Haaland returns to Borussia Dortmund. There are boos for the Champions League anthem, but a good reception for Haaland on his first appearance back in Germany. Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - champions have another gear to find 19:48 , Jamie Braidwood Heres the latest from The Independents northern football correspondent Mark Critchley, who writes that Pep Guardiola still believes Manchester City and Kevin De Bruyne have another gear to find despite their electric start to the season. A rather terrifying prospect for the rest of the Premier League and the wider Champions League elite, that. Man City and brilliant Kevin De Bruyne still have another gear to find Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - Bellingham the whole package, says Guardiola 19:36 , Jamie Braidwood Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has called Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham the whole package but suggested his development might have been stifled if he had stayed in England. The 19-year-old Bellingham scored against City in each of their last two meetings with Dortmund, albeit in losing causes as Guardiolas side came from behind in both, and will be out to cause more problems in Tuesdays Champions League clash. Bellingham followed the path of Jadon Sancho, who turned down a new City contract to join Dortmund in 2017 when he left boyhood club Birmingham for Westphalia two years ago, but the decision has paid off handsomely thanks the clubs policy of promoting youth. Guardiola, who meticulously managed Phil Fodens development at City, suggested Bellingham would not have got the same opportunities on the east side of Manchester or at any of the Premier Leagues other top clubs. Man City manager Pep Guardiola heaps praise on whole package Jude Bellingham Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - Guardiola backs Haaland to break PL record 19:24 , Jamie Braidwood Pep Guardiola backed Erling Haaland to break the Premier Leagues single-season scoring record after the striker added a further two goals to his tally against Brighton on Saturday. Haalands brace moved him to 17 Premier League goals after just 11 games, halfway to matching the competitions record tally for a season of 34. He also needs just six more to equal last seasons golden boot-winning total. Guardiola said: We dont have to be a genius (to see) if he continues with this rhythm, this average every game, hes going to reach the record, definitely. But in football maybe you score but then in a few days you stop scoring. I dont know. I think hes happy when when the team win and then hes not when the team dont win. But like all the strikers I have seen in my career like Samuel Etoo, Lionel Messi, (Robert) Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Sergio Aguero Erling has the ambition to score goals and goals and goals. Thats normal and it has to be like that. Erling Haaland could rewrite the record books this season (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Wire) Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - last time out 19:13 , Jamie Braidwood Borussia Dortmund arrived at the Etihad and were doing pretty well to prevent the hosts and Erling Haaland, until John Stones picked up the ball 25 yards away from goal and rifled a stunning shot into the top corner. It was followed by an inevitable goal from Haaland, as he produced an astonishing volley to finish Joao Cancelos sublime cross to put City ahead and complete their late comeback after Jude Bellinghams opener. (Getty Images) Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - Group G permutations 19:01 , Jamie Braidwood Manchester City: Have qualified and will win Group G if they avoid defeat tonight. Borussia Dortmund: Need at least two points from their final two matches, but will be through if Sevilla draw against Copenhagen. Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - team news 18:45 , Jamie Braidwood Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Sule, Hummels, Schlotterbeck; Adeyemi, Can, Bellingham, Reyna, Hazard; Brandt, Moukoko Manchester City: Ortega; Stones, Dias, Ake, Cancelo; Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Foden; Haaland, Alvarez Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - how to watch 18:37 , Jamie Braidwood The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 25 October. How can I watch it? It will be shown live on BT Sport 2, with coverage starting from 7pm. BT Sport subscribers can also stream the match live on the BT Sport website and mobile app. Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - odds and prediction 18:33 , Jamie Braidwood Borussia Dortmund: 7/2 Draw: 3/1 Manchester City: 8/15 Prediction Dortmund did a good job frustrating City in the first match, before John Stones scored from distance and Haaland produced a remarkable finish at the back post. It could be another tricky night for Guardiolas side, but with Haaland almost certain to be on target, City should get the win. Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Man City Borussia Dortmund vs Manchester City - early team news 18:32 , Jamie Braidwood Manchester City remain without Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips, but John Stones has returned to their travelling squad. Sergio Gomez is suspended while Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Nathan Ake may return to the starting line-up. Borussia Dortmund will hope to call upon Marco Reus and Donyell Malen after both missed the weekends win over Stuttgart. Thomas Meunier and Mahmoud Dahoud are among those on a lengthy injury list. Confirmed line-ups will be out shortly. Good evening 18:30 , Jamie Braidwood Good evening and welcome to live coverage of tonights Champions League action. Manchester City have already qualified for the knockout stages but they can secure their place at the top of Group G when they take on Borussia Dortmund this evening. Pep Guardiolas side just need to avoid defeat in Germany and they will win the group which should, in theory, leave them with an easier fixture in the round of 16. City have won three and drawn one of their four fixtures so far. That draw came against FC Copenhagen after City found themselves playing with 10-men for an hour following Sergio Gomezs red card in the first half. However, they got back to winning ways at the weekend with a 3-1 victory over Brighton in the Premier League where Erling Haaland added another brace to his impressive goalscoring tally this year. Hardwick Selectman H. Robert Ruggles during a selectmen's meeting Tuesday. HARDWICK After weeks of being asked by opponents to slow down the process of approving the site of a proposed thoroughbred horse racing track, selectmen came under fire from the same people Monday for again putting off their vote. Initially, the board planned to vote Nov. 1, but on Tuesday, the town's website showed a meeting posted for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The single agenda item indicates that a vote could be taken then. The three selectmen indicated they were leaning toward approving the site, not because they agreed with the proposal but because that move would allow opponents to begin gathering signatures on a petition to force the matter onto a ballot where it would be decided by voters. The one thing I will say is that everybody in this town wants to vote on this, Selectman H. Robert Ruggles said. I really think that we should give them the opportunity, but that requires a 'yes' vote. The board's chairperson, Julie Quink, and Selectman Kelley Kemp agreed. More: Is Hardwick poised to become horse-racing capital of Massachusetts? Julie Quink, chair of the Hardwick Board of Selectmen, speaks during the board's meeting Tuesday. Board members said they heard from many town residents who want the chance to vote on the matter and people in town have said the proposal is too impactful to simply be decided by selectmen, although state law allows for that. But with the state Gaming Commissions hearing on the Hardwick proposal slated for Oct. 31 and selectmen with some unanswered questions, the board again voted Monday to hold off on its decision. Now, though, it appears poised to vote before the state Gaming Commission's meeting. The site, at 228 Barre Rd., had been the proposed location for an also-controversial marijuana operation that wouldve seen buildings constructed and a processing facility operating. Worcester chef Weidong Wilson Wang is one of the investors in the property, but that group now hopes to sell to Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center, spearheaded by Richard Fields, who once owned Suffolk Downs race track in Eastern Massachusetts. Story continues Hardwick Selectman Kelly Kemp during a selectmen's meeting Tuesday. Commonwealth hopes to create a horse breeding facility that would produce thoroughbred equines for the racing industry, an industry that in New England currently lacks enough horses to make racing viable. To support the facility, and a retirement/retraining element of the farm's operation, Commonwealth is hoping to host festival days, initially one weekend a year, with horse racing on a turf track. People around the country would be able to bet on those races using online platforms or in person by visiting a temporary betting kiosk set up only on race days at the site. Betting One and a half percent of the bets from all wagers made in person or online on Massachusetts-based races would be provided, by statute, to the host community. In Hardwick that amount is estimated to be $240,000. Massachusetts would also benefit each time a state resident bets on out-of-state races using online gaming platforms. The developers have also committed to giving the town $260,000, bringing the total revenue to the town to at least $500,000 annually, which could be combined with other perquisites the town would negotiate with Commonwealth if the location is approved. Commonwealth has an option to purchase the property, though its unclear whether it would move forward without approval for the track. Wang has not said what his groups plans for the property would be should the sale fall through. Town Clerk Ryan Witkos speaks during a Hardwick selectmen's meeting Tuesday. Monday nights vote to wait on the proposal pushed an already tight timeline for the developers to gain approval. While the Gaming Commission must issue its decision by Nov. 15, theres a chance a successful petition drive could change the process if the state requires an affirmative vote from selectmen before they could act. And while selectmen could vote for the proposal, a petition signed by 12% of the towns registered voters (just under 240 people), would stop the process until the board immediately reconsiders and, if its vote is unchanged, calls for a special election within 45 days. If voters nixed the project, the track wouldn't be allowed and the process would end. Given state election laws, that would set the ballot vote for sometime in December, Town Clerk Ryan Witkos said, and that would be weeks after the Gaming Commission's deadline. Opponents wondered if that could kill the project but there was no answer for that question. John A. Stefanini, chairman of the Racing Oversight Board for Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center, takes notes as Richard Fields, managing partner for Commonwealth, listen during the Hardwick selectmen's meeting Tuesday, Throughout the various meetings on the proposal, it has become clear that state laws around racetracks and gaming are sometimes vague, leaving room for interpretation by the towns lawyers and other state officials. Witkos said hes still left with questions about how long petitioners might have to gather signatures after selectmen vote because the law is silent on that. While it does indicate a 20-day time frame for cities, there is no language pertaining to towns.. One resident, William Cole, said it would be no problem having far more than the requisite number of 12% of registered voters sign a petition but others warned selectmen that a "yes" vote could be a gamble that might move the project forward should the petition drive fail. Ruggles said if fewer than 12% want the matter on a ballot, he believes that shows favor for the proposal by a majority of residents. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Hardwick selectmen delay horse racetrack vote - again BROOKLYN, N.Y., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Helping Hand for Relief and Development is proud to announce partnership with the Pakistani American Law Enforcement Society (PALS) to provide needed aid to flood victims in Pakistan. PALS members of the NYPD have been collecting donations at precincts across New York City for HHRD to ship to Pakistan. Currently, enough goods to fill five shipping containers have been collected, sorted, and packed. A ceremony with police chiefs, police commissioners, and the New York Consul General of Pakistan was held last week to commemorate this remarkable effort. New York Consul General of Pakistan Ayesha Ali speaks at press conference with members of PALS, the NYPD, and HHRD. Today, members of PALS will be arriving in Pakistan to witness Helping Hand's work on the ground. The law enforcement officers will be traveling with Helping Hand's team across the country to visit medical camps, goods distributions, and other projects. They will also be visiting Mipur Khas in the Sindh province to inaugurate the construction of homes sponsored by PALS. HHRD is registered as an International NGO (INGO) in Pakistan and currently supports 10,000+ orphans, 1,600+ children with disabilities, 900+ annual water projects, and more. Additional long-term programs provide empowerment and support each year to 500,000+ through In-Kind Gifts, 2,500+ through Skills Development & Livelihood, 750+ through Education, 22,000+ through Healthcare & Nutrition, 20,000+ through Physical Rehabilitation, 250,000+ through Seasonal Programs, and more. To learn more and to donate, please visit www.hhrd.org/PakistanFloods. Ranked one of the highest-rated charities by Charity Navigator for over ten years, donating to Helping Hand USA means ensuring donations go directly to those who need it most. To donate please visit www.hhrd.org or call 1-888-808-4357 (HELP). HHRD is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization. Tax ID# 31-1628040 Media Contact: Ilyas Choudry 313-279-5378 iLyas.Choudry@hhrd.us Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/helping-hand-for-relief-and-development-partners-with-pakistani-american-law-enforcement-society-to-benefit-flood-victims-301658751.html SOURCE Helping Hand for Relief and Development BEVERLY HILLS, CA - OCTOBER 30: Actor Leslie Jordan performs at the 15th Annual Awards and Benefit Luncheon for Friendly House on October 30, 2004 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Friendly House is one of the nation's first residential treatment homes for women recovering from alcohol and substance abuse. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) Amanda Edwards/Getty Leslie Jordan shared a meaningful song with his Instagram followers one day before his death. The actor, who died Monday at the age of 67, shared a video on Sunday of him singing with his producer Danny Myrick, captioning the post, "Sunday Mornin' Hymn Singin." The hymn includes the haunting lyrics: "When the trumpets of the lord shall sound and times shall be no more / and the morning breaks eternal bright and fair / when the saved of earth should gather over on the other shore / when the roll is called up yonder I'll be there." RELATED: Leslie Jordan Was More Than 2 Decades Sober: 'The Hardest Thing That I Ever Did' He added in the caption, "Danny helped me with a new original song that should be comin' out real soon. Love. Light. Leslie." Myrick also shared the video on his Instagram page after Jordan's death and wrote, "All I can manage right now..can't believe this was last week." RELATED: Cardi B, Michelle Pfeiffer and More Pay Tribute to Leslie Jordan: 'Legend Is Not a Large Enough Word' Friends of the late actor, known for roles on Will & Grace, Call Me Kat and American Horror Story, paid tribute to him in the comment section of the video on Jordan's page. Musician Lance Bass wrote, "Now that's how you say good bye. Soar high my friend," and actor Eric Stonestreet simply said, "RIP Leslie." Actress Lynda Carter wrote, "I miss you already," while author Kimberly Williams-Paisley commented, "We are heartbroken. Thank you Leslie for bringing so much joy to so many people over the years. ." RELATED VIDEO: Leslie Jordan Dead at 67 Jordan's rep confirmed to PEOPLE that the Will & Grace actor died in a car crash in Hollywood, California, after an apparent medical emergency. The accident occurred at around 9:30 a.m. local time, according to the LAPD. His agent David Shaul shared in a statement to PEOPLE: "The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan. Not only was he a mega talent and joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times. What he lacked in height he made up for in generosity and greatness as a son, brother, artist, comedian, partner and human being. Knowing that he has left the world at the height of both his professional and personal life is the only solace one can have today." Jordan told PEOPLE in January 2021 that he was content with life. "I love being by myself," he said at the time. "I think that has a lot to do with my twin sisters. Growing up, they were so close, and then there was me. I played by myself a lot. I'm very a quiet person and very much a loner. But today I am more comfortable with who I am than ever. Every day is like gravy." Editors' Note: Due to a transcription error, we have changed several elements in this story, including correcting lyrics and noting that the "original" song is forthcoming (not the hymn). Company Logo Dublin, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Ozone Generator Global Market Report 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global ozone generator market is expected to grow from $1.27 billion in 2021 to $1.34 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.0%. The ozone generator market is expected to grow to $1.70 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.0%. North America was the largest region in the ozone generator market in 2020. The regions covered in the ozone generator market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. Rising investments in upgrading and expanding wastewater treatment facilities is expected to propel the growth of the ozone generator market. A wastewater treatment plant treats industrial effluent and removes pollutants using various methods including physical, chemical, and biological methods. As water resources become increasingly scarce, wastewater reuse has become more important as climate change progresses. Treating water with ozone begins with the production of ozone(O3)in an ozone generator by applying energy to oxygen molecules (O2), causing the oxygen atoms to separate and temporarily recombine with other oxygen molecules, thus used to disinfect and purify water. For instance, In April 2021, in a notice published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA announced new funding for water infrastructure projects totaling $6.5 billion. These fundings will help accelerate investment in critical water infrastructure by providing innovative and flexible financing for various projects in both large and small communities. Therefore, the rising investment in upgrading and expanding wastewater treatment facilities is expected to boost demand for ozone generators during the forecast period. Product Innovation is a key trend gaining popularity in the ozone generator market. The companies operating in ozone generator are developing new products with innovative technologies to meet specific industry demands and strengthen their business presence across the globe. For instance, in March 2021, SUEZ SA, a French-based company that deals in water and waste management, launched Ozonia L, the next generation of large-capacity ozone generators. This Ozonia L provides large-scale ozone production on a small footprint, with a new web-enabled interface and real-time system optimization for energy efficiency and reduced total cost of ownership. This product incorporates the most advanced technology developed in the Ozonia innovation labs and builds on SUEZs as innovators and leaders in the disinfection and oxidation field. Scope Markets Covered: 1) By Type: Large Ozone Generator (>5kg/h); Middle Ozone Generator (100 gm/h- 5 kg/h); Small Ozone Generator (< 100 gm/h) 2) By Technology: Corona Discharge; Ultraviolet Radiation; Electrolysis; Radiochemical 3) By Application: Water Purification; Air Purification; Pulp Bleaching; Organic Synthesis; Aquaculture; Food Processing; Surface Treatment; Medical & Aesthetics; Others 4) By End-user: Municipal and Industrial Water Treatment; Residential and Industrial Air Treatment; Automotive; Food and Beverage; Paper and Pulp; Pharmaceuticals; Semiconductors; Others Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Ozone Generator Market Characteristics 3. Ozone Generator Market Trends And Strategies 4. Impact Of COVID-19 On Ozone Generator 5. Ozone Generator Market Size And Growth 6. Ozone Generator Market Segmentation 7. Ozone Generator Market Regional And Country Analysis 8. Asia-Pacific Ozone Generator Market 9. China Ozone Generator Market 10. India Ozone Generator Market 11. Japan Ozone Generator Market 12. Australia Ozone Generator Market 13. Indonesia Ozone Generator Market 14. South Korea Ozone Generator Market 15. Western Europe Ozone Generator Market 16. UK Ozone Generator Market 17. Germany Ozone Generator Market 18. France Ozone Generator Market 19. Eastern Europe Ozone Generator Market 20. Russia Ozone Generator Market 21. North America Ozone Generator Market 22. USA Ozone Generator Market 23. South America Ozone Generator Market 24. Brazil Ozone Generator Market 25. Middle East Ozone Generator Market 26. Africa Ozone Generator Market 27. Ozone Generator Market Competitive Landscape And Company Profiles 28. Key Mergers And Acquisitions In The Ozone Generator Market 29. Ozone Generator Market Future Outlook and Potential Analysis 30. Appendix Companies Mentioned Suez Utilities Company Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Ebara Corporation Toshiba Corporation METAWATER Co Ltd For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/71dkd CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 UPDATED with afternoon session: A woman who said filmmaker Paul Haggis attacked her in 2008 during a meeting in his office in Los Angeles said she stood up and backpedaled through an emergency exit door with her hands up and her eyes peeled on Haggis as he kept trying to grab her until she got to the curb outside and to safety. I was terrified that I was not going get out of that office that night, the woman, who Deadline is not identifying, testified in a videotaped deposition from 2019 that jurors in Manhattan watched Tuesday in the sexual assault civil trial brought by Haleigh Breest, who accuses the Oscar-winning screenwriter of raping her in 2013 at his apartment in New York City and wrapped up her testimony earlier in the day. More from Deadline Related Story Paul Haggis Accusers Graphic Texts From Day After Alleged Rape Shown To Jury: "I Kept Saying No" Update Related Story Harvey Weinstein L.A. Rape Trial: Accuser Cross-Examined Over Details Of Her Claims Update Related Story Danny Masterson Rape Trial: Jane Doe #3 Testifies That Scientology Blamed Her For Alleged 2003 Assault; Still In "Fear" Of Church, Witness Says Update The woman, a journalist from Canada who was on a work trip to Los Angeles, stayed in touch with Haggis for months after fleeing what she called a violent attempt by him to initiate sex in his office, and she enlisted him to recommend her for a U.S. work visa. She is one of of four Jane Does that Breests lawyers are calling in support of their case, and she said that in the moment, she feared she was about to be raped. I felt like if that happened I would never be the same person again, she said. Story continues She is the second native of Canada, after a Jane Doe who testified in person on Monday, to say that their interactions with Haggis that countrys most famous filmmaker turned rapidly from pleasant to threatening when they were alone with him. At a 9 p.m. meeting in 2008, she testified, Haggis poured them both red wine which she said she didnt drink and within minutes steered the conversation from a book adaptation she had driven there to discuss to an understanding that he said he had with his then-wife allowing him to pursue sex outside their marriage. The witness said she tried to get him talking about his kids. I just went into sort of reporter mode, she said, adding, Because I could tell that the mood had changed and I was uncomfortable. She said Haggis demeanor, even when talking about his family, had changed. It was very cold, she said. She was beginning to find the situation scary enough that she made a mental note of her car keys being in her purse, she testified. Then he said, I want to be inside you, came out of his seat and around the table separating them, grabbed her by the arms and tried to kiss her, she testified. It was not romantic. It was not a pass, she said. It was violent. She said she turned her head to avoid the kiss, said no and that she had a boyfriend, and went backward out an exit door using her hands to fend him off because she was too scared to turn her back to him. He followed her to the curb, where she crossed the street, climbed into her car, locked all the doors, and waved good-bye to him as she executed a U-turn and pulled away, she testified. She said she tried calling her sister, who lived in Canada in a later time zone, from the car as she drove back to the house of a friend she was staying with, but at first couldnt reach her, or her friend, who was not at the home. She said she finally reached her sister and kept her on the line until she reached the house. I told her, I just got attacked and I got away, she said. Haggis sent her an email soon after, saying in part, Can I tell you how much fun it was to to sit and talk to you tonight and and share a glass of wine? Hope you arent too spooked by the Me and the surprise of it all Im just really f***ing intrigued and cant wait to see you again. As promised, missed you the second I closed your car door. The woman called it Haggis apology e-mail and his way of setting a narrative in case he was asked about the encounter. She said he wasnt the one to close her car door, and she didnt reply. But she did respond to another e-mail, and remained in touch with him about the book adaptation idea and her visa application. Cross-examined by a Haggis lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, she said in the deposition that in the emails setting up their meetings in Los Angeles she only talked about career opportunities and not the proposal for a screen adaption of a Canadian novel she loved. But she said that part was implicit since it was an ongoing part of their conversations from the time they had met in 2007, after she interviewed Haggis for Canadian television. The witness said her goal from the day of the incident onward was to not anger Haggis or have him thinking she would go public. I wanted to have a polite professional relationship with him going forward, she said. She didnt tell people she worked with in media about the attack, she testified, because Haggis was a powerful, influential and beloved figure for his movies and his philanthropy. He seemed to be attached to all the right causes, she said. I was terrified that he would ruin my career, she said. She decided to come forward, but as a Jane Doe, to support Breests lawsuit and partly out of outrage that Haggis, of all people, had publicly called Harvey Weinstein a predator after the revelations that sparked the #MeToo movement. And the hypocrisy of somebody like that, she said. I just couldnt believe he would say that publicly. And you dont just attack one person like that in your life, she said of her encounter with Haggis. Thats just not how this works. PREVIOUSLY, 12:05 PM: Haleigh Breest finished testifying Tuesday in her sexual assault civil trial against filmmaker Paul Haggis, and jurors began watching the video deposition of another Haggis accuser who has said she went to his office in Los Angeles in 2008 to discuss a possible book adaption and wound up fleeing the building when he suddenly tried to kiss her. Breest spent nearly 10 hours total in the witness box over four days in an old Manhattan courtroom being cross-examined by a lawyer for Haggis, Priya Chaudhry. Today, Breest was again confronted with texts that didnt characterize what allegedly happened between her and Haggis as rape, and she was asked why she never went to the police and never sought a sexual assault forensic examination, often referred to as a rape kit. Breest is suing Haggis claiming he raped her in his apartment in Soho in 2013 after a movie screening party put on by Breests boss, which Haggis attended and where Breest was working as a freelance events publicist. Haggis has said the sex was consensual. Breest testified today that she feared police would mishandle a rape investigation, and she kept the tights she wore to work that night the ones she said Mr. Haggis ripped from her legs in a designer cloth bag in the back of a dresser until she filed the lawsuit. You understand that you could go to the police right now if you wanted to? Chaudhry said, noting that New York recently removed the statute of limitations for rape. Are you worried that the police wont believe you because of the text messages? Chaudhry asked. No, Breest said. But instead youre going to ask this jury to give you Mr. Haggis money? Yes, she replied. On Monday, Chaudhry showed jurors texts by Breest to a friend the day after she was at Haggis apartment referencing The First Wives Club, the 1996 movie comedy about a group of jilted spouses getting revenge on their ex-husbands in part by bankrupting them. I just want to get even and not be the victim, she wrote, adding, As they said in first wives club Dont get mad get everything. On Tuesday, Chaudhry raised another piece of 90s pop culture referenced in the texts: the song Stupid Girl by the rock band Garbage, whose stupid girl refrain Breest said she had in her head after her experience with Haggis. Chaudhry read aloud some of the lyrics including, All you had you wasted, I cant believe you fake it, and You pretend youre high/Pretend youre bored/Pretend youre anything/Just to be adored. Thats the song you wanted to play over and over after leaving Mr. Haggis apartment? she asked. Breest emphasized that she just meant the refrain. In a last brief round of friendly questioning, a Breest lawyer, Zoe Salzman, pulled the long black Sandro dress Breest wore that night out of a plastic zippered bag and held it up on a hangar in view of jurors. Did the dress rip when Mr. Haggis pulled it off of you? Salzman asked. No, Breest replied. Breest said that filing a civil case gave her a sense of control in the process which she didnt believe she would have with a police-led criminal investigation to counteract the loss of control of my own body she said she experienced in being raped. Why are you here, Ms. Breest? Ms. Salzman said. Because Mr. Haggis should be held accountable for the harm he caused me, she said. Over objections from Haggis lawyers, Breests lawyers called a friend, Lola Miller, who testified that at a dinner in September 2013, Breest told her she had been raped by Haggis. Haggis lawyers said the time lag eight months was too great to qualify Miller as a so-called outcry witness who provides a contemporaneous account of the accusers claim. The judge, Sabrina Kraus, said they should have objected to Miller testifying before the trial. Miller said Breest told her Haggis had overpowered her, and she recalled Breest telling her that her tights were ripped. A defense lawyer, Seth Zuckerman, returned to that point on cross-examination, since it appeared to contradict Breests own testimony that the tights were pulled off violently but didnt rip. In a follow-up email that month, Breest wrote, What happened wasnt ok but it happened. It was somewhat traumatic at the time but Im well past that thankfully! Miller wrote back that she was Always here for you, she testified, Because I didnt believe she was okay. Before lunch, jurors began hearing the video testimony of the second Jane Doe called by Breests lawyers with an account of an attempt by Haggis to initiate sex. Jane Doe #2, who gave her deposition in 2019, said she met Haggis in 2007 at the Toronto Film Festival which she was covering for Canadian television news. After interviewing Haggis, she hoped to interest him in adapting a favorite Canadian novel of hers for film or television. They met again in April 2008 in Los Angeles to discuss the project the first time at a cafe in Santa Monica where Jane Doe #2 also met Haggis wife and his producing partner. The next meeting to discuss adapting the book took place the following night at his office in Los Angeles. The woman testified that when she first arrived for the 9 p.m. meeting, the office was still bustling, but later, after she was led to a seating area where she saw there was wine, the lights dimmed and the building emptied out, and once the meeting started, Very quickly I could tell Mr. Haggis wanted to have a more personal conversation. He wanted to talk about his relationship with his wife, she said. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. JOHANNESBURG, October 25, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It should come as no surprise that Springbok Casino has just been crowned the Best Online Casino in 2022 by the team at SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za, adding yet another award to its growing trophy cabinet. 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So, depending on the price at the time, the rate charged is based on the contracts they sign. The way to minimize this price fluctuation is having the ability to purchase electricity made from a variety of fuels and contract lengths to create a portfolio of contracts. Recent legislation allows communities to combine their electric power use to purchase from producers offering contracts with the best prices. The Community Power Coalition of NH, CPCNH, plans to do this. Currently, 23 cities and towns are members of the CPCNH, representing 20% of NH electric power use. The utilities will continue to deliver the electricity, while providing billing and customer service. If all goes as planned Community Power will launch spring of 2023. Community Power will stabilize the rates we pay for electricity, allowing members to choose local producers using technologies like solar, wind, and hydro, instead of commodities like natural gas. This reduces emissions, while producing more local business investment and jobs. More: NH Community Power Coalition aims to lower electricity bills, go greener. Is your town in? This launch of Community Power was a long time coming due to many efforts to derail the legislation and reduce its effectiveness. As you consider candidates for the November election, ask whether they support the business investment and jobs that transitioning to clean, lower cost and local energy will provide. Howard Kalet and Tom Pfau Rye Story continues Editor's note: Seacoast communities Durham, Dover, Exeter, Newmarket, Rye and Portsmouth have joined the Community Power Coalition. Seacoast communities Durham, Dover, Exeter, Newmarket, Rye and Portsmouth have joined the Community Power Coalition. Rye, Greenland, North Hampton vote Steven Borne for NH House Oct. 20 To the Editor: I am pleased to submit this letter in support of Steven Borne, who is running for the NH House of Representatives as an Independent in Rye, Greenland, and North Hampton. With a background and training as a civil engineer, Steven gets things done. He is accomplished in solving complicated challenges professionally. He will bring this skill set and effort to Concord. Steven is not taking financial donations to support his House campaign. Accordingly, he will not be pressured by lobbyists or party leadership to vote in certain ways. Steven has had a long-standing commitment to non-partisan organizations, including the Rye Civic League in which he is President and a driving force, No Labels, and the Common Denominator Newsletter. Additionally, he is a published author regarding how citizens can make their government work better for them. No doubt, Steven will demand that the State of New Hampshire provide better and more cost effective services to the people of New Hampshire, especially those residing in Rye, Greenland, and North Hampton. He is passionate, intelligent, hardworking, and creative. . . just the type of legislator we need in the House of Representatives to get things done and deliver for us. Peter White Rye Katherine Harake is best candidate for New Hampshire executive council Oct. 20 To the Editor: The Executive Council is a five-person governmental body in NH functioning since 1679 as a check on the governor. Its approval is required on all federal and state contracts over $10,000, and the appointments of many officials (such as judges, commissioners, and state board members.) Janet Stevens has been the Councilor for District 3 since 2021. During her time, she has voted to harm the health of NH citizens. She voted in September 2021, December 2021, January 2022, and July 2022 to deny funding to Planned Parenthood even though no state planning funds are used for abortion care. These votes jeopardized access to contraception, cancer screenings, and STI testing for thousands of NH citizens. In October 2021, Ms. Stevens, and three other Republican members of the Council, voted to reject $27 million in federal funding that would have assisted New Hampshires response to the COVID pandemic. Only after of a sustained public outcry did she and the Council reverse their position. Katherine Harake is running for Executive Council for District 3. Born in New Hampshire and a graduate from Winnacunnet High School, she is a successful business owner. Smart, experienced and capable, she serves on the budget committee. She understands the importance of supporting the healthcare system. She will strengthen our public education system, address climate change, and support small businesses. Ted Drummond Rye Republican candidates appear to have taken a 'hypocritic oath' Oct. 20 To the Editor: In the past, doctors were said to take the Hippocratic Oath: "Do no harm". This was understood to mean that the first consideration of the medical profession is to make things better in the least invasive manner. It would appear that an increasing number of politicians, mostly Republicans unfortunately, are taking what might be called the Hypocritic Oath, a commitment to "Do Whatever"; whatever it takes, regardless of its connection to reality, civility, or the ultimate effect on the country, its traditions or future. The goal seems to be to seek office, stay in power, and to impose a narrow system of beliefs, often ignoring their own self-proclaimed political, social, or religious principles. What they say: "Government is too big. It interferes with our individual liberties." What they mean: "Except when it comes to the most personal moral and medical choices for women." What they say: "We are strong defenders of the Constitution." What they mean: "but this doesn't necessarily mean that all menand womenare created equal." They believe in freedom of religion, but operate on the basis that the Christian religion is better and truer than all the others. They claim to support the interests and the rights of the working man, but oppose unions, "overreaching" governmental safety standards, and "unnecessary" environmental and health regulations, all of which, they say, interfere with the ability of industry to prosper, and that is more important. Education of our young people is paramount, but costs need to be reduced and restrictions placed on our public schools, especially those that insist on teaching any subject they don't agree with, while they deny that this constitutes any kind of governmental interference. They promise to improve our nation's infrastructure, except that these projects are funded by taxes and taxes are a bad thing, so to do that means the projects don't get done and/or they reduce governmental support for the military, law enforcement, fire protection, public transportation, mental health initiatives, and other necessary programs, while making it clear that taxes are especially bad if they have to be paid by rich people and corporations. The examples are endless. Many who are already elected officials have decided to substitute this new oath for the oath taken when they were sworn in, which was to act in the best interests of the nation, not one political Party, or one religious group, or a small clique of private-interest groups or wealthy individuals who seek to dominate the direction of our country. In this, our election season, it is vital that we listen very carefully to the candidates, what they say and what they don't say when asked. It could very well be the last chance we have in a long time to save ourselves from ruin. Anthony McManus Dover Rules of civility should apply to all councilors, not just those you support Oct. 21 To the Editor: In a recent letter, Gerald Duffy urged his fellow Portsmouth residents to refrain from making personal attacks on city councilors and personnel, and he pleaded for more respectful local civil engagement with less vitriol. Even though this realization is late in coming to him, I applaud Mr. Duffy for it. In the past, Gerald Duffy took up so much space in the pages of this newspaper to harshly criticize members of our previous city council when he disagreed with them, that it is refreshing to witness his change of heart. This is in sharp contrast to his numerous diatribes directed against those former city councilors sometimes referred to as the Becksted 5. I remember one especially nasty guest editorial in which Duffy condemned those councilors for voting to take away a bicycle lane that he wanted to keep, which prompted him to vow to get them all kicked out of office. Apparently, now that he has achieved his goal, Mr. Duffy has seen the light regarding civility. I hope that his improved attitude lasts even if, in the future, his favored candidates are no longer in office. Christina Lusky Portsmouth Our Democratic Republic is on the precipice, hanging on by a thread Oct. 21 To the Editor: The months and weeks leading up to the mid term elections are what I refer to as the mean season. As election day draws closer the frequency of campaign rhetoric increases with a bombardment of political advertisements, the purpose of which is to sway voters. Our mail boxes are stuffed with slick, glossy political messages; television at 15 minute intervals is dominated by campaign advertisements and finally are the pollsters who call, trying to discreetly camouflage their political preferences . Regardless of political affiliation all of these attempts to influence our votes have a number of things in common. They are, without exception, variations of truth and are spins on candidates that are exaggerations and / or distortions of fact , half truths and in some instances, outright lies. When we go to the polling places it is up to us to determine the difference between fact and fiction. It is the moment of truth that is easily clouded by all the problems our country faces. 2022 has been a troubling year for our democracy. The Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol is still an open wound, the after effects are still haunting the country regardless of political persuasions. The economy is in tatters and the Biden presidency is struggling. Millions of our fellow citizens are hurting and their status is only getting worse. ( I should disclose that this Liz Cheney Republican fully supported President Biden and I have no regrets. I shudder to think of where this country would be now if Trump was occupying the Oval Office. ) In the time leading up to the day we cast our votes we should reflect back over the year and perhaps beyond. What do today's candidates truly represent? What kind of baggage" would they bring to public office? Are they in any way associated with the far right Republican party of Trump? Consider those candidates on the national scene who fully support the stolen election" and in doing so are undermining the very foundation of our democracy by destroying the confidence of American voters in our electoral system. Some of those same candidates are on the ballot here in New Hampshire, for both state wide and local office. Are they among the MAGA Republicans who endorse the Trump assemblage of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and Christian Nationalists? Do they support the actions of the cowards and bullies (proud boys, oath keepers etc.) who stormed the Capitol? The mind-boggling reality is that many of our fellow Americans who do or do not vote cannot face the reality of what is happening; our democracy is being sabotaged. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the MAGA politicians many of whom are still intimidated by the presence and/ or loss of support of the former President. Gen. Don Bolduc and I have one thing in common. When we entered the military we took an oath, part of which reads: I do solemnly swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United Sates of America , so help me God . I still honor that oath. As a sometime - election denier does Gen. Bolduc? Karoline Levitt, should she be elected, will have to take the same oath. Will she come down on the side of the Rule of Law or otherwise? Our Democratic Republic is on the precipice, hanging on by a thread. Think of that when you cast your vote. Peter Rice New Castle This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Support candidates who support Community Power initiative: Letters Toyota The Toyota bZ3 has been revealed, slated to be produced by Toyota-FAW and BYD in China, featuring BYD's lithium-ion LFP battery that uses lithium iron phosphate. The battery of the e-TNGA platform-based bZ3 has been engineered with the goal of retaining a 90% capacity after 10 years of charge and discharge cycles. The electric sedan, which is close in length to the Corolla, targets a range of 600 kilometers in the CLTC cycle, or 372 miles, and is expected to start just over $25,000 in China. Toyota took the wraps off the bZ3 this week, revealing a roughly Corolla-sized electric sedan targeting a very ambitious range on a full charge, and featuring a battery type that might not be familiar to EV owners in the US. The bZ3 had been previewed by the bZ SDN Concept almost a year ago along with a large group of other planned EVs, before being revealed almost in full thanks to government filings earlier this summer. Any chance Toyota will bring the bZ3 stateside? The new sedan, which features rhomboid shapes we've seen on the exterior of the bZ4X crossover, is a collaboration between the Japanese automaker, China's BYD, and the Toyota FAW joint venture. Toyota likens this distinctive new look to the hammerhead shark, but despite a plethora of sharp creases, the sedan achieves an aerodynamic coefficient of 0.218quite slippery for something with such a blunt nose. The bZ3 gets BYD's "Blade" lithium-ion LFP battery which uses lithium iron phosphate, promising a CLTC range of 600 kilometers, or 372 miles on a full charge. Moreover, Toyota points out that it has worked to reduce battery degradation, the bZ3 engineered with the goal of retaining a 90% capacity after 10 years of charge/discharge cycles. Toyota Just like the bZ4X, the sedan is based on Toyota's e-TNGA platform, promising a longer wheelbase that buys interior occupants more room, along with a lower center of gravity. "With a people-centered focus, Toyota emphasizes a coherent and comfortable interior space with enhanced digital features perfectly integrated inside the cabin to suit customer preferences," the automaker notes. Story continues The interior, meanwhile, features a Digital Island system, as the automaker calls it, pairing a tray-type console with a large vertical center display that has replaced buttons and dials, including those for the air conditioning and the stereo, following some industry trends. Another popular EV industry trend immediately noticeable are the flush-fitting door handles and an instrument cluster that sits quite far back on the dash, along with a rotary dial for drive function selection. You may have also noted that the steering wheel is not quite round, but rather halfway on its way to being hexagonal, with flat top and bottom sections. Still, it's not quite the yoke that Toyota offers in another model. Toyota The bZ3 is not headed stateside at the moment, however, as it is planned to be produced and sold in China. The automaker's joint venture with First Automotive Works (FAW) will be responsible for building the sedan. That's a shame, because the bZ3 is expected to start just over the $25,000 mark in China. We still expect Toyota to field an electric sedan of this size stateside at some point, so we wouldn't count the bZ3 out just yet, as this is a crucial segment Toyota has occupied (in non-electric form) for decades. Whether that model will be called the bZ3 and feature the same hammerhead shark styling and surprisingly generous price tag remains to be seen. Should Toyota offer the bZ3 here, or does the US market need something different? Let us know in the comments below. Republican Mehmet Oz (left) and Democrat John Fetterman are running head-to-head for a United States Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Senate candidates John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz will face off Tuesday evening in the only scheduled debate of the high-interest contest. The hour-long event hosted by Nexstar Media in Harrisburg will be broadcast live by stations across Pennsylvania, just two weeks ahead of the election that could determine the partisan tilt of the U.S. Senate. The debate scheduling became its own source of conflict in the race, as Oz, the GOP nominee, challenged his Democratic rival to face off more than once or at least to extend the Nexstar event by another 30 minutes. The event will give a statewide audience a chance to hear candidates on the issues, as well as see how Fetterman is recovering from a May stroke that nearly killed him. What time is the debate and where can we watch it? The debate will begin at 8 p.m. and will be carried on the following stations and their websites: Will the debate be televised via livestream? The debate will also be available for streaming on the following websites: Dcnewsnow.com, the website for WDVM-TV in Washington, D.C. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Fetterman, Oz debate tonight will be on network TV and streamed Tourism New Zealand Launches First Global, Post-Pandemic Campaign, Intriguing Visitors Through Alluring Perspectives of the Destinations People and Place New York, NY --News Direct-- YourUpdateTV No matter the length of the stay, one thing is for certain: visitors to New Zealand will never run out of places to see. Following the countrys reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism New Zealand has recently launched a brand-new campaign, If You Seek, inviting international visitors to unleash the seeker within. Recently, Sarah Handley, General Manager Americas and Europe at Tourism New Zealand, conducted a satellite media tour to discuss this campaign and share ideas to help curious travelers plan a trip of personal discovery and long-term growth. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/ujl2MnugTms If You Seek, the countrys first global campaign post-pandemic, is designed to warmly welcome all visitors who are willing to embrace New Zealands distinctive values of manaakitanga (a deep expression of hospitality and reciprocal understanding/connection) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship and care for the environment), positioning the destination as a place to nourish and transform. With two main islands, 13 national parks, and dozens of diverse cities, there are plenty of New Zealand attractions and activities to choose from. Explore golden coastlines fringed with native pohutukawa trees, follow walking trails to waterfalls hidden in beech forests, or cycle through gently rolling vineyards. For those after New Zealand's famous adventure activities and extreme sports, seekers can choose from bungy jumping, jet boating, skydiving, or zip-lining. Or relax and take it easy at beautiful hot pools, cultural attractions, and art galleries. Travelers can book a flight to New Zealand online or via local travel agents to enjoy stunning landscapes and meet friendly locals. From the west coast, its easier and quicker to fly to New Zealand than it is to go to some popular destinations in Europe. If visiting from the East Coast, fly through Chicago or New York, as the flight is worth the journey. Story continues Tourism New Zealands airline partners Air New Zealand, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines offer direct flights to New Zealand from seven U.S. cities - Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, New York, and Honolulu. Most international flights arrive into Auckland Airport, located in the northern part of the North Island. Christchurch, Wellington, Rotorua, Queenstown, and Dunedin airports also receive a small number of international flights. Find out more about New Zealand airports. For help booking New Zealand flights, contact 100% Pure New Zealand Specialists these are locally-based travel agents around the world who have completed special training with Tourism New Zealand to increase their knowledge of the country. They understand the best ways to get around and can recommend accommodation, activities, and tours to help make New Zealand holidays unforgettable. To find out more about New Zealand and the If You Seek campaign, visit NEWZEALAND.COM/US/ About Sarah Handley: Sarah Handley joined Tourism New Zealand in 2019 bringing over 20 years global experience in consumer-led businesses and senior marketing roles for high profile multinational companies such as Hasbro, Mattel and Electronic Arts. In her role as General Manager Americas & Europe, Sarah leads in-market teams in Los Angeles and London to promote New Zealand as the ultimate visitor destination across the region. This involves overseeing the insights-led development and implementation of integrated consumer and trade campaigns, as well as leveraging global and local stakeholder relationships to ensure effective delivery of the organization strategy. Originally from New Zealand, Sarah is passionate about building global consumer brands and is committed to enriching New Zealands communities, environment, and economy through the contribution of international tourism. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/new-zealands-international-border-has-reopened-whats-new-in-new-zealand-816957569 Micahn Carter, associate pastor for Church of the Highlands and former senior pastor of Together Church in Yakima, has resigned from the Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Ala. after allegations of sexual abuse. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chair of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, delivers remarks during an Oct. 13 hearing. 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. Leading superyacht charter company Four Seasons will be launching a luxury yacht experience in 2025, with Tillberg Design of Sweden at the helm of the design development. The superyacht, known as Christina O, will be designed according to the brief that takes inspiration from film franchise James Bond. The yachts exterior design has been developed by Tillberg Design of Sweden, with yacht designer Riccardo Manzoni playing an instrumental role. The aim is to create a truly timeless elegance, with a curvaceous and elegant architecture. The Four Seasons Yacht Christina O was designed to feature a unique and 20-metre (65-foot) long swimming pool in the aft, and the bottom of the pool will double up as a stage for catwalks and live music, according to Tillberg Design of Sweden. Another key design feature on board is the port-to-starboard transversal marina. Not only is the dual marina unique in terms of engineering, but its terraced design also allows guests to enjoy the sea first hand, with immediate access to water activities, and to sea limousine transfers to shore The interior design team is led by Tillberg Design of Swedens celebrated design director My Ostin. The highly creative designers intend to create suites and social spaces that reflect a truly effortless Dolce Vita while showcasing sophistication. For more information, visit Tillberg Design of Sweden. For more news and yachting tips, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. LINCOLN Gage County Clerk Dawn Hill was named Contact Person of the Year by the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association (NIRMA). NIRMA is Gage Countys property, liability and workers compensation coverage and risk management services provider. The honor was bestowed on Hill during an awards banquet held in conjunction with the annual NIRMA membership conference on Oct. 20-21 in Kearney for officials and employees in Nebraska counties and related public agencies that participate in the self-insurance pooling program. NIRMA asks each of its members to designate a contact person as the member's primary liaison to the staff that serve the NIRMA program. Hill distinguished herself from over one hundred contact persons statewide through her timely communication and collection of detailed information when needed to process Gage Countys claims, by consistently keeping the county's records up to date, and assisting with other essential functions. Each year NIRMA selects as recipients of its annual awards certain members and individual public officials who demonstrate a commitment to reducing potential risks, liability exposures and claim costs, and who take positive steps to ensure public health and safety. NIRMA is Nebraskas first risk management and self-insurance program for county governments and county-related public agencies. Today, NIRMA serves 83 counties and 24 associated public entities. Gage County joined the program in 1997. For the 2022 edition of METSTRADE in Amsterdam, 26 New Zealand-based marine companies will be attending to showcase their latest innovations. With the ninth longest coastline in the world, New Zealand has long been a well-established hub in the Pacific for sailors and superyachts. Its also a sought-after destination for yacht refits and repairs. Susannah Gordon, New Zealand ambassador to Netherlands, said, New Zealand is a wonderful place to visit, cruise and enjoy premium tourism experiences. The coastline has more diversity in the space of shorter distances than almost anywhere else. New Zealand companies to be featured at the show include Propspeed, ENL Wassp, C-Quip, C-Tech, TruDesign, Doyle Sails, Fastmount, Railblaza, Manson Anchors / Bowmaster, Zerojet, Vesper Marine, Shark Ltd, and many more. Stacey Cook, manager at Superyacht NZ, commented, New Zealand is home to internationally award-winning superyacht yards and skilled tradespeople who refit some of the worlds most prestigious and high-performance superyachts. Temporary entry is available to foreign-flagged yachts for up to two years, allowing substantial refit work to be undertaken alongside cruising in New Zealand, while attracting zero rated goods and services tax and no duty. For more information, visit METSTRADE. For more news and yachting tips, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Editors note: This is the first installment in a series highlighting the questions/answers posed to candidates. YORK Five of the six candidates seeking four seats on the York City Council participated in a public forum Monday night at the Kilgore Library, as they were asked random questions and given an opportunity to introduce themselves, as well as explain why they are seeking the office. Participating were Jeff Pieper, Jeff McGregor, Steve Postier, Scott VanEsch and Vicki Northrop. Christi Lones was unable to attend due to a prior commitment. The event was hosted by the York News-Times and KAWL/KOOL Radio. Moderators were YNT Publisher Carrie Colburn and KAWL/KOOL Operation Manager Gene Curtis. The candidates were given time to talk about why they were running. Then the question/answer session began an envelope containing 16 questions was assigned to each candidate. Each envelope held the same questions. The moderators pulled random questions from the envelopes as the candidates took turns no one knew what the question was going to be until it was asked, in order to provide fairness and as little redundancy as possible. During introductions, Pieper thanked the crowd in attendance, as well as those listening on the radio and watching online. He talked about being raised in York, graduating from York High School, getting a degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and then moving back here. He is currently running a local plumbing business and has a family. He said he is seeking his third term on the council, is a conservative Christian man who wants to continue to serve the community. McGregor also grew up in York, graduated from York High School and then joined the Navy where he spent 21 years before retiring. I started working for the federal government in Rhode Island and then got a longing for my roots and the Midwest culture, McGregor said. I came back, finished my bachelors degree at the age of 50. He says he is proud to be back in the York community and wants to fulfill my civic duty. Postier also grew up in York, graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and then I had the opportunity to move home and raise my family here. I am a branch manager at Henderson State Bank and we also own K9 Kennels. I have been serving in many different facets in the community, Ive always had a passion for serving and giving back and want to have another facet in which to serve. Unlike them, I actually grew up in Washington State, VanEsch told the audience. We moved here in 2005 and I grew to love York. I started working for the family business which is Moguls and Ive been there almost 17 years now. Im seeking my second term. Ive been excited during the last four years, it has been a great learning experience. Ive been involved in many aspects of city business. When I filed, my wife asked me why I was running, I said I want to see some of these projects through. Northrop talked about being born and raised in York and how service is in her familys history, having a grandfather and uncle who served on the city council. Serving the community has always been a priority for us. We always knew we would come back to York and we did. A graduate of York High School, she earned degrees from York College, the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Doane University. Shes been an educator for many years and says shes glad to be back. I want to serve on the council and be a voice for all in the York community. Im happy to see a lot of good things happening in York during the last couple of years now and I want to be part of the ongoing solutions. At that point, the questioning began. Pieper was asked, Do you feel the city should build a new satellite office for police and fire by the interchange as the activity there increases, as well as on the interstate itself? He responded, Yes, if the city had unlimited funds which it doesnt. I do think it is something to look at, toward the future, but right now we are spread pretty thin. But it is something to look at for the future. The next question went to McGregor: There are a number of problematic residential properties in the city, with rundown buildings, garbage and other issues. How do you feel the city should handle these types of issues? He responded that he felt the city should review the ordinances, make sure we notify the owners, give them time to fix things and then make sure we follow through. There are a number of properties that need to be cleaned up. Im sure there are probably many people who were given the opportunity to clean up their properties but they didnt respond because they didnt have the means. We need to keep the lines of communication open and keep the city as clean as possible. Postier was asked, The city has sold all the industrial land it owned, as all the parcels in the industrial park and east of the NPPD operations center have been purchased by private owners. Would you support the city purchasing more ground, to hold for economic development purposes? He responded, Im a big proponent of economic development, and what YCDC and the other vital players are doing. I think it is good to have land available, as well as options on land, and to be a key player as we continue to develop York. The next question went to VanEsch: Q: The city has started the process toward building a new fire station. Money has been set aside, as a beginning of saving for the substantial investment. Do you have any feelings about where a new station could be located, how it could be funded and features that should be included? He responded that we know this needs to be addressed. I just toured the new station in Columbus and saw the amenities there. Tony (Fire Chief Bestwick) really liked what they had. I support a new station and we need to continue to put money away, to save a few years while we make a plan. Ive heard ideas about location from one end of town to the other. I would support doing this in the next five years. Northrop was asked to describe Yorks greatest assets. This is a wonderful community, she said. There is a lot for people of all ages. It is the right size to grow our family and Im thrilled thats the case for ours. We do a good job of meeting different requirements and services for different people. We work hard to build our reserve and the council has seen to it to put money away. We have amazing schools and York University, we have new facilities. There are so many good, positive things right now, which I think we could make even better. Editors note: Coverage of the forum will continue in Thursdays York News-Times. YORK Local farmers Jeremy and Amy Janzen of Henderson recently directed a $5,000 Bayer Fund, Americas Farmers Grow Communities donation to York County 4-H. York County 4-H Extension staff will use the funds to provide hands on educational learning opportunities to all youth in York County. York Extension Educator Tanya Crawford said, We feel so honored to receive to receive this $5,000 donation and cannot thank them enough. In 2022, Bayer Fund revamped Americas Farmers Grow Communities program, making it easier for farmers across the country to find and fund the organizations and institutions that keep their communities thriving. This included doubling the individual donations to $5,000 up from $2,500 in previous years to provide a greater impact to local rural communities. For more than a decade, Grow Communities has partnered with farmers to direct funds to programs and organizations that contribute to their communities health and vibrancy, such as food banks, schools and youth agriculture programs. Since the Americas Farmers programs began in 2010, the initiatives have awarded nearly $65 million to such programs. Each year, we hear from several nonprofit and school leaders, as well as farmers, about the way the ways Grow Communities has made a difference, said Al Mitchell, Bayer Fund President. Bayer Fund is proud to work side-by-side with farmers to identify local nonprofit organizations and schools that are improving rural communities in the areas of health and wellness, food and nutrition and STEM and ag education. Farmers can enroll for the opportunity to direct a 2023 Grow Communities donation. To learn more about the enrollment process and how Americas Farmers programs are making an impact, visit www.Americasfarmers.com. British automotive brand - Range Rover, is quite famous around riches, famous, and politicians around the world. Well, the PM-designate for the UK - Rishi Sunak, is also seen travelling in an all Range Rover convoy as he arrives to see King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London. Sunaks convoy included three Range Rovers, out of which, one belonged to the police department. In fact, a Land Rover Discovery was also a part of the motorcade. These arent the 2023 Range Rover examples that have just been released. They are the facelifted version of the fourth-gen example, which was released in 2018. #WATCH | The UK PM-designate #RishiSunak arrives at Buckingham Palace in London to meet King Charles III. (Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/B40LdVwke4 October 25, 2022 2022 Range Rover Design The New Range Rover SV gets an Exclusive front bumper and five-bar grille design sets the new flagship model apart, with the lower aperture featuring five precisely executed full-width metal-plated blades. Exquisite materials include smooth ceramics, sustainably sourced woods and plated metals, highlighting Special Vehicle Operations work. 2022 Range Rover Specs The new Range Rover is updated to work with Hybrid tech. It comes with three powertrain options, namely 3.0-litre diesel, 3.0-litre petrol and new 4.4-litre petrol. The six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines feature the latest 48 V mild-hybrid (MHEV) technology which harvests energy usually lost under deceleration and braking to boost fuel efficiency. Also read - Actor Nimrat Kaur buys 2022 Range Rover luxury SUV worth Rs 3 crore, check pics 2022 Ranger Rover Price The all-new 2022 Range Rover is priced at Rs 2.31 crore (ex-showroom). The new Range Rover competes against luxury cars like Bentley Bentayga and Mercedes-Maybach GLS. In India, the Mercedes is priced at Rs 2.47 crore, while the Bentayaga is priced at Rs 4.10 crore after the launch of the facelift version. New Delhi: Mahindra and Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra has lauded Rishi Sunak for becoming the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. But it is Mahindra's tweet that is winning hearts on the internet as the billionaire industrialist quotes Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. "Churchill supposedly said all Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw. Today, during the 75th year of our Independence, were poised to see a man of Indian origin anointed as PM of the UK. Life is beautiful," Mahindra wrote on Twitter. In 1947 on the cusp of Indian Independence, Winston Churchill supposedly said all Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw. Today, during the 75th year of our Independence, were poised to see a man of Indian origin anointed as PM of the UK. Life is beautiful anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 24, 2022 At the time of writing this article, Mahindra's post garnered 12.9K Retweets, 802 Quote Tweets and 83.9K Likes. Anand Mahindra is quite a popular industrialist on Twitter. His quirky, witty and sarcastic messages have always won the heart of netizens. Britain`s conservative party leader Rishi Sunak became the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Monday. Sunak was born in Southampton to parents of Indian descent who migrated to Britain from East Africa.An Oxford, and Stanford University alumnae, Sunak is famously married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of NR Narayana Murthy, the billionaire businessman who founded Infosys. Bhai Dooj 2022: The five-day celebration of Diwali has come to a conclusion with Bhai Dooj. All brothers and sisters actively engage in the celebration of the Hindu festival known as Bhaiya Dooj. It is celebrated at the Shukla Paksha's Amavasya in Kartik month. Bhai Dooj 2022: Date (Tithi) According to Drik panchang, Bhai Dooj will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 26 2022 in India. Bhai Dooj 2022: Time (Tika Time) The Dwitiya tithi begins at 02:42 pm on October 26, 2022, and will conclude on the following afternoon at 12:45 pm on October 27, 2022. Bhai Dooj aparahna time or the tika timinigs- 01:12 pm to 03:27 pm Duration- 2 Hours 14 minutes. Bhai Dooj 2022: Significance Story of Lord Krishna and Subhadra Lord Krishna visited his sister Subhadra after slaying the demon King Narakasura, who welcomed him with gifts including sweets and flowers. She lovingly kissed Krishna's forehead and handed him a dry coconut, which is a sign of good fortune. From that point forward, Bhai Dooj was celebrated. Story of Yama and Yamuna The God of Death Yama once paid a visit to his sister Yamuna. She gave her brother Yama a tilak and fed him special meals that she had prepared herself. Given that they hadn't seen each other in a while, they ate dinner together, chatted, and gave gifts to one another. Yamraj requested a blessing from his sister after obtaining this level of love and adoration from her. In response, Yamuna wished that her brother would pay her a visit every year and that any sisters who perform the rites of the tilak and other ceremonies would not be afraid of Yamraj, the god of death. Hearing his sister's sweet wishes, Yamraj blessed his sister and granted her the wish and announced that whoever performs the tilak ceremony on this day will get a long and prosperous life. This is why Bhai Dooj is celebrated. Surya Grahan 2022: The world is set to witness the last solar eclipse of 2022 and the partial solar eclipse will be visible from several parts of India. After the festival of lights, Diwali was celebrated on October 24, the surya grahan will be visible today - October 25. People from Europe, the Urals and Western Siberia, Central Asia and Western Asia, and from the northeast of Africa will be able to view the solar eclipse. A partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the centre of the Moon's shadow misses the Earth. Even if it's for a short while, a solar eclipse should not be viewed with the naked eye. Except for the few states of the northeastern region, most of the states in India will be able to witness this solar eclipse. The ending of the eclipse will be in progress after sunset in India and hence not visible. Meanwhile, n account of the eclipse, 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. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Badrinath temple on Friday. Solar eclipse 2022: Where to watch the surya grahan In India, several cities will be able to view the eclipse and this includes the capital Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Bhopal, among others. Several of these cities will be able to view the eclipse for more than one-and-half hour. However, northeastern places like Aizawl, Dibrugarh, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Silchar, and Andaman & Nicobar Island will not be able to view the eclipse. Solar eclipse 2022: City-wise timings New Delhi: 04:28 pm to 05:42 pm Mumbai: 04:49 pm to 06:09 pm Chennai: 05:13 pm to 05:45 pm Kolkata: 04:51 pm to 05:04 pm Hyderabad: 04:58 pm to 05:48 pm Bengaluru: 05:12 pm to 05:56 pm Bhopal: 04:42 pm to 05:47 pm Chandigarh: 04:23 pm to 05:41 pm Pune: 04:51 pm to 06:06 pm (Source: Drik Panchang) Also read: Solar Eclipse 2022 today, check Sutak timing: Surya Grahan timing in Delhi, Mumbai; LIVE streaming Solar eclipse 2022: Effect on zodiac signs Astrologer Gurudev Shrie Kashyap, chairman/founder of All India Institute of Occult Science, spoke to us about the dos and donts for solar eclipse this year. Solar eclipse 2022: How it will affect the zodiac signs Astrologer Gurudev Shrie Kashyap says the partial solar eclipse will affect the 12 sun signs in different ways. Here's how: Aries: Married women and their husbands may be distressed Taurus: There can be unnecessary tension and anxiety Gemini: More expenditure and work will get delayed Cancer: Work will be done successfully Leo: There will be money gain Virgo: They may see money loss Libra: There will be anxiety, chances of an accident Scorpio: Like Virgos, might experience money loss Sagittarius: There will be profit, growth Capricorn: Chances of diseases, fear Aquarius: There will be concerns about children Pisces: Enemies can pose a threat, but they might see profits too Partial Solar Eclipse 2022: Dos and Donts Astrologer Shrie Kashyap lists out the dos and don'ts - Women who are expecting are advised not to go out, as it is believed that it may have adverse effects on the child. - As per astrology, people should avoid eating at the time of the solar eclipse. - It is beneficial to perform auspicious acts like bathing, charity, chanting mantras and rituals, meditation, havan etc. - Never look at the eclipsed sun with bare eyes. If the person wants to observe the partial eclipse, use welded glass to see. -Taking a bath with hot water at the time of the eclipse and at the end of the eclipse is prohibited. However, for people who are unwell, old or women who are pregnant and for children, there's no prohibition. - Nails should not be cut. - During the solar eclipse, worship the Sun god; recite Aditya Hridaya Stotra, and Suryashtak Stotra. - Cooked food and chopped vegetables get contaminated during the eclipse SURYA GRAHAN 2022 IN INDIA TIMINGS TODAY: This year's last partial solar eclipse will take place on October 25, a day after Diwali. In India, the eclipse will begin before sunset in the afternoon and will be seen from most of places. However, the same cannot be seen from Andaman & Nicobar Islands and some parts of north-east India (names of few such places are Aizawl, Dibrugarh, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Sibsagar, Silchar, Tamelong etc.), according to the government release. The partial solar eclipse will be visible from Europe, the Urals and Western Siberia, Central Asia and Western Asia, and from the northeast of Africa. SUTAK TIMING IN INDIA: According to Drik Panchang, the Sutak will begin at 03:16 am and end at 05:42 pm. It is generally observed approximately 12 hours before the Surya Grahan. Sutak for kids, old people and the sick - starts at 12:05 pm and ending at 05:42 pm. Sutak is considered an inauspicious time before the Surya Grahan, as per Hindu tradition. SOLAR ECLIPSE INDIA TIMINGS: According to the timeanddate.com website, the first location to see the partial eclipse begins at 14:28:21 pm with the Maximum Eclipse at 16:30:16 pm. The last location to see the partial eclipse end at 18:32:11 pm respectively. The eclipse will start at 4.29 pm in Delhi and at 4.49 pm in Mumbai. It will start at 5.14 pm in Chennai and 5.12 pm in Bengaluru. The government release stated, "In Delhi and Mumbai, the percentage coverage of the Sun by the Moon at the time of greatest eclipse will be around 44 percent and 24 percent respectively. The duration of eclipse from the beginning up to sunset time will be 1 hr 13 min and 1 hr 19 min for both Delhi and Mumbai respectively. In Chennai and Kolkata, the duration of the eclipse from the beginning up to sunset time will be 31 min and 12 min respectively." The ending of the eclipse will not be visible from India as the same will be in progress after sunset. The obscuration of the Sun by the Moon will be approximately between 40 and 50 per cent at the time of maximum eclipse in north-western parts of the country. In other parts of the country, the percentage coverage will be less than the above values, according to the government release. PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OR SURYA GRAHAN 2022 LIVE STREAMING: The second partial solar eclipse of 2022 is visible from a large part of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and western parts of Asia as per timeanddate.com. The site is likely to run a LIVE streaming on YouTube capturing the partial Surya Grahan of this year. SOLAR ECLIPSE DOS AND DONTS: In India, people usually prefer to stay indoors and not consume any food items during the time of the Grahan or eclipse. Also, Darbha grass or Tulsi leaves are put in eatables and water to prevent the ill effects of the Grahan. Many believe in taking a bath after the eclipse is over and changing into new clothes. Chanting mantras dedicated to the sun god is another practice followed by many households in the country. Especially, pregnant women are asked to stay indoors and chant the Santana Gopala Mantra. Many refrain from drinking water during the time period of the eclipse. Also, the preparation of food or eating is prohibited during the Grahan. Commencing any auspicious task is avoided by many as well. (Take Note: The eclipsed Sun should not be viewed with the naked eye, even for a very short time. It will cause permanent damage to the eyes leading to blindness even when the moon covers most portion of the Sun.) Mercedes-Benz recently launched EQS 580 4MATIC in India and has now delivered the first unit to a couple in Gujarat. The delivery of the luxury electric vehicle worth Rs 1.55 crore (ex-showroom) was done to a doctor couple based on multiple reports. The car was launched in India by the German automaker in the presence of Union Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari. Moreover, the car is also the first luxury electric vehicle to be assembled in the manufacturer's plant in Chakan near Pune. Besides, it also claims to be the car with the ARAI-certified longest range of 857 km per charge. Mercedes-Benz EQS 580: Range The long-range of 857 km can be credited to its large battery pack of 107.8 kWh, which produces 385 kW of power and 885 Nm of torque. With a fast charger and a 200 kWh Ultra-quick DC charger, it can be fully charged with a range of up to 300 km in just 15 minutes. These power stats result in taking the car from 0-100 in just 4.1 seconds. Adding to its capacities the luxury electric vehicle gets an aerodynamic design with a drag coefficient of under 0.20. Also read: Ola Electric car teased again, reveals NEW interior and exterior details: Watch Mercedes-Benz EQS 580: Features A premium Burmester music system, massaging seats, and ambient lighting are just a few of the additional features included with the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. The 56-inch MBUX Hyperscreen is only one of the many amenities that the luxury electric vehicle boasts. It essentially combines three panels and is now the largest in-car screen in the world. The Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 will take centre stage as the giant automaker's most luxurious and longest-range EV. The AMG EQS 53, on the other hand, may have established itself as the most powerful and expensive Mercedes-Benz India EV, but its more understated twin may legitimately contend with rival flagships like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. Ola Electric, an Indian EV maker, released a teaser for its first upcoming electric vehicle, on the occasion of Diwali. This teaser stands out from the others since it provides a look inside the impending electric car. The new teaser has been timed right after the company launched its latest electric scooter on 22 October. However, the car is still a long way from being seen in the market as the company plans to launch the EV around December 2024. Before that, we can expect glimpses of the upcoming vehicle through teasers like these. The teaser shows the minimalist design of the dashboard. Furthermore, it also shows the rectangular steering wheel of the car. The steering also has backlit controls on its spokes with an octagonal centre that has the Ola logo on it. It also features a free-standing digital instrument cluster showing a speedometer readout. Moreover, the electric car also gets an infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard. Also read: Buying an electric vehicle? Here's how much TAX BENEFIT you can claim - Explainer Cool blue interior ambient lighting can be seen behind the steering wheel. At the very top, there is a thin bank of AC vents that might be followed by a thin strip of ambient lighting. There aren't any other switches or controls visible on the dashboard, which may indicate that all controls are built into the touchscreen. This ones going to be a dream on 4 wheels! We know youre as excited for it as we are. Give us #EndICEage in the comments! pic.twitter.com/g1kgk9ONrt October 23, 2022 Later on in the teaser, it is easy to note that the design of the front fascia is different than what we have seen earlier. The teaser shows a similar smooth minimalist design, smoothened air intakes, a lower bumper, and an LED light bar running across the front bumper. Furthermore, the design of the headlamps seems to be different from horizontal stacks of LED. The pricing details of the Ola Electric car are not out yet. However, it is expected that the car will be targeting the budget segment. Chances are it will have a 70-80kWh battery with an expected range of over 500km. These stats are necessary for the car to compete against rivals like Hyundai Kona EV, Mahindra XUV400, and Tata Nexon EV Max. New Delhi: The first trailer of Marvel`s `Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania` is finally out and shows Scott Lang and his crew transported to the Quantum Realm where they meet Marvel`s next big baddie after Thanos. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the more than 2-minute long trailer shows Jonathan Majors playing the role Kang; however, this is the alternate version of that villain who will go on to become the big bad of Marvel`s Multiverse Saga, including the upcoming `Avengers: The Kang Dynasty`. Jonathan has previously appeared as a character called He Who Remains in the Disney+ series `Loki`.`Quantumania`centers on Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who once again teams up with Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). Watch the trailer here Marvel newcomer Kathryn Newton plays Scott`s daughter, Cassie, who is aged up following the five-year time jump that took place in `Avengers: Endgame`, reported The Hollywood Reporter. Prior to the release of the trailer `Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania` director Peyton Reed tweeted earlier today that Marvel true believers should "fasten their seatbelts" Previously in July, Reed told EW at San Diego Comic-Con, "We were thrilled to get to do a third Ant-Man movie and do a trilogy and we knew if we were going to do that we wanted to do some things differently. We really wanted to take a hard left turn and make a movie that was even more epic, but still progress the story of these family dynamics and everything that`s going on between Scott and Hope and Cassie." 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently scheduled to release in theatres on February 17, 2023. New Delhi: A retired brigadier's ordeal ended after seven years as the CBI finally closed an offshoot of AgustaWestland VVIP chopper corruption case against him following no incriminating evidence supporting bribery allegations was found. For Brigadier V S Saini (retired) of Army Aviation, the moment brought some smiles on his face after facing rigourous questioning from the agency for allegedly favouring the UK-based company during field trials of Light Utility Helicopters in 2010. Saini was accused of demanding bribes from Christian Michel James, an alleged middleman, to favour the company during field evaluation trials held in 2010, officials said. When contacted, Saini refused to offer any comments saying he just wants positive thoughts around him. The case pertained to the requirement of 197 Light Utility Helicopters by Army Aviation for reconnaissance and surveillance operations to replace decades-old fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters, the officials said. Army Aviation had floated a request for proposal (RFP) on July 24, 2008 to which three companies -- UK-based AgustaWestland, France-based Eurocopter and Russia-based Rosoboronoexports had responded and submitted technical and commercial proposals. It was alleged that Brigadier Saini as officer-in charge of the trial team had allowed participation of a different variety of AgustaWestland choppers than what the company had mentioned in the RFP and he had also written a letter dated February 3, 2010, addressed to the Weapon Equipment (WE) Directorate in favour of AgustaWestland. The letter had mentioned that as decision making process can take some time which may delay the evaluation of the AgustaWestland helicopter. It would mean that the opportunity to carry out crucial winter trials at high altitude would be lost and intimated that the trial team would proceed with provision trials with concurrence from AgustaWestland, the letter had said. Not getting any response from the WE Directorate, the entire trial team had unanimously decided to proceed with the trial and it was not the independent decision of Brigadier Saini, the officials said. The AgustaWestland chopper fielded during the trials was rejected in the first phase and no deal was signed. The choppers were also tested under 'no cost no commitment' provision so no costs were borne by India. The allegations of bribe demand against Saini surfaced from an "unsigned and unmarked memorandum" recovered by Swiss authorities two years later from the residence of the Errera Irma, the mother of Guido Haschke, an alleged middleman who was under probe by Italian authorities for alleged corruption in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. The memorandum found at the residence of Irma on April 23, 2012 by Swiss authorities on a judicial request sent by Italian prosecutor contained alleged demand of bribe by Saini from an agent of AgustaWestland to favour the company during Field Evaluation Trials (FET). During his deposition before a Milan court, Haschke had claimed that he had got the information related to demand of bribe from Michel and that the memorandum was written in India and typed on a laptop. The CBI had registered a preliminary inquiry on June 12, 2013 on the basis of a letter from a director in the Defence Ministry and converted it into an FIR after almost seven months on January 3, 2014. The said memorandum and records of Haschke deposition was provided to India under a judicial request sent by a special court here to Switzerland and Italy. Michel who was brought from the UAE in connection with a separate corruption case of VVIP chopper deal probed by the CBI denied any knowledge about alleged bribe demanded by Saini during his interrogation by the central agency. He said Haschke treated him as enemy and agreed with the Italian prosecutors to give evidence against him. Michel said Haschke tried to implicate him before the Italian prosecutors by deposing that the contents of the memorandum at his mother's residence was the information collected and dictated to Haschke by him. He had stated that he was never privy to any such information regarding the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter deal and he has never given any such dictation to Haschke. The CBI did not find any other documentary or oral evidence to corroborate the demand of bribe mentioned in the said memorandum, resulting in the closure of the case last year, the officials said, adding that the court has also accepted the findings. New Delhi: In a bid to manage the handle emergency cases in the hospital All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS New Delhi has taken an initiative to make a referral system for stable patients between the government hospitals of Delhi. In this regard, AIIMS New Delhi on Tuesday (October 25) invited the Medical Supritendents of all the government hospitals in Delhi. The meeting of the medical superintendents of all the government hospitals in the national capital including AIIMS New Delhi will be held on October 29, 2022 in Dr Ramalingaswami board room at the AIIMS New Delhi Director office. The meeting for all the government hospital heads will be commenced at 12:00 PM. According to the official notice released by the office of the director of AIIMS New Delhi, the Emergency department of the hospital is handling around 600 days a day which accounts for both emergency and non-emergency cases. AIIMS New Delhi also receives referrals of critical patients and since there is no formal referral mechanism between government hospitals patients face inconvenience in the movement between the medical facilities. Hence in order to ease the movement of patients between government hospitals, AIIMS New Delhi requested for a meeting of medical superintendents. Bhatpara: A seven-year-old boy was killed and two others injured as a bomb exploded on a railway track in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Tuesday, police said. The incident happened around 8.30 am on the railway tracks at Bhatpara between Kakinara and Jagaddal stations, about 30 km from Kolkata, they said. The boy was playing with two of his friends with a packet that was lying there and it suddenly exploded, police said. "The bomb was kept by miscreants on the railway tracks. The children started playing with the bomb thinking it to be a ball and it exploded," a police officer said. When taken to the hospital, one of the three boys was declared brought dead, he said. The injured children were undergoing treatment, he said. Vadodara: An incident of stone pelting between two communities was reported in the Panigate area of Gujarat`s Vadodara on Monday, Diwali night. According to police, the situation has been brought under control and footage from CCTVs are being scrutinized. An inquiry is underway and eyewitnesses are being questioned."An incident of stone pelting occurred near the Muslim Medical Center in Panigate last night. Police immediately reached the spot and took action. The situation is completely under control. CCTVs are being checked and an inquiry with the eyewitnesses is underway to identify the cause of the incident," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Yashpal Jaganiya said. Also Read: Gujarat witnesses communal clash in Vadodara's vegetable market; Garba venue attacked in Kheda "Stones were pelted at each other in a clash between two communities on the late night of Monday in Vadodara`s Panigate area. Many vehicles were set on fire and shops were also vandalized," the DCP said. He further said that the Vadodara Police and top officials reached the spot and made efforts to control the situation. Vadodara, Gujarat | An incident of stone pelting occurred near Muslim Medical center in Panigate last night. Police immediately reached the spot & took action; situation completely under control. CCTVs being checked & eyewitnesses' inquiry underway. Probe on: DCP Yashpal Jaganiya pic.twitter.com/fS6SjRIV87 ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2022 A police official was also attacked with a petrol bomb during patrolling, he added. Further investigation into the matter is underway. Meanwhile, early this month 40 people were arrested in a communal clash in vegetable market in Savli town of Vadodara. Cyclone Sitrang, a tropical storm that battered Bangladesh on Monday has so far killed at least 13 people. Most deaths were reported after uprooted trees fell on them, though others died from collapsing structures or drowning. Several houses were damaged due to Cyclone Sitrang which caused heavy rainfall and a storm in the Nagaon district of Assam. Numerous trees and electric poles were also uprooted in various parts of the region due to the cyclonic storm on Monday night. Under the influence of Cyclone Sitrang, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert indicating heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall for Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura on Monday. Heavy rains lash Assam As per reports, several houses in the Kaliabor, Bamuni, Sakmuthia tea estate, and Boraligaon areas of the central Assam district have been damaged due to the storm.No casualties due to the storm have been reported so far in the area. Also Read: Cyclone 'Sitrang' wrecks havoc in Bangladesh, 9 killed; heavy rainfall alert in 4 North-eastern states Meanwhile, the tides have hit the coast of Bakkhali beach in South 24 Parganas in West Bengal amid the cyclone `Sitrang` alert. The Civil defence is alerting the tourists and locals not to venture near the sea. Notably, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday informed that the remnant of the cyclonic storm "Sitrang" which created a deep depression over Bangladesh has further weakened into a depression over northeast Bangladesh, north-northeast of Agartala and south-southwest of Shillong." Deep Depression over Bangladesh (Remnant of Cyclonic Storm "SITRANG") further weakened into a Depression and lay centred at 0530 hrs IST over northeast Bangladesh and neighbourhood about 90 km north-northeast of Agartala, and 100 km south-southwest of Shillong," the IMD tweeted. Assam: Torrential rainfall continuing since yesterday has triggered severe waterlogging in several parts of Guwahati. (Visuals from Rukmini Gaon & Hatigaon areas) pic.twitter.com/dDA5s6uLWL ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2022 Cyclone Sitrang wreaks havoc in Bangladesh At least 13 people have been killed while over 2 lac people have been evacuated after the tropical storm lashed out Bangladesh. Following the casualties, a monitoring cell by the Fire Service and Civil Defence was made functional. Roads remained cut off for a couple of hours due to the falling of uprooted trees and light poles. However, with strong winds subsiding, the roads were cleared. Mobile networks and internet services in coastal areas were also affected during the landfall of the Cyclonic storm. The network was restored later. The power supply was affected in Pirojpur and Madaripur districts. Also Read: Cyclone Sitrang: Multiple flights, trains CANCELLED in Northeast states, several passengers affected Bangladesh government had prepared 7,030 cyclone shelters in 15 coastal districts to evacuate those residing in coastal areas. Over 2 lac people were evacuated from coastal districts and shifted to the cyclone shelters. While the Cyclone lost its intensity after its landfall, coastal areas of Bangladesh are still receiving rainfall. New Delhi: Under the influence of Cyclone Sitrang, a red alert indicating heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall has been issued for Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura on Monday. Widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rain at isolated places is very likely to occur over Tripura on Monday and Tuesday, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday. "Under Sitrang influence, widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms/lightning/heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rain at isolated places is very likely to occur over Tripura on 24th & 25th October 2022," IMD said in a press release. Earlier today, the West Bengal government was witnessed taking all the precautionary measures, including evacuation of people, and supply of relief material to shelters, to deal with possible devastation under the impact of Cyclone `Sitrang`. Civil defence teams are deployed at Bakkhali Sea Beach in South 24 Parganas. Tourists are not allowed to visit the beach and the shops have also been closed. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appealed to the people to "stay alert" as there is a high chance of rain on Tuesday due to cyclone Sitrang. Also Read: Cyclone Sitrang brings 'Cloud of Disaster' before Kali Puja: Just 380 Km away, BIG impact of the STORM in Bengal? "There is a high chance of rain on October 25. There is an appeal to the people to avoid going out unnecessarily or to the sea areas including the Sundarbans. The state govt has made arrangements," said CM Mamata Banerjee. The cyclonic storm "Sitrang" pronounced as "Si-Trang" over the northwest and adjoining the central Bay of Bengal crossed the Bangladesh coast between Tinkona and Sandwip close to Barisal from 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm on Monday with a maximum sustained wind speed of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph, IMD said. "It lay centred at 11:30 pm on Sunday over coastal Bangladesh near latitude 23.70N and longitude 90.80E, about 40 km east of Dhaka, 50 km west-southwest of Agartala, and 120 km north-northeast of Barisal (Bangladesh)," IMD officials said. "The cyclone is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and weaken into a depression during next 6 hours and further into a well-marked low-pressure area during subsequent 6 hours," it further said. As cyclone Sitrang battered parts of Bangladesh on Monday, at least nine people lost their lives, including three members of a family in Cumilla, two in Bhola and one each in Narail, Shariatpur, Barguna and Dhaka. Most deaths were reported after uprooted trees fell on them. Following the casualties, a monitoring cell by the Fire Service and Civil Defence was made functional. Roads remained cut off for a couple of hours due to the falling of uprooted trees and light poles. However, with strong winds subsiding, the roads were cleared. Mobile networks and internet services in coastal areas were also affected during the landfall of the Cyclonic storm.The network was restored later. The power supply was affected in Pirojpur and Madaripur districts. Bangladesh government had prepared 7,030 cyclone shelters in 15 coastal districts to evacuate those residing in coastal areas. Over 2 lac people were evacuated from coastal districts and shifted to the cyclone shelters. While the Cyclone lost its intensity after its landfall, coastal areas of Bangladesh are still receiving rainfall. Also Read: Cyclone Sitrang: IMD issues red alert for four North-East states Cyclone Sitrang weakens into depression India Meteorological Department department on Tuesday said that "Cyclone 'SITRANG' further weakened into a Depression and lay centered at 0530 hrs IST of over northeast Bangladesh and neighborhood about 90 km north-northeast of Agartala, and 100 km south-southwest of Shillong. Cyclone Sitrang crossed the Bangladesh coast near Barisal after skirting the West Bengal coast. The weather in the southern West Bengal districts is likely to improve from the forenoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Deep Depression over Bangladesh (Remnant of Cyclonic Storm SITRANG) further weakened into a Depression and lay centered at 0530 hrs IST of over northeast Bangladesh and neighborhood about 90 km north-northeast of Agartala, and 100 km south-southwest of Shillong. pic.twitter.com/vCukmXmUFe India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) October 25, 2022 Heavy rainfall alert in 4 Indian states Under the influence of Cyclone Sitrang, a red alert indicating heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall has been issued for Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura on Monday. Widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rain at isolated places is very likely to occur over Tripura on Monday and Tuesday, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday. "Under Sitrang influence, widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms/lightning/heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rain at isolated places is very likely to occur over Tripura on 24th & 25th October 2022," IMD said in a press release. The system, which moved towards Bangladesh from the north Bay of Bengal at a speed of 56 kmph caused moderate to heavy rain and squally weather in West Bengal's coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur, dampening festive spirits in Deepavali and Kali Puja. Intermittent showers on Monday forced people to remain indoors as most Kolkata streets wore a deserted look on a festive evening which would normally have attracted tens of thousands to visit Kali Puja pandals and see the bright lights of the city. The West Bengal government had advised people take necessary precautions in view of the weather forecast. Damoh: A Dalit couple and their son were shot dead allegedly by six persons over a dispute in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district on Tuesday morning, police said. Two other sons of the couple were injured in the incident which took place at around 6.30 am in Devran village under Dehat police station limits, located more than 20 km from the district headquarters, Superintendent of Police D R Teniwar said. Efforts were on to nab the six absconding accused, he said. The incident was the fallout of a minor dispute, the official said without elaborating. The accused, belonging to the same village, shot dead the 60-year-old Dalit man, his wife aged 58 and a 32-year-old son. His two other sons, aged 28 and 30, received injuries in the attack and were undergoing treatment in the district hospital, the official said. Also Read: Rajasthan SHOCKER! Dalit girl raped by man in Barmer government school-Read here The police have registered a case against the six accused on the charge of murder and other sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said. Search was on for the absconding accused, he added. Nebraska farmers in southeast Nebraska can enhance their operations by attending the 2022 Cover Crop Grazing Conference. Scheduled for November 1, the conference will take place at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead. The conference kicks off with registration, refreshments, and a trade show at the August N. Christenson Building at 9 a.m. Educational programs are from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and include a producer panel session and live field demonstrations. Nebraska Extension is uniquely suited to bring farmers unbiased and research-based information that will be shared at this conference. Featured presentations include Rotational/Strip Grazing with Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator and Grazing of Perennial and Annual Forages presented by Brad Schick, Nebraska Extension Educator. This expo will help first-time or experienced farmers looking to fine-tune their cover crop grazing management by utilizing cover crops as an alternative forage source. Speakers and panelists will address important issues for Nebraska farmers and ranchers and provides one-on-one discussion with local, private industry exhibitors and sponsors. The full conference agenda is: 9-10 a.m. registration and trade show 10-10:45 a.m. rotational/strip grazing 11-11:45 a.m. producer Q&A panel 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. lunch and trade show 12:30-1 p.m., cover crop field demo part 1 1-1:45 p.m., grazing of perennial and annual forages 22:45 p.m., cover crop field demo part 2 Please preregister by Oct. 28 at: https://enrec.unl.edu/covercropgrazingconference/. Agenda, details and map/directions are also on the website. A $10 registration fee is payable via cash or check at the conference. Or checks can be mailed in advance to 2022 Cover Crop Grazing Conference, Nebraska Extension, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE 68033. The fee covers lunch and refreshments throughout the day. When paying by check, make payable to University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Agribusiness stakeholders are being sought as sponsors and trade show exhibitors. Please contact Connor Biehler at cbiehler2@unl.edu or 402-624-8007 or visit bigredbeeftalk.unl.edu for more details. For more information about Nebraska Extension and other general inquiries about agronomic resources from Nebraska Extension, feel free to contact me at nathan.mueller@unl.edu or 402-821-1722. Know your crop, know your tech, know your bottom line at croptechcafe.org. New Delhi: Despite the air quality turning very poor in the national capital on Tuesday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai has claimed that Delhi recorded a BIG DROP in incidents of firecracker bursting this Diwali as compared to last year. The incidents of the bursting of firecrackers on Diwali in Delhi dropped by 30 per cent this year as compared to last year and the city recorded its best air quality for the day after the festival in five years, AAP leader and Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. The air quality index (AQI) stood at 323 on Tuesday (the day after Diwali) as compared to 462 last year, he said. "People of Delhi were very thoughtful on Diwali this year and I want to thank them. Today, the pollution level is the lowest in five years," Rai told reporters on the sidelines of an event where he launched 150 mobile anti-smog guns. He said the anti-smog guns will be deployed at 40 spots across the capital where air pollution is high. The minister said incidents of bursting firecrackers came down by 30 per cent on Diwali this year. "The AQI of 323 is still worrying and tells us that air pollution will increase in the coming days," he said. Rai further claimed the Punjab government controlled stubble burning in the state without support from the Centre. "Punjab reported 1,019 incidents of stubble burning on Diwali day (Monday) as compared to 3,032 on Diwali last year. "On the other hand, farm fires have increased in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh," he said. Despite a ban on firecrackers, the air quality in Delhi on Diwali was recorded in the 'very poor' category on Tuesday, making it the most polluted city in the world. According to a report, the national capital was the most polluted city in the world on Monday (October 24, 2022), followed by Pakistan's Lahore. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) on Monday was around 312. It, however, recorded the second-best AQI on Diwali day in past seven years as favourable meteorological conditions diluted the effect of firecrackers and stubble burning. 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'. According to the Early Warning System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the capital's air quality is likely to remain in the 'very poor' category till October 27. It is notable that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government had last month announced a complete ban on the production, sale and use of all types of firecrackers till January 1, 2023, including on Diwali, a practice it has been following for the last two years. Firecrackers, however, were burst in several parts of Delhi despite a ban on them. According to Central Pollution Control Board data, Delhi recorded an AQI of 382 on Diwali last year, 414 in 2020, 337 in 2019, 281 in 2018, 319 in 2017, and 431 in 2016. New Delhi: Ahead of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022, retired Major Vijai Singh Mankotia on Tuesday (October 25) once again left congress and joined the Bhartiya Janata Party. BJP national president JP Nadda welcoming Mankotia in the saffron party said the latter had decided to leave Congress and serve BJP. "Major (Retd) Vijai Singh Mankotia decided to leave Congress and join & serve BJP. I welcome him to the party," ANI quoted JP Nadda. Veteran politician and former Congress leader Major Vijay Singh Mankotia has left the grand old party twice and later announced his retirement from active politics blaming "dirty politics." However, on Tuesday Makotia joined the BJP just ahead of the state assembly polls slated on November 12. Retired Major Vijai Singh Mankotia joins BJP Two-time minister Mankotia joined the BJP after quitting the Congress third time that he joined in 2012 amidst the presence of party`s national president Jagat Prakash Nadda and Congress turncoat Harsh Mahajan who recently joined the saffron party at a function at the residence of Nadda in Bilaspur town. Mankotia, won four elections in a row, one as an Independent and two on Congress ticket, was unceremoniously removed from the post of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board`s Vice Chairman in July 2017 for seeking the removal of then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh as he was facing cases of disproportionate assets. At that time, Mankotia said everything was in public domain about how the Central Bureau of Investigation nabbed a senior functionary of the state Industries Department in a bribery case and his alleged links with the Chief Minister`s Office. Having lost the assembly elections in 2012 from his arch-rival Sarveen Chowdhary from Shahpur, Mankotia was appointed the Tourism Board Vice Chairman in 2014 by the Chief Minister. The disgruntled former legislator from Kangra had joined the BSP in July 2007. He was suspended from the Congress for criticising state leaders and the party high command. He had released a much-hyped audio CD of a telephonic conversation of monetary transactions between Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha and a former bureaucrat. He had also released a list of corrupt state bureaucrats and politicians, especially those who were close to Virbhadra Singh. (With IANS inputs) JNU UG 2022: Jawaharlal Nehru University will release the JNU UG 2022 second merit list on October 26, 2022. All candidates will be able to access the second merit list on the JNUEE website at jnuee.jnu.ac.in. The new notification states that the dates of October 26 through October 28, 2022, are available for the publication of merit lists and the blocking of seats for the second merit list. From November 1 to November 4, 2022, the admittance and registration of chosen candidates will be physically verified. Pre-enrollment registration, fee payment, and seat blocking for the final list will take place from November 9 to November 10, 2022. JNU UG 2022 second merit list: Heres how to check Visit the official site of JNUEE at jnuee.jnu.ac.in. Click on JNU UG 2022 second merit list link available on the home page. Enter the login details and the merit list will be displayed on the screen. Check the merit list and download the page. Keep a hard copy of the same for further need The final merit list will be released on November 9, 2022. The final list of candidates will be physically verified for admission on November 14, and classes will start on November 21, 2022. He has just returned from America after complex eye surgery. After that, Trinamool All India Secretary Abhishek Banerjee went to Kalighat Temple to offer puja on Tuesday. Earlier, Abhishek attended a puja at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's home on Monday night. Abhishek reached the Kalighat temple at around 7 pm on Tuesday evening. He faced the media while leaving the temple. When asked about his health, Abhishek said, "I am fine with your blessings and love. I hope to recover completely soon." Abhishek returned to Kolkata from the US on Monday. Although he did not speak to reporters at the airport, he was seen exchanging pleasantries with party workers. After that, he attends Mamata Banerjee's Kali Puja at the Chief Minister's residence. Abhishek Banerjee was seen in public for the first time at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Kali Puja after returning from the US after undergoing complex eye surgery. However, he came to Didi's house on Monday night wearing black glasses as there was fear of damage to his operated eye due to smoke from the yajna fire during the puja. So, even though he was in the puja, he was not there during the home-yajna keeping his eyes in mind. Abhishek met with a road accident in 2016. Abhishek's car overturned on the Durgapur Expressway on his way back from a party function in Murshidabad. The bone below his left eye was broken in that accident. Since then, Abhishek has been suffering from eye problems for a long time. Before that, he also went to Dubai for eye treatment. Several eye surgeries have also been done. Recently, he underwent surgery again at Johns Hopkins Hospital in America on October 12. Trinamool's state secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh revealed Abhishek's surgery. Posting a picture of Abhishek with bright red eyes, he wrote on social media, "Some inhumane people are criticizing Abhishek Banerjee even for eye treatment and surgery. They should see the condition of Abhishek's eyes. His eyes were severely damaged in an accident. He has undergone surgery. Currently under observation. I pray for his speedy recovery and for his eyes to return to normal." In the picture that Kunal posted at that time, it is seen that Abhishek's eyeballs are red. Swelling and scarring under the eyes are also evident, suggesting surgical scars. Ramanagara (Karnataka): The seer of Kunchagal Bande Math here, who was found hanging on Monday morning, allegedly killed himself over "blackmail", police said. Police have found a couple of pages of a purported death note by the seer in which he is said to have blamed some people of "harassing and blackmailing" him. Sri Basavalingeshwara Swami, the head of the Math in Kempupura of Magadi taluk here, which has a history of more than 400 years, was found hanging from a window grill of the puja house at the math's premises. The seer, who had taken over the reins of the math in 1997, had celebrated the silver jubilee as the chief priest, a few months ago. According to sources, alarmed at the puja house door remaining shut till six in the morning, which was unusual as the seer used to be awake by 4 AM for puja and kept the doors open, and him not responding to knocks or phone calls, math's staff checked from the rear and found him hanging. They subsequently informed the police. Police said they have registered a case of abetment to suicide and an investigation is on. According to police sources, a couple of pages of a death note was found in which he accused some people of harassing and blackmailing him by assassinating his character and even named them. Police, however, refused to divulge details and names citing that the investigations are on. Officials said they will be questioning those named and those who were in close contact with the seer at the math and over the phone. The seer's last rites were performed on Monday evening, after completing due procedures and post-mortem. In December last year, the head of Chilume Math, Basavalinga Swamy, was also found hanging in the same way. He was reportedly upset over his deteriorating health and was said to be depressed. NEW DELHI: The Congress disagreed with its leaders P Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor on the fact that India needs to draw lessons from the UK where a minority leader consolidated the Prime Minister's position. Jairam Ramesh who is the main Congress bodys general secretary of communications said that India has always respected diversity. Ramesh gave examples of Zakir Hussain, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, and A P J Abdul Kalam as people from minority groups who held top positions in the country. "In our country, Dr. Zakir Hussain first became the President in 1967, then Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed became the President and Dr Abdul Kalam and if I keep giving you examples, Barkatullah Khan became chief minister and A R Antulay also became the chief minister," he told reporters. What did P Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor say? P Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor celebrated the news of Indian-origin Rishi Sunak becoming UKs 57th Prime Minister. In addition, they remarked that India needs to learn a lesson from this event. The event being -- a minority getting the opportunity to lead a country. Tharoor and Chidambaram hoped that this would occur in India someday. "First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak. The people of the US and the UK have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government," Chidambaram said on Twitter. First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak The people of the U.S. and the U.K have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government I think there is a lesson to learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 24, 2022 Tharoor wrote on Twitter, "If this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that the Brits have done something very rare in the world, to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let's honestly ask: can it happen here. If this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that theBrits have done something very rare in the world,to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let's honestly ask: can it happen here? https://t.co/UrDg1Nngfv Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 24, 2022 Rishi Sunak becomes new UK PM Rishi Sunak became the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Oct 24 on the day of Diwali. He succeeded Liz Truss who was the shortest-serving PM in the history of the UK. New Delhi: Maharashtra minister Dada Bhuse helped police nab a robber who tried to break into a bungalow in Malegaon in Nashik district. As per several reports, the robber had attempted to steal cash, gold and jewellery by entering a bungalow and threatening a woman with a fake gun. However, after hearing the womans screams, Bhuse rushed to help her. The Indian Express reported that the incident occurred on Monday (Oct 24) when Krishna Pawar tried to rob a businessmans home. The robber had planned to come at a time when the businessman would not be at home and was expecting a woman to answer the door. Here's what happened After the woman opened the door, the robber barged into the bungalow and scared her with a fake gun. He then told her to give away all the cash, jewelry and gold in the house. Instead, the woman screamed which attracted locals. Maharashtra minister Dada Bhuse also came to her rescue. How Dada Bhuse nabbed the robber When the robber tried to run away, Bhuse confronted him and convinced the robber to surrender with the promise that he wouldnt be mistreated or beaten. Later, he was nabbed and local authorities took over the case. Dada Bhuse represents the Malegaon Outer Assembly Constituency located in the Nashik district. The CPI(M) in West Bengal is actually happy after Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee blamed the party for driving out the Tatas from Singur. According to a top leader, such remarks only go to show that the Trinamool Congress considers the CPI(M) its greatest challenge in the panchayat elections slated to be held in a few months. "Mamata Banerjee realises that the CPI(M) has regained quite a bit of lost ground in the rural belts of West Bengal, particularly after exposure of the teacher recruitment and cattle smuggling scams in which top Trinamool Congress leaders are allegedly involved. The CPM, along with its allies, organised several protests across the state. These were well accepted by the people. Mamata Banerjee knows that the CPI(M) will give it a tough fight in the panchayat elections. Hence, such statements tarnish the image of the party," the CPI(M) leader said. Over the last few days, after the Durga Puja, Mamata Banerjee has been denying that she or the Trinamool Congress had any role in not allowing the Tata Motors small car factory to come up in Singur, Hooghly. According to her, she had only fought for unwilling farmers who were forced to part with land for the factory. "It was the CPI(M) that was responsible for the mess. We just wanted land acquired from unwilling farmers to be returned. There were other plots available nearby that could have been used for the factory," she has been saying. According to another CPI(M) leader, such statements are being made by Mamata Banerjee and her party colleagues, including minister Firhad Hakim, as the masses are suffering due to the dismal economic condition in the state. Despite holding several business summits, the West Bengal government hasn`t been able to attract large investors. Many continue to blame the Trinamool Congress for its role in driving out Tata Motors from Singur that may have shaken the confidence of other investors. The BJP in West Bengal has lost a lot of ground, thanks to internal squabbles over leadership. Even after the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal, in which the BJP`s performance left much to be desired, the party was considered the main threat to the Trinamool Congress. However, unlike the CPI(M), the BJP failed to take advantage of the situation even after the arrests of leaders like Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mandal. Rather, the rift within the state unit of the party was made public through irresponsible statements by its leaders. New Delhi: Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy on Tuesday (October 25, 2022) reacted to his son-in-law Rishi Sunak becoming Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister and said that he is "proud of him". The Indian billionaire also said that he is confident that Rishi, who is married to his daughter Akshata Murthy, will do his best for the people of the United Kingdom. "Congratulations to Rishi. We are proud of him and we wish him success," Murthy told the news agency PTI. "We are confident he will do his best for the people of the United Kingdom," he added. Rishi Sunak on Monday became UK's first Indian-origin PM after he won the race to lead the Conservative Party. One of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, the 42-year-old has also become the country's youngest leader in modern times - and its third in less than two months. Sunak takes over from Liz Truss, who stepped down as the PM of the United Kingdom on October 20. New UK PM Rishi Sunak's connection with India Rishi Sunak is the UK-born son of Indian-origin general practitioner father Yashvir and pharmacist mother Usha. His family migrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s. Born in southern England, Rishi Sunak rose through some of the world's top educational institutions - Oxford University and Stanford University, where he met his wife Akshata. During the last campaign, Sunak had also spoken extensively of his migrant roots and referenced making history by lighting Diwali diyas at 11 Downing Street as the first Indian-origin Chancellor of the Exchequer. He is a regular at the temple where he was born in Southampton and his daughters, Anoushka and Krishna, are also rooted in the Indian culture. Ive placed our rangoli outside No.11, the mithai are set to be delivered and the family Zoom is booked in. I know things will feel a bit different, and its hard not to be able to see family, but we will get through this together. Happy Diwali everyone! pic.twitter.com/4lDI8bH1HJ Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) November 14, 2020 Today I visited the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple with my wife Akshata to celebrate Janmashtami, in advance of the popular Hindu festival celebrating Lord Krishnas birthday. pic.twitter.com/WL3FQVk0oU Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 18, 2022 Sunak's political career began with winning a safe Tory seat of Richmond in Yorkshire in 2015 and from junior roles in the Treasury he was suddenly catapulted to the post of Chancellor of Exchequer when his former boss, Sajid Javid, resigned in February 2020. Meanwhile, news that a Hindu son of Indian immigrants will be the UK's new PM has raised cheers across Indian streets, packed with Diwali-celebrating crowds. We now need stability and unity: Rishi Sunak after becoming new UK PM After being chosen, Rishi Sunak, a Hindu, told the country it faced a "profound economic challenge". "We now need stability and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together," he said. In a brief public statement, he added, "I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility; and I will work day in, day out to deliver for the British people." (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram has used the victory of Rishi Sunak in the race to become the UK`s next Prime Minister to take a swipe at the BJP, remarking that there is a lesson to be learned by the parties that practise majoritarianism. "First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak in the UK. The people of the US and the UK have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government. I think there is a lesson to learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism," he said in a tweet on Monday. First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak The people of the U.S. and the U.K have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government I think there is a lesson to learned by India and the parties that practise majoritarianism P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 24, 2022 Rishi Sunak, 42, will take charge as Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister after an audience with King Charles III on Tuesday, a day after he was elected the new leader of the Conservative Party in a historic leadership run. Outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss will chair her final Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday morning before she makes her way to Buckingham Palace to formally tender her resignation to the 73-year-old monarch. Sunak, 42, will then arrive at the palace for his meeting with the King, who will formally anoint him as the UK's new Prime Minister. The former chancellor will then make his first prime ministerial address on the steps of 10 Downing Street, expected to be joined by wife Akshata Murty and daughters Krishna and Anoushka. "The UK is a great country, but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge," said Sunak in his first address as Prime Minister-elect on Monday. "We now need stability and unity and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together; because that is the only way we will overcome the challenges we face and build a better, more prosperous future for our children and our grandchildren," he said. "I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility and I will work day in and day out to deliver for the British people," Sunak said. Sunak, who describes himself as a proud Hindu, is the UK's first Prime Minister of South Asian heritage and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42. His victory on Diwali has resonated among the Indian diaspora groups across the UK, who have hailed it as a historic moment in British social history. It will be the first time a non-white will occupy the position of head of government in the UK. Sunak had also contested the race for Conservative party chief, and the Prime Minister after Boris Johnson stepped down earlier this year, but though emerging as a frontrunner, eventually lost to Liz Truss. However, Truss could not rule long and quit after criticism of her handling of the economy, and Sunak won the race this time round. Press Release October 25, 2022 Sen. Tulfo's help sought by middleman's sister The sister of the dead middleman in the ambush-slaying of broadcaster Percy Lapid sought the help of Senator Idol Raffy Tulfo to ensure her safety considering the information she has on her hands. In his Program "Wanted sa Radyo" on Monday, the sister of New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmate Jun Villamor, alias "Ate," revealed that she has the names of three individuals who could be behind the suspicious and sudden death of his brother. Prior to his sudden demise, it can be noted that Villamor was reportedly implicated by confessed gunman Joel Escorial as the person that allegedly gave instructions on the killing of Lapid. The sister told Tulfo that Villamor messaged her through Facebook messenger at 11:59 am on October 18, just few hours before his death, to bare the names of three inmates who should be investigated should he be killed in prison. Tulfo, for his part, advised Villamor to not announce the names of three suspects publicly and said he would have her discuss the information with the Department of Justice (DOJ) off-air instead. "Unfair sa tatlo kapag binanggit na ang pangalan nila on-air dahil malaki ang posibilidad na ipapatay sila," Tulfo cautioned. Tulfo maintained that he did not want the names of the three people be broadcasted to the public to protect them, as well as secure that they could still stand as witness to the case. To ensure the proper investigation of the pertinent information "Ate" wished to divulge in relation to Villamor's demise and also ensure her safety, Tulfo coordinated with DOJ Secretary Boying Remulla. Tulfo also discussed with Remulla the request of "Ate" to return the body of her brother to their province in Leyte, to which Remulla agreed to do after the second independent autopsy on Villamor by forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun. Apparently, the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation's (NBI) autopsy showed that Villamor was found to have suffered a hemorrhage in the heart and that they found "no apparent sign of external physical injury" - a result that was questioned by Lapid's family. The Senator from Isabela and Davao likewise stressed that the ongoing toxicology test on Villamor could help determine whether he was ingested with drugs or other chemicals that led to his death. A fire injured one person at a cannabis processing facility Tuesday morning near the 3600 block of Duck Creek Road west of Billings. The fire began in a lab owned by the dispensary company Elevated, near the front entrance of the building, Billings Fire Battalion Chief Darrek Mitchell told the Gazette. The Billings Fire Department was dispatched a little after 9 a.m. to the blaze just outside Billings city limits. Heavy smoke billowed from the facility large roll up door, prompting crews to request more engines and medical support. Within 15 minutes the fire was knocked down, however due to the nature of the chemicals that cannabis processing operations use such as butane and ethanol, firefighters took extra care fighting the fire. One person was injured and received medical care on scene before they were taken to an area hospital for further treatment. The injured person is an employee of the facility and was seriously burned on their upper body. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. TS ICET 2022: Telangana State Council of Higher Education, TSCHE will be closing the web options for TS ICET 2022 Counselling soon.The official ICET 2022 notification states that today, October 25, 2022, is the last day to exercise web choices for the Final Phase. Candidates can submit their options on the official website, tsicet.nic.in, after completing the certificate verification for TS ICET Counseling. Today is the deadline for finishing the TS ICET Counseling online options, per the published schedule. Today, October 25, the opportunity for freezing the web options will also be closing. Phase 1 of the counselling procedure for the TS ICET has already been completed by TSCHE. Spot admissions will be held for admissions into MBA and MCA programmes offered in private, unaided colleges in the state of Telangana after the final phase of the TSCHE examination. TS ICET 2022 Counselling: Important Dates Last date to exercise web options October 25, 2022 Freezing of web options October 25, 2022 Provisional seat allotment October 28, 2022 Payment of Tuition fee, self reporting on the official website October 28 to 30, 2022 Reporting at the allotted college October 29 to 31, 2022 TS ICET 2022 Counselling: Heres how to apply Candidates should visit the official site of TS ICET at tsicet.nic.in. Login to the account by using the ID and password. Click on the payment option and make the payment. Select the slot for counselling, document verification. Candidates will have to pay Rs 600/- if belonging to SC/ST category for processing fees and Rs. 1200/- for others through online payment either via credit card, debit card or net banking. Candidates who passed the Telangana State Integrated Common Entrance Test, or TS ICET test, administered by Osmania University, are being offered TS ICET counselling. For admission to MBA and MCA programmes, the TS ICET 2022 exam is administered. SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has reminded the Centre of exiting divisive and discriminatory laws in India as she hailed the ascension of Rishi Sunak to the post of new United Kingdom Prime Minister. Mufti, in a tweet on Monday, said it was a proud moment that Indian-origin Rishi Sunak was elected as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said, while India rightly celebrates Sunak's elevation, it should also serve as a reminder that Britain has accepted an ethnic minority member as its premier but we are still shackled by divisive and discriminatory laws like NRC and CAA." National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who has a British mother, did not comment on the development but retweeted a tweet by George Osborne, the former chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK. "Rishi Sunak will be Prime Minister by the end of the day. Some think, like me, he's a solution to our problems; others think he's part of the problem. But whatever your politics, let's all celebrate the first British Asian becoming PM and be proud of our country where this can happen," Osborne said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders across the political spectrum on Monday congratulated Rishi Sunak, who is set to take over as the first Indian-descent Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. "Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the `living bridge` of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership," Modi said in a tweet. "Congratulations and good wishes @RishiSunak on becoming UK PM," tweeted Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. "Great News. Indians setting their mark all over the globe. My best wishes to Mr @RishiSunak on becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Wishing him wisdom and strength to lead the country successfully", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet. "Truth is always stranger than fiction. #Sunak, only one ever 2lose #PM contest & then bcome PM in 90 days. First indian origin #PM of #UK. Reverse imperialism of nicest kind. First ever indian 2head a foreign govt on #Deepawali!!" tweeted leader Congress Abhishek Manu Singhvi. TDP leader and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu posted: "Absolutely delighted that @RishiSunak is all set to become UK`s new Prime Minister! I extend my best wishes to him as he prepares to steer his country ahead as its first Indian heritage PM. This is indeed a joyous moment for Indians across the globe." "India scored a glorious hat trick this Diwali week! After Aman Sehrawat`s wrestling Gold and Virat Kohli`s heroic knock,now it`s Rishi Sunak`s turn to bring glory to India! Congratulations to @RishiSunak who is set to become the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of UK", wrote Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal. Congress` Karnataka unit President D.K. Shivakumar tweeted: "Congratulations to Mr. @RishiSunak on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.The first ever Indian-origin man to occupy the chair of PM in UK. "Hoping that your tenure will mark a new beginning for India-UK ties which will bring prosperity to both the nations. However, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, tweeting before Sunak`s win was announced, said: "If this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that theBrits have done something very rare in the world,to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let`s honestly ask: can it happen here?" New Delhi: Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, on Tuesday, lauded Rishi Sunak for becoming the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Taking to Instagram, Amitabh dropped a picture which he captioned, "Jai Bharat .. now the UK finally has a new viceroy as its Prime Minister from the Mother Country." In the picture, Amitabh could be seen in a dapper look donning a grey hoodie and matching track pants. Britain`s Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak, on Monday, became the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, less than two months after he lost to Liz Truss in the Tory leadership race. See Amitabh Bachchan's post Sunak`s change in fate was triggered by the resignation of Truss after her high-profile sacking and resignation in her cabinet, following a heavily criticised mini-budget that left the UK pound tumbling. After she was forced to step down just 45 days into office, Truss became the shortest-serving British PM. Standing before 10 Downing Street, Truss said that she recognizes she "cannot deliver the mandate" on which she was elected. Sunak was born in Southampton to parents of Indian descent who migrated to Britain from East Africa. An Oxford, and Stanford University alumnae, Sunak is famously married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of NR Narayana Murthy, the billionaire businessman who founded Infosys. Meanwhile, talking about Amitabh`s work front, he will be next seen in an upcoming family entertainer film `Uunchai` alongside Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Parineeti Chopra. Helmed by Sooraj Barjtaya the film is all set to hit the theatres on November 11, 2022. Apart from that he also has a pan India film `Project K` opposite Deepika Padukone and Prabhas and `The Intern` in his kitty. He was last seen in Goodbye alongside Rashmika Mandanna and Neena Gupta. NEW DELHI: Every year during Diwali, B-Town celebrities gather together and celebrate the festival of light with extravagant parties, scrumptious food and gifts. This year, we saw B-towners arriving and leaving parties that were held in Mumbai by various celebrities last in the last few days. Couples including Katrina Kaif-Vicky Kaushal, Richa Chaddha-Ali Fazal, Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar-Twinkle Khanna, Rajkummar Rao-Patralekhaa, Sonali Bendre-Goldie Behl, Varun Dhawan-Natasha Dalal, Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bachchan were seen attending the Diwali parties. However, there was one couple, who would usually grace such events, missing from all the Diwali bashes. Yes, we are talking about Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, one of the most adorable pairs of tinsel town. Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's separation rumours had recently left their fans heartbroken. Soon after, the duo dispelled those speculations with their social media PDA. However, despite them refuting the divorce rumours, the couple was not seen making it to any Diwali party. Moreover, neither Deepika nor Ranveer shared any photos from their Diwali celebration on social media. On the contrary, a BollywoodLife report claimed that Ranveer Singh has been travelling regularly due to his work commitments and this is why he was not seen at any Diwali bash in Mumbai this year. On the other hand, Deepika Padukone is resting for a while and is only focusing on her work commitments and is keeping herself away from these bashes as she doesn't want to attend them alone. In August this year, Ranveer and Deepika purchased a luxurious sea-facing bungalow in Alibaug. According to MoneyControl, the couple's home is a 2.25-acre property for an 18,000 sq ft of built-up area in Alibaug. The 5 BHK (bedroom-house-kitchen) bungalow, is spread across 9,000 square meters (sq m) of land in a village called Mapgaon. This will be Deepika and Ranveer's second home or more like a holiday home. Ranveer shared a few glimpses from the Griha Pravesh ceremony on his social media handle. In the photos, the duo was seen performing the puja ceremony together. NEW DELHI: Actress Janhvi Kapoor, who recently attended writer-producer Amrit Pal Bindra's Diwali party in Mumbai, made a rare appearance with her rumoured former boyfriend Shikhar Pahariya. The duo was snapped sitting in his luxurious car with Shikhar at wheels as they arrived together for the Diwali bash. While Janhvi Kapoor didn't greet the paparazzi stationed outside the venue, she was seen comfortably smiling while getting photographed. Notably, a day before attending the Diwali bash together, Janhvi and Shikhar were captured exiting an eatery and getting into a car with Shikhar. The actress was dressed in a light pink ethnic outfit and smiled at the photographers before getting into the car. As per TOI, Janhvi and Shikhar were later seen arriving at his residence in Bandra. JANHVI KAPOOR SPOTTED WITH SHIKHAR PAHARIYA It is to be noted that during her appearance on Karan Johar's chat show 'Koffee With Karan', the filmmaker indirectly confirmed Janhvi's relationship with Shikhar. The episode featured Janhvi and Sara Ali Khan as guests. During the interaction, Karan Johar cryptically mentioned that the two girls had 'two brothers' who used to live in his building. Netizens were quick to conclude that KJo was referring to Veer Pahariya and Shikhar Pahariya and dug out their old photos. While Janhvi had dated Shikhar, Sara was reportedly in a relationship with Veer Pahariya. Speaking of Shikhar, he is the grandson of Maharashtra's former Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. The two dated each other for a few years before parting ways. While none of them ever confirmed their relationship, several old pictures are available on the internet. Rumours are there that Janhvi Kapoor was also in a relationship with her childhood friend Akshat Ranjan. The handsome hunk has always been very close to Janhvi's family and is often seen with them at movie screenings, dinner outings, and family functions. While they are no longer a couple, Akshat is still close to Janhvi and her family. In fact, he also shares a close bond with her younger sister Khushi Kapoor. Buzz is that Janhvi Kapoor had also dated Bollywood heartthrob Kartik Aryan. The two shared a great rapport and also reportedly vacationed in Goa where they ranged the New Year 2021 together. However, things worsened between them leading to Kartik moving out of Karan Johar's banner Dharma Production's 'Dostana' that featured Janhvi Kapoor as the leading lady. This subsequently led to Karan Johar's fallout with Kartik. On the work front, Janhvi Kapoor is headed back to the big screen with a survival-thriller film 'Mili'. A remake of the Malayalam film 'Helen', the film is set for release in theatres on November 4, 2022. New Delhi: Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan on Monday shared Diwali wishes for her fans by posting wholesome pictures of her family celebrating the auspicious festival. Kareena took to her Instagram handle and shared a series of pictures along with the caption, "This is Us. From mine to your`s...Happy Diwali friends. Stay Blessed." In the first two images, Kareena and her husband Saif Ali Khan were seen standing together while posing for the camera. While Saif was wearing a black embroidered Kurta over a plain white pyjama, Kareena looked gorgeous in a printed red salwar kurta. She had tied her hair up and accessorized her look with jewellery. The other two pictures were of featured the Bollywood star couple`s two children Taimur and Jeh. Both of them were wearing outfits that matched their dad`s. See the pictures here Earlier today, Kareena shared a picture that featured members of the Kapoor family and the Pataudis attending the dinner last night at Kareena and Saif`s residence in Mumbai. In the image, Kareena and Saif were seen posing with Babita Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan and Rima Jain. See the family picture Meanwhile, on the work front, Kareena will be next seen in director Sujoy Ghosh`s upcoming thriller film which is based on the book `The Devotion Of Suspect X`. It also stars Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat. Apart from that, she also has director Hansal Mehta`s next untitled film. New Delhi: Actor Kritika Kamra will be having quite a Hush Hush birthday celebration this year as she shoots for her upcoming project. Kritika Kamra will be wrapped up in busy shooting schedules during the festive season, and she will be on the sets of For Your Eyes Only' on her special day. The audience is set to witness Kritika Kamra in a never seen before avatar in the espionage thriller. Co-starring Scam 1992 actor Pratik Gandhi and directed by Scam 1992 writer Sumit Purohit, 'For Your Eyes Only' will be shot in three countries, and will stream on the global OTT platform Netflix. Kritika Kamra and Sumit Purohit will collaborate for the first time on 'For Your Eyes Only,' while Pratik Gandhi will work once more with the writer of Scam 1992. Having begun her journey on television, Kritika broke the mould of a TV star and also impressed the audience and critics on the silver screen by taking on daring steps and interesting characters. Following her performances in Tandav, Kaun Banegi Shikharwati, and Hush Hush, among others, the audience has high expectations for the talented and versatile actress's upcoming projects. Mumbai: The wait to get a glimpse of how parents-to-be Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt celebrated their first Diwali post-marriage is over now. All thanks to veteran actress and Ranbir`s mother Neetu Kapoor for treating fans with their fam-jam Diwali picture. Taking to Instagram, Neetu dropped a Diwali selfie taken by Ranbir. The picture features Ranbir, Alia, Neetu sharing smiles with Alia`s mom Soni Razdan and sister Shaheen Bhatt. "Happy Diwali everyone," Neetu captioned the post. Ranbir is seen donning a black kurta featuring golden embroidery while Alia opted for a pink traditional outfit. Ranbir and Alia`s Diwali picture has left their fans extremely happy. "How beautiful," a social media user commented. "Happy Diwali RK and your family," another one wrote. Ranbir`s sister Riddhima reacted to the post with red heart emojis. See the picture here Picture shared by a fanpage Alia and Ranbir Kapoor tied the knot on April 14, 2022, after dating for many years, at Ranbir`s Mumbai residence in an intimate ceremony. After two months of their marriage, the couple in June announced that they are all set to embrace parenthood. She posted a picture which featured two lions and a lion cub. A day after announcing her pregnancy, Alia thanked everyone for their wishes. Talking about Alia`s work front, she was recently seen in the sci-fi action film `Brahmastra Part-1 Shiva` which received positive responses from the audience. She will be next seen in her Hollywood debut film `Heart of Stone` with Gal Gadot. The film will premiere exclusively on Netflix. Apart from that, she also has `Rocky aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani` along with Ranveer Singh, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. Helmed by Karan Johar, the film will release in 2023. On the other hand, Ranbir is busy shooting for `Animal`. He also has Luv Ranjan`s rom-com in kitty. New Delhi: Superstar Hrithik Roshan's ex-wife and ace interior designer Sussanne Khan recently attended a starry Diwali party hosted by Krishan Kumar in Mumbai last night. The stunner was accompanied by none other than boyfriend Arslan Goni and the duo was dressed to their ethnic best keeping up the festive mood alive. What caught everyone's attention was a brief romantic moment captured on-cam as Sussanne and Arslan shared a cosy kiss on the cheek as paps were busy clicking them. We can also spot Nargis Fakhri looking on as they exchange a peck and walk back holding hands. The duo have been clicked on various other occasions as well but have never really publicly spoken about being in a relationship. Their social media PDA does give out a clear hint, though. Meanwhile, Hrithik Roshan, who has also moved on in personal space and is currently dating actres Saba Azad, celebrated his first Diwali with her. Hrithik and Saba have been tight-lipped about their relationship. However, the two have been spotted several times at parties and dinners. Sussanne and Saba have often exchanged pleasantries on social media, appreciating each other's posts. On the work front, Hrithik will be seen sharing screen space with Deepika Padukone for the first time in Fighter, directed by Siddharth Anand. Touted as Indias first aerial actiontioner, the film was announced soon after the massive success of his last superhit WAR with Tiger Shroff. Hrithik was last seen in 'Vikram Vedha', also starring Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte, Rohit Saraf and Yogita Bihani . Chennai: Banking services across the nation will get affected on November 19, with members of the All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) going on strike, said an official. The members will strike work in protest against targeted victimisation of bankers for being active in the union. According to AIBEA General Secretary C.H. Venkatachalam, in the recent period, the attacks are not only increasing but there is a common thread in all these attacks. "There is a design in these attacks. There is some method in the madness. Hence, we have to resist, retort and repulse these attacks at the AIBEA level as a whole," Venkatachalam told his members. He said AIBEA union leaders have been dismissed/retrenched from service by Sonali Bank, MUFG Bank, Federal Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. Venkatachalam said government banks like Bank of Maharashtra is denying trade union rights while Canara Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and IDBI Bank are outsourcing many banking activities. According to him, at the Central Bank of India, it is 'jungle raj' with the management resorting to indiscriminate transfers. Venkatachalam said more than 3,300 clerical staff have been transferred from one station to another violating the bipartite settlement and bank level settlement. Before the nationwide strike, AIBEA members will stage different kinds of protests. New Delhi. Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) account holders can gain access to several financial benefits along with universal access to banking services. The Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2014, and was simultaneously launched on August 28, 2014, to foster financial inclusion. This national mission was launched to ensure people have access to financial services, namely, banking, remittance, credit, insurance, pension in an affordable manner. Avail overdraft (OD) facility up to Rs 10,000 on Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan account Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana account holders can get an overdraft (OD) facility up to Rs 10,000 in this zero balance account. The overdraft limit was earlier Rs 5,000, which was then doubled to Rs 10,000. Overdraft upto Rs 2,000 is available without conditions. To avail the overdraft facility, your Jan Dhan account should be at least 6 months old, else you can only get overdraft of up to Rs 2,000. There has also been an increase in upper age limit for overdraft from 60 to 65 years. PMJDY accounts are eligible for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA) scheme. Indian Railways keeps on introducing tour packages to make travelling easy and budget-friendly for travellers. After introducing packages to places like Paradise on Earth - Kashmir, and Kerala, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced a train tour package for devotees. Now pilgrims can travel to Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati with this affordable train tour package, where devotees will be travelling via Swadesh Darshan Tourist Train, which will cover all the important religious places. The train will start its journey on November 14, 2022, from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati train tour package is 8-nights and 9-days long and includes all three meals (vegetarian): Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati train tour package includes Journey by Sleeper Class train, accommodation in Non AC Dormitories/ Hall (Dharamshala Accommodation), and bus services for travelling. The famous temples which are included in the train tour package are Tirupati Temple, Ramnath Swami Temple, Meenakshi temple, and Mallikarjuna Temple. Also read: Indian Railways turns train coach into restaurant at New Jalpaiguri station, Check pics IRCTC took to Twitter to share the news. Find spiritual solace with IRCTC's tour package & visit Rameshwaram, Madurai & more," read the tweet. Find spiritual solace with IRCTC's tour package & visit Rameshwaram, Madurai & more. For details, visit https://t.co/5vQ05Lk8Zc @AmritMahotsav #AzadiKiRail IRCTC (@IRCTCofficial) October 19, 2022 Here's all you need to know about the Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati train tour package: Duration of the Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati train tour package: The Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati train tour package is 8-nights and 9-days long which includes darshan of famous temples like Tirupati Temple, Ramnath Swami Temple, Meenakshi temple, and Mallikarjuna Temple. This will be covered via Swadesh Darshan Tourist Train. Cost of the Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati train tour package: Facilities included in the Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati train tour package: - Journey by Sleeper Class train. - Accommodation in Non-AC Dormitories/ Hall (Dharamshala Accommodation). - Comfortable Non AC road transfers (using 55 seater buses). - Vegetarian food (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner). - 02 Liter packaged drinking water bottle (1 Liter each) will be provided per passenger per day. - Tour escort and Security on the train. - At the destination, the transfer will be given to the point up to which the bus can go or permissible. How to book the Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Tirupati train tour package: Interested passengers can book this affordable train tour package via IRCTC's official website, and for more details about the tour package, click HERE. Search engine giant Google has been fined again and this time it faced the Competition Commission of India's wrath for allegedly abusing its dominant position with respect to Play Store policies. The CCI today slapped a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on Google and directed the company to cease and desist from unfair business practices. This comes as another setback for the tech giant in India. In a release, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has also directed to modify its conduct within a defined timeline. This is the second major CCI ruling against Google in less than a week. On October 20, the watchdog imposed a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on the company for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in relation to Android mobile devices and ordered the internet major to cease and desist from various unfair business practices. Google had termed the fine a setback for Indian consumers. "The CCIs decision is a major setback for Indian consumers and businesses, opening serious security risks for Indians who trust Androids security features, and raising the cost of mobile devices for Indians," said Google. It added that the company will review the decision to evaluate the next steps Earlier in September this year, a top EU court largely rejected Google's appeal of a record European Union antitrust fine imposed for throttling competition and reducing consumer choice through the dominance of its mobile Android operating system. The European Court of Justice's General Court mostly confirmed a 2018 decision by the EU's executive Commission to slap Google with a fine of more than 4 billion euros (USD 3.99 billion). (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: A Jio 5G support OTA update for the OnePlus 10T smartphone, which was released in August of this year, has begun to roll out in India. Jio 5G is included in the most recent OxygenOS A.10 upgrade, and customers can use the service once they've done so, according to the OnePlus community forum. The most recent firmware upgrade also optimises performance scheduling, fixes phone crashes on occasion, and increases system fluency in addition to supporting 5G. Additionally, it enhances network performance, communication stability, screen display effect, and Wi-Fi stability. (Also Read: Post office scheme: Invest Rs 10 lakh in THIS plan, get Rs 14 lakh in 5 years) This OTA will be incremental as usual. A small number of users will receive the OTA today, and we'll start a wider rollout in a few days, the company writes on its site. (Also Read: Redmi Note 12 lineup launch date CONFIRMED; check specs, price, processor, camera & more) Go to the Settings menu on your phone and scroll down to About Phone to find out if the most recent OxygenOS 12 update has been installed on it. The phone will begin searching for the most recent software update when you tap Software Update. 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: Apple Watch is more than just a wearable that tracks your everyday activities and counts your steps. It accomplishes much more than that, and the watch has frequently been credited with saving lives. The Apple Watch recently saved a woman whose husband had stabbed her, duct-taped her, and then buried her alive in a shallow grave. The woman would not still be alive today if it weren't for the Apple Watch. Numerous times, the Apple Watch has prevented fatalities by alerting wearers to abnormal heartbeats. People have also benefited countless times from the fall detection feature. But this time, a woman was able to escape a terrible circumstance with the help of Apple Watch. Washington was the scene of the incident. (Also Read: Unbelievable! Man wins about Rs 40 lakh with truck's malfunctioning odometer in US; details here) According to a DailyMail article, the wife who had been stabbed and duct taped by her husband was able to dig herself out of the grave. When she emerged from the tomb, she immediately contacted 911 on her Apple Watch. (Also Read: Good news for OnePlus users! OnePlus 10T now supports 5G service, details here) Young Sook An, 42, was laid to rest in a burial roughly 60 miles south-southwest of Seattle. Sook was kidnapped, according to the authorities who freed her. When the police located the woman, she yelled, "My husband is attempting to kill me." According to a police report, the woman was in really bad shape when she was discovered. "She still had duct tape covering her legs, lower face, and neck. Her clothing and hair were filthy, and she had severe bruises on her legs, arms, and head. Her 20-year-old daughter received an emergency notification from Apple Watch as well. But as soon as the spouse learned about the watch, he shattered it with a hammer. WhatsApp Down: Instant messaging app WhatsApp is down since 12.30 pm today as users are not able to send messages to group chats and only one tick was showing to messages sent to individuals. The messages sent to Group chats are not being delivered. Many WhatsApp users reported facing issues with their chats globally. Not only smartphone users but even WhatsApp web and WhatsApp desktop apps were also down. It's not clear how much time it will take WhatsApp to return to normalcy. Many users claimed that they switched on and off the Airplane Mode on their smartphones and even switched off and on their data services to see whether there was any problem with their smartphone network, only to later find out that WhatsApp is down for millions of users. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp and Facebook, said that they are working to resolve the issue. "We're aware that some people are currently having trouble sending messages and we're working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible," said a Meta Spokesperson. It may be noted that WhatsApp has around 500 million users alone in India and over 2.5 billion users globally. WhatsApp witnesses over 5 billion messages everyday. "5.5 billion unencrypted SMS are sent every day. With WhatsApp, your messages wont be one of them. Step-up to a new era of personal privacy with automatic end-to-end encryption," said the instant messaging platform in a Tweet on October 17. Also Read: WhatsApp Working Now: Chat services restored after two hours glitch on October 25 Meanwhile, social media users flooded Twitter with WhatsApp down memes. Several users noted that they came to Twitter to check if WhatsApp was down for all users. "coming to see if whatsapps down with the one ticks," wrote a Twitter user. coming to see if whatsapps down with the one ticks pic.twitter.com/I34wnH4Cy4 (@bakedt0ast) October 25, 2022 "People Coming to Twitter to see if WhatsApp is down," tweeted another user. People Coming to Twitter to see if WhatsApp is down#WhatsappDown pic.twitter.com/eGi25KiQhU Bella Ciao (Chai) (@punjabiii_munda) October 25, 2022 "I'm not the only one who opened twitter to check if WhatsApp was down then," another user reacted. "So I was blaming my WiFi but actually I got to check on Twitter that the WhatsApp is down," said a Twitter user. So I was blaming my WiFi but actually I got to check on Twitter that the WhatsApp is down. @WhatsApp#whatsappdown #whatsapp pic.twitter.com/HYChFB4DaH Nandani Sharma (@Nandani10666735) October 25, 2022 Me waiting for WhatsApp to be back pic.twitter.com/aiGmxL7rWS Game_shaker___ (@Game_Shaker__) October 25, 2022 "Me after refreshing my airplane mode and restarting my phone 23 times and I came on Twitter to see that WhatsApp is down," tweeted a user. Me after refreshing my airplane mode and restarting my phone 23 times and I came on Twitter to see that WhatsApp is down #WhatsApp #whatsappdown pic.twitter.com/fIRSrXBlMq October 25, 2022 I had to restart my phone 4 times #WhatsApp Zamar_Gugu (@ZamahlubiHadeb5) October 25, 2022 According to reports, Meta, the company that owns the instant messaging programme WhatsApp, is considering several big changes to improve the user experience across the board. Currently, the instant messaging platform is working on many updates, such as expanding chat groups, prohibiting screenshots on the "View Once" feature, sharing documents with captions, and more. New Delhi: Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp was down for approx for 2 hours today. The messaging platforms users were not able to receive and send messages throughout the outage. The outage affected both group and personal chats. Yes, the company that owns WhatsApp, Meta, has released a statement saying "We're aware that some customers are now having problems sending messages and we're working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible." (Also Read: Post office scheme: Invest Rs 10 lakh in THIS plan, get Rs 14 lakh in 5 years) It appears to be a larger outage. Although WhatsApp has not released any official statements, users from Indonesia, Kenya, and certain Spanish-speaking countries, besides Indians, are complaining about issues with the messaging service. The hashtag #whatsappdown is trending on Twitter. (Also Read: Good news for OnePlus users! OnePlus 10T now supports 5G service, details here) Following a significant DNS failure in October 2021, Meta-owned platforms Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were unavailable for around six hours. The service known as DNS, or Domain Name System, converts human-readable hostnames like indianexpress.com into unformatted, numeric IP addresses. Your computer won't be able to connect to the servers hosting the website you're looking for if DNS isn't functioning properly. But in this instance, BGP routing was the cause of the issue. The mechanism that aids one network in determining the optimal path to another network is known as BGP, or Border Gateway Protocol. Earlier in March 2021, WhatsApp was down for around 45 minutes. Meta blamed "a technical issue" for the outage, which "caused individuals to have trouble accessing several Facebook services," but didn't provide any further details. Four significant WhatsApp outages occurred in 2020, with the most significant one occurring in January and lasting almost three hours. After that, there was one in April, one for two hours in July, and one for only a few minutes in August 2020. Dharamsala: The Dalai Lama on Tuesday congratulated Rishi Sunak on his appointment as the prime minister of the United Kingdom and wished him success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people. Sunak took charge as Britain's first Indian-origin prime minister after an audience with King Charles III. "Over the last several decades, I have been able to visit the United Kingdom quite regularly, and have always been deeply touched by the affection and friendship shown to me by people from all walks of life," the Dalai Lama said in his letter to Sunak. He also said that he has also been encouraged by the people's enthusiasm and interest in his effort to promote a sense of the oneness of humanity and closer inter-religious harmony. "At the same time, may I take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the people of Great Britain for their consistent support for the Tibetan people's aspirations for freedom and dignity," the Dalai Lama said. "These are very challenging times," he said adding that "in today's highly interdependent world, what happens in one part of the world affects us all". "I therefore wish you (Sunak) every success in meeting the challenges that lie ahead in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of the United Kingdom, and in working to build a more peaceful world," the Dalai Lama said. The 42-year-old investment banker-turned politician is the youngest British prime minister in 210 years. He is also Britain's first Hindu prime minister. Rishi Sunak, the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the UK, is no stranger to controversies. Even after his big win, critics continue to bash him for his enormous wealth and alleged disconnect with the plight of the common man. Sunak officially became the UK PM on Tuesday (Oct 25) and gave his first public address at 10, Downing Street, taking over from Liz Truss. Sunak and his wife became the wealthiest couple ever to occupy 10, Downing Street. Here are some of Sunak's controversies in the past. Rishi's wife's Indian citizenship Rishi Sunaks wife Akshata Murty was the centre of controversy when it was revealed that she avoided paying taxes in the UK as she held a citizenship of India. This meant Akshata Murty, the daughter of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, earned huge international income but didnt have to pay any taxes on it in the country where she was residing. This news led to anger among British citizens. Rishi tried to justify his wifes action by reasoning that she wanted to keep an Indian citizenship in case she had to move back and care for her parents. In the end, Murty had to concede to the public anger and said she would pay UK taxes on her global income. Green card controversy Rishi Sunak held a green card until last year when he was a Chancellor in the UK. A green card allows a person to live and work in the US permanently. This raised questions on whether Sunak was receiving tax benefits from holding a green card. I will unite our country, not with words, but with action. I will work day in and day out to deliver for you. Watch my speech from Downing Street pic.twitter.com/diOBuwBqXc Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 25, 2022 Russia profits The West has been outwardly critical of Russias invasion of Ukraine. Britain has also taken this stance against Putin's war against Ukraine. Similarly, when Sunak was the chancellor, he had also been urging British companies to shut operations in Russia as an economic consequence. But it was later found that his wifes family company Infosys continued to work in Russia and she continued to rake in the profit dividends. I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future, to put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a govt that represents the very best traditions of my party. Together we can achieve incredible things: British PM #RishiSunak at 10 Downing Street pic.twitter.com/ElycCq2F2d October 25, 2022 No-Working class friends Rishi is infamous for a comment he made in a BBC documentary series called 'Middle Classes: Their Rise and Sprawl'. He was 21 when he was featured in the film. Speaking about his friends, he had said, I have friends who are aristocrats, I have friends who are upper-class, I have friends who are, you know, working class." Immediately after he said, Well, not working class. This statement did not sit well with the Brits as he took over the country when many are struggling to make ends meet. Kyiv: Germany's president arrived in Kyiv Tuesday for his first visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion, a trip that comes amid Moscow's unsubstantiated warnings of a dirty bombattack as the conflict enters its ninth month. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after arriving that it was important to me in this phase of air attacks with drones, cruise missiles and rockets to send a signal of solidarity to Ukrainians, German news agency dpa reported. Steinmeier's spokesperson, Cerstin Gammelin, posted a picture of him in Kyiv on Tuesday. Our solidarity is unbroken, and it will remain so, she tweeted. The German president, whose position is largely ceremonial, made it to Ukraine on his third try. In April, he was planning to visit the country with his Polish and Baltic counterparts, but said his presence apparently wasn't wanted in Kyiv. Steinmeier has been criticized in Ukraine for allegedly cozying up to Russia during his time as Germany's foreign minister. Also Read: Iranian troops 'directly engaged in Crimea' to support Russia's drone strikes on Ukraine: US Last week, a planned trip was put off because of security concerns. Steinmeier's visit comes as Ukrainians are bracing for less electric power this winter following a sustained Russian barrage on their infrastructure in recent weeks. German Federal President #Steinmeier has arrived in Ukraine with a twofold message: "My message to the people of Ukraine is: You can count on Germany! We will continue to support Ukraine: militarily, politically, financially and in humanitarian regards. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/7J6K9kmOtx Cerstin Gammelin (@BPrSprecherin) October 25, 2022 Citizens in the southern city of Mykolaiv lined up for water and essential supplies Tuesday as Ukrainian forces advanced on the nearby Russian-occupied city of Kherson. Ukrainian authorities tried to dampen public fears over Russia's use of Iranian drones to strike the country's infrastructure, claiming increasing success Monday in shooting them down. Also Read: 'Charge everything...': Ukraine appeals to its citizens as Russian missile strikes hit power plants Ukraine's forces have shot down more than two-thirds of the approximately 330 Shahed drones that Russia has fired through Saturday, the head of Ukraine's intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, said Monday. Budanov said Russia's military had ordered about 1,700 drones of different types and is rolling out a second batch of about 300 Shaheds. Although Russia and Iran deny that the Iranian-built drones have been used, the distinctive triangle-shaped Shahed-136s have rained down on civilians in Kyiv and elsewhere. MISSOULA A controversial Montana law prohibiting most businesses and other employers from mandating vaccinations went on trial Monday, with several medical experts testifying that it interferes with the ability of health care providers to keep patients safe. The trial, overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy in Missoula, is the culmination of a year-long case by medical providers and patients seeking to bar the state from enforcing the law against physicians and hospitals in Montana. The law also allows hospitals to ask staff for their vaccination status, but it protects employees who refuse to provide that information. Molloy earlier this year blocked part of the law, allowing all health care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursements to require vaccinations, per requirements for federal funding from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare. As written, the law had only made that exemption for long-term care facilities. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Commissioner of Labor and Industry Laurie Esau are defending the law. Deputy Solicitor General Brent Mead, from Knudsens office, argued in his opening statement that the vaccine law was designed to ensure that individuals personal privacy is protected. Its not public health, its not vaccines its whether the state can choose to protect its citizens from discrimination, he said. That characterization echoed the arguments Republican lawmakers used to frame the vaccine bill last year, amid concerns about the emergence of vaccine passports and other potential regulations that could exclude those who remained skeptical about the coronavirus vaccine. It passed a GOP-majority Legislature despite near-unanimous Democratic opposition and was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. The Montana Medical Association, private medical offices, a group of immunocompromised patients and Montana Nurses Association are the plaintiffs. They allege that the law is incompatible with federal requirements that ensure protections for Americans with disabilities and from hazards that workers face on the job site. The law denies medical providers the most important tool to reduce the risk of vaccine-preventable disease, Raph Graybill, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said. Testimony on the trials first day focused heavily on the plaintiffs argument that unvaccinated medical workers are more likely to spread infectious diseases. Dr. David King, a family doctor who practices in Bozeman and Belgrade, testified that vaccinations for staff are a broadly understood best practice in the medical industry. That includes everything from measles, mumps and rubella to hepatitis, polio and pertussis. Despite the focus on COVID during the passage of House Bill 702, it applies broadly to all types of vaccines. On cross-examination, he acknowledged that immunity from the COVID-19 vaccines have been relatively short-lived, given how quickly the coronavirus mutates. But he also noted that the vaccines are safe and effective, and said the rise in vaccine hesitancy has been in part fueled by government actions like Montanas vaccine discrimination law. Attorneys also questioned Mark Carpenter, a Missoula resident who required a transplant after his kidneys failed, and who has since been required to take medication that suppresses his immune system so his body wont reject the new organ. Carpenter testified that before the COVID vaccine became available, he limited his exposure to other people, including doctors offices. As someone with just one functioning kidney who is also immunocompromised, he said contracting COVID could be fatal for him. My lifes experience has been, as I go to a health care provider for either preventative care or because Im having some kind of medical issue that requires that care, I go there assuming it will be a safe place, he said. The vaccine law includes a specific exemption for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to require vaccines, but doesnt apply that language to other medical providers. The plaintiffs say this violates their rights to equal protection under the state and federal constitutions. Mead, in his opening statement, noted the state is only required to prove that it had a rational basis for differentiating between how those two groups are treated. Health care is a regulated industry, he said, adding that the state has always drawn a distinction between different types of facilities. In a separate concession to health care facilities, lawmakers included an exemption allowing them to make reasonable accommodations for employees who refuse to get vaccinated or disclose their vaccine status. Greg Holzman, Montanas state medical officer from 2015 to 2021, said that provision misunderstands how staff vaccinations fit into the strategy for preventing a communicable disease outbreak. If that accommodation were that employees can simply wear masks instead, he offered, that doesnt necessarily offset a lack of other protections for patients. It puts in more opportunities for human error and other aspects to happen, that might decrease their effectiveness, Holzman said. ... They tend to put PPE (personal protective equipment) at the bottom. Still important, but its not as strong as getting rid of the disease completely. With about a half-dozen witnesses left to testify, Molloy indicated the trial could wrap up as soon as Tuesday. New Delhi: US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden on Monday (October 24, 2022) hosted a Diwali reception at the White House in what they called the largest since the People's House started celebrating the 'festival of lights' during the George Bush administration. More than 200 eminent Indian Americans reportedly attended the reception at the East Room and witnessed some enthralling cultural events, including performances by sitarist Rishab Sharma and the dance troupe The Sa Dance Company. The guests, dressed in traditional Indian attires such as saree, lehenga, and sherwani, also relished some mouthwatering Indian delicacies. Speaking on the occasion, Biden wished a happy Diwali to the "more than one billion Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists celebrating this Festival of Lights" in the United States, India, and around the world. "As we host the official White House Diwali reception, we are honored to light the diya surrounded by members of the most diverse Administration in American historyled by Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black American and South Asian American to become Vice President," he said. Diwali is a reminder that each of us has the power to dispel darkness and bring light to the world. It was my pleasure to celebrate this joyous occasion at the White House today. pic.twitter.com/ikgEhe9Uh4 President Biden (@POTUS) October 25, 2022 "On this day, we give thanks for the optimism, courage, and empathy demonstrated by the incredible South Asian community all across America. Together, South Asian Americans reflect the soul of who we are as a nation, whether helping us emerge stronger from this pandemic, building an economy that works for everyone, or serving and protecting our communities and our country. "But, even as we celebrate this gathering of light, we knowas this community has experienced too oftenthat there is always darkness lurking. American history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh reality that we have never fully lived up to it. By marking the victory of light over darkness, Diwali is a reminder that each of us has the power to bring light to the world, whether here in America or around the world," he added. Join Jill and me as we host a reception to celebrate Diwali. https://t.co/hkvq2XPMOu President Biden (@POTUS) October 24, 2022 "With prayers, dances, fireworks, and sweets, may all who observe Diwali enjoy the chance to celebrate and connect, to feel the pride of the community, and to remember the power in the gathering of light," the US President expressed. US Vice President Kamala Harris recollects celebrating Diwali with grandparents At the event, United States Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin person to hold the post, recollected celebrating Diwali with her grandparents as a child. "I have such fond memories of celebrating Diwali as a child. Like many of you, we would go to India about every other year, avoiding the monsoon season, and we would go for Diwali. I have such fond memories of waking up in the middle of the night, me and my sister Maya, and going, of course, to the eldest in our family, which was our grandfather," Harris told the gathering. "And later in the day, my mother would give us little sparklers and we would go into the streets to celebrate this very important occasion," she recalled. Describing Diwali a "holiday of hope", Harris said the festival helps one to see light in the world, in each other and in oneself. "We also are reminded to shine our light in the darkness to fight for peace, for justice, for understanding," she added. "Even as powerful forces work to sow hate and divide, we remember that in these moments where we see darkness, our light shines the brightest. That is part of what reminds us of Diwali. In moments of darkness, we see the light," the US Vice President said. Harris had on Friday hosted more than 100 Indian Americans at her residence for Diwali celebrations. She not only decorated the entire Naval Observatory residence with diyas, but also lit little sparklers with the guests. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Rishi Sunak on Monday (October 24, 2022) became Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister after he won the race to lead the Conservative Party. Known as one of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, the 42-year-old has become the country's youngest leader in modern times - and its third in less than two months. Sunak, who will be appointed as the new UK PM by King Charles on Tuesday, takes over during one of the most turbulent eras in British political history. Liz Truss, who stepped down as the PM of the United Kingdom on October 20, congratulated Sunak on being appointed as Leader of the Conservative Party and Britain's next Prime Minister. Taking to her official Twitter account, she said, "Congratulations @RishiSunak on being appointed as Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister. You have my full support." Congratulations @RishiSunak on being appointed as Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister. You have my full support. Liz Truss (@trussliz) October 24, 2022 Truss, notably, only lasted 44 days in office before she said she would resign, needing to restore stability to a country reeling from years of political and economic turmoil. We now need stability and unity: Rishi Sunak after becoming new UK PM After being chosen, Rishi Sunak, a Hindu, told the country it faced a "profound economic challenge". "We now need stability and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together," he said. In a brief public statement, he added, "I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility; and I will work day in, day out to deliver for the British people." Rishi Sunak's Indian connection Rishi Sunak is the UK-born son of Indian-origin general practitioner father Yashvir and pharmacist mother Usha. His family migrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s. Born in southern England, Rishi Sunak rose through some of the world's top educational institutions - Oxford University and Stanford University, where he met his wife Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Indian billionaire NR Narayana Murthy, founder of outsourcing giant Infosys Ltd. During the last campaign, Sunak had also spoken extensively of his migrant roots and referenced making history by lighting Diwali diyas at 11 Downing Street as the first Indian-origin Chancellor of the Exchequer. He is a regular at the temple where he was born in Southampton and his daughters, Anoushka and Krishna, are also rooted in the Indian culture. Ive placed our rangoli outside No.11, the mithai are set to be delivered and the family Zoom is booked in. I know things will feel a bit different, and its hard not to be able to see family, but we will get through this together. Happy Diwali everyone! pic.twitter.com/4lDI8bH1HJ Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) November 14, 2020 Today I visited the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple with my wife Akshata to celebrate Janmashtami, in advance of the popular Hindu festival celebrating Lord Krishnas birthday. pic.twitter.com/WL3FQVk0oU Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 18, 2022 Sunak's political career began with winning a safe Tory seat of Richmond in Yorkshire in 2015 and from junior roles in the Treasury he was suddenly catapulted to the post of Chancellor of Exchequer when his former boss, Sajid Javid, resigned in February 2020. Meanwhile, news that a Hindu son of Indian immigrants will be the UK's new PM has raised cheers across Indian streets, packed with Diwali-celebrating crowds. (With agency inputs) London: Indian Origin former UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak became UK's prime minister on Monday (October 24). Replacing former PM Liz Truss, Sunak became the first Indian-origin prime minister of the UK. Along with being the first Indian-origin UK PM Sunak now also holds the title of becoming the youngest UK prime minister in modern history at the age of 42 years. Rishi Sunak, in his first address to the country after being elected as the PM said, "I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility; and I will work day in, day out to deliver for the British people." Rishi Sunak will take oath as PM on October 28 and the cabinet is likely to be formed on October 29. Also Read: When Rishi Sunak, practicing Hindu, took oath on the 'Bhagavad Gita' The new UK PM in a brief speech said, "I am humbled and honored to have the support of my parliamentary colleagues and to be elected as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party. This is the greatest fortune of my life for which I am very grateful." He said, "UK is a great country, but we are facing a profound economic challenge. Now we need stability and unity and I will make it my top priority to bring my party and country together because this is the only way we can overcome the challenges and build a better future for our children and grandchildren. I pledge that I will serve you with honesty and humility." Also Read: Liz Truss reacts after Rishi Sunak becomes first Indian-origin British PM Rishi grew up watching his parents serve our local community with dedication. His dad was an NHS family GP and Rishi's mum ran her own local chemist shop. Rishi wanted to make that same positive difference to people as their Member of Parliament and Rishi was first elected to represent this wonderful constituency in 2015 and re-elected in 2017 and 2019. Rishilive in Kirby Sigston, just outside Northallerton. An Oxford and Stanford University alumnus, Sunak is famously married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of NR Narayana Murthy, the billionaire businessman who founded Infosys. London: Indian-origin Rishi Sunak was officially appointed as UK Prime Minister by King Charles III on Tuesday (Oct 25). He then headed to 10 Downing Street to give his first speech as the country's first Hindu minority Prime Minister. Sunak has a huge economic and energy challenge ahead of him which his predecessor Liz Truss failed to handle. It was only 6 weeks ago that he had lost the top post to Truss but now the Conservatives party has trusted him to lead the country. In his first address as Prime Minister, Sunak promised to build an economy that makes the most of "Brexit opportunities". While bidding adieu to Truss, Sunak remained humble and said that he admired her "restlessness to create change" but said she made "mistakes". Rishi Sunak's first speech as UK PM He said, "I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss. She wasn't wrong to want to improve growth in this country. It is a noble aim & I admired her restlessness to create change but some mistakes were made, not born of bad intentions but mistakes nonetheless." We will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made and fill tomorrow and every day thereafter with hope: British PM #RishiSunak at 10 Downing Street in London pic.twitter.com/za5cTtIAnu ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2022 Sunak listed three core principles of his government: integrity, professionalism, and accountability. He said that he was eager to earn the trust of British citizens. After the previous leadership failures in Britain, there is great distrust in politicians among common citizens. But I promise you this I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today. The Govt I lead will not leave the next generation, your children & grandchildren with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves: British PM #RishiSunak at 10 Downing Street pic.twitter.com/hTLCO8pLOT October 25, 2022 After Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak leads the UK Rishi Sunak succeeded Liz Truss as PM after she resigned over the huge failure of her economic policies. Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson who was thought to have returned to the UK from his vacation decided to back out of the race. Sunak was the contender with the most support from Tory leaders and won the PM race. His win was celebrated as a huge day for the representation of minorities in leadership positions. Many global leaders lauded the fact that an Indian-origin leader was leading Britain -- a colonizer in the past. New Delhi: UK PM designate Rishi Sunak on Tuesday (October 25) arrived at Buckingham Palace in London to meet King Charles III. On Monday (October 24) Sunak was declared as the new prime minister of the United Kingdom after his predecessor Liz Truss stepped down with 45 days of tenure as UK PM. Indian-origin Rishi Sunak will now be formally appointed as the new prime minister of the United Kingdom by King Charles III. Rishi Sunak arrives at Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III #WATCH | The UK PM-designate #RishiSunak arrives at Buckingham Palace in London to meet King Charles III. (Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/B40LdVwke4 ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2022 Earlier, former prime minister Liz truss made her way to Buckingham Palace to formally tender her resignation to King Charles III. Outgoing British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Tuesday wished her successor Rishi Sunak "every success" in her final speech on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London. With Rishi Sunak being the prime minister of the United Kingdom, it will be the first time a non-white will occupy the position of head of government in the UK -- a major post in international affairs, since Britain is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council as well as a constituent of the G7 -- the most industrialised countries in the world. New Delhi: US Vice President Kamala Harris, the first-ever Indian-origin person to hold the post, on Monday (October 24, 2022) recollected her frequent visits to Chennai as a child and celebrating Diwali with her grandparents. Addressing a gathering of more than 200 eminent Indian Americans at a White House Diwali reception hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, Harris said that she has such "fond memories" of celebrating Diwali as a child. "I have such fond memories of celebrating Diwali as a child. Like many of you, we would go to India about every other year, avoiding the monsoon season, and we would go for Diwali. I have such fond memories of waking up in the middle of the night, me and my sister Maya, and going, of course, to the eldest in our family, which was our grandfather. "And later in the day, my mother would give us little sparklers and we would go into the streets to celebrate this very important occasion," she recalled. To everyone celebrating the Festival of Lights here in the United States and around the world, happy Diwali! pic.twitter.com/0DPlOaqhMO Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) October 24, 2022 Describing Diwali a "holiday of hope", she said the festival helps one to see light in the world, in each other and in oneself. "We also are reminded to shine our light in the darkness to fight for peace, for justice, for understanding." "Even as powerful forces work to sow hate and divide, we remember that in these moments where we see darkness, our light shines the brightest. That is part of what reminds us of Diwali. In moments of darkness, we see the light," she added. Happening Now: President Biden and the First Lady host a reception to celebrate Diwali. https://t.co/0I8H2QDkja The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 24, 2022 On the occasion, Harris called on the people to realise the ideals of freedom, democracy and equality. Earlier, Joe Biden also wished a happy Diwali to the "more than one billion Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists celebrating this Festival of Lights" in the United States, India, and around the world. "As we host the official White House Diwali reception, we are honored to light the diya surrounded by members of the most diverse Administration in American historyled by Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black American and South Asian American to become Vice President," he said. In celebration of the Festival of Lights, President Biden and the First Lady hosted a Diwali reception at the White House. pic.twitter.com/3kGqCgEebK The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 25, 2022 "On this day, we give thanks for the optimism, courage, and empathy demonstrated by the incredible South Asian community all across America. Together, South Asian Americans reflect the soul of who we are as a nation, whether helping us emerge stronger from this pandemic, building an economy that works for everyone, or serving and protecting our communities and our country. "But, even as we celebrate this gathering of light, we knowas this community has experienced too oftenthat there is always darkness lurking. American history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh reality that we have never fully lived up to it. By marking the victory of light over darkness, Diwali is a reminder that each of us has the power to bring light to the world, whether here in America or around the world," he added. London: Rishi Sunak, 42, a Conservative party politician who is of Indian descent, will be the next prime minister of Britain. It marks a meteoric rise in British public life, for he became a member of parliament only seven years ago. In his first, brief public statement after being elevated, he said, "I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility; and I will work day in, day out to deliver for the British people." It will be the first time a non-white will occupy the position of head of government in the United Kingdom -- a major post in international affairs since Britain is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council as well as a constituent of the G7 -- the most industrialised countries in the world. The only other contestant in the field Penny Mordaunt dramatically withdrew her cadidature only a couple of minutes before nominations closed with a tweet. Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of the Conservative Parliamentary Party and the returning officer responsible for conducting leadership elections, confirmed `we have received only one valid nomination`. He then declared: "Rishi Sunak is therefore elected leader of the Conservative party." Born in Southampton to a doctor father and chemist mother, Sunak studied at the private school Winchester College, Oxford University and Stanford University in the US. His professional career was that of an investment banker and hedge fund manager. He worked as a waiter at a Bangladeshi-owned Indian restaurant in Southampton during his school holidays. While at university, he undertook an internship with the Conservative party at its headquarters in London. He was elected a member of parliament from the rural seat of Richmond in Yorkshire in 2015. His first government responsibility was that of parliamentary under-secretary of state for local government. Then Prime Minister Theresa May appointed him for this in January 2018. Another former Prime Minister Boris Johnson -- who on Sunday night dropped out as a potential contender in the just concluded race -- appointed him chief secretary to the treasury in July 2019. Thereafter, Johnson promoted him to cabinet as chancellor of the exchequer in February 2020. In July 2022, Sunak resigned from the government citing differences on policy with the prime minister, thereby hastening Johnson`s downfall. Mordaunt was leader of the House of Commons in the outgoing government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was forced to quit on her 45th day in office - the shortest period any premier in the UK has served. Sunak was expected to be granted an audience by King Charles III imminently to be formally invited to form a government. His immediate task will be to stabilise the British economy after the damage caused to it by Truss. However, while the new prime minister`s emergence was welcomed by markets and the British pound gained in strength, he will inherit a deeply divided Conservative Parliamentary Party. The `STOP RISHI` MPs hailing from supporters of Johnson, Truss and Mordaunt could make life difficult for the new occupant of 10 Downing Street. Christopher Chope, MP representing Christchurch in the county of Dorset told The Guardian newspaper: "We have a parliamentary party which is completely riven, and its` ungovernable." Sunak`s shortcoming is his lack of experience in politics. But he also faces a problem from a section of the Conservative party who do not even consider him to be Indian or American (because he held a resident card in the United States). A caller to a chat show on LBC radio station over the weekend categorically maintained, `Rishi Sunak isn`t British`, much to the anchor`s horror. Sunak`s wife is Indian, Akshata Murthy, a businesswoman who is also the daughter of N.R. Narayana Murthy, one of the founders of the Bengaluru-based Infosys. The couple has two daughters. BILLINGS A total of 1,212 big game hunters visited check stations across south-central Montana over the opening weekend. Lavina was the busiest check station in the region on Sunday, with a record 551 hunters. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wildlife staff members also ran biological check stations in Big Timber, Columbus and Billings. Overall, hunter success rates were lower than long-term averages across the region. Other hunters cut excursions short due to the cold, wet weather and hazardous road conditions. Many hunters complained of mud, snow, poor visibility, and winds hampering their success, said FWP wildlife biologist Justin Paugh. Total harvested whitetail and mule deer were below long-term averages across the region, but elk harvest was up at every check station except Billings. New regulations and hunting district boundaries impacted elk hunting opportunities in districts 575, 580 and new district 515. These districts now allow the taking of either-sex elk. Big Timber totaled 250 hunters checked with a 37% success rate. Twenty-two whitetails, 20 mule deer, 23 antelope and 28 elk were counted. At Columbus, 129 hunters passed through the check station with a 26% success rate. Twelve whitetails, 12 mule deer and 10 elk were harvested. At Lavina, the 551 hunters checked 15 whitetails, 21 mule deer, two pronghorns and 21 elk for an 11% success rate. Billings checked 282 hunters, five of which tagged whitetails, 20 got a mule deer, 10 a pronghorn and eight an elk for a 16% success rate. Hunters had to dig out warm layers and rain jackets in a hurry, as the opening weekend of the big game general season was met with the first round of cold, wet weather this fall in south-central Montana. Just days before, youth hunters enjoyed unseasonably warm weather for the two-day youth-only deer hunt Oct. 20 and 21. The chilly weather, however, did not stop the hunt for many, but did affect success rates. License sales to apprentice and first-time youth hunters were up at the regional office in Billings prior to the opener. We had several youth hunters with their first deer or antelope, all eager to share their success stories, Paugh said. Check stations will only be open on Sundays in Big Timber, Lavina and Billings until the final weekend of the general season, when the stations will operate on both Saturday and Sunday. The Columbus check station will be open Saturdays and Sundays. The final day of the general season is Nov. 27. Hunters are reminded they must stop at any check station they pass while hunting, regardless of their success in harvesting game. Check stations provide valuable information on animals and hunters for FWP biologists. FWP staff will also be available at each check station to sample harvested deer and elk for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Animals can also be tested at the regional office in Billings, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Testing for CWD is voluntary and free for the public. More information on CWD in Montana is available here: https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/chronic-wasting-disease. BOZEMAN Hunter numbers were below average and hunter success was mixed in southwestern Montana over the opening weekend of the general deer and elk hunting season. Wildlife biologists with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in southwestern Montana operated six game check stations over the weekend and met with 1,732 hunters. Steady rain, snow and fog limited visibility for hunters in many areas, likely contributing to reduced harvest compared to averages. The Alder check station saw 335 hunters, which was 18% fewer than the long-term average for opening weekend. About 10% of hunters harvested an animal, which is below the long-term average of 12%. Elk harvest was 55% lower than average. Poor visibility and wet conditions likely contributed to reduced elk harvest. The number of hunters and harvested elk at the Cameron check station were also below average for opening weekend. The check station saw 414 hunters during opening weekend, compared to 579 last year and a long-term average of 495. Hunter success this year was about 10%. FWP staff at the Gallatin check station met with 127 hunters, about 11% of whom were successful. The number of hunters here was below average, but the percentage of hunters who harvested deer or elk was above average. The Divide check station saw 330 hunters, with a success rate of more than 10%. This was about 18% fewer hunters than last year, and 10% fewer than the long-term average. However, hunter success here was 13% higher than last year and 6% below the long-term average. Biologists also operated check stations near Canyon Ferry and Gardiner. In total for the region, biologists checked 14 white-tailed deer, 53 mule deer and 83 elk. These figures do not account for different hunting season regulations over the years, which have varied from liberal to restrictive for elk and mule deer, depending on population status. Biologists use check stations to collect data on hunter participation and success, as well as the species, sex and age class of the animals harvested. This supplements data collected through hunter harvest phone surveys each year. The potentially devastating weed Palmer amaranth has been documented in three more North Dakota counties, raising the total to 19 counties in a four-year span -- a total one expert says is "staggering." Officials who identified Palmer amaranth as the biggest weed threat in North Dakota four years before it was even documented in the state are now preparing for the eventuality of farmers having to fight established stands of it in their fields. "I think that's what we're bracing for," said Tom Peters, an Extension agronomist and weed control specialist at North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota. "We're planning ahead for if we have to start treating fields." That's likely years down the road, but if and when it happens, it could greatly add to farmers' costs. Peters said a soybean field that costs $26 per acre to treat for weeds that exist now would cost an estimated $73 per acre if Palmer amaranth was added to the mix. Raising awareness Single Palmer amaranth plants were recently found in Kidder and Williams counties, while two plants were found in Stark County, according to the state Agriculture Department. The findings were confirmed by the National Agricultural Genotyping Center at NDSU in Fargo. The sites are being scouted and monitored, and the source of the weeds investigated. We continue to encourage producers to monitor fields for noxious and invasive weeds, especially Palmer amaranth to prevent it from going to seed, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said in a statement. The public should contact and work with their local weed officers and other experts to identify and report any suspect plants. Palmer amaranth has spread to the Upper Midwest in recent years from the deserts of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. NDSU Weed Science officials named it the "weed of the year" in North Dakota in 2014 and 2015, even though it hadn't been found in the state. "We feared Palmer amaranth could have a profound effect on North Dakota agriculture," Peters said. "We think it's a very significant threat to our growers and ranchers." It can spread through contaminated seed or hay, vehicles or equipment, or natural dispersal by water and wildlife, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's now present in dozens of states including the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa, according to Bayer Crop Science. Climate change could make the heat-tolerant weed worse by lengthening its growing season, boosting seed production and expanding its potential U.S. geographic range, according to USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center. It was first confirmed in North Dakota in August 2018, in McIntosh County, and has since been documented in Barnes, Benson, Cass, Dickey, Emmons, Foster, Grant, Hettinger, Morton, Richland, Sargent, Sioux, Stutsman, Traill and Ward counties, along with the three new ones. Palmer amaranth was added to the state's list of noxious weeds in 2019, meaning it must be controlled. Peters said efforts by weed officials in recent years to raise awareness appear to be working, as most discoveries are of a small number of plants rather than widespread infestations. But he said the number of confirmations still is "eye-opening." "Nineteen counties -- that's pretty staggering," Peters said. Hard to control Palmer amaranth can grow as tall as 7 feet -- as much as 3 inches per day -- resist many herbicides, produce hundreds of thousands of seeds and become strong enough to stop farm machinery. A heavy infestation can cut soybean yields by as much as 79% and corn yields by up to 91%, according to research by Purdue University. A 2020 survey of hundreds of weed scientists in the U.S. and Canada by the nonprofit Weed Science Society of America ranked Palmer amaranth as the weed that's hardest to control in grass crops such as cereal grains and hay. The weed also has the potential to be "devastating" to North Dakota's sugar beet industry because fewer herbicides are available, according to Peters. "Because it's a small-acre crop, there hasn't been a significant investment" by the chemical industry, he said. Sugar beets are a big part of North Dakota agriculture but not a major crop nationwide. There were about 1.2 million acres planted in the U.S. this year, compared to 88 million soybean acres and 90 million corn acres. Peters added that waterhemp, a sibling pigweed species to Palmer amaranth, "has gotten out of hand in eastern North Dakota" and is likely starting to impact yields. "We can't allow Palmer amaranth to become as widespread as waterhemp has become," he said. Other areas? Palmer amaranth is considered "under management" in the counties of Barnes, Benson, Cass, Grant, Richland, Sargent, Sioux, Traill and Ward, according to the state Agriculture Department. It's considered "previously found but no longer detected" in the counties of Dickey, Emmons, Foster, Morton, McIntosh and Stutsman. It's listed as "detected in 2022 but no longer found" in Hettinger, Kidder, Stark and Williams. Peters said "no longer found" doesn't necessarily mean that the weed isn't still in that county. "I'm not so sure we can take those off the map so quickly," he said. "I think we need to have at least a season, where we can come back the next season and confirm they're not really there." It's also possible that the weed exists in areas outside crop fields and pastures, such as shelterbelts and wilderness areas, according to Peters. "It's an opportunity maybe for our hunters when they're out, if they find or identify something that's unique, for them to provide sighting information for us," he said. People who come across a plant they think might be Palmer amaranth should take a photo and report it but not try to remove it, so that it's easier to identify and so that its seeds aren't spread, according to the Agriculture Department. People can go to https://www.nd.gov/ndda/pa to report a suspect plant, or contact a county weed officer. For more information, go to that website or to https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/palmeramaranth. "We want everybody to remain vigilant and help us identify new outbreaks, because they're going to happen," Peters said. Legalizing marijuana would be a serious mistake. Thats why the North Dakota Sheriffs and Deputies Association, the ND Peace Officers Association and the Chiefs of Police Association of ND have come out in opposition to Measure 2. We know the many problems legalization of marijuana has caused in states where it is legal. We are joined by the ND Farm Bureau, ND Farmers Union, Greater North Dakota Chamber, ND Family Alliance, and ND Catholic Conference in opposing this measure. The people pushing Measure 2 want you to believe that everything will be safe and well-regulated if the measure passes. SAFE? Of course not. There are many serious problems in the states where marijuana is legal. They know how potent this modern-day drug is. Using it is sending users to emergency rooms with marijuana poisoning, bouts of paranoia, and various mental disorders. We see the reports and we wish everyone knew the sad truth. We believe our kids will also have easy access to this powerful, mind-altering drug. Our kids. Your kids. Why would we take a chance to add to what is already an exploding behavioral health crisis in North Dakota? Impaired driving? Our law enforcement organizations already see too many traffic crashes and deaths directly related to drug and alcohol overuse. Marijuana will add to the numbers significantly. Are we willing to let our North Dakota society become the victim of more addiction and its disastrous effects? I hope not. Voting NO on Measure 2 is our way to stop this potential assault on our kids, families, friends, our businesses, medical facilities, behavioral health agencies, law enforcementand the list goes on. Please join us in voting NO on Measure 2. Kelly Leben, Bismarck Burleigh County sheriff U.S. Term Limits, a Washington, D.C., based group with over $810,000 wants North Dakota to limit our voting rights to elect the state candidates each District chooses. They are working and advertising to impose their will and alternatives upon the future voters of ND with Measure 1 that will LIMIT our legislators to two terms. This amounts to only four 80-day sessions for any legislator and will definitely leave ND without any legislators with experience that we are entrusting our $18 billion budget to operate. We need experienced legislators in the Capitol! I like the current set up that shows us legislators' voting record. I can contact them about any bill and express my opinion. I feel that ND voters have been doing a very acceptable job in electing and unseating legislators who deserve that action. There is normally a 25% turnover in the House and Senate in each election. Measure 1 will make that 50% every four years. That is NOT a plan that develops strong leaders, it's dictatorship. In fact the leader of the ND Pro Term Limits group, Jared Hendrix, at our District 30 gathering to discuss this matter said Im a Virginian and I moved to ND because it is a exceptional state and offers a great place to live and raise a family." After hearing his statement it made me think, why does he feel that a constitutional amendment limiting our legislators' terms will improve what we voters have done for the entire history of ND? I say vote no on Measure 1. ND voters can vote our state legislators in or out as we see fit. P.S. Measure 1 does not cover any of our federal officials only ND officials. Robert Gregoire, Bismarck The religion clauses in the First Amendment are among the most hotly debated topics in constitutional law and history. Unfortunately, the records of the Founders dont always offer much help in elucidating their meaning. The congressional debates over the religion clauses can be especially exasperating to scholars. The framers in the First Congress lurched from one draft wording to another, often leaving no clues as to why they changed one word or phrase to another. My personal choice for the most laughably exasperating moment in the records comes from Rep. Samuel Livermore of New Hampshire, who rose to object to one proposed version of the Establishment Clause. He prefaced his comments, however, by noting that he did not want House members to dwell long on the subject. Presumably they had more important things to do. This was only the First Amendment they were framing, after all! Vincent Phillip Munozs lucid Religious Liberty and the American Founding: Natural Rights and the Original Meanings of the First Amendment Religion Clauses provides one of the best treatments we have on the meaning of the religion clauses, despite the sometimes unclear records of their development. He delivers a compelling analysis of the state constitutional debates and their various comments about religious liberty. So much attention is given to the federal Constitution that one might forget that there were many more debatesoften well-documented onesabout establishments and religious freedom in the states. These debates, and the views of a spectrum of Founders, allow Munoz to craft a convincing argument. He contends that the founding generations concept of religious liberty was rooted, first and foremost, in natural law and inalienable natural rights. People involved in American political life in the late 1700s disagreed vehemently about the proper approach to church-state separation. But Munoz shows that there was near-universal agreement among people of widely differing faiths and ideologies on religious liberty as an inalienable natural right. A natural right was one not granted by government or by any human authority. Such rights were part of the natural order; they resulted from principles derived from the laws of nature and natures God, as the Declaration of Independence put it. These rights were inherent in the sense that they inhered in human nature, and all people rightfully enjoyed them. James Wilson, one of the eras most distinguished legal minds, wrote that the natural rights and duties of man belong equally to all. Each forms a part of that great system, whose greatest interest and happiness are intended by all the laws of God and nature. Religious liberty was an inalienable right in the sense that people do not, and fundamentally cannot, grant power over such a right to the government. Religious freedom was not an unlimited right, of course. One cannot use religion as an excuse to violate other peoples fundamental rights. The government should not allow murder, for example, even if the murderer claims that God told them to do it. There was less agreement on church-state separation, particularly in the states, than on the concept of religious liberty. Munoz divides the Founders into two main camps on this issue: the expansive liberals and narrow republicans. (I dont especially like the second term, which sounds pejorative. He could just as easily have called them expansive republicans.) Liberals such as Jefferson and Madison, as well as many evangelical Baptists, wanted to sharply limit the scope of state jurisdiction with regard to religion. They did not want the states (much less the national government) to fund any denomination with taxes, nor did they want a persons beliefs or religious practices to affect their civil or political privileges. Christian republicans such as Patrick Henry and John Adams preferred to maintain traditional state support for a particular denomination. By the mid-1780s, Henry conceded that the Anglican/Episcopal Church would no longer serve as the uniquely established church in Virginia. Henry proposed instead that the state should require religious taxes but allow a taxpayer to choose the church to receive the funds. Other Christian republicans affirmed religious tests, such as requiring officeholders to profess belief in God and the Bible. Both the liberals and the republicans believed that their approach protected and bolstered the peoples natural right to religious liberty. They clashed over the best means to accomplish that agreed-upon end. Munozs analysis demonstrates that while there was widespread agreement on the free exercise of religion, it was less clear in 1791 (when the Bill of Rights was adopted) what exactly an establishment of religion would entail. This became an especially perplexing issue starting in the mid-20th century. In 1791 there seemed to be broad consensus that the states could decide for themselves how to handle church-state relations, including whether to maintain tax funding for a church. Twentieth-century courts application of the First Amendment to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment (1868)known as the principle of incorporationhas, for better or worse, rendered moot the Founders federal-state distinction on establishment. Despite the First Amendments lack of precision about the definition of an establishment, Munoz reasonably infers that two main types of religious activities or relationships are unavailable to the government under the First Amendment: state and church establishments. Under state establishments, the government itself would exercise functions as if it were an institutional church, including the regulation of internal church matters such as the content of doctrine and the selection of ministers. Church establishments would entail delegating coercive authority to churches, especially allowing them to collect taxes. While direct tax funding of churches has ceased to be a live possibility, indirect support includes church-related or clerical tax exemptions, or assistance to church-run schools for busing, vouchers, or equipment with a secular purpose, such as playgrounds. In one of his more controversial conclusions, Munoz insists that there is little evidence that the Founders would have believed that free exercise must allow conscience exemptions from otherwise constitutional laws. He puts a great deal of emphasis on the fact that debates over exemptions (or replacements, to be more precise) from militia service for Quakers and other pacifists almost never cited the requirement of protecting free exercise of religion. This is a worthwhile observation. But I wish that Munoz had given more space to the Constitutions own religious exemption: that of allowing people to affirm rather than swear to support the Constitution. This was an accommodation of Quakers scruples and those of anyone who literally applied the Bibles injunction against swearing oaths. The existence of this alternative for conscience, within the Constitution itself, suggests that the Founders believed the government should not unduly burden or violate peoples religious conscience in crafting civil laws or even in framing the Constitution. Exemptions or alternatives were a familiar option among the Founders as paths to avoid this classic dilemma. Many readers may get to the final pages of Munozs book eagerly waiting for the application of his natural rights construction to the big church-state and religious liberty cases of the past 60 years. For anyone with even lightly held commitments (liberal or conservative) about religious liberty jurisprudence, however, that section will likely be a disappointment. As Munoz says, his application does not correspond to any existing jurisprudential approach. I was left uncertain whether this means Munoz is refreshingly original or just esoteric. As Munoz reviews a veritable lightning round of actual cases, readers may find themselves enthusiastically agreeing with him in one sentence, then rolling their eyes at the next. In what struck me as the most problematic example, Munoz (or his natural law framework) disagrees with the unanimous Hosanna-Tabor decision (2012). That case resulted in a rare instance in which the whole court agreed on a principle of religious jurisprudencenamely, that the government should not interfere, directly or indirectly, in questions of hiring or firing ministerial employees in organizations such as church-run schools. I would have thought that this principle would accord with Munozs precept that the government must not meddle with the regulation of internal church matters such as the selection of ministers. But no, his skepticism about exemptions applies to the ministerial exemption in Hosanna-Tabor. Munoz surmises that the Establishment Clause does not shield religious believers from generally applicable non-discrimination legislation that (from the churchs perspective) might be quite burdensome and disruptive. I think this view is wrong on principle, though I would agree that legislative accommodations would be preferable to judicial mandates of exemptions for conscience. Legislators can always account for conscience dilemmas, whether or not they think exemptions are constitutionally required. Munozs approach would also scuttle any current hope of broad consensus on religious liberty issues. But I give Munoz credit: Unlike most academic writers on controversial topics, he is an equal opportunity offender. Although he is an originalist of a sort, he seems genuinely not to care if his natural rights reading of the religion clauses suits anyones contemporary agenda. That alone makes Munozs approach innovative. And his review of what the Founders didand did notsay about religious liberty, church-state relations, and natural rights is one of the best analyses Ive ever seen on this sometimes perplexing historical topic. Fred Flinstone lookalike Ron DeSantis was swallowing hard at tonight's Florida gubernatorial debate, when his candidate Charlie Crist went after him for his horrific treatment of desperate migrants by flying them to Martha's Vineyard. Not only did it cost Florida taxpayers a fortune, but it also made innocent people's lives miserable. Transcript: I thought what the governor did was a horrible political stunt. You know, we have an immigration problem. We have a problem at the border. We need to secure the border. I agree with all of that. But it doesn't mean that you use Florida taxpayers' dollars to charter two jets go to Texas, lie to people to get them onto planes, fly them up to the northern part of our country. And one of them's a one-year-old baby, another as a pregnant woman. You're willing to use people like that? In this case, they were Hispanics, Venezuelan in particular, and have them as props for your political gain? That's not the way to change policy. You can change policy, and do what's right to secure the border by having comprehensive immigration reform. That's what I voted for in Congress. When you were in Congress, you wouldn't do it. Because you want to keep this issue alive. You want to have it as a wedge issue. And you want to pull political stunts like you did with the taxpayers' dollars of the people of Florida. That's not what it's for. That's not what you should have done. It isn't funny. It's not right. And you were inhumane in how you treated these people. A business class Hawaiian Airlines passenger got kicked off a plane for what might be a first: ordering crew members to not look at her for the entire 9-hour flight from Sydney, Australia to Honolulu. The woman, a software company concierge, allegedly issued the strange demand after she herself "stared down" a flight attendant who had accidentally taken away her cocktail too soon. And the ornery mood started even earlier in the flight when attendants accidentally seated her in the economy cabin rather than business class, which caused the passenger to "verbally abuse staff members," according to Yahoo!. From Yahoo!: Well, you just missed a super fun weekend in Bisbee, Arizonathis past weekend was the annual B.R.A.T.S. event. What is that, you ask? B.R.A.T.S. is the Bisbee Rolling Arts Transportation Society, and it's a super fun event for folks of all ages. Their website explains: The Brats is a ragtag posse of fun-loving creatives who build gravity-powered art carts that roll through the streets of Bisbee. The Brats is a community of imaginative souls who dream, forage, collaborate, and construct art for art's sake! The Brats crew is made up of artists and creatives of all kinds. The parade includes art bikes and other kinds of gravity or human-powered rolling vehicles, a kazoo band, and folks dressed up in wild costumes parading alongside the vehicles. B.R.A.T.S. was founded in 2009 by Andrew Nelson and Poe Dismuke. Again, their website provides more info: The idea was to create an artists' soap box derby through the steep streets of Bisbee. We now have dozens of carts, countless paraders, and more fun than ever! Every year, the gang grows a bit bigger and we'd love you to join us! The bad news is that you missed this year's festivities. The good news is that now you have an entire year to build your own B.R.A.T. and join the parade next year! Here's some of the rolling art for inspiration. You can also follow B.R.A.T.S. on their Instagram page for more info! Photo by Jennifer Sandlin Photo by Jennifer Sandlin Photo by Jennifer Sandlin Photo by Jennifer Sandlin Gillian Flynn's unreliably-narrated noir thriller Gone Girl was an enormous hit upon its release in 2012; even the David Fincher movie adaptation was a massive success. So naturally, someone thought it would be great idea to spin this twisted tale of murder, lies, and infidelity off into a vacation cruise? Over in Slate, Imogen West-Knights recalls the wild experience of the 8 days she spent on a Gone Girl-themed cruise along the Danube. The novel is largely set in Missouri, an ocean and a continent away from that Eastern European river, so why was the cruise there? Unclear and also, probably the least concerning part of this adventure. And West-Knights' cruise experience was, uhh, definitely an adventure. Here's a taste: Nancy and Barb are neighbors from Iowa. Martha and Barb are friends from Missouri, and they have picked up Judith, from Florida, who is cruising alone because of her husband's ill health. They are unspeakably nice to me. I hear the word "neat" more times over the course of this dinner than I have heard in my 30 years of life previous to it. I am shocked to find out that Nancy, looking as sprightly as she does, is 81, and I tell her so. "Well, baby, you don't look a day over 12," she says. "Oh, we love Gone Girl," one of the Barbs says. "Great page turner, and she has such a dark mind. You wouldn't know to look at her." We all do look at her, sitting across the dining room with her group of friends. "Is there much onion in the onion tart?" the other Barb asks a waiter. There is. Is there a murder mystery on the cruise? Who keeps asking the guests about butt sex? What does any of this have to do with Gillian Flynn herself, who keeps appearing and disappearing from the boat or the slideshow of corpse photographs found in a remote Austrian remote cellar? I won't give anything away, because you should read West-Knights' bizarre journalistic thriller for yourself: My Eight Deranged Days on the Gone Girl Cruise [Imogen West-Knights] Years ago, I came across an inaccurate description of the plot-to-be of a future Ruben Ostlund film. "A disgruntled yacht captain deliberately sabotages his luxury vessel to teach his wealthy clientele a lesson," or something like that. My initial thought was, that sounds on the nose, but, knowing Ostlund's previous work (Force Majeure, The Square), he'll handle it in an interesting way. It was an exciting prospect. A few years later, I saw the trailer for the film, titled Triangle of Sadness. The jokes fell flat. I forced a laugh. I thought, well, it's probably hard to convey slow-build Scandinavian humor in a trailer cut for Apatow-reared Americans. A few weeks later, I watched the film. Why it was so heavily awarded at Cannes, I do not know. While there are some interesting set pieces, they work only as set-ups and aren't followed through. Consider the first act, wherein our moderately likable central characters start to bicker over a bill. The boyfriend finds it off-putting that he's always expected to pay even though Yaya makes more money than him and because she said she would pay. He's upset with the implicit gender dynamic in this arrangement and wants them to be equal. Yaya sees it as a mode for survival, knowing that her career will end, she'll have to rely on a mate to provide for her. It's a test. Ultimately, he feels bad for bringing up the bill in the first place. He capitulates, clearly not wanting to lose her. This could easily be a deleted scene on the Force Majeure DVD. It's an interesting build to some larger critique of the old vs. the new, regarding equality, survival, expectation, practicality, etc. Then we get a hard cut to the next act, where we see the couple on a yacht. I expected, in keeping with boyfriend's prior capitulation, that he got them a yacht trip as an apology. It would make sense. A cab driver who heard their fight even encouraged him to "fight for her," so perhaps boyfriend followed the advice? No such luck. Yaya, we learn much later, got the cruise as a perk of being an influencer. An influencer? The most salient critique we get of this oft-mocked profession comes from lingering shots of Yaya's selfie-taking. And boyfriend taking pictures of her mimicking eating. She doesn't actually eat the food. It's all about the image! It's vapid! Get it? We meet an elderly British couple who politely discuss the family business of weapons manufacturing over dinner. Later, they are blown up by one of their own products. Get it?? In an unlikely turn of events, (in every sense of the word, there's no consistent writing to make any of these situations likely), a lowly cleaning lady becomes the only competent person, while the rich (and someone from the engine room, why he's there is unknown, his presence does nothing to sharpen the metaphor. Perhaps he's there to toy with the idea of subtlety? It's not clear) are useless and have to follow her orders. This occurs immediately after the Marxist boat captain reads Marx and Chomsky over the loudspeaker. It's role reversal! Workers seizing the means of production! Get it??? The rich throw up their golden food! Get it???? If you fancy a coherent ham-fisted leftist film, try something mid-career Ken Loach, or the second half of Parasite. Or for island fun, try Gilligan's Island, it doesn't think so highly of itself. We go from tightly-focused character piece to ambitious and obvious boat set piece to irrelevant and sprawling island act without gleaning much of anything. Instagram/modeling is vapid. The rich are evil or something. Working people know how to survive. Sure. Eh. Stylistically, Ostlund seems to want to say more. Unfortunately, the big budget set the clock to amateur hour. Far-right operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman pleaded guilty to felony telecommunications fraud yesterday. According to Cleveland.com, the pair "placed thousands of robocalls with false information to largely minority and Democratic voters in Cleveland in the months before the November 2020 election." They face up to a year in state prison. From Cleveland.com The two were charged in October 2020 after prosecutors said their group, Project 1599, placed more than 3,500 robocalls that spread misinformation to targeted voters on Cleveland's East Side and in East Cleveland. The calls featured a woman warning voters against being "finessed into giving your private information to the man" and that if they voted by mail, police and debt-collection agencies would use their personal information to arrest them for outstanding warrants or collect outstanding debts, according to court filings. The call also claimed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control could use their information to institute a mandatory vaccination program. Both claims are false. Wohl and Burkman are notorious for orchestrating laughably ineffective smear campaigns against politicians and government employees who stray from MAGA ideology. They accused Robert Mueller of sexual harassment, Elizabeth Warren of having an affair, Ilhan Omar of incest, and Pete Buttigieg of rape. They also tried to defame Anthony Fauci with a phony sexual assault claim. From The Cut: For their most recent stunt, the pair reportedly hired a woman to say that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had attempted to assault her in a hotel in 2014. This scheme fell apart, in a typically Wohlian fashion, after the woman in question reached out to a journalist to say Wohl and Burkman had paid her to make the claim, and that it was untrue. Wohl and Burkman's troubles are far from over. From The Washington Post: For two nights only, Danny Elfman, the surprisingly ripped 68-year-old composer of too many iconic tunes to count, will be teaming up with the skeleton-suited indie rock darling Phoebe Bridgers for a special live concert version of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Elfman will perform the parts of Jack Skellington, with Bridgers playing Sally, along with most of the other original performers reprising their roles. This special concert event will take place December 9 and 10 at Wembley Stadium in London and as you can probably imagine, most of the tickets are already gone. But you are interested, here's the official Ticketmaster blurb: Legendary Hollywood composer Danny Elfman brings Disney's timeless classic back to the UK for Christmas 2022 Experience the film in full on the big screen with the BBC concert orchestra performing live. Multiple award-winning composer, songwriter and reigning Pumpkin King Danny Elfman returns to the UK to bring back Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas for two very special UK shows at The SSE Arena, Wembley. This unique live cine-concert production taking place over Christmas 2022 features Danny Elfman (the original singing voice of the film's main character, Jack Skellington, and writer of all the film's songs) performing live in sync with the full-length movie projected on the big screen, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra and a few very special guests. The Nightmare Before Christmas stands as a cult musical classic from the legendary film making duo of director Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman. First released in 1993, The Nightmare Before Christmas was directed by Henry Selick (James and the Giant Peach) and was based on a story and characters designed by Tim Burton. Meticulously hand animated in stop-motion, the film took over two years to make featuring 227 puppets and 20 different sets that Selick's team of artists painstakingly manipulated one frame at a time. The film follows the earnest-but-misguided adventures of Jack Skellington, Halloween Town's beloved Pumpkin King, as he attempts to take over the Christmas holiday. Against the advice of Sally, a lonely rag doll who has feelings for him, Jack enlists three mischievous trick-or-treaters Lock, Shock, and Barrel to help him kidnap Santa Claus. Since its release, this beloved family film has become a world-wide classic and staple part of the extended holiday season. This unique live production has performed to sold out audiences across the globe, including the Hollywood Bowl, Barclays Center, Tokyo International Forum, and London's The SSE Arena, Wembley in 2019. No idea if this will be recorded and broadcast at a later date, but my toddler did wake up this morning screaming that he wanted to watch this movie right now so, ya know, it was on my mind. The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert As Zephyr Partners begins the first phase of construction on its new cannabis campus in South Buffalo, the California firm is seeking to set up a career-training program at the Northland Corridor building occupied by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. California-based Zephyr owned by Brad Termini, son of Buffalo developer Rocco Termini is proposing to use the 16,000-square-foot building at 612 Northland Ave. for its job-skills programs that would teach potential hires how to work in the legalized cannabis industry. Sign up for the Buffalo Next free newsletter The News' Buffalo Next team covers the changing Buffalo Niagara economy. Get the news in your inbox 5 days a week. The proposed programs would be run in conjunction with the adjacent Northland Workforce Training Center, and would complement the expansive new $300 million cannabis cultivation and production facility that Zephyr is building at the Buffalo Lakeside Commerce Park. Zephyr, through its nonprofit foundation, is negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the workforce center to partner on the education efforts. Both the Northland campus and the South Buffalo business park off Fuhrmann Boulevard and Tifft Street are owned by the Buffalo Urban Development Corp., with whom Zephyr is negotiating a lease for the Northland building. BUDC recently sold 80 acres at 310 Ship Canal Parkway to Zephyr, which started construction on the cannabis facility. That operation in turn will be leased for 30 years to Etain LLC, a medical cannabis license holder in New York, and an indirect subsidiary of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Planning for a second phase for Etain has already begun. The new facility will feature greenhouse space for growing the plants as well as manufacturing facilities for extracting the oils and other elements from the plants in order to make and package cannabis-infused oils, balms, lotions and other products. The first two phases are expected to open by late 2023, with multiple buildings occupied by Etain, but Zephyr expects more development on-site for additional cannabis industry tenants. South Buffalo cannabis campus gains traction with Fortune 500 backing of Scotts Miracle-Gro The financial backing from a subsidiary of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. will bring vast resources to the ambitious project, which was in limbo a year ago as the state moved slowly to legalize recreational cannabis. But Zephyr, Etain and others still need employees to staff the operation at least 54 within two years but many more to follow and that requires training. "This is a rapidly emerging and evolving industry that will require a trained workforce to fill jobs in this new market," BUDC wrote in a memo to its board of director from President Brandye Merriweather and Executive Vice President Rebecca Gandour. Zephyr is seeking a five-year lease with a monthly rent of $8,700 and an option to renew at fair market value for another five years. But that's conditional on it first signing the memorandum of understanding with the Northland training center. BUDC and its contractor, Mancuso Management, previously been marketing the 612 Northland building for a new tenant because the Albright-Knox, which closed its exhibition there last summer, will be vacating the space as of Nov. 30. New mixed-use project coming to West Side's Potomac-Grant intersection A West Side property owner wants to construct a five-story mixed-use building at the corner of Potomac and Grant streets, bringing 36 affordable and handicapped-accessible apartments to the neighborhood. SparkCharge, a 43North competition winner from 2018 that makes portable electric vehicle charging units, also submitted a proposal that was identical in terms to Zephyr's, and it's already a tenant at the Northland Central building at 683 Northland. The company needs much larger space to accommodate development of its new product. BUDC staff opted for Zephyr because of what Merriweather and Gandour called "the strong synergy between Zephyr's plan for cannabis workforce development" and the training center, and instead offered SparkCharge a six-month extension of its lease to give it more time to find other space. Back in July, Buffalo United Artists made it back on stage with Alley of the Dolls, its campy parody of the equally campy 1960s soaper Valley of the Dolls. Since BUA sat out the 2021-early 22 pandemic-era transition back to live shows, and appointed two new artistic directors in May, Alley could legitimately be considered the start of BUAs 2022-23 season. Fine. That was then. This is October, and now BUA is getting serious. The fall part of this unusual season kicks off with a theoretical reimagining of two formative encounters between two of the 20th centurys greatest American playwrights, William Inge (Come Back, Little Sheba, Picnic) and Tennessee Williams (Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.) In The Gentleman Caller (opening Oct. 27), playwright Philip Dawkins imagines a meeting between the two men when Williams was a relatively unknown playwright and Inge was working as a drama critic. The scene is Inges home, where Williams has been invited for an interview. (A small disclaimer: Drama critics are not generally known to invite people to their homes for interviews.) The title Gentleman Caller has a double meaning here: It was the original title for Williams first major success, The Glass Menagerie, along with describing the action in Dawkins play. At the time of the plays setting, in 1944, Inge was a closeted homosexual; Williams, not so much. The BUA posters for Gentleman Caller show actor Jonathan Beckner in the foreground as Inge, wearing a nubby suit and questioning look, while Matthew Rittler, who plays Williams, lurks behind him, robe opened to the waist, cigarette at attention between his fingers, staring directly, and pointedly, into the camera. The posters do accurately reflect the tone of the piece, said Rick Lattimer, who was speaking in a joint telephone interview with his co-artistic director, Mike Doben. Tennessee Williams in the play knows that hes the Tennessee Williams in history. Still, it is a period piece, kind of an origin story of Williams and William Inge. They met twice in the play; theyre kind of exploring each other and challenging each other. Its a relationship that is challenging, dynamic and a little taboo at times. This will be BUAs first production in the Hotel @ the Lafayettes intimate Bittersweet Piano Lounge, located in the center of the main floor. Although the lounge bar will be open before and after the show, Lattimer said the space will be reconfigured for theater seating for the performance. He added that, once the show is over, No one has to leave when its done. Everyone can hang out. The third BUA show will be the world premiere of Mediocre Heterosexual Sex (March 2023), by Madison Wetzell. Although it hasnt yet been staged, Wetzells dark comedy was recognized as a finalist for several playwriting awards after a reading at the Problematic Play Festival in 2019. And, as a story about a woman who decides to try men for the first time after her girlfriend dumps her, it fits into the general direction that BUAs new leadership hopes to go. One of the big things were looking to do, is to really expand the spectrum, to explore more of the spectrum of queerness," Doben said. "Historically, BUA has heavily leaned into the gay of LGBTQ+. Wed like to include more things about lesbians, trans people and others." That follows the pair's thoughts after Javier Bustillos, BUAs founder and executive director, approached them about becoming artistic directors. "We saw there was a direction to take the company that was new and fresh, Doben said. I think right now everyone in theater in general is talking about how we need to invigorate audiences and bring in new people. Lattimer said that he and Doben had been dabbling with the idea of starting their own company when the offer came at BUA and, after some consideration, they decided it was a good way to move forward. Each of the three men brings something unique to the mix: Lattimer is more of an actor, Doben is an established director, Bustillos has a couple of decades under his belt running the company. We kind of complement each other in a lot of good ways, Lattimer said. Down the road, plans are to expand the number of shows in the BUA seasons Thats purely an aspiration at this point, Doben said and to settle in a defined home. There is one thing, however, that they hope will not change. The loyalty of the BUA audiences has been wonderful, Doben said. They were ready to come back, and they have shown us a lot of love. Preview Buffalo United Artists Opens Oct. 27-Nov. 2 at Bittersweet Piano Lounge in the Hotel @ Lafayette, 391 Washington St. Performances are at 8 p.m. Oct. 27-29; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3-5, 10-12. No one under 18 admitted. For advance tickets, visit buffalounitedartists.org; tickets at the door are cash only. The President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili was not informed about the working visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Georgia. This is stated in the statement issued by the administration of the President of Georgia.As the administration of the president states, despite the desire and readiness of the president of Georgia, "unfortunately, the meeting between the presidents could not take place," and Salome Zourabichvili expresses her readiness and desire to host the president of Azerbaijan on an official visit in the near future."The President of Georgia welcomes the working visit of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev to Georgia.Due to the importance of the issue, the administration of the President of Georgia considers it appropriate to inform the public that the President was not informed about the working visit of the President of our neighboring and friendly country, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, to Georgia.Despite the desire and readiness of the President of Georgia, unfortunately, the meeting between the presidents, which is traditionally held during the visit of all heads of state to the country, could not take place."The President of Georgia once again expresses his readiness and desire to host the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan with an official visit in the near future," the President's administration said in a statement.According to Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan plans to increase the export of natural gas and oil. The energy export routes will pass through Georgia, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline will be overloaded, and the Baku-Supsa pipeline will be developed.Also, according to Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan plans to export electricity to international markets, the route of which will also pass through Georgia."The new projects also envisage the implementation of electricity projects. Azerbaijan intends to export electricity to international markets. Of course, our route will definitely pass through Georgia.10 GW is our renewable energy capacity and through the Caspian Sea we have the opportunity to export 157 GW. This is the indicator established by international calculations and forecasts.This will be a new target orientation, in order to export electricity and as in other directions, we believe that Georgia and Azerbaijan will successfully cooperate in this direction as well. In general, the potential of our cooperation, potential of energy corridors, prosperity will increase," Ilham Aliyev said. Actor and musician Johnny Depp and guitarist Jeff Beck have filed a lawsuit against a Buffalo professor and folklorist who accused the pair of plagiarism in August. The pair are suing for unspecified damages, attorneys fees and a declaration they have not committed copyright infringement. Buffalo folklorist calls out Johnny Depp, Jeff Beck for failing to credit lyrics Cultural appropriation is as old as popular music itself, and this is particularly the case with rock n roll, News Music Critic Jeff Miers says. Bruce Jackson, a SUNY distinguished professor at the University at Buffalo, accused the pair of stealing the lyrics for their song Sad (expletive) Parade from a poem he documented in his 1974 book and 1976 album, Get Your (expletive) in the Water and Swim Like Me. Jackson's accusations were first published in an Aug. 5 article by Rolling Stone. Jackson noted that Depp and Becks song, from their recent album 18, shares several lyric lines with a poem known as Hobo Ben, as spoken by Willie Davis, also known as Slim Wilson, and documented by Jackson on June 23, 1964, while Wilson was an inmate at Missouri State Prison. The original Jackson recordings reside in the Library of Congress. These lines from the poem appear in the Depp and Beck song Sad (expletive) Parade: Im raggedy, I know, but I have no stink, God bless the lady thatll buy me a drink, and What that funky (expletive) really needs, child, is a bath. Jackson has said that, at the time of the recording, Wilson did not claim authorship of the lyrics, but rather, stated hed heard them from his father, suggesting the words are part of a deep African American oral tradition of toasts, a precursor and progenitor of hip-hop and rap. Jackson has not sued or made any formal demands for monetary damages, and said he informed Depp and Becks counsel from the beginning that any money coming from a settlement of the matter would be donated directly to organizations that seek to preserve African American culture and traditions. By passing off Slim Wilsons words as his own, Johnny Depp publicly inhabits another mans life and artistry, his pain and his poetry, his beauty and his ugliness, and passes it off as his own lived experience, Jackson said Monday in a statement shared with The News. Indeed, one Depp fan stated publicly that they thought the song was about Johnny Depps break-up with Amber Heard. This not only obliterates the legacy of Slim Wilson, it blinds the audience to the African-American tradition that gave rise to such words. Jackson said a simple change in the liner notes acknowledging the songs origin would have settled this matter. Jackson & Jackson LLP, defense counsel for Jackson, told The News that Depps team never reached out regarding the latest lawsuit. Rather, representatives from tabloid website TMZ alerted the firm of the Depp and Beck complaint. Depp and Beck are represented by Brown Rudnick LLP, the same firm that served as special trial counsel to Depp in his successful defamation litigation against Heard. Representatives from Brown Rudnick have not responded to The News request for comment. Jackson & Jackson LLP stated its intention to file a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Scott Webb walks up the beach at Sunset Bay in Angola with his wife and 10-year-old son on a recent Sunday. The wind is blowing, clouds loom. Only a handful of people are visible on the beach, even fewer in the water. Webbs wife bought him a kitesurfing lesson as a birthday gift and conditions like these are perfect for learning. Kitesurfers, also called kiteboarders, ride the waves by using a large kite to capture the wind and propel the board. Gloomy days dont drive kiters away they lure them in. Wind and waves are the necessary supplies, and the geography around Lake Erie brings consistent, predictable waves down toward Buffalo. The lake starts out narrow in Toledo, Ohio, expands to 57 miles, then narrows again, pushing the wind into the Niagara River and creating strong, long waves. The kiteboarding is absolutely world class here in the fall, said Kevin Cullen, Webbs instructor, as he waited on the beach. The proximity of Lake Erie to Buffalo and the surrounding area is another draw, said avid kitesurfer Scott Pearson, 72, who also enjoys the "ability to just become one with nature." "During the biggest days, a storm day, heavy winds and big waves, it's just phenomenal to be out there, Pearson said, adding another appeal of kiteboarding is that it's for a variety of ages. It includes all kinds of people, you got men and women. You got older people like myself, and you got young kids, said Pearson. Kitesurfing happens nearly year-round at several local spots, including Sunset Bay, the Town of Hamburg Beach, Woodlawn Beach State Park, Beaver Island State Park and even portions of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. Kiteboarders also find waves across the border at Crystal Beach, Sherkston, Thunder Bay and Port Colborne, Ont., and in the Finger Lakes region of New York. We just go to different places based on what the wind is doing, said Dr. Thomas J. Guttuso, a neurologist at UBMD and surfer for more than two decades. Learning to surf Webbs family watches as he gets fitted in a wet suit, helmet and harness to hook into the kite. The lesson begins. Surf instructors like Cullen, who co-owns SUP Erie Adventures with his wife, Christian Edie, offer lessons through the late summer, fall and winter. We get a lot of nice, warm, calm, mellow days in September and October, Cullen said. Their building, a yellow shipping container located in Sunset Bays entrance, is filled with surfboards, wetsuits, ropes and equipment for a variety of water activities. They serve students who come from as far as Syracuse, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. A group of advanced kiters are building speed, jumping waves and soaring tens of feet in the air during Webbs lesson. There's a meditative aspect to the whole thing, said Dan Ryan, a kitesurfer for more than seven years and owner of a home-performance company. Ryan started as a self-taught kiter, but advises newcomers to learn the proper technique, etiquette and safety procedures from a professional. What I tried figuring out in two or three years, would have taken me less than one lesson, he said. Kitesurfing can be a lifelong activity and the demographics are wider than you might expect, with physical mobility being more important than strength. Kitesurfing has really been beneficial to my health, said Pearson, who has been doing the activity for more than 20 years. If you're in any kind of physical condition at all, go for it because it's only beneficial in the long run. Ryan agrees. It can be as safe or as dangerous as you want it to be, Ryan said, adding that simply riding the waves back and forth puts little stress on the body. However, trying big jumps and attempting new tricks carry far more risk. Lessons to learn Webbs family watches as his lesson begins. Cullen starts on the beach with an equipment walk-through, covering the general layout and orientation of the kite and the importance of ensuring that the lines arent tangled. The lines from the kite connect to the control bar, and it continues down into a loop to hook into your harness. If youre ever in trouble, just let go, Cullen said, noting the control bar. Though the kite will still be attached, releasing the bar allows the kite to settle in the wind. In a worst-case scenario, such as your lines tangling or if youre headed for dangerous terrain, theres a quick-release pull to separate you from the kite. With the basics covered, Webb helps Cullen launch the kite. They stay on the beach and Cullen demonstrates how to control the kite, moving it himself up and down and left to right with ease. He transfers the hook and control bar to Webb and keeps one hand on the bar. Soon, Webb fully takes over and they move into the water. Once you understand how to fly the kite, Cullen said, getting up and riding the board becomes much less daunting. The amount of time it takes for someone to become an independent kiter varies widely, Cullen noted. For those who do, the sport becomes almost addictive. Veteran kiters keep a close watch on weather forecasts and rush to the beach, often on short notice, when the waves are good. All you want to do is to get back on one of these waves and just experience it again, Guttuso said. Webbs lesson ended before he could get up on the board. The wind gusts died down, making it more difficult to control the kite. As Webb climbed out of his wetsuit and rejoined his family, he had a taste of excitement and desire to get back on the water. I'll be coming back next spring to give it a try, Webb said. I've got to do it, get that board on my feet. Where to get kitesurfing lessons SUP Erie Adventures: 8934 Lake Shore Road, Angola, and 1028 South Shore Drive, Irving. Lessons start at $150 (2 hours for 2-3 people); $175 private lesson Lake Erie Watersports: 8140 Lake Shore Road, Angola Lessons start at $150 (2 hours for 2 people) Frank Juliano, owner of 152 apartments on Kenmore Avenue, filed his legal action in State Supreme Court on Tuesday, claiming that the town has not given him enough time to clean and repair the garages behind his apartments. The Buffalo Diocese in its settlement Tuesday with the State Attorney Generals Office made no admissions about covering up for priests who had molested children, but agreed to implement enhanced measures to prevent future sex abuse in parishes and schools. The settlement, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, bans two retired bishops linked to a cover-up of sex abuses from serving in any charitable fiduciary roles in New York, and requires the diocese to follow through for five years on such measures as a program to monitor offending priests. AG sues Buffalo Diocese, alleging misuse of funds in covering up sex abuse cases New York's AG is alleging diocese leaders protected more than two dozen priests accused of child sexual abuse by not referring their cases to the Vatican. Attorney General Letitia James said the deal ushers in a much-needed era of independent oversight and accountability of the diocese. For far too long, the Buffalo Diocese and its leaders failed their most basic duty to guide and protect our children, she said. In choosing to defend the perpetrators of sexual abuse instead of defending the most vulnerable, the Buffalo Diocese and its leaders breached parishioners trust and caused many a crisis of faith. The diocese did not admit to any wrongdoing in the stipulated final order issued by U.S. District Court Judge Ronnie Abrams. Read the settlement between the Buffalo Diocese and state attorney general's office View the 31-page settlement reached Oct. 25, 2022, between the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and the New York State attorney general's office, w The 2020 lawsuit accused diocese leaders of protecting more than two dozen priests accused of child sex abuse by not referring their cases to the Vatican for potential removal from the priesthood. It also accused Bishop Richard J. Malone and Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz of misusing charitable assets by supporting priests who they knew had likely sexually abused minors. Malone resigned in 2019 under intense criticism over his handling of abuse allegations. Grosz retired a few months later in 2020. Bishop Michael W. Fisher, who succeeded Malone, expressed deep regret and acknowledged Tuesday that those who presented themselves as ministers of God had defiled their vows and committed crimes against the most vulnerable. Fisher also said that survivors of clergy sex abuse were not to blame for the abuse. As we move forward, I want to assure them that what happened to them will never happen again in this diocese, he added. Abuse survivors expressed skepticism about how much the settlement holds diocese officials accountable. Michael F. Whalen, the abuse survivor whose 2018 news conference began the unraveling of a massive sexual abuse scandal in the diocese, called the settlement "a step in the right direction, but expressed concern that it wont keep diocese officials honest. "I just don't think it goes far enough," Whalen said. "I think it should be permanent." Whalen said he also was troubled that the settlement did not include stiffer penalties for Malone and Grosz. "The cover-ups that they did ... they are crimes," Whalen said. "Those guys walking away with no charges really gets under my skin. They should be held accountable for their actions." With little explanation, diocese has reinstated 17 priests accused of sexual abuse The diocese publicized the priests returns to ministry by stating that a review board had examined the claims and found them to be not substantiated. A spokesman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests characterized the settlement as disappointing. The settlement as agreed to does not result in any public disclosures of abusers or enablers, does not involve any perpetrators facing trial and does not make any changes to the status quo that ease the effects of trauma on Buffalo survivors or make any children in Buffalo safe," SNAP spokesman Michael McDonnell said. The lawsuit culminated a two-year investigation into the diocese's sex abuse scandal that began in 2018 with Whalens public accusation that he had been abused as a boy by the Rev. Norbert Orsolits. Following Whalens news conference, the retired priest admitted to The News that he had molested probably dozens of children in the 1970s and 1980s. Revelations of other abuse cases that had been buried by church officials for years and sometimes decades poured forth, leading to a federal investigation, a compensation program that paid out $17.5 million to 106 abuse victims, hundreds of lawsuits and a bankruptcy filing, in addition to the Attorney Generals lawsuit. The states lawsuit was transferred into federal court shortly after its filing when the dioceses lawyers raised religious freedom questions. The diocese has paid multinational law firm Jones Day more than $1.4 million to defend itself against the AG's lawsuit, according to court papers. Despite Child Victims Act, justice remains elusive for some survivors of abuse Robert Kapal spent nearly 40 years trying not to remember a Buffalo Diocese priest he says abused him as a child. But when asked about him four years ago, Kapal burst into tears. At a news conference in the dioceses Main Street headquarters, Fisher introduced Melissa Potzler, a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, as vice chancellor, in-house counsel and child protection policy coordinator. Potzler took on the role in September. She previously was parish life coordinator at Nativity of Our Lord Church in Orchard Park. The agreement with the attorney general also calls for the diocese to hire Kathleen McChesney, a former assistant director of the FBI and the first director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Office of Child Protection, as independent auditor, pending approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. McChesney will have access to all diocese documents and communications deemed necessary to complete the audit and an annual report that will be posted to the dioceses website for public review. While the settlement prohibits Malone and Grosz from serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations in New York, it has no bearing on their ability to perform ministerial or sacramental duties. Grosz, however, removed himself from public ministry following an abuse claim made against him in a Child Victims Act lawsuit. He has remained out of the public eye since last summer. Buffalo Diocese seeks to transfer 35 abuse claims to Boy Scout bankruptcy plan Thirty-five Child Victims Act lawsuits against the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo may end up getting settled in federal bankruptcy court albeit through the Boy Scouts of Americas Chapter 11 plan, not the dioceses own bankruptcy process. Malone is considered by the Vatican to be a bishop in good standing and has no restrictions on his ministry or priestly work. Fisher said he realized Malones presence may be painful to others, and there may be certain functions that we have to talk about, so we do that with prudence. Celebrating confirmation, celebrating Mass with the people if hes asked, Im comfortable with that, because hes not in any kind of fiduciary or administrative function there, Fisher said. McDonnell said the punishment for Malone and Grosz was inadequate. For two men who were accused of covering up decades of sex crimes against children, such a punishment does not even qualify as a slap on the wrist, he said. Another key stipulation of the settlement is a program to monitor priests with substantiated claims of abuse against them. The lawsuit and an accompanying 218-page investigative report slammed the diocese for what it characterized as lax oversight of priests accused of molesting children. Fisher implemented the monitoring program last year for 18 priests. It includes monthly visits to the priests homes by a retired probation officer and a host of other restrictions for offending priests as part of the dioceses efforts to comply with the terms of the attorney generals lawsuit. After a handful of those priests declined to participate, Fisher cut or eliminated their pensions to force them into compliance. Two priests sued the diocese, claiming breach of contract, but a state Supreme Court judge dismissed the case in August. Diocese officials have publicly acknowledged that substantiated abuse allegations have been lodged against 80 diocese priests and 23 religious order priests who served in the diocese since 1950. Child Victims Act cases filed since 2019 have accused at least 175 different priests. With the Attorney Generals lawsuit now settled, Fisher said the diocese will be able to focus more fully on mediation in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding. Its certainly a turning point. Some were asking, 'Do you see this as a win or loss?' I dont look at it that way. I look at this as an opportunity for us to fine-tune our policies, to make them stronger so that as we move forward in the restructuring hopefully well get through that and well have the resources to move ahead with the mission and thats to proclaim the good news and to help the people were responsible for, he said. After two years of interrupted learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, less than half of New York's students are proficient in math and ELA, according to results released by New York State on Monday. The Erie County clerk's race may not be sexy, but it should matter to anyone who has ever gotten a driver's license, registered a car, turned in plates, applied for a gun permit or bought a house. This year's clerk's race may represent the biggest test incumbent Michael "Mickey" Kearns has faced in his seat for the office since first taking over the position in 2017. Some political gymnastics have led to Eden Town Supervisor Melissa Hartman, a Republican-turned-Democrat endorsed by the Democratic Party, challenging Kearns, a Democrat endorsed by the Republican Party. Both candidates argue that they are independent voices for the public who can work with local leaders on both sides of the aisle. And both say that, since entering the race, they expect to raise and spend between $200,000 and $250,000 to win a countywide seat that will pay $84,828 next year. Though Kearns is a lifelong registered Democrat, he has carried the Republican and Conservative party endorsements in his prior runs for election to the clerk's seat and taken some right-leaning positions. Meanwhile, Hartman had been a lifelong Republican and voted in Republican primaries until earlier this year, when she formally changed her party affiliation to Democrat. The two candidates have already faced each other in the Democratic primary. Hartman won handily with nearly two-thirds of the Democratic vote. Their records Kearns, 53, is hoping to gain votes by touting what he considers a strong record of accomplishment. He said he has worked with Democrats and Republicans as clerk and kept the clerk's office open during the Covid-19 shutdown. Unusual political dynamic at play in Democratic primary for Erie County clerk's race The Erie County Clerk's Office is at the center of an unusual political campaign that has resulted in labeling a lifelong Democrat as an "extreme Republican," and promoting a lifelong, voting Republican who just recently changed her party affiliation a few months ago as "the only choice for Democrats." He opened auto bureaus for limited curbside service during the shutdown and said he re-engineered the office to handle paper transactions, allow mail-in pistol permit transactions and off-site real estate paperwork processing. He also established a mobile "Clerk On the Go" program, an appointment system for motor vehicle transactions and aggressively campaigned against vacant and abandoned "zombie" properties. His office, which processes roughly 600,000 transactions a year, still managed a $5 million surplus in 2020, he said, a figure that has grown in subsequent years. More recently, he's started an email customer help desk and is developing a pistol permit tracking system for customers. He said he's always been an independent office holder who has worked with community leaders on both sides of the aisle and been beholden to no party bosses. "We dont answer the phone and say, Are you a Democrat or are you a Republican?" he said. "We say, How can I help you?" Hartman, meanwhile, said that as town supervisor for seven years, she's worn many hats, worked well with employees and developed a town master plan that addresses land use issues and would allow the town to modernize without losing its rural character as supervisor. As clerk, she said she would establish a gun buyback program, distribute free gun safety locks, and improve accessibility by opening a new county auto bureau on the East Side. She also wants to hire a senior coordinator to improve service delivery to homebound residents and senior centers. Hartman, 43, who has espoused a disdain for former President Donald Trump, said she's long held progressive values and points out that there is currently no woman holding any countywide elected office in Erie County. Similar to Kearns, she states she is beholden to no one, despite strong support from the Democratic Party. "I have been overseeing a town for seven years," she said. "Im a very independent voice, and I have run that town independently." Criticism As a challenger, Hartman has gone on the offensive in criticizing Kearns. She has criticized the current downtown auto bureau location, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the county Rath Building, as a frustrating place to find parking or easy public transportation access. She also criticized him for promoting an appointment-only system that limited auto bureau access and discouraged walk-ins. Eden supervisor wins primary against incumbent in Erie County clerk's race Endorsed Democrat Melissa Hartman, the supervisor for the Town of Eden, handily won the Democratic primary race for Erie County clerk against five-year incumbent Michael "Mickey" Kearns. The two will face off again in the general election. While Hartman has now secured the Democratic Party line, Kearns still carries both the Republican and Conservative party lines. In addition, she accused Kearns of wrongly using the clerk's seat to push a conservative agenda, referring to his campaign against the Green Light Law to resist legal efforts to provide driver's licenses to immigrants who are not living here legally. His legal challenges failed. He also worked, with some other local political support, to investigate potential cases where ineligible immigrants attempted to register to vote. More recently, she highlighted that Kearns has failed to participate in New York State Association of Clerks conferences and has more than a dozen union grievances from the white-collar Civil Service Employees Association Local 815 filed against his office on improper work practices, hostile work environment and other alleged infractions. The CSEA has endorsed Hartman over Kearns in this year's race. "We offer the most services in this office, as an elected official, than any other office in the county," she said. "And we need to make sure that those services are happening in the way that they're supposed to be happening. One way you could do that is ensuring that you have the right people who are offering those services and that they are happy in the job they are doing, and that's not happening right now." In response, Kearns said many of the grievances filed against him were engineered by individuals colluding to make him look bad and get him out of office. "These grievances, in some ways, have been politically manufactured, and I have proof of that," he said. Kearns also said he doesn't always need to spend money going to conferences because he regularly communicates with the Western New York delegation of clerks and reaches out to the state Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner directly if he has a problem. During the Democratic primary race, Hartman and local Democratic leaders pointed out that Kearns hired his cousin to serve as deputy clerk. Kearns said his cousin, a 16-year lawyer and former Buffalo Common Council chief of staff, was clearly qualified for the post. Kearns accused Hartman of highlighting campaign issues that have little to do with service delivery because she can't find fault with it. "She doesnt talk about the office because she doesnt know the office," he said. "She doesnt have the experience to do the job." As the political incumbent, Kearns enters his race well-funded and carries two major party lines on the ballot, Conservative and Republican. Hartman, meanwhile, said she's raised a lot of money in a short period of time and has the resources to fight Kearns for the seat. She carries the Democratic line and a minor Integrity Party line. Four teenagers were killed Monday when the stolen car they were riding in crashed at the entrance to the westbound Scajaquada Expressway from the westbound Kensington Expressway, according to Buffalo police. Five of the vehicle's six occupants were ejected through the glass roof of the vehicle, which hit a wall after traveling at what investigators believe was "excessive speed," Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said. The occupants of the vehicle were between 14 and 17. Three of the four deceased were pronounced dead at the scene. The fourth died at Erie County Medical Center. One of the occupants remains in the trauma intensive care unit at the hospital. A 16-year-old driver, the only occupant not to be ejected from the vehicle, was treated and released from ECMC, police said. Gramaglia confirmed that the wrecked vehicle is a Kia model car. According to various news accounts from around the country, thefts of certain models of Kia and Hyundai cars have spiked, inspired by a social media fueled trend called the "Kia Challenge" on TikTok. It challenges teenagers to steal these particular model cars because of a vulnerability in some models' ignition system. These are models that start with a key fob instead of a push button start. According to news reports, these models are targeted because they lack engine immobilizers, which are an electronic anti-theft device that prevents hot-wiring and allows a car's engine to be started only with the manufacturer-issued key, which is a standard anti-theft device in many other model vehicles. "There are numerous cities across the country that are looking at, looking into or have filed lawsuits against Kia because of the ease that they are able to steal these cars," said Gramaglia at a news conference Monday. "We began to see a sharp increase in the number of Kias locally that have been stolen. It started in other jurisdictions out west, working its way across major cities that have had this issue," he added. Authorities said they were still working to confirm the identity of one of the deceased and that the families of the dead were still being notified. The Buffalo teen was being held in police custody Monday afternoon, but had yet to be charged. A horrific crash Monday left four teens dead, another hospitalized and the driver facing criminal charges. A day later, Buffalo was learning about the young lives that were lost and the tragic consequences of a dangerous trend spread through the social media app TikTok. Four teens killed when stolen Kia crashes at Kensington and Scajaquada Four teenagers were killed Monday when the stolen car they were riding in crashed at the entrance to the westbound Scajaquada Expressway from the westbound Kensington Expressway, according to Buffalo police. The victims, identified by Buffalo police Tuesday, are Marcus Webster, 19; Swazine Swindle, 17; Kevin Payne, 16; and Ahjanae Harper, 14. Another 14-year-old girl was recovering at Erie County Medical Center. She was initially being treated in the trauma intensive care unit, but she has been upgraded to good condition. The 16-year-old who police say was behind the wheel of the stolen Kia was charged with a misdemeanor count of unauthorized use of a vehicle and a felony count of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. He was issued an appearance ticket and must appear in court on Nov. 15. The Erie County District Attorney's Office is looking to file additional charges. "You've got all these young people 14 to 19 who have their entire lives ahead of them and four lives are lost now. They're gone and now you have two other people directly affected, in addition to families and friends, who are forever impacted by this," Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said. Families and schools across Buffalo were grieving Tuesday. Buffalo Public Schools issued an emailed statement, offering condolences to "everyone impacted by this unfortunate and horrific tragedy." The driver has not been identified because of his age. Charter School for Applied Technologies posted a message on its website that one of the victims was a former student who attended the school "until very recently." "We have dispatched additional counselors and social workers to the building," the message said, noting that the death was not related to another death of a senior at the school earlier this month. A cousin of the youngest victim, Ahjanae Harper, started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help pay for funeral arrangements and to support Ahjanae's baby daughter. "Ahjanae did leave a piece of her down her on earth and that is her baby Tru. Tru has to go through life without her mother," the girl's cousin Victoria Hutchins wrote on the GoFundMe page. "She was full of life and had so much more life in her to live. If you had a chance to know Ahjanae then youre a blessed individual. Ahjanae was always happy kept a smile on her face. Ahjanae was such a sweetheart. Unfortunately she was took away from us unexpectedly in a horrible car accident." The cousin said that Ahjanae would have turned 15 on Nov. 1. Once the identities of the victims were confirmed Monday night, Gramaglia said, he spoke with Buffalo Schools Superintendent Tonja Williams "so that all these schools can do their best to bring in grief counselors for fellow students and faculty." The crash occurred at about 6:40 a.m. Monday on the westbound entrance of the Scajaquada Expressway from the inbound Kensington Expressway, a heavily traveled intersection in the heart of the city. The Kia Sportage, reported stolen about 8 p.m. Sunday from a location in Buffalo and traveling at an excessive speed, apparently hit a wall. Everyone but the driver was ejected through the sunroof, police said. Police said they are trying to determine who was involved in the theft of the car and where the youths traveled in the vehicle before the crash. "We're investigating the circumstances of how and when the car was stolen, as well as the movement of the car throughout the night. All of that is still under investigation. That includes video canvasses and license plate readers. We have the black box. It's being downloaded," Gramaglia said, referring to the device in the vehicle that would have recorded data at the time of the crash. Authorities across the nation have reported a rash of thefts of Kias. They say many young people are learning how to hot-wire the vehicles through videos posted to the social media app TikTok. Thefts of Kias in Buffalo could triple between 2021 and 2022 The four teens who died in a car crash Monday on the Kensington Expressway were driving in a stolen Kia Sportage. So far this year, with more than two months left in the year, 177 have been reported stolen. In 2021, 69 were reported stolen. Buffalo police have seen a dramatic increase in the number of Kias stolen locally. In all of 2020, 55 Kias were reported stolen to Buffalo police, according to data provided by the Buffalo Police Department. In 2021, there were 69. So far this year, 177 have been reported stolen. "Look at the numbers," Gramaglia said. "You can plainly see that this is a significant problem." Auto thefts skyrocketed across the nation during the pandemic. Earlier this year, Gramaglia said, Buffalo saw a notable decrease. "Come spring and summer, they have gone the opposite direction," he said. As of Oct. 7, 1,009 car thefts were reported to Buffalo police this year, compared to 1,045 during the same period in 2021, police records show. But during Sept. 10 to Oct. 7, the city saw 126 reports of stolen vehicles, compared to 66 during the same period in 2021. "Cars are being stolen for a couple of reasons," Gramaglia said. In some cases, they're being used to commit some other crime, such as a robbery or a shooting. But in many cases, it is young people taking them for a joy ride before they dump them somewhere, he said. Gramaglia, a frequent critic of some bail reform measures, pointed out that stealing a car, whether by a juvenile or an adult, is not considered a bail-qualifying offense. "So every time these kids get arrested, they have to be given an appearance ticket," he said. "There's no accountability. There's no consequences to driving around in a stolen car." Buffalo police have noticed an increase in the number of Kias being stolen lately. But Gramaglia said that in most cases, cars left running or with the keys inside are the ones getting stolen. "Those are still far and away why cars are being stolen and stolen so easily," he said. He urged vehicle owners to use common sense, to lock their cars and to not leave key fobs inside vehicles. For a while, the money poured in millions of dollars. The exorbitant reimbursements from insurers thousands of dollars for each tube of compound medical cream for scars, wounds or pain provided former Clarence resident Michael W. Luehrsen the trappings befitting an ultra-successful pharmaceutical rep. Waterfront condos in Miami and Buffalo. A Lamborghini. Some $862,000 in accounts with Charles Schwab & Co. But most of that money is out of reach for Luehrsen, who now says he can't afford to pay for a new round of legal defense costs, according to federal court filings. In 2020, the government seized most of his assets, taking between $4 million and $5 million worth, he estimated. And it also filed claims on three properties. In 2021, a grand jury indicted him on nearly two dozen counts of health care fraud, money laundering and evidence tampering. Left with $40,000 in a bank account, Luehrsen sold his ownership interest in a Chippewa Street nightclub and borrowed $400,000 from his parents to cover the $680,000 legal bill for his trial earlier this year. "Mr. Luehrsen scrambled together enough funds to hire counsel to defend him at trial. It paid off," according to a court filing by his attorneys. "After a five-week trial, Mr. Luehrsen was not convicted of a single count. The jury acquitted him of ten counts but hung on the rest. Now, Mr. Luehrsen must again defend his innocence at retrial. But he exhausted all available resources during the first trial. The only way to fund his ongoing criminal defense is to use the assets already seized by the government." Mistrial declared in case of pharma rep who marketed medical creams for average cost of $14K a tube Jurors found Michael W. Luehrsen not guilty of eight money laundering charges that dealt with concealing transactions, and they also acquitted him of two evidence tampering charges. Luehrsen has asked the court to release a portion of the seized assets to cover his upcoming legal costs. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office oppose his request, saying in court papers that "there is no constitutional right to use the proceeds of crime to finance an expensive defense." Prosecutors say Luehrsen orchestrated a pyramid operation in which he recruited others to look for patients with certain insurance coverages and doctors willing to sign prescriptions for custom medications, even if the patients didn't need them. In one case cited by prosecutors, non-narcotic creams for scars, wounds and pain sent to one family cost an insurance plan more than $2.8 million. From June 2014 through February 2017, Luehrsen received $3,345,924 in health care fraud proceeds, according to prosecutors. After jurors acquitted him of eight money laundering charges and two evidence tampering charges in March, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo declared a mistrial when they could not reach a verdict on the health care fraud charge and 11 money laundering charges. Facing the prospect of a second trial, Luehrsen said in court papers that he can't go back to his parents for money, explaining that his mother withdrew funds from her retirement account and his father obtained a home equity line of credit to help fund his legal defense during the first trial. His defense lawyers from a Tampa, Fla., firm portray Luehrsen's ability to pay his upcoming legal costs as bleak. He does not have a job. His sole bank account contains only $2.50. His only stream of income does not cover his monthly expenses. And he has no family or friends who can lend him money for his defense costs. "Because of the governments seizure of my assets, I am unable to obtain counsel of my choice," he said in a court filing. Lawyers want out The attorneys from his first trial Jason Mehta, A. Lee Bentley III and Giovanni P. Giarratana have asked to withdraw as Luehrsens counsel of record, citing irreconcilable differences, and Luehrsen does not oppose their withdrawal. So far, Vilardo has not allowed them to withdraw. At a hearing last week, Vilardo said he wants at least one of the current lawyers or a new lawyer prepared to represent Luehrsen going forward before he discharges any of the current lawyers. "I don't let lawyers out until there's a new lawyer in the mix," Vilardo said. "I want make sure Mr. Luehrsen has a lawyer at all times. The judge said he's not requiring a team of lawyers for Luehrsen but at least "one good lawyer as defense counsel." If the current lawyers can't agree among themselves who will continue to represent Luehrsen, all of them will remain in the case, he said. Luehrsen has a "clear desire" to gain access to the seized funds and mount a defense, Mehta told the judge. But if Luehrsen can't get any of the seized money by the end of this month, when Mehta will leave his current firm to joint a different one, Luehrsen would prefer to accept a plea to resolve the criminal case, Mehta told the judge. The judge said that concerns him, because he does not want financial pressure to induce a guilty plea. "That's not a good reason to take a plea," Vilardo said. "This is a momentous decision he has to make." Several options are at play for the current lawyers, said attorney Paul Cambria, who is not involved in the Luehrsen case but is experienced in federal court cases. "The judge can say, 'Tough beans, you guys are in. If you're not getting paid, that's your problem,' " Cambria said. "Or they can get on the assigned counsel list and the judge can let them get paid at those rates. Or, if they can find assets among those seized that are not traceable (to the alleged crime), he can release (those funds)." Skeptical prosecutors Luehrsen said he spends his days working on a startup but has yet to make a profit and doesn't receive a salary, so the only monthly income he receives is $4,500 from renting out his Miami condo, which is not enough to pay his expenses. He said he's delinquent on $65,000 in taxes and homeowner association fees for that property. His mother lives in the Buffalo condo and pays mortgage and fees there. He's $15,000 behind in fees for his other Miami condo, he said. Brazen fraud or playing by the rules? How a pharma rep made millions marketing medical cream for $27,000 a tube Federal prosecutors call it a conspiracy orchestrated by Michael W. Luehrsen, who they say generated more than $10 million in wrongful insurance reimbursements. Defendants argue Luehrsen didn't break any rules. For their part, prosecutors said the court should be "highly skeptical of Luehrsens claim to be destitute." The government recently learned that Luehrsen failed to disclose an interest he owned in Rec Room, the Chippewa Street nightclub, that prosecutors say Luehrsen sold in September 2021 for $420,000. "The affidavit Luehrsen submitted as part of his current (motion to get back seized funds) now acknowledges that he sold his interest in Rec Room in 2021, but he reports that he sold the interest for $150,000, rather than $420,000," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles M. Kruly and Grace M. Carducci said in a court filing. Luehrsens failure to identify an asset worth $420,000 in his first affidavit and to then claim it is worth $150,000 in his present affidavit shows that he is not forthcoming regarding his assets. Given that Luehrsen has made two materially false statements about his assets, the court should not simply defer to Luehrsens claim to be unable to afford an attorney." The prosecutors note the government did not seize all of Luehrsens assets. Luehrsen has a monthly income of $4,500 derived from rental income because the government agreed not to seek a seizure warrant for any rental income generated from any of the condos. In addition, Luehrsen owns a Range Rover and RT BMW, with a combined net value of $70,000. CCTV: The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded in Beijing on the morning of October 22. What is the Congresss significance for major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics? Wang Wenbin: The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was a Congress of holding high our banner, pooling our strength and forging ahead in unity. On the diplomatic front, the Congress held up the banner of promoting world peace and development and building a human community with a shared future. It has drawn a grand roadmap and charted the course for major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on a new journey. 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 humanitys common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom and join forces to meet all types of global challenges. The Congress agrees to include in the Party Constitution statements on holding dear humanitys shared values and advancing the building of an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity, etc. These revisions reaffirm the Partys commitment to promoting the building of a human community with a shared future, and leading the tide of human progress. In the past decade, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, particularly Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, we have pursued major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts, promoted the building of a human community with a shared future, firmly upheld international fairness and justice, advocated efforts to practice true multilateralism, unequivocally opposed hegemonism and power politics, and unswervingly rejected unilateralism, protectionism and bullying practice. We have advocated a new type of international relations, actively participated in the reform and development of the global governance system, and fully engaged in international cooperation in fighting COVID-19. All these efforts have won wide recognition from the international community and significantly increased Chinas international influence, ability to inspire, and power to shape. The 20th National Congress of the CPC will guide Chinas diplomacy in the new era in making great strides. All those in the foreign service will study and implement the spirit of the meeting and develop a deep understanding of the decisive significance of the establishment of Comrade Xi Jinpings 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, rally more closely around the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. We will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, in particular Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, to break new ground in conducting major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and make new contributions to building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. Bloomberg: US officials say they are still working to set up a meeting between President Joe Biden and General Secretary Xi Jinping. My question is, what is the possibility of a call or a meeting taking place between the two leaders? Wang Wenbin: I have no information to offer on your question at the moment. China Daily: During the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this year, leaders of many countries called on the West to lift illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe as soon as possible. Today, October 25, is the Anti-Sanctions Day declared by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). African countries have once again called for the removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe. Whats Chinas comment? Wang Wenbin: The 39th SADC Summit held in 2019 named October 25 as the Anti-Sanctions Day and called on the US and some other Western countries and organizations to remove illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe. Today, on the occasion of the fourth Anti-Sanctions Day, multiple African countries have called for justice. China supports their voice. The decades-old sanctions imposed by the US and some other Western countries seriously violate Zimbabwes sovereignty, undermine the Zimbabwean peoples right to development, and contravene the basic norm in international relations of not interfering in other countries internal affairs. This years UNGA General Debate saw leaders of even more countries and international organizations speak out openly, urging relevant countries to correct their erroneous actions. This made it clear what is the just stance with broad support in the international community. China firmly supports Zimbabwe in opposing external interference and pursuing a path of independent development. We reiterate our call for the US and certain countries and organizations to lift illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe soon and take concrete actions to remedy the humanitarian consequences these sanctions have caused, instead of staying on the wrong side against international fairness and justice. AFP: US Attorney General Merrick Garland said yesterday that China has repeatedly sent spies to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and also to undermine the judicial system there. Do you have any response to this criticism? Wang Wenbin: I do not know the details of the case. The Chinese side always asks overseas Chinese citizens to comply with the host countries laws and regulations. Some US law enforcement officials, driven by a Cold War zero-sum mentality and ideological bias, have repeatedly brought unfounded accusations against China under false pretexts. They have sought to suppress Chinese companies, openly provide shelter for Chinese fugitives, and obstruct and undermine Chinas efforts to repatriate fugitives and recover illegal proceeds. Actions like these are turning the US into a safe haven for corrupt individuals and lawbreakers and putting the US on the wrong side of justice and the rule of law. They undercut the foundation of China-US law enforcement cooperation and have dented the USs own image. We urge these officials to right the wrongs and halt the attacks on China. China will continue to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens. China News Service: On October 22, the Communist Party of China successfully concluded its 20th National Congress. We have noted that the international community has highly commended the 20th National Congress of the CPC, and leaders of many countries have extended congratulations to China. Could you share more with us? Wang Wenbin: Over the past few days, the 20th National Congress of the CPC has received world attention. Numerous heads of state and government and the leaders of political parties and important organizations have sent congratulatory messages and letters to extend warm congratulations on Comrade Xi Jinpings election as the General Secretary of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and to commend China for the successful conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the CPC. The 20th National Congress of the CPC has charted the course for Chinas future development and injected strong impetus into Chinas friendly cooperation with other countries in the world. We, together with the people in the world, are ready to advance humanitys common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, pursue world peace and development, strive to forge a human community with a shared future and jointly build a better future for the world. Shenzhen TV: The 132nd session of the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) concluded on October 24. As the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) is scheduled to open in early November, the world will see yet another round of Chinas efforts to boost opening up. Do you have any comment? Wang Wenbin: Ten years ago, right after the conclusion of the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping paid a visit to Guangdong province, where he unequivocally pronounced that China will never stop its endeavors to pursue reform and opening up. Ten years later, shortly after the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping said when members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee met the press that China will open its door ever wider. We will be steadfast in deepening reform and opening up across the board and in pursuing high-quality development. A prosperous China will create many more opportunities for the world. This strong commitment once again demonstrates to the world that Chinas resolve to pursue high-level opening up and share development opportunities with the world will remain unchanged. You mentioned the Canton Fair and the CIIE. These two international exhibitions are vivid examples of Chinas efforts to promote high-level opening up and build an open world economy. The Canton Fair, known as the epitome of Chinas opening to the outside world, has gone through 65 years. The number of exhibitors taking part in this years Fair rose by nearly 10,000 compared with last year. The CIIE is the worlds first import-themed national-level expo. The value of deals reached at the previous four expos exceeded $272.2 billion. The recruitment of companies for the upcoming 5th CIIE Business Exhibition has been fully conducted. The CIIE online Country Exhibition started its trial operation yesterday. It is believed that more foreign enterprises will take this opportunity to share the new opportunities presented by the Chinese market. For some time, however, economic globalization has faced headwinds and countercurrents. Some countries attempt to decouple with others, sever supply chains and build a small yard with high fences. However, the more challenges we face, the more important it is for us to follow the logic of historical progress and ride the tide of development of our times, so as to achieve development of higher quality in a more open environment. China will never be held back by headwinds or the current of undertows. We will never follow the old path of isolation and rigidity, and the world will never fall back into isolation and division. Just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development. China is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. We will continue to create new opportunities for the world with our new development, and work to build an open world economy so as to deliver greater benefits to people of all countries. Bloomberg: Does the foreign ministry have any comment on Rishi Sunak in the UK who is set to become the next Prime Minister of the UK and in particular his stance on China going forward? Wang Wenbin: We have noted relevant reports. Chinas position on developing its relations with the UK is consistent and clear. Cultivating and advancing sound bilateral ties is the shared responsibility of China and the UK. It serves the common interests of both our peoples. China hopes to advance ties with the UK along the right track on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit. CCTV: Fifty-one years ago today, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which recognized the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China, including the Taiwan region. For some time, some forces in the US have falsely claimed that UNGA Resolution 2758 doesnt decide Taiwans status in an attempt to help Taiwan expand the so-called international space. Do you have any comment? Wang Wenbin: On October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority, which decides to restore all its rights to the Peoples Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of the Taiwan authorities from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it. With the adoption of Resolution 2758, the dual representation proposal put forward by the US and some other few countries in order to retain Taiwans seat became a piece of waste paper. Once and for all, Resolution 2758 resolved, politically, legally and procedurally, the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the UN and international institutions. It has also made it clear that there can only be one seat representing China in the UN. The one-China principle has become a prevailing consensus of the international community and a widely-held basic norm of international relations, thus fully eliminating any room for anyone, any country or any force to create two Chinas or one China, one Taiwan. The Taiwan region has no basis, ground or right whatsoever to participate in the UN or any other international organizations that can only be joined by sovereign countries. Over the past 51 years, on the basis of abiding by the one-China principle, the number of countries having established diplomatic relations with China has risen from over 60 to 181. This fully shows that the one-China principle has the overwhelming support and recognition of the international community and represents the irreversible trend of the world. In recent years, some forces in the US have deliberately distorted UNGA Resolution 2758 and falsely claimed that the resolution does not decide Taiwans status, and called for Taiwans participation in the UN system. In doing so, they have attempted to fudge and hollow out the one-China principle and connive at and support the Taiwan independence separatist activities, which has seriously harmed peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Attempts like these to turn back the wheel of history will only meet the opposition of the international community and fail completely in front of the strong resolution, will and capability of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The history of the past half century shows that UNGA Resolution 2758 must not be challenged and the one-China principle is unshakable. The wheels of history are rolling on toward Chinas reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Complete reunification of our country can, without doubt, be realized! Reuters: The United States has charged two Chinese nationals with trying to obstruct the prosecution of a Chinese telecommunication company that a person familiar with the matter identified as Huawei. Can you comment on this? Wang Wenbin: I am not aware of what you mentioned. China is always opposed to the USs moves to overstretch the concept of national security and abuse state power to wantonly hobble Chinese enterprises. NHK: Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the Taiwan region, said in a speech today that Taiwan is facing increasing military threat and economic coercion from the mainland. Do you have any comment? Wang Wenbin: The DPP authorities have confounded black and white in an attempt to mislead the public. This once again exposes their separatist nature and real agenda of seeking independence. Let me stress that there is no other right way forward for Taiwan than to reunify with the mainland. Advancing the Taiwan independence separatist agenda will only spell failure for the DPP authorities. Student Services Online Tutoring Platform Centralizes Academic Support Services for Students A new institutional tutoring solution from online tutoring company Tutor.com enables colleges and universities to centralize 24/7 academic support services for students. The Learner Engagements Online platform, or LEO, is designed to help institutions manage a variety of tutoring services at scale and ensure students have equitable access to the support they need to succeed. With LEO, institutions can customize the services available for their students, the company explained in a news announcement. Options include: One-to-one tutoring; Drop-off writing and math review; Specialized subject tutoring; Small-group tutoring; One-to-many workshops; Virtual study groups; Academic advising; and Job and career help. Tutoring can be provided by Tutor.com's tutors, an institution's own tutors or faculty, or a combination of both. In addition, students can access a SkillsCenter library of self-guided resources, including test preparation materials, practice quizzes, video lessons, worksheets, and more. Students can access the LEO platform through the institution's learning management system with a single sign-on, and then connect with tutors through their preferred format text, voice, or video synchronously or asynchronously. "All of the customization in LEO makes it possible for institutions to provide individualized support for every learner," noted Joshua H. J. Park, CEO of Tutor.com/The Princeton Review, in a statement. "The results are transformative: equitable access, reduced attrition, and increased pass and persistence rates." LEO also provides centralized scheduling tools for staff members, early alerts to provide students with just-in-time support, as well as real-time data and downloadable reports. The company is currently developing a Teacher Dashboard that will provide an overview of students' support needs, enable instructors to refer students to tutoring, and create tutoring transcripts to inform instructors of the students' progress. For more information, visit the Tutor.com site. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@captimes.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. Allyson Wisniewski will be the next president of the Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, board chair Amy Forcier-Pabst recently announced. Wisniewskis leadership, broad knowledge of Chippewa Falls, strategic thinking and managerial experience make her a great candidate to take the Chamber to the next level, said Forcier-Pabst. We are excited to bring her on board to join a very accomplished and dynamic Chamber team. The mission of the Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is to improve the quality of life in the community by providing leadership to coordinate, support and promote the business interests of its members. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve our business community, and our city, in this capacity, said Wisniewski. Local businesses have continued to rise to the challenges a post-pandemic environment presents for our city, employees and communities. This is a pivotal moment to build a stronger business climate, promote economic growth and accelerate the regions economic competitiveness. Together, we can create a vibrant future for our region. Wisniewski is no stranger to the Chippewa Chamber. She served as Chippewa Falls Chamber tourism director for 10 years prior to her most recent employment at UW-Eau Claire. Allyson has a great familiarity with our organization and has shown a high level of involvement in our community, said Mike Jordan, Chamber president. Her roles in local government, community nonprofits boards and organizations will serve her and the Chamber well in the future. She holds a bachelors degree in marketing from UW-Eau Claire. Wisniewskis first day at the Chamber will be Nov. 28. OREGON Residents of the cul-de-sac near where a Dane County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed someone Sunday afternoon said Monday that they're trying to make sense of a sad situation. "Even though we're eager to understand, I don't look at this from a crime perspective," said Shelley Bauer. "I take a more humanitarian perspective, and I just think about the impact that this young man's life appeared to be disrupted in some way, maybe at an early age, I don't know. We'll never know his story." The shooting, which came two days after a house exploded just blocks away, has shaken residents, anxious to learn more from authorities about what happened or whether the incidents and an armed robbery that occurred on the same block as the explosion two days before that are in any way connected. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett took no questions about the shooting after making a brief statement Sunday, saying that the investigation was now in the hands of the state Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation. It's the second time a Dane County Sheriff's deputy has shot and killed a suspect in just over two weeks. In his statement Sunday, Barrett said the Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at about 11 a.m. that day about a weapons violation on Jefferson Street, and deputies and assisting agencies began searching for a person in the area. The suspect, who was alleged to have committed "several weapons violations" in recent days, was believed to be in the 5200 block of Highway CC, according to the DOJ. Officials set up a perimeter in the area, and the suspect ran, the DOJ said. A deputy made contact with the suspect at about 3:15 p.m. and shot the person, who died at the scene. Authorities have not released the name of the person killed, or that of the deputy. Those who live where the shooting happened described the person as a young man. Bauer said she was saddened about the loss of life and for the way the shooting will affect the deputy. "But we're resilient and we're a close-knit community," she said, noting that neighbors had a potluck gathering the night before the shooting. "I think to help ensure that we are still human beings that are connected to one another and we care about each other and we'll walk through this and move forward and just give some hope to the people who were more seriously impacted." Lori Benning, whose house is in front of where the shooting took place in the 200 block of Eagle Drive, said law enforcement stayed on the scene until about 10 p.m. "I think Dane County was very responsible in their process. They were very thoughtful about us as neighbors. They did the best job that they were equipped to do." "We were commenting that it's not like TV where it's over in an hour," she said. "They were here a long time." Law enforcement blocked off the entrance to the neighborhood at Eagle Drive with police tape and squad cars. Bauer said residents on the street were displaced and a little disrupted, and police made sure they were doing OK, too. Police haven't said if the shooting or the explosion and armed robbery, which both happened in the 800 block of Oregon Parks Avenue, are connected. Benning said she wasn't at home during the shooting, but was for the explosion, which she said shook the windows in her home. The explosion at 846 Oregon Parks Ave. Friday morning destroyed a duplex under construction and severely damaged a neighboring duplex. No one was injured in the blast and subsequent fire that displaced two families living in the duplex next door. Etron is Astonished by ViTrox's AOI Tremendous Capabilities and the Exceptional Support by SMTO Engineering Published: 25 October 2022 by Tyler Hanes by Tyler Hanes PENANG, MALAYSIA ViTrox is delighted to receive Etron's satisfaction testimonial who was astonished by the capabilities of V510i Advanced 3D Optical Inspection (AOI) Solution and the outstanding support from ViTroxs Sales Channel Partner (SCP) in Mexico, SMTo Engineering SA de CV. Etron is a world-renowned fabless IC design and product company that specialises in the production and research of buffer memory, logic chip designs, electronic applications, and system-on-chips. With strong business growth, Etron Technology expands its footprint in Mexico. 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It is proud to mention that Vitrox AOI is selected by the top 10 EMS companies in the world where they trust in ViTrox AOI Technology with our breakthrough AI technology that brings benefits to the customer. For more details about ViTroxs AOI products and services, please contact Ken Soon (chuan-sen.soon@vitrox.com) or visit www.vitrox.com. Impact, said Jim Pillen, Republican candidate for governor of Nebraska, is why he ran in the first place 21 months ago. "For me and my family, theres nothing other than to try to make an impact in the state of Nebraska," Pillen said. Pillen, a Columbus area native, farmer and doctor of veterinary science, has spent the last two years on the campaign trail for governor, planning to make good on that goal for Nebraska. "The reason's just really simple: give back, make a difference. Youve got one of two choices, you can complain about stuff or step up and try to make a difference," Pillen said. Since Pillen announced his candidacy, things have changed, he said. The COVID-19 pandemic and the flooding shortly before that in 2019 had long-lasting, somewhat unpredictable effects. "I would say that an evolution that has happened to us in that time frame is the consequences of federal policies of continuing to print money and losing energy security, energy independence, driving up extraordinary gas prices," Pillen said. With that, he added, he believes these policies and their consequences have motivated Nebraskans to stand behind his campaign and speak to their concerns. "I think that in the two years time frame, Nebraskans have been really excited about our campaign to have the courage to stand up and speak to the values that are so important to Nebraska," Pillen said. Since the beginning, Pillen said, he has focused on getting out into Nebraska, meeting Nebraskans and learning about the people he would represent as governor. This process, he said, has been different than he expected. "I thought meeting Nebraskans across the state would be a good experience, quite honestly its been 10 times better than I thought it could be," Pillen said. "I have been in awe of the innovation, the entrepreneurship, the risk taking of people across the state and the incredible opportunities for our kids across the state in the future just phenomenal." To protect those values and opportunities, Pillen said, he wants to make sure things continue to move forward smoothly. "To help that, we have to inspire, get homes built and the states got to step up and make sure that we have broadband access across the state quickly," Pillen said. "Weve got roads that need to be four-lane and we cant take 40 years to build four-lane roads, we have to get it done quickly so we can move Nebraska." In visiting with Nebraskans, he added, Pillen has learned about the varying concerns and wants of every part of the state. As such, he also intends to meet with all the legislators and understand their side of those concerns and wants, to help them more effectively serve their districts. "[The second priority is] recognizing that our job is to serve Nebraskans and meet their needs and create value for Nebraskans and that we work as hard as we can," Pillen said. "The governments job is to support and create value for Nebraskans, not the other way around." State Sen. Mike Moser of Columbus, who has known Pillen for years and shared mutual support with him in their political ambitions, said that he thinks this is part of an effort to encourage more conversation between the governor and legislature, instead of a top-down communication structure. "I'm sure he wants to establish a relationship with them so he can understand their positions on things and so he can explain how he looks at issues and he probably wants to have good communication," Moser said. "Maybe he wants more feedback on whats going on." His campaign strategy thus far, Pillen said, has been pretty straightforward. He wants to know who he will represent and he is willing to meet as many as he can to better understand what he will do. "Its not politics, its building relationships and earning people's support and trust, and flat working harder than anybody else," Pillen said. "Thats who we are, thats what we've done." That's not to say, however, that he doesn't have some basic operating tenets he stands by. Smaller government and the education and safety of children are two key points in his campaign, he said. "I believe in less governance, we have to have transforming tax solutions, we have to never give up on our kids," Pillen said. "Our school formula gives up on our kids. We need to make sure that parents are allowed to raise their children." One thing that has not changed, Pillen said, is that Nebraska is his home and that if elected, he will represent all of its people. "In the end, I love Nebraska, I love the people and the state of Nebraska and weve been incredibly blessed because of that," Pillen said. "Who I am is because of my family and all the other people Ive interacted with in Nebraska." LONDON (AP) Rishi Sunak became Britains third prime minister of the year on Tuesday and now must turn his attention to taming an economic crisis that has left the countrys finances in a precarious state and millions of Britons struggling to afford food and energy bills. Sunak, the U.K.s first leader of color, met at Buckingham Palace with King Charles III, who had just accepted the resignation of Liz Truss. In Britains constitutional monarchy, the monarch plays a ceremonial role in appointing government leaders. Keep scrolling for photos of Rishi Sunak's political career Sunak at 42 the youngest British leader in more than 200 years is expected to immediately begin appointing a Cabinet and getting to grips with an economy sliding toward recession. The third Conservative prime minister this year, he will also try to unite a governing party that is riven with divisions. Sunak was selected as leader of the governing Conservative Party on Monday as it tries to stabilize the economy, and its own plunging popularity, after the brief, disastrous term of Liz Truss. Truss departed after making a public statement outside 10 Downing St., seven weeks to the day after she was appointed prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II, who died two days later. Truss offered a defense of her low-tax economic vision and her brief term in office before being driven from the prime minister's official residence for the last time. I am more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the problems we face," she said. She stood by the free-market principles of lower taxes and delivering growth, despite the market mayhem triggered by her Sept. 23 budget package. Truss wished Sunak success as Britain continues "to battle through a storm. Full story here: MOUNT ATHOS, Greece A church bell sounds, the staccato thudding of mallet on plank summons monks to afternoon prayers, deep voices are raised in communal chant. And high in the great tower of Pantokrator Monastery, a metal library door swings open. There, deep inside the medieval fortified monastery in the Mount Athos monastic Orthodox Christian community, researchers are for the first time tapping a virtually unknown treasure thousands of Ottoman-era manuscripts that include the oldest of their kind in the world. The libraries of the self-governed community, established more than 1,000 years ago on northern Greeces Athos peninsula, are a repository of rare, centuries-old works in several languages including Greek, Russian and Romanian. Many have been extensively studied, but not the Ottoman Turkish documents, products of an occupying bureaucracy that ruled northern Greece from the late 14th century well before the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, fell to the Ottomans in 1453 until the early 20th when the area became Greek again. Byzantine scholar Jannis Niehoff-Panagiotidis says its impossible to understand Mount Athos economy and society under Ottoman rule without consulting these documents, which regulated the monks dealings with secular authorities. Ottoman was the official language of state, he told The Associated Press from the library of the Pantokrator Monastery, one of 20 on the heavily wooded peninsula. Niehoff-Panagiotidis, a professor at the Free University of Berlin, said the oldest of the roughly 25,000 Ottoman works found in the monastic libraries dates to 1374, or 1371. Thats older than any known in the world, he said, adding that in Istanbul, as the Ottomans renamed Constantinople when they made the city their own capital, the oldest archives only go back to the late 15th century. The first documents that shed light (on the first period of Ottoman history) are saved here, on Mount Athos, he said, seated at a table piled with documents and books. Others, the more rare ones, are stored in large wooden drawers. These include highly ornate Sultans firmans or decrees deeds of ownership and court decisions. The overwhelming majority are legal documents, said Anastasios Nikopoulos, a jurist and scientific collaborator of the Free University of Berlin whos been working with Niehoff-Panagiotidis on the project for the past few months. And the manuscripts tell a story at odds with the traditional understanding in Greece of Ottoman depredations in the newly-conquered areas, through the confiscation of the Mount Athos monasteries rich real estate holdings. Instead, the new rulers took the community under their wing, preserved its autonomy and protected it from external interference. The Sultans firmans we saw in the tower ... and the Ottoman states court decisions show that the monks small democracy was able to gain the respect of all conquering powers, Nikopoulos said. And that is because Mount Athos was seen as a cradle of peace, culture ... where peoples and civilizations coexisted peacefully. Nikopoulos said that one of the first actions of Murad II, the Ottoman ruler who conquered Thessaloniki the closest city to Mount Athos was to draw up a legal document in 1430 protecting the community. That says a lot. The Ottoman sultan himself ensured that the administrative system of Mount Athos was preserved and safeguarded, he said. Even before that, Niehoff-Panagiotidis added, a sultan issued a mandate laying down strict punishment for intruders after a band of marauding soldiers engaged in minor thieving from one of the monasteries. Its strange that the sultans kept Mount Athos, the last remnant of Byzantium, semi-independent and didnt touch it, he said. They didnt even keep troops here. At the very most they would have a local representative who probably stayed at (the communitys administrative center, Karyes) and sipped tea. Another unexpected revelation, Niehoff-Panagiotidis said, was that for roughly the first two centuries of Ottoman rule no effort was made to impose Islamic law on Mount Athos or nearby parts of northern Greece. Mount Athos was something like a continuation of Byzantium, he said. The community was first granted self-governance through a decree by Byzantine Emperor Basil II, in 883 AD. Throughout its history, women have been forbidden from entering, a ban that still stands. This rule is called avaton and the researchers believe that it concerns every form of external administrative or secular intervention that could affect Mount Athos. Father Theophilos, a Pantokrator monk who is helping with the research, said the documents show the far-flung influence of Mount Athos. Their study also illuminates examples of how people can live with each other, principles that are common to all humanity, the seeds of human rights and respect for them, democracy and the principles of social coexistence, he told The Associated Press. The research project is expected to continue for several months, even years. What could emerge in the long term Ill be able to say when we have catalogued and digitized all the documents, Niehoff-Panagiotidis said. Right now, nobody knows whats hidden here. Perhaps, even older documents. With Election Day now in the not-so-distant future, political signs dot front yards and intersections and campaign ads run back to back across television screens and social media feeds. In the midst of this, Bethel AME Church in Carlisle is hosting an event about loving ones neighbor amid political division. The event, titled Engaged, Not Enraged, will take place exclusively on Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday. It will address how Christians can remain engaged in the world of politics without becoming enraged by it. Jerald Crummy, Bethel AME Carlisles pastor, will moderate a discussion that will feature speakers Louis Malcolm Maurice Werdebach and Matthew Best, both of whom are Christians with experience in Washington, D.C. Werdebach, who previously worked with the Department of Defense, retired in his hometown of Carlisle and currently attends Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. Best spent time as a legislative correspondent at the U.S. House of Representatives and lobbyist on the hill before becoming the pastor of St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Kingstown. The Sentinel spoke with Crummy who explained why discussions like this are important, how the speakers were selected and about Bethel AMEs plans. Q1: What is the purpose of an event like this? A: The purpose is to help people exercise political conviction, hopefully aligned with Christian beliefs, without experiencing feelings of anger or fear that are harmful to Christian growth. Q2: Why is this topic important and relevant in todays society? A: During election season, we are bombarded with messages designed to make us think in terms of us against them. Unless we watch ourselves, we start demonizing groups, which leads to dehumanizing people. This is in direct contradiction of the Imago Dei that we are all made in Gods image and of Gods commandment to love our neighbor. Q3: How did Bethel AME choose the two speakers for this event? A: Louis Werdebach and Pastor Matt Best are community leaders, passionate about justice, politically savvy and experienced. Yet you never hear an insulting word or a demeaning expression coming from them. They are both engaged, not enraged, and they happen to live just a few blocks from each other in Carlisle. Q4: Who can tune in to this event? A: In short, it is for everyone feeling conflicted when longtime neighbors plant the wrong political sign in their lawn. If that sign causes you to reconsider your impression of a neighbor you smile to every day, somethings wrong. This presentation will help you gain perspective and peace. Q5: Is this sort of event (or a variation of it) something Bethel AME Carlisle hopes to continue to host in the future? A: The Black church in general has been involved in the national political discourse for more than 200 years. It was involved during the abolition movement, and it was involved during the protests in 2020. Bethel Carlisle will continue its small part, never compromising about justice, yet remaining above the partisan fray. By Mr. Li Xiaoyong, Charge d'affaires ad interim Last week, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was was successfully concluded and a new central leadership body was elected on October 23. This is an important congress held at a critical moment when China, the world's most populous and largest developing country, is embarking on a new journey to build a comprehensive socialist modern country, and will also have a positive impact on the world against the background of the current international situation full of instability and uncertainty and the serious challenges to global peace and development. The congress summarized China's past achievements. In the past decade, China has experienced three major events: first, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, second, socialism with Chinese characteristics entering a new era, and third, the completion of the historical task of eradicating poverty, and achieving itsfirst centenary goal -- building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.With the implementation of the new development concept,nearly 100 million rural poor people have been lifted out of poverty. China's economy now accounts for 18.5% of the world economy, ranking second in the world. The scale of manufacturing industry and foreign exchange reserves rank first in the world. The "Belt and Road Initiative" has become a popular international public product and platform for international cooperation. China has become a major trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions, ranking first in total trade in goods, attracting the highest foreign investment and outward investment in the world. China's development has made a positive contribution to world peace and development. The congress clarified China's future tasks. China will adhere to the leadership of the CPC, promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese modernization in a comprehensive manner, build a strong socialist modern country and achieve the second centenary goal--to build the country into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful in the middle of this century. The Chinese 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. It creates a new form of human civilization, expands the way for developing countries to modernize, and provides a brand-new choice for other countries that wish to accelerate development while maintaining their independence. The congress pointed out the way forward. China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism. China stands firmly against all forms of hegemonism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, interference in other countries' internal affairs, and double standards.China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. It has always decided its position and policy on issues based on their own merits, and it has strived to uphold the basic norms governing international relations and safeguard international fairness and justice. China will adhere to the policy of opening up, firmly pursue an open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win situation, and continuously provide new opportunities for the world. China has put forward Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, calling for the promotion of the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind, and is willing to join hands with all countries in the world to create a better future for mankind. The congress has injected confidence and momentum into the world. The fact that President Xi Jinping continues to serve as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee reflects the collective will of the world's largest ruling party with more than 96 million members and 1.4 billion Chinese people, and provides a solid guarantee for the huge ship of China to cut through the waves and make steady progress. As the largest developing country, the continuity, stability and sustainability of China's domestic and foreign policies are a boon to the world. A responsible, honest, caring and responsible China will surely inject strong stability and positive energy into the chaotic world. China is the largest developing country and Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. The 20th CPC National Congress gives an opportunity for China and Africa to further strengthen cooperation and solidarity. Enhanced cooperation between China and Africa will give more voice for developing countries in the international arena and inject more stability into the world and more positive energy into regional peace and development. China will continue to work with Africa, Sierra Leone in particular, to grasp the opportunity and build an even stronger China-Africa Community of Shared Future. NORTHAMPTON A soldier killed during the Korean War has been laid to rest in his hometown in eastern Pennsylvania, while a second Korean War soldier also recently identified will be buried next month in another part of the state. Edward Reiter dropped out of Northampton Area High School during his junior year and with his fathers reluctant permission enlisted in the Army, The (Allentown) Morning Call reported. Eight months later, still just 17, he disappeared on a battlefield in July 1950 in the first weeks of the Korean War. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced in August that unidentified remains from the war buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu were disinterred in 2019 and identified as his through analysis of dental, anthropological, mitochondrial DNA and other evidence. Hes never been forgotten, the Rev. Patrick Lamb said during a eulogy Saturday at Queenship of Mary Catholic Church before Reiter was buried with military honors at Our Lady of Hungary Cemetery in Northampton, where his parents are interred. About 20 family members attended the service, including Reiters sister, Rose Prickler, who held a memorial Mass for him at the church every year, the Morning Call reported. She was presented with her brothers Purple Heart by a National Guard support specialist. 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. Another sister, Helen Templeton, was unable to attend and the rest of his siblings have died. Also accounted for in August was U.S. Army Cpl. David N. Defibaugh, 18, of Duncansville, who went missing in action in July 1950, but the announcement was made only last week after his family received a full briefing on his identification. Defibaugh will be buried Nov. 4 in Altoona, authorities said. Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalts (R) campaign is rolling out a new ad aimed at the Latino community as part of his final two-week sprint to the finish line to unseat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.). Laxalts camp unveiled a new ad, shared first with The Hill, as part of its multimillion-dollar TV buy that features the GOP nominee speaking Spanish and discussing President Biden and Democrats perceived missteps in handling the economy and issues related to crime. Rising crime. Rising prices for groceries and gas. The progressive agenda of Joe Biden and Catherine Masto are bankrupting businesses, making it harder for families to make ends meet, the narrator says to open the ad, titled Fight For You. I will fight their progressive agenda. I fought for you as attorney general. Ill fight for you in Washington, Laxalt says in Spanish, who is not fluent, adding that he approves the ad because you deserve a safer, affordable Nevada with better schools. The 30-second spot will begin to air statewide on Tuesday. Laxalts latest ad comes amid a tug-of-war between the two candidates for the key bloc of voters. In 2020, Latino voters made up 20 percent of the states electorate, the sixth largest share nationwide. In addition, Latinos comprised 8 percent of the GOP vote in 2020, an uptick from 6 percent in 2016. The battle between Laxalt and Cortez Masto, the lone Latina senator, is also likely to help determine which party will take home the Senate majority. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls, Laxalt leads by less than a single percentage point. The ad battle also comes at a key time as mail-in ballots reached voters in Clark County (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno and Carson City) last week and early voting started on Saturday. The early voting stretch runs for two weeks and ends on Nov. 4. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. There is no longer any affection between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis (Getty Images) You really have to feel rather bad for Donald Trump. Especially if he tuned in his television set to Fox News. It was not so long ago that the likes of Ron DeSantis were narrowly squeaking to victory, and seeking his endorsement as they sought to find their way in a political landscape he had created, and a Republican Party he gripped with the hands of an obsessive body builder. In the summer of 2018, DeSantis released an obsequious campaign advert showing him and his children pretending to build a wall along the southern border, a paean to the silly racist nonsense demanded by Trump in exchange for his support against Democrat Andrew Gillum. He beat the Democrat by just 30,000 votes. How quickly that has changed. The Yale-educated DeSantis, now the incumbent, has a lead of more than 10 points over Democrat Charlie Crist. And as the 44-year-old DeSantis looks set to secure re-election and use it to very possibly as a platform to make a presidential run in 2024; he has an approval rating of 53 per cent, more than Trump ever had when he was president. There are other advantages that the one-time congressman has over the now 76-year-old Trump, hunkered down in Mar-a-Lago amid a sea of worries. One obviously, is that he has youth on his side. He has also not been twice impeached, has not been subpoenaed by the committee investigating the Jan 6 attacks, is not the focus of a probe by financial investigators in New York, and has not had his home raided by the FBI which transported boxes of apparently classified documents. Finally, neither is he the most divisive and controversial ex-president of history. Such a shift in relative positions from wannabe novice to a man with momentum on his side, someone with the single-mindedness to fly undocumented migrants to Democratic neighbourhoods in a cruel but effective stunt, was utterly underscored by Mondays governors debate. Story continues The event, the sole showdown between DeSantis and Crist, had been delayed because of Hurricane Ian. The two sides went into the debate with the Republican holding a 10-point advantage over the perma-tanned Crist, 66, a Florida political journeyman who previously served as governor of the sunshine state, albeit as a Republican. It was not that Crist did not have some good lines in the frequently ill-tempered debate held in Fort Pierce. Florida is the most expensive state in the country to live more than California, more than New York. And why is that the case? Because youve taken your eye off the ball, he said. Utility rates in the state of Florida, since youve been governor have gone up and up and. When I was governor, they went down. Yet each time, the Republican punched back defending his record on responding to Hurricane Ian, on reopening the Florida economy sooner that many other states during the pandemic, and blaming Joe Biden and the Democrats for the state of the economy nationally. During the storm, he was hanging out in Puerto Rico. He wasnt helping. And then when he got back, what did he do? His campaign was soliciting campaign contributions from storm victims. That is unacceptable and thats what a leader would do in a time of despair, he said of Crist. Crist asked DeSantis whether he would commit to serving a full second term as governor if he were elected, an attempt to underscore his likely ambitions for the Oval Office. Thats not a tough question, he said. DeSantis snapped back with a line he had clearly been working on. I know that Charlies interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but I just want to make things very, very clear the only worn-out old donkey Im looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist. Event was sole debate in race for Florida governor (WFLA) Do debates ever change the polls? Sometimes undecided voters can be helped to make a decision if they know little about the candidates, or the issues. Crist punched back, for instance, when DeSantis claimed he wanted to have no limits on abortion. I want to make sure we keep a womans right to choose available to the women of the State of Florida, he said. And I want to make sure that we dont have a governor in the future who wouldnt even allow exceptions for rape or incest. But Florida is one of the most politically polarized states in the country, one that has shifted in the past two decades for a purple battlefield where Democrats used to think they had a chance. It has become increasingly conservative. In 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton 49-48. Yet in 2020, a year that same a record turn out nationally and Democrats secure the White House, Trump expanded his lead in Florida, beating Joe Biden 51-48. All of which means that many or most of those tuning in to watch Mondays debate will already have made up their mind as to how theyre voting. Because of that, it may not do much much to move the polls ahead of election day on November 8. What it did do, however, is show that Ron DeSantis is slick enough, smart enough and mean enough to inherit the mantle of Maga champion. That ought to worry Democrats thinking about 2024. It will most certainly concern Donald Trump. 28 2022 : 1520 , , . 1814 . 1821 . 1895 . 6 , 55 , 7 . 1910 , 307 362 . 1964 Mariner 4, In many cases, breast cancer symptoms often include a lump that develops in the breast, which is either found through monthly self-exam, a physician exam, or an annual mammogram. However, approximately one in six women with breast cancer present with symptoms other than a breast lump, such as nipple abnormalities, unusual breast pain, back pain, and unexplained weight loss. For some women with non-lump breast symptoms, they dont recognize that these could be signs of breast cancer, said Atif Shafqat, MD, an oncologist at Missouri Baptist Cancer Center and Parkland Health Center. And unfortunately, they often delay seeking medical attention, which then gives the cancer time to spread. For Stacy Scurlock, 40, of Farmington, she never suspected that she had breast cancer. She had none of the typical symptoms, such as a noticeable breast lump. And being 39 years old at the time, she hadnt even undergone her first mammogram. In hindsight, the one thing Scurlock recalls that was a bit unusual was an inverted nipple in her left breast. It never dawned on me that an inverted nipple might be a sign of breast cancer, said Scurlock. The only medical issues I had been dealing with was parathyroid disease and fatty liver, which I was managing. Then, in April 2022, Scurlock had a routine appointment with her primary doctor, who wanted to do some bloodwork to check her calcium levels. Those results came back showing elevated liver enzymes, so an ultrasound was ordered, which also indicated some abnormalities. Scurlock was referred to Rafael Figueroa, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon at Parkland Health Center, for a CT scan, which showed lesions all over her liver. Dr. Figueroa had to deliver the difficult news: Scurlock had cancer, which could be seen in her liver. I was absolutely stunned and I shut down immediately, said Scurlock. I dont think I heard anything he said after he uttered the word cancer. I just couldnt wrap my head around it. After all, I was young and had no symptoms. Dr. Figueroa then recommended that Scurlock undergo a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and mammogram. I suspected that Stacys liver cancer originated elsewhere either in the colon, gastrointestinal tract, or breast before it ultimately metastasized, or spread, to the liver, said Dr. Figueroa. Most patients dont just present with cancer in their liver that way, so we needed to do additional diagnostic testing to pinpoint where it started. Scurlocks colonoscopy and endoscopy came back clean; however, her mammogram indicated some abnormalities. A diagnostic mammogram at Parkland Health Center followed by a breast biopsy confirmed Dr. Figueroas suspicion. Scurlock had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma). Scurlock then met with Paul Yazdi, MD, a breast surgeon at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, and Dr. Shafqat at Parkland Health Center, to discuss her breast cancer treatment plan. Stacy has a special subtype of breast cancer, which can be very responsive and can have durable benefits to therapy, said Dr. Shafqat. The molecular details of the cancer are very important these days and determine how we manage the disease from both prognosis and treatment perspectives. Indeed, Stacy had an exceptional response to treatment within weeks of starting her treatment regimen. Scurlocks medical team wasted no time starting her treatment plan. On May 31, 2022, she had a port placed, so she could start chemotherapy combined with targeted biological treatments the following day with her first infusion at Parklands Cancer Center. Scurlock chose to undergo her cancer treatment at Parkland Health Center since its close to her home. She also appreciates the close-knit environment amongst the staff and patients, and how Dr. Shafqat and the nurses treat her with so much compassion. I love all of my nurses, especially Pam, Mendy, Haley, and Robin, who take such good care of me, said Scurlock. You can tell they genuinely care and love their jobs. They have hearts of gold. Its a wonderful thing that there are nurses like them who want to do this job, because its got to be hard to take care of people like me who are so sick. Scurlocks nurses adore her just as much and look forward to seeing her every three weeks for her chemo infusion sessions. Stacy is an exceptional person who exudes positivity from the moment she walks through our doors, said Haley Wulfers, RN, BSN, one of Scurlocks nurses at Parklands Cancer Center. Despite having a cancer diagnosis and some unfortunate side effects from chemotherapy, she always has a smile on her face and an upbeat attitude. We hate the reason why Stacy comes to see us, but weve really enjoyed getting to know her. Initially, Scurlock battled some unpleasant side effects from her chemo treatments, including hair loss, mouth sores, chemo nails, breakouts, dehydration, muscle aches, and fatigue. Fortunately, with some adjustments of her chemotherapy and the addition of supportive care, she is better managing these side effects. Of course, its been a battle mentally as well. Its hard, and I do have mental breakdowns from time to time, said Scurlock. Ive told several people that if it werent for my daughters, I dont know if I could do it. But Ive made it this far, and Im so close to my last chemo session before starting my maintenance therapy. For now, Im focused on ringing that bell with my daughters. Scurlocks final infusion is scheduled for later this fall, pending the results of her next scan. Thats when she gets to ring the bell, signaling the end of her chemotherapy cancer treatment and the beginning of her maintenance therapy. Shes counting down the days. In the meantime, shes also reflecting on some of the blessings shes encountered on this unexpected and challenging breast cancer journey. Im truly blessed. My daughters and my medical team have been amazing, said Scurlock. I work for our local Dominos Pizza, and my bosses have been incredible, keeping me on payroll even though I cant work right now. Both of my bosses check on me constantly and lift me up whenever I get down. Ill be forever grateful for all the ways big and little theyve cared for me. To schedule your mammogram at Parkland Health Center, please call 573-760-8460. An Albemarle County man has been charged with intimidation for placing a noose on the statue of Homer at the University of Virginia in September. Shane Dennis, no age given, appeared for a bond hearing Tuesday morning in Albemarle County District Court on charges of displaying a noose for public intimidation. The charge, considered a hate crime, is a Class 6 felony. He was also charged with contempt of court for misbehaving in the courtroom by refusing to communicate with court officials, according to the district court records. His bond hearing was continued and he currently is in custody at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail. University Police also served Dennis with a no trespassing order that prohibits him from being on UVa property. Dennis was arrested on Monday, according to University of Virginia Police and court records. On Sept. 7, a noose was found draped across the Homer statue that stands at Old Cabell Hall end of the Lawn. Video from nearby university buildings showed a white man in a dark sweatshirt or jacket leaving the area early in the morning. Virginia law makes displaying or leaving a noose on someones private property as a form of intimidation a felony. The law also makes it a felony to display a noose on a highway or other public place with the intent to intimidate others. Its the latter part of the law with which Dennis is charged. After this incident on the Lawn was first reported, University Police opened an investigation immediately, working with our local partners and the FBI to identify a suspect and bring charges, said Tim Longo, university police chief and assistant vice president for safety and security. We are grateful to so many people who assisted with this investigation, including members of the community who contacted police and offered helpful information in this case. University police also believe Dennis was the person who left other items near Homers statue on Oct. 22, including a mask, a cross and a flag. Police said Dennis has no prior known relationship with the university. A Class 6 felony is the lowest category of felony and is one step up from a misdemeanor. It carries a sentence that can range between one and five years and a fine up to $2,500, or both. However, state law allows a judge or jury discretion to provide a sentence of not more than 12 months or $2,500 fine, or both. Dennis is slated for a Dec. 8 preliminary hearing, court records show. Hyatt Lytle sees the Corvallis City Council as a platform not just for local issues, but larger concerns as well. Elected in 2016, Lytle represents Ward 3 and serves as council president. Born and raised in Corvallis, she works as a support specialist with CASA-Voices for Children, a court advocate provider. Having your local government as a forum, with everything thats going on federally, is huge, Lytle said. Valuing community feedback, Lytle believes by addressing bigger topics at the local level, the door is opened for further engagement with constituents. As a person of half-Algerian descent, she said she naturally gravitates toward matters involving diversity, equity and inclusion, noting her involvement with the citys bias response initiative. She recalled being targeted because of her heritage after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In the summer of 2016, Lytle was struck by the number of law enforcement-involved shootings. She recalls what seemed like daily reports of either racially-charged shootings or ambushes on police. Feeling deeply affected, she took a hard look at how the controversy was being perceived among the people of Corvallis. 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. Silence. There was nothing happening, Lytle said. No protests at the courthouse, nothing. That really bothered me. As timing would have it, the city was running information sessions for City Council elections that year. Eager to help Corvallis engage on big issues and find its voice, Lytle and friend Nancy Wyse committed together to run for council seats. Wyse went on to become a Benton County commissioner. I felt like this community cant be silent on such things, she said. Other topics on Lytles radar include improved access to social services, community policing, housing and homelessness. Shes been vocal about the impact of homelessness on Ward 3, which covers South Corvallis, calling out what she sees as inequities in how homeless campers are overlooked there versus elsewhere in the city. Lytle faces a political newcomer, Alec Turner, a Linn-Benton Community College student. Turner is a horticulture research assistant at Oregon State University and also manages and drives for Dominos Pizza. The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has issued new licences that will enable the market entry of a third mobile operator and a new satellite broadband provider. We reported in August that Malcel was set to receive its operating licence, and this has now been made official. The company has pledged to launch services on 1st October 2023, with founder and CEO Bonface Ndawala revealing plans to deploy 1300 sites across both rural and urban regions to establish the operator as a rival to current players Airtel Malawi and TNM. Ndwala pledged to invest over US$280 million into its operations across the next five years, noting we have seen among other things that data prices are high. We should be able to bring in innovations that are going to reduce the prices. Malcel has also registered a mobile money firm MCASH, indicating its plans for this sector. Minister of Information and Digitalisation Gospel Kazako said that a third operator would strengthen competition and thereby boost quality of service as well as making prices more competitive, saying: We need to bear in mind that the essence of our operations is not just to satisfy ourselves but to meet the needs of our customers by providing high-quality and affordable services. The ICT industry still needs more players in order to contribute effectively to the development of the country. According to ITWeb Africa, Malcel is 30% owned by Malawian firm Bedrock Holdings and 60% owned by Denmarks Efario Communications Limited. The remaining 10% of shares will be made available to local and overseas shareholders. MACRA has also issued a licence to SpaceXs satellite internet subsidiary Starlink, which will now be able to offer high speed, low latency satellite broadband services in the market. The firm applied for a licence in February 2022 and has been issued with a Network Facilities licence, a Network Services concession and an Application Services licence. A new app called PostalPay will, it is claimed, slash the cost of sending money from parts of Europe to Uganda. The UNs International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Inpay, a cross-border payments company, and its subsidiary company Eurogiro, a global postal cross-border payments network, have joined forces to make the cost of sending money through mobile channels from Europe to Uganda four times cheaper. Created by Inpay and Eurogiro in collaboration with PostBank Uganda and Posta Uganda, the new PostalPay app will enable people located in the EU to send remittances to Uganda in a cheaper, but also faster and safer way from their mobile phones. Use of the new app will also generate significant savings for migrant workers and their families in rural areas and help them to access additional finance. Money can either be instantly transferred to a PostBank bank account or received as a cash pick-up in multiple Posta Uganda and PostBank Uganda locations. By using our cross-border payment technology, we are cutting the total costs of remittances to 2.5 per cent, says Thomas Jul, CEO of Inpay and Eurogiro. An IFAD 369,000 grant (US$367,457) will support the launch of PostalPay in Sweden and the Netherlands, two European countries with an established Ugandan diaspora. The IFAD contribution is part of the PRIME Africa Programme, co-financed by the European Union with additional support from the Government of Luxembourg. Inpay and Eurogiro are jointly contributing 172,000 (US$ 171,280) to co-finance this venture over the next 18 months. In 2021, remittance flows to Uganda (some US$1.08 billion) represented almost 3 per cent of national GDP. This partnership builds upon a previous IFAD grant to Postbank Uganda and Posta Uganda between 2017 and 2020. IFAD support helped extend financial services, including remittances, to rural and refugee communities, supported the refurbishment of 30 post offices, opened new mobile branches, and procured mobile cash management vans in rural areas. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan and Turkiye have discussed expanding opportunities for cooperation between the two countries businessmen, Azernews reports. The discussion occurred at a meeting between Azerbaijans Small and Medium Business Development Agency Board Chairman Orkhan Mammadov and Istanbul Federation of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Associations (ISIFED) President Muammar Omaroglu. During the visit, the parties also exchanged views on the implementation of joint initiatives of both agencies in the area of expanding cooperation. The delegation, headed by the association president and Istanbul businessmen, who are members of this association, arrived on a visit to Azerbaijan. During the visit, the delegation also visited the Small and Medium Business Development Agency. Azerbaijan and Turkiye collaborate in a variety of economic sectors and have completed major energy and infrastructure projects, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, and TANAP. In 2021, Azerbaijan and Turkiye signed the Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations, which focuses on defense cooperation, promoting regional stability, and prosperity through establishing new transport routes. The two countries set up a goal of bringing the mutual trade turnover to $15 billion in 2023. As of 2021, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $4.6 billion. So far, Turkiye is Azerbaijans second-largest investor followed by the UK. Additionally, Turkiye was one of the first countries keen on involvement in the restoration of Azerbaijans liberated territories. Members of Alabamas Work Force and Wage Gap Task Force created a list of legislative priorities during their third meeting Monday, including fair practices surrounding wages and hiring, access to quality childcare and education and training to prepare girls for jobs in various fields. The task force will now begin drafting recommendations for lawmakers. In December, the group will put together a report with research and findings from meetings, along with a final version of their recommendations. During the first half of the meeting, task force members brainstormed what issues needed to be addressed based on presentations at previous meetings. In the second half, task force members and attendees voted together via an online poll to decide on priorities that members will tackle before the groups November meeting. The group broke into three subcommittees: Wages, education and childcare. The wages subcommittee will tackle issues surrounding compensation, including whether Alabama should take away the ability to ask about salary history on job applications. Prioritizing banning salary history questions received the most support from attendees. Jenna Bedsole, who is chairing the wages subcommittee, suggested Alabama should follow in other states footsteps by removing the question altogether. Alabamas current statute protects employees from retaliation if they choose not to share their prior salaries rather than preventing employers from asking in the first place. The majority of states put the onus is on the employer not to ask, rather than the employee not to tell, Bedsole said, before recommending adding similar language to the Clarke-Figures Equal Pay Act. While we want to protect from retaliation, the onus would be on the employer not to even put it on the application. The second-most supported priority among attendees was childcare tax incentives, along with support for childcare infrastructure in the state. Kendra Key, who is chairing the childcare subcommittee, referred to a loan program in effect in Maryland that provides no-interest loans for certain expenses to state-licensed childcare providers, adding that a similar effort could be beneficial to Alabamas childcare infrastructure. Key also added that promoting tax incentives for employers could create a fund to offset wages for childcare workers, allowing the low wages in the profession to rise. Im gravely concerned about the wages of childcare professionals, Key said. There is a way for employers to really step into their role of helping this ecosystem by contributing and getting some type of credit for it. I think it could help us recruit higher quality or just high quality in general employees to childcare centers, and also incentivize the creation of new chapter centers and encourage new people to enter the profession, which we definitely need. The education subcommittee, chaired by Amanda Foster, will focus on preparing Alabamians to enter the workforce, including addressing occupational segregation. Rep. Adline Clarke (D-Mobile), who sponsored the Clarke-Figures Equal Pay Act, said girls in Alabama need to know what careers are available to them. In previous meetings, presenters shared that women in the state traditionally work in lower-wage jobs than men. We need to make sure that all industries all schools do a better job of introducing females to various types of work and not limit us so much, Clarke said. I think we do girls a disservice by having them think that they can only do a small percentage of the jobs that men can do. Its all about education, and training. The education subcommittee will also look into access to training for women workers in the state, as well as programs like STEM camps. Melanie Bridgeforth, the task forces chair, said that the group plans to present between three and five official recommendations at the end of the year. She added that, although legislative recommendations will be limited, all information that the task force has gathered will be presented. We obviously cant have our colleagues at the legislature tackling all of this great stuff, but nothing will not appear in the findings that go to the legislature. I want to be very clear about that, Bridgeforth said. Everything we talked about will be a part of the conversation. The task force will meet again in November and December before submitting their final report to the state Legislature. Lawmakers will convene the first week of March. Contact has been lost with around 100 Vietnamese in South Korea soon after they entered the country as tourists, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The Vietnamese traveled through the Yangyang International Airport, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said Tuesday. She was responding to inquiries regarding Vietnamese that have gone "missing" in South Korea. The fact that contact with these people was lost prompted relevant travel agencies to suspend bringing tourists to Yangyang Island of Gangwon Province, a mountainous province 110 km from Seoul, until the end of October 31. Hang said the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea would continue to keep in touch with South Korean authorities, help with the search and be ready to deploy citizen protection measures if needed. Vietnamese authorities and tourism companies would also cooperate to find out information about those whose contact was lost, as well as deploying measures to prevent citizens from illegally staying in South Korea through tourism. The visa-free program for Vietnamese tourists coming to the Yangyang Airport and the Jeju Island has been resumed starting June 1. Tourist groups with at least five people can sign up to travel through certain tourism agencies visa-free, with a maximum duration of stay of 15 days. A 6th grader of Nguyen Du Secondary School in HCMC studies online at home, September 2022. Photo by VnExpress The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has mandated that all educational institutions must have counselors to help students cope with psychological issues. They should be hired from the next school year since more and more students are encountering psychological problems, either due to academic pressure or the impacts of the Covid pandemic, it said. They need help to cope with these issues and prevent "unfortunate incidents," it said. It also instructed schools to do regular reviews to detect threats early to prevent students from being physically abused, dropping out of school or committing violations. A survey by the ministry in late February of 341,830 students across Vietnam found 45% having health issues, including mental, after having stayed at home and studied online last year. Physical issues included eyestrain, neck pain and tinnitus. Le Thi Thao, deputy head of 111, the National Hotline on Child Protection run by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said during the pandemic the hotline frequently received calls on mental disorders among students. Before Covid-19 it got around 400,000 calls a year but in 2021 the number increased by half, she said. Covid's not done, so Vietnam's not done with it Pills of Covid-19 antiviral molnupiravir are produced at the Boston Vietnam company in the southern province of Binh Duong, February 23, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran The Covid-19 situation remains unpredictable, so an announcement that the pandemic is over can lead to negligence and unpreparedness against threats like new strains, says the health ministry. Phan Trong Lan, head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine, said Tuesday that Vietnam would face two challenges if it announces the pandemic to be over. First, in the scenario that a dangerous Covid-19 strain arises, it could lead to more severe cases and deaths, eventually overwhelming the capabilities of the medical system. "When we announce the Covid-19 outbreak to be over, certain mechanisms and policies in the Covid-19 fight would no longer be applied, for example the research, production, purchase and approval of vaccines, drugs and other medical products... under emergency state, which affects the deployment of Covid-19 prevention measures." Second, the mobilization of society sections at multiple levels to fight the virus would no longer receive the level of attention it needs. Therefore, people may get complacent and the reactivation of certain administrative and social measures to fight the virus would become more difficult. Lan was speaking in response to doctor Nguyen Lan Hieu's suggestion that Vietnam should declare an end of Covid-19 in the country to save medical resources. At a National Assembly session Saturday, Hieu, director of the Hanoi Medical University Hospital, requested that the government announces a shift in its Covid-19 fight, introducing clear policies to replace old ones. The shift would help limit resource loss while ensuring enough preparation should another outbreak of Covid-19 or another disease occur, he said. But Lan said it's not time for that yet. Globally, the Covid-19 situation is still developing in a complex manner around the world, and immunity gained either through infection or vaccination is waning over time. The coronavirus is also mutating, creating new variants that could be more infectious and more likely to evade the immune system, he said. At its latest meeting on October 13, the Emergency Committee of the WHO said the Covid-19 pandemic was still happening around the world and advised countries to ramp up their monitoring systems, as well as expand treatment capacities and vaccine coverage. Vietnam is a responsible member of the WHO, and its effective Covid-19 fighting measures have contributed to the efforts of the global community in containing the novel coronavirus, Lan said. So far, the Ministry of Health has loosened its Covid-19 prevention measures to make room for socio-economic growth. The situation has been brought under control and prevention measures have adapted to the "new normal" period. Vietnam currently records around 500 new cases a day on average, and the number of active severe cases is around 70. Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor at the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, said Vietnam was executing a safe adaptation plan, and its main mission was to accurately assess risks. "Too much control would lead to inappropriate investments, affecting the economy and social security," he said, adding that the stance on Covid-19 prevention nowadays was "neither too much nor too little." People walk at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, March 25, 2022. Photo by Reuters/Heo Ran The only travel firm to bring Vietnamese tourists to South Korea's Gangwon under a visa-free policy via commercial flights has stopped receiving new bookings until the end of this month. "The only Vietnamese travel agency designated by South Korean authorities to bring visa-free passengers to Gangwon Province via commercial flights operated Fly Gangwon stopped taking new bookings from Sunday to rearrange management issues," the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam told VnExpress. This means Vietnamese tourists from Hanoi and Ho chi Minh City now cannot fly to Yang Yang County in Gangwon Province on regular weekly flights operated by Fly Gangwon under the visa-free program resumed on June 1. Fly Gangwon launched its first direct routes from Hanoi and HCMC to Yangyang on Oct. 13-14. In Yangyang, a popular destination for surfers, visitors can stay for 15 days without a visa, but need to book tours through agencies designated by Gangwon Province. Late last week, a Korean tourism forum posted on its Facebook page, saying Fly Gangwon stopped receiving Vietnamese passengers to Yangyang under the visa exemption policy as Gangwon authorities had halted the program after a trial period. South Korea had become a favorite tourist destination for Vietnamese before the pandemic. The country received over 80,000 Vietnamese tourists in January-August, a far cry from 2019's figure of 550,000. The U.S.-China relationship continues to be of preeminent concern for the United States. During a recent discussion at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that a very different China has emerged in recent years under Xi Jinpings leadership. The Peoples Republic of China, or PRC, he said, is more repressive at home, its more aggressive abroad, and in many instances that poses a challenge to our own interests, as well as to our own values. This is especially apparent with regard to Taiwan. Instead of sticking with the status quo, Beijing has indicated it would employ coercive means, and perhaps ultimately forceful means to achieve unification. This is a matter of concern not just to the United States. . .but its of profound concern to countries around the world, declared Secretary Blinken. The amount of commercial traffic that goes through the Taiwan Strait every single day has an enormous impact on economies around the world. In particular, the semiconductor industry would be hard hit if Taiwan's production of semiconductors was disrupted as a result of a crisis. So, theres a profound stake not just for us but for countries around the world in preserving peace and stability when it comes to Taiwan and the Strait, and to making sure that the differences that exist are resolved peacefully, declared Secretary Blinken. I hope that Beijing will come back to a place where it actually sees the merits in making sure that differences are peacefully resolved that it doesnt try to force things through coercion, and even worse, through force, warned Secretary Blinken. We are determined to make good on our commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and supporting their ability to defend themselves. Guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances, the United States remains committed to the one China policy. The United States has announced more than $756 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people. This funding is in addition to the nearly $808 million that was announced earlier this year. As U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council in announcing the additional U.S. assistance, The Syrian people remain in peril. After more than 11 years of war, which began when the Assad regime responded with brutal force against peaceful, anti-government protesters, the Syrian people continue to experience devastating loss and need. Since 2011 more than 350,000 people have been killed; tens of thousands have been arbitrarily detained, abducted, or forcibly disappeared; 13 million have been displaced; and over 2 million have been pushed into severe food insecurity. Now a cholera outbreak in northern Syria poses another grave threat in a country whose health care system has been shattered. The United States remains the worlds largest humanitarian donor to the Syrian people. The additional funding, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said, will bring immediate relief to millions of refugees. It will help humanitarian partners provide clean water, food, hygiene and relief supplies, shelter, protection services, and critical health and nutrition assistance. And it will include support for early recovery programs across the country. It also demonstrates, the Ambassador noted, how urgent and how committed we are to the full implementation of Resolution 2642, which calls for the unimpeded delivery of aid throughout the country. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield emphasized that only a durable political solution to this conflict will allow the Syrian people to rebuild and recover, and she deplored the stalling tactics of the Assad regime, aided by its ally Russia, which have subverted progress toward peace on a pathway outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. It is past time for the Assad regime and Russia to meet their commitments, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. It is past time for them to take responsibility for the violence and instability. It is past time to do right by the Syrian people. In the meantime, she declared, we will keep up the pressure. We will push for progress. And we will continue to do everything in our power as we have done today with this new $756 million dollar funding announcement to support the dire needs of the Syrian people. NEWS PROVIDED BY Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights Oct. 24, 2022 NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2022 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on how young people are being exploited for money: Two major attacks on young people are being launched by those whose only interest is making money off of them. To be specific, the push to legalize marijuana and the push to normalize transgenderism are the two biggest current threats to the health and well-being of young men and women in America. It is worth noting that the social teachings of the Catholic Church clearly give preferential treatment to a market-based economy over a state-run economy, but there is nothing in those teachings that endorses a laissez-faire position. The Church understands the necessity of balancing economic interests with social interests, holding those in the business community to high moral standards. That voice desperately needs to be respected today. Those making big money off of marijuana don't care what happens to young people. There is a wealth of information on how much more potent today's brand of this drug is compared to decades ago, leading to serious cases of psychosis. The degree of brain damage varies by the user, but no one doubts that it impairs mental acuity and is downright dangerous when users get behind the wheel. According to Dr. Ken Finn, one of the nation's leading experts on drug use, "Poison control calls are skyrocketing across the country in states that have both medical and recreational [marijuana] programs, particularly in the zero to five age group (my italics)." Worse, five states have marijuana legalization on the ballot in November. Marijuana advocates argue that legalization is necessary because too many African Americans and Hispanics were selectively punished in the past for using the drug. But that is not what is driving the push to legalize the drug. Ben Cort is the author of a book on this subject. He knows what's really going on. "Multinational corporate interest" are leading the way. "The idea here is absolutely not social justice, nor any sort of reform in a meaningful way. The intent here is to get richer." Former House Speaker John Boehner, who in 2015 said he was "unalterably opposed to the legalization of marijuana," did a 180 three years later when he left the Congress and became the poster boy for legalization. To show how low he could go, he even partnered with Kathleen Sebelius, the former Health and Human Services czar under Obama. She was the one who declared war on Catholic non-profits, seeking to force them to purchase abortion-inducing drugs in their healthcare plans. But that didn't make any difference to Boehner, who likes to tout his Catholic credentials. In fact, he got so caught up in making big bucks off of legalizing marijuana that he got into a legal dispute over his alleged failure to share profits with the man who hired him to lead the company. Like the marijuana industry, the transgender industry is booming. Last year it posted sales of nearly $2 billion and is expected to reach $5 billion by the end of the decade. Planned Parenthood is making a fortune by ripping off sexually confused young people; it is the second-largest provider of hormonal injections in America. To understand what sex-reassignment surgery does, consider what one of the most prominent defenders of this surgery has to say about it. The Cleveland Clinic performs metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, scrotoplasty and chest surgery for troubled girls seeking to transition to the opposite sex. Metoidoplasty uses tissue from an enlarged clitoris so it can form a small penis. Phalloplasty uses a large section of skin and tissue from female body parts (e.g., her arm), and then it is rolled to form a shaft so it can be attached to her groin. Scrotoplasty involves the creation of a new scrotumparts are taken from the female's labia majoraand are then used to make a scrotum-like sac. Unfortunately, the Cleveland Clinic gives false information to these disturbed young girls. For example, it says that metoidioplastly "is a surgery sometimes requested by people assigned female at birth." This is factually incorrect: no one is ever "assigned" one's sexit is determined by the father, the outcome of which is typically recorded by a healthcare professional. It is also wrong to say, "This surgery helps to align their physical bodies with who they really are." In fact, everyone knows who they really are when they are born. What the cutting and splicing does is to artificially create body parts. All the surgery in the world can never alter one's chromosomal makeup, and the Cleveland Clinic knows this is true. But there is a lot of cash on the table, and that is dispositive. Preying on young men and women, whether it be by poisoning their minds with drugs or deforming their bodies with surgery, is morally offensive. Indeed, it is child abuse. That the prime motivating force is to get rich makes those who are benefiting from such exploitation even more contemptible. By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijans State Fund for Social Protection under the Labour and Social Security Ministry and Uzbekistans Extrabudgetary Pension Fund under the Finance Ministry have signed a protocol of intent, Azernews reports. The document was signed by State Social Protection Fund Chairman Himalay Mamishov and Extrabudgetary Pension Fund Executive Director Abdulaziz Khaydarov during the World Social Security Forum in Morocco. The protocol expresses the intention of both parties to establish mutually beneficial relations within the framework of their powers set by the legislation of the two states. The document reflects the directions of cooperation in such areas as the definition of pensions, calculation, changes in legislation related to pensions, and exchange of experience and information in this area. Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan were established on October 2, 1995. The embassy of Azerbaijan in Uzbekistan was established in August 1996, while the embassy of Uzbekistan in Azerbaijan was opened in July 1998. The friendly relations between the two countries are based on shared values ??and historical ties, as well as a number of joint statements and agreements signed during bilateral visits and meetings. The volume of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan amounted to $111.9 million in 2021. ELKO A man convicted of first-degree murder will no longer face the death penalty in the shooting death of 16-year-old Kylee Leniz. Justin Mullis, 26, accepted an agreement to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole a couple of hours after a jury found him guilty of first degree murder, willful, deliberate and premediated; and also guilty of concealing or destroying evidence of the commission of a felony, a gross misdemeanor. The agreement, read in Elko District Court on Monday afternoon before Judge Mason Simons, waived the penalty phase that would have seen the jury return to determine Mullis sentencing for first-degree murder with four options: death, life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the possibility of parole in 20 or 50 years. Elko County District Attorney Tyler Ingram told the court that Lenizs family, including her mother and father, approached him after the verdict was read and agreed to make an offer that involves no longer seeking the death penalty. At a later date, Mullis will be sentenced concurrently on the second count of concealing or destroying evidence and consecutively on the deadly weapon enhancement by Simons, tentatively scheduled for January. The agreement also stipulated that if an appellate court reverses the conviction, then the District Attorneys office could seek the death penalty, unless they are precluded from doing so by the appellate court. Attorney Gary Woodbury, who was assigned as a qualified legal counsel to co-defend Mullis with Elko County Public Defender Matthew Pennell on the death penalty case, said he would sign the agreement. However he said he was totally opposed to it. But Mr. Mullis has made a decision. Before Mullis signed the document, Simons asked Mullis a series of questions regarding his current condition in the courtroom at the time, and if he was in good physical condition and mental health, or otherwise feeling OK. Mullis responded with one-word answers, affirming he was feeling well. He also confirmed he was taking prescribed medications while incarcerated at the Elko County Jail and was able to understand the court proceedings. Lenizs family, who had attended each day of the trial up to the verdicts reading, was not present in the courtroom during the brief mid-afternoon hearing. Final day of the trialThe jury took about an hour to find Mullis guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Leniz early Monday afternoon. The verdict concluded the two-week trial that began on Oct. 10, nearly two years after Leniz was killed on the evening of Nov. 1, 2020, while working at McDonalds on Idaho Street. Mullis, 26, stared straight ahead and didnt respond as the verdict was read, standing between his defense counsel, Elko Public Defender Matthew Pennell and attorney Gary Woodbury. The verdict followed closing arguments by prosecution and defense attorneys. Elko County District Attorney Tyler Ingram addressed jurors first, with Deputy District Attorney Justin Barainca pulling up videos of the drive-through lane and window, and a jail video call to show the jury. Ingram called the crime a killing that was willful, it was a killing that was premeditated, and it was a killing that was deliberate. What happened here falls squarely within the definition of the Nevada law for first-degree murder. Referring back to opening statements where Ingram said the jurors would write the ending to the story, the state is asking you to write that ending where you find and you hold Justin Mullis accountable for killing a 16-year-old girl. A 16-year-old girl who did absolutely nothing to justify Mr. Mullis sending a bullet into her back, Ingram continued. She did nothing. Ingram pointed to testimony from four witnesses, including Mullis, about his childhood. Even a fraction of the childhood that Justin Mullis said he has is true is terrible. No child should ever have to go through that. But were not here about Justin Mullis childhood. Thats not what were here for. This is a murder case. This is about murder. This is about whether the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Justin Mullis committed first-degree murder. Thats what were here about, not sympathy, Ingram said. Ingram added that jurors would not be able to find him guilty by reason of insanity. No insanity. No sympathy. He asked jurors to recall the video surveillance from McDonalds and the Best Western, and the jail phone call, and Mullis testimony admitting it was him. Remember, he admitted to changing his clothes at the Best Western. He admitted to throwing that bag behind Best Western, the same bag he had draped over him in the McDonalds surveillance video, Ingram said. Showing jurors the 9mm firearm with $100 bills on the grips that was determined to be the murder weapon through forensic analysis at the Washoe County Crime Lab, he reminded jurors that Mullis admitted to identifying the gun during testimony. Theres zero doubt that Justin Mullis is the one who committed this murder. Elko County Public Defender Matthew Pennell asked jurors to take the broadest tool available when deliberating the evidence presented during the trial, including testimony describing Mullis mental health leading up to the incident. There is a slow eating away of Justins ability to control his emotions, to not act under a rash impulse, and the kind of brain to be able to put the brakes on that kind of behavior, Pennell said. He asked jurors to consider the range of options on the jurys verdict form, if they were to conclude one element was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, youre supposed to step down to that next option, and consider that option which is second-degree murder voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and finally you consider the option of not guilty, Pennell said. Consider the making of the mind. Consider the genes create a brain. The nature and the nurture of this persons experience, or the lack of nurture this person experiences throughout their life, how that creates mental health issues and how that creates a persons ability to control their actions, Pennell said. He cited Mullis childhood of neglect and abuse that was documented in state social service records, testimony from witnesses, and psychological testing and interviews by psychologists, most recently Dr. John Fabian. You have multiple sources of information saying these things happened. A combination of genetic proclivity to substance abuse and mental health issues stemming from his mother contributed to Mullis own issues, Pennell said. You heard from the experts that there is some inheritability to that. That regardless of a persons choices, their genes and their background influence the likelihood of that happening. Pennell said tests showed Mullis brain being 25% abnormal. Having limits to function, specifically the executive function. So the brakes on the brain, the ability to control impulsive behavior. Regarding Mullis personality, Pennell said there were two facets: one that he does what he is told and the other that he believes what he is told, that hes suggestable, gullible in a sense. For Mullis, when asked what he remembered about the night of Nov. 1, 2020, he specifically talks about not remembering, that he develops these opinions and these beliefs. But its based on what hes told. Not on what he remembers, Pennell said. Pennell reminded jurors the defenses case was not to dishonor Leniz or her family, but that it is designed to honor the law and follow the law and in this case, the evidence, at best, shows an impulsive and rash decision that led up to an unfortunate loss of life. 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 point out that there is a lawsuit against Nye County over paper balloting. Nye County officials agreed on Oct. 19 to allow members of the public to view the hand-counting of mail-in ballots before Election Day if they sign a waiver promising not to release voting information early, that county stated in its response to the lawsuit asking the Nevada Supreme Court to halt the countys plan, The Associated Press reported on Oct. 20. 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. ELKO Elko County Democrats are recommending yes votes on two out of Nevadas three statewide ballot questions, and they have endorsed one school board candidate. The party supports Question 1, which asks whether the Nevada Constitution should be amended to add a specific guarantee that equality of rights under the law should not be denied or abridged by the state or any of its cities, counties or other political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin. They also support Question 2, which calls for changing the states minimum wage laws and includes a $12 per hour minimum rate. The party is not making a recommendation on Question 3, which calls for open primary elections on the state and federal level, with the top five finishers competing under a ranked-choice voting system. All three ballot questions are opposed by the Nevada Republican Party and by Elko County Commissioners. Besides supporting all Democratic candidates on the ballot, Elko County Democrats also announced a preference in one of five nonpartisan school board races. They support District 1 incumbent Susan Neal, who is being challenged by Misty Atkins. They also recommend candidates in four nonpartisan judicial contests: Linda Bell for Nevada Supreme Court justice and Michael Gibbons, Deborah Westbrook and Bonnie Bulla for the Nevada Court of Appeals. I have been a proud life-long Republican my entire life. I grew up idolizing Ronald Reagan. No one has been a fiercer supporter and defender of the American First principles than me. When I decided to run for public office Harry Reid told my mother that if I was a Democrat, he would make sure I got elected. I couldnt do it because I believe too strongly in the principles of rewarding hard work, taking personal responsibility, government providing a helping hand up not a hand-out, and the guarantee of precious personal freedoms. However, my firm belief in these principles do not trump my love for our country, for Nevada and the appreciation of everything they provide. That is why I support Democrat, Zach Conine, for Treasurer. Mr. Conine has done a great job communicating with all parties on the best way to spend the billions of dollars handed out by the federal government. No partisan favors, just what is in the best interest for the state of Nevada. Elizabeth Parsons-Lenz recently published an Op Ed rebuking Republicans that endorse qualified conservative Republican candidates. That is the point, the Republican nominee, Michelle Fiore, is without question the least qualified candidate to ever run for Treasurer. The IRS closed several of her businesses because she incurred more than a million dollars in tax liens, federal investigators are currently investigating her for misusing campaign funds for personal and family use, she physically assaulted her former best friend and fellow city councilwoman in city hall, and in this election, she has taken numerous donations in excess of the $10,000 maximum limit. Couple that with the fact Fiore filed a complaint against Conine for operating a state required business in the Treasurers office exposing the fact she knows nothing about the job she is running for, and it is clear which candidate is best for the state of Nevada. The state Republican Party used its considerable influence to assure several questionable candidates, including Fiore, would win their primaries. They did this to assure complete loyalty to themselves, not to the Republican Party. Now, when wise and courageous people publicly speak out concerning these candidates the State Party excommunicates them. With the red wave rising throughout the country, every Republican statewide candidate should win. If they dont, blame the state GOP, not the people who chose what is right over being liked. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum (Photo: VNA) President Say Chhum is on Vietnam visit from October 24-26 at the invitation of the NA Chairman Hue. The Cambodian Senate President thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, army and people for providing tremendous support for the just and fair cause of the Cambodian people in all historical periods. He affirmed that Cambodia always maintains its consistent stance on cultivating solidarity and friendship between the two peoples in line with the motto of good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability. He also thanked the Vietnamese NA for assisting the Cambodian Senate in equipment and personnel training. As Cambodia will host the 43rd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 43), he wished to welcome Chairman Hue to the meeting this November. NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, for his part, agreed with his guest that despite global and regional uncertainties, long-standing friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia will be forever an invaluable asset that needs to be nurtured and passed on to later generations. In eight months of this year, two-way trade hit 7.7 billion USD, up 19% annually. Vietnam is the leading investor in ASEAN and among top investors in Cambodia. It is also the worlds largest source of tourist arrivals in Cambodia. Vietnam is ready to cooperate extensively with Cambodia in workforce training and development, including tertiary and post-tertiary level, Hue said. He suggested improving the efficiency of bilateral education-training for students, including pushing forward the establishment of Faculty of Vietnamese Studies at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, thus enhancing the quality of Cambodian students who are to study in Vietnam. As the demarcation and planting of border markers on the mainland between Vietnam and Cambodia have been 84% completed, Hue proposed both sides focus on completing the remainder work to build a borderline of peace, cooperation and development. The host suggested promoting negotiations on a new agreement on border management regulations in replace of the 1983 agreement, and talking to reach an agreement on border gates and regulations on the management of border gates. He wished that the Cambodian Senate and the President would create favourable conditions for the issuance of legal papers to Cambodians of Vietnamese origin, as well as offer support to the Vietnamese firms in the country. He hoped an agreement on the settlement of issues related to nationals in each country would be signed in line with international law and conditions of the two nations. Speaking highly of bilateral coordination at international, ASEAN, regional and sub-regional forums, NA Chairman Vong Dinh Hue affirmed that Vietnam supports Cambodia in its capacity as Chair of ASEAN and AIPA 2022. He believed that the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and AIPA-43 slated for November in Phnom Penh would be a success, making important contributions to building ASEAN Community and improving Cambodias international reputation and position. The top Vietnamese legislator suggested both sides strengthen exchanges and consultations on strategic issues involving security - development of the region and each country, strive to maintain solidarity, unity and affirm the ASEANs central role in regional security issues. He proposed upholding ASEAN's principle stance on the East Sea such as ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, enhancing trust building in accordance with international law; settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), strictly and fully abiding by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon reaching a substantive, effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). He requested that the signed Protocols and national defence-security cooperation agreements be carried out effectively. Collaboration in border security and fight against crimes and illegal entry-exit be more effective while a Master Plan on connecting the two economies till 2030 be completed soon. The host thanked Cambodian agencies for working closely with Vietnam to rescue Vietnamese citizens who were tricked and coerced into illegal work in several business establishments run by foreigners in Cambodia. He suggested both sides continue working together on this issue. On the occasion, he asked Cambodia to continue with assistance in the search and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts in the country. He urged the two Governments soon sign a border trade agreement, effectively implement the Memorandum of Understanding on border trade infrastructure development and connectivity, the Agreement on Investment Promotion and Protection and the Agreement on Double Taxation Avoidance. Both sides agreed that the Vietnamese NA will work closely with the Cambodian Senate and NA to improve the efficiency of cooperation between the two Governments and peoples while offering mutual support at regional and global inter-parliamentary forums. They promised to maintain all-level meetings to share professional experience in law-making, supervision and deciding on the countrys important issues. The exchange of delegations via Party, State, NA, Government and people-to-people diplomacy channels will be maintained in order to consolidate political trust between the two Parties and nations. High-level agreements by leaders of the two Parties and countries will be effectively implemented so as to deepen bilateral political ties. In the evening the same day, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hosted a banquet for President Say Chhum and the high-ranking Cambodian delegation./. 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) by Xinhua writers Wang Cong, Li Zhihui BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) on Sunday unveiled its new top leadership, which will lead the world's most populous nation on its new journey toward a great modern socialist country in all respects. Xi Jinping was elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee at the first plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee following the Party's twice-a-decade national congress. Greeted by rapturous rounds of applause, Xi led Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi onto a red-carpeted stage at the Great Hall of the People. They are members of the newly-elected Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. According to the Party Constitution, the highest leading bodies of the Party are the National Congress and the Central Committee which it elects. Between plenary sessions of the Central Committee, the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee shall exercise the functions and powers of the Central Committee. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, 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, meet the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) The 20th CPC Central Committee was elected Saturday at the closing session of the 20th CPC National Congress. Speaking to over 600 journalists from home and abroad, Xi hailed the congress as one that held high its banner, pooled all the strength, and promoted solidarity and dedication. Xi expressed gratitude for the trust the whole Party has placed in the new central leadership. "We shall keep in mind the Party's nature and purpose and our own mission and responsibility, and work diligently in the performance of our duty, to prove worthy of the great trust of the Party and our people," he said. Xi said China, having completed its building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, is now taking confident strides on a new journey to turn China into a modern socialist country in all respects. That journey, one that is "filled with glories and dreams," will see China advance toward the second centenary goal, and embrace the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, Xi said. 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. The world's second largest economy is walking on a model of modernization that has not been seen before -- 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. "This is a great yet enormous undertaking. The enormity of the task is what makes it great and infinitely glorious," Xi said. He said the CPC and the Chinese people have sought long and hard to pursue a Chinese path to modernization, and the Party must always act for the people on the journey ahead and rely on them in everything it does. "We will always ride out the storm with our people and stay heart to heart with them, taking their priorities as ours and acting on their wishes. We will continue the hard work to turn their aspiration for a better life into a living reality," he said. His emphasis on the people echoed a report Xi delivered to the 20th CPC National Congress, hailing the great achievements of the new era, which came from "the collective dedication and hard work" of the CPC and the Chinese people. In the past decade, China's GDP has grown from 54 trillion yuan (about 7.6 trillion U.S. dollars) to 114 trillion yuan and come to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy, up 7.2 percentage points. China has remained the world's second largest economy, and its per capita GDP has risen from 39,800 yuan to 81,000 yuan. The country has eradicated absolute poverty, and built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world. It has also joined the ranks of the world's innovators, while achieving an overwhelming victory and fully consolidating the gains in the fight against corruption. But Xi said the Party cannot rest on its laurels just yet. The just-concluded 20th CPC National Congress came at a time when the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and a new phase of uncertainty and transformation. China has entered a period of development in which strategic opportunities, risks, and challenges are concurrent, and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising, Xi said in the report to the congress. "Confronted with new challenges and tests on the journey ahead, we must remain on high alert and stay sober-minded and prudent like a student sitting for a never-ending exam," he told journalists Sunday. "We must make sure that our century-old Party will become ever more vigorous through self-reform and continue to be the strong backbone that the Chinese people can lean on at all times," he said. The journey ahead is long and arduous, but with determined steps, "we will reach our destination," he said. "We'll not be daunted by high winds, choppy waters or even dangerous storms, for the people will always have our back and give us confidence," Xi said. He went on to express 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. Just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development, he said, adding that the Chinese economy would remain on the positive trajectory over the long run, and that the country will open its door wider to the rest of the world. "We'll be steadfast in deepening reform and opening up across the board, and in pursuing high-quality development. A prosperous China will create many more opportunities for the world," Xi said. Enditem (Lou Chen, Wang Wen, Wang Di, Guo Likun, Xu Lingui and Fang Dong also contributed to the story.) Editor: WJH Photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows displaced people at a temporary shelter near Goma, capital of the North Kivu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Clashes on two eastern fronts between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and rebel militias have killed civilians and uprooted thousands more, a UN spokesman said on Monday. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Clashes on two eastern fronts between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and rebel militias have killed civilians and uprooted thousands more, a UN spokesman said on Monday. The UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, reported that the most recent fighting erupted late last week and intensified over the weekend between government troops and the M23 militia in North Kivu province, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for the UN secretary-general. Dujarric said clashes intensified over the weekend, wounding at least 30 civilians reportedly trapped in combat zones. He said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, its partners, and local authorities reported that the casualties were in urgent need of health care. The office estimated that 23,000 civilians were displaced, with about 2,500 crossing into neighboring Uganda. The spokesman said the clashes along or near the road between the towns of Rutshuru and Goma threaten the delivery of aid supplies and services to Rutshuru and Kiwanja. Government forces and suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces militia, also late last week, attacked Maboya, southwest of the town of Beni, killing seven civilians and abducting at least a dozen others. Dujarric said health centers, homes, and shops were looted and torched during the fighting. "The mission condemns the violence and is working closely with the Congolese armed forces and local police force to prevent further attacks and restore calm," the spokesman said. "We call on all of the armed groups to respect international humanitarian law and to allow aid workers to reach the people who need it the most." He said that since March this year, clashes between the armed forces of the DRC and M23 forced at least 186,000 men, women and children from their homes. Aid workers provided them with food, health care, water and hygiene. "We anticipate additional assistance will be needed due to the latest clashes," said the spokesman. Photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows displaced people at a temporary shelter near Goma, capital of the North Kivu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Clashes on two eastern fronts between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and rebel militias have killed civilians and uprooted thousands more, a UN spokesman said on Monday. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua) Photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows displaced people at a temporary shelter near Goma, capital of the North Kivu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Clashes on two eastern fronts between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and rebel militias have killed civilians and uprooted thousands more, a UN spokesman said on Monday. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua) Photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows displaced people at a temporary shelter near Goma, capital of the North Kivu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Clashes on two eastern fronts between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and rebel militias have killed civilians and uprooted thousands more, a UN spokesman said on Monday. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua) Editor: WJH This photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows a truck loaded with the first batch of exhibits arriving at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in east China's Shanghai. The first batch of eight exhibits from seven exhibitors arrived at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue for the upcoming fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE), on Monday. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) This photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows a truck loaded with the first batch of exhibits arriving at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in east China's Shanghai. The first batch of eight exhibits from seven exhibitors arrived at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue for the upcoming fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE), on Monday. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) This photo taken on Oct. 24, 2022 shows a truck loaded with the first batch of exhibits arriving at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in east China's Shanghai. The first batch of eight exhibits from seven exhibitors arrived at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue for the upcoming fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE), on Monday. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) Editor: WJH Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a meeting of leading military cadres and delivers an important speech in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday instructed the armed forces to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, and strive to achieve the goal set for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks when attending a meeting of leading military cadres. Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, both members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and CMC vice chairmen, as well as Xu Qiliang, attended and addressed the meeting. In the unusual and extraordinary five years since the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, the CMC has led the armed forces to achieve major progress and realize major transformations in national defense and military, Xi said. The CMC has upheld the Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces, maintained and expanded the rapid and favorable development in the cause of building a strong military, and brought military modernization and combat capacity to a higher level, he said. The newly-concluded successful 20th CPC National Congress is of great significance to the country's drive to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts. It is also vital to fulfilling the goal set for the PLA centenary and building the armed forces into world class forces, he said. It will be the most important political task for the whole Party, the country and the armed forces to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, he said. Stressing that the armed forces should focus their efforts on realizing their centenary goal, Xi said that this will be the military's central task in the next five years, one that demands full strength and should be accomplished as scheduled. Noting that the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee named the members of the new CMC, Xi said it is a major political arrangement made by the CPC Central Committee based on the overall cause of the Party, the country and the military. CMC members must bear in mind the trust placed on them by the Party and the people and the expectations of the officers and soldiers of the armed forces, and dedicate themselves to the work of the CMC, Xi added. Demanding that this year's work be finished as scheduled, Xi stressed the importance of plans for the next year to ensure a good start to the work in the armed forces. Before the meeting, Xi met with delegates, specially invited delegates and non-voting participants of the PLA and armed police forces present at the 20th CPC National Congress and had a group photo taken with them. State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe attended the meeting. Other attendees included Li Shangfu, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua and Zhang Shengmin, who are all CMC members, and Li Zuocheng. 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 People's Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police forces present at the 20th CPC National Congress and has a group photo taken with them before attending a meeting of leading military cadres in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) Editor: WXY Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a meeting of leading military cadres and delivers an important speech in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday instructed the armed forces to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, and strive to achieve the goal set for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks when attending a meeting of leading military cadres. Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, both members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and CMC vice chairmen, as well as Xu Qiliang, attended and addressed the meeting. In the unusual and extraordinary five years since the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, the CMC has led the armed forces to achieve major progress and realize major transformations in national defense and military, Xi said. The CMC has upheld the Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces, maintained and expanded the rapid and favorable development in the cause of building a strong military, and brought military modernization and combat capacity to a higher level, he said. The newly-concluded successful 20th CPC National Congress is of great significance to the country's drive to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts. It is also vital to fulfilling the goal set for the PLA centenary and building the armed forces into world class forces, he said. It will be the most important political task for the whole Party, the country and the armed forces to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, he said. Stressing that the armed forces should focus their efforts on realizing their centenary goal, Xi said that this will be the military's central task in the next five years, one that demands full strength and should be accomplished as scheduled. Noting that the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee named the members of the new CMC, Xi said it is a major political arrangement made by the CPC Central Committee based on the overall cause of the Party, the country and the military. CMC members must bear in mind the trust placed on them by the Party and the people and the expectations of the officers and soldiers of the armed forces, and dedicate themselves to the work of the CMC, Xi added. Demanding that this year's work be finished as scheduled, Xi stressed the importance of plans for the next year to ensure a good start to the work in the armed forces. Before the meeting, Xi met with delegates, specially invited delegates and non-voting participants of the PLA and armed police forces present at the 20th CPC National Congress and had a group photo taken with them. State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe attended the meeting. Other attendees included Li Shangfu, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua and Zhang Shengmin, who are all CMC members, and Li Zuocheng. 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 People's Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police forces present at the 20th CPC National Congress and has a group photo taken with them before attending a meeting of leading military cadres in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) Editor: WJH By Azernews By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijans Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA) has always supported restaurants in the country, and work in this direction continues, Board Chairman Orkhan Mammadov said. He made the remarks while speaking at the National Culinary Congress in Baku on October 24, Azernews reports per Trend. National cuisine is one of the main components of material culture. The history of Azerbaijani national cuisine is as ancient as the history of the Azerbaijani people. Azerbaijani dishes are known all over the world for their high taste qualities, he said. Orkhan Mammadov also noted that the establishment of close cooperation with civil society institutions is one of the agencys main activities. Noting that a number of public organizations are represented in the Public Council under the SMBDA, he stated that they are directly involved in the process of developing new legislative acts in the catering sector, creating new mechanisms to stimulate the development of SMBs and their associations operating in this sector. The role of associations in activities to involve entrepreneurs in this process is undeniable. The Azerbaijan Culinary Specialists Association, registered in 2019, is a very active public association and is engaged in activities aimed at developing the culinary sector in the country, he said. Moreover, the board chairman touched upon the EU-funded Improved Promotion and Marketing of Traditional Foods technical assistance project, which has been implemented in cooperation with the economy ministry and the agency since 2019. He added that the project has been implemented in Ganja-Dashkasan, Gazakh-Tovuz, Guba-Khachmaz, Central Aran, Mil-Mughan, and Shirvan-Salyan economic regions. Under the project, legislation affecting the promotion and marketing of traditional agricultural and food products was analyzed, recommendations were prepared, training, seminars, and roundtables were organized for target groups, he said. He added that within the project, educational material on healthy eating and nutrition of schoolchildren and the public, and a traditional Azerbaijani food products, nutrition and healthy eating curriculum for students were developed, 10 types of traditional food products were identified and measures were taken to promote them. In order to increase sales of traditional food products, bring them to foreign markets and increase awareness, its necessary to widely promote these products at the national and international levels, pursue a systematic marketing policy, and strengthen marketing activities among manufacturers, he said. Additionally, Orkhan Mammadov expressed the hope that the congress will play a special role in developing cooperation between local enterprises, especially SMBs operating in this and the public catering sectors. The National Culinary Congress was organized by the Culinary Association of Azerbaijan and the National Culinary Center of Azerbaijan and attended by representatives of state institutions, organizations, and companies working in the sphere of public catering and food industry. An exhibition in Jinan, Shandong province, celebrates history, tradition and culture of Culture Cities of East Asia. [Photo provided to China Daily] Some 70 paintings, watercolors, prints, lacquer paintings and mixed-media works by young artists from or based in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province and Jinan, Shandong province, are now on display at Shandong News Art Gallery through Oct 30. Also on show are works by artists from China, Japan and South Korea who won prizes at a youth artist competition. The exhibition is to enhance cultural exchanges among young people of the three countries, under the framework of Culture Cities of East Asia. Launched in 2013 by the three nations, the program designated several Culture Cities each year, and held activities in those cities to showcase their distinctive history and traditions and boost communication among different communities in East Asia. Wenzhou and Jinan, together with Oita of Japan and Gyeongju of South Korea, were elected as the Culture Cities for 2022. [Photo/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. Editor: WXY Mind's Eye Cinema, a non-profit cinema for blind people, has told over 1000 movie stories to its targeted audience since it opened in Junly, 2005. Photo taken on Oct. 13, 2022 shows two visually impaired people listening attentively to a movie story.(Pan Di/Guangming Picture) On Oct. 13, 2022, Huiai Mansion in Beijing's Fengtai District welcomed a group of special customers--a dozen of visually impaired people. There was going to be a movie adapted for them. At 8:30 in the morning, several of them chatted on the seats at the restroom on the first floor. Among them is Xiao Huanyi, who started "watching movies" 0at the cinema since the year of 2006 and has become a hard core fan of this special cinema. Photo taken on Oct.13 2022 shows a staff member talking to the audience.(Pan Di/Guangming Picture) For Xiao Huanyi, going to the cinema has become an important pastime, and it also offers an opportunity to meet people. He would occasionally take the role as the host in the room, chatting with other visitors and remind people to keep warm when it gets cold. Photo taken on Oct. 13, 2022 shows Xiao Huanyi speaking in front of the screen.(Pan Di/Guangming Picture) During the movie, Xiao Huanyi listened attentively. He said that in the past he had had to listen to the sound of the movie, trying hard to diferrentiate between characters, but now, at the Mind's Eye Cinema, with the story tellers describing the background story, he could finally "watch" the movie. Photo taken on Oct. 13, 2022 shows Xiao Huanyi talking with his movie fellows. Mind's Eye Cinema has opened for 17 years, and it has gathered around 60 veteran story tellers. Wang Yuchan is one of them. Photo taken on Oct. 13, 2022 shows Wang Yuchan describing the movie scenes to the audience with a microphone. Editor: WJH On Oct. 23, 2022, the opening ceremony of West Beijing Smart Rice Farm was held at the Demonstration Base of West Beijing Rice Smart Farm at Shangzhuang Town in Beijing's Haidian District.At the opnening ceremony, multiple agricultural technologies were showcased, including automatic harvesting by smart harvesting machines. West Beijing Rice Farm is Beijing's first demonstration base of smart farming that integrates three industries, agriculture, service and technology.(Chen Xiaogen/ Guangming Picture) Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, GMW.cn makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has held a meeting with ministers of the Federal Government of Germany during a working visit to Berlin on October 24. The parties also raised issues regarding the situation at the Zaporizhia NPP and the Kakhovka HPP. Shmyhal called on partners to organize a UN and EU monitoring mission to prevent provocations from the enemy, the press service of the Ukrainian government reported. The Prime Minister of Ukraine thanked the Federal Republic of Germany for its support of the introduced sanctions and expressed expectations for the fast approval of the nineth package. With the Vice-Chancellor, the Head of the Ukrainian Government discussed a joint response to russia's shelling of Ukraine's energy infrastructure. According to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the supply of air defense systems by Germany will help protect the sky and people from the next terrorist acts of russia. During the meeting with the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, Svenja Schulze, the Prime Minister of Ukraine invited the Federal Republic of Germany to participate in the financing of small and medium-sized business support programs. According to him, this will allow us to create new jobs and increase revenues to the budget. Moreover, Shmyhal and Svenja Schulze discussed financial support for quick recovery and technical assistance of partners in the winter period, the message reads. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on the EU countries to create a financial "Ramstein" to help Ukraine in the reconstruction and recovery of the economy. He said this on Tuesday, speaking via video link at an international expert conference on the restoration and modernization of Ukraine in Berlin. "I believe that we can now approve the decision to establish a financial Ramstein to support our common stability. We need a financial and coordination platform that will unite all efforts to restore our country," the president said. Zelensky said Ukraine has developed a transparent recovery plan. "This is what Ukraine needs to survive. Right now. The weight of our rapid recovery plan is $17 billion immediately. These are hospitals, schools, vital transport and energy infrastructure. We have enormous needs for housing reconstruction," he said. "We have not yet received a single cent for a quick recovery. I ask you to bring the necessary decisions closer," Zelensky said. According to him, "already now at this conference it is necessary to make a decision on assistance to cover the budget deficit for next year. For Ukraine, this is an unbearable amount, a $28 billion deficit. These are salaries of teachers, doctors, pensions. Our association is powerful enough to realize this task." Zelensky said "there are Russian assets that are already frozen and those that still need to be frozen." "A significant part of these assets is in the jurisdictions of European countries. We need compensation and rightfully so. And, therefore, we need really quick legal mechanism for the direction of Russian assets to compensate for the losses caused by the Russian war," he said. "I ask you to consider all this from the point of view of security. We need security on earth. We are working on this together. We need safety in the sky. We are working on it, negotiating the supply of air defense systems. We need financial security. And our institutional capacity," the president said. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has said that an international coordination financial platform for the restoration of Ukraine should be created by the end of 2022. "We already have the first agreements with the EU and the International Monetary Fund regarding the coordination platform. It needs to be created by the end of this year on the basis of the Ramstein format," Shmyhal said at a press conference at the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction, and Modernization of Ukraine in Berlin (Germany) on Tuesday. The Prime Minister also noted that Germany should become an important component of the future coordination platform. As previously reported, Shmyhal said that the financial Ramstein should act under the chairmanship of the EU, the USA and Ukraine with the involvement of international financial organizations. The European Union's financial assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression against the country has reached $19 billion, including $7 billion in direct budget support, however the process of approving such assistance is still complicated and the issue should be tackled in order to ensure regular allocation of $1.5 billion per months in 2023, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. "A mechanism of direct financial assistance to Ukraine should be developed for 2023," she said at a press conference within the framework of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernization of Ukraine in Berlin on Tuesday. The President of the European Commission said that the monthly financing needs of the budget of Ukraine in 2023 amount to $3-5 billion. According to her, about one third of them should be generated by the EU, the United States and international financial institutions. At the same time, von der Leyen said that the EU can rely on the United States in this regard. The Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group owned by Rinat Akhmetov and Vadim Novinsky reports that 16 enterprises of the group have filed claims to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against Russia for damages caused by Russia to Group's property and possessions in the city of Mariupol and other territories of Ukraine since 24 February 2022. Among others, Azovstal and Illich Steel have filed claims with regards to Mariupol-based steelmakers. Additionally, more than 10 Group companies will file similar claims by the end of this year. Metinvest Group claims, "that Russia has been violating its rights under Article 1 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights by causing significant damage and destruction to its assets, by denying the Group's control over its assets, in many cases to the point of effectively depriving Group of ownership over the assets, and by depriving the Group of the business use and income-generating potential over its assets." "Therefore, each Group company, which has suffered damages because of full-scale Russia's invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, is filing claim against Russia to hold Russia accountable for the devastations that it has caused to the Group's assets, seeks fair compensation for damages occurred due to Russian aggression," the Group's press release notes. It is noted that Group's applications follow a similar claim by Mr Akhmetov, co-owner of the Group, which he filed with the ECHR on 23 June 2022. Metinvest Group supports his claim, regards the Group companies' applications as mutually complementary and is acting in full coordination with its shareholder as the cases progress. Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. The group's enterprises are located mainly in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. IAEA experts to inspect two nuclear facilities in Ukraine in coming days IAEA inspectors intend to visit two nuclear facilities in Ukraine in the coming days at the request of Kyiv, said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. "The IAEA received a written request from Ukraine to send teams of inspectors to carry out verification activities at the two locations," he said. "The IAEA inspected one of these locations one month ago and all our findings were consistent with Ukraines safeguards declarations. No undeclared nuclear activities or material were found there," he added. "The IAEA is preparing to visit the locations in the coming days. The purpose of the safeguards visits is to detect any possible undeclared nuclear activities and material," the report says. By Trend A long queue of cargo trucks has been observed at Azerbaijan's Samur customs post of the General Customs Department for Northern Territories on the border with Russia, the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee told Trend on October 25. According to the committee, there is no problem with the departure of cars through the export control line at the Samur customs post, and in accordance with the number of the other partys releases, the passage of trucks is ensured. Currently, the Samur customs post is working in an enhanced mode and all necessary measures are being taken to eliminate the congestion of cargo trucks. The relevant structures of the State Customs Committee are negotiating with the Russian side to speed up the process of crossing the border. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Secretary General of this organization Antonio Guterres on UN Day. And I want to thank Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for our cooperation, for the fact that he truly defends the Charter of the United Nations and global peace, he said in his traditional video address ON Monday night. We have already achieved good results together - this is the release of our prisoners who were held in Russia, this is the grain export initiative, which makes it possible to alleviate the acuteness of the food crisis in the world, this is multifaceted cooperation in UN structures. Thanks for all your help with this! And I believe that we can achieve even more, Zelensky stated. Ukrainian MFA spokesperson in response to Orban's words: Aid to Ukraine is not charity, but firstly Europe's investment in its own security Speaking on the words of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that the EU support for Ukraine increases the risk of the war spreading to the territory of the bloc, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko said Ukrainians are paying with their lives for peace and tranquility in European cities. "Media: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban believes that EU support for Ukraine through sanctions and military assistance increases the risk of the war spreading to the bloc's territory. 'Unless we stop this process, we ourselves will find ourselves becoming involved in the war, even though so far we have tried to avoid this. 'If the EU stops the sanctions pressure on Russia and military aid to Ukraine, then Russian tanks, which we don't want in any way, will be in Budapest quicker than anyone in the Hungarian government calls Moscow," he said on Facebook. The Foreign Ministry said "Ukrainians are paying with their lives for peace and tranquility in European cities. This should not be forgotten." "Aid to Ukraine is not charity. First of all, it is Europe's investment in its own security. Only by joint efforts can the Russian threat be stopped," he said. The Ukrainian military shot down the third Russian Ka-52 helicopter in a day in Beryslavsky district of Kherson region, the Air Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports. "At about 21:30 on October 24, , in Beryslavsky district of Kherson region, a unit of Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigade of the air Command Pivden (South) of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down the third Russian Ka-52 helicopter in a day, possibly with engines from a Ukrainian manufacturer," the message published on the Telegram channel says. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny held a conversation with US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, during which the operational situation at the front was discussed. "While informing General Milley about the operational situation, I noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting active defense and offensive actions in the main directions with the aim of liberating settlements, leveling the front line, occupying commanding heights and advantageous frontiers. The situation at the front is tense, but fully controlled," Zaluzhny wrote on the Telegram channel on Tuesday night. In addition, the commander-in-chief noted that "Russian accusations about Ukraine's plans to use a dirty bomb are disinformation, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have any type of weapons of mass destruction" (...). Also, Zaluzhny shared his experience in countering "massive attacks by UAVs of the Shahed-136 type." IAEA experts expected to arrive shortly in Ukraine, prove absence of 'dirty bombs' and plans to develop them Kuleba Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will arrive in Ukraine soon to study information about the alleged development of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said. "I appreciate Rafael Grossi's prompt response to our invitation. IAEA experts are expected to arrive shortly and prove Ukraine has neither any dirty bombs nor plans to develop them. Good cooperation with IAEA and partners allows us to foil Russia's 'dirty bomb' disinfo campaign," Kuleba said in Twitter on Tuesday. Return of Ukrainian flag to Crimea will mean arrival of European Union there Zelensky The return of the Ukrainian flag to Crimea will mean the arrival of the European Union on the peninsula in the full sense of these words, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, speaking online at the Crimea Platform parliamentary summit on Tuesday. "The arrival of the Ukrainian flag in Crimea is the arrival on the peninsula of the European Union in the full sense of these words, of all levels of our integration," he said. "The return of the Ukrainian flag to Crimea is the return of the usual European normalcy safe, social, cultural. These are huge opportunities for development. All this does not exist in Crimea now, it cannot be. Russia has deprived our peninsula of development," the president said. "The return of the Ukrainian flag is the protection of human rights, freedom for all people in Crimea, for all communities," he stressed. To achieve this goal, Zelensky said, "we need sufficient support defense, financial, sanctions - as the foundation for the future of Crimea." "Then, when we reach our borders, we will need your experience on security, political, legal, social planes," he said, addressing the summit participants. This will be necessary in order to "return a full life to Crimea, and I want justice for people in Crimea," Zelensky stressed. "We must make our format a start for other humanitarian and political platforms, promote the deoccupation of other territories from Transdniestria to the northern territories [four Kuril Islands], the president said. "Promise me that you will definitely visit our Ukrainian Crimea as soon as we return the national flag there," Zelensky also said, addressing the summit participants. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal declares the effectiveness of the military equipment transferred by Germany, in particular the IRIS-T complex, which shoots down 9 out of 10 missiles. "German weapons show themselves perfectly on the battlefield, they protect our lives, our infrastructure, and work perfectly. The IRIS-T system was able to neutralize 9 out of 10 missiles," Shmyhal said at a press conference at the International Expert Conference on the Restoration, Recovery and Modernization of Ukraine in Berlin on Tuesday (Germany). The Prime Minister also thanked Germany for being the second largest donor in the military sector. As reported, Shmyhal, citing information from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said that Germany would supply Ukraine with three more IRIS-T complexes. The annexation by Russian President Vladimir Putin of four Ukrainian regions on September 30 provoked a split in the Kremlin, which is likely to intensify as Ukraine liberates new territories, according to a report by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The drafters of the report refer to head of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, who stated that Kremlin elites largely did not support Putins decision to annex Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions prior to securing those territories, prompting many officials to contact their Western counterparts to express their disinterest in continuing the war in Ukraine. These observations raise the possibility that hints from insiders of a Kremlin readiness to engage in serious negotiations may not reflect Putins own views or any decisions he has taken but may instead be part of efforts by those who have lost the internal argument with him to persuade the West and Ukraine to offer concessions in hopes of bringing him around to their point of view, the report says. Wagner Group financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin has been consistently referencing the factionalization within the Kremlin since, even explicitly stating that he is part of the war until victory faction. Prigozhin continues to accrue power and is setting up a military structure parallel to the Russian Armed Forces, which may come to pose a threat to Putins rule at least within the information space. Russian sources reported that Prigozhin is sponsoring the formation of a Wagner-based volunteer battalion recruited by a Russian war criminal and former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer Igor Girkin. At the same time, the Kremlin continues an active information operation to accuse Ukraine of preparing a fake attack using a dirty bomb for the second day in a row. Hurried Russian mobilization efforts to fix personnel shortages on the front lines have cannibalized the Russian force-generation staff and diminished Russias ability to effectively train and deploy new personnel and to staff domestic industries. At the same time, the probability of ethnic conflicts in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continues to grow. So, analysts mention videos from social networks in which a Russian officer beats up a Muslim soldier for trying to pray at a certain time. While Russian milbloggers denied the authenticity of the footage, previous instances of violence along religious or ethnic lines, such as the shooting on Belgorod region training ground on October 15, indicate that such problems will intensify throughout time. Racial and religious tensions may also help explain Kadyrovs relative quieting and Prigozhins apparent separation from him, the report reads. Russian forces are preparing for the defense of occupied Kherson, despite previously confirmed reports of the withdrawal of some Russian units. In addition, officials of the occupation administration turned off communication systems in Kherson, trying to restrict civilian communications about Russian positions to Ukrainian forces on the eve of the expected offensive of Ukraine. Also, Ukrainian intelligence reported that as of October 24, Russian troops had not yet laid enough explosives for the complete destruction of the hydroelectric dam. The Russians may try to damage the upper part of the dam, including the road that runs through it, to prevent Ukrainian troops from following the retreating Russian troops if and when the Russians leave the western bank of Dnipro. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that Russian assets located in relevant jurisdiction should be not only frozen, but also used for the recovery of Ukraine. "There is a will, but from a legal perspective, this is not an easy task. We are at the beginning of the journey," she told a press briefing at the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernization of Ukraine in Berlin on Tuesday. She also recalled that a special Task Force has been set up for this purpose. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also described this task as unprecedented and said that this process is at the initial stage. "We must adhere to the principles of law," he said, following von der Leyen saying that the EU is committed to the principle of the rule of law. In turn, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that the seized Russian assets, the cost of which is estimated at $300-500 billion, could become the main source of financing for recovery. He also recalled that Ukraine has set up a relevant Task Force in charge of the confiscation-related issues. Shmyhal said that Canada was the first country to make necessary amendments to the national legislation. The Ukrainian PM also said that he has discussed the issue with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki recently and Poland is also ready to approve necessary amendments to the legislation. Shmyhal stressed that the confiscation of Russian assets should become one of the key points of focus of the "financial Ramstein", which is to be created by the end of the year. Around 18,000 Ukrainians were evacuated from dangerous areas in the temporarily occupied and liberated territories in October, the Ministry for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine said. "The pace of evacuation remains high with the winter approaching. Around 1,000 citizens move to safer regions on central and western Ukraine every day. In particular, mandatory evacuation from Donetsk region continues. Only last month, more than 5,000 people, including more than 700 children and more than 500 people with disabilities, moved from Donetsk region to safer regions of Ukraine. Around 1.1 million civilians, including more than 131,000 children and more than 24,000 people with disabilities, have been evacuated from Donetsk region," the ministry's press service said. Evacuation from the temporarily occupied territories continued during the current month as well, it said. "Although so far, unfortunately, it is going too hard. Opportunity to leave the temporarily occupied territories are almost exhausted. The invaders actually stopped letting evacuation transport from Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. They create various obstacles: they demand a license from the carriers, apply the fingerprinting procedure, check all documents, phones, cars, etc.," the ministry said. Thus, more than 1,300 people were evacuated from Kherson region and around 1,400 people from Zaporizhia region over almost one month. "Meanwhile, the pace of evacuation from the liberated territories, where it is impossible to restore life support systems yet, is growing with the winter coming," it said. By Trend The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist", on September 27, 2020, in response to the large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline, Trend reports. The erupted 44-day second Karabakh war ended with the liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation and the restoration of territorial integrity. Chronicle of the 27-th day of the second Karabakh war: - President Ilham Aliyev shared on his official Twitter page about the liberation by the Azerbaijani Army of several villages of the Zangilan, Jabrayil and Gubadli districts, as well as the city of Gubadly from Armenian occupation. - An operational meeting was held under the leadership of President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev at the Central Command Post of the Ministry of Defense with the participation of the ministrys leadership and commanders of the joint corps located in the frontline. - During the meeting, President of Azerbaijan, victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev informed about the liberation by Azerbaijani army of some parts of Kalbajar and Gubadly districts from Armenian occupation. - President Ilham Aliyev, during the discussions at the UN Security Council, had sent letters to the heads of state and government of the countries supporting Azerbaijan's position. - President Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to the US Fox News TV channel. - The Azerbaijani army troops dealt a serious blow to the Armenian Armed Forces in Khojavand, Gubadly and Lachin. The list of destroyed military equipment of Armenia has been announced. The Armenian troops retreated with losses. - The Azerbaijani army has used high-precision weapons against the Armenian troops. - The Armenian troops fired on Aghdam, Tartar and Aghjabadi. - Video footage of liberated villages of Gubadly district has been released. - Video footage of the destruction of the Armenian firing points has been released. The Armenian troops was forced to retreat with losses. - Video footage of liberated villages of Jabrayil and Zangilan districts has been released. - Video footage of the destruction of Armenian military equipment and ammunition has been released. 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. Iconic Egyptian theatre director and actor Mohamed Sobhy is gearing up for the premiere of his new musical Eila Etaamallaha Block (A Family That Has Been Blocked) in December. EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen was in Kyiv Thursday to work out a roadmap with the war-torn country for its long-standing aspiration of joining the European Union. Her trip coincided with a meeting between Vladimir Putin and his increasingly close ally Chinese leader Xi Jinping in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan, where the Russian leader praised Beijing's "balanced" stance on the war. It also comes as Ukrainian forces consolidate gains against Russian forces in the east of the country in a dramatic offensive aided by Western weapons. Von der Leyen said Thursday's visit was her third to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February, but this one was different. "So much has changed. Ukraine is now an EU candidate," she said on social media. "I'll discuss with (President Volodymyr) Zelensky and (Prime Minister) Denys Shmygal how to continue getting our economies and people closer while Ukraine progresses towards accession," she said. Ukraine gained EU candidacy status in June at the same time as ex-Soviet Moldova, which borders Ukraine and like its neighbour has had Russian troops stationed in an eastern breakaway region. Zelensky promises 'victory' The historic vote angered Moscow, which has tried to retain political and military influence in both countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago. EU countries have staunchly supported Ukraine since Moscow invaded in February by hitting Russia with waves of economic penalties. And many members of the bloc have supplied Kyiv with advanced weapons that have helped Ukrainian forces in recent weeks recapture swathes of territory from Russia. Von der Leyen said just ahead of her trip that the successive waves of EU sanctions against Russia would remain and that Europeans must keep their resolve against Moscow. "I want to make it very clear, the sanctions are here to stay," she told the European Parliament. The Kremlin maintains that Russia has weathered the economic penalties and Moscow has responded by reducing or halting entirely gas flows to European countries. With winter fast approaching, this has forced the EU to source alternative supplies, agree plans to cut consumption and roll out financial support in the face of skyrocketing prices. Ukraine and its allies have been buoyed by gains in the eastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia over recent days and Zelensky promised an overall Ukrainian "victory" while visiting the crucial hub of Izyum recaptured this week. Russia's defence ministry said Thursday its forces were carrying out high-precision strikes in areas recaptured by Kyiv in Kharkiv. Putin praises Xi's stance Ukraine's forces have also posted slower, but steady gains in the southern Kherson region near the Black Sea. The Ukrainian presidency said on Thursday that intense fighting was ongoing around that southern front, adding that the military situation "remains extremely difficult." Local officials in the region around Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih reported fresh Russian strikes Thursday after attacks damaged a dam and saw dozens of homes flooded. In the eastern Donetsk region, which has been partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014, fresh shelling killed two civilians and left another 13 wounded. In the Ukrainian-held Donetsk town of Bakhmut, AFP journalists said streets were deserted and the sound of nearby artillery was audible in the town's centre. Flames were still licking a residential building hit by Russian strikes overnight and plumes of thick smoke were rising as firefighters battled the blaze. Ukraine launched a mandatory drive to evacuate civilians from the eastern industrial region, where its forces have also announced gains, ahead of the counter-offensive but many civilians remain. At the meeting in Uzbekistan, Putin blasted attempts to create a "unipolar world" and praised China's stance on the conflict. "We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis," Putin told Xi. And, he added, "we understand your concerns," without specifying what issues China may have raised about Ukraine. Beijing has not explicitly endorsed Moscow's invasion, it has steadily built economic and strategic ties with Russia over the six months of the war. Search Keywords: Short link: US President Joe Biden on Monday promised to provide advanced air defense systems to Ukraine after Russian missiles rained down on the capital Kyiv and other cities, the White House said in a statement. Biden spoke to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and "pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems," the statement said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened more "severe" attacks against Ukraine after the biggest wave of strikes in months killed at least 11 in retaliation for an explosion that damaged a key bridge linking Russia to the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula. After speaking with Biden, Zelenskyy tweeted that "air defense is currently the number 1 priority in our defense cooperation." Kyiv said Russian forces had fired more than 80 missiles on cities across the country and that Russia had also used Iranian drones launched from neighbouring Belarus. Biden "conveyed his condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured in these senseless attacks," the White House said. "He also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia (and) holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities." Search Keywords: Short link: Kyiv's energy operator on Sunday 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. National energy operator Ukrenergo introduced "stabilisation shutdowns" in Kyiv on Sunday to "avoid accidents", energy company DTEK said in a statement on its website. The blackouts started from 11:13 am (0813 GMT) 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". DTEK reiterated calls for residents to use electricity "sparingly" and for businesses to limit their use of external lighting. "Save your strength" In the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig, deputy mayor Sergiy Miliutin was dealing with emergencies and power outages from his underground bunker used as a venue for a children's martial arts competition. "I've reached a point where I just survive on my drive. You have to stay level-headed and save your strength. No one knows how long this will all last," he told AFP. 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. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held telephone calls with his French, Turkish and British counterparts to discuss Ukraine. Shoigu conveyed "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'" in all three calls, the Russian defence ministry said. Ukraine reported three deaths in an overnight Russian artillery strike in the Toretsk area, said a governor of the eastern Donetsk region. In Russia itself, two lines of defence have been built in the region of Kursk near the border with Ukraine to deal with a possible attack, a local governor said Sunday. The move came a day after the governor in the neighbouring region of Belgorod, which also borders Ukraine, said the construction of defence structures began in parts of the region. The governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, also reported the death of two civilians in strikes on his region on Saturday, adding that 15,000 people were left without electricity. Kherson evacuations Ukraine's SBU intelligence service offered a new accusation of alleged collaboration, saying it had detained two officials of Ukrainian aircraft engine maker Motor Sich on suspicion of working with Russia. The SBU said the management of the company's plant in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region -- part of which is controlled by Russian forces -- "acted in collusion" with Russian state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec. "The suspects established transnational channel for the illegal supply of wholesale batches of Ukrainian aircraft engines to the aggressor country," the SBU said, specifying that Russia used them to produce and repair attack helicopters. 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. 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". Search Keywords: Short link: Ukrainians will decide when peace is possible, French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday at the start of a peace summit in Rome. Since the beginning of the conflict in February, Macron has differed from other Western leaders in pushing to keep talks open with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. "Let's not let peace be hostage to Russian power," Macron said during a speech at the start of the gathering organised by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Catholic charity based in Rome. "Peace is possible, but only they (Ukrainians) will decide when they decide it. "Peace will be built with the other, who is today's enemy, around a table," he said at the summit in front of hundreds of political and religious leaders from around the world. Macron has faced criticism over his repeated calls to negotiate with Putin. He acknowledged that "calling for peace today can be unbearable for those who fight for their freedom, and give them the feeling of being somehow betrayed". But he insisted it was necessary to have the "courage" to want it, even if "imagining peace in times of war" is "the most unthinkable of things". But it should not be achieved by adopting "the law of the strongest". He justified Western support for Kyiv "so that at some point the Ukrainian people can choose peace... in the terms they will have decided". Macron arrived in Rome on Sunday afternoon, and will meet newly appointed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the evening, his office said. That will make him the first foreign leader to hold direct talks with the far-right politician since she took office on Saturday. Search Keywords: Short link: The EU set out its position for the COP27 climate summit on Monday in a text that called for "ambitious targets" but did not put a figure on financial help for developing countries. The 27 member states acknowledged that "global ambition must increase substantially" to keep Paris Agreement temperature goals within reach. The text urges countries to "come forward with ambitious targets" ahead of the UN conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt next month. The EU is ready to update national contributions "as soon as possible" after discussions between the 27 member states to finalise their climate plan, it said. The plan aims to reduce the EU's greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent, compared to 1990 levels, by 2030. The text, adopted by EU environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg, also "calls on all parties to close the book on unabated coal through a phasedown". But the declaration is cautious on the thorny matter of financial help for developing countries. Financing "loss and damage" caused by the impacts of global warming is set to be a burning issue at COP27, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Rich countries have still not kept their commitment to provide at least $100 billion a year in climate aid -- a target initially set for 2020 -- to help poor countries reduce their emissions and adapt. The EU member states expect "the goal will be met in 2023" the text says, without providing any new target figures. Compensation for loss and damage is "a tricky question", said Czech Environment Minister Anna Hubackova, adding: "We are ready to discuss" possible terms. "Today at the Council, we've agreed to have an open mind in the loss and damage negotiations", said Dutch Energy Minister Rob Jetten. "We have to recognise the impact on a lot of developing countries", he added. "Let's see in Sharm el-Sheikh where this ends", he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt has condemned a terrorist attack that targetted a hotel in the Somali port city of Kismayo, about 500 kilometres southwest of the capital of Mogadishu, that killed nine people and wounded 47 others on Sunday. In a statement released by the Egyptian foreign ministry on Monday, Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid expressed his condolences to the government and people of Somalia and the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded. Abu Zeid reiterated Egypts firm stance that condemns such abhorrent terrorist acts, whatever their forms or motives might be. He urged for more concerted efforts by the international community to uproot terrorism, and dry up its sources of funding and support, the statement added. On Sunday, an explosives-packed car exploded at the gates of the Tawakal hotel in Kismayo, followed by gunmen who stormed the hotel. The Somali security forces placed the hotel popular as a meeting place for Somali government officials under siege and killed the attackers, according to news wires. The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. Ahead of deadly attack, a meeting was being held at the hotel to discuss plans to fight the group, Farah Mohamed, a security officer, said in remarks to Reuters. The group has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the Horn of Africa recently. Search Keywords: Short link: Heavy rain, thunder and hailstorms hit large parts of Greater Cairo, the Nile Delta and the eastern part of the country since early Tuesday morning, and the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) has warned of unstable weather conditions nationwide. According to the EMA, thunderclouds have multiplied over the eastern coast, canal cities, North Sinai, the eastern Nile Delta, Greater Cairo, and northern Upper Egypt, accompanied by moderate rainfall since Tuesday afternoon. Greater Cairo has seen its share of heavy rain, thunder and hailstorms since early Tuesday morning. Several streets in New Cairo have seen flooding that has caused traffic jams, and downtown Cairo has seen a rare hail storm. Both Giza and Cairo governorates have raised the degree of readiness to deal with flooding. The Cairo Opera House, which is currently hosting the Festival of Arab Music, has announced that it is moving the even from the open theatre to its main hall. Egypts Ministry of Irrigation said that it is ready to deal with the heavy rain. The EMA did not issue a prediction for when the wave of unstable weather will end, but said it would issue statements throughout the day. Search Keywords: Short link: At the opening of the Egyptian Economic Conference 2022 on Sunday President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi detailed the economic policies planned for the next stage to deal with the volatile situation worldwide. But Al-Sisis statements also conveyed key political messages reflecting the main pillars of his approach to governance since taking office eight years ago. Tough economic reforms, he reiterated, cannot be achieved except without the collective effort and consent of both the government and people. Egyptians are no doubt by and large concerned about the economic future, considering the many crises that have hit the economy in recent years. Yet, even before Covid-19 and the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine, problems that had accumulated over the past 50 years made the reform programme difficult. Al-Sisis policy was to work along parallel lines, dealing with many deeply rooted problems, whether economic, social or political, at the same time. Economic reforms to make the economy more attractive for direct foreign investments were crucial, but so was working on improving the countrys decaying infrastructure, education, health, housing, industry and agriculture. Many government officials told the president that spending nearly LE 7 trillion in seven years was more than an unprecedented record. Yet, the president insisted that this amount was a drop in the sea of what was really needed to improve the living conditions of 100 million people. All this took place while the country was facing the threat of terrorism after the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood following phenomenal protests on 30 June 2013. Rather than adopting a war economy policy, imposing decisions not explained to the people, counterterrorism efforts involving great sacrifices by the army and police went hand in hand with economic reform and development. Unfortunately, the Muslim Brotherhood and its regional and international backers have never missed a chance to distort and undermine the reforms or achievements Egypt has been able to make over the past years. Al-Sisi said this contradicts their claim that they defend religion, because no religion would ever approve lies as a path to achieve the goal of taking over power. Some Brotherhood leaders, he added, have recently been circulating false claims about being ready to accept reconciliation with the regime, but their mission has been to weaken the morale of the Egyptian people and drive them to doubt every decision the government takes, spreading rumours and falsehoods. The preesident noted in his remarks at the Economic Conference that those who make proposals on economic policies, including experts and economists, might be able to produce the best plans ever. Yet the reality is far more complicated, considering how any decision maker must deal with social and cultural issues as well as economic ones, including a decades-long popular attitude of dependence on the government to solve all problems alone. The bureaucracy, too, has had a tough challenge to deal with, since red tape can easily generate obstacles to delay or abort attempts at reform. This is another question that Al-Sisi said he needed to deal with seamlessly, so as to enable the same bureaucracy and state institutions to embrace the reform process. For 50 years or more, the stability of the regime had been prioritised over the real long-term interests of the people. By contrast, the president chose to make use of his popularity to take extremely tough decisions that no other Egyptian leader would dare discuss, such as lifting the subsidy on fuel and other public utilities, or devaluating the Egyptian pound in 2016. He was confident that these were decisions that had to be taken, and he counted on the peoples confidence in his intentions to make them endure the consequences. But the most important message the president delivered was probably that Egypt will no longer continue to depend on external assistance alone, even from Gulf nations who had offered generous support over many years. Even Egypts friendliest allies will eventually reach the conclusion that it is time for the country to stand on its own feet and make use of external funding to build a strong, independent economy for the long haul. Thats the key challenge the president, the government and the people must face in the next few years, which are to be the toughest due to the effects of the ongoing war in Ukraine on the entire world economy. But, like all previous difficult challenges, it will be overcome with hard work, determination and the joint efforts of the people and decision-makers. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: By Azernews By Vugar Khalilov The Armenian armed forces have shelled the Azerbaijani military positions in Kalbajar and Tovuz districts near the state border, Azernews reports, citing the Defense Ministry. Starting from 2220 hours on October 24 to 0145 on October 25, units of the Armenian armed forces, using various caliber weapons, periodically subjected to fire the Azerbaijani army positions in Kalbajar Districts Istisu, Damirchidam, and Istibulag, as well as Tovuz Districts Aghdam villages from their positions in Basarkechar (Gegharkunik) regions Zarkand and Tovuzgalas (Tavush) Chinarli settlements, the ministry said. Units of the Azerbaijani army took appropriate retaliatory measures to suppress the opposite side, the report added. In the same vein, the ministry dismissed Armenias allegation of a ceasefire breach by the Azerbaijani army units as false. The information disseminated by the opposing side that on October 24 at 2030 units of the Azerbaijani army allegedly subjected to fire units of the Armenian armed forces through the use of various caliber weapons does not reflect reality and is completely false. We categorically deny this information, the ministry stressed. The previous similar incidents were registered on October 21, when units of the Armenian armed forces opened fire on Azerbaijani positions in Kalbajar. Armenia shells Azerbaijani military positions along the state border on a regular basis. Since early September, Azerbaijani positions have been repeatedly targeted by Armenian forces. The biggest border clashes between the sides since the 44-day war (2020) started during the night of September 12 to 13, when troops of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin direction. In an unrelated report, Mayil Kazimov, 23, an Azerbaijan Army serviceman, committed suicide on October 24, Azernews reports, citing the Military Prosecutor's Office. The Nakhchivan Military Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the case, the office said. Tarek Osman describes the career of the late 19th-century Islamic scholar Jamaluddin Al-Afghani as part of his series of articles on the makers of modern Egypt The last quarter of the 19th century brought Egypt confidence as well as calamity. The confidence came, as we discussed previously in this series, from the successful Egyptianisation of aspects of the modernisation that Mohamed Ali, Ibrahim Pasha, and the khedive Ismail had driven forward, especially in education. Calamity came in the shape of Britains occupation of Egypt. At the core of the project that Mohamed Ali and Ibrahim had led was the objective, realised and strongly cemented in the first half of the 19th century, of establishing Egypt as an independent state. Its place within the Ottoman Empire was nominal, and decisions were made almost totally by its ruling house. Around that house there had begun to appear circles of talented Egyptians who were increasingly the designers and shapers of policies rather than the mere implementers. They included Ali Mubarak Pasha, whose role the previous article in this series described. The British occupation presented Egypt with a reality that had been beginning to dawn on the country (and the entire East) for some time, but was now becoming glaringly obvious. Whereas delving into Western culture would certainly lead to economic and social development, the West was determined to combine this development with the subjugation of the East. A movement hostile to the West began to appear in different eastern countries from Afghanistan to Morocco. Most of the leading voices of that movement were Islamic scholars who for decades had had acute concerns about how far openness to Western culture might bring about moral decay and Gods wrath. Jamaluddin Al-Afghani was different in terms of his thought and impact. Al-Afghani was a Persian Islamic scholar born either in Iran or in the parts of Afghanistan that were then highly influenced by Persian civilisation. He came to Egypt after working for modernising rulers in that part of the world where he had experienced the struggle between the desire to learn from the immense knowledge the West had developed and possessed and the need to fight its strangling political encroachment. Al-Afghani was uncompromising. For him, the British must be resisted, and the East must mobilise all its resources to fight the colonisers. He went further and advocated that the rulers who cooperated with the invaders, or whose actions had facilitated the Wests encroachment, must be opposed and if possible deposed. One of those rulers in his view was the khedive Ismail, whose borrowing of Western policies had proven reckless and therefore had been a way for the West to expand its influence. Yet, Al-Afghani separated Western politics from Western culture. He was neither naive, nor starry-eyed. For him, Western politics stemmed from a cultural condescension towards the East. But in his view whereas the Western politics of occupation must be fought, the Western culture that had enabled the advances that had made the West able to occupy the East must be studied. Al-Afghani also separated politics and culture from geography. For him, occupation was not a Western phenomenon denoting a lack of morality or a culture bent on exploiting others. In his view, power dynamics always shaped history and orchestrated international relations. The powerful sought resources to grow and expand, and the weak suffered. Culture was not bound by geography. Western advances were anchored in rationalism and the disciplined application of the methodical sciences. These were not European products per se, but were the products of universal forms of knowledge that Europe had skillfully acquired, developed, and mastered in the four centuries before the 19th. However, these forms of knowledge had originated in Egypt and Persia and India, and they were later added to and developed in Greece. They were then lost in oblivion until the Islamic civilisation discovered, analysed, and resuscitated them in the European consciousness. It was only after this that Europe succeeded in leveraging them to build the marvelous Western civilisation of the modern age. In Al-Afghanis words, Europe knew Aristotle and Plato in Arabic rather than Greek garb. Al-Afghani was neither childishly feeding the eastern ego, nor stupidly asserting the Easts equality in knowledge and development with Europe. He had made it perfectly clear that Europe owned its advances, and that these advances were the results of thought and ways of living and behaving that Europe had curated to an exquisite degree of refinement. His key point was that the bases upon which modernity was built in the West were not necessarily Western as such, but originally and in essence were the flow of universal knowledge. Al-Afghani understood that knowledge and development were inextricably linked to thought and behaviour. No advanced society tolerates chaos, noise, and dirt, he said. Internalising true knowledge instils refinement and an inclination towards beauty. For Al-Afghani, like scores of philosophers before him, this was a natural law without exceptions. Al-Afghanis ideas were applicable throughout the entire East. But, as he had made clear, Egypt was special. Its location at a central point between the Mashreq and the Maghreb, between Asia and Africa, and between the seat of the Islamic caliphate in Istanbul and the Islamic holy shrines in the Hijaz made it a natural destination for people from different regions of the East. Its history, from the pharaonic to the Greek, the Persian, the Roman, and then the Arabic, had made it a crucible of ideas. As he noted with the admiration of the constant traveller, Egypts then agrarian and tranquil way of life made it a natural base for the slow and mature unfolding and nurturing of ideas. It was for this reason that while Al-Afghani had worked in Kabul, Tehran, Istanbul, Calcutta, London, Paris, St Petersburg, and Munich, it was in Cairo that his thought blossomed. Al-Afghanis revolutionary ideas about deposing rulers resulted in his being repeatedly expelled from almost all the countries in which he attempted to settle, including Egypt. He became an inspiration for different thinkers and activists. But, lacking a base, he failed to create a movement. This was why many of his ideas came to later generations in truncated form and in fragments, often shaped by those who conveyed them and often utterly missing or deliberately obfuscating their main points. Pan-Islamism was the most obvious example of this. Al-Afghani entered the collective culture of the Muslim-majority East as a pan-Islamist thinker. He certainly saw Islam as the unifying cultural framework of the Persians, many Indians, the Turks, tribes on the Central Asian Steppe hailing from Turkish ancestry, the Arabs, Amazighs, and Egyptians. He also used the notion of pan-Islamism to engage with Western thinkers who viewed the East largely, and often solely, as Muslim-majority or just Muslim societies. However, for Al-Afghani, Islamism, or the role that Islam by theology and tradition has played in society, was a process of cultural development. It began with Islams exposure to the older civilisations of Egypt, Persia, and Greece and progressed with the schools of thought championed by the philosophers Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), and Ibn Rushd (Averroes). Al-Afghani was far from being the traditionalist knee-jerk defender of Islam that several historical narratives have presented him as being. Instead, he was a subtle and deep thinker who believed that a fundamental role of divine inspiration lay in humanising and civilising the social milieu. Al-Afghanis thought was one of the most interesting attempts to position traditional Islamic culture to benefit from West-inspired modernisation. He worked on pragmatic and serious elaborations of how far Islams historical trajectory in the different regions of its growth and spread could meet Western advances not only in the sciences but also in the humanities. However, his revolutionary politics and his assertive ways of fighting Western political domination made many in the East and West suspicious of his positions and ready to quickly, and without serious assessment, cast him among the fathers of modern Salafism. That was a mistake. Perhaps the best description of Al-Afghani came from his closest disciple, sheikh Mohamed Abdou, later one of the key thinkers on the role of Islam in modern society, when he described Al-Afghanis thought as a holistic multi-faceted truth. As we will see in the next article in this series, it was a contemporary of Al-Afghanis, and another non-Egyptian who had chosen to make Egypt his home, who managed to combine Al-Afghanis rationalistic approach to religion with a more reflective view of how to advance politics in Muslim majority societies at a delicate moment in their transition towards modernity. * The writer is the author of Islamism: A History of Political Islam (2017) and Egypt on the Brink (2010). *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The 24th meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) started on Tuesday in Cairo with the participation of energy ministers and heads of delegations from member states with a focus on the recent developments and tensions in the energy market. Egypts Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla said in the inaugural speech that the meeting aims to direct the dynamics of the energy transition, especially in the field of natural gas and boosting cooperation between the countries of the forum. He pointed out that the recent global developments and tensions have caused fluctuations in the energy market and that this has led to a global desire to face climate change and achieve energy security to support sustainable development. El-Molla said that power security and climate protection are two integrated goals, adding that Egypt is keen on quick adaptation and benefiting from the opportunities to achieve more progress and prosperity. The role of natural gas globally is pivotal, he said, adding that the forum is an important and crucial platform for dialogue on all the activities of the natural gas industry. Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the GECF asserted the importance of constructive dialogue and cooperation to face the several challenges taking place in the world, especially the power crisis and climate change. Earlier on Sunday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met the heads of delegations and asserted on the importance of the role played by GECF in the energy sector at the regional and international level. The president affirmed the necessity of intensifying efforts and cooperation in all related events to make the most of natural gas, and said he looks forward to the participation of all the forum's members in the upcoming UN climate conference (COP27) to shed light on natural gas's ability to achieve balance between nations' prosperity and preserving the environment. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt is ensuring the proper representation of civil society at the UN climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh. The UN has granted approval for 56 Egyptian and African NGOs to attend the UN COP27 Climate Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, the foreign ministry has stated, saying that the decision is exceptional, but in line with UN regulations, because the number of Egyptian, African, and Middle Eastern NGOs granted observer status is limited. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat explained in a BBC interview that observer NGOs can act as an umbrella for other civil society groups as part of their share in representation. Observer NGOs attending the COP27 have already been announced together with each organisations list of affiliated groups, the secretariat added. Some 2,000 observer NGOs have submitted the names of 10,000 individuals from civil society groups to attend the COP27. The names have been approved, the UNFCCC secretariat noted, pointing out that their numbers are close to those registered to attend the COP26 in Glasgow in 2021. It added that granting NGOs observer status with the UNFCCC secretariat is a complicated process that takes 18 months. NGOs need to acquire observer status in order to be able to attend UN climate summits. Egypt wants local and international NGOs to take part in the COP27 on several levels, according to Egypts Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad. Besides participating in the national booths, the NGOs are given the opportunity to hold side events and themed days. The participation of youth and environmental activists is facilitated by allocating special areas. The Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity is also implementing a programme to discuss issues of concern to civil society, Fouad added. The Ministry of Environment has created job opportunities for local communities at natural reserves, especially women breadwinners, to make them part of the development process and allow them to protect the reserves and generate income by exhibiting their handicrafts to protectorate-goers, the minister said. She said that these measures have helped the communities concerned to increase their revenues by between 260 per cent and 400 per cent. Fouad pointed out that Egypts NGOs are replete with success stories on climate change. Their contributions to mitigate the effects of climate change will be presented at the COP27. Emad El-Din Adly, head of the Arab Office for Youth and the Environment and coordinator of the Arab Network for the Environment and Development (RAED), said an initiative called Our Country Hosts the Climate Summit has been launched to increase community participation in the climate change issue. The initiative is organising activities in each governorate with representatives from local entities concerned with the environment and sustainable development, Adly said. He added that it aimed to launch a code of honour to confront climate change, explaining that the goal was to collect the signatures of at least one million Egyptian citizens. He said that Egypts NGOs hope to achieve three results during the COP27: the success of the conference on the organisational level; the production of recommendations that meet aspirations related to the technical aspects of the conference and for Sharm El-Sheikh to become a milestone in the course of climate action on the international level; and to enhance cooperation between civil society groups to ensure greater contributions to climate action. The first point can be met, Adly said, not only on the day allocated for NGOs, which is part of the themed days, but also through subjects that will be tackled on other days of the conference, such as water, energy, and agriculture and other issues where NGOs have achieved success. The Ministry of Social Solidarity has prepared three issues to present at the COP27, according to Ahmed Saada, assistant minister of social solidarity for supporting civil work. The first consists of measures to host persons with special needs at the venue of the conference itself, making the COP27 website more user friendly to people with disabilities and making available various publications in Braille and sign language translators, while providing visual accessibility and assistive devices. The second is related to the volunteers who submitted requests to assist delegates during the conference. The ministry has received close to 10,000 requests from young men and women from 80 countries, of whom 1,000 were chosen while making sure diversity and differences were respected, Saada said. The ministry earlier launched a website to receive volunteering requests from young people and persons with special needs. The third focuses on organising a day for NGOs during the conference to shed light on the role of civil society in mitigating the effects of climate change and to present suggestions on the role NGOs can play after it. During the COP27, successful experiences from small farmers, green buildings, and on food security and employing people with disabilities in projects on solar energy, fighting poverty, and climate justice will also be exhibited, Saada said. Egypts NGOs are also coming up with events to hold on the sidelines of the COP27, he said, stating that a special area will be allocated to NGOs and to display the products of local communities as part of the Diarna project in Sharm El-Sheikhs Green Zone. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Several Arab countries are finding their way into the global hydrogen power market as part of the energy transition to fight climate change, reports Mustafa Ahmed This month, Germany received the first shipment of green hydrogen from the United Arab Emirates. Though a small batch, it marked the start of Europe shifting its energy sourcing to the Middle East in its effort to stop relying on depending on Russia for energy supplies. Germany is scrambling to substitute natural gas imports from Russia while also staying on track for its ambitious goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. Germany used to be the main importer of Russian natural gas, now cut due to the war on Ukraine and sanctions imposed on Moscow. Up until the war, Europe imported more than 40 per cent of its energy from Russia, and Germany in particular was importing most of its gas consumption via pipelines. After the war in Ukraine started earlier this year, and the West imposed harsh economic sanctions on Moscow, Russian gas supplies continued to drop. Overall, the EU has been seeking other sources of energy and started to expand reliance on clean energy to stick to low carbon emissions. Energy-rich hydrogen gas has been on top of the list of energy options. Since hydrogen is difficult to transport, it is sometimes stored as liquid ammonia. The Emirati shipment to Hamburg was modest: just a single container with 13 metric tons of ammonia. But as the Associated Press reported, it was symbolic enough for German Economy Minister Robert Habeck to hold a joint ceremony with the UAEs Climate Envoy Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber and the CEO of German metals manufacturer Aurubis which is testing the fuel to make copper wire. The Emirati-German partnership was decided upon during Habecks visit to Abu Dhabi in March this year. The German Energy Ministry described it as a significant step in the envisaged development of a comprehensive hydrogen value chain between Germany and the UAE. In the ceremony at Hamburg port, Habeck said: Todays collaboration makes a double contribution: it supports the fulfillment of our climate goals and at the same time our energy security. Hydrogen is abundant but it is always associated with other elements in nature. To turn it into a power source it needs to be separated, either from fossil fuel, biomass or water. The operation is still expensive, but technological developments promise a reduction in cost to make it a viable clean power source. Many studies show that innovative technologies to produce green hydrogen using clean and renewable energy are witnessing rapid developments and steady progress, indicating that green hydrogen production will increase by 57 per cent annually to reach 5.7 million tons in 2030. There are many ways to separate hydrogen from water (H2O) or methane (CH4): either by gasification of natural gas or electrolysis of water. In natural gas reforming, synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and a small amount of carbon dioxide is created by reacting natural gas with high-temperature steam. In water electrolysis, an electric current splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. Natural gas reforming using steam accounts for the majority of hydrogen produced in the United States annually, not necessarily using electricity from green sources. When the electricity is produced by renewable sources, such as solar or wind, the resulting hydrogen will be considered renewable as well, and has numerous emissions benefits. The UAE aims to capture 25 per cent of the low-carbon global hydrogen market, the value of which is expected to reach more than $400 billion a year over five years. Meanwhile, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are embarking on hydrogen production projects. They are also developing green hydrogen production using electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind power. Days ago, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdel-Aziz announced the second edition of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit and the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) Forum, under the theme From Ambition to Action. The forum will be held on 11-12 November within the functions of the COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh. Crown Prince Mohamed thanked Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi for Egypts hosting of the two events, coinciding with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27). In a statement carried by Saudi media, the crown prince said that COP27 is an event bringing nations from around the world together under one roof to advance global climate ambitions by inspiring joint activity at the local, regional and international level. The statement also underlined the commitment of both Saudi Arabia and Egypt to collaborative action to address the environmental and climate challenges facing the region and the world. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Reaching a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and launching an index for the Egyptian pound were among the top recommendations suggested by the Egypt Economic Conference 2022 as it concluded on Tuesday. General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan announced during the closing ceremony recommendations that touched upon monetary and financial policies, the promotion of the private sectors participation in economic activities, and top economic sectors. The monetary and financial policy recommendations included speeding up the process for reaching an agreement with the IMF. Last week, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the Ministry of Finance announced that Egypt and the IMF had reached an agreement on the economic and structural policies and reforms for Egypts new IMF-backed economic reform programme. Egypt had filed a request with the IMF in March to secure a new loan under a fresh economic reform programme to address the harsh impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the Egyptian economy. The recommendations also included the importance of supporting exchange rate flexibility to reflect market dynamics of supply and demand as a tool for absorbing external shocks in addition to activating the derivatives market as a hedging tool against the risks of exchange rate scarring. Launching an index for the Egyptian pound based upon of currencies of Egypts major partners and gold in addition to decreasing the debt-to-GDP ratio are among the recommendations announced by Rashwan. The recommendations for promoting the participation of the private sector in economic activities included initial public offering (IPO) of stocks of public sector companies to enhance private sector contributions to the economy and to expand the ownership base. The National Dialogue coordinator added that among the recommendations is transferring the ownership of several state-owned companies to the Egypt Sovereign Wealth Fund and introducing financial and tax incentives for the private sector to invest in education. For the top economic sectors, Rashwan said the conference recommended boosting local production and increasing exports through the program of facilitating and repaying export expenses. The conference also recommended developing a plan to promote the Egyptian real estate market globally as well as establishing an industrial zone for information technology industries in the country. For the agricultural sector, the conference, which was attended by 1,200 participants, recommended supporting agricultural cooperatives and associations by implementing structural, financial and administrative reforms. Rashwan said that the recommendations of the dialogue as well as the economic conference will turn into decisions and legislation. Search Keywords: Short link: Ahmed Abdel-Latif, director-general of the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding, says that Egypt is seeking to ensure efforts to tackle climate change and to advance peace work in tandem during COP27. Speaking a common language Climate Responses for Sustaining Peace (CRSP), a COP27 Presidency initiative, will be launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh against a backdrop of increased climate impacts with far reaching effects on sustainable peace and development, particularly in Africa. Early on the Egyptian COP27 Presidency identified climate, peace, and development as overlapping areas ripe for an initiative. While climate change is not a direct cause of conflict it is increasingly seen as a potential risk multiplier that can aggravate vulnerabilities and structural weaknesses, said Ahmed Abdel-Latif, director-general of the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report published earlier this year underlined the urgent need to act on the nexus between climate adaptation and peacebuilding. The report was followed in June by the third edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development (AF) which discussed how to advance sustainable peace and development in Africa at a time of cascading risks and climate vulnerability. The issue is also addressed in the recently released African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-32). Aiming to move from analysis to action, Abdel-Latif explained that CRSP seeks to mobilise leadership at COP27 to promote climate responses that contribute to sustainable peace and development, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings in Africa. The initiative, based on four pillars, envisages scaling-up action based on national ownership, bearing in mind context specificity and in line with the focus on implementation at COP27. The actions under the pillars address some of the policy, knowledge and operational gaps across the interface between climate, peace and development, said Abdel-Latif. Through this initiative, we want to ensure they work in synergy and speak a common language. Investments in climate adaptation can help strengthen peacebuilding and vice versa. The second pillar of CRSP is sustaining peace through climate-resilient food systems. We have a dynamic, Abdel-Latif explained, where conflicts spur food insecurity and food insecurity then feeds into conflicts and this is all exacerbated by increased climate impacts like, for example, the unprecedented droughts we are witnessing in the Horn of Africa. Now, more than 20 million are at risk of starvation in this region. The third pillar is about advancing durable solutions to the climate displacement nexus. The World Bank estimates that by 2050 more than 100 million Africans will be displaced due to climate change. Our societies are not equipped to deal with this large-scale phenomenon which will have huge impacts on the stability of our continent. Under this pillar, we want to look at how we can develop the tools and policies that reinforce our preparedness to address this, including through improved early warning capacities, the subject of other important COP27 Presidency initiatives. The final pillar is accelerating climate finance for sustaining peace. Finance is an important priority for COP. Africa receives just four per cent of global climate finance though it has contributed least to causing the climate crisis and is the continent most vulnerable to its devastating effects. COP27 President Designate Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri has emphasised the need for greater climate justice in this context and has called for an increase in the scale of finance pledges especially for adaptation at COP27. CRSP will also pay careful attention to the needs of women, youth and communities in vulnerable situations because they are the ones most adversely impacted by both climate change and conflict. The initiative will be taken forward through a broad range of partnerships. CRSP will be launched at COP27 on 12 November, said Abdel-Latif, and will be the first time in the history of COP that the presidency puts forward an initiative on climate and peace. The initiative is aligned with the priorities of COP27 in its focus on implementation, moving to action, scaling up support particularly in terms of adaptation and finance and making sure that we provide holistic and integrated responses to the challenges ahead. Abdel-Latif pointed to other COP27 Presidency initiatives that relate to CRSP, including the early warning initiative with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and initiatives on food security and water. Strengthening the capacities of African countries to address the impacts of climate change on efforts to advance sustainable peace and development is a key priority of CRSP and also a focus of the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) whose main mission is to reinforce the capacities of developing countries across the gamut of peace and security activities. In 2019, the centre started a programme on climate security and development with the aim of strengthening awareness and understanding of the issues among African officials. To this end the centre developed a course on climate programming for sustaining peace in Africa and is now finalising core training materials. CCCPA is the Secretariat of the Aswan Forum (AF) for Sustainable Peace and Development, a high-level African platform to strengthen interlinkages between peace, security and sustainable development which Egypt launched in 2019 when it was chair of the African Union. Given that Egypt will be hosting this years COP, it was natural that the third edition of the forum should focus on the impacts of climate change on efforts to achieve sustainable peace and development in Africa, explained Abdel-Latif, Asked about how COP27 might benefit from the conclusions reached during AF, Abdel-Latif pointed to this years examination by the Forum of how climate change impacts the peace and security landscape in Africa, particularly in terms of climate adaptation, displacement and the water-food-energy nexus, and how it underlined the need to address climate impacts on sustainable peace and development through better prevention, preparedness and integrated solutions and responses to strengthen resilience. The AF is based on partnerships. In this context, we work with strategic partners such as Japan, Sweden and the African Development Bank, and supporting partners such as the EU and International Organisation for Migration, as well institutional partners such as the UNDP, the World Bank and UN, said Abdel-Latif. Within this framework, we are looking at operationalising AF conclusions, including at COP27 with a dedicated discussion, and will be working closely with partners. Addressing the interconnected crises, he added, requires collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to advance long-term solutions that strengthen resilience and the ability to address increased climate impacts. CCCPA is an African Union centre of excellence and the only civilian training centre on peacekeeping in the Arab world. It was established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994 and its board of directors is chaired by Egypts foreign minister. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Former MP Ziad El-Eleimy walked out of jail on Monday afternoon hours after receiving a presidential pardon, according to MP Tarek El-Khouly, member of the Presidential Pardon Committee. The pardon decision came in response to calls by political parties and forces, the Coordination Committee of Parties Youth and Politicians (CPYP) and the Presidential Pardon Committee, El-Khouly said. Presiden Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi also pardoned Amr Ragab Qotb and Mohamed Aziz El-Gohary according to the pardon decree that was published in the official gazette on Monday. In November, El-Eleimy received a final five-year prison sentence by the emergency state security misdemeanour court for spreading false news on social media, among other charges, in the case known in the media as the Hope Cell plot. El-Eleimy served as an MP representing the Egyptian Social Democratic Party in the 2012 Parliament. Earlier this year, the Presidential Pardon Committee pardoned political activist and Karama Party member Hossam Mones and journalist Hisham Fouad, who were convicted in the same case, in April and July respectively. Mones and Fouad had been sentenced to four years in prison on the same charges in November. The 13 defendants in the case were arrested in June 2019 for what the interior ministry described at the time as a hostile plot to disrupt the national economy and were placed on countrys terrorist list for five years in April 2020. The prosecution charged the defendants with crimes including cooperating with a group established in violation of the law and disseminating false news and information about the political and economic conditions in the country in order to destabilise public peace and undermine trust in state institutions. In a statement, the pardon committee thanked El-Sisi for fulfilling his promise to pardon El-Eleimy, saying they look forward to further presidential pardons to prove to everyone that Egypt is a homeland that accommodates everyone." A total of 1,040 pretrial detainees have been released and 12 prisoners have received presidential pardons since President El-Sisi reactivated the Presidential Pardon Committee and called for a national dialogue with the opposition and other political forces in April. committee member Tarek El-Awady said on Thursday. The pardon committee, which was originally formed in 2016, is an advisory body to the president which receives suggestions for names to be considered for pardon. T The final decision on eligibility for pardon rests with the president. Search Keywords: Short link: Health facilities increased by 11 percent nationwide during the period from 2009 to 2019, said Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar. The minister's remarks came on Monday during a session titled "A roadmap to increasing the private sector's participation in health domains" on the second day of Egypts Economic Conference. He pointed out that the number of beds in private hospitals went up by 68 percent, with the private sector reportedly owning 28 percent of the total number of hospital beds in the country in 2019. The number of hospitals reached 2,700 nationwide with 15,356 intensive care beds, 3,452 operation rooms, 5,986 nurseries and 120,606 doctors who are assisted by a large number of nursing staff. During the session, he reviewed the health ministry's plans, shedding light on partnerships with the private sector to provide better medical services. He said that the health sector in Egypt needs to add 4,000 beds every year until 2030, at an estimated cost of EGP 40-60 billion annually to meet the needs of the growing population. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Tuesday that religious practices in the region need to be rethought for the modern world to keep pace with the developments and challenges in society. El-Sisi made the remarks at the closing session of the Egyptian Economic Conference 2022 on Tuesday. The president also called on General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan to hold an interfaith conference that includes Muslims, Christians, as well as non-believers. The National Dialogue, which is under preparation, was called for by El-Sisi in April with the aim of reaching common grounds on priority issues facing society, including social issues. El-Sisi reiterated the need to reform religious discourse, and said that his earlier proposal to require that divorces be officially documented has not been endorsed despite being approved by a large percentage of members of a specialised religious committee. In 2017, El-Sisi called for issuing a new law that would prevent divorces from being recognized by the state unless they take place in the presence of a marriage official. However, Al-Azhar, the country's top Islamic authority, insists that according to Islamic law, divorces must be considered valid even if they take place without witnesses or documentation. According to Egyptian law, Muslim men can legally divorce their wives by mere utterance of the phrase you are divorced. Women are not afforded the same right to verbal divorce. The number of annual divorce cases in Egypt increased by 14.7 percent in 2021, according to recent figures by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics. Commenting on El-Sisi's remarks today, Minister of Justice Omar Marwan said that a new family law that would ensure transparency in marriage and put drastic solutions for the problem of divorce will be introduced to the president soon. Marwan said his ministry conducted a training course in cooperation with the Ministry of Religious Endowments and Dar El-Iftaa, the country's official body responsible for issuing religious edicts, to provide intellectual support to marriage officials so that they can judge on divorce cases. El-Sisi has called for reforming the religious discourse on more than one occasion in the face of extremist thought and waves of terrorism. The president has urged religious institutions and scholars to intensify their efforts to spread the values of coexistence, intellectual diversity, acceptance of others and tolerant Islamic instructions. Search Keywords: Short link: The Education Committee affiliated with Egypt's parliament the House of Representatives will hold hearing sessions in the coming days to discuss Education Minister Reda Hegazi's decision to license private tutoring centres, said House speaker Hanafy El-Gebaly. "I have tasked the House's Education Committee with holding hearing sessions on Minister of Education Reda Hegazi's statement before the House on 18 October on new education policies," said El-Gebaly. "This statement is very important as it draws up a new roadmap for the education sector and also could radically impact the future of education in Egypt, and so it should be a matter of discussion in the form of hearing sessions at which education experts and specialists can participate and study in detail ahead of putting this new policy into effect on the ground, El-Gebaly said. "I hope that at the end of these hearing sessions the Education Committee will prepare a report to be presented to the House to be discussed as soon as possible," said El-Gebaly. In his statement before the House on 18 October, Hegazi revealed that the Ministry of Education is planning to license private tutoring centres and allow school teachers to act as tutors at these centres in return for fees to be paid to the ministry. "The business of these private tutoring centres is valued at EGP 47 billion a year, and that the state is ready to legalise them, but only in exchange for fees," said Hegazi, also indicating that "by licensing these centres we would make sure that they offer school lessons to students in a safe and legal environment and at an affordable cost, that teachers get extra income and that the education ministry charge fees." "As for the so-called support groups organised by some schools to give extra lessons after school hours to students, these will be operated by private companies with the stipulation they offer high-quality education for reasonable fees," said Hegazi, asking that MPs help him turn this new policy into fact on the ground. Many MPs, however, said they consider Hegazi's new policy a setback and that it would push students to depend even more on private tutoring centres and teachers and less on government schools. "This new radical policy will further isolate government schools from recovering their traditional role as the main education outlet for students," said MP Gihan El-Bayoumi, adding that "in fact, this new policy means a death penalty for government schools." MPs asked speaker El-Gebaly to put this radical change in education policies up for discussion in hearing sessions. Search Keywords: Short link: By Abdul Kerimkhanov Azerbaijans popular Russian language news website Day.Az carries an article by Abdul Kerimkhanov, editor-in-chief and expert, on France's pro-Armenian and anti-Azerbaijani policies to the detriment of European values, thus encouraging the aggressor country to trample upon centuries-long relations highly cherished in the South Caucasus and not only here. The original article can be found at the link below: France's international policy vis-a-vis Azerbaijan has left much to be desired for three decades. It is an open secret that France, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, was the most pro-Armenian party in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Various French politicians one after the other, as one, chanted statements pleasant to the ear of the Armenian lobby, which have nothing to do with reality. Naturally - not free of charge. Against the backdrop of the notorious events in Ukraine, the political leadership of Armenia behaves primitively, openly taking the side of one of the participants in the conflict. The EU clearly sees and understands that Yerevan does not give a damn about its requests to comply with international sanctions. At the same time, Armenia did not lift a finger to send at least one box of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Notably, despite the obvious sabotage from Armenia, Frances pro-Armenian support only grows. The corrupt French politicians with no shame or conscience feed lies to their people through the media and TV channels, shielding official Yerevan in every possible way. France was especially zealous during and after the Second Karabakh War. Throughout the 44 days of hostilities, the French leadership went out of its way to prevent the inevitable collapse of the Armenian army on the battlefield and stop the war. When the Azerbaijani army forced Armenia to surrender and the conflict was finally resolved, the French Senate adopted a resolution calling on the country's government to recognize the independence of the non-existent "NKR". Tensions in the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and France escalated over the illegal visit of then-French presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse to Karabakh without the consent of the Azerbaijani leadership, which grossly violated our national laws. However, the illegal trip to the territories temporarily controlled by the Russian peacekeepers did not bring her any dividends whatsoever - she received only 5% of the votes, which was the worst result for the center-rights, who for decades were one of the leading political forces in France. At the outset of the year, in an interview with Azerbaijani TV channels, President Ilham Aliyev condemned Pecresse's illegal trip to Karabakh. "If we had known about the last illegal trip of Valerie Pecresse, we definitely would not have let them back," the president said. But there was no apology from French officials for Pecresse's reckless act. Moreover, a couple of days later, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated in the French parliament that the words expressed by the Azerbaijani president about Pecresses illegal visit to the Karabakh region were allegedly "unacceptable in form and content". A statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry was not long in coming: "Unfortunately, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian made a statement unworthy of a diplomat in the National Assembly of France... Thus, Eric Ciotti, a member of the National Assembly from the Republican Party, who tried to insult the Azerbaijani president for provocative purposes, should have been severely reprimanded and punished. Minister Le Drian said that the words expressed by the Azerbaijani president about Valerie Pecresses illegal visit to the Karabakh region are unacceptable in form and content," former spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said. Similarly in nature to Pecresse, another lobby-fed freeloader Madame Marine Le Pen called Karabakh "historically and culturally Armenian land", thereby insulting Azerbaijanis, who are the indigenous people of the region and whose houses were razed to the ground by Le Pen's pets. And although the far-right nationalist, somehow managed to bypass one of the main contenders for the second round, Jean-Luc Melenchon, Le Pen still miserably lost the election to the current president Emmanuel Macron, just like five years ago. Speaking of Macron, as they say, the fish rots from the head. The French president was especially enthusiastic, allowing himself to make a number of reckless statements about Azerbaijan in an interview on the air of France 2 TV channel on October 12. The answer followed momentarily. President Ilham Aliyev made it clear that speaking the language of threats with Azerbaijan is to the detriment of France itself. On October 14, during a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State, the Azerbaijani leader stated that Baku no longer sees any opportunity for Paris to participate as a mediator in the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations after Macron's inappropriate statements, putting an end to France's ability to mediate in the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan. Thus, France once again demonstrated that the norms and standards of diplomacy, human rights, humanism, and democratic values ?? have nothing in common with this country today. Preaching this topic, France, with its pro-Armenian antics, in fact, exposed itself, proving its uselessness as a neutral mediator. With its hypocritical policy towards Azerbaijan, France demonstrates that in reality, it is protecting the aggressor and not international law. For the sake of winning the votes of Armenians in elections, French politicians are ready to go against European values, putting personal interests above democracy. The defeat of Armenia in November 2020 was a tangible defeat for France in the South Caucasus, as Paris remained outside the post-war prospects. The most heated opponents of our country are forced to admit that Azerbaijan, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, is pursuing a far-sighted foreign policy in difficult geopolitical conditions. In the context of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, which is at the center of the attention of the whole world, both the West and the East consider Azerbaijan as a reliable partner. This is a great diplomatic success for a relatively small state. And although Azerbaijan's balanced foreign policy course irritates some of our "partners", nothing will make us turn off this path. At least 16 people died after Cyclone Sitrang slammed into Bangladesh, forcing the evacuation of about a million people from their homes, officials said Tuesday. Cyclones -- the equivalent of hurricanes in the Atlantic or typhoons in the Pacific -- are a regular menace but scientists say climate change is likely making them more intense and frequent. Sitrang made landfall in southern Bangladesh late Monday but authorities managed to get about a million people to safety before the monster weather system hit. Around 10 million people were without power in districts along the coast on Tuesday, while schools were shut across much of the country's south. Government official Jebun Nahar said 16 people died, mostly after they were hit by falling trees, with two killed when their boat sank in squally weather in the Jamuna River in the north. "We still have not got all the reports of damages," she told AFP. Eight people are missing from a dredging boat that sank during the storm late Monday night in the Bay of Bengal, near the country's largest industrial park at Mirsarai, regional fire department chief Abdullah Pasha said. "Strong wind flipped the dredger and it sank instantly in the Bay of Bengal," he told AFP, adding that divers were searching for survivors. People evacuated from low-lying regions such as remote islands and river banks were moved to thousands of multi-storey cyclone shelters, Disaster Management Ministry secretary Kamrul Ahsan told AFP. "They spent the night in cyclone shelters. And this morning many are heading back to their homes," he said. Ahsan said nearly 10,000 homes were either "destroyed or damaged" in the storm and around 1,000 shrimp farms had been washed away in floods. In some cases police had to cajole villagers who were reluctant to abandon their homes, officials said. Trees were uprooted as far away as the capital Dhaka, hundreds of kilometres from the storm's centre. Heavy rains lashed much of the country, flooding cities such as Dhaka, Khulna and Barisal -- which took on 324 millimetres (13 inches) of rainfall on Monday. About 33,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, controversially relocated from the mainland to a storm-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, were ordered to stay indoors but there were no reports of casualties or damage, officials said. Panic and snakes The cyclone uprooted trees and brought widespread panic to the southern island of Maheshkhali after power and telecoms were cut. "Such was the power of the wind we could not sleep in the night because of the fear that our homes will be destroyed. Snakes entered many homes. Water also inundated many homes," said Tahmidul Islam, 25, a resident of Maheshkhali. In the worst-affected Barisal region, teeming rains and heavy winds wreaked havoc on vegetable farms, district administrator Aminul Ahsan told AFP. In the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal, thousands of people were evacuated Monday to more than 100 relief centres, officials said, but there were no reports of damage and people were returning home on Tuesday. Last year, more than a million people were evacuated along India's east coast before Cyclone Yaas battered the area with winds gusting up to 155 kilometres (96 miles) an hour -- equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. Cyclone Amphan, the second "super cyclone" recorded over the Bay of Bengal, killed more than 100 people in Bangladesh and India and affected millions when it hit in 2020. In recent years, better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced the death toll from such storms. The worst recorded, in 1970, killed hundreds of thousands of people. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt, as host of the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), hopes the UKs King Charles III can attend the event in Sharm El-Sheikh next month, said Egyptian chief climate negotiator Mohamed Nasr on Tuesday. In a virtual press briefing, Ambassador Nasr, director of the environment, climate and sustainable development department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that there is an open invitation for King Charles to attend COP27. King Charles has been a very strong advocate for climate action and a role model in this regard, Nasr told reporters, adding that the king has acted as an example for how royalty can push for the climate agenda. The king is a committed environmentalist with a long history of campaigning for better conservation, organic farming and tackling climate change. Early in October, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the king will not attend the climate conference in Egypt, scheduled for 6-18 November, based on an advice he sought from then-prime minister Liz Truss. Truss resigned last Thursday only six weeks after she took over from Boris Johnson, after her economic plan caused markets to reel and threatened the UK's financial stability. Egypt has expressed disappointment over reports that King Charles would not attend COP27, and said it hoped the UK would not backtrack from the global climate agenda, the Guardian reported, citing a COP27 spokesperson as saying. Addressing new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who officially became the new UK PM on Tuesday, Nasr said he hopes that the economic challenges that the UK is facing do not lead to backsliding on [climate] pledges. We hope for the UKs [climate] leadership role to continue, Nasr said, adding that he expects the UK will come with a new round of pledges for adaptation and other climate fields in Sharm El-Sheikh. While Sunak has affirmed his commitment to maintaining the goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, he had previously voted in parliament against measures to lower emissions. Sunak's record on climate action has been labelled as mixed, reported the Independent. During the press briefing, Nasr said he also hopes US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be able to attend COP27. The two countries are leading on climate change and their cooperation has always been instrumental in allowing for progress on climate change," Nasr stated. Climate talks, geopolitical tensions As a host country, Egypt measures success in COP27 by avoiding a "spillover of other issues into the climate change negotiations," Nasr said. Nasr said he hopes the difficult geopolitical scene does not affect the negotiations and that the different parties focus on dealing with climate change. The Egyptian COP27 presidency late last month urged countries to put aside political differences over the Russia-Ukraine war and collaborate to move forward on climate action. The presidency warned that the war in Europe would surely have an impact on the global effort to combat climate change, including by affecting energy and food prices and through the animosity that the military conflict is causing. The presidency asked everyone to rise to the occasion and to show leadership, and said the unfolding geopolitical situation should not be used as a pretext for backsliding on climate pledges. World leaders' summit, COP27 success The world leaders' summit, which will take place on 7-8 November, is estimated to include 90-plus heads of state and government as well as representatives from the private sector, civil society, NGOs, and think tanks, Nasr said. The summit will discuss six main topics at roundtables, Nasr said, including a just transition, hydrogen as the future of energy, food security and climate, climate changes impact on water security, climate changes impact on vulnerable communities and sustainability, and innovative finance, he explained. The summit, which is dubbed the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit, will see world leaders reaffirm their commitment to climate action, Nasr noted. The Egyptian COP27 presidency is concerned with ensuring the presence of political commitment of the heads of states to climate action, engagement of stakeholders and the private sector, Nasr said, noting that these are among the elements of COP27 success. The COP27 success depends on extent of delivery on the issues of loss and damage, climate finance, mitigation, and adaptation, he said. He confirmed that the Egyptian presidency has a priority to see fossil fuels specifically being tackled in any COP27 agreement. In September, Egypt's COP27 presidency said its vision to advance climate action at COP27 involves collaboration between governments, private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders. Canceling side events on 7 November The side events of COP27 will be cancelled on 7 November, which is the first day of the world leaders' summit, Nasr confirmed. Nasr denied that canceling the events is linked to security issues, saying that the reason behind the decision is pure logistics. It is just to make sure that the mobility of people is fine and that nobody faces challenges like standing in the sun or waiting in long queues, Nasr said. Egypt is coordinating with international partners to focus on the need to cut emissions dramatically and keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C within reach. Egypt is also encouraging countries to update their Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement to ensure finding a pathway to achieve the 1.5C objective. Search Keywords: Short link: Peace talks to end Ethiopia's Tigray conflict have begun in South Africa, a South African government spokesman said Tuesday. It is the highest-level effort yet to end two years of fighting that has killed perhaps hundreds of thousands of people. The spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Vincent Magwenya, said the African Union-led talks that started Tuesday are expected to continue until Sunday. Delegations from the Ethiopian government and Tigray authorities arrived in South Africa this week. There was no immediate comment from either side. "Such talks are in line with South Africa's foreign policy objectives of a secure and conflict-free continent,'' Magwenya said. Former Nigerian president and AU envoy Olesegun Obasanjo, former South African deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta are facilitating the talks with the encouragement of the United States, whose special envoy Mike Hammer picked up the Tigray delegation in a U.S. military aircraft on Sunday. The conflict has sharply changed the fortunes of Ethiopia's Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who went to war with his country's northern Tigray region less than a year after receiving the award for making peace with neighboring Eritrea. The peace talks, led by Ethiopia's national security adviser Redwan Hussein and by Tigray forces spokesman Getachew Reda and Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae, begin as Ethiopian and allied forces from Eritrea have taken over some urban areas in Tigray in the past few days. Those include the towns of Axum, Adwa and now Adigrat, according to a humanitarian source who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. The Tigray region of more than 5 million people is again cut off from the world by renewed fighting that began in late August following months of a lull in the conflict that allowed combatants to regroup. All combatants have committed abuses, according to United Nations human rights investigators who recently singled out the Ethiopian government as using "starvation of civilians'' as a weapon of war. Babies in Tigray are dying in their first month of life at four times the rate before the war cut off access to most medical care, according to a yet-unpublished study shared by its authors with The Associated Press this month. Relief convoy movements have "remained on complete standstill'' since Aug. 24, the U.N. said this week. The war since exploding in November 2020 has also spilled over into Ethiopia's neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, putting hundreds of thousands of people there in peril. Academics and health workers have estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by conflict and deprivation, and the U.S. has begun warning of a half-million casualties. "Too many lives have already been lost in this conflict,'' the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote with several colleagues in an open letter to Ethiopia's prime minister this week urging "a cessation of hostilities and unfettered humanitarian access ahead of, and for the duration of, the negotiations.'' Search Keywords: Short link: Germany's president arrived in Kyiv Tuesday for his first visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion, a trip that comes amid Moscow's unsubstantiated warnings of a "dirty bomb'' attack as the conflict enters its ninth month. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after arriving that "it was important to me in this phase of air attacks with drones, cruise missiles and rockets to send a signal of solidarity to Ukrainians,'' German news agency dpa reported. Steinmeier's spokesperson, Cerstin Gammelin, posted a picture of him in Kyiv on Tuesday. "Our solidarity is unbroken, and it will remain so,'' she tweeted. The German president, whose position is largely ceremonial, made it to Ukraine on his third try. In April, he was planning to visit the country with his Polish and Baltic counterparts, but said his presence "apparently . wasn't wanted in Kyiv.'' Steinmeier has been criticized in Ukraine for allegedly cozying up to Russia during his time as Germany's foreign minister. Last week, a planned trip was put off because of security concerns. Steinmeier's visit comes as Ukrainians are bracing for less electric power this winter following a sustained Russian barrage on their infrastructure in recent weeks. Citizens in the southern city of Mykolaiv lined up for water and essential supplies Tuesday as Ukrainian forces advanced on the nearby Russian-occupied city of Kherson. Ukrainian authorities tried to dampen public fears over Russia's use of Iranian drones to strike the country's infrastructure, claiming increasing success Monday in shooting them down. Ukraine's forces have shot down more than two-thirds of the approximately 330 Shahed drones that Russia has fired through Saturday, the head of Ukraine's intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, said Monday. Budanov said Russia's military had ordered about 1,700 drones of different types and is rolling out a second batch of about 300 Shaheds. Although Russia and Iran deny that the Iranian-built drones have been used, the distinctive triangle-shaped Shahed-136s have rained down on civilians in Kyiv and elsewhere. Britain's Ministry of Defense said Russia was likely to use a large number of drones to try to penetrate the "increasingly effective Ukrainian air defenses'', to substitute for Russian-made long-range precision weapons "which are becoming increasingly scarce.'' Russia's "artillery ammunition is running low,'' the British report said Tuesday. The Institute for the Study of War, in Washington, added that "the slower tempo of Russian air, missile, and drone strikes possibly reflects decreasing missile and drone stockpiles and the strikes' limited effectiveness of accomplishing Russian strategic military goals.'' Despite the reduced attacks, at least seven civilians have been killed and another three have been wounded in the latest Russian shelling of the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine's presidential office said Tuesday. The attacks came as the Russians pressed their offensive on the strategically placed towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka and also shelled other areas in the Donetsk region, which is part of Ukraine's industrial heartland of Donbas. The developments came after a stark warning by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to his British, French, Turkish and U.S. counterparts over the weekend that Ukrainian forces were preparing a "provocation'' involving a radioactive device, a so-called dirty bomb. Britain, France, and the United States rejected that claim as "transparently false.'' A dirty bomb uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste in an effort to sow terror. Such weapons don't have the devastating destruction of a nuclear explosion, but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination. Russian authorities on Monday doubled down on Shoigu's warning. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian military's radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, said Russian military assets were on high readiness for possible radioactive contamination. He told reporters a dirty bomb blast could contaminate thousands of square kilometers (miles). Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that "it's not an unfounded suspicion, we have serious reasons to believe that such things could be planned.'' Ukraine has rejected Moscow's claims as an attempt to distract attention from its own plans to detonate a dirty bomb. German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht on Monday dismissed as "outrageous'' the Russian claim that Ukraine could use a dirty bomb. The White House on Monday again underscored that the Russian allegations were false. "It's just not true. We know it's not true,'' John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said. "In the past, the Russians have, on occasion, blamed others for things that they were planning to do.'' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Moscow itself was setting the stage for deploying a radioactive device on Ukrainian soil. He also urged citizens to conserve their use of electricity, as an estimated 30 percent of the country's power plants have been destroyed or badly damaged in recent weeks. "Now is definitely not the time for bright storefronts and signs,'' he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Six Palestinians were killed in sweeping Israeli raids Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, in what the occupation army described as an assault targeting the emerging "Lion's Den" armed group. Six Palestinians were killed in sweeping Israeli raids Tuesday in the occupied West Bank as the army targeted an emerging armed group, and thousands later massed for the funerals of the alleged gunmen. The Palestinian health ministry said five people were killed in Nablus in the northern West Bank, where Israel confirmed an overnight operation targeted the "Lion's Den", a new group it blames for multiple recent attacks. Another Palestinian died from a gunshot wound to the chest during overnight clashes with Israeli forces in Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah, the health ministry said. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement that Wadi al-Houh, whom he described as "the head of the Lion's Den", was among those killed in Nablus. The army said it had carried out a major operation with police and intelligence officers targeting a site "used by the main operatives of the 'Lion's Den'", describing it as a "headquarters and a workshop for making weapons". "The forces detonated the explosive manufacturing site," added the army statement which did not provide a death toll. "During the activity, multiple armed suspects were hit." Ready for 'escalation' An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that "after trying to let the Palestinian Authority contain the group and them failing to do so, and with the rise in attacks... we embarked on an intelligence-based operation to halt the Lions' Den terror attacks". "The region has been thoroughly reinforced, we're prepared for an escalation," the official added. At the death reported at Nabi Saleh, the army confirmed it had "spotted a suspect throwing an explosive device" at soldiers, who opened fire. In a statement posted to Telegram, the nascent militant group was defiant. "Surrender is the path of humiliation," it said. "It's time for the lions to come out of their den." A sea of mourners carried bodies through the streets of Nablus ahead of the burials as gunman fired into the air. Violence has surged in recent months in the north of the West Bank, the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel, especially in the areas of Nablus and Jenin. More than 100 Palestinian fighters and civilians have been killed since the start of the year, the heaviest toll in the West Bank for nearly seven years, according to the United Nations. Lapid, speaking on Israeli public broadcaster Kan radio, warned Palestinian militants that "they need to know that we will reach them wherever they are". "Israel will never stop acting for its security and we will do what needs to be done," added Lapid, who is campaigning ahead of November 1 elections. Gaza general strike Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is making "urgent contacts in order to stop this aggression against our people" in Nablus, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah said in a statement. The chief of Islamist armed group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, warned in a statement that the violence would "plunge Palestine into escalation". Palestinian factions in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza strip announced a general strike. Khaled al-Batsh, a leader in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, urged "confrontation" with Israel on all "fronts". Islamic Jihad reported its fighters were involved in "violent clashes" with Israeli forces in Nablus, and threatened Israel with reprisals "for its crimes". In recent weeks, a group of young Palestinian fighters -- some affiliated with groups such as Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- have launched militant attacks from Nablus. The new group, called "Areen al-Ossoud" or "The Lions' Den" in English, claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on an Israeli soldier two weeks ago in the West Bank. Late leader Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, nicknamed "The Lion of Nablus", was known for galvanising the youth before he was shot dead by Israeli forces in August. He has since become a folk hero to Palestinians on social media. In the aftermath, the Israeli army tightened its grip on Nablus, setting up controls to identify people leaving the city and constantly scanning the area with observation drones. On Saturday night, a Lions' Den fighter, Tamer al-Kilani, was killed in Nablus by an "explosion" attributed by the group and the Israeli press to a bomb remotely activated by the Israeli army. The army did not comment on these claims. Search Keywords: Short link: Iranian students protested Tuesday at multiple universities, defying a bloody crackdown as tensions mount on the eve of planned ceremonies marking 40 days since Mahsa Amini's death. "A student may die but will not accept humiliation," they chanted at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, in an online video verified by AFP. Young women and schoolgirls have been at the forefront of protests sparked by Amini's death last month, after her arrest for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women. The 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin died three days after being taken into custody by the notorious morality police on September 13 while visiting Tehran with her younger brother. Activists said the security services had warned Amini's family against holding a ceremony and not to ask people to visit her grave Wednesday in Kurdistan province, otherwise "they should worry for their son's life". Wednesday marks 40 days since Amini's death and the end of the traditional mourning period in Iran. State news agency IRNA published a statement it said was from the family, saying that "considering the circumstances and in order to avoid any unfortunate problem, we will not hold a ceremony marking the 40th day". Activists said the statement was made under pressure and that tributes were nonetheless expected at Amini's grave. 'Attacked, strip-searched, beaten' Online videos showed students protesting Tuesday at Beheshti University and the Khaje Nasir Toosi University of Technology, both in Tehran, as well as Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, in Khuzestan province. The fresh demonstrations came after activists accused security forces of beating schoolgirls at the Shahid Sadr girls vocational school in Tehran on Monday. "Students of the Sadr high school in Tehran have been attacked, strip-searched and beaten up," said the 1500tasvir social media channel. At least one student, 16-year-old Sana Soleimani, had been hospitalised, said 1500tasvir, which chronicles rights violations by Iran's security forces. "Parents later protested in front of the school. Security forces attacked the neighbourhood and shot at people's houses," it added. The education ministry said a dispute erupted between schoolgirls and their parents and school staff after the principal demanded they comply with rules over the use of mobile phones. "The death of a student in this confrontation is strongly denied," a ministry spokesman said, quoted by Iran's ISNA news agency. Families were seen clamouring for information outside the school in Tehran's Salsabil neighbourhood, in an online video verified by AFP. Such reports have fuelled further anger over the crackdown that the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights said, in an updated toll Tuesday, had cost the lives of at least 141 protesters. Top official heckled Deadly unrest has hit especially Amini's western home province of Kurdistan -- but also Zahedan in the far southeast, where IHR said 93 people were killed in demonstrations that erupted on September 30 over the reported rape of a teenage girl by a police commander. Iran's Tasnim news agency said unidentified gunmen killed two Revolutionary Guards in Zahedan Tuesday, taking to eight the number of security personnel killed in Sistan-Baluchistan. Despite what rights group Amnesty International has called an "unrelenting brutal crackdown", young women and men were again seen protesting in online videos on Tuesday. "Death to the dictator" and "Death to the Revolutionary Guards", women chanted in Tehran metro stations, in videos shared on Twitter. Students heckled the spokesman for ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi as he addressed Tehran's Khaje Nasir University, in a video published by the reformist paper Hammihan. "Spokesman, get lost!" and "We don't want a corrupt system, we don't want a murderer", they shouted at Ali Bahadori Jahromi. Teachers observed a strike around the country Sunday and Monday over the crackdown, and another work stoppage was said to be under way in Kurdistan on Tuesday. Amnesty says the crackdown has cost the lives of at least 23 children, while IHR said Tuesday at least 29 children have been killed. There has also been a campaign of mass arrests of protesters and their supporters, including academics, journalists and even pop stars. The judiciary said Monday more than 300 people had been indicted over the Amini protests and that four were charged with an offence that can carry the death penalty. State media said Tuesday more than 210 people were charged in connection with the protests in Kurdistan, Qazvin and Ispahan. Search Keywords: Short link: Rishi Sunak on Tuesday became Britain's third prime minister this year and the first person of colour to hold the top job, receiving a flurry of welcome messages from around the world. Here is a selection of top reactions from global leaders: Biden welcomes 'groundbreaking' PM Even ahead of Sunak's appointment as prime minister by King Charles III -- the monarch's first new government chief since taking over from his mother Elizabeth II -- US President Joe Biden said it was "groundbreaking" that Britain would be led by a person with Indian heritage. "It's pretty astounding, a groundbreaking milestone and it matters," Biden said at a White House celebration of the Indian Diwali festival celebrated on Monday. Zelensky wants a strong partnership Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media that he hoped Sunak would be able "to successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today". He added that he was "ready to continue strengthening the Ukrainian-British strategic partnership", following months with London as one of Kyiv's most vocal supporters against Russia's February invasion. 'Tackling challenges' with France France's Emmanuel Macron tweeted that "together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world". Italy is 'eager' to cooperate From Italy, newly-installed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that she was "eager to cooperate with (Sunak) and his cabinet on the common challenges, standing for our shared values of freedom and democracy." 'Close friends' with Germany "I look forward to our further cooperation and partnership in NATO and (the) G7 as close friends," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted. 'Positive EU-UK relations' Maros Sefcovic, the European Union's point man on post-Brexit ties with Britain, said that "a positive EU-UK relationship is of strategic importance". He vowed to work towards "a partnership in full respect of our agreements" -- including the contentious issue of British province Northern Ireland's land border with EU-member Ireland. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that "in these testing times for our continent, we count on a strong relationship with the UK to defend our common values". Russia sees no hope for improvement Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that in Moscow, "we do not see any preconditions, grounds, or hope that in the foreseeable future there will be any positive changes" in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Russia. Nigeria welcomes 'milestones' Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said that with Sunak "as the first Prime Minister of British-Asian descent and the youngest in about 200 years, these milestones will be especially inspiring for young people" in the Commonwealth, the association mostly of former British colonies. "We seek to deepen our partnership with Britain" to address challenges including terrorism, food insecurity, energy and climate change, Buhari added. Address global concerns with Canada Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he hoped to strengthen what was already "one of the strongest relationships between any two countries" further by jointly addressing global concerns, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, economic uncertainty and climate change. Trudeau said he also hoped for a "comprehensive, ambitious, and inclusive Canada-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement". Special Diwali wishes from Modi Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not wait for Sunak to be officially appointed, sending congratulations via Twitter on Monday. "As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues," Modi wrote. "Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership," he added. Sunak is married to an Indian, Akshata Murty, the daughter of the co-founder of IT giant Infosys. Search Keywords: Short link: Gazprom said Tuesday it has begun operational tests on the Kovykta natural gas field in eastern Siberia, bringing Russia a step closer to boosting energy exports to China. The tests announced Tuesday are part of the measures to put the Kovykta gas field into service, which is expected in December, and will allow Russia to increase exports to China. "Putting the Kovykta into service is an important step in the implementation of the 'Power of Siberia' project and the creation of new centres of gas production in the east of the country," Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller said in a Telegram statement. Miller described Kovykta as "a key resource base for the development of gas supply to the eastern regions of Russia and for exports" to China. Bringing Kovykta into production comes as Russian gas exports to Europe decreased following the beginning of the Ukraine offensive. Russia does not have pipelines to transport gas from its Western Siberian and Arctic gas fields that have served Europe to China, but around a decade ago began efforts to develop new fields and build the Power of Siberia pipeline to deliver it the rapidly expanding market. The first Power of Siberia pipeline went into operation and began to ship gas from eastern Siberia to China at the end of 2019. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said last month that Gazprom would increase gas deliveries to China to 20 billion cubic metres per year. It shipped 10.4 billion cubic metres of gas to China last year. Russia aims to export 38 billion cubic metres of gas to China by 2025, when the pipeline reaches maximum capacity. Moscow plans to build a Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, yet another sign that Russia is looking to China in the face of Western sanctions. Search Keywords: Short link: The management of the Sharm El-Sheikh International Theatre Festival for Youth (SITFY) named Iraq as the country of honour in its seventh edition, which is scheduled to take place in November. The decision to honour Iraq is part of the implementation of a memorandum of understanding signed three years ago between SITFY and the Iraqi Artists Syndicate that aimed, among other things, to highlight Iraqi talents through consecutive editions of the Egyptian festival. Ingy El-Bastawi, the artistic director of SITFY, revealed in a press release the extensive scope of Iraqi participation. "We also have Iraqi participation in competitions, whether in the major performances or within the monodrama competition, or the street theater performances and non-traditional theatrical spaces competition. Last year we launched several awards carrying names of Iraqi theater practitioners, director Salah Al-Qasab, and artist Sami Abdel Hamid. This year we will hold two book signings: featuring writer and critic Halim Hatif and the writer Munir Radi Al-Aboudi." The director added that the Iraqi writer Ali Abdul-Nabi Al-Zaidi is this year's jury member of the playwright competition. Meanwhile, Iraqi actress and visual artist Alaa Hussein will be among the jury members of the main competition. The seventh edition of SITFY is scheduled to take place 25-30 November in Sharm El-Sheikh. Held annually, the SITFY is the first festival of its kind to be organised in Sinai. It was launched with the aim of providing opportunities to young theatre practitioners while decentralising the artistic scene and reviving tourism in South Sinai. The SITFY's founder and president is Mazen El-Gharabawy. Veteran actress Samiha Ayoub is SITFYs honorary president and actor Mohamed Sobhy is the president of SITFYs higher committee. The festival is held under the auspices of the Minister of Culture, Nevine Al-Kilani, and South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend A petition of protest has been prepared in connection with the anti-Azerbaijani resolution being prepared in the French Senate, Trend reports on October 24. "We, the ordinary Azerbaijani citizens of various ages, genders, nationalities and social status, appeal to the Senate and the people of France. We, the ordinary Azerbaijani citizens, who do not represent official position of the Azerbaijani authorities, have never collectively appealed to the parliamentary bodies and the people of France before. This was prompted by a draft resolution proposed on October 3, 2022 by six members of the Senate, the consideration of which is scheduled for November 15," said the petition. "This document contains accusations against our country, that is, each of us, appeals from the French authorities and other countries of the European Union "to impose an embargo on the import of gas and oil from Azerbaijan." The draft resolution presents the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict from an absolutely one-sided and biased point of view. The authors defend the interests of only one side of the conflict - the Armenian side. They completely turn a blind eye to the bitterness, losses, sacrifices and desires of the other side - millions of ordinary Azerbaijanis, they consider us guilty," the petition stated. "Thus, preference for one nation, discrimination against another and its harsh condemnation is a public demonstration of ethnic intolerance and racism!" said the petition. The full text of the petition of protest (in French) can be found at the following link. Mustafa Assem, a kindergartner, recently painted a picture of the planet as all its trees, which are protecting earth from heat and sun, are disappearing. I watched a cartoon on the dangers of trees disappearing from the world. Trees are important as they provide us with shade and help in reducing the atmospheres temperature, Assem said. His picture was part of an art exhibition held by the Ministry of Education at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation on 16 October. Organised in cooperation with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), the exhibit aims to introduce the world to climate change through painting and artwork. Under the slogan Egypts childrens message to the world the exhibition comes within the framework of the countrys preparations to host the 27th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) scheduled to convene in Sharm El-Sheikh next month. During the exhibition, Minister of Education Reda Hegazi noted that it was an opportunity for school students to express their views and concerns on climate and environmental issues. The exhibition aims to raise awareness among 25 million students to preserve their environment by giving training courses on climate change to 300,000 teachers in government schools, Hegazi said. More than 1,000 students from all the countrys governorates participated in the contest and submitted more than 1,700 paintings displayed at the exhibition, he added. The initiative is an inspiring one, as students learn how to express their views on climate change through creativity that drives them to action, Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF representative in Egypt, said. We believe that children can find innovative solutions to climate change from their surroundings which are relevant to their communities, Hopkins said. The exhibition is the result of a three-year effort with the Ministry of Education to develop the educational curricula to include issues such as climate change and biodiversity, which are complex global issues, in order to create awareness about these issues for future generations, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said. The students artworks will decorate the walls of the COP27 venue, Fouad added. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The three-day Economic Conference which had promised to draw up a new economic roadmap for Egypt ended on Tuesday with promises of a greater role in the economy for the private sector. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said that the conference had been fruitful. He instructed the government to take the actions necessary to implement key recommendations made during the conference and to provide him with a quarterly report of progress made, and requested the conference become an annual event in order to maintain momentum. We are serious about reform, and even if the government faces obstacles in implementing recommendations we should all agree on the measures taken to overcome the obstacles, he said. Positing economic reform as a priority for the state, Al-Sisi said it will be high on the agenda of the National Dialogue which will also address political and social issues as it draws up a vision for the future of Egypt. The National Dialogue should lead to a restructuring of state institutions. All issues will be on the table for discussion during the dialogue in a transparent way. We have to listen to each other in an atmosphere of political and media openness. President Al-Sisi promised the conclusions of both the Economic Conference and the National Dialogue will be taken on board by the government. There is also room, he said, for a third open consultation, a religious dialogue conference, to be held in the near future. Al-Sisi told the General Coordinator of the National Dialogue Diaa Rashwan that Muslim and Christian clerics should gather to discuss religious issues of mutual interest in a transparent way and respond to those who attack us on religious grounds and describe us as untrue Muslims. Embracing a new kind of cultural, constitutional, and intellectual dialogue is necessary for the country to move forward, said the president. Addressing participants at the Economic Conference, he noted that following the turbulent [summer] of 2013 Egypt was about to descend into civil war. When I took office in 2014 conditions were so difficult that many economists declined to accept offers as cabinet ministers. Now, after seven years of achievements the picture has completely changed and the media should focus on highlighting these. In remarks made during the opening of the conference, the president reviewed the political and economic measures already taken and the ways they have enhanced political stability and economic growth despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Al-Sisi said that as of 2015 he had invested much of his political capital in a programme of reform and reconstruction. He listed a number of key breakthroughs since he took office in 2014, including work to end the electricity shortages that had dogged the national grid. See how people in Europe are now suffering from high prices of electricity, while in Egypt we offer electricity to 17 million people at half price, he said. The discovery of the giant Zohr gas field in 2018, he continued, saved the country from power blackout. In 2014, before discovering the field, we were importing natural gas for $2 billion a month to operate electric power stations a figure that, were it not for the speed with which the Zohr field was brought online, would have grown exponentially. According to figures cited to the conference by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli, Egypt is currently producing an average of 58.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas every year and is exporting $2 billion worth annually. Al-Sisi said the political turmoil Egypt lived through between 2011 and 2013 came at great financial cost which has been estimated at LE477 billion. At the same time, the threat of terrorism added yet more burdens. We were on the verge of collapse and chaos, said the president. Friendly countries which wanted to help Egypt said they couldnt because the country had no potential for reform. When Egypt was able to stand on its feet, however, these friendly countries came forward and offered help. Al-Sisi cautioned that Egypt cannot continue to rely on external help and must now move forward. Addressing one of the most sensitive issues, the president said that when he took office he had to count on the army for missions beyond their traditional role. The Armed Forces were needed not only to fight terrorism but also to help rebuild the country. To rebuild the country and embark on the necessary development process while depending on the state budget was unfeasible so I turned to the army to seek help, said Al-Sisi. Today, he added, both state and army-owned companies like the diesel-filling stations of Wataniya and the bottled water company Safi will be put on the market as part of a package to stimulate private sector investment and raise its contribution to the national economy. The development role of the army will continue, the president said, in view of its efficiency and reliability. Whenever I want to build a project in record time, I ask the army to do it. The army will play a leading role in building ports given that constructing a network of modern ports could cost LE50 billion. Acknowledging the far-reaching economic impacts of the war in Ukraine, the president said the government will do its best to ensure that the most vulnerable are protected from the fallout. Social protection programmes will be expanded, and employment opportunities will be generated. President Al-Sisi also reflected on the strains placed on the state budget by social services. We need at least LE250 billion a year to build 60,000 schools and recruit teachers and raise the quality of education in general, said Al-Sisi. The state also needs more than LE150 million a year to reclaim one million feddans to meet the countrys growing food needs, and LE50 million for each new hospital we build. Echoing the final recommendations of the economic conference which underlined the need to adopt measures to facilitate the role of the private sector and expand local and foreign investments, Al-Sisi said he hoped to see the private sector playing a much more prominent role in the health and education sectors. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Surfacing in an undisclosed location in the Arabian Sea last week, the Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia welcomed aboard General Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) and gave him a hands-on demonstration of the capabilities of the vessel, the US Navy website reported on 20 October. But what does this mean for us in this region? And who might such signals be addressed to apart from Russia, Iran which is supplying Russia with drones to use in Ukraine, and Syria which serves as a Russian backyard for storing strategic weapons? What does this signify in the framework of the US restructuring of its military presence around the world? Nuclear warning signals are flashing red on the world map against the backdrop of the escalating war in Ukraine. But the process began well before this with breakdowns in ballistic missile treaties, US warnings regarding the increase in Chinas ballistic missile and nuclear capabilities and Moscows Vostok military drills, conducted primarily in eastern Russia. China and India have been included in these strategic manoeuvres since 2018, in part to allay their concerns. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine there have been mounting concerns over the effect of the war on nuclear energy infrastructure. While Russia neutralised Chernobyl in the early stages of the war, missile fire in the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has stirred alarm over its safety. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has appealed to both sides to commit to no military action within a radius that could affect the plants operations but it appears to go unheard. More recently, Russian warnings that it could resort to nuclear force for self-defence effectively entered nuclear arms into the military equation, raising the spectre of mutual escalation. Other parts of the world are heating up without mechanisms to contain or cool tensions. The Middle East tends to go through ten-year cycles of conflict. Although it is reshaping itself after emerging from a decade of upheaval, the cyclical pattern may mean that it is headed for another difficult period, all the more so given the regions direct connections to the Russian-Ukrainian war. To the far east, the recent annual conference of the Chinese Communist Party reflected mounting tensions over Taiwan while North Koreas missile tests and the likelihood it could stage a seventh nuclear test, have caused red lights to flash on that part of the world map. India also conducted missile tests which means that Pakistan may follow suit. It is difficult to picture Japan remaining in the spectators seat in such a precarious climate. The world is approaching a brink where conventional war games are giving way to nuclear war games as temperatures continue to rise in every hotspot on the planet. This of course includes the chronically hot Middle East, especially in the case of efforts failing to bring Iran back into nuclear accord at a time when domestic discontent is bubbling over. General Kurillas tour of the USS West Virginia, made in tandem with NATOs Steadfast Noon nuclear drills, acquires greater significance against this larger backdrop. According to some military strategists it is tactically and politically preferable for that submarine to be outside the main scope of NATO drills in the North Sea and Baltic. One tactical reason has to do with preserving second-strike capacities. However, the political reasons may be more important at this juncture. The presence of the submarine equipped with the largest nuclear payload in the North Sea and Baltic theatre could be interpreted as a declaration of war and not just a display of military might. At the same time, it is no longer possible for the US or NATO to establish a safe and stable presence in the Black Sea region. The foregoing begs the question of the relationship between the drills taking place in the operational area of the US Navys Sixth Fleet, the NATO drills, and another set of exercises within the Fifth Fleets operational scope. Otherwise put, the appearance of the USS West Virginia in the Arabian Sea signals that the US is testing its so-called nuclear triad of which the US Navys long range nuclear submarines constitute one leg. At an earlier point, the Pentagon redeployed its B-52 nuclear bombers. Some of these have been stationed in the UK while the fleets in the Udeid Airbase in Qatar and the Moron Airbase in southern Spain have been amplified. The US has also conducted a test of its supersonic Minuteman 3 missiles, which are capable of carrying multiple payloads of nuclear warheads. It follows that the USS West Virginia crews recent display of that vessels capacities for the CENTCOM commander was intended to signal that the triad is fully equipped and prepared for all possibilities. Russia has countered with preparations of its own, conducting drills for its TU-95 strategic bomber and missile platform, stepping up development for the next generation Tupolev PAK DA long range stealth bomber into service and conducting a series of tests for its Kinzhal, Iskander and Tsirkon hypersonic missiles. Some military experts claim that Russia has put 150 warheads from its nuclear arsenal on the ready, some on its nuclear submarines. The appearance of the US Navys most powerful sub in this part of the world calls attention to the growing geo-strategic importance of the Middle East in the US scheme for the larger global theatre. Certainly the US is keen to deliver a message similar to the stationing of a B-1B bomber on Guam which, Pentagon Spokesman General Pat Ryder said, signified that the US would stand by its allies and partners to deter any potential provocation. However, given the interconnection between US priorities in this region and US global priorities, regional powers need more than reassurances. They need to be kept abreast of Washingtons intentions as it puts into place security arrangements and then proceeds to impose new formulas related to its perspective on balances of international powers. Russia, for its part, is working towards much the same ends, albeit from the perspective of its particular geostrategic calculations, in which both Syria and Iran figure prominently. In this context, it is crucial to reassess a number of critical factors, most notably the growing Russian missile arsenal in Syria and the proposed transfer to Syria of strategic missile systems that can theoretically be fitted out with nuclear warheads. This dissemination clearly carries serious risks and challenges and while nothing concrete has occurred yet, strategic planners in this region should not rule out any type of scenario in such increasingly dangerous times. From this regions perspective, it is important to bear two main factors in mind with regard the messages Washington is conveying as it develops its defence and deterrence plans. The first is that the superpowers have ratcheted up their posturing from conventional military to nuclear military muscle flexing. The second, no less perilous, is that the geopolitical sphere of the warfare and superpower horn-butting has expanded and that the Middle East is not on the periphery of the interplay but right at the centre. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Ships in Shakespeare were not just for the transport of silk and spices. They were also a symbol of change in the heroes fates and the direction of the plot. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) vessels are now changing the direction of the plot in Egypts story, too, symbolising developments the Middle East has witnessed since 30 June 2013. The top importer of Egyptian natural gas, Turkey, has escalated the situation in the east Mediterranean by signing gas exploration deals with an expired Libyan government. This shows the importance of political efforts to neutralise Turkish influence and highlights growing tensions, in the Middle East, on the back of the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by two million barrels per day. The repercussions of that decision will be seen in the next few weeks while Turkey is poised to play a role in the political confrontation between Washington and Riyadh, with the US administration accusing Saudi authorities of taking Russias side in the war against Ukraine. Since the rise to power of King Saud University graduate Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman in June 2017, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh have laid the groundwork for what can be described as a counter-offensive to the havoc that stormed the region as a direct result of the US-backed Arab Spring. It is safe to say that political confrontations with Turkey and Qatar, the establishment of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum in September 2020, and the signing of the Abraham Accords between several Arab countries and Israel have been the pillars on which a new Middle East is being built and prepared to weather global storms that might result from a Democrat in the White House. Joe Bidens rhetoric on Saudi Arabia and Egypt in the months leading up to his election and right after taking office was no surprise to the parties that closed ranks during Trumps presidency. The war in Ukraine created a new global political theatre in which the region would assume a more assertive role and emerge as a viable substitute for Russian gas with Egypt being at the heart of the new formula. One recent development that testifies to the success of the policies adopted by Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Cairo on Doha was the rapprochement between Egypt and Qatar, with visits and commitments to boost economic cooperation exchanged. Despite early diplomatic differences over Syria and Yemen, the three countries maintained a strategic course of action, enforcing a boycott against Qatar in 2017 which ended in January 2021, the month Joe Biden took office, with the AlUla Agreement. The exact terms of the agreement were not made public. But its results were seen in the failure of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to secure a new financial lifeline form Qatar during his December 2021 visit, in comparison to a $15 billion currency swap deal in May 2020 that literally saved the foreign reserves of Turkey which analysts had predicted would be depleted by July. In November 2020, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) acquired 10 per cent of the shares in Istanbul stock exchange, for an estimated value of $300 million. An announcement by Turkey that it ordered pro-Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop attacking Egypt and the Gulf states immediately was also made in March. In March 2022, Turkey had shut down those channels and a considerable number of Muslim Brotherhood members left the country. Erdogan visited the UAE in February 2022 to secure investments critical to saving his economy, on the back of an announcement by Abu Dhabi of a $10 billion fund for investments in Turkey in late November 2021, which didnt materialise until August 2022 with a $490 million acquisition deal for a stake in renewable energy firm Kalyon Enerji Yatirimlari. Erdogan and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman later exchanged visits, announcing possible currency swap deals in the future to aid the ailing Turkish economy. Qatar has also apparently played a mediation role in easing tensions between Iran and the Gulf States, with the UAE and Kuwait announcing plans to reappoint ambassadors to Tehran. No more cash is being funnelled to Hamas following an Egyptian-Qatari agreement in November 2021 to supply fuel and basic building materials to the Gaza Strip. Dealing a fatal blow to the Qatari financial lifeline that Turkey enjoyed for years was one of the key objectives of the boycott, together with securing a commitment by Qatar to steer away from supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and stop meddling in the affairs of its neighbours. The UAE and Saudi Arabia thus replaced the crucial financial assistance with promises that would only materialise if Ankara complied with their wishes. The latest stunt by Turkey, signing illegal maritime and gas deals with Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, may prove to be just another blackmail card to encourage Egypt to sit at the negotiating table and push for concrete financial assistance from the Gulf. With the US Senate dropping amendments restricting the sale of F-16s to Turkey early this month, the deal signing seems to serve US interests by exerting pressure on the region especially after the OPEC+ decision and UAEs president recent visit to Russia,. If Biden attends COP27 in Egypt, his presence will be significant and its outcome will shed further light on the course the three heavyweights of the region chose to adhere to in the middle of a global crisis. * The writer is a strategic communications expert. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Why did Gillian Keegan, the UKs parliamentary under-secretary of state for Africa, meet with the Egyptian Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker when her remit is African affairs? When I put this question to her during her visit to Cairo last weekend, she said that in her position she is responsible for everything that has to do with her countrys relations with African countries. This includes cultural, economic and energy as well as political affairs. Although Keegan works for the British Foreign Office, we should bear in mind that, in the UK, ministers do not necessarily have cabinet members. Every government minister has several ministers working under them, each in charge of a particular area or field of expertise. They are similar to Egyptian deputy ministers, whom a minister tasks with certain responsibilities within the scope of his or her portfolio. However, the British system does not correspond with ours exactly. The mandate of a British under-secretary is much broader than that of a deputy minister here. Keegan has served as a member of parliament for Chichester since 2017. She was appointed parliamentary under-secretary for Africa in September. During my brief conversation with Keegan, I observed that as a parliamentary under-secretary the prime minister could not dismiss her as she had so many other cabinet members. She laughed and said Liz Truss could dismiss whoever she wanted. It so happened that, within hours of our conversation, Truss dismissed herself! In fact, another British official of Keegans rank, albeit from the Ministry of Defence, was due to visit Egypt and had to cancel at the last minute due to Truss resignation which plunged the UK, once again, into political ferment. It remains to be seen whether the ruling Conservative Party can elect a new leader and form a new government, or whether the country will be headed for the elections the opposition Labour Party has called for. Meanwhile what strikes me is that the UK is so interested in Africa that it has created a ministerial post especially dedicated to this continent which is thousands of miles away from the British Isles. What are the implications of this for Egypt which is situated in Africa and whose interests are closely intertwined with other African nations at all political, economic and cultural levels? *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: They say that every era has its own state and its own discourse. The former has to do with the movement of the universe and human affairs, violent and happy, tangible and intangible. The latter has to do with how people describe the times and the interplay of words and deeds, which often includes the use of arms. The state of things may sometimes become an all-consuming obsession, as with the war in Ukraine. It is interesting how we see everything to do with it - the twists and turns of events, the bloodshed and turmoil, the far-reaching repercussions - as an expression of the prevailing uncertainty, a word that now runs through most Western headlines. But the discourse is also filled with descriptors that, if taken too far, have the power to divide and set us against each other, even though their insufficiency or deficiency may be just as wrong. Today I will try my best to strike a fair balance. In any case, the subject is in a field about which I know little, and the little I do know I acquired half a century ago at Cairo Universitys Faculty of Economics and Political Science, and then from conversations with economist friends of mine or individuals who, at one time or another, helped manage the countrys economy. In brief, I am going to discuss economic descriptors. Some decades ago, sources of revenues began to take on shades of gold no less. For some time cotton gained such a value in our imagination that we called it white gold. In like manner, oil became black gold. For a while it seemed the palette would stop there, with that duality connoting two types of magic, nightfall and sunrise, sleeplessness and hope. Recently, however, the colours have diversified even as the world economy became one, unified by the forces of supply and demand. No longer is the colour of an economy determined by the scarcity or abundance of a particular commodity, but rather by a network of relations, activities, and types of energy. Take for example the green economy and its synonyms, clean and environment friendly. In fact, this economic colour has its roots in a shade of gold called solar, because it emanates from the rays of the sun. In 2010, I visited Japan, where I had the opportunity to marvel at the latest inventions by Panasonic. One was a television display that had merged with the wall of a house. When you turned it on, you could use hand gestures to adjust the size of the screen remotely while the definition of the image remained the same no matter how large you chose to make it. When I asked for an explanation of this wonder, I was told that we [meaning scientists] have become simpler. The idea behind this high tech house, if I may oversimplify it, was that it was self-nourishing in energy. While it used a small amount of solar energy from some panels, it also constantly recycled it by reconverting the light or heat from lamp bulbs, TV and computer displays, refrigerators or heaters back into energy. As we know, the green economy does not only come from the sun. In fact, it may have a peer in hydrogen, which can power ships and perhaps light entire cities. Another economic colour is found at sea where cargo ships roam like floating cities. This blue economy is a relatively new phenomenon. Its emergence coincides with the spread of globalisation, when the seas began to reveal more horizons for oil and gas, tourism and transportation. This environment has given rise, for example, to Maersk, which accounts for a large portion of the Danish GDP. It almost takes us back centuries to the time when major empires such as Portugal and Spain divided the world on the basis of the economic zones from which their traders transported grains, spices and even opium. Today, on this side of the Mediterranean, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Italy have forged the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum. Although the extraction, processing, liquefaction and transport of gas is the currency of this forum, it was the Eastern Mediterranean that made it possible. Maritime proximity in this navy blue field created possibilities for interactions that affected not only the economies of the countries in question but other countries as well. For example, the maritime border agreement between Isreal and Lebanon may help rescue a country on the brink of collapse, just as tapping Gazas offshore gas may generate new Abrahamic opportunities conducive to regional stability. The blue economy is a framework for cooperation at sea. The northern Red Sea offers the potential for another multinational forum, in this case with tourism and urban development as its economic engines. The colours of an economy generate opportunities by dint of the relations on which they are founded. Geographic location within the same region may not be necessary. Opec+ includes countries located in opposite hemispheres nonetheless bound by their production of black gold. Theirs is an economic relationship, which did not keep the US from lashing out against it recently for their decision to reduce production. It failed to appreciate that this economic step was essential in order to restore equilibrium to a market shaken by a war that no one wanted or at least no one was given a chance to vote for or against before it started. Food was also affected by this war, which generated another golden economy, the colour of wheat, which has become a scarce commodity. From the moment the guns opened fire, the war in Ukraine stopped being just a geopolitical war in which Russia tried to ward off NATOs expansion and it stopped being just a geo-economic war shaped by sanctions, boycotts and severing oil, gas, and energy links. It became a war over food and life itself. It quickly emerged that Ukraine was a major source of that golden commodity on which the welfare of numerous countries in the Middle East depend. The situation has become so complex that not only do various interests either harmonise or clash; the colours do as well. It has recently come to light that life and death fused in an economy of another hue: brown. But this particular brown happened to be derived from pulverised mummies before making its way into precious works of art. The last edition of Ancient Origins (15 October) showcases this wealth that hails from the realm of death. It turns out that mummies are more than preserved human bodies in displays that attract tourists from around the world to Museum of Civilisations in Fustat, and that they are more than the heroes of horror films inspired by the myth of the curse of the Pharaohs. When Western research teams arrived in Egypt in the 19th century they were not entirely driven by an interest in discovering ancient civilisations or plundering obelisks and mummies. The teams included artists and they discovered that grinding down mummies produced a unique shade of brown that they could use in their portraits of famous figures. Those paintings, in turn, fetched the highest prices. As a result, Egypts mummies formed the resource for another type of economy that was neither touristic, historical or even medicinal. That resource was a rare brown pigment one gram of which was worth its weight in gold. The discovery of the mummies was an industry that for the most part had remained hidden until its secrets were revealed in major museums and artistic periodicals. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Despite the importance of ties between China and the European Union, some European policy-makers have been damaging the China-EU relationship. China and the EU are two important poles of the multi-polar world. Both bear a great responsibility for safeguarding world peace and promoting shared development. A harmonious relationship of friendship and cooperation between China and the EU will result not only in promoting the interests of the two sides, but also of the world as a whole. China emerged as a rising power at the end of the 1970s, and it has since achieved tangible results in most political, economic, and social fields. Policy makers in the EU have been convinced of its importance as a rising power driving the global economy, and the notion that China represented a threat has faded. Based on this conviction, relations began to develop between China and the EU, which has extensive development experience. A Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and the EU was established in 2003. Since then, the leaders of both have held an annual meeting every year, an occasion on which they exchange views on the bilateral relationship and international and regional issues of common interest. In addition, both sides have established more than 70 consultation and dialogue mechanisms that cover political, economic, commercial, development and other areas. Numerous contacts have served to foster mutual trust and partnerships between China and the EU, bringing remarkable benefits to the world from both sides. The ninth round of the high-level economic and trade dialogue between China and the EU was held in July 2022, in which both sides agreed to improve communication and coordination on macroeconomic policies, maintain stability in global supply chains and improve compliance with the multilateral trade mechanism of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The aim has been to facilitate free trade and investment, promote fair competition, protect intellectual property rights, and improve the business environment. Both China and the EU are each others most important trading partner, import source, and export market. Their bilateral trade totalled $828 billion in 2021, with growth of 27.5 per cent. The volume of EU trade with China during the same year amounted to $586 billion, or about $31 billion more than the volume of European trade with the US at $555 billion. China overtook the US in 2021 to become the EUs leading trading partner. Achieving these results in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic indicates the high level of complementarity and coordination in the economic and commercial relationship between the two sides. However, due to the policy of containment and the blockade against China applied by the US, the relationship between China and the EU has been impacted and competition has intensified to the point of confrontation between the two sides. Some European politicians make irresponsible comments about Chinas political system. Some EU member states have repeatedly and unreasonably criticised the human rights situation in China. Furthermore, the EU practises unilateral sanctions against Chinese individuals and entities due to the so-called existence of forced labour in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, a falsehood spread by anti-Chinese elements. Faced with such provocations from the European side, the Chinese have had no choice but to launch a strong counter-attack in the form of sanctions against European individuals and institutions. Some EU countries have also challenged China on the Taiwan issue. Lithuania, breaking its political promises to China, allowed the opening of a Taiwanese Representative Office on its territory, openly violating the One China principle. The EU, instead of urging Lithuania to correct its course, has been criticising China. After the visit by US Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan and the countermeasures taken by the Chinese side, the EU high-level foreign policy representative, together with G7 group of countries foreign ministers, released a joint statement in which they called the Chinese countermeasures a way of aggravating tensions and undermining stability in the region instead of criticising Pelosi for her violation of Chinese sovereignty. The European side, in its confusion, has thus once again damaged the China-EU relationship. In the economic and commercial sphere, the EU has launched an inspection mechanism before the sale of companies to China and foreign investments in China. It has launched policies against foreign government subsidies and so-called economic coercion. In this way, it has been limiting the operations of Chinese companies on European territory. In addition, some European governments have used security as a pretext to exclude Chinese companies from building the 5G mobile-phone network in Europe. The European Parliament, for political reasons, has frozen debate on the approval of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Agreement, an action that means curbing economic and commercial cooperation between the two sides. The interests of business and the people of Europe will be harmed by these actions. Humanity is now under threat from multiple risks such as wars, climate change, energy and food security, and the Covid-19 pandemic, among others. It is more urgent than ever to strengthen coordination and collaboration between China and the EU to face up to these global challenges. To achieve that goal, European leaders should recognise the special importance of the relationship with China. They should break free from ideological constraints, move away from the new cold war mentality, practise true strategic autonomy, and work together with the Chinese side to ensure stability in the bilateral relationship. China and the EU urgently need to work together in the following fields. First, they must work to safeguard world peace and stability. Both sides must defend the international system that maintains the UN as its core, the world order founded on international law, and the fundamental norms of interstate relations based on the objectives and principles embodied in the UN Charter. They must jointly reject a confrontational bloc mentality and the new Cold War. They must push the international community to create favourable conditions for the process of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and thus open space for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Second, they must promote shared development. Both sides should continue to push the approval process of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Agreement forward and offer a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory environment for the investment of the other side. They should also carry out tripartite cooperation to share benefits with the developing countries. The two sides need to seek more synergies in their development strategies and explore more integration between Chinas development philosophy and the EUs trade policy. Third, they must fight global challenges. China and the EU should strengthen their collaboration in such fields as climate change, the protection of biodiversity, the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, and assisting the developing countries in achieving the reduction and eventual elimination of poverty. * The writer is human rights officer at the Supreme Standing Committee for Human Rights. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: There have been many creative methods of collecting funds for charity, including organising charity concerts or dinners. However, a new trend in this field is endowing palm tree planting, which means that NGOs plant date palms with the help of donors and the revenues go to charity. The idea was started in November 2021 by the Social Solidarity Directorate in the New Valley governorate (Al-Wadi Al-Gedid) on an area of around 4,660 feddans where palm trees for charities were planted with a view to providing economic returns to be spent on orphaned children and the marriage supplies of orphans. In February 2022, the Ministry of Social Solidarity also launched a palm endowment initiative within the framework of the presidential initiative to plant 2.5 million trees in the New Valley governorate. According to a UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report, Egypt ranks in the first place among the top five date producing countries in the world. It produces 1.7 million tons of dates per year, which represents 17.7 per cent of the worlds date production and 24.4 per cent of that from the Arab countries. A date palm can endure hot and arid climates and has a tolerance for saline water. These qualities allow it to offer a food source even in difficult environmental conditions, such as deserts, the report said. It is this high production rate and the quality of associated revenues that has encouraged many NGOs to start implementing palm endowment projects, especially as current economic conditions have led to a reduction in the amount of money going to charity. Insan (Human) is one endowment project intended to benefit the poor in Upper Egypt and bring them an annual income and decent life. Despite the fact that Egypt is the largest date producer in the world, many dates are of low quality and are not of globally classified types. There is also a problem of the low quality of some manufacturing, packaging, and export operations. Insan started to work within the framework of the states Vision 2030 Strategy to plant five million palm trees producing high-value dates like the Al-Barhi and Al-Magdoul varieties. It aims to increase exports from 38,000 to 120,000 tons a year, projecting financial resources to increase from $40 million to $180 million within five years. It is currently working on the cultivation of 1,000 palm trees within two years on an area of 15 to 20 feddans, a feddan hosting 65 trees. It is developing an application that includes information about the charitable endowment, the location of the farm, and methods of communication and donation. A donor can enter a palm tree number on its website to follow the development of the project. PULSE OF LIFE: On a larger scale, Nabd Al-Hayat (Pulse of Life), a foundation for community development, is also adopting the idea of creating endowments for palm tree projects, aiming to benefit from the resources of donations and invest them to provide sustainable financing for projects for the neediest families in healthcare, education, water, and communication. Keeping pace with the development of creative financing, its palm endowment project has become a renewable source in the achievement of development goals. The Nabd Al-Hayat Foundation has launched a palm endowment project, the largest project of its kind. Abdel-Aziz Mohamed, executive director of Nabd Al-Hayat, said the foundation was started as an NGO in 2014 to work in the fields of development and charitable work. It has been organising many initiatives, the first of which was in 2017 in the form of a campaign to donate blood. It was one of the biggest in the world and was recorded in the famous UK Guinness Book of Records. It was one of our first developmental initiatives targeting patients, especially children suffering from Mediterranean fever. After this initiative, we started aiming at others that made international records including the date palm endowment that plants as many date palms as possible for charitable causes. We started the palm endowment project in 2020 with 10 feddans of land in Wadi Al-Natroun, north of Cairo. It was an experimental phase to see how many donors would participate. We found that many people wanted to donate, even asking us to extend our project so that everyone who wanted to donate could participate, Mohamed said, adding that they had conducted feasibility studies on different types of palm trees. They found that the Al-Magdoul type of trees was the most in demand for its dates in the international market. They also discovered that the soil in Al-Wadi Al-Gedid was the most suitable to plant the palm trees. We then requested a permit from the governor of Al-Wadi Al-Gedid, Mohamed Al-Zamlot, and he allocated 1,000 feddans to the project, Mohamed added, saying that this was the first phase of the project started in 2021. They were encouraged by people who wanted to invest money in a sadaqa gareya (sustainable fund), a type of Islamic fund that brings benefits after the death of the benefactor, ensuring that he is blessed with good deeds. We then started reclaiming and planting the land. We were given a time limit of three years to do so, with this saying that the land would be taken away if we did not meet it. The last phase of the planting is this month, so we will meet our deadline, Mohamed said. The 1,000 feddans take 60,000 palm trees, with an average of 60 trees per feddan of the Al-Magdoul type. So far, they have planted 750 feddans and will plant the rest this month. It is the first waqf-type charity to be organised on this scale, a waqf being a type of Islamic endowment or charitable trust. We will also have another 8,000 feddans allocated for our initiative after this one is done. This is under the umbrella of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis initiative to plant five million date palm trees within the framework of government sustainable development goals. Palm trees have a very long life and can live for an average of 70 to 90 years. A palm tree can also produce four to seven seedlings that can be replanted, he said. Regarding the operation of the endowment, we announce on our Facebook page that there will be a project like a palm tree endowment project that conforms to the standards of a sadaqa gareya and for which donations are open to the public. People then sign a contract that says that the donor has given the project LE5,000 for an endowment that includes planting and caring for a palm tree until it produces revenues. A donor indicates the type of charity he wants his revenues to go to, like orphanages or bridal supplies or medications for the needy, in the contract to ensure that they are properly distributed. We will be launching a call for participation this month to open the door for NGOs and other charities to participate in the experiment. This is because we want to help those NGOs who have tried to start similar palm tree projects but have failed because of a lack of expertise. The event is under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The NGOs not only save money in working with us, but they also make gains representing 50 to 60 per cent of the money they have spent on their projects. The project is subject to the supervision of international consultants and senior specialists at the Agricultural Research Centre in Egypt. Visits were made to the best date farms to meet with major growers. Irrigation is through wells and water tanks maintained with the help of the irrigation authorities and some private companies. It is because of the help of our partners that we were able to carry out our project in a third of its allocated time and to the best quality possible, Mohamed said. The allocated time for the project was one year, and they planted the palm trees in four stages. There are two planting seasons per year, the first in March and April and the second in September and November. In each phase they would plant 250 feddans of land, and they will start planting the new 8,000 feddans next year. Mohamed would like charities like his to be independent of financial donations and be able to self-finance their work. Law 149/2019 allowed all NGOs to be given land for their agricultural projects, provided that they render revenues to spend on their activities. We want to start such projects instead of asking the public for donations, he commented. Other initiatives: Other initiatives include Sotra (Cover), a periodical initiative that aims at providing brides-to-be with wedding supplies. There are also initiatives to build mosques, provide water supplies for those deprived of them in all governorates, help debtors pay their debts, and provide medicine for the needy. They also distribute meals in Ramadan, meat for the Eid Al-Adha, and blankets. They cooperate with local NGOs in each governorate they work in and conduct research beforehand on the area they target. The foundation has offices in Gharbiya, Mansoura, Alexandria, and Cairo. There are now about 40,000 to 45,000 donors in the palm tree endowment project alone. It is digging about 50 wells in different areas per month, each serving about 50 to 60 families, with these focused in villages in Minya, Beni Sweif, Marsa Matrouh, and North Sinai. We cooperate with all the government initiatives that relate to our work. We worked with the presidential Hayah Karima (Decent Life) initiative to relieve those hit hard by the flash floods in Aswan last winter, for example. We also renovated some homes in the Gharb Soheil village, Mohamed said, adding that the foundation is also cooperating with other governmental organisations and ministries, including the Ministry of Environment. The average time to dig a well is two or three days to a month and to grow a palm tree that produces dates is four to five years. The dates cover the expenses of growing the palm trees from the first year to when they begin growing dates. So, if we spend LE300 million on the 1,000 feddans for the palm trees, the first revenues will cover the LE300 million. The wells differ in the time they take to dig. We are working on both well-digging and water-purification stations, Mohamed added. The average area of a well is 30 to 50 cubic metres in order to save as much rain water as possible for families to benefit from. This can take a week to 10 days to dig. They dig 600 to 800 wells per year. We dream of being the largest charitable waqf in the world, he commented, adding that they now hope to build a hospital that will treat the needy for free. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 October, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Research shows that bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and the in-between diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder share common genetic underpinnings as well as overlapping symptoms and signs. When Chastity Murry had her first psychotic break, she went into her bathroom and downed a whole bottle of pills, hoping to die. Her teenage daughter had to perform CPR to save her life. Around that same time more than a decade ago, the man who would become her husband, Dante Murry, also lost touch with reality and considered suicide. Different illnesses led them down similar paths bipolar disorder in her case and schizoaffective disorder in his conditions long considered by many to be distinct and unrelated. But a growing body of research shows that bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and the in-between diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder share common genetic underpinnings as well as overlapping symptoms and signs. They can be considered as part of a spectrum, said Dr. Morgan Sheng, who co-directs a psychiatric research center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Bipolar disorder is known for causing extreme mood swings. Schizophrenia is characterized by delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking. Schizoaffective disorder includes symptoms of both. The theory that they exist on a continuum has gained ground as more and more studies have found that variations in some of the same genes influence how susceptible people are to these conditions. One of the latest examples is the AKAP11 gene, which scientists at Broad and elsewhere pinpointed as a strong risk factor for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in research published in the journal Nature Genetics this year. Experts say these insights will help doctors better understand what drives the illnesses, how they affect the bodys most notoriously bewildering organ and what more can be done to help people. Down the road, experts envision the research could help guide treatment and lead to better drugs. For now, they hope it reinforces the idea that such disorders are biologically rooted and not moral failings or mysterious, unknowable conditions. Thats what the science is giving us a clear indication that there are genetic markers and risk factors, said Dr. Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The Murrys who met through the alliance and married in 2020 hope the research provides answers for them and so many others with mental illness who theyve gotten to know. With they help of doctors and one another, they are keeping their disorders in check and have found purpose helping others in similar straits. Chastity Murry, 48, called them perfect partners; Hes the peanut butter; Im the jelly. Yes, Dante Murry, 50, added with a smile. Shes sweeter than I am. PASSING DOWN PUZZLING CONDITIONS Mental illness runs in both of their families haunting hers for at least five generations, she says. Knowing this helped me to understand why this is happening to me, Chastity Murry said. That possibility was always there. Sheng said genetics plays a big part in bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia. But experience and environment also play a big part, and these things interact in subtle ways. So its not like everyone with risk genes is destined to become ill. Morgan said a severe risk gene for schizophrenia, for example, may increase the chance of getting the disease 10-fold. But that only brings it up to 10%, since the population-wide risk of developing the illness is 1%. Given those odds, parents with the gene might not have any children with the illness. But if you take a whole extended family that has that risk gene, there will be a number of cases popping up, Morgan said. Its a roll of the dice. Experts say other illnesses along what some call the psychosis continuum are also more likely. When you look at a family, if you have one person with schizophrenia, youre more likely to have schizophrenia yourself, but youre also more likely to have bipolar, said Dr. Fernando Goes, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University. The same is true for schizoaffective disorder, studies show. There are no tests for these conditions which together affect around 9 million U.S. adults so diagnosis is based on history and the sometimes overlapping symptoms. For instance, psychosis can happen in all three illnesses. This can make diagnosis difficult. Sally Littlefield of Oakland, California, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, then schizoaffective disorder, after spiraling into psychosis during a work meeting in 2018. For 10 months, she was convinced a team of psychologists had assumed control of her life and were experimenting on her against her will. At one point during a manic episode, Littlefield wandered the streets of San Francisco, breaking into houses and cars, shoplifting and jumping from one car rooftop to another. She was eventually tackled by police and hospitalized. She came to realize she was ill when her delusions got so grandiose she believed she was president of the United States. She said shes now doing well and willing to tell her story to help dispel stigma, discrimination and shame, which prevents a lot of us from recovering. A VERY LONG JOURNEY People with mental illness hope stigma fades as doctors learn more about how these disorders arise and affect the brain. A 2019 study said a growing number of experts now recognize that schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar not only share common genetic risk factors and symptoms but also look similar in neuroimaging and may have common treatment regimens. The mood stabilizer lithium, for example, is often used to treat bipolar and schizoaffective disorder. The recent Broad Institute research may provide clues to how the drug works, since AKAP11 interacts with whats thought to be lithiums target. Other drugs also treat more than one of the illnesses. The Murrys take several of the same medications. Someday, experts said genetic insights might allow doctors to intervene earlier in the disease process. While few people get genetic testing now except perhaps to see how they might react to a particular drug scientists said that could change in the future. If people knew their genetic risk and family history, Sheng said, they could seek help if something didnt seem quite right, before an illness caused major problems. Some scientists, while acknowledging common genetic underpinnings of bipolar, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, are skeptical about framing them as on a psychosis continuum, particularly if that leads to changing categories doctors use to diagnose people with each disorder. They say the current criteria are useful in deciding treatment and care. Scientists agree that more research is needed. Finding new illness risk genes, for instance, is only the first step toward developing new medicines. A Broad road map says researchers must also figure out how the genes function, understand disease mechanisms and identify targets for the drugs. NAMIs Duckworth said it might be 5 to 50 years before genetic findings translate into changes in clinical practice. Its a very long journey. Meanwhile, many people living with mental illness rely on peer support in addition to medication and psychotherapy. The Murrys check on each other daily. I can always tell when hes having a bad day. He can always tell when Im having a bad day, said Chastity Murry, who has also been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and an anxiety disorder. If Im acting a little off or something, hell ask me: Have you taken your meds today? But I dont get offended because I know hes got my best interest in mind. Both have also learned and grown from working as volunteers. Together, they facilitate support groups twice a week, check in with peers regularly by phone, and have been trained to help people who are suicidal. This is my path in life, and his path as well, Chastity Murry said. Were helping them, but theyre also helping us. Search Keywords: Short link: Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN High-Level Climate Change Champion for Egypt, stressed the need to link sustainable development plans with climate finance as most financing still depends on countries national budgets, including low-income countries. Mohieldin made his remarks Monday at a roundtable in Cairo for the Independent High-level Expert Group on Climate Finance tasked with preparing a report on climate finance. The report was commissioned by the Egyptian presidency of the upcoming 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) set to be held 6-18 November in Sharm El-Sheikh, as well as the British presidency of last years COP26, held in Glasgow. Mohieldin, who is also UN special envoy on financing the 2030 sustainable development agenda, stressed the need to strengthen the role of the private sector and multilateral development banks. He praised the concessional financing policies of the International Development Agency (IDA) as one of the most effective mechanisms for providing financing, adding that they can be expanded through multilateral development banks. The climate champion also highlighted the importance of activating innovative financing methods, such as debt swaps, in addition to supporting carbon markets. During the session, Ambassador Wael Abul-Magd, special representative of the COP27 president, stressed the need to attract trillions of dollars to support climate finance, taking into account the priorities of developing countries that suffer from the negative effects of climate change. On their part, Dr Vera Snungwe and Dr Nick Stern, chairs of the expert group, explained that the report is monitoring the most prominent gaps related to climate financing, identifying their causes and proposing recommendations for mobilising the necessary financing to support climate action. They also stressed the vital role of multilateral development banks, and development finance institutions as a whole, in participating strongly in creating conditions for investment and also in action to manage, reduce and share risks. The two chairs of the group indicated their keenness to include the observations and suggestions that were put forward during the meeting in order to develop the draft report. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend Today marks two years since the liberation of Gubadli from Armenian occupation, Trend reports on October 25. As a result of the counter-offensive operation of the Azerbaijani army, which began on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan's Gubadli city was liberated from Armenian occupation on October 25, 2020. Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev announced the liberation of several villages in Zangilan, Jabrayil, Gubadli districts and Gubadli city on October 25, 2020. The medal "For the liberation of Gubadli" was later established in Azerbaijan and awarded to the servicemen who showed valor during military operations for the liberation of the Fuzuli district by the decree of President Ilham Aliyev. The Trend TV crew visited the liberated Gubadli city and talked with the servicemen who participated in its liberation. Dropping out of school is losing its stigma among young people as pressures to perform are growing intolerable and other opportunities open up. Dropouts often leave to learn other skills that are not taught in traditional educational system, launch their own start-ups or turn into YouTube content creators. Since such decisions are no longer considered embarrassing, many young Koreans in fact celebrate the occasion and film it for social media. According to a study by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 37 percent of students who quit school said they were not happy there. Some 29 percent said they dropped out to learn something else they found interesting. Jung Chae-yoon (16), who dropped out of high school in May, said, "I used to suffer from panic attacks and depression in school and thought hard about the merits of dropping out. I had a talk with my parents and made the decision to quit." Cho Yoon-eui (18), who quit school two years ago, said, "I never felt a sense of accomplishment from memorizing formulas and solving problems. I wanted to study and experience things that really widen my horizon." She has keen interest in film and is now preparing to go on to college to study it. A Korean Air jet overshot the runway while landing in bad weather in the central Philippines on Sunday night. All 162 passengers and 11 crew members were safe and escaped from the aircraft using emergency slides. The airline said Monday that an Airbus A330 passenger jet flying from Incheon made an unsafe landing at Mactan-Cebu International Airport due to stormy weather. The jet attempted to land twice before overshooting the runway on the third attempt. The South Korean military kicked off four days of large-scale maritime drills in the West Sea on Monday, amid a series of recent North Korean provocations. The Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard are all participating alongside the U.S. Forces Korea. The drills are part of an annual defense exercise that ends on Friday. The Navy is mobilizing about 20 warships, including Aegis destroyers and frigates, as well as maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters. The Army's Apache helicopters and the Air Force's F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets are also taking part. They are joined by U.S. Army Apache helicopters and U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping as he extended his leadership for another five years and possibly indefinitely, the North's official Rodong Sinmun daily reported on Monday. The daily gave extensive coverage to Xi's re-election to an unprecedented third term as leader of the Chinese Communist Party after 10 years of rule. The daily called Xi's re-election an "expression of deep trust and expectations" of the Chinese people, while hailing an "inseparable friendship" with Beijing, the North's sole ally. In America, we love our memorials -- particularly ones that are dedicated to the men and women who have fought and laid down their lives in conflicts across the globe. In Washington D.C, the three most-visited memorials on the National Mall are the World War II, Vietnam War, and Korean War Veterans Memorials, one of the most moving memorials that I regularly visit. Members of the U.S. Marine Corps, myself included, study the battles of the Korean War intently to absorb the many lessons from that conflict. But I think there is so much we all can learn from the Korean War -- lessons that transcend warfighting and the battlefields. In our country, historians have called the Korean War the "Forgotten War," because it's so little talked about or understood. However, I think it should be called the "Noble War," because it epitomized the nobility of service. The 19 large statues of the memorial -- soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines -- grunts on patrol, with a cold, wet wind whipping their ponchos, their faces full of fear but also pride and determination -- capture what nobility looks like in action. I did not think that the Korean War Memorial on our National Mall could be improved. I was wrong. On July 27, along with thousands of Americans, fellow members of Congress, Biden administration officials and, importantly, top officials from the South Korean government, I attended the dedication of the Wall of Remembrance that was added to the Korean War Memorial. Thanks to the generosity of the people of South Korea, who funded most of the costs of the $22 million Wall of Remembrance, the names of 36,573 Americans who were killed in action during the Korean War are now engraved here. Importantly, intermixed with the names of the Americans are the more than 7,200 KATUSA soldiers -- the South Korean Army personnel who served alongside American forces. These names are now are etched into marble and held in our nation's memory forever as American and South Korean brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom. There are two engravings that stand out to me on the memorial. One of them says, "Freedom is not free," a saying we use often in the United States. Indeed, the freedoms that we enjoy in America and so many countries, like South Korea, are because of consequential battles that we have fought and won alongside our allies. In the Korean War, over 37,000 Americans were killed in action, over 8,000 are still listed as missing in action, and over 103,000 were left wounded. And, of course, the number of killed or wounded South Korean veterans and military and civilians from that war is in the millions -- an unimaginable sacrifice of South Korean people. The men and women we lost during those battles are wounds that will never fully heal. But what also resonates are the very tangible results of the war in terms of freedom, no better depicted than the famous satellite images at night taken over the Korean Peninsula -- the dark and cold-looking North, and the South bursting with life and light. The other inscription on the memorial that I believe holds great significance is this: "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met." Indeed, we knew little about each other's respective countries before the war. But the blood and treasure that our nation's troops expended alongside South Korean soldiers solidified our mutual bond -- a bond that has, through the eras, continued to strengthen and was further cemented by the generosity of South Korean people manifested in the beautiful and moving Wall of Remembrance that was recently dedicated in Washington, D.C. It is for these reasons that my colleague, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, and I introduced and were able to unanimously pass a resolution in the United States Senate celebrating our countries' mutual alliance and thanking South Korea for their generosity. Among other sentiments, the resolution states that "the Senate deeply appreciates and sincerely thanks the government and [South Koreans] for their generosity in funding the Wall of Remembrance, reflecting the shared sacrifice and common values of the U.S.-[South Korea] alliance." The memorial does indeed reflect that sacrifice. But it also reflects the human costs, the sorrow, and the pride inherent in each of these sacrifices. Now, because of this new Wall of Remembrance, all Americans, and in particular those who lost friends or family members during the Korean War, have a sacred place to visit the names of their heroic loved ones. To South Korean people, thank you once again for such a beautiful and important gift to my country. Niculae Badalau, retinut de DNA intr-un dosar de dare de mita si trafic de influenta / El a promis 170.000 de euro unui primar pentru a oferi un contract unei firme administrate de o ruda - UPDATE KYODO NEWS - Oct 25, 2022 - 22:23 | All, World, Japan Senior diplomats from Japan and the United States agreed Tuesday to keep working closely together to respond to "various challenges over China," the Japanese government said. During their meeting in Tokyo, Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also pledged to continue to work toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea under U.N. Security Council resolutions, including in a trilateral cooperation framework with South Korea, according to the Foreign Ministry. The two diplomats' reference to Beijing apparently reflects wariness about its maritime assertiveness in the East and South China seas, including Chinese vessels' repeated intrusions into Japanese territorial waters near the Japan-controlled, China-claimed Senkaku Islands. China has also increased military activities near Taiwan, which it sees as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Mori and Sherman affirmed the two nations will further strengthen their alliance and promote their vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific," which is aimed at countering Beijing's growing military and economic clout in the region. The talks came as Pyongyang has upped the frequency of its ballistic missile tests this year, especially since it resumed missile launches in late September after a hiatus of almost four months apparently caused by a COVID-19 outbreak in the nation. Speculation has been growing that North Korea could engage in additional provocative actions, including what would be its seventh nuclear test and first since September 2017. On Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the two diplomats shared the view that Moscow's nuclear blackmail is "a serious threat" to international peace and stability and "absolutely unacceptable" while vowing to maintain severe sanctions on Russia and continue support for Ukraine, the ministry said. Mori welcomed the National Security Strategy, the United States' overarching security strategy released earlier this month for the first time under the administration of President Joe Biden. Sherman expressed Washington's unwavering commitment to defending Japan, the ministry added. Later in the day, Mori also met with visiting South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun Dong. They confirmed the two nations will continue to hold close discussions to resolve the issue of compensation for wartime labor during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial era, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry. On Wednesday, the three officials are set to hold a trilateral meeting in Tokyo. KYODO NEWS - Oct 25, 2022 - 21:41 | All, World, Japan Japan and the European Union agreed in their economic dialogue Tuesday that they should lead the free and fair economic order as strategic partners, the Japanese government said, as authoritarian states such as China try to achieve their goals using coercive policies. At their second meeting of a "high-level dialogue" held online on economic issues such as trade, investment and energy, Japanese ministers and European commissioners also shared the importance of securing stable energy and food supplies that have been threatened since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine, according to the Foreign Ministry. Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura attended from Japan, while Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Financial Services Commissioner Mairead McGuiness represented the EU. They agreed that it is "important that Japan and EU, as strategic partners sharing fundamental values and pushing for free trade, will lead a free and fair economic order at the international community, at a time when the international order has been challenged," the ministry said. During the talks, Nishimura stressed the importance of jointly tackling "attempts to be coercive based on economic power to meet their own respective interests" and addressing "market-distorting measures such as opaque industrial subsidies," according to the ministry, in a veiled reference to Beijing's economic practices. Hayashi highlighted the need to promote "transparent and fair development finance," in an apparent criticism against China's "debt-trap diplomacy" policy, in which Beijing has been slammed for using debt as leverage to gain concessions from borrowing nations. The four ministers also confirmed that Moscow's aggression against Ukraine, which began in February, is intolerable, and support for Ukraine should be continued in collaboration with the international community, including other members of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, the ministry said. The first economic dialogue between Japan and EU was held in October 2018 in Tokyo, discussing their economic partnership agreement which took effect in 2019. KYODO NEWS - Oct 25, 2022 - 13:52 | All, Japan The Japanese government on Tuesday began discussing guidelines for its probe of the Unification Church, moving a step closer to questioning the controversial religious group with an eye on possibly requesting a court consider depriving it of tax benefits. The discussions came after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week instructed an investigation be launched into the church based on the "right to question" under the Religious Corporations Law in response to pressure from the public to address ties between members of his ruling party and the group, often labeled as a cult. Tetsuo Goda, a Cultural Affairs Agency executive, said he expects the direction of the guidelines to be set in the next meeting and called on a panel of experts advising his organization to discuss the issue from various perspectives "in light of the graveness and urgency" of the situation involving the church. If all goes to plan, the probe could begin by the end of this year. The panel, composed of priests as well as religious and legal scholars, is tasked with hammering out basic principles and conditions for the government to demand the church report on its operations and allow its executives to be questioned. The process is deemed necessary as there is no precedent and the agency is seeking to avoid criticism that it is arbitrarily targeting the group and infringing on religious freedom in conducting such a probe. The Unification Church, founded in South Korea in 1954, has long been criticized for its pursuit of financially ruinous donations from followers. The group, now formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, has also been notorious for "spiritual sales," in which it pressures people to buy vases and other items for exorbitant prices through the use of threats, such as invoking negative "ancestral karma." The religious law allows government oversight of religious corporations which, if they are suspected to have violated a law, can be compelled to have their senior representatives submit to questioning and asked to report their activities. If the investigation confirms that a religious corporation has violated laws and damaged public welfare, the government can request a court to order its "dissolution." Depending on a court judgment, the Unification Church could lose its status as a religious corporation and be deprived of tax benefits, although the church can still operate in Japan as an entity. Kishida had previously been cautious about ordering a probe into the church partly due to concern it could violate the right to freedom of religion. But he has decided to take a more hardline approach after a series of new revelations about the church's connections with his Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers sparked public anger that it may have exerted political influence. Scrutiny of the church intensified after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot during an election campaign speech in early July. The man accused of murdering Abe believed the former prime minister and his family members were linked to the church and entities affiliated with the religious group, known to have advocated anti-Communist and conservative views, according to investigators. The accused's mother is a committed follower of the Unification Church and it is known that her huge donations to the church ruined the family's finances. Hideyuki Teshigawara, who heads the church's reform promotion headquarters, has said the organization will "sincerely" accept the probe. ==Kyodo KYODO NEWS - Oct 25, 2022 - 19:29 | All, Japan Japan's anti-trust watchdog has launched a rare compulsory inspection on cellphone distributors selling smartphones for as low as 1 yen, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. The Japan Fair Trade Commission aims to find out how such sales practices are possible and determine whether there are cases of dumping or abuse of dominant bargaining position by major mobile carriers against distributors to achieve their targets, the sources said. The FTC has ordered distributors that had sold smartphones for less than 1,000 yen ($7) to report the details of their transactions with carriers by Nov. 2, according to the sources. Those who do not agree to the inspection or who make false reports are subject to fines. The regulator plans to draw up a report as early as this year. Selling smartphones at extremely low prices is widely seen as being linked to carriers imposing high targets for mobile contracts on distributors. The FTC is looking into how such a discount is financially possible, suspecting it has caused inequalities among customers. While people who often buy a new model can benefit from a hefty discount, those who keep using the same phone for a longer period are not entitled to such benefits, the sources said. If the discounting practices are stopped, carriers could use surplus funds to lower communications charges, benefitting more subscribers. The commission decided that a compulsory inspection was necessary as distributors are often under non-disclosure agreements with carriers over their transactions. By Azernews By Vugar Khalilov Baku has urged Moscow to take prompt measures against Russian mass media outlets engaged in anti-Azerbaijani provocations, Azernews reports, citing the nation's embassy in Russia. The embassy sent a note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry in response to the questioning of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and distortion of the state map during the broadcast of the Great Game talk show on Russia's First Channel on October 20-21. Azerbaijan has urged Russia to take urgent measures to stop the provocative actions of Russian media representatives and prevent their recurrence in the future," the note of protest reads. The embassy emphasized that throughout the program, Russian political experts and pundits of Armenian descent made explicit anti-Azerbaijani statements, calling into doubt Azerbaijan's territorial integrity by misrepresenting the state map. The note of protest highlighted that guests of the talk show incited revanchist Armenian groups to resurrect the former conflict sowing the seeds of hostility between the two nations by openly fomenting separatism. The embassy emphasized that the use of biased remarks and explicit political provocations on the state-funded TV channel contradicts Russia's official position, which has been frequently declared by the Russian president, who has expressed support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. These provocations also undermine the efforts to maintain long-term peace, stability, and security in the area, the document added. The embassy emphasized that media representatives must avoid provocations that might threaten fragile regional peace by aggravating the situation. It was also regretfully highlighted that the host of the abovementioned talk show and one of the direct participants in this "performance" is Vyacheslav Nikonov, a member of the United Russia faction and the first deputy head of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs. Such behavior by representatives of the Russian ruling party runs against the spirit of the Azerbaijani-Russian strategic partnership and allied interaction, and substantially hurts bilateral ties, the embassy stressed. The embassy recalled that the relevant provisions of the Azerbaijani-Russian Declaration on Mutual Cooperation (February 22, 2022) prohibit any actions that jeopardize strategic partnership and allied ties, as well as undermine the states' sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. The document also envisages joint efforts for fighting separatism. WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A former police officer of Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota on Monday pleaded guilty in the death of African American man George Floyd. J. Alexander Kueng, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in manslaughter after prosecutors and Kueng's defense attorney agreed to recommend a sentence of 42 months in prison. Kueng is the second to plead guilty to the state charge, following his former colleague Thomas Lane, who pleaded guilty earlier this year. A third former officer, Tou Thao, previously rejected a plea deal and agreed on Monday to go forward with a trial by stipulated evidence on one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that Kueng's guilty plea "hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd's family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice." Floyd, 46, died on May 25, 2020, after an encounter with Minneapolis police, during which officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. Kueng, Lane, and Thao were also present and on duty. Chauvin was sentenced in a federal court to 21 years in prison earlier this summer for violating Floyd's civil rights. The sentence is running concurrently with Chauvin's state sentence of 22.5 years after he was convicted for second and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter. Floyd's death sparked outrage and protests across the United States in the summer of 2020 against police brutality and systemic racism. TAIYUAN, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- In an old-timey building in Qikou, an ancient riverine town along the Yellow River, China's second-longest river, Charyyev Nuryagdy and his Chinese partner participated in a livestream show introducing local farm products in early October. The 25-year-old student from Turkmenistan, who studies international politics at Shanxi University, toured several regions along the Yellow River in north China's Shanxi Province several months ago. To Nuryagdy, of all the places he had been to, Qikou was the most impressive one, especially the unique Shanxi merchant culture that appreciates integrity and hard work. That is also the reason he came back to Qikou this time. The Yellow River used to play an important shipping role in old times, when merchants unloaded goods such as fur, wool and herbs from boats coming upriver and switched to land transportation to further deliver them to cites like Taiyuan, Beijing, and Tianjin. Such a geographical advantage made Qikou an important port until the 1970s. Qikou's glory gradually faded in the following decades as the transportation network improved along the Yellow River area. Yet thanks to the rise of the industries of cultural tourism and e-commerce, the former trade and transport hub began to thrive again. The livestream show Nuryagdy participated in was one of the highlights of the seventh tourism and culture festival to promote the sale of red dates in Qikou. Guo Youshun, who grows more than 10 mu (about 0.66 hectares) of date trees in Kaiyang Village, told Nuryagdy that red dates are expected to bring his family an income of about 30,000 yuan (about 4,186 U.S. dollars) this year. During his preliminary survey, Nuryagdy found that local processing enterprises had further extended the production chain of agri-food. "There are multiple higher value-added products such as date snacks and drinks," Nuryagdy said. "In the past, people could not even secure enough food and clothing by farming, but now, their living standards have improved significantly, and some even bought houses in the county seat." Thanks to improving ecological environment and better infrastructure, tourism has become the pillar industry in Qikou. Li Shixi, an online celebrity, is one of the residents engaged in tourism. "Running a bed-and-breakfast (B&B) and serving as a model for sketchers can bring in more than 100,000 yuan a year, much better than farming," Li, 68, told Nuryagdy. Currently more than a tenth of Qikou's population is engaged in tourism-related business. The ancient town is now home to over 50 homestays. "I also noticed that more young people are returning to start businesses, which adds vitality to the ancient town," said Nuryagdy, whose two-hour livestream show eventually attracted more than 200,000 viewers. "With the development of new businesses, the future of Qikou will be even better," Nuryagdy said. BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official on Tuesday briefed non-CPC personages on the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. Entrusted by the CPC Central Committee, You Quan, head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, conveyed these guiding principles to members of the central committees of non-CPC political parties in China and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, as well as representatives of personages without party affiliation. Noting the great significance of the 20th CPC National Congress, You stressed that studying and implementing the guiding principles of the congress is a primary political task of the united front at present and for some time to come. You expressed the hope that efforts will be made to pool the will and strength for fulfilling the arrangements made by the 20th CPC National Congress and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday said in his message for the United Nations Day that upholding UN values and principles is essential in a world under stress. "Now, more than ever, we need to bring to life the values and principles of the UN Charter in every corner of the world," said Guterres. He described the United Nations as "the product of hope" because it embodies the hope and resolve to move beyond global conflict, to a new era of global cooperation. "Today, our organization is being tested like never before. But the United Nations was made for moments like this," he said. Guterres said the United Nations is "giving peace a chance and ending conflicts that jeopardize lives, futures and global progress," and is working to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, and rescue the Sustainable Development Goals. He pointed to the United Nations' role in safeguarding the planet, including by breaking global addiction to fossil fuels and kickstarting the renewable energy revolution. He also highlighted how the United Nations is "balancing the scales of opportunity and freedom" for women and girls, while also ensuring human rights for all. "As we mark the UN Day, let us renew our hope and conviction in what humanity can achieve when we work as one, in global solidarity," said the top UN official. The United Nations Day is an annual commemorative day, reflecting the official creation of the world body on Oct. 24, 1945. In 1947, the UN General Assembly declared Oct. 24 the anniversary of the UN Charter. In 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring that the United Nations Day shall be an international observance or international holiday and recommended that it should be observed as a public holiday by UN member states. Produced by Xinhua Global Service MOGADISHU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Somali security forces backed by international partners have killed more than 100 al-Shabab militants and their militia during two days of operations in the central part of the country, a government official said Monday. Deputy Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism Abdirahman Adala said the operations which targeted al-Shabab leaders and their militia (Khawarij) also saw vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) destroyed. He said the successful operations were carried out in collaboration with the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and international partners. These operations took place in the areas of Masajid Ali-gudud and Bur-olow, also known as Doilile in the Middle Shabelle region. The first operation Saturday targeted a garage and a house where leaders and militias were meeting, killing 21 terrorists including Abdullahi Ali Arale. Adala said other operations took place Sunday and targeted al-Shabab hideouts including VBIED which they have been using for launching attacks. The security forces have vowed to intensify both air and ground operations to flush out al-Shabab militants who have been attacking the locals and collecting illegal levies from the residents. Despite intensified security operations mounted by the allied government, the militants have too increased their onslaught against government security forces and other public places to topple the government. File photo taken on Oct. 12, 2020 shows firefighters battling to contain a fire on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Oct. 12, 2020. (Str/Xinhua) A fire that broke out Friday night on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, has been extinguished, a senior official said Monday. DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A fire that broke out Friday night on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, has been extinguished, a senior official said Monday. Eliamani Sedoyeka, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, said the fire was put out Sunday at around 5 p.m., local time, by a team of more than 600 firefighters from various institutions. "The firefighters are still monitoring in case there are some pockets of fire that could go up in flames," Sedoyeka told Xinhua in an interview over the phone. Asked to what extent the fire has caused damage, Sedoyeka said initial assessment has shown that about four square kilometers of vegetation of the mountain's 1,712 square kilometers of vegetation have been destroyed. He said the putting out of the fire will be followed by investigations to establish the cause of the fire that broke out at about 3,900 meters altitude on the south side of the mountain but he could not rule out human error. On Sunday, the Kilimanjaro regional commissioner Nurdin Babu said more than 600 firefighters were mobilized to put out the fire on the mountain. Babu told Xinhua in an interview over the phone that the firefighters were drawn from the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force, the Tanzania National Parks, police, scouts, members of the militia, and the private sector. Photo taken on Feb. 9, 2015 shows the Arrow Glacier seen from the site of Uhuru Peak, the highest point of Mt. Kilimanjaro. (Xinhua/Zhang Chuanshi) In October 2020, a fire broke out on the mountain and destroyed 95.5 square kilometers of vegetation and 12 huts, two toilets and solar equipment used by tourists climbing the mountain. Mount Kilimanjaro, with its snow-capped peak and 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. by Xinhua writers Hu Tao, Hong Zehua BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's aviation industry has bolstered the country's emergency rescue capabilities by advancing the continuous development of independently-developed aircraft. A range of homegrown civil aircraft, such as large amphibious aircraft, large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) and helicopters, are moving ahead to serve emergency rescue missions, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading planemaker. These aircraft have been used for various emergency missions in the country, such as fighting forest fires, drought relief, ecological protection and telecommunications restoration, among others. The AG600M amphibious firefighting aircraft has successfully conducted its pivotal tests of scooping and water dropping, which are key features of this large amphibious aircraft designed to combat forest fires. During the testing in late September, the AG600M consecutively conducted flight tests of aerial water dropping, landing on a nearby reservoir and taxiing scooping, taking off again and dropping water over the preset area, and then landing at the reservoir. AG600M is a full-state, new-configuration firefighting model belonging to China's AG600 large amphibious aircraft family, which is specially developed by the AVIC to serve the country's emergency rescue missions. The successful completion of pivotal flight tests demonstrated that China's independently-developed aeronautical products could support its emergency rescue capabilities, said He Shengqiang, deputy general manager of AVIC. A planemaker with the capability to support the entire industrial chain, the AVIC plays a major role in sustaining the country's aircraft development and strengthening its air emergency rescue system, He added. Multiple homegrown aircraft capable of serving emergency rescue missions, including the AC352 and AC313A civil helicopters, and various models of the Wing Loong large civil UAV family, are making rapid progress by taking significant strides forward in their development. The Z15, also known as the AC352, obtained certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in late July, a key step toward its market entry. As China's first homegrown medium-sized civil helicopter, it can carry up to 16 passengers and has high search and rescue efficiency in diverse missions. Going ahead, more configurations of AC352 for firefighting, emergency transport and medical rescue missions are expected, according to the AVIC. The renowned Wing Loong large civil UAV family has also tapped vast potential in the emergency rescue field by conducting cloud seeding operations over drought-hit regions and supporting emergency communications in quake-hit Sichuan. China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) has proposed to improve the national emergency management system by strengthening and improving the air rescue system and capabilities. The State Council of China has unveiled a plan to boost the development and capabilities of the modern emergency management system over the 2021-2025 period by increasing aircraft for forest fire-fighting missions and expanding air-rescue capacities to cover key forests and grasslands across the country. The AVIC will focus on meeting the demands of China's ever-improving emergency rescue capacities with independently-developed products, technologies and services to sustain people's livelihood, well-being and economic development of the nation, He said. Malta's Finance Minister Clyde Caruana unveils Malta's 2023 budget plan in the parliament in Valletta, Malta on Oct. 24, 2022. Malta plans to spend 508 million euros (501.4 million U.S. dollars) in 2023 to ease the impacts of the rising energy costs, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Monday. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) VALLETTA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Malta plans to spend 508 million euros (501.4 million U.S. dollars) in 2023 to ease the impacts of the rising energy costs, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Monday. In Malta's 2023 budget plan unveiled by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana on Monday, energy expenditures account for 9.3 percent of the government's recurrent expenditure. Tax cuts would have saved families with two working adults 510 euros (503.4 dollars) a year, Caruana said, while subsidizing energy costs will save them electricity costs and car fuel. Among the measures announced were a living grant of 9.9 euros per week for every employee and an increase of 12.5 euros per week for pensioners. "This is not the time for austerity measures but time to invest more to generate stronger economic growth," Abela said, adding that the budget will give families certainty, help them in their struggles and enable them to plan their future. BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's carbon dioxide monitoring satellite TanSat has produced its first batch of human-caused carbon dioxide emission (CO2) signatures, offering a scientific basis for the country's efforts to combat global warming. The space-based monitor detected carbon emissions from human activities based on TanSat's CO2 observations together with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) measurements from the European satellite Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. TanSat, launched in 2016, is China's first global carbon dioxide monitoring satellite, with "Tan" standing for "carbon" in Chinese. The 620-kg satellite TanSat, sent into a sun-synchronous orbit about 700 kilometers above the earth, is monitoring the CO2 concentration, distribution and flow in the atmosphere. Recently, new algorithms were uploaded onto the TanSat devices, thus greatly improving its measurement precision. An international team of Chinese and Finnish researchers used TanSat data captured in May 2018 near the northern Chinese city of Tangshan and in March 2018 near Tokyo. Thereafter they compared the captured data to nitrogen dioxide measurements on the same dates over the same cities, according to the study. It helps "the detection of anthropogenic plumes and to analyze the CO2-to-NO2 ratio," said the paper's first author Yang Dongxu from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The ratios in Tangshan and Tokyo were found to align with the emission inventories, "an important step in TanSat data analysis," said Janne Hakkarainen, the paper's co-author. "The next step is to infer emissions and to prepare for the TanSat-2 constellation including the joint analysis of CO2 and NO2 plumes," said Hakkarainen, who had worked with the Finnish Meteorological Institute. TANSAT MISSION TanSat is China's first CO2 monitoring mission to conduct research on the global carbon cycle. The new generation of TanSat mission, TanSat-2, is now in the design phase, said the paper's co-author Liu Yi, an IAP researcher. TanSat-2 is a constellation of satellites distributed into at least two orbits in the morning and afternoon to cover a city or a point source twice a day. It is expected to be used to monitor cities with an 800-1000 km wide swath to record the gradient of carbon dioxide from the city's central region to rural areas, and it will use a 500-meter footprint size to improve the emission estimation accuracy, Liu noted. "Our goal is to use satellite measurements to improve our knowledge of the carbon cycle and to further analyze and constraint the carbon dioxide sources and sinks and their uncertainties," Liu said. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from 280 ppm to 400 ppm over the past 150 years, leading to an increase in average global temperatures of about 0.7 degrees Celsius over the last century. The emissions caused by fossil fuel combustion are particularly localized, with urban areas being the dominant contributor responsible for more than 70 percent of global emissions. Therefore, more carbon satellites are needed to obtain high-precision data on human-caused emissions from cities. "The results signify China's technical capability in quantitatively detecting and calculating urban carbon emissions, which will help open the market for the carbon satellites," Yang said. China launched a national carbon market in July 2021, and had seen a cumulative turnover of 195 million tonnes of carbon emission quotas worth nearly 8.6 billion yuan (about 1.2 billion U.S. dollars) by Sept. 14. The country pledged to peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Most of the capital goods monitored by the Chinese government posted lower prices in mid-October compared with early October this year, official data showed. Of the 50 major goods monitored by the government, which include seamless steel tubes, gasoline, coal, fertilizer and some agricultural products mainly used for processing, 23 saw their prices increase, while 24 posted lower prices, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Hog price rose 4.5 percent in mid-October to 27.7 yuan (about 3.87 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, NBS data showed. The reading, released every 10 days, is based on a survey of nearly 2,000 wholesalers and distributors in 31 provincial-level regions. By Trend The statement by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia consultations is encouraging, US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan told reporters on October 24, Trend reports via Georgian media. According to her, each meeting of the leaders of the region's countries is of utmost importance. "We remember very well the crucial role played by Georgia in the transfer of detainees. However, there are plenty of fields such as energy and economy that are yet to be developed among the three countries," Degnan said. JERUSALEM, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition themed "Retracing the Long March" was held on Monday at the China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. Nearly four hundred photos, taken by Israeli veteran David Ben-Uziel 17 years ago, are put on display in prints or on screens, showcasing his five-month mission back then in China to retrace the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's epic trek between 1934 and 1936, which is known as the "Long March." In March 2005, accompanied by Chinese friends, the then 70-year-old Israeli set off from Yudu County in eastern China's Jiangxi Province, the starting point of the Long March. After traveling more than 19,000 km on wheels and another 1000 km on foot, he arrived in Wuqi County of Yan'an, the northwestern province of Shaanxi, the terminal of the Red Army's odyssey. Along the course of his retracing journey, Ben-Uziel, who goes by "Wu Dawei" in Chinese, took thousands of photos, vividly recording historical items marking the army's milestones and the life of ordinary residents along the route. "Through the lens of his camera, he also captured in photos the economic and social development along the route 70 years after the Long March," said Chinese Ambassador to Israel Cai Run while addressing the opening ceremony. He added that Ben-Uziel learned the spirit of the Long March and the Chinese nation from the perspective of a military man. From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army soldiers, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, left their bases and marched through raging rivers, frigid mountains, and arid grassland to break the siege of the Kuomintang forces and continued to fight the Japanese aggressors. At the exhibition, Ben-Uziel, now 87, told the audience stories of his marvelous journey in China, elaborated on landmarks of the Long March and explained the significance of the event in the history of modern China. With his life and work experience in China and his deep love for Chinese culture, Ben-Uziel has contributed to the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, Cai noted. "I think the exhibition is telling us much more than just the Long March itself. We all know about the Long March but definitely, now we know much more. I think this is extremely important for China-Israeli connections," said Yulia Mit, an audience of the exhibition. BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of political parties and heads of state or government worldwide have sent congratulations to Xi Jinping on his election as general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Under Xi's strong leadership, China has made remarkable achievements of development in the past decade, said Jorge Bom Jesus, president of the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party (MLSTP-PSD). Jesus, also Sao Tome and Principe prime minister, said he firmly believes that under Xi's strong leadership, the resolutions of the 20th CPC National Congress will be effectively implemented and the development goals of the party and the country will be realized. Xi's election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee fully demonstrates his prestige as a great leader of the contemporary age and the heartfelt support of the Chinese people for him, said Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era will guide the Chinese people to achieve their goals, said Berdimuhamedov, who is also former Turkmen president. Chairman of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev said Xi is globally renowned as a responsible and determined statesman who loves his country deeply. Medvedev said Xi is a good listener to the voice of the people and takes care of their needs and interests, a unique attribute that makes him worthy of the leader of the CPC. He wished Xi new achievements in his work that bears a great responsibility. Milorad Dodik, president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said under Xi's leadership, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, laying a solid foundation for building a great modern socialist country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts. Dodik said he firmly believes that Xi will steer China toward greater achievements of development. Secretary-General of the Istiqlal Party and Minister of Equipment and Water of Morocco Nizar Baraka expected to further strengthen cooperation with the CPC and China, a friendly country with a long history, so as to achieve mutual benefit and promote the values of dialogue and peace. In the report of the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi pointed out the central task for the CPC in the new era and the new journey, said Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, president emeritus of the Philippines' Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party and former president of the country. She believes that under Xi's leadership, China will surely secure greater achievements of development. Those also sending congratulatory messages include: Wee Ka Siong, president of the Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysia's transport minister; Airlangga Hartarto, chairman of Indonesia's Golkar Party and coordinating minister for economic affairs; Viorica Dancila, president of Romania's Nation People Together party and the country's former prime minister; Mohsen Marzouk, president of Machrouu Tounes of Tunisia; Carlos Lupi, president of the Democratic Labour Party of Brazil; Gyula Thurmer, leader of the Hungarian Workers' Party; Richard Todwong, secretary general of Uganda's National Resistance Movement party; Paul Mashatile, treasurer general of the African National Congress of South Africa. The western black crested gibbon, a critically endangered species, has seen a rise in its population in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Follow our Xinhua reporter to find out more: #GLOBALink Provided by Xinhua Global Service UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, on Oct. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E) "Now, more than ever, we need to bring to life the values and principles of the UN Charter in every corner of the world," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday said in his message for the United Nations Day that upholding UN values and principles is essential in a world under stress. "Now, more than ever, we need to bring to life the values and principles of the UN Charter in every corner of the world," said Guterres. He described the United Nations as "the product of hope" because it embodies the hope and resolve to move beyond global conflict, to a new era of global cooperation. "Today, our organization is being tested like never before. But the United Nations was made for moments like this," he said. Guterres said the United Nations is "giving peace a chance and ending conflicts that jeopardize lives, futures and global progress," and is working to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, and rescue the Sustainable Development Goals. He pointed to the United Nations' role in safeguarding the planet, including by breaking global addiction to fossil fuels and kickstarting the renewable energy revolution. He also highlighted how the United Nations is "balancing the scales of opportunity and freedom" for women and girls, while also ensuring human rights for all. "As we mark the UN Day, let us renew our hope and conviction in what humanity can achieve when we work as one, in global solidarity," said the top UN official. The United Nations Day is an annual commemorative day, reflecting the official creation of the world body on Oct. 24, 1945. In 1947, the UN General Assembly declared Oct. 24 the anniversary of the UN Charter. In 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring that the United Nations Day shall be an international observance or international holiday and recommended that it should be observed as a public holiday by UN member states. BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has signed a State Council decree unveiling a regulation on advancing the development of self-employed businesses. The regulation, which will take effect on Nov. 1, 2022, has set out specific preferential policies in areas including optimizing the business environment and protecting the lawful rights and interests of self-employed businesses. The regulation clarifies the role of self-employed businesses in the socialist market economy and the basic principles for promoting their development, and promises to simplify administrative procedures and improve the business environment to create favorable conditions for the healthy development of such businesses. Meanwhile, the working mechanism for promoting the development of the businesses is set up in the regulation. Support for these businesses in areas including registration of market entities, annual reporting services, supply of business premises as well as capital, taxation, finance, social security, entrepreneurship and employment will be provided by the government and its relevant departments. The country will also strengthen protection of the legitimate rights and interests of self-employed businesses, according to the regulation. ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) presents huge opportunities for Ethiopia's top agricultural export commodities toward penetrating wider market access, an Ethiopian agricultural products exporter has said. Sisay Asmare, general manager of RIB Industrial and Commercial Private Limited Company (PLC), who is also the president of Ethiopian Pulses, Oilseeds and Spices Processors-Exporters Association (EPOSPEA), said the CIIE serves as an efficient platform to meet and forge a business partnership with potential Chinese customers. RIB Industrial and Commercial PLC has been actively engaged in exporting agricultural commodities such as sesame seed, pulses, spices and other varieties of beans and oilseeds since 2003, in which China is one of its major export market destinations. Recalling two-time successful participation at the CIIE before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, Asmare said the platform serves as a hotspot avenue for Ethiopian and other foreign exporters to explore and penetrate the vast Chinese market. The 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is scheduled for Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai. The event provides a platform for companies from around the world to display their products, promote their brands, and find more business partners in the world's second-largest economy. "We have participated at the CIIE two times, in 2018 and 2019, but since then due to the coronavirus pandemic, we did not participate. For this year, we are also invited to attend," Asmare said. "We are happy because it was a very big event. The Chinese also gave us, for Ethiopia, one pavilion," he said, adding that the Ethiopian pavilion at the CIIE had "attracted so many excited visitors." According to Asmare, the secret to a successful participation at the platform lies in effectively evaluating the market demand, assessing potential customers, and forging business partnerships. "When I go there, for one, I maintain my relationship with existing customers. I visit them and learn how they are going to apply the import from us and how they process it so that I will take care of my products as per their demands. Secondly, new customers will also come," he said. Asmare said the platform helps to "maintain relationships, get new customers, and understand your customers' needs a face-to-face business relationship that helps me to understand the (business more)." He said the previous CIIE editions have successfully injected important impetus in terms of creating awareness about Ethiopia's major export commodities. "They (the organizers) are very good. Our products are popular as people really like Ethiopian products and it is a growing situation," he said. Asmare said the CIIE is a conducive platform to expedite demand and accessibility of Ethiopia's export-oriented agricultural commodities to the wider Chinese and global market, eventually enabling the East African country to tap into its competitive advantage in the global agricultural products market. "We can supply sesame seed, oilseeds like peanuts, sunflower seed, rapeseed; we also have coffee; and these are becoming popular in the Chinese market. In the near future, our products will compete more as the demand will also come from China," Asmare said. Noting the existing one-time production of Ethiopia's agricultural export commodities, which often affects business relations with foreign importers due to supply interruptions as exporters usually wait until the next production season ahead of export, Asmare said the CIIE offers constant opportunities to regularly meet new customers. Asmare, in particular, underscored the need to utilize the CIIE as a gateway to the ever-expanding Chinese market, with due emphasis given to the growing demand for Ethiopia's agricultural export commodities among the Chinese customer base. "The Chinese market is the biggest in the world. (It) is a blessing for Ethiopians and Africans," he said. He further underscored the two-way benefit presented by the wider Chinese market. "We can benefit by supplying them agricultural commodities, industrial raw materials and we can also buy from them agro-processing factory machinery, construction machinery and other development equipment." As Ethiopia's overall exports to China grows exponentially in recent years, figures from EPOSPEA show that China has been a major destination for Ethiopia's sesame seed in the past decade, as about 60 to 70 percent of the country's total sesame export goes to China. Between 2018 to 2021, China imported close to 282,554 metric tons of Ethiopia's sesame seed, making it the largest importer of the commodity, according to figures from EPOSPEA. Sesame, along with coffee, is one of Ethiopia's top export commodities, as the country's export sector is largely dominated by the export of agricultural products. During the Ethiopian 2021/2022 fiscal year, which ended on July 7, 2022, the country generated 4.12 billion U.S. dollars in export revenue, of which the agriculture sector contributed the highest share, constituting 72 percent of the total export revenue, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration. Courtesy of the booming Sino-Ethiopia trade and investment cooperation coupled with important platforms such as the CIIE, Ethiopia's overall export to China has registered steady growth in recent years as China remains Ethiopia's biggest trading partner. Ethiopia's exports to China increased by 8 percent in 2021 as compared with the previous year, while new foreign direct investment (FDI) from Chinese companies to Ethiopia grew by 346 percent, according to figures from the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia. A man fills up the tank of his car at a gas station in Lille, north France, Oct. 6, 2022. (Photo by Sebastien Courdji/Xinhua) The package includes joint gas purchasing, the creation of a transaction-based benchmark for the price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and default solidarity rules among member states in case of energy supply shortages. BRUSSELS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A package of emergency energy measures proposed by the European Commission last week to mitigate the effects of the current energy crisis should be adopted by the end of November, senior officials said on Tuesday. Tuesday's meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' energy ministers in Luxembourg "showed that our efforts to secure the approval of the package of measures to reduce energy prices ... are on the right track," said Jozef Sikela, the Czech Republic's Minister for industry and trade. "That is why I am calling another extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers on November 24, where we will finish everything," Council chair Sikela said. The package includes joint gas purchasing, the creation of a transaction-based benchmark for the price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and default solidarity rules among member states in case of energy supply shortages. Photo taken on Sept. 10, 2022 shows a household gas stove in Haarlem, the Netherlands. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua) "The package has a number of important elements that we will jointly work on, to be ready for adoption at the next extraordinary Council," Kadri Simson, European commissioner for energy, said. The joint purchasing of gas tops the agenda for the member states' energy ministers, according to Sikela and Simson. The goal is to reduce uncoordinated bidding for gas supplies, make access to gas fairer and potentially reduce prices. The process should start immediately after the end of this heating season, EU officials said. There has been a "broad consensus" about the proposed creation of a new LNG pricing benchmark, which is expected to increase transparency and price predictability, according to Simson. Photo taken on May 20, 2022 shows a natural gas storage facility operated by Hungarian Gas Storage Ltd. in the village of Zsana, Hungary. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua) However, "different views" were expressed on the proposed gas price cap and the price correction mechanism of the TTF (Title Transfer Facility, the main European gas exchange in the Netherlands). The ministers also supported the proposed default energy solidarity between member states, Sikela said. Certain EU member states voiced their concerns regarding the industry sector, underlining that EU industry should remain competitive and that a level playing field on the internal market should be ensured. The ministers also addressed the energy efficiency of buildings in the EU as part of the Fit for 55 package, which is the bloc's plan for its green transition. The lighting Eiffel Tower is seen in Paris, France, Sept. 22, 2022. Starting from Sept. 23, lights are switched off at 23:45 instead of 1:00 a.m. in order to save energy. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) The participants reached an agreement on a proposal to revise the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive that was submitted last December by the European Commission. The building sector accounts for 40 percent of the EU's energy consumption, Sikela said. "This is about to change." The revised directive "will help us reduce our energy bills and our dependence on Russia," he said. Tuesday's Energy Council was the first regular meeting of the ministers since August, after three extraordinary meetings. The next Council session, on Nov. 24, will also be an extraordinary one. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), speaks at a news conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Aug. 26, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua) Concluding a five-day visit to Somalia and Kenya on Tuesday, Grandi warned, in a statement to the press, that the catastrophic and multifaceted consequences in the region are largely unnoticed as the world's attention remains elsewhere. GENEVA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Tuesday called on world leaders to spare no efforts in assisting countries in the Horn of Africa to break the cycle of conflicts and climate crises. Concluding a five-day visit to Somalia and Kenya on Tuesday, Grandi warned, in a statement to the press, that the catastrophic and multifaceted consequences in the region are largely unnoticed as the world's attention remains elsewhere. Latest UN figures showed that in Somalia, the number of people displaced internally this year -- primarily by drought -- is nearing 1 million, and about 500,000 others are displaced due to conflicts and insecurity. A woman carrying a child is seen at a camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, Jan. 13, 2022. (Photo by Hassan Bashi/Xinhua) Many who were forced to flee violence earlier have been displaced yet again by the worst drought in 40 years, the UN refugee agency said, adding that such extreme weather events are also intensifying globally and becoming more frequent due to climate crises. "These families are the least responsible for global warming, yet they are being hit the hardest. It is tragic and it is shameful, and the world should not look away," Grandi said. In Kenya, he visited refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma, where more than 50,000 Somali refugees are in dire need of support. "The drought impact in Kenya is not in the headlines, but it deserves as much attention from the international community," Grandi said. "We must get the resources to do more for these arrivals from Somalia and affected Kenyans, too." According to the UN figures, Kenya has provided international protection to refugees from across the region for more than three decades and currently hosts over half a million refugees and asylum-seekers. A sheep fells to the ground due to bloating after drinking too much water on an empty stomach at a water point in the town of Laisamis, Massabit County, Kenya, on August 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A girl has her temperature measured at a COVID-19 vaccination site in Times Square, New York, the United States, on June 22, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) Health experts are concerned over the triple threat of flu, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), urging the public to get flu shots and COVID-19 vaccinations, and be aware of symptoms of severe illness. LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Respiratory viruses are spreading at high levels in the United States as temperatures begin to drop, causing the surge of pediatric cases across the country. Health experts are concerned over the triple threat of flu, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), urging the public to get flu shots and COVID-19 vaccinations, and be aware of symptoms of severe illness. The flu, COVID-19 and RSV are all highly contagious respiratory infections caused by different viruses: flu by influenza virus, COVID-19 by SARS-CoV-2 virus, and RSV by respiratory syncytial virus. RSV usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, but can be dangerous for some infants and young children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Surveillance data collected by the CDC clearly shows a rise in RSV cases nationwide in recent weeks, with cases detected by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests more than tripling over the past two months. Children with underlying health conditions, such as chronic lung disease or heart problems, may also be at higher risk for severe illness from respiratory viruses, said Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin, a pediatrician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. If left untreated, severe cases of COVID-19, RSV or the flu can develop into pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, said Dr. Peter Hotez, a co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital. Children greet each other as they arrive at school in New York, the United States, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) RSV is also known to cause bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lungs, according to the CDC. Both pneumonia and bronchiolitis can be deadly, especially in children with underlying health conditions, according to experts. Hotez urged parents to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu. "There are three viruses circulating," he said, "and if you can take one or two of them off the table by getting your child vaccinated, that makes things much more straightforward." The COVID-19 vaccination rate in the United States lags that of many other high-income countries. Less than half of the total booster-eligible population in the United States has received a COVID-19 booster dose, according to latest CDC data. About 226.6 million people, or 68.2 percent of the total U.S. population, completed a primary series as of Oct. 20. But only 49.1 percent of the total booster-eligible population has received a booster dose, CDC data shows. Pastas are seen for sale at a store in Rome, Italy, on May 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni) There was a 33 percent increase in pasta exports over the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2021, according to an analysis by agriculture union Coldiretti. ROME, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Italy celebrated World Pasta Day on Tuesday by announcing record exports for one of its most iconic products, as its economy was suffering from rising prices and slowing output. The 24th edition of World Pasta Day was marked around Italy and in some other countries with special events dedicated to specific kinds of pasta, and local traditions. There was a 33 percent increase in pasta exports over the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2021, according to an analysis by agriculture union Coldiretti, based on data from Italy's National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). Around 200,000 Italian farms produce the durum wheat used to make pasta, feeding a supply chain that includes 360 companies and 7,500 employees. The pasta manufacturing industry has a total value of around 5 billion euros (5 billion U.S. dollars). A saleswoman puts ravioli into a plate in Rome, Italy, on May 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni) Italy remains the leading consumer of pasta globally, at 23.5 kilograms per person annually. The other countries with consumption in double digits, Tunisia, Venezuela and Greece, are still well behind Italy, Coldiretti said. Meanwhile, Germany is the top importer of Italian pasta, with an increase of 31 percent in the period analyzed, followed by the United States and France. Pasta exports have increased despite higher production and transport costs due to rising energy prices sparked by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the eroding value of the euro currency. The euro has mostly traded below parity with the U.S. dollar since August. The jump in pasta exports also showed a strong resilience amid rising wheat prices, which earlier this year touched an all-time high of 12.9 U.S. dollars per bushel, according to data from the Macrotrends website. However, in pasta production this has been offset by falling prices for durum wheat. This is due to strong production levels in Italy, despite an unusually hot and dry summer in the country. Pasta models are seen at a restaurant in Rome, Italy, on May 19, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni) NA Chairman holds talks with Cambodian Senate President National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with visiting President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum in Hanoi on October 24, following the welcome ceremony the same day. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum (Photo: VNA) President Say Chhum is on Vietnam visit from October 24-26 at the invitation of the NA Chairman Hue. The Cambodian Senate President thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, army and people for providing tremendous support for the just and fair cause of the Cambodian people in all historical periods. He affirmed that Cambodia always maintains its consistent stance on cultivating solidarity and friendship between the two peoples in line with the motto of good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability. He also thanked the Vietnamese NA for assisting the Cambodian Senate in equipment and personnel training. As Cambodia will host the 43rd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 43), he wished to welcome Chairman Hue to the meeting this November. Chairman Hue, for his part, agreed with his guest that despite global and regional uncertainties, long-standing friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia will be forever an invaluable asset that needs to be nurtured and passed on to later generations. In eight months of this year, two-way trade hit 7.7 billion USD, up 19% annually. Vietnam is the leading investor in ASEAN and among top investors in Cambodia. It is also the worlds largest source of tourist arrivals in Cambodia. Vietnam is ready to cooperate extensively with Cambodia in workforce training and development, including tertiary and post-tertiary level, Hue said. He suggested improving the efficiency of bilateral education-training for students, including pushing forward the establishment of Faculty of Vietnamese Studies at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, thus enhancing the quality of Cambodian students who are to study in Vietnam. As the demarcation and planting of border markers on the mainland between Vietnam and Cambodia have been 84% completed, Hue proposed both sides focus on completing the remainder work to build a borderline of peace, cooperation and development. The host suggested promoting negotiations on a new agreement on border management regulations in replace of the 1983 agreement, and talking to reach an agreement on border gates and regulations on the management of border gates. He wished that the Cambodian Senate and the President would create favourable conditions for the issuance of legal papers to Cambodians of Vietnamese origin, as well as offer support to the Vietnamese firms in the country. He hoped an agreement on the settlement of issues related to nationals in each country would be signed in line with international law and conditions of the two nations. Speaking highly of bilateral coordination at international, ASEAN, regional and sub-regional forums, Hue affirmed that Vietnam supports Cambodia in its capacity as Chair of ASEAN and AIPA 2022. He believed that the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and AIPA-43 slated for November in Phnom Penh would be a success, making important contributions to building ASEAN Community and improving Cambodias international reputation and position. The top Vietnamese legislator suggested both sides strengthen exchanges and consultations on strategic issues involving security - development of the region and each country, strive to maintain solidarity, unity and affirm the ASEANs central role in regional security issues. He proposed upholding ASEAN's principle stance on the East Sea such as ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, enhancing trust building in accordance with international law; settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), strictly and fully abiding by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon reaching a substantive, effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). He requested that the signed Protocols and national defence-security cooperation agreements be carried out effectively. Collaboration in border security and fight against crimes and illegal entry-exit be more effective while a Master Plan on connecting the two economies till 2030 be completed soon. The host thanked Cambodian agencies for working closely with Vietnam to rescue Vietnamese citizens who were tricked and coerced into illegal work in several business establishments run by foreigners in Cambodia. He suggested both sides continue working together on this issue. On the occasion, he asked Cambodia to continue with assistance in the search and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts in the country. He urged the two Governments soon sign a border trade agreement, effectively implement the Memorandum of Understanding on border trade infrastructure development and connectivity, the Agreement on Investment Promotion and Protection and the Agreement on Double Taxation Avoidance. Both sides agreed that the Vietnamese NA will work closely with the Cambodian Senate and NA to improve the efficiency of cooperation between the two Governments and peoples while offering mutual support at regional and global inter-parliamentary forums. They promised to maintain all-level meetings to share professional experience in law-making, supervision and deciding on the countrys important issues. The exchange of delegations via Party, State, NA, Government and people-to-people diplomacy channels will be maintained in order to consolidate political trust between the two Parties and nations. High-level agreements by leaders of the two Parties and countries will be effectively implemented so as to deepen bilateral political ties. In the evening the same day, NA Chairman Hue hosted a banquet for President Say Chhum and the high-ranking Cambodian delegation. By Azernews By Fatima Hasanova Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov has confirmed that preparations for a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with the mediation of Vladimir Putin are already in the pipeline, Azernews reports, citing Russian media. "The summit is being prepared. We will inform you about the date and venue later," Peskov said. Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on the issue in question. Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Russia for the next trilateral summit, where it is planned to discuss a whole range of trilateral and bilateral issues, she said. The latest negotiations between Aliyev and Pashinyan occurred on October 6, 2022, at the European Economic Community summit in Prague. On May 22, Aliyev and Pashinyan met in Brussels under the aegis of European Union Council President Charles Michel. At the meeting, the parties agreed to start the work of the commission on the delimitation of the borders, and also agreed on the need to start unblocking transport links in the region and discuss a future peace treaty. SYDNEY, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Australia's public and policymakers are urged to show more respect for teachers as a national study showed that 70 percent of the country's teachers don't feel that the teaching profession is respected or appreciated by the public. The Australian Teachers' Perceptions of their Work Report 2022, conducted by Monash University and revealed on Monday, was based on a national survey of more than 5,000 teachers nationwide. It showed that seven in 10 teachers don't feel respected by the Australian public; one in four teachers do not feel safe at work; less than 14 percent of teachers report their workload is manageable; and less than 10 percent of teachers feel respected by politicians. The report also found that teachers' satisfaction with their roles has dropped from 65.9 percent to 45.8 percent, from the previous 2019 survey to the current one, with only three in 10 teachers planning on staying in the profession. "These results are a wake-up call for us all. They highlight the urgent need for systemic action and personal change. Teachers play a critical role in shaping our shared future, they deserve the utmost respect and appreciation, and that includes having a place at the table when it comes to policy making," said the report's lead author, lecturer in Educational Leadership at Monash University's Faculty of Education Fiona Longmuir. With staff shortages partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, aging and shrinking workforces, and not competitive payment, Australia has seen complaints and strikes of teachers from time to time and increasing demand to improve their working conditions. A study released by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) last month showed that full-time teachers typically work 55 hours a week, 45 percent more hours than they are paid for, while part-time teachers work four days a week, 40 percent more hours than they are paid for. Longmuir said systemic action and personal change are urgently needed now. "We need to prioritize respect for this highly valuable workforce and respect takes many forms. We must appreciate our teachers, advocate on their behalf, and enable their voices to be heard at the policymaking table," she noted. The report also found some bright side as eight in 10 teachers still felt a strong sense of belonging to the profession, particularly from their relationships with other teachers, school staff and students. NEW DELHI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Many places in India witnessed a partial solar eclipse on Tuesday, officials said. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics live-streamed the celestial phenomenon. The celestial event was viewed across multiple Indian cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Ludhiana, Agra, Chandigarh and Gandhinagar. However, it lasted for the maximum duration in Gujarat's Dwarka. The Indian ministry of earth sciences had urged people not to view the eclipsed sun with naked eyes. "Eclipsed sun should not be viewed with the naked eye, even for a very short time. It will cause permanent damage of the eyes leading to blindness even when the Moon covers most portion of the sun," the ministry said. "Safe technique to observe the solar eclipse is either by using proper filter like aluminized Mylar, black polymer, welding glass of shade number 14 or by making projection of Sun's image on a white board by telescope." "The next solar eclipse will be visible from India on Aug. 2, 2027. It will be a total solar eclipse. From all parts of the country it will be seen as partial solar eclipse," the ministry said in a statement. A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day when the moon comes in between the earth and the sun, and when all three heavenly bodies are aligned. A partial solar eclipse will occur when the lunar disk covers the solar disk partially. Reports said the solar eclipse will be followed by a lunar eclipse that is scheduled to happen on Nov. 8 this year. PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A clash between two families over the ownership of a farmland in northern Afghanistan's Baghlan province claimed the lives of four persons and injured three others on Monday, the provincial police spokesman Shir Ahmad Burhani said Tuesday. The clash, according to the official, erupted Monday evening after one family claimed the ownership over a piece of land while another rejected and resorted to firearms, which resulted in killing four persons, two from each family. Burhani said the victims are cousins and police have started further investigations. LONDON, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China has been following a distinctive path of an open national innovation system over the past decade, which has given fresh impetus to its economic development, setting an example for other countries, an Oxford-based scholar has said. The approach "uses a combination of the state and the market to drive innovation and has integrated the country into the global innovation system," said Fu Xiaolan, founding director of the Technology and Management Center for Development at the University of Oxford, in a recent interview with Xinhua. Under the system with Chinese characteristics featuring dual drivers, dual markets and dual resources, "China has had access to both indigenous and foreign markets, knowledge and resources," Fu said. The Oxford Handbook of China Innovation, a new book co-edited by Fu explaining and analyzing China's innovation development and its prospects, was launched in July. In the book, more than 60 experts worldwide offered their perspectives on China's innovation development focusing on policy discussion and views on further progress to become a leader in global innovation. INCREASE IN INNOVATION INVESTMENT & COLLABORATION According to Fu, China in the past decade saw a significant increase in investment in innovation and strengthened capacity for independent innovation, along with proactive international innovation collaboration marked by international cooperation in research and development (R&D), establishment of overseas R&D centers, and international mobility of talents. During this period of time, she added, some innovation models with Chinese characteristics have emerged, such as the energy-saving innovation, which "not only reduces production costs and makes innovative products and services available to more low- and middle-income families, but also saves raw materials and investments, fulfilling the need for sustainable development." Alongside China's innovation development, Chinese companies have moved up the global value chain as well, said Fu. "Some Chinese companies have joined the global value chain to learn and innovate, while some Chinese multinational enterprises are already leading innovation along the global value chain." As a result, breakthroughs were made in many innovation industries and fields, such as digital innovation, which has helped boost China's digital economy to the top tier in the world, Fu noted. On top of that, fields like artificial intelligence, aerospace, deep-sea exploration, and new energy have all seen impressive achievements, contributing to the country's economic development, she added. REASONS FOR REMARKABLE PROGRESS Speaking of the reasons for such progress, the scholar attributed it partly to the fact that China has been constantly exploring an innovation model that suits its needs. "The Chinese government has kept on introducing new innovation policies and improving them, pushing forward reforms, and encouraging efforts to explore different innovation models," Fu said. China has also seen deeper public awareness of the importance of innovation in past years, she added. "With the constant development of the Chinese economy and world science and technology as well as changes in the international situation, the awareness has taken root in the minds of the government, enterprises and the public," Fu said. Finally, China's innovation ecosystem has made remarkable progress in the last decade, as R&D investments have continued to increase. China has set an example for other countries as well. "Featuring dual drivers, dual markets, and dual resources, the system invites all kinds of market players, whether state-owned, private or foreign-owned, to play a role," Fu said. "That's the experience other developing countries could learn from." Innovation takes time and patience, but China is already on the right path to innovation, Fu said. As was shown on the Global Innovation Index 2021 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, China has risen to 12th place globally in innovation. "By continuing to move along the current path and continuously improving its innovation environment and mechanism, China will definitely become an innovation powerhouse," she said. NEW YORK, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- There are more than a dozen pediatric Long COVID clinics scattered across the United States, according to a directory kept by the support group Long COVID Families, but getting into them isn't always easy, reported Time on Monday. The pediatric Long COVID clinic at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., has a waitlist three to four months long, director Alexandra Yonts was quoted as saying. That's "problematic," Yonts said, but it's the best she and her small team can do without additional funding. As it is, they see Long COVID patients just one afternoon per week, and only because all the clinicians happened to be free from other responsibilities during that window of time, according to the report. Even specialty clinics are still learning a lot about pediatric Long COVID, which has been researched much less than adult Long COVID, said the report. Among adults, many researchers now believe the condition occurs either because the virus lingers in the body or sparks an abnormal immune response that can last much longer than an acute case, it added. Kolkata: Big news is coming about cyclonic storm Sitrang. Yes, it is getting faster with each passing time. The storm wreaked havoc in Bangladesh yesterday i.e. at midnight of Diwali. 5 people died in this, while thousands of people were taken to a safe place by the administration. At least five people have been killed in Barguna, Narail, Sirajganj districts and the Island district of Bhola, a spokesperson of the disaster ministry's control room said. On the other hand, in view of the looming threat of storms in Bengal, the administration including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is on alert. On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "The IMD has issued an alert regarding storm Sitrang. In which there is a possibility of heavy rain on October 25. People are appealed to avoid going out unnecessarily in the sea areas including Sundarbans. Full arrangements have been made for this by the state government." Let us tell you that due to the storm, there is a possibility of heavy rain at one or two places of North and South 24 Parganas of Nadia district. Apart from this, one or two places of the Murshidabad district of South Bengal may receive moderate rainfall. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for these areas. With this, wind speed reaching 70-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph is very likely over North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts. Let us tell you that by morning the wind speed can reach 60 kmph gusting to 40-50 kmph in East Midnapore districts. Squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph is very likely over West Midnapore districts of South Bengal, Kolkata, Howrah, and Hooghly till morning and 85-95 kmph over North Bay of Bengal Wind speed is likely to reach 105 kmph. Along with this, there is a possibility of flooding in the low-lying areas of West Bengal at the time of the storm. Yes and for this fishermen have been advised not to go to sea till 25 October 2022. Let us tell you that on the afternoon of October 25, 2022, the storm will start slowing down. Delhiites not afraid of 6 months jail for bursting firecrackers, AQI reaches to 'Very Poor' Who is Britain's new Indian PM Rishi Sunak, who created history in UK 'Don't insult public,' Kejriwal on PM Modi's 'Freebie' statement Adroit Market Research Some of the key players which have been listed in the report are olding AG, Straumann, Envista Holding Corporation, 3M Company, Dentsply Sirona, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Kuraray, Henry Schein, Ivoclar Vivadent, Geistlich Pharma AG, GC Corporation, Keystone Dental, Young Innovations, etc. North American region is expected to be the largest market for Dental Consumables industry. Dallas, Texas, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The prevalence of dental diseases and conditions is rising, and the geriatric population is expanding, making them more vulnerable to dental problems and tooth loss. Such trends are driving growth of the global dental consumables market. The market for dental consumables is also expected to rise in emerging nations due to factors like rising dental tourism, rising oral hygiene awareness, and government support for raising public awareness of dental issues. The global dental consumables market was estimated to be worth US$33.1 billion in 2022. The global market is anticipated to have risen at a CAGR of 6.2% by the end of 2032 and will be valued more than US$61.1 billion. Dental implants are becoming more popular among patients and dentists due to the drawbacks of detachable prostheses, such as their unnatural appearance, discomfort, and maintenance requirements. Since prosthetics attached to dental implants don't directly affect delicate tissues and enhance aesthetics, they are expected to support the expansion of the dental consumables market throughout the course of the forecast period. Request a pdf brochure @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/1609 Global dental consumables market Scope: Metrics Details Study Period 2022-2032 Market Size in 2032 USD 61.1 billion Segment Covered by Type, Application By Region, by Type Covered dental restoration, dental biomaterials, orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, retail dental care essentials, others Application Covered dental hospital and clinic, dental laboratories, and others Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa and South America Key Players Profiled Holding AG, Straumann, Envista Holding Corporation, 3M Company, Dentsply Sirona, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Kuraray, Henry Schein, Ivoclar Vivadent, Geistlich Pharma AG, GC Corporation, Keystone Dental, Young Innovations The global dental consumables market is being driven by the rise in oral disease prevalence. Dental implants and bone grafting procedures now have a higher success rate thanks to recent advances such customized implants, short implants, quick loading, sinus elevation, and surface modifications. Chronic illnesses like cancer, pneumonia, dementia and Alzheimer's disease can all be symptoms of or be a result of poor dental health. Therefore, it is anticipated that the global market would grow over the forecast period due to the growth in health consciousness, the rise in the elderly population, and increased awareness of oral disorders. To increase their market share for dental consumables, major players are forming strategic alliances. Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth caused by trauma, periodontal disease, or tooth decay. Story continues However, these implants may trigger a number of allergies. Fluids in the mouth constantly interact with artificial and metallic implants, as well as numerous endodontic devices. Numerous substances, including nickel, cobalt, and chromium, were once thought to be prevalent causes of allergic contact dermatitis. Because of their resilience, capacity to withstand stress, biocompatibility, and lack of susceptibility to corrosion or other galvanic reactions, gold and palladium have so recently attracted increased attention. Purchase a single user copy @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/researchreport/purchase/1609 In 2021, the revenue share for dental implants was the highest. This might be the result of technological developments and greater knowledge of the advantages of clear aligners and detachable braces, such as easier tooth cleaning than with permanent braces, a lesser chance of developing gum disease in the future, and better oral hygiene. While Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period due to an increasing geriatric population and rising instances of dental diseases, North America currently holds a dominant position in the dental consumables market due to rising instances of dental disorders, rising public awareness of dental procedures, and an increasing number of technological advancements in the region. The Xeal and TiUltra surfaces were released by Nobel Biocare in the United States in January 2021. Applying the novel product surfaces to implants enables optimal tissue integration on all fronts. The SMART base abutment from Implant Direct got 510 k clearances for use with the Legacy and Interactive Systems and is currently offered for sale in the United States, according to a February 2020 announcement from the company. Important points from the Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Research Methodology 3. Market Outlook 4. Dental Consumables Market by Type of Material, 2019-2029 (USD Billion) 4.1. Dental Restoration 4.2. Dental Biomaterials 4.3. Orthodontics 4.4. Periodontics 4.5. Endodontics 4.6. Finishing & Polishing 4.7. Whitening 4.8. Infection control 5. Dental Consumables Market by Application, 2019-2029 (USD Billion) 5.1. Dental Clinics and Hospitals 5.2. Dental Laboratories 6. Dental Consumables Market by Region 2019-2029 (USD Billion) 6.1. North America 6.1.1. US 6.1.2. Canada 6.2. Europe 6.2.1. UK 6.2.2. Germany 6.2.3. France 6.2.4. Rest of Europe 6.3. Asia Pacific 6.3.1. China 6.3.2. Japan 6.3.3. India 6.3.4. Rest of Asia Pacific 6.4. South America 6.4.1. Brazil 6.4.2. Mexico 6.4.3. Rest of South America 6.5. Middle East & Africa 7. Competitive Landscape 8. Company Profiles 9. Appendix Looking for DISCOUNT? If yes, then request for discount at https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/discount/1609 Access research repository of Upcoming Reports @ https://adroitmarketresearch.com/upcoming.html About Us: Adroit Market Research is a global business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps. Contact Us: Ryan Johnson Account Manager - Global 3131 McKinney Ave Ste 600 Dallas, TX 75204 Email ID: sales@adroitmarketresearch.com Phone No.: +1-9726644514, +91-9665341414 Connect with us: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Archer Exploration Corp. (CSE: RCHR) (the "Company" or "Archer") is pleased to announce that Mr. Jacquelin (Jack) Gauthier has been appointed Vice President of Exploration, effective immediately. Archer Exploration Corp. Logo (CNW Group/Archer Exploration Corp) Mr. Gauthier is a professional geologist with over 40 years of diversified experience in the mining sector, having held senior positions with Trans-Siberian Gold Plc, Kinross Gold Corp., Bema Gold Corp., Cambior Inc., Azimut Exploration Inc., Geomega Resources Inc., and Noranda Inc. Most recently, Mr. Gauthier held the position of VP Geology at NioBay Metals Inc., where he identified in the archives, helped acquire and subsequently led the team that revitalized the James Bay Niobium Project, a 60-million-ton niobium deposit in Northern Ontario that had laid dormant for over 40 years. Tom Meyer, Archer's President and CEO, commented: "We are excited to welcome Jack to the Archer team and delighted to be able to appoint a VP Exploration of Jack's experience and calibre. I look forward to working closely with Jack as Archer advances its exploration efforts at the Grasset and Sudbury Ni-Cu-Co-PGE properties which Archer is in the process of acquiring." Over the course of his career, Mr. Gauthier has been directly responsible for the discovery of four economic gold deposits with four different teams in Canada and Russia, and has extensive experience working in Central Asia, Africa, and Mexico. Mr. Gauthier graduated from Universite du Quebec at Chicoutimi in applied science (geological engineering) and is a member of the Mining Advisory Committee of the Quebec Autorite des Marches Financiers and the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec. Mr. Gauthier added "I am thrilled to take on this great opportunity as Vice President of Exploration for Archer. After reviewing the available data and meeting with the Company's technical team, I believe that the Grasset Ni-Cu-Co-PGE property that Archer proposes to acquire has all the technical ingredients to potentially become a major mining camp the recent discovery of the Grasset nickel deposit on the property is one of the largest komatiite-associated Ni-Cu-Co-PGE deposits in the Abitibi region. The rest of the 23-km long Grasset Project has been barely touched with only a few drill holes. Further, the extensive land package in the Sudbury basin offers brownfield exploration potential in a world-class mining camp. I look forward to joining the dedicated management team to build a high-quality portfolio of exploration and development nickel sulphide projects." Story continues Following the appointment of Mr. Gauthier, the Company will look to assemble a Technical Advisory Committee to assist and provide guidance to Archer's management team regarding all aspects of exploration and development of the Company's Ni-Cu-Co-PGE portfolio. Qualified Person The disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Jacquelin (Jack) Gauthier, Vice President of Exploration for Archer. Mr. Gauthier is a Qualified Person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101. About Archer Archer is backed by Inventa Capital Corp., a Vancouver-based merchant bank founded in 2017 with the goal of discovering and funding opportunities in the resource sector. Archer entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement dated July 12, 2022 (the "Asset Purchase Agreement") with Wallbridge Mining Company Limited (TSX: WM) ("Wallbridge"). Pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement, Archer will acquire (the "Transaction") all of Wallbridge's nickel assets, rights and obligations located in Quebec and Ontario (collectively, the "Nickel Assets"). The Nickel Assets consist of 2,046 mining titles covering approximately 67,000 hectares and include a 100% interest in the Grasset nickel sulphide project located in Quebec (the "Grasset Project"). Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that Archer expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: completion of the Transaction; exploration and development of the Grasset Project and other properties; the development of the Company's mining properties; the formation of a Technical Advisory Committee. Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, that the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the anticipated cost of planned exploration activities, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, that third party contractors, equipment and supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct Archer's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by Archer in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: that there is no assurance that the parties hereto will obtain the requisite shareholder and regulatory approvals for the Transaction, and there is no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as anticipated, or at all; there is no assurance that any proposed financings will be completed or as to the actual offering price or gross proceeds to be raised in connection with such financings; following completion of the Transaction, Archer may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable to Archer; compliance with extensive government regulation; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect Archer's business and results of operations; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of Archer's securities, regardless of its operating performance; the impact of COVID-19; the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine, and other risk factors set out in Archer's public disclosure documents. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of Archer as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. Archer does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/archer-appoints-jack-gauthier-as-vice-president-exploration-301658411.html SOURCE Archer Exploration Corp HOUSTONArgentinas sleeping giant shale formation, the Vaca Muerta or Dead Cow in the countrys Neuquen Province, is on par with the U.S. Permian Basin and Haynesville basins in terms of resources. Still, its development and production lag amid numerous persistent headwinds. Activity in Neuquen is at an all-time high but growth will stall without incremental rigs, Rystad Energy Head of Shale Well Research Alexandre Ramos-Peon told about 160 attendees Sept. 30 at the Vaca Muerta Shale Day in Houston 2022 event at the Houstonian Hotel, which was hosted by the Instituto Argentino del Petroleo y del Gas or IAPG. Ramos-Peon highlighted problems owing to a lack of available equipment while saying that frac fleet availability was a massive bottleneck with activity levels still extremely low. Other headwinds confronting development of the Vaca Muerta formation include a lack of gas takeaway capacity due to Argentinas major pipelines operating near maximum capacity, the executive added. Executives from Shell Argentina, Chevron Corp., TotalEnergies SE and Exxon Mobil Corp. highlighted some investment fears and headwinds their companies confront in Argentina during an operators panel discussion. Companies in Argentina need a competitive and stable regulatory framework and access to foreign currency, Shell Argentina Country Manager Ricardo Rodriguez said during the event. Vaca Muerta will not be completely developed without solving some of these issues, said Rodriguez, who recently replaced outgoing Country Manager Sean Rooney. Fiscal conditions... and certainty is needed, Chevron General Manager Asset Development Mike Maneffa said, adding that one or two pipelines will not resolve all the infrastructure issues. TotalEnergies Technical Director of Total Austral Operations Joaquin Lo Cane said clear and sustainable rules were needed as well as reasonable selling prices while Exxon Mobil Development Manager Bakken, Argentina and Central U.S. Tabitha Hensley said more foreign exchange and macro-economic predictability was needed. Story continues RELATED: Exclusive Q&A: Vaca Muerta Headwinds with Baker Institutes Mark P. Jones Vaca Muerta Potential Argentina is home to technically recoverable shale gas resources estimated at 802 Tcf, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), which continues to draw the attention of investors. China is home to the largest accumulation of technically recoverable shale gas resources with a whopping 1,115 Tcf. The Vaca Muerta formation is home to recoverable resources of 308 Tcf, according to the EIA, putting it on par with the U.S. Permian Basin and Haynesville, which hold around 297 Tcf and 304 Tcf, respectively, according to Rystad data. The shale formation is located in Argentinas Neuquen Basin and far from the countrys main consumption centers such as Buenos Aires. In terms of technically recoverable shale resources, the formation holds 53% of the basins resources as well as 38% of the countrys resources, according to the EIA. Looking ahead, Neuquens average oil production is expected to reach 750,000 bbl/d in 2030 compared to 380,000 bbl/d in 2022 while gas production is expected to reach 5 Bcf/d compared to 3.3 Bcf/d, according to Argentine company Tecpetrol. Despite the resource comparisons and projections, development of the Vaca Muerta has progressed at a seemingly very slow pace while production is still far from its projected potential. RELATED: Latin America's Abundance of Investment Opportunities The government of Argentina continues to move forward with efforts and agreements to accelerate development of the Vaca Muerta by attracting investors and expanding infrastructure capacity such as the Gasoducto Nestor Kirchner, Neuquen Province Governor Omar Gutierrez said during the event. This year Argentinas energy-related commercial balance deficit of $8 billion would have been $14 billion Vaca Muerta generated $2 billion in exports and savings of $4 billion from the substitution of LNG imports through 22 cargoes versus 52 cargoes, the Neuquen Province official said. Just 8% of the Vaca Muerta is undergoing industrial development and to reach the 2030 goals well need to reach 25%, Gutierrez said as he paced the floor and answered questions. With investments in production Argentina at the hands of Vaca Muerta will achieve energy auto-sufficiency in 2024, the executive said in his concluding remarks. CHICAGO , Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Clinical Trials Market is projected to reach USD 4.8 billion by 2027 from USD 1.5 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 25.6% during the forecast period according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growth of this market is driven by the growing need to control development costs & reduce time involved in drug development, and Increasing adoption of AI based platform to improve productivity and efficiency of clinical trials, On the other hand, a lack of data sets in the field of clinical trials and the inadequate availability of skilled labour are some of the factors challenging the growth of the market MarketsandMarkets_Logo Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=42687548 "Services segment is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period" Based on offering, the AI in clinical trials market is segmented into software and services. In 2021, the services segment accounted for the largest market share of the global AI in clinical trials services market and also expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The benefits associated with AI services and the strong demand for AI services among end users are the key factors driving the growth of this market segment. "Machine learning technology segment accounted for the largest share of the global AI in clinical trials market" Based on technology, the AI in clinical trials market is segmented into machine learning and other technologies. The machine learning segment accounted for the largest share of the global market in 2021 and expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The machine learning technology segment further segmented into deep learning, supervised learning, and other machine learning technologies. Deep learning segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2021, and this segment also expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Story continues "The oncology application segment accounted for the largest share of the AI in clinical trials market in 2021" On the basis of application, the AI in clinical trials market is segmented into neurological diseases and condition, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, infectious disease, immunology diseases, and other applications. The oncology segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2021, owing to the increasing demand for effective cancer drugs and a large number of drug trials in the field of oncology is contributing to the adoption of AI-enabled technologies in this application area. Also, many players are developing and adopting oncology-based AI tools for clinical trials, thus impelling the segment growth. The infectious diseases segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to the increasing number of clinical trails for vaccine and drugs for covid-19 and other infectious disease and rising investment in R&D for infectious diseases. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=42687548 "Pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment accounted for the largest share of the global AI in clinical trials market" On the basis of end user, the AI in clinical trials market is segmented into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, CROs, and other end users. The pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment accounted for the largest market share of AI in clinical trials market, in 2021. Factors such as increasing adoption of AI enabled technologies to improve productivity and efficiency of clinical trials. Furthermore, growing cross industry collaborations and partnership for leverging the AI solution for R&D and the overall development process. Hence, driving the growth among this end user segment. "North America is expected to dominate the AI in clinical trials market in 2022" North America accounted for the largest share of the global AI in clinical trials market in 2021 and also expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. North America, which comprises the US, and Canada forms the largest market for AI in clinical trials. These countries have been early adopters of AI technology in clinical trials and development. Presence of key established players, well-established pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, and high focus on R&D & substantial investment are some of the key factors responsible for the large share and high growth rate of this market Prominent players in this market are IBM corporation, Exscientia, Saama Technologies, Unlearn.AI, Inc., BioSymetrics, Euretos, Trials.Ai, Insilico Medicine, Ardigen, Pharmaseal, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Intel, Numerate, AiCure, LLC., Envisagenics, NURITAs, BioAge Labs, Inc., Symphony AI., Median Technologies, Innoplexus, Antidote Technologies, Inc., GNS Healthcare, Koneksa Health, Halo Health Systems, and DEEP LENS AI. Players adopted organic as well as inorganic growth strategies such as product upgrades, collaborations, agreements, partnerships, and acquisitions to increase their offerings, cater to the unmet needs of customers, increase their profitability, and expand their presence in the global market. Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=42687548 Browse Adjacent Market: Healthcare IT Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Virtual Care Market Global Forecasts to 2030 Healthcare Information System Market Global Forecasts to 2030 Hospital Information System Market Global Forecasts to 2030 Healthcare API Market Global Forecasts to 2030 Healthcare ERP Market Global Forecasts to 2030 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. 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Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/ai-in-clinical-trials.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-clinical-trials-market-worth-4-8-billion-by-2027---exclusive-report-by-marketsandmarkets-301657931.html SOURCE MarketsandMarkets President Ilham Aliyev decrees measures to improve electricity supply in Azerbaijan 25 October 2022 [14:45] - President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on implementing additional measures related to the improvement of the electricity supply in Azerbaijan. Views: 673 NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BayPort Credit Union today announced it is donating $10,000 to the Salvation Army Florida to support its hurricane relief fund. One hundred percent of designated disaster donations go to direct services for survivors and first responders. (PRNewsfoto/BayPort Credit Union) The Salvation Army Florida provides resources and personnel to meet Hurricane Ian's immediate and continued relief needs. Hurricane Ian made historic landfall as a Category 4 storm on the night of Wednesday, September 28, 2022, on the west coast of Florida. "The credit union philosophy of 'People Helping People' doesn't end here at home," said Jim Mears, President/CEO of BayPort Credit Union. "BayPort's field of membership includes a collection of coastal communities, and we understand the devastation a storm may cause. We are saddened by the destruction created by Hurricane Ian and want to leverage our support in whatever way we can." BayPort has selected the Salvation Army due to its longstanding partnership with the Salvation Army of the Virginia Peninsula. The Salvation Army of the Virginia Peninsula serves the Hampton, Newport News, York, Poquoson, and Gloucester-Mathews areas, assisting those in need with housing, utilities, food, after-school childcare, and camp opportunities for youth. BayPort is the region's only Community Development Financial Institution and a National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Low-Income Designated Credit Union. Membership is open to those who live, work, worship, volunteer, or attend school in the Greater Hampton Roads area. BayPort is ranked in the top five percent of credit unions nationwide by asset size. About BayPort In 1928, 12 shipyard workers from Newport News Shipbuilding formed an organization with a specific purpose as a low-interest source of loans and a trusted place to deposit money. Today, BayPort Credit Union is rated a Superior 5-Star credit union by Bauer Financial, managing $2.2 billion in assets and servicing nearly 148,000 individuals and businesses with 27 branch locations across the Virginia Peninsula and Southside communities. Visit us at www.bayportcu.org. Story continues Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bayport-donates-10-000-to-the-salvation-army-florida-as-hurricane-ian-relief-continues-301659146.html SOURCE BayPort Credit Union GREENVILLE, S.C., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Canal Insurance Company is pleased to announce that Nora N. Crouch joined the company's Board of Directors on October 12, 2022. CANAL INSURANCE COMPANY APPOINTS NORA CROUCH TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ms. Crouch is a former Fortune 500 financial services executive, most recently serving as Chief Accounting Officer for Markel Corporation. At Markel, she oversaw SEC and statutory reporting, global tax, accounting policy, operational accounting and reporting, and internal control functions. She also served as a finance subject matter expert advising the company on mergers and acquisitions, organizational and cost transformation initiatives, and system implementations. During her tenure with Markel, Ms. Crouch served on the Board of Directors of Markel Ventures, the company's in house private equity investment arm, and on the Board of Directors of AMF Bakery Systems, Markel Ventures' first portfolio company acquisition. "We are fortunate to have Nora Crouch joining our Board of Directors. Her experience, judgment, and values are a great match for our company which is entering an exciting new chapter in its 83 year history," noted Lansing Crane, the Chairman of Canal's Board of Directors. "Canal's Board and ownership expects to build on the company's profitable performance, strong capital position, and experienced, effective, management team to achieve sustained profitable growth as well as diversification. Nora will enhance our effectiveness as a board, and be a valuable resource for our management team." Prior to joining Markel, Ms. Crouch served in tax and accounting roles at The Family Channel, Best Products, Life of Virginia, and Ernst & Young. She began her extensive financial services career as an auditor in the Richmond, Virginia office of PwC. She is a graduate of James Madison University, where she obtained a B.B.A. in Accounting. Ms. Crouch is also a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter. Story continues Ms. Crouch currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the James Madison University College of Business, the Board of Directors of Richmond National Group, and the Board of Directors for John Hancock Life Insurance Company USA and its various subsidiaries. About Canal Insurance Company Rated A- by A.M. Best, Canal Insurance Company has specialized in providing insurance to commercial trucking and specialty transportation insureds through selected professional agents for more than 80 years. Visit canalinsurance.com for other news and information. Media Contact: Laura Beth Medley Vice President, Chief Human Resources & Corporate Communications Officer 864-250-9283 laurabeth.medley@canal-ins.com Canal Insurance Company Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/canal-insurance-company-appoints-nora-crouch-to-board-of-directors-301658792.html SOURCE Canal Insurance Company Have you been searching for a stock that might be well-positioned to maintain its earnings-beat streak in its upcoming report? It is worth considering Copa Holdings (CPA), which belongs to the Zacks Transportation - Airline industry. When looking at the last two reports, this holding company for Panama's national airline has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 56.48%, on average, in the last two quarters. For the last reported quarter, Copa Holdings came out with earnings of $0.32 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.27 per share, representing a surprise of 18.52%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.36 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.70 per share, delivering a surprise of 94.44%. Price and EPS Surprise Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for Copa Holdings lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Copa Holdings has an Earnings ESP of +0.26% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on November 16, 2022. Story continues When the Earnings ESP comes up negative, investors should note that this will reduce the predictive power of the metric. But, a negative value is not indicative of a stock's earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Copa Holdings, S.A. (CPA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Copper Lake Resources Ltd. TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copper Lake Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: CPL, Frankfurt: W0I, OTC: WTCZF) ("Copper Lake" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results from the Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders (AGM), the appointment of a new CFO, and the granting of options. Results of AGM A total of 47,394,476 shares representing 21.78% of the total issued and outstanding shares at the record date of the AGM were voted. Shareholders passed all resolutions set out in the management information circular of the Company dated September 19, 2022, including the re-election of the incumbent directors, setting the number of directors at five, the appointment of McGovern Hurley LLP as the Companys auditor, and the approval of Copper Lakes stock option plan as required annually by the TSX Venture Exchange. The percent of votes in favor of the various motions ranged from 93.23% to 99.97%. Appointment of Chief Financial Officer The Company is pleased to announce that David McDonald, CPA, CA has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Company. Mr McDonald has over 16 years experience in the mining industry and qualified as a CPA with Ernst & Young in 1991. He currently serves as the CFO of McLaren Resources Inc, the CFO and director of Talisker Gold Corp., and Controller of Argo Gold Inc. Mr. McDonald replaces Paul Mcgroary, who remains as Chair of the Board of the Company. Granting of Options The Company also announces that, effective October 25, 2022, it has granted an aggregate of 6,450,000 options to certain officers, directors and consultants of the Company in accordance with the Companys current Stock Option Plan. Each option is exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of $0.075 per share for a period of five years from the date of grant, being today. The options will vest immediately. The common shares issuable upon exercise of the options are subject to a four-month hold period from the original date of the grant. Story continues ABOUT COPPER LAKE RESOURCES Copper Lake Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded Canadian mineral exploration and development company with interests in two projects both located in Ontario. www.copperlakeresources.com The Marshall Lake high-grade VMS copper, zinc, silver and gold project comprises an area of approximately 220 square km, located 120 km north of Geraldton, Ontario and is accessible by all-season road from the Trans-Canada Highway and just 22 km north of the main CNR rail line. Copper Lake has a 79.45% interest in the joint ventured property, which consists of 233 claims and 52 mining leases. The project also includes 148 claim cells staked in 2018 and 2020 that are 100% owned and not subject to any royalties, which add approximately 30 square km to the original property. In addition to the original Marshall Lake property above, Marshall Lake also includes the Sollas Lake and Summit Lake properties, wholly owned by the Company and not subject to any royalties. The Sollas Lake property consists of 20 claim cells comprising an area of 4 square km on the east side of the Marshall Lake property where historical EM airborne geophysical surveys have outlined strong conductors on the property hosted within the same favorable felsic volcanic units. The Summit Lake property currently consists of 100 claim cells comprising an area of 20.5 square km, is accessible year-round, and is located immediately west of the original Marshall Lake property. The Marshall Lake project is located in the traditional territories of the Aroland and Animbiigoo Zaagi igan Anishinaabek (AZA) First Nations. Copper Lake also has a 69.79% joint venture interest in the Norton Lake nickel, copper, cobalt, and palladium PGM property, located in the southern Ring of Fire area, is approximately 100 km north of the Marshall Lake Property. The Norton Lake property has a NI 43-101 compliant Measured and Indicated resource of 2.26 million tonnes @ 0.67% Ni, 0.61% Cu, 0.03% Co and 0.46 g/t Pd. The Norton Lake property is located in the traditional territories of the Eabametoong (Fort Hope) and Neskantaga First Nations. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Copper Lake Resources Ltd. Terry MacDonald, CEO (416) 561-3626 tmacdonald@copperlakeresources.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CSV Midstream Solutions CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CSV Midstream Solutions Corp. (CSV) is pleased to announce a final investment decision (FID) to proceed with its Albright Sour Gas Processing Facility (Albright) to be constructed near Grande Prairie, Alberta. Albright will be located near the communities of Beaverlodge and Wembley. It will serve the growing sour natural gas processing needs of multiple producers with Montney and Charlie Lake production in the region and will significantly enhance CSVs existing platform of natural gas processing infrastructure in Albertas prolific Montney play. With natural gas processing capacity of 150 million cubic feet per day, Albright will also recover and conserve up to 370 tonnes of sulfur per day and will be the first such greenfield gas plant constructed in Alberta in more than 20-years. Completion is expected in late 2024. CSV conducted extensive community engagement in advance of proceeding with a formal regulatory approval for Albright. With the recent announcement, CSV is looking forward to the positive social impact Albright will have on the region. While the plant will provide opportunities for local residents and businesses during construction and subsequent operations, the broader, long-term benefit to the community will come in the form of a nonprofit organization to be funded and developed by CSV and led by members of the community. Local social initiatives will be the initial focus of the nonprofit organization; however, its ultimate mandate will be developed over time with strong influence by those most impacted by the construction and operations of Albright. CSVs Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Clarke, and Vice President, Engineering and Operations, Chris Gossen, met with residents of Wembley and Beaverlodge to make the FID announcement earlier this week. Daniel Clarke explained, We were very intentional from the beginning to invest extra time engaging with local residents to develop a long-term view of mutually beneficial coexistence with the community. To CSV, that means creating shared value by understanding social needs and doing our part to meet those needs with our resources, products and services. CSV looks forward to becoming a long term active and supportive member of the Wembley and Beaverlodge communities. Story continues Chris Gossen added, CSV is led by our values. Our first value is to deliver with excellence as the standard. This is how we intend to execute and operate Albright. And with this in mind, it will be critical that we work collaboratively with local producers, regulators and the local community to ensure a successful project for all our valuable stakeholders. CSV was advised by National Bank Financial Inc. and Bennett Jones LLP. About CSV Midstream Solutions Corp. CSV Midstream is a Calgary-based company offering a full suite of services for complete midstream solutions. With a vision to advance midstream, they provide innovative, sustainable strategies in the engineering, design, construction, operation and management of natural gas and NGL assets, including sweet and sour gas processing, liquids handling and fractionation, and gas gathering and transmission pipelines. CSV Midstreams primary focus is the developing natural gas energy industry in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. For more information about CSV Midstream, please visit csvmidstream.com. Contact Information for CSV Midstream Daniel Clarke Chief Executive Officer t: 587.316.6900 e: daniel.clarke@csvmidstream.com Don Rawson Chief Financial Officer t: 587.316.6900 e: don.rawson@csvmidstream.com Weaver to scale DISQO's CX intelligence platform as product portfolio expands LOS ANGELES , Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Customer experience (CX) intelligence platform DISQO announced the appointment of Nicholas Weaver as Vice President of Engineering. Reporting to co-founder and CTO Drew Kutcharian, Weaver joins DISQO's leadership to spearhead the development of DISQO's B2B SaaS product portfolio, as well as its consumer-facing mobile and desktop applications. He will lead a growing world-class team of engineers who are scaling DISQO's platform in response to clients' needs for data-driven decision making in the management of their customers' experiences. CX Intelligence Platform DISQO welcomes Nicholas Weaver as VP Engineering CX intelligence platform DISQO welcomes Nicholas Weaver as VP Engineering to lead the development of its platform. With over 20 years of experience leading technology teams for global brands, Weaver has a proven track record defining, innovating, and modernizing platforms for Google, DICK's Sporting Goods, Capital One, Nike, Intel, and others. Weaver will expand and increase the flexibility of DISQO's unparalleled CX intelligence platform that helps clients deepen their understanding of current and prospective customers; test innovations and marketing campaigns before investing; and measure and optimize advertising campaigns once in market. "We're on a mission to build the most trusted platform that fuels brand growth. Nicholas's experience in big tech and big brands will further propel us in this journey as he helps us scale our platform and the teams who are building it," said Kutcharian. "Nicholas embodies the growth mindset and servant leadership that defines DISQO's culture, and we know that he'll inspire our engineering teams to reach new heights with his vision and leadership." Prior, Weaver led engineering in Google search ads for AI and machine learning productivity, and at DICK's Sporting Goods, where he oversaw platforms, architecture, data analytics, and innovation. While at DICK's, he modernized the retailer's technology teams to drive digital growth. Before that, Weaver was Senior Director of Global Technology Platforms for Nike, where he led the company's technology platforms globally and launched new platforms that drove key business wins, including the company's enterprise data lake, its global AI and machine learning platform, its real-time streaming on Kafka, and its cloud-based observability platforms. Story continues "I'm deeply motivated by the opportunity to empower DISQO's clients in making optimal business decisions by keeping their customers at the center," said Weaver. "DISQO's unique combination of technology and consent-based approaches to gathering customer experience data is precisely the innovation that big brands need right now. I couldn't be more excited to be part of this talented team." Weaver is the latest addition to DISQO's growing leadership team, which most recently welcomed Nordstrom veteran Andrew Duke as Vice President of Product, Consumer Applications. DISQO is hiring for a wide range of remote positions across the US, including a number of engineering roles on Weaver's team. For a full list of open roles, visit disqo.com/careers. About DISQO DISQO is the CX intelligence platform for understanding every customer experience. Businesses trust DISQO to power better decisions for every customer, touchpoint, and outcome. DISQO's insights, agile testing and advertising measurement products are powered by millions of consumers on the industry's largest opt-in consumer data platform. DISQO is recognized in Deloitte's Fast 500 and is a Top 100 Next Gen Workplace. Follow @DISQO on LinkedIn and Twitter. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/disqo-names-google-alum-nicholas-weaver-vp-of-engineering-301658051.html SOURCE DISQO HRCI HRCI CEO Recognized for Her Leadership in the HR Profession Dr. Amy Dufrane Receives Global Impact Award from The Bowman Foundation HRCI CEO Recognized for Her Leadership in the HR Profession ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HRCI, the premier HR credentialing and learning organization for the human resources profession, today announced that its CEO, Dr. Amy Dufrane, has received the Global Impact Award of Distinction from the Bowman Foundation for Workplace Equity and Mental Wellness. Dufrane was recognized for her advocacy for inclusion in the HR profession. The Bowman Foundation conducts research on the factors that contribute to workplace inequities and mental health issues. Providing managers with training on how to support safe and healthy workspaces, the Foundation advocates for the passage of laws, policies and funding that support equitable work environments. Celebrating those impact-makers who support these initiatives across different industries, the Foundations inaugural Global Impact Awards ceremony took place on October 15, 2022. Dufrane commented, Its an honor to receive this award, especially given the importance of HR in driving inclusion. HRCI is committed to ensuring HR professionals have the training and the tools to create cultures of workplace wellness, including support for diverse workforces. Natasha Bowman and her foundation inspire all of us to make strides towards fair, just and equitable workplaces. Natasha Bowman is a well-known name in workplace expertise. Named a Top Global guru in management and a LinkedIn Top Voice for Mental Health, she is a two-time author, TEDx Speaker, Forbes contributor and president of a leadership development firm. 2022 has been a year of change on many levels, continued Dufrane. We launched our HRSI subsidiary, which enables organizations to meet ISOs international standards for human resource management. As we plan for 2023 and beyond, the HR profession will continue to flourish in ways we havent imagined, making individual and organizational education and certification more important than ever. Story continues Details regarding HRSI and organizational certification can be accessed here. For more information about The Bowman Foundation, please visit https://thebowmanfoundation.org. About HRCI HRCI, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is the premier credentialing and learning organization for the human resources profession. For over 45 years, we have set the global standard for HR expertise and excellence through our commitment to the development and advancement of businesspeople in the people business. HRCI develops and offers world-class learning, as well as the administration of eight global certifications and is dedicated to helping professionals achieve new competencies that drive business results. Learn more at www.hrci.org . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cc4600c8-2f32-4a08-a23a-2ba8cc9bd87b CONTACT: Note to editors: Trademarks and registered trademarks referenced herein remain the property of their respective owners. Media Contact: Kate Achille The Devon Group for HRCI kate@devonpr.com Mentoring, Resources and Support Are Critical to Business Success WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Formerly incarcerated individuals are 45% more likely to become entrepreneurs versus those without a criminal record but face greater challenges on the path to business success, according to a meta-analysis from SCORE, mentors to America's small businesses and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. From Prison to Entrepreneur: SCORE Offers Support, Resources Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. The U.S. leads the world with the largest percent of its overall population in prison, with 2.2 million incarcerated individuals. For the 600,000 returning people released each year, finding employment can be difficult: the unemployment rate is 27.3% for the formerly incarcerated vs. 5.8% in the general population. Employment discrimination, limited resumes/skills, and legal restrictions limit the hiring of individuals with certain classes of convictions. Those who do find jobs earn lower wages, with median annual income at $10,000. "Small businesses launched by the formerly incarcerated typically do not require much human or financial capital, such as cleaning services, construction, trucking or other service industry roles," said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston. "Most are funded with support from family and friends, or bootstrapping, which requires working multiple jobs to fund small business aspirations. In addition, formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs hire five people, on average, as their businesses grow." Path to entrepreneurship for formerly incarcerated is rocky Entrepreneurship offers a path forward for people rebuilding their lives after time in prison, resulting in higher income and lower recidivism. However, challenges remain: Probation and parole requirements limit the ability to spend time starting a business (as they are required to have a job) Financing is often denied due to a criminal record Lack of technology skills / education, particularly business classes Higher cost of doing business due to higher insurance premiums and limits on occupational licenses (as hours spent in prison vocational programs do not count) Story continues Mentoring, support are critical components to small business success Data shows that returning individuals who pursue entrepreneurship are 33% less likely to reoffend. In addition to reduced recidivism, formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs also achieved higher rates of both employment and income. Successful entrepreneurship programs for the formerly incarcerated include key elements: Broad program activities and supports such as job readiness, financial management Mentoring Interdependence, networking and peer engagement Tailored credit building and credit access In Connecticut, SCORE volunteers provided monthly business training at several prisons pre-pandemic. "We educated individuals six months before release to give them tools and a chance to be successful. They were eager to learn," explains Mark Cutler, regional vice president for SCORE Northeast. "Both pre- and post-release, SCORE's 10,000 expert mentors are uniquely equipped to provide our mentoring and educational services for free." "Having someone believe in you makes a difference in whether you are successful as a returning citizen," said a formerly incarcerated SCORE client. "I knew what I wanted to do but not how. SCOREprovided information to help me on my journey." Visit www.score.org to learn more. About SCORE: Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide, creating 25,084 new businesses and 71,475 non-owner jobs in 2021 alone. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Follow @SCOREMentors on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. CONTACT: SCORE 202-968-6428 media@score.org SOURCES: https://www.sentencingproject.org/the-facts/#map https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kylie-Hwang/publication/340270406_Entrepreneurship_as_a_Response_to_Labor_Market_Discrimination_for_Formerly_Incarcerated_People/links/5e81410ba6fdcc139c13d52c/Entrepreneurship-as-a-Response-to-Labor-Market-Discrimination-for-Formerly-Incarcerated-People.pdf https://www.forbes.com/sites/annefield/2020/11/29/more-entrepreneurship-less-recidivism-among-the-formerly-incarcerated/?sh=4153150e2c6d https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/AFN-PrisonToProprietor.pdf https://leading.gsb.columbia.edu/features/entrepreneurship-is-a-viable-option-for-the-formerly-incarcerated/ https://nycfuture.org/pdf/CUF_Reentry_Entrepreneurship_Report_6.pdf Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs to start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide, creating 45,027 new businesses and 74,535 non-owner jobs in 2020 alone. (PRNewsfoto/SCORE) Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/entrepreneurship-offers-the-formerly-incarcerated-a-path-forward-hope-301658973.html SOURCE SCORE Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Board Diversity Further Increased ATLANTA, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) today announced the results of the 2022 director election. The Bank conducted an election to fill the member directorships for Florida, Georgia, and Maryland, and one independent directorship representing members across the FHLBank Atlanta footprint. All of the directors-elect will begin a four-year term commencing on January 1, 2023. Eduardo Eddy Arriola was re-elected to serve as the member director representing the state of Florida, Richard Rick Whaley was re-elected to serve as the member director for Georgia, Kim C. Liddell was re-elected to serve as the member director representing the state of Maryland, and Kathleen C. McKinney was elected to serve as an independent director. We are pleased to see the return of directors Arriola and Liddell to the Banks board, and I am grateful to the FHLBank Atlanta members in Georgia for entrusting me with another term as director representing my home state, said FHLBank Atlanta chair of the board of directors, Rick Whaley. We are also very pleased to welcome Kathleen McKinney to the board. Ms. McKinney brings a wealth of experience that will benefit the Bank tremendously, and she further increases the diversity of our board, added Whaley. Mr. Arriola is executive vice president and market executive for SeacoastBank. He is the founder and former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Apollo Bank, a community bank in Miami that was acquired by SeacoastBank in October, 2022. Mr. Arriola is also currently completing his second term as a board member of the Miami Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and is a past board member of the Florida Bankers Association and BankServ. Mr. Arriola served as an investor and member of the board of directors of Total Bank from 2002 to 2007, and prior to founding Apollo Bank in 2010 he was involved in several entrepreneurial businesses in the technology and business service industries. He is the co-founder of Inktel, a 3,000 employee call center firm based in Miami, served as director of creative services for Avanti Case-Hoyt, a national graphic arts and printing firm, and served as a board member for gMed, a leading firm in the medical office automation space. Mr. Arriola also serves as the chairman of the board of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent U.S. government agency created to support grassroots development in Latin America and the Caribbean. He was appointed to the IAF board by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2012 and has continued in the role since then. Mr. Arriola earned his bachelor of arts in history from Boston College and is a graduate of the Owner/President Management Program of Harvard Business School. He is also a nearly 20-year member of the Young Presidents Organization. He currently serves as a member of the Banks Credit and Member Services Committee, the Executive Committee, the Governance and Compensation Committee, and the Housing and Community Investment Committee. Story continues Mr. Whaley has been a director of FHLBank Atlanta since 2013 and is currently chair of the Banks board of directors. Mr. Whaley has served as president, chief executive officer, and director of Citizens Bank of Americus in Americus, Georgia, since 2001. From 1989 to 2001, he served as market manager and commercial lender for Wachovia Bank. Mr. Whaley served as chairman of the South Georgia Technical College Foundation from 2008 to 2010, and as chairman of the Georgia Bankers Association from October 2010 to June 2012. He has served as a director of the Georgia Bankers Association Insurance Trust, Inc. since June 2013 and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Mr. Liddell has served as a director of BayVanguard Bank since October 31, 2020. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of 1880 Bank, formerly known as the National Bank of Cambridge, in Cambridge, Maryland from 2010, and as chairman of the board from April 2011, until its acquisition by BayVanguard Bank in October 2020. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Liddell served as chief operating officer and executive vice president of Cardinal Financial Corporation (CFNL) and Cardinal Bank. Mr. Liddell has served as a board member of the Maryland Bankers Association, Virginia Bankers Associations Member Services, Inc., Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area, Business in Education Partnership with the Falls Church City Public Schools, Arlington County Chamber of Commerce, Celebrate Fairfax, Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Fairfax. Mr. Liddell currently serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmonds Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council and the board of the Dorchester General Hospital Foundation. He previously served on the board of the Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Liddell serves as chair of the Banks Credit and Member Services Committee, vice chair of the Finance Committee, and as a member of the Executive Committee and Housing and Community Investment Committee. Ms. McKinney has been a public finance attorney in South Carolina since 1978. She is currently senior counsel with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd (1995-present), and she was previously with the McNair law firm (now Burr Forman, 1978-1995). Ms. McKinney is a member of the American College of Bond Counsel, where she serves on the Executive Committee, and she is a member and past president of the National Association of Bond Lawyers. Ms. McKinney most recently served as an independent director on the board of the Federal Home Loan Banks Office of Finance (OF) from 2010-2022, where she was a 12-year member of the Audit Committee and served as Vice Chair of the Governance Committee. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for Spartanburg Methodist College and its immediate past chair. She is also Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Greenville Humane Society, and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Sigal Music Museum. Ms. McKinney served on the Board of Trustees of Furman University for 12 years, including service as Chair of the Board of Trustees, and she has been a member of the board of several endowments. Ms. McKinney holds both a B.A. (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and a J.D. (cum laude) from the University of South Carolina School of Law where she was Executive Editor of the South Carolina Law Review and is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including being recognized in Chambers USA Banking & Finance (2020-2022) as well as Chambers/M&A: Banking & Finance (2006-2018) and South Carolina Super Lawyers Government Finance (2014-2022). About FHLBank Atlanta FHLBank Atlanta offers competitively-priced financing, community development grants, and other banking services to help member financial institutions make affordable home mortgages and provide economic development credit to neighborhoods and communities. The Banks membersits shareholders and customersare commercial banks, credit unions, savings institutions, community development financial institutions, and insurance companies located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. FHLBank Atlanta is one of 11 district Banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Since 1990, the FHLBanks have awarded approximately $7.3 billion in Affordable Housing Program funds, assisting more than one million households. For more information, visit our website at www.fhlbatl.com. CONTACT: Peter E. Garuccio Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta pgaruccio@fhlbatl.com 404.888.8143 PORTSMOUTH First lady Jill Biden, for the second time in as many years, will travel to the city this week to campaign with elected Democrats ahead of the midterm elections, according to the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Jill Bidens return to Portsmouth six months after her husband, President Joe Biden, visited the city to tout the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law will be Saturday, Oct. 29. The New Hampshire Democratic Party, though not revealing event details, announced Jill Biden will arrive in Portsmouth at 4 p.m. Saturday to stump for Sen. Maggie Hassan and Rep. Chris Pappas, both Democrats up for re-election on Nov. 8. The three will be joined by fellow Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. First lady Dr. Jill Biden speaks to a crowd during her visit to Portsmouth, July 3, 2021. Jill Biden on the Seacoast Bidens first stop in the Granite State on Saturday will be in Manchester, as shes scheduled to campaign with Democratic gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Dr. Tom Sherman of Rye, as well as Hassan. Biden, having been to Portsmouth in the past alongside then-Vice President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, made her first trip to Portsmouth as first lady in July 2021. The Seacoast stop, which was held at the home of Stefany Shaheen, chairperson of the Portsmouth Police Commission and daughter of Sen. Shaheen, and Craig Welch, executive director of the Portsmouth Housing Authority, was part of the administrations Americas Back Together tour to celebrate the nations progress against COVID-19. Previous visit: First Lady Jill Biden celebrates post-pandemic freedom in Portsmouth First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visits Portsmouth for 4th of July weekend on July 3, 2021. Biden made several campaign stops in Strafford County during the run-up to the November 2020 election. 2019 visit to NH: Jill Biden praises community colleges at Great Bay stop She traveled to Dover to meet with veterans and military families at the home of veteran Ed McCabe, who served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden returned to the Granite State the next month to shuck oysters with the owner of Fox Point Oysters in Durham and to talk about the pandemics impact on small businesses across America. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: First lady Jill Biden to stump for Democrats in Portsmouth NH By Azernews By Sabina Mammadli Azerbaijani and Armenian Deputy Prime Ministers Shahin Mustafayev and Mher Grigoryan respectively will meet in Brussels in the first week of November, Azernews reports. The meeting will be held within the framework of the work of the commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and border security. So far, two meetings of the border delimitation commissions led by the two ministers were held prior to the border clashes that erupted as a result of the Armenian provocation on September 12-14. Despite the latest Armenian provocations, Baku reaffirmed its readiness for the urgent negotiations between the leaders towards ensuring lasting peace in line with the trilateral statements and the results of the meeting in Brussels. The second meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian border delimitation commissions took place in Moscow on August 30. Prior to the meeting, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk met with Mustafayev and Grigoryan and expressed support for the commissions' ongoing work. Then, the parties discussed organizational and procedural issues and exchanged views on the future work of the commissions and the regulation of their joint activities. The first such meeting between Azerbaijan and Armenia occurred on May 24, 2022. The parties confirmed their willingness to cooperate on delimitation and other matters within the commission's framework. The conference also discussed arranging the joint operations of the commission's organizational and procedural difficulties. To recap, on May 23, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed decrees on the creation of border delimitation and security commissions. Canadian fintech veterans Bill Murphy and Richard Landzaat usher in transformative technology to support small business owners in their daily operations HALIFAX, NS, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Fintech company huumans.com today announced the launch of its bookkeeping-as-a-service platform. huumans easily integrates with self-service bookkeeping platforms Xero and Quickbooks, and connects small business owners with bookkeepers who provide weekly reconciliation, payroll, and unlimited dedicated support. huumans is quickly scaling its customer base across Canada, and will expand its services to Quebec in the next year. Canadian fintech veterans Bill Murphy & Richard Landzaat usher in new technology to support SMBs in daily operations "As an entrepreneur, I know running a business is tough. Business owners need reliable and cost-effective services, along with advice from a trusted source", said Murphy, founder of huumans. "SMBs make up about half of the Canadian GDP, yet support for them is lacking and often based on inaccurate data or is downright predatory. A human touch is crucial when running a businessand many solutions in the market lack this." huumans' founding team, which includes founders of payroll software Wagepoint , have a record of building successful fintech companies that deliver value and best-in-class support to business owners. Through cost-effective bookkeeping, payroll services and unlimited expert support to all customers, huumans helps SMBs streamline their day-to-day business operations, so they can focus on building sustainable growth. "Being a small business owner is a bit unpredictable at times, but as a client I've seen the value of having huumans by my side. They are responsive and, most importantly, I trust they will be there when I need them", said Craig Garden, founder of Eversio. "Because of their fast response times and easy-to-understand platform, my partner and I spend less time bookkeeping and more time running our business." Story continues As part of a fixed-price subscription including services like weekly reconciliation, risk-free payroll management and customizable real-time dashboards, huumans will roll out further bespoke business services, including financial services and finance management tools, as well as data-driven products that support financial decision making. "We're working hard to demystify business numbers so they're actionable on day one of being a customer", says Rob Boynes, huumans' co-founder. "We provide our business owners with services they need to run their business including self-serve, AI-powered dashboards, which provide access to real-time data around profit margins, cash flow reports and tax exposure". The launch of huumans' bookkeeping platform follows the company's recent high-profile hire of Paula Festas, huumans' first Chief Revenue Officer. Previously CRO at Alibi Technologies and Postmedia, as well as holding executive roles at Yahoo and CBC, Festas brings over 25 years of experience building strong revenue-focused brands across multiple industries. About huumans Founded in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2021, huumans wants to help business owners understand their business better. By offering weekly reconciled bookkeeping, payroll services and unlimited business support to SMBs across Canada, huumans helps Canadian business owners streamline the day-to-day management of their business. SOURCE huumans Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2022/25/c2771.html SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd. Global cinnamon market size was valued at US$ 0.801 billion in 2021, and it is expected to reach a value of US$ 1.28 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 7.6% over the forecast period (20222028). Westford, USA, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cinnamon Market will be worth $1.28 billion and employs around 20,000 people. The industry growing at a CAGR of 7.6%. However, there are challenges faced by the market such as a lack of quality standards and low demand from developed countries. Government policies and regulations have an important role to play in the growth of the cinnamon market. For instance, India has restrictions on exporting cinnamon to other countries which hinders its ability to compete with other exporters. There are also issues with quality control as farmers often harvest unripe cinnamon pods which leads to inferior quality products. This can be overcome through better Quality Assurance (QA) processes which must be in place for the Cinnamon Industry to grow sustainably. Traditionally, cinnamon was grown in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Madagascar, and Brazil but recently economies in these countries have slowed down presenting new opportunities for growth in other countries such as Ethiopia and Uganda where production is expected to double over the next few years. There is potential for value addition to this product such as flavoring cosmetics or foods with natural sweetness such as coffee or tea. The global cinnamon market potential for flavored beverages is $10 Billion globally and growing at a rate of 6%. Profitable niche markets can be identified that can cater specifically to local tastes such as hot chocolate or berry-flavored drinks etc. The major companies operating the in global cinnamon market are PT Super Star International, Jardiniere Foods International, Arrowhead Mills, Fortissimo Snacks Ltd., Van Houtte Canada Corp, and Yellow Shamrock Trading PTE Ltd. However, it faces several challenges. The main one is competition from other spices, such as black pepper and cardamom, which are cheaper to produce and have a larger market share. Another issue is price volatility. Prices for cinnamon vary a great deal from day to day, making it difficult for producers to make decent profits. Story continues Get a sample copy of this report: https://skyquestt.com/sample-request/cinnamon-market SkyQuest has done an in-depth analysis of the global cinnamon market and has devised a five-point plan to help producers increase their profitability. First, they suggest looking into new marketing channels and expanding distribution channels. Secondly, they urge producers to improve production efficiency so that they can maintain higher prices while also reducing costs. Thirdly, they recommend developing new products and increasing the range of ingredients that are used in cinnamon products. Finally, they advise producers to engage in product innovation and create unique versions of existing products that can capture more market share. Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka Produce Over 90% Global Cinnamon Global cinnamon markets production is mainly located in four countries: Vietnam (12%), China (30%), Indonesia (41%), and Sri Lanka (8%). In fact, these four countries in Asia produce over 90% of the worlds cinnamon, while Europe accounts for just under 5%. The main varieties of cinnamon are the sweet type (described as hard or firm), which comes from Vietnam and Sri Lanka, and the more pungent type (also referred to as strong) that comes from Indonesia. The two types are distinguished by their scent and flavor in the global cinnamon market. Sweet cinnamon is generally sweeter than its strong counterpart, has a fruity fragrance, and is used mainly for baking goods such as cookies and cake. Strong cinnamon has a harsher taste with a more aromatic fragrance and is used most often in savory dishes such as curries. The reasons for the high production rates in these four countries are manyfold. Firstly, there is a large population base that enjoys consuming cinnamon products. Secondly, each country in the global cinnamon market has a long history of Cinnamon cultivation and use. Lastly, each country has invested in research and development to improve cinnamon production methods. Despite these favorable factors, competition from other geographical regions (particularly India) is increasingly challenging the traditional cinnamon market dominance of these four countries. Furthermore, some scare diseases have caused problems in certain past years with regards to crop losses and quality issues with spices such as Cinnamon applications in food products around the world are steadily increasing due to its unique flavor Profile which helps elevate different cuisines. Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC): https://skyquestt.com/report/cinnamon-market Growth, Opportunities, and Challenges The cinnamon market is booming, with growing demand from both the foodservice and retail markets. Cinnamon is an important spice widely used in cooking across Asia Pacific. It has various culinary uses including both sweet and savory dishes. In particular, it is commonly used in Vietnamese cuisine which combines it with sugar and herbs to create different types of Vietnamese desserts such as cinnamon rolls and pho. Beyond its culinary applications, cinnamon also has traditional medicinal properties that are used in some Asian cultures to treat ailments such as asthma and headaches. Global production in the cinnamon market has increased by 20% over the past five years, while imports have decreased by 15% in countries like India. This discrepancy is due in part to rising exports of Ceylon Cinnamon, which now account for more than 60% of overall imports. Despite this growth, there are still many challenges facing the cinnamon market. Poor weather conditions in some parts of the world are causing lower output and higher prices, while competition from other spice derivatives is intensifying. However, with the right strategies and plenty of hard work, there is substantial potential for growth in this important sector. A number of companies are bullish on the prospects of the cinnamon industry and are investing in R&D initiatives to develop new products and expand their footprints in various geographies. Some of these companies include Gerber Terminals Ltd., FMC Corp., Firmenich SA, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), Danone Group NV, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), Hershey Company Inc., Nestle SA, Wilmar International Ltd., and others. Some key trends that are expected to affect the global cinnamon market during the next five years include increased consumption of flavored foods across Asia Pacific region; increased demand from bakery operators due to changing consumer behavior; growing popularity of Indian cuisine; and increasing awareness about health benefits of using cinnamon as an ingredient across different segments including grocery stores. Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements: https://skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/cinnamon-market Top Players in the Global Cinnamon Market McCormick & Company (US) Cinnatopia (Sri Lanka) G.P. de Silva & Sons International (Pvt) Ltd. (Sri Lanka) Ceylon Spice Company (Sri Lanka) Elite Spice (Maryland) FutureCeuticals (US) Kahawatte Plantations PLC (Sri Lanka) High Plains Spice Company (US) Natural Spices of Grenada (US) Lemur International, Inc (US) New Lanka Cinnamon Pvt. Ltd (Sri Lanka) Great American Spice Co (US) Risun Bio-Tech Inc. (China) Monterey Bay Spice Company (US) Related Reports in SkyQuests Library: Global Multiple Myeloma Market Global Schizophrenia Drugs Market Global Dietary Supplements Market Global Hyperphosphatemia Therapeutics Market Global Compounding Pharmacy Market About Us: SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally. Address: 1 Apache Way, Westford, Massachusetts 01886 Phone: USA (+1) 617-230-0741 Email: sales@skyquestt.com LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Company Logo Dublin, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Electric Commercial Vehicles Global Market Report 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the global electric commercial vehicles market. This report focuses on electric commercial vehicles market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the electric commercial vehicles market which will be shaping and changing our lives over the next ten years and beyond, including the market's response to the challenge of the global pandemic. Reasons to Purchase Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 12+ geographies Understand how the market is being affected by the coronavirus and how it is likely to emerge and grow as the impact of the virus abates Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis Identify growth segments for investment Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market Understand customers based on the latest market research findings Benchmark performance against key competitors Utilize the relationships between key data sets for superior strategizing Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis Major players in the electric commercial vehicles market are BYD, Proterra, AB Volvo, Daimler AG, Nissan, ABB, Scania AB, Tesla, Nikola Motor Company, and Tata Motors. The global electric commercial vehicles market is expected to grow from $66.9 billion in 2021 to $88.45 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.2%. The market is expected to grow to $270.34 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.2%. The electric commercial vehicles market consists of sales of electric commercial vehicles and related services. Electric commercial vehicles are electrically-powered, self-propelled electric vehicles used for transportation that helps reduce greenhouse gas releases (GHG) and pollution and works with the help of both electric motors working in tandem. Electric commercial vehicles are used for the delivery of goods and transport, such as a passenger, that is powered by batteries and include buses, trucks, vans, and pick-up trucks. The main propulsion types in electric commercial vehicles are BEV, PHEV, FCEV. Battery electric vehicles operate only on stored electricity, and their main components consist of a high-voltage battery, one or more electric motors (either alternating current [AC] or direct current [DC]), and a controller for managing the power electronics. The vehicle types involved are electric bus, electric truck, electric pick-up truck, electric van. The battery types involved are lithium-iron-phosphate (left), lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (nmc), and others. The technologies involved are battery-electric commercial vehicles, plug-in hybrids, hybrids, fuel cell electric commercial vehicles. Asia Pacific was the largest region in the electric commercial vehicles market in 2021. North America was the second largest region in the electric commercial vehicles market. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. During the historic period, government subsidies on electric commercial vehicles contributed to the electric commercial vehicles market's growth. For instance, in July 2019, India, the government of India provided subsidies for promoting electric commercial vehicles. The Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises at the 'India UK Electric Mobility Forum 2019' stated that the government of India, under the INR 10,000 crore FAME scheme, is promoting electric commercial vehicles through commercial fleet owners. The subsidies were given to three and four-wheeled electric vehicles for commercial and fleet applications. The support from the government to promote the use of commercial electric vehicles is driving the market. The growth of the electric commercial vehicle market is restrained by limited battery power and longer charging duration. For electric commercial vehicles, the range and performance of the battery are typically less powerful and have a limited range (60-100 miles per charge), and are considered suitable only for short-distance travel. The limited travel range of batteries of electric vehicles raises concerns among the consumers that their vehicles may run out of charge/power before reaching the destination. Longer charging duration is another major challenge for the market. The lack of availability of supercharging stations adds to the woes associated with the use of batteries in an electric vehicle. For example, according to Alternative Fuels Data Center, in the USA, in 2020, there are around 76,000 public charging stations, compared to 168,000 stations that serve gas. When surveying USA customers about purchasing electric vehicles, more than half of the respondents indicated that they won't buy an EV due to a lack of charging stations. Therefore these factors are major restraints for the electric commercial vehicle market during the period. Electric commercial vehicle companies are implementing strategic partnerships for the production of electric commercial vehicles. Strategic partnerships in electric commercial vehicles involve sharing of resources and expertise that enhances the product and multiplies the result. It attracts popularity from consumers and other stakeholders, helping to increase the investment while reducing costs. The countries covered in the electric commercial vehicles market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the UK, USA. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Electric Commercial Vehicles Market Characteristics 3. Electric Commercial Vehicles Market Trends And Strategies 4. Impact Of COVID-19 On Electric Commercial Vehicles 5. Electric Commercial Vehicles Market Size And Growth 5.1. Global Electric Commercial Vehicles Historic Market, 2016-2021, $ Billion 5.1.1. Drivers Of The Market 5.1.2. Restraints On The Market 5.2. Global Electric Commercial Vehicles Forecast Market, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion 5.2.1. Drivers Of The Market 5.2.2. Restraints On the Market 6. Electric Commercial Vehicles Market Segmentation 6.1. Global Electric Commercial Vehicles Market, Segmentation By Propulsion Type, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion BEV PHEV FCEV 6.2. Global Electric Commercial Vehicles Market, Segmentation By Vehicle Type, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion Electric Bus Electric Truck Electric Pick-up Truck Electric Van 6.3. Global Electric Commercial Vehicles Market, Segmentation By Battery Type, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) Lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide (NMC) Other Battery Types 6.4. Global Electric Commercial Vehicles Market, Segmentation By Technology, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion Battery Electric Commercial Vehicles Plug-in Hybrids Hybrids Fuel Cell Electric Commercial Vehicles 7. Electric Commercial Vehicles Market Regional And Country Analysis 7.1. Global Electric Commercial Vehicles Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion 7.2. Global Electric Commercial Vehicles Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k952x7 CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 BlueWeave Consulting and Research Pvt Ltd Geographically, global UV curable resins and formulated market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America, and Middle East and Africa (MEA). In terms of both volume and value, the APAC region is home to the biggest UV curable resins and formulated products market. UV curable resins and formulated products, it is one of the markets with the fastest rate of growth worldwide. In the coming years, the market is projected to record growth at a significant CAGR. The region provides sizable business opportunities for the market expansion of UV-curable resins and formulated goods. The demand for UV curable resins and formulated products in the region is rising because of the changing environmental regulations, rising consumer awareness (including sensitivity to health and safety), and pressure from flagship companies that want to improve the performance of their su New Delhi, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global UV curable resins and formulated products market flourishing due to growing knowledge and awareness about the use and safety of UV resins as well as favorable health regulations and usage guidelines. BlueWeave Consulting, a leading strategic consulting and market research firm, in its recent study, estimated Global UV Curable Resins and Formulated Products Market size at USD 4.85 billion in 2021. During the forecast period between 2022 and 2028, BlueWeave expects the size of global UV curable resins and formulated market to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% reaching a value of USD 9.73 billion by 2028. Ultraviolet (UV) curable resins are materials that cure and polymerize using energy from UV devices. When UV light is applied to inks, adhesives, and coatings, the technology allows for instant drying and curing via photopolymerization. Due to the expanding applications and use in numerous fields, including coatings, overprint varnishes, printing inks, adhesives, and others, the demand for UV curable resins and specially formulated products is expected to rise. However, high cost of setup could limit the market growth. Global UV Curable Resins and Formulated Products Market Overview Polymerized substances with the help of energy that is extracted and then radiated from irradiation devices providing ultraviolet (UV) rays, UV curable resins and formulated products are quickly cured. Most industrial materials use UV-curable resins and specially formulated products for coating, bonding, and sealing. They are also utilized by the paint and coatings industry in addition to ink and adhesive industries. For curing and quick drying, UV curable resins and specially formulated products are thought to be the best option. During forecast period of 2022 to 2028, global market for UV curable resins and formulated products is expected to grow due to rising demand for these products. The increased awareness about safety and use of UV resins, health regulations, and guidelines related to use of UV cured resins have all contributed to market growth. Use of UV cure resins and formulated products have grown in popularity in recent years. Certain benefits and advantages include less energy consumption, less equipment space, less VOC released, good flexibility, minimal heat and emission released, curing at low temperatures, and high output and efficiency. The unique feature of resin is coated on UV and having the ability to be applied on virtually any substrate, such as plastic, metal, and composites is the main factor responsible for the market growth. Request for Sample Report @ https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/uv-curable-resins-and-formulated-products-market/report-sample Global UV Curable Resins and Formulated Products Market Technology Advancements Global UV curable resins and formulated products market has been divided into Monomer, Oligomers, Photoinitiators, and Additives based on the composition; into Non-Acrylated Oligomers, and Acrylate Oligomers based on the chemistry; and as Coatings, Overprint Varnish, Printing Inks, Adhesives, 3D Printing, and Others based on the technology. Currently, coatings under the technology category dominate the market, accounting for a majority of share. Technology advancements are also propelling the market growth. Sartomer, an Arkema subsidiary business unit, introduced innovative resin solutions that advance UV/EB curing performance for 3D printing, graphic arts, coatings, electronics, and personal care applications at the RadTech UV+EB 2020 Technology Expo and Conference in February 2020. Sartomer will also release three new N3xt Dimensions engineered resins for UV curable 3D printing. Moreover, working with waterborne products allows one to create Zero VOV lacquers for spraying applications due to their chemical resistance and quick curing efficiency. 3D printing, digital printing, and printed circuit applications are examples of opportunities that are expected to boost the market growth. Impact of COVID 19 on Global UV Curable Resins and Formulated Products Market COVID-19 affected global demand for UV curable resins and formulated products due to a drop in end-use applications. COVID-19 disrupted the UV curable resins value chain beginning in 2020. The pandemic had a significant impact on China, which ordered the closure of 21 provinces. Wuhan and Hubei provinces, which are major industrial and commercial hubs, were placed under lockdown. This had an effect on the supply chain for UV curable resins and formulated products. The pandemic later spread to Europe and North America. Because many countries were locked down, the workforce could not be deployed in manufacturing facilities. Demand from various applications decreased as a result of strict lockdown regulations. However, with relaxations on pandemic induced restrictions in place, the market is expected to be back on its growth trend. Please Visit the Press Release: https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/press-release/global-uv-curable-resins-and-formulated-products-market-size-to-double-crossing-usd-9-7-billion-by-2028 Competitive Landscape Prominent players in global UV curable resins and formulated products market include Allnex Group, Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd., Arkema SA, Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd., Royal DSM, GM Resins, Covestro AG, Nippon Gohsei, Hitachi Chemical Company Ltd., IGM Resins B.V., Toagosei Co. Ltd., Miwon Specialty Chemical Co. Ltd., BASF SE, Double Bond Chemical Ind. Co. Ltd., Jiangsu Sanmu Group Corporation, and Alberdingk Boley GmbH. These companies use R&D, expansions, acquisitions, and new product releases to improve their market position. Dont miss the business opportunity in the Global UV Curable Resins and Formulated Products Market. Consult our analysts to gain crucial insights and facilitate your business growth. The in-depth analysis of the report provides information about growth potential, upcoming trends, and statistics of Global UV Curable Resins and Formulated Products Market. It also highlights the factors driving forecasts of total market size. The report promises to provide recent technology trends in Global UV Curable Resins and Formulated Products Market and industry insights to help decision-makers make sound strategic decisions. Furthermore, the report also analyzes the growth drivers, challenges, and competitive dynamics of the market. Recent Developments In July 2021 - PTTGC International (Netherlands) B.V. acquired Allnex Netherlands B.V. to strengthen its market position in coating resins. In April 2021 - Covestro AG completed the acquisition of Royal DSMs Resins & Functional Materials business to expand its business in coating resins. Scope of the Report Attributes Details Years Considered Historical Data 20182021 Base Year 2021 Estimated Year 2022 Forecast Period 20222028 Facts Covered Revenue in USD Billion Market Coverage North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Product/ Service Segmentation Composition, Chemistry, Technology, Application, Region Key Players Allnex Group, Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd., Arkema SA, Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd., Royal DSM, GM Resins, Covestro AG, Nippon Gohsei, Hitachi Chemical Company Ltd., IGM Resins B.V., Toagosei Co. Ltd., Miwon Specialty Chemical Co. Ltd., BASF SE, Double Bond Chemical Ind. Co. Ltd., Jiangsu Sanmu Group Corporation, Alberdingk Boley GmbH. By Composition Monomer Oligomers Photoinitiators Additives Others By Chemistry Non Acrylated Oligomers Acrylate Oligomers By Technology Coatings Overprint Varnish Printing Inks Adhesives 3D Printing Others By Application Waterborne UV Resins Solventborne UV Resins Powder UV Resins 100% Solid UV Resins By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific (APAC) Latin America Middle East and Africa (MEA) Please Find Below Some Related Reports: About Us BlueWeave Consulting (BWC) provides comprehensive Market Intelligence (MI) Solutions to businesses regarding various products and services online and offline. We offer all-inclusive market research reports by analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data to boost the performance of your business solutions. BWC has built its reputation from the scratch by delivering quality inputs and nourishing long-lasting relationships with its clients. We are one of the promising digital MI solutions companies providing agile assistance to make your business endeavors successful. Contact Us: BlueWeave Consulting & Research Pvt. Ltd +1 866 658 6826 | +1 425 320 4776 | +44 1865 60 0662 info@blueweaveconsulting.com https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/blueweaveconsulting/ Google has announced it will end Chrome support on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 early next year. Chrome 110, which is scheduled for release on February 7th, will not work on either of the operating systems. You'll still be able to use older versions of Chrome on Windows 7 and 8.1, but you'll no longer be able to install newer builds, which will include new features and security updates. On a support page that revealed the news, Google suggested upgrading to Windows 10 or Windows 11 to keep getting Chrome updates. That might be difficult for those whose systems don't support more recent versions of Microsoft's OS, businesses that are still stuck on Windows 7 or 8.1 and folks who can't afford to buy a new computer. Still, Google had to wind down support at some point. The company pointed out that its timeline matches up with Microsoft ending extended support for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on January 10th . As it turns out, however, Google will support Chrome on Windows 7 longer than planned. It previously said it would stop offering Chrome updates for the OS in 2021, then this year. Top prize awarded to researcher for her breakthrough work on the balance between human needs and wildlife conservation OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Canada is home to a deep pool of exceptional scientists and engineers whose accomplishments range from innovative discoveries to lifetime achievements and influence in the science community. The Government of Canada is committed to celebrating and supporting these talented Canadians as they work to enhance the economic prosperity and well-being of Canadians. Today, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Professor Alejandro Adem, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced this year's recipients of NSERC Prizes. Twenty-six of Canada's world-leading scientists and engineers, and 28 of their industry partners, received NSERC prizes recognizing their exceptional work and contributions to research and training in a range of research fields. Their achievements include advancements in climate change science and plant response, major discoveries in the field of Artificial Intelligence for mobile robots, pioneering contributions in scalable quantum technology, and groundbreaking partnership work on energy storage solutions. Pr. Lenore Fahrig was awarded Canada's most prestigious science prize, the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, worth up to $1 million. Pr. Fahrig's research and career have had transformative impacts for wildlife conservation the world over, inspiring a vast shift in perspective not just in how efforts should be focused, but also in how much impact relatively small actions can have on wildlife preservation. By demonstrating the greater benefit of small patches for species conservation, Pr. Fahrig is empowering communities and individuals to lead small-scale conservation efforts on their farmland, in local parks or in their own backyards with the knowledge that their energies are having a positive effect. Dr. Kerry Rowe, a pioneer of geoenvironmental engineering, is the inaugural recipient of the NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research. Dr. Rowe has transformed the knowledge foundation of landfill barrier systems around the world. His research and experimentation identified new engineering criteria for landfill design that could prevent significant groundwater problems. This work has resulted in two commercialized computer-modelling tools, named POLLUTE and MIGRATE, that are widely used to guide the safe development of waste containment sites globally. Dr. Tomislav Friscic is this year's recipient of the John C. Polanyi Award in recognition of his outstanding advancements in the field of mechanochemistry. Solvents account for a significant proportion of waste in chemical-based industries and their elimination remains one of the holy grails of sustainable chemistry. An alternative methodology for clean, solvent-free chemical synthesis and manufacturing is taking hold thanks to Dr. Friscic. The work conducted and influenced by Dr. Friscic is poised to lead the 'green' revolution of chemical manufacturing, and his breakthroughs have revolutionized the field of mechanochemistry. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) team, composed of world leaders in cosmology, pulsars, high energy astrophysics and galactic emission, is awarded this year's Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering. Together, this powerful collaboration of experts has designed and built one of the most novel and extraordinarily powerful radio telescopes in the world. NSERC also announced the six inaugural recipients of the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships, which recognize early-stage academic researchers in the natural sciences and engineering, and recognized outstanding examples of collaboration that stand as models of effective partnership between partner organizations and colleges or universities by awarding five Synergy Awards for Innovation. Quotes - "The exceptional researchers we honour today highlight the incredible talent that can be found in Canada's research community. Congratulations to the recipients this year, whose incredible work will transform and positively impact the lives of Canadians and inspire the next generation of great Canadian scientists and engineers." The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry - "The recipients of this year's NSERC Prizes are responsible for important scientific and technological breakthroughs, and act as role models within the research community and for future scientists and engineers. By celebrating their work, we recognize the invaluable contributions of the people behind the Canadian discoveries and innovations that will advance knowledge, enhance the well-being of Canadians and make the world a better place." Professor Alejandro Adem, President of NSERC - "It is a huge thrill to receive the Herzberg Medal for my research on biodiversity and species conservation. I am very grateful for the support I have received for this work for more than 3 decades. I hope the award will throw a spotlight on our need to protect the nature that surrounds and sustains us." Professor Lenore Fahrig, Professor of Biology, Carleton University Quick facts Honouring the memory of Canadian Nobel laureate Gerhard Herzberg, the NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal is the agency's highest honour. It provides recipients with up to $1 million in discovery research funding over five years. Today's ceremony celebrates the outstanding achievements of 26 recipients and 28 of their industry partners who received an NSERC Prize from one of the six award categories, with funding totaling up to $4.25 million. For the first time ever, NSERC is honouring Canada's most recent science Nobel laureates by awarding prizes in their names that highlight Canadian research excellence. The prizes are the NSERC Donna Strickland Prize for Societal Impact of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research and the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships. NSERC-funded researchers are honoured every year for achievements that showcase the high caliber of talent and the innovative research taking place in Canadian universities and colleges. Associated links Full list of NSERC prizes, this year's winners and their profiles Stay connected Find more services and information at Canada.ca/ISED . Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media. Twitter: @CDNScience , Facebook: @CDNScience , Instagram: @CDNscience and LinkedIn Follow Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada on social media. Twitter: @NSERC_CRSNG , Facebook: @nserccanada , Instagram: @NSERC_CRSNG , YouTube: NSERCTube and LinkedIn SOURCE Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2022/25/c5253.html TOKYO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Yields on super-long Japanese government bonds (JGB) rose to fresh multi-year highs on Tuesday, as investors challenged the Bank of Japan's commitment to keep its ultra-low policy unchanged ahead of its policy meeting this week. The 20-year JGB yield jumped 7 basis points to 1.315%, its highest since February 2015, while the 30-year JGB yield rose 3.5 basis points to 1.685%, its highest since September 2014. The two-year JGBs were not traded in early session, leaving the yield at -0.005%, the highest since January 2016. The 10-year JGBs were not traded either and the yield was flat at 0.250%, top of the limit of the BOJ's policy band. The 40-year JGBs were not traded either and the yield was flat at 1.885%. The five-year yield fell 0.5 basis point to 0.130%. Benchmark 10-year JGB futures rose 0.07 point to 147.92, with a trading volume of 5,866 lots. (Reporting by Junko Fujita; Editing by Rashmi Aich) BEIJING, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jianglai Consulting is a business consulting boutique based in Beijing. It delivers global investors contextual insights on China's economic development. Jianglai estimates that China's economic policy is likely to be continuous according to its close observation of the recent activities associated with the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization and official statements during the 20th CPC National Congress. The City of Qingdao, the Site of the SCO Demonstration Zone On October 18, the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone in Qingdao, Shandong province and Shandong Province, released 20 cases of institutional innovation, involving logistics and transportation, trade development, production capacity cooperation, transformation of scientific and technological achievements, free flow of personnel, and convenient financial supply. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Demonstration Zone has opened 27 international and domestic freight trains, reaching 51 cities in 22 countries and regions, totaling more than 2,000 trains. The SCO Demonstration Zone established an industrial park dedicated to cross-border e-commerce enterprises in June 2020, and now more than 200 companies have been settled. Some businesses are from Yiwu, Zhejiang province. In the past, their goods had to be shipped, taking 55 to 60 days to arrive at Russian overseas warehouses; after moving to the demonstration zones, it saves 45 days for the goods to arrive Europe, and greatly reduces the cost. In 2021, Qingdao held more than 200 economic and trade activities to help local enterprises carry out cross-border trade. Chinese officials have been sending positive signals to the market. Plans for a dual-circulation economy requiring more domestic production and consumption doesn't mean the country wants to scale back from globalization, Zhao Chenxin, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference during the convening of the CPC 20th National Congress. That means China will continue to open up to the global economy, even as it focuses on more high-quality growth and fostering domestic demand. Story continues To the question, whether China's economic policy will change, some analysts believe that China's economic policy after the 20th National Congress is expected to continue to open up to the outside world and increase exchanges with important international partners in trade. The economic policy after the 20th National Congress is likely to be more continuous rather than changeable. International cooperation in the areas of green energy and traditional manufacturing is estimated to be enhanced. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1929009/Jianglai_Consulting_Logo.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1929008/Site_of_the_SCO.jpg Jianglai Consulting Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jianglai-consulting-estimates-chinas-economic-policy-is-likely-to-be-continuous-301658694.html SOURCE Jianglai Consulting ST. IGNATIUS, Mont., October 25, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--S&K Aerospace, LLC (SKA) has been awarded a prime contract by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime to support U.S. Army vehicle maintenance at Red River Army Depot (RRAD) in Texarkana, Texas. SKA will serve as the Industrial Product-Support Vendor providing bin and line-side delivery of bench stock items for maintenance and production lines. RRAD specializes in building and rebuilding ground support vehicles used by the military around the world. At RRAD, SKA will perform integrated supply chain services which includes inventory management, parts acquisition, local storage, spot buying, kitting, and other services at high bin fill rates required by DLA. "Our number one priority is to keep parts ready and available when needed so that depot mechanics and technicians experience zero delays," said Mike Delaney, SKA VP of Programs. "Efficiency at this stage means the equipment is ready for deployment as soon as possible. Were excited to partner with DLA and RRAD on this effort." This competitive acquisition is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity, three-year base contract, with two two-year option periods, and an estimated ceiling value of $52.1 million. About S&K Aerospace SKA is a leading integrated supply chain management prime contractor with customers across the Department of Defense and its Allies. The company is a subsidiary of S&K Technologies, Inc. (SKT), a family of companies owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) with headquarters in St. Ignatius, Montana. The SKT companies serve a global customer base with sophisticated aerospace, logistics, information technology, engineering, construction, and tower/antenna solutions. SKTs success provides meaningful economic dividends to the 8,000-plus members of the CSKT tribal community, supporting programs involving cultural preservation, language revitalization, services for elders, and other social investments. Story continues Learn more at: https://www.skaerospace.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221025005269/en/ Contacts S&K Aerospace, LLC Tel: (406) 745-5738 publicrelations@sktcorp.com By Yuvraj Malik (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT) is set to post its slowest quarterly revenue growth in over five years on Tuesday, with some analysts casting doubts whether the company can maintain its annual outlook in the face of a PC market slowdown and a strong dollar. A spike in inflation this year has fanned worries of a global economic slowdown and forced consumers and businesses to pull spending on computers and laptops, sapping sales of some of Microsoft's key products including Windows and the Office suite. Adding to the squeeze, the dollar has climbed more than 17%, weighing on the earnings of companies with big global operations. Microsoft earns more than 50% of its revenue outside the United States. "All eyes will be on Microsoft's ability to maintain FY23 guidance for reported double-digit revenue growth, which we believe is at risk," Guggenheim analysts said last week. UBS has said the stock seems to have largely priced in a potential walk back on the forecast. At least 15 brokerages have lowered their price targets on the software giant in October, and the company's shares have declined by more than a quarter in 2022. CONTEXT PC shipments declined 19.5% in the third quarter this year, according to data from research firm Gartner. Windows licenses form about 12% to 13% of Microsoft's revenue and the PC market downturn is expected to dent its sales by 100 basis points, Morningstar senior analyst Dan Romanoff said. The blow is expected to be slightly offset by Microsoft's cloud services unit Azure, which is set to grow 20% in the first quarter, according to Refinitiv data. "Our CIO survey work suggests that enterprise IT usage of Azure is likely to gain share vs. Amazon AWS," J.P. Morgan said in a recent note. But signs of a slowdown in cloud adoption have started emerging. An analysis by Piper Sandler showed total revenues at the top 100 software firms are estimated to grow 22% in 2022 and 20% in 2023, down from 33% in 2021. Story continues Software firms are the biggest customers of cloud platforms and their business growth is taken as proxy for the cloud services sector. FUNDAMENTALS ** Microsoft's first-quarter revenue is expected to rise 9.5% to $49.61 billion, the first sub-10% growth since the third quarter of fiscal 2017 - Refinitiv ** Earnings per share is estimated at $2.30 WALL STREET SENTIMENT * 48 of the 52 analysts covering the stock rate it "buy" or higher and four rate it "hold" * The median price target is $315, down from $336 at the start of 2022 * Microsoft trading at $246.64 on Monday (Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni and Sriraj Kalluvila) By Azernews By Vugar Khalilov Baku has urged the international community to exert pressure on Armenia to ensure that it fulfills its international obligations, Azernews reports, citing the Foreign Ministry. Pressure should be exerted on Armenia to ensure that it fulfills its obligations under the trilateral declaration and international law, which include ceasing activities that endanger Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, eventually withdrawing all of its military forces from Azerbaijani territory, ceasing indiscriminately planting mines, cooperating in demining initiatives, and providing Azerbaijan with accurate mine maps. These efforts will help to ensure regional peace and security, the ministry emphasized. The ministry emphasized that Armenia's deliberate mine-planting activities, both during and after the 30 years of occupation, are the main obstacles to Azerbaijan's reconstruction activities in liberated territories, posing a threat to civilians and military personnel's lives and impeding the return of internally displaced Azerbaijanis to their homelands. Armenia continues its illegal military activities in the Azerbaijani territories in violation of paragraph 4 of the Trilateral statement (November 10, 2020) by failing to fully withdraw its military forces and planting a large number of anti-personnel mines there, which leads to the growth of the number of landmines not only along the former line of contact but also in other areas, the ministry underlined. "In general, over the past 30 years, the number of victims of mine explosions in Azerbaijan amounted to 3,345 people. A total of 266 citizens became landmine victims, of which 48 people died, including three reporters from the end of the Second Karabakh War. Of the 45 dead, 35 are civilians. Moreover, 38 women and 357 children became the victims of landmines over the past 30 years," the ministry detailed. Furthermore, the discovery of over 1,400 E-001M mines manufactured in Armenia in 2021 in Lachin District following the illegal Armenian settlers' departure from the city, as well as new booby traps installed on the doorsteps of houses and in courtyards in Zabukh and Sus villages on October 3, demonstrate Armenia's serious threat to regional peace and security. The placement of mines on Azerbaijani soil reveals that, despite the fact that the Lachin corridor is designed solely for the transit of citizens, commodities, and vehicles, as stated in paragraph 6 of the tripartite declaration, Armenia continues to exploit it for unlawful military activities. Furthermore, it demonstrates that allegations that Armenia has neither created nor sold landmines in recent decades are false, the ministry underlined. It was recalled that the major reason for the military clashes on the state border on September 13-14 was the provocation of the Armenian armed forces to put mines on Azerbaijani military units' supply road. The ministry stated that the accuracy of the mine maps provided by Armenia following the signing of the trilateral statement on November 10, 2020, is barely 25 percent. Approximately, 55 percent of recent mine explosions have occurred in mined regions that are not indicated on the maps, the existence of which Armenia initially denied, it added. The said evidence demonstrates that Armenia continues posing threats against Azerbaijan. Armenia's behavior is a war crime, a significant breach of international humanitarian law and its own commitments, and the country should be pressured to stop it, the ministry stressed. Azerbaijan has consistently requested that efforts should be mobilized to eradicate these dangers and give large-scale support to its humanitarian demining operations. In this regard, on August 23, 2022, the Azerbaijani foreign minister addressed a corresponding letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, which was distributed among all UN members. Azerbaijan also formally provided information to the International Court of Justice regarding Armenia's ongoing mining of its territories in September 2022, which obviously contradicts the court's temporary decisions of December 7, 2021. P2 Gold Inc. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- P2 Gold Inc. (P2 or the Company) (TSX-V:PGLD) (OTCQB:PGLDF) reports that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 4.0 million units (the Units) at a price of $0.27 per unit for gross proceeds of up to approximately $1 million (the Offering). Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (a Share) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Each whole Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $0.50 per common share for a period of two years from the date of issue (the Expiry Time), provided that, if after four months from the date of issue, the closing price of the common shares of the Company on the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) is equal to or greater than $1.00 for a period of 10 consecutive trading days at any time prior to the Expiry Time, the Company will have the right to accelerate the Expiry Time of the Warrants by giving notice to the holders of the Warrants by news release or other form of notice permitted by the certificate representing the Warrants that the Warrants will expire at 4:30 p.m. (Vancouver time) on a date that is not less than 15 days from the date notice is given. The Offering will close on completion of documentation and is conditional upon receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Exchange. The proceeds of the Offering will be used to fund exploration and engineering expenditures and for general corporate purposes. The Offering will be offered to accredited investors in all Provinces of Canada pursuant to applicable securities laws. In connection with the Offering, the Company may pay finders fees as permitted by the policies of the Exchange. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period. Story continues The securities to be offered in the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Company anticipates that insiders will subscribe for Units. The issuance of Units to insiders is considered a related party transaction subject to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. The Company intends to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 on the basis that the participation in the Offering by the insiders will not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the companys market capitalization. A material change report in connection with the Offering will be filed less than 21 days before the closing of the Offering. This shorter period is reasonable and necessary in the circumstances as the Company wishes to complete the Offering in a timely manner. About P2 Gold Inc. P2 is a mineral exploration and development company focused on advancing precious metals and copper discoveries and acquisitions in the western United States and British Columbia. For further information, please contact: Joseph Ovsenek President & CEO (778) 731-1055 P2 Gold Inc. Suite 1100, 355 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6C 2G8 info@p2gold.com (SEDAR filings: P2 Gold Inc.) Michelle Romero Executive Vice President (778) 731-1060 Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. Forward-looking information includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as may, will, expect, anticipate, believe, continue, potential or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking information includes, without limitation, information with respect to the Companys expectations, strategies and plans for exploration properties including the Companys planned expenditures and exploration activities, the Offering and the issuances of securities pursuant to the Offering. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made, including without limitation, that the Exchange will accept the Offering, the issuance of securities under the Offering will be approved, required fundraising will be completed, as well as the other assumptions disclosed in this news release. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including without limitation, failure to obtain Exchange acceptance of the Offering and/or the issuance of securities pursuant to the Offering, failure to raise sufficient funds on the proposed terms or at all, and risks associated with mineral exploration, including the risk that actual results and timing of exploration and development will be different from those expected by management. See Risk Factors in the Companys annual information form dated March 31, 2022 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of these risks. The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Mawson Gold, Argentina Lithium and G2 Energy discussing their latest news. The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives. Mawson Gold (TSX:MAW) announces PEA results from its Rajapalot gold-cobalt project The Market Herald, Tuesday, October 25, 2022, Press release picture Mawson Gold (MAW) has shared the results of the maiden preliminary economic assessment for its Rajapalot gold-cobalt project in Finland. CEO and Director Ivan Fairhall sat down with Daniella Atkinson to discuss the news. For the full interview with Ivan Fairhall and to learn about Mawson Gold, click here. Argentina Lithium (TSXV:LIT) announces positive results at Rincon West The Market Herald, Tuesday, October 25, 2022, Press release picture Argentina Lithium (LIT) positive lithium brine values from the third and fourth diamond drill holes at its Rincon West Project in Argentina. The fifth exploration hole is currently in the final steps of completion. The property is currently permitted for up to 9 exploration drill holes. Miles Rideout, VP Exploration, sat down with Daniella Atkinson to highlight the results. For the full interview with Miles Rideout and to learn about Argentina Lithium, click here. G2 Energy (CSE:GTOO) releases six-month plan and announces debenture financing The Market Herald, Tuesday, October 25, 2022, Press release picture G2 Energy (GTOO) has announced its six-month plan and related debenture financing. Its six-month plan is focused on increasing base production from the Masten Unit, acquiring Bridwell Oil's Masten Lease and optimizing production from current producers. G2 Energy CEO Slawek Smulewicz and COO James Tague sat down with Daniella Atkinson to discuss their plan. For the full interview with Slawek Smulewicz and James Tague and to learn about G2 Energy, click here. Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald. Story continues About The Market Herald The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets. DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). Report Card is not an advisory service, and does not offer, buy, sell, or provide any other rating, analysis or opinion on the securities we discuss. We are retained and compensated by the companies that we provide information on to assist them with making information available to the public. 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While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'. Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information. CONTACT: The Market Herald marketing@themarketherald.ca themarketherald.ca SOURCE: The Market Herald View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/722244/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-New-Interviews-with-Mawson-Gold-Argentina-Lithium-and-G2-Energy-Discussing-Their-Latest-News NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / October 25, 2022 / By Ana Carolina Felix Like other projects developed in the Amazon region, Project Yba has the power to drive social transformation through collaborative partnerships with Natura &Co, The Nature Conservancy and Peabiru Institute that focus on development combined with sustainability. It represents the path where science, innovation and inclusion can provide social impact, helping these families to be trained - bringing together the practices and knowledge they have about the forest, with new organization and management tools so that they can tread new paths. It is a journey of inclusion, growth, and expansion of the care that these families exercise in conserving the forest. This will give them the opportunity to play a leading role in the development of a new business ecosystem, building a bioeconomy production chain through the sustainable extraction of bioactives in the region. Biodiversity mapping to find fruits and seeds of commercial interest The name "Projeto Yba: Conservation that Transforms" was created in partnership with the Peabiru Institute, an organization that works in the region, so that we could honor the identity of the Amazon region, Para, Brazil and the indigenous people. Yba, in the Tupi Guarani language, means tree or fruit, an allusion to the union that strengthens and bears fruit. Using the indigenous dialect, we seek to value our land and our origins, extolling a country full of opportunities. After mapping the biodiversity and social demographics and resources of local communities in the municipality of Breu Branco, the project is now being implemented. Mapping was carried out in Dow's 38,000 hectares of conserved area, where the Peabiru Institute identified 17 plant species of commercial interest for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Of the species identified, four are of interest to cosmetics brand Natura &Co - part of the Natura &Co group, the fourth largest personal care company in the world and our first commercial partner in the project. Story continues Transforming social development of local communities by providing sustainable extraction training Twenty-five communities were part of the social mapping, and the project selected the Vila Mamorana Farmers Association, made up mostly of black and brown women, to boost socio-economic development in the region. The association will be the organization responsible for the sustainable extraction of fruits and seeds from the forest, initially allocating this production to a partner cooperative that already supplies Natura &Co, which will sell it. In a second step, with the support of Natura &Co and guidance from the Peabiru Institute, the association will be structured and trained - both in terms of processes and technical capacities necessary to supply bioactives to the market through sustainable and regenerative management. Project Yba has the power to drive social transformation through collaborative partnerships that focus on development combined with sustainability. In the last years, I have had the privilege of being involved in significant projects that not only allow us to develop new technologies and improve markets, but, above all, provide positive impacts on the reality of hundreds of people. I could mention thousands of people and projects. However, working in the midst of one of the most emblematic scenarios in the world, the Amazon Forest, I've chosen to talk about how we can transform people's lives, and collaborate to address one of the greatest global challenges: income generation and development of Amazonian communities through the conservation of the forest and its biodiversity. In Breu Branco, Brazil, we have a manufacturing complex that concentrates activities for the sustainable management of planted forests, a carbonization plant and the production of silicon metal, the main raw material used in the production of silicones. We have a unique position in our segment, which is integrated into a global value chain of the business. In addition to production and market relationships, we have in front of us a region that is not only considered the richest in biodiversity in the world, but also houses hundreds of traditional communities, such as quilombolas, riverside dwellers, fishermen, family farmers, as well as rubber tappers and indigenous peoples. We are talking about a richly diverse ethnic population that employs fishing, craftsmanship and family farming as sources of food and income, and brings together traditional experiences and knowledge that can contribute to the conservation of the biome and the maintenance of the different ecosystems in the region. The dozens of fruit species are an example of the region's potential, which reinforces the myriad of opportunities for sustainable development of the Amazon. It was with this purpose in mind - to transform and innovate in material sciences and impact people's lives - that we developed Project Yba. Ana Carolina Felix, Dow Consumer Solutions Sustainability Director for the Americas View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from DOW on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: DOW Website: https://corporate.dow.com/en-us Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: DOW View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/722194/Project-Yb-Conserves-Biological-Diversity-Through-Sustainable-Extraction KUPU unveils top tips for recruiting during a recession and flexible work as a potential solution. JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KUPU, the bespoke AI-driven platform matching the labor market via dynamic skill-based profile progressions, has announced its plan of action to assist employers in preparing for possible recession times. KUPU recognizes the rising trends and demands of flexible workers - with the view that this is the main target segment for employers. Recruitment made simple with candidate pre-screening process KUPU would like to ensure that companies are prepared and staffed during a recession. "Although the economy has been propped up throughout the pandemic, strain is starting to show globally, and Indonesia is not immune," said Andry The, Chief Information Officer. Flexible working future Employers generally look to reduce headcount during economic uncertainty during a downturn, especially in small and medium enterprises. However, as our exit from the pandemic has shown, this can lead to further problems when the economy bounces back. HR teams can turn the situation to their advantage if they are switched on and ready to react. "Our app is free of charge. We have features on the platform to ensure enterprises still have the workforce to succeed during a recession," added Andry. KUPU promotes the concept of flexible work and helps recruiters and job seekers find new opportunities, whether long-term, short-term, freelance, project or remote work. Employers can filter applicants for pre-screening before moving on with the in-app online interview. Zarkasih Ramadan, an HR manager at PT Sinergi Integra Services and a long-term KUPU user said, "I found over 100 candidates in the span of 3 days using KUPU app." Recession-proofing Indonesian enterprises KUPU also released top tips on job seeking and recruiting during a recession to ensure that companies and candidates are prepared. See recession as an opportunity to grow When uncertain times hit, it's vital to create a plan that can give you some guidance. Consider your business objectives and priorities, even if a recession does hitoutline essential roles and areas of the business that could benefit from additional support. Taking a proactive rather than reactive approach will put you one step ahead of the competition. Story continues Refrain from freezing hiring The initial reaction to economic uncertainty is to stop hiring as a cost-saving exercise, saving money to focus on taking care of existing staff. However, while this saves money in the short term, stopping new hires also means halting business progression. Companies that stop hiring risk losing income, as existing employees face burnout leading to reduced quality of service or product quality. Prioritize Flexi-working To ensure business continuity, identify essential positions by prioritizing the ones that impact your revenue the most. Consider giving your current employees more duties with a promised incentive for the less critical functions. You can also temporarily use freelancers and independent contractors. Candidates looking to upskill and prepare for new opportunities can visit KUPU by downloading the KUPU App in Apple App or Google Play stores. For more information on preparing for a recession, recruiters can visit www.kupu.id. About KUPU Founded in 2021, KUPU is a mobile recruitment platform connecting job providers and seekers. The platform provides upskilling courses to increase employment visibility and to ensure each user is provided with an equal opportunity. KUPU is expanding its following throughout Indonesia and is looking to collaborate with initiatives from the public and private sectors to strengthen the employment industry further. Source: KUPU SOURCE KUPU TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Sailfish Royalty Corp. (TSXV: FISH) (OTCQX: SROYF) (the "Company" or "Sailfish") is pleased to report that Mako Mining Corp. ("Mako") has announced additional results from its recent definition and expansion drilling program at the Las Conchitas area of its wholly-owned San Albino-Murra property located in northern Nicaragua. The Las Conchitas area is located immediately south of the producing San Albino gold mine ("San Albino"), which is currently in commercial production. Sailfish Royalty Corp. logo (CNW Group/Sailfish Royalty Corp.) As a reminder to shareholders, Sailfish currently holds a gold stream equivalent to a 3% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") on San Albino and a 2% NSR on the Las Conchitas area which consists of Las Conchitas North, Las Conchitas Central and Las Conchitas South (collectively, "Las Conchitas"). Paolo Lostritto, Chief Executive Officer of Sailfish states that, "Recent drill results by Mako at their Las Conchitas area continues to demonstrate an expanded mineralized footprint along with gold grades which are above what is currently being mined at their nearby San Albino pit. Mako currently has seven drill rigs working in Nicaragua as part of their US$17.2 million exploration program announced earlier this year; five of which are dedicated to the Los Conchitas area. Year-to-date, Mako has completed 208 drill holes (30,558 metres) with the objective of updating the Company's mineral resources. Given that Sailfish holds a 2% NSR on the entire Las Conchitas region, we look forward to the maiden Las Conchitas resource which is expected in 2023." Highlights (from Mako's October 24, 2022 news release) Highlights of the recent drilling at Las Conchitas Las Conchitas - North Mina Francisco ("MF") Intermediate ("Int") Las Conchitas - Central Cruz Grande ("CG") Las Conchitas - South El Limon ("EL") Mango ("Mg") Note * ETW is estimated true width measured from interpreted sections For complete information on these results, please refer to Mako's news release issued on October 24, 2022, which is available on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or on Mako's website at www.makominingcorp.com. Story continues About Sailfish Sailfish is a precious metals royalty and streaming company. Within Sailfish's portfolio are two main assets in the Americas: a gold stream equivalent to a 3% NSR on the San Albino gold mine (~3.5 sq. km) and a 2% NSR on the rest of the area (~134.5 sq. km) surrounding San Albino in northern Nicaragua; and an up to 3% NSR on the multi-million ounce Spring Valley gold project in Pershing County, Nevada. Sailfish is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "FISH" and on the OTCQX under the symbol "SROYF". Please visit the Company's website at www.sailfishroyalty.com for additional information. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary statement regarding forwardlooking information Certain disclosures in this release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by words such as the following: expects, plans, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, assumes, potential and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements also include reference to events or conditions that will, would, may, could or should occur, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's expectation that the Las Conchitas discovery will convert into a mineable resource or will ever become mineable. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, including that the Las Conchitas discovery will convert into a mineable resource or will ever become mineable. However, the forward-looking statements in this news release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including without limitation: the Las Conchitas discovery will convert into a mineable resource or will ever become mineable. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. SOURCE Sailfish Royalty Corp. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2022/25/c2613.html With a track record in driving growth for technology, financial services, and professional services she crafts vision into strategy and aligns brand, marketing, communications initiatives, and resources. Robin Liebowitz, CMO, Chief Outsiders With a track record in driving growth for technology, financial services, and professional services she crafts vision into strategy and aligns brand, marketing, communications initiatives, and resources. NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robin Liebowitz, a strategic business and marketing leader, will now leverage her expertise in launching and growing businesses in highly complex industries and markets as a Fractional CMO for Chief Outsiders. Recently, Liebowitz joined Chief Outsiders team of more than 120 fractional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs). As a fractional CMO, Liebowitz brings a strong focus on applying analytics to inform decision-making and measure results. She develops tailored strategies to position companies, products and solutions, generate demand and achieve targeted revenue growth. Her experience in international expansion and M&A integration has also been repeatedly tapped by companies looking to expand their global footprint and rapidly grow businesses. Leveraging her extensive executive marketing experience with technology, financial services and professional services companies, she assesses the critical marketing requirements and resources, navigates complex environments, building relationships and mobilizing teams to produce positive and lasting results Stellar Marketing Achievement At Chief Outsiders, Liebowitz works with CEOs and senior business leaders to accelerate sales growth and expand new revenue streams. For example, prior to joining Chief Outsiders, as Head of Financial Service Marketing for a cloud services company, she partnered with the sales team to deliver double-digit YoY revenue growth and positioned the organization as a leading technology provider in financial services. As Chief Marketing Officer for an enterprise blockchain company, she generated a multi-million dollar opportunity pipeline building the companys marketing function and crafting its first global marketing plan. Story continues Liebowitz also crafted winning marketing programs for top-tier strategy consulting firm, EY. As Head of Financial Services Technology & Innovation Marketing for EY, she led brand marketing, go-to-market and thought leadership initiatives to support the launch and scaling of their new financial service tech business spanning artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, cyber and fintech solutions. Robin brings incredible industry expertise to accelerate growth for our technology, financial services and professional services clients, said Deborah Fell, Managing Partner, Chief Outsiders. "She innovates and partners across the organization to produce long-term revenue growth. Liebowitz marketing experience includes previous roles as Group VP, Communications at Marsh & McLennan Companies, Global Head of Marketing for Oliver Wyman and Senior Vice President Marketing & Business Development at Zurich Insurance Company. She earned an MBA in International Business & International Marketing and her BBA in Marketing from George Washington University in Washington, DC. About Chief Outsiders Chief Outsiders is the leading Fractional CMO firm that helps CEOs accelerate growth through the development and disciplined execution of well-crafted growth plans. The firm has more than 120 part-time, or fractional, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) engaged from coast-to-coast. Unlike traditional marketing and management consulting firms, each CMO has held the position of VP Marketing or higher at one or more operating companies, including many Fortune 500 firms. Chief Outsiders CMOs have served on the executive team of more than 1,500 client companies, driving growth strategy and execution plans by offering instant access to talent with highly customized and flexible engagements. Because of its market-based growth plans, quality of leadership, and experienced team, Chief Outsiders has been recognized for the past nine years by Inc. Magazine as one of the 5,000 fastest growing privately held companies in the US, and was recognized in 2019 as a Forbes Small Giant. Chief Outsiders CEO Art Saxby and Principal Pete Hayes are the co-authors of The Growth Gears: Using a Market-Based Framework to Drive Business Success, an Amazon #1 best-seller for business owners and CEOs. For additional information about the companies who trust Chief Outsiders as their premier source for business growth acceleration, click here. Attachment CONTACT: Sterling Wilkinson Chief Outsiders swilkinson@chiefoutsiders.com South Carolina will play significant role in expansion plans; newly constructed branch office in Cherrydale Point opening soon. Two additional branches to follow in 2023. Truliant's Upstate Regional Office Truliant Federal Credit Union on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, opened its new Upstate Regional Office in downtown Greenville, S.C. and has plans to open three new branches in South Carolina by the end of 2023. WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina, Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Truliant Federal Credit Union announced today that it has started its South Carolina market expansion with a ribbon cutting at the Truliant Upstate Regional Office in downtown Greenville. The expansion also includes the opening of a second freestanding branch at Cherrydale Point within the next few weeks. Truliant purchased the historic building in 2021 and renovated the three-story, 19,000-square-foot facility at 110 W. North Street in the Historic District of downtown Greenville. Truliants Upstate operations will be managed from this location. Built in 1920, the credit unions new regional office supports commercial lending, financial advisors, Truliant at Work, community outreach and mortgage services. To provide the highest levels of service, the credit union is dedicating a significant portion of the regional office to an onsite training center that can accommodate up to 18 employees. The South Carolina expansion will create more than 60 jobs over the next several years, including branch staff, ancillary services, support services and back-office roles, among others. The 70-year-old credit union has a branch on Pelham Road in Greenville, which opened in 2016 and replaced a long-standing Airport Road location. Truliant traces its history in Greenville back almost three decades to its business relationship with the JPS Textile Group. JPS partnered with Truliant in 1994. Truliant has a long history in Greenville, and we plan to do here what we do best: Offer great value to our members and provide straightforward financial solutions that helps them meet their goals, said Todd Hall, Truliants president and CEO. Over the next several years, the Upstate will represent a significant percentage of our overall expansion. Our contiguous strategy south along the I-85 corridor is the next logical step for Truliant. We see a great opportunity in the Upstate market. This area aligns perfectly with our growth strategy. Story continues In addition to the credit unions existing branch location, a newly constructed branch office located at 6 State Park Road in Cherrydale Point will open in November. Leading the regional branch expansion is Jason Swink, the Upstate market director, who has worked for the credit unions branch operations since 2020. The fully staffed location includes three Spanish speaking bilingual representatives to address language barriers that present obstacles to understanding financial services, tools and technology and how best to use them. A second new location in Easley will open in early 2023, and a third will open in Greer later in the year. The combined locations represent more than 28,000 square feet. These locations reflect our commitment to the entire Upstate region and are part of a continued effort to provide residents with excellent financial services. It will help drive more job creation and commercial lending growth, reinforcing the Upstates reputation as a commercial center, Hall said. In addition to serving as its business lending center for the Upstate, the regional office will provide operational support for Truliants branch expansion. During the last three years, the credit union offices in North Carolina and Virginia have added additional services for mortgages, business services, insurance services, financial advisors, indirect lending and digital services. Truliant will offer all of these services in the Upstate, and many of the adjacent South Carolina markets will benefit from the new locations, ancillary services and third-party services. The Upstate locations will form the fourth regional concentration of Truliant branches. The other regions are in the Charlotte-Metro area, the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. Truliant strives to be an integral part of the communities it serves through valuable financial services, such as free checking, great rates, and convenience and through community involvement. At its regional office opening, the Truliant Foundation made a $10,000 donation to the Greenville Chamber Foundation to support the Chambers LaunchGVL program. This initiative through a partnership between the Chamber and Greenville County Schools connects high school students with work opportunities to strengthen the workforce and to help close the skills gap in Greenvilles high-demand occupations. Weve been laying the foundation for this expansion over the last two years by increasing outreach with community organizations and businesses, strengthening our knowledge of the region and carefully filling positions that underscore Truliants total strategy, Hall said. We know that to be successful, Truliant needs the support of the Upstate South Carolina community. So we intend to continue cultivating it with our partners, he said. About Truliant Federal Credit Union Truliant is a mission-driven, not-for-profit financial institution that improves lives by providing financial guidance and affordable financial services. Truliant was chartered in 1952 and now serves 293,000+ members. Truliant has more than 30 Member Financial Centers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Attachment CONTACT: Heath Combs Truliant Federal Credit Union 3362932054 heath.combs@truliantfcu.org New paint job on Trump's Boeing 757 private jet. MediaPost, LLC for Landlocked Aviation Donald Trump has recommissioned his prized Boeing 757 private plane as he hints at a 2024 presidential run. According to aircraft tracking website ADS-B Exchange, the jet flew from Louisiana to Florida on Wednesday. The plane was taken out of storage in 2021 and flown to Louisiana for maintenance work and a new livery. Donald Trump's prized Boeing 757 private jet is finally back in action. Aircraft tracking website ADS-B Exchange showed the plane dubbed "Trump Force One" flew from Louisiana to West Palm Beach, Florida on Wednesday. That's near to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. The former president's personal plane has returned to Florida after a two-year sit at Stewart International Airport in New York, and nearly one year of refurbishment in Louisiana. Trump bought his 757 in 2011 for $100 million from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and it quickly became a symbol of his wealth. Commonly seen as a backdrop at his 2016 presidential rallies, Trump used the plane until he took office in 2017 and switched to the government's presidential Air Force One fleet. The return of the 757 comes as Trump continues to tease a 2024 presidential run. He said on his website in May 2021 that the plane, which features two bedrooms, a dining room, and 24K gold plating on the seats, was being restored in Louisiana for use at "upcoming rallies." However, in March, Trump sent an email to his political action committee saying he was in the process of building a brand-new jet and included links to his donation page. "The construction of this plane has been under wraps not even the fake news media knows about it and I can't wait to unveil it for everyone to see," the email read. While the news received backlash and led many to believe Trump was fundraising to replace his aging 757, which is 31 years old, he set the record straight on March 14, telling The Hill that "the story was incorrect." "I already have a plane, the same one I used on the 2016 campaign," he told the outlet, clarifying that the jet is "owned by me and financed by me, with no debt." Story continues As he threw cold water on news of a new plane, Trump posted a video of his original 757 aircraft on social media in July. In the post, he said the jet was "completely modernized and renovated," including a new paint job complete with an American flag on the tail and gold "TRUMP" lettering across a black fuselage. Aircraft refinishing company Landlocked Aviation painted the plane, with company president Tyson Grenzebach telling local news outlet 7News the work took 40 people and about a month to complete. With a sleek new look, Trump's private jet is already being put to work, having flown to Corpus Christi, Texas, over the weekend, per ADS-B Exchange. Read the original article on Business Insider Days before Elon Musks deal to acquire Twitter could finally close, workers at the social company are warning that staff cuts would be reckless. Time reports that an open letter from an unspecified number of Twitter employees, directed to Musk and Twitters board, is making rounds within the company. The letter comes on the heels of a report from The Washington Post, that Musk wants to cut as much as 75 percent of Twitters roughly 7,500 staff. Elon Musks plan to lay off 75% of Twitter workers will hurt Twitters ability to serve the public conversation, the letter says. A threat of this magnitude is reckless, undermines our users and customers trust in our platform, and is a transparent act of worker intimidation. We cannot do our work in an environment of constant harassment and threats. The letter also includes a list of demands for current and future leadership of the company. In addition to fair severance policies for all workers, letter writers want Musk to keep existing employee benefits in place, including remote work. Musk has previously criticized remote work, and suggested most Twitter employees should return to the office. The letter also hints at the potential ideological divide between some Twitter workers and Musk, who has said he favors less moderation . We demand that leadership does not discriminate against workers on the basis of their race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs, the letter says. New subject rankings include artificial intelligence and meteorology. WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, today published the 2022-2023 Best Global Universities rankings. The overall ranking in the new edition evaluates 2,000 schools up from more than 1,700 last year on academic research and reputation. U.S. News & World Report Logo. (PRNewsfoto/U.S. News & World Report) The 2022-2023 edition includes universities from more than 90 countries. The following countries have the most schools in the overall ranking: China: 338 United States: 280 Japan: 105 United Kingdom: 92 India: 81 "The Best Global Universities rankings offer prospective students a valuable resource for exploring higher education options outside of their home country," said Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News. "Over the past nine years, these rankings have expanded to include more schools and more subjects, while maintaining a consistent focus on institutions that prioritize academic research." This year's edition adds four new subject rankings: artificial intelligence; education and educational research; meteorology and atmospheric sciences; and water resources. Powered by Web of Science data and InCites metrics provided by Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, the Best Global Universities methodology weighs factors that measure a university's global and regional research reputation and academic research performance. For the overall ranking, this includes bibliometric indicators such as publications, citations and international collaboration. Each of the 47 subject rankings has its own weighting based on academic research performance in that specific area. 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Overall Best Global Universities Top 10 Harvard University (U.S.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.) Stanford University (U.S.) University of CaliforniaBerkeley (U.S.) University of Oxford (U.K.) University of WashingtonSeattle (U.S.) Columbia University (U.S.) University of Cambridge (U.K.) California Institute of Technology (U.S.) Johns Hopkins University (U.S. Story continues Africa Top 3 University of Cape Town (South Africa) University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) Stellenbosch University (South Africa) Asia Top 3 Tsinghua University (China) National University of Singapore Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) Australia/New Zealand Top 3 University of Melbourne (Australia) University of Sydney University of Queensland (Australia) Europe Top 3 University of Oxford (U.K.) University of Cambridge (U.K.) University College London Latin America Top 3 Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil) Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil) Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile The Best Global Universities rankings serve the broader U.S. News mission of providing trusted information and rankings such as Best High Schools , Best Colleges and Best Online Programs to help all students navigate their education options. Specifically for Chinese students, U.S. News offers online resource centers published in Chinese to help guide prospective undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in studying abroad. For more information on the Best Global Universities, visit Facebook and Twitter using #BestGlobal. About U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, Real Estate and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C. About Clarivate Clarivate is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the pace of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world's most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of Academia & Government, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Professional Services and Consumer Goods, Manufacturing & Technology. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com . Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-news-unveils-2022-2023-best-global-universities-rankings-301657929.html SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P. By Azernews By Sabina Mammadli State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that the USA wants to see a stable Caucasus region, Azernews reports. The official made the remark during a press conference on October 25. Commenting on recent military exercises conducted by Iran on the border with Azerbaijan, he noted that the USA wants to see a stable Caucasus region and the country made its interest in this very clear. "We work both with Armenia and Azerbaijan to de-escalate tensions between those two countries and to work to de-escalate any broader tensions that may arise," Price said. To recap, a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took place on the margins of the Sixth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on 13 October. This was followed, almost immediately, by the announcement of large-scale military exercises in the north of the country by the Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour. Then ensued a three-day military drill, codenamed IRGC Ground Forces Might ''. For an in-depth report on Iran's drills on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border, please read here. (Reuters) - British online furniture retailer Made.com Group said on Tuesday talks with a number of interested parties for a potential sale of the company have been terminated after they were unable to meet the timetable. The company added it is no longer in receipt of funding proposals or any possible offers for a potential sale. "The company may determine that it is appropriate to request a suspension of listing of the company's ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market for listed securities," Made.com said in a statement. (Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) Not just for glasses: Eye exams could save your life Eyes may be your window to good health. Patient Barbara Krupar, a 65-year-old Ohio retiree, learned this firsthand. Krupar made an appointment with her ophthalmologist after experiencing disturbing vision changes. Dr. Nicole Bajic detected possible early warning signs of a stroke. She advised Krupar to go to the emergency room immediately to have her head and neck imaged. At the hospital, the ER physician discovered that the carotid artery in her neck was 85% blocked, putting Krupar at imminent risk of suffering a stroke. The eye exam may have saved her life. Read more here: Study: Some donor livers keep working for 100 years Some human livers are tougher than others, lasting more than 100 cumulative years between the organs original host and a transplant recipient, a new study discovers. Understanding what makes these livers so resilient could help improve the donor pool by paving the way for expanded use of livers from older donors, the researchers said. We previously tended to shy away from using livers from older donors, said study co-author Dr. Christine Hwang, an associate professor of surgery with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas. If we can sort out what is special amongst these donors, we could potentially get more available livers to be transplanted and have good outcomes. Read more here: Flesh-eating bacteria cases spike in Florida county after Hurricane Ian Florida residents dealing with the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Ian now need to be concerned about a spike in flesh-eating bacteria cases, health officials warned. "The Florida Department of Health in Lee County is observing an abnormal increase in cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections as a result of exposure to the flood waters and standing waters following Hurricane Ian," the county health department said in a statement. Residents should "always be aware of the potential risks associated when exposing open wounds, cuts or scratches on the skin to warm, brackish or salt water." "Sewage spills, like those caused from Hurricane Ian, may increase bacteria levels," the statement continued. Read more here: Physicians with disabilities experience more mistreatment Physicians with disabilities had a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing every type of mistreatment from both patients and coworkers, according to a study published online in the October issue of Health Affairs. Lisa M. Meeks, from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues used data from a nationally representative sample of 5,851 physicians to examine workplace mistreatment experienced by physicians with disabilities and determine whether physicians with disabilities are more likely to experience mistreatment in their workplace than physicians without disabilities. The researchers found that the majority of physicians with disabilities reported at least one type of mistreatment (64 percent) and were more likely to experience all types of mistreatment both from coworkers and from patients, compared with nondisabled physicians. Read more here: Scientists grow hair follicles in a lab In what could be an advance against hair loss, researchers say they've successfully grown hair follicles in culture in the lab. The Japanese research team created a system that produces fully mature hair follicles the tube-like structure in which the root and strand of a hair grow as well as hair as long as 3 millimeters after a few weeks growth. The system relies on organoids tiny, simple versions of an organ that scientists create in lab culture dishes using stem cells. As an embryo develops, hair follicles form due to the interaction between the outer layer of the skin and the connective tissue called mesenchyme that lies beneath, the researchers said. Read more here: Use of relaxers, chemical hair straighteners tied to double risk for uterine cancer Women who regularly use chemical hair straighteners may be more prone to developing uterine cancer, a new large government study suggests. The study, which followed nearly 34,000 U.S. women over a decade, found that those who frequently used hair straighteners were 2.5 times more likely to develop uterine cancer, versus non-users. "Frequent" was defined as more than four times in the past year. Experts cautioned that the findings do not prove cause and effect. And given that uterine cancer is relatively uncommon, even the increased risk linked to hair straighteners is small. Read more here: *** Get more recent health news from HealthDay here: The chief prosecutor in Fredericksburg has decided not to retry a man whose murder trial ended in a hung jury late last month. Jacquin N. Davis, 45, had been charged with first-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the June 26, 2021, slaying of 39-year-old Chinonso Ibe. Ibe was shot once in the chest during an altercation outside Davis former home in the 100 block of Wellington Lakes Drive in Fredericksburg. Judge Gordon Willis declared a mistrial Sept. 29 after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision. The majority of the panel were in favor of an acquittal. Commonwealths Attorney Elizabeth Humphries announced Monday in Fredericksburg Circuit Court that she would not seek to have Davis tried a second time. She said one factor in her decision was information that the majority of the jury supported a not guilty verdict. That means Davis, who was released on bond following the mistrial, is no longer facing any charges or bond conditions. He had been in jail for more than a year prior to his trial. Humphries decision left open the remote possibility that charges could be brought against Davis again should new evidence surface at some point. According to evidence presented during the trial, Davis and Ibe had been involved in a heated telephone conversation shortly before their fatal encounter. Davis said he was trying to help the mother of his child get away from drugs, and he told Ibe to stop supplying them to her. Ibe eventually got his pregnant girlfriend to drive him from Spotsylvania County to Davis home. Davis wasnt home when Ibe was pounding on his door, but drove up just as Ibe was returning to his vehicle. Ibes girlfriend, Leisha Garnett, said Davis tried to punch Ibe before shooting him. She said Ibe never pulled a gun, and police said Ibes unloaded weapon was in his holster when they arrived. But Davis claimed Ibe had pulled the gun on him when he fired in self-defense. Defense attorney Eugene Frost repeatedly attacked Garnetts credibility, and she admitted that she had lied several times during Davis prosecution, including once under oath. About 20 members of a Northern Neck chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolutionmany wearing white gloves, hats and heelsgathered near the shores of the Rappahannock River Saturday to rededicate a place that was sacred to two separate groups of people. As the Leedstown Resolutions chapter of the DAR honored Virginia patriots who resisted taxation from the British without representation10 years before the Revolutionary Warthe women also remembered those whod lived at the thriving river village eons earlier. Here we are at a sacred place in both worlds, in the Pissaseck Indian world and in the world of the colonists, said Jane Van Valzah, a King George County resident who chairs the Native American committee for the chapter. Leedstown became a port for the English, but prior to that, it was a place of trade, a place of nourishment for the Indians and the bounty they could get from the river was just enormous compared to what it is today. The DAR chapter celebrated both cultures by rededicating two highway markers at the entrance to the Leedstown Campground in Westmoreland County. The markers were first put up elsewhere on Leedstown Road in 1962 but taken down three years ago because they were on private property. The Leedstown Resolutions chapter, which includes about 70 members in King George, Westmoreland, Colonial Beach and other points in the Northern Neck and beyond, wanted to get the markers back in the public eye, and to keep them together, said Elizabeth Sluder, the chapters past regent. Campground owner Carl Flemer and his family agreed to the location. While the markers representing the Leedstown Resolutions are dear to all our hearts, said Chapter Regent Mary Wasenko, their existence may not be well-known outside the Northern Neck, if its known there. A DAR pamphlet says the document never got its rightful place in history because its author and first signer, Richard Henry Lee, went on to perform other noted services for the country. As one of Virginias founding fathers, Lee participated in many key acts of the Revolutionary War. He was part of the committee that named George Washington commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and he introduced the motion that led to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. But 10 years before that, Lee called together like-minded patriots from various regions in Virginia to gather in Leedstown on Feb. 27, 1766. From this now-sleepy community on the Rappahannock River began the spark of independence from England and a revolution not seen since against taxation, according to the Historical Marker Database. When 115 patriots signed their opposition to the Stamp Act, and being taxed without having a representative in the British parliament, it marked the first recorded act of resistance against King George, Sluder said. Among those who signed the document, called the Leedstown Resolutions, were six Lees, four brothers of George Washington and Spence Monroe, the father of President James Monroe who was born in Westmoreland. A decade later, brothers Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee would sign the Declaration of Independence. After the markers were rededicated in their new location, Bucky Doer, the chapters chaplain, and one of few people who can hit all the high notes on The Star-Spangled Banner, offered the benediction. The group stood on a hill atop the crumbled foundation of Brays Church, where the resolutions were signed. I am so impressed by the history here and understand why its often called the birthplace of the nation because so much of what makes America what it is today started here, she said. During the prayer, Doer got emotional as she noted it seems like were trying to interpret history according to modern thought and (we) lose sight of the sacrifices people made to give us what we take for granted today. Julia King represented the Rappahannock Tribe and thanked the DAR members for including the tribute to the Pissaseck Indians. They lived along the Rappahannock River in Leedstown and a few other villages in Westmoreland, speaking a language derived from the Virginia Algonquin family. Hunters and farmers, they were part of Chief Powhatans territory, a political configuration of Indian groups that occupied the coastal plain of Virginia from the James River to the Potomac River, according to the historical marker. Saturdays rededication ceremony wasnt Kings first visit to the area. A professor of anthropology at St. Marys College of Maryland, King led an archaeological dig at Leedstown in 2018 with students and the tribes chief, Anne Richardson. This is the most interesting property, both for the Pissaseck Indians and also for Leedstown, she said. The history of this land goes back thousands of years and archaeologists call it a persistent place. It was really important and that helps explain why Leedstown is here. An Albemarle County man has been charged with intimidation for placing a noose on the statue of Homer at the University of Virginia Police Department in September. Shane Dennis, no age given, appeared for a bond hearing Tuesday morning in Albemarle County District Court on charges of displaying a noose for public intimidation. The charge, considered a hate crime, is a class 6 felony. He was also charged with contempt of court for misbehaving in the courtroom by refusing to communicate with court officials, according to the district court records. His bond hearing was continued and he currently is in custody at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail. University Police also served Dennis with a no trespassing order that prohibits him from being on UVa property. Dennis was arrested on Monday, according to University of Virginia Police and court records. On Sept. 7, a noose was found draped across the Homer statue that stands at Old Cabell Hall end of the Lawn. Video from nearby university buildings showed a white man in a dark sweatshirt or jacket leaving the area early in the morning. Virginia law makes displaying or leaving a noose on someones private property as a form of intimidation a felony. The law also makes it a felony to display a noose on a highway or other public place with the intent to intimidate others. Its the latter part of the law with which Dennis is charged. After this incident on the Lawn was first reported, University Police opened an investigation immediately, working with our local partners and the FBI to identify a suspect and bring charges, said Tim Longo, university police chief and assistant vice president for safety and security. We are grateful to so many people who assisted with this investigation, including members of the community who contacted police and offered helpful information in this case. University police also believe Dennis was the person who left other items near Homers statue on Oct. 22, including a mask, a cross, and a flag. Police said Dennis has no prior known relationship with the university. A Class 6 felony is the lowest category of felony and is one step up from a misdemeanor. It carries a sentence of between 1 and five years and a fine up to $2,500. Dennis is slated for a Dec. 8 preliminary hearing, court records show. This is a developing story. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has added a stop in Fremont to its Medicaid listening tour. The listening tour will include a presentation from Nebraska Medicaid that will focus on new information for members, including the newly selected contracts and other important updates. After the presentation, time will be reserved in which members of the public can ask questions or give feedback. Question: Where are you originally from? How long have you been in Dodge County? Answer: Born and raised in Raytown Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. We have lived in Fremont for the last 18 years. Q: Tell us about your immediate family A: I married my high school sweet heart and we have been married for 38 years. We have five grown children and two grandchildren. Q: What is your current occupation? A: Business owner/ entrepreneur Q: Why did you decide to run for office? A: To move our local government into more of a citizen centric government. Focusing on the people that live in Fremont and making Fremont a better place to live. Q: How are or have you been involved in the community? A: I have started two non-profit organizations: Fremont Creative Collective and Fremont Downtown Development Group. Q: What qualifies you for this office? A: I am a successful business owner of multiple business including Sycamore Education, Milady Coffeehouse and the May Brothers Building. I also have four years experience as the current City Council member representing Ward 2. Q: What do you think are the top two issues in Dodge County (if running for city council the top two issues in Fremont) and, if elected, how would you address them? A: Public safety has been neglected for the last 12 years. We need a new police station and a new fire station. We also need to make sure that our first responders have the necessary tools they need to accomplish their work. Focus our local government on its citizens and making life better for them here in Fremont. I am a businessman and I understand economic development, but I believe the scale has been tipped against the citizens of Fremont and we need to re-balance the scale. Q: Whats one thing you believe the county (or city) could do better? why? A: Accounting and budgeting. Right now Fremont uses a general fund for everything. We need to categorize incomes and use those funds for their particular reason. When the city added a sales tax, those funds should have gone to a specific project and then when that project was paid off, remove the sales tax, then allow voters to decide on the next project. Q: What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done? A: At age 38, with five children, quit a safe corporate job to start my own company. A New York man has been sentenced in federal court in Omaha for transporting a minor with the intent of engaging in criminal sexual activity. Armando Daniels, 33, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Between January and April 2021, Daniels, who was 32 at the time, communicated with a 15-year-old girl from Sarpy County via cellphone and internet apps, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. On April 6, 2021, Daniels drove from his home in New York, picked up the girl and headed east. The girl had left her cellphone at home. That evening, when her relatives became aware she was missing, they called authorities, and Sarpy County sheriffs deputies began trying to find her. Using call records, deputies obtained cellphone location data of phones that recently had called her phone. They found a phone going east across Iowa and Illinois and, on April 7, stopped in Princeton, Illinois. An investigation later found that Daniels had sexually assaulted the girl at a hotel in that city. Surveillance footage from the hotel showed the two together there. Early the next morning, the U.S. Attorneys Office said, Indiana state troopers found Daniels and the girl in Elkhart, Indiana, in Daniels parked car. The troopers arrested Daniels. After completing his prison term, Daniels will begin a five-year term of supervised release. Young men inhaling fruit-flavored tobacco from hookahs had become a common site in Afghanistan in recent years. But the Taliban recently issued a fatwa, or Islamic decree, banning the popular pastime. The militant Islamist group considers hookahs, also known as shisha, as an intoxicant, which is banned under Islam. The ban on hookahs was announced in the western province of Herat earlier this month. It is unclear if the fatwa extends to the entire country. The move has had a severe impact on businesses in Herat, where scores of shisha cafes have been forced to close. Restaurants that offer shisha, meanwhile, have been forced to lay off staff as the number of customers fall. The ban on hookahs is the latest attempt by the Taliban to impose its extremist interpretation of Islamic Sharia law in Afghanistan, where the militant group forcibly seized power in August 2021. 'No Customers' Omid, a young entrepreneur, owned a shisha cafe in Herat city, the provincial capital. But last week he was forced to shut down his business and dismiss his seven staff members. "How can I run a cafe when I have no income?" Omid, who did not want to reveal his full name for security reasons, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "How can I pay workers when we have no customers?" Mohammad Qasim was a waiter in a shisha cafe in Herat, earning around $100 per month. After recently losing his job, he has been unable to provide for his family of five. "I will be forced to go to [neighboring] Iran to look for work," the 23-year-old told Radio Azadi. The Cafe Owners Association in Herat said that around 2,500 people had lost their jobs following the ban, aggravating an already dire economic situation for many residents. The Taliban takeover triggered an economic collapse and worsened a major humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where hunger and poverty are widespread. 'Against Shari'a' Not everyone in the religious and conservative country is against the ban on hookahs. "This ban will prevent the youth from wasting their money and damaging their health," Nazir Ahmad, a resident of Herat, told Radio Azadi. "It will also protect them from more dangerous addictions." Azizul Rahman Mohajer, the provincial head of the Taliban's feared Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said hookahs are against Sharia. It harms our bodies and causes tobacco addiction, which can spread widely in society," he said. The Taliban, however, has not imposed any restrictions on naswar, a mild narcotic made from tobacco. It is popular among Afghan men, particularly in rural areas, including among Taliban fighters. In April, the Taliban declared a blanket ban on illicit narcotics, although Afghan farmers say they continue to plant crops, including opium. Imposing Islamic Law The ban on hookahs is the newest effort by the Taliban to implement its version of Islamic law in the country. Since seizing power, the Taliban has policed the appearances of women and men. The militants have also imposed strict gender segregation in public spaces. Couples who eat out in restaurants are often questioned and harassed by the Taliban's notorious morality police. In September, Finance Ministry employees were subjected to a test that gauged their knowledge of Islam. Employees who failed the test were fired. Women have borne the brunt of the Taliban's attempts to police Afghans' appearances. The Taliban has enforced strict dress and behavioral codes that require women to cover their faces and restrict their right to move freely, work, or receive an education. Many of the Taliban's orders and restrictions are reminiscent of the group's first stint in power from 1996-2001, when its regime deprived Afghans of their most basic rights. Written by Abubakar Siddique based on reporting by RFE/RLs Radio Azadi By Trend Azerbaijan, attaching great importance to ties with Japan and participation in Expo world exhibitions, has become the first country which signed an agreement to participate in Expo 2025 in Osaka, Trend reports on October 25. The agreement was signed by Expo 2025 Commissioner General for Azerbaijan Anar Alakbarov, Expo 2025 Secretary General Hiroyuki Ishige and Expo 2025 Commissioner General Haneda Koji during the first international planning meeting taking place on October 25-26 in preparation for the exhibition. The event has been also attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Japan Gursel Ismayilzade. The World Expo will take place in Osaka, Japan from April 13, 2025 to October 13, 2025. A would-be car theft victim chased off the suspects Monday night. Colorado Springs police say the vehicle owner interrupted the two suspects in the middle of stealing the vehicle. One of the suspects fired a round at the victim. The victim was armed and fired back at the suspects, police said. The suspects then jumped in another car parked nearby and fled leaving behind the vehicle they had hoped to take. The car owner was uninjured, and police do not believe any of the suspects were shot. At the time of this writing, no suspect descriptions have been made available. The crime was reported just after 8 p.m. near the intersection of Chelton Road and Landmark Lane. Anyone with information that can help police is encouraged to call the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 719-634-STOP. Colorado students have yet to fully rebound from the learning loss suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the states reading scores are higher than the national average, according to a national math and reading test for fourth and eighth graders. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nations report card, is typically administered every other year to a sampling of fourth and eighth grade students across the country. The 2022 exam was the first one given since the pandemic began. Out of a possible score of 500, Colorados fourth graders scored an average of 223 in reading higher than the national average of 216. The states eighth graders outperformed the country in reading as well, scoring an average of 263, compared with a national average of 259. Exam results suggest that, like most of the U.S., Colorado students took a significant hit in math. Fourth grade scores declined an average of seven points from pre-pandemic levels, from 234 in 2019 to 227 in 2022. Eighth graders took an even harder hit, with math scores dropping from an average of 275 in 2019, to 264 this year. Both grades scored slightly higher than the national average, according to assessment data. State officials said that while the pandemic continues to plague Colorado students, this years state and national test results offer some encouraging signs. The decline in academic performance throughout the country is terribly concerning but is not unexpected due to the challenges from the pandemic, said Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes. However, we see glimmers of hope in the fact that Colorado students are already showing improvement on our state-level tests from 2021. And we also are buoyed by the support we have received from COVID relief funds that are targeted to address the lost learning opportunities. The funding, along with the incredible work being done by educators and students throughout Colorado, gives us confidence that we will continue to raise the level of learning despite these unprecedented challenges. Colorado minorities continue to suffer from achievement gaps, according to the assessment results. Black students scored an average of 28.5 points lower in both reading and math than white students. Hispanic students were 31 points behind their white classmates in math, and scored 27.5 points lower in reading. The NAEP scores tell a similar story to the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, which tests third through eighth graders in math and English Language Arts. In 2019, the last full school year before the pandemic, 44.5% of Colorado students met or exceeded expectations in English, and 32.7% reached that level in math. Last year, student achievement took a step back, with the statewide average declining to 43% for English and plunging more steeply to 27.4% for math. In 2022, CDE data indicate performance rates are beginning to climb back to pre-pandemic levels. While 43.5% of students met or exceeded state standards in English an improvement of half a percentage point from 2021 math scores recovered 4 percentage points for a statewide average of 31.4%. Authorities arrested a former Florence City Council member on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child. The Fremont County Sheriffs Office announced Monday night that 68-year-old Anthony Esquibel had been arrested earlier that day and was being held without bond in the county jail. The Sheriffs Office said Esquibel had been under investigation in connection with the allegations prior to the arrest but did not elaborate further. A spokesperson for the City Council confirmed Esquibel once served on the council. Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call Detective Alejandro Jimenez at 719-276-5560. A town hall meeting on the Amara annexation is scheduled at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Colorado Springs City Hall in the council chambers. Several Colorado Springs City Council members on Monday called for more time to consider a proposed water rule that could limit annexations during its meeting, while on the same day hearing the benefits of a 3,200-acre community in an area near Fountain that wants to join the city of Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs Utilities is asking residents to send feedback on the proposed water rule to waterordinance@csu.org. The water rule was introduced last week and would require Colorado Springs Utilities to have 130% of the water needed to serve existing demand and projected demand for land the city could annex. The calculation does not include demand from undeveloped property that has already been annexed. If the water rule is adopted ahead of a vote on the 3,200-acre property, called Amara, it would prevent the property from coming into the city. The council did not make decisions on the water rule or the annexation. City Councilwoman Nancy Henjum called for slowing down decisions on both issues because they are so closely tied. Other council members did not seem interested in impinging on projects in progress. To help inform its decision on Amara, City Council on Monday heard the results of an economic impact analysis on the potential of building up to 9,388 homes and 2 million square feet of commercial space in an area near Fountain. The commercial space could include about 827,000 square feet of retail space and 272,000 square feet of office space and 900,000 square feet of light industrial space. The build-out could take until the 2040s. Read more here. By Trend U.S. President Joe Biden will get his updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday and urge more Americans to get the latest shot, White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Sunday, Trend reports citing Reuters. Only 20 million people in the United States have received an updated COVID vaccine through last week. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday it was not enough. "We need everyone to step up and get their updated vaccine as soon as possible," she said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week 4.5 million Americans had received the updated vaccine over the past week, the largest weekly increase since the fall vaccination program launched and up about 40% from the prior week. The United States started rolling out the updated COVID shots in September, designed to take on the circulating BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants and the original version of the virus. Steve Durham represents Congressional District 5 on the State Board of Education. He previously served as a state representative, state senator, and federal appointee in the Reagan administration. A government-affairs professional, Durham has no client with interests of any kind in the water question and is writing purely as a longtime citizen of Colorado Springs who cares about the citys future. Ten days before the 158th anniversary of the Sand Creek massacre, History Colorado will open a new exhibit sharing the accounts of those who survived. The exhibit, The Sand Creek Massacre: The Betrayal that Changed Cheyenne and Arapaho People Forever, opens on Nov. 19. According to a news release from History Colorado, the exhibition draws from "deep consultation with representatives from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. For the first time, History Colorado will be sharing the events of the Sand Creek Massacre based on Tribal accounts and oral histories from the descendants of those who survived the Massacre." The exhibit also helps to begin resolving some of the difficulties the tribes have had with the state historical agency. Weve had difficult times in the past with History Colorado," said Otto Braided Hair, Jr. a member of the Northern Cheyenne. "This exhibition shows commitment and dedication, he added. At the request of the tribes, the exhibition will not include artifacts from the day or site of the massacre. On Nov. 29, 1864, more than 600 Colorado militia troops, led by Col. John Chivington, attacked a peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapaho women, children and elders on the banks of Sand Creek in Kiowa County. More than 230 were slaughtered, and in the days that followed, Colorado soldiers paraded some of the remains through the streets of Denver. Two members of the Colorado cavalry refused to participate in the massacre, and notified Washington, D.C. officials. An investigation was launched two months later. Among the outcomes of that investigation, President Andrew Johnson demanded the resignation of Colorado Territorial Gov. John Evans, who on Aug. 11, 1864 issued a proclamation that authorized the citizens of Colorado "to kill and destroy, as enemies of the country all hostile Indians." That proclamation was rescinded by Gov. Jared Polis last year. A state panel is currently considering six proposed name changes for the Clear Creek County mountain named after Evans. The History Colorado exhibit will highlight the "living culture of the Cheyenne and Arapaho, two separate Tribes with distinct histories that were bound together forever after the tragedy at Sand Creek. Forced to leave Colorado after the Massacre, the Cheyenne and Arapaho people exist today as three sovereign Tribal nations in Montana, Oklahoma and Wyoming. The exhibition is the result of a ten-year partnership process that began in 2012 between History Colorado and the three Tribal nations," the news release said. The exhibit will include: Historic and contemporary objects exploring Cheyenne culture and traditions; Photos and artifacts representing Arapaho people from the 1900s to today; Tipis constructed in Cheyenne and Arapaho styles; Audio guides in four languages: Cheyenne, Arapaho, Spanish and English; A listening station for oral histories from Cheyenne and Arapaho descendants of survivors of the Massacre; A listening station for letters written by soldiers who heroically refused their orders to attack the peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho camps; Historical documents from congressional and military investigations that took place following the Massacre; The creation of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service (NPS), and; A look at the three Tribal nations today, and the ongoing efforts to commemorate, educate, and heal from the Massacre. The Sand Creek Massacre exhibition will demonstrate that people can work humbly together to remember and begin to heal from atrocities and betrayals such as this, said Shannon Voirol, Sand Creek Massacre project director at History Colorado. The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Kiowa County, near Eads, was authorized by an act of Congress in 2000, in collaboration with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, and dedicated in 2007. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, announced earlier this month the site would be expanded by 3,500 acres, more than doubling its footprint. Several Colorado Springs City Council members called for more time to consider a proposed water rule that could limit annexations during a Monday meeting, while on the same day hearing the benefits of a 3,200-acre community that wants to join the city. The water rule was introduced last week and would require Colorado Springs Utilities to have 130% of the water needed to serve existing demand and projected demand for land the city could annex. The calculation does not include demand from undeveloped property that has already been annexed. If the water rule is adopted ahead of a vote on the 3,200-acre property, called Amara, it would prevent the property from coming into the city. The council did not make decisions on the water rule or the annexation. City Councilwoman Nancy Henjum called for slowing down decisions on both issues because they are so closely tied. Other council members did not seem interested in impinging on projects in progress. "I think its pretty clear that we need some breathing room, a pause, to really address these questions," Henjum said. If You Go Colorado Springs will hold a town hall on the Amara annexation at 5 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall in the council chambers. Utilities is asking residents to send feedback on the proposed water rule to waterordinance@csu.org. She noted that she did not want to see the development community solely drive the conversation around water. Last week, accusations flew in a Utilities board meeting after a large development company in town proposed the water rule. City staff pushed back, saying the rule had been in development for months. Utilities CEO Aram Benyamin said in an interview Monday that 130% is a reasonable buffer. The city calculates existing demand using a three-year average of water use, which is 75,000 acre-feet of treated water annually, he said. The city can provide 95,000 acre-feet of treated water annually on a reliable basis. Benyamin said the numbers likely need to be further refined for the proposed ordinance. Several council members called for more time to better understand the buffer and whether water guidelines should be applied to undeveloped areas that have already been annexed. The council also wanted time to hear more about unintended consequences that could arise from the proposed water rule, such as introducing uncertainty into the annexation process and pushing more development into El Paso County where it would rely on groundwater, a nonrenewable source. Councilman Bill Murray criticized the lack of analysis behind the proposed buffer and the introduction of the rule for consideration around the same time as Amara. "These arent on parallel tracks; it is a train crash," he said. The Amara annexation cannot be slowed down until a formal public hearing on Nov. 22, when the council could choose to delay a vote, Council President Tom Strand said. To help inform its decision on Amara, the council heard the results of an economic impact analysis on the potential of building up to 9,388 homes and 2 million square feet of commercial space in an area near Fountain. The commercial space could include about 827,000 square feet of retail space and 272,000 square feet of office space and 900,000 square feet of light industrial space. The build-out could take until the 2040s. Economic and Planning Systems Inc. estimated the project could create 8,800 jobs and create a positive economic impact of $18.6 billion from the construction, business-to-business purchases and indirect benefits such as spending by chain company employees and household spending from the residential development. The net benefit for the city could be about $271,500 annually from the project, the analysis showed. The analysis assumed voters will extend dedicated tax revenues, including the Trails Open Space and Parks tax and the 2C2 tax that funds road maintenance. It also estimated that new fire stations needed to serve the area could cost $2.9 million, a number council members questioned for being too low. It did not factor in the cost of utilities extensions because Colorado Springs Utilities has its own cost-recovery process, said Bob Cope, the city's economic development officer. The city administration is not taking a position on the annexation, he said. By Trend Armenian authorities adopted the decision to prohibit the entry into the country of the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Konstantin Zatulin, Trend reports citing 'Armenian Times'. According to the newspaper, he is considered an undesirable person in Armenia, since he publicly "accused the Armenian authorities for the defeat during the Second Karabakh War" many times. "Armenian Times" newspaper belongs to the family of the Prime Minister of the Republic Nikol Pashinyan. Northern Lights Alliance for the Homeless Shelters appreciates donations of any kind, but volunteered time is most valuable to this nonprofit that helps clothe, feed and shelter nearly 320 homeless men, women and children each year in Mason City and the nine counties surrounding it. Volunteering is something that helps our budget and helps us accomplish our goals, said Jesse Germundson, executive director at NLAHS, whose agency has only a handful of board members and roughly a dozen paid and volunteer workers. It takes a little of the burden off of the paid staff, it gives clients more people to talk to and it provides our team more diversity of thought. From checking people in to the shelter to taking temperatures when clients fall ill, volunteers can assume one specific role or multiple roles depending on their experience, interests and schedules. Since NLAHS is an emergency shelter, its not unusual for clients to check in at all hours of the night, fresh from cases of domestic abuse, sex trafficking and living on the streets. In these instances, Germundson stresses the importance of having retired nurses, certified nursing assistants and human service professionals as volunteers. He encourages local businesses, temp agencies and professionals from diverse industries to reach out regularly with job openings. We have a lot of potential employees at our shelters, said Germundson. Were always open for businesses to recruit from our shelters, whether they want to stop by and meet people, call once a week or post flyers. Were open and OK with all of it. For those who arent able to contribute their time or offer job assistance, the donation of goods is incredibly impactful to clients meeting their goals. Furniture, kitchen appliances and gift cards to grocery stores and gas stations all help those who are transitioning from shelter life. Additionally, NLAHS collects and hands out personal care products, backpacks, sleeping bags, clothing, pillows, shoes and other essentials to those in need within the community who are either too embarrassed to stay at the shelters or unable to for personal reasons. We address their basic needs, whether thats a gift card for clothes or a voucher for the food bank, said Germundson. We let them shower, we let them do laundry, and we let people take naps and use our phone. We do more than just let people stay at our place. Learn more about NLAHSs mission and donation details by visiting northernlightsshelters.org. This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com. Tickets available for FCHS production of Guys and Dolls Tickets are now available for Forest City High Schools production of Guys and Dolls. People can purchase tickets at www.bomanfineartscenter.org. Tickets, which are $5 each, must be purchased online prior to the performance. The Boman Fine Arts will host student performances at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 and 2 p.m. Nov. 6. MC arsonist pleads guilty A Mason City man is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of arson in Cerro Gordo District Court on Tuesday. According to the agreement, 42-year-old Paige Landon Peyton pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree arsoneach class C felonies carrying 10-year maximum sentences. The prosecution is recommending the sentences be suspended and that Peyton remain in jail until he can be placed at BeJe Clark Residential Center in Mason City. The court is not required to follow the prosecutions recommendation and sentencing is set for Dec. 5. The charges stem from a pair of incidences that took place during the evening hours of Sept. 1. During the plea hearing on Tuesday, Peyton admitted that at about 11:09 p.m. he set fire to the interior of a 1998 Toyota Corolla because he was upset with the owner. The fire was set around the North Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street Northeast. Earlier in the evening, around 9:53 p.m., Peyton set fire to a pile of leaves and debris that resulting in the brief burning of a corner portion of a garage structure at the same general location. Peytons attorney Parker Thirnbeck said there was a possible defense involving intoxication that evening, but he and Peyton decided against making that defense. Peyton was ordered to pay the victim $1,831 that the insurance didnt cover. driscoll42 wrote: I was admitted to both Booth and Kellogg's Part-Time MBA programs, and trying to decide between the two. Clearly both are excellent schools, not really a wrong choice, more of a which one fits better. I wish I could do half my MBA at one and half at the other! Would love some opinions, but first my background/goals/initial thoughts. Name/username: driscoll42 Age : 33 Country/Location : Chicago, IL, US Under-Graduate School : University of Illinois, BS in Electrical Engineering, December 2011 Under-Graduate GPA: 2.34 Graduate School: Georgia Tech, MS in Computer Science, December 2022 Graduate GPA: 4.0 Total Work Experience : Just under 11 years Pre-MBA Industry : 1 year as an Oracle Consultant, 8 years as a Data Engineering in a manufacturing firm, 1.5 years a Data Team Lead in a FinTech company Target industry post-MBA: FinTech/Technology Brief about Work Experience : Basically after my poor undergrad GPA, I worked in IT moving into a data engineering to prove myself. Love working with data, attending Georgia Tech to get my Master's in CS to learn machine learning and switched to work at a FinTech firm since I had the opportunity to lead a team directly. Volunteering/Extra-curriculars: 10 years volunteering for a non-profit, VP of it now, Eagle Scout, a few other non-profits help Scholarship Given? : None The motivation for MBA and why Now brief? : I want to rise to senior leadership in a tech company, and I feel that while my technical skills are well developed, I need to learn the other side of the business, operations, finance, etc... to best succeed in senior leadership roles Why Chicago Booth? : The short answer is that Booth feels closest to how I am now. It seems like it is more quant focused, and if we use the T analogy of developing skills, I'd be deepening my T more at Booth. I see aspects of Booth that explore Data Science and it excites me. Why Kellogg? : Kellogg I feel like is going to better broaden my T, learning more skills which I'm less naturally inclined towards. Not that Kellogg won't deepen my T and Booth won't broaden it, but in different ways. Kellogg I think might help me become a better leader than Booth, but that could just be my thinking of it as a Poet school. Short-Term Goal : Either become a Product Owner myself, or a manager of data, ideally data science Long-Term Goal : Lead the strategic direction of the product offerings of a technology company, particularly one that is highly data focused, and/or Chief Data Officer Any comments, feelings, advice to share?: I realize my goals are a bit non-committal, I focused completely on the product side in the interviews but realistically I am a bit undecided. Notably since these are part-time programs, both would be downtown Chicago, not like one is out in Evanston or Hyde Park. I attended classes at both and thoroughly enjoyed them. Unfortunately there's not an admitted student even for Kellogg before I have to make a decision, I can attend one for Booth this Thursday which I think I will. Best wishes, Dalal Signature Read More Arushi0107 wrote: Hi The expected interview date in Bangalore is 29th - 30th Oct, 2022 (As mentioned on ISB website). Has anyone received an interview call for these dates in Bangalore? Also, if you haven't received a call for the interview 5 days before the expected interview date, does that mean you have been rejected? Posted from my mobile device As per my understanding, if you have received a mail saying you have been shortlisted for interview, then you will get your interview. City choice might not stand but interview call will be. GREENSBORO Increasing numbers of young patients with a respiratory illness called RSV have filled many of the pediatric beds at Moses Cone Hospital, according to the units medical director, Dr. Suresh Nagappan. The 22-bed unit has needed to divert pediatric patients to other hospitals when capacity peaks. Nagappan estimated that between 80 to 90% of the units patients are there for treatment of RSV. Some young patients continue to be cared for in the emergency room until a bed opens up in the childrens unit, he said. Its an issue other hospitals across North Carolina and the nation are frequently facing. Its the worst RSV season Ive seen in my career, Nagappan said by phone Monday. Its been an incredible challenge. RSV stands for respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus, which is a common illness that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although many easily recover, the illness can be severe for infants and the elderly. The state Department of Health and Human Services said in an emailed statement Monday that some North Carolina hospitals have been unable to accept transfers from other hospitals that are not part of their normal referral networks due to the high number of children with RSV and the limited number of pediatric intensive care unit beds. Most children get RSV by the time they are 2 years old, Nagappan said, but only a small number diagnosed need to be hospitalized. Most RSV infections go away on their own in a week or two. Parents should be watchful for symptoms such as labored breathing and lack of appetite. Contact the childs pediatrician about any concerns, Nagappan said, and dont hesitate to seek emergency care if an infant or child appears to be experiencing breathing difficulties during the night. The younger they are, the more vulnerable they are, Nagappan said. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 in the United States, according to the CDC. Lab test results from various hospitals across North Carolina show that RSV cases have increased significantly this fall, according to state data. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has seen a substantial increase in children with RSV and respiratory illnesses other than COVID-19 in primary care and outpatient clinics and emergency departments throughout our health system, spokesman Joe McCloskey said Monday in an email. We are seeing more of these cases than we typically see in the early fall. Its not known why RSV seems to be affecting more children or whats led their symptoms to be so severe. Nagappan questions whether young children who werent previously exposed to RSV during mask mandates and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic are just now contracting it. Its all theoretical, he said about the pandemics impact on this wave of RSV cases. Dr. David Priest of Novant Health said RSV is typically seen in the winter, but it unusually began appearing in summer 2021. (Pandemic precautions) really just changed the circulating pattern of these viruses, Priest said recently. Hospitals, however, now have more means to identify who may have COVID-19 and the flu or RSV. As far as preventing the spread, Nagappan encourages residents to make sure their hands are cleaned thoroughly and to consider masking around infants and others at risk. State health officials said that while there is no vaccine available at this time for RSV, DHHS encourages everyone to receive age-appropriate flu and COVID-19 vaccines since all three viruses are currently circulating. Nagappan said the young children coming to Moses Cone with RSV have been sicker than hes used to seeing. If you know a nurse who works there, hug them, he said. We hope its going to peak soon, but we just never know. By Trend French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis met on Monday, where they are believed to have discussed the Ukraine and prospects for peace, Trend reports citing Euronews. The Vatican said their private talks lasted 55 minutes but, as is customary, did not specify the contents of the discussion. Prior to Macron's visit, victims of sexual abuse said the Catholic church was reacting too slowly to a report revealing assaults by members of the French clergy on more than 200,000 children, and urged the President to raise the issue directly with the pope. The Vatican said that Ukraine, especially the countrys dire humanitarian situation, topped the agenda in later talks Macron had with the Vatican's two top diplomats. Among the discussion topics were also the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Africa. Macron, accompanied by his wife Brigitte and greeted with an honour guard of Swiss Guards, gave the pope a first edition of German philosopher Immanuel Kant's "Perpetual Peace," published in French in 1796. The pope gave Macron a medallion depicting an early plan for St Peter's Basilica and some of his writings. To Clarence Cook, learning the wizardry of computer coding has fostered both persistence and a creative spark. Im not an artist by any means, but I like a blank canvas, to be able to just go in my zone, Cook said. Cook, a 39-year-old inmate at Montana State Prison, has been incarcerated since he was 20 nearly half of his life. Hes a high school graduate who got a little college while in the U.S. Air Force. He had no previous experience or education in coding, but hes about to spend much of the next year making it a singular focus. The Last Mile, a computer coding education program for prison inmates that boasts a 0% recidivism rate among its graduates, is officially up and running at Montana State Prison outside of Deer Lodge. The 22 participants are just over a month into the year-long program, moving through the curriculum together. Their teachers, many former participants themselves, log into a computer remotely and guide them individually through the coursework. Its the work you put into it, Cook said. But their teachers are good. The program is eight years in the making for the facility thats just recently been outfitted with Apple products and, later this week, Google Chromebooks to allow the students to work on their homework outside of the regular class schedule, six-and-a-half hours five days a week. The program is hosted by Montana Correction Enterprises, the prisons work and education program. MCE chief Gayle Butler said she and the Department of Corrections IT director traveled to see The Last Miles first iteration at the prison in San Quentin in 2014. The Last Mile is a nonprofit organization, founded by a venture capitalist, that provides technology training programs and transitional support for inmates nearing the end of their sentence. Getting the program up and running became a lower priority as funding sources proved hard to come by. The Gianforte Family Foundation, the charitable trust set up years ago by Montana's wealthy governor before he took office, ultimately put up the funding to get The Last Mile online. The program costs $290,000 for the first two years, and $110,000 for each following year. Being a computer geek myself, this seemed to make sense, Gov. Greg Gianforte told the attendees at Tuesdays ribbon-cutting ceremony, which included the 22 students. In the late 1990s Gianforte founded RightNow Technologies, a software company he later sold to Oracle. Im excited about the potential for each one of you, Gianforte told them, adding there remains a desperate need for the kind of skills they were developing a few rooms down the hall. After cutting a ceremonial red ribbon with a pair of cardboard scissors, a nod to the setting, the governor and members of the media browsed The Last Miles workspace and spoke with participants about their experience so far. Jeffrey Neely, 44, came to the prison with a 10th grade education and a GED. The program requires at GED at least and for participates to be nearing the one-year stretch from their release. Its pretty hard, Neely freely admitted about learning HTML coding on Tuesday. Asking for help, thats the biggest thing. Its like learning a new language. Many inmates arrive at their site of incarceration with gaps in education. Syd Heller, executive director of The Last Mile, said Tuesday the programs front end is designed to inundate participates with basic computer lessons like opening files before diving into the world of coding. The web development industry is more receptive to non-traditional education, Heller said. I dont care where youre from, if you can write this code, you can work at Google. The programs graduates have since moved on to companies like Slack, Dropbox and Zoom, Heller said. The program has expanded in the last decade to 23 classrooms across 16 prisons in six states. Those who emerge from incarceration with The Last Mile education in hand have brought a loyalty to their jobs that seems rare in a tech workforce where many feel entitled to jump jobs each year, Heller said. They bring a persistence that typical tech workers dont have, he said. Cook, for example, has maxed out the curriculums work the last few weeks, so in his free time he created from scratch a computer game similar to the arcade classic Pong, using only JavaScript. Its nothing but a canvas, he said. That doesn't mean it's easy; five times he wanted to put the side project down and forget about it, but persisting on an endeavor of his own initiative was an achievement on its own. Cook enjoys the creative engagement that the alchemy of coding provides, but he knows the real goal is more than expression. Hes set for release in 2025, and although he wont be out after this class like several of his classmates, he hopes to return as a facilitator for the next class. Youre looking ahead, like you want to get to that future, he said. You just have to be willing to put in the work. CASPER, Wyo. 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. MAROA Eighteen years after he was killed in action in Iraq, Illinois Army National Guard Spc. Jeremy Ridlen has been immortalized in his hometown. Maroas post office is now officially the Jeremy L. Ridlen Post Office, following months of grassroot efforts by local community members and the passage of federal legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden in June. During a ceremony honoring Ridlen in Maroa on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, called it a highlight of his career to honor Ridlen. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and liberties that we take for granted here in our country every day, Davis said. This is just one small token of our appreciation to Jeremy Ridlen and the many brave men and women in our military, and in our country, who have stood up to protect our freedoms and protect our liberties and protect each and every one of us. Ridlen was born in Maroa and graduated from Maroa-Forsyth High School. He attended Illinois State University with his twin brother, Jason, where the two enrolled in the Illinois National Guard. Ridlen was assigned to the 1544th unit, which was activated in 2003 and deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. He served as a gunner. Ridlen, 23, died on May 23, 2004 from small arms fire, after a dump truck was detonated as his military convoy passed by in East Fallujah. According to Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Tuttle of the Illinois Army National Guard, Ridlens death was evidence of his character. On the fateful day of 23 May, 2004, Jeremy again showed his dedication to serving others by volunteering to take the place on a gun team for a soldier that was sick, said Tuttle, a leader of Ridlens unit. That convoy would later be struck with a vehicle that was packed with explosives and small arms fire. True to his nature, Jerry remained in his gun box and returned fire. Those traits that he had exhibited his whole life showed up on that day to make sure the convoy was able to move safely out of the area. And that makes him a true hero. Tuttle called the post office a perfect memorial for Ridlen. Once deployed to Iraq, the 1544th transportation company was directly assigned to provide convoy security to KBR contractors who transported mail to American troops throughout central Iraq. Civilian KBR drivers dubbed themselves the Iron Pony Express, Tuttle said, with the 1544th unit quickly being adopted into the group like family. Bernice Joseph, a local district manager of customer relations for the United States Postal Service, said post office dedications are uncommon and only happen for special events and circumstances. Ridlen, Joseph said, left an enduring mark on our society. The United States Postal Service is privileged to have the name and spirit of Jeremy Ridlen forever associated with the Maroa Post Office, she said. DECATUR Randolph R. Hayes, a Decatur burglar who specialized in stealing items and trying to sell them back to their owners, was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday. Hayes, 67, appeared in Macon County Circuit Court and took a plea deal negotiated by his defense attorney, Susan Moorehead, that saw him admit a charge of attempted burglary. A further burglary charge was then dismissed by Presiding Judge Thomas Griffith. A sworn Decatur police affidavit said a 62-year-old woman had awakened to the sounds of an intruder in her home around 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 25, 2021. Police, who developed information that Hayes was responsible for the burglary, said he later appeared outside the victims window at 5 a.m. He spoke to her and said he knew who had taken her landline phone, stolen in the crime, and offered to get it back if she would pay him. When he returned that afternoon clutching the stolen phone, police were waiting. The affidavit, signed by Officer Rydick Braden, said Hayes was suspected of committing other burglaries in the area and returning to the scene of the crime, either offering to sell things or engaging in unnerving conversations. Braden quotes one 41-year-old burglary victim as saying Hayes approached her and said he had seen someone breaking into her home. Hayes then asked if she lived alone, asked if she needed any work done, and asked if she would be interested in a sexual relationship with him, Braden said. A check of Illinois Department of Corrections records shows that Hayes was out on parole at the time of the burglaries, having been sentenced in 2016 to nine years in prison after being convicted of residential burglary. DECATUR A sworn affidavit said a Decatur police detective was injured when a suspect in a large sport utility vehicle rammed his squad car before speeding off. And this ordeal was hardly a new experience for Det. Jason Hesse. He has survived two previous attempts to ram his police vehicle, and one of those incidents is now being prosecuted as a case of attempted murder. The latest trouble arrived the night of Oct. 18 at the intersection of North 25th Street and East Prairie Avenue when Hesse used his unmarked squad car, with red and blue lights activated, to try and block in a Chevrolet Suburban driven by a 42-year-old Decatur man. The affidavit said the man was a wanted felon with a revoked license. He had fled from officers several nights earlier after police broke off a chase due to safety concerns when the fleeing driver hit speeds of more than 70 mph in 30 mph residential zones. The affidavit said that this time, boxed in with Hesse's vehicle facing him, the wanted man decided he was going to force his way out. (He) proceeded to shift his Suburban into drive and rammed the front of Det. Hesses vehicle, said the affidavit, signed by Officer Clayton Zilz. Det. Hesse had attempted to get back into the driver seat of his unmarked vehicle, prior to it being rammed, however the force of the impact pushed the unmarked vehicle backwards, striking Det. Hesse with the inside of the drivers door. This caused abrasion and bleeding to Det. Hesses right lower leg. The driver fled again, hitting speeds of 70 mph in 30 mph zones until his tires were deflated after police deployed spike strips. He was captured after his vehicle ground to a stop in the 1200 block of East Garfield Avenue. The driver was booked on preliminary charges of aggravated fleeing, aggravated battery to police, criminal damage and driving while revoked. He remained held in the Macon County Jail on Tuesday with bail set at $85,000, requiring a bond of $8,500 for him to be released. Hesse is a member of the police Street Crimes Unit which often works alongside the department's Community Action Team targeting gun violence and other serious crime. The CAT team has been the focus of much publicity since two of its officers were shot and wounded Oct. 12 in a shoot-out with a traffic stop suspect, Jamontey O. Neal, 32, who was killed after he had opened fire first. Police said Hesse had come close to being killed on the night of Sept. 15, 2021, when he had to save himself by jumping over a vehicle driven by suspect Andre D. Cross Jr., who was trying to ram him; the vehicle smashed into the door of Hesses police car, right where he had been standing. Cross, 26, who police said had been armed with a pistol converted into a machine gun, was caught after a high-speed chase. He is pleading not guilty to attempted murder, two counts of armed violence and a charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon. The case is due to go to trial Dec. 12. And Hesse was in the news again a month later in October of 2021 when his squad car was rammed by a fleeing driver in a stolen vehicle. The driver took off and crashed into a house and he then tried to flee on foot but was disabled after multiple shots from a stun gun and arrested. Decatur Police Chief Shane Brandel said Hesse's situation illustrates the many dangers his officers face on the street making vehicle stops, and not just from suspects armed with guns. He said police do their best to try to avoid vehicle chases but occasionally run up against suspects willing to go to extreme, and dangerous, lengths to avoid arrest. All preliminary charges are subject to review by the office of the state's attorney's office. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Sunny. High near 75F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low near 60F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. A Jonesborough, Tennessee, man was arrested and charged in connection with allegedly firing gunshots into a residence in the 300 block of Summit Drive in Jonesborough Sunday and Monday. According to a press release from the Washington County, Tennessee Sheriffs Office, Washington County deputies arrested Jason Malone, 53, of Jonesborough, and charged him with two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. On Sunday, Oct. 23, deputies responded to the 300 block of Summit Drive in Jonesborough in reference to a report of shots being fired. Once on the scene, deputies determined bullets had been fired into a residence from an unknown source. Deputies responded to another call at the same location on Monday, Oct. 24, and determined Malone was a suspect in the shooting. The Criminal Investigations Division assisted deputies with the investigation and determined that on the date the shots were fired, Malone intentionally shot into the residence. At the time of the incident, two people were in the residence. Malone has been charged, and bond was set at $120,000. "If we try to answer the question why people are fascinated with the treasure of Tutankhamun and the exhibition of Tutankhamun, the answer I think, first, is the amount of gold discovered in the Tomb of Tutankhamun," El Awady says. "This is, in my opinion, the first thing which captures the heart of the people: this shiny, beautiful gold." Almost nothing in the Tomb of Tutankhamun screams riches and royalty more than the pharaoh's coffin, which the painstakingly precise Carter didn't excavate until 1924. When he did, he announced the finding of a heavy stone sarcophagus, with three coffins, each nested inside the other. Advertisement The last coffin the one that contained the mummified remains of Tut is a tad over 6 feet (1.8 meters long), weighs more than 240 pounds (about 110 kilograms) and is made entirely of solid gold. It is, of course, priceless. But the gold alone, at $1,500 an ounce, would be worth more than $5.8 million. On top of the mummy's wrapped face, Carter found another priceless antiquity, perhaps the most famous and iconic piece of artwork ever crafted: the mask of Tutankhamun. From Matthew Shaer's 2014 article in Smithsonian Magazine: Seeing it up close is not unlike viewing the Giza pyramids or the Taj Mahal no matter how much you've prepared yourself for the moment, the reality outstrips your expectations. Not because the object is more magnificent than you expected (although it is), but because its beauty is of a kind that feels incongruous with its history. How could something so perfect have been fashioned over 3,000 years ago? The coffin and the mummy of Tut were first revealed to the public a few years ago. The mummy still resides at the tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Many of the more than 5,000 other artifacts found in the tomb, including Tut's mask, were transferred to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo (where Shaer viewed the mask in 2014) and will be displayed in the new $1 billion Grand Egyptian Museum, scheduled to open by the end of 2020. The objects that are now making their way around the world this is the latest (and Egypt says last) of a few worldwide exhibits through the years, including one in the late 1970s that is forever enshrined in U.S. pop culture because of a musical tribute by a certain comedian on a certain weekend night comedy show are worthy of wow in their own right. That was evident when the Tut show stopped in Paris in 2019. Some 1.4 million people lined up to see the exhibit, reportedly the most-visited cultural exhibition in the country's history. "The ancient Egyptians, they made sure that the kings would be well-equipped for the trip to the afterlife," El Awady explains. "We chose 150 objects from the treasure of Tutankhamun in order to introduce the whole treasure. This is the biggest exhibition of King Tut since the discovery of the tomb. This is the first time Egypt allowed this number of artifacts to travel outside Egypt. Among the 150 objects in this exhibition, we do have 60 objects travelling for the first time outside Egypt." " " Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass (center) supervises the removal of the linen-wrapped mummy of King Tut from his stone sarcophagus in his underground tomb in the Valley of the Kings in November 2007. AFP/Getty Images By Trend Turkiye and the European Union will hold a high-level business dialogue meeting in Istanbul this week, after nearly three-and-a-half years in a bid to underline the importance of bilateral economic cooperation, Trend reports citing Daily News. As the EU, we want to continue to engage with Turkiye on the political level in different areas. Commissioner [responsible for enlargement Oliver] Varhelyi will visit Turkiye in the coming week to meet his counterparts in the Turkish government and participate in the high-level business dialogue, head of the EU Delegation to Turkiye Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut told the Daily News in an interview during a visit to Canakkale over the weekend. Varhelyi is expected to be in Turkiye on Oct. 24 and 25 where he will meet the officials from the government as well as the business world. His talks will follow the visit by Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Mark, who held talks in Ankara earlier in October. Ankara and Brussels held the latest high-level economic dialogue meeting in February 2019. A resolution adopted by the EU in 2020 and in reaction to the escalation in the eastern Mediterranean suspended Ankara-Brussels high-level dialogue in many areas. The meeting in Istanbul will be held under a different title in order to overcome this hurdle. Ambassador Meyer-Landrut also informed that Turkiye and the EU will have a high-level dialogue meeting on research and development in Brussels in mid-November as a sign of continued engagement between the two parties. We have a very important economic relationship with Turkiye, as a candidate country and as part of EU-Turkiye customs union. We need to build on this, he said. On October 20th, Sun Minsheng, party secretary of the Hunan Overseas Chinese Federation, Li Zuyuan, member of the Party Leadership Group and vice chairman of the Hunan Overseas Chinese Federation met with Chen Shuizhen, president of New Zealand Overseas Chinese Federation, and conveyed the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress. Sun Minsheng extended a warm welcome to Chen Shuizheng and her team, and thanked the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Federation for its contribution in promoting friendly exchanges between China and New Zealand, spreading Chinese culture and supporting the fight against COVID-19 of Hunan. He hoped Chen Shuizhen and her group would come to travel around Hunan more often, actively promote excellent Hunan enterprises overseas. The Hunan Overseas Chinese Federation will further strengthen contacts and exchanges with the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Federation, support the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Federation in promoting and spreading Chinese culture, telling Chinese stories, and presenting a credible, lovely and respectable image of Chinese. At the same time, he hoped that the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Federation will further develop and grow, so that they can safeguard the rights and interests of overseas Chinese in the local area, gather the strength of overseas Chinese, and show the responsibility and style of overseas Chinese. Chen Shuizhen introduced the basic status quo of the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Federation and the remarkable achievements in cultural exchange in recent years they have made. She hoped that the Hunan Overseas Chinese Federation would further care and support the work of the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Federation, better promote the extensive and profound Chinese culture and the unique Huxiang(Hunan) culture, and tell the story of China and Hunan to the world. In the next stage, the New Zealand Overseas Chinese Federation will preach the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congressto the overseas Chinese, continue to hold the "China National Culture Day" and other activities, unite the local overseas Chinese, continue to promote China-New Zealand friendly cultural exchanges, and contribute to Hunan's opening up to the outside world. 404 404. Thats an error. The requested URL was not found on this server. Thats all we know. Facebook parent company Meta has threatened to cut Canadian users of its social media services from news content in response to a piece of legislation that resembles Australias news media bargaining code. The Online News Act, which was introduced to Canadian parliament in April, will let news outlets collectively bargain with tech giants like Meta and Google for news content that appears on their platforms. Canadas Heritage Committee has been conducting hearings about the bill but has conspicuously left out Meta one of the companies most affected by the proposed legislation. In the absence of committee appearances, Canadian Meta executive Marc Dinsdale used a blog post to say the Online News Act misrepresents the relationship between platforms and news publishers and warned it may force a similar news blackout on Facebook as the one seen in Australia early last year. Faced with adverse legislation that is based on false assumptions that defy the logic of how Facebook works, we feel it is important to be transparent about the possibility that we may be forced to consider whether we continue to allow the sharing of news content in Canada, Dinsdale said. Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez told a committee late last week that he is still willing to consider changes to the bill but criticised Facebook for opening its playbook used in Australia to pressure the government. All were asking the tech giants like Facebook to do is negotiate fair deals with news outlets when they profit from their work, Rodriguez said. The Canadian Parliamentary Budget Office estimates the bill could bring up CAD$329 million (AUD$379m) a year to news businesses. Similar laws in Australian led to deals with the tech giants reportedly in the tens of millions of dollars per year but carried widespread criticism that the legislation rewards large incumbent media outlets whose advertising revenue was swallowed up by Google and Facebook. Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottowa, has criticised the Canadian version of this law bill for exactly this, and questions the logic behind making tech giants pay for content that news outlets choose to share. As Facebook notes, the value of the links largely flows toward the publishers who get free referrals, increased advertising revenue, and potential subscriptions. Facebook doesnt copy or reproduce the full article and it doesnt post the content itself. It is often the media companies themselves that do the posting. No news is good news Meta also argues that links shared from news outlets were of limited interest to Facebook as a platform, making up some three per cent of content shared on Facebook. But Meta also plays an active role in what kind of content appears on its platform, including publicised changes to its News Feed algorithm that reduced the amount of news and political content people see. We are being asked to acquiesce to a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want to supply at a price with no clear limits. No business can operate this way, Dinsdale said. A policy that unfairly subsidises legacy media companies that have struggled to adapt to competition reduces trust in media and makes the transition to digital models even more difficult. Theres no doubt Facebook has the willingness to pull the trigger on a Canadian news ban as it did in Australia last February when Australian users were suddenly barred from sharing and posting links from any news sources. The ban covered not just news but public interest pages like the Bureau of Meteorology, state health departments, and not-for-profits. At the time then-Opposition leader Anthony Albanese described Facebooks block of emergency service pages as reprehensible. While Facebook blamed technical errors for the expanded block coverage, whistleblowers later revealed that the scope of the ban was deliberately broad with engineers told to be overinclusive and refine the algorithm as it went. One whistleblower said the implementation of the changes were contrary to standard practices for rolling out major changes that might have potential side effects. The prospect of $50m fines will make companies think twice about securing data. Photo: Shutterstock The Albanese Government will next week introduce legislation to significantly increase penalties related to data breaches, proposing fines up to $50m. In a statement on 22 October, Attorney-general Mark Dreyfus announced the Privacy Legislation Amendment (Enforcement and Other Measures) Bill 2022, which is set to drastically increase fines in the event of serious or repeated privacy breaches. This change could see some of Australia's biggest companies facing unprecedented fines for future data breaches, and signals a major shift in Australian privacy legislation. This bill, while highly significant, is not surprising soon after Optus' landmark data breach, multiple government figures came out with heavy-handed criticism over the current levels of penalties related to data breaches, having been capped at only $2.2 million. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil had said the current level of penalties was "totally inappropriate", and told parliament that under other jurisdictions, a data breach of similar size as Optus' would "result in fines amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars". Changes to Australian privacy and cyber security laws have been well forecasted in the month following the Optus' breach, and given the onset of further cyber incidents among companies such as Medibank, we're now seeing legislative changes arrive at a breakneck pace. "Unfortunately, significant privacy breaches in recent weeks have shown existing safeguards are inadequate," said Dreyfus. "It's not enough for a penalty for a major data breach to be seen as the cost of doing business," he added. Scott Leach, vice president at cyber firm Varonis, said the various breaches of the past few weeks had shown "some of Australias largest organisations are completely unprepared when it comes to data privacy and protection". "The previous fines of up to $2.2M were a completely inadequate deterrent, which didnt motivate businesses enough to protect the sensitive personal information of their customers. "Up until now, it has simply been easier for large organisations to pay the fine if they experience a breach, rather than invest the large amount of resources required to improve the security of their operations. "These new penalties will hopefully incentivise companies to implement the proper safeguards once and for all, rather than taking a chance on peoples personal information." Penalties skyrocket The new bill could not only introduce changes such as the $50m penalty, but depending on factors such as business turnover and the estimated value of stolen data, companies could find themselves paying significantly higher. Dreyfus said the Privacy Legislation Amendment (Enforcement and Other Measures) Bill 2022 will increase maximum penalties that can be applied under the Privacy Act 1988 for serious or repeated privacy breaches from the current $2.22 million penalty to whichever is the greater of: $50 million; three times the value of any benefit obtained through the misuse of information; or 30% of a company's adjusted turnover in the relevant period. This indicates that under certain circumstances, companies subject to a serious data breach could incur penalties up to 30% of their turnover during the period in which the data has been compromised. "We need better laws to regulate how companies manage the huge amount of data they collect, and bigger penalties to incentivise better behaviour," said Dreyfus. Greater powers for government Dreyfus said the new Privacy Legislation Amendment Bill will also provide the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), Australia's independent privacy regulator, with "greater powers" to resolve privacy breaches. The bill will also: strengthen the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme to ensure the Australian Information Commissioner has comprehensive knowledge and understanding of information compromised in a breach to assess the risk of harm to individuals; and equip the Australian Information Commissioner and the Australian Communications and Media Authority with greater information sharing powers. The statement does not delve into the full extent of what these "greater powers" may entail. Dreyfus also signalled expected reforms to the Privacy Act, stating a comprehensive review into the legislation is scheduled for completion this year. "I look forward to support from across the Parliament for this Bill, which is an essential part of the Government's agenda to ensure Australia's privacy framework is able to respond to new challenges in the digital era," he said. Before the recent slew of massive data breaches facing Australian companies, industry experts had voiced ongoing concern that Australia's privacy and cyber security laws are behind the curve. The EU General Data Protection Regulation, for example, sets a maximum fine of approximately $32m AUD (20 million) or 4 per cent of annual global turnover for infringements. The recent statements and legislative propositions being put forth demonstrate Australia's cyber security landscape is likely to see a far stricter approach to non-compliant companies in the future, forecasting an increased emphasis on transparency and deterrence. "The reputational harm clearly isn't enough. There needs to be much tougher penalties so that companies have an absolutely clear incentive," said Dreyfus, according to the ABC. The bill will be presented to parliament next week. CHAMPAIGN Kate Shanks of Charleston has been awarded a Leadership Award through the Fred S. Bailey Scholarship at the University YMCA in Champaign, for the '22-'23 Academic Year. The Bailey Leadership Awards are $5,000 awards given each year to four exceptional upcoming seniors who have made a demonstrated impact on the University of Illinois campus during their initial three years on campus in one or more of the following areas: Social Justice, Environment, Interfaith Cooperation, and Global Engagement. Kate is committed to work that advances equitable, anti-oppressive, and decolonized K-12 education that is student-centered and that integrates sustainability and global citizenship. She co-founded The Kadie Project, a nonprofit dedicated to supplying Illinois schools with multicultural resources. The organization distributed thousands of dollars worth of supplies and is preparing to benefit its fifth school. Additionally, she worked as one of two lead undergraduate researchers on the Sustainable World Collaborative, a project that organizes global resources for teaching sustainability into a public database for educators. The SWC hosted a professional development day for Champaign teachers in April. The Fred S. Bailey Scholarship program was created by Fred S. Bailey to provide financial support to University of Illinois students who demonstrated unique skills and talents that would allow them to flourish as community leaders who could make a difference. Nearly $200,000 in scholarships are awarded each year to students who demonstrate a record of leadership, scholarship and intelligence, evidence of thoughtful consideration of issues, involvement in their community, a commitment to giving back to their community, a history of community service and volunteering. Since 1957, the Bailey Scholarship has been administered by the YMCA of the University of Illinois and is the largest private scholarship fund available to University of Illinois students. CHARLESTON Brenden Moore, state capital reporter for Lee Enterprises, will be the fall speaker Wednesday, Oct. 26, for the Eastern Illinois University Annuitants Association. Speaking at 3 p.m. in the Charleston-Mattoon Room of the University Union, Moore will discuss Illinois politics, the upcoming election and other projects he has reported on over the years. Moores reporting and columns regularly appear in the Mattoon and Charleston JG-TC, Decatur Herald & Review, and other Lee Enterprises newspapers throughout the state and Midwest. He is regularly interviewed on Illinois public radio state news programs. Moore is a graduate of DePaul University and holds a masters in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Before joining Lee Enterprises in 2021, he was a government and business reporter for The State Journal-Register in Springfield for three years. The presentation is open to the public. CHARLESTON The precautionary ban on open burning in Coles County has been lifted following the rainfall that the area received on Tuesday, Oct. 25. "Considering the amount of precipitation that has now fallen in the county, the decision has been made to lift the burn ban at this time. If in the next days the weather stays dry and the landscape dries out, a future burn ban may be put in place. So, before you burn please check with your local fire department or social media," said county Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Hilgenberg in an announcement Tuesday afternoon. All the rural fire protection districts in Coles County and the county Emergency Management Agency agreed to institute a precautionary burn ban starting Saturday evening due to windy, dry weather conditions that had increased the risk of fires rapidly spreading in farm fields and elsewhere. Hilgenberg said he had not received reports of any field or grass fires in rural Coles County as of early Monday afternoon but noted that he did need to use his personal fire extinguisher to help put out a trash fire in the country on the way to a meeting that morning in Charleston. He said conditions were already dry enough that a ban on open burning could have been instituted on Thursday or Friday. "We were hoping we might get a little rainfall late last week but that didn't happen," Hilgenberg said. The local fire risk has decreased somewhat recently because most of the soybean crop in Coles County has been harvested, Hilgenberg said. He said dry soybean plants at harvesttime tend to be more flammable than corn stalks, which contain more moisture. He said farmers also have started tillage work in harvested fields, which creates a natural fire break. Dominic Baima, public information officer with the Lincoln Fire Protection District, which has stations in Charleston, Mattoon and Lerna, said Lincoln Fire crews assisted fellow volunteer firefighters from the Ashmore and Oakland fire protection districts with a field fire on Oct. 17 between those two communities. He said crews from the Brocton and Kansas districts were also called in to assist with getting the fire under control and extinguished during windy conditions. "The wind was kind of pushing that fire a little bit," Baima said. Wind can cause embers from a bonfire, rural leaf and limb burning, and other sources to blow through the air and quickly ignite nearby fuel, Baima said. The resulting flames can work up into wooden fence rows or the siding along the foundation of a structure, he said. Baima advised those using open burning to clear away any brush ahead of time, always monitor their fires, keep large quantities of water on hand to extinguish the fire if needed, and have shovels or other tools available to toss dirt onto the flames or create a fire break. "We hope the burn ban will keep everyone mindful," Baima said. "Sometimes something innocuous can get out of control very quickly." Cameron Craig, climatologist with the Eastern Illinois University weather center, said eastern Coles County had received 4/10s of an inch of rainfall as of late afternoon Monday in comparison to the total October average of 3.11 inches. We are significantly below average, and that is why we are listed as abnormally dry, Craig said. The weather observer added that moisture in the soil cools the air and slows the wind speed above it. Anytime you have dryness, the wind speed increases, Craig said, noting that the daytime highs of 79 on Saturday and 81 on Sunday approached the record high of 85 for that timeframe in 1949. A company viewed as a likely supplier to the planned Toyota electric vehicle battery plant in the Triad will hire at least 90 full-time employees at a new manufacturing plant in central North Carolina. Applied Materials Inc., a global manufacturer based in Santa Clara, Calif., has been awarded a $100 million federal grant thats contingent on the manufacturer spending an additional $124 million in capital investment typically buildings, machinery or land. The U.S. Energy Department said last week that Applied is one of two North Carolina projects being funded through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. According to a 22-page fact sheet from the agency, Applied has been identified for a manufacturing facility site in the central part of North Carolina near the Virginia border. The manufacturer could not be immediately reached for comment on the grant or its plans. Analysts say the plant is likely being built to supply the Toyota North Carolina electric vehicle plant at the Greensboro-Randolph megasite in Liberty. The Toyota business unit said production is projected to begin in 2025. Additional production phases are expected later in the decade. With an overall $3.79 billion capital investment and 2,100 jobs, the Toyota plant could become the biggest single corporate expenditure in state history. The other N.C. grant involves Albemarle U.S. Inc.s project in Kings Mountain, which has received $149.6 million, dependent on an additional capital investment of $225.9 million. The project is projected to produce more than 200 jobs involving in mineral processing. The agencys fact sheet said the Applied plant would accelerate the transition to next-generation lithium-ion batteries and enable the development of a robust U.S. battery component supply chain. The proposed facility will support industrial-scale production of advanced lithiated anodes for multiple battery cell makers and automobile manufacturers. Applied already is receiving funding from the Energy Department and the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium toward the development of advanced battery systems. Those efforts could apply to the planned Toyota plant since it has been demonstrated that these advanced anodes can be paired with any commercial cathode material, resulting in significant improvements in cell energy density, power density, cycle life and charge rate. The fact sheet said the grant will help Applied, together with its partners, suppliers, and customers, to establish U.S. leadership in battery technology, manufacturing and supply chain for electrification of automotive drivetrains and renewable power energy storage. Toyota and VinFast "are gifts that keep on giving to North Carolina," said John H. Boyd, founder and principal with global site-selection firm The Boyd Co. of Boca Raton, Fla. "The state is also positioned to benefit from new tailwinds coming in the form of $2.8 billion of federal grant money for new EV battery production. It looks like North Carolina is one of only three states (Nevada and Tennessee the others) in line for multiple new battery facilities. "Mineral resources, like lithium, puts the state in a sweet spot for the booming EV battery industry, for sure." The Albemarle project has been defined as helping to create a cornerstone of the U.S.-based lithium battery supply chain and provide critical support for the electric vehicle market. The project is being supported by a dedicated mineral processing operator training program at Cleveland Community College through a $5 million grant, a minerals lab research program at Virginia Tech through a $1.5 million grant, and a minerals pilot plant and engineering training program at N.C. State Universitys Asheville Minerals Research Lab through a $1.5 million grant. Altogether, federal grant money is providing a combined $2.8 billion to build and expand commercial-scale facilities in 12 states to extract and process lithium, graphite and other battery materials, manufacture components, and demonstrate new approaches, including manufacturing components from recycled materials. Michael Walden, an economics professor at N.C. State, said the Applied project represents how the Triad and Triangle appear poised to take advantage of both private and public sector initiatives to expand the countrys investments in technology related to moving toward an electric powered transportation system. This could be a game-changer for the state economy that could add thousands of middle-paying jobs for workers not attaining a four-year college education, Walden said. Along the Triangle to Triad corridor, it could make those jobs available to rural workers able to make a short daily commute. Forsyth County has a new, free COVID-19 testing site at Hanes CME Church, located at 819 Highland Ave. in Winston-Salem, the county Health Department said Monday. Testing hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ottendorf is the state vendor operating the site, which replaces the testing site that it had at Union Baptist Church. For a list of free COVID-19 test sites, go to covid19.ncdhhs.gov and click on the COVID-19 testing link. Forsyth has reported 902 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths during the pandemic. There were five such deaths reported for the week that ended Oct. 8, Forsyth health director Joshua Swift said Thursday. Meanwhile, Swift said Forsyth had 294 new cases reported in the most recent weekly update the lowest weekly count since April. Forsyth has had 114,777 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Until the past three weeks, the number of new COVID-19 cases had been in the 700 to 1,200 weekly range since mid-May. Swift and Novant Health Inc. infectious diseases expert Dr. David Priest have stressed that the DHHS weekly case totals include only laboratory confirmed cases and dont include most people who determine they are positive with an at-home test. Meanwhile, Forsyths COVID-19 levels are categorized as medium while the vast majority of North Carolina counties have low levels, according to the latest federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update Thursday. Stokes County is the lone county in North Carolina where COVID-19 levels are considered high. Davie, Surry and Yadkin, like Forsyth, are among 13 counties in the medium category. In medium-level communities, residents are advised to talk to health care providers about whether they need to wear a mask and take other precautions. The COVID-19 level is determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. Forsyth reported 131 new cases per 100,000 people last week, compared with 111 and 136 in the previous two reports. The rate of new COVID-related hospital admissions per 100,000 people was at 10, compared with 11 and 12.2 in the previous two reports. Also, 2.8% of staffed inpatient beds are being used by COVID-19 patients, compared with 2.9% and 3.5% the previous weeks. China has development experience that other countries can learn from: Brazilian scholar 15:42, October 24, 2022 By Zhang Rong ( People's Daily Online The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which kicked off in Beijing on Oct. 16, has drawn attention from a range of scholars from various countries. Karin Costa Vazquez, a Brazilian senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a Chinese think tank, spoke highly of China's development achievements over the last decade. Photo shows Karin Costa Vazquez, a Brazilian senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, a Chinese think tank. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee) The CPC has led the Chinese people in eradicating absolute poverty, completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and significantly narrowed the urban-rural gap under the leadership of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said Vazquez during an exclusive interview with People's Daily Online. Vazquez, who currently lives in Shanghai, said she has witnessed China's rapid development in the last five years, and what impressed her the most were the Chinese people's creativity and the country's grand development blueprint. "In my opinion, the CPC serves as an important link for all sectors of society in the country to realize the blueprint," Vazquez said. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China's share of the global economy has risen from 11.4 percent to more than 18 percent, and the country's contribution to world economic growth has generally remained at around 30 percent. According to Vazquez, China has seen its status rise in the world economy, which has contributed to global growth. "Take Brazil as an example, the rapid development of China's economy has boosted its demand for commodities. In particular, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, China's imports from Brazil cushioned the slowdown in the Brazilian economy," she said. China has also attached great importance to eco-environmental protection in the last 10 years. Vazquez agrees with the idea of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," an important concept put forward by Xi. She said China has taken a range of measures to protect the environment and has incorporated the idea of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature into a series of policies that guide its development at home and abroad in various fields. Vazquez believes that China has development experience that other countries can learn from. She pointed out that China has met the targets of eradicating poverty and providing quality education set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and is striving to achieve the remaining goals of the agenda. (Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang) By Trend President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi has underlined that Beijing-Tehran's relationship should expand on the basis of mutual respect and interests, Trend reports citing IRNA. President Raisi sent a message to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to congratulate him on securing his third term in office, saying that the implementation of the objectives of the 25-year strategic cooperation agreement between Iran and China will provide both nations with a model of expanding all-out ties based on mutual respect and interests. The president went on to say that cooperation within multilateral organizations and entities will also secure both nations' interests along with protecting international peace and stability. On Sunday, Xi Jinping was elected as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in the 20th CPC Central Committee for his third consecutive term in a historical congress of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau. The Chinese president has presided over the party for the last 10 years, so he is considered the first official in the country, who will serve three successive terms as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China. The man in charge of Forsyth Countys Smith Reynolds Airport insists hes doing what he can to help neighbors whove dealt with a years-long problem that he only learned about this past June. But Airport Manager Mark Davidsons proposed solution to severe erosion in a nearby section of creek likely would leave those residents property vulnerable to more damage for at least another year and may put Forsyth County at odds with federal civil rights law, environmental justice advocates insist. The timing for planned stream-restoration work to protect homeowners along nearby Barkwood Drive is totally unacceptable and leaves the county-owned airport unaccountable for the damage their land-clearing activities have already caused, Yadkin Riverkeeper Edgar Miller told the Journal. Barkwood residents some of whom have lived in their homes for more than 50 years say Brushy Fork Creek began eating away at their back yards at an unprecedented rate shortly after the airport clear-cut 250 acres of trees behind their homes in 2015. After questions from the Journal led to scrutiny of the clearing site from the N.C. Department of Environmental Control in June, Airport Director Mark Davidson said this month he would ask county commissioners for authorization to apply for a grant from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund that would cover most of the estimated $400,000 cost to shore up the most-impacted section of Brushy Fork. While residents have pointed to years of frustrating erosion issues, Davidson insisted hed heard nothing about them until this past June. I could be mistaken, but I do not recall any neighborhood complaints about the creek along Barkwood until you contacted the NCDEQ to investigate, Davidson wrote in an email last week referencing the Journals reporting. When I met with the neighbors after your article came out, I asked them to let me know directly if they have any questions or concerns about the Airport moving forward. Davidson said he followed up by visiting the Brushy Fork site with representatives of the countys N.C. Cooperative Extension before coming up with a cost estimate for restoring the creeks banks and a plan to seek $320,000 in state funds for the project, to be supplemented by $80,000 from the county. The request for authorization to apply for the funds is included on the agenda for county commissioners meeting Thursday. However, even if the funding is ultimately approved, it likely would be 2024 before work could begin, explained Steve Bevington, restoration program manager with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship at the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources The next round of NCLWF grant applications are due in February 2023, with the divisions board of directors approving grants in September after a review by staff members. Technically, a project could begin as soon as an award is announced, but a contract for the 2023 cycle might not be executed until winter 2023 or later, Bevington said. So yes, the next chance for NCLWF funds hitting the ground is likely to be around 2024. A civil rights priority The Barkwood neighborhood of tidy ranch and split-level homes clearly falls within what have become known as environmental justice communities, which often are near potentially hazardous facilities like airports, factories and landfills. Lower income neighborhoods with high concentrations of minorities are also more likely to be adversely impacted by climate change, including from the effects of extreme rainfall fueled by a warming atmosphere. The area affected by the Brushy Fork flooding is in a U.S. Census tract where 95% of the residents are people of color and 81% are Black, including the residents most impacted by Brushy Fork erosion. The tracts median household income of $40,418 is $13,000 less than the countywide median household income. Those demographics potentially raise the stakes for the airport and the county in addressing the Barkwood residents issues, suggested Chandra Taylor-Sawyer, senior attorney and leader of the Environmental Justice Initiative at the Southern Environmental Law Center. I would say very generally that the county should be proactive with regard to their responsibility to comply with civil rights laws and to consider their actions to rectify this problem as a civil rights priority by using existing funding to do something about it in the short term rather than looking down the road, Taylor-Sawyer said. Thats especially considering the really grave consequences that are happening right now and the expenditure residents are having to make out of their pockets. Barkwood homeowners say theyve spent thousands of dollars dealing with the damage, which has included toppled trees, lost fences, ruined outbuildings and hazardous sinkholes on their property. As much money as weve put in, it helps a little bit, Brenda Glover said of the rocks she and her neighbors have had placed along the banks, only to see them wash away. People expect us to handle this ourselves. We do our best by putting a Band-Aid on it, but it doesnt last. Its awful. All available resources The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal funds, including local governments. Forsyth receives tens of millions of federal dollars annually for schools, housing, roads, social services, law enforcement and other needs. Commissioners in September approved the final local allocations from Forsyths $74.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. And the countys current budget includes nearly $11 million in federal funds for airport improvement projects. What does it mean that (Forsyth officials) are not using federal aid in a way that rectifies this problem that has been caused by county decision-making? Taylor-Sawyer asked. A really reasonable response would be to find all available resources right now to prioritize assistance for residents who are suffering very severe erosion because of the actions of the airport. The section of the Smith Reynolds property that was clear-cut slopes toward the creek and the Barkwood homes. Young growth now covers much of the 250 acres, but a June 1 inspection by NCDEQ after questions from the Journal regarding the clearing and its potential impact still identified significant erosion of that area, a sign of likely increased rainwater runoff into Brushy Fork. The discovery prompted the agencys regional office in Winston-Salem to advise the Airport Commission of Forsyth County in a June 7 letter that it had a month to submit a plan to address runoff issues. Davidson said the airport met that deadline. As for Brushy Fork, Davidson suggested to county commissioners last week its not certain that the timber-clearing caused the erosion but added that we could have been a contributing factor. That prompted Davidson to come up with the stream-restoration plan and related funding request. But protecting neighbors from future erosion does nothing to compensate them for hardships theyve already experienced, critics insist. Forsyth County should rectify, to the greatest extent possible, the damage done to this community, said Taylor-Sawyer, the Southern Environmental Law Center lawyer. For his part, Davidson said hes satisfied so far with efforts to help Barkwood residents. Thanks for calling this project to our attention, he wrote in his email to the Journal. I think the County is taking appropriate steps to correct the problem. The discovery that a 9-year-old boy was allegedly forced to live outdoors inside a dog kennel, as the Journals John Hinton reported last week, is shocking. Its so difficult to believe it could have happened that any adult, let alone the childs guardians, would have treated him this way. Its difficult to believe that this has been the situation since April, as the boy told an investigator. But its a sign, perhaps, that for all of our technological and social advances, some serious degree of ignorance, depravity or evil still exists in our very state. Its a warning for the rest of us that similar situations may exist within our scope of vision and influence. The boy was rescued last Wednesday from outside a 1,400 square-foot Davidson County house one in which three adults and four other children lived following an anonymous call to the sheriffs office. The boy apparently had been told that there wasnt enough room inside for him. He was found wearing a T-shirt, jeans and no shoes, despite the 28-degree temperature the night before he was rescued and frost on the ground that morning. He was treated at Brenner Childrens Hospital. A warrant said he suffered a serious mental or emotional injury. Thats no surprise. His father and step-mother, Jonathan Scott Starr and Sarah Lynette Starr, were arrested and are being charged with felony child abuse, misdemeanor child abuse and false imprisonment. Sarah Starrs aunt, Shelly Lucille Barnes, who owns the house, was arrested and is being charged with felony child abuse, misdemeanor child abuse and false imprisonment, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon and maintaining a dwelling place for controlled substances, the sheriffs office told the Journal. Some of the details are still a little sketchy. Somehow, in the midst of this, Sarah Starr expressed that she and her husband were upset about the boy being held in the dog cage, the warrant said. Were they helpless? What kind of pathology is at work here? It sounds like some sick horror movie. But its all too real. Were eager to learn that the parties responsible for this torture will be properly punished. Severely punished. Theyre scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 10. In the meantime, every resource available should be provided to make sure the boy recovers from his ordeal and that its not repeated. As severe as this incident is, its not, unfortunately, the only example of child abuse in our state. More than 3,000 children in Forsyth County were assessed for abuse or neglect in 2020, according to NC Child 38.9 out of every 1,000 and those are only the ones who were reported. In Davidson County, more than 2,000 children were assessed in 2020 61.7 out of every 1,000. Statewide, more than 110,000 cases of child abuse were investigated in 2019. Abuse doesnt have to be physical; it can also be mental or emotional, with consequences just as serious and, in some cases, deadly. Bullying in person and practiced on social media has led some vulnerable children to hurt themselves there were 2,971 emergency room visits for self-harm in kids between the ages of 10 and 18 in North Carolina in 2020, according to NC Health News or even to commit suicide. Societal expectations sometimes put them at risk. LGBTQ kids are at even greater levels of risk from bullying and abuse. A lack of access to proper food and medical care also puts children at risk one more reason General Assembly leaders should get off their butts today and pass Medicaid expansion. It should go without saying that all forms of bullying should be prohibited in our schools. And then there are the guns. As we write, were learning of another school shooting at a St. Louis high school in which several students were injured. And some parents lost their minds over masks. This is untenable. Its unconscionable. We like to think that childhood is a time of innocence, a time in which young people are allowed to make friends, follow their curiosity and young passions, learn how to be independent while being protected from harm by their parents and guardians. They need nutrition and support both physical and emotional. Too many have failed them. Its past time to stop gate-keeping their access to resources like food and counseling. Fully fund schools, fully fund human and health services and vote for candidates who will treat children like they matter. And when you see a child possibly being abused report it, for Gods sake. Quick to blame The Oct. 8 letter Democratic policies blames the delay of three local school projects (Three school projects delayed, Sept. 28) on the policies of the Democrats weve put in power. Projects around the world have been delayed. These must be some powerful policies. Conservatives are always quick to blame Democrats whenever things go wrong, despite Republican responsibility for the Great Recession of 2008 when George W. Bush was president and the millions of jobs that were lost when former President Trump failed to handle COVID and its accompanying economic challenges. Its a very narrow and flawed way of looking at the world and it will lead to more misery. Don Hubbard Winston-Salem Republican fealty I was watching the debate in Ohio between Rep. Tim Ryan and candidate J.D. Vance to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman. Ryan referred to former President Trumps statement, on stage, about Vance kissing his ass crude, but nothing new. Ryan claimed it should have been seen as humiliating. He knows no one who would have put up with being treated that way. Vance claimed it was just a joke, which everyone present understood. I honestly dont know which is true, even after watching it on tape. But I would not put up with anyone even joking about me in such a demeaning manner. And considering Trumps practice of humiliating his political allies, I wouldnt be surprised if that were his intent. Trumps recent racist attack against former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao should have been condemned by Republican senators, along with his violent rhetoric aimed at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. None of that was a joke. But Republican voters will punish representatives who stand up to Trump or call him out. They will only support candidates who happily accept being humiliated by Trump. Trump has become their god. The real God is not likely to be pleased by that development. William Lowe Winston-Salem A fossil-fuel fleet I was surprised to learn from John Deems Oct. 17 article (Plan to buy standard patrol cars draws critics) that the same Winston-Salem City Council that adopted a broad-based sustainability resolution two years ago was still in the market for an all fossil-fuel police fleet. Large and small police departments in North Carolina and across the country have started the transition to electric vehicles despite supply-chain issues (which weve known about for 2 years now, so can we stop using that as an excuse for bad public planning?). So why hasnt Winston-Salem taken a first step? Was there really no room in a nearly $1.7 million purchase to try out a couple of EVs and see where there are issues to resolve? We might never know the answer. This proposed purchase came from the city managers office (with no input requested from the sustainability commission), and first became public when it was included as a consent agenda item (meaning no debate planned) for an Oct. 10 finance committee meeting at which there was no opportunity for public comment. After some questions by council member John Larson, the proposal passed unanimously and was referred to the full City Council for a vote on Oct. 17, initially also on the consent agenda. The public was only allowed to comment after the vote. Does this sound like good governance and management? Does our City Council even want our input? Maybe you need to call your council member and find out. Matthew Mayers Winston-Salem Rogues gallery Alex Jones is a nutjob. His insistence that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax led to innocent people already suffering the deaths of their children being murdered being harassed and threatened by strangers. The nearly $1 billion fine for his lie is too low. Trump lackeys Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort have all been convicted of crimes, some of which former President Trump pardoned. Come on; who is friends with that many criminals? Incidentally, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County at-large school board candidate Sarah Absher boasts that Flynn has endorsed her. Flynn has embraced the QAnon conspiracy and the Jan. 6 insurrection. His endorsement alone should sink her. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a white supremacist who doesnt care about anyones rights if theyre not Christian and Republican. Tucker Carlson is a white supremacist who peddles the racist Great Replacement theory nightly. Gov. Ron DeSantis lied to vulnerable refugees and misappropriated government funds to ship them off to another state, for which hes now facing criminal charges. But, hey, its OK to break the law to shove it to those libs and immigrants. This rogues gallery is like something out of Dick Tracy. But its what passes for Republican leadership these days. These extremists and their friends will be running the country after November if the rest of us dont vote for Democrats. Mark Lawson Winston-Salem Get things done I am writing this letter to support Dan Besse for the at-large seat on the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners. Dan served on the Winston-Salem City Council for 19 years, representing the Southwest Ward. During that time, he demonstrated a commitment to both the residents of the city, as well as those living in Forsyth County. His rationale for becoming a county commissioner is to further the work of serving all of Forsyth County. Prior to his work with the City Council, he was a member of the Environmental Management Commission and the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission. He is also an attorney, where he devoted his time to the legal aid system. His goals included improvement in the education system, assuring adequate funding to not only improve performance but to attract and retain great teachers. He has pledged to tackle the problem of affordable housing, particularly for working families, by partnering with local cities and investors to develop affordable housing. His top priorities include increasing accountability of county government for all residents regardless of where they live, along with improvements in safety programs and health services for all residents. He is a champion of strong communities. He regularly goes into the community to hear what folks are concerned about throughout the year, not just during election season. I strongly support Dan Besse for at-large commissioner as a man who will get things done. He says what he will do and does what he says. Brenda Ross Winston-Salem Baffling Donald Trumps private company arranged for the Secret Service to pay for rooms at his properties in excess of government-approved rates at least 40 times during his presidency, including two charges for more than $1,100 per night, according to documents released Monday by a congressional committee (Committee: Trump room bills exorbitant, Oct. 19). Thats taxpayer money that former President Trump moved into his own coffers. He could have allowed the Secret Service to stay in his own properties for free. Its something a patriot might do. Another instance of America First actually meaning Trump First. Its so baffling that people are still buying what this con man is selling. I guess theyre desperate to prove something. Peter Ziskin Winston-Salem In as much as the typical physician associate/assistant (PA) can be profiled in 2022, that PA likely would be female, in their mid-30s, White; college-educated with a master's degree; and able to diagnose, prescribe, and bill directly for professional services rendered in a clinical medicine settinga stark contrast to the PA of 50 years ago. In those early years of the profession, most PAs were male, slightly older, many with a military service background, and possessing perhaps an associate's degree above and beyond a certificate of completion of PA studies; their services were billed incident to the supervising physician, hence much of their productivity remained hidden. That the PA profession has undergone such a profound metamorphosis since its inception is an understatement. These are just a few of a myriad of fascinating facts documented in what is surely destined to become the definitive tome of the history of the PA movement in modern medicine, Physician Assistants as Social Innovators in Healthcare. Sponsored and underwritten by the Physician Assistant History Society, Physician Assistants as Social Innovators in Healthcare tracks the development of the PA profession from its tenuous beginnings in the mid-1960s to its current state, if indeed its current state can be defined; for the evolution of the modern PA workforce is a work in progress. Under the apt leadership of Leslie Kole, PA-C (the founding editor of JAAPA), a committee of seasoned PAs, some of the best minds in the profession, formed the outline of a book that eventually took shape as the premier history of the profession. But more than that, in its pages, the authors have made an admirable attempt to examine the development of the profession as an experiment in creative innovation in the healthcare system. Referencing Murray's social innovation model, the book's authors trace the evolution of the PA profession from its inception to its current status in the healthcare arena. Short of a Ken Burns documentary, this engaging book is as good as it gets. Here we read of the roots of the profession. Early pioneersEugene Stead, MD, and Charles Hudson, MD, among themproposed the creation of a new breed of practitioner, the assistant to the primary care physician, to meet the overwhelming need for primary care accessibility in the country. Candidates with clinical backgrounds, largely drawn from former military medics and hospital corpsman, were put through an accelerated program with hands-on training undergirded with a need-to-know skill set necessary for the delivery of quality medical care. These clinicians would practice under the supervision of the physician in the field, enabling the physician to dedicate time to the care of more complex patients. Here we learn that a series of political, legislative, and economic forces served to shape the evolution of PAs. After a tenuous start through the 1970s, the fledgling profession floundered in the 1980s when the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee report predicted a surplus of 145,000 physicians in the workforce by the end of the century. That prediction proved to be erroneous; and subsequently, through the 1990s the PA profession flourished. Ongoing research documented the cost-effectiveness of healthcare delivery by PAs; PA programs mushroomed overnight; legislation supportive of PA practice was enacted; licensure and prescriptive privilege shortly followed. Meanwhile, PAs themselves were forging new pathways of professional development, not only in clinical practice but also in administrative roles in education, industry, and government. These developments are documented and discussed in individual chapters devoted to the evolution of the profession, as PAs relied on their clinical flexibility to transition from primary care to medical and surgical specialties and subspecialty practice. Being a Vietnam-era veteran myself, I came to appreciate the dissemination of PAs through the branches of the armed forces, Veterans Administration, the US Public Health Service, and other federal agencies. (I was astounded to learn that PAs have even clandestinely infiltrated the ranks of the CIA: who knew?) Much of this expansion of the use and acceptance of PAs would not have been possible without the undergirding of advocacy for the profession by the American Academy of Physician Associates, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, and various constituent organizations nationwide. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant established the essentials for PA education; the Physician Assistant Education Association continues to support faculty and curriculum development. The evolution of these agencies, so necessary to the growth and flourishing of the profession, is aptly traced in these pages. I was pleased to read of the early efforts to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the ranks of the profession. These are issues that the profession still faces today, despite its best efforts to shape its constituency. Also documented here is the vital role that research played and continues to play in the evolution of PA acceptance and practice. The PA movement in this country has arguably traceable roots to antecedents in other regions of the globe: the 19th century Russian feldshers, the officiers de sante in France, the barefoot doctors in China. Through its collaborative model, competency-based curriculum, and need-based deployment, the PA profession in the United States has spurred offshoots in the healthcare systems of other countries: Canada, Great Britain, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, India, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, to name a few. Largely, these movements were modeled on the US PA. If what goes around comes around, globally, it appears as though we are coming full circle. History is made daily: today's current events become the history of tomorrow. Today's highly educated clinical PAs enjoy relative autonomy in collaborative relationships fostered through optimal team practice. Where will the PA movement find itself in 5 years? In 10 years? Largely this depends on the leadership and ongoing involvement of PAs themselves. One reason, perhaps the main reason that the PA profession has enjoyed widespread recognition and acceptance is because of its ability to innovate, to adapt to new paradigms in the healthcare system, be they market-driven or of medical necessity. A case in point here is the way in which PAs have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating their ability to segue quickly into areas of clinical need, such as primary care and telemedicine. When Charles Darwin embarked on what would become his 5-year voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, I doubt that he had fully formulated in his mind what would eventually become his theory of natural selection. It would take more than 3.5 years of observing wildlife in the natural setting, collecting and studying specimens from the field, and considerable thought to assimilate these data into his master treatise; and it would take an additional 23 years for The Origin of the Species to be published. If Physician Assistants as Social Innovators in Healthcare serves as the definitive documentation of the origin of our species, it will be up to those PAs now entering the workforce to craft the next volume in this fascinating series, a tome I look forward to reading. By the time 30-year-old Sarah Nelson started planning her own big day, she felt as though shed already been to a million weddings. So she told Candace Kalasky at Lovestruck Events that she wanted something unique, nontraditional and unexpected for her marriage to Kyler Vande Berg. My vision was to make our venue look like it had been completely overgrown and full of greenery and ultimately be a celebration of Omaha and Nebraska and all it means to us, Sarah, now Vande Berg, said. We also knew that we wanted it to be an absolute party and have people feel sad when it ended because they were having so much fun. Mission accomplished. She was thrilled with what Lovestruck put together for them and their guest list of 325. They chose the Diamond Room for their reception because it allows for a lot of customization, Sarah said. They made it their own through installations and draping. Sarah said Lauren Barratt at Lavish Flower Design completed the job. I cried when I saw our venue. It was absolutely stunning, Sarah said. The day is about you and you should be sure to incorporate all things important to you. Trails end just the start After the two met on Bumble in 2018, Kyler proposed in July 2020. They took a road trip to Salt Lake City to visit Sarahs older sister Kellie, and wanted to get outside after being cooped up indoors because of the pandemic. We went into Cottonwood Canyon to do a hike up to Cecret Lake with my sister. We got to the top and Kyler asked my sister to take a picture of us and he proposed. Local flavor for their big day Some of Sarahs favorite parts of their wedding day were the food and soft serve ice cream as a nod to their first date at the College World Series. We served Block 16-style gourmet burgers and salmon wraps, she said. Our guests are still talking about our soft serve ice cream machine, too. Their escort display featured Julia McGuigans illustrations, Sarah said, and the greenery hanging installations done by Lavish Flower Design included green paper cranes as a nod to the sandhill crane migration. Lots of laughs and tears The funniest moment of the day was when one of the groomsmen ripped his pants right down the middle from dancing too hard. Minor chaos also ensued when a bridesmaid bouquet was lost as they were about to head to the church. It felt like a true murder mystery story of who really lost the bouquet (spoiler alert: it was my sister!). Sarah thought it would be Kyler who would cry during the first look, but she says absolutely lost it in the elevator on the way down. Our whole moment together was just complete waterworks. Having a first look with my dad was also incredibly emotional for me, she said. I made my dad a custom tie patch with a picture of us and gave him the vinyl of our father/daughter dance song (Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison). She wore her mothers original engagement ring and her paternal grandmothers wedding ring. She was able to put a strand of her maternal grandmothers pearls around her bouquet. Paw patrol and more The couple hired Barking Vows so their dog could be a part of their special day. Seeing our Bernedoodle, Bonnie, definitely felt like a stress reliever on a crazy day, Sarah said. One of their favorite presents was a custom portrait of Bonnie. A Nespresso was lovely, too. They had both a photo booth and a guest book that was actually a phone where people left us messages. That created some great memories, they say. They both knew they wanted DJ JAB and he did not disappoint. We had guests trying to book him from our dance floor and he made sure the party kept going all the way to the end, Sarah said. Daniel Muller took their photos, and the couple said he made them feel comfortable and was a dream to work with on their big day. Wedding photos are truly the most important thing on your day since that is what you look back on and ours turned out absolutely amazing, Sarah said. Happy ever after Sarah never knew that Kyler was a bigger neat freak than she is. He didnt know how often shed turn to Taco Bell as a backup dinner plan. Anytime we need groceries, are missing an ingredient or dont have any meat thawed, shes quick to remind me of the current Taco Bell $5 Box Meal she could order on the Taco Bell app, he said. He also said Sarah is beautiful, smart and is truly blessed in all aspects of life. She finds success in virtually everything she does. She cares deeply about her friends, family and loved ones and people always enjoy her company and want to be around her more, he said. Sarah says Kyler is truly her best friend. He is such a caring and thoughtful person and always goes out of his way to make sure I know how much he cares about me, she said. He makes me laugh, and we always have the best time together. A federal judge last month dismissed a lawsuit against the University of Nebraska-Lincoln alleging deliberate indifference in how university officials investigated a report of sexual misconduct on campus. Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter Jr. ruled in September that a 2020 lawsuit failed to provide sufficient evidence showing action or inaction by UNL denied a student the benefits of an education, guaranteed by Title IX. The deadline for the unidentified woman, who reported a sexual assault and stalking, to appeal Rossiters ruling passed earlier this month. According to the lawsuit, the woman who was formerly enrolled at the UNL College of Law said she was possibly drugged before being sexually assaulted at the apartment of a male student in September 2018. The woman said she was later stalked by the man who was not charged with a crime and is not being named at friends apartments or at the College of Law, where he was also a student. In October 2018, the woman told another student about the alleged stalking, and that student relayed the report to Marc Pearce, an assistant dean for student affairs at the College of Law. Pearce, according to the lawsuit, spoke directly to the male student and offered the woman links to various resources on campus. He also reported the allegations to UNLs Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, which is charged with investigating sexual misconduct on campus. A few months later, in early 2019, Pearce met with the woman, and she told him about the alleged stalking she experienced, but she did not mention the alleged sexual assault, according to the lawsuit. Pearce referred the woman to UNLs Title IX office, where an investigation was initiated, but the woman did not ask for any accommodations at that time, her complaint indicated, believing action would be taken. The woman left UNL in March 2019 and did not return for the fall semester. She reportedly told friends she felt uncomfortable with the male student knowing where she lived as well as her academic schedule. An investigation by UNLs Title IX office concluded in August 2019. In a 53-page report, senior investigator Meagan Counley informed both the woman and the man that there was insufficient evidence to determine the woman had been drugged. Counley also informed both parties the greater weight of the evidence supported the woman was not incapacitated when she engaged in sexual activity with the man, finding there was insufficient evidence to hold the man liable. The woman appealed the decision to Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jake Johnson, who affirmed Counleys decision. Rossiter, in his ruling, said the university did not remain idle after receiving a report of the alleged assault and stalking. While the process wasnt flawless Rossiter noted Pearce failed to immediately forward the accusations on to UNLs Title IX office, but pointed out an investigation was launched immediately after he did so the judge said it did not rise to the level of deliberate indifference. UNL made reasonable accommodations to the woman, Rossiter added, even as it did not grant her everything she requested, such as removing the male student from the university, which he said presented a risk of violating (his) constitutional or statutory rights. Rossiter granted summary judgment to UNL and dismissed the case. UNL has faced several accusations in recent years from female students who have alleged systemic failures in how the university investigated sexual misconduct on campus. The women have criticized UNL for using an investigatory process that placed blame on victims and said investigators were too deferential to alleged perpetrators. Most of the claims filed in those lawsuits have been dismissed, however. Earlier this year, Rossiter tossed a majority of the Title IX claims made against UNL by nine women, including a former Husker volleyball player, who said the university failed to take action because the reported accusers were male student-athletes. Although that case drew a rare filing from the U.S. Department of Justices Civil Rights Division, which accused UNL of misapplying Title IX case law in its investigations, only two womens complaints were allowed to move forward. In another case, filed in 2021, U.S. District Court Judge John Gerrard tossed a Title IX retaliation complaint against UNL but allowed another Title IX deliberate indifference claim to move forward in a lawsuit filed by a former Ph.D. student who reported being sexually harassed by her adviser. Both cases remain open in U.S. District Court. An investigation into the theft of several semi-trailers and loads of frozen beef in the Lincoln and Grand Island areas has uncovered an alleged crime ring based in Miami that targeted packing plants in six states. Lancaster County Sheriffs Capt. Michael Peschong said the initial investigation involved an estimated $1 million loss here. A semi loaded with more than $232,000 worth of beef had been stolen in Grand Island on June 26 and found empty in Emerald, a small town west of Lincoln, according to court records. The next day, a semi without a trailer was stolen in Emerald and found later southeast of Lincoln, along with a trailer reported stolen from Grand Island loaded with $157,000 of beef. Peschong said, in working with Homeland Security Investigation in Omaha, officials now believe the same people involved in the thefts were responsible for 45 others an estimated $9 million loss since June 2021 in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Peschong said the sheriffs office, Homeland Security in Omaha and the Florida Highway Patrol, with help from a Homeland Security task force in Miami, identified and arrested three people and recovered three semis with stolen merchandise valued at $550,000. The three Yoslany Leyva Del Sol, 38; Ledier Machin Andino, 37; and Delvis L. Fuentes, 39 were arrested for transportation of stolen goods and money laundering. They face charges in federal court in Florida. In the criminal complaint, Robert Palombo Jr., a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations in Miami, said a search of records of devices connected to specific cellular communication towers conducted by the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office on June 30 for the location and time of the thefts led them to Fuentes, who has a commercial drivers license and lives in Miami Gardens, Florida. Fuentes cellphone records led them to Del Sol and Andino, who had been in Nebraska at the time of the thefts, Palombo said. On or about Sept. 16, 2022, law enforcement observed, through real-time GPS tracking, a semi-tractor registered to Del Sol traveling on Interstate 80 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Within a few seconds, law enforcement observed two other semi-tractors with trailers following the semi-tractor registered to Del Sol, the agent said. One of the semi-trailers was registered to a friend of Fuentes. Palombo said officials obtained warrants for the three mens phones, which included real-time data, and learned they had left Miami on Oct. 10. They were tracked to Columbia, Tennessee, then Oct. 13 in Des Moines, Iowa, where officials put GPS trackers on the semis driven by Fuentes and Andino. The Homeland Security agent said the three were seen casing semi-tractor yards there and in Sioux City, Iowa, looking for products to steal. By Oct. 14, they were tracked to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where investigators suspect them in the theft of a trailer with 19 pallets of ham, and to the theft of two semis and three pallet jacks stolen the next day in Worthington, Minnesota. Palombo said two semis and two trailers were stolen from JBS, each with 22 pallets of pork, estimated to be worth $150,000. On Oct. 20, Florida Highway Patrol troopers saw all three tractor-trailers on I-75 East in the Weston area. They stopped Fuentes semi, then detained Del Sol and Andino in a parking lot nearby. Peschong said the investigation is ongoing. A 23-year-old Lincoln man nearing trial for the fatal shooting of his father in 2020 pleaded no contest to manslaughter and a gun charge Monday. Adolfo Ortiz will face up to 70 years in prison at his sentencing in December. Ortiz initially had been charged with first-degree murder, which carries a life sentence, and use of a firearm for 48-year-old Adolfo Lemus Aguado's killing July 13, 2020. In an affidavit for Ortiz's arrest, police said he showed up at his family's home at 1308 Washington St., banging on the front door at about 5 a.m., got in and "began to act very strange." Prosecutors say he went to his bedroom, came back with a gun, pointed it at his father and tried to shoot, but the gun misfired. Witnesses told officers Ortiz went back to his room, fired a shot, then came out again, waving the gun and yelling at his father, saying: "Why are you trying to kill me?" While his mother pushed him to the door to get him to leave, Ortiz fired two shots, one of which struck Aguado in the head and killed him, investigators said in court records. Police followed a blood trail to Ortiz about a block away and arrested him. Prosecutors say in the interview that followed he admitted to shooting Aguado. Last year, after a mental health evaluation, Ortiz was found competent to stand trial and had been set for trial to start Nov. 8. Nebraska's scores on a national assessment providing a snapshot of students' proficiency in reading and math declined, in yet another indicator of the pandemic's impact on the classroom. Math scores took the biggest hit, dropping by record levels nationally, according to the results of the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress released Monday. Nebraska's scores dipped across the board compared with 2019, the last time the federal test was administered. More than 7,500 Nebraska students took the exam, also known as the Nation's Report Card, which measures fourth and eighth grade students' proficiency in math and reading. Not a single state saw a notable improvement in their average test scores, the Associated Press reported, with some simply treading water at best. But compared with the nation as a whole, Nebraska fared well, scoring higher than any state in fourth grade math and landing above the national proficiency average in nearly all areas. Only one state scored higher in eighth grade math, while Nebraska outpaced all but three states in fourth grade reading and all but seven states in eighth grade reading. While the pandemic has clearly disrupted teaching and learning in our state, these scores are a testament to the dedication and perseverance of Nebraskas educators from the beginning of the pandemic to today, Commissioner of Education Matthew Blomstedt said in a news release. The test is a criterion-referenced test, meaning students' knowledge is compared to a predetermined standard. The percentage of Nebraska students at or above the proficiency threshold fell in all levels. The number of students who fell below the test's basic standard also increased. The declines were most glaring in eight grade math, in which 31% of students were proficient but 32% were below the basic level. In 2019, 37% were proficient and 26% fell below the baseline. Nationally, just 26% of students were proficient, while 40% fell below the basic threshold. Fourth graders performed slightly better, with 43% of Nebraska students meeting proficiency in math, a slight dip from 45% in 2019. Meanwhile, 20% of students were below the baseline compared with 16% two years ago. Nation's Report Card Math % proficient; 4th; 8th Nebraska (2019); 46; 37 Nebraska (2022); 43; 31 U.S. (2022); 35; 26 Reading % proficient; 4th; 8th Nebraska (2019); 37; 34 Nebraska (2022); 34; 29 U.S. (2022); 32; 29 In reading, Nebraska fourth graders were only slightly more proficient than students nationwide 34% to 32% while that number was the same in eighth grade at 29%. Overall, the number of Nebraska students proficient in reading dropped by 3% in fourth grade and 5% in eighth grade. The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics administers the exam, which dates to the early 90s. The math portion of the exam measures both math knowledge and students' ability to apply it to problem-solving situations. The reading section measures comprehension by asking students to read selected grade-appropriate materials and answer questions based on their reading. The results show the profound toll on student learning during the pandemic, as the size and scope of the declines are the largest ever in mathematics, said National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr. It's expected that math would see bigger declines, said Matt Larson, associate superintendent of instruction at Lincoln Public Schools. Math in fourth and eighth grades is more dependent on in-school instruction, which students missed out on during the pandemic. "You might sit down and read a book, but you're not likely to sit down on your own and solve algebraic equations," he said. LPS typically has a few grades from a sampling of schools take part in the test, but school officials do not receive a district breakdown. Overall, the scores were not surprising to Larson, although the "well-established" assessment can serve as a "barometer" for education officials. "Clearly there's going to be an impact across the nation as the result of the pandemic," he said. Monday's snapshot also highlighted COVID-19's disproportionate impact on English language learners and students of color. ELL students in Nebraska saw double-digit drops including 16 points in fourth grade reading compared with the 2019 assessment. Scores are out of a possible 500. Black students scored more than 30 points lower than their white counterparts in each subject, while Hispanic students scored more than 20 points worse across the board. Pat Sangimino Night editor Pat Sangimino is a San Francisco native who has been the Journal Stars night news editor since April 2018. Follow Pat Sangimino Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today I met Brad Stewart in the spring of 2019. He was paying the bills by making sandwiches while trying to get a Sunday night comedy showcase at the Zoo Bar some much-deserved ink. It was hard to believe that less than a decade earlier, he was considered one of comedys up-and-comers. Hed left Nebraska days after his 21st birthday, a few too many credits short of his bachelors degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in search of acting fame in Southern California. He quickly discovered stand-up comedy. Just as important, it discovered him. He was opening for the late Joan Rivers, which was beginning to open doors for the native of Arapahoe. Coming back to Nebraska was never in the plans. Then again, neither was his fathers Lou Gehrigs disease diagnosis or the help his elderly mother needed in caring for him. Stewart came home without having to be asked twice because thats who he was. Family came first. Stewart, 48, died on Monday. Damn cancer claimed another good one. He might not have realized the comedy stardom hed hoped for, but he leaves behind a lasting legacy in the Zoolarious showcase that was becoming known nationally. In eight years of promoting and hosting the Sunday night shows, he brought in a number of well-known comics, including Derek Sheen, Eddie Pepitone and Alonzo Bodden. He put his heart into it and it was amazing to watch, said Pete Watters, owner of the Zoo Bar. He was relentless in building it up. He kept going and going. Stewart's logic about Zoolarious was spot on. If given a reason, comics playing a weekend set on the east or west coast might lay over in Lincoln for a Sunday night show on the way home. And playing a room like the Zoo Bar, with its rich jazz history and downtown charm, only added to the experience. Brad Stewart created Nebraska's hippest comedy show to date, said Pepitone, the New Yorker also known as "The Bitter Buddha" who headlined a Zoolarious showcase in July. The Lincoln appearance by Pepitone, the subject of a television documentary who has also appeared in several sitcoms, brought pure joy to Stewart, mostly because he knew the people of Lincoln were in for something special. Brad was an undeniable talent who was also the biggest fan of standup Ive ever met, said Sheen, who lives in Seattle and headlined Zoolarious last fall. Its rare to meet a comedian who takes almost more joy in watching his friends discover one of his favorite comics than he did in performing himself. Brad didnt just help create a comedy scene in Lincoln. He created a community. I miss him terribly. Lincolns comedy scene extended to local music and the arts and was one that Stewart talked about frequently especially with his friends. His support was more pronounced than anyone I can think of, said Mike Semrad, a local musician and executive director of Lincolns Jazz in June series. We always talked about how we can make the scene better and more supportive of one another. It grows, we grow. His obsession for doing that was immense. In February, Stewart's career took a distinctively different turn when Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann hired Stewart to be his administrative assistant. "I've always been interested in local politics," Stewart said at the time. And its a nice change from the food service industry. That illustrated the self-deprecating charm and humor of Stewart. He didnt hide from his sandwich-making past. He embraced it. Now were left wondering what will become of Zoolarious. Not even Watters knows at this point. Comedy is just not my forte, he said. If someone came up to me and said, Lets keep it going, I would be all ears. Maintaining what Stewart started seems like the proper way to keep alive his legacy. But Watters is right. It's going to take someone with the network of connections that Stewart had built, not to mention a lot of energy. Finding someone like that will be no small task. Nor will it happen overnight. Maybe today, the goal shouldn't be moving forward as much as it is remembering him, while honoring him with a small gesture. Heres an idea: At the first Zoolarious showcase, Ed Salazar, an Omaha native who Stewart met in California, opened the show by high-fiving every member of the audience. The preshow high-five became a Zoolarious tradition. No matter how big the crowd, the show didn't start until every audience member had been sufficiently greeted with a high-five from Stewart. Give someone a high-five today in honor of Brad Stewart. He will be missed. The developer behind two of the worlds most ambitious regenerative tourism projects - The Red Sea and Amaala -- has confirmed its transformation into Red Sea Global (RSG) on the sidelines of the sixth Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh. The developer, formerly known as The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), aims to set new global standards in responsible development and lead the category globally. The developer is currently overseeing the creation of the two luxury tourism destinations in the Kingdom. The Red Sea and Amaala prioritise delivering a positive impact for people and planet and are on track to place Saudi Arabia firmly on the global tourism map. Following the successful delivery of critical milestones, and with The Red Sea destination on track to welcome first visitors in early 2023, RSGs mandate has expanded to oversee upwards of a dozen projects stretching the length of the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, with the potential to expand beyond the kingdom in the future. "With The Red Sea and Amaala weve proven our ability to realise mega-scale responsible developments that positively shape the futures of both the people who we welcome and employ, and the places in which we operate," said John Pagano, CEO of TRSDC. The announcement today marks the start of our evolution into a truly global developer that can lead the category towards a new archetype for development. We are powered by extraordinary people from the Kingdom and beyond, and have the skills, knowledge, and experience required to succeed on the world stage. We are not only expanding our footprint to help create massive economic opportunities valued at hundreds of billions worth of riyals for the people of Saudi Arabia. We also want to set new global standards in development and inspire the industry to do better. RSG has a growing portfolio of projects stretching along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, with more than five additional projects already under feasibility study, entering masterplan competition phase, or at which construction has already started. The expanded mandate also includes the establishment of a series of subsidiary businesses to drive an uplift in the Saudi tourism sector and associated industries. Such RSG-owned businesses allow the organisation to maintain its stringent sustainability standards in development and operational phases, and span the creation of a seaplane company, through to hospitality and guest experience brands. The global multi-project developers existing two giga projects under delivery are projected to contribute some SR33 billion annually to the kingdoms economy on completion, evidencing the economic boon that RSG can deliver as it expands. RSGs projects also focus on enhancing the wellbeing of communities, including comprehensive training programs for the next generation of Saudi talent. To date, across the two live projects, the company has awarded more than 1,300 contracts worth nearly SR32 billion ($8.5 billion), with some 70 percent of the total value awarded to Saudi companies reflective of the organisations ambition to positively impact the local economy. Over the last five years, the company has successfully launched programmes geared towards the upskill and training of young Saudis. Such efforts support the creation of a pool of talent, which will power the delivery of the Groups portfolio of projects and the wider growth of the tourism sector in the kingdom. Initiatives include the Elite Graduate Program which has brought in more than 120 fresh graduates to the organisation for on-the-job training over the last four years, with the next batch of graduates set to join in early 2023. An additional 1500 vocational training places have also been provided and students who successfully complete the program will be employed by RSG or one of its partners. A partnership with the University of Prince Megrin provided 220 scholarships so far with 50 more set to be provided in 2023. The undergraduate studies, leading to a Bachelor of Science Degree in International Hospitality Management, which is accredited by the prestigious Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL). RSGs groundbreaking approach toward responsible development has seen the company explore and, in some cases, implement experimental technologies and pilot programs to help solve some of the worlds most complex and pressing challenges, such as off-site manufacturing and modular construction methods at scale, green concrete to limit emissions, destination-wide clean mobility strategies, and even sustainable food production through new farming approaches. The announcement today also revealed a stunning new logo concept and brand, inspired by the Red Sea, home of the organisations flagship projects, and the global aspirations of the company to have a positive impact on development worldwide. Red Sea Global is a closed joint-stock company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. - TradeArabia News Service The Nebraska Court of Appeals says the clock hasn't yet run out for prosecutors to try Eric Ramos for the murder of a fellow inmate during a riot at the state prison in Tecumseh in 2017. Last year, Ramos appealed a Johnson County District Court judge's ruling overruling his motion to close the case over Michael Galindo's killing because Ramos' right to a speedy trial had been violated. On March 2, 2017, prison staff at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution found Galindo and another inmate, Damon Fitzgerald, dead at the hands of inmates after a disturbance sparked by staff's discovery of alcohol in inmates' cells. A number of inmates were believed to be involved, though Ramos was the only one to face charges. On Oct. 19, 2017, the state charged Ramos, now 32, with murder based largely on prison staff piecing together surveillance video. In 2018, his first trial ended in a mistrial as the result of a meeting between two witnesses a Nebraska State Patrol investigator and prison staffer. Ramos' attorney challenged the state's ability to retry him, calling it double jeopardy because of alleged prosecutorial misconduct at the first trial. But in February 2021, the Nebraska Court of Appeals ruled he could be retried. As the case inched toward a second trial, Ramos' attorney, Tim Noerrlinger, filed a motion alleging the district court had incorrectly calculated the speedy trial deadline to retry him. In a decision Tuesday, Court of Appeals Judge David Arterburn said the motion was premature and that time remained on his speedy trial clock when it was filed. Under state statute, a criminal defendant shall be brought to trial within six months, though certain delays for things such as motions filed by the defense, aren't counted against that time. In Ramos' case, the Court of Appeals said delays caused by his motion to change the county where the second trial would be held is excluded. As well as the gap between when the district judge said Ramos could be retried and when he filed notice of appeal. "As such, although our reasoning differs from that of the district court, we do not find error in the district courts ultimate decision to deny Ramos motion for absolute discharge on statutory grounds," Arterburn wrote. The case now will go back to court to be set for trial. Editors note: This story includes mention of a racial slur. On Aug. 5, 2012, a white supremacist walked into the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, in Oak Creek, and opened fire, killing six worshippers in a matter of minutes and injuring four others, including a responding police officer. On the other side of the country, Sundeep Morrison received a call from a sibling, Turn on the news. I knew that something horrible had happened, and my heart immediately sank into my guts, Morrison said. In 2012, there were only three gurdwaras in Wisconsin. Was this a coordinated attack? Was there a shooter on the way to the other gurdwara, the one with Morrisons parents in attendance? After an hour, the family learned their parents were safe, at least for the time being. Morrison wondered if they were not safe in a sacred space, in a place of worship, were they really safe anywhere? Afraid for their parents and community, not only back in Wisconsin but everywhere, and with the many memories of the racial attacks her family had suffered throughout their years of living in the United States, Morrison did what many writers do with their complex emotions: they poured them out onto paper. In this case, a fictionalized play based on true events. Writing this piece was a way to get my emotions out on the page and to process everything our family and community had gone through, Morrison said. Rag Head: An American Story was selected for the United Solo Festival and will be making its New York City debut off-Broadway at Theater Row in the studio theater Friday evening. United Solo is a theater company dedicated to showcasing one-person performances. Visible For Morrison, writing and performing the play has been an emotional journey. Morrisons family immigrated from India to Canada and then to the U.S., where they settled down in Madison and owned a convenience store. Morrison worked at the store during summers, and their parents still live in Madison. Their father wore a turban. After 9/11, Morrison said customers would come into the convenience store and make hateful comments, calling their father rag head, a derogatory slur directed at someone who wears a turban. I knew what racism was before I knew the word for it as a kid, Morrison said adding, There were many scary moments. The scary moments were not just in the past. There have been many frightening moments for the family in the last four years, amid a tense socio-political climate. Their parents declined to respond to the hate in anger; instead, choosing to respond with kindness, which Morrison had a hard time wrapping their head around. I was just so beside myself, Morrison said. How they (my parents) could be so level-headed and stay calm in those moments? On stage A classically trained actor, Morrison is a graduate of the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York, and performs all seven roles in the play. It was an honor, they said, to bring the show to a New York stage. Morrison summarized the play as an exploration of hate, hope and identity in a post-9/11 America. The play is about more than one hateful act in 2012. It is also about post-9/11 xenophobia that led to that hateful act, and the resiliency of its targets, immigrants living in America. The characters are all fictionalized but Morrison draws on the experiences of their father, mother, a cousin to tell the story. Morrison also plays a forthright southern bigot, drawn from another relative, to show the dangers of overt racism but also a white, female executive to demonstrate genteel racism and the dangers of it. However, there is also some levity to the show. Morrison describes the play as equal parts humor and heartbreak. Morrison said their family is proud of the show and felt it should be shared with more people so they understand theres a very real threat when it comes to xenophobia in America. Although Rag Head: An American Story is making its New York debut on Friday, it has been in performance at different theaters for a number of years. Morrison said audiences are moved by the end of the show, especially when people realize it is based on actual events. Sometimes we can share an experience through words, but when you do it through performance, and you make the audience feel something, they leave the theater hopefully thinking differently, Morrison said. The strength of live storytelling, they said, is the ability of the actors and audience to connect. Sometimes these topics that are so hard to talk about, once you see them unfold as a story, youre able to digest it differently, and it hits your heart and mind in a completely different way, Morrison said. Thats always been my goal with the story: if I can make you feel something, hopefully, I can make you think differently. UNION GROVE A Mount Pleasant man is facing his seventh OWI charge. Jeffrey A. Stout, 58, of the 4800 block of Indian Hills Drive, was charged with felony counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (as a seventh offense) and possession of marijuana as well as a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. According to a criminal complaint: On Friday, a deputy with the Racine County Sheriffs Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle towing a heavy piece of machinery in the area of Vine Street and 13th Avenue. Upon making contact with the driver, the deputy could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle. When asked if he had been smoking, Stout said he had smoked marijuana around an hour ago. When asked if he had any marijuana in the vehicle, he handed the deputy a smoking pipe and a baggie with 2.3 grams of marijuana. He also said he had drank out of a bottle of vodka in his vehicle earlier. He was asked to perform the field sobriety tests, failed them, and then was placed under arrest. Stout was given a $5,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday. A preliminary hearing is on Nov. 3 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show. With a contentious Election Day just two weeks away and in-person early voting having begun Tuesday, the Racine County clerk is looking to ensure both voters and the municipal clerks who carry out elections are on the same page. Clerk Wendy Christensen distributed a memo with the title Election Reminders and Items To Consider to municipal clerks across the county on Monday, one day before early voting began. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. The highlights of the memo are below. Go to bit.ly/3TDeSUL to review the memo itself online. 1. How close can observers be? Poll watchers have been in the headlines more after the 2020 presidential election and the ensuing recounts than ever before. Under state law, polling locations are required to allow designated observers to watch election proceedings. But those observers cant go wherever they want thus preventing them from seeing how any individual is filling out their ballot. According to state law, the observer area must be more than three feet away but less than eight feet away from where voters check in, sign the poll book and register to vote. In November 2020, an election observer from the Republic Party of Racine County Martin Marty Prujansky was forced to leave Festival Hall on Election Day. Election watchers had been behind poll workers in previous years, but instead were behind the voters that day, in part due to COVID-19 precautions, RacineCountyEye.com reported. City Clerk Tara McMenamin told RacineCountyEye that Martin was trying to walk outside of the observer section to be able to walk behind all of the books and just have free rein to the polling location He had been told multiple times, Hey you cant do that. None of the other observers were doing that. But after three or four times of talking to him, I asked him to leave. Prujansky, who later would be part of a local group that claimed that Joe Bidens election victory over Donald Trump was fraudulent, attested he couldnt see what was going on from where he was required to stand. 2. Can I be on my cellphone while voting? You can keep your cellphone in your purse or pocket when you vote, and you can take it out to be used silently, but there are limitations on how it can be used. It is legal for a voter to record themselves or take photos of themselves while voting if it is not disruptive, Christensen's memo said, but voters may not take photos or videos of other voters or other voters ballots without their consent. It is up to the discretion of the polling locations chief inspector what constitutes being disruptive, and the chief inspector may prohibit an observer from using a cell phone if it is deemed disruptive. If you take a photo of your own ballot, you can expect to be warned by an election inspector that sharing images of filled-out ballots in exchange for compensation could constitute election bribery or election fraud. 3. Can I try to convince other voters to vote the same way as me? No. The campaigns end at the polling place. It is illegal for any person (or anything) to promote or disparage any candidate or issue related to anything on the ballot within 100 feet of the entrance to the polling place. This has come up at least twice recently in southeastern Wisconsin. In November 2016 in Pleasant Prairie, when St. Anne Catholic Church was being used as a polling place, thousands of small white crosses covered the grass outside in view of voters as part of an anti-abortion display. The church is no longer a polling place. There were also allegations of campaigning occurring too close to polling places on the west end of Racine County during the August primary this year, although none have been publicly confirmed by any officials. There is an electioneering exception for private property within 100 feet of a polling place. For example, someone who lives next door to a church where voting takes place does not need to remove political signs from their yard. Its not legal to wear any political apparel into the polling place either, but that law isnt particularly well enforced. Nobodys going to say, Go home and change your shirt. Nobody should be doing that. But expect that (poll workers) are going to hustle you in and hustle you out as soon as possible, then-Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesperson Reid Magney told UpNorthNews.com in 2020. To be safe and follow the law, its probably best to leave your Vote [Insert name of politician here] button in your car. 4. How strict is closing time for the polls? By law, polls are to close exactly at 8 p.m. But, if youre in line at 8 p.m. and havent cast your ballot yet, you wont lose the opportunity to vote. That includes if youre still in line to register to vote. To ensure nobody gets in line at 8:01 p.m., but that everyone who was in line by 7:59 p.m. still gets cast a ballot, every polling place is supposed to have an End of Line Officer. That individual, who can sometimes be a local law enforcement officer, stands behind the last person legally in line. However, the doors to polling places are not to be locked when voting ends. After the final ballot is cast, an election worker must announce that polling is closed. The closing of the polls is considered legally similar to an open meeting, allowing any member of the public regardless of if they are designated poll watchers to watch the proceedings. The counting of the ballots likewise is required to be a public activity. Any interested person, including a candidate, may be present and observe the counting as long he or she does not interfere with the process, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission's Election Day Manual. 5. After the votes are counted, what next? After ballot tabulating machines count all the votes at each polling place, they print out what is known as the results tape which is then transmitted to the Racine County Clerks Office. The county clerk then collects all of that data and publishes it, providing the unofficial final count. Election results are not considered official until they are certified by each municipality. However, long before anything is considered official, at the polling places on election night, poll workers must look over the physical ballots themselves after the machines counted them. Particularly, the human workers must review the ballots, looking for write-in votes. According to the memo: ALL ballots must be reviewed by the election officials and write-in votes for registered write-in candidates must be documented and recorded on tally sheets. This is particularly important in the current election, as there is a contentious three-way campaign with two write-ins for state Assembly. Robin Vos, speaker of the Assembly and the de facto leader of elected Republicans in Wisconsin, is being challenged by conservative Adam Steen and Democrat Joel Jacobsen. Neither Steen who narrowly lost to Vos in an August primary nor Jacobsen who ran unsuccessfully in 2018 and 2020 but didnt cast his hat into the ring until after the primary will have their names on the ballot. Early in-person voting starts amid challenges Polls have shown the governor's race between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican Tim Michels to be about even, while Republican Ron Johnson has an apparent lead over Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in the Senate race. Lawsuits and more The Wisconsin Supreme Court in July banned absentee ballot drop boxes located anywhere other than in a local election clerks office. The court also said that only the voter can return the absentee ballot. A federal court later clarified that federal law allows people with disabilities to receive assistance returning their ballots. A judge sided with Republicans in another lawsuit ruling that election clerks are not permitted to fill in missing witness address information. In order to be counted, each absentee ballot must include the signature and address of a witness. The elections commission had issued guidance in 2016 saying clerks could fill in that information. But the judge ruled that because state law does not allow for that to be done, the guidance was illegal. There are two pending lawsuits over how much of the witnesss address must be present in order for the clerk to accept the ballot. The elections commission has said an address is the street number, street name and municipality. But one lawsuit, filed by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, seeks a ruling on what constitutes a missing address, arguing that clerks should accept anything short of a completely blank address. The legal fight has led to confusion among some clerks about what ballots they can accept or reject for missing information. A judge in that lawsuit planned to announce her ruling Wednesday, after she previously voiced concerns about creating confusion after voting has begun. Nearly 259,000 absentee ballots had been returned as of Tuesday, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. That equates to a return rate of 56% as of 14 days before the election. At this point in 2020, 69% of requested absentee ballots had been returned, but that was also during the first year of the pandemic when the use of absentee balloting surged to previously unseen levels. SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press 6. What if I dont understand something on the ballot? While most things to vote on are simple, such as picking one candidate over another, others can be a little more complicated. Referendum language, for example, can often take the form of a run-on paragraph. If a voter doesnt understand a question on the ballot, Election Officials may not offer an explanation regarding the effect of the vote, according to Christensen. Voters having questions should be referred to the Explanatory Statement and Effect of Vote for the specific referendum question. What are the Explanatory Statement and Effect of Vote? They are plain-language supplements sometimes available at polling places during a vote on a referendum that state clearly what the referendum is about, since the ballot itself can sometimes get bogged down in legalese. 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 A recommendation by a federal advisory panel that the COVID-19 vaccine be included in next years list of recommended vaccines for kids does not mean children would have to get the shots to attend school, Nebraskas chief medical officer said. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices voted Thursday to recommend that the vaccines be included in the 2023 immunization schedule and in the Vaccines for Children program, a program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated. Dr. Gary Anthone said in a statement issued Thursday by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services that the CDC still must approve both recommendations, which it has not yet done. Even if the agency approves the recommendations, Nebraska will not require a child to get vaccinated for COVID-19 to attend school, he said. The State of Nebraska establishes vaccine requirements, not ACIP or CDC, Anthone said in the statement. The CDC, too, clarified in a statement Thursday that the agency only makes recommendations for use of vaccines, while school-entry vaccination requirements are determined by state or local jurisdictions. A spokesman for the Nebraska health agency said staff there had received some calls from concerned parents regarding the recommendation. On Tuesday, Fox News host Tucker Carlson erroneously claimed on Twitter that the CDC was set to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for children. If the CDC adopts the advisory committees recommendations, Anthone said, it would put the COVID-19 vaccine in the same category as flu shots and HPV vaccines. Those vaccines are recommended for kids but are not required by many schools. I encourage parents to consult with their childs physician regarding the benefits of receiving the vaccine as they make their own decisions, Anthone said. This report contains material from the Associated Press. The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Miral, the leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences in the UAE capital, have announced that steady progress is being made on the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi project which stands 25% completed. UAE-based construction group ALEC is the main contractor for the project. Located in Saadiyat Cultural District, the museum is anticipated to be the largest of its kind in the region, allowing visitors to travel on a 14-billion-year journey through time and space - from the earliest origins of the universe to a thought-provoking perspective into Earths future, said a statement from DTC Abu Dhabi. Due to be completed at the end of 2025, it will be a scientific research and teaching institution and an educational resource for learning about the evolving story of our planet, aiming to ignite a life-long passion for the natural world in visitors of all ages, it stated. Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, the Under-Secretary at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: The museum will bring a new dimension of educational discovery to the Abu Dhabi community, as an entirely unique cultural attraction that offers visitors and residents endless inspiration." "With work now underway on this pioneering institution, the realisation of our vision for the Saadiyat Cultural District moves one step closer. When completed, Saadiyat will offer the highest concentration of cultural experience in the world, cementing Abu Dhabis position as an innovative global destination of choice, he added. Miral CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi said: Through our partnership with DCT Abu Dhabi, we have been able to make strong progress on the development of this iconic cultural landmark. The museum will provide visitors with an enriching cultural experience to help position Saadiyat as the destination of choice and Abu Dhabi as a centre for culture, arts, and creativity." "It also supports achieving Saadiyat Vision 2025, which aims to grow domestic, regional, and global visitor numbers, supporting the development of Abu Dhabis tourism ecosystem, he stated. The museum will join the diverse cultural institutions and museums located in the Saadiyat Cultural District, which features the renowned Louvre Abu Dhabi, he added.-TradeArabia News Service KEARNEY The University of Nebraska at Kearney College of Education honored two individuals Friday for their impact on early childhood education and outstanding service to Nebraska children and families. Samuel Meisels, founding executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska, received the Dr. LaVonne Plambeck Early Childhood Pioneer Award, and Nici Johnson, director of early childhood at Educational Service Unit 13, was recognized with the inaugural Early Childhood Practitioner Award. Both awards were presented during the sixth annual UNK-Community Early Childhood Conference hosted at UNKs Nebraskan Student Union. Early Childhood Pioneer Award A leading authority on the assessment of young children and early childhood development, Meisels holds the Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Early Childhood Development at the Buffett Early Childhood Institute and serves as a professor of child, youth and family studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He also has courtesy appointments as a professor of public health, education and public administration at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha and UNK. Before coming to Nebraska in 2013, Meisels served for 12 years as president of Erikson Institute in Chicago, one of the countrys premier graduate schools in child development, and had a 21-year research career at the University of Michigan. A former preschool, kindergarten and first grade teacher, Meisels was a faculty member at Tufts University for eight years and director of the Eliot-Pearson Childrens School at Tufts, as well as a senior advisor in early childhood development for the Developmental Evaluation Clinic of Boston Childrens Hospital. The author of more than 200 publications, he holds masters and doctoral degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an honorary doctor of humane letters from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Meisels plans to retire at the end of this year after more than five decades of exemplary service to children and families. He delivered Fridays keynote speech at the Early Childhood Conference, titled How Childrens Early Years Can Change Their Lives. The Early Childhood Pioneer Award was first presented in 2019 to the late LaVonne Kopecky Plambeck, a prominent leader in early childhood and Montessori education who supported and invested in high-quality experiences for young children for decades. The Early Childhood Committee then named the award in her honor. Meisels was recognized for his inspiring vision to make Nebraska the best place in the nation to be a baby, his efforts to address early childhood workforce needs and his ability to form strong partnerships to benefit young children, families and educators. Much like the name LaVonne Plambeck is synonymous with Montessori in Nebraska, Sam Meisels is synonymous with early childhood in Nebraska, Kathie Sweet, interim director of Montessori teacher education at UNK, said during the award presentation. Under Dr. Meisels leadership, the Buffett Institute has laid the groundwork for prioritizing the early childhood workforce in Nebraska in order to address caregiver and teacher shortages, training and education for early childhood professionals and stability in the workforce through better compensation, Sweet added. Early Childhood Practitioner Award The recipient of the Early Childhood Practitioner Award, Johnson has more than 20 years of passionate service as an early childhood professional. Shes the first director of early childhood at ESU 13, where she leads a department of early childhood advocates who support the Panhandle region with a collaborative spirit and love of innovation. As a member of the Panhandle Partnership community collaborative, Johnson facilitates the System of Care: Birth to Eight initiative focused on improving the quality of life for families with young children in the 11-county area. Shes also a partner on many statewide groups and advisory committees, including the Buffett Institutes Evaluation Network Team and First Five Nebraskas ECE Shared Leadership and Financing Work Group, and she was a member of the Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission. Johnson has supported early childhood programming and services in various capacities during her time at ESU 13. Her favorite parts of the job include helping people find the why of their work, removing the barriers that impede progress and creating a culture in Nebraska, specifically the Panhandle, committed to a long-term investment in early care and education. She thanked her family and co-workers for their support when accepting the award. Ive been blessed with so many mentors along my journey. ESU 13 is a special place thats always willing to allow people to grow their knowledge and passions, and Ive certainly benefited from this, Johnson said. Honestly, I never would have been considered for an award like this without my ESU 13 tribe of early childhood professionals, she added. They are the boots on the ground, the ones turning ideas into reality, traveling to wherever the knowledge leads them, allowing me to walk beside them as they blaze trails and change early childhood care and education in the Panhandle of Nebraska for the better. Hosted over two days, the UNK-Community Early Childhood Conference provides hands-on learning opportunities and resources for current and future early childhood professionals. About 350 people attended this years event. Sessions were presented by UNK faculty and other experts from across the state. The conference is sponsored by the UNK College of Education, Buffett Early Childhood Institute, Nebraska Early Learning Connection, Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Kearney Child Care Association and UNKs Plambeck Early Childhood Education Center. OMAHA The former Sarpy County CASA director charged with two counts of theft in state court now has been indicted on five charges of mail fraud in federal court. The charges against Paula Creps, 51, pertain to her alleged scheme to defraud the county CASA chapter and its nonprofit arm, Lift Up Sarpy County. (CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates; the group helps abused and neglected children.) Documents filed this week in U.S. District Court of Nebraska allege that Creps fraudulently obtained at least $44,884.95 from Lift Up Sarpy over a period of at least three years, from about March 2019 to July 2022. The indictment states that Creps used a credit card provided by Lift Up Sarpy for CASA expenses to pay for personal expenses such as utility bills and taxes and to register or repair vehicles and obtain concert tickets. The indictment also states that Creps used the credit card to purchase gift cards. She then allegedly used the gift cards to pay for personal expenses such as a luau and shuttle service in Hawaii. The indictment states that Creps completed payment record forms that falsely stated she had used the credit card and gift cards for the benefit of children, their families or both. Creps allegedly claimed she had used her own money to pay for goods and services as well as advertising and other expenses covered by grant funds. She then requested reimbursement. But the indictment states that those transactions did not occur and Creps knew it, yet created fraudulent receipts and attached them to check request forms. At the state level, Creps is facing felony charges of theft by deception of at least $1,500 but less than $5,000 and unauthorized use of financial transaction device of at least $1,500 but less than $5,000. Tom Strigenz, the Sarpy County public defender who is representing Creps in her state case, said Creps has pleaded not guilty in that case. The county fired Creps in July. No attorney representing Creps at the federal level is listed. She could not be reached for comment. She is due in court next month. An Ettrick man was injured in a dump truck crash Oct. 24 on East Ridge Road near Olson Road in the town of Christiana. According to a press release from the Vernon County Sheriffs Office, at 10:12 a.m. Mark Maliszewski, 50, was traveling east on East Ridge Road in his dump truck loaded with about 71,000 pounds of gravel, when he lost control. Maliszewski traveled off the shoulder and down the ditch before the dump truck tipped over, causing part of the load to spill. Maliszewski was able to exit safely and was transported to Vernon Memorial Hospital with a minor injury. He was wearing his seat belt. The Westby Police Department, Westby-Christiana Fire Department, Westby First Responders, Tri-State Ambulance and Goldbeck Towing assisted at the scene. Ask Dr. Paul Klas where he felt most in his element while practicing in Gundersen Health Systems Family Medicine Residency Program, and the answer might surprise you. Dr. Klas, whose retirement commenced on Oct. 3 after 15 years at Gundersen, found his passion on the street, working with the unsheltered population in La Crosse as a member of the Street Medicine team, which he played an integral part in creating at Gundersen. Dr. Klas began his career at Gundersen Onalaska Clinic, and at that time, became the division head for the Department of Family Medicine, a role he held until about nine years ago when he was asked to become the program director of the Medical Residency Program a position he was always drawn to. He saw it as an inroad to serving the underserved population. After several attempts to establish partnerships with other organizations to make that happen, Dr. Klas eventually connected with Sandy Brekke in the Office of Population Health and formerly of St. Clare Health Mission. Brekke had spent a year on the street caring for the unsheltered population at the height of the pandemic. What I was looking for was a partnership, but to do that, you need someone the community trusts, and Sandy then became that bridge, Dr. Klas said. This is just what I was looking for. After learning about Brekkes work and realizing his goal of bringing medicine to people who experience barriers to getting it, the two joined forces. Though meeting people where they are was the primary goal, as director of Medical Residency, Dr. Klas also sought to teach younger clinicians care and compassion for those living on the street. Our big goal was not just to be out there, because we could do that ourselves, but our goal was to touch the hearts of young physicians, Dr. Klas said. In our residency training, theres a real emphasis on community, and I believe Gundersen wants to be involved outside our walls in making the community better. Were here to enrich every life. So each Wednesday morning, Dr. Klas and his team visited people at the Salvation Army, then made their way to Cameron and Houska parks, plus occasional stops at parking garages or encampments where they know people were congregating. At those locations, they attempt to first connect people with health insurance to invite them into a medical facility where more comprehensive treatment can take place. If thats not an option, the team can carry out simple procedures like checking for abscesses using a portable ultrasound machine, distributing antibiotics and inhalers, caring for wounds, and joint injections. But it isnt just about giving out medicine. I have a particular interest in seeing our homeless substance abuse patients maybe get into care, because thats a really hard thing, Dr. Klas said. We do find urgencies and emergencies, we try to handle simple things, and then we try to get people into care. And these are the kinds of real-life situations Dr. Klas wants residents to experience. He wants them to care for people they wouldnt normally see because of their mistrust of the health care system. He wants them to understand the barriers the unsheltered face in receiving healthcare, the medical problems theyre dealing with, and most importantly, he wants them to see the humanity in each person they meet. You do that by getting down next to them and realizing they have hopes and dreams, Dr. Klas said. Then you do what you can. Were trying to get rid of the bias against our homeless people. Its this sense of purpose, and Dr. Klas own experience, that ignited his passion for this work. He points to several markers in his life that prepared his heart for serving those who are often overlooked. I was born pretty poor, so Im not used to ivy tower stuff. I was never hungry, but we were poor, he said. Second, I have a faith that compels me to help others, particularly others who are less fortunate. But you dont have to have a faith to have a heart for this. Most of all, Dr. Klas sees the unsheltered as the human beings they are, made no differently than him. Were fellow journeymen on this planet, and in that tent, theres a person who has a life and a dream and a hope, but their lives and dreams and hopes are pretty squashed, he said. If I can just give them a little comfort and maybe hear their story and maybe help them, thats worth it to me. Now, Dr. Klas looks forward to another chapter of life, while remembering fondly the one he just closed. Hes confident the residency program, and its continued involvement in street medicine, is in good hands under the direction of Dr. Robyn Borge and Dr. Heidi Allred, as well as Dr. Sarah Brown, who he said is at the heart and soul of this. Dr. Borge has as much of a passion for this as I do, Dr. Klas said. She has bigger, more expansive plans. This is like the beginning. Mobile medicine and reaching the homeless was just step one. He said hes sad to leave as the program is on the cusp of expanding into something much larger, but hes satisfied with the seed he planted thats now flourishing because of the groundwork he laid. Now, though, hes looking ahead to focus on another area of interest: his grandkids. Weve never been near our grandchildren, so were moving to Atlanta, Georgia, where well be 45 minutes from them, he said, adding that hell be teaching part time at a Family Medicine Residency in Atlanta. Dr. Klas is proud, though, of the program hes leaving behind. Im so proud of the residents we have here, so I feel good, he said. Our residency program has never been stronger than it is today. 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. Why I Vote is a partnership between the Tribune and the League of Women Voters in La Crosse. Each week hear from local residents on why they vote send in your own reason and photo to letters@lacrossetribune.com to be considered for this series. Why I Vote: The frozen pizza aisle at a Woodmans grocery store went viral this month after a Twitter user posted a video clip showing the stores seemingly endless selection. The minutelong video has been viewed more than 6 million times, and featured everywhere from NBCs Today show to The Hill, the Washington, D.C.-based political news site focusing on politics, policy, business and international relations. No one loves frozen pizza more than Wisconsinites do, apparently, the Today shows headline read. The video shows a cart traversing a familiar bumpy, tiled floor as Twitter user Michael Bradley does a lap of the frozen pizza section. Bradley is from Milwaukee, but its unclear which Woodmans store he was visiting in the video. One Twitter user commented: Ill see your pizza in Wisconsin and raise you Spam aisle in Hawaii. Another said, That isnt a typical grocery store in WI. That is Woodmans which is the absolute heaven on Earth of grocery stores. And another: Double the size and selection of any normal store. The awesome pizza selection is an incidental by-product of that. Chris Zelch of Nestles frozen pizzas division told the Appleton Post-Crescent in 2019 that Wisconsin is the largest per-capita consumer of the companys frozen pizzas, which include DiGiorno, Tombstone, Jacks, Stouffers and California Pizza Kitchen. His working theory on why we have a taste for frozen pizza traces back to Norwegian immigrants settling in the Badger State, the story said. Zelch said Norway is the only country where people eat more frozen pizza per capita than the United States. Clint Woodman, president of the Janesville-based supermarket chain, told NBC for its Oct. 17 story that the stores carry more than 100,000 items. Price and variety is our niche, he said. Woodman told the network that he was unaware the stores pizza section had gone viral. People in Wisconsin love frozen pizzas, I guess, he said. Were known for our huge variety of items and frozen pizza is one of the sections where theres just so many different suppliers and we offer everything that anyone would want. He said each store stocks 50 pizza brands, taking up 600 square feet of space. Woodmans website says the company has 19 stores from northern Wisconsin to the Chicago area. The stores average 230,000 square feet, almost 400 times the size of the original store. There are three Woodmans stores in Dane County on Madisons East and West sides and in Sun Prairie. HARTLAND The six people found dead after an apartment fire in the Milwaukee suburb of Hartland last week had been shot in an apparent case of murder-suicide, police reported. The bodies of a couple and their four children were found early Friday after firefighters were called to their burning apartment in Hartland. Ten of the remaining tenants in the four-unit building made it out safely. Hartland Police Chief Torin Misko said Monday evening that all victims had one gunshot wound. Connor McKisick, a father and stepfather to the four children, had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Misko said. The others who died include Jessica McKisick, a 14-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl and two 3-year-old boys, all who lived with Connor McKisick in one of the apartments. Police did not identify the children, but officials at the schools the girls attended said the older girl was Natalie Kleemeier and her younger sister Sofina Kleemeier. Misko said all of those who died had a single gunshot wound. He said there is also evidence of an ignitable liquid in the apartment where multiple guns were found. This is a tragic incident for the family of the deceased, for our first responders and for the Hartland community, Misko said. The incident remains under investigation by Hartland police with assistance from the Waukesha County Medical Examiners Office, the State Fire Marshal and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Hartland is a village of approximately 9,100 people about 26 miles west of Milwaukee. A Delavan resident has spent more than four decades assisting people during emergency situations. Lisa Amburgey recently was recognized for her 42 years of service with U.S. Air Forces Civil Air Patrol. She currently is an emergency services training officer for the Walworth County Composite Squadron No. 184, which is a part of the Civil Air Patrol. She also has obtained the highest rank for the Civil Air Patrol, which is lieutenant colonel. Amburgey said during her time with the Civil Air Patrol she has responded to several aircraft accidents, missing person incidents and disaster relief missions. She said some of her more memorable missions include the Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 crash that occurred in September 1985 in an open field near Milwaukee and the Stevie Ray Vaughan helicopter crash that occurred in August 1990 near East Troy. Most of them; however, are simple. If a plane lands hard or crashes, it starts to do a signal, and we have special machines that we use with that to locate the aircraft, Amburgey said. Most of my work is in emergency services. Amburgey joined the Civil Air Patrol in 1980 as a member of the Pennsylvania Wing Squadron 902. She later moved to Wisconsin and became a member of the Kenosha Composite Squadron, Racine Composite Squadron and Walworth County Composite Squadron. When I first started in Pennsylvania I was working and training in the Appalachian Mountains, and I started as a very plain cadet with very little training, Amburgey said. Within a couple of years, I was in a leadership position. As an emergency services training officer, Amburgey helps train between 25 to 30 Civil Air Patrol cadets in Walworth County. She also helps train cadets for other squadrons in Wisconsin and in other states. Amburgey said she enjoys serving as a trainer and assisting younger members. I think what I have enjoyed the most is my accomplishments in helping people go from where I was as an airman to my rank, training them and having them now train another generation, Amburgey said. Most of my training is in Walco, but I also help out in other areas. James McClure said Amburgey has been a valuable member of the Civil Air Patrol during the past 42 years and has done a quality job of mentoring other members. Shes a living legend who has made incredible contributions to all three of the Civil Air Patrols core missions: emergency services, aerospace education and cadet instruction, McClure said. In the year since I joined the Civil Air Patrol, Lisa has served as my official mentor in the program. There is no answer she cant offer, no wisdom she cant provide. Amburgey said her father, who served in the U.S. Navy, helped spark her interest in the Civil Air Patrol. One day when he was coming home, he told me there was a bunch of kids by one of the hangars and that they were marching around. He said, Maybe you should go over and see what they are doing, Amburgey said. I went over, and Ive been a member ever since. Amburgey said being involved with the Civil Air Patrol helps people develop valuable life skills and gives them the opportunity to assist others. It takes you from not knowing a whole lot to getting leadership skills, learning how to teach other people, being motivated and being organized, she said. Receiving life saving awardsAmburgey recently received a life saving award from the City of Delavan Fire Department for administering the Heimlich Maneuver and performing other live-saving measures to a resident in her apartment in February 2020. The award presentation was delayed because of the coronavirus. Amburgey received another life saving award in 2011 for performing the Heimlich Maneuver and CPR to a person who was choking on a piece of sausage during a Super Bowl party. She credits her training with the Civil Air Patrol for being able to help save those lives. If I didnt have the training from the Civil Air Patrol, I wouldnt have been able to help somebody, Amburgey said. That kind of tells you some of the things we learn and how valuable they are. McClure said Amburgeys past experience helps make her a valuable emergency services training officer for the Civil Air Patrol. Imagine the inspiration to teen cadets of someone who has gone from cadet to lieutenant colonel and has saved two lives in the last decade of four decades of service, McClure said. Other community involvementBesides being involved with the Civil Air Patrol, Amburgey also is the community service president for the Walworth County chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness and a member of the St. Patrick Parish in Elkhorn, helping to coordinate Masses for nursing homes. Between the three of them, I keep moving, she said. Amburgey also has served as a substitute teacher for the Delavan-Darien School District. She said she is impressed with the technology that the students use in the classroom. Its amazing. When I was a kid, we didnt even have calculators and now they each have their own computers, Amburgey said. So its been a dramatic change. Continued involvementAmburgey said she plans to continue to be involved with the Civil Air Patrol for at least the next several years. My next goal is 50 years, Amburgey said. Lieutenant colonel is the highest I can go. So all of my accomplishments after this will be as a result of emergency services training, and Im a specialist in several areas. Kuwait-based United Real Estate Company (URC) said its shareholders have approved the companys merger with United Towers Holding Company (UTHC) and Al Dhiyafa Holding Company (DHC) at the Extraordinary General Assembly held yesterday in Kuwait City. Also at the Extraordinary General Assembly, URC investors agreed to increase the companys capital from KD118.8 million ($382 million) to KD143.1 million ($460 million), by issuing 242.6 million ordinary shares at nominal value. The increase of the capital by about KD24.3 million will be implemented through 184.2 million shares that will be allotted to the shareholders of UTHC and DHC at a share exchange rate of 0.64 new shares in URC for every share in UTHC. Also, 58.3 million shares will be allotted to the shareholders of Al Dhiyafa Holding Company at a share exchange rate of 0.58 new shares in URC for every share in DHC. On the investors go-ahead, URC Vice Chairman and Group CEO Mazen Issam Hawwa said: "We are working within a clear strategy that aims to achieve the desired value and results from this merger, which is to upgrade the companys asset portfolio and enhance the companys capacity." "Were basically looking to increase revenues, which leads to added value for all the shareholders participating in this entity resulting from the merger," he noted. Hawwa expressed delight at having obtained the approval of shareholders to implement the merger with United Towers Holding Company and Al Dhiyafa Holding Company. "Earlier, the merger was approved by the shareholders of both companies in their Extraordinary General Assembly held on October 17 and we look forward to completing the final procedures and implementing the deal by the end of 2022, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Former U.S. Special Envoy for Haiti Denounces Insane, Racist U.S. Policy Oct. 24, 2022 (EIRNS)Former U.S. Special Envoy to Haiti Daniel Foote scathingly attacked U.S. policy toward that nation, particularly the likelihood there may be a U.S. or foreign intervention, as insane, in an Oct. 17 interview with Breaking Point, covered in The Intercept Oct. 19. Recall that Foote resigned his position in September of 2021 in protest over the Biden administrations brutal mass deportation of Haitian migrants who had gathered in Del Rio, Texas. Haitians who had sought to escape the hell that is daily existence in Haiti were herded like cattle by the United States onto planes and flown back to Port-au-Prince, to a horrific situation Foote called unlivable. That policy continues today unabated, never opposed by the de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry, which is one reason why Foote thinks the U.S. wants him to remain in power so the U.S. can continue its self-defeating immigration policy. The former diplomat explains that while Bidens deportations were the straw that broke the camels back for him, ultimately it was the U.S. interventionist policy that forced his hand because he sees U.S. policy moving in that direction. He referred to the fact that the U.S. historically has carried out multiple armed interventions into Haiti, always with the same disastrous results, as an example of what Albert Einstein called insane ... trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Previous interventions may have created temporary stability, Foote said, but it never lasts, and becomes worse over time. The fact that the U.S., the United Nations and international institutions are blindly stumbling through with support for Henry, when Haitians are demanding a different solution, and are out on the streets every day demanding his resignation, is unfathomable, to Foote. He warns that in the event of another foreign intervention, there will be a civil uprising similar to 1915 when we sent the Marines in for the first time, and they stayed for 20 years. Foote asserts that at the root of the U.S. bias toward intervention is blatant racism.... If they support UN intervention, and we move forward with that, Im heartbroken, frankly because its not going to work. Better to let Haitian civil society come up with its own solutions. Give them a chance to fix themselves. They cant do any worse than the United States and the international community have done, and I guarantee you theyre going to do better because they know their country and theyre going to be bought into their own solutionsas opposed to being told what to do by white foreigners. Otherwise, he warns that if Henrys illegitimate government holds elections, Haitians wont accept them, and well continue to be in a place where they are governed by foreigners. This, he says, goes back to the unspoken U.S. policy thats been going on for 200-plus years, and Ive heard this in hushed tones in the back quarters of the State Department: What drives our Haiti policy is this unspoken belief that these dumb Black people cant govern themselves. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 25, 2022 October 27 Schiller Conference: Steering the World Past Thermonuclear War Oct. 25, 2022 (EIRNS)In two days, the Schiller Institute convenes a conference titled: For World Peace, Stop the Danger of Nuclear War. Subtitled the Second Seminar of Current and Former Elected Officials of the World, this particular conference intervenes, in the midst of the 60th anniversary of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, to pull the world away from the brink of thermonuclear self-destruction. The only force we wield is the force of ideasbut that is, as Russian-Ukrainian physicist Vladimir Vernadsky rigorously proved, the greatest force, geological or otherwise, on (and perhaps off) the planet. The Institutes three-year conference process, of which this Thursday is the latest session, has defied the presumption of a necessarily-tragic outcome to a half-century-plus of trans-Atlantic civilizational policy-failure on the part of the Western so-called inner elites. The assassinations of leaders, like Patrice Lumumba, the Kennedys and Rev. Martin Luther King, and the defeat and side-lining of others such as Frances Charles de Gaulle, has, over decades, landed mankind on the doorstep of ultimate wars of self-annihilation. Once the door is opened, it will never be closed. We are now at the door. Who will decide when midnight arrives, and we open it? In a February 1996 Schiller Institute conference in Reston, Virginia, in a speech called If You Passed Economics 101, You Are Probably a Member of an Endangered Species, economist and statesman Lyndon LaRouche described the cultural principle that underlies the system of conferences, and congresses assembled by the Institute: The subject, the actual subject ... is the subject of history as tragedy; because we are living in a real tragedy. When a person says to me, Why dont you give answers in byte-sized doses, like the other politicians? Why dont you take a poll and find out what the people want to hear, and state your proposition in terms of the prejudices which they already have, as the polls tell you? my answer would be: Im not a fool.... We now have a civilization, a worldwide civilization, which is doomed, in its present form. Over the next months or years, this civilization which people talk abouttheir opinions, their culture, their prejudices, their way of life, their traditionsare all gone! Nothing can save it. And its like clinging to a stateroom on the Titanic: If you cling to those traditions, youll go down and drown with it. We have to get the people of the Titanic, off traditions, into the lifeboats, so they may be saved. The iceberg looms large in front of the ship of fools that is the Anglosphere, as this day begins. Today, at the United Nations, Russias representatives intend to present evidence that Ukraine, with the assistance of Great Britain, has deployed to prepare and detonate a dirty bomb, a radioactive device, in Ukraine. Such an act would be seen by Russia as nuclear terrorism. After Russias Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu contacted his counterparts in the United States, France, Great Britain and Turkey on Sunday, Oct. 23 to inform them of this, and the U.S., Britain, France and NATO Secretary Stoltenberg responded by rejecting Russias claims, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to their denials. Their distrust of the information that has been relayed by the Russian side does not mean that the threat of the use of such a dirty bomb ceases to exist. The threat is evident. It is their business, whether to believe it or not. There is no sign, at present, that Russia has changed its thermonuclear posture, upshifted the level of attack readiness of its strategic rocket forces, or taken any measures whatsoever to initiate an attack either on Ukraine or on NATO with nuclear devices. And dont be fooled: Though Ukrainian forces are inviting IAEA inspectors to look at their nuclear sites because we have nothing to hide, Russia is stating that the fabrication of the dirty bomb device is not being done at a nuclear site, but rather is occurring at the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant, located in the city of Zhovti Vody, Dnepropetrovsk region. Further, it should be remembered that the official United States thermonuclear nuclear weapons policy in force since 2002, and not overturned by any Presidential administration since then, does not preclude first use of such weapons. As the Congressional Research Service Report, U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy: Considering No First Use, revised in March of this year, states; Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has modified its declaratory policy to reduce the apparent role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security, but has not declared that it would not use them first.... In the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review Report, the Obama Administration stated that the United States would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances ... (but) the Administration was not prepared to state that the sole purpose of U.S. nuclear weapons was to deter nuclear attack because it could envision a narrow range of contingencies where nuclear weapons might play a role in deterring conventional, chemical, or biological attacks. [Emphasis added.] More American observers, far too silent up until now, have wondered aloud about the factor of insanity in American, and Anglo-American politics. Noam Chomsky, with respect to the provocations of Nancy Pelosi in China, and Jeffrey Sachs with respect to Ukraine, have recently referred to the United States policies as insane. Former Ambassador and Special Envoy to Haiti Daniel Foote recently called U.S. policy of military intervention insane. The deportations (of Haitians) were the straw that broke the camels back. But the major reason I resigned is because I saw U.S. policy moving in exactly this direction, toward intervention, which is, as Einstein saidand Ill paraphrasetrying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity. Historian Barbara Tuchman posed the question, in her book The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam: A phenomenon noticeable throughout history regardless of place or period is the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interests. Mankind, it seems, makes a poorer performance of government than almost any other human activity.... Why do holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests? Why does intelligent mental process seem so often not to function? Lyndon LaRouche supplied the uncomfortable answer many times, in many locations. In one of them, Saudi Arabia in the Year 2023, written in 1983forty years agohe stated: The pioneers in post industrial self-destruction have been Britain first and the United States second. This drift is motivated by policy-beliefs which go so far as to propose that the population of the United States of America be reduced to about 70 million individuals during the coming century. However, this reduction of the populations of Anglo-Saxon North America and Western Europe is also intended to be accompanied by an increase in the Anglo-Saxon percentile of the worlds population as a whole. The population of black Africa is intended to be obliterated, except for a reduction of the population of Nigeria by approximately half.... The population of the subcontinent of Asia and of Southeast Asia is intended to be reduced by more than half through insurrections, communalist bloodletting, regional wars, and natural economic processes such as famine and epidemic disease. In the reaching of a boundary condition caused by the divergence of hyper-speculative and unpayable financial instruments, including currencies, from the real physical economy, a sudden, previously unthinkable shock wave of Malthusian breakdown occurs, eliminating whole populations overnight. Either that, or advanced industrial development, like that proposed in the Belt and Road Initiative, or the expansion of the BRICS nations, the continuing upward trajectory of Chinas economic growth, and the failure of the financial nuclear war against Russia, is the future. Though LaRouches forecasts were often brutally truthful, they were never presented as the only policy options available to those who would choose durable survival over momentary survival. Saudi Arabia in the Year 2023 was a nearly-100-page proposal, outline and program divided into three sections. First, Overcoming 1000 Years of Looting and Subjugation of the Arab World; second, the LaRouche/Riemann Method; and, third, The Social Composition of Development. Section subtitles included National Income Accounting, The Arab World/Saudi Arabia: Mathematics, The Division of Labor, and What We Mean by Potential Function. There is no way to engage the captive nations of the Anglosphere in the solution-concept of Peace Through Development, including in the short term, if the name and work of Lyndon LaRouche is not put at center stage in these coming hours, days and weeks. The alternative will be thermonuclear war, sooner or later. It is we, not fate or destiny, that must choose to determine that mankinds midnight of total war never comes. Chinese President Xi Jinping was awarded a third five-year term as leader of the Communist Party on Sunday. The decision breaks with the tradition of Chinese presidents leading the country for no more than 10 years. The party named a seven-member ruling Standing Committee of Xi and his allies, which gives him freedom to carry out his plans. Xi has tightened control within China and is also trying to use Chinas economic strength to increase its influence overseas. Some experts say his leadership could bring more concerns worldwide about security, human rights, trade, economic and environmental issues. Xi has said he wants his country to be renewed by strengthening the Communist Partys role as the economic, social and cultural leader. Kevin Rudd is president of the Asia Society and a former Australian prime minister. He said this means it is unlikely that China will peacefully make its economy and political policies freer. Xis government has jailed people who speak critically of the government, increased control of the internet and crushed a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Rudd said Chinese society has become much more authoritarian and at times totalitarian. Economic goals By 2035, the Communist Party wants Chinas economic output per person to match a medium-level developed country, Xi said in a report to the party congress. That suggests doubling output from 2020 levels, according to Larry Hu and Yuxiao Zhang of Macquarie, an Australian financial services group. However, the economy faces difficulties. These challenges include disagreements with the U.S., less access by China to Western technology, an aging population and a slowdown in its real estate industry. Xi promised to build Chinas strength in science and technology. China has made efforts to create sources of renewable energy, electric vehicles, computer and other technologies. However, these efforts have made other countries complain that China violates free-trade agreements. China faces growing limits on access to Western technology, especially from the United States. China is building its own chip industry, but observers say it is many years behind worldwide leaders. Security In a speech that used the word security 26 times, Xi said China will work faster to modernize its military. China already has the worlds second-highest military spending after the United States. It is developing ballistic missiles, submarines and other technologies. Pandemic rules Xi gave no sign that Chinas zero-COVID policy might become less strict even though the public worries about its effects. Public health experts say more of Chinas older population needs to be vaccinated before the ruling party can lessen its COVID-19 restrictions. Experts say that means it might be the end of 2023 before the rules get easier. Im Jill Robbins. Joe McDonald wrote this story for the Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story role n. the function, job, or position of a person, organization, or thing society n. the entire group of people and its culture within a community or nation authoritarian adj. referring to a culture or government that favors strict obedience to leaders rather than individual freedom. totalitarian adj. referring to a government that has only one political party which controls every aspect of society and does not allow opposition or freedom to express opposition. output n. the work produced access n. a way to approach or use something real estate n. the market for the buying and selling of land chip n. a small semiconductor piece in a computer with circuits imprinted on it ballistic adj. referring to something launched from a rocket strict adj. following rules very exactly and completely _______________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has unveiled designs for its first model neighbourhood, created as part of efforts to sustainably develop AlUla County for residents. As part of its vision, RCU will provide over 700 units for residents to create an unrivalled destination for residents and visitors, providing a harmonious environment that connects people with nature and heritage while supplying the vital services and facilities of daily life. Designs for the new, integrated, model neighbourhood reflect the surrounding natural and cultural environment and creates a community lifestyle through use of available spaces between buildings, providing pedestrian paths, creating public areas, and increasing green spaces across interconnected sites, said the statement from RCU. The Commission promotes comprehensive sustainable development in a unique cultural and natural environment in the kingdoms north-west, transforming the region into a leading global destination as well as a great place to live and work as it continues to achieve its vision for AlUla in line with the Kingdoms Vision 2030, it added. Moataz Kurdi, Chief of County Operations, RCU, said: "Making AlUla a great place to live, work, and do business is at the core of our urban development plan for sustainable growth, which oversees the construction of green spaces, landscaped areas, retail zones as well as schools, medical centres and family homes that benefit the whole community." "Lush green spaces and places to exercise and play are a key part of our Urban Development Plan as we transform AlUla, enhance its liveability and help to connect residents and visitors with the stunning natural surroundings," noted Kurdi. In recent weeks, RCU has started to receive applications for building permits, as part of its ongoing sustainable urban development scheme in AlUlas Sadr and AlUla Central. To date, the scheme is active in AlMahash and AlManshiah key visitor hubs in AlUla. RCU said property owners who obtain building permits can access the AlUla Design Studio, which provides a range of new community services that will have a fundamental role in the urban development scheme. The studio will provide models of architectural designs, enabling residents to choose the most appropriate for them as they build their properties in line with AlUlas history, heritage, and unique aesthetics, it added.-TradeArabia News Service The popular National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. has partly reopened. The museum had been closed for almost seven months. It now has eight new exhibitions, hundreds of new artifacts, and 50 digital interactive exhibits. Among the exhibits are The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age and Exploring the Planets. The museum built digital interactive exhibits to make it more modern and interesting for visitors. It's an experience that reflects the 21st century, bringing people into the digital age, said Jeremy Kinney. He is the museums associate director for research and for curatorial affairs, which is how objects are preserved and shown to the public. The new exhibits include an interactive tour of the solar system. The planets gallery is a fully immersive journey through our solar system, stopping at different locations, and seeing what that looks like on a large scale, Kinney said. You learn about the surface of different planets and asteroids. It almost feels like youre walking on them. Eighteen-year-old Taylor Brautigan recently visited the museum. It was fantastic to see how different the planets are, and it made me want to find out more about them, she said. Exhibits tell stories Visitors can see favorite object in new displays that tell interesting stories. They include the 1903 Wright Flyer, the first powered and piloted mechanical aircraft. Ahmed Chaudry had traveled from Pakistan to visit relatives in Washington. He said he had looked forward to seeing the aircraft. The exhibit explains the background behind the Wright Brothers and what they went through to build the plane, he said. They only flew it for 12 seconds the first time, but it was incredible they were able to do that. The Destination Moon exhibit shows well-known artifacts from space history, including the Apollo 11 command module, Columbia, and the spacesuit astronaut Neil Armstrong wore during the journey to the moon in 1969. Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Including more women and people of color More important work by women and people of color are presented than were in the past. These include the air racer built by Neal Loving, the first African American to be licensed as a racing pilot, and a supersonic jet trainer flown by Jackie Cochran. She was the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound. The museum also describes the discrimination they faced, however. Our goal is to tell the whole history of air and space which also includes gender and race discrimination, said Kinney. That includes women who qualified for but were denied entry into the space program. The museum also explains that Black people were permitted on commercial passenger planes but not in some airports because of the color of their skin. The rest of the museum is set to open in 2025. Im Andrew Smith. Deborah Block wrote this story for Voice of America. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story exhibition n. a public event at which objects of interest are displayed, for example at a museum or art gallery. artifact n. an object of historical or cultural significance interactive -adj. describing objects such as a video game or a display in which the user can control, manipulate, or respond to stimuli. convert v. to change something into a different form or use reflect v. to show or display what something is like tour n. a trip or visit to places that interest you gallery n. a space used for exhibitions of works of art immersive -adj. engaging all of the senses and absorbing ones attention scale n. the size of something fantastic -adj. great, wonderful, very good background n. the history and information about a person or situation gender n. identity as male or female in relation to social and cultural roles _______________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. Students across the United States have had historic drops in math and reading test scores since the start of the pandemic. Across the country, math scores saw their largest decreases ever. Reading scores dropped to 1992 levels. Nearly four in 10 eighth graders failed to understand basic math ideas. Not a single state saw any improvement. Those are the findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) also known as the nations report card. Hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders across the U.S. took the test earlier this year. It was the first time the test had been administered since 2019. The result is seen as the first nationally representative study of the pandemics effect on learning. It is a serious wakeup call for us all, Peggy Carr, an official with the National Center for Education Statistics of the Education Department said. In NAEP, when we experience a 1- or 2-point decline, were talking about it as a significant impact on a students achievement. In math, we experienced an 8-point decline historic for this assessment, she said. Researchers usually consider a 10-point gain or drop as comparable to about one school year of learning. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said it is a sign that schools need to work much harder to help students recover. Let me be very clear: these results are not acceptable, Cardona said. Declines across all groups The NAEP test is usually given every two years. It was taken between January and March by students in every state and the nations largest school systems. Test scores did not show any progress even before the pandemic. But the latest scores show decreases at levels not seen before. In both math and reading, students scored lower than those tested in 2019. But while reading scores decreased, math scores sharply dropped by the largest amount in the history of the NAEP, which began in 1969. Math scores were worst among eighth graders, with 38 percent earning scores judged as below basic. That is lower than in 2019 when 31 percent of eighth graders scored below basic. Every part of the country saw test scores fall, and every state saw declines in at least one subject. Several major school systems saw test scores fall by more than 10 points. Schools in Cleveland, Ohio saw the largest single drop, falling 16 points in fourth-grade reading, along with a 15-point decline in fourth-grade math. This is more confirmation that the pandemic hit us really hard, said Eric Gordon, head of the Cleveland school system. To help students recover, the school system has added summer school and after-school tutoring. Educators are concerned, however, about the widening divide among different groups of students. Black and Hispanic students saw bigger decreases than white students in fourth grade. And scores fell most sharply among the lowest-performing students as compared to the others. Alberto Carvalho is head of the Los Angeles, California school system and serves on the National Assessment Governing Board. The board decides policy for the NAEP. Carvalho said the recent test results show that schools must deal with the long-standing and systemic shortcomings of our education system. While the pandemic was a blow to schools and communities, we cannot use it as an excuse, he said. We have to stay committed to high standards and expectations and help every child succeed. I'm Caty Weaver. Collin Binkley reported this story for The Associated Press. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English. _______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story decline - n. a change to a lower number or amount significant - adj. large enough to be noticed impact - n. a major effect achievement - n. something that has been reached through hard work tutor - v. to teach a single student, to teach someone as a tutor committed - adj. willing to give time, energy to something standard - n. a level of quality, achievement Western countries on Monday said they rejected Russias accusation that Ukraine plans to use a dirty bomb. A dirty bomb is a bomb that includes radioactive material but is not a nuclear bomb. Russias Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke with Western foreign ministers on Sunday. He said Russia suspected Ukraine of planning to use a dirty bomb in a part of the country held by Russian forces. Ukrainian military forces have recently started fighting in the Russian-held Kherson area. As a result, Russia has moved civilians out of the area. The U.S., Britain, and France said they rejected Russias concerns about a radioactive bomb. They called Russias statement that Ukraine would use a bomb with nuclear material within its own borders false. The group called Shoigus statement a pretext for escalation. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said if Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something it means one thing: Russia has already prepared this. He called Russia the source of everything dirty that can be imagined in this war. Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, however, said their disbelief doesnt mean theres no threat the threat is evident. Russia told people who live in the area it controls on the western side of the Dnieper River to leave over concerns that fighting will increase. Ukrainian fighters have been moving into the area after Russia claimed the territory as its own earlier in October. Experts said, if Russia were to lose the territory, it would be one of its biggest defeats of the war. The Kherson area leaders, put in place by Russia, said that any Ukrainian men who stay behind may be put into a Russian military group. Ukrainian leaders said this is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. Kyrylo Budanov is Ukraines spy chief. He said Russian forces are preparing to defend Kherson, not leave it. He said reports that the city was being evacuated were not true. He said Russia is reinforcing its military in the area but moving civilians, injured people, and important equipment away from the city. The war in Ukraine has intensified recently as Russian forces suffered setbacks in September. Since then, Russian President Vladimir Putin has put more men into battle, claimed parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian soldiers and launched more long-distance missiles. Some of the weapons have hit power stations, leaving many Ukrainians without electricity as the long winter nears. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by Reuters. ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story pretext n. a reason that a person gives to hide the real reason that person has for doing something escalate v. to increase the severity or intensity of a situation allege v. to state without definite proof that someone has done something wrong or illegal evacuate v. to move or be moved out of an area because of the threat of danger _______________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. How do you feel about the threat of a dirty bomb? We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. The Saudi British Bank (SABB) and the private vegetation development foundation Morooj have signed a joint agreement to implement the National Environmental Afforestation Initiative, which aims to plant 1 million trees across the Kingdom under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification to help achieve the Saudi green initiatives goals and objectives. The agreement was signed by Tony Cripps, CEO and Managing Director of SABB, and Wael Bousheh, CEO of the Vegetation Development Corporation Morooj, in the presence of a number of senior executives from both parties. The two parties have agreed to launch the Kingdom's environmental project at the finance sector level. Morooj Foundation, the executive arm of the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification will lead the implementation of the SABB-led initiative to contribute to the achievement of the Saudi Green Initiative's objectives, covering all of the initiative's financial costs in the amount of SAR46 million ($1.2 million). Cripps said: I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Kingdom's pioneering position in tackling environmental challenges. We are extremely proud of the critical role we play in environmental sustainability and preservation and of the launch of this great initiative to promote sustainable development to meet the Saudi Green Initiative's goals. he added, We would like to thank the Morooj Foundation for welcoming and engaging with us, and for expressing their readiness to contribute their expertise and efforts to this initiative. Bousheh stated: "This agreement falls within the framework of the Foundation's efforts to strengthen collaboration with various institutions in the public and private sectors in order to achieve the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative, particularly given the strong community interaction and desire to participate in this national initiative. We are happy to offer all forms of aid and support for any activities targeted at increasing vegetation cover and improving environmental efforts in accordance with the Kingdom's Vision 2030. We would like to thank the Saudi British Bank for introducing this program, which will directly benefit environmental protection and quality of life." The Morooj Foundation is a non-profit governmental corporation founded as the executive arm of the National Center for the Development of Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification by the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture. This effort brought together SABB and Morooj due to the two parties' shared interest in environmental preservation, as SABB prioritizes initiatives that promote sustainability and places environmental and community activities at the heart of its strategy.-TradeArabia News Service A former youth pastor convicted of sexually assaulting a girl he later married after years of grooming was sentenced to 2 years in prison Monday and will be a registered sex offender for life. Glen A. Uselmann, 63, of Kaukauna, never admitted to the repeated abuse of Rebecca Byrd, 46, that took place beginning when she was 12 years old when the two met as parishioners at Calvary Gospel Church on Madisons Far East Side. The Wisconsin State Journal typically does not name victims of sexual abuse, but Byrd has previously shared her story with The Capital Times and in other forums and was among a group of women who unsuccessfully lobbied the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2019 to pass a Democratic bill that would have required clergy to report allegations of sexual abuse against children that they hear about in private, such as during confession. Dane County Circuit Judge Josann Reynolds acknowledged Monday that Uselmann, who had no previous criminal record, was not a danger to society, but that a prison sentence was required to punish him and deter other potential abusers and noted that hed shown a complete lack of remorse and refusal to accept responsibility for his actions. Uselmann was found guilty of five counts of felony second-degree sexual assault of a child after a four-day jury trial in July in which 16 witnesses testified, including many who reported similar experiences with other men at the church, a part of the United Pentecostal International churches. Deputy District Attorney William Brown argued for a total of 10 years in prison while Uselmanns attorney, Chris Van Wagner, argued for probation and possibly a short jail sentence. Uselmann was also sentenced to five years of probation in the case, to follow the prison sentence. Because the crime predates Wisconsins Truth in Sentencing law, which took effect in 2000, Uselmann will be eligible for parole after serving one-quarter of his prison sentence, and must be paroled after serving two-thirds of the sentence. Byrd said she joined the church or what she termed a religious cult on Monday with her parents as a child and later told police that church leaders were well aware and supportive of the men in the church seeking out preteen and teenage girls for mates. She described Uselmanns often unrelenting attentions to her that culminated in their marriage once she turned 18 and he was 35. The environment at the church set the stage for predators, she told Reynolds Monday, and the subsequent loss of her childhood to Uselmanns abuse caused long-standing damage to her mental health until she was finally able to get up the nerve to divorce him in 2006 after theyd had two daughters together. Our marriage felt like a sham, completely lacking in depth or respect, she said. I struggled with low self-esteem, depression and hopelessness. ... I despised my life and I despised him. She said that when she told church leaders about the abuse, they either denied it or called her a liar. Brown and Van Wagner agreed that Uselmanns behavior cant be entirely separated from the context of his strict and cloistered religious community, and Van Wagner said the congregation will be better off when its longtime bishop, John W. Grant, exits the scene. His son Roy Grant now leads the congregation. Attempts by the State Journal to reach church leaders on Monday were not successful. Byrd was one of four women interviewed for the initial 2019 Capital Times story. The others told the newspaper that alleged assaults by male church members and leaders occurred from the 1980s through around 2005. Brown said Byrds case was the only one that could be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations in place at the time. Such laws forbid the state from bringing charges for certain crimes if the crimes are alleged to have occurred many years ago. In a lengthy statement Monday, Uselmann, who did not take the stand in his own defense, told Reynolds I dont belong in prison and that his feeling during his trial was that they cant convict a man (when) they dont have any evidence for it. Reynolds called such denials untenable to me. Shes not lying and the jury believed her, she said of Byrd. David Kahl, charged in 2020 with the 2008 homicide of UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann, will apparently enter a guilty or no contest plea to a charge related to her death later this week instead of facing a three-week trial set to begin in January. The plea hearing, set for Thursday morning before Dane County Circuit Judge Chris Taylor, was added to the court calendar on Monday. Details of any plea agreement between Kahl and prosecutors were not immediately available. State assistant public defender Ben Gonring said Monday that Kahl hasnt authorized him to divulge any details about the agreement. District Attorney Ismael Ozanne did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kahl, 56, of Madison, was charged in March 2020 with first-degree intentional homicide for the 21-year-old students death at her West Doty Street apartment. A criminal complaint states she died from stab wounds and strangulation on April 2, 2008. The case remained under investigation for about a dozen years, though Kahl had been considered a suspect since early in the investigation. The criminal complaint contains no direct eyewitness evidence of Kahls involvement in Zimmermanns death but cites probable DNA matches found on some articles of Zimmermanns clothing. It also discusses DNA belonging to Kahl that was on the envelope for a letter sent to police in April 2009 from Fox Lake Correctional Institution, where Kahl was incarcerated at the time. The letter attempted to point investigators toward another Fox Lake inmate as someone who, the letter-writer claimed, discussed having killed Zimmermann. The complaint also placed Kahl in the area near Zimmermanns apartment on the day she died, and cited statements he made to police that shifted over time concerning his activities that day. He talked about going from door to door trying to scam money for a purported tire repair, when he was actually seeking money to buy crack cocaine. Until late last year, Kahl had been an inmate at Oshkosh Correctional Institution, where he was serving a sentence for seventh-offense drunken driving. Kahl has been at the Dane County Jail since November on $1 million bail. WASHINGTON The COVID-19 pandemic spared no state or region as it caused historic learning setbacks for America's children, erasing decades of academic progress and widening racial disparities, according to results of a national test that provide the sharpest look yet at the scale of the crisis. Across the country, math scores saw their largest decreases ever. Reading scores dropped to 1992 levels. Nearly four in 10 eighth-graders failed to grasp basic math concepts. Not a single state saw a notable improvement in their average test scores, with some simply treading water at best. Those are the findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress known as the "nation's report card" which tested hundreds of thousands of fourth- and eighth-graders across the country this year. It was the first time the test had been given since 2019, and it's seen as the first nationally representative study of the pandemic's impact on learning. "It is a serious wake-up call for us all," Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the Education Department, said in an interview. "In NAEP, when we experience a 1- or 2-point decline, we're talking about it as a significant impact on a student's achievement. In math, we experienced an 8-point decline historic for this assessment." Researchers usually think of a 10-point gain or drop as equivalent to roughly a year of learning. It's no surprise that children are behind. The pandemic upended every facet of life and left millions learning from home for months or more. The results released Monday reveal the depth of those setbacks, and the size of the challenge facing schools as they help students catch up. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said it's a sign that schools need to redouble their efforts, using billions of dollars that Congress gave schools to help students recover. "Let me be very clear: These results are not acceptable," Cardona said. The NAEP test is typically given every two years. It was taken between January and March by a sample of students in every state, along with 26 of the nation's largest school districts. Scores had been stalling even before the pandemic, but the new results show decreases on a scale not seen before. In both math and reading, students scored lower than those tested in 2019. But while reading scores dipped, math scores plummeted by the largest margins in the history of the NAEP test, which began in 1969. Math scores were worst among eighth-graders, with 38% earning scores deemed "below basic" a cutoff that measures, for example, whether students can find the third angle of a triangle if they're given the other two. That's worse than 2019, when 31% of eighth-graders scored below that level. No part of the country was exempt. Every region saw test scores slide, and every state saw declines in at least one subject. State results In Wisconsin, elementary students held steady in math and reading, while eighth-graders declined in both subjects but still remained at or above national averages, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. Specifically, 43% of Wisconsin fourth-graders scored at or above proficient in math which tied for the second-highest percentage in the nation as did 33% of eighth-graders, which tied for the third-highest. In reading, 33% of fourth-graders and 32% of eighth-graders met that benchmark. The scores also show the achievement gap between Black and white students in Wisconsin is still the widest in the nation except for the District of Columbia, according to the DPI. Recovery is a continuous journey, and we havent yet reached a destination we are satisfied with, nor do we just want to return to where we were before, state Superintendent Jill Underly said in a statement. What is clear is that Wisconsin students, educators and schools need our support more than ever. They are our future, and we owe it to them to invest in their success and ensure they are well prepared to lead this state. Huge declines Several major districts around the nation saw test scores fall by more than 10 points. Cleveland saw the largest single drop, falling 16 points in fourth-grade reading, along with a 15-point decline in fourth-grade math. Baltimore and Tennessee's Shelby County also saw precipitous declines. "This is more confirmation that the pandemic hit us really hard," said Eric Gordon, chief executive for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. To help students recover, the school system has beefed up summer school and added after-school tutoring. "I'm not concerned that they can't or won't recover," Gordon said. "I'm concerned that the country won't stay focused on getting kids caught up." The results show a reversal of progress on math scores, which had made big gains since the 1990s. Reading, by contrast, had changed little in recent decades, so even this year's relatively small decreases put the averages back to where they were in 1992. Gaps intensified Most concerning, however, are the gaps between students. Confirming what many had feared, racial inequities appear to have widened during the pandemic. In fourth grade, Black and Hispanic students saw bigger decreases than white students, widening gaps that have persisted for decades. Inequities were also reflected in a growing gap between higher- and lower-performing students. In math and reading, scores fell most sharply among the lowest-performing students, creating a widening chasm between struggling students and the rest of their peers. Surveys done as part of this year's test illustrate the divide. When schools shifted to remote learning, higher-performing students were far more likely to have reliable access to quiet spaces, computers and help from their teachers, the survey found. The results make clear that schools must address the "long-standing and systemic shortcomings of our education system," said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles schools and a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets the policies for the test. "While the pandemic was a blow to schools and communities, we cannot use it as an excuse," he said. "We have to stay committed to high standards and expectations and help every child succeed." Other recent studies have found that students who spent longer periods learning online suffered greater setbacks. But the NAEP results show no clear connection. Areas that returned to the classroom quickly still saw significant declines, and cities which were more likely to stay remote longer actually saw milder decreases than suburban districts, according to the results. Testing critics caution against putting too much stock in exams like NAEP, but there's no doubt that the skills it aims to measure are critical. Students who take longer to master reading are more likely to drop out and end up in the criminal justice system, research has found. And eighth grade is seen as a pivotal time to develop skills for math, science and technology careers. State Journal reporter Olivia Herken contributed to this report. Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, announced a year-long partnership with the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI), ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changes 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) taking place in Expo City Dubai. COP28 will be held in November 2023 and will see world leaders from the public and private sectors congregate to make progress on climate related matters. With the UAE hosting COP28, and DIFC being a significant contributor to the sustainable economic growth of the Emirate, the Centre is leading by example and announcing their path to COP28 partnership just over 12 months before the event takes place. DIFC and GEFI will drive change across the worlds financial industry relating to delivering Net Zero; unlocking Islamic Finance; financing nature and biodiversity; and financing the sustainable development goals. As host financial centre for GEFIs Path to COP28 programme, DIFC will support a series of report launches, roundtables and community engagements during the next 12 months. The partnership was launched at DIFC with a keynote presentation by Dame Susan Rice, one of the most influential women in banking, who Chairs the GEFI Global Steering Group. Dame Susan, the first woman to head a UK clearing bank, also Chairs the Financial Services Culture Board in the UK and enjoyed a seven-year term as a non-executive Director of the Bank of England. Attendees also heard from the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI) Secretary General, Dr Abdelilah Belatik, and Fajr Capitals CEO, Iqbal Khan. Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority said: DIFC and GEFI are delighted that the financial services sector is the first industry to launch a programme that aligns with the UAE governments COP28 agenda. DIFC is perfectly placed to be host financial centre for the Path to COP28 programme given the progress we have already made and will continue to make on climate related matters with our clients. We are looking forward to working with the GEFI and senior members of the local, regional, and international finance community to embrace this initiative and truly make a difference. Omar Shaikh, Co-Founder and Managing Director of GEFI said: Our Path to COP28 campaign seeks to encourage and support financial institutions in transitioning from commitment to actual implementation, measurement and reporting. The maturity and foresight of the UAE government and DIFC as a world-class financial centre is critical to encouraging the regional financial sector to ramp up its environmental awareness and commitment towards achieving the COP targets. The partnership aligns with DIFCs Strategy 2030 and reflects its progress on driving Dubais reputation as the regions leading sustainable financial hub. This is being achieved through its chairmanship of the Dubai Sustainable Finance Working Group (DSFWG), which was established in 2019. The Path to COP28 initiative also complements the recent launch of the DSFWG self-assessment tool for measuring the maturity of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) policies and practices in companies. GEFIs previous Path to COP26 campaign was supported by the City of London Corporation and brought together several signatories, including 20 financial institutions representing 2 trillion ($25 trillion) in assets, to drive finance for positive change at the Glasgow COP.-TradeArabia News Service Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican challenger Tim Michels are in a hotly contested gubernatorial race leading up to a Nov. 8 election that could have major implications on Wisconsin policies for the next four years. October polling conducted by Marquette Law School found Evers, who is seeking a second term this fall, holding a 47%-to-46% lead among likely voters over Michels, the co-owner of Brownsville-based construction company Michels Corp. Tony Evers Age: 70 Address: Madison Family: Married, three children Job: Governor Prior elected office: State superintendent of public instruction, 2009-2019 Other public service: teacher, Tomah School District, 1976-1979; principal, Tomah School District, 1979-1984; superintendent, Oakfield School District 1984-1988; superintendent, Verona School District 1988-1992; administrator, Cooperative Education Service Agency 1992-2001; deputy state superintendent, DPI, 2001-2009 Education: Bachelors, masters and Ph.D. in educational leadership, UW-Madison Tim Michels Age: 60 Address: Hartland Family: Married, three children Job: On leave as vice president of Michels Corp. Prior elected office: None Other public service: 12 years as a U.S. Army Ranger officer Education: Bachelors degree in political science, St. Norbert College; masters degree in business administration, University of Chicago; masters degree in public administration, Illinois Institute of Technology Q&A Why are you the best candidate for this office? Evers: Im a lifelong Wisconsinite I know were at our best when we work together to get things done. Whether thats through the middle-class tax cut I signed, the thousands of small businesses weve helped, the roads and bridges weve fixed, or the work weve done to improve our public schools, Wisconsin is better and stronger today. Im running to keep doing the right thing for our state. Michels: Wisconsin needs proven, executive leadership to get our state back on track. After returning home from serving as a major in the U.S. Army and commander of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I helped grow our family business from a few hundred employees to over 8,000. Ill use my business and leadership experience to make Wisconsin the greatest place to live, work, and raise a family. What is the most important issue in this election and how would you address it? Evers: The most important issue is common sense leadership. 99% of the bills Ive signed had bipartisan support, and we brought both parties together to deliver historic income tax cuts and increase funding for public schools. Wisconsinites want abortion access, quality public schools, safe roads and bridges, and free and fair elections. Im going to continue working to bring people together. Michels: My top priority will always be jobs and the economy. I am the only candidate who has created jobs. The Michels administration will provide all businesses with the best opportunity to succeed and grow operations in Wisconsin. Well lower taxes, increase American energy production to bring down costs, eliminate the personal property tax, and make clear that all work is essential. What changes, if any, would you make to the states election system? Evers: I believe in safe, secure, and fair elections, and every eligible voter should be able to access the ballot box. Im in favor of proposals that do both of those things, such as creating automatic voter registration, expanding early voting, supporting local election officials, and requiring a voter bill of rights to be posted at each polling location. Michels: Our plan is simple: we need to make it easier to vote, and harder to cheat. Politicians in Madison have made a mess of our elections, and I wont let that continue. Your ballot should be handled the same whether you are in Milwaukee, Manitowoc, or Mauston. I am pledging that as governor, addressing the election mess will be among the first things I do on my very first day in office. What are your priorities for the states $5 billion surplus? Evers: Our state is in a strong fiscal position, and there is no reason these dollars should sit in state coffers. Thats why my priorities for our states record-breaking surplus are focused on supporting working families, tackling rising costs, and investing in our kids. My plan delivers tax cuts for families and more funding for public schools, and it does not increase property taxes. Michels: Wisconsin families are struggling with rising gas prices, 30-year high crime, and low proficiency in our schools under Governor Evers. Well put forward a budget that puts more money in peoples pockets, supports our law enforcement, and empowers parents in their childs education by providing school choice for all families. Should abortion be legal in all cases, illegal in all cases or something in between? Explain. Evers: I support access to abortion as it was protected by Roe v. Wade, because we should trust patients to make decisions about their reproductive healthcare. Roe v. Wade was widely supported by Wisconsinites, and Im fighting to repeal Wisconsins 1849 criminal abortion ban, which provides no exceptions for rape, incest, or even the health of a mother. Michels: Im pro-life, which comes from my faith but I also appreciate that the governor isnt a totalitarian position. The Legislature is closest to the people, and if they presented me with a bill that included abortion exceptions for rape and incest, I would sign it. How should the state improve educational outcomes, especially in the wake of how the pandemic affected student achievement? Evers: Im committed to working together with parents, teachers, and community leaders to improve educational outcomes and ensure students are achieving in and out of the classroom. But we can and must do more, and thats why I will work to increase state aid to schools, improve reading and literacy outcomes, and encourage small class sizes. Michels: The pandemic awakened Wisconsin parents. They want more information and more control. They want their schools to respond to their concerns. If a school isnt working for their child, they want the freedom to find a better option. We have to bring competition into the education marketplace, empower parents, and increase proficiency standards to better equip Wisconsins future leaders. How should the state address its workforce challenges, both in the public and private sectors? Evers: Ive invested over $150 million into job-filling programs that are creating long-term skills training, apprenticeships, and job opportunities for workers. Whether its hiring healthcare professionals in rural communities, expanding affordable child care, or creating a pipeline of skilled workers in southeast Wisconsin Im committed to creating opportunities for businesses and workers. Michels: As a business leader, I understand the challenges that business owners face while looking for workers. We need to attract people to Wisconsin by reducing crime, improving our education system, lowering taxes, improving VA hospitals and creating hiring incentives for veterans, and overhauling our occupational licensing laws that prevent hard working professionals from earning a living. Was the Michael Gableman investigation of the 2020 election a good use of taxpayer resources? What follow-up should there be? Evers: No, the Gableman investigation was not a good use of over $1 million in taxpayer resources. The Gableman circus found no evidence of fraud and instead attacked heroic elections officials and elected officials. There should be a full audit of this investigation and all records associated with it should be available to the public. Michels: All Wisconsinites deserve to have confidence in our elections. We need to make it easier to vote and hard to cheat. When Im governor, well pass the election integrity reforms that Governor Evers vetoed to ensure that our elections are free, fair, and secure. An independent investigation by a retired Dane County judge into employee complaints at the Vilas Zoo found no evidence of discrimination, a hostile work environment or violations of the Dane County Employee Handbook. But the review by retired Dane County Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn found some evidence of isolated past issues with animal treatment that have been investigated or are being resolved and noted that, "as with any growing organization, there is room for improvement through more clearly defined processes, management training, and more open communication between staff and management." The 51-page report issued Monday also includes 10 recommendations to improve the zoo's general work environment, culture and animal welfare following a report by the Wisconsin State Journal in April on the resignations of the zoo's only Black zookeepers, who accused management of racism, unequal discipline, retaliation and neglect of animal welfare. Some of the recommendations are related to significant growing pains experienced in recent years due to a doubling of staff between 2018 and 2022, turnover in management and the complexities and stress of change during the COVID-19 pandemic. But not only did the report find the complaints were not sustained; it also commends the work the zoo has been doing to improve and the commitment and passion of employees there. "If there is a single consistent quality of a Henry Vilas Zoo employee, it is care for the animals welfare," Bailey-Rihn said in the report. "Each person I interviewed impressed me with a genuine dedication to the Zoos mission. Perhaps because they are so passionate about their work, many shared strong feelings ranging from concerns about management, the Employee Group representative, or other zookeepers, to hopes and plans for the Zoos future." County Board Chair Patrick Miles said the independent review was a necessary step "given the serious allegations and negative reporting in the media." This arms-length review should give the public confidence that zoo staff and management are making improvements and the zoo is operating in a way that is safe and fair for both the animals and our county employees working there, Miles said in a statement. Rhonda Schwetz, executive zoo director, declined comment and referred to a statement issued by the zoo, which thanked the county's Office of Equity and Inclusion, Dane Countys Employee Relations, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and Bailey-Rihn for doing thorough investigations. "We strive to be a safe place for both the humans who work here and the animals in our care, and we will continue to seek out ways to progress," the statement says. "We are pleased with the results of these independent inquiries that show the zoo prioritizes animal welfare and is committed to ensuring our guests have a positive experience when visiting the zoo." Allegations trigger inquiries In August, the County Board hired Bailey-Rihn to lead an outside investigation into the allegations by the two former zookeepers and other zoo staff. While the county's Office for Equity and Inclusion performed its own investigation of the zoo, the board concluded an independent investigation was needed to restore public faith in the zoo. The initial internal investigation found that the zoo suffered from a toxic workplace environment that included racism and a lack of transparency in how animal welfare concerns were addressed. But investigators placed the blame on unnamed zoo staff and the county's workers union, who they said created an "Us vs. Them" climate between management and labor. County Executive Joe Parisi opposed efforts to further investigate the zoo, ultimately refusing to sign or veto the board's plan. He argued that it undermined the work of the county's own investigators. In its place, the county executive called for a countywide probe of the racial climate in its workforce by an outside agency. "The manner in which the events of the past several months were cast at the Henry Vilas Zoo is incredibly unfortunate," Parisi said in a statement following the release of Bailey-Rihn's report Monday. "In all environments, some will choose to magnify division while those more constructive will pursue solutions-oriented remedies to any challenge. I am hopeful the completion of this now second review will result in good faith collaboration on shared solutions from all who work at our zoo." A deep review In her report, Bailey-Rihn said she interviewed every zoo manager and nearly every other zoo employee, either in person or by phone, including recently departed employees and volunteers; administered a confidential survey; and reviewed numerous files, emails and other records. She said her findings are consistent with the initial internal investigation completed in May while noting that, as with any organization, processes and communication could be improved. "I do want to emphasize that the issues experienced by the zoo over the last four-plus years have been challenging," Bailey-Rihn said. "Regardless, the staff has continued to function and provide excellent care to the animals entrusted to them. They have been placed under a microscope and portrayed negatively in the public eye, often without merit. "Both management and employees have made mistakes, all organizations do, but continue to show up for work and represent the zoo in a positive way," she said. Bailey-Rihn said she found some evidence of allegations of unfair employment practices but said such allegations are "unhelpful" if they don't rise to the legal level of discrimination. "I did not find any such discrimination at the zoo," she said. The former judge did find, however, that there was a real or perceived problem with favoritism. Work environment A hostile work environment, on the other hand, requires either pervasive conduct based on a persons gender or other protected category that interferes with work performance, or an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, Bailey-Rihn said. "Under this standard, there is no evidence of a hostile work environment," she said. "The problems with the zoos work environment are simply of a different nature. Unsurprisingly, these are the same sort of problems any organization will face over a sufficiently long period." Bailey-Rihn cited examples of "distasteful" behaviors but said there's no evidence such conduct interfered with any employees actual work or was part of a series of acts pervasive enough to change conditions of employment. "Again, it appears that the Henry Vilas Zoo 2022 Workplace Plan is addressing these types of incidents through training and other initiatives," she said. She also found no evidence of violations of the Employee Handbook. Animal welfare Bailey-Rihn did find some past evidence of animal neglect or mistreatment. On June 3, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited the zoo for its treatment of capybaras, although the USDA also acknowledges that corrective treatment has since been taken, she said. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums also requested information on several animal deaths and has indicated that the reports were misleading or false. The zoo has compiled those reports and awaits a formal response, she said. For now, the AZAs only concern regarding animal welfare is to repeat its 2019 "major concern" that many animals spend an inordinate amount of time in small indoor enclosures, she said. "The recommendations that have come out of these reports provide a roadmap we are utilizing to improve our operations and ensure that Henry Vilas Zoo continues to be a community treasure for generations to come," the zoo's statement says. Many orthopedic surgeons at Madison-based SSM Health Dean Medical Group have submitted resignation notices, saying they want to start an independent practice. But some of the surgeons have decided to stay and SSM Health is recruiting more orthopedic surgeons, the organization said this week. Its unclear, amid health insurance open enrollment season, what the impact on patients might be. Most of the orthopedic surgeons at SSM Health Dean Medical Group turned in 90-day resignation notices in late September, several sources told the Wisconsin State Journal. Dr. Jason Sansone, orthopedics chairman for SSM Health, has repeatedly declined to comment. Several other surgeons contacted by the State Journal also declined comment. In addition to three locations in Madison, the orthopedics group has sites in Fort Atkinson, Stoughton, Sun Prairie and Waunakee. St. Louis-based SSM Health owns St. Marys Hospital in Madison, St. Marys Hospital in Janesville and St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo, among other facilities. SSM Health acquired Dean Clinic, which had long been independent but affiliated with St. Marys in Madison, in 2013. SSM Health spokesperson Kim Sveum called the orthopedic surgeon resignations a fluid situation and said SSM Health is confident we will have the coverage necessary to provide care for patients. Several of the orthopedic surgeons have decided to stay and we remain in active discussions with other individuals, Sveum said in a statement Monday. While retention is a priority, we are actively in the process of interviewing new orthopedic surgeons and implementing our recruitment plan. Sveum said SSM Health providers work in a clinically integrated model of care. We believe that the independent model proposed by these physicians would weaken that integration and not be in the best interest of our patients, she said. She said members of Dean Health Plan, owned by SSM Health, have access to a broader network of providers. She didnt provide details. When providers plan to leave SSM Health, patients are notified, Sveum said. The other main orthopedic surgeon group in the Madison area is at UW Health. In June, Dr. Thomas Zdeblick resigned as UW orthopedics chair after Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, said he didnt approve of Zdeblicks plan in which he and other UW doctors would own 62% of a new ambulatory surgery center in the Madison area. Zdeblick, 65, said he will retire from UW at the end of the year and is no longer pursuing a surgery center. When asked in a State Journal interview if other UW doctors were still pursuing the idea, he said he wasnt sure. JEROME A woman, late getting to work, pulled her vehicle onto Interstate 84, although reports say her drivers license was suspended. That same morning, a Idaho State Police trooper responded to a report of a semi-truck on fire on the interstate to help with traffic control without the aid of a safety vest. The lives of Sgt. Mike Wendler and Jerome resident Emina Hukic are now connected after a crash that left the ISP trooper critically injured and the woman facing three misdemeanor charges. An Idaho Vehicle Collision Report obtained by the Time-News describes details of the Sept. 8 crash. Wendler and several other ISP troopers responded to a report that morning of a truck fire at milepost 168. A short time later, Wendler was outside his vehicle, assisting with traffic control. Meanwhile, Hukic was driving her 2012 Hyundai Sonata to Twin Falls via I-84 to get to her job at a Twin Falls bank, she told investigators. Beforehand, a train was blocking traffic, prompting her to take Exit 165 instead of Exit 168 that she normally uses. She texted her boss that shed be late for work. Hukic told investigators that she saw emergency lights when she was just west of the 168 overpass. Witnesses say Hukic was initially in the left-hand lane but braked and veered into the right-hand lane, where Wendler was using hand motions directing motorists. The impact threw Wendler an estimated 15 feet into the air and back 30 feet, next to a Jerome City Fire Department truck. Firefighters rendered first aid and Wendler was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Medical Center in Twin Falls. Hukic eventually admitted to police that she snapped a photo of the police lights prior to the crash, reports say, and deleted it after the crash because she didnt want anyone to think that she intentionally struck the ISP trooper. She initially told police that she looked down to look at a notification on her phone, and when she looked up, she had to take evasive action to avoid hitting a vehicle in front of her, reports say. On Sept. 29, Hukic was charged with three misdemeanors: Reckless driving, destroying evidence, and driving without privileges. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a pre-trial conference has been set for Nov. 28. The charge of driving without privileges stems from a DUI conviction to which she pleaded guilty on March 28, court records say. She lost driving privileges for 90 days after but she didnt apply for reinstatement of her drivers license until Sept. 13, five days after the collision with Wendler, the police report said. Investigators said she didnt show any visible signs of impairment after the crash involving Wendler. The police report indicates Wendler was not wearing a safety vest, but wore his black uniform and a trooper hat. The ISP didnt immediately respond to questions. Wendler continues to make progress after he returned to his Twin Falls home Oct. 1, sooner than first anticipated by doctors. We have been home for 3 weeks today, Wendlers wife, Amy, posted Saturday on a GoFundMe page. I have to say it has gone fast compared to the 3 weeks in the hospital but, considering we were supposed to be there for months, we will take it. She added that her husband is learning the importance of rest. Michael had a few very down evenings this week while thinking about the future, Amy wrote, but they ended in gratefulness to just be alive. Near the conclusion of her post, she said prayers are being heard and answered. This modern day miracle isnt over, she wrote. RUPERT The brother of a man charged in the Jan. 2 slaying of a Heyburn man has been arraigned in Minidoka County Magistrate Court on a first-degree murder charge. Klee Lee Morrison, of Littlefield, Arizona, was being held in Washington County, Utah, on a federal parole violation and was set to be released from jail when Utah prosecutors received a warrant for the inmate in connection with the death of Julio Lopez, according to a St. George, Utah, news article. Along with the first-degree murder charge, Morrison is charged with felony counts of evidence destruction and concealment, criminal conspiracy and failure to notify authorities of a death, according to court records. The prosecutors office also filed a notice to seek an enhancement penalty for displaying, using, threatening or attempting to use a firearm, object or other deadly weapon while committing or attempting to commit the crime of murder. Morrison was arraigned via video on Oct. 19 in Minidoka County Court. Minidoka County Prosecutor Lance Stevenson said on Monday that Morrison was extradited to Idaho and is being held for safety purposes at an undisclosed jail and not at the Mini-Cassia Criminal Justice Center. According to court documents, Klee Morrison had filed hand-written motions to dismiss the case and for final disposition on Aug. 1 and Aug. 8 and his warrant for arrest was issued on Aug. 11. A preliminary hearing for Morrison is set at 9 a.m. Nov. 2. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Morrison was charged in conjunction with his brother, Kalob Morrison, with first-degree murder of Lopez and other crimes connected to the murder. Kalob Morrison waived his right to a speedy trial and a trial that was set for Oct. 12 was vacated. A status hearing in the case is slated for 4:15 p.m. Oct. 31 in Minidoka County District Court. According to preliminary hearing testimony in Kalob Morrisons case, the two brothers worked in concert to kill Lopez, load his body into his vehicle and drive to the Lincoln County desert, where Lopezs body and burned vehicle were found. ST. LOUIS At least three people were killed, including the suspect, and seven more were injured after a shooting Monday morning at Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis. A woman died at a hospital, and a teen girl was pronounced dead inside the school, both of gunshot wounds. The suspect, a male not yet identified but estimated to be in his 20s, was pronounced dead at a hospital. The shooting was reported after 9 a.m. at South Kingshighway and Arsenal Street. David Williams, a math teacher at the school, said the school principal came over the loudspeaker around 9 a.m. and said the code word that indicates a school shooter in the building. Williams heard multiple shots outside his classroom, and one of the windows on the classroom door was shot out. He then heard a man say, "You are all going to (expletive) die." Raymond J. Parks, a dance teacher at the school, said he was about to teach a ballet class when he saw a man wearing all black with a long gun out of the corner of his eye. Parks said the man pointed the gun at him but did not fire for some reason. Nylah Jones, a ninth grader at the school, said she was in math class and the shooter fired into the room from the hallway but could not get into the classroom. Students piled into the corner of the room and tried not to move as the shooter banged on the door, she said. Ryane Owens, 18, a senior at CVPA, said students "thought it was a drill at first. Then we heard noises." "Once you heard the boom," said teacher Michael De Filippo, "all the chuckling and laughing in the back of the room stopped." Taniya Lumpkin was in speech and debate class at the time. She said a staff member told them to close and lock the door as they do for an intruder drill, but they "didn't know if it was real or not." Next thing you know, we just heard gunshots, Nylah said. First single shots rang out, then multiple, then single again, she said. Taniya Gholston, 16, another student at CVPA, said the shooter's gun eventually jammed and that she did not recognize him. She said she heard him say something about being "sick of this (expletive) school." Ja'miah Hampton, 16, was in vocal class on the fourth floor of the building when she heard gunshots on the third floor. "I heard one big one, and then there were so many I stopped counting," she said. "I'm confused why people are so cruel." Dakota Willard, 14, who attends Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience also housed in the CVPA building said he saw what looked like one person, a girl, down at the end of the hallway that joins the two schools. He said it looked like she was trying to run away by the way she was lying on the floor. What I saw was traumatizing, Willard said. Im OK. I dont need any special help. Tonya Neal, a certified nursing assistant at SLU Hospital, said she has a daughter and a niece who attend school there. At 9:19 a.m., she received a text from her daughter that read, Mom, I love you. She didn't realize until later that there was an active shooter at the school. She said her daughter and niece are safe. By 9:30 a.m., the entire area was blocked off by police, ambulances and a SWAT van. Students and staff streamed from the school with hands in the air, filing up Hereford Street toward the Schnucks on Arsenal, where hundreds of evacuees gathered. Hundreds of people gathered in the Schnucks parking lot, where students and their parents were hugging each other. One boy was consoling his mother. Im glad its over. My friends are alive. Its OK, Mom, its OK, Im here, he said. Keisha Acres, mother of sophomore Alexandria Bell, said she was still looking for her daughter at 10:30 a.m. CVPA was Southwest High School for decades until 1992. At least one main entrance to the building has metal detectors. Several parents commended police response to the incident. As October surprises go, this one was a doozy. Nearly 50 Republicans have lined up to support Democrat Tom Arkoosh over former Congressman Raul Labrador in a wild and crazy race for attorney general. There are a lot of big names on the list including former Gov. Phil Batt, former Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones, former Secretary of State Ben Ysursa and former First Lady Lori Otter. Labrador has never a favorite of the GOP establishment, but this has turned into an all-out war. One prominent Republican who is backing Labrador is David Leroy a former attorney general and lieutenant governor. Hes not judging those friends and former colleagues who are siding with Arkoosh, but disagrees with their reasons for crossing party lines. Its based on presumed weaknesses that Raul either doesnt have, or will not exhibit once hes elected, Leroy said. Raul would do a superb job. An attorney general needs to be part of the majority culture within the walls of the Statehouse. Tom Arkoosh is a friend of mine and a fine fellow, but a Democrat will not be a quarter as effective even with the same skills or talents as a Republican will be. Leroy sees Labradors experience as a four-term congressman, and providing constituent service, as a plus for an attorney general. So many of our issues have a federal entanglement, Leroy says. Raul is the best prepared candidate for attorney general than weve seen in this century, and probably the last century. One underlying objection to Labrador is that hell run for governor in four years, and that scares the daylights out of some folks. Labrador ran for governor four years ago, promising to drain the swamp and shake up state government rhetoric that establishment types dont want to hear. Detractors see Labrador spending the next four years campaigning for the states top job. Losing this race likely would end Labradors political career. Leroy, who had plenty of political ambitions of his own when he was attorney general, is not worried about what Labrador might do with his political future. Leroy served one term as attorney general, then ran for lieutenant governor and governor losing by a narrow margin to Democrat Cecil Andrus in 1986. I had political ambitions, yet I still get accolades for my service as attorney general. Thats because I lived and believed that attorney general was a fabulous job to show ones legal skills in a political arena. If you are a good enough lawyer, you might get hired to be lieutenant governor or governor, Leroy said. I have absolutely no fear that Raul Labrador will take his eye off the ball as attorney general, Leroy said. Its not a campaign office. It is a job where sophisticated high-level legal issues come at you daily. Theres plenty to do without striking a pose for a campaign poster. Arkoosh and others have criticized Labrador for lacking knowledge on water issues. And Labrador has acknowledged that he is not an expert in that area. You know what? Im not a water expert either, Leroy said. But he added that he hired attorneys with expertise on water issues and successfully argued those issues to the Supreme Court. Its not unusual for a few Republicans occasionally backing a Democrat in a political campaign. But not to this magnitude. Endorsements from big-name Republicans certainly have given a moral boost Arkoosh; the question is whether the endorsements will make a significant difference in the outcome. Dorothy Moon, who chairs the state Republican Party, makes a valid point. Its a safe bet that many of the hundreds of thousands of people who have moved to Idaho in recent years have never heard of the list of Republicans favoring Arkoosh. And to a good number of those newcomers, the more conservative a candidate is, the better. GOP endorsements might help Arkoosh in Ada County, but that wont necessarily be the case in North Idaho, or in rural communities where folks automatically vote for Republicans no matter what. Newspaper headlines are not nearly as effective as a wave of television advertising. Arkoosh still is largely unknown outside of the Treasure Valley. But theres no question that the Republican defections in this race have added some luster to an otherwise dull campaign season. Ive been following Idaho politics for a long time, and this is the darnedest thing Ive seen. TODAYS WORD is didactic. Example: Randy was gifted with a didactic book from his parents on different topics that he had no interest in reading. MONDAYS WORD was aggrandize. It means to increase the power, status or wealth of. Example: Hope was trying to aggrandize the reputation of the new company she joined, but at times it felt like a lost cause despite her efforts. The latest scam AARP Fraud Watch alerts the public to the latest trick scammers are using to try to get your money: a student loan forgiveness hoax. There has been a lot of news recently about student loans, AARPs warning states. Some are being forgiven, some payments are being paused and lots of borrowers are trying to figure out where they fall ... Crooks are already setting up websites and sending out ads promising to clear up the confusion and get you to the front of the line for a fee. Here are three reminders to keep handy should you be tempted by one of these offers. First, there is no information that anyone can get for you for a fee that you cant get for free from the Department of Education or your loan provider. Second, it is illegal for debt relief companies to collect payment from you before they get results, so upfront fees are a surefire sign of a scam. Lastly, there is no such thing as paying for faster results and anyone who makes such an offer is a crook. Todays Chuckle This joke is making its rounds among Mexicans, who celebrate Oct. 31 as the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), a special time for remembering dearly departed family members and friends: Hey, boss, do we get the Day of the Dead off? Are you dead? No. Then its a regular work day. Pumpkin black bean soup Pumpkins arent just decorations. It is easy to cook a pumpkin: Scoop out the seeds and pulp, cut it into pieces that will fit inside a pot and boil for about 40 minutes. When its done, its easy to scoop the flesh out of the shell. Use that pumpkin pulp to make this tasty soup: Saute 1 medium onion, finely chopped, in 2 TBS olive oil. Stir in 1 cup vegetable stock, a 14 1/2oz. can diced tomatoes in juice, a 15-oz. can black beans (drained) and 4 cups fresh cooked pumpkin. Boil, then stir in 1 cup heavy cream, 1 TBS curry powder, 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, and salt to taste. Simmer 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped chives. (To use canned pumpkin instead, use 3 cups broth and two 15-oz. cans pumpkin puree.) MONDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: The New York Times Bestseller list is published online every Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST made up from sales data from different stores of all sizes across the country. The data reflects the previous weeks sales period of Sunday to Saturday. TODAYS TRIVIA QUESTION: Where was the first bestseller book list in America published? The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (Salic), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund) has joined hands with Minerva Foods for the acquisition of 100% shares in Australian Lamb Company (ALC) for SR970 million ($258.3 million). Minerva Foods is one of the leaders in the production and sale of fresh beef and its byproducts, live cattle exports and beef processing in South America. Salic owns 30.55% of the share capital of Minerva Foods, which operates more than 27 slaughterhouses globally and exports red meat to more than 100 countries around the world, including the Saudi market. As one of the largest meat producers in Australia, ALC operates two processing facilities in Victoria State, with a capacity to process up to 3.78 million heads annually, equivalent to around 100,000 tonnes of lamb and sheep meat, serving the domestic market as well as exporting to more than 70 countries around the world. Salic said the acquisition was done through Minerva Foods Australia, its joint venture with Minerva which was established last year in Australia. Salic Group CEO Sulaiman Al Rumaih said the SLC takeover is in line with its strategy to contribute to the national food security objectives through global diversified investments in countries with competitive advantage such as Australia, which accounts for 42% of global red meat exports, taking into consideration that sheep meat represents 49% of red meat consumption in Saudi Arabia. He pointed out that this acquisition was another successful expansion in Australia, following the takeover of Merredin Farms in 2018 and the establishment of Minerva Foods Australia in partnership with Minerva Foods in 2021 which own and operates two processing facilities Western Australia. Kenneth has been a client at Foothills Industries of McDowell County for 40 years, which is just 10 years short of the programs total existence. Foothills provides a place to work and to be with my friends, said Kenneth. Becky has been a client with Foothills for approximately 30 years. Foothills has helped me to grow and to learn skills to help me to live a good life, she said. I have a lot of friends and the staff is great. Kenneth and Becky are just a couple of the more than 1,400 people who have received services from Foothills Industries since it was started 50 years ago. Foothills Industries of McDowell County Inc. is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. This community rehabilitation program provides services for individuals with disabilities who need training in independent living, education, work skills, and job placement in the community. For many years this organization partnered with McDowell Technical Community College to provide compensatory education for adults with intellectual disabilities who had been denied a free public education before the 1970s. During the last 50 years, approximately 1,400 individuals have received vocational and human services, according to a news release. The organization began in 1972 and was housed for the first few years at Glenwood School. Soon more space was needed and a 501(3) corporation was formed so that a building which fit the needs of the expanding program could be constructed on Lukin Street. This was home for 25 years before again more space was needed. In 2005, the company constructed a building in the industrial park at 300 Rockwell Drive, which is the current location. Foothills Industries has three divisions within the nonprofit corporation. Manufacturing of surgical drapes is a primary product line that Foothills has developed over the last 30 years. Additional contract packaging, assembly, and distribution projects with local and domestic partners has added to the vocational mix at Foothills Industries, according to the news release. Since 1972, hundreds of clients have found work, education and a purpose in life through Foothills Industries. Its a great place to belong and to work, said Donovan, whos been coming there for five years. I have made a lot of friends here. B.J. has been a client for 29 years. Foothills gave me a purpose, he said. I like having something to do. Johnathan, a client for seven years, simply gives a thumps up. In direct support of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Foothills Industries has assembled and packaged more than 14 million test tubes for sample collection of COVID-19 swabs used for testing of individuals for determination of a positive or negative result for the virus. The second division of Foothills Industries is Human Services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This team provides services related to day activities both in-house and within the community including: the delivery of food for Meals on Wheels for the McDowell County Senior Center helping package food at the Foothills Food Hub attending Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes and GED classes provided by MTCC at JobLink visiting the local public library participating in the state Department of Transportations Adopt-a-Highway program and weekly exercise and game play at Providence United Methodist Church The third and newest division of Foothills Industries is a team of instructors providing pre-employment transition services to high school aged students through a contract with the state of North Carolina. This program helps students with documented disabilities prepare for transition into various pathways upon leaving high school. The program helps students identify career paths of interest and provides work experience and training, prior to graduation. The Foothills Industries program is serving 170 students across three counties and five high schools, with plans for additional expansion in the coming years. Working there has also had a positive impact on the staff, who oversee the operations and assist the clients with meeting their goals. Working at Foothills is not just a job, said Mary Harlee, who works in Innovation DSP and has been a staff member for 26 years. We enjoy what we do and who we work with. I come to work every day to see someone accomplish a goal and to help our individuals make their lives better. Service Coordinator Cindy Bird said Our mission is to provide vocational and life-skills training and employment for persons with disabilities so they can live their best life. The dedication of our staff to this mission shines through their actions every day as we interact with this special group of people, said Bird, whos worked there for nine years. We rejoice in their accomplishments and cry in their sorrow. We have become better people because of their never-quit attitude. It has been an exciting and rewarding 50 years. The management team wishes to recognize and thank the many other agencies that have partnered with Foothills Industries throughout the years as well as companies that have contracted with the organization to provide work opportunities for the participants. During this time, the organization has been led by a 12-member local board of directors and three chief executive officers: Joy Shuford for 35 years, Steve Early for 12 years, and Andrew Tye for three years, according to the news release. On Thursday, a party was held at Foothills Industries to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The drop-in party was attended by Shuford, Tye, McDowell County officials, other civic leaders, Foothills clients, their relatives and former staff members. Fifty years worth of articles and photos about Foothills Industries, most of which came from The McDowell News, were projected on a slide show. We have been honored to be a part of the community here in McDowell County, said Tye to The McDowell News. We would like to thank all of the local businesses that we have partnered with us over the years to provide vocational opportunities for the clients we serve. The eradication of extreme poverty in Cape Verde is the priority of the new cooperation framework 2023-2027, signed yesterday between the United Nations System and the Cape Verdean government, worth $115 million. A cooperation framework of hope, which puts people at the center of our action, particularly those who are falling furthest behind, said the United Nations Systems resident coordinator in Cape Verde, Ana Graca, after signing the new framework cooperation program for Sustainable Development 2023-2027. A Cape Verde without extreme poverty is not an impossible dream. It is a work that is done `no junta mon [give hands, in Creole] and that translates into the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, she insisted. During the ceremony, which also marked the 77th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) and took place in Ribeira da Barca, Santa Catarina, in the interior of Santiago Island, representatives from seven agencies and the resident coordinator, as well as Cape Verdes Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miryan Vieira, signed the program. The Cape Verdean government admitted in late 2021 that the country has 115 thousand people in extreme poverty living on less than $1.90 per day, for a total population of almost half a million and assumed the goal of eradicating it within five years, having launched, among other measures, the MAIS Mobilization for the Acceleration of Social Inclusion program, involving non-governmental organizations and other civil society entities. Guinea-Bissau has managed to vaccinate against coronavirus 50% of the target population, but only 18% of the total population is fully vaccinated, according to a paper released in the Annals of the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. After three mass campaigns in the Autonomous Sector of Bissau, Biombo and Bafata and two in the other health regions associated with routine activity in the vaccination centers of Bissau and corresponding to a year of vaccination activities (April 2021-April 2022) the country managed to reach the coverage of 50% of the target population, says the article signed by Placido Cardoso, Gizelo Mendonca, Cadija Mane and Asson Co. The first vaccination campaigns in Guinea-Bissau against covid-19 had as target audience people from 18 years old. Regarding the coverage of the general population, which totals 1,938,553 people, the article states that only 18% of the population has the complete vaccination, at least two doses, and 27% of the population took one dose. By regions, Bijagos and Bolama have the most people with complete vaccination, respectively 43 and 34%, followed by Farim and Quinara (both with 24%), and Gabu and Tombali (with 23%). The Autonomous Sector of Bissau and the region of Bafata, both with higher population density, have a complete vaccination rate of 16% of the total population. Despite the progress made in the vaccination process, the country continues to face serious challenges to get populations vaccinated, especially to complete the vaccination or booster dose, the article notes. The article notes that there is still some resistance from some segments of the population, particularly those considered to be risk groups, those with chronic diseases, pregnant women and women of childbearing age. Awareness work and communication need to be strengthened, the article stresses, adding that a campaign implemented and targeted at women allowed to increase the vaccination rate. A star Pakistani television presenter who fled his country a few months ago to escape arrest on sedition charges has been shot dead in Kenya, apparently by police, Kenyan police said Monday. Arshad Sharif was a vocal critic of Pakistans all-powerful military and a supporter of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was toppled in April by a vote of no confidence. A Pakistani national was killed, allegedly by the police, Ann Makori, head of Kenyas Independent Police Oversight Authority (Ipoa), told reporters Monday. Our rapid response team has already been deployed to investigate the death of the journalist, she added. According to a police report, the car carrying Sharif and another man was hit by nine bullets on Sunday night as it drove through a makeshift roadblock in a remote area about 40 km from Nairobi. The report does not say who fired the shots, but says the car continued on its way until it reached the home of another Pakistani citizen. There, Mr. Sharif was pronounced dead, with a gunshot wound to the head that had penetrated from behind. The report adds that at the time of the incident, the police were looking for a stolen car and a person who had just been kidnapped. But it does not explain what the connection is to Mr. Sharifs death. In August, Mr. Sharif interviewed Shahbaz Gill, a close adviser to Imran Khan, on the Ary News channel, where he urged army officers to disobey orders that were contrary to the will of the majority (of the people). These statements were considered seditious by the authorities. Ary News was then briefly prevented from broadcasting by the media regulatory authority and an arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Sharif, who then left the country. The channel later announced that it had severed (its) ties with the presenter. Mr. Gill was arrested after his interview on Ary News. Imran Khan later claimed that his adviser had been tortured and sexually abused in detention, which led to several court appearances on charges of contempt of court and violation of the anti-terrorism law, which have since been dropped. The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who was involved in a scandal, known as the Phala Phala case, may suffer the same fate as his predecessor Jacob Zuma. A probe is underway on this case dating back to February 2020, when Ramaphosa and other officials allegedly concealed a burglary at the presidents Phala Phala farm. Since then, the president has been faced with this case which is regularly put back on the parliament agenda, as parliamentarians are still trying to figure out why Ramaphosa did not simply file a complaint following the burglarly in his farm. The president failed to convince anyone with his defense. Since the scandal broke, the National Assembly has been in turmoil, with the president faced with this case which is regularly put back on the parliament agenda. Parliamentarians are still trying to figure out why Ramaphosa did not simply file a complaint following the burglarly in his farm. The opposition fires at the president on sight. Members of the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party disrupted parliamentary sessions until they were thrown out of the chamber on contempt charges. Their leader, Julius Malema, described the head of state as a kidnapper, referring to the interrogations that his henchmen carried out at a time the president failed to convince anyone with his defense. According to an affidavit, Ramaphosa had at least $4 million in cash stashed in a couch at the farm, and played a part in covering up the theft, following an allegedly illegal investigation. The Phala Phala case became a burning issue in June after ex-spy boss Arthur Fraser opened a kidnapping and money laundering case against Ramaphosa, head of the Presidential Protection Unit Major General Wally Rhoode, and Crime Intelligence members for allegedly concealing the February 2020 burglary at the presidents farm. Actually, Ramaphosa failed to report the theft on his farm to any police officer as required by law and has thus violated the Constitution by exposing himself to the risk of a conflict between his official responsibilities and private interests. Today, Arthur Fraser no longer exercises any mandate, but he still have contacts in the intelligence and security circles. He claims that he is regularly presented with sensitive documents. This is why he asks the police to investigate the head of state on suspicion of money laundering and corruption, following information, documents, photos and videos that have been brought to his attention, he argues in his deposition. To those who doubt the reliability of his tips, Arthur Fraser provides the precise timing of the surveillance cameras that filmed the intrusion into Cyril Ramaphosas estate. The leak of these documents would have cause for concern for the Head of State as the African National Congress (ANC) is to hold its meeting in December to renew its leadership. In this connection, former president Thabo Mbeki says the ANC has to decide what must happen if a parliamentary panel which began its work on Wednesday finds that President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer regarding the Phala Phala saga. Mbeki said the ANC had to reflect on the accusations hanging over Ramaphosas head. According to Mbeki, the ANCs top leaders should meet to discuss whether or not Ramaphosa should step aside if the independent panel investigating the Phala Phala saga finds that he has a prima facie case to answer. The former president said the ANC had to consider what type of leaders it wanted to elect at its December conference. He said the ANC was being led by criminals. When you talk renewal of the ANC, youre carrying too much baggage of wrong people. You have to have the courage to face that you have a renewed ANC led by criminals, he said. The current prevailing atmosphere is reminiscent of the Zuma years and the Nkandla affair. Zuma had been pinned for having financed the work of his private residence in Nkandla with public funds. Every Zumas appearance in front of Parliament was turned into a demonstration by his opponents demanding his departure. Zuma had survived impeachment proceedings, but the scandal plagued the rest of his term. Cyril Ramaphosa could suffer the same fate. Self-proclaimed herald of the fight against corruption, the head of state now finds himself on the grill. LSU Professor of Psychology Alex Cohens QITraq app observes facial expressions, gestures and eye movements, and conducts an acoustic, lexical and semantic analysis of a persons speech to assess how they feel and their current mental state. Credit: Louisiana State University Through a partnership with Capital Area Human Services District, one of Louisiana's largest behavioral health providers, LSU leverages AI technology to catch early warning signs of serious mental illness and improve treatment. LSU Professor of Psychology Alex Cohen is working to treat serious mental illness using artificial intelligence. He is developing a smartphone app that can track speech and facial expressions to alert them, their families and treatment teams of worsening mental states to help prevent costlyand scaryemergencies and suicide. He recently partnered with Capital Area Human Services District, or CAHSD, one of Louisiana's largest behavioral health providers. Based in Baton Rouge, CAHSD serves about 10,000 people in seven surrounding parishesAscension, East and West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, Iberville and Pointe Coupee. Through a pilot project led by Cohen, LSU is now providing patients in CAHSD's First-Episode Psychosis, or FEP, program with phones that come pre-loaded with Cohen's app, called QITraq. The patients in the FEP program are particularly high-risk and will therefore benefit from the kind of continuous support Cohen's technology enables, according to Outreach Services Mental Health Program Director Paul Tuminello at CAHSD. "Our FEP patients have a tough time dealing with their first episode of psychosis," Tuminello said. "Most have minimal treatment history, experience, knowledge or support, which take time to develop, cultivate and maintain." We're not only treating the individuals, but their families as well," Tuminello continued. "Families are involved and some have limited knowledge and experience dealing with delusions, hallucinations and other symptomology that their loved ones are experiencing. It can be a very scary situation for everyone." Patients in the FEP program often struggle with paranoia. Getting them to trust technology that tracks what they say and think can be a major hurdle, but Tuminello believes in transparency and putting patients and their families in charge of how and when the technology is used. The feeling of not being entirely alone can also be positive for patients and their families, he says. "Importantly, any data we collect is incredibly useful in adjusting treatment planning and medication," Tuminello said. "We're a mobile service provider, so we work in the community and in the clients' homes, but we cannot be with them all the time." Although one in 30 adults in Louisiana gets diagnosed with serious mental illness compared to one in 20 in the country overall, the social, emotional and economic burden is significant. Serious mental illness hinders productivity, overloads health care and law enforcement and is a major driver of homelessness. Worldwide, the direct as well as indirect cost of mental illness is estimated to reach over $6 trillion by 2030higher than the current GDP of any country, except the United States and China. The burden of mental illness is also unevenly balanced between Black and white Americans, rich and poor. In Louisiana, a state with stark health disparities, differences in how these diseases are diagnosed and treated are particularly clear, LSU Professor Alex Cohen argueslargely because mental health care is so expensive. "We basically have three parallel systems of care," Cohen said. "For the rich, there are private hospitals that offer extensive care and outreach. For people who are connected and insured, there's a network of private and public systems with community mental health centers, ERs and intensive outpatient clinics. For poor people who aren't connected, there are prisons, and you can imagine how race and economics in Louisiana play into this." Cohen is the academic advisor of LSU doctoral student in psychology Kiara "Kamil" Warren, who grew up in north Baton Rouge where she witnessed a lot of the unhoused population struggle with their mental health. As an African American, she wanted to join Cohen's lab to conduct culturally sensitive research to address many of the inequities she saw in how mental illness is diagnosed and treated. "One of the major inequities I see is the lack of African American mental health professionals and certainly the lack of African American women conducting research," Warren said. "African Americans should have a hand in interpreting the data on African American mental illness to make sure cultural nuances are not glossed over. We live in an age where a lot of our people are becoming more aware of mental illnesses and how they can negatively impact their everyday lives if left untreated. I hope more people will be encouraged to seek treatment if they see that the data has been analyzed with them in mind, and AI can help. AI has the potential to generate unbiased analyses that will allow for better representation of different societal groups." Partnering with CAHSD, which serves a diverse population, was key for Cohen. His app must be used by people from different cultural and environmental circumstances to become more fair and responsive to their needs. Cohen also aims to use QITraq to identify unintentional cultural and racial bias in doctor-patient interactions. As an example, Black Americans are two-to-three times more likely than white Americans to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, and it's not clear why. "This is why community engagement and collaboration like this is critical," Cohen said. "Real patients and their families must guide the development of the technology to make it useful and effective for more people at scale." Data from the pilot project will be used to improve the technology itself, turning vast amounts of ones and zeros into something clinically meaningful for CAHSD, but also generalizable in different and diverse populations. "Even something like depression doesn't present or sound the same if you're in north Baton Rouge or south Baton Rouge," Cohen said. "That's why most mental health apps on the market are fluff, honestly. They might track how often you use words like 'depressed' or 'sad,' or how often you frown, but you could be very depressed and even suicidal without ever using those expressions. That's why our technology captures pitch, volume, pause and language as well as when and where someone would use a particular combination of words." "Human speech is incredibly complexyou can extract thousands of features from vocal acoustics alone," Cohen continued. "To make our technology useful, we must capture key characteristics that can differ from one area to the next and from person to person. People can have unique symptoms, and the complexity and richness of the data makes this an ideal area for AI and natural language processing. Machines are great at sifting through and recognizing patterns in data we otherwise might miss." For Cohen, a licensed clinical psychologist, the motivation to develop QITraq by using artificial intelligence came from what he calls "pure desperation at every stage" in quickly and accurately assessing high-risk clients, such as patients in the CAHSD FEP program. "Although we're trained to do this, I found I had no confidence in my clinical ratings," Cohen said. "I would sit with someone for an hour and hear them speak and then reduce that complex interaction to a single number to guide their treatment. As a clinician, I always really struggled with that and wanted more effective tools for evaluation." Cohen is careful to point out that QITraq isn't meant to replace clinicians but provide them with additional and objective data that isn't easily captured at a single point in time, such as when a mental health provider and their client are able to sit down face to face. "For people who have just experienced their first psychotic break, things tend to be particularly disorienting and confusing," Cohen said. "It's a critical time in treatment that affects people's trajectoryhow functional or disabled they're going to be over time." Paul Tuminello at CAHSD looks forward to driving out to clients' homes with a clearer idea of what to expect and what to do. "With LSU's app, we'll continue to get data even when we're not there; so when we show up, we'll be much better prepared to help," Tuminello said. "And if this works with our severely ill population, it can be the beginning of a big shift in mental health care overall. Imagine what this technology could do to help a depressed and anxious student, or a geriatric patient going through loss. The applications are endless." Pediatricians' offices, children's hospitals, urgent care centers and emergency rooms across the United States are being overwhelmed by an early, heavy surge of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among infants and young children. Reported cases of RSV started rising dramatically in September, and by mid-October were at their highest levels in at least two years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's causing a lot of strain on the system, and it's a phenomenon that's happening across the country," said Dr. Ron Keren, chief medical officer with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. While RSV infection manifests as just a common cold in most kids, some will develop very serious breathing problems that require medical attention and potentially hospitalization. "Definitely what we're seeing through our doors is a lot of what we would call respiratory viral illness," said Dr. Sarah Ash Combs, an emergency medicine physician at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. "Anything from a sniffle all the way up to children really needing help to breathe because of how sick they are, and a lot of times it is indeed down to RSV." Unfortunately, this early surge indicates that parents are in for a long, harsh RSV "sick season," said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. "It usually doesn't start until October," Schaffner said. "If it's starting early, it's likely to continue throughout the winter, so we anticipate that many more children may well be infected." What is RSV? Respiratory syncytial virus is a very common virus that is transmitted via exhaled respiratory droplets, in much the same way COVID-19 spreads, Combs said. Almost all children will have had an RSV infection by their second birthday, the CDC says. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children younger than 1 in the United States, according to the CDC. Bronchiolitis is inflammation of small airways inside the lung called bronchioles, Combs said. These small branching airways help to deliver oxygen and take away carbon dioxide throughout the lungs. "The way I like to explain it and explain it to parents as well is they're like very thin, tiny straws. Imagine if you had a thin, tiny straw and you put some mucus in it and you made some inflammation around that, clogged it up a little bit. Given that it's already thin and tiny to start, it takes a very small amount of inflammation or mucus to get it really significantly clogged up," Combs said. "In older people, even if we get our airways clogged up, we'll feel uncomfortable, we'll have a cough, we'll be producing some mucus, but we can deal with it," Combs continued. "In the tiny babies, the airways get so clogged, so narrowed, so congested that they actually can't breathe in and out effectively." The problem is that in infants, difficulty breathing can quickly cascade into other health problems, Keren said. Children struggling to breathe often won't drink or eat, leading to dehydration. Are certain children at higher risk? Pediatricians are mainly concerned about children younger than 1, because their airways are so tiny, Combs said. However, RSV also tends to be harsh on children who were born prematurely, Combs said. "Even if you are a little older, maybe you're a 1-year-old, but you were born at 24 weeks of age, you are at higher risk," Combs said. Children with a history of lung illness or congenital heart problems also are at higher risk for a severe RSV infection, Combs said. This is an odd year for RSV, however, because even kids who should weather the virus well are coming down with bad cases, Combs added. "What's a little different this year is so far we have also been seeing atypically some otherwise healthy childrenso not these very young infants, not these children with longstanding health conditionsgetting sicker than we would expect from RSV," Combs said. Why is RSV surging? Doctors think they are seeing more cases of RSV, as well as more severe cases, because of a concept called "immune debt," Keren said. Kids' immune systems typically grow strong as they are exposed to various germs through their normal course of social interactions. "On average, kids get exposed to probably dozens of viruses," Keren said. "They get maybe 8 to 10 colds a year." But that didn't happen over the past few years due to COVID-19 precautions like masking and social distancing. "During the pandemic there were a few cohorts of infants born who, due to social distancing and masking, probably didn't get exposed to these respiratory viruses, including RSV," Keren said. "And so they were not able to build up an immune defense to RSV and other respiratory virus, leaving them vulnerable now." Now that COVID precautions have ended, young children are being introduced to viruses like RSV for the first time, and their immune systems are not well-prepared for the encounter. "Now that we're all back to normal, it's as though we're giving these viruses an opportunity to spread," Schaffner said. "These children may not have had the so-called benefit of an early infection, which could be mild, and now that they're a little bit older their infection may potentially be more severe." What should parents look for? RSV typically causes cold symptoms like a runny nose, coughing, sneezing and fever, the CDC says. Parents with a sick child should keep an eye on their breathing patterns, Combs said. If they're struggling to breathe, it's a sign they need medical attention. "Lift up the child's shirt and if you see their chest wall caving in, their belly squeezing in and out, that's a sign that their using their muscles to force air in and out because of how clogged those little bronchioles are," Combs said. "That would be an indication to bring your child to the emergency department." Dr. Katie Lockwood, chair of pediatrics with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, agrees. "When your child is working harder to breathe and that's impacting their feeding, or you see them using their chest muscles or flaring their nostrils to breathe, that's a sign that you may want to seek care," Lockwood said. Caring for a child with RSV at home The most important thing when taking care of a child sick with RSV is to keep them well-hydrated, said Lockwood. "Dehydration is one of the reasons that they end up going to the hospital often, so any way you can, get fluids into your child," Lockwood said. "I always say this is a time to bribe them with things that pediatricians don't usually like, which include sugary beverages like juice or ice pops. Any way that you can get them to take little sips of fluid." Steam also can help loosen up a young child's airways, Lockwood added. "I love steam. Running a hot shower and doing your nighttime routine in that steamy bathroom air can help break up some of that mucus and loosen a cough," she said. "A cough that actually sounds a little bit more wet and loose can be a good thing as they start moving some of that mucus up and out." Parents can use over-the-counter remedies to help reduce fevers, dry runny noses and ease coughs, the doctors said. What can parents do to shield kids from RSV? There's no vaccine for RSV, but parents can still make sure their kids are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases, Lockwood said. "First and foremost, I would recommend that you keep your child up to date with their routine childhood immunizations, as well as getting the COVID vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccine, so we can try to keep those illnesses away and minimize risk of getting at least a few infections this winter," Lockwood said. Teaching your child good hand hygiene also can help them avoid a case of RSV, she added. "I'm a parent and I don't know if you've ever watched your child wash their hands, but they often are not doing what we recommend, which is a full 20 seconds and getting into all of the nooks and crannies between their fingers and on their wrists," Lockwood said. "I try to reinforce washing hands before eating and after using the bathroom or any time that they feel like their hands are dirty. Particularly if they're coughing or sneezing, they should be cleaning their hands afterwards." Kids can also help prevent spread to other children by covering their cough or sneeze. Parents should also keep a child with a cough or fever home from school until they are well, to protect their classmates, Lockwood advised. Combs pointed out that even though COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed, parents of a high-risk child should consider continuing to mask and socially distance. "I would say if you're a parent or a caregiver and you're worried about a child or a baby in your home, I do think it makes sense for you to mask, certainly when you're out in a public space," Combs said. Children at high risk for a severe RSV infection do have a monoclonal antibody treatment available to them, Combs noted. The catch is that the drug, palivizumab, must be given before RSV season begins, because it can't be used to treat an active infection, Combs said. "It's given in a series, so you have to go in for a few doses," Combs said. "Ideally, you actually want to have already started that. Most people with a child in their life who is in that category will have started even over the summer to be getting those doses." With RSV raging across the United States, what is the advice for the holidays if you have a high-risk child? "The temptation is, 'Oh, it's finally going to be a holiday we can all spend together. There's going to be a big 100-person family reunion in an indoor space in the middle of December,'" Combs said. "You have to look at that as a family and decide if the risk/benefit is worth it, because I would say that's probably a high risk for transmission of any viral illness. So, if you have a young, vulnerable child or infant at home, you might want to skip that event and instead do something on a smaller scale, do something with a smaller number of family members, do something virtual." More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about RSV Copyright 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a decoder that uses information from fMRI scans to reconstruct human thoughts. Jerry Tang, Amanda LeBel, Shailee Jain and Alexander Huth have published a paper describing their work on the preprint server bioRxiv. Prior efforts to create technology that can monitor brain waves and decode them to reconstruct a person's thoughts have all consisted of probes placed in the brains of willing patients. And while such technology has proven useful for research efforts, it is not practical for use in other applications such as helping people who have lost the ability to speak. In this new effort, the researchers have expanded on work from prior studies by applying findings about reading and interpreting brain waves to data obtained from fMRI scans. Recognizing that attempting to reconstruct brainwaves into individual words using fMRI was impractical, the researchers designed a decoding device that sought to gain an overall understanding of what was going on in the mind rather than a word-for-word decoding. The decoder they built was a computer algorithm that accepted fMRI data and returned paragraphs describing general thoughts. To train their algorithm, the researchers asked two men and one woman to lie in an fMRI machine while they listened to podcasts and recordings of people telling stories. Over time, each volunteer listened to 16 hours of voice recordings that covered a wide range of topics. The decoder algorithm analyzed data from the fMRI machines, crunched what it was given and used what it learned to generate predictors that represented textual ideas. The team then used the predictors (guesses) made by the decoder to try to reconstruct what was going on in the mind of the subject based on new sets of fMRI data. To create an accuracy measure, they developed a scoring system and used it to measure the accuracy of text generated by the decoder compared to the fMRI data that was generated originally. The researchers describe their decoder as working "pretty well" in matching brainwave activity and the content of the original story. The researchers also note that their technology could not be used to read a person's mind without their knowledge or consent because training of the decoder must be done first using fMRI data from the people whose thoughts are to be decoded. More information: Jerry Tang et al, Semantic reconstruction of continuous language from non-invasive brain recordings, Biorxiv (2022). Jerry Tang et al, Semantic reconstruction of continuous language from non-invasive brain recordings,(2022). DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.29.509744 2022 Science X Network Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain As we write from New South Wales' Northern Rivers region, other parts of eastern Australia are facing conditions that recall uncomfortable memories from the 2017 floods and those in March this year. Many people are fatigued and still coming to terms with those devastating natural disasters. We know from previous research people with pre-existing mental health conditions and poorer health are more likely to live in flood zones. Val, a dementia advocate who has been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease, knows this all too well. "My house flooded in March and then I spent a week in a local evacuation center because I could not get home. My house was covered in mud like so many other houses, and we had to throw out a lot of things. Eight months later, drips of disappointment continue. I still think, I'll go downstairs and get that but no, it has been tossed out." Extreme weather events are increasing globally and so are the numbers of people living with or expected to develop dementia. Floods are stressful for everybodyespecially Australians living with dementia and those who care for them. But planning and preparation can help. Stressful situations In stressful situations, such as flooding and exposure to other natural disasters, people living with dementia may respond in unexpected ways. This might include disorientation, restlessness, wandering or not being able to recognize people or things. Symptoms may increase as will the risk of functional decline (a decrease in the daily tasks a person can do independently). All this also adds extra stress for caregivers. Dementia Australia gives the following seven tips every caregiver can use to support people living with dementia: look for simple changes to make home life easier, such as prepared meals or cleaning help allow extra time and space for the person to do things for themselves as much as possible listen without always trying to jump in and problem-solve give the person with dementia extra time to search for words they can't find immediately make use of clever technology, such as reminder alerts or safety warnings help them plan social activities encourage safe active movement and healthy choices. These principles apply to preparing for, responding to and recovering from an emergency too. Be prepared To simplify the emergency experience for someone living with dementia and engage them in the process, there are several tools to help you prepare for natural disasters. These include the Emergency Preparedness Toolkit for People Living with Dementia or the checklists in Preparing for a Natural Disasterthe Guide to Using RediPlan for Caregivers of People with Dementia. Based on our first-hand experiences of working in flood evacuation centers, we know they can be very loud, chaotic and disorienting spaces. While recognizing the practical difficulties of establishing evacuation centers in the middle of a crisis, staff can help provide structural and emotional support for people with dementia and their caregivers by: identifying people with dementia quickly and assessing their needs. A family member or friend may be able to help providing quiet, calming spaces within evacuation centers to reduce stress prioritizing people living with dementia for relocation to safe, stable accommodation rather than remaining for long periods within the unfamiliar center among unfamiliar faces including a component of dementia awareness training for emergency services providers, including volunteers. Flash flooding in Cooma!!! Our Cooma-Monaro Unit, Queanbeyan and Snowy River Unit are assisting the Cooma community with the flash flooding that suddenly hit during a localized storm this morning, which has resulted in isolated houses and main road closures. pic.twitter.com/wBM47ptwOc NSW SES (@NSWSES) October 24, 2022 Stay connected online People need digital skills to be able to access information and for communication during disasters. Social media is often used for information exchange and disaster warnings. But access can be a barrier for older people. However, there is increasing evidence digital technologies, such as mobile phones and computers, can prevent social isolation and loneliness in dementia. We found this in our local community as well. Last year, Dementia Inclusive Ballina ran a digital training program with 50 caregivers. We found the number of people who had talked to loved ones in the previous four weeks online had doubled after extra training in the use of Zoom, WhatsApp, and other communication tools. The federal government's Be Connected program for older Australians is a network of community organizations who support older Australians to improve their digital literacy. You can help by teaching people living with dementia and their caregivers how to access natural disaster information and how to connect during a disaster. These skills are an important part of any digital training program for older people. Have a network of people around you The caring role can be an all-consuming one. People living with dementia and their caregivers are at high risk of being socially isolated. That means they can be hard to reach, especially during disasters. Caregivers should be identified and supported to look after their own health. Prioritizing caregivers' health and living environment enables them to continue to look after their loved ones after a disaster. You can help them by: reaching out and asking if you can help. Practical assistance might be cleaning up after the disaster, assisting with shopping, charging phones if there is a power outage, or just lending a helpful ear so caregivers can debrief following up down the track when post-traumatic stress can surface. Care is crucial to support long-term recovery taking it a step further and creating a dementia-inclusive community with a group of local people. Dementia Australia has useful resources to make your community dementia inclusive (in Ballina, for example, we draw on research evidence to connect caregivers and people with dementia in the region) and there's an International Standard too. Emergencies like floods are incredibly stressful for everyone. With preparation, online connections and a strong social network they can show the strength of community and caring, especially for people living with dementia, and their caregivers. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Cash transfers have yielded limited outcomes in increasing vaccination efforts among adults, according to research led by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits). The impact of lottery programs has also been limited, and there is no evidence that other non-cash incentives for COVID-19 or other adult vaccines have improved vaccination coverage. The findings were published online in the journal Vaccine: X. Incentives aimed at individuals to encourage them to get vaccinated included direct cash transfers, lottery tickets, and non-financial incentives, such as food, appliances, and marijuana. In New York City, residents were offered a range of itemsfrom a $100 pre-paid debit card to free amusement park tickets to a trip to the Statue of Liberty. "While we found evidence of cash transfers increasing both the coverage and intention to be vaccinated, very few studies considered these effects at a population level, and the ones that did found that the improvements were limited to a few percentage points in vaccination coverage," said Nina Schwalbe, an adjunct assistant professor in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. The researchers conducted a review using MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane databases of peer-reviewed articles published between January 1, 2012 and February 9, 2022. The initial search yielded 617 articles. After title and abstract screening, they conducted a full-text appraisal of 110 articles, excluded duplicates, and identified 26 articles that met their inclusion criteria, with a majority of studies from the U.S. The effects of lottery programs ranged from none to a slightly over 2 percent increase in coverage, and no evidence was identified for positive effects of other non-cash incentives for COVID-19 or other adult vaccines. "Of note, for all vaccines, incentives were found to be more effective for the first dose than the second dose," said Schwalbe, who is also a doctoral candidate at Wits. "Even more surprising, there was no evidence presented in any of the studies on the extent to which incentives serve to address the concerns of those who are hesitant or even increase uptake among this specific subset of the population." The authors note that some studies raise ethical concerns that financial incentives for vaccination could be construed as coercive, and that in politically-divided contexts, government-promoted incentives might generate a backlash among those who are already hesitant, heightening suspicion of vaccination programs. "This is an important concern to bear in mind and plan for," observed Schwalbe. In the past 18 months, eleven COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for use by the World Health Organization, and more than 66 percent of the world's population has received at least one vaccine dose. "While COVID-19 vaccines are available and affordable in most countries, accessibility is an ongoing challenge in many areas of the world." The WHO classified vaccine hesitancy as among the ten biggest global health threats in 2019. "We found it remarkable how many governments, states, and cities offered incentives to increase vaccination coverage and did not embark on any type of implementation research to evaluate program effectiveness, "said Schwalbe. "And while we found evidence that some programs work, no researchers took it further to understand why or for whom incentives resulted in positive effects." Co-authors are Layth Hanbali and Susanna Lehtimaki, Spark Street Advisors; Marta C. Nunes, South African Research Chair Initiative in Vaccine Preventable Diseases and South African Medical Research Council, and University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. More information: Nina Schwalbe et al, Use of financial incentives to increase adult vaccination coverage: A narrative review of lessons learned from COVID-19 and other adult vaccination efforts, Vaccine: X (2022). Nina Schwalbe et al, Use of financial incentives to increase adult vaccination coverage: A narrative review of lessons learned from COVID-19 and other adult vaccination efforts,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100225 The value of non-oil exports (including re-exports) from Saudi Arabia during August surged to hit SR27 billion ($7.2 billion), up 16.6% compared to last year's figures of SR23 billion ($6.1 billion), with an increase of SR4 billion, according to data released by General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The publication results indicated that the kingdom's merchandise exports value for the month grew 49.1% to hit SR134 billion from SR90 billion last year, thus recording an increase of SR44 billion. The value of oil exports for the month too witnessed a rise, hitting SR107 billion compared to SR67 billion last year, with an increase of SR40 billion (a percentage of 60.2%). According to GASTAT, the value of merchandise imports in Saudi Arabia in August soared to SR61 billion compared to SR51 billion, thus posting an increase of SR10 billion, equating to 20%.-TradeArabia News Service Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The World Health Organization (WHO) is placing fungi that cause diseases (fungal pathogens) in the spotlight, with a global report calling for the public and researchers to pay more attention to this overlooked group. The WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List ranks 19 species of highest concern, which require the greatest research and funding investment. The area of fungal diseases receives less than 1.5 percent of all infectious disease research funding. As a result, the true burden of disease caused by fungus is unknown, and there is limited evidence behind current treatment guidelines in healthcare. At the top of the list are fungal species threatening health care that are already or have increasing resistance to antifungal agents, such as Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida Auris. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of at least three deadly fungal pathogens increasedcomorbid aspergillosis, mucormycosis and candidemia. Evidence is also starting to suggest that the incidence and geographic range of fungal diseases are increasing worldwide due to climate change. The list calls for coordinated investment in laboratory-based and clinical surveillance to manage the increase of antimicrobial resistance. It also highlights that more data is needed on all 19 pathogens, especially relating to morbidity. Action is needed to protect severely ill patients and those with significant underlying conditions. This includes people with HIV/AIDS, transplants, chronic respiratory diseases, and people recovering from tuberculosis. "From COVID-19 to climate change, global crises are turning fungi against humans," said Dr. Haileyesus Getahun, WHO Director, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Global Coordination. Australian researchers played a key role. The University of Sydney and the Australasian Society for Infectious Disease were commissioned by the WHO to compile the report, which involved consulting an international group of leading infectious disease and public health researchers. "Emerging from the shadows of the bacterial antimicrobial resistance pandemic, invasive fungal diseases are growing ever more resistant to treatments, becoming an ever more pressing public health concern worldwide," said Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Assistant Director-General, AMR. There are only four classes of anti-fungal medicines currently available, with only a few drugs currently undergoing clinical trials. In addition, methods to diagnose fungal infection or detect drug resistance are not widely available globally. Dr. Justin Beardsley from the University of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute led the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List's study group. He hopes it will provide a roadmap for a global effort to tackle current and emerging fungal pathogens. "Fungi are the 'forgotten' infectious disease. They cause devastating illnesses but have been neglected so long that we barely understand the size of the problem," said Dr. Beardsley. "For this project, our team of 30 researchers from across Australia and New Zealand screened over 6,000 papers and recruited more than 400 international mycology experts. It was a comprehensive effort to describe current knowledge, understand what drives priorities, and allow the WHO to set an objective research agenda." Fungi of greatest concern The fungi of greatest concern on the list are the four critical priority pathogens, ranked highest due to their public health impact and/or risk of antifungal resistance. Aspergillus fumigatus, which mainly affects the lungs, is becoming increasingly resistant to azole medicines (a group of antifungals). Infections caused by azole resistant strains kill between 47 percent and 88 percent of affected patients. Candida albicans can cause invasive infections, typically in vulnerable patients, and kills 20 percent to 50 percent of people it affects. It and Aspergillus fumigatus are the two most common fungal pathogens globally. Cryptococcus neoformans has a propensity to infect the brain, especially in immunocompromised individuals. The main risk factor globally is HIV infection, and it is a leading killer in this population. Candida Auris is a newly emerged pathogen. It is resistant to most antifungal medications and presents a huge treatment challenge for hospitals. It is so environmentally tenacious that affected wards may have to be closed for prolonged periods to avoid transmission between patients. Report is the result of a careful review of the literature by global experts Professor Jan-Willem Alffenaar led the analysis of infectious disease literature that formed a key part of the pathogen ranking. "The ranking of the fungal pathogens was supported by a careful, systematic review of medical and scientific research. This was done by collating all relevant information from mortality risk to antifungal resistance," said Alffenarr from the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases and School of Pharmacy. Professor Kirsten Howard, Co-Director, Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, University of Sydney, led work that consulted international infectious experts to ensure their voices were included in the report. "We conducted a preference survey of international experts to understand how the different pieces of evidence contribute to the overall priority of a pathogen." "The value of this approach is that by including this expertise, decision-makers can be objective about which factors are most important in determining priorities of fungal pathogens." Professor Orla Morrissey from the Australia and New Zealand Mycology Interest Group led work on determining the diagnostic tests' ability and the levels of evidence that underpin treatment guidelines. "This project has really focused the global mycology community on the task ahead. It is in addition to continuous laboratory surveillance correlated with clinical data to understand the epidemiology of the invasive fungal disease," said Professor Morrissey. "We also need strong investment into basic science research so we can discover the mechanisms by which these priority fungi cause infection. This is the key to developing new drugs and diagnostic tests. "Critical to reducing the burden of invasive fungal disease is the development of novel strategies to increase access to sensitive diagnostic tests and effective treatments." Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Cats are often left out of university-based animal assisted interventions aimed at reducing stress, but new research shows many people, especially those with strong and highly reactive emotions, want and would benefit from feline interactions. Universities implementing animal-assisted interventions like "Pet Your Stress Away" events has proven benefits, but more than 85% of them only include dogs, according to researchers. A new paper published in the journal Anthrozoos found a high level of interest in adding cats to the mix. The study found that several factors shaped a positive response to a cat visitation program and revealed that the personality trait of emotionality played an important role. Emotionality, part of a well-established psychology model called the Big Five personality traits, indicates a person has strong emotions and is highly reactive to them. "Emotionality is a pretty stable trait; it doesn't fluctuate and is a quite consistent feature of our personalities," said co-author Patricia Pendry, a professor in Washington State University's Department of Human Development. "We found that people on the higher end of that scale were significantly more interested in interacting with cats on campus. Given that prior research has shown that such individuals may be more open to forming strong attachments to animals, it makes sense they would want cats to be included in these programs." Pendry and lead author Joni Delanoeije, from Belgian university KU Leuven, explored the level of interest in adding cats to the interventions, plus how human characteristics may influence that interest. The scientists also examined whether university employees, who are commonly excluded from such programs, would be interested in participating. "Anecdotally, we've always been told that cat people are different from dog people, and that most students are not interested in interacting with cats,"Pendry said. "Our results revealed that students are interested in interacting with cats and that this interest may be driven by personality traits." The researchers surveyed more than 1,400 university students and staff for the paper from over 20 universities. The link between personality and openness to interacting with cats mattered even after accounting for openness to a dog visitation program, being a cat owner and identifying as female. The researchers also accounted for negative influences such as having a cat allergy or cat phobia, which logically reduced participants' interest in interacting with felines. One reason university interventions tend to be dog-focused is the larger number of canine therapy animals available and a common view that cats may be unsuitable for therapy roles, Pendry said. "There's a perception that dogs exist to please people," said Pendry, who classifies herself as a dog and a cat person. "While I may describe cats as 'discerning,' they are often perceived as unpredictable, aloof, or finickytraits that can be difficult for some to be around." In previous studies where results weren't divided into different animal species, Pendry said it was easy to tell cat people from dog people. "Some people came in and made an immediate beeline for cats and others for dogs," she said. "I was pleasantly surprised by how many people were interested in interacting with cats, which made me interested in learning more about why they made those choices." Researchers included faculty and staff, in addition to students, and found no differences between the groups. "We think of college student populations as being unique, and in several ways they are," Delanoeije said. "But when we looked at university employees, the results were very similar: Personality mattered more than being a student or employee. That shows there would be interest in having animal interventions in non-university settings and other workplaces." Having the option of being able to choose an interaction with a cat or dog, or both, may increase the number of people interested in attending an animal-assisted intervention, which is shown to lower stress and make people feel better. That's the whole point for the scientists. "Our study shows that we may be able to reach a larger audience by offering interventions that include dogs and cats. People who are on the higher end of the emotionality trait may be more likely to participate and benefit from these interactions," Pendry said. "We're looking for ways to help more people reduce their stress levels. Adding cats may be another way to reach a broader audience." More information: Joni Delanoeije et al, University Cats? Predictors of Staff and Student Responsiveness Toward On-Campus Cat Visitations, Anthrozoos (2022). Joni Delanoeije et al, University Cats? Predictors of Staff and Student Responsiveness Toward On-Campus Cat Visitations,(2022). DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2022.2109290 GM-CSF+ and IL-17A+ lineages of T cells are instrumental in controlling many fungal and bacterial infections and implicated in autoimmune pathology. This study shows that GM-CSF expressing Tc17 cells are necessary for mediating fungal vaccine immunity without augmenting pathology. Credit: Som Nanjappa Researchers at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine have demonstrated in a mouse model that a specific type of T cell, one of the body's potent immune defenses, produces cytokines that are necessary for the body to acquire immunity against fungal pathogens. This finding could be instrumental in developing novel, effective fungal vaccines. Despite vaccines being hailed as one of the greatest achievements of medicine, responsible for controlling or eradicating numerous life-threatening infectious diseases, no vaccines have been licensed to prevent or control human fungal infections. This lack proved especially deadly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In countries where steroids were widely used to suppress inflammation of the lungs, COVID-19 patients with preexisting conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes showed a greater likelihood of developing lethal fungal infections. T cells could produce protective or pathological response "A particular type of T cell [T H 17 cells] that expresses GM-CSF [granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor] was linked to greater severity of illness in people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19," said Dr. Som Nanjappa, an assistant professor of immunology at the University of Illinois. "Our study shows that IL-17A+ CD8+ T cell (Tc17), which also expresses GM-CSF, is necessary for mediating fungal vaccine immunity without instigating hyperinflammation. So clearly, the antigen specificity of T cellswhether they target viral vs. fungal or bacterial pathogenshas a huge impact on whether they play a protective or detrimental role." The article, "GM-CSF+ Tc17 cells are required to bolster vaccine immunity against lethal fungal pneumonia without causing overt pathology," appeared in Cell Reports on October 25. Dr. Nanjappa's co-authors on the study are Srinivasu Mudalagiriyappa, a former graduate student now a scientist with Insmed Incorporated, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on serious and rare diseases; Jaishree Sharma, a graduate student in the Department of Pathobiology; and Miranda D. Vieson, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pathobiology as well as a boarded veterinary pathologist in the college's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. T cells for fungal vaccine immunity In the study, colonies of mice were given an experimental fungal vaccine. The mice were then exposed to virulent fungal pathogen to cause lethal pulmonary infection. Researchers could determine the necessity of GM-CSF+ Tc17 cells to mediate vaccine immunity. Further, they found that IL-1 and IL-23 cytokines are necessary for eliciting GM-CSF+ Tc17 cells to vaccine. While IL-23 is dispensable for the long-term memory homeostasis of these cells, it is essential for vaccine immunity against pulmonary fungal infection. This study identifies a beneficial subset of T cells for fungal vaccine immunity that bolsters efforts to develop a vaccine platform containing suitable adjuvants to potentiate such a T cell subset. "In line with this, we have identified a functional phenotypic marker that could be targeted to enhance this subset to augment vaccine efficacy," said Dr. Nanjappa. More information: Srinivasu Mudalagiriyappa et al, GM-CSF+ Tc17 cells are required to bolster vaccine immunity against lethal fungal pneumonia without causing overt pathology, Cell Reports (2022). Journal information: Cell Reports Srinivasu Mudalagiriyappa et al, GM-CSF+ Tc17 cells are required to bolster vaccine immunity against lethal fungal pneumonia without causing overt pathology,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111543 Credit: Shutterstock Being lost in an unfamiliar place is an unsettling feeling most of us have experienced. It requires cognitive and physical skills, and potentially other resources, to find our way and safely arrive at our destination. This is why up to 60% of people with dementia will experience becoming lost during the course of living with the disease. We have conducted a study of search and rescue incidents in the United States, and found people over the age of 65 years who go missing will experience (sometimes fatal) harm more than we expected. Our findings were published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. However, the results for older people with dementia were surprising and counterintuitive. What we know about older people and becoming lost Older people (those over 65) are more vulnerable to becoming lost. Age-related declines in physical and cognitive function impact our ability to navigate and endure the environment and seek assistance. Becoming lost is very distressing for both the lost person and for their loved ones. People with dementia are at increased risk of becoming lost due to memory problems, loss of judgment and reduced visual-perceptual ability (they might forget landmarks, become confused about direction, or not recognize places). Frailty and increased risk of disease as we age mean the risk of sustaining an injury, possibly a fatal injury, increases for older people. What our study found Our study examined incident reports of older people who became lost in the US and had the matter reported to police or directly to a search and rescue team. We looked at 1,703 incidents which required a search and rescue operation to locate the person. We used US data because it was more extensive and detailed than what we have in Australia. Of the 1,703 cases, 208 (12%) were found dead. This was more than we expected, but exact numbers of deaths are hard to predict since some people will also die due to injury after being found, and some are found quickly before the police are called. We found death was more likely in situations where there were water-related activities (such as boating and fishing), cold weather conditions (drizzle, rain, snow), and among males. And for those who didn't survive, they were more likely to be found in water or wetlands compared to the people found alive. Importantly, for those who didn't survive, the time taken to notify search and rescue teams was three times longer. The search time was six times longer. Interestingly, people with dementia were more likely to be found alive than those without dementia. Why were people with dementia more likely to survive? While it seems a counterintuitive finding, the explanation for why those with dementia fared better may be in our approach to care, and the rescue methods applied for older people with dementia. Caregivers for people with dementia may be using technological tracking devices or locking doors more regularly to prevent the older person with dementia from leaving their home. It's also plausible the greater concerns for the safety and well-being of people with dementia may be an impetus for caregivers to notify search and rescue teams earlier, compared to when a person without dementia is noticed missing. Alternatively, it may also reflect the strategies employed by search and rescue teams. Searches for lost people with dementia are often prioritized and given the highest urgency by search and rescue teams. This focus on people with dementia may overlook other older people in need of interventions. We may not feel the same level of urgency, or even recognize there is real risk of harm to people without dementia. What do the findings mean? This study, while focused on the US, would likely be transferable to countries with similar search and rescue authorities, climates, and terrain. Certainly, countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the US can learn from each other and are known to share search and rescue information with the aim to improve search efforts. It is a stark reminder we need to focus on all older people, and not limit our focus to one population group. If a loved one is noticed missing it is important to contact police early. The longer a person is missing, the greater their risk of death. For people with dementia, families should consider the use of personal tracking devices such as GPS smart watches or tags. This intervention can help locate the person quickly and also respects their right to freedom of movement. Often, people are found within close proximity of the place they were last seen and so searching in places nearby may be effective. Finally, understand the dangers of water-related activities. This danger extends to all older people with and without dementia. Ensuring the family know when and where an older person is visiting the water and wearing tracking devices may just save a life. More information: Marta H. Woolford et al, Search and rescue incidents among persons 65 years and older in the USA: Examination of factors associated with death, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (2022). Marta H. Woolford et al, Search and rescue incidents among persons 65 years and older in the USA: Examination of factors associated with death,(2022). DOI: 10.1002/gps.5821 This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. An endemic means that COVID-19 is still around, but it no longer disrupts everyday life. Credit: Shutterstock In 2021, conversations began on whether the COVID-19 pandemic will, or even can, end. As a literary and cultural theorist, I started looking for shifts in stories about pandemics and contagion. It turns out that several stories also question how and when a pandemic becomes endemic. The 2020 film "Peninsula", a sequel to the Korean zombie film "Train to Busan", ends with a group of survivors rescued and transported to a zombie-free Hong Kong. In it, Jooni (played by Re Lee) spent her formative years living through the zombie epidemic. When she is rescued, she responds to being informed that she's "going to a better place" by admitting that "this place wasn't bad either." Jooni's response points toward the shift in contagion narratives that has emerged since the spread of COVID-19. This shift marks a rejection of the push-for-survival narratives in favor of something more indicative of an endemic. Found within Contagion follows a general cycle: outbreak, epidemic, pandemic and endemic. The determinants of each stage rely upon the rate of spread within a specified geographic region. Etymologically, the word "endemic" has its origins with the Greek words en and demos, meaning "in the people." Thus, it refers to something that is regularly found within a population. Infectious disease physician Stephen Parodi asserts that an endemic just means that a disease, while still prevalent within a population, no longer disrupts our daily lives. Similarly, genomics and viral evolution researcher Aris Katzourakis argues that endemics occur when infection rates are staticneither rising nor falling. Because this stasis occurs differently with each situation, there is no set threshold at which a pandemic becomes endemic. Not all diseases reach endemic status. And, if endemic status is reached, it does not mean the virus is gone, but rather that things have become "normal." A clip from the film Contagion showing the disease spreading throughout the world. Survival narratives We're most likely familiar with contagion narratives. After all, Steven Soderbergh's 2011 film "Contagion" was the most watched film on Canadian Netflix in March 2020. Conveniently, this was when most Canadian provinces went into lockdown during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In survival-based contagion narratives, characters often discuss methods for survival and generally refer to themselves as survivors. Contagion chronicles the transmission of a deadly virus that is brought from Hong Kong to the United States. In response, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is tasked with tracing its origins and finding a cure. The film follows Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon), who is immune, as he tries to keep his daughter safe in a crumbling Minneapolis. Ultimately, a vaccine is successfully synthesized, but only after millions have succumbed to the virus. Like many science fiction and horror films that envision some sort of apocalyptic end, "Contagion" focuses on the basic requirements for survival: shelter, food, water and medicine. However, it also deals with the breakdown of government systems and the violence that accompanies it. A 'new' normal In contrast, contagion narratives that have turned endemic take place many years after the initial outbreak. In these stories, the infected population is regularly present, but the remaining uninfected population isn't regularly infected. A spin-off to the zombie series "The Walking Dead" takes place a decade after the initial outbreak. In the two seasons of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" (20202021) four young protagonistsHope (Alexa Mansour), Iris (Aliyah Royale), Silas (Hal Cumpston) and Elton (Nicolas Cantu)represent the first generation to come of age within the zombie-infested world. The trailer for the second season of AMCs The Walking Dead: World Beyond. The four youth spent their formative years in an infected worldsimilar to Jooni in "Peninsula." For these characters, zombies are part of their daily lives, and their constant presence is normalized. The setting in "World Beyond" has electricity, helicopters and modern medicine. Characters in endemic narratives have regular access to shelter, food, water and medicine, so they don't need to resort to violence over limited resources. And notably, they also don't often refer to themselves as survivors. Endemic narratives acknowledge that existing within an infected space alongside a virus is not necessarily a bad thing, and that not all inhabitants within infected spaces desire to leave. It is rare in endemic narratives for a character to become infected. Instead of going out on zombie-killing expeditions in the manner that occurs frequently in the other "Walking Dead" stories, the characters in "World Beyond" generally leave the zombies alone. They mark the zombies with different colors of spray-paint to chronicle what they call "migration patterns." The zombies have therefore just become another species for the characters to live alongsidesomething more endemic. "The Walking Dead," "Fear the Walking Dead" (2015), "Z Nation" (201418), and many other survival-based stories seem to return to the past. In contrast, endemic narratives maintain a present and sometimes even future-looking approach. Don't question it. Just go. #Peninsula is in Canadian theaters August 7, US coming soon. pic.twitter.com/vwWOTCgkFH Peninsula (@PeninsulaMovie) July 24, 2020 Learning from stories According to film producer and media professor Mick Broderick, survival stories maintain a status quo. They seek a "nostalgically yearned-for less-complex existence." It provides solace to imagine an earlier, simpler time when living through a pandemic. However, the shift from survival to endemic in contagion narratives provides us with many important possibilities. The one I think is quite relevant right now is that it presents us with a way of living with contagion. After all, watching these characters survive a pandemic helps us imagine that we can too. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Scientists across the world are attempting to unravel the neuroscience of psychedelic trips and the therapeutic potential of psychoactive substances. Credit: Raimond Klavins via Unsplash Psychedelic drugs are mostly banned in Europe, but new research suggests they may be beneficial to some when taken in a controlled setting. Mind-bending drugs and psychedelics are generally stigmatized and illegal in EU member states, due to concerns about their possible harmful effects. However, in other parts of the world, some psychedelic compounds are exalted for their healing properties and have been consumed in spiritual and cultural ceremonies for millennia. Now scientists in Europe and the U.S. are starting to wake up to what shamans have been saying for years. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest some psychoactive substances have immense therapeutic potential, especially when it comes to tackling serious, hard-to-manage mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcoholism and eating disorders. Mental disorders contribute enormously to the global burden of disease, with huge costs to both society and the economy. Psychedelics (which are generally considered non-addictive) may offer a tantalizing form of therapy for difficult-to-treat conditions. In response to the burgeoning interest from the scientific community, dozens of privately funded American studies, and a handful in Europe too, are attempting to unravel the neuroscience of psychedelic "trips." The endgame for many scientists in this area is to decriminalize psychedelics (both synthetic and natural) and establish safe protocols that will allow doctors and psychotherapists to harness the "magic" in these compounds for medical purposes. The goal is to achieve a lasting recovery in patients. "Researchers involved in this field picture a world where psychedelics are safely and legally available for beneficial use, and where research is given the opportunity to thoroughly evaluate their risks and benefits," said Dr. Claudia Schwarz-Plaschg, who recently completed the three-year, Horizon-funded ReMedPsy project, where she examined (among other things) society's evolving views on psychedelics. Mainstream acceptance "Before we can make real progress in the medical use of psychedelics, we need to cultivate mainstream acceptance of these substances," said Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg, adding, "In this sense, America is definitely ahead of Europe." While psychedelics are enjoying favorable attention from scientists, this is not the first time research institutions have expressed an interest in these substances. The 1950s and 1960s were a previous age of scientific and cultural exploration of psychedelic substances. However, when the political mood swung against all categories of "recreational" drugs, research was shut down. Today's revival of interest seeks to deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms that give rise to the mind-altering effects of psychedelics, so they can be safely integrated into society. "These substances must be used with great care and respect," said Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg. "They can be abused and they can be used to control people, so it's vital to get both the set and setting right before they are taken." The "set" refers to the mindset of the person entering the experience. People need to be relaxed and free of fear, as this will influence the experience they have. And the "setting" refers to the physical place you are in. "You must be comfortable and in good hands, and you must feel safe," she said. Altered state So, what is it about these substances that makes them so appealing both on the nightlife scene and in a therapeutic setting? Psychedelics trigger an altered state of consciousness. They affect all the senses and shift a person's thought processes, sense of time and emotions. Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg says the sensation they elicit is one of 'opening up." She said: "Take a substance like MDMA (the active ingredient in the dance party drug Ecstasy). It produces a lot of empathy and strong feelings of bonding with others. Taken in the right setting, a person will also go within, and feel a lot of love and empathy for themselvesand if they've been the victim of a traumatic crime, probably for the perpetrator too." In this state of emotional expansiveness, patients are sometimes able to revisit traumatic experiences and confront catastrophic memories in a way that would be impossible under normal circumstances. "They can feel the same powerful feelings they first experienced at the time of their trauma but with less fear," explained Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg. "And with the help of the psychedelic and their therapist, they can reframe the memory in a new light." Positive perspective "This process can help a person release feelings that have been stored in their bodies and give their traumatic experience a fresh, more positive perspective," said Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg. "This perspective seems to stay with them even after the effects of the substance have worn off." Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg is quick to point out that the work of psychedelics is explained through science, not magic. Their active molecules bind with the body's receptors for serotoninthe "feel good" neurotransmitter. Established antidepressants work along similar lines. However, psychedelics, when paired with therapy, appear to stave off mental health disorders for longerfor some, perhaps even forever. A radical approach being proposed by scientists in this field is psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). This is the professionally supervised use of psychedelic substances as part of a detailed psychotherapy program. Psychedelic therapy "We picture a world where psychotherapists are trained in the use of psychedelics, so these substances can be offered as part of a package," said Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg. The program would involve the pairing of a specific substance with a specific type of therapy. Maybe the patient would have two sessions where the therapist gives them psilocybin (found in "magic mushrooms") and then two sessions of pure therapy. In one 2021 trial, run by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)an American non-profit to raise awareness and understanding of psychedelicsMDMA-assisted therapy was given to people suffering from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This condition is profoundly challenging to treat. After just three sessions, 67% no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD while 88% experienced an improvement in symptoms. "Once we have more data on the best type of treatment mode to make people better, we are hopeful that the European Medicines Agency will give their approval," said Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg. The three substances at the center of current scientific research are MDMA, psilocybin and ketamine (used as a sedative at higher concentrations and also known for its hallucinogenic effects). Since 2019, esketaminea ketamine-based nasal sprayhas been allowed in the U.S. and the EU to treat major depressive disorders, but only when other antidepressants have failed and only when administered from a certified clinic. For many people with depression (but not all), esketamine is proving to be a breakthrough therapy. It acts fast and seems to significantly decrease the likelihood of a relapse into severe depression, when compared to oral antidepressants paired with a placebo nasal spray. Optimal dose However, as with other psychedelics, more data is needed on the mechanism by which this mind-altering treatment works. More work is also needed to establish how many doses, and at what concentration, patients should take the treatment to achieve optimal results. The use of MDMA and psilocybin is forbidden in most of Europe (some exceptions are available, with restrictions, in the Netherlands and Austria). However, champions of psychedelics are making good progress in the U.S. Since 2021, magic mushrooms have been legal for mental health treatment in supervised settings in some parts of the U.S., and a bill pending in California would go some way to legalizing the use of a medley of psychedelics that includes magic mushrooms, MDMA and LSD. Dr. Schwarz-Plaschg is hopeful that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy will be available in Europe within the next two or three years. The United Nations warned Tuesday that Haiti was seeing a sharp increase in cholera infections, with the crisis-wracked country's number of suspected cases almost doubling over just a few days. "Up until a few days ago, the increase of cholera cases had been gradual but now we are seeing a worryingly sharp increase, so the situation has become more challenging," wrote the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, in a blog post published Tuesday. "Although cholera can be deadly, it is preventable and treatable," she said, adding that "speed is of the essence" to contain the outbreak. Richardson lauded the "immediate and decisive" UN-supported work by Haitian authorities and NGOs, who continue to face critical shortages of clean water and fuel due to gang blockades. Between October 20 and 23, the number of suspected cases recorded by Haiti's health ministry grew from around 1,000 to nearly 2,000, said the UN secretary-general's spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric. He added that according to UNICEF, children under the age of 14 made up about half of the cases. Richardson said she had visited several cholera treatment centers in the most affected neighborhoods of Haiti's capital, where she saw heartbreaking scenes, including "children who were so malnourished, it was difficult to insert a drip into their arms or legs." Cholera returned to Haiti in early October, three years after the country finally stamped out an outbreak that began in 2010 and killed more than 10,000 people. Haiti's government has called on the international community for help with its worsening health and security crises. The UN Security Council, at the request of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is considering sending an international force to restore order. 2022 AFP Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Updated toxicity data from the ongoing SWOG/NRG 1806 clinical trial, which tests combining chemoradiation therapy with immunotherapy in patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer, reveal no significant safety concerns with the combination. S/N1806 study team member Sameer G. Jhavar, MD, Ph.D., of Baylor Scott and White Health, of Temple, Texas, will present a safety report on 213 patients as an oral presentation at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in San Antonio on October 25. Patients enrolled in the phase 3 S/N1806 trial have non-metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer. All patients on the trial are randomized 1:1 to one of two treatment arms. Patients on both arms are treated with standard trimodality therapy, which combines endoscopic surgery to maximally remove the bladder tumor with chemoradiation therapy. The half of patients on the investigational arm also receive the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab in combination with the chemoradiation, every three weeks for six months. The lead author on the report is Parminder Singh, MD, a SWOG investigator at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. "This is a randomized phase 3 clinical trial investigating the addition of immunotherapy to bladder-preserving trimodality chemoradiation therapy," Singh said. "There is no sign of significant toxicity concerns in the investigative arm, which suggests the regimen is safe, and the trial continues to accrue very well. If positive, the trial may lead to improved treatment options for patients with bladder cancer by which they can preserve their bladder." Among the 213 patients assessed, 113 received the trimodality therapy plus atezolizumab combination. The remaining 100 patients were randomized to the control arm of trimodality therapy alone. Overall, 65 of the 113 patients (58 percent) on the atezolizumab arm reported Grade 3 or higher toxicities, compared to 44 of 100 patients (44 percent) on the control arm. Most toxicities were hematological and were not considered to be immune related by the treating physician. However, a number of known immune-related adverse events of atezolizumab were reported at Grade 3 or higher on the investigational arm. An earlier pre-specified safety analysis of the first 80 patients enrolled to the trial also showed no significant increase in toxicity on the investigational arm as compared to the control arm. The S/N1806 trial continues to accrue well and is expected to reach its enrollment goal of 475 patients within the next two years. It is the largest study investigating bladder-preserving therapy in North America. Provided by SWOG Cancer Research Network Some of the LSTM team who have been involved with the work in Uganda, including former colleagues Johan Esterhuizen and Richard Selby and the local LSTM team in Arua. Credit: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine The Ministry of Health in Uganda and partners, including LSTM, are celebrating the elimination of Gambian sleeping sickness following the recent announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO). The milestone was marked with a ceremony in Kampala, Uganda, on the Oct. 21. The elimination of Gambian HAT (gHAT) has been achieved through an integrated approach with screening and treatment and vector control. The medical efforts have been implemented through the Ministry of Health, with support from Medicine Sans Frontieres (MSF), Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and WHO, while vector control has been implemented through the Coordinating Office for Control of Trypanosomiasis in Uganda (COCTU) with support from LSTM. Until recently, vector control for Gambian HAT was not widely used because the available tools were very costly and logistically demanding to deploy, this all changed with the development of Tiny Targets. An international team of researchers from Africa and Europe investigated the host-seeking behavior of riverine tsetse, the vectors of gHAT. They discovered that in contrast to other tsetse species, smaller sized targets were more efficient at attracting riverine flies. Tiny Targets were first introduced in Uganda in 2011 in small scale trials, before being scaled-up to a full control program in partnership with COCTU in 2014. The project covered 2,500km2in five districts in northwest Uganda, and there was further scale-up from 2017 with expansion to two additional districts. The partnership between LSTM and COCTU on the Tiny Targets program to control tsetse flies, has made a significant contribution to the sleeping sickness elimination efforts. Vector Biologist and Program Manager, Andrew Hope, explains that they "saw an 80% reduction in the number of tsetse flies, once Tiny Targets had been introduced. Our modeling work shows that Tiny Targets have reduced gHAT incidence by 25% in northwest Uganda." The Tiny Targets team deployed these targets twice a year along the riverbanks, with a density of 20 targets, per kilometer. At some stages in the project the team was putting up about 35,000 targets a year, which was a huge logistical operation. Andrew Hope thinks these efforts were well worth it: "I think this announcement is really important, it's an incredible achievement for Uganda. The Ministry of Health and COCTU should be very proud of this success and I'm very happy to be able to participate at the ceremony and congratulate them in person. It is also a wonderful moment for my colleagues at LSTM who have been part of this work and I particularly congratulate Professor Steve Torr who has led the program at LSTM for most of the last decade." Professor Torr added that "other countries using Tiny Targets have also eliminated gHAT as a public health problem (Cote d'Ivoire) or are on track to do so (Chad, Guinea, DRC). Looking ahead, we are working with many partners to achieve WHO's goal of eliminating transmission of gHAT by 2030." The announcement by WHO follows decades of work to eliminate gHAT. Large numbers of gHAT cases were recorded at the beginning of the 21st century and WHO prioritized the control and elimination of gHAT in countries where the disease was endemic. Case numbers decreased, eventually falling below 1000 annually for the first time in 2018. The criteria for validation of elimination of an infectious disease is strict and countries must submit extensive dossiers to WHO for assessment by an independent group of experts to determine whether the criteria for elimination have been met. On this occasion they have been. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A study of more than 300,000 adults in the United Kingdom has found support for a causal relationship between vitamin D deficiency and mortality. These findings suggest a need for public health strategies to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D in the population. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Low vitamin D status has been linked to increased mortality, but mortality in the context of vitamin D deficiency remains unclear. Randomized controlled trials either fail to recruit people with severe deficiency or, because of ethical reasons, are prevented from doing so. Researchers from the University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, conducted a nonlinear mendelian randomization study of 307,601 participants in the U.K. Biobank to assess genetic evidence for the causal role of low vitamin D status in mortality. The authors evaluated measurements of participants' 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-(OH) D) and other genetic data. They also recorded and analyzed both all-cause and cause-specific mortality data. Over a 14-year follow up period, the authors found that the risk for death decreased significantly with increased vitamin D concentrations, and the strongest effects were seen for persons in the severe deficiency range. They note that recent estimates for the prevalence of severe deficiency range from 5 to 50 percent of the population, with rates varying by geographic location and population characteristics. According to the authors, their study affirms the potential for a notable effect on premature death and the continued need for efforts to abolish vitamin D deficiency. More information: Joshua P. Sutherland et al, Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Mortality Risk in the UK Biobank, Annals of Internal Medicine (2022). Journal information: Annals of Internal Medicine Joshua P. Sutherland et al, Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Mortality Risk in the UK Biobank,(2022). DOI: 10.7326/M21-3324 Salam, a leading Saudi telecommunications and ICT company and part of the Mawarid Media & Communications Group (MMCG), has signed a strategic partnership with Airbus HAPS Connectivity Business. The collaboration aims to progress the development of private networks, IoT applications, disaster management solutions and other connectivity and high-altitude Earth observation services from the stratosphere to serve the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ahmad Al-Anqari, Salam CEO, said: We see in Airbus Zephyr platform a key asset to provide private network services, IoT solutions as well as civil, governmental and non-governmental applications. There are numerous use cases for the platforms capabilities and we look forward to this partnership with Airbus to serve the Saudi market in support of the Kingdoms Vision 2030 goals. In partnership with Salam, our Zephyr platform, with its demonstrated advanced capabilities, will be instrumental in serving several markets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said Jeff Smith, Head of Connectivity of Airbus HAPS Connectivity Business. Airbus, a leader in the HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) market with Zephyr, will provide low-latency, direct-to-device 5G connectivity services, in addition to persistent high-resolution imaging and live-video, delivered from the stratosphere. The companys solution will support in bridging the digital divide and will bring connectivity services to those who are currently unserved or underserved from a solar powered and carbon neutral platform. TradeArabia News Service Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue T.D and Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity with special responsibility for Horticulture, Senator Pippa Hackett today welcomed the next phase of the public consultation on the development of a National Strategy for the Horticulture sector. An online survey is now available for interested stakeholders including those outside of the sector itself to assess and prioritise the cross-cutting factors and actions outlined in KPMGs report on Opportunities for the Irish Horticulture sector. Submissions received, in conjunction with cost benefit analysis and further desk research, will help inform a strategic roadmap to develop a more profitable value-added sector driven by sustainability and innovation. The National Strategy for Horticulture to 2030 is due for publication in Q1 2023. The survey is available to complete at: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/Horticulturesectorstrategydevt The deadline for responses is 4pm on 30th November 2022. Written submissions may also be emailed to horticulturestrategy@agriculture.gov.ie or posted to Horticulture and Plant Health Division, Backweston, Celbridge, Co. Kildare W23 X3PH. Minister McConalogue said This important report includes a significant number of proposed actions that could contribute to growth for the sector. There is no single, simple solution and resources will need to be allocated where they will have the most impact. This consultation phase will help inform the priority actions to be addressed in the new National Strategy for the sector. This is a sector that I want to see grow and flourish in the time ahead and I think this report will play an important role. Minister Hackett who is due to co-chair a meeting of the Horticulture Industry Forum on Wednesday 26th October, welcomed the opportunity for feedback from other relevant stakeholders. I am looking forward to meeting with sector representatives on Wednesday and hearing first hand and in person their views on the opportunities outlined in the report. However, I would also encourage other interested parties to make a submission. This presents an opportunity for joined up thinking on how best to grow this sector. KPMGs report is available to download from https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/380b3-horticulture/ END THE DELEGATION of the European Union to the Philippines, together with its humanitarian partners and the Cultural Center of the Philippines ... There has been a surge in the number of Mexicans seeking asylum in Canada this year. The reasons for the big jump include the relative ease for Mexicans to obtain refugee status in Canada compared to the U.S., visa-free travel between Mexico and Canada, and the threat of violence back home. More than 8,000 Mexican nationals have applied for asylum in Canada since the start of the year. That is six times as many as last year and more than twice as many as in 2019, which was the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions that accompanied it. The majority of the asylum seekers are flying into Montreal. The city has many direct flights between the two countries. A Missoula Justice of the Peace candidate is calling on the Missoula County Attorneys Office to release an un-redacted version of a letter detailing the disciplinary history of his opponent's behavior as a sheriffs captain. In a letter sent to the county attorneys office on Monday, Missoula County Justice of the Peace Alex Beal asked for an immediate records release of an un-redacted letter from Missoula County Sheriff T.J. McDermott to Bill Burt. Beal also requested a copy of Burts personnel file. The redacted letter was originally part of a lawsuit public records release in 2019. Burt filed to run against Beal in March for the 2022 Justice of the Peace race. In campaigning for the position, Burt has touted his career in law enforcement. The letter, dated Jan. 3, 2018, is a partially redacted memo regarding Burts position in the sheriffs office after an event, although it's unclear from the redacted document what took place. Burt met with McDermott and his undersheriff Rich Maricelli regarding Burts position as a patrol captain one day before the letter was written. I appreciate your willingness to accept responsibility for your actions and I have given serious consideration to your request to transfer out of the Patrol Captain position into the Support Services Captain position, it reads. I am willing to allow you to continue serving as a Captain in my administration as well as to honor your request to transfer with the following conditions." The first two conditions are redacted, but the third condition is not. It reads: You are ordered to not consume any alcohol while utilizing your work vehicle. Failure to adhere to any of these conditions or other work related policies may result in disciplinary action, the 2018 letter concludes. It does not mention what the actions are that led up to Burt being prohibited from drinking alcohol in his work car. "In December of 2017, I attended a law enforcement appreciation banquet where beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, were served," Burt told the Missoulian on Monday. "The complaint was that I had consumed alcohol and then drove a county-owned vehicle." "While it is true that I consumed two beverages containing alcohol, it was at the beginning of the event which was several hours in length. I know for certain that impairment did not exist and it is more likely that all alcohol had completely dissipated before I left," he continued. Burt added he thinks the sheriff felt obligated to address the issue because it was a serious complaint. "That being said, there are occasions when public officials do not have this obligation when it comes to personal, private, or medical matters," he stated. "There is a system in place where a judge can review these matters and determine what meets the criteria of the Publics Right to Know and what falls into one of the other mentioned categories." A review took place in May 2018 concerning the letter, Burt said. He contended the information that was redacted was determined not to be an issue related to Public Trust. In 2001, The Montana Standard reported that Burt admitted to breaking into a ground-level window of the old St. James Hospital building in Butte in the middle of the night. He blamed the incident on his inability not to handle alcohol. Beal said he made his request to the County Attorneys Office for an un-redacted version of the letter on Monday afternoon. Judges have an obligation to be open and accountable to the people we represent about everything we do, Beal wrote in his letter to Brian West, the chief civil deputy county attorney. The public has a right to know the backgrounds and records of the people running for judge. When asked if judges should be open and accountable with the people they represent, Burt said yes. In a phone call with the Missoulian on Monday, West confirmed receiving Beals request and said they will reach out to Burt to get his position on the release of the requested documents. Beal noted he doesnt know what the first two conditions might be and therefore isnt able to address any arguments the county might present contending the conditions needed to remain confidential. As the Sheriff described them as the conditions under which Burt was allowed to keep his job, they are clearly items that voters have a right to review, Beal wrote. In his letter, Beal attached an affidavit dated May 9, 2018 from McDermott. The filing is part of a 2018 lawsuit, Missoula County v. Missoulian and Douglass Hartsell, Jr. On January 9, 2018 his duty assignment was changed to be Captain of Training, the affidavit reads. This change was at Captain Burts request and was not punitive or the result of any discipline. Beal said hes heard nothing back from Burt about this specific request. Mr. Burt objected to this release earlier this year when a voter requested it and did not respond to me last week when I asked him via email to consent to its release, Beal said in an email to the Missoulian, adding he thinks Burt is obligated to be transparent with voters. Wayne Eveland, born in Missoula in 1916, was flying a B-17 "Flying Fortress" over Nazi-occupied France on New Years Eve 1943 when the plane was shot down. He somehow survived, then was aided by members of the French Underground as he crossed the Pyrenees into Spain. One can only guess at what that experience was like. Eveland died in 1999 and had achieved the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps. I was nicely greeted by a British officer in Gibraltar, Col. Eveland later wrote in his memoir. I recall seeing the British flag. Other than Old Glory, I could not remember seeing anything quite so beautiful. Evelands neat, olive-green Eisenhower-style Air Force Jacket now hangs proudly at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, a physical, visceral relic that connects visitors to his life. The nonprofit museum recently opened a new exhibit in its North Gallery called Undressing History," and the jacket is just one part. More than 30 garments from the museums huge collection each tell the story about the Missoulians that wore the items and the times in which they lived. Its been very popular, explained Stacy Carr-Poole, the development and communications coordinator at the Museum. According to the museums curator of collections Emma Selfors, the exhibit was inspired by a project undertaken by a recent intern, Torrie Cooney. Basically, we had an entire room of garments that were hanging and she went through every single garment in that room, which ended up being well over 500 individual pieces of clothing that were just absolutely stunning, Selfors recalled. And she really fell in love with them. Theres a dazzling Japanese smoking jacket made in 1970 that was used by a Vietnam veteran named Robert E. Johnson. Nearby hangs a wrapper (what we now call a coat) made around the year 1900 that belonged to Mrs. Tennie Greenough, the wife of Thomas L. Greenough. The Greenoughs were known as one of the prominent pioneer families in the area and Tennie was credited with the donation of 20 acres of their land along Rattlesnake Creek that became Greenough Park. The wrapper changed hands many times before arriving at the museum. It was given to a maid at the mansion, Sophie Lakey, as a gift. Lakey then passed it on to her daughter Toni Batt. Finally, Batts daughter Cathy Knoll wore it to a play at Whittier School in 1965 before donating it to the museum in 1986. Turns out, Cooney was related to Knoll. Its super gorgeous, Selfors said. This one really speaks to me. We found all these connections and we were able to speak with the donor again and get some more information, so that one kind of ended up being one of my favorites. Its also just very unique, with some of the fringes in the embroidery. We spoke to some textile historians who had never seen one quite like it. The oldest garment is a wedding dress from 1828, but theres also quite a bit of clothing from the 1970s. A Centennial Jacket commemorates 1989, Montanas 100th birthday, which was a big deal for everyone in the state. Garments pulled from the museums large collection of textiles will serve as the fashionable backdrop to share the stories of the people, places, and events that they came from, Carr-Poole explained. Visitors will be able to put themselves into the shoes of those who came before us as well as marvel at the beauty of some of these amazing pieces of historical costume. Selfors said the exhibit will be up for about eight months. Most of the work in putting it together came down to deciding which pieces to show and researching the story of the person who wore it. We have a lot of really wonderful things in our collection of over 50,000 objects, Selfors said. "We did the math and we have nearly 1,300 garments alone in our collection. So (Cooney) did almost a third of our collection just over the summer looking at every single piece and reviewing them. The exhibit can be viewed during regular museum hours from noon until 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free for Missoula County residents but theres a small entrance fee for out-of-county visitors. For more information visit FortMissoulaMuseum.org. The release also stated that in court documents, the government alleged Tavares was trafficking meth from about November 2018 to November 2019. Law enforcement learned that Tavares was shipping drugs, which originated in Mexico, into Montana from California. During an undercover operation, an agent ordered meth from Humberto Villareal, of Sinaloa, Mexico, who was sentenced in 2021 to 17 years in federal prison for conviction of meth trafficking in the Butte area. In July 2019, law enforcement received a package, sent from Tavares, that contained a little more than one pound of meth and 37 grams of heroin. Agents paid for the drugs Tavares sent by wiring money to Ricardo Ramos Medina, in Sinaloa. Medina was sentenced in 2020 to eight years in federal prison for conviction on trafficking pounds of meth and other drugs to the Butte area. As Republican and Democratic legislators representing a mix of Montanas cities and rural areas, we have our fair share of political differences. When the Governor asked us to join a task force to address Montanas housing crisis, we could have said no. We could have let our disagreement on other issues get in the way. We could have refused to work with one another out of fear of giving the other side a political win. But with a growing number of Montana families getting priced out of their own state, we decided to say yes. The first step was getting to the root of the problem. Townhouses, backyard cottages, and 2-4 family homes were once legal to build everywhere in Montana. Same with manufactured and modular homes. Beginning in the late 1960s, however, city officials began restricting them in their zoning codes. Thanks to a few, loud Not In My Backyard activists, these elitist restrictions persist today, even in centrally-located neighborhoods close to major employers like hospitals, offices, and universities. We see the harm this causes in our own communities. Montanas housing inventory has now withered to the point that the vacancy rate in most cities, once a healthy 8-10%, now hovers around 1-2%. Rents are up everywhere. The few real estate listings out there are mostly out of reach price-wise for the average Montanan. Businesses, even those paying above-median wages, cant find workers who can afford to live nearby. Meanwhile, cities are sprawling outwards, eating up farmland, open space, and wildlife habitat. We may debate each other on other issues, but we agree this status quo is unacceptable. Reducing regulatory barriers to housing production has been a bipartisan cause throughout the country, and its true for Montana, too. After months of reviewing data, consulting with experts, and hearing public input from Montanans across the state, our task force came up with a set of actions the Legislature can take to help re-legalize more affordable housing types, and help people can live closer to where they work and simply have a safe place to call home. We anticipate opposition from a few local officials who insist they alone can fix our lack of housing supply. We respectfully disagree. People should not be forced to beg city governments to allow for more moderately-priced places to live. The crisis that was once confined to a few cities and towns is now affecting Montana families statewide. And statewide problems demand statewide solutions. This doesnt mean a one-size-fits-all approach the actions in the report are tailored to reflect that what works for Bozeman and Missoula wont necessarily work for Darby or Roundup. We couldve come up with nebulous ideas for some expensive consultant to study further. We could have called for ineffective, pie-in-the-sky programs that future generations of taxpayers will have to cover. There is too much at stake, however, to play these games. Our report features concrete, evidence-based actions the Legislature can take to provide relief for all Montanans affected by the housing shortage. These proposals benefit both renters and homeowners, young families looking for starter homes and older folks looking to age in place. The time for action is now. Montana families literally cannot afford to continue waiting. I didnt talk with a single person who wasnt charmed by Muscatine and the people I saw returning to the American Queen last Saturday all had smiles on their faces and many had shopping bags in their arms. Saturday was a beautiful day on what may be the last really beautiful weekend of the year. I got the privilege of spending my morning out where the American Queen was docked along the river and speaking with people from all over about their thoughts on Muscatine. Actually, it had begun Friday night when I went down to video the ship docking on the riverfront. Unfortunately, the ship arrived early and was already docked when I got there. Ill get it next time. Still, it gave me the chance to visit with several workers coming from the ship. I made it back to the boat early to enjoy a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Sorry I didnt announce the ceremony, but it was invitation only. Plenty of chamber members came out to show their support for the docking of the Queen. The real showcase was the noon ceremony to see the ship off after its visit was complete. People packed the area around the Clam Fisherman to wave goodbye to our guests and to watch the ship pull away from the riverfront and steam downriver to its next destination. Believe me, that really was a sight. The captain told me the reason American Voyages likes to come to Iowa towns like Muscatine is that all the people get involved with welcoming the visitors and make their stay in town a good one. That really happened Saturday as plenty of people were down along the river to be part of the event. Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry director and Muscatine Mayor Brad Bark was absolutely giddy as he walked down the riverfront, drone in hand to get aerial shots of the ship, and spoke with many of the people who had turned out. Anyone speaking with him could tell how excited he was Muscatine got the opportunity to show itself off for visitors in this manner, and how proud he was of the people for turning out to help. The chamber really did a good job arranging the visit and I think most of us hope it will be the first of many. American Voyages is expected to announce early next year if Muscatine will be added to the list of scheduled stops for the coming season. Im hoping they decide this town rich with history and flavor is worthy of more stops. Many of the issues, such as being able to dock easily, are certainly checked off. An interesting note I was speaking with city council member Jeff Osborne while we were at the ribbon cutting ceremony and he was telling me that a reason he chose to settle in Muscatine was the open riverfront area. He explained most river towns had something dividing the town and the riverfront, where Muscatine doesnt. This is something I have never noticed before, but I could not think of any other town that had a riverfront like Muscatines. He also offered (and I will probably accept) to act as a tour guide of Iowa and Missouri towns along the river. A story on that trip may be coming in the spring. Stay tuned. David Hotle is the editor of the Muscatine Journal Tom C. Davies of V. Sattui explained how he got into the wine industry. A good buddy and I would watch The Galloping Gourmet starring Graham Kerr after high school in the late 60s, early 70s, recalled Davies. He always had a glass of wine in his hand, and he was so enthusiastic about cooking and wine I wanted to be like him! During his first year of college, Davies worked part-time for Brookside Vineyards in Rancho Cucamonga, where some of the first vineyards were planted at missions in California. By the time he graduated from Chico State in 1979 with a business degree, I was hooked on wine. My roommates in college were into wine as well, and we prepared many wine-paired dinners with very limited budgets. In the summer of 1980, I began looking for a job that would combine my passion for wine and my business degree. Over a game of ping pong, Dario Sattui hired me. I was one of the companys first employees and earned $5 an hour. Today, Davies has three titles: president and managing partner at V. Sattui Winery, board chair at Visit Napa Valley and co-chair industry issues committee and board member at Napa Valley Grapegrowers. Hes been with V. Sattui for 42 years. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. 1. What was your childhood ambition? Architect. 2. What was your first job? At the age of 14, I received a work permit to work for my dad at Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs. I worked in the maintenance department and later in the shipping/receiving department all through high school. I grew up and worked around many famous movie stars, celebrities and politicians. 3. What job would you like to try/not try? Try: Blue Angels pilot or astronaut. Not try: Politician, as we know it today. It is beyond me why someone that is committed to making a difference in a community would be willing to be subjected to the vitriol that is prevalent in todays political world. 4. Whats the worst job you ever had? During college, I briefly worked the graveyard shift at a convenience store. I hated the job, as early-morning patrons were angered that they couldnt buy beer after 2 a.m. and would take their anger out on me. One morning, the manager came in and wanted to train me to be a convenience store manager, but later said I didnt have what it takes to be manager. Little did he know! 5. What is the biggest challenge the wine industry has faced? Agriculture is facing existential threats on many fronts. The need for more housing along with misguided environmental concerns by some are threatening our agrarian way of life. Without a sustainable and viable wine industry, everything that is special about the Napa Valley is at risk. Our agricultural preserve is only protected by the sustainability of the wine industry. It is the vines and resulting wines that protect our way of life and preserve our forested lands and watersheds. Climate change, drought and competition also provide ongoing challenges for our industry. We need to meet this challenge by continuing to position Napa Valley as North Americas premier wine growing region and destination, and to become world leaders championing innovative solutions to combat climate change and promoting sustainable and organic farming practices. This is where my interest in wine growing and tourism collides, and why Im passionate about serving on the board of Visit Napa Valley. 6. What makes you most proud about the wine industry? I am most proud of how we make people feel. The Napa Valley is a magnificent and beautiful place but is made even more special by the warm and gracious hospitality that is extended to our guests by our wineries, restaurants, hotels, transportation companies, and local businesses. The memories that are created in the Napa Valley go way beyond whats in the bottle. 7. Who do you most admire in the business world? Dario Sattui Owner of V. Sattui Winery and Castello di Amorosa. Chuck Wagner Owner and Winemaker Caymus Vineyards. George Altamura Longtime Napa developer, successful businessman, preservationist who saved the Uptown Theatre, and for 30 years through his annual fundraising event, Hands Across the Valley, has tirelessly dedicated his time and money to ensure no one goes hungry in the Napa Valley. 8. What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime that you havent yet? Learn to speak Italian. 9. If you could change one thing about the wine industry, what would it be? Whether it is wine industry and/or community concerns, we need to come together in more solution-based and constructive ways to solve our complex issues. Lawsuits and recalls are not effective ways to solve issues. It just forces everyone to their corners and nothing is accomplished. Our wine industry also needs to find ways to embrace diversity and inclusion. Diversity expands innovation and creativity. I am worried that we keep looking to the past as direction for how we are making and marketing our wines. It is time we go beyond what has worked in past and be willing to rethink and re-imagine what more we can do to expand the joys of wine to a more diverse audience. This is only accomplished by expanding diversity within our own ranks. 10. Whats something people might be surprised to know about you? I just got back from my 10th year at Burning Man. When my daughter Michaela was 18, she said Dad, lets go to Burning Man together!| It has been our father-daughter tradition since 2012. Everything you hear about Burning Man is true (to some extent) but the principles of radical inclusion, gifting, self-reliance, civic responsibility and others practiced on the playa can make the world a better place to live. Xi stresses implementing guiding principles of key Party congress in armed forces Xinhua) 08:15, October 25, 2022 Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a meeting of leading military cadres and delivers an important speech in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday instructed the armed forces to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, and strive to achieve the goal set for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks when attending a meeting of leading military cadres. Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, both members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and CMC vice chairmen, as well as Xu Qiliang, attended and addressed the meeting. In the unusual and extraordinary five years since the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, the CMC has led the armed forces to achieve major progress and realize major transformations in national defense and military, Xi said. The CMC has upheld the Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces, maintained and expanded the rapid and favorable development in the cause of building a strong military, and brought military modernization and combat capacity to a higher level, he said. 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 People's Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police forces present at the 20th CPC National Congress and has a group photo taken with them before attending a meeting of leading military cadres in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang) The newly-concluded successful 20th CPC National Congress is of great significance to the country's drive to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts. It is also vital to fulfilling the goal set for the PLA centenary and building the armed forces into world class forces, he said. It will be the most important political task for the whole Party, the country and the armed forces to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, he said. Stressing that the armed forces should focus their efforts on realizing their centenary goal, Xi said that this will be the military's central task in the next five years, one that demands full strength and should be accomplished as scheduled. Noting that the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee named the members of the new CMC, Xi said it is a major political arrangement made by the CPC Central Committee based on the overall cause of the Party, the country and the military. CMC members must bear in mind the trust placed on them by the Party and the people and the expectations of the officers and soldiers of the armed forces, and dedicate themselves to the work of the CMC, Xi added. Demanding that this year's work be finished as scheduled, Xi stressed the importance of plans for the next year to ensure a good start to the work in the armed forces. Before the meeting, Xi met with delegates, specially invited delegates and non-voting participants of the PLA and armed police forces present at the 20th CPC National Congress and had a group photo taken with them. State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe attended the meeting. Other attendees included Li Shangfu, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua and Zhang Shengmin, who are all CMC members, and Li Zuocheng. (Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Du Mingming) Ericsson and Vodafone Turkey have announced the successful commercial deployment of the Ericsson Security Manager (ESM) on Vodafone Turkey's network. The project has played a critical role in increasing the security automation of Vodafone Turkeys network and efficiently maintaining and strengthening their network security posture. ESM has supported Vodafone Turkey to address its security management needs by increasing automation, visibility, and control. It will provide Vodafone Turkey with automated security management, compliance monitoring and ensuring consistent security policies across the network at all times. The evolving mobile networks serve as a backbone for a digital society and minimize the risks associated with data security, enabling a shift to automated, policy-based, and intelligent security management systems become essential for Communication Service Providers (CSPs). Aysegul Arcan Seker, Chief Information Officer of Vodafone Turkey said: Ericsson Security Manager has helped us to build a more secure network and acted as an enabler to keep a consistent security posture across our multi-vendor network by automating our compliancy processes. ESM is complementing and strengthening our activities to secure our mobile network infrastructure. Keijo Mononen, Head of Security Solutions, Business Area Technologies and New Businesses at Ericsson, said: We are excited to work with Vodafone Turkey and provide Ericsson Security Manager to automate the security management across the multivendor network. This helps Vodafone Turkey to maintain and strengthen their network security posture. Isl Yalcn, Vice President and Head of Ericsson Turkey at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said: Combining 3GPP standards and Ericsson technology innovation, Ericsson Security Manager has smart analytics capabilities with reliable and timely reports. Vodafone Turkey will benefit from a fully automated and ultra-secure network. As the world goes digital, mobile networks are becoming the open platform for innovation serving new use cases for consumer, industries, and society. Ericsson has been working for many years to develop a management solution for telecom networks across all layers and domains including multi-vendor products. Ericsson Security Manager makes security visible, improves the security posture of the telecom networks and brings the automation needed to manage the network. TradeArabia News Service Bay Area Development Company announced it has completed SBA financing for Formation Stone Surfaces in Napa. The 504 funding allowed the retailer to create three new, local jobs and to purchase a 16,900 square foot building located at 807 Soscol Ave. in Napa. Owner Lindsey Muser began working for Intertile in Palm Desert in 2008, focusing on sales, marketing and warehouse management. When the owner retired in 2015, the company was sold to Muser, and she changed the name to Formation Stone Surfaces. Formation carries a wide variety of stone, slabs, tile, and mosaics, with surfaces including granite, marble, quartzite and onyx. The company maintains relationships with quarries around the world and imports hard-to-find stone. Over the years, Muser has added locations in San Leandro and in Bend, Oregon, and all three locations include slab yards as well as showrooms. The industrial location of Formations San Leandro space does not provide it with adequate visibility, so Muser made the decision to vacate it and relocate to Napa. Working with Lincoln Capital Management, LLC and with Bay Area Developments Bob Thompson, she was able to secure the funding needed to make this shift for her company. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. OLE Health announced that Elias Banuelos, MD, has assumed the role of medical director for its Upvalley sites. Fluent in both Spanish and English, Dr. Banuelos comes to OLE Health with more than 20 years of experience in primary care, specializing in family medicine. We are so thrilled to welcome Dr. Banuelos to OLE Health as a provider and a leader for our Upvalley health centers, said Dr. Teresa Shinder, chief medical officer for OLE Health. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Banuelos grew up in California and attended medical school at Stanford University. He completed his residency at San Jose Medical Center in 2001. After residency, Dr. Banuelos spent several years practicing in the South Bay, before relocating to Florida in 2007. During his time there, he worked in a variety of health care settings including hospitals, nonprofit clinics and private practice. As medical director, Banuelos will oversee the medical providers in the St. Helena and Calistoga health centers. He will also be the primary physician for patients seen in Calistoga. Take a moment to sympathize with Gabe DuBois. One night youre a famous Belgian detective, the next night youre a talking French candlestick, and during the day youre a high school senior from California. Such is the life of a teenage thespian. Fresh off his performance last weekend as Hercule Poirot in St. Helena Dramas Murder on the Orient Express, DuBois is playing Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, a co-production of Napa Valley College Performing Arts and Cafeteria Kids Theater running Nov. 4-13 at NVCs main campus in Napa. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Its been insane, DuBois told the Star as he described his schedule. On Monday I came (to Napa) for a rehearsal. Id been reviewing my lines for the other show, on top of all my other homework, and my brain was so tired. I fell to the floor laughing deliriously for a whole minute after I messed up a scene. Then I had to drive back (to St. Helena) for a two-hour rehearsal. For the sake of his sanity, he plays Poirot and Lumiere with the same French accent. (Poirots technically Belgian, but close enough, DuBois said.) Accents are nothing new to the young actor, who played a Russian mobster in 2019s Matilda. DuBois and other Upvalley and Lake County cast members of Beauty and the Beast talked about the production during a recent rehearsal. Its a perfect blend of comedy and romance, said St. Helena High School senior April Shaw, who plays Belle, the smart and vivacious young beauty who falls for The Beast. Shaw has played lead roles before, but this is the most intense given the scale of the production. Reciting her lines in time with the music presents a challenge. And then theres the physical feat of running around in elaborate dresses for two hours, appearing in every scene except three. Theres a lot of pressure, but the pressure is what makes it fun, said Shaw, who just finished co-directing Murder on the Orient Express. Playing an asylum keeper and several bit parts has been a thrill for St. Helenas Billy Stice. He said he couldnt identify one scene or song as his favorite because this shows been my favorite since I was a kid and I love the entire thing. Lucia Spezza, whos part of the ensemble, said she loves the directors Aimee Guillot and Olivia Cowell and the atmosphere around here. Its really open, and you get to be yourself, said Spezza, whos been performing since the age of 6. Her sister, Vienna Spezza, plays a member of Gastons fan club, a group of young ladies who fawn over the vain egomaniac as if hes worthy of adoration (spoiler: hes not). Like the rest of the cast, she enjoys the opportunity to do something creative with her friends. We get to act totally ridiculous together and be as obnoxious as we possibly can, she said of her character and the rest of Gastons fans. Noah DuBois, Gabes brother, plays a prince in the opening scene and performs as part of the ensemble for the rest of the show. The princes role is brief, but it marks the first time DuBois has played an adult character after years of playing kids including Michael Banks in 2018s Mary Poppins. Zaynab Bin Yunus of Angwin said she feels confident because this is her second big musical with Cafeteria Kids Theater. Plus Ive got a lot of friends, so if something goes wrong Ill always have them, she said. Beauty and the Beast runs Nov. 4-13 at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center, 2277 Napa-Vallejo Highway (Highway 221) in Napa. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets ($25 general/$20 for students and seniors/$15 for kids 12 and under) are available at performingartsnapavalley.org. Pacific Union College has launched a collaboration with St. Helena High School, giving students the opportunity to learn how technology is applied to the environmental challenges they face in their own local communities and beyond including severe drought and wildfires. The 10-week class will meet in person on PUCs campus in Angwin and provide students the chance to earn college credit. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. It is very cutting-edge and taps into multiple local interests, blending them together in a very modern way, St. Helena High Principal Benjamin Scinto said. The new partnership with St. Helena High comes as PUC launches a first-of-its-kind conservation technology undergraduate program. Led by Dr. Scott Butterfield, the program prepares students for careers in environmental-based professions including conservation technology. Students completing the four-year degree program will receive a bachelor of science degree in conservation technology. Butterfield serves as PUCs Clark Professor of Conservation Technology. A local ecologist, he is the lead scientist for The Nature Conservancys land program and strategic restoration strategy in the San Joaquin Valley. Butterfield has more than 20 years of experience in the conservation field, with more than 40 published peer-reviewed articles and reports. The term conservation technology is relatively new, but the application of technology in environmental management is not, Butterfield said. Older technology such as GPS, GIS, and wildlife cameras have been used in a range of scientific fields. Scientists also use more modern tools including remote sensing, drones, artificial intelligence, coding/programming, eDNA, and mobile applications. Butterfields course introduction usually begins with talking about some of the technology that students are already familiar with. But there is new technology constantly emerging. Were in this wave people call the third industrial revolution and conservation technology is part of that, Butterfield said. Environmental stressors are so severe that now theres a field building up around it. Technology is currently being developed and applied specifically for environmental challenges. Its an exciting time! Conservation technology students may go on to have careers in environmental science or biology, but they are not limited to these fields. These skills and the tools students learn about are broadly applicable across the work force, Butterfield said. They are going to touch down in many different jobs and fields of study in the future. The partnership with St. Helena High is part of PUCs renewed commitment to outreach in local communities. Although St. Helena is only 10 miles from the college, many in the community know little about it. Its a great way for PUC to give back to the community and also let them know whats being offered at the college, Butterfield said. The St. Helena High students themselves know firsthand how vital environmental issues are and the challenges not only facing Northern California but the world at large. In the world right now, all we see in the news is big environmental crises happening, from sea level rise and increased fire threats to tsunamis, hurricanes and global warming, said Butterfield, a parent of St. Helena High students. COVID aside, weve had a lot of stressors here in our environment in the last two years. Weve been evacuated twice because of wildfires, which are being driven by forest management and climate change. Weve recently gone through extreme heat waves. Just a few weeks ago we had 110-degree heat, which is Palm Springs weather. The nearly two dozen St. Helena High students will take the Introduction to Conservation Technology course, which will introduce them to technology in the conservation and science fields. PUC is providing transportation for students to attend class on campus. If students know enough about environmental issues and how they can be confronted, they can sort through them and have a more educated understanding of news that affects them, Butterfield said. One day, Butterfield hopes those who take the course and enroll in the undergraduate program will go on to fulfilling careers in the environmental sciences and perhaps, he said, even one day take his own job. PUC offers a College Early program in which students can earn up to six credits at a reduced cost. Lindsay Morton, PUCs assistant academic dean, said college can be a costly endeavor and the transition from high school can be tough. We want to make that transition easier by offering students in-person and online courses at a reduced rate, so they get ahead of the curve and have a taste of college before they arrive on campus, she said. Although we love our college on the mountain, Morton said, we can see the need for support and resources in our academies and high schools. Scinto said he is an advocate for dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment opportunities for students. St. Helena High offers 13 college-level courses. The course Scott described is unlike anything we offer at SHHS, an aspect I felt capitalized on various student interests, Scinto said. In a letter recently published in the St. Helena Star, Scinto thanked the St. Helena High School Parent Group and the St. Helena Public Schools Foundation for sponsoring students attending the conservation technology course taught by Butterfield. PUC is a tremendous local resource, Scinto said. I look forward to future collaborations. The St. Helena Historical Society will host U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Heritage Center Museum at 1255 Oak Ave. Thompson, a St. Helena resident whos running for re-election to Congress, will talk about growing up in St. Helena. Thompson will share the stage with Stephen Taplin, former president of the historical society. While Taplin left the Napa Valley, pursued a career and came back to his hometown after 50 years, Thompson stayed right here in the community where he grew up. According to Taplin, Weve known each other since kindergarten. Both our families have deep roots in Napa Valley. Thompson is part of the York pioneer family, who originally came to St. Helena in the mid-1880s. His father, Charles E. Thompson, married into another pioneer family, the Fornis. Charles was born in St. Helena, joined the Army in 1936 and served 17 years in India. After returning to St. Helena, he worked in construction and later drove a school bus. Thompson served in Vietnam. A combat Army staff sergeant/platoon leader, he was wounded and received a Purple Heart. He served in the state Legislature before being elected to Congress. Thompson maintains a home here and has two sons with his nurse practitioner wife Janet one is a firefighter and the other is a sheriffs deputy. Upvalley volunteers are working with Pacific Union College to bring Ukrainian college students to the U.S. as their home country reels from a Russian invasion. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Mission: Ukraine is sponsoring two Ukrainian students who are already studying at PUC, a liberal arts college in Angwin. Eight more students are arriving in December and January in time for PUCs winter quarter. Katya is studying graphic design and Danii is studying data science. (The Star agreed to withhold their last names for the sake of their privacy and safety.) Both are natives of Crimea which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February upended their lives once again. They arrived in the U.S. via Mexico and are attending PUC on student visas. Listening to their stories moved us to tears, said Jennifer Klingbeil of Angwin, who helped launch Mission: Ukraine. They were smiling and laughing while they told us how wonderful everybody in Mexico was, and how everybody was hugging them once they crossed the border, Klingbeil said. She added that both students are too upbeat and grateful to dwell on the depth of what theyve been through. Ukraine refugees find home in Napa, welcome baby This Ukraine family is putting down roots in Napa Valley. Meet the newest Romanchenko. Like many Americans, Klingbeil sent money to Ukraine in the early days of Russias invasion, but she wanted to do something more tangible for the Ukrainian people. With help from PUC administrator Kellie Lind and others, Klingbeil laid the groundwork for Mission: Ukraine. Her first idea was to bring Ukrainian families to live in vacant dormitory rooms at PUC, but changes in immigration policy made that untenable. So Klingbeils team decided to focus on students. PUC, which has a large population of international students, agreed to handle the paperwork for student visas permitting stays of 12 to 18 months. The college is giving the incoming Ukrainian students 50% off tuition, room and board, with Mission: Ukraine picking up the rest of the tab. Klingbeil, whose mother is Ukrainian, got in touch with some contacts in Ukraine to sound them out on the idea. Would students be interested in studying in the U.S., she asked, or would they prefer packages of food and water? Her contacts said Ukrainian students would jump at the chance to come to the U.S. Sure enough, 71 applications poured in initially. Education is so important in Ukraine, Klingbeil said. Attending college online in Ukraine is extremely challenging right now, with spotty internet access, nighttime classes to accommodate foreign instructors, and some students living in bomb shelters. St. Helena couple takes in Ukrainian refugee family A Napa Valley couple has taken in a Ukrainian refugee family. Meet the Romanchenkos. Mission: Ukraines organizers say theyve been moved by the resilience of Katya and Danii, who display a stoicism and toughness that have come to be associated with the Ukrainian national character and that have been credited for helping the country withstand Russias onslaught. Ukrainians havent forgotten the devastating famine unleashed by Joseph Stalins regime, which killed millions of Ukrainians in the early 1930s, volunteer Maria Haug said. Theyve experienced centuries of atrocities, and they just keep surviving, said Klingbeil, the child of a Ukrainian mother and a Russian father. Mission: Ukraine has committed to raise enough money for 10 students. Organizers say they are a quarter of the way toward their roughly $400,000 goal for the current school year. Not everyone has the potential for a large donation, but everyone can contribute a little bit, Haug said. Those little bits add up, Klingbeil added. Donate at puc.edu/mission-ukraine. Monday, Oct. 170323 Police checked on a suspicious vehicle on Allison Avenue. The driver was just taking a nap before continuing his drive home. 1939 Report of someone passed out in a car near Pope/Silverado. Police made sure the driver was OK and didnt need medical help. Tuesday, Oct. 18 Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. 0915 Medical aid for a person with severe back pain on Hunt Avenue. 1201 Police cited a driver near Pope/College. 1227 Police cited a driver near Pope/Church. 1659 Police cited a driver near Main/Madrona. 1741 Report of someone using a leaf blower for over an hour on Madrona Avenue. 1935 Police cited a driver on Main Street. Wednesday, Oct. 191015 Medical aid for a person having trouble breathing on San Juan Court. 1034 Police cited a driver near Main/Vidovich. 1047 Police issued a parking citation on Oak Avenue. 1154 Report of a vehicle blocking a driveway on Spring Street. Police couldnt contact its owner, so they had it towed. 1359 A railroad crossing arm at Adams Street had reportedly been cut off and left in a gutter. 1411 A driver said shed backed into the railroad crossing arm at Adams Street. She met with an officer, who took a report. 1946 An Edwards Street resident reported having a rat trapped in the kitchen, possibly behind a toaster oven. She asked for officers to help remove it. She was told it was not a police matter and to contact pest control instead. 2008 A Colombard Court resident reported having a bat in their living room. It went out the front door momentarily without causing any harm. Thursday, Oct. 200235 Public Works was asked to clean up garbage next to a bench near Adams/Main. 1200 A vehicles side mirror was damaged in a hit-and-run on Spring Street. 1533 Police issued a parking citation near Main/Hunt. 1642 Report of a loose German shepherd near Spring/Hudson. Police checked the area. 1858 Following a traffic stop near Main/Mitchell, police arrested a 34-year-old Rohnert Park man with outstanding warrants. Friday, Oct. 210348 Police cited a driver on Main Street. 0943 Police cited a driver near Main/Charter Oak. 1114 A loose dog found near Elmhurst/Main was returned to its owner. 1156 Police took a report on a collision near Main/Grayson. One of the people involved complained of minor pain. 1315 Report of a pickup blocking an alley on Elmhurst Avenue. The owner of the vehicle said he owns the alley and wont move the vehicle. 1336 Medical aid for a possible heart attack or stroke victim on Main Street. 1600 A manager at a local business reported a problem with a fired employee taking pictures and posting things about her on social media. Police determined there was no harassment. It was a civil matter. 1647 Report of a water leak at a house on Madrona Avenue. Police determined it wasnt a leak. Workers were just cleaning the gutters and solar panels, causing water to leak out to the street. 2042 Police cited a driver for speeding near Madrona/Main. 2251 Report of loud music at an event on Spring Street. Police talked to someone at the event, who agreed to turn off the music and close the doors. 2322 Police cited a driver whose car had an illegal exhaust system on Pratt Avenue. Saturday, Oct. 220021 A driver asked for help after breaking on Hunt Avenue and not being able to hail an Uber or a Lyft. Police gave her the phone number of a taxi service. 0322 Police found an occupied vehicle at Crane Park and told the occupant the park was closed for the night. 0448 Police cited an unlicensed driver near Main/Elmhurst. 0755 Report of construction noise on Pratt Avenue. Police told the workers about the citys noise ordinance. 1104 Police cited a person driving a car with illegally tinted windows near Mitchell/Oak. 1115 Report of loud music near McCorkle Avenue. Police responded and educated more people about the citys noise ordinance. 1301 Police cited a person driving a car with illegally tinted windows on Main Street. 1313 Report of a water leak on Tainter Street. Police turned off the valve and contacted the property owner. 1332 A purse was reported lost after being left outside near Mitchell/Main. 1444 Police cited a person driving a car with illegally tinted windows/windshield near Charter Oak/Main. 1514 Police cited a driver near Grayson/Main. 1551 A person found fraudulent transactions on their bank statement. Police took a report. 1601 Medical aid for a trip-and-fall victim with an elbow injury on Adams Street. 1650 Report of a water leak near Pope/Main, coming from a strip of asphalt where PG&E had been working Friday night. The property owner had already called PG&E and a landscaper to fix the leak. 1823 An abandoned RV/motorhome was towed from Adams/Library. 1929 Police cited a driver and towed their vehicle near Main/Pratt. 2128 Police checked an occupied vehicle at Meily Park and told the occupants the park was closed for the night. 2205 Following a traffic stop on Main Street, police arrested a 36-year-old Calistoga man on suspicion of DUI. Sunday, Oct. 230348 Police cited a driver for speeding on Main Street. 0705 Report of a vehicle illegally passing other cars on Main Street. The caller declined to sign a citation, so police let the driver go with a warning. 0940 Report of a car swerving and nearly crashing on Highway 29. Police gave the driver a warning. 1003 Report of a vehicle parked on Kidd Ranch Road since Monday. Police tried to contact its owner, who lives nearby. 1326 A caller was concerned about a large dog near Peppertree Circle that howls constantly and sounds distressed. 1353 Medical aid for a fall victim near Harvest/Starr. 1404 Report of a car weaving all over Deer Park Road and Highway 29. Police checked the area and alerted Calistoga police. 1039 Report of a woman in dark clothing riding her bike in and out of traffic near Main/Charter Oak. 1515 Police cited a driver near Pope/Peppertree. 1729 Police issued a parking citation near Main/Hunt. The City of St. Helena has released a public review draft of its updated zoning code. The city will hold a series of public meetings this year to receive comments on the draft code and make additional refinements prior to adoption hearings in 2023. The first meeting was set for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at Vintage Hall, during a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission. (The meeting took place after the Stars print deadline.) More workshops are planned for November and December. The draft code is available at cityofsthelena.org/planning/page/documents. Public comments may be submitted to publiccomment@cityofsthelena.org. The City of St. Helena released a final environmental impact report for the 87-unit Hunter housing project on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The Planning Commission will discuss the project at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Vintage Hall. Comments may be submitted via email to publiccomment@cityofsthelena.org. Written comments should be submitted no later than 1 p.m. Tuesday to be considered at the meeting. The final EIR is available at cityofsthelena.org, and physical copies are available for public review at City Hall, 1572 Railroad Ave., and the St. Helena Public Library. The original application was filed in 2010. The applicants want to develop 87 housing units on a 16.9-acre property near the eastern terminus of Adams Street. A draft EIR was released last fall. The final report includes public comments made last fall and responses drafted by consultants. The Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) has announced the line-up for its NVFF 2022 Film, Food and Wine Showcase taking place at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia Nov. 10 to 13. Tickets are now on sale for the four-day showcase of 2022 films and honoree tributes as well as culinary events created by the CIA to celebrate the food and wine culture evoked in each of four films. Additional films and Q&As will also join the lineup. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Film screenings and Q&As include Cha Cha Real Smooth, Corsage, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend and The Son. Honorees are Laura Dern (Legend Award), Frank Grillo (Spotlight Award), Luis Guzman (Trailblazer Award), Regina Hall (Maverick Award), Stephanie Hsu (Rising Star Award), Janelle Monae (Trailblazer Award), and Cooper Raiff (Rising Star Award). "This marks our post-COVID return to multi-day events that connect our community with storytellers and will serve as a prelude to the 2023 Napa Valley Film Festival," said Rick Garber, chairman of Cinema Napa Valley chairman Food has long played a central role in film, said Thomas Bensel, managing director for the CIAs California campuses. Teaming up with the NVFF for the 2022 Film, Food and Wine Showcase gives us an opportunity to celebrate these incredible stories and artists with meals inspired by them. Each event will have its own unique flavor, and guests are in for something truly special. All events take place at the the CIA at Copia, 500 First St., Napa. Thursday, Nov. 10 6 p.m.: Cha Cha Real Smooth, written and directed by Cooper Raiff Fresh out of college and without a clear life path going forward, 22-year-old Andrew (Cooper Raiff) is stuck back at home with his family in New Jersey. But if theres one thing that belongs on his nonexistent resume, its how to get a party started, which lands him the perfect job of motivational dancing at the bar and bat mitzvahs for his younger brothers classmates. When Andrew befriends a local mom, Domino (Dakota Johnson), and her daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt), he finally discovers a future he wants even if it might not be his own. Raiff will introduce the film, and a Q&A and tribute will follow the screening. 8:15 p.m.: Reception celebrating Cha Cha Real Smooth and Cooper Raiff Friday, Nov. 11 6 p.m.: Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend, written and directed by Bobby Moresco; U.S. premiere Featuring Oscar winners Mira Sorvino and the screenwriter of Crash, this high-speed biopic tells the story of auto inventor Ferruccio Lamborghini (Frank Grillo, Captain America: The Winter Soldier). All his life Ferruccio has dreamed of beating his longtime rival Enzo Ferrari (Gabriel Byrne, War of the Worlds) and the upcoming Geneva grand prix could be his chance to blow past Ferrari for good. But can Ferruccio get his untested vehicle prepped for victory with the competition just months away? Frank Grill will introduce the film, which includes a Q&A and tribute following the screening. 8:15 p.m.: Dinner with honorees Luis Guzman and Laura Dern Saturday, Nov. 12 2:30 p.m. The Son written by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller, and directed by Florian Zeller This drama follows a family struggling to reunite. Peter's (Hugh Jackman) hectic life with his infant and new partner Beth (Vanessa Kirby) is upended when his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) appears with their teen-aged son Nicholas (Zan McGrath). Missing from school for months, Nicholas is troubled, distant and angry. Peter strives to take care of him as he would have liked his own father to have taken care of him while juggling work, his new son, and the offer of his dream position in Washington. 6 p.m. Everything Everywhere All at Once Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film is comic, big-hearted, sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh) who can't seem to finish her taxes. Stephanie Hsu will provide an intro, and a Q&A and tribute will follow the screening. 8:30 p.m. Dinner with Stephanie Hsu Sunday, Nov. 13 11 a.m. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, written and directed by Rian Johnson. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) stars in this new Rian Johnson whodunit. At a lavish private estate on a Greek island, Blanc meets a disparate group of friends gathered at the invitation of billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) for their yearly reunion. They include Miles former business partner Andi Brand (Janelle Monae); Connecticut governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn); scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.); fashion designer and former model Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), and influencer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) and his girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline). When someone turns up dead, everyone is a suspect. Janelle Monae will introduce the film, followed by a Q&A and tribute. 1:30 p.m. Lunch honoring Janelle Monae and Regina Hall 3 p.m. Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul Written and directed by Adamma Ebo, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is a satirical comedy starring Regina Hall as Trinitie Childs, the first lady of a Southern Baptist megachurch, who, with her husband Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown), once served a congregation in the tens of thousands. But after a scandal forces their church to temporarily close, Trinitie and Lee-Curtis must reopen their church and rebuild their congregation. Regina Hall will provide the intro and Q&A following the screening. 6 p.m. Corsage Written and directed by Marie Kreutzer, "Corsage" was named Best Film at the 2022 London Film Festival, garnering Best Actor- Un Certain Regard for star Vicky Krieps at Cannes 2022. Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Vicky Krieps) is idolized for her beauty and fashion, but in 1877, but as Sisi celebrates her 40th birthday she must fight to maintain her public image by lacing her corset tighter and tighter. While her role has been reduced to purely performative, her hunger for knowledge and zest for life makes restless in Vienna. She travels to England and Bavaria, visiting former lovers and old friends, seeking the excitement and purpose of her youth, rebelling against the hyperbolized image of herself and coming up with a plan to protect her legacy. Tickets and passes for the NVFF 2022 Film, Food and Wine Showcase include: -- General admission to screenings of The Son, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. and Corsage, $20 -- Admission to other screenings that include Q&A and Tribute, $50 -- Thursday, Nov. 10: screening and reception, $125 -- Friday, Nov. 11: screening, tribute and dinner, $450 -- Saturday, Nov. 12: screening, tribute and dinner, $375 -- Sunday, Nov. 13: screening, lunch and tribute, $250 -- A VIP All Access Pass: $1,500 includes all four days of films, tributes and culinary experiences, preferred seating for screenings, lunch and dinners plus four yoga classes. An Omega Speedmaster chronograph, previously owned and worn by NASA astronaut Walter Wally Schirra, has sold at RR Auction for $1.91 million. The BA 145.022 model in 18K yellow gold is of particular historic value, and represents Omegas enduring connection to the achievements of space exploration. The watch is part of the iconic Numbered Edition series that was produced in 1969 to celebrate the success of Apollo 11. Model numbers 3 28 were given to the astronauts in NASAs space programme, including those who were present at an Astronaut Appreciation Dinner on November 25 that year in Houston. Watch number 8 Schirra was among the astronauts in attendance that night and, as such, he received watch number 8, with an encircled engraving on the caseback which states, Astronaut Walter M. Schirra, Mercury 8 Gemini 6 Apollo 7. The Speedmaster BA 145.022 is crafted from 18K yellow gold and famously includes a rare burgundy bezel, as well as a further inscription on the caseback that reads, to mark mans conquest of space with time, through time, on time. The watch also houses the Calibre 861 a direct descendent of the legendary Calibre 321 that accompanied astronauts on the moon. Schirra plays a symbolic role in Omegas history of space exploration. On October 3rd in 1962, he wore his own personal Speedmaster CK 2998 during the Sigma 7 mission of the Mercury programme. This was the first time an Omega watch had been worn in space, and marked the start of the brands long and special involvement beyond Earth. Just a few years later, NASA would officially qualify the Speedmaster for all manned space missions, launching an Omega legacy that continues to this day. Only 1,014 models The commemorative Numbered Edition series featured only 1,014 models - produced between 1969 to 1973. The very first of these was created for US President, Richard Nixon, with number 2 allocated to the US Vice President Spiro Agnew. These watches, however, were later returned due to the US governments strict gifting protocol. Model numbers 3 28 were given to NASA astronauts, numbers 29 to 32 were offered to Swiss watch industry leaders and politicians, while 33 1000 were offered to the public. Each one remains a highly sought-after piece to this day. Earlier this year, the Speedmaster BA 145.022 presented to Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, fetched US $765,000 at auction yet again proving the popularity of this unique Speedmaster series. -- TradeArabia News Service A group that wants Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza ousted from office before his term ends must gather 3,232 signatures by Feb. 9 to qualify a recall ballot measure. Meanwhile, Pedroza is trying to get out his side of the story. All valid recall petition signatures must be from 4th District residents that Pedroza represents, since only these people could vote in a recall. The district includes the Silverado area, parts of northeast Napa and the south Lake Berryessa area. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. The county Election Division on Oct. 11 said proponents had met the requirements for a recall petition. That gave them, working as the Recall Alfredo Pedroza Committee, the green light to gather signatures opposing a supervisor they allege has misused his office for personal gain a charge Pedroza denies. The task is to get 3,232 signatures only from a narrow range of eligible voters. Of course its a challenge, recall proponent Lisa Seran said. How big a challenge is it? Since were still in the early stages, were still determining it. The big challenge is people not knowing who their supervisor is. Most people dont know what district theyre in or who their supervisor is. Plus, signatures must be from voters in the old 4th District that elected Pedroza in 2020 to his current, four-year term. District boundaries changed slightly when the county did redistricting after the 2020 U.S. census. If supporters can gather enough valid signatures by the deadline, the recall election would be in spring or summer 2023, according to John Tuteur, the county registrar of voters. Pedroza has responded to the recall effort with a website called "Meet the Pedrozas." He says he is being attacked because he has done good work for the community, work that has garnered the hate of a small, vocal group that disagrees with some of his votes. He takes the recall effort seriously and, so he can fight the campaign, will attend the Great Wine Capitals conference virtually instead of traveling to it, Pedroza said on Monday. He had been scheduled to fly to Argentina as part of a three-person county contingent at the conference, which runs from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5. From doorsteps to gatherings, he will find a way to tell his story, Pedroza said. Proponents of the Pedroza recall point to his involvement with his in-laws' purchase of potential vineyard land near the controversial Walt Ranch vineyard project. The state Fair Political Practices Commission agreed to investigate whether Pedroza had a conflict of interest when he cast a vote in favor of Walt Ranch last December. After seven months, no results are available. Pedroza denied having a conflict but agreed to recuse himself from votes involving Walt Ranch after citizens brought the matter up. The Board of Supervisors redid the December vote without him. Napa County Supervisors Ramos, Pedroza see recall threats Napa County Supervisors Belia Ramos and Alfredo Pedroza see recall threats. Rep. Mike Thompson, state Sen. Bill Dodd and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry weigh in. Recall backers also point to various other issues they say involve Pedroza, such as the board agreeing to give former County Executive Officer Minh Tran about $467,000 in severance pay and former Undersheriff Jon Crawford a $500,000 settlement. Supervisors unanimously approved the Tran agreement. The board's vote on the Crawford settlement came after then-Sheriff John Robertson released Crawford from his position and Crawford appealed. We want to make it very clear, this is not just a personal, against-Alfredo issue, Seran said. Its against the issue of corruption existing in our local government. Were just trying to expose it. Currently, hes the face of it. Recall proponents dont plan to go full-bore on signature-gathering until after the Nov. 8 election. They dont want to draw attention away from an effort to get fresh blood on the Board of Supervisors, Seran said. Two seats on the five-person board are on the ballot. I feel it's important to note that all signatures on the petition are completely confidential. No one can look at them, not even through a records request, Seran said. Dont sign the recall petition, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters urged in a September letter to the Napa Valley Register. The lawmakers pointed to the cost of taxpayers money to run a recall election and said Pedrozas seat will be on the regular ballot in less than 24 months. They said a recall election would take attention away from pressing issues facing the county, such as climate change, job creation and the economy. We are confident voters will make the right decision and urge residents not to sign the petitions, they wrote. Seran said the expense of a recall election Tuteur estimates it would be $175,000 to $250,000 is less than the waste of taxpayers money in the Tran and Crawford cases. I am surprised that Thompson, Dodd and Aguiar-Curry are telling people how to vote or what to do, Seran said. The decisions are left up to the voters. Theyre not left up to the current politicians in power. Recall proponents have a website at recallalfredopedroza.com explaining their effort and how people can contact them, though signatures on the petition must be signed in person. Pedroza has a website at https://meetthepedrozas.com/ defending himself. Meanwhile, talk of a recall campaign against 5th District Supervisor Belia Ramos seems to have disappeared. The possibility of a Ramos recall campaign was mentioned in the letter by Thompson, Dodd and Aguiar-Curry, who urged 5th District voters not to sign a recall petition. A group called Citizens for Napa County Government Accountability in an Aug. 31 email told Tuteur it is organizing to recall Ramos and asked where to file the required notice of intent. It wasn't clear who is behind Citizens for Napa County Government Accountability. Tuteur said Monday he has heard no further word on a possible Ramos recall. There is no petition being circulated. October marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, the fourth-costliest hurricane on record for the United States, causing phenomenal damage along the coasts of New Jersey and New York. For this week's episode of the Across the Sky podcast, Gary Szatwoski, a meteorologist working for the National Weather Service in South Jersey in 2012 when the storm hit, joins the Lee meteorologists for a look back at the system that became known as Superstorm Sandy. About the Across the Sky podcast The weekly weather podcast is hosted on a rotation by the Lee Weather team: Matt Holiner of Lee Enterprises' Midwest group in Chicago, Kirsten Lang of the Tulsa World in Oklahoma, Joe Martucci of the Press of Atlantic City, N.J., and Sean Sublette of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia. The new variants are coming. And right behind them, our third COVID-19 winter. But were unlikely to see the ghosts of Christmases past, say experts, because these newcomers look a lot like the current virus. And our growing immunity is softening and shortening infection, limiting disease and hospitalization. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Well see a surge as people move indoors, especially if vaccination and masking rates remain low, said UC San Francisco epidemiologist George Rutherford. But, so far, theres no evidence that these variants cause more severe disease. A stunning 300 spinoffs of the Omicron variant almost all iterations of each other, with many shared mutations are circulating globally right now. This represents a new evolutionary phase in the pandemic. Until now, one version of the virus has been king. Heres the good news: The variants look a lot like the virus that was the template of our new bivalent booster, so vaccination still works. Recent infections also will be protective. The coronavirus hasnt made a huge evolutionary leap, as it did with Omicron. Its not a perfect match but its close, said Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, who studies variant mutations. In most cases, thats going to keep the infection in check. But theres also bad news: These new variants can sneak around some therapies. The antiviral Paxlovid remains effective. But other treatments the monoclonal antibody drugs Evusheld and bebtelovimab arent. Theyre too narrowly focused, so must be redesigned. These new variants may also dodge some of the antibodies that help limit spread. So expect high transmission, tweeted Michael Mina, a former Harvard epidemiologist who is now the chief science officer for eMed, which sells at-home tests. And only about 5.7% of eligible Americans, including 10% of California residents, have gotten the new booster, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This apathy could create serious illness if unprotected people join indoor holiday gatherings. The new variants that were beginning to see are raising a great deal of concern that we are going to see a wave, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said at a conference this month. We can seriously mitigate that wave if the majority of people get vaccinated. Thats just not happening now. Meanwhile, early next year federal funding cuts will end the free distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and tests. Already, some sites are reducing their operations. The CDC is no longer counting cases every day, so a sudden surge could be missed. On Friday, new data showed that the viruss family tree is splintering. In the U.S., the sprawling BQ family most notably, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 is gaining dominance. Its the progeny of BA.5, which is receding. Variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 now represent 17% of all cases, up from only 9% last week. The change has long been in the making. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the virus has multiplied quickly and randomly in hundreds of millions of people, constantly trying new ways to dodge the immune system. Its a cloak-and-dagger, spy-versus-spy game, said Kamil. These variants that are bubbling up now are trying to get past some of our immunity. But the diversity is impressive. In Europe and North America, theres an alphabet soup of new sublineages BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, but also BA.2.75.2, BA.2.75.4, BA.2.3.20, BA.4.6, BJ.1, BH.1, BP.1, and more. New York, where variants are often spotted first, reports many sub-variations of BQ, such as BQ.1.3, BQ.1.14, BQ.1.2 and BQ.1.11. In Asia, the XBB variant is causing a major new wave of cases, especially in Singapore, which has one of the worlds most highly vaccinated populations, according to Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research in San Diego. Yet most cases are mild, even asymptomatic. XBB has a different heritage from our BQ variants; it was created by a mixing of the BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 strains. Any of these variants could triumph, but regional differences suggest co-circulation over the next few months with a tightening race between the BQ.1.1 and XBB. Different variants may get footholds in subsets of the population, said Andrew F. Read, director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State, who studies the evolution of infectious disease. Globally, it is now a more diverse immune landscape, he said. People have gotten a variety of different vaccines and a variety of previous exposures. They have varying degrees, and types, of immunity. In its effort to survive, the virus has got to cope with that, he said. But despite their diversity, these new variants are all trying variations on the same genetic theme. Theyve emerged with a pattern of similar mutations. Thats called convergent evolution just as birds, bats and insects all figured out how to fly, different COVID-19 variants are using the same strategy to change a key spot in the virus where virus-blocking antibodies dock. Scientists predicted this. In the lab, they identified which mutations dubbed 460, 444 and 346 would be enlisted by the virus. This involves a trade-off, they noted, so the virus is less able to latch tightly onto our cells. Evolutionarily, the viruses are fighting over the crumbs now, said Kamil. Nothing will ever put us back at square one, naive to the virus, experts agree. These new variants cant fully escape all components of our now-smarter immune systems. Were way out of that danger zone now, said Kamil. But we should fully expect that there will be a fall or winter wave thats driven by these variants. People are gathering indoors more often. And these viruses are continuing to find ways to eke out survival. According to information published by the Algerian MoD on October 19, 2022, To strengthen bilateral military relations between the Algerian and Russian navies, a detachment of warships, including the corvette Stoikiy, has docked in Algiers. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Russian Project 20380 corvette Stoikiy, Algiers. (Picture source: Algerian MoD) Algeria currently enjoys very strong relations with Russia. Throughout the Algerian War of Independence, the Soviet Union had been providing military, technical and material assistance to Algeria. The USSR was the first country in the world to de facto recognize the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic in October 1960, and then de jure on March 23, 1962, by establishing diplomatic relations with this country (a few months before the official proclamation of its independence). About the corvette Stoikiy Stoikiy is a Steregushchiy-class corvette of the Russian Navy. Stoikiy was laid down on 10 November 2006, and launched on 30 May 2012 by Severnaya Verf in Saint Petersburg. She was commissioned on 18 July 2014. On 21 January 2014, she completed the first stage of sea trial and on the 24th, arrived at the Naval Base Baltiysk. The Steregushchiy-class corvettes have a steel hull and composite material superstructure, with a bulbous bow and nine watertight subdivisions. They have a combined bridge and command centre, and space and weight provision for eight SS-N-25 missiles. Stealth technology was widely used during construction of the ships, as well as 21 patents and 14 new computer programs. The newest physical field reduction solutions were applied too. As a result, designers considerably reduced the ship's radar signature thanks to hull architecture and fire-resistant radar-absorbent fiberglass applied in the tophamper's design. The Kashtan CIWS on the first ship was replaced in subsequent vessels by 12 Redut VLS cells containing 9M96E medium-range SAMs of the S-400 system. SS-N-27 (Kalibr type missiles) will be fitted to a larger domestic version, Project 20385. Volcano eruption kicks off in Hawaii Condition of servicemen wounded as result of Azerbaijan's violation of ceasefire is satisfactory Russia and Iran sign memorandum on car exports Tokayev: There are issues in relations between Russia and Kazakhstan that require negotiations FT: Global inflation peaks but will slow in future 2 soldiers injured after Azerbaijan shells Artsakh defense army positions Japan to build constellation of 50 military satellites Azerbaijan hands over to Armenian side bodies of 13 Armenian servicemen Iraqi PM announces return of part of $125 million stolen from state Inaugural Divine Liturgy served at first Armenian church in Spain Russia and Kazakhstan intend to increase CSTO potential Process of US granting market economy status to Armenia is discussed (PHOTOS) Borrell says NATO has enough threats and challenges besides China Azerbaijani government-controlled media announces change in Baku's foreign policy 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 Seyran Ohanyan: Drawing CSTO into our region in matters of use of force may cause serious conflict in future 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 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's calls to foreign leaders that Ukraine is allegedly preparing radioactive "dirty bomb" attacks mean that Russia itself is preparing such an attack. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in his Monday evening address, the text of which has been posted on the website of the President's Office. "If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all that," said Zelenskyy. "Therefore, when today the Minister of Defense of Russia organizes a telephone carousel and calls the ministers of foreign affairs, telling tales about the so-called dirty nuclear bomb, everyone realizes everything perfectly. They know who the source is of every evil thing in this war. Ukraine has invited experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit its facilities where, as Russia claims, a "dirty bomb"an explosive device containing radioactive materialcould be created. Lucid Group, setting new standards with the longest-range, fastest-charging electric car on the market with the award-winning Lucid Air, has promoted Faisal Sultan to Vice President and Managing Director of Lucid Middle East. He will report directly to Peter Rawlinson, Lucid's CEO and CTO. Sultan joined Lucid in 2019 and has since spearheaded major initiatives for the company in the region, including guiding the factory construction contract in Saudi Arabia, developing sales and service plans, negotiating the purchase of a fleet of up to 100,000 vehicles by the Government of Saudi Arabia over a ten-year period, managing relationships with key partners, suppliers and government officials, and leading this week's opening of the company's first Middle East Studio in Riyadh. Retail Studio "As we open Lucid's first retail studio here in Riyadh, I am delighted to announce that Faisal Sultan has been promoted to Vice President and Managing Director of Lucid Middle East," said Peter Rawlinson, Lucid's CEO and CTO. "Our mission is to inspire the adoption of sustainable energy by creating the most captivating electric vehicles in the world, and the Middle East is a strategic region in fulfilling that mission, for both manufacturing and retail. This requires deep knowledge of the area along with business acumen, and we are very fortunate to have Faisal leading our team here in the Middle East." Sultan has 23 years of combined automotive experience with Lucid, Industrial Clusters, FCA, Magna, Ford, and GM, where he held leadership positions spanning industrial development, manufacturing, operations, engineering, and program management. He also has global experience stretching across North America, Asia, Europe and Australia. Prior to joining Lucid, Sultan served as Senior Director, Automotive for Industrial Clusters in Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources. There, he led the team that developed and implemented the Automotive Development Policy for the country's localisation of automotive manufacturing, supply chain development, and human resource capabilities. Sultan holds an MBA from New York Institute of Technology and a Master of Automotive Engineering from Lawrence Technological University.-- TradeArabia News Service The World Bank said Monday it has given Ukraine an additional $500 million to help the country meet urgent spending needs caused by the Russian invasion and ongoing war, the Voice of America reported. Funding from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the main lending arm of the World Bank, was backed by a $500 million loan guarantee from Britain that was announced Sept. 30, the organization said in a statement. The loan came on the eve of a conference on Ukraine's reconstruction Tuesday in Berlin, during which national leaders, development experts and business leaders will discuss how to rebuild Ukraine after the war ends. The Russian invasion continues to cause massive destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, including water, sewage and electricity networks, while winter approaches, putting the Ukrainian people even more at risk, said World Bank President David Malpass. The new round of funding allocated today will be used to maintain basic public services. We are determined to support the Ukrainian people as they face this unprecedented crisis, the statement said. The World Bank has provided a total of $13 billion in emergency financing for Ukraine, of which $11.4 billion has been fully disbursed. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to launch a new program to support the Armenian economy. Its budget can be $25 million. The agency announced the seeking of specialists who will take on the project, RT reported. The USAID Economic Framework for a Resilient Armenia project will strengthen Armenias economic security, as well as its ability to capitalize on periods of economic growth and cope with periods of economic downturn, the project description reads, in part. The program is planned for five years. At this time, contractors will have to cooperate with state agencies of Armenia, including the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry, as well as with representatives of the private sector. It is planned to allocate $25 million for the implementation of the project. As USAID noted, Armenia has faced several crises in recent years, including the coronavirus pandemic. After a relatively strong economic growth in 2021, Western sanctions against Russia came as the newest shock to the countrys economy, the agency stressed. This project will focus on the root causes of economic vulnerability and strengthen Armenias economic resilience in the face of precisely such challenges, the document says. American experts believe that other shocks, such as the conflict in Ukraine, also could lead to new difficulties. In this regard, one of the objectives of the program is to provide assistance to the Armenian government and the private sector to overcome these shocks. General Motors Africa and Middle East (GM AMEO) says the newest members of its leadership team will be driving forward the Marketing and Communications operations GM and its vehicle brands to ensure continued growth and innovation. Current President and Managing Director of GM Africa & Middle East, Luay Al Shurafa said: We have cemented our standing as a trusted automaker in the region, and in the past years, are building on this identity to transition into a platform innovator, making strides towards electrifying the future of mobility. It is a pleasure to welcome onboard Suzie Guzzo and Ronald Balit to their new regional leadership roles, given their respective extensive insights into our brand equity and vision for growth. I am confident they will amplify our work towards GMs regional ambidextrous strategy and ambition for a future of Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion. Id like to thank Sharon and Sean for their valued contributions and leadership and wish them the best in their roles with GM. As Chief Marketing Officer for the Africa and Middle East region, replacing Sharon Nishi, Guzzo will lead the teams across brand marketing, product marketing, martech ecosystems and technology, and retail marketing, digital marketing, retail, customer and product experiences for Chevrolet and GMC. In her previous role as Director of Global Brand Experience at General Motors, Guzzo proved instrumental in driving the evolution of Cadillacs customer experience and brand marketing to align with the needs of the luxury customer. Underpinning her work in this space, was her dedication to bringing to life Cadillacs EV leadership story and its unique luxury customer experience on this front. Critical market The region is a critical market for GM, offering immense promise on the EV front, spanning public appetite for electrification, wider government ambitions focused on green mobility and various net zero targets. This is truly an incredible opportunity, to be able to expand on my understanding of the landscape in the Middle East and Africa, as well as grow my work with Cadillac brand positioning, to take on the reins across the wider nameplates. Sharon played a monumental role in generating positive brand awareness and growing our market share during her tenure, in a time of uncertainty, post pandemic. I am keen to build on this, to drive anticipation for the exciting launches in the works, across internal combustion engine vehicles as well as our electric portfolio, soon to make their mark on the region, said Guzzo. The role of GM AMEO Communications Director will see Balit leading corporate, brand and digital communications strategies across the region. Drawing from over two decades of media, communications and marketing experience, his insights will be key in shaping communications principles and storytelling to engage stakeholders in the move towards an all-electric future. Ronald is well versed in GMs vision, strategy and execution plans, having held various roles with the leading automaker since 2015, across product and internal communications, as well as in the marketing space. In-depth understanding I look forward to bring to the table an in-depth understanding of our industry and the customers it serves, a passion and desire to connect with our customers and prospects through innovative communications strategies across our storied brands. Building on the outstanding work that has been done by the team in the recent years, our work in the near term will be crucial in order to accelerate and sustain our vision for an all-electric future and reshape the industry. I also welcome the chance to further elevate our business regionally, across continents. commented Balit. The latest updates on the leadership team will further fortify GM AMEOs efforts to roll out 13 EVs by 2025, across its brands, while also reshaping connectivity and safety within mobility in the region. The delegation of the OSCE needs assessment mission on Monday visited Jermuk, Armenia, citys mayor Vahagn Arsenyan informed on Facebook. During the meeting, they were briefed on the situation after the Azerbaijani military attack on September 13, the damage done to civil infrastructures of Jermuk, as well as the risks that arose after the Azerbaijani aggressionthe former distance of the Azerbaijani troops from the city and their current locations. The meeting was followed by the actual recordingimmediately on locationof the briefed situation. The delegation visited the defensive positions, the Jermuk cable car system, and various parts of the city, and the information presented about the risks was recorded with facts. Armenia wants to have the country with the borders established during the creation of the CIS in 1991 and for peace to be made; the country is going for it, has nothing to concede. Gagik Melkonyan, a member of the ruling majority Civil Contract Faction of the National Assembly (NA) and former deputy minister of defense of Armenia, announced this to reporters in the NA Tuesday. "The task is set that we sign a peace agreement by the end of the year; but no one knows whether or not it will happen. The major powers have told us that, You should sign that agreement by the end of the year. But after Luxembourg, [Azerbaijani president] Aliyev stood and said in Astana that it is Russia that stopped the [Nagorno-Karabakh] war [in the fall of 2020], started to dare. It can be seen from all this that we are unlikely to sign a peace agreement before the end of the year," said Melkonyan. According to him, Armenians should come to understand that they themselves will fight for their country, and no one will come here to fight for them. "That's why our people must unite, and we can get our country out of this situation," the Armenian lawmaker added. And when asked which proposals are more favorable for Armenia, the West's or Russia's, Melkonyan answered: "The favorable is that we can drive the enemy out of our borders, we can keep the borders of our country. Today, international organizations are already forcing Azerbaijan. It depends on the records of the European observers [in Armenia] that these actions should be carried out. The US, France have told [Azerbaijani troops currently in Armenia] to 'go back to your previous positions.'" The European Union (EU) is actively engaged in all levels of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia told VOA. According to Toivo Klaar, the activities of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who has held four meetings in Brussels between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as his personal efforts in this regard, attest to this engagement of the EU. Another evidence of EU activeness in the region, according to Klaar, is the recent deployment of an EU observation mission in Armeniaalong the border with Azerbaijan. The EU has its interests there, he noted. This is the neighboring region of the EU, so they have an obvious interest in a peaceful and prosperous South Caucasus, and for that, it is important to be able to settle the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Klaar added. The EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus said he expects that the aforesaid EU observation mission in Armenia will better inform Brussels about the situation on the ground and the existing challenges, through which it is possible to contribute more effectively to the peace process. AIQ, a technology pioneer that invents AI solutions for the energy sector, will showcase its cutting-edge AI tools and applications at Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) 2022. The company is taking part in the global platform for the second consecutive year while contributing to UAEs transition from a technology consumer to an exporter of disruptive technologies to the world, enabling the digital transformation of energy and boosting sustainability. Omar Al Marzooqi, CEO at AIQ, said: Our showcase at Adipec 2022 is going to be extraordinary this year, as we highlight our homegrown technology products amplifying operational excellence and driving strong performance and economic growth, forging a new path towards energy transition. At AIQ, we are accelerating the AI-driven digital transformation at scale of Energy companies across the world and our agenda is in line with the UAE Net Zero 2050 strategy. Our pioneering products are contributing to cementing the UAEs position as a global AI Hub and this is something we take utter pride in as we actively contribute to advancing sustainability and unlocking value for the industry to drive impact. Expanding partnerships At Adipec, we will expand existing partnerships, collaborate to form new strategic alliances and announce several ground-breaking initiatives to deploy AI to boost operational efficiencies, with sustainability at the heart of what we offer. We are excited to connect with industry leaders and reaffirm our commitment to the future of the industry, he added. AIQs return to Adipec, from October 31 to November 3, coincides with the companys second anniversary, a milestone that marks AIQs significant efforts to contribute to the UAEs vision to become the worlds AI leader by 2031 and a global technology hub. AIQ will be present at Adipec in hall 5 on stand no. 5130.-- TradeArabia News Service Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Denmez said that Russia and Turkey have reached an agreement in principle to create a gas hub; Ankara has begun to do its part of the work. "First we will look at our part of the work. We have started it. Friends work in Botas, Epias (Turkish energy companies). We have always had the goal of becoming a gas center and a trade center. Basically, an agreement has been reached regarding negotiations. First we need to finish the work on our side," the official explained. In October, Vladimir Putin proposed creating a gas hub in Turkey. According to him, this could replace the lost volume of pumping through the Nord Stream. As the head of state stressed, such a solution is economically feasible, while the level of security is much higher. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is ready to talk to the United States, other countries, and the Pope to find a solution to the situation in Ukraine, RIA Novosti reported. French President Emmanuel Macron asked Pope Francis to call Russian and U.S. leaders Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. Macron also believes it is necessary for the U.S. to sit down at the negotiating table to advance the settlement process. "If this is all in line with a real effort in terms of finding possible unraveling, that can be evaluated positively. But on the other hand, this statement doesn't say anything about anyone having to call Zelenskyy and deal with the legal framework that henceforth forbids any negotiations with the Russian side," Peskov told reporters. "We are ready to discuss all this with the Americans, the French, and the pontiff. I repeat once again, Russia is open for all contacts. But we must proceed from the fact that Ukraine has codified the non-continuation of negotiations," he added. Interaction in the gas sphere remains on the agenda of discussions between Russia and Turkey both at the highest level and at the working level, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, RIA Novosti reported. "Both these issues and those related to gas supplies are indeed on the agenda of both high-level and working-level contacts. These contacts continue," Peskov said. Details of the creation of a gas hub in Turkey are being worked out, an important part of the project is related to gas sales issues, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. "The interest of both countries in the creation of a gas hub was emphasized at the recent meeting of the two presidents in Astana, the details are being worked out. We know that there is a very important part related to gas sales. As this part will also become clearer, the outlines of this hub will become clearer," Peskov said. YEREVAN. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, on Tuesday held a meeting with the Grand Chancellor (Foreign Minister) of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Riccardo Paterno di Montecupo, in Rome, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am. The interlocutors emphasized that the bilateral relations between Armenia and the Sovereign Order of Malta are based on long-lasting historical ties and Christian values of similar origin, expressing readiness to deepen the existing cooperation in numerous fields. The Foreign Minister and the Grand Chancellor discussed the programs implemented by the Order in Armenia in the fields of humanitarian assistance and healthcare and the further deepening of cooperation in these fields. The interlocutors also touched upon the issues of preservation of cultural heritage and the prospects of joint steps in this direction. During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the issues of regional agenda. Minister Mirzoyan briefed the position of the Armenian side regarding Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Referring to the humanitarian situation resulting from the recent Azerbaijani military aggression against the territorial integrity of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the need for the immediate withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia and the observance of the ceasefire. Referring to the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, the Foreign Minister emphasized the response of the international community. Meanwhile, the importance of preserving the Armenian historical, cultural, and spiritual heritage in the territories fallen under Azerbaijani control was underscored. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that the format of the Crimea platform be the start for other "humanitarian and diplomatic platforms" that would facilitate the "de-occupation" of other territories - from Transnistria and Abkhazia to the Northern Territories, he said during an online speech at the session of the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform, which takes place in Zagreb, UNIAN reports. He appealed to the participants of the Platform with a call to "by all means visit Crimea, immediately after the return of the Ukrainian flag there." According to Zelenskyy, the "de-occupation" of the peninsula will mean "the rebirth of real peace." "The Russian potential for aggression will be destroyed at the root when the Ukrainian flag is back in its rightful place - in the cities and villages of Crimea. Crimea must be freed from its use by Russia as a springboard. Then the world will feel that there will be no more losses, and people will feel that the world is becoming safer," Zelenskyy believes. Saudi Arabia and the United States will overcome an unjustified spat over oil supplies, the kingdom's investment minister Khalid al-Falih said at a business forum in Riyadh, stressing longstanding corporate and institutional ties, Reuters reported. The Saudi Arabia-led OPEC+ alliance's decision this month to cut oil production targets has strained relations between the White House and Riyadh ahead of the kingdom's FII investment forum, again attended by top U.S. business executives. "If you look at the relationship with the people side, the corporate side, the education system, you look at our institutions working together we are very close and we will get over this recent spat that I think was unwarranted," Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih said. Noting that Saudi Arabia and the United States have been reliable allies in the long term, he stressed that the kingdom has "very strong" cooperation with Asian partners, including China as the largest importer of Saudi hydrocarbons. As in previous years, the three-day Future Investment Initiative (FII) forum, which opened Tuesday, attracted a lot of attention from Wall Street, as well as from other industries with strategic interests in Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia and the United States would defend their 75-year alliance. "I can't imagine any allies agreeing on everything and not having problems theyll work it through," Dimon said. "I'm comfortable that folks on both sides are working through and that these countries will remain allies going forward, and hopefully help the world develop and grow properly." Armstrong Fluid Technology, a leading innovator in the design and manufacturing of intelligent fluid-flow and control solutions, is fueling the regional shift towards sustainable energy consumption through its high-value, energy-saving solutions. As the first company in the commercial-scale HVAC sector to receive a Queens Award for Sustainable Development, continuing to lead the way in sustainability is fundamental to Armstrongs purpose and long-term strategy for success. According to the company, by leveraging advanced intelligence and demand-based control, it surpassed its 2018 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions among its global customer base by 2 million tons. Within a 4-year period, Armstrong said it has helped customers save 2.5 billion kWh of electricity, resulting in more than $300 million in cost savings. Achieving this goal is equivalent to taking 600,000 cars off the road for a year, or off-setting the average annual CO2 emissions generated by 100,000 people, it stated. Armstrong said this was made possible through a combination of its innovative design envelope technology and active performance management software, Pump Manager. Pump Managers 3-layer architecture adds the power of digital twins, edge computing, and cloud-based technology to intelligent design envelope equipment, it stated. Already accounting for over 75 per cent of a buildings energy usage, the energy demand of HVAC systems throughout the GCC is expected to triple by 2030. By bringing performance resilience and transparency to system design and operations, Armstrongs advanced solutions are amplifying efficiency, while simultaneously improving building performance to minimise this growth in demand as much as possible. On its key milestone, Chairman and CEO Charles Armstrong said: Our accomplishments within the field of sustainability are a testament to our commitment to working with our clients and communities in the region to achieve net-zero emissions." "Were incredibly proud of the collective energy savings we have achieved, yet at the same time, we recognise that the work in this area is not yet complete," he stated. "Buildings worldwide continue to be some of the largest contributors of greenhouse gasses. Through our core competencies of fluid-flow, energy transfer, demand-based control, and digitalisation, we will continue to engineer and manufacture new and improved solutions that further optimise HVAC system performance, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the unexpected ban on entering Armenia is insulting and is imposed against the background of the trilateral meeting between the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan to be held in Russia. The decision, he said, is justified by the fact that the words he said are harmful for Armenia. He assured that the decision of the Armenian authorities will not affect his pro-Armenian activities, calling the actions of the Armenian authorities against the Armenians of Karabakh a betrayal. Zatulin reminded that he has always advocated the development of relations with Armenia and has initiated the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the State Duma. The deputy said that a corresponding note was received from the Armenian parliament. "It called my visit undesirable. I regard it as an attempt to disrupt the session of Lazarev Club, where representatives of Armenian authorities were also invited," he said. In his assessment, official Yerevan is trying to turn Armenia from an ally of Russia into an ally of the West. Zatulin called the attempt to accuse Russia of neglecting its obligations a manipulation, reminding that there are Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh. The letter from the leadership of Armenian National Assembly says: "Unfortunately, your recent public statements about the Republic of Armenia are detrimental to the development of friendly and allied relations between our nations. In this regard, your visit to the Republic of Armenia is considered undesirable in the future. A corresponding "leak" was published earlier by the Armenian Prime Minister's family newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak. The newspaper "explains" the decision allegedly repeatedly expressed by Zatulin's opinion that the authorities are guilty of the lost 44-day war. "Moreover, while invading Armenia's domestic political life, Zatulin has repeatedly stated that Nikol Pashinyan should leave. Zatulin even managed to accuse the Armenian authorities of driving a wedge into Armenian-Russian relations. And during his last visit to Armenia, in an interview with Yerkir Media, he accused the prime minister of signing a "corridor" through Armenia's sovereign territory. "Questions on the possible corridor should be asked to the signatories, the "corridor" was signed by Pashinyan," Zatulin said, according to the newspaper. Armenian-Russian allied relations are regressing, and this is recorded by the active efforts of the Armenian authorities, Armenian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Dzyunik Aghajanyan told NEWS.am. "Obviously, a program is being implemented. We encountered this problem in May last year. After that the same attempt was made in November very unexpectedly at the level of statements in the National Assembly. However, geopolitical events did not allow us to clearly advance the intended program. Now this program is moving very quickly. By encouraging anti-Russian sentiments, including through the constant involvement of anti-Russian individuals, an attempt is being made to negate the role of Russia, one of the most important geopolitical centers and one of the most important factors in our region, and to withdraw it from the region. Changing the foreign policy vector is one of the tools of this project, which aims to put the Caspian resources and its transit routes under Western control. To achieve this goal, an operation is carried out to destroy Russia and Iran. In this case, Armenia has always been the wedge that held the regional balance. After removing this wedge from the current Armenian authorities, we saw a violation of the balance, an actual surrender of Artsakh, which de facto frees the region from so-called conflicts, opening an even path to integration with the West," the ambassador said. In her assessment, Armenia became a tool in the hands of the West in 2018, through the "velvet revolution." "The current authorities were brought in precisely to implement this program. In this region, until 2018, Armenia was the only country that held the balance and did not allow this conflict. Moreover, the opposing forces even cooperated in the format of the OSCE MG. The current Armenian authorities have begun the process of dismantling the pillars of the existing balance. At present, the vector is being diverted. So far, Russia has tried to neutralize these phenomena, perhaps also naively believing that the current Armenian authorities are resorting to such steps purely out of inexperience, and that they can be put on the right track. Let's hope they understand that this is a clearly pursued policy. Under these conditions, Russia can do a lot, but it still has not lost hope that it can somehow keep these processes under control, which I do not hope for. The sooner Russia comes to its senses, the sooner our people will understand that they are led to the brink of losing their statehood, annihilating the nation, genocide of Artsakh people and full domination of the Turkish factor here, which will lead to the annihilation of an entire nation. The West mistakenly thinks it can control Turkey. Taking advantage of the West's green light, which we saw vividly during the 44-day war, when the NATO Secretary General visited Turkey and met with its leadership on October 5 and took no deterrent steps. On the contrary, Turkey's direct involvement at the front followed exactly 10 days later. In this situation, expecting the West to somehow restrain Turkey is a misunderstanding," Aghajanyan said. She is convinced that Armenia must adopt a very cautious, reasonable and prudent policy. No one helps a weak state. "The version of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty presented by the West is a disaster for us. The West doesn't need a strong Armenia, but the West doesn't need a completely enslaved Armenia, because they know very well that in this case the Armenians will revolt and move in the opposite direction. They need a very weakened Armenia, clearly submitting to their will," concluded the ambassador. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Vatican on an official visit, met with Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See, on Tuesday, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry informed NEWS.am. Underlining that the visit takes place on the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the Holy See, the interlocutors noted with satisfaction that bilateral relations based on Christian values and historical and cultural ties are dynamically developing. In that context, Minister Mirzoyan stressed Pietro Parolin's significant contribution to the development of bilateral relations. The sides noted that the high-level visits and meetings between Armenia and the Holy See, which are ongoing, are clear evidence of an effective dialogue. The sides discussed also possibilities for the strengthening and expansion of cooperation in international organizations, taking into consideration the identical approaches of the sides towards the current issues on the international agenda. During the meeting the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented the Armenian side's positions on the issues related to the security and stability in the South Caucasus. Mirzoyan presented the consequences of the latest aggression committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the sovereign territory of Armenia, stressing the imperative to withdraw the Azerbaijani armed forces, the immediate return of all Armenian POWs and the urgent implementation of the ceasefire. The Armenian side underlined that the main obstacle to peace in the region was Azerbaijan's radical claims and ambitions to solve issues through the use or threat of use of force. The sides touched upon the protection of Armenian spiritual and cultural-historical monuments from the distortion of identity and destruction in the territories that have come under Azerbaijani control. In this regard, the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that Azerbaijan still prevents the visit of the UNESCO assessment mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories. Speaker of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan refused to participate in the fifth session of the Russian-Armenian Lazarev Club. In a letter addressed to State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin, he explained this by the fact that he would participate in the next meeting of the IPA CIS Council in Samarkand. The Armenian authorities earlier declared Zatulin persona non grata. "Unfortunately, your recent public statements against the Republic of Armenia are detrimental to the development of friendly and allied relations between our countries. In this regard, your visit to the Republic of Armenia is considered undesirable in the future. In addition, according to a "leak" previously published by Haykakan Zhamanak, the newspaper of the Prime Minister's family in Armenia, Zatulin's criticism of the leadership, especially of Nikol Pashinyan, had enraged those in power. In an interview with NEWS.am, Zatulin called the sudden entry ban offensive. He assured that the decision of the Armenian authorities will not affect his pro-Armenian activities, calling the actions of the Armenian authorities in regard to the Armenians of Karabakh a betrayal. People's connections with others are essential to their wellbeing and mental health -- they need them to thrive. But despite how important these social connections are, there is meager research that provides representative, multinational data on how connected people feel and how they connect with others. A recent study by Gallup and Meta helps fill this gap, revealing that majorities of people in seven countries -- Brazil, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the U.S. -- said they feel "very" or "fairly" connected to people (as opposed to "a little" or "not at all"). However, the study also shows that not everyone feels connected to this same degree. More than eight in 10 people in Egypt (87%), France (82%) and Indonesia (81%) said they feel this connected with others, compared with much smaller majorities in Mexico (65%) and Brazil (53%). ###Embeddable### These and other findings from the study are detailed in a new Meta-Gallup report, The State of Social Connections, which provides an in-depth look at how connected, socially supported and lonely people in different parts of the world feel. Whom Are People Connecting With? The study asked people how often they had interacted with others in six categories over the past seven days: friends or family who live with or near them, friends or family who live far away, neighbors or people who live near them, people from work or school, people from groups they are a part of based on shared interests or beliefs, and strangers or people they don't know. More than 65% of people in each of the seven countries reported connecting with people in at least two of these six categories daily or more often in the past week. About half of people in Brazil, France, Mexico and the U.S. interacted with three or more categories of people at least daily, while the figure was closer to 40% in Egypt, Indonesia and India. Across all countries, people were most likely to say they interacted with friends or family who live with or near them at least once a day, with the highest reported levels in Brazil (78%) and Egypt (77%). While people in India were least likely to interact daily with nearby friends or family (58%), they were among the most likely to say they had interacted this often with friends or family who live far away (42%). ###Embeddable### How Do People Connect? The study also asked people how often they had interacted with others over the past week via seven methods: in-person contact, phone or voice calls, video calls, email, text messages, social media and online/video/virtual reality gaming. In all countries except Indonesia and India, more than 60% of people reported using two or more methods to connect with people at least daily, with that figure rising to 80% in the U.S., 75% in France and 70% in Brazil. While people connected most frequently with others in person, at least one in three people in all countries surveyed -- except India -- said they had used social media to interact with others at least daily in the past week. The study also found that people who interact via social media frequently were more likely to interact in person more frequently as well. ###Embeddable### Do People Reach Out When They Need Help? Beyond how often people connect, whom they connect with and how they connect, the study provides insight into whether people interact with others to get social support when they need it. At least a third of people in all seven countries said they needed support or help from someone "often" or "sometimes" in the past 30 days, with majorities responding this way in Egypt (69%) and Indonesia (61%). Conversely, people in India (38%) and France (36%) were most likely to say they "never" needed help in the past 30 days. ###Embeddable### Whom Do People Get Support From? In each country, people who said they needed support or help from others in the past 30 days were asked about several groups they might have interacted with to get that support. Across countries, more than any other group, people said they interacted with friends or family who live nearby to get support or help. Between one-fifth and one-half of people in all countries also said they interacted with friends or family who live far away for support. People in Indonesia and Egypt were more likely to say they had interacted with others from most of the groups -- including friends or family living close by, friends or family living far away, and people from their work or school. ###Embeddable### By contrast, Mexico and France consistently had among the lowest percentages of people saying they interacted with others to get support or help from each group. How Do People Get Support? Just as in-person interactions and phone or voice calls were among the most common modes people use to interact with others, people used them most often to seek support or help. Notably, in three countries -- Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico -- social media was used about as commonly as phone or voice calls to interact with others for help. Further, more than 40% of people in Indonesia and Egypt had used social media to interact with others for help in the past 30 days. ###Embeddable### In France and the U.S., people were more likely to say they had used text messages to interact with others to get support or help than any form of technological communication except phone or voice calls. Implications This study barely scratches the surface of the intricacies of how humans connect with one another -- and more research is needed. However, it does shine new light on whom people connect with and how they do so, and what factors are related to feelings of connection. Results from individual countries also further highlight specific groups who are particularly likely to experience higher levels of loneliness or less access to support -- which is discussed in detail in the full report. This information, coupled with data from more than 140 countries slated for release in 2023, can help provide governments, community-based organizations and private companies with more insight into who is socially vulnerable and how those with a disadvantaged socioeconomic position can thrive with better support through social networks. Read the full report. To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on Twitter. New Delhi [India], October 25 (ANI/ATK): Dogeliens (DOGET) is a new cryptocurrency that has chosen to identify with the fast-growing metaverse. It plans to use a play-to-earn game model to attract users into its alternate world, just like The Sandbox (SAND) and Tezos (XTZ). As a meme coin, Dogeliens (DOGET) has a mission to offer users a fun cryptocurrency that continues the meme coin hype but with added utility that makes it worth the hype. This article explores how users can maximize their gains in the Metaverse with notable tokens like Dogeliens (DOGET), The Sandbox, and Tezos (XTZ). Introducing the Puptopia Planet with Dogeliens Dogeliens (DOGET) is the latest meme coin to hit the coin market. It plans to bring the Metaverse to users with utilities and attributes. First, Dogeliens (DOGET) will introduce its own planet Puptopia. This alternate world has equally vast, with exciting play-to-earn games and NFTs. These games are inspired by Pokemon and use NFTs as in-game characters. To explore the Puptopia planet, you need to buy Dogeliens NFTs from the native marketplace. The Puptopia planet features a battle arena where you can test the strength of your Dogeliens NFTs against other players to increase your Dogeliens rarity. You can also team up with other players to fight opposing teams for more rewards. After defeating your opponents in the battle arena, you can explore the beautiful Puptopia planet. You might even bump into flowers and fruits that you can harvest for your Dogeliens NFT. The more accessories you have, the rarer your NFTs, and the more valuable they have in the marketplace. Everything on the Puptiopia planet is paid for in DOGET, the native currency of the Dogeliens ecosystem. Additionally, token holders will have exclusive rights on decisions to further the project over the coming years. Thus, the Puptopia planet maximizes all the benefits the metaverse could provide, making it more exciting and enticing for its users. Maximizing The Decentralized Metaverse With The Sandbox The Sandbox (SAND) is one of the popular Metaverse cryptocurrencies in the crypto market. Its Metaverse boasts LAND owners such as popular pop culture figures like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg and brands such as Adidas and Atari. The Sandbox (SAND) Metaverse is unique in that it helps users to create and monetize their content and experiences. It offers users developer tools like Game Maker and VoxEdit. These are non-coding tools for creating 3D assets and content, such as games and alluring scenes. Users can share access to their content with other users for a fee. They can also monetize their digital assets in The Sandbox NFT marketplace. All purchases are made using the SAND native token. Finally, The Sandbox Metaverse allows users to host and monetize events like parties, concerts, and tours; for example, Snoop Dogg has a private party open to users who purchased their NFTs on the OpenSea NFT marketplace. This creates a positive economy that benefits both the platform and the users while the SAND token's value appreciates. Creating The Ideal Metaverse Platform With Tezos Tezos (XTZ) is another popular Metaverse crypto in the cryptocurrency market. Its upgradeable blockchain enables developers to build secure and scalable metaverse-based projects using high-tech development tools. Its Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus and governance model makes it perfect for users to interact with metaverse applications like NFTs, P2E games, dApps, and DeFi protocols. These features have attracted more developers and Metaverse lovers to the Tezos (XTZ) blockchain. Some of its intriguing Metaverse-enabled projects include NFT P2E games such as Dogami and Interpop. NFT marketplaces such as akaSwap and Kalamint, and NFT collections such as the Red Bull Racing NFTs and Ubisoft Quartz. The XTZ native token to Tezos fuels all activities in the Tezos ecosystem. Users use XTZ to interact with the Metaverse and dApps, pay for fees, and secure the network through staking. The Tezos (XTZ) token holders can also actively participate in community governance by evaluating, proposing, or approving upgrades to the Tezos (XTZ) platform. Dogeliens (DOGET), The Sandbox (SAND), and Tezos (XTZ) promise early access to the Metaverse. Thus, buying these cryptocurrencies gives you leverage to future earnings in the emerging virtual world. You can also check out the Dogeliens (DOGET) presale through the links below. Presale: https://buy.dogeliens.io/ Website: https://dogeliens.io/ Telegram: https://t.me/DogeliensOfficial This story has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/ATK) What are the most photographed landmarks across the globe and which one takes the top spot? Photography experts at ParrotPrint have researched the worlds most photographed landmarks based on the total number of Instagram hashtags to see which famous locations have and havent made the cut. Eiffel Tower in Paris is certainly the most iconic landmark in Paris so there is no wonder why it has been ranked the most instagrammable tourist attraction with 7.2 million hashtags on the app. Burj Khalifa in Dubai takes the second spot. Currently the tallest building in the world, its unsurprising that this landmark ranks highly in the Instagram hashtag list with 6.2 million. Other landmarks making the list are: Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA; Louvre, Paris; London Eye, London; Big Ben, London; Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco; Empire State Building, New York; Burj Al Arab, Dubai; and Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. The top 10 comprises those landmarks with the most hashtags on Instagram since its launch in 2010, with all landmarks being in existence for the life of Instagram including the Burj Khalifa which was also opened in 2010. To some, the list will come as little surprise - these 10 iconic landmarks are instantly recognisable to millions of people all over the globe. However, there are some notable absences with The Great Wall of China, Sydney Opera House, Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu not making the cut. No matter how incredible these sites are, for a landmark to be one of the the most photographed, it has to be highly accessible and it is no surprise to see London and Paris with two landmarks each in the top 10. But attractions in countries further afield such as Australia and Peru will naturally receive fewer visitors and so be photographed less despite their iconic status. The Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab have risen rapidly up the list in recent years as Dubai has grown to be one of the worlds most important travel hubs with the Burj Khalifa expected to take the number one spot from the Eiffel Tower in the years to come. A spokesperson for ParrotPrint said: Millions of us flock to these iconic landmarks every year to try to capture the perfect image of them so it is fascinating to see which make the top ten and which miss out. The Burj Khalifa may soon take the number one spot from the Eiffel Tower, while Londons Big Ben and London Eye are sure to keep their place in the top ten for years to come with thousands visiting and posting images of these UK sites everyday. It is perhaps surprising not to see the Sydney Opera House in Australia or the Great Wall of China in the top ten but with smaller visitor numbers due to their locations it is difficult to see them making the top ten anytime soon. No one goes anywhere without their phones anymore, least of all when visiting iconic landmarks on holiday, so its no surprise to see the huge number of hashtags each landmark has built up on Instagram over the years. Here are the worlds most popular landmarks as researched by ParrotPrint. 1. Eiffel Tower, Paris: The Eiffel Tower is certainly the most iconic landmark in Paris so there is no wonder why it has been ranked the most instagrammable tourist attraction with 7.2 million hashtags on the app. This 330-metre tall landmark towers over the heart of the French capital and gives tourists a fantastic opportunity to admire the stunning panoramic views of Paris. One of the most magical photo opportunities is when the tower is lit up in sparkling lights every hour from nightfall until the early hours. 2. Burj Khalifa, Dubai: The Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world; its unsurprising that this landmark ranks highly in the Instagram hashtag list with 6.2 million. It may be a struggle to fit the whole 830 metre building into a camera frame but this award-winning structure symbolises the modernist architecture of Dubai to its thousands of visitors. 3. Grand Canyon, USA: The 277-mile-long Arizona canyon had been carved out millions of years ago by the Colorado River and attracts vast numbers of tourists each year to marvel at this natural beauty, and has gained 4.2 million hashtags. There are several visitor attractions at the Grand Canyon for those exploring the area to enjoy - such as the Grand Canyon Skywalk, viewing platform, and the opportunity for daredevils to go skydiving in the canyon. 4. Louvre, Paris: The Louvre is home to some of the worlds most famous pieces of art, such as the Mona Lisa, and is the most visited museum on the globe, and 3.6 million hashtags on Instagram. The iconic glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre is what attracts tourists to Paris - a spectacle of art itself, the Louvre has long remained one of the most popularly photographed global landmarks. 5. London Eye, London: The London Eye is the best way to see the capital city for all its architectural beauty. The observation wheel brings in around three million visitors every year, making it the most popular paid tourist attraction in the UK. The London Eye is an iconic feature along the citys landscape and sends round its visitors in pods on a 30 minute ride. Originally intended as a temporary structure, the London Eye now remains one of the most photographed global landscapes and is consistently hashtagged on Instagram with 3.4 million. 6. Big Ben, London: Every visitor to London is bound to have a picture of Big Ben from their trip. The Big Ben clock tower is set along the River Thames attached to the Houses of Parliament so makes a great photo to capture some of the most important and historical buildings in London. Big Ben has become a symbol of the UK and is immediately recognisable in pictures shown across the globe, usually featuring the iconic London black cabs and red buses. Big Ben has earnt 3.2 million hashtags over on Instagram. 7. Golden Gate Bridge, USA: San Francisco's famous Golden Gate Bridge has 3.2 million hashtags on Instagram with visitors taking pictures of its iconic recognisable orangy red colour, which interestingly has to be continuously maintained. The Golden Gate Bridge famously stands out against foggy conditions, which makes for stunning photography opportunities. 8. Empire State Building, NYC: The Empire State Building is the seventh tallest building in the City and one of the most quintessential and recognisable structures in New York. Visitors to Manhattan can capture pictures of the most outstanding views of the Big Apple from the top of the building. But to actually take a photo of the Empire State Building, head to other locations across the city - such as the Rockefeller Centre or Madison Square Park. Photographers and tourists love capturing the Empire State as the magnificent lights show from the rest of the city shines beautifully for miles and miles. It has 3.1 million hashtags on Instagram. 9. Burj Al Arab, Dubai: Dubais Burj Al Arab stands 210 metres tall on a man-made island. The structure is a luxury hotel and has some of the most expensive rooms in the world - up to $24,000 a night. Of course, most visitors to the Burj Al Arab are there to see its grand, modernist architecture and therefore easily racks up the 2.7 million hashtags on Instagram. 10. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona: Barcelona is famous for its Spanish metropolitan architecture, and the Sagrada Familia is the most iconic building in the city. It is currently the biggest unfinished Catholic church in the world, with construction starting in 1882. Photographers and tourists flock to the Sagrada Familia to witness its beautiful architecture before the building has been fully completed by at least 2026. The Sagrada Familia has a massive 2.6 million hashtags on Instagram.-TradeArabia News Service New Delhi [India], October 25 (ANI/PRNewswire): Pearl Academy, India's leading creative education institution, joined hands with India Craft Week (ICW), to support as their knowledge partner, for the fourth iteration of the annual event. Inaugurated by Shri U P Singh, Secretary, Textiles, Govt of India. ICW 2022 is rooted in celebrating, empowering and enriching the livelihoods of India's artisans and craftspersons. As the knowledge partner, Pearl Academy aims to shine a spotlight on the complementary relationship between culture and education. With sustainability at the very core of the future of design, integrating a greater understanding of culture and history within education modules is slated to better equip the creative minds of tomorrow. Day one kick-started with the Pearl Academy Exhibition centre which displayed creative works rooted in understanding the importance of traditional crafts in the modern design process. The exhibition centre featured displays from students who have spent time researching and documenting various traditional Indian crafts; having then distilled that learning into the creation of new contemporary interior design products. Commenting on the collaboration, Aditi Srivastava, President, Pearl Academy, said, "We are happy to partner with ICW once again. At Pearl Academy, we firmly believe that a deeper knowledge of craft, history and culture, incorporated into the design curriculum can lead to enhanced creativity and a secure future in sustainable design. It is important that as creative minds, we learn from tradition and innovate at the same time. Our aim is to equip students of design with the ability to think local and act globally at the same time." ICW also hosted several other symposiums organised by Pearl Academy, focusing on topics such as crafts in fashion and the 4Ps of crafts, led by Aditi Srivastava - President, Pearl Academy and Antonio Maurizio Grioli - Dean, School of Fashion & Design, Pearl Academy. Additionally, attendees are welcome to participate in workshops on 'sanjhi art', 'molela clay art', 'kutch embroidery', and clay pottery. The agenda for ICW, also included panel discussions on the 'Role of traditional crafts in Modern Interiors and Architecture' and more, led by industry stalwarts such as Shri UP Singh - Secretary Textiles, Govt. of India, Asha Sairam - Principal Studio Lotus, Sanjay Nigam - Founder, India Fashion Awards, and Ramesh Menon - Founder, Save The Loom, among others. According to Somesh Singh, Founder of ICW and Crafts Village, "Interiors and Architecture is one area that requires intervention in terms of Sustainable homes and cities, which were core of urban planning using indigenous crafts and local material. Unfortunately, New material, techniques etc tool over and alienated materials have penetrated creating a mix of non-sustainable outlook to cities and homes. We just need to revisit these things and look at Craft from an engineering and technology point of view." "At Pearl Academy, we encourage students to truly understand design through experience. We position them to inspect the intersection of tradition and modern design through first-hand experience via study trips and live project modules. We also encourage students to look at technology and how this makes an impact to craft and design at large. This results in a better understanding of the industry, existing gaps and how they can contribute to scalable and sustainable solutions", added Antonio Maurizio Grioli, Dean, the School of Fashion & Design, Pearl Academy. Several homegrown and international brands, institutions, designers, craftspersons, and artisans attended the four-day event, which aimed to integrate art, design, and culture. Pearl Academy, run under the Creative Arts Education Society (CAES), is India's leading creative education institution as per industry surveys by ASSOCHAM, India Today- MDRA, Outlook-Drshti & I-CARE, The Week- Hansa, Business of Fashion, and The Economic Times. The institute offers 40+ undergraduate, post-graduate, and professional development programs in design, fashion, business, and media through its campuses in Delhi-South, Delhi-West, Jaipur, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. For 30 years, Pearl Academy has been a catalyst for success for its students through its unique Total Learning System, constructive tie-ups with industry bodies, and international universities that are strongly reflected in its placement record of over 99 % year-on-year. For more information, please visit: www.pearlacademy.com This story has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content in this article. (ANI/PRNewswire) Matthew Perry aka Chandler from 'FRIENDS' has revealed that he dated Julia Roberts in the 90s. According to Page Six, Matthew Perry broke up with her because he felt he would "never be good enough" for her! Matthew Perry recently wrote a memoir 'Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing' wherein he mentioned about a lot many things including this particular anecdote. He revealed that he broke up with Julia Roberts just two months after dating her. By the time Roberts made a cameo appearance on an episode of the popular sitcom, Matthew claims that he and the 54-year-old actress had already begun dating. However, things quickly went south. Page Six has quoted Times UK for an excerpt that Matthew shared in the book - "Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me." He added that he felt like Julia Roberts was "slumming it" by "dating" him. "Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, and unlovable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts," he confessed. Matthew added, he can't "begin to describe the look of confusion on her face" when he said that he wanted to break up. (ANI) A total of four people were arrested after two climate activists smeared chocolate cake over a wax statue of Britain's King Charles III at London's Madame Tussauds Museum. A video shared on the Twitter page of the campaign group Just Stop Oil, captured a man and a woman smearing cake over the waxwork of the British monarch. https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1584491199771316225 In the video, the activists were seen removing their black clothing to reveal white T-shirts with "Just Stop Oil" on them before slamming the cake on the wax model of the British monarch. They were also heard shouting it is "time for action." A CNN report quoted the London Metropolitan Police's tweet on Monday. "We responded quickly to an incident at Madame Tussauds after two people threw food at a statue at approximately 10:50hrs." Police added, "Four people have been arrested for criminal damage related to this incident." In a statement, Just Stop Oil said the pair are "demanding that the Government halts all new oil and gas licenses and consents." This is not the first time, activist groups across Europe designed to draw attention to the role of fossil fuels in climate change. Last week, two climate crisis protesters pelted Claude Monet's "Haystacks" painting with mashed potatoes at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam, Germany, as per CNN reports. Earlier this month, Just Stop Oil activists threw tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" in London's National Gallery. As per CNN, Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, condemned the actions of the "arrogant" Just Stop Oil activists, saying their methods undermined their cause. He told a caller on LBC Radio as quoted by CNN, "I think they're wrong, I think their action is wrong." He continued, "I particularly think about the images we've seen of ambulances coming down the road, and not being able to get through because people have glued themselves to the road." "I think it's arrogant of those gluing themselves to the road to think they're the only people that have got the answer to this. They haven't got the answer," he added. Britain's Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents many workers from the arts and culture sector, issued a statement following the attack on Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," saying that while they support the aims of climate change protests, "attacking our shared national heritage is not a constructive way to achieve these aims." The union added, "We cannot endorse these extreme and dangerous tactics which put our members at risk whilst they try to work." (ANI) Indian music band, Thaikkudam Bridge, on Tuesday, warned of legal action against the makers of the recently released Kannada film ''Kantara'' for plagiarizing their song. Taking to Instagram, Thaikkudam Bridge shared a long note which they captioned, "From our and our partners standpoint, we would like our listeners to know that Thaikkudam Bridge is in no way or form affiliated with "Kantara". The unavoidable similarities between our IP "Navarasam" and "Varaha Roopam" in terms of audio is therefore a blatant infringement of copyright laws." https://www.instagram.com/p/CkGXZpzyvqo/?hl=en "From our standpoint the line between "Inspired" and "Plagiarized" is distinct and indisputable and therefore we will be seeking legal action against the creative team responsible for this. There has been no acknowledgement of our rights over the content and the song is propagated as an Original piece of work by the movie''s creative team," they added. "We request the support of our listeners and encourage you to spread the word about the same. Also request our fellow artistes to share and raise your views protecting music copy right," Thaikkudam Bridge''s post concluded. The song ''Varaha Roopam'' which the music company claims to be a copy is sung by Sai Vignesh and composed by B Ajaneesh Loknath. Helmed by Rishab Shetty ''Kantara'' was released on September 30 and gathered massive responses from the audience for its storyline and amazing visuals. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film has minted over Rs 22 crores in the Hindi language after 2 weeks of its release. (ANI) Considered man's best friend, dogs have a special place in Nepal where every dog has his, or you could say her, day. Literally! On the second day of the five-day festival of Tihar that began earlier this week, people in the Himalayan country gathered to worship their four-legged friends. During Kukur Tihar, people offer prayers and honour dogs, not just pets but also strays. The canines are garlanded, tikkas applied on their foreheads and plentiful food offered to them. Everywhere in Nepal, the Kukur Tihar festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm, with small children pampering the dogs and feeding them plenty of food items like milk, eggs, etc. This year, Kukur Tihar was on October 24, and just like every year, people in Nepal celebrated the festival with zeal. Not only locals, but tourists from around the globe also participated in the festivities. For Hindus, the celebration of Kukur Tihar is tied to a belief that dogs are the messengers of Yamaraj, the god of death and during these days people worship man's most loyal friend to appease Yamaraj. Dogs are even treated as family members in many households and the bond between humans and dogs can't be described in words but can only be felt if you have them as companions. Honouring the role played by the dogs in Nepal on the Second day of Yama Panchak or Tihar the pet and the stray dogs are worshipped early in the morning for the devotion and sincerity they have shown. Tihar is also known as Deepavali, the festival of light in other parts of the world. During this people observe rituals, decorate their homes with diyas, rangoli, ornaments, and lights, enjoy delectable sweets and meals, dress in new traditional attire and offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi the goddess of wealth and Lord Ganesha to guide them towards the right path and to give the courage to conquer all fears. (ANI) The process of giving permanent appointment to teachers working on ad hoc basis in colleges affiliated to Delhi University that are funded by the Delhi government has started, an official said on Monday, adding over 5,000 teachers would be appointed on permanent basis. The appointments are also being made to the post of Assistant Professor in Shivaji College that has a total of 101 vacancies. Interested applicants can apply online through Delhi University website till November 7. There has been a demand for permanent appointment of teachers in the Delhi University colleges since a long time. In many colleges of the varsity, more than 50 per cent of teachers had been appointed on an ad-hoc basis. The Delhi Teachers' Association (DTA) had sent a proposal to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia that a special Assembly session be called to discussion the issue of the permanent appointment of teachers in the 28 colleges funded by the Delhi government. The AAP government in Punjab has already issued a notification to ensure regularisation of the working of teachers. In view of this, the teachers in Delhi have also demanded adopting the formula of the Punjab government on the stabilisation of job. According to the DTA, about 4,000 "temporary" teachers and employees are working in the 28 colleges of Delhi University for more than 10 years. In the 28 Delhi government-funded colleges, the number of ad-hoc teachers in 2006-2007 was 10 per cent whereas currently, these colleges have 60 to 70 per cent of ad hoc teachers. The colleges are -- Motilal Nehru College, Satyawati College, Sri Aurobindo College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Swami Shraddhanand College, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College, Vivekananda College, Laxmibai College, Kalindi College, Rajdhani College, Shivaji College, Maharaja Agrasen College, among others. According to DTA, there has not been any permanent appointment there since a long time, adding there are some colleges with no permanent teacher in their department. These ad hoc teachers who are mostly in the age group of 35-45 years, have been working for more than a decade. Also, these teachers are not provided any medical benefits, leave travel concession etc. Similarly, ad-hoc female teachers also do not get maternity leave. --IANS gcb/fs/pgh ( 383 Words) 2022-10-24-23:18:04 (IANS) Talking to reporters at Shiggaon in Karnataka's Haveri district, Bommai said the British people had ruled India for over 200 years, and they would have never expected such a "big development". "Today, Indians are on all fronts, and have got elected as MPs in several countries. Now, Rishi Sunak has got elected as the new UK Prime Minister. The wheel of fortune has turned completely," he opined. Sunak, who has roots in India, is married to Akshata Murthy, daughter of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy. Sunak is all set to become the first Asian and Indian-origin Prime Minister of the UK in his second attempt at the top post. --IANS pvn/pgh ( 153 Words) 2022-10-24-23:28:04 (IANS) Arora interacted with them and distributed sweets among them wishing them a happy Diwali on the auspicious occasion. Sharing the joys of Diwali, people greeted each other on Diwali. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted people and wished the festival brought them joy and well-being. "Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali. Diwali is associated with brightness and radiance. May this auspicious festival further the spirit of joy and well-being in our lives. I hope you have a wonderful Diwali with family and friends," PM Modi said in a Twitter post. President Droupadi Murmu also extended her greetings for the festival of light. "Happy Diwali to all countrymen! On this holy festival of light and joy, let us try to bring happiness to the lives of those in need by lighting the lamp of knowledge and energy. On this great festival, I pray for happiness and prosperity in the lives of all the countrymen," tweeted Rashtrapati Bhavan. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also wished that the festival brings brightness and joy all around. "Greetings on Deepavali. May the festival of light bring brightness and joy all around. #Deepavali2022," Sitharaman tweeted. Diwali is a festival of lights and one of the major festivals celebrated all over India. Diwali symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance."According to mythology, on this day Lord Ram returned to his kingdom Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman after defeating Ravan in Lanka and serving 14 years of exile.This festival is also widely associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. (ANI) The doors of Kedarnath and Badrinath temples will remain closed on Tuesday in view of the partial solar eclipse. After the eclipse, puja will be performed in the evening, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Shri Kedarnath-Badrinath Temple Committee said. Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee president Ajendra Ajay told ANI that the doors of the temple will be opened after the eclipse period. Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Badrinath temple with Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami accompanied the Prime Minister at the shrine. Before arriving in Badrinath, PM Modi visited Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag and offered prayers in a traditional pahadi outfit, Chola Dora, that was gifted to him by Himachali women during his tour to the state. Kedarnath and Badrinath are among the most important Hindu shrines. Meanwhile, due to the partial solar eclipse, temples are closed in Prayagraj on Tuesday. Devotees were seen taking a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam. This time, countries worldwide will witness a partial solar eclipse on Tuesday, a day after the festival of Diwali. The eclipse will begin before sunset in the late afternoon and will be visible from most areas. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, obstructing the sun's light from reaching the earth. As a result, the moon casts a shadow on the earth, resulting in a solar eclipse. Even for a short time, viewing the eclipsed sun with the naked eye is not recommended. Even if the moon hides the majority of the sun, it will still cause lifelong eye damage and blindness. During the maximum eclipse, the Moon will hide the Sun to a degree of around 40 to 50 per cent in the country's northwestern areas. The percentage coverage will be lower than the statistics indicated above in other parts of the country. At the time of the maximum eclipse, the Moon will cover around 44 per cent of the Sun in Delhi and 24 per cent in Mumbai. From dawn to sunset, the eclipse will last 1 hour 13 minutes in Delhi and 1 hour 19 minutes in Mumbai. The eclipse will last 31 minutes and 12 minutes in Chennai and Kolkata, respectively. (ANI) Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party leader KS Radhakrishnan reacted sharply to the gold smuggling case prime accused Swapna Suresh's allegations against the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ministers and said that CM Pinarayi Vijayan should initiate legal action against his colleagues. "The allegations she has raised are of criminal nature, hence it is the duty of the Chief Minister to initiate legal action against his three colleagues, isn't it? If he fails this, he will be helping them escape punishment," said KS Radhakrishnan. Those who misbehave with a woman should be imprisoned immediately, he added. On Monday, Swapna Suresh had accused former CPIM ministers-- former Assembly Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan, former Devaswom Board minister Kadakampally Surendran, and former finance minister Dr Thomas Issac-- for seeking "sexual favours" from her. "They have made sexual advances to me. They have approached me. They have unethically behaved to some extent over the phone, even face to face which is not appropriate or not unethical for people in such positions, people who are ministers and are actually ruling the state," Swapna Suresh said on Monday. BJP leader Radhakrishnan further said that Swapna Suresh's allegations against CM Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter should also be probed. "All these (Swapna's allegations) should be probed. If she says that, it is not K-Rail, it is V-Rail, what does it mean? The project has been designed to accumulate money for the CM's daughter. I am really ashamed of it. Nobody has ever accused the family of a chief minister since 1957," Radhakrishnan said. The Kerala Gold Smuggling accused mocked the state governments' projects like KFON and K-Rail as VFON and V-Rail by stating that the Chief Minister's projects are making undue commissions and for building an empire for his daughter or for his family or for future generations of his family in the name of state development. "It should not be Kerala's FON, it shouldn't be Kerala Fibre Optical Network, it should be Veena or Vijayan Fibre Optical Network," Swapna Suresh said on Monday. Reacting to her remarks, Radhakrishnan called Pinarayi Vijayan "Commission Chief Minister". "He is not a communist Chief Minister, but a Commission Chief Minister. Pinarayi is a Commission Chief Minister. Either he should explain or initiate action against her," he said and added that the CM has not even filed a defamation case against Swapna Suresh. "Why has the Chief Minister failed to file a defamation case against her? Why do these tainted former ministers and the former speaker refuse to face the court of law challenging the allegations made by Swapna? They are afraid of her because she told them that she has enough evidence with her," Radhakrishnan added. Swapna Suresh had stated that she has enough evidence against them but has never used any unfair means. "Because I have every evidence, Whatsapp chats, and phone conversations, of which some are still with investigative agencies hence, they can never deny that they had not done all that," she said. (ANI) CapitaLand Investments wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has received top honours as the Leading Serviced Apartment Brand in Saudi Arabia, at the World Travel Awards 2022. Six Ascott properties were also recognised in the region as the Leading Serviced Apartments 2022 across the UAE, KSA, Kenya, Turkiye and India. Voted by tourism professionals, as well as business and leisure travellers worldwide, winners of the annual World Travel Awards are globally recognised as hallmarks of industry excellence. The prestigious recognition this year marks Ascotts sixth consecutive attainment as Saudi Arabias Leading Serviced Apartment Brand. In addition to the regional and country category awards, six Ascott properties have achieved the highest recognition for their exemplary performance and excellent hospitality services. Cementing its position as the leading serviced apartment in the UAE, the iconic Ascott Park Place Dubai was named UAEs Leading Serviced Apartments 2022; marking the stylish propertys fifth win within the award platform. Ascott Rafal Olaya Riyadh attained the award for Saudi Arabias Leading Serviced Apartments 2022 for the third consecutive year, while Citadines Culture Village Dubai stole the spotlight as Dubais Leading Serviced Apartments 2022 within a year of its opening, showcasing an impressive win for the brand. In Turkiye, Ascott has also received a stellar honour, earmarking the 4th consecutive win by Somerset Maslak Istanbul as Turkiyes Leading Serviced Apartments 2022. The property is home to business and leisure guests from around the world, offering them the perfect recluse for a balanced lifestyle. The brands colossal win was bagged by Ascotts first property in Kenya, launched in March this year - Somerset Westview Nairobi, that attained the regional title as Africas Leading Serviced Apartments 2022. The property which is located within a prestigious neighbourhood, hosts the citys most comprehensive lifestyle and business facilities, including a residents lounge, rooftop lounge, swimming pool, gymnasium, meeting & conference room, childrens playroom and Nairobis newest address for great Jazz vibes and scrumptious bites - La Mascotte, a contemporary brasserie restaurant. Ascott has parallelly won two notable titles India's Leading Serviced Apartments 2022 by Somerset Greenways Chennai for the 4th consecutive year, and India's Leading Serviced Apartment Brand 2022 by Somerset Serviced Residence. Ascotts Managing Director for Middle East, Africa, Turkiye and India, Vincent Miccolis, said: We are thrilled to have once again achieved some of the most coveted accolades at the annual World Travel Awards. Our extended Ascott teams have displayed outstanding passion, hard work and commitment in rendering exceptional guest experiences across our regional properties. As we continue to expand Ascotts footprint regionally and globally, we look forward to offering our guests a memorable stay through exemplary hospitality experiences whenever they stay with us. Building on its successful performance at this years awards, and aligning with its global and regional expansion targets, Ascott has opened 20 additional properties with more than 4,500 units in H1 2022, a 56% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in units. In addition, the brand has recently completed its acquisition of Oakwood Worldwide (Oakwood) in July 2022, expanding its portfolio by about 15,000 units, to over 153,000 units across over 900 properties. In the Middle East, Africa and Turkiye (MEAT), Ascott also launched six properties under its iconic Citadines and Somerset brands between Q1 and Q2. These include the stylish Somerset Downtown Al Khobar and the luxurious Citadines Abha in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Citadines Al Ghubrah Muscat, Omans first Citadines property; Somerset City Centre Atyrau, the newest premium address in the country of Kazakhstan; Ascotts first venture into Kenya - Somerset Westview Nairobi; and the much-anticipated re-opening of Somerset West Bay Doha in Qatar. The brands loyalty programme app Discover ASR allows guests to customise their stay by sharing their pre-arrival and in-stay requests, enjoying membership benefits, sharing feedback, earning points on sustainability choices through the Go Green initiative, redeeming ASR points, purchasing vouchers and much more. TradeArabia News Service Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Tuesday said that state police should accept as a "suicide attack," the car explosion due to an LPG cylinder blast in Coimbatore, in which a man was charred to death. He said the Tamil Nadu BJP has written to home minister Amit Shah seeking a transfer of the case to the National Investigation Agency. Addressing a press conference here Annamalai said, "A day before Diwali, a car exploded in Coimbatore. Raids by NIA and arrests have shown that Coimbatore has become a den of terrorists. Police have recovered 50 kg of ammonium nitrate, potassium, sodium, fuse wire and 7-volt batteries from the residence of Jamesha Mubin (who died in the accident). Police have not disclosed this till now." "On October 21, Jamesha Mubin posted a WhatsApp status similar to that of ISIS," Annamalai said. "Police haven't said why they have arrested 5 people. On behalf of TN BJP, we've written a letter to Union Home Minister regarding this blast. Police have to accept this as a 'suicide attack'," the Tamil Nadu state BJP leader said. Coimbatore City Police late on Monday night arrested five men after a man was burnt to death when the car he was in a gas cylinder fitted inside the car exploded at Ukkadam, near the famed Sangameshwarar temple in the city on Sunday morning. The accused, identified as Mohammed Dhalha, Mohammed Azarudeen, Mohammed Riyas, Feroz Ismail, and Mohammed Navaz Ismail have been remanded to police custody. The body of the deceased recovered from the blast site has been identified as 25-year-old Jamesha Mubin. Tamil Nadu BJP leader alleged that Chief Minister MK Stalin should focus more on law and order to save Tamil people from violence and terrorist activities. "Now people from a specific religion are part of Tamil Nadu Intelligence. This is a total intelligence failure. The Police have to accept that this is a 'suicide attack'," said Annamalai adding that in his letter to the NIA he has sought that the case be shifted to the NIA. Meanwhile, security has been increased in Coimbatore with Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel deployed across the city to carry out search and security operations across public areas like bus stands and railway stations. Visuals from the CCTV footage near the house showed five people purportedly taking out a gunny bag from Mubeen's house on Saturday, police said During a search at Mubin's residence in the Kottaimedu area in Ukkadam, police said they recovered chemicals like potassium nitrate, aluminium, and sulfur, which are used to make crude bombs. "We have also recovered nails and ball bearing from the spot where the explosion happened. We have identified the source of the cylinders and the car. This could not be a suicide attack," said state Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu. (ANI) Pune Bar Association ruled out receiving notice from the registrar's office that allegedly barred women from "arranging their hair in open court" since it "disturbs the functioning of the court". The notice which surfaced on the internet read, "It is repeatedly noticed that women advocated are arranging their hair in open court, which is disturbing functioning of the court. Hence women advocates are hereby notified to refrain from such acts." According to the President of PBA Pandurang Thorve if any notice gets issued from the registrar's office, "it has to come to PBA. As far as this notice which is vital on social media is concerned PBA has never received such notice". Thorve confirmed that he was present in the court on the last working day, which was October 20, but he himself did not see any such notice. "PBA itself has five women in the panel and no one complained about this notice," he said. Meanwhile, senior Advocate Indira Jaising took to Twitter and wrote, "Wow now look! Who is distracted by women advocates and why!." https://twitter.com/IJaising/status/1584217952114483200 However, the notice was withdrawn within two days. https://twitter.com/IJaising/status/1584637418308706305 "Success at last, the notice has been withdrawn Thank you, everyone," tweeted Advocate Indira Jaising. (ANI) India has repatriated five Bangladeshi nationals, including two women and two children, to their country after they were apprehended by Border Security Force (BSF) while crossing the international border between the two countries and attempting to enter Indian territory. The BSF handed over these five Bangladeshi nationals to Border Gaurd Bangladesh (BGB) on Monday at 8.30 am, the force said on Tuesday. The BSF troops deployed at Border Out Post Madhupur, under South Bengal Frontier, apprehended the five Bangladeshi nationals while crossing the International Border illegally, the BSF said. During interrogation, the BSF said, one of the Bangladeshi women revealed that she was coming to India from Bangladesh illegally with her entire family for better treatment of her mother but they were all apprehended by the BSF on the border. The apprehended Bangladeshi nationals were handed over to the BGB as a gesture of humanity and goodwill. The Commanding Officer of the 68 Battalion stated that the BSF is taking strict measures to prevent infiltration along the Indo-Bangladesh Border. "Considering the seriousness of the crime of the apprehended people and to maintain the mutual cooperation and goodwill of the Border Guarding Force of both the countries, some innocent Bangladeshis are handed over to the BGB safely." BSF, which is mandated to guard the 4,096 km India-Bangladesh border, faces similar issues intermittently and the force returns the illegal infiltrator back to the BGB on human grounds. (ANI) Three members of a Dalit family were killed and one sustained severe injuries when another family opened fire over molestation allegations in Damoh on Tuesday, an official said. The incident occurred in Devran village under Dehat police station limits of the district on Tuesday morning. Damoh Superintendent of Police D R Teniwar said that there was a dispute between the family of Jagish Patel and the family of Ghamandi Ahirwar related to a woman. After that, Jagdish and his family members opened fire on the Ahirwar family around 6:30am on Tuesday. Three persons Manak Ahirwar (30), his father Ghamandi Ahirwar (60) and his mother Rajpyari (58) died on the spot while Manak's brother sustained severe injuries in the incident. He was admitted to the district hospital. SP Teniwar said, "A case was registered in the matter under the Atrocities Act and further investigation is going on. There are six accused in the matter so far and efforts are on to nab the accused." On the other hand, Collector S Krishna Chaitanya said, "The police team is present on the spot to investigate the matter. The police will also investigate if there are any land-related issues or any old dispute. The matter will be investigated and strict action will be taken accordingly." (ANI) A Delhi Court recently directed Delhi police not to take any coercive action against the accused in a zero FIR related to a rape case lodged at Verna police station in Goa. "Zero FIR has not been officially received at Rajiv Chowk Metro station police station," officials said. In a case originally registered at Goa's Verna police station on Oct 18, Additional Sessions Judge Rajinder Singh of Patiala House Court directed the Rajiv Chowk Metro station police not to take any coercive action against the accused till the next date of hearing. A woman registered a Zero FIR in Goa's Verna police station against a Scientific Officer, working at a Forensic lab, in Goa and accused him of rape. "The victim alleged that the accused made sexual relations with her on the pretext of marriage. The victim is working at Gurugram. Both are from the same field," an official statement said. According to the Zero FIR, registered in Goa's police station, both the victim and the accused were known to each other from January 2017 to August 2022. The victim alleged that the accused induced her to befriend him. He further induced her to meet him at Rajiv Chowk Metro station where he forcefully caught hold of her hand and kissed her. The woman alleged that the accused took her to Madhya Pradesh and Gurugram and forced her into physical intimacy in a lieu of marriage, which he later refused. The zero FIR was registered on October 18 at Verna police station in Goa and was subjected to transfer to the Rajiv Chowk metro station police station. However, the Investigation Officer (IO) of Delhi police told the Court that the Zero FIR has not been officially received at the Rajiv Chowk metro station police station. "Therefore he is not aware of the facts of the case," he added. The court directed the Delhi police to interrogate and record the statement of the complainant. Meanwhile, no coercive action shall be taken till the next date of the hearing. "In the meantime, no coercive action shall be taken against the accused in the present matter, " the court ordered on October 18. The court has listed the matter on November 3, 2022, for further hearing. (ANI) The protesters said they were on an indefinite protest and lit diyas with their blood. "Regarding the Elementary Teachers Test in Punjab details of around 170 children from the Vimut caste have been scrutinised and they are being harassed unnecessarily," said the protestors. The protestors said that too many conditions have been placed which the children aren't able to fulfil and this is one of the main reasons for the protest. "We have lit blood lamps outside the house of cabinet minister Baljeet Kaur and we are sitting on a dharna with our small children. People are celebrating Diwali but we are celebrating Black Diwali today," said the protestors. (ANI) The Jammu and Kashmir government's flagship initiatives to facilitate the biannual movement of migratory tribal families from highland pastures in Kashmir to villages and plains in Jammu region completed one month today setting a record for the number of families benefitted. The initial launch for one month till October 25 has been extended further till all registered families return. The service has been extended for two weeks and more than 12,000 families have availed the service. The Tribal Affairs Department in the month of September notified the schedule for providing free transport service to migratory tribal families from highland pastures in Kashmir to Jammu beginning September 25. The respective District Administrations set up dedicated helplines and a central IVRS Call Centre based helpline of the department. Nodal officers were appointed at the District level and the availability of transport facility was announced on the radio to disseminate information in highland summer pastures. Transhumance, the migration of ethnic tribal families between winter and summer pastures, is a geopolitical phenomenon observed in nearly 20 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and some parts of America. Jammu and Kashmir has the world's largest population of Transhumant/migratory tribal families as per the 1st Survey of Transhumance conducted by the tribal affairs department in 2021 which recorded a 6.12 lakh population. The J&K administration introduced the transportation service for migratory tribal families in April-May this year, covering the journey on National Highways, Mughal Road and other major roads. A fleet of 40 trucks was provided. In September, the service was initiated with more than 300 trucks and several vehicles hired by the Deputy Commissioners as per the number of families registered. Several hundred families returning from Kargil in Ladakh were also provided service. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, earlier this year, announced the launch of a scheme for providing transport facilities to the migratory tribal population in J&K. Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta revised the plan of the tribal affairs department for transportation support and recently the State Administrative Council approved the proposal as a policy to be implemented twice a year during migration for which funds have been earmarked in the budget of the department. The service is being provided through J&K Road Transport Corporation and DCs have been authorised to hire additional vehicles as per requirement. Secretary, Tribal Affairs Deptt, Shahid Choudhary informed that till 2021 no data on transhumance was available, depriving the huge tribal population of welfare schemes and development. Based on the survey many initiative and schemes were planned and rolled out in a very short time. The free transport facility is one of these. He complimented the role played by DCs, nodal officers and JKRTC as the transportation mission completed one month today. He also appreciated the vital role played by Police, Revenue, Sheep Husbandry Department, RDD and Traffic Police in making the initiative a success. In the last month, more than 11,000 tribal families have been provided with the transportation service which included transportation of livestock and household goods. Districts have reported transportation of more than 1.89 lakh animals so far and the date for transportation has been extended which was earlier for one month. DCs have been authorised to carry on the service till all families reach back in Jammu from various areas of Kashmir. The tribal affairs department also rolled out the transit facilities network for the migratory populations to be put in place through the respective districts' administration. It has also introduced various technology-based services to ease migration and make efforts towards Sustainable Development Goals. (ANI) As per reports, the incidents happened around 8.30 am near the railway tracks at Bhatpara between kakinara and Jaggadal railway stations, around 30 km from Kolkata. The boy was playing with two of his friends with a 'suspected' packet that was lying there and it suddenly exploded, police said. "A child died due to an explosion near railway tracks in Bhatpara, another child who was gravely injured in the incident has been admitted to hospital and the woman injured in the incident is out of danger. The bomb disposal team have been pressed into the service, and another live bomb was found," S Pandey, DC North Zone, Barrackpore said. Adding that a probe in this matter is underway. When taken to a hospital, one of the three injured was declared dead. While another child (13) is undergoing treatment and the woman is stable and out of danger. (ANI) It is noteworthy that CM Dhami will participate on behalf of Uttarakhand in the proposed contemplation camp under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to an official release, in the proposed camp, the states will discuss their challenges, problems and positive aspects with the Centre. Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary Radha Raturi and other senior officers of the Home Department were present at the meeting. (ANI) All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) general secretary and party MLA Rafiqul Islam Tuesday lashed out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the latter's giving too much importance to Miya Museum issue. "The CM should discuss economy and health issues," the AIUDF leader said. "See, the economy of Assam has been ruined at this time, it should be discussed. Discussions should be on education, on how every district and village will get digital classrooms," Rafiqul Islam said. Adding instead of that the BJP is discussing the 'Miya Museum'. "Every subdivision should have a library in which people can study," Rafiqul Islam said further. Hitting out at the Assam government, AIUDF MLA said that now after 50 years the branch of All India radio centre, Dibrugarh stopped broadcasting news in the Assamese language. The Assamese language has been abolished from the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) exam. "Leaving these issues, BJP has fallen on the topic of Mia Museum' including the chief minister himself," he added. Earlier today, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government will probe the matter. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sharma was against the Miya Museum and scolded the Miya Parishad for placing traditional equipment inside the museum claiming that the traditional equipment belongs to the people of Assam. "I don't understand what is this museum. The material which has been placed there belongs to the Assamese people except for Lungi (a piece of cloth). They have placed on Nangol (a tool used to plough land), fishing equipment there, but these traditional types of equipment have been used by our scheduled caste people for decades after decades. What is new in there except Lungi?" CM said. Adding that they (not only Miya Parishad, but people supporting it) will have to prove before the government that, the Nangol is only used by Miya people, not others. While replying to CM's statement AIUDF leader Rafiqul said, "I don't think that there is nothing wrong with the museum." "If a community wants to preserve the traditional equipment which belongs to their ancestors, then it is not a crime," he added. Earlier in 2020, expelled Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed sent a letter to the Director of the Museum and stated that one Museum reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living in Char-Chaporis of Assam on the premises of Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati was recommended by Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Education, 2020-21 in its 47th report on Art and Culture (Grant No. 27). The people those are living in Char-Chaporis (riverine islands) of the river Brahmaputra mostly belonging to Bengali speaking Muslims and locally called them Miya. Notably, the district administration on Tuesday sealed the Miya museum, inaugurated a few days back, citing that the museum was opened in a PMAY house. Rajib Gogoi, Circle Officer of Goalpara district said that, as per the direction of the Deputy Commissioner of Goalpara district, we have sealed the PMAY-G house. "The Miya Museum was opened in the PMAY house," the Circle Officer said. The Miya community in Assam comprises descendants of Muslim migrants from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to Assam. The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra, locally known as Char-Chapori cover about 3.60 lakh hectares of land and the chars follow a peculiar pattern of migration. (ANI) IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the worlds leading hospitality companies, has announced a raft of recent signings and openings in Turkey across its Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands. New openings include Holiday Inn Trabzon East, Crowne Plaza Ankara and Crowne Plaza Istanbul Tuzla Viaport Marina. New signings include Holiday Inn Express Ankara Airport, Crowne Plaza Istanbul Ortakoy Bosphorus and Holiday Inn Erzurum. Turkey currently has 28 open hotels and five hotels in the pipeline. Willemijn Geels, VP Development Europe at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: We are delighted to be seeing continued growth in Turkey with several signings across our brand portfolio during 2022. Turkey is an important growth market for IHG, and it is clear to see that this upward trajectory of momentum will only build in the coming months. We are also excited to welcome the InterContinental Grand Ankara to our list of openings for 2024. New hotel openings include: Holiday Inn Trabzon East Having just opened (October 2022), the 110-room Holiday Inn Trabzon East hotel is located close to Turkeys picturesque Black Sea coast. The hotel is owned by Kahraman Konaklama ve Turizm Tic AS. and boasts a restaurant - the colourful Merhan Cafe & Restaurant - as well as conference facilities and a fitness centre. Crowne Plaza Ankara This new-build 191-room property opened in May 2022 and is owned by Angora Birikim Turizm Insaat San. ve Tic AS and operated by Plaza Otelcilik ve Turizm San. ve Tic. AS. Centrally located, the hotel is within easy access of Ankaras Presidential Complex, ancient castle and Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Crowne Plaza Ankara can host up to 3,000 guests in its modern ballrooms and meeting spaces and is just 30 minutes drive from the international airport. Crowne Plaza Istanbul Tuzla Viaport Marina Facing Viaport Marina and the Sea of Marmara, this sleek hotel has 259 rooms and opened in Spring 2022. Owned by Oversea Trade Solutions BV, there are two restaurants one serving traditional Turkish fare and another offering international cuisine - and a fitness centre. The hotel is within the Viaport Marina complex which includes a theme park and a large outlet shopping centre and is also close to the main industrial zones on Istanbuls Asian side. New hotel signings include: Holiday Inn Express Ankara Airport Due to open in December 2022, the 122-room property is owned by Asal Grup Otomotiv Insaat Ticaret A.S and is just 4km from Ankaras International Airport. The hotel will have a restaurant and separate meeting space for leisure and business guests. The hotel is also close to some of the citys large national and international factories. Crowne Plaza Istanbul Ortakoy Bosphorus Due to open in summer 2023, the modern 140-room property will house a stunning rooftop restaurant with wonderful city views, plus meeting rooms and a fitness centre. The property is owned by Set Otelcilik Ticaret A. S. Located in Ortakoy district, guests can catch a ferry along the Bosphorus to explore Istanbuls famous sights such as the Blue Mosque. Holiday Inn Erzurum Recently signed with owner Rey Otel Turizm Isletmeciligi ve Ticaret A.S., the 115-room Holiday Inn Erzurum in Turkeys Eastern Anatolian region is due to open at the end of 2023. Facilities will include a restaurant, meeting rooms, swimming pool and fitness centre. The hotel is well-situated for both the city centre and the Palandoken ski centre which is popular with international tourists. The ongoing growth in IHGs Turkey market was marked by a Tourism and Hospitality Trends Turkey event on Tuesday 18th October at the InterContinental Istanbul, with over 50 investors and consultants in attendance. The event was sponsored by voco hotels one of IHG's newest and most successful upscale brands and its global expansion has happened at a faster pace than any other IHG brand. Both voco hotels and IHGs newest brand, Vignette Collection a luxury collection brand, are proving to be the most suitable for conversions and redevelopments. TradeArabia News Service Citing that nothing belongs to the Miya community except a 'Lungi' in the museum, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the state government will probe the matter. A private Miya Museum was recently inaugurated by Miya Parishat at the Dapkarbhita Lakhipur area in Assam's Goalpara district. "I don't understand what is this museum. The material which has been placed there belongs to the Assamese people except for Lungi (a piece of cloth). They have placed on Nangol (a tool used to plough land), fishing equipment there, but our scheduled caste people have used these traditional types of equipment for decades after decades. What is new in there except Lungi?" CM said. Adding that they (not only Miya Parishad, but people supporting it) will have to prove before the government that, the Nangol is only used by Miya people, not others. If they set up Miya Museum by using the tools, and types of equipment of Assamese people, then a case will be registered," Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The Assam Chief Minister further said that the intellectuals of the state should have to think about it, they called me communal when I raised my voice against Miya's poem. Now Miya poem, Miya school, and Miya Museum have taken place. "I was talking about these challenges. They have shown a Gamosa, but this belongs to the Deshi Muslim community and they have made just some changes to it and called it as Miya Gamosa. They will have to give answers to the government. The government will take action after the opening of the office," the Assam Chief Minister said. Earlier in 2020, expelled Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed sent a letter to the Director of the Museum and stated that one Museum, reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living in Char-Chaporis of Assam on the premises of Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati was recommended by Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Education, 2020-21 in its 47th report on Art and Culture (Grant No. 27). Those who are living in Char-Chaporis (riverine islands) of Brahmaputra are mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims and locals call them Miya. Notably, the district administration on Tuesday sealed the Miya museum, inaugurated a few days back, citing that the museum was opened in a PMAY house. Rajib Gogoi, Circle Officer of Goalpara district, said that, as per the direction of the Deputy Commissioner of Goalpara district, we have sealed the PMAY-G house. "The Miya Museum was opened in the PMAY house," the Circle Officer said. The Miya community in Assam comprises descendants of Muslim migrants from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to Assam. The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra, locally known as Char-Chapori, cover about 3.60 lakh hectares of land and the chars follow a peculiar pattern of migration. (ANI) Police said that the youth were stopped from smoking cigarettes by the victims at a petrol pump near Khatamba in Dewas. They said the five youth involved in the incident - Firoz, Faizan, Altu, Kaju and Sameer - have been arrested. The incident occurred around 11 pm on Monday. Police said Jojan Singh, a resident of village Khatamba, died in the incident and the injured person has been identified as Rahul. He is undergoing treatment at Indore. A CCTV video of the incident came to fore in which the accused persons were spotted arguing at the petrol pump. Angry villagers protested over the incident and demanded the arrest of the accused involved in the crime. Dewas Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Manjeet Singh said that the police registered a case and arrested all five accused. He said police were looking at CCTV footage for more details about the incident. Illegal constructions of the accused were razed by the administration, officials said. (ANI) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) national executive member and Muslim Rashtriya Manch patron Indresh Kumar on Tuesday reacted to Mehbooba Mufti's statement, linking Sunak's appointment with CAA and NRC in the country. "Mehbooba's statement comes out of frustration," the RSS leader said. Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar said that the statement of Mehbooba Mufti and Congress leaders comes out of frustration as they have been politically evicted by the general public. "The country has refused to accept them," he added. "The truth is that many Presidents and Prime Ministers represented the minority community in India," Indresh Kumar said. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday took the opportunity to attack the central government. The PDP chief said the UK has accepted an ethnic minority member as its premier but India is still shackled by divisive and discriminatory laws like the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Taking to Twitter, Mufti said, "Proud moment that UK will have its first Indian origin PM. While all of India rightly celebrates, it would serve us well to remember that while the UK has accepted an ethnic minority member as its PM, we are still shackled by divisive and discriminatory laws like NRC and CAA." Reacting to this, Indresh Kumar said, "India is the only country to give the country's top post to a woman from a tribal society, gave presidency to Abdul Kalam, who was born in the house of a fisherman and sold newspapers, and we gave prime ministership to Narendra Modi, who sold tea in his days of struggle." "India gave the presidency to Ramnath Kovind, representing scheduled castes. So this is a very absurd argument and this argument is also an insult to the minorities, it is an insult to humanity, it is also an insult to the constitution, for this they should apologize and they should not make indecent statements," Indresh Kumar added. Hitting out at the Mehbooba Mufti's government, Indresh Kumar finds the former's government responsible for the exodus from Kashmir. "The truth is that a Kashmiri is safe in the whole of India but a Hindu, Pandit, Bihari, Oriya or any other person, residing in Kashmir is unsafe. The right to life of an outsider is under threat in Kashmir," the RSS leader said. "It is also true that you Mehbooba Mufti uprooted the minorities in the Kashmir Valley and forced them to leave," he added. Lashing at the PDP chief's statement, Indresh Kumar said that Mehbooba should introspect first. "Mehbooba is a narrow fanatic and anti-Hindu, and should stop abusing India," Indresh Kumar said. Rishi Sunak has become the first Asian-origin person to lead the UK. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Rishi Sunak on Monday and said he is looking forward to working closely together on global issues. "Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership," PM Modi tweeted. (ANI) Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar is going to become a major centre of hydroelectric power production in North India where work is going on rapidly on hydropower projects generating 6,000 megawatts of electricity. A thousand megawatts Pakal Dul Project, 624 MW Kiru Project, 540 MW Quad Project and 930 MW Kirthai Project are being constructed in the Kishtwar district in Chenab Valley of Jammu province. At the same time, a large retail project of 850MW is also being built in this district in collaboration with the Center and Union Territory. The construction of the Pakal Dul hydropower project is in progress after the diversion of the river. The project will generate 3,230 MW of electricity annually and is expected to be completed by July 2025. Similarly, the completion of the Kiru project is scheduled for July 2025, which will generate 2,272 MW of electricity annually. This district falls under the Kathua Doda Parliamentary Constituency from which Chief Minister Jitender Singh is also a Member of Parliament. Recently, in the meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee, he said that work is going on rapidly on many projects in the Kishtwar district to generate more than 6,000 MW of electricity and recently a large solar power plant is also being set up near Machail Mata. It will be of great benefit to the pilgrims. The Minister, meanwhile, also reiterated that Kishtwar district is a hub for five major upcoming hydroelectric power projects with huge potential to generate electricity which will contribute to the power sector in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. May have a great capacity to meet needs. The use of solar energy will further increase the power requirements in remote areas of the district. It will also create ample employment opportunities at the local level. Local educated youth are expected to be given priority for providing employment in these projects. It should be noted that the three districts of Chenab Valley including Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban included, has the capacity to generate more than 20,000 MW of hydropower. River Chenab passes through here. Baghlihar, the hydropower project, and the Salal project are also built on this river. (ANI) Shinde told reporters he will visit Ayodhya soon though the dates are yet to be finalised. One more Cabinet expansion in Maharashtra will take place soon, Shinde said. Talking about the infrastructure projects in Maharashtra, he said that Samruddhi Mahamarg Phase 1 ( Shirdi to Nagpur) will be inaugurated in November 2022. While Mumbai Trans harbour link will be inaugurated within a year's time and the coastal road will be completed by December 2023. Half the construction work of the Ram temple in Ayodhya has been completed so far and the sanctum sanctorum and the first floor of the temple will be ready by December 2023, Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said on Tuesday. According to Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, Lord Ram will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum by January 2024. The construction of the temple kickstarted at a rapid pace after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020. PM Modi inspected the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra site on October 23 during his visit to Ayodhya this year. (ANI) The accused identified as Mohammad Sanaullah Khan, Palem Ashok Kumar Reddy, Akashpur Veera Chaitanya and Godi Veera Arjun Rao allegedly indulged in cheating the innocent unemployed youth under the guise of providing jobs in the Income Tax Department for the post of "Tax Assistant", in South Central Railway for the post of GROUP -C, in National Soil Conservation and Salinization Board for the post of "Agriculture Assistant", etc. "The accused persons Mohd Sanaullah and other accused hired an office on the 2nd floor, UNI Building, Masab Tank for a monthly rent of Rs 1 Lakh, 10 thousand, named it as Income Tax Services and established it with 40 computer systems and cabins in the same pattern as the Income Tax Office, Central government, and started luring the innocent youth from the districts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu," police officials said. "The accused allegedly used to call candidates from this office and conduct oral interviews for the post of "Tax Assistant" and "Tax Inspector", the officials added. Acting on a tip-off, the Hyderabad police apprehended the accused persons from their residence and seized property from their possession. Police recovered more than Rs 15 lakh from their possession. Further information is awaited. The accused persons along with seized material were handed over to SHO K. Sattaiah Saifabad PS for further investigation," officials said further. (ANI) Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner on Tuesday said that the attack on the convoy of ministers at the airport by persons suspected to be Jana Sena workers and supporters of the party president Pawan Kalyan was pre-planned. "The attack was pre-planned. 70 people were arrested on the day of the incident, out of which 61 were granted bail by court and nine were sent to remand. Six cases were registered against 100 people, " Police Commissioner Srikanth told ANI. "JSP chief and film actor Pawan Kalyan held a rally on October 15 without permission. A big number of JSP workers went to the airport to receive him. At that time ministers were going to the airport to catch a flight. Some JSP workers attacked their convoy with flag sticks," he added. Earlier on Sunday, the Vishakapatnam Police served a notice on Kalyan for alleged violation of prohibitory orders during rallies, and processions from October 1 to October 30 in the East subdivision of the state. "Being the leader of the Janasena Party, you led a group of more than 500 people gathered at the Airport, Visakhapatnam around 16:30 hours and conducted a huge rally via NAD Jn. to Novotel Hotel, Beach road in clear violation of the promulgated orders. The mob consisting of followers of JSP under your leadership attacked ministers, civilians and police officials and caused disturbance to the public order and grave offences", the notice had read. As per the notice from the Assistant Commissioner of Police, "Public representatives, some civilians and police officers also sustained grievous injuries and at the risk of their lives. Further, it caused disturbance to the public peace and tranquillity". The Jan Sena Party president was further informed, "the prohibited orders U/s 30 of Police Act is in force w.e.f 01.10.2022 A.M to 31.10.2022 A.M in East Zone of Visakhapatnam City Police Commissionarate vide C.No.01/CSB/ACP-E/2022 Dated 01.10.2022 and as such you are hereby directed not to organize or take any processions, rallies, meetings, usage of drones or any other congregations in the limits of East Sub Division Visakhapatnam City Police. In case of any violations/disobedience, legal actions will be taken against you and the concerned". The notice is issued after tension arose at Vishakhapatnam International Airport after Superstar Pawan Kalyan led party Jan Sena Party (JSP) supporters came to receive the party chief on Saturday- allegedly pelting stones at the cars of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman Subba Reddy, and Ministers Roja and Jogi Ramesh. Hundreds of fans and supporters of Pawan Kalyan and his JSP had gathered at the Airport to receive the superstar. They were accused of stone pelting at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman and YSRCP Kotha Andhra coordinator Subba reddy, and Ministers Roja and Jogi Ramesh and raising slogans that were against the formation of three capitals in the state.Notably, Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) top leaders and ministers were going to the airport after finishing the 'Visakha Garjana' program - which was delayed after heavy downpours till the afternoon- to support three capitals. Immediately the police intervened and scattered the Jana Sena supporters. (ANI) Commenting on BJP MLA Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal's attacks on Yediyurappa, the Congress, on its social media account, said that the BJP which calls itself disciplined is limited to follow its discipline only in terms of wearing khaki shorts, in a reference to the RSS members' dress. Yatnal had said that funds are being supplied from Bengaluru to Vijayapura to defeat him in the elections to the local authorities. The BJP MLA had earlier said that large bags of money were exchanged during the appointment of the Chief Minister and caused huge embarrassment for the ruling BJP government. He also attacked the ruling state government on the issue of corruption. The Congress said that it is 'BJP versus BJP' in the state. --IANS mka/khz/vd ( 159 Words) 2022-10-25-19:24:02 (IANS) Newly elected Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will preside over first Central Election Committee meeting on Wednesday to finalise ticket for Gujarat assembly election. Kharge will formally take charge as party President on Wednesday. The assembly election is yet to be announced by the Election Commission. The Congress is likely to field new faces after more than dozen MLAs switched to BJP. The party last time won 77 seats but its number has reduced due to defection. The BJP is likely to give 25 per cent tickets to new faces in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, however, added that the winnability of the candidate will be considered for renominations as well as nomination. In an informal chat with the mediapersons in Vadodara on Sunday evening, Shah said, "There is no fixed strategy of repeat and no repeat, winnability is the only criteria, the party's parliamentary board will finalise candidates. But the party will nominate at least 25 per cent fresh faces." --IANS miz/uk ( 182 Words) 2022-10-25-20:04:04 (IANS) Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) on Tuesday staged a protest march to the general post office in Thiruvananthapuram against the Governor of the state Arif Mohammad Khan over his orders demanding the resignation of the vice-chancellors of nine universities in the state. This comes as Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan while pointing out the issue of the VC appointment to various universities in Kerala said the Supreme Court itself had earlier made it clear that the appointment of the vice-chancellors was the responsibility of the Governor. Khan had sought the resignation of VCs of the University of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi University, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kannur University, APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, University of Calicut and Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University. Notably, the Kerala High Court on Monday held that all nine Vice Chancellors of various universities can continue in their positions until the Chancellor issues a final order following show-cause notices to them earlier today. The court also made it clear that the petitioners will be eligible to continue in their positions however in full compliance with law and regulations till such time the Chancellor issues a final order. The CPI-M state secretary M V Govindan inaugurated the protest on Tuesday and alleged that the Kerala Governor was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sympathizer. "The Governor was appointed as Chancellor as per the law and if the law is invalid, there would be neither chancellor nor governor. It is embarrassing that Governor thinks that he has the power of a king and whatever he is doing is right," Govindan said. Govindan further said that the governor was trying to appoint the RSS people as the Vice Chancellors of the universities in the state. "He is working for the RSS. It is an attempt to destroy the higher education sector of Kerala. There is a paper organisation called 'Save the University Forum'. The link of that forum is the opposition leader. By supporting the governor's stand, the opposition leader is backing communalism," Govindan added. Notably, the ruling party of Kerala, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) will organise a massive against the governor with lakhs of people on November 15 in front of Rajbhavan. The protest will be conducted across the state on the same day. Earlier on Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lashed out at Khan for seeking the resignation of vice-chancellors of nine universities in the state and said that the Governor was misusing his powers as the Chancellor of varsities. "Nine vice-chancellors have been asked to resign unilaterally under the cover of the court verdict regarding the appointment of the KTU vice-chancellor. The Governor is misusing the Chancellor post to exercise more powers than he holds. It is undemocratic and encroachment on the powers of the Vice Chancellors. The Governor is acting to further the agenda of the Sangh Parivar. A war is being waged with destructive intelligence against the universities of Kerala, which are progressing to the heights of academic excellence. What is this attack for? What is behind this other than political goals?" said Vijayan at a press conference in Palakkad. Meanwhile, Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran on Monday said that he will not tender his resignation as sought by Khan. "I have received the decision of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan but I will not submit my resignation. The resignation of the VC is based either on financial irregularities or bad behaviour and neither of this has happened here. This is a fake accusation," said Kannur University Vice-Chancellor said on Monday. (ANI) ACI World and Amadeus have announced the winners of the Technology Innovation Awards, which highlight the best technology initiatives by airports, at the ACI Africa / World Annual General Assembly in Marrakech, Morocco. With this second edition of the awards ACI World and Amadeus seek to celebrate innovative technology solutions developed and implemented by airports across the globe serving to enhance airport experience, advance sustainability efforts, increase operational efficiency or foster continuous improvement. A committee of external industry experts assessed submissions received from airports around the world and determined the winner in each category: Best innovation in airport passenger related processes: AENA Biometric journey from home to aircraft at Barcelona Airport Best innovation in airport operations and installations management: Incheon Airport Data Sandbox Best airport innovation leader (individual): Suhail Kamil Kadri, Senior Vice President, Technology & Innovation at Dohas Hamad International Airport Partnering with travel technology company Amadeus, we aim to continue to encourage and applaud these stellar examples of technology leadership. We received many great submissions from airports all over the world, ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. Technology is a key ingredient to building a stronger, sustainable, and more resilient aviation industry. It will also be crucial to continue our overall mission to put the customer at the centre of everything we do. Whether directly touching on the airport experience or improving operations, it ultimately benefits the traveller and the communities we serve. And we wouldnt exist without both. Elena Avila, EVP Airport IT and Airline Operations at Amadeus said: Amadeus congratulates this years winning airports for their commitment to innovation. The rapid restart of global aviation has underlined the importance of applying new technology that automates and enhances both passenger experience and operational performance. However, we at Amadeus believe the industry is already reaching the limits of what can be achieved by working in silos. We believe that a new generation of open technology offers airports, airlines, ground handlers and other stakeholders the chance to collaborate more effectively. Its only by working in unison that our industry can unlock a step-change in performance that makes air travel more sustainable, more efficient and more enjoyable. We look forward to supporting the industry as it embarks on this transformation, Avila added. TradeArabia News Service The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday filed a charge sheet against 12 people including the former chairman of West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBCSSC) Subiresh Bhattachary in the connection with the alleged illegal appointment of assistant teachers. According to CBI officials, the agency, in its charge sheet also named a former assistant secretary of the WBCSSC, an ex-advisor, two former programme officers of the commission, and six others in the charge-sheet submitted before Alipore special judge. The accused in the chargesheet have been identified as Santi Prasad Sinha, Ashok Kr Saha, Kalyanmoy Gangully, Parna Bose, Samarjit Acharya, Prasanna Kumar Roy, Pradip Singh, Jnui Das, Md Azad Ali Mirza, Imam Momin, and Rohit Kumar Jha. "It was found that the accused, including public servants and private persons, entered into conspiracy with one another in order to extend to unqualified candidates undue appointments to the post of an assistant teacher for Classes IX and X in secondary and higher secondary schools in West Bengal in 2016, after the expiry of that year's panel," a statement from the CBI. Four charge-sheeted public servants including the former chairman, ex-advisor Santi Prasad Sinha, and then assistant secretary of WBCSSC Ashok Kr Saha, then president of an adhoc committee of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Gangully, and two private persons, are presently in judicial custody, it further read. "Further investigation is underway to find out if there was a larger conspiracy involved and also the role played by each of the accused," the CBI official said. Earlier, the central agency had filed against 16 accused including former state minister Partha Chatterjee. CBI in a statement mentioned that a chargesheet has been filed against 16 accused including the then Advisor at West Bengal Central School Service Commission in a case related to SSC Recruitment before the Special CBI Court in Alipore. The Calcutta High Court has directed the CBI to look into the alleged irregularities involved in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and -aided schools on recommendations of the commission. It was alleged that the said accused entered into a conspiracy with one another in order to extend undue advantage in the matter of giving appointments to unqualified candidates to the posts of Group-C staff at various schools through 3rd RLST (NT), 2016, after the expiry of the panel. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is tracking the money trail in the scam. The ED has so far arrested former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education and Trinamool Congress MLA Manik Bhattacharya, former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee in the case. (ANI) Three persons of a Dalit family, including a woman, were shot dead by their neighbours in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district on Tuesday, while another member of the family was injured and was undergoing treatment at a government hospital in the district, police said. A quarrel broke out between neighbours -- the Patel and Ahriwar families -- over an alleged molestation, which led to the crime in Deoran village in Damoh. During preliminary investigation, police found that the tension broke out on Monday evening when Jagdish Patel, the main accused, and his wife alleged that his neighbour Manak Ahirwar molested her. While this was brought under control, Patel, along with his other male members of the family, barged into the Ahirwars' house and opened indiscriminate fire on them. Manak Ahirwar, his father Ghamandi Ahirwar, 60, and his mother Rajpyari, 58, died on spot, while one of his brothers Mahesh Ahirwar has been injured and admitted to Damoh district hospital, police said. After the incident, the entire Patel family went missing from their home, but police claimed to have arrested Jagdish Patel. "Jagdish has alleged that one of the victims - Manak Lal Ahirwar, 30, allegedly sexually harassed his wife and that was the cause of the crime," Damoh's Superintendent of Police, D.R. Teniwar said. Sources told IANS that Jagdish Patel, said to be a village strongman, and he often used to indulge into fights with people. Sources also claimed that there has been a dispute between Ahirwar and Patel families over a plot of land. Responding to the land dispute issue, the SP said: "A team of district revenue officials are verifying the facts regarding land dispute. We can not say much at this stage on the land dispute issue, we are investigating the matter." Teniwar said police have launched a manhunt for six other accused - all members of Jagdish Patel's family. Apart from murder and assault charges, a case under SC/ST Atrocities Act has also been registered. "Main accused Jagdeesh Patel, has been arrested and we have constituted different teams to find out the other accused soon," he said. Later, the family members and others from the Ahirwar community staged a demonstration at Damoh with the bodies of the victims. They demanded stern action against the guilty, including use of bulldozers to raze their "illegal" property. The SP said that he talked to the agitators and assured them that the police and administration were handling the matter with due seriousness and all possible steps to punish the guilty would be taken, after which the demonstration was called off. The incident has sparked a political controversy in the state as the opposition Congress alleged that law and order situation in the state is deteriorating day by day. State Congress chief and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that the incident was very unfortunate and demanded a high-level probe. "There should be strict action on the guilty following the high-level probe. Government should provide all possible aid to the family and provide full security to other members," he said. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has also condemned the incident and targeted the state government over the law and order situation. "This incident, reminiscent of the dark ages, exposes not only the law and order situation under the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, but also the failure of the government to provide security to the poor, Dalits, tribal and women. There should not be any soft dealing with the criminals. The BSP demands strict action," she tweeted. The village where the incident occured falls under Patharia assembly constituency and the sitting MLA, Rambai Govind Singh is from the BSP. IANS tried to speak to him but he was not reachable. Ajay Kumar Tandon, a Congress MLA from Damoh district, however, said that the incident came as a shock for the entire district. "People of a family barged into one's house and opened fire at them killing three. This shows that people have no fear of police here in Damoh. Question arrise that was the Patel family carrying guns at his home? Today's incident was the failure of the law and order situation of the state," Tandon told IANS over phone. --IANS pd/khz/vd ( 710 Words) 2022-10-25-20:58:05 (IANS) The villagers also snatched the rifle of a policeman during the attack/ The injured were admitted to the Primary Health Center in Silao block and their condition is said to be stable. A police team, headed by SHO of Silao police station, went to Mallah Bigha village to arrest six persons, accused of assaulting a resident of the adjoining Kamdarganj village on Diwali night on Monday. "Our team managed to arrest 6 persons from Mallah Bigha village. While returning, the villagers attacked the team. The police team tried to retaliate but failed as the villagers were in large numbers. They assaulted the police personnel including SHO. The accused also fired some rounds at the police team as well," DSP, Rajgir, Pradeep Kumar, said. "On the statement of SHO, we have registered named FIR as well against unknown persons under relevant IPC sections of attempt to murder, obstructing the work of government officials, and under the Arms Act in Silao police station. Raids are on to nab them," he said. --IANS ajk/vd ( 215 Words) 2022-10-25-21:10:07 (IANS) The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) would soon resume the peace talk with the government representative for Naga talks, A.K. Mishra in Delhi, officials said on Tuesday. An official in Kohima said that NSCN-IM General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, who is now in Nagaland, would join other senior leaders in Delhi to restart the talks with Mishra, a former Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau. Since September last year, Mishra visited Nagaland three times and held a series of meetings with the NSCN-IM leaders, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and various other leaders and stakeholders. Mishra, during his visit to Nagaland in September last year, also discussed the Naga issue with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the Convener of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). Local media, quoting the official sources, reported that the Centre was expected to present a 'common draft' in the next round of discussions. The Naga political groups are expected to study and deliberate on the draft before giving their nod for a common agreement. An inclusive common draft is reportedly being worked out to club both 'status paper' of the Agreed Position and the 'competency clauses' of Framework Agreement before inking of the final agreement, the media report said. After over 80 rounds of talks between the Centre and the Naga groups, dominated by the NSCN-IM, there is still a stalemate over the contentious issues of separate Naga flag and constitution. The NSCN-IM has been demanding a separate flag and constitution, which the former government interlocutor and then Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi had rejected on a number of occasions. Highly-placed sources said that the Central government was willing to allow the proposed Naga flag in socio-cultural activities, but the NSCN-IM rejected the proposal. The Naga groups as part of their pressure tactics hoisted the 'Naga national flag' and held several events in Nagaland and in many villages in the Naga-dominated areas of neighbouring Manipur to celebrate 'Naga Independence Day' on August 14, a day before Independence Day. On the occasion of the 'Naga Independence Day', NSCN-IM General Secretary had said: "All Nagas unite with one decision, one faith, and one politics on the principle of Nagalim for Christ." He had said the Nagas have endured 25 years of gruelling ceasefire, living up to "our commitment for a peaceful solution to the Naga political issue". --IANS sc/pgh ( 405 Words) 2022-10-25-21:34:01 (IANS) Wishing a happy Diwali to more than one billion Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists celebrating this Festival of Lights in the United States, India, and around the world, Biden thanked the Asian American community in the US for making the Diwali celebration a joyous part of American culture. "We are honoured to host you. This is the first Diwali reception of this scale in the White House ever to be held. We have more Asian Americans than ever before in history and we want to thank you for making the Diwali celebration a joyous part of American culture," US President Joe Biden said during a reception to celebrate Diwali at the White House. "As we host the official White House Diwali reception, we are honoured to light the diya surrounded by members of the most diverse Administration in American history--led by Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black American and South Asian American to become Vice President." Biden thanked for the optimism, courage, and empathy demonstrated by the incredible South Asian community all across America. Several Indian Americans from the Biden administration were present at the event. "Together, South Asian Americans reflect the soul of who we are as a nation, whether helping us emerge stronger from this pandemic, building an economy that works for everyone, or serving and protecting our communities and our country." As the world celebrates this gathering of light, he said, "as this community has experienced too often--that there is always darkness lurking. American history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh reality that we have never fully lived up to it. By marking the victory of light over darkness, Diwali is a reminder that each of us has the power to bring light to the world, whether here in America or around the world." "With prayers, dances, fireworks, and sweets, Biden said may all who observe Diwali enjoy the chance to celebrate and connect, to feel the pride of the community, and to remember the power in the gathering of light." Moreover, US vice-president Kamala Harris also delivered remarks from the White House on the occasion of Diwali celebrations. She said, "White House is the people's house and together our president and first lady have made this place where every American can celebrate their honour and tradition." Tonight, Vice President Harris said, the Biden administration joins over 1 billion people around the world to light the 'Diya' and celebrate the fight for good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness. Moreover, First Lady Jill Biden praised the Asian American community in the US for "helping us light our way forward." "With persistence, with faith, with love, I am grateful that today these diyas have guided you to this home. A home that belongs to all of you," the first lady said. Diwali is an auspicious festival that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Spectacular lights, firecrackers, irresistible traditional sweets and exchanging gifts mark the festival. While, the Hindus celebrate this festival to commemorate the homecoming of Lord Rama after 14 year-long years in exile and his victory over Ravana, for the people of Jain faith, this festival carries the essence of spiritual upliftment because it marks the achievement of Nirvana or Moksha by Mahavira, the last Tirthankara. Diwali is popularly known as the "festival of lights" and is observed incessantly for five days that kicks off in late Ashwin and concludes in the early Kartika month according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar. Each day of the festival is associated with six different principal stories. In North India, worshipping of Lord Ganesha and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is an important part of Diwali that signifies the welcoming of prosperity and wealth. (ANI) Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen has been booked on charges of treason and terrorism by the Pakistan Punjab police following his anti-military speech at the Asma Jahangir Conference on Sunday, the media reported. A first information report (FIR) registered on the complaint of citizen Naeem Mirza on Monday stated that Pashteen hurled baseless allegations at the security agencies while his supporters chanted slogans against the institutions during the event held in Lahore at a private hotel, Express Tribune reported. Denouncing the FIR, the PTM chief said in a tweet, "The voices against oppression cannot be suppressed through FIRs, prisons or propaganda, but the only solution is to give justice." Earlier on Monday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the "unjustified sloganeering" against the Pakistan army at the Asma Jahangir Conference held in Lahore, saying it was unfortunate that such forums were being used to target the institutions. The premier's condemnation has come after some people in the audience started shouting slogans against the army in the presence of key ministers, legal eagles and journalists on Sunday. The prime minister said that the coalition government and his party are firmly committed to ensuring the freedom of expression of every citizen as per the Constitution but regretted that the conference was used for partisan political interests. "It is unfortunate that such forums are being used to target state institutions, especially the armed forces, for partisan political interests," PM Shehbaz said in a statement issued hours before he departed for Saudi Arabia to attend Saudi Future Investment Initiative Summit, Express Tribune reported. --IANS san/pgh ( 276 Words) 2022-10-24-22:38:02 (IANS) White House on Monday hosted the biggest Diwali reception ever on Monday which also saw the presence of several Indian Americans from the Biden administration. "We are honoured to host you. This is the first Diwali reception of this scale in the White House ever to be held. We have more Asian Americans than ever before in history and we want to thank you for making the Diwali celebration a joyous part of American culture," US President Joe Biden said during a reception to celebrate Diwali at the White House. Wishing a happy Diwali to more than one billion Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists celebrating this Festival of Lights in the United States, India, and around the world, Biden thanked the Asian American community in the US for making the Diwali celebration a joyous part of American culture. "As we host the official White House Diwali reception, we are honoured to light the diya surrounded by members of the most diverse Administration in American history--led by Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black American and South Asian American to become Vice President." Biden thanked for the optimism, courage, and empathy demonstrated by the incredible South Asian community all across America. "Together, South Asian Americans reflect the soul of who we are as a nation, whether helping us emerge stronger from this pandemic, building an economy that works for everyone, or serving and protecting our communities and our country." As the world celebrates this gathering of light, he said, "as this community has experienced too often--that there is always darkness lurking. American history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh reality that we have never fully lived up to it. By marking the victory of light over darkness, Diwali is a reminder that each of us has the power to bring light to the world, whether here in America or around the world." "With prayers, dances, fireworks, and sweets, Biden said may all who observe Diwali enjoy the chance to celebrate and connect, to feel the pride of the community, and to remember the power in the gathering of light." Moreover, US vice-president Kamala Harris also delivered remarks from the White House on the occasion of Diwali celebrations. She said, "White House is the people's house and together our president and first lady have made this place where every American can celebrate their honour and tradition." Tonight, Vice President Harris said, the Biden administration joins over 1 billion people around the world to light the 'Diya' and celebrate the fight for good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness. Moreover, First Lady Jill Biden praised the Asian American community in the US for "helping us light our way forward." "With persistence, with faith, with love, I am grateful that today these diyas have guided you to this home. A home that belongs to all of you," the first lady said. Diwali is an auspicious festival that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Spectacular lights, firecrackers, irresistible traditional sweets and exchanging gifts mark the festival. While, the Hindus celebrate this festival to commemorate the homecoming of Lord Rama after 14 year-long years in exile and his victory over Ravana, for the people of Jain faith, this festival carries the essence of spiritual upliftment because it marks the achievement of Nirvana or Moksha by Mahavira, the last Tirthankara. Diwali is popularly known as the "festival of lights" and is observed incessantly for five days that kicks off in late Ashwin and concludes in the early Kartika month according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar. Each day of the festival is associated with six different principal stories. In North India, worshipping of Lord Ganesha and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is an important part of Diwali that signifies the welcoming of prosperity and wealth. (ANI) Pakistan's Awami National Party (ANP) leader Afrasiyab Khattak said the country is still in a state of martial law and the political leadership must avoid making laws that grant extensions to generals, media reports said. During Asma Jehangir Conference, Khattak said, "We have seen General Musharraf's nine years, General Ziaul Haq's eleven years and the political parties must avoid making legislation that grant extension," reported The News International. 60 million people of Khyber Pakhtunkha were combating human rights challenges, he added. Moreover, while addressing the conference, PTI Member of the National Assembly Munazza Hassan remembered activist Asma Jehangir who had devoted her life to raising the voice for human rights, the media portal said. "We as political parties stand at crossroads today and we must realize that the only way to build a strong democracy is to bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots. We, as a nation, are aware of the fact that growing regional and global challenges are adding to inequality among people which lead to extremism, terrorism. It is mandatory for political parties to work together to address the challenges," she added. Balochistan is in conflict with Pakistan Government since 1947. The cause of conflict along with ethnicity includes economic and political exclusion. Balochistan is the largest province by geographical area in Pakistan, constituting approximately 43 per cent of the total area of Pakistan. it is Pakistan's largest province, as well as is poorest and least populated. The grievances of the masses relating to political, economic and cultural rights, have given rise to nationalist movements; the absence of problem-resolution mechanisms, even in the democratic setups; continued negligence of the well-being of the masses that has been the hallmark, though out Pakistan since its creation. Moreover, 70 per cent of people in Balochistan live in poverty. The maternal death rate in Pakistan is 278 per 100,000, whereas in Balochistan it stands at 785.Natural gas was discovered at Sui in Balochistan, yet major parts of the province are still deprived of natural gas. It's important to understand that the violence in Balochistan is not just because of terrorism. The insurgents are mostly local people longing for their constitutional rights and welfare. Therefore, most of the insurgent movements in Balochistan have been linked with deprivation and underdevelopment. (ANI) MoS V Muraleedharan, who is on an official visit to Senegal from October 24-25, attended the 8th edition of the Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Dakar. Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said India strongly supports the development priorities of Africa guided by the principles laid down by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Ugandan Parliament in 2018. Taking to Twitter, MoS wrote, "Glad to participate at the opening session of Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa, inaugurated by President of Senegal, H.E Macky Sall in Dakar. Presidents of Angola and Cabo Verde, several Ministers and high-level dignitaries were present." "The Forum has become an important place for policy discussions on sovereignty and security aspects of Africa. India strongly supports the development priorities of Africa guided by 10 principles laid down by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Ugandan Parliament in 2018," he added. Being held annually since 2014, the Dakar Forum has become a key event for decision-makers involved in Africa. This is the first time that India is participating in the Forum at a Ministerial level, according to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs. The participation of MoS in the Dakar Forum underscores the importance that India attaches to the peace, security and developmental issues concerning Africa. The visit is also in line with India's policy to intensify and deepen its engagement with Africa. India and Senegal enjoy warm and friendly relations, sharing common values of democracy and secularism, with strong economic engagement and development cooperation. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established at the Ambassadorial level in 1962, with a resident Indian Mission in Dakar. As per DGCIS, Government of India, statistics, Indian exports to Senegal in 2018-19 touched $ 639 mn and imports from Senegal USD 658 million. As to the bilateral trade basket, major items of export from India include textiles, food items, automobiles and pharmaceuticals. Major items of import from Senegal are phosphoric acid and raw cashew. India's investment is mainly in construction, tourism, retail, trading, phosphates, pharmaceuticals etc. The largest investment from India in Senegal is in the Industries Chimique du Senegal (ICS). ICS is the flagship company in Senegal which is in the business of manufacturing phosphoric acid from the rock phosphate available in plenty in Senegal. Indian companies viz. Tata Group (Tata Motors, Tata Unitech), Ashok Leyland, Kirloskar Bros, Ajanta Pharma, Sun Pharma, ShapoorjiPallonji, Kalpataru Power Transmission, KEC Ltd., Promac, SenegIndia etc are present in Senegal. In order to increase awareness about business opportunities between India and Senegal and to inform about the opportunities available under our LoCs, this mission has organized four business events in Senegal (two in Dakar, one in Kaolack and one in Kedougou) since January 2018. The Embassy of India also put up a KVIC Stall in the 27th edition of the annual trade event Dakar International Trade Fair (FIDAK) from November 29, 2018, to December 16, 2018.Recently, former Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu also made his visit to Senegal during his three-nation visit. During his visit to Senegal, Naidu signed three MoUs with the West African country to further deepen bilateral partnership in various areas. (ANI) UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday wished peace, and prosperity to people celebrating Diwali, in three different languages including Hindi. "Congratulations to all of those in the UAE and around the world celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights, and may the year ahead be one of peace, prosperity and happiness for you and your families," UAE President tweeted. Besides the UAE President, several other world leaders and heads of state extended Diwali greetings. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted: "My best wishes to everyone celebrating #Diwali. May this celebration bring light, joy and prosperity." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese explained how the celebration of "Deepavali" is a testament to the strong and successful multicultural nation that modern Australia represents. "It's a demonstration of how our nation is built on the traditions, beliefs, and experiences of people from around the world," he said. White House hosted the biggest Diwali reception ever on Monday which was attended by several Indian Americans from the Biden administration. "We are honoured to host you. This is the first Diwali reception of this scale in the White House ever to be held. We have more Asian Americans than ever before in history and we want to thank you for making the Diwali celebration a joyous part of American culture," US President Joe Biden said during the White House reception. Wishing a happy Diwali to more than one billion Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists celebrating this festival of lights, Biden thanked the Asian American community in the US for making the Diwali celebration a joyous part of American culture. US vice-president Kamala Harris also delivered remarks from the White House on the occasion of Diwali celebrations. She said, "White House is the people's house and together our president and first lady have made this place where every American can celebrate their honour and tradition." (ANI)